there are west coast classics, and then there is music to driveby, the third lp from the group that birthed mc eiht: compton’s most wanted. although the group started in the late ‘80s with multiple mcs (including tha chill and boom bam), by 1992 eiht as pulling the group’s vocal weight – supported by dj mike t on turntables and production – and even producing and co-producing tracks. music to driveby might lack beats-per-minute variety, but to fans that’s not a bad thing. across the board, this is mid-tempo, super deep, funky hip-hop, made for cars creeping along boulevards across the west and south, and it’s about as good as it gets for such purposes. just about filler-free, the album struts intensely and with purpose, as eiht throws tales of cali street life at fans for an hour straight, almost without a break. this solo marathon is given a respite only once, with scarface’s guest spot on “n 2 deep,” an excellent hood roller supported by a soulful guitar lick sampled from lyn collins’ “do your thing.” elsewhere, eiht rolls alone and intensely, on cuts like the classic mash single “hood took me under”, the album’s second single and tim dog attack “who’s fu**ing who?”, the hometown big-up “compton 4 life”, and hustle tales like “jack mode” and “i gots to get over.” after this album, eiht released more classics under his own name, and with similar fan worship. it was the continuation of a legendary career and music to driveby still ranks high on anyone’s “west coast legends” playlist.

“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

we share with kaffe crème, a penchant for side roads, for mixing textures and visiting other territories. if house music is at the heart of our project and history, it is often just a medium to cross the path of genres and bringing into some of our other tastes like here jazz, broken beat or hip hop.after his remarkable debut ep in 2016 which was containing the staggering beauty kapo choc that still resonates every weekend in many clubs around the world, we are very happy to welcome, the lyon-based kaffe crème for our fourth release. you ll find there everything you loved about his debut ep, which means, a beautifully produced organic and dusty house music that make a leap into contemporary jazz (i <3 u) and dig into warm finely mpc-sliced syncopated beats. but you ll also find an astonishing broken beat song (umusa) that show all the former-percussionist s talent for making sophisticated and ambitious jazz-infused rhythm compositions.

what should have been a quick process has taken a bit longer than we hoped, but thats the way of handcrafted products, be they ginger beer or sourdough bread, and like the bread, the vinyl is currently cooling down to ensure an undisturbed, top quality product. np004 contains two tracks, cunningly devised in yorkshire, reflecting the area s no nonsense attitude and warmth. the final touches of mastering, have been added once again by the highly trained ears of moog expert dr spaventi. this continues to give us a very important international dimension to what is still a local artisanal product. specially formulated to make you dance and give you something a little extra, we ve switched to stealth black paper sleeves for this release, and where cutting engineer failed with inscriptions, as can be their wont, we ve lovingly re-designed the label to incorporate details of the free gift we re providing

autodidact is back with an ep by qindek, who offers up three delicate techno tracks with beautiful modular sounds and intricate drum patterns. on the b-side we find the legendary icelandic (dub)techno producer thor (thule records) with a deep but dancefloor-friendly remix.

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.

for this seconde release, the brotherhood from marseille wanted to present their personal profiles, this ep is built like a various, but built with a common touch, the random bass! hypnotic, trippy and randomised, these tracks are done to push up the dancefloors. the last track is a downtempo vision of the eclectism of this southern crew, hip-hop beat and a bassline played by there friend mike b4, a real candy to close this ep!

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.

saverio celestri is back, this time teaming up with late consequence, who’s the new moniker of an already known fellow italian producer. expect house and techno grooves with feeling and power, made fresh, but with the clear influence of past days.

after last year’s acclaimed bb boogie album “standing on the wall”, darren benjamin aka daz-i-kue returns with this incredible slice of latin jazz futurism. between 2012 and 2016 daz travelled to puerto rico to record with an array of talented musicians, laying down the framework percussion, bass and horns to be worked on when he returned to his studio in atlanta. “crash boat party” is his collaboration with ex fania all stars percussionist hector “tempo” alomar and features atlanta-based trumpeter dashill smith, (who’s worked with roy ayers, janell monet, and miguel atwood-fergurson to name but three), and accomplished bassist mamaniji azanyah. already licensed to feature in bobbito’s forthcoming documentary “rockrubber 45s”, this is timeless latin-jazz fire. the single is backed with “esto es candela con ritmo nene”, also from those sessions, taking things firmly into bruk-jazz territory.

