Suche:space art

Launching its first compilation, Fastgroove Klub gathers astrong lineup of artists who share the same vision of high-energy, uncompromising techno.

This debut VariousArtists release highlights the essence of the label: rawintensity, fast-paced grooves, and a forward-thinkingapproach deeply rooted in the spirit of the '90s.

Featuring contributions from Felicie, Lars Huismann, Steve Redhead, Kabay, Fhase 87, and Vrov, the VAexplores a wide spectrum of styles while keeping thedancefloor at its center. Each track carries the distinctsignature of its creator, yet together they form a unifiedstatement that reflects the label's ethos: relentlessrhythms for unstoppable momentum.

With this first collective effort, Fastgroove Klub sets thetone for what lies ahead - a space where energy, passion,and uncompromising techno collide.

Group Rhoda returns to Dark Entries with Phase 5, a new LP of synthesizer-driven art-pop. An integral member of the West Coast electronic music scene, Mara Barenbaum has been writing, performing, and plunging into oneiric depths as Group Rhoda since 2009. Barenbaum’s songcraft is at once stylistically diffuse and laser-focused, a synesthetic approach that allows her to effortlessly glide between genres and soundworlds while centering her singular poetics. On Phase 5, her fifth LP as Group Rhoda, we find Barenbaum waxing nondualistic. Lines between fairytale and fact, between nature and art, between subject and object all dissolve under contemplation.

The songs on Phase 5 are perpetually in-between states, deftly shifting form at the blink of an eye. With sleight of hand, “Field Tone” transmutes from brooding John Carpenter-esque electro into vocoder-driven space disco. “Dragon Pine” darts from cosmic dub to cybernetic dancehall and back again. The uptempo darkwave-leaning number “Aeolian Crossing” dissolves into the void, like sand falling through one’s fingers, like a retreating wave. The cover artwork for Phase 5 is by Shawn Reed, and features purple lilies and light refracted through water. All songs on this album were mastered by Ruud Lekx. The digital version of Phase 5 will be released via Katabatik, a label and sound system that Barenbaum has had close ties to for the past decade.

With centuries of history, traditional instruments carry physical vibrations shaped by human breath and touch.
In contrast, electronic music generates vibrations through inorganic principles such as electrical signals and circuits. When the subtle tremors of traditional instruments resonate with the intricate tones of electronic sounds in an improvised dialogue, performers from distinct realms expand each other’s languages, creating a new sensory experience.
The project album Ancient Moment marks the first collaboration between the Korean contemporary music ensemble WhatWhy Art and the Seoul underground electronic music collective vurt.. It is a record of a free journey where two different worlds collide and merge, breaking cultural boundaries and dismantling aesthetic hierarchies.In Part 2 of the album, you will hear boundless performances by haegeum player Jieun Kang with electronic musician Djilogue, and Whatwhy Art with electronic musician Siot.
The recording was done in an improvised one-take format at STUDIO Y in Seoul, and Giuseppe Tillieci mastering enhanced the sonic quality.
Credit
Jieun Kang / Haegeum
Hong Yoo / Daegeum
Hwayoung Lee / Gayageum
Woongsik Kim / Korean Traditional Percussion
Djilogue / Electronics
Siot / Electronics
Produced by Hong Yoo, Yoojun
Executive Produced by Jieun Kang
Designed by Yoojun
Motion Graphic Video Created by Nahsol
Live Sound Recorded by Jeong Morgan at STUDIO Y
Mastered by Giuseppe Tillieci at Enisslab
Supported by Arts Council Korea (ARKO)
Distributed by Space Cadets
Released by WhatWhy Art & vurt.

Third Space returns with ‘Third Wave’ and it’s a big one! The latest Various Artists EP gathers four deep and soulful house cuts from talented producers SY, Mbius, Jay Gadian, and label boss Miguel Seabra. A tribute to vibey, musical house tracks made for both the soul and the dancefloor. Each tune stands strong as an anthem, respecting the rich heritage of house music while dressing it in fresh, modern grooves. True to Third Space tradition, ‘Third Wave’ arrives as a limited vinyl-only release, capped at 150 copies with a strict no repress clause. A must-have for collectors and house music enthusiasts alike.

Mastered by: Miguel Seabra at Aura Project Studio

Distributed by: Carpet Distribution

nagoyaka na kaze / 和やかな風 (quiet wind): a collection of forward-thinking electronic experiments sourced from central Japan - co-curated by Nagoya artist abentis for Facta & K-LONE’s Wisdom Teeth imprint.

The project profiles a close-knit community of music makers operating in and around the Japanese city of Nagoya: one of the country’s most populous and industrial cities, but one all too often overlooked in terms of its cultural significance.

Curated in close collaboration with local scene organiser Yuya Abe - aka abentis - the record seeks to capture the creative energy of a community of artists making hard-to-define, future-facing electronic music away from the clamour of the bigger cities. “In Nagoya, there’s a strong culture of supporting artists. Even if you pursue music in your own way, as long as it’s good, you’re encouraged to keep doing what you want”, explains abentis. “Within that environment, my generation has been able to freely bring in elements we like from all kinds of genres, combine them in our own way, and express ourselves individually. If you go to Tokyo or Osaka, that kind of freedom isn’t something you can take for granted.” Spiritually, Nagoya fits the mould of cultural hotbeds like Bristol, Detroit or Melbourne, showing that some of the most innovative creative communities form away from the glare of the capital cities. Like Detroit, Nagoya is principally known for being a major auto manufacturing hub, famous for being the home of Toyota Motors - but behind the scenes, it is quietly harbouring one of Japan’s most vibrant and forward-thinking electronic music scenes. “In a good way, Nagoya is a bit removed from the cutting edge, so you find people making all kinds of music”, explains Karnage. “If you’re making music, you feel like part of the crew, and people of different ages mix together without much hierarchy.” The city’s music scene is characterised by a freedom to mix genres and an open-door approach to creatives of all disciplines. The artists featured come from a diverse set of backgrounds, ranging from hip-hop to noise music, but have found a common collective identity in their omnivorous approach to genre. As such, the record moves fluidly between shimmering ambient and new age (Am Shhara, DHYAN, daiki hayakawa), psychedelic minimal house (Methodd, abentis), abstract, low-slung downtempo (baptisma, Nasty Soupman) and spaceage steppas (Karnage). “I’d say the way ambient, new age and that kind of sound design are blending nicely with dance music feels somewhat new”, says baptisma, the crew’s eldest member and de-facto scene leader. Responsible for bringing artists like Basic Channel, Mala and Jan Jelinek to the city, baptisma has been crucial in establishing underground electronic music in Nagoya since the 90s, and now helps cultivate the next generation of local talent. “Artists and DJs are seamlessly mixing ambient and new age with techno, house and bass music. I think that’s a really interesting development.” nagoyaka na kaze has its roots in a one-off event held in October 2024 as part of the 10 Years of Wisdom Teeth Japan tour. Curated by abentis in collaboration with Facta & K-LONE, the showcase featured live sets from eight artists based in and around Nagoya at one of the city’s key dance music hubs, Club JB’s. Each of the artists features again here, on record, presenting an original commission produced especially for the project. The record’s art direction was led by Yudai Osawa - in-house designer for Kankyō Records, the much-loved Tokyo record shop run by H. Takahashi - and features original photos by Hayato Watanabe.

