version galore is a newly found label, deeply rooted into the music culture. we are bringing you the selected reworks / re-edits from the top producers in the game, showing lots of respect and care for the original, but elevating it s spirit and taking it somewhere else. it s all about the dialogue of cultures and the idealistic desire to pass the music legacy on! no half-measures, played-out tunes, lazy cuts, or boring -808-kick boosting- biz! on the first release of the label we are delighted to bring you the chosen cuts from the man that needs no introduction - opolopo. he knows a thing or two about making a personal version of a track that can easily overshadow the original, and we guess that s the case with the two cuts he prepared for us on this records. things escalate fast. on the a-side you will find originally a midtempo mild jam -go get it-, which is turned by opolopo into an effectively-upbeat stomper that will inject true feeling and groove in any house or disco set alike. it s one of those rare occasions when a soulful tune turns out to be super dance-floor efficient no matter what! the b-side is all about the raw and emotional funky madness of -american promise-. it s infectious groove, pinpointed with growling sub-bass is just devastating. epithets are irrelevant here - just play it loud, but with caution! -version galore - play some more!-

logical direction returns with their first beatz ep vinyl release. a 4 track ep, with the likes of verb, dj fox, drum cypha, tim reaper, mpathy, zebedee. keeping it true to the original sound of jungle dnb.
12 inch vinyl, 3mm spine sleeve

eric maltz is a producer from new york city and now resides in berlin, germany. he is a former employee of halcyon records from its og glory days in it s first location in red hook/carrol gardens areas of brooklyn. -eric provided a sofa to me often through-ought my 20 s and vice-versa, we both cared about music above all else- we lived and breathed music- and we helped each other survive when we were penniless - if one was up, so was the other... eric and i were roommates, friends, we looked out for each other in a rough city with tough rules. every time one of us got a job at a restaurant or record shop, within weeks we would have the other working there too. we did that for a decade. we slang records for years at halcyon- a shop on smith street which had a portrait of stevie wonder painted on the front facade- and we threw parties all around brooklyn back then too.. every shitty bar that would have us lol. we were a dope team. he s the only person who has ever touched the third rail on a subway and survived too! true story. so you know i couldn t wait to release his debut lp. proud of this guy- - levon vincent

on “rest in space”, his first full length outing for music for dreams, the lp keeps a steady pace of around 90-95 bpm, but never gets repetitive with islandman taking us on a rich and ever surprising journey, full of quirky turns and mysterious instrumentations. the opener “rest in space” treats us to a funky percussion-thick rhythm that lounges into a pool of playful & jazzy horn & flute arrangements. this is followed by the epic “night wind” which sweeps across cinematic desert landscapes of synth layers and falls into a dark night time groove reminiscent of nicolas jaar & dave harrington’s darkside project. “seikleos” centers around a motorik electronic rhythm pattern (not unlike the classic electro-pop classic “popcorn”) that develops into a chugging balearic house jam while stand out track “future days” brings in a female guest vocalist to complete the album with a breezy full on groover that echoes of both sheila chandra and tom tom club. also included is the previously released digital single “agit” as well as a remix by berlin-based m.rux, toning down the heavy guitar of the original in favor of a more bouncier interpretation. the stunning “ikaru” wades in through chunks of jungle ambiance and watery percussion to lounge along on a rubbery funk bassline, coupled with a heavy laid back beat and wobbly derelict synth figures. “tawhid” is an odd mix of new wave brilliance and prog momentum that breaks into a cascade of pouring rain and surprising percussion breaks. lastly comes gorgeous eastern guitar opus “the true word of the wind” and the warm vibey dreamscape “following”. as a whole, islandman delivers a delicate buffet of influences - spanning the spectrum from hazy balearic pop to tropical new age flirts to deep spiritual psychedelic jamming.

