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Featuring Justin Bieber, MØ, Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, Quavo, Nicki Minaj, Sean Paul and many more, Essentials highlights Major Lazer's reach across the globe, and the vast range of their influences and influence to date.
With standouts as wide-ranging as 'Jah No Partial,' with its sample of heritage Jamaican artist Joh7nny Osbourne, to features from the world's biggest pop stars, to the now legendary Flosstradamus remix of 'Original Don,' to their Latin Grammy nomination for 'Sua Cara,' which was one of the biggest video launches in YouTube's history. Also including their recent collaboration with African artists like Burna Boy, Babes Wodumo, Mr. Eazi and Kizz Daniel, Essentials showcases Major Lazer's unique positioning and singular talent for transcending borders and genre.
Essentials features a brand new release, 'Blow That Smoke' featuring Tove Love, plus their biggest hits to date, 'Lean On' (the first independent track to hit #1 on U.S. Top 40 radio) and 'Cold Water,' two of the most streamed songs of all time on Spotify. Beyond their many accolades, Major Lazer's storied career has been marked by constant reinvention that has shaped the sound today's pop.
With three albums under their belt—2009's 7Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do, 2013's Free The Universe and 2015's Peace is the Mission—the band continues to tour the world over, including a groundbreaking 400,000 person show in Havana, Cuba as chronicled in the 2017 documentary Give Me Future, multiple trips to Pakistan, a just-wrapped tour of Africa and beyond. Major Lazer's mission—to make the world smaller by making the party bigger—continues to grow worldwide. A highly anticipated fourth album is on the way, with much more to come from Major Lazer in 2019.
Fans will recognize longtime collaborator Ferry Gouw's work on the cover, featuring hand drawn portraits of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire, plus featured artists and friends from throughout their discography, as well as a reappearance of the Major Lazer cartoon.
Major Lazer Essentials follows the band's new Afrobeats Mixtape and a recent tour of Africa with stops in South Africa, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda. While in Africa, Major Lazer visited the VETPAW (Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife) headquarters to participate in anti-poaching missions alongside veterans and learn more about ways to combat poaching in South Africa and beyond. Learn more and donate here.

CD1
1. Blow That Smoke (feat. Tove Lo)
2. Lean On (feat. MØ & DJ Snake)
3. Cold Water (feat. Justin Bieber & MØ)
4. Light It Up (feat. Nyla & Fuse ODG) Remix
5. Know No Better (feat. Travis Scott, Camila Cabello & Quavo)
6. Sua Cara (feat. Anitta & Pabllo Vittar)
7. Watch Out For This (Bumaye) feat. Busy Signal, The Flexican & FS Green
8. Powerful (feat. Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley)
9. Pon De Floor (feat. Vybz Kartel)
10. Hold The Line (feat. Mr. Lex & Santigold)
11. Keep It Goin' Louder (feat. Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze)
12. All My Love (feat. Ariana Grande & Machel Montano) Remix

CD2
1. Original Don (feat. The Partysquad) Flosstradamus Remix
2. Get Free (feat. Amber Coffman)
3. Run Up (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR & Nicki Minaj)
4. Jah No Partial (feat. Flux Pavilion)
5. Be Together (feat. Wild Belle)
6. Bubble Butt (feat. Bruno Mars, Tyga & Mystic)
7. Jet Blue Jet (feat. Leftside, GTA, Razz & Biggy)
8. Come On To Me (feat. Sean Paul)
9. Boom (feat. MOTi, Ty Dolla $ign, Wizkid & Kranium)
10. Orkant/Balance Pon It (feat. Babes Wodumo & Taranchyla)
11. Loyal (feat. Kizz Daniel & Kranium)
12. All My Life (feat. Burna Boy)
13. Tied Up (feat. Mr. Eazi, RAYE & Jake Gosling)

Bearing traces from his earlier synth ambient project Sansernes Rus as well as his previous engagement in the danish noise and techno scene, this debut EP operates on the fringes of percussive techno, melodic ambient, and bass music with nods to several other styles including IDM and millenium trance. In other words Safe Following Distance' reflects a very adventurous approach to music making, offering four individually strong tracks out of which each one draws upon inspiration from different genres while contributing to an overall aesthetic perspective.

Just over a year after the release of sophomore
album 'Origin And Echo', Snow Palms return with a
powerful two-track release - almost 18 minutes of
music in total.
'Everything Ascending' sees Snow Palms mainstay
David Sheppard's signature glinting electronics and
crystalline glockenspiels augmented by modular
synths, tapes, piano and soaring vocal flights. Over
ten minutes in length, this is an undulating,
inexorably unfurling odyssey, oscillating seamlessly
between passages of mesmeric electronic pulse,
choral-enhanced minimalism and immersive,
gamelan-like ambience.
While there may be echoes of Kaitlyn Aurelia
Smith, Steve Reich and Midori Takada's Mkwaju
Ensemble along the way, ultimately, 'Everything
Ascending' proffers a uniquely rapturous sonic
realm that is pure Snow Palms.
'Circling', meanwhile, is a bold orchestral
reimagining of one of the highlights from 'Origin
And Echo'. A response to their own remix of 'Cycle
12' by fellow Village Green artist and renowned
film music arranger/orchestrator Matt Dunkley, this
is a brilliant repositioning of Snow Palms' music in
the emotion-soaked cinematic idiom.

