contort yourself continue to widen their scope of operations with this, their first dedicated reissue, and they ve come in strong. eschewing the grotty industrial tones of many earlier releases, the label have turned their attention to dutch curio muziekkamer, who self-released a small clutch of cassettes at some undisclosed point in the past. the unthinking experimentation contained within these tape jams is shockingly prescient - jagged rhythms, surreal sampling, techno atmospheres and more from a period well before such tropes became common tools for electronic expression. take a trip into the vivid, imaginative and utterly unpredictable world of muziekkamer.

the second release on black wattle comes from sydneys liam ebbs. the ep, a childs guide to groove, is a more dancefloor oreintated offering from the label. breaks, a wonderful sense of groove, spacious pads and a great understanding of melody all feature on this 12inch. it is also liams first time being pressed on wax, he has featured previously on a tape from australian label ken oath records. anywhere that wants it! first release from liam ebbs second release on the label, black wattle

dilated pupils is a collective group of likeminded friends home-based in the netherlands. when forces are joined in one of their many studios each individual brings his own influences and styles to the table. together they share a distinct flavor in productions and raw one-take jam sessions created with the use of analogue machines and often recorded on tape. each of them have their own solo productions as well as other collaborations, but when united as dilated pupils they prefer to be known jointly as one entity with their own unique and distinguished sound. since 2014 the group has developed an interesting and widespread discography with releases on labels such as fear of flying, sol asylum, mode of expression, tabla, music is art, dorcas, make sense and mayak.

a kind of cosmic ethnography combining pre-columbian percussion and wind instruments together with guitar, tape delay units and analogue synthesisers. check!

30+ minutes of life affirming ambient and drone coming from zen zsigo, otherwise known for his work under the cremation lily alias and as one of the spearheads of the current uk tape scene, where he has been mixing things up for 7 years via his strange rules label. winter orbit was inspired by science fiction and its relation to modern life, recorded in 2015 using a mix of both modern and archaic equipment it was later released on belgian tape label audio. visuals. atmosphere. on an initial run of 33 tapes. winter orbit is now newly presented via an expanded re-issue, chronicling the original material, re-issued on one side (fragments in hologram snow) while showcasing new material (for artifice rose) which was created in response to the initial release by zsigo in 2017. as usual, remastered and cut @ dubplates and mastering, berlin and pressed at record industry, holland to ensure optimum listening quality.

colin potter is a sound engineer and musician currently based in london. he has worked within the fields of electronic and experimental music for over 35 years, collaborating with the likes of current 93, the hafler trio, organum, andrew chalk, and most notably as a key part of nurse with wound alongside steven stapleton. he started the esteemed icr (integrated circuit recordings) label in 1981 releasing a clutch of wonderful home recordings of his own, over half a dozen small run cassette only releases. ‘the where house?’ was recorded in 1981 at ic studio, a converted wash house in sutton on the forest in north yorkshire. the album was self-released on cassette that same year via icr. this expanded double lp edition features all 13 tracks from the original tape on vinyl for the first time plus 4 bonus tracks. ‘the where house?’ is a prime example of early uk post-punk/industrial electronic music. “combining dub, electro, and krautrock rhythms with psychedelic, kosmische noise in multiple mutations ranging from almost pop-wise songcraft to horizon-scanning motorik flights,” says boomkat. most of the damage was done by colin using guitars, synths, sequencers, drum machines, percussion, and modified toy keyboards with fairly primitive 4-track recording equipment. he was assisted on some of the tracks by stephan jadd-parry (guitar, percussions), jon caffery (guitar, bass, e-bow, percussion) and nick jackson (synth). all songs have been remastered for vinyl by george horn at fantasy studios in berkeley. the record is sleeved in a replica of the original cassette artwork by jonathan coleclough. every copy includes a double sided postcard insert with notes from colin.

red brut is the moniker of marijn verbiesen (part of sweat tongue and jsca). as red brut she is isolated, displaying a highly talented ear for day-to-day sounds, musique concréte composition and spontaneous sound collage. this stand-out record is a sketchbook documenting a wide array of obscured emotions, unveiling the inner soul of a highly talented and unique voice in avant-garde tape music.

