the penultimate release on optimo trax (at least for now) comes from tel aviv’s mighty kalbata. i was already a big fan and was so delighted when he got in touch to see if i would be interested in releasing something by him. unusually for optimo trax this is one track in 3 versions but each version is so different that often i play them all in one dj set. originally there were two versions but as kalbata is a renowned master of dub (check out the documentary online about him recording in jamaica), i gently persuaded him to do a no-holds-barred dub mix too which appears here as enkuan pt 3. a few words about the record from kalbata – i went to ethiopia in the beginning of 2017 to record musicians. the most memorable one was mulugeta teshome who plays the washint flute on this record. it’s a traditional ethiopian flute made out of wood, and mulugeta came to the studio carrying a whole bag of them, each one in a different key. we chose the scale and started the recording session. i ended up taking the tracks a lot further with the three cuts on the record but really it all started that day, in a small studio shack in addis ababa.

after some succesful releases by struktur, the time has come to step into the world of the vinyl medium. struktur has something special for its first vinyl release. schuw is an enigmatic duo from amsterdam focussed on shaky techno and hip-dislocating meta dance. after releasing tracks on tape and cd, schuw complete the physical trinity with the vinyl release of the rasza vega ep. the a-side features title track rasza vega - one of their most precious and well-known gems known for its harsh drums and colourful chords. it is accompanied by purple knives, which provides a fresh and eclectic take on contemporary techno, reflecting their ever-growing synthesis and endless inner divergence. the b-side consists of the highly explosive blacksmith, inspired by traditional japanese drum patterns and western industrialism. grieche delivers a formidable remix of blacksmith, contributing a minimalized and hypnotizing contrast to complete the already heavily divers selection.

what started out as a simple email exchange between a young, hungry beatmaker and a seasoned player in the worlds of jazz and midwestern indie hip-hop, has resulted in a vibrant record nearly a decade in the making. on one side of let it out sits miles bonny, a long time musical collaborator who spent his youth soaking in powerful musical moments in nyc under the tutelage of his trumpet-slinging father, francis bonny, and later as a teen immersed in new york s busy indie-hip-hop scene. as he grew up miles cemented himself a niche in the midwest, most notably in lawrence, kansas where tireless forays into beatmaking led to the founding of the much-loved innatesounds crew and record label, as well as a series of solo releases and collaborative projects.

closing out the year with a 4 track ep from producer colm k. inspired by a variety of styles and musical sources with one common thread throughout: samples. 2 tracks for the dancefloor and 2 dusty reprises, most of the music found here is a collage of sounds that zig zags from the soulful thump of seeing to the laid back strain of summary

florian is back on l.i.e.s. with another massive release. this one runs the gamut from the epic pwog styled opener contact, to industrialized beat track of random chaos to stepping broken techno on closing track z as we hear the artist further evolving and exploring his sound. by far his most diverse and mature release to date.

moustache homo club series one mst035 moustache records goes undercover in the underground s&m gay subculture of rotterdam city to catch a serial killer who is preying on gay men, she-males and trannies. to catch this notorious serial killer the dutch goverment hired the most serious guys. david vunk with his cult classic hetero girl (six lines of speed version) btw pulling the trigger is his middle name. then the macgyver in breaking into everywhere brz with his oldskool modulair techno track with top notch jungle brothers samples that remind me of guy tavares or unit moebius called yoko 01. on the flipside we have| parasols with the track exort he s the man waiting in the car and the man who will take care of all things later, is dax jax with a parkzicht classics vibe pumping 90-ies track called madman. one thing for sure, we will get the fuckker.. and leave his last parts to the piggggs..... various artists.. electro techno nowave classics dont sleep on this..... limited copies!

