the sporadic and limited edition especial specials returns after a yearlong hiatus by teaming up with deek recordings to bring their unique covers covered in gloria compilation to vinyl. featuring label boss bullion on a&r, production and artistic duties, alongside label favourites thool, plus fellow luminaries red axes, reckonwrong and newcomers alaskalaska.

as always, a label about quality music and quality packaging without compromise. b12s sub-label firescope records is proud to present darren nye, the next producer to add a beaming pulsar to the expanding firescope universe. titled emotional intelligence, fs010 is darren nyes first-ever vinyl release and a voyager discovery into five of his finest work. a uk producer who has been writing music since 1995, darrens emotional and heartfelt work with influences from b12 among others fully represents our ethos of proper techno created today

repress , especial welcomes the debut ep from romanian duo khidja. after remixing baris ks 200 earliering on for the label, here they deliver two eastern influenced pieces of dubby electronics, that are backed with remixes from timothy j fairplay and juju & jordash

following the success of last years reissue of vox populis aither, emotional rescue returns to the french / persian band with the first of two albums selected from their considerable archive. first, their experiments between 1984 and 1989 in what are essentially pre-aither sessions, magiques creations is in essence, an album of the imagination.

emotional response steps to summer 17 by welcoming with accompanying releases from out 2. evolved out of the brooklyn based lectric sands studio / label and featuring members of their own zoovox and mazing vids, this super-alumni is a perfect meeting for the label and us brotherhood. based around a longtime friendship, this slow-burner project is centered around the nyc life of one-time roommates, dj sparrers and just possibly the latter day duo behind the locks & ddm project that was released (semi-) anonymously in 2016, step out in to the (fluorescent) light.

mark and clive ives have been prime examples of the second life reissue culture can give previously under-appreciated artists, and emotional rescue have been one of the key labels to support the enigmatic brothers from london. as with previous reissues, -a la luna- presents the delicate, naive yet deep sound of woo across a long form album that invites you on a curious journey of discovery. with a melodic instinct bordering on exotica, and unique range of instruments in the sound palette and a dreamlike approach to processing, there s nothing out there that sounds quite like woo, and as ever it s a joy to delve into their sound world and leave more earthly familiarities behind.

some songs comes along that you seem to know the moment you hear it, even though its for the first time. in the case of spark the universe it had exactly that impact. a mixture of late-60s psychedelic homage, early 80s new wave, white boy soul, plus a good dose of dub, all wrapped around a killer hook and super tight production and a hit was surely made.

while they may have landed a fair while ago, it’s great to see emotional response revisit timothy j fairplay s crucial early eps with an absolutely on point remix package. scientific dreamz of u brings his distinctive signal chain to -stories of prison-, using grinding synths and some snaking broken beats to create an early 90s trance mood to die for. alessandro parisi keeps things on a distinctly new wave tip for -aim for the yellow sector-, and perseus traxx brings a bold set of machine beats and technicolour synths to -saco bay-. antenna finishes the ep off by creating a winsome, wavey version of -night ferry- for sensitive souls to do the robot to.

emotional response continues its fifth year celebrations in welcoming two of the label s long held favourite artists jefre cantu ledesma and alexis georgopoulos coming together perfectly for an album of laconic story-telling and atmospherics

2017 repress - if you read interviews with stuart leath, you ll probably be aware of the amount of work he was put into tracking down trinidadian husband-and-wife team carl and carol jacobs

emotional response reach out to another fine selection of sonic voyagers to take brain machines excellent peaks lp to task, leading in with the warm discoid undulations of rollmottle who refigures to the stars as a gentle, groovy warm-up joint. die wilde jagd takes on mercury ripples and fashion a bombastic breaks jam out of it, and merrick adams pushes alpha moon into a curious but ultimately cosmic space somewhere beyond the titular lunar body. cass takes the prize with the bittersweet synth tones that course through the two-part remix of nexus vox.

brain machines peaks lp was a highlight of the emotional response catalogue last year, and its only right that the album gets a high-class set of remixes to accompany it. the label have pulled out the stops here with an all-star cast, leading in with salon des amateurs dreamweaver toulouse low trax who drops a pinging, plucking version of light space. then gigi masin steps up with an illustrious revision of crystal clouds, while harmonious thelonious brings a heavy yet measured, techno-minded presence to traces. ronny & renzo round the package out with playful synth splashes on their version of eclipse predictions.

emotional rescue and malka tuti recognise their shared passion for globe-trotting sounds and team up to present this album from c cat trance, a project from john rees lewis who was formerly of post punkers medium medium. it s no surprise to learn that this was a project of the 1980s, as all the hallmarks are there. with the same outernational attitude that made the work of eno, hassell, czukay, wobble and scores more so alluring, this collection shines a light on a true gem of the era and provides a fresh pressing of some stone cold leftfield party groovers like shake the mind.

