Beats News

Skream has become a shining example of the power of diversity, skillfully weaving together a variety of styles and influences in a way that makes sense.

Skreamizm Vol. 8 is a definitive release that represents an artist who is continuously evolving, while also driving the canon of electronic music forward effortlessly.

After a 10 year hiatus he revives his groundbreaking dubstep series Skreamizm and joins the dots between his house and techno releases, through to grime, dubstep and more.

Over the last few years, Bristol born, London based artist LCY has become one of the guiding lights in a scene of fans who like their club music deep, dark and with a heavy dose of rhythm. Releasing predominantly on their own label SZNS7N, LCY has transcended musical boundaries, taking from a wide range of musical influences to create their own fluid hybrid style that indulges the deepest desires of those who chase a visceral dancefloor response - uplifting a huge amount of unconventional producers alongside them in the process. Today marks the announcement of their first release on fabric Originals, the flagship label from global club imprint fabric, alongside a new single, ‘Bad Blood’.

Opening to a stark cascade of sonic shards and mechanised vocal chops, ‘Bad Blood’ descends into a sparse percussive workout. The track expertly makes use of space in its composition, stripping down its raw elements to reveal a beat that’s purpose built for sweat. Using glitching elements to find new elements of intricacy within its drum programming, LCY inexplicably creates a composition that’s wholly inviting despite its ominous sound - with even the track’s more human elements twisted to sound like they’re from an outer realm.

Wildly creative East Anglian musician Carl Brown is welcomed to the Love Love fold with great excitement. Carl has been consistently doing his own thing in music for quite a while and it’s high time some more people heard his sound. So many great ideas and lush feels are packed within. And while the sound palette is often electronic the tracks are positively human in nature, incorporating a wide variety of styles - playful, clever and eccentric, full of melodic shenanigans and top notch musicianship.

Upfront we get two rip-roaring braindance epics in the forms of title track ‘Koto アシッド’ and 2nd track ‘747 الرياض কলকাতা’, before ’S.E.T Ad '87’ changes the pace completely, cleansing the auditory palate ahead of the 2nd half of the EP with a spacey 80s dream. The pace settles out on the flip-side after the frazzling breakneck openers, slippery tones pirouetting atop a gracefully chugging bass line in ‘FWP’. Following this proceeds an unorthodox sequence of musical notes that somehow induces a series of highly concentrated fist-clenching emotions. ‘747 Red Eye Return’ slows its parent track down to a near still pace, its meditative tones bearing down like oppressive heat, before the final track provides a slice of brilliant musical escapism.

Surprising to the last second and brain-tingling throughout, this EP captures a colourful morsel of Carl’s work and should leave a lasting taste of what is yet to come from this sonic tinkerer.

Evelyn spreads her wings and prepares to fly. This is her first offering for the ESP Institute. On side A, 'Tremors' slams together a plethora of seemingly disparate rhythms, organic percussion, field samples, hypnotic chants and a relentless low end punch, that when in full-swing, works some seriously deep sorcery. Contrasting her pounding kick and rolling sub combo are a softer grouping of melodies, soft mallets and muted tones that lay subtly beneath the aggression, skillfully playing with a sense of spatial depth and room size. Its the kind of track that draws you in with meditative bars, concentric cycles that sit ever so slightly off-axis, inducing the mind and body to obsess and regulating its timing, and then drops you into a very intentionally arranged soundstage giving expansive space to explore. On the flip, 'Pregunta' continues this approach of natural versus industrial instrumentation. The consistent machine kick has a powerful but playful tone, the negative space between each stroke evoking a mighty gesture as its note bends in the decay. Set in 3/4, a community of live percussion successively adds and subtracts, each player’s imperfect attack accumulating into a mechanically smeared and addictive loop that toys with peaks a handful of times yet restrains any unnecessary climax for the betterment of a driving groove. Near the end, as the kick and various players mute and the base of the track is given a moment to breathe, its apparent just how layered the production was in the moments prior, as we’re suddenly at home, smitten with the wobbly and lopsided innocence of the foundational percussion. These two songs will push you headfirst into the light.

