after numerous releases on staple labels like moods & grooves, deep explorer, contrast wax, minuendo & soul print, the duo from malta are back to their homegrown label batti batti. the 3 tracks on this ep are somewhat different to their usual style, putting aside their laid-back deepness and focusing more on the dance floor by delivering an ep of raw drums, acid lines, warm chords and filtered pads. a truly interesting release to say the least.

one foot on the dance floor & one foot in a garbage can. founded in 2016 in paris by stéphane bodin and françois marché, delodio cultivate eclecticism & joie de vivre. issuing vintage tracks recorded on cassettes and modern productions with the same passion. one way of doing things, differently and sincerely. debut 12- from parisian producer fm. 2 tracks distiling the vintage classic rave house vibe of a tr808 on a cassette tape. music for the floor. enjoy !

disco stomper with diva vocals another extremely rare underground record on p&p. this time however and quite shockingly not a patrick adams or a greg carmichael production. nonetheless ôainÆt it timeö is a massive disco cut written, arranged and produced by arthur manning and p. j. wyatt paired with great vocals by soul, disco and gospel vocalist gwendolyn dennison better known for her stage name as queen yahna. queen yahna s career has seen her perform on broadway as maria in the hit musical, -porgy & bess- and the national company of -the wiz- as -evillene-. based in berlin, germany, queen yahna has had a successful career outside theater as well, cutting a few dance records over the year

london based feelings expand their horizons with the birth of their new label feelings worldwide. following in the footsteps of their much loved parties, the label will see releases from some of the pioneers of the dance music paired alongside exciting new artists who ring true with the blueprint those pioneers created.
for the first release feelings have enlisted iranian born, london-based producer kasra v, delivering an incredible slice of middle-eastern inspired house. on the a side is the early 90s inspired fantasy, a dance floor thumper with a tribal house feel you could imagine rolling out the speakers at a dreamscape party, followed by the dreamy pris providing a contrasting sunrise vibe to the prior track. on the flip is myth a steady piano-led builder inspired and written in the style of southern iranian tribal music, followed by a remix of the same track from legendary nyc producer cozmo d under his dream 2 science alias bringing a straighter dancefloor ready versioin with the heavy deep house flavours his d2s project is lauded for.

killawatt returns with his sophomore 47 solo ep. successive to 47010, his first solo four-tracker for the label released earlier this year, killawatt delivers 47012 allowing his percussive heavy background to influence his take on modern dance floor material with bone rattling rhythms with stirring overtones and ruptured drum patterns.

one foot on the dance floor & one foot in a garbage can. founded in 2016 in paris by stéphane bodin and françois marché, delodio cultivate his eclectism. issuing vintage tracks recorded on cassettes and modern productions with the same passion. one way of doing things, differently and sincerely.

dasha is back on sonic groove for her first outing on the label in six years. in this time elapsed dasha has released just two dance singles both some years ago. her last musical outing in 2015, is the stunning masterpiece experimental listening album entitled -sleepstep- on raster noton. now finally after a quite long hiatus from releasing dance music. dasha returns with -ain t no god nor king-, a four song extended play release . this deep minded, beat driven journey starts off with -katusha- a hard minimalistic, mesmerizing affair with strong delay effects on the kick drum forging a subconscious state of time and space as it echoes it way through mountainous canyons far away from civilization. next up is -dystopian drive-, a percussive song which brings an atmosphere of doom and gloom full on, with a gritty & stringent ebm bassline and tripped out layered acidic effects riding the thick bass waves. -black swan- takes it a few steps further into even darker dismal territories, a nearly nine minute journey which is a fitting sound track for surveilling a haunting post nuclear apocalypse scene from up above. -acid melancholy- is a 303 tweaked ambient sound sculpture with a metronomic pendulum rhythmic perc swinging back and forth which signals that time has run its course and the end is near.

