log on records & signature sound studios in conjuction with isr records, present the latest collection of roots reggae vocals from esteemed producer martin campbell. the album features a plethora of new artists from the san diego area. the album was compiled during 2015/2016 stateside and then the final mix was produced by alien dread at ad studio (uk) late 2016.
this is the eagerly anticipated new release from martin, with his 5000+ fans on facebook giving the early demo tracks a rapturous reception. featured artists: louie castle, james mcwhinney, marcie lee, danny dread, ilex monique, pappa monte, ivan garzon, e.n.young, davey roots, adrian ak cisneros, jarrod king.

zona del silencio or the zone of silence is an area deep in the mexican desert. it is the home of several rare, mutant species of animals (including the purple cactus and a malformed version of the desert tortoise). the area’s name derives from an odd anomaly that prohibits radio waves from transmitting inside the zone. when asked about the strange phenomena, the locals invariably reply that they do not see strange things in the desert, only strange people. play this record three times and the idwt gang will appear in your mirror and smoke you out.

“sawtooth novel” is a killer track, a special weapon intended for the dancefloor. the rest of the ep turns around powerful techno to more deeper and mysterious atmospheres. after his brilliant works on token and cocoon records, johannes volk continues to impress us!
some johannes’ words about his work for artcub records: “the title track “sawtooth novel” is my little hommage to the old sägezahn sound. there was a sägezahn renaissance in the rhein main area end of the 90’s, which was a huge influence for me when i went to clubs during this time. “counterbalance” has a rather subtle approach, the track lives from its effects and filtering. for the others tracks i want to express the more darker and dramatic side of techno, which is also well-equipped for the more excessive dancefloor hours.”

following excellent releases from skatebard, les crocodiles and lunar concept amongst many others, pleasure unit turn to cut the rug crew member mike misiu for their latest instalment of cool-headed modern disco. do what you need sports a metro area demeanour, with a classic vocal hook sprinkled in at opportune moments for maximum impact. the dub mix is no less satisfying, even with the famous sample rubbed out, but in fact the real pleasant surprise of this release is b2 jam love talk. with its funky midtempo 90s breakbeat and heavy-hitting piano, it s an addictive party starter that harks back to the acid jazz days while still fitting right into the here and now.

welcome -into laniakea-. we are proud to present our first release: -160 mega parsec- as a various artists. different artists to represent the variety of universes we have in our supercluster. with artist on board such as passenger, caseer and voiture, transonic flow and diffuse arc, this is a versatile record. the a1 starts the journey with passenger, the italian artist gives us a spacey and slow electronic track with a moody bassline, perfect to introduce the label style. the a2 is more a bouncy housy acidish track with a weird vocal coming from the french and dutch duo. it drives from the start to the end with groovy bass and low kick perfect to kill a dancefloor. on the other side, you have a dreamy electro track from transonic flow, german duo from hamburg composed of koloman trax and hitekjaz. the b1 is a pure gem with its melodic yet rhythmic lead. they told us it has been club validated! the last track is from no one else than diffuse arc, who searched his tapes and hard drives to send us some unreleased and hidden tracks. the result is a deep and groovy ballad with acid bassline that will suit every music lovers. you got it, -into lanieakea- is all about groove and spacy dreamy tracks. we trully hope you will get touched by the vibe and the love we put into this record.

devon lyon, born devon bailey, moved to kingston in the 70 s to live in trenchtown with his mum, his sister and his brother named dennis. dennis was working in the new kingston area on a construction site. dennis met a friend who worked at the construction site and that friend was the lead singer from the group the chantells. . dennis told the chantells lead singer that his brother was singing at home like he was singing everyday on construction work site. the chantells lead singer told dennis to bring his brother devon. one day, devon came with his brother devon and they met the three members of the group the chantells. they became friends. devon started to verse with them in the evening and they really like him style.

the squirrels are back. their second platter comes courtesy of kit n c.l.a.w.s. (say it out loud), the cheekily-named collaborative project from squirrels on film co-founder brian hock and veteran san francisco producer kit clayton, and just like the label s first record, it s a woozy, wobbly trip designed for dancefloors drifting between dimensions. savvy techno heads will recognize kit clayton s name from his decades of experience at the avant-garde of electronic music. in the late 90s, he and partners tang tran and juan mendez (now better known as silent servant) launched cytrax, a groundbreaking minimal techno label that paved the way for the clicks n cuts sound of the early aughts. his debut album — nek sanalet, first released in 1999 on stefan betke s seminal label ~scape and reissued in 2015 — remains one of dub techno s most enduring documents. meanwhile, brian hock moonlights as the drummer for deranged bay area post-punk outfit bronze while recording murky electro-techno excursions as c.l.a.w.s.

