infectious and club focused, beaner’s first solo outing arrives courtesy of la mission.
“blackmouth” is the live version of the classic soul/disco sampling house tune. take the work of others who came before you and turn it into a danceable jam. “got blues?” uses the work of a blind 1930s blues bongo player to form a weirdo repetitive rhythm tool: another example of using a forgotten artist for one’s own gain. the titular song, “co-opted & exoticized” plays on the classic preacher vocal track.

koett & wellbeck are back with their second release for pro-tez records. “untitled 9” is a proper skilled brilliant low-slung house composition. with remixes from anton kubikov and xdb, two veterans lay down a lush house groove that s just begging to be played on the dance floor. xdb’s version with sweetly offset dub chords takes us into a club mist of fizzing electronics for a full submerged dub house experience. it is a vinyl only, heavyweight 180 grams pressing, limited to 300 copies.

this sublime four-track ep sees the london-based italian-born dj/producer kick the year off with a bang, following a highly successful 2016. the eps title track the basement shit commences the release, offering up a stomping bass heavy raw beat groove, a spoken-word hip-hop-inspired vocal, ever growing warped sound effects and a twisted synth-riff. next, the uk dance music pioneer skream steps up to provide a stunning remix, taking the basement shit into a whole different direction by utilizing some of the original s key elements but adding a much more techier feel to the record. in addition to the original and skream s remix, a special dj tool version of the track is also included within the package.

tunnel signs is the nom de plume of australian born lover, fighter and romantic, ash moses. with a taste for playing and producing records that embrace the darkness, moses parts the sea and finds the wonky middle ground between reverb drenched postpunk, hypnotic techno and spaced out disco. having previously seen releases on labels such as nein, clouded vision and hakt he now finds a home with cutters records with this 12inch with will buck. the release, titled spirits came into existence when ash relocated to new york city, a place he had long dreamed of from afar. as luck would have it he found himself sharing an apartment with another likeminded electronic musician named will buck who became his studio-partner and eventual collaborator. having bonded over a shared love of synthesizers, drum machines and all things rhythm they soon began their own freeform jam sessions which paved the way for this 12inch release. spirits shares some of the slow hypnotic swagger and dark disco drone of red axes and multi culti but with a futuristic percussive palette of the likes of four tet. the heady modulated elastic synth sounds give way to deep undulating bass patterns and tribal percussion. on the flip, the lights get turned out and the acid turned up with an ominous techno rework courtesy of hivern discs own marc pino

brooklyn resident kim ann foxman kicks off 2017 with a fresh release on her own firehouse records imprint. &#8203,,,,,energy ep comprises four new tracks heavy with foxmans recognisable sound, centred around her own unique vocals and the nostalgia of early house and techno records. following on from a series of highly acclaimed solo productions on firehouse, foxman once again creates musictointoxicate.&#8203,,,,,energyepdiv&#8203,,,,,esintomyraveroots, sheexplains, itincludesaselectionoftracksto be enjoyed at diff&#8203,,,,,erent times of the night. urmagneticsetsthetonewithafeverishvocalhookedonhauntingund&#8203,,,,,ertones, while e4energy steps up the tempo with a rhythm that exudes foxmans own fire and intensity, whilst also capturing the spirit of rave. foxmans vocals are centre&#8203,,,,, stage in &#8203,,,,,u & me electricity, a track reminiscent of the uk rave scene and concluding in true mind-b&#8203,,,,,ending style is &#8203,,,,,2 the source. foxman created firehouse recordings two years ago and has developed it into a label for music heads that centres around quality underground music for the dancefloor. 2016 saw her become the resident at the good rooms in brooklyn, a panorama bar regular and she concluded the year by playing for the &#8203,,,,,mixmag lab london&#8203,,,,,

tom hang is the solo electronic work of lobster theremin label owner jimmy asquith. despite being ridiculously busy either quaking dancefloors across the globe and flowing into the world a continuous catalogue of acclaimed electronic heat, jimmy has found time to follow up his ‘tidy bedroom versions’ release with more original tracks from the heavily dusted harddrive.