b from e (frej garcia levin) represents a new generation of talented young artists making waves in copenhagen. of mexican-danish descent, and born and raised in the notorious tower blocks of the south-western suburbs of copenhagen, the 27-year old is on the up-and-up. in high demand as the founder of boom bap rap group natkat, producer of pop outfit ny sensei (new sensei) and head of tape-only label buddahood, the multi-talent seems to have a hand in everything at the moment. his 2017 debut porno tr-xxx (c.u.p) saw some of the hottest names in the game spinning b from e at last year s dekmantel festival, resulting in offers from several well-known record labels.

his new record on tartelet records comes as four cuts exploring different paths of the garage house sound. the opener dark energy is fueled by filthy breaks and a nostalgic theme that would not be out of place in an early atari computer game. the people (dream mix) is a trippy tour through subtle layered melodies, carried by a stripped-back groove.

on the b-side you will find positive sister (2605 tool) : a chunky cut with a serious bassline. saving the best for last, you will see , rounds off the record in style. a feel-good tune that is sure to get plenty of spins this summer. hot tip!

following two previous excursions into degraded tape loops, fuzzed-out ambience and bittersweet moments of tenderness, o$vmv$m return to idle hands to complete a trilogy of lps with 12 vignettes from the underbelly of the bristol scene

memories — places, vacancies, allusions — are fundamental characters in mary lattimore’s evocative craft. inside her music, wordless narratives, indefinite travelogues, and braided events skew into something enchantingly new. the los angeles-based harpist recorded her breakout 2016 album, at the dam, during stops along a road trip across america, letting the serene landscapes of joshua tree and marfa, texas color her compositions. in 2017, she presented collected pieces, a tape compiling sounds from her past life in philadelphia: odes to the east coast, burning motels, and beach town convenience stores. in 2018, from a restorative station — a redwood barn, nestled in the hills above san francisco s golden gate bridge — emanates hundreds of days, her second full-length lp with ghostly international. the record sojourns between silences and speech, between microcosmic daily scenes and macrocosmic universal understandings, between being alien in promising new places and feeling torn from old native havens. it’s an expansive new chapter in lattimore’s story, and an expression of mystified gratitude. a study in how ordinary components helix together to create an extraordinary world.

gifted culture collective kicks off with zinnigheddas jam berlin, first 12” of a series of three releases recorded exclusively during improvised jam sessions. gifted culture wants artists to breath and to represent in music the contemporaneity that surrounds us. gifted culture catches that very moment on tape. this is an itinerant music project, to highlight the context as influence on the artistic process. during the first session two thou, autre, xinner and demo gather together during a sunday night in kreuzberg with an electric bass and a bunch of synthesizers. there they start to tell us how they feel the “now”.

limited to 500 copies (numbered) worldwide.brian cavender aka seafoam released his first ep on rue de plaisance last year, -confusion camouflage-, that was dedicated to his recent productions. a second release on the sub-label rue de plaisance re-issue, «lost tape 98 project», is a selection of tracks never previously released that we found on an old dat. today, we present the third part of our collaboration with seafoam « collected works 1999-2005 » it s a selection of our favorite tracks from his back catalogue on labels like guidance,straylight, lo -rise... that is also coming to rue de plaisance re-issue imprint(03).

returning with renewed force after henning baer’s unbreakable debut lp, manhigh’s sixth release comes from a name already well-known in techno circles. sciahri is the italian producer whose luminous 2014 debut on the celebrated ilian tape’s itx experimental series immediately announced his presence, followed by another on the label and two eps for the highly-rated black opal offshoot of opal tapes by 2016. he was simultaneously occupied with his ambient-leaning unknot duo with emanuele porcinai, better known as wsr on samuel kerridge’s contort label. 2017 saw the launch of his sublunar imprint and a tripartite release from him featuring a more streamlined sound than the craggy broken-beat style familiar from ilian tape. sciahri’s manhigh ep opens with ‘demur’, showcasing his most dour, industrial sounds, scraping metallic highs against the unrelenting impacts of reverberating kicks and subbass drone. ‘forbidden’ holds its forces more in reserve, the cycling, mechanical soundscape maintaining a spacious, ambient aspect, worked against a broken rhythm more implied than explicitly stated. returning to full intensity for ‘reliance’, he tightly coils the core elements around deftly-deployed percussion and a militaristic, pounding rhythm in the bass and kicks. henning baer’s reinterpretation of ‘demur’ saves little from the original apart from its overriding tension, instead adding a layer of nearly-tonal pads and an unremitting acidic bass throb pushing forwards inexorably.

