echocord’s colour sub-label returns early june with a four- track ep from eindhoven’s albert van abbe in the shape of ‘klangbilder’. dutch techno artist albert van abbe has nearly two decades of experience under his belt in various forms of musical and visual expression, releasing on his own vanabbe imprint, figure jams, semantica and no comment, as well as playing live and djing at hot spots across the globe such as berghain, tresor, dgtl and awakenings festival. ‘klangbilder 1’ leads with a robust rhythmic drive, employing bumpy toms, shuffled hats and lumpy kicks at its core as vacillating synths, tension building drones and menacing pizzicato strings develop throughout. ‘klangbilder 2’ takes things deeper next, retaining the dusty drums sound of the previous cut whilst stirring in airy ethereal pads and choppy, resonant stab sequences. ‘klangbilder 3’ kicks off the b-side with modulating synth whirrs, emotive organ tones and a muted drum tones throughout before ‘klangbilder 4’ closes the package, taking things beatless and cinematic via emotive synth leads, droning subs and expansive echoes.

limited to 250 copies, next up in tartelet’s limited-edition series is renaissance man n.o.t.e. with “night frames” – a compilation of barrel-aged sounds for the warm nights ahead. n.o.t.e. is a new project by an already established artist who might be of swiss or italian origin, depending on who’s asking. a seasoned sailor of musical waters, he enjoys jazz piano, fine wine and silk linens. though none of that matters. the first release under his new name could be described as a mini concept album where different routes are explored, bringing n.o.t.e.’s musical diversity and capabilities to light. starting with “falsa laudis,” n.o.t.e. takes the listener back to the 80s with clear references to italian boogie and jazz-funk of that era. the track is warm, fat and sparkly, and best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand. following this is the title track “night frames” – a bruk-jazz escapade not shy of elaborate rhodes solos and filthy funk. the b-side opener moves further south: “obaleyako” is fueled by tropical energy, mixing african percussions with soft piano chords. it’s weird, mysterious and red hot! last but not least, n.o.t.e takes on the finest deep house sound with “en route,” where endless layered melodies and percussion form the farewell. this is an ultra limited-edition release of 250 copies (strictly no repress!), written and produced by n.o.t.e. and mixed at panalama studios in copenhagen on the neve 5088 shelford console for good measure. enjoy!

a1: david goldberg revealed his exceptional talent releasing an extraordinaire debut ep on svs records. “m4l-uv” is a euphoric breakbeat track that won’t fail to make you dance.
a2: kit curse made his mark within the dnb scene during the last years having released on labels like cyclone, onset audio or shadowforces. “weird solace master” is a broken ritual that reveals the producers experimental side.
b1: “zezbo version” by skee mask is a superb dnb trip leading you through an industrial shadow world. the producer upholds his reputation as an exceptional artist all along the way.
b2: top shotta runs the uk bass orientated label ruffhouse. “m-performance riddim” somehow sounds like a race and a fight both at the same time.
b3: the style of bean is a postmodern blend of ambient, idm and dubstep. “tears” showcases this eclecticism within just three minutes.

in 2017, benedikt frey released his breathtaking debut album with the esp institute, artificial, and now as we finally come up for air, we’re more than proud to offer an eclectic collection of remixes that’s nothing short of essential. side a leads with h for hysteria remixed by a beloved hero, nicolas chaix a.k.a. i:cube, one of the most prolific and respected electronic artists paris has to offer. his touch is considered and elegant, imbuing the track with a tasteful 303+808 backbone to support an array of patiently floating melodies and angelic vocal samples. following this, tolouse low trax of du&#776,,,,,sseldorf’s infamous salon des amateurs remixes the same track, stripping instrumentation down to a skeletal palette of bass guitar and stabbing percussive punctuations, chopped up inna minimalist stylee that has become his beat-making signature. side b leads with a remix by another du&#776,,,,,sseldorfer, dj normal 4, whose re-imagination of private crimes takes us for an even more menacing ride, half-timing the tempo and skillfully rolling out a barrage of jungle snares from rave days of yore. closing the release is the most aggressive remix of them all, a bonafide techno beatdown of the same track by dalo, the co-producing artist to whose haunting vocals lace the original version. her dark vision opens with sparse industrial drums that blossom into a driving assault of raw machinery, definitely not for the faint-of-heart. an all-around solid release here, fun for all the family... more than just the tip!

