House News

Few artists find a unique path and even fewer remain committed to it, but with insatiable ambition, Berlin's BOYS NOIZE turned principled dedication into an outsize presence among 21st century DJs and electronic musicians. A career punctuated by audacious cross-genre exploration has earned him an enviable fluidity of practice across borders and scenes, yet his definitive fingerprints are present on every creation. An underground hero with mainstream appeal and acid-dripped, techno-punk sensibilities, he jumpstarts crowds from Berghain to Coachella. In 2021, BOYS NOIZE’s fascination with traversing dualities hits a new apex on his fifth studio album +/- (pronounced Polarity)

“The album dives into the polar tension between the musical styles and worlds I find myself in,” says BOYS NOIZE. “When you combine opposites, something transcendent can take place, something greater than the two parts.And with music, it becomes a magic that can create new worlds.”

The German-Iraqi producer and DJ (born Alex Ridha) never thought much of rules or restraints. His 2007 debut album Oi Oi Oikicked down the door to the music industry, brashly refracting a record collector’s deep knowledge of industrial, house, and techno through a prism of raucous energy and raw production in defiance of the aging dance music establishment’s genre conventions. Self-releasing the LP on his own label, Ridha and Boysnoize Records (BNR) became a gravitational force for an international subculture of new sounds and attitudes sparking fires across clubland. BOYS NOIZE ´s reputation had grown among the fashionable favorites of the indie revival, who sought to bolster their bands’ singles with his rapturous re-edits that fused guitars and synthesizers. With deft mixing, singular taste, and a prowess for connecting rockers and ravers on the dancefloor, the prodigious DJ began playing hundreds of shows spanning a multitude of countries near and far. A tipping point was reached, however, after BOYS NOIZE dropped his intoxicating, anthemic remix of FEIST’s “My Moon My Man,” which buzzed with the start of festival season before soaring to new heights as an inescapable viral hit. The field was now wide open for Berlin’s iconoclastic originator, with every head turning to see what he’d bring next.

While some would temper their edge after finding crossover success, BOYS NOIZEleaned harder into his unorthodox blending of rave and punk, indie and industrial. Reflecting this eclecticism, his next LP, Power, earned him even greater global attention and energized a growing fanbase. Out of the Blackbroadened the scope of his potential, proving, with “Got It,” that even SNOOP DOGGhas a place in BOYS NOIZE ´selectric universe. Both technically masterful and enthrallingly anarchic, 2016’s Maydaydelivered a cinematic soundtrack of synergistic songcraft, rushing forth on a dark wave of industrial rave. Even with his relentless experimentation, BOYS NOIZEremains devoted to Berlin’s electronic music foundations, and Strictly Raw Volumes 1 and2serve as a “no talk, all action” flex of techno-essentialist finesse.He also remains resolutely independent, releasing all of his albums—including +/-—on his own BNRimprint, which celebrates its 16th year in 2021.

One outlet is not enough, however, for BOYS NOIZE ´s perpetual flood of ideas and unstoppable productivity, and so numerous collaborative, pseudonymous, and anonymous side projects have offered new territories for creative freedom. As OCTAVE MINDS, he exchanges timbre and melody with maestro pianist CHILLY GONZALES. Handbraekes’ unhinged, avant-garde disco is the brainchild of BOYS NOIZE and surrealist polymath MR. OIZO. And reaching out across the Atlantic, a friendship with SKRILLEX brings DOG BLOOD, an overpowered meeting of minds propelling their respective talents forward in unexpected directions.

The collective volume and diversity of these projects has put BOYS NOIZE in high demand among artists seeking his proprietary sonic techniques and peerless production. Berlin’s world-renowned subterranean culture acts as a beacon for international stars who are willing to probe the margins for the innovative and unusual, and it is BOYS NOIZE ´s studio where their fresh inspirations are transmuted into even fresher music with his expertise. Over the years, working relationships have flourished and production credits multiplied, including with such luminaries as LADY GAGA, FRANK OCEAN, A$AP ROCKY, BON IVER, MARK RONSON and FRANCIS & THE LIGHTS. And as an unrivaled remixer, BOYS NOIZEhas been enlisted by DEPECHE MODE, RAMMSTEIN, DAFT PUNK and DAVID LYNCH, adding his signature to the work of artistic royalty. Even while personally embracing an outsider role, BOYS NOIZE finds his influence penetrating the center:2020 was marked by a GRAMMYnomination for his collaboration with SKRILLEX and TY DOLLA $IGN“Midnight Hour”—an unlikely blend of late-night R&B, oldskool rave and hard house—while 2021brought a GRAMMY win for LADY GAGA ´s “Rain on Me,” feat. ARIANA GRANDE.