recorded in an ageing holiday park during off-season, center parcs is the debut lp by dutch artists betonkust & palmbomen ii a conceptual, musical-tristesse full of lo-fi harmony, and fanciful, psychedelic-coloured modulations, with an undercurrent of saturated, outsider-house beats, all recorded to tape. with a shared passion for experimental music, and gnarled dutch electro, the duo have crafted an lp of esoteric-electronic-pop, reflective of the time the two spent holed-up in isolation, in the out-of-time center parcs setting

assertiveness can be virtue. hence, boss moves - luca lozanos debut for running back - is aptly titled. generously spread over two vinyl plates, lozano investigates the hybrid sound that once was embodied by groups like future sound of london, labels like guerilla and djs such as sasha or dave angel. blessed with the production of skills of today, the eyes of a tailor and the chemoreceptors of a perfumer, the klasse wrecks and grafiti tapes man delivers nine tracks that do it all: tribal, trance, breakbeats, house, 303s, bleeps, rave, dubby deepness and pianos. like a trip down the 3d-visual-kaleidoscopic-artwork* hole or a snake charmer without a flute. intake as a whole, record it to your tape desk and feel like tuning into on a pirate station in ‘95. happiness is just around the bend. *none of that can be found here. see explosive black-and-white sleeve for further reference.

arkajo back with three new cuts on the aniara frequency! travelling through endless soundscapes in his elegant yet rugged style. mysteries to investigate with body and mind.

beta librae is bailey hoffman, a producer from kansas city, living in new york city, who co-operates the extremely vital technofeminism residency with umfang at bossa nova civic club, and has previously released tapes on 1080p and lillerne tape club, as well as a single on physical therapy’s allergy season. incienso is extremely hyped to release “sanguine bond”, the debut lp from beta librae. an extremely singular ambi-tech-no-house album, encompassing all the deepest vibes of the rave - warm and fuzzy afterglow dub mixes, emo-ambient ‘ludes, yogic, tribal downtempo vibes and all, mixed with love by the one and only!

the shadowy forces behind the tapeworm are delighted to announce the latest release to come flying out of the wormhole. on a limited edition split lp two of europe’s foremost exponents of the tape loop go head-to-head, recorded within the hallowed environs of a former buddhist monastery – with dramatically un-zen results.

times of innocence etire en avant is a track by i:cube from 1996 recorded straight to tape, when he was still doing music in his bedroom at his parents house. this slow jam contains french hypnotizing aerobic lyrics combined with a funk filtered sample, perfect for a tantalising disco sleaze late night set. on the flip side, abel from the infamous red light records amsterdam offers us a surprising re-jam based on the original xxxx track released last year on the oeil cube ep speeding it up from 33 to 45 rpm, and then extending it for maximum effect. from cinematic slow boogie to proper boogie monster.

music from a found tape, potentially recorded during the late 1980s and unedited. unknown artist early sampling puzzle saved from oblivion. 180 g vinyl only, 300 copies, included english text. music without an owner. a cassette tape without a label. a record without a name.

first release for the italian label alley version is a split built up of rugged jackin patterns and brutalist house jams, all recorded on tape by mituo shiomi and drum machine.
limited to 200 copies.

the 2nd release on steady work by dear friends features conti with his exceptional consignment to all lovers of left field approaches to house and bass loaded music. contis ma lumps ep allows you to get a feeling for the crocking of the toxic but cheering industrial spheres of the city of mannheim. this ep is an emulsion out of distorted beats, field recordings, sampled baselines and vocal snippets, processed through a mpc, tracks in a rough tape compression mix style. funky-but-not-funky-kraut-hop-house at it s best. slope down from your faith by those lumps.

the analogue cops aka lucretio and marieu - debut on hot haus recs with 5 tape saturated thumping house trax guaranteed to get the party started!

