Beats News

Settle Down is the music project of Greg Hepworth a DJ / Producer hailing from Bournemouth on the south coast of England. Formally one half of Ulterior Motive, with many releases under his belt, including Teebee's Subtitles, Metalheadz, Shogun Audio... He also launched his own label, Guidance, in 2017, releasing a handful of 12"s and EPs. Onto the future Greg will be producing under the name SETTLE DOWN, with this 12" being one of the first under his new solo project.

Keplar presents the first-ever vinyl edition of the 2003 album »From Tokyo to Naiagara« by Tujiko Noriko. This reissue with new artwork by Joji Koyama is an abridged version of the album as Tomlab label owner Tom Steinle and producer Aki Onda had originally intended to publish it alongside the original CD version. Written by the France-based Tujiko while she still lived in Japan, »From Tokyo to Naiagara« followed up on her two seminal Mego albums and marked a turning point in both the artist’s career and personal life: While she was preparing to leave Japan behind, she succinctly connected the dots between her experiments in pop music and her interest for more abstract sounds. Tujiko worked primarily with a Yamaha synthesizer and an MPC sampler while also incorporating contributions by other musicians such as Onda, Riow Arai and Sakana Hosomi into the pieces. Sometimes approaching an IDM and clicks’n’cuts-style production or working with trip-hop and hip-hop beats while using conventional song structures in the most unconventional of ways, the album showcases her multifaceted influences and skills as a singer and musician to full effect.

Tujiko fondly remembers the time when she made the album. »I had a lot of time for myself back then and I didn’t even feel like I was very busy,« she says today. She describes producing it in close collaboration with Onda, who would relocate to New York City shortly after, as »quite Tokyo and very local.« They explored parts of the city that they hadn’t yet been to for a photography project (finding, among other things, a coin laundry called Naiagara—a transliteration of Niagara). This left its mark on a record that mixes melancholia with joy. The driving opener »Narita Made,« named after one of Tokyo’s airports, already makes this clear: Tujiko’s wistful vocals and lyrics like »I miss you terribly« emphasises the sense of bittersweetness that forms the common thread for a sonically diverse and stylistically open-ended album—this music is looking back while moving forward. It is probably no surprise that its reissue too evokes tender memories of Onda and Steinle in Tujiko, while also reminding her of what lies ahead. »I have so much more to do and not enough time for that,« she muses, before quickly adding: »But I also feel less alone having that album again.«

Influenced in equal parts by the experience of strolling through previously unknown Tokyoite back alleys and thinking about the paths not (yet) taken, »From Tokyo to Naiagara« is precisely that: the perfect travel companion for a journey that leads its listeners from past to future.

One of the longest-serving and most consistently intriguing artists within the fold of Phantasy, U returns to the label with another two-track trip of sonic mystery and erratic magic, ‘Parade/Watchers’.

Presented on limited-pressing 12” vinyl with a sleeve riso printed by U with London's Error Press.

With the texture and earthy promise of a psychedelic mulch, ‘Parade’ presents a glorious timelapse of acid-inflected minimalism. Unfolding defiantly at nearly fifteen minutes, U’s driving but subtle composition transports from guttural, electronic uncertainty to a wide-eyed denouement in one illusionary transition.

With inverse effect but no less power, ‘Watchers’ unexpectedly drops listeners into a rough wash of digital hardcore, spinning it’s initial warehouse chords into a collage of decay and regrowth, a nephilim-scaled journey and arguably U’s most ambitious production to date.

32A003 is a tribute to the six years Idle Hands spent on City Road in Bristol. The artists all have close ties to the city and reflect some of the UK centric that was pushed in the shop. This one is for all the record shops out there, as such this is a vinyl only release.

After the release of DISSIDÆNCE Episode 1, warmly met with both critical and popular success, Vitalic keeps his promise and returns with a second instalment, darker and more techno than the first, and this time with a marked industrial aesthetic - cold and minimal. The composition and production style have a post-cold wave heritage, something that has always been part of the artist's DNA but is now brandished with renewed pride.

DISSIDÆNCE Episode 2 opens with Sirens, a towering tornado of synths and sweat, followed by Dancing in the Street, The Void and Light is a Train, sparse techno boiled down to its essence - mechanical, cold and alarming. Tempering this hostility are moments of grace and poetry like Marching, Friends & Foes and Winter is Coming, both melodic and melancholic.