Roto makes his PILLZ debut with Lose Yourself, a high-voltage statement from one of Spain’s fastest-rising names. Across four razor-sharp cuts, the EP reflects a shared vision between artist and label: music with deliberate intent—sometimes hypnotic, sometimes fast and direct, and at moments pared down to pure introspection. Lose Yourself carries that spirit throughout, built to lock the floor under peak-time pressure while opening space for release in the glow of sunrise. Already echoing through the underground, it’s primed to soundtrack the circuit.

With this release, Roto steps forward as one of the new voices shaping tomorrow’s dance floor, balancing mystery, pace, and stripped-back tension.

Isa Gordon and Tony Morris were first brought together through their individual releases on Optimo Music, which established mutual respect within the label’s community. While they had not previously performed live together, they were invited to take part in a fundraiser hosted by Queen’s Park Arena in support of Glasgow NW Foodbank and later for JD Twitch’s end-of-life care. Tony asked Isa to contribute guitar and backing vocals to his set, including a track then called Last Night I Had a Dream. That performance became the seed for their collaboration.

The first phase of fleshing it out, recalls Tony: “Somebody said Isa sang like Shania Twain. That got me thinking about country music and call and response, prompting me to come up with alternative lyrics.” Isa remembers: “I cycled over to Tony’s house with my guitar, and we spoke about what the tune meant. It was about him being wrapped up in dreamland, luxuriating in his subconscious, while my character — impatient and trapped in her own routines — barely had time to remember her own dreams.” Tony continues: “Brilliantly I realised that I could never collaborate with anyone in situ and so I sat in the garden for two hours watching my wife tend to plants. Every now and again I would creep up the stairs and put my ear to the door. I could hear Isa warbling away and so would resume my garden watch. After two hours I went back upstairs to see how she was getting on, only to find that she had written one of the greatest songs I’d ever heard. I still think that.” Tony adds: “My overwhelming sentiment about Wake Up Baby is pride. I can honestly say that I’m more proud of it than anything else I have done. It ticks a whole load of boxes. Isa’s singing in various Scottish modes is unique. The way her electric guitar adorns the dance beat makes it a rock song as well as a dance and a C&W song — truly multi-genre.”

The B-side of the 12” release, Syringe Moustache, is a surreal, darkly playful counterpart to Wake Up Baby. The track was inspired by a dream Tony had: “I was in a shopping mall, in a two-level shoe shop, and my attention was taken by a little girl with a syringe taped beneath her nose like a moustache. She went about her business trying on shoes, confident and wise beyond her years. In the dream, I imagined her as the daughter of cultured, intelligent parents determined to raise her independently. I was struck by my own feelings of inadequacy — I knew I could never have coped with such a contraption myself.” Isa’s take on the meaning of this song somewhat differs: “Tony sent me the tune over Instagram months before I met him, and I was spooked — as far as I knew, he didn’t know anything about me, but the story felt like it was written about me as a little girl, growing up around heroin addiction. The syringe beneath the girl’s nose became a symbol of the inescapable constraints of that environment, literally written on her face, yet something you just have to carry on through. On a buzz from the serendipity, I added a full instrumental backing to this most bizarre of works.”

The result is absurd, unsettling, and strangely empowering, staking out its own surreal, cinematic space. The 12” dance single is a format Tony had long wanted to explore — a tangible artefact to leave for family, a medium that celebrates the physicality of sound and the ritual of listening. It allowed the artists to maximise the format’s potential: a strong, multi-genre A-side, a surreal B-side, and remixes that expanded the record’s sonic world. Glasgow music staples Auntie Flo and 100% Positive Feedback were invited to reinterpret the tracks, bringing their distinctive touch — Auntie Flo transforming the A-side into a luscious, dancefloor-ready meditation, and 100% Positive Feedback twisting Syringe Moustache into absurd, playful shapes with false-start drops and over-the-top vocal editing.

The cover photograph, taken at the University Café by Harrison Reid, captures Isa and Tony embodying the characters they brought to life in the songs — a visual reflection of the record’s narrative and emotional stakes. The Café also holds personal significance: it’s where all of Isa’s meetings with Keith McIvor took place, where she first remembers visiting Glasgow as a child, and a place Tony fondly likes to go to drip egg yolk down his tie and watch the world go by. Together, the 12” format, the remixes, and the artwork create a cohesive, tactile experience, amplifying the duality, theatricality, and emotional breadth of the collaboration.

The mysterious artist behind the alias Your Ex returns after a self-released EP in 2025 and a deep house killer 7-inch on Scruniversal Records in 2023. Now joining Vibes And Pepper Records, Your Ex opens 2026 with a five-track EP that channels a European twist on Chicago deep house—warm basslines, soulful chords, and hypnotic percussion layered with emotional depth and a timeless groove. Drawing inspiration from Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Library Music, Dub, and “out there” Electronic sounds, Your Exalso draws deeply from the foundational vibrations of Chicago and Detroit. These influences flow through every track—lush harmonies, intricate rhythms, and raw analog textures that bridge eras and styles. Staying true to an elusive identity, Your Ex lets the music speak: smoky late-night grooves, dusty hardware tones, and an undeniable sense of movement that nods to the roots while pushing forward. With Vibes And Pepper, the artist continues to blur the line between mystery and motion—a perfect start to the new year for those who still believe in the deep.

Irradiated is the second LP on Appendix.files from Berlin-based sound artist and producer Kurt Reinartz Salgado. Across eight tracks, Reinartz explores the space between dub-techno lineage and ambient experimentation — what he describes as “ADHD-ambient.” Drawing from ’90s German techno and Chain Reaction-era dub, the album blends elastic 4/4 rhythms, fractured breaks, submerged bass pressure, and patient, detail-driven atmospheres.

The record moves from deep dub openings through porous rhythmic studies and warm melodic ruptures, before closing with hydrophone and geophone recordings from Berlin’s Kaulsdorfer See — grounding the LP in physical space and material listening.

Tom Joyce’s sought after Sounds Benefit label marks their milestone tenth release with “7 Years Of Sounds Benefit”, a carefully curated selection of essential artists and rising talents presented as a double vinyl LP. The two slabs of wax manoeuvre between innovative electro and refined flavours of house and techno for trained ears.

