Buscar:room with a view

No less than 12 months later arrives ‘Deep Blue View’ – not so much of a follow-up, as a mini-flipside moving the Jazz from AM to PM, between city and sea.
“I originally had AM Jazz down as walking around some New York backstreet at 4am, smoking in a fedora, looking for crimes to solve but it now ends as night begins,” reveals Al, of his latest tale’s gradual evolution. “Deep Blue View is the night-time album now… like losing yourself deeper in the fog, or disappearing in the sea… would someone, or some 'thing' come to save you or would they , or it , come along for the ride?”
Usually by now, Daveyhulme’s own could-be John Barry would have left distractions of success for suburban side-projects and writing with his fellow Mancunian musicians, but AM Jazz left unfinished business - and, with 50 or so session recordings leaving a litter of sonic debris strewn about the cutting room floor, one major clean-up. Deep Blue View is 6 brand new tracks crafted from its reconstructed and revived remnants, unfurling like Sinatra’s Wee Small Hours to reinforce the strangely beautiful atmosphere of Al’s now revered repertoire. “I had the urge to create something new and started playing around with different EPs and pseudonyms but when I sequenced these tracks, I was really happy how smoothly they flowed; it just needed an opener. I quickly wrote ‘Deep Blue View’ and it fell into place. It’s great, so I carried on, knowing it was time to save the best stuff for myself,” Al grins.
Just as AM Jazz was created in the spirit of his earlier working style on debut album Tower of Love, Deep Blue View fuses Al’s love of finding the ‘right’ in the odd, weird, back-to-front and everything in between, with the hi-fi meets lo-fi sounds of his crate-digging curiosity and empathy for TV themes and movie soundtracks. Guided by melody, his home-based sorcery of working with analog, tape and field recordings opposed to the lure of studio mechanics allowed his inner subconscious to tap at the door and reveal itself in new musical forms. “In the studio it’s tempting to turn everything up loud but I’ve got bad tinnitus and don’t want to write anything else in a Beatles style. I have done all that now… at home I have a computer, a microphone and just go crazy and lose myself staring at the screen. Then suddenly loads of music is written.”
Setting his inner autopilot to flight mode, ‘Peppergone’ adds to the tracks’ nocturnal narrative and appears reborn after a last-minute culling from AM Jazz’s initial tracklist. Like a beautifully romantic ode to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, it is a fitting tribute to dearly departed best friend 'Batfinks', written in the middle of a tough night. “I have no idea why or how the song came about because I was so upset to do anything, let alone record any music. But there you go. Somehow I did and it’s a really special thing. I know he would have dug me using his chords; growing up we’d both try to create the perfect chord sequence. This is his idea of that. I hope he doesn’t think it’s shit,” Al jests.
Also revived from AM Jazz’s archive is the simmering groove of ‘Night Talk Late Street’ and instrumental ‘Star Six Seven’, whilst ‘Have Another Cigar’ weaves its own semi-autobiographical fairy-tale with lyrics written and sung by long-time pal and former housemate Aidan Smith. Transformed from backing track into a cool morsel of story pop, it recalls the drunken joy of when the pair would make recordings together between singing the Everly Brothers at full volume. “I’m sure it’s about not wanting the musical party to stop and having to get on with real life,” Al says.
‘String Beat’ meanwhile, soars like a beautiful Bond theme with the shimmer of Lee Hazlewood holidaying in Palm Springs, alongside perhaps, the waltzing string-like synthonies of some long-lost rhythm and blues orchestra of Davyhulme (whose real-life origins reside with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra), introduced to him by Super Furry Animals’ Cian Ciaran. “I’ve never created anything this moody before and have always threatened to do something John Barry-esque with some slightly dark and spooky musical changes.”

Georgian DJ and producer Vulkanski returns to BITE with his first full length album Skeptical Answers. Serving as a longtime resident at Tbilisi club KHIDI, he’s also known as one of the key figures pioneering the local electronic music scene. Achi Tabukashvili stands for rich, vibrant techno and grinding, metallic soundscapes that are elegantly arranged through his high fidelity productions and singular dj sets. Vulkanski’s Skeptical Answers traverses over 10 tracks the infinite ranges between tectonic club techno, to UK-inspired IDM and broken beat, while reaching to contemporary weightless and electro territories. Producer Tabukashvili describes and questions a period of a deeper esoteric search through the labyrinth of contemporary viewpoints on instrumental sonics and its unexpected answers. In addition, Vulkanksi is known as one half of duo Greenbeam & Leon who began DJing and performing throughout Georgia in 2002. They notably appeared on Boiler Room in response to the police raids at Bassiani and Cafe Gallery 5 years ago. With Vulkanski’s debut BITE EP Science Gardens in 2018, he illustrated his detailed vision of his own dense soundscape productions culminating in a memorable Berghain debut for label cofounder Phase Fatale’s Ostgut Ton album release party in 2020. Now, Skeptical Answers examines a wider spectrum of sonic possibilities, aimed towards the most daring of dancefloors existing between the liminal bounds of club music and its deconstructions. A dissection of his focused elements in heavy electronics. ALSO INCLUDES DOWNLOAD CODE….

White Marbled Vinyl

Georgian DJ and producer Vulkanski returns to BITE with his first full length album Skeptical Answers. Serving as a longtime resident at Tbilisi club KHIDI, he’s also known as one of the key figures pioneering the local electronic music scene. Achi Tabukashvili stands for rich, vibrant techno and grinding, metallic soundscapes that are elegantly arranged through his high fidelity productions and singular dj sets. Vulkanski’s Skeptical Answers traverses over 10 tracks the infinite ranges between tectonic club techno, to UK-inspired IDM and broken beat, while reaching to contemporary weightless and electro territories. Producer Tabukashvili describes and questions a period of a deeper esoteric search through the labyrinth of contemporary viewpoints on instrumental sonics and its unexpected answers. In addition, Vulkanksi is known as one half of duo Greenbeam & Leon who began DJing and performing throughout Georgia in 2002. They notably appeared on Boiler Room in response to the police raids at Bassiani and Cafe Gallery 5 years ago. With Vulkanski’s debut BITE EP Science Gardens in 2018, he illustrated his detailed vision of his own dense soundscape productions culminating in a memorable Berghain debut for label cofounder Phase Fatale’s Ostgut Ton album release party in 2020. Now, Skeptical Answers examines a wider spectrum of sonic possibilities, aimed towards the most daring of dancefloors existing between the liminal bounds of club music and its deconstructions. A dissection of his focused elements in heavy electronics. ALSO INCLUDES DOWNLOAD CODE….

Through their relentless hard work, non-stop touring and critically acclaimed/chart-topping releases gaining them over 250 million cross-platform streams/views – JINJER are inarguably one of modern metal's hottest and most exciting bands active today. The band has become synonymous with doing things their own way and breaking every rule in the heavy metal handbook, which is keenly evident on their highly anticipated fourth studio album and follow up to the groundbreaking Macro album, Wallflowers. The new album not only presents a methodical and premeditated next step in the band's already imposing career, but moreover, it mirrors the personal adversities they’ve faced due to the worldwide events over the last year. Wallflowers is not only an upgrade to the progressive groove metal sound that all JINJER fans crave, but also a sonic pressure cooker of technical musicianship, emotional fury and an intense soundtrack befitting the harrowing state of the world today. Hailing from the conflict-ridden Ukrainian region of Donetsk but now calling Kiev their home base, JINJER truly do not mince words – or riffs – on Wallflowers. Their exceptional precision of modern metal paired with tough as nails attitude has earned them a fiercely loyal, rabid fanbase and massive critical acclaim, making JINJER one of the most talked about bands today and garnering them many sold out performances across the globe. With nearly all of JINJER’s releases composed between vans, backstage rooms and constant touring, Wallflowers continues where its predecessor Macro left off, only this time with less distraction and more time to focus on songwriting.

In view of the immense Black Lives Matter mobilisation in reaction to the murder of George Floyd and the comparatively meagre societal reaction to the attack in Hanau, the question arises: How come our society does not show the same empathy and solidarity towards its own fellow citizens with Kurdish, Turkish, Bulgarian, Bosnian, Afghan migrant backgrounds or members of the Roma and Sinti?

How limited is our postcolonial discourse if we are unable to address the racist exploitation of those who repair our cars, deliver our parcels or harvest our asparagus?