over the years, lo recordings has taken pride in exploring a wide and broad range of sounds, genres and styles. to mark 20 years of lo recordings, we are taking a fresh and bold approach with our output to further explore the accelerating and refined developments in electronic music today. this is the first of our new phase of releases, a collaborative project between the two titans mr. g and k15. ‘a learning curve’ is exactly as the title suggests, an educational experience to un- derstand each other musically and technically, and to explore new territories and schools of thought. as avid users and fans of the mpc, as well as being extremely busy, both mr. g and k15 were given the same samples dug out of the lo recordings archives to each create a track which would remotely display their techniques and methods. this was quick- ly adopted to be the theme in a series of three releases to come out throughout the year from the pair. the results come in the form of mr. g’s mesmerising ‘navigate’ and k15’s introspective ‘the guilt within’, two very individual tracks in their own rights. ‘navigate’ is instantly recognisable as the work of its creator, armed and ready to bring the dance floor to hypnotic heights. with its rough and gritty sound, driving kick & synth stabs, and hauntingly majestic keys, we are thrown into peak of the night. on the flip, ‘the guilt within’ takes a turn to more ominous terri- tories, crafting an atmosphere on the other end of the spectrum to ‘navigate’. a beautiful and delicate journey carried along by light skipping percussion, immersive sweeping pads and a puls- ing sub which all come together to take the listener deep inside themselves.

massimiliano pagliara debuts on ostgut ton with his new ep, time and again. born and raised in the deep south of italy massimiliano pagliara made his way to berlin in 2001, quickly diving headfirst into the german capital’s club scene (particularly berghain’s predecessor club, ostgut) until he started djing in 2003. by the time of his joining with ostgut booking agency in october 2015 massi had already constantly delivered – the dj and producer has left a strong mark on house music throughout the years with energetic, playful and deep sets behind the decks, two acclaimed solo albums on live at robert johnson and various collaboration projects. his residency at panorama bar therefore was a no-brainer – but the musical link by one of house music’s finest with the club’s label was still missing. now massi steps up with four new tracks and his first release on ostgut ton.

following their much-acclaimed surprise debut album vermont from 2014, motor city drum ensembles danilo plessow and innervisions marcus worgull reunite for more synth daydreaming on the suitably titled ii. the new outing continues where the first full-length left off, strolling further down the luminous and undulating path that the duo turned into, influenced in equal measures by kosmische, krautrock, minimal wave and synth soundtracks.

sometimes you can tell from the first listen of a recording that its creator has a totalizing vision that transcends time and genre. you will experience this rare sensation when you play panoram’s “a doom with a view”. the italian producer has tapped into a vein of surrealist sonic collage that s at once allusive and elusive. the album parades baffling micro-movements past your ears like a secret history of misunderstood musical remnants heard on damaged media formats, 50 years after a catastrophic disaster. it exposes continuity and logic as specious myths, jettisoning these vestigial elements in order to make space for a higher form of aural alchemy.

ranko delivers a wide scope of high-quality beat-music ranging from housy to dodgy to smooth, from happy-go-lucky hip hop to chillwave to big beat. hedonism is an intensely musical journey full of diversity and passion...as round as a record could be. hedonism gives an insight into rankos musical knowledge and understanding. on 7 tracks you can hear a true beat-loving master of sampling, drum-programming and arranging... playful and accurate at the same time. while the a-side highlights rankos love to house- and club-based music, the b-side is a journey to his hip-hop- and beatmaker-roots. hedonism contains collaboration-tracks with jan ketel and longterm-colleague duktus from his hometown leipzig. the founding father of the overdubclub, leipzigs first regulars table of beatmakers, is a restless pulser and an imaginative networker which he impressively shows on his tieffrequent-debut...thank you for that!

