Buscar:one way records

'I take my guitar and strum and sing some tings and blow people's mind. But I ain't trying to do anybody's music. I'm doing what I feel' - Shadow

When it came out in 1984 the far-out album Sweet Sweet Dreams by Trinidad & Tobago's Shadow (aka Winston Bailey) was described as 'way ahead of its time'. Undeservedly it was panned by critics and, unable to reach markets, disappeared into the dusty record collections of a few music aficionados. Now, more than three decades later that cosmic dance-floor UFO is about to take off again, change all that and set the record straight. Remastered and cut by Frank Meritt at The Carvery the album is truly a masterpiece.

But who is this Shadow behind Sweet Sweet Dreams Shadow is a man of understated magnitude. A truly enigmatic artist, he first emerged in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1970s, becoming a part of the tapestry of Caribbean music and reinvigorating calypso at the time. Calypso, the indigenous folk music of Trinidad and Tobago, has roots in West African kaiso rhythms, French Creole influences, and the hardships endured by the African slaves brought to Trinbago, whose descendants still use it as a tool for satire, self-expression, and social commentary. Calypso has also given birth to several other music genres, including soca, with its uptempo beats and festival context. Shadow effortlessly moves between both.

Shadow came from a humble but musical family and started writing songs as a youth while tending cattle in the fields. To his family's initial chagrin he chose calypso over church music but his talent and drive were undeniable. In the early days of his career Shadow's style was cramped when working with some of the more conservative music arrangers who felt that calypso and soca should fit a mould. But after a while Shadow teamed up with more innovative arrangers, including Arthur 'Art'de Coteau, who followed their and Shadow's intuitions resulting in a long line of hits.

'The first time we met for me to arrange his music we had a heated argument on the arrangement for one of his songs, I was theoretically correct but Shadow was musically right. Shadow broke all the traditional musical rules and made his own and that made him a musical giant. He changed the face of Calypso music in 1974 with the release of "Bassman" a tune in which Bass and magnificent horn line took central stage changing Soca music for ever. What Shadow did with his music was to put calypso on the International Dance circuit, giving it a totally different groove. You could take his music and swing it in any direction, Disco, Pop, Calypso, you name it. His music was different from anything that existed before'. - Carl "Beaver" Henderson, one of Trinidad's veteran producers.

This inert creativeness culminated in Sweet Sweet Dreams which was arranged by Shadow and deals with burning and ever-relevant themes like love and the ups and downs of relationships. a surprising fact for someone mainly known for his satirical and political lyrics. It prompted his manager to wonder if Shadow had written the lyrics while in a state of 'tabanca' (a word used in Trinidad and Tobago to describe lovesickness).

Sweet Sweet Dreams was recorded at the legendary SHARC studios, located on a hill in Chaguaramas (near Port of Spain) and despite a fantastic sound and monster Soca-boogie tunes like 'Lets get it together', 'Lets Make it Up' and 'Way, Way Out' the album was a commercial flop, probably due to the fact that it didn't sound like anything else coming out of Trinidad & Tobago at the time: It fused a range of different rhythms and new sounds, primarily heavy synth riffs.

Shadow took the album's lack of success in his stride with usual aplomb:
'When I did Sweet Dreams I expect something could happen. But nothing big happen because I have no big market and no distribution and all this thing now. So I just cool myself and move on to another song. I wasn't doing just one song. I used to always have plenty songs at the one time. And be writing music'.

What Shadow didn't realise back then was that the proto-electronic cocktail he had mixed in 1984 would only find the recognition it deserved three decades later. Life has swung full circle: Sweet Sweet Dreams has come true and been elevated to holy grail status becoming one of the most sought-after Caribbean disco records in existence.

For this re-release we carried out extensive interviews with Shadow and the musicians and have included as bonuses exclusive photos from Shadow's personal collection and the dancefloor filler tune 'D'Hardest' was added as a bonus track.

EMERGENCE is an epic, operatic, ambitious amalgamation between audio-visual show, scientific research project, art installation and IDM record, the debut release on Max Cooper's Mesh label and his second full-length release.2 LPs housed in a gatefold sleeve, featuring black and gold ink printed onto silver laminated board to create a unique and beautiful effect.The record was conceived as a soundtrack to a new series of 11 pieces of video art, each exploring a different facet of the concept of 'emergence'. The full A/V live show will premiere at Mutek, Japan on November 2nd 2016. Together the work is a marriage between the cosmic awe of a Carl Sagan film and the musical wonderment of Sigur Ros, made for meditating on the mystery of our emotional connection to fundamental natural form.
Cooper collaborated with film composer Tom Hodge and vocalist Kathrin deBoer to put together a rich piece of music that incorporates post-rock, Warp-y brain-dance, hi-def digital techno and shimmering neo-classical. Few musicians are as qualified as Max to tackle as profound an idea as 'emergence' through electronic music. Emergence is the story of the development of the universe, the way in which, very complex things like human beings where created from the immaterial by the action of simple laws.Max has synthesised his skill as a producer and his deep interests in science to create a Hadron Collider-grade ambient techno world, in the lineage of The Future Sounds of London's 'Lifeforms' for 2016. It's also one of the most beautiful records you'll hear all year. Early support at radio pledged from Lauren Laverne and Mary Anne Hobbs.

The first vinyl LP on our specially created Pied Piper imprint - featuring established favourites, recent discoveries and other rarities from the Detroit-based production company.

First northern soul collectors scoured the junk shops, charity shops, deletion bins and mail order lists for records by their favourite artists. Next they tried other discs on labels for which their heroes appeared. Later came the search for titles by songwriters such as Van McCoy, Popcorn Wylie and Ashford & Simpson and the work of producers, arrangers and the companies they worked for.

Pied Piper was a Detroit-based production company with a big enough catalogue to have been a successful indie label in its own right. Apart from their own short-lived Giant imprint, they were credited on another 20-plus 45s and three LPs issued on various other logos. Even more impressive was the music they left on master tapes. Around 50 finished tracks have emerged over the last 20 years and it has been Kent's honour to release them on our specially created Pied Piper label. This is our first vinyl album taken from that catalogue.

Included are perennial favourites such as 'I'm Not Built That Way' by the Hesitations, 'That's When I Need You' by Freddy Butler and Mikki Farrow's 'Set My Heart At Ease', which we've mixed with recently discovered soul sensations 'Voo Doo Madamoiselle', 'More Than A Memory' and 'We Go Together'. As a bonus, the version of the Cavaliers' 'We Go Together' is a completely different take to the one on our first Pied Piper CD, featuring a rap intro all serious fans will need. Nancy Wilcox's opening track 'More Than A Memory' is a superior sounding master taken from a recently discovered tape and there are alternative original takes of Lorraine Chandler's 'I Can't Hold On' and 'You Only Live Twice'. Classy rarities from Tony Hester, September Jones and Rose Batiste complete the collection.

Ady Croasdell

A year after their impressive last album Burn It Down, Detroit techno legends Octave One are back with a nine track double EP that again shows they are masters of big hypnotic grooves.

Entitled Love by Machine, the album's name is a nod to the fact that the Burden brothers are such revered masters of their hardware. Both in the studio, where they cook up atmospheric house and techno with soaring synths and vocals and also in the live arena, where they are celebrated as one of the most accomplished and forward thinking performers in the game today. That is all the more impressive when you bear in mind they have been active since the '80s, most often releasing on their own 430 West label, which is where they appear again here.

Say Lenny: We've been exploring the theme of connection with this project. How technology gives us the illusion that we are closer to each other more than ever. At some point humanity crossed a line where the devices that we created to bring us together are the same devices that are blocking us from organic experiences.'

Technology is only a tool, which we also had in mind during the recording process.' Adds Lawrence. We decided to go back to how we used to make our records, when we didn't have so many 'sophisticated' audio devices. Back to when we interacted in the studio together as musicians.'

Things open up with the loose metallic percussive line that is In Mono, which sets the machine made tone and is filled with promise. Locator then immediately gets to action with a gallivanting techno kick and various synth lines wrapping round each other as you get sucked into the groove. Just Don't Speak (Midnight Sun Redub) is a more deep and house leaning track with big feel good piano keys and slithering synths that will get hands in the air. Proving they have real range, 7 B4 Dawn is a moody and reserved cut with subtle acid pricks, hip swinging claps and a spaced out dead of night feel.


The second half of the album offers peak time business in the form of the spectacular Bad Love II, the whirring and cosmic Sounds of Jericho and the big loops and fluid grooves of (Where) Time Collides. Pain Pressure is a wonky number with big bassline and a focus on percussive patterns as well as some vocals with real attitude and last cut 8 B4 Dawn ends things in a downbeat and sombre way with sad chords and emotive strings. It is pure Detroit, much like the whole album, and rounds out another fine release from these most revered veterans.

Call it future-step. Call it deep-step. Call it autonomic. Call it whatever you wish, but one thing is for sure - Hidden Element hailing straight from Kiev, Ukraine fail to make their music disappoint. With a fresh take on electronic sounds ranging from breathtaking beat-less layers to +/- 170 BPM heavy hitters, these two have been making waves in the industry for some time already, releasing on 22:22, Alphacut, Med School, Pinecone Moonshine, and Translation - to name a few. But it is Absys Records that is the home for their full-length album entitled 'Together'. The release is a collection of 13 amazing pieces of work, each hitting a slightly different tone, but making a wonderfully coherent whole. An entity that is enjoyed best when all of its components are played together, as the title suggests. The album focuses in majority on a rather home-listening experience, with tracks like 'Aura' or 'The Night' setting the pace for a pleasant evening chill and boosting the laid-back mood even further with "Quite Place" or 'Without You feat Kiyomi' - both infused with lovely vocals - that can serve well as modern-day lullabies. But there are also more lively accents ('Long Way Home with Physical Illusion', 'Who Knows'), traces of live instrumentation ('The Next Day feat John LaMonica'), or ambient ('Bridge'). All in all, you get a fantastic cross-section of contemporary electronic music, a masterfully composed package of nothing but pure listening pleasure.

