holiday 80s sophomore whiskey disco ep exhibits the upward trajectory of the mysterious polish duo. their first ep showcased slower, smoother sounds, whereas these four songs showcase the grittier side of polish music, one slightly less fashionable, until now. each song is dance-floor-proven to turn out. from the sexy psychedelia of truncheon man and male jeziora to the left-ward jazz house of juhas zmarl and fm cool of letnia milosc. many wd buyers thought their first ep to be finest record on the label, get mokotuff before it s gone too.

kicking off this four track ep is one of yuri s most dynamic productions to date. wildly oscillating synths and snapping handclap-led house beats drive east west connection , while what starts out as an acid synth shifts through a cycle of changes before evolving into a detroit-style riff. both nervous arp and morning at home take the same palette of sounds into much deeper territory, touching base with electro funk and straight up jazz-fusion, highlighting yuri s versatile musicality and distinctive production style. modular is an older track of yuris - a non-stop ride through wonky, synthesized fusion with hypnotic keys and rolling drums.

chris moss acid returns to don t for a follow up to last year s the acid that ate bournemouth !
limited copies.
chris moss acid returns to don t for a follow up to last year s the acid that ate bournemouth with 4 tracks of blistering proportions. the joker is a twisted and squelchy hard nosed house/techno hybrid that punches through a sound system, while pumped up mf nestles coyly between ghetto/booty and acid with a suggestive bassline ripping things apart. on the flip, more mayhem with dp acid which is as derranged as they come before the ep closes in magnificent style with elektra , electro s answer to bohemian rhapsody.

italian producer and be free label head jäger makes his debut on underyourskin records with a haunting ‘mystical journey‘ that turns out to be a playful minimalistic techno approach in the beginning, before evolving into a dark synth driven and more techhouse dominant tune gaining its dancefloor eligibility with a heavy baseline. louis kolben, part of agents of time, takes on the technoid approach to create a wobbling stomper that could easily tear in any location it is played at. ‘mizar‘, the ep‘s second track, partly connects with regards to content to ‘mystical journey‘ but focussing merely on that dreamy aspect that claims its listeners and leads one to a state of trance. steffen sonnenschein builds up the track slower to delay its peak that hits heavily when the synth sounds are let loose and set the pace throughout the end.

its always unwise to judge a label thats still taking its first steps, but banoffee pies has barely put a foot wrong since launching a couple of years back. here, the bristol-based imprint continues with its successful split release formula, gathering together a quartet of tracks from up-and-coming producers. beaner kicks things off with the bumpin , low-slung deep house grooves and delay-laden guitar samples of it takes two, before philou louzolo raises the temperature with the looped horn samples and thumping beats of alter ego. flip for the dreamy balearic house goodness of ron wilson s albino turtle, and the bongo-laden, after-party deep house shuffle of mome s assatta.

if everything suddenly changed – what would that be like?
qnete’s ep is not the question and not the answer. it’s in a hiatus between hopes and fears, still maintaining an eager energy. within a short period of time all tracks were recorded straight to tape, raw and improvised. they remember the sun bath before the storm, when you feel that something is about to roll over you. they express the urge and need to sometimes just jump into the cold water to face what’s coming next. they linger in the nervous energy when you’re lost and don’t know what to expect. but they also talk about the hope of finding a safe place.

tired of the politics of the minneapolis funk scene it’s rumored the group has taken refuge in tokyo’s late night disco scene. their brilliant and cheeky song writing combined with incomparable musicianship will be sure to make a bold statement in the modern funk scene this year. “hot touch” brings bass that goes oops upside your head and down your back into your butt crack. we’ve all been burned before, but never like this. brilliant cut followed by the super deep two-step stunner “ain’t gonna last” on the flip. perfect soundtrack for the end of the party when you look around and yourself, “which one of these freaks is going home with me tonight?” out on star creature.

