“never change a winnig team”. that s what radio citizen s niko schabel must have thought when he decided to release his fourth album once again on sonar kollektiv. after the success of “the night & the city” (sk310lp / cd) from 2015 and the productive collaboration ever since this seems like a wise resolution. schabel s idea to retrieve to a mountain cabin in salvenberg, tirol with his band and tons of equipment turned out to be an even more crucial factor to the cause. here they could create and record new songs and bring them together neatly for the new album. the 13 tracks assembled here on “silent guide” are – each on its own and in its entirety anyway – best proof how wonderfully this approach has worked out.
double vinyl in gatefold sleeve with download code included.

all greg beato productions! a compilation of sorts the tunes they didnt want you to hear. strong stuff! limited edition gear on mr beato s on ni un pero label.

(3lp with embossed sleeve incl cd) token celebrates its 10 years anniversary with momentum, a celebration of the close-knit family of artists amassed throughout the labels running. the record is a fitting collaborative project with every track on the album produced by two longstanding and well-respected artists from the labels roster: rødhåd, sigha, antigone, Ø phase, oscar mulero, inigo kennedy, tadeo, ctrls & labelhead kr!z himself

with its sixth release new york trax continues the mission of highlighting the jewels of the new york underground. liquid asset is a philadelphia-born brooklyn-based hardware virtuoso who has made a name for herself by virtue of appearances on labels such as e-saggila s summer isle brooklyn s own primitive languages jacktone and acid etch where she has recently delivered a furious 7- split with isabella. liquid asset built her own 808 and 303 clones by hand. the modified 303 is particularly audible in the opening track of the record -ephemeral nights- where she did not waste time on an intro and went straight to creating a sonic pandemonium by blending an airhorn sound with frenzy acid basslines and a hardcore-leaning 909 kick. -contact- is a merciless creature of the night with its relentless dark groove building up throughout this composition cannot easily be classified as a representation of any particular genre. -controlperception- opens the b side. here liquid asset plays with a cheerful acid line over a dreamy landscape often punctured with bleeping sounds. finally in -forgetmenot- two opposite sounding basslines intertwine creating a minimal yet very capturing composition to close this one of a kind record.

the world outside resonants metallic. its activity humming calm harmonics. i am in stasis. liquified. receiving alien signals. unseen universes translated into sound. notes bend like light reflected in a curved, hard surface. sine waves as my sinews stretch

noble square celebrates its 10 year anniversary with chicagos ricardo miranda & k joys 12inch do you want me & the dj knows what i like. the original master reels were lost so the yonurican soul brotha ricardo made new disco & proto house music for both tracks. bonus track included!

nice price deal !!! who let the sunshine in? two mystery dance heavyweights come together as gosoul with new single *sunshinin*. you know it when you hear it. we are talking about that red hot combination of melody and emotion that fuses into a blazing summer sunrise classic, and we are sure that when you let gosouls debut single, *sunshinin*, wrap you in its sonic rays, you will know you have experienced that feeling once again.

the seventh ep on frits wentinks bobby donny label brings together some known and unknown producers. the original production is by low end activist, someone who has spent the last 15 years in berlin, bristol and brighton, no doubt picking up parts of the musical styles of those cities as he goes. it features london grime mc trim, an original member of roll deep and an artist signed to james blake s 1-800 label. the remixes comes from frits himself as well as cassius select, who has recently released on uttu and herbert s accidental. park end is a naughty tune with garage tinged drums slipping and sliding beneath menacing rhymes from trim. paranoid synth sounds and an oscillating low end speak of late night urban mischief and its the sort of characterful tune to stand out in any set. cassius select reconfigures the tune as a much more dark and experimental number with a heavy bottom end and huge sub bass that totally envelops you. frits then goes for a more mellow and melodic version, with lazy drums and wilting chords as rainy keys fall from above. it glows like street lights at night and closes out an ep with real attitude

it is time to team up for a special split release. the a side is reserved for the unique and forward thinking sound of thomas hessler. it is the 3rd time that thomas s work will see its light on crossing and he delivers 2 pushing and emotional floorfiller. the b-side this time comes with ’poetry and form part 1 the 1st ever track label head avion and thomas hessler did together resulting in a warm and beautiful journey for special moments.

