having impressed on the home grown ep, released in march of this year, london modular alliance return to hypercolour with the 5 track wolves ep. once again, a heavy arsenal of modular synths and analogue hardware were deployed in the production of these tracks, each once packing a punch and aesthetic that will appeal to many. ôbrockie detö fires out the blocks with on point electro beats and melancholic pads, whilst militant continues the theme, with dusted drums and thick washes of bass for a real futuristic funk moment. elsewhere on the ep, the disassembled arrangement of advance & proceed gives off a cold and discordant atmosphere, but remains firmly in groove and sonically tight, theres a distinct jazz flare in the mix also! tremors hits hard and heavy, giving the detroit electro cats a run for their money, whilst the ep title track, wolves is a busy and inspired slab of british idm at its very best.

black ivory was the pride of harlem and new yorks answer to the philly-fine delfonics but with infinitely more teen sex appeal. this silky-smooth 70s harmony trio featured the fabulous falsetto lead of leroy burgess (nephew of philly soul legend, thom bell) and charted four top-40 r&b singles and two top-30 lps under the guiding hand of their manager and today records driving force, patrick adams. songs like, you and i, time is love and dont turn around (which they performed live on soul train) are acknowledged sweet soul classics. and as the decade progressed and tastes changed, they successfully conquered the disco dancefloors with fave-raves like, mainline and walking downtown (saturday night) for buddah records which were liberally sampled by the hip-hop generation a true testament to the staying power of their incessantly soulful sound.

after numerous releases on staple labels like moods & grooves, deep explorer, contrast wax, minuendo & soul print, the duo from malta are back to their homegrown label batti batti. the 3 tracks on this ep are somewhat different to their usual style, putting aside their laid-back deepness and focusing more on the dance floor by delivering an ep of raw drums, acid lines, warm chords and filtered pads. a truly interesting release to say the least.

>maybe price is incorrect - tba< deep house legend enrico mantini brings to life purism, a new label and artists collective focused on a traditional approach in making and playing music, with no limitation on style. first release delivers three tracks of emotional, intense, warm yet groovy deep house ballads. pure pleasure for your ears. food for your soul.

dwell debuts on vinyl for of paradise with his virtual life ep, a deeply immersive journey through the heart and soul of electronic music, taking house and techno in a new direction and pushing them beyond the outer reaches.
virtual life comes packaged in a matte black sleeve complete with sticker and a6 insert.

does the world need more acid? yes it does! the r-a-g trio aka dutch producers ma spaventi, g-string & aroy dee deliver three raw acid-jams with aroy on the couch working the mic. the lyrics of dreadfully nervous are based on a edgar allan poe story. dreadfully nervous (aryd s acid mix) is a gurgling brew of squelchy acid with dark vocals and pinging cowbells pulling you in all directions. coarse claps and ever more wild synths encourage you to cut loose and make for another timeless cut. dreadfully stoned is more stripped back, with a rubbery arpeggiated synth the main hook over subtle, supple drums. those dark spoken word vocals are back again and the whole thing is freaky and unsettling as a result. last of all is the bright and glistening no soul with metal hits and claps and prickly acid all bursting out of dusty chicago drums. it s raw and sure to fire the synapses just like r-a-g productions always do.

following excellent releases from skatebard, les crocodiles and lunar concept amongst many others, pleasure unit turn to cut the rug crew member mike misiu for their latest instalment of cool-headed modern disco. do what you need sports a metro area demeanour, with a classic vocal hook sprinkled in at opportune moments for maximum impact. the dub mix is no less satisfying, even with the famous sample rubbed out, but in fact the real pleasant surprise of this release is b2 jam love talk. with its funky midtempo 90s breakbeat and heavy-hitting piano, it s an addictive party starter that harks back to the acid jazz days while still fitting right into the here and now.

