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Cover of 1 by Shelved Recordings.

Shelved Recordings

1

Shelved Recordings

First release on the feverishly anticipated Shelved Recordings - a new label from some familiar friends that looks to shine a light on the golden age of the remix: 'Pioneering techniques, over-dubs and an exploratory period of pop production resulted in many lost dub versions and mixes. Mixes, which invariably were left on the shelf, deemed too 'out there' by the bosses of the hedonistic label managers who commissioned them. Shelved will present a series of limited double 12" releases comprised of carefully reconstructed and rebuilt lost classics from someone who was there the first time around!'

And what a debut set. A1 kicks us off with a lesser known (than "Life In A Northern Town" anyway) fuckin' Dream Academy EPIC that's feels like you're watching the sun rise over the most paradisiacal part of Ibiza whilst coming up off the strongest and cleanest hit of ecstasy the body can physically handle. Waves lapping at your feet, angel choirs rising over the ocean - peak experience guaranteed!

Then it's into unchartered waters as "Flight" pairs emotive piano licks, seductive spoken word vox, warm bass and evocative pan pipes with a loose baggy breakbeat for a slice of downbeat flavoured comedown bliss.

Eagle-eared obsessives might recognize China Crises' "Feel To Be Driven Away" close off the first disc, a perfectly wacky slice of kraut-inspired new wave / synth-rock emanating from Liverpool around 1982 and expertly excavated from a lesser known album by the band - a testament the depths the editor / curator involved is prepared to go in order to present the weird and wonderful to our more than receptive ears.

Disc two keeps us more than delighted as "Unlimited Love" displays a rarely aired (but quite easy to acquire) Grace Jones nugget in all its glory before "Magic" concludes with a joyous canter into shallow coastal waters.

One-time limited press on this one folks - do not f**k about!


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: An inspired collection of edits kicks off this new label. We're under painfully enforced but faithfully adhered to instructions not to give the game away, but rest assured - this is unmissable!

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Cover of Señorita by Youkounkoun.

Youkounkoun

Señorita

Edits Du Plaisir

Youkounkoun is a new French duo, formed by Jeff Lasson (Get A Room) and Gaëtan Rossi (The Elricks). And what a debut! "Señorita" immediately grabs our attention through its cool deadpan suaveness, pogoing disco-not-disco grooves accompanying catchy vocal chorus and picked, tight melodies - it's the anthem-not-anthem you never realized you wanted so bad! The kinda track that'd find favour from Ron Hardy to David Mancusso to Harvey and Alfredo. Universally high quality music and worth the entrance fee alone!

"A Quoi Tu Danses Quand Tu Penses" keeps the bar high with a rolling bass, dancing xylophones and French spoken word section, before some truly lush, call-response chorus passages sweep in. It's another flawless cosmic disco number primed ready to pop the lid off any dance!

"L'Homme Animal" concludes, if you needed anymore reason to be cheerful, with a strange and otherworldly dub-disco workout which utilizes rattling glockenspiel lines and tension-wrought brass to devastating effect!



STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: The Plaisir Partagé team (well Tanguy) continue to promote the freshest sounds out of Paris this week with a killer edit offering from Get A Room! and The Elricks (heard here as Youkounkoun). Deeply dug disco-not-disco, Balearic grooving and tropical pop - en français maintenant!

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Cover of Arcipelago - Inc. Mystic Jungle & Whodamanny Remix by Pascal.

Pascal

Arcipelago - Inc. Mystic Jungle & Whodamanny Remix

Periodica

Naples in da house! Tying Dusseldorf, Glasgow and MCR for coolest place on the planet right now, the other Bay Area lays claim to Nu Guinea, Pascal, Whodmanny, Mystic Jungle, Space Garage and Pellegrino. Unless you've been living under a particularly unfunky rock of late, you'll have thrown shapes and feelings to at least a couple of the above - but if you're still in the dark, allow me to drop some science...
(ahem) The hardware heroes, synth wielders, production experts and funky bassmen of the Naples scene have been responsible for some of the freshest sounds around over the past few years. Hotter than a Vesuvian eruption, but as cool and coastal as a cocktail on Capri, the releases on Early Sounds, NG, Periodica and Futurible, revive the boogie, funk and disco of 80s Naples, chuck in a little Library style cosmic, a smattering of dub and the odd bit of house, then reframe it with some of the finest live musicianship around. It's a fucking trip in other words.
Here Pascal powers up from 7" to 12" for two new disco dub joints by Pascal inspired by the fresh breeze of an oceanic archipelago, plus an obscure cosmic-boogie reinterpretation of the previously released "Nero di Seppia" by label honcho Mystic Jungle and the Casio wizard Manny Whodamanny. "Arcipelago" hits us with slick bass work, space age synth sounds and G-Funk strings, all filtered through a sticky, humid soundscape - Sakamoto downing a Red Stripe in Tubby's yard. "Shamizen" drops the pace for some zero gravity groove, wrapping us in wild laser fire, off-kilter synth idents, nuanced percussion and elastic bass - Lee Perry drunk off Schochu in Miyakojima. Over on the B-side, Pascal hands the baton (and the stems) to Mystic Jungle & Whodamanny, who transform Library-bomb "Nero di Seppia" into an intoxicating, interdimensional boogie bounce. Outrageous synth solos, irresistible rhythms and optimistic progressions abound as we take the funicular into deep space.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: ANOTHER must have release on Periodica - Naples is unstoppable right now. Pascal's trademark take on dub-disco is fluid and freaky, like a liquid in space, while Mystic Jungle and Whodamanny split atoms, refract light and head for the stargate on remix duties.

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Cover of The Attic / Sexor by Lhasa.

Lhasa

The Attic / Sexor

Stroom

"To understand where “The Attic” came from, we have to go back to one of my oldest memories: watching Der Phantastische Film on German tv. The movies that left the deepest marks on me were the ones that zoomed in on the possible bad sides of technology and predicted the downfall of mankind. A next personal cornerstone was Tubeway Army's “Are 'friends' electric?”, from 1979: it was the first time I was blown away by the sound of synths. It felt so new, an expression of the perversity of technology through music. The song was about androids who seduced humans in order to rape them. The shortcomings of human beings transported to technology. It was machines turning against humanity. It wasn't like Kraftwerk who were very first degree, unpersonal and too clean.

I was an early adopter of home computers, but the instruments and studio stuff to make music were still out of my reach in the early eighties. So when sampling came along, for me it was not only an important change in sound image, but it opened up all these possibilities too. And then finally, in the mid-eighties – I was working in the military – people started selling their hardware to make the switch to digital. I bought loads of old gear and started experimenting with sound. It was around the time when the whole new beat thing exploded in Belgium. I despised it. To me they were yuppies with smileys plundering a subculture, shitting out one bland record after another... At the time I was listening to B-2 Unit by Sakamoto, or the weird electropop of YMO. That's probably where my idea of techno was shaped: this idea of electronics mixed with the German Bauhaus school, or with abstract Malevich paintings.

I quit the army around 1990, and shortly thereafter I had a dark dream that caused me to make 'The Attic'. I was in the attic of a house. It felt magical, but there was a sense of underlying danger. I looked up and the roof came off and started to dissolve, and I heard voices with bird like frequencies calling from the cosmos: “come with us, come with us.” Maybe it was about the deification of technology? Anyway, the image and the feeling of the dream were so vivid I transcribed them to music in maybe two days.

When the demo was finished, we went straight to Boccaccio and handed it to Olivier Pieters, who immediately played it. 'The Attic' went on to become one of the signature songs for which they switched on the big lasers. It started to live its own life: I heard it in shopping streets in Amsterdam, it was blazing from cars, it was huge in Germany after the wall fell, etc.

I quickly realized the music business wasn’t something for me though: all these people with their profiling urge, the bootlegs, the fact that music got pushed into formats ... In retrospect, I was part of a scene without really taking part in it."
Alain Raes, Lhasa

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Taking a break from the ambient, wavy or weirdo releases, Nosedrip drops a couple of killer 12"s featuring his favourite Belgian bangers from the New Beat / techno / pre trance era. Boccaccio classic "The Attic" kills it on the A-side with chirping electronics, lysergic synth leads and doomsday pads riding a rugged drum box breakbeat and sequenced bassline into the future. On the flipside, "Sexxor" ups the tempo to rattle through the most vicious acid techno around. Huge!

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Cover of Dilemma by Sound Mercenary / Groove Mercenary.

Sound Mercenary / Groove Mercenary

Dilemma

Stroom

Landing in tandem with their Lhasa reissue, Stroom treat us to another pair of Nosedrip's favourite Belgian releases from the early 90s, this time from Stefan Van Elsen in his Sound / Groove Mercenary guises. The salesnotes tell us we're listening to "trance / new beat embodied as a shovel in mud", and I'd be hard pushed to disagree as "Dilemma's" cinematic synth stabs and precise drum programming drop into Inner City keyboard vamps and that looped out vocal wail. Chuck in a robotic synthline and some murky bass and we're sweating one out in the throb of Boccaccio. Skip to the flip and Stefan takes us into the most distant reaches of deep space with the bleep heavy, break-driven, ethno-sampling smash of "Switch". Twisted and techy, this floor filler takes me straight through the Stargate into a distant planet where you can still find a Laser Quest - if I'm not totally mistaken, Lena Willikens and Vlad played it at the last night of Salon, so you know you're onto a winner.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Almost anticipating our newly christened New Beat section, Nosedrip re-ishes a couple of his best loved bangers from early nineties Belgium. Here we feel the force of Stefan Van Elsen’s post Detroit techno-tonker “Dilemma”, and the cybernetic new beat of “Switch”, a break-led beauty for peak time heat.

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Cover of I'm Moving To Berlin by Bell Towers.

Bell Towers

I'm Moving To Berlin

Cocktail D'Amore

A regular at Cocktail d'Amore, Bell Towers is a Berlin-based Australian producer best known for his long-lasting collaboration with Munich's Public Possession. Next to that, a number of projects under different monikers - namely Rim Boys, an evolving b2b with Andras. "I'm Moving To Berlin" is his first EP for Cocktail d'Amore Music. It's a sparkling celebration of the party; its influence on the city and on the producer's life tangents. "It's too late now / There's no turning back / I gave it all for Cocktail d'Amor..." Rohan confesses, while a hybrid EBM-synth pop sonic adventure unfolds. What happens next is presented in "Sexual Intruder Alert" and "Approach and Identify". The first comes through as a quirky multidimensional future-disco tale, while the second plunges deep into the cosmic hole with punchy percussions and an euphoric groove pattern.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Aussie ex-pat Bell Towers pays homage to Berlin's best party here, with the frisky post disco meets EBM camp of "I'm Moving To Berlin". Comes complete with sirens, synth vamps and Pet Shop Boys references. "Sexual Intruder Alert" is deeper and darker, joining the dots between Basic Channel, leather bound EDM and the many limbed GHB melting pot. Finally "Approach & Identify" flips the themes into a retro-futurist post minimal romp for 21st dancers.

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Cover of BSR20.5 by Sleep D Presents DJ Mind Leaf & The Herbalist & DJ Fett Birger & Sleep D.

Sleep D Presents DJ Mind Leaf & The Herbalist & DJ Fett Birger & Sleep D

BSR20.5

Butter Sessions

Another super special split and limited 7inch from Butter Sessions HQ! This time Sleep D present their dub influenced moniker, DJ Mind Leaf & The Herbalist for the first time with the deep dancehall tinged party original 'See Mi Rockin' before joining forces with the man from Moss and former collaborator DJ Fett Birger! The twisted rhythms, earth shaking basslines and synths were originally recorded at a jam session in Melbourne in 2016 and later Ricanstructed by the birger man for the special rooftop party in Melbourne on November 25th.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Weird and wonky dub / digi / house hybrid here from Sleep D and Fett Birger, who take the Idjuts approach to mixing desk madness, drench it in patchouli and push right through the other side of the free party scene.

FORMAT INFORMATION

7" Info: Limited to 300 copies and comes in 4 different sleeve colours!

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Cover of Easin' In The S-System by Gerd.

Gerd

Easin' In The S-System

Frame Of Mind

Re-issue of Gerd's atmopsheric & mysterious techno track "Easin' In The S-System" originally released on Brave New World in 1994. Respendent with that bouyant, optimistic, space-age focus, these perfectly formed blueprints skirt effortlessly between house and techno, with frenetic grooves, inspired synth work and rich atmospheres, it's an essential release for fans of vintage techno.

Package includes previously unreleased material found on early DAT tapes.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Gerd's 90's output continues to have a inqusitive spotlight shined through it's best bits, unearthering this bona fide space-techno opus. RIYL: Reel By Real (Marty Bonds & Juan Atkins), Mayday, Carl Craig etc.

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Cover of Split 10" by Schlachthofbronx & Belp.

Schlachthofbronx & Belp

Split 10"

Jahmoni Music & Rave And Romance Records

It's a Munich club music meet-up on this split 10” by Rave And Romance Records and Jahmoni Musik who drop two 100% fire tracks on tasty 10" vinyl.

Jahmoni Musik label boss Belp opens "Lion" with some future jazz inflections before he flips the tune into a ragga-breakbeat face melter with layers of funky-as-hell percussions, wubbing bass and that wonderfully dubbed out 'lion' rastaman vox.

On the other side you’ll find Schlachthofbronx firing off a 130 bpm bassline anthem that builds up tension with one of their far-travelled synth melodies and then plunges into a monster of a rolling bass line that satisfies all your soundsystem & low end pressure needs.

A big one for carnival crowds and big soundsystems, let em know party season has arrived with an early hi-octane bass missile. Recommended!


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Big n bad rastaman breaks & tropical bassline business from a killer Berlin - Munich collaboration. Watch yer bassbins!

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Cover of Tom Noble Edits by Tom Noble.

Tom Noble

Tom Noble Edits

Razor-N-Tape

Record store owner, DJ, producer, and Wet Play fave Tom Noble comes to RNT with a superb EP of sought-after Caribbean and African sounds, edited up for the most discerning of dancefloors. The A side burns hot right out of the gate with the explosive and percussive Soca-disco pulse of "They Came To New York", then settles into the laid back lilt of "Zouk Pour Esa".

On the flip, "Disco Massamba" is a wild Afro-disco burner while "Parang-A-Teng" brings it back to the Western hemisphere for some Latin-tinged funk from Barbados. Well worth it for the value of the original source material alone, this 12” is nothing short of dance floor destruction!


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Tom shows off just why he's one of the best of the new school with four mesmerizing edits that should captivate anyone who caught his two mindblowing MCR appearances; there's a reason he's one of Wet Play's most rated!

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Cover of Nachtdichter by Victor De Roo.

Victor De Roo

Nachtdichter

Knekelhuis

"Brussels, monday 1 AM. Capital of a united Europe, its inhabitants separated by cultural spheres along lingual lines. Yet, in the back of a dimly lit pub they encounter one another surrounded by nocturnal buzz and the smell of skimpy beer. The night is a place where poets, authors and musicians dwell, in an attempt to leave everyday reality behind in favor of a universal nowhere in particular."
Nachtdichter (poet of the night) is the world of Victor de Roo, assisted by the words of Alex Deforce: “Meer naar café's, ze gaan dicht zonder ons”. Expect to hear melancholic guitar, spoken word and fragile synth tones, quasi new beat lullabies, cinematic vignettes and opiated experiments, all set to the neon buzz of a flickering striplight.




STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Knekelhuis start the new year with a majorly wavy offering from Victor De Roo, who uses guitar, synth, drum box and voice to transplant Hopper's Nighthawks to 21st century Brussels. Music for loners, poets and perverts.

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Cover of Don't Leave Me Now by Block Sistem.

Block Sistem

Don't Leave Me Now

Best Records

Not content with a red hot re-ish of Radiance's boogie bomb "You're My Number One", Best Records rock our spot with another reissue this week - and it's effin' massive. Originally released in 1983, and attributed to the production team Andy Rabbit and Bob Hurtchi (both totally fictitious) "Don't Leave Me Know" is an entirely unique bit of Italo disco, based around a tough minimal breakbeat, intermittent, but devastating bassline, and super Euro female vocal. Though sparse, the arrangement is constantly moving, shifting through unpredictable twists, turns and bleeping motifs. It's easy to see why this was such a hit with Detroit's futurists. Now quite rightly regardd as one of the best rare Italo gems, "Don't Leave Me Now" is in high demand from the collectors and smartphone kids, so props to Best Records for this official reissue. Dip in for the original, extended instrumental and a killer sleeve!

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: They don't make 'em like this no more. Strange, skeletal Italo, which twists and turns through about a dozen killer synth riffs, a huge Euro vocal and the biggest bassline around. Flash your lights!

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Cover of You're My Number 1 by Radiance.

Radiance

You're My Number 1

Best Records

Limited remastered official reissue of a boogie masterclass from 1983, mixed by the legendary Morales and Muzibai (M & M Productions), this grabs you from the off with its super-funky bassline, tight double handclaps and compulsive cowbells before Andrea Stone's dreamy falsetto vocals jab funk shaped holes all over the heady groove. Flip over for the mind-blowingly tasty full dub mix including full intros and reprise (for some reasons unavailable on the original and promo releases), a big favourite of many in-the-know disco DJs and hugely in-demand since being one of the standouts on Dimitri from Paris' Nightdubbin' compilation.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Oooh weee! It doesn't get much better than this, does it? Italy's Best Records nip down to the archive and come back with a high grade boogie bomb which just oozes optimistic feels. It's the dub mix for me I think...

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Cover of Unlimited Love #17 by Various Artists.

Various Artists

Unlimited Love #17

Unlimited Love

Illicit edits as always from the Unlimited Love cartel, determined to skirt past red tape conventions. Fresh Band's "Come Back Lover" makes an appearance here, a sumptuous mid-eighties boogie jam that's crept up again in price recently, despite being bootlegged in 2012. No one likes a clever clogs, so I'll give the sleazy disco-funk of "Track 2" to the UL crew, making it one point each at the end of side A.

Side B kicks off with a slice of anthemic and energetic disco, with sing-along chorus, lovely brass section and a lively percussion section. Another blank face from me puts the Unlimited Love crew one in front with only one most track left to go! Slowing down the breaks and deploying some screeching organs, high-waisted bassline and velvety male vox highlights "Track 4" as a true soul gem, surely big on the weekender scene but escaping my inquisitive ears for a third time at this encounter! - those pesky editors! I'll get you next time ....! 


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Unlimited Love continue to quietly usher through the unknown, hard to acquire and stupendously expensive hits from disco, soul and boogie's bussom.

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Cover of Volume 6 (Dan Shake Mixes) by Shake Tapes.

Shake Tapes

Volume 6 (Dan Shake Mixes)

Shake

The sixth in the series, "Shake Tapes" is an outlet for Dan Shake's private stash of DJ friendly cuts and cements his incendiary, party starting energy onto lovely black plastic through some tastefully executed cut n splices.

Any serious disco collector (I hope) should be able to identify these cuts. But I'm a house head and I've not heard a single one - so full marks to Dan for pulling out the unknown in a world that's saturated with the obvious.

What's even more impressive is that these are killer, KILLER cuts folks, and I'm truly surprised not to recognize any of them from many a years dancing to the various mutations and fringes of disco. Annnyway, all three are high octane, >115BPM disco stompers. Full of live instrumentation, a bustling energy and optimistic outlook.

Perfect for those hi-def Boiler Room camera sweeps when everyone looks like they're having a good time...


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Tuff one not to shake a feather too... You've gotta be feeling pretty sullen and downtrodden not to garner some degree of joy from these feel-good edits.

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Cover of Amuse Bouche Vol. 1 by Various Artists.

Various Artists

Amuse Bouche Vol. 1

Takeaway

Four talented chefs join forces and serve up the first course of Amouse Bouche. All newcomers to my taste buds, I was excited to get stuck into the various flavours on offer and I wasn't disappointed!

Lamia Tobira dishes out a thick, gloopy and fast flowing xylophone-led jazz-funk dish, the likes of which you'd surely catch MCDE, Jeremy Underground and Marcel Vogel surely feasting on delightfully in the dance.

Edith Folky's "Cognac Cookery" sees a perc heavy breakbeat glaze a series of organ & brass stabs, vocal choruses and a proggy, funk-leaning mindset which is almost a spiritual experience.

Karol Themsel's "Have You Seen Al?" keeps that cinematic, jazz-funk vibe free-flowing through some seriously flanged out wah-wah, darting brass and perfectly conjured keyboard swirls for a car chase cruiser that all the best movie directors would be queuing up to use.

Duane Pale concludes proceedings with an extended, midtempo disco strut that's deliciously loose and flecked with boogie synths. 


STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Duane Pale's 'Give Tony A Slice is a funky dub worth the entire ep. However, do not dismiss the other three cuts - all of them with plenty of energy and positive vibes to share!

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Cover of Wismut by Sascha Funke & Niklas Wandt.

Sascha Funke & Niklas Wandt

Wismut

Multi Culti

Armed with a bottle of patchouli oil, a wrap of mushroom powder and an A&R masterplan, Multi Culti man Dreems charted a course for Berlin. Upon arrival, well, after a three day rave at Berghain, GHB romp at Cocktail D'Amore and falafel at Khartoum, Dreems tracked down MC affiliate Sascha Funke and hatched his plan. The seasoned producer was sent to a sub zero warehouse space, where he found percussion hero Niklas Wandt finalising his collaborative Growing Bin LP with Wolf Müller and debut single with NWD upstarts Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge. In the longstanding DIY tradition of balls out experimentation, Funke had him record a variety of slapped, bowed and scratched percussions (congas, talking drum, prepared cymbals played with a bass bow) over his tracks. These first efforts were later expanded into joint sessions at Sascha's home studio and, within a few weeks, the journey reached it’s destination: Wibe strasse, Deutschland.

At first glance, they seem an odd couple: a techno veteran of almost thirty years meets a side-burned upstart socialized in Free Jazz and Krautrock. but the shared sonic influences come through in the hypnotic, dubbed-out sound, perhaps rooted in the close connection the two share to the Rheinland region in West Germany, Funke as part of the Kompakt family and Wandt by origin and socialization in the Cologne and Düsseldorf music scene centered around the Salon des Amateurs. Regional flavours, global appeal.

Multi Culti, promoting local collaboration, one freaky record at a time.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Proper post kraut weirdness here from Funke & Wandt, who fuse blurry synthwashes, unpredictable percussion and spoken vocal into bleeping NDW pop - perfect for daytime sessions or nights on the pipe.

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Cover of G-Edits #6 by G. Markus.

G. Markus

G-Edits #6

G-Edits

Two chunky house workouts on this sixth instalment of the prolific series G-Edits by G Marcus and I have to say that this is probably the mos dancefloor killer of all of them. 

On A side you get ‘Red E’ channeling classic 90s piano and sassy spoken vocals with thumping beats and a plump-ass bassline, whilst ‘Cum Thru’ is a woozy slice of late-night deep house with a garagey twist in the second half.
Both must be shorlisted as part of your peak time weaponry - that is if the crowd is right! One full side of wax for each of these mega tunes. 

I am getting one myself!




STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Killer house numbers here to complement your surely great selection of peak-time killers. Best G-Edits for me so far!

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Cover of I Need You Now by Sinnamon.

Sinnamon

I Need You Now

Jive

Sinnamon’s ’83 NYC boogie scorcher "I Need You Now" gets the official remastered reissue treatment - complete with the 'Fierce Reprise’ dub mix alongside the accapella, providing essential sampling material.

Marrying the old with the new, "I Need You Now" is drenched in funk bass slickness and colourful chords, yet embraces a wealth of synthesized sounds from electro sequencers to synth-based strings, giving it that early ‘80s post disco, boogie feel. Bernard Fowler of Peech Boys fame steps up on guest vocals bringing a deep, R&B tone to proceedings, complimented by the all-female vocal prowess of Sinnamon adding their trademark feminine touch to the track.

First up on the flip side, the six minute ‘Fierce Reprise’ mix. Reversed rides that suck back into the skull, tape delayed vocals and spacey synth echoes blend together, as elements are overlaid and dubbed out for maximum, heavyweight, proto-house vibrations.

Last up, a favourite and much used vocal accapella that’s been sampled by a whole host of early house, hardcore and garage producers from 808 State and Criminal House to Ray Keith and Paul Johnson.

An essential bit of kit for anyone with a penchant for that early ‘80s boogie flavour.


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A staple from NTS' Full Beam!FM, there's not many sunnier, more feel-good boogie bombs than this winner from Sinnamon.

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Cover of Sine Phase by Riccardo Schiro / GG FX.

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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Cover of BBR#33 by Husbands.

Husbands

BBR#33

Box Bedroom Rebels

'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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Cover of Tropical by Hotmood.

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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Cover of Love Creation 005 by Love Creation.

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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Cover of No. 2 by Secret Squirrels.

Secret Squirrels

No. 2

Secret Squirrels

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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Cover of No. 3 by Secret Squirrels.

Secret Squirrels

No. 3

Secret Squirrels

More nuts stuff for the dancefloor from the Secret Squirrel the third in this limited edition series of vinyl-only releases. The A-side sees our mysterious rodent get stuck into Moonshoes' French disco obscurity "Boogieland" which does everything you'd want from such a re-booted tune: mid-tempo 4/4 rhythm slap, filtered female vocal chorus loop, funky guitar licks and super Moogy bassline. Meanwhile the flip takes Blair's classic boogie soul slinker "Nightlife" on a slo-mo acid chugathon. The slow build up to the vocal really pushes the adds to the anticipation here. A simple idea done very well. Cut loud and built for maximum club use. Dancefloor devastation is guaranteed! 

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Cover of Ascona by Lucas Croon.

Lucas Croon

Ascona

Themes For Great Cities

Though it may lack the veiled political inferences of the Queen’s Message, the unfathomable misery of the Eastenders special or the hilarity of your uncle’s festive excess, the Themes For Great Cities yuletide 12” is a tradition worth upholding. This year’s Christmas cracker comes from label favourite Lucas Croon, a synth-wielding maverick whose CV includes neu-Kraut freakouts with BAR, technoid ticklers with Stabil Elite and unconventional house hits on a solo tip. Where 2016’s ‘Schlachtof Aufnahmen’ drifted through icy kosmische and ecstatic Anatolian house, ‘Ascona’ offers a digital distillation of Madge’s ’80s resort pop, Hardcastle’s ‘Rainforest’ and those random Euro 7” you dig from Flemish flea markets (check the dreamboat digi-dub of ‘S.W.E.D.’ for ultimate balearic B-side brilliance). Packed with knowing ’80s references, playful production and a whole lotta chug, you can file this next to Phaserboys or the Early Sounds Crew.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: More steel-melting heat from Dusseldorf's TFGC, courtesy of synth king Lucas Croon. "Ascona" bounces through Balearic house, tropical funk, and floor ready boogie before taking an impressive detour into blue eyed reggae. I haven't got many of this, so get your skates on...

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Cover of Lux Prima - RSD Indies Exclusive by Karen O & Danger Mouse.

Karen O & Danger Mouse

Lux Prima - RSD Indies Exclusive

BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.

    Icons Karen O and Danger Mouse unveil their debut recording as a duo, “Lux Prima,”. The song is the first to be released from a forthcoming joint album.

    “Lux Prima is the first song we wrote for the record,” says O. “After making music for the past twenty years and embarking on making this record with Danger Mouse I knew a couple things: one was that the spirit of collaboration between us was going to be a pure one, and two was that the more I live the less is clear to me. When you create from a blurry place you can go places further than you’ve ever been. I think we both were excited to go far out.”

    STAFF COMMENTS

    David says: Boom! Starting 2019 off with a bang we have Dangermouse getting all David Axelrod/Serge Gainsbourg on us while the godlike Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O does her thing. Single of the year already?!

    FORMAT INFORMATION

    Ltd 12" Info: Limited Edition 12” Vinyl with Etched B Side.

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    Cover of Honey Moon by Mac DeMarco & Haruomi Hosono.

    Mac DeMarco & Haruomi Hosono

    Honey Moon

    Light In The Attic

      Light in the Attic Records is beyond excited to announce a series of exclusive vinyl and digital singles, featuring some of our favorite contemporary artists covering their favorite songs.

      Housed in a custom jacket designed by L.A.-based artist Robbie Simon, each 7” in the series is pressed on special colored vinyl and features the original version as the b-side.

      The series launches with Mac DeMarco covering one of his biggest musical idols, Haruomi Hosono. Having referenced him in numerous interviews and on his album covers, DeMarco now pays direct homage to the Japanese legend with his sincere take on “Honey Moon,” originally released on Tropical Dandy in 1975. DeMarco effortlessly sings the original lyrics in Japanese, while maintaining his own unmistakable cool.

      Haruomi “Harry” Hosono is a towering figure in the history of modern Japanese music. From the groundbreaking folk rock of Happy End and the pioneering techno pop of Yellow Magic Orchestra, to the countless influential solo works that have touched on exotica, funk, country, electronic, ambient, and everything in between. Fresh from his celebrated solo London debut at the Barbican Center for Light In The Attic’s ‘Sweet 16’ celebration, Hosono will see his key works reissued by Light In The Attic starting this August – the first time these highly influential and sought-after albums will be available outside Japan.

      This batch of covers follows our popular Light in the Attic 10 Year Anniversary series from 2012, which included Ariel Pink and Dam Funk covering Donnie & Joe Emerson’s eternal anthem “Baby,” Mark Lanegan covering the melancholy folk of Karen Dalton, and Iggy Pop with Zig Zags transforming Betty Davis’ dirty funk into a heavy Sabbath grind.

      Upcoming highlights from the covers series include acclaimed singer-songwriter Julie Byrne covering Nico, and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker making his own unique selection from the Light In The Attic archives


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      Cover of Na Kenda by Zazou Biyake.

      Zazou Biyake

      Na Kenda

      Ensemble

      Ensemble appear with their second collaboration with Crammed Discs. After the vinyl release of Krikor's Aksak Maboul interpretations back in 2016, the Belgian labels shake hands again for the reissue of the mighty "Na Kenda"
      It’s not often a track still sounds forward thinking three decades after its original release. Enter “Na Kenda”.
      The alliance between Congolese musician / vocalist Bony Bikaye and French composer Hector Zazou starts in 1983 with the acclaimed 'Noir et Blanc' album recorded with experimentalists CY1. Zazou Bikaye becomes a touring band, their music shifts towards a unique brand of electronic afro-funk. In `85, mini-album "Mr Manager" follows. Three years later their last joint effort “Guilty” sees the light of day, an LP joining the dots between white funk, Zairean rumba and robotic beats. When Crammed’s Marc Hollander picks the title track for single release, the magic happens on the B-side. Looking for something special, Hollander and partner in crime Vincent Kenis dig out the multitrack of unreleased, 1986 recorded “Le Menteur”. The Mr. Big Mouse duo twist the track and add futuristic drums until it sounds like nothing out there. “Na Kenda” is born. During mixdown, the pair generate a second version, the more minimal, dubby and gritty “Techno Dub”. Both incarnations grace the flipside of the (now sought after) “Guilty” 12 inch. The “Afro-Acid Mix” is added as a bonus track to the cd album.
      These unique works rightly deserved the reissue you’re holding in your hands. This time they also get a bonus track, giving the uplifting Afro e-funk vibes of album cut “Ba Wela” its proper 12 inch premiere. To another thirty years. 

      STAFF COMMENTS

      Patrick says: So, most people know "Lamuka" the slo-mo Afro cosmic killer Zazou & Biyake dropped with CY1 in 83, but they miss out on this nanging Acid techno bomb the duo dropped on a B-side a few years later. Absolutely caned by the elite diggers and top rung DJs, this afro-techno acid assault is back - so grab a copy ASAP!

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      Cover of That's When The Animals Turned Into Humans by As Longitude.

