London-based, Australian-born Teneil Throssell, aka HAAi, is known for a strain of sonic psychedelia that metabolises precise sound design, melodic techno, electronic pop and thundering beats. Following the release of her acclaimed 2022 album, Baby, We’re Ascending, HAAi has reached what she calls “another career milestone” - an invitation to steer the next edition of !K7 Records’ acclaimed DJ-Kicks series.

HAAi approached this mix with two concurrent goals: to continue to iterate on her artistic theme - which she named ‘always ascending’ - and to highlight her flair for hyperkinesis and drama behind the decks, which she achieves with BPM left-turns, endless upwards tilts and sharp accelerations, liminal transitions and moments of pure euphoria. Within the sweeping journey she moves through an expansive selection of heritage classics, future-facing artists, friends, heroes, and voices from close-knit communities, alongside a number of her own exclusive productions.

TRACK LISTING

2LP Tracklist:
A1. HAAi X Jon Hopkins X KAM-BU - Always Ascending
A2. HAAi - ZiGGY
B1. I. JORDAN - Life On The Wing
B2. Joshua James - We Go Again
B3. DJ PGZ - Quality High
C1. Koreless - Seven (Drumhell)
C2. Cocktail Party Effect - Make It Undone
C3. The Blessed Madonna - Strength
D1. Manni Dee, River Moon - Hot
D2. HAAi - SHiNE

CD Tracklist:
1. HAAi - Intro
2. Lähetys/Transmission - Pan Sonic
3. HAAi - Ziggy
4. The Blessed Madonna - Strength
5. Jaco - Show Some Love (Rhythm Invention Remix)
6. Agoria - Boomerang
7. HAAi - SHiNE
8. Manni Dee, River Moon - Hot
9. I. JORDAN - Life On The Wing
10. Perc & Fractal - Up (Perc Remix)
11. Radiotrance - Plasma
12. Tunnidge - Geddeon
13. Surusinghe - Bet
14. Cocktail Party Effect - Make It Undone
15. Koreless - Seven (Drumhell)
16. Christian Smith, John Selway -Total Departure
17. HAAi X Jon Hopkins X KAM-BU - Always Ascending

For Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber, the idea of rebirth is a creative driving force – an artistic device which not only informs their work, but anchors it.

As the avant-garde electronic group Tosca, the two artists have lived many musical lives, from their early electronic experiments with tape decks to the blissed-out dub compositions with which they have made their name.

Their most recent album, OSAM, takes this idea of renewal even further. Now they have reworked the source material from their ninth record and selected some of their friends to help make MIRAGE: The OSAM Remixes.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dementamente (Brendon Moeller Reshape)
2. Clean Up (Balint Dobozi Remix)
3. Clean Up (D'AL SENIO Remix)
4. Shout Sister (Tosca Mirage Ambient Version)
5. Dementamente (Brendon Moeller House Dub)
6. Nobody Cares (Sam Irl Dub)
7. Entrecote (Domenico Ferrari Remix)
8. Osam (Oberst & Buchner Remix)
9. Osam (Tosca Mirage Remix)
10. Dementamente (Brendon Moeller Campfire Dubu)
11. Make Up (Cay Taylan's Ambient Diary Mix) 

Within the transformations of their meticulous processes, London duo Kassian become a vessel for alchemy: filtering and distilling scores of stems, samples and layers until something richer and more complex than the sum of its parts emerges. Uncomfortable in any solitary genre, and at the midpoint of somewhere unexpected and uncharted, the pair describe their sound as 'almost techno.'

Since their debut release in 2018, Kassian have drifted leftwards into heavier, more abstract territory, harnessing their individual skills for working in the small pockets and painting the whole cloth of the canvas. In their first outing for !K7, "Phase Two EP", the Roland System 1 synth is the throughline as they painstakingly piece together sketches, turning high hats into kick drums, capturing the resonance of percussion and drift further into each other’s heavy-hitting sonic realms.

“X-303” recontextualises the sci-fi inspiration of its name, forging a new style of interstellar acid. A driving kick drum holds steady through a track which oscillates between contrasts: from eerie, suspenseful pads and distorted string sounds, to a minimalistic groove accented with double-time drums and mechanistic pulses. “Tabla” reduces a distinct latin rhythm down to its essence, and is propelled by a thick and distended bass loop. Its hypnotic groove combines the human and the virtual with a glitching vocal sample and the juddering of strummed guitar strings, highlighted by the percussive hits of its namesake instrument.

The pair characterise “Prelude” as 'a Frankenstein kind of monster.' Constructed around a radio sample of a legend of the scene, it is a sleek and incremental gradation of shades, with micro layers from their palette of sounds rising and falling, blending and twisting with no obvious lead or bass. Repurposing the same drums as “X-303”, the EP’s final track “Patterns” was inspired by Kassian’s earliest incarnations of live performances, and it unashamedly captures the peaks of communal moments, rounding out the EP with an epic take on deep and techy house.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Electrified stadium ticklers from the Kassian duo. Technologically advanced with lavish, multi-layered production. RIYL: Daniel Avery, Bicep, Two Shell etc.

