pastoral/tropical soundscapes and post-brutalist compositions by max loderbauer and jacek sienkiewicz from their ÒendÓ cd seem to evoke those situations where can actually hear objects, shapes and time flow itself, a sort of synaesthesia which erases and obliterates beginnings and ends of events, processes and phenomena. apocalyptic and contemplative spaces generated by this pair of seasoned sound creators explode genre bastions of ambient and idm, leading into the spectral areas once explored by such pioneers and popol vuh or ilhan mimaroglu. above all, etheric and extra-sensitive ÒendÓ marks the meeting of two incurable individualists, who use various tools of their trade to come up with a surprisingly atemporal effect, an insistent pulse of detail on an ever-morphing background. without vivid commentary and recognizable soundbites of the present, ÒendÓ is simultaneously an interesting projection of hopes and anxieties of the new age. core of tracks included on the record has been produced on the occasion of max and jacek appearing as a live duo during 2015Õs berlin atonal festival, which resulted in well received Òalpine-tatra-himalaianÓ ep Òridges-. remaining compositions are natural conclusion of their friendship, conversations, meetings, trips and recording sessions that operate according to the rule of free improvisation with a reduced instrumental setup.

based on the eponymous play by brothers and author/performer team tobi and mike m�ller at schauspielhaus z�rich, swiss experimental documentary film a1 traverses through time and space along switzerlandÕs first and most elongated highway structure. rich in archival sources, it sheds light on the costs and benefits of rapid movement: social, migratory and ecological patterns, economic and military designs that are mostly not immediately obvious to the casual motorist. stefan goldmannÕs soundtrack engages the filmÕs multi-layered aesthetics full on, providing a dazzling array of short compositions. profoundly synthetic in production, this free-wheeling phantasmagoria of peculiar, yet intensely likeable miniatures branches off into all directions Ð from minimalistic to overflowing, calm to banging, nightmarish to soothing. the visual patina of historic documents is playfully mirrored in intense distortion and noise artifacts, bound into rhythmic units and melodies formed of ghost notes. finding ever new ways of mining his techno background to yield surprising new forms and ideas, stefan goldmann has proven his abilities in a dazzling range of projects over the past years. works for dance, ensembles, an opera and various object-based creations made him a natural choice for the job of finding a refreshing way of linking sound and image. on its own, the music holds up by putting the listener on a high-velocity road trip of the curious mind.

jimi tenor has compiled a selection of afro jazz tracks that he has written and performed over the years with musicians icelandic drummer, helgi svavar helgason, helsinki based guitarist/bassist and journalist ilkka mattila, legendary drummer tony allen, cuban & berlin based trumpeter daniel allen oberto, ethiopian/finnish & helsinki based percussionist abdissa ÔmambaÕ assefa (itetune), nigerian/german & berlin based percussionist akinola famson, helsinki based percussionist mongo aaltonen, american & paris based spoken word artist/singer & painter allonymous, helsinki based fl�gelhornist tero lindberg, finnish & berlin based guitarist kalle kalima, polish & berlin based bassist patrick frankowski, british trombonist hilary jeffery and ghanaian/german & berlin based drummer ekow alabi savage. jimi tenor, born lassi osmo tapio lehto in lahti, finland, who has been releasing recorded music for 30 years, plays several instruments as is his usual practice. he is credited for playing on the upcoming release saxentric, acoustic guitar, acoustic piano, background vocals, bass kalimba, drums, drum programming, electric guitar, electric piano, flute, hammond organ, korg ms-20, korg polysix, log-o-phone, moog, organ, percussion, photophone, plastic bongos, programming, shaker, synthesizers, tambourine, tenor saxophone, vocals and walton organ.

