nearly 20 years ago, a little label started by releasing a handful of lathes containing stories of life in a sleepy city called perth in western australia. inspired by the ocean and the river during long hot summers, red ember’s humble pursuit is deep expression via the practice of analog synthesis. ewan jansen resurfaces to take the helm again on the 3rd vinyl release… an aquatic house music tale that is equally lost at sea as it is freely swimming in the ocean.

nice price deal !!! oldschool cyber funk sound from boogizm sensei fym. after a little break of 8 years fym is back in 2016 with a truly well crafted 4 track ep. lowmoneymusiclove is genuinely happy to welcome him to the family. so treat yourself with some proper skin serum.

new project synthetic gold records promises not only new material, but also represses from selected labels and digitally released tracks made available on vinyl for the first time. on sgr001 there s a top tune by isherwood, one of the finest works to date by the uk producer, then an old classic by the russian production duo and founders of nervmusic, easy changes. on the bside, there are works by romanian producer nu zau and a wonderful little track by welsh producer tom ellis. top collection, all remastered, and beautifully presented in brown cardboard sleeves and on 180gram vinyl!

always known as a wild maverick on the fringes of electronic music, healing force project follows up on stellar appearances for firecracker and bedouin to deliver this incisive creation to wicked bass. with drums at strange angles and a certain touch of discordant dread around the synth tones lingering in the background, one would think -kinetic drawing- is a chaotic, clamouring mess, but instead it comes on like a poised, perfect slice of transcendental mystery. for those wanting a little structure to work such a mood into the mix, who better than porn sword tobacco to shake a little salt into the track with his -yoga bbq night beach edit-?

slow futur was the name of the live soundtrack of zombie zombie for a juggling company. an add project that we decided to release some months ago, consisting in 4 tracks of 15 minutes. we were suprisingly sold out very quick. so we decided to give that record a longer life having some new mixes of one the track : hyperspace. tolouse low trax is all around the place at the moment. the amazing resident dj at salon des amareurs in dusseldorf provides a kind of sleazy remix here,that never really starts but subtlelly evolves while i:cube brings it in the dub territories, in a lush mood. enfin, gilb r provides a little reprise,putting the percussions in the front for a tropical effect.

irish lossless darling neil flynn with his second shout. knowing neil for a long time, it is great to see his evolution. contemprorary house with a little goth touch, backed by a rework of everybody’s darling trikk… massive pack! kristian

prspct xtrm #25

san francisco-based butane makes his debut on jamie jones hottrax with three hypnotizing productions this october. founder of alphahouse and little helpers, andrew rasse aka butane has been building a solid reputation as a respectable dj, producer and label owner for over a decade now. when not releasing his low-slung dancefloor focused cuts on his own imprints the multifaceted american has made appearances on sci+tec, crosstown rebels and moan. he now appears on hottrax joining a roster spanning waff, patrick topping, mat.joe, bunte bummler, raumakustik, dms12 and jamie himself. a gentle thud initiates addicted, making way for a throbbing synth that warps and distorts throughout the mix whilst a fuzzy bassline operates beneath it. lock and key focuses on intricate percussion whilst dusky atmospherics and a medley of nuances are introduced throughout before shark attack concludes the package with a rumbling low-end and compelling groove.

one more time we choose two little known gems for re-release on 45 rpm single. another single by the same group is pretty in demand by funk 45 collectors. these two sides are not that much known but they certainly deserve the same attention. while funky you is pretty good, uptempo funk, the b-side is the real beauty of this record. love come down is a fine example of chicago soul which has not been re-released yet. hopefully many people appreciate the work behind this release, from both the original musicians as well as those who are responsible for this high quality re-issue.

the turbo debut from gilmer galibard is a collection of four dark, visceral techno floor-destroyers from a young canary islands-based producer about whom we know relatively little. it also marks the labels first release to feature a swear in the title, offering a foreboding glimpse of the paranoid machine-driven warehouse terror contained within. by now you will have heard the demo in its entirety and are still dancing whether you want to or not. for my purposes, you will use the search engine optimization terms dark, visceral, techno, floor-destroyers and paranoid machine-driven warehouse terror to ensure that it finds its way to the 83 people who need to hear the release through this specific channel. you may tell people i am 26 years old and from the canary islands both facts are true and sound comforting enough but as you now know this does not matter. print this in its entirety and leave the release title unchanged. i would say ive said too much but that is impossible because as youve come to understand all of this has already happened.