“I've always been inspired by trying to integrate opposing, polar forces,” says Ridha. “There's something really thrilling in it, and it's always a secret motivation for me; building and exploring the combination of contrasts. Techno’s earliest inspiration was the idea of combining man and machine. And you can continue from there—aggression and beauty, past and future...”

BOYS NOIZEs +/-encapsulates a distillation of his career-to-date in waveform shape, where valleys of subterranean techno, industrial and jacking house transition into peaks of star-driven collaborations. Backed by the club adept’s battering beats and cloaked in deep, immersive textures, the songs, while rich, possess a mean bite—even +/-’s most melodic moments bare the sharpened teeth of Ridha ´s modular synthesis and processing; a new breakthrough for the gear lover.

“When I first entered the modular synth world, there was this moment of, 'What the fuck? I’ve never heard that sound before,'” Ridha explains. “To me that was huge, because I always try to make harder sounds than those that previously exist. With modular synths, it's not like having different guitars or a keyboard with different patches. It's going one step further—you must build the guitar, then decide what it will sound like,how it will be played, in what ways it will react. This process is incredibly inspiring to me. It's this mystery of, 'What am I gonna patch together next, and what is it going to do?'”


The +/-album exhibits BOYS NOIZE ́s evolutionary blueprint for bridging diametrical musical positions, while testing the limits through self-discovered modular workflows. A sense of otherworldliness and a suspension of time is shared on “Affection,” an ethereal, trance-gated Atlanta Bass singalong featuring alt-R&B singer ABRA. One also finds this feeling in the monumental, metallic atmosphere of “Act 9,” a brooding ballad featuring VINSON. “Ride or Die” with KELSEY LU and CHILLY GONZALES has BOYS NOIZE juxtaposing the beautiful with the delirious. A tapestry of blissfully affective moods is woven through a pummeling tribal backbone, as if LU’s lush melancholy arrives to heal all the synapses seared by 140 bpm excess. The essence of +/-is found in such paradoxical worldbuilding and the undeniable attraction it elicits through the unfamiliar, a rare accomplishment in an era of algorithmic refinement

“Polarization was a word that arose constantly during the writing and recording of thisalbum, whether in the news or in my own understanding of the different aspects of my music,” says BOYS NOIZE. “But ‘polarization’ assumes that everything must be black and white—the truth and the music deserve to be far more complex.”


Collaboration, however, does not come at the cost of having to compromise. BOYS NOIZE ́slifelong commitment to the throbbing, dark energy of the underground makes its presence known throughout +/-. Each single, whether “Girl Crush” with RICO NASTYor “Nude” with TOMMY CASH, comes paired with a b-side that would challenge any of the aforementioned performers’s fans but revs the engines of the die-hard ravers awaiting their next hit of BOYS NOIZEat his hardest. Visual artist Eric Timothy Carlson, designer of BON IVER’s acclaimed 22 a Million, joined BOYS NOIZEin developing expansive illustrations and iconography for the album and all of its individual works.The artwork offers an esoteric key of glyphs and symbols, mapping the contradictory influences and emotions which served as the elements for an audio alchemy. Through both image and sound, +/-surveys the anything-is-possible output of a distinguished techno producer exploring a newly opened world of distinct collaborations, freed from all confines, in a state of evolution of both genre and self. From the time BOYS NOIZE held his first vinyl record to the release of +/-today, there is still one thing this DJ from Berlin knows will never change: it’s all in the mix.

Texas based Electro giant Cygnus arrives on Science Cult with a timeless cyberfunk 4 track EP. Expertly programmed beats and bass lines mixed with lush synths and vocoders make for an unforgettably smooth sound. Rounding out the EP is an energetic stomper of a remix by The Exaltics. Vinyl includes a download code + digital bonus.

This is the sound of the physical space between one destination and the next.For this, the second Space Trace record we go deeper, darker and more open minded. Four moody cuts, made to be played loud at whatever time or place you may end up in.

