optimo trax is an offshoot label of optimo music for tracks aimed at djs/dancefloors. yes, we know there are too many record labels already, but we felt an overriding desire to start another one as so much music that didnt seem quite right for optimo music (i.e. music that was specifically designed for dancing) kept coming our way. like the parent label, optimo trax will release music by new artists and excavate forgotten classics. luma is a project by dave clark from glasgow. dave had his first release as a member of state of flux in 1993 on t&b vinyl, the label twitch ran with his dj partner of that era, brainstorm. twitch and dave have continued to work together in various ways ever since. he has released records as truffle club, and as big ned on optimo music as well as working with twitch from 2005 - 2010 remixing a plethora of artists under the optimo (espacio) moniker before fatherhood necessitated him focusing on changing nappies rather than programming synths. dave has also recorded under various aliases for r&s, numbers, stuffrecords, dissident and wireblock. the twentieth anniversary of that first release seemed a fitting date for dave to unleash his monster new club music alter ego, luma on optimo trax. twitch thinks dave is the best producer in scotland and endlessly weeps into his gin and tonics about how unprolific dave is, so was ecstatic when the 4 killer tracks were delivered that make up this third optimo trax ep. these have been thoroughly road tested over the last few months at gigs around the world.

in a few short years laurel halo has demonstrated an unnerving ability to question established idioms in electronic music. throughout her body of work the michigan-born producer has expressed musical representations of merged dualities, spirituality in the inorganic, space in the claustrophobic, hope in dread. as a result there is something uncanny about laurel halos sound - the sonic templates may change, but the challenging of divides remains. laurel halo returns to lp format after two critically acclaimed eps with the driving, meditative *chance of rain*.

audiolith - musical luckybag with a masterplan. ten years from now, back in 2003 the label started as musical one-man-show without any kind of business plan. a decade has passed since then and audiolith grew into a proper company with two associates, employees, office, online mailorder store and not less than 200 releases under its belt. but still some things never change, especially when it comes to release politics. no matter what ever style comes in whenever the boss likes it there will be a release. no compromise, no fear of failure that is what audiolith is all about and lars lewerenz is, has been and stays the musically approving authority, no matter if we talk electropunk, drum n bass, indie or punkrock, hiphop, trap, deep. emotin-driven house or electropop. his widely varied taste is the reason why audiolith still remains fresh and surprising a musical luckybag, but one with a masterplan. now the year is 2013 and audiolith is still loved by many - and hated by some for giving away golden gifts to fans instead of waiting for presents itself.

pipped is a brand new label from appleblim set up to explore new avenues and directions & get some exciting sounds out there quicker. coming on special one-sided handstamped vinyl, we are very proud to present the first release, a stonking rework of komon & appleblims *silencio* by none other than prins thomas. ever since hearing his amazing work with lindstrom and the killer remixes of hatchback, studio, lcd soundsytem & toby tobias, to name but a a few, it has been a dream to hook something up with him – so here it is, get your heads down and boogie….

after ryan davis album particles of bliss in june 2012 on traum it was clear to everyone that he was one oft he most versatile artists on the label. there was no electronic playground he did not enter. his phanstastic and illusionary music makes him such a special artist for traum.

hailing from holland, ekman has been haunting the dancefloors for some time now with his deformed acid influenced dark and nasty slow electro and techno tunes. his sound fits in perfect in between drugged out techno and new beat / early techno stuff. even some classic electro touches are in there. simply excellent for your not so average dance party, but who likes average anyway.

if there is one thing in this world that is certain, it is that things change. and in the life of one dance producer with a new release on sheffields shabby doll, there have been transitions aplenty. with a switch from garage to house, a move from doncaster to london, and a change of identity from ryan aitchison to mella dee, his spacious four- to-the-floor sound has emerged from a state of constant flux. and yet… the more things change, the more they stay the same. *things dont change* is the name of mella dees new shabby doll ep, and when you tune into the title tracks compulsive twitch, you can hear the echo of his south yorkshire antecedents coming through.