i try to perform as honestly as possible — the soundbite borrowed from late dancer dudley williams for this record s second track could have been uttered by the mole himself. it s this candor that has allowed us to bear witness to a very marked and very audible transition from his days as a producer in montreal to becoming a part of the berlin scene. and what we have here is one result of that very explicit sonic metamorphosis. de la planet is our dyslexic subject s third studio album, one that stays true to his ethos of weird above all in the best possible sense. and yet it feels like something distinctly new. tapping his enormous reservoir of vinyl and sampling the odd film have acted as complement to the jaw-dropping arsenal of synthesizers at de la plante s disposal—a battery of machines he s been quietly improving his skills on during the past few years. or not so quietly, perhaps. the man himself would probably say -i m coming out of the woodshed-, and go off on a tangent about sonny rollins and his saint of a wife. but that s a story for another sheet.

the cryovac machine operates independently to service the world with an original strain of techno. our people are pioneers of their own sound and seasoned veterans of its cause. this cause is the basis for our action and the motivation for our vinyl. cryovac believes the vinyl format is the truest way to take in our music, and this is why we take great care to personally craft our own plates and photograph our own art. the cryovac approach and stance make it a true oddity in a world of commodities, and we hope you realize, feel, and respect our work. andy vaz is a rebel from the city of cologne. he is a creator of techno labels that follow their own path and challenge the standard dogma. his version of the techno sound has gone from stark and funky minimalism to synth cascades and housey feels. andy vaz is the perfect choice to collaborate with andy garcia. garcia s brand crunchy soul tech mixed with vocal nonsense is the yin to vazs yang. these like minds share a name, a spirit, and a drive to keep moving forward no matter the cost.

true to traditional form, where the gods are in peace pays respect to the forefathers of afrobeat with compositions spanning nine to 15 minutes in length. with a blessing from the fela kuti legacy early in the band’s career, antibalas has long been revered for re-popularizing the classic afrobeat sound while adding their distinct new york city grit to the mix. influences of punk rock, free jazz, and hip-hop seep into their expansive works to define a truly 21st century translation of the afrobeat genre and beyond.
the vinyl lp includes a download code.

the sweet and soulful harmonies of the whatnauts spanned a 15-year career in which they recorded three albums and numerous singles, ranging from timeless ballads to temptations-esque politically-charged funk to dancefloor boogie. the music of the baltimorebased group, which featured the angelic falsetto lead of billy herndon, gained relevance for a younger generation via samples taken by the likes of de la soul, a tribe called quest and kanye west. this 2-lp set is a career compendium of their best slow jams, funk grooves and 12-inch club tracks, including multiple unreleased and rare sides.

london duo jynx provide the next chapter to kidnap kid’s birds that fly, an imprint quickly building a slim but effective catalogue.
this two tracker is a true fusion of sound, entangling vibrant ukg percussion, emotive vocals and charmingly quirky production.
altogether it creates something beautiful and unique, echoing the individuality of the label itself.

first release on his new home mad recordings is by ortella, as an engaged manifesto, music is my shelter is a statement in a pure garage house classic style, 3 versions of the same hit flavored with some mad rhodes by françois a.
ortella, -the king of clubbing in lyon- is back with a new record label, merging all the projects they starts with his partner kaïs in one unique home, mad recordings. the first release on the platform is by the french man himself, served as an engaged manifesto, music is my shelter is a statement for all the house producers around the world, talking about the years of struggle, the faith in the music as an art and the joy to see one day dreams comes true. no surprise about the style, it s a pure garage house ep released in the old style way, with 3 versions of the same hit! original de luxe is a classic extended cut, club friendly, rich of flavor with flying and crying rhodes keyboards by the talented françois a. an anthem that transports you to a time where house music was a religion and clubs were churches. intro de luxe version is a shortened version, perfect to starts a night with the right mood without announcing too much, just enough to warm-up the dance floor with some emotion. dub de luxe is for more modern purists, putting aside for a short period the piano rolls and focusing on what ortella do the best, percussive drums with no compromise, made for releasing the energy level straight from dancers to the floor.

after doing a couple of remixes over the past years noise destruction is back on hellcat tunes with a new ep. this dj duo from novi sad, serbia has released tracks for labels like neuform, laus, proloop, headtunes, itech soundsystem, people that make the music,etc. now these guys are delivering the versatile zeebeats ep, packed with true house grooves. heavy baselines, tight rhythms, old school chords and evolving synth lines is what this ep is all about.