after 2016’s mini-album shady and light, composer and guitarist martyn heyne releases his first full-length record electric intervals on the new 7k! imprint. says heyne: the number of parameters that determine a recording appears to be infinite. the mood, instrument, tuning, mics, room, temperature, time of day, all contribute to sound. the magic, once captured, is impossible to recreate. this might seem a hindrance, but it’s really the whole point of recording for me.’ opener ‘carry’, for example, is a composition carefully developed over months with most of the production happening in front of the microphone. ‘wilde wide’, however, was recorded only once as an early-morning improvisation. having worked with dustin o’halloran on the emmy-winning transparent soundtrack and with clarinettist claudio puntin as part of the duo set aglow, heyne’s sound is one of simplified diversity. on his debut album he controls each melody with the precision of a veteran producer.

high focus records regular and member of uk rap super group the four owls, verb t has joined forces with production wizard pitch 92 for the new album ‘good evening’.
pitch, who has spent the past few years as the musical mastermind behind the award winning mouse outfit collective has excelled himself on this release bringing to the table a delectable selection of funk & soul infused bangers serving as the perfect backdrop for verb t to unleash his smooth brand of thoughtful lyrics and hooks.
having spent 3 years writing for ‘good evening’ verb t has put forward some of his most personal rhymes to date, delivered with a new found passion that sees the veteran build on a body of work that stretches back to the days of low life records and now sees him as a major part of the ever expanding high focus records movement. the album features guest vocals from uk giants ocean wisdom, jehst, drs, fliptrix, bva, king kashmere of strange u, sparkz, black josh, rye shabby, confucious mc and moreone.
‘good evening’ on limited edition vinyl will be officially released with a digital dropcard containing a digital copy of the album plus bonus instrumentals!

search the name ‘burnis moleme and the returns are sparse. you’ll discover that his track ‘where is the answer’ appeared on soundway’s excellent nigerian disco compilation, doin’ it in lagos. and there are a few entries about this pmg re-issue of light my fire. but other than that, he seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. he’s not even a minister of religion, the career path most nigerian stars from the 80s chose to follow. thankfully, we still have light my fire. produced by former funkee jake sollo and backed by a hot team of session musos including friday pozo, nkono teles and joseph ‘jojo’ kuo, burnis delivered a slab of slick afro disco boogie for the ages.

this customarily smooth set from 1981 is perhaps most famous for featuring three unforgettable tracks made with marcos valle. rio’s pop-soul wunderkind was exploring soul textures at the same time as leon was absorbing the rich flavour of brazilian harmonics. together, they crafted rhythmically sophisticated and melodically adventurous soul.

the remixs: pointsman – we dont know who he is but he provide a deep big room monster.
tripmastaz - probably the only funky russian you will ever meet. the only russian artist with releases on cocoon, minus, desolat, cadenza. the only russian artist with 4 vinyl labels. hes funky housey remix is the most faithful of the four.
bpmf – schmer label head provides a grimey and noisey big bottom soviet style jam.
steve stoll - nyc acid legend made a hard banging acid tracer.
in 1996 serotonin label heads selway and szostek went to moscow to perform at the invitation of &#1055,&#1058,&#1070,&#1063, magazine. synapse performed at the -waterclub- and met the legendary dj compass vrubell. they went to his -studio- where he had perfected the art of making entire tracks out patterns on the yamaha dx-5. szostek brought a dat of these jams back to nyc and schmer-003 dj rx-5 -a taste for crap- was released as a small run white label in 97. the run sold out and disappeared to be forgotten forever... until 2016 szostek casually mentions its existence to techno uber-nerd nina kraviz who just had to have it for her -fabric 91- cd. so dj rx-5 was back from the ash heap of history and schmer got a new release from him on schmer07. then schmer got the word out far and wide that they d like a remix ep for two of the originals: compass provided stems because like a miracle he still had the patterns after 20 years. heeding the call were pointsman, tripmastaz, steve stoll and schmer s own bpmf. so this is what you get: -a taste for remix-. it will leave your lips wanting more, for sure!