continuing a sublime run of form for the label, the fourth outing on the lopasura imprint, is yet another classy trio of heady, analogue machine laden masterpieces. opening up with “out of the fog’, the familiar acidic arpeggio and crisp hits we’ve grown to love from benedikt frey, dance unwittingly along before being opened up by long, cinematic pads drenching the track with an emotion and grandeur so synonymous with his music. complimenting the a side, the looming intent ‘wolves’ adopts from the off evolves quickly into a driving, hypnotic and beautifully crafted piece that’s a true heads down, eyes-shut techno battle weapon. rounding off the ep on the b side is the exceptional ‘lights’. an unsettling, caliginous whir of industrial drones balances the tribal, percussive elements almost depicting a lost ship crashing over the swells of the ocean as it clings on to futile hope of finding the lighthouse. it meanders and threatens before an incredible synth hook ebbs in and takes over momentarily, before calmly simmering as the storm passes. never before has love pain sunshine and rain been more perfectly encompassed.

140-gram 4xlp, heavyweight package including cd. one time pressing of 500 copies worldwide. the follow-up to highly acclaimed sailing off the grid album

next token output! tip!

the „continuum 1991-1998“ white label series brings back the euphoria of the early days and remind us what techno sounded like before dogmatic blueprints, taking us into claustrophobic basements where boundaries were broken up in blinding flashes of strobe light.
future9192 offer the hysteria of rave culture in it’s rawest form, taking us from violently distorted 303s and uplifting pads in „plutronick“, industrial soundscapes and pulsating synths in „house of snax“, to „rhythm of slime“’s raging ebm-chords and stomping kicks, only to close with the epic „murder someone“, a hypnotic, bell-driven monster utilizing a droning „amen“-break as percussion.

support from todd terje, crazy p
from da vaults…nettles is a new series from red rack ems bergerac label which will focus on the more sample based end of things. tracks which have remained secret weapons for many years will finally see the light of day. this first release features music which was played by quite a few heavy hitters but sadly remained lost on the hard drive…until now… ‘bill george starts of as a super funky, cut up electro disco jam which morphs into the mother of all breakdowns before drifting into super deep detroit style house and then peaking back to the original electro funk vibes. a secret weapon for the likes of crazy p (who featured it on their beats in space mix way back in 2010) and one of red rack em most unreleased tracks requested for release , there s going to be quite a few people around the world celebrating bill george finally making it to wax. a 30 second piece of incidental music from a long lost german children s television series is extended into a late night disco jam timm which picked up props from none other than todd terje when danny extended it back in the hot coins edit days of 2007. another lost track which is finally seeing release…. ‘transfer list began life as a hip hop beat which ended up being such an epic opus that the full glory of the track had to be unleashed. once again a cdr classic for a trusted few. a super funky beat evolves into a kind of honky tonk vibe sort of on the kmd tip but with added poppy vocals. made in 2003

aus follow up releases from bwana, sei a and fold with the welcome return of shenoda with his chromatic ep. throughout a catalogue thats included 12inches for hypercolour and manmakemusic as well as his exceptional debut labour ep on aus last year he has consistently and capably melded house and techno signified by his burly drum work and long, stirring breakdowns. his chromatic ep packs in three powerful cuts with blame, a track that drives a dense, staggered kick under blood-curdling tension and dramatic synth builds. musical mob then follows up with scuffling drums and a bold, peak-hour synth line before shores closes up with a shimmering sound-build giving way to a dense and full bodied bass pattern.

skam records are very proud to release an album of unheard tracks from one of our very first artists and it feels good to have him back home. jega has always provided his own slant on the genre, with warm standout melodies and his always edgy solid beats driving it all. its good to hear his machines working again after all these years. jega returns with a selection of the year before his seminal first release (ska006). a collection of unreleased tracks from 1995, recorded live to cassette tape and dat, and gathered 20 years later to form 1995. this album provides a glimpse into the fledgling electronic music scene of the 90s.