First up is a reissue from S-Max, New Delhi Projects, previously released on Below back in ‘99. A chugging display of sounds that were way ahead of their time. After featuring on SND002, Ben Cohen makes his comeback on the label with Short Night, a breakbeat journey which boasts beautiful and emotive chord progressions. The B side features somewhat of a rarity as Etienne shares a track, Gateway Experience, futuristic energy from the accomplished producer, layered with subtle yet effective acid tones. Label head Tom Joyce delivers 7:15pm, a dreamy quest through melt in your mind synths and punchy electro drum patterns.

As we approach the second vinyl, we uncover further gems from the archive as Lowtec kindly shares his unreleased La Java 2014, which was created circa. 2000. Javier Carballo and Aniano have been making positive movements with their Hdz moniker in recent times, and Moog is another stamp of approval, a warm bass line converses with the crisp drums and spaced out elements. On the flip, Berlin based Englishman Rob Amboule turns out a killer elasticated groove which takes you for a late night shuffle in Scrap It. Huge fun for the hazy hours on the dance floor. Nuversion, formerly known as Juliano, showcases his debut track under this name with Crepuscule, addressing further pensive moods with his classy production. Ending the fantastic release in a meditative state of mind, cruising on sweet melodies.

ROTCIV is back with his new EP ‘Memory’, which marks the 20th release on Beartrax’s label Melodize. Throughout the record, the Berlin-based and native Brazilian producer explores his signature dark, mysterious, and atmospheric vibes shaped by the underground and queer club nights and dance-floors that fuel his sound, refined by over almost 30 years behind the decks.

Maintaining Melodize’s specialized sound deep-rooted in moody electronic principles, the EP opens with ‘Memory’, a piercing, dark, synth dynamic alongside rich tonal textures in both harmony and melodies alike. Unapologetic, yet calming and reminiscent of a slow drive through the winter nights; cold, yet bold, sharp, and comforting.

First to remix ‘Memory’ with a nostalgic, synth-heavy 80’s remix is Frankfurt-based DJ, producer, and visual artist Chinaski. Integrating his signature bold synth hooks into the track, Chinaski knows how to roll in with longing sentimentality. The remix features a bouncier approach with re-envisioned acoustic percussion and catchy synth arps, along with an eery dark disco feel.

On the B side, Rotciv kicks in with ‘Trintage’, which gives a sinister sensation with its hypnotising bass synth lines alongside contrasting, choir-like pads. Seeping with articulate poly-rhythmic synth arps, Trintage guides the listener to be indulged into a dream-like state on the border between both digital and analogue soundscapes, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.

Next up is New York-based and founder of Samo Records, Facets, who takes on the next remix for ‘Trintage’ with a more electro-grunge techno approach consisting of heavier four to the floor kicks in company of Rotciv’s hypnotic textures. Having shifted the synth melody rhythmically, a sense of space and tension is created within the soundworld of this track. The play between gritty bass-end synths along with softer, textured high-ends helps emphasize the groove injected into this remix.

One last remix of ‘Memory’ by Melodize’s own label founder, Beartrax, rounds out the EP. Available exclusively via digital bonus, Beartrax features his deeply hypnotic aesthetic by driving in ethereal synths alongside cosmic arps and slow-rolling rhythmic and pulsating groove lines.

It’s with great pride that we announce this amazing album on Optimo Music from Portland-based duo Natural Magic. It was the final vinyl release that Keith McIvor aka JD Twitch put into production before his untimely departure in late September this year.

Having been a long time lover of everything krautrock, space rock, experimental and psychedelic it seems more than fitting that he leaves us this LP as his parting gift; because this sublime album is all these things wrapped up into one and much more.

The album’s opening track “Galaxy Builder”, with its driving tempo, monolithic bass and screaming guitars might give the impression we’re about to hear a Neu for the 21st Century, but no, by the 2nd track we’re already on the first of several wild detours into uncharted territories: part shoe gaze, part ethereal, part psychedelia it’s a unique piece of beautiful euphoria from start to finish. By the time we reach the end of the A-side’s closing track “Distant Bells” the whole place is in tears after hearing possibly one of the most poignant pieces of electronic music of the entire year.

The B-side takes us even deeper into this trip through the duo’s homeland in the Pacific Northwest opening with “Skyward Eye”. If the Orb had ever teamed up with Slowdive and gotten Andrew Weatherall on production this could be it. “Get It Right” is a fuzz-filled epic with heavy dub leanings and meanings...it soars high up into the beyond and prepares us for “Ride”; an unashamed space voyage in the true sense…cosmic guitars, laden with FX; before returning gently down to the rolling green hills of Earth with the closing track “Chugsby’s Theme”. Whoever Chugsby is, his vibe is organic, deeply grounded and beautiful.

In the duo’s own words:

“Natural Magic II is a west coast road trip soundtrack for the fading summer. Taking inspiration from the majesty and myths of their home in the Pacific Northwest, the seven track album is culled from the late night, dimly lit, live sessions of Mike McKinnon on keys/drums and Matthew Quiet on bass. Overdubs of guitar, synths and percussion followed. All this from the same space they throw their legendary Limited Edition parties - all-night free experimentation celebrations in their own right. The album art work is handmade flower pigments, opium poppy pollen ink and wood-scrap charcoal by their friend and collaborator Pith Cocomici. Roll the widows down, tilt the seat back and turn it up. Gas, grass or black mass... there's magic in the hills.

With Stronger, her third EP, Mira Ló continues her rapid ascent within the French electronic scene. A cathartic project born from a period of personal upheaval, this EP is both a cry of resilience and a celebration of club culture as a space for healing. The Paris-based queer producer and DJ turns pain into creative force, and the dancefloor into refuge, release, and rebirth. Across four emotionally charged tracks, Stronger traces the contours of a club where one rises through the energy of the beat, the warmth of a caring community, and the affirmation of self through sound and movement. “This EP is my response to a very dark period in my life. I chose to turn pain into strength, to stand back up through music, and to reconnect with joy, intensity, and the collective. Each track follows a movement, of a body rising, a heart beating stronger, a soul regaining its light. Stronger is also a tribute to those who carried me when I could no longer stand on my own. It's proof that even in chaos, we can rebuild together.” Mira Ló The first chapter of this inner journey, “Riser” is a house track filled with enveloping melodies, ethereal pads, and organic chords that create a suspended sonic space. Its steady pulse and warm basslines evoke a rising from within. “I wanted this track to feel like a build-up, like breathing again. It's about that moment when you feel you're ready to rise once more, even after a fall, like a gentle but powerful wave,” says Mira Ló. With its R&B textures, pop-infused touches, and radiant production, “Brighter” glows with warmth. It captures the return of inner clarity, the rediscovery of joy and ease. Made to bring people together, it’s Instagram | Youtube | TikTok | SoundCloudboth immediate and heartfelt. “It’s a song about shining again, after the dark. I wanted something full of light and simplicity, a track that speaks to the heart and makes you want to dance without thinking.” A personal and introspective nod to the French Touch, “Higher” is driven by filtered basslines and hypnotic grooves. It channels a sense of euphoria that builds gradually, almost meditatively, like a joyful vertigo. “This track is about finding euphoria again, that moment when music lifts you beyond yourself. I grew up with the French Touch, and this is my way of coming back to it with my own voice.” Closing the journey, “Louder” is the most assertive track on the EP. Inspired by the UK bassline and garage scene, it bursts with percussive, punchy energy. This is where everything comes into full light, bold, unapologetic, and free. “I wrote Louder as a statement: I’m here, I exist, and I won’t stay silent anymore. It’s about partying as self-affirmation, as a joyful, powerful scream of identity. Meant to be played loud. Very loud.” Mira Ló, born Ana Lopez, is a queer producer and DJ based in Paris. Drawing from the full spectrum of club music, her sets and productions blend melancholic emotion with a unique, high-energy, euphoric touch - inspired by artists like Disclosure, salute, and Sammy Virji. From her early days playing in Parisian bars and intimate clubs, she quickly rose to the lineups of top French venues and festivals such as Peacock Society, Marvellous Island, and Lollapalooza - extending her reach across Europe and even to Chicago. She’s carved out a strong place for herself within the new wave of the French electronic scene, leaving a lasting impression with every appearance. In 2023, she released her debut EP Memories and was featured in Apple Music’s “Women In Electronic” series. That same year, she became a resident at Sacré in Paris, before unveiling her second EP Tribute To Chicago in 2024. She returns in 2025 with her third release, Stronger - once again proving she’s one of the most promising artists shaping the future of electronic music.

