on his 2011 album field songs, iowa troubadour william elliott whitmore documents a vanishing american landscape with all the heartfelt soul and quiet fury one could hope for. -heartland firebrand blows fuse, fights for truth- heralded spin magazine when describing whitmore, who utilizes a powerful singing voice beyond his years and a stark dramatic sound rooted in bluegrass, blues and folk protest music. these songs vividly evoke a life of struggle, humble resilience and family bond inspired by life on his familys farm along the mississippi river. whitmore has made a name for himself both within the punk movement, where his populism and sincerity resonate with alienated urban kids, and the roots community, where writers like andy downing in the chicago tribune have placed him within the -new pastoralism- of bon iver and the fleet foxes.

the international rudeboy is back! since leaving home at the age of 15 to become a sound engineer, wayne -lotek- bennett has been on a quest to hone his interpretation of the sounds that he grew up with ? a journey that has taken him to all corners of the globe. from festivals in czech republic to clubs in japan and all points in between lotek has forged his own path as a ska revivalist, culminating in his debut album on first word, international rudeboy.

wretch 32, real name jermaine scott, is one of the uks most loved mcs - from the underground up. from his early years in londons flourishing grime scene back in the early 00s, the tottenham-raised lyricist has always stood out from the crowd. his conscious and reflective bars, along with an extremely relaxed flow, made him a firm favourite on the uk hip hop circuit. much like tinie tempah, wretch 32 has proved that british mcs can reach the mainstream without selling their soul to pop. the first fruits of this crossover success were tasted in january 2011, when his single traktor broke into the domestic top five following an appearance on the bbc sound ofÉ list. and his second official single, unorthodox, fared even better, peaking at number two in april. so its clear that much has changed since his debut lp of 2008, wretchrospective - but has public recognition come at the expense of what marked wretch 32 out as such a talent in the first place? not at all - on the opening title-track, the rapper lets the listener know that its the same old wretch at work. over a drum-heavy hip hop beat he sets up the rest of the album well, advising everyone to fasten their seatbelts as he prepares to take them on a ride that they wont forget in a hurry. never be me finds wretch delving into his past, opening up about making certain decisions in life that got him to where he is today. featuring rnb newcomer angel on the hook, the track has an inspirational feel to it - all over another impressive, but this time more grime-influenced, beat. a true standout is anniversary, with alex mills on singing duties - its a love song, minus any cheese. then the album lurches into the electro-infused sanes the new mad - a glimpse into wretchs party lifestyle, with ladies and alcohol at the forefront of his attentions. and closer dont go just might be one of the tracks of the year.

finn enlisted burke reid to co-produce fomo after recognising him as a kindred spirit, and reid certainly challenged finns perceptions about what constituted a great record. the often confrontational collaborative process pushed finn to develop his sound and the resulting lp exudes raw energy.

its been a wild ride since back in march 2009 when the demo of sare havliceks white russian hit landed in our inbox. since then sare has gone onto be one of the scenes musical and dj bright spots. his debut >toscana nights< album in 2010 was warmly received by press and public alike and a series of remixes has firmly cemented him as one of the best nu disco producers around

by the age of 15, david rodigan was djing at school dances and youth clubs. the infectious, crazy back beat of jamaican ska first captivated him as a teenager in the mid 60 s, it was a driving, energetic sound which he found impossible to resist. when the pace cooled down and condensed into rock steady david was equally enamoured because the sweet, aching vocal style of jamaica s young stars could be heard to full effect.

amiable new york city-based alt-rockers spin doctors hit it big in 1993 with the jam band hits -two princes- and -little miss cant be wrong,- both of which fueled many countless collegiate afternoons spent hacky sacking and devil stick juggling amidst a sea of red plastic cups. released in 2011, the best of spin doctors, which doesnt differ too much from 2000s just go ahead now: a retrospective or 2009s playlist: the very best of spin doctors, features 18 tracks culled from the groups three albums for epic. front-loaded with the groups two biggest, aforementioned hits, the collection loses steam as it progresses (though there are some tight, 70s-inspired nuggets to be found like -mary jane- and -cleopatras cat-), due in no small part to the groups penchant for always staying in its comfort zone.

