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This EP shows the musical development of the past 2 years in which KAUW has translated their live sound to studio recordings. It's made with the intention to work well for the club, while all of the live elements such as acoustic drums and bass guitar are on the foreground of the tracks. It's important for the band to show the energy of their live shows in the record. In this way, this EP is a switch from the more funky, live first record (which suggests the electronic side) to this EP which is on the crossroads of live music and produced House music.

The A side featuring 'PITCH' is a bit darker and a real dancefloor killer. Hard synths, deep bass, clear drums and an intense dynamic in which you're taken on a Kauwjourney to which it's unable to stand still. The B side featuring 'Nergens' is more funky, light and sweeter with beautiful synths, funky basslines and groovy drums, inspired by the mix of '90's Disco and House. San Proper's remix takes this funky track to a real Proper-world with beautiful guitar melodies, deeper basses and extravagant vocals.

Techno Album of the month March 2018 in Mixmag UK!

Central to the Israeli club scene, Deep'a & Biri have long been defying expectations even within a community they helped construct. Serving as resident DJs, activists and bookers for Tel Aviv's legendary Barzilay Club, the pair helped build a transcendent club scene. Hugely influential artists such as Robert Hood, Derrick May, Rødhad, Ben Klock and Moritz Von Oswald passed through the club, enjoying legendary crowds and what they could surely sense was a genuine air of anarchy, rebellion and unadulterated rave pleasure.

As the duo held down dozens of parties with dozens of DJs, there was no 'eureka' moment for their emerging sound; just a steady stream of brilliant, inspiring electronic music, much of which left an indelible imprint on the pair. Now based in Berlin, for Deep'a & Biri, things are much the same, even if the landscape and the city is different. Always rooted in the fertile ground between machines and emotion, on their second full-length LP, 'Dominance', the duo demonstrate their unique grasp of the sensitive, unfolding relationship between man and machine. Steadfast in their insistence never to remain in one lane in terms of their sound, 'Dominance' flawlessly segues between forcefulness and weightlessness. From beginning to end, this is not a record afraid to show its teeth with an uncompromising, instantly recognisable techno palette that kicks the foundations of any sound system with menace, anger and determination, particularly on tracks such as the dense 'Voltage' and pulsing throughout the more industrial flourishes of 'Ecole De Nancy' and 'Seeking Solace'.

Beyond these grittier, although never mindless, moments of authority, a sense of escapism and curiosity imbues the album. 'Alpha Cephei' offers the first hint of Deep'a & Biri's more wistful concepts, producing a smoke trail of twinkling electronics out of a smudged but distinctive bassline. That understated sense of emotional catharsis carries throughout, to be found between the complex-yet-familiar bells that drive 'Flow Diverter's' rhythm to a Detroit-indebted landscape that will surely instantly elasticate any keen dancers, while 'False Memories' offers big-room techno fulfillment with none of the character or sincerity removed for cheap thrills. Saving the most remarkable moments for last, the pair sign off 'Dominance' with the poignant and purifying 'Astral Trails', fusing an ethereal, ambient landscape with the more pronounced rhythms of their hardware.

The album's distinctive artwork comes from the studio of Jewish orthodox artist Avraham Guy Barchil, who forged a powerful connection with Deep'a, both was immediately drawn to 'weird atmosphere, amazing technique and emotions involved with his work'. Perhaps one of the most interesting painters from Israel, Avraham is known for his unique perspective, taking his inspiration from the Zohar - the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. The ambiguous figures represent mystical aspects of the Torah (the five books of Moses), as well as material on mysticism and mythical cosmogony.
Ensuring their natural, conscious touch always remains at the forefront of this unapologetically machine-driven music, Deep'a & Biri have produced an album in the lineage of their heroes and greatest influences. Cerebral yet satisfying, deep yet always engaging, 'Dominance' both reasserts and evolves Deep'a & Biri's forward facing and singular sound.

Seven years ago, Max Tundra sent Daphne and Celeste a tweet, asking if he could write and produce their comeback single. Four years later their song You & I Alone ripped through the internet. Today they announce the forthcoming release of the most unlikely comeback album of 2018.

Three years after their comeback song, 'BB' arrives online as their new album's appetiser, an uncompromising takedown of the anodyne and anonymous. BB stands for Basic Busker,' explains Max, any one of countless identikit instigators of mundane melodies that have brought the mood down in recent years. Pop music should lift the spirits - so why are the airwaves full of these mundane strummers'

The world has changed a hell of a lot since Daphne & Celeste stormed up the charts with their effervescent earworms U.G.L.Y. and Ooh Stick You, back near the birth of the 21st century. So you'd be forgiven for failing to predict the fruitful union of D&C with a maverick electronic producer known for his records on Warp and Domino Records. But Max Tundra has long held an ambition to become a pop producer, and this new album is an addictive combination of the eccentric, creative and melodic.

After an initial sharing of tracks and ideas around the release of that first single in 2015, Max Tundra set about writing an album's worth of material, inspired by the unique kinship, born of shared experience, between Daphne and Celeste, and his own unexpected part in their story. Last year, Tundra brought his suitcase full of songs to a desert retreat near Joshua Tree, where he joined D&C for the 'working holiday' that produced Daphne & Celeste Save The World.

A full-length album of giddy, ridiculous, genre-bursting pop, 'Daphne & Celeste Save The World' finds our friends in fine, soaring, melodic voice, with Tundra's restlessly inventive production a toothsome, chordy, maximalist feast. These 13 songs touch on subjects as varied as time travel, succulents, pipelines under the ocean, cabins in the wood, unadventurous guitarists and different regions of the brain, but above all the sweet, enduring friendship of those two people who, long ago, told us all to Ooh Stick You.

Original year of release: 1989. Features the tracks 'Zobi La Mouche', 'C'est Pas La Mer A Boire', 'Voilà l'Eté', etc. Les Négresses Vertes was the biggest French act touring the world in the beginning of the 90's. The band has just reunited and will tour Europe this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of 'Mlah". The album has been unavailable on vinyl since their first original pressing.

Original year of release: 1989. Features the tracks 'King Kong Five', 'Pas Assez De Toi', 'Sidi H'bibi', etc. Mano Negra the legendary first band of French singer Manu Chao ... featuring songs in Spanish, French, English and Arabic.. We are celebrating this year the 30th anniversary of its foundation. The album has been unavailable on vinyl since its first original pressing.

Original year of release: 1988. Features the tracks 'Mala Vida', 'Ronde De Nuit', 'Salga La Luna', etc. Mano Negra the legendary first band of French singer Manu Chao ... featuring songs in Spanish, French, English and Arabic.. We are celebrating this year the 30th anniversary of its foundation. The album has been unavailable on vinyl since its first original pressing.

