prolific doesn’t begin to describe japan’s keita sano, who has come seemingly out of nowhere to become one of the most unique new voices in electronic music thanks to a wildly eclectic clutch of releases for much-hyped labels like 1080p, joakim’s crowdspacer, mister saturday night, spring theory, discos capablanca and more. building on that buzz, sano is unleashing still more head-twisting takes on house and techno via new york’s most excellent unlimited. label boss paul raffaele has found a kindred spirit in sano. their shared love of classic dance music and refusal to let genre or convention define their work makes mxu a natural home for the “sunset ep,” coming as it does on the heels of the category-smashing “oyama edit” 12” and a 7” of drum track edits by disco king danny krivit.

ltd vinyl pressing

the unstoppable most excellent unlimited charges ahead with the ninth in the heralded mr. k 45s edits series, with this latest edition the most intriguing to date. deep in danny krivit s voluminous collection is a 7-inch acetate rescued from the records left behind by master mixer and dj walter gibbons when he passed away in 1994. the mysterious plate, simply labeled -1, 2, 3,- was custom cut by gibbons for his personal use in the early 70s when he and a partner operated a service called melting pot sounds that provided one-off copies of otherwise unobtainable imports for nyc disc jocks. most of the 20-odd known releases on melting pot sounds have been identified, but the true provenance of -1, 2, 3- has remained elusive. the tune is a screaming, instrumental disco delight, with aggressive clavinet riffing broken up periodically by raunchy sax. for this most excellent unlimited issue, mr. k meticulously transferred his unique gibbons acetate and further intensified the already propulsive track with a few choice edits of his own. not to be outdone, the flip side focuses on a ferocious percussion break that has previously only been available on a very poor quality 12-inch single. -sweet summer suite- by love unlimited orchestra has long been noted for its intro, a concoction of conga, cowbell, cuica and cabasa that drives dancers wild with its relentless, intense groove underpinned by a booming bass slide. making its 7-inch debut here, the groove has been extended and teased as only a master could do, complimenting the a-side and creating a powerful dj weapon. as always, this most excellent unlimited single has been mastered and pressed to the highest standards with loud dj usage in mind, and will be available in extremely limited quantities

the seventh 7-inch in most excellent unlimiteds series of mr. k edits combines a pair of lush midtempo modern soul gems, with both sides textbook candidates for a perfect set-opener. “live in me,” from rufus and chaka khan’s 1979 masterjam lp, was never released as a single, but that didn’t stop it from becoming a fan favorite and warm-up classic for soulful djs. composed and produced by the legendary rod temperton and quincy jones, who were fresh off the completion mj’s off the wall when this was recorded, “live in me” is judiciously extended here by danny krivit without losing any of the graceful magic of the original. philly jazz-funkers pieces of a dream get another respectful krivit extension on the flip side, with their gorgeous “warm weather.” written by maestro dexter wansel and featuring barbara walker on lead vocals, the laid-back pulse of this smooth ‘81rare groove mainstay has never fallen out of favor with djs who understand the power of gentle persuasion.

house heaven on 12-inch. a lofty description, but one that fits most excellent unlimited’s latest offering perfectly. in 1990, boy george and simon rogers (the fall) made a record called “generations of love” for george’s post-culture club project, jesus loves you. legendary nyc dj and producer bruce forest was one of several big names brought in to do a set of remixes, and the better days veteran got to work on several contrasting versions of the cut. the mixes heard here, done at london’s famed olympic studios, are slices of utter ecstasy for anyone who has a taste for ‘90s deep house euphoria and ambient dancefloor excursions, but were unfortunately lost amongst the countless alternate mixes. suffice to say, meu is taking matters into our own hands and has remastered and properly packaged these tracks, directly sourced from forest himself, with the full intention to give this erstwhile dollar-record the respect it deserves. the jazz mix opens with a winding piano solo by andy whitmore (spandau ballet, terence trent d’arby, soul ii soul) that lures the listener into a hypnotic groove that could quite comfortably go on forever but here is constrained by our modesty and the 12-inch format. (a tip for the adventurous dj: flipped to 33rpm the tune becomes an epic balearic chugger, a late-night psylocibic alternative for the heads.) the synth-heavy sounds of the ambient mix on the flip side harken back to the chill-out rooms of the ‘90s but twenty-some years later bring the best kind of vintage charm.

