cocker kicks off a collectable series of bargain-priced finders keepers compilations made to support the label in light of the recent warehouse fire at pias north london depot. a long time fan of the label and their doings, he was granted full access to rifle their catalogue and hes picked some absolute treats for ya, including, if were not mistaken, some which have never appeared on cd before. to start theres the perspicacious poetics of carol battens beeing, besides the legendary pseudo j-pop of yamasuki (made by none other than thomas -daft punk- bangalters dad!), besides a first cd appearance for jacky chalards super man, super cool from the cache cache 12-. youll also find a nugget from the stone soundtrack, one of the labels finest moments from amrals trinidad cavaliers steel drum orchestra, the glam prog of gongs rational anthem, balearic prog from fusioon, tender folk from jane weaver with wendy flower, and a bonus moment in jean claude vanniers au desepoir des singles. top picks, well recommended!

drawing from a rich sonic palette, man without country splice glacial guitar ripples with an eerie synth pulse to create music both complex and all embracing. their debut ep kicks off with king complex, taken from forthcoming album foe and indicative of mwcs ability to morph their source material into anthems when you least expect it, the tracks tinkling keyboard led intro exploding into a euphoric dancefloor chorus. the melody belies a darker sentiment behind the lyrics on king complex -you are a true parasite / and youre the bane of my life- ryan concedes that -they are personal and bitter-. this contrast between melody and lyric is a common theme across their debut long player. the six track ep features a further 3 tracks from foe Ð inflammable heart, ebb & flow and iceberg plus the sei a remix of king complex. xi is exclusive to this ep.

dj diamond is 24 year old karlis griffin from the west side of chicago. he has been producing music since the age of 13 and djing since 20, heading the -flight muzik- clique of footwork producers. you might recall his two tracks from our -bangs & works vol.1- footwork compilation of last year. in addition hes also released several mix cds in chicago, but this, his first international album showcases his unique style of footwork music. dj diamond is a unique producer with his own distinct style and an unusual ear for unexpected sonic and rhythmic combinations within the footwork template. often he thoroughly edits samples into tiny trance-inducing, techno-like stabs. combining this with a penchant for neon synths and loose, broken drums (that are often more effect-laden and freeform than those of of his peers) and you have a sound which has an intriguing, deeper, dreamlike feel. the breadth and quality of his production is clear when you listen to this album. take opener -rep yo clique-s woozy drawling synths and tribal tom patterns next to -speakerz n tonguez- with it-s snapping snares, minimal, repetitive voice samples and martial, detailed drum work. then a track like -torture rack- which is like grime in outer space: a minimal bassline and some samples from a computer game, while a bass kick stumbles at half time, swarms of percussive detail giving it drama. its a brilliant exercise in wonky tension. the extraordinary -decoded- comes across like a kind of amalgam of trance and prog rock bombast at 160bpm while -wreckageÕs- high pitch saw noise is like a strange metallic bird-call, over light cymbals, gabba-like kicks and metallic claps. -digimons- harmonic microedits could even be an snd track transported to chicago. finally the albums closer -i choose you- rolls out over a heavily edited and processed soul sample, its drums rolling off at odd angles to almost seasick effect.

fŸr viele popfans sind die stereo mcs die band aus den frŸhen 90er jahren, als ihre dritte lp >connected< zwei brit awards gewann und millionen exemplare verkaufte. wie ihr neues album >emperors nightingale< nahe legt, ist die wahre geschichte hinter dieser band etwas kompliziert und vor allem sehr faszinierend. ihr erstes frisches material seit connected veršffentlichte das duo erst 1999 auf einem dj-mix-album (>dj kicks< auf !k7). das follow-up folgte 2001 mit >deep down & dirty< - uk album charts top 20, und einige fans finden bis heute, es ist das beste werk des duos aller zeiten! 2005 kehrten sie zurŸck mit dem album >paradise< und schlossen gut drei jahre spŠter mit dem elektronischeren >double bubble< an. auf >emperors nightingale< bekommen wir nun zu hšren, was hallam und birch schon seit langem tun wollten: nŠmlich hip hops philosophie dazu zu nutzen, musik zu schaffen, die keinen regeln folgt au§er ihren eigenen. siehaben zum ersten mal Ÿberhaupt mit anderen kŸnstlern komponiert: bruce woolley (trevor horn - er war co-autor von video killed the radio star und slave to the rhythm), nathan drake und greg fleming (deekline and wizard, the london punks). statt grooves auf sample-loops und beats aufzubauen haben sie sich nun auf old-school jam sessions gestŸtzt - mit bass, gitarre, drums und vocals.

