beyond plastic is a mixtape in book format about artists and vinyl labels that press music on »black gold«. it does not only trace the various processes entailed in the making of a record – from sound-production to the pressing plant and beyond – but also seeks to depict the blood, sweat and tears that goes into it.
the book includes interviews and articles of 60hertz, smallville, liebe*detail, pingipung, acker records, decks.de, de:bug, giegling, brothers in love, dubplates & mastering, aim vinyl, fauxpas musik, oye records, ortloff, kann, rand muzik, uncanny valley, freude am tanzen and workshop.
– edited and designed by alex ketzer (www.alexketzer.com)
– 288 pages, format a5 (210 x 148 mm)
– 19 extensive interviews
– 250+ pictures (coloured & b/w)
– 300+ cross references, accessible via short urls
– including audio-cd with tracks by the interviewee
– printed by gallery print
– isbn 978-3-00-043687-1

vinyl only - limited edition 180 gram pressing! >reforming digital waves by simple & elegant music patterns< - a straightforward mission statement for a new imprint, and one whose understated, direct manner shows the music-centered focus of wavereform as we reveal our first release. the >new sky< ep is the production debut of a mysterious new russian talent known as ivanov, and about whom little is known past his reclusive buddhist existence and his background in guitar, which is clearly evident on the title track. underlain by rising and falling atmospheric washes and understated percussion, >new sky< is propelled by a funky, jazzy and clearly organic keyboard solo that closely approximates his familiar stringed instrument in texture, tone, and musical development. next up is minimal legend soulphiction, who masterfully beefs up the original with a fat, growling bassline and more aggressive, hard hitting drums and claps that take the dreamy mood of ivanovs track and transform it into something more cosmic and psychedelic while retaining its musicality. on the flip, a new tune entitled >deep< gets revisited by lucidflow label heads klartraum, who have recently shifted their digital imprint to vinyl. here they bring things towards the dubbier end of the spectrum with a slow-building track that goes from hazy beginnings to an ominous, dramatic breakdown and then into a harder grooving second half. taken together, these three tracks are an auspicious beginning for a new name and label, and in fulfilling the stated goals offer great promise of things to come.

the new metronomy album, love letters, has a title that speaks volumes about sensations and modes of communication, about things that have always been there, and will always be here. its no coincidence either. this is a record that wants to be timeless. in its execution, love letters tries to do fresh things in an old-fashioned way. it takes richer methods of recording and injects them with the shock of the new of tight electronics, and experiments in sound. it does so not to be retro, but to embrace the quality standards of the past. it also aims to be up there with the greats, reaching for those old stars.

the first release on our brazil 45s imprint. 1000 press, packaged in brazil 45s house bags.
*deixa eu dizer* is an absolute essential brazilian record, as sampled by marcelo d2 on one of our favourite brazilian hip hop records *desafabo*. the track features on her stunning album of the same name has never been released on 7 inch.
cizinhas track was originally released on rozenblit and has been a firm favourite of ours for a while, although we know nothing about the track.

here it is, the first release of god made us funky records. a four track split ep with 90s house taste, home cooked by donato capozziand antonio amilcare di benedetto. oooh, is an absolute chick magnet, no more worries about to many guys on the floor!

we’re really excited about this unusual ep from the unusually talented photomachine, his first outing on wicked bass. ‘black motorcycle’ a dark but deep number, measuredly working its way down into to a solid groove before it lifts its eyes skyward for a breakdown made up of delicate synthwork. ‘good news…bad dope’ is a more skittish cut, with its percussive elements laying low in the mix, whilst circling synths provide a menacing mood that juxtaposes itself with a well-placed vocal sample.

cottam is proud to present the first release on his new label, ruff draft. paul cottam came to wider attention with a series of limited edition blank-label 12s released from 2009 onwards, showcasing his production talents by re-working afro-beat, neo-soul, funk & hip-hop into deep house burners, but ruff draft is all about original tracks, and the first release sees three tracks from the man himself.

dr.motte s euphorhythm - acid4real(hardfloorremix) was recorded in 2010 / 2011 and planned to be released (with the originalversion and other remixes) on motte s label praxxiz but it was never published. dynamik bass system - robotmachine(hardfloorremix) was only released digital so far in 2011. 3 years later it s about time to manufacture a ltd. 200, continuously numbered and handstamped vinyl edition..

the sun ep is a collection of 4 outstanding tracks from artists that know a thing or two about genuine deepness. featuring ernie (minuendo /deep art sounds), natan h (ethereal sound/manmakemusic), brian james (unfocused) and owen jay & melchior sultana (moods & grooves/underground quality), bbr06 portrays the distinct batti batti sound taking the listener on a warm journey of different textures!