Virginia-born singer/songwriter Nicole Wray has everything you'd want in a singer: an infectious Jackson-5-family-member flare, a range like Aretha's, and a church upbringing that's brought a pure, healing texture to her voice. But the struggle she's been through has made her more than a singer. Nicole Wray is an artist. When talking about Queen Alone, her first solo album in some time, Nicole explains, It's a reflection of my soul. It's who I am today.' And aptly so. Nicole is writing and singing songs about her life. And yet to even start to know her soul, you have to go back to the beginning. Growing up in Portsmouth was tough at times for Nicole. However, at the age of fifteen, life opened up quickly when Missy Elliot paid a visit to Nicole's family home to audition her on the spot. Missy was there on the rumored strength and quality of her voice. Instantly blowing her away, she signed and left with Missy that night. Two years later, at age 17, she had a hit gold single off a solid debut album (Make It Hot). Suddenly she was part of a team that included late '90s R&B and rap royalty: Missy, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Playa, Timbaland and Magoo. She made it, and fast. However, as rapidly as she achieved success, Nicole then found herself needing to re-make it. By late 2001, her time with Missy and company had run its course. They amicably parted ways and Nicole, once on top of the R&B world, was unsure of what was next. It was a very low, but important, point in her life. While neck-deep in this struggle, Damon Dash and Roc-A-Fella Records called. They signed an album deal and by 2004, in what was starting to be a pattern, just as things were looking up Roc-A-Fella suddenly (famously) split. Nicole found herself in a familiar situation. In 2013, Nicole paired up with London vocalist Terri Walker and released the album Lady. Once again, Nicole was tested. Terri parted ways with the group to pursue her own projects shortly after the album's release. Fast forward to now-the transformation from singer-for-hire to pure artist is evident in this new full-length solo release, Queen Alone. The record was written and recorded in 10 days at the legendary Diamond Mine Studios, in Queens NY with Leon Michels and Tom Brenneck handling production. Nicole says she is Singing out loud now-singing from the stomach.' Back in 1998 she was coached how to sing, and told to stay in a pocket that never let her show her range, power, and passion. Today, after stutter-stepping in and out of the industry, there is a new soul and substance to her songs-all of it from her life. They Don't Hang Around", tells the story of her post Roc-a-Fella days, Guilty", is about her brother's incarceration, Make Me Over" tells the relatable story of being broke with expensive taste, and 'Let It Go', a perfect way to end the record, is about the simple act of letting go and moving on. Almost echoing her new record, Nicole says, You have to go through something for it to be real.' She has been living with one foot in fame and the other in real life. The result is clear: she's feeling something real in her music again. And it's hard for us as listeners not to follow suit.

New fully remastered re-release of Soul Jazz Records’ ‘The World of Arthur Russell’, the seminal collection of Arthur Russell’s essential music is being released on limited-edition heavy deluxe triple vinyl and deluxe CD edition.

This album brings together some of Russell’s best-loved and most accessible works including his wide-ranging music both solo and in groups including Dinosaur L (the essential ‘Go Bang’), Loose Joints (the equally classic ‘Is It All Over My Face’) as well as rarities such as the 7” only ‘Pop Your Funk’, Indian Ocean’s ‘Schoolbell/Treehouse’, Lola’s ‘Wax The Van’ and more.

Arthur Russell’s music effortlessly crossed musical boundaries making it timeless. His dance music credentials are faultless and this collection features mixes from Larry Levan, Françcois Kervorkian and Walter Gibbons. Similarly, his song-writing, musicality and performance skills are equally cherished as composer Philip Glass wrote, ‘this was a guy who could sit down with a cello and sing with it in a way that no one on earth has ever done before or will do again.’

When Soul Jazz Records’ The World of Arthur Russell first came out in 2003, Russell’s music had slipped into near obscurity. Nearly 15 years later there are over a dozen releases of his music, reissues of his original albums and more. ‘The World of Arthur Russell’ is the classic first collection of his work available once more.

“Arthur Russell fused the avant-garde with disco and sounds like nothing else on earth.” The GUARDIAN

“Russell is the great enigma of the New York music scene” THE WIRE

“Simply one of the best compilations of this or any year.” RECORD COLLECTOR

After a considerable career releasing on numerous labels, as well as being co-founder of Essen based label Mild Pitch, Langenberg finally drops his first album under this alias. Max Heesen, (who is also one half of Ribn with Manuel Tur) delivers the smartly titled 'Central Heated House' for Steve Bug's Dessous Recordings. The LP format suits Langenberg's hypnotic house classicism well, allowing time and space to stretch out the grooves and moods over four sides of vinyl - working both for the DJs and perfect as a soundtrack for the autumn. The LP kicks off with 'Jade', a melancholic, tape saturated introduction to Langenberg's deep tastes. 'Room 210' maintains this atmosphere, with fizzing percussion and warm Detroit-esque melodies. 'Groove 26' is perfectly timed for the hot summer, as lush Rhodes chords and KDJ style vocal snippets provide the heat for the openair vibes. The single from earlier this year 'Shadows' features the talents of vocalist Blakkat, and caused some serious response when it hit airwaves and dancefloors alike. 'Never Worry' is a heads down roller, built around a simple but perfectly executed bassline, while 'Dreamliner' is trippy laidback sunshine house all the way. 'I'll Be Late' and 'Planitz Proposal' step back into the club, with Langenberg's signature crisp percussion, crunchy hits and analog synth wizardry on full display. 'Rain & Roses' closes out the album in a similar way to how it started wistful, thoughtful house music with soul.

Meet Thorsteinssøn. The Iceland-born-Denmark-bred Gunnar Thor Viggosson better known as one half of 76-79 with Tommy Vicari Jnr and bossman at Comfortable Records and Vanity. Right now, though, we're calling him the man behind the first Pets artist album this year... Deliciously cosmic and cheerily schizophrenic, 'Academy Of Heroes' is inspired by a brilliant creative project Thorsteinssøn practiced during his years living in Amsterdam: Solar Industry Radio. A project that would begin with a made up artist or band name in styles ranging from cosmic funk,scandinavien disco to noise collages of the galaxies. A joyously backwards project that inspired a rich rainbow of styles, the content was then represented 24/7 online, collaged with strange jingles and sifi snippets. Genius. Returning to those creations, Thorsteinssøn and Pets have weaved together a full album that cherry picks from his thunderous proliferation: from the strutting west coast deep house of '1976' to the introverted electro boogie of 'N M T F R' by way of the poignant chords of 'Untitled Disco Six', the wry acid wriggles of 'Channel DISQ' and the Trans Am twinkles of 'Beneath A Steel Sky', the 14 collection acts as an immersive, timeless collage. A smorgasbord of synthetic exploration, rich in sci-fi, space and robotic sympathy, pieced together with the same spirit of his cult radio transmissions, it works just as well on the cans as it does in the dance... And it's en route with an equally alluring package of remixes. An album, a radio show for freaks or simply a journey into Thorsteinssøns world.. Whatever... He really is a creative maverick. !

Ascorbite resurfaces from the depths of the notorious Malmö underground with his second release on Corseque Records. This time, Ascorbite takes the old school route and puts the heavy arsenal on the A-side and the late night swings on the B-side.

The title track Actuator is nothing less than a behemoth, crushing and trampling everything in its way like one of Tolkien's Oliphaunts on speed. Spore Crawler is darker and just as sinister as its name, sounding like a suitable soundtrack to a combat scene in a dystopian Richard Morgan sci-fi novel. The warm and dub-hefty Cast Adrift and the clever tech-stepper Mara on the flip side are completely different species - tracks that makes you want to close your eyes and make sweet love to the smoke machine. The two sides combined, Actuator EP shows great versatility and character on Ascorbite's side. A record sure to be found in a great number of diverse record bags come fall.

Some straight up banging mid 90's gear from Drew Sky under his Skyman alias. One for the DM freaks and collectors alike.
Direct, dancefloor damaging Acid in the shape of "Focus" bristles alongside the hyper Disco cut-up of "Peace of mind", strictly for the heads! Flip the record over to check the insane sax samples in "Skoba Dee" for maximum confusion in the dance! Massive record, pure power all the way through and an essential weapon for the record bag! Fully, legit reissue done with the permission and assistance of Dance Mania records and Mr. Parris Mitchell, Chicago USA.

THE ASSISTENZ is the culmination of a four year creative hot streak as vivid as any part of CRISTAN VOGEL's long career. The trio of dance oor-oriented records formed by 2012's The Inertials, 2014's Polyphonic Beings and now THE ASSISTENZ are sensual pleasures rst and foremost: a lifetime of study of frequencies and rhythms on the frontline of the world's clubs has been put into the creation of sounds that interface with the nervous system and emotional re- sponses with extraordinary immediacy. But there's much more too: together with the more ab- stracted album Eselsbru¨cke, these form an enticing sonic narrative, encoded themes running through them, each part revealing more about the whole. THE ASSISTENZ, then, is many things: a personal document, a tribute to Copenhagen where it was recorded and after whose famous cemetery it is named - but also the nal piece in this bigger puzzle, which unlocks untold secrets from the previous three records.

