sl011 is on its way! to celebrate our most beloved format we mix the old and new and bring together three artists we ve just taken on board with regular sl artist joey kay from chicago. special artists, special audience, special music, special release: 180 copies, 180 grams. nothing more. nothing less. pandilla ltd opens up the feast on the a side. a collective of three portuguese artists, this trio of producers-composers made a name for themselves through their distinctive minimalist approach to music. and what better way to introduce them than the very title of their track: -you get to know-. do meet the guys and enjoy. chicago resident joey kay was already with on sl001 and sl003. but why would we stop? here he is again with some new gems. joey s been producing quality and selective underground house music since the 80s, giving us each time delightful hints of what good chicago underground truly sounds like, far away from seasonal trends and close to his own philosophy instead. open up your ears and heart, as joey will be -trying 2 reach u- with his beautiful ode to the golden age of house music. the end is just the beginning, people. flip the record, start again, and let tommy guide you. tommy vicari jnr is an underground music hero well known for his singular and very unique sound. tommy plays by his own rules and tastes. he produces and releases tommy s kind of sounds and tommy s kind of sounds only, regardless how of far he needs to push the boundaries of his musical world to find the right beat and hit. -decided- is sl011 punchy bassline banger, in case you thought of falling asleep between both sides. for don t forget: true dancers always dance. almost the end, we know, but dry your tears, we re not there yet, no, no. harrison bdb aka harry weber is here with us for the last stretch and a final sonic hug - one to remember -. harrison s immersive approach to deep house has earned the man his credit, solidly grounded in the finest and deepest selections. the kind of selection, in fact, that d make anyone want that record again. mind you, this is probably what this last track -going back- is telling to do. ready? flip!

next up in this ongoing split-ep series are two equally talented producers from different ends of the spectrum, both sharing their unique viewpoints on that special dreamspace of self-awareness and how the way there actually sounds like! following his explosive figure-ep just this recent summer, juxta position now reveals his more sublime side on these two technoid journeys. keeping it raw and beautiful, the analogue lover lets his synths engage in dialogue, floating through murky realms and simply getting lost in the groove. a new face for figure and definitely one to watch is pablo mateo. taking a likewise subtle yet distinctly more grounded approach, his tunes unfold slowly and each tell their entirely own storyline. tomo is an extraordinary specimen of how a track grows past its confines, into something genuinely touching and can eventually open up that space inside and what lies beyond!

they say we are a product of our environment, you are what you eat and you reap what you sow. but what happens when you can no longer dig the earth and your food is toxic? amselcom has forever been near the forefront of change, exposing new ideas and giving insight through music and creativity. our goal was always to bring the world closer by removing barriers and letting sounds and rhythm demonstrate humanity’s true, loving nature. that is why a transformation has taken place and with this latest release we hope to give back and contribute without the shallow, meaningless compensation that feeds the music industry. geplantes nichtstun demonstrates this concept perfectly, by saying it is time to remove ourselves from the machine and make our own way, in our own time. these tracks look to offer introspective that can only be found after eliminating barriers like money and fame. taking time for idleness lets us forget about the things that try and control our lives, a necessary respite in a time of increasing global noise. tracks like opak offer the perfect accompaniment to a quiet time of soulful reflection and mario wagner’s wonderful control room image brings us the idea of self direction and taking charge of your own destiny… one rest at a time.

another year on the hitd calendar, another stunning new solo release with brian case plays paradise artificial. this third album somehow manages to compile and condense the best bits of its predecessors, and the magnificent viridian, glacial universe developed by case since the beginning of his solo ventures is brought to the forefront. the chicago artist centres his elusive, dehumanised compositions around two simple, minimal elements. using just vocals and synths, he has created a simultaneously modern and post-apocalyptic soundtrack, where music exists as the final traces of the footsteps of humanity. pressing on translucent yellow vinyl.

