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Relmer International

Magnetron Music

Amsterdam newcomer Relmer macks the fuck out on his self titled debut, donning the Roland bodysuit for a four tracker of advanced hardware manipulation and floor filling vibrations across a range of styles and feelings.
We're rocking in Rimini on opening cut "Bluff Dance", a muscular Italo pumper which speeds through the night with the guttural thrust of a Lambo Countach. The relentless bass sequence plays off interlocking leadlines and off beat synth stabs before spinning out into an ectoplasmic eruption of neon and LSD. If you play it loud enough, you'll probably summon Il Bosco. If that energetic shizzle has you in need of a breather, look no further than the A2 and "Nightingale", a supremely Balearic bit of early hours exotica which harnesses the future primitive power of 84 Laurie Anderson or Art Of Noise for the ultimate New Age dancefloor delight.
Flip it and don your Drexciyan wetsuit for the wavejumping sounds of "Paraiso", the mechanical electro anthem for those blue people in Avatar and the dubby tribal roller "Wokota", a shamanic jam for the froglickers of the world.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Dope debut from Dutchman Relmer International here, covering nuovo Italo, Balearic beat, nuanced electro and rainforest house. Already stashed for my coolest customers.

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The label Ziemia (Polish for earth) is centred around a growing group of friends from Poland. Administered by Bartosz Kruczyński (Earth Trax), Adam Brocki and Jan Wójcicki (Private Press), it is a natural extension of a studio in the heart of Warsaw, where the majority of their music is being created. Ambient sounds and club vibes make the foundation layers of this collaboration, and you can see this theme evolving in some of their first releases on labels such as Growing Bin, Shall Not Fade, Indigo Aera, Phonica Records and Dopeness Galore. Ziemia's focus positions itself between club music and ethereal with an Eastern European background.

The first release encaptures a moment when all three label founders started to utilise dub techniques in their club sound. Private Press explore an ethereal side of techno, which is in contrast to the duoís previous releases. A1 and A3 are essentially beatless and meditative, while B2 plunges into reggae sounds with a pulsating kick drum, strong bassline and plucking synthesizers emerging from an echo chamber. Earth Trax expresses a darker sound, all with biting stabs, deep sub and frenzied pads on A2. As we flip to B1 (when heís teaming up with Newborn Jr. again) the release develops an ambient house feel (as featured on a couple of previous records) with a slightly more experimental approach.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Clean and spacey sounds emerging from the new breed of Polish techno producers - the Basic Channel, Chain Reaction, Maurizio and Moritz Von Oswald inspiration is difficult to hide though. Not a bad thing when done right!

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Stasera

Trainhouse

Interzona

I remember back in 2017 Interzona put out another the first Stasera... and it was a stormer. Definetely much darker than this beauty we got here today. However, it left its footprint in my brain so when the name Stasera popped up again on my review list, I prepped up accordingly. Man (and woman), you got to give a listen to the monster that is 'Birds of Happiness' to understand my excitement.

But directions have changed on their latest instalment. Bring together the sound of...err... Sound Stream? Loop some good string arrangement, flood it with filter et al and make it as tight as you can. Then you get Stasera's 'Trainhouse' pretty squared. Both 'Trainhouse' and 'Seasons' are drenched in disco - the good kind. 'Trainhouse is an all-out party stormer with loads of funk to offer. The drumming section and that guitar will keep you going nicely.

'Seasons' on the flip side is, and I am sorry for the comparison, very close to Sound Stream. Holding that high note up there for the entire lenght of the track gives you the clue. This one is a bit deeper but nonetheless superb.

Belters

'Heat It Up' rocks and roll you with its discordant synth pads and that great sample. It has a certain breakbeat touch that brings it up to what is in vogue at the moment. The climax is worth the wait but do not expect stadia-like eargasm at the end. It is more on the flat side but still worht the wait.

On 'Don't Go' the beat is slowed down a bit and it feels a bit more nitty gritty, More low grade sandpaper and less polished marble. The vocals or sample is beautiful and refines the edges of this menacing acid monster.

On the flipside, things turn more dancefloor focused and boy it is good. 'Losing Track' is an infectious bad boy with a melody that seems taken from the Game Boy Super Mario Land hidden stage. Gets even better when the basline kicks in. No stone unturned.

And finally, on 'Never Get Enough', good man Jordan releases all the acid that he has been menacing us with through the entire 12". Perfecto business for y'all!

Highly recommended.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Disco house well done by Jordan for Belters. Acid is present all over the place in a not so obvious fashion until it hits you hard with never get enough.

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Die Orangen

Saft 2

Ian Blevins

The Serpent/ Unse - Inc. Austin Ato & Kiwi Remixes

Me Me Me

Innovative opener ‘The Serpent’ is a suitably snaking, slithering groove with acid twitches, rubbery drums and raw percussive energy. It pings about in dynamic fashion and really keeps you on edge. First up to remix, Austin Ato takes the ‘The Serpent’ on a luscious and deep trajectory that would make Larry Heard proud.

The second standout original is 'Unse’, a dark stomper with cosmic rays that strike right to the heart of the dancefloor. It’s menacing and absorbing music that is steely and unlike anything else. To remix is 17 Steps regular Kiwi, who takes ‘Unse’ in a tougher and more robust direction that will really make you sweat properly.

As ever this is a brilliant and stylistically diverse package from Me Me Me. We hope you appreciate the quality that is presented here.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Although a dancefloor-made record, I find this one to be as good in my headphones or laying on the sofa as it is on a dark, humid basement with a huge smoke machine, strobe lights and a red velvet carpet. Excellent output from the Man Power towers.

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Vital Idles

EP

Upset The Rhythm

“superb one chord thrash, somewhere between the oblique minimalist pop of Flying Nun and early Rough Trade signings such as The Raincoats.” CLASH MAGAZINE.

“Glasgow’s Vital Idles are a great example of all of those things: the DIY ethos that produces the best kind of post-punk; guitars so thin they sound as though they could topple over at any second; tightly wound, groovy rhythms that take you with them rather than leaving you behind.” LINE OF BEST FIT.

Brand new 7” EP from Glasgow’s Vital Idles, following on from the band’s well-received debut LP and a rigorous Marc Riley BBC 6 Music session from last year. Vital Idles are touring Europe in support of the EP, finishing up in the UK playing a series of UTR showcase parties in celebration of the label’s 15 year history.

If there isn't yet a tradition of following a magnificent debut album with a, shoelaces-tightened, excellent mission statement of an EP (one would be forgiven to think that the debut long player was the mission statement already, breaking in on the scene/ry with such unmissable and rarely seen sensory delight, but then upon hearing the subsequently released EP one is tempted to think: "Wow! That debut was truly astonishing but now they are REALLY on a mission!"), well, if this tradition doesn't already exist - and thinking about Young Marble Giants' scene-defining "Final Day" 7", Pylon's absolutely essential "!!" 10" and Carla Dal Forno's recent-yet-already-classic "The Garden" 12" one might argue that this tradition is undoubtedly fully existent (more so: alive and well) — then this self-titled extended play from much beloved Glasgow quartet Vital Idles would surely be a striking argument for the genesis of such a tradition.

On the other hand, when taking sides with the many seasoned critics arguing that this tradition has indeed long been established, one might confidently list this effort as a bona fide example of such practice, sharing with the aforementioned not only an astute and accomplished artistic ability but also a sense of minimalist psychedelia that transcends restrictions set by redundant referencialism and grateless genre parameters such as "Post Punk" or "Minimal Pop" (on which the same critics, of course, often disagree).

That being said, ping-ponging from gritty post punk smashes to minimal pop moments and vice versa, Vital Idles' sphere of stripped-down efficiency and sharp personal observation also brings to mind crucially overseen half-chord-wonders Glorious Din as well as antipodean contemporaries like Constant Mongrel (who also had their latest release mastered by the fantastic M. Young), Primo! (who also had their latest release mastered by the fantastic M. Young) and Terry (who also had their latest release mastered by the fantastic M. Young).

