Suche:tru tones

Welcome to Club Partenopea — a masterclass in understated elegance and deep, introspective grooves.
Side A: Sunset Sessions – The Soundtrack Toward Night
A1. “Smooth Rides”
An energetic yet fluid track, “Smooth Rides” blends warm analog synths with a swinging groove, creating an immersive listening experience. It invites the listener to drift into its layered soundscapes and lose themselves in the rhythm.
A2. “Hope Is the Refuge”
The ultimate soundtrack for relaxation and good vibes. This soft-textured piece weaves shimmering pads with subtle piano flourishes, while hushed, ethereal vocal samples float in and out—not as a lead, but as an ambient layer—adding to its dreamy, gently melancholic mood.
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Side B: Blending Into the Party-Time Pulse
B1. “Club Partenopea”
A deep house groove that shines with infectious piano riffs, acting like rhythmic exclamations. Joyous and unifying, it’s made for the dancefloor — pure, celebratory energy wrapped in elegance.
B2. “Timer Groove”
Your late-night companion. “Timer Groove” fuses the lush, immersive tones of deep house with a buoyant, uplifting bassline. It’s the perfect 1 AM tune—when the crowd gets intimate, the energy softens, and the music becomes a trusted guide through the night.

The Mekanik label, led by the tireless Manu Kenton, returns strongly with a new, strikingly effective EP: "Metronome." Available as a colored vinyl limited edition and in digital format, this project brings together four finely crafted techno productions for clubs and thrill-seekers.



Between explosive buildups, hypnotic grooves, and acidic textures, the "Metronome EP" delivers a concentrated dose of raw energy and sonic mastery. True to his identity, Manu Kenton once again demonstrates his ability to combine power, tension, and efficiency, always with a signature recognizable among thousands.



A key figure of the legendary Lagoa club in Menin, Manu Kenton continues his path here, chaining projects with a consistently strong artistic coherence.

On the visual side, this collector's vinyl stands out with its revamped "Yolk effect" in luminous green tones, adding an original and modern touch to this new chapter of the Mekanik label.



Français



Le label Mekanik, piloté par l’infatigable Manu Kenton, revient en force avec un nouvel EP redoutablement efficace : "Metronome". Disponible en vinyle coloré en édition limitée et en version digitale, ce projet rassemble quatre productions techno ciselées pour les clubs et les amateurs de sensations fortes.



Entre montées explosives, grooves hypnotiques et textures acides, "Metronome EP" offre un concentré d’énergie brute et de maîtrise sonore. Fidèle à son identité, Manu Kenton y affirme une fois de plus sa capacité à allier puissance, tension et efficacité, toujours avec une signature reconnaissable entre mille.

Black Truffle is thrilled to announce Spilla, the second album from Nantes-based Ensemble Nist-Nah, 48 minutes of music for Gamelan, drum kits, wood and metal percussion instruments, and plucked strings that will surely count as one of the most electrifying records you hear this year. Founded by the Australian drummer/percussionist Will Guthrie in 2019, continuing the explorations begun in solo form on Nist-Nah (Black Truffle, 2020), the ensemble (eight or nine core members with occasional guests) has been consistently active in the half-decade since: composing, rehearsing, recording and touring Europe (with a mass of equipment in tow) to great acclaim. Spilla tracks the continuing evolution of the project since the recording of their first album, Elders (Black Truffle, 2022). The two sides of this record document two different iterations of the group, and the members' compositional input has increased: each side contains one piece by a member other than Guthrie. It has become clearer than ever that Ensemble Nist-Nah is not an attempt at a European Gamelan ensemble but rather a hybrid percussion ensemble that uses instruments from a Javanese Gamelan alongside other percussion to perform original music informed by a variety of South East Asian music but also by everything from free jazz to contemporary hip-hop: while Nist-Nah and Elders both featured traditional Javanese pieces, on Spilla the only tune not generated by a member of the group is by Guthrie’s long-time musical hero and occasional collaborator Roscoe Mitchell.

The two short pieces that open the record could almost be the two sides of a wild 7” selected to show off what the Ensemble can do. On opener ‘Gerak Maju’, intricately skittering open-snare patterns bounce over clanging metal, chiming bell-like tones and deep gong hits, adapting the rhythm-register connections heard in traditional Gamelan musics—where the lowest pitched sounds are heard least frequently—to a cut-up breakbeat straight off Feed Me Weird Things. ‘Strollabout’ then moves into an entirely different realm of meditative repeating patterns, performed entirely on Chinese, Javanese and Vietnamese gongs. The remaining seven pieces, ranging from three to twelve minutes, offer up a wealth of different percussive, compositional and arrangement possibilities. On ‘Ghostly Klang’, two drumkits mirror each other’s moves, bouncing hats and snares across the stereo field in a way that recalls On the Corner and the jittering hi hat patterns of trap, while slow moving melodies on the tuned instruments add a sense of majesty contrasted by scurrying details in resonant wood. The epic closing track presents a take on Roscoe Mitchell’s ‘Uncle’, performed by the Art Ensemble of Chicago on their classic Urban Bushmen live album. Where the Art Ensemble used Mitchell’s dirge-like melody as a jumping off point for virtuosic improvisational flights, Ensemble Nist-Nah rethink the piece as a near-static dialogue between the monumental, slow-moving sequence of unison tuned percussion notes and a textural cloud that grows in richness and intensity from whispering cymbal rolls into a mass of gong overtones and bowed metal.

Beautifully recorded and mixed, Spilla arrives in a sleeve decorated with core member Charles Dubois’ drawings of cymbals and gongs. Against the backdrop of a wider musical landscape dominated by over-produced electronic slop and bland harmonic wallpaper, Ensemble Nist-Nah stands out as a reminder, vital and unpretentious, of the joys and possibilities of human beings playing instruments together.

Le Chatroom, a record label established in 2016 by the English producer Kouslin, searches for the missing link between underground bass music and outer national sounds. Its music is defined by the blend of synthetic and organic tones, modern / classic instruments and low- end heavy percussive rhythms.

Pushing artists from all around the globe that share the same love for this newfound sound, Kouslin's aim with Le Chatroom is to promote musical diversity, open-mindedness and experimentation at a time when unity between cultures is crucial. With 'LCR001' the label advances into a new physical environment from which this release should be experienced.

Real talk and native percussion establish the steady climax of 'Brothers', the A-side of Le Chatroom's inaugural wax release. Kouslin cuts through this sediment with a bright flute, before the state of the sound switches into something far darker and meditative. By placing several samples at irregular intervals, the Londoner achieves a fascinating charm that'll unite us all.

Booming bass in 'Gyals' lingers with a steady pace while percy tribal hits forge a raw groove that's far from common. With this movement, the producer from Bristol disintegrates the sense of a generic production and sticks to his true nature. Through this it becomes clear that Galtier has his polyrhythms down to a science.

Londoner Sheik clinches the B-side with a craze that unveils a nearly psychotic sense of sample architecture. Pushing crystal clear 808 kicks in- between the haunting atmospheres and a wall of pressure simply becomes one of his most inventive takes documented on wax. If you love to swerve through a minefield, the odd 'Oxram' would be your favourite pick off this first outline.

The three producers that feature on 'LCR001' pass on their fundamentals to conjure Le Chatroom's philosophy red-handed. Together they do the imprint's name justice by handing over critical bass repertoire that'll excite many!