musically and emotionally, superpitchers third full-length studio album, the golden ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus-years, emotionally. and full-length it is: the golden ravedays is an epic album of 24 tracks that was released in january 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period. the 9th link of the golden ravedays chain will be released on hippie dance in september 2017. where number 8 of the series took us to outer space, number 9 introduces two tracks that are an under-water celebration of all that is good and all that is sad. side a features hiding. imagine galloping sea horses pulling a christmas chariot filled with dreams-come-true past enchanting mermaids, smiling sharks, waving tortoises and nonplused eels, leaving a gifted blanket of mystical sound in their wake. hiding stretches and breaks into many layers of listening love without enforcing one particular sound. side b features flying. the piece is occupied by a subaquatic melody colored by whale sounds and the echoes of immersed guitar strings. flying is not about complex development or diversity but the weightless drifting of sounds that create a wonderfully hazy cloud to lose oneself in and fly, deliciously with the dolphins. rest assure, the ending is be speckled with whimsical chimes showers, paving the way for the softest of landings

emotional rescue and malka tuti recognise their shared passion for globe-trotting sounds and team up to present this album from c cat trance, a project from john rees lewis who was formerly of post punkers medium medium. it s no surprise to learn that this was a project of the 1980s, as all the hallmarks are there. with the same outernational attitude that made the work of eno, hassell, czukay, wobble and scores more so alluring, this collection shines a light on a true gem of the era and provides a fresh pressing of some stone cold leftfield party groovers like shake the mind.

two tracks from times past crude cuts complete with krispy krackle a pair of edits remembered, rescued and revived. new world wonders sliced and stitched in the cold north. a norseman works in newark. a norseman boogies in nassau. a true zafari of zound in remembrance of a fallen friend.

ig culture and alex phountzi are namebrandsound and are back with their third ep on their own arena yard imprint. known for their roles in the broken beat movement, namebrandsound puts a nowadays take on a lifetime of different influences. their most comprehensive body of work today the seven track spell t.h.i.s.o.n.e ep joins the dots between broken beat, juke, jazz, jungle and dancehall, from the grime jazz of harvest your manor to the new school bruk style of patience which features west london r’n n sensation, abel miller, to the straight up juked style of the title track

as the summer closes and the autumn arrives the project releases its next selection with label boss frazer campbell and dark arts techno head stu crosbie. not a stranger to the label having appeared on the previous release stuart once again delivers his unique filtered sound of stripped back minimal techno with hints of trippy yet groovy influences of dark back room excursions. a real master of simplicity but exact definition of sombre sounds. the flip side presents a very different sonic description by frazer. ‘bleeding gums’ holds broken beat kicks with rolling drums but as always carries a true sense of emotion and warmth. the ep closes with ‘deebling mugs’ which is a production full of drive, dirty basslines and groove that will keep any dance floor moving as we wave goodbye to the summer of 2017.

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.

london based feelings expand their horizons with the birth of their new label feelings worldwide. following in the footsteps of their much loved parties, the label will see releases from some of the pioneers of the dance music paired alongside exciting new artists who ring true with the blueprint those pioneers created.
for the first release feelings have enlisted iranian born, london-based producer kasra v, delivering an incredible slice of middle-eastern inspired house. on the a side is the early 90s inspired fantasy, a dance floor thumper with a tribal house feel you could imagine rolling out the speakers at a dreamscape party, followed by the dreamy pris providing a contrasting sunrise vibe to the prior track. on the flip is myth a steady piano-led builder inspired and written in the style of southern iranian tribal music, followed by a remix of the same track from legendary nyc producer cozmo d under his dream 2 science alias bringing a straighter dancefloor ready versioin with the heavy deep house flavours his d2s project is lauded for.

raw outsider boogie, interstellar loaner funk, intimate synth sound productions on this debut from russia’s venus express ii. the lp features 8 hot tracks of spacey, jazzy, funky tunes in the similar format of star creature’s sky tony & liquid pegasus releases. this is true space funk!

