Buscar:scho

Nils Frahm, born in 1982, had an early introduction to music. During his childhood he was taught to play piano by Nahum Brodski a student of the last scholar of Tschaikowski. It was through this that Nils began to immerse himself in the styles of the classical pianists before him as well as contemporary composers. Today Nils Frahm works as an accomplished composer and producer in Berlin. In early 2008 he founded Durton Studio, where he has worked with Peter Broderick and Dustin O' Halloran amongst other fellow musicians.

The three instrumentals, which make up his debut release 'Wintermusik' are piano led pieces, coloured with occasional celeste and reed organ parts. The record's equal measures of sorrowful refrains and uplifting passages, combined with a real intimacy that makes for an album you'll want to return to again and again.

The songs were originally intended as a Christmas present for friends and family, hence its winter release via London-based cinematic music label Erased Tapes. As the curator of the Swedish boutique label Kning Disk's Piano Series, Peter Broderick invited Nils to record a new Nils Frahm, born in 1982, had an early introduction to music.

During his childhood he was taught to play piano by Nahum Brodski a student of the last scholar of Tschaikowski. It was through this that Nils began to immerse himself in the styles of the classical pianists before him as well as contemporary composers. Today Nils Frahm works as an accomplished composer and producer in Berlin. In early 2008 he founded Durton Studio, where he has worked with Peter Broderick and Dustin O' Halloran amongst other fellow musicians.

The three instrumentals, which make up his debut release 'Wintermusik' are piano led pieces, coloured with occasional celeste and reed organ parts. The record's equal measures of sorrowful refrains and uplifting passages, combined with a real intimacy that makes for an album you'll want to return to again and again. The songs were originally intended as a Christmas present for friends and family, hence its winter release via London-based cinematic music label Erased Tapes.

As the curator of the Swedish boutique label Kning Disk's Piano Series, Peter Broderick invited Nils to record a new album of piano improvisations the result is 'The Bells', which will now be released on Erased Tapes in the UK, Ireland and North America. Perhaps the most stunning aspect of what on the surface appears to be an entirely pre-planned and composed body of work comes with the discovery that these pieces were in fact improvised.

These two friends share a common affinity in that they both possess an absolute mastery of melody, composition and performance able to deliver with devastating effect. The modest Mr. Broderick states 'I remember thinking to myself as I lay there stunned, that I could spend ten years trying to write an amazing piece of piano music, and still it would never be half as good as these improvisations!'

Recorded in a rented, beautiful old church in the heart of Berlin over two nights, Nils 'just played' with the occasional instruction from Peter 'I spouted "Make a song using only the notes C, E, and G", or "Make a song that you could imagine me rapping over the top of" (Track 8 'My Things'). At one point I was even inside the piano, laying on the strings, asking him to make a song called 'Peter Is Dead In The Piano'. The resultant work 'The Bells' shares the same excitement and air of playfulness.

For a musician this early in his career, Frahm displays an incredibly developed sense of control and restraint in his work. As the recognition continues to grow for both, 'Wintermusik' and 'The Bells', we are pleased to announce that 2010 will also see his next album release on Erased Tapes.

LET’S be frank, it was only a matter of time before we nabbed Dan Piu. Many years in the game with his own uber-respected labels Moto Music and deepArtSounds, in demand as an artist under his many guises (Allstarr Motomusic/George Btp) and collaborative projects (The WineLambs, Zarenzeit and Theory Of Movement, which he shares with deep house don Grant aka Anthony Collins), Piu may be old school but his recent renaissance has turned many heads including ours. His analogue alchemy is right up our strasse so we are beyond thrilled to be able to present the Zurich-based producer’s Technological Singularity EP here at Hizou.

From the celestial groove-heavy Quantum Computing to the angular electronica of Robots In Rage and from the melodic techfunk of A Machine Will Never Do X to the soul-warming F#uk The World To The Core, aficionados, followers and fanboys will not be disappointed.

In den späten neunziger Jahren war Wien Welthauptstadt der elektronischen Musik - Namen wie Kruder & Dorfmeister, Pulsinger & Tunakan, Waldeck, Electric Indigo oder Fennesz künden davon. Danach kam lange Zeit nichts, bis eine neue Generation - von HVOB bis Parov Stelar, von Dorian Concept bis Elektro Guzzi - sehr nachdrücklich eigene markante Sound- und Leuchtspuren setzte. Und nun kündigt sich abermals ein Zeitsprung an.
Zu große Töne gespuckt? Nein. Selbst Christian Fennesz zieht schon den Hut. Vor Drahthaus. Einer Band, die eigentlich keine Band ist. Noch nicht einmal eines der vielen Projekte, die immer und überall rasch entstehen und noch rascher wieder vergehen. Hier ist etwas radikal anderes im Kommen. Das 2015 gegründete Kollektiv Drahthaus ist ein Zusammenschluss diverser in Wien lebender Kreativer (Musiker, Künstler, Designer, Filmemacher, Techniker, Programmierer, Handwerker, Veranstalter und Kreativer jeglichen Geschlechts) mit der Vision, alte Strukturen in Frage zu stellen. Und Raum für gänzlich Neues zu schaffen.
Die Faktoren Lust, Neugier, Fachwissen und künstlerische Vernetzung sind mit im Spiel. Auch wenn Drahthaus den anarchischen Freiraum der Kunst mit präzisen, systematischen, analytischen Fragestellungen vermessen. Im April erscheint das erste Album - es trägt keinen Titel. Aber es wird die Elektroniksphäre aus den Angeln heben. Lokal, national, international. Willkommen im Drahthaus.

