Jessy Lanza has always made music that perfectly suits the mood – whether it’s the heads-down trance of the dancefloor or that hazy, post-club bliss. It’s no surprise for an artist that takes electronic music’s most intoxicating sensibilities and effortlessly reimagines them as experimental pop and R&B. The Canadian singer, producer and DJ from Hamilton, Ontario, has trodden an inspiring path which led to 2013’s boldly minimalist debut Pull My Hair Back, released on revered UK label Hyperdub. Gorgeously complex follow-ups Oh No – shortlisted for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Prize – and 2020’s All the Time crowned her as a singular talent in the left-of-pop sphere.

It’s with this genre-bending approach that Jessy Lanza presents her entry for the DJ-Kicks series – a sprawling, club-indebted odyssey that draws you in closer and closer with each listen. Recorded this summer, the mix is an incisive snapshot of her emotional landscape during the past 18 months. In 2020, with nothing but a van, a few personal belongings and her musical gear, Lanza and her partner relocated from New York City to the Bay Area to ride out the pandemic. A change of scenery, buoyed by the slower pace of their new home, gave her a fresh perspective during a worldwide screeching halt.

Jessy Lanza’s DJ-Kicks mix also arrives as a divine stroke of timing. As the world slowly starts to re-open, it’s a portal into the ecstatic energy of the dancefloor; an emblem of genuine healing – both personal and communal – that transports listeners to a state of pure euphoria.

TRACK LISTING

CD
01 Jessy Lanza - Guess What
02 Jessy Lanza - Seven 55 (feat. Loraine James) [DJ-Kicks]
03 Jessy Lanza - Wet X3 (feat. Taraval)
04 DJ Spookie - Twilite
05 Michael J. Blood - Lip Biter
06 Mr. Ho - Bail-E
07 Crystal - Jungli - La [Joe Howe Club Mix]
08 Masarima - Freak Like U [Club Mix]
09 Golden Donna - Foaming
10 Mafia Boyz - Teaspoon La Qoh
11 Markus Mann - I'm Losing
12 Jim C. Nedd - Maleka
13 Maarten Van Der Vleuten - Nightshift
14 Secret Werewolf - Yage
15 Grain - Untitled B2
16 Gant-Man - Distorted Sensory (Loefah's South Side Rmx)
17 G3 - Drum 2 [Peanut]
18 Lolina - A Path Of Weeds And Flowers
19 Dee Jay Nehpets - Na Na Na
20 Oyubi - 140yaku
21 DJ SWISHA - If The Shoe Fits
22 Jessy Lanza - Heaving Featuring Taraval
23 TAH - Beat It Up Like (These Drums)
24 Kanyon - IDFW Snakes
25 CN - Anubis
26 The Raining Heart - Raining Heart

2LP
A1 Jessy Lanza - Guess What
A2 Jessy Lanza - Seven 55 (feat. Loraine James) [DJ-Kicks]
A3 Jessy Lanza - Wet X3 (feat. Taraval)
A4 Oyubi - 140yaku
B1 Jim C. Nedd - Maleka
B2 Jessy Lanza - Heaving (feat. Taraval)
B3 Dee Jay Nehpets - Na Na Na
B4 DJ SWISHA - If The Shoe Fits
C1 CN - Anubis
C2 Lolina - A Path Of Weeds And Flowers
C3 Mafia Boyz - Teaspoon La Qoh
C4 The Raining Heart - Raining Heart
D1 Michael J. Blood - Lip Biter
D2 Markus Mann - I'm Losing
D3 Mr. Ho - Bail-E
D4 Golden Donna - Foaming