für ihr viertes release auf compost präsentieren siren (darshan jesrani und dennis kane) den track lulu, ein eindringlicher und treibender song mit emotional geladenen vocals von devi mamboka. der song wird begleitet von eleganten gitarrenriffs von danny chavis von the veldt (sein zwillingsbruder daniel sang bereits auf sirens erster maxi), basslines von sirens sound engineer mark dann und percussion von liquid liquid frontmann salvatore principato. die italienischen disco- und cosmic-pioniere daniele baldelli und marco dionigi steuern eine sagenhaft groovende und zugleich zeitlose re-interpretation von -lulu- bei. siren sind darshan jesrani (metro area, startree) und dennis kane (disques sinthomme, ghost town). siren’s erste recording sessions fingen im winter 2013 an, aber die anfänge ihrer zusammenarbeit reichen zurück zu ihren gemeinsamen residencies im berühmten new yorker hot-spot apt und anderen parties, die sie organisierten. events mit namen wie camille 3000, adult section und strobe lodge wurden liebevoll gestaltet, mit gewagt romantischen grafiken und einem prägnanten spezifischen statement, dass kultiviertheit und sünde stets zusammen gehören können und immer sollten.

a strange confluence of sound that sounds part krautrock synth label brain records, part hyperdub. techno haze and synth wormholes with spectacular sound design that has banged at berghain and soundtracked winter night drives. greenspan is known mainly for his work with junior boys and jessy lanza and taraval is a longtime touring member of caribou, but both have released several 12” and eps of electronic exploration over the past few years. inspired by synthesizer minimalists like jd emmanuel, cluster and john carpenter, the two attempted to create a type of dance music with hardware that was indebted to their influences but did not feel intrinsically retrogressive. the idea was to make a type of raw synthesizer and drum machine music that could be listened to beside the hypermodern techno of pearson sound or actress. the cover art is a tribute to a mysterious mural that looms over the hamilton ontario area where the album was recorded. each of the five tracks on the ep were edited down from much longer recording jams which were done with hardware sequencers in real time. the recording was done completely off the floor with no overdubs or added material after the fact.

ou just can t beat those super secret squirrel trax releases on guesthouse, one of the most sizable house labels operating of the bay area. on this third installment, mark funk and danny cruz keep things live and direct with the impassioned soulful house of -givin my love-. peter brown then slides in with the tracky pressure of -funkosphere-, which comes with added flute for good measure. dj mes also strikes a headier groove, but teases the ingredients on -state of affairs- out into an effervescent peak time floor filler, and then hazzaro brings it home with the rallying, roller-skate call of -saturday-. other releases on guestho

second installment of spanish imprint de profundiis, this time signed by madrid s duo uanamani in which they tell us a musical story about the mysterious underground labyrinth of hawara. a gigantic ancient construction underneath a necropolis in the region of el fayum, egypt. quoted by many chroniclers of antiquity, is believed to be a monument of colossal dimensions, and probably the key that would prove the existence of an unknown precedent civilization with a few vestiges around the area.
the record is focused around 4 subterranean tracks which alternate between intense moments of epic mythology and more ambiental and introspective passages, with sound artifacts found in the various secret chambers and pharaonic tombs. a journey with analogic vs digital rhythms, dreamy pads, minimalistic and ritual details, enigmatic drones, mummified keys and synths submerged in millennial history and archaic poetry. an experience for the intrepid travelers of the past and future times.
hand-stamped white label release.

the mojuba sublabel moves on to the next realm of music after delivering with sven weisemann - xine one of the most surprising and acclaimed albums of 2009. so now its the turn for goldwill. some of you might know these incredible talented guys from their first releases on liebedetail, musik gewinnt freunde, wasnotwas or einmaleins. so what can we say about this release, if you liked jc freaks you will love the sound of goldwill! its that magic combination of sounding fresh and not forgetting about the traditional old school feel at the same time, which makes the tracks so special! so check out the convincing tunes and keep in mind: the future looks golden!

