Compilation of scattered early works by Erin Hopes. 160bpm+, ultra-emotional dream-tekno>neo-trance>space tracks. Romantic/relentless, up/down, weary/wired. Fed on gabber, dressed by Juicy Couture, watched over by Paris Hilton (mk1).

Erin Hopes is a producer from Glasgow and operates the label Manic BB.

At once utterly compelling, sublime and arresting - this is higher plan spiritual / cosmic techno that sounds completely out of this world and unbearably delicious. Rousing ultra-human feels for engaged individuals! 

Highly recommended! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Stopped me dead in my tracks this. Arresting, turbo-charged amalgamation of trance, gabba (!) and romantic electronics. Don't let the face pace put you off - this is some seriously emotional music and a template that's yet to be fully explored. Brilliant introduction to this Scottish artist. TIP!

TRACK LISTING

Lucidity
Aquarius Rising
Elect-Romance
Escape - Ist
I Dont Want To Feel
The Little Mermaid
Time Robot
Dare To Dream

2000BLACK returns with two slices of '23 grooves.'Soursop-Mango' is afro beat house funkified the mr ranks & mr mensah way.Whilst 'Straight Forward Side Steps' is the minimal techno runnings that dj's love to ride in the mix.

TRACK LISTING

1. Soursop & Mango
2. Straight Forward Side Steps

Balmat co-founders Philip Sherburne and Albert Salinas have been fans of Shy Layers’ lilting, Balearic pop for years, so when Shy Layers’ JD Walsh asked them to listen to a set of demos he was working up with fellow Atlanta multi-instrumentalist Jeff Crompton, they jumped at the chance. 

Together, Walsh and Crompton are Anagrams, and their debut album together, 'Blue Voices', might initially seem like a departure from Balmat’s habitually electronic terrain. It’s not ambient music, but it’s also not not ambient music, at least to listeners in the right frame of mind. The two musicians, who met when Walsh moved from Brooklyn to Atlanta in 2016 and began collaborating a few years later, see the music in similarly ambiguous terms. “I like it because it’s not jazz,” jokes Crompton, a veteran and credentialed jazz player. “And JD likes it because it’s jazz.”

Crompton is a musician (and former high-school band teacher) with deep roots in Georgia’s improvised and experimental music scenes; his credits include shows with Eugene Chadbourne, a guest appearance with Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and a collaboration with Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel’s 12-hour drone performance at Knoxville’s Big Ears. On 'Blue Voices' he plays alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet, electric piano, and organ. Walsh has been releasing music as Shy Layers since 2015, when he started self-releasing on Bandcamp; the following year, Germany’s Growing Bin packaged his first two EPs as a self-titled album, and in 2018, Tim Sweeney’s Beats in Space label put out Shy Layers’ sophomore album, 'Midnight Marker'. Where those records channeled Walsh’s playful harmonic instincts into wistful songwriting with tropical overtones, on 'Blue Voices' he lets his experimental tendencies take the lead. Playing acoustic and electric guitars, electric lap steel, bass, Moog Matriarch, modular synth, and programmed drums, he concentrates his energies on richly textural layers and abstract assemblages of tone color.

Across the album’s 11 tracks, there are faint echoes of familiar touchstones: the atmospheric twang of Daniel Lanois’ pedal steel on 'Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks'; the mercurial modal runs of Ethio- jazz; the late-summer calm of Fuubutsushi; the versatility of players and composers like Patrick Shiroishi and Sam Gendel, who are asking similar questions about where jazz ends and some other, nameless territory begins. Mostly, though, what 'Blue Voices' captures is the quixotic sound of two restless musical imaginations making it up as they go along, two voices discovering a shared language in a hitherto unexplored shade of blue.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Ridiculously adventurous, totally uncategorizable and an absolute delight on the ears. Shy Layers delivers an impeccable album of intrigue and mystery; articulated through woodwind, toned percussion and a rich tapestry of instrumentation. So good it hurts!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Birds On Clifton
A2. Blue Voices
A3. Hymn No.2
A4. Catch It
A5. Ex Uno Plures
B1. Hidden Hearts
B2. Another Cloud
B3. Song In Six
B4. Interesting Times
B5. Let Us Sing Sad Songs Together
B6. What Is Left Is Music

Ancient Infinity Orchestra is a 14-member jazz ensemble led by double-bassist and composer Ozzy Moysey, based in the bustling creative city of Leeds in the North of England – home to one of the most innovative and community-based jazz scenes in the UK. Saxophonist Matt Cliffe who also performs with Matthew Halsall is a key member and the rotating line-up which includes drums, two bassists, keyboards, harp, violin, cello, two tenors, alto, oboe, flute and percussion.

Rivers of Light’ drinks deep from the well of spiritual jazz and is especially inspired by the soulful sounds of Pharoah Sanders, Alice and John Coltrane but also channels a certain Northern sensibility that can be heard in the music of Matthew Halsall or Alabaster de Plume. Melodic, warm and honest this is music that is happy to wear its heart on its sleeve.

This is also communal music made by friends, which offers a deep celebration of togetherness and of music-making. It’s confidently deep music, moving and meditative, and Ozzy draws on philosophy and nature as well as musical inspirations to foster a focus on giving and sharing beautiful things with one another and with the listener.

‘Rivers of Light’ was recorded over three days and the ensemble were joined by a choir of over a dozen friends from Brighton, UK adding a further joyous layer to the beautiful music. But this was more than just a recording, the musicians made food for each other, hung out together and exalted in the moment. Ozzy explains:

“It was a joyous three days of recording together with the Leeds based band of 14, combined with a similar sized choir of friends from Brighton joining us. Seeing them meet for the first time and witnessing their incredible dedication and passion for music together, was so fun to be a part of. Members of the choir cooked for over 30 people each day, descending, each morning, on mass, to the studio and melting together in the heat of the height of summer. Between tracks, the band jammed in the corridors, sat in the sun and laughed a lot. The atmosphere of all these people meeting in the heat of summer, eating, laughing and creating something together - really shines through”. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Greeting
A2. Rejoicing
A3. Niyama
B1. Michael & Zelah
B2. Equanimity
C1. Spring Break On Trappist-1
C2. Arc Of The Sun
C3. Love Song
D1. River Of Light
D2. Pharoah Sings

arone x s t a r g a z e was recorded at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands by Sam Jones & Ira Helfferich, and the vocals were recorded at Polyphonic Workshop in Hudson, NY, by Aron Sanchez, a longtime collaborator and bandmate in Buke and Gase.

The album is a smattering of work that Alec Bemis started writing as far back as 2016; little pieces here and there, and with the pandemic came the space and encouragement to compile this work, along with pieces from his other projects, Buke and Gase, and Mistresses.

“For me, the fact that the instrumentation is comprised of unamplified analogue one-to-one-human-powered instruments traditionally reserved for classical music, plus the occasional electronic balustrade, is theme enough for me. Lyrically, my context is all over the place as I compiled work from 2016-2021, and have had many personal ups and downs through that time.

The cover artwork, a piece by Lily Morris, felt appropriate as the songs alternately make me feel strong, sturdy, and capable, while also piled-upon with intended meaning and purpose. I’m not entirely sure I was successful at conveying what I wanted to, yet each song brings me to a very specific mind-set, or an incredibly personal moment. Since the music was completed without audience participation, in other words, since I’ve rarely performed these tunes in public, it has been impossible to separate these juxtaposed sentiments. I hope to find the overarching motif through the process of performing and adapting to it in the coming year.” Alec said about the album’s themes.

TRACK LISTING

1. Yessiri
2. Don't Say
3. Spider Practical
4. Reductions
5. Define
6. Sugar Friend
7. Carwash
8. Voicecream Abbrv.
9. It's Over

Metroplex continues its run of reissues with two more seminal releases from the label's golden back catalog. First off is M003, aka late 80's Metroplex electro staple Channel One, a Juan Atkins joint with Doug Craig (Carl Craig's cousin) on vocals. Futuristic and playful techno from the late 80s which soundwise evolves from Cybotron and the obvious Kraftwerk influences. Juan Atkins said about the release in a 2005 interview that 'it was more fun than politically driven, just about the colors and combination spread from colors'. An important release in the history of techno from both a cultural and creative perspective. Channel One's "Technicolor" has been carefully remastered from the original tapes. Truly timeless stuff!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Proto-techno classic "Technicolour" is one of Juan Atkin's most celebrated releases. An essential reissue for those that might have worn out their original copy, or any new inductees to the techno movement.

