for russian electronic music, mikhail chekalin is not only a major character, who has affected the scene’s establishment and development, but also a kind of symbolic figure. his music has been praised by many in the west - from journalists and critics of all kinds to frank zappa and karlheinz stockhausen, while in moscow chekalin’s name was excluded from the official cultural agenda for a long time: he was accused of propaganda of foreign pro-western aesthetics and up until the end of the 80’s wasn’t allowed to release his works or travel abroad. this, however, didn’t interfere with him recording dozens of innovative electronic compositions and contributing greatly to the development of unofficial soviet art in general - for example, providing sound design for the famous exhibitions of twenty moscow artists on malaya gruzinskaya or arranging the first audiovisual performances on a specially constructed light organ.
however, just like all great artists, mikhail himself prefers to focus not on personal achievements, but on creativity. i don’t have a biography - only a discography - this quote of the author may become an entry point of sorts into the compilation presented. this archival collection of works recorded within the period from 1978 to 1987 are chekalin’s multigenre experiments ranging from spatial music (in essence, ambient’s precursor) to more contemporary synthesizer and post-symphonic compositions.

a true japanese jazz holy grail album, this 1975 album was made solely as a business card for an influential businessman and only a few hundred were known to be pressed. the quartet comprises a group of students who never shared a stage with each other and only formed for this one album yet the album sounds as if they ve been playing together for decades. deep modal jazz, frenetic, fizzy and energetic, these five tracks are some of the most coveted and sought after songs from the japanese jazz golden age

1954 is the fifth vinyl release on the modern cathedrals label by recent detroit export altstadt echo. staying true to the themes of the the “year series” that began with the 1913 ep and was followed by the 1905 ep, the artist continues to explore somber, broken beat techno with an eroded, highly-textured percussive focus. in the previous two eps from this series, altstadt echo was joined by varg, abdulla rashim, stave, and evigt morker on remix duty. for the 1954 ep, he’s commissioned uk artist szare, who delivers a highly danceable revision that combines the ghostly vocals of the original with highly frenetic percussive injections. the artwork of the ep is aligned with the label’s greyscale documentation of detroit, this time featuring the stunning architecture of the new center district of the city. the photos were taken by the artist prior to his move to berlin in fall 2017.

everybody on the west coast knew bubbles bubblesynski. we were going to make a record with him before he was murdered. we made it anyway with audio from his facebook posts and well be donating all profits to lgbtq friendly organisations in san francisco. hypnotic, repetitive, pounding acid house for djs & dancers.. 1 per customer

rawax welcomes sepp to the family! we re happy to present you the -ritm timpan ep- as it s one of the most wanted releases this year. many people heard it for the first time at sunwaves last month where it was on massive support by petre inspirescu & raresh as one of the festivals key tracks!

the music on this ep was conceived in china, between 1989 and 1993. the original tracks were mixed to dat in real time, in a small neighbour-proof studio inside my apartment in macau, a 19th floor with a view to the hurricanes. there’s a small, unexpected or improbable story behind each track, some little magic fused with the local atmosphere, certainly guaranteeing their lasting authenticity 25 years later.

if the outside agency’s new release on genosha 175 was to be summarized with a few keywords, they would most likely be “twisted” and “evil”. on an ever ongoing crusade to bring high-quality tracks to a tainted genre, another word to describe this release could be “uncompromising”. comes on black & gold mixed vinyl with download code included.

building on the mission statement that was ferdinger’s debut album “gelände”, comes “abbild”, a 4 track ep and the second release on his life in patterns label. the tempos are tweaked up and the sounds are honed and angled for maximum effect. “gegendämmerung” is straightforward but manages a lyrical tilt, while “spiegelreflex” oscillates between moments of dry precision and epic dreaminess. with “abglanz” the newly paris based producer brings things back to the geological strata that characterized “gelände” - but now with a rawer edge and more reflective surface. glos’ remix of “gegendämmerung” provides ambient and analogue textures, finishing the ep on a more introverted and melancholic note whilst maintaining the mechanistic drive of the other pieces.

