Pop & Rock News

Influenced from bands as Suicide, D.A.F and the early UK electronic scene, Absolute Body Control was formed in Belgium back in 1980, influencing and inventing genresever since and achieving an underground cilut following that strongly resists nowadays. In 2020, 16 artists from around the globe pays this deserved tribute to one of the most influential minimal synth bands of all time. ABSOLUTE BODY CONTROL "1980/2020" Ltd. Edition 3x12" Vinyl + POSTER comes presented in ultradeluxe triple jacket in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 400 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid BLACK vinyl. All tracks have been specially remastered for LONG CUT vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young & Cold Studios.

Mekanik Kommando was a post punk / New Wave band from Nijmegen, the Netherlands founded in 1979 by Peter van Vliet and Laszlo Panyigay. The duo became a quartet with the addition of Simon van Vliet and Mirjam van Hout. The name Mekanik Kommando comes from the album ?Mekan?k Destrukt?w Kommand?h? by the French progressive rock band Magma. Inspired by a DIY ethos, Kraftwerk and Magma, the band began recording songs at home using two tape recorders. Their demo cassette was discovered by Wally van Middendorp of Minny Pops and owner of Plurex Records, who booked them for a gig at Paradiso in Amsterdam. In 1981 they were asked to contribute music on a flexidisc for the first issue of newly established magazine Vinyl. In the summer of that year the band recorded their debut album ?It Would Be Quiet In The Woods If Only A Few Birds Sing? released on Torso. In February 1982 the band secured five days of studio time at Salisbury Sound in Dordrecht. The end result was the mini-album ?Dancing Elephants? released on Torso later that year. Musically, the five songs are a mix between cold wave, experimental electronic and industrial pop. The band utilized two bass guitars plus a Korg 770, KR-55 drum machine, violin, effects, metals and plastics. Lyrics explore themes of decay and morality, hypnotically spoken on top of playfully metallic sounds. All songs have been mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each EP is housed in a replica of the original jacket, which features artwork by the group members, and includes a 4-page booklet with lyrics and notes designed by Eloise Leigh.

Off The Meds is a Swedish-South African crew based in Stockholm, consisting of producers Adrian Lux, Carli Lo¨f and Ma°ns Glaeser with vocalist Kamohelo Khoaripe.
The band first appeared on Studio Barnhus with the Ethio-jazz sampling hip-house gem Currency Low, one of the standouts on the Stockholm label's 2018 compilation Studio Barnhus Volym 1. This was followed by 2019's ravey smash single Belter, which came paired with a much-lauded remix by London top selector Joy Orbison.
Their self-titled debut album arrives on Studio Barnhus in late 2020. First album single Karlaplan was recently played by Four Tet on Benji B's show on BBC Radio 1, while second single Wena got included in hotly tipped UK garage reformist Conducta's recent Resident Advisor podcast.

Equatorial groove excursions by Parbleu on this new Periodica release. A multi-cultural fever dream of imagined sonic exotica, one featuring both evocative instrumentals and breathtaking vocal performances and where energized expanses of dynamic disco, futuristic funk, and cinematic jazz fusion are colored over by warming vibes of Caribbean dub, Latin tropicalia, and sunshine Afrobeat. 'Danse Cette Zik!' is the debut LP from this enigmatic group of musicians and has been expertly captured and magically crafted by the sorcerers of sound at the West Hill Studio. Tip!

This 12" vinyl release of PD2 (Pas De Deux) brings together the remastered versions of the 3 best and timeless tracks from their repertoire.

MANI MEME is the opening song of Des Tailles, the 1983 album of Pas De Deux. However, when the album was released, all the attention went to their taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Rendez-Vous, an atypical Song Contest song. A later single release of the track disappeared in the obscurity of the eighties electro cult.

MANI MEME is a rather traditional pop song, written by De Nota, a previous collaboration project of Walter Verdin. Since De Nota hadn't had the chance to release any record, Walter Verdin decided to make a cover of the song with his new group Pas De Deux (with Dett Peyskens and Hilde Van Roy). For that reason, MANI MEME became the only song on the album with a female lead vocal (Dett Peyskens).

The idea to release the present 12" came up when GUCCI used the song for their remarkable Epilogue campaign since October 2020. On January 1st 2021, the video has already more than 3 million views.