mirror box is the solo analog synth project of dallas musician sean kirkpatrick. with an extensive resume that includes keyboard duties for kill rock stars 00s noise rock band the paper chase as well as his concurrent projects, dark post-punk-synth-rockers nervous curtains and darkwave duo little beards, mirror box is kirkpatricks first foray into the purely electronic realm. blending together elements of giallo moodiness, dub texture, techno propulsion, a passing nod to your favorite wave music, and a flare for the kosmiche, mirror box debut release, minimal compliance ep, is a tour de force of the veteran musicians exploration of a wide range of influences and experience. released by dallas-based gavin guthrie (tx connect)’s tru (texas recordings underground), the 5-track ep kicks off with the immediately-gripping title track. a huge mid-tempo 808 beat drives the menacing moog bass while cosmic synths explore the skies over gritty, urban terrain. the body, grounded by its stuttering and singular bass line, is an expansive reworking of a track from little beards debut album which features nan kirkpatrick on the release’s only vocal appearance. side a closes with destabilized agent, a retro-futurist dream that effortlessly voyages from sagans cosmos to a melodic minimal wave refrain. while the first sides lush synthesizers and sophisticated syncopation are somewhat of a departure for tru, a label that has so far defined itself by bringing the electronic sounds of texas underground warehouse scene to dance floors across the sea, the flip side of the record is where the four hits the floor. grifter react opens with a hard kick and electro zaps, letting the rhythm take the lead until a distorted bass finally enters to provide the hook. minimal compliance ep finale, critical blitz, weaves together all of mirror box finer elements into a concise mission statement

"texas-based electronic music producer phillip washington aka cygnus was on bit of a hiatus since his phenomenal -cosmos- long play on fundamental records, released near the end of 2016. with this ep, titled -ne0 ge0-, he s breaking the silence and we re extremely happy to see it happening through barba imprint. the record consists of 4 cuts; -zone shifting-, -vertexing-, -ne0-ge0- and -astronoot- which all share common qualities of his previous work - deep, spacey, richly textured and really well crafted. -zone shifting- is what electro in 2018 should sound like. deep, emotional and futuristic but well grounded in the human condition through the vocal line which seems to haunt from the distance. -vertexing- is a slightly more paced, moodier affair with slow enveloping vangelis-esque synth lines bleeding all over traditional electro sounding beat. however, in this case that s exactly what s needed. title track, -ne0-ge0- is the first one on the flip side and the busiest one. creasing of multiple synth lines and pads is done in such an expertly elegant manner that you just can t resist but play it loud on a big soundsystem and see what it does to the dancefloor. and finally, record closes with -astronoot-, and as b2 tracks usually are - it s the deepest of them all, reserved for those heady moments when you need something to bring the magic to the next level."

waehlscheibe from switzerland has thought of something really special to celebrate release #10 and has created a double vinyl compilation that assembles many of the label s regulars together with a few fresh faces. the prevailing sound between deep and dubby techno and dub house refects the label s long-time dedication to this particular version of electronic music. thus waehlscheibe has established itself as more than an insider s tip for those who cherish grounded quality and timeless sounds. from the dub techno sounds of novio dub tribe, patrizio gabrielli and s&ro via sophisticated dub house from mend, anton kubikov and alessandro crimi to the housey afairs of a.s.cudia and drei farben house the compilation x showcases a fne variety of contemporary house and techno with subtle twists and quite a few sonic surprises.

lord of the isles four-track “infras” ep, on the barcelona imprint lone romantic, demonstrates macdonald’s continued mastery of tone and timbre, mood and groove. the title track kicks off by intertwining stringed synthtopia with an acidic staccato grounded in a rich low-end pulse. “w5 alpha” continues the all-enveloping warmth of “infras” base layer with a deliciously disparate palate of sounds, driven by a celestial arpeggio and a dusty collage of breaks. the b-side sets the listener loose in a garden of synthetic vines that pierce the long-decay smothering of bass with “q-bit”, a track that maintains equal kinship with the bouncing exploration of a dance floor as with the cool tones and discrete resolutions of an henri rousseau painting. “three times eleven” reads as a tribute to macdonald’s early fascination with john carpenter and vangelis soundtracks, combining emotive synth arpeggios and cyborg vocal washes in a fly-by depiction of an eerie and beautiful sonic landscape.

as with all ultradyne works there is meaning in everything. ocular animus delves into the mindset of humanity and breaks away from the usual ep format - three tracks - five songs. this release explores the terraforming of humanitity as seen through the eyes of the machinists as they look into the mirror at its underbelly. solid rhythms, shifting beats, eerie synth lines splatter across the canvass of this new release feeding the beat hungry and philosopher alike. fear. uncertainty. hate. a glimpse of the possible future or the deconstruction of a paradigm. you decide if you like what you see

arktapes whispers in its cuts from the southern american continent. fine spaced out and atmospheric jams, strongly grounded in deadly grooves. a sweeping homage to the roots of our music genre, with a taste for novelty.