october will see mock & toof release *temporary echoes*, an eclectic collection of remixes from their highly acclaimed albums *tuning echoes* & *temporary happiness*, featuring interpretations from the likes of wolf & lamb, kink & neville watson & dmx krew.
to accompany the album release there are two very limited vinyl samplers. vol. 1 features wolf & lambs amazing remix of *shoeshine boogie* never before released on vinyl, a brand new remix of m&t favourite *day ken died* from norways skatebard, a peak time acid banger from kink & neville watson and a new balearic rendition of *snowball* by young marco (esp institute). proper vibes.
vol. 2 features remixes from the l.i.e.s outfit sling & samo, tiago & call super.

oliver kapp back on stockholm limited. there cant be a better mixture than releasing legendary tunes on a legendary label. incl. huge par grindvik and fabrice lig remixes. shrink wrap.

played by : ranacat, sames (godzilla kebab), sccucci manucci, citizen, ashworth, silk 86...
review: no 6 in the waze & odsyssey street tracks series sees the ubiquitous citizen team up with the unheralded ashworth for some upfront house business. along with the shona carmen vocalised title track there is a ldn warehouse dub and b side burner >state<

if chicago and detroit are the cities in which house and techno were born and raised, it was in italy circa 1990 that this delirious party music experienced a piano-driven coming of age. so far, so spangled. but while that may be the official story, there are other italian narratives too. take francois le roy and nanni for instance - two djs and producers from southern italy for whom, in the early nineties, the likes of aphex twin, autechre and air liquide were important, alongside the machine funk of detroit and the immersive soundtracks of the ambient generation. both artists are steeped in underground club music, and their new release on shabby doll records is a fine example of tough, tech-edged house. the *crossing roads* ep features four tracks that showcase their melodic yet relentless groove, they may be based in milan, but on this record, the influence of detroit, chicago and new york runs deep.

italian soundtrack funk that sounds like goblin recording at stax! (wax poetics magazine)
record kicks proudly presents the new album by italian soundtrack funkateers calibro 35! there is one thing that italians do better than others, funky soundtracks. quentin tarantino knows best: soundtracks from italian movies of the 60s and the 70s are the thing! calibro 35 does with music what tarantino does with films. they borrow what they love and they make it their own. with rolling stone magazine words *calibro 35 are the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing, that happened to italy in the last years*, think at the budos band that meets morricone.

the mysterious lord of italo hooks up with il bosco on the latest hot 4 tracker from red laser. a simple and dark bassline with haunting lasers creates the bubbling imagery of a journey through manchester at night. where are we heading? to the fukin disco mate. how we getting there? in il bosco s 10 year old ford focus with the fat system g. why is the underside all crumpled? cos dj emerald beached it in tib street car park. windows down on a summers night? no, theyre broken. kid machine rocks the quickest shit i ever heard him make with this italo-electro-disco smasher. the title track to a film score that doesnt exist maybe ? this sci-fi thriller gives bass line collectors their monies worth and the beats are seriously heavy, but my favourite thing about this recording is the glittering euphoric interludes that appear twice in the track and make the whole composition complete. his strongest stuff yet. yes yes yes starion returns with another cosmic italo disco bubbler. its the soundtrack to a film set thousands of years in the future about a pimpin robot called night flanger. he makes sure all the fembots undercarriages are maintained and well lubricated when hes on a night out drinking diesel and smoking aluminium too hot to handle. too cold to hold. dirty girl is a boogie electro funk jam from il bosco. a chopped up rare as fuck record. can you find out what it is? probably. if you do and you know how to contact the artist let us know... do not miss!

2 x lp black & white ink blot vinyl in a gatefold sleeve the first 500 copies come with an exclusive cd which is only available with this vinyl release.

from the tropics comes whiskey disco, a sneaky re-edit label bent on dredging the decanter for diffident dancefloor genius from latent disco perpetrators. it is loosely connected to sleazy mcqueen and his assorted cohorts.
whiskey disco #22 features the second ep from b.g. baarregaard, a wonderful producer currently residing in oslo, but who is never too far from the blue lagoons of his home in iceland. b.g. has produced three sublime songs. the sound is an acid freak out of love de-luxe. it grabs and loops, hooks and tugs at your ears, then feet until you, you know. on the flip, the return both promises and delivers a mark morrison had he stayed in miami rather than returning to england. b.g. uses the third song to showcase his own song and instrumental skill in the desire. there is a magic in the air, that keeps us dancing.