the buzz around the first wilson phoenix release was huge - good luck finding a copy of that one! the mysterious techno entity returns for round two and delivers the goods once more with some razor sharp club cuts that smartly straddle vibes without losing their way. -expansion- is a fist-pumping, 90s-indebted techno workout with an urgent stomp at its heart - the pointed motor city stabs and raw 909 drums are a gift for anyone wanting to whip the crowd up. -space being- is a wilder affair with bright and bold synth leads splattered over a sizzling electro beat. -field control- mans the b side with a robotic throwdown that should tickle electro, wave, new beat and house heads as much as techno fiends.

das legendäre jamaikanische label trojan records feiert bereits seinen 50. geburtstag und veröffentlicht mit »ska & reggae classics« eine neue compilation mit den größten hits des labels, nun auch auf 2xlp!
im juli 1968 eröffnete das jamaikanische label mit sitz in london, trojan records, das geschäft und innerhalb von monaten nach seiner gründung wurde der aufregende neue reggae-sound einem weltweiten publikum vorgestellt. im laufe der nächsten jahre stand trojan für eine reihe von weltweiten mainstream-charthits durch legendäre künstler wie desmond dekker, ken boothe, john holt, the maytals, bob & marcia und dave & ansel collins. zudem legte trojan den karrieregrundstein für die zukünftigen superstars des reggae bob marley, dennis brown und gregory isaacs.

the debut ep from dj force & the evolution is a classic. not only was this ep the starting point to a run of huge releases by the group, including perfect dreams and high on life, it was also the beginning for darren styles as part of the evolution, and dj force, both of whom teamed up to bring the rave world numerous classics as years went by. but this ep was the beginning, and has long deserved a repress. the original pressing is changing hands for ridiculous amounts second hand, and this is the same three tracks, lovingly remastered and presented in their original format!

der wahnsinn hat methode: neuinterpretation der dub-blaupause -super ape-.
nachdem er sich mit sir coxsone, dem legendären chef des kingstoner labels studio one, zerstritten hatte, gründete lee perry zuerst seine eigene band und dann, 1973, im hinterhof ein eigenes studio. was aus der not geboren wurde, entwickelte sich zu einer einzigartigen erfolgsgeschichte. sowohl mit den upsetters als auch dem black ark schrieb perry musikgeschichte, insbesondere durch das 1976 veröffentlichte -super ape--album, auf dem er gewissermaßen das genre dub auf unbekannte weise aus dem mischpult brodeln ließ. für perry ist das studio wie ein lebewesen. ob er es wirklich so empfindet, oder einfach nur zu viel ganja in rauch aufgehen lässt, aber bei perry ist das equipment organisch, empathisch und intelligent. der clou: so hören sich die resultate auch an! lange bevor man das sampling erfunden hatte, schichtete er tonspuren aus tiefen bässen, echos und hall mit diversen, selbst aufgenommenen, gerne rückwärts laufenden klangsequenzen auf-, in- und übereinander. heißt: perry war der erste produzent, der anstatt der band die musik machte. das brachte ihm unter anderem den titel salvador dalí des dub ein. dass der Über-80-jährige bis heute nichts von seiner experimentierfreude verloren hat, zeigt der mit dem new yorker subatomic sound system besorgte re-edit seines meilensteins.

bill browns super rare brownstone release is one for the deep heads, less well known than label mate everyday people but just as rare and collectable. shuffling sunshine soul its all about the groove and feeling. 500 copies only. one for the heads. bill brown and al hall jr met around 1971, they were both in south central l.a and shared the same apartment building, also in the same building was doug carn and brownstone singer billy wilson. these studio sessions were done at paramount studios hollywood where al hall jr was working for producer art smith a&c music. the main distributor for a&c was accent records.