Tuskegee returns with serious intent and a fresh club weapon from a recognised statesman of house music, Junior Sanchez. Having written and collaborated with artists including Daft Punk, Armand Van Helden, Todd Terry, and Roger Sanchez, ‘Bitch U Could Neva’ pairs Sanchez with vocalist and songwriter Dave Giles II, riding high himself following link-ups with Honey Dijon, Mike Dunn, and a producer on Beyonce’s anthemic ‘Cozy’.

‘Bitch U Could Neva’ is a powerful, instantaneous trip back into the underground style and attitude shared between both artists, reflecting the vibe of Sanchez’s rise to success in the halcyon days of New York nineties clubbing, alongside Giles II’s own youth in the Chicago creative scene. Living up to the attitude of its title, ‘Bitch U Could Neva’ bumps with peak-time energy, jackhammer drums and chopped-up vocals never undermining its fundamental sensuality, an increasingly rare link between true, authentic dancefloors past and present.

The pair then look to London for a confident, stripped-back take from prestigious record collector and curator GIDEON. The founder of dance music institutions Adonis and Glastonbury’s infamous Block 9 goes deep to find the track’s potential as a minimal, vogue-adjacent house workout, scattered with telephone dial tones and an upfront disclosure; “Bitch, I’m serving.”

Back across the Atlantic, Physical Therapy and Michael Mangan team up under their Fatherhood project to give ‘Bitch U Could Neva’ a seriously bouncy redress, winding tight drums atop a rubbery bassline and paying their own Twilo and Tunnel-era tributes with cut-up vocals and an ecstatic onslaught of rave stabs.

2025 Repress

DJ Koze might be one of the world's best producers, but above all he's a DJ, and it's his DJ ear that governs. J
ust as in a great set, so with his releases: 'Seeing Aliens' came out of nowhere, a big buzzing beast of a track, to announce that Koze was back on the scene and prime everyone for the coming album, knock knock.
But now that Koze has your attention, it's time to remind everyone what's most important about club music, pull things back, take a turn to the left, and get deep into the groove.

Thus 'Pick Up': the second single from knock knock is 100% pure groove, doubly so in the extended 12' version.

In a sense it's incredibly familiar - it is essentially a filter disco record, very close to something you could imagine coming out of Paris around the turn of the millennium. But of course, this is Koze. Nothing is normal or familiar in his world, and he's taken this most foundational of clubland staples into new territory. Flipping amples of Gladys Knight & the Pips 'Neither One Of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)' and Melba Moore's 'Pick Me Up, I'll Dance', it creates something completely airborne, shot through with emotions such as gods must feel: not quite explicable to the human mind but strong enough to knock you off your feet. In its way it's absolutely as powerful as 'Seeing Aliens', but it comes in like the proverbial iron fist in a glove of velvet.
The flip, a ten-minute new track, 'The Love Truck' is a big contrast again. If 'Pick Up' is giddy flight,
'The Love Truck' is woozy floating. Its sharp, clicking percussion recalls 2000s minimal techno, but this time absolutely nothing is generic. The long, intense, on-and-off bass tones, the flickers of birdsong, the pure voices slipping in backwards as if from the future... it's all like the most blissful dream, and culminates in a coda so subtle yet so beautiful it's like ever time you've ever seen the sun rise and thought 'I never want this to end', all the while understanding deep down that the fleeting nature of the pleasure is also what give it its power. But of course, being created with that consummate DJ's ear, it's also full of the thrill of wondering what Koze has in store next.

Liner Notes by Martyn Pepperell

A collection of ten hypnotic guitar renditions that dive deeply into the traditional compositional musicality that underpins Harakami’s hallucinatory beatscapes before reconsidering them under a fresh, innovative and engaging new light. River: The Timbre of Guitar #2 Rei Harakami signals a new level of awareness and understanding of both Rei Harakami’s significance and Ayane Shino’s undeniable talent.

VITAL SALES POINTS:

In 1996 Tokyo-based label Sublime Records received a cassette demo from Rei Harakami, a 26-year-old Japanese experimental filmmaker, and musician. Within one year Harakami’s debut LP ‘Unrest’ was released. As the 21st century dawned, Harakami was becoming a critically acclaimed figure, and there was a feeling in Japan that Harakami would be an inevitable successor to such luminaries as Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sadly Harakami passed away at age 40 in 2011, leaving behind a musical legacy that seemed to deserve more recognition. A fitting tribute now comes from the incredibly gifted classical guitarist Ayane Shino. Continuing her album series ‘The Timbre of Guitar’ (the inaugural release of which was ‘Sakura’ - a cover album of Susumu Yokota's seminal album, released through the Swiss label, Mental Groove Records in 2021), she now presents ‘River ???? : The Timbre of Guitar #2 Rei Harakami’. Ayane has reworked some of Harakami’s standout tracks into an album of tranquil yet complex compositions helping to build a new level of awareness and understanding of Rei Harakami’s significance. A collection of ten hypnotic guitar renditions that dive deeply into the traditional compositional musicality that underpins Harakami’s hallucinatory beatscapes before reconsidering them under a fresh, innovative and engaging new light.

In the years that followed Harakami’s untimely passing, Sublime Records continued to sign and support new artists emerging from Japan’s rich and fertile electronic music scene. This eventually led to a meeting with gifted classical guitarist Ayane Shino in 2020. Although a new name within electronica, Shino’s classical resume is impeccable. She has performed with a range of prestigious orchestras in concert halls and at music festivals across Japan, Europe, and South America while playing classical guitar for numerous animations, movies and television commercials and holding various educational roles. These days, she also hosts the Tokyo Harmonics radio show, which is syndicated through Hyogo prefecture’s Ashiya Radio and TJS Radio in Los Angeles.

During her time completing a masters at Tokyo’s University of the Arts, Shino became fascinated by Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, Oneohtrix Point Never, Steve Reich, and, closer to home, Harakami and Susumu Yokota. ”I found myself in an environment where I was surrounded by fellow students who produced computer music, live electronics, and installations,” she explains. Following her meeting with Sublime, Hideoki Amano, the producer and owner of Musicmine, the parent company of the label, asked Shino if she would be open to transcribing and recording an album of covers of the late, great composer, producer and DJ Susumu Yokota’s music in incorporate into then-upcoming events commemorating the 5th anniversary of his death and reissues of his past works. “Yokota made music with the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer and samplers, not in a way like a conventional instrumentalist, so I was aware it might be more of a challenge for her,” Amano explains. Fittingly, Shino was up for his suggestion, leading to ‘Sakura: The Timbre Of Guitars #1 Susumu Yokota’. Song by song, Sakura highlighted Shino’s free-flowing playing and prowess at translating electronic music into classical guitar shapes.
After considering Harakami’s background as an instrumentalist, Amano felt revisiting his catalogue should be the next step for Shino. Well-versed in how often classical versions of electronic music tend to fall flat, he asked her to examine Harakami’s songs closely, select the musical phrases suitable for guitar and create arrangements that would sound interesting to music listeners with a deep engagement with ambient, techno and electronica. In Harakami’s discography, Shino discovered “a sense of simplicity, warmth, moisture and a floating sensation.” “I was gripped by his songs, which had an array of sounds that gave me a sense of mystery but also coexisted with a sense of familiarity,” she explained. Moving beyond his official releases, Shino began digging through YouTube to find live recordings, radio appearances and obscure outtakes. Within her mind’s eye, imagining playing his songs on guitar was effortless. On her approach to the album, Ayane explains: “For this album, I succeeded in spinning some exquisite, silk thread like delicate tones, interwoven with human warmth, gentleness and simplicity. And I was also able to rework Rei Harakami's distinctive sound with a floating feel to it and transform it into a very classical guitar sound. I hope many people will be able to receive this group of sounds that I created in this album that I played with all my heart.” A record of limitless innate beauty, ‘River ???? : The Timbre of Guitar #2 Rei Harakami’ is a delicate and thoughtful body of work. A true masterclass in deconstruction and subsequent rebuilding, and an eternal lesson in how the art that we leave behind can outlive us all.

