phonica records welcomes spanish producer extraordinaire pional to it’s main label with the ‘xme / one night stand’ 12”. pional is miguel barros and the madrid based musician has been producing for over a decade. with a string of well received solo releases on hivern discs, permanent vacation, young turks and counter, remixing the likes of the xx, chairlift, the rapture, prins thomas and john talabot (who he also co-wrote the incredible ‘fin’ album ender ‘so will be now...’ with) as well as djing around the world, pional has been keeping very busy indeed. for his phonica release he has produced two versions of two very special tracks. on the a-side, ‘xme’ is a melancholic and uplifting electronic excursion with delicate flourishes of it’s synthesised melody becoming a real ear-worm throughout its six and a half minutes. the slower and more foreboding ‘quiet ceremony’ reinterpretation takes the same melody in a darker direction. on the other side, ‘one night stand’ is a bumping, stripped back and moody club track with ghostly vocals floating above metallic pads rising to a release of energy and emotion. the ‘slow drumapella’ lowers the tempo and alters the feel of the track, reducing its elements to a bare-bones drum track with the vocal, fx and pads eventually coming to the fore.

one of detroits true talents today, amp fiddler joins forces with grammy winner louie vega hitting you with some funk deep house on vega records. amp fiddler is the quintessential singer / musician who has played in the seminal band parliament with george clinton, and has had his own band for years now. louie has always wanted to work with amp since first meeting him at the montreaux jazz festival when amp and his band and elements of life were on the same bill on the worldwide stage. finally coming together, amp reaches out to louie for a remix and the result is a beautiful soulful song written and produced by amp fiddler. the remixes by louie vega combining deep house sounds with the funk synths played by axel tosca. there’s one version where amp did more lead vocal overdubs and adlibs, as well a funktified synth solo version which gets immediate response when played. the four versions on 12” vinyl lend itself to different moods and are sure to bring you a dancefloor or house party on fire!

an ardent heart is a focused techno mini album that brings forward stefan goldmann’s most dancefloor-centered material in a decade. the tracks push and pull relentlessly. despite their linear appeal, there is an intricately balanced interplay between the heavy-handed kicks, the bouncy bass accents and the sizzling, yet clear-cut details whipped up by the rallying drums. the peculiar, seemingly “vocalised” mode of synthesis is maybe the most unifying sonic characteristic of the six tracks and one coda. formant shaping, vowel filters and airstream perturbations let a wide range of sounding elements speak in the tongues of a cybernetic babylon. layered polymetric patterns perforate the aural plane with alien scripts. clearly structured, yet opaque messages that seem to have traveled for aeons emanate from the red-hot circuitry. they spill into a network of delays, channeled down into labyrinthine corridors, enveloped in electrostatic noise. most tracks build on chance patterns evoked with hardware sequencers and freeform modulation sources. the resulting synthetic systems are as cohesive as they exhibit vast internal variation and range. thus balancing simplicity and complexity right in the middle, the results are just as immediately gripping as they can feed sustained attention. a wide palette of distortion and overtones mark the contours of individual elements that seem to have near-physical qualities – as if there were metallic strings, thick membranes, a resonating sphere, all struck by electric mallets, caused to vibrate by mechanical bows and sung by silicone lips.

having produced a wealth of some of the most lovingly referential and consistent music of recent times, the tracks making up palta og ti på den tolvte Ø are slightly harder to pin down to exact genre markers. each song is busy yet never overcrowded with elements, building concise and playful grooves which if forced we would say positions them somewhere in the ambient space between jazzy-improv-house and dubby, hypnotic electronics. that s as absolute in adjectives as we would ever care to be... expertly crafted both technically and musically, we are more than excited to be able to present this to you as our fifth installment.

body sculptures is a contemporary project that brings together five unique voices in european experimental electronic music today. the formative element is the collaborative pact between sweden’s northern electronics and denmark’s posh isolation. last year marked both body sculptures debut live performance - a highly notorious set at berlin atonal festival 2015 - as well as their debut recording, “the base of all beauty is the body”. the disparate elements that have come to inform the project thus far are further refined and encoded in their new lp, “a body turns to eden”.