the remixs: pointsman – we dont know who he is but he provide a deep big room monster.
tripmastaz - probably the only funky russian you will ever meet. the only russian artist with releases on cocoon, minus, desolat, cadenza. the only russian artist with 4 vinyl labels. hes funky housey remix is the most faithful of the four.
bpmf – schmer label head provides a grimey and noisey big bottom soviet style jam.
steve stoll - nyc acid legend made a hard banging acid tracer.
in 1996 serotonin label heads selway and szostek went to moscow to perform at the invitation of &#1055,&#1058,&#1070,&#1063, magazine. synapse performed at the -waterclub- and met the legendary dj compass vrubell. they went to his -studio- where he had perfected the art of making entire tracks out patterns on the yamaha dx-5. szostek brought a dat of these jams back to nyc and schmer-003 dj rx-5 -a taste for crap- was released as a small run white label in 97. the run sold out and disappeared to be forgotten forever... until 2016 szostek casually mentions its existence to techno uber-nerd nina kraviz who just had to have it for her -fabric 91- cd. so dj rx-5 was back from the ash heap of history and schmer got a new release from him on schmer07. then schmer got the word out far and wide that they d like a remix ep for two of the originals: compass provided stems because like a miracle he still had the patterns after 20 years. heeding the call were pointsman, tripmastaz, steve stoll and schmer s own bpmf. so this is what you get: -a taste for remix-. it will leave your lips wanting more, for sure!

john cohen aka dead fader first arrived on the label in 2016, with it works 1 - a brace of warping, high energy electronic music compositions that while largely unclassifiable in genre, maintain a gloriously vibrant, emotive sensibility that owes much to early idm excursions, and the more abstract tenets of the krautrock genre. that said - the artist cites anything from kanye west to bach and back again as informing the decidedly experimental and potentially confounding work - and his latest offering for the milan based label continues to riff on this open ended mesh of influence to great effect. the original material is buoyed by a formidable remix package, featuring downwards affiliate jk flesh - who turns in a caustic reinterpretation of fyi, roly porter of vexd and tri angle fame, who takes on raw food, and planet mus konx-om-pax, whos reimagining of life cycle closes out proceedings. its an admirable line up, in keeping with the aesthetic concerns of cohens excellent lp - and the chosen artists turn in respectful but wholly personal work - making for an excellent addition to growing parachute discography. parachuterecords.

gray sky, desolate moor, cold wind and almost anechoic silence, that melt with raw and intimate sounds, acid synths and powerful rhythms. this is the vision of scena_731 label, with base in the hard city of rotterdam, holland. in this release the trio yari greco, ontal and ryuji takeuchi, has clear ideas, a label careful to the digital, but that finds its true and primordial analogical essence in vinyl, in order to -set/fix it-, some of the best releases in limited editions. the third release is on vinyl, sc731003 lp is the summary of an exactly -archived- path, collected and matured in the years from combined experiences of its producers. supported by bas mooy, orphx, violet poison, violet poison, paula temple, isolated lines, orde meikle, eomac, mindcut music, the zone fm, reclaim your city, and more...

a rather fruity brazilian, french spoken erotic version f painel de controle single we put out a couple of years ago that sits somewhere between euro disco and the original track. always enjoyed playing this one out in the club as an answer record to the o.g so its good to have this one at 45rpm as well.

nice price deal !!! for release number six marco faraone and norman methner welcome branko stojanov to the u&#1048,,cag&#926,, family. top and tailing the ep with his two originals branko opens with >oprosti<. a melodic number featuring a floating chord over a sharp beat. this is followed by the first of two remixes of >kao staklo<. darren roberts aka deepbass rolls out one of his trademark reworks with a deep and trippy seven-minute opus. the b side opens with swedish mastermind skudge who delivered a groovy and psychedelic minimal remix of >kao staklo<. before we re finally introduced to the original title track with its misty atmospheres and melancholic grooves. a rock solid first release.

it is time to discuss fundamentals. for his second appearance on laut & luise constantijn lange shows his interpretation of human mannerisms that contrast so much while being closely entangled. able to deliver both pain and satisfaction alike, its apparent simplicty may deliver the purest bliss while the complexity of its impact can at times feel devestating: power & love. for the first part of this pair onosizo stands by to passionately proclaim and address the true nature and dangers of power. in contrast the second part of this ep is a musical dedication to all the light hearted and emphatic moments, a chance to brighten up and an invitation to feel untroubled, if only for a few minutes. just like a mapleseed rhino would do.