the two stars, both superb singers who moved on to become award-winning actors, first worked together on a telethon in 1952, while dino was still half of the martin and lewis comedy duo. their friendship developed in the late 50s despite their widely differing personalities - dino developing an ever-increasingly laid-back approach, while sinatra proved to be sharp and frequently tempestuous. the two also bonded over their italian heritage. enjoy this lp including “ghost riders in the sky”, “south of the border” and many more!

in many ways, it s difficult to believe wehbba only dropped his first full-length ep on drumcode this year. released in february, the four-tracker eclipse was a monster statement piece of the brazilians talents and followed on superbly from fake, his contribution to last year s a-sides vol.6 inarguably one of the biggest tracks on the compilation. with the confirmation that wehbba will take part in drumcode s off week party in barcelona, followed by the brand s takeover of resistance in ibiza, its indisputable proof that his crisp, chord-driven take on techno has become a vital component to the expansive palette of sound adam beyer has drawn for the label in 2018 and beyond. catarse marks the rapid-fire follow-up from the prolific producer. opening with the eerie she lost control, wehbba says he took inspiration from the joy division track of almost the same name (‘she s lost control ), but instead of crafting the dense sonic atmosphere with vocals, he employs an analogue kick drum and stealth-like moog bass with dramatic results. process follows, a cut which begun as a cover jam of laurent garnier s crispy bacon and ends up incorporating the cut-up vocals of legendary minimal composer steve reich, who is one of wehbba s chief inspirators. the resulting track is an ice-cool percussive work that s rich in dancefloor functionalism. the title track will be familiar to many who follow drumcode radio, a goose-bump inducing highlight of beyers dcr392 at awakenings in eindhoven, catarse is driven by a memorable melodic riff resplendent in 90s techno euphoria. the ep concludes with the terrific mind awake, a powerful concoction of reverb heavy basslines and glitchy effects, that s been thoroughly road tested by both beyer and wehbba and kicks like a rodeo bull.

“monstrance” is mika vainio & joachim nordwall’s first album together and was originally released june 2013 via touch (to:88). it consist of drone works and pulsating electronic minimalism but also guitar, acoustic elements, organs and metal percussion. it was recorded in einstürzende neubauten’s berlin studio during an intense session in early summer of 2010. “monstrance” is a place where vainio’s and nordwall’s backgrounds as musicians and composers meet, and something new and extremely powerful is born. something deep, raw and direct…

after being one of the many standouts on the we are opilec…! vol. iii compilation back in 2016, i-robots glamouflage is now getting a full vinyl release with artwork by tomozo kevorkian, who was designer for nyc s body & soul, and remixes by a standout team of producers from japan to switzerland to south africa and the usa. opening up the ep is a fantastic new take ii version from label boss i-robots, who added exclusive chinese vocal samples recorded on the streets of huang jiang city many years ago. the track is inspired by ennio morricone and supermax and is a loose and infectious groove with brilliant drums and percussion and an elastic bassline that really gets you moving. it s a subtle update to the original—also included here as a bonus cut—which itself is a steamy and tropical sounding groove. swiss electronic pioneer schaltkreis wassermann then features on a version of the original that reaches for the cosmos with its rugged bass riffs, tumbling toms and busy, ever evolving groove. it has a big breakdown with exotic synths wandering through the night and oodles of effects and big guitar licks. the first of the remixes comes from kuniyuki takahashi who has been a big supporter of i-robots since 2000. he is a sound designer from japan who had a compilation of his works put out by music from memory back in february. his version is laden with cosmic synths and chants, grunting and organic drums and is sure to be massive this summer thanks to its open air vibes. detroit s underrated but vital gary martin is the boss of the teknotika label and his version featuring colten decker playing an unusual sax line shows another side to the motor city. it s a curious and mysterious tune that makes for an unsettling atmosphere that keeps you locked throughout as it snakes along.