cloaked in black, dimly lit and sparkling with dust, warm communications announces umbra volume 1. much in the spirit of adam xs traversable wormhole series, warm is bringing you a collection of anonymous releases that remind to remember drum and bass at its true heart: cracking snares, kick drums hitting your chest, subtle pads playing in an offcentered unison over 808 tones drowning distant thunder. these are the tunes you hear in a mix and say, who was that? the tunes that have made you wake up the next morning and type *id?* in the comments page. the tunes that do not even need to be named. warm communications umbra is truly about the art.
umbra volume 1 is a two-track ep that evokes omni trio and saw-era aphex twin, rumbling sine-heavy bass under ringing melody, computed chords and clean, crisp drums. this is a collectable, limited-edition series labeled appropriately with secretive sewer-grate artwork. umbra volume 1 is lurking there, underground, looking up through the shadows. it is up to you to find out just who is waiting there.

true love never did run, it stood its ground. it fought. it tried to hold on, but in the end? there were bitter tears, and loveliness all rolled into one. for romance is the glamour that turns the days dust into shimmering golden haze. dreamy night owls and deep end lovers-this ones for you: stb crafts more shapely analogue tones in this four-track soliloquy to the night from label head francesco belfiore and rome-based upstart alex tea.

parisian label mlh are pleased to present the first vinyl release with four tracks by the ny legends the dat project and the groove victim.based in paris, mlh brings real house music tracks based on raw rhythms, infectious stabs and hard hitting grooves, written somewhere between chicago, new york, london, berlin and paris. the sounds of house compilations are intended to be a simple contribution to the history of a relatively young musical scene but whose culture is already full of true legends. this time, the major league house have chosen two new york underground house scene activists to appear on its first vinyl. a-side signals the return of the legendary dat project, better known as william rosario. with 25 years of experience, numerous aliases and more than 350 releases in notorious imprint as nervous records, strictly rhythm, umm, next moov traxx… william rosario is considered as a pioneer of the dance scene. the dat project tracks come with the genuine old school deep house vibe from a producer who was there at the beginning. the release features 2 of his oldschools classics especially remixed and remastered, including the 92s hit >let the rythym move you<.on the b-side, mlh present two stomping tracks by the mysterious jay brown. under his groove victim alias,he brings us some deep dopeness coupled with swinging beats and atmospheric synth melodies. after several great releases as the wanderings ep, foul tracks ep, the chosen tracks ep…on imprints as cyberjamz and my love is underground, the groove will definitely grab your attention with these two hard grooving tracks...

horo gives true artists the freedom to represent the full extent of their talent and it is not often the cerebellum is truly engaged with the genre we have grown from but music for the mind is one of our over-arching ideals. and so we come to *scope*, the 10th release, a full length compilation spread over 5 vinyl 12 inches. deviating somewhat from our vinyl only position up to this point, given the scale and magnitude of this project scope will also be released on cd & digital, although there will also be 5 vinyl only tracks by way of thanks to the vinyl buyers that have supported the label up to this point. 24 tracks of uncompromising, innovative music from horo mainstays and new artists alike, scope represents where we have come from, but moreover, where we will be going. this is just the beginning.

horo gives true artists the freedom to represent the full extent of their talent and it is not often the cerebellum is truly engaged with the genre we have grown from but music for the mind is one of our over-arching ideals. and so we come to *scope*, the 10th release, a full length compilation spread over 5 vinyl 12 inches. deviating somewhat from our vinyl only position up to this point, given the scale and magnitude of this project scope will also be released on cd & digital, although there will also be 5 vinyl only tracks by way of thanks to the vinyl buyers that have supported the label up to this point. 24 tracks of uncompromising, innovative music from horo mainstays and new artists alike, scope represents where we have come from, but moreover, where we will be going. this is just the beginning.

christoph el truentos debut album, what we used to know, is born of change and confusion, and sounds utterly incredible for it. the deeply talented 24-year-old new zealander started writing back in 2011 at the time his son was born. tired fatherhood, personal upheaval and artistic indecision would actually help show christoph a clear path towards completing the record – a transcendant sweep of synths, samples, organic instrumentation and window ledge field recording that gently reveals new layers of sonic texture and emotion to the listener.