if you are wondering what the artist wanted to tell you by choosing this title, we will give you a small hint: it’s a cynical statement on something that for sure every party promoter has experienced at some point. the rest, we will leave up to your imagination… in real life, there’s no mercy – neither is when it comes to the sound of this new snork release by syntax error. the four new tracks with meaningful names are not only a social criticism and another artistic processing of the current development of the techno scene, but also a classic syntax error: rough, tricky and good to groove. each track stands on its own, telling another story. “collateral cosmopolitan” is a straight forward piece with a highly memorable beat talking about the uniformity that is creeping in the waiting lines of more and more techno clubs. “i wear my grandpa’s glasses” presents a totally dodgy sound, which might be a little oldschool and even a little irritating – just like some fashion items you encounter on today’s big city streets. “no fog is no solution” is a tight song that definitely needs some good fog and a harsh strobe. and finally, the last track sounds like a futuristic fairy tale from outer space looking on the world as if it is a “society bathysphere”.

notes on a journey present dreamin a essential reissue of the private press masterpiece from chuck senrick! comes as 180g vinyl, old school tip on cover and download card)

ltd warehouse find

jun kitamura most known by his capricious label started a music event space knock in koenji tokyo. koenji is famous for giving unique music and art culture. now knock starts its own label. the labels first release is debut ep by yoshinori sakaguchi s project helios trismegistus. jun kitamura also gives a remix.

fouk might have been curating outplay since 2013, but their butterfunk ep is in fact the duos first proper ep on their own imprint. its not that theyve been resting on their laurels: they ve drip-fed a handful of eps on the likes of heist and house of disco over the past few years, and released solo efforts on kolour ltd and razor n tape that stormed the charts. it s been fascinating to see the dutch pair slowly break the mould, moving from heavy sampling in favour to an emphasis on original instrumentation and production. the butterfunk ep is fine showcase of their prowess in the studio, loaded to the hilt with contemporary dancefloor funk. things kick off with the rolling drums, off-beat percussion and seriously infectious hammond lines of organ freeman. title track butterfunk is aimed squarely at the hips with its smooth keys and perfectly placed vocal, while some acid lines give the track a little edge. flip over for the bumping wong way, a chunky workout with a rubber bassline. the finale of the ep is winter, a fantastic slice of 80s inspired downtempo mushroom jazz.

it’s time to re-engage with your inner peace as yovav follows his previous correspondant cameo (’andiamo’ on ‘compilation 05&#8242,, in case you’re wondering) with this sublime exercise in horizontalism. charmingly balmy, harmonic and hypnotic, this is the sound of yovav bathing us in a gilded sonic sunset. well… it’s not called ‘caribbean zen mode’ for nothing, remix-wise we’re in for a treat as tuff city kid gerd janson lays down a delicious hip-swaying balearic version. delicately layered with glistening guitars, chimes, harps and a rolling percussive groove that opens up into a broken swing while the steady kick matches the slinky, sultry bass notes, it comes complete with its own bonus drum groove for added deep mix creativity. inner peace found, zen mode activated.

at the movies is very proud to present this epic soundtrack on vinyl for the first time!
james horner knew when he took on the scoring of avatar that it would be the challenge of a lifetime. the music is both classic in its orchestral power, but also connects us to the soul of the na vi through the use of indigenous rhythms and vocals.
pressing on 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

nice price deal !!! gaetano parisio strikes back with the fourth release on his own label adagio muzik. refrain is an ambitious project from the will to bring new sounds into the old school beat and groove, it follows that an original work is born from sure impact to the dancefloors.

one of the most pivotal figures in the history of malian music is sorry bamba. his work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between mali s cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in mali s post-colonial period. bamba was born in 1938 in mopti. this is dissected by both the niger and bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. bamba s father was a distinguished veteran of emperor samory toure s military and a nobleman in malian society, however, this meant young sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation s caste system, music was an art form reserved for the griots.
in 1977 sorry produced his second lp for the paris based sonafric group. long out of print africa seven is pleased to be re-issuing the lp. the re-issue benefits from extensive restoration and re-mastering to a spectral analysis level, bringing and polishing long lost and distorted sounds.
check out african seven for further re-issues of sorry bamba third and first lp.