World-renowned Irish American group The Gloaming return with their highly anticipated third studio album.

The Gloaming is four master musicians and one singer, seemingly suspended in time as their music unfurls around them, its tendrils reaching out into every nook and cranny of the room.

It's undoubtedly Irish music - with violinists Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, guitarist Dennis Cahill and Iarla Ó Lionáird, one of the greatest contemporary Sean-nós singers. However, it's also more than that: pianist and producer Thomas Bartlett steers the music towards a place where modernity and the old world become one. The heart of The Gloaming remains but there are touches throughout that signal its points of difference.

Words and Music is a rare and sought-after album by artist Tom Phillips (b. 1937). Fueled by painting, opera, and concrete poetry, this LP was originally published by the king, Hansjörg Mayer, in 1975 (this LP has never been repressed).

Most are familiar with Tom Phillips' "After Raphael" painting used on the cover of Brian Eno's Another Green World LP, along with the television series he made with director Peter Greenaway, A TV Dante (1990). However, Tom's crowning achievement is his art-book A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel. A reworked version of the obscure book, A Human Document, by W.H. Mallock, each page laboriously painted and collaged over. Spools of text are re-discovered from the original book, stitching together a new story surrounding the protagonist, Toge. Six editions have been published from between 1970 and 2017, each with different texts and paintings imagined. Phillips' work has the air of forlorn fantasy to it ... a designed romance.

The first side of Words and Music contains four chamber works grown from impressionistic and graphic scores. A lovely flavor of British experimental composition à la Cornelius Cardew (with whom Phillips collaborated in the Scratch Orchestra). Tom's music incorporates touchstones of visual art: in his Irma opera, a band of voice colors wash over slides of chamber melodies; in "Ornamentik," (commissioned by Stuart Dempster) acoustic and electronic instruments are played as extended shapes along a piece of paper. The piano piece "Lesbia Waltz" augments sheet music, cut-up measure by measure, placed and replaced.

The second side of the LP holds readings from his famed book, A Humument. Recited by Tom, whose chestnut voice perfectly carries the stanzas of bizarre, romantic poetry. Dancing between discoveries and meanings with gentle blood and ink soaking on each word.

LIMITED! Standard wallet with gold foil detail, heavyweight black vinyl, printed inner and print insert with gold foil detail, shrink, sticker

'So that you might hear me' was recorded at several studios in Seattle with the producer Phil Ek (The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty) and was mixed by Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Metronomy).

A need for connection lies at the heart of the band's third album. Both bold and exposed, intimate yet expansive, the first two tracks are a perfect example of this: 'Fuel On The Fire' pulses and blossoms from the visceral throb of drum machine beats and electric guitars into an orchestral beauty that showcases the more electronic side of the band. This is juxtaposed with the bewitching 'Blankets Of Sorrow" that demonstrates the more intimate Bear's Den sound and explores themes of familial love and of trying to reach someone who can no longer be reached. With the band beloved by their fans for the way their songs have woven themselves into the fabric of some of the most bittersweet chapters of their lives, 'So that you might hear me' continues in that vein, pairing soaring melodies with poignant and at times unsettlingly personal lyricism.

So that you might hear me' is the follow-up to 2014's 'Islands', which earned them an Ivor Novello nomination, and 2016's more expansive 'Red Earth & Pouring Rain', which reached number six in the UK chart. The band have sold almost 500,000 records over the course of their career, with 'Red Earth & Pouring Rain' seeing them cap four years of non-stop touring selling a total of 100,000 tickets across Europe which included two glorious sold-out homecoming shows at Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Apollo.
'So that you might hear me' will be released on 26th April on Communion Records.

Das Duo Boy Harsher Aus Northampton, Massachusetts Gibt Es Seit 2014 Und Sie Verbinden Düstere Dance-beats, 80er-jahre-versatzstücke Mit Sehr Ätherischen Vocals Und Schaffen So Eine Unheimliche, Intensive Und Fesselnde Klangwelt.
Nach Ihren Ersten Ep&album-veröffentlichungen "lesser Man (diverse Pressungen 2014 - 2018, Soft Science / Nachtaufnahmen / Aufnahme + Wiedergabe / Nude Club) Und "yr Body Is Nothing" (diverse Pressungen 2016 - 2018, Dka Records / Nude Club), Ist - careful Nun Der Nächste Schritt - Vielleicht Noch Einen Schritt Weiter In Richtung Dunkelheit.

Augustus Muller Entwickelt Den Unterbau Der Tracks Aus Präzisen Und Kraftvollen Beats (die Irgendwie Nach Damals Klingen, Aber Von Heute Stammen) Und Schleift Darüber Noch Sägende Synthies, Während Jae Matthews Dazu Haucht, Schreit Und Singt. Diese Kathartischen Aber Auch Magnetisierenden Tracks Wurden Innerhalb Kurzer Zeit Zu Hits Eines Real Existierenden Untergrunds. Das Album - careful Wurde Hauptsächlich In Massachusetts Geschrieben, Mit Einer Handvoll Synthesizern Und Einem Laptop. Für Muller Ist Ein Minimales Set-up Sehr Bedeutend In Diesem Prozess. Gemischt Wurde In Italien Mit Maurizio Baggio Von La Distilleria Studio.