Der in Berlin lebende Komponist und Produzent Ben Lukas Boysen meldet sich mit seinem bislang progressivsten Album zurück: Mirage ist ein wahrer Formwandler. Zuvor unter dem Alias Hecq bekannt, handelt es sich bei Mirage um den mit Spannung erwarteten dritten Longplayer, den Boysen unter seinem eigenen Namen veröffentlicht, und Nachfolger zu den Alben Gravity (2013) und Spells (2016). Letzteres bescherte ihm nicht nur sehr viel Kritikerlob, sondern begeisterte auch die Fans und viele seiner Kollegen: Es gab u.a. Remixe von Max Cooper und Tim Hecker, während Jon Hopkins einen Titel von Spells zum Eröffnungstrack seiner Late Night Tales-Compilation machte. Wie schon auf seinen Alben Gravity und Spells, wird Ben im Verlauf von Mirage von mehreren Gästen unterstützt: Mit dabei sind unter anderem die Cellistin und Komponistin Anne Müller sowie der australische Saxofonist/Komponist Daniel Thorne. Beide sind auf dem ersten Vorboten "Medela" zu hören, der die Zuhörer*innen auf eine Reise durch kaleidoskopische Klangräume führt, in denen verschiedene Genres ganz spielerisch ineinander übergehen. Das geht so weit, dass man hinterher kaum noch sagen kann, was man da eigentlich gerade gehört hat: "Ich wollte experimentieren und versuchen, diese Aufnahmen mit 100% künstlichen Elementen zu verbinden. Dabei ging ich oftmals so weit, dass ein Instrument zu einer Abstraktion seiner selbst wurde, dass sich der Beitrag eines Musikers an einem Song eher wie ein zentraler DNA-Strang des Stücks anfühlt, aber nicht mehr wie eine deutlich erkennbare Spur." Insgesamt fühlt sich Mirage, wie im Titel bereits angedeutet, wie eine klangliche Illusion, eine vertonte Luftspiegelung an: Jedes Stück vereint Klänge und Techniken, die dermaßen bearbeitet und verändert wurden, dass sie wie überbelichtet wirken. Das allzu filzig wirkende Klavier von "Clarion" etwa, Daniel Thornes Saxofon auf "Medela", die einzelne Gesangsnote von Lisa Morgenstern, die sich im Verlauf von "Empyrean" in unterschiedliche Akkorde aufspaltet. Man kann diese Elemente durchaus erfassen, kann sie aber auch ohne weiteres übersehen - wie auch die beiden Klaviere von "Kenotaph", die man für ein einziges Instrument halten könnte. Genau genommen sind es zwei Instrumente, die sich in unterschiedlichen Räumen, ja sogar in unterschiedlichen Ländern befanden. Eins ist digital, das andere akustisch.

Returning to the label's dance floor roots, BODYCLOCK is a natural extension of Darker Than Wax's DNA - a foray into the late night club sounds that defined their sound. The freshly minted series represents the Singaporean label's primary outlet for dance floor burners and machine soul, shedding light on a new school of producers from around the globe and at the same time paying homage to the pioneers who laid the foundations for us. A celebration of afro-futurism that is ever-present in the consciousness of dance, BODYCLOCK is built for the nocturnal beings and discerning selectors that push this timeless tradition forward. This first volume brings together five producers across four continents - Teymori from Australia, NYC's Malik Hendricks, label mainstay Ricky Razu from Belgium, as well as Darker Than Wax co-founder Kaye and up-and-comer Halal Sol from Singapore. Establishing both facets of the BODYCLOCK sound, Side A features two vocal-led soulful excursions, while the flip brings three unabashedly jacking cuts to light the floor on fire. This is only the beginning - BODYCLOCK is coming with an onslaught of twelve inches and EPs, distilling our sonic outlook and looking to the future.

In 2015 US soul, boogie and disco legend Jay W. McGee teamed up with Hamburg producer, multi-talented musician and DJ Julian "Mzuzu" Romeike to record McGee's comeback album "Good Feeling". Even though both artists are from two totally different generations, they got on so well with each other after the official re-release of Jay W. McGee's classic 12inch "Turn Me On" on Légère Recordings two years before that they started to write and record together. After all, it was Julian "Mzuzu" Romeike himself who made Jay W. McGee return to the music business after nearly 15 years of silence.

The creative process did not stop with "Good Feeling": "We now have a brilliant combination of fresh songs. Many different accurate beats and of course Jay's incredible writing and singing skills," says Romeike. "I feel that it's a great combination of dedication, skills and talent which made this album possible. I work on some grooves and hooks for Jay, he picks the ones he likes and returns a proper song with vocals and arrangement. My production team, The Unbelievable Two, then work on the final mix."

"Smooth Crusing" hints towards McGee's classic late seventies sought after sounds like "When We Party" with the first "Uptwon, Downtown". The album also includes some reggae touches and smooth soul excursions. "It is such a big pleasure to work with these guys as everything works perfectly together," comments a happy Jay W. McGee. "It has all the ingredients for a classic album. It's funky and soulful, recorded in a unique modern style. We have a tribute to the good old funky music with 'Old School Love'. A lover's rock orientated tune with 'Chance I Have To Take' and some kind of up to date Afro-Disco-Soul with 'Bounce Back To Me'. And of course, 'Smooth Cruising' is full of funk!"

Live At Robert Johnson deploys a very true to its school release by one of Brussels finest, DC Salas. „The Complicated Art of Dreaming“ tells a four-track tale of joyous and airy nights on the dancefloor. A few euphoric sixteenths and a few quirky acid lines, lush pads and irresistible drums—it’s all about giving you that driving and energetic feeling, with more than one genuine hands in the air floorfiller at your disposal.

Things are what you expect of LARJ: Driving high quality tracks with an emotional twist, a nod to the luscious moments on the wooden dancefloor. — DC Salas is thirtysomething year old Diego Cortez Salas, a skilled talent with peruvian origins hailing from Brussels. His four-track EP „The Complicated Art of Dreaming“ delves into classic territories, an eclectic amalgamation of his musical inspirations in 15 years of digging and DJing. A regular DJ at C11 and Kiosk Radio both in Brussels, Diego also co-runs Biologic Records with his mate Abstraxion since 2014.

Dom (and his Roland s760 sampler) was once described by seminal magazine NME as the “Ridley Scott” of drum and bass. His epic early records helped form the blueprint of the scene today.

Originally releasing on No-U-Turn in 1994 and credited as one of architects of “Tech-step”. Dom was signed by the legendary Moving Shadow label in 1996 where he released 3 solo albums and a plethora of singles becoming their most prolific and influential artist in the history of the label.

Well known for his early alliances with school friends “Optical” and “Matrix”, Dom started his own label DRP (Dom & Roland Productions) in 2006 to collaborate with like-minded artists. Now 15 years in with an enviable roster from “Noisia” to “Amon Tobin” it is now the main home of Dom’s work.

Lost in the Moment is Doms 7th Album. In his own words “I wanted to make an album that gets back to the core of the elements I love about drum and bass. The timelessness of simple tracks! A sense of being lost in the subtlety of evolving soundscapes, rhythms and loops which hint at more complex detail and emotions. These are the things I find harder to find in this era of instant gratification and easily consumable music.”

Dom’s previous album Last refuge of a Scoundrel was signed to Metalheadz in 2016. It sold out on its first day. Mixmag gave it 10/10 and named it album of the year. It was runner up in DJ Magazines “Best of British” category across all genres.

kniteforce head honcho and all round oddball Luna-C drops an eclectic remix EP, featuring tracks spanning his entire 3 decade career. Shoreman takes “Bomb Da Bassline” and makes it as mad as you might expect from the mastermind behind “On The Edge”. Success’n’Mistreat meanwhile is remixed back to the early 90’s sound of MARRS and that sample heavy era. The Wislov remix of “Edge Of Madness” is perhaps the standout, being a classic anthem remixed into an even more formidable style, and the EP is rounded off by KF newcomer Dj Beeno, who takes the obscure “Hurricane” and blows it away…

The second release of the label Dedicate is created by Kollege Schnürschuh. The producer collective, consisting of Phonk D, Clav Split, Iron and Jogging Jones, presents a cross-section of the past few years on the 12 instrumental tracks.
Shoe School represents true hip hop without too much bling and flashy ice, somewhere between Old and New School.