hier kommt die jährliche -soul togetherness compilation mit den besten modern-soul tracks des jahres. 15 erstklassige soul-jams, die teilweise erstmals auf tonträger erhältlich werden. mit highlights von omar zusammen mit dem los charlys orchestra, tawatha agee (gastsängerin von mtume) zusammen mit aeroplane, kenny thomas mit thames river soul (produziert von und featuring incognito), wez und the groove association, beide ex-mitglieder der brit-funk-band second image, sowie leela james (bekannt aus der us-reality-show r&b divas: los angeles, amp fiddler, faith evans, trina broussard und lifford.

not safe for wax slides into its first release with head honcho miagma’s “her palms” ep, which delivers four cuts of emotive, warehouse ready tunes, thawed out and prepped for these winter months!
the title track sets us off, combining rattling hats, blurry pads and one tough cookie of a kick to make a banger beato would be proud of. on remix duties is everyone’s favorite uk based spaniard pépe, bringing us back to those early days of ibiza with his soaring balearic vibes.
the b side flips the script on genres entirely, rumbling through with “untitled #3” a breakbeat-to-broken foot of a floor stomper. finishing out our journey is “anguish lagoon”, a proper tribute to junglists and jungles alike!

kanja records is sincerely honored to present its sixth vinyl release, based on a concept called sunday mornings. with this series of releases we will focus on that warm up, early morning, after party gems and slowly fading away from peak time music. our philosophy behind this concept is that the focus goes to the tracks being timeless, and music that you can listen to in every time of day and night. music that offers a vast variety, but in the end coming together in that sweet and warm morning glory. bidon by university of nowhere was definitely our first pick for the first track on this release. nice warm pads and steady broken beats are becoming a trademark for their production. astral control by maurice giovannini perfectly sits beside our opening track with its laid back mood and again nice moody pads. insen gathway by widovski, an opening track on our b side, with nice minimalistic grooves, warm pads and freaky background ticks, surely deserves a spot on this release. defenders of prisma by gabriele carasco and enzo pietropaolo is the final track on this vinyl release. a really special track, which has a very mysterious and sentimental vibe and nicely rounds up our sixth release.

nena’s “feuer und flamme” (german for “fire and flame”, with the additional figurative meaning of “great enthusiasm”) was released in 1985. it’s the third album by german pop band nena and the fourth studio album of its singer, gabriele “nena” kerner. the album was a success, reaching no. 2 in germany.
prompted by the success of “99 luftballons” (1984), which included english-language versions of songs from the band’s first two albums, nena recreated “feuer und flamme” in english as “it’s all in the game” (1985), with lyrics by canadian singer lisa dalbello. the experiment failed commercially and was not repeated with the band’s next album. gabriele kerner recorded a new bilingual german-english version of “anyplace, anywhere, anytime” with kim wilde in 2002.
pressing on 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

nena (1983) is the first album by german pop rock band nena and the second studio album of its singer, gabriele -nena- kerner. the album was a great success in west germany and the second single -99 luftballons- – a fable of nuclear war brought about by a bunch of balloons in the sky being mistaken on radar for a pre-emptive missile attack- successfully reached #1 in the music charts in the u.s. and worldwide.
the first nena album was released as part of the music genre called neue deutsche welle, new german wave movement in the german music. all five members of the band contributed to the songwriting. they were a unique group of musicians with a strong intuitive grasp of both classic pop and rock formulas. nena insisted that she saw herself as a member of the band and not as their leader.
the album is still regarded as an unsurpassed classic of german pop history, although most later nena albums are not far behind in quality.
pressing on 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

dancefloor alert! restoration records celebrates its ten years of activity with 4 fully-fledged club oriented tracks produced by its stalwarts lucretio and marieu, also known as the analogue cops and xenogears. the marshall is a four hands analogue cops night affair about heavy rhythms and blues, glittering cymbals, fiery breaks, and the art of sampling. lucretios deliver is a classy big room jacking tune fuelled with jumbo balearic chords, dense reverbs and a proto-digital acid line. marieus see ya tomorrow is a raw happy house anthem with a touch of jazz and a relentless drive. finally, the duo darkest moniker xenogears wisely crafted a polyrhythmic techno ground-shaking tune injected with analogue sparkles and pervaded by a steel-sky atmosphere.