Boy Harsher Haben Sich Über Die Letzten Jahre Bereits Eine Sehr Treue Untergrundgemeinde Er- Und Zu Beginn Des Jahres Eine Triumphale, Restlos Ausverkaufte Tour Durch Europa Gespielt. Es Folgte Eine Weitere Tour Durch Europa Und Zwei Us-touren, U.a. Mit The Soft Moon. Im Frühjahr Folgt Die Eigene Headline-tour Durch Europa.

Following 1 or 2 small run / mailorder lathe cuts, Polytechnic Youth follow it's hugely successful 'Popcorn Lung' label compilation LP, with it's first full length of the new year, and man... this one is just wonderful! A mighty record to kick off what promises to be another hugely productive, constantly busy year for the Crouch End based synth label.

PY often likes to quote the artist directly in it's press releases, and this one is no exception. Gabe's own words, more than adequately explaining the path leading to this killer set for 2019; 'It feels a little ridiculous to pretend that the person introducing you to Gabe Knox is some kind of bigwig press agent and not just Gabe Knox himself, so let me, Gabe Knox, tell you a little about myself in that hopes that you'll give my music a listen.

In 2014, after years of moderate success as a local musician and club DJ in Toronto, Canada, I looked at my collection of barely functioning analogue synths and drum machines and said to myself 'Instead of trying to unsuccessfully make music you think other people will like, why don't you make something that you'd actually want to listen to for once' I wanted to make music that had the drive shaft of Neu!, the punishing low end of King Tubby, the interleaved melodic lines of Vince Clarke, the melancholic, otherworldly whimsy of Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire, the hypnotic drone of Spacemen 3, and the analogue intimacy of Le Car. I wanted to bring the euphoria and hypnosis of dance music to the rock kids, and the energy and excitement of rock music to the dance kids.

This was going to be a tough sell in the clique-y Toronto music scene, so I figured the best way to get the music out there would be by recording when I can and self-releasing a steady stream of EPs online. They would all be a series, a snapshot of the evolution of that initial idea. ABC represents a compilation of the best songs of the first three EPs, subtly remixed and remastered to best suit vinyl. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.'

This really is a remarkable record. Displaying all the PY traits of icy cool blasts of minimal synth, motorik grooves, melodic pop via passing nods to early mute and sky records. Never before did label head Dom think he'd get the chance to namecheck 2 musical heroes from wildly differing poles -Vince Clarke and Spacemen 3- into one LP PR sheet, so he's understandably excited for this one's release!

250 copies on yellow wax in hand numbered, reverse board sleeves. Sure to go real quick....

First release on Infiltrate, 4 tracks on a electro techno tip.

Martina Lussi's second album fuses together disparate sound sources with a disorienting
quality that reflects the modern climate of dispersion and distraction. The Lucerne, Switzerland- based sound artist released her debut album 'Selected Ambient' on Hallow Ground in 2017, and now comes to Latency with a bold new set of themes and processes.

The range of tools at her disposal spans field recordings, processed instrumentation, synthesised elements and snatches of human expression. The guitar is a recurring figure, subjected to a variety of treatments from heavy, sustained distortion to clean, pealing notes. Elsewhere the sound of sports crowds and choral singing merge, and patient beds of drones and noise melt into the sounds of industry and mechanics. The track titles manifest as a compositional game of deception complete with innuendos, empty phrases and claims - flirtations with perfume names and ironic assertions.

From the volatile geopolitical climate to the changing nature of music consumption in the face of streaming and digital access, 'Diffusion is a Force' is a reflection on fractured times where familiar modes and models change their meaning with the ever-quickening pace of communication.

All proceeds go London based charity, Focus E15 which demands social housing, not social cleansing!

Optimo Music is thrilled to present 'Weaponise Your Sound', which has been curated, conceived and designed by Kristina McCormick (Diet Clinic). Diet Clinic is an NTS radio show showcasing female DJs/artists.

It is the first vinyl release on Diet Clinic's newly-formed sub label of Optimo Music marking International Women's Day 2019 and featuring brand new tracks from artists C.A.R, Cucina Povera, Fantastic Twins, Human Jones, Maral, Marika Underspreche, Odete, Penelope Trappes, Slime, Sue Zuki and Zoe McPherson.

They may be scattered across the globe but their love, strength and support for their art and counterparts continue to inspire on a daily basis.

All proceeds go London based charity, Focus E15 which demands social housing, not social cleansing!

'In The Possessor Possesses Nothing Xosar tells the story of a tonal mutation. A montage of attractions. A straddled comment on organ systems. This album is a play. Broken chords suffocate in waves and get back on the scene.

Trying to control the world
I see you won't succeed.
T'ien hsia shen ch'i
The world is a spiritual vessel
And cannot be controlled.
Those who control, fail.
Those who grasp, lose.
Some go forth, some are led,
Some weep, some blow flutes,
Some become strong, some superfluous,
Some oppress, some are destroyed.
Therefore the Sage
Casts off extremes,
Casts off excess,
Casts off extravagance.

Xosar cites the above passage from the Dao as a key point of inspiration for her new album The Possessor Possesses Nothing and it's a more than apt bit of poetic philosophy, given that her album is about one girl's quest to liberate herself from oppressive forces.

