Pop & Rock 

New FLEE publication focused on Arabian Gulf's pearl divers, their culture through their soundscape, traditional songs & rhythms. Including archival recordings and reinterpretations by moderns electronic artists such as Joakim, Tomaga, Ben Bertrand, Conny Frischauf, Hieroglyphic Being .....

Available as 2LP, black vinyls & 2LP+258p book (English & Arabic text) bundle.

The pearls of the Gulf have stoked the imagination and desire of people around the world for centuries, their magnificence matched only by the courage of the divers who found them. This project aims to honor the memory of these valiant free-divers, their culture and their music by the means of a 2XLP compilation with undisclosed original recordings of pearl divers and inspired modern-day compositions by artists like Tomaga, YPY, Ben Betrand, Tarek Yamani or Hieroglyphic Being. Along with that record, a 258 pages long book in Arabic and English is available featuring contributions from regional experts and artists to contextualize the tremendously rich theme that is pearling and its music.

Erik Sumo is one of the most established Hungarian music producers of the last 20 years.
His various acts gained national and international, underground and mainstream success, he scored movies - think of the now cult 'Liza, The Fox Fairy' soundtrack on one of our early 7"s.
His latest album 'Mount Fuji' came out in November 2019, it contains 'Run Into The Wild', an odd yet catchy leftfield floor-filler with an unmistakable mood built of glamorous disco vibes and sinister imaginings from the woods around Fujisan.

On this EP you can hear the previously unreleased disco dub version of the song and 3 remixes taking the original into completely different directions.
Mytron & Ofofo of Multiculti fame chose to go the tribal way by adding some extra percussion and reconstructing the chorus making the track even more dance floor friendly than it was originally.
Oakland based producer E. Live turned the tune into a contemporary boogie burner, while Budabeats staple M.W.D.'s version has an atmosphere that is impossible to describe.

Limited to 400 copies worldwide.

Asyncro presents the second release of the series - a collection of tracks produced by OL between 2017 & 2020. In addition to solo works the record includes collaborations with Sensational, Flaty and Micxail. These interactions emphasize the author's interest in communicating with other artists through the music recording process. "Wildlife Processing" is an archive of compositions reflecting OL's trajectory and personal vision of electronic music over the past years.

With 10 years in the 'biz' firmly under his belt, Jiah Wells is poised to release the first full-length LP of his Galtier project, Pulchra Es Elementis. Whilst Galtier is arguably one of the originators of the percussive style that would eventually fall under the Hard Drum label, the heightened theatrics of his recent output have seen him channel Blade Runner-styled sonics and move further away from absolute club functionality. Whilst Galtier's output often seems to soundtrack hypothetical, off-planet words, Pulchra Es Elementis turns the focus inwards: towards Wells' own emotional constellation, his evolving spirituality and his attempts to tap into planes of existence beyond the tangible. The album's Latin title translates to 'Elements are Beautiful' and encapsulates the artist's belief that there is grace in all of life's aspects; pushing past what we deem as good or bad, minuscule or massive.

Pulchra Es Elementis begins with Crystalised Larva, a brooding opener of breathy pad synths and expansive kick drums which reverberate through the mix as if the hits originate from the bottom of a valley. There's an indistinct sense of tension on this track, in part due to a central melody, which never resolves but only descends lower in pitch. This tension turns to explorative wonder on Wilfull Saviour, where a mirage of musical ideas come in and out of focus. Although the sonic worlds Galtier explores are internal to him, Wilfull Saviour still possesses that sense of a cosmic journey we've come to expect from Wells; an ardent fan of dystopian films and literature.

Continuing this emotional odyssey, Bruised, But Not Broken sees the artist push deeper into the psychological undergrowth; its murky tonality juxtaposes crisp, Reggaeton-inspired drum patterns with a heavily compressed one-note synth line that modulates wildly - cutting through the mix like a nagging thought that won't leave your mind. Next up is U Were, U Are & What U Will Be, one of the more club-ready tracks of the LP, which gets us moving with a snarling bassline and layers upon layers of percussive hits and inflections.

At Pulchra Es Elementis' mid-point is the LP's title track, a drumless interlude where blissful, shimmering synths create a patchwork of intensities. Galtier's approach to songwriting shines through here; ignoring musical pragmatics, he opts to feel his way through his compositions without knowing where they might end up. Following on from that weightless breather, Phantasiai turns up the freneticism with its head-spinning mix of drum programming and a glitched-out synth line that yo-yos up and down octaves. Things get even more furious on the Superficie-featuring Cavernam, a hollow Hard Drum banger inspired by Eskibeat sensibilities and designed to create a sense of self-implosion.

