skeleton recordings are proud to announce the release of the skeleton xxv project to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the label which originally launched in 1992. this is a five part collectors edition to celebrate 25 years of skeleton recordings. volumes 01 to 04 sleeve artwork when put together will form a big piece of artwork of the revamped original skeleton recordings logo that will look good on any wall. volume 05 will be a picture disc. the full digital album will only become available once all five volumes have been released. the project has taken just over 12 months to put together and is definitely something for the collectors. it has been generating quite a buzz within the underground circuit the closer it gets to release date and has been getting some really good support from the likes of bailey, storm and ray keith to name a few.

skeleton recordings are proud to announce the release of the skeleton xxv project to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the label which originally launched in 1992. this is a five part collectors edition to celebrate 25 years of skeleton recordings. volumes 01 to 04 sleeve artwork when put together will form a big piece of artwork of the revamped original skeleton recordings logo that will look good on any wall. volume 05 will be a picture disc. the full digital album will only become available once all five volumes have been released. the project has taken just over 12 months to put together and is definitely something for the collectors. it has been generating quite a buzz within the underground circuit the closer it gets to release date and has been getting some really good support from the likes of bailey, storm and ray keith to name a few.

kapoor returns with a dynamic ep, “i hope that the energy, time, passion and the internal meaning music has to me can be heard within the release”. techno with a purpose...

obake ep is a circular journey within a constantly shape-morphing, ghostly and sub-oscillating environment crafted by japanese musician tetsumasa okumura for arboretum first release on tape.

it had been four years since juxtaposition, radians last record. chimeric is not a polished album. within the context it is raw, broken, even dark sometimes. steady, multiple rhythms, layered on top of each other disappear into chaos and turn back into discreet structures in the next moment. references of rock music, executed with the precision of a sequencer, mutated, restructured. a lot on this album is about control and the loss of control. the risk of failure. but chimeric is much more free. some of the longer pieces are composed of very different parts and different colours along a continuous timeline. they tend to evolve in a narrative form and are moving through various scenes and surroundings, which is also present in the spacial relationship between the instruments.

sound does not usually come from a single source. emotions usually do not come from a single source. the way we perceive is by filtering. within this complex process there are many difficulties to overcome and many discoveries to make. how long is the club inside of you - after you have been inside of him? how do love, soup and beer choices affect your daily life? and what do an island and an airport have in common? by morphing real life situations into musical phantasies mr. tophat tries to find answers to these and many other questions. along the way there is darkness but also fun and hope.

all pieces are conceived and recorded between the end of 2015 and 2016 between amsterdam and tuscany. the path starts with cristallo di bismuto which is a low-tempo jam marked by dusty 80s drums and deep pads that transport you straight away in an underground nocturnal urban sci-fi scenario. i wish you could shelter me has within a powerful rolling bass part and a solid drum-machine pattern, dx7 s style keys with some romantic melancholic colors. oosterpark laguna is an exotic house groove with a lush pad and a sweet saxophone solo perfect for a sunny warm day. mare aperto is a nostalgic house tune inspired by the early chicago s piano house and the italian golden era of clubbing of the end of 80s early 90s. the release includes a label s sticker inside and a stamp on the inner sleeve.

over the past three years melbournes albrecht la brooy have patiently cultivated their own space within australias prolific electronic music scene. deeply rooted in technos ambient influences, the duo improvise their compositions with an overarching approach that breaks away from techno s conventional presentation. recorded in one take from beginning to end, escape velocity sees albrecht la brooy take on the voyage aesthetic and principles to create a twenty five minute odyssey spanning four passages, to be played continuously across the 12inch medium. utilising both sparse, drifting ambient palettes and driving, machine-led rhythms, escape velocity is a pensively uplifting account of future travels through space and the ninth installment to the voyage catalogue. both sides of the vinyl are cut as continuous sides.