      As Longitude

      That's When The Animals Turned Into Humans

      Macadam Mambo

      After pledging a long term commitment to cutting edge electronics through the second volume of their "Danzas Electricas" compilation, Macadam Mambo offer more razor-sharp music from the fringes of clubland, courtesy of Berlin duo As Longitude. The collaborative partnership of Eva Geist and Laura ODL (also known as Ondula), As Longitude made waves with a brilliant debut on Knekelhuis and show-stealing contribution ot the "Eine Welt Vol.1" compilation. Now they plug straight into the mainframe once again to hold some sort of bizarre synth seance for all the freaks on the floor - future primitive in the most ritualistic way, this is slow-mo cyberpunk for the druid class.
      Setting up their place of power in the middle of the neon swamp, Eva and Laura embrace radioactive gurgles, mechanised cicadas and a fading shortwave signal, enhancing the otherworldly effect with an eerie lead line and churning bass while the tribal rhythm lollops on. Berlin frontman and songwriter Paul Arambula's twisted vocal contribution reveals the duo’s wavy tendency in an unexpected song-form, translating the track into an opiated nonsense poem for all the eyeball lickers. Heading deeper into the heart of the ceremony, "Na Numbers" sees the duo summon Simone's haunting saxophone, open a portal to the black ark and lose themselves in a bizarre Bermuda Triangle between dub, no wave and psychedelic synth-funk. Sway through "I Thought It Was Summer" and your transformation will be complete. The buzzing bassline, delay-riddled synth ragas and hypnotic beat pinning you down, spinning you out and turning you into your animal persona.


      STAFF COMMENTS

      Patrick says: Since Macadam Mambo turned their back on the edit industry (arguably a shame given their track record), the quality, consistency and insanity of their release has increased tenfold. This latest 12" sees Eva Geist and Laura ODL hold a synth seance in the neon swamp, laying out the slow and low weirdshit for the eyeball licking acolytes.

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      Cover of The Distance (Ron Basejam Remix) by Smith & Mudd.

      Smith & Mudd

      The Distance (Ron Basejam Remix)

      Adventures In Paradise

      Benjamin Smith and Paul 'Mudd' Murphy are back with a Balearic-pop gem - "The Distance". Featuring a vocal and instrumental on the A-side, and a remix on the flip by Crazy P production ace - Ron Basejam. Lyrics and vocals are by Quinn Lamont, who's captivating earthy tones playfully tease us with emotional yearning, and it's Quinn who provides a stunning jazzy guitar performance that will have you air guitaring all over the dancefloor, and which sits splendidly alongside the beautiful layers of rich electric piano and Balearic disco grooves. The remix by Ron Basejam recasts the track as an instantly affable yacht-rock-esque anthem, that will fill your hearts and have you reaching for the Campari.

      Surely one of those record's that's fallen victim to unpredictable manufacturing times and therefore release schedules, this is a sumptuous summer groover, with layer upon layer of blissed out, crystalline, oceanic disco warmth and goodness. As such it's gonna have to stay in the 'cooler' for another couple of months, but wait patiently for those first glimmers of Spring and the record'll really come into its own. 


      STAFF COMMENTS

      Matt says: Get this one super chilled and ready for cracking out the cooler once the temperature warms up and party season kicks off again...

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      Back in stock Cover of It Makes You Forget (itgehane) EP by The Orielles.

      The Orielles

      It Makes You Forget (itgehane) EP

      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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        Cover of Gotta Do EP by Darshan Jesrani.

        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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        Cover of I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (Timmy Regisford & Joaquin Joe Claussell Unofficial Edits & Overdubs) by Donny Hathaway.

        Donny Hathaway

        I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (Timmy Regisford & Joaquin Joe Claussell Unofficial Edits & Overdubs)

        Atypical Dopeness

          Originally Produced by Timmy Regisford, Donny Hathaway’s I love You more than you’ll ever know. Timmy produces another Shelter classic. Here he creates a back drop of electronic house music that seemly fits with Donny Hathaway’s emotional vocals. The flip side houses an Edits and Overdubs version produced by Joaquin Joe Claussell.

          Joaquin’s version is an instrumental that can be labeled as soulful electronic dance music and features Joaquin’s signature outwordly keyboard solo- overlaid over his re-aranegment of Timmy’s original version.
          The end results are a powerfully produced twelve-inch record that can be played and enjoyed by Deep House and Electronic DJ’s alike.

          Enjoy the Journey.

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          Cover of First World Problems by Ian Brown.

          Ian Brown

          First World Problems

          Virgin EMI

            Ian Brown has released a brand new single, ‘First World Problems’, his first solo material in nine years. The single precedes the new album ‘Ripples’, which will be released on February1, 2019. Played mostly by Ian, but aided by two of his sons, this  return to pop bodes well for his forthcoming new LP.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Andy says: Bouncy, baggy, uplifting vibes, a top melody and cool message make this a freed-up, groovy return for the erstwhile (but soon to be reinstated!) King Monkey.

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            Cover of Unbalanced Part 1 by Art Of Tones.

            Art Of Tones

            Unbalanced Part 1

            Local Talk

            Art Of Tones breaks the all important first album deadlock with a tasty selection of cuts for Local Talk. 

            The divine Frenchmen has produced a nothing short of faultless discography of singles and remixes, but has yet to drop a complete artist statement such as this. Set across two parts, and taking his soulful, bumpin', sample-friendly approach laced with funky leads and swinging beats, AOT delves straight into the dance, perfectly encapsulating what the producer is about across two succinct and well sequenced discs. Comparisons could be drawn with Dan Shake, MCDE, Crazy P and Maurice Fulton but these are merely place markers to guide you to the final destination - Art Of Tones rocks the discotheque with his own stance and style and "Unbalanced" competes with some of the best dance music longer players of the last five years! Top marks!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Hips swinging, elbows out, shoulders rolling! It's that typical Local Talk canter we know and love and it's fighting fit and ready for action.

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            Cover of Unbalanced Part 2 by Art Of Tones.

            Art Of Tones

            Unbalanced Part 2

            Local

            Art Of Tones breaks the all important first album deadlock with a tasty selection of cuts for Local Talk.  

            The divine Frenchmen has produced a nothing short of faultless discography of singles and remixes, but has yet to drop a complete artist statement such as this. Set across two parts, and taking his soulful, bumpin', sample-friendly approach laced with funky leads and swinging beats, AOT delves straight into the dance, perfectly encapsulating what the producer is about across two succinct and well sequenced discs. Comparisons could be drawn with Dan Shake, MCDE, Crazy P and Maurice Fulton but these are merely place markers to guide you to the final destination - Art Of Tones rocks the discotheque with his own stance and style and "Unbalanced" competes with some of the best dance music longer players of the last five years! Top marks!


            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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            Cover of Chris Carter’s Chemistry Lessons Volume One.1: Coursework (Inc. Daniel Avery, Radiophonic Workshop & Chris Liebing Remixes) by Chris Carter.

            Chris Carter

            Chris Carter’s Chemistry Lessons Volume One.1: Coursework (Inc. Daniel Avery, Radiophonic Workshop & Chris Liebing Remixes)

            Mute

            Remixes from Chris Carter’s "Chemistry Lessons Volume One.1: Coursework" alongside a new piece - "Bongo Glow".

            A work in progress at the time the album was completed, "Bongo Glow" was completed using the same processes as the rest of "CCCLV1", and it juusst about made the cut for the Japanese release date. But for you lucky listeners Mute have ensured its inclusion here. A slowly morphing, elasticated track with mangled, computerized vox, playful melodies and push-pull rhythms; it's deliciously quirky and textured and should appeal to both die hard electronica fans and lovers of leftfield pop.

            The additional three reworkings included here were created without direct instruction as an experiment to see how they changed with input from external sources. Daniel Avery’s remix of "Usyring" is a slow building, mesmerizing industrial pounder which fits perfectly with the producer's current MO. 

            Meanwhile The Radiophonic Workshop took "Blissters" and created a more experimental reworking exectued in their unique style and Chris Liebing gives "Tones Map" a brooding end-of-world type feel, adding his 'Slow Burn' remix technique.

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            Cover of The Outsider EP by Ross From Friends.

            Ross From Friends

            The Outsider EP

            Magicwire

            Double pack from (don't call it) Lo-fi house poster boy Ross From Friends on Lone's Magicwire recordings. We've seen the lo-fi house scene crumble under its own ideology (and some terribly written Guardian articles) and re-surface as a re-imagined, stronger version of its former self. Less constrained by those idents and frequency limits, the new school of computer-savvy producers are looking to the world through an 'anything-goes' lens - whether they rip a vocal accapela from youtube, whether they use digital compression artefacts as drums, ghosted vocal bit-rate conversions - you name it, it if it makes a sound, it can form part of the template. It's what's made the vapourwave aesthetic so pleasing in 2017 and for me, this is all just a post-vapourwave fallout if you will - what happens to genre confines when every man and his dog has internet access and cheap software. Anyway, onto the music and first track "Crimson" sounds like Burial does lo-fi house! RFF skillfully draws vocal parts out through a similar reverb preset as was featured on "Untrue" and segues with scuffed, battered drums and wobbly synth elements. "D1RT B0X" is a post-modern slow jam for kids who vape noxious nu-chems. There are more tracks, including the delightfully hi-fi vibrations of shimmering house banger "Romeo, Romeo" (interestingly given the whole of side B to revel in its detail). The second disc sees no drop in quality - three more tracks that veer carelessly through house music's many faces - all scuffed and dusted by RFF meticulous aesthetic. Mega stuff here from one of the new school's most prominent stars.

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            Cover of Love Break / Burning by Red Greg.

            Red Greg

            Love Break / Burning

            Kojak Giant Sounds

            Kojak returns to the seven inch format for, I believe, the second time since the label's incarnation (check Koolius Cesar RCRE 7001 for t'other one...).

            Red Greg is Darren Greg who's released a smattering of hits between tastemaking labels Lumberjacks In Hell, Moton, Z Records and now for DJ Ionik's KGS.

            "Love Break" is a fashionable, horn driven jazz funker, complete with stylish vocal section and beautifully dynamic arrangement. I'll have to hold my hands up straight away and admit no knowledge of the OG, but you're surely getting used to that by now!

            "Burning" is more uptempo, straight up tropical disco with lyrics delivered in English but the delivery sounding African. It's slashing guitar chops, phat bass and charging drums ensure this'll keep any peak time action hot to trot.

            Kojak Giant Sounds - 'The records that always land hitside up!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            David says: Seven inches of pure pleasure from Red Greg. Both sides are killer but for me it's all about the A, featuring 'Love Can Break You' from Lea Robert's impossible to find 1982 album, 'My Silent Place'.

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            Cover of Hand In Hand - Inc. DJ Normal 4, Pariah, SW Remixes by Erell Ranson.

            Erell Ranson

            Hand In Hand - Inc. DJ Normal 4, Pariah, SW Remixes

            Kalahari Oyster Cult

            Kalahari Oyster Cult have been thumbing through their back catalogue and return to a past gem for some renewed attention. 2017 saw the release of Erell Ranson’s "Hand in Hand", a quintet of beautifully crafted machine music. Two tracks have been chosen from the EP and remixed with stunning results.

            First up is DJ Normal 4’s "Sealife Safari MixX" of "If We Never Try". The sweet, shimmering melody of the original plus the bubbling bass and subtle notes, are transformed in this remake. Silvery chords morph into bold and daring new forms under the tutelage of Tim Schumacher, neon streaked patterns coalescing with broken and cracked percussion for a superbly uplifting piece.

            Pariah follows with his rework of “Hand in Hand.” A deep dreamscape intricately woven with heady notes, birdsong and endless possibilities.

            The final odyssey comes care of SW (Stefan Wust) of SUED fame. The Berlin based musician delivers his reimagined idea of “If We Never Try” with Ranson’s version being washed over by lapping lines and gentle currents to create a smooth rounded finale. A trio of unique perspectives from three true talents of electronic music.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Market leaders in late night voodoo, Kalahari Oyster Cult revisit a past spell book for some new interpretations; closing off what's been a truly shamanic year in fine style.

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            Cover of 10AM by Afrobot.

            Afrobot

            10AM

            Am

            So, somewhere during the last ten years of perma-recession, around the time Trump got elected, we went full Brexit and whole "war on terror" imploded, shit got dark. So here's Afrobot cutting up four wavy 80s tracks perfect for the global gloom which envelops us all. On the A1 we get Ensemble Pittoresque's sleazy minimal wave banger "My Baby", originally recorded in The Hague in '84 and now trippled in duration. Post punk bass, new wave drum machines, acid squelch and rabid animal sounds collide with the growling vocal, fully freaking the dark wired dancefloor. Next up, "DN Goes To NY" hits us with a heavyweight punkish B-line, echo drenched vocals and distorto-guitar, all wrapped into an electronic framework of nagging sequencer and tough drum machine. One for metal dancers and the Shriekback fans. Skip to the flip and find yourself immersed in the gothic glitter of 80s UK, first with the mash up madness of "Inhale" and the slow pound of "Empty Words". "Inhale" sees Afrobot fuse a 7" B-side with a deranged and druggy wrong speeder, serving us glistening synth loops, brooding bass and cinematic textures - play this one with your favourite Ministry and Sisters of Mercy jam. Last but not least "Empty Words" twists and turns through queasy tonality, tumbling drum programming and trippy keyboard lines before a big, snipped chorus enters the arena and causes an eruption of art school poses.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: My favourite AM offering to date sees Afrobot fully embrace the dark wired sound, twisting strange synth cuts, post punk electronics and techno-tribalism into an excellent edit 12".

            FORMAT INFORMATION

            12" Info: Comes with an insert and a stamp both drawn by Frank Koedood.

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            Cover of It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) Remixes - Inc. Jamal Moss, Jay Daniel & I:Cube Remixes by Peggy Gou.

            Peggy Gou

            It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) Remixes - Inc. Jamal Moss, Jay Daniel & I:Cube Remixes

            Ninja Tune

            Peggy Gou invites Jamal Moss, I:Cube and Jay Daniel to rework the anthemic ‘It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)’ - a staple of worldwide dancefloors in 2018 - and the results are outstanding. Moss (aka Hieroglyphic Being) draws on the deep musical heritage of his hometown Chicago: house, EBM, Industrial, Avant-Jazz and Noise. The highly respected Frenchman I:Cube (Versatile) whose sleek production has consistently inspired Peggy crafts a spacey, perfectly weighted remix and a mutant dub, whilst Detroit resident Jay Daniel (Watusi High, Technicolour, Sound Signature, Wild Oats) deconstructs the groove to create a sublime sparse, broken funk track.

            Hand stamped white label 12” housed in a black popset sleeve.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: A compendium of remixes for prolific Peggy Gou ranging from Chicago House (Jamal Moss) to more synthetic house via France courtesy of the also prolific I Cube. Jay Daniel offers you a more broken affair yet totally awesome.

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            Cover of Pass The Buck - Inc. Jo Claussell / Tom Moulton Remixes by Love Committee.

            Love Committee

            Pass The Buck - Inc. Jo Claussell / Tom Moulton Remixes

            Sacred Rhythm

            Tom Moulton's fabulous mix of Love Committee's "Pass The Buck" was never given a proper 12" release back in 1978, instead making its way onto the band's debut album, "Law and Order". Here it finally gets an airing across a side of a record, with a new "edits and overdubs" revision by Sacred Rhythm boss Joaquin Joe Claussell on the flip. The latter builds on the soaring, grandiose power, swirling strings and urgent group vocals of Moulton's classic version, building from a layered, densely percussive start towards a sweaty conclusion via waves of instrumentation, swirling synthesized strings and everything-but-the-kitchen sink production. It is, then, a thoroughly brilliant rework of a classic - if under-celebrated - disco cut.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Times is undoubtedly hard, so why not boogie the blues away with one of the finest examples of recession-proof disco around. Soulful, gritty and still utterly euphoric, both mixes of this masterpiece should cause untold destruction on the dancefloor.

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            Cover of Cult Edits 003 by Various Artists.

            Various Artists

            Cult Edits 003

            Culted

            Fuck your late capitalist, Queen's Speech, Coca-Cola endorsed Christmas snooze-fest, we going full Saturnalia over here! The mysterious Cult Edits shout out all pre-Christian religions, with more mystical floor fuel for your ceremonial shake-downs and mind-elevating rituals. This shit's danker than your average cat, and takes to the turntable with a heavily scent of patchouli. Third eye engaged, ears open, let's go.
            Russian tape maverick Lipelis leads the procession (presumably dressed like one of those Illuminati types in Eyes Wide Shut) electrifying a hypnotic balaphon track (whose provenance currently escapes me) with a simple, swelling bassline and some fiesty drumbox snap. Perdu gets all Papa Shango on our asses, wielding a Wolf Muller breakbeat, scroll of arcane incantations (+2 attack, +5 foresight) and the faintest hint of acid for the tripped out "Goldrush". Over on the flipside, Lithuania's Pletnev continues the freaky form he showed on Fleeting Wax with the frazzled tropical dancer "Silver Sand". Borderline bedouin guitars meets subtle electronic perx for a red hot romper in line with those Porridge Bullet pounders from a few years back. The Afro-techno vibe continues on the B2, as Multi Culti man Jono Ma gets super (not snooker) loopy with a palm wine pearler, subtly adjusting the EQ, filter and frequency response for maximum transcendence. Finally, M’papamo Dongo takes us full circle with the kalimba, balaphon and kora of "Limba Limba", ably supported with a simple two note bassline and some madcapped post minimal fx abuse. Good JUJU guaranteed my friends.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Fuck folklorica, Cult Edits come through with the Shamanic shizzle for your third eye, fourth world vibrations and your inner ear. These electronic-exotic edits are all killer no filler, but I'm gonna shout out Perdu for the speaker freakin' "Goldrush", an instant entry to my battle bag.

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            Cover of O by Zongamin.

            Zongamin

            O

            Multi Culti

            Multi Culti take to that dock-off magnet room from X-Men and slip on Professor X's tin foil hat, using their highly attuned powers of advanced telepathic mastery to track down rogue producer Zongamin - presumably in a Camden chem lab. Living under the radar for an unfathomable 13 years, the man who brought us the "Bongo Song" has gone truly off script in his musical pursuit, entering the realm of the alchemical as he transmutes Detroit string-house, futuristic electro, ceremonial flute-jazz and indie folk-tronica into a six track EP of higher dancefloor nonsense.
            "Nonstop" kicks the set off with brooding bass hits, syncopated hats and Rhythim Is Rhythim string sounds, oddly warped into a Tokyo Bboy underground jam for robotic Bboys. "Underwater Paramid" follows swiftly, submerging a hypnotic electro drum track and frazzled psychedelic chords into an oceanic slammer for robotic Bbuoys. The tonality and textures of Japanese synthpop loom large on "Fractal Maze", a post-YMO hybrid of new wave and experimental pop which says sayonara to Side-A in the most cinematic style. Over the corner and Zongamin rocks us in a disco-not-disco style, squeezing live bass, techy bleeps and more cowbell into "DNA Mutation". The tempo drops and things get mystical on the B2 as the "Cosmic Serpent" slithers into the party, leaving a lysergic trail of crackling percussion, organic drums and evocative flute in its wake. Think Dadawah, Augustus Pablo and Dr John on a mescaline mission to the land of the cave dwellers. Lastly not leastly "High Tension" is a heavily textured, neon tinged translation of Afro-punk and dub funk into the psychedelic and synthetic language of Aaron Coynes' APC edits.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: After a thirteen year hiatus Zongamin returns to Earth with an utterly unpredictable EP for Multi Culti. Loosely defined as psychedelic dance music, the EP fuses the organic and synthetic, upbeat and off kilter, in time and on point for all enthusiastic fans of a vision quest. This could just be the best Multi Culti yet...

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            Cover of Aquarhythmatica / City Beat by Ron Trent.

            Ron Trent

            Aquarhythmatica / City Beat

            Groovin

            Ron Trent is arguably one of the most 'organic' house music producers. The man has been caning it for decades now and the knowledge is palpable on all his productions. From the seminal (and personal favourite) 'Morning Factory' which I came across when it was included in the 'Freezone' series on SSR/Crammed Discs back in 1995 to the very deep and melodic 'Aquarythmatica' with its funky bass, playful cowbells and Anthony Nicholson's voice. You almost do not realise this is electronic music, with all the live instrumentation around. 
            On B Side, the beat takes centre stage. This one is more dancefloor oriented. But you still get Ron's signature all over with the congas and the vocal sample. 
            This is one to keep, one that has no expiry date. HIgh calibre house music for y'all. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Two mega house tunes with an organic feel all over them. You need this as they will sound as fresh now and in 20 years!

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            Cover of Canoe 008 by Nyra.

            Nyra

            Canoe 008

            Canoe

            Nyra first came into focus waaay back in 2012 - on A Sagittariun's wonderful E-Dreams imprint. A small hiatus ensued, then he returned with three releases on this very Canoe label. Characterized by wild, untamed excursions into techno and the tuffer end of late night house music, I'm surprised the producer hasn't milked more of the limelight as his productions really speak for themself!

            "Zodiac" kicks things off with flailing acid lines gurgling and spitting as a rampant booty beat bangs away. Sure to get em running wild across the lino with mad energy, it's got peak time written all over it.

            With its wigged out, buzzing low stabs, "Orbiter" plants itself in the more strung-out section of the dance. Casually firing off this highly simulative one note melody (rhythm?) across another brilliantly programmed dance beat. Clever stuff!

            "Think I Know" accentuates the drums till they bangin' in the red, places a dark minimalist vox over the top then applies some tearing and squashing sounds - recording the whole thing onto a fried DAT or saturated c90. Fans of Jamal Moss, Poindextor and Ste Spandex are gonna be feelin' dis one! 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: What it lacks in melody, it exudes in badness. Three bad boy cuts for the truly underground party you will not be part of. However, get this 12" and you can capture the spirit. 'Think I know' is a total banger with a sample lifted from Dee-Lite's 'What is Love' (another banger if you ask me!)

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            Cover of Incorporeality (incl. Kris Baha Remix) by Juan Ramos.

            Juan Ramos

            Incorporeality (incl. Kris Baha Remix)

            Cocktail D'Amore

            After a pair of hallucinatory rainforest house heaters on Lovefingers' ESP Institute, and two more 12"s as Greenvision with Oscillator DJ Trent, Juan Ramos graces Berlin's Cocktail d'Amore Music with a new outstanding EP. A-side slammer "Incorporeality" powers out the speakers as Juan's toughest release yet, all heat treated techno drum patterns and hyper-real Italo synthlines - hardcore for the holodeck. On the B1, "Liquid Sky Drone" does the techno-pagan thing with a little less intensity, taking us for a low altidude flight over a high neon alien landscape. Multidimensional is the right term to describe Ramos' music and these two retrofuturist anthems turn like a tesseract. Melbourne / Berlin badman Kris Baha is on point and on remix duties, transforming "Liquid Sky Drone" into an industrial ballad - cinematic and romantic, at the same time bouncing and synthetic.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: 5D foreplay across three tracks here from the double hard Juan and only. Numerical mastery aside, this EP sees techno, Italo and industrial twisted into a neon tinged vision of alien worlds.

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            Cover of Wax The Van by Lola.

            Lola

            Wax The Van

            Groovin

            Groovin's latest visit to the well of musical wonders brings us a fine reissue of Lola's "Wax The Van" complete with all those wonderful mixes from its original 1987 release. Written by Arthur Russell, featuring vocals from Lola Blank and production from her husband Bob, this is a perfect reflection of the underground dance scene of that era. The bassline and dubby groove and hypnotic beat capture the post disco / proto house spirit, while the uplifting vocals and warming percussion look from NYC to the White Isle and its imminent Balearic explosion. On the A1, "Kenny's Club Version" (presumably named after keyboard man Kenny Blank) sees the track groove on and on with a continuing string of killer keys, piano vamps and synth licks while Lola's wild vocals drift in and out of focus. If anything "Cherry's Club" is more Balearic, cutting back on Lola to give us a little more Arthur as well as a more stripped back approach to the arrangement. The radio mix comes on the B1, bringing us a condensed helping of the record's off beat excellence, before the killer, classic "Jon's Dub" blows us away for seven stunning minutes, prompting the question, 'Who is Jon?'. A true underground anthem, back on 12" and sounding better than ever!

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Chilled out, hypnotic and utterly irresistible, this collaboration between NY underground stalwarts Arthur Russell, Bob Blank and Lola Blank is a unique proto house jam which became an instant Ibiza anthem. Don't miss your chance to bag a copy of a loud and proud 12" pressing.

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            Cover of Fisherman by P. Allen.

            P. Allen

            Fisherman

            Shella

            Wicked lost Canadian business from 1984. "Fisherman" is a low-fi proto digital masterpiece which predates the release of King Jammy’s "Sleng Teng" by a full year. Hooky as a fishermans rod & equally as deadly! Peter Allen released only one tune, recorded at Aquarius Studio in Kingston, Jamaica in 1984. Allen recorded an album's worth of material with his backing band Food Clothes and Shelter before emigrating to Canada. Unfortunately Fisherman is the only track that survived after a basement flood in Toronto tragically destroyed his other master tapes. In 1986 he self-released "Fisherman" from his new home in Toronto on his Ponko Dread label, hand distributing it to local record stores and sound systems. Perhaps it was too ahead of its time, or too unusual, with its dirge-like synth and deep roots lyrics, but "Fisherman" was largely overlooked until a few copies emerged around 5 years ago, becoming coveted grails by European digi collectors with deep pockets.

            Shella Records located Peter Allen who lives east of Toronto where he drives a school bus and still loves to sing. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Feel free to celebrate the accomplished vocal side if you want. That's all well and good. Me, I'll be heading straight to that intoxicating digi-dub version everytime. Bad boi!

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            Cover of C'Est L'aventure by DJ Sotofett & Maimouna Haugen.

            DJ Sotofett & Maimouna Haugen

            C'Est L'aventure

            HJ's

            Dance music maverick and Norway's hottest DJ extraordinaire, DJ Sotofett joins forces with Maimouna Haugen for a truly exotic excursion. Reflecting over migrating from Côte d’Ivoire to Moss, in Norway, over ruff breakbeat funk supplied by the nimble bass-playing of Maimouna’s old man (from Kambo Super Sound), and the expert conga and kit-drumming of Stliletti-Ana (from Jesse, in Helsinki). It's funky, B-boy friendly and evocative thru its killer deployment of a sexy French vocal.

            Over the eight minutes, and going even deeper on the flip, the 'dubplate mix' lifts off into a cosmic, steppers dub, featuring Gilb-r alongside Sotofett on keyboards, while beautifully record percussion sounds bolster the mix with their incessant rhythms.

            In beautifully letter-pressed, poly-lined sleeves. One of two very tasty releases the producer has concocted for Honest Jons... check!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Dj Sotofett goes funky - he shows us his prowess and delivers a top draw joint. Tight business here and very danceable. Coupled with a dub on the B side. Superb!

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            Cover of Dub Off by DJ Sotofett.

            DJ Sotofett

            Dub Off

            HJ's

            Three murderous steppers dubs on a propulsive, rat-tat-tat rhythm, combining mystical spaciousness with detail and ferocity. Angry-lion bass and smears of brass, fusillades and explosions, scares and shocks, oriental pentatonics, clattering percussion and synthy transcendence… It's our man Sotofett again with the second release for Honest Jon's this week: a strictly dub affair on conscious 10" pressing!

            Massive digi-dub resurgence going on in the shop right now (yay!) with loads of producers setting their feedback / delay dials to 11 and swamping us with waves of echo and riddim.

            Three very different takes, "Dub On" is slow, wild and free, like you've just stumbled upon a rainforest oasis deep amongst thick jungle - time to take a seat and relax. "Dub Off" has more zip to it, and will certainly do the do for any steppers-friendly DJ sets out there. "Dub On Dub" sees the most manipulation by the FX units - stabs spiral into oblivion, infinite delays litter the mix and Soto' works at tearing the whole thing apart through his inspired outboard. So good. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Sotofett's always been a bit of a maestro on the echo n phazers. But now the new digi-dub craze has fully kicked off he revisits his trusty units to conjure up a fiery 10" of otherworldly, shamanic dub. Yes mate!

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            Cover of Sweat Till Your Body's Wet by Dhaima.

            Dhaima

            Sweat Till Your Body's Wet

            Miss You

            As is so often the case, "Sweat Till Your Body's Wet" was originally tucked away on the B-side, away from prying eyes and free of the straight jacket of perceived chart conventions. Co-written with Miami Vice actor Philip Michael Thomas (Rico MF Tubbs), the track is a synth and drum machine reggae bomb, complete with cosmic synth work and crazy vocoder. Imagine Sly & Robbie teaming up with Larry Levan on the Easy Street payroll, except it's all a figment of a Ruf Dug DMT trip. Check the clip - lose your shit!

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Well this is entirely off its rocker! Rico Tubbs teams up with Dhaima to create a slo-mo vocoder reggae bomb based around a killer machine riddim. Ace

            FORMAT INFORMATION

            Ltd 12" Info: Limited to 300 copies.

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            Cover of Straight To You by Dukwa.

            Dukwa

            Straight To You

            Dukwa Music

            Dukwa makes his entrance, and what an entrance it is! Practically draped in gold, mink and dosed with Tom Ford, this is house music of the highest class. Landing somewhere between MCDE, Nebraska and Dan Shake, these are merely references points as Dukwa stands proud and independently on his own.

            An expert at squeezing that last bit of juice out of a sample, "Chains" is the most obvious 'anthem' here, as a catchy four bar hook circles fizzy and flanging beats and the odd angelic vocal chop.

            His devil-may-care, one-take approach to recording his tracks always ensures you’re in for some wildness - stray frequencies, the random attack of the 303 and extra heavy kicks all play a role here.

            However making grayscale festival fodder house is not Dukwas thing. This is music made on raw intuition and a timely reminder that house and techno in 2018 can still be fun and full of surprises if you put your back into it. Recommended!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: "Chains" will be finding its way to a party near you during this celebratory peroid. No nonsense house music pleasure executed with apomb. I love it!

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            Cover of The Double Sided EP by Unknown Artist.

            Unknown Artist

            The Double Sided EP

            Bring Back

            Three records in and Bring Back continue to take us back to the golden years of jungle. I wasn't old enough to go to clubs and my mum certainly wasn't letting me go to raves in '93, but I was lucky enough to taste this underground culture through CDs by people like Moving Shadow & 2 Bad Mice and there was plenty of features in the dance music rags of the time. It was exhilarating, exciting, totally new sounding and I loved the fact that it was a completely UK thing - for once we weren't copying dance music from America; it's one of the few dance music sub-cultures we can truly call our own.

            I don't recognize any of these three tracks, so they're most probably new constructions but using the timeless old methods. The vibe is moody, nodding to break hardcore whilst also adding the 'rude boi' element that'd be re-hashed a thousand times up to the present day. All the massiv!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Are we going back in time? If we are, this is your soundtrack. It is 1995 again! What a time to be raving. Junglists, come out of your graves and dance till... you die again! Three proper tunes for those who know!

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            Cover of Comedown by Automation.

            Automation

            Comedown

            The Healing Company

            "Comedown" was taken from the "Red EP" by Automation and was originally released in 1991 with three other tracks on the wonderfully named Triple Helix records. A rave / hardcore staple, The Healing Company lift said track from the EP and present it here alongside three new remixes.

            In its original inception it's surprisingly timeless, and has dated really well compared to a lot of other records from this era. I put it down to the drums which shunned the over excessive breakbeats smashed out by the also-rans for a more stylish, mechanized 4/4 rhythm. It's teetering-on-the-edge-of-climax aesthetic a lesson in suspense and release that most of today's producers could learn from. That said, original writers of track, Automation, offer up the first remix - switching the 4/4 beat for a classy UKG / electro-funk hybrid; tightening up the stabs and smoothing the whole thing out with a shiny gloss and hi-def detail - mega!

