in the year of the saxophone, santa barbaras gardens & villa give us the flute. and along the way, g&v effectively wipe clear the vaseline from the murky bedroom funk of recent days. g&v bang out instant classics - each crystal clear and immaculate, but no less sweeping or languid. their debut is a youthful exploration of just how opulent and pop starkness can go. it also leaves an impression of california in the way that richard diebenkorns ocean park series or the pool party scene from the graduate both do, always sensed more than stated outright.

a genuinely triumphant arrival, the album features ten stunning tracks including forthcoming single amber hands, that reel from glorious carnival-esque euphoria to a sound that occasionally flirts at melancholy and utter despair. again into eyes was recorded in london with producers ken and jolyon thomas, whose credits include sigur ros, m83, david bowie and psychic tv. the album standouts include faith unfolds, summon the sound, which featured on mute s recent exclusive record store day vinyl release vorwarts and the utopian, future-disco monolith that is whitechapel. indeed, the bands individual listening habits in psychedelia, space-rock, avant-garde and ambient soundtracks collide to form a pop trip that neatly balances the innovative with the rapturously danceable to great effect. based in london, s.c.u.m exploded onto the music scene two years ago with the release of their debut single visions arise. the single, together with their exciting and intense live shows, quickly grabbed the imagination of fans and critics alike. since then they have toured extensively across the uk and europe to a growing fanbase.

its a love story: stil vor talent have long been mad about niconŽ and sascha braemer so that the recent past has seen some very memorable releases by the two producers. now its about time they join forces to release a whole album together. while sascha braemer only recently caused waves with his Ÿber-track people, nicone is a long-established pillar of top-class electronic music.

cocker kicks off a collectable series of bargain-priced finders keepers compilations made to support the label in light of the recent warehouse fire at pias north london depot. a long time fan of the label and their doings, he was granted full access to rifle their catalogue and hes picked some absolute treats for ya, including, if were not mistaken, some which have never appeared on cd before. to start theres the perspicacious poetics of carol battens beeing, besides the legendary pseudo j-pop of yamasuki (made by none other than thomas -daft punk- bangalters dad!), besides a first cd appearance for jacky chalards super man, super cool from the cache cache 12-. youll also find a nugget from the stone soundtrack, one of the labels finest moments from amrals trinidad cavaliers steel drum orchestra, the glam prog of gongs rational anthem, balearic prog from fusioon, tender folk from jane weaver with wendy flower, and a bonus moment in jean claude vanniers au desepoir des singles. top picks, well recommended!

larry chubby reynolds as he was originally called cut some 45 s for the tri-spin label when first starting out in detroit during the 60s. he recorded with groups the relations and chocolate syrup before ultimately, in 1973, replacing william howard as lead singer of the dramatics. here he recorded and performed before his solo album deal with capitol records in 1981 which gave us the l.j. reynolds (which included key to the world ) then travelin in 1982. ahead of this fantasy album came lovin man for mercury in 1984, then ultimately tell me you will which features a special guest appearance by the o jays. rare on cd, this album has been much sought after by soul fans in recent years.

daydreaming is the debut album release from paris based artist von d on boka records. a fusion chef of bassweight, von d has deftly sliced into unpredictable genres, concocting strange and beautiful new forms.the album sees von d collaborating with the internationally renowned foreign beggars, phephe, david boomah (vocalist for shy fx murderation), riya & mr lager, while his previous work has also been remixed by a host of respected dubstep djs including skream and tes la rok. born into the cultural melting pot of the paris suburbs, von d found his souls conduit in a beaten up old drum kit. whilst the riddims of king tubby alongside the foetal jungle of photek and serge gainsborg were initial inspirations, after forging a successful path as a sound engineer von d honed his sound sculpting skills to a razor sharp edge. von ds productions have been picked up by skream, arguably one of dubsteps most successful artists, who snapped up a release for his label disfigured dubs. dj chef released von ds >show me< on his sub freq imprint, which quickly became one of the most talked about releases of 2009 Ð so much so that three time dmc world champion dj craze has been supporting the track in recent mixes. not one to be complacent, von dÕs kept up the pressure with releases on black acre, tempa, soul jazz and argon Ð enough to attract the attention of bbc radio 1s gilles peterson who has included a track for his hotly anticipated brownswood bubblers compilation album. von d has created a global buzz with his numerous explosive live performances featuring unreleased and exciting material from himself as well as other established producers. having had a host of successful tours in the united states, europe and china, von d has now set his sights on touring new zealand and australia