TRACK LISTING

Technicolor (radio Mix)
Technicolor (long Mix)
Color Dubbing

*Text by Ben Cardew

Back in the 1990s video games were still largely seen as nerdy: fun, sure, but basically a guilty pleasure that you’d soon grow out of. The release in 1995 of wipE'out'', a lightning-fast, razor-sharp, futuristic racing game that helped to launch the PlayStation in Europe and North America, changed all that. This was a game that looked and sounded both adult and cool, the kind of game you would put on display in your living room, rather than hide away under your bed. Key to this was the fact that wipE'out'' borrowed unashamedly from the clubbing experience and electronic music, in a way that put it at the heart of progressive mid 90s culture. It soon became a phenomenon.

wipE'out'' looked sensational, with Sheffield agency The Designers Republic - known for their work with Warp - creating the visuals, packaging and manual for the game, drawing heavily on the bright colours and excitable geometric shapes of the rave and club flyers of the early 90s.

wipE'out'' also sounded like a new rave dream. The European version of the game included music from The Chemical Brothers, Leftfield and Orbital, the kind of fashionable game syncs that were almost unheard of at the time. Equally striking was the game’s original music, which came from Welsh musician Tim Wright, aka CoLD SToRAGE, by this point already a veteran in the video games world, having worked on the music for Amiga titles such as Lemmings and Shadow of the Beast 2. His music for wipE'out'' was, if anything, even more extreme than the big-name syncs, mixing the accelerated beats of drum & bass with the pure synth rush of trance to make music that sounded as breathlessly exciting as playing the game felt.

These tracks were burned into the brains of millions of gamers; the soundtrack to a generation of late-night anti-gravity racing, as the sun gingerly rose beyond the curtains. But they haven’t, perhaps, quite got the respect they deserve, something that this release will address. In 2023, video game music is finally getting its dues; here, remastered and repackaged –and also remixed by cutting edge producers such as Kode9, μ-Ziq, Brainwaltzera, Simo Cell, Wordcolour, James Shinra, Surgeons Girl and Dattassette– are some of the most important, thrilling, innovative and most fun songs ever committed to game release.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Set to a backdrop of New Labour, the film Hackers, advancing technologies and the adoption of the internet; Wipeout became the coolest game in both schools AND universities; technically pre-dating the explosion of competitive adult gaming that now seems the norm. It's soundtrack was alluring as its graphics and its gameplay - perfectly captured here as Lapsus package up all the original music from CoLD SToRAGE into one beautiful Cyberpunks friendly package.

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklist:
A1. WipE′out″ Intro
A2. Hakapik Murder
A3. Messij
A4. Canada
A5. Tenation
B1. DOH-T
B2. Trancevaal
B3. Surgeon
B4 Cairodrome
C1. Body In Motion
C2. Cardinal Dancer
C3. Cold Comfort
C4. Kinkong
D1. Operatique
D2. Plasticity
D3. Messij Extended
D4. Argon
D5. Phloem
D6. Xenon
D7. Xylem
E1. WipEout Intro (µ-Ziq Remix)
E2. DOH-T (Wordcolour Remix)
E3. Xylem (Brainwaltzera Remix)
E4. Canada (James Shinra Remix)
E5. Messij (Kode9 Remix)
E6. Trancevaal (Simo Cell Remix)
E7 Cairodrome (Surgeons Girl Remix)
E8. Messij (Datassette Remix)

'On New Year's morning, Cousin took a weary-eyed walk... ‘HomeSoon’ he thought, whilst cutting to the path by the Angophora Forest. As he made it down to the overgrown sidewalk, he caught a sudden sense of warmth from the surrounding flora. On closer focus, it was as if the plants and flowers had come alive...pulsing forward down the path as they bounced, smiled, and sneered all around him. Against logic, he was struck by an almost Garsonian desire to communicate with them. This feeling lingered, persisting through several studio sessions. The music written over this period makes up this EP. How directly this experience informed the music is hard to say. What effect it had on the surrounding plant life is even harder to tell… we do hope, however, through listening to it, you’re a little more tuned in to them.' Mood Hut

Alright yer big bunch of Vancouvan stoners it's not 4:20 yet! Psychedelic hyperbole aside, this is a very lysergic offering from the Mood Hut camp. In parts it sounds like Cousin's been using the same drum machines as the SUED lot (SVN / Dresvn etc) - swampy, ethereal rhythms coalesced with deep bass tones and chiming, enchanted garden melodies. But don't like the chakra alignment put you off dropping this in the club - these are some intricate rhythms yes but allow the mind to switch off and the body to wander and you're sure to conjure up some wild contortions...

Recommended! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Otherworldly trips and enchanted garden hum and buzz from Cousin on Mood Hut. RIYL: DJ Normal 4, Don't DJ, Huerco S etc.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Catsu
A2. Overpass
B1. 3 X A Charm
B2. Muster
B3. Citta

Nearly 15 years have passed since the original release with all tracks lovingly remastered for this new remastered edition; which also includes STL's first ever remix and sounds just as beautiful as the day we first heard it! As Bleep so elegantly stated, "Deep, reduced dub-techno with ethereal production nuances from Stephen Hitchell and Rod Modell. Both original tracks here reveal the duo's obsession with the likes of Maurizio, Basic Channel and Chain Reaction. Features a dreamy, minimal house reduction from STL.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: 2nd crucial repress from Steven Hitchell's cv313 catalogue. Recorded when the project was a duo with Rod Model (Deepchord), it's a perfect rendition of rootsical dubwise bass technology, dreamy cosmic chords and rhythmic static that would define this most seminal of outfits. As is the norm - a beautifully produced, coloured 12" pressed that sounds as good as it looks.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Cv313 - Infinit-1 [original]
A2. Cv313 - Infinit-1 [remodel]
B1. Cv313 - Infinit-1 [stl Remix]

It's been nearly 15 years since this originally hit the shelves, which literally took the immersive atmospheric sound of Echospace and brought it right to the floor. With cv313's "Sailingstars" the spirit continues as they go on to preach the gospel of deep with a rippling exercise in space and bass. A sort of slow motion movement in tone and 38 hz sub frequency which nearly verges on the disturbing, a sonic threshold quite hard to achieve in a vinyl cut. The power of repetition and subtle atmosphere are clearly demonstrated here by bringing the listener to an almost hypnotic state within its melodic spatial grooves. The B side offers two immense reductions, equally effective providing a low end throb, analog spirit and organic textures captured in zero gravity, it's like truly sailing among the stars. Lovingly remastered and mixed down from the original analog 1/4" reel to reel tape, strictly limited to 300 copies for the world. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Steven Hitchell's cv313 project, alongside fellow Detroiter Rod Modal / Deepchord have been instrumental in shaping the dub-techno sound since its very inception. Sharing the top of the pyramid with Basic Channel over in Berlin, there's no-one can touch these seminal dreamscapes of static, throb and sonic winds. A crucial repress and one of those must-have records for techno heads.

TRACK LISTING

A. Sailing Stars
B1. Subtraktive (Intrusion Twilight Dub)
B2. Sailing Stars (Intrusion Reform)

Classic 90's Detroit House repressed! DJ Mo Reese excites crowds with his unique brand of house music. A Detroit native, his music is steeped in the tradition of his hometown and blended with his own soulful, funky style.

Influenced by such legends as Dennis Ferrer, Kevin Saunderson, Todd Terry, Derrick May, Roger Sanchez, and Terrence Parker; DJ Mo Reese has entertained around the world for over 25 years. Most recently, he performed at Tresor, in Berlin, Germany and Kitsch in Eindhoven, Netherlands. A crowd of over 100,000 was blown away as he performed his special four turntable set at the Detroit Movement Festival. He banged the box at the Cornerstone Event near Chicago before a crowd of 600+. DJ Mo Reese shined at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, and has been featured on stations WGPR, WJLB and won the Mixidome contest on WHYT. As a performer/producer, DJ Mo Reese inspires audiences with his uplifting and soulful style of house music that's demonstrated beautifully across this record. 

