the new york downtown producer/composer returns with his first new album in 3 years!
eighteen: the year of release, 2018. eighteen: the age at which i first used a synthesizer. in creating eighteen i worked independently in the studio, initially building up tracks with synthesizers and found sounds recorded in my daily comings and goings. after working with the tracks over a period of months, i shared them with a few musicians, who added their own instrumental layers. though working independently, we all shared a similar working process: working in our personal recording spaces, as opposed to larger recording studios.

after her hugely successful offering on ugongetit, frankfurt talent luz1e crosses over to the the lt main label with a hard-hitting, machine-driven ep of electro that segues from slow rhythmic deepness into warp-speed acid jams. expect a warm wash of purifying synths and building rhythms on the a-side before entering into twilight territory on the flip, with dustings of wavy 303 lines, oscillating bleeps and convulsive percussion.

coming next from adult only: the repress of one of the most sought-after 12s from the label back catalogue. ao19: “formula express – main course” was originally released in 2002 and featured guillaume la tortue, jef k and chris carrier.
this is actually some of the last records ever produced by the mysterious guillaume la tortue, one of the pioneer of electronic music in france, who’s quoted by laurent garnier in his infamous “electrochoc” book as one of his main influence back in the days.

the record opens on the “main course”: a classic tech-house number with a beautiful 909 beat and a tasteful use of various samples and fx all through the track. the funky vocals still sound fresh today but the secret here (as often with chris carrier’s related work) is the groove – the kind of groove that reminds you summer days in the park while the strong bass-line announces already the next track.
on the flip, “starter” stands out as the perfect dancefloor killer with an infernal groove and a real fat analog bass-line that will keep you moving whether you want it or not. add just a few crispy tribal percussions on a classic raw 909 beat and you got the simplest and dubbiest song of the record but also the most efficient dancefloorwise.
the last cut, “apple pie”, might be the deepest of them all. spacy melodies and trippy vocals in the background make you first feel like you’re chillin on some extraterrestrial beach far away from earth. it starts as a nice breakbeat building the atmosphere before slowly evolving into a more 4-4esque tech-house with the bass coming in only after a couple of minutes. even if the sound was resolutely analogic, the whole ep is extremely well produced with a special care for details. at many levels this three-track ep is a landmark in the label history.
time for repress.

for the first release of low frequency foundation, ander has prepared a triple treatment that honours this special occasion. the story told in da drin hetts is of illegal parties in zurich, as told by an astounded first timer. driving percussions combined with a solid bassline make this a hymn to the zurich club culture. canter takes you on a different kind of ride, relaxed, grounded, perfect for early morning relaxation after some pushy tracks. running out builds up tension again and surprises with off-guard synth lines and a some eerie vocals. perfect for setting the mood and building pressure at half past one.

limited black repress. bluetrain aka steve o sullivan remix! primary colours keeps the theme going on their reserve series collaborating with another great friend, silver ash. >mad roy< found its way from brisbane to melbourne to the victorian coast before finally finishing its journey on this limited edition 10 inch wax. modulating synths, polyrhythmic percussion, tape delays and one massive bassline all work in tandem to create a tune full of building grooves and sneaky surprises. mad roy will shake the foundations of the biggest clubs. mad roys remix began its journey 16 years ago. richie hawtin released >closer to the edit< that year and was picked up at the local record store and immediately played on the car stereo on the way home. instantly mesmerised by the groove the sleeve notes were pulled out to find bluetrain vs dean decosta >diminishing returns< special edition dub on mosaic was that record. that moment changed everything. it would be their dream to one day have one of their tracks remixed by one of their biggest influences and this day has arrived! introducing the special edition dub by bluetrain.

new years deal - dresden s lockertmatik starts his engines for the first time on shtum and delivers a string of tracks that seem to come from a not so far away dystopian future. here are four tracks that are unpretentious but elaborate, effective but not overambitious. -break the chains- sets the bars in terms of dark techno bliss for both basements and bigger dancefloors. on -message from the underdog- lockertmatik shows off his knack for acidic perfection while -jaku- gets the jazz treatment. finally, -313 - 0351- is all about building tension without losing one bit of impact on the dancefloor. the artwork comes courtesy of carl-johannes schulze.