Originally released on Studio !K7 Records in 1998, Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister's groundbreaking release, 'The K&D Sessions' reset the bar for what could be achieved in a compilation. Across an array of original tracks, dubs and infamous ‘K&D Session’ remixes, the DJ and producer duo took the listener on a smoke-filled blunted journey that flowed flawlessly. Often compared to DJ Shadow's 'Endtroducing' for its similarly deft craft of rhythm and quoted by Allmusic as "the most blissfully blunted music the world has ever heard", the album has sold over 1,000,000 copies to date and was included in Spin’s ‘Top 20 albums of 1999’. The album has long since been deleted on Vinyl with original 4LP sets changing hands for €300+ on the collectors market and even a bootleg vinyl copy will set a buyer back over €100. Sixteen years later, this legendary album will be available as a long overdue 5LP reissue remastered by Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Roni Size - Heroes Kruder'S Long Loose Bossa
A2. Alex Reece - Jazz Master K&D Session Tm
B1. Bomb The Bass - Bug Powder Dust K&D Session Tm
B2. Lamb - Trans Fatty Acid K&D Session Tm
C1. Count Basic - Speechless Drum 'N' Bass
C2. Rocker’S Hi Fi - Going Under K&D Session Tm
D1. Depeche Mode - Useless K&D Session Tm
D2. Count Basic - Gotta Jazz Richard Dorfmeister Remix
E1. Aphrodelics - Rollin' On Chrome Wild Motherfucker Dub
E2. Knowtoryous - The Revenge Of Bomberclaad K&D Session Tm
F1. Rainer Trüby Trio - Donaueschingen Peter Kruders, Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänskajütenremix
G1. David Holmes - Gone K&D Session Tm
G2. Sofa Surfers - Sofa Rockers Richard Dorfmeister Remix
H1. Mama Oliver - Eastwest Stoned Together
H2. Bomb The Bass - Bug Powder Dust Dub
H3. Kruder & Dorfmeister - Boogie Woogie
I1. Sin - Where Shall I Turn K&D Session Tm Vol. 2
I2. Bone Thugs ‘N’ Harmony - 1St Of Tha Month K&D Session Tm
I3. Kruder & Dorfmeister - Lexicon
J1. Knowtoryous - Bomberclaad Joint K&D Session Tm
J2. Rocker’S Hi Fi - Going Under Evil Love And Insanity Dub
J3. Strange Cargo - Million Town K&D Session Tm.

The 68th edition of the DJ-Kicks mix series is another landmark one, with experimental producer Laurel Halo taking the reins. The American’s adventurous 28 track trip features seven exclusives, including two of her own plus those from Rrose, Machinewoman, FIT Siegel, Nick León and Ikonika.

An electronic outlier, Halo hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but has been based in Berlin for a number of years. Landing on labels like Hyperdub, Honest Jon’s and Latency, Halo has released a body of work ranging in style, yet cohered by production and compositional tendencies that sound distinctly her own. Her studio work tends to be a multi-layered mix of the electronic and the acoustic, the organic and the synthetic. As a DJ, meanwhile, she lays down more floor focussed mixes of techno, bass and worldly drum rhythms, and her live sets are similarly visceral and direct.

Halo’s DJ-kicks packs a lot in to just 60 minutes. It kicks off with the first of two of her own exclusives, ‘Public Art’, a tactile piano loop that sets the melodic tone of the mix in focus. Crunchy drums soon take over and begin what is a blistering ride through electro, trippy minimalism and textures that range from icy and dubby to steel plated and sharp from the likes of Red Axes, Parris and an exclusive from Rrose.

Another exclusive, rough and ready cut from Machinewoman follows, before the mid section twists and turns on surging drum patterns, frantic industrial textures and spaced out gqom sounds from the likes of Griffit Vigo, Dario Zenker and Final Cut. This is a mix forever on the move: one minute its tightly coiled and kinetic, the next it’s loose and joyful before switching into more cerebral and insular passages that keep you intrigued.

Fusing together so many disparate sounds and textures is no mean feat, but like everything Halo does, here they all add up to something as thrilling and edgy as it is unpredictable and compelling.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: DJ Halo joins the DJ Kicks club with a post everything set of unorthodox dance bizznizz. At times propulsive and percussive, elsewhere hazy and wavy, the largely synthetic house selection is littered with fragments of rave, breakbeat, electro and experimental sounds, all tied together by the producer's own unique style.