luv dancin’ is an absolutely essential record. the underground solution was one of the monikers for roger sanchez, one of the most prolific house music producers in the 90s. this 1990 anthem luv dancin is a nyc deep house benchmark. based on arthur russell’s disco classic is it all over my face and with elements of the bottle interspersed with a deep, rolling garage bassline, dreamy keys and pads, the “s” man crafted a timeless piece of dance music that still inspires today and is often imitated yet obviously never bettered! a side is the remix version featuring jasmine on vocals, while the b side is the sought after “in deep mix” from the original 12”. as with all our ny house classics, first time available on 7”.

maksim dark returns to his spiritual home of senso sounds - oliver huntemanns much touted imprint for his tougher, technoid leanings. maksim, born in serov, russia, has created an indelible impression over the course of his young career, and ‘movement is clearly the next step on his road to very great things. ‘attack disco is true to form - a lean, mean and tough to the bone piece of techno with a driving, powerful edge. growling, snarling synths sound like shards of metal ripping through the groove producing an intense vibe. ‘coordinate is a notch more reserved, but builds a killer, hypnotic groove through stripped back elements, before maksims off-kilter sound design provides the trippy topping. the title track ‘movement fits its name - the track bursts with energy and atmosphere, propelled by a thick, tactile rhythm and pitched down, demonic vocal by the man himself.

desroi debuts on avian. shifted s avian label returns to fore with a heady, five track offering from german producer, desroi. in keeping with the label s finely tuned aesthetic concerns, the music draws from a reduced palette – keeping the colours muted & the tone driven and direct, focusing instead on drawing out pleasing textures & subtle rhythmic anomalies via intricate use of delay and reverb, to arrive at a sweet spot between dance-floor potency & the more cerebral posits of the techno genre. tethered at the base by cavernous low end, heady drum machine programming drives the work – often married with a single warping synth motif shifting about the sonic periphery, modulated carefully across the course of the recording s run time to create both moments of heads down introspection & outright hysteria. like much of the best work on the label, the music has a diy quality that belies its complexity, but at the same time lends to its undoubted effectiveness. desroi s ability to harness the full force of such a limited collection of elements is testament to the producer s skill as an artist within the genre, creating a powerful sense of cohesion on his avian debut.

bror records and jens records proudly present a gothenburg-strong collaborative effort with brorx1/jens009. on the a-side jens records mainstay pontus björland delivers “limits” with love karlsson on industrialesque vocals. a raw, distorted machine workout with an acid undertone.
bror records curator dj lily ups the pace with an energetic remix of “limits”, making the most out of its original dystopian atmospheric elements, presented at a steady 132 bpm.
the b-side holds the undisclosed gothenburg duo quackpac with the deadly and stunningly executed late hour excursion “earthquack”, measuring in an impressive 16 minutes (hint: don’t miss the last minute).

we’ve always loved their records, but this time around there’s something maybe even more incredible - this instant classic vibe that rings out right from the very first note, as the voices of the singers trade back and forth, and blend - and the instrumentation follows suit with this subtle weaving of acoustic and electric elements. remastered reissue on 180 gram vinyl.

the first ep of the new born strictly street sounds is courtesy of the label honcho innocent soul.
a four-track ep made of disco elements with jackin and house influenced grooves. - vinyl only -

with a number of high profile releases already behind him for labels including the legendary xl recordings and dusky’s 17 steps imprint, hugo massien has carved a sound for himself that sees him bring together elements from house, techno, dubstep and hardcore, all combining force to produce this killer 4-track ep, running at the techno-friendly tempos of around 128bpm.
dj support from: shed, loefah, pinch & many more.

breaking into a new century, following last months 100th release on the label, ishan sound collaborates on 2 killer tracks with bristol-based hodge and alex hughes aka muttley.
‘c5’ refers to cold explosives and makes for a perfect title for this stark, cold rhythm. a circling melodic synth line sets a moody context before the floor drops out and an industrial strength sub drives things forward at 130bpm. deep, hard, dark, original. exceptional quality from ishan sound and hodge.
flip for a 140bpm excursion from ishan sound & muttley, melding elements of trap, grime and dubstep meticulously to form an engaging sonic that is both fuel for the dancefloor as well as providing introspective qualities for bass weight meditation. ‘still smoking’ sums it up appropriately.

the warsaw duo private press returns to the indigo aera imprint with four original mixes. its the second release in a series of three eps on indigo aera. on this new ep the polish duo perfectly shows their remarkable talent to mix a strong blend of dub and breakbeats together with 90s sounding house & techno elements. perfect mood setters for the summer festival season!