after labels debut in 2017, the second transmission is coming from life notes recordings. french producer life recorder is going further with his new motion process id shaping a way to present another side of his music maybe darker but always showing love for emotional pads and atmospheres and willing to share something behind the music. -outside the algorithm- presents 3 new deep techno tracks born from moods and feelings and here a reaction towards a music/art scene nowadays often ruled by social medias algorithms, image and egos. technology can help us on the way even sometimes building bridges with the offline world but we have to reflect and preserve ourselves from wrong feelings and frustrations built from the digital era.

tact recordings vinyl only sub-label tactics returns this august with tactics vol.3 , a three-tracker coming courtesy of label co-founder fletcher.berlin-based producer and dj (richard) fletcher, also known as one half of duo adventures in daydreams, has been steadily carving out his own brand of soul infused house and techno over the years, picking up support along the way from luminaries such as larry heard, oskar offerman, mr. g and ivan smagghe along the way as well as shows on his home turf at berlin hotspots like ://about blank, sisyphos and golden gate amongst others.leading on the package is oildrum with skippy hats, bumpy wooden percussive hits and a snaking bass groove throughout as modulating synth whirrs and airy pads silkily ebb and flow within. faucet follows, featuring long time tact recordings artist luke black, edging things into dubbier realms via ethereal, billowing chords, rumbling sub bass tones and metallic percussive chimes to create something raw and hypnotic before brewed rounds out the package, this time round laying focus on a swinging organic drum groove, bubbling, glitched-out synth tones and ever-unfolding atmospherics continually keeping the tension building throughout.

the belfast based dj & producer, garry mccartney, otherwise known as ejeca, has been steadily and consistently building his sound and profile over time, through a series of impressive releases for aus music, unknown to the unknown, w&o street tracks, bpitch control and last night on earth, amongst others.
ejeca carves out an energetic slab of audacious party house on ‘unloving’, resplendent with rolling beats and stabby chords, and topped off with dramatic strings and vocal chops. elsewhere on the ep, ejeca unleashes some 303 bassline action and dark vocals on ‘standard acid house track’, which thankfully rises well above anything standard! and on ‘crystal maze’, ejeca harks back to the darker dance energies that were a staple of the late 1980s uk acid house boom. wrapping up the ep, ‘iswhatis’ gets ever so slightly twisted with an orbiting synth hook and weighty stabs over a spirited rhythm section.

mannequin records presents the first of a new serie of compilations underthe death of the machines serie, the dancefloor/experimental oriented side of the label, dedicated to new artists. connecting music producers from all over the world, this new compilation will unearth names who are already building strong grounds for the future. the future inspire us. we keep our research always open.

robotron is the machine formerly known as xinner. this is its first offering for the esp institute. side as dream resonator is an idiosyncratic network dexterous machine drum/percussion programming, an ebb and flow of floating arpeggios, syncopated counter-melodies and a hail of stabbing stringscontinually diffusing into ethereal vapor all stacked into an (aptly-named) orchestral anthem. side bs ice takes a similar approach with arrangement, each instrument carving out its place in the tracks mechanics for a glorious convergence of patterns, but, where side a proves optimistic, here we sense a more menacing undercurrent, an austerity powerfully articulated through towering kicks and claps so compressed they fill up every dark corner of negative space. indeed, robotron has an innate command for building and calibrating robust systems, but beneath this calculated veil we find the remnant human behavior of xinner. these two songs will whisper loudly but scream quietly.

new from the ever discerning nous camp comes ayln s rehtomep, a 25 minute exploration of the kind of unrelenting machine music for which both artist and label have come to prominenc. side a is a journey through sparse syncopated rhythms, industrial noise motifs and the kind of buzz and hum that the heroes of the second wave of techno music championed, culminating in the ep s title track rehtom which is an exercise in analogue techno mastery. side b s delivery is subtly more dulcet, kicking off with digital memories, which has a more classical techno structure than anything that came before, building intricate melodies into an otherwise taut and tightly woven electronic landscape while the closing impulsive sheit is a gentle downbeat number, exploring the space within the music and creating an atmospheric ambient discourse to outro the heady charge of the ep as a whole.