listing somewhere between the cognitive and the corporeal comes the third release from gratone.-the periphery of a building-, a live remix work featuring long-time collaborators audun kleive on percussion and jan bang on live sampling sees the young norwegian label expound on the territories between extended jazz and the dance floor through a four track lp. veterans audun kleive and jan bang tap into something innate that moves perpendicular to the techno ethos perpetuated by the label s previous releases. -the periphery of a building-, is a work that brings the past into the present and draws a red thread between genres. it juxtaposes disparate ideas between the dance floor and jazz, and ensnares itself in the tangled web of tradition and progress in a bold indefnable musical dialect. upholding the ethos of gratone by negating expectation -periphery of a building- also calls in a new era for the young, but fertile label. -periphery of a building- is kleive and bang reconsidering live punkt remixes* of etenesh wassie & mathieu sourisseau, atomtm and clarinet factory & floex. in their selection of source material for the gratone lp, they eradicate, and then reconstruct tradition. *the punkt live remix concept puts third-party musicians, producers and composers in a real-time remix situation during a punkt festival live show. fiona talkington: stian balducci s gratone (grey tone) label inhabits an exquisite genre-defying world.the latest release features two of norway s legendary, pioneering musicians, live sampling guru and co-director of the globally acclaimed punkt festival jan bang, and audun kleive, a musician whose work over the decades has repositioned the language of drumming. together they forge an exquisite, adventurous path, as delicate as chamber music, as powerful as rock, and engage with samples with respect, a spirit of adventure and a creative vision which is simply inspiring. limited 180gram vinyl in hand stamped recycled cardboard jackets with silkscreen print.

if psychic health s self-titled debut album took the lessons the la duo learned in the teeming clubs of berlin and melbourne, their latest lp, exclusion, look inward, a document of the duo tunneling down the studio wormhole. as such, exclusion is a remarkably dynamic effort, adeptly jumping between evocative ambience (-jamaica 88,- -ryso-) and equally expansive dance floor fair. examples of the latter, such as the album s obvious centerpiece and titular track, exclusion, document gabriel mounsey and devon steffens’s harnessing modular beast technology for peak techno utility, finding a clear thoroughfare between the soaring strings of derrick may s classic transmat releases and ostgut ton s current ebm-inflected precision. as you d expect from mounsey s background in film composition, exclusion whirls with imagery. it s a los angeles album, but focuses on raw beauty of the city at night—the lights in the distance, and the desolate downtown streets where kickdrums often waft from disused warehouses. while their debut album opened notable doors for the group, landing distribution from hard wax and featuring in the netflix series sense8, exclusion is an altogether masterful turn for psychic health, their complete studio immersion easing the listener into deeply hypnotic states.

2017 repress! one of larry heards most under-rated albums finally remastered and available as full vinyl release for the first time!

dutch producer sota is the latest to be snapped up by ornate music, presenting his second ever release having first come to light with his own talaman label earlier in the year. subsonica rides on a tough house groove, keeping the elements as spartan as possible while heading straight into the deep end of the night. inverse is a skippier affair that deals with heavily processed synth flares and a deadly swinging groove, and then chatka finishes the ep off with a dreamy cut peppered with delay processing for the quintessential dubby trip through refined 4/4 dance music.

jamie paton has been a regular fixture on emotional especial since the label first came to light, conjuring up a seductive blend of leftfield dance music with a broad range of influences. this time around he s turning out some of his remixes, leading in with the sweaty, dense throb of sexy merlins see you in the dark. guy schlaloms habibi by way of contrast becomes a lighter confection peppered with bubbly synth lines and an almost poppy persuasion. blancmanges feel me has a more cosmic lilt in its voluminous tones, and overdrive by gatos negros drifts out on an off-kilter kind of boogie for all manner of deviant dancers to get head-nodding to.

double 12 inch vinyl, including the soundtracks from the original series, the next generation, deep space nine and voyager.

after lots of plotting and lurking space ritual has mutated into a record label. sr001 is oddnipp with their mini album secret nippers andrew cole (luv*jam) and ed cox (in fields) = oddnipp and they have weaved together six premium wigglers. space ritual join the dance

vinyl only – after four first releases by myself, i invited three of my favorite producers and friends to take part in the first various artist ep of the label called retro future. a1 is provided by stevn.aint.leavn from the beste modus and certain circles camps. i ve been following stefan closely since the release of his big track -precious- and he is now making waves everywhere. for this record he provides -motion- a smashing house track that enlightened every dance floor i dropped it on. then comes alix alvarez, a real underground hero of the new york scene. he s been releasing tunes since more than 15 years, collaborating with mr v and franck roger. alix delivers the tune -no chaser-, a stripped back, deep and driving number that he is known for. the kind of track that made his reputation. on the other side of the record you ll find paolo rocco. he is the man of the moment, fresh from great releases on taverna tracks, rutilance or courtesy of balance to name a few. here we have -7284-, it has been a true favorite of mine over the last months. finally i round up the ep with -belle maison- a new jam i recorded a few months ago featuring an engaging french speech, mpc beats and fb-01 synths. welcome to retro future chapter one.