"pinkman stoke the furnaces of despair, fuelling them with black merlin. conveyor belts grunt out resentment, cold chords curl, synthlines sneer and pallid percussion punctuates. noise echoes above, hammered clanks exploding into shards. below the work continues, sweat smeared stains and hissing airless gasps. in the end, all is swallowed; gulped into the gaping assembly line."

nice price deal !!! there was once was a spider named roger mor. he lived a quiet life in the english countryside until the raves of the early 90s. he began to munch lots of random things that he found of these fields. as a result of this munching he evolved into something mother nature did not design ... a manic spider raver called mor manikmor manik says, i weaved digital into my web and i didn’t let him out until he produced the goods

flore and rusu met in high school. growing together through various musical phases, they ended up channeling their love for outlandish dance music into one of the most exciting projects to emerge from the bubbling eastern europe underground scene. in their hivern debut, they keep pushing the boundaries of their sound to forge some of their boldest productions to date. in all four tracks of impossible holiday, we find distinctive elements of the khidja palette recomposed under a new (and darker) light. the 12 inch comes wrapped in a sleeve featuring an oil painting by the romanian artist serban savu and design by arnau pi.

juni is the first joint release by charly schoeppner and sascha demand, two seasoned veterans of experimental and improvisational music. they call themselves giraffe. their longstanding friendship has now propelled them into making juni. juni contains 11 short pieces that effortlessly flow in and out of each other. intuitive, yet controlled, subdued, yet at times nervously ritualistic, percussive elements drive the tracks with melodic and harmonic impulses weaved around them. the record references abstract jazz and contemporary experimental music. it is an original snapshot of what makes contemporary experimental music tick.

nice price deal !!! based on an old sketch for a track that was lost for 20 years and then suddenly resurfaced on an old dat tape when he moved his studio, latest offering from per martinsen aka mental overdrive takes us into a universe where big pianos and bright sunshine is the order of the day. to make things even more summery and relaxed he teamed up with fellow norwegian disco connoisseur rune lindbaek for a joint remix, and while in the studio they had a swift visit from chanteuse anneli drecker - recently known for her position as front vocalist for röyksopp - who added her soothing voice to the mix to transport you even further into balearic bliss. finally this release also introduces the bright new talent of boska, delivering his more uptempo remix duties to complete this essential package to kick off the summer season.

nice price deal !!! newcomer ingo thomas provides the next installment on beyond with three very unique, raw and individual tracks on vinyl. the off kilter, deep and detroit inspired ‚ suludada charms and chimes its way down a dusty, richly textured path as the meandering synth themes intertwine and grow throughout 8 and half minutes. painting a mysterious picture of late night abandon, echoes of dark moody club atmospheres and super deep vibes a plenty, its a really stand out track… and the quality doesnt let off here! sweep is another suitably textural offering that lays down tense atmospheric chords and uplifting synth themes from the very start. reminding us of some of the very best deep techno from over the decades, thrown into one giant melting pot of quality, inventive production, it makes us wonder if our man ingo just might be a future electronic music fi gurehead in the making! closing the record we find >hum reprise< whose dubby stabs, tricky arrangement and bad ass reduction all contribute to another wonderful track. certainly intended to play loud, this outstanding piece of other worldly electronic entertainment is yet another reason to remember the name flashnap.

technorama passes the torch to finnish producer samuli kemppi who’s built a solid back catalogue over the last 15 years and in that time has also become a pioneer of electronic music in helsinki. his radio show deep space helsinki (alongside juho) developed into one of the cities most popular club nights and also into his shared record label dsh. his debut on technorama records brings us 3 slices of dark & groovy techno, including remix from dutch maestro tripeo aka darko esser. enjoy!

huge support from jeremy underground / floating points / motor city drum ensemble. huge record if youre into disco, modern or just good fucking music and you probably dont own unless you work in the city or spend half you life looking for it. frazelle is the party record that everyone wants, big support all round on this so dont be waiting around and then email us when they are gone. licensed from ken frazzelle himself which always makes us happy. expect bileo like sales on this so stock up as they will fly

the protagonist of this extended longplayer is the remarkable falke. he is the unseen hermit of the clan and arrested the labels attention due the things he does best: sitting at home collecting cheap ancient technology and creating his own artistic universe, influenced by his distinct sense for the simplistic beauty in everyday life. after two records and several compilation contributions, the label collected ten tracks to introduce his own extensive world properly. post-socialistic aesthetic detects 90s electronica to merge into a careless version of house.

