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TOY

Cover of Mystery Remixes by Kapote Feat. Guinny.

Kapote Feat. Guinny

Mystery Remixes

Toy Tonics

Big remix package for Toy Tonic's boss Kapote. His song "Mystery" from the last album reworked by Harvey Sutherland, Opolopo, Close Counters with a bonus remix by french house master Cassius. Turning Kpaote's new school house anthem into a variety of flavours touching on jazz-funk, disco, and  proto-house moods along the way. 

Opolopo brings his legendary touch to "Mystery." With a career spanning decades and a reputation for fusing boogie, funk, and broken beat; his remix promises a soulful journey. An artist who's famously remixed everyone from Gregory Porter to Stevie Wonder, Opolopo's version is pure, unadulterated groove.

Straight from the heart of Melbourne's electronic underground, Sutherland delivers his signature 'neurotic funk' style. The celebrated synthesist and producer, known for his distinctive analog textures and a discography that's earned him ARIA Award nominations, injects his unique genre-bending energy into the track.

The duo from Melbourne, Close Counters, turn "Mystery" into an electrifying fusion of house, soul, and jazz. Known for their dense synths and infectious energy, they have earned praise from tastemakers like Gilles Peterson and have wowed crowds at festivals like Splendour in the Grass.

Finally, the package features "Berlin Boogie Town" with a new interpretation from Parisian legend Cassius, adding some uplifting French Touch filter vibes.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Toytonics set their crosshairs on the European disco community with an almost endless touring and event schedule, spreading their funky gospel far and wide and proving that it's not all about techno in Berlin!

TRACK LISTING

A1) Mystery (Harvey Sutherland Remix)
A2) Mystery (Opolopo Remix)
B1) Mystery (Close Counters Remix)
B2) Berlin Boogie Town (Cassius Remix)

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Cover of Tipo Cosi by Sam Ruffillo.

Sam Ruffillo

Tipo Cosi

Toy Tonics

Italian producer, musician, DJ, and groove architect Sam Ruffillo drops his long-awaited debut album "Tipo Così" on Toy Tonics – a sun-drenched, genre-blurring statement that blends classic house with Mediterranean flair, romantic funk, and tongue-in-cheek Italo vibes. Over 11 expertly crafted tracks, Ruffillo delivers a dancefloor-ready, emotionally rich LP that connects deep musicality with irresistible rhythm and light-hearted elegance.

After three acclaimed EPs and collaborations with revered artists such as Barbara Boeing, Kapote, and Fimiani, Ruffillo has firmly cemented himself as a core artist on the Berlin-based label. Known for his unmistakable signature sound - a warm mix of vintage disco, 90s house, and Italian vocals - Sam’s music has garnered widespread DJ support from tastemakers like Gerd Janson, Palms Trax, Seth Troxler, and DJ Tennis, while becoming a staple on Italian airwaves. His infectious summer anthems like "Danza Organica" and "Perfetta Così" have soundtracked countless club nights and festivals, creating a loyal following that eagerly awaited this full-length debut.

"Tipo Così" is the natural culmination of a musical journey that’s both playful and profound - a travel diary written in grooves, synth stabs, and melodies that feel like postcards from a parallel Mediterranean universe. The album expands and deepens Ruffillo’s world into a fully immersive experience: lush emotional chords meet tight syncopated grooves, vintage synth textures collide with irresistibly catchy pop refrains, and the boundary between sincerity and playful irony is exquisitely blurred.

Entirely written, produced, and recorded in Italy, in his beloved hometown of Bologna, the album finds Ruffillo at the helm on keys, drum machines, and production, supported by a talented cast of musicians contributing live bass, guitar, and other organic elements - further enriching his trademark fusion of electronic grooves and natural instrumentation. There’s a tactile warmth in these tracks, a hands-on feel that adds soul and depth to every beat.

This album also marks Ruffillo’s heartfelt return to singing in Italian, with standout tracks like "House Tipo Così", "Mi Fa Volare", "Ancora", and "Dentro Di Me", where romantic naïveté meets pulsing club energy in a way that feels both timeless and refreshingly new. The vocal performances add an intimate, human touch to the music, reinforcing the personal stories woven into each song. There’s poetry in the casual, a bittersweet elegance in the way the lyrics float over groove-heavy production.