stereociti, revered japanese house producer, with 2 acclaimed albums on mojuba joins groovement, increasing the nipon family on the label. reflexion ep is a very complete release, showcasing stereociti’s amazing composition skills. “eu lembro” is a super irresistible intergalactic house journey and “wee hours”, a dubby excursion that never ceases to grow til the groove comes in. title track “reflexions” is a very elegant and hypnotic house cut that will make you dream about the perfect party. and to close in a perfect mood, “canc&#807,,,o&#771,,,es do vento sul” - a more broken tune - loops the journey into pure happiness and joy. a great record to listen or dance to.

we are very excited to welcome rocco & esquivel to cosmica s roster this year. the duo formed by rodrigo desentis (méxico) and eduardo esquivel (uruguay) provide an uptempo gem strictly designed for the dance floor. esquivel is a well know name in the latin american electronic music scene, since he started his residency at the mythical club extasis in montevideo. after 25 years of career and extensively touring through uruguay, brasil and argentina, eduardo has settled in méxico city with residencies in the acclaimed blanco colima and casa disco.

repress without cover , the sound of 2020 is new jazz and old funk with an electronic city pace, brought to you by duo the colours that rise. made up of multi-instrumentalists and producers simeon jones and nathanael williams, their 2020 ep is a confident guide through future sounds and past histories from a time yet to come. created using analogue synths and acoustic instruments, the 4 track ep works as the score to a yet to be created animation. nathanael s background is creating soundtracks for films, while simeon plays with uk jazz prophets yussef kamaal and featured on henry wu’s ‘negotiate’ 12”. providing groove for the dancer and hidden meanings for the listener, 2020 is plugged in to the pulse of uk dancefloors and the resurgence of funk audiences. with their fusion sound, the colours that rise are another welcome addition to the new ‘uk jazz invasion’ alongside their friends and colleagues yussef kamaal and the comet is coming. 2020 is an experimental electronic voyage that emerges from the ambient and arrives on the dance floor. .

the 2017 album from tony allen on double vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

new release by django django’s own kick + clap label. 12” ep kitted in kick & clap house sleeve and white dust jacket.
lady chann & rapha team up for ‘hard drive’… the uk’s ‘number one dancehall queen’ returns with a storming carnival heater called ‘hard drive’. ‘back it up, hard drive’ is the command from the lady on this minimal dancehall rhythm, which packs in solid sub-bass, a bark, and some well-placed/spaced-out percussion. the producer is the bern, switzerland born and raised raphaël ‘rapha’ gasser, who became hooked on dancehall after hearing a mixtape by berlin-based supersonic sound and has gone on to collaborate with the genre mainstays like i-octane, sheba, kiprich and more. on the flip b-side is the remix by newark-based jersey club original r3ll, upping the bpm and sure to keep forward thinking dance-floors bubbling. kick n clap is the record label founded by django django’s dave maclean.

leonard cohen is indubitably one of the most legendary and successful singer-songwriters from the 60s. however, his label at first refused to release “various positions”, his seventh studio album, saying “look, leonard, we know you are great, but we dont know if you are any good.”
the success of the album proved them wrong, giving us one of his most beloved and arguably his most covered song “hallelujah”, along other gems such as “heart with no companion” and the gainsbourg-esque “dance me to the end of love”.
this is a nice addition to the rest of cohens releases on music on vinyl. pressing on 180 grams audiophile vinyl.