Ilija Rudman has tried to make the most of his pandemic-induced lockdown by spending as much of it as possible in the best imaginable way – by pouring his creativity into bold sonic adventures - the newly launched Ilija Rudman Presents Meteor One.

His latest endeavour is characterised by an experimental essence, live-feeling sensibilities and an extraterrestrial outlook. “Meteor One is an outlet for musical experiments recorded and performed as 'in concert' stuff, laying on L.A. Grooves, cinematic, funk and spoken words” . The long arrangements build an emotion of space travelling, moving free through the galaxy... at the same time the music can move dance floors and can set up a beautiful listening experience.”

Meteor One Music is an epic musical journey, unfolding steadily over almost 25 minutes and permeated by carefully selected vox pops and spoken-word vocal samples from deep in the Rudman archives. The often sparsely-arranged instrumentation meanders over rolling drums, while a constantly evolving bass glues together waves of synths and effects as they rise and dissipate. The arrangement glides through ultra-chilled sections into stirringly energetic periods, with Ilija's live feeling there for all to hear. The delicate music helps to cast a uniquely introspective spell, and we're looking forward to hearing how this timely series will unfold.

Limited Repress !

New teachers join The Bass Academy:

UK droids Gods Of Technology (Phil Klein & Simon Brown) featuring Egyptian Lover, and legendary US producer Jamie Jupitor. Must have "Freak Seeker (L.A. Freax)" feat. The Unknown Lover (you'll probably know who's behind) and "Future Computer" sign two authentic Electro Funk pieces in the great tradition of the West Coast sound.

Phat Bass, vocoderized lyrics, sharp 808 drums, and irresistible synth melodies characterize these instant classics guarantee to put you in a circle. Come and take a lesson of music directly from the masters!

True Dutch legend delivers gems on this mega bomb EP for Deeptrax Records! Orlando Voorn is one of the most gifted Dutch producers out there. The man is well known for his many monikers and anthems like Fix - Flash, Playboy - In Da Jungle, Format One - Solid Session to name but a few. Tirelessly releasing classic after classic for almost three decades now, Orlando keeps pumping out tracks and reaches a new high in his creative output with this ultra fresh release! Anthem alert!

Nebulae is back with another cosmic exploration. This time, German duo Not Even Noticed will take you to the planetary Nebula NGC 7026, located 6000 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus.

Loud Enough proudly presents its second release (LE002), kicking off a 3-EP series dedicated to the Roman Pigna Records, a dancefloor-oriented sister label of Nature Records. Each EP will feature classic tracks alongside exciting new compositions from key artists of the label.
Leading the way is label head Marco Passarani, with two timeless cuts from his renowned Analog Fingerprints alias, alongside two new ones.
As always, expect pulsating rhythms and infectious grooves that are primed to ignite the dance floors. Join us as we embark on a sonic journey that bridges the past and the future.

Nightflight Records adds to it's fine catalog, a return to their intriguing various artist series; this time around with Privacy Policy, Khonsu, and John Shima for the "Supernova" EP... Expect old school lysergic and technological fun across all 4 tracks, as Privacy Policy navigates your mind and body through raw Acid House complete with colorful synth hues in the highs and lovely machine atmosphere on side A, while the B side serenades your ears via modern Detroit and UK influenced Techno grooves with a cosmic presence in the vibes courtesy of Khonsu. Last but not least, the one and only John Shima finishes off this quadra pack with a stellar remix taking your vibes and ears to territories of spacey and warm 90s frequencies. Experience "Supernova" and the quality its 4 tracks provide essential for those who like their House & Techno on the authentic side.

Fastforward 2023, back on the highway with four twisted tracks from Rupert Marnie. The Hamburg based producer with a weakness for spicy japanese food and science fiction novels is part of The Press Group label and Remoto Recordshop, which both has been close to the LV musical mind and hearts – delivers the stuff we want to play with. Fail we may, sail we must.

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.

Yandira's solo work debut for Sigourney Discs includes two tracks from the Spoken Bass performance El Tío Caramelo by Sergi Botella aka Yandira: an autobiographical project rooted in Valencia's scene resulting here into a furious 12" with remixes by Dark Vektor, Spear and Erika from Ectomorph. Designed by ferranElOtro Studio, the disc includes a photographic print by Violeta Mayoral remixed as well by ferranElOtro.