The making of the record was for her an "exercise in decisiveness, action and liberation." This is music making in part as self-therapy - with Xosar cleansing herself "from my own fears" and embracing "self-acceptance, self-trust, responsibility for oneself." But the music was also created under a state of "optimistic nihilism" aimed directly at "anti-perfectionism, anti-elitism, anti-censorship and anti-fear based programming." Xosar aiming not only to liberate herself and her creative process from internal restraints but her listeners from external restraints too. It's telling then that she found herself experiencing "the feeling of being a kid again and allowing pure expression to flow."

These are heady and brave ideals - part of a long series of varied investigations Xosar has been putting herself through not only as a musician but simply in life. She draws from research into the ideas of Alchemy, Magick, Kundalini Yoga, Fractals, DNA Structure, the Golden Ratio, Biofeedback, Quasicrystals, Visualizing higher dimensions, The Human Energy Field, Psychedelic Medicine, Stand Up Comedy, Sound Healing and much more. Hardly your everyday Techno producer, then. "The Possessor Possesses Nothing" somehow takes all these ongoing themes and turns them into a whole. Clear your mind, open your ears wide and prepare for a wild trip ahead.'

This album is the result of some musings on what drives us in life and how we come to terms with our place in the world. I wrote it around the time I was finishing my philosophy degree. I had also come to a point where I wanted to make music that was more personal, emotional and conceptual than before.

We are deficient creatures. Powerless and ignorant of reality as a whole, and unfortunately our characteristic existence makes us painfully aware of that. Reality is fundamentally hostile (or indifferent rather) and we are not well 'fit' to live in it. We try to deal with this through emotional means. We seek comfort for our deficiencies, a sense of purpose and belonging...

After the success of Regenerator 1 featuring Dj Emile, Lone Romantic is back with another monster from the vaults with Regenerator 2 coming curtesy of Freddy Fresh, originally released in 2001 the Gnomes Ep is a proper electro beast which is sure to make some noise on the dance floor.

After the Stroom releases ... Musiques Electroniques Actuelles presents 1999's solo work of NSRD founder, Hardijs Ledinš. A soft solo ambient album, going from folklore to inspired rhythmical jazz language. Limited to 350, 180gramms + 3 page Booklet !

Debut album from this fantastic Dublin based singer and musician. Stirring and beautiful songs, with a consistent optimism underlying even the murkiest moments. TOP TIP! Recorded in Connemara and Dublin (in a studio space shared with mates). Mixed by Brendan Jenkinson. Mastered by The Bastard.

Black Rain returns with Computer Soul: the final part of a sequence of Blackest Ever Black releases that began with 2011's Now I'm Just A Number: Soundtracks 1994-95, and a first glimpse of the project's richly imagined future. For this outing Stuart Argabright (Ike Yard, Dominatrix, Death Comet Crew) is joined by BR founder member Shinichi Shimokawa as well as more recent recruit Soren Roi and Zanias (vocalist on 2015's Dark Pool) - making for the most most group-oriented iteration of Black Rain since its earliest days. Sonically too, there is a sense of evolution but also of coming full circle: the cyberpunk techno of Argabright's celebrated William Gibson soundtracks (compiled on Now I'm Just A Number) and extrapolations of Dark Pool's neuromantic yearning cut with glimpses of the thrash and industrial rock energies that animated Black Rain's incendiary live shows - and sought-after tapes for Kombinat and TPOS - in the early 90s. More than ever, Black Rain is propelled by a powerful science fiction impulse, whether responding to the themes and characters of Gibson's Sprawl or the Blade Runner universe (particularly K.W. Jeter's spin-off/continuation novels which extended its mythology, and timeline, further). It's not news that many of these works' most powerful predictions and prophesies have come to pass - the replicants are already living among us - so Computer Soul projects further into several possible unforeseen futures, its events 'set' in the second half of the current century, fifty or so years after those of Dark Pool. The hyperpopulated metropolises of Dark Pool are no more; the apartments are empty, haunted by ghosts of AC current, devices and machines running lonely without their owners...a melancholy internet of things. Where has everyone got to Gone but perhaps not gone. Oblivion beckons - always does - but on the other side of that, something else... another time, another place, a river....and a new way of living.

Copenhagen's Loke Rahbek works in a wide variety of forms. His prolific rate of activity is best viewed through his and Christian Stadgaard's Posh Isolation label. Of Rahbek's many projects, his most eloquent and gentle is Croatian Amor.

2017's single 'Finding People' bloomed from Croatian Amor's previous album, the widely acclaimed 'Love Means Taking Action'. These melancholic transmissions presented a kind of alien pop. For 'Isa', he has drawn on an impressive list of guests to realise a nauseating narrative of virtual communication and eschatological programming. The album's title invokes a messianic entity, and though it's hard to tell what's imagined or remembered anymore, the play that Croatian Amor is known for feels far more vivid today. "Enhance photo to reveal a picture of Bird caught mid-flight; enhance again, the bird has a human face screaming." Never pessimistic, Croatian Amor circles themes of tragedy and comfort to animate a sense of hope. His accomplices pluck details from his graphic scenes like a searchlight drifting over a starlit surface. Alto Aria, Soho Rezanejad, and Jonnine Standish of HTRK, each contribute vocals across the album, cloaked and kerned on Croatian Amor's inimitable stage. Eden 1.1 and its accompaniment Eden 1.2 feature the voices of Frederikke Hoffmeier and Yves Tumor, respectively. These are some of album's most delicate pieces, and where one may find respite from the helix of damaged rhythms that eddy across 'Isa'. Familiar faces from Copenhagen are solicited throughout, and perhaps the album's most endearing quality is the space for volatility that all of the collaboration has invited. All the signals and timelines lead everywhere and back. Maybe it's only the myths that get us The cover of Isa features work by artist Amitai Romm. "Tracing reflections that float in the pool: the water is lost in all images. Two skies hold glass billboards.'