The album's penultimate track, (U Are) Beautiful, is a tale of two halves: beginning with a moment of serenity as synthesizers swell like an ocean tide before evolving into a marching crescendo of raw energy. Rounding off the album, Shine Forth hurtles through pacey drum work and all manner of strange zaps and klaxons before giving way to a final dose of nebulous ambience.

A musical journey unlike any other 'club music' albums, Pulchra Es Elementis is an LP that demands to be consumed in one sitting. Reflecting on his place within the universe and the musical landscape, the album could be viewed as a musical exorcism which sees Galtier working through and shedding huge chunks of his ego that stuck to him out of fear of the unknown. Pulchra Es Elementis begins on an insecure, overwhelming or, even, existential note before rounding off with a related sense of vastness seen with new, more positive eyes. It's a voyage we hope you will join him on.

The LP version is pressed on 140g black vinyl and comes with a printed inner sleeve, lyric sheet and a download code.

Having previously brought together world-renowned Theremin soloist Carolina Eyck and electronic producer Eversines for a specially commissioned collaborative mini album, yeyeh founder Pieter Jansen has now conjured up another unlikely but inspired joint album, this time featuring award-winning free-jazz vocalist Greetje Bijma and leftfield house, techno and ambient producer Oceanic.

The project has its roots in a chance meeting between Jansen and Bijma, a legendary figure on the Dutch jazz scene who in 1990 became the first woman to win the country’s top jazz accolade, the VPRO/Boy Edgar award. Apart from having previously worked with the likes of Anna Homler (aka Breadwoman), Jasper van ’t Hof, Han Bennink, Louis Andriessen and Willem Breuker and her own solo projects, she’s in a league of her own.

Jansen is a big fan of Bijma’s 1996 heavily electronic collaboration with Jasper van’t Hof and Pierre Favre, Freezing Screens, and was with the friend who first introduced him to it when he bumped into Bijma.
Excited to meet someone who had made one of his favourite records, Jansen took the opportunity to ask Bijma if she would be interested in working with young electronic music producers. To Jansen’s delight, Bijma quickly agreed.

Weeks later, Bijma stepped into the studio with Oceanic, a rising star of the Dutch electronic underground whose releases as Oceanic for Nous’klaer Audio and BAKK Plafond revolve around mechanical rhythms, opaque ambient textures, minimalist melodic movements and effervescent electronics. The pair quickly connected on an emotional and musical level, with Bijma taking her cues from Oceanic’s electronic sounds and rhythms, and Oceanic drawing inspiration from Bijma’s dexterous, mind- bending and otherworldly vocalizations.

After two hugely productive days, the cross-generational duo had completed a couple of mesmerizing songs – breathlessly haunting album opener “Swallow a Party” and chilly ambient closer “A Window Drifting” – and recorded several hours or improvisations that Oceanic later edited, layered-up and re-modelled.

The results are little less than spellbinding. The range and versatility of Bijma’s vocalizations is breathtaking, while Oceanic’s music – which cleverly incorporates the free-jazz singer’s vocal notes, tones and proclamations – swings between becalmed beauty and breathless intensity.

Some of the set’s most striking moments are those where Oceanic re-contextualizes Bijma’s varied vocal sounds with the dancefloor in mind. On the pulsating “Technicolour Memories”, up-tempo “Step Snakes” and hypnotic “Never Done”, Bijma’s scat outbursts not only ride Oceanic’s rhythms, but also form part of the densely layered percussion tracks beneath.

Like the release’s more downtempo and ethereal moments, these hybrid organic- synthetic compositions defy easy categorization, offering a unique brand of alien electronic/acoustic musical fusion that lingers long in the memory.

With or without a drink in hand, moderate temperature, no need to jump into the wet. One night AT the pool, not inside. Palm trees or succulents - not far from here, the vegetation has adapted to the situation. A soft rustling: Possibly crickets, probably also the wind. No traffic and certainly no civilization, which right now would probably only disturb with its long agenda of responsibilities. HYPNOSIS AND MUD - Healing hypnosis, healing mud. The half-frustrating, half-liberating feeling of saturated soil between the toes. A state of inner peace. Instead of a voice, you hear primitivist percussive explorations. A groping and grasping of the bare feet, with delicate toes. Abstraction is followed by the concrete: a walk through the ORCHIDEENGARTEN RUSE, an orchid garden close to the Bulgarian town and not far from the Romanian border. Digitally, but not unreal. Perhaps even better than reality - anyone can do that. The (unofficial) soundtrack to this would not only make the Canadian composer Mort Garson happy. A lady‘s shoe kindly looks at us. If you turn around, you arrive on the other side: A LINE HAS TWO SIDES. Conundrum-like images, dissolved one-dimensionality. Candid narrative ambiance. A clarinet calls to duty. Civilization and traffic after all? SUNBEAMS ON YOUR CAR. Urgency, a clamor of voices - both in their best form. Yet again – the clarinet, the blunt reality: ONE NIGHT AT THE POOL. We are still standing here, we probably never left. A three-part journey – with delicate transitions. Three destinations: Now forever united. Dissonant and yet pensive. In the far distance the advertisement for the collected works of Meredith Monk. Hair erect, the little skin nerves contract, goosebumps - at last!

