-a very she & him christmas- ist die zauberhafte kollektion weihnachtsfestlicher melodien, die die ebenso bezaubernde zooey deschanel (she) zusammen mit m. ward (him) aufgenommen hat. das erste weihnachtsalbum, das auf domino je veroeffentlicht wurde, ist

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.

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.

even while braid kept its name on the tip of peoples tongues, the prospect of hearing new music from the band remained elusive - until now. it took only a few practices to write three tracks and arrange a cover (of jeff hanson s -you are the reason-), all of which the band then recorded with engineer j. robbins (jawbreaker, the promise ring, jets to brazil, frame and canvas).

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.

the album is as diverse as his world-famous dj sets, blending a mix of genres from hip hop, dance, world, soul, etc alongside some great features including chrys anthony, lateef the truthspeaker, jazz mafia, raashan ahmad, aima the dreamer and many others.

andy vazs straight vacationing, his first full-length artist album, since the 2006 release of repetitive moments last forever, registers as less a straight-up collection of dance-floor burners and more of a variety pack that mixes club tracks and full-fledged house songs. listeners hungry for just ordinary 4/4 throw-downs will not entirely get their share of those, but theyll also get a whole lot more on this dynamic and well-rounded set of eight album tracks and that is exploring house music not just as a simple one way street, but give you a very personal view of the music we call house. straight vacationing dives into the genre in all its rich variety: from deep melodic, early chicago influenced acid house, jacking-jedi mind tricks to disco-type grooves and last but not least excursions into bizzaro world, with a vaz typical almost psychedelic experimental-edged sound, its all there.

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.

mysteryland takes place saturday august 27th at the beautiful fields from floriade. with a total of 18 areas mysteryland can be considered as the largest dance festival in the netherlands. the mother of all dance festivals is still leading after more than seventeen years! this mixed double album gives a good reflection of the music and line-up of this year s edition. where cd1 contains the more popular dance styles, big name artists and club hits, cd2 takes you to the more underground and edgy side of the festival. so whatever your taste is , this mixed compilation gives you a little piece of mysteryland 2011 not to forget.

super dj afrika bambaata with a >death mix 3< plus 8 tracks !

its a thing of stately, fragmented, charred beauty....this is a stone killer from first to last beat.

darren cunninghams eagerly awaited new album is an adventurous, ultramodern, thoroughly british affair. determinedly off the map and resistant to pigeonholing, cunningham is an enigmatic and playful figure, citing francis bacon and monet as inspirations alongside theo parrish, anthony shake shakir, daft punk, binary codes and numeral systems, and the avengers. the south londoners acclaimed debut lived up to its name: a series of dreamlike sketches and ideas. for splazsh the fog has lifted, the sounds are less submerged than before, but still sticky and close a signature combination of exuberance and introversion, luminescence and puzzlement. actress has quickly and justly become one of the most respected names in the uks new dance music underground.

2011 release, the follow up to 2010s successful first volume of bangs & works. the carefully curated compilation showcases chicago footwork, one of the most forward-looking, innovative new styles of electronic music on the planet. footwork is beginning to spread outside of chicago, influencing productions around the world. bangs & works vol. 2 brings the focus back onto chicagos own producers, showing where the real innovation still lies. while its predecessor sticks mainly to the more hallucinatory and left-field elements, this one has a wider remit, ranging from mad techno-style tracks to those that sound like musique concrete gone footwork.

previously existing as progressive/melodic house entity solarity, dusky are london based musicians alfie granger-howell and nick harriman. as comfortable writing elegant orchestral pieces or stirring piano motifs as they are jackin house and epic techno grooves, their diverse sounds are united by the duos singular aim--to compose electronic music with depth, soul and originality. stick by this is the duos debut album.