mr. k returns to the 12inch format for the latest in his series of edits for most excellent unlimited, making the most of the long-playing wax with two contrasting cuts. first up is ike strongs boogie land, an obscure side that was originally released in 1981 and saw plenty of action at the paradise garage. krivit s edit is inspired by larry levan s technique in running the tune, focusing as larry did on the late-song breakdown before dropping into a stripped-down rendition of the undulating main groove, a boogie bomb to be sure! don t let the name fool you the enigmatic boogie man orchestra, stars of the flip side, are all about disco. the instrumental lady, lady, lady first appeared in dj sets in the summer of 75, the prime breakout year for disco, making its way from chicago all the way to clubs on both coasts despite having no national distribution. pre-dating the introduction of the 12-inch single, the song never saw release on the larger format, until now. krivit s edit takes advantage of the extended playing time by easing into the philly-style orchestral groove and letting it breath for a dramatic, building dancefloor moment.

mr. k gets jazzy on this new 12-inch from most excellent unlimited. the breakdown of the smooth r&b staple -street life- stands out with a steady four-on-the-floor pulse that contrasts with the funk backbeat of the verses. working exclusively with this portion, krivit teases out six-and-a-half slinky minutes of sophisticated groove, weaving percussion and vocalist randy crawford s ad-libs in and out of the mix in tantalizing fashion. as a dj, danny krivit is renowned for his willingness to throw a funky curveball into the mix, and for the b-side of this single he gives us a peek at one of his secret weapons. a year after yusef lateef released his hit version of -nubian lady- in 1972, pianist roy meriwether was at a small club in dayton, ohio with his trio and laid down a sprawling live take that covered the entire side of a album, including a bridge that pushed the languid tempo of the original to a sassy upbeat workout. mr. k s edit focuses on this section, leaving us with nine minutes of gritty, get-down funky jazz complete with thunderous drum break. whether working as a surefire party starter or a clever changeup, -nubian lady- is a dancer.

after the success of most excellent unlimited’s first dj tools collection, a new roster of dance floor masters has convened to open their bag of tricks. theres something for every mood on this eight- track ep, opening appropriately with the one-two disco punch of justin van der volgen’s energetic conga break high in nyc and legendary better days alum bruce forest’s anthemic “street break, with its instantly recognizable brass hook and percussion from brazilian maestro airto moreira. photays j train squeak break builds drama with a minimal afro texture while phil moffa goes the other way with a tribal four-on-the-floor stomper. the flip side continues the diverse directive, as devin dares opening segment demonstrates with a never-issued labelle live session. jex opolis crafts a clever sun palace-esque casio workout and downtown veterans whatever/whatever revisit a much- loved technopop beat before kza takes things out with fitness beats, a sweaty workout that runs through a dozen iconic disco breaks. once again, most excellent breaks, beats & loops lives up to its name with a high-quality collection that proudly extends the lineage of the classic new york city break compilation.

for the seventh in most excellent unlimiteds series of collaborations with danny krivit, the exalted editor reshapes two classics that regularly lit up the loft and the paradise garage. wars epic 1972 instrumental city country city drops its placid pastoral vibes in favor of a solely urban approach, trimmed from the lp version s ten minutes to a fighting weight of six. searing solos cresting over war s trademark latin funk make it plain why this has long been a foundation cut for deeper dancefloors. the flip sees mr. k showing off his skills at the edit block with a meticulous tightening of jakkis sun,sun, sun - the original record, a feel-good, warm weather mood- lifter, was notorious for awkward tape edits (now known to be the work of walter gibbons) that for years left djs frustrated as they attempted to achieve smooth blends in the face of shifting tempos and downbeats. krivit pulls the pieces of this larry levan favorite apart and reassembles them as only a veteran audio mechanic could do, giving the tune the logical musical arc it never had. while each of these tracks previously existed as singles, this is the first

toribio is cesar toribio, a dominican american living in brooklyn by way of tampa, florida. hes an alumni of berklees school of music, and recorded my dear in his college dorm room in 2011. its difficult for me to find the words to express how proud i am to be releasing out his first recorded works. especially in a physical form. the music is honest, vulnerable, and exposes parts of his personality that even those who are fortunate to know him, have never seen before. esa montana se movera contains 4 tracks – 3 original songs on side a, and a 10+ minute remix from joaquin joe claussell, a long admired hero of cesars, on the flip

most excellent unlimiteds series of 45s celebrating the 45th year of danny krivits career continues with a blast of two heavyweight cuts that, to borrow the parlance of the era from which they came, are bonafide sure shots. wood, brass & steels *funkanova* a jazz-funk masterpiece and loft classic that was liberally sampled in the house world (black science orchestra, terrence parker, the bucketheads), is pared down to its most joyous elements. from the intro, a typical krivit maestros detail of an opening bass slide prefacing hands-in-the-air cascades of iconic horns and keys, to the echo of the last notes, its a perfect edit immaculately tailored for dj usage. the flip delves deeper into new york city dance history with a rough and rugged beat- down of a proto-disco, b-boy classic: boobie knight & the universal ladys * sex*. displaying his usual knack of going straight for the jugular, krivit takes the songs siren-call-to-the-dance floor horn riff as his starting point, peeling off another layer to the floor-shaking bass and drums before bringing it all back to the top with a perfectly placed drum roll that will have flash disciples fiending for doubles. solidifying this blazing double-sider is the fact that neither of these essential cuts has ever appeared in seven-inch form. another most excellent unlimited sure shot!