TRACK LISTING

A. Glory
B. Lincoln Steet Hussle

Another retrotastic trip on the waltzers, raves and adult playgrounds of yesteryear as Salford City Records continue to mine that e-soaked period of hedonism from '92 - '97. 

Though sounding familiar to that era, this new 12" from DJ Neli is actually a new release from a new producer addicted to the sugar rushed pianos and soaring strings of rave's halcyon times. 

In original form "Sweet Life" is a high-nrg blast of fairground house. With nods to handbag in its feel-good vocal and eurodans bass. The Dream Frequency remix is littered with vamping piano lines, deep Juno b-line and strings that put a rocket up your arse. Seriously, if you've not a smile as wide as the warehouse after side A then I fear you may be beyond help.

Onto side B and Stu Chapman ramps up the energy levels till we're almost verging on happy hardcore. Hyped up breaks, buzzsaw leads, pitched up vox - it's almost totally bOnKeRs! But defo still nodding to that classic Bowlers / Dreamscape / Maximes tape packs of the mid 90s.

Finally, SCR regular DJ Welly concludes the set with an M1-guided, proggy refix that slows down proceedings to a Digweed / Sasha-esque chug, complicates the arrangement with some (dare-I-say-it) more sophisticated elements and smothers the vocal in sfx and reverb.

Another winner from the crew! Limited copies...

STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: Salford City Records sees out the end of 2023 with a brand new track from resident DJ Neli who, sticking to the remit of the label: revisits the waltzers, raves and adult playgrounds of yesteryear with another e-soaked offering of pianos, strings and overactive handclaps.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Sweet Life (Dream Frequency Remix)
A2. Sweet Life (Original Mix)

B1. Sweet Life (Stu Chapman Remix)
B2. Sweet Life (Welly's Dark Matter Remix)

East Coast Love Affair is back with a 9-minute epic late-night mid-tempo deep disco chugger featuring Shetland-born and Edinburgh-based R&B Singer and songwriter Philomenah. Hanna (Philomenah) has done some great backing vocals for ECLA in the past but takes front-and-center Vocal and lyric writing duty on this Epic 12". It's Like a modern-day Onda with a sprinkle of pop.

On the flip two percussive house dub workouts with maybe a little hint of MAW 90s major label work (we have been revisiting these in the club recently) with our own Athens of the North studio special sauce.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Can't Wait (feat. Philomenah)
2. I Can't Wait (House Dub) [feat. Philomenah]
3. I Can't Wait (Bonus Beats) [feat. Philomenah]

French synth-dub duo Froid Dub continue their blast of organic and digital material on this brand new 6-track album. Pushing the clash between synth wave and dub even further, the electronic beats of the TR 808 are more than ever engulfed in the slow motion vibes of the digi-bass echoes. It's another tectonic slice of future echo chamber classics from this burgeoning, but now cult outfit. Highly recommended! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Third LP from modern dubwise pioneers Froid Dub who take the digi-dub blueprint into unknown waters and unexplored bass caves. Seriously advanced tectonics and echo chamber precision at play here. Nearest comparison would be Scientist meets seekersinternational but Froid Dub sail their own ship through the ocean tides.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Bass
A2. Treasure
A3. Tear Gas Mix 2
B1. Stay
B2. Dub It Naturally
B3. Percussion Dub

Golden Retriever returns to Omena with a release that is adventurous, pleasing and ethereal.

There's never been a more ideal time to revisit this artist and "Nafasam" is a testament to their enduring, transparent & unique compositions.

Six moving and ambitious songs. Absorbing, beatless rhythms blended with a beautiful light-touch and free-flowing feel for harmony, revealing true craftsmanship and a singular sound.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Circular picked guitar passages smothered in dreamy reverb, gentle undulating synthscapes rippling through the coastal breeze; this is unadulterated hammock music at its very finest folks.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Part Lake
A2. Andro Dunos
A3. Digambara
B1. Modulations 1
B2. Modulations 2
B3. Kizuna Encounter

Headache is a new project produced by Vegyn, with all lyrics written by Francis Hornsby Clark, and then performed by AI.

Some facts about Headache: it is rare that a day goes by where Headache does not either lose his mind or lose a lot of money, and Headache is always unable to say how either happened. Headache loves gymnastics, especially the mental kind. Headache can spend up to ten hours staring at a wall, as long as it is painted white. Headache has been described by people as “the most charming person in the world”, “a total freak loser” and “extremely mediocre”. Headache is very popular among children, the elderly and the criminally insane. Headache is here for you. Headache would like to brighten your day, today. Headache would like you to know how much it would mean to them if you liked them.

TRACK LISTING

A1 - The Beginning Of The End
A2 - That Thing With The Rabbit
A3 - The Pavement Is My Pillow Talk
A4 - Business Opportunities
B1 - Truisms 4 Dummies
B2 - Bucket Listener
B3 - Mission Impossible III
B4 - The Party That Never Ends
C1 - The Beginning Of The End (Instrumental)
C2 - That Thing With The Rabbit (Instrumental)
C3 - The Pavement Is My Pillow Talk (Instrumental)
C4 - Business Opportunities (Instrumental)
D1 - Truisms 4 Dummies (Instrumental)
D2 - Bucket Listener (Instrumental)
D3 - Mission Impossible III (Instrumental)
D4 - The Party That Never Ends (Instrumental)

Hidden Spheres supplying the fruits once again. More tried and tested club material from the Fruit Merchant main man. Love Hate EP is a tale of two sides.

On Side A Hidden Spheres proves there’s no messin’ with ‘Step to me’ & ‘Don’t Front. Flipping over to the B we see that he’s really just a lover at heart, not a hatter, with the swung out sounds of ‘LUVR MAN’ and the deep sleaze of ‘SO SXY’..

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Shop favourite and all-round good egg 'Spheres presents another deep suite of jagged dancefloor melodies and rich, syncopated FM hits. Tom's instantly recognisable style and angular swagger shine through on these tracks, but with a step towards the more wonky side of house. Another classic and impeccable sonic fusion from Hidden Spheres.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Step To Me
A2. Don’t Front
B1. LUVR MAN
B2. SO SXY

Jerome Hill returns with his 5th full EP on the label to warm you up for winter and it’s maybe stylistically, his widest offering yet.

A joyous mash of influences collide and Hill spits them out of the blender with some typically unexpected curveballs.

From the strikingly moody break beat acid of "The Warning", to the 8 minute long extended disco workout of "Harlseden Shuffle". Then on the flip side, a reliably gnarly wedge of technoey acid house in "Combustion Zone’ and the EP culminates with a tip of the hat to mid nineties House with the rumbling bass and catchy percussion of ‘House Thing’.

Its obvious Jerome’s having fun with this EP and hopefully you will too ! 

TRACK LISTING

A1. The Warning
A2.Harlesden Shuffle (Extended 12” Disco Mix)
B1. Combustion Zone
B2. House Thing

Bass and Bristol legend Hodge hits Timedance up with a triple header, deploying a future facing blueprint mixing tectonic bass weight, brick-wall drum syncopation and cerebrum-drilling synthesis into one highly explosive concoction which is also strangely in sync with Timedance's uncompromising mission statement. Head for the bunkers as this is one piece of wrecking ball bass-tek you don't wanna be ill prepared for...

TRACK LISTING

A1. Voice Crash
A2. 151
B1. Fussyhead

Back in the 90s JP Buckle had releases on Aphex Twin’s legendary Rephlex records and Warp. His debut album "Flyin Lo-Fi" is true classic in the Rephlex cannon.

These JP Buckle originals are from that album, released in 1998 and out of print on vinyl for 20 years, now re-released on vinyl by Ping-discs with 4 exclusive new remixes from Myoptik, Roy Of The Ravers, Crispy Jason and Inkipak.

