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SONAR KOLLEKTIV

Modha

At Your Pace

    'At Your Pace' is the second full-length album from Berlin-based duo Modha– drummer/producer Dhanya Langer and multi-instrumentalist Max Scholl. Following their acclaimed 2023 debut 'Through The Cycle', which tackled mental health and vulnerability through soulful, genre-blurring compositions, 'At Your Pace' doubles down on their signature approach: raw textures, emotional honesty, and deep collaboration.

    Recorded between Berlin (Brewery Studios) and Limburg, the album embraces the beauty of imperfection and the spontaneity of real-time sessions, pushing back against the high-speed expectations of the modern music industry. The result is a sonically rich and deeply personal record that blends jazz, neo-soul, hip-hop and experimental R&B.

    The album features contributions from a close-knit group of collaborators including Allysha Joy (30/70), okcandice, James Chatburn, Wakai, Àbáse, Fanni Zahár and Conic Rose— as well as a core ensemble of Berlin-based musicians such as Shanice Ruby Bennett, Käthe Johanning, Fabiano Lima, Moses Yoofee, and more.

    Highlights include the shimmering lead single 'River', the slow-burning ballad 'Find Me (Underneath the Sun)', the cinematic 'Breeze', and 'Good News', a soul-soaked standout featuring Allysha Joy. The instrumentals: 'Move At Your Own Pace' and 'Day by Day' offer a rhythmically intricate intro and a meditative, textured interlude.

    'At Your Pace' is more than an album title— it’s a mindset. A call to slow down, listen deeper, and reconnect with the collaborative heart of music-making.

    For fans of Moses Yoofee Trio, Cleo Sol, BADBADNOTGOOD, and the soulful experimentalism of Berlin’s underground, Modha offers a rich and meditative listening experience— made slowly, and with intention.


    TRACK LISTING

    1. Move At Your Own Pace
    2. Good News Feat. Allysha Joy
    3. River Feat. Àbasé & Fanni Zahár
    4. Bullet Feat. Wakai
    5. Day By Day (Interlude)
    6. The Bee By The Pool Feat. James Chatburn
    7. Breeze Feat. Conic Rose
    8. Find Me (Underneath The Sun) Feat. Okcandice

    Don Philippe

    Velvet Breaks

      Sonar Kollektiv proudly announces the new album by lo-fi veteran Don Philippe, 'Velvet Breaks'. With its textured production, broken rhythms, and a distinctly analog warmth, Velvet Breaks is a slow-burning, introspective work – a meditation on fragility, erosion, and beauty in decay.

      Don Philippe, real name Philippe A. Kayser, brings decades of musical experience to the project. A professional drummer in the 1980s and later active as a pianist and guitarist, Kayser has worked since the 1990s as a composer and producer from his own studio. He is also a co-founder of the legendary German hip-hop group Freundeskreis, a pioneering act that helped define the sound and culture of German rap.

      Since 2015, Don Philippe has focused on instrumental hip-hop, releasing over ten solo albums across various independent labels and building a global fanbase on streaming platforms. His music bridges the soulful subtleties of jazz with the grit of classic boom- bap, always delivered with a delicate, cinematic touch.

      On Velvet Breaks, that mastery is on full display. From the crackle of dusty drum loops to the hazy elegance of Rhodes melodies and tape-saturated fragments, the album builds a fragile world where silence and space are just as important as sound. The track titles read like a poetic deconstruction — 'Fibers Displaced', 'Torn', 'A Rupture', 'Entanglement' — tracing a conceptual journey from tension to release.

      The album unfolds like a narrative, with each track title suggesting a step in a process of unraveling: 'Fibers Displaced', 'Edges', 'A Rupture', 'Tension', 'Entanglement' – culminating in the title track, 'Velvet Is Broken'.

      There is no need for words here. The beats speak for themselves, telling a story in fragments, textures, and ghostly grooves.


