nearly three years after the release of his debut album lucky shiner, gold panda returns with his second album half of where you live, to be released on ghostly international and his own notown label (uk). the album is the product of a period spent touring the world multiple times around, absorbing influences and probing potential new avenues of creative exploration.

born and raised in venezuela, the charismatic rafael garnica is releasing his second artist album titled fool again on galaktika records from barcelona. his debut cae nieve en caracas was released in 2009 on galaktika and after numer- ous singles and remixes for labels like moodmusic, trenton and chillin mint.

fragment >you are eternity< is the third album to be released on stroboscopic artefacts and comes from two of the minds who have shaped the label since its earliest days: dadub.

m=minimal released the vinyl of this classic record last year and as the cd has been unavailable for a long time too, we decided to make a special edition.

the definitive compilation of super biton de sŽgou, one of malis most important orchestras during its golden age of music. this album contains the best of the 2 early 70s albums previously released on mali kunkan and recorded under the aegis of sound wizard boubacar traorŽ. tip!

more than one hundred gigs in the past five years, for example at festivals like sonnemondsterne, nature one and summer spirit and at clubs like tresor, m-bia & schšnwetter berlin, butanclub wuppertal or bki hamburg perthil & aerts have left their explicit trace. remixes from or for musicians like gabriel ananda, axel bartsch and douglas greed or dj emerson, dan drastic and frank mŸller (beroshima) proof their production skills, released on various national and international labels like capsula, by sasha carassi and ready2rock, by nihil young - both based in italy. in 2012 perthil & aerts lauched their own label named authentic pew with releases by jonas kopp, markus suckut, kevin gorman, oliver dodd, gareth wild and dax j - and of course: perthil & aerts

the philadelphia-based dubstep and grime producer has released his past albums on uk institution planet mu, but his third will come on londons civil music, the label that delivered his recent space traitor eps.

its been four long years since glissando released the critically acclaimed with our arms wide open we march towards the burning sea and the duo finally return this november with a new record the world without us.

word of mouth is the october released debut album from the tireless leftroom records boss and producer/dj, matt tolfrey.

the third album of the rongetz foundation, also recorded in new york, will be released end of 2012 and features musicians such as gregory porter, ronnie cuber, renee neufville or john robinson. on that session, rongetz goal was to dig more than ever into compositions that are bridging jazz with hip-hop and soul music.

hunx and his punx is the homoerotic vision of san francisco-based performer/personality hunx, aka seth bogart. carrying the banner of his gay sisters (rob halford, little richard, freddy mercury). hunx is proving himself a legendary child in his own right, charming gays and squares alike with his live shows and candor. the music pays homage to his varied influences (the ronettes, the ramones, al pacinos cruising), hunxs unique style defies genre and serves up equal helpings of 60?s girl group, bubblegum pop, and new wave with all of the hallmarks of the bay area garage rock scene seth emerged from.gay singles compiles all 5 of his sold-out singles released between 2008 and 2009 with a bonus track.

rome s egisto sopor has been making waves with his releases for quite a while now: he put out a cdr album on legowelt s strange life records and a cassette on the much admired 100% silk label, both under the name polysick. as theawayteam he released the dvd relax & sleep and cd star kinship on japanese label maomoo. he is also one half of the low-key video unit aavv, whose work has graced many of the important releases of the new lo-fi electronic movement. digital native is his first album properÑfifteen tracks of glowing, nocturnal, analog grace that recall the days of acid house and early techno, but with a mood and intent designed for watching images dance on closed eyelids. it s no surprise that his work as a video artist resonates so strongly with the music he makes. polysick has tapped straight into the synthetic pleasures of early dance musics otherworldly pulses: the hypnotic arpeggios of italo disco, soaring detroit chords, cosmic disco, the -fourth world music- of jon hassell and the library exotics of piero umiliani. this is body music for the resting body. imagine the nexus of early acid house and italo music used for mental therapy, exotic traveling and imaginingÑexciting the brain waves and journeying into imagined spaces.

originally released as a limited vinyl edition in 2010 which had quickly sold out,this much sought after longplayer by the austrian duo hey-o-hansen now sees the light of day as a cd. on we so horny,hey-o-hansen strip down dub rhythms mostly from the fifties and make them up freshly in the guise of contemporary club sound.