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.

emotional rescue turns its attention to spanish artist luis delgado, who made a name for himself fusing traditional folk music from across the globe with experimental electronic practice. his first album vathek stands as one of his masterworks, originally released in 1986 and featuring a range of different electro-acoustic approaches that draw you in with their strange, dynamic textures. there s a whiff of jon hassell s treated trumpet about -la puerta de ebano- while -el sacrificio de catoul- deals in a dense weave of chimes and percussion. diverse, engrossing listening from the outer reaches.

emotional response starts 2017 with a mini-album of ambient-equatorial enlightenment by australia s mysterious tropical hi-fi. the final record from an artist appearing on the label s first schleiben series, this also points to the future. based somewhere in the far flung northern territories, the music of hi-fi s pre-incarnation electric egypt was first discovered via the note-worthy airwaves of l.a s outstanding dublab radio station.

emotional rescue starts its 5th year by shining a light on one of europe s best underground 80s label in spain s auxilio de ciento. their terra incognita volumes i and ii collated an international mix of synth-pop, new wave, world and industrial sounds to a small but appreciative following. released in 1985 and 1986, the volumes have become highly regarded and rightly sought after, finding a place in discerning playlists from london to amsterdam and dusseldorf to glasgow. here, taking a premise of avoiding the songs unearthed on other recent reissues, is a unique album itself. starting with denis mpunga & paul k s esoteric criola, a fusion of fourth world ideals and poly-rhythmic funk. the music of mal, bene gesserit and la caida de la casa usher, however, soon highlight that the decade also belonged to dark, minimal synth as to shiny balearic ideals. the inclusion of hector zazou with bony biyake and their contribution komba, is a fitting continuation from their cult noir et blanc lp before, things continue with us avant-artist danny alias and his humorous big brother -response- to laurie anderson s superman o. image pour image loose indie-pop and the inclusion of seminal beast of burden lead again to a zazou contribution, this time in his collaborative stranger in a new light, before the compilation eclectically ends with the dadaesque lakota and the post punk dub of instead of s closer, angels

forever faithfully mining the past to keep your shelves stocked with gems that might have otherwise been consigned to history, emotional rescue turn their attention towards carl & carol jacobs cult slice of early house music, and what a treat it is. -yonge street jam band- comes in the form of two mixes that serve as impeccable examples of late 80s club music in all its culture spanning glory. the playful sample slicing and triggering of the second mix is the winner, although the vocals on the original version are equally on point if you want a little more soul in the mix. jonny 5 then steps up on the flip for a bold but measured re-rub that stretches the vibe out for nine minutes of perfect party fodder.

with just one 7inch release to their name in the form of the 1981 release, jive baby on a saturday night, the cult of the jellies was possibly accidentally assured with the long lost song being rediscovered by collectors and championed by sonic youth s thurston moore no less. picked up and reissued by the stellar trunk records in 2010, the b-side cut, however, was sadly overlooked. now emotional rescue are proud to license the conversation and remaster it especially for this rerelease. based around a simple drum and bass rhythm, interspersed with crowd noise, playful female vocal yelps and sprinkled with dub effects thrown in to the mix and you wouldn t probably think too much would be going for a track that the band put together in the last two hours of their studio time after jive baby had been completed. however, what you get is a killer gem of pop-punk-dub oddness that gets your head nodding to its infectious, repetitive rhythm laden with effects. with just this one (perfect) track available for license it seemed only right to hand it over to the in-house production team, apophenia, to do their increasingly trademark dubbed out reworking, this time in the form of a true, but respectful version for the flip. with both members of the jellies sadly now living overseas this piece of early 80s british dub as it were, can now be fully treasured for posterity while also, proving a nice little smokers delight.

jah wobble s biography is a long and winding one, and he s achieved a lot both in collaboration with others and of his own accord. emotional rescue know a talented auteur when they hear one, and in the case of wobble they ve chosen to shed light on one of his less well documented phases, when he started his own label called lago. drawing on recordings made between 1981 and 1985, the lago years is a captivating listen that touches on post punk and no wave all the way through to dreamy psychedelia and the kind of world music wobble would become so well known for later on in his career. an essential collection for any lovers of leftfield music and mysticism.