This is two slabs of wax with bangin braindance and wild Cornish acid on all four sides. The originals remain classic favourites of Rephlex aficionados the world over, and the remixes come from pedigree artists as well. Myoptik has had releases on many labels, including Mighty Force who first signed Aphex Twin over 30 years ago. Everyone knows Roy Of The Ravers, he has even been played in Aphex Twin’s live sets! Crispy Jason’s amazing music has featured on releases by both artists and Inkipak is the new sensation, with all of his first 4 albums selling out rapidly, indeed his debut album "Anomaly" is on its 3rd re-release on Pingdiscs now, that’s how in demand he is!

Originals taken from the classic 90s Rephlex album "Flyin Lo-Fi". Limited copies. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Myoptik’s JP Remix Of Kiss Me Quick V4 NoO
A2. JP Buckle - Kiss Me Quick
B1. JP Buckle - Flex
B2. JP Buckle - Flex - Roy Of The Ravers Dont Mean A Fookin Thing Mix
C1. JP Buckle - One For Da Laydeez (Crispy Jason Remix)
C2. JP Buckle - One For Da Laydeez
D1. Inkipak - Kiss Me Quick [Inkipak's Venting Plasma Mix]
D2 . JP Buckle - Heavy Soil

The vinyl companion to Kraak & Smaak's digital version of 'Twenty - The Remixes' is a limited edition glorious double album with gatefold sleeve and full color artwork by George Wylesol, showing it off the best way possible.

While containing most of the recent 20th Anniversary remixes off the release, the two wax slabs also contain the classic remixes of Purple Disco Machine ('Alone With You'), Hot Toddy ('Back Again') and Richard Dorfmeister ('Stumble'), exclusively selected by the Kraak gents for a never before (and one-off) vinyl release.

TRACK LISTING

1. Squeeze Me (Moods Remix) [feat. Ben Westbeech]
2. U R Freak (Jafunk Extended Remix) [feat. IVAR]
3. Alone With You (Lazywax Remix) [feat. Cleopold]
4. Naked (Jitwam Remix) [feat. IVAR & Berenice Van Leer]
5. How We Gonna Stop The Time (Brijean Remix) [feat. Stee Downes]
6. Forget About You (Girls Of The Internet Remix) [feat. Lee Fields]
7. Money In The Bag (The Allergies Remix)
8. Back Again (Hot Toddy Remix) [feat. John Turrell]
9. Corsica '80 (Psychemagik Remix)
10. Stumble (Stumble) [feat. Parcels]
11. Bobby & Whitney (Ashley Beedle's No West Vocal))
12. Alone With You (Purple Disco Machine Remix) [feat. Cleopold]

Sweden’s Peder Mannerfelt returns to Voam with “The Benefits Of Living In A Hole”, his third EP for the label and in our humble opinion, his best yet.

Opening with the bat shit crazy but totally engrossing "Pumping Plastics" which features his trademark wild squealing synthesis coupled with precision rhythmic prowess. "Vanklemotor" refining this formular to a highly combustible rendition of techno that's patent protected by Mannerfelt's very own sonic lab.

"Eurtrashed" sees him explore more deranged and dark machine realms, spewing and gurgling what feels like a pneumonic level of mainframe phlegm across pounding technoid beats and alien chatter. "Liquid Ratten Mainframe" lets the gremlins out of the cage for some inhuman conversation which is indecipherable by our meagre human ears but surely suggests some higher form of interplanetary communication that we're not quite privy to yet. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Pumping Plastics
A2. Vankelmotor
B1. Eurotrashed
B2. Liquid Rattan Mainframe

Record number 3 from Unveiled Nuance brings a new confidence in the further developed sound of owner Means&3rd. A continued eye for detail as well as a roughness that breathes dark soul into the production aesthetic that we have yet to hear from the artist.

“Hardship Repackaged As Growth” opens the EP with boomy, rugged low end and grainy driven synth lines with sharp hits of wide sonic impact and a depth of layered atmosphere, placed on a bed of dense percussion until its break point exposes contorted, abrasive stabs just surviving the crunch of their processing, that then take the forefront. “Countenance” replies to the previous track with a more calculated, rounder and organic palette of audio that focuses on a cadenced synth line that breaths with the arrangement, fizzing to break point and engaging the deeper listen. Swung percussion keeps the groove providing a propulsive backing that sits on gnarled bass hits before the focus returns on the charged lead line.

“Character Ethic” carries deep suspense from the off, with filtered menace being teased below the surface, warping atmospheres are stacked and build the apprehension against a militant 16th shaker before an almost vocal like modulated synth reveals itself and is left to dance prominently across the stereo field. Layers of energy providing percussion complete the picture for a mesmerizing trip. “Desperate And Relevant” the most driving of the 4 cuts takes an effectively reduced stand where square wave accents build new levels of intensity. Propulsive low-end and cohesive percussion writhe through the track’s arrangement closing out the EP with a powerful ending, a blistering siren sees the track’s breakpoint provide a release worthy of the pressure built.

Pressed on 140g black vinyl, reverse board full-colour print sleeve with poly-lined inner sleeve.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Another winner from Ben from E-Bloc.. Tapping that golden faucet of UK tech influences - fans of Surgeon, James Rushkin and Ben Sims are gonna find plenty to beat their chest to here. Unparalleled sound design coupled with precision body mechanics make this a beast for the big rigs. TIP!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Hardship Repackaged As Growth
A2. Countenance
B1. Character Ethic
B2. Desperate And Relevant

Repress alert for of one of Compost Records' Black Label Series true and timeless highlights. Hello again and warm welcome to Black Label #27, Motor City Drum Ensemble’s now classic record from 2007. And as we have a soft spot for some sweet nostalgia we decided to go with the original pr-text from back in the day....Enjoy!

Very few production units in the world have made their reputation growing as fast as the Inverse Cinematics duo of Danilo Plessow & Joachim Tobias. Their distinctive sound signature blending house, chopped up breaks and jazz aesthetics has already damaged many dancefloors worldwide and propelled them into the limited circle of the most wanted remixers. Danilo Plessow is always finding time to work on some new material on his own. Besides solo releases on Pulver he also recorded tracks under the guises Hipster Wonkaz and Aphro Pzyko for Pablo Valentino's Faces label and Mad Mats Raw Fusion imprint. With Motor City Drum Ensemble, Danilo puts his focus on the electronic side. Before he started to go more leftfield/broken-beat-ish with his Inverse Cinematics project, he's been heavily influenced by the likes of Larry Heard, Chez Damier, UR, Moodymann, Mike Huckaby. Labels like Soul City, KMS, Prescription, Harmonie Park and "deep deep house" in general have always been a big part in his DJ sets. His first MCDE release "Breath Control" has just been released on his own label "Four Roses" and already got big feedback from all around the globe: Mike Huckaby, JUS-ED, Dixon, Âme, Tu Rong, 20:20 Vision, Delsin Records and many others are praising "Breath Control". But Danilo is giving you only a second to catch breath before he follows up with this incredible three track EP on Compost Black Label… a real tekky corker!

TRACK LISTING

1. Get Slapped Up
2. Stripped Down To The Bone
3. SMK Part 2

South Carolina singer and producer Niecy Blues describes her songwriting process like an undertow: “I feel a strange pull, and let it carry me, following swirling leaves... whole days roll by, forgetting about the body.”

Their full-length debut, Exit Simulation, captures this sense of deep-rooted divination, cycling between simmering ballads, ghosted R&B, downtempo gospel, and looped vocal improvisations – often within the same track. The title is taken from a science fiction novel she read during the purgatory of the pandemic, alluding to a dimensional ideation of departure – “the permission to imagine leaving.”

Recorded in her current home of Charleston, she characterizes the album’s mood in terms both reflective and raw: an exploration of things suppressed, foundations beginning to crack, “talking myself off a ledge.”

The music of Niecy Blues transposes reverie and reckoning into emotive devotionals of keys, guitar, bass, synth, and bewitched voice, steeped in sacred atmospheres gleaned from a youth spent in a religious Oklahoma household: “My first experience with ambient music was church – slow songs of worship, with delay on the guitar... even if you don’t believe, you feel something.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Exit Simulating sings with the sort of rhythmic swing of a 90's R&B record, but swims and ripples with waves of ambient and Balearic influence, resulting in an album that's both wildly adventurous and intensely addictive. Thoroughly stunning work from Niecy Blues.