There's a deeper history, of course. CRISTIAN's productions going back to the start of the 1990s have woven their way into the fabric of underground culture. His own recent remasters of his early albums, and the Sub Rosa Classics 1993-1998 collections have shown just how potent his early work remains. But his new work exists in a very different world to those past works, and is far removed from the recent electronic generations who he has in uenced too. In fact, as you listen to THE ASSISTENZ, you realise that there's no point making comparisons with other elec- tronic producers at all. While you will certainly hear some of the most fundamental and enduring vectors of underground music - dub, electro, acid, funk - owing through the tracks, even those things are rebuilt from the molecular level, created completely afresh with new, precise, but some- what skewed vision.

CRISTIAN's understanding of music now is spectral. That is to say, with every step through his exploration of sound over the years, he has made more and more detailed analyses of the specif- ic frequencies that make up speci c sounds and produce speci c effects on the human mind and body. And as a result, his own sound synthesis - increasingly done via the Kyma programming platform - is more and more able to reach beyond the 'synthetic' and impact in uncanny and wonderful ways. The most obvious sense of this is the way his sounds touch on the human voice: not just in the chattering, shimmering, singing tones of THE ASSISTENZ's ghostly centrepiece 'Barefoot Agnete', in the alien radio signals of 'The Merman's Dream' or even in the subliminal 'aaah's hiding in the background of the noisy 'Vessels', but in the way any sound, anywhere in any track can sound peculiarly vocal, heard from the right angle.

And it's not just the boundary between human and non-human, or that between acoustic and synthetic, that get blurred to the point of non-existence. CRISTAN's creative methodology now is all about leaving you so uncertain about where anything came from, or what scale the sounds are operating on, that you have no choice but to let go of preconceptions and standardised criti- cal faculties and go with it. Sometimes that can take you to places where darkness and physical- ity close in on you as on 'Vessels' or 'Telemorphosis', or into haunted spaces on the edge of the void like those of 'Snowcrunch' and 'Barefoot Agnete', but even in those, there is euphoria. And in the voluptuousness of 'Hold' or the body-rocking funk of 'Cubic Haze', all the abstraction is grounded in the sheer pleasure of your own bodily responses to the sound.

So many of the science ction dreams of the 1990s are now (virtual) reality. We live in a time when social networks consciously manipulate our emotions, where data is money, where ma- chines learn, where images can't be trusted, and where the synthetic can feel more real than real. Over some 25 years, CRISTIAN's experiments have traced much of this weirdness and evolved with it, and his understanding of synthesis and algorithmic processes to create structure makes him one of the most important composers working today. But THE ASSISTENZ doesn't just ex- periment with the interfaces between mind, body and machine: it expresses those relationships in ways that are beautiful, troubling, moving and scary, and which even make you want to dance. Together with the preceding three albums it enacts a glorious, endlessly-explorable mapping of just what electronic music can do.

Peng Sound Records kick off the year 2016 with their first set of 10' discs - the original dubplate format does seem rather fitting for what is perhaps one of the biggest and most in-demand cuts from Ishan Sound & Gorgon Sound in recent years, a big contribution to their unstoppable rise in soundsystem music territory. Trojan, the grime-tinged steppers is reminiscent of the seminal 'Find Jah Way' by his peers Gorgon Sound, yet it's still an unmistakeable Ishan Sound production, in the way it's sonics are laid out and presented. In perfect combination fellow Young Echo cohort Rider Shafique steps up in authoritative style, going full charge at the walls of babylon with lyrical firepower. The Ishan Instrumental and the Gorgon Remix have been staples in sets from the likes of Iration Steppas, Kahn & Neek (aka 'Gorgon Sound') Mala, Dubkasm and and of course Ishan Sound himself. The list of selectors who have played this is small but refined, this one has been kept close to the chest, in true tradition to the dubplate ethos of exclusivity. In addition to the instrumental cuts, Peng Sound Records present the burning vocal cut with Rider Shafique. Flip the disc, and the Version awaits, letting the rhythm take full control, for extended dubwise pressure. For all the selectors out there, this release comes packed with enough version excursion to keep the fire burning 'til the dance is charred and dusted by means of frequency. The second disc comes loaded with the infamous Gorgon Sound remix, sonically pretty much exactly between the sounds of Bandulu and Gorgon, with their extra overdriven low-end and amplified, multiplied kick drum pattern, their version of Trojan is arguably the most explosive of them all. The combination of Ishan, Gorgon and Dubkasm is something we've come to expect from Peng Sound now, but this is the first Record that combines all three on one plate - the final cut on this set of Trojan interpretations gives us an exclusive, brand new Dubkasm counteraction - flipping the energetic steppers on it's head in favour of an uplifting one-drop beat, giving the vocal and rhythm a brand new space and presence. If the first three cuts were there to mash down the place with unhinged, dangerous soundsystem attitude, then the Dubkasm cut could be seen as the cool and easy soundboy burial, cementing Rider Shafique's message with deadly effect.

Ellis de Havilland twisted electronix finds its way again to Bunker. 13 tracks divided over two EPs, this is the first one.

Strut team up for the first time with respected French label Heavenly Sweetness for the brand new album by the inspired poet, novelist and musician, Anthony Joseph.The Caribbean is an influence that runs through Joseph's discography, obliquely or headon, suggested or on full display. It resonates on each of his albums, from the furious trance of 'Bird Head Son' to the more polished 'Time'. On 'Caribbean Roots', he has now decided to turn a guiding thread and a reference point into a communications cable - a powerful bond that makes light of distance and braves the seas to link his island to that of his friends in the Caribbean arc, dancing to the strains of tumbélé and mendé only a few miles
from Port of Spain where people live it up to rapso and soca beats. Caribbean Roots' represents a return to his roots for Anthony Joseph, who has always remained true to a powerful, deep-seated sense of his Caribbean identity. Having started
out as a joint project with the outstanding percussionist Roger Raspail (Cesaria Evora, Papa Wemba, Kassav), 'Caribbean Roots' swiftly grew into a creative force incorporating
the rhythms, sounds and vibes that rock the Caribbean from San Fernando, Scarborough, Kingston and Les Abymes to Port-au-Prince and Havana. Backed by a band made up
of a blend of local musicians, the album attempts to unite the different islands into a single entity whilst ensuring that the identity of each is in no way diluted by the mix instead creating a richer and stronger alloy. The saxophones of Shabaka Hutchings (The
Heliocentrics) and Jason Yarde, the trumpet of Yvon Guillard (Magma), the bass of Mike Clinton (Salif Keita) and the trombone of Pierre Chabrèle (Creole Jazz Orchestra) all combine to form a group of Caribbean All Stars to which Andy Narrell, the master of the steel pans, brings ringing drum beats. The album features bursts of catchy rhythms and slow percussive riff progressions, as on a film soundtrack, incandescent voodoo funk and rhythmic high-speed frenzies shot through with free-jazz sax. This reunion of the Caribbean diaspora was never meant to come up with a formula divisible into eleven separate tracks - its goal was to explore and discover new sounds. And all of this under Anthony Joseph's guidance, as he spins his lyrical blend of afro-futurism and surrealism, commemorating the Caribbean people's sometimes violent resistance to colonialism. Anthony Joseph, one moment a chronicler reciting his text against a background of simple percussion, the next a storyteller possessed by the power of a hypnotic bassline, then an adventurer chanting among mangroves where the rhythm section and the brass have created an impenetrable thicket. At turns, an MC too, strutting to a fat, throbbing groove in vocal tandem with Sly Johnson or David Rudder to pay tribute to Mighty Sparrow, the undisputed and indisputable king of calypso

Following contributions by DJ Deep and DJ Hell, Tresor Records are proud to present the third instalment in their Kern mix-series, this time headed by Berlin based producer Objekt, his first release following his 2014 debut album Flatland for PAN. In keeping with the series mission of showcasing a more personal approach to mixing Hertz describes his process as such;

Kern Vol. 3 is made up of tracks that I know I will play and love for years to come. Some of these records have been in my bag for years; others are almost as new to me as they are to you. A handful are by lesser known artists whom I admire and who I think deserve wider recognition. Planned, recorded, embellished, reworked, tweaked and chiselled away at over a period of 6 months, the mix was gradually carved out in a way that makes use of new and old techniques alike, presenting itself primarily as a DJ mix but settling in a sweet spot between live recording and studio trickery. The tracklist spans styles, decades and BPMs in an attempt to craft a mix that's unpredictable and compelling in equal measure - one that draws from the more adventurous corners of my club sets, but above all, one that's a pleasure to listen to.

Clocking in at 75min across 36 tracks, Kern Vol. 3 delivers on Objekt's promise, stitching together everything from the playful breakbeats of Beatrice Dillon's "Halfway" to Kirk DiGiorgio's classic techno "Nebula Variation" and the lightspeed IDM of Aleksi Perälä and Ueno Masaaki without missing a beat. A descent through ambient bliss, thundering cello drones and vocal contortions (courtesy of Anna Caragnano, Yair Elazar Glotman and Senyawa's Rully Shabara respectively) give way to the stoned haze of Sensational vs Sotofett and metalwork of Machine Woman and Skarn, rounding up a highly eclectic and adventurous mix which also includes previously unreleased tracks by Bristol's Shanti Celeste, rising Brooklyn producer Via App and accomplished electro technicians Clatterbox and Polzer.

