the album has a very fragile, stripped down and haunting sound and is being roundly praised for it s beauty and simplicity drawing numerous comparisons to his early work with the beta band on the -3 eps- album. having previously recorded as both king biscuit time and black affair, both largely electronic based projects, steve mason enlisted the help of producer richard x and consciously made a decision to go back to basics: the album was written entirely on acoustic guitar with many of the finished tracks stripped back to reveal his undoubted songwriting talent. this special bonus edition includes a bonus disc of the album -ghosts outside- which sees the original album given a dub reworking by dennis bovell.

ibiza rocks 2011 liefert uns auf zwei cds die indie und dance hits des jahres inklusive songs von adele, jamie t, simian mobile disco, darwin deez und und und! zusammengestellt und gemixt von den ibiza rocks resident djs nicola bear und doorly gibt es 35 tracks und remixversionen von miles kane, example, toddla t & shola ama, beardyman, africa hitech u.v.a.!

overview in the 1980s, as hip hop caught fire around new york, sparky d was coming up in the van dyke projects in brownsville brooklyn. she would go on to be one of the first recorded solo female rappers and rise to hip hop stardom. early in her career she was a pivotal player in what came to be known as the roxanne wars. it all kicked off with utfo s roxanne roxxane followed by roxanne shante s debut roxanne s revenge and then a salvo back at shante with utfo and a female mc known as the real roxanne. sparky d then started a trend that ran for what some say was over a hundred assorted answer records and nearly the rest of the decade by jumping into the roxanne trend with sparky s turn (roxanne, you re through). massive spins and sales throughout the city followed. the success of the cut lead to another handful of 12 releases, and this release, her proper full length debut this is sparky ds world,- produced by her boyfriend and old school legend spyder d. though the record didn t take off to the extent that her label mates boogie down productions found with criminal minded....well, what ever did take off like criminal minded. to this day the release serves as a testament to the power of one of hip hop s first female mcs, after all, this is sparky d s world. traffic entertainment group in partnership with b-boy records is proud to release this extended version of the album, out of print in any format for over 14 years. housed in a handsome 6 panel digipak featuring extended artwork and audio including all the 12-cuts, mixes and instrumentals from sparkys classic -throwdown- and -i can t stop- vinyl singles.

what a fantastic era the 80s was for music, to celebrate that time ministry of sound drop electronic 80s anthems. three cds ram packed of huge charts hits from inspirational groups and artists such as ultravox, gary numan, soft cell, joy division, duran duran, the human league, pet shop boys, new order, erasure, blondie and many more.

the late steve reid, veteran jazz drummer and percussionist, and kieran hebden (four tet), the british electronic musician/producer young enough to be his grandson, present the fifth and final installment of their momentous synergy. the music on this double cd was recorded in concert on 20 june 2009 in the foyer of the queen elizabeth hall at london s southbank centre, as part of the meltdown festival curated by free jazz legend ornette coleman. for this marathon workout, reid and hebden were joined by swedish power saxophonist mats gustafsson, whose fiery blowing style had inspired kieran to seek out a drummer like steve to work with in the first place. live at the south bank stands as a memorial to a thrilling and productive partnership sadly cut off in its prime.

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

for toro y mois chaz bundick, 2011 has seen the release of his acclaimed sophomore album, underneath the pine, remix work for tyler, the creator, a split 7 inch with cloud nothings, and a steady stream of international tour dates. just over halfway through whats already been a busy year, the prolific producer has a brand new batch of lavishly funky material to offer. bundicks latest is no sloppily assembled bunch of pine session throwaways. the freaking out ep was put to tape in june during a period of touring quiescence. the release finds bundick reveling in twenty minutes of boogie, roping in the heavy sounds of groups like the gap band and mtume. while the first two tracks are modern takes on the 80s post-disco vibe, -sweet- sounds like the product of a todd edwards and teddy riley collaboration, with smooth synths weaving in and out of meticulously chopped and arranged vocal samples. the new jack influence spills over into the cover of cherrelle and alexander oneills -saturday love-, in which a swingbeat carries along fluttering piano lines steeped in delay. the eps crown jewel, -i can get love-, sees bundick assimilating styles of each of his to-date releases, with the synthesized funk of causers of this, the irresistible hooks of pine, and dance alias les sins penchant for filter effects and house beats. full of energy and crafted with a conciseness that begs repeated listens, freaking out is toro y mois most concentrated venture into pure dance floor hedonism.