musically and emotionally, superpitcher’s third full-length studio album, the golden ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus- years, emotionally. and full-length it is: the golden ravedays is an epic album of 24 longer than usual tracks that was released in january 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period. the 11th edition of the golden ravedays album will be released on hippie dance in november 2017. side a brings brothers. with two decades of spinning experience in disco’s, nightclubs, festival arenas, shady after-party zones and intimate studio soirees there is no doubt that superpitcher is seasoned in throwing a damn good party. brothers is party personified and a celebration of the night and the wise owls that respect its magical rituals. its ultra-chic disco groove and dreamy female vocals transport one to a carnival of blessings. side b features sleepy head, a hypnotic lullaby carefully tucked away in a hammock that rocks to and fro like dozing mermaids in a wavy curtain of seaweed. sleepy head is a smart artistic statement and whimsical pause just before the release of the grand finale of the the golden ravedays saga.

sciahri and dagdrom are proud to present the fifth installment of their label sublunar records.
the following release is another debut ep, this time by berlin based producer nh.
the ep consists of a selection of four heterogeneous tracks in terms of intensity and mood, and each one being singular for different reasons, but yet coherent by the round-around-the-edges production style they have been executed in their creator’s personal imagery and unorthodox approach to the techno genre.
the warmth and empathy who seem to be the driving force behind noro vanish and leave place to insanity and darkness present and growing throughout lothar. on the flip side, the eponymous track shows a rave-like up-tempo beat being outweighed by the sadness of its melodic elements, until finally in crimson, a quiet and unstoppable force pushing us out of the abyss until we reach the initial point again.

the ep opens with i need , a pulsating ear worm of a track that wastes no time in luring you into its embrace. perhaps leaving the best till last and bringing it back to the four-to-the-floor touch, theo s party is on the money, boasting that favoured 90 s house flare with a sprinkling of modern flavour designed to have fists punching the air at any time of day or night.

for its eighth release, aku welcomes pola manager of all inn records with two groovy cuts.

with movement of thought, the french duo kas:st gives us a new look on what techno should feel like. with incredible sound waves and deep melodic vibrations, this release truly is an emotional journey from beginning to end. through its techno sounds, the ep shows that music is the result of the movement of thoughts. claudio prc, one of the best techno producers around, offers his own interpretation of the b-side track, « hidden memory ».

nice price deal !!! some deeper food for thought on big & dirty. its been a while (3 years actually), since we saw new material from berlin based techno legend mijk van dijks alter ego plato. with >ashes of our dreams< mijk returns in his plato disguise and goes into a deep progressive mode. with lovely vocals from jette von roth.

nice price deal !!! a pure and intelligent progressive effort that efficiently takes the road with its hypnotic melody that scatters nice and delicate trancey vibes all over its musical passage!! includes luke porter and original mix!!

nice price deal !!! d1 has once again come up with the goods, and delivered a brilliant old skool-influenced dancefloor track featuring the incredible vocal talents of none other than jenna g. its a bonafide anthem complete with a killer remix from subscape and a d&b remix from enei, thats been getting major support from tony colemna, kasra & hype to name a few.

listen like thieves is the fifth album by australian rock band inxs. it was released in 1985 and is generally considered as their breakthrough album. inxs completes its transition into an excellent rock & roll singles band with this album.
it includes three of their greatest songs: >what you need<, >listen like thieves<, and >kiss the dirt (falling down the mountain)<.

the copenhagen based pop wonders blaue blume return with a new ep - sobs. the band formed around 6 years ago in a provincial danish town, drawn to each others love for rich, playful music. blaue blume (blue flower) is the epitome of a romantic band, their songs are brimming with love and yearning. now ‘sobs, the follow up to their ‘syzygy album in 2015, continues to build their reputation as a best kept secret, about to find a whole new audience of devotees. all four tracks for the ep were recorded in late 2016 in a three story villa, formerly owned by a religious cult. the band used the weird space away from the city to create a framework for the lyrics and the music. the band explains: blaue blume has been our band for about 6 years. in a bigger provincial town we started playing right out of highschool. at the moment we live in copenhagen and every day we play, write and work on sounds. its sort of become a life project. in our heads we make music that is playful, rich in detail and popish or somewhat smiling. for some beautifully inexplicable reason we ended up doing music together. in a way it seems sacred or at least meaningful. macabre is a happy song about being afraid of dying. some of us find that even the best life can be lonely sometimes. we found it interesting to address this taboo within the frame of a song that people could potentially dance or sing along to.

