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Jauzas The Shining & Foreign Sequence - Talking Machines

Jauzas The Shining (Shipwrec, Last Known Trajectory) returns to New Flesh Records, this time accompanied by his compatriot Eliot Forin aka Foreign Sequence (D.KO Records, Concrete Collage). The unexpected duo delivers four unreleased killer cuts of high caliber for your own pleasure. Very Sci-Fi-esque "Talking Machines" takes place in a dystopian future and brings together a collection of powerful electro tracks incorporating elements of rawness, acidity, and melancholy at the focus of this intent.

In overture of the A-side, gloomy "Death By Fuzz" offers an epic collaboration between the two artists: the song fully illustrates the analog brilliance and dancefloor dazzling that they are able to. This heading jam picks things up with solid metallic drums while punishing percussions lift the track even higher until the end. Brainwashing "Painful Headaches" instantly following sees Foreign Sequence in a brilliant solo exercise where he unleashes the acid whereas a solid rhythm leads you to the dancefloor for some robotic and insane movements!

Side B opens with eponymous track "Talkin' Machines", a pulsating journey into processors and computer drivers from the French pair. Characterized by unhealthy melodies, pounding beats and cyborg noises, the cut merges fascinating sequences and dark atmospheres. With its astral pads, Jauzas The Shining's final song "Colombia" takes you on a cosmic trip, traveling at light speed through time and space thanks to mighty distorted FX. A rough ride, deep and intricate to destination unknown, the perfect future funk soundtrack for an no return exploration.

"Talkin' Machines" celebrates the collision of two worlds, two artists with strong universe and personality to become one entity. Rush on it!

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Last In: 4 years ago
Clifford Jordan Quartet - Glass Bead Games

Fifth part of the Strata-East Dolphy Series, Glass Bead Games is arguably the crown jewel of the Strata East movement, an amorphous genre that treads an unusual path between post-bop, 70's avant-garde and spiritual jazz, with a groove.

Glass Bead Games is full of revelations at many levels. First, the decade of the 1970s did produce genuinely creative, "human" new music flowing from the jazz mainstream; second, Bill Lee was more than Spike's dad: he was a superlative bassist, a team player of the first order, a powerful catalyst who, if anything, deserves to be better known than his son; third, Billy Higgins was, as so many musicians insist, a once-in-a-lifetime drummer—the bellows inspiriting the collective flame.

Most importantly, Clifford Jordan was an artist of the first order, his playing so effortless and unforced, unselfconscious and focused, mature and wise that, at a time when altissimo fury was all the rage, it's small wonder his authentic voice frequently went unheard. His musical rhetoric is so personally expressive, its substance so compelling, the listener couldn't care less about the extraordinary technique required to convey its captivating message. Compared to some of his more acclaimed peers he's a less aggressive yet paradoxically more directive and shaping influence. The climaxes, rather than spelled out, are merely suggested, registering with deep and lasting impact on the listener. It all comes down to learning the language, those precious little beads. Not every player, including Jordan or the listener, can use it like Shakespeare, but all can learn to read Shakespeare and understand its principles of arbitrariness and serendipity, of invariance and transformation.

Jordan, no less than Shakespeare, requires a like-minded cast of players—in this case four musicians of such redoubtable proficiency that each remains committed to keeping the beads in play. He's not a man content with a mere musical "dialogue" with his fellow musicians nor is he about to take the initiative in pulling his troops up to his level. Instead he begins to tell a musical story that's so compelling his three comrades are inspired equally to contribute to a collaborative narrative. This is brilliant music-making by a Coltrane- influenced successor who feels no obligation to mime the predecessor. It may be the most significant saxophone performance on record since Coltrane and, providing the listener stays with it for any length of time, the most deeply satisfying. Jordan's game—so effortless, unforced, and "level"—erases distinctions between composed and improvised, soloist and ensemble, narrator and narrative, the dancer and the dance. It seems incapable of wearing out its welcome.

By Samuel Chell/All About Jazz

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Last In: 7 years ago
Short-Term Memory - Plus Or Minus Two

This EP focuses on the group's prescient dance-floor DIN-sync workouts which share sensibilities with contemporaneous early Detroit experiments by Juan Atkin's Cybotron, Ron Hardy's visionary Kikrokos tape edit, Shoc Corridor's extended 808
exercises, and 90s Techno Pop by Haruomi Hosono. Rounding off the EP is the existential electronic soul ballad Words. Remastered from the original reels, 45rpm DMM pressing.

Kansas City, 1983: a band formed, wires connected and synapses fired. Three friends, tired of guitar/bass/drums rock started jamming with newly acquired synths and Roland TR 808. They called themselves Short-Term Memory. Thanks to the vanguard technology of the time, these electronic instruments spoke to each other, and Jim Skeel, John Paul & Robert Duckworth could program their instruments, riding the DIN-sync wave. Weekly jams became more ambitious, and in 1983 they released their first album Every Head Needs Cleaning on their own Silly Poodle Music label. Over the 80s members drifted in and out of the group, and they released two cassettes, an LP and a 7' EP. By the 90s Jim Skeel was at the helm, the only original member, and joined by Tim Higgins he continued to record in MIDI mode for a few years before pulling the plug, leaving recordings and memories that resisted the great fadeout of time, and today sound vibrant and more visionary than ever.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Paul DeMarinis - Songs Without Throats

Paul DeMarinis is a key figure in the history of electronic music since the 1970s. Collaborator with the likes of Robert Ashley, David Behrman, and David Tudor, DeMarinis is a pioneer in the development of gallery sound installation and digital music technologies. Black Truffle is thrilled to announce the release of a double-LP collection, selected in collaboration with the artist, focussing on DeMarinis's exploration of synthesized voice and the digital analysis and manipulation of speech sounds. Drawing together tracks dispersed on compilations along with a number of pieces previously unheard in any form, Songs Without Throats offers a revelatory look into DeMarinis's alternately accessible and uncompromising production between 1978 and 1995. Opening with a mesmerizing piece from 1978 pairing the voice and tamboura playing of Anne Klingensmith with strings of letters spat out by a Speak n' Spell to the accompaniment of the randomised melodic patterns of DeMarinis's homebuilt electronic instrument 'The Pygmy Gamelan', the record then dispenses with the live human voice in favour of its recorded and synthetic doubles. We follow DeMarinis's restless probing of the possibilities of new technologies, from the hacked Speak n' Spell (which gives us the austere 'Et Tu, Klaatu' 1979, another duet with Klingensmith, this time on bowed psaltery, in which the toy's synthetic voice is stretched into an alien song) through to the use of digital audio samples manipulated with home computer technology in the early 1990s (including a remarkable dream-like collage piece that weaves a rare recording of Stalin's voice and bird-like electronic twittering derived from its formant-glides into a rich tapestry of samples reflective of the dictator's musical life). In between we get a rich sampling of DeMarinis's signature work with speech melodies - usually unnoticed melodic inflections that lie within speech patterns - which he analyses and translates into synthesized musical accompaniment. These pieces draw on a wide variety of textual and vocal sources, which range from the hilarious to the menacing ('Cincinatti (1830-1850)' sets a detailed description of butchering techniques, for example) and an equally broad range of musical conceptions, combining elements as seemingly unlikely as Beethoven's Opus 31 pianos sonatas and the sounds of 80s synth pop. The results are an extraordinary combination of the alien and the familiar. As DeMarinis himself characterises his work with vocal synthesis, this is 'a kind of signal that simultaneously carried and obscured meaning and ideation, even as it created a sound world totally alien in esthetic'. Presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with archival images and liner notes by Paul DeMarinis. Design by Stephen O'Malley. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin

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Last In: 6 years ago
Amor - Sinking Into A Miracle