building on his very sexy works for the borft weirdos, jon doppler s security is a meeting of sued s minimal funk sound and the post-acid house trip of early rephlex. the elasticized acid of ciphertext, the skanky dub of wonwah, and the mammoth low end of lag down all propel from below, while the swollen synthwork on hot sauce and showstopping mk650 inspire from above. these are late, late night jams that growl ominously in the bassbins, enhancing the foggy atmosphere and begging you to stay for one last dance.

s. crosbie s dark arts has become an essential label for many of the key players looking to work more underground dancefloors, and continues to evolve with da09. things lift off with the slowly building bassline throb of cellular before the twisted electro depth of holophane glides into view. transmission 09 is a masterclass in atmospheric, glitchy dancefloor electronics. finally, the techno of anterior is a flawless exercise in lithe, funk-filled minimalism. dark arts: simply killer machine music designed to move both mind and feet. check.

bondage music label-founders pornbugs return to the imprint this september with their ‘pacho’ ep, backed with remixes from pablo bolivar and phillipp gonzales. leipzig/berlin based duo pornbugs make a welcome return to their own label here with two new original cuts, ‘pacho’ opens the package with stripped-back drums, a bulbous bass line and choppy piano chords running alongside a bubbling arpeggio lead and tension building stab sequences. pablo bolivar’s rawmake of pacho follows, edging things into deeper territory with dropped tempo dusty drums, airy pads and an amalgamation of wandering, resonant synth lines. the second half of the release, pencilled for release as vinyl only features another original from pornbugs, entitled ’larica’ and featuring a similar aesthetic to the lead with fluttering dubby chords, a refined drum groove and unfolding atmospherics carrying the groove before label regular phillipp gonzales turns in his remix to complete the package, taking things in a more raw direction with heavily swung crunchy drums, pulsating filtered stabs and billowing vocal murmurs.

finnish dj and producer otto yliperttula, aka yotto, is a dance music star in the making. championed by some of the genre’s most respected trailblazers and building an army of adoring fans, yotto is primed to join the big leagues with the release of his highly anticipated debut album ‘hyperfall’. yotto’s unique sound blends dark, brooding atmospheres with light, uplifting melodies – deftly hitting the sweet spot between melancholy and euphoria. otto draws inspiration from his childhood favourites the chemical brothers and röyksopp, along with more contemporary influences ranging from eric prydz and m83 to jon hopkins and xxx. having debuted on anjunadeep in early 2015 he quickly caught the ear of bbc radio 1’s pete tong and annie mac, picking up no fewer than 5 ‘essential new tunes’ and 3 ‘hottest records in the world’, along with dj support from the likes of solomun, jamie jones, patrice baumel, adriatique and joris voorn, who signed yotto to his renowned green label. the 13-track debut lp hyperfall is the culmination of three years in the ascendency, and sees yotto continue to carve his own exciting path.

kid dramas sound is one thats taken giant strides in the last couple of years, first showcased in his metalheadz debut which came in the form of last years trife ep. building upon that is the addition of the enforcer ep set for release this september and consisting of 4 chunky slabs of hard-hitting drum and bass interlaced with beautiful pads and soundscapes, a combination very few successfully execute.

building on the already incredible collection of music so far released on francis harris’ kingdoms imprint, emil abramyan returns with the stunning ‘movement’ album. abramyan is a brooklyn based composer, musician, and producer, whose work traverses various styles and disciplines. in this release emil shares his unique perspective by bringing together his conservatory training as a cellist and his love of electronic music and sound design. the vinyl release includes a download code.

as connected arrives at its 3rd year of existence the team decided to make a selection of tunes through this time as a recap and as an opportunity to also turn some of the tunes into remixes.&#8232, the remixes , including olaf stuut , tim engelhardt , stefano ritteri , reboot and moscoman will be released on vinyl alongside a brand new track from label heads stereo mc’s and the first appearance on vinyl of classic connected release ‘lust’ by tigerskin k.e.e.n.e and elli (david mayer remix). the label has been building steam over the last few years with increasing vigour and the remix release follows the label ethic with a diverse and underground feel to it plus some strong club action. included in the past releases is david mayer, re.you, nandu, florian busse,aaaron, floyd lavine, pongo amongst others...