Dublin rising star Sputnik One lands on Facta and K-LONE’s Wisdom Teeth with his most accomplished record yet: a flawless four-tracker of mutant dancefloor gear that draws on broken UK techno, psychedelic tribal, footwork and ravey post-hardcore. Fans of his standout outing on Well Street Recordsearlier this year will have a good idea of what to expect here: uniquely voiced and refreshingly forward-thinking bass-heavy club tracks at a range of tempos, all unified by a distinct sonic palette that pits glossy digital synths against raw organic samples and found sounds. There are echoes of Shackleton and Olof Dreijer in ‘Love From Above’ and ‘Michael Cera’, whilst ‘Microbead’ and ‘Powder’ offer refreshed and refined takes on modern post-dubstep / post-hardcore club styles. Across the record the tempo creeps from 130 to 150, keeping all bases covered as late summer ravers migrate towards darker autumn dancefloors.

Gremlinz & Jesta present their long-awaited debut album on Metalheadz.

Although the music itself spans only the last few years, it would be sufficient to say that this album is the culmination of almost 2 decades of work. So much history in one project, this is without doubt Gremlinz & Jesta’s biggest and finest triumph.

First meeting as teenagers in the multicultural streets of Toronto, the duo were both already well exposed to the world of raving and jungle music in particular. It wasn’t until years later however, following Jesta’s slight hiatus, that they would hook back up and form what would eventually become an alias at the very heart of Metalheadz.

Their first appearance on the label as Gremlinz & Jesta wouldn’t come until 2018 but it wasn’t long before talk of an album gathered pace. Prior to then they had been meeting at a staple Chinese restaurant, Lee Garden, in downtown Toronto where they would discuss not only music and writing ideas but also life. The spot became a permanent fixture in their calendar and following its closure in 2017, the pair affectionately became known as ‘The Lee Garden Historical Preservation Society’ as a way to keep those special days alive. It’s from that fondly remembered and much missed period in their lives that the album justly takes its name.

The music itself is prime rufige throughout, opening with the desolate wasteland that is ‘The Lost’ before hurtling into headline tracks such as the ravenous ‘Destro’ and the pitch-black setting of ‘Ice Squirrels’.

Inspired by 90s trip-hop, ‘Vermin’ is the only piece to include a vocalist in Ukrainian born flowanastasia, with her haunting rendition being a standout feature on the album, Further musical influences are found in ‘Andromeda’ where the black jazz inspiration is strong, and ‘Into Void’ which expertly realigns the vibes of an early 2000s stepper. Refusing to compromise on quality at any point ‘The Scarlet Gospels’ is another offering that sees the duo experiment with themes of horror, with plenty more to discover across the 13 tracks.

As the album progresses Gremlinz & Jesta’s intentions are clear. They always set out to create a journey, one with both ups and downs, from feeling lost at the outset to covering rage and peace and then back to fury and serenity. An album for the ages and one we’re proud to house on Metalheadz.

Gremlinz & Jesta’s ‘The Lee Garden Historical Preservation Society’ album is out on all vinyl and digital stores from 16 February 2024.

After three stand out eps over the last three years for L.I.E.S. Tzusing delivers his debut lp for the label. Here we get seven tracks of precison crafted electronics, unmistakenly taking the artists signature industrial fueled sound and opening it up to a new dimension far beyond the typical metal beat clang.
Emotional, dark and powerful, the album title taken literally means "Invincible East" based on a character (a swordsman) in a Jin Yong novel who must make the ultimate sacrifice to attain knowledge and transform. The narrative goes in hand with the artists observations living and travelling throughout Asia and provides a haunting soundtrack for a bleak future where few dare to subvert the power structures at hand.

