miguel campbell is a burgeoning young star that shot to notoriety in 2011 after something special, his debut release on hot creations became one of the biggest tracks of the year.

limited nice price action !!! bpitchs ellen allien and watergate release the mix cd of the new year, following up to sebo k and sascha funke...

ben klock zeigt auf no. 66 ein schonungsloses insider-set, wie eine entdeckungsreise. statt der hits waehlt er raritaeten und unveroeffentlichte tracks wie zb. von staffan linzatti, sagat, k-hand und dj bone werden kombiniert mit oldskool-favoriten von josh wink, robert hood (aka floorplan), luke slater (aka planetary assault systems), dvs1 und technasia, die wirklich nur ein langjaehriger trainspotter kennen kann. dazwischen mischt er den uk dubstep-helden burial, brandneues material von mathew jonson, sigg gonzalez und sagat, eigene produktionen, edits und reworks, sowie neue cuts seines labels klockworks. ein fantastischer mixtrip von au§ergewoehnlicher und kompromissloser qualitaet!

its just a year since the release of grey fades to green, and we are now talking about oscar muleros new album: black propaganda.

two door cinema club! 2 disc deluxe edition! includes brixton academy live disc!

summer is here and so are we with a tasty mini mix to whet your appetite for this years enormous ibiza season. the hed kandi samplers are extremely popular across uk and globally, edited into a bite size-collection of highlights from our latest upcoming albums and singles. we return with our world famous summer sampler, a taste of kandi: summer 2012, handpicked for you. this release is a deliciously stylish selection of goodness sampling a host of kandi flavours. this uplifting single cd mix features hed kandi favourites by a-list producers including mark knight, chris kaeser, stonebridge, crazibiza, sandy b, richard grey, reza & k-klass, my digital enemy and dirty freek to name a few. hed kandi presents a custom made mix for the sunshine and showcases a sunlit spectrum of music to enjoy any time of the year

after five years of its highly successful existence, after founding its sister-label 2diy4, after opening its own club ego in hamburg, after sending its artists all around the globe and after having brought more than 50 releases into this world - itÕs time to celebrate diynamicÕs fifth birthday! and this charity-compilation is diynamicÕs gift for all of you. all benefits of this compilation will be donated to kinderhospiz sternenbrŸcke, an organization that accompanies terminally ill children in the last time of their lifes. the kinderhospiz is hamburg-based and currently collecting for a room for music-therapy. the sampler is splitted into two cds, one to show diynamicÕs current sound and one to cross the borders of house-music, to refresh diynamicÕs greatest hits. in five years diynamic has become a big family and of course each member has to be part of diynamicÕs fifth birthday compilation. solomun, stimming, david august, h.o.s.h., uner, ost & kjex, dj phono, adriat

with summer around the corner, hundreds of thousands of music lovers have begun preparing themselves for the start of the festival season. the continuously increasing presence of dance music in the charts means that this year, djs are filling more headline slots than ever and appealing to a more commercial, mainstream audience, festivals such as creamfields, global gathering, sw4, coachella, ultra music fesitval and tomorrowland are still going strong and are increasingly being seen as essential summer festivals.clubbers guide is one of ministry of sounds most iconic brands and clubbers guide to festivals 2012!

>the evolution of afrobeat< - tony allen jungle by night drops their first full studio album on kindred spirits. hidden is the first full studio album from this group of dutch lads, who retain their youthful exuberance and innocent energy, and delve deeper into their own sound. moving slightly away from the afro-beat blueprint that characterized last years self-titled debut lp, the nine-piece have added gamelan tones and studio effects to their afro-funk template, as well as exploring other parts of africa like malis desert soul and djembe rhythms from senegal. after two years of playing, and having performed over 80 gigs last year, the group have settled in their own rhythm, and hidden sees them trying out new ideas and forms.