megna’s first solo ep. hardware productions - uncuted from his live recording versions. analog delays / echos are everywhere. made in austria.

under the glow of moonlight, zak damundo has arrived on the cold busted label scene with his fantastic debut album 3am. the alias of san francisco dj / producer zach devincent, zak damundo presents eighteen original and sampled beats that are mixed continuously in the physical realm (cd and vinyl), but also available digitally as individual cuts. an underground dance music veteran, devincent is the host of swim on digitally imported radio, an affiliate of the bay area’s independent hip hop tv program distortion 2 static, and has released tunes for the likes of 5 and dime recordings, acryl music, looq records, and open bar music.

we are proud to announce the first release on the shop’s new label house of love vinyl with a strong ep by long time friend of the shop modaji. side a kicks off with the sizzling ‘razzle dazzle disco’ gyrating the house grooves alongside vocal demands that provide a nostalgic setting with a modern thinking twist. ‘times change’ is a thriller killer for sure with it’s metro area like hooks. on the flip there’s more of the same with “i wanna go dancing, i want to go have some fun” as the main hook for ‘lisa at the party,’ whilst transforming us back to strobelights and dry ice filled dancefloors. ‘headwork’ closes the ep off with a straight up jacking swinging groove supplemented with swirling pads and sharp stabs. this is one ep not to be missed.

cementing his reputation as the star toaster with the small but popular el paso sound system, based in the waltham park area, dennis alcapone was one of the first deejays to rise to prominence following u roy’s breakthrough in the late 1960s. born dennis smith in the rural district of culloden, he became immersed in sound system culture after settling in western kingston. once el paso became big on the sound system circuit, dental technician-turned-producer keith hudson brought him into the studio for his debut recordings, which led to a debut album for studio one and hit material for duke reid, some cut in concert with his deejay sparring partner, lizzy. alcapones longstanding links with bunny lee yielded the excellent guns don’t argue album, first issued in 1972, on which the toaster raps with style over some of lees all-time greatest rhythms, including delroy wilsons better must come, john holts left with a broken heart and slim smiths rendition of the temptations soul classic ain’t too proud to beg.

one of jamaicas most highly-rated vocalists, alton ellis made an incredible contribution to the islands popular music. blessed with a particularly emotive voice that brings shivers to the spine whether singing original material or cover tunes, ellis was born and raised in trench town, the west kingston ghetto area that gave rise to bob marley and the wailers and countless other singers. ellis and singing partner eddie parkins hit big in 1961 with the ballad muriel for coxsone dodd, and after parkins moved to the usa, ellis teamed briefly with john holt, and then began fronting the flames harmony group. he excelled in the rock steady style, christening the genre with rock steady and i have got a date, bouncing between studio one and treasure isle for a number of years. from 1971, he spent increasing period in london, but continued to record hits in jamaica for various producers. the 1979 release love to share was arranged by the great studio one keyboardist, jackie mittoo, who co-produced the album with junior lincoln, founder of the london-based bamboo label, the disc straddles the line between lover’s rock and roots reggae, remaining a lesser-known classic

enter tsuruda. championing one of the most innovative and heartfelt collectives in the los angeles area, this salt lake city native has a very bright future ahead of him. expertly combining the hard-hitting percussion of trap, the swagger and depth of hip hop, and a style of sampling and melody creation all his own, tsuruda truly brings a unique and gripping sound to the stage. in a scene where true originality and heart is often difficult to find, tsuruda follows a similar path to artists like ta-ku and mr. carmack. he understands his love for music and his own struggle, and brings them into the light for his listeners. following his extensive body of work be sure to look out for his album “move”, dropping on noisia’s division imprint soon.

als vinyl streng limitiertes debütalbum des aus der bay area stammenden und in los angeles ansässigen künstlers harriet brown, das auf seine ep -new era- aus dem jahr 2014 folgt. es ist kein geheimnis, dass der multiinstrumentalist und produzent stark von prince und sade inspiriert ist. die musik der one-man band ist ein mix aus elektronischen sounds aus drum-maschinen, synthesizern, geloopten live-aufnahmen und sinnlichen vocals. die atmosphäre ist sinnlich, sexuell, vieldeutig und androgyn. das album erscheint bei innovative leisure aus los angeles, heimat von nick waterhouse, badbadnotgood, hanni el khatib, etc. für fans von prince, classixx, kelela, nao, sade, blood orange, u.a.!