TRACK LISTING

A1: X-303
A2: Tabla
B1: Prelude
B2: Patterns

Elkka’s deep intuition is the unifying thread throughout Cardiff-born DJ and producer’s illustrious career. Vibrant releases for Local Action, Ninja Tune and her own label and party, femme culture, have marked her as an unstoppable force within the London underground. This recognition metabolised when she was awarded BBC’s prestigious Essential Mix of the Year in 2021, spotlighting her radiant blend of classic house, breakbeat and experimental electronica to the world over.

As the next curator of DJ-Kicks, Elkka is voyaging through rave euphoria. “This is a really special moment for me because DJ-Kicks has been a formative part of my musical education,” she says. An intoxicating journey through Chicago house and disco, leftfield techno, UK bass and electro-punk, Elkka conjures up an atmosphere that is as primed for the club as it is the listener’s interior world. 

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklist:
01. Elkka - Attention, Lovers
02. Shake - Music Is The Only Way (I Can Communicate)
03. Paula Tape - Panamericana
04. Dauwd - La Nota
05. East-West - Can’t Face The Night (Club Mix)
06. Omri Smadar, Roy Shpilman - Adama
07. Pelada - No Hay
08. Herbert - Keep Time (Nobody)
09. UK Electro, Gerd Janson - ICA Beats Part 1 (Gerd Janson Edit)
10. Dan Curtin - Particle Dawn
11. Carli - Lights & Strobes
12. Jensen Interceptor - Lean Before The Interview
(Ft. Assembler Code)
13. Surusinghe - BAD GIRLS
14. Elkka - Hands
15. Anna Wall - Memories
16. Hodge, Peder Mannerfelt - All My Love
17. Mark Broom - Silenced Part 2
18. Elkka, Jeigo - Body
19. Jeigo - IHaint
20. Villager - Monocyclical
21. Breaka - Living
22. Mark Pritchard - Give It Your Choir Ft. Bibio
23. Patty Waters - Why Can’t I Come To You


LP Tracklist:
A1. East-West - Can’t Face The Night (Club Mix)
A2. Omri Smadar, Roy Shpilman - Adama
B1. Herbert - Keep Time (Nobody)
B2. Dan Curtin - Particle Dawn
C1. Jensen Interceptor - Lean Before The Interview (Ft. Assembler Code)
C2. Elkka - Hands
C3. Hodge, Peder Mannerfelt - All My Love
D1. Elkka, Jeigo - Body
D2. Villager - Monocyclical
D3. Breaka – Living

As a self-described sponge for club music, London-based Bristol transplant Ian DPM has cut a singular figure in both the West Country and the capital in just a handful of years. Already situated as the tastemaker behind music curation platform Definite Party Material, co-owner of Scuffed Recordings, and Noods Radio and Rinse FM resident, Ian DPM’s emergence as a producer has marked him as an expansively curious, bass-forward figure at the bleeding edge of genre boundaries.

After retreating to his hometown of Portsmouth during lockdown to absorb the blueprints of ‘90s techno, Ian emerged with a new phase of experimentation: techno-inspired and indebted, yet eschewing loops and grids for a loose-limbed, open minded engagement of the form.

Taking inspiration from the iconic carnival rides that are inseparable from their high-octane happy hardcore soundtrack, “One For The Waltzers” begins with a distant rumble of muffled breakbeats that inch ever closer. But rather than dizzying lights and in-the-red maximalism, “One For The Waltzers” gradually reveals its knowingly deep shimmy and groove. It is a drum-heavy and rhythmic production, masterfully using negative space to showcase every contour of its slowed-down rave horns and acid house synth lines.

“KE01” inhabits the flipside of the same sonic world. Here, feverish percussive energy contrasts against pensive melodic synth chords. It’s a heady warehouse affair, familiar and complex, referential yet contemporary, and only adds to the momentum that Ian DPM is gathering.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Big n wobbly fairground tackle for rushing sonic nostalgia and dizzying, amyl-huffing greatness. Mega.

TRACK LISTING

A. One For The Waltzers
B. KE01

Growing up in Chicago, later Detroit-based music producer, Theo Parrish is internationally well known for his own inimitable downtempo house music style. The approach Parrish took to compiling DJ-Kicks was very ambitious, inviting his Detroit peers to produce a collection of brand new material, and in turn creating the first ever all exclusive entry to the esteemed series.

"Detroit creates. But rarely imitates. Why? We hear and see many from other places do that with what we originate. No need to follow. Get it straight. In the Great Lakes there are always more under the surface than those that appear to penetrate the top layer of attention and recognition. What about them that defy tradition? Those that side step the inaccurate definitions often given from outside positions? This is that evidence. Enjoy."