after more than 30 years, halfway ritmo in collaboration with early sounds, will release unpublished recordings (1982-1989) from former tangerine dream and iggy pop s drummer klaus krüger. advanced dance combines a sweeping mix of krüger s handcrafted acoustic drums and distinctive electronic sounds of the late berlin- school years, creating a unique blend of advanced polyrhythms. krüger achieved a balance between creativity and classic drum patterns giving birth to an unconventional and avant-garde type of music that could be easily defined as a precursor of techno. his progressive mentality led him to delve further into the tape collage technique and unique ways of triggering his drums. it was a whole new world of music - sustained by his artistic surroundings, which included collaborations as well as friendships with other influential artists such as david bowie, martin kippenberger and helmut newton. in the time of german division, the pulsating west berlin became a melting pot of creativity and international encounters. advanced dance is the result of the blazing heat feeding the unstoppable thirst of discovery which characterized that generation, creating tunes that transform the listener s experience into one blissful moment amidst beautiful confusion.

while attempting and failing to apprehend the shadowy figure known as max abysmal during a frenzied chase through the underground amsterdam arts establishment het skatecafe, we recovered a boxed reel of quarter-inch tape. intelligent assets have confirmed that this contains musical recordings of the type used to pass on coded messages to the safe trip organisation. the first recording we have titled donna, dont stop. we include it with this message so you can perform your own anaylsis. note the use of a rising and falling electronic motif capable of inducing a trance-like state in those untrained in listening to electronic music this potent and emotive. sutekhs mirage, the second coded composition, is bolder and warmer in tone, making use of dazzlingly colourful melodic patterns and passages of percussion that reference polyrhythms. do not be fooled by the surface beauty of this recording: it is capable of inducing hallucinations and irregular heartbeats, and therefore could be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

much sought after tracks from dual action’s (aka matthew folden) “babe beer bar car” tape series, released between 2014 - 2016. compiled and made available on vinyl for the first time by dominick fernow’s hospital productions label.

selections from the acid attacks tape with an exclusive vinyl only track. jamal moss has cultivated an unmistakable sonic vocabulary. genre signifiers are contorted into perplexing polyrhythms of perpetual dynamism and velocity. the chirps and squelches of acid heritage are subverted and lunged into new zones without sacrificing spirit. this is another essential statement from an impossibly unique and uncompromising talent. tadd mullinix (jtc/dabrye), november 2017

on “5 star motel”, that younger gitkin (henceforth referred to simply as gitkin) has sought to expand the philosophy he encountered on that tape. the guitar is common thread, the raft to navigate a sun-dappled stream of ideas. it’s an embrace of cultures where folkloric stringed instruments still rule, or where they ve led to a more recent embrace of the electric guitar. he traces the loose, meandering paths which join them together.

argentinian veteran jorge savoretti has been djing for more than 20 years, and his first release for esperanza records traces back to 2005. in this time laps he has produced 2 albums, 20 eps and a great number of remixes, on labels such as raum musik, visionquest and ilian tape. his debut on cadenza is a crisp breeze of graceful music for dancing. side a starts point-blank with bou gei bouncing shuffle, driving bass line, lively cymbals, sparkling band-passed chords, summing-up jorge s true dedication to nightclubs and nightlife. with no reprieve, ruth suspicious pads lurk behind a funky swinging rhythm spruced up by a continuous surfacing of snare rolls and giggly stabs. on the b side, sensu dub explores without hesitation darker textures and resonances, leaving no concessions to leave the dancefloor. finally u-fonk #04.01 dives into sweating hotblooded late-time hours, with am hypnotising deep-toned coil, soaked of greasy riffs and gloomy fumes.

paradise palms presents a brand new 7inch from rising producer tom blip, who heads up the globetrotting record label blip discs and has found his own productions in hot demand, showing up in sets from the likes of four tet, gerd jansen & pearson sound. rez / crazy arps is a bold 7inch of crunchy drum machine-driven boogie, tracked hot to tape and peppered with toms wormy sh101 riffs. rez / crazy arps is available on 7inch

