quête:tres

The Equations Collective is an experimental sound project formed by a multi-disciplinary group of artists, active in the fields of music, photography, sound design & software development.

In 2018, the collective set up a temporary outdoor recording studio, 1130 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Helicon in Greece, with the ambition of recording their work in a natural environment. A 'mobile and modular' construction, fully powered by solar panels, the design of the studio showcases the possibilities of a progressive, environmentally sustainable future through renewable energy.

Embodying ecological incentives, and representing an immersive engagement with the landscape, the 'Helicon Sessions' document this extraordinary residency, capturing a profound dialogue with the eponymous mountain region.

Situated in Boeotia, Central Greece, Mount Helicon has a prominent archaic significance. A historic location where stories of sacred springs and the epic origins of the Muses and Narcissus converge. Steeped in the heritage of ancient narratives, Helicon is seen as a principal symbol of poetic inspiration.

On the 'Helicon Sessions' the collective draw upon the inspiring topography and fabled mythological resonances of the area, unfurling an expansive, hypnotic suite of abstract electronics. Liberated by an open-ended, improvisational dynamic, the collective move through a mysterious, elemental cycle that mirrors the imposing scale and dramatic atmospheres of the setting.

Across an entrancing, fluid sequence of five designated 'cuts', the collective traverse the borderlands of drone, techno, dub, and acid, amplifying the acoustic traces of Helicon by integrating field recordings collected at the site into this arresting body of work. With these recordings, the collective delineate an odyssey of subverted 303s, sputtering drum machines and formidable, oscillating low end that drifts and coalesces like an amorphous mirage; a spellbinding sound world of clarity and shadow.

The 'Helicon Sessions' signify a symbiosis (between the terrestrial and the engineered, between wildlife and futurism, between the intrinsic and the synthetic, between the innate and the manmade) And with their conception of a portable, eco-friendly studio The Equations Collective focalize valuable ideas centred on ingenuity and evolution. The outcome of this project illustrates a unique collaborative exchange which acknowledges the deep nuances of environment and the enduring echoes of history.

The Equations Collective is a collaboration between Artefakt, Aroma Pitch, Aphelion and Sphera De Noumenon across Berlin, Amsterdam, Cologne and Hamburg. Together they have established an all night long live event in Berlin, starting at Sameheads and Acud Macht Neu, which eventually lead to their residency at OHM (Tresor).

For this format they have collaborated with the following artists: Alex The Fairy, Anna Z, D-IX, Eliad Wagner, Jón Friđgeir Sigurđsson, Orson Wells, Phillip Jondo, Philipp Matalla, PRSMC, Rabih Beaini, Sabrina Gricourt, Sébastien Robert, and Vida Vojić.

The respective members of The Equations Collective have released a range of output on the likes of Field Records, Delsin, Semantica Records, De Stijl, & Soul People Music.

Since 2018 their visual identity has been shaped by Elias Hanzer.

The 'Helicon Sessions' is their debut release.

Double headliner 12" with Trigger Treshold on the A-side in two versions and Shift Echo on the AA-side. Both tracks coming in two versions exploring different flows and energy levels. With Shift Echo in a Duplex remix for an extra Dutch Techno connection. Essential material!

a a1 Trigger Treshold The Tech Traveler
b a2 Trigger Treshold Original

Duplex Remix

In many ways, this trio recording is a milestone in the career of this young
Californian
Duke unveils more of his early experiments with the ARP synthesizer, as well as a
new creativity on such more conventional keyboards, as the Wurlitzer, Fender
Rhodes, and the clavinet. As a result, Faces in Reflection is characterized by a
wide variety of tonal hues. The journey moves from the explosive The Opening on
to the tender- tinged Capricorn, which Duke had snatched from the Cannonball
Adderley repertoire. Adderley had been the second major player he had worked
with during that early period; Frank Zappa was the first. Two impressionistic solo
intermezzi segue into the funky fusion escapade Psychosomatic Dung, with
superb interplay between drummer Ndugu and bassist John Heard. The title
piece's secretive synth lines are the moments of calm before Duke's passionate
love affair with Brazil on the B side. The most surprising excursion on this side is
the vibrant and rhythmically intricate adaptation of Milton Nascimentos' Maria
Três Filhos, counterbalanced by the synth laboratory of North Beach. Duke
himself cherished the recordings; he stated that, "This was the first LP that really
said what I wanted to say."

Single release from the forthcoming album “Catharsis”, produced by Sven Va¨th & Gregor Tresher The second release before the upcoming mighty new Sven Va¨th album “Catharsis” gives you another hint at what´s coming at you! Let us tell you, we couldn´t be more excited for everyone to finally experience Sven´s new masterpiece! But before we unleash the beast, we decided to release a second single. This time containing two absolute highlight tracks. If you have heard Sven playing in the past months, you will recognize both, as they were pivotal moments in almost every set! First up we have “Mystic Voices“, a track that was created during the early stages of the album production with Sven gathering ideas and words to finally record the unmistakable vocals during a hectic tour through India, and Gregor spending days and nights on the other side of the planet in his studio to process the stream of inspiration. When the two finally sat down together in the studio, the track emerged quickly. Some would call the instant vibe that magic that every creative mind is longing to find. “Butoh” is a raw and dark force, influenced by Japanese dance, an art form that deeply touched Sven during his travels on Nippon Island. It´s an otherworldly sounding track, still based in the Techno Realm but heavily twisted by a long break that introduces Japanese percussions that eventually get topped by the haunting vocals of Cana Hatsushiba.