philippe cohen solal (of gotan project) celebrates the 50th anniversary of summer of love, covering one of its anthems “aquarius / let the sunshine in” of hair the musical which premiered on stage in october 1967. a complex but soothing modern reggae moombathon riddim carried by the ethereal harmonies of legendary jamaican reggae singer horace andy (massive attack, skylarking, ain’t no sunshine...) with a delivering coda sung by an empowering choir.
¡ya basta! records asked two legends of the underground scene, somewhat connected to the spirituality of the song, to remix this take. first with an afro house / deep-house take of the master of the genre @boddhi-satva, and jack of all trades, mashup virtuoso @jstar-1 (remixer of major lazer / dj vadim...) for a retro catchy drum n bass/uk bass remix. finally lazy flow and face-t deliver a dancehall filler of a remix.

more than ten years since he first emerged on skull disco, appleblim presents his debut album. the label he co-founded with shackleton was the first the world heard of his productions, but laurie osborne’s innate relationship with electronic music culture reaches back much further than those groundbreaking early days of dubstep. early days spent soaking up hardcore, jungle, techno and plenty more besides were fundamental foundations from which to spring into the then-unknown realms of sub-low half-step club music. at that time fwd>> and dmz were the church for this ritualistic sound, and appleblim was a regular fixture at both.

catalog number-yotsume 002- used as a missing number in long years is released as the 5th work of sasaki hiroaki’s yotsume-music. this “winter ep” is sasaki’s latest release.it includes a remix by stewart walker who is a berlin based producer and based on experience releasing distinguished labels such as force inc, tresor, m_nus. starting from sasaki’s track a1”winter” has a long dubby bass, a pad sound is covering this euphoric minimal work which rhythm comes and goes like a returning wave. it likes snowscape of japanese ink painting. b1”stewart walker snowflake mix” is a reconstructed “winter” landscape and soundscape by stewart walker’s minimalistic approach.the grain of the sound with the three-dimensional feeling scattered on the low-frequency, it conjures images of the snow piling over the white, chill earth.b2”over” shows the another aspect of sasaki’s emotional side. it has a simple but selective rhythm and matter-of-factly composition of piano and pad sound, which makes us feel the end of a long journey. it s quality and brilliant minimal house release is shown how each of these three tracks differ this time. vinyl only.

re-issue of forgotten minimal techno abstraction from hamilton, ontario. the unsung genius of secret werewolf is fully on display on this 1996 gem. rubbery and polymetric, akin in mood to robert hood/metroplex productions of the same era, but full of eerie metallic timbres and flexing grooves which combine into a lysergic hypnosis unlike anything else from then or now.
a taste of the forthcoming geej re-issue project surveying the steel city records catalogue, a wellspring of unsung, singular dance music that arose from the abandoned industrial spaces and uncompromising producers of the fertile but secluded techno zone of hamilton, ontario canada circa 1995-1997.
first time pressed in over 20 years, vinyl only.

a wild electro / trash techno ep with full of heart and emotional feelings. its wild when it comes to the rhythm section, classic electro but also real punshing 4/4 beat. emotional when it comes to the melodies - so so sweet!!

raw dirty jacking tracks fatter than a ferry to helsingor! nimam spregleda provides 4 tracks representing the underground sound of helsingborg and its tradition of embracing sounds from both chicago and karlskrona. most tracks are on the gritty acid house slant but with a weird punk attitude & the last one is a nutball out-of-sync dancefloor wrestler for drunken sailors. yes, you need some smalltown dang from nimam spregleda before the ferry arrives. -dj joakim cosmo

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.

brothers black launch the second release on their self-titled, vinyl-only label with dance-floor focussed va. brbl002 is a selection artists whom the duo hold in high regard with the addition of an original track. kicking off the release is the berlin-based dutch dj, delta funktionen. keeping true to the raw, electro-influenced sound he s renowned for, platform4e is a tough, rolling peak-time weapon thats instantly playable and recognisable. up next on the a2 is an original track from brothers black. keeping with their groove-orientated, percussion focussed style, cold shoulder is a dj focussed tool that combines quick fire percussion with a rolling low end and sharp fm stabs. leading the aa1 is one of detroit s finest, and dj veteran, eric cloutier. in keeping with his trademark deep but warm sound is alexithymia. combining swirling acid soundscapes with warm, uplifting pads and a steady groove, this track is perfect for the darker hours of the night. following the aa2 is the mysterious high mobility weapons unit. with just a handful of releases, hmwu has a distinct and highly playable sound that has become a mainstay of the brothers black record bag. staying true to his fast paced, groove-orientated productions, aeromagnetic is a deeper-edged tool thats made for the dance-floor.

