betrachtet man die bewegte biografie des can-bassisten holger czukay, könnte man zu dem schluss kommen, der experimentierfreudige musiker sei ein exzentrischer und unbändiger freigeist. doch czukay betonte in interviews immer wieder, dass er in seinem schaffen stets auf einen musikalischen partner angewiesen sei, egal ob in form eines konkreten gegenübers oder durch radiowellen und später das internet. doch die meisten seiner partner waren aus fleisch und blut. sein dem kino verwandtes gesamtwerk schmückt sich mit einer besetzung, die der eines scorcese-films gleichkommt: brian eno, phew, rolf dammers, david sylvian, annie lennox, jah wobble, die kollegen von can – die aufzählung ließe sich noch weit fortsetzen. viele dieser meisterwerke sind heute vergriffen, und so hat es sich das label grönland, das anfang des jahres zu holgers 80. geburtstag bereits die vielbeachtete retrospektive cinema veröffentlichte, zur aufgabe gemacht, holgers musik in remasterten neuauflagen wieder zugänglich zu machen.

mihigh & lizz teamed up, creating a clearly defined narrative on the launch of the 12-inches melodrom label, where the close, sometimes ambiguous details are incredible. the ep is loaded with the style of both producers: it combines mihigh’s minimalist sound with a strong attention to stylistic details and lizz’s trademark groove.

millennium techno and big room trance reinterpreted by herrrouine & gomorra. two swiss artists debuting their first record together on their own label.

east leipzig theory™ is a electronic music label and a registered product of the east leipzig entertainment group e.l.e.g. which was established in 1991. all rights reserved - offences against the rights will be systematically pursued and penalised by e.l.e.g.
the second dimension ep is the first release of the label and contains four hybrid jams which are between the legacy of dutch west coast, & 90s house. main influences are the hacker, old vitalic, legowelt and bicep. all tracks are made for the floor and dj-friendly - but the last track “sehnsucht” which means “desire” is a refreshing ambient drifter with broken hard-hitting drums and also for easy listeing.
8factor is a german music project from leipzig - he is producing electronic music for 8 years without making official releases. tommy tricker was a former alias which was used for lo-fi boombap instrumentals. one of his most famous instrumantals is called “kommunistische tummulte” which was released on red tape. he is also a big fan of propellerheads software “reason”. most of his tracks contains self-programmed malstrom-synth-textures or processed samples.

following on from her stellar addition to monki’s & friends label - polish producer vonda7 continues her steady ascent and inaugurates a brand new project: art | werk with 4 deeply personal yet effective tracks.
the principle behind art | werk is to allow space for movement towards the left, to allow for full creative control and to provide a platform for the listener as well as the dancer with tracks that lend themselves as well to headphones as they do to the floor.
staying true to this, vonda7’s “pure intentions” ep is a genre-hopping collection that is hard to pin down as it spans breaks, techno and alternative pop whilst remaining suffused with a delicate balance of allaying melody and power.

the latest release from the rome-based onda records truly is a delight for the senses. helmed by gianluca marcelli aka dj glc, the label kicked off in 2017 courtesy of the exceptional sounds of g.i.m productions’ ‘rising waves’ ep. although following the latter might have been something of a daunting task, onda’s sophomore release is equally enticing, with two originals (one from dj glc and the other from the aforementioned g.i.m productions) backed with stunning remix interpretations by two of the states’ most respected contemporary producers, atlanta’s byron the aquarius and detroit veteran javontte.

