rafael da cruz 1st black label 12inch finally hits the streets, dipping into deeper, gloomier spheres of house. soaring synths cleverly trim the bed of fat broad baselines. the black 80s give the original a wicked analogue touch, with a splendid soulful vocal version as bonus track. cosmic cowboys and david hasert supply two impressive remixes that both create a dark, but uniquely vibrant scenery and complete the package.

rndm (pronounced *random*) is a new musical group featuring pearl jam bassist jeff ament, singer-songwriter joseph arthur and drummer richard stuverud. in april of this year, joseph arthur joined jeff ament and drummer richard stuverud in montana for a jam session, which would give birth to rndm *acts*. within an hour on that first night in the studio, the trio had bashed into shape an ament song called *what you cant control*. and after four days with longtime pearl jam engineer brett eliason behind the boards, the group had nearly 20 finished tracks, which were eventually whittled down to to 12 for this album. the double vinyl comes in gatefold sleeve and contains a download code.

tokyo-based composer phil gerus gives man make music a summer record par excellence, warping classic rnb and disco into five highly original and up-to-the minute tracks.

not the usual bio rhythm release... as far as they have any usual releases at all. recently the label accidentally came across this lost treasure by midnightopera (workshop) and signed in at the spot. produced in 2007, five is an epic 12 minute journey straight into downtempo/deephouse walhalla, making your sunday morning seem to last forever. the 2010 rework is delivered by bad boy roger 23, diving into even deeper territories and adding some psychedelic elements to make it safely through the other side and back. sunrise over riegelsberg... dont sleep! translucent red coloured / black marbled copies, vinyl only.

paul ritch is back on drumcode with his astounding new single brainwash. perfectly capturing the energetic, driving techno sound that paul is capable of, brainwash delivers something that really engrains into the memory and leaves the dancefloor filled with vitality. on the flip side, inside me is a heavily percussive rolling track that uses interesting synth hooks and stabs to create a rocking groove that creates vigour and depth that pauls techno represents.

under the moniker pagan sector, two mysterious grandmasters of electronic music collaborated, resulting in this depraved love child. hermopolis magna is the first born (release) from amsterdam based knekelhuis..... limited supplies.

the debut release on exploris has finally arrived from label head ejeca. having initially built a name with more vocal lead releases, 2014 has seen ejeca move into slightly tougher territory and exp001 drops 3 techno cuts that range from the off kilter to the more industrial in style.

nx1, spanish duo samot and surit from nexe records step up to the plate for the next release on terence fixmer’s planete rouge label, with their ‘pr’ ep. having also released on the likes of semantica, dynamic reflection, m_rec and modularz, their tracks are the result of many years of experience in the electronic music scene where techno was the main soundtrack. the ep is comprised of three new cuts, opening with the thunderous ‘pr1’ with its pulsating bass setting the tone for the rest of the ep. ‘pr2’ follows with some dappled electronics before ‘pr3’ pounds into play, rounding up this triple techno-header. big with marcel dettmann, luke slater, marcel fengler, joseph capriati, truncate, drumcell and many more

ltd repress
the first release for andy harts new vinyl only imprint >voyage<. this introduction includes artefacts from ctepeo 57 aka max graef & muff deep, saine, andy hart and harvey sutherland. pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl and packed into manila sleeves. early dj support from: jimpster, max graef, roberto rodriguez, m.ono and thatmanmonkz

we continue our journey into eternity with ep 2.

two years after his debut single he returns with a five track ep featuring i wonder why and four other tracks. his previous work was recognised early by the fader but instead of pumping out more releases, he took his time and the result is a great progression as a producer. not only was the ep recorded at his home, different rooms were actually sampled in the process. all with an increased number of textured synths en better drumlines blending into an ep with a very organic sound.

tekseven records. hailing from belfast n.ireland. the opening track orbit by tekseven is a trip into an off beat world of heavily laden beats, baselines, synths and sci-fi, evolving vocal lines seemingly sampled with precision from an old 50s t.v set somehow reminiscent of robert hood. the remix from uk artist binny continues along the sci-fi theme with a beautifully crafted ambient intro which turns into a thumping good retro feeling techno track! on the b-side teksevens atlas introduces us to some straight up no holds barred high quality light and shade techno that will loosen any dance floors rivets.last but not least is an excellent remix by mattias fridell verging more on the dub side of things with the deepest spacious bass that is a hallmark of his fine techno creations . all in all, a great first release from a brand new vinyl label. expect great things in the future.

