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PAMPA

**2023 Repress**
Do you know what time it is? It's debut o'clock. Emitting his first material for Pampa, it's &ME - craftsman of all things deep and sturdy, at the same time connoisseur of emotive touch and virtuoso of sure instincts, one of the scene's central characters for a good amount of years now and one of the main figures of Berlin's Keinemusik-crew. The man has been hitting the bulls eye of public perception several times in the past, meeting everything it takes to get a crowd going with an intent on the detail when it comes to his arrangements and sound. These new two cuts seem nothing less than the essence of his abilities.

There is "In Your Eyes", showcasing a rather pensive mood. It's just a few bars for the compound of kickdrum, tuned hi-hat tambourine and shimmering background noise until the first chords of an improvised piano-piece are tenderly laid upon the beat. Add a synth-motive coming back and forth and you'll have the main ingredients to this - in every sense of the word - floor-moving tune. Accordingly, the arrangement won't aim for an all too obvious sensationalism and rather opts for a flowing and intertwining call and response of its elements, ultimately resulting in a staggering impact anyway.

In comparison, "As Above So Below" on the flipside is adding a fair amount of emphasis. It unfolds in a dry and dense sounding beat-architecture that's suspense-packed with shaker sounds and subtextual field recordings. Most certainly, a slip-proof ground for this tune's centre-piece, a scale-riding synthbass sparking an almost anthemic trigger for floor-ecstasy. While details like subtle reverberating tapping and sparkling ambient textures sound like recorded deep down in a dripstone cave, the overall energetic layout pushes relentlessly to the heights of peaktime-grandeur. There you have it: "As Above So Below" - this tune works on every level.

TRACK LISTING

A. In Your Eyes 09:41min
B. As Above So Below 08:02 Min

Die Vögel

Blaue Moschee

    The first ever Pampa record - repressed for the very first time!!

    Pampa is a new label from old pals DJ Koze and Marcus Fink, dedicated to releasing club music that's seriously danceable without recourse to the tried and tested ingredients. A home for house and techno tunes that will conquer hearts and take root there forever, music that's brave and not afraid to break with convention. The first release is by Die Vogel, a collaborative project between Jakobus Siebels and Mense Reents. Jakobus is an innovative multi-instrumentalist who has previously recorded distinctive albums for Tomlab, Chicks On Speed Records, Karaoke Kalk; the no less talented Reents is a member of the groups Egoexpress, Die Goldenen Zitronen and Stella, and operates the Art Blakey Studios in Hamburg where this EP was recorded. Listening to A-side 'Blaue Moschee' you immediately know this going to be a strange and wonderful trip: oompa-style brass looped and layered over a stripped-back kickdrum, this tunes messes with all received notions of what house/techno music is! With a musicality and wicked sense of humour that naturally appealed to Koze and Fink, Siebels and Reents have created a timeless dancefloor banger using the most unlikely of elements. The result definitely isn't "jazzy techno" - the brass, far from being an afterthought, it's the very substance of the thing; it provides the melody, the bass, and the rhythm. Brass is the driving force behind the whole EP. B1, 'Petardo', is likewise driven by growling trombones and tubas, this time offset by cooing woodwind and set to a rolling, almost tribal drum tattoo. The horn chords are reminiscent of moody 60s British jazz, while the woodwind lends a South American fire and flair to proceedings. The track is full of subtle edits, but Siebels and Reents don't overwhelm the mix with synthesized sounds, instead letting the acoustic instruments speak for themselves. Closer 'Empire' again finds exquisitely arranged brass parts interlocking into a tough, single-minded groove, underscored with a skippy, broken 4/4 pulse and handclaps. Often when a new label claims to be taking risks and trying something new, the truth is rather less remarkable. Not in this case: Siebels and Reent have created a terrifically original, inimitable trio of tracks that combine the pop and the avant-garde, the cerebral and the physical, to absolutely stunning effect. It might be unusual and it might be clever, but it's still dance music pure and simple. magic!

    TRACK LISTING

    A Blaue Moschee
    B1 Petardo
    B2 Empire

    DJ Koze exists both above and beyond club culture as we know it - his albums and remixes flying free from genre and trend - and symbiotically woven into its heart. Yes, he always abstracts and weirds out the principles of house, techno, hip hop, pop, psychedelia, exotica and so forth, but he does that because he understands them. And when it comes to club-demolishing tracks, he understands those principles as well as just about anybody on earth.
    Thus he could create an enduring club tune like 2015's "XTC" that is strange, contemplative, even disturbing, bore little relation to anything around at the time, yet still got bodies moving and sweating better than way more obvious techno bangers. And thus the Knock Knock album, which melts a million genres and none into one another, can comfortably include "Seeing Aliens".
    "Seeing Aliens" unquestionably is a banger, its bass riff snaking around your body like a python, its high-drama strings, pianos and outbursts of noise designed for maximum crowd pressure release. But, again, it sounds like nothing else, and its dynamics and twists unfold over eight and a half minutes in ways that will mess with your head every time no matter how many times you hear it.
    The exclusive b-side track, "Nein König Nein" ("No King No"!), meanwhile, is slightly gentler on the face of it: it's less about sonic pressure, more about hip-shaking syncopation. But it too tells strange fairytales in its peculiar and brain-tweaking accumulation of detail, and though you'll hear archetypal sounds from the heart of house and disco in it, every last one of them becomes new and otherworldly.