dj harrison is richmond va-based producer and multi-instrumentalist devonne harris. the son of a radio dj who introduced him to the world of record collecting, harris grew up with music, progressing from violin, to high school drum-line, to the jazz studies program at virginia commonwealth university. he also continued working with other instruments and developed an interest in sampling. his development as a producer at first, without a computer or sampler came first learning to replay samples on the drums, piano, bass or guitar. dj harrison finds himself inspired by local musicians in the richmond scene thats as diverse and nonexclusive as they come. among rappers, producers, punks and bluegrass bands, he falls within reach of an expansive pool of musicians to collaborate with. he lives and works in jellowstone, a house turned recording compound occupied by his band mates in butcher brown, a garage punk jazz funk group. hazymoods, dj harrison’s stones throw debut, was recorded there completely on tape, where the living room functions as a communal recording studio

copenhagens music for dreams comes with yet another strong release - a double album of personal favourites compiled by jan schulte. according to all maps and witness accounts, germany does not officially have any tropical forests. this is of no concern to schulte however, who has unearthed many stunning examples of tropical drum music recorded there. perhaps the number of botanical gardens and palm houses in germany confused musicians into mistaking the climate, or maybe it was just a happy blend of escapism and multi-cultural integration within musical scenes that spawned such a curious output of undefinable tribal folk jazz. most of the tracks picked by schulte were released on small labels in the late 80 s. the musicians involved were mainly traditionally schooled, born and raised in germany. at that time to be interested in foreign folk music might have seemed a gimmick to some, what with the emerging -world music boom- already snowballing into the mainstream. but these songs, while they may be based on musical traditions from foreign lands, deal much more with introspection than exploitation. schulte himself points to his -general fascination for music that describes places where the artists have never been. songs about the jungle or the rainforest made by people that know the rainforest only from television and books. somehow i think you can hear their mythical imagination and fantasy in those tracks,- he explains....

after the three-track time enough at last, antigone returns with ostinato for token75. as a project, the record is thematically accurate, adhering to its titles suggestion on both sides. the tracks play with layering techniques, gradually building a spectrum of sound around their respective persistent motifs. antigone shifts these insistent base elements, allowing them the foreground before masking within a blend of carefully processed and organic-sounding details.

for fans of the italian avant-garde, few names inspire the loyalty and devotion offered to the percussionist and composer lino capra vaccina - a perfect emblem of the country’s extraordinary movement of musical minimalism. he first gained note as a member of aktuala, a project which laid the groundwork for a entire generation of practitioners following in their wake - creating a hybrid of rock, avant-garde, and ancient musics, while incorporating a diverse number of sonic traditions from across the globe - african, middle eastern, indian, etc. vaccina’s career as composer has been marked by two distinct features, an incredibly high bar of quality and ambition, and a tragically slim amount of recorded output. following his departure from aktuala, he worked extensively with others - juri camisasca, franco battiato, etc, and within the short lived super group telaio magnetico, but his astounding solo efforts have been slow to emerge. in 1978 he released the legendary lp antico adagio, and wouldn’t be heard from again until 1992’s equally extraordinary l attesa. fortunately, over the last few years, the milan based imprint die schachtel, has embarked on a multifaceted project - reissuing vaccina’s hard to find lps for a new generation, as well as offering a range of stunning archival recording which had never before seen the light of day. their latest release, an lp entitled echi armonici da antico adagio, falls into the later category. it is nothing short of a momentous even

