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Percussion mastermind Ploy arrives on Dekmantel with a double-pack of unbridled dancefloor heat that sees him reconnecting with his house roots.

Before he made a striking breakthrough as Ploy with wayward broken techno for Hessle Audio and Timedance, Samuel Smith's first releases as Samuel were leftfield house excursions. On this release for Dekmantel he wanted to reflect on a decade of releasing music and the many high-impact dancefloors he's shared with the label, from Selectors to De School, over the years.

The common denominator across these eight tracks is no-nonsense house, offering up grooves that will serve a DJ exactly what they want in the mix. At the same time, Ploy doesn't dilute the distinctive edge of his sound, from the abundance of perfectly balanced percussion to the nagging hooks of an off-key synth line dropped at just the right moment. Wry samples inject the mischievous humour he's always creeping into his craft. This is where dancefloor magic is nurtured, hitting the sweet spot between rock solid reliability and the wild card energy that brings a heads-down set to life.

From 'Admirer's big room peaks to 'It's Later Than You Think's cosmic incantations, this is the sound of Ploy showing exactly what it takes to make laser-focused club bombs without losing one iota of his inimitable style.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A rhythmic blitzkrieg perfect for injecting energy and aggression into your next techno set. Ploy hits the pots and pans on this rousing Dekmantel debut.

TRACK LISTING

When In Room
Stringz
Admirer
Terrazza
It S Later Than You Think
Monsters
Sauna
Deleted

One of clubland’s most unmistakable and loved duos, Steffi & Virginia present a new album of upfront house music, “Patterns of Vibration”. Eight gracefully-driven songs stretch out from the hazy fog of the dancefloor to the sun-drenched future decades of house, offering a glimpse into the rich heritage and distinct forward momentum of the two artists.

“Patterns of Vibration” was put together over a three month period of intensive work and play. The pair immersed themselves in the daily ritual of putting down ideas at their Candy Mountain studio in the Portuguese countryside. At the same time Steffi’s 50th birthday celebrations fuelled their creative fires, reconnecting with old friends and tapping into a deep love for those ecstatic moments of freedom and unity, soundtracked by house music.

With the spirit of the fierce night streaming through on every track, this album marks a bright new chapter in the duo’s story - channelling that special potion of emotional vibrations found when music, dance, friends and lovers meet.

Thanks to countless hours behind the decks at their Berghain / Panorama Bar residencies and global touring, the album glistens with an ageless urgency and a straight-to-club core. That driving, early morning pulse is mirrored by a deft skill for conjuring arresting electronic hymns; transmitting their passion and collective years together on the road, in clubs, in the studio, and at home.

From the moody tribalism of lead single “Nightflight”, to the chord-led heaven of “Stab Stealer”, or the tracky “7 In The Morning”, Steffi & Virginia’s partnership is alive with the essential throb of a movement that continues to blossom as it enters its 4th decade.

Virginia’s jubilant vocal hooks are front and centre on every track, enriched with Steffi’s precision analogue bump. Punchy and direct kick drums carry jacking snares and interwoven synth stabs. Perfectly placed basslines massage the low-end, leaving plenty of space for Virginia’s vivescent vocals.

A homogenous sonic code is woven throughout, as Virginia’s voice provides not only the soaring leading lines but also the ‘ornaments and tentacles’ of each track, with percussive details and micro-elements melting into the grooves of every cut.

Steffi & Virginia’s house music is the stuff of folklore. “Patterns of Vibration” weaves a narrative through a record crate full of emotions, a forever-chorus calling out through the night, till the earthy glow of the new dawn.


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Right up my strasse this. Futureproof, techy and soulful club tackle that tickles the subs and touches the tweeters in all the right places.

TRACK LISTING

Touching-u
Under This World
7 In The Morning
Nightflight
O-release
Walk With Me
Stab Stealer
4-hit

Dekmantel UFO Series continues its resurgent form with a new album of bruising, industrial wave and techno from Broken English Club. UK techno mainstay Oliver Ho debuted his dark and brooding alias more than 10 years ago with a release on Jealous God under the guidance of the late, great Juan Mendez (Silent Servant) - 'Songs Of Love And Decay' is explicitly dedicated to Mendez, whose influence runs deep in this seductively sinister corner of underground, independent electronic music.