Art Of Tones returns to GAMM after the success of his '3 Woman EP' with the '3 Men EP', an record where the male vocals come into focus.

We're starting off with 'International Truth', a huge soulful and uplifting disco/soul jam with big vocals and a large dose of feel-good vibes...a proper peak-time tune!

The B-side offers a rework of a rare and much sought after afro-disco cut and an amazing rework of one of those Stevie Wonder under-the-radar tracks that most of us probably have overlooked.

Portland's finest practitioners of Great Black Music offering to the planet! All Is Sound could not be a more apt title for this. Through saxophone, cello, piano, and flutes The Cosmic Tones Research Trio created a truly beautiful record. All Is Sound breaks new ground. At its heart, it's healing/meditation music, but the Gospel and Blues roots are in there too...as well as hints of forward-looking Spiritual jazz.

As sincere a record as you could ever hope for. Music is indeed the healing force of the universe. Formed by alto sax player and composer Roman Norfleet, cellist and multi-instrumentalist Harlan Silverman, and pianist Kennedy Verrett—who also plays a wide variety of wind instruments—, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio focuses on healing music. In All is Sound, delicate, profound melodies create peaceful, immersive soundscapes, which the group develops through their combined background in acoustic ecology, sound meditation, mindfulness, and active community involvement.

A noteworthy follow up to Norfleet’s first length with Mississippi Records (the self-titled Roman Norfleet and Be Present Art Group, from 2023), All is Sound offers the chance to engage with songs intended for healing. Following the steps of musicians such as Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio delivers music that is both restorative and sonically rich—each tone falling into perfect place, as if by magic. Praise for Roman Norfleet and Be Present Art Group: “A free-flowing suite.” — The Quietus // “Life-affirming music.

Dana Ruh offers up the aptly titled ‘This Journey So Far’ 2x12’’ project via Yecad here, comprised of eight original cuts.

As a long standing and widely respected figure in the world of underground house and techno through her releases on the likes of Slices Of Life, Ostgut Ton, Cocoon, Cave and of course her own Brouqade, Dana Ruh’s reputation stands tall as one of the finest purveyors of this sound. Amongst her releases, Dana maintains a heavy tour schedule taking her across the globe each year to many hotspots in key cities, here she marks another milestone in her career with a 2x12’’ release, entitled ‘This Journey So Far’, as a musical reflection on all that’s led to this point.

Across eight tracks Dana presents her distinctive style which often straddles the lines between house and techno, opening with the airy, swinging dub aesthetic of ‘Case Of V’, while diving into deeper, murkier realms on ‘Bruv’. The B1 ‘KMA54’ then shifts focus towards choppy breaks, textural tension and hypnotic voices before B2 ‘Babel’ lays down a true dub techno feel across ten minutes of crisp drums, spiralling echoes and expansive reverberations.

Kicking off the C-Side is ‘MF Now’, stripping things back to a shuffled, bumpy rhythm section, resonant synth chimes and billowing textures. ‘Grey With Some Light’ then leans into a more experimental glitch realm via twitchy oscillating percussion, unfurling atmospherics and drifting keys. ‘The Look’ leans back into House territory with raw stabs, sax lines, metallic chimes and vacillating low-end tones before ‘Song For The Lonely’ concludes the project, encapsulating the essence of deep house with ethereal pad swells, circling stab sequences, low-slung drums and cossetting subs.

Embrace the golden tranquility of summer with Childhood Memories! Let yourself be enchanted by a compilation where each note softly whispers warmth, inviting the essence of summer to dance freely. Envision yourself nestled in a cozy treehouse, surrounded by lush greenery, basking in the warm sunlight as guitar melodies fill the air. Whether you're lost in a captivating book or sharing laughter with cherished friends, allow these laid-back tunes to become the soundtrack to your summer bliss.

THE VINYLBOX COLLECTION IS BACK REDISCOVER ALL THE BEST SONGS FROM THE CULT MOVIES OF QUENTIN TARENTINO. STARRING : JOETEX, ISAAC HAYES, DICK DALE, ELVIN BISHOP, JOHNNY CASH, AL GREEN, RICKY NELSON, LINK WRAY, ...

Departing the Wasteland, the new album by Finnish pianist and composer Alexi Tuomarila, marks the beginning of a new creativeflowering for him and also 20 years of playing with the trio that’s at the heart of the album: Mats Eilertsen on bass and OlaviLouhivuori on drums. Portuguese guitarist Andre Fernandes and guest players add richness and texture to the trio sound whichincorporates electronics and synthesised moods and tones.For more than 15 years Alexi Tuomarila has been quietly building a considerable reputation as one of the finest pianists of hisgeneration in Europe. In 2003 he signed with Warner Jazz France, releasing the album ‘02’ ’, which brought him worldwideattention and critical acclaim. He shared the stage with some of the biggest names in jazz, his international career and talent fastdeveloping when, without warning, Warner Jazz ditched their jazz and classical department. He then worked for a decade withPolish trumpeter legend Tomasz Stanko, playing piano on the acclaimed album Dark Eyes for ECM Records, and collaborated withhis current drummer Olavi Louhivuori (Oddarrang) with whom he continues to record for Edition.Alexi Tuomarila has three highly successful albums on Edition, Seven Hills (2014), Kingdom (2017) & Sphere (2019).

Welcome to the kickoff of DemoDc's 5-EP series, where he reflects on the complexities of our times. Coining "Meiosistosis" from mitosis and meiosis, DemoDc creates a unique vocabulary to express his deep perspective. Released through Heart Heart Records, the music follows a non-linear, cyclic journey, with each track standing independently, guiding listeners through an evolving experience.

"A1 - Awake" opens the series, celebrating those brave enough to face their flaws in a world of false promises. With introspective melodies and harmonies, the track encourages self-discovery and reflection, urging listeners to seek their own truths.

"A2 - Not From Around Here" embraces individuality, using its ethereal tones to highlight the strength found in being different and celebrating the alien within us all.

"B1 - Glimpsed (Original Mix)" offers a brief taste of the profound mysteries of the present, reminding us that truth is personal and elusive.

"B2 - Glimpsed (Metapattern Mix)" the remix by Berlin's Metapattern transforms the original track into a deep, pulsating techno piece perfect for DJs, adding a powerful twist to this captivating musical journey.

Introducing Access All Areas - FLO’s debut album. A body of work imbued with the girls unapologetic, contagious force.

Blending the rich tones and luscious melodies of R&B and soul with pitched up original samples, futuristic production,

contagious hooks and candid, relatable lyricism, the project feels like yet another arrival for the group.
Featuring songs such as ‘Walk Like This’ and new single ‘Check’, plus many more.

1 x 140g Crystal Clear Vinyl.

