the cocoon compilation k, being the longplay flagship in the cocoon catalogue, adequately starts the second decade of the label with a musical imperative. but dont worry: even if the letter k has sometimes been misused as an indicator for the degree of hardness of some sonic noise in the past of the tech-house scene, >k< is definitely the deepest survey of contemporary electronic dance music that has ever seen the light of day on cocoon recordings

expect the unexpected, they say, and it should come as a surprise to many as we warmly welcome to the kompakt family one of americas most celebrated producers in dance music, john tejada! born in austria, he relocated to his current home of los angeles at the age of 8 and, following a brief career in hip-hop, found his home in electronic music. if you are even the slightest fan of the genre, you will be hard-pressed not to have heard his music over his decade+-long career. >parabolas< is a true highlight in john tejadas deep catalogue. bold words indeed for a producer who is known for unexpected variation and tremendous musical imagination

the first in a new series from roots records, bringing in guest compilers to pick the choice sounds from the hit sound and midnight rock catalogue. first up is the legendary barry ashworth from the dub pistols, picking artists like anthony johnson, king tubby, barry brown and jah thomas. for fans of soul jazz, blood & fire and greensleeves records.

it was 1975 and a mere 24 years since ike turner lit the blue touch paper on rock n roll with the incendiary rocket 88 , when a small independent record company emerged from a couple of second-hand record stores in london. it was just before the fuse was lit on another stage in the rock n roll story with the emergence of punk rock and chiswick records helped strike the match - commencing with the release of the count bishops speedball ep. with the same people at its head, the label evolved into ace records and they are proud to be celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2005. ace has become the leading in-depth catalogue company in the world and has issued a vast amount of the best and most important music released in the us from the time of that first ike turner recording to the launch of their own company. that crucial period forms the core of the extensive ace catalogue. they have often wandered off this central path, with excursions into world music, some home-made recordings of local acts and have investigated beat music from belfast to tokyo. but it is at the heart and soul of rock n roll that you will find ace putting out that wild and frantic, deep and romantic, funky and punky music that will sure nuff turn you on!

apologies to de la soul, but today, five is the magic number. dan curtins >lifeblood< marks the fifth artist album in mobilee®s ever-growing catalogue. it also happens to be his ninth album, and his first fulllength in three years, which we think is ample cause for celebration.

after the success of the compilation french do it... better (vol.1, vol.2 and vol.3) mixed by mathieu bouthier, serial records starts a new series: serial mix, gathering tracks from the french electro label serial records. concept is simple: twice a year, an artist from the label serial records selects his favourite tracks from the labels catalogue, and mixes them into a more-than-an-hour continuous track... for the biggest pleasure of house music fans! here we go with the first edition.

loco dices much-anticipated debut lp has been created to take the listener on a journey: an album to be treasured as a fine-textured catalogue of the senses. loco dice, who spends much of his time shuttling between the worlds main electronic music ports as an in-demand dj, packed up his studio and relocated to new york city. there, the renowned dŸsseldorf dj, producer and desolat label head fomented a raw and simmering soundtrack: a nuance-packed collection of sonic interpretations of scenes, characters and moods from the most diverse and mythologised city in the world