After a longtime interest in the beguiling music of Nathan Dawidowicz, Hell Yeah now hooks up with the leftfield downtempo producer for their second full-length album, FLUFF. The immersive record features three long, winding and mystical soundscapes that blend trance and experimental into spiritual and ritualistic escapes.

Dawidowicz was born in Milan to a Polish-Lithuanian mother and a Cameroonian father, but grew up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem. Because of that, their sound is deeply rooted in childhood experiences playing the piano at religious ceremonies, as well as taking inspiration from their father’s DJing throughout the '80s and '90s. Now based in Berlin, Dawidowicz has explored expression through music on labels like Luspoderosa, where they released their debut solo album, Sanctuary of Ideas.

It was when Calm and David Holmes started playing the epic, 23-minute 'Capricorn Rising Over Jerusalemite Temple' from that album that Hell Yeah founder Marco was encouraged to get in touch with Dawidowicz. A few months later, talk turned to releasing this new album, which comes with artwork by Spain's Alicia Carrera.

'Skeptic Afro Jr.' kicks off and soon sinks you into slinky, ever-evolving rhythms. It's a slowly evolving work of sound where the focus shifts from snaking basslines to lumpy drums, cosmic leads to life-affirming chords. 'Scintilla (Feat. Hannah Schraven)' is a deep and downtempo trip into dub and techno, with undulating drums and exotic melodies that escort you into otherworldly realms of spiritualism. Last of all are 'Deep Fluff' and a hidden track (Feat. Leo Börger), two cinematic explorations of deep space where acoustic frequencies and molten synths rewire your brain and connect you to a higher power.

FLUFF is another deeply personal and inward journey packed with transcendental experiences.

DJ FEEDBACK:

"That's such an outstanding piece of work - played two at the beginning on Saturday. Probably my favourite release of the year so far!" Sean Johnston ALFOS

"this is great! 3rd repeat. It’s so nice" Vladimir Ivkovic

"Just listened to Nathan's record and it really sounds amazing... Probably the best thing you've put out to my ears ;-) I love the way he bridges the sounds of the past with contemporary storytelling, taking you on a very long trip which you never want to leave!" Alexis Le Tan

"yeah Fluff is a wonderful weird one!" Axel Boman

"I love him" David Holmes

The second chapter after “neverlost”, “closer” blends samplebased production with classic songwriting – like a sonic mosaic of warmth and groove. Lyrically “hippiesque,” Sepalot explores natural beauty, unity, equality, and self-determination. Guest features shine: Blu delivers sharp lyricism, and Illa J surprises
with soulful vocals on “My Own Way.” For fans of The Avalanches, Caribou, and Madlib – Closer is lush, human, and unforgettable.

Sepalot is one of those rare artists whose sonic palette refuses to be boxed in. His music exists in the fertile space between multi-layered sophistication and playful unpredictability – a quality rooted in his eclectic upbringing. From skate-punk beginnings to soul all-nighters, from obsessive vinyl digging to
deep immersion in hip-hop’s golden era, Sepalot has carried the art of sampling like a badge of honor. His beats are mosaics – meticulously pieced together fragments of sound forming an intricate whole. Beyond the studio, he’s explored these influences as DJ, producer, and live performer, leading the
Sepalot Quartet across Europe’s jazz festivals, and more recently with his experimental band Tikhet alongside Angela Aux

With “closer”, the upcoming second chapter following his 2023 album “neverlost”, Sepalot distills his broad musical world into a sample-based yet song-driven statement. The production feels warm and tactile – think needle-on-vinyl crackle meeting modern songwriting clarity. Lyrically, it’s “hippiesque” in the best
way: themes of natural beauty, unity, democratic awareness, equality, and spiritual introspection weave through the tracklist.

The guest list is just as inspired: legendary wordsmith Blu delivers razor-sharp verses, while Illa J – brother of the late J Dilla – steps away from his signature rap to surprise with soulful vocals on “My Own Way.” Together, they amplify the album’s humanist core, balancing groove-heavy production with
lyrical depth.

Fans of artists like The Avalanches, Caribou, DJ Shadow, or Madlib will find plenty to love here, but Closer carries its own unique fingerprint – a testament to Sepalot’s ability to merge hip-hop grit with songwriting grace. If “Neverlost” was a map, “Closer” is the destination: lush, thoughtful, and deeply human.
Highly recommended for anyone ready to hold hands, open their mind, and let the beat guide them.

‘Let’s take a trip’ – with major names on the psytrance scene Avalon and GMS releasing on KNTXT for the first time, combining forces for a full-on attack, 4-track EP ‘The Underground’, out December 11th. Their joint mission? ‘Combining two worlds where psytrance meets techno, a fusion which will take you on a mind-expanding journey! Welcome to The Underground…you have arrived!

London DJ/Producer Avalon was recently awarded the number 1 top-selling psytrance artist on Beatport with over 30+ psytrance chart #1s and 5 top-selling LPs to his name, and performs at the likes of Tomorrowland, Boom, EDC Las Vegas, Glastonbury, Exit, Burning Man, Ultra, ASOT, Ministry Of Sound,... GMS (Growling Mad Scientists) was founded by Dutch Ibiza-based DJ/Producer Riktam with the sadly late Bansi, to establish pioneering psytrance label Spun Records and to have director Tony Scott no less, using GMS tracks on three of his films. A prolific producer with over 300K album copies sold, GMS holds the most psytrance records released overall.

