primitive art arrives on arcola with crab suite, a new ep that sets out to explore otherworldly territories through four apocalyptic-dub transmissions that share psychic space with the work of shackleton, basic channel, m.e.s.h. and raime.

after a wildly successful collaboration on thatmanmonkzs turn it out from the lp, columbus-ing, dave aju suggested they should continue their production streak for a new percussive tracks project. at the same time, aju had finally kept his word to legendary bay area club/underground mc and personality, foxxee aka foxxee brown aka lawrence petty, to work on a track together as well. petty being a core part of the infamous ya mamas house radio show on 106 kmel alongside pete avila and david harness that introduced legions of young bay area djs to real house music, includ-ing aju, in the early 90s.

“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

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.

emotional response continues the second schleiben series with a pan-ocean exploration of meditative spiritualism meets psychedelic ambience.

born in munich, sebastian schnitzenbaumer aka belp partially grew up on the seychelles islands off the coast of east africa. educated in classical piano, those two gravitational poles, european and african influences, became the basis for his musical development. having travelled extensively with a closer connection to london over the years, belp kept his base in munich, becoming part of a small alternative scene questioning the predominantly rich and posh surface of the city. blending jazz, dub and noise, an emphasis on darkness in his broken beat oriented works evolved as a reaction to a rather hedonistic society preferring warm and uplifting sounds.

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.

the first 3 releases from hifi stories all bundled up for one special price!

vinyl only w/ mike huckaby remix. jorge caiado’s new “cycles” ep, offers 3 strong versions of title theme plus a remix by detroit legend mike huckaby. a house/techno manifesto that takes his artistic vision one step further, placing him as a cutting edge producer internationally supported by the likes of move d and others. from lisbon via detroit, “cycles” will make any worldwide dancefloor take a peak. so grab it, play it and check the results.

description: for our fourth record we re extremely happy to present the first ep of our limited series, made by the talented italian duo blue mondays. their -don t lie- has a lot of disco and funk influences, revisited in a classy house key: a perfect match between new and old school. in the b side we re so glad to have the house music pioneer from chicago: paul johnson. his version is more dub and raw, with some hypnotic disco samples and dirty snares that makes it so groovy. the other remix has been entrusted to the label owner alessio collina. he goes with his usual 909 groove, filtered samples and dreamy strings that reminds more some classic house records from the 90s

stroboscopic artefacts is releasing its latest addition to the forward leaning edge of electronic music with the totem series. unfurling as a chain of transparent 10 vinyl, each of the totem releases will have a subtly divergent take on the aesthetic space defined by techno and club culture.

soul sugar drop their own reggae version of marvin gaye’s -i want you-. french outfit soul sugar – the brainchild of guillaume “gee” metenier – deliver yet another soulful reggae 12”, this time a cover version of marvin gaye’s 1976 classic -i want you-. jamaicain native leonardo carmichael sings lead vocals and legendary drums and bass duo sly & robbie add their flavor to the mix, with two versions on side b. marvin gaye’s single -i want you- was a big step forward for his sound & vision and marked a change in direction – from hip motown soul to a more sultry, disco sound. marvin s vocals are notably intimate and the lyrics are more explicit, more personal. an original soul classic, -i want you- is memorable for its unique combination of lush harmonies, a mesmerizing groove and the apparent sexiness of the theme itself. soul sugar s discomix version combines a smooth mixture of reggae, soul and funk over beefy bass lines, designed for heavyweight sound systems. sly & robbie, rhythm duo known for their studio work on countless reggae classics since the 1960s deliver their version, taking us back to the golden age of reggae, the days when it was typical for jamaican musicians to record their own versions of american soul tunes ... ace producer jahno dubs the mix live and direct to tape, from his very own n.o.f studio

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

tom dicicco is best known for his stern techno output, so its intriguing to seem him donning a new alias, veyg, and exploring a new sound palette. as with the last veyg 12inch, the tone here is somewhere around the slower tempo, discoid acid end of the spectrum, and hes made the sound his own. my sweet soul is a dusty affair with squashed drums and looped up bongos rubbing up against trippy globules of lysergic monosynth action. when they fall- is a downcast electro track for rainy sundays, while these feelings waits for the clouds to break and dances on the damp lawn with no shoes on. west of the sun is the most adventurous offering on the 12inch, escaping the 4/4 thud and twirling in an off-grid stylee with ample dub fx tugging the melodic parts around in a mellifluous haze of experimentation.