Within the overarching aesthetic of the Broken English Club sound, Ho finds the freedom to deliver a full spectrum album as diverse as it is consistent. You can sense the shadow of his roots in 90s tribal techno punching through on 'Crawling' and 'Death Cult', while 'England Heretic' leans on thick swathes of analogue synthesis indebted to Giallo soundtracks and the ever-compelling lure of 80s synthwave. In its grinding layers of distortion and dubbed out vocals 'Vessel Of Skin' speaks more to the post-punk influences which have set Broken English Club apart since the outset. This isn't a purely retro-fetishist expedition, though - 'Pacific Island Kill' and 'Lost Gods' exude stark modernism in their sharply-angled sequences and dramatic sound design, moving beyond the functional demands of 4/4 dance music to reach to more cinematic zones.

These are but some of the approaches Ho burrows into as he shapes out the depth and breadth of his muse on 'Songs Of Love And Decay'. It's marked by the undeniable impact of his production, perfected over a decades-deep career at the bleeding edge of machine music. At times the album celebrates the addictive thrust of the dancefloor, while elsewhere it relishes the tension of suspended animation. Throughout, the gritty veneer binds together this accomplished, uncompromising body of work as both a fierce artistic statement and a loving tribute to Mendez - an artist who equally embodied the darker side of the dance.

TRACK LISTING

A1.a Shallow Lake
A2.crawling
A3. England Heretic
B1. Death Cult
B2. Love And Decay
C1. Night Fall
C2. Vessel Of Skin
C3. Pacific Island Kill
D1. Prisoner
D2. Ghost
D3. The Occult Body

A cybernetic rush of non-conformist techno from Italian maverick Piezo.

Milan-based Piezo is usually found at the helm of his Ansia label, exploring a versatile spectrum of experimental club music grounded in soundsystem presence and non-linear structures. On Ecstatic Nostalgia he edges his sound into a more driving, techno-spirited framework which lends itself to the energy of the UFO series beautifully. From tightly wound, artfully fractured 150 rumble and elegant sci-fi breakbeat on to needlepoint electronica and subtly trance-brushed atmospherics, Piezo's broad palette fuels an ear-snagging EP which balances visceral impact with a deft touch.

Anyone familiar with Dekmantel's flagship festival will know the UFO stages showcase spikier strains of modernist body music, and the label series serves to push these sounds forwards in the hands of consistently visionary producers. After a what could be seen as a brief pause in the UFO series - it's with a fresh wave of releases.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Unfathomably fresh club kinetics and laser-guided sonic realms for the more adventurous enthusiast.

TRACK LISTING

Ultra
Deepa
Sok Lung
Turbines

Dekmantel Festival in box. 7x12” vinyl box with download code. Limited Edition.

"Dekmantel Ten is a mirror of Dekmantel Festival. The 7x12" boxset includes seven records that mirror the seven stages to be found at the 2024 event, their 10th edition since 2013. The tracklisting isn't rigid - some of the musicians gathered here have in fact played at most of the available stages - but like a Möbius strip looping round, or a cat-and-mouse game, it's not hard to discern a symbiotic relationship. Split seven ways, DKMNTL100 is a testament to the art of curation and the importance of quality control.

At artist level, Dekmantel Ten finds room for several artists - including Karenn, Jeff Mills and Marcel Dettmann - who played at the very first Dekmantel Festival in 2013, and are by now impossible to detach. The Loop's disc contains names whose stories have dovetailed alongside the festival, concluding in memorable headline moments: Young Marco, Palms Trax and Alchemical Sisters, aka Eris Drew and Octo Octa.

Widen the lens and you'll find history from across the landscape: the laboratories of professorial techno (Dasha Rush, Steve Rachmad, DJ Nobu) and gilded halls of house (Steffi, Luca Lozano, Bufiman); varied soundsystem icons (Kode9, Adrian Sherwood, DVS1) meeting limelights of contemporary Amsterdam (upsammy, Identified Patient, Zohar); as well as the modern conduits channelling decades of outernational vibrations (Nick León, BADSISTA, Animistic Beliefs, Veracco and a great many more).