‘I'm beyond honoured to release this stunning four tracker from psytrance legends Avalon and GMS. With this release, friendships were formed and worlds truly started colliding. I have massive respect for both these artists and their long standing impact on electronic music. This release feels like a bridge between generations and genres. It carries an energy that deserves to be heard, experienced, and felt on dancefloors around the world.’ Charlotte de Witte

Title track ‘The Underground’: hyperspeed trance beats support a wild variety of acid-dripping pulsations, spacey arps, otherworldly swoops, mind-teasing stabs, it’s like a lightshow in sound. That transports its listeners into another dimension. On ‘Horizen’, psytrance thrives, while ethereal vocals call, with intricate sound design painting a mythical soundscape. On ‘Machines’, it’s driven by hypnotic acid lines, pulsating Kick & Bass with sprinkles of techno infused percussion! Its choral notes and alien-like spoken lyrics, both gripping and disorientating as builds & breaks come thick and fast. ‘Rave to the Grave’: constant pulsing high synth and vocals with twanging acid together with frantic percussion create a sustained, agonizing build, build, build – until ‘On the 7th day, the Lord said ‘Let the beat drop!’’ Phew!

‘We are very excited about our debut release on KNTXT ‘The Underground’ and can’t wait to share this 4 track EP with you all. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it. This fusion of techno/psytrance is brought together by all of our mutual love for acid & driving hypnotic dance music! Enjoy… Play it loud! Welcome to The Underground… You have arrived!’- Avalon & GMS

A mind-bending EP, with racing beats that give the ‘trance’ in psytrance a huge adrenalin shot. This is high energy reaching new altitudes; hold on to your brain cells, they’re going for a ride!

2025 REPRESS ON TRANSPARENT GREEN VINYL


Compiled by Philip King “And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.” NICK KENT, NME. All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure. Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms, ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course) these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother of invention. At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records). The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased track You Will See, released April 12th 2025. There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk / underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now. Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP. Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7” and lost until now. The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the main refrain. The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive, robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner. All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

Desert Island Broadcast, the new album from Mirror People—the project of Portuguese musician and producer Rui Maia—is out September 26 on vinyl and across all digital platforms. The release is accompanied by the single Any Color U Like, following the earlier teaser track Million Questions, unveiled on May 9.

Described by Maia as “a radio transmission from a desert island—an imaginary space where different styles and references meet and coexist,” the record completes a trilogy begun with Voyager (2015) and Heartbeats Etc. (2022). “I wanted to create an album that felt both familiar and unexpected, like a lost signal reaching the right listener at the right time. It’s a celebration of music as companionship, even in isolated places,” says Maia.

Written between 2022 and 2025, Desert Island Broadcast features longtime collaborators and special guests, including vocalist Rö (Maria do Rosário), percussionist Ryoko Imai, saxophonist João Cabrita, and backing vocalists Ana Vieira and Isa Gomes.

With a career that has resonated both in Portugal and abroad, Mirror People continues to assert its relevance in the independent scene, delivering captivating songwriting and meticulous production.

Mirror People is the alter ego of musician, producer, and DJ Rui Maia, also known as the keyboardist of X-Wife. Conceived as a collaborative project with artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, Mirror People explores the intersections of disco, funk, and electronic music.

When Brazilian producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Diogo Strausz arrived in France, he already carried an impressive legacy. Known for his collaborations with the New York label Razor-N-Tape and for producing Brazilian legends such as Gal Costa and Marília Mendonça—whose tracks have gathered millions of streams worldwide—Strausz quickly made a name for himself among an international audience. His productions have also been remixed by acclaimed artists like Yuksek and Ron Trent, further cementing his global reach.

After two critically acclaimed releases on the French label Goutte d’Or Records (Flight of Sagittarius, 2022, and Samba From Outer Space, 2024), Diogo Strausz now naturally joins Favorite Recordings for a new chapter in his musical journey.

On this new album, Strausz pays tribute to the golden era of Brazilian Disco-Funk from the late 1970s and early 1980s, drawing inspiration from visionary producers Robson Jorge and Lincoln Olivetti. The result is an organic, ambitious, and deeply groovy record that celebrates both the vibrant dance culture and the rich musical heritage of Brazil.

Faithful to Favorite Recordings’ analog spirit, the album was crafted using vintage studio gear, capturing the warmth and depth of classic recordings reminiscent of the legendary Estúdios da Sigla sessions in Rio de Janeiro.

The explosive track “Ele é Artista”, featuring Bruno “Patchworks” Hovart (Voilaaa, Mr. President, João Selva, Uptown Funk Empire), is a standout moment—a dancefloor-ready bomb that channels the joyful energy and irresistible funk of modern tropical productions.

With its sun-drenched grooves, jazz-funk sophistication, and boogie flair, this album confirms Diogo Strausz as a master at blending timeless Brazilian soul with contemporary elegance.

Rising multi-media artist Shaboozey intends to build his own world.

Determined to carve his own lane in the Alt-Country / Hip-Hop space; he crafts a sound that pays homage to a cast of traditional Western influences, such as Bob Dylan, Lead Belly, Johnny Cash, and Leonard Cohen, while looking into the future of what the two genres have yet to introduce.

Remaining true to his Virginia roots, Shaboozey hopes to continue the region’s long-standing tradition of producing some of the most prolific creatives of the new millennium. This time through elevating the scope of contemporary hip-hop and introducing a modern Americana culture to a global audience.

Fresh off of his inclusion in the groundbreaking Beyonce album, Cowboy Carter, of which he was the only featured artist to appear twice, Shaboozey is set to release his own album, Where I've Been, isn't Where I'm Going. An album that has been years in the making, it includes standout singles “Let It Burn,” “Vegas,” “Anabelle,” & the infectiously fun singalong anthem “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Millions of streams later, and appearances on esteemed programs such as COLORS and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Shaboozey is set to become the new face of modern American country music.

Italian artist and researcher Mariachiara Troianiello is Katatonic Silentio, and is an artist able to move fluidly between club culture and experimental practice. A DJ with more than 15 years behind the decks, her selections can drift from musique concrete, ambient, spoken word and global soundscapes to the harder edges of techno, drum & bass, and leftfield electronics. Her work also explores how sound interacts with space and the body and on Lysergic Induction Forge, she dips into IDM, electro, ambient and dub. 'Velvet Dweller" gets underway with warped synths and liquid rhythms, 'Dubbin'Acid' is a slow, percolating rhythm and 'Psychoactive Groove' sounds like the innerworkings of a brain during a psychoactive experience. 'Acid Foundation' closes with a gentle acid-laced ascent. Classy stuff.

Hyperstellar returns on Bordello A Parigi with a nocturnal and deeply magnetic EP. In For a Flash captures the fleeting beauty of a moment stolen from the night, the tension of a glance that will never return, the sensation of having loved inside a dream. The record carves out a singular aesthetic through new wave, shady atmospheres, and early electronic influences.

