house . techno . electronica . ambient . neo-classical

WEEK STARTING 17 Sep

Genre pick of the week Cover of Make This Right by Ruf Dug X Lovescene.

Ruf Dug X Lovescene

Make This Right

WOLF MUSIC

Already causing a stir amongst music afficionados and the hypemosphere alike, the dream combo of Manchester's Ruf Dug and Lovescene grace Wolf Music with a top drawer single which has already garnered attention from Jus Ed & Virgil Abloh (that's Kanye West's creative director to you and me...)!

A love affair between Stretford street soul and Motor City beatdown, "Make This Right" combines seductive pads, a stepped, Detroitian b-line (reminscent of Recloose) and Poppy Lovescene's highly emotive vocal part given touches of flange and chorus in just the right places. It's an obviousl marrige of influences between industrial cities either side of the Atlantic that put music at the heart of everything.

In true, maxi-12" style we get a tasty dub on the flip - tuned woodblocks and fizzy hats driving this stripped back late nite jam that smoulders on in any low-ceiling basement. Finally, for the DJs, a nice beatapella to tease in elements of the OG or just to utilize in tha mix!

Heavy heat from these Manchester top cats. Miss at your peril! 


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A match made in heaven as two upper ring Manchester stalwarts collaborate together on in a Detroitian-street-soul fashion. Already garnering bare hype on the airwave, don't miss yer chance to grab a vinyl copy of this future hit.

TRACK LISTING

A1 - Make This Right
B1 - Make This Right (Dub)
B2 - Make This Right (Beatapella)

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Cover of Bliss Waves (From The Heart Realm) by AHRKH (GNOD).

AHRKH (GNOD)

Bliss Waves (From The Heart Realm)

ZamZam Rec

AHRKH is the solo project of A P Macarte, multi-instrumentalist member of Salford's critically acclaimed noise experimentalists GNOD. Using Modular synthesiser, field recordings and voice, AHRKH explores the relationship between sound and consciousness and the ability to invoke altered states that touch the intangible, traverse the infinite expansive panorama within ourselves and discover ultra-dimensional transportation methods via sound. Recorded during the first UK lockdown in 2020, "Bliss Waves" brings us an hour of undulating, swirling, orgasmic, miasmic waves of sonic bliss. Close your eyes and you could be listening to Iasos, Laraaji or Ariel Kalma, open them and you're on K in Islington Mill. "Forget about the world, lie down, rest your mind and watch the neon tinged clouds of sunsetting on the world gently pass by, nothing matters and nothing exists outside of this moment, right here, right now."




TRACK LISTING

01 Bliss Waves (14:56)
02 Haze Cascade (11:00)
03 Oceanic Boundlessness (23:23)

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Cover of Stash EP - Repress by Bicep.

Bicep

Stash EP - Repress

Aus Music

Repress of this Bicep killer from 2013. The London-based duo of Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar had a breakthrough year in 2012, four years after the pair's Feel My Bicep blog first began.2013 saw them play in more than a dozen countries, including major gigs across the US, China and, more recently, Australia, with particular highlights including a peak time set at Berlin’s haloed Panorama Bar and capacity crowds at both Sub Club and Trouw.

This EP showed a deeper and more focussed musical direction from the pair: abandoning their 90s house rivaval and adopting a more sophisticated and technology driven aesthetic. Highly electronic and with enough thrust for the big stages, it begam to form what would become the incredible Bicep live show - now famous across the world for its rich, highly kinetic feel and futuristic vibe. 



TRACK LISTING

A1: Stash
A2: Courtside Drama
B1: Rise
B2: The Game

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Cover of Trip To LA by Blue Dream.

Blue Dream

Trip To LA

Tangential

Andy Compton is undisputedly one of the hardest working producers in dance music. With over 40 albums and 150 EPs released either solo or as part of deep house legends The Rurals, the Bristol-based producer just can't stop creating profoundly funky and vibey music that works on loose-limbed dancefloors, beach bars and shag carpets alike.
He has appeared regularly on quality labels as diverse as Lumberjacks In Hell, Hed Kandi, LARGE and naturally, his own vital imprint Peng.

Andy's latest long player for Tangential Music is a collaboration with LA artists Irantzu Pujadas and Brad Kent under the name Blue Dream.
Aptly titled: 'A Trip To LA' the album is a deliciously louche and laidback twelve tracker of pure LA heat. The project began as many great ones do, without a plan. Visiting Brad's studio to check out his huge vintage analogue synth collection in search of new sounds for The Rurals, they got to thinking...and jamming. With Brad on the dusty old drum machines, Irantzu on the microphone and Andy in synthesiser heaven, Blue Dream was born.

Their first and equally good album 'California Dreaming' was released on Peng in early 2019 and now we are here with a second round of perfectly realised dream-like grooves. Think of the sun-facing vibes of Shuggie Otis, Eddie Chacon, Bobby Caldwell or Roy Ayers at his most relaxed and add a passionate knowledge and experienced grasp of electronic forms. They make this seem easy goddammit.

'I Wanted To See You' sounds like Khruangbin with a 303, 'You Want Me Back' with its mid-tempo shuffling groove, saucy squidge bass line and seductive soul house vocal is pure daytime at Houghton Festival happiness, like Crazy P in the hot tub.