Stag-O-Lee präsentiert hier Teil 5 und 6 der usserst erfolgreichen Trashcan Records Serie, die sich obskuren und vergessenen Vinyl Schätzen aus den 50er und frühen 60er Jahren widmet. Die originalen 45er stammen aus der stattlichen Sammlung von Fedor, einem Sammler und Jäger aus Amsterdam, der sich in den letzten 25 Jahren durch tausende von Kisten mit Gebrauchtvinyl auf Flohmärkten der holländischen Metropole wühlte. Die Veröffentlichungen sind thematisch gegliedert - Vol. 5: Cha Cha compiliert 12 Tracks mit "an all-female beatnik extravaganza: the first vinyl compilation of its kind! From the bohemian misfit girl with her goateed boyfriend to the espresso sipping art school chick reading Kerouac..." . Vol. 6: The Natives Are Restless bietet 5 Tunes mit einem Dschungel-Thema auf der A-Seite und 5 luftige Exotica-Träume auf der B-Seite. Alle 24 Tracks sind "previously uncomped" und finden erstmals ihren Weg auf Großvinyl!!

Stag-O-Lee präsentiert hier Teil 5 und 6 der usserst erfolgreichen Trashcan Records Serie, die sich obskuren und vergessenen Vinyl Schätzen aus den 50er und frühen 60er Jahren widmet. Die originalen 45er stammen aus der stattlichen Sammlung von Fedor, einem Sammler und Jäger aus Amsterdam, der sich in den letzten 25 Jahren durch tausende von Kisten mit Gebrauchtvinyl auf Flohmärkten der holländischen Metropole wühlte. Die Veröffentlichungen sind thematisch gegliedert - Vol. 5: Cha Cha compiliert 12 Tracks mit "an all-female beatnik extravaganza: the first vinyl compilation of its kind! From the bohemian misfit girl with her goateed boyfriend to the espresso sipping art school chick reading Kerouac..." . Vol. 6: The Natives Are Restless bietet 5 Tunes mit einem Dschungel-Thema auf der A-Seite und 5 luftige Exotica-Träume auf der B-Seite. Alle 24 Tracks sind "previously uncomped" und finden erstmals ihren Weg auf Großvinyl!!!

Introducing this debut release on Reptile Dysfunction from Aniche. A
super exciting Graduate of Doorly's Orbit DJ / Production Academy
project and new member of the Reptile Dysfunction clan.
Taking inspiration from his cultural background of old school Hindi
cinema and 90s Dance music, his sound is what happens when Eastern
philosophy meets Western electronica. This unique approach is what
makes Aniche a niche.

Distorted Sensory Perception is back with a journey of deep space exploration in the form of their 2nd Various Artists release ‘Outer Solar System’. Featuring a diverse selection of deeper Electro and Techno of the broken beat variety.

The A-side boasts a nostalgic stripped back yet progressive cut ‘Persistence’ from Maltese duo Moodex. Next up, a deep ethereal musical statement ‘Early Morning Hours’ from fellow Maltese producer Sound Synthesis in his unique style.

The B-side opens with the moody, new school heavy hitter ‘Impulse Control’ from French producer and label co-founder Oshkossh. The penultimate track ‘Brainacid v2’ comes in the form of dusty machine music from Italian newcomer Caramel Chameleon that is reminiscent of AFX ambient works. Last but by no means least the record is brought to an epic conclusion with the frantically emotive and intricate ‘Grny89’ from France's Foreign Sequence.

Scottish trumpeter Malcolm Strachan is a founder member of top UK funk/jazz-funk band The Haggis Horns as well as being one of the busiest session musicians in the UK today. In a professional career spanning 20 years, he's recorded with the likes of Mark Ronson, Amy WineHouse, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jamiroquai, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Jesse Glynne, The Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band, Black Honey, The New Mastersounds and Blue Note saxophone legend Lou Donaldson. Now he's finally releasing his first solo album, aptly titled "About Time", on Haggis Records and he's going back to his original roots... Jazz.

The album is a collection of original compositions, all written and arranged by Malcolm, which are firmly rooted in the classic acoustic modern jazz style typified by the great 60's and 70's recordings on the legendary Blue Note Records label. A nice variation of themes and tempos feature throughout the album. From full-on latin vibes to beautiful ballads, soul jazz grooves to cinematic soundtrack flavours, all woven together by a great group of experienced musicians.

Malcolm's core quartet is himself on trumpet/flugelhorn, fellow Haggis Horns members George Cooper (piano) and Erroll Rollins (drums), plus Courtny Tomas on double bass. Featured guests are Atholl Ransome on tenor sax (The Haggis Horns), Rob Mitchell on baritone sax (Abstract Orchestra) and Danny Barley on Trombone. Strings are courtesy of Richard Curran and the percussionist is one of the finest session players in Europe, Karl Vanden Bossche (Incognito, Robert Palmer, Joss Stone, The Gorillaz, Sade, Blur - He and Malcolm met while touring with Mark Ronson)

Malcolm's love of jazz comes from his parents. Aged 7, his jazz musician father gave him a trumpet. From then on, jazz was his life. His musical education came via music teachers, youth jazz orchestras and jazz summer schools but mostly from his dad's record collection listening to Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie records and learning to improvise and solo by ear. At 18, he enrolled at Leeds College of Music and quickly immersed himself in the city's vibrant acid jazz, funk and soul scene and from making his recording debut in 1999 with The New Mastersounds, jazz was his musical passion but took a back seat to funk/soul/pop which were the day job. Until now.

Jazz is back. The wait is over. It really is "About Time" for Malcolm Strachan.

The Devonns dust off the golden age of 70's Chicago Soul with their self-titled debut album on Record Kicks. Straight from the streets of Chicago, Illinois, The Devonns (pronounced "De vaughns") are the brand new soul outfit and the latest addition of the Record Kicks' family, whose self-titled debut album that drops April 03, is an assortment of influences taking us back to the heyday of soul.

Drawing influences from bands such as The Dramatics, The Isley Brothers and Leroy Hutson, yet bringing in their own unique modern twist, influenced by artists such as Jamie Lidell and Raphael Saadiq; singer Mat Ajjarapu explains how unintentionally, the rich heritage of Chicago's history with soul music influenced him.

"The city was at the epicentre of a lot of good music back in the 50's all the way to the 80's, a lot of the labels specialising in soul were based in the Chicago and we even had our own sound known as "Chicago soul". Through several years of crate digging it surprised me how many songs I loved were recorded in this city, for example one of my favourites is this great little song by The Natural Four, produced by Leroy Hutson 'Can This Be Real', and released via Curtom Records."