incl. bonus mix cd! following on from the success of >dirty old hip hop< marc returns with a new visioneers record hipology. hipology is a collage of some of my personal influences as a dj/producer growing up listening to hip hop a real eclectic mix of breaks, beats, soul, jazz, and freaky squeaks and not a sampler in sight. visioneers is about revisiting my love for hip hop, what is was and what it is the musical influences and the culture. hipology will be released on bbe records late spring and features guest spots from john robinson, trac & baron, notes to self, luke parkhouse & the ariya horns!

what is this? we actually dont know but it is new and wonderful! as one of the most successful artists in contemporary techno music hendrik weber aka pantha du prince presents his new studio project together with workshops stephan abry: ursprung. after several studio sessions in the cold and charming winter of the swiss alps, abry and weber were driven deeper and deeper into some microcosm of sound to almost cut the edge to the myth. influenced by krautrock, the ambient music of harold budd and early brian eno, avantgarde, and the minimalistic guitar sound of durutti collumn the ursprung project cant resist to make the guitar a main source. coming together with highly futuristic sounds as we know from the researches of pantha du prince. a truly unconventional structure of slowly growing beats hold this universe which came from the cold mountains together. it is not the first time the protagonists behind ursprung worked together. they met some ten years ago in hamburg as the photographer and musician stephan abry worked on his workshop project together with the artist kai althoff. hendrik weber was involved in the band stella and both released on hamburgs legendary ladomat 2000 label. a frequent conversation, exchange of music and some sessions made them work on pantha du prince works. mostly recorded in that white out background of the alps it was clear from the beginning- a unique project will come one day. now ursprung is here and lets us forget time and memory. stephan abry and hendrik weber wonder what is this? we actually dont know at all but it is new and wonderful!

bong-ras new album monolith is a new step in pure hybrid electronics. seamlessly mixing all styles with ease. be it metal, drum and bass, hip hop and dubstep. a musical characteristic he has gained international praise for. monolith is divided up into two segments: alpha and omega. alpha are four hiphop-esque colossals featuring the american rapper sole, who has proven himself over the years with his crew and label anticon. omega is the dancefloor orientated part of the album where bong-ra continues with his trademark metalbreaks style which made him remix the likes of bolt thrower and even screamo legends therapy? since 1996 bong-ra has released 5 full length albums, and has released on labels such as djax. planet mu, ad noiseam, kid 606s tigerbeat 6, jason forrests cock rock disco to name a few. the biggest success came with the 2003 album bikini bandits, kill! kill! kill! managing a full rotation with the videoclip 666mph on mtv. bbcs radio 1 dj, john peel, was also a big fan, inviting bong-ra to do a famous john peel session in 2001, and was asked to be part of the peel tribute cd kats karavan containing peels 125 favourite session artists. this cd contained the likes of bob marley, boomtown rats, the jam, pj harvey and bong-ra amongst others. in the last decade bong-ra has played all the big festivals: glastonbury, lowlands, fusion, dour, eurosonic, etc and has toured europe, the us and japan. bong-ra is further known for being one of the pioneers of the breakcore genre. together with artists like venetian snares, shitmat and jason forrest they developed this unique and energetic crossbreed in the early 2000s. with monolith bong-ra continues to pave the way into heavy electronics, always re-inventing and evolving himself with every album. he recently won the dutch 3voor12 award (the largest dutch music platform) for best musician, for his bong-ra and the kilimanjaro darkjazz ensemble projects.

touki ba banjul is a compilation of the gambian psych sensation guelewar who played a major part in the development of the afro manding sound. from 1979-1982 the band released four albums, featuring some of gembias best funk tunes.

its a great honour for us to be able to present conrad schnitzlers last work. endtime will be released as dlp, cd and download. only a few days before he passed away last august, he created this unique, almost 70 minutes long work. 36 parts mixed into each other create a walk through his entire work. this record is not only for fans of conrad schnitzler. its like a trip through 40 years of electronic music. conrad schnitzler once more shows how strong his influence has marked young artists like emeralds and oneohtrix point never. wihtout his solo works and his projects kluster, tangerine dream and eruption electronic music wouldnt be the same. the tracks on the vinyl edition are in the order sides a,c,b,d. this allows you to make your own mix of this big work.