producer, dj and visual artist, dreams, has become a standout voice in the los angeles electronic landscape. the following he’s amassed locally is due, in part, to his own imprint, private selection, who’s focus so far has been split between releasing music and throwing events. an ethos that runs through both the his music and parties is indebted in part to house and techno, but also industrial, resulting in a mutated take on dance life forms that is becoming increasingly recognizable in his own records and dj sets. dreams’ first 12’, ‘twisted karma’, came out in 2015 via private selection. most recently, he released a record which saw light through greek imprint nous disques, and now, apron records.

this summer, the left of centre electronica label greco-roman hits its stride and celebrates 10 years of music. and to celebrate they are reissuing their biggest dance floor records and remixes on a series of ltd edition 12inces

what happens when a house-music icon takes a small, talented bunch of musicians and mixes it with a savory blend of jazz, funk, dance, and soul music? you get a hearty serving of e.o.l. soulfrito, who make their single debut with upright love on vega records. e.o.l. soulfrito, led by musical director and conductor louie vega, is the condensed version of vega’s elements of life live-band project, which over its tenure has released three albums, won a grammy award in 2006 for best remixed recording, non-classical (curtis mayfield, superfly (louie vega eol mix), and performed for a globally-televised audience during the 2007 superbowl pre-game show. e.o.l. soulfrito’s name is a play on the popular latin-caribbean seasoning sofrito, which serves as a nod to vega’s own puerto rican heritage. earlier this year, the band played their first show at gramps in wynwood, miami during miami music week. upright love embodies the organic energy of e.o.l. soulfrito’s live performances. with a runtime of more than ten and a half minutes, it’s a steady groover that slowly blossoms into a blissful symphony of sprightly chords, jazzy bass, crisp percussion, pattering tambourine courtesy of kat ayala, and cindy mizelle’s vocal ad-lib serenades. easygoing yet refined, the single plays out like a summer afternoon jam session between vega and his friends: axel tosca on fender rhodes & synth upright bass, josh milan on synth jazz guitar & synth percussion. start swaying those hips and let the rhythm carry you into the sunset. i wanted to create a more condensed band, since the elements of life band has ten members, it’s always been a little difficult to do smaller venues. i also wanted to create music inspired by groups and artists like war, cymande, johnny hammond, and herbie hancock’s headhunters, but with the vega e.o.l. twist and style. i then created e.o.l. soulfrito with my studio musicians and rhythm section of elements of life and nuyorican soul. i want to take this band and perform in festivals and venues like the blue note, jazz café, ronnie scots, and bb kings. e.o.l. soulfrito will bring you future grooves with a tinge of the musical landscape from our rich past, and yes, there will be experimentation get ready for it.

wow. now we re talking, all time classic material right here from the strictly archives. the legendary man of many hats armand van helden dropped this almighty, hypnotic slab of deepness under his mole people guise in the mists of 1995. a total deep house classic indeed. dreamy, driving, dubby, hypnotic, narcotic - it has it all. super long tracks, for the dj s to work and for the dancers to get fully lost in. break night is colossal, this one will literally transport the dance-floor to another dimension, guaranteed. sounding as fresh and as relevant as ever. timeless. ocean on the flip steps up the toughness factor with some super hard, swingin nyc drumz, but it still has that otherworldly edge that the a-side drenched us in previously. a near perfect record here, made available again, undoubtedly this will win a new legion of fans it s that good! this one s a tasty 2017 reissue and remaster, featuring both cuts, unedited, as per the original release way back when. essential stuff here. do not sleep.

moscow rolls through with a collaboration from founder archie hamilton and musical genius benson herbert, from kerri chandler’s protege duo, voyeur. two original tracks, remixed by the legendary 100hz. the record opens with the wonderfully trippy systim. a driving bassline, barely recognisable vocal snippets and groovy organic percussive elements dance around a haunting piano riff that ebbs and flows throughout the track. tension builds until a second acid bassline is finally revealed, causing dance floor madness. next up herbavibe combines a big bassline, dreamy chords, hamilton’s trademark 303 and a catchy vocal hook to create a certified summer anthem. 100hz uses the entire b side to interpret system into a more classical workout, using the piano elements to their full potential and using minimalistic percussion to keep the listener enthralled. an after party gem that completes the package perfectly