TRACK LISTING

1. 1111
2. The Nite B4
3. U Care
4. Violently Rooted
5. Exit Simulation
6. Exits
7. Soma
8. Messages From Above
9. Lament
10. Violently Rooted Reprise
11. The Architect
12. Analysis Paralysis
13. Cascade

It might be his debut album, yet Peacey’s “Play It By Ear” is a body of work crafted as though by a scholar. And where better for this work to emerge from than Derby, UK’s Atjazz Record Company, a label with a rich heritage and many strings to its bow?

This eclectic sonic journal catalogues the evolution of Peacey, documenting his interactions with, and influences from, some of dance music’s notable players. It’s an album that will attract discerning ears and open minds; minds attuned to a multitude of genres as it visits Hip Hop, R&B, House, Garage and Fusion.

'Culture Bandit' is the 2nd single taken from this colossal album, and gives us a great understanding that Peacey really knows where to hit it! It’s a deep banger of course, with a hint of tech-house, deep-house and even the more percussive side of afro-latin house, but with the electrifying vocals of Vanessa Hidary atop, this will go down in history as “One of those tunes”. To say this song has life is an understatement. So we’ve covered that, did we mention that Osunlade & Atjazz have also remixed this killer slice? Ah, well they have, and they join Peacey on this pristine release to give alternative angles on this wild, spoken and edgy outing.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Original Mix
B1. Atjazz Remix
B2. Yoruba Soul Mix

Shimmer’s tones are unexpected, the combinations of instruments far off the beaten trails of familiar genres. It’s not quite jazz, not quite neoclassical, not quite soul, but something all its own. Saxophone, clarinet, glockenspiel, cello, pedal steel, synths, guitar & human voice merge in ethereal counterpoints that nod to chamber music, while the rhythm section drives the whole thing forward with an uncanny propulsion that feels cool, self-possessed & hyper contemporary. & all the while Shimmer makes sure to keep one foot outside time—stepping alone toward the ageless inward horizon.

Its A-side contains four tightly orchestrated tracks recorded in Mexico City in 2023; the B-side is a single long experiment in texture, which Gilgore began writing at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and finished remotely in 2023. Think Jacques Brel’s “Je suis un soir d’été”. Think Chicago fusion à la Tortoise. Think the wall-of-sound production of David Axelrod. Think Steve Reich’s organs in polyrhythm. Think Arthur Russell’s neo-classical “Tower of Meaning”. Think them all at once, then forget all that & open yourself to something new. What I mean is: when Jarrett Gilgore plays what we call the instruments, he’s not playing instruments. When he plays what we call notes, he’s not playing notes. When he composes what we call songs, he’s not composing songs. Instruments, under his care, don’t do what they do in the hands of others. Music, in his hands, doesn’t assert particular messages or portray scenes. It disappears into.

Released in 1993 on Mute’s subsidiary label NovaMute, this record was the debut for Richie Hawtin’s alias Plastikman. 30 years on Sheet One is a landmark album in the field of electronic music, it changed the shape of what the genre could be and became.

Introducing one of techno's most recognisable logos, the album achieved a degree of notoriety for its acid blotter-style perforated artwork. Musically it focuses on laser-precise minimalist rhythms to drive a series of echo-box acid lines that gradually acquire power over the course of lengthy album tracks, with frequent use of the Roland TB-303, which gained prominence in the electronic music world as a staple of Chicago's acid house scene. Hawtin once described Sheet One perfectly in an interview with MusicRadar, saying "...It's music for the end of the party as you're melting into the floor, which is exactly what the name Plastikman was made to represent."

This seminal album helped to establish the template for minimal techno, and is a must listen for lovers of electronic music.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: For someone who came to Richie Hawtin via 1999's "Decks, FX & A 909" and his M_Nus label (conceived in '98) - to learn of this album existing some five or six years previous what a bit of a revelation. A stripped back and futuristic record; exploring the multifaceted Roland 303 - it's become widely accepted as one of the greatest 'acid' records ever made. Plus it's got one of the best logos in dance music history.

TRACK LISTING

1. Drp
2. Plasticity
3. Gak
4. Okx
5. Helikopter
6. Glob
7. Plasticine
8. Koma
9. Vokx
10. Smak
11. Ovokx 

London based singer and producer George Riley releases her ‘Un/Limited Love’ EP via Ninja Tune. Through a progressive sound that encapsulates soul, forward thinking electronics, ambience and so much more, Riley has, over the space of two critically acclaimed projects in ‘interest rates, a tape’ and ‘Running In Waves’, carved an abstract yet wholly relatable niche within London’s thriving music scene.

The EP explores themes of agency and feeling in control, as well as Space, female archetypes, surrendering to something you can’t control, love and voyeurism.

TRACK LISTING

1. Lust
2. Skin
3. Elixir
4. Star
5. S E X (Feat. Hudson Mohawke)
6. Satisfy You 

Stereo:type presents its first vinyl release from UK producer Risk Assessment, already known for notable releases on Glitterbox, No Fuss, Midnight Riot and Tinted to name but a few. With four original tracks all ploughing the rich furrow of 80s nu disco vibe that he's been championing of late, with 'Baby Call Me' a glitzy, glitterballl-teasing vocal track with a slice of Cameo-style funk thrown in for good measure leading the charge. 'Can You Dig It?' is loopier and more 'track'-orientated, essential DJ material, while the B-side boasts the filtered, soul-inflected house of 'Want You Back' and the glorious Barry White-esque tones of disco monster 'Dancin' In My Eyes'. Huge on all counts.

TRACK LISTING

Baby Call Me
Can You Dig It?
Want You Back
Dancin’ In My Eyes

Javier Jiménez Rolo surprises with Saint Malo, a project that explores the intersections of neoclassicism, folk, ambient and electronic textures.

That Saint-Malo is a town in Brittany is the least of it. Even the fact that it exists is unimportant. Javier has never been there. Similarly, his album takes us to remote or not so remote places without moving from where we are. Javier composed these twelve songs between 2019 and 2021 from his room: "One of the problems with recording at home rather than in a studio is that when you move, your recording space changes too. In the case of this album, I was involved in three moves during its whole process. Trying to see the positive side of this situation, I realised that, as well as a collection of songs, it was a testimonial to the different places where I had lived during those years and their respective views: 'Promenade' is an imagined walk from an interior flat; 'Picture In A Frame' is a sunny afternoon in a park in Ciudad Lineal, Madrid, and 'Bells Of Nowhere' is a stroll through the neighbourhood that was once my grandparents' and is now mine."

It's an eminently evocative album but also powerfully narrative, which moves through different emotional states. Along the way, references as heterogeneous as Javier's own tastes come up. From the inevitable Arvo Pärt, Max Richter and Steve Reich to the more unsuspected Thom Yorke, Burial, Caribou, Vulfpeck or even Dua Lipa. Stéphane Grappelli, Andrew Bird, Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds or Rene Aubry are other names Javier mentions when he talks about something similar to influences.

The journey, during which the songs miraculously fit with magical precision to the landscapes we are travelling through, begins with the promising 'Beware Of The Dogs' and 'Maltravieso'. It is followed by the obsessive arpeggios of 'Le Havre' that give way to the luminous 'Fields Of Gold', the emotion of 'Cais do Sodré' and the passionate 'Le pont roulant', reminiscent of a restrained Alexandre Desplat. Along the way, dogs will bark, rain will fall on the 'Promenade' and the sun will come out with the perfectly playful 'Dolce Far Niente' ("a mix between elevator music and a song announcing the arrival of summer" according to Javier) in which echoes of Isao Tomita and Raymond Scott resound.

The result of this captivating, unexpected and suggestive mixture is Saint Malo, Javier Jiménez's first album and the empirical demonstration that he does not have, despite his classical training, any red lines. "I've always flirted with jazz, with swing... Then I moved on to messing around with loops, to doing more ambient and experimental things. I also had my folkie phase with the klezmer group Barrunto Bellota Band..."

In Saint Malo the melodies grow, become small, return and intertwine with loops and improbable aromas, to form an album that describes a journey through emotions. From melancholy to joy and the surprise of first discoveries.