nick beringer is back on taverna tracks with another bangin ep, dishing out four trippy, dreamy jams with a classic house attitude. the foundation is set!

i released the original 12inch volume of five fingers of death battle breaks way back in 1998, while i was living in oakland and then san francisco during a time of incredible movement and creativity within the suddenly exploding scratch dj scene. the term turntablist, coined by dj disk, had yet to really catch on outside of the bay area scratch fraternity. having recently moved to california from new york, pauls turntable aesthetics were strictly 80s east coast and was more concerned with catching doubles (beat juggling) and overall party rocking. in other words, the science of scratching was not something i was even contemplating.needless to say, i was completely amazed and overwhelmed with what djs like qbert, shortcut, apollo and mixmaster mike were doing. (paul nice)

paper recording are back on vinyl with a fantastic debut 12- from italian duo soundersons, who have come up through the underground bologna house scene. can t get enough is a deep electro-funk slice of nu disco with diana g on vocals. it s got 80s synths and squelches, vocal hooks a plenty, clonking percussion, rhodes and that metro area / tom tom club vibe. parts i and ii are split in to vocal and instrumental over one side on continuous play for maximum dance floor action. on the flip, the mighty dj spinna brings his a game with a deep nyc take that is underground house at it s best. he uses synths, arps and the vocal to slowly build the remix that hits it s peak at the end. finally education finished things off with a raw disco cut up that hits the floor running and keeps going full pelt. one for the dancers.

2017 repress arriving soon!
sensible techno with refined layers of sounds and powerful percussion on a foundation of solid subbass on this all paris affair. made in paris is the key word of this second release on taapion records. all these young artists are part of a new french techno movement. antigone or roman poncet already crossed borders (indigo area, concrete, figure). other just emerging from the dark basements of paris. shlomo, pvnv and awb deliver some solid work on the taapion label.

a concept album is the best way to get back to being agan. -amplification of movements- (2017) is the first full-length album of giuseppe carlini, already a member of plaster with gianclaudio h. moniri (kaeba). a work inspired by and dedicated to the natural reserve of vico lake, in italy. during a four-year period, from 2012 to 2016, the artist focused on the wildlife of the area in the province of viterbo, considering it both as an inspiring muse and an object of study. -amplification of movements- was developed little by little, in the wake of an -onion- architecture and layered in six songs which inevitably reference the nature of the site. the parallels between the place and the music are also to be found in search of a sound, which is balanced between field recordings and self production.

ibiza’s dj pippi & willie graff kreieren zwei funky disco burner mit dem „magic feeling“, den die beiden balearic disco pioniere seit jahrzehnten auszeichnet. obendrauf gibt’s erstklassige remixe von ron basejam (aka crazy p) und siren (siren sind darshan jesrani von metro area und dennis kane aka citizen kane).

straight from detroit with love comes this hand stamped and warm sounding ep from gari romalis, limited 200 copies one off pressing...

disco alert ! franz vu lëtzebuerg and the talented singer songwriter baskerville jones are back on big box recordings and provide us with a unique and irresistible spoken words disco swagger called -chameleon-. close your eyes, courtesy of baskervilles slick vocals and franz tight production, you are back to the end of the 70s area on the dancefloor of the most infamous clubs and this will be an amazing journey !
support: dazzle drums, kiko navarro, spirit of house, terry hunter, dj rocca, horse meat disco, nick holder, benji candelario ... and the list will get bigger soon

our next release is coming from phil evans. phil is also part of the new generation of dj’s and producers that are hailing from the rhein-main area around frankfurt. together with his best mate markus sommer he is running the label pager records. he caught our attention already a while ago and so we were quite happy to receive the tracks for this ep from him. he has a lot of personality in his productions already and his musical range is also quite large going from hip hop to house, but also more stripped down stuff or chicago house references can be found in his music selection and influences. besides that he is a lovely and very sympathetic young man and so it is definitely worth keeping an eye on him, because he is on fire.