ltd 50 % deal - last copies left ...big with laurent garnier, nic fianculli, danny howells, anja schneider, ben watt, deetron,... hyperxclusive is extremely proud to have been asked by john digweed to assist in the promotion of the next release from his label bedrock records. i am even more delighted because the release is by none other than xclusive client and friend djinxx. most well known for his awesome productions on labels such as delsin and ovum, he is also a superb a&r for his own imprint mezzotinto.

nice price deal !!! finally we made it! after such a long time of cooperation with domenico dagnelli and several attempts trying to put his ideas on vinyl, levelnonzero is presenting the friends ep. it is not just a special release because domenico is a very close friend of pascal & chris, it is also an important release, cause we reach the catalogue number 30. domenico must be known by most of you folks from his work for partysan, rave on snow or electric delicate, but also from a lot of partys, where he was acting as a dj or organizer. up do date for the opening of his new club chaca chaca in munich, we release three tracks of him, wich accrued in cooperation with chris wood & pascal feos.

nice price deal !!! spanish artist bando has been releasing records since 1999, since primate recordings times to these days he has got around 90 vinyl releases plus a bunch of cd and digital, that makes him one of the most active spanish producer in the last decade. his latests remix (solid state. darkrow) has been licenced by one of the biggest festival in europe “dance valley” , the cd “live at dance valley 2008” is mixed and compiled by carl cox summing his name to a list of artists that have taken bando s releases for their mixed cds like françois kevorkian, umek, jim masters, marco bailey, cristian varela...

hot creations favourite and paradise resident patrick topping is back onboard the seminal imprint with the hotly anticipated, two track release, be sharp say nowt. road tested on the world’s biggest stages and at the most notorious parties, title track be sharp say nowt encapsulates patrick’s signature sound and has proven to be his biggest track of the year. the gospel vocal from lashun pace is amazing! says patrick, i m so happy to have it finally come out on hot creations. on the flip, track change offers a contrast and a slightly different side to patrick’s sound, spearheading the new wave of electronic music producers coming from the north of england, patrick topping has made a name as a prolific producer, securing seven different beatport number 1s since his debut release in 2013. his accolades also count two dj awards for best newcomer and track of the season for forget, as well as dj mags best tune in their best of british awards. last year he rounded things off with his first dj mix album, paradise on earth vol 1

(180gr vinyl) for the labels 200th release, far out recordings proudly presents a previously unreleased album by hermeto pascoal and his ægrupo vice versa: viajando com o som (the lost 76 vice versa studio sessions). the multi-instrumentalist miles davis called the most impressive musician in the world.

waxwork records presents the deluxe soundtrack vinyl re-issue of the excorcist. directed by the legendary and prolific william friedkin (the french connection, sorcerer, cruising, to live and die in la) and starring linda blair, the excorcist remains one of the most important, and scariest films in cinematic history. . deluxe features include exclusive liner notes from director william friedkin, re-mastered audio, old style tip-on gatefold jackets with soft touch coating, a 12-x12inch booklet, 180 gram colored vinyl, and all new artwork by justin erickson of phantom city creative.

having previously released music on wolf music, futureboogie and recently his own label fate and fiction recordings, lee pattison aka thrilogy delivers the 18th release on omena. completing the package is the most famous newcastle producer in mexico right now, man power.

jun kitamura most known by his capricious label started a music event space knock in koenji tokyo. koenji is famous for giving unique music and art culture. now knock starts its own label. the labels first release is debut ep by yoshinori sakaguchi s project helios trismegistus. jun kitamura also gives a remix.

a long-term legend of the detroit scene, rick wade is presenting three deep and organic house cuts on moody records, written with the soul and finesse that has gained him the reputation as one of the most influential deep house producers. liem & eddie ness infuse their hamburg-house sound with the remix to insensitive, while san proper treats us with a suprise remix which is digitally available through the link etched to the record. vital sales points: - limited to 300, heavy vinyl - remixes by liem/eddie ness and san proper