The live version of El Tío Caramelo was performed at the exhibition YOU GOT TO GET IN TO GET OUT (La Casa Encendida, Madrid) curated by Carolina Jiménez and Sonia Fernández Pan and at Laut (Barcelona) for CLUBS.

Adrien Calvet delivers a 4-tracker EP for the launch of his new vinyl-only label Stay At Home.

The young producer's style on this project is characterized by his use of minimal, stripped-down electronic beats and rhythms, with a repetitive hypnotic quality.

The Frenchman is known for his unique and unconventional production techniques, and for his ability to create deep, immersive, and soulful tracks that resonate with listeners on a deeper level.

AFTER BREAKING OUT OF OUR HOLDING FACILITY IN EARLY 2017, WE TRACKED THE HUMANOID ALIEN LIFEFORM KNOWN AS "DARLING" TO A DEEP BUNKER IN AMSTERDAM. WHILE WE WERE UNABLE TO GAIN ENTRY TIO THE INNER CHAMBER, AN OPERATIVE SUCCESSFULLY PLACED AN EAVESDROPPING DEVICE CLOSE BY. WHILE MONITORING THE LIFEFORM'S MOVEMENTS, WE WERE ABLE TO RECORD EIGHT MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS OF VARYING LENGTHS THAT IT HAD CREATED USING A RANGE OF ANALOGUE AND DIGITAL ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS.
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WE HAVE CALLED THIS COLLECTION "TULIPA MOVES". YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TRACKS UTILISE A VARIETY OF RHYTHMIC PATTERNS, EXPLORE UNEARTHLY BUT ATTRACTIUVE SOUNDS AND ARE CAPABLE OF STIRRING STRONG EMOTIONS IN HUMAN LISTENERS.

WE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TOWARDS THE LILTING, SOFTLY SPUN MELANCHOLIA OF COMPOSITION 03 (CODENAME "SO DID WE"),, THE FLUID, BEAT-FREE BLISS OF COMPOSITION 05 (CODENAME "THE M SONG"), AND THE UP-TEMPO POSITIVITY OF COMPOSITION 07 (CODENAME "KISS THE GLASS"), WHOSE CHIMING, INTERTWINED MELODIES AND SNAPPY RHYTHMIC ENERGY REMINDED US OF SO-CALLED "INTELLIGENT DANCE MUSIC". WE WERE ASTONISHED BY THE QUALITY AND INTRICACY OF THESE ALIEN CREATIONS AND THOSE WE HAVE NOT DESCRIBED IN DETAIL. IT STRENGTHENS OUR BELIEF THAT "DARLING" IS A LIFEFORM WITH HIGHER INTELLIGENCE AND OTHERWORLDLY MUSICAL ABILITY.

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. "

“Stair-X” is the first solo 12" EP from Berlin up-and-comer “Jotel California.” Fusing classic breaks, watery textures and electro tropes in an exciting blend, this none/such release represents a compelling and unique concoction, resulting in a forward-thinking exploration of Electro’s timeless sounds. Three solo tracks, utilizing both machines and voice, are paired and rounded-off with an ethereal, club-ready stomper from Seattle-to-Berlin producer JCow, suggesting that “Stair-X” is a must have for veterans and beginners alike.

Funky, flavorful and percussive deep house from Marco Scozzaro, AKA l’oggetto.

The fourth release on 18437 features Nico Lahs using his NLXLB moniker...

On Dirty Vision he gives us those deep, deep stabs with a proper old-school feel, a blend between Detroit and Chicago, not too far from something Three Chairs would make.

First up we got 'Dazed Dreams', a deep and drowsy Motor City deep house jam. Next up is 'Dirty Vision', a dusty High-tech Jazz cut for the after hours and finally 'Synthetic Wars'.
Nico goes all in and delivers a gritty and intergalactic Techno track.

Label info:
18437 Records is a brand new label by focused on the outer fringes of house and techno.

Rolando Simmons - a revered name in certain acidic circles - joins Utter for the 'Human Remains' EP, a wildly inventive 8-track adventure that deftly dabbles in rave, IDM, Techno and beyond in classic RS style. The project is the creative brainchild of Mattias Östling, who has been on a prolific production streak since the late 2000s, firstly under the name Trackermatte before settling into work under his current moniker.