songs without words, suggestive and emotional transparency and connection, contemplation and departure, meditation and attack: this music fascinates from the very beginning. it has no need to boast or become talkative, but stays true to itself as it casually develops its poignant pulse and lets it grow, and grow. the web of sounds soon begins to radiate from within, it inspires images in oneÕs head, and invites to musing and introspection. against the background of a wide horizon the details of their music join, develop a life of their own, and lift off to collective flights of ideas. this music is an invitation to listen without prejudice, offering a way to get lost in dreams while, at the same time, remaining solidly grounded and completely awake

cd in 2 panels digipack with spot varnish and poster booklet. les fils du calvaire are a francophone trio from the electronic chanson francaises new wave. before adopting their current name 3 years ago, the band was called dop, and already has a solid background in the music production. indeed, les fils du calvaire were also used to being among the best hip hop beatmakers of france providing rappers such as oxmo puccino and composing for mythical jamaican figure (horace andy & johnny osborne). after a first noteworthy single rester avec toi, they are releasing an album in line with the pioneers of the chanson fran�aise, adding a subtle note of humor and derision. jointly created with ash workman (metronomy, christine and the queens), fils de is the perfect balance between french tradition and modernity.

cocoon ibiza turns fifteen! finally, its summer and we cant wait to pack our bikinis and flip-flops again for our annual trip to the island

crux is a refined contemporary techno album with some unexpected twists. early support by: luke slater, tommy four seven, answer code request, paco osuna, par grindvik, echologist, developer, psyk, woo york, mosca, joseph capriati

clone classic cuts continues their re-issues series for one of the most influential techno acts ever: drexciya. the second selection of tracks includes favorites such as bang-bang, positron island,anti vapour waves and journey home complimented with some lesser or unknown tracks. raw, uncompromising music made with soul and creativity have always has been the trademark of drexciya (and also from their original label underground resistance) and this album is another showcase of their talents. btw there is not much further background info we can give. all that can be revealed is already out there.

what is this? we actually dont know but it is new and wonderful! as one of the most successful artists in contemporary techno music hendrik weber aka pantha du prince presents his new studio project together with workshops stephan abry: ursprung. after several studio sessions in the cold and charming winter of the swiss alps, abry and weber were driven deeper and deeper into some microcosm of sound to almost cut the edge to the myth. influenced by krautrock, the ambient music of harold budd and early brian eno, avantgarde, and the minimalistic guitar sound of durutti collumn the ursprung project cant resist to make the guitar a main source. coming together with highly futuristic sounds as we know from the researches of pantha du prince. a truly unconventional structure of slowly growing beats hold this universe which came from the cold mountains together. it is not the first time the protagonists behind ursprung worked together. they met some ten years ago in hamburg as the photographer and musician stephan abry worked on his workshop project together with the artist kai althoff. hendrik weber was involved in the band stella and both released on hamburgs legendary ladomat 2000 label. a frequent conversation, exchange of music and some sessions made them work on pantha du prince works. mostly recorded in that white out background of the alps it was clear from the beginning- a unique project will come one day. now ursprung is here and lets us forget time and memory. stephan abry and hendrik weber wonder what is this? we actually dont know at all but it is new and wonderful!

2 x cd in gatefold sleeve for those who want to know the background, it is something like this. i bought an italian drawbar organ module around two years ago. apparently italian organs from that period had a bad reputation but i was so happy with it that it appeared on most of the tracks i had been working on. i thought i had an album together and was supposed to get it mastered on the day after the mastering session for the pinch and shackleton release on honest jons (sometime towards the end of summer 2011)

perhaps most known for his lucha libre guise as mexicans with guns, san antonios ernest gonzales wears many masks. gonzales doesnt buckle under the weight of multiple personae. rather,he draws inspiration from his multifaceted background, producing a diverse swath of sounds covering various states of introspection.

new album by portable. on the fifth longplayer, alan abrahams teams up with efdemin, johannes sch�n and >s�d electronic< labelmate lakuti, to lead us into infinity. during the last 15 years, alan lived & composed in south africa / england / portugal and germany. he released records on background / context / karat / musik krause / scape / spectral / s�d electronics and yore.