CARDIOCLEPTOMANIE was the B-side of MANI MEME (1983). It's a minimalistic composition, based on a simple two-chords melody and one word. The song remained in obscurity until it appeared on some electro music compilations, e.g. The Hidden Tapes (Minimal Wave 2011) and TSOB (News 2013). It is the band's most streamed and downloaded track. A dark synth bass sound, simple superposed analogue synth melodies, multiple voices and percussion on a driving Linn drum machine. Timeless.

LITS JUMEAUX is Walter's first 'minimalistic song' and preferred Pas De Deux track. It was composed for a stage play in 1981, before the birth of Pas De Deux. It's a kind of litany that evokes the feverish feeling of weariness and boredom, a very common eighties topic. It could be the perfect corona anthem.

LPost-Heretic Dracula X Chronicles is Nicola Kazimir's debut album. It features 30min full of diverse, rough, evil, melancholic electronic music compositions either partly sampled out of important melodies in his life or fully produced by him. Post-Heretic Dracula X Chronicles LP draws from contemporary and past cultural references evolving around institutional-critique, occultism and dividualism and manifests those via metatags or sonic compositions.

Nicola Kazimir is a part of the collective Les Points based in Zürich, Switzerland.
His art/music draws from 90's rave utopias, decentralized & dividual thought, institutional-critique, occultism, progressive & accessible frameworks as showcased at their offspace Mikro -
a physical room which has no doors and opening times during exhibitions and raves - making an institution available to all social layers.
His recordlabels "Les Points" and the newly founded "Gentrified Underground" appropriate those ideas and transfer them to the distribution channels of electronic music.
Nicola refuses genre-stigmas and explores a vast number of genres in his dj-sets and productions - his newest LP "Post-Heretic Dracula X Chronicles" being an example of that diversity.

Saint DX is the incarnation of the contemporary crooner. Singer, composer and producer, his style reveals an obsession for love and an exacerbated sensitivity. Raised in the Buddhist spirituality of his parents and cradled by the soundtrack of The Big Blue (1988), Aurélien Hamm tells us about the fragility but also the beauty of our love stories, and the reincarnation of our wounds in the repetition of our days. Oscillating between English and French, swaying bass and ethereal layers, self-tone and naked voice, he cites Sade as well as Mylène Farmer, Better Person, Kanye West and Prince among his influences.

Since 2018, he has released 3 singles ('Regrets', 'First Fantasy' and 'I Still Care'), accompanied Charlotte Gainsbourg on stage and performed many of her opening acts. This 9-track mini LP will be followed by many concerts and marks the beginning of a very promising solo career for Saint DX.

For this episode D.J. City leaves his natural habitat and ends up in the jungle. Only what difference does it make? Temptations change, yet stay the same. Making his way through a sea of infinite attractions, senses sharpened seeking sensuality. The constant chirping louder than the occasional roar.
Aroused by abundance. what pleasure is he picking next?

It’s a great joy to host our long time friend and collaborator, Theo Delaunay aka Panoptique aka Constance Chlore, to release his first solo album on Macadam Mambo. Head of the Simple Music Experience label (dedicated to release punk experiment on tape), member of Violent Quand On Aime, Succhiamo, Simplists, Ono Omen and United Assholes, he had previously been part of the “Danzas Electricas” volumes 1 and 3, released a little single in 2019 and curated the “Simple Music Experience Vol.2” compilation in the house. Panoptique stick to what he knows to do the best, to present his stories, singing spoken words, gogolitos deliriums, whispers and rough voices on Minimal Synth Wave ballads or Drexciyan’s Electro bangers, it’s brut, mental, sometimes brutal and so so groovy in the meanwhile. Special mention to his guest Fiesta En El Vacio for her ‘caliente’ featuring on “Menta Y Regaliz”.
Now you know how you find him

Crepuscule presents La Jungle, a brand new electropop single by acclaimed Belgian DJ, producer and remixer Buscemi, featuring with vocal and lyrics by compelling newcomer Lauvé.

The vinyl single is a limited edition edition of 500 copies in orange vinyl, with cover photography by Laura Levasseur.

Since 2001 Buscemi (real name Dirk Swartenbroekx) has released eight solo long players as well as mix albums for Blue Note and Ministry of Sound, and also film and television soundtracks.