Debut 12" by l.a. artist fmvee called 'lotus freaks'. switches from vicious party tunes/tools to more pensive ideas
mastered by brandon hocura.
screenprinted sleeve. hand stamped.

Mac DeMarco here covering one of his biggest musical idols, Haruomi Hosono. Having referenced him in numerous interviews and on his album covers, DeMarco now pays direct homage to the Japanese legend with his sincere take on 'Honey Moon,' originally released on Tropical Dandy in 1975. DeMarco effortlessly sings the original lyrics in Japanese, while maintaining his own unmistakable cool.

Album MIND CONTROL is a set of 16 (additional two on vinyl) vintage pop, electronica and ambient music songs, including hits: 'LalaLove,' 'Found My Soul At Marvingate' and 'Save Me A Place.'

KOWTOW is the brand new label created by the composer and producer Vincent Leibovitz, member of La Fine Equipe and cofounder of Nowadays Records (La Fine Equipe, Fakear, Clément Bazin, etc.). Through this ironic courbette, Vincent Leibovitz proposes an ingenious way of developing projects inherited from music library liberties. Each artist creates a specific object akin to electronic film music, sound design and ambient, rather than a collection of traditional-album-formatted tracks. An opportunity for artists to experiment their bond with contemporary images. As such, projects on the KowTow roster are supported by productive and promotional assets boosted by Vincent Leibovitz's vision and his experience with the epic Nowadays adventure, as well as in the sphere of production music (in particular through his work with the benchmark agency Cezame).

For its first overt compilation, KTW001, KowTow proposes its courbette for 10 artists with visionary synaesthesia.
6 of them will release their album during the year (Malvina Meinier, Penelope Antena, Monolithe Noir, Airsouth, Billy Dentelle, 52hzWhale) - the other 4 seized the opportunity to deliver their own ideas by taking advantage of this venture to lay down highly-edgy, atypical tracks: Jumo (Nowadays), Haring (City Tracks), J.Kid (Unno) and Sébastien Forrester (Nowadays) and, among those who will soon be creating a buzz:
PUBERTY by Malvina Meinier is probably the most pop and most digital track on the record. Puberty, from the upcoming Corpus/Anima album, embodies the explosive, sensual struggle between body and spirit, between Malvina's adolescent self-tuned impetus and her synthesizer.

Meanwhile, Airsouth drew his inspiration from the fantasy and contemplative aesthetics of the filmANNIHILATION (Alex Garland). Written with minimal resources during a flash of spontaneous inspiration, this track exemplifies the latest mutations of Airsouth's work. Synthetic instruments complement the field recording, giving birth to an artificial decor, an extraterrestrial intrusion into a forest stroll.

In contrast, BY TWOS lends more so to song-type listening, partly because it is the fruit of the partnership between Monolithe Noir and the folk singer Peter Broderick (Erased Tapes). The track was created using a real modular synthesizer, the artist's preferred instrument which shrouds this folk song with a cold and disquieting register, coexisting complex-free with the spectres of early electro.

In the same lyrical vein, GRANTED was composed using voice-changing software, for which Penelope Antena is now the undisputed maestro and which is one of the distinctive features of her work. A voice affected by a romantic break-up is the root of her writing. Electronic, solitary soul.

And, last but not least, 52HzWhale - Vincent Leibovitz himself - brings this compilation to a close with LADDER TO THE STARS, a track inspired by a work from Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang, discovered on Youtube: an ephemeral scale of fireworks. The progressive build-up of this celestial object embodies an ascent from Earth to the Heavens, from the world of the living to that of the deceased, embracing a transient combustion of synthetic and acoustic layers. Through this contemporary-sourced leaning gifted to traditions, Vincent Leibovitz illustrates his kinship, his respect and his mastery of image through sound: the quintessence of KowTow.

Our first release of 2019 comes from an exciting new addition to the Metalheadz family - Grey Code.

For his debut EP the Bristol-based producer delivers 6 tracks swarming with blissful pads, sharp drums and tenacious basslines, with features from fellow Metalheadz artist Phase and brother Think Twice on the 2 digital only offerings.

Equipped with an authentic, cutting edge sound, Grey Code is a name you'll undoubtedly be hearing a lot more in the future, especially with future releases and remixes for the label already lined up.

After the success of their sophmore album "Nick & Astro's Guide To The Galaxy" last year, Potatohead People are back with a special remix of the first single "Morning Sun" off the album (featuring vocalist Nanna.B) on the album rom the legendary DJ Spinna.

Spinna gives "Morning Sun" his signature Galactic Funk flip, beefing up the drums into a cosmic shuffle, with an analog arpeggiating bassline, lifting strings and synth squelches. Also included is the instrumental on the flip. Cover art comes from Berlin's Rahel Susskind who revists the Guide To The Galaxy concept from inside the funky spaceship. Blast off!