Light Blue Vinyl

Primarily produced and written by Rich Brian himself and with help from a few friends, the album proves the rapper from Indonesia is more than just an internet sensation. At 14 tracks, the album includes hit singles "Glow Like Dat," "Attention," & "Introvert." Features include Offset, and fellow labelmates Joji, NIKI, & AUGUST 08.

After the recent reissue of their first eponymous album, Favorite Recordings proudly presents Vegas, the second LP from Venezuelan band Esperanto. Rare and sought-after for many collectors, it was recorded in between Las Vegas and Caracas and originally released in 1981. Following bandleader Jorge Aguilar in his musical trip to the infamous American city bathing into flashing lights and vivid colors, we're invited to an excursion in Disco, Boogie and Jazz-Funk territories. Finally reissued, fully remastered, Vegas will be available as Gatefold Tip-On Vinyl LP.

With great care and attention to details, Esperanto managed to create a very convincing sequel to their Jazz-Funk debuts. Vegas keeps indeed a perfect balance between various influences. Through energic disco beats with intense funky solos, catchy AOR-influenced songs, where Jorge delivers convincing vocal performance, or sunny jazz-funk slow jams, the album still reveals something quite authentic. And this feeling echoes surely the one that could have been felt by Jorge Aguilar while discovering USA on a trip - where it all started for the music he loves. Like sometimes a foreigner's enriching view on some local specialty, he surely brought with the band all his authenticity and young but vibrant experience while convincing at the same time major labels for distribution.

With certain notoriety coming with the release of their first album, Jorge Aguilar and his drummer Pablo Matarazzo planned to go to Los Angeles for a few gigs. But once there, they realized their contact had to leave for Tina Turner's tour in Europe. Before that, he invited them to come along to Las Vegas and eventually meet musicians there. Luckily, the plan worked perfectly: Jorge came back to Los Angeles with a lot of contacts then moved to Boston and NYC before finally coming back to Caracas. He told: "I was so impressed with this trip that I told myself that one day I would return to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The first tracks I did them in Los Angeles with Kenny More, James Gadson and other session musicians from that city. Later, I took the tracks to Caracas where the musicians of the band recorded overdubs. After that, I returned to Los Angeles to master with Bernie Grundman who was still working in his small studio at A & M records studios in Hollywood. As can be seen in the title of some of the songs like "Hollywood", "Vegas", "Kenny's Place", were only the translation of my experiences at the time."

Gonzalo Benitez and Luis Alberto Valencia were kingpins of the musica nacional movement in Ecuador. Check them out on the cover, on a rooftop in Quito’s Old Town, surveying their dominion. In 1970, when Valencia collapsed onstage during a performance of the yaravi Desesperacion — ‘My heart is already in ashes’ — and died four days later, aged 52, his coffin was carried through those city streets on the shoulders of his fans.

They began singing as a duo in their mid-teens. During twenty-eight years together they recorded more than six hundred songs, for Discos Ecuador, Nacional, Granja, Ortiz, Rondador, Onix, Fuente, Real, Tropical, Fadisa, RCA Victor — and of course CAIFE.

Their exquisitely romantic harmonising is a sublime blend of collected forbearance and abject self-annihilation, underpinned and elaborated by the heart-piercing, improvisatory guitar-playing of Bolivar Ortiz. Effectively the third member of the group. ‘El Pollo’ sets the tone and intensity for everything that follows: listen to his soloing at the start of our opener, Lamparilla.

Musically a pasillo — a cross between a Viennese waltz and the indigenous yaravi rhythm — Lamparilla draws its verses from a poem by Luz Martinez from Riobamba, written in 1918 when she was 15, under the influence of Baudelaire and Mallarme. Another pasillo here, Sombras is one of the best-loved songs in the musica nacional canon, setting lines about undercover sex and loss by the Mexican poet Maria Pren, which were considered pornographic on publication in 1911.

And Benitez & Valencia looked back still further, to the indigenous roots of Ecuadorian music, as the key to its future. Carnaval de Guaranda is their take on a song dating back to the era of the Mitimaes, a broad group of Bolivian tribes conquered by the Incas and displaced to Ecuador. ‘Impossible love of mine / I love you for being impossible / Who loves what is impossible / Is the truest lover.’

Lovingly presented in a gatefold sleeve with spot-gloss, and printed inners, with stunning photos and expert notes. Excellent sound, drawn from original tapes, by way of Abbey Road, D&M and Pallas.

Industrious Polish DJ, producer and live performer Szafran is summoned to Thabo's Berlin-based house imprint Home Again, debuting a new alias and sound in his arsenal as he reaches the spaces between house, breakbeat and acid house. The label's third release, Thabo grabs revered Parisian producer Leo Pol for a killer remix.
Previously releasing and performing as Oskar Szafraniec, he broke through under the mentorship of acid house legend A Guy Called Gerald, touring extensively together and developing his live show. His releases have come through notable labels Rawax, Deset and Cyclo, while collaborations with heavyweights Ricardo Villalobos and Pier Bucci brought more discerning ears, and basing himself in Berlin ensured that he'd play across the city's hallowed haunts, including Club der Visionaere, Watergate, Tresor and Salon zur Wilden Renate.