dub police are proud to announce the release of their first artist album courtesy of birmingham-based producer emalkay, who is set to release his hotly anticipated debut lp eclipse this spring. first making a name for himself with early releases on his own morphic sounds imprint, emalkay has continued to push the boundaries of underground bass music ever since, delivering a slew of huge releases on the way. having been an integral part of the dub police stable ever since his >explicit / heroics< 12 inch for the label in 2009, emalkay has gone from strength to strength with a series of heavyweight tracks that includes the phenomenal >when i look at you< and recent smash >crusader<. comprised of 11 tracks, >eclipse< is a bold and powerful album encapsulating perfectly everything that makes emalkay such a prodigious talent, effortlessly showcasing the depth and diversity of his sound while always remaining true to his inimitable style. as addictive as it is hard-hitting, the album doesnt just provide a collection of dancefloor tracks, but a confident and coherent artistic statement.

hectic times require adequate measures. shorten the text message, shorten any url, filter a newsfeed to make a broadband broader - in any way, take a shortcut wherever you intend to go. while the world is struggling for convenience, those who chose the road less travelled will soon become - or already are? - outsiders. in many ways this is the case of jacek sienkiewicz - with over 30 releases behind, and over a decade of running his own label, he persistently followed his very own path, creating music that very soon began to be impossible to define. friendly, but not fraternizing with everyone and his family, modest, but stubborn only in a positive way, jacek is an individual with clear, personal vision and an unorthodox approach to music - light years away from the hectic, utilitarian ethos of club-derived electronic beats. and this story finally took shape - at the same time rock solid and otherworldly ethereal - in the form of “on the road , without any doubt one of the few rare records, this complex and challenging, to be derived in recent years from the music formerly known as techno. this album successfully attempts to embrace virtually all aspects of modern electronic music - from rave-like club bangers, through detroitish passion and deep house-like style, towards ambient soundscapes that are mariana trench deep

and now for something completly different... editions mego is suitably chuffed announce a cd reissue of bill orcutts acoustic hardcore blues stormer >a new way to pay old debts<, previously released on palilalia in 2009. for many, one of the highlights of recent years with its unique visionary take of solo guitar playing....

get ready for a musical journey so deep you may not be able to dig yourself out. nor may you want to. blazingly hot on the smoking heels of the 19 predecessors of the highest ranks of house dj/producers whove blessed this series before him, like joe claussell, ron trent, grammy award winners louie vega & david morales, teddy douglas & dj spen (aka basement boys & muthafunkaz), danny krivit, tony humphries, and a ton of others who superbly compiled and mixed these compilations in the past, hip house producer/dj & sole channel/vega records recording artist mr. v joins this exclusive club and doesnt disappoint. using 18 of the latest and greatest tunes culled from the catalog such as the k&n dub of johnnydangerous >mr vs revenge<, alex kenjis remix of david harness >shake< the original rough mix of ananda projects >aura protection< ivan iacobuccis unreleased original mix of his recent >ritual< release, the deep & magnetic unreleased moodymanc extended mix of tomoki tamuras >the rough< and tomo inoues phenomenal unreleased swingin dub of siren-ic house singer stephanie cookes >sweetest thing<, to name very few, make this 20th anniversary edition of the series one for the musical books. all aboard!