Launched in 1996, PLOINK has been a core brand in Norwegian techno for two decades now, booking the likes of Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Carl Cox, Radio Slave and Richie Hawtin, as well as launching a
record label that champions Scandinavian artists. With the likes of Prins Thomas, Mental Overdrive, Nordenstam, Mind Over MIDI and label founder Thomas Urv appearing thus far, 96-16#3 is the third and final
instalment in the 20-year celebratory releases.
One of Norway's well established electro/techno artists over the past 15 years, Skatebård begins proceedings with the sinister 'Kapitalsystemets Belastning' featuring menacing bass and otherworldly synths,
before Bergen's Kahuun demonstrates a concoction of keys, effects and atmospherics with 'Sherlock'.
Next, Kristiansand's +plattform, who's just launched his Graatone imprint, introduces powerful kicks and eerie drones in 'Reluctant', making way for the percussive and rhythmic 'Helle Farben' from analogue-loving duo Dormund. Faarikaal Records founder Henrik S' 'Phobos' then ventures into sci-fi realms with spacey aesthetics and echoing stabs until Krill Music boss Espen Lauritzen ties up the release with the intricately produced 'Tromsø'.

Standing at the intersection where techno meets classical music, Ólafur Arnalds directs the newest Late Night Tales, set for release on 24th June 2016.

After releasing the breakthrough album 'And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness', in 2014 he was awarded a BAFTA for best original music for the TV series Broadchurch. Arnalds' music has a quietude that seems perfectly apposite and that's evident here as each song drifts like an autumn wind towards the next.

Arnalds has enlisted the help of a few of his countrymen for the journey out west - electronic bands Samaris and Hjaltalín - and just as his records manage to combine the experimentalism and adventure of electronic music with a classical sensibility, here he weaves them perfectly, using tracks like Koreless' brilliant post-dubstep 'Last Remnants' alongside the enigmatic brilliance of Jai Paul. It's a perfect musical landscape that is eerie yet beautiful, as on Odesza's 'How Did I Get Here'.

As if Ólafur wasn't spoiling us enough, he offers up three exclusives: his own 'Kinesthesia I' and 'RGB' and 'Orgoned' by his techno side project Kiasmos. Alongside that we have the obligatory cover version (Destiny's Child's 'Say My Name') and also a Late Night Tales debut for David Tennant, reading a story by Anam Sufi, with whom Ólafur worked on Broadchurch.

When I was asked to do the next installation of the Late Night Tales series I thought "This will be fun and easy, only a couple of days work. No problem!". Six months later, I was still pulling my hair out in some kind of quest to make the perfect mix. As someone who has never really done mixes before, I learned a lot of things along the way and the whole experience was very inspiring. I decided to approach the mix in a similar way as I would one of my scores. This is the soundtrack of my life. I included songs from many of my friends and collaborators and tried to deliver a mix that represents who I am as an artist and where my influences are coming from - both personally and musically.'

Mammal Hands are a trio of like-minded musicians: Nick Smart piano, Jesse Barrett drums and tabla, and Jordan Smart saxophones. Floa is their second album for Gondwana Records and in the 18 months since their debut, Animalia, they have carved out a growing following both here and abroad for their hypnotic fusion of jazz, folk and electronica: winning fans from Bonobo and Gilles Peterson to Jamie Cullum. Landmark live performances have included shows at King's Place in London and the RNCM in Manchester, as well as a barn-storming debut at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Drawing on a rich well of influences from Sufi and shamanic African trance music, Irish and Eastern European folk music, to Steve Reich and Philip Glass and more contemporary electronica influences, their music is built around deceptively simple sounding ideas that are lent power through the use of repetition and rhythmic loops. They have been compared to both Portico Quartet and GoGo Penguin for the way in which they navigate the choppy waters between contemporary dance music and jazz. Floa (an old Norse word that means to deluge or to flow) is the sound of a more confident, experienced band: one that has grown together naturally through touring and gigging and through mammoth writing and rehearsal sessions where all three bring rhythmic, improvisational and melodic ideas to the table. Floa was recorded at Gondwana's home from home, 80 Hertz Studios in Manchester, reuniting the band with producer Matthew Halsall and features some of the Gondwana Orchestra strings who played on Halsall's acclaimed album Into Forever. Together they have crafted a wonderful sounding record, the richness of which perfectly illuminates the band's music. Artwork is from Gondwana's in-house design maestro Daniel Halsall whose artwork of symbols created from older symbols perfectly illustrates the creative ideas that drive the band's music.
The release is supported by an extensive UK tour including dates in Norwich, Bristol, Brighton, Manchester and beyond. The band support Matthew Halsall at St John's Hackney on May 26th and have their own head-line show at the Jazz Cafe, Camden on 31st May. Confirmed airplay from Jamie Cullum BBC Radio 2, Gilles Peterson 6 Music, Radio 3 Late Junction, BBC Scotland Jazz House, Jazz FM, John Kennedy X and full servicing to all specialist and online radio stations. Reviews from The Guardian, Mojo, Record Collector, Jazzwise, Nos Magazine, Nowthen and local press. Online support from AllAboutJazz, Quietus, Access All Areas, Bebop Spoken Here and beyond.

Skam Records are very proud to release an album of unheard tracks from one of our very first artists and it feels good to have him back home.

Jega has always provided his own slant on the genre, with warm standout melodies and his always edgy solid beats driving it all. Its good to hear his machines working again after all these years.

Jega returns with a selection of the year before his seminal first release (Ska006). A collection of unreleased tracks from 1995, recorded live to Cassette Tape and DAT, and gathered 20 years later to form "1995".

This album provides a glimpse into the fledgling electronic music scene of the 90's.

Jega has released three albums on PLANET MU.

The warm dim light of the bedside lamp conjures up a kind of shadow theatre, sends the little stars on the ceiling into a spin, and fills the bedroom with a sense of profound peace. A small music box rounds out the evening atmosphere with soft little melodies. Perched at the side of his daughter's little bed, he watches over his little beat princess' slumber and her dreams, all while enjoying with satisfaction the unencumbered lightness of being at night...

The EP Hannah by the Leipzig-based beatmaker Duktus is a musical tribute to his three-year-old daughter and a personal instrumentalization of fatherhood.

A story told from Duktus' point of view in six different pieces, we can become part of little Hannah's world, as she plays in her room and runs around the playground, goes on adventures during the day and dreams at night.

In EP Hannah, Duktus casts his musical gaze backward in two different ways - both in terms of the experience of being a father and the moments, great and small, that this involves, as well as in terms of his musical influences over the past three years. This produces an atmosphere which, however, does not waver from Duktus' musical direction between uptempo broken beats and downbeat house grooves.

The EP Hannah cover was painted by Hannah herself at the age of two. And it is being produced in a complicated silk-screen process, printed in purple - Lila's favorite color! - on uncoated paper, making for a tactile homage to the little beat princess.

It is only a matter of time before Hannah discovers the record for herself as well. She already got her own record player as a present - from her dad, of course - and is a big fan of old fairy tale records. In the eyes and ears of a DJ and beatmaker, this is all a matter of early musical education.
- I dedicate this record to my daughter Hannah'
- Duktus -

The BTRAX records label is back after few years off, and we are sure that new EP will not disappointed you. We are very proud to put out 1 stunning track made by one of the label artist : Camille Rodriguez from Paris - France.Electronic music drives his life for over 10 years now, he has developed his own style incorporating all his influences. He is passionate about the live, and create that way with synthesizers, sequencers, BAR and samplers... He likes pushing himself sweating behind his machines, improvising at every moment, keeping control of every sound in order to play more intuitively, getting a better communication with the crowd...
'Andalusian 2.0' comes in two guises, the Original Mix which delivers some perfect techno keys and claps over its stomping techno beat, giving it live performance style flavor. The Traumer Remix takes it into darker warehouse territory but still retains the warmth and groove. Kaine's Remix delivering some tough dub techno workouts that still have just the right amount of funk and groove.

To celebrate Kontra-Musik Records hitting the ten-year mark, founder and label owner Ulf Eriksson has put together a collection of some of our finest releases. This has been a daunting task, for we are happy to announce that we could easily have made several very different compilations that we would have been equally contented with - there are so many superb tracks we had to leave out. This has, however, been a labour of love. Much like the label itself. Eclecticism has always been a lodestar for Ulf Eriksson, as we hope this collection gives testimony to. The label has always been moving freely between techno, house and more experimental sounds. Kontra-Musik intends to show different angels of perspective, not to convert you to a new Religion or Ideology. Being open to a broad variety of sounds and rhythms - judging them not solely by their functionality but rather by their personality - has been the Kontra-Musik way from day one. While it has been a crooked and sometimes exceedingly hard road to follow, we're hoping to carry on for several years to come. After 10 years, the label still feels meaningful and current to us - in short: it's still worth it. Kontra-Musik would like to thank everyone - from contributing artists to faithful friends of the label who have supported us all these years. None of this would have been possible without you.

You can call them a »supergroup«, but Moderat understands that it's the »group« aspect that makes them interesting.

Gernot Bronsert, Sebastian Szary (aka Modeselektor) and Sascha Ring (aka Apparat) have been working together as a trio almost as long as their two separate projects have existed. We've seen their collaboration grow from »laptop boy-band,« (as Ring playfully puts it) in 2003—with computers synched using software Ring himself had written, because at the time, »there was just no live performance software around.«

Ring confesses that Moderat wasn't »really meant to be a recording act ,« with Bronsert agreeing that, »it was really just about fun.« This maybe explains the six-year break that followed Moderat's first EP before they finally returned in 2009 with their selftitled debut album. Intent on creating something that contrasted with their own projects, the group started the cycle which blossoms on their second album, aptly titled II, culminating now in the trilogy's completion, III. Whereas I was the combination of two separate entities, II brought the members closer together, and in III, the final chapter in the trilogy, Moderat sounds like one band.

Both Szary and Ring will tell you that Moderat moved progressively from making tracks towards a more traditional writing approach of making songs - a process more fully realized on III. That's partly why the vocals have become more prominent. Mostly, you hear Ring singing (there are no guests this time), as he so often does as Apparat, but listen closely to »Ghostmother« to hear Bronsert and Szary backing him up. Stepping out of their comfort zone is the kind of thing that helped create their interplay between pop and electronics; doing it right won them the Resident Advisor Best Live Act honor as early as 2009, and they continue to gain popularity while remaining independent and underground.