sugardaddy are a uk electronic music duo formed in 2006 and is the musical brainchild of tom findlay (one half of groove armada) and singer song writer tim hutton (hybrid, groove armada, way out west) “hypnotise- has an altogether late 80 s heavy, low slung, boogie vibe, caressed with beautifully haunting yet soulful vocals. greg wilson remixes an extended rework, holding the vibe of the original and effortlessly extending certain aspects of the groove, creating a 9 minute dancefloor monster! situation are next up with a late night, deep house dub interpretation which builds to a discoesque guitar licked, infectious, yet hypnotic bombshell bittersuite finish the release with a chunky funk fuelled version, full of slap bass and a bucketful of soaring, atmospheric synths, cleverly weaving those wonderful vocals and building to an electro jazz funk masterpiece.

berlin based electronic mainstay marquis hawkes has announced details of his second lp the marquis of hawkes. the album will be the producers second lp for us, following his critically acclaimed debut social housing for the label, which was released in 2016. entitled the marquis of hawkes, the new album adheres to a specific sound palette whilst still displaying eclecticism across its eight tracks. opening with the beat-less droning ambience of beton theme, the album takes in a variety of themes from across the house music spectrum, from the deep and dubby meditation of instrument of thought to the body jerking rhythms and retro bass stabs of tough love, the introspective mood of the matrix, to the soulful new jersey styled house grooves with a contemporary twist of sunset building through the optimistic joyousness of ‘hope in our hearts before closing with lidells heartfelt and passionate emotional overload on we should be free. first emerging in 2012, after being sought out by glasgow label dixon avenue basement jams, and having previously been heavily involved with the free festival sound-system culture, the london born artists iconic sound has taken shape with the influence of music from cities like chicago, detroit and new york alongside the uks underground house scene. with both depth and clarity of vision, marquis hawkes second album for houndstooth expertly hones a shining hybrid of classic slamming house and grittily soulful optimism, making for a career-defining piece of work.

2018 marks the reprisal of los angeles’ l. scatter with the new 7” figueroa & sunset, returning after 2011’s beat swap meet presents: the all vinyl mixtape. l. scatter’s new 7” features the heavy weight boom bap tracks “figueroa street”, “sunset blvd./cesar e. chavez ave”, and “chick hearn court”. as bonus beats, “sun” and “fig” exist as short instrumentals of “figueroa” and “sunset”. as a building block in project blowed’s infamous history, l. scatter’s legacy continues on a straight arrow progression, keeping intact the foundations that shaped an entire movement of technical hip-hop.

london s release/sustain imprint returns this may with the a says hello ep from detroit s alton miller, chaos in the cbd step in on remix duties. detroit s alton miller has been in the game for the past three decades coming up alongside luminaries derrick may, chez damier and the late frankie knuckles and releasing material on the likes of peacefrog, moodymann s mahogany music, theo parrish sound signature and clone amongst others. suffice to say, miller stands as an extremely important figure in the history of authentic, soul-drenched house music. title-track a says hello opens the package and as expected we re treated to an elegant slice of house infused with a flawless musicality as multi-layered synth chords, pads and swells intertwine alongside dusty drum samples. cool but so... follows, embracing an acid-jazz feel with broken, organic rhythms, sweeping pads and warm chord progressions throughout. mule musiq artists chaos in the cbd step up to rework cool but so... next, adding their own spin to things via warbling rhodes licks, bright chord sequences, a wandering bass line and an insistent organic drum groove. below the underdog then rounds out the package perfectly with gritty bass hits, tension building synth swells and a rugged, bumpy drum groove.

albrecht la brooy s analogue attic imprint welcomes citizen maze onto its roster with the four-track serenity in the woods ep. australian duo albrecht la brooy have been steadily carving out a name for themselves over the past few years with their jazz-inflected take on deep house via the likes of apollo/r&s, night tide and of course their own analogue attic imprint which has become a home for their own output as well as fellow australian artists like sleep d, rings around saturn and more. here though we see the label offer up the inaugural ep from melbourne s adam mccoy aka citizen maze. leading on the package is the ten-minute natural playgroun , embracing the labels signature field recording background aesthetic whilst stirring in organic drum grooves, fluttering pads and jazzy sax licks throughout. glade hollow follows with bumpy, off-kilter drums and ethereal chords at its core whilst horn lines and twinkling synth melodies wander across its eight-minute duration. moonlight sanctuary opens the flip-side, edging into darker territories with murky dubbed out synth flourishes, robust drums and tension building strings before title-track serenity in the woods rounds out the package, laying focus on a snaking sub bass groove, metallic percussive shuffles and expansive atmospherics.