1 year of total dedication brings forth this massive musical masterpiece... ranging from 155 to 178 bpm with pure energy from the first till the last kickdrumÉ melody meets rawness, instruments & choirs meet mesmerizing leads and kicks.... with brand new tracks like train of thought, automation, ipnotik generation (vs. dj d) and love sucker (feat. mc tha watcher). containing remixes by none other then hellsystem, t-junction & rudeboy, distorted revelation, miosa, rayden & juanma and last but not least hardcore heavyweight angerfist who remixed one of the most well known nitrogenetics tracks: pledge of resistance.... the album is completed by all the best tracks from the past 2 years like: state of the art, the experience and no heroes.

dj w!ld is the french music maestro infamous for his dc10 residency and tireless work ethic. after his debut album last year, he now releases the superb d!rty on radio slaves cabin fever imprint.dj w!lds second album is a heady concoction of late night jacking cuts, interspersed with a clever use of sampling Ð infused with hip-hop attitude and vintage house. dirty is true of its namesake, a sensual journey that explores the primal instincts finely balancing male and female vocals with sonic vignettes and storming house numbers. it works as a perfect journey through w!lds sonic landscape of underground paris and beyond. dirty evokes the esteemed house sounds of dj sneak, chez damier, kerri chandler and hector moralez whilst pushing this sound further through his unique european experience and interpretation. dj w!lds album fit perfectsly on cabin fever with its famed reputation for upfront cutting edge house with a nod to the past. a perfect album for summer fun

rough trade shops annual report on the music that passed over the shops counters during 2011 has arrived in the form of a double cd, comprising of 42 tracks and full colour sleevenotes entitled rough trade shops:counter culture 11. the tracks chosen were either a favourite with our customers, a big seller on the shop floor or a recommendation by a member of the rough trade staff.the top ten of the rough trade shops annual chart features heavily as you would expect and this year we have tracks from josh t. pearson, kurt vile, nicolas jaar, zomby, veronica falls, john maus, white hills and the head and the heart from that list, giving you an idea of the diverse range of styles present.the collection begins with a set of ten beautifully crafted works from pearson, vile and the head and the heart alongside mara carlyle, lanterns on the lake, the decemberists, drive-by truckers, king creosote & jon hopkins, richmond fontaine and still corners.

following a busy year of stylistically varied releases under various guises on his own magic + dreams label, ralph cumbers delivers his first long-player for punch drunk. with a title lifted from the lysergic prose of a brian aldiss novel and grooves informed by the loopier, more martian aspects of chi-town jack and detroit techno-soul, reeling skullways marks a subtle, but highly alluring development in the evolution of cumbers primary recording project.

hot 2 cd compilation incl. armin van buuren, marcus schulz, dash berlin, emma hewitt, orjan nilsen, aly & fila, sied van riel, w&w

for serious music fans, sxsw in austin is close to heaven on earth. non-stop music of all sorts, plenty of beer & bbq, and for those of us in colder climates, a chance to enjoy some mild weather before spring is fully underway. this year, as a part of our celebration of 27 years of !k7 well be kicking the festivities off with dj sets from two of the recent stars of dj-kicks, photek & apparat.the party will be free and wont require a badge, so come one come all. in addition to the headliners, we also have a several special guests lined up, including artists who appear on photeks mix. were looking forward to starting the week of music off on the right foot with all our friends, and hope to see you there!

fedde le grand (put your hands up for detroit / let me think about it) returns to host this year sensation festival in its home: amsterdam. this year, sensation presents to you innerspace - the world within.this is the 2 cd compilation with all the tracks & hits of the festival incl. rene amesz, umek, david august, fedde le gand, uner and many more

the series, respected as one of the most popular yet credible dubstep compilations is back with an album to define the sound of 2011. an upfront and up to date selection brings forth 40 of this year s freshest tunes including five exclusive, unreleased tracks, and blazing remixes such as trolley snatcha s chase & status remix, excision & datsik and distance.

cementing a year that saw a string of sublime stellar releases from mario & vidis, the dynamic force give house music a new accessible heartbeat with their album changed, set for release next spring. mario & vidis title their debut artist album after their future classic anthem, changed,an apt advocate to the new age slow house sound they have mastered and unmask themselves as purveyors of a hive of activity in their lithuanian home. spanning two discs and twenty tracks they cover much musical terrain, striding through epic soundscapes, hypnotic pop melodies, wandering into pure soul and running away with the finesse of raw house music on the second disc.changed opens with the atmosphere heavy introducing to you, lightly tickling the senses.