rÜfÜs chart topping debut album, atlas, gets a much-needed worldwide release, having only been available in australia up until now. featuring the much loved singles take me and desert night , atlas debut at #1 was a testament to the band s passion, work ethic and diy approach to music. a labour of love, the album was written, produced and recorded by the band between two studios they built themselves - one in a remote farmhouse on the nsw south coast, the second in a hollowed out water tank under one of their parents houses. “their sound cannot be likened to any other act- - ***** acidstag.com “australian indie-dance juggernaut rÜfÜs are poised for a worldwide breakout. the trio has already released four eps, put together a string of remixes and gone on multiple sold-out tours of australia… nobody can deny their infectious results.- - mtvhive.com

reissue of this early 90s czechoslovakian balearic style oddity. tip! jindrich parma originally created this record as a studio project on his own parma productions label in 91. the release was the debut of the musician karya , and although the singer has become fairly prolific, muz ze skla (the man of glass) remains an anomalous release in her catalogue. in fact, the song never actually featured the singer we know as karya today, and was solely the experiment of jind&#345,,ich and company. with a balearic house sound that never really had a parallel in the country, this remains a truly unique czechoslovakian record. reissued for the first time on a 12inch.

after a liittle hiatus of 2 years the label which was formed back in 2013 by the founder of the ground breaking hedonistic undergound parties bohemian grove of the industrial city of manchester is back. the label will be bringing all kinds of electronic sounds mainly from the reaches of the cities industrial smog but some reaching further around the cosmos. this time we have debuting artist dane weaver with his first release on the label.

native response sales pack including:
- nr001v: nathan surreal - stockholm ep (kaap remix)
- nr002v: deltitnu - shaman among the machines ep (roger gerressen remix)
- nr003v: human space machine - ornithogallum ep (eduardo de la calle remix)

“sincerely, s. love x” (the kiss is meant to be pronounced) is simon’s sophomore solo album (his 2015 debut “it seemed like a good idea at the time” was released on the brilliant, now sadly defunct fortuna pop label) and it features at least ten hits. proper pop hits, with elo harmonies, spectoresque production, strings and trumpets, the whole shebang. all recorded over the last two years in london, england. big city pop! the vinyl release includes a cd-copy of the album.

some time around 20 years ago, the artist known as dub surgeon made an absorbing album of beautiful dub infused with ambiance, found sounds and horizontal rhythms. the lost future was recorded at the former amsterdam film academy where dub surgeon. the recording engineer for the project was ricardo villalobos. dub surgeon and ricardo villalobos then mastered it together, putting it through several vintage mixers and recording it to 2 inch tape. then, tragedy struck: a storm surged and ignited a fire that ravaged the studio. the master copy was thought to have been lost forever. dub surgeon stopped making music and disappeared into the shadows after just two eps on future dub in 2002/3. but one day 15 years later, totally out of the blue, he received a demo of the lost future. pay attention to this, it said. attached was a demo version of the long lost album and now, finally, it has a perfect and impossibly poetic home on dubais ark to ashes, which is named in homage to the story of lee scratch perry burning down his black ark studio to rid it of demons. sounding as fresh as ever, the lost future is an authentic dub experience with a story as special as the music itself.

ltd coloured 7 - ... i wish ...

the wonderfully monikered golden flamingo was one of many labels operating alongside the now legendary p&p records imprint in late 70 s to early 80 s nyc. fans of deep disco, raw gritty soul and rare as hen s teeth electro and early rap know of the cult status of it s brief but influential output and in recent years the p&p label and it s associated entities have enjoyed further popularity through the exposure of it s music by some of the world s most respected dj s and selectors, and rightfully so. an amazingly lo-fi, endearing and overtly underground aesthetic runs through all of the labels, from the label artwork down to the music itself. this style is evident on margo williams epic god save and protect all the children , a colossally rare 12- from back in 1980.