dave.i.d likes to think for himself. always has done. its the reason why his debut album didnt go quite according to his initial plan. he was going to make, to use his own words, >something pretty simple and straightforward<. but then he noticed lots of his friends were discovering new beliefs. some even tried to convert him. >im very open-minded to different beliefs, but i question and see things slightly differently,< he says. without necessarily wanting to, he found himself reflecting on existential questions. >the album is a record of the time that it was made, and thats what was going on in my life at the time. i didnt necessarily want to make the debut album like that. i felt i had to make it<. the cerebral inspiration catapulted him into musics outer rim. he beamed back a dark, dense sometimes confrontational sound, but ultimately compelling sound. but, in the end, it turned out to be a happy accident because the resulting record, called >response< appropriately enough, is mind-bendingly inventive, brilliantly off-kilter and constantly surprising. crucially, the tough sonics are paired with killer melodies: this is deep, heavy music you can hum. the records he was listening to while making >response< help make sense of his singular sound

in the context of electronic music, 12 years is damn near eternity, and though those who have lived it may not remember all the stops along the way, the ones who have kept on top of scott monteiths deadbeat music project will tell you he has been no slouch. through 6 critically acclaimed albums for scape and wagon repair, as well as countless singles, remixes, compilation appearances, and last years radio rothko dj mix, monteith has explored the art of dub in a staggering array of contexts, and staked his claim as one of it s strongest champions. and while the last few years have seen him concentrate on the more dance floor oriented side of things, his latest album and first release on his new blkrtz imprint sees monteith returning to his roots in the headiest and heaviest of dub business.

in the impressive flow of new talent in 2011 on fokuz recordings we already had the pleasure to present the sound of brother, command strange and intelligent manners among others. the next flavour of the funky liquid melting pot called fokuz recordings goes by the name donnie dubson. berlin based irishman donnie o sullivan aka donnie dubson started releasing his funky rollers on have a break and influenza media and already featured on fokuz on the chronicles of the deep lp together with stunna back in 2007. the grapefruit / battlecat release on influenza media in 2009 got him a lot of attention and is still heard in dj sets today. now its 2011 and fokuz presents the beautiful debut album of donnie dubson! his sound can be described as refreshing and original liquid drum n bass with a touch of the well known atmospheric drum n bass vibes from the mid 0s. his basslines are the unique sellingpoint as well as his ability to create an organic feel in the music thats only done by the few who truly understand what liquid drum n bass is all about. pleasuring both critical listeners and the dancefloor audience this album is a perfect overview of the sound fokuz stands for. a great example of how music can be time-less in this decade of fast moving consumer goods.

the new album, liquorice, from martin stimming wasnt initially planned to be an album. there was an intrinsic need for him to express what was going on in this period of life. relationship problems led to a very punk, off-whack attitude to his producing. with seven tracks done and dusted, he figured the work was more than just a collection of weird shit, it was a whole new music experienceÉ add another 5 months of studio work, he named it liquorice. definitely hard to pigeonhole - call it minimal, stripped back, dub, experimentalÉ we think >electronic free jazz< comes the closestÉ no sign of a typical 4/4 bass drum at all and stimming has incorporated his trademark use of field recordings, from a marble run, a pizza slicer, a trashcan, a coffee machine, and an ice train shuttling past to name a few. the stimming esque percussion, which is even more radical this time, has been thrown in with all these facets in his massive melting pot, coupled with some dark emotions to create this liquorice. >this time i didnt use all the main events a groove normally has<, recalls martin

get ready for a musical journey so deep you may not be able to dig yourself out. nor may you want to. blazingly hot on the smoking heels of the 19 predecessors of the highest ranks of house dj/producers whove blessed this series before him, like joe claussell, ron trent, grammy award winners louie vega & david morales, teddy douglas & dj spen (aka basement boys & muthafunkaz), danny krivit, tony humphries, and a ton of others who superbly compiled and mixed these compilations in the past, hip house producer/dj & sole channel/vega records recording artist mr. v joins this exclusive club and doesnt disappoint. using 18 of the latest and greatest tunes culled from the catalog such as the k&n dub of johnnydangerous >mr vs revenge<, alex kenjis remix of david harness >shake< the original rough mix of ananda projects >aura protection< ivan iacobuccis unreleased original mix of his recent >ritual< release, the deep & magnetic unreleased moodymanc extended mix of tomoki tamuras >the rough< and tomo inoues phenomenal unreleased swingin dub of siren-ic house singer stephanie cookes >sweetest thing<, to name very few, make this 20th anniversary edition of the series one for the musical books. all aboard!

when it comes to being a man of many talents there are few to equal richard norris. dj, producer, musician, audiovisual artist, a&r man, author and journalist, his is a career of many twists and turns which have always seen him at the forefront of pushing new ideas forward and championing diversity and innovation. as 2010 closes richard is focusing most of his energy based around three projects: beyond the wizards sleeve, the grid and the time and space machine

the remastered and expanded 20th anniversary edition! incl. four never -before heard morrissey songs!

many reggae aficionados see the concentrated phase of rock steady between 1967 - 1969 as the carribeans most productive era of all time. never before had such sweet melodies, inspiring rhythms and beautiful love lyrics come together. numerous soul hits by the likes of curtis mayfield, the impressions, the supremes all got the bass-driven, jamaican style treatment.