(2x12-inch, gatefold) impresario bone grinder, justin k broadrick, has prepared a new album for release on speedy js electric deluxe label as jk flesh.

a compilation of 4 tracks / 4 artists. all originally released by borft 1997 - 1999. re-mastered by andrea merlini may. 2018 label design ola bergman

the inaugural release on enigmatic conceptual artist and freerotation regular aboutface’s new label coordinates a limited physical release series exclusively showcasing his music and original art, depicting conceptual themes and exploring the aural terrain of two sets of location coordinates around the world. coordinates 1 explores ultra-sonic bat recordings from lincolnshire, england, and ancient mayan culture from the chiapas region, mexico.

following hivers excellent ep, let recordings again welcomes american dj and producer jon hester to their imprint. currently based in berlin but with previous spells in chicago and minneapolis, he returns to the label for a second ep following 2017s communication ep, and other outings on the likes of rekids and dystopian. his adventurous drum programming and high speed techno style kicks things off with radiance, a manically melodic track that takes you on an energetic trip. impermanence is a deeper, more cinematic piece that features rueful pads but still a driving drum line, then stratospheric has huge, hammering kick drums and squelchy synth sounds as well as dancing keys that bring warmth, groove, and soul. last of all, this high class excursion is completed with horizon, delivering barreling drum patterns and edgy pads that trap you in suspense as it races on. all four tracks deliver a high impact techno sound that very much looks to the future.

nice price deal !!! 199x is a new record label from reykjavík, iceland but based in copenhagen, denmark focusing on releasing electronic music by icelandic and international artists. each release is pressed on high quality 180g vinyl limited to 500 copies, also available digitally. each album cover has hand drawn artwork by m. kristensen. the first release on 199x is from a musician born in zürich, switzerland who s name is mateo hurtado. for the last 2 years hurtado has been posting tracks and live improvisations on youtube and soundcloud made with his modular and hardware gear as well playing all over europe. this ep by hurtado includes four tracks recorded live with heavy bass, dark-atmospheric repetitive sounds that make the perfect experimental ambient techno with minimal post processing.

four slabs of no nonsense, bassline-driven rollers. st, our favourite son and the first release on our slow to grow label is back for 004. an extension beyond the deep excursions of 001, if you caught that you may know what to expect, if not, think 3am at racket on a quality biscuit with the bass bins shaking. if you’ve never been to mad racket then we suggest you visit sometime, two head-bent remixes in the form of locked grooves on each side from our other love, jon watts (jon & hugh - otis002). cause life is cyclical

aretha franklin’s debüt für das atlantic label ist eines der klassiker einer künstlerin, die man sicherlich auch als die soul-diva schlechthin bezeichnen kann. Über 75 millionen verkaufter tonträger sprechen eine deutliche sprache. 1987 wurde sie als erste frau in die „rock and roll hall of fame“ aufgenommen, dazu kommen insgesamt 18 bisher gewonnene grammy awards. ach ja, nebenbei hat sie auch die meisten chartnotierungen einer weiblichen künstlerin im us-billboard vorzuweisen. beeindruckend.
und das album? eine eruption des soul und des r&b. eine kompetente begleitband (legendäre musiker von muscle shoals und den atlantic studios), mit jerry wexler ein legendärer produzent und eine künstlerin, die beseelt, gefühlvoll und ausdrucksstark singt, ausgezeichnet klavier spielt sind dafür verantwortlich. das album beginnt mit dem bahnbrechenden hit -respect-, (wurde auch für otis redding zum superhit), danach folgen weitere großartige songs wie das titelstück und das gefühlvolle -do right woman - do right man-, tolle cover wie ray charles -drown in my tears- oder sam cooke’s -good times-, um nur die wichtigsten zu nennen.
original mono-aufnahmen, gepresst auf 180 gramm vinyl.

psyk s non series label keep sup a busy 2018 with a new ep from pris. he s an artist with a deep heady techno sound that has previously found a home on the esteemed likes of semantica, avian and his own resin and now serves up four more of his serene and stylish tracks.

after their first appearance on curle via naïf, the mix compiled by efdemin earlier this year, aubrey & simone gatto now deliver their debut ep for the label.this might be aubrey & simone gattos debut ep on curle, but they already appeared earlier this year on naïf , the mix compiled by efdemin with nothing but exclusive tracks. they liked our approach, we liked their tracks, sometimes its simple like that. its techno, in various disguises

the latest lost & found release comes from guy mantzur, the winner of the israeli walla night life award for the no.1 dj producer 2018. as he never lost his obsession to produce underground music, he found the way to share a brand new masterpiece with his global audience through guy js record label. this two track ep is a perfect blend of sophistication and futurism and its just about to open your doors of perception. take the dive if you dare!