the debut solo album from the former oasis songwriter and guitarist. .as leader of oasis since the band s inception in 1993, noel gallagher was at the helm for their global success, from the launch of their first indie uk singles in 1994 to their final shows together in the summer of 2009. over the course of their seven consecutive #1 studio albums, oasis sold over 70 million records worldwide and charted 22 consecutive top 10 uk hits from 1995 to 2008 (including eight 1s), creating an astounding historical record.

a genuinely triumphant arrival, the album features ten stunning tracks including forthcoming single amber hands, that reel from glorious carnival-esque euphoria to a sound that occasionally flirts at melancholy and utter despair. again into eyes was recorded in london with producers ken and jolyon thomas, whose credits include sigur ros, m83, david bowie and psychic tv. the album standouts include faith unfolds, summon the sound, which featured on mute s recent exclusive record store day vinyl release vorwarts and the utopian, future-disco monolith that is whitechapel. indeed, the bands individual listening habits in psychedelia, space-rock, avant-garde and ambient soundtracks collide to form a pop trip that neatly balances the innovative with the rapturously danceable to great effect. based in london, s.c.u.m exploded onto the music scene two years ago with the release of their debut single visions arise. the single, together with their exciting and intense live shows, quickly grabbed the imagination of fans and critics alike. since then they have toured extensively across the uk and europe to a growing fanbase.

-down for whatever- einmal gehoert, nie wieder vergessen. bereits nach einmaligem hoeren setzen sich die hook und der druckvolle soundteppich im gehoergang fest, wie bei kaum einem anderen song. kelly rowland wei§, was es zu einem internationalen hit beno

this collection documents the two-decades-plus recording career of r&b icon luther vandross. even before he started putting out records under his own name, he was a first-call session singer (hes the one who created and sang the chorus hook on david bowies -young americans,- for just one example). throughout the 80s and the 90s, he was (both commercially and aesthetically) one of the most consistently successful r&b singer/songwriter/producers. this healthy two-disc selection of highlights from the impressive vandross catalogue moves deftly from heartfelt ballads (-a house is not a home-) to percolating, poppy numbers (-never too much-), spotlighting the mans mellifluous voice and tasteful phrasing at each turn. this is quite clearly the definitive career summary for this deeply influential r&b titan.

for the first time in 30 years throbbing gristle are now back on their own original industrial records label. to mark the occasion we are pleased to announce the rerelease of tgs first five albums on vinyl & cd. each album has been restored and remastered specifically for each format by chris carter from 24bit baked tape digital transfers of the original first generation analogue master tapes. each of the cd special-editions are presented in a gatefold sleeve featuring restored and remastered cover artworks and an integrated 8-page booklet (the booklets feature different artworks and content to the vinyl editions). while the cd releases feature the same track count and running order as the vinyl editions each cd special-edition also includes an exclusive bonus cd containing content from the year of the albums original release. this additional content includes tg live tracks and remastered singles. the greatest hits cd special-edition also includes two previously unreleased throbbing gristle mixes from the 1980s.

dj andy smith Ð one of the worlds premier funk djs and the man who supplied portishead with their samples Ð joins forces with keith lawrence - renowned reggae collector and reggae dj from www.colourfulradio.com - to present the heaviest selection of funky reggae in the uk smiths comps have sold over 35.000 units inc. the acclaimed -document- series which included albums for greensleeves & trojanp>killer cover versions of stevie wonders you havent done nothing (sly dunbar), marlena shaws woman of the ghetto (hortense ellis) & william de vaughns be thankful for what you got (donovan carless) super rare cuts from bumps jackson, barry waite & sly dunbar tracks from impact, randys, demon, dynamic, hot shot, tent & various pama records offshoots various tracks from the pama catalogue which back-in-the-day was a contemporary of trojan inc tony scotts what am i to do now, pussy by kid longo, lloyd terrells i did it, ricos tribute to don drummond, d tony lees peyton place, lester sterling & stranger coles bangarang & children get ready by the versatiles.