next up on karlovak is italian dj and producer santos. having released music since 1995 on labels such as crosstown rebels, desolate, ovum and bedrock, santos has an impressive string of releases in his back. we are thrilled welcoming him to karlovak with this 2x12 containing four house burners thats been road tested and approved by the label heads themselves, mr.tophat & art alfie, over the past year.

four tracks of diverse and different techno make up deep sound channel s first compilation. past alumnus tripeo returns with the hulking tribalism of -raz.- breaks are built and rebuilt, demolished and razed in this gritty thumping workout. najem sworb, of clone and ai fame, is up next with the warbling atmospherics of -io ice- before matt tdk delivers the frigid and frosted -4714.- the finale is a smouldering sign off. jelle groen, under his modular scapes alias, serves a brooding acid infused piece bathed in 90s idm flows. limited to 250 coloured copies in a printed sleeve.

2019 repressing. adding a percussive and experimental edge to the current class of post-dubstep pioneers, mount kimbie, the duo of dominic maker and kai campos - are set to release their highly anticipated debut album crooks & lovers on scubas hotflush label in july. mount kimbies first two eps - maybes and sketch on glass - seemed like explorations of spaces so private that all within earshot were instantly turned into voyeurs.

2016 sees the 3rd anniversary of houndstooth, and the label mark this with their 50th release. tessellations is a compilation of brand new, exclusive tracks from each of the 14 artists to release on the label. the release serves to simultaneously trace common threads and highlight tensions within such a stylistically expansive roster. this 12inch sampler collects four dancefloor-leaning cuts onto vinyl for the first time. the atmospheric jungle of special requests live from alpha centauri could be the soundtrack to an intergalactic chase scene, whilst akkords vector grinds gradually towards an explosion of mechanistic breaks, like an ancient machine brought to life. cant stop sees marquis hawkes dusting down the 303 for a playful yet powerful acid banger, before second storeys elephant ride draws syncopated funk from his machines in his inimitable style.

having already released on mos recordings sub label mos deep before now, stephen lopkin is now back with a second four track effort, due for release in april. the scottish artist has been making prickly house and techno for almost a decade now, and on the four cuts here he once again showcases a serene and slick style.

before the release of cosmic machine 2, here’s a new teaser of what is going to be another fantastic compilation. the french disco and proto-electro, still young and fresh is back with its groovy beats, punctuated by its timeless synthesizers ... a real treat for cosmic machine’s fans!

this special release revisits classic brothers vibe tunes, edits and a never before released on vinyl track. kicking off proceedings is the 1989 gem i ain t gonna wait. an early brothers vibe piece and massive underground anthem! brothers vibe distinctive gritty style of groovy house takes us on a hypnotic journey into uncharted territory. melody and percussion interchange amongst a framework of zippy synths and sinuous kicks. released under the moniker silent rodgerz, the second track infractions saw the light of day back in 2008 solely in digital format on a mixxrecords compilation. low slung with an acid influence, the cut reveals a distinctly natural groove lead by the classic bassline. the final track is the definition of a house classic! featuring echoing words of the great maya angelou, words to a nation exudes a timeless quality, unveiling a masterpiece which stays firmly in your head

today, under his papol guise, he makes his raw rootz debut with two tough, rough and more than ready originals in the form of the hypnotic exedra and the popping synth-driven gem rdl . for the remixes, the label call on friend and savor music boss franco cinelli, who adds his own powerful synth line to exedra, before raw rootz themselves go to work on rdl.