after the immense success of last yearÕs hed kandi world series: miami release, this ever popular hed kandi theme returns in 2012 with its second volume, world series: miami volume ii. floridaÕs art deco gem is without-a-doubt one of the most seductive and chic additions to hed kandiÕs global city roster, and with the hype, excitement and highly anticipated winter music conference and ultra music festival occurring in the month this title is released, world series: miami ii captures the upfront sounds from hed kandiÕs legendary pool and club parties at this prestigious and iconic jet set destination. hed kandi headline djs, eibhlin and carl hanaghan, lay down the mixes over 2 cds titled pool & club, each selecting tracks that define the atmosphere of one of the globeÕs most celebrated dance music capitals.

hailing from perth, australia, this talented and prolific producer is no stranger to the music scene. following his first taste of an akai sampler to drop film samples on the intros of songs in his metal band, the dirty whittler, rregula eventually found himself drawn into the world of drum and bass and formed one half of bad robot in 2003, a monster collaboration with future technique and viper superstar, phetsta.with a number of releases on subsonik sound, black sun empire, and drumsound & bassline smiths popular technique recordings as bad robot, followed by solo projects on vampire records, dsci4, citrus recordings, icarus audio, climate recordings, and too many others to name, rregula has been scaling new heights with his output in the past year. having just released an album project in 2011 on trust in music entitled echoes from the future with dementia and collaborations from the likes of smooth, trei and optiv, one might think of calling it a year.. rregula is not one of those people.now set to unleash his highly anticipated debut lp on climate recordings, rregula presents:the barramundi experiment. an album extraordinaire, with over 30 tunes of deep and dirty rolling drum and bass, halftime and drumstep.

brainmath was the first of ramps three sub-labelsÑthe others being fourth wave and patterns.between 2008 and 2010 it released a string of eps by now-established bass artists, including works by zomby, sbtrkt and james blake, plus roskas only production as bakongo

whomadewho may lack a question mark after their name but their music will certainly have you asking after them. the copenhagen,denmark trio is difficult to pin down but their music sounds as effortless as it is stylistically and sonically adventurous. having formed in 2003, the genre-bending trio made up of jeppe kjellberg, tomas h¿ffding and tomas barfod honed their skills on stage and in the studio, releasing a series of bestselling records on munich based gomma and topped off by their kompakt released 2011 mini album knee deep.

the yearly summit of keiji haino, jim o rourke and oren ambarchi continues with imikuzushi, which finds the group extending the power-trio strategies of last years highly praised in a flash everything comes together as one there is no need for a subject (bt05) and bringing to them a newly sustained intensity. for this performance, haino limits himself to electric guitar and vocals, forming complex networks of slashing rhythm work, noise squall and chromatic shredding, moving at times to near-silent passages of howled vocals and isolated, hanging guitar strums. the tendency towards driving free-rock which surfaced on moments of the trios last release is cemented here, with o rourkes fuzzed-out, non-linear bass riffing moving the music into almost garage-rock areas, combining with ambarchis drums to form a bedrock of hypnotic, metronomic pounding which transforms itself effortlessly into passages of flowing free-time. like all of hainos best work, the trio transcends any rock genre exercise to enter a non-idiomatic zone of ritual intensity, creating a music formed purely out of instrumental and group-mind possibility. presented as four unedited excerpts salvaged from an epic show that lasted well over three hours, the sometimes raw nature of the recording only adds to its directness and harshly emotive quality. francis plagne, melbourne, nov, 2011 released as a 6 panel digipak cd and as a limited edition double lp in a lavish gatefold with printed inner sleeves. design by stephen o malley with high quality live shots by ujin matsuo and stunning images by tokyo based photographer and sound artist shunichiro okad