veryone loves -why can t we live together- by timmy thomas: how could one resist such a strong music vibe coming with a message more relevant today than ever! it has been covered by the most creative artists more than a few times… recorded in paris and kingston, the soul sugar crew & leonardo carmichael make it their own with a sultry reggae groove. jahno on drums and syndrums, thomas naim on guitar, and guillaume -gee- metenier on keyboards and production duties, are delivering the classic hit in all its majesty, in the superior categories of both extended discomix, and dub version under the spell of dubmaster extraordinaire dennis bovell! what to say about the breathtaking interpretation of leonardo carmichael? growing up in jamaica, leonardo learnt many a song from his father glendon joseph mcfarlane, who would sing to his mother geraldine, who sang in a choir. leonardo grew up as a drummer and a singer in churches. through a mutual friend, he met nastassja hammond, daughter of beres hammond, with whom he started writing and releasing music for various artists including courtney john and kreesha turner. leonardo has a wide appreciation for diverse genres but keep an international reggae and dancehall feel at the core of his music. it can be said leonardo has faith & soul to the bone

lee burridge, lost desert and junior akwety return with summer vibes all the way. following last year s subtle monster lingala, they bring the sunshine once again with three tracks. elongis vocal floats above its foundation of warm sub bass and groovy beats and always seems to induce at least one person in the crowd to sing along. even though we know they don t speak lingala (a language from congo). mona yo is a little groovier. floaty house music for outdoors. talking of floaty, the ep is wrapped up by float on. its pretty for sure but has a certain drive thats been rocking the all day i dream dance floor all year. close your eyes and daydream.

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.

i was gone for a while. but now i am back. times have changed but the focus is the same. primal, stripped down cuts. jeremy p caulfield

sharif laffrey can charm the snake out of any basket. this is his first offering for the esp institute. side as tangier is a long drawn-out exercise, an endurance test of the highest order. over the span of some thirteen minutes, elements bob and weave intermittently and layers overlap haphazardly the type of exciting dynamic that s born out of restrictio as if putting down a live jam without enough hands to work the console, yet sharif perseveres. as touch and go as this arrangement may be, there is something that undoubtedly glues it all in place the combination of his massive rolling 16th-note bassline and his tough-as-nails drumkit is so good that, upon first listen, we spat out our tea and insisted on its release. on side b, everything is nice carries on with loose arrangement, dirty production and layers of inexplicable spoken word samples (a sharif calling card by now) but this time we re lead to a melancholy place, the blue comedown to side as antagonistic trial. with his esp institute debut, sharif leaves you mentally unhinged, as if youve smoked something interesting and arrived bewildered in some saharan labyrinth. these two songs will guide you through the medina to score the black meat.

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.

ok eg appears from out of nowhere in a haze of the mellowest ambient techno and downtempo delights for your mind to melt into. -creek- is a smooth but strident route in, the tidal lilt of the pads dissected by a finely paced beat loop that should find a comfortable home amongst deepest house heads. -colours- does away with the drums and uses a plaintive sprinkling of keys and delays to create an evocative backdrop for fragile females vocals. -reef i & ii- is the clubbier cut, rolling out over the b side with a looming monosynth bassline and some dub techno inflections making it a smart choice for warm up scenarios especially.