TRACK LISTING

1. Beware Of The Dogs
2. Maltravieso
3. Le Havre
4. Fields Of Gold
5. Cais Do Sodré
6. Long Chemin
7. Picture In A Frame
8. Sorrento
9. Dolce Far Niente
10. Le Pont Roulant
11. Promenade
12. Bells Of Nowhere

As the warehouse-rave season approaches, it’s perfect timing for Shadow Child & Mark Archer to make their collaborative debut on Food Music with a special release that includes 2 vinyl only exclusives that saw a digital release on DJ Haus’ Dance Trax label earlier in 2023. Adding to these is a brand new slice of big-room Techno in the form of ‘Chinwah (Big DJs)’, which will no doubt be pounding its way out of the worlds cooler parties in the coming months with a controversial spoken-word message to boot.

TRACK LISTING

A1. I Know UB1Chinwah (Big DJs)
B2. I Know U (Swankout’s Ready To Rave Mix)

The first album release on Sprechen is a trip across the astral planes of electronica and through the neon soaked streets of South Manchester, where genres cross & styles meet on the creative peripherals away from the dance floor.

A life lived through clubs, comic books, cult movies, cosmic adventures & electronic musical endeavours have all played a role in the creation of 'Where Do I Belong?', the debut long player by The Thief Of Time, a new studio project from Sprechen founder Chris Massey.

What started as just very loose ideas and half started projects during lockdown resulted in a semi autobiographical collection of songs that draw on a lifetime love of electronic artists & synth heavy movie scores. Nods are given, toes are dipped & caps are doffed in various sonic directions whilst still treading a truly unique path of its own making.

As Chris says: 'it started really with me being in a headspace I've never really had in the studio. There was no pre-conceived ideas or agenda of what I wanted to achieve other than just going with what felt right and pursuing sounds & style I favour away from a smokey basement of ravers. Being a child of the 80's gave me a wealth of ever-evolving influences of sounds, styles, imagery, fashion, literature & art which all somehow seemed to direct this project. It's the first time I've ever created something that contains personal reflections of my own life. Good & bad alongside the high & low points have all driven this creative process which reflects my own headspace will hopefully speak to everyone on some sort of level'.

The album also features a host of Manchester artists including A Certain Ratio, Bay Bryan, Psychederek, NIIX & Love Letters From Space as well as Allison Rae from Causeway (Italians Do It Better) who were all instrumental in realising Chris' vision and bringing this exciting project into existence.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A truly impressive body of work from Sprechen label head and local legend Chris Massey. A shimmering, psychedelic indie-dance LP with tons of crossover potential and some really impressive collaborations. Nods to Primal Scream / Andrew Weatherall, John Carpenter and Danielle Baldeli along the way. He's been keeping this in the locker but it's been worth the wait!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Celestial Heartbeats
A2. Imposter Syndrome Feat. Bay Bryan
A3. Fantasy Carnival
A4. Pavement Soul Feat. Niix
B1. The Love Letter From Space
B2. Find Each Other (song For Lisa) Feat. Allison Rae
B3. Rendezvous On A Lost World Feat. Psychederek

An ode to the lost FM waves of talk radio, late-night Quiet Storm jams and WBLS mastermixes, Long Time Listener First Time Caller scans the frequencies between dream house music and midnight blue ambient moods.

Big tip for fans of early Larry Heard and Don Carlos 

Valerie from the Galerie steps back into the low-key, light-dark with another long-playing release for What About Never. An ode to the lost FM waves of talk radio, late-night Quiet Storm jams and WBLS mastermixes, Long Time Listener First Time Caller scans the frequencies between dream house music and midnight blue ambient moods.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Flash Boys
A2. Grapefruit
A3. Lean In
A4. Jimi’s Haircut
B1. Look After Yourself
B2. Black Magnet
B3. Low Intervention
B4. Terrible Bad OK Good Great

Originally released in 2019, ‘Heaven’ served as a benchmark for what modern house music is. The essential record from Ben Westbeech and KON’s The Vision project dominated stages around the world, receiving support from a plethora of top house artists; Gerd Janson, Horse Meat Disco, The Blessed Madonna, Groove Armada and Eli Escobar to name just a few. Now Defected release a special 12” package featuring the most recently released remix from Groove Assassin, where he masterfully combined it with Supernova’s Jackin Mix of Kerri Chandler’s iconic ‘Hallelujah’ for a killer house cut. Also featured on the package is the original in all its glory, as well as Danny Krivit’s heralded edit and an edit from The Vision’s own KON.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Glitzy, high glamour modern disco here from a truly all-star cast of producers on remix duties.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Hallelujah In Heaven (Groove Assassin's Supernova Edit)
A2. Heaven (Original Album Version)
B1. Heaven (Danny Krivit Edit)
B2. Heaven (KON's 7 Edit) 

Hot on the heels of their fifth fantastic LP ‘Thee’ - their first for 25 years and debut for Acid Jazz - house stalwarts X-Press 2 have enlisted David Holmes to remix album track ‘Phasing You Out’.

The original version of ‘Phasing You Out’ features Kele Okereke from Bloc Party and sits at the heart of the new album which again showed that Rocky and Diesel remain dedicated to proper house music.

David Holmes has had a 25-plus year career in music that has seen him release several vital albums and remix artists like Andrew Weatherall, Primal Scream and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, hold down a cult NTS radio show and turn out a seminal mix for Late Night Tales.

David Holmes brings plenty of signature musicality to what is a standout remix - his version of ‘Phasing You Out’ is an intense one that unfolds over eight minutes of percussive density, dusty drum work and careful treatment of the original vocal. The whole arrangement is lavishly decorated with wispy pads and glassy sound effects, police sirens and a rhythmic intensity that never lets up and will work any floor into a frenzy.

TRACK LISTING

1. Phasing You Out (David
2. Holmes Remix)
3. Phasing You Out

* First ever reissue of this groundbreaking ambient work.
* Produced in full cooperation with Yoshimura’s estate.
* Unseen original handwritten track notes by Yoshimura.

Barely known outside of his home country during his lifetime, the late Japanese ambient music pioneer Hiroshi Yoshimura has seen his global stature rise steadily in the past few years. The 2017 reissue of his lauded debut, Music For Nine Post Cards, along with a slow building cult internet following has helped ignite a renaissance in his acclaimed body of work, much of which has never been released outside of Japan. Known for his sound design and environmental music, Yoshimura worked on a number of commissions following the 1982 release of Music For Nine Post Cards, including works for museums, galleries, public spaces, TV shows, video art, fashion shows, and even a cosmetics company.

Originally released in 1986, GREEN is one of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s most well-loved recordings and a favorite of the artist himself. Recorded over the winter of 1985-86 at Yoshimura’s home studio, the compositions unfold at an unhurried pace, a stark contrast to the busy city life of Tokyo. As Yoshimura explained in the original liner notes, the album title in the context of this body of work is not meant to be seen as a color, but is rather used to convey “the comfortable scenery of the natural cycle known as GREEN”—which perfectly encapsulates the soothing and warm sounds contained on the album, although it was created utilizing Yamaha FM synthesizers, known for their crisp digital tones.

This edition marks the first reissue of the highly sought-after and impossible to find album. It features the original mix preferred by Yoshimura himself, previously available only on the initial Japanese vinyl release (a limited edition remixed version of the album, with added sound effects, was released on CD in the US). Additionally, this release is the first in our ongoing series, WATER COPY, focusing on the works of Hiroshi Yoshimura.

A vivid portrayal of Zaltsman’s direction, My Luv delivers 4 hard hitting club tracks, with rhythmic percussion and heavy basslines throughout. ‘The hook’ remaining a staple of this release, the tracks are all equally useful in peak time club scenarios as they are for after-hours listening.

The stripped back, bouncy ‘Moving’ features the vocals of London based poet and musician, James Massiah. An eerie synth runs throughout, complimentary to the vocals and choppy drums. The lead track, 'My Luv', is an out and out club-weapon. Chopped up vocals and a deep dark sub bass. This has seen a Summer of being deployed by some of the best DJs in the scene, taking advantage of its ‘obnoxiously long’ breakdown, before descending into chaos.