supported by: rhadoo, cassy, raresh, onur Özer, alex celler, zip, vera, dan ghenacia, kreon, michael melchner, seuil & dyed soundorom.
concealed sounds return with a new 12 for 2014. this time around we have invited our friends from mysteries sylphe label to remix the title track by martinez, and they delivered a monster! on the a side we find >consolidation (sylphe lydlos dub)<, were we are taken a true journey thru sound and rhythms for about 13 minutes. the remix kicks off in a kind of tracky way, with a strong focus on the irresistible groove laid down by holdie gawn & micawber. after the first small breaks and manipulations to the groove, we are introduced to some very trippy modular sound design. these sounds takes the lead of the remix and forms into small melodies in a very organic way. while you can still sense the ingredient from the original track, sylphe takes a slightly different directions and offers a good opposite to the original with their own special twist. the original version of >consolidations< is presented on the b side of this 12. its a dirty groove ridden track that goes on for well over 10 minutes, developing from a broken groove into a more danceable techno pieces, with its shattering metallic sounds, bubbly baselines, deep layers of sub rhythms and lush pad chords to give it some more atmosphere. two very different version of modern instalment in techno music. we hope you enjoy it as much as we do… and as always there is a special hidden track on this 12.

jbla came into being after julian jöckel (midnightopera) and stuart argabright (ike yard, black rain, o13) performed at a party in brussels on the 5th of oct. 2012 on invitation from bernardo risquez & michael langeder (different fountains). they all had met for the first time the year before through michael kreitz from meakusma when different fountains & o13 played concerts in eupen. after staying at different fountains studio the day after the brussels event they set up a rather improvised jam session. julian played synth on a yamaha dx7, bernardo worked the low frequencies on an old eminent organ while michael contributed machine sounds and took care of the live fx engineering. stuart put together some words and brought a beat to the occasion of the jam session at the df studio. during the short euro tour with ike yard, l.i.e.s label head ron morelli and artist svengalisghost came to the paris show and were talking with stuart about the streetwalkers of belleville, specifically the sad chinese hookers out on the street. combined with news about recent foxxconn workers suicides in china and witnessing altercations close to the air bnb where he stayed. the belleville ep are two cuts from that session with remixes from ron morelli + svengalisghost and vereker, pressed on translucent vinyl.

killekill 017 by neil landstrumm is a three tracker with no less than three hits on it. the a-side is a dark slammer about someone trading his ass for drugs in a new acid / disco / synthwave / techno fusion style with an undisputed chicago flavour in it. what a hit!
this is the standard pressing on black vinyl.

limited edition of 270 handnumbered copies on red vinyl.
killekill 017 by neil landstrumm is a three tracker with no less than three hits on it. the a-side is a dark slammer about someone trading his ass for drugs in a new acid / disco / synthwave / techno fusion style with an undisputed chicago flavour in it. what a hit!

home invasion is the new label from real tone man franck roger, a man whose career has scaled the full depths of house music over the past decade or so. evidently seeking a new challenge, the parisian s new imprint promises to adhere to a vehemently underground way of working, with every ep upfront released on vinyl-only terms and produced exclusively on analogue equipment. ogers re-tracing of his roots pays dividends too, and whats most striking about the labels debut outing, the simply-titled home invasion 02 ep, is how very different it sounds to vintage real tone planes. gone are the whimsical, celestial deep house hues so favoured by the latter, and in there place is a series of cuts that expertly toe the line between house and techno without resorting to generic soundscapes

nofitstate chalk up their 3rd release with the much talked about swedish duo mr. tophat and art alfie providing ‘vretis’, an elongated groove fit to bursting with tension thanks to its extended filtered intro. ‘locked groove’ provides the remix on the flip, opting for a more blissfully melodic approach for those early morning sessions whilst ’takelant’ rounds things off in fine style with a low down and dirty slice of machine-phunk.

hot on the heels of their inaugural release, athens nous imprint dishes up a 2nd taste of what to expect from their lovingly assembled stable of talents, this time in the form of a musical odyssey from the moon b camp.

the central executives what can we say ? not much as it turns out - the generally very forthcoming golf channel crew are remaining tight-lipped about the architects of this, frankly mind-blowing debut long-player from this new nyc collective. a walk in the dark is exactly that, a situationist song-sheet & sonic chaperone to guide us through the back street escapism these troubled times demand. from gently over-driven punk funkin mascara stained hymns, to house that has been thoroughly smudged to the edges of its live music incorporating limits. sitting very comfortably, in a moment of stewed elevation alongside sound signature style machine jams, bare bones vocal led improvisations, discordant arthur russell moments & the distorted reflections of roots house that run to the very core of the big apple. a drop-jaw debut then, that wears its influences proudly, but takes them somewhere entirely new.