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.

its been a hot minute since timothy j. fairplay slipped on his junior fairplay guise, but hes done just that for this bleep-tastic new 12inch on (emotional) especial. end of love is unabashed in its embrace of early yorkshire techno tones, making a fine job of resurrecting the bleep spectre and letting it shake up the dance once more. roy of the ravers is a smart choice of remixer, and he brings an off-kilter acid rub to the table in his idiosyncratic, braindance-inflected style. the b-side is equal laden with purposefully dusty dance grooves transplanted from the late 80s / early 90s, with faxes from the future hitting a particularly sharp point in its lazy breakbeat roll and the clanging harmonies of the stabs

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.

prolific and long-serving canadian producer fred everything is never one to rest on his laurels, but it s been no less than 10 years since he last released an album (the classic lost together on om records). now he finally returns to the long player format on his own lazy days label with the appropriately titled long way home, a widescreen exploration of his sound via all manner of styles. there s gorgeous broken beat and neo soul, slow-strutting electronic disco and modern boogie, and that s just the a side of this expansive 12inch track album. warm, immaculately produced and unafraid of embracing pop as much as underground styles, it s a masterful return from mr. everything.

dan shake is a full fledged member of the lumberjack family since his contribution to the from hell with love compilation but we ve been waiting eagerly for his own 12inch on the imprint. here it is. repress

after releasing eps on labels like clr, plus8, drumcode, dmt amongst others, pascual is now onboard with sino. 4 raw mental techno tracks like it should be. for nearly a decade, pascual has developed his talents as a producer, but also as a dj constantly evolving in the studio, his releases in labels like clr, plus 8 y drumcode ltd, speak for themselves.

two berlin underdogs and a detroit ravemaster. a driving force in the very early frankfurt electronics since the late 80s, to hardcore acid in brooklyn in the early 90s, producing legends as carlos peron among many others along his way, adsx aka andre fischer might sound new to many but has been an active part of the underground electronic movement for the last 30 years. benji df aka hanoben is no newbie to the scene either and might have soundtracked your night if you were to be found at clubs like tresor or snax in the late 90s. together they recorded an ode to aural sex, its acid counterpart, and a genius sketch of a club banger. when label honcho capablanca heard the latter had little doubts about commissioning an extended mix to motor city s special forces gen. sharif laffrey aka thee activator, who needs little introduction to the discerning raver ears as the man behind instant acid classics turn it up and always, among others. after countless studio days and nights and endless versions (we stopped counting at 56th) sharif delivers what is possibly his best work to date, an unstoppable 12 minute dancefloor annihilator. to wrap such special release we asked legend alan oldham aka ur s minister of information aka dj t-1000, (also responsible for label designs for transmat, djax, submerge, pure sonik and a long etcetera) to create one of his classic artworks. capablanca deconstructs his center pieces for the fully printed sleeve, and everybody s.c.r.e.a.m.

the mighty man power returns to correspondant. one of the earliest labels to champion his explorative technoid landscapes, and deliver his debut album, the mexico based composer makes a welcome return with three truly singular trips… ‘the zen of xen comes in two segued parts, comprising almost 13 minutes of full intergalactic immersion. laced with the alluring deep-dream vocals of tel avivs xen, anchored with tripped-out humanized harmonics and weaved with soaring pads, its a genuinely emotional narrative thats been cooking away on man powers creative wishlist since he first met xen at a show five years ago. elsewhere ‘heart for yes, life for no will have you spitting rainbow emojis all night. an incredible piece of vibrant melodic techno rooted in synthesis, galvanized with emotive layers, driven by feels it sets us up perfectly for the fantastical finale ‘hubris. cosmic, soft-focused, sparkling but topped with a choral chant that comes in from nowhere and arrests every sense as the elements rise and fuse with theatre. by far one of man powers most techno-focused and biggest records to date.

every release is special for us here at hizou. but to clock up our tenth one is a particularly special moment. so it is even more pleasing that we reach this milestone by welcoming on board a producer we admire enormously, life recorder. the man from marseille has a lengthy discography of must-have records to his name already and the super-deep pressure jazz ep will only add to that growing list as he delivers a trio of prime cuts, from the punchy, raw analogue sounds of the title track to the warming subconcious drive and the melodic, acid-flecked traffic jam.

imagine a peaceful cyberpunk world where flowers are used instead of laserguns, where bamboo towers are high in the sky and your fingerprints digitalized in a papermade card. this is the utopia you re living in while listening to this record. from the crowded city atmosphere of « mecanic chipo » to the suspended garden of« lady chipo », your existence is harmonious and serene. as a casual salaryman you dream of the countryside in « chipo sleep » but are waken up by the « chipo dub » bonzaï alarm clock.
« chipo sounds » reflect these everyday life and reveries which are at the end, not cheap at all!