*** check b2: !!! *** bath-come-london party purveyors, origins, take to channelling some of their creativity into the creation of their own origins label. at the helm for the debut release is bristolian up-and-comer tommosini. having heard move d unleash the beauty of another dimension at freerotation last year, origins knew they had to find out who the mastermind behind this deep house gem was and the rest, they say, is history. another dimension transports you through the galaxies via a combination of dreamy pads, crisp percussion, full-bodied bass and those sensual deep tinged vocals. future classic in the making. the a2 i dont stop carries on the u.s flavoured deep house with a vocal house track that wouldn t be out of place coming from the shores of chicago masterfully intertwining a bumping bassline, soft organs and those introspective, luscious vocals. flip it over and you re treated to two interpretations of another dimension. first up fellow bristol bass badboy, hodge, serves up a signature remix, chopping the vocals and layering them behind a pounding kick and machine gun percussion to give that bass heavy flavour hes become so well known for. deadbeat steps up to close out the ep with a heavyweight techno rework of the original, complete with hypnotic bleeps, phased hats, and intermittent sub bass goodness, all tied together with a driving kick to give a real industrial feel to the remix.

***vinyl only***the 9th edition of ( djebali ) presents is here, and it features a number of new and forward-thinking artists3 superb tracks delivered the italian duo jonny n travis ! it comes as usual with a remix of the previous artist on the label : chris stussy !

detroits own reggie dokes lands on shift imprint for the third cut of the label with my soul reaches up ep, a beautifully crafted record with a remix from the finnish house head, arttu!

ltd white label !

third release for the label and this time featuring with the great spanish singer and pianist carmen rey. the release also include the debut of otwo, an italian duo composed by marco chiussi and the young jazz pianist jacopo moschetto who previously appeared in the first reekee s release on wrong notes meeting point ep vol. 1.

london based artist doppelate is next up on x-kalay and debuts on the label with a four tracker of detroit house inspired club jams. having initially caught our attention with his records for our friends over at lets go swimming we’re super excited to provide the platform for his next release.

the fourth instalment of moxies compilation series is back, presenting this exclusive 4 track vinyl sampler thoughtfully curated line-up of artists. featuring friends of on loop, up-and-coming producers and prominent names alike. stepping up to open this 12 sampler is the maghreban, adding his trademark touch to an off-kilter remix of steve spaceks ‘gimmi da love. lisbons violet is up next, laying down her energetic signature breakbeat sound on ‘antifa beats. flipping over, the b-side begins with nathan micays infectious builder ‘basic plumbing, paving the way for louise chens ‘reach (raw mix) a solid house number. on loop has continued on a straight upward trajectory since it began, with 2017s volume 3 securing a nomination in dj mags end of year awards for best compilation, and the imprint earning a place in mixmags 20 best record labels of 2017. as the label steps things up, so does moxies nts radio show, now moving to a weekly slot and cementing its place as a staple dance show for the station with regular parties at manchesters soup kitchen, edinburghs sneaky petes and londons pickle factory. with an international tour to be announced this year, things are just getting started for the dj & radio host.

heavy afro boogie 12- by cameroonian-born singer dick dickson. 2nd release of beaumonde.. keep an eye on this label! . he was clearly aiming for the us funk sound in fashion at the time when he recorded in the pocket in 1986.the session took place in togo and had band members come from congo, cameroon and the french west indies making the music of in the pocket an outstanding rendezvous between electrified-boogie and african influenced groove. with the help of régine féline’s sensual voice, melodic synth pads and distinctive slap bass, in the pocket grabs you instantly. totally overlooked upon its release, beaumonde felt that dick dickson’s unique offering deserved a second chance.

rawax proudly welcomes russ gabriel to the family! the ferox and soul on wax label boss is one of the u.k.’s most respected producers, having recorded nearly one hundred eps and several albums since 1991. the -restoration- ep comes directly from the vaults of russ endless archieves. timeless musc for the motor city edition volume ten!