utter presents rgbpm, trevor jackson s four piece audio-visual work originally commissioned for a live performance at the optronica festival in 2007, on london s imax, the biggest screen in the uk. optronica, programmed by addictive tv/cinefeel in collaboration with the british film institute, held its second festival over five consecutive days at the imax, ica and bfi southbank in march 2007. a showcase of the most exciting talent working in visual music, optronica s 2007 event was a platform for live performances, talks, screenings and workshops from the likes of fennesz, peter greenaway and ryoichi kurokawa. jackson s piece took over six months to develop and yet was performed only once. on march 14th the premier of rgbpm opened the festival in spectacular fashion, jackson performing the music live with its accompanying hd visuals generated in real time using custom-built software created especially by weirdcore. a powerful multi-sensory experience, the event remains one of the defining moments of jackson s lengthy career. the visuals consist of abstract shapes synchronised perfectly to jackson’s soundtrack. choreographed to represent musical elements within each track, they explore the relationship between melody, colour, rhythm and form. the diverse soundtrack combines magical motorik experiments, demented acidic jams, melodic subterranean techno and dark discordant electronic soundscapes. it s a timeless selection of music that holds its own to this day. a decade on from rgbpm s lone airing, utter is proud to release all four parts together for the first time as a special 12- package, mastered and cut by helmut erler at d&m and housed in a sleeve designed by jackson himself.

the release of the elements ep marks the return of antonio de angelis to dynamic reflection. after the initial success of his hyper ep on the nursery series, the london based producer is back to deliver his first full 12” for the mother label. displaying great versatility, de angelis demonstrates his unique talent to catch different sounds and vibes within a clearly coherent style. giving his own unique twist to everything from powerful dance floor killers to deep mind trippers and all that is in between, antonio de angelis delivers a timeless ep that is as versatile as the elements it is named after.

techno, disco, italo, electronics, house, library, cosmic and ambient frequencies - these are the bedrocks of the midnight drive ethos and sound. a label shining a light on overlooked or unheralded creations and respectfully reissuing them for the contemporary audience. a label that respects and understands the connection between these disparate and sometimes forgotten forms of musical expression and celebrates them. drive001 sees us step back to 1998 and into the hands of the duo of damon wild and mederic nebinger, recording together as blue maxx they quietly unleashed some of the finest futuristic widescreen techno and electro to emanate from nyc in the late 1990 s. utilising a small sub-label of wild s seminal techno imprint synewave called deja vous the pair embarked on a slew of ep s released over the space of a couple of years with private life being one of the last. across 3 tracks private life opens up a new sound world, from the driving, tool-like qualities of the a-side cut - all swinging drum programming, synth stabs and deranged metallic percussions to the deeper, more clandestine leanings of the b-side tracks, mining a more musical and electro infused vein, the whole ep stands out as something truly original. a hallmark of the blue maxx sound. this is the first time private life has been reissued, almost 20 years has passed and somehow wild and nebinger s style remains utterly fresh and contemporary. a truly rare and essential piece of hi-tech techno expression that could easily have been released this week. such is the quality on display within these grooves. remastered by curvepusher. artwork and design by atelier superplus.

blah blah blah turn 5 years old this may and as part of their celebrations they have saved perhaps their most exciting signing yet for a limited weare5 vinyl release, the prolific genre juggling blacksmif. blacksmif flirts on the edge of reason, taking flamboyant percussive and melodic risks within a bass driven jazz tinged environment, such is the adventurousness of his music that he has already gathered himself quite a fan club, among which he can count mixmag, gilles peterson, and mary anne hobbs as leading members.

confine yourself in a space. we tend to behave and act according to the walls around us. the easy way is to stay within the room, acknowledge its walls and accept being limited to its floor. instead, start exploring the boundaries. walk the walls or simply tear them down. flip the whole room upside down or collapse it all together. question and explore the concept of a room. it might not take you anywhere new but it could make a big difference on how you enjoy the journey or appreciate the space you are in. unconfined.