Remix clients include Melody Gardot, Isabelle Antena, Calexico, Hooverphonic and Nicola Conte. Seaside, his 2003 collaboration with Isabelle Antena from signature album Camino Real, remains a perennial favourite around the globe. His eighth studio album, Luna Misteriosa, was issued by Crepuscule in 2018.

Hard-edged retrofuturist synthpop track La Jungle heralds forthcoming album Mistral du Sud (TWI 1250) and features guest vocals from Lauvé, formerly of Brussels electronic pop duo P.A.N.T.H.E.R. “La Jungle is about a man-eater,” explains Lauvé (pronounced lo-vay). “She seduces her prey, little by little – then either devours him, or drives him away. It’s a song that allows a woman to have control over the game of seduction. It’s empowering, I hope – but with a hint of recklessness too.”

After the celebrated LP-releases on STROOM (Jan Van den Broeke '11000 Dreams' / 2017) and MINIMAL WAVE (The Misz 'The Lonely Crowd' / 2019) EE Tapes proudly present a new beguiling retrospective of Belgian art-house and ambient music artist Jan Van den Broeke.

‘Lost And Latest’ is - again - a cherry-picked set of the many projects of Jan, including ABSENT MUSIC, THE MISZ, JUNE11, and even his recent occasional project CANTO DE MUDO.

Lauer always rhymes with 'Power'. Proven by countless remixes, productions and projects like Arto Mwambe, Black Spuma, Talamanca System or Tuff City Kids and - naturally - his own-brand. There aren't many dance floors left that haven't been blessed by all this glory. Now, the aptly titled third album of Frankfurt's prime export regarding all things melodic, teenaged and synthesized, intensifies, condenses and hones the sound, he has been developing for years: a topical take on classic dance and 80ies pop figures, disco music in a closet (Lauer is still in denial), singing arpeggios, android choirs, beautiful bass lines and sometimes the apparitional architecture of house music. Neatly placed on one piece of vinyl, 'Power' collects nine tracks resp. songs that follow these roads. Expertly produced, recorded on high-end tape and complemented with intricate songwriting, Running Back is proud to present his magnum opus. 'Power' is vintage Lauer. Like his attic - Pyramide Studio 2 for those who know - where a vast synthesizer collection from the days of yore and tomorrow meets other digital dinosaurs and analog Aphrodites, it showcases a sanguine, punky and vivid DIY-aesthetic that isn't too far from a garage band turned into a one-man-orchestra. Glazed with two songs featuring the vocal talents of Jasnau (Mirrors and the Poeponymous Power) Power), that sentiment is consolidated. Music to dance to and to romance to.

Clear Vinyl

Minimal Synthwave recordings from 2006-2007 by this Berlin based side-project of AmyLeave und Second Planet.

EUPHORIC STUDIES by Kamron Saniee ? SVS RECORDS SVS017

Positivity. Lucidity. Velocity. In his second solo release, Kamron Saniee presents six animated studies of concentrated, rhythmic electronica – Euphoric Studies – in search of an "everyday euphoria" for the sunlit hours.

The works are characterized by a playful yet incisive energy, harkening back to the exuberance of early 2000s post-techno experimentation. Bubbling synthesizer melodies and emergent textural grooves serve to guide listeners towards a lucid, stimulated state.

Saniee acknowledges his classical influences on the track 'Badinage', in which a theme by Marin Marais played back on the violin is repurposed and diffused into a radiating sonic tapestry.

On the 10-minute opus 'Rhythm Force', raining percussive elements and drifting, formant harmonies create a prolonged and invigorating environment. The use of overlapping meters in 'Amnion' creates a similarly buoyant energy.

Veterans of the synth-pop movement of the 80s and early 90s, the New Jersey trio Anything Box took their name a collection of short stories, and made their name among a cult following of club-goers for their quirky, and often minimalist alt-dance music. While they never reached the heights of commercial success as contemporaries like Erasure or Depeche Mode, Anything Box endeared themselves to synth fans and music critics alike, even scoring a minor Billboard hit in the form of the atmospheric, New Order-like "Living In Oblivion." Anything Box’s debut album, 1990's Peace, is considered an essential, if often overlooked piece of synth-pop history, and is one of the band's great hallmarks. Across 12 tracks of lush, melodic, techno-infused dance-pop, Peace features production from the esteemed producer Jon St. James, (Berlin, Jon Anderson, SSQ, Candyman) whose distinct ambient textures mesh splendidly with the tenor vocals of frontman Claude S., and the twin synthesizers of keys-players Dania Morales and Paul Rjinders. Decades after its release, Get On Down now presents this exclusive reissue of Peace, with revitalized sound, re-created album art, and on vinyl for the first time in over 20 years.