lkr records returns in 2018 with “affinity” a split ep from two of the label’s favourite australian producers. bleekman aka rings around saturn and daze take a side each in crunched out techno jams and brain tingling electro on 300 copies.

kim rapatti a.k.a mono junk presents the second volume of finnish electro all-star on his dum records imprint – active since 1992. the new release is the latest chapter of mono junk collaborating with friends, recently with mesak and freestyle man. the a-side of finnish electro all-star (dum-040) features collaborations with top finnish electro duo morphology, who recently released an outstanding album on firescope label. electro por favor is a pulsating driving electro track with a killer bassline and vocals by rapatti – electro at its best. raw, apocalyptic, solitary remix by mono junk follows the original. the b-side features collaborations between mono junk and a very special guest: goner a.k.a. martin maischen, who is known from many hot releases as the other half of german electro act sandbenders. they were at most active around the millennium and made releases for force inc. music works and science city. the two included tracks are deep electroid techno excursions made last year in berlin – very cool stuff.

s. crosbie s dark arts has become an essential label for many of the key players looking to work more underground dancefloors, and continues to evolve with da09. things lift off with the slowly building bassline throb of cellular before the twisted electro depth of holophane glides into view. transmission 09 is a masterclass in atmospheric, glitchy dancefloor electronics. finally, the techno of anterior is a flawless exercise in lithe, funk-filled minimalism. dark arts: simply killer machine music designed to move both mind and feet. check.

children of tomorrow will celebrate soon its 10 years anniversary. the label was created by emmanuel ternois back in the day and being joined by arnaud le texier in 2011. since then they focused on techno producing amazing artists, to name few: terrence dixon, zadig, tensal, antigone, oscar mulero, jonas kopp, samuli kemppi etc... children of tomorrow is now presenting the first album from arnaud le texier. after almost 30 years dj-ing around the world and almost 20 years producing. signing many releases over the years and always busy delivering dance floor releases, it s been a long wait to finally get an album from arnaudon his first album we can feel that he wanted to tell a story and to express something deeper with his production experience. there is a different variety of techno that stretches from ambient / broken beat / hypnotic / raw techno along with subtles grooves, wondrous atmospheres & sonic textures. on a side the album opens with dusk, an ambient atmospheric mid-tempo track with sonic sounds that is a perfect intro.pattern 2 starts with drones and blip sounds and a broken beat groove follows with a pad that sounds like a voice coming from the space. the track ends with some modular click sounds that make the whole track clever. followed by the album title granular therapy, a deep techno track with modular bass line and melancholic pad. a perfect track to play in after or to warm up a party.the b side is more dedicated to the dance floor with black nympheas that is a proper dark modern techno with a grinding bass line and magic drones. a simple beat makes the track evolve in a nice way. blade pass frequency is 4/4 effective techno with a 909 kick, a syncope acid bass line and a pad that sends you to another dimension. it is a powerful track but with a sense of deepness and sensibility that arnaud can achieve sometimes. this side closes with binary sun dawn which is an ambient track with melody that has a jazz feeling mixed with dark atmospheres, sonic drones and water drops. the c side opens with mono driver, a minimal track with a little synth that stays until the end repetitively until it makes you travel and lose your mind. deep and dance floor at the same time.

following a string of well-received eps on cin cin, exit strategy and get physical, belfast’s lor readies his debut, self-titled album ‘lunar orbit rendezvous’. this will mark the first release on his newly minted label lorec. a technique used in apollo lunar missions, lunar orbit rendezvous charts a journey to the moon and back. a bold album, both in concept and sound, its the work of an artist coming into his own.the title track and first single lunar orbit rendezvous prepares the album for lift off. its a track that carries the technical tension of crucial operations, with gnarly acid pulses and happily erratic synths sparring over a steadfast electro beat while vocal samples collapse into themselves. lunar orbit rendezvous comes accompanied by a video from studio creme whose design and video work has been championed by the likes of james holden, warp and simian mobile disco. using a hyper detailed black and white render of a nasa grade rocket, the video brings the optical journey of lunar orbit rendezvous to life