Dug up from Sähkö Recordings storage in Helsinki. And as the story goes: this is Jori Hulkkonen's discovery of the lost electro gem from 1996 by Sami Husa. Upfront & funky, forward looking & simply smashing. B-side remixed by Jussi Pekka Parikka with a drive and hectic approach (not unlike label mate Skatebård). Detroit - Italo - Electro, also for the new generation.

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

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

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



DJ FEEDBACK

Early support from



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

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

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

Marcel Dettmann (Ostgut Ton/MDR) : Thx!

Carl Craig (Planet E) : Thx!

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

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

Slam (Soma) : Thanx

Âme (Innervisions) : Thanks

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

EREZ / John Byrun : A superb EP

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

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

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

Lonya (Asymmetric Recordings) : Great stuff here!

Nori (Posivision) : Cool work.

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

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

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

Benoit C (Tsugi) : Linium for me

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

Joe Europe (Ransom Note) : Very nice!

Azterisco (www.azterisco.com) : Very interesting record. Nice remix!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Etch's 'Ups & Downs' album is a collection of dubs which date as far back as 2014 and up to the present day. The album's tracks are united by being examples of the artists' efforts to escape the shackles of reality by using music as a vehicle.

When you walk alone, you're never lost. At least, that's the operating principle behind Homeshake, the recording project of Peter Sagar. Over his first three albums, Sagar followed his own idiosyncratic vision, a journey that's taken him from sturdy guitar-based indie-pop to, on 2017's Fresh Air, a bleary-eyed take on lo-fi R&B. Now, with Helium, Sagar is putting down roots in aesthetic territory all his own. Landscape that he once viewed from a distance now forms the bedrock of his sound, and from here, he looks back out at the world as if through a light fog, composing songs that feel grounded and intimate, even as they explore a dispersed feeling of isolation.

It's a feeling that comes through not only in the gauziness of the production, but also in the vulnerability of the songs themselves. Sagar began writing Helium shortly after completing Fresh Air, and in the middle of what he calls a 'binge' reading of Haruki Murakami. It's not hard to picture the narrator of these songs as a distinctly Murakamian character: He moves through time by himself, bemused by and insulated from a world he doesn't quite seem to have been made for. Everyone Sagar encounters here — including himself — seems to be a step removed from present reality, whether by technology ('Anything At All'), solitude ('Just Like My'), or sweet fantasy ('Like Mariah'). The record is stitched together by a series of instrumental interludes, synthesizer explorations whose haziness adds to the suspicion that this is all an uncanny dream.

Which isn't to say that Sagar is unmoored in his own world. In fact, much of Helium is the result of what he calls 'a much clearer mental state' than the one he'd experienced shortly following Fresh Air's completion. 'I had a better idea of the sound that was working for this record and what it was turning into as I was writing the songs,' he says. That's owing in part to the album's genesis. Where his previous three records were recorded directly to one-inch tape in a local studio, Helium was recorded and mixed by Sagar alone in his apartment in Montreal's Little Italy neighborhood between April and June of this year. Freed of the rigid editing process he'd endured before, he was able to lose himself in pursuit of tone and texture. 'I didn't have to book time, compete for good hours, wait on availability. I did a lot of it at home in the middle of the night,' he says. 'It made me get more obsessive about details.'

A budding interest in ambient and experimental music — particularly Visible Cloaks, DJs Paypal and Rashad, and Jlin — pushed him to tinker with the micro-sounds that surround the songs here. It's a process he found creatively invigorating; even the tinkling boom-bap of Young Thug informs 'All Night Long.' It's a far cry from the chorus-laden guitars of his earlier work. 'Ever since I started introducing synthesizers into my music, I've gotten more interested in texture,' he says. 'I'd hit a creative dead end with guitars, so synths took over.' The warm chords of a Roland Juno 60 form the album's base, and gave him a clean palette with which to work. 'No tape hiss, no humming power outlets and shitty mixing boards,' as he puts it. 'Everything just came out nice and pure.'

Still, for all the growth it demonstrates, Helium is at its core a singer-songwriter's record made by someone who doesn't feel beholden to any particular set of sounds, textures, or instruments to get his point across. In that sense, it feels closer to the bone, at once assured of its vision and remarkably vulnerable. It's perhaps our purest view yet of Homeshake's home country.

Beneath the still waters of Lonely Sound there lays the ruins of Howland Abbey, its 3000lb bell still hanging in the belfry, only swayed by the currents of the regular tides across the estuary, over 100 years since it was rang by the order of Carthusian monks who lived in the nearby priory. At the turn of the last century during a heavy storm the Abbey was plundered by an unknown gang of marauders, as they left on horseback carrying with them all the gold from the Abbey the sea defences around Lonely Sound were breached, flooding the Abbey, Priory and the surrounding land, the Monks ran for dry land as they watched their beloved bell tower disappear beneath the rising waters, unable to chase the thieves, cut off as the water rose around them. Some locals say these ransackers were in league with the elements, some say they had just intentionally damaged the sea defences before making their raid. Local folk-law claims that the morning bells of the Abbey can be heard ring out from beneath the murky waters of the Sound every year on the anniversary of the great storm, ringing the peel that was never rung.