At no point are we required to sweat. Lie down if you must, stand up and sway if you're ready. This could be lovers music or just for you alone. Irantzu's vocals throughout are whispers and purrs, evocations of humid love drenched in reverb and easy living. Sunset music.

The singles 'I Wanna Go Home' and 'Sandwich Dub' don't deviate far from the endless feeling of hazy cinematic sunshine, one a sultry plea for intimacy, the other a heavily dubbed-out slice of musique française amour.
'Trip To LA' with a vocal more than suggestive of the Balearic classic 'Sueno Latino', spare guitar chords and a prodding repetitive bass line creates a feeling of slinky bliss.

Every track is full of sensual melodies and the space required to be truly funky. Press play and invite a bit of California magic in...

TRACK LISTING

1. Theme Song
2. I Wanna Go Home
3. The Kiss
4. You Want Me Back
5. Lonnie's Street
6. Sandwich Dub
7. Taking It To The Top
8. Blue Moon
9. Feel
10. I Wanted To See You
11. X Express
12. Trip To La

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Cover of The Wind That Shakes The Bramble by Peter Broderick.

Peter Broderick

The Wind That Shakes The Bramble

Erased Tapes

    Peter Broderick returns with new EP ‘The Wind That Shakes The Bramble’ on 10 September 2021.

    It’s the mid 1800s in Ireland, and a local poet from Limerick by the name of Robert Dwyer Joyce has written a ballad called ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’:
    …
    A bullet pierced my true love’s side

    In life’s young spring so early

    And on my breast in blood she died

    While soft winds shook the barley
    …

    The recurring imagery of the barley standing tall amidst the breeze was meant to symbolise the resilience of Irish people amidst oppressive British rule. In 2006, the song title and its theme served as the inspiration for a powerful and heartbreaking film starring Cillian Murphy. Now, in 2021, Peter Broderick pays homage once again, weaving this motif into his latest EP, The Wind That Shakes The Bramble.

    Following on from his 2020 album, Blackberry, Broderick shares some additional work from the same sessions, as well as a beautiful two-part rework from Bing & Ruth (4AD) and the new 22-minute title track . . . an expansive and meditative ambient odyssey . . . a balm for the baffling chaos of the current era.

    Broderick’s obsession with and devotion to the Blackberry plant go well beyond his music. Last year, along with the release of the new album, he shared an eight-part video series (Blackberry Diaries) in which he demonstrated all the different uses of this incredible, ubiquitous plant . . . everything from Blackberry jam to weaving baskets and hats with the Bramble vines . . . from making tea of out the young leaves to making artwork with late-season berries past their prime.

    He draws attention to the fact that the Blackberry plant itself is an incredible symbol of resilience. It weaves itself all through our countrysides, playing an important role in holding the soil together, and also makes its way into our cities, proliferating even in such hyper urban environments as London. And while most modern people have lost the ability to identify the wild plants growing around us, the Blackberry remains a commonly foraged plant all around the globe. It’s as if the more domesticated we become and the more our technology separates us from the natural.

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Some People Don’t Have Gonads
    2. A Year Without Summer
    3. What Happened To Your Heart (Bing & Ruth Rework - Part I)
    4. What Happened To Your Heart (Bing & Ruth Rework - Part II)

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    Cover of DBS Vs BDK by DBS Vs BDK.

    DBS Vs BDK

    DBS Vs BDK

    Disco Bits

    Disco Bits emerge from lockdown with two fat slabs of Hip House featuring two of the finest MCs ever to grace the mic riding over brand new disque-o rhythms...
    A sure fire party starter! BDK sets it off with killer rhymes over an up tempo prime time disco groove. DBS provides the perfect disco rhythm for an all time great to rock any disco tech.
    On a slower tip in that 80's Afro Cosmic Italian vibe. RKM let's the rhythm hit 'em over a chugging beat.

    TRACK LISTING

    A. Rok The Disco Tech
    B. Ritmo Italo

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    Cover of Carnival Rhumba - Inc. Prins Thomas Edit & Overdub by Tor Dietrichson.

    Tor Dietrichson

    Carnival Rhumba - Inc. Prins Thomas Edit & Overdub

    Neppa

    In 1987 Tor Dietrichson released new age masterpiece Global Village. Carnival Rhumba, an uptempo latin jazz number featured on the b-side. With snapping congas, wild guitars, and an over all groovy melody, it stood out as the most dancy tune on the album. Here you get the song remastered, on a loudly pressed 12 inch. On the whole A-side Prins Thomas delivers an extended edit, with all it’s best parts spread out for an extraordinary dancefloor experience. On the b-side you get the original, and a dub-version of the long edit. Buckle up, you are in for a treat.

    TRACK LISTING

    A1. Carnival Rhumba (Prins Thomas Edit & Overdub)
    B1. Carnival Rhumba (Prins Thomas Edit & Overdub Dub)
    B2. Carnival Rhumba (original 1987 Version - Vinyl Remaster)

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    Cover of Double Drop Vol. 2 by Edrix Puzzle & The Diabolical Liberties.