As the tenth candle flickers atop the torta alla panna, Archeo Recordings play the Uno reverse card, breaking with tradition to give us a gift in celebration of its birthday: the first in a series of exquisite EPs on which the label's favourite contemporaries pay homage to past masters. Each re-polished gem is plucked either directly from the beatific back catalogue of the fine Florentine label or is at least Archeo-adjacent, perhaps a sign of future wonders to come. Like a musical version of Janus, who can be found at the heart of Bertoldo di Giovanni's frieze in the Medici villa, Archeo Recordings will continue to look forwards and backwards to provide sublime sounds for us all.
Pepe Maina officially joined the Archeo family in 2019 with the much-needed reissue of his 1979 masterpiece Scerizza (AR015), but his astounding music has been a constant companion to label head Manu for much longer. An inter-dimensional, multi-instrumental maverick, Maina weaves the frayed edges of prog rock, new age, organic jazz and global minimalism into a shimmering tapestry all of his own. The results are spread across fifty years and almost as many albums, largely self-released and always absolutely untarnished by commercial concerns.
Based in a small village in the hills of Brianza, just north of Milan, Maina translates the beauty of his surroundings into transformative tone poems, and the folkloric fusion of "The Infinite", originally released on his 2014 CD Tales From The Hill, is the perfect example of his practice. It opens with a recitation of Giacomo Leopardi's 1825s poem "L'Infinito" by famed Italian actor Vittorio Gassman. A leading figure in the romantic movement, Leopardi explores the idea of time and space within the natural world, and the peace that comes with an appreciation of the immensity of eternity. Manu, longtime digger and now a burgeoning producer, expands upon the original with tribal percussion, chirping electronics and a spheric bassline, folding Maina's elegant strings and gossamer pads into a new arrangement suited for a slow dance under the stars.
Unless you had a well-trained ear tuned to Italy's avant-jazz scene, chances are your first encounter with innovative flautist Roberto Aglieri came via the 2017 Archeo reissue of hisalmost untraceable LP Ragapadani (AR011). It's a true testament to Manu's digging credentials that he snatched this masterpiece out of the esoteric atmosphere and brought it attention it so richly deserved. A delicate union of digital synthesis and versatile flute - be it soft and silvery or
brilliant and clear - the 1987 album was a shapeshifting masterpiece, replaying scenes from Virgil, Verdi, Visconti and Pasolini with a neon glow. Quintessentially Italian, but uncanny and previously unimagined - Penthouse and Portico perhaps. Powered by a percolating prototechno sequence, cascading keys, hallucinogenic vocal snippets and a variety of tonal timbres from Roberto's reed, "Danza N. 1" long deserved the praise reserved for Jean-Luc Ponty's pinnacle, so many thanks to Manu for our collective introduction. The tall task of reinterpreting this particular paragon falls to Perugian polymath Daniele Tomassini AKA Feel Fly, whose peerless skills as both producer and musician have delighted DJs and dancers alike. Hot on the heels of his diverse and definitive remixes of Tony Esposito for AR027, Daniele delivers a radical rework of "Danza N. 1" perfect for both day rave sunshine and full moon party alike. Enhanced by snapping breaks and a rattling kick, the bassline gurgle emerges as a progressive powerhouse, laying the foundation for the trilling flute and circular keys to cast a psychedelic spell. As the slow-Goa revival picks up pace, this one is way ahead of the pack.
Archeo take us all the way back to the start of its story here - well almost. Though it bore the stamp AR001 (2015), this Radio Band reissue actually hit shelves months after Tony Esposito's "Je-Na' / Pagaia"; a false start perhaps but a true classic all the same. Radio Band were a group of DJs from Florence who all sailed the airways of Radio Fantasy in 1984 and whose one and only release was this super groovy slice of Italo-boogie. Following the example of Milanese DJs Band of Jocks but far surpassing their formulaic funk fizzle, Radio Band employed an intergalactic bassline, cosmic keys and that undeniably Italian style of rapping to deliver a sophisticated party-starter which even found its way to disco deity Ron Hardy. Back to the here and now, and if you've found yourself pumping an ecstatic fist to a supercharged Italian epic of late, chances are its from the mind of the mysterious Radiomarc. Operating on the ascendent Popcorn Groove imprint, this shadowy figure steers his country's lost classics into peaktime territories, finding a sweet spot between late Italo-disco, early Italo-house and contemporary cool. Pushing the tempo with a club-ready 4/4, setting the sequencer to stun and supplementing the original melodies with a series of synth riffs, the mystery producer send this one into orbit. Radio Band - Radio Rap - Radiomarc, the circle is complete.
Few have done more to develop cross-cultural musical exchange than Futuro Antico. A collaborative venture from musician, archeologist and ethnomusicologist Walter Maioli, keyboardist and tonal theoretician Riccardo Sinigaglia and multi-disciplinary artist and composer Gabin Dabiré, Futuro Antico formed in Milan in 1979, combining ancient international folkloric traditions with otherworldly electronics. The result is an arresting melange of Mediterranean, African and Asian instrumentation, mimicked by esoteric synth tones and hypnotic minimalism, which the group perfected on their acclaimed 1990 LP Dai Primitivi All'Elettronica. The meditative and transportive "Pan Tuning" belongs to their largely overlooked 2005 CD only release Intonazioni Archetipe, and has been amongst Manu's most loved tracks from the first moment he heard it. Who else is better placed to reshape this evocative opus into an immersive, transcendental dance floor journey than label favourites Mushrooms Project? The duo sows the original elements into a sprawling fifteen minute fusion of séance and science, at times propulsive with a ritualist rhythm of tuned percussion and crunching drum machine at others drifting off into ethereal ambience. Mushrooms Project continue to push the boundaries of the Afro-cosmic style, and this remix marks a new zenith.

180G BLACK VINYL

Since Outlaws in 2020, Ludivine Issambourg's flute has not cooled down. How could it have, when with that album of Hubert Laws covers, it had reached incandescence? Still panting, burning despite the lid of its case left wide open, it awaited the opportunity to continue the adventures that Master Laws himself had praised.

A continuation? Above The Laws isn't quite that.

Although his name still appears, Hubert L. is no longer the sole guide in exploring the vast galaxies of jazz-funk. Through covers but especially as an enhancer of her own compositions, Ludivine has invoked the spirit and intangible presence of Jeremy Steig, Ronald Sneijder, and Bobby Humphrey—the legends of the flute.

Guided by an unescapable groove, with a musical dial set to the late 70s and early 80s, Ludivine has enlisted the help of a brass section this time, a true propulsion engine for funk that can also shift to a soulful breath if the moment calls for it. Supporting the keyboards, there's a Moog laying down its rich layers or twisting tones.

The flutes are used like levers to stabilize the flight or, conversely, to make it soar even faster through the measures. The alto version, which Ludivine had previously used sparingly, adds the necessary velvety note when it’s time to embark on smoother destinations. Speeding up the tempo to make passengers rise from their seats as if danger were imminent; calming the atmosphere to put them in a reassuring cocoon where they can let their thoughts and spirits wander, the improvisations find their place in the compositions observed from the porthole. Detached from gravity, yet still very much in tune with the vibe of cities marked as hot spots on the current jazz scene radar, it's the scent of these streets that permeates some tracks of Above The Laws.

Directed from the control tower by Eric Legnini, Chassol, Alex Finkin, and Michaël Lecoq, Above The Laws benefits from a few stops along the way where precious connections are established. Nils Landgren and his trombone in the colors of the Swedish flag, Laurent De Wilde for a chase between flute and Fender Rhodes, Céline Bonacina’s saxophone for an Afrobeat detour.

But it's at the edge of a journey where organic intensity has continued to assert itself without losing power that Ludivine connected with Brian Jackson for a cover of "Angel Dust," a track from the era when he and his partner Gil Scott-Heron were creating soul masterpieces. One of them featured a flutist by the name of Hubert Laws.

The starting point of Ludivine's latest jazz-funk explorations also becomes the endpoint. Elevated by the ten tracks of Above The Laws, Ludivine Issambourg closes a loop where she has placed her flute and its flourishes in an undeniably leading role. Opening the doors to ambitious orchestrations, unexplored horizons, she weaves into her compositions the experiences, places, and encounters that have shaped her.