this year hard style event promoter b2s is organizing a new edition of hard bass. the 4th edition of this huge and already sold out event will take on saturday the 11th of february at the gelredome stadium. on this night it s all about hardstyle and again b2s divides the party over 4 areas yellow, red, green and blue and selected sixteen of the best djs and acts. the 4 headliners of the different areas are also mixing and compiling the cd s and this year we selected the best of the best with: the pitcher, luna, frontliner and chris one. expect a lot of new and exclusive material which is a perfect reflection of what sounds hard bass is all about. a great start to the new year with this 4cd must have compilation!

please allow us the pleasure of introducing axel willner s loops of your heart. hailing from sweden, the man behind this record alone needs no introduction, as he is already well known in the electronic music scene for his project the field. loops of your heart reflects axel¼s experience in germany, where during his lengthy stays, his mantra-like arpeggiators contributed to the first manifestation of the sound of cologne tape, a group that formed while he was staying there. you can also hear this on the much sought after debut render, which came out on magazine last year. only a foreshadow for what was to about to come, willner has been living in berlin and letting his creativity go crazy. with an arsenal of special synthesizers and guitars he has put together and never ending nights . after touring worldwide with the field for the last 10 years, and never ending nights is like coming home again. you can hear german children speaking outside his studio in berlin (on the track neukšlln ) and it is not only the track titles which tell of things that have come to an end and or are about to happen. the old german musical tradition of letting yourself go (holger czukay, you, anima, cluster, you name it) is in the air, and willner breathes it. his highly personal approach to music and composition leads to nothing less then a matchless album that embodies beginning anew

even after more than 30 years of living the lifestyle of electronic dance music, techno is still sometimes looking for a matching form and sound language to transfer the special thrill of a live event to a club night adequately. so, sven vŠth and his crew were even more excited about the live set of eric estornell aka maetrik at cocoons closing party at amnesia / ibiza this year. for the final of a season that was once again exploring the limits of party culture, maetrik celebrated an extraordinary energetic state of emergency for more than one hour. the resulting live cd is reflecting that matchless mixture of pumping deep house, energetic soul and adrenaline-enriched noise.

cream ibiza needs little introduction as one of ibiza s biggest nights for over 17 years, bringing the world s biggest djs to millions of clubbers. this year is no exception with heaps of talent lined up, not least laidback luke with his high adrenalin super you&me, super hero themed, fancy dress parties, sure to create a massive new buzz for ibiza. cream ibiza laidback luke super you&me perfectly captures the new sound of cream ibiza and if you canÕt visit the white isle this summer then this album is a must-have for your cd player...

every summer, a migration takes place that puts mecca to shame. a small island, just of the coast of spain, is the destination of a frenzied crowd of party pilgrims from all over the world. the balearic sounds of ibiza have set the tone for the worldwide dance community for decades and its sizzling club-scene knows no equal. this popular party island isn t just the breeding ground for global summer hits, it also sets the trends for the european clubbin season. after a soothing warm up with one of the warmest springs in recorded history, it s time for the big league. big & dirty house sounds ibiza 2011 is the perfect soundtrack for the hottest season of the year. get yourself a hammock, a tropical cocktail and close your eyes and imagine the perfect ibiza beach club. sun, sea, beaches, blue skies and more images of summer will pass you by while listening to this joyful double album, expertly mixed by mell tierra & essential grooves, two of holland s fastest rising stars in house.

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.

justice, the french duo formed by gaspard auge and xavier de rosnay, is the band of a whole generation. when the two friends were still bright students in graphic design, in 2003 they made justice a place to experiment a hybrid genre between music and image, which blends pop and electronic borders, and showcases the talents of 2 fascinating passionate pop culture craftsmen, bored with hierarchy. they met pedro winter who had just founded his label ed banger records, he immediately signs them after listening to >we are your friends< which, with its joyful and vitamin-enriched electro beats combined with exhilarating voices, became the hymn of a whole generation and one of the most important tracks of the year 2000, celebrating a reconciliation of pop music and the dancefloor.

in 2009 the flamingo records crew compilation captured the white isle s club-juice in ibiza and 12 months later set their sights on the big apple for a new york chapter. now, with the city s musical mercury at sky-high levels, they ve returned flamingo nights to their home streets for the amsterdam edition. this year flamingo honchos funkerman and fedde le grand have ceded the mix controls to label lieutenants nicky romero and deniz koyu - two of central europe s fastest on-the-rise spin-masters.