disco stomper with diva vocals another extremely rare underground record on p&p. this time however and quite shockingly not a patrick adams or a greg carmichael production. nonetheless ôainÆt it timeö is a massive disco cut written, arranged and produced by arthur manning and p. j. wyatt paired with great vocals by soul, disco and gospel vocalist gwendolyn dennison better known for her stage name as queen yahna. queen yahna s career has seen her perform on broadway as maria in the hit musical, -porgy & bess- and the national company of -the wiz- as -evillene-. based in berlin, germany, queen yahna has had a successful career outside theater as well, cutting a few dance records over the year

nice price deal !!! yore proudly adds detroits drivetrain to the stable. drivetrains the nom de plume for derrick thompson, a dj and producer who heads up soiree records international, a label with a strong soulful house focus, who has been around since detroits early days. with over 50 releases on his back, from beatdown sessions to numerous remixes & collaborations, you can tell that >drivetrain< has a soft spot in his heart for the rich production values of 70s philly soul associated with producers such as gamble & huff and thom bell. that kinship comes through loud and clear in the eps second cut, >the rain<, when thompson sweetens the tunes brisk rhythms with triangle, electric piano, alto sax, flute, acoustic bass and a gravelly >make love (in the rain)< command that sounds like its oozing from the lips of a tasty dj. >the rain< is trumped by the a-sides >angel (serenity mix)<, which opens with a sinuous house thrust and then heats up with a tight, jacking groove that thompson soulfully embellishes with synthesizer flourishes and a smooth vocal refrain of the songs title. the vibe is lush and soulful in the extreme, with the vocals alternating between a soft murmur and robust declamation while the percolating, dub-inflected house pulse pushes determinedly forward underneath. the ep ends with the title track, >tragedy park<, which is closer in spirit to a stomping techno raver thats had a smidgen of acid thrown in for extra flavour. definitely a floor shaking bomb

mapping out their interpretation of 170 bpm music today, gerra & stone are proud to present their debut album “polarism” on dispatch recordings this september.
harnessing wide ranging influences and often contrasting moods into the drum & bass tempo, “polarism” is gerra & stone pouring their passions into a project to bring honest, emotionally charged music from the soul, balanced by swathes of darkness and groove guided havoc.

nach drei eps gibt es 2017 das mit spannung erwartete debütalbum von rag’n’bone man. »human« heißt der erste longplayer des britischen sängers, genauso wie die single, mit der er gleich mehrfach platz eins der charts belegte, unter anderem auch in deutschland.
der song handelt von den menschlichen schwächen und zeigt eindrucksvoll, was wir von dem erstling des newcomers erwarten dürfen: südstaatenbluessounds treffen auf groovenden soul und eine unglaubliche reibeisenstimme, die einem sofort eine gänsehaut verpasst.
insgesamt haben es 19 tracks auf »human« geschafft. um die produktion kümmerten sich abwechselnd two inch punch (damon albarn, brian eno), jonny coffer (beyoncé, all saints, weezer) und mark crew (bastille, the wombats).

the jazz break beats that made hip-hop hits - digitally remastered, pressed on coloured vinyl, housed in gatfold sleeve with download code included.

second chapter for the basic series back with a three tracker from french duo oddmann. half bakeds greg brockmann and david odd soul deliver a quality ep perfectly defining the blind box newborn parent label s minimalistic sound.

theatre records was founded with the idea of concentrating the major genres of electronic music on a single stage. many centuries of theatral art have taught that the tragedy and the comedy are strictly linked in spite of their differences. with this pillar theatre records contains various genres that at the same time are separated in two different sub-labels. theatre white – the mask of the comedy includes the strenght and musicality of electro-house and progressive-house. theatre black – the mask of tragedy keeps inside the soul of genres as deep-house and tech-house.

listing somewhere between the cognitive and the corporeal comes the third release from gratone.-the periphery of a building-, a live remix work featuring long-time collaborators audun kleive on percussion and jan bang on live sampling sees the young norwegian label expound on the territories between extended jazz and the dance floor through a four track lp. veterans audun kleive and jan bang tap into something innate that moves perpendicular to the techno ethos perpetuated by the label s previous releases. -the periphery of a building-, is a work that brings the past into the present and draws a red thread between genres. it juxtaposes disparate ideas between the dance floor and jazz, and ensnares itself in the tangled web of tradition and progress in a bold indefnable musical dialect. upholding the ethos of gratone by negating expectation -periphery of a building- also calls in a new era for the young, but fertile label. -periphery of a building- is kleive and bang reconsidering live punkt remixes* of etenesh wassie & mathieu sourisseau, atomtm and clarinet factory & floex. in their selection of source material for the gratone lp, they eradicate, and then reconstruct tradition. *the punkt live remix concept puts third-party musicians, producers and composers in a real-time remix situation during a punkt festival live show. fiona talkington: stian balducci s gratone (grey tone) label inhabits an exquisite genre-defying world.the latest release features two of norway s legendary, pioneering musicians, live sampling guru and co-director of the globally acclaimed punkt festival jan bang, and audun kleive, a musician whose work over the decades has repositioned the language of drumming. together they forge an exquisite, adventurous path, as delicate as chamber music, as powerful as rock, and engage with samples with respect, a spirit of adventure and a creative vision which is simply inspiring. limited 180gram vinyl in hand stamped recycled cardboard jackets with silkscreen print.