"After eight years in Berlin, I relocated to Croatia's Dalmatian coast last year. There was the enforced break from touring, but I also took a break from producing. I wanted to step back and find new inspirations. I was listening to a lot of Warp Records, feeling hugely inspired by the melodies in Aphex Twin and Squarepusher's '90s releases. My musical direction changed and I wanted to present these influences with my own touch. I feel my music is more emotive through the way I'm contrasting analogue, digital and organic elements and I hope people feel that." - Szafran

Packing punch and propulsion in equal measure is 'It's Just A Feeling', a striking, emotive track that cuts through with the sonic signature of the Roland TB 303. Prolific mastermind Leo Pol picks up the pace, giving the track a rerub with all the bang and bustle to vitalise a dancefloor. Prodigious outing 'You Don't Know' enters the field full of vigor with the breakbeat drum loops and 4 X 4 kick drum sequences giving it a propulsive, rousing pace, while 'Infuse' reaches through and closes the EP with a laidback flex.
Artwork by Ken Hanamura

H- side is etched
The American cable-television industry exploded in the 1980s, pushing broadcasts of diverse programming and emissions of low-laying cultures into homes. Community stations piggybacked on the digital developments of the time, extending their existence through telephony and broadcast a iliates. For those growing up in this time, in locations such as New York City, the localized communications beamed into their homes exposed them to an impressionable array of disparate sounds and visions.
Move into the 1990s and New York was filled to the brim of emergent cultures drawing from this ebullition of communication. From Rammellzee’s shapeshifting to the late Judy Russell and Frank and Karen Mendez’s Nu Groove imprint fusing reggae, poetry and house, nascent ideas emanated from the city walls, from within stores such as Sonic Groove store and on VHS releases such as Stakker’s The Evil Acid Baron Show, a legendary technicolor psychedelic trip along the wildest frontiers of acid house. As scenes expanded and identities developed, such individuals weather the events of the visceral now, expressing themselves right into an unpredictable future.
Function’s long career has seen him uncover a vast range of sonic identities, a mainstay through house, techno and industrial with collaborations with the likes of Regis, Damon Wild alongside his highly influential Infrastructure imprint. With influences deeply tied to pop art, rave and gay scenes, and early memories of block-parties emitting Kraftwerk and Strafe, he found himself seeking out the undercover illegal nights of the 90s on a quest of sexual unearthing, mixing the ever-yearning escapology mission of disco with the influential DJ sets of Jeff Mills.
For his new album Existenz, he marks a clear step away from the corporeal techno of his recent releases. Pivoting around themes of religion, sexuality, trauma and healing, it is a work expansive and celebratory, a clear liberation from a deeply internalized past. Formed from a collection of recordings made in a period from late 2016 to mid 2019, Existenz takes the form of a creative outburst in reaction to a number of traumas - recent, childhood and throughout Function’s life. Life partner Stefanie Parnow assisted the production process in its entirety, providing inspiration, spiritual healing and featuring vocal contributions.
Cosmic synths soar and swoop in ‘Pleasure Discipline’ through towering stacks of rhythm that stutter and creak to a halt before rebooting, a firm robotic response to human intervention. ‘Zahlensender’ reflects a spatial tetris of urban life, as digitalization set within an XYZ matrix confronts the sprawling city. Constant arpeggiated meditations echo synaptic transmissions, e ecting a dissolution of boundaries. ’The Approach’ recalls the unification of the self, a state of delirium non-subjective and smooth, as all connections and functions give way to simple intensities of feeling, crossing the threshold into spirituality. ’Golden Dawn’, featuring Stefanie Parnow, marks a further elevation of dubbed-out euphoria, as once more positive rays emerge. His ode to the effortless short-trip urban navigation 'Kurzstrecke' finds Function in motion, upfront and bold, snapshots of conversation and flickers of light. 'Ertrinken' finds metallic bass jabs swamping snipped synthetic voices, with hidden stores of emotion set as a nod to the history of vocoders as a tool for encrypted military communication. House icon Robert Owens features on 'Growth Cycle' and 'Be', entrenching a celebratory atmosphere over Function's clubwise leanings. Closing track 'Downtown 161' reflects the unmistakeable filtered and squashed interjections of television, and sampled dance vocals - a sound for the curious, dreamers and dancers.
With Existenz, Function reveals an essential body of work, spread over 4LP - thought experiments on the role of identity and spirituality after a lifetime of upheaval and trauma. Leading up until the release date, Function will undertake an album promo tour with select dates - A/V shows at Berlin Atonal and Rural festival in Japan, and three dates as part of his Bassiani residency.

At only eighteen years old, Paris DJ and producer u.r.trax has a C.V that would make most seasoned selectors blush. Blending the innocence of youth with a ferocious production palette, the emerging techno star has already played Concrete, Dehors Brut, and La Toilette, and has released on Hector Oaks Kaos label, having become infatuated with the sound at a young age - even visiting Tresor at just fourteen!

From death comes rebirth, and on ‘Dying Generation' u.r.trax flies the flag for future-gazing doof with its twisting, left-field turns and throbbing noise. An instant Berlin classic. The glitch and suspense of ‘What Was On Their Mind’ melts into the raver’s core; alarm bells ring, heartbeats race and eyes widen on its six-minute journey.