-the most-promising up-and-comer in the dutch dubstep scene has to be hebbe without any doubt. back in 2014 the rotterdamer attended a give it dub edition as a steady dubstep enthusiast. yet that experience proved to be the main inspiration to begin exper

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.

the -old school- that merge with the new making a unique sound. the -italian stallion- dj soch, owner of black angus records keep on tapping into sounds from the past making them fresher and up to date creating tracks that can persist over time.after the success of -unknown- is the time of -planetary session- the original mix is a journey through an idyllic world made of pads, synths, vocals and raw beats.the -underground mix- is a deep and cyclical dub, a surrounding bass and a bitter vocal for an uncompromising underground dancefloor tune.for the remixes this time soch choose two young dj/producers from his home town:leonardo martelli, one of the star atists of antinote records, that create his own version with visionary atmospheres, dark and electro, stefano light version istead make us think of a sunset by the sea with percussive grooves and warmer and softer sounds.the release is 100% made in foligno, a small italian city home of one of the best club in europe, the serendipity club, son of dancity festival, where artists play confronting and sharing their passion for music. black angus rough is vinyl only limited edition.

next up for rhythm sections club focused sub-label international black 004 is here and it is bringing the heat - this time from tennessee, usa. mister saturday night and cgi affiliate alex falk delivers a 4 track ep made with one thing in mind the dancefloor. taking influence from the likes chevel, levon, redshape and phase, alex falk achieves a singular vision merging american and european styles of techno. opening with upp, an effortless techno groove with a tight rolling bass line, classic lead stabs that pulsate, twist and turn as the heavy kick punishes the subs. beta comes in next with a serious low end bounce a distorted bass bump pushes the system to the max before being followed up by lower sub all swinging around a fat house kick and tight percussion another club stomper for the serious rigs only. the b side is a proper dub techno workout.

super rare and killer alric forbes 70s roots, only ever released on a mis-labeled pressing! the rhythm will be familiar to deep roots aficionados as the same one used for sydney wilson s -why do i cry.- a co-release with our french comrades onlyroots, who have already reissued a pair of classics from alric, -morning train- and -warn the nation.-

more from the vaults of uprising with some previously unreleased dubplate mixes. the vocal cut is an alternate take with slightly different lyrics over a more raw, spare cut of the rhythm, sans synthesizer, which has been rarely, if ever heard. the dub mix on the flip was played on dubplate by jahlovemuzik back in the mid 70s. when one mix of a great tune is not enough, dkr is there.

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!

nektar agu is next up on fake records with his 1111 ep. two originals: “1111” and “vaeeke” that have been supported by s.a.m and arapu and it comes with two remixes by cocoon heavyweight and raum musik boss markus fix & dorian paic under their mfdp moniker, and also one from the man of the moment jorge savoretti who has recently released on dorian’s raum musik and priku’s atipic. limited vinyl pressing.

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.

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.

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.

the hardest working reggae band in southern england, dubheart is on a mission to spread messages of peace, love, unity and resistance through a heady stew of contemporary roots reggae, delivered on live instruments with a hefty dose of dub in the mix. cool under pressure, their latest offering, is the band’s most compelling set to date, a ‘showcase’-style album where every vocal track is followed by its dub counterpart, and the vital contribution of the brassica horns—from rising london ska band chainska brassica—is another intriguing element that makes this album tougher than the rest.