In October of 1992 Madonna released her 5th studio album, the provocative Erotica. Released by her own multimedia entertainment company in conjunction with her book, Sex, this was the most bold and audacious move yet in Madonna's storied career. Following the release of the album and book in 1993 The Girlie Show World Tour commenced, culminating in 8 sold out shows in Japan, one of which was recorded live and broadcast the world over. Recorded at the Fukuoka Dome on December 8, 1993, The Girlie Show documents this historic tour with the complete show of that night! An epic 3LP box set featuring tracks from Erotica as well as a bunch of vintage classics, available on black vinyl or limited edition WHITE, RED, and GREEN vinyl.

Limited

LOVE IS A STREAM :: 10 year anniversary edition. Remastered by Stephan Mathieu. Design by Farbod Kokabi.

Jefre Cantu on Guitar & Electronics. With Lisa McGee, John Twells, and Maxwell August Croy on vocals. Orginally released October, 2010 on TYPE records, UK.

From the original press release: As a member of San Francisco legends Tarentel and Type’s premier astral travellers The Alps, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma is hardly a new addition to the label, so it’s hard to believe that ‘Love Is A Stream’ is his first Type solo album. Previously releasing on Arbor, Spekk and his own Root Strata imprint, this latest album marks his journey into the beautifully cacophonous world of dream pop. Shoegaze music has been much maligned in recent years, probably due to its rebirth and subsequent explosion of popularity (which gave rise to hundreds of young bands aping the over twenty-year-old sound). However it was only a fragment of the genre that these bands attempted to re-create, and on ‘Love Is A Stream’ Cantu, instead of focusing on tired weeping melancholy ballads, focuses solely on expansive, almost noise-ridden hopefulness. This is the kind of noise we fell in love with when My Bloody Valentine blew our ear drums performing ‘Loveless’, or the kind of harmonic excess we heard on hundredth listen to Catherine Wheel’s ‘Ferment’, but taken into deeper, more abstract realms. ‘Love Is A Stream’ is dedicated to love itself, and the dreamy, shimmering blown-out textures might at first sound like white noise before they ultimately give way to blissful harmony and hidden melody. Underneath the grit and growl are hidden guitar parts, synthesizer drones and even vocals (provided by Lisa McGee, John Twells and Maxwell August Croy) that succeed in swelling the dense, tape-saturated songs to heady new heights and belie any influences they might have. On each listen the mind strips away another layer of dust and bones to reveal haunting and deeply moving beauty. The world might be spiralling into despair, but Jefre Cantu-Ledesma has brought us a record that isn’t afraid to share the love. All that’s left to do is drown in it.

Tape / Cassette

Canvo was born in 1987 in Lima, Peru to very musical surroundings. He developped his style of vaporwave songwriting in Lima and also Barcelona, where he moved later in life. Inspired by the Barcelona Montjuic sites, built for the 1992 Olympic games, he wrote a mini album named after this area in 2020.

The self titled "O.S.T." from the much hyped Berlin based Movie "YUNG" -
Music Supervision by DJ HELL.
First release on the brand new DJ Hell Label "The Hell Experience"...!

Linda “Babe” Majika’s insanely brilliant Don’t Treat Me So Bad is a tight six tracks of blistering electro-flavoured bubblegum and synth-drizzled solar-powered machine-funk. It has become increasingly hard to find, with copies currently moving for over £200. But this is definitely a case of eye-watering price equalling heart-thumping quality.

Once of the Hot Soul Singers, Don’t Treat Me So Bad was Linda’s debut LP as a solo artist. It was produced by Ace Mbuyisa of boogie-funk maestros Freeway and was originally released on Umkhonto Records in South Africa in 1988.