“songs of love sung by robots” from the moment this machine is booted bop begins buzzing with kinetic warmth. this is something characteristic of swarvy’s sound, the la-by-way-of-philly musical polymath with a vast catalog including sunsoaked live instrumentals, jazz-infused loops and lo-f gems. with bop, he is musical mad scientist, ?aunting his technical fnesse as he plunges into the realm of abstraction. swarvy makes his mark in bop even while grappling with its colder, industrial elements. with broken rhythms and jagged textures, he pieces together tunes of emotive beauty. the result is undeniably playful and delightfully odd, something like songs of love sung by robots. through its wavy ambience runs a current of aural ephemera - bits of speech samples, bossa riffs, and r&b with opaque origins. bop’s genrebending tracks will take you to ten compelling dimensions, forming an archeology of cyberspace and musical artifacts that’ll leave your cold robotic heart melting in the la sun.

once again bringing the heat hotmood drops -vol. 5 of his series on star creature a year after the debut came out on tugboat edits. bouncin between playa de carmen and guadalajara, the tropical climate comes thru on these 4 tracks with his signature style of beatdown funk and jazz.

u-roy was a true reggae pioneer, dubbed the originator for good reason. bursting onto the jamaican scene in the earliest 1970s, he pioneered the vocal approach called ôtoasting,ö which in addition to branching out jamaican music into a new era, was also heavily influential on an american genre in its infancy: rapping. on dread in a babylon, his third full-length, he stretches out over traditional roots grooves provided by the soul syndicate and skin, flesh & bones bands, riffing on topics including love (ôrunaway girl,ö a 1975 single released in the uk on virgin records), the bible (ôthe great psalmsö), walking the straight and narrow (ôlisten to the teacherö), and even his take on governmental policy goals (ôchalice in the palaceö). the album finishes with an instrumental version of bob marley & the wailersÆ ôtrench town rock,ö for good measure. u-royÆs style and charisma are always on display, and û as with all of his classic records û the groove rules all. presented on black vinyl with a poster of the glorious, ganja-drenched cover art, itÆs the perfect chance to revisit one of the more underrated voices in jamaican musical history.

milano producer turbojazz is back on gamm with food for cats vol.2 and this time he throws down fender rhodes fusion style with two full on jazz/latin/brazil-house assaults aimed straight for peak house jazz-dancin . both bara bara and the road is hard are full of tasty jazz samples (the heads will know whats up!) but are also equipped with additional production. and most importantly...they ll get u dancing !

rnt welcomes upstart londoner cody currie into the roster with the groove-heavy movin smoke ep. a precociously well-developed production talent, the young producer puts his penchant for deep house sample-scapes on full display here. from the blissful lilt of the title track to the creatively crafted jazz funk of infinity i & ii through to the b-side bangers make love and magic city, this record is a beautiful listen from beginning to end.

fully tapped into the true us tradition of soulful house music, riccardo masi has been delivering the goods for the past couple of years to labels like uzuri and his own wrong notes records. on this new single the good vibes just keep on flowing, kicking off with erik rico s on-point vocal draped over reaching. rico also forms the centre point of -no one else, another masterclass in pattering drums and honey-coated keys. tortellini jazz shores up on the b-side, drafting in paolo campani to lay down some sultry sax tones over the mellow chords and playful rhodes trills

favorite recordings presents this new official album reissue of sunshine by junior byron: a real modern-soul/disco masterpiece, originally released in 1981 by canadian label formula records, and very hard to find today.
based in canada, junior byron had quite a short career as a singer and recorded only a few singles and this stunning album between 1981 and 1985. produced by andré perry and joe la greca, two famous names in the canadian music scene, sunshine is not just a one track album, but a complete whole piece of music, including some brilliants highlights such as “inch by inch”, “galaxy” or “sunshine”, which are today must-haves in many dj’s lists.
as another longtime favorite collectable piece for charles maurice, it’s a real honor and proud for favorite recordings, to finally officially reissue it for the first time on vinyl. in order to insure the best sound quality, the original tracklist has been dispatched on a double vinyl version, which should please all djs and music collectors.