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).

biophilia is an interdisciplinary exploration of the universe and its physical forces - particularly those where music, nature, and technology meet - inspired by these relationships between musical structures and natural phenomena, from the atomic to the cosmic. the independent on sunday calls it -brilliantly original and ambitious.

biophilia is an interdisciplinary exploration of the universe and its physical forces - particularly those where music, nature, and technology meet - inspired by these relationships between musical structures and natural phenomena, from the atomic to the cosmic. the independent on sunday calls it -brilliantly original and ambitious.

xhins debut album on stroboscopic artefacts,sword,showcases the breath of his vision. as the second full-length release on stroboscopic artefacts, sword stretches the remit of the label s identity ever further. produced and recorded in singapore, xhin plucks sounds from the outer edges of electronic music and fuses them together. xhins approach revels not only in a hybrid sound palette but its also an album desi- gned for multiple contexts. its a record typified by duality. sword harbours electronic music ranges from brutal club sounds to deep and delicate murmurs.

otdxi is the newest installment in the classic r&s compilation series. previous installments have been responsible for rounding up the labels roster at the time and presenting their finest tracks to a wider audience, and have gone onto become classics in their own rights. with r&s again re-positioned as one of the most forward thinking electronic labels and with an enviable roster of cutting edge young talent it makes perfect sense to relaunch the series. disc one contains highlights from the last 18 months and includes contributions from blawan, lone and untold whose classic r&s influences are worn on their sleeves. tracks from james blake, pariah and the chain take cues from a distinctly uk sound, which the label has been keenly following from its new london base, and in cmyk have the biggest single from 2010.

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.

hot on the heels of the wildly enigmatic debut from wu lyf, bristol-based guitar band zun zun egui continue the british avant-garde scenes fascination with indecipherable lyrics on their first offering, katang. with tracks performed in english, french, japanese, and creole alongside several mutterings which appear to be from an entirely made-up language, its impossible for anyone, bar the most accomplished of multi-linguists, to understand what their self-described -free-range rock music- is about.

its a love story: stil vor talent have long been mad about niconŽ and sascha braemer so that the recent past has seen some very memorable releases by the two producers. now its about time they join forces to release a whole album together. while sascha braemer only recently caused waves with his Ÿber-track people, nicone is a long-established pillar of top-class electronic music.

katalyst is sydney-based producer ashley anderson, one of australias most prolific producers. over the past two decades katalyst has risen to the top of the australian hip hop and electronica scenes, receiving multiple aria and j award nominations along the way. his reputation as one of australias best producers has seen him collaborate with the likes of geoff barrow of portishead, aloe blacc, dead prez, guilty simpson, phat kat, j-live, finale, frank n dank, diverse, ugly duckling and steve spacek (who together form space invadas). the latest product of his audiophiliac obsession, deep impressions? deconstructs and distils soul, hip hop, funk, jazz, reggae and electro influences into what is perhaps most accurately described as -the katalyst sound-. it is a reflection of the large variety tunes that influence katalysts own musical direction. the album also includes collaborations with the likes of los angeles hip-hop artist bootie brown (of the pharcyde), sydneys own kweeng (killaqueenz), underground legend mr clean, upcoming north carolina mc coin locker kid, stephanie mckay (usa), steve spacek (uk), hau (koolism), and jane doe (formally jade macrae).

a few days ago james blake premiered a new track, a collaboration with bon iver called >fall creek boys choir<, and now its been announced that the track will be included in an upcoming ep from blake called enough thunder.
we now also know that the ep is due out october 10 on atlas and will feature blakes cover of joni mitchells >a case of you<, as well as four other new tracks from the electronic singer-songwriter wunderkind.

raise the curtain once more on a very special orchestral performance. how could highgrade records better celebrate its 100th release than with twelve tracks from the highgrade disharmonic orchestra? the creative combo featuring both label bosses tom clark and todd bodine, alongside philip bader, daniel dreier and dale, began over a year ago with the intention of celebrating the tenth birthday of the berlin label. and the resulting gift: a musical experiment. the five artists have bundled their creativity together into a symphony unparalleled in the techno scene. every performance is like a jam session: all five laptops are interconnected, so each of the artists has the opportunity to react to the others and modify each track as desired. thus, new arrangements are created and constantly re-interpreted. drum machines and synthesizers are also in play, to further stretch the improvisational possibilities. no wonder then, that the 100th release follows in this creative vein. the highgrade disharmonic orchestra, with multilayer, kiddnaps us away into vastly different musical worlds: from deep influences and custom recorded vocals to an array of technoid sounds and effects. then back to groovy, swinging beats reminiscent of a balmy summer evening on the beach. therefore the record is something of a rollercoaster ride, where we never know what might be waiting behind the next curve. typically highgrade

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. their first new album in more than three years, hysterical marks a major milestone in the continuing evolution of clap your hands say yeah. born out of an intensely collaborative process in which songs were constructed, dismantled, and then rebuilt anew, the album finds the band their most confident and creative, expertly expanding upon its already distinctive sound. from the chrome-plated licks of maniac and the title track to the sheets of eddying synths and emotive motorik pulsebeats of into your alien arms and ketamine and ecstasy, the band delivers up sonically provocative pop music that is simultaneously jubilant, mesmeric, and altogether infectious. hysterical reveals clap your hands say yeah to be a wholly developed band in full command of their unique artistic gifts. this long play version pressed on 180 gram vinyl also includes a download card.