‘closer apart’ is the debut album by uk/south african duo okzharp and manthe ribane.
okzharp says ‘most of the music came out of headphone moments in hotel rooms, planes and airports in the brief periods of time that we spent together, mainly on tour, in paris and later vienna’, a city manthe describes as a ‘beautiful dream place’.
okzharp describes manthe as a ‘co-producer’, ‘she selected instrumental sketches and we developed them together, sometimes just keeping the bare bones or a melody or rhythm, or trying different elements or sounds.’

british born, berlin based singer songwriter, cameron james laing steps up for an outing on suara. the original, her , is an emotive and enchanting mixture of soulful vocals, acoustic guitars and swelling strings, beautifully produced and expertly executed. roman poncet then flips the original into a bumping, breaksy, glitched out roller, twisting and manipulating cameron s vocals to add a further dimension to the mix. on the b side prins thomas brings his trademark scandanavian touch to her edging the tempo up and anchoring the song to a dynamic bass, alongside echoing out elements of the guitar and strings to create a version that wouldn t be out of place on the balaeric islands. closing out the e.p. peter pardeike takes you back to the club, placing a rhythmic arp and weighty stabs behind a pounding kick and crisp hats, to provide a big room version of cameron s original.

a shimmering piece of gold - discos dorados is a 4 track va e.p. brought to our shores by the lovedancing adventurers. felipe gordon & vagabundo club social open up the e.p. marrying dreamy arps and luscious rhodes stabs, with tribal-esque chanting to create an exotic, bubbling groover. eddie c then ramps up the disco flavour with his stomp mix of the original introducing a phased upbeat hook and choice horn samples, isolating out elements before unleashing a killer keys solo over the top. flip it and sleazy mcqueen & vagabundo club social bring the heat with chips y salsoul , blending jazzy chords and echoed out trumpets evocative of a mexican fiesta after one too many tequilas. to close it out eddie c rides off into the sunset sampling a vocal dialogue that wouldn t be out of place on a moodymann record, alongside succulent strings and crisp percussion - reminiscent of the jazz infused, mpc laden house of the moomin s of this world.

time flies, doesn’t it? it sure does when you suddenly wake up to celebrate your 10th vinyl release as a small label, which is the case with us. but as we’re all about quality over quantity, our latest 12” offering comes with a superb collage of fresh music by the one and only radicall. having made his mark as one of the most consistent producers, known for his trademark combination of strong, dynamic drum programming and soft and booming basslines, radicall keeps on delivering top-quality music with each next release. and this 12” single is no exception to the said rule. the playful, happy-go-lucky “touch” is a bit of a nod to the old-school/rave/early jungle/footwork/you-name-it style given its complex drum pattern and an array of acid-style synthetic samples and tinges of vocal here and there, but sticking to modern-day standards nonetheless. the flipside comes with “build me up” remixed by bungle, who surely knows how to make good things just as good as they are, but yet a bit different. and here we have the brazilian powerhouse reshaping radicall’s work to make it a bit lighter and upbeat, but still retaining some elements of rawness mixed perfectly with traces of nostalgia. an excellent job, breathing a new life into the original piece - a darker-shaded straight-to-the-point roller, which you can get as a digital bonus added to the release. so here it is - the tenth vinyl item in our catalogue, featuring names you simply can’t go wrong with. what better way to celebrate the occasion?

with this debut ep, the ozzie producer succeeds in rounding up disparate & dubious elements together in a serious way without departing from a non-serious attitude - the record even rounds off with a very “put your hands in the air” moment with space gekko’s ravey sirens. “music to party on the river yarra to” (just google it).

after the celebrated metabolism lp from last year, sigha is back with an untitled 4-track cut for token84. after the celebrated metabolism lp from last year, sigha is back with a 4-track cut for token84. this untitled record remains understated, playing with variations on a theme whereby the similarities exist seemingly to illuminate the differences between the tracks. the relationship between circular and hum is reminiscent of sigha s 2016 new puritan flip on the earlier offering of puritan from 2012, with circular presenting a tight, meditative loop in high-mid frequencies while hum inhabits a similar space, only seemingly from a distance. if those two are close, measured and controlled, the other tracks on the record demonstrate more freedom and abandon. gliss is huge and heavy, while flare s sonic elements interact playfully and scatter as the piece progresses.