Original year of release: 1991. Features the tracks 'Out Of Time Man', 'King Of Bongo', 'Madame Oscar', etc. Mano Negra the legendary first band of French singer Manu Chao ... featuring songs in Spanish, French, English and Arabic.. We are celebrating this year the 30th anniversary of its foundation. The album has been unavailable on vinyl since its first original pressing.

Original year of release: 1991. Features the tracks 'Le Soleil de Bodega', 'Face A La Mer', 'Famille Heureuse', etc. Les Négresses Vertes was the biggest French act touring the world in the beginning of the 90's. The band has just reunited and will tour Europe this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of 'Mlah'. The album 'Famille Heureuse' has been unavailable on vinyl since their first original pressing.

2x12" Repress

Answer Code Request returns with his sophomore album Gens on Ostgut Ton, entering darker but equally bass-heavy territory.
Answer Code Request's 2014 debut LP Code was an exciting moment for electronic music in Berlin - one that offered a break from the eternal hall and monolithic 4/4 kicks that ruled the city's club landscape. As a hybrid gesture, the album's spirit recalled an especially fruitful era in the German capital from the mid-90s to early 2000s, when dub and paddriven Detroit techno cross-pollinated with Berlin's industrial aesthetic to create one of the city's most exciting musical chapters.
Today the musical vision offered by Berghain resident Answer Code Request, real name Patrick Gräser, has proved far-sighted. While at first glance electronic music in 2018 seems increasingly balkanized, borders between genres have once again become fuzzier.
Now, on his follow up LP Gens, Gräser looks beyond the bass euphoria of Code toward darker horizons and a desolate atmosphere befitting of current global circumstances.
In a sense, Gens (Latin for tribe or lineage) reverses the notion of the hardcore continuum as proposed by music journalist Simon Reynolds: embedded in a tradition of US andcontinental European techno, Gräser seeks its disruption through hardcore outgrowths, from ambient jungle to later variations of British bass music and IDM. It's an interesting twist when seen in the larger biographical context of Gräser who, born and raised outside of Berlin in early 1980s, jumped from East German youth radio DT64 to American hip-hop, acid and early UK hardcore - a radical shift of musical interest born of a radical shift in political circumstances. On Gens, the unsettling atmosphere is established early on with the fading rave opener of the album's synonymous title track, and continues through the scrambled military communications and post dubstep rhythms of 'Sphera'. From there, sci-fi pads, heavy phasing and alien syncopation lead explorative third track 'Ab Intus' out into space. Aglimmer of otherworldly positivity arrives with the warm, distorted breakbeats and interwoven synth melodies of album standout 'knbn2', while Gräser's most dancefloororiented melds jungle and techno, Amen and 4/4 kicks, on 'Cicadae'.

Under the alias of Zanov we find the works of French electronic pioneer Pierre Salkazanov, who had started playing guitar in the 1960s in a Shadows styled band, Les Ambassadors. Instrumental rock was not enough for Salkazanov, he was always looking for evolution, so when a meeting with French synth player Serge Ramses (of "Secret" fame) got him into the world of synthesizers he just dived deep into the bourgeoning world of electronic music. He got himself his first syths and started producing works into a 4-track Teac tape machine. French music was at its best, it was the time of Jean Michel Jarre, Didier Bocquet, Richard Pinhas and Heldon, Alain Meunier... Even Gong's Tim Blake was living in France at that time. And so Zanov soon caught the attention of Polydor, who released Green Ray in 1976. It is a work made with minimal equipment if compared to other French sythetists, not to mention their German peers, he worked on the EMS VCS3 synth and used a 4-track Teac and a Revox A77 Mk IV reel to reel tape recorders obtaining huge sound results. You can appreciate an influence from the Berlin school, Green Ray walks the same path of what artists like Tangerine Dream and the likes were producing at the time, Zanov had felt under the spell of Ricochet, but his head was boiling with ideas which gave the recordings a very personal, unique touch.

Zanov's three albums met with unanimous critical acclaim for the sound quality as well as for the originality of this very personal universe.

Under the alias of Zanov we find the works of French electronic pioneer Pierre Salkazanov, who had started playing guitar in the 1960s in a Shadows styled band, Les Ambassadors. Instrumental rock was not enough for Salkazanov, he was always looking for evolution, so when a meeting with French synth player Serge Ramses (of "Secret" fame) got him into the world of synthesizers he just dived deep into the bourgeoning world of electronic music. He got himself an EMS VCS3 and started producing works into a 4-track Teac tape machine. French music was at its best, it was the time of Jean Michel Jarre, Didier Bocquet, Richard Pinhas and Heldon, Alain Meunier... Even Gong's Tim Blake was living in France at that time. By the time of his second LP, Moebius 256 301, issued also on Polydor in 1977, Zanov had already gathered a small collection of gear, including an ARP 2600 and an ARP sequencer, his old VCS3, an RMI Harmonic and a PS 3300. Again under the influence of both first and second generation of Berlin school musicians the LP will appeal to fans of Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream, but they will also find a big deal of Zanov's own personal sound on it, since as the musician himself reckons he had little contact with other peers of his generation, so besides a general love for the electronic gear used and the sounds you could make out of them the creative ideas behind his works were all his own. On his second album a richer sound is found, not only due to the use of the new gear, since some of its tracks where recorded using only his old EMS, but also due to his won experience after having taken his works to the life stages in the Golf Drouot boite, the Lase Olympia venue (on the basement of the famous Olympia), the Paris Planetarium or those for planned one month tour (of which in the end only four dates were accomplished).

Zanov's three albums met with unanimous critical acclaim for the sound quality as well as for the originality of this very personal universe.

The fourth release on Trevor Jacksons Pre- Label is by SKULL. A visceral journey into experimental noise and no wave avant grade beatscapes
The last SKULL release 'SNAPZ' appeared on Jacksons own Output Recordings label in 1999. A seminal collection of tracks that had previously featured on the first two legendary Mo wax 'Headz' compilations (also featuring Autechre, Beastie Boys, Air, and DJ Shadow) as well as tracks that had also appeared on Kevin 'The Bug' Martins notorious Macro Dub Infection albums during the mid 90's.
Reactionary sonic statements aimed at the coffee table world of Trip Hop, fuelled by his dissatisfaction and dissillustionment with Hip Hop of the time, Trevor pushed himself into uncomfortable and far more extreme areas than he had before, areas he felt unable to explore with his Underdog productions, which were mainly being utilised for major label remixes at the time.
Influenced as much by the industrial pioneers, post punk and new wave of the past as the burgeoning post rock scene in the mid 90's, This new set of previously unreleased recordings originally produced between 1996-2000 are equally as intense and visceral as the early releases. Dusty samples, raw beats, tape loops, and primitive effects combine to sound as relevant now as when they were initially created.