pont neuf records is back. after the great pn002 by tour-maubourg, the parisian imprint introduces another young talent from his team: taos. after the release of his first track -successes & failures- in 2017 on pont neuf compilation habemus paname vol. ii, taos unveils his first ep nights. it presents a real auditory, temporal and geographical journey, while paying homage to its many influences.

following a run of local transmissions from a sagittariun, crump, rob smith and atki2, idle hands turns its attention to berlin and the straight-up, no-nonsense techno thrust of johanna knutsson and hans berg. both respected artists and djs in their own right, the pair have been turning out 12inches together for the free spirit society, klasse and crime city disco over the past few years, but most importantly they ve been steering the excellent ufo station recordings as a vessel for their punchy, primal techno tracks. the sound on this ep taps into the pure form of stern, dark dancefloor tackle favoured at idle hands – no extraneous filler, plenty of space in the mix, but equally built with warmth and personality rather than monochrome functionality. if you need further proof, just look to the fact the ep is named after a swedish soap opera from the 90s. the bleeps and bass tones that pulse through -taggen- are so finely crafted they need not skip and dance around the arrangement. the melodic interplay on -klimax- is subtle but ultimately uplifting and optimistic where so much techno concerns itself with oppressive gloom. -bimbo- finds the pair embracing a more psychedelic approach, but even here the modulating effects processes are kept within certain boundaries so as to not dilute the impact on the floor. after all, this is music to dance to, to be felt over a large system (where possible). moving from leftfield bass excursions to minimalist 2-step, uk techno and now onto this much more continental sound, themälarviken ep continues to widen the range of idle hands musical tastes without losing sight of the complete picture.

we ve had our eyes and ears on tee mango for a while now. his debut album imperfections is a future classic in our book and the tribute series has been part of our dj-sets for a while now. in short we had to get him to do an ep for local talk. dadhaus ep is forward-thinking music with an edge (undoubtedly sharpened through countless studio hours). tee channels the deep house flavours of detroit and chicago across four tracks of exquisitely executed percussion and sample-not-sample work. its another winner from the man like tee mango.

mr. statik with previous contributions from joe claussell, move d, mr. ties, reagenz, discrete circuit and their very own away soundsystem, the berlin label away achieved a great deal of attention since its first release back in 2015. after having played at their infamous party series before, the greek all-rounder mr. statik now also debuts as a producer on away. as emphasized with releases on such labels as bpitch control, amam, or rotary cocktail, the resident of athens club six d.o.g.s draws inspiration from pop culture like science-fiction movies as well as comic books, also reflected in his rogue cherub ep. info rogue cherub ep its an open secret that mr. statik has a strong penchant for working with vocalists, and the title track is no different. starting off with an ingenious medley assembled through samples, rhythmic elements, and a funk-infused bass-line, rogue cherub ep highlights the greeks unordinary approach on house music. despite the partly broken, partly playful vibe its dave ajus distinctive voice holding everything together in a serene fashion. no less than the acknowledged master matthew herbert himself scales the hybrid down, attaching just the right disco-house touches to create yet another dance floor gem. morning star on the flipside tops off aways fifth catalogue number by a well-crafted techno-meets-dub workout unfolding mr. statiks versatile core strengths as a producer.

scissor & thread ramp up the heat with the debut release by virginias deep house don, dj aakmael. known for his infectious grooves and deep and intricate instrumentation for more than two decades, this four track ep is in no short supply of teased out, peak time, classic deep house. the titular track wastes no time on the a-side with its hard hitting kick and springy bass holding court, while a hypnotic serpentine synth snakes along. the a2, what iz deep house, is a lesson for those who dont know what true deep house is. woozy, edgy chords take the spotlight as a dissociated voice slurs, what is deep house? a relentlessly thick kick, along with sharp as razors hi-hats and snaps, throttle the track into peak time territory. on the flip, sands is an aquatic affair, with its reverb laden pads and piano chord stabs submerging the floor in pelagic atmosphere. the persistent, euphoric bassline bump effortlessly slides its hooks into the listeners ears before a celestial piano melody pierces through the depths. frank & tony take things even deeper with their late night breakaway dub, applying their signature bass line touch and hi-hat shuffle in what may be their best remix to date.