The EP reveals itself as a steady, hypotenusal rise of intensity and momentum, starting with the hallucinogenic restrain of opener "Break A", building tension throughout the gothic-noise flourishes of "Seconds" and "Rustle Rustle" and culminating in "Careful Extracts", a 2 minute burst of carefree introspection that might as well be the unintentional answer to early career highlight "My Sentiments": "just me and my/ tired ire/ a a a a a a a a a a"

In conclusion: Vital Idles' debut was truly astonishing but - wow! - now they are truly on a mission.

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Steel City Connection

Steel City Disco

Kalita

Originally privately released on Pittsburgh's Jeree Records, ‘Steel City Disco' is one of the most sought-after disco records in existence, searched for by most yet the treasured possession of but only a few fortunate DJs and collectors. A grail in the truest sense of the word, this is a masterpiece in disco form, guaranteed to set any modern discerning dance floor alight.

Featuring an evolving line-up of various Pittsburgh-based students from the band's inception in 1975, Steel City Connection featured a multi-race make-up of musicians, led by bassist Keith Stewart. They rehearsed religiously in their parents' basements, and quickly developed into a well-trained group, performing at top venues across the city such as The Crazy Quilt and Pinball Wizard, accompanied by their manager and even their own roadies.

In 1978, with their hard-earned money secured from previous gigs, they paid to record and manufacture the single at Pittsburgh's most popular studio, Jeree, who then released it on their own label. However, upon its release the record sadly failed to make the headway that it deserved, mostly due to their manager's failing ill health and the band's inexperience in promoting music in the record industry. Although it received airtime on a few Pittburgh-based radio stations, it was soon lost into distant memory.

'Steel City Disco' has since become highly sought-after as arguably one of the best privately pressed disco releases ever put to wax, lifting its status from a mere 'rarity' to a true grail for many collectors and DJs. It is our honour to officially offer it here for the first time once more, backed with an unreleased extended version of 'Dansation', sourced from the original master tapes.

STAFF COMMENTS

David says: Aw man. You can't help but feel bad for SCC. What we have here is an absolute bomb that should have filled dance floors from Paradise Garage to Wigan Casino. Instead it sank without a trace (and until this timely reissue would have set you back £650). So, put your hand in your pockets, and a smile on their faces, lord knows they deserve it.

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Kokoroko

Brownswood Recordings

The afrobeat-inspired eight-piece Kokoroko drop their hotly-anticipated debut, a horn-fuelled, soul-shaking introduction to the young collective.

Kokoroko are part of the thriving scene that’s grown out of london’s young, jazz-influenced musical circles. Led by bandleader Sheila Maurice-Grey, their self-titled ep is the group’s first solo release, following their early 2018 debut with ‘Abusey Junction’, a track that has gone on to accrue over 15 million plays on youtube and 2.6 million on spotify. Across the E.P’s four tracks, the eight-piece deliver on the promise of that memorable introduction, offering a bigger vision of their afrobeat-influenced, soulfully-imbued sound, west african roots shaded with inner London hues.

‘Abusey Junction’ was first featured on we out here, the 2018 Brownswood compilation documenting London’s bright-burning, jazz-influenced musical underground, picked by Rough Trade as compilation of the year 2018, and praised by the Wire, Monocle and the New York Times. Writing and performing as a group since 2014, Kokoroko have played at iconic venues from ronnie scott’s, performed at the festival, Afropunk, and toured in Brazil, Colombia and France. Inspired by Fela Kuti, Ebo Taylor, Tony Allen and the great sounds that come out of West Africa, Kokoroko put on a performance to honour the masters that taught them.

STAFF COMMENTS

Emily says: Kokoroko have (deservedly) attracted a lot of attention since being featured on Brownswood’s “We Out Here” compilation. The promising London jazz ensemble are now offering their debut EP which draws inspiration from afrobeat giants Fela Kuti, Ebo Taylor and Tony Allen. “Abusey Junction” is a slowly unfolding ballad tinged with melancholy and nostalgia. “Uman” begins with a bittersweet horn chorale and slowly builds into a joyous afrobeat stomper. A record filled with moments of wisdom, celebration and fabulous musicianship.

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Bambounou

Whities 021

Whities

Mighty Whities give us another killer 12". This one is going to twist your brains more than your hips. 'Temple' sports a gorgeous metallic and playful sound marimba style. Do not get stuck on the marimba bit. Give it a listen first. The rest is a cross between Aphex Twin in its more pallatable ways.

'Tour' is the one for me. This one is deep with a solidly formed 4/4 beat and those tribalesque beats and sounds permeating through the track as it evolves.

'Seize Sept' is that track that wants but cannot. Asyncopated beat and a powerful groove welcome a bad boy bassline that can cause serious damage in any club with a decent crowd. This one is one to pay attention to. A true sleeper.

So there you have it, another Whities, another hit in my books. Get it as this label sells out pretty fast.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Terrific 12" on Whities as it is the norm with this monster label. A bit for the head and a bit for the body. This will fly.

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Lucas Croon

Lucas Croon EP

Aiwo

Prolific synth warrior Lucas Croon dives into the fax machine and re-emerges tripped out on toner in the Aiwo offices. Causing a stir as one half of Bar, one fifth of Stabil Elite and one solo don who's smashed out a couple of killer EPs for Dusseldorf's Themes For Great Cities, Croon comes into this one with plenty of expectation - fortunate then that this man's talents know no bounds.
We're in wigged out Bboy mode on the A1, wading through a mountain of ket to try and transition into a flair. Flanging pads, rattling breakbeats and Art Of Noise vamps clatter around the room before that smooth bass groove takes you back to green hued days listening to K&D. "Spinal Chord" comes wheeling in with killer cosmic licks, a rolling B-line and the wide eyed optimism usually reserved for afternoons in the park on hallucinogens - off kilter boogie for intoxicated BBQs. Flip to the B1 and Lucas lets loose with detailed Badarou style drum programs and insistent Lil Louis organ vamps, translating two cornerstones of the house experience into a new future primitive hit. Finally, "Spiritus Sanctus" does the deep, slow and sleazy chug thing, dishing out neon keys, chest busting bass and slick sequences alongside a little bit of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest. Leftfield disco excursions for those that know.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Fresh off a mega techno-tropical, retro futurist hit on TFGC, Lucas Croon joins the Aiwo party with this four tracker of low tempo synth workouts for the cognoscenti. Chuggers and bubblers people - buy now before the Lizard people take over...

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Jeremiah R

Far Away From Everything

Voodoo Gold Records

Another brilliant suite of dubby acidic techno and Drexciyan electro from Australian producer, Jeremiah R on Voodoo Gold. We kick things off with the appropriately titled 'Arp', with flickering sine waves backed by filtered pads and a slow, churning filter sweep into the heavy hitting follower, 'Far Away From Everything'. Here we start to feel the true force of Jeremiah's hardware collection with frenetic beats and soaring stacked saws punctuating the machinated throb before cooling things down into the rhythmic dubby beauty of 'Legacy'.

It's this contrast that has always been at the forefront of JR's legacy and continues to form the backbone to his sound, with full-force spectral meltdowns being closely followed by loose dubby rhythms before launching once again into the stratosphere. 'Thinking Of You' picks up the percussive aspect once again whilst retaining the slowly sweeping pads and soaring delayed saw waves.

'Signals From The Parallel Universe' could easily have been a more modern outing from Drexciya, keeping the skittering percussion in-line with resonant filter notches and plucked vactrols over the top, complete with rapidly changing chords and airy stabs before ending on the stunning closing duo of 'Get Down' with it's shimmering euphoria and the industrial churning of 'Globular Cluster' making sure things don't get too cheery before closing things out.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A brilliantly immersive and perfectly written collection of post-industrial drones and head-bobbing 130bpm electro. Perfectly balanced throughout, and prime listening for darkened dancefloors. Killer.