“no security” captures a stand-out stones show, with the band on searing form during the closing leg of their american tour in san jose. treating the crowd to an up-close and personal experience and leaving a frenzy in their wake. the set list spans from the mid-sixties hit singles to the bridges to babylon album, including a bluesy, dramatic version of ‘midnight rambler’, a dark and swaggering ‘out of control’, and the rarely performed live, ‘some girls’ and ‘saint of me’. the show was an electrifying, anthem-packed, cross generational hot ticket, concluding yet another chapter from the band that wrote the book on rock ‘n’ roll.
triple lp set on 180 gram vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

the final countdown is the third studio album by the swedish hard rock band europe, and one of the most glorious launches in history. released in 1986, the album was a huge commercial success selling over 3 million units in the united states alone, peaking at number 8 on the u.s. billboard 200 chart and reaching high positions in charts worldwide. pressing on 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

south london label and party series troy town is proud to present the first release in 3 years from warren brown aka wbeeza, insanely talented south london producer and 1st generation pioneer of what has become affectionately known in dance music as the peckham sound . djs, producers and musicians such as henry wu, bradley zero and chaos in the cbd have added to the wealth of a deeply musical community but it was the likes of brown and another se15 local, el-prevost, who first put the area on the dance music map. although he s resistant to using the word house too often about his music, the swing nods to detroit and chicago while the links to friends and collaborators, delano smith, mike agent x clark and scott grooves are clear. progressing through a musical heritage that has seen him produce across grime, hip-hop, drum n bass and techno but it s his signature low slung, heavy-on-groove and atmosphere productions that have garnered the respect of peers and critics whilst his popular and energetic live sets have seen him tour extensively around the world for the past 8 years. this 3-track ep covers a variety of moods and situations. opening with the od, a heady march to peak time on the dancefloor which has featured heavily in live sets over the last 2 years. the bassline bubbles tantalisingly as it edges through a kinetic, digital riff that sticks with you long after the lights go up. grove park is so low slung that the snare sounds like it might fall out of sync at any moment while the lead synth leads you on a drunk walk home, at times holding it s line before stumbling over a pitch bend and veering to find its balance. bizzle boogie is equal parts gritty, midwest-influenced bounce track and shimmering eyes closed rave moments.

tivoli trax started as a multiplex series paying tribute to local artists connected to kongs mantra night club, while it was based in copenhagens tivoli gardens. the first 1996 ep was followed in 97 by vol. 2 and finally by a 12 track cd compilation in 98. in 2018 we are bringing back this iconic tribute to amazing copenhagen based producers with tivoli trax vol. 3!

parallel berlin head daniela la luz returns to her home away from home, housewax with a few friends to rework her modern classic, -did you ever-. originally released in 2014 -did you ever- was an instant classic amongst decerning house heads, but it was when detroit legend, moodymann dropped it as closing track on his dj kicks compilation the year later. the light well and truly spun onto la luz and her sublime approach of house and techno. now to kick off 2018 housewax have invited virgo 4, dah ruh and cinthie to offer their spin on -did you ever-. together they each offer 3 unique takes from house to deep techno, yet managing to stay true to the soulful flavor of the original.

jonny drops debut, sub plot, was the very first album release on the fledgling alberts favourites label at the beginning of 2016. the initial offering, a 7inch of album favourites mind field and this is the one had quickly been picked up on by the good people at bbc radio 6 music as well as some of drops personal heroes including kenny dope, mr. thing and nightmares on wax.

estonian archival label frotees 6th release suvi ei jaa by heidy tamme is available again as 7inch single with new b-side for the balearic heads. while suvi ei jaa is a cover version of roberta flacks song what a woman really means, it was given new estonian lyrics which eloquently describe the summer season and its brevity (title translates as summer doesnt stay). its sung by popular estonian singer heidy tamme, recorded in 1982, and arranged by tiit paulus, one of the best estonian jazz guitarists. after original release of 7 in 2015, frotee has discovered another version of the title track. tiit paulus had played guitar over instrumental version of suvi ei jaa and this version is now essential for our balearic summers.