Sinking Into A Miracle is the debut album by Glasgow's AMOR, a quartet of musical travellers exploring the sonic open-ended-ness of dance music. Following two critically acclaimed 12-inches, this is a fully developed treatise on ecstasy and transcendence. Here, Richard Youngs, Michael Francis Duch, Paul Thomson and Luke Fowler are more honed, razor sharp in focus and timing, testing their instrumental prowess on condensed song structures and new, enlightened feelings of expansive hope and bliss. From the outset, it's an ambitious yet ultimately inclusive journey. Recorded to 24-track tape at Chem 19 and mixed by Paul Savage and Richard McMaster (Golden Teacher), this full length retains the elastic grooves of Paradise and Higher Moment, the group's previous singles, but relinquishes the classic Philadelphia International-tinged sound in favor of looser rhythmic patterns. There are new depths to the compositions: a more free-flowing approach to percussion and deft experiments in hybridity make for a full and rounded, emotionally tinged record. Indeed, there are times when AMOR sound like the lost house band from David Mancuso's Loft parties: Richard Youngs' uplifting, gospel-tinged lyrics talk about moving beyond, universal truths, sailing through the horizon. It's a wideeyed optimism Mancuso would perhaps have approved of and which is embroidered with spectral details that begs to be auditioned on large, tweaked out sound-systems.
Fantastic cover art by Robert Beatty.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Illa J - John Yancey

Illa J

John Yancey

12inchJAKARTA140-1
JAKARTA
30.11.2018

john Yancey' Is The Second Album Illa J Will Release On Jakarta Records, Following The Successful
Release Of Home Last Year. The Project Is The Second Collaboration With Los Angeles
Based Producer Calvin Valentine, Who Once Again Contributed All Of The Production For The Long
Player. While home' Was Largely Inspired By Illa's Native City Of Detroit, john Yancey' Now
Focuses On His Time In California.
(this Album Is) Definitely More Personal Than All Of My Projects, Nothing Specific, But I Basically
Talk About About The Ups And Downs Of All My Relationships Over The Past 10 Years, Still Grieving
About My Bro, Etc. This One Is Trippy Because The First Single Comes Out A Day Before My 32nd
Birthday And The Original Title Was 32 Because This Is A Special Year To Me Because My Brother Died
At That Age So It Had A Lot Of Meaning. But It Makes Sense That It Ended Up Being Called John
Yancey Because For So Long In My Career I Felt Like I Was Tryna Be Me And My Brother, And I'm Finally
At Peace, Like I'm Not J Dilla's Younger Brother Illa J, I'm James Younger Brother John.'
While The Story Of The Album Might Have Changed, There Are Certain Continuities As Well, Built
Around The Strong Foundation Of The Combination Of Illa's Voice And Calvin Valentine's Soulful
Sample Based Production. The Previous Album Already Saw Illa J Incorporate More Singing Into
His Raps And He Goes Down This Path Even Further: i Wanted To Emphasize The Singing But Use
More Of My Natural Singing Voice, As Well As Rap More Than On Home.' In Regards To The Music,
Calvin Wanted To Make The Project Sound a Bit More Polished Where Home Was Purposely
Rough Around The Edges.' Still, The Production Remains Soulful And Rich With Layers To Leave Things
Interesting For The Listener, The More Spins You Give The Record.
The Cover Was Created By Robert Winter, A Cologne Based Photographer Who Was Also Behind The
Visual Appearance Of Home.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Alan Hawkshaw And Brian Bennett - Synthesis

LP,180, 2018 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART

The 'vivid contemporary sounds for a fresh visual image' make up the now canonised Synthesis from Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett. These two greats go deeper than usual on this collection, and the end result is a synth concept record of sorts. Released in 1974, it's an essential companion piece to
their Synthesizer and Percussion LP, released on Themes International Music in the same year.
Like most of our favourite library records, Synthesis has that gloriously funky, 'weird electronic music' vibe without ever being inaccessible. With the awesome ARP Odyssey at the fore, Hawkshaw and Bennett have created a blissed-out soundscape that, whilst laid back in all the right places, somehow remains heavy on the funk. It's a sort of throbbing, proto-G Funk sound and you can fnd it on many of these low-lit basement workouts.
Take the ice-cool 'Alto Glide'. It's a sunset-funk highlight with an electro-fute refrain that conjures those dreamier Dre / DJ Quick instrumentals from '91 to '92.
Stereolab, Koushik (again) and all those Ghost Box artists were clearly listening very closely in the years since. The equally relaxed 'Mermaid' glides efortlessly with soft, shimmering piano, understated percussion and kaleidoscopic synths.
It's a really beautiful piece.With these two soft-focus closing tracks allowing the LP to foat away over the horizon, the preceding ten tracks have a more insistent, neck-snapping rhythm
section to back the synth overload. Highlights include the head-nod funk of 'Getting It Together' and the synth break in 'The Executive', which informed classic video game soundtracks.
For once Be With really is stuck for words to describe just how good this record is.
Best just to listen. As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Synthesis comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity.

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Last In: 3 years ago
Pogo Limited - We Shall Win

Pogo Limited

We Shall Win

12inchPMG084LP
PMG
23.11.2018

By the late seventies Nigerians were increasingly drawn to reggae. It was regarded as a more spiritual and contemplative type of music. When the bright lights and cheap thrills of the dance floor waned, reggae provided life with a deeper meaning. And it didn't come any deeper than 'We Shall Win' by Pogo Limited. Pogo Limited were a Beninese 'super' band, made up of performers from the popular Nigerian Television Authority program, 'Music Panorama'. Emma Ogosi, future superstar and household name, was on rhythm guitar. Robo Arigo was on bass. Pat 'Finn' Okonjo, former frontman of The Hykkers, provided lead vocals. 'We Shall Win' was their first album and a clarion call for change. 'Together' envisages a time when everyone enjoys the riches of Africa. 'Switch Your Lights On' bathes in the purest kind of love and in 'Something Must Be Done', the dream is a long, happy life with great grandchildren. The album's brightest moment, the upbeat 'We Shall Win', takes heart from change in southern Africa. Ironically, it was adopted by the Nigerian ruling party in 1983 as their theme song in what was widely regarded as a massively rigged election. Focussed, deep and contemplative, 'We Shall Win' is a thoughtful alternative to the bright lights of the Lagos dance floor, an album where exceptional musicianship combines with a meaningful lyrics to provide hope in a desperate world. It is an album as relevant today as it was back then.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Rimarimba - Below The Horizon

Freedom To Spend's first catalog wide deep dive into an artist's career focuses on four albums from Rimarimba, beginning with 1983's Below The Horizon, followed by 1984's On Dry Land, 1985's In The Woods, and finally, the once-imagined, now-realized assembly of 1988's Light Metabolism Number Prague.

Somewhere out there around the turn of the 1980s, to the left of the post-punk crew, to the right of the minimalists, and surfacing with a friendlier face than the dour industrialists of the time - there existed, seemingly unbidden, an entire, networked, tape-trading community; a community that crossed continents and oceans, that relied on the postal service to do its bidding; a community full of humble visionaries and lost, misunderstood, or just plain ignored home steeped genius.

Exploring that thicket of weirdness in the UK wild, you'd likely stumble across labels like Cordelia, Hamster, and Unlikely; compilations like the should-be-legendary Obscure Independent Classics series, or the Real Time cassettes; and inexplicable one-offs like The Deep Freeze Mice, Jody & The Creams, R. Stevie Moore, Leven Signs, Jung Analysts, and Rimarimba.

Rimarimba was the project of Robert Cox, based in Felixstowe, on the seaside in Suffolk, UK. Rimarimba was not Cox's first entry into the world of recorded music, but was the first time he explored, most perceptively, the parameters of a particular musical mode: one where minimalism is removed from its 'high-art' mantle, Cox inveigling its practices in amongst the doit-yourself creativity of a burgeoning and beguiling underground, letting the music breathe - and most importantly, letting it play, gifting it with imagination.

The first in the Rimarimba series, 1983's Below The Horizon, feature Cox in exploratory mode, figuring out exactly how to make his music. There's a pleasure in hearing how he feels out the parameters of his aesthetic, here - there's a boxy minimalism, slightly clunky and charming with it, that reflects the home-spun, improvisatory tenor of the compositions. It's ambitious music, though, wanting to do the most and the best it can with its limited resources. Cox himself admits to not being 'pre-wired' to making this music, but that only makes it more compelling: 'Were I to be properly musical, it wouldn't actually work as well in some ways; it'd be just another album of contemporary clattery music.'

