we are delighted to welcome egyptology to the hands in the dark family. the parisian duo, made up of stéphane laporte (domotic) and olivier lamm have been active since the late 90s in the french post-electronica/avant-pop scene. sur les autres mondes is inspired by a publication by french astronomer lucien rudaux (1937, larousse) in which he imagined the landscapes of other planets in our solar system through scientific descriptions. partly composed for a performance at the prestigious louvre museum in paris, the album is the band’s first full length output since 2012, and we can assure you that it has been worth the wait. their sharp ear for detail and the epic worlds evoked through the album make for an auditory voyage which is as graphic as the words inked by rudaux. the duo is bringing the 70s kosmiche genre back to life in a very fresh, bold way, offering a strong shot of pure analogue sound and a fantastic, melodic approach to synth-based ambient music.

a californian psychedelic surf on a wave that breathes dream-pop. a desire to fly above the himalaya mountains and go down the andes in summer toboggan. with the promising release of their debut ep -the world is in your hands-, there is a wave not to be missed for any good self-respecting surfer.-

idle hands first release of 2018 comes from dan habarnam, a producer who made his name with releases skirting round the edges of dnb on exit and cylon. in the last few years he has turned his hand to techno with two 12inches on hs own selectie label that found favour with ben ufo amongst others. here are on idle049 we present two tracks of his latest work, hard hitting broken techno with maximum dancefloor potential.

ltd handstamped vinyl , after a four year break iww is back with the >diversity ep< by upcoming artist marco wachs. the record, as the name says, is a showcase of marcos wide musical range. the a side features dark hypnotic techno tunes acompanied by rumbling breakbeats. the flip instead is packed with 2 cuts of cheerful housegroovers.

finnish visual artist and filmmaker hannu karjalainen s music draws inspiration from ambient, drone, modern classical and dream pop. his first album worms in my piano was released in 2007 on osaka records and the second album, hintergarten in 2009 on simon scott s kesh recordings. a handful of dust is a desert, his third album – and the first under his full given name - arrives after a prolonged break.

beat machine is ready to drop the last bomb of 2017: after launching a new 7” vinyl series (“swinging flavors”) and releasing sun yufka and kuthi jinani’s debut eps (with remixes from lechuga zafiro and ipman), the italian electronic label is ready to publish a new ep, this time signed from andrea bonalumi aka big hands. after recently releasing his latest ep “redline / greenline” (available in “name your price” mode on his bandcamp page) the italian producer now settled in london, sobborghi party series founder and member of drift kings and club cristallo url collectives debuts on bmrec with “arcane mosaics”, a 6-tracks journey through big hands aesthetic vision moving through glitches, weightless landscapes, uk rave reminiscences and post-grime sounds strictly connected to bristol sound.

cosmic handshakes sees the pairing of 2 extremely talented detroit natives - blair french & todd modes - who take elements of disco, techno, jazz, house, afrobeat, latin music, dub and electronics and filter them through their own unique view of dance music. steeped in soul, live instrumentation, sampling and analogous alchemical studio processes, french & modes give us an exhilarating and fresh take on the deepest smoked out, after hours sounds of the city of detroit. in the mist is the duo s second release, following on from 2013 s the delicate details , released on the m1 sessions imprint. the last 2-3 years has seen the pair individually release music on a plethora of varied and esteemed global labels such as fit sounds, claremont 56, rocksteady discos and more. we at gghq are very excited to finally share with the world what we feel is hands down one of our favourite releases yet. a compelling body of work from front to back, the tracks on in the mist work perfectly as a self contained home listener, or as we ve found, just as well on a darkened dancefloor, leaving the choice up to you, the listener.