            Johannes Regnier is more well known as a psytrance producer from France (!!). So here he goes by his own name for summat altogether more stylish and restrained than the global dance phenomenon - transforming "Comedown" into a glowing, late night hum that'll find favour with lovers of the We Play House label.

            Adesse Versions is last to contribute. Another fantastically fresh and inspired take on the "Comedown" stems, it's actually the first act here to utilize the familiar breakbeats present in much of the music from the era. Add to that a deep rolling b-line and you've got a slice of retro-futurist nostalgia that should unite the dancefloor thru young and old - top one!

            And not a single ecstasy reference throughout... tufty badge for me.



            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: More from the rave resurgence. A select group of remixers keeping digging this one out from the grave and revitalizing it with up-to-date electronics.

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            Cover of Runt by Slowthai.

            Slowthai

            Runt

            Method Vinyl

            Slowthai’s music is unmistakably British, treading a line between grime, rap, dubstep and garage – riding rough-edged beats with an adolescent charisma and confidence that recalls buzzy pirate radio sessions and handicam freestyles. All of this is encapsulated by live shows that are drenched in sweat and spit and booming with the sound of slowthai’s hooky flows and street-smart bars being chanted back at him.

            He began releasing music over two years ago, while Grime was quickly solidifying its presence in the mindset of the UK’s youth without the necessity of US Hiphop co-signs, slowthai’s own brand of alternative UK rap was beginning to work it’s way into the circles of truly engaged seekers. Fast forward to 2018 and with each single release slowthai has continuity stepped up a gear, proving himself to be an unpredictable force in UK Rap and one responsible for ushering in a new wave of exciting artists moving into 2019.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Ooof! Slowthai broke the internet when "Jiggle" dropped on Youtube and this 2018 EP hits hard AF with moody beats, brutal kick drums and street ready UK flow. If you're looking for something feel good you're fucked - if you wanna hear a totally accurate review of the miserable state of societal affairs, this is your shit.

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            Cover of Freq Accident by Reptant.

            Reptant

            Freq Accident

            Planet Euphorique

            A new life form emerges from the plasma pools of Planet Euphorique... a deep dwelling, primordial species - Reptant. Although lacking social skills and interplanetary travel, Reptant is the universe's greatest pioneer of 'lizard tech', an exciting new musical movement to rock your headspace.

            "Ectoplastic" introduces the sound in fine style, a swirling array of galactic synth lines painting a rich sound bed over which a punkish chant emerges from the depths of a shuddering electro mix, fully granulized and re-fragmented.

            More reptilian sound features are discovered and presented on "Monolith" & "Freq Accident": crawling across the planet's baron crust as solar flares and white phosphorus erupts from geysers and fault lines. Finally, "Liquid Acrobatics" is a punchy, breakbeat-electro hybrid with robotic inflections and bouncing-off-the-walls energy. Mega stuff - lizard-tek 4 lyf!
             



            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: If like me you've feverishly collecting everything on Roza Terenzi's Planet Euphorique label you'll already have this bagged, so I don't need to address you. Anyone else: Reptant brings four 'lizard tech' tracks for your mutant dancing pleasure on number four from this emergant and faultless camp. Ch-ch-check!

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            Cover of Summer Night by Jacky Ferreira.

            Jacky Ferreira

            Summer Night

            Thank You

            Sound Metaphors reissue sublabel Thank You comes through with an official, remastered reissue of two top notch post Italo / Balearic house beauties from 1989 here, Jacky Ferreira's "Summer Night" and "Eu Já Não Sei". In its original incarnation "Summer Night" sees the Portuguese producer fuse optimistic synth strings and delicate chimes over a hydraulic bass synth and solid club 4/4 to create the ultimate beachside pumper. Label fellows Castro & Nemo offer their own extension on the A2, bringing the romantic chimes and dreamy down tempo piano riffs to the fore and slowing the beat slightly - finding exactly the right balance for end of night euphoria - buzzing!
            The B-side belongs to "Eu Já Não Sei", an uptempo bit of late 80s Euro-pop complete with crooning vocals, Spanish guitars, twinkling arps and a strong smell of Brut. If you're not feeling those sleazy Portuguese vocals, might I suggest you wrap your ears around the Versão Instrumental and dance away into the sunset.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Euro-pop / Balearic house perfection here from those fine folks at Sound Metaphors. Jacky Ferreira's "Summer Night" is as tasty as a Portuguese tart and sounds fresh as it did in 89!

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            Cover of Starlight by Risqué.

            Risqué

            Starlight

            Miss You

            More Miss You aceness from the Sound Metaphors camp as they hit us with a bigly yuge reissue of Risqué's sublime slo-mo disco bomb "Starlight" - pressed loud AF and ready to tear the dancefloor asunder! Approved by none other than Sarcastic hero DJ Harvey-himself (check his Boiler Room for a damage report), the track materialises with twinkling arps, soft pads and jazz-funk guitars, all underpinned by that solid kick which carries us to the pay off. Two synth vamps later and we're rocking under the influence of that MASSIVE synth bass, swaying from side to side as the cosmic sequences and big female vocals reach for the ecstatic. What very heaven it is to peak at 98BPM! 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Top five slo-mo disco weapon here - originating in Holland 1982, now back in press for those who know in 2k18. WTF is powering that bass sound? Did these girls came from outer space? Have I just necked a gary? This record is the only answer you need!

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            Cover of Give Me Your Love / You Can't Turn Me Away by Sylvia Striplin.

            Sylvia Striplin

            Give Me Your Love / You Can't Turn Me Away

            Expansion

            Ooooohhh Weeeeee! This tasty 12" contains two of the hottest disco and soul cuts ever produced, available as an official single for the first time in aaaages. After spending the late seventies lending her stunning vocals to Aquarium Dream and Ladies Of The Eighties, Sylvia was snapped up by Roy Ayers for his Uno Melodic label, cutting the killer 1981 LP from which these tracks are taken. A-side cut "Give Me Your Love" is a feel good disco groover for the more discerning dancefloors out there, Sylvia's glorious vocals floating freely over a sumptuous uptempo Roy Ayers track alive with bubbling bass, syncopated drums and funked up clav. Sampled by Armand Van Helden, Deepdown and Madd Rapper, this is as classic as they come. The flipside sees the tempo drop, the lights dim and the mood get sexier than Valentine's night in Martin's boudoir... "You Can't Turn Me Away" is deep downtempo business, boasting squelching bass, dreamy keys and a top notch soul breakbeat. Roy Ayers is at the height of his powers her and Syvia more than does the track justice, serving up a stunner that's been sampled plenty of times since ("Get Money"!). Though Striplin never attained mainstream success, her sweet voice is instantly recognized by devout fans of jazzy R&B and those who made up England’s ‘rare groove’ scene of the early 80’s and 90’s.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: As the youth say, I have no words. Roy Ayers musical prowess paired with Sylvia Striplin's stunning vocal is a wonderful thing, and this official 12" puts their two best collaborations together for all the Deejays and dancers. Disco heat on the A-side, rare groove on the B - buy on sight.

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            Cover of Mildlife Remixed - Inc. Tornado Wallace / Sleep D / Mount Liberation Unlimited Remixes by Mildlife.

            Mildlife

            Mildlife Remixed - Inc. Tornado Wallace / Sleep D / Mount Liberation Unlimited Remixes

            Research Records

            When Mildlife's "Phase" finally landed on our Piccadilly shelves a couple of months back it caused a furore amongst staff and customers alike, blowing minds all round with its sophisticated jazz-funk meets Kraut brilliance. Now Research dole out the stems to an all-star cast of production talent, conjuring up a three track remix EP aimed at the dancefloor. First up to the plate is Berlin-based Aussie Tornado Wallace, who translates "The Magnificent Moon" into a break-led Balearic houser complete with spoken vocal snippets, carefree guitar and glassy synth washes. Packed with post rave idents and warming tones, this is high summer '93 tackle, coming in peace like a Tranquility Bass classic. Joining Wallace on the A-side is Melbourne's own, label-bosses, beat makers and party starters, Sleep D. The Butter Sessions impresarios apply their signature sound to 'Im Blau', turning out a balmy dub house/techno variation with a particularly Aussie style - imagine Basic Channel pissed on Fosters at a St Kilda BBQ and you're on the right track (other racial stereotypes and reductive jokes available on request).
            Finally on the flipside Swedish disco-house rockers Mount Liberation Unlimited turn 'The Gloves Don't Bite' on its head with an extended 12-minute take. A re-imagined bass line mixed with quirky Swedish vocals, and their signature drum freak-outs makes for a memorable ending to this diverse EP.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: We swooned over Mildlife's "Phase" when it finally made its way over the ocean and into the store, and now Research give us a diverse remix disc of bonus brilliance. Apply within for relaxed dance floor breaks from Tornado Wallace, toasty dub techno from Sleep D and Scandi-indie-disco revivalism from Mount Liberation Unlimited.

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            Cover of 4 Colours by JBS.

            JBS

            4 Colours

            Full Dose

            Jan Bertil Svensson: co-founder of the legendary Börft Records, member of arch techno-primitivists Frak, the man responsible for Villa Abo and all-round underground don active in the field of machine music since 1987!

            Whilst Jan’s output will always conjure comparisons to Techno with a capital T, he has (and continues to) plough a singular and peculiar path in the realm of electronic music. For the Glasgow-based Full Dose, he presents his first ever solo 12” under the name of J.B.S: a four tracker of sluggish, minimal funk that bears the hallmarks of his most classic work as Villa Abo, and adds dashes of the brutal grit that his Studio SS project is infamous for. If there’s any sort of recurring theme in Svensson’s work, it’s playfulness and humour, a particular Scandinavian form of sonic banter that cuts right through the po-faced, black-clad heteronomy of much of today’s electronic landscape. The music on this record, with it’s odd blend of stripped-back synth pop and brutish dungeon funk evokes exactly that: a body of work that doesn’t even seem capable of taking itself too seriously, yet evades anything resembling a recognisable piss take. After all, nobody said that humour and credibility in music had to be mutually exclusive, and J.B.S is a master at weaving the two together at will.

            In a world where dance music is often subjected to ludicrous conceptual analysis, sometimes the combined effect of hot circuitry, sincerity, vivaciousness and an anomalous attitude are the only thing for it. But then again, this is not just dance music either…

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Moon rock crawling, circuit fried hardware dirg from a true machine tamer. RIYL: Grrr, Carlton Doom, leather-clad techno BDSM sessions....

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            Cover of BAH 048 by Autarkic / Hectik.

            Autarkic / Hectik

            BAH 048

            Bahnsteig 23

            Providing consistent banger for your buck all year round, Bahnsteig 23 sign off for 2018 with release number 48 - brought to us in conjunction with Autarkic and Hectik, two brothers in arps from the midi-East. The party platter opens with the punkish dub disco of "You (& You)" an oddly propulsive cut complete with brash guitars, odd sound fx and dislocated female vocals - well weird, well wave. Next up "Dolphin Dub" gets deep and dreamy, all tapey vocal murmurings and sumptuous pads riding a driving synth sequence. New age or new beat, this mystical mover will fill the club. Flip it and prep for launch as "Francois Energie" blasts into a different disco dimension, flirting with tekno on its way through the acid wormhole. Finally we get "Eastrumental", a killer new age dancer on an IC tip. Expect well-tempered drum machines, proggy synth riffs and an uber-groove.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Ah Bahnsteig 23, you're too good to us. Another week, another amazing release, this time from Autarkic and Hectik, who do Euro disco, new beat and new age in their own special (spacial) way.

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            Cover of Sugar My Love by T.Z. Junior.

            T.Z. Junior

            Sugar My Love

            Jamwax

            Soweto's Thandi Zulu started her musical career in 1984 with the South African music dream team of Peter Moticoe, Phil Hollis and Attie Van Wyk. "Sugar My Love" and "Are You Ready for Love" were produced and arranged by Attie Van Wyk.
            Taking to the Delphon studios, T.Z. Junior rocked the mic right, laying her smooth, soulful and occasionally wild vocals over the a classic bubblegum groove for "Sugar My Love". Not only does this winner work the room with all round grooviness and a killer arrangement, the electrofunk flourishes and mega synth bassline take this one straight to the T O P. Over on the flipside, "Are You Ready For Love" is an uplifting major key masterpiece of SA boogie / proto house, once again featuring slick synth work and Thandi's irresistible vocals. 



            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Boogie goodies via Soweto! Bubblegum grooves for your most intimate dancefloor moments. B Side goes a slightly more disco with a real good bassline taking the main stage. More please!

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            Cover of Satan Side / Peter & Judas by Keith Hudson, Earl Flute & Horace Andy.

            Keith Hudson, Earl Flute & Horace Andy

            Satan Side / Peter & Judas

            Mafia/Dub Store Records

            Bit more reggae re-issue business here for you before we close off 2018. Keith Hudson's "Satan Side" was originally out on UK label Duke in 1972, b/w a different track than featured here. Meanwhile, Earl Fute & Horace Andy's "Peter & Judas" originally appeared on a Pyramid 7" in 1973 (also outta UK) alongside Big Youth. There's very little information on backing bands or recording studios used but the quality of both tracks is very high.

            Mafia & Dub Store have collaborated to reissue these to reggae gold standards again on 7". All rejoice! 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Nice roots n dub number here from Keith. As always with this Dub Store reissues the pressing is 5*

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            Cover of Capitão De Area by Afterclapp.

            Afterclapp

            Capitão De Area

            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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            Cover of Ashram by Levi Love & Daddy Molete.

            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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            Cover of Cong Burn 04 by Flaty / Lack / Chekov / Martinou.

            Flaty / Lack / Chekov / Martinou

            Cong Burn 04

            Cong Burn

            Moving towards faster BPMs and with some fresh faces in tow Cong Burn's fourth 12" is as forward focused as ever, dropping imperative new technoid vibrations for the new school.

            A1 sees St Petersburg's Flaty follow up his Gost Zvuk 2xLP with some twisted electro on "Clearences" (sic). Buzzing synths and kinetic beats immediately grab your attention as this beast creeps in from out the recesses.

            Lack strips things back to a skeletal beat; metallic perc hits and detuned hats laying the framework for some cerebrum biting synthwork which comes in thru the latter half of the track.

            Chekov imparts a high degree of tension and drama on "First Thought" which pairs mechanized squeals with eerie pad sequences and robotic rhythms.

            Closing things out, Martin Stromstedt aka Martinou keeps us on the tips of our toes with the tentative skip of "Guide Pattern", not knowing whether or not a massive drops coming keeps the level of intrigue and excitement riding high right till the end of this teasing track.

            Expert stuff from this emergent Manc firm - most recommended!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Yes lads! ANOTHER sterling addition to our cutting edge music scene, Cong Burn can now be legitimately celebrated with four killer releases to date. Check!

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            Cover of Find Me - Inc. Session Victim Remix by Goddard.

            Goddard

            Find Me - Inc. Session Victim Remix

            Church

            Local hero, production whizz and Piccadilly regular Loz Goddard doing his thing here on Church White, more gee than you can handle. Not only is Loz an effin house hero, he's one funny mother fucker, and "Gluttony Bay" might be my favourite track title of the week (if you grew up in the Northwest without a dad, you and your ma already know.) Vinyl crackle, twinkling Rhodes and dreamy synths welcome you aboard, holding it down for a killer conga loop that might have leapt out the groove of a battered Barrabas 7". Soon enough the kick gives you a solid handshake and introduces you to the rest of the rhythm section. It's warm, hazy and atmospheric stuff, perfect for warm ups, rub downs and sonic sweetspots. "Anomaly" follows on with Grade 8 perc programming, stunning, spiritual arps and the kind of bass sound Floating Points employed before he went peak elbow patch - sophisticated, sensual but light and carefree. Flip it for the girthy twack of "Find Me", a contrary kind of jam which somehow finds perfect balance. For all the kick drum's mainroom insistance, the glassy keys, jazzy guitar and funky bass provide a nimble pathway to somewhere lofty. Chuck in a killer vocal sample and you're fully feeling it - pinger and spliff tackle this. As if that weren't enough to prompt Cheshire Cat grins, those disco loving, deep house heroes from Hamburg, Session Victim appear in the remix role, refracting the track's energy into a galloping blend of disco 4/4, dub techno vamp and jazzy guitar licks. Loz the God in full effect folks.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: We're used to records of the highest quality from lieutenant Loz, but the Manchester man excels himself here, dropping the best record ever to land on Church White. Mature, melodic and moving house music which eschews any genre tropes in favour of something better and brighter. Gwan!

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            Cover of Jump To The Bar / Rum & Buckfast Riddim by RTKal, Fox, Shanique Marie, Equiknoxx & Swing Ting.

            RTKal, Fox, Shanique Marie, Equiknoxx & Swing Ting

            Jump To The Bar / Rum & Buckfast Riddim

            Swing Ting

            The latest dancehall missile from MCR firm Swing Ting is a bouncy JA-to-UK bashment banger that features a hefty combination of producers and vocalists from both the Equiknoxx & Swing Ting camps. The tune finds each artist at their most playful, riding the sparkly, jiggy riddim impeccably.

            "Jump to the Bar" was built and voiced in two days at London Bridge’s Red Bull Studios, late Summer 2017.

            Day one involved Gavsborg, Time Cow, Platt & Samrai arriving from various residences of friends and family in the vicinity of the English capital (shout to the Epsom crew). Alway early-birds, Gavs and Cow set to the task on various machines and available gear to construct the rough instrumental, with Platt & Samrai assisting on percussion and programming. Soon lush synths, tough kicks, flanged hats, grimy bass and snappy claps were combining neatly and the backdrop was set.

            Day two featured Kingston’s queen of the cool kids club Shanique Marie flying straight into the big smoke to lay down a witty hook in minutes before earning a lie down on the sofa. Original Brum-town don RTKal rolled in from the West-Midlands (driven by Farda Neeko) dropping a one-take freestyle (egged on by an excitable studio gathering including Randy Valentine, Mr Williamz & Specialist Moss) that later became his verse and the pre-chorus. With the clock ticking on the session, the flask was neatly passed to Mancunian stalwart Fox for the final flourish, giving shouts to buckfast tonic wine & organic herbal treats.

            Supported by Toddla T (Coldest Record), Jubilee (BBC Radio 1 Residency), Chal Ravens (Top Flight), Max Glazer (Federation Sound Radio) as well as being added to Spotify’s Dancehall Official Playlist.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Unstoppable locally bred, now globally-adored phenomenon Swing Ting deliver a ridiculously potent new dancehall hit, complete with clever riddim from avant dubsters Equiknoxx. Unmissable!

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            Cover of New Heights / Snitches Brew by Kamaal Williams.

            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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            Cover of The Time Is Over by Saved My Life.

            Saved My Life

            The Time Is Over

            Downtown Romeo Records

            Every now and then, we get a record in the dance section that automatically wakes up everyone in the shop. It does happen every two to three weeks. On this occasion is the elusive label  Downtown Romeo (three records released in four years) delivering the goods! And what a treat. A deep house beat packed with a groove to die for - goes hand in hand with MCDE early releases. It is warm and exuding vast amounts of feel good vibes without being commercial enough to make it massive. It is what we called a weapon. A slow, relentless build up filled with funky surprises and a gorgeous jazzy piano sample. And just when you thought that was all there was to it, you get the vocals... mmm... those vocals are from a Brazilian record surely. I am dying to know as I have heard the original several times. 
             
            Seriously good and a very nice surprise to get this on a Monday afternoon. It has lifted our spirits! 
             
            Let us know if you discover the sample, please. To do so, you need a copy of this and they are very limited. Truly highly recommended. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: A true stomper, a true legend of a track. A feat and an utterly necessary record in your collection. This is a very good house track that everyone needs. Guaranteed results.

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            Cover of Wino D by Wino D.

            Wino D

            Wino D

            Wah Wah Wino

            The mysterious Wino D makes his debut proper after teasing us with some white label copies of this truly out there 12". Spring reverberations and modular refractions of tried and tested, primordial rhythms, superposed with suspended gamelans, gentle synth undulations or high range, ethereal micro melodies. All very enchanted and enveloping but with a bit more to it than the shamanic house also-rans. There's also plenty of variety across the tracks, from circuit bent mainframe dodging to wacked-out rainforest lysergia; there's something for all corners of the cranium! Highly recommended and stupendously limited... Move quick!

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: REPRESS ALERT!!! A high flyer in our 2108 dance floor round up, Wino D’s weird and whacked out 12” is back in stock for all the DJs who missed it first time round. Lysergic house and psychedelic electro for the techno druids out there!

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            Cover of Without You by Prequel.

            Prequel

            Without You

            Distant Hawaii

            New Hawaii! We are all excited when we hear the word Hawaii over here. Not just because of its gorgeous laidback ideas that have been embedded in our suggestive brains but because of this great record label.

            Prequel gives us four new great tracks and starts the journey with "The Song I Said I'd Make For You', some seriously jazzy mellow vibes mixed up with soothing keys and a distant warm drumbeat are all dancing together in agreement. That is until a strident guitar-sounding riff comes in. What happened there? We can only think that Prequel had a 'moment' there.

            On b2, aka "People Say", the 4/4 becomes more prominent. It still keeps us lethargic and chilled in our sofas with that dreamy guitar sample and those birds singing? Are they birds or confetti falling from the sky? Nice keys too half way in.

            Flip this piece of wax and well... There are no changes. The tone is still mellow and classy. Piano is on the center stage now. The jazz spirit is there but just touches of it, nothing overwhelming for the electronic music punter. Just light touches. That is how I would describe "And Though It's Been Too Long".

            On that note, we segue onto B2's "Give Me Things That Don't Get Lost'. Nothing different here, no surprises. The tone is exactly the same than on the other three tracks. Nice samples and plenty of soothing elements to make this EP a true horizontal dancing record. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Continuing with the label ethos and sound, Prequel comes out from the studio with four slabs of chilled deep house with plenty of jazz flicks and soothing elements.

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            Cover of Techgnosis EP by Hermetics.

            Hermetics

            Techgnosis EP

            R&S

            Four track EP rich in techno and atmosphere.  'Non-Physical Friend' starts proceedings with a looped midnight sax scene sample and thrown into a melange of dark yet groovy bassline and beats. It is driving, it is energetic and be prepared for the acid bombastic thrown into it half way through. 
            Things go more space race oriented on 'Special Access Programs'. Futuristic landscapes - possibly outside Earth are the main theme here. Unexplored lands full of mystery and beauty is translanted into fragile, perfect and melodic soundscapes. Track of this EP for euroSil. 
             
            Flip this 12" and you get a different type of game. It is more robotic, harsher, industrial techno what you will get here. Melodies are gone. Instead heavy beats and aggro bassline take the throne. That goes for 'Sonnenrad'. 'Axid Mundi' does not go that far from the above, it keeps that level of coldness along the whole track but throws in those melodies we were loving so on the A side. 
             
            All tracks are very good - playable and pushing the boundaries yet creating nothing new under the sun. It is a good R&S release and you gotta listen to it in its full glory to appreciate its beauty. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Pretty solid release on R&S as it is the norm with this legendary label. Melodic techno goes robotic at times yet creating intriguing soundscapes for the space explorers out there. Future brought to your decks.

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            Cover of CosmicDelic Africa Unofficial Edits & Overdubs by Joaquin Joe Claussell.

            Joaquin Joe Claussell

            CosmicDelic Africa Unofficial Edits & Overdubs

            Atypical Dopeness

            Taken from the well-received “Comedic Afrika” CD, which was Produced and Compiled by Joaquin Joe Claussell, Cosmicdelic Afrika PT1 is a collection of (demos) that Joaquin has been crafting in the studio working on in his spare time. The Vinyl format PT1 consists mostly of extended Edits and Overdubs from the CD. The Part 2 of the series will feature the original Joaquin Claussell compositions. PT 2 is stated for a release that will follow shortly after the Cosmicdelic Afrika PT1 release. Similar to the previously released CD, the vinyl version will include musical jewels such as Amadou et Mariam’s “Bara” which is no longer available on Vinyl and going for big bucks on the open market - that is if you can find a copy. So a second chance has just come up for you. The hidden surprise here is the understated 'Moudilo' by Railband. What a groovy edit this one is.Worth the entire EP just for that track. Do not let it escape. They do not come this good often enough.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Hefty release by the prolific Claussell. Four edits of the highest calibre easily standing out of the crowd. You have the very good Amadoum & Mariam track but you also have, what is best edit of the month Railband's 'Mouodilo'. So groovy. Get this pronto!

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            Cover of Permission 2 Dance by DJ Different.

            DJ Different

            Permission 2 Dance

            Lobster Theremi

            Fast-rising Swedish producer DJ Different steps up to the Lobster main label plate with a five-track whopper of a rave EP that skirts its way from the Orion Nebula to the very edges of the Oort Cloud. That is a quite a distance, folks. I love space and science so I know they are pretty far apart.

            Blazing a trail of genres whilst keeping firmly in the orbit of a mood-thick, bass-heavy and rhythmic sound & programming palette; Different brings to the fore fuzzing interstellar ambient, Ilian Tape-esque heaving non-4/4 techno, skittering London jungle, RNB-infused washes of synth and breaks, and soulful, slow-lulling electro. Gosh... can you digest all that? It covers a pretty varied number of genres with tons of gusto!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: A flashback to 90s rave aesthetics is guaranteed with this record. It has a certain reverb feel to it that easily makes it big room fodder. In a good way that is. Standout choice for me is the ambient one on B2. Beautiful! Now the question everyone wanted to ask... Is DJq Different that different to the rest of us? Buy this and you will find out!

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            Cover of Pinball Lizard EP by Jordan GCZ.

            Jordan GCZ

            Pinball Lizard EP

            Rush Hour

            Flippers at the ready... High Scoring EP from one of the hardest working producers we know. The A side is a pacey affair - a multi-ball dancefloor battle against the Grand Lizard. The two equally neon treasures on the B side were recorded at the gear laden Worm studio, Rotterdam in 2017. This is another cracking solo outing from the Ju Ju & Jordash / Magic Mountain High linchpin

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            Cover of Foreign Affairs - Inc. Woo & Felicia Atkinson Mixes by Alexis Georgopoulos / Jefre Cantu Ledesma.

            Alexis Georgopoulos / Jefre Cantu Ledesma

            Foreign Affairs - Inc. Woo & Felicia Atkinson Mixes

            Emotional Response

            Emotional Response close the year on a high with "Foreign Affairs" - a limited edition special remix 7-inch single featuring reworks from Alexis Georgopoulos & Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's "Fragments of A Season" album by Woo and Felicia Atkinson.
            Last year's ""Fragments of A Season"" represented a unique chapter in both artist's canon. Georgopoulos, who released the Arp album "Zebra" in June this year and Cantu-Ledesma, who released "On The Echoing Green" in October 2017 - both on Mexican Summer and to critical acclaim - wanted to stretch out and create a discrete work. A peripheral listen to "Fragments" revealed a resonant album of delicate, ambient vignettes, suggesting a Balearic take on Vini Reilly, Young Marble Giants and other poetically-minded, minimalistic post-punk era bands.
            The Brothers Ives aka Woo were a major influence on the album's makers and so AG and JCL are thrilled they've submitted a beautiful reworking of the album's "Marine". Whereas the original sounded like Marine Girls and The Gist getting together for a nice beach day jam, Woo's rework transforms it into pulsating track of glistening proportions. Percolating synths, some guitar and clarinet - the true classic, idiosyncratic Woo-ification - creates a woozy, romantic, impossible to categorize slice of Balearic meets dub atmospherics.

            If "Marine" is all midday sun, intoxicating and potently optimistic, Atkinson's remake represents the literal and figurative flip, bringing out the overcast dreaminess to "Cleo". Sounding like an outtake from a Rohmer film, or perhaps Cocteau Twins and Broadcast having a picnic in Biarritz, the version veers between abstraction, celluloid ambiguity and suggested narrative. Atkinson's reworking adds poetry of the tune (quite literally!) with her soft vocal under-gliding to perfection. Representing a temporary idyll, a meeting point where cobblestone streets lead to the sea. At nightfall, a discotheque heard in the distance. The morning mist burns off. Only such memories remain.

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            Cover of Brasserie Heroique Edits Part 6 by Mori Ra.

            Mori Ra

            Brasserie Heroique Edits Part 6

            Berceuse Heroique

            Aside from lauding it over us all with his endless supply of high demand Japanese doubles, Mori Ra is also a top grade DJ hero and editor of unparalleled talents - as you'll see here. Mori gets the sixth installment of the excellent "Brasserie Heroique" series underway with the shoulder rolling cosmic chug of "Cheeks" - a should be Afro-cosmic classic from the land of the rising sun. Low slung bass, irresistible polyrhythms and light jazz guitar licks form the perfect groove, while the overdriven Japanese vocal leads us to a moment of ecstatic Balearic beauty. Mint. A2 smasher "Half Body" ups the tempo a little and pulls you into a weirdo-disco wormhole of J-pop chipmunk vocals, techno-tropical percussion programming and aboriginal acid wobble before blasting away the cobwebs and the last of your sanity via a siiiiick e-funk bassline. On the flip, "Mirage" should keep the Carhaart kids happy, locking ambient pianos and sentimental guitar licks into some tough and tumbling house percussion, before "Plataeu" powers us to a climax with circular mallets, a Nu Groove drum grid and subtle touches of jazzy deepness. All killer no filler firepower for the advanced DJs.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Mori MF Ra you brilliant mentalist! We've buzzed off every single release Mori's put out, but this latest offering for "Brasserie Heroique" eclipses the competition with full scale cosmic majesty. Psychedelic, groovy, deep and danceable, this is gonna be in heavy rotation at our Talking Drums parties.

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            Cover of Computer Communications by REM.

            REM

            Computer Communications

            Best Italy

            Best bring the uneducated up to speed with a limited remastered edition of one of the early elektro underground italian releases that became a classic in the Chicago house and Detroit techno scenes. The work of Florence duo Paolo Alfani & Nicola Serena AKA R.E.M., "Computer Communications" is a dizzying combination of snapping drum programming, icy Italo sequencing and Mattel Speak & Spell, which circumnavigates any hint of gimmick and instead smashes into my all time Italo top 10! Released way back in '83, this cut was a total milestone, and sounds every bit as vital right now as it ever did.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Ice-cold Italo perfection topped with an MF Speak & Spell - no wonder the Detroit techno pioneers and nascent Chicago house movement went wild for it. Flash your lights!

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            Cover of Bar Records 02 by Zombies In Miami / Pin Up Club.

            Zombies In Miami / Pin Up Club

            Bar Records 02

            Bar

            Bar follow up their first course with the aptly titled "BAR02": a haunting and slightly dramatic, Winter-proof EP. Zombies in Miami from Mexico drop two tracks that would fit great in any of the 80s sci-fi cinema pastiches currently doing the rounds. "Haunted Strasse" instantly hits the 'Stranger Things' sweet spot with its stepped analogue arp, glacial lead licks and vintage beat. "Mirrors" is a tougher beast, nodding to Nitzer Ebb with it's EBM judder and snap, but still retaining them cinematic leads.

            Pin Up boys take on side B with a different vibe - a precision engineered deep houser with a powerful energy and slowly rising intensity - perfect to close off those long, slog-a-thons at the all nite dance spots. Top stuff here, nice, understated and classy. Let's hope the label keep up this high 'bar' of quality (teeheehee - ed).