The enormous “Let’s Make A Deal” is probably the best known track here, and it’s definitely the best one if you ask us. Linda’s vocals drip with attitude over warm, breezy synths and an urgent, edgy electro beat to create a timeless club-ready bomb that sounds as fresh as ever. But the rest of the album is far from filler.

Opening track “Kunzima (Tabalaza Mjita)” instantly brings the sunshine vibes, strutting out the gate with that unmistakable South African steppers groove. It’s a deceptively simple song, with multiple instrumental elements arriving and taking leave with admirable restraint.

“It’s Our Home” is a powerful showcase for Linda’s vocals, enhanced by some life-affirming call and response backing vocals throughout. In fact they’re a joyous presence on the whole album. The insistent pipes and swirling, bubbling synths of title track “Don’t Treat Me So Bad” follow. A spacious proto-piano house banger that closes out the first side in phenomenal fashion.

Arriving as track two on the second side, “Unga B’Omthemba Umuntu” has the unenviable task of following the huge “Let’s Make A Deal”. It does the job with class, bringing the tempo down to a mid-paced tropical bounce with lilting harmonies and welcome traces of hi-life guitar. Wonderful stuff. “Playboy” is is another unbeatable head-nod groover rounds out the set wonderfully. That bassline high in the mix is to die for, and the chorus will make any dancefloor smile.

As ever, Simon Francis on mastering duties elevates this release, adding heft and elegance in all the right places with his customary deft touch. The memorable cover art, in which Linda appears straight out of the 1950s with her polka dot skirt and butter-wouldn't-melt pose, has been faithfully restored. But don’t let the innocent styling fool you - Don’t Treat Me So Bad is the work of one badass woman who can hold her own, and then some.

Calypso Drip FM is a journey of styles & influences that formed the varied musical landscape of its creator. Only known by the moniker of Gryff, the author wanted a project that reminded listeners of radio stations of decades past. Particularly the type you would have on GTA: Vice City.

Gryff is a 90s kid, but the track list of his debut album plays like a greatest hits of a much mature songwriter and producer.
Almost exclusively written by himself, requesting the help from Andrew Threlfo in production for 'Do You Feel Like This?', and with NY songstress Primo The Alien as guest and co-writer for Reverse, his undeniable talent is showing in spades.

This incredible debut album is going to make waves in the scene and turn the young musician into a big player.

neon candy vinyl incl. 24"x12" poster

To Sonic Boom’s Pete Kember, re-imagining the past can lead to ways forward on life’s natural, interconnected path. In April of 2020, he released his first album in over 20 years called All Things Being Equal, a lush and psychedelic record full of interwoven synthesizers and droning vocal melodies, concerned with the state of humanity and the natural world. An entire year later, Kember has re-imagined his last release and created an album of self-remixed tracks called Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough, inspired by the spirit of late 70s, early 80s records by artists like Kraftwerk, Blondie and Eddy Grant. His new album is hypnotic and moody, holding onto the existential framework of the original, but exposes a fresh, beating realm of possibility.

In his last album, All Things Being Equal, Kember told regenerative stories backwards and forwards as he explored dichotomies zen and fearsome, reverential of his analog toolkit and protective of the plants and trees that support our lives. His work is always complex, both in its instrumentation built using modular synthesizers, and with his attempts to observe the many variables that exist in the universe that are intrinsically connected. Kember takes his existential and musical curiosity even further in Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough, explaining “how we interact now is especially critical.” Written while the world endures many environmental and human crises, the album is both a balm and a reminder to nurture our own relationships, both natural and personal.

Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough includes remixes of six tracks from All Things Being Equaland two tracks previously released exclusively in Japan. The album opens just like the original, with “Just Imagine”in its remixed form. The modular synthesizer at its foundation sounds familiar, but as the song progresses it branches out into various veins of sparkling embellishments and deep humming to truly expand the world that the song attempts to envision. On the albums’title track “Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough,” Kember’s instrumentation mirrors the interactions he wishes to inspire; synthesizers responding and building on one another, a conversation of sorts that the human world currently seems to avoid.

Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough sets itself up to be a grooving, night-time record, while carrying on Sonic Boom’s sense of urgency to assess our relationship with the world. As Sonic Boom revisits his last album, he exposes the arteries and bones of his past work and shares its raw, exciting potential. The result is a re-textured and re-colored new set of songs, emphasizing Sonic Boom’s ability to make a sonically expansive album feel distinctly impactful for anyone who listens closely.

