hyenah, has, over the last few years helped forge strong ties between the deep house mecca of johannesburg and the cutting edge electronic scene in europe. with a handful of influential and pivotal releases and remixes on a few key labels (objektivity, drumpoet, poker flat, toytonics) hyenah has established himself as a major talent to follow. with his residency and label night rise at berlin institution watergate going from strength to strength, a busy touring schedule taking in ibiza, angola, asia and the u.s, we’re very pleased hyenah still found time to get into the studio so we can present you with the next instalment, the usuthu ep. lead track usuthu featuring the vocals of b’utiza opens the release in fine style with crisp, percussive beats laying the foundation for the precision synths and trademark hyenah afro vibes. those who loved the wish, tale of the dirt and the idea will love this worthy follow up! next up is a second original entitled phases featuring the hypnotic tones of nonku, a much deeper affair but with no less energy and atmosphere. just a more heads down groove for the warm ups and wind downs, nonku’s wonderful vocal elements adding the perfect soulful touch. flipping over we have a wonderful remix from the inimitable mr raoul k. the ivory coast native now residing in berlin has continually wowed us here at freerange with his boabab and mule musiq releases. with his collaborative release alongside manoo just about to drop on innervisions (including a killer dixon edit!), we’re excited to bring you an epic mr raoul k remix of title track usuthu. setting the mood with lush strings and a beautifully paced, beatless intro, raoul k slowly introduces the beats and keyboard parts, layering up the elements and building the energy in the process, resulting in a very special, dynamic version that will connect on a deep level with all who experience it on the dance floor.

remastered reissue featuring three fantastic hard-to-find classic rump shakers from hamilton bohannon. bohannon was one of the key forces in disco in the seventies and this is him at his best - his instantly recognisable sound is pure uncut boogie mixing riffing guitars, bad-ass funky bass and pounding drum tracks. first up is the super-rare long 12 inch version of me & the gang a superbly funky track popular with everyone from tony humphries to carl craig with its great chunky beats & a killer piano groove later sampled by paul johnson for his hit get get down, followed by the groove i feel - a monstrously good floor-filling gem unearthed from his 76 album dance your ass off. on the flip you get the awesome full 12:45 minute version of maybe you can dance another slamming disco-funk stomper only ever available as an elusive 1977 12 inch promo. quality stuff!

fresh from the success of >clock out<, need for mirrors make a quick return to inneractive music with one of its most awaited releases. originally released in 2001 on phantom audio, ten years later and the duo bring spirits >three in one< to a new generation, keeping that irresistibly funky flow while toughening up the groove with some killer bass work and thumping beats, already gracing the sets of dj hype, goldie, storm, raiden, tc1 and a host of others. spirit himself gets deep and dirty on >juggernaut< with its sparse drums, deep subs and growling synths, creating a groove that just cant be stopped.
dj mag 9/10

20 years time, when vinyl diggers are hunting the most obscure house and techno treasures from the 90s and noughties, theyll probably turn to expert patrick specke for assistance. this dj and producer from düsseldorf is dedicated to the machines that he uses to craft his metallic, shimmying tunes - but hes equally committed to collecting the best pieces of vinyl that walk the earth. you can hear it in his tracks for this desolat release: a solid understanding of the space between the beats and the subtly textured samples that help make up a fine dance-floor groove. tracks like get me out and bitchual linestepper use tight drum loops to build the kind of stealth attack that lends itself to dancefloor damage. on naggin me the building blocks that make up the classiest 4/4 recordings are reshuffled and stretched out - from here to mars and back

this brand new and long awaited follow up 12-inch single release by off the record is finally here! its been quite a while since their first release >robot gang ep< (sen-003) came out and took the dancefloors by storm. all the wait has been well worth though, as this talented duo is back on track with their trademark rough & raw drum sounds, killer breaks and bridges. such elements can be found directly from the starting track >tel aviv – japan<, which combines nicely minimalist techno / house sound architexture with simple, yet effective groove, and it grows humble and slowly to reach up its peak moment what goes like: splash! in ya face! there you have it! guaranteed to lighten up any dancefloors, it s dangerously explosive and has amazing flavour on the rocks! having said that, on demand producer and remixer ran shani (crosstown rebels, breastfed, cr2 records) was kind enough to contribute his absolutely fabulous and fantastic remix work of >in your mind< track. he pushed the track to the next level and came up with a truly club oriented pulsating dance track with extra crispy and tasty beats. rotating 360 degrees panorama effect on female vocals coming in as the track rolls further right after the break is surely enough to explode some minds on the dancefloors. watch this man out! perfect end to an extended play here is the only track offering a mini lovestory: >shes lost her mind> is a true and cold hearted, crucial story about a tech savvy clubgirl falling in love in a binary world full of zeros and ones, finding computers and turin machines sexually more attractive companions to better have fun with rather than getting accustomed to that old fashioned missionary position carried out by her human boyfriend. floating, dubby and rather melancholic, but definitely not a sad song! but one thing is for sure regarding that twisted story after all: someone has truly lost her mind somewhere along the way …