the long-expected vinyl release of the ukrainian producer nikolay shvets, also known for his releases on blu mar ten and sync:safir. fascinating and sincere music filled with natural beauty. both tracks will once again make a listener wonder about the versatility of the autonomic 170 bmp subgenre.

etui records has opened the winter camp again and invited friends

boston label get on down can always be counted on to produce high quality reissues of hip-hop gems, and of course this album is no exception. lord willin was the acclaimed breakthrough release by virginia duo clipse, featuring rappers pusha t and no malice, backed by the eccentric production of the neptunes. both mcs had past connections to the underground drug world, which influenced the gritty, hard-hitting street rap within. the album also featured guest spots from jadakiss, styles p, nore, fabolous, faith evans, and early-in-their career appearances from sean paul, kelis, and lil wayne. get on down now presents the album, fully re-mastered and re-constructed on double vinyl, after long being out of print in the format.

legit vinyl re issue of kerri chandlers 1996s seminal trionisphere ep part 1 on nycs king street sounds. this is a discogs holy grail but this newly re mastered version will sound better than anything else! pressed with original 1996 artwork. expect many more king street sounds re issues in the pipeline.

antinote is back to cosmic. beauregard rings the soundtrack music bell and gives us the occasion to show our love for psych-prog-and-synth music. beauregard comes right on time with five tracks full of cult references, but also a very personal and romantic vibe. through his record, the robot poet talks about a dangerous and pessimistic world but also about hope, light and future. if you like obscure and synthetic sounds dont miss this record.

repress , forever sound is an attempt to make simple, cyclic dance music unbound by metre where melodies and basslines phase against one another like comets around a distant sun: a slow wave on a boundless sea. geist sets about to express that moment when a dancefloor stops being a mass of independent bodies and instead becomes one connected, moving spirit, while the fold pours waves of cascading synth warmth around the listener

following the love & the dance, here is the dream - third part of the various artist series from snuff trax.

selected pulls together material from mostly unfamiliar names like deepjust aquabeat, bassik grooove and bobby o donnell, alongside a couple of established heads like ryo murakami, aybee (as orion 70) and fred p himself, whose > n.y. (selected dub)<, a reshape of an old jazz tune, rounds out the compilation. > in the early days it was difficult to afford more than one or two records..< i would buy compilations because the value was greater and i was exposed to artist that i might not have known about otherwise,< he says. >when i think of compilations i think of mix the vibe, soul of science, trust the dj and of course dj-kicks. i learned a great deal from these series over the years and developed my own ideas based on what i love to hear thus selected was born. released soul people musics new sub-label, boards.

skylax records, the company focused on realeasing original obscure dance classic and everythings that sounds fine to their ears. for this new release serie, we decided to bring you guys a regular member of the crew & one fo the most talented producer : carlos nilmmns. indeed, the man is back on skylax! the scottish producers skills again ranging from soundtrack to dirty machine funk. songs such as brooklyn walk and moments of happiness demonstrate time and time again why many critics are calling him the next lalo schifrin. hardrock striker skylax mainman & optimo once said about his music should be signed to a hollywood movie studio!raw tape cutsand i thought i had youtake things onto the dance floor. the listener is greeted by a healthy range of classic machine workouts and nilmmns signature old school techniques. gwens songcaptures moments of paris and the good times. soul patroltrack contains elegant synth work and beautiful live keys which kind of reminds one of drexciya or music from the other peoples place. 106 shows hardware programming at its finest with lush sounds creating warm fuzzy moments perfect for the warm weather. a timeless record packed with imagination, talent and skill. a record that we believe will still hold relevance in 30 or 40 years time, c l a s s i c ! a must to have in every djs collection. essential item no digital .

the first release is always a big milestone for any label. in our case the first one (astrac ep) is also a long anticipated one, the title track waiting to be released for a long time. so far there is nothing ordinary about ztrls career as he had a big fan base without a single release or a dj gig. as a result of his ongoing inspiration by ricardo villalobos and encouragement from a:rpia:r s petre inspirescu among others he sharpened his producer skills which yielded astrac ep, another 2013 release on pluie/noir recordings compilation (pluie/noir year one) and an independent release on soul.on records titled >soul two< which was also remixed by the hungarian laurine frost. on top of his producer activity hes an avid record collector and a regular guest on uks rejam radio show, hes also done a podcast mix for the romanian nightclubber webzines unknown 500 series.