Szary describes the idea behind Moderat as, »imagin(ing) yourself sitting in the cinema and watching a movie with an incredible soundtrack.« This is true with Moderat in general, but III in particular pairs an emotional pull with sensual imagery, creating dynamic sound and depth with lyrics such as »the calming scent of lavender fills the air,« or »burning bridges light my way.« You'd have
to ask them whether they're intending to manipulate the listener in the same way that John Williams or Hans Zimmer might with traditional orchestras.

One of the best parts of Moderat is their use of electronics to achieve orchestral diversity. They update the songwriting tradition with an intriguing palette, borne of careful attention and skill, informed by their »experiences with sounds of nearly 25 years of suband club culture.«
Let's not forget that these three were brought together by Berlin's now legendary rave scene. With this as their common foundation as individuals, III signifies Moderat's maturation in modern pop — an achievement shared under their collective belt.

Bronsert explains that, »the new album isn't based on jams. We went into the studio and knew exactly what we needed to do.« This is reflected in the sophisticated themes explored in the music. Take »Ghostmother,« which ponders inner peace, acceptance, fear of the unknown and how facing that fear often reveals something not so scary. Or »Running,« which is about being part of a mass that constantly needs to move to function, but doesn't have the power to decide the direction of motion. Or how about the wisdom of »Reminder,« which recognizes the world for its flaws and our role we've each played in that, but choosing to act differently and light the way to something better.

Given that, it's a bit of an understatement when Bronsert says, »I'd say our music has definitely matured.« Successful in their own endeavors, now they've mastered the »group«. It doesn't mean the end of Moderat, but it does mean they'll have to find something else to excel in.

(1lp vinyl version - hq cover art)
Jakob Häglsperger AKA Kalipo is a busy man. Operating as one third of German electro-punk band Frittenbude, his solo alias was brought to life in 2014 with debut album Yaruto", released on experimental label Antime Records. The multi-faceted producer now returns to Audiolith with the Wanderer EP", after having released the gorgeous Mäusemarsch' this summer on the label's electronic-focused Stiff Little Spinners compilation series. Wanderer is a restless record which sees Kalipo work his way through the deeper ends of four to the flour with a refreshingly experimentalist approach to production, with defamiliarized samples and analogue gear running the show. The music has changed since the Berliner's debut album, becoming more propulsive, more physical and geared towards the dancefloor. Composed mostly on tour or over extended periods of travelling, the track names on Wanderer' each come with their particular story, referencing places Kalipo has previously played or traveled to. Monolithic opener Donau Sunrise' sets the tone straight from the start with sanguine arpeggiators that work their way across a mystical backdrop. Melancholic themes infiltrate the cracks of the album and stand out tracks Banana Garden", written when Kalipo was stuck in a bamboo hut in the middle of thai jungle with a 40 degree fever and nothing else but headphones, a sampler and penicillin for company, and the stunning Institute Of Cotton Wool' are set to become earworms of the highest order. Wanderer' sees Kalipo right in his element.

A collection of nine reworks crafted by fans and selected by Nils himself form the 'Screws Reworked' re-issue, also featuring his original 'Screws'. The 2012 album 'Screws' by Nils Frahm, was the result of inspiration from his fans and friends while he recovered from an unfortunate accident, which saw him fall from his bunk bed located directly above his studio, which resulted in a broken thumb.

These nine intimate recordings were offered to fans to download for free and in return fans thanked Nils by sending him their audio and visual reinterpretations. Fascinated by the results, Nils then publicly asked his fans to submit their reworks or any form of art that was inspired by the release and all these submissions have been collected since on a dedicated website: It gave birth to the 'Screws Reworked' project from which Nils selected nine reworks to feature on a special edition re-issue which also includes his original 'Screws'.

'Whenever you have to decide between two things, you end up favouring one over the other. In the case of this record, I had to choose nine out of hundreds of songs - but I didn't want to follow this logic, I didn't want the songs to compete against each other. I never liked music competitions, neither when I was a kid playing classical music contests nor today when the best album of 2015 is awarded.

Having been in the situation to pick my own tracks for my own records, I knew that the only way to manage this tough job is to concentrate on the cohesiveness of listening to the songs all together. Screws Reworked should sound like a record, not like a random collection of tracks.

The motivation to make such a record came with the release of Screws in 2012 as a gift to my listeners. I thought about it as a starting point for people to make their own interpretations of the songs. The feedback was overwhelming. A couple of months later, we counted over 300 contributions. Without going through a selection process, they were all available only online until now.

It seemed essential to make it a real record as I imagined how happy it must make those who would find their names - in most cases for the first time - on a real record.

Now is the time to thank you all for your numerous and beautiful contributions. In case you don't find your track here, please don't think it stands behind the others. This record means, in fact, that some of the most beautiful songs couldn't be included as they simply weren't 'good neighbours' and because there is only one rework for each of my original compositions.

However all of you opened your hearts and minds and shared your uniqueness with us and I feel incredibly blessed by each and every single rework of Screws. Thank you!' - Nils Frahm.

Written and produced by Nico Lahs mixed at "acusticsoundstudio" by Nico Lahs in Bari/2014

A mind focused in the future in every sense, characterized by a high sense of professionally. These are maybe the best words to describe Nico Lahs, young musician of worldwide's underground music scene. It's the tale of a child full of dreams, a tale about his love for drums grew up til today, becoming a true complete symbiosis with music at 360°. Nico's figure is complex like a puzzle, the result of a youth written by experiences and extremes hardly recognizable in common places. Behind his deep expression he hides at one side the charm of a party animal and on the other side the perfect accuracy of the pure musician; all features that leave, in a way or another, an unforgettable sign in every person who gets in contact with him. With a so particular personality and a always strong desire of freshness Nico is able to transform every performance, every set in every contest, unique in its own way.
Today his music is appreciated and supported by the biggest professionists and lovers of the international underground scene: a clear sign that the role of this musician in the future's global panorama will be as an absolute protagonist.

* Emerging from the shadows are the thrills and chills of Royalston's new album the People on the Ground' LP out 30th October on Med School - the experimental sister label of drum & bass empire Hospital Records. For his second album, Sydney-based DJ and producer has ripped apart the rulebook with fifteen eccentric and exciting electronic tracks.
* The People on the Ground' LP explores through the obscure yet brilliant sounds of one of Sydney's most talented exports for a haunting and hypnotic take on drum & bass. Title track features the captivating vocals of Hannah Joy and moves through melodic, piano foundations before catapulting into a euphoric whirlwind of sounds and styles making way for mania to come.
* There are the sudden, schizophrenic switch-ups of Give Me the World' and I Saw the Face of a Person' that highlight Royalston's unpredictable style. His game of guesswork keeps things exciting and exhilarating throughout with influences of techno, house and trance all enticingly tangled into dirty drums and deep bass. The Wrath of Mr Sparkles' and Don't Give Me Up' are not to be taken lightly, unrelenting and unrestricted to any musical parameters.
* Royalston has also enlisted a number of artists to join in the fun and games. Welcoming back Victoria, from pop group MA, cousin and fellow drum & bass producer Pearse Hawkins, Sydney-based singer Emily Harkness and emerging UK hip-hop artist Lyflyk.
* When he's not writing drum & bass Royalston pursues his other passion of illustration, which he's made full use of in this project, with the intricate detail in his music replicated in the artwork he solely designed.
* The "People on the Ground" LP accelerates Royalston from his previous album "OCD", whilst keeping to his unorthodox approach to production mashing and merging genres into one crazed counterpart.

This new series on Expansion explores classic and exceptional 70s and 80s 'modern soul room' tracks making them available on 7' single for the very first time.

The Moments were a prolific sweet soul group in the 70s, signed up by Stang Records and regularly in the charts. They comprised vocalists who would later become Ray, Goodman & Brown. As The Moments their first US R&B No.1 was Love On A Two-Way Street' in 1970 and in the UK were best known for Nine Times', Dolly My Love' and Girls'. When they changed labels, a handful of songs were left unissued including the incredible Sleep Won't Come', first released as a CD bonus tracks on a 2CD Moments anthology Moments To Remember'. Interest in the songs has become high since that time resulting in an inevitable debut release on vinyl here on Expansion.

The B side is one of the group's most underrated gems.

After starting up the infamous Invite's Choice podcast series in 2011, Tim van Paradijs (a.k.a. Invite) notes that the time feels right to contribute to the techno scene in a totally different way. The long cherished wish of starting up a recordlabel under the Invite moniker and thus propagating his view on electonic music is now to be fulfilled.

Phonology is a deep and droning track which lends itself perfectly for building tension. Plenary is a more repetitive track with less of a deep vibe than the A-side track, but nonetheless is a track that manages to form a bridge between deep tracks and more straight forward ones. The EP is concluded by a short, funky and frivolous track dubbed Bisonspoor. All together the first Invite's Choice Records EP is a very versatile and thought through record with three tracks that stand alone and somehow still manage to form one entity.