A nice collection to relax in a warm and cosy musical atmosphere

In the blistering Los Angeles Summer of 2019, a chance encounter occurred between pals Yu Su and FIO, whilst both dishevelled and on their own separate journeys to overcome immigration bureaucracy. In the midst of filling out forms and enduring long waiting periods (pre pandemic) the pair managed to spend some time in the studio, two afternoons to be exact. The result; YUF-O. Four tracks that comprise of a charming and characteristic blend of both artists' personalities, yet totally unexpected in the best possible way. A mixture of absurd house, blissful ambient, accidental trance and some totally weird and wonderful other stuff.

The Russian cats are rolling frozen melons on you this winter. Slow hypnotic grooves that will cool you down on the dancefloor, and A Vega style to heat you up on your way home through the snow wheel. This will get you through the night alright.

Grey Marbled Vinyl

Rhythmic Brutalism' is the title of this release, available as a two CD set or two separate LPs, the title is also a very apt description of the music itself. Romanian-born Alexandra Atnif was fascinated by the harsh, grey concrete beauty and minimally repetitive force of the brutalist post-war architecture of her homeland, and this fascination has given rise to the music here. Vol. 1 is an EM Records edition, compiled from an earlier self-released double CD featuring recordings from 2014-15. Vol. 2 consists of previously unreleased recordings from 2015 to 2017. Using elemental, inexpensive technology, Atnif' s music is heavy and harsh, stripped down to distressed skeletal frameworks, rhythmic noise, rusting metal and weathered concrete, a distorted DIY realization of her beautifully brutal vision. With a background in European modernist/avant-garde music, Atnif has been influenced by early rhythmic industrial music such as Throbbing Gristle, Esplendor Geometrico and Muslimgauze, as well as later practitioners of rhythm and noise including Pan Sonic, Autechre, Winterkälte, Prurient and Scorn. Across the relatively brief span of years contained within these two volumes, we hear the rhythmic structures begin to fracture and fray, and the outlines darken and become more obscure, with Antif's sensibility evident throughout.

Complex melodic motifs grow and cover your brain like kudzu as swarms of insects gather to witness.

The music was composed entirely on Bana's personal Make Noise System, which is a Modular synthesizer you could learn more about here: makenoisemusic
Pressed to 12" Clear (140gm) vinyl and inserted into a black inner dust sleeve
and Matte Jacket w/ photography by Bana Haffar and layout by Sean Curtis Patrick.

Following on from the deranged machine mulch of the Cru Servers we proudly announce the second record on the label to emerge from our native south side of Glasgow. Lo Kindre is the solo project of Irish/Luxembourgish bedroom producer, amateur footballer and award-winning bartender Daniel Magee. Crawling out from the undergrowth at the speed of a snail with dreadlocks this six track EP builds upon his previous venture for Optimo Music and manages to enchant in many of the same ways. Chlorophytum ticks all of the right boxes, sitting somewhere between a budding sci-fi homage, drum machine escapism and a fascination with the motorik styles of West Germany and the wider On-U continuum. Lo Kindre's sound has recently developed by way of countless hours spent twiddling with delay units alongside vintage Italian football commentary and murky casks of Tennents, and has culminated here in the following six tracks. The seventh 12th Isle now ecstatically morphs from our galaxy into yours.

This EP collects some results of fucking around with more or less cheap gear and an old computer running on Windows XP. It's full of raw and noisy mental breakdown music. The 7" record comes with a download-code of the tracks on the vinyl plus 6 digital bonus tracks!

Brace! Brace! That record is a bouncing riddim, and we never know where it's gonna land: here noise or miami bass, there dark disco and then Balearic. What could be an easy puzzle for diggers always feels true though. Sincere, like the 14-year-old DJ F16 Falcon, going nuts on some American nu hardcore - the back of the record are actual screenshots testifying of that moment. A life ago, DJ F16 Falcon used to be a part of the noise music scene in Paris, releasing music under the Roger mpr moniker. He dropped the complicated stuff for dance music but kept the industrial touch. We all need some dance. And we all need a Sugar Dada.