TRACK LISTING

CD
1. Laurel Halo - Public Art **
2. Stallone The Reducer - Always Hate
3. Red Axes - 5 Min (feat. CAR)
4. Parris - Puro Rosaceae
5. Rrose - Cricoid Pressure **
6. Machinewoman - Just Made Some Jazz Music **
7. WCC - Ana
8. FIT Siegel - Pennyrut **
9. Yamaoka - Plastic PQ
10. Siete Catorce – Canto
11. Facta - Poliwhirl
12. Laurel Halo & Hodge - The Light Within You
13. Ikonika - Bodied **
14. Griffit Vigo - A.C.I.D (Electronic Gqom Mix)
15. Panda Lassow - Lachowa
16. Dario Zenker - Koraimer Bro
17. Final Cut - Temptation
18. Aos - Violent Light
19. Geoffrey Landers - Brian’s Having A Party
20. Via Maris - Side Effects
21. Laurel Halo - Oneiroi
22. Nick León - Pelican Dub **
23. Stefan Ringer - Lust
24. Kirk The Flirt - Loser
25. Laurel Halo - Sweetie (DJ-Kicks) **
26. Blake Baxter - Funky World (Blake Baxter Remix)
27. Kiki Kudo - Freakey Keke
28. Group A - Ketabali
29. Whitefield Brothers – Ntu
** = Exclusive Track

LP
A1. Laurel Halo - Public Art **
A2. Parris - Puro Rosaceae
A3. Rrose - Cricoid Pressure **
B1. Machinewoman - Just Made Some Jazz Music **
B2. FIT Siegel - Pennyrut **
B3. Siete Catorce - Canto
C1. Ikonika - Bodied **
C2. Panda Lassow - Lachowa
C3. Nick León - Pelican Dub **
D1. Stefan Ringer - Lust
D2. Laurel Halo - Sweetie (DJ-Kicks) **
D3. Group A - Ketabali
** = Exclusive Track

An expressive electronic album filled with sadness, yet one with the sort of positive, stirring resolve that leaves you feeling utterly comforted, Bjarki’s new album "Happy Earthday" is influenced by his home country Iceland as well as environmental issues. 'Maybe you can feel the melancholy of my life, the nature overall. Volcanos and the lava flowing down the slopes, the frightening noise of the ocean beating the land, the strong wind in the mountain passes and a glimpse of the first ray of the rising sun over the glacier. Now that is the dawn of a new day.”

Having released bodies of work on Nina Kraviz’s label трип and his own label bbbbbb, Bjarki views "Happy Earthday" as his proper debut album; he feels it’s a more coherent and conceptual body of work that finds him offering up music he never thought he would release. 'You can consider this album a window into my head and even my soul,' says Bjarki. 'For me it is a bit odd, sharing like this to the world. As a very private person I am not used to opening my door so completely. It’s a little scary for me. ‘What if …’ I wonder, expecting all kinds of everything.'

The album contains very personal material written over the last decade during fragile moments of introspection. And because of that, 'releasing this album is also a kind of a farewell to music I made in a certain period in my life. It’s like I’m saying farewell to a grown-up child which is now ready to leave the nest.'

There are skeletal rhythms with sombre chords lingering in the air, downbeat drums with heavy moods, and moments of more uplifting optimism along the way. Throughout the album - made up of comparatively short tracks that help the whole thing move at an engaging pace - Bjarki always manages to make his machines sing with real resonance; they ooze genuine pain and a stunning sense of melancholy that is comforting even when the tempo is raised and drums come to the fore.

TRACK LISTING

1/A1. BlessuðBörnin
2/A2. Alone In Sandkassi
3/A3. ( . )_( . )
4/A4. Two-brainedness
5/B1. AN6912
6/B2. Healthy Texting
7/B3. Bheiv_sheep
8/C1. ANa5
9/C2. Cereal Rudestorm
10/C3. Salty Grautinn
11/C4. Sprinq 3-2
12/D1. Plastic Memories
13/D2. LitaogLeira
14/D3. Happy Screams
15/D4. UX

First to take the reins of the DJ-Kicks mix series in 2019 will be ever evolving UK artist, Leon Vynehall. His 26-track mix features new material from the man himself, as well as exclusives by Hessle Audio and Timedance affiliate, Ploy, rising newcomer Peach, and Pavilion, plus a number of gems that will be available digitally for the first time ever.