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.

2011 collection featuring cuts from shuggie otis, sly & the family stone and aretha franklin.. the old grey whistle test has now been synonymous with quality music for 40 years. although possibly best know as a show for rock music, the show maintained an amazing variety when it came to choosing its artists, it really only had two criteria, 1, that the artists had released an album and 2 that they produced great music. this collection mostly features artists that appeared on the show but also include artists who for whatever reason didnt or couldnt appear on the show.

aplphabetical & phoenix live! thirtydaysago...

you know the story by now, a string of super singles, a number one in the nialler9 irish song poll of 2010 (which turned them into temporary jerks kidding) and a constant string of live dates around the country have made squarehead one of the better bands in ireland and now, we re finally at the debut album chapter. its been a long time coming. squarehead initially recorded their debut album back in september and december last year with shane cullen in k9 studios and save for a couple of extra tracks and re-recordings of old favourites mother nurture and fake blood, the band have patiently been sitting on it since. yeah nothing is a dozen tracks of no-nonsense slacker indie pop, a fuzzy collection of lo-fi rock n roll inspired by surf-pop, old school rock n roll and bright guitars.

before he made his breakthrough with 69 love songs, stephin merritt was a little-known songwriter signed to merge records. the label reaches into its own archives for this rarities compilation, which features 14 songs recorded between 1994 and 1999. full description1999. some of the tracks were originally released as 7 inch vinyl singles by the magnetic fields, others are unreleased rarities, including three cuts from merritts unfinished science fiction musical and one outtake from the 69 love songs sessions.

qwazaar & batsauce follow up their masterful style be the king ep (2011, fifth element/galapagos4) with a 14-track juggernaut entitled bat meets blaine. the record is an absolute rarity a series of inspired sessions from a world-class mc & producer team at the height of their respective powers. batsauce provides ambidextrous backdrops that are as multilayered as they are strident, while qwazaar simply astonishes, baring his soul while performing near-impossible lyrical feats. its a record all true heads should cop and that all lab scientists can envy.

the story of skint & demoralised is too long and complex to go into here, but suffice to say it was quite a surprise to see a new release from skint & demoralised, let alone the bonus inclusion of the long shelved debut. made up of poet matt abbott and producer mini dog, skint & demoraliseds songs revolve around teenage pursuits like getting high, getting the girl and getting pissed as well tackling social issues like unemployment and alcoholism.

was i the wave? is the ophomore offering from montreal musician and producer miracle fortress (graham van pelt). miracle fortress gained international recognition in 2007 for his debut album five roses, a unique collection of psychedelic shoegazey-pop that garnered high praise from numerous outlets. it was also short listed for canadas polaris prize that year, alongside arcade fires neon bible and feists the reminder. while it bears little stylistic resemblance to his debut, was i the wave? is in some ways a similar offering, insofar as it takes us on a trip deep into van pelts unique musical mind. theres not much of an argument for calling this record indie-rock-its essentially an electronic offering--but existing fans wont find it too difficult to hear van pelts signature hooks swimming among the big synths, and deep beats. like five roses, it was created in isolation from top-to-bottom, with van pelt serving as composer, arranger, performer, producer, and engineer. taken as a product of his occasionally hermitic temperament, many of tracks here express themes of alienation, anonymity, or the desire for the assurances of intimacy.

it might sound like an empty phrase, but when oliver koletzki founded stil vor talent in 2005, he certainly didnt anticipate where his label would be today. now - six years and over sixty releases later - stil vor talent can look back at many magnificent moments in the labels history. originally started to give other musicians the chance to showcase their music, stil vor talent has preserved this very down-to-earth attitude until today and has helped foster the careers of producers such as channel x, niko schwind, juli holz or david august to name just a few. while there have never been any musical or stylistic limitations, an open philosophy dominated by quality and individualism prevails at olivers label, from delicately designed record sleeves to their own fashion line and to music that varies from house to pop to jacking dancefloor cuts. now it is time to congratulate everyone involved and the fans of stil vor talent with a special birthday present: a six-year anniversary compilation that celebrates past, present and future of the label on two cds

this new reference on dilek records is something very particular and out of the ordinary. it was achieved after a long period of work in the studio, which lasted three years and was done with a lot of heart and passion. its the 10th vinyl release of this surprising swiss/argentinean label who is now presenting an extremely multicultural project. this release will be available on vinyl as well as in digital format including bonus tracks and later on also in cd, with even more unedited material! listen to these tracks and have the opportunity to discover something totally different with some of jorge drexlers uncut material. this new album was supported by amazing artists as well as magazines and radios stations that you can check bellow.