    Edrix Puzzle & The Diabolical Liberties

    Double Drop Vol. 2

    On The Corner

    On The Corner's 'Double Drop' series contniues, pairing together twp EP's from two different members of the OTC family. Citing environmental and production constraints as the main motive from moving away from 12"s and into full length albums or journeys as the label states, listeners are treated to a 40+ minutes musical landscape, cosmically alligned via the two artists involved. 

    On the A-Side, and hot on the heels of the "Dub Protection & The Sportswear Mystics" cassette, The Diabolical Liberties present their "Birds Of Paradise" EP. This EP all but sold-out and follows the dynamite success of the duo’s debut long player “High Protection & The Sportswear Mystics” and it’s follow-up hype cassette of dubbed out versions (as well as a series of self-released and long sold-out white labels that included collaborations with Nyasha (a moniker of Nubya Garcia) and a super limited On The Corner 10” dubplate.)

    On the flip, having debuted on last year’s sold out "Door To The Cosmos" LP, Edrix Puzzle are back with a stonking new EP "Rise To Eris". A modern spiritual jazz number with traditional set up, enhanced slightly with some up-to-date electronix, production and tinkering. There's nods to Adrian Sherwood's merger of reggae and industrial whilst remaining bouyant and light hearted enough for mainstream appeal. Exploring themes and energies in the territory of noir instrumental jazz the cinematic energy is unpinned with driving breaks and psyche fusion meanderings into the extra terrestrial landscapes akin to "Mwandishi" era Herbie Hancock.



    TRACK LISTING

    A1. The Diabolical Liberties - Everything’S Possible Until It’S Not
    A2. The Diabolical Liberties - Birds Of Paradise
    A3. The Diabolical Liberties - Getting Off The World
    A4. The Diabolical Liberties - Mostly Indoors
    A5. The Diabolical Liberties - Herman Chugs On
    A6. The Diabolical Liberties - Pacify My Night Bus
    B1. Edrix Puzzle - Rise To Eris
    B2. Edrix Puzzle - Lapetus
    B3. Edrix Puzzle - Eris Fall

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    Cover of Observation Of Breath by Lawrence English.

    Lawrence English

    Observation Of Breath

    Hallow Ground

      Do you remember the last time you were breathing consciously? Either way, you are likely doing it now. On his new album Observation of Breath« for the Swiss-based Hallow Ground label, Lawrence English worked exclusively with an organ for four compositions that are exercises in »maximal minimalism,« as their creator himself notes in a nod to Charlemagne Palestine, who coined this term. While it seems somewhat fitting that those four pieces based on a steady flow of air were conceived and recorded in a situation of accelerated standstill caused by a respiratory disease, the Room40 founder is not so much concerned with capturing the zeitgeist than rather incorporating the spirit of time itself. »It is a record about presence and patience,« he explains.

      Exploring the unique sonic affordances of a singular instrument,
      »Observation of Breath« is not only devoted to the durability of sound but also to its density. That it marks his debut on Hallow Ground after having shaped its sound by mastering most of the label’s releases in recent years is just as fitting then as its release following albums by Kali Malone and FUJI|||||||||||TA, whose innovative work with organ instruments have facilitated a rediscovery of their possibilities.English’s compositions however are neither directly indebted nor responding to these musicians. His exploration of the organ’s many facets started a decade ago when the composer was given access to an instrument built in 1889 that is presently housed at The Old Museum in Brisbane.

      After it had already played a crucial role on his seminal albums »Wilderness Of Mirrors« and »Cruel Optimism,« last year’s self-released »Lassitude« was the first record that English entirely composed and recorded with that instrument. »During the soft lockdowns, I spent many days playing to an empty concert hall, recording the pieces that became ›Lassitude‹ and then, this album,« says English in regards to an unfortunate situation that fortunately provided him with time and space—two major themes but also key qualities of the four new compositions. In this sense, he goes on, »Observation of Breath« resolves a number of the questions originally raised by »Lassitude.« 

      TRACK LISTING

      1) A Torso (10:01)
      2) A Binding (06:05)
      3) And A Twist (02:42)
      4) Observation Of Breath (20:44) 

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      Cover of SHILOH: Lost For Words by John Glacier.

      John Glacier

      SHILOH: Lost For Words

      PLZ Make It Ruins

      Visionary artist John Glacier combines punk and grime informed poetry with futuristic, glacial electronics and warped, poppy hooks. It's a singular and unique sound which although the sole owner of its author, would find company and sympathy with acts such as GFOTY, Hype Williams and AJ Cook as much as it could be found next to a Lil Simz, DISCHI or Tyler The Creator track on a mixtape. Her slack but inspired rhyming shuns old tradition, hanging loose with benzo-rap, Princess Nokia and Blackhaine like they're all just friends on the school bus.

      Produced with fellow London-born, LA-based producer Vegyn, it treads the radioactive, post-hip-hop badlands where genres, identity and culture blur and interact.

      John has confessed that the album's content is incredibly personal and poignant, opening up her heart and soul to the listener whilst keeping up a streetwise, asphalt-hardened front, the product of a world and society in which weaknesses can be exploited by the greedy and malevolent.