ark has got an eclectic and ÒorganicÓ sound, something in between. from his origins as guitarist in a number of 80Õs funk bands, most notably trankilou, where he hooked up with the legend that is pepe bradock and onto the great matthew herbert & losoul with their first collaboration, Ôbelle luretteÕ in Ô99. the ÔalleluyarkÕ ep series from 2003 reaffirmed as his status as chief protagonist of experimental, groove led house and techno. his 2005 long player on perlon, ÔcalienteÕ won him critical acclaim, which is furthered by his more recent works together with shalom (as shalark), krikor (as krikark), cabanne (as copacabannark), mikael weill (as les cerveaux lents) and dolibox. his cannon of remixes is as long as the channel tunnel, reworking the likes of stephen beaupre, mr. oizo, archive, mossa, salif keita, slabb, fym, robag wruhme É arkÕs new lp (cd+vinyl) features singers (xanax, lippie) and is here nowÉ

originally created in 1994, christian smiths tronic label holds a special place in techno circles. with the momentum of his recent successes behind him and the strength of fresh inspiration driving his ambition forward, 2010 promises to be a vintage year for the new, super-charged christian smith. having recently made his second appearance on bbc radio 1s essential mix, spring 2010 will see christian embark on a world tour to accompany his soon to be released debut solo album >directors cut<.

mid price action ! er swingt und klingt was das zeug hŠlt: frank martiniq auf boxer mit seinem album >schwingkomplex<!

dj ferry corsten, international hit maker, and award winning producer at his very best! featuring behind the scene footage during his shows around the world, including an exclusive backstage interview, plus highlights of the live recording from the massive full on ferry 2008 event, picture gallery and much more! most people can only dream of the life of a successful dj/producer. a life of unlimited luxury, where you spin at the biggest and best parties, and get to visit the most exotic, and beautiful places on the planet! its everything any dance music fan could ever wish for! many people dream about a life like this, but only a very few can actually live the dream. ferry corsten is living that dream! he has successfully managed to transform his love for dance music into a dream job of making music and spinning records across the globe! ferry has topped the worldwide dance charts with hits like punk, beautiful, rock your body, rock and made of love, has won numerous dance music awards, and has organised and presented 3 years running, the wildly successful event full on ferry in his home town of rotterdam. the ferry corsten backstage dvd takes a look at the dream life of one of dance musics privileged performers. a journey that takes you around the world for 6 months leading up to the release of ferrys latest twice in a blue moon album. also watch him as he prepares for the full on ferry 2008 event! take part in his unique experience, his expectations, his dreams and even his fears. meet the team behind ferry and his biggest fans that follow him all over the world! ferry corsten, in the spotlight and backstage!!!

martyn needs no introduction and his p-funk inspired melody and bassline provide another entirely fresh take on the deliciously broken rhythms we have come to love from him. we thought it only fitting that we should try and get a different take on lee jones’s ‘aria’ for the project, as it has been the most in demand single from the first 20 releases on aus.

exile began his musical career in 2000, releasing drum & bass on labels such as beta and moving shadow, but as the years progressed, his sound started to become more complicated and abstract. this was mostly due to his obsession with the reaktor software, which enabled him to spend much of his time creating new and interesting sounds from scratch. his debut full-length, 2006s pro agonist, saw him add elements of breakcore to his constantly mutating yper-breakbeats, but that gradual change in style is nothing compared to the total departure that hes taken on listening tree. long-term fans may be shocked to know that listening tree is peppered with exiles own vocal tracks, as he tackles issues such as britains buy-now-pay-later culture, and even the dynamic nature of the universe on family galaxy, the first single. >family galaxy< is about the constant process of change that underpins everything, explains exile. its a tale from a thingless world where nothing stays the same. as now shines its shifting shades on then, so our ideas of what we have done and will do continually morph.the result is an eccentric electro-pop album that is just as likely to appeal to fans of hot chip as it is otto von schirach

100 tracks! the very best of armin van buuren, oceanlab, marco v, markus schulz, andy moor, max graham, ronski speed and many more

steve bug - innovator, minimal dance connoisseur, tech house master - though he s been given many prestigious titles, if theres one quality that can be best attributed to steve bug, it would be modesty. its a trait that has followed him throughout his illustrious career, from his early days as a child building guitars out of cardboard, to his early lessons in percussion at school to his beginnings as a mixtape dj to his first productions. despite the fact that hes now largely regarded as one of the founding fathers of minimal - creating his >da minimal funk< compilation over 10 years ago - and one of the most sought-after 4/4 djs booked today, bug remains truly humble when reflecting on the majestic rise from his beginnings as a dancefloor-dwelling clubber in bremen, germany to ruling his renowned dessous/poker flat empire in berlin.