willie griffins boo williams alias returns to goldmin music for the labels most recent release. a vinyl affair, the living waters ep sees the chicago native at his very best, as he combines his customary, old-school, rough-and-ready approach with a newfound approach. the end result is an ep that brilliantly encapsulates all that is great about the label and the artist - as they look to the future but also nod approvingly in the direction of the past.

thomas saap sabrowsky is a man of many trades. and youre now about to witness the ex marine soldier (bundeswehr), seasoned cook (yummie!), barkeeper (waldohreule), labeldude (brontosaurus) bandmember (extraproduktionen), music biz veteran

gynoid ltd does it again! this time its a track produced exclusively on analogue gear by coeter one, and a relentless myk derill remix, who seems to turn everything into solid gold lately.the original 72 is all about the groove.

vinyl only! second round in the little hill, for this ride, rave in the hill ep, we have more techno raw material, another two original tracks from label head lorentz, with techno-stomped works. here little hill team-up roberto bosco (wave music) wich propose a remix full of atmposphere and again owl(bpmfamily) strike us with his strong interpretation!

italian producer domenico camarilla has hit a rich vein of form under the jose manuel guise of late, supplementing output on his own black pepper label with feted appearances for tusk wax, is it balearic?, lectric sands and citizen kanes disques sinthomme. given his profile, a union with the soft rocks affiliated kinfolk label makes utmost sense and jose manuel fans will find much to enjoy about ajna. both the title track and *the clear after the storm* are steeped in eastern mysticism and feature heavy percussion from the man manuel, whilst the accompanying soft rocks remix will appeal to fans of rabih beainis *tanki tanki* edit.

dungeon meat is the new label and production outfit brought to you by dungeon masters brawther and tristan da cunha. packing a serious punch, its aim is to present tracks designed specifically to rock the party and shake the sound system. originally conceived as a platform for their own musical visions it soon became apparent that they would have to open the doors to a select few who shared their ambition to make no messing, hard hitting house grooves. one of these artists is the mysterious blunt instruments who has the honour of kicking off the label. after road testing his huge club hammer hold back brawther and da cunha knew it had to be on dungeon meat as it epitomised exactly the sound they wanted to present. hold back has been a firm fixture in their sets and even got cut to dubplate by jeremy underground paris. its not all about the a-side though as blunt instruments craft 2 other killer club cuts for the flip side we wont go on too much trying to describe how good this ep is ... instead well let the music do the talking

brilliant hypnotic groovin raw analog sounding tracks as we like it

prologue continues with the portefeuille series and present with number 3 new prologue faces for this release. first is etapp kyle, recently released on ben klocks clockworks with an unbelievable emotional techno track. second is a complete new producer face from italy called mod21. mod21 delivers a biological living techno monster. last on the ep are artefakt know the dutch field recordings with deepest melancholic grooves for the dance floor. we are very exited about this release and we are sure we see all soon again on prologue.

disruption and interference arent words you ordinarily associate with pop or dance music, but planningtorock is on a mission to unseat all norms. on her new album all loves legal, she leaves you in no doubt as to the seriousness of her vision of transnational gender equality. surprisingly, given that western dance music is born out of black, queer music, it rarely touches upon these themes, but all loves legal is a refreshingly direct statement of political intent

piston recordings label boss rogerio martins is next up on his own well-established label with a new track that gets plenty of great remix treatment from joss moog, james dexter and jr from dallas. martins has steered his label through a dizzying amount of quality releases since 2007 picking up support from the likes of laurent garnier and john aquaviva who have confirmed themselves as fans in the past and this new release is sure to find just as much favour with the top dogs. >gonna be mine< is the one martins original and is a classical inclined bit of mature house music with sombre piano chords draped over nicely shuffling percussion. subtle human sounds litter the arrangement and more lively stabs enter the fray in the latter half but essentially this is all about the warm and inviting groove.

played by raresh, dyed soundorom, dop, djulz, jef k...
for the next release we have set the bpm slower, we offer you the 1st collaboration between jaw, gaffy & varoslav, all good friends for years. its a pleasure to deliver such a superb original track made of vintage warm analog sounds surrounded by the mystical vocals by jaw. and there was something interesting to say about the parts of the track... we have invited some friends and producers from totally different places but one they all have in common is their passion for the warm sound. edward (from white-aim) who just delivered some of the most beautiful tracks & remixes this year so far and the lovely new comers from netherlands: times are ruff who has as their name indicates has a very personal touch and ruff sound.