It’s all a sham. Shake it off like a biometric photograph. Shake off that false consciousness. The Black Diaspora is a transatlantic lie invented by music curators and journalists. Embrace this nuanced return to structures and superstructures, to articulations and historical constellations as analytical tools.

Allow me to dampen your expectations. This is not the sound of decolonisation. This is no compilation of BLM protest songs. This is no celebration of Black emancipatory struggles. You will not be able to play this at your hip post-pandemic house party. This will not go down well with your woke friends. This is music for the square in the room. For that reluctant BAME/Person of Color repelled by your fetishisation of the African-American experience.

This is music for gated communities. This is Fehler Kuti singing of class relations, not of identities and positionalities. This is Fehler Kuti resisting.

Listen to these songs of infrastructure and appraisal of the welfare state. Join me in mourning the broken promises of prosperity for all. Send that “Ausländer“ of your mind to heaven. Colonialism fucked you up. Platform Capitalism is keeping you in chains. Are we to unionise all human and non-human workers at Amazon? Will modernity always have that "forever nigger“? What about those dispossessed field hands harvesting your asparagus?

All is lost. The system is rigged. Because all histories, gestures and identities have been absorbed into this late capitalist apparatus we call diversity. It can integrate anything and anyone. It made me. It is the price of the ticket. And it is unable to challenge its own premise of an atomised society. As if you and I had so little in common.

They will try and help you. They will build a museum for your history and a scholarship program for your future. I warn you. Don‘t let them give you a name. Resist appellation. Don’t get that German passport. Don‘t eat asparagus.

Fehler Kuti, Spring 2021

All songs by Julian Warner. Produced by Markus Acher and Tobias Siegert.

Markus Acher – drums, percussion, backing vocals Micha Acher – sousaphone, trumpet Cico Beck – synthesizer Jenny Bohn – backing vocals Pacifico Boy – vocals Katja Kobolt – spoken word Theresa Loibl – bass clarinet, backing vocals Sascha Schwegeler – steeldrum, kalimba, percussion, backing vocals Tobias Siegert – bass, synthesizers, percussion, backing vocals Julian Warner – piano, memotron, vocals

recorded and mixed by Tobias Siegert at Minga Records, july – december 2020 mastered by Moritz Illner at Duophonic

Cover art and photography by Andreas Neumeister. Layout by Sascha Schwegeler.

Fehler Kuti “Professional People” is part of the same multiverse as “The History of the Federal Republic of Germany as told by Fehler Kuti und die Polizei”. A production by Julian Warner. In cooperation with Münchner Kammerspiele. Funded by the Department of Arts and Culture of the City of Munich. Released by Alien Transistor.

“Flim & the BB’s have been one of the most popular jazz fusion bands of
the 80s. Their albums quickly found a large base among contemporary jazz
fans as well as friends of an audiophile sound.
Several albums, including Tunnel, have been voted Jazz CD of the Year by Digital
Audio. Tunnel is an asset not just for every friend of jazz fusion. It represents
everything a jazz fusion album should offer: Unique sound, competent musicality and solid harmony, combined with excellent sound quality.
The album by Flim and the BB’s, which is still legendary today, was no longer
available in mint condition for over a decade. Now Tunnel is emerging again - as
a Double-LP. 180 Gr. Virgin Vinyl”

Rich in musical associations yet utterly singular in its voice, joyous with an inner tranquility, the music of Natural Information Society is unlike any other being made today. Their sixth album in eleven years for eremite records, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is the first to be recorded live, featuring a set from London’s Cafe OTO with veteran English free-improv great Evan Parker, & the first to feature just one extended composition. The 75-minute performance, inspired by the galvanizing presence of Parker, is a sustained bacchanalia of collective ecstasy. You could call it their party album.

This was the second time Parker played with NIS. Joshua Abrams: “Both times we played compositions with Evan in mind. I don’t tell Evan anything. He’s a free agent.”

The music is focused & malleable, energized & even-keeled, drawing on concepts of ensemble playing common to musics from many locations & eras without any one specific aesthetic realization completely defining it.

“The rhythms that Mikel plays are not an exact reference to Chicago house, but that’s in there,” Abrams says. “I like to take a cyclic view of music history, can we take that four-on-the-floor, & consider how it connects to swing-era music? Can we articulate a through line? I dee-jayed for years in Chicago & lessons I learned from playing records for dancing inform how I think about the group’s music. The listener can make connections to aspects of soul music, electronic music, minimalism, traditional folk musics, & other musics of the diaspora as well. It’s about these aspects coming together. I don’t need to mimic something, I need to embody it to get to the spirit, to get to the living thing.”

For jazz fans, the sound of Parker’s soprano & Jason Stein’s bass clarinet might evoke Coltrane & Dolphy, even though they didn’t necessarily set out to do that & they play with complete individuality. Abrams sees a bridge to the historical precedent, too. “Since we first met in the 1990s, one of the things that Evan and I connected on was Coltrane’s music,” he says. “I hoped that we would tap into that sound world intuitively. In this case, I think that level of evocation adds another layer of depth, versus a layer of reference.”

Indeed, this is a performance in which the connections among the ensemble & the creative tension between improvisation and composition build into a complex mesh of associations & interactions. While the band confines itself to the territory mapped out by Abrams’ composition, they are remarkably attentive & responsive, making adjustments to Parker’s improvisations. When Parker’s intricate patterns of notes interweave with the band, the parts reinforce one another & the music rockets upward. Sometimes, Parker’s lines are cradled by the group’s gentle pulse & an unearthly lyrical balance is struck.

Drummer Mikel Patrick Avery is locked-in, playing with hellacious long-form discipline, feel & responsiveness. Jason Stein’s animated, vocalized bass clarinet weaves in & out with Lisa Alvarado’s harmonium to state the piece’s thematic material; the pulsing tremolo on the harmonium brings a Spacemen 3 vibe to the party. Abrams ties together melody & rhythm on guimbri, a presence that leads without seeming to. Like his bandmates, he shifts modes of playing frequently, improvising & then returning to the composed structure.

“As specific as the composition is, the goal is to internalize it & mix it up,” Abrams says. “The idea is to get so comfortable that we can make spontaneous changes, find new routes of activity, stasis & byways every gig. It’s like a web we’re spinning. If someone makes a move, we all aim to be aware of it, make room for it. Experiencing & listening is what it’s about, & Evan supercharges that.”

& “supercharged” is the word for this album. With Parker further opening up their music, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is the sound of Natural Information Society growing both more disciplined and freer, one of the great bands of its time on a deep run.

Aguirre edition: Mastered by Helge Sten, Audio Virus, Oslo. Lacquers by Dubplates & Mastering. Liner Notes by Theaster Gates. LPs pressed on premium audiophile-quality vinyl at Pallas Records. US 2xLP edition available thru Eremite records.

"Flowers Bloom, Butterflies Come" is the result of a dialog between the stunning Japanese photographer and artist Miho Kajioka and the wonderful UK musicians and composers Ian Hawgood and Craig Tattersall (The Humble Bee), initiated by IIKKI, between August 2019 and January 2021.

Born in the United Kingdom, Ian Hawgood spent most of his adult life living in Japan, Italy and Poland. Currently he calls Peacehaven (on the south coast, near Brighton) his home. Since 2009, he’s well-known with his work as the curator of the Home Normal label. He makes music using an array of reel-to-reel and tape machines in his studio by the sea, where he also master works for many labels and artists alike. You could often catch him on the coast with his faithful Nagra recorder, hydrophone and field microphones. These days his focus of music is on decayed ambient works using old synths and reels mostly, alongside his childhood piano. (site)

Craig Tattersall is a former member of The Remote Viewer and Famous Boyfriend bandmate Andrew Johnson. Tattersall's music can be found these days more often under his alias The Humble Bee; as a founder member of The Boats; and in his collaborative works with the likes of Bill Seaman in The Seaman And The Tattered Sail. He has run the wonderful label Cotton Goods from 2008 to 2015 and since 2009 he has recorded 12 albums on his moniker The Humble Bee.