The headsy vibes on ‘You Are Your Own Distraction’ is a welcome switch-up, its punchy kicks and bouncy aesthetic inviting the listener to dance as weird as they want, before the techno tradition is dropped in favour of a hefty cut of electro flavour, molding the artists own vocals with her production for a “Miss Kitten 2.0” vibe.

Galaxial atmospherics, horror-synths and anxious energy bow us out on ‘Race Against Time’, completing the package with a furious digi-only rework from MRD.

Haiku Salut, the acclaimed electronica trio from the Derbyshire Dales release their fifth album, ‘The Hill, The Light, The Ghost’ on Secret Name records on August 27th. Note the LP follows in November.

A beautiful study of ghosts and memory, the gestation of the record began when Haiku Salut’s Sophie Barkerwood was given a Tascam field recorder. “I carried it around with me in case anything interesting happened. I guess I wanted to capture little pieces of the world in the same way we all take photographs,” explains Sophie. “It wasn’t immediately apparent that we would begin to use these sounds as the architecture for an album but as our writing process evolved the textures of these memories became a bank of inspiration.”

“We then began actively searching for ghosts in the world and framing the songs around their qualities,” Sophie continues. “Gathering recordings, removing them from their context and building worlds around them. Capturing and preserving personal experiences, and evoking vivid spaces. You could say the record is a miniature exploration of sound in relation to memory. Each piece is intimately connected to a place in time.”

Musically, the album marries the expansive vision of their third album, ‘There Is No Elsewhere’, which celebrated identity and community, with the darker, more contemplative feel of their fourth album, the trio’s original soundtrack for Buster Keaton’s ‘The General’. Building on the lessons learned working on ‘The General’, ‘The Hill, The Light, The Ghost’ is a cohesive suite, nine songs that combine to tell a larger story – that of experience and memory, of precious moments and echoes of past lives.

Does returning to a place have a sound? Can the ear have a memory? And what if places which we return to are just empty shells? Choreographed rooms which we need to play, fill from scratch each time with fragments from the past and present, layer upon layer, familiar and still somehow always new and differently assembled. Paula Schopf’s Espacios en Soledad are acoustic walks around present day Santiago de Chile, the city where she was born - which she always left, had to leave and to which she always returns - but more than anything also through her own memories which resonate throughout the public places, squares, streets though still in their own way remain strange.

„Every immigrant in the world has a piece like this - a kind of missing link, something which is incomplete. And every time one returns to the home country you are looking for it. For me it was a matter of sound.“ (Paula 2019).

In the mid 70s leaving Santiago was a flight of exile as a child with her family. Leaving in 1990 was an autonomous decision to head for Europe, Berlin, where the wall fell, where the heavens opened up all at once and electronic music became a kind of new home to so many. Paula Schopf belonged there. For her the Ocean Club at Tresor club was a central place where friends and mentors like Gudrun Gut and Thomas Fehlmann made it possible for her to get really into it. Dancing, being and feeling your body, forgetting oneself in the bass and beats, who one is and where one’s from, to becoming the DJ Chica Paula. Chile was very far away during this time, Latin America was more just a code, a musical and habitual cliche to be cautious of. This was especially true for the culture of the Chilean exile, the pathos of the “Canto Nuevo”, the sound and ideologically charged instruments of the „música andina“, for example the Zampoña, Quena or Charango. Techno was the greatest thinkable alternative to this even if or perhaps because so many kids exiled from Chile became key figures in the German and European scene: Ricardo Villalobos, Dandy Jack, Cristian Vogel, Matias Aguayo and many more.

How does returning to a place sound? Does the ear have its own memory? The field recordings which were recorded in Santiago de Chile in 2016 and form the central sonic material for Espacios en Soledad represent the paradox for Schopf’s return to her home country after emigrating: the inevitable drifting apart of her own lived time from that of her former home. Already the Venezuelan and Colombian hawkers are unmistakable signs of the deep change in Chilean society which has happened in recent years due to immigration. Which is in contrast to the old lady who sits on the floor in a pedestrian zone and without break sings the same three songs by Violeta Parra and then keeps falling asleep while doing so. The fragile presence of her voice is joined with a repertoire which is almost mythologically timeless in Chile in a particularly moving way.

By layering, ordering and conjoining such found sounds from modern day Santiago this piece become about the urban sound of Chile’s present. But more than anything by doing this Paula Schopf becomes an arranger of her own sonic memory or sound-triggered memories of returning to this city. Just as techno and Berlin helped her for such a long time to get away from too strong of an identification as a Chilean in exil, now with Espacios en Soledad she has found a way to bring these two seemingly disparate lives and remembered worlds together.

Matthias Pasdzierny

"To make this concept a cohesive whole, Hybrids took a couple of years to compile. It reflects a certain shift in my sound, where I've try to maintain a constant balance between experimentation and efficiency - surprise, technique and playability... It's a highly functional object crafted from a subversive standpoint, breaking the rules while following them all. Auto-referential musical artifacts blend into composite shapes, and ultimately manifests into five exercises in style, trespassing traditional boundaries of genre, tempo, and (good) taste. While this record probably expresses an inner conflict at the intersection of hypermodernity and conservatism, I hope it accomplishes, at least, its primitive function-to put the body in motion."
- TENEBRE

It's back-to-back hits with the return of the Names You Can Trust split single series featuring two new emerging artists and record debuts.