On October 5, Freedom To Spend will offer Below the Horizon in a one-time edition of 750 copies, followed On Dry Land and In The Woods on January 8, 2019 and February 22, respectively. Each album features artwork reinterpreted from its original edition by Will Work For Good, and accompanying abstracts by Jon Dale.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Eric Lau - Examples, Vol. 2
 
9

We head into the final quarter of the year with a very
welcome return to First Word from London producer,
musician, engineer and DJ, Eric Lau. Following on
from his acclaimed early 2017 album, 'Examples',
we proudly present the second volume - another
delectable 28-track beats opus.
'Examples Volume Two' is Eric's fourth
instrumental album, and ably continues where he
left off with an assortment of sonics, ranging through
hip hop, jazz, funk, soul & Brazilian beats. An
elaborate sketchpad of ideas and grooves, this again
gives a taste of the genius production skills of 'The
Commissioner', Mr. Lau.
A mixdown perfectionist, his services have been
drafted into service on a number of albums over the
past few years, including Yussef Kamaal's 'Black
Focus', Mansur Brown's 'Shiroi', The Playlist's
'Chasing Goosebumps', DJ Jazzy Jeff's 'M3',
Masego's 'Lady Lady', and Kaidi Tatham's 'It's A
World Before You', released on First Word recently.
It's through these recent collaborations that we have
a few unique ingredients peppered through this
project, the track 'Jeff's Piano' is based on a sample
taken from Eric's iPhone, capturing a moment when
Kaidi was teaching Masego a few chords at Jeff's
studio. Both integral players to the Playlist Retreat,
Eric and Kaidi have also provided remix duties for
Moonchild, Omar and Leon Ware, and Kaidi Kat also
lends his key playing talents to a few tracks here.
Eric has also worked as a producer for artists like
Oddisee, Guilty Simpson, Dego, Tawiah, Rahel and
Fatima, whilst his DJ skills have seen him tour the
globe with luminaries such as Erykah Badu, Robert
Glasper and Questlove. He's received props over the
years from tastemakers across the world, including
Rich Medina, 9th Wonder, Bobbito, Dam Funk, Phonte, Gilles Peterson, James Poyser (The Roots) and Ali Shaheed
Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest).

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Last In: 7 years ago
Noisia & Hybris - Crystalline / Of Two Minds

Noisia&Hybris

Crystalline / Of Two Minds

12inchINVISIBLE003AB
Invisible
29.10.2018

Hybris is Evan Vischi. After years of being a studio recluse, Evan surfaced in the DC scene and released collaborations and solo projects under the name Robot Death Squad. He then moved to the Czech Republic to focus on advancing his own sound and began releasing under the name Hybris. Towards the end of 2009 his tunes were spotted and picked up by Kasra, and his debut single was released on Critical: Modulations (The Cleaner/ Raindance) in June of 2010. With several forthcoming releases on C.I.A., Blackout Music, and Critical, and DJ support from some of the scene's heaviest hitters, Evan is now committed to pushing heavy and precise dancefloor beats to the next level. For INVISIBLE, Hybris collaberates succesfully with the mighty NOISIA and drops 3 new solo tracks on this very special double pack vinyl. Great new sounds on the always evolving Invisible imprint.

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Last In: 7 years ago
The Lucid Dream - Actualisation

'they've quietly found themselves elevated into the psych scenes premier league.' Drowned In Sound 
 
'when they go pedal-to-metal it rarely fails.' Mojo Magazine
 
'The Lucid Dream are rapidly becoming major players in an ever-increasingly crowded psych scene..utterly seductive.' The Quietus
  
'one of the most enthralling bands in the UK.' Far Out Magazine
 
 
The Lucid Dream return in October with the release of their 4th album, 'Actualisation'.
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to help replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus in the summer of 2017 for a rejuvenated The Lucid Dream.
 
'Actualisation' is soaked in the influence of acid house, amalgamated with dub and kosmische. It will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other act are currently doing. 
 
The album was penned over the summer of 2017 by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove.
Several months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have completed their 4th album in 5 years. A record made for the dancefloor.
 
 
Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds), with mastering via Dean Honer (All Seeing I/I Monster/The Moonlandingz).
 
The confrontational techno-punk of 'Alone In Fear' opens the album, a 9-minute attack fuelled by the frustration and anger spawned by Brexit, government and a realisation of what 2018 Britain currently is.
Recent single 'SX1000' (the first work from the album, unveiled via 12' vinyl in April this year) is the band's first move into pure acid house. The acid house fusion runs throughout the record, represented furthermore by 'Ardency', a track already praised by live critics when aired live for the first time earlier this year as 'even on first hearing, would've raised the roof of The Hacienda'.
 
The 2-part opus of 'Zenith' follows, commencing with a space-dub/house instrumental groove before building into a track that will go for your head as much as your hips. Only 'Breakdown' harks back to sounds of old for the band, a little reminder of the skull-crushing impact they can make when stripped to the bare bones. 'No Sunlight Dub' closes the album, a dark-dub that invites the classic acid-house tool (Roland 808) into the dub. The track makes a stop-off into drum 'n' bass/jungle along the way before rounding up in a manner suited to Lee Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and other Jamaican greats.
 
 
The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).
 
The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions and plays across most shows on the station, as well as plays from BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens) and BBC Radio 2. Further press followed from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers also coincided.
 
 
3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).
 
 
 
'Actualisation' is released on 19th October 2018 (CD/download/ltd red vinyl/standard black vinyl), via Holy Are You Recordings.

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Last In: 7 years ago
The Lucid Dream - Actualisation

'they've quietly found themselves elevated into the psych scenes premier league.' Drowned In Sound 
 
'when they go pedal-to-metal it rarely fails.' Mojo Magazine
 
'The Lucid Dream are rapidly becoming major players in an ever-increasingly crowded psych scene..utterly seductive.' The Quietus
  
'one of the most enthralling bands in the UK.' Far Out Magazine
 
 
The Lucid Dream return in October with the release of their 4th album, 'Actualisation'.
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to help replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus in the summer of 2017 for a rejuvenated The Lucid Dream.
 
'Actualisation' is soaked in the influence of acid house, amalgamated with dub and kosmische. It will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other act are currently doing. 
 
The album was penned over the summer of 2017 by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove.
Several months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have completed their 4th album in 5 years. A record made for the dancefloor.
 
 
Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds), with mastering via Dean Honer (All Seeing I/I Monster/The Moonlandingz).
 
The confrontational techno-punk of 'Alone In Fear' opens the album, a 9-minute attack fuelled by the frustration and anger spawned by Brexit, government and a realisation of what 2018 Britain currently is.
Recent single 'SX1000' (the first work from the album, unveiled via 12' vinyl in April this year) is the band's first move into pure acid house. The acid house fusion runs throughout the record, represented furthermore by 'Ardency', a track already praised by live critics when aired live for the first time earlier this year as 'even on first hearing, would've raised the roof of The Hacienda'.
 
The 2-part opus of 'Zenith' follows, commencing with a space-dub/house instrumental groove before building into a track that will go for your head as much as your hips. Only 'Breakdown' harks back to sounds of old for the band, a little reminder of the skull-crushing impact they can make when stripped to the bare bones. 'No Sunlight Dub' closes the album, a dark-dub that invites the classic acid-house tool (Roland 808) into the dub. The track makes a stop-off into drum 'n' bass/jungle along the way before rounding up in a manner suited to Lee Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and other Jamaican greats.
 
 
The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).
 
The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions and plays across most shows on the station, as well as plays from BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens) and BBC Radio 2. Further press followed from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers also coincided.
 
 
3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).
 
 
 
'Actualisation' is released on 19th October 2018 (CD/download/ltd red vinyl/standard black vinyl), via Holy Are You Recordings.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Elder Jeffrey Roberson and the new Life Singers - Old Time Way

Divine gospel modern soul boogie LP written, composed and produced by Jeffrey Roberson, first released in 1982 on Black Diamond Records.

Every once in a while, an exceptional talent impacts the gospel industry and leaves an incredible impression. The anointed and Grammy nominated Jeff Roberson is one of the those rapidly expanding gospel artist who have done just that.

Jeff Roberson was born and raised in Long Island, New York, the son of Pentecostal parents who had a compelling love for music. Actually, he is endowed by God with a melodic intrinsic distinctive rooted and grounded in the splendid tradition of the church. His keen interest and focus in music was so intense that his
parents encouraged him by purchasing a piano. During his teenage years, he was significantly blessed to be tutored by the late Rev. Timothy Wright, and the late Professor Benny Cummings and the Kings Temple Choir. It was during this season of his life that he continuously developed his skills as a keyboardist and songwriter.