3 weirdo ones on the cult of properness. propers cult, the label launched by amsterdam s san proper, present their second release, the debut of a jazz-fusion drummer who goes by the name of d., hailing from katwijk (nl). three deep and mesmerizing house workouts veering into techno territories, with an acid glitch to them. yes, they come with a lot of question marks and exclamation points

if you are into the type of techno-infused house beats that drive dancefloors crazy, theres very little chance that you havent yet heard of jay lumen, one of the most prolific tech-house producers in today s scene.

*somebody* is the first single from the new aurra album *body rock* due out later this year on family groove records. once again the world gets to experience a lost disco-funk masterpiece providing another glimpse into the genius mind of slave founding-member steve washington & brides of funkenstein / p-funk singer sheila horne. body rock will be the second and final unearthing of the lost but found master tapes originally recorded for quincy jones qwest imprint in 1984. slap bass, heavy synths, linn drum, sultry vocals... this is modern funk at its finest!
the 24-track master tapes were transferred digitally and then mixed on an ssl board by kamal humphrey at his all-analog flying carpet studios in los angeles. the result is a full sound enhanced by the natural analog process using todays digital technology only when needed to clean up the files.
da-m-funk adds a bit of dirt and grime by putting his signature re-freak on the track. a confirmation from los angeles ambassador of boogie funk that this is in fact the the un-cut funk and nothing but the funk.

fred p immerses himself further into his techno alter ego, bringing more depth and insight to the saga, using sound to transcend time and space. *serinatatis* starts off the proceedings with a relentless drive and lofty pulsating pads that give you the feeling of a dismal oasis, with its brooding bassline and obscure vocals penetrating the construct. *dark population* takes us further down the rabbit hole into deeper rhythmic vibrations. this hypnotic ceremonial floor shaker echoes the cerebral ethos of the ep. last, but not least, *convective zone* cracks the sky and lets the sun shine in with its rolling baseline and ethereal chord structure. homage to the term techno soul is paid in full here as a trumpet blares through without losing the depth of the moment.

a project that began in late 2002 as a way in which the artist could wage a personal guerrilla war on the wicked and dark forces that inhabit the music industry.

like stepping into a warm electronic sound bath, chaim’s latest release for visionquest ripples with pulsing sonic textures and propels forward at a softly galvanic pace as the slowly emerging melody takes hold in underwater. b side remember when is just as compelling - a slightly tougher edge and darkly euphoric atmosphere injected with sporadic chimes, disembodied voices and dramatic synth stabs. this is a truly hypnotising release.

the highly talented producer gardens of god is up next to release on the blossoming boso imprint with epic gluek. the three track ep takes you on an emotive journey that delves into the deep and dark with luscious pads and powerful melodies creating a vast tapestry of warm rounded sounds to stimulate the senses on the dancefloor.

filsonik, one of new yorks finest old school underground dj/producers is down to make his debut on the illustrious hot creations imprint after his regular appearances at circo loco dc10 and close relationship with the martinez brothers brought him into orbit with jamie jones et al. a staple in jamies sets at the moment and always creating a major impact on the dance floor, dogfish is testament to filsoniks nuanced production skills and flair for a killer groove and a ridiculously infectious swagger.

earlier this year, the 21yearold valentin stip unveiled his debut album on nicolas jaars other people records. on sigh, stip presented classical piano, lightly sputtering grooves and intimate found sounds into an album of compositional grace and emotional honesty. now comes reinterpretations from lovil who are the combined talents of max loderbauer and ricardo villalobos, creating an elegant and organic movement that takes the static fizzes of pendule to new heights. additionally an equally bold and experimental rework of tableaux ii comes courtesy of oren ratowsky & solpara. pressing on 180 gram vinyl.

for nearly two decades, ploink has promoted techno nights around norway, presenting local talent as well as some of the biggest acts from around the world. we just really like techno. our definition of the genre is fairly wide though, constantly evolving, which we have attempted to reflect in this our first release, compiling four very different tracks by local producers from our hometown of bergen. setting up a label branch has for years been a burried, old plan. to us, techno parties, no matter how unique and brilliantly planned, have such a short lifespan, and as such it feels good to finally start releasing something that can get a life of its own, perhaps grow into something entirely different.