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$Cover of Refraction by Evan Caminiti.$

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Evan Caminiti

Refraction

Make Noise Records

A haunting collection of experimental music by the celebrated electronic artist and sound designer, "Refraction" continues Caminiti’s exploratory path of deconstructed electronic sounds and structures as showcased on his last album (2017’s “Toxic City”), presenting four new pieces created on a Make Noise modular synthesizer with an emphasis on tranquil atmospheres and dub-influenced production.

This Make Noise Records release was Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studios.

Pressed to 12" Clear (140gm) vinyl and inserted into a black inner dust sleeve and matte jacket featuring artwork by Sean Curtis Patrick.

This release is pressed in an edition of 500.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Gotta love these Make Noise curated releases using the custom synthesizer. Arresting, dramatic and tension-wraught releases that sound like nothing else on the market.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd 12" Info: Strictly limited clear vinyl press. 500 copies. Artwork by Sean Curtis Patrick

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Ilija Rudman

Essential Dynamics (Feat Kai Alce, Ashley Beedle, Fred Everywhere Remixes)

Imogen

Ilja Rudman gives birth to 'Essential Dynamics' which is also offered in many forms on this 12". The original is a disco pop tune with a bit a heavy electronic feel. A gentle acid line acompanies the soothing vocals and an ominous bassline.

Fred Everything ups the ante a bit and makes the beat more housey and dancefloor centered. He also throws in a great synth key that gives the track the oomph that perhaps is lacking on the original. This is the one for papuso here.

Kai Alce goes Moodymannesque on his revision creating a groovy, intimate journey with the vocals and sytnths the focus of attention. This is a house tune ladies and gents.

Ashley Beedle brings some exoticism and organic feel to the track as he always does. He exctracts the funk that was always there and brings it to the forefront. Killer bassline there for you.

Decent package of remixes that elevates the status of the original. One to look out for.

Klein & MBO / Warrior

The MBO Theme

Rush Hour RSS

Though Best Records may have beaten Rush Hour to the punch, landing their own reissue of Klein & MBO's classic a matter of weeks ago, the Dutch label strike back with an ace up their sleeve. Though the A-side of this DJ friendly 12" may boast the standard version of Mario Boncaldo and Tony Carrasco's proto-house pearl "The MBO Theme" (all unstoppable groove, neon tinged moves and light flashing brilliance), the flip houses a heavy (and unheard) South African version from the group Warrior.
Rush Hour explain how they came across the track: “We bumped into this version on a South African record digging trip. It took us a few months to realize the scarcity of this version. Ian Osrin, a well respected engineer in South-Africa who was involved in many 80ties and 90ties Bubblegum, Kwaito and South African disco records, explained us about music distribution in South Africa during apartheid. Because the country was culturally banned at the time, a lot of releases weren’t imported or exported. Even when a track was huge, like “The Klein & MBO Theme”. So South African musicians would create their own versions which were sold locally. We got in contact with Tony Carrasco from Klein & MBO. He also hadn’t heard Warrior’s version before, but he liked it as much as we do!”
The SA version teases the groove into a sliding variation with added cosmic power while the lively synth licks bring their own otherworldly flavour to the dish.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: How good is this! Not only do we get a fresh pressing of uber funky Italo / proto house winner "The MBO Theme", we get a previously unheard heavyweight South African cover version on the B-side. Rush Hour are bringing their A-game here.

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The Idealist

Inner Space Dub / The Fire Of Moses Dub (feat. Genesis Breyer P-Orridge)

L±R

The Rambler EP

Asking For Trouble

Recorded in Curve Pusher’s former Hackney premises over a series of sessions during 2016-2017, L-R is the name for the sounds that have emerged from the collaboration of friends Simon Lynch (London Modular Alliance), Monoak (Freerotation) and Radioactive Man. Oscillating modular sequences from the units Simon brought to sessions, multi-MPC powered beat programming, and TB 303 patterns being fed to a MiniMoog is the backbone of this record, some of the last sessions at Curvepusher studio, London, before its move to Hastings. Where we get the best out of these three singular producers.

Asking for Trouble is Keith Tenniswood (Radioactive Man’s) record label - established in 2017 to home his solo and collaborative studio work.

Helena Hauff - 'THIS IS GREAT'

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: When Helena Hauff and Radioactive Man both get behind a record you better bloody pay attention cos they know where they're on about! Released on Keith's inspired Asking For Trouble label, and currently supported by the German electro-goth poster girl. Unstandably (as it's mastered by Tenniswood), the record bangs, bites and snarls in a fiercly nice fashion.

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Yaaba Funk

Afrobeast (Danvers / Ben Gomori Edits)

Lil' Jazzy Jay & Cool Supreme

B-Boys Style

Easy Street

Hip hop heads, 7" buffs - Check this one!

Earth shattering early 80's Bronx sounds transmitted back to us as fresh as the day they were terraformed! NYC's Easy Street label is known for its contributions to house music, electronic disco and boogie, but there were a handful of early rap singles on the label too, including this megaton bomb from the freshly monikered Lil' Jazzy Jay & Cool Supreme from '85, all the way live. This record has it all, dubbed out FX, vox, cuts and brain frying vocoders..... not to mention the monolithic drum machines and dope braggadocios rhyming.

This is the FIRST TIME this mid 80's rap rarity has been made available on a 7". Both the 'club vocal' & 'dub instrumental' are featured here, cut at 33 rpm for maximum sonics. Shout out to Easy Street, %100 legit re-issue, re-master & re-press, essential wax!

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Brimming with wild synthlines, freestyle sequences and ruff drum machines, this ain't just for the B-boys - boogie, electro, streetsoul and cosmic kids enquire within...

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Just Brothers

Sliced Tomatoes

Music Merchant

Hmm, what's this then? 'Sliced tomatoes' sounds very familiar.... that's right, it's entirely possible that when your needle hits the groove on this classic 1972 slab of surf-funk you will have a 'oh yeah!' moment. Sampled by one of the UK's biggest DJ's and producers and propelled into the charts this one will have you 'Rockafella skanking' around your frontroom in no time. An essential 45 to have in your stash, an instant party starter for sure. Reissued here in its original form on the Music Merchant label and backed with its original '72 B-side 'You've got the love to make me over' - a lovely piece of danceable and breezy soul of the Northern persuasion. All in all, a dope little reissue for all you 45 fiends out there, remastered from the original sources and fully legit. Essential business.

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Hot 8 Brass Band

Take Cover

Tru Thoughts

Ltd 12"

u/avbl

Cat Number

TRUEP367X

Release date

22 Feb '19

Format Info
Red vinyl.

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King Sporty & The Ex Tras

Do You Wanna Dance? (feat. Felix Dickinson Mix)

Emotional Rescue

Emotional Rescue returns with the third (and final?) King Sporty & The Ex Tras releases with the first ever-official reissue of cult boogie jam Do You Wanna Dance? Coming as remastered vocal and instrumental, plus again featuring a special Discomix, this time courtesy of acid-disco slayer Felix Dickinson.
Appearing shortly after the success of the band's only album, "Extra Funky", "Do You Wanna Dance?" pointed the way forward, moving further from Disco and closer to the rising electro-boogie sounds that were sweeping the dance floors.
The confident up / jump electro drum programming, slap bass and trademark Sporty guitar chops are propelled by a monster swamp inducing synth arpeggio that sings the funk electric, while hip-hop-shout-outs ride the rhythm. If the vocals are too much for some, then the original Instrumental (dub) is also included for those just wanting that infectious groove.
As many will recall, Do You Wanna Dance? featured on Felix's "Originals" compilation for Claremont 56 back in 2011, so when the King Sporty reissue project was coming together there was only one name to be asked for the Discomix. With a long history of DJing and music production, as well the man behind the Recycled Records, Fools Gold, Urban Myth and Bastedos labels, as well many, many releases on the long running and aptly titled Cynic Recordings, his remix arrives on point.
Teasingly drawn out, his mix switches back / forth between versions, the interplay between vocals, guitar, bass and electro-glide synths hypnotically building, with Dickinson's deftly dubbing tripping it out, making the title's question irrelevant, as mind and feet involuntarily move.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: I first came across the squelching brilliance of "Do You Wanna Dance?" on Felix Dickinson's Originals comp and I've loved it ever since. This top notch reissue gives us the instrumental and original as well as mega Discomix from Felix who wonks things around wonderfully.