**INITIAL 400 LPs CONTAIN A BONUS 7" BY MEL-O-MADNEZZ**

IT'S TIME TO PAAAARTY! Why The Universe knows that Tramp is celebrating their 40th trip around the sun in 2018. And what about planet Earth Well... it is as blind as it is in so many other situations. Therefore, it is time to shine the light on Tramp for all of its unremitting efforts. As musical diversity is vanishing, especially in the field of African American music from the 1960s/70s, it is our duty to stop the extinction of threatened species of music in the same way an animal welfare activist would do anything to save a gorilla's life. Tramp Records keeps this beautiful heritage alive, every single day, again and again and again. So we are here wondering why Earth people and especially to those from our beloved home country, why why are you just sitting there, going about your life unaware of this historic event What a pity!

The announcement is especially striking when it comes to the prestigious "Movements" series. Like all its predecessors, this ninth volume contains Rare Groove nuggets recorded between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The fact that only one of the songs appear anywhere else is a jaw-dropping phenomenon! The chronological track listing starts with two amazing cover versions: "Fever" by Gee Gee Shinn & the Boogie Kings and "I'm A Woman" by Connie Kaye Trio. Bus Brown, Earl Demus and Chuck Finney remain in the same direction although their contributions are slightly jazzier. Chick Willis' gut-wrenching "Sometime Soon" easily rivals James Brown's "It's A Man's World" and the recordings by Australia, J.R. and Joe Akens are beautiful examples of privately produced soul from the 1970s. The latin-soul of "Cho Cho San" by Hummingbird 4 heads the sound in another direction for the next three tunes, highlighted by one more stunning cover version, Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Brother, Where Are You". The album closes with some pre-disco tracks from the mid-to-late 1970s. Funk 7" collectors will freak out to finally get a chance to listen to Mel-O-Madnezz' superheavy "What You Getting High On" but will certainly also enjoy The Counts, Reunion and Hot Cakes' dance floor bomb cover of "Harlem Shuffle".

Over a hundred great unknown songs have been re-released on the first eight volumes in the "Movements" series, the majority of which can not be found elsewhere, and Vol. 9 is no exception. The work of Germany's tiniest but grooviest record label is still incomprehensibly underestimated. We know you diggers, collectors, mavens, aficionados, fanatics, completists, enthusiasts, and just plain record geeks know what's up and we heartily salute you! Without your support there would be no Tramp Records. But now it's time for a broader cultural shift for good music and a sweeping move to uphold the legacy of the unsung heroes of funk and soul. Therefore, we humbly petition you: in 2018, Don't keep all this glory to yourself! Turn your friends and neighbors on! Thank you!

- initial 400 LPs contain a bonus 7" by Mel-O-Madnezz ("What You Getting High On")

- the double vinyl LP comes with a full album download code

- deluxe double-gatefold LP with detailed liner notes, label scans & unseen photographs

- all but one song appear on vinyl-LP for the very first-time

Nick Klein's new record, 'Lowered Flaming Coffin,' was recorded in Brooklyn, NY, on an economic set-up. With a spartan modular synth and Korg MS-20, Klein describes the process of recording as "focused around the relentless role of filtering out and managing the anxiety of existing in a metropolitan area in the current political climate."Though 'Lowered Flaming Coffin' starts on an almost uplifting note with the glistening melodic cycles of 'Burning Mattresses,' the asphyxia soon takes over, and the vertigo of the metropolis comes into lurching clarity for the remainder of the record. The height of the following track, 'Peña Adobe,' has the panicked terror of an archaic ringtone hitting the volume of an air raid siren, 'Smelling The Sheets' skulks rather than bangs, its momentum stifled and edgy, as if not enough was on Klein's side when making his way to the studio that day. The anguish doesn't taper, but rather culminates in the despairingly titled 'The God In Vodka.' At nearly 14 minutes, its disfigured rave stabs and blunted military tattoo-snare furiously pace into a clammy, toxic rush.Despite the wry funerary image of its title, 'Lowered Flaming Coffin' is far from a lament for better times, nor a report on descending into contemporary hell. Like a frenzied metronome, the record syncs itself with the dynamics of unrest in order to grasp the brazen tactics that perpetuate the seemingly boundless inequalities in the world today. Klein forges this link with his own minutiae in stride, tethering the conceptual motivations to a fidgeting, personalized atmosphere of rhythmic dysphoria.Pitching agitation in this way, the record unapologetically presents itself as a soundtrack for participatory intervention, forcefully side-stepping the queues and suspended beliefs of much party-centric electronic music. Overwhelmingly focused, and overbearingly raw, 'Lowered Flaming Coffin' is a bleeding mess of grazed attempts and small triumphs in clawing back hope.

*The No Man Is An Island EP is a single cut from the debut album of the same name by Aalko, a new project by Kebko Music founder Akiko Kiyama. Renowned for her minimal techno track featured in Richie Hawtin's seminal DE9 Transitions album, the Japanese producer reveals her another side under this new alias. The project has already created a stir as Aalko has garnered support from Gilles Peterson on his BBC 6 Music radio show and premiered a live performance at MUTEK's Tokyo launch, where she drew the audience into an inspiring frenzy.

Aalko is a culmination of Kiyama's recent practices in a wider musical spectrum that go beyond the confines of her minimalistic techno characteristics. It conjures her distinctive soundscape where a variety of styles coexists: she demonstrates her knack for breaks, ambient and irregular time signatures, her acute ears for unadulterated tone and texture of sounds standing out in sharp relief.

Taking a floor-oriented side out of the No Man Is An Island cassette album, this single cut features three tracks that work wonders in a DJ context. "Body & Soul" is an erratic rhythm experiment jumping between several beat styles. "Mixture" offers Kiyama's unique interpretation on syncopated dynamics of breaks. Wrapping up the EP is 'B.I.C', a long-awaited exclusive track that ranked among Gilles Peterson's top 20 tracks of 2017. Its dubby functionality makes it a powerful tool that can work at various stages of the night.

These tracks give the nod to Kiyama's peculiar self full of sonic idiosyncrasies, showing no fear of breaking accepted conventions.

After great success of Moondance 002, 003 is expected to be no less than great. One of Croatia's finest, Ivan Komlinovic is back with his brand new 4 tracker including The Analog Cops splendid remix. Straight up underground techno-funk filled with different vibes and mindsets that Ivan delivers at Moondance 12" is fragment of his arsenal of raw but warm-analog sounding elements. We are honoured to present "Ninja's Cross" killer cuts that represents Ivan's unique drift between different techno and house vibes.

Melodies International proudly moves forward with an elusive piece of mid-tempo Chicago soul originally performed by Gloria J. Jennings in 1977.

Gloria was signed to Stage Productions as a gospel singer with pure and raw talent she had developed in the choir of her father's Southern Baptist Church. She was 16 years old at the time. To tutor her for R&B vocals, Willie C. Nance of Stage Productions spent 3 months taking the artist back and forth for vocal training 25 miles each way, 3 days per week.