gary caruths sad city project has progressively attracted ever more praise, not least since his shapes in formation album landed last year. straddling purest ambient and abstract rhythmical electronica with a unique approach that is all his own, caruth is returning to emotional rescue with a 10inch that revisits three of the tracks from shapes in formation and magnifies them as the longer form versions they originally were. music removed was a particularly strong track on the album, and this new extended version lets the pneumatic percussion and soulful vocal croon bleed together in the most captivating of ways. patterns sounds even more elegant in its pagan ambient finery with a longer run time, and vexillations flits between poised static and cascading chimes with the deft touch that has come to define the sad city sound.

the sadly departed jaki liebezeit was the kind of drummer whose influence will be continually recognised over the decades to come. best known for his work in can, there are also many more sides to this singular sticksman, and emotional rescue has chosen to shine a light on his post-can period living in stollwerck. on the a side of this 7inch curio is the sound of phantom band with linear johnson & the protons. rush rush has a spiky new wave bent to it, but still liebezeit s drumming stands out. the b side drums off chaos need little explanation its the sound of one of the all-time drumming greats letting rip in a ferocious blast of percussive abandon.

emotional rescue presents the final part of their suns of arqa trilogy with two of their deepest world dubs in acid tabla and asian rebel. capturing their fusion of folk, reggae and dance to perfection, these heavy vibrations are backed with pulsating remixes from adrian sherwood and the hyphen collective

repress alert: continuing to do great service to reissue culture, emotional rescue this time look to the nigh-on insurmountable back catalogue of late manchester-based producer muslimgauze, whose influence can be tangibly heard in the likes of shackleton. suns of arqa were equally enamoured with fusing the haunting qualities of middle eastern music with other styles, in their own case dub, and so their selection to remix a whole host of muslimgauze tracks made perfect sense. now the engrossing and otherworldly jaunt through distant lands enjoys a plush new vinyl release on which to truly enjoy the mixture of soothing and savage sounds.

this release journeys to mid-80s argentina and the highly sought after 2nd solo album of carlos cutaia. inspired by the new electronic sounds emanating from europe, this multi instrumentalist offers more than a pastiche, embedding his own melancholy in a unique and classic nueva wave-album. classically trained, carlos cutaia started as a composer for dance and theatre, before spending much of the 1970s as a member of a number heavy rock, prog rock and rock-fusion bands of some note, before finally going solo with the city of distant tones album in 1983. however, by the time of his 2nd solo album in 1985, as his country finally left behind a long period of military control and enjoyed greater freedoms, carlos was fully immersed in the new electronic pop sounds imported with hungry ears from europe. teaming up with fellow composer, keyboardist and producer, daniel melero and alejandro oucinde, the futurism of kraftwerk and gary numan s tubeway army was embraced, but also adapted to fit their native land, just as it was understand a new modernity. starting with the swagger of visiones incomunicadas, the template is set. sharp drum machines, semi-nonchalant, half spoken vocals set the scene, while chopped guitar and smart synth lines fit the over riding feeling of an intelligent nonchalance. things however, do go beyond the straightjacket of euro-pop as heard on the anthemic programacion and avant twist of the first of two piano-ambient pieces aproximacion dos and its companion piece uno found on the b side). eric satie and minimalism are clearly not far away. however, it is side b opener sensacion melancolica that captures the sound to perfection. a balearic masterpiece, capturing in it s title the over-riding atmospheric of a unexplained sadness, a loss. operativo and the poem humanos de america bring things to an end of a feeling melancolica.

hot on the heels of the co-release between especial and cocktails d amore music of the sfire remixes ep (ees023/cda013) comes an accompanying release with a pair of deeper, stripped back remixes from the inimitable timothy j fairplay and willie burns.

previously spotted on emotional especial with the fantastic love is enough 12inch, plus instruments get the remix treatment in a classic 80s style with the dub is enough single. the producers tasked with delivering versions vary wildly, but they make for a strong combination. jamie paton s -cloudy dub-out- is masterful, simmering the elements down to a sensual bassline and delicate ripples on top, while luke solomon brings his bumpy, off-kilter house style to the table. khidja has a more dramatic, synth laden approach and alphonse creates a dusty, funky roller out of that killer bassline groove.

having done such wonderful work alongside wolf muller on the sound of glades album, cass makes a welcome return with an expansive album release on emotional response. the german producer s ambient tendencies blossom here, occasionally meeting with laconic drums as on u but primarily dealing in huge swathes of melody. djs will want to hold out for the dramatic pulse of ann, where a more pronounced drum set makes for one of the album s most club-ready moments. theres a strong variety of tones and moods across youth sessions, from the strafing arpeggios of running to the bliss-out shapeless swirl of prismatic prolog, and this ensures that the album will not dull with repeated listens.