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Various Artists

Disco Halal Vol. 1

Disco Halal

Another on point project from Berlin's creative record store hub OYE! Following a sun soaked day on a trip to Tel Aviv, OYE counter culturist Delfonic wandered into an intriguing spot called Kuli Alma. Coincidentally Berlin based Tel Avivian Moscoman was playing at the club that very afternoon. Call it fate, call it afternoon drinking, call it sun stroke - whatever the reason, after a mind-blowing track dropped, he asked Moscoman about its origin, and not so long after, Disco Halal was born. This fresh label dedicated to Middle eastern and Oriental sounds, is gonna hit us with a string of originals and edits from artists such as Acid Arab, Memhet Aslan, Red Axes, Naduve, Autarkic and Moscoman himself, so make room in your collection! Volume 1 features a trio of edits alive with those hypnotic and psychedelic touches which are so central to middle eastern music. Acid Arab kick us off with the blistering electro-tech and 303 sequences of "Le Gaz Qui Fait Rire", a mindbending collision of tradional folk violins and vocals with all out club filth! On the flip Autrakic calms things down a little with the bordeline Balearic dub of "Palgey", a lilting lullaby with a touch of synth strings which could only come from the coast of North Africa. Last but not least, Mehmet Aslan drops "Yasadim", a beefed up house rework of a traditional Turkrock groove which balances a thumping bottom end with the high register strumming of the Baglama Saz. Exotic, inventive and addictive, Disco Halal looks set to make an instant impression on the dance music world.

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Peach Discs

Oh yeah, papi, toma temazo! Hodge and Celeste team up to produce what I understand to be and unapologetic banger but let me be clear, fellow reader, it is a banger in my books! To be banger and in my books it has to be solidly off the beaten track and not able to please the masses - just the literati. Are you in? Surely you are. 'Soba' with its galloping rhythm and misty pads encompass my definition of... banger masher. So does the more trippy journey and slightly sombre corners displayed in 'Pips' and the irrevocably great 'Alula' - a true dancefloor destroyer.

This is the record that finds Shanti and Hodge teasing new ideas together whilst retaining dancefloor magic and sensibilities. Did I say 'Oh yeah'? Well... oh yeah to myself then!

If you are short of dough, make this the only 12" you get this week. No regrets.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Dancefloor realness that it has been much needed through all my prelistenings this week. Hence I get extremely excited and I even start to shake my aging hips. But who would not with this 3 scorchers that see Celeste and Hodge kill it with such elegance? Top draw wax.

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Joe Armon-Jones

Starting Today In Dub

Brownswood Recordings

South London virtuoso keys wizard Joe Armon-Jones returns with two freaked out dub versions, re-rubbing two entries from his debut for Brownswood earlier this year. ‘Starting Today Dub’ is stripped back and stretched out to maximum effect. ‘Mollison Dub Vocal Version (Feat. Asheber)’ spaces out the original and adds in extra vocals from West London dub staple Asheber.

His debut album, Starting Today, came out in May 2018. Part of the vibrant young jazz scene in London, it brought together a bunch of players under that umbrella. It was praised by Pitchfork, Loud and Quiet and CLASH. In the words of The Wire, it’s "bass-rich music hustle straight out of the London soul-jazz-dance lineage.”

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LCD Soundsystem

Confuse The Marketplace

DFA

Well they got the title right on this one didn't they: "Confuse The Marketplace" brings together the three CD bonus tracks from "45:33", but all have also been previously released on vinyl too - yes, you knew you'd seen them somewhere before. The EP kicks off with the brilliant "Freak Out" (on the flip of Harvey's mix of "All My Friends") - a better tribute to Edwin Starr's "Get Up Whirlpool" you will not find. Here's the difference though, where as the original mix was blended into "Starry Eyes" here you get a little break so the drum solo won't mess up your mix. Over on side-B we have the Onastic Dub of "North American Scum" (previously promo-only) and last up is the absolutely brilliant "Hippie Priest Bum Out" ("North American Scum" B-side cut). Out of press for a decade, but still fresh as it gets.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Long live LCD. Just days after I had the pleasure of their recent "Electric Lady Sessions", New York's finest repress this classic EP of B-sides and remixes. "Freak Out / Starry Eyes" is as good as anything they've recorded, that Onanistic Dub is a triumph of kraut-laced nu-disco and "Hippie Priest" is full on live-jam Fall tackle. Ace!

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Melodies International

Melodies International brings forward its latest disco 12” reissue single and another You’re a Melody peak time classic: Shahid Wheeler – Just One Dance Before You Go. The song was written and recorded by producer James Hartnett – having studied music theory and composition back in high school and recognised back then for producing a charted northern soul spin in the UK titled “Hipit” in 1976 with his studio band “Hosanna”, it’s in 1978 that Hartnett produced and self released the scarcer and more compelling “Just One Dance Before You Go” which he refers to as his masterpiece. With a fairly stripped back line up for a disco tune including a rhythm section, hammond organ, horns and vocals, Hartnett manages to do so much through seemingly simple but clever arrangements and thumping, contagious energy. Hartnett had also invited friend and singer Leroy Shahid Wheeler to perform lead vocals, who’s signature high pitched falsetto lifts the whole operation above ground – a true feel good party anthem!

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Tata

It's A Mess

Sharp Flat

Two sizzling South African boogie tracks from Kabasa’s Tata Sibeko. A killer producer, arranger and bass wizard, Tata channeled the gloomy current affairs landscape of 1985 into a glimmering Afro-synth nugget. As SA pop embraced 1980s synth sounds, Maxi Singles on 12-inch vinyl became a new canvas of expression with wider grooves for fat beats and extended mixes that suited dancefloors.
The supergroups of the 1970s fragmented into solo recording artists with the likes of Harari’s Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse releasing his seminal “Burnout” single in 1984. Former Kabasa frontman Tata Sibeko dropped “It’s A Mess” in 1985, addressing the world’s Cold War climate with an appeal to “learn to love each other” and “save ourselves from catastrophe.” The B-side “Afro Breakdance” marked the evolution of Tata’s Afro-global sensibilities from “Afro Funkin’” that had appeared five years earlier on Kabasa’s self-titled debut in 1980. Tata Sibeko (RIP) passed away in 2017 after approving the restoration and reissue of this single. This release is dedicated to his kindness, charm and creative zeal.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Was there a more OTT decade than the 80s? I think not. This 1985 mover sees former Kabasa frontman prove dry ice drama made it as far as South Africa with a sizzling synth funker about the cold war. Swtich it up on the flip for an e-e-e-lectro flyer called "Afro Breakdance".

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Payfone

I Was In New York / A Prayer For Maya Angelou

Otis

Payfone bring a double header of NYC styled heat for the inaugural release on their newly launched Otis Records. Marrying modern boogie and classic R&B, with cosmic leanings and Balearic touches, Payfone manage to keep all the essence of the early days whilst bringing a contemporary swagger to the floor.

Each element in "I Was In New York" gets the space it deserves. Palm muted guitars and sashaying synth echoes flutter over the top of a strutting slap bass courtesy of Giulio Granchelli. A simplicity that sings - simultaneously giving your mind the space it needs to drift off into a daydream of sunsets over cityscapes. Introspective, meditative and innocent, Dayna Talley’s spoken word vocals lull listeners into memories of tranquil times. Set to be one of 2019’s standout songs, its refreshingly original and sure to cut through the noise.