A two-pronged project masterfully orchestrated by Vitalic, a strange cosmic voyage of implacable energy.

To be released on Ransom Note Records and marking the debut album of Wave Arising project , "(The) Rooted Sky" is an invitation to an initiatory journey where intuitions are channeled into grooves and otherworldly sonic landscapes . A sound where intense rhythms meet circular expansions .

From various improvisations, the experienced & avant-garde musician Sebastian Vaughan decided to take a fresh look and avoid the use of sampling third parties by crafting compositions. An approach to music as a spiritual path driven all the way long by psychedelic dubby vibes , acidic frequencies & hypnotic repetitions coming from his sound-system culture heritage .

While the tracks "It Comes and Goes" , "Ronde Cinétique" , "Electric Shrine" and "Golden Black" draw contemporary almost cinematic ambiences with vibrant and spacious feelings , "Monin Yiri" , "Sound Loves Dance" & "Grow with the Flow" represent a series of energetic deconstructed leftfields , with the omnipresence of a singular tribalism that emphases the african side of Wave Arising .

On its own "Music without chains" is , as the title underlines , a joyful jam free from any boxes or attempts at confinement .

Finally "Subconscience" arrives like a probe , a dreamlike piece full of endless reverbs from Kynsie's voice ; generating mysterious environments and resonating directly with "Soul Whispers" .

Taking on the challenge of fusion , "(The) Rooted Sky" asks the listener to open up through a collection of progressive tracks reflecting the core of Wave Arising’s spirit : Music & Body as a portal . Through this consciously chosen wide range of dynamics , the producer shows his musical ability to create an unique sonic palette yet staying true to his own personality .

Regarding the cover, the outside is a minimalist yet symbolic photograph of the duo’s hands. As for the interior, Wave Arising is very grateful to welcome primitive artworks by the talented artist Rapoon , one of the founder members of the legendary group Zoviet*France . Continuing with this global vision of intertwined arts, the videos accompanying this record are created by Wave Arising .

Ultimately , the recurrent animistic vibes of "(The) Rooted Sky" give to the album a spiritual ethos directly driven by the book of Nature reminding us that, we are all connected to the Source .

Whatever the "Source" means for each one . . .

Pieces of debris washed up on a coastline shrouded in mist. Gratification comes from an eternal search for solace. Locked away at the top of a lighthouse somewhere on an unnamed isle, Grady Steele broadcasts to those within the beacon’s reach. A soundsystem built of driftwood and salvaged car stereos is pieced together with precision and laboriously dragged to the top of the obelisk. A timeless fugue state spent playing arpeggios on a Spanish guitar, the PA system ebbing out phasing loops across benevolent waters. Layering, occasionally faulting, stopping, recording, starting again. The phosphorescent glow atop the obelisk is ever-present.

Perhaps the first release on Archaic Vaults to feature (at least prominent) use of the guitar, these six compositions feel sketch-like and yet burned into the retina, like that of a passing car’s headlights leaving an impressionistic imprint of the source material. To mention this is Grady Steele’s debut release is not to imply he is new to working with sound, having been the proprietor of one of London’s most important soundsystems for the last decade. An obsession with fidelity can be heard and and at times deliberately perverted amongst the body of work. The warm and melancholic tones of the Spanish guitar evident in almost all songs are juxtaposed with various collaged material, including what sounds like hastily captured iPhone recordings and drum machines neglected at the back of the studio, dragged out for one or two stubborn, lurching takes and then once more committed to storage. The 90s voice-imitator pads glowing with undulance are reminiscent of John T. Gast’s early studio takes, and the synergy and precision in guitar layering could lend a clue as to what Fuck Buttons would have sounded like had they sold off their studio equipment for a couple of wooden 12-stringers. Stare long enough at those Windows 95 screensaver-esque rolling hills, and one might witness some miniscule movement in the growth.