In a short space of time, Leon Vynehall has established himself as a DJ and producer with real craft. He brings a much wider than usual array of skills and influences to electronic music, and is always as likely to talk about minimalism, post-punk, or hip-hop as he is house and techno. This comprehensive approach to was confirmed by his spellbinding debut album Nothing Is Still on Ninja Tune in June 2018. An imagined soundtrack to his grandparents' emigration from the UK to New York throughout the 1960s, it told a distinctive story that unfolded into a resonant narrative; a richly layered affair filled with curveballs and a wealth of adventurous ideas that Vynehall pulled off with confidence and style.

It’s the same story with his DJs sets, and particularly this DJ-Kicks mix, which goes from 79-169bpm in fluid fashion. Always interesting and distinctly diverse both in genre and tempo, the mix works in a range of settings, as was the artist’s aim.

'I wanted to approach this more like a compilation than a stand-alone ‘mix,'' he says. 'To me, compiling a DJ-Kicks is a significant statement of intent and representation, so with that in mind, I thought more about the selection than the mix. Being given the responsibility to select work from artists I admire, some of which have only ever been released on their first vinyl presses many years ago, was a task I didn’t take lightly.'

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: What a rise to stardom we've witnessed from this equisitive producer / DJ. From his early beginning in 2012, we've seen a multifaceted produce drop house, techno and ambient. Now, for a well-overdue DJ Kicks comp, we get to explore his major influences and musical landmarks from boy to man. Yes boss!

TRACK LISTING

CD
1. Leon Vynehall - Who Loved Before
2. Kemikal - Genie
3. Tomaga - Giant Bitmap
4. De Fabriek - Loopy
5. HaruomiHosono - Rose & Beast (薔薇と野獣)
6. DgoHn - Force To
7. The Bygraves - Set Me Free
8. Degrees Of Freedom - August Is An Angel
9. Ellen Fullman - Over And Under
10. BourboneseQualk - Moving Forward
11. Shamos - Nuws
12. Genesis P. Orridge& Dave Ball - Sex & The Married Frog
13. Run Dust - Full Slice
14. DJ Zozi - Mellow Vibe
15. RAC - Fushigi
16. Primitive - Lapis Lazuli B2
17. Crinan - Kilimanjaro 18 Ploy - Pressure
19. Leon Vynehall - Ducee’s Drawbar (DJ-Kicks)
20. Pavilion - Happy Track
21. Peach - Faxing Jupiter
22. Etch - Unsung Hero Of Irrelevance
23. Mirage - Deep Rage
24. AFX - Children Talking
25. Jana Rush - Divine
26. Robert Haigh - Music ForPianoixxman - Protocol

LP
A1. Leon Vynehall - Who Loved Before
A2. Leon Vynehall - Ducee’s Drawbar (DJ-Kicks)
B1. Ploy - Pressure
B2. Peach - Faxing Jupiter
C1. Pavilion - Happy Track
C2. Crinan - Kilimanjaro
D1. AFX - Children Talking
D2. Primitive - Lapis Lazuli B2

Reto A Ichi is a sonic tabula rasa for Guillermo Herren AKA Prefuse 73. There are identifiable elements of the artist you already know - an uncanny sense for rhythm, an ability to shape samples and frequencies like clay, an affinity for the subtle changes of repetition - yet this is first and foremost music born from the need for silence. There is no easy entrance point or index for the listener.

The first album, "The Lapse of Exchange", is the sound of life as heard from a small Chinatown window in downtown Manhattan, the thunder of populism on the horizon. The album opens with music that reflects the inherent tension between the life of the artist - the self-doubt, the late nights, the aspirations - and the world outside - the hustle and bustle of a city that never sleeps, the wars abroad, the politicians at home. It's a tension felt in the repeating, circling keys of "Let The Pianos Freeze", the pulsating rhythms of "No Juntos", or the call and response of pitched vocal samples in "A Sword In The Rain". Ultimately it all becomes too much for our unwitting hero: the car horns outside the window, the 24 hour news cycle, the early stages of an election that tears down any remaining semblance of normality. Reto A’ichi can no longer grasp his humanity or connect to that of people around him.