following on from the debut artist album from marco bailey and the second album from guy j which have both been well received internationally amongst press and public alike as well as huge compilation releases from label owner john digweed himself in the form of the structures and bedrock 12 releases. following on from the second instalment of the structures series bedrock proudly present the debut artist album from rising star stelios vassiloudis titled -it is what it is-. a fantastic double cd release showcasing forward thinking music and once again showing why bedrock is one of the leading labels in the electronic scene. in addition to the many original pieces of work on this album, stelios has also teamed up with a vast array of talented vocalists and song writers. -the z- is a collaboration between himself and sasse who owns and releases music on his esteemed mood music label. based in berlin sasse has a long history of successful releases and support from some of the biggest names in the scene. john dalagelisinvolvement with the project (he co-engineered and co-produced the continuous mixes) resulted in him contributing his songwriting and studio finesse to -sunrise on the avenue-. john runs the very hip dieb audio imprint and has released music on a wide variety of labels over the years. the album is rich with the many vocal talents it hosts with notable contributions from the likes of astrid suryanto, tomomi ukomori, anna maria x and darren murray. astrid has an established history of working with some of the greatest names in electronic music such as todd terry, king britt, dj yellow and morgan page as well as a plethora of great labels like nervous, plastic city and armada amongst many others. based in japan, tomomi ukomori has also worked on stellar releases with key labels in that territory like avex, apt international and green parrot recordings working with the likes of mathias kaden, hernan cattaneo, omb and hideo kobyashi. anna maria x is a name synonymous with the music scene in greece whether it be as a dj or a producer/singer. anna has been one of the main names in the electronic scene being involved in clubs, radio and of course a whole host of releases with her studio partner, gpal.

2011 release from the french singer / songwriter. skyline is yann tiersen s seventh studio album, and sees tiersen taking a confident step forward, cementing the sound of its darker sister, the critically acclaimed dust lane, which was released almost exactly 12 months previously. says tiersen, -strangely while skyline musically comes across as lighter and happier than dust lane the subject matter is somewhat darker - there is certainly a sense of moving on and what thoughts are left having dealt with loss-.

he is one of the hardcore scenes biggest icons for almost twenty years. after five albums, neophyte returned to his favorite chamber to produce his first album in more than five years. a unique album: for the first time in hardcore history, an album will be released in two different parts. on monday january 16th, neophyte will present the first chapter of rechtoe rechtaan s successor: mainiak . jeroen streundings formation dropped its first ep in 1993 on rotterdam records: they released tons of tracks on the legendary label. next to these activities, neophyte came up with several aliases like bodylotion, hard creation and masters of ceremony to produce on terror traxx and forze records. in 1999 neophyte founded his own label neophyte records, which is considered to be one of the leading labels in hardcore for more than twelve years. neophyte developed himself as one of the best producers of the hardcore scene and helped new artists like evil activities and tha playah to get to the top of the hardcore olympus as well. mainiak proves why neophyte is hailed as a true leader of the hardcore scene. the first chapter of the album is packed with an arsenal of brand new material: besides a lot of solo tracks, neophyte has also collaborated with a selection of other artists such as neophyte records colleagues tha playah & the viper. mainiak s tracks have been edited for the album to keep it flowing in the best way for the listeners pleasure. the dj s and his diehard fans won t have to mourn: the album s tracks will also be available for download in full length.

renegade hardware is proud to present ink: the last scroll. the first artist led album ever to be released on the label. tracklist lp: a. ink feat. btk Ð reptile, b. ink - hidden dreams, c. ink feat. btk - 5 elements, d. ink feat. perpetuum - world turns

little pianist is the stunning debut album of japanese duo bocca grande. formed by music producer kousuke ishida aka trio and piano teacher yuka kobayashi, bocca grande music gives an high value to the classic piano mixed with the electronic vibes. their beautiful single procedere, that anticipated the release of the album, shows magically their concept, a magnificent and emotional record, above any trend ! trio started to compose at sixteen years old. his sound reflects the deepness experienced in his life and that we find in the japanese culture and his dj style is influenced by the old school, from the deep side of chicago house to the detroit techno etc. their productions have been already released on labels like mathematics (chicago), four roses (germany), black vinyl (uk), nice and smooth (canada) and futic silver (tokyo). the tunes have been getting huge responses since played out by motor city drum ensemble during his guest slot at tim sweeneys legendary beats in space into the radio show in new york. an incredible album from start to finish. blending the majestic piano work with electronica, house, downbeat, dub and a cinematic vibe in a creative and innovative way, little pianist is one of those records that warrant to be listened to in their entirety... repeatedly!