Having toured extensively across Europe, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Mexico - with sets at iconic venues like Panorama Bar and festivals such as Sónar Barcelona - Ruffillo has fine-tuned much of this album in front of live audiences. The real-world testing ground infused the record with a dynamic energy and immediacy that only comes from genuine crowd interaction. These songs weren’t just made in the studio,  they were lived on dancefloors around the world.

"Tipo Così" is not just a collection of tracks. It’s a philosophy: playful, stylish and unmistakably personal. A modern club album bursting with heartfelt emotion and sophistication. Music for dancers with taste; for lovers of beauty, rhythm, and the little imperfections that make things feel real.




STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Much like Peggy Gou, Sam Ruffillo instantly gives you those holiday house feels. Except rather than splashing around around on a jetski, you're lapping up lavish cocktails, dressed in a feather boa bouncing around the Italian Riviera. Ditch the dreary English autumnal showers and take yourself off on a permanent vacation!

TRACK LISTING

A1) House Tipo Cosi 5:19
A2) Mi Fa Volare 6:57
B1) Ancora 4:11
B2) Perfetta Cosi 4:20
B3) Amigo 5:33
C1) Dentro Di Me 4:38
C2) Danza Organica 4:25
C3) Es Buena 4:53
D1) Ma Sei Fuori 4:53
D2) Chiamami Subito 4:44
D3) Non Si Ferma Mai 4:47

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Cover of Real Rio EP by Martha Pinel.

Martha Pinel

Real Rio EP

Toytonics

All rejoice! A new Toy Tonics artist graces the label! Brazilian DJ, vinyl collector, party promoter, and style aficionado Martha Pinel has joined the family.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, where she is a well-established DJ and a prominent figure in the lifestyle scene, Martha also resides in Berlin, where she became friends with the Toy Tonics crew.

She is the creator of Assembleia, a celebrated party in Rio de Janeiro known for its laid-back and unpretentious atmosphere. Assembleia has also become a Carnival sensation, hosting unforgettable annual editions that are now a highlight of the season. In Brazil, she is also known as the co-founder of the Croma project, where fashion and music merged to revolutionize Rio de Janeiro's alternative scene. She has been featured on the cover of GQ Brazil, which named her one of the '13 artists giving voice to the generation that is changing the world.'

Martha has been DJing worldwide at festivals such as KALA Festival, Paris Fashion Week, DGTL, and Boiler Room. She has made a name for herself in the diggers scene, sharing the stage with DJs such as Hunee, Antal, Yusu, Sam Ruffillo, Prins Thomas, and many others.

Martha is passionate about discovering music daily and crafts dynamic, non-linear sets that play with the audience's emotions. Known for her bold approach, her sets are always powerful and brimming with personality. They seamlessly blend ethnic musical influences with cutting-edge productions from Brazil and beyond, incorporating African and Middle Eastern sounds, space disco, Italo disco, Balearic beats, house, and its subgenres.

Martha Pinel's debut EP, "Real Rio", was born during a moment of rediscovery in her hometown, Rio de Janeiro, after spending a long time abroad. This project is a celebration of that reconnection, capturing the city's most authentic and visceral aspects-a place where beauty and chaos coexist, with dramatic highs and lows.

In the track "Uber Moto," Martha reflects on the urban phenomenon of app-based motorcycles, which have become a symbol of the city.

"Espírito de Estado," on the other hand, is a track that embodies the spirit of the Carioca Carnival, the greatest party in the world.

Finally, "Assim" offers a personal reinterpretation of Marcos Valle's classic Estrelar. In this track, Martha and Gabto leave their mark on this Brazilian music icon, reflecting on the concept of Body Culture-it's often said that it's impossible to walk along Ipanema Beach without noticing the Carioca cult of the body.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A huge coup for Toytonics getting Brazilian cultural icon Martha Pinel on board. Thankfully she lives up to her hype with three iconic tracks for the label.

TRACK LISTING

A1) Espirito De Estado
A2) Assim (w/ Gabto)
B1) Uber Moto
B2) Uber Moto (Lipelis Remix)

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Cover of Fade To Black EP by Cody Currie.

Cody Currie

Fade To Black EP

Toytonics

Cody Currie returns with a new EP! Jamiroquai in the studio with Masters at Work and Todd Terje and you got the vibe!