in ancient lddlm times, blddlm even, belgium could well have been the freaky house and ecstasy center of the world. if only we could remember all the lost hours. but after all, as the brussel saying goes: its friday, tomorrow is tuesday. at lddlm, we try not to reminisce, that was just setting the mood.we are very happy to welcome arthur johnson in our non-fold, a young producer from liege via marseille and la dame noir. aj is amongst those ever mutating artists, his u-turns slowly composing a real personality, and one fitting our contrarian attitude. in a way perfect stranger reminds us of a good 90’s farley/heller remix, not so much camp fire island than almost sweaty late night trancer. we love those tracks that do not fit our ethos a priori but that we can’t stop playing. cosmo vitelli is a long time family friend and he beams up this stranger through the axis into some kind of romantic italo-german anthem. ballada and secretary discordia show a different side of aj, a dub march echoing dif juz and a percussive machine funk number. we sincerely hope aj keeps on straying for the best, his way being our way.

welcome to the sound of love international 001 complied by gatto fritto. love international is a festival held in tisno, croatia now moving into its third season. held to a soundtrack of the very best of underground dance music and running 24 hours a day - from noon to night and back through again - full circle. this series, masterminded with london’s balearic culture website, test pressing, is curated by some of our favourite artists and djs. a place for them to choose 12 records close to their heart, and with ties to the festival, that they love and want to share with the world. so to the first compiler - gatto fritto a.k.a ben williams. the double vinyl release includes a download code.

tm404 & echologist (aka andreas tilliander and brendon moeller) return with their second collaboration, this time including a remix from another standout dub techno artist in vril. the infiltrated ep has two boomy, 4x4 rollers on the a-side, vrils broken-beat, ethereal version on the b1 and lastly the title-track, a twisted stream of grainy modulations.

you won’t find many producers quoting plato - ‘inner symbols’ takes its cue from the philosopher’s words “music is a moral law. it gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, charm and gaiety to life and everything”. influences are many and all, ranging from colonization and african diaspora to korean shamanism, doug hammond to junior byles.

“what a vibe” is payoh soulrebel’s first solo lp under the exclusive production of cool up records, a young record label from seville (spain).

new single by legendary brazilian singer di melo, 40 years after his classic self-titled samba-soul lp. performed and produced by french brilliant combo cotonete, this single and collaboration will be followed by a full album early 2019.

dawit follows up his recent future times dawit & dolo single with a stunner of an ep on his own label. stretched out soul, dizzy hand drums, and silky vocals abound on corona. gravity flexes, new life bops, sufferation dub glides on a deep bassline, and dawit shows off his cords in lunas medley. certified fresh.

next up is berlin s christopher rau with his -f.m.e. hustle- long player. the long time firm favourite delivers 11 tracks full of hiss and soul. from driven dub techno to cool house and ambient excursions rau travels far without loosing the interrelation.

analogue club fire coming straight at you in form of a full cover double 12 inch, designed by rahel süßkind, including as special insert.
united people.

m$r.

london artist mal-one has recorded a 7” to celebrate all things punk... name checking many london record stores in this song, with a reggae/dub version on the b-side. the record cover is a collage of a 100 punk singles of all the classics from adam and the ants to x ray spex. his next london punk art exhibtion is in may on piccadilly and inside the shrink wrapped 45 is an invite to the show. mal-one has exhibited along side banksy and peter blake among others. this black vinyl 7” only release of 600 copies.

-the wait is over as we finally have a new release ready by one of the originators of icelandic techno. it s been a while, but worth the wait - as he delivers a straight-shooter, destined to find place in the record bags of all serious djs for years to co

ltd ed. 180 gr / marbled vinyl

still hope is their second single and the follow up to motorway jam (their double a side with palms trax from late last year) which sees them collaborate with anthony anaxagorou, a british born cypriot award winning poet and essayist, whose poetry and fiction have appeared on bbc newsnight, bbc4, itv and vice. hearing his lyrics via their good friend simbad, secretsundaze connected with anthony and still hope is the fruit of their labour. the original is a potent and political spoken word piece delivered over a rolling house groove. definitely one for the deeper moments with its late night heady feel and full vocal not letting up. the poems in the heart floor version strips the vocal back and adds dramatic strings for a more direct dance floor approach. ex slum village detroit producer waajeed released a couple of killer eps in 2017 on his own dirt tech reck imprint so we had to get him aboard for the remix. his detroit hardcore dub does what is says on the tin and is a peak time slammer while his searching dub goes down a jazzier, spacey route with live sounding drums and dreamy pads.