soundway return once more to the caribbean and are proud to present ifetaya by black truth rhythm band, originally released in 1976. led by the charismatic oluko imo, ifetaya was the only release from the afro-centric trinidadian band and is re-issued here for the first time on cd. whereas most of their peers at the time were looking to the funk of the usa & james brown for inspiration,black truth rhythm band looked to africa, fusing rhythms from africa & the west indies with elements of jazz, funk, calypsoand soul. ifetayo was to be the only release from black truth rhythm band but imo continued his music and love of african rhythms, going onto record with fela kuti in 1988 and later on perform with members of felas egypt 80 band.

deep , spiritual jazz, originally released in 1979

this is the first part (of four) of the much anticipated reissue series of drexciya s early catalogue, marking 20 years since the release of their first ep deep sea dweller , and 10 years since their final album grava 4 . one of the most influential techno acts ever, and part of the heritage of detroits underground resistance, drexciya explored techno like no-one else before: raw and uncompromising music that reflected the harsh environment of the city where drexciya was conceived, with a mythical approach that only added to their cult appeal. drexciya arguably stands for the darker side of techno and electro, made not only for the club scene, but a further development of the music as an expression and extension of the mind. journey of the deep sea dweller is a near-complete collection of their early works, released in four parts, with all audio remastered from the original master tapes. since the original releases have such a strong character and stand on their own, these reissue can never recreate the magic of those originals. instead, clone have stirred up the catalogue, taking tracks out of their original context, giving the committed fan a fresh experience and the new listener a document that is the best possible introduction to the aquatic world of drexciya.

the cocoon label presents the cocoon morphs tokyo cd, previously released exclusively in japan. presenting exclusive work by artists of the highest cocoon-caliber, cocoon morphs tokyo also celebrates the aesthetic partnership between world-renowned german photographer and artist andreas gursky and cocoon-head sven vaeth. gursky has published a cycle of large-sized pictures with -cocoon- as the central theme: the -cocoon- pictures reference current club culture, with gursky using the big techno events cocoon stages as inspiration. the architectural frame of his work refers to the design of the cocoonclub in frankfurt. the spatial concept was developed by v„th, together with the design agency 3deluxe. in gurskys cover art, you can see the idealized approach to the original cocoon club in all its fervent glory. here, excellent electronic music meets the work of the most important contemporary german artist worldwide - again, cocoon explores new frontiers and combines art forms of the 21st century. artists include: gerber & kalbata, tiefschwarz, pig & dan, vaeth vs. rother, schneider & galluzzi, ricardo villalobos, david k, and patrick zigon.

2011 debut album from tropics aka british producer and multi-instrumentalist chris ward. since planet mu released his first single, -soft vision-, the synthpop of his early tracks has evolved into a more substantial and personal style. parodia flare features ward as a multi-instrumental auteur, weaving together vintage sounds, rhodes keyboard, banks of old synths, software and guitars, live drums and electric bass.

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

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

anders trentemoller has become one of the most respected names in cutting edge electronic music in the last few years. his rise to notoriety was sparked by his early, techy releases for poker flat and audiomatique and has since gone on to stellar highs with his own personal take on the genre, spanning, pop, rock, indie and classical. his debut album >the last resort< was released in 2006 to much international acclaim, and the producer also began to become an in-demand remixer in the house and techno world. as the decade wore on his sound continued to progress, opening up his studio to more live instrumentation, and a looser, rock-meets electronic vibe with his stunning >into the great wide yonder< lp. now this special double cd and double vinyl release celebrates some of the producer s favourite remixes he completed for other artists, and also some of his personal picks where other musicians have reworked his music.

new album by portable. on the fifth longplayer, alan abrahams teams up with efdemin, johannes schšn and >sŸd electronic< labelmate lakuti, to lead us into infinity. during the last 15 years, alan lived & composed in south africa / england / portugal and germany. he released records on background / context / karat / musik krause / scape / spectral / sŸd electronics and yore.