The London super soul talent did 5 more tracks for his label Toy Tonics. Being part of the Toy Tonics crew since pretty much day one, he has been sharing studio, stages and free time with the Berlin label bunch for more than 5 years now. The new EP shows his talent as a musician who plays bass, guitar and keyboard at the highest level, as well as his skills as a superb electronic producer. The new sound for the edgy dancefloor of 2025. It's not dancefloor tools, it's real music for dancers. Taste & quality assured! It's the Toytonics formula we know and love! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Toytonics poster boy Cody Currie invites us into his soulful and sexy boudoir with shuffling disco-house grooves and highly dyanmic arrangements with proper song structures gifting the Saturday night crowd something a little bit more sophisticated to shake a tail feather too.

TRACK LISTING

A1) Player
A2) Fade To Black
A3) Rent Free
B1) Release My Heart
B2) Just Like Heaven

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Cover of Timestalker (Original Soundtrack) by Toydrum.

Toydrum

Timestalker (Original Soundtrack)

Invada

    British sci-fi romantic comedy Timestalker is written and directed by Alice Lowe who also stars in the film alongside Aneurin Barnard, Tanya Reynolds, Kate Dickie, Jacob Anderson and Nick Frost.

    The album features the film’s original music composed by Toydrum (Prevenge, Slow Horses, Platform 7, Three Pines, Deep Water, The Banishing).

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Dawning Of Time
    2. I’ve Been Here Before
    3. Mushrooms
    4. Headchop
    5. Sad Agnes
    6. Romance Is Dead
    7. Come With Me (Album Version Feat. Aneurin Barnard)
    8. In Your Dreams
    9. George
    10. Scipio And The Sword (Death Is Just Change)
    11. It’s All In Your Head
    12. Alex
    13. In The Woods
    14. Hopeless Stalker
    15. I Will Find You
    16. Don’t Fuck It Up
    17. Sovay Stalker - Toydrum Vs Kibbo Kift
    18. Oh My Lord
    19. Say You Believe - Am I Dying?
    20. Come With Me To The End (feat. Alice Lowe)
    21. I’ve Been Here Before (End Titles)

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    Cover of Gomma Dancefloor Gems Vol. 3 by Various Artists.

    Various Artists

    Gomma Dancefloor Gems Vol. 3

    Toy Tonics

    Toy Tonics continues with re-releasing the best tracks of Gomma Records. The German label that between 2001 and 2015 was one of the key imprints of the then so hyped indie dance, new wave funk and proto disco sound (along with James Murphy’s DFA, Trevor Jackson’s Output records and later Ed Banger records). The Y2K sound.. that now starts to become in demand again.

    The most important releases on Gomma were by Peaches, WhoMadeWho, The Rammellzee, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand. Their Gomma-tracks were on the first two parts of this "Gomma Dancefloor Gems" compilations series on Toy Tonics.

    Now here comes a 3nd compilation part with music by Dimitri from Paris who also did several EPs on Gomma in the 2000s. Also legendary Belgian disco DJs The Glimmers are featured (they had one album on Gomma in 2008) and UK legend Justin Robertson aka The Deadstock 33’s and one of the first ever releases by Daniel Avery (also on Gomma back then). You find remixes by Nicky Siano (Studio 54 DJs legend) and Horse Meat Disco who back then just started their party series and already were connected to Gomma records. The is an amazing Flamenco Disco track by Spanish producer Hugo Capablanca and T.Keeler that has been hammered by everybody from Optimo to Ivan Smagghe back then and Italian music diggers The Barking Dogs together with now fashion designer Marcelo Burlon are featured with an amazingly catchy Electro Pop track. Of course also Munk who was the founder of Gomma records is on the compilation. Munk is Mathias Modica and as you might know since a few years works under the name Kapote. He was the co-founder of Gomma and later Toy Tonics records. Toy Tonics actually starts as a mini sublabel of Gomma records in 2013 but took over later. While Gomma has been closed since 2015.

    Gomma not only was a record label, but was also a home for cutting edge design, wild T-shirt styles, underground exhibitions with new artists from the Berlin scene and crazy poster and fanzine design.

    Gomma not only preceded many musical trends by experimenting with club music and mixing up different styles but was also very respected for the graphic design work and almost initiated several graphic design trends of the last years in their poster and sleeve designs. And many record and street wear labels of today look a bit like Gomma was looking before ...

    The Gomma visuals world was exposed in a couple of exhibitions around the world and at a big exhibition at Museum Haus der Kunst München before the label was closed in 2015.

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Matt says: The depth and variety of Gomma's catalogue continues to impress with Toy Tonics finding enough material to issue a third volume of hits from this iconic indie-dance label.