when thinking balearic, there is a name that should strike you right away. no, not ibiza itself, but the man responsible for producing and curating some of the lushest sunset music the white island has ever heard steve miller, perhaps most commonly known as afterlife. making a name for himself in the early 2000s by playing monumental events such as glastonbury, headlining cafe del mars 20th anniversary party and reaching the top of the uk charts by remixing another chance from roger sanchez, hes managed a consistency unlike many others in the decade and a half since. releasing standout classic albums such as simplicity two thousand and speck of gold, his music has been released on the premiere labels of the time, such as hed kandi and defected, while also being featured on numerous compilations to date.

vor 20 jahren erschien mit decksandrumsandrockandroll das debüt und gleichzeitig einzige studioalbum des britischen duos propellerheads. alex gifford & will white gründeten die band 1995 und veröffentlichten 1996 auf wall of sound zunächst ihre dive ep, gefolgt von weiteren eps und singles. am 22.06.2018 erscheint die 20th anniversary edition von -decksandrumsandrockandroll- auf wall of sound auf der die albumklassiker wie die bigbeat-coverversion von crash (mit einem wunderbaren elvis-double), das rastlose spybreak! (bekannt aus der lobby-szene des ersten matrix-films), den remix für john barrys on her majestys secret service, und last but not least history repeating mit der unverwechselbaren shirley bassey selbstverständlich vertreten sind.

symbolism ltd kicks off with four strident, hypnotic but powerful mike storm tracks, all featuring the unquestionable editing skills of ben sims. super limited pressing.

an ode to a special place and time. label-founder dj balduin is presenting 6 songs of dreamy ambient and house on his debut mini-album.

no moon blends electro, breaks, acid and uk bass into a forward-thinking club ep for the 7th release from berlin based collective, mechatronica.
opening with “sirens”, the a-side plunges straight into deep and breaky sub-domains, before sliding on to the brighter and melodic, but equally heavy workout, “bathtub dub”.
on the flip, electro and uk bass come together on gloomy tool “where am i”, before “acid ix” finishes off the record with a blissful, distorted acid frenzy for the floor.

following up their highly acclaimed debut collaboration ‘last day on earth’ (l.d.o.e.), the trio from berlin took it literally and decided to leave this planet’s orbit behind. an introductory epilogue a1.‘prologue (don’t panic)’ sets the tone for the journey to come.harmoniously but pulsing the traveler leaves the earths gravitational force to reach the title track a2. ‘moon’ . an emotional touching and growing deep house art piece. b. ‘point of no return’ at last leaves the bounding limitations of contemporary club music behind by exploring a completely distinct soundscape, even referencing a certain 80s pop vibe. one thing is for sure: the voyage is just beginning. godspeed! moon made on earth by humans

melodic echoes drift through the stereo panorama like ice cubes orbiting through the hi-proof universe of a milky cocktail. between them stretches the intricate tick-tock of a liquified clockwork. markus homm and benny grauer sculpt their compelling grooves from the hard, repetitive substance of techno - but eventually their productions have a round, organic elegance that is reminiscent of mushrooms sprouting amidst the sparkling dew of a early morning meadow. the perfect sound for this listening experience comes from a 10” vinyl, whereas the digital counterpart of the ep comes with an exclusive third title.

within lok recordings’ sixth release, we introduce lokin to you. we’re coming up with something to break boundaries and strengthen the spirit of artistic freedom. -the fall- by the belgian-born berlin-based singer, songwriter and producer cook strummer - aka maxime donnet - is an evocative ode to lost love and forgotten spirituality. channeling the post-punk synth sound of his home country’s cold wave movement of the late 70s and early 80s, donnet has absorbed the sounds of his adopted home in germany, taking that all-pervasive electronic music that is all around him and morphing it into something new. the result is -the fall-. recorded in a cell located in the basement of an old stasi prison (studio k61 in berlin), it’s an album with one eye on the dancefloor, but one that works just as well when the party is over. it’s an album that blends the organic with the synthetic, mixing guitars and synths with post-dubstep flourishes and drum machines. it’s an album about something. the name of the album has been chosen in reference to first single fallen, the idea of falling in life and waking up again. it’s also about the fact that it’s not the fall that kills you. a fall can be graceful. a fall can improve a life perspective and create new paths. it can and does make you strong. the main metaphor in there is one of reincarnation. indeed, it’s the story of a soul negotiating with god to not reincarnate on earth again, but being forced to do it anyways. experience something different!