collection of the bands early works. a glimpse into the tokyo / yokohama post-punk underground. check!

continuing his prolific run of new material for the label, johannes heil continues to push forward with his >transitions< series, here collecting four more unique tracks for volume 2. opening with the serene calm and krautrock influenced >transition five<, a five minute piece that opens up a rich synth landscape full of space and texture, we then move onto the first of the eps two full-spectrum techno trips. hotly tipped for the summer as an essential festival and open air moment, the powerful and optimistic energy behind >transition six< is hard to ignore. that combined with heils extremely well sculpted and high-end production, the scene is set for madness to ensue… on the flip side we visit more paranoid zones with >transition seven<. building from a minimalistic stuttering rhythm, a soaring sci-fi soundtrack of strings and intricate synth patterns lift the tension, while dramatic sound effects crash and shimmer across the spectrum. this then prepares us for >transition eight<, in which we find johannes working his refined club-sound into yet further directions and angles. at once hypnotising and dominating in its driving bass register and captivating arrangement, a highly charged minimalist club tool for 2014 awaits!

berlin based cohorts ekkohaus and rufus (also part of tru west and nightdrivers) consummate their friendship with this four-track mission statement that deals in gutsy house music with a range of moods to suit every corner of the night. studer is a cheeky cut with jazzy key flurries and a fulsome bassline squelch, while pagan takes a tougher route into heavy delay feedback and pure rhythmic intensity. the end of an ear is a playful beast that takes off-key melodies and oddball noises and works them into a moody, heavy grooving context, while peace & reflection pushes the swing past the brink for a leftfield house jam that sounds liable to fall apart at any minute, in a good way of course.
pressing on translucent, blue colored vinyl.

trunk - and branches fetched by klangscheiben manager demas with diligent helpers from the forest. they built a wooden house of joy in the middle of the thuringian pampa. in the tree house they set up a small vinyl manufactory. what counts is lively, honest craftsmanship. hunter s tree! here they are, the pieces of wood, uh vinyl. scratched into the inner bark stands out: artists have placed their saws and axes in the shed and carved a few tasteful sounds in electronic sisyphean. chapeau et voilà, because what s crawling out of the wood boxes (clearly!) is not a worm, but musical understatement with pure groove research and a commitment to a culture of sound of the early perlon vinyls. oh god, always these analogies... but there were, no, there are good times for good music! this is magnificent fizzle funk with emo edge. relish and dance!

dj, producer, promoter & label manager, lex gorrie is a man of many talents. he started in 2006 by promoting the popular sleaze techno party in glasgow, alongside his younger brother, hans bouffmyhre. in the summer of 2008 sleaze records was created by the two paisley brothers. firstly as a platform to release their own productions, but now sleaze records has grown into one of the most respected techno labels in the world.

the one and only eric sneo graces phobiq for the first time with this three-track journey into sleek, chrome-plated techno. the title track has been surgically arranged so that the cavernous percussion and spacious effects can take over the whole track with their immersing strength. the grinding drums in combination with the hypnotic, filtered riff running throughout the track kick things up a notch and ensure maximum overdrive. on *stanch*, snappy drums provide the backdrop for otherworldly hi-hats to pound away while the focus shifts to the immense rhythm section and percussive mayhem. as expected, an apocalyptic breakdown ensues and all hell proceeds to break loose. *interleaved* picks up from there and seals the ep with classic chords that mutate over time together with more sonic manipulation, which ultimately serves as an exhibition of effortless mastery.

sofrito returns with more heat for your tropical discotheque, this time dipping into the mysterious sounds of nigerian acid boogie!

esnard boisdur is one of the great voices of gwo ka – the folkloric rhythm of guadeloupe. frankie francis & simbad flip his 1991 track *soufwans* (sufferance) into a groove that combines hypnotic percussion and mournful vocals with detroit-inspired synths and a deep deep bassline. trust us this one is a monster on the dancefloor!

nathan fake and wesley matsell are both producers best known for their releases on border community - nathan fake has been putting out psychedelic permutations on dance music since 2003 for the label, while matsell recently released the blissful total order of being ep for them earlier in 2014. cambria instruments is a new label venture from the pair, and for the first release they have teamed up for a split 12- of kaleidoscopic electronic sounds. nathan fake s contribution black drift starts things off, an initially inauspicious tripping beat gathering momentum and morphing into a far-out piece of fuzzy house underpinned by sunken low-end rumbles. it s the kind of brilliantly wide-eyed track we have come to expect from the producer. over on the flip, wesley matsell s bismuth is a more shadowy, moody affair, a tight techno rhythm holding things together while synths spin wildly. a highly expressive, lysergic trip and one of his finest productions to date. all in all, you couldn t hope for a stronger start from a new label.