Matching breezy, Bossa nova-tinged sophistication with softly spiralling psychedelia, Testbild! arrive in the Quindi lounge as though they've always been there. On their 12th album, Bed Stilt, the Swedish collective cast their attention back to the earlier days of their 25-year trip through sweetly mysterious pop-not-pop rendered in warm tones and shot through with surrealism. It's tricky to get a precise fix on the story and structure of Testbild! The project was spearheaded by Petter Herbertsson in his hometown of Malmö in the late 90s, although the story on their website credits the inspiration and source material to a chance meeting and unpublished manuscript from a retiring scientist. The collective's evolution since then is a tangled web of facts and fiction spun by a revolving cast of collaborators including Siri af Burén, Katja Ekman, Rikard Heberling, Douglas Holmquist, Mattias Nihlén and Petter Samuelsson. Along the way, their music has touched on chamber pop, post-punk and modern jazz with the elaborate harmonies and catchy songwriting charm of the Canterbury scene. The tracks which make up Bed Stilt were in fact track recorded in Malmö back in the mid- 00s, lying in wait for the right opportunity to be brought to light with some delicate overdubs and finishing flourishes in the here and now. The core musicians working on the record were Herbertsson and Douglas Holmquist on a similarly expansive list of vocals, guitars, bass, synths and keys, Siri af Burén on lead vocals and Mattias Nihlén on synths and additional mixing. Meanwhile Tomas Bodén - better known as Civilistjavel - lent some additional synth work as well as mastering the record. Musically, Testbild! stay true to their idiosyncratic approach on Bed Stilt with six immaculately rendered sojourns through lilting harmonies and brushed rhythms, feeling nostalgic but beguiling in equal measure. Theirs is a luxurious sound, not least on the opening strains of 'The First New Years Eve,' which purrs to life draped in silky Rhodes and chiming vibes. Behind this comfortable veneer the enigmatic lyrical themes unfurl through Herbertsson, Holmquist and af Burén's vocal harmonies like fractalized puzzles waiting to be solved. The finger-picking delicacy and languid harmonica of 'Streams' strike a pastoral mood neatly countered by the elegant slide into dislocated ambience for the track's final stretch. By contrast, 'And Her Eyes Are Red' surges with a big beat urgency which plays beautifully with the mellow jazziness of the chord sequences, boldly toying with song structure to dart down curious tangents without losing the immediate impulse of a great pop record. Somewhere in this tension between clarity and chaos we can understand the addictive charm of Testbild! - a band steeped in the considerable craft of making accomplished and unconventional music so very easy to sink into. If that doesn't make for a perfect addition to the Quindi catalogue, we don't know what does.

In 2021, we welcomed Endrik Schroeder to the Bordello family with his Second Breath 12”. The memorable hooks and attention to detail that characterised his first appearance run deep in his latest. The Hope sees the French producer accompanied by a true legend of electronics, Caroline Hervé aka Kittin. Hervé’s penchant for combining brighter tones with darker shades is evident from the needle. Industrial hiss pierces swirling vocals. Clean claps, warm bass and crystalline chords give way to woe-streaked lyrics, lyrics that ascend into an arc of pulsating synthwave pain. Schroeder takes the reins on the flip. A beam of light is cast over throbbing arpeggios and a slicing snare, notes drifting ever higher as “The Dogs” takes hold. Strings swim as a spread of sounds grow, a palpable energy building under Schroeder’s watchful ear and hand in this seven minute plus odyssey into his

Record Kicks presents "Brothers & Sisters / This is You" a limited edition 45 from Gospel-soul sensational Michelle David & The True-Tones forthcoming album. The 45 is limited to 500 copies on clear transparent vinyl.

This "double-sider" 45 features on the A side "Brothers And Sisters", the first single and title track of the upcoming album, a Marvin Gayesque uptight 70 soul stormer able to set every dancefloor on fire. The B-side is no exception with the blue-eyed soul stomper "This Is You".

The awaited album follows their 2022 full length "Truth & Soul", which was named one of the Albums of the Year at BBC Radio 6. Raised in New York in a church, Michelle David started singing at the age of four and joined her first group, The Mission of Love, when she was five. During her career, she toured the world with Broadway musical "Mama", contributed to successful theatre shows such as "The Sound of Motown", "Glory of Gospel" and "Mahalia" and recorded for artists such as Diana Ross and Michael Bolton. This all happened before releasingsix critically acclaimed gospel-infused albums with the True-Tones.

Michelle David & The True-Tones know how to put on a glowing evening of classic soul. With their upbeat grooves, powerful vocals, and strong melodies, they have already conquered many festivals and numerous clubs. Having played renowned Dutch festivals such as Pinkpop and North Sea Jazz, the band toured from Spain to Scandinavia, leaving memorable impressions wherever they play; delivering an unforgettable live experience. In addition, the band's discography has also been praised; receiving an Edison nomination (the Dutch Grammy), while their previous record "Truth & Soul" was named Album of the Month on FIP radio in France and Album of the Year at Craig Charles' BBC Radio 6 Music show. The group did numerous radio and TV performances and were even invited to play their music on the biggest National TV show during the Winter Olympics 2022.

SY Rockers is the new project from Ryan Aitchison aka Mella Dee and KALLIDA Festival bossman Reuben G. Their story goes all the way back to 2009, when Reuben invited Ryan to be a resident for his party LSS at Hi-Fi Club in Leeds.

The pair went on to bond over their shared love of bass-led music in the UK underground, a sound that was especially important to their native South Yorkshire. Fourteen years on, Ryan and Reuben revisit those early inspirations as SY Rockers. Their debut EP is a slickly produced expression of bleep, UK techno, bassline and dub, redrawing lines between the sound legacies of cities like Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds across three tracks.

True to those roots, the result is a hypnotic blend of raw drums and subsonic impact. ‘Windy Dub’ introduces the record with a hazy, heads-down bass, occasionally shivering into a cavernous space echo before it locks back into a haunting synth hook. ‘Modem’ does what it says on the tin: gameboy tones bounce around a warm sub, calling back the ‘less is more’ aesthetic of the original bleep era. Finally, ‘Rhythm Resonate’ zooms in on where it all started—the drum machine. 909s, lasers and a touch of perc combine to create the ultimate techno tool.

Kompakt unveils the third volume of Jörg Burger’s Velvet Desert Music compilation series, dedicated to music that hits the sweet spot between the cinematic, the (pop) ambient, and the psychedelic. With Velvet Desert Music Vol. 3, Burger and his friends wander afar, taking trips away from, or adjacent to, the dancefloor that’s acted so long as the crucible for the Kompakt aesthetic. Like its predecessors, it’s a gorgeous, lambent collection of late-night mood music.

Because it’s such a broad church, Velvet Desert Music admits all kinds of new experiences, as well, with Burger looking for music that "leads out of the desert into the velvet universe". Indeed, of all the volumes in the series, this third instalment feels closest to an album made by a true collective. The roster has changed, with new contributors Flug 8 and Seb Martel, both with his trio Las Ondas Marteles and with Chocolate Genius and Zsela as La Finca, joining regulars The Novotones, Mount Obsidian, The Golden Bug, Paulor and Sascha Funke.