At the time, Mr. Nance had made plans to work with singer and songwriter Theresa Eagins to record Know What You Want'. However, two days before the recording was set to begin, Ms. Eagins refused to move forward with the recording as she chose to take her religious faith more seriously and forgo the singing of secular music. Hence, Stage Productions turned to Gloria Jay to perform a song that would go on to move people thousands of miles away, many years later.

One of them was Patrick Forge: Back around 1990 I had a residency upstairs at the Wag Club on a Friday night alongside Paul Martin (he was Gilles P's A&R right hand man at Talkin Loud), the night was called Respect and we played mainly Soul, Boogie and Jazz-Funk. Many years later I bumped into Paul at a record shop and he quizzed me about a tune I used to play at the end of the night at Respect. Hhe described it as being an independent Soul seven inch on a red label, slow to mid tempo... and more to the point a bullet of a record. It piqued my curiosity so much I burrowed through my seven inches and even made Paul a compilation of likely contenders, his response was lovely selection, but it's not on there!'. Damn, a mystery! Many moons later whilst I was living in Japan, my tenant in my London flat said she'd found an old mixtape I'd done for her way back when and was desperate to know the identity of something she was calling the choo choo song'. Eventually when I was back in London she played the mixtape and I quickly identified her tune as Fabrica' by Cesar Mariano, however letting the tape play some time later a familiar descending chord sequence catapulted me back to those Friday nights at The Wag, and Gloria Jay's plaintive vocals reminded me of a record that had been absent from my life for far too long. I've no idea what happened to my original copy, I hunted another one down straight away, and I've kept it close ever since. Know What You Want' is a song that goes deep in such a simple, unaffected, almost naive way, Gloria's voice is both sweet and raw, it's built on simple chords and obvious instrumentation, but it's so much greater than the sum of its parts.

Know What You Want' is soul music, pure and unadulterated, there's nothing getting in the way of the feeling, it's straight from the heart.' Carefully re-mastered from the tapes, MEL008 comes forth in its original 7' format with a 14'x14' poster.

Two of Hospital Record's most electrifying artists have formed an allegiance for a true coming together of titans. Bournemouth's Krakota and Sao Paulo's Urbandawn have combined their production talents to create the five-track 'Focus Shift' EP - a real drum & bass mash up of styles and sonic sequences.
The aptly named 'Coyote' is an absolute howler, unashamedly powerful and loaded with energy, distorting and plunging itself into new streams of audio chaos throughout.
'Laguna' fits with their alter-egos - sweet, pensive and majestic. Operating within a more classic Hospital framework, this rolling stroke of musical bliss will leave no party unsatisfied.
Sitting in the middle of this concerted creation is title track 'Focus Shift'. Informed by both liquid-funk and tech styles, it's gelled together with scathing bass riffs and high profile percussive chops.
'Epigram' has all the bassweight you'd expect from such a monolith collision of production powerhouses. Crisp and sinful, with a consistently militant atmosphere this song is pure depth, darkness and danger, with a genuinely intriguing sonic progression that renders this track as devastating as weapons grade plutonium.
Seeing the release home is 'Paladin'. An ardent dancefloor destroyer that fuses the power of the stepper with the groove of a roller, that even angels would find themselves bustin' a skank. Uplifting and powerful with cosmic subtleties in the low end twinned with sombre melodies and skittering drum-work all tempered in unison to create a certified banger.

In 2017, the musical term electronic' is nearly obsolete given the ubiquity of computerized processes in producing music. Even so, the prevailing assumption is that musicians working under this broad umbrella must be inspired by concepts equally as electrified as their equipment. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has demonstrated in her still-blooming discography that this notion couldn't be further from the truth, and that more often than not, rich worlds of synthesized
sound are born from deep reverence of the natural world. Smith (who by no coincidence, cites naturalist David Attenborough as a contemporary muse) has embodied such an appreciation on
The Kid in as direct and sincere a way as possible by sonically charting the phases of life itself.
The album, which punctually follows up her 2016 breakthrough EARS, chronicles four defining cognitive and emotional stages of the human lifespan across four sides of a double LP.
The first side takes us through the confused astonishment of a newborn, unaware of itself, existing in an unwitting nirvana. Smith's music has always woven a youthful thread befitting of the
aforementioned subject. Here she articulates it in signature fashion on the track An Intention,' which serves not only as a soaring spire on The Kid, but on her entire output. There is playfulness here, but it's elevated by an undertone of gravity into something compelling and majestic that is fast becoming Smith's watermark. The emotional focus of side two is the vital but underreported moment in early youth when we cross the threshold into self awareness. The subject is profound enough to fill an entire album, but rarely makes its way into a single track, indicating Smith's ambition to broach subtler and deeper subjects than the average composer. This side offers up another highlight in the form of In The World But Not Of The World' which serves its subject well with epiphanic, climbing strings and decidedly noisy textures over a near-Bollywood low end pulse.

Side three emphasizes a feeling of being confirmed enough in one's own identity to begin giving back to the formative forces of one's upbringing, which is arguably the duty that all great artists
aim to fulfill. This side ends with the exploratory album cut Who I Am & Why I Am Where I Am' recorded in a single take without overdubs on the rare EMS Synthi 100 synthesizer. This humble
piece of sound design serves as a contrast to side four's verdant orchestral moments, all written and arranged for the EU-based Stargaze quartet by Smith herself. This final side represents a
return to pure being, the kind of wisdom and peace that eludes most of us until the autumn of life. On To Feel Your Best' this concept is voiced in the bittersweet refrain one day I'll wake up
and you won't be there' which Smith intended to be a grateful acknowledgement of life rather than a melancholy resentment of loss. The song has both effects depending on the mood of the
listener, and both interpretations are equally moving.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith belongs to an ilk of modern musicians who are defined by their commitment to creating experiential albums despite the singles-oriented habits of modern listeners,
and here she represents her kind proudly. The subjects on The Kid are not simple to convey, and yet through both emotional tone and lyrical content, Smith does just that. There is a similar
gravity to both birth and death, and rarely is that correlation as accurately and enthusiastically mapped as it is here.

Alan Watts, another logical inspiration of Smith's, once expounded that people record themselves to confirm their own existence, and as such, echoes and resonance are reminders that we are alive. You're not there unless you're recorded,' Watts muses, if you shout, and it doesn't come back and echo, it didn't happen.' The Kid speaks to this idea directly. As Kaitlyn Aurelia
Smith explores her existence through music, she guides us in gleefully contemplating our own.

The Power Dancers return with their post album 4th installment.
This psychedelic post punk inspired escapade sends out love lasers to all those we have loved and lost along the way, most notably the weird and wonderful Adam Goldstone.
Two brand new versions previously unavailable on the LP and a magical a capella that will set a mood for the mind ...
Powerdancers unite.

Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for the 1971 documentary Veruschka, Poesia Di Una Donna about the legendary and the world's first supermodel VERUSCHKA (a real '60s/'70s icon that starred in several cult movies including Blow Up, Salome and Coleur Chair).