The B side, "A Prayer For Maya Angelou" takes a Balearic boat out across calming seas. Gravitating around a metallic, pulsating synth, modulated to bounce at points and brood at others, mystic flurries drift in the distance, as pads wash across the horizon. Len Xiang’s melancholic tale reverberates throughout, with those sweet sax sounds from Billy Brooks Paul and a spring reverbed guitar riffing off into the ocean - elevating this into pure paradise.

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Mahbunzi Nahgo Pihndi

D Ebando

Jemmy

Jemmy’s Belters

Belters

These lush Liverpudlian Belters have been supported by Gerd Jason, Michael Mayer and the Innervisions lot thus far; and with good reason! The impeccable label deliver a quadruplet of melodic technoid musica from Jemmy, whose previously released via Mule Musiq.

"A Cherry Valley" starts the adventure with a truly elasticated low-mid section, pulls and contorted a bendy synth array around rising strings and plinky-plonk tek beats; landing somewhere between Innervisions, Four Tet and Auntie Flo. "3 Stars" deploys an intriguing sound palette, mystic in colour and mood and coerces it into some kind of triplet-based exotic house romp. "Perfect Rose" opens side B with more thrusting bass pressure achieved again through some seriously rubbery low end - loud n wobbly just the way we like it! "Angel" closes off the EP with a beatless excursion; drifting into a thick swamp of plucked strings, keys, pads, celestial sounds and morphing filters.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Suave techno a a la Innervisions drenched in musicality and lollipop flavours. Not bad at all. Is it a belter? You are to decide! Worth a listen though!

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Run DMC

Sucker MC's

Lil Static

Yo yo yo. Sucker Mc's was the B side to the first ever Run DMC single, 'It's Like That' released on Profile records in ninety eighty muthf***** three.
Ignoring their disco sampling, fancy dress wearing predecessors, Run DMC, looked and sounded exactly like their audience, dressing 'down' in Adidas tracksuits and keeping their sparse beats pared back to their brutal essentials.
You could say that in this respect they had more in common with the British punk scene of 1976 in that they made normal people think, hey! I could do that and boy did they...

STAFF COMMENTS

David says: What is there left to say about this epic jam that hasn't been said better by better people than me? Hip Hop doesn't come any better than this, people...

FORMAT INFORMATION

7" Info: Limited to 300 copies.

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1-800 Girls

U, Me And Madonna

Clipp Art

House music eh? Bloody Hell. You think you've heard it all before and then along comes 1-800 Girls. With a tweak of a 303 there and an 808 hi hat there all of a sudden it's the second summer of love, the sun's breaking over the horizon and, you just can't help it, your arms just have to be in the air.
This 3 track twelve is so uplifting it has euphoria actually pressed into it's grooves.
Whether it be the tropical 303's on 'Suncream', the warehouse peakin' of 'All Day All Night' or, the MDMA soaked 'U,Me and Madonna' (TM the best house record you'll hear in 2019) this is a record I'll come back to again and again and I never thought I'd be saying that about house music in 2019.

STAFF COMMENTS

David says: Time travel is real and happening right now.It's 1988 here in Piccadilly, someone call Stephen Hawking...

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Craven Faults

Springhead Works

Lowfold Works

Intakes
Ings

Springhead Works is the second release by Craven Faults.

The journey picks up where Netherfield Works left off. We’re still in no rush to reach our destination. If anything, we’re travelling more slowly than before. For this late night drive through the Yorkshire moors, the Farfisa drone is a constant companion over another two long form pieces. The mist never clears to reveal the scale of the scenery. There are brief glimpses. Patience is rewarded.

Where have we been since the last time? The UFO Club, 1966. Runcorn via Stockholm a few years later. Progress. But at what cost? The Scottish Borders have been mentioned. The landscape is reminiscent of home. Rolling hills. Long hot summers. The smell of dusty 1/4” tape. Fairfield Halls, 1970. It’s all a little hazy. Ask a question, but don’t be surprised to get a question back in reply.

When was the last time you listened without distraction? Do you remember how it feels to lose yourself completely? Each tiny variation becomes seismic. A lost cause? Perhaps.

Progress. But at what cost?

Support from Kieran Hebden, Demdike Stare, Dan Snaith, Graham Massey, James Holden, Gold Panda, Bill Kouligas, Luke Abbott, Not Waving, Resident Advisor, NTS and Beats In Space.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Two glistening longform drone pieces here from the shadowy Craven Faults. Swirling pulses and slowly screaming resonance work their way around a churning, pulse-width modulated landscape. Beautifully hypnotic and completely brilliant.

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La Compagnie Creole

A.I.E - Larry Levan Remixes

Pardonnez-Nous

Another week, another Parisian party crew making the jump from DJ to label, bringing the sophistication and Gallic flair of their hometown to decks all over the globe. This week, it's the turn of Pardonnez-Nous, who open their account in reissue mode, unearthing a hidden track by one of the most famous band from the French Islands. La Compagnie Créole. Born in 1975, this mythical band have spread their message from the Antilles throughout the entire Francophone world with over twenty albums to their name. Tucked away amongst all those classics is a cover of Afro-disco smasher "A.I.E (Mwana)" by Black Blood, in its original form an emotive dancefloor groove much loved by the Balearic deejays, disco heads and the digging scene. This cover retained the energy and emotion of the original, but injected its own Creole flavour to send the dancefloor in a different direction. Fast forward a couple of years and in 1988, a NY DJ, known by the name of Larry Levan, produced a remix of this track for the soundtrack of the film Sweet Lies. Driven by pinging proto house seqeuncers and snapping drum machines, the coastal guitar licks, heartfelt synth riffs and descending chord progression take on even more Balearic appeal in the hands of the great Larry Levan, blowing all the other versions out the water. Unstoppable Balearic dancer folks!

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: This is the tits! I'll admit that I'd overlooked La Compagnie Creole's version of this track for years (I'm all about Black Blood's original), but this Larry Levan remix is FIRE! Powerhouse sequencers, Spanish guitar, bittersweet chords and big vocals - what else could you ask for in a Balearic dancer?

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Willie Graff & Darren Eboli

The Tribeca Tapes - Part Two

Music For Dreams

Lumberjacks In Hell

Italian multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer Giovanni Damico should be a familiar face to the Lumberjacks faithful, gracing the imprint a number of times over the years with his dusty house and disco flips. Now he's back on the black stuff with a mindblowing homage to Italy's Disco Sound of the 80's. Taking his lead from the recent Naples scene, Damico refines his love for synths and cheesy vocals and charters new territory with this wonderful 4 Track EP. Club med boogie, Pino D'Angio style vocals, laser fire and squelching bass run riot on this one - winning over even the toughest skeptics (Dave) with ease.

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Frank Booker

Frank Booker Edits Pt. 2

Razor-N-Tape

Another Frank Booker set of edits. At Piccadilly Records we regard him as a 'very good' editor. Not 'mint' but 'very good'. So attention is given to anything that lands at the counter with his name on it.

Straight off the bat ‘Be Yourself’ takes you on a sensuous journey around the disco cosmos. Interplanetary echoes, stratospheric strings and a bass and brass beamed down directly from the outer galaxy are brought together with those heavenly vocals alluring any lost souls. What is not to like?

‘More’ follows up – a hair raising, funk fuelled edit combining luscious vocals, a badass bassline and the kind of guitar riffs that will leave you straight up salivating for more. This is peak time, delectable disco with an added umph and rhythms that are kind to the discerning DJs out there.

Closing out the EP things get slowed down to galactic chugger territory, marshalling the funky starship to the underground with the pied piper of supercharged jazz flutes leading the dance. Totally bonkers? No. Just genius.

He may be reaching the 'mint' status fairly soon at this rate!

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Top notch high quality and high octane edits from a man who knows what is doing. Buy on sight!