After years on the local New York scene as DJs, collaborators and permanent fixtures amongst the brightest of musicians and artists, Raspadura has spent a long time brewing behind the curtain, tucked away in the musical minds of real life partners Josue Granados (Sonidero Mixteco, Los Taxis) and Dayan Silva (Dayansiiita). Their coming out party as recording artists is a perfect encapsulation of the duo's raucous but delightful energy. "Pa Que Gocen" is pure punkera, but seasoned with a deep musical appreciation that abounds in the timeless tropical music universe, and surely a precursor to further recording adventures, as this debut should warrant. The appeal is obvious as soon as the needle drops. Silva's enchanting vocals grab you immediately, with tales of sweets upon sweets. Pure visions of dulce, panela and miel are chanted over the rhythm of Granados' low down ska-beat and hypnotizing tres cubano. For Raspadura, dessert is first!

Come fly with Grupo Pernil in this ode to the timeless vibes of gypsy rumba, merengue and guaracha. Featuring an international all-star cast of musicians from travelling adventures and collaborations of recent years, "Danza de la Cabra" was originally conceived at home in the NYCT studio, and later brought to life with additional sessions inside Amsterdam's Heat Too Hot and Barcelona's Nación Funk studios. This one-off instrumental recording turned into a case of severe psicodelica, under the influence and improvisation of the group's talented players and percussion professionals, then amped and electrified for maximum effect with a touch of studio magic and a taste for local iberico. Featuring members of Greenwood Rhythm Coalition, Conjunto Papa Upa, Fundación Tony Manero and Los Fulanos.

Une Hardtek lourde, à lancienne dans le kick.
Des belles petites perles !
Une très belle production avec des styles variés et plutot "spped" pour le label.

Joli !

Erneut ist der Detroiter Selektor, Produzent und Labelbesitzer (Pure Sonik Records) DJ T-1000 auf BPitch Berlin gelandet, diesmal mit „The Dirrty Underground EP“, einem dreckigen, stampfenden und perkussiven Back-to-Basics Techno 4-Tracker.
DJ T-1000 a.k.a Alan Oldham ist eine zentrale Figur der Techno-Geschichte. Der in Detroit geborene und in Berlin lebende DJ begann seine Karriere in den frühen 90ern mit Underground Resistance und ist ein äußerst vielseitiger Produzent, dessen Musik auf zahlreichen Labels wie BPitch und Tresor erschienen ist. Hinter den Kulissen betreibt er legendäre Detroit-Labels wie Generator, Pure Sonik und Detroitrocketscience. Gleichzeitig hat er als Grafiker und Illustrator ikonische Cover- und Merch-Artworks für Djax-Up-Beats, +8, Transmat und viele mehr entworfen.

Assemble Music returns in 2021 with its 25th release: a 5-track heavyweight compilation featuring a handful of the finest electronic acts in Portugal and two well sought after internationals.
Population One a.k.a. Terrence Dixon, having released in iconic labels such as Metroplex, Tresor, Rush Hour and Jeff Mills’ imprint Axis in the last decades, kicks off this record with ‘Unfolding’ some Detroit Techno cargo (A1), followed by a hypnotizing, spiraling acidic Techno bomb - ‘Acid Grind’ (A2) - courtesy of the Algarve duo Roundhouse Kick. Prolific Portuguese DJ and producer, formerly based in The Netherlands, Lake Haze finishes off this first side with the Electro infused, twisted ‘Acid Warfare’ (A3).
Over to the B side, Roma Zuckerman, originally from Siberia and also releasing a double LP on Nina Kraviz’s трип this year, pulls off a classic fast-paced Acid groove on ‘We Call Its Acidomine’ (B1), while the Lisbon duo 2Jack4U takes us to a dream party land with the anthem ‘Acid 00010’ (B2)
Surely a must-have tool for an upcoming post-pandemic rave!

London based band Son Yambu are back with their second album full of original son Cubano, continuing the Buena Vista legacy that put Cuban music back on the world map in 1997. Featuring a new line up of the very best of Cuba's musical diaspora, 'Tremendo Ambiente'reflectsthe evolving nature of the music whilst at the same time paying homage to its roots. Recorded in London, 'Tremendo Ambiente' features Son Yambu's traditional 'sonora' sound of two trumpets.Made up entirely of original songs, the album features a varied collection of Cuban and Caribbean rhythms.

Robert Hood returns to Rekids with ‘The Blueprint EP’ this July.

Following 2020’s ‘Mirror Man’ LP on Radio Slave’s Rekids, Detroit pioneer Robert Hood returns to the label with a four-track EP of his trailblazing minimal techno. Leading the release, ‘Chroma Light’ opens with cinematic pads and pounding 4/4 patterns as twisted synthesis modulates throughout for a striking start. Followed by ‘The Majestic (Deeper Edit)’, with rattling percussion and fiercely relentless stabs, Hood shows his intent in creating propulsive, dancefloor focussed cuts across the EP.

On the flip, ‘The Majestic’ takes the B1 spot, expanding on the previous track with wild synths and his signature machine-like drums before ‘Ultrasonic Room’ closes out the release with eerie atmospherics and an underlying hypnotic pulse taking centre stage.

A founding member of Underground Resistance alongside Mad Mike Banks and Jeff Mills, Robert Hood is one of techno’s originators, with his decorated career spanning three decades across labels like Tresor, Peacefrog, Music Man Records, and of course, his own M-Plant.