Miho Kajioka (b. 1973, Japan, lives in Kyoto) is an artist and a photographer since 2011. Kajioka’s work has been exhibited in Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, the USA, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Kajioka’s latest book ‘so it goes’ won Prix Nadar in October 2019. "Kajioka's artistic practice is in principal snapshot based; she carries her camera everywhere and intuitively takes photos of whatever she finds interesting. These collected images serve as the basic material for her work in the darkroom where she creates her poetic and suggestive image-objects through elaborate, alternative printing methods. Kajioka regards herself more as a painter/drawer than as a photographer. She feels that photographic techniques help her to create works that fully express her artistic vision. Her images evoke a sense of mystery in her constant search for beauty. The focused, creative and respectful way in which she uses the medium of photography to creating her works seems to fit in the tradition of Japanese art that is characterized by the specifically Japanese sense of beauty, wabi sabi. (…) According to her, photography captures moments and freezes them; printing impressions is like playing with the sense of time and getting lost in its timeline." (Ibasho Gallery)

Top-Kollaborationsalbum des französischen Produzenten Rone mit zahlreichen befreundeten Vokalisten. Basierend auf unveröffentlichtem Material, Alternative-Versionen seines 2020er Albums "Room With A View" sowie seines "La Nuit Venue" Soundtracks (nominiert für den César Award 2021 als Beste Filmmusik), entstanden 12 Tracks mit französischen und internationalen Vertretern des modernen Pop wie der Britin Georgia, Casper Clausen (Efterklang), Jenny Beth (Savages), der iranischstämmigen Archive-Vokalistin Roya Arab, der französischen Ambient-Produzentin Malibu, sowie den französischen Interpret:innen Yael Naim, Dominique A und Flavien Berger. Ein Livekonzert mit allen Beteilgten im Pariser Chatelet Theatre wird im April von ARTE TV weltweit übertragen.

Isasa’s fourth LP is a guitar excursion from a skillful, humble guide. Minimal, contemplative songs, rich in atmosphere and warm in spirit.

Some musicians give their name to their first album, signifying introduction. Some hold it in reserve — it took Wire 39 years to get around to calling an LP Wire. But whenever they do so, they are making a statement. For Conrado Isasa, an acoustic guitarist from Madrid, Spain, the decision to call his fourth album Isasa reflects the fact that his music’s relationship to his own identity has evolved. Isasa presents an artist whose work reflects that he knows and accepts where he comes from.
Between 1993 and 2003, he played electric guitar in the hardcore metal band Down For The Count and the post rock combo, A Room With A View. These were collective statements, communications between small groups and a select underground community. After the latter group’s demise, Isasa stepped back from recording, and for a while from guitar playing as well. He spent some time learning to play the trumpet, but was inspired to return to the guitar in 2007 after he heard Geoff Farina play a Mississippi John Hurt song for the encore of a Glorytellers gig. Then came another period of learning, during which he studied the playing of Hurt, John Fahey, Jack Rose, and Glenn Jones.
Performing as Isasa, he made three records, each of which can be heard as confrontation with an artistic challenge. Las Cosas (2015) is between the man and his acoustic guitar; what could he do with his fingers, a slide, six steel strings, and a box of wood? Los Días (2016) faces the broader issue of how to deal with the requirements of the American Primitive guitar style. Like Fahey, Rose, and Jones, Isasa sought to make an album that used a cohesive sequence of guitar and banjo instrumentals to express personal experiences. With its references to the sights, sounds, and tastes one might encounter in Madrid, it is like a poetic diary written with the distance that comes from having mastered a second language. After making that record, Isasa toured parts of the United States, and played at The Thousand Incarnations Of The Rose, a festival that gathered representatives of American Primitive guitar’s past, present, and future in Takoma Park, the town where the style’s original synthesist, John Fahey, was born. Insilio (2019) began to look beyond that style, dealing with Hindustani raga forms and adding other instrumental textures.
And now comes Isasa. The name suggests something very personal, and it’s true that it draws upon Isasa’s closest relationships. Two compositions are either named for or feature the voices of his children, but their presence helps this music to transcend the purely personal. For what could be more universally shared than the joy and love one feels for children? Others invoke concepts — absence, liberty, love, reunion. They may mean one thing to Isasa, and another thing to you, but by sharing his reactions to them, he invites you to recognize yours. Isasa isn’t just using his experiences to tell you about his life; he is using what he knows about life to help us know a little more about ours.

Chart topping international DJ and multi-instrumentalist Jax Jones returns with his new single ‘i miss u’ featuring Au/Ra. ‘i miss u’ is the latest musical offering to come from the Ivor, BRIT and GRAMMY nominated artist and follows the success of his debut album ‘Snacks’ being named the best-selling dance album of last year. With 5 billion streams, 2 billion video views and 40 million single sales all under his belt, ‘i miss u’ marks the next phase of Jax’s ascent as he continues to create genre-defying dance music. Returning to his club and underground roots, ‘i miss u’ is an emotive Jax Jones dance track that comprises colder sounding beats when compared to his hugely popular dance pop tracks. Underpinned by a hair raising vocal from German singer-songwriter Au/Ra, best known for her 2018 breakout hit ‘Panic Room’, Jax’s latest collaboration makes nod to his beginnings with a harder bassline and club ready tone.

It was 1977, there may well have been “knives in West 11”, but at a student’s hall of residence in Leicester, a packed room of cross legged intellectuals were about to witness the debut of The Disco Zombies; Andy Ross on vocals and guitar, Geoff Dodimead on bass, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Hawkins on guitar and Andy Fullerton on drums. They were loud, fast and they had some witty one-liners.
The four-piece became five with the addition of Dave Henderson from The Blazers, a chirpy power pop punk quintet, who were part of a burgeoning scene in the city that included The Foamettes, Dead Fly Syndrome, Wendy Tunes, The RTRs, Robin Banks And The Payrolls and many more. Wine bars, canteens and bowling alleys in pubs were the home of this phenomenon until Subway Sect and The Lou’s arrived for The Great Unknown Tour. They needed a local band for support and the Disco Zombies obliged.
Record Shop owner - and now Mayor Of Mablethorpe - Carl Tebbutt was keen to ride the punk rollercoaster and decided to launch Uptwon Records with a Disco Zombies EP. Recorded in Chester in one four hour session, it included The Blazers’ ‘Top Of The Pops’ and Andy’s ‘Time Will Tell’, ‘Punk A Go Go’ and ‘Disco Zombies’.
Carl had done a deal with a one-stop music production company who went bust almost immediately and the record was shelved. Unperturbed the band pressed on and recorded a session at the local radio station, ‘TV Screen Existence’ being the only track that survived. A tour of Leicester – five pubs in five days – was the end of that era and the band without Johnny ‘Guitar’ who had another year to do at Uni, relocated to London taking with them The Foamettes’ guitarist Steve Gerrard who wisely returned to Leicester and become part of The Bomb Party. Steve was replaced by Mark Sutherland in what was to become the recognised line up of The Disco Zombies for several years, playing lots of London gigs from The Hope And Anchor to The Moonlight Club, North London Poly to the Scala.
By 1978, there was an eruption of small DIY indie labels and Andy Ross launched South Circular Records to release the band’s debut single, ‘Drums Over London’ - an ironic stab at people’s hostility to the arrival of other cultures, a piss-take of Spear And Jackson-wielding Tory attitudes. John Peel played it regularly until Rock Against Racism complained even though Peel explained that it was actually supporting their views. Ho hum. South Circular wasn’t to last but Dave Henderson launched Dining Out. Dave and Andy journeyed to Ipswich to record the debut EP from the Peel-approved Adicts, the plan being to follow it with a Disco Zombies’ single and regain momentum. ‘Here Comes The Buts’ was the second Dining Out release, featuring the breakthrough Dr Boss drum machine; it was greeted with great enthusiasm in some quarters, although strangely it was likened to The Cramps meets Neil Young in NME.
Dining Out was always just one step ahead of going out of business and even though the follow up had been recorded - ‘The Year Of The Sex Olympics’, backed with ‘Target Practice’ and ‘New Scars’ – it never saw the light of day as the money finally ran out.
Somehow, Dining Out had a second lease of life and Andy wanted to record a new track for a new release amid 45s from The Sinatras, New Age and Spit Like Paint. By now, the Zombies had been through their dark post punk phase and ‘Where Have You Been Lately Tony Hateley’ was a clever upbeat anthem which told the tale of the nomadic footballer. The test pressing gained many Peel minutes but by the time it was ready to release, the band had finally split up. It eventually saw the light of day on the Cordelia label’s ‘Obscure Independent Classics’ album. Very fitting.
So, it was 1980: Mark Sutherland opened a studio in Bow, Dod got a day job, Andy Fullerton already had one. Andy and Dave went a bit experimental in Club Tango; Andy eventually discovering Blur for Food which he started with The Teardrop Explodes’ David Balfe, while Dave flirted with Worldbackwards.
In 2011, the drum machine line up descended on Mark’s studio, rehearsing for a show at the Bull And Gate. They recorded two of their lengthier tracks – ‘Night Of The Big Heat’ and ‘LHO’ powered by a waning Dr Rhythm – these were pressed as an extremely limited edition ten-inch. A few years later Andy Fullerton returned to the fold recording three more originals ‘Hit’, ‘Lenin’s Tomb’ and ‘Paint It Red’ for an even more limited edition ten-inch in 2018 and a show in October that year at The Dublin Castle.
Since then, meandering lunchtime discussions in restaurants that were popular in the ‘70s (Joe Allen, Café De Pacifico, etc) have led to arguments about the lost tracks – ‘Man From UNCLE’, ‘I Need You Like I Need VD’, ‘Throwaway Line’, ‘I Thought You Were Only Joking’, ‘London Nights’, ‘Cosmetics For China’, ‘When Doo Wop Hit Hampstead’. It’s only a matter of time. Until then.....