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Barry says: The last ZIM release for the superb Bordello A Parigi was a bit of a more straight-up Italo affair, but this one oozes nuances skirting the peripheries of all kinds of electronic genres. The frantic synth stomp of 'Haunted Strasse' is definitely more akin to the earlier output whereas the housey stomp of 'Mirrors' takes things a little more into the shadows, while the pin-up boys shine with their chilled out beachside sounds and snappy 909 rhythms.
            Killer outing.

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            Cover of Quicksand by Slim Media Player.

            Slim Media Player

            Quicksand

            Pacific Rhythm

            Slim Media Player returns to Pacific Rhythm with a wonderfully original EP, "Quicksand", his first new material since 2016’s "Rhythms Of The Pacific Volume 3". The EP is the product of Slim Media Player & DJ D.DEE culling through 20+ hours of live jams recorded in Vancouver at Deep Blue Studios from 2016 to 2018.

            The EP opens with the records namesake "Quicksand", a playful piece of peak-time material that’s quirky, uplifting, and dare we say a touch heart-warming. "Mouthfeel" comes through swinging but plays a touch more koi than the opener, serving as an effective tension-builder on the dancefloor that builds into a thoughtful groover with some light at the end of tunnel.

            On the b-side S.M.P explores deeper territory with "Memory Bias (Nostalgia Mix)", an aquatic roller blanketed with warmth and a contemplative aire that stretches for nearly 9 minutes. The EP fades out with the gentle drift of "Tschüs", a warm swaddle that will quell your anxieties and affirm that there are indeed some things that are right in this world, this track being one of them.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Future classic for you. The typical vinyl you can listen over and over - now and in 20 years time. It is deep and playful. Deep house as it should be!

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            Cover of Incapable / Princess / Feeling You Feeling Me by Bitter End.

            Bitter End

            Incapable / Princess / Feeling You Feeling Me

            Bitter End

            The Crooked Man releases another salvo on pre-release through his Bitter End moniker - possibly hinting at what material the Sheffield star is collating for his next album.

            "Incapable" on side A, might just be the most uplifting hymn to emotional thick-skin you're ever likely to hear. With Parrot's thick n chunky bass and drum grooves powering it forward at a steady mid-tempo slug and a near-perfect vocally delivery from a fellow Dee-dar (colloquial term) (currently uncreditted).

            On the flip we get the incendiary face melter, "Princess", paired with the meticulously constructed "Feeling You Feeling Me" which utilizes a classic electronic disco template to create an effortless piece of feel-good party music. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Bitter End attempts to recreate last year's crowning glory, dropping a near faultless 12" that'll appeal to fans of Crazy P and other new northern disco. We can't reveal who the vocalist is but Picc customers are gonna nail it first try. Enjoy!

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            Cover of New Era Housing Project by ESB.

            ESB

            New Era Housing Project

            Echovolt Records

            Analoguish vibes all over 'Natural World'. Keeping things simple to high effect. Casio keyboard style yet that bassline is sooo good. Tasty!
             
            '6400 Block' keeps the analogue feel present but a bit more restrained. The beat makes you think we are dealing with a house track but are we really? It works in mysterous ways this one - wait for the keys to come in. 
             
            'Going Away' is arguably the most dancefloor oriented track on offer, however, it is a particular dancefloor we are talking about - it is my dancefloor! A very special one where only non-obvious dancefloor tracks are allowed. This one will make it to my playlist with its very playful cowbell and sumptuous melody. 
             
            'Carmina' takes us to the dark side. A bit more techy and cold with a basline that keeps the whole structure in check. The beatiful confetti that starts falling half way through this track is worth the entire EP. Oh boy, it is good. 
             
            A solid constrained techno, house, italo-ish release on offer for 'those who know' - whatever that means! Is anybody reading this?


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Solid and sumptuous release with four very good tracks that cover an ample spectrum of melodic, soft and warm techno. Flirtations with italo and house are ever present here.

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            Cover of Moods From The Multiverse by Raf Reza.

            Raf Reza

            Moods From The Multiverse

            Heart To Heart

            Raf Reza joins Heart to Heart with "Moods From the Muiltiverse", after his stellar debut record "Proto" on Cosmic Resonance.

            This record feels familiar yet foreign, the tracks are like a transmission from across the expanse, awakening zones of the mind that were long dormant. We begin with "C-Quenz" a dancefloor ready acid track filled with bright melodies and hopeful feels.

            "Cruising Speed" is aptly named as this one takes you across the stars with mysterious yet energetic vibes, keeping spirits high no matter the time or place. "Rogue" is a futuristic voyage down the Amazon, tribal flavours mixed with hi-tech melodies come together fusing past and future.

            "Exit Point" closes it down with a Blade Runner-esque slow burner that expands your consciousness until you've reached the upper planes of enlightenment.

            A magnificent 4-tracker worth your dough! We got a few copies but they are literally flying to the mail order picking table as I write this blurb.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Futuristic retro-analogue trip worth a good listen. Exquisite, sensuous, playful and very uplifting. What else you want in a dance 12"?

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            Cover of Never Alone by Asquith.

            Asquith

            Never Alone

            Asquith

            Jimmy Asquith follows up his massive dancefloor-crushing solo debut "The Conditioning Track", with a four track techno-house-bass EP that shimmers with London-via-West Yorkshire influences.

            "Never Alone" grabs your by the neck and proceeds to hurtle you around the mainroom at a break-neck speed, it's rampant techno vibrations sure to go down a storm at the more hedonistic cities like Glasgow, MCR & Rotterdam. In contrast, the A1, "Hard Skippin'" deploys some well placed garage business to open up the EP in frenetic form.

            B-side tracks "Hot Mix" and "NRG Mix" both impart a sense of urgent late night energy, lost-in-the-smoke and loving it. It's not time to go home yet that's for sure. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Killer rough house attack here. You will like to hear this on a Saturday night in some obscure basement on the outskirts of your city or town. This is not mainstream sugar coated stuff. This is what you need to keep it real!

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            Cover of Miss Manhattan by Metropole.

            Metropole

            Miss Manhattan

            Best Italy

            Best dig deep into dustiest crates of the Italian underground to present us with a remastered reissue of forgotten classic "Miss Manhattan". Released under the Metropole moniker, this early 80s heater was produced by Al Festa and provided the first studio experience for none other than Balearic hero, Mike Francis. "Miss Manhattan" glides into your life with a cinematic swell of piano and synth-strings, softening you up for the sensual disco tackle that follows. Panning guitar riffs a la Chic, buoyant bass and great horn hooks vie for position before the big soul-jazz vocal lifts us into the stratosphere. Perfection by anyone's standards. This limited 2018 remaster also features the full length instrumental and the "Piano Reprise". 

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Best Records bring us some disco delight from Italy here, as Al Festa and Mike Francis cook up their finest slice of NYC inspired magic.

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            Cover of Voices Inside My Head by Mr K.

            Mr K

            Voices Inside My Head

            Most Excellent Unltd

            The Mr K Edits series continues to be a hotbed of crucial dancefloor wares, taking stone cold classics and giving them a gentle refinement to make the grooves stretch out that little bit longer. The latest in the 7" series focuses on The Police and two of their finest jams - the first is no stranger to revisions, covers and remixes. "Voices In My Head" has been tackled by many, not least 90s hip house upstart KC Flightt, but here the original version goes on a version excursion that brings out the best in the tune. On the flip, "When The World Is Runnin' Down" shimmers with uptempo new wave refinement that should set any open minded dancefloor alight.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Two pretty well-known The Police hits treated respectfully by maestro Mr K (Danny Krivit). Expect top quality and anyone out there who does not have these two bombs, needs them. On a not so different note I need to thank Senor Patrick for offering me to review this 7", otherwise I would have never remembered the anthemic tune that was the version that Different Gear did almost two decades ago! Very loco how time flies.

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            Cover of I Got Cha Opin by Black Moon.

            Black Moon

            I Got Cha Opin

            Wreck Records

            Heavy hip hop hitters here as we come to the next batch of all-time classic hip-hop anthems from the Nervous vaults, pressed onto high quality dinked 45's. Collectors and DJs take note! Remastered from the original source material and featuring the unedited 'dirty' version on the A-side, and the full instrumental on the B-side, these 45's are for the heads who know what time it really is!
            The original LP version of the slamming underground jam 'I Gotcha Open' from 1994 sees Black Moon doing what they do best - spitting some serious heat over more Beatminerz grooves. It's all here, the filtered bassline that is a straight Beatminerz trademark, paired with some killer echo-laden drum programming and those sick horns! The perfect vehicle for the Buckshot Shorty to get loose with his inimitable style. This is that classic mid 90's flavour, classic from end to end. If that wasn't enough for you, you get blessed with Evil Dee & Mr Walt's instrumental on the flipside which will definitely get you open, fronting is optional but not advised! You have been warned.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Nod ya head, break ya neck and kick it wit' the wicked - another Black Moon jam resurrected from the Nervous vaults. Pure 90s NYC biz here, you know it.

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            Cover of I Got Cha Opin (Remix) by Black Moon.

            Black Moon

            I Got Cha Opin (Remix)

            Wreck Records

            Blessed be those MFs in reissue land - not only do we get a reissue of ace OG "I Got Cha Opin", but we also get a f-f-f-fresh reissue of the LEGENDARY remix - haevy jams for all the 90s rap fiends out there! That's correct, you all know the video, right? If you were glued to MTV, BET, The Box or any other similar platform in and around late 1993 then you know you definitely got open to this one. Yet again, Da Beatminerz come with that unbridled heat, flipping that (shhh...) sample to maximum effect, people are still sweating tape king Evil Dee 'the number 1 deejay' over this jam. You need this basically. Absolutely timeless sh*t right here, dirty version on the A, instrumental on the flip.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Flippin the script on the OG, Da Beatminerz came through with a sublime soul sample, subtle drums and slick bass, twisting the track into the smoothest slice of late Daisy age cool.

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            Cover of Jesuino Gala Diodo / Make It Ready by Afshin And Kiss My Black Jazz.

            Afshin And Kiss My Black Jazz

            Jesuino Gala Diodo / Make It Ready

            GAMM

            Afhin & Kiss My Black Jazz return promptly to Gamm following a one record sabbatical, bringing two more superb reworkings fresh from the studio.

            First up a joyous late 70's Brazilian lost classic, perfectly realigned for 21st century floors as focuses on the highly danceable passages. It might be cold and wet outside but this ray of sunshine should be enough to light up any room.

            On the flip, "Make It Reggae" sees a twist on James Brown's "Make It Funky" jam, adding a Kingston styled flip on this funk classic. Both are gonna smash the floor to bits...


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Two brutally outstanding edits to rock your party. Seriously good. You need this. Cannot say it any louder unless I use caps. GAMM in its true form.

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            Cover of Pes EP by Baptisma.

            Baptisma

            Pes EP

            Disk

            Baptisma is 55 years old, lives in Nagoya and runs an art space and concert venue called Spacio Rita. He has never before released any music. In the hot and humid Japanese summer of 2016 YPY and I played a show at Sapcio Rita, Shintaro was DJing and Baptisma played a short show, too. It was impulsive and driving while somewhat earthy and dark, buzzing with dense energy like a jungle yet spacious like the hall of the mountain king.

            Baptisma's powerful sound creates strange places - as inviting as shady.
            I was captivated. Baptisma liked the idea of a release and we embarked on that long journey that finally led to DISK16. Along the trip we proudly welcomed Hodge from Bristol as a stowaway. His unexpected remix well rounding this square project. Finally Maria Mendes from Lisboa served as our beacon, providing a simple and beautiful jacket for this neat release!' - Florian Meyer / Don’t DJ.

            Yea man. More tripped out shamanic bizniz for your next gong bath / mushroom session; very big in Todmorden right now! 




            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: One of those rare instances when the music's as good as the story! Forian Meyer on an inspired A&R tip here, bringing into focus the majestic sounds of Baptisma!

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            Cover of HAND003 by Hand.

            Hand

            HAND003

            HAND

            Interesting little dance nugget / DJ tool here from the HAND camp who drop a percussive heavy, afro-house double A side complete with a plethora of drum loops and tribal business for the more creative DJs to utilize out in the field. Not only that, this is a samplers dream with plenty of raw drum passages ready to rip and load into your favoured hardware beat device. Top stuff from this illicit collective. Check!

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Always a head turner when a record lands with some deconstructed loops and samples. Usually however it gets slung aside as the content's wack... on this instance however - it's mega - all rejoice!

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            Cover of Vasos De Banha by Repetentes 2008.

            Repetentes 2008

            Vasos De Banha

            Lama

            The new release of the mysterious label Lama, comes from Repetentes 2008, the alias of Brazilian producer Gabriel Guerra. Two beautifully kaleidoscopic tracks where you can hear the influence of 1980s video game soundtracks, Brazilian jazz-fusion, electronic pop and new age Japanese ambient music played at the wrong speed. Beautiful silkscreened artwork by Portuguese street artist Rudolfo. Limited to 200 copies.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Repetentes 2008 return after that brain fizzing EP on Future Times last year. The formula hasn't changed but they're still out there completely on their own - sounding like if James Ferraro and Stanley Clark collaborated on a new Donkey Kong soundtrack whilst on holiday in the tropics. Yes!

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            Cover of How Does It Feel by Roger That.

            Roger That

            How Does It Feel

            White Label

            White label roller from Roger That taking one of dance music’s most iconic vocals, New Order’s "Blue Monday" and flipping it into a heavy hitting, tech house heater. Packed to the rafters with punchy, reverberated stabs, low-end weight and lip-smacking dancefloor grooves it’s already steamrollering the club scene - ever extending the reach of those immortal lyrics.

            Hammered all summer long by the likes of Solardo, Camelphat, Marco Carola, Jamie Jones and Leon, it's is now available on a limited 12” vinyl. Don't sleep! 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Did someone say MAIN ROOM?!?!? Top's off business here RIYL: Artwork and Paranoid London. No amount of garies will be enough to satisfy the insatiable appetite of a floor faced with this.

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            Cover of Self Will by VTSS.

            VTSS

            Self Will

            Intrepid Skin

            SPFDJ launches her own label Intrepid Skin. Fast paced and full of energy, strictly for the hardcore!

            Already garnering support from techno stalwarts Blawan and Ben UFO, it's combination of 'head fuck and tribal weirdness' and 'no mercy' rocket powered techno should see it ignite dancefloors with a need for it hard and heavy. Recommended! 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Powerful and industrial techno draped in goth boots, black eye liner and dog tags. Militant, nasty and ready for battle!

            FORMAT INFORMATION

            Ltd 12" Info: Limited to 300 - full picture sleeve.

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            Cover of 3024-FYE2 by Yak.

            Yak

            3024-FYE2

            3024

            Yak presents his first solo EP on Martyn's 3024 imprint. Three, intricate, dazzling excursions into half-time, d'n'b and garage all presented with a hi-gloss finish and resplendent in colour, texture and style.

            "Rhodes Island" is the vibey d'n'b number that sneaks in under a cloak of mystery perc hits and glowing pads, and its only when the pitched up breaks drop you realize you're actually about to explode into a 160bpm roller! Inventive edits and beat trickery reminding us of the legacies of Nucleus and Paradox while still sounding extremely 2018. "Don Greno" is a tight, taut, skeletal take on UKF / UKG with Yak's tropical percussion hits a fixture throughout the EP. This one's been killing it on dublate for Rinse FM through it's impressive sound design and awe-inspiring arrangement - 100% fire! "Ocean Floor" is a more freeform, dubbed out drum groove perfect for those late night / early morning vibrations and will work excellently as a percussive DJ tool to get wild with in-tha-mix. Massive vibes on this one players! 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Multi-flavoured new school vibes here. From the explosive roller of "Rhodes Island" to the neo-tropical UKF of "Don Greno" and finishing with digi-dub hybrid "Ocean Floor". Amazing!

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            Cover of Greetings From The Bin by Basso.

            Basso

            Greetings From The Bin

            PMJ Collector's Cuts

            People Must Jam return to their Collector's Cuts series after a lengthy delay (two years since this one first hit the presales!), taking us on a trip to Hamburg to visit Growing Bin gentleman Basso. If you've paid any attention to our staff recommendations over the last few years you'll be well acquainted with Growing Bin Records, a home to the esoteric, ecstatic and frankly mind blowing. Whether he's ahead of the reissue pack, introducing us to German jazz-funk rarities, woodland kosmische and Iranian fusion, or bossing the end of year charts with Aussie ambient, French library sounds and textural house, Basso's constantly looking for something new, different and essential.

            This should come as no surprise, since the Hamburg native started Growing Bin as a blog and online shop dedicated to his first love - digging! As my personal first port of call for rare record information or wine recommendations, Basso is a generous man with a sophisticated palate - and an insane record collection. Here he dives deep into the bin to splice together four exquisite selections for late nights, early mornings or afternoons on the yacht. 

            We're in tropical territories on the A1, enjoying a breakfast mimosa on the cape while the steel pans, lilting groove and toasty bass of "Bumba" roll on and on. As jazzy as my trademark shirts, smoother than Silvestre's latin charms and madder than Matt on the staff party, this dreamboat docks at headband bay for a glorious guitar solo before erupting into an echo-drenched climax of lunatic laughter. Before you ask, the "Ol Dirty Vinyl" style skip-out before the solo is supposed to be there, embrace the oddness and imagine Basso winking behind the decks. Onto the A2 and the floor-filling, club killing sound of "Jane's Addiction", a top notch Kwaito groover which demands shoulder rolling, side stepping and fist pumping from the off. Plastic synth sounds, bubbling bass, BIG vocals and a hot hook - need I say more?

            Bump to the B-side and take a deep breath for some BOOOOOGGGGGIIIIIEEEEE (Randy Brunson TM)! Slipping into some freshly pressed chinos and winding its body like a snake is "Novo Espectaculo", a Portugeuse / Brazillian heater for warm ups, rub downs and Balearic party sets. Blessed with the kind of tight, pocket dwelling groove you could loop giddily for at least four hours, this Portuguese tart takes us through melodic MPB vocals, fusion guitar licks and crazed drunk-at-the-carnival breakdowns before leaving our heart lighter and our limbs significantly looser. Last but not least, Basso treats us to an expert edit of a German synth funk rarity, appearing here as "Gioco Sporco In Palazzo". Now, the keen eared among you may have heard this new waver recut for Il Bosco and The Bat's Red Laser release, and our close friend Bosco actually bought a copy of this cut from the Growing Bin. Well, while this one languished in the pressing plant queue, Mancunia's finest editors beat old Basso to the punch, but now you have another ace option for B2B DJ extension, drag backs or other technical jocking. Emotive vocals, percolating sequences and ace FX make this a fitting end to a fine EP. Basso ftw!

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            Cover of This Is 4U by Hidden Spheres.

            Hidden Spheres

            This Is 4U

            Lobster UNDR

            New lobster sublabel for dark, moody, nostalgic vibes and essential club material. Straight outta Manc in '91! Well known by now Hidden Spheres channeling that northern rave euphoria for the his most epic release yet. From heady early 90's Manchester rave to Dungeons & Dragons electro and deep percussion heavy twisters. Heavy productions & weighty goods as you are well accustomed from this man. 

            This is playful, melodic and full of intricate passages. Every release gets better and better proving that record label promiscuity and being prolific does not equate being medicocre! The hard to find spheres are proving the opposite. 

            Pantone printed centres in a discobag with hologram 'UNDR' sticker. Go grip! 

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: It is hard to get a four tracker in which all the cuts are acceptable, let alone good. Happy to say the hard to find Spheres have produced a well rounded ep in which ALL the cuts are shining and definitely shaking my old hips. A cut above the rest. Keep it coming, sir!

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            Cover of Rico Suave Bossa Nova (Mr Thing Edit) / Come Get It by Jay Dee.

            Jay Dee

            Rico Suave Bossa Nova (Mr Thing Edit) / Come Get It

            ALIM Music

            The first release on ALIM Music is presented by BBE insider Mr Thing and features an extended edit of the J Dillaclassic ‘Rico Suave Bossa Nova’, with ‘Come Get It’ on the flip side, both taken from Dilla’s stunning solo debut album ‘Welcome 2 Detroit’.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Millie says: You can’t get much better than Dilla, both sides A & B are absolute classics! Nab up this limited one before it’s too late!

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            Cover of Nisyan by Ahmed Fakroun.

            Ahmed Fakroun

            Nisyan

            Groovin

            Although the catastrophic bootleg/not boogleg, nazi-not-nazi furore pretty much did for ole' PMG, the label did manage to offer up a pretty decent press of these two tracks on their "Ahmed Fakroun" compilation. Thing is though, I can't get enough of a replica 7" so I was in buzz-overload when this reissue landed in my lap. Showing off shades of the Bee Gees, Ned Doheny or Vangelis "Let It Happen", "Nisyan" sees Ahmed take us to Libyan Balearic heaven on a cushioned carpet of slinky grooves, shuffling percussion and spacey synths. The AOR disco genius doesn't stop there though, as the sweet and syncopated "La Ya-Hob" waits on the B-side to bring a smile to your face, a twinkle to your eye and a spring to your step. This is the first time this 7" has been available since 1977, and I suggest you buy now rather than wait another 40 years.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: Ahmed Fakroun's Libyan Balearic anthem gets a first ever official reissue thanks to Groovin - suns out, socks off, cocktails by the pool tackle!

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            Cover of Aerowalk by Marco Lazovic.

            Marco Lazovic

            Aerowalk

            GASP

            One of Lobster hot fave new artists steps up with a whopping 6-track breakbeat, jungle and rave 12" for the ever-90's leaning Lobster White Label series.

            An onslaught of sampled breaks, heavy chops and production roughness incoming! From the time-stretched drums and gloomy bass of Untitled 1 to eagle-soaring euphoria of Untitled 3 and the crunchin' crescendo of Untitled 6. A sonic spectrum of throwback heat. Absolute nutty, absolutely you!



            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Somebody told Marco to do whatever he wanted in the studio, and he did! Six mind-blowing tracks heavily influenced by 90s nostalgia that leave no stone unturned. Just like you like it!

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            Cover of Hypnotic Tango by My Mine.

            My Mine

            Hypnotic Tango

            Dark Entries

            In what surely must be one of the biggest Dark Entries Editions to date, it's the all time Italo disco club classic: My Mine - "Hypnotic Tango". All rejoice!

            My Mine were the trio of Stefano Micheli (vocals, keyboards), Carlo Malatesta (vocals, keyboards), and Danilo Rosati (drums, keyboards) formed from the ashes of Italian New Wave group Ipnotico Tango in 1982. They shifted focus from the experimental post punk sounds towards something more commercial with which to try and enter the market, namely to make a record. At that time Carlo was studying in Bologna and he had heard about producer and arranger Mauro Malavasi famous at that time for the many hits produced for Macho, Peter Jacques Band, Change, Luther Vandross, Ritchie Family. The group handed Malavasi a demo tape and four days later they were invited to Fonoprint Studios to record their first single, “Hypnotic Tango”.

            Utilizing new electronic instruments like the now legendary Roland TB-303, Danilo improvised a simple but effective synthesizer bass line and passed it through the Roland Echo until something magical came out. “Hypnotic Tango” was released on Progress Record in 1983 and became an international hit across Europe and US dance clubs in New York, Detroit and Chicago, capturing the imagination of house and techno producers. In 1987 the legendary Frankie Knuckles remixed “Hypnotic Tango” at Seagrape Studios in Chicago, with assistance from studio engineers Tommy White and Brett Wilcotts. Originally released on Danica Records as the “Powerhouse Mix” paying tribute to the Windy City club atmosphere and adding his own 'sighs' in the track as well.

            This reissue presents 4 mixes of “Hypnotic Tango” including the “Hypnotic Mix” only appearing together once before in 1990 on Rams Horn Records. All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a jacket with original artwork and includes an insert with photos and liner notes by Stefano Micheli. 


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Mega buzz. All mixes of this bona fide Italo classic on one beautifully pressed, heavyweight 12".. Rejoice, and throw away your crappy bootleg copies now!

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            Cover of Whities 019 by Overmono.

            Overmono

            Whities 019

            Whities

            Whities keep up their unrelenting release schedule with a new record from Overmono. Three tracks of varying styles, all showcasing an impressive dexterity with melody, texture, rhythm and emotion. Mangled live drum breaks characterize opener "iii's Front", while squashed tape artifacts and vacuum beats provide an alien backdrop for "Quadraluv"'s lullaby piano passages. "Yell0w_Tail" sees Morse code bleeps and a 'Window Licker'-rhythm taken further towards somnolence via dreamy keyboard sequences and elevating arps.

            The record comes in a sticker-fastened sleeve, featuring notes that nod to Overmono's early introduction to rave in the Welsh countryside (!!!).

            Mastered and cut by Beau Thomas
            Art direction by Alex McCullough
            Sleeve design by Alex McCullough and Kia Tasbihgou.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: 'Nuther week, 'nuther Whities with 'nuff upfront club bizniz emanating from this crucial camp of late... check!

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            Cover of That Record With Friends On It by Tech Support.

            Tech Support

            That Record With Friends On It

            Anti Skate

            British wunderkind Ned Dickinson aka Tech Support is back with some more sublime expressions in deep house as featured on That Record With Friends On It. Check out the smooth and sultry "Excursion" which receives a roughed-up and dusted down rework by Vancouverite Jesse Bru.

            On the flipside, get your dose of sexed-up neon-lit nu disco on the awesome "Praise" before getting hooked on the life-affirming soul power of closer "Friends". 

            A powerful four tracker that will do wonders on any season greetings gig! 

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Four tracks oozing energy and feel good vibes. A bit of deep house and touches of tech-house, particularly on Jesse Bru's revision. Top draw!

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            Cover of HS001 by Unknown Artist.

            Unknown Artist

            HS001

            Hot Sauce

            Straight to 6th gear on this disco edits top notch belter. Fast paced and loaded with real noisy string arrangement and a very infectious bass. Did I tell you about the drum break? An absolute sweaty bomb. Hot Sauce has simply chopped out the worst bit of this disco hit (which I have no clue about it) and gave us a real tool for the always discerning DJ or dancer. 

            On the flip you have a monster funk number with a gorgeous vocal male who will totally make you change the way you see the world and maybe even change it! Those keys are the real deal here and of course the mandatory string arrangement. Very uplifting and very much needed in this uncertain times. 

            Two slices of dancefloor bliss that are vinyl only. You need this! 




            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Brutally exquisite dancefloor friendly disco and funk edits. One per side on glorious 45rpm. Vinyl only and limited. Read my crazy review above so you know what you are dealing with.

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            Cover of I Used To (Dixon Retouch) / Pulse (v.1) by LCD Soundsystem.

            LCD Soundsystem

            I Used To (Dixon Retouch) / Pulse (v.1)

            DFA

            Reformed, refreshed and reinvigorated, the most important band of the 21st Century (Patch says!) LCD Soundsystem returned last year with the remarkable "American Dream", their finest album to date. Now, Murphy and co pluck a couple of killers from that masterpiece and hand the stems over to a pair of party fiends and friends for a two part remix series. First up, Innervisions head and Berlin house legend Dixon takes on the broody, pensive and propulsive "I Used To" and opens it out into a clinical club cut. Reshaping the track into a spacious mix down, Dixon allows maximum room for the icy synth tones to stand out, while the clipped rhythm section is perfectly suited to a Funktion One. Stealing the show though is that most wonderful of things, a non album LCD track. Like "Starry Eyes / Freak Out" and "Hippie Priest Bum-Out" before it (amongst many others), "Pulse (V.1)" sees the NYC ensemble wave goodbye to pop songform and say hello to freeform jamming, this time on a punk funk meets minimal techno trip out. The track builds from the icy arps of a techy synth line, through loose live drums and Blank Tapes organs into a bleeping, squelcho bassline breakdown right out of the Maurice Fulton playbook. After five body moving minutes, the track suddenly veers off into new realms, repurposing those elements first as a tense and claustrophobic snapshot of ambient techno, then as an ecstatic and spiritual experience. Edge intact, LCD are back.

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            Cover of Oh Baby (Lovefingers Remix) / Oh Baby (Lovefingers Dub) by LCD Soundsystem.

            LCD Soundsystem

            Oh Baby (Lovefingers Remix) / Oh Baby (Lovefingers Dub)

            DFA

            Reformed, refreshed and reinvigorated, the most important band of the 21st Century (Patch says!) LCD Soundsystem returned last year with the remarkable "American Dream", their finest album to date. Now, Murphy and co pluck a couple of killers from that masterpiece and hand the stems over to a pair of party fiends and friends for a two part remix series. This second serving sees ESP Institute founder Lovefingers putting his own psychedelic touch on sincere synth serenade "Oh Baby". The New York producer and label head adds a rolling house piano and tripped out textures, reworking the original percussion elements and acid tinged fx into a hypnotic shuffler perfect for extended warm ups and post peak euphoria. In time honoured ESP fashion the off-kilter congas come to party while the arpeggios and sequences of the LCD original take on a "Big City" grandeur. Lovefingers drops the vocal just on time, lending the medicated music a mantra for the ages, then twists us out with pitch bent synth riffs and a nagging bassline. I'd go as far as to say this is my favourite Lovefingers production, and the dub version on the flip is the icing on the cake, doing away with 95% of the vocal, and rinsing the rest through the space echo for added cosmic impact. Straight in the bag I should think!

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            Cover of CVO Elements EP by Glenn Underground.

            Glenn Underground

            CVO Elements EP

            Groovin Recordings EP

            Big one from Big Glenn's catalogue. "CVO Elements" was originally released in 1997 and finds the producer in a sweet spot of high clarity, infectious rhythms and warm, melodic sounds. 

            Possessing that incessant swing-n-shuffle that'd characterize much of his output. the tracks here are laced with exotic guitar lines, punchy bass presets and velvety strings, with sexy piano chords, weaving organ lines and pitch-bent keys breaking through the grooves adding a touch of elegance to proceedings. 

             2018 repress © Groovin Recordings and licensed courtesy of Glenn Underground. Sounding better than ever!

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Matt says: Frenetic house grooves from no other than Glenn Underground. Yes it's a repress but if until now this EP's evaded your attention then you need to address the situation rapid and check this one out!

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            Cover of Orange Islands by JVXTA.

            JVXTA

            Orange Islands

            Distant Hawaii

            Distant Hawaii continues to aurally thaw the oncoming Pacific cold front with a quartet of foot-toasting, skin toning summer house shufflers courtesy of Hardmatter label-head and London resident JVXTA.

            Having honed his valve-warmed + dusty samplin' production chops with a self-released split on Hardmatter, a low-key cassette for Swamp Tapes and a more recent package of burners for the NYC-based imprint Homage. This time it's a step on Lobster sub Distant Hawaii with four soulful slices of summer house moods and grooves carefully crafted and chopped into a seasoned and well rounded whole.

            "SS Anne" brings the crunchy house and edits-y vibes to the fore with an extended workout, interjecting with moments of vocal flourishes and a more up-beat almost disco vibe. On the same side is the title track stomper "Orange Islands", interspersed with showers of melodic richness, slowly pouring from a crack in the rocks upon high. A tender and slow stream of soulful synth-work and cascading dreams.

            "Dive Theme" matches the mood from whence it's names. Pure Detroit chords and staggered, Chi-house-boogie drumwork puckering the textural framework. Trance-like ethereal patterns to envelope the mind and body.

            Tidying things up with a ground-floor, deep-seated low-groover is "Angelo's Alley". A beach scene recording sits behind a lolloping, humped bass-kick program with touches of choral Juno embellishing throughout, and an honest and revealing spoken-word lull recalling the reflective power of Mylo's seminal Sunworshipper.



            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: This should be our record of the week on the house section. There is class and deepness all over the four tracks. Gorgeous samples too. Another Hawaii is possible! They are all mega. Dancefloor artillery on A side and a more relaxed perspective on electronica on B side. Outstanding track for me goes for 'Angelos Alley'. Brutally gorgeous and exquisitely sensuous.

