beyond plastic is a mixtape in book format about artists and vinyl labels that press music on »black gold«. it does not only trace the various processes entailed in the making of a record – from sound-production to the pressing plant and beyond – but also seeks to depict the blood, sweat and tears that goes into it.
the book includes interviews and articles of 60hertz, smallville, liebe*detail, pingipung, acker records, decks.de, de:bug, giegling, brothers in love, dubplates & mastering, aim vinyl, fauxpas musik, oye records, ortloff, kann, rand muzik, uncanny valley, freude am tanzen and workshop.
– edited and designed by alex ketzer (www.alexketzer.com)
– 288 pages, format a5 (210 x 148 mm)
– 19 extensive interviews
– 250+ pictures (coloured & b/w)
– 300+ cross references, accessible via short urls
– including audio-cd with tracks by the interviewee
– printed by gallery print
– isbn 978-3-00-043687-1

staggering beats and heavy synthesis sounds by the new rhythmic camp. nr014 is a strong va by ben gibson, vsk, kwartz and labelowner joton. not to be missed well produced techno.

the new metronomy album, love letters, has a title that speaks volumes about sensations and modes of communication, about things that have always been there, and will always be here. its no coincidence either. this is a record that wants to be timeless. in its execution, love letters tries to do fresh things in an old-fashioned way. it takes richer methods of recording and injects them with the shock of the new of tight electronics, and experiments in sound. it does so not to be retro, but to embrace the quality standards of the past. it also aims to be up there with the greats, reaching for those old stars.

when berlin meets bucharest, you get the real magic in electronic music.trin limited brings in front, with the first release, a harmonious and energetic blend of techno and house with a specific romanian air, that surrounds this electronic music time scene. our very first trin ltd release features two romanian up and coming producers, vinyl speed adjust - having already established themselves with vinyl releases on diferrent labels. with one original track: *not so sure* a hypnotic tech-house groove and a moody yet stunning remix done by none other than vera heindel (mara trax). on the flipside we have two trin regulars - diferit, stepping to the plate with *grey venues*, a dreamy, breaky affair and lumieux with his *luftrack*, a dramatic microhouse piece in which you will have the oportunity to stimulate your senses. vinyl only!

ok lovers, its time for the next vinyl session on emma. we are proud to release this brand new various artists ep with tracks of get closer, manuel sahagun, leave and last but not least a very special vinyl only track by our new family members claus casper & jean philips

elektrax recordings is back, and not only is elektrax recordings back, its also the return of some legends. the big room ep, by nobody else than the maestro orlando voorn contains some tracks you are not likely to forget, and comes with remixes by the one and only comeback kid ortin cam and chris colburn.

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

fontarrians debut effort for berlin-based label antime offers a glimpse into a fragile yet eclectic spectrum consisting of loopy vocal bits, slowly unwinding washes of dream like ambience, distinctively (s)tumbling almost jazzy percussions and an ever-present, blissful warmth. the latter emanates from and sucks you into what seems to be a world of its own. like a lo-fi attempt at capturing momentary twists of the heart through 10 significantly diverse tracks - imperfect nonetheless - the album feels like a mixtape you ve set out to record for someone special, but somehow never got around to.

even if an order of rank could be seen here, it wouldnt make the least bit of difference, not even to the lone wolf. without wasting any time following his zealous declaration of dedication to the horde with run with the pack on wolves (code is law 002), the young stuttgarter janzon is putting forth his very own ep, the primal scream. four tracks designed for the peak time – luvox, fluid access, alpha pulseand genetic defect— daringly travel along the branching paths of the traumatized psyche. the act of overcoming a primal suffering – perhaps dancing can prove to be helpful after all.

refreshing ep on the edge of dark house & tripping techno

following up the first release on his new monclova label, david alvarado (ovum, peacefrog, plastic city) returns with the second instalment *battle* hitting on his signature deep, dark techno sound. this 2 track release continues to explore around the edges of techno and deep house, not just crossing genre borders but erasing them completely.

dont let these carefree techniques fool you, as big on the dancefloor as your headphones everyone from ben sims to deetron to ben pearce has championed his introverted 12inches. providing the sauce on top, redshape remixes the original twice over, with his disco scope and not so serious mix. with a similar attention to drums and raw sounds, the two remixes arm up what is an already strong release.