mental groove records is thrilled and honored to announce the follow up to last year water vein ep (mg115) by asian psilocybe foundation & dj yogurt. entitled daikaku, a buddhist term for one who has achieved enlightenment. this second installment smiles on geinoh yamashirogumi akiras soundtrack. apf is an eccentric japanese musician who raised attention from the detroit. remixed by jon dixon of underground resistanceÆs timeline, apf first ep was released by once legendary producer orlando voorn (fix, game one, baruka). on the a side he achieves to capture akiraÆs spirit with his own organic and floating sound signature within a long, delicate and trippy techno number while on the flipside dj yogurt, a regular figure of tokyos nightlife who worked at cisco records, delivers two straight percussive numbers fueled with traditional japanese flavor to take the most discerning floors to a tetsuo state-of-mind. mastered by music matters mastering and cut at emil berliner studios, berlin.

the album includes the most direct and propulsive shinoby material yet. there is a functional connection to dance music here, honing in on the celestial bliss s human element embedded within a sound fraught with inhumanity.the music is emotional, hostile, dark, grungy, dissenting, acidic and energetic. mostly based on repetitive patterns, the distorted yet perfectly balanced percussion drills through the concrete warehouse walls long into the night. the not occasional use of distortion brings the dense atmosphere to near suffocating limits.

octo champ releases his second ep of 2017, following up on not quite there yet, which received major exposure from thump and dj mag. this upfront four-track release is a selection of dance floor ready disco and house and sits boldly apart from a lot of other music within these genres. dj support so far from dan shake and titeknots amongst others. taking inspiration from the more exotic corners of the musical spectrum the ep leads with the upbeat make heaven and its conga rhythms, vocal hooks and electronic patterns. cmi is slower and moves further into the groove whilst lacuna is the ep s funkiest cut, featuring a killer bass hook, percussion, guitar chops, claps and more vocals to carry it along. closing with a second four to the four track diametric leads with an elastic, acoustic bassline, synth pads and you ve guessed it: more vocal hooks. octo champ is one-half of dj/promoter duo rigid disco, running parties and radio shows across both london and glasgow and booking rising stars such as tom blip, fyi chris, hector plimmer and the rye wax crew. octo champ has remixed soundway s flamingods and chpln as well as contributing to the cdr x dimensions sounds 2016 project. most recently, his music was picked up by let s go swimming who released the not quite there yet ep.

black truffle is honored to present a new issue of annea lockwoodÆs classic 1970 tape piece tiger balm, unavailable on vinyl for over thirty years, accompanied by two exquisite unreleased works for percussion and voice. created while lockwood was living in the uk, the side-long tiger balm is a singular work within the cannon of tape music. inspired by research into the ritual function of music, the piece explores the possibility of evoking ancient communal memories through sound. breaking entirely with the dynamic language of the musique concrÞte tradition, lockwood uses a select palette of mainly unprocessed sonic elements chosen for their mysterious and erotic characteristics (a purring cat, a heartbeat, gongs, slowed down jaw harp, a tiger, a womanÆs breath, a plane passing overhead), presenting at most two sounds at once. as one sound flows organically into the next, their shared characteristics are highlighted, opening a space of dream logic and mysterious associations between nature and culture, the ancient and the modern. the b-side presents two pieces for percussion recorded here for the first time. amazonia dreaming (1987), performed by dominic donato, uses unaccompanied snare drum and voice to evoke the nocturnal soundscape of the amazon rainforest. unorthodox techniques and materials (marbles, chopsticks, a plastic jar lid) transform the snare into a resonant field of sensual textures.

luckyme records are proud to present our first release with acclaimed young producer suicideyear. six fresh tracks recorded in his new home of new orleans that showcase his continued development at the forefront of futurist hip hop production. each track glistens and evolves in its own way from the warmth of ‘summer hate’ through to the more club oriented ‘mosh mosh’ and ‘spent days watching horses die’, everything remains within his unique outsider viewpoint on the city. in his own words “meant for listening to on the i-55 to new orleans from hammond”.
the vinyl release includes a download code.