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            Cover of Rock, Spank, Freak by High Voltage.

            High Voltage

            Rock, Spank, Freak

            Queen Constance

            High Voltage is one of the more familiar names in the P&P / Queen Constance galaxy. Led by Peter Brown and Patrick Adams right hand man and producer Michael Campbell who presided over some of the biggest and best sides the labels put out. This one is a must, essential, do not sleep business. 11.00 minutes of Disco fury! You're forgiven for thinking that this would've been huge had it have come out on one of the 'bigger' disco labels, but that hasn't stopped 'Rock, Spank, Freak' becoming a true blue club anthem. Appearing in the playlists of DJs and selectors as diverse as Larry Levan, Danny Krivit and Daniele Baldelli. Rough n'ready, unpolished but musically explosive the sounds contained on this here 12" are indeed High Voltage! As with a lot of these jams, this one's been badly bootlegged, so ignore those wack counterfeits that are out there and bag you a fully licensed reissue of this absolute bomb. Dope.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Patrick says: If you like your disco raw, funky AF and kind of twisted, you're gonna be all over this. Blessed with the kind of mantra-styled vocals you can still manage mid gurn, "Rock, Spank, Freak" has the raw power to tear a club apart, harnessing clavs, bass and percussion into a party pyrotechnic.

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            Cover of Acid Raindrops - Inc. Hidden Spheres / Baltra Remixes) by Fede LNG.

            Fede LNG

            Acid Raindrops - Inc. Hidden Spheres / Baltra Remixes)

            Axe Traxx

            Four tracker here for you dancefloor fiends. Floritudes aside here is our breakdown.

            'Acid Rainbows' pedals along with its gentle acid flirtations filled with very warm and cushy atmospheres. Simple keys keep everything 'cute'. Drowning in good intentions, this is pallatable even for the least versed listener. There is nothing in here that will take you down from your fluffly cloud. A feat. 

            'Song at Night'. Gosh, what a change, my dear. Is that hidden filtered vocal down there NIna Kraviz? Gosh, oh gosh! Anyway, after I compose myself, let me tell you that this is a killer house track. And do not run away, but this one truly fits a tech-house set start. The beat is punchy as f++k and the keys are shouting 'bad boy' all over the place. Well done. 

            Baltra on the flipside, understands this tune from a different perspective. He takes you back to mid 90s, brave man! Breaks all over the place but without being too aggro. Soothing keys keep it nice and warm. Just a different take. 

            And we come back to the beginning. Hidden Spheres offers you his rendition by going playful and quirky on an already well rounded track. . 


            Fellas, this one should be in your bag now!



            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Energetic and varied. A bit for everyone but solid all around. Not an easy feat! Enjoy and own it!

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            Cover of Euphorbia by Ex-Terrestrial.

            Ex-Terrestrial

            Euphorbia

            Magicwire

            Rave waves and good feelings all night long flowing through my brain cells right now. It is just an image I have. A spiritual lift that is taking up there where there is no dross to deal with. My soundtrack is this record. "Mojave Skyline" sets the mood easily taking you back to a better time; a less confusing time, where raves were easier to set up and you and your friends could all dance in the middle of nowhere to tunes like this one. ANF revises it giving it a solid bassline - not that the original needed more oomph but there you go, just another take.

            Flip this truly bad boy over and now that introductions are behind and everybody is starting to lift off and seeing little dots in a sea of darkness, this "Insect Reject", comes strong to start sailing the bumpy but safe waves of this anthemic tune. Pure rave shot here.

            All ups have their downs. It is more than proven. A fact of life. But when the down comes to get you, you will have your soundtrack ready. That is the last track for you. A slow down, chuggy beat heavy, dreamy, and soggy. Yet dreamy and cushioned.

            What a trip fellas. If you made it this far, just get this! For those who know!


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Sil says: Trippy and an emotional rollercoaster of an EP. Nostalgia attack for those of us that were there and did not buy the t-shirt. I was not there or bought anything but I can relate because this music will take you higher!

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            Cover of Accidental Meetings EP by Chaos In The CBD.

            Chaos In The CBD

            Accidental Meetings EP

            In Dust We Trust

              Chaos In The CBD's Ben & Louis Helliker-Hales team up with long-time friend and collaborator Jon Sable to present their new imprint In Dust We Trust. Opening the label is the impeckable (har har) duo, with four tracks effortlessly moving through delicate textures, organic percussion and late night atmosphere. It begins with the late night basement sounds of the title track, then sends you through the spacious and meditative "North Pole Cafe". The wild rhythms of "United Identities" are sure to hypnotize you, until you find yourself spat out by the energetic grooves of "Distorted Fields". Sounding as good in the club is it does hot boxing a Nisan Micra on ASDA car park late at night, it sees Chaos In The CBD really flourish, not just as producers but now as label heads in their own right - cementing their lively, percussion driven brand of house music as one of the leading lights in the UK underground. 2017's gonna be one hell of a year I can feel it.

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Matt says: Chaos In The CBD kick off their new label with four tracks in their patented, percussion-driven, deep house stylee.

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              Cover of Clubjammerz by Bakground.

              Bakground

              Clubjammerz

              Lobster Theramin

              Bakground follows up his humungous release for E-Beamz and RSD with a back-to-the-raw jungle, DnB and bassline white label on Lobster.

              Having honed a early 90's breakbeat infused sound that gives a heavy nod to London and the Good Lookin' sound, this handstamped five-tracker explores his scintillating sound pallet, cycling through scuffed & muffled jungle, heavy-chopped drum 'n' bass and womping bassline-garage-house.

              Seriously sub-heavy club weapons incoming!



              STAFF COMMENTS

              Sil says: Straight to the jugular 90s jungle is the name of the game. No bull. Just that. Ravey and punchy with tons of adrenaline ready to invade the whole club. Total devastation without being nonsensical. Are you ready for this? Are you really? Then get a copy pronto!

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              Cover of Are You My Woman (Tell Me So) / Stoned Out Of My Mind by Chi-Lites.

              Chi-Lites

              Are You My Woman (Tell Me So) / Stoned Out Of My Mind

              Brunswick

              Serious ‘70s Chi-lites business, remastered officially from the Brunswick back catalogue. Infamously sampled for Beyonce mega-hit ‘Crazy In Love’, ‘Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)’ is a huge slice of soulful, funk gold. Marrying Eugene Record’s falsetto alongside Creadel "Red" Jones' animated bass tones it screams flash, feel-good, funk - none more so than when the collective combine for those delectable vocal harmonies. Woven in behind - a heavy bassline, masterful drumming and that crazed horn section, creating a certified recipe for deep-seated desire.
              The flip see’s the sumptuous ‘Stoned Out Of My Mind’ demonstrating, once again, Record’s magical falsetto, delivered in such a personal way you’ll leave thinking you’re the one who’s gone messed up his mind. Enhanced even further by the dazzling string and horn sections and those choice group harmonies, it’s got a psychedelic tinge to it that serves its namesake all too well.

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Millie says: I’m still buzzing after hearing that Beyoncé sample when this record was put on in the shop yesterday, beautifully woven into one of the catchiest songs in a long time. So so good!

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              Cover of Ain’t No Need / Ain’t No Need (Dance) by Skye.

              Skye

              Ain’t No Need / Ain’t No Need (Dance)

              Rain & Shine

              Rain & Shine continue their journey through our collective wantlist with the first official reissue of this sacred slice of funk since it’s 1976 release. And with a median price of £228 on Discogs it’s about time us mere mortals had the chance of owning it. Remastered and reissued with the original band members blessing, "Ain’t No Need" has long been a favourite of the some of the most well-respected DJs across the scene, from Floating Points and Sadar Bahar, to Mr Scruff and Theo Parrish - with Theo even releasing a live cover version performed alongside his band on their 2014 tour. Boasting the scratchiest guitar chords, endless keyboard solos and a super-soulful hook "Ain't No Need" guarantees smiles on the dancefloor. Strictly limited to 1000, never to be repressed - hand numbered, 7 Inch picture sleeve with a dinked centre hole - you know what to do!

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              Cover of Ode To A Happening On Earth by Jonny Rock.

              Jonny Rock

              Ode To A Happening On Earth

              ESP Institute

              Jonny Rock is somewhat of a sorcerer, an omnipresent eye that gathers secret ingredients from far and wide - old school House oddities, hypnotic melodies of the Orient, the furthest reaches of Disco, the easy pace of Turkish psychedelic funk - fusing it all into his own shrouded code, a string of immaterial messages, both subliminal and lucid, that highlight his eccentric sense of storytelling and nuance. He imbues a sense of familiarity in his music, implying history that might not be studied but still feels learned, a quality inherent to productions born from a vast catalog of influence (and the inseparable sample material). Jonny conjures euphoric acid flashbacks, herds of crowds through Istanbul alleys, the misty morning residue from raves of yore, orchestral winds blown across the Aegean riviera, and he manages to concentrate their essence into singular details such as a snare drum. Both sides of his eternally-awaited ESP debut lean toward his dark arts—'Tye Die Techno' drives a relentless hard-edged drum kit that could throw an otherwise self-respecting Goth into a heated breakdance battle, while the title track and theme, 'Ode To A Happening On Earth,' plays with the imagery of ritual, fantasy and role-playing—but throughout this malevolent stew, there is a sustained hint of the artist’s playful nature. No matter how murky the trip becomes, Jonny is always there, a light at the end of the tunnel, with a big hug to reassure that everyone will be OK. He is one clever bastard—if you know, you know.

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Matt says: "Tye Die Techno" reminds me of summat you might hear Neil Diablo playing at El Diablos Social Club or perhaps blasting outta the Function 1's in Croatia circa the last few years. "Ode To A Happening.." creeps into the shadows with a slow EBM throb.

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              Cover of Devotion EP by Eris Drew / Octo Octa.

              Eris Drew / Octo Octa

              Devotion EP

              Naive UK

              Before heading out on tour together earlier in the year, Eris Drew and Octo Octa dreamt up the idea of a joint release. Happily, Naive was only too happy to oblige. Drew handles the A-side, serving up two versions of bustling, Clavinet-sporting, breakbeat-driven joy "Hold Me" (the effervescent "T4T Embrace Mix" and a jaunty DJ tool style "Synth-a-pella") and the organ-laced deep breakbeat shuffle of "Trans Love Vibration". Over on Side B, HNYTRX and 100% Silk alumnus Octo Octa takes over, joining the dots between rave-era UK house and saucer-eyed early '90s U.S garage dubs on "Beam Me Up (To The Goddess Mix)", before re-imagining the track as a twinkling fusion of dream house bliss and bustling breakbeats on the arguably superior "Please Take Me Away Mix". Two killer producers offering a slab each. Enjoy!

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Sil says: Eris Drew opts for a more controlled breakbeat affair on A side - so totally 90s! Whilst maestro Octo Octa decides to go a bit more euphoric and adds a bit of trancey stadia vibes to the repertoire. So clubby, makes me wanna dance like nobody's biz.

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              Cover of You Called & Told Me by Afamoo.

              Afamoo

              You Called & Told Me

              UGONGETIT

              'Real' as opposed to 'unreal' raw house traxx for the clurbbbb with big catchy pianos, luscious synths, New York vibes & boomin' drumz.
              The tempo is not that vigorous but it is not chuggy either! It is just the right tempo. Don't you like it when a fake sax as opposed to 'real' one suddenly appears on the middle of the track and effortless makes you start jumping and putting your hands in the air?

              This is the potential you can achieve with these four killer tracks. There is an air of early house here but without being overwhelming. So you get the good bits without sounding old? Bring it on Afamoo, give us more of this very good thing. 



              STAFF COMMENTS

              Sil says: Well... if you want to have good time without being to cerebral about the genre, this is for you. Top draw house beats of the highest calibre. I mean it. I know I use that sentence too much but I really mean it. This is MY record of the week. Such feel good feeling does not come very often.

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              Cover of Gangster Boogie / Why Did You Do It by Chicago Gangsters.

              Chicago Gangsters

              Gangster Boogie / Why Did You Do It

              Dynamite Cuts

              “Gangster Boogie” is a club classic in its own right as well as being one of the most famous Hip Hop samples from back in the days. It was the backing to the LL COOL J anthem “Mama said knock you out”. "Why Did You Do It" is a heavy downbeat funk track with great drum loops and a lot of groove. 

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Millie says: The funkiest track around has to be awarded to Chicago Dancers, slick guitar riffs and heavy saxophone. It's very very limited so don't hang about.

              FORMAT INFORMATION

              7" Info: Original 45 cut, limited to 500 copies.

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              Cover of Daisy Lady / Old Man by 7th Wonder / Blackbusters.

              7th Wonder / Blackbusters

              Daisy Lady / Old Man

              Breaks & Beats

              Funk legends’ 7th Wonder and Blackbusters providing the grooves with these two singles. Daisy Lady is probably one of the slickest tracks ever, super funky drenched in synth. The flip side ‘Old Man’ is one of the catchiest songs ever, just let that bass flow over you!

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Millie says: If you were in need of some funk in your life then this is the one! Super charged grooves make this 7” a huge hit. It’s only had 300 copies made so won’t be hanging around.

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              Cover of Four House Tracks EP by Keytronics.

              Keytronics

              Four House Tracks EP

              Kaleidofon

              After the release of the Keytronics Ensemble EP on Royal Oaks, Francesco Montefiori switches focus to his own labour of love, Kaleidofon. What strikes you immediately about "A New Season" is its undeniably strong character and authenticity - this is Proper House Music folks, written as the forefathers and the dedicated congregation of dancers intended - unfathomably deep and impossible to remain stationary to. It's held down by a bassline from heaven, and those keys should hit the erogenous zones head on. Killer.

              "Steeping Groove" follows suit, and it becomes apparant that either Keytronics is privy to spme executive sound design - with a palette of sounds so tasty you might well try to bite the wax! Hard to identify specific instruments and / or plug-ins but the sounds contained within "Steeping Groove" are summat else. Bellissimo!

              "Bip Bam & Bass" and "Old As New" leave us two more tracks to digest. The former's a nice house roller which pays tribute to disco through its live sounding drums, bass guided arrangement and sublime synth & keyboard interplay. The latter does away with any 70s or 80s references and instead concentrates on delivering a solid gold deep house gem: thick, chunky, soulful and sexy, prime fodder for late night dancefloors across the globe.

              A masterful EP here from Montefiori that'll keep old school house heads more than happy whilst remaining deliciously relevant for the new crews. Big tip!



              STAFF COMMENTS

              Matt says: Huuuuge record for fans of dat old skool houz sound! Think New Jersey, Nu Groove, Soul Capsule, Mood II Swing and Italian dream house.

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              Cover of That's The Way I Like It by Distinction.

              Distinction

              That's The Way I Like It

              Hansa

              Sound the alarm! Ultra rare and super dope disco-boogie reissue alert!
              That's right, Distinction's 1982 jammer 'That's The Way I Like It' is back! Freed from the wantlists and officially reissued for 2k18. For the newcomers, this DJ favourite is a masterclass in UK Boogie flavour brought to you by the production and writing prowess of Roy Carter who was a member of the UK's legendary Soul and Funk legends Heatwave and who worked extensively with Central Line, Junior Giscombe, Dee C. Lee and many many more throughout his long career. Pretty much all of Distinction's output is tough to find with the majority appearing on tiny labels, and second hand prices for these gems are always on the high side with this particular 12" being one of the most sought after. This is a proper and full reproduction of the original Hansa 12" from 1982 with the added bonus of the 7" mixes being included of both 'That's the way I like it' and b-side winner 'Looking for love'. This one has been booted before with severely lacking quality control, but this official version comes complete with a tasty remaster and nice heavy pressing for the gees. 

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Patrick says: Red hot reissue of Distinction's "That's The Way I Like It", a top shelf UK boogie killer from the musical mind of Heatwave's Roy Carter. Class A turbo-boogie here - flash those lights.

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              Cover of Shimmer by Fabiana Palladino.

              Fabiana Palladino

              Shimmer

              Paul Institute

              For the uninitiated (which included me until about 7 minutes ago), Paul Institute is the boutique label, cultural hub and sonic exchange run by synth soul genius Jai Paul, who we all know from his mega smash "Jasmine". Intent on causing a counter frenzy, Jai (or Paul) has dropped not one...not two...not three, but FOUR new label release AT THE SAME MF TIME! Coming at them in catalogue order, "Shimmer", is Fabiana Palladino’s first self-produced track, following on from 2017’s celestial collaboration with Jai Paul, "Mystery". Driven on by a stadium-inspired rhythm section, spectral sequences and huge pop progressions, "Shimmer" is an anthem written for anyone who feels like they’re being underestimated - a reminder to stand up for yourself! File next to: Sheila E, Kate Bush, Jessie Ware - instrumental on the flip.

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Barry says: Huge, pulsing DX7 stormer from Fabiana Palladino here, throbbing basses and digital pads duck around the beautifully sung vocal syrup. Swooning synthwave through the medium of stad-rock progressions. This is definitely one to grab while you can. Killer track.

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              Cover of Spok EP by Hidden Spheres.

              Hidden Spheres

              Spok EP

              Fruit Merchant

              Fruit Merchant, the Manchester based label ran by Hidden Spheres purveys it's forth installment of sonic wares. Three tracks that glow with that familiar biotic radiance we've come accustomed to whilst powered by the vintage drum rhythms of house and techno.

              "Spok" immediately hits that late evening sweet spot, with crepuscular pads cushioning the musically accomplished synth n keys and peppered with sporadic drum hits.

              "Twelve 4/4" deploys some perc-driven house beetz while quirky, wubb'ing keys and drifting pads give everything a serene, gliding momentum.

              Final track, "Nirvaaan" sees a straight up beatdown drum kit collide with droning organ lines. Like a lost Moods & Grooves or Sound Signature nugget, it evolves slowly and deeply, with poised and elegant approach.

              Excellent stuff as always from Hidden Spheres and a stylish addition to the burgeoning Fruit Merchant stall.





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              Cover of Stay Free (Dimitri From Paris Remixes) by Ashford & Simpson.

              Ashford & Simpson

              Stay Free (Dimitri From Paris Remixes)

              Le Edits

              French Disco auteur Dimitri From Paris' Le Edits imprint is back to bring you only the finest, most beautifully executed and lovingly reworked classics from the four corners of the discotheque dance-floor. Following on from the previous 3 highly sought after and collectible releases on the label, Dimitri has once again set the bar sky-high and pulled off yet another set of incredible versions, this time blessing the legendary Ashford & Simpson with a little 'French chic' as their perennial feel good and uplifting classic 'Stay Free' gets the DFP treatment. Using only the finest materials available, sourced from multiple countries across the globe, as well as having access to the original master tapes, Dimitri does what he does best.

              'Stay Free' was the lead single from Ashford & Simpson's 1979 LP of the same name, a truly all-star album that included a who's who of Disco and Soul session luminaries within its production credits including Jimmy Simpson, John Davis, Eric Gale, Ralph MacDonald and many more. This was the era of big major label Disco productions when there was huge budgets for the best studios, musicians and engineers. All of these factors teamed with the phenomenal song-writing and vocal performances of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson meant that 'Stay Free' would go gold on its release and give the duo some of their most enduring songs including said title track and the anthemic gospel Disco classic 'Found a cure'. To have access and the permission to remix such classic records is a real honour, one that Dimitri does not take lightly, suffice to say then that the mixes you hold here in your hands are the very best, they've been put through the quality control channels, road-tested and listened to over and over before reaching you. A lifetime spent passionately in love with Disco and club culture has given Dimitri the correct perspective to present these future classic remixes to you and this is evident upon listening. Across 4 different versions we are treated to all of the wondrous elements that make up the Ashford & Simpson sound, the lush orchestration, the heavenly arrangements, mid-tempo, sultry grooves and of course, the absolutely top shelf vocal performances of what is surely, one of the greatest duos in the history of Disco and Soul music, steeped in wisdom, love and deepness it's no surprise that every single track here delivers - and then some.

              Simply put, only the finest Disco reworks are released on Le Edits. Special versions of classics and rarer than rare tracks, all lovingly re-touched and mixed from the reels and master tapes each time, fully sanctioned and created in conjunction with the artists, rights holders and Above Board Distribution. 100% official and essential. This is no 'under the counter' operation, Le Edit is here to bring back some quality and class to the re-edit game by doing things, once and for all, properly and respectfully. No re-press guaranteed. Utilising the highest end tip-on heavy duty sleeves, and outer protective sleeves, pressed onto 100% virgin vinyl. These new mixes have been legitimately commissioned and will not be available digitally. This product cost 4 times as much to produce than your average Disco edit 12’’ because Le Edits believe in quality first and foremost. You really haven't heard these tracks like this before! A truly collectible and desirable item indeed.

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              Cover of Asafo / Enye Woa by Jon K / Pat Thomas.

              Jon K / Pat Thomas

              Asafo / Enye Woa

              Soundway

              Those effin heroes at Soundway hit us with the first in a new series of 12” releases aimed at making hard-to-find and in-demand dancefloor tracks available again on loud DJfriendly pressings. These two late 1980s Ghanaian highlife cuts are taken from the catalogue of Nakasi Records. Nakasi was run by the late producer Nana Asiedu (Big Joe) - a well-known figure in the Ghanaian and African music community of 1980s London.
              The A-side showcases a track from Jon K’s second solo album, which was a reworking of a traditional Fanti language Asafo company song "Asafo Beesuon". Made famous by C.K.Mann on his seminal album ‘Funky Highlife’, this version very much reflects the more westernised late 1980s sound of highlife music recorded in the UK, Holland, Canada and Germany for both ex-pat Ghanaian audiences and those back home in West Africa.
              On the B-side, Pat Thomas (the brother in-law of Big Joe) needs little introduction having been touring the world extensively in recent years with the Kwashibu Area Band. Somehow this dancefloor-heavy cut has eluded recent compilations and reissues. With horns arranged by long time friend and collaborator Ebo Taylor, it’s an instantly recognisable sound that also features Rex Gyamfi - himself a well-known purveyor of 1980s ‘burger-highlife’

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Patrick says: Not only does this 12" carry the Soundway seal of approval, it also lands in our lap with a scorching flip of traditional fanti song Asafo Beesuon, which you may know from CK Mann's "Funky Highlife". You probably don't know this killer late 80s version which tears the floor up somewhere between boogie, house and Afro-funk - in other words, essential tackle!

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              Cover of Dimension Extension / Be There Again by Bitter End.

              Bitter End

              Dimension Extension / Be There Again

              Bitter End

              Herrrre's Parrot, or Crooked Man, or indeed, Bitter End; as the multi-faced producer struggles with his identity we benefit through a slew of top drawer house music from the Sheffield native.

              "Dimension Extension" on side A, cooks up a sumptuously throbbing, cockle-warming disco stew from the meagre ingredients of a sprouted wah wah guitar potato, brass carrots and a bouquet garni of dizzying strings. Yum yum!
              On the flip "Be There Again" takes as inspiration a swirling funk-soul nugget from '77, augmented with some 21st century sonic sorcery and most welcome synth noodle in the 3rd act. It's another winning double header from man who gave us Piccadilly's 12" of the year last year.


              STAFF COMMENTS

              Matt says: Bitter End lets off another unsanctioned dual shot of UK house music that you won't find anywhere else.

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              Cover of Never Rhythm Game / Team Player by Nathan Micay.

              Nathan Micay

              Never Rhythm Game / Team Player

              ESP Institute

              Nathan Micay fell asleep in the schnee and awoke in the shvitz. Side A’s Never Rhythm Game is a bubbling cauldron of acid worms, almost seven steady minutes of liquid squelch and bleep riding on a rolling assortment of booming kicks and claps, all glued together by a droning string and soaring feedback modulation. Aimed for peak time, this big-room monster is built on a major chord that carries us to the perfect rave apex, and functions as a pivot from where DJs can steer into any subsequent direction. Side B’s Team Player is equally poignant, yet in contrast to its optimistic predecessor, here we join in a dark mechanical affair that summons influence from a distant sci-fi metropolis – sophisticated metallic rhythms that are not polished but scrubbed with steel wool, and lead by a seductive robot that chants degenerate dancing instructions. These two songs will oil your engine and grease your gears.

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Sil says: Ladies and gents, this is the guy who brought you 'Beginning Ballads' on Whities. Do I need to say anything else? Mmm... delicious tune for euro Sil here. A tech-house tune with trance hints and flirting with acid? Forbidden combo here among the gatekeepers of trendy sounds. Nahh, we are all very open minded. It is a tune, folks. It is a superb floor filler tune for pill popper kids hungry for a well timed synthetic climax. It works wonders. Imagine John Talabot, Dixon, Mano Le Tough et al having a wild house party. Lovin' it.
              'Team Player' on the flip goes a bit more off the rails. More electro, less tech-housy. It is good but go straight for the jugular; that is 'Never Rhythm Game'. Not as good as 'Beginning Ballads' but pretty damn close.

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              Cover of Ceremony by Mytron & Ofofo.

              Mytron & Ofofo

              Ceremony

              Multi Culti

              Light the candles, dip your spliff in Patchouli and hold onto something tie-dyed, Mytron & Ofofo are back on Multi Culti. Since the seismic vibrations of last year's "Si Jambo" EP, the dynamic SwissPolish duo have flexed their musical muscle for Les Yeux Orange and RazorNTape, and now their back in the drum circle with some mushroom-fuelled magic of the highest order. The EP opens with the rainforest rhythms of "Crickets / Archipelagian Impressions", an fine bit of techno-tropical hypnosis which puts you right in the midst of the flora and fauna. The exotic sound of mallets, Afro guitars and tribal chants fall under the spell of a sci fi synthline, resulting in a Shamanic heater for all the day trippers. Mytron & Ofofo take us into killer cosmic funk territories next with the hook heavy, vocoderised shuffle of slo-mo groover "Medicine Man" and pygmy polyphony of "Radio Yebeh". Skip to the flip and "Lebanese Red Bird" offers a limb flinging mid-tempo jaunt through Middle Eastern riffs, mystic breakdowns and maximal sound design, all twisted into a f-f-f-fresh discoid jam (full Talking Drums approval here). "Talk Show" takes us right back on the cosmic funk trail, borrowing Jan Schulte's Jews Harp, Lipelis' box of tape fx to cook up the kind of quirky synth-pop gem you'd find on a Beppe Loda mix. Last but not least, the titular "Ceremony" serves cascading electro percussion with raga-style synth lines and utterly skewed vocals. Fight your way to the fire and throw your best shapes!

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Patrick says: Mind expanding vibrations with wonky pop sensibilities? Sounds like a winner to me. Mytron & Ofofo deliver their second Multi Culti killer this week, weaving vocoder, cicadas, funk bass and electro beats into an essential bit of shamanic fun.

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              Cover of Whities 018 by Reckonwrong.

              Reckonwrong

              Whities 018

              Whities

              Up-to-the-minute stable of musical freshness, Whities, drops its third record in as many weeks. With the label declaring it 'Reckonwrong's most heartfelt word to date', it features four tracks that the producer wrote in Winter, as he 'decompressed from an episode of deep prang. While they bear out my mood at the time, they also chart a path of recovery through nature, slowness and humour.'

              It certainly different to the previous two releases on the label, with a leftfied approach to songwriting, these are, nonetheless, still songs; with proper lyrics, chord progressions and hooks. The production is suitably experimental though, with a combination of analogue synths, processed guitars, echo-drenched vox and electronic drum kits providing much of the flesh n bones, There's a wry, deadpan, none-too-serious mood that permeates throughout, without detracting from the quality of the music. Excellent stuff.


              STAFF COMMENTS

              Matt says: Anyone tuning in expecting an ultra-hype, track-ID requesting techno BOMB is gonna be disappointed here as the Whities label offering up a curveball as wild as anything Sandy Koufax delivered for the LA Dodgers throughout his career.

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              Cover of Danny Nedelko / Blood Brother by Idles / Heavy Lungs.

              Idles / Heavy Lungs

              Danny Nedelko / Blood Brother

              Partisan

                Idles returned this year with their highly acclaimed, Top 5-charting second LP - 'Joy as an Act of Resistance'. Produced by Space and mixed by Adam Greenspan & Nick Launay (Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kate Bush), ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’ takes aim at everything from toxic masculinity, nationalism, immigration, and class inequality - all while maintaining a visceral, infectious positivity.

                Now Idles have teamed up with Heavy Lungs for this split 7".

                Heavy Lungs feature the legendary Danny Nedelko as their frontman – made famous by IDLES’ pro-immigration anthem ‘Danny Nedelko’, which features on the 7”. He is a close friend of the band (and Ukranian immigrant). ‘Blood Brother’ is a new track by Heavy Lungs. The song is about Idles’ Joe Talbot. 

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                Cover of Psycho Killer (Double Wave Edit) by Politrio.

                Politrio

                Psycho Killer (Double Wave Edit)

                Emotional Rescue

                Digging 80s pop obscurities has long been part of Emotional Rescue's mission statement and the unearthing of this cover of the Talking Heads classic by the little known, Italian new wave band Politrio for a limited 7" press is a worthy addition. 
                Formed by guitarist, songwriter and producer Giorgio Canali alongside Massimo Sbaragli and Roberto Zoli, the short-lived project released just one album of new wave pop rock before going their separate ways. It was their non album contribution to an Amnesty International benefit LP that spawned this excellent version of Byrne, Franz and Weymouth penned classic.
                Coming out of the CBGBs scene of post-punk downtown NYC, the song, released on their aptly titled 1977 "77" debut album, has gone on to become one of the defining songs of its time. Further enhanced with their mesmeric performance in the 1984 Stop Making Sense film and album, it has been ripe for reinterpretation.
                Politrio's version keeps and captures much of the original, but with their own swing, rhythm, Italian-English vocal delivery, rock guitar, bells and keys. While remaining instantly recognizable, this is a unique version, with the straightened drumming giving it some added punch and kick.
                This is backed by a systematically cool, delicate but additional re-edit by the Berlin based Italian duo Dama and Budino aka Double Wave. Rising names in the Berlin scene they are part of the Oscillator collective, label and parties and can be heard at some of the best parties right now.
                Letting the instrumental interplay of funky, slap bass and rock guitar have more time to shine, the edit builds and drops, dubs and builds again to the vocals and lyrics known so well, offering an alternative sing-a-long for the more wonky DJs and dancers out there.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Patrick says: Unholy shit! This high drama, super stomping 80s Italian flip on the Talking Heads classic is a total killer! Moody bells, doomy synths and spiky guitars create a little basement intensity before that singalong chorus has you punching the air. Props to Oscillator duo Double Wave for their killer club arrangement.

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                Cover of Would You Believe In Me / Kuenda by Jon Lucien.

                Jon Lucien

                Would You Believe In Me / Kuenda

                RCA

                Part two of the official remastered, reissue of Jon Lucien’s ‘Rashida’ e.p. see’s ‘Would You Believe In Me’ and ‘Kuenda’ lovingly housed together on either side of a dinked 7 inch record. ‘Would You Believe In Me’ is a top down, soulful cruiser, bringing a slice of jazzed up funk gold to the fore. As smooth as silk, Lucien’s dulcet tones leave you in awe - a voice destined to bring joy to souls the world over, it oozes charm, passion and elegance from beginning to end. On the B side, ‘Kuenda’ washes away any worries that the day-to-day mind might have conjured up, with the soft sounds of the sea leading into a beautiful layered vocal performance by Lucien, perfectly accompanied by a solo plucked Spanish guitar.
                It’s an alluring example of the Brazilian aesthetic Lucien would carry through his Rashida album and provides an apt ender for this two-part reissue.

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                Cover of Lady Love / Love Everlasting by Jon Lucien.