new jerseys finest returns to ovum alias free. having been contractually locked down in 2011 harry romeros previous philly outing came under his secretive vaggio pseudonym. the air of mystery surrounding the artist frustrated and excited in equal measure and yet refreshingly freed the ep of any preconceptions. this was after all a debut release, right? the response was overwhelming and lit the touch paper for what was soon to be harrys return to his beloved raw house beats.

adult central is not the new porn hub nor is it the adult movie channel. its the new label from the model and his vampireburg warehouse sound. banging house tracks from romania.

already a techno living legend from italy sossa don t need any introductions for vinyl djs, most not to say all his releases only vinyl since 1994 excluding a couple of years he took a break to do the soundtrack of a very known italian movie. with latest releases on minisketch, moon harbour, isgud and many more including also his single -rain- from our ibiza sampler 2013.

with burn out the bar is raised to a high level - accustomed groovy bassline, nearly perfect selected vocals - smooth headbanging sound. time trip - the expectations have not been disappointed. more deeper and more bass output and an intensivly vocal. with the remastered version from on of the most sold track from paradise city the trip through the ep goes on. jump is like being huckleberry finn rafting on a dreamlike river with surreal surprises. brown sugar makes you move and onother further evidence that is a must have, deep from our hearts

egal 3, a talented young producer from romania, steps up for sound of vasts debut release. this debut ep is released in a limited run of 500 - not a record to be missed! the shades is an emotional minimal deep house track which perfectly encapsulates sound of vasts emerging musical direction. the b-side icxperiment is an ear-catching dance floor number with extraordinary groove. scott kemp and red pig flower collaborated on the remix of the shades<

long time waited, mzkbxs debut album is almost ready. from chicago house to acid, from new wave to deep house, downtempo to experimental bassline… macadam mambos boss label delivers us 50min of great atmospheric tracks, not in the same way as usual karat records, he summons the spirit of early chicago house music, british summer of love or detroit techno breathes in its corpse again.

an explosive caustic acid concoction awaits from within the grooves of this gargantuan twelve inch from chicago heavyweight, hieroglyphic being. free the energy (no vocal energy) is highly volatile, with severely unforgiving and distorted drum programming, this violently radioactive adventure is nothing short of brutal and certainly not for the squeamish. title cut, acid rain under the stars paints a dreamy landscape, while the acidic protons and neutrons busily rebound in the background on this elongated, hypnosis inducing and beautifully mind-distorting headtrip. straight outta nowhere like an atom bomb!

the central executives what can we say ? not much as it turns out - the generally very forthcoming golf channel crew are remaining tight-lipped about the architects of this, frankly mind-blowing debut long-player from this new nyc collective. a walk in the dark is exactly that, a situationist song-sheet & sonic chaperone to guide us through the back street escapism these troubled times demand. from gently over-driven punk funkin mascara stained hymns, to house that has been thoroughly smudged to the edges of its live music incorporating limits. sitting very comfortably, in a moment of stewed elevation alongside sound signature style machine jams, bare bones vocal led improvisations, discordant arthur russell moments & the distorted reflections of roots house that run to the very core of the big apple. a drop-jaw debut then, that wears its influences proudly, but takes them somewhere entirely new.

after the successful release of exium on modularz, we welcome label boss developer to nheoma. the result is a split ep with 4 tracks, something not to be missed.

embi music frankfurt starts into the new year with the limited sublabel. only vinyl is now announced. with ale rapini and the producer team going ape the cards will be re-shuffeld in 2014. it also gives young artists a chance establishing oneself. and with the mask ep the young artists certainly, do not have to hide behind a mask. they will show all their skills. romano alfieri will lend with his version a special note and will push the release directly on the dancefloor. franksens and redux will give this release the final touch and shows once again to the fullest the sound of frankfurt.

snoop dogg & dam-funks album 7 days of funk is being released as a 45 box set, with a total of 16 tracks: each song on the album released on 7-inch single, backed with its instrumental version. the box set includes a bonus record with *wingz* (not available on any other format) b/w *systamatic*.