over the past six years, dimensions has become a leading name in the underground, with its festival, international series, dj directory and dimensions soundsystem. now, dimensions extends its influence with the start of its label - dimensions recordings. the label launches with a 12-track compilation across three separate discs. ‘an introduction’ makes a huge statement in setting out the label’s intent and breadth. with artists established and new stepping up to present 12 exclusive tracks. * an introduction part 1 calls upon artists from different corners of the globe who share the similarity of undeniable soul and expression in their music. the ep has an earthy, worldly feel to it. from the swahili sung harmonies on mim suleiman’s ‘pole pole’, to the afro influences of swiss collective alma negra’s ‘onga’, both tracks work raw percussion with just enough swing that either would sit comfortably within latenight uk dance floors or on the sun-kissed beaches of pula, croatia – dimensions festival’s home. then there’s the jazz-tinted glow of istanbul’s kerem akdag whose ‘getdownsoclose’ deep roller makes use of lush pads and rushing snares. closing is maryland’s james tillman, who’s soulful vocals on ‘wander’ sit gracefully over transcendental keys and compellingly loose drumming, rounding off part 1 with a dose of the soul.

since the inception of gregory vand and susan subtract’s electro-punk outfit high-functioning flesh in 2012, the band has proven to be one of the most singular acts in years, defying the genre tag of “classic” ebm, as the creativity and fresh perspective they bring to the stage and studio has been instrumental in carving out a modern audience for the genre – elevating hff into a category all their own. following their striking debut on dka records in 2014, high-functioning flesh delivered an exceptional step forward in their sound on their sophomore effort for dais records, the “definite structures” lp in 2015. since then, high-functioning flesh has toured extensively with label mates body of light and previewed their caustic shift to a more refined, hardened signature with their “human remains” single in 2016. we now find high-functioning flesh at their sharpest and most poised position to date within their newest album: “culture cut”

italys electrorites, holds a promising status among techno-heads. having released with the likes of decoy records, afu limited & morforecs - and simultaneously running his labels: nightmare factory records, shout records, he now brings forth his latest project, archives vol.1 with his new label structures records. technological/ computer-esk sound semantics make up the infrastructure of archives vol.1. the application of effects, whether itÆs arpeggiated midis or filter distortion, adds a driving personality to each production - with the potential to not only mesmerise, but trigger primitive urges among lovers of the genre. accentuation of coarse factors result in a full bodied synth lead that navigates the bulk of 001. octave separations anticipate drama and leave mood to the imagination. whether the track is experienced as dark or uplifting, itÆs sure to accelerate the energy of any early hour endeavor. dextral maneuvers within the detuned arpeggio emphasise an aphotic hysteria within 002. punctuated by a throbbing kick, dark landscapes of industrial chaos are brought to mind. classic layer exploitation is evident within the last production, 003. the automation of fades has been enforced in a way that teases the listener, intrinsic to the classic techno anthem.

londoner house-duo räumt auf: 12 inch mit vier sortimentsperlen aus dem jahr 2014.

12inch whitelabel, limited to 300 hand stamped and numbered copies, coverartwork by utramoodem. schockglatze is the distillate of a longstanding collaboration between artists working across the frontiers of several forms. with audio- visual performances, band projects and international exhibitions as part of their armoury, spõnk, nik nowak and moritz stumm have been causing a stir within the art and music worlds for years. spõnk has already cooperated with a range of acclaimed vocalists including warrior queen, sensational and christoph waltz. he forms the solid basis and is the sonic central nervous system (scns) for the studio productions of schockglatze. nik nowak, most notably through his sound tank or ôpanzerö (2011), has in recent years worked closely with musicians such as (the late) dj rashad and dj spinn, and sonic poly-math the bug. last but not least moritz stumm aka ultramoodem, who brings to schockglatze an inimitable rhythmicity and graphic dimension. as a graphic artist, vj and video director he created a singular technique of synergetic audio-visual effects redolent of a hyper-voodooism, the aesthetic of which has become a signature style of schockglatze. the warlord ep showcases their various influences and is only a taste of the sound from éheart of the mandelbulbÆ and includes a remix by hyperdubÆs ikonika