having previously released some rare solo material from ende shneafliet member hanjo erkamp aka dr. c. stein, artificial dance is now serving up something special from the cult dutch minimal wave band’s lesser-known side project, king ende shneafliet. adding king to their name in honour of original dub maestro king tubby, king ende shneafliet produced far more experimental and out-there material than their better-known big brother. they released their first cassette, dimension mix chapter i in 1981 via cult label trumpett, with batches of follow-up material trickling out on various obscure tapes and later cd-rs up to the year 2000. artificial dances first dip into the dimension mix archives a second vinyl volume will follow later in the year features selections from chapter ii (1999), which was originally recorded between 1981 and ’88. the magical, mind-altering music is raw, lo-fi, spaced-out and forward-thinking, combining effects-laden, sample-heavy sound collages and reverberating ambient soundscapes with pulsating proto-electro jams, moody minimal wave instrumentals and kosmiche-influenced throw-downs. it effectively joins the dots between early-80s, diy electronic exploration and dub soundsystem culture.

the latest release on francis harris scissor & thread is another exercise in subtlety and restraint, brought to us by the emerging talents of nadia khan. with little known about the artist, this release lets the sublime music do the talking. title track ‘in gleam is a beautifully evocative drift into ambient textures - rising pads and occasion bass tones combine to set an exquisite scene. ‘local visit is a collaboration with label boss francis harris, and features some of the trademark submerged rhythm and textures the label has become known for, unfolding its deep structures over the course of the track. ‘restless sees label regular alex albrecht aka melquíades (whose previous ep on s&t was received warmly) provide the last bells remix - again muted tones and rhythmic complexity glide under ethereal piano fragments and slowly evolving pad washes. ‘sorting through finds its groove early, a deadened kick unfolds into an urgent percussion creating a thick atmosphere of melancholia. ‘sunburnt rounds out the physical release - ending how it started - with dreamy, smudged tones, and warm pads.

label stalwart jubei returns to the label alongside long term friend tyrone for ‘the arcane ep. taking its name from the club night where they first met, ‘the arcane ep is partly a follow up to 2015s ‘out of sight with the duo now delivering a full 4 track collaborative release which has garnered support from goldie to chase & status and shy fx to break, with loads more in between. jubei & tyrones concept for an ep was triggered by the creation of ‘stabs, which since its inception has undoubtedly become one of the most asked about metalheadz tracks of recent times and was an obvious choice to headline an ep full of energy and accomplishment.

farrago created a name for himself in this short time taking back the real roots of techno and rave and putting them in a new context... we said new, not different. this is his 3rd record on the label, and this time he goes beyond the idea of reminiscing the past, “hard light” shows how the rave can be alive in everyone of us, and absolutely not changing the formula he gives us this beautiful feeling of being back in the past, while you dig in a record shop and you find something that hits you, in our past was that record that gave us memories. in this case the work of this record is almost double, the record itself reminisces the past, but gives good hope for the future of genuine rave music without compromises.

4x12inch set, special 15th anniversary edition, with special deluxe 4 gatefold, shrink wrapped incl download card celebrating its 15th anniversary as well as the monolithic catalogue 100, figure releases a gem-packed compilation featuring 15 artists who are shaping the current sound of the label.

before the explosion of the poney ep - including the hit la rock 01 - in 2001 on international deejay gigolo records, vitalic had a previous artistic life under the alias of dima. today, pascal arbez-nicolas is reactivating the dima on his own label, citizen records... also big for fans of *amphetamine* (drax ltd ii)

fresh electro from paris label * hard beach entertainment*

ben buitendijk returns to his rotterdam based label, oblique music with three stirring techno cuts entitled alternative hypothesis .

as we reach our 30th release on the label, animal farm is proud to present stephanie sykes’ first solo ep since 2016’s effort on prodigal son. those two years have seen her presence in the techno scene explode, with a flurry of appearances across europe - our own animal farm night in glasgow among them + residencies at tbilisi’s khidi and the infamous after hours jaded crew in london, corsica studios.