Burger himself reappears, too, alongside Fritz Ackermann (of The Novotones), Max Würden and Thore Pfeiffer, in The Velvet Circle. Their contributions are pure lush life electronica: “Our Tribe” hitches a ride with a low-slung groove, flickering psychedelic reels of acoustic guitar traipsing across moody bass and taffeta layers of drone; their opening remix of Flug 8’s “Puerto Rico” gently introduces the album with softly tangling electronic tones, while guitars, drenched in reverb, pirouette in the background. A Mount Obsidian remix of “Sacrosanct” by Burger’s The Black Frame -project is a swirling treat for the ears.

La Finca’s electronics and voice miniature, “What Clouds Say”, is a masterclass in poetic restraint; Martel’s “Dark Mambo”, remixed by Burger, is one of the collection’s big surprises, for it indeed does what the title says, a drifting, surrealist take on the mambo form, full of pensive chords, rich with unrequited longing, a breathy saxophone whispering under the song’s sly rhythmic carriage.

Elsewhere, The Novotones chime in with a slyly propulsive, Krautrock-esque charmer, “Liberty Bell”, and the guitar-led tone-drift of “Valley of Oblivion”; Paulor’s “The Last Coke in the Desert” is a chiming, lilting dreamscape; Mount Obsidian are joined by vocalist Charlotte Jestaedt for two modern takes on early-hours art song, “Marole” and “Fade”; Sascha Funke’s “Mathias Rust” is a lavish dancefloor dream, vocal samples drifting through the song as it slowly envelops the listener in its opulent radiance.

This is just a taste of the rich pleasures of Velvet Desert Music Vol. 3, a triumph of a compilation that takes the psychedelic visions of its predecessors and looks for the desert within, a dusty kiss, a road-movie hallucination flickering on the listener’s eyelids, a cinematic projection from deep inside the mind.

Best Record gets right to the heart of true Italo-Disco with this body-poppin' killer from 1983. R.E.M. were made up of Paolo Alfani and Nicola Serena, both based in Florence and well ahead of the curve with their experimental electronic disco sound. Making fantastic use of the Mattel Speak & Spell for their vocal hooks, this enterprising duo cooked up a veritable club bomb with their fusion of sleek drum machine rhythms, throbbing acid basslines and romantic synth tones that would come to be widely used in Detroit techno some years later. There's a full original take of the track on the A side, while the flip features a tweaked "remix" version to give you even more of that robo-vocoder action. In short this is the limited remastered edition of one of the early electro underground Italian releases that became a classic in the Chicago house movement.

"We find ourselves venturing into the depths of a rugged terrain. In our hands, we hold stones and minerals, each possessing its own distinct texture, weight, and sonic potential. It is through the artistic touch and through the musical instruments that these earthly treasures, once dormant, are awaken to life." — Sara Oswald + Feldermelder

The 3rd collaboration of prolific cellist Sara Oswald and electronic musician Feldermelder evokes captivating sensations that oscillate between impending doom and hope. The albums' sonic journey is highly immersive, transporting the listener from one cerebral landscape to another. The transformative nature of metallic elements being integrated in sustained orchestral tones weaves the sonic tapestry, resulting in a captivating experience for the listeners. The organic sounding — reminiscent of minerals' timbres — brings a touch of brightness and a distinctive edge, while the orchestral harmonic structures lend a sense of grandeur and continuity. The origins of this music remain enigmatic, while the tracks of the album gradually unveil concealed aspects and the hidden truth.
One can step into a realm where melodies are reborn, as Sara Oswald's cello spins tales and emotions burst forth. Nature's eternal splendor intertwines with the essence of music, as she infuses harmonies with the soul of mountains. Vibrant hues come alive with delicate strokes, and cascading notes resonate with a select few. Feldermelder conjures profound echoes that swirl like ancient whispers of the earth's primordial past. He sculpts textures, from fragmented glitches to expansive atmospheres, that warp the fabric of reality. The two musicians merge together harmoniously, blending the acoustic and electronic worlds into a transcendent unity. This fusion of contrasting elements adds a unique and intriguing quality to the music. The cello's warmth merges with pulsating electronic beats, creating a symphony of contrasts and sonic upheaval. Each composition is woven in intricate layers, combining electroacoustic architecture with delicate precision. A subtle balance of chaos and control permeates the music as it meanders through the labyrinth of the mind. The soundscape unfolds like a grand tapestry, distant echoes murmuring like grains of sand.

Trained in baroque cello and advocating improvised music, Sara Oswald is the perfect match for sound artist and electronic musician Feldermelder. She plays solo, composes for film and theatre and collaborates with musicians like The Young Gods, Pascal Auberson, Sophie Hunger and Julian Sartorius. Feldermelder is a polymathic creative whose artistry spans composition, sound design, installation and code. He is co-founders of -OUS and part of Encor.studio, a collective of artists who specialise in creating immersive audio-visual installations. Through his work, he explores the idea of secrecy and its impact on our lives, using music and sound to create a thought-provoking and immersive experience for his audience.

After last year’s Black Clouds Above The Bows, Amsterdam-based collective Wanderwelle presents the second entry of their trilogy for Important Records, which is dedicated to telling the story of the climate crisis and its effects on coastal areas around the globe. For this album the artists incorporated the sound of a dying organ, fatally wounded in a climate related event.

All Hands Bury The Cliffs At Sea consists of electro-acoustic threnodies for an environment at risk due to the effects caused by receding coastlines around the globe. Wailing odes tell the story of the catastrophic activity of eroding waves and winds shaping the land that are enhanced by the climate crisis. First hand experiences and meetings with local maritime experts on the subject of these receding coastlines inspired Wanderwelle to compose these albums.

During their travels, the artists stumbled upon a small church in a town on the east coast of Scotland. The building was quite damaged, the roof was being stabilized and the ancient walls showed great tears running vertically down the structure. One of the church’s volunteers told Wanderwelle that the damage had been caused by a nearby cliff that collapsed in the sea. An event increasingly common in the region.

The church organ was ruined in such a way that it was deemed unplayable, as most of the pipes were gravely damaged and in dire need of restoration. Musical instruments directly affected by the environment -and especially the climate crisis- are quite rare. Despite the damage, the artists were allowed to record a few tones of the instrument with their equipment, which was actually meant to be used for field recordings later that day.

In Black Clouds Above The Bows, antique cavalry trumpets were recorded and manipulated by Wanderwelle to sound an environmental alarm in the same manner as they were once used to warn men on the battlefield. Similar processing was used on the recordings of the dying organ, resulting in spectral, deconstructed tones beyond recognition. In addition to the damaged organ, the artists recorded piano, cello and harmonic additive synthesizers in later stages of the composition process, manipulating these sounds to mimic the perpetual activity of the sea shaping the land.Furthermore, a great deal of inspiration was found in maritime superstition, lore and mythology.

As told in the legend of Aspidochelone, a legendary sea creature of enormous size, was once mistaken for an island. After sailors docked and lit a fire, the beast submerged resembling a land mass sliding into the sea. The album’s title is derived from the saying ‘All Hands Bury The Dead’, a maritime burial phrase, as the duo likes to think ‘All Hands’ refers to all of mankind since we are all responsible for these impending catastrophes.

Cello, violin, voice, pipe organ (damaged), bowed guitar, EBow, Prophet-6 synthesizer, modular synthesizer, field recordings.

RIYL: Oliveros/Deep Listening, Arvo Part, Lambda Sond, Sarah Davachi

Soma proudly presents Functional Designs, the latest collection of nocturnal environments from Deepchord, marking his first full length album release on Soma in 5 years. The enigmatic Detroit based producer once again transports us into his sonic realm via night-walks through numerous cities before being transmuted into aural excellence through field recordings, holographic synth tones, cosmic sounds and the hiss of electric wires. All swimming around in filtered 4/4 beats and subterranean basslines. The album is a perfect example of electroacoustic techno transmitted from undisclosed locations, the amalgamation of swirling tapestries of sound, deeper than night and lifeforms moving around underneath the grid.