2017 saw the arrival of pin up club here at the bordello with a superb three tracker, friends of the vortex. now the dutch partnership are back. this time a quartet of tracks has been selected to produce the forever machine. the bold bars of friends of the vortex, the romantic rushes and soundtrack silhouettes are all present with new elements being introduced to further develop a truly unique style. breathy vocals and melancholy are countered by warm synthlines in the brooding -valis- before the lonesome -is there anybody out there?- blooms into a daringly bright work of disco dimensions. opening the flip is the title piece. smouldering, -the forever machine- burns with quivering chords that rise ever skyward on a column of tight rhythms as lyrics spiral ever upward. -a deepness in the sky- is a perfect illustration of pin up club s ability to transform burgeoning sombre sounds into tempered elation, rumbling strings and fragile percussion intermingling for a heady finale. welcome back to bordello a parigi guys, welcome back to pin up club.

the next release on crosstown rebels sees made by pete come together once again with vocalist jem cooke. returning to damian lazarus’ impressive imprint, made by pete invites diynamic label boss solomun and gruuv founders audiojack to take on remix duties. the original cut of so long opens up the ep. you are at once immersed in its trance-inducing elements, intensified by cooke’s powerfully sensual vocals. solomun shapes the title track into a grittier, industrial version whilst audiojack’s leans on the more percussive side, with ambient sounds and a prominent vocal hook. closing the ep is modify saturn, a track graced by tribal drums that beckon you to succumb to the groove. made by pete has been carving a name for himself in the dance music scene over the past thirteen years. he’s had releases on respected labels such as dftd, crosstown rebels and kerri chandler’s madtech records. his music has been supported by some of the scene’s most respected taste-makers from pete tong to joris voorn and eats everything to groove armada. jem cooke has lent her stunning vocal talent to some major musical players including cher, zero 7, kate simko, martin garrix and hot since 82.

the checkup & deeleegenz, legendary belgian production duo, are back with another instant house classic. with multiple traxsource #1 house releases on labels including peppermint jam, toolroom, defected, madhouse, simma black, large, and beef records, the checkup has made his mark with his signature sound that mixes soulful chicago house with uk garage elements. getting a dancefloor banger of a remix from johannes albert, label boss of frank music and co-founder of fine records, this ep is a true dj tool with each track being dance floor ready.

limited edition repress of the four owls’ second album on golden & silver coloured double vinyl.

limited edition repress of the four owls’ second album on red & blue coloured double vinyl.

we are happy to introduce a new release and a new project from ben vedren and chez damier, a new collaboration that has been in the making for some time now. side aa1 presents a unique sound in its vibe, kind of a minimal track. the french discussion/vocal in the background adds another dimension. you don t need to speak the language to understand what s going on, but you must wonder at some point: do i understand french or is it the music that made me understand them? an -organ- sound intervenes towards the end bringing power and light to the hall. it s eleven minutes of pure music! while -aa- is composed of two different remixes of a different track, -berlin nights in paris- it can probably be called the house anthem. it starts strong with some acid sound and is filled with a lot of wonderful elements. like a gourmet meal, you wonder if the track shouldn t have been at least three times longer to satisfy the gluttony of the listen. the techno remixes of the track. it s a perfect example of detroit meets house. techno track can, with no doubt, feed and drive the dance floor. no need for more than five words to describe it – it s a serious techno track.

balance records is happy to release -paul cut- while no stranger to the french scene paul is one of the up and coming dj/producers out of paris. this release finds it roots in jazz (chicago /paris?). a1 starts with some heavy beats, which later combined with the other elements can bring the madness to any dance floor. side , a2 brings another kind of madness which shakes you from inside like heated particles with its jazzy vibes. b2 heats you in a subtly way, when you expecting it the least with background sounds inspired from jazz. and once they suck you in you start to be driven by them, like being stuck in the waves. b1 will draw anyone inner energy with its piano. it s a great track to lead to the end of the night or even closing. for the love birds and the loners on the dance floor. b2 heats you in a subtly way when you expecting it the least with background sounds borrowed from jazz. and once they suck you in you start to be driven by them, like being stuck in the waves.