Following the critically acclaimed Vinyan cassette, Kāthā is Siamese Twins’ second curated pan-Asian compilation selected to form a continuous and coherent whole, whose strong transcendental ambience comes tinged with Eastern psychedelia. Kāthā is the Khmer and Thai name used for chanted sacred mantras and magical incantations that offer protection, charm, or certain influence in life. Its origins stem from "Gāthā", a Sanskrit term referring to any poetic metre commonly used in legends - verses recited (usually mentally) in rhythm with the breath as part of mindfulness practice or meditation. A hypnotic sound bath in which tribally-rooted ambient morphs into one entity. Drones, live instruments and esoteric textures are transformed into a contemporary Kāthā interpretation.

Two years after their first record came out, the crew operating legendary dance nights in Nantes are back on top of the new release pile. Two original tracks by Kanot and two remixes. Overall, their stylistic balance signature is maintained, although the gravity center is a bit more leftfield and poetic, a bit less dance-obvious. But that’s only in comparison to other material: any of the four pieces here can take a dance floor apart, played at the right time.

Hit & Run has a massive “star grabbing” feel, the synth and guitar surges sounding like as many jumps above the stratosphere, and the vocalizing choirs on top making it a definitive cosmic jam.

Turbulens is more earthy than spacy: drum breaks and big ass basslines bring out an irresistible leg shaking feel, the melodic guitars on top balance the vibe into that delicious moment when Caribbean sunsets turn the day into a warm a groovy night, certainly a party starter. The Pilotwings Remix is to the image of their added touch: trancy on edges but very far from easy or obvious. Constantly jumping above and diving under the line, it’s playing greatly with dancers’ feet, and eventually their minds.

Houseman Vidock delivers the most danceable material on this record. His strong experience as a DJ for parties focused on having people dancing freely for a long time is clearly audible. This slo-mo belter doesn’t need much advertisement, it just needs to be played to any dancefloor, be it at midnight or 8 am.

DJ Durbin is back with his second release on Row Records.
Four boundary-pushing tracks for your inner journey to
unknown spheres and a (¦ngers crossed) better future.

Stiletti Ana, part of the dreamy sunbathed electronic duo “Jesse” and top tier in Finnish music production is releasing a new solo album, “I’m an arpeggiator” on Höga Nord Rekords. This album carries similarities to Jesse in both production and sounds but hides more ancient wisdom. A refined sound but with more edges left sharp and more of a mysterious vibe.

As the sound professor he is, Stiletti Ana takes you in a tour of his vast collection of vintage synthesisers and in centre of attention sits the arpeggiator (hence the album title) which gives the sound much of its repetitive character. Recorded in the legendary Haista II-studio outside Helsinki, “I’m an arpeggiator” channels the energies from the waters and forest surrounding the studio, giving the music its’s escapistic and romantic character.

This record is a transcendental trip down the paths of Boards of Canada and Manuel Göttsching, dedicated to the ancient Babylonian fishing god, Dagan.

Documented during peak isolation times in Los Angeles, between December 2020 and January 2021. These pieces were performed as Live AV pieces from 2017-2019, at Coaxial Arts, Zebulon and Desert Daze 2019, but not documented in a release until later. Signal processing and sequencing frameworks built in Max 8 with signals generated from Prophet '08, a broken AW16G, 0-coast, Max, and a MC-909. With the context of the electromagnetic medium, the absence of live performance and moving visuals and the new "spirit" of the pestilent times, "Cutting Them All Off" should barely be represented as reworks of the originally performed pieces. What was once pulsing and blasting out of PA speakers live is now referenced as a distant past document. These pieces (for better or for worse) have been removed and cut-off from their contextual source and can only be presented in their displaced/liberated state. Like a fish out of water gasping for air, or the only drunk survivor of a car crash that was his fault.

Christopher Reid Martin started Rotary ECT in 2016. The project focuses on highly active signal processes on synchronized Audio -> Visual signals, with many signals being constructed to self-generate. Much like a rotary machine's rotation, the process is consistent and signalled when turned on. Much like electroconvulsive therapy, a human need to be there to actively monitor and attend to the process and generation of the signals being emitted.

Christopher currently works for Cycling '74, is a curatorial/programmer at Coaxial Arts Foundation and ⅓ of curators (alongside J.Prey and J. Rivera) behind the ephemeral stream Cathode TV/Cathode Cinema. Christopher continues to show gallery works, both virtual and physical, digital and video works and performs in other numerous events and projects such as Bailouts, CGRSM (with Gabie Strong), Shelter Death, Gate (with Michael Morley) and Via Injection. He has performed and collaborated with artists Joseph Hammer, Bryce Loy (RIP), Tetuzi Akiyama, Christopher Thompson, James Roemer, Andrew Scott, Gabie Strong, Michael Morley, Lev Abramov and many others.

After NEF's album in 2019, Ici Bientôt is happy to present today the reissue of Comme Au Moulin by Nyssa Musique.