in a greek mythology, the river styx is the connection to the underworld, but also one of the few river goddesses. according to the myth, the river styx represents the border between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. the souls of the dead hoping at the riverbank to crossing into the underworld so as not to remain there forever.
the second release of the label unterland defines the stygian sound with its mystic and underworldly tone. additionally, the artwork underlines the musically interpretation also in a visual way. the image was created by talented photo artists salar kheradpejouh. his identity thrives on cinematic vision and matches perfectly to interpret the stygian sound artistically.
unterland 02 is a various artists ep by monoloc and jonas landwehr. with his dark production the young artist gained the attention of monoloc already 1.5 years ago, who then started to followed him closely as an artists as well as his creations. for monoloc it was clear that he wants to publish jonas’ music on his new arising label. jonas landwehr delivers three melancholic dub techno production, which are mostly influenced by his stay in the taiwanese capital taipeh.
monoloc continues to determine the stygian sound with three further productions. strong atmospheric plains, which are characterized by various cinematic sound elements.

for its third release, here to hell welcomes melbourne (via adelaide) veteran, rambl, and his incredible groover “doss”. this third release on the label happened purely by surprise, and what a discovery! the track itself is no accident, but the signing took place after a chance encounter. richard campbell aka rambl, who is one of melbourne’s best and most consistent djs since the last two decades, had developed a small cult following of viewers via facebook, where he had been providing live video coverage of australia’s wild weather in a kind of comedy-weatherman format. once these updates caught our attention, the magical facebook algorithm placed all of his content at the top of our feed.

dilated pupils is a collective group of likeminded friends home-based in the netherlands. when forces are joined in one of their many studios each individual brings his own influences and styles to the table. together they share a distinct flavor in productions and raw one-take jam sessions created with the use of analogue machines and often recorded on tape. each of them have their own solo productions as well as other collaborations, but when united as dilated pupils they prefer to be known jointly as one entity with their own unique and distinguished sound. since 2014 the group has developed an interesting and widespread discography with releases on labels such as fear of flying, sol asylum, mode of expression, tabla, music is art, dorcas, make sense and mayak.

finally realized, here s one that was long on the dkr wish list. among the very finest moments from both artists, these brilliant interpolations of curtis classics have been unavailable too long. a mesmerizing rhythm adorned with the lovely sounds of hand drums, melodica and flute, mixed and dubbed to perfection by king tubby himself. this 12inch is a 6 track ep, with all four cuts as originally released on two separate 45s, plus two unreleased mixes straight off the original tapes. we like to think tubbs favored these cuts, as so many mixes were done! the dub titled super cool is, in our humble opinion, one of tubby s top 10 extant mixes. full disclosure, all tracks except super cool pt. 2 come from the original jamaican mastertapes. we suspect the pt. 2 mix was lost somewhere in nyc, but don t let that trouble you, this one should please all who have ears.

modd finally arrives on the label after swinging by on last years summer sampler. four beautiful compositions come together in harmony. beautiful music for sure but its the lead track that youll most likely be hearing across numerous continents this summertime. well leave it up to you to explore the eps nuances and blissful charm. if youre simply looking for a track to play in the clubs then be really lazy and just listen to salomeya.

after breaking out of our holding facility in early 2017, we tracked the humanoid alien lifeform known as darling to a deep bunker in amsterdam. while we were unable to gain entry tio the inner chamber, an operative successfully placed an eavesdropping device close by. while monitoring the lifeform s movements, we were able to record eight musical compositions of varying lengths that it had created using a range of analogue and digital electronic instruments. we have called this collection tulipa moves. you will notice that the tracks utilise a variety of rhythmic patterns, explore unearthly but attractiuve sounds and are capable of stirring strong emotions in human listeners. we direct your attention towards the lilting, softly spun melancholia of composition 03 (codename so did we) the fluid, beat-free bliss of composition 05 (codename the m song), and the up-tempo positivity of composition 07 (codename kiss the glass), whose chiming, intertwined melodies and snappy rhythmic energy reminded us of so-called intelligent dance music. we were astonished by the quality and intricacy of these alien creations and those we have not described in detail. it strengthens our belief that darling is a lifeform with higher intelligence and otherworldly musical ability