Limited Vinyl only release

Out from usual circuits init ?

A bloody crazy electrobass moment to share...

LIMITED TO 300 STRICKLY !!

Cut at the Exchange for a better B-Boy experience !

Coastal Haze welcome SUCHI to the label, alongside a remix from Priori. Uplifting vocal infused broken beat house four tracker.

RAVETRX is back on SHERELLE & NAINA’s Hooversound imprint, and it’s a real headturner. If the UK artist’s first contribution to the label was unapologetically ‘90s-facing, ‘14 Down The Dip’ is practically legging it back into a muddy field somewhere along the UK’s growing network of motorways. One thing’s for sure—we’re gonna be here all night.

RAVETRX sets the stage with sounds of a single airhorn and distant crowd before launching into a pounding groove. The title track snapshots a rave well underway: fresh off the M1 and checking out the usual suspects: speedfreaks stepping to white-noise kicks, teens screwfacing to rascally rave synths, and someone swaying wide-eyed to those happy hardcore piano lines.

‘Ruff Enuff Stuff’ goes out to the system heads, rolling the EP into jungle tekno via Patois vocals, crisp breaks and subs. But don’t be fooled by these warmer frequencies—on the flip, RAVETRX jumps back into rave mayhem with ‘On A Mission’, amens going head to head with a snarling bassline. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any heavier, Hooversound label-mate Nova Cheq finishes up the EP with a merciless gabber rework of ‘On A Mission’, sizzling with twitchy acid that’ll speak to the restless and underslept.

An essential cop for the hardcore junglists out there!

Modern atmospheric jungle music by Bristol based producer and multi-instrumentalist.

Rich Daddies offer their first EP on Naarm/Melbourne-based Best Effort Records. The Get Close EP is the debut disc by the anonymous Australian housemates made during one of the longest lockdowns in the world.

Over the course of four tracks, the duo draws influences from UKG and bass music with parallels to fellow Australian producers Logic1000 and DJ Plead.

Dance music to help us remember how to dance, how to hug, how to fall in love. Essential party disc!

This third release from Rubi Records sees Ashley Tindall—aka Skeptical—stepping out of his usual drum and bass territory and slowing things down with three seriously deep dub-infused bass tracks in the 140-150bpm realm. While not the first time Skeptical has dipped his toes in such waters, these are easily among the finest, most musically mature examples to date. For those drum & bass fans out there unsure about Skeptical branching out into other genres, this EP shows that an open mind and listening without prejudice will reward your ears.

First up is the utterly dub-soaked 75/150bpm track 'Tell Me'. This solid stoner groove takes clear elements of Skeptical's more dub-orientated D&B and adds mesmeric pads and soulful vocal hooks, making it one of the deepest head-nodders in his overall catalogue. This is more a refined track for the 'listener' than for the dance floor, and while you can still easily throw some shapes to it, it's great to just immerse yourself in as a purely audio experience.

Next is the 140bpm 'Tapestry', which is somewhat the darker twin of 'Tell Me'. Again, we have a slow dub-infused head-nodder, but this time more menacing in tone thanks to the finely-judged use of some moody sound modules that Skeptical has tweaked and twisted in his inimitable fashion. This one's the audio equivalent of a restless mind in the depth of night.

The final offering is another 140bpm track – the unsettling beast 'Atomic v1'. It begins with a slow-burn build up of an off-kilter metronomic beat, subtly growling bass and haunting strings. This, in turn, gives way to a distorted rendering of Oppenheimer's famous use of 'Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds' from the Bhagavad Gita, before becoming a sinister slow-motion dubstep rumbler. With its dragging beat and the purposefully off-point main sonic hook running over the top, this is a disorientating and unsettling weapon for the discerning DJ.

This EP continues the fresh direction of Rubi Records, showcasing exceptional, forward-thinking music without borders.