1977’s fire woman is perhaps the finest (and rarest) of foundars 15’s albums, offering a spicy buffet of groovy pop, reggae, native rock and dense, off-kilter funk. long sought after by aficionados, fire woman has been an lp that is more often heard about than actually heard.
that is about to change.
comb & razor sound is proud to present a new, fully-authorized reissue of fire woman, featuring eight crucial cuts representing the gold standard of the golden age of nigerian pop music. here’s your chance to catch the fire!

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.

mothball record continue to branch out from their italo-disco roots while staying true to a high quality of unique and obscure music. this latest release is a collection of 90s rave and hardcore inspired tracks with an unmistakable euphoric/melancholic dutch flavor from mysterious producer ruud jansen. no less than six strong and diverse tracks provide options for all occasions, from home listening to techno parade.

after a short hiatus to axe on wax and his return to tieffrequent records monosoul is coming back to s4aw, too... monosoul s signature sound is still there and yet has changed a bit. more bouncing basslines, more deepness and more synth textures... on remix credits we ve got atlanta s very own byron the aquarius. 2016 was an exceptionally good year for him in the biz with releases on wild oats, sound signature, etc. in 2017 he will totally go big with his unique, deep - no frills jazzy impro style. so we re more than happy with his own chord jams making up a top notch remix. what s left to be said well like michael brody put it: nothing is more important than friendship. not money, not fame, not death. crew love is true love!

vinyl only – after four first releases by myself, i invited three of my favorite producers and friends to take part in the first various artist ep of the label called retro future. a1 is provided by stevn.aint.leavn from the beste modus and certain circles camps. i ve been following stefan closely since the release of his big track -precious- and he is now making waves everywhere. for this record he provides -motion- a smashing house track that enlightened every dance floor i dropped it on. then comes alix alvarez, a real underground hero of the new york scene. he s been releasing tunes since more than 15 years, collaborating with mr v and franck roger. alix delivers the tune -no chaser-, a stripped back, deep and driving number that he is known for. the kind of track that made his reputation. on the other side of the record you ll find paolo rocco. he is the man of the moment, fresh from great releases on taverna tracks, rutilance or courtesy of balance to name a few. here we have -7284-, it has been a true favorite of mine over the last months. finally i round up the ep with -belle maison- a new jam i recorded a few months ago featuring an engaging french speech, mpc beats and fb-01 synths. welcome to retro future chapter one.

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

monumental house anthem alert! another classic jammer from 1992 lifted straight from the strictly vaults. this one s huge. phuture aka acid house pioneers spanky and dj pierre (with a little help from roy davis jr) turn in a driving, acidic monster in true wild pitch style. probably the only record that begins with a sinister voice saying this is cocaine speaking before diving head-long into one of the best anti-drug house records ever. absolutely brilliant. bubbling 303 basslines and cavernous handclaps combine with a funked out, dubbed out synth line that just doesn t stop. phuture will survive, and they weren t lying when they said that as this record (among too many others they had a hand in) still rock today. yep, still fresh. tried and tested, often imitated, never bettered. phuture are the originals. open up your eyes (and ears). this one s a tasty 2017 reissue and remaster, featuring all 4 mixes as per the original release way back when. essential stuff here. you simply need this one.

toby tobias joins delusions again for what will be his sixth(!) 12inch entitled the rain. the prolific londoner whose releases have graced such venerable labels as rekids, esp intistute and lets play house, is back with a vengeance, delivering two mighty fine originals plus a remix from nebraska. in true toby tobias style, the rain got made on an mpc, sliced and edited from a single live take through the desk then accidentally deleted so no further mixing, sequencing or editing could be carried out. but what is an a&r mans nightmare, turns out to be the record buying djs gain, as the improvised, dubby vibe and raw as mixdown give the track an authentic feel and energy which could only come from the madness in tobys method. fresh from his brilliant releases on mister saturday night and razor n tape, we have our man nebraska do his thing on the remix of the rain. dropping down the bpms a bit from tobys more frenetic original, nebraska adds a healthy dose of moogy lead lines to the lo-slung house groove, perfect for warming up the dancefloor.