for toro y mois chaz bundick, 2011 has seen the release of his acclaimed sophomore album, underneath the pine, remix work for tyler, the creator, a split 7 inch with cloud nothings, and a steady stream of international tour dates. just over halfway through whats already been a busy year, the prolific producer has a brand new batch of lavishly funky material to offer. bundicks latest is no sloppily assembled bunch of pine session throwaways. the freaking out ep was put to tape in june during a period of touring quiescence. the release finds bundick reveling in twenty minutes of boogie, roping in the heavy sounds of groups like the gap band and mtume. while the first two tracks are modern takes on the 80s post-disco vibe, -sweet- sounds like the product of a todd edwards and teddy riley collaboration, with smooth synths weaving in and out of meticulously chopped and arranged vocal samples. the new jack influence spills over into the cover of cherrelle and alexander oneills -saturday love-, in which a swingbeat carries along fluttering piano lines steeped in delay. the eps crown jewel, -i can get love-, sees bundick assimilating styles of each of his to-date releases, with the synthesized funk of causers of this, the irresistible hooks of pine, and dance alias les sins penchant for filter effects and house beats. full of energy and crafted with a conciseness that begs repeated listens, freaking out is toro y mois most concentrated venture into pure dance floor hedonism.

for the first time in 30 years throbbing gristle are now back on their own original industrial records label. to mark the occasion we are pleased to announce the rerelease of tgs first five albums on vinyl & cd. each album has been restored and remastered specifically for each format by chris carter from 24bit baked tape digital transfers of the original first generation analogue master tapes. each of the cd special-editions are presented in a gatefold sleeve featuring restored and remastered cover artworks and an integrated 8-page booklet (the booklets feature different artworks and content to the vinyl editions). while the cd releases feature the same track count and running order as the vinyl editions each cd special-edition also includes an exclusive bonus cd containing content from the year of the albums original release. this additional content includes tg live tracks and remastered singles. the greatest hits cd special-edition also includes two previously unreleased throbbing gristle mixes from the 1980s.

we have the pleasure to present one of the most awaited album this year!ladies and gentelmen - switch technique - altered. after more than a decade with handfuls of releases and hundreds of hours spent on perfecting his standout sound there has come a time for his fascination of hardcore to take him to a whole new level of music production. switch technique has created a new unique and completely fresh production standard defined by combination hardcore and drumandbass. simultaneously, hes pushing his ideas of regular drumandbass which he loves to interpret and translate into hard oriented techstep and darkstep.

ralph myerz is with no doubt one of the most active music personas of the norwegian music scene. it was the year of 1997 when ralph asked for people to play percussion with him during a party in bergen, norway. the jack herren band showed up through a combination of mutual contacts and high-school friendship. supposedly a one-time-event, they had so much fun playing together that they decided to form a band, and ralph myerz & the jack herren band was formed. the band released a 7inch and a 12inch on the telle records that were followed by great reviews from magazines and dj around europe, including dimitri from paris who included the track nikita on one of his playboy mansion compilations.

mysteryland takes place saturday august 27th at the beautiful fields from floriade. with a total of 18 areas mysteryland can be considered as the largest dance festival in the netherlands. the mother of all dance festivals is still leading after more than seventeen years! this mixed double album gives a good reflection of the music and line-up of this year s edition. where cd1 contains the more popular dance styles, big name artists and club hits, cd2 takes you to the more underground and edgy side of the festival. so whatever your taste is , this mixed compilation gives you a little piece of mysteryland 2011 not to forget.

this latest release by the ever impressive trunk records consists of two jazz recordings from 1964. the first four tracks, credited to west indian trumpeter shake keane, are taken from an unreleased acetate belonging to garricks private collection. the final four tracks consist of the shake keane & michael garrick quartettes a case of jazz ep that had a limited pressing of just 99 copies. much like trunks earlier michael garrick release moonscape (which was recorded in the same year), this is indeed obscure 1960s uk jazz. the first four cuts from the untitled acetate are very much jazz of the bossa nova variety. the hastings girls choir feature on the first two tracks and their lush vocals add a cool exotic vibe. tracks 3 & 4 are taken from the flipside of the acetate and were recorded with the gordon langford orchestra. the final four tracks from the a case of jazz ep are freer flowing and keanes trumpeting accompanied by garricks piano makes for some quality early modern british jazz. moody album closer regrets is a stunner and best showcases how well they both compliment each other.