2010 release by this project from bristol-based musician scott hendy. anyone who has seen the recent bansky documentary exit through the gift shop has likely heard diego & the dissidents though they may not have realized it. an album that almost never saw the light of day, now resurrected just in time to see brilliant tracks such as -contaminated water pt. 4- and others add depth and intrigue to a film already featuring an -against all odds- theme.

after providing the highly sucessfull opening track for kompakts recent >pop ambient 2010< compilation, marsen jules now unleashes an album in the same vein of warm, shimmering ambient sounscapes. >yara<, one of his most important albums to date, will now be made available on cd for the first time.

unique personality and unquestionably charismatic dj/producer, argy, has managed within 5 years to become a leading figure in the most recent wave of house music producers. 25 years old now, and considered one of the most diverse and impressive young artists on the scene, with his latest project argy presents one of his favourite clubs in the world, d.edge, via a mix cd on his much talked about these days label.

ark has got an eclectic and ÒorganicÓ sound, something in between. from his origins as guitarist in a number of 80Õs funk bands, most notably trankilou, where he hooked up with the legend that is pepe bradock and onto the great matthew herbert & losoul with their first collaboration, Ôbelle luretteÕ in Ô99. the ÔalleluyarkÕ ep series from 2003 reaffirmed as his status as chief protagonist of experimental, groove led house and techno. his 2005 long player on perlon, ÔcalienteÕ won him critical acclaim, which is furthered by his more recent works together with shalom (as shalark), krikor (as krikark), cabanne (as copacabannark), mikael weill (as les cerveaux lents) and dolibox. his cannon of remixes is as long as the channel tunnel, reworking the likes of stephen beaupre, mr. oizo, archive, mossa, salif keita, slabb, fym, robag wruhme É arkÕs new lp (cd+vinyl) features singers (xanax, lippie) and is here nowÉ

originally created in 1994, christian smiths tronic label holds a special place in techno circles. with the momentum of his recent successes behind him and the strength of fresh inspiration driving his ambition forward, 2010 promises to be a vintage year for the new, super-charged christian smith. having recently made his second appearance on bbc radio 1s essential mix, spring 2010 will see christian embark on a world tour to accompany his soon to be released debut solo album >directors cut<.

house music is about big names and big personalities, and none come much bigger than kenny dope gonzalez. you dont last 25 years in the industry without being short of a bit of talent, and time and time again kenny has proved that he is the man to beat. whether its his pioneering work as one half of masters at work and nuyorican soul, or his more recent endeavours with mass destruction, kennys beats take some serious beating.

strut follow their recent forays into nigerian and ethio grooves with a brand new wide ranging three part series exploring underground south african music during the late 60s and 70s...

2xcd package in gloss double cd sleeve. grab yourself a slice of dnb history. critical sound is the new album from critical music. a album that showcases the diversity and quality of the label. featuring the best of the scenes most exciting producers, both new and established. the album is lovingly packaged in gatefold vinyl and cd formats and is strictly limited to 1000 copies. grab yourself a slice of dnb history. critical music is a uk drum n bass label releasing some of the freshest breaks and beats around. created and nurtured by kasra, the imprint has gone from strength to strength over recent years. 2009 has seen this continuing with massive releases such as the break remix of spectrasouls alibi and sabres glorious original sin. following on from the huge all sounds electric series we bring a new concept. 8 tracks from the hottest producers in drum and bass right now housed in a deluxe gatefold package and a double cd, again in deluxe packaging featuring the 8 tracks from the vinyl on one disc and 11 brand new tracks on the second disc. each track on this album encapsulates all that is great and good about underground drum and bass. from the blissful beat workout of breaks people are different to the blistering tech infused funk of spectrasouls wedgehead. a storming selection of the cream of todays scene. the cd package combines the vinyl tracks with a whole extra disc of fresh material. dubstep champ ramadanman comes with his own brand of stripped down dnb, russian new kid enei brings the future flavour and we are privy to the first ever solo production from label boss kasra with his own track perception. this is the critical sound.

after huge success with recent tracks >speed up< and >3 minutes to explain< dutch artist funkerman is back - and remember could well be the biggest release of his career to date!incl. very hot rene amesz remix