      It's striking, instantly arresting and rather quite special. An intimate and seductive journey that you'll want to play from start to finish every time. 


      TRACK LISTING

      1. If Anything
      2. Icing
      3. Cryptomnesia
      4. Trelawny Waters
      5. Timing
      6. Senseless
      7. Boozy
      8. Platoon
      9. Green Elephants Freestyle
      10. Some Other Thing
      11. On Formulation
      12. No More Left Like It’s Death

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      Cover of Flow Goes The Universe by Laraaji.

      Laraaji

      Flow Goes The Universe

      All Saints

      First time vinyl edition of one of Laraaji’s best loved albums, originally released in 1992 as one of the first releases on the All Saints label.

      ‘Flow Goes The Universe’ was recorded in Tokyo, Osaka, New York City and the English Lake District at various studio sessions and live concerts and subsequently compiled and augmented by ‘infinite guitarist’ Michael Brook, noted for his collaborations with Brian Eno, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Robert Fripp and David Sylvian.

      A suite of luminous ambient pieces that stands amongst Laraaji’s very best work.

      Cut as a double album by Stefan Betke (aka Pole) for maximum fidelity and housed in a gatefold sleeve re-designed by David Coppenhall from his original projection-based designs.

      Liner note interview with Laraaji conducted by Andrew Parks.

      Includes digital download card.

      TRACK LISTING

      Being Here
      Immersion
      A Cave In England
      Zither Dance
      In Continuum
      Deep Celestial
      Space Choir
      Mbira Dance

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      Cover of Vetro EP by Lvcchesi.

      Lvcchesi

      Vetro EP

      Full Dose

      Lvcchesi stings hard with his second release of the year. Taking influence from that juke energy, swirling it up with ultra-psychedelic flurries and at times merging it with ambient textures and blurred moods on this 3 tracker full of club heat and reflective mirror soundscapes.

      Standing proudly out on it's own, with a reckless production aesthetic full of time switches, miss/re-sampled vocal snips and meticulous, precision drum engineering. For a unique blast of technically engineered club-focussed brilliance which is loads of fun to boot, look no further! 


      TRACK LISTING

      A1. Esci
      A2. Guanti Estivi
      A3. Vetro 

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      Cover of I Lost All My Data by Notte Infinita.

      Notte Infinita

      I Lost All My Data

      INDEX:Records

      Deep experimental dubbed out electronics and electro from Notte Infinita -
      Tip!

      Like trudging through viscous air, "I Lost All My Data" is a blissed-out barrage of sub-bass that nods to a long-lasting passion for sound system culture.

      Uploading turbo-charged wubs with molten glass melodies, the debut EP of Giovanni Bonelli (aka Notte Infinita) is a welcomed update for UK style broken-techno conventions. Booting-up with its title track, the record quadrisects the fabric of digital music, each cut a sonic reprogramming of its predecessor. "Slippery Tuff" references off-kilter club, while on the flip, "Ecstatic Dub (Roller Mix)" climaxes in an ultra-sensory faux-organic whorl. Unplugging the whole thang, "Oxygen" manipulates post-dubstep textures, into a data-roused jungle tunnel.

      Deciphering glitched-out signal processing and harmonic warps, "I Lost All My Data" is the software upgrade that every system needs

      Support from Bambounou, Madam X, Special Guest DJ, Opium Hum/Michail Stangl (Boiler Room), Lurka, Bruce, orson (version)





      TRACK LISTING

      A1. I Lost All My Data
      A2. Slippery Tuff
      B1. Ecstatic Dub (Roller Mix)
      B2. Oxygen

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      Cover of Before I Die by Park Hye Jin.

      Park Hye Jin

      Before I Die

      Ninja Tune

      Debut album from the hyped tae fook South Korean artist Park Hye Jin. Now located in LA, it seems 2021 is the explosive year for this in-demand act.

      Stiring up a storm through her "If U Want It" 12", plus some tasty collaborations with the likes of Clams Casino, Blood Orange, Galcher Lustwerk and Nosaj Thing, the Ninja Tune-signed genius lays out her sonic identity in an edgy, attitude-filled LP which is both hi-tek and emotion-filled.

      Stylistically, Jin seems to digest booty bass and ghetto house, combine it with some of the modern lo-fi house aesthetics and give it her own uniquely S. Korean sugary icing. Some of her drum patterns recall early DJ Rush or Green Velvet, while at other times lo-fi pioneers like Seinfeld and DJ Boring are clearly an influence. It's her deadpan, cool ass delivery that really seals the deal though. Taking influence from Chicago drill, post-punk and pop and somehow gelling it all together into something sincerely her own.

      It's a beautifully modern LP which looses none of its soul from being entirely electronic. A future star in the making. Recommended. 


      STAFF COMMENTS

      Barry says: The wonderful 'Before I Die' sees Park Hye Jin renewing her take on oft-minimal footwork influenced house. It's a sleek and breezy affair, with the more propulsive moments being tempered with her heavily reverbed, hypnotic vocals forging a brilliant combination of drive and nuanced, lo-fi percussion.