violet-the color of royalty and majesty, of dreamy and calming consciousness…here translated to a spirited collection of absolute music drivetrain (detroit, usa) – “breathe” derrick thompson engineers another captivating late night soul-bender. a commanding filtered bass groove, dominates melodic chord progressions with accentuating dynamic percussion and spicy vocal support mattimoe-perrine (toledo, usa) – “llucid” nathan mattimoe and todd perrine return with a composition of charismatic rhythm intelligence. as the journey builds, the elements become more intense, evolving to a vocal crescendo of synthesized deepness trecci (paris, france) – “sagami” soiree proudly welcomes trecci and his tribal inspired floor filler. drum manipulation integrates with vocal energy to ultimately dissolve in a hypnotic, quintessential string refrain funtom (zagreb, croatia) – “french connection” another newcomer to soiree, funtom musically animates the essence of high-tech sensuality. an alluring female voice subconsciously unveils a bed of infactuating pads, stabs and inflections

“he bleeds stories ep” is the first vinyl release on vraaa records, a techno label with the aim of queering-up the genre. both original tracks contains elements from projekt gestalten’s past original productions clashing with new sounds and being incorporated into a whole new context, like pieces of different stories scattered throughout the music and reconfigured into a brand new tale. each track was remixed by projects with contrasting gender identities: the heavyweight techno duo i/y, representing the masculine side and the fabulous german selector anja zaube, giving a feminine perspective. pressing on pink & black mixed vinyl.

support from dj s – hype, goldie, randall, calyx & teebee, marky and many others. *** symmetry is excited to present the first debut e.p. from vocalist and producer kyo. writing and creating the songs in her studio, kyo then developed the ideas of the e.p. further by teaming up with some of her favourite producers, break, total science, mikal and onemind. “who decides” is reminiscent of past break and kyo colab s such as “gave too much”, a soulful, punchy, uplifting and techy roller, weaved around a backdrop of floaty vocals and elevating pads. “murder tonight” with it s jungle backbone was the perfect choice for collaboration with total science. rare groove flavours and weighty bass, melded with cutting vocals and steppy old skool breaks, murder tonight has all the elements of a modern day jungle classic. “where i stand” brings jazzy liquid vibes to the e.p. leading mikal down a recently untrodden path of musical dnb was a fruitful excursion. this journey into a bittersweet and rhythmic production has created a deep and brooding song. “play to lose” is one for the headzy listener, with it s long atmospheric intro, abruptly cutting into a heavy and deep groove. morphed and echoed vocals combined with unsettling stabs, cinematic effects and trademark onemind engineering techniques, takes you on a voyage from beginning to end. released on a full artwork 12” vinyl.

following his recent release on the see double va, rising talent josh baker finds a home once again on luca cazal and brigante’s imprint with his explore ep. original fuse london resident rich nxt is also onboard to deliver an elevating remix. first supported by romanian master barac, title track explore is a surefire weapon for the dancefloor. jaxn’s breathy vocals effortlessly complement the peak-time bass and glistening hi-hats. on the b-side, rich nxt adds a funkier bassline and light keys for his rework of the title track. the ep closes with black lines, a more formidable number with baker employing darker elements into his production. the talented producer explains “ after receiving some exceptional vocals from jaxn, ‘explore’ wrote itself. i wanted to create a real peak-time song, one suited for all spaces and i’m happy to see it get consistently road-tested at dc10. ‘black lines’ is a moodier acid track that i feel compliments ‘explore’ massively.” since the tender age of 16, josh baker s passion and enthusiasm for house music has grown from strength to strength. the young manchester producer also curates his own successful night, you&me, which has since gone on to take place in leeds, newcastle and ibiza. his musical output has garnered support from big names such as apollonia, richy ahmed, ben rau and rich nxt

limited translucent blue coloured and black & white splattered vinyl.
a veteran producer from manchester formerly releasing music as deeperheightz, dylan blythin - now known as artilect, has developed a formidable style that combines classic drum and bass genre elements with propulsive, distinctive production touches. dylan made his artilect debut for samurai music with ‘ashen’ on our decade compilation. he now follows through with blurring the line, his first full release with the label. this ep serves as an audio cv for his current sonic repertoire. every track combines impeccable form with function and has seen these tunes featured in the sets of loxy, homemade weapons, clarity, presha, shiken hanzo, and the rupture radio sets with mantra and double o.