Support: Ben UFO, Joy Orbison, Gilles Pererson, dBridge, Break, DLR, Doc Scott, Mefjus, Kasra, Kings of the Rollers, Alix Perez, Jubei, Dub Phizix, Flight, Tasha, Loxy, Randall, Lens.

Radio Support: BBC Radio 6 Music, Rinse FM, Kool FM

The Church EP features four high-energy dancefloor tracks in the signature Bootybass style, by the one ''Swoze'' guaranteed to get everybody moving. With Westcoast and G Funky vibes throughout, this EP delivers the perfect mix of fast-paced grooves and soulful melodies that will leave you either pimpin or craving for more.

At the turn of the ‘90s, British dance music gave birth to two interconnected styles that put heavy sub-bass front and centre: bleep techno and breakbeat hardcore. Such was their popularity that the styles inspired countless imitations and mutations, both within the UK and far beyond.

This is the story told in a major new retrospective from Musique Pour La Danse, Bleeps, Breaks + Bass, a carefully curated and well-informed collection of rare and sought-after tracks from the early ‘90s selected by label founders Olivier Ducret and Bunkerheadz. Available on two limited-edition double LPs (each presented in heavy cardboard gatefold sleeves on 180g, half speed-mastered vinyl), compact disc and digital download, Bleeps, Breaks + Bass features artwork by legendary graphic designer Trevor Jackson and extensive liner notes from dance music historian Matt Anniss, author of the acclaimed book Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music.

A quick glance at the track listing will confirm the depth and variety of Bunkerheadz and Ducret’s selections, which largely sidestep celebrated anthems in favour of overlooked gems, deeper cuts and genuine rarities – all of which have been re-mastered by legendary bleep producer and engineer Rob Gordon (Forgemasters, Xon, co-founder of Warp Records) and half-speed mastered/cut by Sidney Meier at Emil Berliner.

Across the collection you’ll find lesser-celebrated gems from significant figures in the scene (Unique 3’s long-overlooked ‘Digicality’, rare tracks from 4 Hero side projects R-Solution and Tek9); surprise bass-heavy excursions from popular outfits of the period (A Man Called Adam, A Certain Ratio and The KLF’s ‘What Time Is Love’ as remixed by The Moody Boys); significant but frequently forgotten underground anthems (outings from Boneshakerz, Hypersonic, Ubik and KCC); secret weapons (Three Sons, Heychild, Techno Excursion); and even a sub-heavy classic from Norwegian ambient legend Biosphere. It all adds up to a significant celebration of one of the most fertile periods in the development of dance music with bleeps, breaks and bass.

Ikävä Pii’s vinyl debut is a collection of three original songs, complemented with two recent remixes by Arif and Monty DJ. The three original works (Palau Figment, Rampage and La Conga Di Corto) are some of Ikävä Pii’s early productions – but were recovered in London between 2020 and 2021, to be released on Flippen Disks.

Opener Palau Figment is a dive into a non-chronological sonic archive, a reluctant visit of a time past. Its saturated, driving drum machine beat is hesitantly accompanied by floating synthesizer play and takes us right into dream-land, grounded by a mono bass line that throughout the song is joined by a doubling replica in stereo - a memory of itself if you will; A nostalgic narrative told by a hardly comprehensible voice, while “Rampage” does a good job shredding it it right up, exposing the distortion of memory in its growing destruction of it’s driving force, the synthesized string sound that is eventually rendered nearly unrecognizable.

This painful process of acknowledgement finds its cathartic reconciliation on the flip. “La Conga di Corto” combines the tropes of the A-side into an ecstatic 5 minutes of loopy, shifty drums and broken up synthesizers. Arif’s Woo Reduction keeps it’s titles promise, taking few elements from the original track into a minimal club track that will make dancefloors pause and bounce alike. Monty DJ’s Transformation Dub is a much less minimalistic approach, stacking layers of percussion on top of each other, shifting form constantly.