    TRACK LISTING

    A1) The Barking Dogs - Mamarracho Feat. Marcelo Burlon (Hot Version)
    A2) Munk & Kapote - Misterio (Severino Horse Meat Disco Remix Hot Version)
    A3) Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca - Ero Disco Theme

    B1) Capablanca & T. Keeler - No Hay Ritmo (Hot Version)
    B2) The Glimmers - U Rocked My World (Pete Herbert & Tristan Da Cunha Remix)

    C1) The Deadstock 33s - Underneath The Pines
    C2) Mercury - Spiritual

    D1) Leroy Hanghofer - Pin (Hot Version)
    D2) Daniel Avery & The Deadstock 33s - Eric Zann Revisited
    D3) The KDMS - Never Stop Believing (Nicky Siano Remix Hot Version)

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    Cover of No Time To Ride by The General Store.

    The General Store

    No Time To Ride

    Perfect Toy

    The General Store recorded four songs in 1967 of which two of them remained unreleased. More than 55 years later they see the light of the day for the very first time. Tower of Power meets Funkadelic. Limited to 300 copies and released with the blessing of the band. Can you ask for more?

    TRACK LISTING

    1. No Time To Ride
    2. Karate

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    Cover of Electric Slide EP by Kapote.

    Kapote

    Electric Slide EP

    Toytonics

    More exquisite house music from Toytonics label boss, Kapote. Imbuing the fun and party ethos of the label, the producer drops four tracks that traverse sample-based disco-house, old skool 90s flavours, tuff Nu Groove styled thumpers and on final track, "The Slide" more contemporary flavours a la GAMM and Local Talk.

    It's a brilliantly dazzling and high gloss affair, with the veteran producer demonstrating no lack of skills behind the dials. But rather than get bogged down on EQ fidelity, the quest for the perfect kick drum, or synthesizing the latest cranium splitting sounds; he simply takes cues from the decades of party music that proceed it - disco and early house music, particularly from the US, and coalesces it into his own funky and friendly style. Don't let this irreverence fool you though - this is top drawer tackle for the club, disco, car, or after party; and well deserved of a place in your house section! Recommended. 


    STAFF COMMENTS

    Matt says: We get excited every time a new Toytonics drops. The label's quality control department do a sterling job of making sure there's absolutely no tripe across its catalogue. Kapote's on the dials for this latest joint and it's another sure fire winner for the house fraternity.

    TRACK LISTING

    A1) The Party (Extended Version)
    A2) The See Me (Extended Version)
    B1) The Come On (Extended Version)
    B2) The Slide

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    Cover of Toy Balloon (RSD23 EDITION) by Bert Jansch.

    Bert Jansch

    Toy Balloon (RSD23 EDITION)

    Earth Recordings

      THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

      Toy Balloon receives itís long overdue debut vinyl pressing, featuring new artwork. Caught somewhere between traditional folk and Janschís penchant for the blues, ëToy Ballooní, from 1998, was the elder statesman of British folkís 20th studio album. Featuring a host of fantastic solo performances along with a brace of bigger sounding moments with a band including former Dire Straitsí Pick Withers on drums and the legendary Pee Wee Ellis on sax, the mainly self-penned opus also boasts a hypnotic cover of the standard ëShe Moves Through The Fairí and an evocative reading of Jackson C Frankís ëCarnivalí.

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      Cover of I'm Not Your Toy by Peter Barclay.

      Peter Barclay

      I'm Not Your Toy

      Numero Group

        Peter Barclay recorded at home and produced two barely-released albums, 1990’s dreamlike Acceptance and 1992’s synth pop What Kind Of World, winning over the few who heard them. But fame outside his small circle was not to be, and Barclay was lost in the late-’90s crest of the AIDS epidemic. Rediscovered for a new generation, this is queer music at its finest.

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        Cover of Toy - 2022 Reissue by David Bowie.

        David Bowie

        Toy - 2022 Reissue

        Parlophone

          'Toy' is a posthumously released album from David Bowie. Recorded in mid-2000 in New York with members of his touring band, with a mixture of new and unreleased old material rehearsed quickly for the purposes of what would have been a surprise album, it was shelved by Virgin/EMI, an act leading to Bowie's departure from the label.

          TRACK LISTING

          I Dig Everything
          You've Got A Habit Of Leaving
          The London Boys
          Karma Man
          Conversation Piece
          Shadow Man
          Let Me Sleep Beside You
          Hole In The Ground
          Baby Loves That Way
          Can't Help Thinking About Me
          Silly Boy Blue
          Toy (Your Turn To Drive) 

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          Cover of Piano Workout by Coeo.