artefacts of rotation is asc at his experimental best. once again, the theme is one of deep space exploration, showing a natural progression from return of the emissary, and sitting somewhere between that and the recent album, astral projection. hypnotic drum programming, spiralling atmospheric elements, layers of sublime pads, plus the usual healthy dose of bass - it’s all here in abundance, ready for the listener to don their space suit and dive in head first.

beneath the still waters of lonely sound there lays the ruins of howland abbey, its 3000lb bell still hanging in the belfry, only swayed by the currents of the regular tides across the estuary, over 100 years since it was rang by the order of carthusian monks who lived in the nearby priory. at the turn of the last century during a heavy storm the abbey was plundered by an unknown gang of marauders, as they left on horseback carrying with them all the gold from the abbey the sea defences around lonely sound were breached, flooding the abbey, priory and the surrounding land, the monks ran for dry land as they watched their beloved bell tower disappear beneath the rising waters, unable to chase the thieves, cut off as the water rose around them. some locals say these ransackers were in league with the elements, some say they had just intentionally damaged the sea defences before making their raid. local folk-law claims that the morning bells of the abbey can be heard ring out from beneath the murky waters of the sound every year on the anniversary of the great storm, ringing the peel that was never rung.

after releasing in labels such as offworldcolonies, undveld brings to order&devotion an obscure journey through far landscapes. the beginning of the trip starts with two cuts starred by hypnotic beats, tense pads and abstract synths. following this, on the b side you’ll find a strong remix by label’s honcho kwartz, adding heavy industrialized elements to the lithuanian artist work. the journey ends with an ambient excerpt.

the shortest connection between the past and the future leads through the music of boston 168. drawing inspiration from both classic and contemporary approaches to the acid techno sound, early nineties rave culture and the throbbing pulse of the now, sergio pace and vincenzo ferramosca have carved out a niche for themselves which over the past four years has become a musical microcosm of its own. having released a slew of records on such labels as involve, attic, odd even and dustin zahn s enemy, the italian duo now presents its most cohesive musical statement thus far on ellen allien s bpitch. on the three tracks of »drops in heaven«, boston 168 seamlessly mold together lysergic acid lines with elements of nineties ambient techno and a rhythmic groundwork that is as thrilling as it is intricate. »cosmic tribe« translates its idea of universal togetherness into a nerve-wrecking groove punctuated by complex percussion work and a subtly building acid line, while »drops in heaven« uses a booming kick drum as base for an emotionally driven exploration of sonic textures. the psychedelic »straight to light« nods to nineties pioneers like emmanuel top, showcasing ferramosca and pace s talent for creating musical depth by ingeniously bringing together a few select elements to greater effect. these are tracks that relentlessly head towards the unknown final frontier of what techno can sound like in 2018, while not in the least neglecting the rich tradition that they draw from.

montreal’s minimal techno veteran pheek offers up a milestone vinyl release for the onset of this spring season. lumo ep offers four vibrant dance-floor compositions, each delving into its own labyrinthine mindscape, leaving no stones unturned in an ethereal garden of listening. lumo invites us into exotic, sprawling atmospheres- crafted with excessive care and the unmistakable studio-finesse that pheek has become known for. lovers of drums will be assured troves of bass-heavy, broken-beats and skittering, jazz-infused patterns which delicately tease and tantalize as they appear and flicker out. seasoned prowess in sound-design allows pheek to convey eerie, forgotten landscapes with periodic, lushly rising elements to bath the listener in unexpected lightness and thrilling serenity. lumo will surely tantalize even seasoned listeners as it melts heavily saturated layers of depth over unexpected arrangements. the result is a stunning interaction at the crossroads of minimal house and techno, nudging the listener toward sturdy grooves while simultaneously introducing new pathways on the way to ever-increasing depth.

get down edits return with a 3 track ep of latin inspired edits just in time for the summer. festival (just beginning) kicks things off with an exotic disco edit complete with killer horns, sultry stings and that maraca flavoured feeling tied together with an uplifting vocal hook. the a2 two man sound combines an instantly catchy bass and infectious guitar lick combo with summery brazilian lyrics and jazzy rhodes perfect for the imminent festival circuit. festival drums rounds off the e.p. striping back all the melodic elements from the original to offer up a fusion of maracas, cowbells, congas and guiros to unleash a south american styled drum tool perfect to add a little zest to any mix.