the coeo boys need no introduction anymore. their two last singles made it into the sets of so many djs. they are among the emerging artists of that new german scene of kids that make house music inspired by old jazz and funk records. the boys are mad about rare vinyl. and they love to make music with a positive spirit. yes, there is something sunny in their tracks. something that instantly makes you want to move. we heard so many mixtapes that started with a coeo track. makes sense: they are perfect to set a vibe. a good mood. but if you know that the coeo boys work in a studio over the roofs of munich, with a fantastic view over the lights of the city, with a great vibe where you see all the glammy colors of the light in the night then you understand why coeos music sounds as it sounds

returning to hypercolour with a second volume of his sugar cane chronicles, gary gritness lays down more devastating funk and classy riffing over his trusty roland 606. after the first volume, released last april, sold out its vinyl run, gritness delivers more explorations and adventures into his unique and soulful world. having elusively built his reputation as an outstanding session player, live producer and fantastically dressed funkateer, gritness has delivered a handful of releases on labels like clone crown ltd, nyami nyami and his own diy and cassette-only slikk tapes. steady choosin gets downright fusion-jazz and gritness fires out seductive melodies and latin piano playing of the highest order whilst countin up with starr delves into a darker well of synth mania, with a sexual groove reminiscing of rick james, all the while retaining garys signature licks and riffs. runner joes revenge on the flip ramps up the hysteria for a gritty and colossal production that typifies his love of cyberpunk soundtracks and the drama and narrative to be found in this style. the sugar cane chronicles vol. 2 closes with the low-slung pool shark loot wrapping up on a mysterious and captivating tone, its wandering bassline and melodic touches carrying all the signature gritness sounds, with the p-funk sleaziness on top.

berlins true romance is back on the disco train for their fifteenth release. label boss tensnake is at the wheel this time and cooked up two irresistible a sides. first in line is the sci-fi infused machines, a catchy slow analog burner with deep synthetic bass lines, etheric melodies and floating french vocals. the perfect soundtrack to blissfully cruise the foggy, neon-drenched nights of a dystopian future. on the aa side, the vinyl only black as flies slings us back under the blazing sun. starting with sultry vocals and a stripped down disco-not-disco vibe, the track morphs into a unique blend of italo-zouk madness. heavily road tested by the man himself, this one is a certified exotic weapon. limited pressing - dont sleep!

resopal’s latest release features matteo viti’s pure techno power twisted into sub-bass-loaded madness in a 12- vinyl. viti combines a straightforward 4/4 beat with chopped vocals that will hypnotize just about any dancefloor. reduced modern techno sure to be spun by every creative dj.

no one else can breath life into a random selection of 70s grooves, like the king hotmood. his excellent ear & sample chopping skills are back for part 3 of his series. the south of the border is producing some of the deepest connections on dancefloors worldwide. limited quantities.

for the first release coming in 2017 macadam mambo strikes very hard with a very special ep of radical dance music by the german band the blech revisited by hambourg’s based artist wosto. the blech released 6 lp between 1985 and 1996. their albums have become a treasure-trove of extravagant, groovy dance hall artistry. the forcefulness with which the blech flung their conviction from the stage into the audience was at once hypnotic, irritating and erotic. here wosto has selected two tracks from the zip zip lp originally released in 1987 (nichts wie vorher and zip zip) and one from the ich wollte meine schuhe zerschneiden lp (die einame trane) released in 1989, and transform them into strong powerfull dancefloor cuts. be sure of the efficient of the product, no need to talk more, let the music speak by itself. special mention for the magnificient artwork of lyons based artist hugo charpentier from the mauvaise foi collective

next stop in our journey on transparent is asc, is quite impossible to describe his immense skills, to really know more you have to search for it. after 16 years of music this artist comes to our label to guide us on another level of sonic spectrum. “internal software” is one of the most charming sound design on a 4/4 scale we have ever experienced ever on the label. take your time and immerse yourself into his world. all on transparent green 12”.