the legendary gig that joe strummer, singer from the punk rock band “the clash” attended and inspired his writing their classic ‘white man in hammersmith palais’ took place on the 05th june 1977. at the hammersmith palais venue on shepherd’s bush road w6, london during the height of punk mania. the full line up for the show were all jamaican artists dillinger, leroy smart, delroy wilson (all the first time from jamaica) and ken boothe. “ken boothe for uk pop reggae” who had already scored some hits with ‘everything i own’ and ‘crying over you’ in 1974. joe strummer was expecting roots, rock, reggae but the sound system this evening ‘admiral ken sound’ was playing ‘four tops all night’ as in soul and northern soul that were staple crowd pleasers at the time to warm up the audience, but in joe’s eyes the music should have reflected more jamaican roots based music. the song also deals with bigger issues of black and white unity, but some people including the punk rockers. “they’re all too busy fighting, for a good place under the lighting”. joe strummer himself was looking for fun. “i’m the whiteman in the palais... just looking for fun”.

the 4th edition in the acclaimed sterns edits series sees curator ben gomori open up the sterns music catalogue to other keen re-editors with brownswood / worldwide genius smbd (aka simbad) the first to step up to the plate. nigeria s segun adewale is sometimes referred to as the crown prince of jùjú music, but in the 1980s he developed a sound all of his own, which he called yo-pop. a mixture of jùjú, funk, reggae, afrobeat and jazz, its vibrant melange can be heard on his 1986 record ojo je , where both these originals are taken from. smbd delivers too superb flips of the title track a gritty funk-fuelled disco version with live bass, and a deliciously deep dub-house version. gomori, meanwhile, takes the haunting atewo-lara ka tepa mo se for an extended hypnotic, tribal trip. the stunning artwork comes from kofi ankobra, the son of radical white south africans who grew up in ghana and studied art at oshogbo, nigeria the place adewale himself was born. sterns edits is an official collaboration between african music stalwarts sterns music and londons ben gomori.

for those that knoe delves deeper into the archives once more to repackage a bundle of hard to find cuts on vinyl that have been staple supplies in ben s record bag over the years. the early to mid 2000s was a period of minimal techno overload, finding quality house music then was a challenge compared to today. rather than follow the herd, some european producers took influence from the original minimal pioneers and fused those approaches with house music themes in order to push a unique sound of the era. they turned minimal on its head and gave took it in a different direction. canson from switzerland released a handful of records between 2002 and 2005 that were a prime example of this aesthetic. stripped back beats with syncopated melodies - perfect cuts for those early sets or hazy morning sessions. the three tracks featured on this compilation were originally released on two solo eps for canson: itsudemo and holiday plug in, both of which have claimed squatter s rights in my record bag for almost 15 years. i don t think i ve played one early slot or house set without one of them. this record is quite a personal one for me as it s a representation of my deeper sound as a dj. now the original records are a little hard to find so im so glad to share my choice picks of cansons material on a my label.

black vinyl housed in a 5mm spined outer sleeve. includes artworked 12 inch poster insert and download code. photography by fabian hammerl and design by bu&#776,,,ro bru&#776,,,ggman

double vinyl lp in tri-fold sleeve, with a2 poster and 4 glossed behind the scenes prints. where s the drop? recorded with the 73 piece cmg music recording orchestra in hollywood s famous east west studios, deadmau5 and musical composer gregory reveret are happy to bring you the full 15 track album on a limited edition double vinyl package. based around joel s -7- ep and including classic deadmau5 records such as -strobe- & -hr 8938 cephei-, -where s the drop?- was performed live at the wiltern and is now a must-have for any vinyl fan. only 500 copies available

this lp includes misterios cosmogaficos remastered album, originally released in 1983, plus 5 tracks taken from espiritus unreleased cassette originally recorded in 1984: chile was a place where very little space was given for artistic creation, sometimes it was forbidden to create. however, with a determined inner strength, mr. valdés decided to take this project forward self-producing his own tape cassettes (diy culture). he wanted to show the young people, his friends and family that the chilean could create music at the best level in the world.

now available for the first time on vinyl, one way static records presents the first volume in our new archival series ‘la vie electronique’. this volume (1.0) focuses on the years 1968-1971 and is spread over two glorious lp’s containing +78 minutes of klaus shulze rarities. this deluxe vinyl set also comes with an insert containing extensive liner notes. available as a limited classic black vinyl retail edition (700 copies) with obi strip.