“struggle artist” is the new album from justin c. meyers, the minneapolis-based composer, artist, and head of the sympathy ltd. label. meyers is a unique, underappreciated talent in contemporary electronic music. his greatest strengths are twofold: his compositions have a meticulous structural logic, revealing a hermetic and austere formalism, concurrently, his compositions have a deep, introspective narrativity grounded in his lived experience, evoked with a mature clarity. together, they make meyers one of the most interesting electronic musicians working with cutting-edge sonics today, unlocking their latent powers of metaphor and figuration. his previous album, 2016’s “negative space (1981–2014)”, deals with the onset of chronic illness and near-death experience. its careful, anechoic meditations on the failing body are a resounding achievement, and the album remains a high watermark of acousmatic music in the 21st century. “struggle artist” portrays meyers’ expectations and disappointments arising from making art in his free time. created initially during lunch breaks and in hospital waiting rooms, and finished after being laid off from his job, it catalogues the despondency of the precarious life. if “negative space” was about the fallible body, “struggle artist” is its violent collision with late capitalism.

caused corruption & spilled blood is a soundtrack to the tragic drama of humanity’s fatal flaws. inspired by an anecdote shared across the abrahamic faiths, the release is a meditation on humanity’s destructive potential. it forces us to confront the ugly side of our nature and pose the question, were the angels right to fear our creation would cause corruption and spill blood? same script, no solution provides one answer. the sonification of “ordo ab chao,” the opening track guides the listener through the process of public manipulation, providing a backtrack to the obstruction of the truth for personal gain. third degree arson touches on humanity’s second vice: the affinity for intentional destruction. is there hope against these demons of our own nature? no divine savior suggests not. if we cannot rely on divine intervention for our salvation, that leaves only ourselves to overpower our own vices. yet with the discord of the final track, sects, the listener is reminded of the deep cultural fissures that keep us from doing so. the caused corruption & spilled blood ep is a powerfully provocative examination of human nature, a compelling first release from the collaborative efforts of chafik chennouf & katsunori sawa.

in a post apocalyptic world, a squad of heroes fights to save what remains of humanity. a dystopian future among landscapes, desolate alien enemies and mysterious architectures, the survival of our species becomes an unexpected return to life. music by giorgio gigli with remixes from acronym and rafael anton irisarri. 180 gram vinyl ep plus flexidisc and download code.

a year on from luigi tozzi and label head dino sabatinis collaborative manticora ep, outis return with a striking, singular solo work from tozzi. ecate ep sees the roman producer bringing three distinct slices of techno, each with its own set of subtleties and the crystal, adept sound design that defines tozzi’s work. spanning the a-side is ecate. this title track is rolling and hypnotic, with muscular, percussive bass. throughout the track, angelic chords come and go, washing the listener in euphoria. alongside, we hear a disorienting melody, grounded by the lightly swung four to the floor kick that gives this track an infectious groove. the flip opens with leto, which immediately defines itself as a club track with an unbroken but evolving set of percussion and a weighty kick. its around this kick that other elements build. we hear long, ringing, resonant string sounds, and a bell like melody morph and unfold as other percussive components come and go. the track falls away into atmospheric eeriness, which perfectly sets the stage for the eps finale. esperedes swung, panning drums give it a disorienting feeling of otherworldliness from the get go. this is before youre greeted by an alien, slightly dubbed out melody and a hanting backing drone that feels like a reference (perhaps in opposition) to the angelic chords of the eps first track. its on this closing track that tozzis delicate, expert sound design best shines through, and really has to be heard to be understood.