(limited double 12 with printed inner sleeves) -action- is the 1st single of cassius s new album (release date 24.06.2016). this ep features 6 tracks, exclusively for the record store day, the first single -action- from the upcoming album releases as a double 12 inch edition. it features remixes that wont be published in any other form. a delicious foretaste before the main course.

rsd 2016 itemn - must not be asold before 16.4.2016. j ohn frusciantes foregrow doesnt sound like any acid test record, or any record, thats come before it. after the unlikely alliance between the los angeles label and the iconoclastic venice, ca musician on trickfinger, all bets are off. this ones truly a passage through night. frusciante’s using elements of john carpenters eternal scores, the drum programming dna of jungle and footwork, and yes, a roland tb-303, all slowed down to a crawl. foregrow is a lurching, lysergic beauty which offers glimpses of his platinum pop instincts, but only behind the veil of true experimentalism.

on the back of an acclaimed lp on his own umhs label, freerotation resident leif takes his woozy grooves and lush atmospherics for a trackier spin on galdoors. macro beat s-broken latin groove propels the a1 through layers of bubbling dub synths and twinkling atmospherics. moment beat shares the first track s club focus, but this time chimes unfurl over a low-slung groove that leaves things perfectly poised for a change in direction. on the b, tumbler-picks up the pace once more with highs and arpeggios that pulse and slide around each other restlessly, before untitled wraps up with a beatless and beautiful flourish.

it takes a lot to achieve the status of legendary or era defining in dance music, its sands shift so quickly artists, genres and labels have often come and gone before you realise. so it s with some pride and deserved justification that yoshitoshi marks its 20th anniversary with celebratory remix packages of its most iconic tracks. chus & ceballos, victor calderone, benny benassi, pan-pot, carl cox, pete tong, joseph cariati, adam beyer.

following on from their hard hitting previous release quarantine , east london s phil passera & chieka ononye deliver their 4th release as payfone on new york s golf channel recordings. a side catholic central emerges from a dark street corner to bloom into a moody synth and bass heavy rhythm, before colliding with a disco riff that could have easily been borrowed from the master tapes of late 1970 s atlanta outfit brick. featuring the vocal style of argentinian pia gonzalez antar, who in confession recalls the dark dynamic of a relationship with a previous lover many years her senior. the room shaking b side comes courtesy of d marc cantu s haze mix that delivers a pounding late night electronic soul voyage. cantu has been releasing genre defying records since the late 2000 s, and performs as one third of jakbeat super group x2 alongside traxx & jtc.  golf channel every time !

from the depths of the dark net come telkhin, the latest addition to the shipwrec roster. following earth being recycled on detroit underground, the argentine project are debuting on vinyl with five tracks of off-world electronics. the chilling atmospherics of -body container- meet the needle before an electro iciness takes hold. spiking snares and echoed radiowaves orbit the moody walk in, that same frosted futurism central to level above human. telkhin melts man and machine, giving the computer age a humanoid form. processors whirr in the bassy bleeps and residues of brithomber before the final statement. leaving the human world behind flight 19 is a fast and future funk driven piece of 2050 music. forget the past, embrace the next step. limited run of 150 coloured copies.

conscious pilot dego looks deep into his past, present and future on his second artist album the more things stay the same

here at bearfunk we have been pretty busy as of late it was a casual visit to geneva just like any other. we had just finished a buzzing set and soon after we found ourselves talking to a five bearded academic types. it turns out they were a bunch of theoretical physicists out on a cosmologists night out. they work them hard at cern and that day the large hadron collector had been a real beast rebooting five times before lunch. they were pissed off and needed a new challenge. we offered them a job on the spot and they promptly moved to our london hq working on a wage of tea, vinyl and nandos. we set them a challenge. build us a time machine! they started soaking up all those bearfunk-groove-boson particles and. you know what? they did it! a time machine of our own. our first task, jump back in time to 1985 and retrieve us something really cool. set controls to the manhattan office to celluloid records. fresh from their hit with herbie hancocks rockit, spearheading rap with fab five freddys change the beat and afrika bambata stompers the legendary label is preparing to release the debut album from nyc-paris emigre lord funk.

rekids latest signing peggy gou serves up two subterranean slices of quality with l.i.e.s. producer terekke providing a remix. the south korean artist, who was raised in the uk and now resides in berlin, kick started 2016 for rekids with her art of war release. she now returns to radio slaves imprint with a sequel. jen high boasts a heady bassline whilst quivering synths make way for serene key melodies. ‘when round, they go then deploys robust kicks as ebbing pads join acid licks, before germanys terekke provides a floating rendition comprised of soaring atmospherics and jazzy aesthetics.