This particular release is a missing puzzle-piece of sorts, compiled and sequenced by Utter's Alex Egan from a self-released digital collection titled 'Human Touch' which initially surfaced on Bandcamp during the producer's golden 2016 'Walk On Strawberries' and 'World Building' era.

'Human Touch' was a curious selection of unmastered oddities - the first Östling made using audio signal processing environment Cecilia5 - which remained largely overlooked due to its digital limbo. The tracklist itself shifted, with bonus tracks appearing then disappearing. While the excellent Dutch label 030303 cherry-picked the original version of the title track for a 2019 2xLP of the same name, the rest of the material remained frustratingly unavailable on vinyl and elsewhere, including the elusive bonus track which prompted Egan to reach out to Östling in the first place, the stunning 'sq1_mc4_iloveu03a_149unedit'.

That track is firmly at the core of this new EP, under its new title 'Nueva Traditional', as well as the alternative CV Beszállás edit of 'Human Touch'. They are surrounded by every other un-pilfered gem that originally appeared alongside them - however briefly - with all material freshly mastered and cut by Anne Taegert at D&M. The artwork and large fold-out poster (included with the 12") were designed by the Timpani Mystique Agency.

No stone left unturned!

And so Especial comes to its 30th release. As with the EES010 and EES020 the 12" is given over as a "Sampler EP" of alternate versions, dubs and unreleased cuts that deserve their time in the spotlight. Again featuring a label's who's who, with Fairplay, Paton and Baha appearing, but also new crews in vogue with Roy Of The Ravers back, joined by the esteemed Freeform Five plus a debut from Bal5000. First up, sees the return of Junior Fairplay in the mixing desk hands of the ever kenetic Roy Of The Ravers. After turning in a twisted bleeptastic remix on Junior's recent "Faxes From The Future" EP (EES029), here in the aptly titled Remix 2, Roy strips everything back for a succinct and short stormer. Deeper, dubbier, dirtier, Roy does the acid-tinged bass and kick better than any, snapping those hats to ride.
Next comes another of those Jamie Paton reversions that slowly seep in your brain for days. He's all there and more, taking Freeform Five's digi-only Throwing Stones and with drudge beats, soft keys, drunk-funk pads, snap-claps and 909 kick all underpinning (Ali Love's) dubbed vocals to the haunting refrain only he can find. Another Paton love dub for the more open-minded DJ to melt hearts and minds. On the flip, we are delighted to release on vinyl Kris Baha's now cult retake of those brightest stars, Red Axes. Only previously released by brethren Multi Culti as an digi-only for the Waiting For A Surprise Remixes EP, after many years of cat calls and reminders, here at last for the vinyl heads is this monster drug-thug. Recorded some 3 years back when Baha was a relatively unknown, now a debut LP imminent for dem CockTail's boyz, this is right time for such a club killer to be spun loud and proud. To close, a new "Kids" on the block. Picked up on and then sat on for too long, Bal5000 has since had an acclaimed EP for our Invisible Inc. friends in the north and so it's right to let this pure electro flyer...fly. Coming on like a 6am party lifter, the electro beats nod to Geist and Jesrani, but with it's own funk and vibe that just keeps going higher and higher until the nods are smiles and smiles are skips and shuffles to the beat (the street). After 26 releases in 3 crazy years, last years solo (Paton) release was a nice stop and breath, so where Especial goes next is unknown. With some discoveries now flown the coup and new headz bringing their own new sound, plans are afoot to keep on keeping on and to bring something old and new to the floor...or the door. You choose.

2nd release from the Berlin based label “Overground”

Over the last two years, Percebes sought to upgrade public perception of locally created electronic and urban music by placing it along international producers, in a compilation series of two volumes called Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) - portuguese for “Gross Domestic Product”.

Released digitally (first on the label’s Bandcamp page and later on all online platforms), these showed the outside world not only what Lisbon based artists are about but also how they can fit in a wider picture. The compilations also helped to deconstruct a narrative that isn’t particularly accurate about electronic / dance / urban music made in Lisbon in international circles. In fact, PIB offers an alternative- perhaps more tangible - perspective on who and what you can actually listen to when going out at night in Portugal. Well, at least partly (it was never meant to be a definitive document).