following on from his stellar record store day 2017 double-pack, dimitri is back with another clutch of indispensable disco edits from his impressive archive for the legendary salsoul label. any self-respecting dj or disco-lover will be brimming over with excitement upon looking at this impressive selection of tracks, all respectfully and lovingly tweaked by disco-dim. salsoul orchestra s ooh i love it (love break) kicks things off, a true blue classic, just gently touched in all the right places and extended in the best possible way. following up is skyy s total anthem first time around , a classic garage groove and dimitri s version is near perfect, again, re-touched by someone who truly understands what disco all about! essential stuff. on the flipside the jammers - be mine tonight , is another massive garage smasher, here dimitri almost edges shep pettibone s og mix into the boogie stratosphere, just incredible! it makes perfect sense that this amazing double-pack should finish on one of dimitri s most sought after edits - love committee s just as long as i got you , an epic slab of soulful, almost dark, disco. absolutely huge

nicolas demuth aka parra for cuva left in small town to study sound design in the wild, vibrant berlin. the various musical influences of the city only boosted his already strong fascination in producing electronic music and helped developing his unique sound. here again, we appreciate the constant search for singularity that allows us to truly attribute a coherence and a signature to his music.

claiming a highly original sound that boasts strong roots in dubstep’s rich history, causa’s musical output delivers a fresh perspective on sound system music that holds true to tradition yet strives for innovation, a recipe that with undoubtedly help dictate the unwritten narrative of the genre’s future. with productions having already graced global dubstep labels such as surfase records, circle vision, fatkidonfire, artikal music and infernal sounds, this german badman continues to prove himself as a force to be reckoned with amongst the underground circuit. on top of his impressively nuanced and steady growing catalogue, causa’s productions have also received play support from prominent scene heavy hitters, with multiple tracks featured on j:kenzo’s rinse fm guest mixes as well as on vivek’s rinse fm mix and mesck’s chestcast mix. causa makes a bold introduction to sleeper’s highly prolific crucial recordings label with his new, three-track ep entitled juce (crucial013), the latest addition to the imprint’s standard-setting and ever-expanding vision for pushing multifaceted bass music. laden with laid back, minimalist vibes and understated swag dictated by massive bassweight pressure and infectious percussive patterns, causa’s release delivers the earthy meditation of dubstep’s powerful roots while keeping the energy dark, moody and forward-facing. each of juce’s three tracks: “minerals,” “struggle” and “juce” work together beautifully to orchestrate the creeping and commanding story of causa’s crucial ep, a story that sheds light onto the darker shades of dubstep production while simultaneously celebrating the significance of the genre’s foundation.

kapoor returns with a dynamic ep, “i hope that the energy, time, passion and the internal meaning music has to me can be heard within the release”. techno with a purpose...

we are pleased to announce the next vinyl only release on pathway traxx and an exciting new direction for the label focusing on the more minimal/tech side of house while still maintaining its true house roots. label owner niko is accompanied by underground house hero nima gorji and the in-form trend setter primarie from the formidable tzinah records.

yan cook has positioned himself as one of the key figures in modern day techno and without hesitation one of the faces of the planet rhythm imprint. this time around he returns to his warm home with the eight-track counting “drifted island”. even though it’s listed as an ep it’s almost a full length album in its own right. yan cook takes the listener on a voyage that covers all sides of his musical spectrum. sturdy technoid rhythms and otherworldly structures make drifted island a true work of versatility.

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.

sting gelingt mit dem in den londoner abbey road studios aufgenommenen -symphonicities--programm ein echtes kunststück. denn sowohl seine neuen und lyrischen komposition als auch ein new-wave-klassiker wie -next to you- - einst das erste stück auf dem police-debüt-album – fügen sich wie selbstverständlich in die soundsphäre der aufnahme. hier passt alles zusammen, persönlichkeit und idee, klang und ambiente, konzept und umsetzung, so dass -symphonicities- trotz des großen künstlerischen aufwands nichts von seiner authentizität verliert. das ist weit mehr als crossover und liegt nicht zuletzt auch an dem eingespielten team, das sting zur seite steht. denn sowohl das royal philharmonic concert orchestra unter der leitung von steven mercurio als auch die sängerin jo lawry als gast haben mit ihrer kompetenz dazu beigetragen, dass dem star des erwachsenen pops ein weiterer schritt in richtung stilistischer individualität gelungen ist.