having worked with the likes of don cherry and laurie anderson, there s little doubting the credentials of ramuntcho matta. emotional rescue have tapped him up for some truly outernational jams that sport african percussion, skronky jazz tones and an engaging minimalism that s hard to resist. the fretless bass and exotic animal cries of -ecoute- are especially appealing, while the squelchy sound design in -o clapo- may well do funny things to all who hear it. it s a startlingly original record that serves as a perfect introduction to a lesser known figure in leftfield music with a great heritage behind him.

originally operating in the 80s industrial scene, plus instruments have recently found a new lease of life. (emotional) especial are just the kind of label to jump on such deviant club fare, and on this package -love is enough- gets a variety of remixes that all embrace the groups seedy ambience. richard sen brings a muscular thrust to the track, while khidja takes a more delicate approach. luke solomon meanwhile casts his years of experience in oddball house on his steady grooving version, and then jamie paton taps into the industrial vein to finish the package off in fine style.

the term cosmic classic has been banded around increasingly in the last decade, with its modern disco retake, thankfully, soon running out of steam. however, in michael chapmans lescudjack we see the genius of daniele baldelli in finding obscure records that do not fit the traditional dance floor and making them work.

played by agcp/dr cuts(plus seven), sergio rizzolo, malka tuti
emotional especial and cocktail d amore music enter cahoot-mode once again with a second round of sfire remixes that take proceedings down a deeper, more stripped-back path courtesy of the inimitable timothy j fairplay and willie burns. two artists who need little introduction offer up two remixes each that take the unique original to new dance floor extremes. timothy steps up first with his take on -sfire 2- via differing vocal and instrumental versions. his trademark, echo laden rolling percussion and john carpenter-style key lines take the original synth-pop homage to the dark room. adding arps, a lifting, hedonistic breakdown and the scatter-stepper drums and claps found on the instrumental version and this is pure cotf territory and the better for it. mr willie burns meanwhile has long followed his own path for his take on -sfire 3-, offering one of his deepest remixes to date. thudding kick, brooding pads and dark strings force the vocals to go down, way down for examination. the distorted vocals of remix 1 are countered by remix 2 letting the track shine via a seemingly endless 4/4 beat. psychedelic, trance inducing, pulsating, this is an ever growing mind expanse.

man power left his northern home and ran south of the border. this is his first offering for the esp institute. on side a, he proves that he truly is the tourist, delivering what we’re already toting as our summer anthem—a relentless hurricane drum pattern full of toms, timbales and splashes that lays the rhythmic foundation for his pacific chords and euphoric melodies–an undeniable floor-filler that invites all to dance unencumbered by the constraints of “functional” club music. with side b’s oye, man power rolls out a similarly vibrant combination of drums and rhythm, however he toughens up the aesthetic with a massive rolling acid bassline, only briefly letting up for a spot of layered marimbas and spriteful pads before culminating in an emotional finale. after spending a couple years churning out tracks for various labels around the world, man power has undoubtably shifted his narrative point-of-view and updated his sense of craft upon his induction to the esp institute. these two songs will throw a wrench in your holiday.

played by: craig bratley, jonny 5, benjamin fröhlich, james friedman
gone beyond. that s what they say when an (astro) pilot crashes to earth and takes the journey into the big sky. when juan trippe took that last flight little did he know that his re-incarnated self would be an electronic pioneer. in tandem with his co-pilot guido zen (his own father also a pilot) and kyle martin (from the land of light) they formed brain machine and scaled the highest peaks to bring back music both unearthly and intensely human. are we all not stardust anyway? this music proves it, takes you out flips you over and rolls you in stardust. don t try and think it through, make sense of it, grasp it - just wander in wonder and bask in beauty. get lost again.

especial starts it s 3rd set of releases welcoming frankfurt s hotel lauer for an ep of unadulterated uplifting club music. a meeting at the garden festival finale in idyllic croatia last summer along the lines of i love your records / i love your label came to the instant conclusion to bring team lauer to especial.

dj jus-ed share s some of his special moment track s from as far back as 2008. he hope s that they will bring you enjoyment on the dance of any level. all six tracks have their own personal sound and purpose. best description of these 6 tracks is...make your own! if your a dj jus-ed fan you have to have this double pack in your collection!