to know whats up right now, we must understand what went down in history rave history: easily one of catz n dogz most evocative, classically-informed and ferociously euphoric pieces of work to date, this is a celebration of every black wax brick laid in the foundations of dance music culture. every hand that was ever raised in sweaty exultation. every stranger whoever got hugged on the dancefloor for no reason but pure love for the moment. every whistle. every horn. every damn time. from its quintessential break to its iconic vocal via its sizzling bass-heavy groove, ‘rave history is the ultimate finale piece, a show-stopping opener or a wild mid-set excursion. it resonates with everything thats relevant now and everything thats ever been relevant. loaded with pure positivity, this will complement any style of dj set, any crowd, any age, any country. this is our dna. for added euphoric stimuli, the szczecin boys have also thrown in a kickless hype tool in the form of the feel-heavy life mix. choral pads, cascading fx, dramatic one-strike piano notes, splashing cymbals and that almighty vocal sample that comes with one essential message every single one of us can raise our sweaty hands and hug strangers to: no matter how weird things feel in the world right now, when were together with like-minded dancing neighbours, everything is going to be all right.

after the last years widely appreciated 12? with two extraterrestial dancefloor cuts on jon rusts levels imprint and a handful of now hard-to-find 7? releases, the estonian musician ruutu poiss returns to his minimal funk and leftfield synth-pop roots releasing a debut ep on international major label. the six selected homerecordings from 2011-2016 reflect almost a chronological and caleidoscopic journey through the authors musical explorations, instrumental storytelling and unique sound design, imaginatively non-locking to specific genres. the ep starts with a massive stadium-hype pop groove that soon descends into an unsteady bassline of emotional undercurrents just to illustrate a clear shift from public to highly private and minute. there onwards its a search for a way out of the rabbit hole, a trip of curious naviagtion and personal reflection. from haunting vocals to vicious toms, celestial soundscapes over restless rubbery bass, shimmering synths over polyrhythmic strcutures an environment of romantic futurism and organic transformation appears, surrounded by a warm psychedelic sound pallette. previous releases played and supported by secretsundaze, benji b, james blake, mary-anne hobbs, call super, omar-s and many others.

berlin based zehnin keeps up a fine release schedule by asking blawan to remix its inaugural ep from lucy. once again focussing on experimental, ambient and techno sounds, it is another fascinating release. blawan has been in his own sound world for years now. releasing on the likes of hessle audio, hinge finger and his own ternesc, hes made brutalist, heavily textured tracks, big room tools and dark grooves with freaky sound design. its all helped to make him one of the most interesting producers of the day, and here he shows another side to his sound. first up is his version of ‘the hermit, which is seven spacious and mysterious minutes of creeping pads and implicit rhythms. dark but inviting, its stripped back, hollowed out techno that manages to be hugely absorbing and menacing without any clearly defined drums. on the flip is the equally beguiling ‘the high priestess. deep, subliminal kicks set the tone as groaning riffs, train-track percussion and distant, tortured pads all slowly hypnotise. it builds in pressure and creeps you out as it locks you ever further in. this is evocative dead-of-night music that says a lot in impressively economical ways.

shimza, real name ashley raphala, is one of south africas brightest young talents. ascendent, his 4 tracks debut e.p. on cadenza reveals solid production skills and an innate instinct for peak-time bangers. the opening track, congo congo is a dark ride over abysmal tom-tom drums, lively percussions and a gloomy bass lead, ignited dramatically by an ensemble of wide synthetic stabs and chords. in its dub- mix, the drums and the percussion become lighter without diminishing its dynamic tension. the overall weight of the leads and the stabs is reduced, leaving more space to its intense piano and string chords and swinging sub bass. shimza - secret melodies starts with an obscure bass line, but the intense twist of fractioned rolls and arpeggios bring an ascending piano progression that quickly blooms into an uplifting symphony. selector is a deeper cut that keeps the gaze on the dancefloor: the incessant hand clapping and a cloud of low frequencies bumps unexpectedly drag its hypnotic harmonies into a breath-taking drop.