With the walls closing in, he packs his small life and escapes. This change in situation is reflected in the second half of the album, with tension giving way to a rush of emotions: modulated elation on "All Regrets", sweeping melancholy on "Tuesdays Always Awful", and soaring hope on "Broad Plant Pt.2". On Alone Moving Often, the second album, we find Reto A’ichi away from the city, lost in the vastness of empty summer houses and the complications that solitude brings. Sitting in the prison of his own quiet, Reto A’ichi seeks to capture the essence of silence: the compositions are stripped back further ("Pforever Reto"), the instruments given prominence ("So Contra"), and the chaos of the city replaced by the cacophony of nature ("Criminality"). To be alone, one must learn to constantly move in both work and purpose. As the rest of the record unfolds, Reto A’ichi comes to realize that nothing is ever truly quiet and that to run from the world is to simply find yourself in another part of it. A sense of acceptance for these unsettling realities is reflected in the music, from the harsher tones and frequencies that resonate throughout "Noise Counter Melody" and "Ghost Arpeggio" to the heavy stroke of the keys on "Alone Moving Often" and the haunting drone of "Mountainside Hillside".

TRACK LISTING

The Lapse Of The Exchange
1/A1. These Times Are Closing (Intro)
2/A2. Gambling In The Snow
3/A3. Let The Pianos Freeze
4/A4. No Juntos
5/A5. It's Her Birthday
6/A6. A Sword In The Rain
7/A7. Zato Lullaby Pt.2
8/B1. All Regrets
9/B2. The Leaning Tower Of Our Leaders
10/B3. Tuesday Always Awful
11/B4. Percussions, Hearts And Airs
12/B5. Broad Plant Pt.2
13/B6. These Times Are Closing (Outro)
14/B7. Not Enough Gravity (Reprise)

Alone Moving Often
1/C1. Criminality
2/C2. The World According To West 50th Pt.1
3/C3. So Contra
4/C4. Pforever Reto
5/C5. The World According To West 50th Pt.2
6/C6. Duration Meditation
7/C7. Everything In The Air
8/D1. Magazine PM
9/D2. Alone Moving Often
10/D3. Noise Counter Melody
11/D4. Mountainside Hillside
12/D5. Ghost Arpeggio

The latest edition of K7!'s ever essential DJ Kicks compilations sees Forest Swords take on curatorial duties. Following acclaimed albums on Ninja Tune and Tri Angle, soundtrack and installation work, and remixes of the likes of Bjork, Matthew Barnes aka Forest Swords has curated a 25-track compilation that draws a line between past inspirations and his current peers. "During all of the nights that shaped me as a music fan there wasn't really a focus on DJing etiquette; sticking to genres, perfect transitions – it was all pretty DIY and purely like having someone cook up their personal mixtape in front of you, to surprise you and to explore different sounds" says Barnes. "That kind of rough-around-the-edges approach is so much more exciting to me than something sterile and seamless and I wanted to carry that spirit into this compilation." Chosen over the course of a few weeks in winter 2018, the mixed version was cut on Barnes' laptop during a wintery cross-country train journey. Like much of his own output, his DJ-Kicks skirts around pristine electronics and embraces more organic textures: 80s post punk (Anna Domino, Dead Can Dance), classic 90s British electronica (Orbital, Mira Calix), and smokey digi-dub (Rhythm & Sound), all rub up alongside some of the most forward-facing producers working today (Demdike Stare, Laurel Halo, Fis). The compilation sifts through rhythms, shifting speeds and emotions: from pop icon Neneh Cherry's primal thudding to the zombified throb of exclusive Forest Swords track 'Crow' via Deena Abdelwaheed's clattering deconstructions to the euphoric two-step of Djrum. It's a collection of tracks that feels as restlessly curious and weighty as Barnes' own work