The album glistens into existence with the beatless Amber breathing life into the project before the eventide of Darkness Falls offers a beautifully subtle and contemplative atmosphere. The guiding light of Transit Systems continues to offer up melancholy with echoing percussion and drifting soundscapes. The highly processed acoustics of Strangers brings a sense of intrigue to the album's journey as Modell works in the most percussive track so far. Panacast is exotic dub techno at it's finest, with warping and perfectly crafted synth work building gently over the top of sub heavy beats, glued perfectly together by the hiss of the collected found-sounds. In a slight rise in tempo, Cloudsat, makes a journey skyward, collecting mood and feelings from high altitude with its emotive synth work. The reverberating halls of Pressure again work as a testament to Modell's sonic crafting - honing in on specific artefacts from his field recordings, imbuing them with deeper purpose. The perfectly titled Ebb and Flow drifts effortlessly on a tide of evolving, blissful sound waves crashing to shore as each one overlaps the other. Beginning the descent into the final part of the album, you begin your ride across a cosmic plain, lit by the glistening and ethereal Sun. The meditative Memories opens a conduit to other realms as the album closes out with the elysian melodies of Drassanes.

Deepchord once again proves he is a producer like no other. A true sonic sculptor who uses his real world experience to create vast, unparalleled soundscapes that captivate and enthral the listener.

A truly incredible collection of foundation Jungle / Drum & Bass from these ground-breaking labels. Splash aka Undercover Agent aka Daz has been with SubBase since the start, having signed to Suburban Base Publishing (including the iconic track Babylon) back in the 90's and remained with us ever since. As part of the SubBase Family we’ve collaborated once again to deliver a perfect package of in-demand classics and unearthed dubplate specials.
Daz Ellis, most commonly known as Undercover Agent, was a true pioneer of the emerging jungle scene back in the early 90’s. He was heavily involved in the pirate radio scene, setting up the infamous Cyndicut FM to transmit breakbeats & basslines across the airwaves of the South East of England, noted for having one of the strongest and widest reaching broadcast signals of the period.

Under various aliases he produced music that defined the sound of the dancefloor. Early releases featured on the genre-defining Suburban Base & Lucky Spin labels.

As Splash his seminal track Babylon set the standard for how amens and ragga infused samples should sound, a format that has stood the test of time and can still be heard today regularly getting played by the world’s biggest drum & bass DJ Andy C! This compilation includes the 2 most in demand versions of this foundation anthem.

In 1994 off the back of his success he launched Splash Recordings, then the year after Juice Records came into fruition. Under the guises of DAZ, M.T.S. and various releases as Splash Collective, all on his own Juice & Splash imprints he gained an army of dedicated fans, demand from whom has led to the creation of this special vinyl box set!

For this exclusive compilation project Undercover Agent went searching back through his original studio master tapes from his impressive back catalogue to find both the original recordings, and some of the alternative edits that never made it to vinyl back in the day. There were also a handful of special versions made exclusively for DJ’s to play on dubplate that are now available for the first time ever.

Exclusive to this collectors box set are 6 never before released versions of classics such as Oh Gosh, Five Tones, Jah Works, an alternative mix of DJ Zinc’s remix of Hard Disk & Bass Kick that were unearthed from the original session DAT’s!

This album features 16 of his most legendary tracks, remastered & pressed across 4 slices of vinyl.



c B1. Undercover Agent - Oh Gosh! (Daz '95 Dubplate) Unreleased

e C1. M.T.S - Baad Boy Sound ('95 VIP) Unreleased


h D2. M.T.S. - Hard Disk (DJ Zinc Remix VIP Dubplate) Unreleased

j E2. Undercover Agent - Five Tones (97 Daz VIP Mix) Unreleased

l F2. Undercover Agent & The Kriminal - Jah Works (Exclusive '95 Alternative Studio Mix) Unreleased



[c] B1. Undercover Agent - Oh Gosh! (Daz '95 Dubplate) [Unreleased]

[e] C1. M.T.S - Baad Boy Sound ('95 VIP) [Unreleased]


[h] D2. M.T.S. - Hard Disk (DJ Zinc Remix VIP Dubplate) [Unreleased]

[j] E2. Undercover Agent - Five Tones (97 Daz VIP Mix) [Unreleased]

[l] F2. Undercover Agent & The Kriminal - Jah Works (Exclusive '95 Alternative Studio Mix) [Unreleased]

Clear Green Vinyl

Prolific Colombian producer Felipe Gordon returns to RNT to deliver his first offering in a two-EP and album project series.

The records kicks off with the swingy Strings of the Afterlife, evoking classic Chez-N-Trent vibes and moves to the sultry emotive tones of The Fall of A Withered Empire. On the flip, Felipe takes us into high gear with the hypnotic looped synth groove and relentless beats of Clásico, and lets us down easy with the jazzy lilt of Julia y Luis. A truly standout EP, even for Felipe who delivers quality time and time again.

Kerri Chandler returns to his own Kaoz Theory label with ‘Prayer’, featuring the vocals of F L Brown, and in true Chandler fashion comprised of a variety of mixes on the single
Over the past twenty releases Kaoz Theory has showcased material from the likes of Ben Rau, Satoshi Tomiie, DJ Sneak, DJ W!ld, Art Department and DJ Deep as well as of course material from the label-boss himself, Kerri Chandler.

Here the latter deliver his latest single, entitled ‘Prayer’ and as the name would suggest channelling gospel house influence in varying forms.

The ‘Media Mix’ leads the way over choppy bass stabs, cinematic piano lines and shuffled 909 drums. Followed by the instrumental for those who like to get the heads down, and just groove.

The ‘623 Again Vocal Mix’ on the flip, shifts things into Dub Techno realms courtesy of a bumpy, driving rhythm, unfaltering stabs and robust low-end tones.

To wrap things up the ‘Feel Mix’ follows next, stripping things back to crunchy drums, airy chords and a snaking bass groove.

Black Truffle is pleased to make Oren Ambarchi's Grapes from The Estate available once more on vinyl. Originally released on CD on Touch in 2004 and reissued on Southern Lord as a limited double LP in 2006 during Ambarchi's tenure as a member of Sunn O))), Grapes from the Estate was a landmark release for Ambarchi, seeing him expand his sonic palette beyond the clipped, bass-heavy electric guitar tones he was known for at that point. Incorporating subtle layers of strings, keyboards, percussion over a bedrock of his signature guitar tones, in retrospect this album can be seen as the beginning of a broadening and evolution in Ambarchi's work that would lead to his acclaimed, densely layered epics for Editions Mego, Quixotism (2014) and Hubris (2016). Beginning with the shuddering pure tones of opener 'Corkscrew', which looks back to previous guitar-only releases such as Suspension (2001), the album's next two pieces show a progressive broadening of the instrumental palette and a corresponding move away from textural abstraction and sustained tones towards more traditional notions of musicality. This reached its high point on the album's third piece, the fifteen-minute long 'Remedios The Beauty', where guitars, both acoustic and electric, strings, piano, and bells build from a murmur to an interlockinging web of repeating melodic patterns over gently swinging brushed snare and cymbals. The epic closer, 'Stars Aligned, Webs Spun', returns us to a space populated only by the electric guitar, but unlike everything Ambarchi had produced up until this point in his career, the piece has a liquid, psychedelic edge that looks forward to the shimmering harmonics of his more recent work. As Brendan Walls wrote at the time of the original release, this is 'another outpouring of personal, intimate and enduring music from Oren Ambarchi'. Presented in a stunning gatefold sleeve featuring the original artwork and design by Jon Wozencroft. Redesigned by Stephen O'Malley Remastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin.