The label was later able to cut a functional collection of tracks compiled from both volumes onto glorious wax... and here we are! Pure portuguese underground talent sided with tracks from our closest friends in the international scene. The double LP collects tracks chosen by myself from volumes I and II of PIB and also adds a little extra by including a bonus vinyl exclusive by Cyclonix. For practical reasons, it was impossible to include all 22 tracks of both volumes on this vinyl, but it’s still possible to appreciate every artist featured by finding the download codes inside and get a full digital PIB pack (with all 22 tracks, plus a bonus release).

We’re doing out part to provide you with a pristine sounding, powerful, useful and varied compilation that you can carry in your record bag for all sorts of situations - and also to fill up your USB sticks, phones and laptops with much more content for a reasonable price.

Knowledge, attitude, freedom of format, and quality over quantity. This is what we are about: Djs, producers and engineers who love great music, more than people obsessed with labelling things!

Waste Edition is back with a new compilation called 429 and once more, 4 new and colorful tracks were carefully chosen by the Andalusian label. The E.P is intentionally made up of four creative and admired artists. Besides and as is becoming the custom, these four diverse tracks are full of catchy melodies, touching arpeggios and powerful beats. Conscientiously, there is harmony between the four artists, Vortice Mortale, Imiafan, Asymetric80 and Undo & Casiowaves and without a doubt this compilation can show anyone no interest in trends and bet on music that the label loves and respects.

MRS x BXL: A tale of two cities, two countries, two label owners... But many, many different vibes. Celebrating both Abstraxion and DC Salas’s individual home cities – Marseilles and Brussels – ‘MRS x BXL’ is a concept so deliciously simple you’ll be surprised that it hasn’t happened before in Biologic’s rich 17 year history.

Re-Release!

Jamaican born and Toronto raised, KG Russell is an unsung journeyman who followed the DIY path with his compelling output. Only a handful of collectors have been aware of the few releases via his private imprint Rain Sound - of which little information is known and copies very seldom seen.

A striking stand-out of Russell’s work comes via his Dance With Me album - a self-produced jewel originally recorded in 1988 with help from friends Tony Cameron and Orville Malcom on session duties. The brilliant blender of synth-soaked soul was released in 1990 on cassette only. Roughly 200 copies were manufactured and personally handed out to local record stores around Toronto.

Crown Ruler returns, plucking out three superior cuts for Last Dance and breathing new life into each via an impressive remastering effort from Melbourne sound wizard Daniel Elleson. Finally pressed to wax, this EP is clearly deservent of the 12” treatment. An island-tipped-electro-come-proto-house string of melters , guaranteed to prick the ears of lovers of the obscure and exotic. Last Dance is full of curious influences. It could be described as Caribbean flavored drum machine r’n’b. From the title track, a hypnotic boogie dancefloor filler, to Talk To Me, an electro rap meets smooth-jazz love jam, and finally Dance With Me, a bent and wasted soul ballad - Russell bares it all in another lost treasure given some TLC and repurposed for today’s DJ leaning ear

Producer Tony Price returns to Telephone Explosion Records with his new “MARK VI” LP, an eclectic set of songs with a distinctly late-night feel. The album features 16 tracks of oblique drum machine funk, sizzling electro dubs and freaky public access TV atmospheres that spill into the streets with the combustible energy of a late night radio dance party before dissolving into a melt of bizarro techno-surrealist jazz by album’s end.

“MARK VI” is sixth full length from Mr. Price. This stretch of albums - “I Prefer Coca Cola” (2079), “Celica Absolu” (2018), “86’d” (2019), “La Vie” (2019) and “Interview/ Discount” (2020) - is a masterclass in uncouth production techniques, genre-melding and sonic satire. His production expertise has played role in breakthrough records from the likes of U.S. Girls, Young Guv, Ice Cream, the Badge Epoque Ensemble, Miss World, and Michael Rault, on labels like 4AD, Capitol Records, Burger Records, DFA, Slumberland, Run For Cover and more. In 2017 he founded Maximum Exposure, a record label and creative services unit tasked with providing top notch knob twiddling to the musical underground of the 2020’s.

