gary caruths sad city project has progressively attracted ever more praise, not least since his shapes in formation album landed last year. straddling purest ambient and abstract rhythmical electronica with a unique approach that is all his own, caruth is returning to emotional rescue with a 10inch that revisits three of the tracks from shapes in formation and magnifies them as the longer form versions they originally were. music removed was a particularly strong track on the album, and this new extended version lets the pneumatic percussion and soulful vocal croon bleed together in the most captivating of ways. patterns sounds even more elegant in its pagan ambient finery with a longer run time, and vexillations flits between poised static and cascading chimes with the deft touch that has come to define the sad city sound.

hot on the heels of the co-release between especial and cocktails d amore music of the sfire remixes ep (ees023/cda013) comes an accompanying release with a pair of deeper, stripped back remixes from the inimitable timothy j fairplay and willie burns.

previously spotted on emotional especial with the fantastic love is enough 12inch, plus instruments get the remix treatment in a classic 80s style with the dub is enough single. the producers tasked with delivering versions vary wildly, but they make for a strong combination. jamie paton s -cloudy dub-out- is masterful, simmering the elements down to a sensual bassline and delicate ripples on top, while luke solomon brings his bumpy, off-kilter house style to the table. khidja has a more dramatic, synth laden approach and alphonse creates a dusty, funky roller out of that killer bassline groove.

having done such wonderful work alongside wolf muller on the sound of glades album, cass makes a welcome return with an expansive album release on emotional response. the german producer s ambient tendencies blossom here, occasionally meeting with laconic drums as on u but primarily dealing in huge swathes of melody. djs will want to hold out for the dramatic pulse of ann, where a more pronounced drum set makes for one of the album s most club-ready moments. theres a strong variety of tones and moods across youth sessions, from the strafing arpeggios of running to the bliss-out shapeless swirl of prismatic prolog, and this ensures that the album will not dull with repeated listens.

originally operating in the 80s industrial scene, plus instruments have recently found a new lease of life. (emotional) especial are just the kind of label to jump on such deviant club fare, and on this package -love is enough- gets a variety of remixes that all embrace the groups seedy ambience. richard sen brings a muscular thrust to the track, while khidja takes a more delicate approach. luke solomon meanwhile casts his years of experience in oddball house on his steady grooving version, and then jamie paton taps into the industrial vein to finish the package off in fine style.

played by agcp/dr cuts(plus seven), sergio rizzolo, malka tuti
emotional especial and cocktail d amore music enter cahoot-mode once again with a second round of sfire remixes that take proceedings down a deeper, more stripped-back path courtesy of the inimitable timothy j fairplay and willie burns. two artists who need little introduction offer up two remixes each that take the unique original to new dance floor extremes. timothy steps up first with his take on -sfire 2- via differing vocal and instrumental versions. his trademark, echo laden rolling percussion and john carpenter-style key lines take the original synth-pop homage to the dark room. adding arps, a lifting, hedonistic breakdown and the scatter-stepper drums and claps found on the instrumental version and this is pure cotf territory and the better for it. mr willie burns meanwhile has long followed his own path for his take on -sfire 3-, offering one of his deepest remixes to date. thudding kick, brooding pads and dark strings force the vocals to go down, way down for examination. the distorted vocals of remix 1 are countered by remix 2 letting the track shine via a seemingly endless 4/4 beat. psychedelic, trance inducing, pulsating, this is an ever growing mind expanse.

played by: craig bratley, jonny 5, benjamin fröhlich, james friedman
gone beyond. that s what they say when an (astro) pilot crashes to earth and takes the journey into the big sky. when juan trippe took that last flight little did he know that his re-incarnated self would be an electronic pioneer. in tandem with his co-pilot guido zen (his own father also a pilot) and kyle martin (from the land of light) they formed brain machine and scaled the highest peaks to bring back music both unearthly and intensely human. are we all not stardust anyway? this music proves it, takes you out flips you over and rolls you in stardust. don t try and think it through, make sense of it, grasp it - just wander in wonder and bask in beauty. get lost again.

especial starts it s 3rd set of releases welcoming frankfurt s hotel lauer for an ep of unadulterated uplifting club music. a meeting at the garden festival finale in idyllic croatia last summer along the lines of i love your records / i love your label came to the instant conclusion to bring team lauer to especial.