an absolute bombshell, *o meu estilo* (my style) is lisbon-based dj nigga foxs record debut. real name rogrio brando, nigga fox came to our knowledge a few months ago, and we were immediately floored by what we were hearing. still in his early 20s, rogrio has already played in all sorts of the greater lisbon clubs, while discreetly refining his own productions. on this 12 inch he presents parts of his unbelievably vast pallet. as the title implies, there s nothing quite like this, even in lisbon s ever more productive and creative beat-based music. vinyl 12 inch limited to 300 hand-painted, hand-stamped copies.

there is this very small but beloved festival called gratwanderung near the middle of nowhere in a stone quarry south to leipzig, germany. juno6 together with matthias speck were the choice of the festival organizers to create their very first split ep -gratwanderung musik 1. absoluteley brillant electronic stuff!

the 12 track album was written and produced since the turn of 2013 and mixed with erol alkan at the phantasy sound, the labels own studio in london. a difficult trick to master but like carl craigs more songs about food and revolutionary art, plastikmans consumed or more recently the work of four tet, the album works as a cohesive whole rather than a disparate collection of tracks

last known trajectory proudly presents inkamera, the solo project of the multi-talented victoria lukas, who of course you may well be familiar with from her previous work as zerkalo, performing alongside the legendary gerald donald. here, the first inkamera release demonstrates victoria’s clear understanding of what constitutes a solid and balanced musical project – ‘superpartners (photon photino) ‘ and ‘&#1089,,,&#1084,,,&#1077,,,&#1088,,,&#1090,,,&#1100,,, &#1085,,,&#1077,,, &#1089,,,&#1091,,,&#1097,,,&#1077,,,&#1089,,,&#1090,,,&#1074,,,&#1091,,,&#1077,,,&#1090,,, (death doesn’t exist) ‘ are both pacey, electro drivers with a distinct european feel, the former being quite upbeat, while the latter rendering a slightly darker more sinister air. ‘i can speak’ provides a volatile contrast with its crazy, freestyle electro beats and rhythms, whilst both ‘human terms’ and ‘potentia’ showcase victoria’s quite distinctive, totally unmistakable, seductively hypnotic vocal to a backdrop of gorgeous electronics. a superb solo debut from lukas – let us hope that there are many more to follow.

after appearances on idle hands and brstl, rhythmic theory returns to their own imprint to further explore gritty textures and mysterious moods within house and techno frameworks. where theory001 featured the somewhat soothing, melancholic tones of >echo vibe< and >omega syndrome<, this second installment comes caked in sonic muck and abrasive attitude.its not all dark and foreboding, as the graceful filter-swept key refrain of >siren song< will attest, but it takes a barrage of rasping hats and bludgeoning kicks and toms before such niceties can be foisted upon our ears. while there is an optimistic lilt to the particular notes the melody calls out, in the midst of such machismo percussion it cant help but feel emotionally ambiguous, continuing the tone set out in the first rhythmic theory releases.there is no such confusion over b side cut >genesis< from the apocalyptic boom of the opening kick to the rapid gun fire of the snare this is a track that wants to inflict damage. at the midway point the searing beat melts away as a wash of delay-riddled speech knocks you from your centre of gravity, only for the drums to come whipping back in to pick up the slack. even the sole synth note that rears its head is devoid of compassion, pulsing a creepy, robotic intonation through the clamour.

optimo trax is an offshoot label of optimo music for tracks aimed at djs/dancefloors. yes, we know there are too many record labels already, but we felt an overriding desire to start another one as so much music that didn t seem quite right for optimo music (i.e. music that was specifically designed for dancing) kept coming our way. like the parent label, optimo trax will release music by new artists and excavate forgotten classics. all four tracks were recorded in 1992. staples of jd twitchs dj sets at the timem and all tracks he still plays to this day.