The eponymous track, In For a Flash, opens the record like a sudden vision: a burst of light in the dark, propulsive, yet already fading. From its fatalist urgency to the longing of The Dance We Never Had, each piece suggests a different facet of the same mirage. Surrender unfolds like a slow implosion, a toxic war between release and control, while L’Amour sur Saturne drifts endlessly in a suspended space, like a tale where the impossible is still imagined.

Influenced as much by Burial as by New Order, the solitude of classical composers or eccentric glam rock acts, Hyperstellar continues to build his artistry on numbers, and intimate constellations.


Lempuyang has been at the heart of the second wave of dub techno since day one. It's a label that deals in super deep and high-quality sounds from a range of artists. Now they welcome back Adria, three years after his debut, with a heavyweight follow-up that dives deep into the murky edges of dub experimentation. This new release trades dancefloor immediacy for atmosphere and weight by blending low-slung rhythms, hazy tape hiss and hypnotic textures that nod to classic sound system culture. Each track comes rich in analogue warmth and restrained tension. This is dub crafted with precision and that fully rewards close listening and real exploration of space, texture and bass pressure.

London label Only Music Matters rolls out more mysterious goodness here from another unknown artist. On this evidence, they like the afters and the moments in the night when time and space dissolve and subtly rule. 'AAA001A' is an elastic, dubby minimal tech cut with liquid pads and trippy vocal twist while the next cut is speedier but no less supple. This cosmic odyssey is marbled with vocal fragments, prickly acid and deft percussion and it all weaves endlessly while hypnotising perfectly. 'BBB002B' is more sparse and roomy, with grubby bass ripples and glitchy electronics colouring the groove. Priku and Arapu have already dropped this one to great receptions at Sunwaves 36 so if it's good enough for them...

This holiday season, global hip-hop icon Ice Cube makes a powerful return with Man Up — a brand-new album from a cultural trailblazer whose influence spans music, film, and activism. With over 10 million albums sold and six Platinum plaques, Cube’s legacy is undisputed, from his revolutionary work with N.W.A. to timeless solo anthems like “It Was a Good Day.” Now, sharper and more unapologetic than ever, he’s back to deliver a project that fuses his raw lyrical power with a message rooted in resilience and authenticity.
To mark the release, Man Up will be available exclusively as an ultra-limited vinyl drop this holiday season. Each record features a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted cover — a unique blend of artisanal design and proprietary technology (created without A.I.) — alongside city- and country-specific sleeves that pay homage to Cube’s global impact in places like LA, Tokyo, London, and France. The campaign will be amplified through a global social media rollout, city-focused influencer activations, and Ice Cube’s upcoming North American tour. Major press coverage and podcast appearances will further elevate the conversation, making Man Up not just an album, but a collector’s piece and cultural moment fans won’t want to miss.

To mark Grid's second anniversary back in 2023, the label brought together 13 tracks from the bass scene's most forward-thinking artists, all of which sank you into deep sonic chambers. Now, six of those tracks are available on wax for the first time in what is an essential sampler featuring boundary-pushing contributions from forward-thinking artists. Sister Zo opens with the percussive pressure of 'EMP,' Ronan lays down a lithe rhythm that befits its 'Shadowbox' title and Seekersinternational drill down into warped low-end chaos. There is a deftness to Jonny From Space's tumbling perc and E-Unity brings clean lines and a futuristic sheen to his deep dub workout 'Of All The Places I Could Be'. Tammo Hesselink brings ambient soundscaping with his floating delight, 'Paint Reduce Trick.' This is high-quality, original music that moves both mind and body.

Coral Morphologic is the brainchild of Jared McKay and Colin Foord. A mending of minds, the arts, science, and the sea. Their lab in Miami lies close to the Florida Reef just offshore; the third largest coral barrier reef system in the world. This album composed by Jared echoes the voice of the reef. A reflection of its cosmic connection to our moon. A departure from the earth into deep space. We often wonder what intelligent life exists outside of our own aquatic world. Look and listen to the synchronous celestial satellites and the endless love song they sing. *features a foldout poster with album art by Robert Beatty

Seeking out the inspirational intersection between free improvisation, rave and ancient mysticism, Plants Heal deliver an album of kaleidoscopic, organic beatdowns to Quindi.
Plants Heal is a collaborative project between Dan Nicholls on synths, Dave De Rose on drums and Lou Zon (aka Louise Boer) on visuals. The roots of the project are entwined with Dan and Lou's London-based event Free Movements, which began in 2018 to explore how instrumental music could merge with live electronics and DJ sets. Dave and Dan found themselves playing together frequently at the event and as part of Dave's free improv project Agile Experiments, with their accomplished track records as multi-instrumentalists reaching across many layers of music culture. The particular synergy of their partnership taps into the subliminal, surreal and transcendental soundscapes, but they're reliably anchored by instinctive rhythms and driven by a natural flow-state.
From the tentative steps of their first collaborations, Dan and Dave coalesced Plants Heal as a more pronounced project with Lou's live visuals, culminating in a first self-released album in 2021 and since organically fed and watered through continued performances across adventurous festivals and intimate club spaces. Every incremental step along the path of the project yielded new surprises and the deepening sense of a unique, powerful energy. The trio opted to pour this energy into two days of studio sessions at Sonic Playground Studios in Athens, maintaining their unplanned approach and letting the music and visuals unfold in the moment. The end result is Forest Dwellers, a sincere document of truly free music that uses the rhythmic structure of dance and trance music as a springboard into heightened consciousness.
Throughout the album you can hear hints of the familiar - dub techno shimmers, trip hop boom-bap, kosmische momentum, snarling bass modulation, new age ambience and even the odd sizzle of disco. But none of these references are explicit, and they weave in and out of less placeable expressions deeply bedded into Dan and Dave's sonic practices. The end result is a swirling tapestry of unspooling groove, wide open and agile enough to shift gears mid-flow - just as comfortable letting the propulsion melt away as locking into a four-to-the-floor throwdown. From the slippery syncopation of 'Avena Moon' to the angular bait-and-switch of 'Alien Hardware', 'Yarrow's starry-eyed reverie and the rolling, warm-hearted funk of 'Space Ballad', the Plants Heal sound world is expansive and equally enthusiastic for immediate musical motifs as much as wild abstraction.
Lou's visual practice is an intrinsic part of the project. During performances she improvises with analogue footage from her library run through video mixers and synthesisers, focused on medicinal plants such as yarrow, hawthorn, nettle and thistle. All those plants feature in processed form on the cover of the record, which was designed in collaboration with Lou's brother Arthur Boer. Meanwhile, Lou recorded additional footage in Athens during the recording sessions to feed into the continued cycle of the project's live evolution.
Forest Dwellers' meaning honours this cycle and its reflection of the eternal undulations of the natural world. It's also a sincere tribute to the spiritual importance and radical potential of the dancefloor, drawn from the freedom taught by jazz and dedicated to reclaiming lost ideas about community, agency, bodies and the enduring allure of the unknown.