Not only is he a skillful world-class vocalist, his talents transcend various creative art forms such as a skillful musician, innovative producer, accomplished pianist and organist. He simultaneously projects his uncompromising vocal talents and musical gifts to an unprecedented level of artistic achievement. Simply stated
he excels in the excellent - (Excerpt taken from Jeff Roberson's biography).

'Ever since I can remember, music has been to me, as a mother is to her child. Just as the sun enhances daylight, music is my life throb. Music puts life and joy in that sacred dimension. It fills the void of darkness and brings with it New Life.'

Jeffrey

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Last In: 7 years ago
Alexander Goldscheider - Alexander Goldscheider

In its second venture into reissuing hidden gems of electronic music produced in Eastern Europe in the 20th Century, LITTLE BEAT DIFFERENT ISSUES focuses on the work of a Czech composer, musician and producer, Alexander Goldscheider. Born in Prague in 1950, Goldscheider started as a music orrespondent in New York in 1968/69, went onto reading Music at Charles University whilst continuing as a music critic and radio/club DJ, before becoming a record producer at the top Czech label, Supraphon. As a composer, he pioneered the use of synthesizers in his songs for major Czech pop/rock singers as well as in his own instrumental tracks. After moving to London in 1981, he first recorded two albums at the renowned Red Bus Studios, then proceeded to work at the legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop, before co-founding and establishing Romantic Robot, a software and hardware design and manufacturing company which later moved into music recording and publishing. Of the many original products, THE MUSIC TYPEWRITER was ground-breaking software enabling the writing and printing of real notation on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Similarly TEREZÍN: THE MUSIC 1941-44 was the first ever release of CDs with music written in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp during World War II. Goldscheider's 1980s LPs THEMES FOR A ONE-MAN BAND Vol I & II reflect his work as a solo artist, always writing, recording and producing single-handedly. He had, though, a team of technical aficionados and inventors back in Prague, who adapted and developed his electronic music equipment incl. synthesizers, sequencers and even a Studer multitrack recorder, thus creating a revolutionary set-up, on par with the much later MIDI.This LP samples Alexander Goldscheider's music produced for records, films, TV and even an art exhibition in the space of 25 years starting from 1975.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Jeff Derringer - Factions EP

Oktave Records returns for the third installment from the label, once again featuring owner and proprietor Jeff Derringer at the helm. The 'Factions' EP shows Jeff at his most direct and robust, with three tracks of meticulously constructed techno.

'Factions' starts the EP and goes straight for the heart of the dance floor, with a tunneling groove that lures the listener into hypnosis before a devastating break takes the track to a whole new level of intensity. This one is for the ravers, no doubt.

The flip side starts with 'Penalty Phase', another floor-focused stunner that features Jeff's signature kick drum and drive, coupled with evolving synth arpeggios and melancholy vibes for those early club mornings as the sun comes up. Finally, 'The Second Plane' slows the tempo down a bit and ends the record with a thoughtful broken beat arrangement reminiscent of early Warp.

'Factions' was written during the winter of 2018 and mastered by Tim Xavier at Manmade Mastering.

Pressed on solid orange vinyl.

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Last In: 6 years ago
Sorcerer - Neon Leon

Sorcerer

Neon Leon

2x12inchBEWITH033LP
Be With Records
04.06.2018

A continuation of his kaleidoscopic sun-dappled cosmic-disco, Neon Leon was the much-loved CD-only sophomore album by Sorcerer. Just in time for Spring/Summer, we present the first ever vinyl issue, released as a deluxe double LP.

A perfectly formed suite of ten tracks featuring soft guitars, subtle synths and lightly grooving percussion, Neon Leon magically evokes that elusive summer feeling throughout. The guitar-driven "Algorhythm" serves as the album opener, blasting bold, sun-drenched jazz chords atop bright synths and groove-based drum programming. "Ride The Serpent" and "Distort Yourself" are guided by a more sultry, slo-mo disco impulse whilst the staggering "Chemise" and strident "Face It" merge 80s West Coast production sheen with Sorcerer's trademark laid back, gentle disco. "Raydio"'s undeniable head-nod groove adds a rare vocal to the proceedings, joyously combining with the bubbling cosmic funk.

Since its initial release in 2009, exceptional producers have created vibrant variations on the dreamy, dubby, melodic nu-disco theme. Happily, the emergence of such luminaries as Jex Opolis, Harvey Sutherland, Suzanne Kraft, Tornado Wallace et al has only served to make the master - Sorcerer - sound ever more brilliant and vital.

Utilising his array of guitars, drum machines, synths, and trusty MPC, the loved-up Sorcerer sound inspires halcyon memories of warm days, endless sunsets and pure youthful abandon. Influenced by surf, 80s dance pop, acid-R&B, space jazz, krautrock, disco, dub, and am radio gold, his music maps a tour through a uniquely Californian lifestyle. Yet when music so vividly captures a vibe and a feeling, it can make writing about it appear almost redundant. Instead, to glean the full colour of what your turntable will soon gratefully radiate, we prescribe the generous soundclips presented here.

And, for a unique insight into the process behind the wonderful sounds conjured up, here's Sorcerer himself:

"Neon Leon's is the name of a bar in a Elmore Leonard book I was reading on a vacation to Belize with my future wife. I was soaking up his brand of noir during the making of the songs on this record, along with another favorite Ross Macdonald. We were living in a small apartment in the Mission District of San Francisco where i had my own room to jam. It was painted Orange and Turquoise and was a very inspiring place to create and focus. I could walk out of my house to any number of hole in the wall bars where people were deejaying, hanging-out, and knew about me and my music.

After White Magic I developed more confidence in my style and process so I stuck with it and I believe it shows in the tunes I selected for the record. The sounds are rich and I dug deeper into sampling from obscure dollar records and getting looser musically. I made a handful of collage videos for the tracks at this time as well, which represent where my mind was at visually. In my mind it's Cosmic Funk that rules the day and I am thankful to have the opportunity to share it with the world again."

Lovingly remastered by the esteemed Simon Francis, cut reassuringly loud on to heavyweight double vinyl and presented in a deluxe gatefold jacket with freshly commissioned artwork throughout from original designer Rich Robinson, this limited edition of 500 copies is sure to fly.

WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED LOOKING AROUND THE WEBSITE, YOU CAN FIND US ON THESE SOCIAL CHANNELS

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Last In: 7 years ago
School Damage - Sings...Four Songs About One Cat

7"

Melbourne/Geelong quartet School Damage began as a bedroom recording project for Carolyn Hawkins (Chook Race, Parsnip) and Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants, Frowning Clouds etc). They released a cassette for Moontown Records in 2013, then were joined by Jeff Raty on drums and Dani 'Damage' Hakim on bass.
Taking cues from pop outfits such as The Vaselines, The Particles and Young Marble Giants, School Damage's sound is defined by wobbly keyboards, weaving bass lines, and lyrical content focused on the vagaries of modern life.
Following on from last year's excellent debut album through Chapter, School Damage return with a new EP for Upset The Rhythm titled 'Sings... Four Songs About One Cat'. As titles go this one hits it on the head, School Damage tell the tale of a very independently-minded feline that they share their life with called Lumpy (also known as Scump). As Jake from the band explains, 'Lumpy is incredibly naughty, she's not very cuddly and she definitely plays by her own rules.  The songs here are a mix about us having anxiety as pet owners - whether she'll run away, or if we're suffocating her by our constant need of attention... and also about how much she enriches our lives.'
For a cat who spends much of her time scratching up record spines, it seems fitting that Lumpy will now grace the cover and sentiment of her very own 7'. Maybe she's just been making room all this time for as many copies as possible of her hit record.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Anklepants - Pollen LP

Anklepants Introduces His Brand New Album For Detroit Undergroud, A Collection Of Ten Cuts, Made With His Very Own Arsenal Of Digital And Hardware Toys, Most Of Them Self Made And Customised For His Purposes. This Multi Faceted Artist Creates A Blend Of Twisted Ryhthms, Synthetic Melodies And Weird Textures And Noises, Yet Danceable Stuff But With Heavy Focus In Experimentation And Risk.

Pollen Opens The Release With A Weird Arabic Style Riff And Arpeggiated Clean Synths Over A Simple Beat, Until More Melodic Layers Complete The Equation.

Chowsey In Upstyled Onesy Minor Follows With Sampled And Morphed Traditional Instruments, Laying Over Destructed Beats And Rythms.