hike: cristal clear lakes, impressive mountains, soothing forests and berlin techno music.
the königstuhl is the highest peak in the lower odenwald forest. at its top, an amazing view awaits you - over the neckar valley, rhine lowlands and on a clear day even as far as alsace. high above the university town you will find peace and tranquillity on the numerous footpaths. you can experience the surrounding forests in a unique way on the “via naturae” walking route or the forest adventure trail. on the opposite side of the neckar river, you will find the beautiful “philosophers walk”. in this area you can stumble over beautiful beryll minerals, like the one we used for our cover.

hailing from the ruhr area in germany, the homewreckers have a long history to look back on. numerous projects have involved the three band members johannes ehmann, gregor pottmeier and krischan wesenberg in the past 20 years always meandering between the realms of jazz, blues, soul, house and techno. between the profound bags of djs and the shelves of audiophile heads. their unique sound spans from deep dancefloor oriented electronic music to film soundtracks that, amongst others, underlined the infamous productions of the artist harun farocki. confusion ep is an excerpt of their upcoming album machine kiss that sums up six years of research and work and melts the influence of more than 25 years of knowledge onto one record.

cuplet makes a stomping return with its second release, set to become quintessential for the revived techno sound, leaving andrei ciubucs imagination running wild on this 2-tracker. both record sides, overwhelming in the low frequencies area, are painting a dark industrial canvas for andreis devilish signature groove, syncopated for strei2 yet harmonized within the bassline for cel putin.
smoky techno, cuplet style, coming soon on a dancefloor near you!

inspired by the likes of raresh, zip, and villalobos, the artist known as kepler has something special in store for your local area dance floor. “making chords” is an exciting new release that’s guaranteed to please. the title track “making chords” can be appropriately described as nothing less than an addictive, bona fide banger that will instantaneously hook its end user after one listen. from the beginning kepler. sets the pace with a smooth, sexy bass line that will command your attention and aggressively compel any crowd to start dancing. this passionate production pushes its agenda with a rumbling tempo, dynamic drums, and intriguing vocals that are well worth repeating. laced with clever sounding samples and purposeful piano licks, “making chords” is made for anyone and everyone. the second offering, “wire” is a quirky, fun departure that gives insight to kepler’s wide range. this spooky sounding track is characterized by its off-beat rhythm, saturating bass tones and curious sounding signals that slide up and down while continually building momentum. as the “wire” progresses, one can’t help but to take note of how its unpredictable nature is dictated in such a well-organized manner. very, very interesting.

4 tracks of rhythmic hypnosis from the swedish under molnet label. this fits perfectly with the grey area / techno time-shifting theme, and signifies the growing strength of under molnet.

church start 2017 in familiar fashion, introducing ben hauke to the label.

oakland-based dj/producer (100% silk / as you like it) teams up with fellow bay area fixtures cm-4 & jason kendig (honey soundsystem) for an ep of banging melodic tracks straddling the line between house & techno + a touch of acid.

the 3rd release on bernese imprint bons vivants records by kohn and gray chalk is traveling the path of quite some psychedelic house and techno area.

jacktone records is pleased to announce our latest release: a vinyl ep titled channel from rising house producer, loren steele the ep from san francisco-based steele is comprised of four original tracks designed for the dancefloor, plus a sprawling psychedelic remix from mathematics/100% silk veteran, roche. not only are the tracks varied and ready for skilled djs to drop at that perfect spot of the night, but, they’re also earworms - hooking you with their infectious grooves and melodies. the clean production and energetic structure of the originals, featuring perfectly-placed pads, stabs and filters washing over propulsive basslines and percussion locks in a warm yet hands-in-the-air vibe. the roche remix of swimma draws out the groove and adds some of that san francisco psychedelic fog. the tracks were recorded live in single takes with little post production processing, giving them a kinetic feel that can’t be reproduced. channel was produced with creative feedback from both cherushii and nackt, whom were lost in the oakland fire. the ep is released in their memory. loren steele is a san francisco-based producer and multi-instrumentalist. as a bassist, dj and a solo live pa artist, he has performed at bay area institutions, haceteria, ok hole, psychic friends, run the length of your wildness, space gallery, public works, and underground sf. he has releases on wolf and lamb music, run the length of your wildness, bob recordings

hike: cristal clear lakes, impressive mountains, soothing forests and berlin techno music.
the national park of saxon switzerland in eastern germany, south-east of dresden offers endless ways to have a great hiking journey. the 93km region between pirna and the czech border is one of the most beautiful landscapes in europe. more than 700 summits are available to rock climbers, while for those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, there are 400 km² of marked hiking-trails, steep treks, paths and some cycle routes through the national park. in this area, called the erz mountains, we found our beautiful cover stone with a typical ore layer inside.

