Animals Dancing takes another swipe at the dance floor with a dope double A-side from Russia's king of weirdo disco and tripped out house Lipelis. Plucked from his private arsenal of over-powered club cuts, "Children's Song" and "Video Track" are further examples of the producer's penchant for edit-not-edit / sample-based bangers, first evidenced on his L.I.E.S. Black release or recent Beard In Dust 12" on Bahnsteig.
Lipelis brings the party to the village square with the fireside antics of A-side cut "Children's Song", fusing a grooving proto-house rhythm section with field recorded chants and addictive mallets. It's techno-tropical pop at its finest, and should find favour with open minded house DJs, the weirdo disco fringe and the acid house survivors on the Balearic dance floors. The B-side sticks with the African inflection, offering village chants and and sanza psychedelia atop a tough b-boy rhythm. Everything we've ever had from the producer or label has flown out the door, so get on this one ASAP.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Personal favourite Lipelis lets a couple of his secret club cuts slip into the collective consciousness with a dope two tracker on Animals Dancing. Tropical and tribal, but with plenty of nods to vintage funk and proto house, these cuts are destined for the setlists of all your DJ heroes. Buy now or spend double in six months...

After sharing a split 7" and splitting the Melody As Truth release schedule between them, kindred spirits Jonny Nash and Suzanne Kraft conjure up their first collaborative long player for the former's faultless imprint. Unwinding over the course of eight meditative compositions, "Passive Aggressive" finds the intercontinental duo exploring space, time and beauty through tonal purity and velvetine texture. Nash's considered, calming piano recalls the calmer moments of the Jarrett catelogue, while Kraft's FM synthesis and cleansing drones could have graced any IC classic. Dexterous double bass provides hints of cool jazz and 80s avant garde on "Refractory Cafe" and "Hanging Glass Structure", while the electronics take the lead on the cinematic "See Yourself Out Of The Way". Carrying the weight of expectation with shrugged shoulders and yogic chill, "Passive Aggressive" signs off with two minutes forty five seconds of pure beauty, "Time Being". 

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: The first collaborative release from Messers Nash & Kraft finally makes its way into the Piccadilly shelves and it's ever bit as good as I hoped. Delicate, dreamy piano, swelling, soothing synthesis and organic notes of double bass and guitar combine into the perfect slow listening experience.

Multi talented UK Jazz Pianist Greg Foat has teamed up with Mercury Award nominated "The Bees" member and multi instrumentalist Warren Hampshire to collaborate on a new LP drawing on their diverse musical influences. Classic British library music, 60s Italian soundtracks & lost Americana combined with touches of modern classical, minimalism, Jazz and Folk. Featuring many members of Greg and Warren's previous bands and one of the U.Ks finest Jazz drummers, Clark Tracy, the LP also features an Edinburgh orchestra and soloists hand picked and scored by the boys. Recorded all analogue onto 2" multitrack in Edinburgh, mixed down by Mattias Glavå at his studio in Gothenburg, Sweden then mastered and cut in Helsinki, Finland, it's truly a European affair. 

New album from Darling on Safe Trip records - Young Marco's psychedelically aligned label based in Amsterdam.

Sonically, it allies itself with Andras Fox, Moon B, Vakula & Dream House - delicately constructed, fathoms deep and with a tantalizing, humanoid palette which, though often electronically powered, prefers dusty retro sound boxes than the most up-to-date, speaker-crushing VST plug-ins.

It's playful in parts, naive in others, but seductive and caressing throughout. It fits perfectly with the Safe Trip ethos - fundamentally creating a rich and stimulating sonic environment in which to journey inwards, outwards and across dimensional barriers. Take the trip!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: This one took me by surprise. Delicate and serene with big nods to Melbourne's box twiddlers; Darling has conjured up a heart felt, electronically powered album that traverses mood, genre and style effortlessly. A mini-masterpiece!

"Middle of the Road Less Travelled" is not only the debut release by Michal Turtle on Light of Other Days, it is also his first new material released since the amazing reissues put out by Music From Memory in recent years. The three tracks on this EP were written and produced by Michal in 2017 with additional production and guitar playing by Light of Other Days’ very own HOVE.

The two met back in 2016 when HOVE contacted Michal after he heard the 12“ "Are you Psychic" and was blown away. As it turned out Michal was living in Basel which is only a short train ride away by train from the Light of Other Days home base in Zurich. The two started meeting and playing music together. Soon after, they put together a live-show for Michal’s music which had its debut show at Phono Festival in Denmark in 2017. During this time, they started working on new music together as well. The result is this EP.