The Perfect Adult Man Relies On Atmospheric Stabs, Four Four Kick And Analogue Bubble Bassline, Dark, Grey And Melancholic.

'lé Cavé_isnt It Funny To Think Once Apon A Time People Thought The World Was Blue White Flat And Squaré' Is Made Of Twisted Samples, Asymetrical Grooves, Organic Instruments Decimated And Multiple Sound Layers.

808 Frapé Is An Homage To The Classic Drum Machine, Electro Shaped Drum Patterns, Floating Sounds And Crispy Metalic Glitches Dance With Random Sequences And Bleeps In A Robotic Exercise.

Reecard Farche The Torture Of Credo Mutwa And The Theft Of The Necklace Of Mysteries_noel Goes Again To Weird Random Bleepy Fields, Alien Grooves, Heavy Sound Processing And Glitched Details.

Industrial Kingpins Und Drachoen Is Dark, Obscure Number, Clear Rythms, Strings And Resonant Bassline Collide, The Groove Transforms To Broken Beats After The Break Bringing New Life To The Overall Feel.

Sharkblood, Sure The Sharks, Repeats This Phrase In Different Pitches Over A Solid Kick Pattern While More Vocal Layers Are Added Progressively In A Voice Madness.

Golife_refracto Relationé Again Plays With Samples In A Mad Style, Altering Every Parameter, Creating Granular Efects, Destroying The Audio Files Creating An Asymetric Tune.

Attila's Own Photos From The Shoot It's The Epilogue, In A Relaxed Mood, Sound Textures, Various String Samples Melting In Different Pitches And Crunchy Atmospheres.

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Last In: 2 years ago
Sam McClellan - Music of the five elements

The optimum effect of Music of the Five Elements will be achieved if each side of this recording is played through, from beginning to end without interruption. Music of the Five Elements, when used as a meditational or body work tool, rather than entertainment, will increase in effect over time. Overplaying or improper use, however, may eventually diminish its designed effect'
.
Music is the healing force of the universe. It's an ancient idea bandied about by Pythagoras and Plato. In the last century, music as medication has been explored by musicians as diverse as Albert Ayler, Spacemen 3 and Pauline Oliveros. Nowhere did this concept gain more traction than in the so-called realm of New Age Music, an entire movement of synth droners and echoey flautists recording home-baked healing mantras on 4-track. In recent years, thanks to cassette collecting devotees and open-minded music journalists, New Age has shed its flowing robes and is being mined for the truly incredible music that swells under its pastel surface. Musician/acupressurist Sam McClellan's 1982 Music of the Five Elements is one of those revelatory discoveries, an unrivalled work of intense research and focus, simultaneously a near perfect work of art and a scientifically sound elixir for body and mind.

After studying electronic composition at Hampshire College with Randall McClellan (no relation), Sam McClellan became intrigued with the possibilities of healing through music. He explored this idea by applying the ancient Chinese philosophy of medicine to the principles of musical composition. Using the pentatonic scale (the traditional scale of Chinese music), McClellan related each of the notes to one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal Water), and created five variations for each. He experimented with tempo, beat, pitch, duration, and sound quality, studying the effect on people's energy levels. Using the results of his tests he developed a comprehensive theory of sonic healing and spent the next year composing an album designed to help people achieve inner balance, reducing anxiety and energy depletion.

Music of the Five Elements is not only the acoustic massage' that McClellan set out to make, but is a fully realized and peerless piece of music. Taking cues from Minimalism, American Primitive guitar (Fahey & Basho) and even psychedelia, the album is a continuous sound voyage for voice, synthesizer, guitar, bowed bass, piano, effects and ciao (Chinese flute) all played by McClellan himself. Although divided into sections, the journey is best undertaken as a whole, without distraction.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Dj Disc - Dutch Mike - Vontell C.ft. Vontell F. - A. Garcia - The Broke Lighter E.P.

Cryovac Recordings enters a new sensible era of home grown production focusing on strong statements of personal style. Cryovac stresses a minimal approach to basic production with a simple soul to shape a tale of sound. The Broke Lighter E.P. is a versatile mix of characters that come together and combine their visions into one vista. This shared space of consciousness is translated to vinyl for your inspection. Cryovac Recordings continues to shine light on every corner of the Detroit Underground to expose a depth of talent that is overlooked.

The 19th edition of the Cryovac series is a moody stab at the heart of techno. It starts off with Disc Detroit's upliftingly melancholy 4/4 groover that transforms synth and turns percussion with a steady patience. Dutch Mike executes a smooth assault lead by a 303 harmony, backed by a heavy baseline and flanked by tricky programming that shifts cymbal formations. Vontell C. and his son Vontell F. sneak a dark vibe into the mix with a manic and excitable minimal ballad detuning and nodding out while detailing the burning of pretty things. Andy Garcia applies a minimalized Motown sound via strumming guitar, vintage vocals, and easy beat that rises and falls creating a serene phonic envirorment. Every track on the Broke Lighter is an opportunity to go in a new direction.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Loco Dice / DJ T-1000 - $lammer

Desolat's Loco Dice joins the roster of Martinez Brothers Cuttin' Headz label this April with
'$lammer', backed with a remix from Detroit Techno veteran DJ T-1000.
Du¨sseldorf's Loco Dice has long been one of the most respected figures in contemporary electronic music with releases over the years on leading labels like Cocoon, Cadenza, Ovum and of course his own Desolat as well as a heavy touring schedule taking him across the globe year in year out. Here though we see Dice offering up his new single courtesy of Cuttin' Headz, a platform the Martinez Brothers and associates to deliver high octane, dance floor focused House and Techno.

The original mix of title track '$lammer' leads with spiralling brass like bass tones, flute licks, shuffled shakers and resonant synth hooks running alongside a bumpy bass line and an amalgamation of heady, processed vocal lines.

Following is Detroit's DJ T-1000 stepping up on remix duties, stripping back the aesthetic of the original to lay focus on robust rhythms and various vocal refrains from the original whilst chugging bass and tension building atmospherics gradually unfold throughout.

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Last In: 7 years ago
The Lucid Dream - SX1000
 
1

The Lucid Dream return in April with the release of new single 'SX1000', the first taster from the recently completed 4th album. 
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to hell replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus for The Lucid Dream in the summer of 2017.

The track is a slice of pure acid house, and will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other band are currently doing. 

'SX1000', as with the whole album, was penned over the summer by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. 
Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove. 5 months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have competed their 4th album in 5 years, this track a perfect indicator as to what awaits. A record made for the dancefloor.

The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The album gained critical acclaim from the likes of Uncut, Q, Rocksound, Clash, The Quietus, and leading French culture magazine, 'Les Inrocks', to name a few. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).

The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions, and press from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Further supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers coincided.


3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).

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Last In: 8 years ago
JÓNBJÖRN - ISMS EP

Jónbjörn

ISMS EP

12inchFALKDISK02
FALK DISKS
12.03.2018

Lagaffe Tales co-founder Jónbjörn drops four tracks on Iceland's FALK Records beat driven sub-label, FALK DISKS.

Since 2008 FALK (Fuck Art Lets Kill) has become a creative hub for Icelandic and international artists involved in experimental and electronic music, spanning noise rock through to power electronics, underground hip-hop to DIY techno and electro. 2017 saw FALK continue with releases from Icelandic hip-hop producer LORD PUSSWHIP, techno/electro producer ThizOne and Canadian industrial techno musician //HUREN//. Berlin based Icelandic producer Jónbjörn, known for curating Reykjavík record label Lagaffe Tales - one of the main pillars in the Icelandic house scene - now joins FALKS' club focused sub-imprint with a robust four tracker.

Moving away from the deep house sound he's renowned for towards a darker and leaner night time aesthetic, 'Amsiak' inaugurates the release with an infectious electro groove as gurgling pings and acidic clangs and drones are liberally dropped throughout the track. 'Aspekte' is a spacious track with blown-out bass sounds that morph and glide across a tempered, slow burning planar rhythm.

On the flip, Jónbjörn goes for a harder techno sound influenced by his relocation to Berlin. 'Sunnudagskaffi' is a bendy, 4/4 roller that contains hidden grooves below the basslines and the acid pings that wouldn't be out of place on a Livity Sound release. Meanwhile, 'Holy B' is pure warehouse creeper techno, complete with machinic tones and the atmospherics of sweat and grime on dungeon brick walls.