On her third album Welsh Music Prize winner Georgia Ruth returns to her roots. Having moved back to her native Aberystwyth ‘Mai’ was recorded in the town’s Grade-II listed Joseph Parry Hall over the course of one week in Spring 2019. Named after the renowned composer and professor, the room was used as a venue for chamber concerts throughout the twentieth century and offered musicians a view of the sun setting over the castle as they worked.

But despite this setting Mai (meaning May) is an intimate collection of songs written from within the depths of a house during stolen moments. At its heart sits a beautiful and simple setting of Eifion Wyn’s poem – ‘Gwn ei ddyfod, fis y Mel’ (I know it’s coming, month-of-honey).
Mai is a meditation on finding hope and renewal in the seasons, in a world where the certainty of Spring feels increasingly fragile.

The album was produced with Iwan Morgan (Meilyr Jones, Cate Le Bon, Richard James) who also engineered mixed and mastered. Additional parts were recorded at his studio in Liverpool. With improvised strings, pedal steel and saxophone sitting alongside harp, the album presents a sound which is both lush and sparse in turn.

Blue vinyl includes mp3 download, 12 x 24 inch poster: Some say life only makes sense in reverse, from the vantage point of your rear view - Magic Mirror is a looking glass of sorts. Like a modern day Alice in Wonderland, Pearl Charles beckons you to slip and fall into her world. You'll find yourself drifting with the tide - the ups, downs, and all-arounds of a life well-lived and well- loved. From start to finish you float along a reflective river, dancing in your own/the personal/private Studio 54 of your living room, decked out in sequins or nothing at all. It's a feel good album that asks us to actually take the time to feel good. Magic Mirror follows the cartography of a girl, growing into a woman, as she moves through life from singledom, to the expansive space of self-reflection, and the newly appreciated perspective of coming back together again and finding yourself, this time with someone new. A love letter to the self, a dance party for life, and at times as introspective as your best trip, Pearl takes us on a journey that, like life & love, has the tendency to surprise, delight, and leave you breathless. All you have to do is let yourself enjoy it.

“Garrett III is more of a swan project. A final installment, if you will. Garrett is now retreating more deeply, as evident by the album cover by @GangCulture into obscurity. The time has come for a landing via this 3rd installment of his ‘private life’. After surviving a lockdown x worldwide pandemic in 1 piece, without going insane, he has finally decided 2 conclude this phase of his tightrope walk between lush Ambient touched Modern-Funk & the choice of no vocals / strictly instrumental aural experiences, for listeners of all hues, backgrounds & taste. The hope is that it’s enjoyed in whatever way feasible for all human (& alien) kind.”

Technically, Syrup are a hip-hop group with unmistakable leanings towards soul and jazz. The group consists of an MC (Turt), a pianist/singer (C.Tappin) and a beatmaker (Twit One).

Their music is rooted in the tradition of collectives like Native Tongues and Soulquarians, and they have come up with a pretty appropriate term to describe their sound, which is "cool bap". But if we put formalities aside and look at the bigger picture, Syrup are also a perfect example of how music can connect people beyond national borders, language and tradition. And furthermore, how Afro-American culture has influenced not only the musical taste but the views and opinion-making of generations of young people worldwide. The sheer existence of Syrup is also a big fat "Fuck Brexit!" which makes the group even more likeable. The story of Syrup begins in 2015 when Twit One is booked to play a dj gig in Bristol. Twit One is a producer, DJ, radio host, record friend and former bass-player from Cologne (where he also co-owns the Groove Attack Record Store). He is a member of a small group of pioneering producers, who during the 2010s laid the foundation for the European beat-scene as we know it today. Inspired by the likes of Dilla and Madlib these guys made it look cool to not be the rapper. And they recorded some pretty dope music, too, which we had the honour to release via Melting Pot Music as the "Hi-Hat Club" series (a title that Twit came up with). During that night in Bristol, Twit got acquainted with two young men by the name of Turt and C.Tappin. Two childhood friends who had moved from London to Bristol for their studies and had been avid fans of Twit's music for some time. "Back in Cologne, Twit told me about these MCs from Bristol with whom he might record some tracks" Olski remembers, "Needless to say that I never heard about them again until summer 2017 when the annual Radio Love Love boat party was about to happen and Turt and Tappin were actually coming over for the first time, to party and to rock the mic. A couple of months later we released "Hay Luv" a new Twit album that featured Turt and Tappin on two songs. On their next visit, the two were accompanied by Turt's brother Slim, a very talented beatmaker and one half of Summers Sons. We spent some quality time while mastering the 'Undertones' EP (including remixes by Twit One, FloFilz and Cap Kendricks) and shooting the album cover at the Groove Attack record store basement. Since then we released two more album by Summers Sons ("Uhuru" - a joint project with Tappin and "The Rain"), C.Tappin's debut EP "Ashes To Ashes" (with remixes by Reginald Omas Mamode IV, Hulk Hodn & Slim) and a KOOP beat tape by Slim. During the same time, Twit recorded two albums: "Dispo To Dispo" as Flatpocket (a project with Lazy Jones) and "Two", the long awaited follow up to the very first Hi-Hat Club album as Testiculo Y Uno (with Hulk Hodn)." In 2018, Turt and Tappin moved back to London (the Lightworks headquarter is now located in Streatham). They toured with Children of Zeus and shared stages with artists like Melodiesinfonie and FloFilz. But it wasn't until Brexit before the long talked about super group finally became a reality. At the final recording sessions in September 2019 we already knew that the next Eurostar ride would be a different one. Now with Covid-19 we have no clue when all three members of the group will be in the same room again – let alone rock a stage together. But fortunately, we were sitting on a big pile of great singles that we released over the summer months. The album "Rosy Lee" will follow in late September.

You have reached the Infolines. Tonight, we send you on a journey packin’ east to play in the magnificent halls where thespians and rock & roll once played. ‘The Theatre’ features a compilation of cuts that inspire those who listen to sweat in the soon to be humid weather of Detroit.

Bendersnatch is back again, this time with their funky groove ‘Vice Versa’, tooled as a call to the dance floor with a kick that cuts, and bleeps reminiscent of the second wave of techno. Remote Viewing Party brings us a break beat rhythm joined by instrumentalists Ezuch & Bcota with ‘Outpost’. The duo brings shows us their depth creating an atmosphere that will bring you chills, and tears that you will probably think is sweat running down your face. Newcomer Dev-Lish is joined by Maxlow with their head banger ‘Faith In The Machine, in a collaboration inspired by the Detroit birthed genre ‘sludge’. Evil grinding tones with huge bass and dark vocals will make you want to breath. Last, but not certainly least is Francois Dillinger. This artist has been churning out his art and making waves in the electro and techno communities. He brings to the table ‘Lost Loops’ with nothing short of huge bass, large spatial tones designed to hit all frequency ranges leaving room for the crowd to breath while being taken on a journey.

As always, keep an eye on this space and be sure to call in for the waypoint to the party.

Isolating is the industrial solo alter ego of London-based, Stephen Hindman, one half of The Golden FIlter. Coming off of their moody 2020 debut EP on Optimo Music, On August 28th, Isolating will release an analog, lo-fi, gritty full-length LP called Perennial on their own 4GN3S label. Disquieting and dystopian, the album shifts from the beatless drone of ‘Mortification’ to the IDM inspired electro in ‘Sacrament’, each track melding into each other with an unsettling anxiety.