special priced ltd triple pack incl tracks and remixes by demir & seymen, hanne & lore, emil berliner and martin patino.. incl cat numbers mbf12102, mbfltd12045 & mbfltd12047

late eighties, early nineties. a back-alley studio in antwerp where new beat and detroit techno lingered. trance was still in the house. electronic body and mind music, fuelled by common sense and primitive artificial intelligence. there was a buzz about wonka. elektrons revolving around atom. humanity firmly on the mappa mundi. labels and sub labels, one-off projects and alter egos, unsung heroes and soon-to-be stars. laurent garnier pushing ludovic navarre to pass on his tapes. all-night light from koenie’s basement. sven van hees entangled in liaisons dangereuses. jan van den bergh before lounge. jan vanneste spreading the news. jan berquin and nicolas rosquin going quadratic. usa import was ready to export its own music. antwerp bio techno. homegrown and uncut. these tracks are evergreens from that place and tim

gitanes is olde gods new ep and longest output to date. following a series of singles on the minor planets label, the barcelona duo are up to a 12inch four-tracker on amsterdams atomnation. gitanes brings echoes from spains not-long gone golden club era. its cover depicts an abandoned club from the 90s in a coastal town in the mediterranean, could be anywhere from valencia to barcelona. all four tracks are trippy yet solid-grounded, spacey voices and strings leads all flying up and magically suspended over gross rhythmical foundations. dear cz, a fetiche track, built around a moody casio cz synth stab topped up with acid videogame-like crazyness. gitanes brings entrancing vocals intertwined with more cz pad action. all around is a foggy and paranoid late-night drive, and none of these bitches, a homesick folks walk around tokyos daikanyama area. olde gods are jmii and guillamino

moby has released a new single and video for “like a motherless child,” from his forthcoming album everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt. featuring la-based soulstress raquel rodriguez, “like a motherless child” is a re-work of the well-known spiritual, with its origins in the slavery of the american south. the track describes the void left when one feels separated from a parent, higher power or similar guiding force. over the years this powerful song has been reinterpreted by the likes of odetta, lena horne, mahalia jackson and van morrison. the album is a glowing tapestry exploring spirituality, individuality and the brokenness of humanity and finds him returning to his orchestral, soul, trip-hop and gospel roots.

bellevue resort is sensual vacation music for humans and non-humans alike... think of a slightly utopian place, in a future that has not lost it s humanity.

late eighties, early nineties. a back-alley studio in antwerp where new beat and detroit techno lingered. trance was still in the house. electronic body and mind music, fuelled by common sense and primitive artificial intelligence. there was a buzz about wonka. elektrons revolving around atom. humanity firmly on the mappa mundi. labels and sub labels, one-off projects and alter egos, unsung heroes and soon-to-be stars. laurent garnier pushing ludovic navarre to pass on his tapes. all-night light from koenie’s basement. sven van hees entangled in liaisons dangereuses. jan van den bergh before lounge. jan vanneste spreading the news. jan berquin and nicolas rosquin going quadratic. usa import was ready to export its own music. antwerp bio techno. homegrown and uncut. these tracks are evergreens from that place and time.

love & loops is back! after a long time since our last release, we returned with a very special and expected ep, this time ale castro joins the legendary voice of house music: mr. robert owens !!! i come to you ep was created between argentina and berlin the city where robert and ale meet for the first time. after forging a beautiful friendship they agreed to give back to the dance floor something that was missing, the message of love, in times where the music mostly has no voices and has excessive drops all time it s time to go back a bit to the roots, it s time to sing again all together about love, respect, peace, and celebrate that on the dance floor we are all one and we are all the same. beautiful arrangements by the galactic keyboard master stephanos result in 3 beautiful songs that together with an excellent remix of the secretary of love manuel sahagun make up this beautiful and groovey vinyl that you will not want to miss in your collection, love & loops records, music made with much much much much love, loops, and some random machines ...

once again we are sending a new release of acoustic signals from the collectively-run kindergarten at berlins east cross. after a techno focus on the last release, this one is a bit more melodic and housey. with “hot lies,” egon elliut contributes a well-crafted house track, newly revised in the “zkb taking the bus version” by one of our current favorite producers, zk bucket. with lots of love for detail, it’s a real pleasure. perel is no stranger to ://about blank. for years she has convinced us with her fantastic live sets, as a dj, she is just as grounded. “opal” sounds exactly like that — a shimmering, contemporary version of disco, an album on dfa is coming soon! our resident jessamine is releasing his first track ever on this mini compilation— rough and warm, with a touch of the 80’s in sound design, “more love later” has become a beautiful, harmonious and melodic love slider—suitable more for the later club hours. more love later!