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40 Thieves

Permanent Vacation Classic Vol.2

Permanent Vacation

San Francisco's 40 Thieves introduce the second instalment on this Classic series and is all about their fantastic cover version of one of our alltime disco favourites, 'Don't Turn It Off' by Hot Chocolate, with the amazing Qzen on the mic. And for the first time all remixes and versions are finally on one vinyl - the Greg Wilson Dub Edit is exclusive to this release.

But for me, fellas, it is all about the monster remix on B side by maestro Brennan Green. A cosy, woozy and playful acid line underpins the beautiful vocals and the whole track for that matter. converting this disco not disco, almost poppy affair into a timeless weapon for the discerning disc-jockey / selector. Infectious and driving. Perfect dancefloor dynamite. Second chance to get this cool classic.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: The term classic is appropriate for this timeless version of the Hot Chocolate hit by San Franciscan collective 40 Thieves (I think they are down to two members now). For me as I wrote above, it is all about the Brennan Green mix. Just gorgeous, like the original.

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Fine Jewelers

Braindance Through The Midnight D-Beat

Bank

Fine Jewelers is the duo of Dan Helmer (solo Helmer releases on Valcrond Video and Anomia) and Matt Korvette (vocalist of Pissed Jeans). Working at dangerously high BPMs, Fine Jewelers create neurotic industrial rave music and inhospitable gabber. This four-track debut is a techno headbanger's paradise, primed for subterranean club performance, dungeon Crossfit and outdoor bonfire parties with kids on dirtbikes. If that doesn't get you fired up, just braindance through the midnight d-beat and try again. Always wear head gear!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: This'll put hairs on your chest! Never has the impending human apocolypse sounded so real! So worryingly on trend with the current world mood it's quite terrifying.

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Niels Broos & Jamie Peet

Super Sonic Jazz

After three great LPs in 2018, Amsterdam's Super-Sonic Jazz label now introduces Niels Broos & Jamie Peet. With free improvisation as key element the talented Dutch duo takes you on a colorful and adventurous ride through landscapes of hiphop, electronica and jazz.
Rising stars within the free-form hip-hop, electronica, and jazz circuits. Respective Dutch talents Niels Broos and Jamie Peet have teamed up for their debut collective EP on Super-Sonic Jazz Records. Niels Broos, having come to attention through his music with Brainfeeders Jameszoo and The Kyteman Orchestra, creates a tapestry of hypnotic melodies and frantic harmonies atop the dexterous, and tight drum rolls of drummer Jamie Peet. The collaborative alliance creates an EP that sits within the young contemporary jazz scene, while it’s seeking for peculiar and adventurous sounds.
The self titled debut from the Dutch pair is full of free-improvisation, sterling electric sounds, trademark Rhodes warmth, electronica and jazz. From across Europe, artists are helping redefine our understanding of what jazz is, with Niels Broos & Jamie Peet falling directly into that vision. Niels Broos and Jamie Peet create that balance between classic sensibilities with a contemporary sound very much influenced by East Coast electronica exemplified by Broos’ work with Daedelus and Alpha Pup’s Daddy Kev. Jamie Peet, who more recently has collaborated with Cuban pianist RamÃ³n Valle Trio and Cinematic Orchestra collaborator Dominic J Marshall, lays down a sequence of stirring highs, broken beat rhythms and a wide palette of rolling kicks. The EP creates a sound that stretches from the Brainfeeder-like of trippy melodies of ’Saitama’, through to the gritty minimalist overtures of 'Conundrum', to 'Heist', an electronic mesh of electronic and percussive explorations.
The Niels Broos & Jamie Peet EP is the first body of original pieces to be released on Super-Sonic Jazz, following recent reissues of records by Hal Singer & Jef Gilson, Beverly Glenn-Copeland and a tribute LP by Palm Unit. Super-Sonic Jazz Records is runned by Dutch DJ KC The Funkaholic (a.k.a. Kees Heus) and brothers Tenzers (a.k.a. Vincent & Siemen Tenzer). Besides the label, Super-Sonic Jazz hosts a successful six day festival, monthly concerts and club nights at Paradiso Amsterdam, where the three are responsible for bringing in exciting names in the global music scenes. Heus was also responsible for the running the Dutch imprint Kindred Spirits, that released records by international heavyweights, while championing local pioneers simultaneously.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: Improvised electronic jazz in full swing from Niels Broos & Jamie Peet, joining in the jazz revolution they have stamped it with their own unique sound. Hypnotic and original, give this one a listen!

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Matt Whitehead & No Data Available Present Manor House Boys

Temple Of Set EP

Super Rhythm Trax

Matt Whitehead back on Super Rhythm Trax and for this outing, he’s joined by No Data Available (fresh from a recent outing on Null & Void) and together they’ve come up with something super special. "Sahara" and "Temple Of Set" conjure strong images that match their respective titles with the mood alternating between majestic and mystical. Both modern acid masterpieces.

These two tracks are sandwiched by the hypnotic and acidic tendencies of "Full Resonance" and "Panic In Flat 13". You may be surprised to know that this is not the first time the two have collaborated on Super Rhythm Trax, and eagle eared listeners will be able to spot their previous collaboration. Limited to 350 copies and certain to be one of the more collectable moments on this cult label. Check!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Flamboyant, but ruff-as-a-bear's-arse acid attacks from the bunker that is Super Rhythm Trax. Manor House Boys manning the big guns...Take cover!

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Amaringo

Franco F / Marika Lenny

Welcome To Paradise ADE Bonus Disc

Safe Trip

Nice, limited, almost-white label business here from the Safe Trip crew - purveyors of both "Dream House" compilations alongside 'nuff tasty new house music. This release was given out exclusively at the Amsterdam Dance Event last year, but somehow we've managed to bag a few limited spares!

Double-sider of exquisite house music pressure. Franco F's "Ray-Tracing Sauna" is a wavy glider with punchy low end, thick swirling pads and a steady beat. Add a few ascending arpeggio flurries and you've got a dreamy house epic that's not only in keeping with the label's ethos, it packs a serious vibe for the floor.

Marika Lenny deploys vintage house organ chords, a bubbling synthline and kinetic house beats for a mid-session romp that'll put smiles on everyone's face. Add a careering synth-flute cruising through the middle of the track and it's only gonna accentuate the buzz! Literally the last remaining copies of this hit, so don't delay if you want in.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Eagle eared and keen dance music enthusiasts will be aware of this record that circulated during last year's Amsterdam Dance Event. We've got huslted a few spares for us meagre peasantry that were unable to attent. Don't mess about, once it's gone its gone!

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd 12" Info: Super limited 12" release in conjuction with Amsterdam Dance Event

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Leon X Leon

Rokanbo EP

Cracki Records

There are some people out there who can't help but make you feel inadequate - fantastic, charismatic bastards whose boundless energy, brilliant talent and superior skill suggests they're actually just more evolved than the rest of us. So it is with Leon x Leon, a Parisian doctor, digger, DJ and producer, who climbs mountains, makes your earth move and grooves you greatly whenever he's up in the spot. And when he isn't ripping it up on a rooftop DJ set, saving lives or tackling a multi-pitch ascent without breaking a sweat, Leon x Leon can be found in his home studio, fusing italo, house and boogie into neon tinged heaters for the likes of Red Laser Disco or Good Plus, the label he founded with his friends at Les Yeux Orange.
Now two years on from his last EP, our hero finds himself on Cracki, coming in hot and heavy with a five track frenzy of mature and diverse dancers for party people everywhere. The titular "Rokanbo" rocks your socks and sandals right off, bouncing out the A1 with an infectious fusion of acid, house and zouk. An intoxicating tropical tipple, "Rokanbo" delivers a string of bright and buoyant synth riffs, subtle percussion and a KILLER bassline, before blasting into the stratosphere via a bubbling 303 and massive synth brass solo - pure Rubicon tackle. Next up, "Formant Sweep" treats us to a squiggling bass line and spiralling synthlines, picking up a couple of classy keys on the way to mid 80s New York. If you're a fan of FK, Boyd Jarvis and Timmy Regisford, this proto-house peach will have you reaching for your Prelude jams. "Jungle Juice" transplants the party from Zanzibar to...well...Zanzibar, simmering sultry melodies, warm pads and a discoid bassline into a true techno-tropical jam, while "Red Footpath" and "Horizon" get deep, deep, deeper into this thing, balancing tougher NJ house percussion with atmospheric pads, tacky bass with trilling flute, Mediterranean optimism with New York grit.
Exotic, evocative and utterly irresistible, this is the Frenchman's finest work to date.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: KP tip - double dose with a can of Rubicon for the ultimate party power up.