2011 sophomore release from the east london quintet formerly known as dark captain light captain. the band released their debut full-length miracle kicker in 2008 to critical praise across the board. the album spawned a surprise hit stateside with -jealous enemies- and catapulted dark captain all around europe and the uk, where they gleefully shared stages with the likes of sophia, 65daysofstatic, tunng and laetita sadier (stereolab). late last year, the band disembarked the relentless carousel of budget flights, punctual soundchecks and questionable service station snack food to record their follow-up. dead legs & alibis is the shimmering, restless result of these endeavors.

one of the most referenced producers of the last year and one of the most influential producers on the scene: mk aka marc kinchen presents a sublime collection of his work, much of which has been previously unavailable digitally, on this latest volume in the house masters series. during the halcyon period of house music in the early 90s, marc kinchen became one of the genres most respected producers and in-demand remixers. starting out at an incredibly young age in detroit as a protŽgŽ of techno god kevin saunderson before later moving to new york, he fast became a prolific figure in the dance music community. here twenty of his most influential of recordings are collected and made available completely unedited, unmixed and dj friendly for the very first time. this package includes 9 tracks that have never been made available digitally.

jailbreak at the zoo! totebagz is the collaboration between two of melbournes most daring minds, jerky perky aka misha hallenbach (perks and mini, bamboo musik) and the most excellent surfer/dj biscuit (moonrocks). when theyre not cycling the unknown regions, foraging the bush for >special< funghi or surfing the 50-year storm, theyre oozing tweaked cardboard box techno. on this limited edition disc, the totebagz pile blankets of synth upon deep-fried circuitry upon drum machines that have a mind of their own. to say they take you for a ride would be an understatement. this is what it sounds like when gremlins shack up inside your mixer.

tiga and zombie nation have joined forces to create the most potent dance record of the year. apocalyptic tension. panic-fueled fundowns. 2012 is approaching. the heat is now - partys over earth! having both rocked remarkably long and prolific careers, the members of zzt possess uncanny staying power in an industry where hype ends faster than it begins. zombie nations production credentials are impeccable, and his reputation as a live performer has made him a permanent fixture on europes main stages.

unmixed cd album !!! over the past six years, parker has worked with labels like ovum, tsuba and crosstown rebels, but his debut lp will see release on nic fanciulis saved records. a gun for hire features 11 new productions from the english producer, including a collaboration with dan beaumont. parker spent a year in the studio working on the album just after his move across the channel to berlin, whilst also maintaining his relationship with rekids, namely through the labels residency at panorama bar. the result is a conflation of different strands of house music, with hints of london and berlin as well as chicago, detroit and new york.

raise the curtain once more on a very special orchestral performance. how could highgrade records better celebrate its 100th release than with twelve tracks from the highgrade disharmonic orchestra? the creative combo featuring both label bosses tom clark and todd bodine, alongside philip bader, daniel dreier and dale, began over a year ago with the intention of celebrating the tenth birthday of the berlin label. and the resulting gift: a musical experiment. the five artists have bundled their creativity together into a symphony unparalleled in the techno scene. every performance is like a jam session: all five laptops are interconnected, so each of the artists has the opportunity to react to the others and modify each track as desired. thus, new arrangements are created and constantly re-interpreted. drum machines and synthesizers are also in play, to further stretch the improvisational possibilities. no wonder then, that the 100th release follows in this creative vein. the highgrade disharmonic orchestra, with multilayer, kiddnaps us away into vastly different musical worlds: from deep influences and custom recorded vocals to an array of technoid sounds and effects. then back to groovy, swinging beats reminiscent of a balmy summer evening on the beach. therefore the record is something of a rollercoaster ride, where we never know what might be waiting behind the next curve. typically highgrade