Music composed and arranged by Grady Steele Painting by Antoine Larrera Mastered by Owen Pratt Design by Severin Black

Barcelona based Annie Hall drops her debut EP on 20/20 Vision 'Maruxaina', following releases on D1, Detroit Underground, Semantica, CPU and most recently our Exit Planet Earth vinyl series. Annie's eclectic and uniquely expressive output has seen her serve up tracks that take you straight to the dance floor, alongside complex and inventive musical soundscapes.

Kicking things off on the A side the title track 'Maruxaina' draws you in with nostalgic breaks and bass trudges, complimented by warm echoed chords and hypnotic tones. Next up on the A side 'Meiga' serves up a driving groove with deep rolling drums and patterned glitches, intertwining uplifting chord progressions and a soothing vocal, forming a uniquely mesmerising electronic soundscape.A

'Bretema' opens up the B side with a space bound atmospheric gem, grounded by a solid break groove yet elevated with cinematographic synths and harmonic melodies. Wrapping up the EP 'Sarabia' provides an unapologetic experimental expression that blurs the boundaries of genre, with off kilter pads, deep kicks and edgy glass synths creating a beautifully obscure serenity.A

Hand-Numbered

Incl. Legowelt, Younger Than Me, Hardway Bros & DJ Squid Remixes

Following acclaimed releases on Planet Mu, Sneaker Social Club and his own imprint Raw Basics, Anthoney Hart returns with three contemporary rhythm centred rollers under his Basic Rhythm alias.

Wonked out percussion and vocal accents undulate over distorted kicks, subtly building tension in the EP title track “Pepper”.

On the flip, “3am On The Corner” takes things down tempo with broken drums and moody pads accompanied with a haunting sax melody. This eclectic release concludes with “Moonlight Flit” bringing heavy hitting percussive UK Funky energy over a deep pitching sub.

Breaka’s come a long way since he first turned heads in 2018 with shivering bass anthem ‘Rory’s Theme’. After releasing further records on Holding Hands and other labels, he also kicked off his own eponymous label, and held down remix duties for Interplanetary Criminal and Kelly Lee Owens. Now, his musical curiosity gets the spotlight with self-released debut LP ‘We Move.’

Made on a laptop and midi keyboard during the winter of 20/21, the album clearly goes out to the club: singles ‘Mass Gathering’ and ‘Solaria’ earned attention from DJs like Anz, Call Super, and Om Unit, while also doing the rounds on NTS, Rinse FM, and the BBC, as well as featuring on BBC essential ‘Mix of the Year’ by Elkka. Tracks such as ‘Look Inside’ and ‘Solaria’ navigate themes of reflection and isolation, while numbers ‘We Move’, ‘Honeydrum’ and ‘Baile Steppa’ work genres like UK funky, trance, kuduro, and samba together into new forms. Whether considering the dance from a distance or toying with new ideas of what the dance can be, ‘We Move’ is a confident statement of intent, showcasing Breaka’s love for explorations across the electronic axis.

Artwork comes courtesy of Breaka and Jake Elwes, with featured photography from Sophie Jouvenaar.

Repressed!

repressed !

Commodo chalks up another release for DEEP MEDi and this one delivers vocals from JME. JME also featured on Skepta's 'That's not me' which recently won the 2014 MOBO for best Video.
The Instrumental sits snugly on the flip; with full focus on the beat. Anything but a B side!

After levelling up with our last outing, the SPZL team return with 4 heavyweights on remix duty of tracks from Sifar by Das Spezial.

Low Jack, Bruce, Lakker, and Etch all tame and rework the original EP to produce four moments of magic in their own unique style.

Hold tight for the heaters, this one is coming in strong!!!

The tussling vegetables in Mal Dean's cover-sketch somehow befit perfectly this extraordinary duo of Bailey and the great Dutch drummer Han Bennink. Recorded in London in 1972, Incus 9 was their second record (after an ICP in 1969), becoming a blueprint and inspiration for generations of free-improvisers. It is paired here with a brilliant session from the following year, with the same power and friendly combativeness, and oodles of creativity, technique and humour. It's obvious how much they loved playing together.The tussling vegetables in Mal Dean's cover-sketch somehow befit perfectly this extraordinary duo of Bailey and the great Dutch drummer Han Bennink. Recorded in London in 1972, Incus 9 was their second record (after an ICP in 1969), becoming a blueprint and inspiration for generations of free-improvisers. It is paired here with a brilliant session from the following year, with the same power and friendly combativeness, and oodles of creativity, technique and humour. It's obvious how much they loved playing together.

