Buscar:wizardry

Following the success of our recent reissues of classic tracks from the vaults team-Jalapeno decided to start 2018 strong with another 7" release of two certified bangers from our very own breaks legends Skeewiff.

Our dear label co-founders and creative minds whose four Skeewiff albums set the agenda for the Jalapeno funk machine that you know and love - Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland have never been found wanting. These guys are the godfathers of the lounge and breaks scenes, they put the fun into funk, and if rumours are to be believed they could mix before they could walk!

From the very first opening horns salvo on 'Mexican Flyer' you know this track means business. A driving bassline and in-your-face drums provide the backdrop for all sorts of sonic madness with DJ cuts, horn solos and breaks galore. It's a bona-fide fiesta that fits neatly in your 45's bag.

With this little number in the arsenal the only worry that the DJ's will have is the stampede to the dancefloor...

Over on the flipside 'Delta Dawn' sees the guys get a little help from a famously little lady with one of the most recognisable voices in country music. But make no mistake - this is no barn dance... Breaks, bass and a healthy dose of Hammond wizardry inject the funk into proceedings to complete this 7" club weapon of mass destruction.

It's a double act that's up there with the best of them and a must have for fans of Jalapeno and high quality party music.

Ricky L and Marcoradi have been friends for as long as they can remember. They frst met on the dancefoor of one of Italy's most iconic clubs, Red Zone in Perugia, where Ricky has been a resident DJ for the best part of 25 years. Now, they've joined forces in the studio for the frst time, uniting under the Hear &
Now alias for Claremont 56. Those with a keen knowledge of Italian dance music will know their impressive track records. Both have a history of producing fne deep house records and remixes for the likes of Ibadan, Uomo, Reincarnation, Top Tracks, Restricted Tracks and Vega Records. With Hear & Now, they've decided to step back from the dancefoor, instead producing hazy, emotion-rich music for after-hours listening, and mornings spent blinking into the sunshine. A-side 'Hirundo' is a thing of rare beauty: a gently fowering opus constructed from shuffing, mind-massaging drum rhythms, spacey pads, stretched-out
organ chords and Marcoradi's effortless guitar playing. Lilting, alien synthesizer refrains seemingly tumble from the heavens, intensifying the duo's blissful mood. Flip for an even deeper excursion, the softly spun wizardry of 'Sabbia Magica'.
Here, the duo's house infuences gently rise to the surface. This is slow, deep and dreamy house from the top drawer, with jazz-fecked guitar fourishes and undulating electronics combining effortlessly with hypnotic, metronomic drums,
cascading string lines and a wonderfully dexterous electronic bassline. You can dance if you wish, but you may just want a hug instead.

By his debut album "Alcatraz" in January 2015, ARAS label head André Galluzzi thrilled with a concept album inspired by occult sounds and psychedelic vocals. "Alcatraz" as a whole is a captivating piece of art, its the essence of a club night. Now after received a wave of icredible feedback from "Alcatraz", the bird returns to ARAS with a bunch of remixes of the hypnotic track "Mathilda". Time to welcome Mike Shannon and Jacek Sienkiewicz to the ARAS family. This remixes will be a blast at the club by its very deep and reduced, futuristic interpretations. Mike, as head A&R of Cynosure and formerly Revolver Canada Recordings over 10 years, has shown an uncanny ability to select and produce tracks which have become go-to fixtures in the sets of the industry's best DJs. Far from pursuing the next one hit wonder or sound of the season, his steadfast curatorial vision and passion for the music have earned him the trust of discerning music connoisseurs the world over. Alongside DeWalta, Mike impressed lately with his album "Residual" on Cynosure/ meander back in March 2016. Jacek Sienkiewicz lives in Warsaw and he is a key figure in Polish electronic music scene. He holds Recognition since 1999, one famous label based in Berlin. With one foot deep in classic Detroit and Chicago dance scene, and the other in modern jazz and classical music, Jacek's tracks for the past ten years always try to find a right balance between the avant-garde and dancefloor, between primal emotions and highly sophisticated sonic wizardry. His latest album "Hideland" has been released in August 2016 on Recognition.

After a considerable career releasing on numerous labels, as well as being co-founder of Essen based label Mild Pitch, Langenberg finally drops his first album under this alias. Max Heesen, (who is also one half of Ribn with Manuel Tur) delivers the smartly titled 'Central Heated House' for Steve Bug's Dessous Recordings. The LP format suits Langenberg's hypnotic house classicism well, allowing time and space to stretch out the grooves and moods over four sides of vinyl - working both for the DJs and perfect as a soundtrack for the autumn. The LP kicks off with 'Jade', a melancholic, tape saturated introduction to Langenberg's deep tastes. 'Room 210' maintains this atmosphere, with fizzing percussion and warm Detroit-esque melodies. 'Groove 26' is perfectly timed for the hot summer, as lush Rhodes chords and KDJ style vocal snippets provide the heat for the openair vibes. The single from earlier this year 'Shadows' features the talents of vocalist Blakkat, and caused some serious response when it hit airwaves and dancefloors alike. 'Never Worry' is a heads down roller, built around a simple but perfectly executed bassline, while 'Dreamliner' is trippy laidback sunshine house all the way. 'I'll Be Late' and 'Planitz Proposal' step back into the club, with Langenberg's signature crisp percussion, crunchy hits and analog synth wizardry on full display. 'Rain & Roses' closes out the album in a similar way to how it started wistful, thoughtful house music with soul.

Soma mainstay Deepchord returns with part 2 of the Luxury Series. This Double A release feature Deepchord's signature atmosphere rich tones and lush environments and also mark a slight upturn in terms of pressing on a more Techno vibe.

Luxury 3 opens as spacious as can be as the dynamic Modell crafts otherworldly pads and haunting tones, driven by muted kicks and driving subs. His effective use of delay and reverb knows no bounds as he subtly shifts synth stabs and background noise through the dimensional barrier, creating rhythms so refined they defy the natural law. His usual percussive wizardry is at work here that, whilst vigorous, retains a light atmospheric feeling keeping fully in line with the melancholic tones of the track. Clocking in around 14minutes, this is Modell as his most immersive.

Luxury 4 has a distinct Detroit heart to it. Those almost instantly recognisable saw waves, moulded by layers upon layers of processing, swirls and evolve and Deepchord slowly works in various elements of the track to unparalleled levels. Fairly reminiscent of earlier, more stripped work, subtle percussion brings things to life fairly quickly as Modell allows the layers of ethereal synths and processing to blend and fuse naturally, creating a cohesive background to which the listener can easily spend hours listening to, every time finding ever so slight nuances to each cycle of the track.

Deepchord never fails to impress with every release and can easily change his style up from previous incarnations based in pure atmospherics to his own unique brand of legendary Dub Techno.

Techhead Toolbox 003 features the creative wizardry of the United State's techno soldier and MHR-HRD label boss Roman Zawodny, alongside remixes from powerhouses Virgil Enzinger, Sinisa Tamamovic, and John Karagiannis and PayLipService.