    TRACK LISTING

    A. Seeing Aliens (Extended Breakthrough Version)
    B. Nein König Nein

    DJ Koze

    Wespennest EP

    DJ Koze unveils a spiritual and surprising journey into rapturous spheres with "Wespennest EP". The visionary artist and master of electronic sound, presents his first own release after 2018's global club hit "Pick Up".

    "Candidasa" and "Wespennest" are the result of DJ Kozes inspiring stay in a secluded Benedictine monastery on the enchanting island of Sulawesi. Amidst this idyllic setting, he found the perfect environment to unleash his musical vision. He composed all of the music of "Candidasa" while lying on his stomach, in an act of deepest devotion and self-reflection. In doing so, he fed exclusively on so-called heroin kebabs to immerse himself in a trance-like state of creative flow. The result is a soundscape of unimagined depth and beauty that enchants the senses and transports listeners to another dimension by massively increasing the frequency of flicker fusion.

    On "Wespennest” the wonderful Sophia Kennedy takes the stage and breathes a new dimension into the music with her impactful lyrics and vocals. With generous dedication, Sophia has provided exclusive excerpts of her yet unreleased songs, giving this track a radiant psychedelic power. The combination of DJ Kozes musical genius and Sophia Kennedy's glorious vocals creates a club track full of wonderment, opening up a mystical rapturous world for listeners. Already an instant classic of German dance music.

    With "Candidasa" and "Wespennest" DJ Koze has once again pushed the boundaries of electronic sounds and created a spiritual journey that touches the soul and frees the mind. This EP is the first harbinger of his highly anticipated new album, which will be released in 2024. The time until the release can be wonderfully bridged with the magical album "Hit Parade", which DJ Koze has produced for the British legend Róisín Murphy and on which we can be carried away into the world of musical brilliance.

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Matt says: A new record from maverick German Stefan Kozalla always causes a bit of a stir round these parts. As wild and as oddball as ever, this double header displays his unique sonic artistry in fine form. Coupled with some inventive song writing to boot. It's another winner from the highly acclaimed producer.

    TRACK LISTING

    A1.Wespennest (feat. Sophia Kennedy) 8:03
    B1. Candidasa 10:21

    DJ Koze

    Knock Knock

      Like all DJ Koze records, "Knock Knock" exists outside of trend and influence. In fact, it's a step further beyond: absolutely every single thing here, from grooves to voices to handclaps, is otherworldly and unique. Which is not to say it is utterly alien abstraction, mind. There is still disco, there is still soul, there is still techno, there is still hip hop, there is still psychedelia – there are even wafts of easy listening, lost crackly thriftstore record memories and... sort of... indie rock – but though it may sound familiar, it never does what your brain thinks it's going to do.

      Likewise with the voices. More than ever before on Koze's records, there are fascinating, individualist – and well-known – voices throughout "Knock Knock" but again, each of them is rendered strange, drawn into a different reality Bon Iver's ghostly hymnals on “Bonfire” are very recognizably Bon Iver, but the way they twist and merge with synthetic sounds until choir and computer are writhing around one another in bliss are something else. The ever-unique Róisín Murphy, on two stunning tracks, becomes a cyborg funk diva. Speech from Arrested Development delivers luscious and lazy R&B-funk on “Colors of Autumn”, but Koze's warping bass, dubwise echo and alien nature sounds take it to an alternate dimension tropical landscape. Kurt Wagner of Lambchop is a vocoder bohemian, Sophia Kennedy is a sci-fi Weimar cabaret star, José Gonzalez a holographic projection from an old film of South Sea Islands... on it goes, nothing is real, everyone is an inhabitant of Koze-world.