repress without cover , the sound of 2020 is new jazz and old funk with an electronic city pace, brought to you by duo the colours that rise. made up of multi-instrumentalists and producers simeon jones and nathanael williams, their 2020 ep is a confident guide through future sounds and past histories from a time yet to come. created using analogue synths and acoustic instruments, the 4 track ep works as the score to a yet to be created animation. nathanael s background is creating soundtracks for films, while simeon plays with uk jazz prophets yussef kamaal and featured on henry wu’s ‘negotiate’ 12”. providing groove for the dancer and hidden meanings for the listener, 2020 is plugged in to the pulse of uk dancefloors and the resurgence of funk audiences. with their fusion sound, the colours that rise are another welcome addition to the new ‘uk jazz invasion’ alongside their friends and colleagues yussef kamaal and the comet is coming. 2020 is an experimental electronic voyage that emerges from the ambient and arrives on the dance floor. .

demon fuzz’s extraordinary album afreaka! demonstrates their excellence in playing psychedelic soul, dub-heavy funk, progressive rock, afro-jazz and black acid rock.

penelope is the 2nd installment from the ag & john robinson ep series produced by ray west. this time around they call on the prolifc west coast wordsmith blu on the title track “penelope” where all the emcees are painting verbal pictures of their own personal dream girl, this track also features frequent collaborator dave dar. the soundscapes provided by ray west are ill collages of jazz loops, live horns, percussion sounds, vintage drum machines and more. each of these recording sessions were labeled “tea with the butcha” by the collective and it truly does describe the essence of the sounds and conversations on these recordings.

what happens when a house-music icon takes a small, talented bunch of musicians and mixes it with a savory blend of jazz, funk, dance, and soul music? you get a hearty serving of e.o.l. soulfrito, who make their single debut with upright love on vega records. e.o.l. soulfrito, led by musical director and conductor louie vega, is the condensed version of vega’s elements of life live-band project, which over its tenure has released three albums, won a grammy award in 2006 for best remixed recording, non-classical (curtis mayfield, superfly (louie vega eol mix), and performed for a globally-televised audience during the 2007 superbowl pre-game show. e.o.l. soulfrito’s name is a play on the popular latin-caribbean seasoning sofrito, which serves as a nod to vega’s own puerto rican heritage. earlier this year, the band played their first show at gramps in wynwood, miami during miami music week. upright love embodies the organic energy of e.o.l. soulfrito’s live performances. with a runtime of more than ten and a half minutes, it’s a steady groover that slowly blossoms into a blissful symphony of sprightly chords, jazzy bass, crisp percussion, pattering tambourine courtesy of kat ayala, and cindy mizelle’s vocal ad-lib serenades. easygoing yet refined, the single plays out like a summer afternoon jam session between vega and his friends: axel tosca on fender rhodes & synth upright bass, josh milan on synth jazz guitar & synth percussion. start swaying those hips and let the rhythm carry you into the sunset. i wanted to create a more condensed band, since the elements of life band has ten members, it’s always been a little difficult to do smaller venues. i also wanted to create music inspired by groups and artists like war, cymande, johnny hammond, and herbie hancock’s headhunters, but with the vega e.o.l. twist and style. i then created e.o.l. soulfrito with my studio musicians and rhythm section of elements of life and nuyorican soul. i want to take this band and perform in festivals and venues like the blue note, jazz café, ronnie scots, and bb kings. e.o.l. soulfrito will bring you future grooves with a tinge of the musical landscape from our rich past, and yes, there will be experimentation get ready for it.

the arrival of marvin parks on today’s musical scene can be considered a very fitting addition to the renaissance of the afro-american jazz crooner panorama, deeply rooted in the black music tradition. having his roots in gospel and in the ’50s and ’60s jazz singers by the likes of nat king cole, johnny hartman and joe williams, marvin parks yet remains by all means an artist of today.
in his debut marvin shapes his light baritone colors within the sound of a well-established group of musicians under the direction and production of nicola conte. the main idea was to create a soundscape to give a different light to well-known standards and some originals.