a stunning return to form for one of the pre-eminent modern soul singers - with background vocal guests including jody watley, faith evans, lalah hathaway, shanice and the andrea crouch singers. a remarkably strong fifth solo album from a soul singer who defines the word classy. highlights are his trademark gorgeous ballads ( miss you and goodbye ), hypnotic mid-tempo grooves ( 6 am and stay with me ), and irresistibly funky dancefloor tracks (the instant club hit ghost featuring jody watley). the insistent, gospel-flavoured mountain top is unlike anything you ve ever heard, and features the legendary andrea crouch singers. the album is rooted in the classic principles of melody and poetic lyrics while embracing eighties r&b/pop as purveyed by prince and michael jackson. since his outstanding 1997 debut album for mca, rahsaan has evolved as a vocalist and songwriter, along the way writing songs for tevin campbell, brandy, ledisi, lalah hathaway and van hunt. now in 2011, with the assistance of his regular production cohorts keith crouch and jamey jazz, he delivers some of his finest work.

whats the point of a concept album when no one hears the concept in it? maybe that it sets a boundary, forcing mr artist to go even deeper into the fewer possibilities left. creativity by limitation and all thatÉ well spare you further theorizing. >fever<, the third longplayer by dutch low end scientist 2562, then, is his disco album: a thorough reinterpretation of underground disco music from the mid seventies to the early eighties, with his own birthyear 1979 as the gravitational point. all based on one simple rule: every single sound, from the smallest background shiver to the most obese sub bass, originates from a disco record Ð no additional synthesizers, drumcomputers or other samplesources involved. disco-edits, italo homages or filtered loops then? hardly. this is genuinely new and retro-free music that respectfully flips its sources so hard even the biggest paradise garage connaisseurs wont recognize what just hit them. or in the words of musical allies martyn and pinch, who independently drew the same conclusion: >sorry, but i dont hear that whole disco story in there. this simply sounds like you.< completely failed as a concept album, then Ð and all the better for it.

pingipung presents >the kenya sessions< - an enchanting cooperative mission featuring sven kacirek, our experimental drummer and electronic producer, and musicians from kenya. the kenya sessions is the result of svens extended visit to the country with live and fieldrec sessions which he later processed in his studio in hamburg. sven kacirek plays with local kenyan stars such as 80 year-old female vocalist ogoya nengo, or with joseph oganga, who delivers amazing patterns with his >nyatiti<, a traditional string instrument. its sometimes difficult to tell the parts recorded in kenya from those overdubbed by sven kacirek himself. his own compilation of marimba, bassdrums and brush patterns forms a musical thread that he weaves skillfully into the live sessions. at times joyfully straight (arsenal aluny vilage) at times mellow and melancholy (mariae, paperflowers). sven kacirek and some of the kenyan musicians will bring this fantastic material on international stages in early 2011. the linernotes by goetz steeger illustrate the detailed recording process of this record. >the kenya sessions< is pingipungs second album by sven kacirek who has a background as virtuoso jazz drummer. he studied at drummers collective in new york, played several solo-shows at the world drum festival and has written books on the experimental use of electronics on the drumset. on his solo debut >the palmin sessions< in 2007 he presented his original ambient aesthetics made from silent patterns recorded on paper, wood, or glass surfaces: >svens frantic drumming is really a pure pleasure to listen to ... his instruments join together in a deeply meditative study< (foxy digitalis)

g.i.disco - an 80s history of cold war s hottest music in west-germany berlin local dj heroes kalle kuts and daniel w. best a.k.a. g.i.disco have compiled an excellent 80s soul, funk, r & b and disco selection. it combines representative music of that time with informative liner notes about the german historical background (which also is an important part of 20th century s world history), international artist quotes and worldwide renowned art by berlin based photographer frank thiel to an unique history lesson and listening experience. soul, funk and r&b from the us became a worldwide dance and clubbing movement during the 70s when it turned disco. in the late 70s and 80s more and more new electronic instruments like synthesizers and drum machines were added to the horn riffs and piano licks, bringing the funk back on the dance floor while still leaving it s soul untouched