boston label get on down can always be counted on to produce high quality reissues of hip-hop gems, and of course this album is no exception. lord willin was the acclaimed breakthrough release by virginia duo clipse, featuring rappers pusha t and no malice, backed by the eccentric production of the neptunes. both mcs had past connections to the underground drug world, which influenced the gritty, hard-hitting street rap within. the album also featured guest spots from jadakiss, styles p, nore, fabolous, faith evans, and early-in-their career appearances from sean paul, kelis, and lil wayne. get on down now presents the album, fully re-mastered and re-constructed on double vinyl, after long being out of print in the format.

the new year starts with the welcome news that the cosmologist returns with episode three of the cosmology series. trip 1 started life as a tribute to 70s radical firebrands the last poets and their 1977 clarion call to arms, *its a trip*. a loose and ever changing collective, the initial line up was formed on may 19.1968 to mark malcolm xs birthday, having all met at east wind, a harlem based writers work shop. they took their name from a revolutionary south african poet keorapetse kgositisile who rightly prophesized that the talking would soon give way to the persuasiveness of the gun. continuing that thought, civil rights for african americans was very much the beat of the last poets, a cause they would champion and indeed, were not afraid to back up their mighty words with direct action.

finlands samuli kemppi made a 4 tracks ep that clearly show the continuing outbound quality from children of tomorrow. between detroit and analog raw techno with his modern touch, samuli kemppi proved again his knowledge of making quality techno. and a bonus track vinyl only not to be missed!

four releases in and luca bacchettis endless is making waves, establishing itself as a home for beautifully crafted and exotic house music. for its fifth, the barcelona based imprint welcomes a us producer who not only learnt from, but stands shoulder to shoulder with, many of the sounds founding artists, mr alix alvarez

dream states of lust and lucidity, slow to speaks latest reissue of house musics halcyon years comes courtesy of mood ii swings visionary lem springsteen. originally released on the eightball sublabel empire state records in 1994, these excursionary landmarks saw springsteen bid farewell to his usual club-saturated exercises in queeny house euphoria for a hallucinatory breach into a secret realm of desire, where the whispers of a long-forgotten hunger meld with the floating synth-work of a true practitioner of the sacred art of club music. this is the soundtrack to the chill-out room of your unconsciouss kaleidoscopic sex dream, the sweet synth lines of springsteens ritual music still floating in your mind as you awake, alas, a little too soon. fear not: this dyonisian masterpiece is once more available thanks to the good spirits at dope jams, who remind you, *whatever the eye sees and covets, let the hand grasp!* not without asking (or paying) first, of course.

after spending most of 2013 focused on building the oktave brand in chicago, jeff derringer returns to production with the release of the *closer ep* on prosthetic pressings. with this record, jef s sound evolves into the steely, hypnotic territory of his live performances. both originals, *further* and *closer*, delve into sonic textures and ambient tones not yet heard in jeffs music, while still keeping focus on the heavy, syncopated beats that have become his trademark.
pressing on white vinyl.

dan trevitt, long-tenured philly techno dj of the highest caliber and stalwart member of the inciting / great circles crew steps up with the missing, his first 12 inch for the label. trevitt spent most of the past year holed up with a rotating arsenal of hardware in the vacuum, a warehouse that not so long ago played host to a number of memorable parties. machine ghosts fight for freedom, trapped in the dark of smoke, spray paint, solder and ash. but no one s going home just yet.
limited edition of 300 handstamped copies.

paxton fettel drops the follow up to not bad for a tenner e.p – and it is tidy like your nans lounge. *jets* gets set to disembark on a paxton trip to a hidden place, and because it rhymes it obviously takes you to space. a secret spot that you only get to see once in a while when the tide is right.. dominating drums demand moves: bust a simple sinking throb, creating a cosmic divulge.

a long over-due return to the edits series. 3 fresh re-works from the stupid human crates.

selected pulls together material from mostly unfamiliar names like deepjust aquabeat, bassik grooove and bobby o donnell, alongside a couple of established heads like ryo murakami, aybee (as orion 70) and fred p himself, whose > n.y. (selected dub)<, a reshape of an old jazz tune, rounds out the compilation. > in the early days it was difficult to afford more than one or two records..< i would buy compilations because the value was greater and i was exposed to artist that i might not have known about otherwise,< he says. >when i think of compilations i think of mix the vibe, soul of science, trust the dj and of course dj-kicks. i learned a great deal from these series over the years and developed my own ideas based on what i love to hear thus selected was born. released soul people musics new sub-label, boards.