agorias second outing on sapiens presents some of his most uncompromising work to date. boomerang manifests live percussion and analog pulse waves, rising through shepard tone drama and succinct, minimalist form. three additional solo performances accompany the title track - a clin doeil to the minimalist french synth pioneers of yesteryear. an exercise in humanity.

with jungle, grime (forthcoming), 90s rnb (forthcoming) and even red snapper’s ‘96 classic prince blimey all getting the skrs redux recently, runcometest ep is a time-capsule. 8-bit basslines echo from distant battles with space invaders while sure-footed dub samples glare at sound system history through vaseline smeared lenses. returning to more grounded dubwise sensibilities (by their standards), runcometest builds a bridge between the collective’s 2014 nocorner cassette (rootprinciple) and the recently re-surfaced sci-fi/western clash dancehallshowdown (self-released on ics library recordings last year).

the prolific mc, producer and musician oddisee’s new album ‘the iceberg’ is a plea for humanity to dig deeper in search of understanding and common ground. his third release in just 12 months, ‘the iceberg’ is a distillation of stereotypical tropes in hip-hop and beyond, 12 tracks about money, sex, politics, race and religion that appear superficial until his multi-dimensional lyrics unfurl to expose the complexities of individuality and identity: how we see ourselves and how others see us. deeply soulful, and shot through with jazz, go-go, gospel, thick r&b and hard beats, the album is a timely, poetic statement.
lead single “things” acts as a mission statement for the album, a deep dance groove with lightning-quick lyrics about “things” he’s going through. says oddisee, “we all go through the trials & tribulations of life. why is it we feel the need to individualize our shared experiences? if only we could see our concerns as others do, maybe they wouldn’t be so serious.”

as the head of grounded theory and manhigh, henning baer has since 2009 presented his downcast, experimental interpretation of modern electronic music to wide critical acclaim, establishing his forceful presence on berlin’s scene with immaculate curatorial skills and equally imposing dj abilities. his discography so far, concentrated on adam x’s legendary sonic groove imprint and his own k209 and manhigh imprints, amongst others, keeps step with his formidable reputation and wide-ranging tastes, moving across the spectrum of hard-edged, aggressively modern techno. with ‘shatterproof’, his long-germinating debut album for manhigh, he offers for the first time his unified vision in extended format, a varied exploration into the outer limits of the genre. at its centre a work of dark minimalism, he sets and maintains the pensive tone on ambient pieces like ‘angel dust’, ‘all over’, and ‘mil-std 461’, which foreground the exploratory electronics that maintain their presence throughout. the corroded textures of the sounds, enveloped in decaying reverb, bring life to pieces like ‘never ending’ or ‘bliss’, which sit between rhythmic interludes and the stricter dancefloor material found on the remainder of the album. once he shifts into techno, he does it unremittingly, from the uptempo fury of ‘code buster’ and ‘burning chrome’, whose starkness only heighten the tension, to denser pieces like ‘drama sky’ or closer ‘vermillion red’, where the cavernous impacts of drum hits punch holes through beds of seesawing synthesizers. shatterproof like its title suggests, henning baer’s first album unifies and strengthens the work of an artist whose legacy is already assured.

some might say jordan fields is one of the most criminally underappreciated figures to rise out of chicago in the late 90s, not for people who know what s what though. after a career spanning more than 20 years he has established himself as one of the key figures of the underground. coming out of where everything started, chicago, jordan released records on a handful of key labels like catalyst, track mode, som underground, mood groove, maffia. he did not stop there and today he is still releasing bangers having never lost that magic touch that has kept him firmly grounded on the purest form of the underground, and that, after more than 20 years is pretty much unheard of. when we first contacted jordan we wanted to go back to where it all started, we wanted to be transported to late 90s chicago, to a time where it was all about the dance floor, when tracks meant something more than songs, when purely club-oriented music was the purest form of the underground. to be honest we were not expecting to get exactly what we wanted straight away, he immediately sent us a collection of tools straight out of dat tapes he had, going all the way back to the 90s and early 2000s, so yeah to say that we are excited with this release would be a huge understatement. this is a collection of tools meant for the dancefloor, not reminiscent of some gone by era, these are the real deal, made by a true master, 20 years ago, for the future.