oozing, oozing soul, oozing feel, oozing the essence of rhythm and the body. this is what elbee bad is about. a native new yorker who has long since transplanted himself in berlin, elbee bad aka the prince of dance is back on thema recordings with a masterclass mini album that will resonate for years to come. crossing dimensions- is more than just a record, it is a philosophy on turntablism and what it means to be engaged in this culture. sitting comfortably on the shelf next to artists like mr. g, moodymann, and dj sprinkles, elbee recalls this genuine house feeling while adding a spice that could only be summoned out of his creative nuance. from the anthemic knowledge of request monster to the bass blistering sonnets of crossing dimensions, elbee showcases the sound of an artist who is deeply in touch with himself, the crowd, and the history of this music. no filler, no bullshit, just truth, love, and house.

its coming out on best italy, so you know you re in for a rarified treat from the dusty archives of pan european music. on this occasion the unstoppable reissue label has its disco hat on, serving up the raw cosmic funk of oro, recorded in naples and originally released in 1977. back then, this crucial cut was confined to a short 7inch edit, but best have pulled the stops out to track down the master tapes and execute a thorough remastering job on the full-length versions, now pressed to 12inch for your long-playing, disc-spinning pleasure. its a good thing these tracks came back into circulation they capture the best of the late 70s era in a cool, downright funky style that never gets old.

repress incoming! a blast from the past... one of the most iconic tracks from the noir music back-catalogue makes a remixed revival. 3 impressive remixes to spice up your dj sets. victor ruiz makes bipolar star a fantastic big room techno stomper with his signature sound and just the right amount of melody from the original to make it recognizable. re:axis almost makes the track unrecognicable with a more minimal techno approach. something i am sure will please the forefront of the underground techno scene. animal picnic & aaryon almost pays tribute to the original with their very cool update keeping a lot of the original feel but cleverly tweaked the elements to sound super fresh again. i believe there’s a little something for everyone in this remix package which was the purpose behind doing it instead of a bunch of remixes sounding the same. i hope you like the new remixes and put “bipolar star” right back into rotation.

harlem s legendary disco label queen constance has long been a cult favourite among fans of underground dance music for decades. one of many labels operating under the equally legendary p&p family of imprints queen constance was operated by one peter brown, a truly colossal figure in nyc s music scene, it s catalogue still fascinates music lovers to this day. covering a wide range of styles including gospel, early rap and disco the label s output continually finds it way into the playlists of respected dj s and selectors across the globe. high fidelity will be the first in a series of queen constance rarities to be reissued, an extremely rare and coveted record that can change hands on the second hand market for big big money, avoid those low rent bootlegs that are out there and cop this fully licensed repress. the group s self-titled sole long-player is a fantastic 6 track set of gritty, soulful and uplifting funky disco with a diy edge. not too much is known about the artists themselves, or even when the record was performed, recorded or released but it certainly sounds like a group who knew their craft inside out. the energy is high across the record and the group sound like they re on fire, just check the outrageously funkified magic carpet and you ll see what we mean. amazing. the whole project has that enchanting lo-fi, back-street feel to it in terms of production and the mind boggles as to how such a record would have come off had it been recorded at a motown or any other big studio, but no matter as this release is perfect the way it is, an essential piece of street-level nyc disco straight from the underground.

like scsi-9 as such always was a neverthing but still existed, so pheotron minds a future synth which lives just in our head. it is from there that we take, line by line, those melodies which join to a track. midnight red is a result you get when opening a bottle of red sharply at midnight. you must be in front of your gear then. at least, it worked for us that way.

