next up on tirk we have a brand new act, named free school. hailing from birmingham, shoegaze duo andy and steve bring the sunny balearic sounds of summer and the icy kosmiche sounds of winter all in one sweeping hit. free school are maximalist and minimalist all at once.
the band like to compare themselves to caribou, orbital, hot chip, fourtet, and pet shop boys, all pretty good touchstones in our eyes, however it was the sheer gloriousness of their music that had us hooked.
their debut ep features the uplifting and euphoric >ranting and raving< and the 9 minute sound-movie >lemon<. remixes come from richard norris and his time and space machine project (we are going to have to put this guy on the payroll soon) and russian ice cool customer sportloto. free school also appear live (in sheep masks no less) so watch out for them at a venue near you. their debut album is in the pipeline and already sounding good.

adam shelton & subb-an have single handedly made birmingham cool over the last few years with their infamous below gigs at the rainbow. >feel so real< reflects the duos work at its height. it is a classic sounding house record with familiar vocal hooks, warm chords and throbbing drums. it stands out from the crowd in much the same way fcls >lets go< did last year. is it old or is it new? old school sensibilities brought right up to date with cutting edge production skills. so it was with this thought in mind that we approached new 2020 signings fcl to remix. they have added their own vocals and developed the hook into a synth heavy workout. the pack comes complete with another track >inside my head< which features a line many will remember from nights spent at warehouse raves, one for the spotters.

the emerging talent of subb-an is ushered into the culprit fold for the labels eleventh release. an extended member of the culprit clan in spirit and through his associations with hot natured and matt tolfreys leftroom, the young lad from birmingham clearly shares, much like his uk brother-in-arms jamie jones, culprits quintessential moody funk-infused sensibility. his debut ep for culprit, >what i do< is a statement of intent for a man with a definite interest in exploring the soulful and playful edges of house and techno. >what i do< has been slaying discerning dancefloors for months, blending strong chicago house roots with the polished warmth that la-based culprit has come to embody, but never forgetting darker clubbier atmospheric

dj skirt has been present on the uk techno scene for well over a decade . although her route has been far from straight forward, she originally hails from texas, there is no doubt that her influence and sound have been shaped by the birmingham techno renegades surgeon and regis. drones,hushed vocals and fractured beats combine to give us an unsettling glimpse of the future sound of her adopted home, birmingham.

hypnotize to mesmerize. thatÆs always been mark eÆs thing. enjoying a sterling reputation as an editor as well as establishing his own label merc with a string of well made 12inches and two dope compilations, the man from birmingham complements our little label again with some original productions. starting with out with nobody else, mark puts love on top of love. unfortunately for you - and good for us - you have to fetch a second copy to go back and forth with the weighty bonus beats. flip side: the wolf is a murky trip into classic cavernous house music with a bottom-heavy ruffneck sound and an attention drawing siren. that alarm bell is also included in a minute-long extra fx section and for those that cannot get enough, seeks and ye shall find a locked-groove. people who like to carry their record collection around on a hard-drive, will also be pleased to know that there is an additional track to be found on the digital release (no locked grooves there, were afraid). its a contemplative force called stoneleigh express. e is for earthquake!

fresh from birmingham comes young talent src delivering the >goin out ep< for the rwina imprint. stuffing old school 8-bit sensibilities and new school grime attitude into a blender and hitting puree, src slings sizzling synths and punchy basslines with devastating effect. from the casual g-funk of >goin out< and >sort of a start< to the skank-u-like shuffle of >facepalm< and the danjah-esque >wheres the remote?<, this ep contains grime riddims that will fill every dancefloor with hypercolors, power-ups and neon-lights, like pacman duelling with mario in the dark. with all this in mind, src makes the case that he is one to watch for the future, and with a workrate to match the hype, you can expect a lot more where this came from!
dj support comes from the distinguished likes of starkey, swindle, elijah & skilliam, taz buckfaster, baobinga, terror danjah and many more...

subb-an & adam shelton present one records, cultivated directly from five years experience at the helm of below, one of the uks most upfront and authentic underground parties, the label aims to encapsulate the energy and dexterity of artists and crowds the night has connected with most. the labels debut release comes from its founders, subb-an & shelton, with >feel the musik< ep, a retro infused collection of driving dancefloor tracks. each stamped with a dash of ibican spirit and explosive energy. subb-an has gained familiarity and become a talent to watch through his releases on immigrant and leftroom. he has a distinctly vivacious sound and is a youthful and passionate artist with some tasty scheduled remixes coming up on b-pitch, hypercolour, 2020vision plus a full release coming up with mothership. he is resident at below in birmingham and regularly takes his dj and impressive live set to the best european destinations. this is the debut release from adam shelton, founder of below, which has exploded over the past five years to become named the best uk club night outside london in major press. shelton has found major recognition from his peers and been asked to play everywhere from panoramabar to space in ibiza. his pioneering sound and spirit has propelled below to the heights of appreciation and he is subsequently tunneling this ambition and focus into the one record label. future releases due from the label come from back2basics resident and leeds one to watch buckley, little fritter and further collaborations and solo work from subb-an and shelton. each ep will introduce new talent and deliver first-rate material with 2 solid tracks + 2 added tools for dj use on every release.

heavyweight vinyl. in this light and on this evening, the new album from editors, represents a significant step forward for the band following the huge successes of debut album the back room and the number 1 follow up an end has a start. there have been many changes to life in editors since an end has a start broke the band worldwide and established the then birmingham based four piece as one of the uks most prominent bands of recent times. bassist russell leech and guitarist chris urbanowicz are now resident in new york while singer tom smith has become a father. these changes added to the sense that in this light and on this evening is the start of a new chapter for editors and the band came together in london for the recording sessions with producer flood at the start of 2009 with a determination to push their sound into wholly new territory.