aketi ray are an all-acoustic dub-jazz group, playing original compositions grounded in the instrumental music of post-independence jamaica -ska, rocksteady, reggae, rockers, dub -but drawing inspiration and influence from ethiopian and us jazz, west african percussion traditions, all with the mind set of uk steppas. an outernational sound: kingston to chicago to addis ababa to dakar to london.
the sound of -from ever since- draws on the vibes and heritage of pre-electr(on)ic music, but gives that traditional sound new power through the use of dub techniques of reverb, delay and eq manipulation.

a dusty tape of six tracks unearthed beneath the pinkman broken dreams division. nothing is known about this unnameable artist apart from his sound. a legion of hiss marches across the cassette, a blighted beat bites into lancing synthlines that bellow and writhe in their pitiful attempt to escape. strings are left to howl in turmoil in tracks born out of a crude joke and wry smile. mick wills offers no condolences, the stuttgart man lashing away any humanity with his embittered edit. found in the pit, made for the pit. *** digital download code included ***

spatial cues is a series of split singles sounding out main(void)’s and kon janson’s shared musical space. operating out of berlin and london, the two artists join forces to showcase their mutual vision of techno music. cues003 explores the darker side of the series with a focus on low frequencies, echoing percussions, and vast spaces, evoking a deep introspective motion. diffracting a manifold of sounds around its massive kick drum, cues003 a builds and releases tension through a dramatic sequence of smooth swells and intense surges. grounded by its captivating groove, cues003 b evolves around the sinister funk of fierce fm bass stabs, leading up to a powerful break that introduces a razor-edged hi-hat.

prepare to be immersed in a shimmering musical universe with this brand new ep by alci. blending wistful vocals with the energetic tempo of captivating repetitive rhythms the irresistible combination of up tempo pace and meditative loops will lift you up and take you away into the dark matter that makes up the cosmic space around us. the vocals then bring us right back to earth assisted by punchy kicks, keeping you (partly) grounded in reality. as a result, * humanized pattern * comes forth as an ep loaded with dreamy, bewitching atmospherics as well as dance floor friendly sounds.

wurzel’s second chapter showcases four mesmerizing tracks from four different well-grounded artists. hypnotic beats, tasty grooves and cosmic melodies merge onto a unique dynamic canvas. mighty weapon to have in the bag.

70% deal , last copies left.... sascha braemer s first record on dirtybird was a very big success gathering support from a wide array of djs. as our very first german artist, we were very happy when he sent over this super hot follow-up ep. true to dirtybird style both tracks on the ep are thematic, but these also show some restraint, not getting too silly or gimmicky with the themes. grounded in heavy funk kick drum grooves, sascha has delivered another set of bombs for sure. the train grows from a simple solid groove to a massive whistling peak, then back to the deep rooted funk. fly flip is a play on bug sounds, bringing a more laid back vibe to the table. both of the tracks are the kind of thing that could be played in any set from techno to deep house which really says a lot for the universal appeal of sascha s solid beats. we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

* moa pillar returns with his second lp, ‘hymns’, on karelian label full of nothing. to be released on july 28th, ‘hymns’ follows the epic album ‘humanity’ (2015). * offering up five tracks of transcendental heavy bass and beats, moa pillar aka fedor pereverzev, slams the worlds of authentic folk, tribal music, forward thinking electronica and dark techno together, unapologetically creating illuminating effects on his latest lp. refusing to follow convention, pereverzev produces his own, soul elevating sound art with his eclectic textures and sounds. * each track on ‘hymns’ challenges the traditional meaning of its namesake.

cues002 continues the series with two dense tracks that fearlessly steer through deep waves of sound, continually rising and falling in timbre and intensity. with its furious drum arrangement gaining momentum, cues002 a takes an unexpected turn as a dazzling pad sound emerges and sets off an unsettling euphoria. grounded by a pounding kick drum, cues002 b meanders through a disembodied soundscape, allowing only a washed out ride cymbal to add a sense of familiarity.

cult japanese reggae/ cosmic dub lp. featuring an all star line up including: sly & robbie, augustus pablo, minako yoshida + core members of soul syndicate and the wailers. direct reissue of this 1980 original. next stop in rh store s japan series!