Brewing another supremely heavy release on the horizon, Moonshine Recordings is stealing the spotlight once again. Proudly presenting Violinbwoy's first solo album, unadulterated sound system pressure at its finest. Slavic chants and drum rhythms meet the unrivaled power of Violinbwoy's eccentric take on modern bass music 'Fyetisov' kicks off the stellar 3x12" release with a high-powered Stepper emission. Setting the tone with a rumbling bassline and supremely energetic lead instrumentation, full force sound system music down to its core. Shining in a different light, 'Moonspell' reveals its melancholic nature gradually intensifying through otherworldly percussion and anthemic vocal sample placements. Stripped down to its bare bones,'Dubplate' unleashes its detuned, percussive shackles for a massive onslaught of four-to-the-floor, while keeping true to Jamaica's music roots. Warbling tape echo spheres and excellence in emotive expression Violinbwoy's collaboration with singer Marina P turns out to be an anthem by itself enthralling, whoever gets caught into the midst of this hymn of a track. Not backing down one step from the established level of quality, 'Sound System' featuring Junior Dread excels once more in a crystal-clear demonstration of modern roots music mandatory repeat listening. Rejoicing in simplicity, 'Rig Alert' holds true to what the name suggests - cinematic bass meditation, fluidly scaling with the size of its speaker counterpart. Moving on to Dan s vocal skills in 'Wanted': Rastafarian wisdom chanting along a skanking rhythm and orchestral atmosphere. Ethereal bells being submerged in moving air and scattered white noise, 'Run & Hide' demonstrates a more experimental side within the LP exhibiting Downtempo/Ambient inclinations in a magnificent combination with Dub characteristics, only increasing in energy to the call of the dub siren. Ready for more, the title track 'dod' captures us within the expressive, introductory playing of the violin, deserting it for echoes and sub oscillations alike. Calling upon the prowess of Rider Shafique, his harmonic toasting is being escorted by a forward-minded halftime groove in 'Find The Way'. Topping the LP off with Sis' excellence in telling a story through song on a hypnotic instrumental. The nature of last tunes is often powerful, serving to concede with an explosion, appropriate of the session as is the case with 'Surfacing' closing off the monumental EP with visceral lead movements, setting the tone alongside driving drums and one more murderous bassline, sure of receiving countless rewinds in the near future. Encompassing a plethora of current Roots- Dub- and Steppa- influenced styles, Moonshine's next LP installment is sure to be received for what it is: a definitive, quality expedition of what's firing up dance floors around the globe.

Marco Bailey's 5th full-length album, one that he personally claims to be the best overall representation of his sound. With seventeen tracks comprising almost an hour and a half of music, he has ample room to stretch out and to give listeners an excellent portable version of his potent live show.

By maintaining a consistently high-quality output that does not merely ride the wave of current trends, multi-faceted producer Marco Bailey has managed to survive through decades of mercilessly shifting adjustments to popular taste in dance music. From his beginnings in the late '80s spinning eclectic sets comprised of everything from punk to old school hip-hop, to his present interest in pure unadulterated techno, the Belgium-based DJ and producer has won over audiences with his keen knowledge of how to squeeze the greatest physical and emotional impact out of a few well-placed elements, along with his instinct for seeking out the most innovative and resilient kindred spirits (his impressive number of professional friendships includes artists as diverse as Markus Suckut, Jonas Kopp, Alex Bau, Edit Select, Speedy J, Steve Rachmad and many more). These combined talents have led to his formation of several different labels: MB Electronics in 2001, the 'limited edition' label MBR in 2013, and lastly the new Materia Music label begun last year. His similiarly named event series, Materia, has also been a truly worldwide 'state of the art' summit for advanced techno artists.



The full-length personal releases by Marco Bailey, which stretch back to his mid-'90s period as a trance producer, have been gracefully arcing and anthemic affairs composed of individual tracks that follow that same blueprint. He is now about to drop his 5th full-length album overall, one that he personally claims to be the best overall representation of his sound. With seventeen tracks comprising almost an hour and a half of music, he has ample room to stretch out and to give listeners an excellent portable version of his potent live show. Of course, an epic running time alone is not the marker of a great audio experience, but an epic running time in which one loses track of time completely is - Bailey accomplishes this feat by never rushing the payoff; by organically building up each track until listeners are fully immersed in his alternate universe.



This skill can be heard on banging, sweat-saturated tracks like 'Ash', 'Genetix' and 'Hasai,' but also on comparitively gentle pieces like 'Klauth' (which straddles the line between disciplined electro and something more dreamlike and weightless), or the blissed out 'Suoh,' which feels like a fresh snowfall in audio form. Low-key cuts like 'Rex,' driven by echo FX and other windswept sounds, form natural counterparts to busier tracks like 'Ruth,' with its spring-loaded sequencer attacks, or 'Reboot That Device,' which is ingeniously driven by a psychedelic organ whose sound evolves with various filter settings. Minimalist vocals are occasionally injected into the mix - i.e. on the 'The Darkness' - to impart a subtle message of constant, ongoing expansion into unexplored galaxies without and within. It's as good a definition of the artist's musical mission as any.

All the beats, tracks, and harmonies that Vega Records release have a story behind them, 'UNION DANCE (LOUIE VEGA REMIX) - DJ CLOCK FEATURING MADAME-X's begins where most great things do as far as we are concerned.... under a mirror ball in a dark club! One night, (well really EARLY morning to be honest) while Louie Vega was vibbing in the booth, listening to Timmy Regisford work it out for a packed NYC dance floor a wild beat caught his ear. As Louie looked over and saw the crowd confirm exactly what he felt he turned to Timmy with a smile and said "that beat is hot, let me get that", and from that moment UNION DANCE's story began with Louie Vega.
No surprise to Louie, DJ CLOCK of Durban South Africa was the mastermind producer behind this fiery beat. DJ CLOCK is practically a house hold name in S.Africa since he first got into producing and djing in 2007. He's collaborated with some serious heavy hitters including Fistaz Mixwell, Euphonik, Oskido, Chynaman et al and has become the go-to producer for compilation albums across his continent and now with Louie Vega he's making his way to all of us. This gritty beat captured every emotion that makes you go in even harder at 3am... It had heat pumping out the system but it was missing something as far as Louie was concerned.
The missing element was the incomparable force that is MADAME-X, known to many as a sexy sultry vocalist by all accounts but there is a force living within HER expressed only as MADAME-X. She interprets the words of Maya Angelou with the utmost confidence and conviction. A powerful woman, with her raw, unapologetic edge MADAME_X pro claims "I WANNA DO THIS MY WAY" transforming a hot beat Louie heard one night into a FIERCE TRACK to ignite crowds around the world today!
UNION DANCE (LOUIE VEGA REMIX) - DJ CLOCK FEATURING MADAME-X reminds us that not only is it ok but its necessary to OWN THE DANCE FLOOR! This right here is for the djs, the dancers and all those who truly understand that HOUSE MUSIC IS A FEELING!
AVAILABLE AT YOUR NEAREST VINYL OUTLET. DISTRIBUTED BY ABOVE BOARD DISTRIBUTION, UK & MANUFACTURED BY OPTIMAL, GERMANY

Secret Studio Records presents 2 unapologetic acid tracks by 2AMFM.