ben jacobs aka crackazat first made a name for himself when he was still living in bristol and released on ep on the city s futureboogie label, which has also signed music from the likes of julio bashmore, crazy p and outboxx. early in his career crackazat was also the official warm up act for an at the time up and coming artist called floating points, who now needs no introduction as one of the world s leading electronic music producers. moving to sweden shortly after the futureboogie release, crackazat made contact with the local talk owners mad mats and tooli, and after a couple of single/ep releases signed his debut solo album crescendo. the last couple of years crackazat has had an explosion of global popularity, which has led to playing gigs all over the world, and releasing tracks and remixes on labels ranging from josh wink s ovum, joey negro s z records and eureka in japan. classically trained with a strong jazz influence, crackazat has a distinctively individual sound that fuses funk with soulful vocals and the electronic bass music associated with his former home of bristol. eloquent and intelligent, rainbow fantasia is a masterpiece that showcases one of electronic music s most exciting talents.

eitan reiter, one of the most exciting producers of the moment follows up his collab album with sebastian mullaert with an ep on gem records. tracklist: a1 eitan reiter look away b1 eitan reiter & prz flux b2 eitan reiter, barak rosen & ben kirschenbaum koolios shortinfo: gem052 comes from the exceptionally skilful hands of eitan reiter. label boss secret cinema has had an ear on reiter ever since his prolific reflections of nothingness album in collaboration with sebastian mullaert. gem records have the honour of releasing the three track flux ep which features prz, barak rosen & ben kirschenbaum.

nice price deal !!! born near the french border and growing up in the 90’s, dirk lamprecht aka dml developed a strange but even more so strong interest in hardcore-techno. but this style quickly became too limited for him and he adopted the sound of detroit, carl craig, kenny larkin and robert hood became the most influencial artists for him. over the years he became affiliated with an even greater spectrum of musical influences, ranging from all sorts of electronic music to jazz and even world music. in addition he graduated as an audio engineer and started to perform as a live act in 2002. more knowledge consequently leads to a much more diverse way of producing own tracks. in 2007 dirk lamprecht made his debut under his alias >dml< on the legendary label harthouse. his productions range from tribalistic via hypnotic, with a hint of detroit under his real name and from a touch of minimal, through melodramatic to straight techno under his alias dml

nice price deal !!! don t stop is yet another step further - and a nod from recognition, poland s premiere modern techno imprint, towards dirtier, funkier and a bit unpredictable side of contemporary club music. proper oldschool warehouse vibe meets modern digital manipulations, raw hip hop feel clashes with unstoppable tech-house mayhem courtesy of one of the most underrated producers of today. enigmatic etiop is one shadowy figure. quiet and modest, he s been around for at least last ten years, running his diy label palma records, producing local gangsta hip hop acts and always struggling with a harsh reality in his industrial hometown of plock. there are some dark stories surrounding him that probably will never be confirmed... but his passion for music and ability to hear far beyond ordinary cannot be denied. etiop is a synthetist

one of the most pivotal figures in the history of malian music is sorry bamba. his work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between mali s cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in mali s post-colonial period. bamba was born in 1938 in mopti. this is dissected by both the niger and bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. bamba s father was a distinguished veteran of emperor samory toure s military and a nobleman in malian society, however, this meant young sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation s caste system, music was an art form reserved for the griots.
in 1977 sorry produced his second lp for the paris based sonafric group. long out of print africa seven is pleased to be re-issuing the lp. the re-issue benefits from extensive restoration and re-mastering to a spectral analysis level, bringing and polishing long lost and distorted sounds.
check out african seven for further re-issues of sorry bamba third and first lp.

can you believe that in former yugoslavia existed some people who were making edits and remixes without using midi or pc? can you believe these same people were making their original synth pop stuff under the influence of yellow magic orchestra and logic system? yes, it is true. these were zoran jevtic and zoran vracevic, the pioneers of electronic music in former yugoslavia. with groups sizike and the master scratch band they brought minimal electronic and breakbeat to their former country. however, with their original band from 1981 called data they created the most thrilling electronic. you can find their finest works in data-could you find your analog mind? issued by belgrade s discom. it is lp compilation with 12 previously unreleased by group data made between 1981 and 1984. it contains the first ever remixes made in former yugoslavia and obscure synth pop made under the influence of japanese scene ! transparent blue vinyl, 80 s cover design, list of equipment ... analog addicts and crate diggers don t miss this beauty!