dj jus-ed share s some of his special moment track s from as far back as 2008. he hope s that they will bring you enjoyment on the dance of any level. all six tracks have their own personal sound and purpose. best description of these 6 tracks is...make your own! if your a dj jus-ed fan you have to have this double pack in your collection!

emotional response returns to dusseldorf with a compilation of the music emanating out of the diskant label over some 7 eps between 2009-2014

following the release of the -eleccio- mix cd in 2014, especial has continued on it s path to develop and push a club sound that is slightly more leftfield than the on-going boompty house rehash, the mutation of nu-disco in to something a bit more proggy, trancey and the never ending thud-drug-chug of the 110 bpm ableton-for-beginners brigade, by offering a mixture of musically psychedelic, twisted, dubbed-out, proto-obsessed club eps.

having issued a mini album from fuxa earlier this year, stuart leaths tireless emotional response welcomes the detroit band back to the label with an album recorded alongside neil mackay of loop fame. apollo soyuz was originally released digitally earlier this year via bandcamp, but you can see why leath would want to license it for a proper vinyl edition. the eight tracks form an exploration of the outer cosmos that is tinged with a deep psychedelia that will resonate warmly with fans of emotional response. from the space funk of the opening apollo soyuz, fuxa and mackay lead the listener through galactic kosmische, spatial ambience and primal tape loop experiments and more with testz 1 a considered highlight.

especial welcomes one alphonse to the label. a true missing in action, last seen by his crew dancing atop a bus, here literally forced him to give up the tape of same for me.

especial is proud to announce a special release with 2 official remixes of the seminal afro-cosmic classic

featuring 4 producers that cross musical spheres is the labels way and again roster members are handed the keys to the treasure while welcoming other, less unknown producers a chance to highlight their aural visions.

after releases for discos capablanca and moon glyth, minneapolis collective food pyramid align with especial for a remix ep based around oh mercy, a track from their 2012 album mango sunrise. apparently a long term favourite of label boss stuart leath, the warped breakbeat jam fusion of the original is ripe for reinvention and gets the remix treatment from especial in house team apophenia, inhalt and jamie paton. its the full on italo pumper remix from san francisco s inhalt that really impresses too, with especial right to compare it to timmy regisford classic remix of >rules to survive< by noi

the fourth and final edition of schleiben is an extra special one, bringing forth acollaborative project between colin potter of nurse with wound fame, not waving artist alessio natalizia and brain machine s guido zen. furthermore the series ties with dusseldorf remain, as osnabruck based producer niklas rehme-schluter lines the flip with the beautiful ambient touches of his cass project. the two part efforts from potter, natalizia and zen offer a perfect marriage of methods, with percussion hinting at and techno, while the constant drone influx and disintegration grab your attention, overlapping with rhythmic repetition deeper and deeper. the cass contributions see tracks from the german artists cassette only hiding place album presented on vinyl for the first time and fit snugly into the sonic ethos explored over the previous schleiben releases

emotional response open the secret circuit archives to some of eddie ruschas contemporaries from the city of angels for a fine exercise in how to do a remix 12inch. first up is suzanne kraft, aka diego herrera who forms one half of blase along with ruscha in his hands the crazy afro-stylings of afrobotics are pulled towards the dancefloor, adding percussion and sirens, forging the originals vibes in to a ethno-beat club jam that is all about that heads down moment. next up the samps turns shockers into a warped mesh of psychedelic dance, whilst superior elevations tom noble adds some killer boogie vibes to underdogs. finally sun araw man cameron stallones appears under rare alter-ego aristrocrat p. child to re-edit roll in superb fashion

number three in the four part schleiben series from emotional response arrives with dont dj and tropical hi-fi at the controls. the former is the current creative endeavour of florian meyer, founder of the diskant label and one of the more experimental and academic producers to surface from dusseldorf in recent times. he also forms one third of the durian brothers. meyers kosmose is a 20 minute piece which explores the link between polyrhythmic percussion and brooding electronics understandably, its ripe with introspective qualities. offering some contrast, northern australian producer tropical hi-fi turns in oceanic mythology, a meandering journey through found sounds, psychedelia, folk music and more which sounds like listening to sued b-sides whilst tripped out on acid.