1970’s experimental & electronic music recorded in soviet russia by yuri morozov. banned by the kgb for its esoteric content and references to forbidden spiritual texts, yuri recorded over 46 albums between the 1970s until his death in 2006. only available on cassettes passed around in secret within the russian music underground until now.

mihalis safras makes his debut on hot creations with his raygun rave ep. hard-hitting basslines and rolling melodies feature throughout the ep plus a ‘paradiso’ remix from mathias kaden. with an addictive and melodic bass, title track raygun rave is a dancefloor awakener with influence from a bygone era. one stop to babel is up next with bouncing bass and mesmeric synthesis, mathias kaden has reinvented the track on the flip, incorporating robotic synths and wavy vocals. finally, sagit has a muted bassline, with a springy melody throughout and a hard-hitting kick that makes an appearance halfway. since 2006, the material series co-founder has been steadily rising within the house scene. hailing from the city of athens, safras has had an impressive array of releases on numerous labels including cajual, relief and material. his play it loud remix for marco carola last year received a huge response catapulting him to new levels of stardom. producing since 2001, kaden has demonstrated his versatile style and individual approach throughout his career. alongside his djing capabilities, the german producer demonstrated his impeccable freestyle efficiency playing part-live sets throughout his album tour. often called upon for his remix abilities, he has featured alongside artists such as mathias tanzmann, anja schneider and trentemölle

the limited, hand-stamped presentation of the canoe releases matches the music contained within, all grainy and unusual but utterly tooled up for the club. nyra s pet project is providing a fascinating insight into the make up of this ever emerging artist, and tracks like -opening rhyme- are sure to pique interest from all kinds of adventurous spinners. while the track may start in a kind of looped up deep house headspace, after the breakdown it takes an unexpected, thrilling swerve into twitchy acid. -tape trek- is more overt in its surreality with its layers of pitched speech getting run through the mill and splashed over a primal drum machine beat. -galaktik- meanwhile has a touch of old skool rave about it, but it s far from an obvious throwback track. suffice it to say, we ll have whatever nyra s having.

“the mark of the devil” is the third and last chapter of alex puddu’s trilogy with italian legendary vocalist edda dell’orso, here featured in three songs. written, arranged, produced and performed by alex puddu, together with many great musicians, the album is dope-groove, is prog-rock, is psych-blues, a walk through the gates of hell within lust and temptation. this album is the most obscure and experimental alex puddu has ever made to date!

half baked resident greg brockmann teams up with good friend odd soul under the moniker oddmann to present their first release on half baked records. bringing three tracks of dark, driving but groovy minimal techno, the boys are bringing a new flavour to the half baked label. these two have really been working hard in the studio and that is evident across the release as they provide something for those dimly lit dancefloors with big sound. this is some serious heads-down trippy music to lose yourself within!

music from the original soundtrack of the 1986 jim henson film “labyrinth”.

valioso016 - “koi fish ep” comes along with the two heidelberg talents jan golly (be9) and durrred (the gathering). the ep includes two trippy and straight minimal tracks. first track “koi fish” can be played within a peak time set, while “quotes” fits more to an after hour environment. both tracks will be completed by a virtous and flowing remix of romanian dj & producer cristi cons.

emlock founder untold is back on the label with his first vinyl ep since ‘doff’ on sub-label hblk back in 2015. this release follows appearances on last year’s #savefabric compilation, and more recently on ‘magic city iii’ compiled by mixpak boss jubilee. hek029 follows a rewarding period of a&r for hemlock that has so far delivered eps from bruce and parris, with several more scheduled to drop throughout 2017. ep’s two winding tracks are a natural progression from the fiercely textural drum work of untold’s previous singles and album ‘black light spiral.’ here the material is given more space to breathe and released from the grid creating a lighter more footloose feel. ‘tear up the club’ carries the weight of dmz era half-step using a loose web of elasticated breaks and builds to reveal a striking melodic line. on ‘watton res’ exotic tones are further compressed and expanded in sequence, encasing drum machine, keyboards and guitar work within a delicate shell.