fans of electro’s big hitter djs such as helena hauff, dave clarke, umek, maceo plex, and umwelt won’t have escaped the sonic assaults of dutch artist rxmode and his fellow transhumanism collective members, w1b0, slaves of sinus, tfhats.
rxmode’s last ep cerberus was very much the ep he’d been building up to since his debut on bass agenda recordings back in 2015, dark, sinister, heavy, and distinctive.
one of the tracks from that ep, degraded, gets the remix treatment from the other transhumanism members on this, the third vinyl release the collective have put out.

building on the mission statement that was ferdinger’s debut album “gelände”, comes “abbild”, a 4 track ep and the second release on his life in patterns label. the tempos are tweaked up and the sounds are honed and angled for maximum effect. “gegendämmerung” is straightforward but manages a lyrical tilt, while “spiegelreflex” oscillates between moments of dry precision and epic dreaminess. with “abglanz” the newly paris based producer brings things back to the geological strata that characterized “gelände” - but now with a rawer edge and more reflective surface. glos’ remix of “gegendämmerung” provides ambient and analogue textures, finishing the ep on a more introverted and melancholic note whilst maintaining the mechanistic drive of the other pieces.

bill browns super rare brownstone release is one for the deep heads, less well known than label mate everyday people but just as rare and collectable. shuffling sunshine soul its all about the groove and feeling. 500 copies only. one for the heads. bill brown and al hall jr met around 1971, they were both in south central l.a and shared the same apartment building, also in the same building was doug carn and brownstone singer billy wilson. these studio sessions were done at paramount studios hollywood where al hall jr was working for producer art smith a&c music. the main distributor for a&c was accent records.

conforce returns under his silent harbour guise this august with the ‘noctiluca’ mini lp, a six track collection set for release via copenhagen’s echocord. dutch producer boris bunnik has been releasing material under various guises over the past two decades such as conforce, versalife, hexagon, vernon felicity and of course silent harbour which he revisits here following 2015’s ‘hinterland’ on deep sound channel and the self-tilted inauguration of the project in 2012 on echocord. the beatless drones of ‘riparian’ open the package, perfectly setting the tone with murky bell like chimes, rumbling subs and splashes of white noise before title-track ‘noctiluca’ picks up the pace, tipping the focus over to bubbling dub echoes, glitched out, minute percussion and a sturdy muted kick to keep things driving. ‘dwelling’ is up next, featuring expansive, washed out synth textures, cavernous bass tones and modulating percussion throughout. leading on the b-side of the release is ‘peridinum’, employing classic dub techno tropes with an amalgamation of choppy stab sequences dynamically evolving over off-beat hats and a thunderous kick. ‘fusiformis’ strips things rhythmically whilst keeping the bubbling delays and expansive reverbs at it’s core before closing track ‘pelagia’ brings bright, resonant synth lines, delayed percussive hits and tension building synth bass into the limelight.

echocord’s echo echo sub-label continues with its third releases this august, courtesy of german producer and credo founder alex bau with his ‘zenstory’ ep. germany’s alex bau has been a prominent name on the underground dj circuit on his home turf, and further afield, for three decaces as well as racking up an impressive back catalogue as a recording artists for labels like cocoon, clr, sleaze and of course his very own credo label which has been a platform predominantly for his own material whilst welcoming the likes of kyle geiger, takkyu ishino and electric rescue onto the imprint also. here though we see bau joining the roster of echocord’s fledgling sub-label echo echo with a new four-track ep and taking the lead on the package is ‘clouds’ with pulsating low-end tones, hissing analogue noise and dusty drums samples all flowing in unison with ethereal chords and sweeping pads. ‘contour’ follows, tipping the focus over to bubbling delayed stab hits, fluttering sub bass and evolving white noise bursts throughout. the ‘prelude’ of ‘zenstory’ opens the flip side and as the name would suggest it’s a cinematic build up to the title-track featuring tension-building, expansive atmospherics ahead of the original mix which features a thumping muted kick, stuttering atmospheric echoes and spoken word vocal tucked into the depths of the record.