                Jon Lucien

                Lady Love / Love Everlasting

                RCA

                The infamously velvet tones of Jon Lucien get a much welcomed official remastered, reissue - with the original ‘Rashida’ 7” e.p., that contained four of Lucien’s tracks, now split into two 7”s for a louder, more refined pressing of each song. First up, ‘Lady Love’, with it’s bossa nova inspired style, draws every last drop of emotion from Lucien’s infamously voluptuous voice. Once dubbed by Herbie Hancock as “the man with the golden throat”, it’s easy to see why - Lucien’s rich baritone evokes dreams of summer sunsets, glistening blue seas whilst wrapping you up in a blanket of warmth and tenderness that few can rival. On the B side – ‘Love Everlasting’, another of Jon Lucien’s bossa nova leaning tracks, swells with jazz flutes, plucked acoustic guitars and a soul drenched string section to compliment Lucien’s beautifully calming tones. With the original Rashida 7” exchanging hands for over £150 on Discogs, here’s a chance to get Jon Lucien’s golden-throated voice in the collection without raiding the savings.

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                Cover of Reworks by Crackazat.

                Crackazat

                Reworks

                BEER

                Beer serves up their 5th pint of frothy musical goodness. This time musical genius Crackazat reworks tracks by Art Of Tones, HNNY, Jaxx Madicine and Anthony Bois.

                AOT's "The Rainbow Song" rework introduces the EP with a dazzling house track laced with empowering vocal chants and a technicoloured synth solo that weaves through the track with ease.

                "Tears" by HNNY sees Crackazat bring out the fizzy synth elements and the shoulder dropped drums; landing somewhere between Theo Parrish and Floating Point and sounding very nice indeed!

                Jaxx Madicine's "Fly High" also gets tweaked, those wooden analogue synth lines tumbling and flailing through another shuffled, Floating Point-esque drum beat and decorated with cheeky vocal snips and quirky nuances.

                Anthony Bois' "Electric Piano On The Run" completes the set of material for our man Crackazat; who again turns out a thoroughly danceable and funky twist on the original that for me sounds like if Masters At Work, Peven Everet and Roy Ayers were all jamming together in the studio - ace!


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: That Art Of Tones' track man... Crackazat's input undeniably lifting these tracks into heavenly house music territory. Ace.

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                Cover of Nutrition by Blawan.

                Blawan

                Nutrition

                Ternesc

                Brand new double dunter of fkcd rippers from man like Blawan! The more astute and intrepid techno explorers amongst you will know, Blawan beta-tested the techno blueprint some eight years ago, resulting in technoV2 - a demonic, mechanized beast that sounds more at home on factory lines and nuclear reactors; sound tracking mutant cyborg's industrialized activity and the swollen drain on our planet's resources. Apparently Blawan is fully modular now, which explains the thoroughly alien vibrations emanating from his outboard shuttle. Grating perc rhythms, metallic washes and tense atmospheres characterize his work, and it's executed via some precision engineering and sound design. No-one quite sounds like Blawan, and this new release sees the producer in top creative form. Recommended.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Back in stock and actually sounding better second time around. I'll be certainly picking up a copy in this innings. Top drawer and unique stuff from one of the scene's newer pioneers.

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                Cover of Blue Monday / Open Your Heart by Bayete.

                Bayete

                Blue Monday / Open Your Heart

                La Casa Tropical

                After a failed debut, two year absence from the studio, and a roster that consisted of just two original members, Bayete were ready to make another move. It was a desperate time for the band where they would do anything to keep their name relevant and on the radio. Luckily It was at this time that they would meet talent scout Jerry Mhlanga and sign with the independent Decibel Music, the English division of the parent company De La Music. Decibel was also a small label hoping to capitalize on the disco movement with a series of low budget digital productions.

                Going into the studio they had their lead single “Blue Monday” , a cheap sounding drinking song that was similar to everything else on the radio at the time. They hoped this would get people dancing on weekends before having to back to work hungover on Monday. They were confident in their lead single but needed a song to put on the b - side. They quickly put together a new song “Open Your Heart ( Vula )” which had a natural feel reminiscent of the pre MIDI early 80s disco sound. It would perfectly blend the use of Synths and Keyboards, funky guitar licks, all supporting the amazing vocals sang by Jabu. It would be this last minute filler that would capture the ear of DJ’s and music lovers 30 years after its release.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Patrick says: Anyone coming here looking for a French boogie version of New Order's biggest hit will be disappointed - for approx 4.34 seconds, by which time the enthusiastic and optimistic bubblegum brilliance of the A-side and synth-funk perfection of the flip will have you dancing behind the decks. SA magic!

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                Cover of Chameleon / Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock.

                Herbie Hancock

                Chameleon / Watermelon Man

                Major Keys

                Major Keys is a brand-new audiophile label focusing on fully licensed reissues of jazz classics, pressed on 12” for a fuller, louder version compared to the original album cut. What better way to kick of the series than housing Herbie Hancock’s imitable ‘Chameleon’ and ‘Watermelon Man’, loud and proud on either side of a 12”.

                They don’t get much more iconic than ‘Chameleon’. Nestled on the incredible 1973 ‘Head Hunters’ album it’s a 16-minute exploration of legendary jazz funk – having all the sensibilities and solos of a jazz record, yet grounding its rhythms in funk, soul and R&B. Even, as its title suggests, morphing from a low slung slow jam into a full-on, fast paced spiritual gem. Lock in for one of the most iconic basslines around courtesy of Paul Jackson, alongside some of the sweetest synth and Rhodes playing you’re likely to hear from Herbie, all tied together with Harvey Mason’s mythical drumming. Sampled the world over by the biggest and the best this is a truly timeless and hugely influential piece of music.

                On the B side, the equally intriguing ‘Watermelon Man’. This version, again taken from the Head Hunters LP, differs from the Blue Note bop ’62 original, with Hancock developing it into a jazz fusion expedition. Bill Summers top and tails the track with a style of beer bottle blowing imitating a type of whistle playing found in Central African Pygmy music, giving a unique flavour to Hancock’s jazz funk stylings that focus on the rhythmic interplay between each instrument. From Dilla to Digable Planets, Madonna to Massive Attack it’s a classic that’s sampled time and time again for good reason.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Patrick says: Major Keys open their account with a great 12" pressing of two fusion classics from the mighty Herbie Hancock. Irresistibly funky and synth heavy, "Chameleon" and "Watermelon Man" are the two jams which make "Headhunters" an era defining LP, and now they're on one 12" for the Deejays - get in!

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                Cover of Le Mythe De Sisyphe by Pedro Vian.

                Pedro Vian

                Le Mythe De Sisyphe

                MMDISCOS

                The latest edition of MM Discos comes from top shelf DJ and Modern Obscure boss Pedro Vian, a Barcelona head who wants you to dance differently. On the A-side, "Colours Of Infinity" is a melancholic affair, all emotive pads, sophisticated melodies and introspective textures, twisted wonderfully into a shuffling serving of deep house. In its original form, the synthpop inspired "El Sueno Lucido" employs a hefty 80s snare and heartbreaking sequences to convey the bittersweet beauty of a fading fling, while Massimiliano Pagliara transforms the cut into a poppers anthem via pumping Italo bass and additional synthwork.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Patrick says: Barcelona's Pedro Vian offers something fresh on his MMDiscos debut, offering a textured take on sad house backed with a wave-tinged end of the season affair, which gets a mega Italo flip from Massimiliano Pagliara.

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                Cover of Rollover Edit Service Vol.2 by Various Artists.

                Various Artists

                Rollover Edit Service Vol.2

                Anything Goes

                Rollover Milano made us move beautifully with their first volume of edits earlier in the year and Volume 2 arrives just in time to fuel yer festive knees up! Embracing an anything goes vibe, the crew invite Etna, SHMLSS and Joseph Tagliabue on board to add their own free-wheeling flavours. It's the Rollover DJs who start the party with "Boom Boom Bo" a totally Italian mid-tempo groover with plenty of reverb and 80s synth work, add in a slightly insane and utterly infectious vocal loop and you're laughing all the way to the dance floor. Next up, Tagliabue offers another twilight-Italo-Balearic heater in the form of "Dubitalo", a spaced out, synthed up roller with some power-house prog riffs. As the Sun goes down, B-side becomes darker with two deep and groovy reworks from SHMLSS and Etna. It's Etna who kick us off, offering a tri-balistic bit of chugging bass heavy house topped with curious textures and ethno vocals. Last but not least, SHMLSS come through with a crowd pleasing, OG teasing, dub extension of Duran Duran - get your hairspray out and roll those sleeves up!

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Sil says: Nice set of edits with mega polished beats and some heavy 80s hints here and there. Interpret all this as dancefloor dynamite! Essential.

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                Cover of Songs About People's Feelings by FYI Chris.

                FYI Chris

                Songs About People's Feelings

                Toy Tonics

                Rye Wax management, Peckham mainstays and production experts FYI Chris join the Toy Tonics roster with scorching EP of forward facing dance music. Sharing the same name, as well as a 5th dan Black Belt in MPC, the duo have been fucking the clubs up royally these past two years, and this is another batch of primo floor fuel. Opener "Encounters" puts its hands up for Detroit, dipping through grayscale Motor City keys, looped background chatter and a bumping 4/4 rhythm. But where lesser producers might be content to casually appropriate a KDJ classic, FYI Chris, twist the template with touches of UK bleep, innovative synth motifs and the kind of euphoric finale you can only understand if you've shelved a pinger during the Eastenders ommibus. The merriment continues on the A2, with the tripped out Animal Collective-wish-this-was-them, psych-funk influenced bruk of "Flat Psych", a hallucinogenic and detailed cut for warm ups and rub downs. Flip the pancake and cop a load of "Glaser", a triumph in neck snapping minimal house. Jack your body, jill yourself off, whatever, give in to those disorienting synth swells and tunneling sequences. Finally "Just Atmospheres" overcomes any titular modesty with deeeeep sub whomps, pitched down vocals and the clanging, clattering rhythm pattern which eventually introduces the fucking spangled rave vamps. Megoh! (As our dear friend Bosco would say)

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Sil says: Intimate, deep and dark at times yet very danceable. This is one of the best Toy Tonics I have listened to in a long time. Deep techno, deep house... call it what you like. It is terrific!

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                Cover of Sigh EP by Mchy I Porosty.

                Mchy I Porosty

                Sigh EP

                Transatlantyk

                Polish electronic music flagship Transatlantyk return with a brand new release. Warsaw's Mchy I Popsty following up an excellent debut for Brutaz back in 2017.

                "Ravage" kicks things off, utilizing the old Russion synthesizers and placing a fizzing bassline over suspended pads and broken drum machines for a leftfield jack track that bites at the balls. "Dangerous Cult Of Mona" places a pitched down vocal refrain over a slamming kick and a sparse, plotted synth hook. It's discordant yet epic nature lends itself to damaging the bigger stages on the underground circuit.

                Side B's "Bakakaj" keeps with the discordant nature and adds a whole lot of percussive chaos as a series of clattering drum passages converges on the mix alongside reversed SFX and dark low strings hiding within the recesses. "Diament" thankfully switches to something more harmonious before the record's completion; adopting a new electro type feel and playing out some luxurious synth passages and soft, playful drum programming.

                Ear catching in parts, inventive in others, excellent work here from the POlish producer.




                STAFF COMMENTS

                Sil says: The analogue spirit is all over this vinyl. Rave is also an appropriate word here. But it is that delicate roughness that makes it exceptional. Very much what you would like to listen to at 4am in a truly underground party.

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                Cover of Stakker Humanoid by Humanoid.

                Humanoid

                Stakker Humanoid

                Jumpin’ & Pumpin’

                30 years ago in November 1988 Humanoid's "Stakker Humanoid" was the UKs No.1 song in the Dance charts - it would stay no.1 for 5 weeks also charting in the UK top 20 at No.17. It is now regarded as an Acid House classic anthem and hailed as the first real UK acid house track to break the UK top 20.

                Humanoid music from 1988 was also used in "Stakker Eurotechno" - now housed in the museum of modern art (New York) and sighted as a major influence on early Aphex Twin music / Reflex.

                To celebrate, Humanoid (Brian Dougans FSOL) has reworked the original into a 2018 breaks monster with two equally killer tracks on the b-side.


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Check out the "Stakker Eurotechno" video on Youtube... if that's not the most proto-vapourwave thing ever conceived I don't know what is. Proper ahead of its time!

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                Cover of Turned On To You / Ladies Of The Eighties by Eighties Ladies.

                Eighties Ladies

                Turned On To You / Ladies Of The Eighties

                Expansion

                Eighties Ladies comprise Denie Corbett, Marva Hicks, Susan Beaubian, Sylvia Striplin and Vivian Prince. They recorded one album with Uno Melodic Records, a label created and run by the legendary Roy Ayers at the height of his career. The group are best known for “Turned On To You”, one of the most iconic ‘rare groove’ tracks from the early 80s. It was sampled numerous time in the 90s, most notably by A Tribe Called Quest (“Buttter-Hip Hop Mix”), and more recently bu Nujabes featuring C.L. smooth (“Sky Is Falling”). This 7” is an exclusive edit of the 12” version, while the instrumental version of “Ladies of The Eighties” appears here on 7” for the first time.

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                Cover of Terminal Madness by Cowboy Rhythmbox.

                Cowboy Rhythmbox

                Terminal Madness

                Phantasy Sound

                This triple pronged battle weapon from Cowboy Rhythmbox takes its inspiration from a wealth of disparate elements, the brutal drum machine swagger of early Chicago house, the murky world of 1980's video arcades, the bleeps of Sheffield, arcane home computing documentaries recorded to VHS & public access TV; and though this reads like a load of absolute nonsense, you'll quickly grasp where the producers are at.

                "Terminal Madness" recalls said video arcades; with a primal EBM throb supporting a dazzling array of bleeps and stepped sequences. "Hands Inside The Car" is a dark and wigged out number, with a hint of Poindextor hidden amongst those gliding acid lines and ADSR-tweaked squeaks; there's also a vocal smothered in PCP hidden in the recesses of the mix.

                "Vodonik" concludes, a stark, glacial post-rave beast which deconstructs a stadium filling beast into a functional, highly effective club tool that'll work in the most cavernous of warehouses and the seediest of rave dungeons. Killer stuff here from Cowboy Rhythmbox - recommended!


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Sil says: Sorry folks, but the word rave keeps springing to mind. Three heavy beasts that can truly define your weekend. Escapism at its best. 'Terminal Madness' is a trippy trip!

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                Cover of So Right - Inc. John Talabot / Silent Servent Remixes by Marie Davidson.

                Marie Davidson

                So Right - Inc. John Talabot / Silent Servent Remixes

                Ninja Tune

                Canada's art school technopop queen, Mlle Marie Davidson smashed it right out the park, off the charts and up yer ahem with her recent "Working Class Woman" LP, reframing Italo, proto-industrial and electro influences into the kind of sleek but slamming club cuts Miss Kittin used to cook up. The difference here though, is that where Kittin could often be accused of style over substance, Davidson packs her productions with pointed observations on club culture and more oblique critiques of the modern world. Darkly humorous, textured and taut, "Working Class Woman" was a big hit at Piccadilly HQ. 
                The ‘So Right’ EP includes an extended club version of the titular tickler and a heavyweight basement techno-meets-razor sharp electro via a bit of breakbeat remix by John Talabot. The EP also includes new track ‘La Ecstase’, a dark and deranged coldwave collaboration with Lamusa II which is accompanied by a slamming industrial remix by Silent Servant.


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                Cover of Unlimited Love #16 by Unlimited Love.

                Unlimited Love

                Unlimited Love #16

                Unlimited Love

                Another bout of under-the-counter rare-ass disco, boogie, soul and funk from the dancefloors of yesterday. Hiding behind the 'official repress' banner here - absolutely no chance these aren't bootlegs (or 'promos' as we used to call em). But see my rant on "NY Underground #6" (also released this week) and you'll see why it's still totally vital to distribute high quality tunes in a low cost manner for the DJ peasantry, enthusiastic but uneducated youngers and simply fans of the music who can't afford / have to inclination to seek out one of those much-treasured original copies.

                So yeah, let's celebrate in the joy of the promo again, or the bootleg for the more cynical. Who cares if you can't sell it on discogs - let the physical second hand market thrive once more!

                I could spend the afternoon trying to work out the source material for each of these tracks, but then that'd take away half the fun for you! Alternatively, hit up Pharoah Brunson of Full Beam! FM and he'll give you a guided tour through these heavy boogie and deep disco hitters.




                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Europe's No.1 still-active bootleg label for boogie and disco continues undetered ('fuck discogs!') with another slew of super expensive and impossible to acquire hits. A bar DJ's wet dream these...

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                Cover of Born Free 36 by Daniel Savio.

                Daniel Savio

                Born Free 36

                Born Free

                Stockholm's Born Free always bring it for the dancefloor, pushing their own distinct style of house and techno with no time for hype. Playful, soulful, deep or dirty, you always know a Born Free record when you hear one. This time out, it's Stockholm' underground legend Daniel Savio at the controls, serving up three unconventional house jams which pay homage to his immediate family, Lovisa, Valle, Hjalle and Manfred. Getting down to business Daniel infuses opening cut "Lovisa" with a galloping house rhythm, tripped out fx and a duet of trilling e-flute and squelching bass. Savio ups the intensity with the scuzzy and snapping "Valle A Hjalle", a freaked out flip on classic house tropes with just enough acid to get the blood fully pumping, before the emotive flange-odyssey of "NY Manfred" sees us home in hallucinatory fashion. The vibe is soulful, deep and simple, just like a warm heart pumping at 120 bpm.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Sil says: Deep and dark grooves for the open-minded folk out there and for the beat hungry fella who wants to rock and roll! Not too fast not too slow, just the right speed, thank you.

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                Cover of EP1 by Aan Zee.

                Aan Zee

                EP1

                Pleasure Wave

                Aan Zee or "By The Sea" is the name of a studio project led by Canadian multi instrumentalist Chris Taylor, a founding member of Montreal based art noise band Aids Wolf. Upon leaving the noise scene in 2008, Taylor embarked on a decade long musical journey that brought him to New York , Amsterdam and LA, where he first founded Aan Zee, an eclectic studio of cosmic grooves and transcendant frequencies layered with traditional musicianship to create a soundtrack for those who" dwell on the threshold". This double A-side debut hits us with two ten minute tracks of dancefloor psychedelia, space age noise and synth hypnosis, which somehow join the dots between West Coast / Texan psych, Afro-beat, tropicalia, NY's punk funk and the jazzy warmth of the Med. We're in electric, eclectic Afro-beat territories on the A-side as Chris rips through tuareg guitar riffs and a Nigerian rhythm section, all underpinned by a thick fug of distorted fuzz. Transitioning into madcapped moogs, chiming Talking Heads guitar and a mantra like vocal, this killer cut summons "World Music"-era Goat and LCD at their most punk. Over on the flip things head further into the psychedelic sunset as Chris gobbles a heroic dose and takes us on an exotic vacation. Starting life as a groovy Doobie slice of AOR funk, the ever evolving synth riffs mark a constant progression towards the buzzing psychedelic freak-out of the middle third (FX boards were probably harmed in the making of this record) before twisting out into a Mildlife-style finale which makes you dance, smile and wanna move to the coast.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Patrick says: Fully in love with this. Aan Zee makes full use of the wax here to turn out two ten minute excursions into cross genre cool. Afrobeat, psych, disco-not-disco, jazz funk and Balearic pop all coexist peacefully on a fuzzed up astral plane.

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                Cover of A Short Introduction To The House Sounds Of Terre Thaemlitz by DJ Sprinkles Vs K-SHE?.

                DJ Sprinkles Vs K-SHE?

                A Short Introduction To The House Sounds Of Terre Thaemlitz

                Skylax

                Repress of this solid gold house artifact from one Terre Thaemlitz. Written in 2005 & 2006, released on Skylax in 2010 but licensed from Comatonse Recordings, it features two of Thaemlitz aliases: the more common DJ Sprinkles, and Kami-Sakunobe House Explosion (K-S.H.E). It's the kind of record that cemented this very talented producer's credentials and place in dance music's hall of fame; and I can vividly remember the excitement and hype around both artist and record at the time.

                It's no wonder, as "Hush Now" still sounds as good now as it did then. Gorgeous & sublime, driving yet dreamy, it occupies that crystal clear moment of house abandon when everything is at once right in the world and the only thing that seems to matter is getting both feet moving in time with the rhythm.

                On the flip "B2B" is an altogether different animal; a chunnering and tribal techno piece that wouldn't sound out of place on a Jeff Mills EP and an explosive track for the more uptempo and peak time DJs to utilize. Unable to sound dated, the record's been out of press and quite sought after for some time now; make the most of this well due repress. 


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Sil says: The K-She track is the one for me. An absolute stormer in its own right. A driving force in any good techno or house set and a true classic with capital letters.

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                Cover of Floor Weapons Vol.1 by G36.

                G36

                Floor Weapons Vol.1

                Pressure

                Anarcho-dub punks from Nagasaki, Japan. G36 are certainly an interesting addition to the legacy of DUB. Rather than re-hash tried and tested standards, or appropriate the style and swagger of authentic Jamaican music, G36 take cues from techno & noise and inspiration from 'Manga, sci-fi and S&M' (!!!) and

                I have to say, side A bares very little resemblance to 'dub' as me or you might know it. It convulses back and forth with a kind of tectonic force able to crush buildings; with the odd snare splatter or snap-back reverb the only really hints of dub permeating through the walls of sounds (obviously, the bass weight will be familiar to soundsystem dub heads also...). That's not to detract from the quality of the music though - this is some highly arresting stuff, and the more adventurous DJs will surely find ways to inventively sneak this in-between modern dub, EBM and experimental dance music.

                "Vex Riddim" will be familiar to anyone who listened to the devastating "Vex" by Nazamba (still in stock folks!) - with the OG 'instrumental' (ha!) included here in all its gloriously crushing form. "Mass Surveillance" concludes with a breed of industrialized dubstep all to its own. Distant bells / alarms echo from a distance as growling, monstrous bass quakes and militant drum hits march forth. Terrifyingly glorious - these are track's that are impossible to ignore; speaker destroyers of the highest order and consequently finding favour with the more reckless and maverick DJs out in the field - Optimo, Don Letts, JK Flesh & Ossia all calling upon its menacing powers. Shit your pants good this one folks!


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Scared me shitless this. But absolutely mega for it. The band wanna be aligned with the dub camp but for me this is pure nu-noize, chronik-EBM and anarko-throb for the dystopian dancefloors. If you've found yerself stumbling round the White Hotel at 6am wondering where on earth you are, this record's for you baby!

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                Cover of NV Auto by Perko.

                Perko

                NV Auto

                Numbers

                Originally hailing from Scotland, now based in Copenhagen, Numbers present 23-year old producer and deejay Perko with his debut release "NV Auto".

                The six tracks on this EP hear Perko mining the grooves between his favourite genres for building blocks of inspiration. Drawing from UK soundsystem culture and modern experimental music, half of the record explores deeper atmospheric passages and meditative repetition, characterised by layers of subtly shifting chords, field recordings and delicate polyrhythms.

                Three dancefloor cuts, spread throughout the rest of the record, retain this detail and interplay with added energy. Perko’s sense of rhythm & space is clear with "Rounded" containing glacial synths, blown out drum machines and sculpted sub sine waves. "What Otters" forges playful UKG touches within a paperclip framework of space-echoes and sparks, whilst "Songbirds" flips into 4/4 drive with percolated alarms and shimmering pads.

                'Density, Noise, Dust, Distortion, Space…' says Perko, if you want it simple.


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: EPIC newcomer Perko sketches a sonic landscape all of his own... then does what we all wanted to drops a few bangers in amongst it all! Yes mate! Perko's grasp of new sounds and textures has left me breathless, whilst he still knows how to cleverly deliver some proper dancefloor science. One to watch!

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                Cover of Splashing by Kiki Kudo.

                Kiki Kudo

                Splashing

                Incienso

                Really strong release here from Incienso, enlisting NYC's Kiki Kudo for a skilled exploration of truly otherworldly sounds and alien engineering. A self-described mix of 'nanotech pop, synth jams, kitchen wave, and listening techno' - somewhere between the experimentalism and anything-goes ethos of the infamous downtown scene, the out-there exploration of City Pop, and a the cosmic and shamanic energies currently flowing through the more interstellar attuned dancefloors.

                "The Secret Bedside Track" gets us underway with piston kicks and subs firing off while CPU-controlled arps tinker overhead. It's a nonlinear and atmospheric introduction that should serve to get the listener ready for the interplanetary-exotica found across the rest of the record. "U ARE AWAKE" further plunges us into space dust, a fizzing and warbling selection of synths merging into a mellifluous semi-orchestral jam. "Gadget & Co." transmits a message of peace across the cosmos, a beacon for other planet species to respond to, bridging the inter-dimensional energy and consciousness. "Interactive Gee" sees the first proper dance initiated by a humming tribal perc section, as if a horde of mutants are dancing around a radioactive campfire on the planet Zordon.

                Finally, "City Neo Neon" deserves a paragraph all onto itself, not through any grammatically necessity but rather the fact that THIS IS F***ING EPIC music folks! Swirling into focus against a backdrop of hefty, side-chained and distorted pad chords, more beautifully constructed arp lines and a concentric, classic broken techno beat gel the whole thing together. Worth the entrance fee alone for this last track but what an EP - certainly one of the most interesting and pioneering records I'll review this week - be sure to check this one out!


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Two big pigeon picks on this one. The bouncy shamanic house of "The Secret Bedside Track" & the end-of-night ear-splitting chaotic bliss of "City Neo Neon". WINNERS.

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                Cover of Kraksa / Svantetic Feat. Tenderlonious by EABS.

                EABS

                Kraksa / Svantetic Feat. Tenderlonious

                22A

                EABS, a collaborative project with the Polish jazz septet and featuring Tenderlonious on flute and soprano saxophone. The Electro Acoustic Beat Sessions collective (EABS) are without doubt the most accomplished jazz group in the world right now. They have a unique and innovative approach to music, fusing elements of Polish and classic jazz with hip hop, funk and folk. Their debut album ‘Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda)’ is a dedication to Polish Jazz legend Krzysztof Komeda that focusses on compositions by Komeda between 1962 and 1967. The album explores Komeda’s lesser-known compositions featured in ballet etudes, movies, short films, documentaries and animations. ’Kraksa/Svantetic’ is the final part of a dedication to Krzysztof Komeda, recorded straight to tape at Radio Opole in Poland. Polish jazz has had a big influence on 22a and Tenderlonious and working with EABS became a priority after hearing their album. Tenderlonious was therefore delighted to accept their invitation to go out to Poland to perform with them.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Millie says: 22A bring us this stunning new jazz release EABS collaborating with Tenderlonious, creating this hybrid of jazzy-hip hop-funk but sticking with the traditional jazz style. A must if you like Ezra Collective or the Brownswood catalogue!

                FORMAT INFORMATION

                12" Info: Limited to 1000 copies worldwide.

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                Cover of Facing The Sun by Skymark.

                Skymark

                Facing The Sun

                Modern Sun Records

                New, retroistic electro-boogie / proto-house here written, performed and produced by synth wizard Skymark on his own Modern Sun Records. Colourful piano chords, pentatonic solos, Prophet synth bass and soulful vocals drizzled in echo mean it's impossible not to throw a few Dam Funk comparisons in there. But don't worry, this ain't no pastiche to the LA funkster - Skymark's just adding to the fruitful cannon of modern funk / bedroom boogie artists and producers currently keeping the scene alive in 2018. Limited to 500 copies, stick it next to your Star Creature, Red Laser and PPU releases to make it feel most at home.

                Recommended! 


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: The stream of new boogie and modern funk continues to pour over the good ship Pic; with Skymark's synth-ship bobbing over the waters from Spain to delight us with his sound!

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                Cover of Neutron Dance (Remixes) - Inc. Paul Woolford / Fango / Mano Le Tough / Gerd Janson Remixes by Krystal Klear.

                Krystal Klear

                Neutron Dance (Remixes) - Inc. Paul Woolford / Fango / Mano Le Tough / Gerd Janson Remixes

                Running Back

                Here we have the revisions of what some called the tune of the summer. If you have been watching those videos on youtube where the DJ faces the camera and the crowd is right behind the DJ - and sometimes right on top of him - you may have come across this tune. In fact, one of the remixers here - Gerd Janson - dropped it to great reaction. 
                This is good old italo disco made today. And these remixes stand to the task. Big names backing this job.  
                Mr Woolford takes the catchy riff and makes it big room material. That is what he does best so you get a bass heavy and peak time vibe with his remix. 
                Fango goes a bit harder - too hard for me. Maybe perfectly right for you. Love the cowbells though! I grew up in the country side after all, me country pumpkin. 
                Good old Mano Le Tough, softens things a tiny beat but does not slow the speed. More polished it is definetely and adds some smooth vocal samples to max effect.
                Gerd Janson, is a fast paced house track that respects the original but adds some piano keys on the break. Not bad... but the original rules for me. 
                Great package if you want some variations on the already great original. Enjoy!


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Sil says: You need this if you do not have the original. If you do, still give it a listen because you may fall in love with Woolford's take. Pretty respectable!

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                Cover of Rebel by Rothadam.

                Rothadam

                Rebel

                Shella

                Rare as (lovers) rocking horse shit this one folks, a truly mythical 7" from around 1975 that even your most ardent reggae collector might not know about.

                Released on Ron-Lew records, an unfathomably tiny label that only put out about three sevens and one LP, no amount of Google searching's gonna blow the lid off this one folks. I'm not even gonna pretend to be up on this one - massive props going out to Canada's Shella records for bringing this to our attention.

                "Rebel" is a hard skanking track, with typically rootsical lyrical content voiced by Sid Lovejoy (who's discography is also painfully thin on the ground in comparison to most other reggae vocalists). It's backed with the equally dread, "I Was Born To Be A Rebel", with its darker chord progression and hypnotic organ lines.

                Jah knows where the label found this; but my personal guess, given the incredibly scarce details surrounding the release (and the fact that only about three have ever sold on discogs, all over £200) is that it's a rare, rare find from an explosive digging expedition, cleaned, remastered and re-pressed from said vinyl copy. I may be wrong, but I'd expect there to be more of a song and dance around a tune of this caliber, had the label gone through the traditional licensing route. Don't let put you off though - a TRUE reggae rarity here folks - there can't be that many of them left! 


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Martin says: A hen's-teeth rare roots reggae romp from Canada. Check!

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                Cover of Serena X (Carl Craig Innerzone Mix) by Yennek (Kenny Larkin).

                Yennek (Kenny Larkin)

                Serena X (Carl Craig Innerzone Mix)

                Mint Condition

                Mint Condition turn their attention to Detroit bred / LA based producer Kenny Larken for the 21st edition of their beautifully done reissue series.

                Larkin's music is always awash with human emotion, his machine tinged expressions hark back to the true sources of techno music where man always met machine and the soul was inherent. "Serena X" always sounded like it had been beamed back to us, even in 1992 when she first appeared, bolstered by a classic remix from fellow Detroit techno auteur Carl Craig that saw C2 firmly innerzoning and adding in some trademark stellar chopped-up breaks to the mix. Both of these now classic and monumental tracks are included here, on this reissue, backed by the towering melodic workout that is "Empirical Reality. These tracks all stand tall today, a testament to the forward thinking style of Mr. Larkin. Remastered from his own source materials and with his full involvement, Mint Condition are top dogs in this game and comes fully endorsed by us here at Picc HQ. 


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: 'Nuff stuff coming outta the Mint Condition stables to keep the vintage house & techno firms twitching of late. Kenny Larkin's Yennek alias doin' the do here.

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                Cover of Modern Obscure Edits Vol. 1 by Various Artists.