The Italian Fuzz Dance! Just said almost everything about the global dance music scene. One of the most prominent labels to connect the old Continent to the new Continent. For many top players it is considered the blueprint of Italo-disco, for many others the beginning of the House sound. Some of the records on its catalogue are merely timeless and in the history forever. And "Plastic Love" is definitely one of those.

For a good number of Spanish musicians, attracting attention from somewhere outside of Madrid was a mission impossible for several decades. While the Movida Madrileña, commonly referred to as the “Madrid scene” in English, stirred things up and made front page news on the basis of new wave music, musicians that were on the fringe or directly beyond it had few platforms from which to be heard.
Although Javier Segura has been recording music in his studio almost continuously since the 70's, his relevance and recognition as a musician has been limited to underground music circles. The fact
that he worked outside of the country's spotlight of power kept his name relatively unknown for years, something which even the arrival of the internet could not illuminate. Only the appreciation of a few collectors and disc jockeys kept the light on.
Passat Continu delivers here the first ever compilation by the spanish musician Javier Segura (born 1955), who worked as an isolated cell from his home studio in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, in the Canary Islands. Working for decades from the underground, Segura build up some brilliant ideas producing dozens of richly textured songs, stretching borders on ambient, experimental rock, dreamy folk or concrete music. Using guitars, rhythm boxes, trumpets synths or simply pedals, Segura managed his own career and produced while published a handful of albums by himself: El ser y el tiempo (1976), No mires atrás (1983), Nostalgia de lo humano (1986), Lamento bereber (1989), El ángel caído vol I, la lluvia azul (2004), Levántate (2005) and El orden y el caos (2006).
He also teamed up with Juan Belda on only impro project Arte Moderno (1981-1982), using the Roland TR-808 rhythm box as a main actor for the first time in the post-Franco’s Spain era.
'El sol desde oriente' uses three of that songs and add six more previously unreleased productions from 1980 to 1990, probably his most active period of time. Available on vinyl and digital through
Bandcamp. Digital version includes two extra tracks. Vinyl comes with insert with unseen photos and liner notes by Javier Segura and Passat Continu’s curator David G. Balasch.
All music written by Javier Segura except Jardín marroquí, written by Javier Segura and Juan Belda
under the name of Arte Moderno.

“You’re trouble” is an avant-garde electronic pop album about questioning and locating a sense of self in a disorienting, breaking environment of dissolving certainity which grows increasingly chaotic, about dysmorphic dissatisfaction, becoming disillusioned and alienated. It seeks to juxtapose beauty, serenity and vigour with instability, ugliness, chaos and crisis, expressing itself fluidly without genre or otherwise boundaries. A kind of sinister, anxious but still forward-pushing and at times positive and hot-blooded empowering energy can be felt that wants to urge the listener not to give up but to try and take courage and take control of the troubles and fears in their life. The tone is sometimes reflective, sometimes confronting. The album navigates fairly abstract musical territory, cathartic abrasiveness, heavy and unrelenting sounds of post-club music and noise fused with stretches of pop music, never settling down or resting for long, constantly breaking up and re-assembling itself. Between chaos and form, it’s finding relief in imperfection and the in-between. As such the music is ambivalent and is equal parts some kind of crisis club music as well as introspective reflection.
Downloads

"Cosmic Shift" by Swiss-based DJ and Producer 'Lexx', with real name 'Alex Storrer'. He's a smartly crafted blend of styles from start
to finish. Soulful sounds of the inner city meet distinct melodies with a longing for an island in the sun.

The Album encompasses Neo Soul, Dub, Pop and hints traces of the Producers twenties as a Hip Hop addict in the golden era of the genre.
Collaborators include the Los Angeles based Woolfy and Harriet Brown, Ella Thompson from Melbourne, Jonnny Spencer of Chicken Lips fame and up and coming songstress Asé from Zurich.

After a long list of official remixes for many renown labels; occasional singles, Lexx ultimately felt the urge to tell his own story. It’s intimate, the sound of dawn, of twilight. Right before the night falls...

After the heaviest of years, it should be time to take a little weight off with the playful sounds of The Person. Mapping its own Bermuda Triangle between dub-pop, sugary synthwave and Balearic boogie, ‘Tide Life’ transports Compass Point to Soggy Bottom, providing maximum fun, sun and bitmap escapism.