emotional response returns to dusseldorf with a compilation of the music emanating out of the diskant label over some 7 eps between 2009-2014

following the release of the -eleccio- mix cd in 2014, especial has continued on it s path to develop and push a club sound that is slightly more leftfield than the on-going boompty house rehash, the mutation of nu-disco in to something a bit more proggy, trancey and the never ending thud-drug-chug of the 110 bpm ableton-for-beginners brigade, by offering a mixture of musically psychedelic, twisted, dubbed-out, proto-obsessed club eps.

having issued a mini album from fuxa earlier this year, stuart leaths tireless emotional response welcomes the detroit band back to the label with an album recorded alongside neil mackay of loop fame. apollo soyuz was originally released digitally earlier this year via bandcamp, but you can see why leath would want to license it for a proper vinyl edition. the eight tracks form an exploration of the outer cosmos that is tinged with a deep psychedelia that will resonate warmly with fans of emotional response. from the space funk of the opening apollo soyuz, fuxa and mackay lead the listener through galactic kosmische, spatial ambience and primal tape loop experiments and more with testz 1 a considered highlight.

especial welcomes one alphonse to the label. a true missing in action, last seen by his crew dancing atop a bus, here literally forced him to give up the tape of same for me.

especial is proud to announce a special release with 2 official remixes of the seminal afro-cosmic classic

featuring 4 producers that cross musical spheres is the labels way and again roster members are handed the keys to the treasure while welcoming other, less unknown producers a chance to highlight their aural visions.

emotional rescue returns to the post war music of west germany and the work of dominik von senger and his cohorts based around the dunkelziffer project. this special -sampler- ep of recordings was produced as their part in cologne s stollwerck art complex, that acted as a home and inspiration to their musical experiments. based within the disused industrial warehouses spaces of stollwerck, a mix of post-hippies, punks and anarchists created a community within that fed off each other s artistic endeavours.

after releases for discos capablanca and moon glyth, minneapolis collective food pyramid align with especial for a remix ep based around oh mercy, a track from their 2012 album mango sunrise. apparently a long term favourite of label boss stuart leath, the warped breakbeat jam fusion of the original is ripe for reinvention and gets the remix treatment from especial in house team apophenia, inhalt and jamie paton. its the full on italo pumper remix from san francisco s inhalt that really impresses too, with especial right to compare it to timmy regisford classic remix of >rules to survive< by noi

the fourth and final edition of schleiben is an extra special one, bringing forth acollaborative project between colin potter of nurse with wound fame, not waving artist alessio natalizia and brain machine s guido zen. furthermore the series ties with dusseldorf remain, as osnabruck based producer niklas rehme-schluter lines the flip with the beautiful ambient touches of his cass project. the two part efforts from potter, natalizia and zen offer a perfect marriage of methods, with percussion hinting at and techno, while the constant drone influx and disintegration grab your attention, overlapping with rhythmic repetition deeper and deeper. the cass contributions see tracks from the german artists cassette only hiding place album presented on vinyl for the first time and fit snugly into the sonic ethos explored over the previous schleiben releases

emotional response open the secret circuit archives to some of eddie ruschas contemporaries from the city of angels for a fine exercise in how to do a remix 12inch. first up is suzanne kraft, aka diego herrera who forms one half of blase along with ruscha in his hands the crazy afro-stylings of afrobotics are pulled towards the dancefloor, adding percussion and sirens, forging the originals vibes in to a ethno-beat club jam that is all about that heads down moment. next up the samps turns shockers into a warped mesh of psychedelic dance, whilst superior elevations tom noble adds some killer boogie vibes to underdogs. finally sun araw man cameron stallones appears under rare alter-ego aristrocrat p. child to re-edit roll in superb fashion

number three in the four part schleiben series from emotional response arrives with dont dj and tropical hi-fi at the controls. the former is the current creative endeavour of florian meyer, founder of the diskant label and one of the more experimental and academic producers to surface from dusseldorf in recent times. he also forms one third of the durian brothers. meyers kosmose is a 20 minute piece which explores the link between polyrhythmic percussion and brooding electronics understandably, its ripe with introspective qualities. offering some contrast, northern australian producer tropical hi-fi turns in oceanic mythology, a meandering journey through found sounds, psychedelia, folk music and more which sounds like listening to sued b-sides whilst tripped out on acid.

after the series of caribbean related releases, emotional rescue returns to the early 80s downtown nyc post punk / new wave scene with plus instruments collecting their best and rarest songs on one groove laden ep. 4 tracks of pure downtown punk-dub-funk, all with the nonchalant euro-style delivery of truus de groot. it doesnt get better than this. coming with extended unreleased versions, the originals were collected from sought after eps, an obscure compilation lp and fiishes with a never before released song, this is history. licensed and remastered for aural pleasure