DJ Sotofett and LNS have teamed up with Tresor Records for Sputters. The double-vinyl album with 15 cuts spans a hybrid of warped electro and psychedelic hypnosis, all the while remaining fixed in an unmistakable dance release. Recorded between 2017 – 2020, and bookmarked throughout by intros and interludes dug out from archival material, it's a deconstructed yet classic compound of techno-sonics.

LNS from Calgary, Canada, is rooted in braindance, electro and acid. Releasing 12inches on both her self-titled imprint LNS and Sotofett’s Wania - LNS, whilst in the studio, has often pointed out “the lacking blend of dub and electro in dance music”.
DJ Sotofett, hailing from Moss, Norway, is among a myriad of things commonly known for the extended work of his Sex Tags Mania and Wania labels, without forgetting his afro, dub and jazz releases on Honest Jon's London.
Together both artists give space to a guest appearance by E-GZR, a fellow Wania artist, to open the Sputters journey. The sinus bending drum stutter of K.O. by E-GZR collisions flanging basses and chronic-inducing synth pads to blueprint the technoid atmosphere to come. LNS & DJ Sotofett take control with El Dubbing, evoking an effect-heavy demeanour, typical of the Sex Tags Mania soundworld that DJ Sotofett is responsible for, this time rubbing up against solid electrified rhythms. The hypnotic moods carry over to Dúnn Dubbing's deep delays, freely running over a surprisingly minimal skeleton retaining a solid direction. Crafting a warmly emotive end of Side-A with sparse rhythms to perfection.
A meaner turn introduces Side-B. Hints of electro are scattered everywhere, fat basslines, ricocheting drums and synths that mourn and drift in and out of harmony. Vitri-Oil exposes a tumbling sound design, fog-lit chords of material fragility and nosedives - with an alive mix that wallows and grows in equal measures. The side closes with Shim, a classic drift between house and techno releasing sensual euphoria with the albums first big surprise – grand strings.

“LNS wanted to sell her TR-606, while my reply was for us to make a track with the 606 sounding so fresh that she'd never even think about selling it again” Sotofett states. Side-C proves the artists to be some of the most singular producers around with album centrepiece The 606. Clocking in over 10 minutes, it kicks off as a driving techno banger, chugging bass and big chords. Midway through everything falls away, and out of the void enter scattered drums and improv piano lines emerge, while twisted dubs lead us back in an enduringly warm groove.

Side-D sets the clock back to the original electroid foundation of the album, casting fires with alien vibrations. Synchronic Bass Blort is a hard-hitting electro track, steaming sonics and thrills, its melodic hook diving in subterranean motions. On Sputtering the duo raspily beams into outer space, with fizzy motives that disfigure and dazzle while the harmonies of the closing track is for yourself to experience.
DJ Sotofett and LNS deliver an album inhabiting a world full of sci-fi sonics and fierce groove. Their sound is free and live, simultaneously wondrous and sharp.

Polo & Pan's debut album Caravelle reached the heights of professional recognition by being certified platinum in the international market, gold in France, with three singles exceeding the threshold of gold certification outside of France, consecrating Polo & Pan as the new French Touch ambassadors. Now, our two explorers invite us with Cyclorama to a journey through time, along the steps of human existence. After a year of lockdown introspection, the duo decided to create music that weaves themselves into the backgrounds of our lives. From birth to death and transcendence, Cyclorama offers a colorful score to the "comedy of life" as Celentano sang, this existential theatre that is played-out by every human being.’’ Out everywhere on 6/25.

Manni Dee returns to Perc Trax for the release of 'A Low Level Love', his second full album following on from 'The Residue' released in 2018 by Berlin techno institution Tresor. Manni opened his Perc Trax account back in 2017 with his 'Throbs Of Discontent' 12" which featured his breakout hit 'London Isn't England' and since then he's become Perc Trax regular releasing his recent 'Everyone's Replaceable Now' 12" plus his 'Gulabi Gang' contribution to first of the 'Forever' various artists series. During this time Manni has gone from a cult UK favourite to being internationally recognised, performing all around the world.

On 'A Low Level Love' Manni expands on both his previous album and his recent run of Perc Trax releases, mixing his trademark club techno rhythms with broken beat and non-dance floor outings. 'No More Heroes' and 'You Don't Always Get What You Want' see Manni at his most melodic and introspective, whilst the storm of kick drums on 'Closer' shows a new intensity and aggression to Manni's music even when compared to the heaviest of his previous releases.

Guest slots and collaborations can often detract from the artistic vision of an album, but Manni chooses his co-conspirators well, with vocalist Sylph adding a human element to album opener 'Persist & Change' and London acid techno legend Chris Liberator providing both vocals and some of the inspiration for club hit in waiting 'London In My System'.

'A Low Level Love' will be released by Perc Trax on 17th June on 2 x 12" vinyl, CD and digital. The album was mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis, London. The front cover photography was taken by Bruna Kazinoti and design was handled by Adult Art Club.

One of the most significant collections in Trojan’s immense catalogue, the ‘The Trojan Story’ album dramatically changed the perception of Jamaican music among the general British public outside of the country’s Afro-Caribbean population.

Prior to its release in 1971 there had never been an attempt to present a comprehensive anthology of the island’s musical development, with vintage ska, rock steady and reggae widely regarded as obsolete and of precious little merit.