      And that's what is crucial here. Koze is a world-maker. You don't get to chose how you hear his music – you enter his world or you don't, that's it. And that's why individual influences, whether it's the trippy German techno that's always rippled through is albums or the beat-scene abstract hip hop that he incorporated into his DJ-Kicks mix in 2015, are all but irrelevant. Though he'd never compare himself to anyone else, Koze only makes sense in the way that other world-builders do, from Bowie to Sun Ra, Outkast to Kate Bush. And Knock Knock is far and away his greatest statement of that. It's an album that came together slowly and steadily, his working processes arcane and mysterious in their steady accumulation of sound and inspiration. It's so complete and bursting with detail and consistency from every micro-second that you'd swear it was meticulously planned – but there was no masterplan, do desire to create a definitive artefact: the record itself decided when it was ready. And now it is ready, the most perfectly constructed portal into that other world, you had better be ready too!


      TRACK LISTING

      CD
      1. Club Der Ewigkeiten
      2. Bonfire
      3. Moving In A Liquid (feat Eddie Fummler)
      4. Colors Of Autumn (feat. Speech)
      5. Music On My Teeth (feat José Gonzaléz)
      6. This Is My Rock (feat. Sophia Kennedy)
      7. Illumination (feat. Róisín Murphy)
      8. Pick Up (album)
      9. Planet Hase (feat. Mano Le Tough)
      10. Scratch That (feat. Róisín Murphy)
      11. Muddy Funster (feat. Kurt Wagner)
      12. Baby (how Much I LFO You)
      13. Jesus
      14. Lord Knows
      15. Seeing Aliens (album)
      16. Drone Me Up, Flashy (feat. Sophia Kennedy)

      LP
      A1. Club Der Ewigkeiten
      A2. Bonfire
      A3. Moving In A Liquid (feat Eddie Fummler)
      A4. Music On My Teeth (feat José Gonzaléz)
      B1. Colors Of Autumn (feat. Speech)
      B2. This Is My Rock (feat. Sophia Kennedy)
      B3. Illumination (feat. Róisín Murphy)
      B4. Planet Hase (feat. Mano Le Tough)
      C1. Pick Up (album)
      C2. Scratch That (feat. Róisín Murphy)
      C3. Muddy Funster (feat. Kurt Wagner)
      D1. Baby (how Much I LFO You)
      D2. Jesus
      D3. Lord Knows
      D4. Seeing Aliens (album)

      7"
      A1. Drone Me Up, Flashy (feat. Sophia Kennedy)
      B1. Take A Run (feat. Ada)

      Pampa Records are touched to finally present you 'Pampa Vol. 1'. When Pampa decided to go for a label compilation their main goal was: Every single song has to be a star! For two years the label kept chasing and squeezing the best out of their good friends and artists they admired until they now finally have what they dreamed of at the beginning: A Firmament of Stars.

      The first ever Pampa compilation which took the label nearly two years to finish.
      All tracks have been produced exclusively for this compilation and haven’t been released before. The compilation includes high profile artists such as Grammy award winner Jamie XX (of The XX), DJ Koze, Matthew Herbert, Lianne le Havas, Isolée, Acid Pauli, Michel Cleis, Sophie Hunger among many more.


      TRACK LISTING

      CD 1
      01. Lianne La Havas - Lost & Found (Matthew Herbert Remix)
      02. Roman Flügel - 9 Years (DJ Koze Remix)
      03. Ada - You And Me
      04. Axel Boman - In The Dust Of This Planet
      05. Nasrawi - Bump With You
      06. Funkstörung - I Does It
      07. Jackmate - Pacemaker Feat. Nik Reiff
      08. Lawrence - Glow
      09. Dntel - Snowshoe

      CD 2
      01. Josef - I Wonder
      02. Michel Cleis - Un Prince
      03. Die Vögel - Everything
      04. Mount Kimbie - Bells_5
      05. Stimming - No. 17
      06. Isolée - I Like It Here Can I Stay?
      07. Jamie XX & Kosi Kos - Come We Go
      08. Gold Panda - Black Voices
      09. Acid Pauli - Nana
      10. Roman Flügel - 9 Years

      LP:
      A1. Lianne La Havas - Lost & Found (Matthew Herbert Remix)
      A2. Ada - You And Me
      A3. Roman Flügel - 9 Years (DJ Koze Remix)
      B1. Jackmate Feat. Nik Reiff - Pacemaker
      B2. Axel Boman - In The Dust Of This Planet
      B3. Nasrawi - Bump With You
      C1. Lawrence - Glow
      C2. Stimming - No. 17
      C3. Funkstörung - I Does It.
      D1. Josef - I Wonder
      D2. Mount Kimbie - Bells_5
      D3. Michel Cleis - Un Prince
      D4. Die Vögel - Everything
      E1. Isolée - I Like It Here Can I Stay?
      E2. Jamie XX & Kosi Kos - Come We Go
      E3. Dntel - Snowshoe
      F1 Acid Pauli - Nana (Vinyl Version)
      F2. Gold Panda - Black Voices
      F3. Roman Flügel - 9 Years. 


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