      TRACK LISTING

      1. Velvet Breaks
      2. A Rip
      3. Fibers Displaced
      4. Displacement
      5. Edges
      6. Torn
      7. Unraveling
      8. Exposed
      9. Tension
      10. At The Seams
      11. Stiff
      12. A Rupture
      13. Of Composition
      14. A Clear Thread
      15. Entanglement
      16. Velvet Is Broken

      Jazzanova

      In Between Revisited: Jazzanova Live

        Celebrate 20 years of Jazzanova’s groundbreaking debut album 'In Between' with this stunning live reinterpretation. Recorded at Little Big Beat Studios, the Jazzanova Live Band breathes fresh energy into timeless tracks like 'That Night', 'No Use', and 'Days To Come'. This performance seamlessly blends the album’s sample-based origins with the vibrancy of live music. A must-have for fans of jazz, soul, and electronic fusion.

        “In Between became a defining moment—not just for Jazzanova, but for a burgeoning sound that fused jazz, soul, electronic, and broken beat, ” the collective reflects. “Two decades later, we’ve revisited this milestone with the Jazzanova Live Band, a group that has been touring the world for 15 years, captivating audiences with its dynamic blend of precision and improvisation.”

        When 'In Between' was released in 2002, it reflected the influences that had shaped the group since the mid-1990s—a seamless blend of jazz, soul, broken beat, and electronic music, brought to life by producers Stefan Leisering and Axel Reinemer, alongside DJs Alex Barck, Claas Brieler, and Jürgen von Knoblauch. Created as a studio concept, it was never intended to be performed live. That changed in 2008 with the formation of the Jazzanova Live Band, coinciding with their second studio album, 'Of All The Things'.

        In September 2024, this vision came to life. At the renowned Little Big Beat Studios in Liechtenstein, the Jazzanova Live Band performed In Between for the very first time in an intimate studio session in front of an audience. Captured on three analog multi-track tape machines and accompanied by a full video recording, this session reimagines the album with a fresh energy, combining samples and live instrumentation seamlessly.

        'In Between Revisited: Jazzanova Live' celebrates a milestone as the collective breathes fresh life into their legacy, proving that great music transcends time and evolves with every listen.

        TRACK LISTING

        1. L.O.V.E. And You & I (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        2. No Use (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        3. The One-Tet / Fade Out (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        4. Mwela, Mwela (Here I Am) (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        5. Place In Between / Cyclic (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        6. Another New Day (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        7. Days To Come (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        8. That Night (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
        9. Dance The Dance (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)

        The KBCS

        Color Box

          The KBCS represent the musical coming together of four very uniquely gifted, but very complementary, instrumentalists from Hamburg, Germany. Color Box, their sophomore LP, happened almost by accident, born as it was out of a series of freestyle jams.

          The album kicks off with three instrumental openers - the first of which, Popsicles, is best described by the band them- selves as “a late summer teenage adventure”. Hazy guitars and warm keys playfully amuse each other over a solid, funky beat on what is an evocative and vivid introduction to this talented foursome. It’s followed by Whistleblowers, a sweet and somewhat whimsical piece where another sturdy bottom end allows keys and strings to enjoy some lively interplay, and Jolly Tumbleweed which, with its optimistic yet melancholic feel, completes the trio of warm, hazy psychedelic grooves to ease you into an album that circumnavigates 360 degrees of soulful music.

          Adding some garnish to this rhythmic stew are an impressive collection of special guests. Berlin based, and internationally adored vocalist Olivier St. Louis sprinkles a little Cali sweetness with the head nodding Pockets - one of the most immediate and soulful cuts on the album. A guaranteed ear worm, bringing a little sunshine to the winter months to come.

          Elsewhere, multi-talented Nigerian singer Nneka lends her distinctive voice to the very succinct but powerful Afro-soul of Ndidi; the enigmatic Lui Hill lays his soul bare with honesty and candor on the alluring Albatross; Tel Aviv born J. Lamotta gives The Center a somewhat delicate and fragile dimension that plays perfectly alongside graceful guitars and contrasts with a sturdy backbeat of bass and drum; and Viviane Ann, AKA Bowie, smooths out the rough edges on the very radio friendly Wasting All Your Lovin’.
          This is indeed music from the heart; a document of their coming together; and music that needs to be heard live!