gosu links up with london based french guy pastaga to form a breaky electro infected 3-tracker which speaks for itself. he also runs his own vinyl only label by the same name -pastaga-

patrick gil is back with the third installment of pressed friends. this time he invites long time friend, and voodoo down records label boss n conduit aka alex hamadey to contribute an original track. friends since high school, patrick and alex each have gone into their own explorations of the deep techno/house grey area for the last decade. this release explores the deepest of the deep, pushing the limits of dance floor music to the very edge. dig into the subtle power.

nice price deal !!! limited edition of 300 copies on blue coloured 12 inch - vinyl only, no digital release!
first vinyl only release in a brand-new series of heavily textured, hypnotic and puristic techno by one of italo-americans veterans in this area of expertise. this twelve marks the official launch of the second alter ego from ghettomans stefano patarnello. you might call dj gossip boy the nemesis of his other project son of disorder. where son of disorder is as eclectic as he can get, dj gossip boy is all about niches and purism. all trips are inward journeys through explicit sounddesigns, textures and rhythms. this is the first trip into dj gossip boy world of many yet to come.
support by: r. hawtin, sander kleinberg, dubfire, alex bau, forest people, tom pooks, contemporary vision, dema, tim thaler ...

&#8203,,one of the foundation artists on samurai horo, asc is an essential part of the labels rebirth with the ’geocentric systems’ ep. taking the grey area sound into heavier, darker territory, ‘aphelion’ and ‘perihelion’ formed the core of this ep with their fervent bpm trickery. these tracks are techno rebuilt with dizzying sensory loss, adding a weightless intensity that feels like a constant attack. ’passel’ and ‘geocentric systems’ offer a dubbed out version of the approach, heavy on the intricate sound design that has become the asc trademark.

c powers was raised in atlanta, georgia, usa. he lives in savannah, georgia. he is resident dj for performance art drag collective house of gunt. he has also been resident dj at clubnights cape fear in savannah, hunger in atlanta and no pain in pop in london. he works in a library and is cat dad to peppers, bucchi, and baby d. his releases include the oysters ep for proper trax in 2015 and the up neck ep for cgi records in 2014. he produced the single crow for the group 18+ (from their album trust) as well as songs on their album collect. fitness check shows c powers s experience as a dj as well as his growth as a producer. from the drum programs to the arrangements, it s obvious that the ep was written and produced by someone who can work a dancefloor. on wysh, which he says is an exit reaction to morose and morbid- techno, subliminal speech and warped vocal stabs transition from centered to alert. on fresco he dices and scatters a song over loops of itself, a technique he calls -a grey area between sampling and editing,i break it up into bits, resequence that shit then stuff that shit back into the track.js may get even more service from the wysh key beats and fresco beatapella versions, which give jacking rhythm tracks and sub-bass extra room to do their thing. the heavily dubbed ask less kick beats, lighter on drums but with a booming bassline, may prove useful as a set-opener or closer. the ep has been mastered for club play by helmut erler at dubplates & mastering, berlin.

long awaited repress of this amazing masterpiece as very limited white vinyl edition. what happens when scales and patterns of contradicting emotional imprints combine? when light and darkness, bitter and sweet, frost and blaze collide? those are the questions that johannes heil chooses to address on his upcoming album, opening up a vast grey-scaled area for the listener to traverse with techno as a blindfold. ‘black light’ sees the german techno mainstay return to the album format for an intimate ten track odyssey of close-curtained introspection. heil chooses the words of fellow futurist nikola tesla to set the stage of the black light story >black is the true face of light, only we do not see this<. track names are dropped in favor of a chronology of scenes, better adapted to the seemingly polar opposition of the forces that the figure and cocoon regular conjures throughout the album. everything that we perceive is processed and set into relation with past memories, digested emotions and iron-branded impressions. battling the current, johannes heil chooses to challenge certitudes by forcing us out of our comfort zones into the absence of light. if the pictures painted on >black light< are dark, they are also far from monochromatic. the machine-driven sonic prism acts both as the heavy cloud and the burst of light that shoots through to guide us. its the aggressor and the victim, the clenched teeth and the jubilant, the paranoia and the sanity of the mind. its pure heads-down driving techno with volumes of grandiose. provoking our senses, extending his art onto our personal canvases, the exile boss gives the listener the freedom to interpret the emotional context of each piece, to write the scripts of the individual scenes. the impression that >black light< leaves upon first listen testifies that 20 years down the road, johannes heil shows no sign of slowing down.