The eagle-eared may recognise The Person from the aspirational Italo-rockers Steaming Jeans, whose chalet-ready romp on Bordello A Parigi scored a Winter Olympic gold back in early 2020. Now left to her own devices, Minna Wight swaps the slopes for a jet ski and takes a Wave Race from Summer Bay to Monkey Island across 11 cuts of vintage oddball pop.

Whether she’s borrowing Brenda’s Beach Balls for the dubby daydream of ‘Snail Cafe’ and ‘The Place’, serving lost library cues to SNES club scenes on ‘Barry R Reef’ and ‘Elastic Shoes’ or spinning high school slow jams into synth soul ballads like ‘Nice Feeling’, Minna disguises serious musicianship behind a naive aesthetic. Disarmed by charm, we’re powerless to resist her tidal pull.
Patrick Ryder

NNHMN is one of the most prolific synthwave acts of the moment, in this occasion, they close the “Deception Island” project, forming an amazing long play album. Again we will find Lee’s sultry vocals over synthwave classical bass and rhythm structures, from dark Italo Disco with touches of light ebm to classic post punk in a brilliant closing track. NNHMN "Deception Island Part 2 " Ltd. Edition 12" EP including INNER WITH LYRICS (vinyl edition) comes presented in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid MAGENTA vinyl. All tracks have been specially remastered for LONG CUT vinyl by Conor Dalton at Glowcast.

limited to 200 copies - no repress

ELYSIUM (a.k.a. BURNING SKIES OF ELYSIUM since 1985) formed in Horley, Surrey (UK) in the autumn of 1981. Their first release was the 4-track AMONGST THOSE CLOUDS cassette-only EP from 1983. It contained their first two songs recorded at Rendezvous, John Ratcliff’s south London studio in March 1982, together with another two songs recorded at Ambiance Recording Studios, Burgess Hill, in January or February 1983. Later joined by saxophonist Ron Howe, their first vinyl release came in September 1984, the ‘Summer House’ b/w ‘Through Flak & Flak’ 7”, recorded at Ambiance Recording Studios again. One song from these sessions entitled ‘Emporium’ remained absolutely unheard and forgotten. Until now.

We have gathered these seven early songs to create our extended vinyl rendition of AMONGST THOSE CLOUDS, presented as a limited, hand numbered edition of 120 copies, housed in a matt finish sleeve with a double sided insert and download code.

Blue Vinyl

babycasey is the debut album from composer, producer, artist Casey MQ. Across 13 songs, the record is an examination of identity formation through the prism of pop. Punctuated by original songs Casey recorded as a child, the album examines pop archetypes while reveling in the pure catharsis of the medium. babycasey is a radiant, deft statement from a crucial new talent - a gorgeous reckoning, and an honest reconciliation of ambition, queerness and artistry. A fall limited-vinyl release follows a successful summer rollout of the album.

Emika & Paul Frick collaborate and make magical music from pianos, a vibraphone robot and synths that play themselves

* Their music feels like rainbow drops, raining colour, light bouncing from crystal gemstones. Reminiscent of Erik Satie, Laruie Anderson, with a melodic glitchy nod to Aphex Twin.

* This is music that channels some seriously beautiful light. It’s a great record to both wake up to and reflect under the moonlight.

* CNCPT brings the Berlin experimental Techno vibes, turning them into what they perhaps should have always been (if Emika & Paul Frick weren’t so in love with sound art minimalism). A perfect match for the flipside.

* A very satisfying A & B realisation on the vinyl. Vinyl release includes sticker with the digital download + score book + synth midi files

* An experimental Berlin trio at it’s finest.

Pressed at Duophonic Germany, minimal wait times, amazing sounding TPs, family run, buying from us supports them also.

Left Ear are re-introducing another ten lost tracks from Nicholas Georgieff and Virgil Work, St Louis' basement electronics duo Workdub.
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The release spans material from 1989-95 and includes recordings from their sole LP and both cassette albums. Workdub's music hardly fits into a vacuum and some might even say it's otherworldly. Tracks like Reach for the Stars' and Lunar Module' reflect dreams of space-age exploration, all the while their investigation into drum machines, synthesizers, samples and digital fx's matched with their organic live instrumentation work to create a unique atmospheric dubbed out sound.