momentous album from 1982 building a bridge between roots reggae and dancehall. a conscious compilation with a variety of youth deejays, including lee van cleef, prince hammer & trinity chanting down babylon over a selection of the very best roots radics rhythms.

last spotted tomfooling as tryck & ton with edvin edvinsson, and prior to that as tiedye on mike simonettis italians do it better imprint, subversive swede anton klint makes his debut on simonettis latest label 2mr with two more vitally trippy, heavily dub-informed originals. ‘mun chugs at a stately 107. rippling in places, squiggling in others, theres an unabashed fx weirdness bubbling and popping over the insistent shimmering dubwise groove. tweaking, freaking but running at such a smooth temper theres space between the chaos, anton is balancing some heavily hypnotic alchemy here. ‘strupe takes things even lower and slower. a dusty bluesy chugger, unhurried-yet-relentlessly building with a great sense of cosmic drama, listen and marvel as more elements are precision introduced throughout the seven minute trip. a masterclass in modern day honkytonk. remix-wise were thrusted into the later hours with a technoid twist from andre laos. maintaining antons originals trippy charm and measured pace but re-amping it with grittier foundation, teasing risers and an insurgent synth strike, its the perfect complement to one of 2mrs most singular releases to date. open wide.

the second in the skins whitelabel series delivers yet more carefully crafted dub techno for the dancefloor. opener ‘sahara sky’ begins with menacing low-end atmospherics, with slowly evolving pads and chords forming an assured groove punctuated by dreamy synth lines. ‘eve’ is similarly groove-based, with its relentless forward momentum kept in check by a wistful descending chord sequence. in both, skins lends the spaciousness synonymous with dub techno a club-focused kineticism, creating versatile tracks that allow djs to transform the vibe, whether building up or winding down. the record also features two synth tools: an energetic acid/dub fusion and a stripped-back polymetric chord jam, offering myriad possibilities for textural play and keeping listeners guessing

having produced a wealth of some of the most lovingly referential and consistent music of recent times, the tracks making up palta og ti på den tolvte Ø are slightly harder to pin down to exact genre markers. each song is busy yet never overcrowded with elements, building concise and playful grooves which if forced we would say positions them somewhere in the ambient space between jazzy-improv-house and dubby, hypnotic electronics. that s as absolute in adjectives as we would ever care to be... expertly crafted both technically and musically, we are more than excited to be able to present this to you as our fifth installment.

two words is the debut release from the duo of canadian sound artist crys cole and australian songwriter francis plagne. building on a series of experimental live performances in which the pair toyed with possible common languages for their seemingly unrelated approaches to music, the lp’s two sides present a single piece that brings together abstract texture and slow-motion song in a sonic space where genre cedes to the logic of dreams.

veteran nyc producer and dfa regular juan maclean hops on the rnt wagon for a rolling ep of drum-machine driven grooves for the reserve sub-imprint. the record starts with the peak-time stomper fine time, building exquisite tension and release through looped and filtered samples, and then moves on to the boogie-infused swing of dont stop for nothing. everybody clap leads off side b with a soulful and string-laden vocal over a bouncing hi-hat-focused house arrangement, and the ep closes out on the dubbier tip with the eponymous panic in fort greene park, a synthy and smooth slow burner. all around beautifully produced and eminently playable, señor maclean has made himself a most welcome addition to the razor-n-tape family with this dynamic ep

following on from the epic hammer e.p. and subsequent remix package, loft records return for their 7th release enlisting the expertise of crawford to provide two original tracks with remixes from brame & hamo and kiwi. ‘we go back is a soaring synth driven stomper - building around dynamic arps and heavy bass synths, before a driving kick and soaring pads are brought to the fore to create an expertly produced big room anthem. techno rhumba is a chuggier affair laced with spring reverb, floaty arpeggiators, expansive stabs and brooding chords perfect for those early hours of a night. on the flip side, irish duo brame & hamo are first up to take on remix duties for we go back . they rework the arp lines and pads for the intro before dropping it into a tougher techno workout of heavy duty synth stabs, epic ride cymbals and dreamy textures. kiwi then close out with their reimagining of we go back combining a killer tom pattern with those soaring arpeggiators that seem to endlessly resonate around your brain. two great reinterpretations of what was already an amazing track