tunisia has never been a referent place in the electronic music world. it was better known for its beaches and sunny weather, hardly for its political regime but the events of 2011 brought quite some changes about that. these changes have been nurturing in the underground of the country until exploding to the face of the world, with fantastic momentums of rebellion, courage and union. shinigami sans album is a signal that emanates from the underground of tunisia: a hybrid of dubstep, techno and noise, very dark, but most importantly, very true. this is neither the sound of london or berlin, and if a couple of ingredients from here and there are recognizable in -toys-, it is most definitely the electronic sound of tunisia we bring to you here. from the dusty, 8-bit dubstep of -lofi- and -toys- to the dark techno rollers -post trauma- and -migra-, you will go by tribal beats, eerie atmospheres and heavily distorted sound textures. shinigami san draws a panorama that shows both impressive skills and style. -toys- is not only about excellent and true music, but also about original product design and diy manufacturing. this 450 digipack limited edition was hand-printed and crafted using silk screen printing, rulers and cutters. the graphic design is based on drawings from sabrina ben hadj ali, and each cd comes with 3 original prints on the theme of the album. today, we are up to put tunisia under the radar of electronic beat diggers, today, we bring you the first album of tunisian-born shinigami san: nothing cheesy here, just a raw, brutally honest vibe.

whilst barlande may be difficlut to classify in genre it has been described as having its roots in flamenco and some ramifications of contemporary classical music. but any attempt to pigeon-hole this album should be ignored beyond deciding what shelf or floor to place it on in a record store. barlande is about creativity and discovery and its story is both fasciniating and inspiring a father, pedro soler, and his son, gaspar claus have created something entirely unique. the opening track insomnio mineral is a gentle begining with sparsely plucked cello before being joined by a gently sweeping flamenco guitar. what takes place from there on in is difficult to describe in words. the language between the cello and guitar become unlike anything i have heard before. the cello comes alive, a voice at times, leaping and striding in near freeform before coming back to join in mutual step and melodic interplay with guitar.

for over a decade mark grusane & mike cole have been a vast music resource for djs, producers, collectors, rare music compilers, and specialty stores around the world. they started individually, each with their love of music. they traded and sold music with those -in the know- for years. in 2004 mark & mike focused their energies into founding mr. peabody records. the business plan and mission was to become a world class resource for all genres of obscure music. until now, their focus has been growing the shop. but the soul of mr. peabody records does not reside in the bricks and mortar the store, or even in the bins of records themselves. the real genius lies in mark & mikes unique ear for music.

wretch 32, real name jermaine scott, is one of the uks most loved mcs - from the underground up. from his early years in londons flourishing grime scene back in the early 00s, the tottenham-raised lyricist has always stood out from the crowd. his conscious and reflective bars, along with an extremely relaxed flow, made him a firm favourite on the uk hip hop circuit. much like tinie tempah, wretch 32 has proved that british mcs can reach the mainstream without selling their soul to pop. the first fruits of this crossover success were tasted in january 2011, when his single traktor broke into the domestic top five following an appearance on the bbc sound ofÉ list. and his second official single, unorthodox, fared even better, peaking at number two in april. so its clear that much has changed since his debut lp of 2008, wretchrospective - but has public recognition come at the expense of what marked wretch 32 out as such a talent in the first place? not at all - on the opening title-track, the rapper lets the listener know that its the same old wretch at work. over a drum-heavy hip hop beat he sets up the rest of the album well, advising everyone to fasten their seatbelts as he prepares to take them on a ride that they wont forget in a hurry. never be me finds wretch delving into his past, opening up about making certain decisions in life that got him to where he is today. featuring rnb newcomer angel on the hook, the track has an inspirational feel to it - all over another impressive, but this time more grime-influenced, beat. a true standout is anniversary, with alex mills on singing duties - its a love song, minus any cheese. then the album lurches into the electro-infused sanes the new mad - a glimpse into wretchs party lifestyle, with ladies and alcohol at the forefront of his attentions. and closer dont go just might be one of the tracks of the year.