incl white crosses & black crosses.. + 32 page booklet!

the tenth edition of the decibel outdoor festival on saturday the 20th august was more than successful! this anniversary edition was one to remember: nice summery weather, the hottest music, top artists, and excellent atmosphere and a great audience! decibel outdoor festival has become the largest festival in the world for harder styles, with up to 50.000 visitors. with more than 12 arenas, every genre of harder styles spectrum is represented at the festival. this registration with a lot of extras is a must have for your collection.

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

legendary bournemouth-based trio aquasky return with their 8th studio album raise the devil featuring 16 bass-heavy party tracks which include guest vocals and collaborations from lee mortimer, engine earz experiment, daddy freddy, ragga twins, tenor fly, mr. thing, pyramid, acafool, deja, roisin brophy, didjelirium and bex riley. this album sees the trio take it back to basics and return to what people expect when they hear the name aquasky! having been solid friends since the heady days of rave and acid house, the guys first hit the studio together during the jungle era and in 1995 aquasky was born, signing immediately to moving shadow before going onto release on some of the biggest and best labels including polydor, botchit & scarper, reinforced, good looking records, hospital, southern fried and mr. bongo. in 2001 they took the decision to launch their own imprint passenger as a place where they had free reign to unleash their full creativity and develop both their sound and the sounds of other acts.

the xxlerator concept has become the longest running hardstyle club night of europe. it is one of the most successful nights hosted by club matrixx, where many well-known hardstyle djs have taken their place behind the decks. this particular club has been at the top of the dutch club scene ever since the doors were swung open 10 years ago. it has understandably been voted as the number one club of the netherlands three times. club matrixx stands for quality and they will no doubt prove it to you once more with an incredible compilation cd. behind the scenes, club matrixx teamed up with one of the biggest hardstyle artists in the world today: ran-d. this man has a large amount of memorable sets at parties like defqon.1, decibel, intents festival, emporium and xxlerator. in addition, his discography displays a high rate of quality and quantity with regards to his productions. ran-d pulled out all the stops to put together this cd. the result is a brutal mix with a perfect combination of raw and euphoric tracks. pure hardstyle will project from your speakers with the sounds of italian hardstyle legend the rebelz, a records and gunz for hire colleague adaro and of course the hottest tunes from noisecontrollers. he also added tracks from other great producers such as: alpha, psyko punkz, coone and crypsis. this album puts every hardstyle lover in the party mood and is a must have for any collection.

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

dj cam ist zurueck mit seinem siebten album. die ep swim war der vorbote, dort zeigt chris james, der kopf von stateless, seine faehigkeiten am mikro. inspiriert ist er noch immer von jazz und hiphop, was ihn 1995 zu einem der pioniere der triphop-szene werden lie§. als einer der wichtigsten koepfe des -french touch- hat dj cam bisher sechs alben veroeffentlicht. er hat seine karriere im gleichen zeitraum wie daft punk, air, cassius oder bob sinclar begonnen. seine single summer in paris von 2002 mit anggun hat sich ueber eine millionen mal verkauft und bleibt ein wichtiger tune des pariser -dolce vita-. seven beinhaltet anteile gut gemachten pops sowie folk, anleihen von oldschool electronica und ambient - tunes mit einer sehr bildhaften atmosphaere. saenger chris james von stateless erinnert mit seinem gesang auf dem zweiten stueck swim an radiohead, einem der groe§ten einfluesse des albums.