ground is an osaka native, but his soul is truly that of a nomad, traversing the planet, befriending the kindred spirits found in humans, animals and plants. he is exceptionally receptive to the beauty in all that surrounds him—the incidental music of a busy city street, the orchestrated chaos of a scrambling radio, the syncopated grace of a migrating flock of birds, the simplicity of an isolated hand clap—and as his map continuously unfolds, he accumulates a vast catalogue of visceral tools to complex musically recount his experiences. sunizm is a cross section of the artist’s process—an array of complex microcosms overlapping to comprise a thematic whole—gathering field recordings, found instrumentation, jagged electronics, and synthesized chanting, to be woven into a dense narrative that appears both obsessively constructed and divinely improvised. with each consecutive track, the artist gradually constructs hypnotic patterns that 1-up the mind as it struggles to break free from a seduction of loops, steadily intensifying until reaching an apex of sound collage so cerebral that the listener might consider a post-album shower. but alas, the fourth quarter releases a bit of pressure, our gobs still lay smacked but there is a warm confidence as the psychedelic trial delivers us home to nod out. dear humans, animals and plants, ground and the esp institute present, sunizm.

rawax welcomes markus fix & dorian paic to the artist family! we as frankfurt based label are happy to present you on the 25th release two real frankfurt ambassadors!

sirocco is the second ep by bruxas, the psychedelic, beat-driven, tropical, house group consisting of jacco gardner and nic mauskovic, featuring the percussive talents of jungle by nights tienson smeets. sirocco features the combined talents of cult retro artist gardner, and the percussive fortitude of mauskovic, delving into the world of exotic, cinematic, balearic-sunshine, that cruises leisurely throughout, and is layered with phazed-out, tropical synths. its a sound for the summer. good vibes only please.

phil gerus is a natural musical talent who oozes sound from every pore. fusing together cassette pop, disco, soul, r&b and funk, his sounds are effortless but hugely emotive and have come out on labels like sonar kolkektiv, manmakemusic (george fitzgerald’s label), futureboogie and true romance. growing up in moscow, phil studied classical piano and was heavily influenced by his parents’ music tastes, including jazz records of oscar peterson, bill evans, and keith jarrett, it is these classy vibes that permeate his own creations. phil has played around the world at leading clubs like japan’s dommune, studio 80 (amsterdam), mojo club (hamburg) and various hotspots in europe and russia. phil is also a regular guest on radio shows around the planet and is considered as an artist on the rise.

the new talented italian producers sibling and the russian artist heavenchord kicking it off with lonesome landscape ep on fauxpas musik. an emotional piece of late night atmosphere dub techno music full of analogue warmth and heart-warming depth. vinyl tastes better…

four tracks of angular uplifting techno that are sure to invoke dancefloor liberation. -interlacing- is the second record from brooklyn artist dustmite, on his personal vinyl imprint, supervoid records.

very limited marbled vinyl. kontakt records presents two highly sought-after tracks by danish artist christian bloch. both tracks have been officially remastered after careful restoration from the original master tapes. after releasing on his own funque droppings imprint in the late 90ties christian had several successful releases on simple muzik, ll records and tresor and soon after he relocated to detroit to pursue his musical dream. luke hess and rolando contributed with two outstanding remixes of the original tracks.

multi-talent joyce muniz is definitely one to look out for. initially starting her career as a vocalist, she now took over the global house music scene within no time as a deejay and producer as well. exhibiting her talent with previous releases, its not surprising that shes on the roster of prestigous labels such as exploited records and 20/20 vision recordings. next year she will release her single toxic people on international deejay gigolo records featuring the singer, songwriter and producer demetr1us. toxic people is a vibrant and raw sounding electro house cut featuring grimy synths and vocals, that lend the track a cold and distant atmosphere. the artwork for toxic people was created by leipzig-based artist silvia trost, whose forth lies in oil and acrylic paintings. she now frequently collaborates with glitch art artists and loves to mix materials and techniques, both analogue and digital. the b-side dreamz is another great production by joyce muniz. the playful groove and eclectic ambient makes it a cool package.