record store day 2016 rules apply dance mania records releases for record store day, len faki s edit of parris mitchell s rubber jazz band, unreleased on vinyl until now! the classic track rubber jazz band is from parris mitchells 1994 life in the underground double 12inch, with an even raunchier sound then before. also, featured on the b. side is a rare hard to find track, computer. get your copy while they last. this 2 track 12inch is limited edition.

with summer just round the corner, hell yeah come up with some essential—and fully, officially licensed—new cuts from balearic gabba sound system edit master enzo elia. he touches up some historic italo house with his usual masterful touch and will have you yearning for boat party season before the tracks have even finished playing. if you loved the italian s take on soft house company what you need, you should go crazy for this new offering. up first is italo-piano-house classic morenas s hazme sonar, which is eight minutes of diva vocal athletics, big synths and pumping retro drums that will make you punch the air. fun and fulsome, it is a sure fire classic house winner this summer. jazzy doll s ladybird is next and in enzo s hands becomes a rubbery, ducking and diving house cut with big hand claps, bubbling bass and loose limbed percussion that is ripe for raves on the sea.

dirty analog techno from french boss, crackboy trevor jackson: brilliant! crackboy (and all his dirty aliases) never disapoints for his second chapter on crowdspacer (after releases on tigersushi, im a cliché, zone or fragil), crackboy, the king of french dirty analog techno, half of pov with label-boss joakim, digs deeper into that detroit melanchol-epic vibe with weapons of steel on the a-side before going bonkers on the b-side with 2 naughty stripped-down beat-centric dj tools for the sweaty late night crowds. made me think of some gemini tracks when i first heard it (thats a compliment).

after the sublime releases of parts 1 and 2 from b.j. smiths between ship and shore 3 part ep series, we take a breather before we get to the final part to bring you these selections from japanese jazz and electronic music legend, ryo kawasaki... we have gone through ryo s extensive catalogue to bring you a section of what we consider are his finest works, but to be honest we could have easily added 20 more to this list. take a small journey through the amazing repertoire of ryo with the 5 tracks that take in sublime jazz through to out there electronic vibes.

ark & pit spector continue their inspired journey with an extended ep full of groovy jams and absorbing rhythms for hold youth. the frenchmen have formed a potent alliance with a series of expertly-crafted, high-quality releases dropping over the last couple of years. on this new ep they go deeper into their sound explorations with five original works and a remix from their parisian buddy and hold youth member, le loup. first up, we go into bumping jazzy territory with ‘chauffage central’, a mesmerising cut with swirling pads, soulful vocal clips and a jaunty b-line. straight up after that, hold youth rudeboy le loup gives ‘chauffage central’ a funky little rework, throwing live sounding percussion, nubian vocal clips, trumpet parps and a pumping bassline into the mix which gives a totally different identity. the final track on side a, is a cheeky teaser called ‘petite ondée’. rolling out for just under two minutes the track has a muffled, jazz-esque feel to it with a warm rolling bassline and bright, sparkling piano keys. on the flip we kick off with ‘air conditionelle’, a lush, retro feeling with those oh-so-familiar heavy-hitting eighties snare licks. the bassline takes you to a new york city street and the whole atmosphere is that of an old school nyc neighbourhood, while a spoken-word sample adds a human touch just before the track comes to an end. ‘sub tropical’ goes a little leftfield with an unusual combination of sounds in tandem with a pulsating low end, occasional sax licks and punchy percussion to give it plenty of energy. ‘averse et contre tous’ closes out the ep with a slothish ride into the sunset – ark and pit spector show their experimental side presenting an odd union between blues samples, gruff electronic sounds and piano keys. another triumphant effort from ark and pit spector, in fact, some of the finest work to date. make sure you check it out!