sacred summits returns after a two-year hiatus with an album of interpretations of the music of eric satie by acclaimed composer morgan fisher. active for over 50 years morgans career has moved from 60s number one hit wonders love affair, to 70s rocknroll keyboardist in mott the hoople, before finally on to 80s ambient, improvisation and soundtracks, working with the likes of yoko ono, haroumi hosono and dip in the pool. based in japan since the mid-80s, fishers long-standing admiration for erik satie (1866- 1925) led to these inside satie recordings. satie’s unique work as a precursor to artistic movements such as minimalism, surrealism and repetitive music are acknowledged but for long periods he was not given the accolades his music warranted. a strange, eccentric, surreal man, he was never as acclaimed as the established masters, but influenced not only the likes of debussy but also many of the dada artists. on this album morgan played his music freely after just a brief look at the scores. recorded in just three days, it features piano, melodica, synthesisers, and morgans favoured tape delay system. inside satie is one of the first albums i recorded in japan shortly after moving here in 1985. in three days i improvised on several of my favourite satie themes. mostly i played piano as well as the rich, analog-sounding yamaha gs-1 (precursor of the dx-7), and sometimes used long tape delays to build layers of sound. all the pieces were recorded in single takes no overdubs (no time!).

limitierte edition auf gelbem doppel-vinyl. nach einem „beat-tape“, einer von den kritikern gelobter ep und unzähligen ausverkauften shows vor begeisterten fans erscheint mit „geography“ nun endlich das debut-album des nachwuchs-talents auf dessen eigenem label „beyond the groove“ und wartet mit gastbeiträgen von weiteren loyle carner, poppy ajudha, de la soul und goldlink auf. blue-eyed-soul für freunde von mayer hawthorne oder jordan rakei.

standard edition auf schwarzem doppel-vinyl. nach einem „beat-tape“, einer von den kritikern gelobter ep und unzähligen ausverkauften shows vor begeisterten fans erscheint mit „geography“ nun endlich das debut-album des nachwuchs-talents auf dessen eigenem label „beyond the groove“ und wartet mit gastbeiträgen von weiteren loyle carner, poppy ajudha, de la soul und goldlink auf. blue-eyed-soul für freunde von mayer hawthorne oder jordan rakei.

remastered by macc from original files transferred from dat tape.

meditative and off-kilter, dubkasm’s new 12” is, unsurprisingly, completely unlike any other tune out there, and pays tribute to a too-frequently overlooked part of reggae tradition: dub poetry. originating in a collaboration between dubkasm and their long-time friend, norway-dwelling heavyweight bass guitarist, bajan steppa, enter the gates is a discomix built on a tuff bassline, skittering drums and retro synths, and features reflective, courageous lyrics about the enduring power of black liberation movements and consciousness, from gloucester vocalist rider shafique. the b-side contains an upfront instrumental cut, followed, in true dubkasm style, by a collaboration with a musical titan. mad professor’s incredible dub flips the original into a propulsive soundsystem killer, retaining the tune’s heart and spirit, but driving and percussive where the original is deep and soulful. mastered on to 1/2” tape at stardelta studios, and pressed on 180g vinyl.

toby tobias has a lengthy history of disturbing the peace. this is his second offering for the esp institute. on side a, second stimulus stirs shimmering staccato chords, roaming pipes and detuned robotic sighs into quite the disorienting stew—the loose arrangement remaining fragmented over 9 minutes of touch-and-go 808 programming, picking up a pseudo bassline assembled from sub toms, introducing a gritty break loop and eventually blissing out into oblivion. with side bs synchro surfer, toby plays with the notion of suspense by gently teasing a muted kick and percussion rhythm under washes of white noise, bleeps and sirens that are tape-dubbed and which, over time, begin a dialogue with each other, as if the machines have declared mutiny on the garage. toby continues to stretch his limits with his output for the esp institute, possibly headed toward a full-fledged devolution of conventional dance music. these two songs may have you arrested for public nuisance.