The LP mirrors the concepts behind ’Perennial Philosophy’ by Aldous Huxley. Solitarily created in London room on a Modular system, ‘Perennial’ tackles the perspective in spirituality that views all of the world's religions as sharing a single, metaphysical origin, with a nod to the Lucretius quote; “To such heights of evil are men driven by religion.” The album photography of Stephen is by Agnes Haus.

You have reached the Infolines. Tonight, you will be given links to preview a reverence to the venues that helped shape an industry and generations of musical technological wizardry. ‘Packard’ features a compilation of cuts fitting to the experiences by those who once frequented the halls of Detroit’s urban decay.
Bendersnatch, kicks things off with a ‘Homage’ fitting of the mainstay venue paying reverence to the classic Detroit Techno sound. ADMN’s Machine 8 shows a lust for a bass grind synonymous with the engines machined in the halls of its urban decay. Remote Viewing Party’s minimal break ‘fuxwiddit’ whistles echo to us through the warehouse former machine shops. Maxlow makes sure you ‘heard’ what they must say pushing air from the subs ensuring you feel the room.
Keep an eye on this space and be sure to call in for the waypoint to the party.

Third time is a charm they say. But if the first 2 times were already so memorable, what more can you ask for?
Nebraska comes in with a bang for his third release on Heist after ‘Soften the Wireless’ EP in 2016 and ‘Metaphor to the floor’ in 2017. It’s hard to believe it has been 3 years since his last appearance on Heist, but with ‘Y’miss me baby?’, Nebraska takes back center stage with another releasefull of disco flavored electronics. Italian disco man-of-the-moment Giovanni Damico comes along for the ride and delivers a stunning 80’s flavoredremix.
It’s not to say that Nebraska (Alistair Gibbs) has been sitting still since 2017. He’s launched his own label ‘Friends & Relations’ where he explores his cut-and-paste style even more with some seriously cool disco dubs and other sonic adventures. Furthermore, he made a guest appearance on Aaron Dae and JKriv’s Razor ‘n tape Reserve. Apart from his regular musical explorations, he has also published a book (Surprise party every week) where we get a glimpse of how Gibbs sees the world.
His view is one of humor and positivity and one of creating new meaning through rearranging context. This is certainly true for his music and this new EP on Heist. The title track ‘Y’miss me baby?’ oozes funk with a clever combination of samples from different contexts put together to create something altogether new, yet familiar. The track has a real 80’s disco vibe to it and the vocoder adds even more to the ‘Zapp & Roger’ flavor of things. It’s a laidback track that feels like it was recorded on a gloomy Sunday evening with no pressure on anything and just room for fun.
The vibe takes a complete left-hand turn with ‘Dip and Flip’, a high energy house track that rattles, loops and bleeps into a full-on disco frenzy.
The b-side kicks off with Italian disco wizard Giovanni Damico remixing the title track. He’s had a great run recently with releases on Lumberjacks in Hell and more recently on Star Creature, where he’s found a home to explore his own view on modern day boogie. His ‘jam’ remix flips the track into a freeform arrangement where guitars, disco claps, delays and retro synth licks all work together for a great taste of Italian boogie.
The EP finishes off in true Nebraska style, with yet another curveball. ‘Xia long bao’ sounds like a lost Nick Holder track from the 90’s with its loopy island style Rhodes and lazy chanting. The choice of samples along with the catchy groove makes this a signature Nebraska track and a quality closer for this single.
We are super happy to have Nebraska back on Heist and with this amazing EP, you are certainly going to create smiles on your dancefloor of choice.
Yours Sincerely,
Lars & Maarten

Chengdu-based Chinese female techno producer/DJ L.Y.Li (aka Diva Li) is releasing her first 12” EP “Escape” on Ran Music’s sub-label Ran Groove. This EP includes 4 melodic techno tracks she has recently created. These dance tracks are full of feminine energy and minimalistic melodic sequencers, not only delivering the massive sound scape of classic techno music, but also satisfying dance floor’s endless pursue of a good groove. The emotional synth melodies and vocal samples are evidence of the special approach to dance music she has as a female producer. Being an experienced DJ, L.Y.Li also proves her skills in the studio with this EP.

L.Y.Li (aka Diva Li) is an electronic music producer and DJ currently living in Chengdu, China. An excellent vocalist, she is also an active figure in China’s techno music scene and has been considered as one of the most popular and respected female DJs in China’s top techno clubs such as Lantern (Beijing) and TAG (Chengdu). Having playing in clubs for many years, L.Y.Li has her special point of view towards electronic music and dance music, with her music always being full of rich and exquisite emotions, intense and minimalistic melodies as well as her own soulful vocal lines. These characteristics have guaranteed her uniqueness within the country’s techno music scene.

When Air’s Nicolas Godin released his debut solo album, Contrepoint (2015), he channelled the influence of Bach into a rich, resonant and hugely rewarding spread of musical explorations. One soundtrack (A Very Secret Service) later, Godin builds on equally fertile conceptual foundations for the follow-up. Released through Because Music on 24th January, Concrete and Glass is an exquisitely crafted set of variations on architectural reference points: mounted with minimalist precision and delivered with an abundance of pop warmth, it finds Godin in his element, working seductive wonders with poise and style to spare.

For Godin, the album circles back to his formative work as half of ground-breaking French electronic group Air. Revered modern architect Le Corbusier was an influence on the young architecture graduate’s music, notably on his 1997 debut “Modular Mix”. Twenty-plus years later, Le Corbusier featured on a list of modernist architects Godin was invited to compose tributes for, tributes intended to be heard as the soundtrack to site-specific installations around the world.

In its soft ambient pulse and melting minimalism, lead track “The Border” is a perfect entry-point to Godin’s hymns to buildings, arranged and co-produced with Pierre Rousseau. Its levitating synths, vocoder vocals and scudding bass hove into view with understated elegance, all the better to accommodate the discreet slow-build of delicate details within. As with Air, Godin makes gorgeously light work of every angle: this is music that seems entirely unperturbed by gravity, occupying an elevated atmosphere of its own.

Elsewhere, the title-track’s clean synth lines, crisply apportioned arrangements and tender timpani offer another inviting entry-point, sculpted with architectural clarity. While Godin’s vocoder vocals also hark back to Air’s early work, the album accommodates a diverse spread of guest vocalists elsewhere. Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor guests on the falsetto-soul dream-pop of “Catch Yourself Falling”, one of Godin’s sweetest melodies yet. Oxnard singer/activist Cola Boyy brings soul to the righteously engaged “The Foundation”; the squelchy synths and buoyant grooves burn slow, allowing the stealthy arrangements and message room to resonate. Psychedelic soul singer Kadhja Bonet sings with measured serenity over tremulous synths on “We Forgot Love”, while Russian experi-pop artist Kate NV brings a gracefully aching romanticism to the blissful swoon-pop of “Back to Your Heart”.

Additionally, Australian conceptual provocateur Kirin J Callinan contributes a vocal of restrained drama to “Time on My Hands”, a midnight-drift soft-pop ballad with a silky allure. One of the quickest tracks to record for the album, it emerged in collaborations between Los Angeles (”During some lively sessions in Mac DeMarco’s studio,” notes Godin) and Paris. After he missed his flight home, Callinan stayed in France for a day as the guitar solos were recorded, complementing the song's air of sleek luxuriousness.

Between its title-track and the sultry, smoky jazz stylings of closer “Cité Radieuse”, Concrete and Glass is an album that truly travels, in tune with its global pitch. For Godin, it marks another milestone in a musical journey that began when Air’s 1998 debut album, Moon Safari, became the sublimely weightless soundtrack of its time. For Concrete and Glass, Godin builds on his storied past with tremendous finesse, charm and fluency, opening fresh windows of perspective at every lovingly executed turn.

‘Rain, spit, ice, neon, plants, steam, mercury and soil. This is dream music categorised by a language of senses; visual, poetic, and abstract sound that draws on techno and dub ambient.

‘Somewhere between pastoral impressionism and cyber-noir, its surface evokes the tensions of a fluctuating, fizzing atmosphere, pictures emerging and dissolving in the mind’s eye. Thick layers of field recording flood tracks fabricated from erratic, oddly distanced rhythm.

‘The sensation whilst listening is not unlike hearing the world from a place within the body; swimming in the bloodstream, cutting through the turbulent landscape secure in a metal tube.

‘Or being over-exposed to lushly textured environments with the anatomy far receded; an out-of-body experience where subtler senses are heightened and the landscape begins to take on surreal qualities.’