ELSEWHERE CDXLIV is the third in soFa's carefully compiled series and the second release on the promising Brussels based Crevette Records. An exciting double LP containing 8 tracks which take the listener to a versatile journey from digital reggae over tropical balearic vibes to boogie and wave. Music which moves between styles, cultures and timezones, this time with a warmer overall flavor. A mind bending trip where 80's drum patterns bring you to exotic tribal workouts and where silky smooth synth lines lead to funky bass grooves. A spaced out affair for lovers of slow grooving music from elsewhere.

Ace ambidextrous addendum to Brandon Knocke's latest limited vinyl offering, Midnight Companion crossfades a dreamer's delight pirate mix of unreleased originals, flowing through glow-fi house, balcony bump, decadent noir, and assorted velvet rope rhythms. Both sides slip and slide with signature Body San swing, out late with nothing to lose, skipping steps up to the roof, a 36-minute 360 skyline of magic hour motion and distant city lights. Bring yourself, bring a friend.

For over twenty years, Mkl Anderson has curated a vast archive of recorded material for his cinematic ritual ambient industrial project, Drekka. He works with memory not only as a subject but also as a healing process, continually delving into this personal world of sound; examining, revisiting, and repurposing recordings in an attempt to recall a past which sings from the darkness surrounding the tenuous provinces of memory and dreams - the real ghosts of time and sound.

"No Tracks in the Snow" is a collection of tracks from the early days of Drekka's history; the third offering for Dais Records and an appendix between the second and third parts of the 'Tarwestraat' trilogy of LPs for the label.

Recorded between 1996 and 2002, the album showcases Drekka's early exploratory development across a variety of styles. And yet it is also Drekka in the present moment; culled, curated, and assembled with care. Not unlike Borges' "A Personal Anthology" - or indeed any of Drekka's own recent work - this recording can be understood as a cohesive narrative more than as a simple compilation.

As Drekka moved from its Bristol UK influenced space folk beginnings, backwards towards Anderson's earlier UK industrial tape culture foundation, his predilection for reworking pieces over time was emerging; recontextualizing narratives to bring out new truths from one's own history. This process would become a cornerstone of Anderson's work for the decades to follow.

The album begins with 'Strika' (1998), originally recorded for the lovesliescrushing side project, Vir (a "secret audio army" in which individual performers were not even aware of who the other participants were). The track features one of Anderson's earliest collaborations with Mark Trecka (of Pillars And Tongues / Dark Dark Dark), who would go on to be one of his longest standing co-conspirators.

"Christmas 1973 or 1974" (1999) is a lament for a childhood which is almost entirely forgotten and a yearning for some tangible, physical proof that this childhood existed at all. The accompanying video for the track utilizes actual home movie footage of Anderson as a very young boy, fulfilling this longing and adding heart rending weight to the song and its lyrics.

"We Who Are Not Lonely" (2000) has become one of the most beloved works in Anderson's early canon. A gauzy musing on the catharsis of upheaval, the piece was written and recorded initially in the months leading up to Anderson's relocation from Chicago to Bloomington, Indiana. It is a brooding work which shows Anderson at his most self-possessed as a songwriter and is a confluence of the earliest playing-and-singing take on Drekka and the cinematic world building soundscapes to come.

The album closes with 'Tracking shot (wide)' (2000), a brief stream-of-consciousness sound piece dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky. The track most certainly points in the direction that Drekka would explore extensively over the two decades; the direction which has led Anderson to where he is now firmly positioned.

"No Tracks in the Snow" is an exploration of the threads of continuity which bind the various modes of Anderson's oeuvre. As he nears completion of the third album in his trilogy of LPs for Dais Records, "No Tracks in the Snow" is an introspective pause and a celebration of a life spent listening to the world around us and its sleeping potential.

Emotional exploration through sound can become so indulgent that it overshadows the journey. JH1.FS3 eschews mining the human condition as mediation, opting for nuanced analysis rather than vanity. Using the seeds of improvisation as their root construct, the duo work without code, vocabulary or genre. Instead, they systematically work as individuals in tandem, using disparate and varied sounds and sources to create gauzy collages of ideas, sound and visceral sense reaction.

Comprised of Frederikke Hoffmeier (Puce Mary) and Jesse Sanes (Hoax, Liebestod), JH1.FS3 delineates a more subtle 'cinema of the ear', and acold approach to reflecting on experience without leveraging tropes or familiarity.

'We try to reconcile these emotionally massive things in a way that is sincere and measured, but without being sappily diaristic or confessional,' they explain. 'A cinematic quality develops really quickly and our attempts to traffic in generalizations, unbiased observers of 'relationships' gets turned on its head. We find these sets of unique errors that feel more like Super-8 (film) home footage.

'This transference allows cracks and fissured to be filled in new ways, where error is championed—highlighted as intention rather than happenstance. Throughout Trials and Tribulations, their debut LP for Dais records, the reconnection of idea and experience conducted with surgical diligence becomes a mode to deconstruct familiarity through shade and accident.

With each exposition on Trials and Tribulations, the duo ornately exploresthe relationship between space and time by reconfiguring the tendrils and fissures that bind them. Percussive oscillations, descant vocals, and deconstructed patterns create fields that vibrate, plunge, and drone. Sequentially, each track contributes a lucid vignette to the larger account, engaging the listener to query where, when, and how they're being driven. The contrast of the lead single 'Aleppo In Headlines,' with its thrusting syncopation to the cautious beauty of 'At the Bottom of the Night' compounds and depth and disquisition of the duo's process.