following the success of joey negros produced with love album, four of the album cuts get the remix treatment from an all-star cast of producers each with their own particular flavor. kicking it off chicago legend ron trent takes the original funked out, arthur russell flavoured, distorting space time and turns it into a deep house groover complete with a strong walking bass alongside adding a soul & richness to the elements that only he knows how. crackazat step up next to take on lactican boogie crafting it into an uptempo piano driven, emotionally charged stomper sure to do some damage this summer. flip it over and lay-far delve into in search of the dream adding squelchy synth stabs and a deep bass to give a more hard hitting edge to the track whilst retaining that disco flavor with angela johnsons emotive vocals. closing out the ep fouk come full circle, bringing their hazy, jazz tinged style to distorting space time building the remix around those warm rhodes chords, shuffling rhythm and dynamic bassline. gold once again from the z records camp!

dutch live-act and dj duo artefakt return to delsin records with an intricately produced three track release entitled falling into the light. artefakt began releasing music together in 2012 and now boast a discography spanning field records, konstrukt and deep sound channel, not to mention regular appearances on delsin where their debut album entitled kinship dropped in 2017. returning to delsin, the pairs next outing once again demonstrates their ever-evolving sound and is an exciting precursor for the launch of their own label later this year. rolling drums open the release in the blue hour as murky synths join hazy atmospherics, making way for weltformel with its racing syncopated percussion and ethereal pads that ebb and flow throughout the mix. finally, falling into the light combines springy kicks with crystalline melodies, metallic elements and rattling effects to conclude a mesmerising release.

sharif laffrey can charm the snake out of any basket. this is his first offering for the esp institute. side as tangier is a long drawn-out exercise, an endurance test of the highest order. over the span of some thirteen minutes, elements bob and weave intermittently and layers overlap haphazardly the type of exciting dynamic that s born out of restrictio as if putting down a live jam without enough hands to work the console, yet sharif perseveres. as touch and go as this arrangement may be, there is something that undoubtedly glues it all in place the combination of his massive rolling 16th-note bassline and his tough-as-nails drumkit is so good that, upon first listen, we spat out our tea and insisted on its release. on side b, everything is nice carries on with loose arrangement, dirty production and layers of inexplicable spoken word samples (a sharif calling card by now) but this time we re lead to a melancholy place, the blue comedown to side as antagonistic trial. with his esp institute debut, sharif leaves you mentally unhinged, as if youve smoked something interesting and arrived bewildered in some saharan labyrinth. these two songs will guide you through the medina to score the black meat.

as a dutch label, were proud supporters of the homegrown sounds of guys like nachtbraker, frits wentink and fouk. adding another dutchie to our list of exquisite producers, we present you pitto with his debut on heist recordings. pitto is a musically omnipotent creature, venturing into deep house with the underground hit richklap on wolfskuil back in 2012 and dreamy electronic pop with his album breaking up the static on sonar kollektiv and virgin. he has also moved beyond producing his own music, running studio stekker, a dutch music festival that focused on freeform creative interactions between musicians where the artists performing on the festival locked themselves up a week in advance in kytopia (colin benders synth paradise) to make new music together. through this, hes worked with people like kyteman, matthew johnson, sebastian mullaert and colin de la plante, better known as ‘the mole, who is also present on pittos heist debut with a remix. the ‘late night studio moves ep is one of varied styles, where pittos inspiration from african music, jazzy and soulful samples becomes evident. he finds his ‘funk in repetition, clever sample combinations and combining electronic and live elements in the most organic way. ‘late night studio moves finds its basic groove in an african percussive loop.

the mighty man power returns to correspondant. one of the earliest labels to champion his explorative technoid landscapes, and deliver his debut album, the mexico based composer makes a welcome return with three truly singular trips… ‘the zen of xen comes in two segued parts, comprising almost 13 minutes of full intergalactic immersion. laced with the alluring deep-dream vocals of tel avivs xen, anchored with tripped-out humanized harmonics and weaved with soaring pads, its a genuinely emotional narrative thats been cooking away on man powers creative wishlist since he first met xen at a show five years ago. elsewhere ‘heart for yes, life for no will have you spitting rainbow emojis all night. an incredible piece of vibrant melodic techno rooted in synthesis, galvanized with emotive layers, driven by feels it sets us up perfectly for the fantastical finale ‘hubris. cosmic, soft-focused, sparkling but topped with a choral chant that comes in from nowhere and arrests every sense as the elements rise and fuse with theatre. by far one of man powers most techno-focused and biggest records to date.