180g Gatefold Double Vinyl with poster, sticker & badge

It was at the tale end of what would later be loosely termed ‘The Seventies’, in Lincoln, Merry England, that three teenagers formed, the consequencies of ther actions are captured here.
“You Were So Young” consists of everything that The Cigarettes ever recorded in what was their two year life span. From the very beginnings in the rehearsal room through to tracks recorded for an unreleased third single. It includes the two singles and their ip sides, some tracks that were included on a local compilation album, and their solitary John Peel session along with a handful that never found their way onto a record.
Their debut single ‘They’re Back Again, Here They Come’ , exchanges hands from upwards of £100 and ‘You Were So Young’ has been viewed on Youtube over 1.3m times.
The CD booklet and vinyl inner sleeves include an in depth interview with Rob and Steve, answering pretty much all there is to know about The Cigarettes
Over the years The Cigarettes have gained a wealth of interest, leaving many to scratch their heads and wonder how they slipped under the radar for so long.

Lost PHILIP GLASS Recordings from 1975 - ORTF
The newly discovered and unreleased concert from 1975 recorded by the Philip Glass
Sextet at La Maison de la Radio, Paris.
The sextet is composed of Philip Glass, Jon Gibson, Dickie Landry, Michael Riesman, Joan
La Barbara and Richard Peck.
Music in Twelve Parts is a set of twelve pieces written between 1971 and 1974. This
performance in France includes part 1, 2, 3, 11 and 12 on a double LP.
Also included a very rare Philip Glass interview from 1974 in his NYC loft during the
rehearsals of this piece, produced for the French radio by Daniel Caux - musicologist and
co-founder of Shandar Records.
A never before released -Philip GLASS (1975) live recordings, released in partnership with
the National Audiovisual Institute - INA.
"A new sound and a new chord suddenly break in, with an effect as if one wall of a room
has suddenly disappeared, to reveal a completely new view." - A. Porter

Batida is to release his new album "Dois" via Soundway Records.
Strands of Afro-House, Kuduro, Benga, Semba, samples from old Angolan movies and Afrobeat tracks, African MCs and musicians from all over the world are all deftly mixed together by Pedro Coquenão.
Inspired by the multicultural hotbed of his home city of Lisbon and trips to Nairobi and Luanda, 'Dois' was predominately produced in his own garage-studio over a two-year period.
In 2012 Batida's explosive self-titled debut came out on Soundway Records. Mixing the syncopated rhythms of Kuduro with elements of 1970s Semba and Congolese-influenced guitar licks, Pedro Coquenão won fans for an album that "demanded movement" (The Line of Best Fit) and "gave a view of the old and new, the West and Africa." (The Guardian)
Much of the remix and sampling spirit from the first record remains but 'Dois' also features live instrumentation along with a host of different guests.
English, Portuguese, Quimbundo and Zulu languages all feature on 'Luxo' with Spoek Mathambo (South Africa) & his crew contributing the lyrics together with Angolan MC Sacerdote and a guitar riff by Duncan Lloyd (Maximo Park). On 'Céu' Coquenão pushes things in a deeper direction, dis-assembling and reforming elements of the Francois & The Atlas Mountains studio sessions of the track 'Les Plus Beaux' .
His widely acclaimed live show, featuring dancers, MC's, visuals and live electronics has seen him perform at Africa Express and on the Ten Cities project, live on the Boiler Room and all across Europe at some of the biggest festivals.

Set for release on June 23 via Asylum Records, x (multiply) is the hugely anticipated new album by Ed Sheeran.
It follows his critically acclaimed and hugely successful 2011 debut +; an album that was certified 6 times platinum in the UK alone and has achieved worldwide sales of over 4 million copies to date. It also saw Ed asthe recipient of various awards for the record, including 2 Brits, an Ivor Novello and multiple Grammy nominations.
Never an artist to stand still, Ed recorded x at various locations around the globe (all the while drawing on experiences and influences encountered on his over three years of unrelenting touring) with such luminary producers as Rick Rubin (Eminem, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Pharrell Williams (Daft Punk, Robin Thicke, N.E.R.D), Benny Blanco (Rhianna, Wiz Khalifa) and Jeff Bhasker (Alicia Keys, Jay-Z) adding new flavours to the classy work of key collaborators Johnny McDaid (Snow Patrol) and Jake Gosling (who produced +). xhas the musical ingredients to make it one of the most important global releases of this year.
The new set showcases the exponential growth (both vocally and musically) of an incredible artist, who at 23 exhibits the poise of a seasoned veteran. The songs for x came together whilst touring + and, in the same way as the latter was a snapshot of his life and relationship to-date, x charts his loves and life since. Only 'One', the perfect album opener and first song written for the record (in 2011 whilst on tour in Australia) looks back to that time and is the link between the two records. With 'One' under his belt, almost before he noticed he was writing, Ed had ten new songs and counting.
The breath-taking album-closer 'Afire Love' was written about his grandfather who passed away last Christmas. 'Always the hero of the family - such a cool guy - he'd been suffering with Alzheimer's for some time and I actually started writing that song two weeks before he passed away," Ed says. "I was thinking 'What if' and then he did...' Then there is the timeless ballad 'Photograph' written in May 2012 in a hotel room in Kansas whilst on tour with Snow Patrol. McDaid had a piano loop playing on his laptop while Ed was making a Lego X-wing Fighter to give to a charity auction. He just started singing as he put the pieces together and the song grew from there. 'Don't' started life as a riff on his phone and grew into another of x's massive moments. The deluxe version of the album also includes the original song, 'I See Fire', which Ed wrote, produced and recorded for the second Hobbit movie. This was after Academy award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson personally commissioned him. With no promotion besides 3 tweets from his personal twitter account, it reached #2 on the UK iTunes chart.
However it's the Pharrell-produced lead single 'Sing', due out in the UK on June 1, that's pushing the envelope for Ed. #Sing was the number one trend on twitter globally ahead of launch with the track immediately tearing up airwaves nationwide including a 7-week add to Radio 1 and an unprecedented addition straight to the Super Hit list at Capital FM and Kiss Network. The audio upload on YouTube was Ed's biggest ever video launch, clocking 650k views in its first 24 hours. Already i-tunes Top 5 in 15 different countries (number 3 in the US), Top 20 in 36 countries and with all chart positions climbing, 'Sing' is well on the way to being a global smash.
On the back of 'Sing's' launch, x reached No.7 in the UK iTunes chart on pre-order alone with that success mirrored internationally with No.1 positions in the US and Canada, Top 5 in New Zealand, Sweden, Australia and Top 10 in 20 countries.
'I'm really proud of my new album and can't wait for people to hear it.' Ed says. 'It's definitely my best work.'

The music on this EP was conceived in China, between 1989 and 1993. The original tracks were mixed to DAT in real time, in a small neighbour-proof studio inside my apartment in Macau, a 19th floor with a view to the hurricanes. There's a small, unexpected or improbable story behind each track, some little magic fused with the local atmosphere, certainly guaranteeing their lasting authenticity 25 years later.

TAIPEI DISCO
Late 80s Guangzhou was an exotic city where the traditional past coexisted in harmony with the present and even already with the future.
I'd rather spend my weekends in Guangzhou than diving into Hong Kong consumerism - as most ex-pats in Macau did. I took a cab at the border and travelled 150 Km through chaotic roads with family and friends until reaching the hot, humid, mega South China metropolis.
We ate on street joints in the evenings, went on to a karaoke bar and ended up at Taipei Disco, the only proper club in town. All the others were inside hotels and played generic music or they were seedy, sleazy, smoky cabarets.
Taipei Disco used to be a cinema and played cantonese pop music and anglo-saxon pop/rock (that was new). The spacious dance floor was generously lighted, the atmosphere was airy and modern. Boys and girls were in the habit of dancing in pairs, one in front of the other, observing a respectful yet sensual distance. When the girl took a few steps back, the boy went along and vice versa. With legs and feet (more than the upper bodies) synchronized with the music, they never exceeded in extroversion. Cool.
I always carried a MicroComposer and a portable DAT recorder in my travels through China and weekends in Canton. Any spontaneous musical idea was imediately recorded and memorized. The MicroComposer allowed multitrack recording, which was very handy on the road. Based on the emphatic choreography of Taipei Disco's dancers, i started to compose a rhythm track while sitting at a table, with headphones, listening to Cantopop in the background. As if by magic - not a rare occasion in music - everything began fitting together. Odd as it may seem, the track ended up sounding more germanic (Kraftwerkian) than Cantonese pop.