sakro is back with a new vinyl, perfect for the start of the mild and sweet sunny days! this time, the french label offers something smooth and fresh. sakro who is a young producer from mexico, delighted us with these deep house gems. for the vinyl, he produced 3 original tracks. added to this package is a remix french the talented s3a, doing really dirty house grooves at the moment. let us talk about the music…

groovement has been developing its artistic connection with japan in recent years, so sais integration as a member of the labels on-going group of producers feels nothing short than natural. this first record showcases his meticulous approach to electronic music creation, with 4 original tracks that constitute a strong demonstration of his potential. flying with you” is a collection of tracks with a house matrix feel, sometimes revealing a dramatic pulse other times hypnotic forward thinking moves, but always with a subtle melodic texture that makes it work for the mind, body and soul. in fact, sais music is both luminous and dense, inviting us to embark on a trip but giving us the freedom to dream about our own destination. its a beautiful sense of interaction between the creator and his audience.

what a pleasure to welcome back martinez on jett records about 3 years after his last appearance !

direct from detroit, life on the back 9 is inspirational house music down to its soul. from the energetic yet soulful opening track finally (baby be mine), released on planet-e in 2013, to the melodious, groovy basslines, piano riffs and high synths of night light, to the forward pushing, make you dance saved forever, to the bumpin god he is, to the funky tech instrumental spiritual warfare, to the grooved out melodic the friend i lost to hiding in your love - all about getting lost in dancing to the music (dancing is a form of worship), to the pause and reflect selah interlude to my virtuous woman

bosqs paciencia de jo, off his well-received bosq y orquesta de madera album was arguably its most played and talked about track. the tropicalia inspired sound backed by brazilian chanteuse tita lima was the perfect song for the summer. looking to keep the fall season at bay, tall black guy drops a brazil-by-way-of-detroit remix ensuring a few more days of sunshine. instrumentals for both original and remix are also included.

soft raindrops hitting an empty street, the orange light reflects on shallow puddles of water. the dc streets ep by times are ruff is all about this silent but edgy image, where peace and disturbance lay close together and are only covered by an undisclosed street corner.

we are excited to say the least about the remix 12inch of the new radio slave single that is currently destroying dance floors world wide on spencer parkers work them imprint, featuring remixes from the mighty bearweasel & rodhad...

e-issue zweier verlorengeglaubter lps dieser formidablen live-band der funk-, soul- und disco-ära der späten 70er. ltd auf 500 lps, gatefold, sleeve notes , studiosession pictures, incl cd & dl-link

eintakt 29 >rauhv01< vinyl, including 2 exclusive remixes of nvelopes successful first full length >chords & scapes<, also part of the 3 track ep is the original song >tribute< by nvelope. nvelope presents his tribute version on a1, a track as simple as classic as good as you know what im talking about.longtime label fellow gunnar hemmerling (also man behind dock records) kicks off on the a2 with a quite reduced stomper (and as >stomping ground< is the tracks name he does good so). proper ancient techno vibes, enslaving the circuitry and drumming on the real heavy barrels. rob strobe and kai randy michel aka say what introduce themselves on eintakt on full b-side with a soupy submarine machine and you might dont know what to say (but the project name says say what) and i say get lost there then (and you probably will). the rauhv series are an upcoming collection of unreleased remixes of different rauhphaser releases

join us for this aa sided single whereby last known trajectory welcomes the immensely talented visonia to its music roster and most proudly presents the first collaboration with the mighty dopplereffekt to deliver what is, >die reisen<, encapsulating what you will soon recognize to be the distinctly warm and engulfing sound that is visonia, here morphing with dopplereffekts unmistakable, deadly bass arpeggio and subterranean stratospheres – utterly amazing. flip over to the aa side and witness visonia with two markedly different styles, as >antarctic love< is just about the most emotive piece of electronic music you will hear this year. finally comes >impossible romance< – a fresh, new-wave inspired and dare i say it, spiritually uplifting piece of music that you will simply wish to repeat again-and-again-and-again. it truly doesnt come much better than this!

one of our specialties at jazzman is focusing in on the obscure and often previously slept on regional based sounds across america. this time our radar was honing in on state of virginia and its norfolk sound. many celebrated musicians have contributed to the norfolk sound, but lenis guess was probably the most active, prolific and influential showman of the soulful 60s and 70s. this collection of unique recordings captures the essence of the multi-talented entertainer, singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, band manager and label owner a calm, cool and collected quintessential music man about town.