nena (1983) is the first album by german pop rock band nena and the second studio album of its singer, gabriele -nena- kerner. the album was a great success in west germany and the second single -99 luftballons- – a fable of nuclear war brought about by a bunch of balloons in the sky being mistaken on radar for a pre-emptive missile attack- successfully reached #1 in the music charts in the u.s. and worldwide.
the first nena album was released as part of the music genre called neue deutsche welle, new german wave movement in the german music. all five members of the band contributed to the songwriting. they were a unique group of musicians with a strong intuitive grasp of both classic pop and rock formulas. nena insisted that she saw herself as a member of the band and not as their leader.
the album is still regarded as an unsurpassed classic of german pop history, although most later nena albums are not far behind in quality.
pressing on 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

nice price deal !!! since sepalcures debut ep, love pressure dropped last summer, the new york based act otherwise known as travis stewart (machinedrum) and praveen sharma (braille) have made a lasting impression on the electronic sphere over the last year with unforgettable live performances across the usa and europe, as well as a stunning follow-up ep, fleur. their unique chemistry as a duo is undeniable and has resulted in a soulful, emotive, and energetic style that is entirely their own. on this remix ep, five of the usa’s most exciting dance music producers of late have offered their unique takes on the original tracks, all bringing their own signature elements into the fore: xi (orca, toronto), faltydl (planet mu, new york), jimmy edgar (!k7, detroit), daedelus (ninja tune, los angeles), and recent hotflush signing lando kal (lazer sword, berlin via san francisco).

the summer of 2017 also brings dark leader 003 featuring riga’s dmitry distant and portland’s own natural magic.
side a begins with “tukšums” a driving acid jam by dmitry distant that brings the energy level up to 11.
natural magic’s “most high” polishes off side a with a triumphantly positive romp that puts the love icing right on the cake.
side b opens with “artificial joy” a breaky acid track by dmitry distant that will engross the dance floor with groovy sinister funk.
this release concludes with natural magic’s “dude can dance” a drummy piece of hypnotic dance music that dabbles in experimentalism.
darkleader 003 is housed in a full color jacket featuring cover artwork by myra koza, design by eric adrian lee, and mastered by timothy stollenwerk.

dungeon acid, bred in gothenburg’s (sweden) obscure music scene during the eighties and nineties, releases his second 7inch on hoga nord rekords. dog acid and sex beat focuses on those remote corners where jean-louis huhta have rooted his musicality. with legendary bands like cortex, anti cimex and the skull defekts on his resume, huhta is most definitely one of the most interesting artists in sweden!
the music on this 7inch breathes sex, concrete and dark seas. the tracks differ in instrumentation but they expresses the same feeling: uncomplicated and straightforward components, perfectly balanced in relation to each other, shutting down unnecessary body function, aiming for your lower back. spastic curling synthesisers rests upon soundwaves heavier than the swell against the norwegian north atlantic coast.
dungeon acid is the miner of your record crate - hard at work finding the nuggets in punk, rock and electro to develop the strict techno.

some records are timeless and never age - -happiness is just around the bend- by the main ingredient is one of those records. originally released in 1974, -happiness- was a record before it s time - had it been released a year later it would undoubtedly have been one of the first 12- discs - so as a result, most discerning djs at the time chose to play the album cut. the song is actually a cover of uk prog-jazz band brian auger s oblivion express s version from the year before but main ingredient took the song to a whole new level and, 44 years later, it has become one of the most revered dance tunes of all-time. main ingredient were unlucky with 12- releases, which is why we re delighted to give -evening of love- it s first-ever 12- release! once again this was a 1981 album track which years later it would become a modern soul anthem and rightfully be regarded as one of their best records. fully remastered on limited edition 180 gram heavyweight vinyl.