Strong limited Box set contains: 3x 190g 12Inch / 1x 1000g/sqm Box with UV Spot Finish / 2x Screen printed Slipmat / 1x 24 Pages booklet / 1x A2 Poster / Stickerset / Heavy Underground Resistance and Detroit infected electro anthems! Die Gestalten! Made by a completely unknown source out of nowhere. vinyl only! No promotion, no digital, no social media, no faces, no games!

The south coast of England was a hot bed of amazing Hardcore musical talent in the 90’s, and here is more proof of that! Some of the finest that the south coast had to offer was thew combination of Dj Druid & Vinylgroover, so when they got together to make an EP the result was exceptional. This 3 track EP is full of floor fillers from back then, and it has now has been remastered for a whole new generation of music lovers to enjoy, or for those that remember the days and want to feel that awesome vibe once again.

Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

Two legendary figures of the Greek and international music scene, Floros Floridis and SavinaYannatou join their breaths in this new release on vinyl by To Pikap Records, entitled Blink. In the album’s seven tracks-movements, the two musicians expand the time it takes for the eye to blink. Avant-garde and improvisation, modernism and tradition seek to describe, but ultimately limit, this melodrama of existence, the libretto of which is written in the langue that may have been first heard in Pangea.

Blink departs from the ground on which records like the Residents’ Eskimo sprouted, but moves on by removing the horizon points and the conventions they carry, in order to board the next Voyager that will travel to the stars. Two experienced breaths that generate sound without rules become -through reeds and mouth- vehicles of the language of newborns deconstructing the conventions of human communication. The fragility of existence becomes -like the birdsong- lullaby and dirge, hymn and incantation. The instinctive manages to express the unspeakable in this abstract and ultimately tender work that does not conclude but remains open to the timeless movement of a prehistoric future.

When Fred sent me the demos for his first release I remember being compelled to shut off all the lights and listen to them in complete darkness at full volume. I’m not sure why his music makes me want to do that but when he sent me this next batch I found myself needing to repeat the same process.

More breakbeat wizardry from Maverick Friske on his now buy on sight imprint Requisite with two more cuts of masterful yin vs yang futurized Drum & Bass.
“Reprizal” aims straight for the jugular with chest out stabs, growling subs and B Boy attitude whilst Apache breaks duel back and forth in an apocalyptic call and response.

Flip for the aptly titled “Light Beams,” where neon synth horns and hypnotizing arpeggios wash down in waves of atmosphere, shining warm sun rays through the Jungle canopy of clattering breaks and 808 groove to bring early morning dancers back out of the darkness.

We're happy to present Goosensei's first solo EP on BCSM Records. Goosensei presents four new tracks - influenced by dub and sound system culture, underground bass music and his surroundings in Birmingham, UK: thunder and grey skies, speaker boxes and King Earthquake basslines, the industrial past of the city - smoke ... and (r)evolution is in the air. So get ready for a hard hitting trip through bass and sound on Into The Unknown.

The limited 12" vinyl record comes with special artwork designed by Goosensei himself. For the extra sub pressure, LXC mastered all tracks to the fullest.

Japanese industrial-experimental-synth outfit formed by Tommi Tokyo (synths, drum machines, vocals) and Sayaka Botanic (violin, sampler, tapes). They create a unique mixture of dark minimal synth and avant-noise with striking visuals and stage performances. Group A carries on the very breath of early pioneers such as Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and the Japanese underground scene from the early 80’s. This is the vinyl edition of group A's 2nd self-produced album released in October 2013 only in CDR format. 9 tracks of genuine experimental minimal electronics.

To ignite Alternate Recordings with a prestigious spark, we've linked up with the legendary J:Kenzo to present two sublime cuts from within the 170bpm spectrum. Kicking off with the aptly-named 'RawZ' - This stripped back DJ weapon resides deep in the jungle sphere. Its sub-line is militant and moody, the breaks are ludicrously tight and as with any J:Kenzo piece of work; it's got professionalism and a passion for the dancefloor at it's core. 'Typhoon' demonstrates Kenzo's staple of deep, textured bass, combined with stripped back half-time sonics. Each element as strong and equally as superbly executed - This one oozes personality. We are honoured to be kicking off Alternate Recordings with Jay and these stellar tracks.