Cadenza Records displays a deft touch in showcasing new talent, just as much as it leans on its core of established producers. The 'Split' EP shines a bright light on the musical endeavors of Enrico Gasperini AKA gAs, and fellow Italian, Lino Pugliese. One side of vinyl each, and gAs opens up Side A with 'Rack Attack', its woody hits and scattering hi-hats holding a solid groove whilst gentle keys entwine a melodic touch with a stuttering synth riff that's designed to circulate around the brain. Splashes of cymbals and white noise provide the all important drama as the track rises to a crescendo. Enrico's second contribution, 'Agogo', keeps up the ante with another slice of exquisite house grooves. The inner-city street ambience opening gives way to an undeniably funky rhythm track, incessant spongy stabs and frenzied percussion that makes this one a sure fire winner. Over on Side B, Lino Pugliese gets to flex his sonic palette after recent releases on Cadenza Lab and Memento. 'Banging On Your Door' takes its time to unfurl; a percussive swing not too dissimilar to the Stones' 'Sympathy For The Devil' sets the tone magnificently, as low frequency synth sweeps and distant vocal effects build, the kick drum jolting the track into life with bursts of furry snares and handclaps. More ambient soaked business on 'Aniwama' as Lino forges melodious piano and clanging ride cymbals with low end sonics as the track deconstructs as quickly as it builds, tearing up the arrangement rule books to create a unique cut that can perform as a mood-setting piece just as well as a peak time genre-shifter.

Roland Clark has without any doubt written house music history. Under names like South Street Player, Dark Clark and of course Urban Soul he has influenced the evolution of house music like only a few others. His different vocals on Fatboy Slim´s records are timeless, such as - What the f*ck and - Song for shelter .

Gourmets of old school house music become excited when they listen to Roland´s - Alright . The song, released in 1991, became a milestone in terms of soulful house, in the same way like Adeva´s - Respect and Terrence Parker´s - Love´s got me high .

Marc Romboy has re-explored this pearl for his series - Lost Treasures and was able to convince Roland to release it again, fort he nyoung generation and fort he old school lovers.

The package comes along with a respectful interpretation of no one else than Gerd (Clone, 4 Lux) and the fine remaster of the original club mix from more than 20 years ago.

Over the past few decades, there has been a seismic shift in Brazil's musical landscape. A plethora of varying musical undergrounds has developed across the nation. While Rio and São Paulo have been overwhelmed with networks of talented musicians for a long time, creative life is now bursting all over the country. Amplificador exists to document and propagate the wonderfully diverse music currently blossoming from Brazil's vivacious and geographically varied musical undergrounds. Presenting an up-to date insight into Brazilian music, this compilation draws together some of the components of 'Novíssima Música Brasileira' (brand new Brazilian music), ranging from afro-grooves to rock, to modern samba and MPB. The music reaches back across Brazil's incredibly rich musical and cultural traditions, while also taking in influence from other movements around the globe.



Having begun life in 2012 as a Brazilian music blog run by Marcelo Monteiro, Eduardo Rodrigues, Mateus Campos, and Ricardo Calazans, the aim of Amplificador is to document and propel to wider audiences, Brazilian music of the '00s and '10s generation. This is a task made more significant by obvious changes in the way music is consumed. 'People are no longer obliged to listen to what the radio and TV are presenting. There is a whole new generation that wants to listen to new bands and new sounds and we try to connect those bands with other bands, producers, fans and even the mainstream.' These changes in technology and the way music is discovered and shared have developed parallel to the proliferation of these emerging scenes. The ostensible decentralization of the music industry means the promoting and filtering work of journalists and blogs, like Amplificador, have become increasingly important, as people try to keep up with the tsunami of new music and media flooding the country on a daily basis.



Marcelo uses the example of the Mangue Beat movement to explain a trend in contemporary Brazilian music that looks both inwards, to Brazil's own musical traditions and outwards, to movements around the world to create a novel, localised identity: 'The 90's Pernambuco art-social movement was inspired by Coco, Maracatu and Forró all mixed with modern riffs and grooves. The mythical

revolutionary Chico Science, his Nação Zumbi, Mundo Livre, Siba, and many others do this blend perfectly. There are also the references to the older generations and masters - Gil, Caetano, Luiz Gonzaga, João Gilberto, Tim Maia, Jorge Benjor - as a constant inspiration for all bands.' This is very much the case for the Brazilian artists of today.



Music is unquestionably informed by place. Brazil has always been famed for its regional differences in this sense. Indeed there are still pronounced variations between the scenes of Rio, Sao Paulo, Natal, Goiânia, Belo Horizonte and Belém for example, there are also great divergences within cities and while technology has brought changes to the way musical influences are shared, there are cultural differences, rooted in folkloric traditions, that aren't going away. Expressing his appreciation for this fact, while highlighting the potential of Brazil's spread of musical flavours, Marcelo explains that 'what we have now is new ingredients to make an even better mixture.'

This compilation heavily features music from a scene in Brazil's current musical make-up, which draws inspiration from African music, particularly Afro-beat music. Abayomy Afrobeat Orchestra from Rio formed because of their shared love of the music of Fela Kuti, uniting initially in 2009 for a jam session in his honour. But what sets Abayomy apart from other groups of a similar nature, is the fact that their sound also brings with it the songs and rhythms of candomblé. In this sense, Abayomy was the first band of its kind. The thirteen members of the orchestra have a palpable current of Rio's musical heritage - its rhythms and culture - running through them. So while their sound is distinctly African, it is also inherently Brazilian. Similarly, Zebrabeat Afro-Amazônia Orquestra draw upon traditional guitarradas and carimbos from the state of Pará and fuse these with the poly-rhythms of Afrobeat to create another regional hybrid, which stays true to both its Amazonian and African roots, yet which results in a very fresh, Brazilian sound. From Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais), Iconilli are another key band on Brazil's Afro-groove scene. With influences as varied as funk, jazz and psychedelic rock, congado, mining harmonies, maracatu, coco, ijexá, carimbó, Iconilli somehow manage to balance all of these sounds in such a way that makes it impossible to pin them down. From the Northeastern city of Joao Pessao, Parayba, Burro Morto's pshychadelic afro sound leans more towards rock and funk influences, with hint of regional Brazilian rhythms such as frevo and forro. They add another flavour to the Brazilian afro-groove scene: just one of the many exciting facets of Novíssima Música Brasileira.



While African-inspired music features heavily on the compilation, it is just one of the many styles within. Ive Seixas has a fresh approach to MPB, based on traditional rhythms and instrumentation, punctuated by a pop sensibility, coupled with a powerful female vocal. As an artist she is a product of a 'Do It Yourself' outlook to creativity, taken from her love of rock growing up. In 2013 she embarked on a project of street performance: wandering, like a lonely troubadour with just her guitar. Ive and her project began to gain notoriety and shortly after, her first EP was recorded, featuring some important names of South Rio's underground scene. 'Cervejas Populares' taken from the EP, is a beautiful, sombre piece of modern Brazilian pop, with a traditional samba rhythm. Another artist of the new MPB scene is Fabricio, from the city of Vitoria, who's 'Feito Tamborim' melds rock and funk and is also clearly reminiscent of the old Brazilian masters. It's an appreciation for the national musical heritage, alongside a keen ear for melody and an acceptance of foreign influences that results in these promising new sounds of Brazilian MPB.

Sao Paulo's super group of the underground 'Passo Torto' have been at the helm of an emerging scene in the city: an innovative approach to samba which draws in and experiments with afro grooves, jazz melodies and rock structures. Their sound is naturally very Brazilian, but the nylon twang of Faira Lima Pra Ca, interspersed with ominous strings and light rolling percussion, seems reminiscent of Captain Beefheart or Tom Waits, as the band lament their frustrations with their native city through their music.



The Future of Novíssima Música Brasileira looks very bright. The main challenge (and purpose of this album) is to get the music beyond Brazil's underground and into view of international audiences. In the last 10 years this goal has become somewhat more attainable, as the Brazilian government has begun to see the internationalisation of the nation's culture as a strategic objective, with public projects gaining increased investment and backing. The continuing project of Amplificador is to reinforce this international bridge by writing, filtering and promoting the scene as a whole. There is a wealth of great music currently blooming in Brazil and using new media tools, Marcelo and the team, alongside many others, will passionately continue to get the voices of Brazil's underground heard.