Dalmata Daniel's next up is a collaboration with the Bristol-born - weirdo disco guy' Antoni Maiovvi and also a contribution of Heinrich Dressel who is an unavoidable column of Rome's electronic music scene.Maiovvi's Pleasure Model project is all about youth - replaced by Blade Runner-esque replicas. His first release under this moniker was - Kendo Dynamics' on 100% Silk in 2016. It aimed for presenting a persuasive world of fiber optic paranoia and technoid effacement.DD006 is the next level of the concept and the first time on vinyl. The tracks are driven by the characteristic haggard drum machine's sound on side A with a melancholic or dark synth themes what becomes a dreamy melody in the - Prism Riot' on side B. The remix by Heinrich Dressel is a turn back directly into the darkness, but it is faster and more like a film soundtrack with his own characteristics, of course. The whole EP has a strong vintage mood and sound.
It can be said that Update 1.1 is definitely dystopian, coming from the future of our past.

I feel unstoppable, I feel unstoppable, I feel unstoppable, singen Superfood auf ihrem zweiten Album.
Und diesen Anflug von Unaufhaltsamkeit kann man tatsächlich spüren. Schließlich kann man seine
gesamte musikalische DNA nicht einfach neuschreiben und den fanatischen Indie-Bombast des
Debüts für eine neue Morgendämmerung hinter sich lassen - so wie es das Duo auf Bambino tut -
ohne dass einem eine übermenschliche Dosis Selbstvertrauen durch die Venen schießt.

ALFIE DAVISON first came to prominence in the early seventies as a DJ on the New York dance scene breaking cutting edge singles such as Soul Makossa' by Manu Dibango. Eventually he hit with his own song -- Who's Gonna Love Me' -- recorded by The Imperials and breaking the U.K. Top 20 in December 1977. Davison did record his own version which saw a release in the U.S.A. on the RCA imprint, but it failed to chart.
However, it was his sublime single - Love Is Serious Business' - that propelled him into the Northern Soul Hall of Fame. Released on Mercury Records in 1979, in both 7 and 12-inch formats, it was an instant hit in the North of England where it packed the floor at Wigan Casino courtesy of the forward-thinking DJ Richard Searling who, at the time, favoured the rare 12-inch import.
Sadly, the song failed to chart despite a favourable reception in the trade magazine Billboard, although, oddly, it was reviewed in the Pop', rather than the Soul' section. Davison was completely unaware of the serious' club action that the song received in the U.K. and he never performed it in public, until Ian Levine met up with him at the dawn of the new millennium, in Brooklyn, for the filming of The Strange World Of Northern Soul'.
Alfie Davison passed away in 2014 and leaves behind a small but precious legacy that will be forever cherished in the Hearts and Souls of Northern Soul fans worldwide.

Another amazing exercise by Thee J Johanz! In R U There In R U There he's exploring the capabilities of the Russian/DDR Vermona synth for a massive brutal lead on a rocking 808 beat, with driving italoesque arpeggio's from the Jupiter 6. Having it's special moment in an unanswered synthesized ring tone, enhancing the haunting suspense. In K Clap West he lets the Moog modular sing like Kanye West, supported by the ancient Roland CR 8000 drummachine. Sleazy analogue goodness, slapping asses with the nasty clap. Sex with machines. More Cowbell! is just what the title promises. An orgy of live tuned cowbells, recorded in one take with his beloved modded CR 8000, it's a perfect atonal mixtool to add some uplifting madness and excitement. Sleeve art by David Homan and Thee J Johanz himself.

Early support from DJ Hell, Prins Thomas, Simeon Mobile Disco, Audio Soul Project, Severino Panzetta, Tensnake and more...

More Than Less, started from Seoul, South Korea, came back with 4th Vinyl release Folka EP, composed by Joton, owner of Newrhythmic Records, based in North Spain, Leon. He is also part of More Than Less records, releasing "Fragment EP" with Soolee remixes in 2014. It had great success and been supported by many producers like Surgeon, Pacou, DVS1, Invite ,Lakker, Paul Mac, Samuli Kemppi, Unam Zetineb, Jeroen Search and many more. "Folka EP" has two new tracks, called "Frontier" and "Sendice". These two tracks are remixed by Japanese Techno hero, DJ Nobu, and Korean Techno pioneer, Soolee, again. The "Folka EP" represents the conjunction of AsianEuropean Techno, which More Than Less has been pursuing. "Frontier" has pure anlalog synth sounds with addicted melody line, based on rough sound textures. It s obviously for the peak time of the dance floor. "Sendice" has unique grooves which Joton s trademark and adding rhythmic loops gives numerous dance feelings. "Frontier", DJ Nobu remixed, gives hypnotic raw sounds and exotic feelings. It has subtle rhythmic factor and people can t help moving their body. Another remixer is, More Than Less Records owner, Soolee. It is 9 minute track, consisting with full of hypnotic sounds from the first to the end

Black Truffle is honored to present a new issue of Annea Lockwood's classic 1970 tape piece Tiger Balm, unavailable on vinyl for over thirty years, accompanied by two exquisite unreleased works for percussion and voice.
Created while Lockwood was living in the UK, the side-long Tiger Balm is a singular work within the cannon of tape music. Inspired by research into the ritual function of music, the piece explores the possibility of evoking ancient communal memories through sound. Breaking entirely with the dynamic language of the musique concrète tradition, Lockwood uses a select palette of mainly unprocessed sonic elements chosen for their mysterious and erotic characteristics (a purring cat, a heartbeat, gongs, slowed down jaw harp, a tiger, a woman's breath, a plane passing overhead), presenting at most two sounds at once. As one sound flows organically into the next, their shared characteristics are highlighted, opening a space of dream logic and mysterious associations between nature and culture, the ancient and the modern.
The B-side presents two pieces for percussion recorded here for the first time. Amazonia Dreaming (1987), performed by Dominic Donato, uses unaccompanied snare drum and voice to evoke the nocturnal soundscape of the Amazon rainforest. Unorthodox techniques and materials (marbles, chopsticks, a plastic jar lid) transform the snare into a resonant field of sensual textures.
Immersion (1998), performed by Donato and Frank Cassara, is a slow-moving exploration of gentle beating tones, performed on marimba, tam tams and gong. Like the other two works presented on this LP, it provides captivating proof of Lockwood's belief in the complexity that deep listening can reveal within seemingly simple sounds.
Francis Plagne
Presented in a stunning deluxe gatefold sleeve with archival pics and liner notes by Annea Lockwood including the score to Amazonia Dreaming.
LP design via Stephen O'Malley
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin February 2017

This grouping of audio recordings is for aural use only. Any emotional content perceived herein is borne of its listener, and is in no way intended by its author. Any sounds resembling speech are not intended to convey meaning.