after 20+ years with psych legends yura yura teikoku, shintaro sakamotos third solo album is a bonafide masterpiece of warped steel guitar, ambient disco and aor soul. orginally released in japan, 2016. like a language of sakamotos own…made with a ship-in-the-bottle-like focus. pitchfork love if possible is the pay-attention-moment. not enough know. more should know. under the radar perfectionist pop for the extraterrestrial bachelor pad. spin

nachpressung von 1979 mit extrem rarer, südafrikanischer disco-funk-fusion.
obwohl die movers während der siebziger in den townships südafrikas eine große nummer im disco-sektor waren und am laufenden band höchst erfolgreich zahlreiche schallplatten veröffentlichten, ist die formation heute nur noch spezialisten wie den experten bei soundway ein begriff. den londoner archivgräbern um labelchef miles cleret haben wir nun die nachpressung der erstmals 1979 herausgebrachten lp -kansas city- zu verdanken. die bietet exakt den sound, für den die movers seinerzeit berühmt waren, nämlich eine zündende fusion aus funk, disco, jive und marabi, einem etwa 1920 in südafrika entwickelten genre, das afrikanische musikstile und afroamerikanisch geprägten jazz verband. das line-up der movers wechselte häufig. an den aufnahmen der sechs stücke auf -kansas city- waren jabu sibumbe, l rhiko, lloyd lelosa und sankie chounyane beteiligt. die produktion verantwortete david thekwane.

the must have status of joey negros -remixed with love series has been firmly cemented with both dj and home listening disco lovers since the release of the first two volumes. since the last release jn has been working hard on sourcing more disco multitrack tapes and producing new remixes while the zr team have been equally dedicated to clearing and licensing these new versions. the enduringly popular mtume/lucas produced phyllis hyman soul classic you know how to love me gets a new makeover that reworks the original elements into a more dramatic version with many peaks and troughs, stretching it out to over 10 minutes. even for those love the original this new mix gives a favourite song a fresh new perspective and reason to be played again. motown sounds philly style instrumental bad mouthin was an underground hit on dance floors in new york, london and chicago from the late 70s onwards. it was also famously sampled in bob sinclar s no 1 gym tonic. the original is a pretty dense, everything in all the way through style production, whereas the jn mix opens things up in a bit with more room for the individual parts to be heard. the end result is an extremely energetic bassline driven disco cut that works super well on the dancefloor.

here at quantize we simply love confounding expectations cos, guess what? we love all kinds of music and don t like to be stereotyped. but this one even surprised the hell out of us so much so that we figured it deserved a 7inch vinyl release in tribute to the original format. think (about it) was originally recorded 45 years ago in the summer of 1972 by the fiery lyn collins. produced by the godfather of soul, james brown, it barely scraped into the rnb top 10 at the time and normally would have faded into time as just another great james brown produced record but in 1987, it started to get sampled by a new generation of hip-hop artists like roxanne shante and robe base and dj e-z rock. suddenly the world woke up to the possibilities of sampling and since that point, think (about it) has been sampled 1908 times and is the no.3 most-sampled record of all time. so we decided to cut a new version of it with real musicians and one of the few vocalists that would be capable of matching lyn collins firepower - dance music s diva supreme, the incredible barbara tucker. we wanted barbara to really cut loose on this and she didn t disappoint. and yes, those are real keyboards, real guitar and real horns. believe us, this session was off the scale! so when we finally got our breath back we decided we had to get this out on a 45 on its 45th anniversary! it seemed the most appropriate way to do justice to a record that simply jumps outta the grooves. we believe think (about it) will have universal appeal pretty much everywhere since the song is now implanted within the dna of dance music across the world.

sov is glad to welcome aboard the new family member for it’s 12th cat. the mole is a canadian artist known for his music boutique interpreting elements of disco, jazz, hip hop and funk. since this kind of game is also the core of our soul, we are happy to present 4 special tracks from him.

deluxe triple vinyl edition, half-speed mastered at abbey road studios, pressed on 180 gram vinyl, download code included. six panel gatefold with three inner picture bags.
live at the apollo, volume ii by james brown and the famous flames was originally released in august 1968. a follow-up to the original 1963 album live at the apollo it too was recorded in new york at the apollo theater in harlem. this deluxe edition features a more expanded live set including 19 minute version of “it’s a man’s man’s man’s world”.

the second release from bobby analog’s body fusion imprint follows in the footsteps of the first with heavily swung drums, some creative sample manipulation and a lot of soul. three tracks laced with tough 909’s, tape driven bongos, some lovely strings, an organ and even a touch of acid.