walls alessio natalizia and sam willis dont deal in perfect wholes. the kompakt duo return swiftly on the back of 2010 s critically lauded self titled debut, an album that picked up mojos coveted electronic album of the year, featured in nmes end-of-year lists, not to mention winning fans such as of jamie xx, caribou, james holden and impressing us trio battles so much that they have invited the pair on tour around the us this coming october. yet it isnt these admittedly impressive accolades that make the announcement of second lp >coracle< such an anticipated one, what makes walls so alluring is the fully immersive experience of their mellifluous electronica Ð reaching out far and wide to pull influences sonic, emotional and theoretical together into patterns of blissful phantasmagoria. taking their debut as the prototype, willis and natalizia have taken those initial early-sunrise evocations and pushed them to even more grandiose expanse

sander van doorns new artist album 2011. if theres one thing we can say about the evolution of the worldwide dance scene this year, is that its genres are being mashed up like never before. on his new artist album eleve11, sander van doorn once again does what he does best, mixing up styles, genres and artist-cooperations. along side his smash hits koko and love is darkness, eleve11 is packed with artist-cooperations such as believe with singer/songwriter tom helsen, eagles with adrian lux and sanders latest purle haze installment timezone. an emotional dancefloor-killer that brings shivers down your spine each time you hear us singer fredericks voice. more uplifting is sanders collab with fellow-dutchman laidback luke. whos wearing the cap is an idea born when their resemblance on a photo was so anstonishing that the songtitle was placed underneath it, making fans wonder if they might be brothers. those who have heard nadia ali on iios classic rapture have probably wondered when her voice was due for a svd treatment. well, that time has finally come and the result is called: rolling the dice together with sidney samson all in all, eleve11, with its neatly corresponding 11 tracks all recorded in 2011, shows the world exactly what sander van doorn has evolved into.. a worldwide dancemusic phenomena.

in keb darges own words: i ve done many a compilation in my day, mostly based around the tunes i played at my long running deep funk nights in madame jo jos. that night is no longer on the go, possibly due to a growing lack of interest on my part, (sorry). in the last few years the lost & found: nights at the club have been my real passion, and indeed little ediths and andy smiths passion too. what a marvelous era this is for good music. we may still have pure stuff like dub step: pulling in large numbers of sheep, but an equal number of youngsters are being attracted to retro, or at least retro sounding music. people tell me it is because the youth are fed up with computerized music, or men with drug problems angrily shouting at them over a dull repetitive beat, but i know lots of teenagers who have bypassed this muck all together. must be the internet that is helping kill off the demand for empty music. you no longer need to go to a retro club night, or indeed search out rare records to be exposed to good music, the internet is full of the stuff. my fifteen year old daughter is a marc bolan fan who while researching the poor fellows influences discovered chuck berry, sun records, etc, etc. i dont really know or understand why so many are at last getting into the good stuff, but they are, and it is wonderful for the likes of me.

after spending 6 months of last year holed up writing in his london studio, charlie joined forces with acclaimed producer danton supple (coldplay, doves) to begin recording his debut solo album. the result is an accomplished 12 track record that oozes with vintage warmth and whose luscious melodies and occasional imperfections lend it a vibrant character and earnest charm. lead single -down down down- was rapturously received by charlies fans including fearne cotton who made it record of the week on radio 1.

it might sound like an empty phrase, but when oliver koletzki founded stil vor talent in 2005, he certainly didnt anticipate where his label would be today. now - six years and over sixty releases later - stil vor talent can look back at many magnificent moments in the labels history. originally started to give other musicians the chance to showcase their music, stil vor talent has preserved this very down-to-earth attitude until today and has helped foster the careers of producers such as channel x, niko schwind, juli holz or david august to name just a few. while there have never been any musical or stylistic limitations, an open philosophy dominated by quality and individualism prevails at olivers label, from delicately designed record sleeves to their own fashion line and to music that varies from house to pop to jacking dancefloor cuts. now it is time to congratulate everyone involved and the fans of stil vor talent with a special birthday present: a six-year anniversary compilation that celebrates past, present and future of the label on two cds