one of the most diligent underground djs from the ranks of detroits finest, whose bodacious style has bubbled up from the underground to become highly in demand by the house scenes tastemakers, detroits filthiest stays true to name with his debut for defected. since he was sampled by disclosure on bang that, detroits filthiests genre-hopping abilities have really resonated. the pounding 4/4 beat is infectious and the sass-laden vocal hook is hard to forget after being blasted out relentlessly throughout the year. defected draft in the skills of belgian nu disco king aeroplane for this special 12inch vinyl package, delivering as always with a melodic electro-influenced banger, shining a whole new light on amina ya heards vocal attitude. the 12inch comes equipped with instrumental versions of the original and aeroplanes remix, plus the accapella, making this the most complete dj-friendly package available.

the third schatzi is the biggest one yet! six choice cuts of uncertain origin and vintage. just know they re the handiwork of a disco dynamo (or dynamos?) we know well, who s been around for a hot second. who is schatzi? what is schatzi? vinyl-only hand-stamped release. get it before its gone

bleep bleeeep... domenico rosa is back on his label one year later!

idle hands continues its quest to support new talent coming out of bristol with a fresh 12inch from local beatsmith crump. up to this point, he s been quietly slipping out razor sharp reduced house cuts on various artist releases for extended play and banoffee pies, but it s high time he had a 12inch of his to truly showcase his sound. the two tracks on this single tap into a consistent thread on idle, fusing the minimal sensibilities of contemporary european house music with a swung, dub-weighted presence fit for soundsystem consumption in the fair city we call home. much like previous releases from leif, christian jay and matt karmil, this is a demonstration of stripped down music loaded with swagger. -ice & spheres- pivots around an ear-snagging 2-step shuffle that cuts through any mix, but there s scores of subtlety woven in between the drums to reward the attentive listener. snatches of vocal, distant field recordings, low-blowing synth licks and other unidentifiable sonic matter lurk quietly in the mix to cast a spell on the sleep-deprived twitcher and warm-up head-nodder alike. sporting a brighter disposition thanks to the sheen of its chords, -mechanisms- provides a different vibe on the flip. the beat throws down with a rugged nod to west london broken styles while still tapping into that aforementioned continental 4/4 sensibility, injecting a refreshing variation into the densely populated minimal house landscape while maintaining the meditative qualities that keep the genre close to our hearts

we’re pleased to announce our latest project and second limb to let’s go swimming, vowel sounds, a series of cassette releases exploring unconventional approaches to production and sound. for our first release we welcome keef winter to the family with his project “handyman”.

following a run of local transmissions from a sagittariun, crump, rob smith and atki2, idle hands turns its attention to berlin and the straight-up, no-nonsense techno thrust of johanna knutsson and hans berg. both respected artists and djs in their own right, the pair have been turning out 12inches together for the free spirit society, klasse and crime city disco over the past few years, but most importantly they ve been steering the excellent ufo station recordings as a vessel for their punchy, primal techno tracks. the sound on this ep taps into the pure form of stern, dark dancefloor tackle favoured at idle hands – no extraneous filler, plenty of space in the mix, but equally built with warmth and personality rather than monochrome functionality. if you need further proof, just look to the fact the ep is named after a swedish soap opera from the 90s. the bleeps and bass tones that pulse through -taggen- are so finely crafted they need not skip and dance around the arrangement. the melodic interplay on -klimax- is subtle but ultimately uplifting and optimistic where so much techno concerns itself with oppressive gloom. -bimbo- finds the pair embracing a more psychedelic approach, but even here the modulating effects processes are kept within certain boundaries so as to not dilute the impact on the floor. after all, this is music to dance to, to be felt over a large system (where possible). moving from leftfield bass excursions to minimalist 2-step, uk techno and now onto this much more continental sound, themälarviken ep continues to widen the range of idle hands musical tastes without losing sight of the complete picture.

heavy, hard hitting, noisy industrial techno album. limited edition of 600 numbered copies.

dark industrial-esque techno bangers.

we ve been closely watching the rise of a sagittariun ever since he first popped up with his consistently excellent elastic dreams label back in 2011. what started out as an anonymous project has since been revealed as the handiwork of nick harris, a long time champion of the bristol house and techno scene since before most of us were even hitting the dance. his music has been flying out with a no nonsense approach self-released, minimal promo, just cracking club-ready 12inches that tap into the fierce-but-fun spirit of detroit techno and albums loaded with smokers delights to appease his west country roots.