limited edition of 1000 numbered copies on high quality virgin vinyl, download code included.
brian leeds produces electronic music under the name huerco s. his debut album for software is titled colonial patterns. on colonial patterns, leeds treats his kansas city region as a universe worthy of its own electronic music. to that end, leeds deconstructs midwestern techno and house tropes. the pieces are corrugated, rough, and decompositional. working cheaply, leeds conscientiously uses low-end software, synths and cassettes so as to subvert the gloss of so much urban dance music, giving tracks an impressionistic, emotive feel. the result is uniquely midwestern: there is an expansiveness to each piece that suits the open space and the storied past of its inhabitants.

ddsr005 comes from the new york city based newcomer edgar m. a house producer by trade, this is edgar ms debut release but it doesnt show, demonstrating an ear for sound aesthetics and dynamics that immediately caught the attention of deep down slam. his track >oscillate< is a little masterpiece, rich with musicality and vintage sounding production techniques that are reminiscent of early strictly rhythm. this ep sounds just like it came straight out of 1991 and was entirely produced on vintage hardware/analog based equipment. to complement this release we have zurich based house producer donato capozzi on the remix duties who delivers a great dub version of >that strut<. this is a release for the lovers and vintage sounding house diggers out there, ny touch guaranteed!

ndv return from summer with their 2nd release which is a bloomin all star va. the idea of the va ep is to showcase the synthy housey technoey sound theyre all about, and what better way to do it than give the vinyl over to some of the most freakishly talented producers out there.

filippo blasi foglietti is another third ear find well worth checking. the john nixon memorial ep is trippy, dark, deep and grooving. there are four different grooves here, all of which can disconcert and disorientate. perfect for tripping up and tripping out the dance floor.

attention minimal and tech-house lovers: here comes the hit for autumn 2013 on black fox music!
the global underground talent kim pixa(systematic) from czech republic comes with the first single of his forthcoming album in early 2014. after his remix for marc romboys *taiyo* on systematic, now there is a cooperation with the international well known xenia beliayeva (shitkatapult). she fell in love with his track and the result is an emotional, sad and also powerful love song. dark abstract basslines and a punching melody combined with xenias lovesick german vocals is the perfect mixture to set every dancefloor on fire.

our west coast brother from another mother marc barrite has been a vital part of the circus company troupe since the early days of the label, due in no small part to his combination of flamboyant style and hefty funk. for all the experimental qualities in marcs music as dave aju there is an equal amount of hip hop swagger and heartfelt soul, and when you filter those elements through a house music template you get close to a perfect definition of the tastes that drive our label.

oliver & tim are known as soloartists in the world of warm beats. tocotronic once more: >we had a few words with them. from there we determined that we like it around here.< a full-throated studio session all together brought about the maxim: let there be house!

one is formerly the front man of a notorious glaswegian punk band, the other a meticulously precise studio guru with creative flair way beyond the majority. as solo artists they are a formidable force, as a collective they are quite simply one of the most exciting new acts in the uk right now. refusing to rush, they spend countless hours trying ideas, searching for samples, tuning percussion and tweaking sounds. for every mia dora track that sees the light of day, there are 100 that dont. this isnt throwaway club music for the internet generation, it is soulful, thoughtful and emotive music by two producers fuelled by an intrinsic need to give life to the sounds in their heads.

avicii mit seiner eigenen dance definition auf vinyl im longplay format ! incl wake me up, hey brother !

for its first longplayer, rawax proudly welcomes berlin based producer daniela la luz to the family!

in 2011 when mad mats and tooli went to sonar festival in barcelona they met ludovic llorca aka art of tones outside a club. little did they know back then that two years later on they would release a 12 inch together. the same thing ep opens with the title track and kicks pretty damn sweet with its strong vocal, the guitar, bass and rhodes jamming on top of a tight groove, there is also a dub version included on the b-side. last but not least, the great sgatmi is a jazzy and bumpy house take with lots of samples perfectly balanced. all in all, classic art of tones material and the work of a producer firing on all cylinders.

horo gives true artists the freedom to represent the full extent of their talent and it is not often the cerebellum is truly engaged with the genre we have grown from but music for the mind is one of our over-arching ideals. and so we come to *scope*, the 10th release, a full length compilation spread over 5 vinyl 12 inches. deviating somewhat from our vinyl only position up to this point, given the scale and magnitude of this project scope will also be released on cd & digital, although there will also be 5 vinyl only tracks by way of thanks to the vinyl buyers that have supported the label up to this point. 24 tracks of uncompromising, innovative music from horo mainstays and new artists alike, scope represents where we have come from, but moreover, where we will be going. this is just the beginning.