The band started in 2016 after multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mathew Ajjarapu dropped out of med school and found himself unemployed and drifting. Listening to music constantly at the time, he found inspired to put a band together and create his own music. Pairing up with some of the best musicians Chicago has to offer, he founded The Devonns: the rhythm duty is entrusted to Khalyle Hagood (bass), Ari Lindo (guitar) and Khori Wilson (drums).

Originally he wanted to focus on 50s style doo-wop, similar to The Flamingos; rich in reverb and vocal harmonies, but in the first initial practise they had it was evident the band clicked on their love of soul music from the 70s, so their music took a natural turn towards that sound, with tracks such as the Wilson Pickett-esque single 'Tell Me'.

The release took almost two years to complete as Mat explains "I am a perfectionist, I had a very specific vision in my head about how it should sound and I wasn't going to rest until I achieved it."

"This is a definitely a throwback soul record, as well as being drawn to lush and intricate arrangements of Motown, I was also inspired by the more lo-fi works of smaller labels such as Chess and Capsoul, and I wanted to capture the magic they had in those recordings in our record, as everything feels too precise nowadays" clarifies Mat.

It was thanks to his engineer Mike Hagler, who introduced him to Paul Von Mertons (Mavis Staples, Paul McCartney, Elton John) who arranges and conducts for Brian Wilson's live touring show and after a 45 minute phone conversation about what Mat wasn't keen on, on the album, he realised Paul totally understood where he was coming from.

After a few months wait for Paul to get back from touring they entered the studio with "Paul's players" and as soon as they hit record, Mat explains "I was getting chills up my neck, it was one of the happiest days of my life, and finally we had nailed it!"

Tracks such as 'Come Back; which Mat wrote in ten minutes on a $300 Daneelectro Singlecut guitar initially, came to life, with Paul's rich string arrangements and features guitarist and percussionist Ken Stringfellow (R.E.M.).

It still took a few months to get the recording process finished but finally after a torturous nineteen months they album was finally finished.

The result is an album filled with lavish arrangements and catchy melodies which take us on a nostalgic musical journey inspired by chic 70s soul, yet the band don't hesitate to add their own unique and elegant contemporary stamp to the record.

Dimi is the new solo project and label of (Dimitrios Ploumpidis) one half of techno duo, AnD.

The Dimi label will be an exploration in sound, pushing techno, rave and dance floor sounds with a raw and powerful attitude.

DIMI001 kicks off with "Time Travel". Pulsating kick drums and vocal cuts interweave, creating groove with the snappy snare and lashing hi hats. When the huge synth stab and melody drop to take us straight to a hedonistic past put looking clearly into the future.

"Bang Your Face" enters the room with a tight, hard-hitting kick and serrated rave sirens building an infectious groove before being banged in the face with the old school euphoric synth line that drops in and out of the mix creating tension and dramatic shifts in the track.

"Groove Away" a throbbing bass and kick drum drop with a sinister stab for this funky techno monster. Hard in dynamics but with a maximum amount of groove this track thumps and slams while the spaced out synth line and rave stabs help keep this funky banger grooving all the way to outer space as the alien melodies propel us for take off.

"All In" syncopated delayed synth stabs build in this track with tight rhythmic percussion and distorted kick drum. The snare enters like a punch to the face but only solidifying the swing while the main synth line opens building tension ready to destroy everything in its path. This is Dimi showcasing his direct and unique take on techno music.

Maxx Mann were the gay New Wave duo of Frank Oldham Jr (vocals, lyrics) and Paul Hamman (music) from New York City formed in 1981. Frank studied voice and acting at the Herbert Bergdorf School idolizing Eartha Kitt, Nancy Wilson, Johnny Mathis and Shirley Bassey. Paul was playing piano for a cabaret singer at a bar in Greenwich Village where Frank met him and their friendship began. Paul and Frank worked together 3 to 4 times a week recording their debut self-titled album released in 1982, limited to 500 copies.
Songs provide interesting insights into the homosexual experience before the AIDS crisis: cruising backroom bars, BDSM and one-night stands. The music is "Neo-realistic rock" heavily influenced by punk, titillating, synthesized body and soul with Frank’s dramatized vocal stylings. The original press release sent to radio stations stated, "Because this is a completely innovative sound, we hope you will give it several listenings. It is adventurous, daring, and certain to cause reactions from your listeners.” For this first time vinyl/CD reissue we’ve added two bonus instrumental tracks, so the album now contains all four original vocal cuts and their corresponding instrumental versions. Paul sadly passed away in 1986 aged 33 from AIDS-related illness and we dedicate this reissue to him. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Each copy is housed in an exact replica of the 1982 jacket and includes a fold-post poster with photos, lyrics and notes by Frank Oldham Jr.

Setting the tone with the first release on Lossless in the new year 2020 is co-owner and omnitalented Mathias Schober.
Mathias is opening LL1222 with the title track „The Fall“ on which he invited Jas of the duo Atelier for a vocal appearance showing a new side of his unique voice.
The sparse instrumentation of the the track, built around handclap rhythms, creates the perfect fundament for the vocal highlights. Additional snare drum and synth hits will do the rest to make you move.
Second track of the EP, “Will Make A Difference” sure does make a difference. It’s a 4/4 not 4/4 kinda track with an ever growing huge synth sound that takes you all the way to the middle part where it bursts into emptiness leaving space for some fierce
bass tones. The track has a certain pop-appeal to it but doesn’t at the same time. This doesn’t make sense at all? Just give it a listen and you’ll know. The third and final track is an instrumental version of “The Fall”. A simple reduction.
The essence of beautifully crafted rhythms and synth atmospheres. It simply feels right.

A new sublabel of the longstanding Canadian electro imprint Suction Records, Ice Machine — focusing on old-school wave/post-punk sounds — launches on Valentines Day 2020 with two fresh Canadian synth-pop LPs on vinyl. Along side a reissue of Ceramic Hello’s cult 1981 minimal synth classic “The Absence Of A Canary,” comes this, the self-titled debut LP from a new Toronto-based duo, Analytica.

Analytica is comprised of David Lush, who’s released several killer solo tapes under the name Memorex, and Gabe Knox, who made a big splash last year with his awesome instrumental synth/kraut solo LP “ABC” on acclaimed UK label Polytechnic Youth.

Analytica make synth-pop the old-fashioned way: driving, verse/chorus pop songs utilizing hardware synthesizers and drum machines, vocals and bass guitar, and recorded to tape. The comparisons to early-Depeche Mode (there’s even a cover of “Reason Man” — an unreleased, Vince Clarke-penned, Depeche song that was part of their earliest live sets), and prime-era New Order (right down to the Oberheim DMX percussion and Peter Hook-style bass guitar) are inevitable, but rarely are these sounds executed with such style and conviction. According to the band, lyrically Analytica “explore facets of the dark age ahead — the propaganda, the nationalism, the environmental disaster in front of our faces - while attempting to offer something of a defence against a nihilistic response to these fears. It's at once a call to arms and a recognition that we're entirely fucked.”