Patrick says: Beat the seasonal blues from the comfort of your own turntable with Parisian producer Leon x Leon. Ignore the EasyJet offers clogging up your inbox and invest in something way groovier. Acid zouk? Island disco? Proto House? If you're after a breath of fresh air and a blast of high end floor fuel, this is for you.

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Arctic Monkeys

I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

Domino

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Bufiman

Ba Hu Du (Wolf Müller's Unreleased Version)

Safe Trip

Ba Hu Du (Wolf Müller's Unreleased Version)

After landing around the ADE weekend as a special Safe Trip bonus, Young Marco lets the last few copies of this one sided killer out into the wider world. A companion to Jan Schulte's ace remix compilation "Sorry For The Delay...", this no nonsense power platter sees the Dusseldorf producer adopt his Wolf Müller guise to radically rework a track from one of his other acclaimed projects, Bufiman. “Ba Du Hu (Wolf Müller's Unreleased Version)” includes all of the ingredients that make Wolf Müller reworks so special. Rich in loose and heavy, densely layered percussion, Schulte’s trademark Jew’s Harp, liquid electronics and breathy, mangled tribal chants – the latter presented in a handy locked groove at the end of the single – the track is little less than dancefloor voodoo for basement botherers and slacker daydreamers alike. Well wonky, packed with off kilter funk and steeped in kosmische melodies, this is best played when the room's spinning and the walls are starting to melt.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Ooof! Right, we've managed to snag a few copies of this ST promo, originally only available from the label's webshop, released as a companion to the recent Jan Schulte remix collection. Tying all his varies guises together (more or less), this battle weapon is high grade voodoo lysergia - cosmic house for the froglicking crowd.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd 12" Info: Limited Single Sided 12".
Tone arm balancing tool on the B-side.

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Ist Ist

Everything Is Different Now

Robert Ouimet

Edits Vol. 2

Basic Fingers

Another Basic Fingers gets us all smiling and wanting to dance. Superb disco edits as always. We start with 'Come Party' an appropriately title for a track exuding warmth and good feelings all over the shop - percussion heavy and with a very good bassline leading this number.

On B1, 'Where's Eugene', the string arrangement and the piano loop that works as a bassline makes you think that you are in a set of some 1970s blaxploitation b movie. Just wait for the bassline solo mid track. Excellent tune.

Soul Sisters

Edit In Love (Jim Sharp Edit)

I know what you're all thinking. Does the world need a re-edit of Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love'? A song so good, that even if your idea of a good Saturday night out is sticking your fingers down your throat in the mosh pit at a Cradle Of Filth gig you'd begrudgingly admit that, even though,you know, you'd never actually CHOOSE to listen to it, it's okay when it comes on the radio.
Well, the answer, surprisingly, is yes!
Top notch masher upper, Jim Sharp, extends the original Chi-lites break, uses a bit more of Jay Z's rap extends the killer bongo break and generally makes an already great song even greater.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: Possibly the best R&B song ever, Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’ gets an edit from Jim Sharp to extend and emphasis all those golden parts to the max. It’s an absolute classic, sing it Soul Sisters!

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Sias

May 1932 / Of Cotton

Jheri Tracks

A thumping and melodic techno attack is happening on the A side. It is proper and respectable. The build-up is surprisingly powerful and something you could definetely hear the big boys spinning in a big room in a big club or in a small room in a small club in a dark, humid basement somewhere. You could also come across this beast in your headphones and you will still find yourself not noticing you started to dance. It is that good, fellas.

The B Side is a different kettle of fish. Here I picture the man that used to play the casio in the jungle that is Piccadilly Gardens during the summer months (oh man, that grass is something from a different galaxy - when will MCC sort it? tThey have been hiring all kind of contractors for years, and they all do a crappy job and run away with the money!). Anyway, coming back to the man and his casio. This could have easily come out of such machine. It is a mad number that will likely empty the entire dancefloor if you are not careful. However, surely will entice your appetite for a bit of off-the-beaten track vibes. It is definetly a rude number.

Summarising, it is a really good 12" that all techno heads out there should be listening to. We have played it in the shop and we have to stop it because customers where going totally bananas. Yes, it is that good.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: I wrote the above so everything I had to say is already said. But in a few words, a genuinely good straight dance record on A side, flip it and you get a more, let's say... introspective approach to techno.

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Red Pig Flower & Thought Crime

BSR20.5

Riccardo Schiro / GG FX

Sine Phase

Gravity Graffiti

After cooking up one of our favourite releases of 2018, the entirely entheogenic rainforest romp of "Dunas", Italy's Riccardo Schiro is back on his Gravity Graffiti imprint with another hit of DMT-laced dance music. A-side cut "Sine Phase" leads us deep under ground, weaving through root systems and rock formations as the water drips around us. Employing an unpredictible but irresistible rhythm (watch out for that reversed 4/4) Schiro leads the expedition right through the heart of the forest and beyond, into an underground cave where crystaline fragments refract the bioluminscent glow (aka synth trills) and giant worms (aka oozing basslines) roam free. Over on the flip, Schiro enlists the rest of the Gravity Graffiti crew for "Islands", an immense ambient jam recorded live on a mushroom trip. A genuine psy-kraut voyage, this commune killer goes out to the beanbag crew.

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Husbands

BBR#33

Box Bedroom Rebels

Ltd 7"

£8.99 + shipping

Cat Number

BBR33

Release date

18 Jan '19

Format Info
7 track 33rpm EP which comes in one of 3 coloured double sided sleeves with a double sided insert and envelope containing a 10 track download code, BBR Letter, Husbands confetti Popcard#4 which is in honour of Nicolas Roeg who died recently.

'Well..I think its universally agreed its been a terrible year for world leaders momumentally screwing the world over! So I wanted to end the year with a nice positive bouncey pop record to blow away the grey and see 2019 in with some much needed love and cheer! And thats what Husbands are about. This Ohio group make joyous jump-up guitar party pop - from the opening singalong of "Karlstad" (yup.. it's named after their favourite piece if Ikea furniture), the romping fun of "I Don't Wanna Die" to the beautiful closer "Youth Group", its an EP of varied styles. 7 tracks in total plus more in the downloads, one of which is a cover of "Believe" by Cher - which is just awesome! Trust me..' - Kev Beard (Box Bedroom Rebels)

Yes folks it's another winner from the 'Rebels. Husband are rawkus, boiyant and postive - there's flecks of vintage Cali / San Francisco, a bit of Best Coast and even a bit of garage punk a la The Queers / Ramones... It's a celebratory affair, not as navel-gazing as previous BBR's have (proudly) been. Yes indeedy, Kev's deifnintely attempting to veer us away from the current cycle of doom and gloom and for that we should all rejoice!

Limited copies as per - move quick to snag the action!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Box Bedroom Rebels blast us out of our Winter depression with a brilliant, jam packed 7" of pop-psyche-indie-rock business that's impossible not to crack a smile too... always remember to moisturize!

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd 7" Info: 7 track 33rpm EP which comes in one of 3 coloured double sided sleeves with a double sided insert and envelope containing a 10 track download code, BBR Letter, Husbands confetti Popcard#4 which is in honour of Nicolas Roeg who died recently.

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Hotmood

Tropical

Disco Fruit

Hailing from the warm climate that Mexico normally has to offer comes Hotmood, a music-maker which I assume Disco and House are his main genres. This is widely proven in this super cool and exceptionally good collection of edits. Yes, I know we have been here before with the edits debate. True, there is a lot of dross flying around but when you get a good one like this 4-tracker, your ears become more receptive.