• First official compilation by Theo Parrish
• All exclusive unreleased material
• Includes new music from Theo Parrish
• 19 tracks mixed across a two volume CD set
• Triple LP sampler containing 15 full length tracks

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Never afraid to veer away from the norm. The Detroit innovator instantly breaks convention by commissioning all-exclusive content from his Motor City broths and sisters. Not only does this add to the collectability of the compilations, it gives his community a platform and shines the spotlight on artist I haven't even heard of. A truly celebration of community spirit and also one of the most geo-centric DJ Kicks releases to date. A briliant, inventive and thoughtful concept incredibly well executed. And given Theo's dedicated craft at mixing records, the mixed CD version is just as essential as the vinyl compilation!

TRACK LISTING

CD1:
1. De'Sean Jones & Ideeyah - Pressure
2. Donald Lee Roland II - Simba's Theme
3. Meftah - When The Sun Falls
4. Theo Parrish & Duminie DePorres - The Real Deal
5. Specter - The Upper Room
6. Deon Jamar - North End Funk
7. Ian Fink - Moonlight (Duality/Detroit Live Version)
CD2:
1. John C & Meftah - Full
2. MBtheLight - AGAIN (T’s Edit)
3. De'Sean Jones - Psalm 23
4. Raybone Jones - Green Funk
5. Jon Dixon - Wind Drifts (Instrumental)
6. Whodat & Sophiyah.e - Don’t Know
7. KESSWA - Chasing Delerium Feat. Nova Zai
8. Raj Mahal - Hudsons
9. De'Sean Jones - Flash Spain
10. Jason Hogans - Surrounded By Trees
11. Howard Thomas - Experiment 10
12. Sterling Toles - Janis

3LP:
A1. De'Sean Jones & Ideeyah - Pressure
A2. Donald Lee Roland II - Simba's Theme
A3. Jason Hogans - Surrounded By Trees
B1. John C & Meftah - Full
B2. Meftah - When The Sun Falls
B3. De'Sean Jones - Psalm 23
C1. Ian Fink - Moonlight (Duality/Detroit Live Version)
C2. KESSWA - Chasing Delerium Feat. Nova Zai
D1. Specter - The Upper Room
D2. Raj Mahal - Hudsons
E1. Raybone Jones - Green Funk
E2. Whodat & Sophiyah.e - Don’t Know
F1. Howard Thomas - Experiment 10
F2. MBtheLight - AGAIN (T’s Edit)
F3. Sterling Toles - Janis 

Renard Bleu marks the first new music released by Takada in nearly twenty years; it would be difficult to overstate the importance of her return to the public eye.

Her first solo record, 1983's Through the Looking Glass, has been rediscovered and heralded as a lost classic; the influence of her percussion trio, the Mkwaju Ensemble, continues to permeate and inspire a new generation entranced by its lucid beauty, playfulness, and sensual patience.

Takada has performed in numerous film score orchestras, including the ensemble for Akira Kurasawa’s Dreams, coincidentally a key influence on Renard Bleu.

Le Renard Bleu, the new musical and cinematic collaboration between Lafawndah and composer Midori Takada, and filmmakers Partel Oliva, takes a cross- generational echo as ground zero for recovering a crucial myth for uncertain times: the blue fox.

As transmitted by Takada, the fox appears in both ancient Senegalese and Japanese folktales as the trickster archetype; belonging both to the heavens and to the earth, the fox is the agent of chaotic good, shaking the world up when its energy has become stagnant. Above all else, the fox is famous for its cunning nature.

In the ensuing years, Takada has worked closely with theater group the Suzuki Company of Toga on productions of Electra and King Lear, an experience, she says, that allowed her to pursue “a unity of music, body and space.” Recent live solo performances have evinced the depths of her exploration of all three.
Equally, it is Lafawndah’s freedom of tone, decentralized maps of ancient and modern music cultures, and alloying of devotional intensity with modern songcraft casts her as a distinct relative of Midori Takada’s.
Over the course of two EPs, self- directed music videos, and countless live performances, Lafawndah has drawn out an uncompromising exploration of how theater, situational intervention, and choreography can amplify the affective palate of forward pop music. One can trace the influence of artists such as Meredith Monk, Carlos Sara, and Andy Kaufman as much as musical antecedents AR Rahmann, Missy Elliott, or Geinoh Yamashirogumi.

It is in a mutual commitment to this unity that Lafawndah, Takada and Partel Oliva find fertile aesthetic common ground.

Created in partnership with KENZO and premiered today via their channels, it was Partel Oliva who imagined a contemporary cinematic frame for the myth of the fox to re- appear, creating a hybrid of choreography and narrative around Takada and Lafawndah's performance of their joint composition (also titled Le Renard Bleu.) Returning to film in Japan for the third time, Partel Oliva's moving image work (Club Ark Eternal, The Pike and the Shield) has set the standard for and revolutionized the fashion art film. Their deployment of original music, dance, and a highly stylized mis en scene coalesces here in the casting of Los Angeles krump artist Qwenga as the eponymous fox, stalking the halls of the ancient Noh theater in which Takada and Lafawnda's performance takes place.