henrik schwarz and !k7 are proud to announce a collaboration that will bare many different musical fruits. the first of these is a brand new label called between buttons, curated by henrik and focused on acoustic sounds and contemporary compositions. between buttons will be in partnership with !k7’s own neo-classical hub 7k!, and will kick off with a new mini lp by schwarz entitled works piano, followed by an ep entitled aphorisms by syrian artists khaled kurbeh & raman khalaf ensemble. mixing up old and new technologies, experimental and more classical approaches, the label will see schwarz forge new paths in his own work, as well as curating material from the peers he has worked with over the last 15 years. mainly made up of acoustic sounds, piano, string quartets, self-built instruments, percussion and intriguing classicist elements with a modern twist, there will be eps from piano virtuoso bugge wesseltoft, as well as other electronic producers wanting to show themselves in a different, more unplugged light. “in these times of constant turbo mode, likes and thumbs-up, we need to go back to basics,” says henrik. “we want to move away from the idea that relentless hasty productivity is a must, and instead take time to create space, to let ideas mature and to focus the mind on subtler sounds.” works piano will be a four track mini album that uses a yamaha disklavier as the starting point and reimagines it, reworks it and alters it with various digital and recording technologies. one track is a created with a reactive algorithm and one is composed purely from altered and processed piano sounds.

the motionless present is a collection of unreleased poems and soundscapes by the philadelphia-based artist and activist camae ayewa, who performs as moor mother. reverberating and rumbling through the thoracic cavity, few records spoke to the contemporary black american experience quite like moor mother’s 2016 protest album fetish bones. her first new material since that visceral and political work,the motionless present is a statement towards understanding the disconnect between humanity and injustice. the release features various new collaborations and previews of upcoming projects: black quantum futurism, moor jewelry, mental jewelry, 700 bliss and more. the motionless present was created in collaboration with the vinyl factory ahead of moor mother’s ctm festival performance at berghain. artwork designed by bcmh using the collage artwork of grassi.

santiago leyba makes his vinyl debut on the label following the rooms tape released earlier this year. recorded simultaneously, life, money, work shows the new york-based artist by way of albuquerque, new mexico, portraying the different characters one might have in a broken mind. sketching a strong criticism of america by means of disorienting vocals and slow-paced d.i.y. electronics, santiago finds him performing alter-egos of sorts — ranging from forlorn ballad singing, to more guttural and strained barking seeking to describe a conflict in maintaining a unified persona. paid labor, sex, and consumer goods. how america tells you to grow up when there is nothing left but complacency and oppression through economic and social means. it all goes down to the shortcomings of humanity, the tangled webs we weave, the impossibility of justice and fairness, and the pressure those things put upon ourselves.

there are depths in humanity which one cannot explore, as there are mephitic caverns into which one dare not penetrate. madness in any direction, at any hour. the anatomy of human destructiveness, a hole like a sewage drain for the fine clear coat of civilisation, a place where the eye wanders and the lip jerks and drools. if there is such a dark moloch which deviously knots a thread within us, with which to hold us and draw us down an eerie and delirious path that we would never otherwise have set foot on, then d. carbone’s mephistophelian alter ego honzo pulls us with his 4th installment “distopia - un mondo indesiderabile” right into its gaping abyss, leading us there where we would have never consented to go.
panic. it creeps up the spine like the rst rising vibes of an acid frenzy. the haunting chill upon your neck. there is a sound intensity makes while echoing through the body, the epinephrine pumping through the jugular vein, voices from unknown origin, the blood throbbing through the numb extremities, heart palpitations, the flashing visions, cold sweat, the heavy breathing, hyperventilation, dissociation, fight-or-flight. honzo gives us a vision of what it means to truly be in a world of terror and angst and in the secret bloodlit dark behind our eyes we enjoy the cathartic abreaction this brings us.

redshape returns to his own label with a retrovisionist release that looks back in time as much as it looks forward to the future. revving up on the a side is shift, a propulsive hurtle to the final frontiers. starting off ominously with just drums, bass and a pollock splatter of toms, the track is soon overrun by an army of relentlessly running basslines, let loose to steer in and out like searching headlights on a dark and endless highway. with a heavier kick, the track shifts into top gear with pensive pads soaring overhead, mesmerising squeaks and his signature attention to percussive detail. on the flip is drive, which switches gears down a notch as an astrospace cruise along intergalactic coastlines - from summery california to shiny coruscant. a rounded pounding beat with heavy sub bass bounces along to a breezy tropical melody and spacious percussive work, before riding off into a cinematic sunset that is as nostalgic as it is hopeful of the c oming dawn. once again on the edge of spatial sound but grounded in analog warmth, redshape has presented a revision of classic record productions that truly punches as it is meant to be felt and heard - on wax. recommended!