it’s been some time since the last black jukebox edition came out. this time shir khan hits us with the 14th edition featuring onsra & bas roos. secret parisian project onsra came out of nowwhere with his debut track funky town‘ which was the best selling track on exploited last year - topping tons of charts. support did come from various djs such as disclosure, danny krivit, laurent garnier, dj sneak, luke solomon, adriatique, terranova, ardalan, ben pearce, friendly fires, xxxxy, miguel campbell, jaques renault, rainer trueby, dj t to mention a few. now he is back with 2 new joints - so good is a 112bpm loopbased disco house jam which reminds a bit of old soundstream records. other day is a real boogie joint. bas roos on the flip is a newbie and youngster from rotterdam with a fresh residency at toffler club keeping things smooth and mellow with searchin’ and don’t let go the disco limited collector s vinyl only. cop that before it sells out.

much-celebrated kompakt staple the field returns to the spotlight with new album the follower, his fifth full-length offering after from here we go sublime (kompakt rsd 02 cd 57), yesterday and today (kompakt 193 cd 72), looping state of mind (kompakt 241 cd 94) and cupids head (kompakt 290 cd 110). swedish soundsmith axel willner is well-known for his mastery when it comes to the allusive layering of loops, but it was with his last album cupids head that a newly-found, somewhat pressing snappishness started to replace the soft-hued sonics of his ambient-infused techno, imbued with a darker mood and stronger footing than before. a carefully gauged balance of stoic motorik and gloomy drones was key here - just as it is for the follower which goes even further in blurring the lines between concrete experimentation, body music and precisely laid-out arrangement, leading to one of the most rhythmically and texturally engaging listening experiences in willners catalogue.

the 1978 record, which goes for up to $800 on the collectors market, comes with a lore all its own. the liner notes explain that at the time of its recording, davis was suffering from personal turmoil and a head full of memories from the vietnam war. the infamous jonestown, guyana mass murder occurred two days before the recording session and weighed heavily on his consciousness. the resulting electronic score would garner attention from legendary motor city dj electrifying mojo. in the early 80s, davis performed as 3070 in cybotron alongside juan atkins, laying the groundwork for detroit techno and electro with cuts like alleys of your mind. despite successful cybotron albums released on fantasy records, davis spent time penniless and abandoned in a v.a. hospital. the new 12inch version of methane sea was cut to lacquer straight from the original master tapes. davis currently lives in ypsilanti, michigan and works with music videos, fractal designs and cgi.

shlømo signs new singular, cat number 9 with titan ep. the parisian artist, co-founder of taapion records delivers two deep techno cuts on a side, clearly floor orientated, “titan” opens the hostilities and shows all the thoroughness of the man, powerfull and precise, sharp… then comes “memento mori”, made in collaboration with his friend awb (adrien ozouf), where we can find the same ingredients with more emotional flavours, going deeper. b side starts with a drastic reshape of “titan”, by norman nodge himself, before going on a down tempo warehouse feeiling closing perfectly this record with “void axis”.

jumpmono records is the brand new label from uk techno brothers, anti-slam & w.e.a.p.o.n. after the growing success of their digital only label, jumpstereo records, it was only a matter of time before the brothers went back to their roots and created a label not only for the digital world but also heavily focused on vinyl.
for the first release we happily welcome one of the finest producers of the past few years, raul mezcolanza, with his incredible track called diagram.
on remix duties we have super duo, spektre, who bring a superb, harder techno edge to the release. etai tarazi takes care of the second remix with a more stripped back and melodic approach that works perfectly across dance floors and label bosses, anti-slam & w.e.a.p.o.n. finish off the release with their usual energetic, groove driven style.

nyc loft trax unreleased vol. 2 give me shelter. not much known about this release but made by seminal production outfit in the mid 90 s nyc. never before released in any format! all killer no filler! the first volume sold out in days... dont hand around.