again, brookside bring us another set of cult disco cuts reworked beautifully for 2017’s ears, essential stuff for all lovers of this kind of music, this release is simply unmissable. the record comes with lovingly reworked heatwave artwork and these remixes are exclusive to this release and are fully, 100% legit, licensed and sanctioned by all relevant rights holders. simply put, another set of essential mixes from a modern day master! file under - *essential disco*

the mysterious tanera presents 2 more gems on his tnra imprint. limited edition white label. hand-stamped!

following their appearance on dimensions recordings’ debut release, the three part compilation ‘an introduction’, with the twisted ‘crosstalk’, london modular alliance step up to the plate with their first full ep for the label. the ‘hands & brains ep’ further demonstrates the skills that the london based trio are becoming renowned for. as the minds behind the fantastic london modular store in london specialising in modular equipment, often supplied to a host of well known musicians, it’s unsurprising to hear that the guys are serious gear heads, what is surprising is the quality and consistency of their growing output! across four tracks the london modular alliance team demonstrate their complete mastery of the electro form with four varied cuts. from the breaky, bubbling, modern acid of lead track, ‘hands & brains’ to the drexciyan underwater inspirations of the closing track, ‘forbidden’ and the brooding machine drone of ‘i settled for her leftovers’, it’s clear that the future of the genre belongs to london modular alliance and it’s in very safe hands… london modular alliance are taking their impressive live set up to dimensions festival this year to unleash their mastery at the croatian fortress

3 original tracks by luhk, incl. a remix by soulphiction vinyl only, handstamped whitelabel

naoki e-jima s disc shop zero record store in tokyo holds a special place in our hearts. since before idle hands was even established, when rooted records was king, the cosy, liberally stocked shop has served as a sympathetic outpost for bristol s rich culture of soundsystem music. over the years, naoki has championed all the best music to come from our fair city, from smith & mighty through to pinch and pev and on to the output from our own humble label. it s been a vital connection to help our music reach the right heads on the other side of the world, in turn providing a platform for our most treasured artists to gig and further the cause of the music we love. as a thank you for all the support naoki has shown bristol music over the years, idle hands has put together a special tribute 10inch of tracks that chime with his particular musical tastes, shining a light on some complementary gems that might have otherwise never seen the light of day. its also a chance to fill in the missing idle013 catalogue number – fortunately, the number 13 does not represent bad luck in japanese culture. on the a-side, the mighty (pun intended) rob smith takes to a track from outboxx s debut album, originally intended for a remix 12inch that never came to be. in his learned hands, lost soul becomes a shimmering stepper marked out by beautiful cascading arpeggios and of course plenty of fulsome bass, with arresting fragments of vocal drifting in and out of the mix for good measure. rob s status as a true legend of bristol music needs no explanation, but his presence here is furthermore because naoki is such a fan of his music. on the b-side, atki2 makes a welcome return to the label after bringing a classic ray of sunshine to idle hands on the second single we ever put out. as well as being a big release for us, it was apparently huge at disc shop zero, so it feels right to bring the effervescent hes royal to this 10inch release. with a sunny disposition at heart, these two tracks make sense sharing a 10inch, but it s even more fitting that they sit side by side as we doff our caps to a true hero of the global underground. thanks, naoki.

live ones returns with lorca after a six-year hiatus. having released his debut record live001 ~ moments ~ we ve teamed up again to relaunch as a home for the edits, refixes and sample heavy music produced by friends and family that we love so much. after a brief break from production duties, lorca moves away from the eclectic, melodic style he s been known for and returns with a new sound and aesthetic. the tribute to eddie ep firmly nods at detroit, new york and chicago house styles and is dotted with a wide array of influences and soulful sampling throughout. having previously released eps and singles with naked naked, dummy records, 2020 and the like, lorca s ear for melody has earned him fans from across the board with his music being supported by a diverse array of dj s from ben ufo to bonobo to pete tong. we re proud to be back releasing this diverse producer s musi