2x12" vinyl with printed innersleeves.

"Interstellar Funk has crafted a raw, yet simultaneously hauntingly beautiful and endlessly intricate record. Layers of blended harmonies and melodies form the basis for jettisons into leftfield experimentation, heavily processed drums and oscillating frequencies. The result is as infectious as it is pensive; a transcendental journey into a synth-laden landscape.

A stalwart name on our Dekmantel line-ups and with prior releases on the likes of Rush Hour, Berceuse Heroique and L.I.E.S., Interstellar Funk is synonymous with the more brooding side of Dutch electronica. Akin to his DJ sets, which also glide effortlessly between genre, tempo and sound, Into the Echo is daringly eclectic, combining sung-spoken iterations with hypnotic samples and machinic industrial. The release will be supported by a hardware based live-show tour later in 2022.

Ethereal voices haunt the album, a spectral presence emanating both on the titular track and its eponymous twin, 'Octave Echoes.' The latter is built up around breathy reverberations partnered with steely chords and dissected drumbeats. While 'Crickets at Night,' featuring fellow Amsterdam-based producer Loradeniz, switches pace from ghostly ambient to a pulsating, metronome's tick, clockwork rhythms and eerily looped vocals.

Channelling introspective atmospheres, Into the Echo nevertheless holds steadfast to a club- ready beat and momentous bass. 'Northern Winds,' composed with JASSS, edges along the hardcore continuum, exploding with spiraling percussion and flashes of the pair's shared affinity for electro's gyrating-circuitry and dub's ominous dread. And, ionised by piercing synth and bolts of acid, 'Psycho Panner's occultist refrain climbs to an otherworldly crux.

A homage to the potency of analogue machinery and experimental electronica, Into the Echo fluctuates with organic life, often melding synthetic and acoustic instruments together. Guitar riffs flutter on 'Dreamers' before pattering out into warbling, glacial fragments and 'Last Piece of the Puzzle' features a glockenspiel-esque rhythmic element rising to a harmonic crescendo.

Sleeve Photograpy by Bea1991. "

" CONFUSION AND SIMULATION
feeling of disorientation
a HYPERMODERN hym
For posthuman ontology. "

Tiar ignites the label with Ambient Occlusion with this statement of a 4 tracker. The homonymous track borrows subtle melodies from ambient techno until a destroying amen break cuts into the track with sheer violence. Both MNRLS and Shading Lines expose Tiar's years of training and deep knowledge in breakbeat mangling techniques. For closing the release, Games Sense chisels the main track into an ever building, abrasive, tense, and sub-heavy grime-flirting bomb.
Note: This is a 180g pressing

1985 Music presents the second part of its various artists series - Codex. Celebrating the best in 140/dubstep this 4-track EP brings tracks from Headland, Samba, Ebb, and label boss Alix Perez.

Blazing out of the blocks with a sound fully charged for the breakbeat revival, Yosh inaugurates Vivid with this appropriately vibrant set of UK bass music belters. Taking the best elements from jungle, garage and more, lead track "It's Over" bursts forth in a cascade of rolling drums before the moody sub bass stylings of "We Rewind" takes over. Things get a little more aquatic on crafty tripper "Slow Down", and then the drums come right to the forefront of the mix on crisp and deadly EP closer "Pick Up Roll On." With impeccable production values and a liberal dose of UK rudeness, this is an essential fresh grip for anyone wanting some fresh jungle derivatives in their lives.

Bringing his signature heavy freak crunch to the label, Cocktail Party Effect's "Oscilloscope Detachments" is the latest addition to the Midnight Shift catalogue.

Instructions: Follow the oscilloscope to jack into the EP's pulse from start to end.