leave all the preconceptions behind and engage with the sound for a moment. two spaced out sides which drag into a unreal act of travelling, through the dense basslines and visionary synths. going through both sides will take you to a well aranged after party mode, still going forward in a very solid and well expressed rhythm. this release easily flows into the entourage and becomes something memorable.

lisbon based techno producer re:axis returns to planet rhythm for his sophomore solo 12 inch called inbalance ep.
for the follow up to the 2015 release light & shadows ep, re:axis comes up with a 4-track release that threads into deep territories and showcases a deep but firm dance floor focused side to the producers work. furthermore, the lisbon based producer carefully carved up a vary of cutting edge synth patches and dance floor sounds that come together on each individual track and together form the thoroughly curated inbalance ep for planet rhythm.

uk production duo alfie granger-howell and nick harriman aka dusky drop 4 of the finest remixes from their outer album campaign of last year on heavyweight white label vinyl. t. williams cult grime alias dread d alias and livity sound mainstay kowton lend their hand to 2 heavyweight remixes for the wiley collaboration sort it out sharon whilst the talents of bwana and techno don shed take to the buttons on ingrid is a hybri a legendary figure for his formative work on jon e cashs black ops label around 2002 - 2006, dread d has been bubbling back into focus over recent years through a string of strong releases on local action. on his remix, the versatile veteran gives wileys freestyle a bashy, classic london grime refix.

rever is a no profit community and independent label design by autistic children. first ep from italian goa s resident dj fabrizio sala with two techno-minimal and micro-house style remixes from alex picone and giuliano lomonte. get your hands on it! we believe into music, peace & love. don t miss morning ep!

digital traffik is back with its third release of 2016. this last vinyl of this year is completing the serie dedicated of the -10 years label birthday - celebration. also on this ep four new artists are on board : marco effe, alexandar ivkovic, neverdogs and clive. weird tales is the marco effe track, an incredible artist of digital traffik family and founder of his own -impress- party on watergate berlin. kick and bass lines are big, the melodies are infectious and techno just keeps on giving... simply amazing! alexandar ivkovic presents nbdg : in this track merge is signature techno-detroit sound into something that still contains stacks of class and character. neverdogs directly from music on world tour returns in digital traffik family after two years. throughout their track -state of blind- there is a sense of tension that is created through the eerie pads and synths combining to create different rhythms to keep the listener on their toes. -mambo cafè- is the last track of this vinyl and is composed by the a&r of digital traffik : clive. this song is an amazing train without stop... fat bass, groovy percussions and an incredible pause perfect for every kind of dance floor!!! of course : not to be misse

the first metalheadz release of 2017 comes courtesy of phil tangent and penny giles and we’re very excited to welcome them into the metalheadz camp.
the two tracks are perfect for headz platinum as they fuse the rough with the smooth, something the sister label has become known for the course of its history. we have deep basslines playing set against subtle rave stabs and break edits on the solo effort from phil tangent, whilst on the collab from phil tangent & pennygiles things go deeper with the atmospheres and effects.

sit in the creek, cool yourself, then move. sounds to speed across the noite skies or sink into the soil. take the outer path to the inside and hop on the next flight to phobiza.

the esteemed will & ink imprint hits the mini milestone of a tenth release by inviting old and new associates to remix some of the label s still essential back catalogue. the results are as weird and wonderful as you would expect of a label that has always gone its own way. mosca flips second lucas into something intense and brutal, with lashings of frazzled industrial synth sounds whipping about above pinging and high impact drums. italian chevel then transforms third lucas into five minutes of otherworldly machine made oddness. livity sound star asusu comes with a typically hi fidelity re-work of second carol. dubby and loopy, metallic and clean, it is a pristine track to get dance floors locked to a groove. and first carol reworked by its original producers yaleesa hall and malin, minimal dub with freaky sound design and the result is an earworm of a tune that burrows deep into your brain.