Complimenting these two tracks, 'Page 365' is a more sensitive body of music, engaging listeners with a strong bassline hook, before progressing into a more heavy hitting club track, with a large focus on groove, taking influence from the UK Funky scene. Finally, the most club-driven track from the record. 'Flatspot' is dominated by its forceful bassline and rolling percussion. This is out and out designed for peak-hour fun.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Moving
A2. My Luv
B1. Flatspot
B2. Page 365

Phonica Records opened its doors in 2003 amidst a climate of closing record stores and splintering genres in electronic music. Founded by Simon Rigg, Tom Relleen and Heidi Van Den Amstel with backing from The Vinyl Factory, Phonica’s goal was to be a destination for all kinds of dance and electronic music and to be a welcoming, knowledgeable hub, open to all.

In 2007, Phonica’s eponymous record label launched, initially to put out records by its enthusiastic DJ and producer staff members such as Hector, Anthea and Will Saul. It also quickly became a place to introduce new artists - putting out early releases on by now well-known producers such as Peggy Gou, Paul Woolford and Midland - as well as harnessing the talents of well-respected legends like Four Tet and Roman Flugel. Fast-forward to 2023 and the label has gone from strength to strength, spawning a number of sub-labels; Phonica White, Phonica Records Special Editions, Karakul and the recently launched Phonica AM, each with its own musical flavour and direction.

'20 Years Of Phonica', features 18 brand new, previously unreleased tracks from both established names and up and coming artists across the genres Phonica is known for. The CD also includes the best tracks from the Phonica labels over the last decade, spread over 2 CDs.

Daniel Avery kicks off the compilation. ‘Bell’ finds the Phantasy and Mute artist at his most contemplative and melodic; it’s streamlined stylings reminiscent of UK Artificial Intelligence 90s techno and Kompakt’s golden era. Shop regular and ever-rising star Nyra comes through with the pumping club banger ‘Broken Needs’, channelling early 90’s Hacienda sounds and hazy Ibiza memories. Up next, a collaboration from Paramida & E-Talking. Paramida is the well-respected head of the Love on the Rocks label whilst E-Talking is the pseudonym of Emmanuel Corre, one half of Nummer who have given us stunning releases over the year on their own label, AD93 and Going Good. ‘Read My Lips’ strikes the perfect balance of old-school warehouse acid and early morning Berlin dance floors.

One of our favourite producers to explode onto the scene in the last few years, Gene On Earth turns in some solid energy in the form of ‘Club Jacket’. Sounding truly contemporary and classic at the same time, the track recalls both Jeremy Sylvester and MK. Next up, the Amsterdam-based duo Dam Swindle bring the party with the epic ‘Allright (Just a Tribute)’ a no nonsense feel good slice of club magic. One of the duo’s most effective productions: DJ bag-ready, perfectly balanced house music.

With 12”s on Slow Life, Small Hours, Voyage, Oscillat Music, & In Dust We Trust nothing is stopping L.A. born, Berlin-based, DJ and producer Huerta. With his ‘Hit the Bit’ track, he gives us a bona-fide floor-filling house anthem. Next up, Dauwd’s bass-heavy monster ‘Slam’. The US born, Berlin residing DJ & producer Dauwd has been pushing his sound through various styles and genres since the early 2010s. From dub-steppy and tech-house beginnings to his most recent house and dub-techno Psssh imprint outputs he has been driving record collectors crazy for his 12’s for over a decade! Italian synth queen System Olympia delivers us ‘A Mezzanotte’, hitting the perfect note between early Italo pop, and US R’n’b.

At the forefront of jungle’s new wave, Tim Reaper joins forces with Comfort Zone on the drum & bass anthem ‘Subterranean’. One of the heaviest sonic technicians around, Reaper and his collaborator Comfort Zone offer up a quality tune, based around a familiar vocal sample.

NTS Radio presenter and Eglo artist Shy One has been attracting attention with an original sound that is a mixture of live percussion, and funk mixed with UK bass. Here, ’Uncle G’ offers exactly that, combining broken beat, heavy bass and jazz sensibilities for a breezy, refreshing offering.

Toby Tobias has been a long-time friend of the store, collaborating with the Phonica crew on one of their monthly DJ nights for almost a decade. A prolific produce under many pseudonyms, including Alphonse, and on the Rekids, Klasse Wrecks and Emotional Rescue labels, Toby’s ‘On My Mind’ contribution is a complex house-not-house, bassline-heavy wriggly groover that becomes more compelling at every listen. Next up, Mancunian producer Willow’s ‘Willbush’ shows why she has been a leading name in the underground house scene for over a decade now, including releases on the renowned Workshop label.

One half of the celebrated house duo Genius of Time, Swedish producer Dorisburg has been a long-term friend of the store and has given us the stunning 12” ‘House Organ for the Lonely’ on the Phonica label back in 2020, he now returns to the label with the contemplative, meandering instrumental that is ‘Midi Trail’. Berlin-based Keisuke also contributes after a release on Phonica White in 2022, his huge ‘Ride it Out’ is one of the biggest dancefloor tracks on the compilation - a simple but effective tribal groove.

Shanti Celeste offers her take on the Chilean producer Niños Indigo’s track ‘Luna’ which featured on her album ‘Vuduwave’, a 2017 release on Phonica Records Special Editions. Shanti’s mix takes the delicate organic atmospherics of the original track adding her bass-heavy rhythm and combining the intricate melodies to create a hypnotic effect. Finally, Phonica wouldn’t be anything without its staff and we are excited to include tracks from Kieran Jandu with his ‘From My Soul’ hypnotic house anthem and Phonica counter mainstay Luther Vine’s collaboration with Subb-An on the huge ‘Sunday Roll Through’.

TRACK LISTING

CD1 - 1. Daniel Avery - Bell 
CD1 - 2. Paramida & E-Talking - Read My Lips 
CD1 - 3. Nyra - Broken Needs 
CD1 - 4. Gene On Earth - Club Jacket 
CD1 - 5. Dam Swindle - Allright (Just A Tribute) 
CD1 - 6. Huerta - Hit The Bit 
CD1 - 7. Dauwd - Slam 
CD1 - 8. System Olympia - A Mezzanotte 
CD1 - 9. Tim Reaper & Comfort Zone - Subterranean 
CD1 - 10. Shy One - Uncle G 
CD1 - 11. Toby Tobias - On My Mind (Freak Mix) 
CD1 - 12. Willow - Willbush 
CD1 - 13. Dorisburg - Midi Trail 
CD2 - 1. Peggy Gou - Six O Six 
CD2 - 2. Midland - Before We Leave (Gerd Janson Remix) 
CD2 - 3. Felipe Gordon & Bob The Egoist - Get Your Body Movin' 
CD2 - 4. Harrison BDP - Easy Tiger 
CD2 - 5. Eli Escobar - FindAWay2Day 
CD2 - 6. Kassian - Faux Polynesia 
CD2 - 7. Will Saul - For Joanie 
CD2 - 8. Austin Ato - Song For Mr Lewis (Edit) 
CD2 - 9. Secretsundaze - Still Hope (Waajeed's Detroit Hardcore Dub) 
CD2 - 10. Ron Basejam - The Hurt Inside 
CD2 - 11. Harry Wolfman - SMBC 
CD2 - 12. Pional - XME 
CD3 - 1. Roman Flügel - Black Acid 
CD3 - 2. Yak - Zip 
CD3 - 3. Niños Indigo - Luna (Shanti Celeste Remix) 
CD3 - 4. Escape Artist - Energy Breakthrough (Adam Pits' Lightspeed Mix) 
CD3 - 5. Nuage - Pink Television 
CD3 - 6. Justin Cudmore - Train Dance 
CD3 - 7. Al Zanders - Song About A Dream 
CD3 - 8. Earth Trax & Newborn Jr. - Truth (Main Street Mix) 
CD3 - 9. Voodoos & Taboos - Witch House 
CD3 - 10. Lea Lisa - Love To The End (Sunset Short Mix) 
CD3 - 11. Art Crime - Obsession 
CD3 - 12. Asyncronous - Shinkansen 
CD3 - 13. Sad City - Baixa Saxophone 

Since 2014, Brighter Days has been a part of the rich tapestry of Amsterdam nightlife – a semi-regular party promoting positivity and inclusiveness run by resident DJs Kamma and Masalo. On the back of the platform provided by the party, the duo has notched up a string of memorable club and festival appearances, a regular Brighter Days show on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, and a memorable Boiler Room set streamed live from Dekmantel Festival.