u-roy was a true reggae pioneer, dubbed the originator for good reason. bursting onto the jamaican scene in the early 1970s, he pioneered the vocal approach called “toasting,” which in addition to bringing jamaican music into a new era, was also heavily influential on an american vocal style also in its infancy: rapping. following up the record store day 2017 release of u-roy’s classic dread in a babylon, traffic entertainment group now brings us a very welcome reissue of the vocalist’s 1976 full-length (and fourth) album, natty rebel, which has been out of print for more than 30 years. produced by tony robinson (known for his work with big youth, lloyd parks, the gladiators and many more), the album’s 11 cuts range from bouncier and sometimes even disco-tinged grooves – “have mercy,” “go there natty” and the album lead-off, “babylon burning” – to the classic roots stepping that drew fans to the legendary jamaican vocalist over his long career – including “so jay jah say” and “natty kung fu.” at its core, this is a deep journey into the heart of rasta living, spoken by one of jamaica’s most underrated dub and roots legends, and it’s one of the strongest full-lengths in his expansive catalog. whether you are experiencing u-roy for the first time, or replacing your decades-old original lp, diving into this reissue of natty rebel is one hell of a way to spend an afternoon. or, if you’re not careful, a week or two.

sony präsentiert die legendärsten alben der musikgeschichte in audiophilen 180g vinyl editionen.

coalmine records is pleased to relaunch ‘land of the crooks,’ the collaborative extended play project from the late sean price and melbourne’s go to producer, m-phazes. the project finds the longtime underground legend lending his distinctive, brownsville-bred grimy vocals over phazes’ rich tracks full of dramatic pianos, rich bass-lines, swinging horns and hard drums. the a-side includes the main passes, comprised of four original tracks with the addition of the small professor remix for ”murdah type thinkin (feat. guilty simpson).” for this special edition rerelease, coalmine has also added the divided souls ent. & dj pain 1 remix of “land of the crooks,” which was only previously made available on the label’s remix compilation, ‘remineded,’ which first dropped back in january of 2015. the b-side includes the instrumental passes of all of the original tracks, as well as the small pro remix, in addition to the “crookapella,” which includes various scratch stems taken from the ep, in addition to various isolated drum sounds, sound effects, and acapella of the “land of the crooks” single. additional features on lotc include roc marciano, billy danze (of m.o.p.), maffew ragazino, loudmouf choir and the dilated junky, dj babu. vinyl is manufactured on classic black discs, and comes complete with the andres guzman designed artwork, inspired by the vintage ‘80s movie, ‘crocodile dundee.’ sean price was hip-hop’s gray hulk, a barbarian with the pen, with the sharpest of wits. a true brooklyn legend...rip!

we are pleased to announce the release of volume 4 of the highly acclaimed motown 7s series. this box set includes a selection of singles which have never before been released on 7” vinyl, including brenda holloway’s ‘can t hold the feelin back’ which sees its first ever issue as a physical release.
limited & numbered box with 7 x 7 inch vinyl plus download code.

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mord.
morderstwo.
rotterdam.
herdersmat.
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second mordbox in the herdersmat series. part 9-15, includes 7 vinyls with 30 previously unreleased tracks by 30 artists, all packed in a vinyl box, including free digital versions of all tracks.

one of the more unsung talents that came out of the gang starr foundation was the brooklyn-based duo group home, consisting of mcs lil dap and melachi the nutcracker. dap was first showcased on the gang starr posse cut “i’m the man,” on 1992’s daily operation, melachi appeared on “words from the nutcracker” from 1993’s hard to earn. the early group home song “so called friends” was also featured on 1993’s now-legendary gangstarr foundation sampler, which also gave the world jeru’s “come clean.” by 1995, dap and melachi had paid their dues and finally got their own full-length: livin’ proof. and it was everything that gang starr and any true school hip-hop fans could have wanted, produced almost entirely by dj premier (with two exceptions: “serious rap shit” helmed by guru himself, and “4 give my sins,” produced by jay-z mentor jaz-o (aka big jazz). beyond the album’s classic singles – “supa star,” “livin’ proof” and “suspended in time” – there are premier-overseen classics all over, including “the realness,” “inna citi life,” and “sacrifice.” in fact, many gang starr scholars agree that the beats on living proof are in the top 5 of all premier-produced albums – no small boast, but certainly hard to disprove.