dark entries is proud to present the deluxe 2xlp reissue of ‘come visit the big bigot’ by severed heads, oone of the longest surviving bands to emerge from the australian post-punk independent music scene. they began in sydney in 1979, incorporating elements of ‘industrial’ noise-generation, tape cutting & looping and electronic sound synthesis. as the project developed song-structures and vocals were employed in a more-or-less recognizable mutant electro pop style. after many line-up changes featuring garry bradbury and psychedelic guitarist simon knuckey, severed heads was the vehicle for composer tom ellard. ‘come visit the big bigot’ was severed heads’ first record to be released commercially simultaneously in australia, north america and europe in 1986. it was a prime period for this industrial dance music and bigot was a respected album that did well from the tour they did with skinny puppy that same year. quite a few people still define the band by this period. ‘come visit the big bigot’ was made on a fostex 16 track recorder in tom’s bedroom, employing the newly acquired akai s612 sampler and roland sh-101 to create most of the drum sounds. the album signaled a new direction, flirting with the dance floor and the pop song. presenting the heads at their most cohesive, while retaining their distinctive musical stamp. tom’s vocals are harmonized, slowed down, sped up, run through fuzz boxes, backwards, drum machine rolls, sampled guitars, horn sections, and voices but with a subversive rather than malevolent intention. tape loops are more subtle and define their own space and texture. like the original australian version of the album, we’ve included a bonus disc featuring three extended remixes by sydney dj robert racic (who produced the edited 7” version of “petrol” we reissued in 2015), plus three b-sides from the ‘twenty deadly diseases’12” and two additional tracks from the same recording sessions.

liem and eddie ness are back on home turf with a club oriented four-tracker, the metronic disco fever ep. four punchy, tempo-driven house tunes that stick together like glue. produced entirely in their studio in hamburg, these tracks have that analogue, spontaneous feel and pack some serious dance floor weight

the must have status of joey negros -remixed with love series has been firmly cemented with both dj and home listening disco lovers since the release of the first two volumes. since the last release jn has been working hard on sourcing more disco multitrack tapes and producing new remixes while the zr team have been equally dedicated to clearing and licensing these new versions. the enduringly popular mtume/lucas produced phyllis hyman soul classic you know how to love me gets a new makeover that reworks the original elements into a more dramatic version with many peaks and troughs, stretching it out to over 10 minutes. even for those love the original this new mix gives a favourite song a fresh new perspective and reason to be played again. motown sounds philly style instrumental bad mouthin was an underground hit on dance floors in new york, london and chicago from the late 70s onwards. it was also famously sampled in bob sinclar s no 1 gym tonic. the original is a pretty dense, everything in all the way through style production, whereas the jn mix opens things up in a bit with more room for the individual parts to be heard. the end result is an extremely energetic bassline driven disco cut that works super well on the dancefloor.

passport to paradise continue their winning streak with an exclusive release from man of the cloth, digger extraordinaire, john zahl / jaz. if you ve seen his video for thump, you ll know that jaz and his works are weird, wrong and wonderful: in a word, the ethos of ptp is alive and kicking in this release. first up, geisha chugs along in the cosmic dust of 80s synth assortments and flourishes of koto. scatter-brained brilliance from the deepest of osaka basements. a2, move to the beach, heralds a sleeker, sleazier side to jaz s episcopal offering. it builds itself out from a latent groove that ushers in the end of the night, carrying you to the empty seafront just before dawn, where a breeze ruffles the palm trees as you dig your eyes into the moon. turning the page, we have a rework from the same post-kraftwerk heritage, but this one is more potent synthpop roller, a straight-up, no frills edit for the toughest of dance floors. the final track, twin theory, is a lofty affair from the outset, its arpeggiated bass holding the track to ransom: it is playful yet very serious, sublime and sarcastic. this is what passport to paradise are bringing to your homes and dancefloors. don t miss ou

