mitja prinz stretches the definition of modern tech house with his third and yet strongest release on blaou. the recipe is simple: you mix two handfuls of percussion and a lot of pounding bass in a bowl. add a juicy songline seasoned with a couple of fresh breaks

another killer set of mixes of the recent daniell spencer & funky transport track, butterfly. this time out its siji - who sang on a couple of osunlade tunes already and is ready to drop his own album - at the mixing desk, slowing down the original to a laidback modern soul !!

electronix

with ÈredsuperstructureÇ, robert lippok created a new foundation for his musical endeavors. now Ð 7 years later Ð this system properly comes to life on Èapplied autonomyÇ. the title of the new album is a clear indicator as to what the berlin-based producer has been up to during the last couple of years, both on a conceptual level as well as how he molds his ideas into tracks. Èapplied autonomyÇ orchestrates a certain state of frantic standstill, which occurs once a structure is set. has this state been reached, the artist is free to focus on other equally important aspects, balancing the various shades, pushing ideas even further to really make them shine and blossom in their self-declared autonomy. the more light one lets in, the more layers become visible. layers are key when it comes to understanding Èapplied autonomyÇ. big chunks of the material with which the album has been produced derive from sketches specifically made for a club performance. rather than meticulously devising each and every detail, lippok focussed instead on recording as many fragments as possible in a short period of time, elements which he could later combine and layer on stage. based on this material and his experience experimenting with it in a live environment, the album slowly began to shape. an album culminating in a collaboration with klara lewis, with whom lippok spent 2 days at the ems studios in stockholm, approaching the idea of autonomy from yet another angle. during the session, both musicians played and performed simultaneously, yet not explicitly together, lost in their own thoughts and ideas, only subconsciously taking in what the other one was coming up with. the result is ÈsamtalÇ, 14 minutes of a constantly evolving state of poise, magically connecting all the dots lippok had already defined as Èapplied autonomyÇ. the artwork for Èapplied autonomyÇ has been created by the berlin-based argentinian artist luca gutierrez. over the last couple of years, he has made a name for himself with his spectacular av performances.

dj-mixes often do little more but keeping up a certain mood. to establish a mood like this, masterful sven vŠth only needs a couple of moments. but this is it not enough for the inimitable dj from frankfurt am main. vŠth wants to introduce us to an entire world of electronic sounds. the music is an end to itself, yet at the same time, it is more: vaeth employs it to express his passion for the whole scene, to tell about the adventures he has experienced traveling, about his love for his friends, his children, his girlfriend and particularly to his fans all around the world.

echospace man stephen hitchell has been devoting much time to his variant project over the last couple of years, releasing no less than nine, straight-to-tape explorations in 2015 alone.

max ravitz has made a name for himself with his hazed dance not dance productions over these last couple of years appearing on a handful of different labels under a handful of different monikers. here on the 15 track, -common purpose- cd we get ravitz in all of his different forms as he teams up with numerous artists from his local brooklyn scene and beyond, serving up unheard cuts from numerous recording sessions done over the last years. through the record we hear the producer s versatility from tripped out downtempo vibes, to mid-paced acid, to high bpm dust burners, as ravitz and co. explore almost all possible avenues while in the studio. collaborators include huerco s., jahiliyya fields, ngly, terekke, bookworms, cloudface, and josephine.

sound of the 16th season people have their personal rituals. leaving the international space station russian space travelers left some bread and salt as a welcome gift for their american colleagues. tennis star serena williams bounces the ball exactly five times before her first serve. our beloved master of ceremony of techno music, sven vath, has a ritual as well: when the shadows on the island ibiza grow longer and the noise of the summer is about to fade away, he takes a couple of days off and reminisces the passing season, the parties, the crowds and the music: what were the craziest, the most outrageous, most beautiful moments? which situations, which encounters inspired me? what did we laugh about? and of course: what was the best music? which tracks accompanied me and my cocoon people during those intense weeks? vath assembles those magical tracks for the sixteenth time this year merging them into two and a half hour set.