Headliner A1 '77' dazzles in melodic glory paired with glitchy underfoot and a high-voltage wire running hot. Next, '88' lets it all loose with classic breaks twisted on its head and with its core intestines spilling out. Unexpected turns in this effect-heavy club composition recalls the phrase that "you've gotta know the rules to break the rules" and CPE is undoubtedly a master of that. '99' takes it further down South London style for the heads, while ambient closer '111' visualises the previously underscored oscilloscope in full spectrum.

COLLECTING ORDERS FOR RESTOCK.

Denham Audio meet the supply and demand unwrapping 4 breakbeat house gems absorbing the UK rave scene and refiguring it for 2022!

L/F/D/M, aka Richard Smith, makes his debut on Osàre, exploring the more delicate side of his intoxicatingly abrasive sound. Gold Like Glass is razor-sharp and elemental, with each track cast from long passages of synth dissected into heavy edits. According to Smith, this composition process is akin to printmaking, where the ink on a series of images deviates from the original stencil, becoming looser, softer and increasingly ghostly. ‘After Whitney’ is haunted by peak time rave energy; the drums are disembowelled, leaving a rolling climatic melody, utterly euphoric and disorientating. The track is followed by ‘Blood Byze Leech,’ a thunderously jagged affair, and ‘Delicate Push’ that fizzles like an electrified spinning-top, its frozen melodies accompanied by a lolloping beat. Turning over to the B-side, ‘Plute’ winds its way into dark psychedelia while ‘m-two nine’ descends into the realm of mutant de-accelerated bleep techno. Combing the ciphers of hardcore, its cruxes and suspense, with the serrated edge of minimal synth EBM, Gold Like Glass presents an 
alchemical fusion of deeply danceable and cerebral noise.

High class, no fuss drum trinity.

With nearly 30 vinyl releases rapidly fired out over the past 5 years, alongside a host of digital downloads, mixes and more, it’s safe to say that Infernal Sounds have truly and firmly left their stamp on the UK’s ever-evolving dubstep scene. It seems only fitting now that, half a decade into their journey, they’re pleased to announce their first long-play release, in the form of the Crimson LP.

DJ Manny's new album 'Hypnotized' is full of fresh ideas which push the footwork format of 160bpm hyper-rhythmic music in really enjoyable new directions. He builds on the romantic themes of his last album 'Signals In My Head' and evolves them with shades of blue, taking very natural sounding experimentation into new moods and musical colour while never making the album inaccessible. Arguably this is a fine successor to the ground broken by DJ Rashad's 'Double Cup' album, which of course Manny also worked on. 'Hypnotized' solidifies Manny's style, from relaxed r'n'b rollers to moments of romantic distress - like 'WTF Goin On' and the reflective 'You N You (ft. DJ Phil)', to more intense moments like the dubstep inflected 'Ooh Baby' from the vaults, co-produced by DJ Rashad himself. Other tracks like 'Want U Bad' retool Robert Hood style minimal techno whereas dark, nervous belters like 'Turn Me Up' sound like Paul Johnson at his most wild but welded to footwork rhythms and a pumping jump up drum & bass-line. There are also moments of enjoyably hype daftness like the acid and diva head-fuck of 'Opera' or the old school Bukem style jungle homage 'Lost In Da Jungle'. 'Hypnotized' is an album that expands footwork's template with natural ease and outstanding skill.

A 'Double Cup' reissue will be available this year to celebrate and honor the 10 year anniversary since the release of this seminal record. This was the debut studio album from the late footwork pioneer, Chicago-based DJ Rashad.

Released originally in 2013, it ended up on year-end lists from Pitchfork, The Guardian, Dazed, Resident Advisor, Crack Magazine, The Wire and Complex, as well as decade lists from Pitchfork, Noisey and SPIN. Rolling Stone described it as "somehow both weightless and brutally powerful" while Pitchfork said it as "unquestionably the strongest footwork-related LP" and NME said it was "unprecedented".

The 'Double Cup' reissue will be pressed on limited edition gold vinyl and includes new artwork created by Teklife visual artist Ashes57 and will be released on December 8, 2023, on Partisan.