after years of successful parties it s time for the tropical animals team to move on to the next phase. this time, it is whitesquare (2020vision freerange rec) who will have his music pressed on wax for the brand new florence-based label. the artist delivers in light ep, which includes three mesmerising exclusive tracks:limitation, an incessant vortex with acid nuances, following velvet room, a romantic melody driven by lush textures at the end, we find pressing point,a climax of primordial rhythms and synths. spirals of sounds, uncontaminated electronic atmospheres and emotions that intersect memories lost in time. deep deep down, far far in.

it s been a long time coming but now is the time for metamrophic to present out first various artist compilation. this one features 3 up and coming artists, goiz, jem, and jacksonville, as well as one track from label head dan curtin. of course the first compilation from metamorphic had to be called interstellar groove addictions, the unofficial slogan of the label since the beginning. these tracks are modern trips into the unknown, representing the mood of the label perfectly - fierce individuality, evolution in sound, and deeply felt emotional content.

re-issue from italian house instigator enrico mantini which is going to set another mark in his discography. 4 of mantini’s best tracks from years 2012 - 2014 personally chosen by the artist from mantini’s very own label down da mountains.

we are proud to announce the latest addition to the moonshine recordings artist roster - halcyonic & g roots - two young talented producers out of bristol, uk. their debut moonshine release entitled “future” with vocal support from junior dread and additional remix by violinbwoy will be released on the 6th of july on 180 gram vinyl.

more corp less corporations ! another crazy release on libertine from the madrid s artist... not to be missed !!

ja:ck is back to showcase his first solo release on cocoon recordings. tuscany smells of pines and good food, the sea spoils you just like good wine and lots of sun. for some time now we here at cocoon have been connecting with tuscany through the legendary cocoon events at the tini soundgarden in cecina and since last year segnore ja:ck has also joined our tuscany vision. following on from his track “naturra” on the 10&#8243,,,,, with joel mull (2017), we’re proud to present two new tracks by the tuscan artist, which once again possess their very own charm. dry and grainy, they still come across housey and sexy and to put us properly in the picture, ja:ck’s called the release “paprika” - short and crisp, red hot and spicy - that’s alright with us! listen up as we bring the tuscany vibes to the festivals and to ibiza this summer. signore e signori: ecco il tuo uomo!

everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. judas is back with one of the biggest collections of records since today, presenting more sides of his vision as an artist and as a conceptual persona, these are 4 cuts that brilliantly put you in the zone, right when the needle drops on the record. judas present this project in 2 parts, both part of the same creature, and of the same concept, “unsaid” goes far beyond the usual aspect of the functionality, in this case, functionality is a pure tool, every single work shows you a path into his mind.

a young french artist based out of paris from corsica, it is from behind her drumkit that charlotte debuts in music. with her first ep, she plunges us in her music s universe. her first track, 777, eponym of the vinyl, along with largo, reflects her melancholiac side combined with an acoustic breakbeat rhythm borrowed from her 90 s influenced. the other tracks, mela & saint marc, show her love for a brutal dancefloor with acid wave inspirations.

* to celebrate the second anniversary of khemia records we are pleased to welcome back in aeternam vale, the legendary french artist who inaugurated the imprint on a split ep with bronze teeth in march 2016. * this is the first single-artist ep produced by the label, initiating a new series that will run parallel to the v/a editions. * the tracks ‘dave’ and ‘circles’ form an elliptical conundrum composed of various references including kubrick’s alchemical allegory 2001 a space odyssey, (sampled in french) with it’s existential narrative of a schizophrenic artificial intelligence lurking in the shadows. the deus ex machina wondering if mankind is still useful to machines, or perhaps even dangerous to them? the infamous seveso chemical disaster at the pharmaceutical laboratory icmesa caused by human error, the glowing blood-red sphere of hal 9000, the all-seeing eye of the sentient super-computer and the circular composition of the toxic compound 2.3,7.8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (tcdd), released into the atmosphere at seveso. with this cryptic feedback loop, laurent prot is suggesting that the new technologies we are developing now, for use in our near future could result in catastrophe when human control is lost to the self-learning of ai. the homicidal consequences of a machine take-over find visual form in the bleak, dystopian aesthetic of evelyn bencicova’s cover artwork.

during a warehouse dig, delfonic discovered a mysterious release from 2013 by an unknown german artist, filled with moody tracks without breaks in between, which were made in 2008. after searching for months who was behind, oye black is proud to announce the unknown artist martin georgi with 2 mpc bangers from that release cut out, along with a dj friendly edit by delfonic. oa true warehouse find for the lovers!