the name sabota comes from the infamous area in nelson bc, where kids congregate late at night to smoke weed, hook up and watch the sun come up. both max ulis and robbie slade (of humans) both have (if somewhat indirect) roots in the area, making it a fitting concept for their collaboration. with the release of next time on discobelle, sabota immediately caught the attention of journalists and fans alike, and before any kind of formal release they have played sxsw, sled island in calgary, vancouver international jazz festival with nosaj thing, and symbiosis gathering. the two full-time music collaborators have been making ethereal goodness.

the replicator got ‘restored’ after a complete loss of data 88uw does not remain ‘in the dumbs’. the logical setback of ‘irreverent’ matter opened new perspectives to synthesize the ‘trek trak’ in which the first officers voice is used as base agreed by the captain

acclaimed for many of his compositions on labels such as aesthetic audio, art, ornate, alongside his blistering dj performances. aer boss miles drops the labels first and his debut album. deep is a word often used to describe a lot of music currently out there, but not many touch the depths of this superb lp on atmospheric existence. miles touches on many shades of sound with his trademark emotive warmth. melancholy but positive vibrations flow out alongside abstract grooves. hypnotic elements grace the journey, creating an otherworldy sense of space and distant unknown entities. feeling & mood leap out of this lp at every twist and unexpected turn, circumnavigating the deep spectrum. since his early releases, his imprint aer has become a highly respected imprint globally with a dedicated following. this lp was constructed to stand the test of time and stand it does, firmly rooted in the cosmos

khandoits hypnotic 100 bpm stomp does not adhere to genre or fickle trends, it simply bangs. the track begins with a sturdy kick and piano glissandos which recall alice coltranes most transportative work. as the beat picks up, a creeping, filtered arpeggio enters its journey between rhythmic and downright nasty serving as the track s primary drama. its a stunning intro to the new label grimy trax, a musical chameleon that can be dropped at the beginning, middle or end of the night. to complement the epic a-side, grimy returns to the endlessly talented midwest and emerges with lulu, an original track by deejay/edit ace bruce ivery. the track seamlessly combines the chicago acid sound with the clever vocal sampling of early 90s nyc house. the result is pure peak-time heat. towards the end of the track, ivery arranges brief melodic elements into a propulsive disco facsimile. this unexpected turn summarizes the philosophy of the new label and the way this small group of artists selects and makes records. it doesnt matter if its house, disco, or techno, just make it grimy!

shop staff ep from northamptons vinyl underground store featuring 2 future classic lhas tracks, small amount made available to us for distribution... 350 pieces only worlwide - never to be repressed...
celebrating their 20th anniversary, well respected uk record shop vinyl underground presses up this staff ep. two almost lost jaime reed, classics that have been carefully selected over time. beautiful pure techno , drenched in his classic sound - flying high is actually a remix of one of those old joe lewis ripped off tracks although you might not know it. flip over for two acid based cuts - the new warehouse sound of cloudy skies by avus 303 & the cardinal + a pure roland basic acid bonus

hobo (minus, hot creations, tronic) launches his new imprint, soundz, by finally releasing his highly acclaimed hit mind games. after tearing up ibiza and the world over this season, mind games is finally clawing its way out of select record boxes and into record stores everywhere. joining mind games is its evil twin, public lies. equally epic, public lies builds to a fever pitch with familiar but not quite normal synth tones soaring wildly overhead. two monster jams to kick off soundz in that familiar hobo style.

*it all started in 1974 with the purchase of my first mini moog and another 70s dream machine, a white mellotron m 400.* so starts klaus hoffmann of his 40 years love affair with the mellotron. moving from prog-rock guitarist to cosmic disco warrior in a space of a few years, the birth of cosmic hoffmann would lead to a number of classic kosmiche albums through-out the 1980s. before this though came space-disco. initially recorded in 1978 after endless late night sessions exploring the new realms of this free form electronic music, the first incarnation was recorded live to tape for a failed film project. an uplifting spaced-out synth journey, it was the later reworked version that would go on to become the lost cult classic. with added disco syncopation taking the track into interstellar spheres, it appeared only as a flipside of cosmic hoffmanns first and last single, *weltraumboogie*, in 1982. unfortunately the release did not make much impression at the time but has become highly sought-after for the more leftfield dj and music lovers in the years since. now fully licensed and remastered, the inclusion of the unreleased 1978 original will be only add to the collectors dream.