“I've always dreamed of making an album where I could bring together artists I deeply admire, curating voices, energies, and sensibilities that have inspired me,” says Brussels-born producer and multidisciplinary artist ShunGu of his new record, Faith in the Unknown. “It took time, and it grew into something very human, rooted in trust, patience, and creative risk. These songs are conversations, not just between me and the artists, but between worlds, eras, and ways of feeling.”
That spirit of dialogue and discovery is what defines Faith in the Unknown. Emerging from years of steady, meticulous work in the underground, the album is both a bold statement of identity and an invitation into Shungu’s world. Across 14 tracks, each a self-contained vignette, ShunGu guides the listener through shifting moods and perspectives- moments of intimacy, defiance, reflection and release, coalescing into a much larger story.
His distinct touch threads through the surefire cast of collaborators - Pink Siifu, Liv.e, Fly Anakin, Chester Watson, Fatima, Maxo, Navy Blue, Dreamcastmoe, Ruqqiyah, Zekeultra and Goya Gumbani — each track unfolding as a new dimension in the same universe.
ShunGu has long been a boundary-pusher, known for weaving jazz-inflected samples, skilfully constructed textures, and MPC-driven grooves into production that feels timeless yet untethered. With Faith in the Unknown he pushes further still: a project as much about collective energy as it is about personal vision. It’s a leap into uncertainty, carried by trust in the process and the people involved.
From the lo-fi beat tapes that first won him a cult following, to collaborations that span the globe, Shungu has forged a body of work rooted in exploration and community. Faith in the Unknown crystallises those qualities into his most ambitious statement yet; a record that doesn’t just blur boundaries between genres, but asks what happens when vulnerability and experimentation are treated as shared ground.
The result is a record that trades in subtlety. Each artistic contribution adds its own shade to the larger mosaic, pulling the listener deeper into an expanding narrative. If Faith in the Unknown has a message, it’s that art can thrive in uncertainty - that in the spaces where trust, risk, and vulnerability intersect, something entirely new can emerge.

“I've always dreamed of making an album where I could bring together artists I deeply admire, curating voices, energies, and sensibilities that have inspired me,” says Brussels-born producer and multidisciplinary artist ShunGu of his new record, Faith in the Unknown. “It took time, and it grew into something very human, rooted in trust, patience, and creative risk. These songs are conversations, not just between me and the artists, but between worlds, eras, and ways of feeling.”
That spirit of dialogue and discovery is what defines Faith in the Unknown. Emerging from years of steady, meticulous work in the underground, the album is both a bold statement of identity and an invitation into Shungu’s world. Across 14 tracks, each a self-contained vignette, ShunGu guides the listener through shifting moods and perspectives- moments of intimacy, defiance, reflection and release, coalescing into a much larger story.
His distinct touch threads through the surefire cast of collaborators - Pink Siifu, Liv.e, Fly Anakin, Chester Watson, Fatima, Maxo, Navy Blue, Dreamcastmoe, Ruqqiyah, Zekeultra and Goya Gumbani — each track unfolding as a new dimension in the same universe.
ShunGu has long been a boundary-pusher, known for weaving jazz-inflected samples, skilfully constructed textures, and MPC-driven grooves into production that feels timeless yet untethered. With Faith in the Unknown he pushes further still: a project as much about collective energy as it is about personal vision. It’s a leap into uncertainty, carried by trust in the process and the people involved.
From the lo-fi beat tapes that first won him a cult following, to collaborations that span the globe, Shungu has forged a body of work rooted in exploration and community. Faith in the Unknown crystallises those qualities into his most ambitious statement yet; a record that doesn’t just blur boundaries between genres, but asks what happens when vulnerability and experimentation are treated as shared ground.
The result is a record that trades in subtlety. Each artistic contribution adds its own shade to the larger mosaic, pulling the listener deeper into an expanding narrative. If Faith in the Unknown has a message, it’s that art can thrive in uncertainty - that in the spaces where trust, risk, and vulnerability intersect, something entirely new can emerge.

Neroli reaches release number 50 during its 20th anniversary and celebrates with a special project, an album of songs by some of the label artists and friends. The title reference goes back to 20 years ago when label’s honcho Volcov decided to give the label the name of Brian Eno’s Neroli album, an hour long ambient opus inspired by the oil derived by the flowers of the Seville orange. So after 20 years and 50 releases the label goes full circle and offers an album of delicate and heartwarming melodies and atmospheric songs. The talent of original UK dons Kirk Degiorgio, Dego and Ian o’Brien is enrolled once again to guarantee sophistication and depth. Patrice Scott and Fred P, who had recently released eps on Neroli, are joined here by fellow spacecadet Aybee…all delivering warm futuristic pieces! K15 and Linkwood debut on the label, opening and closing the album with class. And there is even a lost composition by Volcov himself with Detroit’s Gerald Mitchell and Pirahnahead as part of some 2010 sessions that might resurface soon…THE FIRST CIRCLE is complete!

Design by Al White. Manufactured and Distributed by Mother Tongue, Verona.

A year after her rebirth on the 2.0 EP, Maedon returns to her Rant & Rave imprint with the intentions of her previous release now distilled and focused into bold new forms. Whereas before the artist was transitioning from her earlier work towards new directions, Matter & Form arrives as an extended concept piece featuring four variations on a bracing, developed sound, an equally impressive remix from Lady Starlight, and a contrasting mix of the opening track. Where 2.0 charted emergence, 'Entelechy I-IV' unites to actualize this potential into a single-minded purpose behind fundamental principles.

Immediately launching into territory her last release only hinted at, 'Entelechy I' is a showcase for her now-mature approach. Her rhythmic dexterity and groove focus remains, with drum programs subtly evolving phrase by phrase, but they now form the basis for layered, complex compositions in a decidedly contemporary vein. 'Entelechy II' shifts focus towards the arrangement while keeping its drums steadily driving, drawing attention to details in its densely designed sounds through deliberate, gradual processing. Relaxing the tempo slightly, 'Entelechy III' fills in the extra space with more dark atmospherics and finely detailed soundscapes, finding a heavy medium between dark ambience and hammering techno. Another deeper effort, 'Entelechy IV' counterbalances insistent, finely-tooled percussive bleeps and equally persistent bass figures against another sweeping bass pulse, at times breaking down into carefully-controlled atonal aggression. Lady Starlight's remix is skeletal in comparison, deploying its parts sequentially over ticker hi hats and a massive kick while using small shifts to incrementally build tension. 'Entelechy I (Bent Mix)' is more accurately described as hellbent, stripping out the original's harmonic elements to grind the heavy rhythmic workout against an unrelenting acid line.

A cult artifact from the dawn of German techno returns. Cyber Space Tracks Vol. 3 – The Quadrant EP by Jack U. Rebels is a raw, deep dive into the early ‘90s underground.