TRACK LISTING

CD
1. David Toop - Things Just Went Sour Gradually All At Once
2. Forest Swords – Voice Memo Of Outdoor Singing Group In Chinatown, Liverpool
3. Anna Homler & Steve Moshier - Ŏŏ Nu Dah
4. Kara-Lis Coverdale - Imgs /r
5. Dialect – Th Ree Sisters Theme
6. Rhythm & Sound W/ Love Joy - Best Friend
7. Anna Domino - With The Day Comes The Dawn
8. Neneh Cherry – Blank Project
9. Tokyo Prose & FIS - The Truths
10. Dead Can Dance - Mesmerism (Remastered)
11. Forest Swords – Crow
12. Lutto Lento – Gyal A Devil
13. Disjecta - Smokehead
14. Skinnerbox – Gender (Axel Boman Remix)
15. Deena Abdelwahed - Walk On, Nothing To See Here
16. Pantha Du Prince - Welt Am Draht (Animal Coll. Remix)
17. Mira Calix - Umchunga Locks
18. Laurel Halo – Throw
19. Demdike Stare - Mnemosyne
20. Djrum - Showreel Pt.2
21. Orbital - The Box (Part 1)
22. Rupert Clervaux & Beatrice Dillon - VII
23. The London Bulgarian Choir - Pilentse Pee
24. Vashti Bunyan – Here Before
25. Forest Swords – Voice Memo Of Piston At Manchester Museum Of Science & Industry
26. Baka Forest People Of Southeast Cameron – Eden Liquindi 2
27. Ánde Somby - Gadni (Spirit Of The Mountain)

LP
A1. The London Bulgarian Choir - Pilentse Pee
A2. Rhythm & Sound W/ Love Joy - Best Friend
A3. Anna Domino - With The Day Comes The Dawn
A4. Neneh Cherry – Blank Project
B1. Forest Swords – Crow
B2. Tokyo Prose & FIS - The Truths
B3. Dead Can Dance - Mesmerism (Remastered)
B4. Baka Forest People Of Southeast Cameron – Eden Liquindi 2
B5. David Toop - Things Just Went Sour Gradually All At Once
C1. Kara-Lis Coverdale - Imgs /r
C2. Lutto Lento – Gyal A Devil
C3. Laurel Halo – Throw
C4. Disjecta - Smokehead
D1. Demdike Stare - Mnemosyne
D2. Orbital - The Box (Part 1)
D3. Rupert Clervaux & Beatrice Dillon - VII
D4. Vashti Bunyan – Here Before

Lars Eidinger is an artist, born and raised in Berlin, working mostly as an actor at the Schaubühne theatre in Berlin. He is especially known for his interpretations of the characters Hamlet and Richard III in the eponymous plays of William Shakespeare in productions directed by Thomas Ostermeier. He also appeared in several German movie productions such as "Everyone Else" by Maren Ade, "Home For The Weekend" by Hans-Christian Schmid and "Blooms Of Yesterday" by Chris Kraus alongside international films such as "Goltzius And The Pelican Company" by Peter Greenaway, "Mathilda" by Alexey Uchitel and "Clouds Of Sils Maria" by Olivier Assayas plus German and international TV series like "Tatort", "Polizeiruf 110", BBC’s "SS-GB" and the Netflix series "Sense8" by the Wachowski Sisters. In 1998, during the time he was studying acting he released a 10" called "I’ll Break Ya Legg" under his name on !K7’s sub label Studio 54, produced on a PC in the basement of his parents house on a 4 MB sound card - the whole record is 100% sample based. The resulting sound is Lo-Fi, giving the whole tonal aesthetic a very rough and dark feel with a very melancholic and morbid atmosphere.

TRACK LISTING

A1. There Sense Thus Weak
A2. Laughing Potatoes In A Microwave
A3. Ludicous Figure
A4. Empty Teardrop
A5. Hard Spoiled 96
B1. Dynamite Colabear
B2. Where Has My Love Gone?
B3. Park Without A Fade Out
B4. Sorehead In Amble Mood
B5. Looking Birds Holes In The Ass
B6. Sad Organ

First press since original release in 2000, Suzuki is the second studio album by Austrian downtempo / trip-hop duo Tosca, released by Studio !K7 and G-Stone Recordings in 2000. Unlike many of Tosca's subsequent releases, "Suzuki" is essentially an instrumental album, with vocal samples integrated throughout, but in such a way that they "become a part of the instrumentation." The album is dedicated to the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki. The dedication can be found on the inside of the front cover.