for the next instalment of our mix series, weve arranged a special mix from a duo which we have shared close ties with for the last five years, having them regularly at the club as well as a couple of our infamous open airs at rummelsburg in berlin. hailing from the usa, the stateside duo soul clap have been at the forefront of the dance music scene for over half a decade now and are well known for their blend of funk and soul to house, techno and everything in between. from peak time sets on the main floor to sun soaked closing sets on the water floor, the pair of bostonians, eli goldstein and charles levine, are a djs dj.

over the past couple of years, kellerkinds unique interpretation of house music has truly catapulted him out of the figurative basement and into the limelight. whether it was the disco-infused cool of backflash or the tribal rhythms found on his debut-album basement story, through hard work, rather than by miracle, marco biagini matured into a producer who is at the top of his game.

masse as a whole event has been triggered by renowned state ensemble staatsballett berlin and club berghain right in the centre of the german capital. at the core of the dance night lies a tryptichon made out of pure sound: the music of henrik schwarz, dettmann, wiedemann and din (efdemin & marcel fengler) was taken as the starting point for the whole event.

gem club is an exclusive society: two people, a piano, and a cello. vocalist christopher barnes sings in a quivering whisper, and these minimal accompaniments assure that their sound never becomes louder than a hush. but the massachusetts duo s debut ep, acid and everything, showed just how much emotional intensity you could pack into compositions so spare, and how much could be suggested with so little. everything on breakers, their first full-length, sounds frozen over: icy, quiet, austere. you know that eerie feeling when you find yourself alone in a huge public place that s usually crowded-- maybe a shopping mall or a playing field- but at that moment is totally empty? this record sounds like a sustained version of that feeling. -i heard the party- juxtaposes echoing piano chords and a general sense of unease (-no one could have told you / your body would fail you-) with the refrain -i heard the partys here- floating across the track like the sound of dried up laughter. the word -party- feels so out of place in a song so pensive and lonely that there s something jarring about the experience. the feeling crops up repeatedly on breakers: a sense of slow-motion detachment, a suggestion that there were signs of life here once, but you ve arrived a couple of hours- or maybe a couple of weeks- too late.

you know the story by now, a string of super singles, a number one in the nialler9 irish song poll of 2010 (which turned them into temporary jerks kidding) and a constant string of live dates around the country have made squarehead one of the better bands in ireland and now, we re finally at the debut album chapter. its been a long time coming. squarehead initially recorded their debut album back in september and december last year with shane cullen in k9 studios and save for a couple of extra tracks and re-recordings of old favourites mother nurture and fake blood, the band have patiently been sitting on it since. yeah nothing is a dozen tracks of no-nonsense slacker indie pop, a fuzzy collection of lo-fi rock n roll inspired by surf-pop, old school rock n roll and bright guitars.

tunisia has never been a referent place in the electronic music world. it was better known for its beaches and sunny weather, hardly for its political regime but the events of 2011 brought quite some changes about that. these changes have been nurturing in the underground of the country until exploding to the face of the world, with fantastic momentums of rebellion, courage and union. shinigami sans album is a signal that emanates from the underground of tunisia: a hybrid of dubstep, techno and noise, very dark, but most importantly, very true. this is neither the sound of london or berlin, and if a couple of ingredients from here and there are recognizable in -toys-, it is most definitely the electronic sound of tunisia we bring to you here. from the dusty, 8-bit dubstep of -lofi- and -toys- to the dark techno rollers -post trauma- and -migra-, you will go by tribal beats, eerie atmospheres and heavily distorted sound textures. shinigami san draws a panorama that shows both impressive skills and style. -toys- is not only about excellent and true music, but also about original product design and diy manufacturing. this 450 digipack limited edition was hand-printed and crafted using silk screen printing, rulers and cutters. the graphic design is based on drawings from sabrina ben hadj ali, and each cd comes with 3 original prints on the theme of the album. today, we are up to put tunisia under the radar of electronic beat diggers, today, we bring you the first album of tunisian-born shinigami san: nothing cheesy here, just a raw, brutally honest vibe.