here at quantize we simply love confounding expectations cos, guess what? we love all kinds of music and don t like to be stereotyped. but this one even surprised the hell out of us so much so that we figured it deserved a 7inch vinyl release in tribute to the original format. think (about it) was originally recorded 45 years ago in the summer of 1972 by the fiery lyn collins. produced by the godfather of soul, james brown, it barely scraped into the rnb top 10 at the time and normally would have faded into time as just another great james brown produced record but in 1987, it started to get sampled by a new generation of hip-hop artists like roxanne shante and robe base and dj e-z rock. suddenly the world woke up to the possibilities of sampling and since that point, think (about it) has been sampled 1908 times and is the no.3 most-sampled record of all time. so we decided to cut a new version of it with real musicians and one of the few vocalists that would be capable of matching lyn collins firepower - dance music s diva supreme, the incredible barbara tucker. we wanted barbara to really cut loose on this and she didn t disappoint. and yes, those are real keyboards, real guitar and real horns. believe us, this session was off the scale! so when we finally got our breath back we decided we had to get this out on a 45 on its 45th anniversary! it seemed the most appropriate way to do justice to a record that simply jumps outta the grooves. we believe think (about it) will have universal appeal pretty much everywhere since the song is now implanted within the dna of dance music across the world.

piros 001 kicks off with 2 solid, meticulous tracks delivered by uruguayan, berlin based upcoming talent ema remedi. the ep includes a killer remix by ernesto ferreyra, a club-oriented track which will drive you deeply into a dark, subterranean dance floor at early morning hours. vinyl only!

brotherhood sound system records is back with the third solo ep on the label, this time coming courtesy of swedish producer and electronic mastermind nils krogh, aka arkajo. hes made his mark on the dance music landscape as one half of the revered house, techno and electronica duo genius of time, releasing on labels such as aniara recordings, running back and royal oak

doorly s reptile dysfunction continues to prove itself to be one of the most vibrant and singular labels around, this time tapping up legendary producer jaydee for its latest release. jaydee is a dance music pioneer. best know for the seminal plastic dreams - a track that, somewhat terrifyingly for those who remember it the first time around, will be celebrating its 25 th anniversary next year - he has continued to be a leading light in innovative house and techno productions, releasing on r&s and ellum audio in the last few years. here, he teams up with fellow dance music visionary doorly for a searingly brilliant release on the latter s reptile dysfunction imprint. acid pressure ep presents two original cuts from jaydee, with supporting remixed from doorly and trooko. kicking things off, back into acid opens with stunningly heartfelt pads before building to a killer acid line via shimmering percussion and erotically charged vocal snatches. bring the pressure is more direct: a house roller softened by basic channel-esque chords and with added rhythm courtesy of the accompanying ragga chants. on the remix front, doorly flips back into acid into something far more menacing, with fierce synths stabs and rolling drums creating a head down stomper, while trooko chops back into pressure into pieces, crafting a thumping main room house cut from the constituent parts, complete with an epic, piano-led breakdown.

featuring a wide range of artists (das ding, plus instruments, de fabriek for a start!) from the amsterdam fetisj scene and cities such as rotterdam, utrecht, the hague, and zwolle. it gives a glimpse into the artistic diy music movement that was growing extensively outside of mainstream circles.the beautifully printed record sleeve was designed by steele bonus. it includes liner notes (in english and dutch) that paint a great picture of the context where these bands and artists lived and breathed. it is compiled by mark van de maat and mastered by rude 66.

whilst not the first uk dance scene the mods had that covered – northern soul is the longest running. those northern clubbers who eschewed late 60s psychedelic fripperies for obscure old soul records with the requisite beat, couldnt have known what they started. after using up all the uk released sides they began digging in the united states and after nearly 50 years the northern soul scene has probably unearthed more great music than any other. all night long is our tribute to those pioneers and includes current in-demanders such as the sensations demanding man, classics by the chandlers and ernest mosley and a host of other dancefloor friendly masterpieces. all night long, can you feel that beat and extra added soul will be available on cd & double vinyl and are compiled by dj and award winning compiler dean rudland, with stunning artwork from his long-time collaborators the unknown. across the three volumes there are 60 tracks of soul, funk and boogie.