      TRACK LISTING

      Side A
      Let’s Sing Let’s Dance
      I Need You
      Before I Die
      Good Morning Good Night
      Me Trust Me
      Where Did I Go
      Never Give Up

      Side B
      Can I Get Your Number
      Whatchu Doin Later
      Sex With ME (DEFG)
      Where Are You Think
      Never Die
      Hey, Hey, Hey
      Sunday ASAP
      I Jus Wanna Be Happy 

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      Cover of Logo T-Shirt - Autumn 21: Spearmint / Guava by Piccadilly Records.

      Piccadilly Records

      Logo T-Shirt - Autumn 21: Spearmint / Guava

        This shirt features a guava pink print on a spearmint green Gildan Softstyle Rinspun t-shirt.

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        Cover of Lost Tapes by Röyksopp.

        Röyksopp

        Lost Tapes

        Dog Triumph

        "Lost Tapes" is a monthly release of rare B-sides, exclusives & even some previously unreleased tracks.

        'Upon renovating our arctic chateau here in the desolate north, we came across an old sea chest containing an abundance of rare B-sides, exclusives & even some previously unreleased tracks.'

        The first clutch of these tracks is available here on limited & number 2xLP and it's a rather spectacular affair. Drfiting dreamily from electronic textures into their driving, expansive, cinematic vision and occassionally drafting in some pop angel for a casual vocal utterance.

        For long term fans, this is thorough excavation of this cult and iconic duo. Boosted with extra online content and with more volumes to comes, it's nice to relive the weightless bliss and electronic pop decadance this Finnish act injected into the world. 


        TRACK LISTING

        1. Rising Urge
        2. I Wanna Know
        3. In The End
        4. Church
        5. Across The Graveyard
        6. Rescue
        7. I Just Don’t Understand You
        8. Ice Machine
        9. Shores Of Easy
        10. Were You Ever Wanted?

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        Cover of Painful Enlightenment by Jana Rush.

        Jana Rush

        Painful Enlightenment

        Planet Mu

          Chicago's Jana Rush returns with "Painful Enlightenment", an intense emotional rollercoaster of disfigured samples, quivering electronics and vagrant percussion. As implied by the title, the album is a document of her own personal growth through struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, a glimpse into a dark period of her life amid learning the art of letting go. Her debut for Planet Mu is the follow-up to her twisted "Pariah" LP on Objects Limited. It's euphonic and uplifting, even blissful, yet equally chilling, and at times a difficult listening experience. Jana says "This album is not a footwork album. It's more like dark experimental listening music, an opportunity to be myself without judgement!"

          The album opens up with the pessimistic "Moanin’", its gorgeous, blazing sax solo pulled back and forth like it was being played through a possessed tape recorder. Baneful bass pulsates over dozens of maniacal vocal samples on "Suicidal Ideation", an absolutely mesmerizing collage of beauty and terror with a runtime of nine minutes. Moody guitar plucks cry over an intricate bed of micropercussion and erratic low-end blasts on the title track, one of the more sombre moments of the album. At the halfway mark, the record takes a dark, twisted turn, as "Disorientation" well, disorients, with its thick layers of untraceable alien sounds unfolding and contracting back into themselves. Thick layers of time-stretched textures and bewildering rhythms meet masterfully placed snares on "Intergalactic Battle", featuring Teklife’s DJ Paypal. On "Drivin’ Me Insane", Jana and collaborator Nancy Fortune stretch three words back and forth and inside-out over the course of three minutes, using every last gasp and sibilance possible. The album closes with Paypal making his second appearance. "Just a Taste" is an encore featuring many of the fundamental sonics that make up the LP, haunting horns and paranoid voices struggle to speak over fluctuating low-end harmonics.

          An established veteran from the world of ghetto house and juke who cut her teeth on Dance Mania records in the late nineties, Jana has the stripes, so to call her an outsider would be fictitious, yet she is a true unicorn within the history of that realm and becomes more and more alienated from formulas and trends on each new record she creates. "Painful Enlightenment" is full of dense, intricate abstractions, paired with rapidly moving structures and is unlikely to sound the same twice, as every listen exposes new layers of its vibrant, transcendental details.

          TRACK LISTING

          A
          01/ Moanin'
          02/ Suicidal Ideation

          B
          01/ Painful Enlightenment
          02/ G-Spot
          03/ Disturbed

          C
          01/ Disorientation
          02/ Mynd Fuc
          03/ Intergalactic Battle (ft. DJ Paypal)

          D
          01/ Drivin' Me Insane (ft. Nancy Fortune)
          02/ 3
          03/ Just A Taste (ft. DJ Paypal)

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          Cover of Easy Saturday Night - Mike Huckaby Remix by Skymark.

          Skymark

          Easy Saturday Night - Mike Huckaby Remix

          Nsyde

          After a parentship hiatus, Richard Zepezauer´s nsyde imprint is back to push new boundaries and save some souls. In loving memory of their dear friend who has died too early, nsyde drops a limited edition promo 12" of Mike Huckaby´s Remix of Skymark - Easy Saturday Night.