All 44 artists presenting exclusive material are indispensable into the Dekmantel story to date, and no doubt make up future developments over the horizon. That goes for the areas, too: Because while the seven stages found at Dekmantel Festival are individually resonant enough that they could become splinter festivals in their own right, it's that union which lends the core festival its strength.

TRACK LISTING

Young Marco - How Does It Make You Feel
Palms Trax - Let S Play Fade Away
Alchemical Sisters - Yellow Acid Octa Eris 303 Mix
Masalo - Star Cloud 777
Call Super - Naive Step One
Amaliah - Labyrinth
Steffi - 1 And 3
Dvs1 - Vor Morgen Extended
Interstellar Funk - Particles
Roza Terenzi - Numerical Deviant
Luca Lozano - One Last Thing
Peach - Can U Keep A Secret
Jeff Mills - Pleiades Cluster
Sterac - The Time Is Now
Jakojako - Aon
Dj Nobu - Milaglen
Talismann - Ufo Flute
Dasha Rush - D3
Kode9 - Death Rattle
Verraco - Perpetual Light Shining Upon You
Nick Leon - Power Plant
Bufiman - Ever Synth
Adrian Sherwood - The Dissolving Rhythm
Ramzi - Por El Univers
Identified Patient - My Way Hilton Mix
Simo Cell Linapary - High
Upsammy - Galax P
Toma Kami - A5k
Rhr - Estimulus Sonido
Badsista - Love Spiral
Introspekt - Come 2 Me Dub 4x4 Mix
Karenn - Lettuce Is A Type Of Lettuce
Zohar - Ore
Lee Gamble - 7 Million
Animistic Beliefs - T Lua Xakaleles Fierce Mix
Aquarian - Deep 
Sky H1 - Dome
Nvst - Underground Dynamics Hot Swimming Edition
Marcel Dettmann - Cycling Bits
Wata Igarashi - Bad Engine
Spekki Webu - Open Brainwave
Aurora Halal Dj G - Villafunk
Polygonia - Signo
Dj Python - Mare

L.B. Dub Corp - "Only the Good Times" - original version & ultra hyped Burial remix.

Cut direct from studio tape master to limited white label vinyl. Taken from the forthcoming album by Luke Slater - “Saturn To Home”, which will be out on Dekmantel later this month.

'For me "Only The Good Times" is a deeply emotional track. It’s one of those tracks that ended up entwined in love and somehow life affirming. My immediate thought was to get Burial to remix it, not only because he is one of the most entrancing producers ever, but also because of our heart felt connection and to get him away from his Playstation for ten seconds. Thank you Arnol, Will and everyone else connecting to the music ♥️' - Luke Slater

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: After being spoken about in hush tones via the more devoted Burial heads for the last few weeks, we've finally secured copies of the vinyl for your enjoyment! Get those orders in folks as copies are seriously limited.

TRACK LISTING

Only The Good Times(Original Version)
Only The Good Times (Burial Remix)

Frits Wentink & Erik Madigan Heck

Safe Passage

It is often said that the best art comes out of adversity, and so it is that producer Frits Wentink, photographer Erik Madigan Heck and actress Tilda Swinton have collaborated on Safe Passage, a fascinating audio-visual project born out of loss. Consisting of classical, choral, and electronic music in three movements, the gatefold album presented with a 40 page booklet of additional photographs and paintings.
Dutch producer and renowned innovator Frits Wentink helms the Will & Ink and Bobby Donny labels, builds synthesizers and beautiful controllers, and puts out always experimental, left of centre house music that pushes at the boundaries. This project initially started out as him attempting to musically illustrate the photography of American visual artist Erik Madigan Heck. The internationally renowned Heck is known for a lavish and experimental use of colour that has won him the prestigious International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award as well as make him a regular contributor to high profile media such as The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Harper’s Bazaar.

Midway through the project, Eriks mother was hospitalised due to breast cancer complications before also contracting Covid-19. By her bedsides and as a means to ease her passage, he repetitively played the first portion of the score, and then, once she passed, he decided to commemorate the music's function as a soundtrack for her transition to afterlife by naming it Safe Passage. The involvement of Academy Award–winning Scottish actress Tilda Swinton has lent the music an extra dimension of spirituality: throughout the album, she interjects whispered fragments of Heck’s poetry, blurring the lines between one phase of music and the next.