abstaxion and kasper bjørke return for their second collaboration on dc salas and abstraxions biologic records imprint. matin + nuit is a 3-track ep out in april. biologic records aim to explore the relationship between organic and analogue, natural and urban. this idea of polarity is addressed here through the themes of morning and night. matin is a ten-minute journey through a glistening landscape. celestial arpeggios and subtle dissonances are grounded by a hypnotic bassline and restrained percussion. ivre (drunk) takes an emotive turn. disorienting acid bass winds its way through mournful harmonies and overcast melodies, held together by a spirited rhythmic pattern. ‘nuit’, naturally, progresses into darker territory. there are familiar elements of disco, but they’ve been mangled to create something far more twisted. drums take the lead, punctuated by assertive bass stabs and ominous chords that howl through cavernous acoustics. matin + nuit explores seemingly familiar themes without the use of cliché, employing a diverse range of sound manipulation techniques to paint vivid imagery.

perm is one of leipzig s most busy producers and performers of electronic music. after releases on shtum, mana all nite, dur, kann and nachtdigital in recent years, holger is more than happy to welcome him with a four-tracker that o ers a deep insight into his vision of timeless techno: airy and yet rmly grounded, with a foggy atmosphere that permeates a vast space of sound. it is trippy and hypnotic but also very bodily and highly energetic. with these qualities it ts very nicely with holger 11 (polo) and 12 (barnt) a perfect closer for this mini triplet series, a concept that has become sort of a trademark for the label.

heko records welcomes pancratio, one of the messengers coming from a dark corner of space to share his sonic science with humanity.

pale blue is the new alias for mike simonetti, one of nycs most infamous underground producers, paired with the vocals of elizabeth wight. the duos seductive double sided ep comes home / have you walked through this night is remixed by breakthrough spanish producer pional on man power’s me me me label. have you passed through is raw and daring, its female vocal reminiscent of innovative early electro, this is a intoxicating late night anthem of leftfield electronica. its lyrics are taken from the film the thin red line, a movie about mans destruction of nature, his world and himself. come home is equally alluring with a dreamier narrative, and pionals remix is stripped back and effortless. for these two songs, the inspiration is coming out of the darkness that is inside all of us. it sounds heavy and overbearing, but dance music is the ideal music for escape. it fits perfectly into the pale blue agenda. this music was made for a small, dark crowded dance floors, with low ceilings and high hopes. humanity is bombarded with suffering and pain at every turn its almost like we thrive on it. but we deserve better. these two songs represent part of that struggle- moving towards the light. take your frustrations out on the dance floor. throw it all away for the night. the b-side is about coming out of darkness, coming home. finding euphoria in love and security in one another. feeling lost in the best way. pale blue

kevin arnemann and daan kemps taped artifact record label is prepping its first release of 2017. following the labels recently released various artists compilation, the amsterdam based imprint welcomes two pioneers within the icelandic techno scene: ohm & octal industries. ohm earned his stripes through his collaborations with exos in the early 00s, whilst octal industries is a much-respected artist within the idm scene under his ruxpin alias. with the highly dub-influenced maoss ep, the icelandic duo follows up their recent appearance on thors renowned thule records. the four-tracker features highly textured, rhythmical and classic rooted dub techno, showcasing the iconic icelandic aesthetic.

this ep is the product of a wide-spanning collective with high personal standards of artistic expression. with spirited vitality lukas endhardt fills the air with the warmth of hot summer days, and fresh air of dark, beating nights. he shows undeniable skills for stimulating progression, which spirits you away into atmospheric sounds and grounded beats. the remixes on this ep set different moods and emotions in to play, and manage still to form a certain unity throughout the tracks.

when moiré decided to call his second album no future, he wasn’t trying to make a political statement so much as state the obvious: if humanity keeps heading down the hateful path outlined by certain right-wing political figures and recent political events, we might as well hit the nearest self-destruct button.
the double vinyl release includes a download code.

havantepe s t.a.o.s.a. ep is the first vinyl release on grounded in humanity s sublabel alienus. expect 4 deep techno tracks with his dubby high quality trademark sound we love him for. this is part 1.... expect some more.