Hotmood adapts four not-so-obscured tunes into four shiny and warm club tracks that guarantee a positive reaction with your punters. The whole ep, starting with the song titles, exude positive feelings, warm reception, and a touch of class.

Is Hotmood the Mexican response to Late Night Tuff Guy? Buy this and you will find out!

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Four top class edits for those who need a mainstream approach to that genre named disco-house. They are pretty decent and we may have a successor to the Late Night Tuff Guy throne after all. Recommended!

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Love Creation

Love Creation 005

Love Creation

Love Creation reach the mini milestone of their fifth release. editing Brit funk quintessential "Hanging On A String" by Loose Ends. Adding live percussion, dub delays and extending the arrangement in both original and instrumental version, the crew have managed to inject new life into this stone cold soul staple.

Bonus cut, "Is It Love Creation?" brings slap bass and deadpan vox to a post-punk / wave joint from mid '80s New York. Wunderbaa!

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: It is not about quantity but quality for me and Love Creation has done just right. Number 5 is proof of that. Versatility and variety is Love Creation's forte, well proven here with a killer post-punk edit and essential boogie-funk tune for your listening pleasure!

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Secret Squirrels

No. 2

Secret Squirrels

SS2A
SS2B

The Secret Squirrel returns with number two in this limited edition series of vinyl only, dancefloor delights. Having given 80s unclassic "Ma Foom Bey" the full treatment last time round, the remixing rodent this time takes Eddy Grant and the Coachhouse Rhythm Section downtown with a head nodding rework of "Nobody's Got Time". The intro is super looped, removing the difficulty of finding that first beat (I still haven't managed to work out where best to run the OG from), with bursts of harmonica echoing all over the place, before that killer groove gets dropped to full effect. This edit is close enough to the original to keep it real while adding those little tweaks in arrangement and mix that leave a dancefloor begging for more.

On the B-side Herb Alpert's "Rise" groove (you know, the bit from the middle where the trumpet drops out and everything gets real funky. You know, that bit with him clapping on the beach in the video. Oh yeah, that's right the bit sampled for "Hypnotize" by Notorious BIG) gets treated to a seven minute extension. Filtered up, down, left and right and given that slow release treatment where all the little additions from the original come in nice and slow, this is a proper peak time groover with a bumping kick and low end. Note, this comes complete with an awesome acid coda for the last couple of minutes. The artist may remain a mystery, but these edits have revealed themselves as must have.

Cut loud and built for maximum club use. Dancefloor devastation is guaranteed!

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Heavenly Recordings

Limited edition 12” EP (300 only). Stamped white label. Heavenly house bag. Featuring a killer remix and dub by Dicky Trisco and Pete Herbert plus the group’s original and instrumental versions.

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Darshan Jesrani

Gotta Do EP

Imogen

Drop drawer release from esteemed Brooklyn producer Darshan Jesrani - famous for work with Metro Area and Siren alongside plenty of solo material. You always sense when Darshan's involved - slowly those chord progressions take hold and it clicks and you're like 'ahhh yeah, of course it is...'.

This is perfectly evident on A side track, "Gotta Do", which after familiarizing us with a kinetic electronic groove; mellows out with fluttering Rhodes plumes, adding that patented Jesrani warmth.

B-side track, "Take Me" sees a typically fizzy rhythm section dotted with toms and woodblock suddenly give way to angelic keyboard and bass interplay, before re-introducing a new crisp beat pattern to propel the track alongside Umami's sexy and seductive vocal part. Lush n dreamy and very very good!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Jesrani opens up 2019 with a duo of house heaters executed with all the typical style and pinache we expect of this Brooklyn bod.

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Local

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: The second part further hammers home AOT's favourable house jive - heady, bustling and more than capable of uniting a dancefloor under it's jet-propelled house prowess. Yes mate!

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MSLX

Heavily influenced by hip hop, jazz and bass music, Rodrigo Vellutini's solo project, Afterclapp combines samples and edits with electronic sounds and live instrumentation. This EP features Brazilian music from the North and South of Brazil. Based on a novel by Brazilian author Jorge Amado, ‘Capitães da Areia’ captures the nostalgic Bahian vibe of the original ‘twisted tale’ of youth vagabonds living on the streets and beaches of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Even more dreamy than the A side, Beiramar, is classic Brazilian trip hop experience and takes us back to the good old days when Ninja tune, Mo wax, and Wall of Sound ruled the genre.

STAFF COMMENTS

Emily says: Sunny bossa vibes from Afterclapp, with symphonic samples and beguiling vocals layered over hip hop inspired beats.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd 7" Info: Limited to 200 copies.

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Levi Love & Daddy Molete

Ashram

Mas O Menos

Herrre's Levi - MCR's #1 nicest, most enthusiastic and downright charismatic house head / flamboyant DJ extraordinaire and now, label owner and contributing artiste! - is there nothing this man can't do? (he also has a side line in stand up! - ed).

Anyway, having made waves with their debut record, "Applebush" that came in at the end of last year, the small but perfectly formed team have been spreading the good word, touring, performing and ensuring even the farthest flungs of the record buying world heard the release - resulting in a rapturous global reception

Named after one of the few remaining, truly bohemian spots in Ibiza, "The Ashram EP" sees Levi take the reins, dropping two tracks and featuring a ridiculously good guest vocal on the B-side.

"Ashram" begins, gently fluttering in like a butterfly as a relaxed percussion ushers in low droning bass and a cerebral pad sound. It's unforced and effortless, showing a poise and sophistication that belies Levi's somewhat recent entry into record production. It should bring back fond memories of listening to Henrik Schwarzand Âme as the Sun rises or falls over your favourite tropical party spot. Majestic!

Side B stems from an afterparty which took place 7 years ago, during which he contacted a very talented vocalist Daddy Molete to narrate that night, in retrospect. It has taken all these years to find an instrumental that did justice to the vocal; in the process converting the whole piece into a New York dub-infused Afro house track, like it was cherry picked from Yoruba and Sacred Rhythm Music's catalogues! Honestly, this is as an arresting a piece of house music as you're likely to hear all year - hats off Levi you've nailed it here mate!

Mas O Menos was established in 2015, with the intention to encourage cross-pollination of Manchester and South African culture and music. 'Celebrating a milestone birthday in the serene and almost hypnotic surroundings of Sunset Ashram, Ibiza, gave birth to the title of this EP. It was constructed using the melodies of a struggle song I used to sing with my father; his passing was indicative of a significant point in my life. Chandra's meaning of Ashram is exactly that: a step in the journey of life. To retain it in musical form is not only meditative but therapeutic. As a psychiatrist by day this is something that resonates with me - and it is my intention to transfer this restorative sentiment to the listener.'

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Yes you know it. Brother Levi returns with his cult imprint and it's a steaming, late night house affair that democratizes any dancefloor!

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Kamaal Williams

New Heights / Snitches Brew

Black Focus

Following a stellar 2018 for Black Focus, Henry Wu’s new imprint that set the levels with acclaimed debut LPs from Kamaal Williams and Mansur Brown, worldwide tours and international collaborations, Kamaal Williams returns with a 12” of fresh cuts.

Two new pathways to unknown worlds filtering the Kamaal Williams sound through hypnotic hip-hop on the Darkhouse Family (Don Leisure & Earl Jeffers) co-produced 'New Heights', and melted wah wah psychedelia on 'Snitches Brew', which features Mansur Brown on guitar.

To echo Kamaal’s friend and collaborator Yelfris Valdés, ‘This aint jazz no more...’

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: Paving the way for innovative jazz-hybrid-hip hop is Kamaal Williams along with Mansur Brown on guitar, these two tracks are in a league of their own (I think Snitches Brew is my favourite name for a song ever!)

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd 12" includes MP3 Download Code.

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