The LP contains 11 songs, and is housed in a stunning reverse-board jacket, and is limited to 500 copies.

We were first introduced to Marumo’s ‘Modish’ album via DJ Okapi's amazing resource the ‘Afrosynth’ blog, which archives South African bubblegum/disco from the 80s & early 90s. Aside from this blog, this music would otherwise remained unknown outside of South Africa, apart from the most hardcore of digger and record collector.
‘Modish’ was originally released on Spades Record in 1982 and was recorded by producer West Nkosi, who was a member of supergroup ‘Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens’. He worked with the big hitters in South African music such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Teaspoon & The Waves, Patience Africa and many more. Marumo were made up of a group of musicians from the Athlone School for the blind in Bellville, close to Cape Town. The band members, John Mothopeng, Munich Sibiya, Simon Falatsi and Marks Mbuthuma, had previously played in the groups Batsumi, All Rounders and The Orations and came together to record this versatile album. It covers a wide number of genres from Sotho soul, Mbaqanga, disco-funk, gospel & spacey-synth slow jams.
Flash forward 30 or so years later and lost dead-stock copies of the album start to appear and Marumo’s music begins to be heard across the world in the DJ sets of Motor City Drum Ensemble, Invisible City Editions, Floating Points, DJ Okapi and others.
We included the afro-disco-funk beauty of 'Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae?’ on our Mr Bongo Record Club Volume Three compilation, but felt ‘Modish’ needed to be available and heard in it’s entirety. We hope you enjoy!

Fast-rising Lisbon-based DJ/producer PEDRO has shared details of his long-awaited debut album, ‘Da Linha’, which releases on March 20 via Enchufada. First teased with the release of bubbling lead single ‘Calores’ in January, ‘Da Linha’ crowns a defining breakthrough three years for PEDRO that has seen him establish himself as one of Portugal’s most vibrant and exciting new-school producers. His debut EP, ‘EP ‘Damaia’ (2017) – named after the suburb of Lisbon he was born in – immediately signposted a bright, borderless club sound rooted in experimentation, which has since been best emphasised by 2019 releases including the Buraka Som Sistema-sampling ‘Rapazes’ and a breathless collaboration with Nigerian MC, Magugu (‘Too Much’), both of which feature on the LP tracklist.

First inspired by his older brother, who would introduce PEDRO to the latest electronic music coming out of Portugal, he still references DJ Rolando’s ‘Knights Of Jaguar’ as a memorable early touch point – a record he still credits with influencing the melodies he writes to this day. Living and growing up in Damaia, PEDRO also went to school with friends of Angolan, Cape Verdean, Brazilian and Mozambican descent, exposing him to a whole patchwork of new sounds and genres like kuduro and kizomba from a very young age. With such a rich and diverse musical upbringing, it is perhaps no wonder that ‘Da Linha’ is bursting with energy and colour across all 10 tracks, melding together the hyper-specific sounds, instruments and voices that have sound-tracked PEDRO’s life so far. From the marching, militant rhythm of ‘Stuck On You’ ft. standout Ghanaian MC, Bryte, to the silky, bubblegum vocals and gloopy, earworm melodies of closing track ‘Para Ti’ featuring Xcelencia, you’d be hard pushed to find a debut record that captures a city so viscerally.

Lazy Harts Club man Evan Baggs is not one for keeping up a regular release schedule; in fact, his last single of note appeared way back in 2015. This first appearance on Time Passages has arguably been worth the wait, though. The Neu Rochelle EP offers a quartet of contrasting cuts. For example, compare the rough-and-ready, bass-heavy Drexciyan space electro of "UTL", the rolling, acid-flecked old school tech-house of "Neu Rochelle", and the melodious machine jam that is closer "Still Breezin". Best of all, though, is "All Question All Answers", which comes on like an unlikely collaboration between 'Pure Trance' era KLF, bleep types Sweet Exorcist, and late '90s tech-house jams.

Known for its 808s, Bass, Alligators, & Cocaine Cowboys, Florida is the home of Vanguard Sound's Chris Mitchell, who follows his contribution to Squirrels On Acid with an EP of four absolute Rippers at the intersection of classic booty bass & new-school goth electro.

“Every Asshole” announces its presence with an up-tempo red-lined booty beat that will shake the walls of the Strip Mall Strip Club in any neighborhood. Funk is the key ingredient, and it is added generously, even when the synthesizer melodies bring in a darker texture. “Grippers” is more sinister, but no less funky. Dirty South Cold Wave at full frequency, propulsive & punk rock, but this is strictly party music at its core. The drum patterns stay in perpetual motion, programed with skill & precision. “Sh4” is another banger. The sound of a malfunctioning Fairlight over intricate drums & angular arpeggios. Mitchell's tracks never sit still, and again here, the drum programming shines. This is someone who has put in their 10, 000 hours on the MPC, and it shows. “Land Of Make Believe” slows things down & turns ups the Goth. Cybertron Sci Fi Soundtrack moods, but rump shaking nonetheless, wordless alien vocal textures & synth strings weave with the drums, which here are slightly more sparse than the previous tracks, but programmed with the same attention to detail.

If you're familiar with Chris Mitchell, this EP will not disappoint, & if this is your introduction to his music, you'll be wanting to hear more. This sixth release from the world of Squirrels is NOT for standing around at the party looking cool. This for shaking the tail, sweating with strangers at legendary all-ages club & birthplace of Miami Bass the Pac Jam in hedonistic abandon.

Max Essa completes a trio of terrific releases on Hell Yeah with The Great Adventure EP. It's packed with more grown up dance floor dynamite and later in the year will be collected together with the first two parts to make for a full album.

By now you will know that Essa is part of the UK's Balearic mafia. He's served up big tunes on Is It Balearic?, Aficionado, Music For Dreams, and his music always acts as a sonic raft that floats you out to sea and leaves you bobbing up and down in a state of pure bliss.

Opener 'Tombolo' starts as acoustic music and the sound of a muffled crowd but soon awakens into an uptempo affair littered with toms, guitar licks and claps that are driven by bumping drums. There are elements of old school, Italo and classic house but somehow it feels completely new and fresh as it takes you ever higher.

'The Great Adventure' is masterfully sun kissed disco with crisp 80s drums, love struck chords and a yacht rock feel that is pure joy, something like topless dancing with sand between your toes and umbrellas in your cocktails.

Closer 'Fool in the Pool' sinks into gentle tabla drums and unhurried chords. It's horizontal and thoughtful - the sound of a lazy afternoon somewhere on the Mediterranean coast, gazing at glistening seas through the romantic lens flare in your sunglasses.