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Last In: 8 years ago
Alek S - Neverending Ep

MOC's Alek S returns to the mothership with his third full EP, dropping just in time for the label's third birthday.
Kicking off the release in style, - Consciousness Outline' lays down the groundwork for a solid slice of punchy techno. Featuring a minimal array of elements, which aptly intertwine instead of seeing new layers pile up, it's a gradual build up of a powerful groove.
Hypercolour & Soma Records alum Roberto Clementi takes on remix duties, revamping - Consciousness Outline' into a cavernous techno affair. Switching the main focus on the percussive leads proves a good venture, as it results into a piece with major dance appeal.
- Penny Drop' dives in with a spacious loop, which keeps centre stage throughout the entire construction. Overall, it's an airy track, with ample pads and a loose yet gripping melody.
- Neverending' rounds off the pack in an atmospherical, upbeat fashion. Ascending synth pads make for an uplifting ambiance, all set on a backbone of electrifying percussion.

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Last In: 8 years ago
Tarquin Manek / Martina Quake - Locks On Our Doors Not On Our Hearts

A new piece by Australian artist Tarquin Manek, devised in collaboration with poet Martina Quake of Canvey Island, UK and recorded at M.E.S.S. (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio), utilising EMS VCS3, Oberheim OB-Xa and ARP 2600 in combination with cheap, contemporary consumer electronics. It is, to all intents and purposes, a short, cautionary story about love. It is also a folk-tale, a science fiction, a suicide note. Unusually for a long-form spoken word piece, it is immediate in its impact, and lasting in its effect. Our narrator is damaged and unreliable: Quake's voice, digitally processed into a flat, AI affectlessness, conveys this all too well. Is this the vernacular poetry of the Uncanny Valley, or is it just that loss makes robots - numb and listless not-quite-humans - of us all Locks revels in the space between the spontaneous and the programmed (what is a poem if not a programme). It's part Tales Of The Unexpected, part Susan Howe, part Ruth Rendell, part HAL (or Holly). Manek's music is widescreen but understated...a becalmed landscape populated by distant drones, just-out-of-focus field recordings, and phased, minimalistic, Rhodes-style keys. A sort of sombre, lunar jazz. Space-age bachelor pad music, maybe, for a bachelor at the edge of space and the end of his tether. Just as Quake's words are cumulative in their tragedy, so the music grows more agitated and turbulent, at certain points harking back to the smoked-out psycho-acoustics of Manek's 2015 Blackest Ever Black LP, Tarquin Magnet, and his work in F ingers with Samuel Karmel and Carla dal Forno.

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Last In: 4 years ago
John Jastszebski - Seasons Ep

John Jastszebski

Seasons Ep

12inchPHONOGRAMME23
PHONOGRAMME
03.05.2017

French producer and DJ John Jastszebski has been involved in the French and global underground
House and Techno scene for over a decade now, releasing on imprints such as D'julz' Bass
Culture, Phil Weeks' Robsoul, Syncrophone Recordings and of course Phonogramme where he returns to here.
The original mix of lead track 'Season' takes the lead via infectious stab sequences, snaking subs
and raw organic percussion before Kai Alce's 'Restructure' of 'Season' follows and tips the focus
over to airy chords, jazz-tinged lead melodies and a bumpy rhythmic swing. 'Illusion' follows and sees Jastszebski focus on a more stripped-back aesthetic with rolling drums,
dusty string samples and warm Rhodes driving the composition. 'Gracelend' then closes the package with smooth, unfolding pad melodies, crunch drum sounds and a murky, hypnotic feel.

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Last In: 20 months ago
Various - Lets Get Swinging : Modern Jazz In Belgium 1950-1970
 
20

2LP in gatefold with liner notes. 180gr vinyl. Download code included. A new, twenty-track compilation focussing on a twenty-year period (1950-1970) of modern jazz in the little kingdom, featuring the leading players from that era.

Due to the absence of its main players during the heydays of modern jazz, Belgium will not be remembered for a unique jazz sound or an extensive discography. However, the little country produced a number of highly talented musicians who played lead roles on the international jazz scene.
'Let's Get Swinging: Modern Jazz in Belgium 1950-1970' retraces their steps and presents some of their finest works, including guitarist Philip Catherine, saxophonist Jack Sels, multi-instrumentalist Jacques Pelzer and vibraphone player, percussionist and vocalist 'Fats' Sadi Lallemand.^

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Last In: 7 years ago
Von D - Politricks

Von D

Politricks

12inchKHALIPHONIC07
Khaliphonic
02.03.2017

Jerome Meyer AKA Von D is a master craftsman, well-known for releasing dubstep and bass music since 2009. On an increasingly prolific trajectory since last year, recent 12's on Infernal Sounds, Trojan Audio and Scotch Bonnet have signaled his renewed focus on dubwise productions. We are proud to say that Von D's Khaliphonic debut sees him fully committing to reggae and dub - in his words, going back to my musical roots.'

Politricks' is a masterwork, cut from the same living rock as the classic Cuss Cuss riddim, a simply huge bass and drum workout that is truly one for the ages. Politricks is an anthem for now, a call to avoid the dead-end of politics-as-usual and a warning to beware of the lies politicians tell to keep themselves in power - full of promises but changing nothing. Von D says that working with Don Cotti was very natural,' and their easy relationship is audible - the tune fits the vocal like a glove, and Cotti's instantly-recognizable singjay style gives even more gravitas to an already heavy track. The dub version spools out Von D's signature saturated echoes even further, and opens up spectral chambers of reverb that shimmer and glow.

The B side Ygrec' is an equally massive tune, just as compelling if more meditative and mysterious, coming in both one drop and power-steppers mixes for maximum versatility and vibes. Both tunes and their versions feature an incredibly robust, warm, human sound - one that simply can't come from machines alone - live drums, bass, and kete drum among other instruments maintain the tradition of live musicians in dub - to say nothing of expert desk-based mixing and deployment of live analog effects the way the elders intended. Both tunes dial in at 140 making them perfect for roots and dubstep selectors alike.

Von D got his start as a drummer and engineer outside Paris, in the heady days of original jungle. Early releases on Disfigured Dubz, Hench, Boka, Black Acre and the seminal V Recordings, as well as his reggae-oriented Liquid Wicked project, cemented his reputation. Don Cotti is a prolific producer, DJ and MC with releases stretching back to 2006 on labels as varied as Bass Face, Studio Rockers, and Soul Jazz.

Mastered by Lewis at Stardelta. Art & design by Polygon Press.

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Last In: 8 years ago
Various - New Order Presents Be Music

New Order Presents Be Music is a compilation of productions by members of iconic Manchester group New Order, including classic dance and electro tracks released on Factory Records between 1982 and 1985, as well as more recent remixes for current artists such as Factory Floor, Marnie, Tim Burgess and Fujiya & Miyagi.
The generic tag Be Music was first used in 1981 and covered studio production work by all four members of New Order: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert. Sumner often teamed with Donald 'Dojo' Johnson of A Certain Ratio, including the pioneering electro cuts featured here by Quando Quango, 52nd Street, Marcel King, Paul Haig and Surprize. Morris and Gilbert worked with Thick Pigeon, Life, Red Turns To and also 52nd Street. Although more rock orientated, Hook proved he was no slouch on the dancefloor either with the mighty Fate/Hate by Nyam Nyam.
'Producing was a really important sideline,' recalls Bernard Sumner of the Factory era. 'It's OK doing it because although all the groups are skint, you learn a lot and you're helping somebody.'
After 1985 the band focused more on producing their own records, both as New Order and solo projects such as Electronic, Revenge, The Other Two, Monaco and Bad Lieutenant. However in recent years Stephen Morris in particular has remixed several newer artists, notably London industrialists Factory Floor, as well as former Factory workers A Certain Ratio and Section 25.
Bonus tracks on the 3xCD box set include Knew Noise by Section 25, produced by Ian Curtis and Rob Gretton of Joy Division way back in 1979, and the complete 22 minute version of Video 586, recorded by New Order themselves in 1982.
 All tracks (12 on vinyl, 36 on the CD) are newly remastered. The liner notes feature commentary on the tracks by the artists and the members of New Order. Design and packaging are by Matt Robertson/Peter Saville Studio.