speed for lovers release debut album hot yoga emoji on society records / ubishi recordings originally from sheffield, liverpool & the forest of dean, the three lovers met in the network of little mesters music studios on john street in sheffield. initially engineering, producing and playing on each other s projects, they subsequently teamed up to form speed for lovers in 2010. the past eight years have been spent wearing out rave trainers, building studios in their attics and sheds, geeking out with sound on sound articles and faffing with tech. with two members who came and stayed and one who couldn t leave, hot yoga emoji is the band s ode to sheffield. field recordings of late nights out and early stumblings home link tracks together and place their moments of creation in the city. spurred on by sheffield s kabal nights and trips to the electric chair in mcr, hot yoga emoji mixes live drums and bass guitar with pocket sound generators, old synths and vocals to create an album of irresistible live dance music.! single vinyl lp

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.

following the release of his projector ep earlier this month, daniel avery has enlisted revered london producer four tet aka kieran hebden for a remix of ‘quick eternity’, taken from the former’s long-awaited second album song for alpha. hebden flips the warm, undulating synths and crystalline percussion of avery’s original in his own inimitable style, building shimmering, skittering flourishes before a pneumatic final half.

laura jones returns for another ep outing on her label. despite weighing in with an incendiary first release that found mandar s sam remixing infuse s karousel and a follow up from jones that included one of the sadly departed trevino s final remixes, the label took a backseat to the birth of her daugter in 2017. a year on however and the pace has picked up with an ep from renowned modular wizzard kamran sadeghi at the start of the year and this latest ep from the label boss. the two originals are a snapshot of her evolving style. pathway places skippy beats and sub heavy kicks under a soaring chord sequence, abstract vocal samples and ethereal pad riff. tough crowd takes a moodier approach with a menacing sub bass and drum arrangement, bubbling filters building to a hook that unfolds halfway through to create a moment of formidable intensity. lee renacre s recent revival of his 100 hz alias courtesy of well received outings on slow life and bosconi among others, has found the producer on career-best form and he turns in a sublime remix that makes deft use of delicate top lines and bubbling oscillators to create a powerfully heady atmosphere.

having established salt mines and appeared on lost palms and x-kalay, rudolf c has wasted no time in establishing himself as a producer of note in the deep house underground. now he s stepping up to sensu with the endoplazm ep, showing off yet more of the seductive tones he s been building his name on. keep it up is a hazy, woozy roller while endoplazm gets into a tricky acid mindset. uniform is a peppy cut with atmospherics to cool down the snapping drums, and mizty mountain hop takes things on a supremely deep tip to round the ep off in fine style.

“we are doing this on our own, with not much help from government. i am proud that we are building a movement. it’s like a child that you can see growing and evolving. it’s growing exponentially, but that was the plan… we are standing on the shoulders of giants. i grew up respecting the craft. there was that golden era of reggae music when everyone looked to jamaica. i know the history, i know the impact reggae music can have, and i want to be part of an era that brings it back to that stature” - protoje

hoga nord rekords is finally releasing druk 11000! this 7inch is a collaboration between silverbullit, fontan and the bhutanese group aa yang - ensemble. the project took shape during a mythical trip to bhutan where the swedish composer and multi instrumentalist johan ‘the count’ westman who’s living in the country, hooked the altitude sick scandinavian musicians up with aa yang - ensemble. the local monks then blessed the musicians under mystical ceremonial procedures. with protection from the dragon of thunder, druk 11000 has produced some of the most powerful, loving and life embracing music yet to have been released on hoga nord rekords! the songs springs toward the top of gangkhar puensum, bhutans highest mountain, building a mighty storm, noticeable all the way to the scandinavian woodlands!

the shortest connection between the past and the future leads through the music of boston 168. drawing inspiration from both classic and contemporary approaches to the acid techno sound, early nineties rave culture and the throbbing pulse of the now, sergio pace and vincenzo ferramosca have carved out a niche for themselves which over the past four years has become a musical microcosm of its own. having released a slew of records on such labels as involve, attic, odd even and dustin zahn s enemy, the italian duo now presents its most cohesive musical statement thus far on ellen allien s bpitch. on the three tracks of »drops in heaven«, boston 168 seamlessly mold together lysergic acid lines with elements of nineties ambient techno and a rhythmic groundwork that is as thrilling as it is intricate. »cosmic tribe« translates its idea of universal togetherness into a nerve-wrecking groove punctuated by complex percussion work and a subtly building acid line, while »drops in heaven« uses a booming kick drum as base for an emotionally driven exploration of sonic textures. the psychedelic »straight to light« nods to nineties pioneers like emmanuel top, showcasing ferramosca and pace s talent for creating musical depth by ingeniously bringing together a few select elements to greater effect. these are tracks that relentlessly head towards the unknown final frontier of what techno can sound like in 2018, while not in the least neglecting the rich tradition that they draw from.