after the success of their first release, dsc – far reaching/too hard, holding hands is back with their sophomore outing and as before it is taking no prisoners. inspired by a nicolas lutz set as he warmed up fabric for villalobos a couple years back, the furnace has a break beat that will push the subs of any club to the limit. with every build and drop it increases in momentum until you are left with no choice but to throw down on the dance floor with unbridled passion. the furnace may be all about the big beat but it is no one trick pony. the tune has a depth and weirdness to it that will certainly keep you coming back for more… the sorcerer is a collaboration with good friend of dsc’s, guava. it is made up largely of recorded percussion and vocals at dsc’s studio in south london, which gives it a very special swing on the dance floor. the track lulls you into a false sense of security for the first third before finally letting the big freakiness out of the box. this is one for any dj that wants to leave clubbers going nuts and scratching their heads at the same time. both tracks are produced and sculpted for the club. they want big sound systems and dark rooms. close your eyes, hold hands and experience transcendental space flight…

hannah holland s batty bass imprint returns with the vinyl release of mama s sublime, atmospheric unmask me, sits somewhere between dub and house. the 16 min original twists and intertwines with rippling bass and powerful vocals. a concoction mama s uk upbringing and dark berlin sensibilities have shaped. legendary house pioneer, ashley beedle offers a glistening, summer, deep house beauty. stunning rhodes sit on top of shuffling percussion alongside mama s message.

nice price deal !!! s.c.u.m. klingt wie eine zeitgemäße version von joy division gekreuzt mit dem pop appeal von hurts in einer echo kammer. dunkel und majestätisch. oder in den worten des nme: >the cataclysmic pummelling of noise that accompanies them will turn peoples insides out.< >amber hands< wurde wie das gesamte album in london mit produzent ken thomas (bekannt für arbeiten mit david bowie, the cocteau twins etc.) aufgenommen und erscheint mit remixversionen von sonic boom und silver apples und dem exklusiven track >fountains<.

whilst on a balinese surf safari searching for a secret spot where pink dolphins populate the line-up, the hands would be my guide. i’d been warned he had recently been busted trying to purchase human flesh on the black market. bombing through the jungle, the hands hit play and the truck was bathed in gothic berlin toilet techno. holy shit, said i,what is this? the hands said, the hands. but what else was i to expect from an austrian/balinese techno cannibal? —dj harvey

with releases from lerosa, andy mac and piezo already under our belts, idle hands strides towards the summer with a transmission from a kindred spirit across the pond. area, sometimes known as m50, has been flying the flag for forward thinking electronic music in chicago for a long time. his radio shows on wnur have a distinctive quality one step to the side of the music his hometown is best known for, while his label kimochi sound has released incredible music from the likes of benjamin brunn, strategy and many more besides. as a producer area has been equally prolific since first emerging in 2007. from ethereal sound and steadfast to untilmyheartstops and sequencias, his various approaches to rhythm and texture are all bound together by a meditative quality that feels like a perfect fit for idle. on this single, both sides of the 12- continue the theme of dusty, dusky 4/4 area is most widely known for, locking on to a house groove while sporting the abstract atmosphere of techno. -rlgl- is an understated, emotional heater that uses looped up fragments as a counterpoint to the more lilting strings and static that bed the track. notice takes a more overtly melancholic approach with its lingering, heavily processed keys that drift in between a tough set of drums. theres a punch to the track that will translate beautifully to a big system, even as the melodics spell out a more intimate listening experience.

brand new label from strip steve.