garrett came from the inside of his own mind, from within a home recording studio somewhere on planet earth. the private life of creative awareness and the music captured here is the visceral offering to all outside. every one of us has a private life. this is garrett’s... big tip!

the music ep, released on carters organico label still sounds totally streets ahead today, a sublime 4 tracker existing in the deepest recesses of the dance-floor. beautifully deep constructed house music filled with emotion and soul, the music ep ticks a lot of boxes. in fact, it d be surprising if this record ever leaves your bag. so many moods are contained within it s grooves - melancholy, narcotic delusional happiness, sheer abandonment, it s all here.

t.v. baby is a project that came to life during 2016 in a makeshift hideaway deep within a remote corridor of industrial new york city. the romantic isolation of their decaying surroundings leant its vibe to the otherwise occupied musicians as they intuitively explored their formative musical experiences, while playing at shifting their roles around within the band. from these changing dynamics the close friends debut album dignity dont dance was born. it comes on the label deus records, an imprint that continues the great independent ny tradition of dropping highly danceable music with rootsy, rock n roll swagger.

solid uncoated returns with its second release, again compiling four productions from the inner circle of its network. d’evoé opens the field with »failures«, a gloomy and cavernous hardware track resembling the bassline and pad recipe from s/u 001 in a more offensive manner. next up is arian alexander, one half of the monogenic duo, with »pakchoi«: a lesson in sub-heavy, effective purism, pushing sparse chord stabs over a swinging 909 rhythm. opening up the flipside there is bool again, another acquaintance from the first 12 inch, delivering his trademark peak-time sounddesign within a massive, morphing chord sculpture. the circle is completed by sub accent from france, another newcomer to the s/u family, represented here with an amtmospheric track of industrial-leaning, widescreen ambienttechno. limited to 300 hand stamped copies.

occassional duo pjotr g & dubiosity have become household prruk names within short time. a couple of months after the well received “a man is no island” ep a new submission to the ever extended prrukblk catalog was provided in the form of “savant”, a 4 track spanning work of staggering techno with the significant filmic elements that pjotr g and dubiosity cleverly incorporate into their hazy works of techno. whereas the a side is based on these elements, on the b side darker elements are introduced. “savant” is a ferm but uplifting techno record.

detroit s burden bros have long been looked upon with immense respect within contemporary dance music. having been in operation since 1990 with their 430 west imprint they have long encapsulated the forward thinking vibe of detroit techno with their output over the last 20+ years, gaining praise from their motor city peers as well as fans worldwide. having had success in the mainstream and an enduring underground presence they are well versed in the art of music. point blank , released on 430 west in 1996, feature some of the brothers deeper, more subdued, futuristic technoid grooves. not as driving as some of their other releases but retaining that burden groove for sure, forward thinking, intelligent techno from the d, 100%. 4 different versions of 2 tracks feature. each mix tweaking ever so slightly what came before. as usual, the dj s and the dancers are foremost in octave one s mind and this ep will be welcomed by both contingents, always classic, often imitated but never bettered! re-mastered, re-pressed and re-released in conjunction with the burden brothers / 430 west records, detroit usa.