                Various Artists

                Modern Obscure Edits Vol. 1

                Modern Obscure Music

                Modern Obscure Music is a very special selection of obscure edits based in Barcelona. Concieved by Da Silva, an undercover label partner and a great collector, who features on one of the edits here. The EP also features well known producers like Jimi Bazzouka aka Joakim and Pedro Vian, the label owner. Volume 1 has a distinctly dreamy, 1980's feel, with an inspired, hard-to-identify base of source material.

                "Live In Japan" (simply credited to 'G') features space-age synths, bubbling digital perc and Japanese vocals that more than nod to the vocal style of many an Italo producer... Next up is Da Silva's version of "My Man" (SS anyone??). This edit sees stepped synthlings and a vintage drum box, combine with dark leads and heartbroken vocals for a truly noxious, late night dancefloor thriller. Finally, we have Jimi Bazzouka aka Joakim's take on "Somerset Hills". Here, a playful flute with an eastern feel is laid over strong keys and adaptable percussion. Perfecto! 


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Completely obscure, utterly engrossing and more than a bit danceable, it's rare a set of edits blows me away as much as this has. Killer.

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                Cover of Daybreaker / 303 Of Life by Nummer.

                Nummer

                Daybreaker / 303 Of Life

                Nummer Music

                Acclaimed sound shaman Nummer returns on his own label with more of his ancestral rainforest jive. Over seven tribal rituals the sonic kahuna has planted a rich flora of sounds that are now coming more and more into fruition.

                "Daybreaker" morphes itself effortlessly into a house music, coyly hiding its magical interior to the less intrepid listener. Delve into its pool though and like a super clean hit of mimosa-extracted healing vapours, layer upon layer of extra dimensional beauty will slowly begin to reveal, no manifest before your ears.

                "303 Of Life" is slower, more deliberate and quite obviously adorned in shamanic decor. Exotic birds chirp from above the canopy as a deep rooted perc-acid groove forces motion.

                Nummer may well be leading the charge of the rainforest house movement, a young sorceror with wisened rhythms - recommended.


                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Head shaman Nummer concocts another spellbinding double header of rainforest rituals for our entheogenic desires.

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                Cover of On Some Party Tunes by DJ Koyote & Too Smooth Christ.

                DJ Koyote & Too Smooth Christ

                On Some Party Tunes

                Supergenius Records

                  Tasty tackle from the Supergenius Records who reach the micro-milestone of release five. DJ Koyote & Too Smooth Christ aka Alexandre Lotz & Christophe Le Gall pretty much dominate the label's releases thus far, operating somewhere outta France.

                  "Error Does Not Compute" is a rough but clever electro-techno hybrid; with skeletal but well programmed drums ricocheting against trickski LFO / quantize patterns that'll tighten the trouser of the more avid tech-heads. "Strike (On A String)" has elements of grime, funky and kwaito - big synth-brass stabs, rampant digital hand claps and a "Township Funk"-era synthline all displaying its three disparate ingredients. Finally "Modern Action" sees funky meet Detroit as rippling synth patterns ride a bouncy UKF riddim. Top stuff here, well fresh! 


                  STAFF COMMENTS

                  Matt says: Urgent and cutting edge but still purpose built for the dance. Fierce stuff here from DJ Kotote & TSC.

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                  Cover of Carcass Identity by Carcass Identity.

                  Carcass Identity

                  Carcass Identity

                  Random Numbers

                  As late capitalism shunts us ever closer to the end of days, Italy's Random Numbers take a look out the window, brace/shit themselves and invite Carcass Identity to create a fitting soundtrack. The studio link up between hardware toting experimentalists and unapologetic psychonauts Bear Bones, Lay Low and Pizza Noise Mafia's Carrageenen, Carcass Identity convey the visceral horror their name suggests on this collaborative debut. Taking full advantage of a hefty vinyl pressing (the first on the label), the duo fuse Levet’s raw and dub-infused electronics with González’s kosmische psychedelic touch to create club cuts for a different dancefloor. Slow, low, slack and dubby, the tracks smear techno-tribal rhythms in lysergic patina before offering themselves up to a plague of mechanical termites. This is music meant for strange parties: the kind where dancing and laying down are equally accepted and encouraged, where there might be more silence than talking between participants, where narcotics roam free. Welcome to the weirdshit...

                  STAFF COMMENTS

                  Patrick says: Here's something for the braver raver, a four tracker of uncompromising club cuts at the dark and druggy end of the spectrum. Slow tempo meets high intensity - ear-shearing psyche collides with body rattling dub - kosmische day dreams dissolve over industrial thrust. A-grade weirdshit / high grade psychedelia for the club.

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                  Cover of Call Me / Your Sunshine by Tension.

                  Tension

                  Call Me / Your Sunshine

                  Star Creature

                    Star Creature enlist the talents of Glasgow's Hidden Groove aka Tension for another boogie romp on 7". I'm not gonna mince my words here - Wet Play put this record out THREE years ago - and it wasn't on seven inch either - it was the outside cut of a heavy 12" pressing. Star Creature behind the times somewhat, recycling a track that's already done the rounds across Manchester and beyond (when I'm sure the artist has got 'nuff new material to keep us satisfied).

                    Anyway, as I said back then, "Your Sunshine" IS a ridiculously good track, so we'll let the producer off giving it a second airing on a *cough* slightly more credible label (just make sure ya give us a cut of those touring royalties gee! ;) )

                    It comes backed with "Call Me" (actually the lead track - ed) which is thankfully, new material, and sees a vocodered chorus hook met with glorious backing vocals, tasty marimba and those HG trademark tom rolls.

                    Look, there's no escaping it, Sean Chisholm's a major player on the modern funk and boogie scene; but props still gotta go out to Wet Play for signing "Your Sunshine" in the first place (and I'd like to see the Wet Play release added to the artist's discography too seen as it's a fatter pressing!). Anyway, don't know why I'm moaning, you can't get WGFM#3 for less than twenny quid 2nd hand now anyway, so bag yerself two Tension bangers for half the price and feel free to join the online discussion! :P - KP. 


                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Matt says: First time for everything! Was quite to shocked when this 'bootlegged' track from my own label landed on my lap to review this morning but such is life. Quite a compliment really - and fair play to Hidden Groove for getting his stuff out across the pond. It's all gravy! :)

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                    Cover of Love In The Time Of Lexapro by Oneohtrix Point Never.

                    Oneohtrix Point Never

                    Love In The Time Of Lexapro

                    Warp

                    Opener and title-track “Love In The Time Of Lexapro” has been receiving incredible live reactions as the only unreleased OPN composition during the ongoing “Age Of” world tour.  Now, finally the recorded version is to be made available and is undoubtedly one of Lopatin’s most beautiful compositions. Side A closes with a further collaboration between OPN and Ryuichi Sakamoto, the latter’s starkly beautiful reworking of Age Of’s “Last Known Image Of A Song”; while side B starts out with another brand new unreleased song “Thank God I’m A Country Girl” and finishes with an acoustic collaboration with Alex G on another Age Of stand-out, the haunting ode to New York City, “Babylon”.

                    Since release of the highly acclaimed album, Age Of, Oneohtrix Point Never has been performing to Sold Out audiences including 3 shows at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, London’s Barbican, Tokyo’s O-East, Montreal’s Monument-National, Paris’ 104 Centquatre and Berlin’s Funkhaus.  Earlier this week saw a rapturous response to another sold out show in Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA. Next year sees an upgraded and expanded version of the complete original Armory concertscape recreated in London’s iconic Roundhouse on March 8 with further dates to follow.


                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Barry says: Another stunning duo of 'Age Of' highlights interspersed with a quintissential Sakamoto rework and possibly the greatest OPN track i've heard for a good few years. Faultlessly weird but undeniably brilliant, Lopatin has once again proven a unstoppable electronic force. Props for the Ecco cover as well. Top stuff.

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                    Cover of Crack The Whip by Dina Gad.

                    Dina Gad

                    Crack The Whip

                    Thank You

                    Those fine folks at Sound Metaphors kick off their Thank You sub label with an essential reissue of Dina Gad's sexy / sleazy S&M stomper "Crack The Whip". Originally released in 1989, this slo-mo slice of late night fun fuses the pilled up euphoria of Italo house pads with the cracking, snapping and slapping percussion and bubbling bass of New Beat. Of course, the most notable element is probably the orgasmic and erotic vocal - not for the faint of heart, but pretty effective at 3 a.m! Alongside the sprawling and strange "First Version", as per the original release, we get the trippier slow build of the "Second Version", which keeps us on the edge for two full minutes before letting the drums kick in. Last up is the entirely NSFW acapella version, perfect for adventurous jocks and inappropriate wedding sets. 



                    This 1989 reissue is a rare downtempo italo house track. Don't sleep!

                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Patrick says: I effin love this! A record bag staple for the likes of Tolouse Low Trax and Joe from Zmatsutsi, this leather clad late 80s stomper takes Italo house to Boccaccio for an entirely X-rated night out. Ace.

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                    Cover of MEANDYOU11 by Palaphor.

                    Palaphor

                    MEANDYOU11

                    MEANDYOU

                    A perfectly placed glacial dub offering from the formidable Palaphor here on the label run by MRC stalwarts, meandyou. Kicking things off with a throbbing dub redux in the shadowy 'Bago'. Churning synth pulses fire off in microtonal barrages of activity, propelled along by fuzzy bitcrushed cymbals and syncopated glitched pops, reminiscent of Recondite's early ambient dub excursions before picking up the pace for 'Depart'. Cavernous echoes of pitched insectile hits ring out below the rising melstrom of blanketed sub-bass and mechanical percussion before summoning a reticent but stunning hypnotic groove from the fragments writhing beneath. 

                    Flip over and the proceedings begin to take a more humanoid form, with robotic voices rhythmically interjecting the dubby bass rolls, lending a distinctly Kraftwerk-on-krokodil vibe to the whole affair before exiting the rabbit-hole with the blissed-out rainforest delerium of 'Spheric'. 

                    A brilliantly immersive and perfectly balanced juxtaposition of heavy, all-encompassing metallic ambience with brittle but determined rythmic relief. Enduringly fascinating and perfectly produced, Palaphor have crafted a winner.   

                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Barry says: Hypnotic dark ambient, lifted from it's gloomy reverie by a perfectly weighted percussive backbone and glitched synth sweeps. Brilliantly bleak and irresistibly immersive.

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                    Cover of Remix EP by Brainwaltzera.

                    Brainwaltzera

                    Remix EP

                    Film

                    This EP draws from across Brainwaltzera's enviable discography, including reinterpretations of recordings featured on the recently released "Polyana" album, which received plenty of love here at Piccadilly. Andrea Noce aka Eva Geist takes on Kurzweil Dame. Gently shifting the work from its 4x4 rhythm to a decidedly eccentric half time dub pulse, the Fleeting Wax affiliate augments the reductivist drums of the original with her own snappy perc hits, eeking out a new, beautifully arcane energy from the source material. Newcomer Ignazz arrives with little more than a handful of Soundcloud uploads to his name. The producer flips "Marzipan" to great effect - transforming the original from blissed out IDM into a classic electro cut with considerable poise. Luke Vibert and newcomer Guavid turn to Brainwaltzera's "Aescoba EP" for their picks, both choosing to rework "10_muddy_puddle Trot", a choice cut from the artist's recent discography. On his reimagining, the AFX co-conspirator holds on to the original hook - but loses the classic break that arrives in the latter part of the EP, opting for caustic zaps and a driven, high energy drum machine rhythm to buoy up the piece, while Guavid draws for straight dancefloor science - injecting a heavy dose of funk into the package, pitting bleeping acid lines against characteristically emotive pad work. Philipp Otterbach closes proceedings with a blissed out proto-ambient rework of "Triangulate Dither" - a heady techno cut from the LP. Focusing on the more atmospheric facets of the original, Otterbach presents an extended and wonderfully psychedelic reimagining of one of Brainwaltzera's more direct recordings. Ace.

                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Matt says: Brainwaltzera, a firm favourite of mine, Barry and Ourtime's Dunc, get reworked by an interesting array of guests.

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                    Cover of Muestra (Roy Of The Ravers, Jamie Paton, Kris Baha Remixes) by Junor Fairplay / Freeform Five / Red Axes / BAL5000.

                    Junor Fairplay / Freeform Five / Red Axes / BAL5000

                    Muestra (Roy Of The Ravers, Jamie Paton, Kris Baha Remixes)

                    Emotional Especial

                    30th release by taste making label Especial. Featuring label stars Junior Fairplay, Jamie Paton and Kris Baha but also enlisting new talent in the form of Roy Of The Ravers, Freeform Five and Bal5000.

                    First up, it's Junior Fairplay in the hands of modern day acid demigod Roy Of The Ravers. After turning in a twisted, bleeptastic remix on Junior's recent "Faxes From The Future" EP the Acid Waxa star (Sam Buckley) has enjoyed some serious time in the underground spotlight. Here on the aptly titled "Remix 2", Roy strips everything back for a piston-powered, hammer jack blaster, pairing a gruff b-line to dusty vintage drum boxes as well as any of the OG Chi-town cats used to do.

                    Jamie Paton reversions Freeform Five's "Throwing Stones" with druge beats, delicate yet menacing keys and some lysergic perc. Ali Love's haunting vocal is retained throughout making for a tantalizingly taut listen.

                    On the flip, Kris Baha's now cult retake of Israli duo Red Axes. Only previously released by Multi Culti as a digi-only, after many years of cat calls and reminders, here at last for the vinyl heads is this monster drug-chug beast - and sounding super in-vogue with the current musical landscape!

                    Invisible Inc's Bal5000 drops the only solo track and switches tact completely. Anyone who's been to Wet Play and seen Randy Brunson drop boogie after Spandex has knocked the walls through with hardware dirge should feel this moment of sunshine breaking through the destruction. Instrumental modern funk licks meet a slack house beat as the darkness is cast aside for some joyous dancefloor unison. Clap along now! 


                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Barry says: Especial bring the heat once again for this, their 30th release. Dusty hardware vibes lead the way on the ROTR remix before making way for more relaxed but equally entrancing offerings from Freeform Five, an old-school stomper from Jamie Paton via the brilliant Red Axes and a swooning groover from Bal5000. A superb outing, varied but coherent.

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                    Cover of Hyperion by It's Thinking.

                    It's Thinking

                    Hyperion

                    Frame Of Mind

                    Hyperion became a cult hit in the underground scene during the last two years. The combination of warm melodies, grooving bassline and loud breakbeat is spot on and proves to provide for a timeless feel. That's why the record became more and more sought after and is going for big money on cogs, if one pops up that is. Gerd had to go through 500+ DAT tapes to retrieve original masters of the 4 tracks off this second It's Thinking EP he produced with two high school friends, Dirk & Mark, in the early 90's. It took us a while to prepare this package but finally here it is: remastered and sounding better than ever!

                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Matt says: Early Gerd Jansen numbers from the 90s that have been feverishly collected by those in the know. Now available for all the peasantry to revel in.

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                    Cover of Fever by Jacques Greene.

                    Jacques Greene

                    Fever

                    LuckyMe

                    Jacques Greene returns with his first new music since his 2017 debut album "Feel Infinite" - a record that caught the zeitgeist with numerous accolades and imitators and led to the producer  "Fever" is a brand new EP which sports his best music to date: a fusion of analogue and digital house and techno with an amped up melodic sensibility. Three tracks that shimmer wtih a futuristic optimism, hinting at cleaner worlds with sharper lines as opposed to the radioactive sludge, murk and dystopia perveyed by the darker modern day techno merchants. Greene seems to think everything is going to be ok as we move thru to Human2.0, much like Four Tet's "There Is Love In You" imparted on us all those years ago. An optimistic voice in a world of darkness!  


                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Matt says: A master of injecting heavy emotion into electronic music, I'm not just talking about the odd flicker of goosebumps here and there either; this is powerful and un-ignorable energy, polished off with sublime sonic finish that shimmers and glows like neon city lights. A masterpiece!

                    FORMAT INFORMATION

                    12" includes MP3 Download Code.

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                    Cover of Sneaker Mixes by Takenoko.

                    Takenoko

                    Sneaker Mixes

                    Emotional Rescue

                    Emotional Rescue returns to the music of Takenoko, the Bordeaux based synth-pop project from 1982-1988, to follow their LP collection L'Amour Est Mon Arme (ERC062), with an EP of remixes from Dresden's cult-like producer, Sneaker DJ.

                    The meeting of Takenoko and Sneaker offers a perfect marriage of left field cold wave tones, inventive drum programming and pop lyrics, with a master-mixer, programmer and DJ of today.

                    Following releases on cult labels like Uncanny Valley, Rat Life and Frigio as Sneaker and numerous labels such as Macadam Mambo, Bordello A Parigi and Bahnsteig 23 under several pseudonyms, Sneaker first contacted the label after his trance-inducing, drum heavy remix of C Cat Trance , with the suggestion to research an idea to create a reissue / remix project out of a band he had discovered, Takenoko.

                    This was soon expanded to become a stand-alone album and remixes EP after the discovery in the vaults of a cache of unreleased songs. The breadth of styles found on L'Amour Est Mon Arme is matched with these "Mixes", as Sneaker takes 3 of their singles and indelibly puts his marker on them.

                    Starting with his retake of their second single, Lee Harvey Oswald, he reworks their pop ode to the Kennedy tragedy and strips it groove back for a near 9 minute vocal-meets-discodub that lets the lyrical structure remain, before stretching it out and letting the instrumental interplay between keys, guitar and rhythm machines glide before bringing it all back for finale.

                    Next, their 1988 single Trans Amor Express is given what is becoming a trademark Sneaker treatment. In a similar vain to his remix of C Cat Trance, here he rips the original apart to extend a single vocal refrain with the raw percussion elements for mind-inducing results.

                    Finally, his mix of the anthemic John Wayne is almost gentle in comparison, adding 909 overdubs but letting much of the original stay, showing again a modern mastery of mixing desk technique and craft.


                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Patrick says: Strong eye shadow / blurred neon vibes here as Sneaker feeds Takenoko to the machines, ripping through the cold wave / disco-not originals and twisting them into new versions for the floor. Goth glam stompers maybe...

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                    Cover of Time Square by G.E.N.

                    G.E.N

                    Time Square

                    Sound Metaphors

                    Berlin's Sound Metaphors continue on the reissue trail, shining a light on this sublime 1994 Ambient Acid trip by Cologne Acid Techno heroes Walker & Khan (originally on legendary Mille Plateaux). Championed by Sven Vath at the time, the track is a longform 35 minute hardware jam, recorded live and split into two sections. The A-side takes us from the quantum to the galactic, building out of silence via rippling sequences, shifting sound design and off beat bleeps. First hypnotising, then raising you up to a higher state of consciousness, this shit becomes life changing once the kick comes in - a full nine minutes into the track. If you dig on that wild live techno style we get from Ste Spandex, you'll be all about this.

                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Patrick says: Outrageous reissue of Walker & Khan's ambient, acid techno masterpiece, guaranteed to take you to a higher state of consciousness.

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                    Cover of Gathering Of The Ancient Spirits by Wanderwelle.

                    Wanderwelle

                    Gathering Of The Ancient Spirits

                    Silent Season

                      The Amsterdam-based duo Wanderwelle return to Silent Season with their second album, which is inspired by the last years of the life of Paul Gauguin that he spent on the island of Tahiti. "Gathering of the Ancient Spirit"s tells the alternative history of his search for a land which is untouched by modern society and whose inhabitants were still dependent on the gifts of nature and connected to their ancestors. During his stay, the painter encounters forgotten rituals and the primordial beings which haunted the island since the dawn of men.


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: We are in love with this right now. Drifting between gorgeous ambient, evocative electronica, shamanic house and techno-tropical swamp sounds, this is way smarter than your average bear.

                      FORMAT INFORMATION

                      2x12" Info: limited gatefold 140 gram transparent blue vinyl double 12" repress

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                      Cover of Joy Kill by Mangabey.

                      Mangabey

                      Joy Kill

                      Toy Tonics

                      When Fouk & Glenn Astro remix a new artist you know what the vibe is: Dirty DIY house with a heavy funk vibe. Mangabey is the new kid on the Toy Tonics family and he is a master of this style. He lives in Lyon/ France (and is a good friend of Folamour who remixed his first EP on Toy Tonics some months ago). But Mangabey takes the whole new Funk-House sound to another level. While many of his colleagues work with samples, Mangabey studied Jazz piano and collects vintage synths. And so he plays most of the stuff himself and bring in a lot of personality. His works could remind the vibe of New York Soul House from the 1990ies or the sounds from the West London scene from 20 years ago, but definitely he adds a modern, edgy touch to it. Mangabey aka Jose Fehner is an interesting personality: Born in the south of France in a family of traveling artists. As a kid he has been living on a boat and in caravans, traveling France and Africa with a wild theatre collective directed by his parents who are actors. Later he went to music university and now finally, by age of 22, he lives in Lyon. Lyon is becoming France' second music town. The town that has the most vibrant club and producer scene right now. So, yes: There is a lot to come from there… a lot from Mangabey.

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Sil says: Nice house tunes with a touch of flair and class unlike anything else released this week. Get's my vote!

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                      Cover of PNP 003 by Various Artists.

                      Various Artists

                      PNP 003

                      PNP 003

                      Fede Lng's PNP imprint is a spin-off of his already successful parent label Axe On Wax, which is responsible for exposing the world to such artists like Kirk The Flirt, Jesse Bru, Trudge, and Mall Grab. PNP appears to be all about the disco - a way in which Fede and his friends can release edits of their favorite tunes of old. For DJs looking to spice up their sets with unadulterated funk this is truly for ya!
                      On this release you get that disco feel on the fast and furious 'La Belle' by Tom Jay. A zero frills, no ornaments attached house stormer. Disco is there in the form of a catchy vocal sample and some wind instruments. So disco!
                      Fede slows the tempo a tiny bit and starts messing about with the 808... mmm. acid! Oh yeah. He delivers a fantastic edit of some RnB mainstream hit which I am anaware of because I am so uber cool that I do not even listen to the radio,  but I have definetely heard it somewhere whilst cycling. Some bad boy's Range Rover Evoque with black tinted windows (they all come like that from factory!) showing off his sub big time was offering passers by this tune in all its glory. Fede takes you out of that naughty tractor and into the dancefloor with his house rendition. A well accomplished feat. 
                      Pacific Bureau is also a highlight on this pineapple vinyl. He wants to tell you something. He wants to turn you on and he does it with that infectious guitar riff and sweet castrati vocals. Sensual boy he is! Well done. 
                      Folks, let me tell  you no more. Buy this 12" now. Limited as always and highly recommended it from a few experts behind the counter at Pic towers. 

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Sil says: Great Ep here with heavy doses of disco sprinkled over a solid base of house. For me, Pacific Bureau steals the show followed closely by Fede more relaxed approach and acidic flirtations.

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                      Cover of Warp Room by Solid Blake.

                      Solid Blake

                      Warp Room

                      Seilscheibenpfe iler Schallplatten

                      Acclaimed Copenhagen-based DJ and Producer Solid Blake delivers the exhilarating four-track 'Warp Room' EP, demonstrating why she has such a bright future as a solo artist. Opening track 'Warp Room' is a full throttle and energetic cut displaying a stabbing synth line which cuts in and out creating a dark, intense atmosphere, setting the tone for what is to follow. 'Soap Cube' pulsates throughout, displaying a nod to the dirtier side of vintage electro, thanks to its edgy percussion and distorted synths. The melancholic 'Tissue' opens with a growl as the fierce drums and hissing snares pierce through any softness to reveal its icy heart.

                      Closing track 'Contract' has a deep, atmospheric and moody vibe with cleverly crafted layers which continue to build, rounding off the EP perfectly. Having been part of the renowned Apeiron Crew, 2018 has been a exciting year for Solid Blake as a solo artist. She participated in the 20th edition of Red Bull Music Academy in Berlin and contributed 'Masha' to Modeselektor's Modeselektion Volume 4, performing at the LP's tour at leading clubs Berghain, Fabric, Robert Johnson and BLITZ Club Munich over the summer. Her Modeselektion mix for Fabric was highlighted by several key websites (including Resident Advisor, FACT, DJ Mag) as one of the month's best mixes. As an increasingly in demand artist whose busy touring schedule for 2018 has also included Dekmantel Festival, Berlin Atonal, and ADE, Solid Blake's profile will continue to rise well into 2019 and beyond.

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Sil says: This is for the tough boys and girls out there. Raw, industrial and very very cold. No soul here! Be warned. Brutalist electro cum techno. Pure quality. Do not sleep. It is not often we get four tracks like the ones here oozing quality like they do. Top draw.

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                      Cover of Needs 005 by DJ Normal 4 / Red Axes / Hodge.

                      DJ Normal 4 / Red Axes / Hodge

                      Needs 005

                      Needs (Not-For-Profit )

                      Needs returns for it's 1st birthday celebrations, returning to where it all begun with a record in aid of mental health and featuring the talents of DJ Normal 4, Red Axes and Hodge.

                      Following on from the Needs x HeForShe record earlier this year with Peggy Gou & Juju & Jordash, the label are back with a record aiming to raise awareness about mental health and encourage positive conversations surrounding the subject. All profits donated to Mind UK.

                      DJ Normal 4 has fast descended the stairs into dance music's royal subterrainian underbelly, alligning himself with cult Dussledorf tastemakers, Aiwo as well as Dutch electronic institution Dekmantel. Perveyor of what could loosely be labelled as 'shamanic breaks', his tracks inhabit a time and space when inhibitions are lowered and senses are raised. "Return Of The Hooligans" sees the procucer merge the melody off "Meet Her At The Love Parade" (intentional?! - surely?!) with his trademark brand of tribal breaks and spellbound synths; a frothing mystic cauldron of dancefloor mega-voodoo. 

                      Red Axes' "Treacksheni" follows suit, and toys with far-away melodies, polyrhythms and tribal drums for a very on-point and beguiling listen. 

                      Finally, Bristol techno monolith Hodge provides the brickwall smashing greatness of "Signal", which sounds like you're stuck deep underground with an army of Orcs chasing you. Caverous, menacing, claustrophic and comparable only to a select few UK specialists (Blawan & Pariah spring to mind...).

                      Most excellent stuff here and for a charitable cause too - no excuses! 

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Is that DJN4 doin' a shamanic breaks version of Da Hool's "Meet Her At The Love Parade"?! I think it bloody well is...!!! oH MY DAYS.

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                      Cover of Desire / Casa Fuerte by Francisco Aguabella.

                      Francisco Aguabella

                      Desire / Casa Fuerte

                      Dynamite Cuts

                      "Desire" is an amazing vocal club classic which has stood the test of time and is always in demand. It was never before pressed and released as a 45. A massive dancer and a must have release! If you like Latin Jazz dancers b-side "Casa Fuerte" is for you. A top class banger!

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Millie says: Fast paced lively Latin jazz always gets a big thumbs up from me, it's upbeat style is infectious making everyone in the mood to dance.

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                      Cover of Trouble In My Way / The Riot by Afshin And Kiss My Black Jazz.

                      Afshin And Kiss My Black Jazz

                      Trouble In My Way / The Riot

                      G.A.M.M

                      Afshin (Djoon, Paris) and Kiss My Black Jazz make their Gamm debut with two party-starting reworks. "Trouble In My Way" is so unequivocally suited to the Gamm blueprint Afshin were no-doubt signed before their bums touched the floor of the A&R office. It's a hand-clappin' gospel house cut up with that undeniably house shuffle n swing with driving rhythms and killer organ solos - proper incendiary stuff for the daytime dances.

                      "The Riot" is a more tradition jazz-funk offering; bustling, funky and driving by a careering organ solo that drives the pieces like a bull in china shop, with just the tight-ass guitar chops keeping the whole thing from driving out of control.




                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Love Gamm me. Can always been relied upon provide wide smiles and plenty of bump. The one hundred and twenthy seventh (!!!) release on the label proves no exception as gospel house and jazz-funk styles are tweaked by Afshin and Black Jazz for maximum booty bashing pleasure.

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                      Cover of Hold On by Stephane Sévérac.

                      Stephane Sévérac

                      Hold On

                      Blaos

                      Stephane Sévérac’s “Hold On” is one of those obscure slices of pop history whose memory was preserved by the deep diving Balearic heads of the world. It’s hard to find much information about this one, other than the track was first released in 1987 as a 7” single on Germany’s Zeppelin Records and as a 12” maxi with a jaw dropping extended mix on France’s Carrere. Luckily, this latter version has been officially licensed and remastered for release on the new reissue label Blaos Records and the package also includes the edited single mix and an additional track “Dreams” (which originally backed “Hold On” on both the 7” and 12” versions). The extended cut of “Hold On” is, simply put, a masterpiece of emotionally affecting 80s pop, with a confident and charismatic vocal performance backed by smooth seaside guitars, lustrous strings, and sensual saxophone warmth.

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: You nabbed a copy of that 'Johnny Hates Sax' version and now it's your chance to own the original, in reissue form anyway. Gliding along like a European George Michael, Stephane Severac hits us with the finest slice of emotional pop around.

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                      Cover of Palace Hôtel by Preface.

                      Preface

                      Palace Hôtel

                      Discomatin

                      For its second release of 2018, the Parisian crew Discomatin picked a real classic of the French boogie era, Palace Hôtel by Preface. If Preface recorded a total of four EPs, it’s this first release from 1986 that is the real deal. Expect shiny synthesizers, percussive drum sounds, catchy and irresistible bass riffs and vocals!

                      Fortunately, it’s brought here with all 3 versions: the extended “Version Longue”, with its great electronic introduction, the shorter “Version 45 Tours”, if you’re in a hurry and, last but not least, the “Instrumental Version” for those too shy to play the vocals - we certainly are not. Behind Preface, you’ll find three great musicians still at their careers debut at that time, Manu Katche, Jean-Yves d’Angelo and Kamil Rustam. Now accomplished musicians, this project was for them an excursion into more mainstream territories through jazz-funk and boogie influences.

                      It had quite a success back in the day. Behind this project, you’ll find Philippe Abitbol, the executive producer who was already behind “Chacun Fait (C’Qui Lui Plait)” by Chagrin d’Amour, or French pop singer Patrick Bruel’s debut “Marre De Cette Nana Là”. Thanks to Discomatin, it’s now available to the real connoisseurs with an exclusive insert which contains lyrics and chord progressions, again with the fantastic illustrations of French artist Camille de Cussac.

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: Discomatin keep the killers coming, following their fabulous reissue of Diva's "La Nuit" with arguably the finest French boogie banger ever, Preface's "Palace Hotel". High gloss synth bass, nipple height guitar and plenty of drum box brilliance, all topped by cocktail hour marimbas and a gorgeous vocal. What's the French for chic?

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                      Cover of A Tour In Italy Inc. Pellegrino, Tony Carrasco Mixes by Band Aid.

                      Band Aid

                      A Tour In Italy Inc. Pellegrino, Tony Carrasco Mixes

                      Best Italy

                      Best Records revive an all time Balearic classic for their latest reissue, bringing us the brilliance Bolognian winner from 1983, Band Aid's marvellous "A Tour In Italy". A bona fide White Isle play for Alfredo, Leo et al, this buoyant blast of sunblushed boogie gets full marks from every single member of the Balearic mafia - so you need to get on it. Checking all the boxes that matter (feelgood chug, funky AF bass, Chic-style guitars and delicate chimes) the O.G. whispers sweet and surreal nothings in at least two languages - what more could you want for a Balearic release? Well, maybe a dub - and it's the dub, with its reverb swathed drums, echo laced horns and flipped arrangement which has remained a staple for all these years. Good job it's on here really. This 2018 reissue also boasts an ace brucey bonus, the unreleased "Mediterranean Version", mixed and overdubbed by Pellegrino from Early Sounds Recordings. The Neapolitan hero brings the mallets to the fore, twists the synth sounds and transforms the track into a percussion party on a disco-not-disco tip.