for over 18 years, spectral sound, the dance music imprint of ghostly international, has thrived at the forefront of techno and house. it has been a source of support for numerous djs and producers during that time, from matthew dear and benoit & sergio to avalon emerson and hieroglyphic being. now, spectral brings the past alongside the present with its latest release, a compilation that offers a vibrant cross-section of the current moment in underground dance music. despite the wide-ranging selections on spectral 139, a throughline of classic style and infectious energy emerges from the up-and-coming and established artists alike. rising talents such as minimal violence, russell e.l. butler, and earth trax x newborn jr. bring unique perspectives to their hardware-centric productions. veteran producers bring their own edge as well: d marc cantu blows the roof off with the outsized funk of regularly people, and nigil caenaans januarys end, a low-key detroit classic from the late 90s, closes spectral 139 with a whirlwind of manic rhythms and sedate synths. gunnar haslam opens the tracklist with his acidic mindbender, versione antica. and ghostly regulars like tadd mullinix, who drops a lush jtc remix of his new x-altera alias, and matrixxman, who collaborates with riccardo limiti on the cavernous inferno, tie everything back to the label s roots. the double 12 compilation, as well as each individual single, features original work by los angeles-based artist nina hartmann. her designs have appeared on releases from labels such as ascetic house and big love, and the pieces for spectral 139 continue to develop her cryptic aesthetic. the marriage of hartmanns striking, high-contrast symbols with such bold dance music speaks to a collection that aims to stand out.

sold out on pre-sale 100 copies only. comes on blue transparent vinyl. mastered by helmut erler at dubplates & mastering, berlin. the next releases on eotrax will round off a busy 2018 for the label and set out an exciting proposition for a future way of working and releasing music. in what will be an ongoing, curated collaboration series artists will be invited to make work together for the label, without restrictions on genre, style or aesthetics. an open environment of collaboration and experimentation which will then be released by the label. to launch this series label head eomac teams up with four different artists over four slabs of vinyl, to be released sequentially over four months. the collaborations are improvised and composed, wild and emotive, unexpected and expected and all of them resulting in music that would never have been made by either artist individually. first up is a two-tracker from techno powerhouse and self confessed noisician paula temple and eomac. on the a-side the synth heavy gestirn takes inspiration from autechres classic eutow, driving forward with a broken beat while celestial melodic lines reach skyward to unknown realms. the b-side introduces a wilder beast, with the ferocious, pummeling techno of kralle

after the initial label launch in 2016, desroi has been working insistently. debuting on labels such as henning baer’s manhigh or shifted’s avian, the young artist has worked his name into the scene. this time, desroi returns to his own imprint with “eutheria”. with an unadorned focus on percussive drive and rugged atmosphere all three tracks invite to be played out in a dark but hypnotizing warehouse rave. his ability to shape-shift from experimental sonic explorations right up to pure and straight-forward techno cuts reiterates that desroi is someone to keep an eye on.

new yorker electronic producer dj spider is back on itay’s out-er with a muggy, abstract techno release “human erosion field ep”, similarly to its debut “v ep”, released in september 2017 and produced in featuring with his longtime friend phil moffa.
italian label out-er presents its twenty-sixth release continuing to explore the diverse musical path between house, techno and experimental electronic - which appears in most cases on out-er’s sub-label pregnant void. “human erosion field ep” otherworldly showcases both a radiant take on electronic as well as gloomy and wild-eyed pieces, an aesthetic approach for which dj spider has been most known in the scene. overlooking to the style of the tracks, the release does contain a sinister mood and a dense, solid sense of groove overall, a typical recurring feature of the producer’s previous outputs.