The enigmatic Amara Touré from Guinée Conakry finally getting a well deserved compilation showcasing all of the 10 songs ever released between 1973 and 1980. Cuban influenced music of a different kind featuring amazing spaced-out guitar works!! Analog Africa compiles a complete collection of Amara Touré's Afro-Cuban compositions, originally released between 1973 and 1980."Lamento Cubana and Temedy are the two finest Afro-Cuban compositions ever recorded. As if they were played in a smokey, poorly lit ballroom where dark rum was sipped ever so slowly" - Vikram Sohonie - Ostinato Records
Analog Africa to release a compilation by Amara Toure, the enigmatic Afro-Cuban musician from Guinea-Conakry, showcasing all of the 10 songs he ever released between 1973 and 1980.
"Latin music, is it really foreign to us Africans I don't think so. Listen to the drums, to the rhythm. It all seems very close to us - it feels like it's our own culture," declared enigmatic singer Amara Toure. It is the late 50s, and Senegal is going crazy to the groove of Son Montuno and Patchanga. Brought to West Africa by Cuban sailors in the early 40s, these styles were immediately adopted by a flourishing music scene that did not hesitate to embrace the Caribbean sound, mixed it with their own Folklore, and, in the process, created something new. Through the unique cultural fusion of West African and Caribbean influences, Latin music took on a new and unique sound - the format was reinvented. Producer Ibra Kasseì and his Miami nightclub acted as the spearheads of this movement. They brought a breath of fresh air into Dakar's nightlife, further energising one of West Africa's most exciting cities. The demand for ballroom parties and live acts exploded, attracting numerous musicians from surrounding countries. One of the musicians who answered this call was percussionist and singer Amara Toureì, from Guinea-Conakry. Spotted by Kasseì while performing with Dexter Johnson, Toureì was asked if he would like to be part of a new project. Little did he know that this project would become a phenomenon.Immensely important for the development of Senegalese modern music, Le Star Band de Dakar, led by Mady Konate, became a sort of musical incubator and workshop, where many musicians learned and practiced their trade before moving on to become stars in their own right. Toureì's talent on percussion was undeniable, but it was his powerful and raw voice that captivated the producer. The fascinating way Toure interpreted Cuban music was unparalleled, and it was this feature that encouraged Kasse to recruit the unknown artist.
Although already brimming with incredible talent, Amara Toure's joining of Le Star Band de Dakar in 1958 began the band's meteoric rise to the top. The band quickly became Dakar's number one orchestra, and it cemented the reputation of the Miami nightclub as the hottest spot in the country. The place was packed nightly, and Dakar was boiling.
Amara Toure's Senegalese adventure lasted for ten years when he received an irrefutable offer and in 1968, joined by a few talented Senegalese musicians, headed to Cameroon and immediately formed the Black and White ensemble. Many live gigs later and it was time for the first songs to be recorded. A total of three singles were produced between 1973 and 1976. These singles, representing the first six songs on this compilation, fully epitomise and distill the essence of what Toureì had learned during his career. His Mandingue roots fused with the Senegalese sound that he had mastered - the perfect foundation for the Toureì's Cuban interpretations.
If Toure's intention was to create the most sensual music ever recorded in Africa, he might very well have reached this goal. The musicians on the recording sound like they are playing in a smokey, poorly lit juke joint, where dark rum was sipped ever so slowly, and the pulse of the music took up a life of its own. How many couples have danced, swayed, and melted together to the distinct sound of Amara Toure Nobody can say for sure ...
Amara Toureì's success poured across the borders of Cameroon, and in 1980 he went to Libreville, Gabon, to team up with the powerful Orchestre Massako. Toureì recorded an LP at that time which is hailed by many music aficionados as one of the very best African albums. The songs from that LP are the last four on this compilation. It took only ten songs for Amara Toureì to become a legend. These ten treasures, representing Toure ìs complete discography, have been carefully re-mastered from original session tapes and vinyl records, and will be released by Analog Africa on 22 June 2015. After the release of his LP in 1980, Toureì seems to have disappeared. Apparently he was last seen in Cameroon but it is unknown if he is still alive today. His music though is definitely alive.

Clip! steps up to the plate as FINA White continues to set out its stall as a go-to label for top quality techno.

Second up on FINA White is a four tracker from rising Barcelona producer, Clip! Since being cherry picked by RBMA back in 2011 Clip! has quickly established a name for himself in and amongst the city's growing pool of electronic artists and further beyond. Diverse releases on on Discomaths, Classicworks, Sweat Taste and JD Records, coupled with his signature 'hardware only' live shows, showcase his sound shifting style and impressive knowledge of sound design - unsurprising perhaps given his classical and jazz music roots.

Clip! is a chameleon of sorts and for FINA White, he puts on his thick skin and offers up a package of pure and unadulterated peak time cuts.

The title track is an absolute sonic stonker. Its menacing bass line, low end throb and sharp edged hats roll and slice with a galvanized intent whist the old Chicago house sample and gradual layering of pumped up beats and sustained synths give it an unmistakable groove with attitude.

Meanwhile, long drawn out synth tones, distorted vocals and broken beats make up the stirring intro of 'R36'. The calm is short lived of course as the steady beat gives way into the track's defining hard-hitting bassline; one that is enveloped and then let loose again by a carefully crafted fusion of atmospheric sounds.

On the flip side, 'Forward' is, well... forward; a no messing, relentlessly percussive banger. And wrapping up the EP is 'Dissonance's Technique' an equally straight-up, rough n ready belter which once again showcases Clip!'s skills in the studio. Watch his space.

'Brotherhood EP' is out on FINA White.

2015 ist das Jahr des neuen Albums von Alex Bau, das Ende April seine Definition von modernem, intelligentem Techno mit einem düsteren und zugleich auch organischem Touch präzise definiert. Ein klares Bekenntnis zum Sound. Frei von Hochglanz-Bildern und ablenkenden Elementen kommt dies Album mit Techno in seiner unverfälschten, puren Form mit einem einzigen Fokus: die Musik selbst!

Nach 5 Jahren quasi überfällig ist es definitiv an der Zeit, daß einer der am meisten für ihren Sound respektierten Technoproduzenten nach mehr als 100 Produktionen und Remixes auf szenerelevanten Labels wie Chris Liebing`s "CLR", Techniasia`s "SINO", dem englischen Technoaushängeschild "Sleaze Records", dem legendären Harthouse oder auch kürzlich auf Sven Väth`s "Cocoon Recordings" nun erneut ein Techno-Statement in Form eines Full-Length-Albums zu setzen.

Und genau hierfür kam nur eine Plattform in Frage: Alex` eigenes Label "Credo", das vor allem in den letzten beiden Jahren mit seinen eindrucksvollen Releasaes mehr als durchgestartet ist.

2015 will see alex baus new album 'musick' to be released end of april showcasing his definition of slightly dark shaded, organic sounding and intelligent modern techno. A clear statement, free of hi-res artistpics or diverting elements, just the music in a very pure and straight way.

after 5 years it seems to be more than overdue that one of the most respected producers throughout the technoworld delivers a new full-length album after far more than 100 productions and remixes on well established labels like chris liebing`s clr, technasia`s sino, uk top notch label sleaze records, legendary harthouse or most recently also synewave and sven väth`s cocoon recordings.

anyway... it was clear that there just one spot on the label-landscape for his new longplayer: credo, his very own label which was kind of outperforming throughout the last year.

Speedy Ortiz is proud to announce their sophomore album, Foil Deer, which will be released via Carpark Records on April 20th.

'Major Arcana' released in 2013 won them glowing reviews , features and several UK tours (highlights below):

- 4 PAGE NME FEATURE

- 9/10 LEAD REVIEW IN NME: 'One of the reasons 'Major Arcana' works so well is because it's addictive and fun. The guitars and bass sound incredible, like the last Deerhunter album without the Yankee Doodle Dandy'

8/10 Drowned In Sound : ' Speedy Ortiz are way too euphoric and glorious to suffer for their artfulness. Stripping away the frills, at heart Major Arcana is a mournful treasure that asks to be celebrated.'

*NME RADAR FEATURE: 'What's miraculous, though, is that Major Arcana doesn't sound at all self-pitying; it's torrid Slint-meets-Pavement rattle bolsters Sadie's relished words so that yelling along is an exercise in gleefully exorcising your own demons'

8.4 ON PITCHFORK: : 'There's the squalling, guitar-on-guitar carnage of Archers of Loaf, the grungy mysticism of Helium (Dupuis lifted the title Major Arcana from a book she was reading on black magic), and of course the deadpan wit of vintage Liz Phair ('I was never the witch that you made me to be,' Dupuis tells a burnt-out old flame on 'Plough', 'Still you picked a virgin over me').

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
Deluxe LP Is as above but with metallic gold coloured vinyl, and sticker.(200 ONLY FOR UK)
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Speedy Ortiz said they would get the flowers themselves. What a lark! What a plunge!

When considering Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz, that line from Virginia Woolf comes to mind. Not only for the obvious echoes to DIY, a form and function that's characterized the band's nascency, but in the proto-feminist undertones driving much of their sophomore album, Foil Deer. "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss," Sadie Dupuis sings on "Raising the Skate," invoking in spirit one half of the Carter-Knowles clan and echoing the other's wordplay. And wordplay makes sense, considering Dupuis-the band's songwriter, guitarist, and frontwoman-spent the band's first few years teaching writing at UMass Amherst. She's drawn to the dense complexity of Pynchon, the dreamlike geometry of Bolaño, the confounded yearning of Plath-all attributes you could easily apply to the band's 2013 debut Major Arcana, which fans and press alike have invested with a sense of purpose and merit uncommon in contemporary guitar rock.

The group, including Mike Falcone on drums, Darl Ferm on bass, and new addition Devin McKnight of Grass is Green on guitar, have spent the last year on an almost endless cross-continental touring jag, tagging along with the likes of The Breeders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and Thurston Moore. That shift into full-time musicianship brought with it an attendant reordering of priorities when it came to songwriting, and the band members' lives in general. They would get the damn flowers themselves.

Dupuis wrote much of Foil Deer at her mother's home in the Connecticut woods, where the songwriter imposed a self-regulated exile and physical cleansing of sorts, finding that many of the songs came to her while running or swimming alone. "I gave up wasting mental energy on people who didn't have my back," she says. "Listening to our old records, I get the sense I was putting myself in horrible situations just to write sad songs. This music isn't coming from a dark place, and without slipping into self-empowerment jargon, it feels stronger." Many of the songs deal with a similar sense of starting over, editing out the unnecessary drama. "Boys be sensitive and girls be, be aggressive," she sings on "Mister Difficult."

And while their debut album was recorded on the fly, Speedy Ortiz spent almost a month in the studio on Foil Deer. Falcone's drums are taut, mechanistic; Ferm's bass ranges from the aggressive rattle of an AmRep classic to smoother, hip-hop inspired lines. McKnight, meanwhile, lends spacier, textural riffs to complement Dupuis' wiry, melody-driven guitar style. "The demos for our songs have always had tons of small details and production experimentation, but we never had any money to pay for more than a couple days in the studio, so the songs came out very live-sounding and guitar heavy," Dupuis says. It was recorded and mixed at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room with Nicolas Vernhes (Silver Jews, Enon, Deerhunter), with the record mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, Haim, Beauty Pill), lending a more polished sound and a pop sensibility that will stand out to existing fans and new converts alike. For all the lyrical complexity and guitar-based excursions Speedy Ortiz have built their reputation on to this point, Foil Deer has a sense of light-footed fun. What's the point of doing things yourself if you're not going to enjoy the trip

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

hile it may seem as though it's been a quiet year in the studio for Brooklyn-based DJ/Producer Greg Schappert (aka Donor), his first full-length album entitled Against All on Chicago-based Prosthetic Pressings, will prove otherwise.