following the success of joey negros produced with love album, four of the album cuts get the remix treatment from an all-star cast of producers each with their own particular flavor. kicking it off chicago legend ron trent takes the original funked out, arthur russell flavoured, distorting space time and turns it into a deep house groover complete with a strong walking bass alongside adding a soul & richness to the elements that only he knows how. crackazat step up next to take on lactican boogie crafting it into an uptempo piano driven, emotionally charged stomper sure to do some damage this summer. flip it over and lay-far delve into in search of the dream adding squelchy synth stabs and a deep bass to give a more hard hitting edge to the track whilst retaining that disco flavor with angela johnsons emotive vocals. closing out the ep fouk come full circle, bringing their hazy, jazz tinged style to distorting space time building the remix around those warm rhodes chords, shuffling rhythm and dynamic bassline. gold once again from the z records camp!

yoruba records welcomes back label favourite mike steva with a well-balanced and forward thinking ep that both engages and pushes boundaries. opening up with ‘love symphonik’, this stutter-stepped jam practically drips with mpc flavour. up next, ‘the message’, a bold proclamation with more straight forward percussion. with added balkan flavour this one is as deep as they come. this is followed with ‘sila’ where steva’s chops are on full display. this engaging and well-constructed groove conjures of feelings of celebration, one that’s easy to imagine taking place in the streets of macedonia. we close with ‘zensko oro’, a deep and moody percussive-led jam. this one speaks of movement, slowly building on itself and reaching a natural climax that enhances and delights the senses of the astute listener. sit back, relax and enjoy this soon-to-be essential piece of the yoruba records canon.

piano day is an official body created in 2015 by berlin-based composer nils frahm and his closest friends to house various exciting, piano-related projects for everyone to participate in.
the first project revealed by the piano day team in 2015 was the building of what will be the world’s tallest piano: the klavins 450, designed by piano builder david klavins who also created nils’s upright stage piano, the una corda. with over 70 per cent of the 120.000 euro target reached, the piano building is already underway and fans can continue to donate via www.pianoday.org.
it was on the 3.7 meters high klavins m370 that nils recorded eight improvised piano motifs in one sitting, which formed his 2015 album, solo.

they dont get much more anthemic than idris muhammad s could heaven ever be like this and who better to rework it than edit royalty, late nite tuff guy. subtle in his touches yet incorporating a more dj friendly, dancefloor orientated beat and tension building intro which teases elements of this classic, before that instantly recognisable bass riff and staccato guitar chords come into play. that subtlety is key when it comes to handling a record as epic as this, elements are accentuated and looped, delicate effects are woven in, but the soul and feeling of idris music is lovingly maintained by lntg. and for the purists out there, the flip houses the original mix so you ve got two paths to heaven to choose from.

beautiful strangers marks the return of theo kottis with this sampler of his debut lp. it reveals a new chapter in his artistic journey in which he resets his creative output, free of compromise, conveying his devotion to the dancefloor, and revealing a new concept that everyone can ascribe to. reasons kicks off the record with a slice of disco tinged house music overlaying infectious guitar and string loops, with slick piano flurries to make for a sure-fire summer winner. the a2 houses the get down a more heavy hitting workout packaged for the dancefloor, with a percussive bassline over the top of a choice breakbeat, tied together by a thumping kick. flip it over and you unearth the lovechild creation of a 303 coupled with a brazilian classic in the form of acid disco. a driving kick / hat combo, squelchy acid and pitched down brazilian vocals offer up a raw but energetic stomper. finally, u need to keep it simple takes you on a more emotive and powerful acid trip. the sweeping synths building throughout the track coupled with soaring strings, alongside an alluring acid line proper!