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Last In: 9 years ago
Yussef Kamaal - Black Focus LP

Aufgewachsen in London mit Jungle, Grime und Broken Beats, ist der Jazz-Ansatz von Yussef Dayes und Kamaal Williams (aka Henry Wu) geprägt durch den Basssound der Piratensender, ähnlich wie die US-Kollegen Robert Glasper oder Kamasi Washington HipHop in ihre Musik einfliessen lassen. Weitere Inspirationen auf dem Yussef Kamaals Debütalbum ist der freiheitliche Anything-Goes-Spirit des 1970'er Jazzfunk eines Herbie Hancock oder Mahavishnu Orchestra, während ihr Pianospiel an Thelonious Monk und ihr Drumprogramming an Kaidi Tatham angelehnt ist.

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Last In: 23 days ago
Monsieur Georget - Le Village Flottant

Zeal....Enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal. In our case devotion to deep, dubby, warm mirco grooves.

The label's first release comes from 'Monsieur Georget' which is an alternative alias for well-known French producer Chris Carrier, who many will recognise from his own label Adult Only Records, along with releases on other labels including Robsoul, One Records, OFF Recordings and Silver Network.

The release also features a remix from stellar German artist DeWalta, who along with a number of seminal releases on Meander, is a regular collaborator with Mike Shannon and boasts releases on other labels including Vakant, Haunt and Visionquest.

Track one titled Le Village Flottant' is the first of the three originals on the release. Setting the tone of what's to come, it has stripped back drums with delicate sprinkles of delay that are brought to life with a wonky lead synth and poignant piano stabs. The track fuses intricacy with dancefloor focused energy.

Second track called Mecrant Des Oceans' has gliding synths that line the back of the mix whilst the morphing tones and subtle squelch of an acid line provides the momentum. Murky and mysterious, there's a metallic ring to the percussion and it's a fine example of how less can often be so much more.

Third on the release is the DeWalta remix of Le Village Flottant' and keeping the originals ride, he adds his own dub Techno influence. With new synth parts he cuts the already stripped drums to a bare minimum, which gives his added synths plenty of room to breathe and creates a captivating ambience.

Finishing the EP is the third original track titled Picnic Dans Le Metro' and like the rest of this release, it twists and turns with rippling textures and deep atmospherics. Each drum hit is crafted with expert precision and every textured synth sound merges to create the perfect groove and mood.

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Last In: 3 years ago
Tuff City Kids - Adoldesscent (2x12" + Mp3)

Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer are creatures of habit. Every week, the two club veterans meet up at Phillip's studio and spend an entire day making tunes. And while Gerd often likes to joke that his role in the arrangement is limited to making coffee and looking at his cell phone, it's clear that the two men have forged a potent partnership, one that's been responsible for an astonishing amount of dancefloor heat over the past few years.

Incredibly, this German pair has managed to maintain a relatively low profile, despite the steady stream of music they've released via well-respected labels like Unterton, Delsin, Internasjonal, Permanent Vacation and Live at Robert Johnson. And then there are the remixes—Azari & III, Scuba, The Juan Maclean, Fort Romeau, Avalon Emerson, Massimiliano Pagliara and Sinkane are just a small sampling of the artists who've enlisted Tuff City Kids to work their studio magic.

Throughout it all, there have been whispers of a proper Tuff City Kids album, and now that Adoldesscent has arrived, it will be all but impossible for the duo to linger in the background. After all, the LP is anything but shy—thanks in part to hooky vocal turns from the likes of Annie, Joe Goddard, Kelley Polar and Jasnau—and even the album's instrumental cuts feature some clear nods to various eras of dance-pop, from the boogie-inflected funk of 'Wake People' to the breakbeat techno of 'Boilered' and the tweaky rave nostalgia of 'Nordo.' Elsewhere, first single 'Labyrinth' is an infectious bit of new wave, while the guitar-driven 'Scared' recalls the gloomier side of '80s pop and 'Tell Me' is perhaps the record's most playfully soulful moment.

DJs will likely gravitate toward the darting strings of 'Aska' and breezy vibes of 'Farewell House,' yet Adoldesscent isn't entirely focused on the dancefloor. Dreamy opener 'Ophmar' evokes the legacy of John Carpenter, while the crunchy 'R-Mancer' offers up a sort of psychedelic synth freakout.

Much like the Tuff City Kids themselves, Adoldesscent isn't about any one style or sound in particular. It is, however, a cohesive effort, along with proof that the different corners of the electronic spectrum have a lot more in common than we'd all like to admit. More importantly, it's a whole lot of fun, and isn't that what dance music is supposed to be about anyways

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Last In: 5 years ago
Matteo Luis, Natureboy Gold, Terron, Marlon Hoffstadt - In Reverse Pt.1

You Can't Defeat Her, When You Meet Her You'll Get What I Said B2 Marlon Hoffstadt - 2000MG Floating Info: Retrograde returns late September with 'In Reverse Pt.1', a various artist package featuring Matteo Luis, Natureboy Gold, Terron and Marlon Hoffstadt. Berlin based imprint Retrograde marks its fith release here and once again welcomes back a selection of the collective recording artists already featured on the label such as label head-honcho Natureboy Gold, FFRR/Play It Down artist Marlon Hoffstatd, also co-founder of the label and tipped as a Future Star by Pete Tong on Radio 1. Matteo Luis also makes a return following appearances on two EP's for the label prior to this, while an exciting addition to the catalogue comes in the shape of Terron, most notably known for their work with Young Turks sub-label WHITIES. Up first on the release is Matteo Luis' 'Out Here' setting the tone with ethereal pad swells, organic rhythms and choppy bass hits while a soft and brooding melodic tension subtly unwinds throughout the composition. Natureboy Gold's 'Eternal' follows and employs a similarly airy synth feel while introducing a robust tom- driven rhythmic approach to create an understated dance-floor focused contribution. Opening the flip is Terron's cryptically named 'No.57, You Can't Defeat Her, When You Meet Her You'll Get What I Said' which drops the tempo to a low slung feel with dubbed out bass licks, bumpy percussion and spiraling bass drones to create something idiosyncratic and psychedelic. Marlon Hoffstadt steps up to round off the package next with '2000MG Floating' delivering a raw energetic workout with soaring 80's tinged leads, snaking bass grooves and frenetic percussion.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Tangent - Collapsing Horizons

Tangent

Collapsing Horizons

12inchMD248LP
n5MD
22.09.2016

Collapsing Horizons is the third full length album from Netherlands based deep ambient duo Tangent.

Limited clear with white splatter and blue with white vinyl. NON-RETURNABLE

This album much like the two preceding it—2013s "1mk2" (Mindtrick) and 2014s "Transience" (Tympanik)— is a sonic journey with arching atmospheres and themes. An aural representation of the formation of matter and it's disintegration in unison. The music, much as the album's namesake, could very well be the soundtrack to new universes being created on the ashes of collapsing ones.

Ralph van Reijendam and Robbert Kok who are the two behind Tangent moonlight in a long list of paradoxical musical projects. Fire Walk with Us, Rob Klerkx and the Secret, Disavowed, and Synesis Absorption are all quite different from Tangent's sprawling yet steady ambience.

This such daily musical juxtaposition allows Tangent the immersive focus on the ideas that make Tangent what it is. It would be a misnomer to think that with all the extra curricular time spent in more extreme forms of music that Tangent is a frenetic force. They are exactly the opposite. Dense pads, rolling beats and brilliant shimmers of resonance punctuate their electronic based instrumentals in just the correct manner to stargaze, day-dream, bliss-out, or even brood about starting over...

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Last In: 9 years ago
Fideles - Ran Baran

Fideles is the joint moniker of Italian duo Daniele Aprile and Mario Roberti, who have carved out a niche for their distinctive brand of deep, techy house on noted labels such as Defected, Be As One, and Marco Resmann's Upon You, among others. Here on their first outing for Poker Flat Recordings, the duo cook up four courses of lean, focussed tech-house for Steve Bug's seminal imprint. 'Detuned' starts the journey - an edgy, tense groove exhibiting the boy's masterful sound design and use of space to create a thick, intoxicated atmosphere. 'I'm Rude' is more direct - a thumping bass drum introduces a low slung bass groove, slowly evolving and mutating into a true party-starter. 'Worthy' uses similar building blocks but delivers a different vibe altogether, revelling in a minimalist production aesthetic and cheeky bass riff. 'Ran Baran', the title track, is another lesson in great production - each element perfectly balanced to create an atmosphere of controlled mayhem - which is exactly the response this entire EP aims to instigate on dancefloors.