silent dust is the project of uk duo dan blishen (originally from manchester) and andy hobbs (hailing from kent), who produced drum & bass together for years under the respective monikers zyon base and hobzee. their self-titled debut,silent dust,brings their signature d&b sound into a different light, drawing from a wide range of influences - ambient, drum & bass, garage, dub, breakbeat and soundtracks. the result is a collection of deep, bass-laden productions that sound like absolutely nothing else, filled with lush arrangements, an array of found sounds (footsteps, vinyl crackle, sellotape stretching), cinematic vocal samples and glitchy, idiosyncratic drum programming. the album travels through a wide range of emotions and sounds - from the sublime intensity of the giant (equipped with floating operatic samples and tight drum programming) and the dark atmospheric grace of marlowe, to the weighted basslines of the club-suited zero nine zero and the sheer beauty of winter song lined with strings and a reggae-tinted vocal. though its driven by experimentation, this is a d&b record at heart: even the ambient tracks were written at 160-170 bpm. their debut album was originally signed to soul:r, but was pulled at the last minute: the duo bravely opted to start their own label, none60, to release their tour de force.silent dust is a downtempo, atmospheric album that will become an instant favourite for open minds, and for those who seek something new. one of the most unique records to come out of d&b this decade.

when david essex sang -gonna make you a star-, he knew what he was talking about because he d already been there. and -the best of david essex- showcases his star quality to perfection, delivering all of his smash hits from the seventies, including -hold me close-, -rolling stone- and the classic -rock on-. a superstar from a golden era of pop.

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

driver drive faster are a new band from manchester, but you wouldnt necessarily tell. this masterful debut album presents a rich, timeworn sound that exists somewhere between americana and spectral indie rock. its crafted song-writing at its best, hinging on stirring chord sequences and moments of fragile beauty. -a review described us as misfits,- says singer/ guitarist dylan giles. -we took it as a compliment.- named open house and recorded in the shared digs in which the entire band reside, the album was a labour of love begun in late 2009, poured over in 2010 and set for release in 2011. the result is a lush, layered record that slowly draws you into its world. think mercury revs deserters songs for a new generation.

this latest release by the ever impressive trunk records consists of two jazz recordings from 1964. the first four tracks, credited to west indian trumpeter shake keane, are taken from an unreleased acetate belonging to garricks private collection. the final four tracks consist of the shake keane & michael garrick quartettes a case of jazz ep that had a limited pressing of just 99 copies. much like trunks earlier michael garrick release moonscape (which was recorded in the same year), this is indeed obscure 1960s uk jazz. the first four cuts from the untitled acetate are very much jazz of the bossa nova variety. the hastings girls choir feature on the first two tracks and their lush vocals add a cool exotic vibe. tracks 3 & 4 are taken from the flipside of the acetate and were recorded with the gordon langford orchestra. the final four tracks from the a case of jazz ep are freer flowing and keanes trumpeting accompanied by garricks piano makes for some quality early modern british jazz. moody album closer regrets is a stunner and best showcases how well they both compliment each other.

excellent mix cd! 20 years tresor !! mike huckaby with a stunning mix work.

its been a long time comin.the inevitable paul white rap album! 4 years of carving out his own psychedelic (mainly instrumental) niche on the uks one handed music imprint, a lot of people have been asking when this was going to happen. loaded with shining appearances from the cream of current underground mcs: guilty simpson, marv won, danny brown, tranqill (ruling on one of paul whiteÕs rudest beats to date), homeboy sandman, moe pope and the crown prince of uk hip hop, jehst, folk talent, nancy elizabeth also makes an appearance. there are also plenty of whacked out instrumentals and skits to keep the beat-heds heady. tip!uk producer leads transatlantic talent on a freewheeling hip-hop adventure.

dispel dances die meinungsmacher vom britischen fact mag schrieben einmal: -wir wissen nicht viel ueber anstam. niemand tut das. das ist teil des besonderen.- anstam waren einmal ein duo, bestehend aus zwei bruedern. jetzt ist anstam eine one man-show eines medienkunsstudenten aus berlin. noch als duo haben sie eine legendaere underground 12 inch serie veroeffentlicht, die ueber den berliner kultplattenladen hardwax vertrieben wurde. diese vinyltrilogie wurde in hoechsten toenen gelobt und mit den technoiden autechre im post industrial dubstepkleid umschrieben. nach einer zweijaehrigen pause begann anstam in diesem jahr - als solo act - auf 50 weapons mit neuer musik erneut aufmerksamkeit zu erregen. nicht zuletzt auch die von radiohead saenger thom yorke, der kurzerhand anstam tracks chartete, im radio spielte, was kuerzlich auch in einem anstam remix fuer radiohead gipfelte. anstam wei§ auch als live act zu ueberzeugen, wie z.b. hierzulande beim melt! festival. -dispel dances-, das ueberfaellige debuetalbum, wird in den kommenden monaten auf zahlreichen weiteren gigs live praesentiert.