Paris 1985... ‘Extra-European’ Traditions meet Jazz and Minimal Music. An unusual array of instruments turn music into a dialogue. For a unique record ... vivid, full of texture, somewhere between Midori Takada, Don Cherry and Jon Hassell.

Beginning of the eighties, 5 musicians rehearse in a contemporary dance class hall, upstairs from the ‘’New Morning", renowned Music venue in Paris. Nyssa Musique is born. Passionate for a long time about traditional music, like those of the Middle East, India and East Asia, but also about African traditions, they throw a bridge between Jazz and ‘Extra-European’ traditions, resulting in what would be called "Spiritual Jazz" today, a little bit in the style of Don Cherry's Organic Music or Pharoah Sanders. With the notable difference, however, that their creations are strongly infused by contemporary classical and repetitive music, notably Steve Reich's work with whom they share a great interest for the traditional cultures of Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and its gamelans.

In the original group we have Armand Amar, Ballet Music composer and John Boswell. Both specialists of traditional hand percussion which they had been studying for a long time in India and the Middle East, they are also very fond of synthesizers. Three other talented musicians quickly join them: Jean-François Roger, percussionist, marimba and vibraphone specialist, Henri Tournier, multi-flutist and Renaud Garcia-Fons, double bass player, who has a passion for the Middle East and has developed a virtuosic play of the bow, reminding that of Cecil Mc Bee.

Each of them enriches the ensemble with their personality, originality and musical generosity. The rehearsal hall is rapidly invaded by the phenomenal instrumentarium put together by Armand Amar. A great opportunity for the musicians, for the dancers, to have access to an endless choice of instruments, offering infinite possibilities for mixing different colors and timbres. Their sense for being a group and their great capacity for improvising culminates, in 1986, in the composition of their first and only album Comme au Moulin (« As by the windmill"), testimony of years of creating without hidden agenda.

Authentic, free and vibrant, still today, this album has no real equivalent. Even though it recalls the Fourth World current by its combination of traditional instruments with a subtle use of synthesizers, Comme au moulin gives more space to improvisation. It may also recall those of Midori Takada, less the New Age esthetics. An album that should delight as well lovers of "Love Supreme" by John Coltrane, of "Vernal Equinox" by Jon Hassell, as those of Moondog, an artist who, like them, invented a music based on the use of untypical percussions, at the confluence of 'Extra-European' traditions, Jazz and Classical, all together complex and hypnotic.

With an Arturo Micro brute synthesizer put through psychedelic effects, Modern Ruins keeps the flame of Andrew Weatherall and Suicide burning through times of isolation and disarray. This Synth Wave/New Wave experience of an album, released on LP on Höga Nord Rekords, sums up 2020 with its dark and cold sound.

The title speaks for itself: “Unemployment Disco Line” reflects the desperation in the sound and the reverb-drenched vocals in the back of the soundscape comes from deep within the Covid hole. Sick, fed up and restless!

Drawing influences from masters like the legends above,Rowland S. Howard, Johan Balance + Peter Christopherson et cetera, this debut album by Modern Ruins sums up four decades of underground club music and no matter how long this pandemic goes on we are in “Nothing Blues” until the dance floors open again.

Swirling layers of OST-style sound design, dreamy choir vocals andtraditional Chinese folk combine across eight dynamic and transportivetracks on Birdy Island, the latest album by Beijing-based producer/artist,Howie Lee, due out in April 2021 on Mais Um. Fresh off the back of several high impact, club-centring album releases on Maloca, SVBKVLT and his influential, Do Hits label, on top of remixes for artists includingLawfawndah, Charlie XCX & Sophie, Lee presents his most organic andexpansive project to date. Written, produced and recorded entirely by Leeat the back end of 2018 (with the exception of the album's resident four-piece choir made up of rising Beijing artist, Fishdoll, Shanghaisinger/producer, Yehaiyahan and West by West, with Lee himself alsoincluded), Birdy Island's almost exclusively acoustic yet broad soundpalette threads continuities between ceremonial Taoist music, early Buchla synth experiments, and FWD nights at London's Plastic People.