having emerged from a crop of disco flavoured releases and vocal led remixes a couple of years ago, ashley casselle and asadinho decided to embark upon creating a series of stripped down housey techno dj tools to be used as experimental moments within their own podcasts and dj sets. this degree of honesty, and a desire to hark back to the roots of the music that drew them together in the first place, resulted in the sublime and bouncy *ceefox*. grainy 70s b-movie strings atop an addictive bassline equals a subtle yet huge club moment wherever it is played. we here at murge decided to entice these charming deejays to put out this deep and groovesome tune with us. two remixes come courtesy of new kingpin on the block jordan peak, who takes things into a more stomping club arena, and the beautifully glictchy ambience of julien miers headphone friendly interpretation.

dissonant starts off this season 2014 in ibiza with talented spanish producer medu. this new ep meets the dissonant vision of adventurous and sensuous electronic music. medu’s minimal roots immerse us into wild energetic drums and organic details. shi-sei adventure into loose breakbeat flows with its central drum sample, constantly weaving textures and percussion in and out of the groove for a nerve-tingling trip. bronq has a more free-spirited drums approach,a more steady tech-house beat, with a bit of atmospheric sounds turns surprisingly this tune into futuristic carnival experience.

the second lobster theremin white label comes from the mysterious australian producer, daze. making his release debut with four original tracks, daze covers varying strains of tough melodic house, ferocious acid and old school breakbeat, taking us on an experiential journey into the heart of british rave culture via detroit-influenced electro and rough and ready tape jams.

multitalented berlin based virtuoso cosmo klein rocketed into the limelight back in 2010 with his collaboration alongside syke n sugarstarr & dbn on my belief , dominating the european dance charts whilst staying at no.1 in germany for several weeks.

though the iconic imagery of disco feels distinctly tied to the united states, the style had a wide-reaching influence that made it’s way to africa. while africa was already no stranger to the pulsing rhythms of funk, afro-beat, and highlife, the rise of disco added a slick sheen to the music, with musicians from all over the continent incorporating elements of the genre into their sounds. would there ever have been a studio 54 in ghana in late 70s, these would have been the recordings that would have packed the dance floor with their deep root in disco, soul & funk! an album recorded in the late 70s packed full of legendary musicians such as harry mosco and many more… to be re-discovered 35 years after it’s initial vinyl release as a private press. a “disco documentary full of funk” proves that it stands the test of time by sounding as fresh and original as any other sought-after disco / soul funk lp from the west coast of africa in the late 70s. bbe went on another crate-digging journey and found the original producer reindorf nana oppong and the original master tapes were dusted off, transferred to digital. in the process of this, even un-released material was discovered on the tapes, which makes this a rather special package. “nana love - disco documentary full of funk” is one special journey through afro disco & boogie in the late 70s, and we at bbe can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed!!!

the third part in absurd recordings acid test series. a spaced out ambient acid tune recorded for the labyrinth festival in 2010. labelmate tin man remixes the track on the flipside and turns it into a dark tripped out acid journey with his added vocals.
2014 repress

after his big success with waehlscheibe 003, p. laoss returns on the swiss label with another dub house masterpiece. the german producer has once more switched on his reverb and delay gear and created a wonderful record full of fluffy chords, gentle pads and heavy basses. >rephrasing dub<, >i dont care< and >never though< all display the mans musical mastery in terms of harmony, variety and dramatic expression. in his remix of >i dont care<, federsen from san francisco has taken the crispy deep original and turned it into a broken beat stunner brimming with dubby crackles, noises and delays – all created with his analogue machines. as always all tracks have been mastered by above smoke at the hole of dub studio.