british producer zepherin saint has always been a man with a fierce passion for quality-strewn, vocal heavy deep house. a thoroughly captivating affair throughout, butterflies sees the producer return to his tribe records imprint alongside regular vocal collaborator, miranda nicole. kicking off the release is the ‘tribe vocal mix’- full of hazy, fuzzy sounds that play out beautifully. a refined house cut, it’s made all the more mesmerising by nicole’s sultry vocal contribution. a perfect foil to zepherin saint’s beats, the coming together of both is truly a joy to behold. bolstering the latter is a live mix, as well as an instrumental version, named here as the tribestrumental offering. zepherin saint is a truly exciting artist and one whose stock continues to rise thanks to his infectious-sounding, afro-tinged house sound.

tokyo japan based label fasten musique is now reaching its 12th release.the first release of 2018 sees stanning dublin based producer laughing man drops two original cuts of timeless house music ep compete with remixes from our resident artist yoshitaca is back to fasten musique since his debut ep and a talented canadian female artist alicia hush. ltd copies / only vinly

ground is an osaka native, but his soul is truly that of a nomad, traversing the planet, befriending kindred spirits found in humans, animals and plants. he is exceptionally receptive to the beauty in everything that surrounds him the incidental music of a city street, the orchestral chaos of a scrambling radio, the syncopated grace of migrating birds, the simplicity of an isolated hand clap—and as his roadmap continuously unfolds, he accumulates a vast catalogue of visceral tools to musically recount his experiences. sunizm is a cross section of the artist’s process—an array of complex microcosms overlapping to comprise a thematic whole—gathering field recordings, found instruments, jagged electronics, synthesized chanting, and weaving all into a dense narrative that appears obsessively constructed yet divinely improvised. logos is the first of two singles surrounding the album and is complimented with a monster remix by bartellow (a fellow esp artist, collaborator and good friend of ground) as well as a secret weapon b-side entitled discopazzle, which is exclusive to this single release. attention all humans, animals and plants, ground and the esp institute present, sunizm.

ryan parks is a mixed media artist, music producer/performer, and ceo/founder of critically robust cassette tape label, harsh riddims. he was born in college park, ga and grew up skating all around atlanta, soaking up the dense kaleidoscopic cultural ooze found both in and outside the perimeter of atlanta. aside from his visual practice which usually takes shape as mixed media (jacob lawrence/matisse inspired in my opinion!) collage, he has been releasing music as fit of body for seven years. fit of body crafts soulful house ballads that draw on freestyle, bell hooks, old school detroit techno, jazz, and southern rap passed through a no wave paradigm. fit of body has previously released work on cgi, dka, ransom note, and his own label, harsh riddims. “black box no cops” is fit of body’s debut 2mr release, named for atlanta hallowed skate grounds, black box. the vinyl release includes a download code.

after three major releases by tell, nachtbraker and s3a, its time for debuting italian artist verner to close our beloved trophy quartet. this milanese key virtuoso is ready to blow your mind with this eccentric yet humble ep, taking you on an emotional journey. long stretched pads, playful chord progressions, organic percussion all produced with analogue 70s and 80s vintage synthesizers and drum computers in verners studio reminding us a bit of harvey sutherland and nu guineas style. were talking groove, funk, jazz but also house and soundtrack style compositions which together form a very complete record carefully a&rd by nachtbraker. drop the needle on the a side and youll start off with linizio, a majestic piece of synthwork. hurdling through different emotions and vibes, this could easily be the intro of one of your favourite 80s tv series. upset takes you on a happy groovy tour whilst crash of the web era and the motion pictures take us on a trippy and ambient voyage that is hard to wake up from. when flipping the record to the b side, verner is stepping back into the groove and funk with tecladista, arguably the dance floor hit of this debut ep. starting of with again a majestic synth intro area drops into a festive funk and jazz bomb with some intricate synth work treating us with some lovely solos. closing this versatile ep is late night job, a deep, deep tune with a thriving baseline and mesmerizing synths. we suggest to dont sleep on this one and have a listen to this piece of art by the very talented verner.