wretch 32, real name jermaine scott, is one of the uks most loved mcs - from the underground up. from his early years in londons flourishing grime scene back in the early 00s, the tottenham-raised lyricist has always stood out from the crowd. his conscious and reflective bars, along with an extremely relaxed flow, made him a firm favourite on the uk hip hop circuit. much like tinie tempah, wretch 32 has proved that british mcs can reach the mainstream without selling their soul to pop. the first fruits of this crossover success were tasted in january 2011, when his single traktor broke into the domestic top five following an appearance on the bbc sound ofÉ list. and his second official single, unorthodox, fared even better, peaking at number two in april. so its clear that much has changed since his debut lp of 2008, wretchrospective - but has public recognition come at the expense of what marked wretch 32 out as such a talent in the first place? not at all - on the opening title-track, the rapper lets the listener know that its the same old wretch at work. over a drum-heavy hip hop beat he sets up the rest of the album well, advising everyone to fasten their seatbelts as he prepares to take them on a ride that they wont forget in a hurry. never be me finds wretch delving into his past, opening up about making certain decisions in life that got him to where he is today. featuring rnb newcomer angel on the hook, the track has an inspirational feel to it - all over another impressive, but this time more grime-influenced, beat. a true standout is anniversary, with alex mills on singing duties - its a love song, minus any cheese. then the album lurches into the electro-infused sanes the new mad - a glimpse into wretchs party lifestyle, with ladies and alcohol at the forefront of his attentions. and closer dont go just might be one of the tracks of the year.

last year, we here at mexican summer came under the spell of the starry kaplan sisters: piper and skylar, and their band pearl harbor, who graced the land with their beautific something about the chapparrals ep. funny how time flies for the beyond their year siblings, as its suddenly 2011 and pearl harbor now goes by the name of puro instinct. now piper and sky find themselves bolstered by four other bandmates: cody porter, jessie clavin, mike baum, and crazy murray to make their hazy, swirling pop even more realized and sumptuous.

dj diamond is 24 year old karlis griffin from the west side of chicago. he has been producing music since the age of 13 and djing since 20, heading the -flight muzik- clique of footwork producers. you might recall his two tracks from our -bangs & works vol.1- footwork compilation of last year. in addition hes also released several mix cds in chicago, but this, his first international album showcases his unique style of footwork music. dj diamond is a unique producer with his own distinct style and an unusual ear for unexpected sonic and rhythmic combinations within the footwork template. often he thoroughly edits samples into tiny trance-inducing, techno-like stabs. combining this with a penchant for neon synths and loose, broken drums (that are often more effect-laden and freeform than those of of his peers) and you have a sound which has an intriguing, deeper, dreamlike feel. the breadth and quality of his production is clear when you listen to this album. take opener -rep yo clique-s woozy drawling synths and tribal tom patterns next to -speakerz n tonguez- with it-s snapping snares, minimal, repetitive voice samples and martial, detailed drum work. then a track like -torture rack- which is like grime in outer space: a minimal bassline and some samples from a computer game, while a bass kick stumbles at half time, swarms of percussive detail giving it drama. its a brilliant exercise in wonky tension. the extraordinary -decoded- comes across like a kind of amalgam of trance and prog rock bombast at 160bpm while -wreckageÕs- high pitch saw noise is like a strange metallic bird-call, over light cymbals, gabba-like kicks and metallic claps. -digimons- harmonic microedits could even be an snd track transported to chicago. finally the albums closer -i choose you- rolls out over a heavily edited and processed soul sample, its drums rolling off at odd angles to almost seasick effect.

2087 is inspired by the science fiction film -cyborg: 2087- (1966) by the writer arthur c. pierce, directed by franklin adreon. plot modification and soundtrack by jeff mills. it is the year 2087. the world had become a place where thoughts were not only monitored and restricted, but also, muted or reconstructed to favor the current rulers of earth and its inhabitants. the once exceptional human was merely reduced to a byproduct in the multi-dimensional industry of planetary hypostatisification. a boundless depository of cosmic energy controlled by an unknown force that had become too powerful to even reveal itself. a small and resourceful group of young scientists, engineers and devoted supporters create and send back through time a cyborg. a low technological invention consisting of human fibers and machine. out of desperation and precise planning, he is sent back to the year 1966 to prevent earths leading mathematician from thinking about the numeric breakthrough that would eventually lead to the mass thought control and human manipulation of the future. the cyborg (garth) soon discovers he is not alone in his mission, giving grave suspicion to possible traitors or spy within the young group of his creators. garth succeeds in finding and assassinating his target, but as the result, he alters the future and becomes the only remaining symbol of a time that never existed. a man out of time.