london s midnight riot are back from the land of the rising sun with round two of the most obscure japanese boogie and disco jams. they have brought together the finest dj s and collectors for another installment of unique productions and edits. a must have for all the dj muro, joey negro and dj harvey fans out there, these guaranteed grooves are completely impossible to find in this day and age. highlights include shit hot soundsystem, who not only win award for best name of the year, but hammer out a wicked edit of the giorgio moroder influenced -kannushi-. label staples yam who? go with a lo-slung boogie funk excursion courtesy of their edit -mono drive-.

svengalisghost captured here in his most true form, the live setting. this recording comes direct from the board during his performance on french television in 2015 and harnesses the maniacal energy of his live set in perfect form. what may be the chicago born artist s darkest and most plodding recording to date, this is the definintion of deconstructed death-industrial, foward thinking and freeform yet totally focused and razor sharp, plodding drums over open wire electronics and zodiac killer vocals hitting you from all angles. this is sound of evil personified. limited copies available worldwide.

fur coat s new label oddity aim to showcase a darker, more tripped out techno sound. their second release is by hugo ibarra and antü coimbra aka natural flow. founded in mexico city, this innovative duo of producers and djs, known as natural flow, is formed by hugo ibarra (mex) and antü coimbra (arg), each with more than a decade of musical background. natural flow amazes long-time fans and new listeners alike, with their sets in the most important clubs of mexico. each performance delivers a fresh and stunning experience. lined up for remix duties they have dubspeeka & roman poncet

nice price deal !!! after his european success with -crush-, chris rockford is using another original big hitter -midnight man- recorded by flash & the pan that took the carts by storm in 1985 and still stands in the forefront of the major classics today. with remix of kim jofferey (stonebridge, chris kaeser) and mike md (coronabros.) rockford has put together the most spectacular package for this autumn

nice price deal !!! now dushis unique synergy of styles has earned her a release on allsorts. a label with a reputation for putting out the most sophisticated liquid dnb, dushi joins the likes of netsky, hybrid minds and fred v & grafix who have all had releases on the forward thinking imprint.
support from brookes brothers, s.p.y, john b, luke ukf, dj ss, nicky blackmarket, rene lavice and many more.

after a triumphant return to batu s timedance label with intrigued by the drum ploy keeps the pressure high on his new ep for hemlock. unruly exposes further light on the workings of his now signature style. waves of metallic percussion tessellate around a thumping central bassline. pneumatic flashes of noise seal a dense atmosphere full of equal parts euphoria and dread. garys is ploy s most stripped back and potent club tool yet, striding into proper techno territory, equipped and optimised for the highest yield. lost hours drops the beats and pumps out a thick fog of hazy chords and bellowing subs. perfect for after hours listening.

acid jazz are pleased to announce details of the definitive leroy hutson compilation – anthology: 1972-1984.
a legend to soul fans, his catalogue has been increasingly sought after by collectors and producers since the last time it was widely available nearly 20 years ago.
college friends and early collaborator with donny hathaway then hand-picked as curtis mayfield’s replacement in the impressions, his solo career resulted in 7 albums for mayfield’s curtom label. they are considered some of the greatest of the era and the very best music from them is collected here.
licensed from mr hutson himself, this represents his first approved anthology, and comes in a beautiful package with an essay by soul expert and mojo award winning writer tony rounce and memorabilia and photos from mr. hutson’s own personal archive.
the first single lifted to preview the album – the previously unreleased positive forces has been championed at 6 music by gilles peterson who described it as one of the most important discoveries of the past ten years.