The treble disc set, which became an instant best-seller, had been the brainchild of Trojan’s label manager and Black Music fan, Rob Bell, who, assisted by Trojan stalwarts, Dandy, Webster Shrowder and Joe Sinclair, produced arguably the most significant Jamaican music retrospectives of all time.

Now, 50 years following its original release, this hugely influential album has been revisited by Bell, along with reggae musician, Rusty Zinn, who have succeeded in improving what was already an almost perfect collection.

Presented in the original eye-catching artwork, the set is further enhanced by a highly illustrated 50-page booklet in which Bell relates the stories behind the release and the 50 tracks featured on the compilation.

A vital moment in the resurgence of the London Jazz scene. This epoch-defining set captures all the power, energy and deftness of touch that became the thrilling, visceral experience of Binker and Moses' breakthrough performance at the now-legendary (and much missed) East London venue Total Refreshment Centre. Recorded on a sweltering night in the Summer of 2017. The palpable excitement of the crowd and its energetic, liberated response to the action on stage adds extra levels to the atmospherics, and elevates the pioneering duo's performance to a new high.

The wisdom of Tony Allen's words was as deep as his grooves, and these two sentences, which announce the dozen songs that follow, truly capture the spirit of There is No End. Tony’s motivating concept and desire was to work with younger artists, and especially the new generation of rappers, and give them voice in a time of global turmoil when music has never been more important – not necessarily as a "weapon" for the future in the manner of Fela's violently political songs, but also as medicine to heal a fractured world today.



For all those who knew him, he was a deeply spiritual man whose life's mission was not just to create a new musical language, but to pass it on to subsequent generations. In thinking back on the incredible process of creating this album without Tony physically present to guide him, producer Vincent Taeger remarked that his friend and mentor "was a teacher without speaking... a drummer and a guardian, with a great artistic vision and that vision filled the songs even after he had left us." Ben Okri, like everyone else involved in this valedictory album, had a very similar experience, declaring in awe that "this man could have lived another 150 years and kept creating new worlds. He had become the master shaman of his art. He knew himself and his mind. He wanted the album to be open to the energies of a new generation... but like a great mathematician or scientist who found a code of for a new world, with just a few beats, he created this extraordinary canvas." Featured artists include Skepta, Sampa The Great, Lava La Rue, Danny Brown, Damon Albarn and many others

Mi Conga es de Akokan is built on the Conga de los Hoyos rhythms from Santiago de Cuba. Saxophones and trombones alternate with vocals imploring the listener to dance over intensely syncopated percussion, leading to a melodic flight by the masterful trumpeter Reinaldo "Molote" Melian. The horns re-enter, and the Orquesta takes off to soaring heights of rhythmic intensity and sophistication.

La Guajira is a slow country rhythm told by the tres guitar and percussion onto which horns and strings add slinking, narcotized harmonies. Pepito tells a sensual tale of romance with a girl from the country "la guajira", which slowly builds in intensity over soneos, coros and mambos until all parts interlock in a lugubrious climax.

Global electronic sound specialist - Producer and DJ Oliver Williams aka "The Busy Twist" is at it again. Among his numerous projects as a producer, this double-sider, dancefloor-focused EP is one of his seldom seen, more personal works in the vein of what he does best: an uptempo, bass-heavy madness, influenced by his regular trips to Africa, Latin America and the West-Indies, packed with undeniable British club music culture and production technique. Highly infectious energy, pure sunshine, 100% good vibes. Following up on The Busy Twist previous collaborations with Congolese singer Tres. "Nanko" is another joyful, sun-soaked, highly danceable Electro-Soukous party joint, loaded with captivating guitar grooves and soulful vocals. On the flip, "Rwendo Rweupenyu (The Journey Of Life) Remix" is an outstanding take on Zimbabwean Sungura Music (one of the country's most popular genres), originally performed by street band Daniel & Gonora Sounds, led by singer-guitarist Daniel Gonora and his drummer son Isaac. Respectfully using Daniel's mind bending guitar riffs and highpitched, uplifting vocals, The Busy Twist and his collaborator delivers an inspiring and remarkably effective version of the original song. Vinyl contains exclusive extended and instrumental Dj-friendly versions of both tracks that won't be available for download anywhere.

Bristol hip hop duo release their debut 12” ahead of an album in July featuring a thumping electro remix by SURGEON (Dynamic Tension/ Tresor Records) and an extended remix by Ree-Vo themselves.

The lp ‘All Welcome on Planet Ree-Vo’ due for release in July could only really have been made in one city steeped as it is in Bristol’s decades of less conventional hip hop and bass music. Tweaked and fine tuned during the summer of 2020 the record punches with a mix of red eyed paranoia to a playful future funk.
T. Relly is pure Bristol hip hop royalty – known in the community variously for his links to all of the city’s major club nights, his passion and support for the most disadvantaged (through his work with the youth and prison leavers), through to compering stages at St Paul’s Carnival and his seminal 2018 lp with DJ Rogue ‘Let Them Know’

Andy Spaceland (AKA Andy Jenks) got involved in Bristol bass music as soon as he moved to the city with Static Sound System and a collaborative 12” with Rudy Tambala (AR Kane ) as Sugarboat Vs Sufi, before his band Alpha were signed to Massive Attack ’s label Melankolic, whilst he also became one of their tour DJ’s. His CV of collaborations range from Smith and Mighty to Madonna, and he is currently releasing music with US producer Butch Vig in the band 5 Billion in Diamonds , and working on new tracks with Mark Stewart (The Pop Group). His signature can be heard on this remix for Elizabeth Fraser

