there are few names in dance music today which need less of an introduction than masters at work. the duo of louie vega and kenny dope gonzalez have forged a reputation for genre-eschewing dj sets and flawless house production during careers which have spanned decades and seen hundreds of releases and remixes. their influence and reach changed house forever. taking the song-writing ability of vega and fusing it with gonzalez s encyclopaedic knowledge of breaks and hip-hop, the pair created a smooth-yet-underground sound that is still being copied and referenced by producers today...

after last years album love & devotion the husband and wife duo of mike paradinas and lara rix-martin follow up with weird drift. the album shows just how much their ability to write confident and thoughtful pop songs has developed, while still being able to retain the sleepy cushion of steamy synth pop that made the first record so rewarding to listen to. this time album features the vocals of a vezelay, a.k.a. french singer and producer matthieu le berre, who brings a gentle poised falsetto to the duos productions along with a delicate but hopeful angst.

when we realized we wanted to make the second dubstep nomad compilation we suddenly thought to one man able to select only the best plates. the taste and the strong devotion shown by dj foster in 4 years of sub.fm were the perfect ingredients to setup a project like this. his ability in mixing will be available in a mixed cd containing all the tracks of the compilation

iggor cavalera is best known for his part as the drummer of brazilian super-group sepultura. having toured heavily around the globe, winning several best drummer accolades and sold over 10 million records, iggors incredible ability to project emotion and evoke thought through his percussive talents is being given an outlet in the form of his exciting collaboration with his djane wife laima leyton, mixhell.

the soul behind our new watergate-compilation belongs to a dedicated dj and house-enthusiast: mathias kaden attends to number 14 of our popular mix-series and gives proof not only of his technical finesse but also of his ability to combine contemporary releases with evergreen classics.

hot creations, the hottest electronic dance label right now who have two sold out showcases at brixton academy in april, celebrate three years of dancefloor dominance with a compilation of the labels highlights.

iggor cavalera is best known for his part as the drummer of brazilian super-group sepultura. having toured heavily around the globe, winning several best drummer accolades and sold over 10 million records, iggors incredible ability to project emotion and evoke thought through his percussive talents is being given an outlet in the form of his exciting collaboration with his djane wife laima leyton, mixhell.

deep, dramatic, abstracted d&b from exits most esoteric operator, consequence. test dream is an advanced follow-up to the burial-esque scapes of his 2009 debut, live for never, scanning sci-fi inspired minimal d&b topographies with a filigree attention to detail. ultimately, its not the kind of d&b thatll have you firing shots in the ceiling: its strengths lie in the vivid evocation of dystopian futures and plugged-in, cyber-surreal dream states, conducted with the ability to suspend disbelief and submerge the willing participant in a whole other headspace. that said, there are dancefloor-ready moments like the sinuous, sub-heavy soul sees spirit, but the best moments occur when the dancefloor seems to be receding beneath your feet / sofa, as with the whirring autechre-ian dynamics of magda trench and the majestic loveshell, or the flickering, skeletal remains of marlo.

drawing from a rich sonic palette, man without country splice glacial guitar ripples with an eerie synth pulse to create music both complex and all embracing. their debut ep kicks off with king complex, taken from forthcoming album foe and indicative of mwcs ability to morph their source material into anthems when you least expect it, the tracks tinkling keyboard led intro exploding into a euphoric dancefloor chorus. the melody belies a darker sentiment behind the lyrics on king complex -you are a true parasite / and youre the bane of my life- ryan concedes that -they are personal and bitter-. this contrast between melody and lyric is a common theme across their debut long player. the six track ep features a further 3 tracks from foe Ð inflammable heart, ebb & flow and iceberg plus the sei a remix of king complex. xi is exclusive to this ep.

our obsession with the machine lies at the heart of all electronic music. but what sets the best electronic producers apart is their ability to harness technology to create sounds that are as emotional as they are innovative - something that shines through andrew bayers debut lp >its artificial<. touching on everything from flying lotus-esque glitch-hop and leftfield electronica to swirling melodic techno and warped electro, >its artificial< is the sound of a maverick musician using his machines to their fullest

in the impressive flow of new talent in 2011 on fokuz recordings we already had the pleasure to present the sound of brother, command strange and intelligent manners among others. the next flavour of the funky liquid melting pot called fokuz recordings goes by the name donnie dubson. berlin based irishman donnie o sullivan aka donnie dubson started releasing his funky rollers on have a break and influenza media and already featured on fokuz on the chronicles of the deep lp together with stunna back in 2007. the grapefruit / battlecat release on influenza media in 2009 got him a lot of attention and is still heard in dj sets today. now its 2011 and fokuz presents the beautiful debut album of donnie dubson! his sound can be described as refreshing and original liquid drum n bass with a touch of the well known atmospheric drum n bass vibes from the mid 0s. his basslines are the unique sellingpoint as well as his ability to create an organic feel in the music thats only done by the few who truly understand what liquid drum n bass is all about. pleasuring both critical listeners and the dancefloor audience this album is a perfect overview of the sound fokuz stands for. a great example of how music can be time-less in this decade of fast moving consumer goods.

with niko schwinds first album for stil vor talent you never loose the feeling that each of the tracks would work harmoniously on the dancefloor, but also within the concept of this album that goes from slow-moving vocal house to pretty nifty tech-house and back. niko schwind is a magician when it comes to producing very fine and mature pieces of house music that are sure to work great on the dancefloor. maybe niko has had the dj in mind that he is himself, as the tracks seem to perfectly provide great productions, but also the ideal ability to mix them in and out, with little samples providing great audible cues. after all, as the title suggests >good morning midnight< is an album with the dancefloor in mind

>patio de juegos<, which translates as >playground<, is a wonderful multi-genre journey through the mind of an artist who is both on top of his game, and on the rise towards the stars. lashings of his ever-present south american heritage infuse with incredibly intricate and perfectly simple house structures that give the whole album its almost >child at play< ethos that is rarely found in electronic music. future club hits such as >wanna be<, with its nod to the historical upbeat lineage of house music, and >all the girls<, with its chugging rhythm, trickling piano loops and erotic vocals sit effortlessly alongside more experimental and jazz inspired tracks such as the explorative >still here<. another fine example is >sun<, with its deep bass line punctuated with the sun-soaked synths and summer high-hats that export listeners away to a warm utopia. guti produces a number of tracks with high profile artists from both within and outside the dj fraternity - a sign of his increasing popularity within electronica, and also his innate ability to collaborate with more mainstream artists.

with 17 years industry experience, innumerable remixes, several hit singles and eight albums under his belt, dutch dj/producer ferry corsten knows how to knock up a tune. the bombastic title of his latest album, l.e.f. - loud, electronic, ferocious Ð seems overtly aimed at quieting any doomsday critics that are still flouncing around prophesying the death of dance music. the contents certainly state a passionate case for the genre-s ongoing vitality and ability to reinvent itself, as corsten lets loose a take-no-prisoners tirade of electro, trance, pop and techno. the visceral pulse of -are you ready- opens the onslaught, preparing the listener for retro anthems such as the recordÕs first single -fire- (featuring simon le bon), and -into the dark- (with howard jones), and a storming series of trademark trance cuts - -beautiful-, -posession- and a reworking of old favourite -galaxia-.