september will see mock & toof release *temporary echoes*, an eclectic collection of remixes from their highly acclaimed albums *tuning echoes* & *temporary happiness*, featuring interpretations from the likes of wolf & lamb, kink & neville watson & dmx krew. to accompany the album release there are two very limited vinyl samplers. vol. 2 sees rising stars sling & samo (l.i.e.s. records) turn in a heavy spaced-out house jam rendition of *farewell to wendo*, portugals tiago (golf channel) go warm, deep & classy on *sleeper* while call supers amazing remix of *the key* also features (never released on vinyl before). dont sleep - no represses! vol. 1 features remixes from wolf & lamb, skatebard, kink & neville watson & young marco.

the star eyed condition is chameleonic effort in the impossible to pin down trajectory of loden s career. the belgian-based producer and musician has already proven his facility for glassy disco and droning ambient on his 2005 debut valeen hope, and glitchy hip-hop via his work with sole and thirsty fish.
on his new album, koks goes even further beyond his already drawn boundaries. there is a touch of robo-electro to tracks like *optimist never cries* and *sanesserarian* (a play on the phrase *ça ne sert a rien* or *it is useless*). he brings the ghostly sounds of german electronic pop into the dirtiest of hip-hop beats. and on his collaboration with rhymer doseone, *future confetti*, he gets lost in a psychedelic wilderness worthy of dj danger mouse.

cambridge resident samuel emerson iliffe, aka ill life, is driven by a penchant for warping things. akin to warping his sonorous surname into the ill life moniker, he warps formely innocuous techno fare into a clangorous, concussive march of living, breathing percussion. samuels sonics seemingly owe a considerable amount to recent innovations from the likes of blawan or perc trax alumni, however his only fault is taking part in the phenomenon of synchronous innovation. before karenn coalesced, before clouds newest offerings started being rinsed, ill life had long since moulded his sound. it is infinite machines infinite regret to have discovered him so belatedly. but there is no use crying over spilled trax.

sydneys excellent death strobe label return with another surprise! there is just no pinning these boys down as they chalk up another fine addition to an increasingly vivid and varied catalogue.

while this album could have gone down a rather obvious route, with the remixers of the asphodells album *ruled by passion…*, andrew weatherall looked a little closer to home.
mainly revolving around the axis - the group of locally-based producers who can be spotted in and out of weatheralls shoreditch studio bunker - reworkings from the likes of phil kieran, scott fraser, hardway bros, justin robertson and ivan smagghe soon came to light.
this idea lead to a broad range of styles with something for everyone. we have stopped arguing in the office about which is the best track. they all are.

once again the *space dimension controller* returns from the unknown sphere to the clone basecamp. this is the first in the new correlation series of releases by sdc. the vinyl version comes with a series of prints made by sdc himself. five different prints, each reffering with mood and colour use to one of the tracks on this correlation #1 release. with each record there is 1 print randomly inserted with the first pressing.

mr.g is returning with a mint 4 tracker for the heads. 4 acey analog anthems with that authentic mr.g. sound. rich basses and excellent placed vocal cuts that allign with open hats perfectly. another phoenix g smasher to end up the year with.

fcl is the pairing of two reputable producers in the underground house circuit, namely san soda & red d, individually and under the fcl guise, both artists have made a huge impact, although retained a quality over quantity approach, with only a string of releases out there on the likes of we play house, ferrispark, and delusions of grandeur. although these singles acted a striking indication of quality with each one garnering huge support from the masses, especially the duos critically acclaimed lets go, on the 2010 vocals for everyone ep

comes on slinky clear vinyl in a clear poly bag, duke slammer keeps the freak flag fly-ing high with his sixth 7inch release on bonus7 records. to coincide with the release of upcoming duke slammer album >droid boogie<, there is a limited run of 7 inch vinyl feat. droid boogie and a super-awesome remix by datassette on the flip...