it s fair to say khijda s debut ep on especial was one of the highlights of the label to date. mustafa - in original form and remixed to distraction by timothy j fairplay - became the soundtrack for many a summer party, while abul was perfect for those deeper late night afters. ... played by jonny 5, dj sofa, ali renault, gitchell moore, the legendary 1979 orchestra, dynamicron (los grandes/our nights), jack pattern, lurid music

strange happenings are going on down at scrutton street, ec1. with release after release cementing the names of those based or working out of the studio bunker, a desire for pushing the boundaries of electronic music is primary with little concern for whats hip. so if anyone can tim can and here with his newly birthed pseudonym comes junior fairplay. with a one-sided release and remix to his name on crimes of the future a glimpse has been offered of whats in store, but how do you like me now? gives it straight.

the 2nd part of the 4 part split (schleiben) series welcomes rising stars of the experimental end of modern electronica, with warsaws the phantom and glagow s sad city bringing a lush, fourth world ambience to erb002.

schleissen 1 marks the beginning of a major, four-part project from stuart leath s emotional response label an in-depth exploration of the outer reaches of drone and ambient. it s a grand scheme, highlighted perfectly by the grandiose scale of serbian maverick abul mogard s opener a hypnotic, 19-minute exploration of modular drone music that s as freaky as it is beautiful. stefan schwander dons his now familiar harmonious thelonious alias on the flip, laying down two brilliantly melodious synthesizer pieces inspired by the cyclical compositions of acclaimed minimalist composer steve reich. both pieces are borderline stunning, and more than worth the admission price.

not waving aka alessio natalizia is back. his human capabilities album was one of the highlights of the label in 2014, so it seems only right to get 4 artists to create their own unique versions for this ep.

la/detroit two-steppers newbody (aka roberto ramone and jonathan roshad) keep the faith on their latest single. *emotional* and the flip *wut u do* share the duos brisk vocal house signature: cooled garage energy, uptown piano, bass calisthenics, satin shirt soul. the remixes flex different tendons of the tracks: emotion ii emotion pumps it to jack city, piano stabs and discotheque horns over a lush, lewd bounce, while cromie & sage caswell go more stereoscopic, dizzying the song into an abstract sunrise awakening. also includes a radio edit of “emotional,” to bait the top 40 djs on the fence. mastered by mark pistel. center label design by trevor tarczynski.

stories of prison sees timothy j fairplay returns to emotional response having helped shape the identity of the label in it s infancy with the release of somebody, somewhere back in 2012. a lot of music has come from both artist and label since then, with fairplay s reputation as a solo artist fully established thanks to releases on a myriad of labels. stories of prison is a mini lp rich in the musical intensity fairplay has instilled in all his music to date, yet there is a daring sense of diversity at play too. from the effervescent dubbed out house toughness of opening track -the quay-, fairplay veers into subaquatic breakbeat, deep synth love from outer space chuggers, and other late night sonic treats

with the bizarre feeling ep laying the sound for the subsequent fist year of the label, it is right jamie returns with ep#2 to move things forward with another twisted take on his unique mutoid-protoid-machine-funk-groove. starting with mad obsession you would be forgiven for thinking you ll have bizarre feeling part 2, with warped vocals - taken from late night, half asleep scribbled notes - and space echo haze, but let the percussion work-out trip you up and the stars in and before you know it things start going leftfild and then deeper with the free party sound system bass line shuffl of time nearly time. what he is on (about), no one knows. it is on the flp however that things take a darker turn. beyond the confession booth, down sharp stairs and dripping ceiling to a red light lit room of latter day late night blues.

former padded cell and bronx dogs man richard sen has made some great records in his time, and songs of pressure is up there with the best of them. joining the dots between murky dub disco, horror soundtracks and ebm, it layers spooky, delay-laden synthesizer motifs and wonky vocal samples atop a heavy dub rhythm and punchy machine drums. pals andrew weatherall and timothy j fairplay deliver a bongo-laden, dubbed-out revision (part wayward exotica, part humid balearic dub), while acca strips the track down to its nare bones for a ket-addled dub. its a fantastic 12inch, and limited to just 99 copies. you snooze, you lose.

especial take a side-step, welcoming up and coming producer wolf muller to the label with his remixes of indie-pop dreamer mariam the believer. two striking percussive, led reworks of her single invisible giving appear exclusively on vinyl.