classic 1989 live double lp. recorded live at the pasadena rose bowl june 18th 1988.

as our favourite victims head off to san francisco and their stateside studio of choice known as room g to put the finishing touches to their third lp, we have a beautiful little taster of what to expect in the form of the matching half ep.

es gibt den frühen acid house-holmes. sein letztes soloalbum the holy pictures (2008) atmete la düsseldorf, the jesus & mary chain und brian eno. er produzierte primal scream und jon spencer blues explosion. und er schrieb (und schreibt) unzählige hollywood-soundtracks, allen voran für steven soderberghs oceans trilogie (mit george clooney, matt damon, brad pitt). nun legt david holmes seine late night tales version vor, bestehend aus vielen, kleinen kopfkinofilmchen, in denen wir auf david crosby, buddy holly und die children of sunshine treffen. dazu gibt es reichlich exklusives holmes-eigenmaterial, kollabos mit bp fallon und jon hopkins, sowie das von ihm produzierte 10cc cover i m not in love von song sung. insgesamt sind es 9 exclusives, wozu auch die spoken word-perfomance von stephen rea zählt, der aus seamus heaneys aeneid book vi elsewhere anchises vorliest.

after releasing two albums independently (little armenia, saturday night at the magic lamp) as well as scoring music for the recent vice films release a girl walks home alone at night (produced by elijah wood), the next release from los angeles-based producer bei ru is l.a. zooo, his first instrumental beat concept record which incorporates everything from bugged-out middle eastern melodies from the 1970s to obscure electronic, funk, jazz & soul sounds. hypnotizing keyboards, pulsating bass lines, and infectious drums guide you through the l.a. zooo - a playful, yet ominous place where humans and animals coexist and weapons and armor are required for simple walks down the street.
pressing on transparent pink vinyl.

this is an official reissue of what am i gonna do for fun by the band pitch (1982 - new york city). this release also includes a fantastic remix or rework by tolouse low trax (toresch, salon des amateurs, düsseldorf). a few words from stuart shape, the producer: feels like it was done by another person. i remember getting the serge synthetiser to stay in tune was always a problem. we were fascinated with the new sampling that were just coming out, and kind of got carried away on the vocals. not sure what i was thinking about with the lyrics, guess maybe trying to figure out what i was supposed to be doing when i wasnt working or playing music unfortunately no other finished tracks from that era have survived. they recorded a lot, but finished and saved very little.

deep88 is back! here is a 7 track lp, music without any pretence, no silly fx or crazy compression/production tricks to take away from the music. just that 1988/1993 vibe with a slight balearic twist but some how avoiding to sound like a poor copy or dated. this last statement couldnt be any truer on this release. the vibe is carried through the whole ep with each consequent track then offering something a little bit different, some showing his balearic side and other tracks having a more house feel.

given the underground acclaim heaped on marie davidson s previous albums - ultra-stylish affairs that blend elements of minimal wave, dark italo-disco, off-kilter electro and moody ambient - it s little surprise to see her popping up on minimal wave offshoot cititrax. the album s nine tracks are largely sharp, rough and fuzzy, with sparse-but-dense drum machines rhythms underpinning bouncy, delay-laden synth lines, thrusting electronics and davidson s sleazy, spoken word vocals. it s an attractive combination that guarantees thrills throughout, from the almost claustrophobic throb of -denial-, to the mutant electrofunk bounce of -good vibes-.

being pioneers with a new album created in no more than 6 months, the orb are bound to be exposed to fan expectations running high, while quizzical questions about little fluffy clouds and the good old times take over. it s especially jarring as the duo of accomplished soundsmiths alex paterson and thomas fehlmann has become known for its genre-bending curiosity and surprising sonic detours, exploring experimental soundscapes as well as club-friendly beats. the funny thing is, though, that whatever the context, you know a track from the orb when you hear it. case in point: cow / chill out, world!, their latest full-length offering - a masterful ambient album that branches out in many directions, but unmistakably sounds like the orb in either ear (and probably to your third ear, too).

hifi sean, angesehener dj/produzent (ministry of sound, savage disco) und ex-frontmann der schottischen rave-band the soup dragons, liefert mit -ft.- ein party-pop-album mit gute-laune-faktor und vielen promi-features ab. die 13 tracks basieren auf sonnigen disco/funk/house/techno-grooves, während seine feature-gäste von house-queen crystal waters über funkateer bootsy collins bis avantgardistin yoko ono reichen und bei new wave-legenden wie dave ball (soft cell), fred schneider (b-52s) und alan vega (suicide) lange nicht aufhören.