This 10-track release is a tour de force of formidable intensity and suspense and Donor wastes no time creating an ethereal realm right from the start. By taking a deep dive into a dystopian world full of distant transmission like voices, expressed through field recordings taken in and around New York City, Donor successfully paints a picture of what could be his unsettling vision of the future. While it may be difficult to explain how this album progresses throughout, there is something below the surface tying everything together, leaving us with a feeling of despair in that the world does not end how it is likely to be perceived through this beautiful or haunting, yet sophisticated, soundtrack. Alien invasions, civil war, post apocalyptic mayhem, call it what you will, Donor sets the stage for an unsettling vision of the not so distant future that can be heard in his thought provoking debut LP.

Donor's time spent overseas living in countries like Spain and Japan, his love for Birmingham Industrial Techno and early Dutch and Detroit Electro, combined with his upbringing on John Carpenter films, have all contributed to Donor creating his unique, yet recognizable sound.
Feedback:
Audio Injection / Droid Recordings
Yeah my boy Greg getting down! Great album!!
Leonard Posso / Thema
Hands down one of the best bodies of work to date from Greg aka Donor! SOLID PACKAGE! Many of these will get played throughout the night! Big Ups Donor and PP!
Vidal / Droid Recordings
nice sounds
Ergin Karabulut / FAZE Magazin
ok
DJ Nori / Posivision
cool dark essence.
Paul Clarke / Dj Mag
Not exactly heartwarming but lots of good stuff if you like it bleak.....
Mark EG / Core Magazine, Tilllate Magazine
IP Test
Nerk / V-Records / De:Bug
dark & minimal (in a good way)
Exberliner
!
Frank Hilpert / Freshguide (5x Regional A5 Mag) , Freshguide BLN, Freshguide MDL, erwischt.org/
Big - Review to follow.
Berlin Mitte Institut / Berlin Mitte Institut
More IDM than techno. Some interesting tracks on this album.
David Marcia / Phuturelabs, Phuturelabs
Good stuff. Considering for review and radio play.
Bleed / De:Bug
considering for review
Benoît Carretier / Tsugi
solid one tx
Pawel Gzyl / Nowamuzyk
killer1
Laurent Diouf / MCD magazine / WTM radio show
another wtm's playlist is coming soon...;)
Alland Byallo / Nightlight Music, Bad Animal, Pokerflat
Fantastic album. Deep, dark, nasty. Pure mood (and some seriously heavy BOOM).
Solomun
Hello, i am downloading and pre checking all promos for Solomun. I will give you a personal feedback if he plays and supports this release. Thanks a lot and have a great day.
Solenoid / Graphene / Belief System
wikked album of deep ritualistic techno ...
Electric Indigo
cool tracks here. station a14, ip test and own exile are my favorites after first listen. thank you!
Corin Arnold / BLN FM
sounding good, support!
RADIO CAMPUS BESANCON / THE VINYL GUERILLA
not really for me ... DJ Gaogao
Riyaz Khan / Diversions on chry105.5fm
like the shifting tensions and brooding atmospheres throughout!
Fabian Birke / WOMR College Radio / BLN.FM
For radio play, thanks
Andrew Grant (Circo Loco)
Own Excile is very good
Slam / Soma Records
cool album thanx
Sebastian Roya (Connaisseur)
Bomb! nice job!
Matthias Springer / Diametral / Chillkyway
great release, brainsqueezing!
DJ Hyperactive
good tune on here man
Patrick Bateman (Tic Tac Toe / Connect Four)
Hands On, Calling, Menace Is Mine & In Your Place are the ones for me. As always full quality from Donor!
Jonas Kopp / Curle, Deeply Rooted House
Will check properly , thanks.
HalfStereo
Dark moods is what i like...
Angel Molina ( Sonar / Tresor )
LOVE this dark & hypnotic release. Tracks like 'Menace Is Mine', 'Station A14', 'Counter' or 'Fault Is Found' are absolutely fantastic. thanks!!!
Scuba (Hotflush)
thanks. downloading for scuba!
Bryan Zentz / Minus / Thoughtless / Portlandia
I am miserably late on this—but really like it on quick listen. In Your Place and Us For Them are awesome. Looking forward to listening all the way through. Thanks!
Pär Grindvik / Little White Earbuds
thanks
Dr Hoffmann / Blind Spot
Great release, digging most of the tunes. thanks
Philip Downey / Swoon / pastlessonfuturetheories blog
Like Calling, IP Test, Us for Thenm, Fault, could try some on radio.
Tim Thaler / Bln.fm
downloading
Lukasz (Nermal) Napora / Audioriver Festival, Radio 4 Poland
great stuff. eager to listen to it from wavs
Vito Camaretta / Chain D.L.K
Interesting sonorities
Noah Pred / Thoughtless Music
Stark business worthy of a deeper listen.
2000 And One (100% Pure, Intacto) / 100% Pure
Oh yes perfect intermezzo stuff :)
Alexi Delano / AD ltd, Plus 8
Will have a proper listen.
Echologist (Steadfast) / Third Ear, Echocord
really liking this. fresh beats and trippy hypnotic vibes. look forward to spending time with this.
john1 / Bedrock
downloading
James Zabiela / Renaissance
In Your Place is nice in a bleak way.
Marcel Dettmann / MDR, Ostgut Ton
thx
Richie Hawtin / Minus, Richie Hawtin
downloaded for r hawtin
The Advent / Tresor
fantastic.. pure techno here.. Donor - Station A14 Donor - IP Test
Andrew Weatherhall / Rotters Golf Club
Downloading obo Andrew Weatherall
Noice Podcast Series
very nice Techno...
Samuli Kemppi / Prologue
Great album. Donor in top shape. Full support!
Lee Holman
Good album of deep dark sounds. Especially like Station A14. Thank you!
Benna Schneider / Harry Klein
some nice tunes here ,that I´ll play out surely
Douglas Fugazi / Medellinstyle
Yeah! Sounds really good. Thanks!
Plastic Lounge @ Freies Radio Freudenstadt
good tecno,playing
Kyle Geiger / Drumcode
Really like Space Station!
Paul Ritch
thx a lot for the promo
Dave Angel / Apollo, Rotation Records, Polydor/Love, OuterRythum, React Records, Island
Thanks! Will let you know if supporting.
Luciano Esse / Safari Electronique, Out-Er, Leftroom, Material Series
Great sounds, but I couldn't use them in set! Thanks anyway!
Arnaud Le Texier / Affin, Bass Culture, Cocoon, Children Of Tomorrow, Syncrophone.
Some inspiring tracks on this album! Thx
Henning Lösch / Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg
last exit Brooklyn...:-)
Roko (Sub.fm/B.O.M.B.)
OH shit this is good!!
Sigha / Immerse / Hotflush / Avian
loving this, many thanks
Jerzy Przezdziecki / Recognition Records, Boshke Beats Records
raw and mental. i like.
Alex Tolstey / Triangle Eyes/Boshke Beats Records
ho ho! review to follow
Alan Fitzpatrick
epic! love this.!

Jurek Przezdziecki is one of those artists that simply can't be pigeonholed. His tracks are full of surprises both in terms of arrangement and sound, and they more often than not defy the rules of what constitutes electronic music.
After years of working to achieve his own signature style, he is now respected by such heavyweights as Sven Vath, Laurent Garnier and Martin Gore (of Depeche Mode). In addition, his records have been released on esteemed labels like Cocoon, Affin, Trapex and legendary Warsaw-based imprint Recognition.
And, yet again, it is time for another release by Przezdziecki. 'Clissm', the first release on a brand new label from Poznan (Poland), International Day Off, is aptly titled as it can best be described as being a modern electronic interpretation of classically themed material. What's more, it can also be seen (and heard) as a manifestation of musical freedom, as it casts away stylistic barriers and genre-based phobias. Full of tension and epic narration, it is a sonic journey during which synthetic melodies intertwine with acoustic mutations to create something truly one of a kind.
The package is rounded off by two remixes from two highly respected artists, namely Sebastian Mullaert and Jacek Sienkiewicz. The former brings to the table 2 deep and hypnotic Minilogue style techno ballads. Sienkiewicz, on the other hand, handed in a raw, organic and at times uneasy tale that would in no way feel out of place on his own own imprint Recognition.

To all our respected critics, reviewers, and wisenheimer: be prepared to listen to this album in tranquility. If you do not do so you will most likely rate this release one out of five stars. And this is something which it certainly does not deserve. This album needs time and patience to be fully understood. And if you do so you will be enlightened by the true beauty of this selection.

Not only for Don McCaslin's project Warmth the time has come for representation and appreciation. All the songs on this disc are well worth to be discovered. No matter if you skip to Jorge Darden's jazzy-soulful "Alone Again" or to Seeds of Fulfillment's stunning "Solemn Solitude". Each and every song is a masterpiece in its own right. Funky soul music fans will be pleased to get a chance to listen to Cookie Thomas and Bold Breed, two cuts which are hard to find in its original format. Rarity is one thing, quality is another. The songs to be found here are both rare and good. Better yet, until now, all of these tracks had not yet been compiled.

After Movements and Feeling Nice, two already well-established compilation series on Tramp, Praise Poems could be the start of a new successful one. It was solely the title track which lead us to release this album. Don't ask if there will be a Volume 2. We don't know yet. What we do know is that if we ever come across a similar tour de force as Don McCaslin's compostion, then there will certainly be one.