typically eccentric, melodious, atmospheric and bristling with interesting ideas, cosmic vibrations delves deeper into ruschas archives and comes up with gold. highlights are naturally plentiful, but keep an eye out for the psychedelic ambience of electric brain, the analogue electronic explorations of nova laser, and shockers, an acid-flecked chunk of chiming balearic deep house with exotic, arabic touches

following the critical success of last years mini-lp the last tortuga, black deer is back on emotional response with a 4 track remix ep featuring friends and alumni nacho patrol, luke wyatt, sad city and valet. william burnett returns to the label in the form of a remixes ep that takes his original productions and hands it to a broad selection of todays finest electronic producers, plus a rare outing from one of the labels favourite pyschedelic experimentalists

emotional response welcome detroit s fuxa to the label with a mini-album that takes their trademark pyschedelic guitar and synth instrumental rock and showcases the more spiritual and ethereal creativity running within. specially curated from fuxas two recent digital only albums - dirty d and frequencies for physical, mental and spiritual healing - this special 8 track selection sees each album represented on one side of vinyl

to accompany the release of especial s compilation mix cd, -eleccio- - offering of a snapshot of the first 9 eps on the label - a limited edition sampler ep is being released featuring 4 unreleased remixes from the label s roster to date. ever since the first white labels appeared at the end of summer 2013, emotional especial has had a busy release schedule, putting out music that are a slightly warped take on club music. mixing the influences of dub, electro, disco, proto-house, house and techno, a feeling, a sound, a vibe has appeared without any preordained plan. with the release of ees10cd - a dj meets studio compilation mix created by label mainstay and handyman, jamie paton - to mark the end of first series of the label, it was decided to included a couple of specal unreleased remixes to add a bit of new with the old in the mix. to that end this limited edition vinyl sampler was created to include the two remixes, plus the inclusion of another two gems that simply needed to see the light of day. first is the alternative -member- remix of inhalt by black merlin - a strings meets leather bar club-dub-out that takes things deeper and darker than before. this is followed by jamie delivering his own take of khidja s massive mustafa, with a warped, swamped out dub. next is another mix from cage & aviary of their pals, blancemange. brooding low-slung rerub dub anyone? finally there is a very special remix by khidja of the ganges orchestra. reissued on emotional rescue in 2013, this special remix takes the vocal mantra of the original and creates a balearic-raga tale that perfectly rounds off especial to date.

the supremely talent william burnett makes a belated return to emotional response, and this time he s got brooklyn-based studio pal john beall in tow. those who enjoyed the duo s release on the l.i.e.s. white label series should lap up shimmer. it hits hard from the off, with -snaker charmer- delivering a velvet-clad punch to the guts. it s techno right from the top drawer, with darting electronics and drawn out pads riding a thunderous groove. the title track is impressive, too, with surging electronics and throbbing synths riding a techno-tempo groove crafted out of an old hardcore breakbeat. there s some more considered fare on offer, too, with the shimmering ambience of -hold me take me leave me- completing a superb package.

emotional especial call time on their first series of releases and do so in style, taking a detour to san francisco for a 12- that features reworks of latter-day synth experimentalists inhalt. the specific focus here is occupations, last years ep for the killer dark entries label which showed a distinct progression in the inhalt sound to capture a contemporary take on synth wave/cold wave/dark wave (delete as appropriate

limited to 250 copies, each with screenprinted artwork unique to each record. glaswegian producer marco bernardi offers up 4 tracks of unsettling, quirky, off the wall techno and electro. marco has released on many respected labels over the years including clone, crème organization, soma and frustrated funk. along with his heavy release schedule, marco has also launched his own label take the elevator that focuses on non-conventional house and techno.

emotional especial gathers pace with an eighth release from richard sen, a man whose cultured touch has had a hand in various strands of the uk underground for the past two decades. graffiti artist, graphic designer, music curator, dj and producer are all vocations richard sen has done at one point or another. here he goes solo with the ghost train ep, a dark and brooding release of old school meets new school house jack that takes its cues from 80s new york, italian house and the nascent uk acid house that sen himself documented with aplomb on a 2012 compilation for strut. naggingly familiar samples and a low slung box jam groove drive the spectral title cut forward, whilst sens mastery of delay is shown with aplomb on the dub version that closes out the record. nestled in between is the highlight however in *meteor shower* where discoid basslines merge with psychedelically charged keys and hollowed out steppers percussion.

having a debut that managed to possibly be the most regularly outed track by andrew weatherall as he dug deep to discover the sound that resonated as a love from outer space, while at the same time seemingly slipping under the radar of practically everyone else and disappear in to relative cult obscurity is some mean feet