horn dub: the jazz funk intro sets the mood for this funky roller. chopped amens break out and floor shaking deep bass permeates throughout. this tune is guaranteed make the dancefloor quake.
i want it: a deep and mysterious intro leading up to a sexy “i want it” vocal. striped down drums set upon deep hover bassline keeps it in the deep, while piano keys reel in the mysterious hook.

moscow based multi-talent impish has been steadily honing his skills working through labels such as program, c.i.a. and his own fast rising occulti music imprint. it’s that last label that saw him release the critically acclaimed “silence” lp back in 2016. fast forward to the autumn of 2017 and a new album project the “hush” lp is set for release through all quality physical electronic music outlets around the world. being the perfectionist that he is, impish continues to impress working on crystal clear music productions where impeccable drum work is combined with organic touches and progressions.
the second “hush” lp sampler features three cuts of the album. first up the well respected irish drum & bass producer zero t takes up remix duties for “solid”, turning the stripped back original stepper into a wavey hard hitter with the remixer’s sound plastered all over. continuing with “let me” featuring uk based vocalist kate wild things heat up quickly where soaring bass sounds complimented by soulful vocals and tech-like stabs make for an intense drum & bass experience. last but not least we find the original mix for “solid” featuring fellow moscow based vocalist julia marks. it’s an easy listening, thoughtful piece of drum & bass with driving beats for the dance floor but harmonies for the mind and soul.

the wrdubs split series is back serving up both sickness and slickness on our 4th plate to date. pon a side duties t.a.r drops a beautiful mindfuck of a track. the crafting of the bottom end of this tune is pushing next levelz while the mids and tops are full of unsettling rattles and insane voices. really not like anything else atm this tune will stop em in their tracks. progression. flip to the aa and vgb drops some sub-soul for us. robust bottom end and drums supporting a melody that addresses our need to escape the sometimes narrow musical boundaries of dubstep. expression.

skeleton recordings are proud to announce the release of the skeleton xxv project to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the label which originally launched in 1992. this is a five part collectors edition to celebrate 25 years of skeleton recordings. volumes 01 to 04 sleeve artwork when put together will form a big piece of artwork of the revamped original skeleton recordings logo that will look good on any wall. volume 05 will be a picture disc. the full digital album will only become available once all five volumes have been released. the project has taken just over 12 months to put together and is definitely something for the collectors. it has been generating quite a buzz within the underground circuit the closer it gets to release date and has been getting some really good support from the likes of bailey, storm and ray keith to name a few.

emmanuel’s “rave culture” is a record that pushes the boundaries of techno to another level. “rave culture” is his first full-length on the label bringing 2x12” round of wax. ten cuts that are committed to fill a space in the rave scene that no one else has done in terms of power, experimentation, work of soul and most of all showing respect for the old-school way of doing things. this lp is his largest achievement yet and aims to showcase who he is.
emmanuel directs the listener to unknown territory keeping them very concentrated on a rave scenario, but also giving them different reasons to think, act & explode - all with the right balance. deadly floor massacre weapons and well crafted heavy bass works elevate to a modern way of thinking as well as challenging the dancer to think forward and get inspired.
rave has never been so alive and this is the testimony of it all.

earlier this year we were lucky enough to cross paths with the upcoming genius that is sublee. as you enter his world, his landscapes effortlessly enhance, twist, turn and modulate. the rhythm teases and pulls you, lets you go and brings you ultimately into something 4d rather than 3. perfectly fine-tuned for the smallest and the largest of dance floors, or to accompany your travels as the world drifts by. with over 48 minutes of play-time over 4 tracks, we present to you “sublee - their mind”.

in 2001 derek launched his own label ‘trident recordings’ and released the ‘copper beech e.p.’ (the only release to date) a collection of deep soulful techno, it has since become something of a collector’s item. subsequent releases on ‘digital soul’ headspace nice & nasty and ‘geek records’ further cemented carr’s place amongst a new generation of techno producers that looked to combine soul and melody with electronic dance floor grooves. the ep entitled distant systems is a musical adventure for a quest for a new home land, a new planet, a new start, it is proper techno, proper melodies , beats and pads for this adventure. derek is a master at creating thoughtful emotive and simply wonderful techno that fits in so naturally on firescope records