12" + 7"

Montreal’s based KINDEST CUTS is without any kind of doubt one of the actual world's leading synthwave/synthpop acts. Perfect pop structures and outstandingly captive musical progressions in perefct combination with classical genre male deep lead voice, following the trace of early Depeche Mode or Camouflage. KINDEST CUTS "Keeping Distance" Ltd. Edition 12" EP + bonus 7" (vinyl edition) comes presented in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 200 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid BLACK vinyl. All tracks have been specially remastered for LONG CUT vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

Jetzt auch als transparent-blaues Tape erhältlich: das selbstbetitelte Debütalbum des britischen Synthie-Trios Gunship aus 2015. Ein in Neon getränkter, spätabendlicher Trip voller sinnlich-analoger Synthesizer, filmischem Gesang und Cyberpunk-Attitüde. Der Horrormeister höchstselbst, Regisseur John Carpenter, übernimmt als großer Gunship Fan gar eine Sprechrolle. Ferner dabei: die Sänger von Fightstar und New Young Pony Club. Erfrischend unverbrauchter Electro-Pop mit Retro-Einflüssen für Fans von Empire Of The Sun, MGMT oder Röyksopp.

LTD. WHITE VINYL

Kelly Lee Owens' meisterhaftes zweites Album "Inner Song" lässt die Techno-Produzentin und Sängerin/Songschreiberin tief in ihre eigene Psyche eintauchen - sie widmet sich den Kämpfen, die sie in den letzten Jahren durchlebt hat, und erforscht ihren persönlichen Schmerz, während sie gleichzeitig die Schönheit der Natur umarmt. "Inner Song" folgt ihrem selbstbetitelten Debüt aus dem Jahr 2017, einer Mischung aus körperbetonten Beats und introspektivem Songwriting, das von der Musikpresse mit zahlreichen Auszeichnungen bedacht wurde. Seither hat sie Björk & St. Vincent neu abgemischt, 2019 einen unauslöschlichen Club-Zwei-Tracker, "Let It Go" s/w "Omen", veröffentlicht und sich mit dem gleichgesinnten Autor Jon Hopkins für das Unikat "Luminous Spaces" zusammengetan. Ihr neues Album entstand auch aus den, wie Owens es beschreibt, "schwersten drei Jahren meines Lebens", einer emotional sehr belasteten Zeit, die, wie sie sagt "mein kreatives Leben und alles, wofür ich bis dahin gearbeitet hatte, definitiv beeinflusst hat." Während also das schöne Cover von Radioheads "Arpeggi" manchem als unkonventionelle Art und Weise erscheinen mag, ihr zweites Album zu eröffnen, repräsentiert Owens' gewundene Interpretation der klassischen Melodie - aufgenommen ein Jahr bevor die Arbeit an "Inner Song" richtig losging - die Art von klanglicher Wiedergeburt, die für die Aura von "Inner Song" so wesentlich ist. "Inner Song" wurde größtenteils über einen Monat im vergangenen Winter geschrieben und aufgenommen. Wie bei ihrem Debüt verschanzte sich Owens zusammen mit ihrem Koproduzenten James Greenwood im Studio - um dort loszulassen und offen zu sein für jede klangliche Laune. Der beschwörende Titel des Albums ist dem Opus von Free-Jazz-Maestro Alan Silva von 1972 entlehnt. Der Bass und die kitzelnden Texturen von "Inner Song" machen deutlich, dass Owens mehr denn je darauf bedacht ist, maximalen Klanggenuss zu bieten - wie die Entscheidung, die Vinyl-Veröffentlichung des Albums zu einem Sesqui-Album oder einem dreiseitigen Album zu machen, beweist: "Ich bin immer noch besessen von Frequenzen, die auf Vinyl nicht gut klingen, wenn sie den Platz dafür nicht haben". "Die Kraft, zu konzeptualisieren, wer du bist, hat dieses Album wirklich geprägt", sagt Owens über das Wesen von "Inner Song", und ihr zweites Album ist eine Entdeckung des Selbst - die jüngste Aussage einer faszinierenden Künstlerin, die weiterhin überrascht und auf eine reiche und vielfältige Karriere hinweist, die noch vor uns liegt.