Emotional exploration through sound can become so indulgent that it overshadows the journey. JH1.FS3 eschews mining the human condition as mediation, opting for nuanced analysis rather than vanity. Using the seeds of improvisation as their root construct, the duo work without code, vocabulary or genre. Instead, they systematically work as individuals in tandem, using disparate and varied sounds and sources to create gauzy collages of ideas, sound and visceral sense reaction.

Comprised of Frederikke Hoffmeier (Puce Mary) and Jesse Sanes (Hoax, Liebestod), JH1.FS3 delineates a more subtle 'cinema of the ear', and acold approach to reflecting on experience without leveraging tropes or familiarity.

'We try to reconcile these emotionally massive things in a way that is sincere and measured, but without being sappily diaristic or confessional,' they explain. 'A cinematic quality develops really quickly and our attempts to traffic in generalizations, unbiased observers of 'relationships' gets turned on its head. We find these sets of unique errors that feel more like Super-8 (film) home footage.

'This transference allows cracks and fissured to be filled in new ways, where error is championed—highlighted as intention rather than happenstance. Throughout Trials and Tribulations, their debut LP for Dais records, the reconnection of idea and experience conducted with surgical diligence becomes a mode to deconstruct familiarity through shade and accident.

With each exposition on Trials and Tribulations, the duo ornately exploresthe relationship between space and time by reconfiguring the tendrils and fissures that bind them. Percussive oscillations, descant vocals, and deconstructed patterns create fields that vibrate, plunge, and drone. Sequentially, each track contributes a lucid vignette to the larger account, engaging the listener to query where, when, and how they're being driven. The contrast of the lead single 'Aleppo In Headlines,' with its thrusting syncopation to the cautious beauty of 'At the Bottom of the Night' compounds and depth and disquisition of the duo's process.

Second Editions presents "In The Forest" by Karl Fousek.

Serving as a score for David Hartt's film of the same name about the Habitat Puerto Rico project by Moshe Safdie, In The Forest finds Fousek at his most focussed and controlled. These five pieces/chapters move with precision and intent. With subtlety and curiosity. Shrouded in ambiguity. And while Fousek works much more restrained here than on previous releases, by paying attention to every detail, he creates an intruiging work of sonic storytelling.

With "Being Water" Lali Puna refine their distinctive take on pop and electronics, pushing the boundaries towards classical songwriting. The four songs - equally affecting and catchy as self-reflected and aloof - are complemented by the airy tripiness of a remix by Dave DK (Kompakt, Pampa Records).

Although singer Valerie Trebeljahr wrote "Being Water" mostly by herself, being backed by bandmates Christian Heiß and Christoph Brandner, she rejects the idea of authorship: "Nothing comes out of myself. I'm a sampler: I write music because I listen to music. And I write lyrics because I read". Accordingly, topics and references of "Being Water" vary quite widely: "Who's That Genius" pays tribute to Virginia Woolf and Madonna - and questions why the term 'genius' is still connoted primarily with maleness. The title track refers to the famous Bruce Lee quote "Be formless, shapeless, like water" - but here it is turned upside down: It was Hito Steyerl's video work "Liquidity Inc." that got Valerie's attention, re-reading the quote as a neoliberal paradigm. In contrast, a title like "For Only Love" might sound a little naive as Valerie claims - but: "It surely won't be hate that will save us all". The lyrics were written after watching Obaidah Zytoons and Andreas Dalsgaards documentary "The War Show".

"Diversity is queen" - this goes for the music as well. While the dreamy pop of "Who's That Genius" or the catchy guitar loops of "Being Water" are in the same vein of Lali Puna's earlier albums, the free-floating piano chords and tricky rhythm patterns of "Beatx" in some ways mark new territory as Valerie explains: "I am very proud of this song because it is so fiddly. I thought that was something reserved for men".

Album Of Otherworldly Global-dance Anthems (on Soul Clap's Self Titled Imprint) And Have Been Touring Their Live Show At Venues Around The Us. Matson's Roots, While Nestled In Worldly Live Sounds, Also Firmly Grip Deeper Dance Music Styles, Though They Manage To Still Pack A Refreshingly Eclectic Energy.

His Debut Ep 'short Trips' For Brooklyn's Bastard Jazz Connects The Dots Between His Time Moving Bodies In The Club As A Dj, As Well As In His Group As A Guitarist And Producer, Though This Record Is Better Suited For A Woozy Club Floor. "roma Norte" Kicks Off The Wax With Its Soulful Cocktail Of Latin-house Styles And Hypnotic Basslines That Would Elevate The Opening Hours Of Any Club Night. Deep House Legend And Freerange Records Boss Jimpster Provides An Ethereal, Creative Remix That Delves Into Afro-house Territory. "3am To Sete" Is A Warm And Bubbly Deep House Tune That Sounds Like Something You Might Hear Late-night In A South London Nightclub—it's All Warm Bass Vibrations And Subtle Synth Explorations. Matson's Seasoned Instrumental Skills Shine On "126," Another Breezy Synth Jam With Just Enough Punch To Make You Move, Eyes Closed, Of Course. 'short Trips' Sounds Like The Work Of Someone Not Interested In Where One Scene Ends And The Other Begins, But Instead, Where They Connect.