special request joins forces with nina kraviz and anastasia kristensen, shattering the doors of perception over a four-track ep. through the looking glass drops july 20th on houndstooth. on the a side, nina kraviz provides two interpretations of curtain twitcher. alice was here remix takes the intensity of the original and boils it into a 4/4 spin of frenzied basslines and distorted acoustics, punctuated by her languid reading of the mad hatter. for the samba version, syncopated polyrhythms take charge of a fragmented melody. opening the aa side, looking glass lures you down the rabbit hole with mysterious bleeps, only to reveal a whirlwind of stormy breaks and junglist percussion. closing off the trip, anastasia kristensens remix of tiresias marches its way through a field of swollen bass and glitchy percussion.

fernando sanz has been steadfastly dedicated to the craft of beats and breaks since he was a young sprout of 14 years in the sun baked southern spanish port city of algeciras. under the imprint orbe records, sanz has cultivated his own thriving techno community as artist and label head. since 2014 orbe records has been lashing the block rocking techno of sanz’s comrades eduardo de la calle and steve stoll, but mostly of sanz’s own prolific moniker, orbe. as dj and producer orbe keeps the mood surreal and dreamy while deploying understated drum machine patterns to hammer the platonic solids that keep his beloved community in tact. his forthcoming 3-track “hohenheim” ep for the barcelona label, lone romantic, keeps the orbe buzz rolling. “hohenheim” kicks the record into motion with the resounding thuds of a multilayered big-room kick while bright synths and sharp edged sci-fi machinery climb the walls in obscure and narcotic patterns. “shimano’s tribute” is a study in the fundaments of techno that lull the listener with an extended 4x4 intro into a state of high mental absorption, just in time to drop the centre piece of the track, an eloquently ovular stutter sliced percussion sample. “edelweiss” sets the record on a outward course for somewhere between the hypnotic dance floor bliss of a pre-dawn sunday morning and the impending angst beholden to glimpsing the dystopian sprawl of civilisation when flying out monday morning.

california and new york aren t the only us cities to have pioneered underground hip-hop over the years. back in the nineties, southern states such as memphis, tennessee were also hotbeds for the fast evolving musical phenomenon. as we push on into the second millenium, from the swathes of short-run, tape-only releases that came out in the 1990 s, some are at last being cut to vinyl. shawty pimp and the big pimpin productions crew were brought to international ears in 2014 when his album comin real wit it was pressed to vinyl and sold out in the blink of an eye. gyptology records (a new europe-based hip-hop and egyptian archaology styled re-issue label) now present a vinyl pressing of the 1995 sequel, still comin real . here are eleven original, raw rap cuts, remastered and restored with love. available june 2018 for the first time in the format that never goes out of style. vinyl only for now and in one short-run only, no represses. produced with the full consent and participation of the artists.

dan stielow mortazavi has an outer edged family background and a long testament in music starting in his teens with his first recorded project the product that was self released to cassette back in 1983. three decades later it saw a vinyl release on the dark entries label. the debut spite cathedral lp is made with his long-time musical partner karsten svendsen (to feed on others, hinsidan, ate23) and is released with a free bonus 7” on bodies on july 2nd. ultra minimalism streaming from the darkest of places still with a presence of a cold, cold love. with sparse elements they create dramatic scenery. industrial beats backed with something that sounds like hostage jazz and rock drummers fused with the loneliest of themes, epic at times and oh so broken at others. touching topics of man’s inhumanity, paranoid misinterpretations, the fragility of the mind, sex and broken homes without mouthing a single word.

it was said that the craft was so large that one could walk for days without touching a wall. that instead of the glowlights above, there was only one, and somehow it split into the many we have today. and in the floor of the ship, there were rushes of water, hallways so to speak, that entire men could float down. and so they did.
depth over distance is bringing new talent to the limelight with its second release. a collection of cosmic grooves spanning 5 original tracks conjured by young bristolian mcgregor.
going from solid crunchy house grooves (light years from you) and an ethereal mix of breaks, pads and crisp percussion (reality) on one side of the vinyl, to a more extrapolated back side: wanna e, with its unexpected groove and drops, ready to tear up an unsuspecting dancefloor, closer feeling like a timeless breakbeat classic and with 1997 (vocal mix) forming an elegant, emotional last note of the ep.