first release on new malmö based vinyl label kess kill, run by rivet. kess kill was started with the will to continue the legacy 1979-1983by bands like liasons dangereuses, tommi stumpff, xao seffcheque, geile tiere and others, music that oozed techno, long before techno was a concept. some of the music on kess kill will be brand new, some will be 30 years old, but it will all be unified by the naive frustration and punky rawness that has long been absent

sounds like someone discovered electronic music just the day before and started pressing random buttons on cheap synthesizers – but some of the tracks were interesting fresh, new, out of the ordinary... cassette c40, clear case, 3-panel reversible 2-in-1-j-card, mastered by manes @ salz, cologne

after the debut release on do not sleep become a sure fire club hit, the ibiza party turned much loved house and tech label now has another weapon up its sleeve. the next release is from perel, is titled charles manson and features another standout remix from resident darius syrossian. perel is a berlin based dj, producer and vocalist who is quickly rising through the ranks. she has released both originals and remixes on o*rs before now, and has a robust house and techno infused sound that simply makes you want to dance. as a dj she is a regular at cool spots like farbfernseher and impresses here with what she serves up for do not sleep. the original is a chunky, no-nonsense house track with bouncy bass, subtle vocals and the sort of futuristic and soulful pads that help make it really stand out. it s a slick, well produced sound that is sure to make it into many top record bags in the coming weeks and months. the remix from darius is a subtle one that layers in some trance inducing vocals and extra breakdowns so as to really highlight the powerful effect of the drums each and every time they drop.

santigolds new album 99¢ as clear vinyl edition wit download code included.

benedikt frey crafts a musical aesthetic that (much like the esp institute) might only be seen in its true form from a birds-eye view—a whole greater than the sum of its parts. his playful indifference to genre specifics and pre-prescribed instrumentation or production techniques makes for a loose and refreshing collection of work, and this debut for the esp institute, the lobbyist, serves up an incongruous three tracks so bewildering and narcotic we’re already impatiently fiending for more. on side a, the title track is no less than a medieval assault. led by a stomping war drum and a blasting bass synth that might literally have caught the studio on fire, an erratic array of clanking percussion, hi-hats and cymbals push us into a sinister corner where his whispering chant grants us the smallest bit of humanity before continuing with the beating. on side b, cupids delight (ft tcb) and gravel both explore variations on beauty—the former in a blur of ghost-like vocals smeared in harmony across a low-slung machine drums, and the latter evoking a tropical affair gone psychedelic, complete with drawn-out disorienting marimba and ritual clave/tom arrangements. welcome home brother benedikt, what took you so long?

this is the much sought-after album from 1978 reissued as lp vinyl for the first time. showcase was recorded with the revolutionaries and the aggrovators and mixed by ossie hibbert in a vocal & dub extended version style. the lp comes with the original artwork, 180 gram heavy weight, remastered, new vinyl cut and leaflet with extended linernotes. jimmy riley is a veteran reggae singer who started his career as harmony singer for the treasure isle label with producer arthur duke reid and joined also the rocksteady stars the uniques in replacing slim smith for a brief run of hits before deciding to go solo.

keeping up the urgent pace set by the strength in numbers collection, thema now turns to a modern master of the jakbeat, d’marc cantu. hailing from ann arbor on the fringes of detroit, cantu has worked for more than a decade developing a sound that carries the torch from the box jam originators of techno and house music. his first appearances were alongside the mighty tadd mullinix (better known as james t. cotton) with their 2 am/fm project, before bringing traxx into the fold for the x2 venture. as a solo artist cantu has shored up on labels as highly regarded as crème organization, m>o>s, nation and desire, bringing a rich, full-bodied sound laden with powerful synth hooks, crafty drum programming and a live, jammed-out delivery that overflows with imagination. given his adventurous tendencies and punchy midwestern finish, cantu is a perfect fit on thema and the six tracks that make up this record show a great deal of the diversity the man is capable of, from dancefloor burners to atmospheric introspections.