2013 was a good year for mr natalizia. breaking out of his musical (comfort) zone and touring schedule as one half of kompakt records stars walls, a deeper side to his music oeuvre was shown on the excellent not waving debut, umwelt, before then going on to compile the killer *mutazione* compilation of italian new wave 1980-1988 for strut records. spanning 9 tracks, *human capabilities* takes the sound of umwelt and the subsequent super limited cassette only reinterpretations of redacted and mixes harder percussive tracks alongside explorations of melody through ambient pieces that close each side.

emotional response unearth a selection of lost remixes taken from the brain machine self-titled album, with interpretations by steve moore, majeure, spectral empire and unit 4.

following their acclaimed debut album, migration, on prins thomas internasjonal label in 2012, jamie paton and nigel hoyle (aka nigel of bermondsey) have seemed relatively quiet save for the odd remix here and there. tucked away deep in their south east london base though, a series of remixes and solo projects have been steadily forming. with new c&a material planned for 2014, plus more to come from jamies new solo efforts, as well as nigel making a long overdue reappearance in maurice & charles, now seems the right time to draw a line under their collective work to date. here then are a collection of unreleased interpretatons, including the sought after vocal remix of psychedlic darlings, in goats anthemic run to your mama. this is followed by a late night dub of 80s pop duo blancmange that mixes strings, guitar and some dub bass with a dose of space echo before bringing neil arthur s classicly recognisable refrain shining through. to finish is a remix of goats label mates teeth of the sea. fx-soundtrack vocal, bubbling 303 and 808 combine on a proper 3am dub that builds beyond some mere drug-chug.

collaborations are often the fortune of timing. with andy having moved on since closing the dissident label to launching his cave paintings project to tim s departure from battant and striking out as andrew weatheralls engineer and soon to be co-member of the asphodells, an alliance was born between the two to undertake a series of live jam sessions at eachs respective studios. a love of new wave, new beat, uk bleep and detroit techno all feature in b-ultras and the aptly titled, neu beat. both cuts are heavily soaked in the pitch black, smoke machine funk and strob-laden fug of andys (and co-hort joe hart) infamous world unknown dancefloor. running at around 10 minutes the tracks are essentially an examination of acid houses ideals. clattering hats, throbbing basslines, stabbing keys and doses of 303. keeping it pretty simple but all about a pure groove on and on. backing these up is a remix of b-ultras from jamie paton that accentuates the groove and drags the acid deeper down to some b-boy dub throwdown - with more to follow from all protagonists in 2014.

vinyl only! mental models emotional state ep comes with 4 powerfull tools straight from their maschines. rushed minutes, fevered vibes, minded moments and weakened feelings are all emotions we all experienced in our club adventures. simple,straight and no compromises. can you feel it?

friends for many years, richard sen and scott fraser come together with a dose of mutual admiration and back slapping by remixing each other on this 2 track ep. however, what makes this collaboration different is there are no original versions appearing, just these remixes.

especial is delighted to welcome baris to the roster. known for his edit series of obscure turkish psychedelic, rock and disco, here he takes the producers chair to present *200*. working with musicians and singers to create a completely original production. the songs message for equality (of the sexes) highlights the bigotry and backward political and religious boundaries his country faces and acts as a siren to the current troubles.

emotional especial is the new label from the emotional recordings stable. a sub label to emotional response, especial is though squarely aimed at the floor rather than the head. in a similar vain to the limited 4 eps-only label that was emotional relish, it will merge the sounds and styles that influence contemporary electronic producers, taking in new wave, new beat, ebm and proto-house to create something modern. jamie paton of cage & aviary helms the debut release with bizarre feeling. a youth soaking up punk, dub and new wave, the ep acts at times as a homage to the sounds of new order, the the, kraftwerk and the then other-wordly machine funk emanating out of mid-80s chicago. with both timothy j fairplay and scott fraser aiding and abetting down in the scrutton street bunker studio, with keys, guitar and a heavy dose of space echo, plus hypnotic fx laden vocals from jamie himself, all propel the ep beyond pastische and make the perfect start to especial.

slammin tuff house and electro tracks from 2001 by skatebard, norways #1 techno-riddim-connaisseur...

review: with releases on a who s who list of labels that are pushing experimental, underground house and techno including l.i.e.s, creme organisation, echovolt and strange life, william burnett has been steadily putting out releases that have gained a lot of respect without having to shout too loud about it.