          After Mike Huckaby´s tragic death nsyde had decided to postpone the release in humble respect of the mourning time for this outstanding musician, human and soul. To pay tribute to Mike Huckaby´s high sonic standards, his work its presented in the highest quality, full sided, 45rpm, 180 gram, clear Vinyl, in a limited quantity. This remix is amongst Mike Huckaby´s best productions.It touches the classic soulfulness of a Larry Heard piano and blissful vocals combined with clear hints of Basic Channel´s eternal electrifcationing waves of sound. This is a perfect testament to Mike Huckaby´s unparalleled knowledge and wide musical range, and not only those who knew him will feel his clear presence while listening to this beauty. House Nation under a Groove.

          STAFF COMMENTS

          Matt says: The house music community was left mourning when Mike Huckaby died last year. Although no longer with us his spirit will continue to guide dancefloors and record boxes for some time to come. Here his remix of Skymark gets hi-fidelity, no-expense-spared treatment.

          TRACK LISTING

          Easy Saturday Night (Mike Huckaby Remix)

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          Cover of Lemonade / Hard by Sophie.

          Sophie

          Lemonade / Hard

          Numbers

          *REPRESS*

          OK, here it is folks, the undeniably infectious saccharin-laced future-proof jam that is "Lemonade" by Sophie. Love it or hate it, I guarantee you won't be able to get these sickeningly sweet hooks outta your head after just one listen! "Lemonade" will surely be looked at in years to come as a sonic symbol of post-modern, digital culture as we search for that ADHD-proof 'hit' riddled with novelty and stimulation. I think Pitchfork put it best with '"Lemonade" is a bouquet of ephemera, and we shouldn't be surprised that Sophie hid a firecracker in the bundle.’ At around four minutes long, this radio-friendly piece of crazed production is the crucial point in which bass music hit the masses, and watch it start a fire all over the internet and radio over the next month or so. On the flip "Hard" is even more frenzied, deploying rattling percussion, glistening motifs and machine-gun drum programming while a quick-fire female vocal talks about difficulties getting by for the modern club girl. With a massive future-rave breakdown towards the end, it’s another synthesized moment of legal-high goodness wrapped up in a succinct, concise, well executed package. Massive.

          60k+ and counting Soundcloud plays over the first 24 hours
          Currently charting #2 on Billboard’s ‘Emerging Artists’ chart
          'You'll not hear anything else like this today' Zane Lowe BBC R1 show premiere (covered by Huw Stephens) (@ 47m15s)
          ‘SOPHIE's Lemonade is the most bonkers track we've heard all year’ Guardian
          ‘song of the day’ Diplo on Twitter
          ‘one of the best things I’ve heard all year’ Stereogum
          ‘"Lemonade" is a bouquet of ephemera, and we shouldn't be surprised that Sophie hid a firecracker in the bundle.’ Pitchfork
          ‘impossibly infectious’ Gorilla vs Bear


          STAFF COMMENTS

          Matt says: Available once again. The first four Sophie EPs have become cult artefacts of leftfield-dance-pop. Last chance saloon if you missed 'em the first & second time!

          TRACK LISTING

          A. Lemonade
          B. Hard

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          Cover of Spaven X Sandunes by Richard Spaven & Sandunes.

          Richard Spaven & Sandunes

          Spaven X Sandunes

          !K7

          Spaven x Sandunes is a collaboration of musical worlds, where London meets Mumbai, the new project from Richard Spaven and Sanaya Ardeshir is a mix of forward-thinking drum language and intricate synthwork weaving together a moody electro acoustic tapestry which we go absolutely wild for here at Picc HQ!

          Suitably smokers-friendly for the iconic !K7 label, the album creeps through shadowy soundscapes punctuated by wild breakbeats and guided by some lost, shamanic instrumental language spoken through dazzling arrays of strings, raptous reeds, sparkly synth work and mountainous bass.

          Polyrhythmic throughout, with a keen grip of movement and repetition, it's at times Can-esque, at others reminescent of Floating Points' spiraling electro-jazz epics. Deployed with a focussed intensity, whilst still remaining unhurried and free-flowing, the tracks seek to elevate the listener into clouds of shimmering, electro-boosted, dreamy jazz - and it's absolutely wonderful! 


          TRACK LISTING

          A1: In Readiness
          A2: Tree Of Life
          A3: Evelyn
          A4: Don't Ask Feat. MC Altaf
          B1: Can't Say That To You
          B2: Little Ships
          B3: Sustain
          B4: 1759 (Outro)

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          Cover of The Master by Orlando Voorn.

          Orlando Voorn

          The Master

          Contrafact

          Dutch icon Orlando Voorn, famed for his funky techno and tuff house productions unveils his new sound via Deeptrax Records sublabel Contrafact! Having started his career in the early 80s with major influences of Parliament, Kraftwerk, Motown and P funk, he is now widely recognized as an ingenious (Detroit) techno producer with former releases on Juan Atkins’ Metroplex records and Kevin Saunderson’s KMS. “The Master”sees his explore classic jazz-funk and soulfull mood, enhanced with his unmatched creative abiltiy around the studio.

          Reminscent of classic beatdown and Detroit house such as Amp Fiddlr, Recloose, Moodymann etc; but kicking that bit harder on the speakers due to Voorn's speaker-rattling techno background!