(part 2 of 2) tribal rites is a musical autobiography of sorts from one of dance musics most dedicated historians, bill brewster.

following a run of local transmissions from a sagittariun, crump, rob smith and atki2, idle hands turns its attention to berlin and the straight-up, no-nonsense techno thrust of johanna knutsson and hans berg. both respected artists and djs in their own right, the pair have been turning out 12inches together for the free spirit society, klasse and crime city disco over the past few years, but most importantly they ve been steering the excellent ufo station recordings as a vessel for their punchy, primal techno tracks. the sound on this ep taps into the pure form of stern, dark dancefloor tackle favoured at idle hands – no extraneous filler, plenty of space in the mix, but equally built with warmth and personality rather than monochrome functionality. if you need further proof, just look to the fact the ep is named after a swedish soap opera from the 90s. the bleeps and bass tones that pulse through -taggen- are so finely crafted they need not skip and dance around the arrangement. the melodic interplay on -klimax- is subtle but ultimately uplifting and optimistic where so much techno concerns itself with oppressive gloom. -bimbo- finds the pair embracing a more psychedelic approach, but even here the modulating effects processes are kept within certain boundaries so as to not dilute the impact on the floor. after all, this is music to dance to, to be felt over a large system (where possible). moving from leftfield bass excursions to minimalist 2-step, uk techno and now onto this much more continental sound, themälarviken ep continues to widen the range of idle hands musical tastes without losing sight of the complete picture.

special 4x12 inch pack for all you gastspiel lovers out there - contains 4 classic releases:
- gsp3-3: remute & luus - red kite (remixes)
- gsp005: rosselto - de arica a punta arenas
- gsp007: nudisco - brainmapping
- gsp008: mijk van dijk - liebestrunken ep

sharon jones & the dap-kings’ final studio album, soul of a woman is a lush, orchestral masterpiece. a true testament to the life and career of daptone’s fearless leader and one of the world’s greatest performers.
though we’ll never again see her electric form shimmy across the stage, sharon jones continues to give us her soul and her music. she died nearly a year ago, but only now can we hear her final creation. soul of a woman captures a singer and a band at the peak of their power. cutting one last time to eight-track tape at daptone’s house of soul studio in bushwick, brooklyn, the band endeavored to create a record that stretches the limits of their soulful sound in all directions, giving us both their rawest and most sophisticated recordings to date. a final statement by one of the most influential rhythm and blues voices of the 21st century.

to know whats up right now, we must understand what went down in history rave history: easily one of catz n dogz most evocative, classically-informed and ferociously euphoric pieces of work to date, this is a celebration of every black wax brick laid in the foundations of dance music culture. every hand that was ever raised in sweaty exultation. every stranger whoever got hugged on the dancefloor for no reason but pure love for the moment. every whistle. every horn. every damn time. from its quintessential break to its iconic vocal via its sizzling bass-heavy groove, ‘rave history is the ultimate finale piece, a show-stopping opener or a wild mid-set excursion. it resonates with everything thats relevant now and everything thats ever been relevant. loaded with pure positivity, this will complement any style of dj set, any crowd, any age, any country. this is our dna. for added euphoric stimuli, the szczecin boys have also thrown in a kickless hype tool in the form of the feel-heavy life mix. choral pads, cascading fx, dramatic one-strike piano notes, splashing cymbals and that almighty vocal sample that comes with one essential message every single one of us can raise our sweaty hands and hug strangers to: no matter how weird things feel in the world right now, when were together with like-minded dancing neighbours, everything is going to be all right.

hailing from the london rat race, mux step forward with the first release on teenage father and lay their distinctive style out for all to witness. their broad-reaching indie rock sound has undertones of electronica, grunge and a very british swagger that deserves to get them onto radio playlists and festival line ups aplenty. -mdma- rumbles along somewhere between soulwax, kasabian and queens of the stone age, while -teenage father- ups the intensity with a punky thrum behind the raucous guitars and grinding synths, and then -stray- finds the band mixing up the time signatures for the most adventurous cut on the record.