air cushion finishsdistinctive sound palette reconciles pop music with experimental electronics, think alan bishop meets white noise (with a touch of super collider?) air cushion finish formed in berlin in 2007 and comprises of composer jayrope and natural vocal synthesizer lippstueck, who have graced berlin’s underground scene together since the 1990 s. lippstueck sings, wordless and backwards in time while his partner jayrope tends diy, electronic, string or percussion instruments small enough to fit into a small suitcase. changing setup and subsequently music is programmatic to the band, resulting into an unforeseeable slow motion cacophony of whispers, bleeps, rhythms and harmonies. theres a notion of dada, but you never know. the 8th album of acf marks their current state of poetical accident, swaying, swinging and bouncing, boldly careful, like a transparent tattoo on your forehead.

duke hugh launches la freund recording s soundwaves into the air by serving up five steady 4/4 tracks with references to the eglo crew and henry wu ready to hit the club.

ele records is dedicated to sourcing and sharing dusty, sample based music inspired by the rich soundscape of early hip hop and house productions. cottam s trademark sample based house is back on ele records. delving into his box of records to produce a sample heavy cut slowed down to a sexy shuffling tempo, cottam delivers two dusty tracks for your listening pleasure. combining afro, latin and disco grooves to devastating effect, cottam takes the listener on a journey through the time and space.

realness: if there was one word you’d use to sum up parisian house dealer phil weeks that would definitely be it. he’s never kowtowed to trends or hype. he’s never compromised. he’s never lost focus of his primary goal: to make undiluted, straight-up house music that physically moves you.nearly 20 years deep as a dj, artist and founder starting the new year with a serious statement of groove intent, the eight track package is the follow up to his successful 2012 collection ‘raw instrumental’. his fifth studio album in total, the title says it all: rawness and full focus on both the dancefloor and the best creative djs. no messing around, each track is tailored for total mix and party pleasure and covers every shade of the night. it’s peaky business from the off as phil lights the fire with ‘the rhythm’ an incendiary burner that sp flexing a classic blaze sample, all the elements build with the bulldozer drums and subs pushing relentlessly. ‘oh baby’, meanwhile, slips us into a something slinkier with its bumping deep drum shuffle and optional instrumental.

mint condition a brand new record label focussed on excavating the outer fringes of classic house and techno. unreleased mixes, classics and overlooked gems mined from the last 20+ of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. from chicago, detroit and new york to london and beyond, mint condition have got their expert digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been on your wants list for years! dig in. guy plez pleasant dropped this monstrous slab of proto-tribal techno on his own plezure label way back in 88. the rest, as they say, is history. a stone cold nyc club bomb was dropped. literally. the fact that this record is still played, still talked about, still sought after really says something about it s heady mix of heads down dark corner tribalism, it s screeching, soaring synth lines and it s sheer balls out attitude. this one goes off. a cursory glance shows that plez only did a handful of records, with cant stop definitely being the biggest and most well known and loved (honorary tip of the cap to thing for you here too). the acid rainforest mix featured on this 12inch is a dangerous weapon in any dj s bag, submerging the dance-floor into an otherworldly jungle planet. heavy, heavy stuff. heres the chance to bag yourself a classic slice of nyc dance history, sounding as heavyweight as ever, ready to do damage. fully remastered specially for mint condition, i can t stop is back, as notorious as ever. legitimately re-released with the full involvement of guy plez pleasant for 2017 and remastered from the original dat s specially for mint condition by london s very own curvepusher. 100% legit, licensed and released. dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at your new favourite reissue label - mint condition!