&#8203,,,re-issue of hard-to-find 1971 jazz album, originally recorded and released in finland. fascinating fusion of modern jazz and elements of caribbean music, african roots and pan. quintet featuring rudy smith from trinidad & tobago, plus musicians from barbados, surinam, and ghana. tip! lars samuelson, a jazz trumpet player and producer in sweden who heard this quite unique quintet, was captivated by their concept and sound, and asked them to record an album. otinku, the resulting album, was recorded in stockholm in 1971, produced by samuelson, and originally released on the odeon label, a subsidiary of emi finland. with an afro-jazz/caribbean orientation, the selections are a rich mixture of jazz standards and original compositions, including recently re-discovered killer funk tunes otinku and sugar daddy, and a fine steel jazz version of bags groove. the album was their only release and is now a sought after item for steel pan/caribbean music fans and vinyl diggers.

p.e.a.r.l. returns home with this brand new ep, after some exquisite releases in his very own falling ethics label it’s time for a new adventure in our label. sergio’s sound has a distinctive raw and dry appeal, focusing in sound sculpture and direct grooves, always pushing the edge of his equipment, using just the necessary elements, away from saturation and trendiness.

martyn releases new album voids, his first for ostgut ton over the past year, dutch-born, washington d.c.-based producer martyn has undergone a metamorphosis – one that began with a medical emergency and has dovetailed into personal musical transformation. having narrowly avoided death after suffering a heart attack, martyn reentered his studio and began a process of reassessing the elements that drive him to make music: sampling, unpredictability, melancholy, sci-fi, polyrhythms, texture, ecstatic moments, detroit, interlocking percussion and bass. however, the initial spark to start producing again came through his experience listening to max roach’s 1979 ensemble percussion album m’boom.

in a greek mythology, the river styx is the connection to the underworld, but also one of the few river goddesses. according to the myth, the river styx represents the border between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. the souls of the dead hoping at the riverbank to crossing into the underworld so as not to remain there forever.
the second release of the label unterland defines the stygian sound with its mystic and underworldly tone. additionally, the artwork underlines the musically interpretation also in a visual way. the image was created by talented photo artists salar kheradpejouh. his identity thrives on cinematic vision and matches perfectly to interpret the stygian sound artistically.
unterland 02 is a various artists ep by monoloc and jonas landwehr. with his dark production the young artist gained the attention of monoloc already 1.5 years ago, who then started to followed him closely as an artists as well as his creations. for monoloc it was clear that he wants to publish jonas’ music on his new arising label. jonas landwehr delivers three melancholic dub techno production, which are mostly influenced by his stay in the taiwanese capital taipeh.
monoloc continues to determine the stygian sound with three further productions. strong atmospheric plains, which are characterized by various cinematic sound elements.

oertmek comes back round, presenting another vinyl only pressing of three invaluable edits of vintage turkish funk, rock and disco delicacies. following the raw, percussive experiments of the first release. opening track Özil dans rains down crashing cymbals and freak-out-worthy wah guitars, maintaining an irresistible and authentic groove that doesnt falter for five minutes of eurasian hypnosis. dokuz sekiz weaves traditional string elements alongside bursts of wild chanting. finally, mozart in davul stitches a frantic, dense rhythm from the fuzz and feedback of an unknown slab of turkish psychedelia

front left records founder elad magdasi is next to appear on sinfols anagram label with four stirring cuts entitled liquid dreams this june. originally hailing from tel aviv, magdasi moved to berlin in 2013 where he has immersed himself in the scene whilst honing his craft in the studio. primarily a platform for his own productions, he launched front left records in 2015 and later debuted on anagrams phasing faces va in 2017 alongside anetha, d?vide and sinfol. he now returns to the label with a four track release of his own. liquid dreams opens the release with a mesmerizing spoken word sample, twinkling melodies and layered atmospherics whilst sporadic hats rattle throughout. thudding kicks, escalating synths and quivering bass then combine together in water damage before moving into the mesmerizing silver lights, which conjures up an otherworldly aesthetic courtesy of arpeggiated notes and crashing cymbals. lastly, never let go exhibits a cacophony of elements such as crystalline chords and a meandering bassline that generate a heightening suspense from start to finish.