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Last In: 73 days ago
Marlon Hoffstadt - Coach Mike

Marlon Hoffstadt

Coach Mike

12inchRTGD004
Retrograde
01.08.2016

Berlin-based Marlon Hoffstadt drops 'Coach Mike', the fourth EP on his own Retrograde imprint, featuring remixes from Massimiliano Pagliara and The Friend and following a hat trick of successful releases. The four-track EP is the sophomore release from Hoffstadt on his burgeoning label, which he co-founded with Natureboy Gold and Matteo Luis in August 2015. Previously featuring the likes of Kris Wadsworth and Tuff City Kids, Retrograde provides a platform for the artists to explore music alongside other forms of expression such as art, particularly surrealism. The vinyl sleeve artwork from the first four releases, when fitted together, completes the painting 'Interaction' by surrealist Hermann Reimer. With previous releases on FFRR and Play It Down, Hoffstadt boasts a sound that is both innovative yet authentic, and 'Coach Mike' displays the sonic alchemy that the talented producer, aged only 22, has already become known for. The title track starts as a grooving acid-based cut peppered with percussion before building up suspense to a surprising yet satisfying breakdown. This is his first release without vocals, allowing him to focus entirely on creating pure soundscape. Panorama Bar resident and Live at Robert Johnson mainstay Massimiliano Pagliara's rework of the A side is a Balearic-tinged affair, starting with a solid drum and building to a crescendo of bass, pads and synths, along with the analog synth elements for which he's known. This is an undeniable summer anthem that will captivate dancefloors across the world. 'Broncos' is a club track created for the floor. An acid bassline sits alongside industrial elements and stabbing synths.

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Last In: 6 years ago
Fold - Lenny's Jam

Fold

Lenny's Jam

12inchAUS1695
Aus Music
21.03.2016

The next installment on Aus Music sees the return of a relatively new addition to the roster Rob Glassett aka Fold. Throughout previous 12s on Manmakemusic and Electric Minds and on his outstanding 'Netflix & Chill' debut for Aus last year - Fold has laced together dusty House grooves built with a classic approach to sampling Funk, Disco and Soul records. Next up - his 'Lenny's Jam' EP starts up with a dub techno groove built with delayed and panned stabs and sharp, pacy drums. 'Rosie Lea' lays out a rich and sunny groove as a playful sample filters into focus over deftly treated drum kit samples and a buoyant bass line. 'Tracksuits and Tennis Shoes' then follows up with a no-nonsene party jam - a short funk link is set over a booming kick that closes up a nicely varied package".

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Last In: 8 years ago
Jon Gurd - Birth Right Ep

* Jon Gurd's Birth Right EP is the first material from the Portsmouth based Techno producer in more than 2
years since his ventures on Octopus recordings, 8 Sided Dice and Quartz. The EP therefore indicates an
audible step change not just in the approach to production but also in the mindset and emotive feeling
behind each texture and layer. Having emerged unscathed from a traumatic family related drama Jon
communicates a tortuous and re-evaluated life message across all 3 tracks, and is dedicated to his brother
with a hidden meaning conveying, Tomorrow Is - Promised - To No One'.

* Dissecting the EP further the educated are blessed with field recordings, analogue rumbling and modular
synthesis exiting from almost 24 months of lab driven experimentation. No real process has been applied or
extant formulae followed and the EP's resounding success is that this now exudes what Jon feels' innately
rather than what the industry wants, therefore the journey, endless noise making and experimentation gives
a balanced and exciting offering. Jon comments seriously my process for producing this has been all over
the place, literally stumbling on shit, slipping over my own creative vomit, workflow went out the studio
window on day one'.

* Having spent two years asking himself why he makes music, I think on first listen of Birth Right EP we will all begin to empathise why. Remixes kindly provided by Messrs Dave Clarke and Ancestral Voices (new project from Liam Blackburn formerly Indigo / Akkord).

* A long time-friend and recording partner of Alan Fitzpatrick, as well as one third of Mister Woo with Dave from Reset Robot, Jon Gurd is best known for his work on the likes of Octopus Recordings, 8 Sided Dice and Quartz. Abundant with field recordings, analogue rumbling and modular synthesis, his latest signing to Derelicht is a result of almost 24 months of lab driven experimentation, and marks an auspicious return from a musical hiatus that stemmed from a personal tragedy. From the off, 'Tomorrow Is' is a driving piece of techno complete with sinister undertones and menacing atmospherics, meanwhile 'Promised' focuses on a low-slung groove as tantalising synths operate on top. The last original, 'To No One', then exhibits a deeper vibe with ebbing pads and spectral chords. Dave Clarke's decadent rendition of 'Promised' ups the tempo whilst demonstrating commanding kicks, until Ancestral Voices, the new project from Liam Blackburn (Indigo / Akkord), strips back the beats of 'To No One' for a subdued subterranean workout.

* Press / Promotion: 3 x Co-ordinated PR Campaigns (In House campaign by Derelicht, Dispersion PR and EPM Music, 100 vinyl hand-distributed to leading editors, artists and tastemakers. Key editorials through Resident Advisor, Inverted Audio, Ran$om Note, Beat Vision, Slate The Disco, Magnetic Magazine, DJ Mag, Noise Porn, Mind Grub Audio, Portals, Elevated Culture. 1 x videos produced to support Dave Clarke remix
Tiefschwarz - 'Just Beautiful!'
Alan Fitzpatrick - Yeah massively into this, will play a lot. Thanks for sending.
Dustin Zahn - Feeling the original of "To No One." the chord/pads are hitting the right spot for me this morning! The remix is also a nice take on the original
Baikal - to no one and Derelicht are dope
Kirk Degiorgio - Dave's mix for me!
Bas Mooy - yep! A1 for me mate!
Ben Sims - a1 is the cut for me, heavy and heady but still has the groove
Benjamin Damage - Thanks for sending this, top work!
Bryan Chapman - really feeling this EP, fav is the Ancestral Voices remix, that downbeat vibe
Bryan Zentz - Wonderful, moody, and emotive...LOVE it
Carlo Lio - Actually feeling all of them. Something for every time of the night. Can see myself playing a few of these for sure
Lo Shea - Tomorrow is sick! Dave Clarke's remix is dope too.

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Last In: 7 years ago
Tosca - Outta Here 2x12"

Tosca

Outta Here 2x12"

2x12inchK7320LP
!K7 Records
02.10.2014

The Viennese duo, otherwise known as Tosca, confound expectations on their new album, 'Outta Here'. The sonic collages and smooth downbeat jams with which they made their name are replaced with a soul/jazz/blues confection that's closer to a band like Brand New Heavies than anything else. 'It's called 'Outta Here' for a reason,' explains Rupert Huber. 'The title stands for change, a change to the concept we've had so far. It refers to a change in energy and dynamic. We've been know for an almost ambient sounds. The new songs are much more beatoriented and direct. Basically, it's just a lot more energetic.' it certainly is that. See tracks such as 'Crazy Love' for evidence. Built on a muscular bassline, it sees Rob Gallagher (ex-Galliano) doing his slinky, soulful thing, while keyboards and muted sound effects flare in the background. The rare groove revival starts here. 'Swimswimswim' reworks the same elements, with the addition of Cath Coffey (Stereo MCs) into a irresistible pulse of feel good vibes. Meanwhile, the title track, 'Outta Here', sounds like a lost gem from the early '90s acid jazz era. 'It was a natural evolution,' says Richard Dorfmeister. 'In the past, we were very focussed internally because we were in a studio on our own, working slowly making sonic collages. This time, because we were working more with singers the process was naturally quicker and the results more instant and upbeat. In that sense the title 'Outta Here' literally means that we got out of our studio.'
Do Tosca think the new sound will wrong foot their fans 'It's not completely different. It's still our style and mood, it's just more direct,' says Richard Dorfmeister. 'People always have a picture of you and it can take a long time to change that. You stand for something and that's how they see you. I think people see us in that laid-back and chilled kind of way. Over the last 20 years we've been described as lounge, chill out, downbeat. We always ignored it because we felt it was more about the music. We've always seen ourselves more in terms of being an alternative to commercial music. That's still what we're doing, just in a different, more direct kind of way.'

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Last In: 11 years ago
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