          There's per-LENTY to go at here folks. A double disc janut of electro-jazz-funk-deep-house fusion which is primed for play in both nightclubs, living rooms, souped up Seirra Cosworths and sun-blushed Tiki bars alike.

          This man is a musical genius! Up there with Carl Craig and Moritz Von Oswald with his sheer profeciency in both production and musicality. And he's relentless - this releases comes segued in between a flurry of techno releases, all of which are killer - as this 30 year+ musical veteren marches on with no intention of slowing down in later life!

          Absolutely killer album that's delightfully long, satisfying and made with love and passion. Like a 5-course meal at your favourite restaurant you'll want to devour it from start to finish. Highly recommended.


          STAFF COMMENTS

          Barry says: A selection of deep, rich house classic from Voorn here, with the grooving basslines and vocals perfectly coalescing together into a wild and fiery soulful house treasure.

          TRACK LISTING

          A1. Orlando Voorn - I'm About To Whip Somebody's Ass (Revolution)
          A2. Orlando Voorn - Freak Of My Desire
          B1. Orlando Voorn - Gotta Get Up
          B2. B2 - Orlando Voorn Feat. E1 Ten & Mary Griffin - Oh Lord (Urban Coalition Mix)
          C1. Orlando Voorn - Leave Or Stay
          C2 . Orlando Voorn - The Love Sisters
          C3. Orlando Voorn - Un Common
          D1. Orlando Voorn - The Master
          D2. Orlando Voorn Feat Slikk Tim - The Funk Brothers
          D3 . Orlando Voorn Feat Belou Sunday - I Love You 

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          Cover of Solar Musli by Niklas Wandt.

          Niklas Wandt

          Solar Musli

          Bureau B

            The most massive of ups goes to Daniel and Gunther at Bureau B for some sterling A&R here, locking the world's daftest drum savant, Niklas Wandt into his first solo LP. This percussive polymath keeps his diary fairly full with production, radio shows, DJing and a shitload of collaborative pursuits, whether with Joshua Gottmanns in N-NDW funksters Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge, Dusseldorf gee Wolf Müller, Sascha Funke or ambient heart-throb Cass.

            For 'Solar Müsli' though, Niklas takes centre stage with a debut solo LP informed by kosmische, jazz, Afrobeat and ambient, but placed in a universe of its own. This is not formalism at work, but an exhilarating, freely flowing album which started out as an exercise in improvised percussion and developed into a multidimensional journey, at times both introverted and ebullient. Stitched through with snippets of spoken word by some of his nearest and dearest, this wildly psychedelic listen is a journey through the nebulous realm of electronic jazz, both emotive and escapist.


            TRACK LISTING

            A1. Der Glaeserne Tag
            A2. Durch Den Spalt
            A3. Lo Spettro
            A4. Wo Es War
            B1. Kusnacht
            B2. Solar Musli
            B3. Am Rande

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            Cover of Balgay Hill: Morning In Magnolia by Andrew Wasylyk.

            Andrew Wasylyk

            Balgay Hill: Morning In Magnolia

            Clay Pipe

              As the Spring of discontent took hold on 2020, composer Andrew Wasylyk sought shelter in the familiar. Low-light morning walks in Dundee’s 19th century Balgay Park acted as sanctuary and solace to events happening in the world outside. Opened in 1871 the park, with adjoining cemetery and sweeping panoramic views across the Firth Of Tay’s inner estuary, is known for its astronomical observatory which sits high on a wooded hill and is the only full-time public observatory in the UK.

              These walks, along with the comfort found in work and routine, helped alleviate the universal cloud of anxiety that swept the first part of the year, and soon Andrew found that his daybreak strolls were seeping into the music he was creating. Slowly, a collection of luminous, inventive and largely instrumental music was taking shape.

              The ten compositions that make up Balgay Hill: Morning In Magnolia present themselves as hymns to early morning light, the optimism at the start of the day, and the simple joy that can be found close to home exploring an inner-city park. As with last year's Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation and Scottish Album Of The Year Award shortlisted The Paralian (2019), trumpet and flugelhorn are handled by fellow Tayside musician Rachel Simpson, who's delivery blends muted swells and punctuated patterns.

              The hallmarks of Wasylyk’s multi-dimensional approach to composing, performing and producing glow soft throughout the arrangements. His timeless, yet entirely individual, melodies remain potent and apparent. A warped tape loop cycles over a Fender Rhodes motif - elegiac strings underlined by the thud of analogue drum machine. Textures shift and shade like dawn glimmering through the branches of a sycamore. Infused with field recordings made on his morning rambles; finches flutter in the high green canopy, a dog walker shuffles in fallen leaves, the faint hum of lawnmower and passing passenger-less bus. Elsewhere, a wood pigeon clatters through a blossom tree, migratory geese call above Mills Observatory and the heavy summer rain rattles down on empty streets.

              Balgay Hill: Morning In Magnolia is as much a daydream rubric through solitude as it is meditative map. An invite to untold stories and images that take flight in the listener’s mind. Here, Andrew Wasylyk offers another cohesive, unique, and transcendental journey through ambient, library and jazz.