brazillian-born daniela caldellas returns to hotflush recordings with misantropicalia, a three track ep, with each one showing different facets of her influences, further enriching her identity as terr. picking up where last aprils burn the past ep left off, terr continues to develop what is becoming her retro-futurist signature. the unmistakable footprint of electro, as well as a palpable nostalgia for the early 80s, is present throughout. the title track perhaps even betrays a whiff of italo or hi-nrg with its moroder-esque bass and silky guitar licks, before moving into pure body-popping, linoleum dancefloor territory on the b-side. outrun is an invitation to do the robot worm best heard on a portable ghetto blaster, while dont look around rounds off the 12inch in galvanizing style with hints of electroclash in fractured, fleeting vocals and beats of the fat variety. misantropicalia shows terr with her influences on her sleeve, and her gaze fixed firmly forwards

originally released on the netlabel black queen. the croatian artist robert pain shows with this four-track ep a dark and beautiful journey full of percussions and pads, creating mystical atmospheres and allowing us to enter into a field of ritual sounds.

substrato records features techno veteran edit select on its most recent release, points of contact. the ep is in line with substrato’s signature sound – stripped down hypnotic percussion with deep ties to techno’s past. at the ep’s outset, edit select layers straightforward loops into complex textures, weaving careening synth lines through skittering hi hats and driving kicks. faction 1.1 brings the composition to a subdued close with warm, thrumming percussion that evokes a propulsive ethereality. at its fourth release, substrato has firmly established itself as a techno label adept at driving techno with psychedelic, shamanistic impulses.

following mandingos universe ii on rekids last year the label has tapped thomas melchior and larry heard for remixes. mandingo is best known as detroit producer monty luke, the founder of black catalogue whennot appearing on labels like planet e and dogmatik. echoing synths and crunchy percussion join trippy nuances and effects in melchiors otherworldly reinterpretation. meanwhile on the flip, larry heard distorts the original into a mesmerising number featuring a meandering hook and intricate melodies.

first word enters 2017 with a bang: a 28-track album courtesy of eric lau. this, his third instrumental album, is a veritable tapestry of vibes, ranging through hip hop, soul, jazz, funk & brazilian beats. a mere taste into the genius production skills of london’s mr. lau, it’s easy to understand why he’s so revered by djs, artists and producers across the world, including rich medina, 9th wonder, bobbito, dam funk, gilles peterson, james poyser (the roots), phonte and ali shaheed muhammad (a tribe called quest), amongst others.

on the this latest release from power vacuum, a motley selection of inmates gather once more to deliver a new seminar on the mechanics of meltdown. beyond the zone of fruitless intensity lies ever more exhaustive trailer park visionaries blasting out wreck beats, a sound futuristic yet primitive like a turbo charged shire horse. peering through the heavily worked over fug, we sift through the transphonic ashes of technos blast furnace to retrieve these molten ingots and sling them into a disenfranchised cassette player

going even further into the tape archives of robbie m we find ourselves with “friend”. this time it’s going to be a late night affair, as robbie smothers you with those smooth vocals as only he can. rock island s ram music direct to you from the midwest. robbie is currently working on his autobiography film project, but had the time to bless us with a new music video for “thanks for the love” featured on this lp.

phonk d connects with his buddy le rubrique. they created three real floor bangers with some heavy punch. raw mpc drums, disco samples and classic synths melt into a deep funky mixture. as a very special goodie they could team up with the great borrowed identity, who contributed a pretty nice remix to this ep. watch your feet!

since their inception in 2013, east london duo payfone have been breathing warm-blooded soul into their unique machine-fuelled groove. drawing the dots between the white isle and nu yorica - by way of london s narcotic nightlife - the pair conjure a rhythmic throb and soulful devotion all of their own. together, phil passera and chieka ononye buzz along the fault lines of classic r&b, cosmic disco and acid house, injecting their sound with 21st century syncopation. adhering to a strict no samples rule, their manifesto demands that everything be 100 percent original. it s a formula that s worked well so far: the pair have been widely tipped across the blogosphere and are currently linked to celebrated us imprint golf channel recordings. following three sold-out releases for the label, they return with another pair of discreet bangers, justified and we are chains. the tracks turn up the heat on their previous releases, again offering the vocals of performance powerhouse louis howard jones whose lyrics spark with a political punch.