tracking down el frijolero (nee michael brown) for an interview to mark the release of this record proved harder than initially anticipated. despite enjoying world-wide success throughout the late 90’s and early 2000s - as well as a whole slew of critically acclaimed releases – the us born producer has faded into relative obscurity after joining a religious cult in the secluded countryside of north rhine-westphalia, germany. his last confirmed sighting was from a friend six years ago, who told us that brown had left the cult after filing for insolvency. these previously unreleased remixes were found in a box of possessions in a friend’s basement. they encapsulate the unrivaled talent and technical mastery of a man whose musical career and financial euphoria came to an abrupt end. 200 copies - hand stamped

sometimes the right things just fall into the right place and so it happened with an old track by thomas p. heckmann under his drax disguise, named section 2. originally released as techno s first ever 7inch, it was very popular in 1993 and paved the way for the huge follow ups like drax three -phosphene and the hugely influential and successful drax ltd.ii - amphetamine.

heavy deep disco invasion! black pearl record s mudegg (roskow kretschmann & tom sky) deliver insight into their knowledge about and passion for disco-music. one complex and well arranged song full of musicality and a keen sense of groove make „at light“ a bomb. sello s raw and straight rework and siggatunez rolling slo mo joint improve the fourth tieffrequent-release to a very diversified dance floor-filler and a very special piece of music..

for our second release on wavereform, we continue our explorations into sophisticated sounds from mostly-unexplored areas with the production debut from juras lietus, a 25 year-old latvian producer from riga whose mysterious origins in this out-of-the-way locale may surprise listeners, but whose sound fits very well into the label’s mission to reform the sound sphere with simple and elegant tracks that demand attention and bring unknown talent deserved notice. lietus wastes no time in showing off his developed dub techno style on >dark frank< as the bold, well-defined contours of the bottom end are contrasted with gentler ambient textures in the opening, it acquires more force as it moves along as he adds harder percussion patterns to the framework while the dense atmospherics progress barely in the background. >direct< is the more subtle and atmospheric of the pair, as crisp, delicate drums develop slowly while also suggesting melody. it too gains strength as it goes though, with ricocheting percussion and a barely-controlled feedback wail leading into a dramatic breakdown before he slowly winds things down in the detail-rich final section. j&#363,,,,,,,ras lietus and latvian techno may be mostly unknown, but this strong showing for wavereform 002 reveals much still to be uncovered in these eastern lands.

chelsea hotel records come back with the second release from romanian artist called alex kravitz. mr. blacklash a-side is a solid trip into the new melodyc techno atmospheres. wrecck b-side is composed by a very strong techno tool, in which solemn rhodes try to create suspence on the dancefloor. enjoy this amazing 180 gramm vinyl with full cover print and shrink wrapped sleeve.

a deep journey into the synth-wave dimension with an intense italo-disco bass line.

its hard to think of dutch wonderboy franky rizardo without inmediately associating it with his massive contributions to the defected catalogue or his broad spectrum of mainroom hits including collaborations and remixes work for some of the most important names in the game. this time he proves his versatil nature by submerging himself into a more underground vibe, the type we learned to love so much at off headquarters. we didn t take long to decide once we heard what he had in store for us, the tracks were loud, sexy and intense.

the two original tracks, while very different in moods, both share lush productions and a dramatic musical storytelling while the wonderful remix by ame is taking the song into an epic masterpiece that works wonders on a dancefloor while never losing the bewitching essence of the original

on wunderkammer youll witness blond:ish delving ever deeper into the psychedelic influences.

following on from the first part in april, shipwrec proudly serve up a second instalment of the american psychosis project by pioneering dutch producer drvg cvltvre, who has previously released on the likes of viewlexx, bunker and porn wax, next to his own new york haunted label.

listening to the sound of konfetti klub ensemble creates associations of those sparkling drops that run down the side of an ice cold drink on hot summer days. it’s a very refreshing and delicious listening experience, it’s both stimulating and soothing. if you think the formula brass players + club groove is somewhat worn-out, you will be pleasantly surprised. pomelo comes with bouncy offbeat rhythms, and when the trombone hits in there’s clearly an air of balkan sound. however, around the middle of the track it turns into a joyful freestyle session. mollono.bass puts a bit more emphasis on beats, bass and pressure in his version, in other words: even a bit more emphasis on the dance floor. rotwein und sommerverbot gives a groovy hint why konfetti klub ensemble describe their sound as live brass house – it’s extremely jazzy and casual, a live session rather than a programmed arrangement. even more so schwankel, as it vibrates effortlessly between intricate musical deepness and sheer to-the-floor euphoria. last but not least there is a track exclusively for the digital release: stranddub – beach dub. let’s put it like that: there’s a damn good party happing at this beach.