              TRACK LISTING

              1. Blossomlessness #2
              2. Through The Rose Window
              3. Magpie Spring
              4. Sun Caught Cloud Like The Belly Of A Cat
              5. Avril Hydrangeas
              6. Western Necropolis 
              7. The Ghost Who Never Arrived
              8. Observatory In Bloom
              9. Smiling School For Calvinists 
              10. The Morning Of Magnolia Light

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              Cover of How The Garden Grows by YVETTE.

              YVETTE

              How The Garden Grows

              Western Vinyl

                YVETTE conjures atmospheres that are both disturbing and familiar at once, pushing synthesizers, effects pedals, vocal processors, acoustic-electric drums, and midi guitar controllers to their extremes. Singer/multi-instrumentalist Noah Kardos-Fein and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Dale Eisinger think of their music not so much in terms of sound as in terms of feeling. The New York duo uses music both as therapy and a weapon, as an outlet for the stress of the daily grind and a release of the pent up tension that metastasizes only after living in a busy, unrelenting metropolis. How The Garden Grows, the sophomore record from YVETTE, reconfigures the anxiety of the moment into deeply spiritual, wildly aggressive, and frequently beautiful noise music, in the tradition of early post-punk and industrial artists like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, and This Heat.

                The album was written and recorded over three years, as Kardos-Fein and Eisinger watched developers raze many of their favourite NYC venues. Rather than disappearing into the rubble of the city they love, How The Garden Grows grew out of that chaos. “It’s nearly impossible to compare them to any other band,” wrote Meredith Graves for the Village Voice in 2016. Having gained lasting acclaim for their debut LP Process, the follow-up EP Time Management (both released on GODMODE), and their bewildering, inspirational live show, YVETTE’s near-decade as a band coalesces with this LP. They’ve performed alongside The Rapture, Sleigh Bells, Lydia Lunch, Liars, HEALTH, Liturgy, Factory Floor, Xiu Xiu, A Place To Bury Strangers, Oneida, Metz, DIIV, The Soft Moon, Priests, Dan Deacon, Pissed Jeans, and Thurston Moore. This is YVETTE’s sophomore full-length. Their debut album Process (released on Godmode/Tough Love in 2013) received an 8.1 on Pitchfork, in addition to plenty of other strong coverage. Photographer Tim Saccenti (Lana Del Rey, Run the Jewels, Eminem, Flying Lotus) took some amazing press photos of Noah. Noah co-wrote some songs with Moses Sumney for his 2020 album græ. Press Quotes - "...Yvette managed to recast a music rooted in nihilism and agitation into something approachable and transfixing." Pitchfork // “Yvette channel all the moody intensity and musical discipline of Wire and This Heat, which pushes all the right buttons” Jonathan Galkin of DFA Records for NME // "a noise band with a bit of pop sensibility" Shamir // "Yvette are a noise-rock duo from Brooklyn who manage to turn drilling sounds and drones, the hum and clatter of machinery, into riveting entertainment." The Guardian

                TRACK LISTING

                01 B61 5:19
                02 Contact High 2:07
                03 Warm UP 2:44
                04 Besides 2:53
                05 For A Moment 2:56
                06 Close Quarters 6:14
                07 Smoke In Your Eyes 2:31
                08 Best Intentions 3:20
                09 Translucent 2:24
                10 Intermission 7:40 

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                Cover of Club Soda - Sparkling Dance Music From Hungary by Various Artists.

                Various Artists

                Club Soda - Sparkling Dance Music From Hungary

                Budabeats

                Budabeats Records' contribution to the long-awaited re-opening of the dancefloors is this EP including four sparkling tunes by four remarkable Hungarian producers.

                Although musically completely different, they have one thing in common: they provide the perfect vibes for any late summer party from sunset till sunrise.
                After starting off with up-and-coming producer, WaTa's timeless house burner, things get a bit more laid back with 'Historico' an honest and entertaining tribute to the early days of Italo disco, delivered by producer duo Pleasure Voyage.

                Budabeats staple M.W.D. continues with a mid-tempo deep groover that builds elegantly and does not let go; the title says it all: 'Jazz808'.
                Oneeyedman is another exciting and versatile figure of today's Budapest scene, his closing track is a satisfying slice of deep house with acidic bass, spaced out synths and just the right portion of cowbells.

                Limited to 300 copies worldwide.

                TRACK LISTING

                A1. WaTa - Feel Ya
                A2. Pleasure Voyage - Historico (Italo Disco)
                B1. W.M.D - Jazz808
                B2. Oneeyedman - Windblind

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                Cover of Unity Vol.1 by Various Artists.

                Various Artists

                Unity Vol.1

                Upstairs Asylum Recordings

                Compiled by Norm Talley and featuring some Detroit and Chicago heavyweights

                TRACK LISTING

                A1. Jon Dixon - Riverside
                A2. Darrin Abrams - Detroit Ur My Star
                B1. Rick Wade - Terrific D
                B2. Mike Clark - In My Arms
                C1. Kai Alce - Morning
                C2. Kyle Hall - Pico
                D1. Eddie Fowlkes - Hold Me Down
                D2. Santonio - Echols Visionary 

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