TRACK LISTING

1 Pearl In
2 Suzuki
3 Annanas
4 Orozco
5 Busenfreund
6 Honey
7 Boss On The Boat
8 John Tomes
9 Ocean Beat
10 The Key
11 Doris Dub
12 Pearl Off

!K7 serve up another superb release here, dropping the debut LP from UK live and studio duo, AKASE, aka Harry “Midland” Agius and Robbie Redway. "Graspers" was recorded over the course of two years in Harry’s studio in South East London. Both members of the group had equal input, putting to good use their respective backgrounds and influences, in the end coming up with something new, fresh and absorbing. With a helping hand from legendary producer and studio wizard Ewan Pearson of Kompakt Records association, this album has come together naturally, at its own pace, with no outside pressures, and that really shows. At just 44 minutes long, "Graspers" is all about capturing emotions and brief moments in time, and it does that expertly. Kicking off with the broody, swelling "Adrift", the album unfolds through glitchy beats and pained vocal lines on "Rust" before tracks like "Beseech" de-humanise Redway’s vocals into fractured organic textures. Percussion ranges from crisp and sharp to slick and uplifting and Redway’s voice takes on many different forms. At once pained, at other times carefree, it lends a compelling edge to the variously frazzled, floating, staccato and sombre drums and synths that frame and drive each track. This is a timeless album that stands up to intimate headphone listening, but it also works for post break-up nights in and emotionally laden post club afterparties. With live shows also in the pipeline, "Graspers" is sure to resonate throughout 2016.

TRACK LISTING

1/A1 Adrift
2/A2 Rust
3/A3 Borderlines
4/A4 Beseech
5/A5 Call
6/B1 Is It Because
7/B2 Murmur
8/B3 Deft Ways
9/B4 Feel A Little
10/B5 Graspers
11/B6 Extract.

Recorded over the past three years, across the creative trinity of Berlin, Brooklyn and the sleepy hollow town of Hamilton, near Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada, New Look’s self-titled debut album is a feverishly anticipated affair. The Canadian future-pop duo and real life couple, Sarah Ruba and Adam Pavao have an undeniable creative synergy, combining the stunning, synth-playing chanteuse and former model, 25-year-old Ruba and multi-instrumentalist, 31-year-old producer Pavao.

There is a confidence and wit to their songwriting, coupled with cosmic tweaks and soft synths underpinning their future pop aesthetic. It’s controlled yet wistful pop perfectionism. Opening with “Nap on the Bow”, New Look slowly caress an introductory world of warm 80s analogue pads and distanced echoes, the track building up around Ruba’s ethereal dreams. Striding along with “Numbers” and “A Light”, New Look showcase their talent for creating a multi-synth-orchestra vibe. The band’s obsession with analogue equipment rises through the MIDI gaps, with the gear’s white noise and tape hiss being musically manipulated around gorgeous, crystal clear vocals.

New Look’s anthemic single “The Ballad” is the record’s futuristic pop centrepiece, juxtaposed by the stripped-back, harder hitting electro of “Teen Need” where Ruba’s vocals are twisted with a late night, 5am throwback party vibe. With a pitched down Sarah Ruba contributing androgynous guest vocals on “You & I”, the album’s morning-after-the-night-before turnaround, the latter half of the album returns to New Look’s soaring, amorous electronic pop roots.

TRACK LISTING

01. Nap On The Bow
02. Relax You Mind
03. Numbers
04. A Light
05. The Ballad
06. Teen Need
07. You & I
08. So Real
09. Drive You Home
10. Everything

"Songs For Endless Cities" is a new series that will be focusing on the new generation of DJs and producers who have a fresh and individual take on an ever evolving electronic scene.

Anyone with a passing interest in new electronic music may have noticed a generational shift over the last few years, and Brackles comes from that new wave of producers, promoters, DJs, hustlers and bustlers who have little to do with the 40+ year old Ibiza veterans still punting out big tunes for ever diminishing creative returns. They’re part of the 'hardcore continuum', but not shackled by it, they play post dubstep / future garage / UK funky but aren’t defined by it, and whilst the likes of Brackles and his contemporaries work dancefloors with the kind of energy only a new, young generation of DJs can, their musical scope and breadth reaches well beyond club confines.