most excellent unlimited is back with a homage to the primal roots of the dance floor, the disco break. this six-track, 12-inch ep gathers secret weapons from a diverse group of master re-editors who ve each provided their take on the venerable dj tool in the form of loops and grooves that will be welcome additions to the palettes of creative disc jocks everywhere. ranging from the minimal drum machine beats of daniel wang and alex from tokyo to the dramatic orchestration of tom noble s -samuel- and the whistle-laced afro disco of jacques renault (and a battle-ready acapella loop from danny krivit), most excellent breaks, beats & loops lives up to its name with a collection that pays respect to the lineage of the classic new york city edited break compilation.

niversally recognized as a founding father of the disco edit, danny krivit took cleverly spliced reworks from the realm of one-off private pressings and carefully guarded reel-to-reels and put them in the hands of any dj savvy enough to seek out the mr. k name. that single initial came to be an undisputed mark of quality, from sound and fidelity to usefulness on the decks. with this latest release, most excellent unlimited continues celebrating danny s 45th anniversary of djing with another 45-rpm pressing of two classic krivit edits, both appearing on 7-inch format for the first time. -happy song- takes a different tack, as danny focuses on a short percussion intro to the original mix—a soulful rock cut— and works it into a dj tool that thumpingly rattles the walls and uses successive crescendos to build tension and release, once again showing his mastery of the incendiary tribal build- up. although there is a notorious 12-inch edit of -happy song- in mono, this pressing is the first time the song has appeared on 7-inch and in stereo. -erucu- was originally released on a soundtrack lp in 1974, and, despite being barely more than a minute in length, quickly became an essential part of many club jocks sets. danny s edit is a textbook example of the art of extending a mix, as he takes tiny segments of the bass-heavy original and teases them into a building, energetic, five-minute banger. as always, this most excellent release will be pressed at the highest quality, and in limited quantities. throughout this landmark year of krivits auspicious career, look out for more in most excellent unlimited s series of sevens charting danny s trailblazing path through dance music, as well as special 45s-only sets mr. k will be adding to his already diverse repertoire.

january of 2016 will mark danny krivits 45th anniversary of djing. those decades have essentially spanned the entire arc of contemporary dance musics evolution and, as anyone whos heard him play will attest, danny does the same in his creative, far-reaching dj sets. what better way to mark a 45th anniversary than to release a 45rpm record? the latest offering from most excellent unlimited is a two-sided seven-inch that features danny touching up two percussive monsters that exemplify the down and dirty tribal vibe of the earliest, pre-disco dancefloors.

most excellent unlimited presents ghost guide, a deep listening session from osaka’s mori ra & dj ground aka oyama edit (??? edit). four psyched-out cuts edited from the duos obscure record collection, and overdubbed in their home studio, range from chilled cosmic disco jams to frantic psychedelic krautrock pieces that make for both a killer listening session, and head-turning tools for the discerning dance floor. vinyl only edition of 400 copies

following on the success of their first collaboration, edit king danny krivit and most excellent unlimited return with another eminently useful two-sider. krivits reputation hardly needs to be detailed–anyone who has the slightest interest in dance music and dj culture will undoubtedly have a quiver of his renowned edits ready to be deployed on discerning dance floors. both tracks have been mastered from dannys personal collection and pressed onto high-quality virgin vinyl in extremely limited quantities.

4-cut ep from new yorks engineer to the stars, phil moffa. his first solo effort arrives in the form of an impeccably produced strain of airy, melody-driven techno that doubles as dance-floor-destroyer. *elevation* comes with a set of bonus beats, and *eno-ugh* is coupled with a live reverb recital recorded in the concert hall at the conservatory of music at purchase college where moffa is a professor of studio production. limited to 400 copies, vinyl only.

in a world where the internet overflows with the bedroom edits of thousands of would-bes and never-haves, it is worth remembering that there was a time, not so very long ago, when the edit block was an exclusive territory that only true disciples could enter.

ma spaventi, a roman, now based in amsterdam, has been around for a minute, his trio r-a-g (with aroy dee and gijs poortman, a.k.a. gstring) has been recording refined, classicist house and techno on an all-analog kit since 2010. marked by tough drums, swirling pads, and a willingness to veer into pure, beatless ambient territory, their records are formally purist without scrimping on a sense of mystery. spaventis solo work so far has suggested that he may be the tough guy of the bunch.