this double-pack cymbolic originally came out in 1995 and found favour with electronic music fans who sought a deeper edge in their music. it s all here, the trademark drum programming, the epic sense that all of the burden bros productions have within them. this is dancefloor music, music for dj s to utilise, tools, but tools with the deepest soul imaginable. listen to terraforming or the symbiont - perfect examples of driving, almost tribal-esque rhythms fused with strings, synth pads and human feeling. cymbolic is for you if you re a fan of detroit techno, but it s also for those who enjoy the deepest electronic sounds. that s not to say it isn t funky though, these tracks will decimate most dance-floors, and therein lies the secret. essential

german techno champ alex cortex hasnt released an album since 2011 s kihon on pomelo, but the prolific and long-serving artist is rarely resting on his laurels. having released just one other ep from lowtec, blundar now presents a new untitled lp from cortex that should satisfy fans of his leftfield approach to techno in all its forms. track 2 is a masterclass in how to work breakbeats into techno without sounding forced or false, while track 4 blooms from delicate ambience to snagging broken beat with the grace you can only find with such a seasoned vet. spanning many moods, tempos and rhythms, this is a perfect demonstration of the many engrossing approaches cortex can attempt and succeed at within the many-sided realm of techno

after the big success of its limited vinyl series starting throughout the year 2015, the annual summary of pearls, masterpieces and top selling releases continues with the best of kittball special edition on black gold, reflecting its most essential tunes within the past period.

understate:ment s debut on yydistribution opens up a new chapter within the notorious mannheim-paris connection, as berlin based label head, tolga top, steps up for his first solo ep. state003 , is a dancefloor dazzeling three track journey, influenced by grooving acid-house and hip hop inspired breakbeats. being backed by a slamming remix from the gathering affilate, nick beringer, makes this a must have for all the dancefloor twirlers.

dan curtin s name has long been associated with future looking techno, machine music oozing with soul and emotion. he has released on many seminal labels throughout his career and left an indelible mark on contemporary electronic music. alive / cascade is perhaps a lesser known entry into curtin s catalogue, released on strictly in 1994 and is almost the perfect synthesis of nyc deep house and detroit techno, a true slept on gem of a record. the music contained within the grooves of this record defy any sort of time frame, it s almost hard to believe it s over 20+ years old. a truly beautiful record, alive / cascade is a must for all electronic music lovers and will undoubtedly continue to be played and enjoyed for the next 20+ years ahead. astounding stuff and yet another example of the wide reaching ears and minds operating strictly rhythm during this golden period.

after the big success of its limited vinyl series starting throughout the year 2015, the annual summary of pearls, masterpieces and top selling releases continues with the best of kittball special edition on black gold, reflecting its most essential tunes within the past period.

while carefully handling their respective careers, postponing then their obvious collaboration, möd3rn trio s members have capitalized its desire and now deliver its mere substance, in the rightest moment, where, simply, all the distant forces converge. the six daring, expert hands merge now into a unique entity, unanimously moving within the same effort towards techno music. the formula is elaborated freely: each one s adjunctions -subtle keys, nervous chords, underground blows, rhythmical uproars- pour into a thick maelstrom, opaque, condensing detroit s grieving sensibilities as well as last decade s bewildering cacophonies.

brian kage returns on michigander with the, best kept secret ep. kage once again provides three deeply emotional dance tracks filled with his signature warmth that immediately draw connections between personal memories and michigan’s natural splendor. best kept secret starts the record off with tones of hypnotic bells that cascade down from within minor chords that hypnotize the listener until they are met with swelling strings to tie the infectious grooves to intelligent vintage percussion. lush vocals continue building into an atmosphere of nostalgia and eventually gives way to that moment of intimacy that can only be felt outdoors while exploring with a person they love. lost on old free-soil road features a detuned analog synth-line that winds up and down over a bed of spooky night-time forest field-recordings which are encompassed by a jackin’ 909 beat . suddenly, juno stabs straight from the 80’s pierce through sending the syncopated grooves back the direction they came from taking dancers along for the joyful ride. cruise control on us-31 rounds out the record with an infectious blend of pitched wooden toms, warm mid-range bass, deep 303 lines, and a smoky pad straight from a vintage rhodes. all these elements help keep the composition positive & relaxing, while expertly conjuring the feeling of sun on your face. this tune is the perfect tool for any dj interested in luring day-partiers to a space where they can’t resist bobbing their heads and enjoying their summer outside. related items