andreas reihse is well known since 1994 in his role as musician with kreidler. sometimes he releases club music, for example using his alias april or with detlef weinrich (kreidler, tolouse lowtrax) as binford on labels like italic, onitor or smoothrooms. he also composed soundtracks for artist movies and installations (rosemarie trockel, maximilian zentz zlomowitz, thea djordjadze, andreas gursky, frances scholz/mark von schlegell, among others). romantic comedy is music for dark clubs, for places without much light and oxygen Ð its driving, percussive dance music. a comedy in six acts: from l.a. to dŸsseldorf and back. music and lyrics? - pop goes my heart! - of course its a romantic comedy, a bittersweet romance full of memories and a bit of sorrow. >der lange weg nach dŸsseldorf< the title reminds of mittagspauses der lange weg nach derendorf, derendorf, the district of dŸsseldorf where andreas reihse and stefan betke / pole in the late 80ies shared a rehearsal room. langeweg also was the adress of the studio of klaus dinger in zeeland. the titles of the other pieces refer to dubious characters that show that the trip on the west coast makes stops in manchester, milano, brussels and london without forgetting charlottenburg and williamsburg. places that hold up against oblivion and reinvent themselves. your club needs you. the cover was designed by artist thea djordjadze

five classic artist albums in wallets housed in a new slipcase. nice and simple, no frills just great music! includes circle of love (1975), together (1977), we are family (1979), love somebody today (1980) and all american girls (1981).

-wir sind am leben-. ein statement voller mut und zuversicht. das lied, das gleichzeitig auch titelsong des neuen rosenstolz albums ist, ist eine hymne an die wiederauferstehung der band, vor allem aber an den glauben an sich selbst und an das, was rosens

first there was life is water for gerbadaisies when they are dancing, then there was a soft kiss by a rose, now we have shhh, dandelions at play - the latest album by boof. shhh, dandelions at play is available on cd and as download via bubbletease communications on itunes and juno download. accompanied by the 12inch-single joi is smiling/now shes jumping. produced by maurice fulton.

hier gibt es ordentlich was auf die nuss! die 100 staerksten hardcore-tracks des jahres auf einer exzellenten doppel-cd! alles, was das hardcore-herz hoeher schlagen laesst, von angerfist & evil activities ueber neophyte & nosferatu bis predator & tommyknocker!

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

loud follows-up rated r (november 2009) and its sequel rated r: remixed (may 2010). previously, the double-platinum good girl gone bad (may 2007) contained the grammy-winning global 1 hit -umbrella- (featuring jay-z), then -shut up and drive,- -hate that i love you- (featuring ne-yo), and -don t stop the music.- the cd+dvd package good girl gone bad: reloaded (january 2009) continued the hits with the 1 -take a bow,- the 1 -disturbia- and top 20 -rehab.- good girl gone bad was the third album release in less than two years by barbados native rihanna, who turned 22 on february 20th. it followed-up 2006 s riaa platinum a girl like me, which contained the back-to-back hits, -s.o.s.- and -unfaithful-: and her riaa gold debut from 2005, music of the sun, featuring the world-wide smash, -pon de replay-.

its probably safe to say that youve never heard anything like brothers of brazil before. for the past three years the brotherly duo of supla and joao have been combining elements of traditional brazilian music such as bossa nova and samba with rock and funk to create a unique sound thats won over countless fans in brazil, and now theyre ready to expand worldwide with the release of their self-titled album. the duo was started when the brothers landed their own national variety show in brazil called brothers on rede tv. supla and joao realized then that when they collaborated the results were beyond what they had ever imagined.