Now Kamma and Masalo have taken the next step and curated a Brighter Days compilation for Rush Hour, a collection that does a terrific job in offering up slept-on and unreleased gems – including a clutch of their own tried-and-tested re-edits – while also accurately representing the sound, style and ethos of the event that inspired it.

Like Kamma and Masalo’s event, which invariably takes place in intimate dancing spaces in Amsterdam, the Brighter Days compilation offers up an open-minded, club-friendly soundtrack that joins the dots between crate-digging obscurities from the recent and distant past, fresh cuts, ‘secret weapons’ and previously unreleased music from young, local producers who have become regular faces on Brighter Days dancefloors.

Across nine tracks, Kamma and Masalo deliver an enticing blend of tactile and colourful house, disco, basement-ready throb-jobs, inspired dancefloor dubs and righteous boogie jams, some of which are appearing on vinyl for the very first time (see Haroumi Hosono and Yasuhiko’s ‘Turquois’, an exceedingly rare, CD-only chunk of deep, throbbing tribal house intoxication).

There are highlights everywhere you look, from the piano-house rush of the ‘Subterranean Mix Edit’ of S’Xpress’s overlooked 1990 single ‘Nothing To Lose’ and the South African Kwaito-boogie brilliance of Cisco The Champ’s ‘Move On’, to the Italo-disco excellence of Hugh Bullen’s ‘Alisand’, and Mr Fingers’ jacking 1988 remix of ‘We’re Gonna Work It Out’ by fellow Chicagoan house producers North/Clybourn.

Kamma and Masalo’s remixing and re-editing skills are put in the spotlight, too. There’s the edit of Discotheque’s 1982 Dutch-Belgian disco classic ‘For Your Love’ and a previously unreleased ‘dub’ edit of French-Cameroonian artist Anyzette’s 1984 gem ‘Baladoun’, a low-slung slice of drum machine-rich body music that blurs the boundaries between Italo-disco, Afro-boogie and proto-techno.

Completing the package are two cuts that demonstrate the duo’s love of showcasing tracks by young and little-known Dutch producers. Peffa’s ‘Routine’, an immersive and emotive treat that blends elements of deep house and Detroit techno, is just one of numerous unreleased tracks by the producer that Kamma and Masalo has been showcasing in their sets in recent years, while Desmon – whose ‘Submerge’ is a woozy, off-beat deep house treat – has been a regular on Brighter Days dancefloors since the start. It’s a fitting nod to what makes Brighter days special: a close-knit community of dancers and inspired, lesser-known music old and new.

TRACK LISTING

S'Express ‎- Nothing To Lose (Subterranean Edit)
North / Clybourn - We're Gonna Work It Out (Mr. Fingers Mix)
Haruomi Hosono & Yasuhiko Terada - Turquois
Desmon - Submerge
Discothèque - For Your Love (Kamma & Masalo Extended Mix)
Anyzette - Baladoun (Kamma & Masalo Dub)
Hugh Bullen - Alisand (Dub Mix)
Peffa - Routine
Cisco The Champ - Move On

Nu Groove spotlights the artists that made the legendary NYC label a firm favourite of crate diggers then and now with a series of their vital tracks re-edited by leading industry figures and choice selectors of today. ‘Nu Groove Edits, Vol. 3’ continues to celebrate Rheji Burrell’s output, who was instrumental in defining the sound of Nu Groove alongside his brother Rhano under a slew of monikers. Up first, Metro’s ‘Turnstyle Turbulance’ gets a fresh edit from respected remixers, the Italian duo NiCe7. What follows is another take on the celebrated house track ‘APT. 2B’ by Rheji’s N.Y. House’n Authority alias, this time by Mark Broom. Tracer’s ‘Love Fantasy’, the collaboration by Luie Rivera and one of the original Paradise Garage DJs, Joey Llanos, is given an edit by Dirty Channels, another established Italian duo and frequent collaborators of NiCe7. Completing the collection is another edit from the unstoppable production duo Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon as they take on ‘Guitarz’ by Rheji Burrell as Asylum.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Metro ‘Turnstyle Turbulance’ (NiCe7 Edit)
A2. N.Y. House’n Authority ‘APT. 2B’ (Mark Broom's Vox Flanger Mixx)
B1. Tracer ‘Love Fantasy’ (Dirty Channels Edit)
B2. Asylum ‘Guitarz’ (Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon Edit)

For Remixes JID020, the label has tapped a few of their favourite contemporary artists and producers to offer their own take on the music of Series 2. The album features a variety of dynamic personalities with remixes from London based artists Shabaka Hitchins and Theon Cross, New York tastemaker Melanie Charles, LA based produces Bei Ru, Brazil's DK Nyack, Detroit based producer Tall Black Guy, Bay Area producer Mophono and the LA based house duo L.O. & Diisko.

The album earns its place in the Jazz Is Dead catalog as it further celebrated the spirit of collaboration amongst artists young and old. What unites these DJs, producers and musicians with the Jazz Is Dead ethos is their unbent dedication to remaining true to their own vibe and sound all the while preserving the energy and feeling of the original recordings.

TRACK LISTING

1. Tony Allen - Don't Believe The Dancers (Mophono Remix)
2. The Midnight Hour - Phoenix (Theon Cross Remix)
3. Katalyst - Reflections (Bei Ru Remix)
4. Jean Carne - Black Rainbow (Melanie Charles Remix)
5. Henry Franklin - African Sun (Shabaka Hutchins Remix)
6. Lonnie Liston Smith - Love Brings Happiness (Tall Black Guy Feat. Kaidi Tatham Remix)
7. Garrett Saracho - Altitude (L.O. & Diisko Remix)
8. Phil Ranelin & Wendell Harrison - Running With The Tribe (DJ Nyack Remix) 

Next up on Toolroom’s 4-track vinyl sampler series, we welcome LA based DJ and producer Noizu to the label, debuting with his remix of Mark Knight, Green Velvet and Rene Amesz – ‘Live Stream’. Diving deep and pulling up a Toolroom classic from the 2016 archives, Noizu delivers a powerful rendition of ‘Live Stream’, ramping up the energy of the original to a whole new level, cutting it fresh for dance floors in 2023.

Next up and landing back on the firm during our 20th birthday celebrations is none other than Danny Howard, who returns to the label with a beefed up edit of a Toolroom classic – ‘Hear What They Hear’ by Adrian Hour. A secret weapon for DJs worldwide, released back in 2016 on Adrian Hour’s ‘Like This’ Ep, this B side became an unlikely hero that still gets hammered today by the likes of John Summit and Eats Everything. After doing the rounds at Glastonbury festival this year and beyond, Danny's update has turned one record with a solid dance floor reputation into a certified slammer!

Next up, we’ve got an absolute belter of a record from two renowned producers in the scene: Watermät And Raumakustik, with their debut collaboration ‘Out Of My Head’. Merging each artist’s signature sounds together, from Raumakustik’s solid production skills to Watermät’s penchant for locking in quirky and catchy vocal hooks, ‘Out Of My Head’ is a certified dancefloor weapon in the making.

Last but not least, is another label debut from London based DJ and producer, deeper purpose, who’s landing with a huge tech house roller, ‘The Stutter’. An artist creating shockwaves across the dance music spectrum, deeper purpose is fast becoming a familiar name in the dance sphere having earned a solid reputation as a producer with killer releases on highly regarded imprints such as off the grid, catch & release and repopulate mars. A staple record in all his performances, ‘The Stutter’ has shaken dancefloors all over the world, from EDC Vegas to Club Space Miami, to Ministry Of Sound London and beyond!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Mark Knight, Green Velvet, Rene Amesz - Live Stream (Noizu Extended Mix)
A2. Adrian Hour - Hear What They Hear (Danny Howard Extended Re-Edit)
B1. Watermat, Raumakustik - Out Of My Head
B2. Deeper Purpose - The Stutter