volphonie is the new label of chris honorat, resident and creator of the automatik events at the rex club in paris. with a dark and hypnotic music inviting to night-time voyage and introspection, volphonie is a label that chris wants at his image and in conformity with his techno religion. scan x, a pioneer of electronic live music in europe and laurent garniers sound engineer, provides the first release of the label with the track alien symphony, a piece in the artists purest tradition, a truly sound odyssey revolving around a deviant lead and heady. marcel fengler delivers an aerial remix faithful to the original spirit of the track, but even more hypnotic and captivating. keikari, one of the most promising artists among the new generation of french producers, imposes us his brutal and uncompromising version, while electric rescue, the most prolific french activist through his label skryptom, takes us to the rave with a mental techno that only him owns the secret.

berlin based zehnin keeps up a fine release schedule by asking blawan to remix its inaugural ep from lucy. once again focussing on experimental, ambient and techno sounds, it is another fascinating release. blawan has been in his own sound world for years now. releasing on the likes of hessle audio, hinge finger and his own ternesc, hes made brutalist, heavily textured tracks, big room tools and dark grooves with freaky sound design. its all helped to make him one of the most interesting producers of the day, and here he shows another side to his sound. first up is his version of ‘the hermit, which is seven spacious and mysterious minutes of creeping pads and implicit rhythms. dark but inviting, its stripped back, hollowed out techno that manages to be hugely absorbing and menacing without any clearly defined drums. on the flip is the equally beguiling ‘the high priestess. deep, subliminal kicks set the tone as groaning riffs, train-track percussion and distant, tortured pads all slowly hypnotise. it builds in pressure and creeps you out as it locks you ever further in. this is evocative dead-of-night music that says a lot in impressively economical ways.

acid paulis second album ‘bld dropped earlier this year to a rapturous reception. martin gretschmanns trippy opus took in various stops around the musical spectrum, yet remained committed to quality dance-floor tracks that refuse to follow any particular rule book. this collection of remixes of the albums a side (hence the name) only adds to that achievement - bringing yet more new flavours and takes from some of the most exciting names in the underground. ‘abbebe gets a rework from sainte vie who brings his trademark ‘multicultural electro sound to the albums opener, and produces an ecstatic mid-paced groover for the heads. oceanvs orientalis drops a similarly exciting rerub, finding new angles and dimensions to the track ‘baris. tel avivs red axes turn up the psychedelica for the duos amazing dissection of ‘ayam - deep sounds immersed in acidic tones and tight-yet-wonky arrangements. lastly ‘majid gets the treatment from label co-head nico stojan who produces a sleek and spacy remix that will delight the early morning ravers.

swedish artist ubx127 is back on figure with what might just be his most accomplished release to date. spanning an arc cross four diverse tracks, the story told is abstract yet full of imagination. gently pulsating crystalline opener woid carefully sets a vast open scene, covered in gushes of interplanetary winds. first contact is made on a2, its electro-esque drive and spiky synths hinting at its alien origins. a taste of their mighty technology is given on watch out below, booming with a propulsive punch and constantly swelling in intensity. relief comes in form of singularity, a beautiful, long-winding closer, on which soothing arps effortlessly outweigh their beaty counterparts. having already proven his mastery of the machines with three stellar eps for the label last year, this record further showcases ubx127s special talent of crafting tunes that are as ripe with drama as they are ready for the floor.

music for dreams is proud to announce the new album by danish legend dub tractor. one of the founding fathers of electronica in denmark in the early 90s, anders remmer has remained a reluc-tant beacon of copenhagen’s scene ever since, with his musical legacy still a work in progress. as well as being a member of future 3, remmer has released material under a number of different aliases, but his most frequent guise dating back to 1994 has been dub tractor. under this name, he gently crafts complex yet warm and organic electronic music that flirts with ambient, dub and idm. with “hello ambient wash”, the first dub tractor album since 2009, remmer explores further the possibilities of dub tractor after the more pop-oriented & shoegaze-flavoured approach of his last album -sorry-. in addition to new material, the second half of “hello ambient wash” presents a ret-rospective of hand-picked tracks from his first three albums on flex records (the label which music for dreams founder kenneth bager ran with ole mortensen from 1994 to 2007). ... bonus info: nils frahm is a fan.