last year, we here at mexican summer came under the spell of the starry kaplan sisters: piper and skylar, and their band pearl harbor, who graced the land with their beautific something about the chapparrals ep. funny how time flies for the beyond their year siblings, as its suddenly 2011 and pearl harbor now goes by the name of puro instinct. now piper and sky find themselves bolstered by four other bandmates: cody porter, jessie clavin, mike baum, and crazy murray to make their hazy, swirling pop even more realized and sumptuous.

berghains marcel fengler presents the fifth installment in the clubs expanding mix series. a central resident at the club since its early days, fengler continually and consistently fires up the berghain floor with his vast and exemplary collection of techno, house and electronica. fenglers colourful mix includes new exclusives from peter van hoesen, reagenz & vril, which will be released on an un-mixed 12 inch, and also gathers together a wealth of producers both new and old, from claude young, luke slater, ben sims and regis, to skudge, gerd, seiji and convextion, a lot of them providing previously unreleased material

fragments is the sound of a band discovering its true identity: peeling back layers of bouncy math-pop beats and angular guitar hooks, leaving at its core a body of work that swirls with deep intensity and primal emotion. musically, fragments scrapes and slides like tectonic plates between the glistening melodies of foals and the raw drive of the joy formidable, whilst frontman matt holliday emits powerful and heartfelt declarations that leave you feeling like youre sat in a self-help group with the nationals matt berninger taking register.

dj diamond is 24 year old karlis griffin from the west side of chicago. he has been producing music since the age of 13 and djing since 20, heading the -flight muzik- clique of footwork producers. you might recall his two tracks from our -bangs & works vol.1- footwork compilation of last year. in addition hes also released several mix cds in chicago, but this, his first international album showcases his unique style of footwork music. dj diamond is a unique producer with his own distinct style and an unusual ear for unexpected sonic and rhythmic combinations within the footwork template. often he thoroughly edits samples into tiny trance-inducing, techno-like stabs. combining this with a penchant for neon synths and loose, broken drums (that are often more effect-laden and freeform than those of of his peers) and you have a sound which has an intriguing, deeper, dreamlike feel. the breadth and quality of his production is clear when you listen to this album. take opener -rep yo clique-s woozy drawling synths and tribal tom patterns next to -speakerz n tonguez- with it-s snapping snares, minimal, repetitive voice samples and martial, detailed drum work. then a track like -torture rack- which is like grime in outer space: a minimal bassline and some samples from a computer game, while a bass kick stumbles at half time, swarms of percussive detail giving it drama. its a brilliant exercise in wonky tension. the extraordinary -decoded- comes across like a kind of amalgam of trance and prog rock bombast at 160bpm while -wreckageÕs- high pitch saw noise is like a strange metallic bird-call, over light cymbals, gabba-like kicks and metallic claps. -digimons- harmonic microedits could even be an snd track transported to chicago. finally the albums closer -i choose you- rolls out over a heavily edited and processed soul sample, its drums rolling off at odd angles to almost seasick effect.

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.

2087 is inspired by the science fiction film -cyborg: 2087- (1966) by the writer arthur c. pierce, directed by franklin adreon. plot modification and soundtrack by jeff mills. it is the year 2087. the world had become a place where thoughts were not only monitored and restricted, but also, muted or reconstructed to favor the current rulers of earth and its inhabitants. the once exceptional human was merely reduced to a byproduct in the multi-dimensional industry of planetary hypostatisification. a boundless depository of cosmic energy controlled by an unknown force that had become too powerful to even reveal itself. a small and resourceful group of young scientists, engineers and devoted supporters create and send back through time a cyborg. a low technological invention consisting of human fibers and machine. out of desperation and precise planning, he is sent back to the year 1966 to prevent earths leading mathematician from thinking about the numeric breakthrough that would eventually lead to the mass thought control and human manipulation of the future. the cyborg (garth) soon discovers he is not alone in his mission, giving grave suspicion to possible traitors or spy within the young group of his creators. garth succeeds in finding and assassinating his target, but as the result, he alters the future and becomes the only remaining symbol of a time that never existed. a man out of time.