Kercha’s debut album ‘Open The Door’ arrives this April via DNO Records. The Black Sea artist’s mystical, disorienting style has set the tone for the label since he dropped the inaugural release six years ago. Now, across 16 tracks — including collabs with Mystic State, Congi, NST, Khromi and Finnoh — his smoky sampledelic dubstep is tighter, heavier, and more curious than ever, with a new sense of danger and bubbling rage that feels fit for our chaotic times.

Themes of movement and change course through the LP. On the opening gambit ‘A Path Into The Unknown’, twinkling arpeggios emerge from the gloom like stars lighting the way. Tracks like the eponymous ‘Open The Door’ and ‘Mind Extraction’ deliver that classic Kercha sound, where left-field samples dart in at right angles. ‘Dangerous Road’ weaves between the call and response action of grotty stabs and devilish subs. ‘Take A Break’, featuring Mystic State, goes on the attack with searing acid. ‘Can’t Wait For Today’, though lethargic in its pace, sees San Francisco-based rapper Finnoh deliver stream-of-consciousness bars that skewer our present and nudge us to revolution.

Work took place over the course of several years, during which Kercha relocated with his family from Russia to Georgia, where he now resides in the capital, Tbilisi. “Sometimes I wrote music while travelling on a bus, sometimes late at night while my family was asleep, sometimes just sitting on the grass in a park, and of course in my home studio as well,” he says. “By the time the album was finished, it included music from different periods, and it may vary in sound and concept.”

Any major upheaval in life will result in moments of hardship, but also hope. Both can be found throughout ‘Open The Door’. There’s times when the darkness threatens to envelope everything: during the cold, crackling ‘Disclosed’ and the eerie, dystopian ‘Infection Of Lies’; on ‘Trigger Activation’, with its grunting lows and broken glass hook, and ‘Ballistics’, where a wall of sub-bass is pierced by shrapnel stabs.

The balancing light comes on ‘4 AM’, featuring Nottingham duo Congi, when clashing swords and cinematic strings, meet a soft Rhodes piano — the juxtaposition between heavy low-end and floaty keys and vox reflecting those moments of transcendence often found in the early hours. From the injection of garage energy on ‘Bubs’, with Edinburgh’s Khromi. And on with ‘My Feeling’, featuring South Russian vocalist NST, which closes the album on a deep but expansive note, bookending the experience with more starlight synth tones.

“It’s a reflection of my life journey and the changes connected with emigration and overcoming various difficulties,” explains Kercha. “This period means a lot to me, which is why the album includes tracks from the time of preparing to leave up to adapting to a new country.”

Still, he wants listeners to be able to derive their own understanding. “I think the essence lies in the ability to contemplate, not in any predetermined meaning,” he says. “I can only say one thing: thank you for appreciating what I do and for your support. I hope it inspires you to make the same firm decisions to change for the better as it did for me.”

Out via 4 x 12” vinyl, ‘Open The Door’ is a captivating artistic statement, showcasing the journey of an artist with a truly original signature sound — a rarity that should be treasured and celebrated.

Rhythms of postmodern realism at the very bottom of the DNO.

Fuse leans further into its proposed aesthetic of biting club tracks with a brand new release by Cirkle. ‘Infinity Drift’ balances powerful sound system sound design with lush ambiance, creating standout moments on a dancefloor with a taste of nostalgia. These tracks explore the richness in themes that techno can have when made by someone who’s spent years meticulously crafting it. ‘Skyland’ asserts itself first with impressive pace. Swift chord stabs open and close to create waves of excitement and craze in the track while percussion shuffles along to add impact; Cirkle is an artist of all rooms and dimensions. Shrill sound design cuts through the stereo field creating a wormhole in the middle of rhythmic determination. Tension balance and anticipation are his specialty and every transition whips his dispersed elements into singularity in the EP, specifically the title track. A truly musical piece that embraces the crowd with vintage warmth, ‘Infinity Drift’ tones down the dissonance in exchange for something closer to astral exploration. These larger than life themes are never lost on dancers and serve to unify the dancefloor into an organism instead of pushing sound system violence. This is a theme that is omnipresent in Cirkle’s music and carried through into ‘Stimulus’. Here, the Greek producer dips into the hypnotic bordering on psychotic, stretching arpeggios and delays across drum transitions and time. The dimension of ‘Stimulus’ matches the preceding tracks with ease, but stands out in its effect, rolling a powerful synth through reliably tuned percussion. For the final track, ‘Impulse’ sees Cirkle prioritizing the importance of drums. Pressing hard on the drive of the kick, rides and filtered claps squeeze their way out of the low end to create an infectious groove. Stabs of ethereal pads envelope the rest of the EP, leaving space for the rest to breathe. Bumping along the way, Cirkle lands the EP with class, cementing himself further as an artist whose knowledge of the dancefloor creates a singular experience.

There is a particular kind of strangeness that arrives on long drives across Europe. Flat light, service stations and fields stretching endlessly past the window. It might look mundane at first glance, but becomes faintly surreal when the tiredness of touring blurs the edges of everything.

That feeling became the quiet engine behind Driving Through Belgium, the debut solo album from Anton Pearson, best known as one of the guitarists in respected post-punk outfit Squid. The title grew from a track that felt like the record’s centrepiece, which itself came from the recurring image of extensive periods on the road across the continent. It is a record shaped in the margins of touring, and finessed in the in-between hours.

Across six pieces, Pearson leans into atmosphere, texture and space. It is ambient in spirit, adjacent to contemporary classical in feeling, but composed less with notes in mind than with sound itself. The compositions rarely began with harmony or melody, with Pearson instead responding to his environment and sounds in real time, placing trust in his instinct.

Although initial inspiration came from the road, the album was recorded in a studio he shares in Brighton, and marks his first fully solo project made in that setting. It gave him access to not only new tools and techniques, but a hitherto un-experienced freedom. Much of the process began experimentally, feeding instruments into unfamiliar chains, pitching loops into unexpected registers and playing with previously unused synthesizers simply to see what they might reveal. Many of the sounds were created out of pure curiosity, wanting to understand a piece of equipment or technology, and then following wherever it led.

The album was built with this experimentation at its core, as Pearson would layer then extract, processing stacks of sound until things blur and confuse. Guitars dissolve into drones, a Pianet Clavinet dances against muddier textures whilst a Korg PS-1000 occasionally cuts through with its glittering top end. On ‘Driving Past the Muscular Cows in Belgium’, a flat, still drone is pushed through valve amps until it growls and tightens with tension, before receding again. Even the trumpet, which Pearson freely admits he is not technically proficient at, is embraced in its naivety, its squeaks left intact rather than corrected. The twin ‘Tintinnabulation’ pieces frame the record with looping, pitched bell like tones, accidental discoveries that became structural anchors. Meanwhile, ‘Teeth to Cut the Grass’ deliberately introduces abrasion, some of the harshest textures on the record, a refusal to become passive background music.


That embrace of imperfection is central. In contrast to the hyper-analytical precision of his band, Pearson was keen to honour first takes. If something felt good, it would stay. The end result is an album that favours looseness, instinct and the energy of creation itself. If Squid thrives on propulsion and tension, Anton Pearson finds his energy in suspension on Driving Through Belgium. It is curious rather than declarative, creating a space where experimentation feels playful again.