compiled by: (in alphabetical order) christian burkhardt, damian schwartz, einzelkind, ernesto ferreyra, franco cinelli, guillaume & the coutu dumonts feat. qzen, ivel tax, johnny d, juan sorrentino, skipson, leonel castillo, maayan nidam, michael melchner, markus fix, noidoi, reboot, ray okpara & nekes and sascha dive. all of the tracks are previously unreleased.

limited edition! vince clarke und andy bell haben die musikgeschichte der 80ern,90ern und 00er jahre um zeitlose pop-hymnen wie a little respect, sometimes, victim of love, ship of fools,chains of love,the circus und breathe und tausend andere bereichert. in ihrer englischen heimat erreichten erasure mit alben wie the innocents, wild!,chorus und dem startschuss des weltweiten abba revivals abba-esque gleich fŸnfmal hintereinander die nummer 1 position.tomorrows world ist das erste studioalbum von erasure seit mehr als vier jahren.

byetone s new record symeta opens with a combined track - a transit - since topas and telegramm could be seen as one single piece. both tracks convey the atmosphere of a live session rather than the character of a studio production. the tracks are quite long and deal with repetition, layers of sounds, density and energy, more than melodic and engineering finesse. the whole album follows this approach, as it was fashioned within the context of live performances during the last two years. neuschnee Ð the third track Ð has an obviously reduced tempo, creating a wide landscape of sound with an intimate aura, which works as a counter draft to the other tracks of the record. with opal, the tempo speeds up again, a polyrhythmic phrase whirls around a straight beat, filters are turned, all that evokes the impression of early-90s minimal techno. byetone is basically interested in remembering, in a way to preserve, in citing rock/pop styles, without getting stuck in the past, whereas non of the tracks really fit into a specific genre. seen from this perspective, helix opens the final, more rocky block of the album. here, the tracks are offensive and rude and sound like a band in a rehearsal room. this part peaks with black peace in a high speed heavy metal session. finally, golden elegy closes symeta and a band-like situation occurs. the track ends with a wired lament, presented by jan kummer in the tenor of chemnitz, hometown of both artists. in former gdr-times, they started their musical activity with the brilliant-dilettantish ag geige, together with frank bretschneider (komet). symeta , the title of the album, appears mysterious. this synthetic word arouses associations with symmetry, synthesis or (meta-)structures. it doesn t stand for a definite object, there isn t any solution, and that is the reason why the title has been chosen. byetone s music tries to create such associations without really fulfilling these expectations. in this sense, symeta consequently follows death of a typographer (r-n92), the well received predecessor.

kanda bongo man is a giant of african music and the artist credited with introducing john peel to african music. his fans number vampire weekend (cape cod kwassa kwassa), paul simon and john peel. all the tracks were recorded for joe boyds hannibal records between 1984-91, an era we can look back on today as the high watermark of parisian soukous, and showcase a band at the height of their powers. behind his soaring voice kanda employed diblo dibala and rigo star, two lead guitarists who are widely considered as the best soukous guitarists who ever lived. diblo was recruited from the band led by the legendary franco whilst rigos scorching licks graced albums by paul simon and it was their twinning that gave kandas music a wonderfully joyous, ringing quality. they both feature extensively on the -king of kwassa kwassa-.

boom bip was one of the canniest underground beat producers around before he hooked up with gruff rhys of super furry animals to create the fascinating neon neon project, which took as its focus automaker john delorean and what his car (and charisma) meant to the 80s. bbs return to the solo realm finally came on 2011s zig zaj, which has more in common with neon neon than with his early solo joints. (features for cate le bon and franz ferdinands alex kapranos, among others, certainly fit in.) as always, its impeccably produced - hollon has only gained in proficiency and maturity as a producer. but compared to seed to sun or blue eyed in the red room, whose fascination with sound was positively contagious, zig zaj sounds like an overly safe record, the type that most producers would avoid if they wanted to keep innovating. heavily influenced by rock and 80s new wave, similar to neon neons stainless style, its impressions are largely textural, and as talented a producer as boom bip has become, zig zaj sounds more like a rehash than the entirely new recipe that music fans are undoubtedly looking for.