The music has three movements across two sides: Side A, Safe, has a sense of hope and reflection as it undulates from minimalist string and brass arrangements to ambient and dissonant classical piano. Side B, Passage, then depicts the start of the transition into the afterlife as the voices of a choral madrigal ensemble gradually diverge, then break down entirely before a grand tonal expansion leads into a frenzied crescendo of choral vocals, hardened dub techno and anxious rhythms that convey the violence of the soul’s exit from this world. Finally, a cathartic Epilogue resets and bids farewell with the gentle sounds of a piano.

Because of the global on-going loss of life as a result of Covid-19, Safe Passage has become a soundtrack in which many people will find solace as they remember the sad transitions made from this life to the next during this unprecedented time in history.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Movement 1
B1. Movement 2
B2. Movement 3

Bufiman

Rhythm Trax

    Bufi-Jan locks into serious percussion mode here, translating the technicolour breaks and progressive wormholes of a sextet of 'Albumsi' tracks into bonkers and bubbling drum dubs.

    In his own words: “Hi, my name is Bufiman and I do drum music for world peace and dance music for frogs. I recently released a longplayer called ‘Albumsi' on Dekmantel. While doing the mix-downs for ‘Albumsi' I realized how much effort I had put in it and how it might even seem overproduced in comparison to other records of mine. This was the result of ‘Albumsi’ being in the first year after quitting all other jobs to focus completely on music. It was the first time I had a studio, some gear and time all at once, at the same moment. So during the mixing process I realized how carefully and loaded the drum tracks were, I even had unused leftover drum material… I also just found a Dutch record heavily inspired by the classic Jive Rhythm Trax with the name 'Mix Your Own Breaks - Construction in Music' with an accompanying text that inspired my idea to do some of my own rhythm trax versions: "The compositions on this LP only consist of rhythms and sound effects. They can be used as: a transition between two records, to be mixed as a break in between and for the production of jingles. Have a lot of fun with these breaks!" Or in Dutch, as originally printed on the record: VEEL MIX-PLEZIER MET DEZE BREAKS - Een multifunctionele LP voor Discjockeys, Thuismixers en geluids-amateurs.”

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Patrick says: Stripping back some of the choicest cuts from his Albumsi, Jan lets us luxuriate in his outrageous drum programming, break surgery and comic book boings on this EP of phat rhythm tracks. Perfect for playing in the mix, or enjoying at high volume in the comfort of your own home.

    TRACK LISTING

    A1. Galaxy (Rhythm Trax)
    A2. News From The Treetops (Rhythm Trax)
    A3. Blow Your Head (Rhythm Trax)
    B1. Apo-Calypso (Rhythm Trax)
    B2. Hoolock Rock (Rhythm Trax)
    B3. Under Control Now (Rhythm Trax)

    Now for a trip into an impossible land, generated on a hacked copy of Populous, wrought out of melting circuitry and bootlegged YMO LPs, projected on early green screen and filled with failed CGI from the Waterworld era. Panagiotis Melidis and Stathis Kalatzis are Territroy, the newest member of the Dekmantel family, and the creative insanity behind the newest UFO release, "Skulls & Plants". Now, I don't recall taking a massive dose of 4-AcO this morning with my cornflakes, but that may well have happened, as this is one trippy listen. At various points EBM, tropical house, machine voodoo and shamanic breaks are twisted, warped and frazzled, all achieving the demented sound signature of this lunatic Grecian duo. Rhythms collapse, stutter skip and slur, crispy distortion coats otherwise healthy melodies and oddly exotic idents flutter across the landscape, though you could never be certain they were there. Highly psychoactive electronics and primal rhythms for fans of Helena Hauff, Detlef, Lena Willikens and the Silk Road.


    TRACK LISTING

    Delirium Vivens
    Wax Smiles
    Non Sayers
    Sleeping Fury
    Instar
    Upside Down Sinner
    I Meant You, Not You
    Their Menads
    Bold Like A New Sun (Ft. Olympia)
    Prosopagnosia


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