The music on "Middle of the Road Less Travelled" is a continuation of Michal’s musical exploration into other-worldly territory. Michal is a master in building hypnotic textures from repetitive rhythms that collide with trippy and atmospheric synthesizers. The delayed and dubby guitar lines by HOVE were recorded during rehearsal sessions in Michal’s living room in Basel and the last track of the EP "Agallo (Real)" ends with vocals performed by Lucianne Lassalle. Besides playing in local bands with Michal back in the 80s, Lucianne also performed and co- wrote early Michal Turtle tracks like "Phantoms of Dreamland" or "Village Voice" from his first record "Music from the Living Room".

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Exquisite release on the superb Light From Other Days exploring Michal Turtle's Reichian side: repetitive, minimalist compositions featuring staccato, tuned instruments and humanoid electronix. A masterpiece!

After thoroughly pleasing our ears with a little woodland Balearic and motorik folk as part of Bambi Davidson, German musician Robin Van Velzen arrives on 9pm with a gorgeous solo debut. Stripped back and strung out, the self titled set boasts eight cryptic guitar ballads, as in debt to the gloomy poetry of Leonard Cohen as the sultry dub production of Lee Scratch Perry. Atmospheric, evocative and intimate, this moonlight music comes from a true bedroom troubadour.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Beautiful, reflective, late night vibes permeate this gorgeous record from the Bambi Davidson guitarist and singer. The perfect blend of mood and melody.

Into the Light continues its journey to unearth and update overlooked Greek music. This time out the focus is on a smooth, warm, youthful yet intelligent work that finds effortlessly its place in the tiny Greek electronic scene of the mid 90's. "The Nireus Years" is a rare selection of eight unheard home recordings produced between 1995 and 1997 by the then 16-year old Angelo Ioakimoglu in Athens. The album encompasses his most special productions ranging from bucolic new age to dubbed out midi electronics, jazzy r&b to Mediterranean ambient trance - in other words, it's as Balearic as Moonboots' sandals.

Angelo was born and raised in Zografou area of Greece's capital in 1981. It was there where his father had a typical 80's electronic lab and it was that specific environment where Angelo spent most of early childhood. A first attraction for electronic musical equipment was developed that very soon became a passion for hunting down used pieces of gear soon to form the basis of his well equipped bedroom setup.

During his teens, his connection with music was either practicing the piano at home or listening to the most recent dance hits at his uncle's place who happened to be a professional DJ. Big part of Angelo's demos around that period is driven by those two aforementioned worlds. But there were moments of escape. Moments where the music went for the unexpected. Leaving the producer following a solitary path where he could express his teenage dreams and fantasies...through extensive midi programming, live keyboards mimicking string, brass and steel instruments and sampled portions of his live percussion burst.

Angelo's work, which can sometimes seem naive or surrealistic, is supported by his unique and surprisingly energetic approach, one that gives us the courage to continue something different. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Into The Light dig deep into the Greek underground to turn up this ace set of smooth and sensual electronics from the then teenage Angelo Ioakimoglu. Combining downbeat, new age, R&B and the most mellow house imaginable, Iokimoglu sounds like a Mediterranean Larry Heard - how's that for Balearic. Check "Slide Break" and tell me I'm wrong...

Already a well-established presence on the outlandish fringes of experimental, alternative and dance music, celebrated Israeli duo Red Axes make a surprise left-turn onto Phantasy with a three-track 12”, ‘Sipoor’. Unsurprisingly, the results are as pleasingly out-there as the occasion requires. 
Following on from last year’s self-released LP, ‘The Beach Goths’, ‘Sipoor’ immediately announces the Axes’ uncompromising return to the front and centre of the dancefloor with the raw, provocative ‘Bad Time Story’. Brazen, brash acid triggers this particular tale, as Red Axes briskly modulate their way through a ruff, tuff but never less than musical landscape of 303s and 808s.
‘Sipoor’ takes a more gradual approach to building offbeat rave tension, featuring an unknown male using his native tongue to request some kind of house, some kind of techno and some sort of release. His wish (and we hope, yours) is the Axes’ command, as the music goes deep before seamlessly unfolds around a throbbing bassline and a playful, familiar keyboard sample, beckoning feet to the dancefloor and perhaps tongues ever so slightly to cheeks.
Concluding the 12”, ‘Teroof’ takes each of Red Axes’ signature ingredients - deeply rhythmic EBM-inspired drums, spiralling electronics, unapologetically odd vocal distortions - and reconstructs them amid what sounds like the Monaco Grand Prix, as high-velocity motors speed past the soundscape, kicking up some serious dust.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Israeli masters of the dark wired sound, land at Phantasy with a three tracker of off-beat heat that would have killed it at Trash or Barbed Wire Kisses back in the day. Post-punk, acid, EBM and electro all go in the blender, emerging in their most concentrated form.