the english techno master mark broom returns with an oldskool-flavour release that reminds us to the sound of his labels pure plastic or king ofsnakes. 2 tracks that go straight to the dancefloor, with an awesome remix from one of the label owners, cesar almena. the mix between the birmingham techno of mark broom and the groovy style of cesar almena makes it a track full of energy, and it will become one of the secret weapons of your record bag for sure!

episode five of the light is produced by paul boex & marco rane, that have been releasing great material on labels like audio assault, arms, submissions... this what would it be like original, is pure dynamic loop techno, mixed with dark industrial soundscapes blended with some birmingham flavours sprinkled on top. you will also find superb remixes by bas mooy, michaelangelo and a.paul.

kracktronik from birmingham present the 5% nation of casiotone, who will be our tourguides for todays trip through the mayhem of electro-breakbeat-country. prepare for a wild ride!

brill phunky grrovin tech trax.. an alltime classic album / limited re-issue

if youre looking for the definitive compilation of birmingham techno, and a cross section of downwards early contributions to the worldwide techno and minimal scene, then look no further. including early surgeon classics electric chicken and argon (both favourites with jeff mills, dave clarke and countless others, and long deleted) as well as regiss massive ital, not to mention groundbreaking minimal masterpieces from female, this is top quality gear from beginning to end. available on an initial limited clear vinyl pressing, and fully re mastered by the ridiculously talented matt colton at alchemy studios, these tracks laid the groundwork for a generation of techno producers.

supported by loco dice, simon baker, fabrice lig, florian meindl, angel molina, josh wink and many more.. here at immigrant we are thrilled to present an outstanding ep from our youngest prodigy. hailing from the uk’s murky midlands, 20 year old subb-an is rapidly proving himself a producer to watch in 2008 through his residency and explosive live sets at birmingham’s renowned below party, and a successful release on leftroom earlier this year..

from the throbbing techno heart of spain, comes reeko with his very own imprint and productions. juan rico has shown his quality skills recording for emerging labels like emergence, integrale, deafmosaic, rxxistance, trece, main out, recycled sound. known for his style of dark and effective techno. his live acts are original and heavy in true birmingham style

the third issue of the succsessful member of the trick series including a new trickski remix. movementz are a collective of five dj-producers based in and around birmingham. the team, who have been going for over ten years, consists of leighton ashcroft, timmy vegas, adam turner, jamie love and kayum abdul !!

4 tracks of birmingham/industrial/dark influenced mid 90s techno to a club massive near you! not lineal techno.

phat birmingham styled techno

nach ihrem famosen debŸtalbum vor zwei jahren tourten die banditos eifrig durch die usa und erspielten sich eine loyale fanbase. mitte juni erscheint nun endlich das langerwartete zweite studioalbum der sechskšpfigen band aus birmingham/nashville. aufgenommen in den legendŠren plum creek sound studios in austin, texas klingt ihr neues werk wie eine moderne southern-born version zwischen the band, janis joplin und den stooges. musikalisch bewegt sich visionland zwischen dreckigem punk-garagen-soul bis hin zu surf- und psychedelischen southern-rock-songs. fans von zz top oder den stooges und janis joplin sollten visionland- unbedingt auschecken. its a roller coaster, alright, but one running off the rails. banditos hop on for the ride, with a few psychedelics in their back pockets to help ensure a more vibrant trip. rolling stone

mit fabric live 92 liefert preditah, dj/produzent aus birmingham, sein erstes mixalbum ab, auf dem er mit einer mixtur aus grime, uk house und garage den ultimativen rave startet. neben tracks und remixes von skepta, wiley, joker, swindle, flava d und shorty hšren wir exklusives neues material von ihm, dj q und bassboy. das komplette 32 track-set nahm preditah in einem take auf.

man is a rope is not a band but rather a process developed by new york songwriter / producer / artist, evan t. q. kreeger. using live instrumental and vocal performances with analog effects to make electronic hybrid music rather than employing virtuals, loops or samples, man is a rope creates its own unique dark dynamics and complex churns which invoke elements from no wave, early mute/4ad, rowland s. howard, the cabs, detroit / birmingham techno, a certain ratio, the swans, coil, 70s crimson, and film music. these works are composed in parallel with video treatments and storyboard development. from conception, audio is forever bonded to its symbiotic images.

finest uk grime with wiley, tinchy stryder, tinie tempah, jme, skepta, tempa t, teddy music, kozzie, chronik and many more

dub police are proud to announce the release of their first artist album courtesy of birmingham-based producer emalkay, who is set to release his hotly anticipated debut lp eclipse this spring. first making a name for himself with early releases on his own morphic sounds imprint, emalkay has continued to push the boundaries of underground bass music ever since, delivering a slew of huge releases on the way. having been an integral part of the dub police stable ever since his >explicit / heroics< 12 inch for the label in 2009, emalkay has gone from strength to strength with a series of heavyweight tracks that includes the phenomenal >when i look at you< and recent smash >crusader<. comprised of 11 tracks, >eclipse< is a bold and powerful album encapsulating perfectly everything that makes emalkay such a prodigious talent, effortlessly showcasing the depth and diversity of his sound while always remaining true to his inimitable style. as addictive as it is hard-hitting, the album doesnt just provide a collection of dancefloor tracks, but a confident and coherent artistic statement.