nick karamalakis from greece is the man behind the project -infinity-,also well known from the duo progenitor. over the years nick had some releases at namful labels like iono music, blue tunes, mikrokosmos,y.s.e., spintwist, aphonix e.t.c and on all tracks he received overwhelming reactions. infinitys productions incorporate a strong rhythmic and musical feel whilst remaining deep and stompy - a combination which gets any progressive floor moving! his debut album -control group- features nine previously unreleased progressive trance tracks with thumping kicks, groovy rythms and deeply pushing baselines,produced with a crispy fat morning sound that takes the listener on a journey of great emotions. be ready for another iono top release, coming from greece, one of the international hot spots of progressive trance, presented by an highly ambititious artist.

jeroen secret cinema verheij launched gem records in december of 2009. the label represents the versatile array of sounds that verheij himself plays in his dj sets. the first two releases came from dutch super talents and secret cinema protŽgŽs egbert and peter horrevorts. welcome to my club mixed by secret cinema explores the realms of verheijs club sound and his flavors for the coming season. the package includes the latest release on gem secret cinema glad chord (gem003) and an exclusive preview of two tracks from the forthcoming ep haasten by egbert (gem004). the cd kicks off with vintage synth chords from jamie lloyd but soon twists in another direction with the sexy g-funk electro beats of big bully. after that, the cd picks up pace and reveals the energy that drives secret cinemas sets. with 20 tracks on the cd, this is one of the most action packed compilations out at the moment and takes the listener on an audible trip beyond stylistic barriers in electronic music.

time for the party season again (as if there is just one!). the days get shorter and colder but the nights certainly get longer, (and with a housexy dj playing certainly much hotter!), which can only mean a good thing for a good night out... with office parties, over indulgence, a new winter wardrobe and lots of events on the social calendar, the season of good will really kicks into gear housexy style! with our winter parties all over the world we hope that housexy winter becomes your soundtrack to the silly season. everyone is making an effort, including us, so get your dancing shoes on and leave your coats at the door,with tracks from eric prydz, x press 2, mark knight, the japanese popstars, joey negro, martin solvieg and many more... its going to be a long night!

motorcitysoul are frankfurt veterans and deep house pioneers matthias vogt and christian rindermann (aka c-rock). a feast of lush melodies and harmonies, lovingly crafted beats and percussion, ambient excellence and smart vocal numbers. on the albums title c- rock explains: >its an elegant word that refers to the way we work and hopefully how our music sounds. were very technically focused yet we aim for our music to have genuine soul and warmth. we also do everything in the studio so technique is the key to that.< .the start/deliver me kicks off the journey into the motorcitysoul sound, enlisting the vocal talents of swedish vocalist ernesto to complement the soulful, summer-tinged house grooves. as the lush chords build and the vocals progress, its clear this uplifting opener is one thatll have you rolling down your car window with a smile on your face. >maybe its a risk to start a house based concept album with such a soulful track but we dont have to justify it, because of the soul in our name<, says c-rock wryly. >space kŠtzle< was originally a hit last year on aus music, >space cats< (as it translates) sees matthias and c- rock use their studio expertise to layer together lavish arpeggios and harmonies that treat you to an almost cosmic house voyage. solar is the first >ode to the cinema soundtrack< offering on the album and sees the guys get experimental in the studio with deep trippy keys layered with mad aquatic sounds. .c