Originally pressed in 1992 on the seminal techno label Timeplan, this EP has long been a coveted gem among techno purists and collectors. Jack U. Rebels —an alias of key players from the German rave movement—channeled the spirit of rebellion and freedom into a sound that was both cerebral and physical. From hypnotic synth lines to cavernous, dubbed-out drum workouts, The Quadrant EP captures a formative moment in techno history—when genre lines blurred and the rave was still wild.

Lovingly remastered and faithfully reissued, this edition brings back the original energy while giving the tracks the sonic space they always deserved.

Coming From... Returning To... proudly presents this essential reissue— returning it to turntables where it belongs.

This holiday season, global hip-hop icon Ice Cube makes a powerful return with Man Up — a brand-new album from a cultural trailblazer whose influence spans music, film, and activism. With over 10 million albums sold and six Platinum plaques, Cube’s legacy is undisputed, from his revolutionary work with N.W.A. to timeless solo anthems like “It Was a Good Day.” Now, sharper and more unapologetic than ever, he’s back to deliver a project that fuses his raw lyrical power with a message rooted in resilience and authenticity.
To mark the release, Man Up will be available exclusively as an ultra-limited vinyl drop this holiday season. Each record features a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted cover — a unique blend of artisanal design and proprietary technology (created without A.I.) — alongside city- and country-specific sleeves that pay homage to Cube’s global impact in places like LA, Tokyo, London, and France. The campaign will be amplified through a global social media rollout, city-focused influencer activations, and Ice Cube’s upcoming North American tour. Major press coverage and podcast appearances will further elevate the conversation, making Man Up not just an album, but a collector’s piece and cultural moment fans won’t want to miss.

After the seminal Musica da Discoteca trilogy, l’oggetto continues his exploration of electronic music subcultures with DANCE. This new series expands his research into the mutual connections between Italian and American sound cultures that gave birth to house music in the ’90s, while venturing into more introspective territories between Balearic beats, deep house, and techno.

The new 12” EP, DANCE vol.2, unfolds across four tracks that capture the night’s shifting moods and tempos, balancing collective euphoria with moments of personal transcendence. Seksy Tango opens with staccato synths and rounded basslines, channeling Mediterranean swagger and the faded glow of a summer night on the Italian Riviera. Smoothismi’s percussive groove and jazz-infused Rhodes warm bodies and souls, while analog-filtered pads sweep through the after-hours. In Tek, sharp stabs reverberate through the concrete pillars of an abandoned warehouse, as digital flutes shimmer like dawn breaking over an illegal rave. The EP closes with Enigmatico, a downtempo drift into the liminal space of the chillout room, reconnecting dancers to their surroundings and themselves.

l’oggetto is the musical side of NY-based Italian multidisciplinary artist Marco Scozzaro. With roots in ’90s subcultures, he DJs and produces underground house music, blending jazz/funk grooves, electronic transcendence, and a distinctly Italian vibe. Together with Pietro Di, and true to a shared DIY ethos, he co-founded MKDF Records to release and distribute his uncompromising sound.

Pressed on 140 gram 10”.

D.D. Mirage return with new single “Echoes”, a lovers meditation featuring North Carolina’s Teddy Bryant, who delivers a velvet vocal performance steeped in yearning and late night reverie. The chorus “the things you do for love echo in my mind all night” hits the melancholy sweet spot, wrapped in the rich and authentically 80s sounding production we’ve come to expect from D.D. Mirage.

The Sydney based duo, now expanded into a full four piece live band, continue to stretch their sound beyond the Balearic and Dub tinted palette of their debut Exotic Illusions released earlier this year. With production assistance from Jono Ma, they capture a lush, cinematic space where street soul sentiment meets modern dream pop psychedelia, the kind of record that slips perfectly between Sade, Tom Tom Club and a lost Compass Point B-side. Flip the record for the Introspective Dub: a drifting, dubbed out companion that strips back the vocal to its echoes and lets the rhythm bloom.

Following live appearances at Dark Mofo and SXSW Sydney in 2025, D.D. Mirage round off the year with a live performance at Victoria’s Strawberry Fields festival mid November.

artwork and sticker by Bradley Pinkerton.

On her fourth full-length album as Shedir, Sardinian sound artist Martina Betti offers a profound meditation on what it means to be human on the threshold of uncertainty.

We Are All Strangers is a series of ambient tapes-tries shaped by duality and introspection, where sound becomes a space to explore the tension between identity and ambiguity, presence and disappearance, connection and solitude. Inspired by the idea that we are all strangers, however, first and foremost to ourselves, Betti crafts seven fluid, slow-burn compositions that inhabit a sociological liminal zone—what she comments as an “inner elsewhere.”

These aren’t songs in the traditional sense, but evolving sonic environments that feel like emotional states made audible. Environmental textures, submerged electronics, and deep low-end pulses coalesce into a dreamlike architecture of sound: immersive, fragile, and quietly transformative.

Rather than offering answers or closure, the album invites us to live in radical openness—to stop trying to define everything we see and feel, and instead bathe in what remains unnamed. In this sense, We Are All Strangers is an invitation: to sit with uncertainty, to embrace the unfinished, and to find resonance even in our collective disconnection.

For listeners drawn to the introspective frequencies of Rafael Anton Irisarri, Félicia Atkinson, or Lawrence English, Betti’s music offers a similarly haunting and immersive experience—one where strangeness is not a flaw, but a starting point. In her hands, ambient music becomes a kind of reflective shelter: a place to brush against each other in the dark and begin to learn, as she puts it, “the difficult art of closeness.”

Celebrating its anniversary with a characteristically bold move, Kyiv-based vinyl label Artreform isn't closing a chapter - it's opening a new one. Rather than issuing a standard 50th release, the label jumps straight to release 51 with this striking 8-track mini-album - a sly nod to the new sounds and exciting events still to come.
Splitting the anniversary release into two parts (four tracks each) creates a liminal space between the past and the future; between canonical house sounds and futuristic sound experiments. Unwavering ambition and a daring vision have long defined Artreform - and are deeply embedded in the creative credo of its founder, DJ, producer, and vinyl connoisseur Joss.
After an impressive 13-year journey, it's fair to say that Artreform has never succumbed to the lure of fleeting trends, remaining steadfast in its dedication to quality tech house, deep house, and microhouse. At the same time, the label continues to stay sharp, hungry for new ideas, and firmly in step with the times - while many imprints of similar vintage slide into self-mythologizing mode, focusing on reissues and retrospective compilations.
The new release makes this abundantly clear. The second half of the celebratory mini-album features a vibrant, life-affirming dancefloor cut from JOSS; a peak-time rave-inspired killer by iO (Mulen) - an artist who's been with Artreform since day one; a stylish deep house groove from seasoned masters Gorje Hewek & Binu Raal; and an ethereal vibe courtesy of Swedish standout Cirkel Square, whose music sounds dreamy, arresting, and otherworldly.