Presenting the long sought after, groundbreaking and classic 1990 UK long-player finally remastered and reissued for 2018. London's Warriors Dance label was a unique operation and a pioneering London label during the late 80's acid house phenomena. Home to an assortment of DJs, MCs and soundmen, they went on to make their own original and indelible mark on the rave scene from the infamous 'Addis Ababa' studio on Harrow Road on the North-West side of the city.

A former reggae and soul studio that was instrumental to the output of influential artists like Soul II Soul and more, a steady diet of reggae, bass, hip-hop, house and techno kept their edgy, and die hard UK sound and style right at the cutting edge of the dance music underground across the globe with the top DJs and producers of the day celebrating the label.

The studio, helmed by label owner Tony 'Addis', acted as an incubator for artists whose names would go down in the history books - No Smoke, Bang The Party, The Addis Posse, Melancholy Man, Hollywood Beyond, The Housemaids and more all featured heavily on the label and contributed to its legendary output. The attitude and approach to the music was utterly and unapologetically a London thing, with heavy African and Caribbean influences also drawing on the sounds emanating from Chicago, Detroit and further afield.

Years later, and with the advent of the internet, Discogs, Youtube and any other digital platform you'd care to mention, Warriors Dance continues to be discovered and rediscovered again by curious diggers and music heads with a thirst for heavyweight tracks to play in their DJ sets. This saw the WD mythology rise again, making their records much sought after by fans from all over the world.

When 'International Smoke Signal' landed in 1990 there was nothing else quite like it in the musical landscape, the perfect sonic example of the Warriors Dance ethos and style incorporating all of the influences and grooves that made the label's output so unique, a sound heavily inspired by the preceding period in London and the UK where hip-hop, soul, reggae, rare groove and acid house were played side by side in the warehouses and empty spaces of former industrial areas. Throughout the late 1980's these often drab and dangerous places were transformed by local DJ crews like Soul II Soul and Shake 'N' Fingerpop with more to offer those looking for an open-minded party scene new places to explore, in turn switching people on to broader styles of music.

It's all in here, the heavy breakbeat driven B-boy house flavour of the album version of the classic 'Koro Koro', the Manu Dibango featuring tribal acid groove of 'International Smoke Signal' to the percussive and ultra-deep stylings of 'Oh Yes (Freedom)' the LP encapsulate a time and place yet continue to capture the imagination today.

Timeless music. There's no doubt the No Smoke project is a direct influence on the deeper, tribal house sounds around today and pioneered the afro house sound alongside 'Yeke Yeke', 'Motherland' etc as the acid house phenomenon swept the world. 'Koro Koro' is the omnipresent anthem which was broken at London clubs like Confusion by Bang The Party's Kid Batchelor and RIP which went on to blow up in New York, and was then signed by Profile Records. Hugely sampled and still played to this day.


'International Smoke Signal' fuses the otherworldly science of dub and reggae with Bronx breakbeats, synth laden ambient house excursions and the heartbeat of mother Africa with the technoid thrum of the motor city effortlessly, all while maintaining its London roots and swagger. A true dance music masterpiece. This is the first time the LP has been remastered and reissued, spread across 2 heavy slabs of high quality vinyl for maximum sonic impact. Made in conjunction with the Warriors Dance family and Tony Addis.

Special thanks to Nicky Trax & Tony Addis. - Remastered by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK. Proudly distributed by Above Board distribution. 2018.

Purple Color Vinyl

We are really proud to introduce a new release on Mawimbi Records: "Mawimbi, Vol. 2”. Its title is a nod to “Mawimbi, Vol. 1”, which was the inaugural release of our record label back in 2015. A new compilation, at last, after a decade of music activism and a handful of EPs and albums which have helped unearth some of today’s talents from the new global music scene (Onipa, Loya, Afriquoi, Raz & Afla). It stays true to the driving principles of our artistic direction: support upcoming artists, e ncourage the breaking down of musical frontiers, help make happen new encounters between electronic music and so-called “afro” music. While these encounters can now be witnessed anywhere in pop music’s current zeitgeist, from Beyoncé to South African’s vibrant amapiano scene, we think there’s still plenty to explore.