dungeon meat is the new label and production outfit brought to you by dungeon masters brawther and tristan da cunha. packing a serious punch, its aim is to present tracks designed specifically to rock the party and shake the sound system. originally conceived as a platform for their own musical visions it soon became apparent that they would have to open the doors to a select few who shared their ambition to make no messing, hard hitting house grooves. one of these artists is the mysterious blunt instruments who has the honour of kicking off the label. after road testing his huge club hammer hold back brawther and da cunha knew it had to be on dungeon meat as it epitomised exactly the sound they wanted to present. hold back has been a firm fixture in their sets and even got cut to dubplate by jeremy underground paris. its not all about the a-side though as blunt instruments craft 2 other killer club cuts for the flip side we wont go on too much trying to describe how good this ep is ... instead well let the music do the talking

released almost exactly a year on from their debut struck ep, liam morley and dan valentine return with new brutalism, an exploration of angular, brittle club music.

for over 12 months thomas feriero aka avatism, our friend and label partner, has been staying at home and working on his album. he moved to berlin to work on it and now sadly (for us) yet (gladly) for him he is moving back to milan. poof! just like that. so what did this year entail exactly? well for some of us not much. we got to see him in his studio comfy pants a couple of times (he wears slippers) we heard his studio woes, ate pasta with him, drank beers and of course got to hear his album at every juncture. while this self-imposed exile may have been a little worrisome the result is fortunately spectacular. adamant is a glimpse into how a city shapes a life and how intrinsically life then shapes music.

adding to his extensive and diverse catalog, alexi delano delivers his first release for spectral sound. my busted sh-101 is an ode to the beloved and portable synthesizer made by roland in the early 80s, not long before delano started djing. as a producer, he s earned a reputation for being a bit of a machine himself, churning out records on a wide variety of labels over the last 20 years. he holds his own in house music under his a.d.n.y. moniker, but its with tracks such as this one that show off his love for dark, weird techno that sits comfortably alongside spectrals finest.

remutes greatest hit zuendli receives an awesome remix treatment by chicago legend dj rush furthermore included the original tune (remastered!), a massive remix by the one and only technoviking and last but not least a crunchy uk-techno-stomper remix by bit reduction.

jorge c. is not only a great producer (who was also signed by the legendary detroit matrix label), but also label owner of the well known chile based ojo de apolo. jorges music is strongly rooted in detroit deep house, chicago jack sounds and mid-nineties peak time housemusic, but also known to just as easily fuse a wide variety of other styles including dub, experimental electronica, future jazz, nu wave, disco, afro beats & particularly 80ies rare funk. check *love song*, an absolut party firecracker fused with funk elements which really freaked us away. dan piu aka george b. from allstarr motomusic re-worked jorges *jam* song slightly by adding some cool cuts and jazz chords. big shouts to our graphic artist and multi talent popshop, who always delivers 100% quality. pressing on red coloured & marbled vinyl.

repress of the best s.u.f. 11:000 m.g. and 26:000 m.g. ! 2 superb acidcore tunes of the middle 90s... not a riddle.

these tracks magnitude and direction is best understood when the dislocation-bearing crystal structure is first visualized without the dislocation. in this release structure, once the encompassing track is drawn, the dislocation can be introduced. this dislocation will have the effect of deforming, not only the perfect crystal structure, but the track as well. the direction of the vector depends on the plane of dislocation, which is usually on the closest-packed unit of a low-frequency cell.

nice price deal !!! after ab initio 04 comes…ab initio 05… sometimes it really is that simple! what is not so simple however is how sebastian san manages to always stick to his sound and still deliver one fresh release after another. the fifth installment of his own ab initio imprint is no different: three absolute storming tracks bringing you that typical vibe to make you lose your mind and body. >photonics< takes up the complete a-side, tweaking and twirling with heavenly chords and synths, it is one of those tracks you can play to really lock dancers into your groove. >horsepower< is a bit of a rougher affair with a serious oldskool chicago twist, but still very much sebastien san of course. >kepler 22 b< rounds off the e.p. in style with a minimal dubby workout that should have maurizio fans storming to the booth for a track i.d. in a matter of seconds. three different tracks, three times 110% sebastien san quality. bring on ab initio 06 please!