forty six knobs machine by unbroken dub is the first release from nikita zabelins label, resonance moscow. based in the russian capital, the label focuses on electronic music from towns and regions nationwide. unbroken dub is the stage-name of denis safiullin, well known to domestic audiences as a member of the hot wax team. that project comes from the industrial city of tyumen, sometimes called the hydrocarbon heart of russia. winter temperatures in the area can fall below 45c. denis is a long-standing aficionado of analog synths and continues to experiment with all manner of samples. those two trajectories produce a high level of originality, especially when he enlists the support of leading club figures from around the world. denis release for resonance moscow is excellent proof of this bold experimentation. all three tracks on forty six knobs machine use the rokton, an antique soviet drum synth.

an in-depth look at the 1970s catalogue of the uruguayan label macondo and the roots of subtropical music: bomba, cumbia, guaracha, merengue, porro, plena featuring 21 tracks by essential names such as sonora borinquen, conjunto casino, combo camagüey, sonora cienfuegos, grupo maracaibo, grupo antillano. set up in the port area of montevideo, macondo discos was founded by the chilean entrepreneur luis onel and named after the town from garcía márquez’s fictional universe. in its early days the label produced a catalogue comprising folk, tango, murga and rock. 1975 onwards, after the release of the lps tropical caliente by cienfuegos and exclusivo! by borinquen, marks the golden age of tropical music in our country according to carlos goberna, founder of sonora borinquen. macondo became a veritable tropical music factory in uruguay, amassing together with guacamayo (a sublabel dedicated to new artists) nearly 200 records in its ten years of existence.

italian duos nice7 & dirty channels join forces for the first time to deliver the acid induced feelings ep on crosstown rebels. the release features two exceptional originals with torontos nathan barato bringing his signature heavy sounds into play for the remix. nicola daniele and cesare marocco aka nice7 are amongst the latest italian stars to emerge in dance music. since 2005, the year in which the two of them paired up, they have released on labels like noir music, get physical, remote area, suara, defected and gruuv. dirty channels are simone & leme, who started working together in 2008 after long single dj careers. releases soon followed for big labels such as josh wink s ovum, hot creations sub-label hot waves and culprit la as well as licenses on several defected compilations. nathan barato worked his way onto the world stage with releases on the likes of cajual, saved and hot creations. 2016 also saw him as resident for jamie jones paradise at dc10 in ibiza. here he delivers a punchy remix to dominate the dancefloor, centered around a hefty bassline, tight drum patterns and slick vocal cuts.

nested structure is the first great circles release from artists outside of philadelphia. thrive are tetsuya yoshida and hitoshi kojima. they both grew up in the north kanto area of japan. they first met at the club run by tetsuya yoshida called sound a base nest, which is known as having the best sound system in the north kanto area. in 2007, the duo started their dj / producing unit thrive. previous releases have included a split 12inch with keia yano for japanese label struct, and recent solo releases by hitoshi for always human tapes and for his own label ambivalent deviation. this record almost didnt happen! — tetsuya and hitoshi were picking up great circles records in japan and, having periodically communicated with each other about music, they sent us the struct 12inch to check out. while cleaning out the back of the car a few months later, the presumably empty record mailer was about to land in the recycle bin when we fortunately discovered a demo cd of unreleased thrive material inside. we drove around listening to it and week later we agreed to release a 12inch. the music on the nested structure 12inch is dark, foreboding, even outwardly threatening. its hypnotic, textural and rhythmically complex.

brand new, rambunctious, rootsy, spiritual brass-band music from lagos, with singing, drums and home-made percussion. obadikah is a group of old friends who play together in the cherubim & seraphim and baptist churches of the ikeja and isale eko districts. a couple of them were founder-members of the eko brass band, they’ve played with pretty much all the key nigerian reggae artists. the tunes are mostly traditional yoruban melodies, often sung at bed-time. the songs are mostly original, sung in yoruba (though jomido is an egun song from the badagry area of lagos state).