This EP is already great feedback from the DJ dons who have been giving it early plays, so act now to snap up your first summer sounds of 2020.

Etruria is ready to launch its new "Astral series", a new output of exploring the deeper shades of techno, new languages, new horizons.

debuting the series is the young french "Blicz" who brings a fresh take of modern techno with a 3 tracks ep.

"Terraforma" leads the EP with raw, ravy and percussive beats, reflecting Blicz vision of extreme techno,

while "greet earthlings" break beating the flip of the ep with an hip hop influence rhythmic, with an old school rave synth taking back to basics.

"New hope " closing the ep in a softer sentimental way of deep and percussive touches on a heavy low ends.

4th album by this minimal wave band from Düsseldorf. Perfect Retro-NDW!

"Tracey's 'Microdancer' is the follow up to last years critically acclaimed 'Metamorphosis' EP. 2019 saw Tracey release his debut LP on Dial plus spin at Amsterdam's finest club De School for the first time, The 'Microdancer' EP shows Tracey's contemporary take on IDM + Electro, a timeless sound that's helped shape him as an artist."

In 1985, after five studio albums and two live albums with her band, Toyah decided to go solo, and signed to Sony’s Portrait label. Produced by Christopher Neil, “Minx” is Toyah's first true solo album and includes writing collaborations with her band members as well as with Simon Darlow (“Slave To The Rhythm”), and two UK hit singles in “Don’t Fall In Love (I Said)” and “Soul Passing Through Soul”, as well as covers of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” and Rare Bird’s Sympathy

Issued on vinyl for the first time since 1985, the album is pressed on 180 gram translucent red vinyl

What more can be said about Saint Petersburg producer Mikhail Khvasko, aka A Vision of Panorama that hasn’t been said before?
His ”Sentimental Coast’' EP continues to cultivate his unique glistening soundscape characterized by a lush jazz-tinged blissful Balearic ambience. The four original tracks here are a range of sun-drenched, unfolding narratives, full of gentle sounds and chords.

Smooth and vibe-focused ''Atlantic Dawn'' exudes sensuality-tethered vibe that is highly intoxicating. Emblazed with mysterious deep breaths and shimmering sonics that entrances the listener straight away to the whole release.

Disarmingly beautiful ''Mediterranean Tribal'' is an old school-fare downtempo jam with classic chilled out laid back Mediterranean instrumentation.

''Sentimental Coast'' is distinctly deeper and more emotive than his vintage synth-laden sounds and is one of his most fragile and still moments within a superbly arranged delicate piano solo.

On ''Vibechos'' things get more upbeat and aquatic, featuring beautiful chords and textures that float into the track with a sun-kissed vibe reminiscent of Italian dream house. “

- DJ Nova (Nova Planet Radio Show, Greece).

“Take The Leap!” (1994) saw Toyah revisit some of her classic hits – “It’s A Mystery”, “Thunder In The Mountains” and “I Wanna Be Free” – as well as earlier punk material in a heavy rock style. Six original compositions also feature, written with Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo), Cris Bonacci (Girls School) and Simon Darlow (Buggles). Includes previously unseen photography and adds five revisited classics on Side Four.

First ever release on vinyl, and pressed on 180 gram clear vinyl.

The Devonns dust off the golden age of Chicago Soul.
Straight from the streets of Chicago, Illinois, The Devonns (pronounced "De vaughns") are the brand new soul outfit and the latest addition of the Record Kicks' family, whose self-titled debut album that drops April 06, is an assortment of influences taking us back to the heyday of soul. "Tell Me" is the 1st single from their anticipated full length and sees the lights on limited edition 45 on March 06 and digital. Drawing influences from bands such as The Dramatics, The Isley Brothers and Leroy Hutson, yet bringing in their own unique modern twist, influenced by artists such as Jamie Lidell and Raphael Saadiq; singer Mat Ajjarapu explains how unintentionally, the rich heritage of Chicago's history with soul music influenced him. "The city was at the epicentre of a lot of good music back in the 50's all the way to the 80's, a lot of the labels specialising in soul were based in the Chicago and we even had our own sound known as "Chicago soul". Through several years of crate digging it surprised me how many songs I loved were recorded in this city, for example one of my favourites is this great little song by The Natural Four, produced by Leroy Hutson 'Can This Be Real', and released via Curtom Records." The band started in 2016 after multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mathew Ajjarapu dropped out of med school and found himself unemployed and drifting. Listening to music constantly at the time, he found inspired to put a band together and create his own music. Pairing up with some of the best musicians Chicago has to offer, he founded The Devonns: the rhythm duty is entrusted to Khalyle Hagood (bass), Ari Lindo (guitar) and Khori Wilson (drums).
Originally he wanted to focus on 50s style doo-wop, similar to The Flamingos; rich in reverb and vocal harmonies, but in the first initial practise they had it was evident the band clicked on their love of soul music from the 70s, so their music took a natural turn towards that sound, with tracks such as the Wilson Pickett-esque single 'Tell Me'.
The release took almost two years to complete as Mat explains "I am a perfectionist, I had a very specific vision in my head about how it should sound and I wasn't going to rest until I achieved it." "This is a definitely a throwback soul record, as well as being drawn to lush and intricate arrangements of Motown, I was also inspired by the more lo-fi works of smaller labels such as Chess and Capsoul, and I wanted to capture the magic they had in those recordings in our record, as everything feels too precise nowadays" clarifies Mat. It was thanks to his engineer Mike Hagler, who introduced him to Paul Von Mertons (Mavis Staples, Paul McCartney, Elton John) who arranges and conducts for Brian Wilson's live touring show and after a 45 minute phone conversation about what Mat wasn't keen on, on the album, he realised Paul totally understood where he was coming from. After a few months wait for Paul to get back from touring they entered the studio with "Paul's players" and as soon as they hit record, Mat explains "I was getting chills up my neck, it was one of the happiest days of my life, and finally we had nailed it!"

Another win for the Glowing Pin as Müller & Wandt drop a fresh new age groover on a killer club dub tip. Elsewhere Phazer Boys, Suzanne Kraft, Philipp Otterbach and River Yarra remix the pscht out of their favourite tracks from ‘Instrumentalmusik..’. Expect Goan hits, cosmic trips, loved up rave and chilled out wave on this flawless five tracker.

Growing Bin becomes Glowing Pin for the most anticipated rematch of the century. Back at the beginning of 2018, Wolf Müller and Niklas Wandt went head to head for a box office smash, throwing a high school percussion tray, wall of hardware and voodoo skull into the ring for the tribal trip of ‘Instrumentalmusik Von Der Mitte Der World’. Now the multi-instrumental duo face off once again, but this time it’s a royal rumble with Phazer Boys, Suzanne Kraft, Phillip Otterbach and River Yarra all bringing the noise to the Glowing Pin.