          Coeo

          Piano Workout

          Toy Tonics

          COEO are back on Toy Tonics! After uninterrupted touring around the globe, followed by a short creative break the guys come back with an even stronger sound. With the new EP they go more underground again. Its addressed to the clubs and night owls out there, who turn night into day and won't stop dancing!

          The sound is based on classic house patterns and includes a lot of cool saxophones, big piano stabs & rhythmic piano solos. They even go tribal, use arpeggios and switch into breakbeat heaven. The four Originals are a great next step in the COEO evolution. The unique warm, catchy atmosphere of the tracks can create that special COEO euphoria which made them a lot of fans. From Moodymann to Disclosure, Mall Grab to Kenny Dope, the list is long.

          It's fantastic to see how popular they became over the last couple of years. The last COEO vinyl sold over 2500 copies and some of their tracks have millions of Spotify plays. It's DJ FOOD. Pure bliss!

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Sorry For The Late Reply
          2. Hyperactive
          3. I Can Never Be Yours
          4. Bliss

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          Cover of Illegal Jazz Vol 1 by Delfonic & Kapote.

          Delfonic & Kapote

          Illegal Jazz Vol 1

          Toy Toye

          OYE Records man Delfonic teams up with Topy Tonics head honcho Kapote for clever EP of jazz dance reworks done inna houz stylee!

          Rare and forgotten tracks from their collection re-cut and re-chopped and feeling more than fine in a 2020 DJ set..

          Delfonic & Kapote have joined forces also label-wise and created a new imprint for this issue: Toy Toye Recordings.

          Vinyl only release 4 tha headz = be fast if you want in on the action! 


          TRACK LISTING

          A1. In The Lyte Rejam
          A2. Next Level Rejam
          B1. La Bottera Rejam
          B2. Lazy Rejam

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          Cover of Ghost Particle (Inc. Cable Toy Remix) by Psychemagik.

          Psychemagik

          Ghost Particle (Inc. Cable Toy Remix)

          Psychemagik

          DJs, producers and unrivaled selectors, Danny McLewin and Tom Coveney have shared the next taste of their debut album ‘I Feel How This Night Should Look’ via their stunning next track, ‘Ghost Particle’.

          Recorded at Canterbury’s Cosmic Forest Studios, ‘Ghost Particle’ features English psychedelic-rock Syd Arthur frontman Liam Magill. A gorgeously emotive and glistening space prog infused moment track for the album, Ghost Particle glides along at cruising altitude.

          Released last year on their own imprint Psychemagik Recordings. ‘I Feel How This Night Should Look’ is an album with a phenomenal backstory spanning back over a decade. ‘I Feel How This Night Should Look’ is testament to the duo’s deep understanding and love of their craft, an LP which hones a layered intelligence that only long-term dedication to the art and craft of the DJ can deliver.


          TRACK LISTING

          A1. Ghost Particle (Feat. Liam Magill)
          A2. Ghost Particle (Instrumental)
          B1. Ghost Particle (Feat. Liam Magill) (Cable Toy Club Mix)

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          Cover of Time No More / Get Lost by Mangabey & Kosmo Kint.

          Mangabey & Kosmo Kint

          Time No More / Get Lost

          Toy Tonics

          New York vocalist Kosmo Kint joined the Toy Tonics crew. Born in Trinidad and raised in New York City, Kosmo has been part of the recent Brooklyn scene, singing in several projects in NYC before moving to Berlin two years ago. To find like minded people to create new lyrics driven dancemusic.

          In Berlin he teamed up with the Toy Tonics boys and now TT boss Kapote and the crew are working with him in Berlin Kreuzberg to find a new R&B & Disco influenced style of electronic dance music.
          The first release is a collabo between french talent Mangabey and Kosmo Kint - produced by Kapote.
          The 2 songs have a chilled L.A. G Funk Vibe that makes you think about certain Dr. Dre productions from the 90ies combined with some broken beats and 4 to the floor house vibes.
          The song might remember some french touch tracks too and some might think about that West London early 2000 "Dego" Vibe maybe. Anyway, its new and there is not a name yet for that style. Let's see where the TT crew will bring Kosmo Kint sonically over the next years.