the house band of bunny ‘striker’ lee was formed in the mid-1970s by some of jamaica’s most prominent and musically expressive session players. the shifting core line-up spun off from the soul syndicate and thus typically featured earl ‘chinna’ smith and tony chin on guitar and bernard ‘touter’ harvey on organ. carlton ‘santa’ was the main drummer, but carlton barrett of the wailers band and ‘benbow’ creary were sometimes featured. most crucially, on bass, aston ‘family man’ barrett shifted to fully fullwood (and occasionally, earl ‘bagga’ walker), until robbie shakespeare took over, becoming the bandleader. the band was responsible for the popular ‘flying cymbal’ style that took jamaica by storm, and you can hear it in abundance on this killer dub set from 1975, its excellent cuts of cornell campbell and johnnie clarke material mixed at king tubby’s studio - a must for all serious fans of dub.

hot on the heels of his take it back album, released in june to great acclaim, music, food and art aficionado survival picks up the baton for our esteemed dispatch dubplate series. breaking down in total to four tracks (one vinyl exclusive, one digital exclusive and two available on both formats), this is signature survival, total dancefloor weaponry, deftly balancing harmony with hysteria and sublime vocal features coming from naomi pryor. never ceasing to amaze, with an endless stream of quality productions, the survival sound continues to evolve and flourish, whilst remaining true to its core and instantly recognizable. with 300 hand stamped, signed and numbered heavyweight vinyl copies available, the vinyl format for this will not be re-pressed, so ensure your copy early to avoid disappointment.

with the asexual ep by yobkiss, electronic emergencies is back with a true electronic delight. yobkiss consists of dutch instrumentalist and producer paul borchers, currently based in san fransisco, and tokyo resident yuko araki on vocals. their music balances on the edge of avant-garde electronics and flirts with acid pop in dreamy soundscapes, with an analogue synth sound and beautiful vocals in japanese and english. or, in their own words, a pitch-dark, filth-ridden tour de force into the worlds of acid house and electro.

a must for any true hip hop fan. this collection contains two original half hour dr. dre mixes, ready for you to enjoy.

a must for any true hip hop fan. this collection contains two original half hour dr. dre mixes, ready for you to enjoy.

letherette step back up with a new release on their own imprint wulf records with ep4. letherette has released music on labels ho-tep and more recently ninja tune, but after starting their own label wulf at the end of last year have already released ep s 1.2,3, brown lounge vol 3 and now ep4. letherettes signature chops can be heard throughout ep4 from the disco cuts of flowatch to the piano slices of feel it. all mastered to cassette this ep centres around the dance floor but stays true to letherettes sound and melodies.

stefan schwander aka harmonious thelonious is definitely not a newcomer. he has been around for a long time and has already released lots of amazingly varied music on labels such as emotional response, italic, meakusma and diskant. he’s also an integral part of the infamous duesseldorf / salon des amateurs axis that is an obvious hotbed of talent. he describes his style as -american minimalism vs. african drumming vs. european sequencing-, a heady mixture which is clearly evident on this ep though with a definite middle eastern twist. here at versatile hq we were introduced to this clutch of tracks by one of the members of acid arab and we were totally blown away. stefan has a very unique production style, fusing all of the above elements with a hint of gamelan, a dash of tweaked fm synthesis type sounds with a dose of warm ambience and finally his own singular touch on the mix. we are very happy to present you these 4 tracks to you, an essential ep from one of european music s true originals.

jimi tenor featuring impostor orchestra lp, exocosmos, is more than a decade s worth of sessions emerging from a parallel cosmos. sometimes the meetings take place in a living room, sometimes inside an electronic sequencer. fields of rhythms have emerged through the hands of children playing sticks. the composer s pen has been a conduit of the horizon where past and present choose their sides. the lp which is immediately intimate yet metamorphose into massive, the search for a magic moment has been profound. tribulation and delight are equally true in exocosmos.