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: Best treat us to a great reissue of an all time classic here, the carefree and cool "A Tour In Italy" by Bologna's Band Aid. This new version offers up the OG, uber-Balearic dub and a brilliant alternative mix from Early Sounds man Pellegrino. Too good.

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                      Cover of I'm In Love by Cela.

                      Cela

                      I'm In Love

                      Best Italy

                      The Best Records reissue machine come correct with a limited edition of a great pre-80s Italian disco production that's done damage for Joey Negro, Sadar Bahar and Rahaan over the years. Powering into the peaktime with massive funky basslines and great vocals, "I'm In Love" was produced by Marty Celay and Robert Drake, who previously collaborated and wrote some succesfully songs in USA for Roundtree and Chic projects. Out of press for way too long, and out of financial reach in the second hand market, Cela's masterpiece finally gets an official remastered reissue from Best Record Italy. This time we can find  the full extended 11 minute disco version on the side A and the previously unavailable U.S.A. Version on the flip. 

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: Unbeatable disco heat from Best Italy here, as Cela's melodic, smooth and sultry "I'm In Love" gets the reissue treatment it deserves. A big play for all your favourite disco jocks, this oft sampled and edited heater stands superior in its original form. Buy on sight!

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                      Cover of Christmas Time Is Here by Khruangbin.

                      Khruangbin

                      Christmas Time Is Here

                      Night Time Stories

                      At the close of a marathon year supporting their breakthrough album, "Con Todo El Mundo", Khruangbin return with an exciting addition - an update on Vince Guaraldi’s timeless “Christmas Time Is Here.”

                      'Growing up the three of us all had very different Christmases,' says bassist Laura Lee. 'But we recently discovered we all had the exact same favourite Christmas song. When we realized it, we sat down to play it and it came together instantly. In 15 minutes, we had this recorded. It was like the best Christmas present ever.'

                      With ambling sweetness and a fresh, beat-driven groove, Khruangbin have taken this oft-covered classic and made it wholly their own. It's not in-your-face festivity and cheer, more languid, by-the-fire snugness from our favourite Texan laid-back funk rockers.


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Millie says: 'Christmas Time Is Here' is probably one of best sentence to hear mid-November (for me anyway) Khruangbin have perfected this subtle indie Christmas song to suit any scrooges out there.

                      FORMAT INFORMATION

                      Ltd 7" Info: Green vinyl.

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                      Cover of Lover Chanting by Little Dragon.

                      Little Dragon

                      Lover Chanting

                      Ninja Tune

                      Little Dragon back with a self-proclaimed dose of F U N: 'For all the lovers out there, chant along! Dance for peace and unity in this world of madness!' declare the band. Lead singer Yukimi Nagano adds that the EP is about, 'The force of love. Not only between two people but the force of love in this universe as the ultimate ecstasy. Whether that is while you’re dancing at a disco forgetting where you are or just staring at the moon on a clear night, it can be anything. A swim in the ocean, a glance at a stranger - it’s a personal individual thing. Call it what you want but we have all felt it. So, embrace the great mystery of everything that your brain can’t grasp and lose track in the most beautiful sense.'

                      The story behind the track’s origins is as idiosyncratic and left-of-centre as you would expect from a band that have spent their career consistently playing by their own rules. 'It started with Fred searching for a wedding march inspired by a Swedish prog funk folk keyboardist called Merit Hemmingson', explain the band from their Gothenburg bunker. 'Erik got inspired by the track and started singing! After Erik wrote his vocal verses Yukimi got a bit worried about his lyrical abilities and stepped in to add her part on the song. Håkan flew to Germany to record a beautifully tuned clavinet. Once the clavinet was recorded Fred and Erik added their flavour with some drums and deep synth bass.'

                      The ‘Lover Chanting’ EP showcases the forward-facing, pioneering spirit that has cemented Little Dragon’s status as one of the most universally adored outfits working today. From early collaborations with Gorillaz, SBTRKT, Kaytranada & Flume through to recent tracks with Faith Evans, Raphael Saadiq and the previously mentioned BADBADNOTGOOD and Vic Mensa collaborations earlier this summer, Little Dragon have continued to be at the forefront of the collective music consciousness, consistently inspiring existing icons alongside a whole new generation of emerging artists. The band have also continued a longstanding tradition of working with some of the most exciting creatives across the arts. Having collaborated extensively with IB Kamara (i-D, Dazed, Vogue) and David Uzochukwu (Dior, FKA Twigs, Nike) on previous album ‘Season High’, the band worked with exciting newcomer Vicki King on the imagery for the forthcoming campaign.


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Sil says: Good old sugar coated pop dressed with a chuggy house beat overriding it all over. Only Little Dragon can create it this nicely without being too cheesy. Superb!

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                      Cover of Chant Down Babylon Verse 2 - Inc. John T. Gast Version by TNT Roots.

                      TNT Roots

                      Chant Down Babylon Verse 2 - Inc. John T. Gast Version

                      5 Gate Temple

                      Fire from UK producer TNT Roots (one half of Jah Shaka favourites, Earthquake Studio). "Chant Down Babylon Verse 2" falls on the darker side of digi-dub, and will easily traverse into dubstep DJs extended sessions.

                      It's pitch black bassline, heavily echoed pad stabs and dancefloor-centric riddim make this track a no brainer for any bass-needy revelers.

                      Dub-wisened UK producer John T Gast delivers a tasty version on side B. Adding some fresh percussion elements and interesting sfx, it's this version that does it for me, although I'm sure everyone'll have a different favourite!

                      A late contender for our end-of-year reggae singles!


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Already fully Ruf Dug-approved, this pitch black future-dread nugget has shaken rib cages and MDF flooring throughout the shop this week - now it's ready to rumble out at your nearest dance!

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                      Cover of Deep Concentration by Kowton & Parris.

                      Kowton & Parris

                      Deep Concentration

                      Rubadub

                      Get on this! New shizzle from the exquisite Rubadub camp, if you're into the kind vacuumous techno purveyed by the Sunklo firm a la Boddika & Joy O, then Kowton + Parris have just gone and updated the blueprint!

                      "Deep Concentration" comes with a personalized mix from the two producers, with Kowton guiding proceedings on side A through a bubbling, highly taut interchange between the detritus of UKG and deep set mechanical phlegm collected from the underbellies and gullets of a thousand analogue synthesizers. Splurging and gurgling under a backdrop of tense drums and strung out synths, the track seems to collapse and re-assemble itself through its extended duration.

                      Parris takes the reins for the flip, losing none of the tension or impending fear; but ratcheting up the rhythmic intensity somewhat into a post-techno throb.

                      Great stuff here by two modern masters - recommended!


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Trust Rubadub to bring the ruckas time after time as they enlist modern techno superstars Kowton and Parris for their latest label feature.

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                      Cover of NS-23 by Levon Vincent.

                      Levon Vincent

                      NS-23

                      Novel Sound

                      NEW LEVON! annnnd it's a doozy! Our favourite New Jersian seems to be slap bang in the midst of another career purple patch as the 23rd Novel Sound displays a grasp of modern techno few can comete with. Wigged-out n wobbly, "The Sound Of People Moving" introduces itself under a canopy of elastic rhythms and fizzing hats; while occasionally a typically Vincentian melodiy will creep into focus. The perfect balance of discord, harmony and nightclub physics, it'll lock the floor into a powerful electronic hypnosis.

                      "Fricatives" punctuating kick and spiralling hi-hat patterns repeat against a slow tectonic groan and tecnoid vox loop; a disorientating and noxious late night affair that, like the first track, will impress, confuse and oblitorate any modern dancing space

                      Levon closes of 2018 still imperetive as ever. Do not miss this one folks!




                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Bad-ass trax for the techno firm here, Levon's lost none of the pizzazz and inventiveness as NS-23 is added to one of the label's many highlights. Essential!

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                      Cover of Mhmhmh by Ajukaja.

                      Ajukaja

                      Mhmhmh

                      Bergerac

                      Estonian pioneer Raul Saaramets exists in many parallel musical universes and this is reflected in his stellar output as Ajukaja, mining a rich furrow of stand out, oddball yet eminently danceable, groovy house and beat experiments. As the program co-director for Estonia's national radio station Raadio 2, he's given his country unprecedented access to some of the hottest music on this planet. He's also made some of the finest underground dance records over the last few years including 'Stranger', 'Benga Benga' and "Rare Birds' (made with long time production partner Andrevski) which were hammered by the scene's elite. His Bergerac debut has been a long time coming but well worth the wait.

                      Mhmhmh is a super vibey late night burner which quite obviously gets its title from the faintly Germanic, sleazy vocal sample which goes 'um hum um hum'. 'Sklad' trips you out even more with a mangled, ecstasy tinged fading in(tro) which gives you 'that' feeling. Flip this naughty fella over and you are met by 'Ekleeer' -  a super danceable disco cut rolls out until the vocals drop in and you realise that no other than David Lynch is on the studio! Last cut in thi s mega 12" is for 'Walk',  which previously saw light as a tape only track but it is playful scuffed-up jiggery pokery cried out for a vinyl release so here it is for your full enjoyment. Top draw 12" which can easy reach number one of our dance table here at the Piccadilly Towers Influencers department. 

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Sil says: Easily record of the week for me. A surprisingly playful yet stubbornly dancefloor friendly cuts for those in need of alternative, off the beaten track ammunition to entertain your audiences. Majestic.

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                      Cover of Roller Rink Funk by Shift.

                      Shift

                      Roller Rink Funk

                      Land Of Hits

                      Next up in the ace Queen Constance reissue series is the mighty 'Roller Rink Funk' by Shift, a killer from the archive, boasting the most apt of names.
                      Another class act from the plethora of uptown groups that were associated with Queen Constance and her orbiting planets, Shift was possibly yet another 'studio' group put together for this one time release. The co-production nous and involvement of long-time associate Bernard Thomas lends these cuts some serious B-boy credentials. Thomas was involved in a lot of the P&P era early rap material, as well as working with BDP and lending his skills to releases on the cult rap label Zakia too. Needless to say, this particular release is that magic funky frisson between disco, funk and the earliest stirrings of hip-hop, an especially rich vein of music. As the title suggests this one is meant to be heard at the roller rink, the syncopated rhythms mimicking the skaters movements and repetitions. As with any good roller-skating funk record (there are many!) it doesn't take long for you to want to hit the dance-floor, whether it's to skate or to simply get down. An often tricky record to find in its OG state, commanding 'collectors' prices, 'Roller Rink Funk' is back on the block for all the disco freaks for 2018. 


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: High octane roller rink tackle here from the archives of P&P relation Land of Hits. As you'd expect we get those Lofty cosmic synths, though this time riding a rambunctious funk rhythm tailor made for the shimmer of the rink. I;d imagine Moodymann used to rollerskate to this shit...

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                      Cover of Life by Karel.

                      Karel

                      Life

                      De Vlieger

                      Former Trouw booker and Life And Death kingpin Job Jobse launches a new label De Vlieger, inspired by the desire to release music by some of his nearest and dearest. The first EP offers us a collection of six short songs by synth pop dreamer Karel. Born from the same outsider energy as Bill Nelson, Ariel Pink and John Foxx, Karel's mournful but moving bedroom compositions convey maximum emotional with minimal fuss.

                      "I will always remember the first time I saw Karel live. Jumping and flying across the room. One moment hanging from the ceiling, the next taking a plunge into the night. His feet in the air and his head in the clouds.

                      A desire to release music from friends had always been there, but only when I witnessed Karel's unique energy and his ability to write a perfect pop song in just a few lines, this desire took its first form. The results are six synthwave songs that are low on fidelity, but high on feeling. Recorded between 2016 and 2018 at his home studio, using three synthesizers and a drum computer." 

                      - Job Jobse

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: Killer synth pop here from Karel on Job Jobse's new De Vlieger imprint. Cutting through the tape hiss like a lo-fi Knife with an Ariel Pink songbook, Karel comes correct with a fine set of outsider anthems.

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                      Cover of Diamond Life 05 by Necrotype.

                      Necrotype

                      Diamond Life 05

                      Diamond Life

                      Modern jungle savior, Coco Bryce's Diamond Life label introduces the jaw dropping brilliance of Necrotype.

                      Previously displaying a concise grasp of darkstyle jungle flavours, across labels Jungle Rollers and 7th Storey Projects; the Brighton based Ten Kaidan offers up two well crafted rollers that show off a gentle, more playful side.

                      "Yosei" is pure liquid D&B beauty, a bit faster and less jungle oriented than what we're used to from Diamond Life, but definitely on a similarly lush and melodic tip. On the flipside we're treated to "Break Through", think 'atmospheric roller meets halftime junglism'. 


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Quality as always fron this Netherlands based superforce - if you're not in tune with the sound get to know!

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                      Cover of BAH 047 by Albion.

                      Albion

                      BAH 047

                      Bahnsteig 23

                      The latest unmissible edition of the Bahnsteig 23 series lands in store, bringing us the return of  elite Swedish digger and edit expert Albion Venables. The set kicks off with the frothy cosmic of "Poupee Mecanique", a swirling, camp and vampy synth popper finished off with stage make up. Though I'm sure my French homies must be screaming the I.D. at me, for us ignoramuses (?) this sounds a bit like a cybernetic cabaret cover of "Like A Virgin" (well, it doesn't but it kind of does). Next up "Balearo" switches the mood up with what could well be an inspired mash-up of sorts. Taking a bossa-ish disco drum track and murky post punk bassline, Albion unleashes the chorus-coated guitar, dreamy chimes and mournful vocals of a forgotten goth-pop number to create something truly Balearic in the most unexpected way. On the flipside "In Coherence" comes out of the blocks like a disco-tinged soft rocker with an infectious instrumental break laced with daytime TV overtones. Camp cosmic here we come! Finally "O.V.N.I." brings the jazzy synth licks, militaristic percussion and intergalactic chord progressions, progging us into the far future.


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Patrick says: Underestimate Albion at your peril! The Swedish digger, Camp Cosmic chief and edit don drops a quartet of quirked up chuggers, Balearic dreamers and leftfield cuts. Ace!

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                      Cover of Otway Chimes by Hayes & Zeitgeist.

                      Hayes & Zeitgeist

                      Otway Chimes

                      Moonshoe Records

                      Moonshoe shine a light on two vanguards of the Melbourne underground - Ziggy of 30/70 and Analogue Attic alumni Matthew Hayes. This EP bridges both their sounds while retaining a flavour all of its own, and Hayes’ spacious production affords their ideas room to breathe. The result combines disparate influences from jazz, ambient techno, house music, and broken beat to form a musical vernacular that feels singular to these two. We for one are well on board. Check!

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Delicate, fluttering, highly musical jams in full colour and radiant joy - RIYL: The Rotating Assembly, Ken Oath records & 'the Vancouver sound'. Big T I P on dis one folks...

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                      Cover of Star Child by Kallaloo.

                      Kallaloo

                      Star Child

                      Kalita

                      Official reissue of Kallaloo's sought-after 1982 disco single "Star Child" thru Kalita records and accompanied by interview-based liner notes. Originally released on Jeffrey Turpin's Trinidadian record label IDA, "Star Child" has since become highly sought-after by both DJs and collectors alike as an invisible, yet astonishing piece of Caribbean disco.

                      Kallaloo consisted of various Trinidadian musicians including Keith Alexander and Peter Wayne Barkley. Keith had been well-respected as a member of the Trinidadian group Impact, and was later to become an in-demand producer and composer under the name of Keith Diamond, responsible for various hits by Billy Ocean, Donna Summer, Starpoint and Melba Moore. In contrast, Peter was a well-known recording session drummer, but after "Star Child"'s release he moved to North Carolina to pursue other interests and 'was never heard from again'.

                      "Star Child" was recorded at Right Track Recording, in mid-town Manhattan, New York. As Jeffrey recalls, the atmosphere in the studio was 'great, with everyone upbeat, the cream of the crop just looking for that break... everyone was talented and just wanted the chance to express their own ideas'. Five hundred copies of the record were released on IDA with a white label design, and they were sold both in Brooklyn, New York and Port of Spain, Trinidad. It was also released on a red label, however this was not to Jeffrey's knowledge at the time. Jeffrey explains that the reason why the record didn't fare well at the time was because of the difficulty in getting the song played on the radio. As he recalls, radio stations were much more likely to play 'radio versions' of songs which lasted for a couple of minutes, rather than five or seven minute 'extended' versions such as "Star Child", which were more suitable to a club environment. In addition, as Jeffrey explains, radio airplay is a 'political business', and also within a short while band members such as Keith got their own breaks, and the Kallaloo era was over as quickly as it had started.


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Millie says: Massive disco anthem, Star Child is the 80's spirit captured in vinyl format! Highly sought after for a long time so get on it. Tonight's the night, the time is right!

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                      Cover of Silent E by Ricardo Villalobos.

                      Ricardo Villalobos

                      Silent E

                      Pressure Traxx

                      Tasty new Ricardo-V double header on Pressure Trax. "Wispa" cruises forth under a current of electricity and blurred vocal murmerings; it's non-linear approach familiar to fans of this maverick and iconic DJ / producer.

                      "909 Track" shimmers and judders with Detroitian pads and Berlinesque energy; pitch black, unrelenting and hypnotic. It's ricocheting snare - hat patterns paired beautifully with Villalobos' trademark squelches and groans. It's nice to see he's lost none his delectable uniqueness, and his strung-out brand of playful, up-all-nite techno still delivers that magic we desire. 


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: Not much to be said and not much to garner from our microscopic clips. Basically, if you spend much of your leisure time chasing famous DJs around the German capital on very little sleep and lots and lots of drugs, then this record should resonate.

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                      Cover of Say Wot?! EP by Fabio Monesi.

                      Fabio Monesi

                      Say Wot?! EP

                      Wilson Records

                      Wilson head honcho Fabio Monesi has quickly carved out a solid rep through unique, ruff-n-ready releases that land somewhere between vintage, dusty Chicago house and analogue-driven hardware techno, possessing a wild energy and fiery mood.

                      No. 18 on his label and the London-based DJ / producer presents two inimitable tunes - full of acidic bass, mainline drums, rampant perc and warehouse friendly goodness. I often think Monesi characterizes what it must sound like to frequent the modern day acid house squat scene of east London and this record hammers that idea home even further. 


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: The Italian stalion returns! Two tracks of squat party thrust locked n loaded.

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                      Cover of Welcome To Our World by Mass Production.

                      Mass Production

                      Welcome To Our World

                      Groovin

                      Mass Productions mega hot funk classic, made famous by Moodymann, Theo and a whole host of disco and house DJ's. An undisputable, 'Loft' / ''Chair' / and 'NYC' CLASSIC, repressed by Groovin', there's only been a few shite bootlegs of this knocking about for the last few years so nice to see a full-def, fully legit reissue delivered here by our favourite specialists.

                      Limited copies - move quick! 


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                      Cover of Tribute To Muhammad Ali (We Crown The King) by Le Stim.

                      Le Stim

                      Tribute To Muhammad Ali (We Crown The King)

                      Melodies International

                      Melodies International bring more hen's teeth rarities: a disco anthem from Detroit that was originally recorded in 1980 and dedicated to the 'King Of The Champion Fighters': Le Stim's - "A Tribute to Muhammad Ali (We Crown The King)".

                      Le Stim was a band formed by lead vocalist Donald Jennings in the late 70s. Now an ordained deacon back in Detroit, Jennings was brought up in a gospel environment and was said to be born to sing. Growing up picking up songs from the likes of Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald or Sam Cooke, Jennings frequently performed for family and friends and went on to sing for audiences in New York, St. Louis and all around Detroit.

                      "We Crown The King" is a song written in the mid 70s by the late Herbert Andrei Duncan, also from Detroit. Duncan approached Jennings with the song who was initially reluctant to sing it because it took him out of his usual vocal range. However, Duncan finally (thankfully!) managed to persuade Jennings after five years to record a tune that would prove to become a party anthem decades later.

                      Remembering Duncan, Jennings says: 'Andrei was positive..inquisitive…. and determined. I was only 18 or 19 years old at the time and remember Andrei coming over to my house…. He had a cellphone in his car!.. I remember going to Andrei’s house, and he said he wanted to do the track. Andrei did not take no for an answer! The answer had to be yes! However Andrei didn’t have any money to record the song with. So we made a deal. In exchange for the use of his P.A., Loc (the drummer) provided the seventeen musicians for Le Stim to record "We Crown The King". The session itself was recorded at a studio in Southfield, Michigan.

                      According to Jennings, Muhammad Ali did hear the track back then and liked it! Le Stim were in touch with Ali’s management and were about to meet him on a number of occasions which unfortunately didn’t work out.


                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Matt says: It can't always be tekno-tekno-tekno in the coup. Sometime I gotta flex my wings to some darn right funky disco music. Le Stim's hit the spot this week with a funky tribute to the world's greatest boxer.

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                      Cover of Kashmere by Kashmere Stage Band.

                      Kashmere Stage Band

                      Kashmere

                      Athens Of The North

                      Another sure shot double sider out the Now-Again catalogue, until now both tracks were album only and both pure club killers. I smashed these back in the day; I remember listening to it from Jazzman Geralds collection and was blown away. I went right out and found the LPs which took a little time even then when there were fewer people after them. A couple of years after that 'Kashmere' was dropped on funky 16 corners comp Egon put together, and the cat was out the bag. Anyway back to the music, for those who don't know, Conrad O. Johnson of Kashmere High School, Houston Texas, created the Kashmere Stage Band turning it into one of the most fierce unbeatable high school bands in the national championships, the recordings here are my two favorites out of many. Don't miss out on the 2011 Documentary Thunder Soul which reunites the band with Conrad O. Johnson over 30 years down the line.

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                      Cover of Breaking Glass E.P (40th Anniversary) by David Bowie.

                      David Bowie

                      Breaking Glass E.P (40th Anniversary)

                      Parlophone

                        The new extended version of the E.P. features three previously unreleased live versions of the original E.P. tracks plus the addition of an unreleased live version of ‘Hang On To Yourself’.

                        The E.P. now features ‘BREAKING GLASS’, ‘ART DECADE’, ‘HANG ON TO YOURSELF’ and ‘ZIGGY STARDUST’ live from Earls Court in London during the Isolar II tour of 1978. These four tracks are alternative performances to the ones that recently appeared on the critically acclaimed live album WELCOME TO THE BLACKOUT (LIVE LONDON ’78), and none were featured on the original 1978 E.P..

                        Initially released in the UK in January 1977 on the groundbreaking LOW album, ‘BREAKING GLASS’ was co-written by Bowie, bassist George Murray and drummer Dennis Davis. A longer, reworked version of the song was a staple of the Isolar II Tour, and a live version from that tour was used as the lead track on the original live 7" E.P. to promote Bowie's second live album, STAGE in 1978.


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                        Cover of Overrated by Echo Ladies.

                        Echo Ladies

                        Overrated

                        Sonic Cathedral

                          Cocteau Twins guitar legend Robin Guthrie has reworked one of the highlights of the Swedish shoegaze trio's acclaimed debut album 'Pink Noise'. He's taken the ‘Disintegration’-meets-slightly-out-of-focus-Saint-Etienne of the original and turned it into a classic indie-pop song – like Lush, The Primitives or even Strawberry Switchblade, with some nice Cocteaus-style bits in the background.

                          On the flipside, there's an audacious cover of David Bowie's 'Rebel Rebel' (which often features in their live sets). They slow the song right down and turn it inside out, only adding the famous guitar riff as a synth motif near the end. 

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                          Cover of Minor Minor by Olli Ahvenlahti & The Stance Brothers.

                          Olli Ahvenlahti & The Stance Brothers

                          Minor Minor

                          We Jazz

                          Finnish jazz legend Olli Ahvenlahti presents his grade-A cooker "Minor Minor" from the LP "Thinking, Whistling" on 7". On the AA side, drummer-producer Teppo Mäkynen's celebrated alias The Stance Brothers presents first new music in 10 years with a tasty remake of the Ahvenlahti tune. The Stance version has a groove galore with the lead played on vibraphone adding levels upon levels to the operation, in signature "Teddy Rok" style.

                          STAFF COMMENTS

                          Millie says: Mellow, classic jazz vibes on this seven inch from the We Jazz label, groovy piano with lots of sax thrown in for good measure is what makes this so so good.

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                          Cover of BOYGENIUS EP by BOYGENIUS (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, And Lucy Dacus).

                          BOYGENIUS (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, And Lucy Dacus)

                          BOYGENIUS EP

                          Matador Records

                            Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus formed boygenius after booking a tour together, but the trio had subconsciously been in the works for longer than that. Through a series of tours and performances together, and chance encounters that led to friendships – including Bridgers’ and Dacus’ first in-person meeting backstage at a Philadelphia festival, greenroom hangouts that felt instantly comfortable and compatible, a couple of long email chains and even a secret handshake between Baker and Dacus – the lyrically and musically arresting singer-songwriters and kindred spirits got to know each other on their own terms.

                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            Darryl says: A wonderful folky flecked EP from the amazing combined talents of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.

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                            Cover of Amethyst EP by Harvey Sutherland.

                            Harvey Sutherland

                            Amethyst EP

                            Clarity Recordings


                            Harvey Sutherland returns with new single "Amethyst", a jazz-leaning broken beat odyssey born out of sessions with London-based saxophonist Nubya Garcia and drummer Kahlil Memphis.

                            Another milestone in an already-unpredictable career from the Melbourne based producer, "Amethyst" shows off a vibrant and multi-coloured instrumental palette, bursting with rich jazz musicality and possessing an undeniable, spontaneous live energy.

                            "I Can See" scurries down a similar path, littered with flamboyant jazz drumming and skilled keys. Fellow Melbournian RIngs Around Saturn suitably elevates the track into stars with a space jazz outlook that's totally captivating.

                            With the Melbourne crew firmly in on the act, modern jazz shows no sign of relenting its grip on the music scene in 2018. A triumph!


                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            David says: Harvey Kahlil Memphis and Nubya Garcia, what's not to love? Ace broken jazz that sounds as good in a club as it does on the sofa. Ace.

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                            Cover of Surface Noise by The Nuclear Family / Other Lands.

                            The Nuclear Family / Other Lands

                            Surface Noise

                            The Nuclear Family

                            The Nuclear Family are back after a three-year hiatus following a duo of imperative 12"s that tastefully skirted between house, Balearic and new disco flavours. This time round they come joined by Other Lands - aka Fudge Fingas, so keeping it an all-Scottish affair.

                            "Surface Noise", on side A, is the first of the Family’s recent studio jams to see the light of day, with its classic 808 drums and analogue bass underpinning warm pads, twinkling melodies and some subtle vocoder flourishes.

                            On the flipside Gavin Sutherland's alter-ego, fresh from the success of his recent "Pattern Transform" 12" for Firecracker, drops "See Thru Time". Containing mellifluous chord progressions and a deep groove, it's a departure for the bumpety house & electronic funk that'd characterized his earlier productions and instead offers up a tranquil, thermal house cut that could last an eternity. Cut with max fidelity across both sides of wax, these two tracks reintroduce this exciting label with a stylish yet low-key flair - super delicious deep house music - highly recommended!


                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            Matt says: Back once again and sounding better than ever, The Nuclear Family invite esteemed Scot Other Lands aka Fudge Fingas for their latest instalment and it's another 100% essential dance relic. You need this!

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                            Cover of Belpaese 02 by Belpaese.

                            Belpaese

                            Belpaese 02

                            Belpaese Edits

                            After making their debut with that wicked four tracker of Italian edit excellence at the end of summer, the mysterious talents behind the Belpaese project down their grappa and step up to the plate with a second volume of cut up killers. The set opens with a total cinematic stomper called "Dal Vivo", pulling us in with tight bass riffs and tumbling percussion before the full bodied guitars, horns and hairspray synth licks turn our brains inside out. Over on the B1 the intensity drops a little for the Balearic splendour of "Moribonda", a coastal boogie bomb with rapped Italian vocals, chunky pianos and all the warmth of a mid afternoon Aperol. Last but not least, "Sara Uno Smacco" is a funked up slow roller with a cool female vocal, warm strings and a rattling back beat. Think Carly's "Tranquilo" by way of Cliff's "Green Light" and you're gonna be a happy camper.


                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            Patrick says: Proper diggers' delight here from the Belpaese firm who deliver a second volume of killer Italian edits. On the A-side "Dal Vivo" is a club weapon in the same vein as Tantra's "Macumba", while the flip houses a pair of Balearic wonders on the boogie/AOR disco side of things. Ace!

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                            Cover of Love To The World - Kon's Lots Of Love Remix by LTD.

                            LTD

                            Love To The World - Kon's Lots Of Love Remix

                            KONtemporary

                            Christian 'Kon' Taylor's KonTemporary imprint goes from strength to strength! This, the third release sees the Boston crate diggin' selector, producer and remixer extraordinaire reworking the mighty sounds of L.T.D.'s roof-raising "Love To The World".

                            L.T.D., an acronym of Love, Togetherness and Devotion were a highly respected and entirely dope 70's soul and jazz-funk outfit fronted by the powerful Gospel-tinged vocals of one Jeffrey Osborne, whose powerful tenor voice gave their music some serious weight! Heavily revered among music lovers and often sampled throughout hip-hop and dance music (check out 'Cuttin it up', Love ballad', 'Holdin on' & 'Back in love' for proof!), one of the group's biggest and most well-known cuts was "Love To The World", a track that got love from the hardcore dancers, B-boys and old-school heads alike. As usual, Kon has taken this classic into a new realm with his own unique arrangement and use of ad-libs and unheard instrumentation, all taken from the master tapes and lovingly reworked. It's a difficult task to breathe new life into the classics, but Kon always comes up trumps with his fresh ideas and expert ear. Now you can catch these super heavyweight 12" versions, including an epic 9 minute plus instrumental mix, or funk loving 7" flip, all expertly tweaked by Kon and mixed by Scott 'Supe' Stallone at Found Sound, Philadelphia.

                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            Sil says: Kon does it again. His edits have become classics in the scene and for a reason. The man has its own ways of bringing a second life to both classics and obscure beauties. Solid gold on this funky, jazzy number including a glorious instrumental (my fave!). And for you, 7 inch lovers, there is a version of it too!

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                            Cover of Paciencia Inc. Deeweedub by Phillipi & Rodrigo.

                            Phillipi & Rodrigo

                            Paciencia Inc. Deeweedub

                            DeeWee

                            "Paciencia" is the latest taster from Brazilian duo Phillipi & Rodrigo's imminent LP, recorded, produced and mixed at Studio Deewee in Gent. Boasting songs about the cosmos, relationships, nostalgia and signs of the Zodiac, the album, also called ‘Paciencia’, will drop early next year on the Belgian imprint.
                            Back to the matter at hand and the South American synth wielders spark the pipe and thrust us headlong into a wormhole of glittering bleeps and hypnotic sequences, echoing Omar Souleyman or Onyeabor's most electronic moments but with a heady Balearic house slant. Steady bass tones provide the necessary lung-rumble for any good club cut and the rattling percussion should have you punching the air like a loon. Wrought by the hands of the Dewaele brothers, the transatlantic "Deeweedub" sports a cunning percussive build-up before shedding its skin and heading straight for the heart of the dancefloor. File next to Sordid Soundsystem and Mr Assister in your trance dancing 12" section.


                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            Patrick says: Deewee's Brazilian signings return to the Belgian imprint with a fresh 12" ahead of next year's debut LP. Fusing the electronic dabke of Omar Souleyman with a totally hypnotising take on Balearic house, the duo turn out a right ripper here. Even better though is the DeeWee Dub by those Soulwax bros, which strips things back and switches up the arrangement for maximum dancefloor impact.

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