"Songs for Endless Cities" aims to capture a slice of Brackles after hours and out of hours, with the afterglow still burning, maybe the rhythms still bumping, but with the freedom to rove around a bit, enjoying and exploring sound without always having to turn back to the dancefloor. From the langorous, ethereal machine funk of opener Flying Lotus’ "Mr Chippy", and the cosmic-jazz tinged 303 energy of Floating Points' "People’s Potential", the classy, stripped back future-soul of Roska’s "I Need Love" and the UR-style strains of Dorian Concept's "Trilingual Dance Sexperience", to Deadboy’s "If You Want Me," a lethal combination of broken, funky rhythms, futuristic machine drones, disembodied soul diva looped up into hypno oblivion, topped off with an M1 organ riff straight out of the Frog and Nightgown in 1996, "Songs..." never stays in one musical place, but is a very much a coherent whole.

TRACK LISTING

01. Flying Lotus - My Chippy
02. Floating Points - Peoples Potential
03. Zomby - Tarantula
04. Roska - I Need Love Feat. Anesha
05. Brackles - Blo
06. Martin Kemp - No Charisma
07. Kyle Hall - Luv For KMFH
08. Cooly G - Love Dub Refix
09. DJ Dom - Sunshowers
10. DJ Mystery - Speechless Feat. Natalie K
11. Hypno - Over The Top
12. Rishi Romero - African Forest
13. Breach - Fatherless
14. Deadboy - If You Want Me
15. 2562 - Dinosaur
16. Dorian Concept - Trilingual Dance Sexperience
17. Funkineven - Must Move

After 10 years of forward-thinking musical fusion, Boozoo Bajou return with their most seductive and sophisticated album yet, "Grains". The producers Florian Seyberth and Peter Heider are already widely respected around the globe for their unique blend of downbeat with blues, jazz, soul, Latin and dub elements. But on "Grains", the Nuremberg duo take a lighter and brighter path, absorbing acoustic folk and classic songwriting into their progressive musical journey. Boozoo Bajou earned global attention with their irresistible breakthrough single "Night Over Manaus" in 1998, their 2001 debut album "Satta" and its 2005 sequel "Dust My Broom". They also demonstrated their wide-ranging musical taste on two excellent mix compilations, "Juke Joint" and "Juke Joint II".

Tracklisting
1. Flickers
2. Sign
3. Big Nicks
4. Same Sun
5. Grains
6. Fuersattel
7. Heavy On Me
8. Kinder Ohne Strom
9. Tonschraube
10. Messengers
11. Nebelkloster

Building on the critical success of her debut full-length album "Likes" and her collaborations with Matthew Herbert, "Slappers" is very much a statement of intent. A masterpiece of swinging syncopation, melodic sophistication and inspired sampling, "Slappers" belongs to that rare vintage of record that fizzes, twangs and sashays in all the right directions, slicing through house, disco, electronica, pop, blues and even a little country with wit, verve and honesty. Dani's sung on all the Herbert albums, from "Around The House" to "Bodily Functions", the big band outing "Goodbye Swingtime" and 2006 outing "Scale". Matthew returns the collaboration favour on this album, sharing production duties with Dani here.

Out Hud release the follow up to 2002's "STREET DAD", keeping up associations with !!! (for whom Tyler Pope, Nic Offer and Justin Vandervolgen also play) and LCD Soundsystem (for whom Tyler Pope also plays bass). "Let Us Never Speak Of It Again" was recorded in Washington DC, before the band returned to their New York house to have it mixed and deconstructed by band member Justin Vandervolgen. The album is an indefinable feast of filthy grooves, spectral sounds, tribal beats and haunting melodies that is unmistakably their own and yet immediately familiar, with tracks influenced by sources as various as Adrian Sherwood, Larry Levan, Judy Nylon, Dr Dre, dub, disco, The Neptunes, Timbaland, Lenky and Dancehall. It's been called 'Freak Sh*t' and it's been called 'Mutant Disco', inevitably it's going to be one of the defining records of 2005.

This is the first proper UK LP release from the Fat Jon produced Ohio quartet, and shows them at the top of their game, taking in everything from sweet soulful numbers for the ladies (extra vocals come from Venus Malone, Amleset Solomon and Arnyka Harris) to headnodders and breakers for the b-boys and flygirls to booty bass and R'n'B flavas. Good stuff.

The Bristol duo are back with more of what they do best - dubby downbeat with heavyweight soundsystem basslines and soulful / reggae vocals.