repress 2017 , allez! as the curtains come down on another crazy summer of love, apollonia drop their latest release courtesy of io mulen - the ukranian rude boy who appeared on the label at the beginning of the year with ‘unknown to the unknown’. he’s back with a hefty six-track package which is sure to please his fans, and win him a whole new army of supporters. we get straight to business with the first track, ‘rdm37’, one of those trusty apollonia bouncing bombs. skittish beats work off a sublime groove, while io keeps the background full of interesting sounds, boings, cheeps and all manner of whimsical effects, introducing more and more as the track progresses. by the midpoint you’re so gripped by the track that your whole body is moving uncontrollably, super glued to the rhythm. next up, it’s ‘xdt54’ coming through with a deep, persuasive bassline that jigs around in the low end luring you into its web. simple, polished percussive elements keep things moving at a pace while subtle keys and barely-there vocals add further layers to this catchy little number. the third track in on this lengthy ep is ‘mpc13’, a walk on the sensual side. vocal snippets are interspersed among sultry pads, skipping four to the floor beats and a sleazy b-line to create a delectable slice of dance floor naughtiness. this one flirts with you as it writhes around, taking you ever deeper…four tracks in we have ‘zgb41’, another alluring cut that has all the hallmarks of a deep house classic. those shimmering pads, a bassline that feels like it was born in nineties chicago, diamond-cut beats and a general feeling of what we would call ‘true house music’. there’s soul, there’s funk and there’s realness, what more can you ask for?ypt58’ keeps us locked in to that hypnotic groove with an insistent b-line holding things down - together with the infectious rhythm cultivated by the drum arrangement, it’s a killer combo. put those together with the smooth atmospherics plus synth lines staggering in and out of the background and you’ve got yourself a roller. last but definitely not least is ‘zxy22’, a wistful slice of technoid funk which has a delicate melody at its foundation. as it develops we get sucked in to layer upon layer of beauty, from the analogue low end to the electric guitar riff – each layer complementing the other and creating a symphony of sounds that acts as a perfect way to close out the ep and will no doubt end plenty of dj sets, when it’s released. so monsieur io (mulen) returns to apollonia with an instant classic, make sure you snap it up right away. magnifique!

manchester s rainy city music continues to celebrate 20 years of the record label in 2016 and continue the success of the last two vinyl releases by dele sosimi afrobeat orchestra, via their own label and also with berlin s innervisions label. the 20 year celebration is also riding high on the current huge success of the re-issue of their second ever release from 1996 by city people it s all in the groove , now available again by the hugely popular artist motor city drum emsemble. this new release by artists irfan rainy & rex leon is a 4 trk ep from their digi lp titled cross step drag, a reference to the house dance culture from new york city. the four tracks released here highlight the huge variety in styles of house music created by the mancunian duo. the a side s track one vodun is simply voodoo / tribal house music for lovers of the old school jovonn sound. track 2 smash the silence is a brand new version of previous digital only release where afrobeat & house music are combined. it features the rasping vocals of lagos based nigerian actress vera e and the definite influence of fela kuti. flip to the b side and get to the deep dark twisted underworld of black america via snoop story (ode to the wire) and you hear one of the moodiest dance records you will ever hear and a tragic story of snoop, one of the wire s best performers from the cult tv series. the final track on the ep manc union dub is a dub house groove where ghostly brazilian candomble vibes meet the electronic dub beats of rhythm and sound. rounding off a hugely varied four track sampler receiving support from a huge cross sections of djs including danny krivit, at jazz, rahaan, kai alce, mad mats, osunlade, karizma, severino (horse meat disco), dj spinna & marcellus pittman.

when the two colossi of the bearfunk label get together you can be sure that creative sparks will fire and the disco grooves will ooze. and so we present stevie koteys and max essas new project, the cunningly titled soiree. as a taster for the upcoming treats we are pleased to release a four track ep covering the musical bases that the london and tokyo based pair intend to cover. the theme from soiree announces arrival in a big way. disco grooves meets herbie hancock with lee ritenour tints. real drums from dave barbarossa, jazzer keys and some nifty fretwork from max. overgroomed slows things down to slo-mo speed and mixes japan/mick karn-esque fretless bass and layers of percussions and beats