2008 mini lp sleeve reissue of this album from serge gainsbourgs right-hand man jean-claude vannier, originally released in 1972. recorded during the same sessions as gainsbourgs highly acclaimed masterpiece melody nelson it follows in a similar avant-garde rock-opera vein. lenfant assasin des mouches (the child fly-killer) is a supernatural tale written by gainsbourg depicting the journey of the young child travelling through a nightmarish -fly kingdom-. vannier narrates the story with sparse music concrete sounds coupled with choirs, funky beats, cowbells, wah-wah guitars and ethnic strings. comparisons could be made with some of frank zappas hot rats material and alain goraguers creepy le planet sauvge.

2011 collection featuring cuts from shuggie otis, sly & the family stone and aretha franklin.. the old grey whistle test has now been synonymous with quality music for 40 years. although possibly best know as a show for rock music, the show maintained an amazing variety when it came to choosing its artists, it really only had two criteria, 1, that the artists had released an album and 2 that they produced great music. this collection mostly features artists that appeared on the show but also include artists who for whatever reason didnt or couldnt appear on the show.

thirty years after they released their first four track ep black roots singles output is finally showcased on -black roots - the reggae singles anthology-. released on september 5th, by bristol archive records in collaboration with nubian records this 16 track album spans the bands creative peak of the 1980s.

before he made his breakthrough with 69 love songs, stephin merritt was a little-known songwriter signed to merge records. the label reaches into its own archives for this rarities compilation, which features 14 songs recorded between 1994 and 1999. full description1999. some of the tracks were originally released as 7 inch vinyl singles by the magnetic fields, others are unreleased rarities, including three cuts from merritts unfinished science fiction musical and one outtake from the 69 love songs sessions.

berghains marcel fengler presents the fifth installment in the clubs expanding mix series. a central resident at the club since its early days, fengler continually and consistently fires up the berghain floor with his vast and exemplary collection of techno, house and electronica. fenglers colourful mix includes new exclusives from peter van hoesen, reagenz & vril, which will be released on an un-mixed 12 inch, and also gathers together a wealth of producers both new and old, from claude young, luke slater, ben sims and regis, to skudge, gerd, seiji and convextion, a lot of them providing previously unreleased material

2011 collection released to coincide with the popular green man festival. selected and produced by rough trade shops, the cd exclusively features artists playing at green man 2011, and serves to distil the sonic ethos of the event. includes tracks from fleet foxes, the low anthem, josh t. pearson, iron and wine, gruff rhys, explosions in the sky, holy fuck, squarepusher and many others.

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

derrick morgans recording career spans over five decades, starting with smiths in the late 1950s with mainly r&b style output. in the ska era of the early 1960s he moved on to work with producers: duke reid, prince buster, leslie kong, c.s. dodd (studio one) and later in the 1960s and into the 1970s, with the ubiquitous bunny lee. during this time, many of his own productions were also released, this compilation features ska productions from the 1960-1966 period. the lp has been re-compiled, re-mastered and has new art-work. it features the best tracks from now deleted 12 inch lp rrtlp 06 and concentrates on obscure and hard to find sides.

you can forgive a band who set out to create something even just a little bit different and get it horrendously wrong, but its tough to have sympathy for a band who shy away from the challenge altogether. such was the case with autokratz on their first album, animal, which, apart from a passable opening track, consisted of a series of bland electronic pastiches Ð dance music that conversely made the listener want to sit and wait it out. that didnt stop the hype building around the duo, though, thanks in no small part to the fact that the album was released through in-vogue french label kitsunŽ music. the confusing positivity surrounding the lp suggesting, perhaps, that style overcomes substance once a record company has received the hipster seal of approval.this time around, however, kitsune has stepped aside, with autokratz releasing the follow-up on their own label, bad life. but has the sense of responsibility that surely comes with this step made them re-evaluate their direction? has it inspired them to inject a much-needed shot of creativity into their work? not a hope. if anything, autokratz descend even further into mediocrity on self help for beginners. once again, their best tunes are loaded towards the front of the album, starting with the lead single, -opposite of love. its far from outstanding, helped in no small part by the terribly contrived lyrics, but does possess a catchy synth melody Ð enough to earn it a place on club playlists, at least. its a similar story with -becoming the wraith, which has peter hook on hand to deliver an overtly new order-esque bassline. beyond that, however, the quality dips dramatically. tracks like -the seventh seal and -r.i.s.e. are typical of the selection on offer, underwhelmingly vapid, derivative tunes which show up a disappointing, but not totally unexpected, scarcity of guile on the part of their creators.where autokratz do excel is as producers Ð a quality evident not only in their own work, but also in their remixes for other artists. unfortunately, this only serves to exacerbate their deficiencies on the other side of the control room desk. ultimately it may mean that, having failed to address the shortcomings of their debut, autokratz will be fated to be filed under -also rans in the annals of music history. thats assuming, of course, that someone out there will actually remember them at all.