as with his previous offerings - that have found a home on the likes of red rack’ems smugglers inn, horn wax, ruff draft, plus his co-owned end of label boss imprint – cyclonix continues to explore the deeper and more leftfield spectrum of underground dance music with a futuristic vision. made up of two original tracks, ‘alien drug store’ ep draws on a host of electronic influences ranging from deep house to detroit beatdown, alongside subtle hints of acid house and dub techno, whilst both retain the producers trademark sci-fi aesthetic. the release is completed with a sterling remix of ‘you’d better not’ from a pioneering legend of the uk underground - 4hero’s marc mac, under his nu era guise. heading up the a side is ‘you’d better not’, a slow-grooving techno cut bolstered by punchy kicks and a rubbery bassline, where foreboding sci-fi vox samples are interspersed with dubbed out chords and crunchy offbeat snares, as the arrangement shifts from one mood to another. the sub-aquatic vibes of ‘two face’ follows, which is set to a hypnotic two chord pattern, 4/4 kicks and a lashing of moody synths that gradually entices you into deeper realms through the aid of rippling hi-hats and rhythmic percussion with a submersed quality. on the flip is marc mac’s nu era take on the 12”s lead cut ‘you’d better not’, who transforms the menacing original into a blast of uplifting broken techno, where the soulful musicality of sustained strings and piano chords complement snippets of the original’s vocal sample that drifts atop adept drum programming, bouncy synth bass and a flurry of glistening synth melodies.

moscow based multi-talent impish has been steadily honing his skills working through labels such as program, c.i.a. and his own fast rising occulti music imprint. it’s that last label that saw him release the critically acclaimed “silence” lp back in 2016. fast forward to the autumn of 2017 and a new album project the “hush” lp is set for release through all quality physical electronic music outlets around the world. being the perfectionist that he is, impish continues to impress working on crystal clear music productions where impeccable drum work is combined with organic touches and progressions.
the second “hush” lp sampler features three cuts of the album. first up the well respected irish drum & bass producer zero t takes up remix duties for “solid”, turning the stripped back original stepper into a wavey hard hitter with the remixer’s sound plastered all over. continuing with “let me” featuring uk based vocalist kate wild things heat up quickly where soaring bass sounds complimented by soulful vocals and tech-like stabs make for an intense drum & bass experience. last but not least we find the original mix for “solid” featuring fellow moscow based vocalist julia marks. it’s an easy listening, thoughtful piece of drum & bass with driving beats for the dance floor but harmonies for the mind and soul.

lowfreq77 is taking no prisoners as he steps up to deliver the second release on summa cum laude. the italian producer has only emerged in the past few years, despite having dedicated a great deal of his life to producing music.
it was clearly worth the wait - 1804 is the kind of fist thumping techno that leaves no body motionless as it rips its way through the dance in a hail of relentless claps and nagging synth hooks.
rails meanwhile amps up the robert hood style twitchy loops, making this a techno record for those who like their beats pure and unrelenting.

fern presents his -paradox ep-, a fresh and experimental ep that fits per fectly with the partisan aesthetic. this record crafts the kind of adventurous swing that constantly shifts and evolves before your ears, full of harmony, futu re tech rhythms and groove, in such sounds and design the most exciting dance floor moments are made, welcome to the fold fern.

a year after danger, their debut ep on blank mind, durban-based crew audioboyz join forces with hypermedium to deliver another instalment in the growing chronicles of gqom, the darker deviant that grew out of south-african house and whose shockwave is still resonating across western dance floors.

the third eclectic limited delivery is landing directly from osaka! 3 fantastic tracks by ryuji takeuchi with his powerful groove full of explosive kicks and aggressive basslines. to finish this beautiful ep an exciting lag remix with its unmistakable groove that always set off the dance floor.

the label of the post-autonomous kindergarden from berlinÆs east cross awakes after a long beauty sleep. weÆre back behind the decks with a lineup that is carving out contemporary techno. finnish producer samuli kemppi, from helsinki, has accompanied us since the beginning of our club. musically, he stands for a minimalist, crystal-cut sound hailing from galaxies far, far away. fabrizio lapiana is a long-time friend of the house. his sounds are able to expand even the smallest dance floorsùhe sculpts spacious soundscapes and sends dancers on a deep dive into dark and melancholy travels. we are particularly excited about the presence of our resident akmÛ, who comes to us with energetic release after his first ep on connwax. he will be bringing his steadfast love of detail and sly playfulnessùelements present in all his dj-sets. with these three numbers, the ://about blank 002 has compiled the best of the mdf soundtrack. next stop after powernap: lobby and garden. rave on!