          STAFF COMMENTS

          Millie says: New to the Toy Tonics label Kosmo Kint, alongside Mangabey have dipped into all the genres going - Disco, House, R&B, Broken Beat, Funk, Electronic and created two tracks of pure dance music hits. TT bringing the vibes to Piccadilly!

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Time No More
          2. Time No More (Instrumental)
          3. Get Lost
          4. Get Lost (Instrumental) 

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          Cover of Songs Of Consumption by Toy.

          Toy

          Songs Of Consumption

          Tough Love

            TOY, who released Happy In The Hollow, their fourth, and by far most acclaimed album to date, in January of this year on Tough Love Records, have announced details of Songs Of Consumption, an 8-song collection of unique interpretations of tracks which have inspired the band.

            The idea was originally birthed when the band recorded four covers for the bonus 7"s that came with the Dinked and Rough Trade versions of the last album. 3 of those songs feature here alongside 5 new recordings completed last month, which comprise tracks by Stooges, Amanda Lear, Nico, The Troggs, Serge Gainsborough, Soft Cell, John Barry and Pet Shop Boys/Elvis/Willy Nelson (depending on how you know the song).

            Talking about the album, TOY said:

            Songs of Consumption sonically is a continuation and development of the themes conceived on Happy In The Hollow and it will show people where we are going towards musically. The DIY approach was explored further utilising more of the electronic elements that we touched upon before. Drum machines, stripped down arrangements and rudimentary production give a primitive sound that we thought suited the choice of songs. Some of the songs have very big sounding production, so we wanted to experiment with them by going in a different direction.

            Music is consumed voraciously now whereas these songs came from a time when the song was of the most important thing and that's what was appreciated. Stripping them back to the essence of what they are was also something we wanted to explore. Also, we wanted to make a covers record with songs by people that influenced us in the past few years and it’s as much about the way they dealt with their ideas, and how they put themselves in uncomfortable situations in order to make something that in the end is simple. It’s a homage to the spirit of these people, that helped us to untangle ourselves from our inherent complicated nature and create a new space where we can exist.

            Additionally, having played a sold-out tour of the UK in February, including a mesmerising show at Village Underground in London, the band have announced a couple of very special shows at the end of the year.

            Playing under the banner of ‘Hollowed Out – A night of strange sighting and unhabitual ritual’ the shows will see them re-imagining songs from Happy In The Hollow. In London they will be joined by AV artist Sculpture, live performances from The Thelma Death Stare and Ducasse, DJ sets from Cherrystones and Sheet Noise and live visuals from Daisy Dickinson. In Manchester they will be joined by Mutabase and a DJ set from Sofie K.

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Barry says: It's nice to hear a selection of (superb) covers from Toy, expanding their sound into this diverse range of covers. Though the songs are not their own, it gives us an insigt into their influence, and honestly couldn't be any more their own. Swathes of guitar noise and succinct percussive throbs work their way behind Dougall's recognisable vocals, all accompanied with their ever present crystal-clear synths and melodic sensibilities. Lovely stuff.

            TRACK LISTING

            1. Down On The Street (The Stooges)
            2. Follow Me (Amanda Lear)
            3. Sixty Forty (Nico)
            4. Cousin Jane (The Troggs)
            5. Fun City (Soft Cell)
            6. Lemon Incest (Charlotte Gainsbourg & Serge Gainsbourg)
            7. Always On My Mind (B.J. Thomas)
            8. A Dolls House (John Barry)

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            Cover of Happy In The Hollow by Toy.

            Toy

            Happy In The Hollow

            Tough Love

            RIYL: The Horrors, Moon Duo, Wooden Shjips, Spiritualized, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dungen, Goat, Clinic.

            Toy release their fourth album, and their first for new label Tough Love Records, and it is unquestionably their most direct and propulsive album to date.

            Recorded between their own home tape studios and mixed at Dan Carey’s Studio B in South London, the album was entirely produced and mixed by the band.

            "Happy In The Hollow is entirely uncompromising: an atmospheric capturing of a state of mind that touches on Post Punk, electronic dissonance, acid folk and Krautrock. Familiar qualities like metronomic rhythms, warping guitars, undulating synths and Tom’s gentle, reedy vocals are all in there, but so is a greater emphasis on melody, a wider scope, and a combining of the reassuring and the sinister that is as unnerving as it is captivating."

            The sound has without doubt expanded — and grown more confident — in part because this is the first album for which Toy has become a self-sufficient five-person unit doing everything for themselves.