It has been almost 30 years since Mantris shared music with the world. Together with his good friend Christoph Waelkens, the producer was the driving force behind pioneering house outfits The Black Sun and Brown Hardware Inc. Their creative connection led to three consecutive releases in 1992 on cult label Elektron, a short-term sublabel of USA Import Records. A productive music career was forecasted, but Mantris vanished into thin air and no more music was ever heard of him.
Until early 2020, when Brussels based Kong DJ got his hands on a mysterious playlist. Sent from Bombay in India, little information was annexed apart from a reference to the above mentioned records Mantris produced - favorites in Kong’s record bag for many years. Blown away by what he heard, the DJ decided to launch a new record label and invited good friends Hill Men to join forces. Borrowing the original playlist’s title ‘Souvenirs From Imaginary Cities’ as label name, their first release is what you hold in front of you.

mantris, real name Dirk Eggermont, prefers to stay under the radar. In his small apartment in Bombay he hasn’t stopped making music ever since he left Belgium twenty years ago. He composes instinctively, far away from hypes and contemporary scenes, creating intriguing and timeless jams. Utterly cinematic, his story-telling is rich and phantasy provoking. Each of the 10 tracks pencils a singular atmosphere, yet the 40 minutes entirety comes as a coherent whole full of surprising sounds and meandering dreams. Close your eyes for a unique musical vision here offered as a 12” album, reminiscing of the finests UK leftfield experiments, Detroit future sounds of jazz and sophisticated house not house.

Baroque Sunburst co-founder and Honest Jon’s team member, Big Hands displays his potent production prowess on the next Oscilla Sound release with three tracks touching on organic soundscapes, illbience and muddy bass oddities. In the old city of Lakamha ancient tombs stand tall and ruined, woven with moss. Birds as old as time beat their wings over tropical forests; their cries bouncing off wet rock lassoed with carvings of Mayan symbols. ‘1346’ begins with stirring synths and dub-echoing, low frequencies encompassing both spatiality and aberration before the heads-down atmospheric roller ‘Calix’s Head’ lays down sharp, acid flutters and ghostly ripples. ‘Louis H theme’ is an ode to the radical minimalist composer Moondog (Louis Thomas Hardin), whose experiments with polyrhythms continue to influence numerous generations of musicians. The track features swampy bass that balances weightlessly with the hypnotic sonics and breezy rhythms.

US based label, Lurid welcomes Spanish producer Señora for a stunning new double gatefold album entitled ‘Fósil’ that showcases his unique take on hypnotic rhythm, found sounds and sampling.

Señora became a firm favourite with the likes of Andrew Weatherall (R.I.P.) and Sean Johnston for his rugged grooves and innovative approach to production, melding the sounds of machines, animals, electricity and other weird noises in a flurry of FX and sonic experimentation. He debuted on this label in 2017 and has also landed on Shango Records, Night Noise and LNDKHN since then. Now based in Berlin and a regular at clubs and festivals round Europe he offers up a debut album that features nine stunning pieces that ”aim to reflect on the next evolutionary steps of the human race".

The otherworldly ‘Preludio: Ocaso Hominido’ kicks off with a swampy bass sound overlaid with cosmic details and downtempo drums. It’s a brilliantly mysterious opener than leads on to ‘Antropoceno’, a spacious soundtrack with bubbling synths, undulating drums and plenty of sonic details that paint a picture of a starry night sky up above. The tumbling drums of ‘Segundo Sexo’ sink you into a dubby reverie with bird calls and wordless vocal sounds mixing with percolating percussion.

The excellent ‘El Elefante Que Siempre Andaba Solo’ is a perfectly flabby and chugging dark disco cut with bright chords and scintillating drum work while ‘Código y Marfil’ is a futurist landscape in outer space with modulated synths and deft astral details making it colourful and cinematic. This most escapist of listens then plays out through the supple bass warbles and spacecraft sound effects of the entrancing ‘Papaver Somniferum’ and churning drums and twisted bass funk of the brilliantly slow burning ‘El Último Discurso’ before closing on ‘Fuga: La Gran Desconexión’ a downbeat offering with myriad pads circling the skies above a deeply rooted rhythm.

This is a hugely atmospheric album of perfectly realised inter planetary sounds, the whole thing taking you on a cerebral and evocative journey far away from here.

Supported by: Tim Sweeney (Beats In Space), Dr. Rob (Ban Ban Ton Ton), Balearic Mike, Elena Colombi (NTS), Andrew Wowk (Decoded Magazine), Faze Magazine Germany, DJ Mag Espana, Future Music UK, ClubbingSpain, and others.