limited edition exclusive release, featuring 17 of elvis presley’s most festive favourites on randomly inserted holiday red or holiday green vinyl.

after debuting their label with the return of headhunter, the trusik team returns with their second vinyl release from the ever-illusive ruffcut faculty member tremble. tremble has quietly made his presence known with reggae influenced tunes that are simultaneously roughly hewn, yet meticulous detailed in sound design. for trsk002, tremble gives us “too much terror”, which with all the daily attacks on civilians across the nations of the world, seems prescient. what starts out as sound system inspired roller slowly morphs into a technoid fusion of dread sub weight and dub techno chord flourishes. on the flipside, tremble simmers the tempo down to the 130ish range with “bwoy”. dancehall indebted sub detonations output cut vicious shapes while filtered rasta portents gradually build into a technoid climax. two killer sides for the concerning djs! for trsk002, trusik has incorporated artist ben ladieu’s immaculate pen and ink drawing into the overall aesthetic of the release. ladieu’s work is often dense, multi-layered and full of little hidden details that draw comparisons to 80’s diy punk flyers and zeke clough’s contributions to seminal dubstep label skull disco and woe to the septic heart.

cosmic & earthy dubbed out house by zarate_fix from narrabeen & dj sotofett of moss – sex tags mania. the percussive title track expands little by little until reaching a cosmic choral state, then giving space for a long-driven flute solo. b1 provides pure dub chains of percussion and an extended flute part while b2 goes further towards the beatless beautiful cosmos with soft chimey new age ambient synths.

the second release on the vinyl only series of apes go bananas finally drops. the label is the new imprint from steve bug and clé, who together make up the production team for the releases. as with the well-received first ep, all we have is straight-up, no-nonsense, dance floor-filling house tracks. lead cut ‘all we have settles right into the groove with crisp and funky percussion, chi-town chords and amazing vocal samples. its got peak time written all over it. she cargo makes its influences pretty clear via the title, and the track certainly references some of the iconic sounds of the home of house. thick, rubbery bass lines, squiggly synths and firing percussion combine to deliver a suitable a homage to the windy city. ‘ape parade is built from some similar materials, but the chords are a little more lush and deep - synth strings and keys add a sense of the epic, and everything is tied together with a sick kick / snare / hat pattern. three modern killers for the floor, infused with the spirit of classic house.

under the banner elusive of pbr streetgangs lost property these found items are rumoured to be the work of bonar bradberry from his secret vault of special edits, rare works and oddities. this volume appears to contain versions of : quartz - beyond the clouds sylvester i need you jon carpenter - escape from new york tony sherman - ello vee ee a little bird also told us that broken walls features bass & guitar by fernando and piano and keys by ron basejam limited run, individually hand stamped for your collecting pleasure.

monica hits the ground presents an 80’s industrial tape inspired release. subliminal messages and an unique sense of suffering are highlighted by his own vocals. wicked bedroom recordings, watching a decaying world through a little window.

after a quick 4 years hiatus, filled with releases on innervisions, maeve and a couple of remixes, aera is finally back on his own aleph music imprint with 3 unique tracks. a1. two planets is the most obvious track of the ep. an exercise in outsider trance, a pulsating, polyrhythmic synth propels the track forward, the intricate 707 pattern keeps a steady pace, while background strings provide all the drama. b1. stylistically reminiscent of aeras first releases on aleph music, black glitz is the deepest track of the bunch. floating on a cloud of dreamy pads and voices, that arpeggio makes you realise immediately who you are dealing with. b2. maskull is a rather ambiguous little tune. somewhat rough around the edges, sparkling in the darkness of late nights, dwelling in voices and fog, this is the one for the heads.

among all the aliases used by the great piero umiliani, m. zalla is perhaps his most rich and surprisingly multifarious: mainly used to produce experimental records that had little commercial appeal, this ‘nom de plume’ (along with moggi) is tied to memorable episodes of his career, releases such as “problemi d’oggi” (literally “today’s problems”), “mondo inquieto” (i.e. “an unsettling world”), and also “suspense”, now reissued by schema records. the vinyl release includes a cd-copy of the album.