HIGHLIGHTS New pieces by Spanish pioneers from the 80's and before in Experimental rock, Electronica, Industrial, Avant-Garde, etc. Inspired by the mysterious and disturbing anti-Franco illustrator OPS, nowadays well known as El Roto. Second part of the Erizonte trilogy on drawing as a transmitter of progressive ideas, first part being Suite Los Caprichos by Francisco de Goya. Available only in vinyl gatefold edition. TRACKLIST: SIDE A A1. ERIZONTE - Obertura A2. MECANICA POPULAR and Erizonte - Dos veces en la vida A3. LA FURA DELS BAUS and Erizonte - ¡Mierda de guerra! A4. MACROMASSA with Erizonte - Tonsura A5. PELAYO ARRIZABALAGA, ELI GRAS & ERIZONTE-Miedo a la verdad A6. ERIZONTE - Tres piezas para teclados SIDE B B1. ERIZONTE - (Des) educación B2. ESPLENDOR GEOMÉTRICO & Erizonte - Clerecía B3. MAR OTRA VEZ - Calma B4. ERIZONTE - Difracción B5. ERIZONTE with JESUS ALONSO - En el país del silencio B6. SCUD HERO with Erizonte - Hipnosis colectiva B7. CORCOBADO and Erizonte - Sol sotnemurtsni es nacot B8. ERIZONTE - Coda More Details: In this collective creation directed by Erizonte well-known artists sharing ethics and aesthetics come together over the mysterious and disturbing drawings that appeared in some newspapers, books and magazines in the mid 1960's to mid 1980's, such as Hermano Lobo, Triunfo or Cuadernos para el Diálogo, signed OPS - later better known by the heteronym of El Roto. Musicians or sound artists, representatives of avant-garde music that emerged in the Spain of OPS, have composed a piece for this album on a given, recurring theme: repression, censorship, informative manipulation, induced or obligatory oblivion, the vices of clericalism, the horrors of war, imperialism, bad education or the lack thereof and gender violence. These are themes that coincide with those already undertaken by Goya in etchings, and of whom we can consider Andrés Rábago, the painter behind these two pseudonyms, as the legitimate heir, at least in this field. He himself has chosen the drawings that illustrate each of the covers corresponding to the individual editions of each piece as they appeared. The covers are all gathered here, along with a new cover. This album is part II of Erizonte's trilogy inspired by drawings in the media c. After the first part, the "Suite Los Caprichos de Goya", where 19th century ideals of the Enlightenment can be seen through the etchings of Francisco de Goya, while this second album corresponds to the OPS cartoons, anti-Francoism and its environment, as it was when they appeared in newspapers and magazines, the media of the 20th century. The artist and the graphic medium for the third and last part, corresponding to this 21st century, is yet to be discovered ...

‘Working With God’ is the new studio album from Melvins, featuring the 1983 line-up of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Mike Dillard. This is the first time the trio have recorded together since ‘Tres Cabrones’.
‘Working With God’ is Melvins’ 28th (yes, 28th) full-length studio release and their first since 2018’s ‘Pinkus Abortion Technician’.
The band have been one of the most lauded hard rock bands to have helped develop the Grunge and Sludge scenes.
The new album is one of their most melodic and playful records - not just another ‘metal’ record, this will translate easily to hard rock and even mainstream rock fans as well.
The songs on the album are originals except for their take on Harry Nilsson’s classic ‘Fuck You’ and the well-known ‘Good Night Sweetheart’ that finishes off the album.
Released alongside the reissue of two classic Melvins albums on coloured vinyl.

Following the release of his huge summer singles ‘Chemicals’ and the Robyn and Channel Tres collaborative smash ‘Impact’, UK songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist SG Lewis announces the upcoming release of his long-awaited debut album, times. The LP, out 19th February via EMI Records, finds one of modern pop’s secret weapons stepping out front and centre, as he takes listeners on a voyage through soaring electronic dance and kaleidoscopic future disco, with the help of a few friends along the way. Released on CD and a Black Heavyweight 1LP with download code.

RAWAX proudly present Gregor Tresher aka Sniper Mode!
It’s Gregor‘s first release under his Sniper Mode moniker after 17 years!
A timeless future classic - highly recommended!

repressed !

Hardfloor sévère, gros gras kick. Doodax tape fort avec ses deux tracks puissantes qui font de la face A de ce disque un vrai petit bijoux qui cache un acidcore lointain, comme une teuf perdue dans les champs là bas, et on entend très très fort le bruit de nos pas qui nous y guident....
Avec la face B on sombre dans une mental acide ciselée à la perfection. pas un poil ne dépasse mais ça reste libre dans la compos, avec des structures naturelles, conventionnelles en apparence car toujours au rendez-vous, mais en vrai, ça reste assez peu formaté.

un très bon disque de passionné, bien pressé chez Vinyle de paris.

Classe.

Der Wechsel der Jahreszeiten und auch der Wechsel des Lebens mit seinen Stimmungen und Gefühlen stehen hinter den Klängen des Projekts »XII«, mit dem Deutsche Grammophon neue Werke von innovativen und kreativen Musikern der Gegenwart präsentiert.