the second edition of vicarious memories by these hidden hands realises 5 finely crafted remixes of last years expansive lp of the same title. this version features powerful reworks from telefon tel aviv, hypoxia, lustmord, jk flesh and death in vegas. telefon tel aviv offers up his reinterpretation of glasir a solemnly disconcerting reduction of the original flooded with warmth, depth and space. this is followed by a contribution from hypoxia aka the illustrious drumcell, who makes his mark on the beautiful vocalised track telepath, imparting a heavy sense of melancholia and depth on to the listener. a dark atmosphere is woven by lustmord on his remake of socotra, with its enveloping celestial melodies and ominous reverberating drones that unfold throughout. jk flesh boosts the energy of the release with his distinguishably distorted mix of industrial, dub and power electronics that shuffle and roll the listener along this spectrally bright reincarnation of dendera light. british producer death in vegas embraces the mystical facet of angkor, patiently exploring serene soundscapes with much depth and colour.

nice price deal !!! bass bumper rmx, testpressing

nice price deal !!! bassheavy techtrack

ruff dubb house cuts from per hammar’s dirty hands imprint. wrapped up by malin génie’s stripped remix work. dedicated to anders salomonsson a.k.a. 4444, who also did the cover artwork.

tangerine dream hatten seit ihrer gründung ende der 1960er in westberlin einen massgeblichen einfluss auf die entwicklung der elektronischen musik und galten als einer der führenden vertreter des krautrock. in den 1980ern lieferten sie beachtliche soundtracks zu filmen wie “firestarter”, “risky business”, “near dark”, “thief” und “sorcerer” ab, ihr musikalischer einfluss auf den soundtrack der netflix-kultserie “stranger things” ist enorm. ihr neues doppelalbum “particles” ist eine mischung aus brandneuem material und reinterpretationen, darunter des titelstücks ihres albumklassikers “rubycon” (1975), liveaufnahmen u.a. des titeltracks des “white eagle” albums (1982), sowie eine eigene coverversion des “stranger things” theme.

first release by rotterdams young entrepeneur offset. 3 electro cuts and an dub techno track on the flip! 300 copies limited handstamped business

nice price deal !!! kick ass 4 track hardcore massacre!!

while she may be based in berlin now, shanti celeste has deep roots within idle hands. from working behind the counter when the shop first opened to playing the label parties and co-running the neighbouring brstl label, shanti s contributions to the bristol house music scene have been ever-increasing as she has grown as an artist. having put out our her second ever 12inch,days like this, back in 2014, it gives us great pleasure to welcome her back as an internationally respected producer with a relentless gig schedule and a rich back catalogue of warm, heartfelt dance music that kicks where it counts. shanti s stylistic palette may have broadened over the past four years, but she s also retained a natural, unpretentious quality in her tracks that can span all manner of grooves and tempos. make time certainly chimes with her earliest house productions, but it s also offset by a wistful, meditative maturity. swooping pads, distant vocal threads and delicate fragments of breakbeat flirting in an aqueous soundscape whatever city shes based in now, this is surely deep house infused with a quintessential bristol ruffness. -thoughts- meanwhile speaks more to the artistic development shanti has undergone over the past few years, bearing the influence of melodic techno, electro and broken beat while striking a unique chord in the process. it s a hypnotic, alluring track that eschews basic dancefloor demands in favour of a more intimate headspace shaped out by snaking, polyrhythmic synth lines. both make time and thoughts stretch out over extended running times all the better for losing yourself in the heady atmosphere shanti has created on her very welcome return to idle hands.

welcome to nightlife. johannes klingebiel’s debut on rss disco’s mireia records. an atmospheric journey. melancholic, yet euphoria-inducing. johannes’ five tracks cast their shadows into the darkness, mirroring patches of light that can be found if you wander out far enough. it’s simultaneously the soundtrack of sweaty dancers losing their sense of time and place and the hopeful feeling of a new day during a drive into the first light in the hazy morning hours. johannes is a studied drummer. he released music on labels like mule musiq, ancient future now and feines tier. he’s also one half of alma & mater and travels constantly with the bands c.a.r. and vimes. oh and he’s a great dj as well. he probably never sleeps. that’s how he manages to capture the magic of nightlife. the vinyl comes in a screen printed sleeve with hand stamped labels and is limited to 300 pieces.