after previously releasing starship commander woooo woooos mastership lp, left ear records have continued excavating the archives of the artist more formally known as omer coleman jr. the result is two handpicked mid 80’s instrumentals salvaged from the original master tapes, as well as an extended vocal edit on the flip for good measure. after laying his alter ego to rest omer made a handful of electronic releases on his own kansas based remo label. of these releases left ear has selected their two favourite instrumentals: lovin babe sure is fun and so good. lovin babe sure is fun was originally released in 85 and was created to celebrate a time in america where the economy was good, people were happy and love was in the air, the essence of which omer captured using his roland 808 and 303 in what may best be described as acid-boogie. so good on the other hand is a sensual downtempo cut shaped with heavy-bass, telephone samples and guitar solos that conjures images of late night rendezvous and compromising scenarios.

for the record the artist presents a sonic curation of her work ë.ctu_isbtmí. operating in a space between sculpture, code and electronics, the system scans 3dimensional objects via a live video feed and programmatically encodes the artistís glass sculptures within a language of pitches and rhythms using samples as a transla- tive matrix. following samples are used : 0 basketball, 1 tennis, 2 swim, 3 scubadive, 4 helicopter, 5 race, 6 golf, index side a: codes sounds were produced from rotating black glass objects whose shapes determine the parameters of a 2d synthesis space. side b: the resulting sounds are live coded into musical pattern. along with byrke louís sound piece the physical record features words by agf.

the debut release of new artist in san francisco on endless flight.
after we received his debut 7inch release on lips&rhythm records, we contacted him immediately….
summer feeling barealic tropical tunes.

new year, new release for burnin music. after 2 strong eps in 2017 (ponty mython bm001 and leonidas +kay suzuki bm002) burnin music first release of 2018 features the first ep of an up-and-coming british artist called michael iwatsu also featuring a remix by german producer, soulphiction. fracture (original mix) is a 10 mins long journey. a beautiful odyssey between beats and harmony, between intuitive dance floor and subtle emotions. the main piano brings a perfect balance to the stomping house kick & drum. and as the journey continues, the trip develops leading to more sonic ventures. exciting, touching, pure, fracture (original mix) is a very balanced track. on the flip side, house music master soulphiction accomplishes the task to bring the track into a dark basement. his remix is a condensed version of everything that makes the original track an emotional one and also add a detroit twist: it becomes a raw, moody and very intuitive sonic object. a tool for the dancefloor.

the new born label lavibe offer a very strong artist combination on his very first release. italian deep techno master marco shuttle deliver with “tablharmonium” an introspective and shamanic trip, that will captivated and hypnotized every fan of mental music. on the flipside, french talent bambounou, known for his albums and ep’s on now defunkt modeselecktor’s label 50weapons, put down a fast, percussive and trippy piece of voodoo music, made to set up the vibe, and rise up the groove.

after recently playing host to established names such as fabe, nima gorji and michael james, pathway traxx returns to its roots by introducing a new artist, but long time friend wiremu. this pure club record, and vocal infused ep is set to light up a dance floor near you very soon. wiremu brings his unique chugging sound by the bucket load while label boss niko keeps it smooth on the b-side.

after releasing in labels such as offworldcolonies, undveld brings to order&devotion an obscure journey through far landscapes. the beginning of the trip starts with two cuts starred by hypnotic beats, tense pads and abstract synths. following this, on the b side you’ll find a strong remix by label’s honcho kwartz, adding heavy industrialized elements to the lithuanian artist work. the journey ends with an ambient excerpt.

korablove delivers his second full length album on elusive, and its quite a special one again! directed towards more dreamy, piano-infused, classic cross-genre sound, it grabs you with its cinematic, moody, and truly beautiful melodies and soundscapes, revealing more mature side of this multi-faceted artist

l_cio is a brazilian artist who brings his own flute playing to his music. he has previously collaborated with the likes of portable on the huge hit ‘surrender’ and is a live act who has held residencies at plenty of key clubs in brazil. he’s also toured all over the world from egg london to robert johnson in frankfurt and released on labels like perlon, soul clap records and d.edge. his eight-track album is an emotive affair with deep house grooves embellished with his own spine tingling instrumentals and flute.