His new record is named after the 1981 Lincoln Continental Mark VI that Mr. Price purchased off of a former radio DJ and archivist towards the end of 2020. In the trunk of the car was a bag full of cassette tapes of homemade mixes and radio show recordings from the late 1980’s that featured the kinetic clank of Detroit Techno, bombastic Def Jam instrumentals, TR-808 freestyle workouts, jacked-up Chicago House and hundreds of advertisements for outmoded products and redundant services. Utilizing early samplers like the Ensoniq Mirage, various drum machines and synthesizers, Tony ventured to create an album that celebrated the unabashed eclecticism, futurism and explosive production techniques of the music and commercials he heard on those tapes.
The crude and unrefined sonic source material that “MARK VI” is built from comes embedded with sizzle, hiss and hum. The messy leakage of parallel channels, telecommunication lines and metropolitan sound matter bleeds through in the spaces between beat and bassline. Foregrounding the auditory characteristics of the machinic unconscious, “MARK VI” is a celebration of the ghostly sonic artifacts from a time just before the future ceased to feel as though it were still in front of us.

Yo! Boombox is the new instalment of Soul Jazz Records’ Boombox series on the early days of hip-hop on vinyl and features some of the many innovative underground first-wave of early rap and disco rap records made in the USA in the period 1979-83.

The album includes the first releases of seminal groups such as Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and The Funky Four Plus One More through to a host of rarities and little-known obscurities such as the Carver Area High School band’s ‘Get Live 83’, an awesome record made at a Chicago high school.


The album is released as a deluxe triple LP complete with 3x full inner sleeves of extensive sleeve notes, exclusive photography and original label artwork. There is also a very-limited one-pressing only special deluxe version that comes with an extra bonus super-rare 7” single of ‘Magic’s Rap’ by Magic’s Trick, aka ex-marine Magic Fraga, a record that was only ever available on US military bases!


Yo! Boombox also features the stunning photography of Sophie Bramly, one of a very select group of photographers (alongside Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper, and Joe Conzo) who were allowed full access to document the exciting early days of hip-hop in New York.
These first exuberant wave of innocent, upbeat, party-on-the-block rap records were the first to try and create the sounds heard in community centres, block parties and street jams that first took place in the Bronx in the mid-1970s. Where the first DJs – Flash, Kool Herc and Bambaataa – were back-spinning, mixing and scratching together now classic breakbeat records like The Incredible Bongo Band’s Apache or Babe Ruth’s The Mexican, these first pre-sampling rap records were all made using live bands, often replaying then current disco tunes.

As Chic’s ‘Good Times’ was to ‘Rappers’ Delight’, the songs here feature then-current dancefloor hits such as the Tom Tom Club’s ‘Genius of Love’, Cheryl Lynn’s ‘To Be Real’, MFSB’s ‘Love Is the Message’ while MCs rapped over the top, creating a unique new sound. In fact, the links between disco and rap date back earlier to the ‘party style’ MCing of figures such as the legendary DJ Hollywood or radio DJs like Frankie Crocker.

This new Soul Jazz Records collection celebrates these first old-school rap records, bringing together rare, classic and obscure tracks released in the early days of rap.

Vernacular Records is proud to announce the release of its 3rd record, Canyon 211 EP by Vernacular Orchestra. Just like the first release of this series, we invited an artist we love & respect for his work on the remix duty. On this one, we choose Casa Voyager boss, Driss Bennis aka OCB.

Paolo Mosca makes intricate, multi-layered electronic music. Inspired by the early club sound pushed by the pioneers from his home region Veneto, he fuses house, trance and ambient - and moves forward. The Metaphysics EP displays the artist's passion and ingenuity, unfolding technical skill that makes clear his studio clock is set to 2023 and not 1993. On "Luciddreams" a statically charged beat and organ bass work up a groove. Accompanied by a misty pad and a slow, pensive arpeggiator, it pulses towards the break: there an acid line emerges, finds its spot in the mix, and refuels the track. "Energia" draws from a bolder, more euphoric range. Hand drums, a glittering lead and airy yet restrained chords float soaked in reverb and delay. A lean bass sequence tightly keeps the rhythm as flanged claps and subtly positioned sweeps create extra movement. The second side's opener, "Under the sea" features a formant filter lead meandering within the sweaty framework of heavily gated choir pads and a frugal bassline that eventually gets layered with an M1. Modulated vocals and strokes of additional melody ensure the stereo field again gets used to its full capacity. "Acqua" is a fitting coda. Some familiar patches are deployed over a tumbling beat that takes charge of the pace from the get-go. The palette might seem bright and blissful, but as always, the track's latticework contains enough contrast for a slight feeling of melancholy to keep simmering beneath. Mosca cited his meditation routine, how it helps him materialize ideas and thoughts, as a main drive upon finishing this record. The Metaphysics EP is a ruminative work. Comprised of four explorations in deftly manipulating energy with due attention to balance and momentum, it easily flows between genres, details darting in and out, showing the artist's understanding of composition and dance music history. It is a deep-dive selection of club-oriented cuts we are excited to release on Altered Circuits.