the ever on point citrus recordings is stepping up for its 5th artist lp. after having released the debut albums of mindscape & jade wich all went on for critical acclaim its time for citrus to get ready for its 3rd artist album. this time its time for the debut album of fourward! hailing straight from lower austria the four men collective fourward started out producing music in early 2007. the boys knew each other for quite a while and shared the love and passion for drumandbass music. for them it was always a main issue not to stick to any particular tiny subgenre only, but to develop a sound of their own. all members have different musical backgrounds which fit together perfectly and provide a great studio vibe. days went by and the boys finished a couple of tunes properly and it wasnt long until austrian drumandbass producer duo body&soul showed interest in their works. also international artists like bbcs very own crissy criss began to support their music giving them airplay on his radio show. as a result of their effort fourward has released quality tunes on labels like subsonik sound, planet funk and fokuz. the year 2010 they experienced the so called breakthrough with releases on nasca recordings and fokuz followed by an epic 12inch for the legendary label virus recordings! the guys definitely didnt stop there and being on the road now broadened their horizon even further. resulting in a series of tunes perfectly fitting together in this cd. diversity and musicallity are keywords for this album. listen from low blow to you and me, quality drum n bass!!

boys and diamonds is unmistakably a pop album but also one that comfortably fits in with kompakts long-standing lineage of genre-refracting releases. you will be hard up find another record that cohesively brings to mind siouxsie rubbing elbows with shabba ranks, giorgio moroder sipping daiquiris in bali, desmond dekker envisioned through skittering footwork, tom tom club sitting in with congotronics, even early madonna produced by chris and cosey. unlikely as all of that sounds, rainbow arabia makes it sound easy. mostly recorded at their home studio in echo park, muppet palace, boys and diamonds was written and produced by the couple with help from their friends in los angeles and beyond. drummer/producer extraordinaire butchy fuego (pit er pat, boredoms, mia) contributes arrangements and beats in places, and icy demons dylan ryan plays on the percussion-heavy island shuffle nothin gonna be undone . the album was mixed at the wonderful hobby shop studios in la by mudrock, who also adds some final production touches on the record. the 11 new songs on the album, were also made possible by the encouragement of peers/heroes in la like former ghosts, fool s gold, secret circuit, abe vigoda, and part time punks dj crew. outside of their hometown, they also found support and inspiration from kindred spirits like pictureplane, spoek mathambo, as well as their new home, the ever-illustrious kompakt

it was 1975 and a mere 24 years since ike turner lit the blue touch paper on rock n roll with the incendiary rocket 88 , when a small independent record company emerged from a couple of second-hand record stores in london. it was just before the fuse was lit on another stage in the rock n roll story with the emergence of punk rock and chiswick records helped strike the match - commencing with the release of the count bishops speedball ep. with the same people at its head, the label evolved into ace records and they are proud to be celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2005. ace has become the leading in-depth catalogue company in the world and has issued a vast amount of the best and most important music released in the us from the time of that first ike turner recording to the launch of their own company. that crucial period forms the core of the extensive ace catalogue. they have often wandered off this central path, with excursions into world music, some home-made recordings of local acts and have investigated beat music from belfast to tokyo. but it is at the heart and soul of rock n roll that you will find ace putting out that wild and frantic, deep and romantic, funky and punky music that will sure nuff turn you on!

bozzwell is a solo projekt of david boswell from sheffield, who has had remarkable hits with the all seein eye together with phil oakey from the human league in the nineties and latest as hiem together with his friend nicco eastwood a couple of years ago. after knowing and loving bozzy through buddy dirk leyers we released two 12inch with some of his brilliant stuff in 2008 and 2009. songs like marlenas eyes, fionas song and escape5 which are now also part of this cd-album. with the album are coming various other songs reflecting life in common and in sheffield. the cd is also including the track >i cant be< that we did in our studios together with bozzy and many firm artists joining and contributing.

madlibs been busy these last couple years. and while his recorded output always spans the gamut, he often returns to recurrent themes, spread across the genres that serve as home base Ð or bases, as it were.