raw and indisputable quality of production...second ep of the label lowlife cartel. <br> an all star, six-track release from sixl key artists in various genres, from cutting edge techno to leftfield house, confirmes the versatility of lowlife cartel.
the ep begins with -butt dub pregost-, dubby downtempo atmospheric track, by one of most innovative and versatile artist of the last years: buttechno (rassvet records, collapsing market..).

the remarkable thing about belp s new album is its two-dimensional function. it works both on a loud and a quiet volume. some tracks would go down well as a club track, like opener travelling thru galaxies . this track brings back memories of the best work released on the hyperdub label, with it s fine combination of synths and irresistible, dubby beats. elsewhere, off ending might start off as dancehall-but-not-quite dancehall track but when half way the synths kick in they change the feeling of the track to a more cerebral level.

taken from gabe gurnsey’s upcoming debut solo lp, ‘physical’ on phantasy, eyes over zones in on a proto-hacienda groove that’s undistilled militant funk, loose and lucid elements of electro and dub-laden drums conspire to offer an alluring landscape for gurnsey’s restless vocals. the harder-hitting extended dub takes more precise aim at the dancefloor, allowing each disparate, analogue element more room to unfold across a throbbing baseline.

on a mission is exactly that, a mission of love, a mission of peace . the positive vocals hark back to those of early 90s house tracks, which created unity through music and clubbing. the rhythmic beat of the drum is determined, as percussive layers build and the vocals bleed into the synths. francois k provides two variations of the track. his remix features more prominent drumbeats driven by a growling bassline. on his rockers dub version, francois goes all out and dubs us into the stratosphere. up next is the michael mayer remix, with a more electronic take on the original with driving synths and a whirring, throbbing bass-line.

the „here & now ep” is the second instalment of a three-ep-series coming up in 2018. christophe salin is taking us on his musical journey and paves the way for cooperation with future artists on his very own imprint „salin records” that he runs with his wife daria salin as a platform for electronic music and art.

no intro needed as „dreams sometimes come true” instantly takes us on the groove line. „astra perle” keeps the groove alive with some heavy jazz samples. you maybe remember sitting in your first car (christophe’s first car was named „purple pearl” and was an „opel astra “) and just cruising thru the city. imagine to be suddenly overwhelmed by a creative hole, „ohh no, not you “… turn over to „can you pay my bills” the journey continues with more jazzy vibes to end up with a downtempo lounge-dub-work which is indeed „different but sweet“.

vinyl only! another record by another alias of a well-known electronic artist, when theyre gone theyre gone.

mid june will see the launch of echocord sub-label echo echo with the ‘dream observer’ ep from grad_u. copenhagen’s echocord is a dub techno imprint with a history dating back fifteen years and a back catalogue featuring material from genre defining artists like deepchord, fluxion, sven weisemann, pole and grad_u who launches the new off shoot imprint echo.
the release opens with ‘jacob’s dream’, fifteen minutes of release date: subtly modulating synth glitches, ethereal synth drones, sweeping atmospherics and dubby echoes creating a hypnotic, ever-unfolding composition.
‘observing the night sky’ then follows on the flip side with thunderous kick drums, rumbling low-end pulses, wandering dub chords and bubbling glitches all subtly nuanced throughout the tracks ten-minute duration.

death in vegas return with the single ‘honey’, its second collaboration with sasha grey. ‘honey’ is a slow, seductive serenade, with an organic, psychedelic tone: dreamy and dripping with intensity.

the b side features ‘witchdance dub’, richard fearless’ long-held remix of ‘witchdance’ off trans-love energies, featuring the haunting vocals of katie stelmanis from austra. fearless cut three dubplates of ‘witchdance dub’ after he mixed this track. dj harvey has one, prosumer the other, and fearless kept the 3rd: delicate acetates that have been played out sparingly but with electric effect. this track is effortless, minimal dance music imbued with fearless’ unique production sound- it’s not one to miss.
180g vinyl