2011 release, a 1982 live recording from the legendary gambian experimental/psych band. for one decade guelewar was the biggest influence in the region of sene-gambian music. here in their last recording, the 12 members guide you to another level.

ex-harry pussy guitarist bill orcutt s 2009 side a new way to pay old debts was an instant classic for those attuned to his brand of stomach-scrapingly raw, hoary blues improvisation. few could have expected the album to be subsequently issued on cd by editions mego, but the more you thought about it the more it made sense - though all-acoustic, orcutt s music is every bit as extreme, violent and threshold-testing as that of, say, florian hecker, russell haswell or mika vainio. as if to prove it wasn t a token gesture towards eclecticism, mego boss peter rehberg has signed a brand new album from orcutt, and what an album it is. for the most part it s in that visceral, coruscating style that he s best known for, all finger-bleeding fretboard assaults that manage to sound at once virtuoso and completely out-of-control, reaching a psychotic climax on the visible bosom: but there are some more reflective passages too, hell, the title track might even be the most chilled thing he s ever recorded. the album was cut at d+m in berlin, which really teases every last drop of blood, sweat and tears out of the recording, which took place at orcutt s home studio in san francisco in spring of 2011. brutal, bludgeoning but incurably romantic, how the thing sings demands your steadfast attention. mind-blowing.

sander van doorns new artist album 2011. if theres one thing we can say about the evolution of the worldwide dance scene this year, is that its genres are being mashed up like never before. on his new artist album eleve11, sander van doorn once again does what he does best, mixing up styles, genres and artist-cooperations. along side his smash hits koko and love is darkness, eleve11 is packed with artist-cooperations such as believe with singer/songwriter tom helsen, eagles with adrian lux and sanders latest purle haze installment timezone. an emotional dancefloor-killer that brings shivers down your spine each time you hear us singer fredericks voice. more uplifting is sanders collab with fellow-dutchman laidback luke. whos wearing the cap is an idea born when their resemblance on a photo was so anstonishing that the songtitle was placed underneath it, making fans wonder if they might be brothers. those who have heard nadia ali on iios classic rapture have probably wondered when her voice was due for a svd treatment. well, that time has finally come and the result is called: rolling the dice together with sidney samson all in all, eleve11, with its neatly corresponding 11 tracks all recorded in 2011, shows the world exactly what sander van doorn has evolved into.. a worldwide dancemusic phenomena.

being a product of the age it was written, slow clubs 2009 debut, yeah so, dealt with the all too familiar space between adolescence and the oncoming storm of adulthood. a boy-girl duo who played a flower-adorned chair live, they were the polar opposite of what was coming out of post-arctic monkeys sheffield. slow club were fun, cute, whimsical and all manner of other words just shy of twee - and they hate being called twee. paradise, however, is where the duo grows up. two years on, it stumbles out of a trivial, self-indulgent teenage malaise (where sexual adventure was priority for most) and carries itself with a sense of perspective that only adulthood can give - a darker, more thoughtful view of the world. for instance, on the poignant you, earth or ash, a song about rebecca taylor s granddad, her melancholic vocals (beautiful, as always) evoke an awareness of mortality for those around her: singing -and i know, soon you ll go,- her voice seemingly breaks under the weight of premature grief. whereas even love-wise (an inspiration every band draws from) slow club s lyrical output is glossed with a more mature and detached sense of sauce, with taylor crooning on where i m waking: -i can see you looking at me / you got the brains i ve got the body-.

-wir sind am leben-. ein statement voller mut und zuversicht. das lied, das gleichzeitig auch titelsong des neuen rosenstolz albums ist, ist eine hymne an die wiederauferstehung der band, vor allem aber an den glauben an sich selbst und an das, was rosens

16 track set from the great dillinger featuring -cocaine in my brain-, -love is all i bring-, -time so hard-, -hear and deaf-, -king pharaoh was a bald head- and more...

in watch me dancetoddla t has created a dubwise, street-soul masterpiece, and to ensure it was everything toddla envisaged it could be he s carefully selected an impressive line up of friends, peers and musical icons to guest vocal, co-produce, remix, co-write with him on the album. names including previous collaborator roots manuva, fellow dj, producer and remixer skream, ms dynamite, ross orton, wayne marshall, timberlee, roisin murphy and shola ama.