earlier this year we were lucky enough to cross paths with the upcoming genius that is sublee. as you enter his world, his landscapes effortlessly enhance, twist, turn and modulate. the rhythm teases and pulls you, lets you go and brings you ultimately into something 4d rather than 3. perfectly fine-tuned for the smallest and the largest of dance floors, or to accompany your travels as the world drifts by. with over 48 minutes of play-time over 4 tracks, we present to you “sublee - their mind”.

in 2001 derek launched his own label ‘trident recordings’ and released the ‘copper beech e.p.’ (the only release to date) a collection of deep soulful techno, it has since become something of a collector’s item. subsequent releases on ‘digital soul’ headspace nice & nasty and ‘geek records’ further cemented carr’s place amongst a new generation of techno producers that looked to combine soul and melody with electronic dance floor grooves. the ep entitled distant systems is a musical adventure for a quest for a new home land, a new planet, a new start, it is proper techno, proper melodies , beats and pads for this adventure. derek is a master at creating thoughtful emotive and simply wonderful techno that fits in so naturally on firescope records

after releasing records on l.i.e.s. and its offspring russian torrent versions labels, caserta (close to neaples, italy) native domenico crisci quickly rose to prominence among purveyors of timeless techno. a third record on eerie cemented his reputation as a careful engineer of effective, crafty dance floor cuts that comfortably sit next to early works of the genre’s pioneers.
august of 2016 sees domenico’s sonic determination surprisingly rematerializing on silent servant, regis and james ruskin’s jealous god label with a new, strong ep crowning the distinct quality of this limited series.
through such particular path domenico got inspiration to start his own summa cum laude label project, where his most forward thinking works and brand new, surprising talents will have the first chance to get properly published.
domenico himself is inaugurating the label by “the violinist” ep, including 3 peak-time techno tracks anticipating the strongest emotive intensities, carefully finalized by the valuable experience of a mastering engineer like matt colton. to visualize domenico s particular, straightforward sound, we’ll find the kind intervention of the neapolitan artist mariangela levita.

brooklyns pimps of joytime new album third wall chronicles is a fresh collection of 10 funk anthems ready to put a smile on faces across the globe. an intersection of brooklyn’s indie music scene, new orleans funk and san francisco soul, the pimps new studio release unites us around a common bond of peace, love and music. the apex of positivity and a solace from the daily grind shines bright as the pimps of joytime throw the dance party of the year on third wall chronicles and everyone is invited! tophatlounge.com

for over forty years, the apostles of aba have stood as the jewel in the crown of the music scene in eastern nigeria. since their formation in 1973, the band has turned out memorable performances in a variety of styles including rock, soul, funk, pop and reggae. even today, the apostles continue to thrill audiences in their hometown of aba with dazzling shows. cultures of soul is proud to present one of the apostlesã more obscure¨yet relentlessly funky recordings in a full-color custom reverse board jacket. banko woman, originally released on the eponymous lp on love day records in 1977. straddling the world realms of afro-funk and disco, the track has long been a coveted dance floor filler amongst djs, and for the first time is available for a wider audience. on the b-side is faith, luck & music, also from the original banko woman album.

since his last appearance on hemlock (2015 s double ep hek025) hodge has produced a seemingly effortless sequence of celebrated eps and collaborations for livity sound, berceuse heroique and no corner. equally comfortable squaring up with heavyweights such as randomer and peder mannerfelt as he is maintaining a prolific solo production output, hodge has cemented himself as a leading voice in uk dance music and a champion of the elusive sweet spot where functional techno resonates with soundsystem culture. a quick listen through his recent ra mix is a great way to keep up to speed with his recent output. one for the hemlock fans who have been patiently tolerating this year s more experimental cuts. swing for the fences is straight down to business getting the kicks in below one of those ear-wormer percussive atonal toplines hodge does so well… the drop is one of the heaviest we ve heard this year and tipped to raise some fingers, open mouths and spill drinks across dancefloors and tv studios worldwide. less pool cue more pool party aomame is a breezy melodic (patio) heater powered by tough drums and intricate percussive work. arranged for both the dancers and the heads it freely refreshes and translates the main theme with a precision and playfulness that few producers can match. medway will warm up or cool out the dance with big room sirens and some rude detuned drum work. still no messing about on the b2: it s a hodge thing all the way.