            “Each song was a blank canvas,” says Maxim. “Producers inevitably develop their own patterns over time, right down to certain drum sounds. We were starting from scratch and it felt very creative as a result. It’s an album we feel deeply connected to”.

            TOY are: Tom Dougall (vocals / guitar), Dominic O’Dair (guitars), Maxim Barron (bass / vocals), Max Oscarnold (synths / modulations) & Charlie Salvidge (drums / vocals).


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Barry says: Toy on fine form here, in a somewhat more dreamy and progressive mood than on 2016's 'Clear Shot', with swirling guitars and cavernous reverb surrounding the psychedelic chord changes and echoing haunted vox. They've managed to craft something that is both immediate and deep, easy to engage with but develops the more you listen. A truly stunning work.

            TRACK LISTING

            1. Sequence One
            2. Mistake A Stranger
            3. Energy
            4. Last Warmth Of The Day
            5. The Willo
            6. Jolt Awake
            7. Mechanism
            8. Strangulation Day
            9. You Make Me Forget Myself
            10. Charlie’s House
            11. Move Through The Dark

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            Cover of Clear Shot by Toy.

            Toy

            Clear Shot

            Heavenly Recordings

              Splitting their time between Tom Dougall and bassist Maxim Barron’s place in New Cross and Dominic O’Dair’s flat in Walthamstow, where they set up a makeshift studio and laid down the early album demos, Clear Shot began to take shape in the first half of 2015.

              Taking inspiration from an esoteric blend – Radiophonic Workshop, Comus, the scores of Bernard Herrmann, John Barry and Ennio Morricone Fairport, COUM, Acid House, Incredible String Band, The Langley Schools Project, The Wicker Man soundtrack and even the direction behind Electric Eden, Rob Young’s book about the development of folk music in the U.K. – by the time they entered Eve Studios in Stockport in October 2015 with producer David Wrench, the band were clear about the direction the album should take.

              The result is their most coherent and confident album to date; lushly cinematic, shot through with their most expressive melodies thus far and coated with a ‘sheen’ courtesy of Chris Coady (Beach House, Smith Westerns, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), who mixed the album in LA with some of the reverbs and vocal processors used on Purple Rain, across the 10-tracks strands of ideas appear, sink and re-emerge in an almost modal jazz manner. Clear Shot sees TOY working both in bigger colours and more minutely crafted detail, achieving an altogether higher level of artistry than before.


              STAFF COMMENTS

              Andy says: Toy released two superb records within a year of each other (2012/13) then vanished for 3! They return with by far their best yet: darker, spookier but somehow poppier, this extends their shoegazey take on psych and garage into a much higher realm. Like the House Of Love but with way more going on. Brilliant.

              Ryan says: Clear Shot sees TOY working both in bigger colours and more minutely crafted detail, stripping back a little to reveal a bigger picture. This could be their most coherent & confident album to date.

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              [ - ]
              Cover of Mary = X / The Breath They’ve Been Holding Released by MTO (Modified Toy Orchestra).

              MTO (Modified Toy Orchestra)

              Mary = X / The Breath They’ve Been Holding Released

              Static Caravan

                Birmingham’s iconic audio scientists, Modified Toy Orchestra, are back. This time as mto and with a new single on their old label.

                Hand cut in an edition of 100 copies by PhilM at 3345 this return sees the band in a casio only landscape watching the mathematician Richard Feynman sit alone at the top of a light house on mars contemplating calculus and aspects of his life.

                ‘Mary = X’
                A haunting lament of what might have been from the perspective of Richard Feynman's ex-wife Mary, her plaintive voice keening for her husband’s attention, a hopeless attempt against the infinite mysteries of calculus.
                "He begins working calculus problems in his head as soon as he awakens. He did calculus while driving in his car, while sitting in the living room, and while lying in bed at night." —Mary Louise Bell divorce complaint.

                ‘The breath they've been holding.’
                The Title is taken from a news broadcast observing the faces of the doomed astronaut’s families during the space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.

                Since touring the world performing their 2nd album Plastic Planet, which culminated in sell out shows at the Hong Kong Civic Hall, mto have been commissioned to perform Stockhausen and to collaborate with composer/conductor Richard Baker on "Game" by Faster than sound performed at Aldeburgh Britain's oldest classical music festival.

                The 2 tracks are part of digital EP called "Feynman on Mars" which shows a darker, colder distant side of mto an aspect of the band which will be further explored as they blast off in to the outer reaches of the cosmos on what will be there 3rd album "Silfurburg".