Müller and Wandt dominate the action on the A1, playing loose with sampler vox, serene pads and future primitive rhythms on the unreleased ‘Fun Dub’ of the also unreleased ‘Dub Dub’. Imagine Ferris Bueller’s trampoline tumble trading Chicago to the Weissenhof and you’ll sense the mood of this New Age groove. Germany’s number one party dudes, those freaky Phazer Boys take a break from dropping killer Candomblé cuts to reach for the lasers on the A2, taking ‘Ahu’ to another dimension. Dripping in neon body paint and armed with fire poi, the Düsseldorf duo power up progressive house sequences, didgeridoo bass and thumping tribal house percussion for a wall-shaking, speaker-breaking remix.

The B1 belongs to synth whiz Suzanne Kraft who revels in glistening, gliding glory on an expansive remix of ‘Auflösung’. Sleek, serene and futuristic, the track shimmers like Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, free from inequality and rendered with the 5D(ub?) majesty of a DMT breakthrough.
B2 hears Salon associate and serious talent Philipp Otterbach take over on a stripped back and psychedelic post punk dub of ‘Expedition’. Angular bass by Süne Große and a stuttering rhythm underpin astral flourishes and the hazy vocals of Lucas Croon before the African elements begin to move to the forefront.
Last man standing is Australian outlier River Yarra, who leads us into the Krautback with a chugging dub of ‘Weltraumsandalen’. Lent a lysergic sparkle by a percolating one-note bassline, this slow motion stunner masters perpetual motion amid the eerie echoes of the bush, organic percussion and electronic animal cries fading into the night. Let the pins glow again.

Patrick Ryder

Stap me! When you think you've heard it all, someone comes up with more earth shattering music, restoring your faith in humanity (well, almost). Back in the early 2000s, after locating those first Moondog 78s, and adding them to the mix at Honest Jons, assembling the compilation that became The Viking of Sixth Avenue, was a kind of musical cloud nine - a voyage of discovery, attempting to chart the worlds that Moondog had created. Now it's Spring again - as winter encroaches - and Mississippi expose us to some never before heard material. It's killer grade, recorded by yet another genius, Tony Schwartz, the pioneering Folkways field recordist, the first man to record Louis Hardin, aka Moondog, who in the 1950s also recorded a day in the life of a dog canine variety and a New York cab driver, among many others.

Behold! A survey of Moondog’s earliest recorded works - many of them unreleased until now - through a collaboration by Mississippi Records and Lucia Records. From 1954 - 1962 field recordist Tony Schwartz frequently checked in with Moondog, his favorite street musician. Tony Schwartz made recordings of Moondog’s earliest compositions as they were coming into focus. Sometimes these recordings were made right on the street as Moondog busked, sometimes they were made in Schwartz’s studio, and sometimes they were made on NYC rooftops. The resulting recordings, many of which had never been released, were deposited at the Library Of Congress as part of the Tony Schwartz Collection in 2006 when Schwartz passed away, and this record was culled straight from these original tapes.

Side one kicks off with an unreleased version of Moondog’s classic composition “Why Spend The Dark Night With You?” followed by the first ever complete recording of his “Nocturne Suite,” a beautiful piece of classical music performed with members of the Royal Philharmonic. The side ends with the complete “On The Streets Of New York” 7” EP, which was released on Mars records in 1955 and subsequently re-released by Honest Jon’s Records in 2004 on their excellent Moondog anthology. Side B features sketches of Moondog compositions never released, many with the man himself howling and chanting over his homemade percussion set.

Moondog’s music is as universal as it gets - part classical music, part Native American, part European folk, and part something completely unique. Moondog is one of the towering figures of 20th century music. This record comes with liner notes featuring never before released interviews with Moodog by Tony Schwartz and is housed in an old school “tip on” cover. All tracks fully licensed from the Library of Congress.

The compilation "Celestial Birds" reveals and focuses on the widely unkown electronic compositions of the AACM founder and jazz pianist MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS. #5 in the Perihel Series, curated by zeitkratzer director REINHOLD FRIEDL.

Anybody interested in jazz knows that Chicago has always been an impressive hot spot for new talents – and still is. One essential landmark in the history and development of jazz was the founding of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) in May 1965. This non-profit organization was a melting pot (and starting point) for artists like ANTHONY BRAXTON, ROSCOE MITCHELL, GEORGE LEWIS or LESTER BOWIE and his ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO but one of its actual founding members is known only to the deep connaisseurs: MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS (1930 – 2017).
The autodidact pianist and composer left music school and university, deciding to learn music by himself.

From 1961 on, the EXPERIMENTAL BAND was his first ensemble, but it soon turned out that ABRAMS' interests went beyond jazz and that he was open to the avant-garde and new music and most of all: electronic music. Which led to a double problem: On the one hand, black musicians had almost no access to the rare electronic music studios located in and funded by universities or broadcasting corporations. On the other hand, there were strong reservations regarding electronic music in the black music community.

In his important book "A Power Stranger Than Itself – The AACM and American Experimental Music" GEORGE LEWIS writes that "the use of electronics … proved controversial and widely misunderstood in a world of jazz in which acoustic instruments became conflated with musical, and eventually, cultural and even racial authenticity." ABRAMS' response was to actually "hide" his electronic pieces on the B-sides of his albums, and this compilation focuses on some of his best electronic experiments: the 22-minute long epic "The Bird Song" from 1968 in its original version incl. the reverb that was removed on the later CD reissue on DELMARK, the synthesizer compositions "Conversations With The Three Of Me" (1989) and "Think All, Focus One"1995) plus " Spihumonesty" (1980) with a 2nd synthesizer played by GEORGE LEWIS and YOUSEF YANCEY on theremin.

"Celestial Birds" casts a new light on the underrated experimenter MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS, his innovative approach to composition and pieces that lay dormant for way too long!

Now available in February with a big price reduction. Split Coloured Vinyl (Clear & “Schoolly D Yellow”). Olly was a musician, drum-programming wizard and force of nature, and he would go on to shock the world with his in-your-face approach to making music – as bombastic lyrically as he was musically. He simply gave no f*cks, and listeners were drawn into his street-influenced vortex of “b-boy rhyme and riddle.” As noted in the liner notes to this special release:
“The demand for “P.S.K.” was so large that nationwide bootlegging was a major distribution avenue, albeit an unpaid one. ‘Those bootleggers made me big because, when it came down to it, I didn’t have the money to get the records out there,’ Schoolly says.

‘The person who helped me figure that sh*t out was Luke Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew and Luke Skyywalker Records. He took me all over Miami and showed me all the different bootlegged versions of my own records. It was crazy.’” On the flipside of “P.S.K.,” Schoolly gave the world another classic: “Gucci Time.” Flexing brutal brag muscles, it was another gangsta masterpiece, furthering his legend and bringing even more 909 boom to the still expanding rap world. The opening lines are still quoted by scholars of the game today: “Lookin’ at my Gucci/It’s about that time.”