The story ends in a circle: the cantonese DJ at Taipei Disco, whom i used to ask to play certain records, wanted to play my music at the disco when it was basically only just a rhythm track and little else. From a cupboard under his set up he took out a battered keyboard (unrecognizable brand) and invited me to play over the track with the available sounds on the keyboard. The circle was complete, with Cantonese clubbers happily dancing forwards and backwards, as if it were another Cantopop hit.
I didn't get payed but the house offered us free ice cream cups in which little Portuguese flags were sticked.
The track would be finished later, in studio, with vocoder strings ensemble and synth solos.

TAIPEI DISCO (LIVE)
The live version of 'Taipei Disco' was recorded during a live set at the China Pop venue, in Macau, 1993. China Pop was a rock club built in the ample space of an old fishing warehouse, located in the labyrinthic Inner Harbour area. It was decorated with large Mao Zedong and Cultural Revolution posters and memorabilia and had a unique atmosphere, fusing Pop Art with film noir. We began our performance at 1AM, pretty early for Macau's nightlife standards. We were lucky. An audience showed up. And in Macau there were always several friends among the audience, which tranformed a musical performance into a relaxed party.
The atmosphere was particularly surreal on that night. The front row was dominated by French Crazy Horse dancers, a sort of Oriental Moulin Rouge. The girls had finished their last performance of the evening at the Crazy Horse and were still energized from their show. During our performance, right in front of us and perfectly synched, we could hear the famous irreverent screams of can-can dancers. You always had to expect the unexpected in Macau.

RED MAMBO (IMPROMPTU)
I was familiar with the Portuguese-speaking African countries well before having lived in China. I found myself returning several times to one in particular, always attracted by its magic and very distinct, identitary culture and music: Cape Verde.
During the early years of DWART a lot of the inspiration for drum machine rhythms (Roland's TR series) came from African music, especially from new musical trends that gained full autonomy with Cape Verde's independence from Portugal, as was the case with funaná.
I had the privilege of having known and befriended some of the greatest Capeverdian composers, musicians and singers during the 70s and 80s, such as Bana, Luís Morais, Cesária Évora, Paulino Vieira, Chico Serra, Tito Paris, and historical bands such as Bulimundo (ambassadors of funaná) and Os Tubarões (great innovators of morna, coladera and funaná, with the sonic impact of an afro-beat big band).
When Luís Filipe de Barros began playing Os Tubarões for the first time on Portuguese radio, that was the turning point for African music in Portugal. The 'Tabanca' album was so widely heard and talked about that it quickly got a Portuguese release through one of the big labels of the time.
The mystic of this band from the Santiago Island would reach the East. Os Tubarões played to a packed room in Macau in 1992, and after the bombastic gig we arranged a dinner and party at my place.
We ate and drank generously and the moment came for a jam session at the small studio on the 19th floor. Because Os Tubarões didn't all fit in the studio, we recorded an impromptu with only three of the musicians: Tótó Silva (electric guitar), Mário Russo Bettencourt (bass) and Zeca Couto (piano). And there we were improvising without barriers, suddenly detached from cultural roots, labels and constraints, a truly unique moment. The track is now being released exactly as it was recorded, imbued with the real communion between the musicians. And it could only be titled 'Red Mambo'. I wish to dedicate it to the memory of Ildo Lobo and Jaime do Rosário, founders of Os Tubarões, sadly and too soon departed from the land of music.

For its third release, Here To Hell welcomes Melbourne (via Adelaide) veteran, Rambl, and his incredible groover 'Doss'.

This third release on the label happened purely by surprise, and what a discovery! The track itself is no accident, but the signing took place after a chance encounter. Richard Campbell aka Rambl, who is one of Melbourne's best and most consistent DJs since the last two decades, had developed a small cult following of viewers via facebook, where he had been providing live video coverage of Australia's wild weather in a kind of comedy-weatherman format. Once these updates caught our attention, the magical facebook algorithm placed all of his content at the top of our feed.

One day his video moved away from the wild South Australian coast and into the studio. Rich - who we also know for his huge stature akin to an NBA basketballer, and his brain for Mathematics and Computational Biology - was bopping that giant brain up and down and making his 'bass face', with a mixing desk and some speakers (and some beers) in the background. The soundtrack to this video was completely mesmerising. We sent him a private message immediately: 'what the hell is THIS!!!'

His reply: 'This is one of mine, it's not finished yet but it feels good'. Our reply: 'It feels INCREDIBLE!!! Finish it and let's put it on wax!'

So today we bring you 'Doss' and we expect you'll love it.

On the flipside we've invited another Melbourne man, Sly Faux, to demonstrate why he's appearing in the playlists of Richie Hawtin and Maceo Plex, and why his EP on Nicole Moudaber's Mood was a bestseller. He's also just remixed The Presets and continues to impress with his tight productions. Sly Faux's remix takes the original Detroit-inspired techno-funk and twists it into a different kind of main room banger.

Kingswood Drive and Accidental Return were an early teaser of this new set, due in April. Displaying their signature analogue sounds and arpeggios, alongside broken beats and soul, you wouldn't be alone in hearing the influences of Dam Funk, Herbie Hancock or Bugz In The Attic coming through on these two.
Elsewhere more jittery, playful rhythms underpin Croydon Rooftop Café Culture. As well as in the calming and ethereal Prints On The Heath, a subtle tribute to mutual hero Prince, who passed away on the unusually prolific day this and two other, currently unreleased, tracks were written and recorded.Throughout the EP the duo nod at their London home from the "Heath" to Kingswood Drive and more obviously Croydon itself. The sound of South London is threaded throughout this record with pride.
Even down to the mechanical sunset sound of EP finale Thorns, capturing some of the essence of the studio view over London from their high point on the hill in Thornton Heath.
The first EP from Albert's Favourites co-founders and synth-production duo Modified Man focused on throwing out heavy editing, recording music with as few processes as possible and grabbing performances as single takes. Blending warped cassette recordings that touched upon early jazz-funk/brit-funk influences with the energy of broken beat and experimental electronica, won them support from Patrick Forge, Osunlade, Thris Tian, Yam Who and Titeknots to name a few.
Since that release they premiered new track Thorns live on Boiler Room, going on to deliver a full, three-hour live performance and DJ set for the infamous global community.They also provided remixes for Dele Sosimi, Amp Fiddler, Makadem & Behr and Hector Plimmer, meanwhile, busily preparing a series of four, six-track vinyl EPs which will be released over the next 18 months.

There are some records that manage to sound both of a time and utterly timeless and Bon Voyage Organisation's Jungle Quelle Jungle (a nod to Supertramp's Crisis What Crisis) is one of those albums. Its silken-smooth production, irresistible grooves, funk-tinged guitars, lush soundscapes and general glowing presence could easily lead one to believe that have dug up a lost disco gem from the 1970s. However, behind the disco-pop gleam lies eerie dystopian sci-fi ruminations of a futuristic bent and tones that can often feel as French as they do Asian or African.

This sort of cross-continental exploration is an expansion on BVO's previous two EPs, the man behind the Organisation, Adrien Durand, says. 'I tried to continue the musical expedition between dystopian Science-Fiction Haunted Africa - plus Haitian Vaudou on 'Soleil Dieu' - and futuristic Asia. Addressing, in a double entendre manner, some of the political issues that I am sensitive to.' In fact the jungle in question in the album's title is a metaphorical one and one that creates a vast series of environments for Durand to explore such subjects as world trade, utopian ideals and themes of idols, as well as of time and communication. However, one will need to speak French to decipher such explorations, as well as shake off the natural impulse to move with every glorious beat on its 13 tracks, of which are moved along by Maud Nadal and Agathe Bonitzer's golden vocals.

Durand is a full-time producer based in Paris, working with the likes of Amadou & Mariam, so it makes sense that this record would absolutely sparkle in this department. Durand feeds off the variety of musicians coming and going during recording sessions as well as the rotating members and numbers of people involved with the band but fundamentally he writes all songs on piano first before bringing them to record live. 'We recorded a rhythm section of five - drums, percussion, guitar and myself on bass/synth bass and keyboards - at La Frette which is a studio located in a mansion outside of Paris and fitted with a beautiful 1973 NEVE desk. We only used analogue gear, by taste really, and found it a pretty reliable way of doing things. This simply consists of putting good players together in a room and waiting for the right take to happen.' Two four-day sessions and a 'cooling off' period (to let the recordings settle) soon followed before Durand picked the material back up to give it a final polish.