bleed release a second ep of the year in the form of a third solo outing for label head volte-face, who also records alongside daniel avery as rote. recently featuring on semantica s latest nonnative compilation, you bury me sees volte-face further refining his hypnotic, atmospheric approach to techno. the a1, shirime , is dark and trippy, with a brooding atmosphere throughout. iori s remix on the a2 recontextualises the core elements of the original track with a broken-beat. the b1, you bury me , features a grindingly anthemic synth-line and marries it to a gothic ambience. dead cat on the dinner table rounds off the ep, an unapologetically straightforward beat underpinning some outrageous and unpredictable sounds. early support from dj nobu, svreca, daniel avery, tripeo and etapp kyle.

this gem of a 3 tracker is an essential must have! limited edition white label, hand-stamped!

tuff city kids provide three scintillating remixes of iconic radio slave tracks this may. since launching the project in the late 00s, frankfurts gerd janson and phillip lauer’s tuff city kids moniker has become synonymous with quality that’s seen them cement a reputation as specialist remixers. the duo now reinterprets two radio slave productions released a decade ago. their take on bell clap dance captures the essence of the original by factoring in its various elements, such as its intricate hook and gloomy melody, whilst morphing it into an animated and echoing contemporary cut. radio slaves screaming hands then receives two new versions the dreamscape uk mix is suitably titled thanks to soaring pads, subtle breaks and a mesmerising bassline, whereas the krautdrums mix meanders forward with distorted kicks, stuttering effects and raucous acid

holding hands is blasting off with a bang of cosmic proportions, featuring two cuts from desert sound colony’s dance floor alter ego ‘dsc’. far reaching, as its name suggests, takes inspiration from the deep well of our musical past. drum & bass, jungle, breaks, house and hardcore are all present. that being said, this is not just a revival record. these sounds combined take your mind out of the past and place it firmly in a previously unimagined future. hard as nails to begin with, the track eventually builds to a glorious rapture. too hard is deep like the mariana trench and made for dance floor meditation. kicks rock you back and forth as a soft canvas of pads drapes itself over your mind. space is the place people, space is the place. both tracks are produced and sculpted for the club. they want big sound systems and dark rooms. close your eyes, hold hands and experience transcendental space flight…

vinyl only release! the follow up from butchered01 (go up) exclusively played by jackmaster, seth troxler, ricardo villalobos , san proper

following the first chapter of andy mac sdiving birdseries, idle hands welcomes italian producer piezo into the fold with an ep that harks back to the smoky, dubwise ambience of some of the label s earliest releases. luca mucci was a bristol resident for a few years before returning to his native milan, carving out an identity for his piezo alias with a slew of dubstep-focused eps on labels such as artikal music and subaltern. while on an idle hands skirmish stateside and playing on ny radio, one of the kelly twins dropped lume and remarked on how idle it sounded, sparking the process that led to this record. you can sense a link the early kowton records on ep opener opeq, all monochromatic textures and taut, slow-stalking rhythms, but here those facets are interspersed with a unique melodic elegance that offsets the moody immersion of the track, eventually blooming out into an effervescent slice of slow-motion house music. novemiluano meanwhile displays muccis capabilities in handling broken beats, exercising a devastating restraint without compromising on presence or energy in crafting a stunning piece of meditative soundsystem music. pushing that foundational dub principle of space and minimalism even further, lume closes the record out in stunning style with an intimate, glacial stepper that champions minute detail as much as looming gaps in the sound. with a peppering of micro sampling atop a deathly bassweight march, its a finely pointed arrow aimed right at the heart of idle hands, and we couldn t be happier to be releasing it.

hands off is back with another stunning release. this time we asked trinidadian deep to release two tracks on a fine 10inch. we love his deep music, trinidadian deep has a very unique sound, and we think that this release is something very speciel. he released tracks on labels so many quality labels, and we can t wait for this to drop.

7” release mit zwei tracks aus dem selbstbetitelten harlem river drive debütalbum (1971) um die brüder eddie und charlie palmieri, zweier giganten der latin-jazz-fusion. “seeds of life” erscheint erstmals in voller albumlänge auf 7” vinyl.