- Four Secret Weapons for the Night' wäre sicher auch ein
passender Titel für Katalognummer 11 aus dem Hause
Polyfon gewesen. Doch das erschien den stets angenehm
zurückhaltenden Label-Aktivisten aus Thüringens MiniMetropole Erfurt vielleicht ein ganz klein wenig zu dick
aufgetragen. Gerechtfertigt wäre der Name auf jeden Fall
gewesen. Schlussendlich aber haben wohl die gefühlten 12000
Jahre Danceoor-Erfahrung der beteiligten Protagonisten die
EP benannt. Dass das Ganze dabei absolut fresh rüberkommt,
steht außer Frage. Den Auftakt zu der Mini-Compilation liefern
Tino Bohne und Benjamin Brunn aka The Hangout Project mit
- I´m crazy about you', einer charmanten Elektronik-Nummer,
die durch ein wunderschön und dezent eingesetztes VocalSample sowie einer sowas von überraschend loslegenden 4/4-
Bassline überzeugt. Diese erinnert auch sofort daran, dass
man zum tanzen auf der Welt ist. Weiter geht es mit Le
Rubriques Abenteuern in der - Bar Celona'. Ob diese nun in
Katalonien oder Hessen steht, weiß man nicht. Die Tonart ist
auf jeden Fall nach Frankfurter Art, so dass der Bembel bebt.
Kez YM ist sowieso egal, in welcher Region oder Galaxie sich
etwas bendet. Mit - CL05VER06' lässt er Raum und Zeit auf
jeder Tanzäche links und rechts der Milchstraße zerießen,
wie es auf unserem Planeten noch am ehesten die großen
Meister in Michigan zelebrieren. Und dass Johannes Albert
seinen ganz eigenen - Style of House' hat, sollte nun wirklich
jeder wissen. Ob in der Waldschänke Dornheim oder im Boiler
Room Amsterdam! Check!

The Futurists rejected tradition and introduced experimental sounds and this fact, that influenced a lot of composers during the 20th century, helped them to build a concept that started the career of Barcelona based duo Iro Aka. The evolution of their music started with this EP, fluctuating through psychedelic and esoteric influences, taking as its main references the continuous technological evolution and those new techniques to make electronic music. “Futur” is an extract of the first ideas of Iro Aka. They started the project at the beginning of the 2017 and this EP was produced then, showing the abstraction that they felt at that moment, a path drawn by different sounds that came from different people and different places.

Tapan leaves their mark on Zukunft with reimagining the original as a slowly building, tribal inspired and almost sitting in an alternative timeline. Clever use of percussive elements does not take away from the track being playable in the club.

The slightly psychedelic dance floor experience is delivered by Anatolian Weapons. Pulsating rhythms intertwine with classic drum sounds and paint a mood almost contradicting the vocals of the track. Perfect secret track for any dance-floor.

Bristol's Ido Plumes debuts for Livity Sound's Reverse series with a stunning three track EP of aquatic textures and UK style grooves.

The 'Away From The Reign' EP is the first glimpse into the sonic world of Ido Plumes, ranging from the nimble dub mechanics of 'Noise Water' to the 2002 schooled Sub-low echoes of 'Which Way is Up'.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground music.

“Sex Miami”. Let those words melt into your soul like creamy, creamy pink ice cream in on your tongue. This album by Deux Control is a smooth genre crossover paradise of 808s, Yamaha keyboards and deep mesmerizing vocals side by side with more hardcore synth elements found in bands like DAF or Nitzer Ebb.

Deux control’s sound is a mix your favourite soundtracks of electronic music with a large portion of body synth. It is sexy, cool, and a bit frightening. The music on “Sex Miami” is familiar and goes out to all listeners of all ages but especially to those in the French/Italian disco fandom out there. This is the kind of music an eighties international business traveller would listen when kicking back and clubbing after landing a fat new contract.

Deux control is the act that got bumped from the Miami Vice soundtrack last minute because being a bit to edgy for mainstream USA. They are the group that Gorigio Moroder tried to copy when he wanted to update his sound. Deux Control are the new rulers of psychedelic electric body-disco!

solid purple vinyl edition

For this ninth EP and special "10 Years De:tuned" emission we dig deep into Atypic's, better known as Andy and Ed from Plaid, archives for a couple of rare and previously unreleased tracks written in 1992. On offer two mighty lost classics gradually building into a fallout of immense, beautiful proportions produced by one of the most interesting electronic duos of the 90's and modern times.

Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy Mastering. This 12" is pressed on 180 gr vinyl and 1 track per side to transfer the rough DAT sound at best condition. A separate digital version will be available from the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!

Azumah was the coming together of a group of talented young dancer-musicians from Soweto (South Africa) with musician and instrument-maker Smiles Mandla Makama of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). Long Time Ago is the surprising and enticing, resultant album from 1985, recorded in the house of theatre stalwarts Des and Dawn Lindberg in Johannesburg.

Produced by David Marks (3rd Ear Music, Hidden Years Music Archive Project), Des Lindberg and Smiles Makama, this album takes us back to a priceless musical moment in the dark and wild eighties of apartheid South Africa. Smiles Makama is a gifted and visionary music-maker. He was born in South Africa but grew up in eSwatini, the small kingdom enveloped by South Africa and Mozambique on each side. He tells the story of the process leading to the recording of this remarkable album: “I was invited from Swaziland by a Soweto-based group, Azumah. … One of the members knew that there was a wizard in the mountains in Swaziland, building instruments. As I was in the mountains in my hut and then I saw people arrive. They found me. It all started there.”