“Mawimbi, Vol. 2” truly feels like the culmination of a long path for our record label. Because it includes artists who have been actively contributing to the Mawimbi adventure over the years, and also because it’s another convincing testimony of the fruitfulness of this musical intuition we have so heartily been defending for the last decade. Indeed, the 8 tracks of “Mawimbi, Vol. 2” resist all the usual labels. They sound like they stem more from human encounters and artistic dialogues launched in the moment than attempts to be associated with any music scene in particular. Each of the 8 pieces of this compilation presents in a unique way the search for this cross-pollinating sound.

The compilation opens with a really engaging rework of James Stewart’s classic track “Cotonou” by Lyon-based tropical music enthusiasts Voilaaa, who took Peter Solo’s voodoo soul lines on a trip across the Black Atlantic beginning with a horn-heavy cuban cha-cha-cha before falling into a savory triple time dance. As tireless sonic adventurers, Amsterdam-based duo Umoja have brought back a handful of hits from their numerous trips to Kenya meeting with local benga musicians. “Avana Va” is one of their compelling tunes, featuring Kenyan musician and producer Sidney Simila. This urge to collaborate with musicians from across the African continent is also to be found in Village Cuts’ ever expanding discography. On “Sentima”, they showcase their trademark London funky sound, introducing us to the talents of Congolese guitarist and singer Kissangwa.

Afriquoi’s 2020 hit “Ndeko Solo” is presented in a brand new shape, sprinkled with some French Touch flavours. “Djansa”, by Toulouse-based producers Mr. Boom, rides a distinct South African-inspired groove, while inviting us to a nighttime dance by the Balearic sea. On “Silent Runner”, French producer and musician Ozferti moulds his own musical galaxy where East African scales meet cutting edge global club beats. With “Nabi Kumi”, Anglo-Ghanaian duo Raz & Afla delivers their deepest piece, once again inducing a state of trance with a triple-time beat and an hypnotic kora loop. Closing the compilation, “It's Holy” is a unique collaboration between Tom Excell (Onipa, Nubiyan Twist, David Walters) and Dizraeli, one of the most interesting voices in British rap, which by making connections between broken beat, jazz and african music, illustrates the precious mixture of musical aesthetics that make up the current UK musical landscape.

RNN001 - Ronin 01

RESOUND's "Rhytual EP" (2019) introduced the live project to a critical acclaim. Unsurprisingly, when the idea of a remix project was first floated, the response was equally enthusiastic. After some time in the making, we are honoured and extremely excited to bring you the reworks. And what a stellar cast it is!

2023 Repress

Official re-mastered limited edition reissue of the mega-rare Blow Up records release of the Italo masterpiece Pink Footpath by Loui$. Originally released in 1985, this gem has become one of the most highly sought after Italo Disco tracks around. On the A side is Magic Dance which is good, but it's the instrumental version of the track Pink Footpath that really gets the disco DJs drooling. With its killer analogue bassline, dreamy soft synths and balearic guitar riffs, it's easy to see why it became such an anthem at the early Ibiza parties as well as a late night favourite in Chicago and New York.

Shake Well Music comes around with thier first physical release!

With "Breakz N Harmony pt. 1" Jena based producer SamOne introduces the first episode of his series. Formally known as LoopnReiner the Beatcunducta, he already gained a lot of sampling experience by producing hip-hop beats, which he combines with influences of electronic music such as House and Breakbeat. Thus, he creates his own touch of smooth, breaky dance music and packs this with 3 tracks compact on well handmade vinyl.

Have a listen and ShakeWell!