Several Shades Of The Same Color is Patricia's first album for Spectral Sound — produced in conjunction with his own label Active Cultures.

Tips for listeners: consider the moment in which you exist; pay attention to how these sounds evoke physiological (rather than cognitive) responses. Listeners may find themselves deriving immense physical pleasure from exposure to these sounds. Inability to achieve such pleasure is likely attributable to over-analysis of the aforementioned audio content — or to improper amplification.

Each of Shades' three LPs features suites of tracks that, considered alone, comprise their own distinct, unique worlds. Disc One opens with "I Know The Face, But Not The Name," an unabashedly plaintive trip through classic electro rhythms; flip it over for "The Words Are Only Sounds," a haunting affair for synthesizer and voice. Disc Two's "The Electric Eye is Upon Me" swirls endlessly, while "Shiba Inu Dub" is cut for the floor and coy as its namesake. Disc Three's jackin' "Feel Your Body" will cause you to do just that; "German Friendship" sounds like D.A.F. on dissociatives.

Any emotional associations incurred while listening come at the listener's discretion. Furthermore, the identity of the author and/or their passions regarding the recordings herein shall bear no weight on the listener's experience. This body of work is not intended to generate ideas; rather, its goal is to produce physical sensations in the listener.   
Taken altogether, Several Shades Of The Same Color is kaleidoscopic, a multi-faceted techno trip. Listen in full, or listen in part. And if you consider only one of these intermittent listening notes, make it this one: Don't think; just hear.

With 44 releases across 12 years since its inception, Butane's infamous Alphahouse imprint closes its doors this June as he welcomes long time colleagues and friends Alexi Delano and Worldline to shape up the final EP on the label 'Omega'.

Having established the imprint back in 2005, Andrew Rasse aka Butane's Alphahouse has served as an example of unapologetic underground quality and curation for over a decade. With previous releases from the likes of Ricardo Villalobos, Ryan Crosson, Ion Ludwig, Quenum, Mark Broom and of course Rasse himself, the final Alphahouse EP welcomes back another staple of the imprints success, Chilean Alexi Delano, and mysterious American talent Worldline who marks his debut on the label.

'Sometimes in order to grow, you have to leave things behind. It's time for a fresh start... the final Alphahouse record. Alpha/Omega' - Butane.

The A-side sees Delano and Rasse effortlessly re-combine and pick up where they left off in 2013. 'Bass Theory' is an energetic, blooming production that lays the focus on raw crunchy drum licks, chunky bass slabs and an ever- evolving melody that eases listeners into a state of trance, before 'Jazz Lick' reveals a lighter aesthetic with a delicate jazz-infused lead line, filtered vocal loops and crisp organic percussion that hold the production in sync.

On the flip Butane is joined by a new collaborator, Los Angeles-based underground fashion designer Worldline for two brooding cuts. 'How Deep' kicks things off showcasing eerie low ends layered beneath tripped out vocals and hypnotic, meandering chords. 'What We Do' wraps up the esteemed Alphahouse catalog in style. An underground manifesto with a trademark Butane groove and Wordline's vocals punctuating over a decade of work. That's a wrap.

In true Alphahouse style, Rasse signs off here alongside two extremely talented artists with an EP that radiates understated sophistication and intricacy throughout, whilst opening the door to his new project 'Extrasketch' in the most fitting and suitable way imaginable. Stay tuned; this is only just the beginning...

(Locked Groove, Nuno De Satos remixes) Something Happening Somewhere and Mary Go Wild combine their forces for a very special record, containing two cuts by Presk and remixes by Locked Groove and label honcho Nuno dos Santos.

Something Happening Somewhere and Mary Go Wild combine their forces for a very special record, containing two cuts by Presk and remixes by Locked Groove and label honcho Nuno dos Santos. The original A1 side has already been released on SoHaSo last summer on their SOMEWHERE compilation, but has now found a place on delicious black gold and is further enriched with a fresh B-side and aforementioned remixers delivering quality reworks.

2BXPRZD is an ode to the celebration of night life and the diverse spectrum of people that move within it. The club has always been a place where people from every background, religion and gender imaginable can meet and express their being through Dancing. It doesn't matter in what way you move, only that it's authentic and respecting towards the fellow dancers around you. Presk provides all the necessary ingredients: the funkiness in the drums melting with the dark and sinister bassline and pitched vocal perfectly assemble the conditions for such an interaction to take place.

Locked Groove takes this celebratory dance and turns it into an even darker and hypnotizing affair. Stripping the original to its bare essence with a pounding kickdrum to lead the way. Pulsing atmospheres and emotive pads swirl around and behind, granulated in a way that they almost fall apart. This is further reinforced by the stream of voices that are processed to sound like a field recording from beyond the iron curtain in Soviet times, anticipating the unavoidable collapse that follows.

The B sides provides a little more uplifting environment with Starets, unsettling melodies and dissonant atmospheres propel forward before restraining the whole thing and letting broken chord stabs seep through the system. Again reworking the original material into a more skeletal structure, Nuno dos Santos adds a poignant arp melody that is typical for his melancholic style. Driving yet breathing with emotion, it's the perfect accompaniment for a night drive while floating through clear skies. This records proves a delightful combination, containing something imperative for every soul feeling the need to express themselves in a unique way.

Some try it with mouth-to-mouth insufflation and cardiac massage. Others with
psychopharmaceuticals or group therapy. Still others with divorce. By going cold turkey. With a new profile pic and a matching hairstyle. Seen it all at Robert Johnson, already endorsed everything - at least as long as it helps: as a lifesaving measure.
But since the year dot, the Offenbach-based club with its affiliated label recommends to all which are undecided or have doubts particularly one thing: Music. And dance.
Every two years, when life newly blossoms during spring, Live At Robert Johnson opens its windows widely, lets new music out and fresh air into the house. The beguiling scent of nature and aviation fuel blends with the scent of sweat and dry ice fog - and causes sundry healing confusion. As soon as the first tone of the Lifesaver Compilation 3 is heard, the swelling grunt of Vincent Feit's 'X04', the scenery of the dancefloor right at the Main river appears before one's eyes.
On Saint Monday Iconoclasts rebel against the age of self-optimization. A crack goes through the parquet of the dance floor (or the dancing party itself). The post-unambiguities era is beginning. The images become blurred. Bass case. Alternative facts. Resonance hole. No reception. And then it's only the queue answering the club emergency hotline. Finally there is a buzz on the line. 'Just drop the images!', it says.