opilec music s eclectic remix series rolls on with another essential package, this time tackling a single from label boss i-robots s law of robotics album back in 2008. adding their own spin to things are red axes and hiroshi watanabe aka kaito after likes of kuniyuki takahashi, djembe monks, danny ocean, los hermanos, gary martin, alexander robotnick, daniele baldelli & marco dionigi have all stepped up previously. isreali duo red axes go first, a pair known for mixing up synths and guitars in exciting new ways on labels like hivern discs, i m a cliche and esp institute amongst others. their excellent version of the track re-works it as a deep and spine tingling house cut. moody chords lull you into a hypnotic and zoned out groove that is finished with some intoxicating spoken words. hiroshi watanabe aka kaito is next, an acclaimed kompakt and transmat artist who makes succulent techno with ambient atmospheres. his brilliant version here is just that, with cosmic chords and slippery rubber beats carrying you away into the night. warm and inviting, it elevates you to the next level over its long length, it is a classy bit of techno that also comes as a stripped back instrumental version.

amaranth ep is the latest various artists effort through the planet rhythm label. this compilation features sounds by dubiosity, alfredo mazzilli, space above and exilles. also this package contains a mesmerizing remix by glaswegian artist edit select which we are proud to add to the label roster. soundwise, amaranth ep is covering a lot ground within modern day techno. surely a package that will appear to lovers of multiple modes within the genre.

out-er sub-label pregnant void is proud to announce the release of hi.mo’s debut album “urtiis”. landing on double vinyl in june 2018, it is a fantastically absorbing showcase of the italian’s weird and wonderful fusion of various strains of sound from jazz to hip hop to classical. “the alteration of conventional musical patterns thrills me”, says the artist who is classically trained in piano and uses that knowledge to play with rules, structures and forms. influenced by idm, african drums, jazz and the interplay of chords, rhythm and harmony, hi.mo infuses his electro-acoustic productions with found sound samples and analogue and digital tools. this is a spelling-binding and intimate album that is filled with invention, but never at the expense of the overall experience, which is beautiful and beguiling throughout.

foureal records vinly series in the past release japanese artist only release 2nd release is naohito .his base hokkaido sapporo city he played in the few years &#12300,,,,,horsehead nebula&#12301,,,,,his originality sound emotional and funk this track as a symbol for a label. breaks sounds&#12300,,,,,purple vale&#12301,,,,,and floating sounds house groove&#12300,,,,,menzel&#12301,,,,,.all track is unified an atmosphere 3tracks

from his debut on tresor in 2012 with the super strength ep, all the way through to his vibrations long player in 2016, paris based artist marcelus has continuously provided some of the most intricate productions to come out on tresor records in recent years. marcelus instills unpredictable rhythms as the very eseence of his music. these di erent layered time signatures move together in spiraling forms designed in the french enchanter’s mind. the magnet ep o ers one long trip in four chapters. the title track, “magnet”, ushers in the ritual and strikes with its creole flavors, drawing careful listeners back to sound palettes and rhythms of some decisive ur references. from there on, the mind-bending begins. “parenthesis” is the second slow step in this brooding ceremony. “say it again” picks up the pace, driving the listener further down into the tunnel. the beads of “descent” finally brings the mind back to the surface of reality.

next up on creme organizaiton is lake haze. the hague based portuguese artist is a regular on this label having put out four eps in the last two years. hes also linked with unknown to the unknown and shall not fade so is an esteemed talent with a blistering sound that fuses futuristic techno and electro into storytelling dancefloor dynamite. space reservoirs kicks off this ep with slow but heavy drum work, acid twitches and spooky cosmic echoes. the observer picks up the pace with quick and slick kicks from the streets of detroit overlaid with ripping electro basslines and deep space atmospherics. unexplored oceanic territory is expansive electro with busted drums and echoing pads that add real scale before more acid finishes things off with real rawness. prototype is dark and heavy, with another searing baseline and crisp metallic hits, then into the unknown is a blissed out electro roller with dreamy pads and twinkling keys melt ing into the cosmos. it closes out another essential ep from this timeless producer.

adding and connecting the bits, dots, hats and kicks once again, rtct.records invite two italians to join forces for a shared ep. it features three tracks per artist and it s got everything from ambient over lo-fi house, acid, techno and even garage. both of the artists have been making music under different names for a long time now but this release marks the launch of their new monikers: introducing dj chupacabra from the mountainous north of italy and crisco from mediterranean sicily. this is where the surf & turf theme of the ep comes into play. with this release rtct.records are taking a step forward and broaden their output after the well acclaimed deep house/disco tinged releases by leo woelfel, demuja and laroze. artwork by gus nobel.