die klingt genau so, wie sie heißt: farbenprächtig, schwurbelig, episodenhaft und manchmal richtig schön beknackt. siriusmo nistet sich auch mit seinem dritten album wieder an seinem ganz eigenen plätzchen in der elektronischen musik ein, indem er alle möglichen stile und vorlieben durch seinen persönlichen filter schickt, notorisch tiefstapelt, maßlos übertreibt und immer auf dem punkt landet. siriusmo ist der vordenker, der gar keiner sein will. comic ist ein perfekt unperfektes selbstportrait und enthält in des meisters eigenen worten 14 bunte geschichten zum selbstausmalen. aber keine bange, diese geschichten erwachen von ganz allein zum leben. vergleiche sind überflüssig, nur einer drängt sich auf: sowohl melodische vintage-electro-romanzen wie dagoberta als auch fuchsteufelswilde arrangements wie bleat ziehen parallelen zu alten squarepusherplatten. statt jazz und jungle bestimmt bei moritz eben die berliner sozialisation den sound.

das zweite album des von den ostafrikanischen reunion-inseln stammenden pariser produzenten labelle, univers-ile, ist laut wdr cosmo ein werk zwischen maloya-tradition, experimenteller elektronik und field recordings, aufgenommen mit traditionellen afrikanischen und indischen instrumenten, sowie slide-gitarre und sampler, und eingesungen in kreolischer sprache.

brooklyns pimps of joytime new album third wall chronicles is a fresh collection of 10 funk anthems ready to put a smile on faces across the globe. an intersection of brooklyn’s indie music scene, new orleans funk and san francisco soul, the pimps new studio release unites us around a common bond of peace, love and music. the apex of positivity and a solace from the daily grind shines bright as the pimps of joytime throw the dance party of the year on third wall chronicles and everyone is invited! tophatlounge.com

mister mellow moves further away from the synthesizer-heavy sounds of the recent washed out releases and more band-driven sound of his work on iconic labels sub pop in america, and domino in europe. on mister mellow, greene draws from the experimental collage techniques of musique concrète and plunderphonics artists such as the residents. combining styles as diverse as free jazz, house, hip-hop and psych together with interlude-esque voiceover samples, often pulled from anonymous youtube vlogs, he creates a busy, chaotic, and caricaturish mix that mirrors the claustrophobic, hyper-stimulated psyche so familiar to young adults. as he continues to carve out his innovative sonic identity, influenced by the world around him but unafraid to buck trends, it’s fitting that greene has partnered with legendary hip hop label stones throw records, long a home for beat-loving musical rebels. his approach to releasing music is every bit as individual, too: in an environment where compiling singles into an album format or working with a single video director are the norm, greene has chosen to commission eleven different artists to bring the visual aspect of his fully-realised album project to life. on mister mellow, washed out steers clear of emotion to empathise with the minutiae of the world around him. ive been much less interested in sentimentality and emotion for the past couple of years, says greene, in some ways, i think its a reaction against getting older and having more responsibilities. maybe i’m just nostalgic for a time in my life where i could just relax and block out the world for a moment. though mister mellow is an intensely personal album, its ideas and observations speak to the lived experience of so many young adults, an experience that we come to see as both funny and sad.

going one above todays current wild wild west landscape of digital sampling and officially licensing a legendary 60s-era song thats made its rounds in the golden era of sample based hip-hop. akshin alizadeh, the man from azerbaijan, is the lucky one tapped from the label’s roster to remix marlena shaws woman of the ghetto. the producers strong funk and nu-jazz influences, as well as his ability to combine funky grooves with punchy hip-hop beats, are on full display once again. rightfully dramatic orchestral strings give way to bluesy rhythmic wah-wah guitar plucking, slightly cabaret-ish piano, pitch bending keys, and a totally sultry sax. the percussion sounds like signature alizadeh with a flickering hat pattern, well placed snare rolls, and punchy interplay with the kick. for the djs needing to spice things up, an instrumental is included.

decks tipp!
new berlin vinyl label releases their first album sampler from their forthcoming album -nachtboutique-. influenced from disco, funk, soul, oldschool electro and house, we present to you the first vinyl of the album series. throughout the first three tracks we move from floaty house through to a disco orientated number and finish with a downbeat slowhouse jam.

moonrise hill material is a record label based in france, founded with love by folamour, ethyÞne, kaffe crÞme & okwa. focused on poetic house music, from the one that you can t stop dancing on to the one that you want to keep for yourself, the label defends the preciousness of every musical journey and the sensibility through beautiful stories.

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.