The resulting album is one loaded with intricacies and idiosyncrasies, something that Durand puts down to his own unique approach. 'I don't consider myself much of a songwriter but I love arranging rhythm sections and I'm pretty proud of the ones on this record.' This applies when it comes to working with such musicians as Inor Sotolongo Zapata, who with Durand used traditional Cuban percussive instruments and explored Haitian rhythms. When Durand expands on some of the ideas and influences that were funnelled into the record, you begin to get a sense of the vastness of the sounds that fill his world, from Trevor Horn's production work on ABC's Lexicon of Love, to the literary work of JG Ballard to the visual flair of the original Blade Runner and even the Tuareg sounds of Tinariwen, due to the fact that his studio neighbours their manager's and he would hear their rhythms bleeding through the walls. You therefore end up with an album that offers tracks such as 'GOMA' that fuses Chinese and African rhythms as well as 'SI D'Adventure' a piece of pop music that is dazzlingly hook-laden.

As a result of this cooking pot of sounds, influences, thoughts and creations, Durand has more of a gumbo approach to making this music than a set-out scientific formula. 'There is no definite recipe for me to like the production of a record,' he says. 'Of course it really sticks out that my work is really influenced by the 1978-1983 period, the golden age and last stand of analogue studios and session musicians.' Whilst Durand adores the traditional and conventional music, he really views this as something bigger and wider. 'I have a taste for the otherworldly vibe from records coming from less sought-after musical scenes, particularly Poland, Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo and early Cantonese pop. Languages and the rapport of the people involved in the making of those records really inspires me. I particularly hate the use of the word 'World Music' as a potpourri for everything that doesn't sound quite western enough.'

When we started The Bunker New York label in 2014 there was a short list of artists whose music we knew that we wanted to get out into the world. Lori Napoleon, aka Antenes, was high up on that list, although at the time the Brooklyn-based Chicago native had yet to release her recorded music at all. Five years on, after acclaimed records on L.I.E.S. and Silent Season, residencies at Issue Project Room and Bell Labs plus a busy global touring schedule as both a DJ and live performer, we are proud and excited to present Lori's Ante Meridiem EP under her Antemeridian production moniker. She tells us that the Antemeridian project is a special outlet for her more melodic synthesizer compositions and the name Antemeridian refers to morning light and the meridian lines of the planet, the view you would have from above if you were already in the sky/space/seeing the atmosphere also from a great distance.'
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With this EP, Antemeridian has created nothing less than a masterwork of synthesis comprising unique soundscapes unbelievably detailed and crisp. We asked Lori to tell us a bit about her production techniques, which include home-built machines from unorthodox source materials including vintage switchboards and telecommunications equipment. She actually built her first synthesizer out of an antique telephone switchboard we donated to her from The Bunker HQ! I use a combination of synths and controllers/sequencers that I've made along with commercially available/ bought or modded analog synths and field recordings that have gone through a number of effects chains. There may be a crackling sound that emerged from the modular which made me think about a flame sparking and burning out, recalling a very organic process in nature - but in a composition it's a drum element. Perhaps the sense of detail comes from how I work on finding sounds before arranging them in a track so when I find one with little nuances and textures, then I'll be inspired to compose with it. Visceral sounds are very important to me, and sounds that you may not instantly identify with this or that synth model - which is why I like the idea of designing my own palette for portions of tracks.'

Acclaimed Russian producer, DJ and live musician Kito Jempere is back with a stunning second album, this time on Italian label Hell Yeah. Entitled Sea Monster and due for release in early 2017, the nine track album is a fantastic fusion of live instrumentation and electronic production.

Kito Jempere is a musical polymath. The Russian artist, producer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader has been involved in many projects over the last ten years plus. These range from rock to acid jazz to electronic bands and often call upon a rotating cast of other members who are all equally talented.

From playing in small bars to headlining big shows for thousands of people in Saint Petersburg, he has put out a number of albums and singles on labels like Freerange, Room With A View and Hell Yeah and DJs around Europe.

Jempere plays live as the Kito Jempere Band, and here he calls upon his bandmates for their many skills to lend the album a richly musical feel.

Mixed and co-produced by band member Roman Urazov, the album features Artemiy Gunbin aka Noteless, the voice of the Kito Jempere Band and front man of his own rock band Videatape, as well as Ruslan Gadzhimuradov, a long time drummer on many projects, plus Matvey Averin, the bassist but also co-producer for cult group Manizha and finally Sergey Lipsky who here plays guitar and is also half of Simple Symmetry as well as having played for Kito's other project Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club group.

Sea Monster kicks off with Lifetime Theme, a heavenly groove with loose drums and percussion and gorgeous keys. Form there, Artemiy Gunbin's ethereal and crystal clear vocals take centre stage amongst balearic guitars on album single 'Ampa', and then 'To Talk' is a deeper cut with bumpy drums, long tailed pads and shiny synths all making for a curious and whimsical atmosphere.

'Grid Cells' is a lush instrumental track with clever revel and echo adding a sense of grandeur to the freeform jazz drums and frazzled synths, 'Uohha' is as sunny and laid back as an afternoon on the beach and 'Puzzled' then layers up scuzzy basslines, popping hits and suspenseful synths into something smooth and seductive.

The final third of the album closes out with blissful guitar licks, lazy broken beats and brilliant drum playing that all have you wishing it was summer again.

This is an album with elements of jazz, house, disco, balearic and many more sounds all smoothly blended into one coherent and captivating album full of soul and musical skill.

Having been on something of a hiatus following the birth of his kids, Milton Jackson is back and in best form ever on Songs Without Words.
His most recent releases have been on UK label Tsuba and is responsible for remixes for Recloose on Planet E, Al Kent, and M A N I K.
Kito Jempere debuted on Freerange in 2013 but quickly got soon after got snapped up for EP's on Dirt Crew, Let's Play House and most recently Room With A View. He also owns and manegs the Fata Morgana label from his base in Saint Petersburg.
Pittsburgh Track Authority are the genre bending trio releasing some of the finest house and techno from the East Coast of the US on their own label In The Machine Age as well as esteemed imprints such as Azuri, Argot and Finale Sessions.
Kuniyuki is something of a Japanese enigma, staying resolutely below the radar despite being heralded by many (including Derrick May) as a major inspiration.
The multi-instrumentalist has collaborated with Henrik Schwarz, Vakula, DJ Nature and Jimpster and has released on Mule and Sound Of Speed and remixed DJ Sprinkles, Joe Clausell and Ananda Project.

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 -

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The first Late Night Tales release of 2016 is a very special project by Sasha.

Imagine listening to music inspired by Frahm, Richter and Steve Reich, but made by one of the UK's leading house and techno DJs. Away from the hubbub of the club, the craziness of Ibiza, there's a contemplative side to everybody. Forget the beats and the sweat and the billowing anthems; this quiet, undulating, at times pastoral piece is less about songs and anthems and more about texture and atmosphere. 'Scene Delete' is a side of Sasha you've never heard before. I love post-minimalist modern classical, I love to listen to something completely different that's quite hypnotic as well. It almost purges the system.

About three years ago, my collaborators David Gardner and ThermalBear and I wrote a song called 'Bring On The Night'. I sent it to Ultraista and within a few days she sent it back with this amazing vocal on, with Nigel Goodrich playing keyboards. We tried to do club mixes but we just couldn't get it right. So it sat there doing nothing.

Tracks like this kept building up, until finally last summer my frustration boiled over. We'd made so many tunes that I couldn't remember the names of half of them: What was that thing with a bass sound and a string line It drove me mental. At the same time as we were logging these tracks, I was listening to the Jon Hopkins' Late Night Tales and I thought a lot of the music we'd been working on was in the same vibe. So I sent the music over to Late Night Tales and they really liked it.

Initially, I thought we'd just do a Late Night Tales compilation with maybe a few pieces of my own music. But as we went through everything we'd worked on in the last two years, we realised we had about 50 pieces of music. So we started editing and compiling: 'Scene Delete' is the end result.' - Sasha, January 2016

Think of 'Scene Delete' as somewhere between a mix album, an artist album and a gentle stroll through the soundtrack in your mind. Make sure you switch off the lights before you enter.

Warehouse Find!

Alexkid has been releasing top drawer house music on labels such as F Communications, Rekids and Ovum since 1997. With over 75 remixes on a labels such as Simple, Room With A View, Get Physical and G Stone, it's fair to say this man brings a certain level of quality to proceedings as this, his debut for Freerange, will confirm.