                [ + ]
                [ - ]
                Cover of No Ladder (Toy Remix) by Coves.

                Coves

                No Ladder (Toy Remix)

                Nettwerk

                  THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

                  Basements hung with fairy lights, 60s tape reels spinning antique spools, drums dusted with white powder. Gritty riffs and psych rock washes slither beneath airy, blissed-blank Nico vocals spinning spectral tales of shattered romance. A beautifully ruined pair – he a leather-clad glowering guitar phantom, she a glacial, broken bombshell – blow glitter at each other through the flashes from old cameras.

                  This is the world of Coves, a classic psych-garage aesthetic vacuum-sealed forever in one time, one space. The space is Castle Grayskull, the live-in studio that musical mastermind John Ridgard helped build in a disused office in Leamington Spa and where their debut album was recorded. And the time covers the duration of singer and lyricist Beck Wood's last big relationship, laid out in her songs from first flutter to final choke.

                  'No Ladder' gets the remix treatment by TOY turning it into an epic, beat driven psychedelic dream.

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                  [ - ]
                  Cover of Join The Dots by Toy.

                  Toy

                  Join The Dots

                  Heavenly Recordings

                  Toy’s swirling, psychedelia, Krautrock indebted debut album arrived almost exactly 12 months ago.

                  Dan Carey sits at the controls once again on ‘Join The Dots’, released via Heavenly Recordings.

                  As with their debut, ‘Join The Dots’ was recorded mostly live with Carey at the helm, although increased studio time has enabled the band to experiment more with Carey’s laboratory of effects and pre-amps, and embellish the tracks with overdubs.

                  STAFF COMMENTS

                  Andy says: As good, if not better than their superb debut. And you can't say that too often! A much more powerful, physical record, but with those shogazery melodies still intact.

                  TRACK LISTING

                  1. Conductor
                  2. You Won’t Be The Same
                  3. As We Turn
                  4. Join The Dots
                  5. To A Death Unknown
                  6. Endlessly
                  7. It’s Been So Long
                  8. Left To Wander
                  9. Too Far Gone To Know
                  10. Frozen Atmosphere
                  11. Fall Out Of Love

                  [ + ]
                  [ - ]
                  Reduced Cover of Privileged Poor - Factory Floor / Toy / Dan Lissvik Remixes by Young Galaxy.

                  Young Galaxy

                  Privileged Poor - Factory Floor / Toy / Dan Lissvik Remixes

                  586

                  Limited edition Young Galaxy ‘Privileged Poor’ remix 12” featuring Factory Floor, TOY and Dan Lissvik (Studio). Debut release from new label, 586.

                  Young Galaxy’s ‘Privileged Poor’ is taken from the Polaris Music Prize short-listed album 'Ultramarine'. Factory Floor's remix comes hot on the heels of the band’s acclaimed debut album on DFA, and has similar sound designs. Their mix strips away the vocals, pads and pop touches, leaving us with a taut, driving analogue techno / house number. If you didn't know it was a remix you would think it was one of Factory Floor's own tracks. TOY’s Dom and Ale continue to emerge as world class remixers as they transform 'Privileged Poor' into a hypnotic, motorik psychedelic freak out. While less synthy than the original, Dan Lissvik keeps the pop edges of the original and an extra bump for the dancefloor.


                  TRACK LISTING

                  A1. Privileged Poor (Factory Floor Remix)
                  AA1. Privileged Poor (TOY Remix)
                  AA2. Privileged Poor (Dan Lissvik Remix)

                  [ + ]
                  [ - ]

                  La Roux

                  I'm Not Your Toy - Inc. Jack Beats / Data Remixes

                  Polydor

                  Part synth-pop classic, part future pop blueprint, the unforgettably catchy "I'm Not Your Toy" is set to be La Roux's next instant classic and is as sure to take up residence in your brain as its predecessors. With her own sci-fi disco ice queen style cut from the same iconic androgynous mould as Grace Jones and Annie Lennox and looking as otherworldly as Tilda Swinton in an electro remake of the Man Who Fell To Earth, La Roux has ripped up the 2009 pop star rule book, already becoming an accidental fashion heroine, a pop star as beloved of fashion journalists as much as radio DJs. Both 12" and CD single features remixes come from Data (big main room electrohouse smasher) and Jack Beats (another of their monster fidget jackers).

                  [ + ]
                  [ - ]

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