Instead of simplistic images of a generic ‘Africanness’ or ‘South Africanness’ and pictures of constructed and exotic ethnic identity, a contemporary, fresh listen to this album encourages an appreciation of the composition and musical skill at play in this music. Few people speak about the individual innovation and experimentation involved in the creation of this music (or the music of Amampondo for instance). “Woza Moya” sticks out as a dark and melancholy creation, different tonally to what has come before, evoking the work of Naná Vasconelos or Don Cherry. One thing that remains the same decades later is that encouraging deeper listening to the sounds of the mbira, the nyunga-nyunga, the uhadi or makhoyane bows is still challenging. Discouraging the superficial, short-lived acknowledgement of this ‘unchanging’, ‘African cultural expression’ is the everlasting hurdle. This is made so much easier by albums like Long Time Ago: when artists create music to be loved and entangled with, to be challenged by, derived from the musical roots and structures of these instruments and then expanded upon with creative freedom, risk, humour and funk.

Azumah did this in 1985 and we have this album again today, newly released, to remind us of that moment and the moments since when musicians have urned inward and done similar. As Smiles has it: “Indigenous music doesn’t fade out. It’s just waiting to be discovered, all the time.”

Who is the mysterious Hezziane?

Cold Recordings is proud to present two scorching floor bangers from this unknown entity, Hezziane.

“Aciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid!!!!!!!!!!!!”

‘KV-08’ thumps and bangs with all the movement and makings of a classic to come. There’s acid 303, there’s break-y cuts, thumping 4/4 kicks and dark side bass. This is a surefire roller that you will definitely keep coming back to.

‘Flip then for ‘Pivot’ which keeps the acid theme running but moves with a slightly more electro-aligned twang to it. UK- Chicago connection in sonic effect. Another reliable banger!

Plr25.2 "spring", The Second Of Four Retrospective Records To Be Released In 2019. This One Is Packed With Robust Sf Talent: Elexos Park (formerly Ghosts On Tape), Lily Ackerman, Caltrop, Memeshift, And Kudeki. Copenhagen's The Hug Also Appears On The Release, Offering A Perfect Segue From Opening Track "sudden Bloom", A Truly Poignant Springtime Ode, To Ackerman's Highly Anticipated Vinyl Appearance Of Her Intriguing Track "bathroom". B3, meen Obat' From Oakland's Creative Memeshift, Is A Blistering Idm-esque Track Setting Us Up For The Next Record For The Collection, "summer", As It Promises Unstoppable Dance Floor Heat (stay Tuned For More Announcements.

“Inner Touch is the embodiment of Nicolas Field within the electronic music art form. With a storied history informing their most recent work, Inner Touch is a concise vision of transformation and relinquishment. The music is both simple and deceptively deep, best suited to those seeking moments of transcendence on the dancefloor.

Throughout the last decade, Nicolas has toured extensively around the world, mostly with punk bands, galvanizing a thirst for moving and connecting people through music. Along with dozens of musical collaborations and releases, Field has published Farewell Manly Strength: Masculinity and the Politics of Emotion (Furrawn Press 2018), their take on the contemporary state of masculinity and gender identity. There is a wisdom and thoughtfulness that guide Nicolas' art, a calm and focused resolve that renders a delicate intensity.

100% Gone is the debut EP from Inner Touch. A five track exploration of synthetic textures, pulsing beats and polyrhythm that would happily bop in any night club. Yet these tracks hold the listener effortlessly to a place of fulfilled solitude and with a wonder for the natural world. This juxtaposition of solitude and community, nature and synthesis is what makes Inner Touch so special and a joy to listen to.”

Manchester's Lack lands on Livity Sound with the 'Inside' EP following on from recent releases with UK labels Cong Burn and Blank Mind,

This new record distills the Lack aesthetic across four tracks. The title track's pulsating drift channels Chain Reaction and vintage Kode 9; 'Machine Club' brings a thumping deep techno sprawl; whilst the grit laden 'Rrrush and 'Shifter' build and innovate on UK rhythm styles. The 'Inside' EP is a window in to the world of Lack and a major statement of intent from one of the UK's most promising rising producers.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground music.

A welcome reissue of the second Zion Train album, originally released on Universal Egg in 1993.

* Zion Train were at the forefront of the UK dub scene and took their sound worldwide from continent to continent and from festival to festival.

* `…Sporting Moments’ explores the outer limits of dub electronically and mind-bendingly with ample sub-bass to cause distress to your speakers.

Moderne Recordings Split EP 12 vinyl release: The Revolving Eyes & Nelson Bishop. An excursion between Exotic/Slow/Disco/Body/Wave.