          TRACK LISTING

          A1 – Popsicles
          A2 – Whistleblower
          A3 – Jolly Tumbleweed
          A4 – Pockets Feat. Olivier St. Louis
          B1 – Deep Color Jam
          B2 – Ndidi Feat. Nneka
          B3 – Moonshine
          B4 – Albatross Feat. Lui Hill
          C1 – He’s Coming
          C2 – The Center Feat. J. Lamotta
          C3 – Phô Tang Clan
          C4 – Wasting All Your Lovin’ Feat. Bowie
          D1 – Rauschgift Pt. II
          D2 – Rainbow Runners Feat. Flo Mega
          D3 – Abstract Light

          From the left or the right side? Straight ahead or upside down? No matter how you look at it - but it seems to be about time that all the remixes for Jazzanova that have been done over the last few years need to be bundled up in a nice big shiny package.

          After the first collection of remixes from 2003 now's the turn for "Upside Down", some of dance music finest key figures' interpretations of selected Jazzanova tunes from the last eight years. And be assured, the line-up is as massive as the Berlin's quintet worldwide reputation. From fellow Berliner Henrik Schwarz, Ye:Solar and Âme to Atjazz and Mr. Scruff from the UK, Motor City Drum Ensemble from Cologne, Glasgow's Midnight Mauraders and Soldiers Of House from Pretoria (South Africa) this is a top notch international heavy weight affair.

          Inspired by these outstanding reworks of their original material Jazzanova member and DJ Alex Barck and Jazzanova Live! band member Stefan Ulrich (under his Neve Naive moniker together with Alexa Voss on vocals) also got upside down and delivered each a remix to this prosperous project. Besides these two brand new and unreleased remixes the ones by Soldiers Of House and Midnight Mauraders are as well first time available to the public.

          Both acts are ones to keep an eye on. Pretoria twosome Soldiers Of House started releasing music in 2005 before founding their own label Soldiers Of House Entertainment in 2008. When participating in a Jazzanova remix competition in 2009 and making it second they did not only caught the attention of Jazzanova / Sonar Kollektiv but kick started their career into newer heights. Their remix of "Lie“ is another promise of things to come. Also a duo, The Midnight Marauders (Ali Herron and Ross Telford ) hail from Glasgow and have caused ruckus with their solo work as OOFT! and Ross' DJ residency at the UK’s longest running weekly house night Subculture at the Sub Club. More remixes and original material is expected in the very near future.

          TRACK LISTING

          01. Little Bird Feat. José James (Alex Barck Remix)
          02. Let Me Show Ya Feat. Paul Randolph (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
          03. Glow & Glare (Âme Remix)
          04. I Can See Feat. Ben Westbeech (Ye:Solar Remix)
          05. Dance The Dance (Atjazz Remix)
          06. Lie Feat. Thief (Soldiers Of House AB Reworked Remix)
          07. Boom Clicky Boom Clack (Mr. Scruff Vocal Mix)
          08. Look What You’re Doin’ To Me (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)
          09. I Can See Feat. Ben Westbeech (Midnight Marauders House Your Father Dub)
          10. Lucky Girl Feat. Paul Randolph (Neve Naive Remix)

          Various Artists

          Secret Love 3

            Together with their buddy Resoul, who runs the Berlin record store Soultrade and True Beatz Collektive, Jazzanova have again searched out undiscovered jems (and some well known favourites) of the nu-folk / downbeat / melodic electronica / all things mellow scene. The goal of this compilation is by no means to solve the puzzle of what is meant by the term 'folk', it's much more about bringing together the music that many DJs hear removed from the dancefloor. Featuring unreleased, exclusive and previously vinyl-only tracks, the album includes contributions from Pola, Thief, Ninja Tune's Fink with an exclusive track, Max & Harvey, current Piccadilly faves Tunng, Fujiya & Miyagi and The Beauty Room, Clara Hill (exclusive to this release), Jose Gonzalez, Hanne Hukkelberg and Donna Regina.


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