molten moods releases another finely curated various artists record with tracks by skee mask, kessel vale, jonas yamer and konrad wehrmeister. kessel vales opening track -voguing geisha- is an unconventional breakbeat masterpiece following his sense of harmony and rhythm already shown through previous releases on tanstaafl records and rhythm nation. as the track unfolds it reveals musical storytelling by integrating a technoid polyrhythmic loop structure into melodic synth figures, slowly deconstructing in the end. skee mask collaborated with molten moods labelhead and carl gari member jonas yamer on -fanta ocean-, it being the first release ever outside of his ilian tape homebase. the outcome is a moody idm piece with cinematic qualities, complex but soothing. the b-side begins with -xenomorph- by konrad wehrmeister, who is known by his releases on public possession and svs records. this trancy yet distorted and detailed electro banger surely takes on the role of the records dancefloor highlight. the closing track -insgeheim- is delivered by molten moods head honcho jonas yamer. here groovy kicks, distorted chords and a psychedelic pad are woven into one compelling 10 am techno track. the common thread of molten moods 4 is four young munich artists going on a joint trip into idiosyncratic electronic music. the resulting tracks intertwine as one modern and diverse techno record. out on 12&#8243,, vinyl and wav by the end of march 2018. in the tradition of molten moods cost-conscious design strategies by paul bernhard, the record comes with a xeroxed low budget sticker set. mastered by manmade.

returning after recent 12” on the cyclist’s tape throb to native fuselab al-90 together with his moscow-based colleague dx2ov starts a new round of his firm advanced tape house with a more complex approach thus even more groovy and wavy. 2 tracks of 4-4 beats, flowing tape layers plus touchy melodies and dx2ov’s quirky tricks for this spring’s floors.

nice price deal !!! a new series of releases hosted by the label superluminal. re discovery represent a slightly different shade from the usual path that matthias has been following by far, this time a feeling that evokes lo-fi beats towards deep/house inspirations. since the beginning has always existed an idea of creating a -subculture- related to the initial project superluminal developed in 2017 in berlin, re discovery is considered as an experiment to re program elements which were adapted and developed considerably, particularly referring to surgical breaks and deep twisted drum patterns.
sequenced using instruments such as: miami acidlab, roland 909, roland juno 106, moog minitaur, roland 505, akai325dx cassette deck...

2lp gatefold, running back welcomes andreas grosser for the start of its non-dancefloor series running back incantations. released in 1981 on uks york house recordings as a cassette tape only. now carefully transferred from an archived tape, remastered and compiled on a double album for the first time, it features the previously unreleased and not less mesmerizing the quantum leap

discos capablanca return with a record from the mysterious detroit-based sharif laffrey (we know little more than his place of birth, and that he likes to ride his bike and warm weather) who brings the heat on the turn it up 12 inch. recorded in detroit in the late 80s and released on a cassette tape compilation in 1988, the original *turn it up* is a long forgotten gem from the period that electro was beginning to morph and mutate into nascent forms of techno. excavated by hugo capablancas label, the track is presented in an edited version that stays true to the original and complemented by an acid dub not dub version that implements plenty of deranged 303 action.

12 years after his stellar two/three release, dabrye aka tadd mullinix follows up strong with the final and third volume!

2018 blue vinyl repress made possible after a beat tape swap between prefuse 73 and dabrye after the pair shared the stage in detroit, instrmntl is a continuation of the beat experiments tadd mullinix began with one/three and a bridge to the diverse textures that would define two/three four years later. instrmntl offers a snapshot of a time when potentials seemed infinite, when lines could be drawn between jazz, ragga jungle, techno, and hip-hop and the resulting shape divined an exciting future.

a proper various from howl italian artists, 4 different tracks to move the dance floor in 4 different mood. a1 from howl ensemble i’ts a warm heavy, late night house groovers with an incredible happy bassline that will spread love and smile to the dancers. a2 from nudge deep broken beats with a rolling bassline and crazy atmospheric voice that will stay in your mind forever. b1 from 616 very classy track driving mid 1990s. with fresh oldschool – not – oldschool, fresh and mind blowing in the same time. b2 from enrico mantini that found this rare pearl in a old tape on his studio, stunning bombs back in the early 90s, very elegant vibe consistently deep, refined and just a little bit trippy for a perfect after party

famous for their matching, colourful suits and always-happy smiles, beyaz kelebekler (white butterflies) were a mixed-gender turkish band very popular during the 70s. they released one album plus numerous 45s in turkey and other countries like holland and italy. in 1976 during the last day of their european tour, just after one gig in cologne, beyaz kelebekler visited a studio of a friend which was still in construction. they decided to record a few songs, just for fun and for testing the new studio equipment. it was a very basic, one take recording, using an 8-channel mixer, a few mics and a reel-to reel tape machine. the result was an amazing example of anatolian psych-funk, featuring wah-fuzz guitar, flute, heavy drums, joyous male / female vocals. unreleased until now, here is the first ever release of these surprising recordings, rescued from the only surviving cassette tape.