so here it is vol 6, with 6 trax, yes 6 trax, hows that for value for money. track 1 , kicks off the e.p with a monkey infused acid rolla from the he-men ,aptly named rolla, really deep acid rolling track for you head nodders out there , then track 2 comes courtesy of new family member bufo bufo, who already boasts releases on ritual poison and egd, his track is a real four/four breakbeat extravaganza, moves along lovely with breaks and bleeps, very excited about this track and a very please to have him in the tdo family. djpc returns with track 3, his track called danger man, and believe this is dangerous, proper old school sounding warehouse rave with wicked pianos and baselines .good to have him back. then flip over and boom side b, hits ya with dawl track party till the a.m , great advice and a great track from dawl, back to his proper full on rave breaks and bleeps to kick off side b the way only he can. then track 2 we welcome another new member to the tdo family, although he has mastered several e.p s and digi trax for us , this is the first track craig bratley has ever made for us, over the moon to have this man on board - craig has earned a solid reputation from a series of curiously erratic releases, releasing records across the spectrum of electronic music on labels such as futureboogie, suara, throne of blood, bird scarer, tsuba, instruments of rapture, claremont 56, leng, to rack and ruin and is it balearic and as well as his own magic feet imprint. the recent discovery of a box of old dat tapes in a house move has allowed craig to revisit some of his earlier attempts at making music in the 90 s. the re-sampling and editing one of these tracks has provided the basis for craig s contribution to tone dropout volume 6, back from the dat . from the dat really is a hats off tip to the rave generation, thank you craig proper got this right for our label. then finally track 6 , is bonus track , tones breaks part 2, a full on pow in ya face rave banger, a little feature we will be doing now on e.p s a nod to the legendary bones breaks of cours

considered by many as -the motown of salsa,- fania records is probably the most transcendental label in the history of latin music. by bringing together the eclectic vision of dominican bandleader johnny pacheco with the business savvy of impresario jerry masucci, fania created a sound: the apex of tropical music, combined with the swing of big band jazz and the gritty vibe of american r&b. the label provided an artistic heaven for a young generation of musicians who were inspired to experiment with new musical formats. the albums recorded by willie colón, héctor lavoe, rubén blades and eddie palmieri from the early 70s to the mid- 80s went beyond the parameters of so-called -salsa- - taking latin music to unsuspected levels of sophistication. when you think latin soul you relate to a mélange of r&b and mambo rhythms intermixed culturally by and for the youth of america. it was 1974, and a brash youngster by the name of ralfi pagan walked into the offices of fania records and demanded to be heard. fania president jerry masucci allowed ralfi that opportunity, and ralfi auditioned for jerry right there in his office. it took only a few moments for masucci to realize that he was in the company of his newest recording artist, he put ralfi in touch with recording director, johnny pacheco, who hurried him into the recording studio for ralfi’s first fania recording session.

linkan ray is back to be as one with his second release on the label in the form of universal language. backed up with 2 excellent remixes from the israeli label boss shlomi aber and the always on point rod, it’s another release not to be missed.

this is a rare gem of a record from fantastic soul band the soul kids stemming from the democratic republic of congo, including covers of james brown & the mighty flames hit singles -lickin stick- (1968), -papa s got a brand new bag- (1965), wilson pickett’s -hey jude- and a french vocal version of otis redding’s soul hit -respect -. this amazing young band, which released only four 7inch singles and one album, is a great example of the influence of soul music and french pop bridging to the new afro soul scene that the musicians of kinshasa were involved in during the time of post-independence. ngoma was one of the first record labels intent on providing local artists recordings from both sides of the congo river to the people of the drc and west africa. created in 1948 by a greek man by the name of nicolas jeronimidis, the ngoma label was active through 1968, pressed in france until 1971, with a tremendous catalogue, including this historical and essential soul masterpiece!

unobenga (louie vega remix) professor featuring ndu shezi & thebe remix produced by louie vega! with the music of south africa conquering it’s way around the world due to afro house leaders, black coffee, culoe de song, anané & her nulu label, shimza, da capo, black motion, mo black records, and more, from the shores of ibiza to bali and back everyone is feeling the emotions coming from such rhythmic and melodic sound.

scottish producer austin ato has been making waves the last couple of years having had well received releases on futureboogie and phonica white and this year looks to be his best yet! remixes for folamour on classic, balako on greco roman and an ep for man power s label me me me will be dropping in the coming weeks, paving the way for his delusions of grandeur debut double a side ella / putting it in my way.