the ever on point citrus recordings is stepping up for its 5th artist lp. after having released the debut albums of mindscape & jade wich all went on for critical acclaim its time for citrus to get ready for its 3rd artist album. this time its time for the debut album of fourward! hailing straight from lower austria the four men collective fourward started out producing music in early 2007. the boys knew each other for quite a while and shared the love and passion for drumandbass music. for them it was always a main issue not to stick to any particular tiny subgenre only, but to develop a sound of their own. all members have different musical backgrounds which fit together perfectly and provide a great studio vibe. days went by and the boys finished a couple of tunes properly and it wasnt long until austrian drumandbass producer duo body&soul showed interest in their works. also international artists like bbcs very own crissy criss began to support their music giving them airplay on his radio show. as a result of their effort fourward has released quality tunes on labels like subsonik sound, planet funk and fokuz. the year 2010 they experienced the so called breakthrough with releases on nasca recordings and fokuz followed by an epic 12inch for the legendary label virus recordings! the guys definitely didnt stop there and being on the road now broadened their horizon even further. resulting in a series of tunes perfectly fitting together in this cd. diversity and musicallity are keywords for this album. listen from low blow to you and me, quality drum n bass!!

amiable new york city-based alt-rockers spin doctors hit it big in 1993 with the jam band hits -two princes- and -little miss cant be wrong,- both of which fueled many countless collegiate afternoons spent hacky sacking and devil stick juggling amidst a sea of red plastic cups. released in 2011, the best of spin doctors, which doesnt differ too much from 2000s just go ahead now: a retrospective or 2009s playlist: the very best of spin doctors, features 18 tracks culled from the groups three albums for epic. front-loaded with the groups two biggest, aforementioned hits, the collection loses steam as it progresses (though there are some tight, 70s-inspired nuggets to be found like -mary jane- and -cleopatras cat-), due in no small part to the groups penchant for always staying in its comfort zone.

daydreaming is the debut album release from paris based artist von d on boka records. a fusion chef of bassweight, von d has deftly sliced into unpredictable genres, concocting strange and beautiful new forms.the album sees von d collaborating with the internationally renowned foreign beggars, phephe, david boomah (vocalist for shy fx murderation), riya & mr lager, while his previous work has also been remixed by a host of respected dubstep djs including skream and tes la rok. born into the cultural melting pot of the paris suburbs, von d found his souls conduit in a beaten up old drum kit. whilst the riddims of king tubby alongside the foetal jungle of photek and serge gainsborg were initial inspirations, after forging a successful path as a sound engineer von d honed his sound sculpting skills to a razor sharp edge. von ds productions have been picked up by skream, arguably one of dubsteps most successful artists, who snapped up a release for his label disfigured dubs. dj chef released von ds >show me< on his sub freq imprint, which quickly became one of the most talked about releases of 2009 Ð so much so that three time dmc world champion dj craze has been supporting the track in recent mixes. not one to be complacent, von dÕs kept up the pressure with releases on black acre, tempa, soul jazz and argon Ð enough to attract the attention of bbc radio 1s gilles peterson who has included a track for his hotly anticipated brownswood bubblers compilation album. von d has created a global buzz with his numerous explosive live performances featuring unreleased and exciting material from himself as well as other established producers. having had a host of successful tours in the united states, europe and china, von d has now set his sights on touring new zealand and australia