for his inaugural ep under new guise ‘yem gel, nts manchester resident and visual artist alecs pierce comes through with a four-track cacophony of sounds for dave maclean (django django) run label kick + clap. from previous experimental outings as obsidian pond, gristed petunia and, handi dogh he returns with this new project based solely on electronic compositions, giving the multi-instrumentalist artist a chance to further explore his electronic leanings. operating with a clear mission statement, yem gel moniker seeks to live up to its names reference to malleable ‘fictional future plastics by offering a set of genre-spanning compositions, drawing from multiple influences from ambient, drum ‘n bass or grime and leaving us wondering where he might take us next.

the essential will & ink label continues to keep up the pressure with a new ep from museum aka anton pieete and jeroen liebregts. the pair have released on vital labels like marcel dettmann records and indigo area and make some of the most robust and powerful techno around. their three new tracks here come with a remix from resident label artist yalessa hall. opener silo is an urgent groove with warped and rumbling synth lines and frazzled textures. it s sparse and industrial as it barrels along while the list is much more wild. the drums flail around, the hits are off grid and the energy is restless and rugged. lastly from them, 1500 has punchy drum programming and watery sound effects, sci-fi motifs and a sense of turbulence that will make a real impact in the club. the raw yalessa hall remix flips the list into a freaky house track with smeared synths and big hits making for something incendiary and unhinged.

since the debut in 2011, the swedish music project pro424 has combined complex modular synth based sounds with strong melodies resembling the synth genre. at the same always with a firm stance in techno and underground culture and always with desire to perform the music live. the previous immune released in 2014, became one of lamours most sold albums ever and was compared to historic references such as tangerine dream and underworld, but also richie hawtin. the new album is a thematic prequel to immune and is set in a light and hopeful soundscape which for some reason collapses. behind pro424 is stockholm based artist and producer maximilian karlander, who aside from music is a bioengineer.

surface records has never pulled any punches as one of the uks toughest, strangest techno labels, and the 65d mavericks have embodied the same spirit with their charged, lyrically provocative approach. after a lengthy hiatus label and artist are back in action, and sounding as fierce as ever. false prophets is not for the faint hearted an avalanche of thunderous drums and expletive-laden diatribes. cosmic drift is marginally more meditative, but still positively unhinged in its execution. you lost your mind flails around a muddy, punky swamp of deviant sonic behaviour, and immovable (dub) throws one last curveball into the long grass, stripping out the bark without losing the bite of this proudly individual group of techno marauders.

after a brief time away from releasing music in 2017 to refresh his ears, essential house artist argy is back with a bang in 2018, as this debut ep on play it say it proves. greek dj and producer argy has been a prolific talent over the last decade plus, releasing a variety of sounds under a number of different aliases. his given name has always been reserved for house and techno, which is classically informed but always infused with the sound of the future. it’s come on key labels like bedrock, bpitch, ibadan, and most recently the martinez brothers’ cuttin’ headz imprint, and has spawned four fantastic full lengths. those releases, along with his storytelling dj sets, have made the these days label boss a much loved and ever-present part of the global underground scene. the excellent title track the way of kings opens up the ep with seven standout minutes of surging house. slick, powerful kicks drive it along as expertly crafted synths bring real drama and tension up top. it’s a tasteful bit of hi-tech soul for the peak of the night and is as essential as the title suggests. switching up the mood is the vibrant los animales, which has a busier, afro tinged groove and tribal percussive energy. lithe synths dart about to add dynamism and movement as vocal chants get you on your toes and the whole thing is sure to make a huge impact in the club. last of all, move like a panther featuring the new yorker in berlin, elbee bad, shows another side to argy. it’s a perfectly raw house cut with plenty of jacking chicago spirit. the drums hit hard, the synths are trippy and the snares force you to move. add in a dark bassline and spoken word mantras and you have a real piece of explosive club dynamite. these are three typically inventive and well-executed tracks from argy that are stuffed with original ideas.

monterreys new kid on the block, colossio, ep on calypso is an inmerssion into this artist s world of influences. from kraut-rock to mexican folklore passing trough electronics, colossio takes us on a journey inside his head and mind. moto sets the stage with misterious guitars and trancey synths while fe it s more of a robotic percussion trip. ansia its a more dance-floor oriented track while still mantaining the experimental spirit of the whole ep. on remix duties, newcastle s latest global export, man power, channels the stooges and the new york dolls for a sleazy glam rock version of the title track