Get On Down presents this classic for the first time in deluxe form, which is also fully Schoolly-approved: a custom 12-inch sleeve adorned with Schoolly-D’s famed artwork; unique split clear & yellow vinyl; a liner notes insert featuring Schoolly’s own look back on the year 1985 as told to author Brian Coleman; and a unique sticker sheet with 8 images taken from the artwork on this 12-inch cover (which was first seen on his early 12-inches, as well as his 1985 Schoolly-D EP and 1986’s Saturday Night: The Album).

"Me Against the World" is the third studio album by 2 Pac, released on 14th March, 1995 by Out Da Gutta/Interscope Records. Drawing lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and poverty, the album is described as being 2 Pac’s most introspective album

Released while 2 pac was imprisoned, the album made an immediate impact on the charts, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200. “Dear Mama” was released as the album’s first single in February 1995 and would be the album’s most successful single, topping the Hot Rap Singles chart, and peaking at the ninth spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Me Against the World" won best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards. In 1996, at the 38th Grammy Awards, Me Against the World was nominated for Best Rap Album and the single “Dear Mama” was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Touted as “confessional,” “reflective,” and “soul-baring,” Me Against the World was as one of 2pac’s most positively reviewed albums,
with many calling it the magnum opus of his career.

The work is considered one of the greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all time. In 2008, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recognized 'Me Against the World' as one of the “most influential and popular albums,” ranking it number 170 on a list of 200 other albums by artists of various musical genres.

For years, Rhythm Buro and Zadig have maintained a special relationship. The French DJ and producer (real name Sylvain Peltier,) became involved with the Ukrainian institution when he headlined their first party in Kyiv back in 2014. In the few years since, both Sylvain and Rhythm Buro have developed into strong international brands that have become well-known and trusted. They are thus ready to present another form of collaboration: Zadig's debut record on the Kyiv-based label. "Takara-machi" EP is the sixth release in Rhythm Buro's catalogue, following previous releases by Haze, Na Nich, Cyspe and a few VAs on the imprint.

RB006 is particularly notable for its sonic diversity. Zadig, often known for his uncompromising and hard-hitting techno ventures, explores a deeper musical side here, and delves into his wide range of influences and inspirations. A good example of this is found in the manga series "Amer Beton", with the excellent soundtrack by Plaid, hence the Japanese name for the record's title track. At least three of the six tracks on the record follow this influence precisely and are rather cinematic: these are A and B sides' closing tracks; "Shores of Sorrow" and "Kuro & Shiro". Both of which play to a certain dreamy ambient field. The title track on B2 exemplifies Zadig's passion towards an old-school 100 bpm-ish tempo.

And then there's the more dancey side of the record. The EP's opener, "No-face" on A1, and its following tune on A2, "What We Become" are both a clear take, albeit more modern, to classic Detroit techno. Rich with melodies and 909 patterns, both A1 and A2 are conscious in their reference to Detroit, and pay homage to the master minds that spawned the genre in their studios 30 years ago and started it all. The B-side's opening track is another dance floor friendly stomper, although in a different way: "A World of Children" may be best labelled as "slower-electro". Its synth-heavy, almost naive essence, describe its name perfectly.

Despite its aforementioned diversity of sound and tempos, Zadig's "Takara-machi" EP still possesses and maintains a unique commonality and voice across the spectrum. It is dreamy, it is soulful, it puts substance over form. In other words, it has something the vast majority of today's techno palette is missing. Rhythm Buro doesn't miss the mark in unearthing and releasing pure quality for those who know and care.

Widely and rightly regarded as one of the best ever soul and funk bands, the now legendary Average White Band tore-up the rule book and conquered the US, UK & International charts with a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. AWB’s repertoire has been a source of inspiration and influence for many R&B acts and they are one of the most sampled bands in history, remaining relevant today, continuing to reach new generations of younger audiences. Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, Ice Cube, Puff Daddy, TLC, Rick Ross, will.i.am and Mark Ronson amongst countless others, have all borrowed sections of their grooves. ‘Person To Person’ is the 5th album by AWB, originally released at the end of 1976. The Double album was recorded live during their Sold-Out US Tour at Tower Theater and The Spectrum, Philadelphia and at The Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh; The Coliseum, Cleveland. It was produced by Atlantic’s legendary producer, Arif Mardin and reached #28 in the USA. ‘Person To Person’ includes an 18-minute funk/jam of ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ and a 9-minute extravaganza in ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’.

Container is the project of American noise veteran Ren Schofield, originally from Providence, Rhode Island, and now based in London. Container first appeared at the turn of the decade with a slew of freakish tapes for various small labels. In wake of thesereleases, Editions Mego offshoot Spectrum Spools –run by old friend John Elliott of the band Emeralds –took the punt to release his debut LP, a collection of mutated Techno tracks simply titled ‘LP’.

The record gained attention quickly in the Electronicmusic scene largely thanks to Schofield’s unique production style that separates him from forms of conventional dance music. Whilst the music of Container sits perfectly fine within the genre and is functional enough to blow apart the walls of any club, years on the US noise circuit have given Schofield’s brand of techno a rawness and direct intensity that stands out in the club and crosses over into other sub-sections of the underground.

His modest set up of Roland MC-909, a four-track porta studio and anarray of pedals allowed him to hone his scuzzy and bewildering beat music over the years, leading to three more well received, and literally titled, LP’s. Over this time period Container also released some EPs on Morphine, Liberation Technologies and Diagonal, did a variety of remixes for acts likeFour Tet, The Body, Panda Bear and Fucked Up plus maintained a healthy touring schedule that reached over every continent.

His exhilarating live show has hit pretty much every major electronic music festival andclub in Europe, as well as tours and gigs with a diverse range of acts such as Wolf Eyes, Zola Jesus, Daughters, Pharmakon and Ryley Walker.Almost a decade since his debut, Container arrives on ALTER with his first non-”LP” titled album called ‘Scramblers’. The title taken from both a Baltimore street drug and a Rhode Island Diner he used to eat at with his father.

Schofield elaborates: “The juxtaposition between these two Scramblers is a great one. I wanted to pay homage to a nice name that lends itself to both depraved and wholesome contexts and do my part to carry on the tradition.” The eight tracks have their origins in live performance and a more high-octane delivery is noticeable when compared with previous Container albums.

‘Mottle’ sits in a mysterious zone between the productions of EVOL and early Ruff Sqwad. Fierce electro cuts like ‘Trench’ and ‘Nozzle’ work alongside the nauseous slink of ‘Duster’, which in typical Container fashion morphs into a frenzy in no time.

A frenzy which may be linkedcosmically to the fact that ‘Scramblers’ was recorded, mixed and mastered in one day, reinforcing further his unorthodox and fun approach to club music.