'It's all not that tragic.' This helps.
The Lifesaver 3 Compilation, the yet most comprehensive package of the lifesaver history, sounds like electro, sharp-edged like the vault in a Hague bunker (Lauer), provides data pop with piano crescendo (Fort Romeau), brings the style characteristics of German Schlager music to the breakdance mat (Rolande Garros), lets the bulky lily-of-the-valley bells clang and sends the reverb tails away with the wind (Benedikt Frey). There are several new names to discover: Felix Strahd, Benjamin Milz, Vincent Feit; and of course there a many old acquaintances: Massimiliano Pagliara, Orson Wells, TCB, Chinaski. Roman Flügel brings us 'Good News', however: 'From Another Planet.' And Fort Romeau feels 'Lost, Again', but in such somnambulistically beautiful manner that you want to get lost with him instantly and jointly find the great joy.
Again and again there are mysterious chants. It's not required to decipher the specific words in order to get the message: Salvation is near. Salvation is here:









[)] e1 | Roman Fügel - Chang

After a 3 year hiatus from his Avatism moniker, Thomas Feriero, one half of CW/A and owner of Parachute records, returns with an EP for his home label Vakant. A rough yet refined release, unassuming in its effort, Thomas channels both his previous solo work and his CW/A project into a tightly wound package with 4 solid cuts. Various influences converge yet a straight line is etched for all to follow. These are up-front, hard working tracks. Body Music with an undercurrent of breakbeat. His first EP on Vakant since his album. File under need / want.

The Band > SCARLETT'S FALL is a duo formed in 2014 by Ruth Childs (British-American performance artist and singer based in Geneva) and Stephane Vecchione (Swiss performance artist and musician based in Lausanne). They define themselves as dirty-girlie-kitchen-pop mixing catchy melodies and repetitive looping with fragile vocals and provocative texts. Out of their playfully ironic and poetic universe you can ear shades of CAN, Broadcast and Young Marble Giants. SCARLETT'S FALL toured their first album all over Switzerland and supported Tricky, Peaches and Anika.SCARLETT'S SCARED' is SCARLETT'S FALL ironically seductive second album. It all started with an (blue) demonstration vinyl entitled 'The Incredible Sounds of the Synclavier II' released by New England Digital Corp in 1981 to promote the first digital sampling system. Its content gave the basic atmosphere for the whole album: each of the 10 tracks samples a specific Synclavier sound. Add haunting melodies, mysterious vocals and fun beats and you get 'SCARLETT'S SCARED' complete. As the title suggests 'SCARLETT'S SCARED' is about being scared and takes its roots from vintage movies such as Klute (1971) and Metti Una Sera a Cena (1969) that deals with phone stalkers, insomnia, sexual tension, vampires, ghosts and explosive watermelon attack!

Written & produced by Roboknob. Mixed by Stefan Goldmann. Mastered by Rashad Becker. Info: We've said it before: techno's vanguard can be found in the East right now. Sofia's quirky techno underground is densifying. Evolving around the Diviat Slon parties (residents: StefaK & Stefan Goldmann), the Beton nights, the indoors offspins of Artmospheric festival and unannounced appearances of KiNK under his Cyrillic guise, raw and rave-infused techno is increasingly defining the city's sound of the small hours. Roboknob are part of this movement, and this is their debut EP. A live hardware duo, Yasen and Stanislav drop rugged, noisy machine jams around the Bulgarian capital and have been regulars at Artmospheric. The EP's tracks have been distilled from their live repertoire and mixed by Stefan Goldmann into sharply defined form with added bite. 'Dexydi' is Greek for acid - the corrosive liquid, not the music. Accordingly, its heavy-handed single-note bass attack will cut through anything. 'Spellbind' is more bouncy with frantic upward movements, distorted percussive fallout and a seasick bass foundation. 'Liulka' handles two layers of time rubbing off of each other: quirky and pushing high in the sky, against the bass drum mechanics down low. A suitable acoustic symbol for Sofia's state of techno.

Muyei Power or Orchestre Muyei (muyei means 'our country') was one of the top dance bands of the1970s in Sierra Leone. Soundway Records' first collection of music from this West African country ('Muyei Power: Sierra Leone in 1970s USA') is an album of rock-infused, 'afro' music from a group that traveled the world throughout the mid 1970s. Fusing elements of electric Congolese and Nigerian music with fast, syncopated, uptempo modernised arrangements of traditional music, Muyei Power produced a series of unique single-only releases that have been unavailable for 35 years. The rare recordings featured here are a glimpse of a dynamic and powerful band at the very height of its powers.

Even though lyrically Orchestre Muyei focused on traditional themes and songs, the arrangements and formulation of the instrumental side of things still very much reflected the mixed nature of urban Sierra Leone music, exemplified by a small collection of bands that also included Afro National, Sabanoh 75 and Super Combo.



For the early part of 1970s the band toured extensively throughout Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire before making a handful of 45s in local TV and radio studios. The recordings featured here however come from a period of touring the college circuit in California during late 1975 and early 1976. Later that year, as they played the colleges of the east coast, they gave the tracks to the owner of the African Record Centre in Brooklyn, New York. He initially released two of them on his in-house Makossa Records label as 7-inch 45rpm singles in 1976. The tracks from 1975/6 were then not heard of again until 1979/80 when the African Record Centre released many of them on a series of Makossa Records 12's that sounded far superior than the records that had been released a few years earlier.


Orchestre Muyei Power finally split up in 1979 leaving no proper album releases and only a handful of recordings for us to enjoy all these years later.

Art, of any kind, encompasses the unique and distinctive output of its creator: an inimitable human being. It points to a blueprint map of who this creator is, encapsulates their experiences and somehow points to how they arrive at their creation(s). This blueprint, although lending glimmer into one life, connects deeply into an unfathomable amount of other lives - lending an expression and effect. With this in mind, we go on a journey with Dowinowe - the first solo artist release for the Gqom oh! label - on his debut "GQOM004" Dominowe is a 19 year old producer from the Newlands east township of Durban, South Africa who started out making music just for his friends. This release snapshots important themes in his evocative personal journey - expressed in his own very unique style. Releasing on Vinyl in 27th of January 2017, the EP, titled SiyaThakatha', showcases Dominowe's original style in the context of the Durban electronic music scene especially when paced beside Gqom and Sghubu. The listener gets a real sense of his complexity and the variety of styles Dominowe is capable of producing. "SiyaThakatha", the EP name, is translated _black_ _magic,_ or, _we witching - _ which is right at the heart of this release: that listening to these sounds invite you into the universe of an unseen world, putting you in touch with what can only described as invisible energy - a combination of the ideal, the intangible, the unattainable and the other-worldly whilst on journey with a 19year old from Durban whose music is composed of influence and innovation. It is about gqom working its magic on the dance floor for people to move - to the distinctive beats and cultural rhythms. It features four tracks - including one skit outro - as well as three tracks on digital download. The tracks were chosen specifically as a reflection of the variety of styles Dominowe produces and the originality of his productions.