vision songs vol. 1 (1984) is the laraaji album like no other, located at the intersection of new age and gospel. it is both his outlier and magnum opus, the feel-good diy tape of the century. discovered busking in washington square park by brian eno in the late 70s, engagement with the eternal flow has led laraaji to, seemingly by magic, emerge as the most beloved avatar of the unstoppable new age music revival of recent years. now vision songs rewrites laraaji’s musical history. unlike the many instrumental, free form albums upon which his reputation was built, this is an album of songs, with lyrics, verses, choruses. vision songs is literally a revelation -- of a master songwriter whose unbelievably catchy best compositions such as “we shall be lifted”, “all of a sudden”, and “is this clear?” belong in any great american songbook. casio synth jams recorded at spiritual retreat guest rooms and a tiny bedroom on the upper west side, lysergicallyspectacular anthems for a continually arriving new moment, “channeled,” as laraaji states in the album’s eloquent liner notes, “from the sky,” previously available in an edition of 100 cassettes sold at yoga retreats and on the streets of new york city, vision songs is humbly offered on vinyl, cd, and streaming for the very first time. this is where this is going on, this is where this is taking place, this is how this is going on. is this very clear?

babe roots are a relatively young duo from turin, italy, making a unique brand of atmospheric, techno-infused dubwise. on our radar since their splendid debut 7 inch on rohs! records in early 2016, we are very pleased to invite them into the zamzam fold with two mesmerizing and contrasting tunes. * be still* is a deeply meditative yet driving dub techno trek in classic fashion, featuring rastaman kojo neatness intoning on righteous living, working the land, guarding the tongue, and avoiding babylonian schemes and traps laid by the wicked. maternal bass and shimmering reverbs envelop a heartbeat rhythm of kick, shaker and distant snares for a timeless vibe that shows mastery of the idiom while updating it for contemporary sound systems. * rawness* is an extraordinarily deep 140 journey that opens with rich pads and swirling atmospherics, creating a psychoactive ambience that builds into a steady kick. the full riddim hits and plunges us even deeper with restrained, syncopated drums and percussion. churning bass powers us through the dense, hallucinatory fog as tendrils of electricity probe and zap, and serrated snares cut through the tape haze and studio clouds in the last third. carving out a gorgeous edge between deep dubstep and dub techno, * rawness* hits all the marks and will find a home in a huge range of sets.

andreas tilliander released his first album as mokira at the very turn of the millennium on almighty raster noton. 11 years later, the latest mokira album time axis manipulation was issued on ulf erikssons kontra-musik and now it s time to pick up where we left off with chill out . there s an air of happy retrospect and light solemnity surrounding the new album - enhanced by the fact that it marks kontra-musik s 50th release. with chill out , mokira attempts to bring back the dreamlike state from those magical late nights of his youth spent in front of mtv s chill out zone, to go back to his ambient roots using contemporary techniques and perspectives. the result? well, imagine lee scratch perry and klf enjoying an episode of stranger things on a crappy vintage tv after being hard at work burying old tape recordings in perry s tropical garden. imagine them sitting together totally at peace in a big, cosy sofa while a heavy haze is building up in the room, pleasantly affecting the eerie images on the screen. we always knew kontra-musik s 50th release had to be something quite out of the ordinary. as expected, mokira didn t disappoint us one bit. the vinyl lp is accompanied with a download code for a mixed version of the album, containing almost double the amount of tracks. the mixed version makes it easy for the chill out listener to just sit back and let go of reality for a while, just like mokira did 25 years ago in front of his old tv.

akokan is a yoruba word used in cuba meaning from the heart, and indeed, every song on the self-titled debut album (march 30/daptone records) by orquesta akokan feels like a heartfelt gift from the band to the listener. assembled and led by cuban vocalist jose pepito gomez, orquesta akokan is a big band collective of the finest musicians on the island, both young and old. it features all-original music and was cut live to tape over a three-day session at havanas hallowed state-run estudios areito. areito is one of the longest operating studios in the world and where important cuban records have been made. the album was produced by jacob plasse and arranged by mike eckroth. comes in a gatefold sleeve with download code included.