What is music about? It can be about anything, I guess, but that's not what we are talking about. That's not why we are here. What makes the difference is if music, any music, is worth it. Then it's something else. Like this piece, Juho's solo album. What I suggest as a simile to music on this vinyl, is the experience of sauna. Savusauna (smoke sauna) to be exact. The thing about savusauna is that because of the method of heating, the room gets really hot, and the smell of smoke is all over. Google it. But if you want to understand it, try it. When you enter the sauna, you need to surrender, in order to enjoy. A good savusauna is best when it is over 100 celsius. The heat is intense, but don't let yourself feel affronted. Feel embraced. The heat is your vessel. You are transported, just by sitting down. Breathe in, feel the steam, it becomes you, breathe out. This is the way to approach the music on this vinyl. Leave your opinions behind, like you do with your clothes in sauna. You will have them back later, don't worry. But while you listen, don't take anything with you, just focus: on sounds, on your body, on your mind. They will be the same thing for the time being. After being heated up, take your time to cool down. Dip in a lake, if you can. Feel the pulse in your body, like the rhythm of the music. Glance up, float silently. In due time, your body will calm down. By the time you are put to bed, the music will continue inside you. This is what music is about, when it is worth the while. Taneli Viitahuhta

Plate 2 from Kromestar's remastered My Sound LP on Deep Heads.

...

Deep Heads in association with Dubstar records are proud to present the 2021 Remaster, Vinyl edition special, of the seminal album ‘My Sound’ by Dubstep legend Kromestar.

Originally released in 2009, with high critical acclaim, the record is no doubt one of Kromestar’s most celebrated and recognised albums he’s ever created. An absolutely timeless collection of music, the album was groundbreaking at the time and still holds up as a quality album from start to finish in 2021.

Plate 4 from Kromestar's remastered My Sound LP on Deep Heads.

...

Deep Heads in association with Dubstar records are proud to present the 2021 Remaster, Vinyl edition special, of the seminal album ‘My Sound’ by Dubstep legend Kromestar.

Originally released in 2009, with high critical acclaim, the record is no doubt one of Kromestar’s most celebrated and recognised albums he’s ever created. An absolutely timeless collection of music, the album was groundbreaking at the time and still holds up as a quality album from start to finish in 2021.

A word from the label - "LiBL are proud to present the imprint's second iteration from Lakumer & Z Axis. 4 tracks channelling a variety of styles, influenced by Aquarian Foundation, STL, CV313 & Marcellus Pittman. Not forgetting the love and pain of tinkering with analogue sound until the equipment fails and you're back to square one! Perseverance, finding old tapes and acquired time through a global lockdown helped these tracks finally see the light of day.......and we are ever so pleased they have.

This record is a momentous occasion for me as it is the first release that I have signed from a member of my production tutorial website. This is something I was quietly hoping would come to pass when I started the project but I never knew if it would actually happen. Liebus was sending me tracks to critique as part of a feature on the site and after a batch of them came in that I not only didn’t have any critique for but actually I wanted to ask him how he made them instead, I knew I was onto a winner.

I can’t quite believe this is his first release as the tracks sound so mature and incredibly produced but I was never going to think twice about putting them out.

All five tracks are subby, drummy, mind bending workouts from start to finish. Proper cavernous vibes with a dose of potentially too strong an LSD trip mixed in for good measure.
Not for the faint hearted...

OK enough of my blather. Go and listen to the damn things yourself and decide if you like them, rather than trying to work it out from reading a bloody press release you weirdos.

All four tracks are produced and sculpted for the club. They want big sound systems and dark rooms.

Close your eyes, hold hands and experience transcendental space flight...

7" flexidisc vinyl

Dub Tree is a sine wave heavy bass line trip. Pads and light rave pianos keep this track both heavy and light at the same time, delivering a track with serious punchy kicks that'll keep any raver stomping wildly thru from beginning to end.

Pads and light rave pianos keep this track both heavy and light at the same time, delivering a track with serious punchy kicks that'll keep any raver stomping wildly thru from beginning to end.