The birth point of ecstasy in British music is usually credited to acid house and the second summer of love: a cemented vision of kids sweating and vibrating in clubs, fields and warehouses in 1988, united by universal empathy and mind-popping sounds. However, in 1981, a couple of young men from Leeds went to New York, discovered the drug in its infancy, fused its’ gritty synth pop to acid house’s squelchy 303 groove and recorded an album: Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. The rest, as they say, is history.

Shortly before that Soft Cell’s debut single Memorabilia was born. Originally recorded a decade before the explosion of acid house and rooted in predominantly black NYC, Chicago and Detroit gay clubs, Memorabilia is a seminal early prelude to rave culture. Merging a

strutting disco bass line with a futuristic proto acid-techno beat, Marc Almond has past described Memorabilia as “the first acid house techno record ever”.

Dave Ball remembers: “Memorabilia got to about number 99 in the charts, but the clubs picked up on it. In NME or Sounds they had a chart for the Danceteria in New York, and we were in it. Our label Phonogram saw this and thought: ‘why is this weird little duo from Leeds that no one’s heard of suddenly getting played in one of the hippest clubs in New York?’ So I think they thought: ‘we’ll give them another chance’.”



Berlin’s very own upcomers Wally Funk round off the remix package, upping the original tempo slightly, while combining elements the of original production with the later Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing version to create a new hybrid, best played extremely loud!

Heels & Souls Recordings step back to 1988 for their sixth reissue, relicensing and remastering Flair's anthemic soul number 'Chasin' The Rain.' For the uninitiated, strap yourself in for six blissful minutes of heavy bass licks, soaring vocals, and infectious synth lines.

Consisting of Janet Rose (aka UK Soul queen JB Rose), Joe Matz, Peter Bielig, and Peter Shindler, Flair was a predominantly German affair, with Rose being the only UK band member and Bieling living in London during the late '80s. This is a curious detail considering 'Chasin' The Rain' is often lauded today as a UK Soul classic - partially due to its release on the prolific UK label Champion. However, it's squeaky-clean production values, and the fact it was mixed and mastered at the famous Jankowski studio in Stuttgart by three Germans, reveals a somewhat different story.

The track has that UK street soul heavy low-end, but with a synth-pop flavour sprinkled in the mix - swinging synth lines and gated snares aplenty. Yet from chatting to Peter Bielig, who's been instrumental in getting this record reissued, the sounds sweeping across the Atlantic from the likes of Jam and Lewis, who blended R&B, funk, soul and pop, were clearly a big influence too.

Those were heady days for four young twenty-something musicians, with Peter recalling cherished memories these tracks bring back, telling of his and JB's PA sessions at London's Gulliver's nightclub. However, while 'Chasin' The Rain' had all the hallmarks of a chart-breaking hit, Champion prioritised other projects and the record never broke. Sadly the group disbanded after only two releases, and this musical gem was consigned to the crates of those in the know. Soon after, Peter Bielig went to Jamaica to work at Tough Gong Studios, working on albums for Rita Marley Music. He now lives in Brazil, producing local artists in his studio in Salvador.

Unfortunately, the master tapes were nowhere to be found, so we had the maestro, Sean P, rip and restore a mint copy of the record, with award-winning mastering engineer Cicely Balston working her studio magic for that added punch.

Repress!

Following on from the standout second Ciao Italia compilation, the mighty Rebirth bring together another collection of tracks that surf between the past, present and future, highlighting the importance and continued influence of the Italo dream house world. Alternate versions, unheard gems, certified classics and pure class as you’d expect from the likes of Oneiric & Vortex, GNMR, Populous, G-Connection, Snare Dream and TiEs.