detroits brainstorm have achieved cult status as a group among underground disco, soul and boogie aficionados worldwide. hot for you lifted from their 3rd lp from 1979 has always been a huge record for the more discerning disco jocks, those who like to dig a little deeper to find the gems. a real dancefloor burner that found favour with everyone from larry levan to daniele baldelli after it s original release. the same can be said for journey to the light, another anthemic slice of midtempo michigan soul that was hugely popular in london on its infamous -rare groove- scene, pirate radio stations and beyond. lifted from the bands second lp and oozing class journey is a stellar cut, truly essential! both of these tracks on one 12- already make this an essential release for any real soul head, but the fact that the versions featured here are private re-edits from one of the true masters of the game s private vaults makes it utterly unmissable. yes, thats right - danny krivit, disco royalty, a true pioneer and re-edit trailblazer adding his unique touch to these incredible pieces of music make this a particularly hot biscuit. danny has kindly opened up his archive and in conjunction with tabu / demon music group brings us these amazing reworkings. both tracks have been lovingly edited and tweaked by mr.k himself with dj s and dancers in mind. 100% legit!

limitierte wiederveröffentlichung von turntablerockers 2001er album classic. erscheint auf doppel-vinyl inklusive cd.

eyetone returns with 005 which deviates away from the exploratory vibes probed in the previous release which was well received and instead shifts right back with intent for the dance floor. an ep which is very much a greek affair, featuring two deep, dubby cuts from la based greek producer maheras and a special extended techno piece by newcomer to the scene artemis soy. maheras sound spits a hybrid of sounds that range from dark techno, groovy disco and soulful house. expanding his personal style by working under new aliases with talented vocalists and collaborating in projects such as cazion and plastic love, maheras continues to explore the vast sphere of electronic music without any limits.

after a run of releases including music from rex club residents d julz and phil weeks, and a beautiful atlantic breakaway with fred p, rex club music brings in the boss of poker flat recordings, the maestro himself, steve bug. a gentleman and a scholar who has been a key figure of the techno scene since its very early days, steve bug is also the mastermind behind a prolific and in demand label. he is a man who is always on point, looking to the future, maintaining the present and drawing on the past to operate in that magical intersection between the different eras of time.indulge in this short course of rexology for proof of his mastery, which is expertly applied with this polished new ep.first up we have ‘what’s happened’, a track that occupies the space between tech house, acid and dub. get ready for some hard stepping on the dance floor when this track is unleashed. then rod goes in hard with two remixes of ‘what’s happened’, upping the ante, increasing the tempo and urgency to create an air of emergency. with ‘remix one’ rod has us on high alert, while ‘remix two’ focuses a little more on the groove and catchy analogue flashes. on the flip we have a night of ‘berlinian rexing’, with its time-lapse atmosphere allowing us to teleport between berlin and paris in a cacophony of whirring synths and uplifting stabs. the track plays on timelessness, creating classic tropes and creating the kind of atmosphere that underpins all of the most unforgettable nights.

valioso015, refreshing sound from our friend and talented artists called sithòu. joining the valioso family in 2015, his track * baequm* on our valioso & friends va was already a little preview regarding his skills in productions. sithou delivers a solid two tracker, starting with * oso* a very special track consisting an impressive guitar as the main motif. taking a look on * delia* including a memorable vocal and an hypnotic atmosphere, lizz reshaped this tune into a beauty with musical influences from his romanian heritage.

the sixth release in this series of eight opens up with alexander kowalskis remix of lydia to the edge of panic on the a-side. kowalskis version is a pounding techno monster, with a heaving baseline and delayed chords, hinting at a more sinister dimension beyond the edge of panic. trolly routes (aka. oscar mulero) remix of miscellaneous pt. 7 on a-2, lulls and hypnotizes with an acid-tinged interpretation of the original track, that nods to the plus 8 school of techno. the b-side kicks off with jeff rushins remix of little green apples, pairing the spacious and beautifully gloomy background atmosphere of the original track with a heavier version of its rhythmic framework. the final track gives us the re-mastered original version of confort corpse, which displays christian morgensterns uncanny dedication to exploration and his love for the 80s.

first double ep from acme boss alex font, you can feel the full spectrum of his sound in this limited 200 only vinyl ep

minds dissolve. profound & hypnotic. here we know no bounds. embodying the labels exploratory ethos. a diverse spectrum is translated in an overwhelming way bringing to life the next paranoid dancer remixed. radial (mord), dubspeeka (drumcode) and ryan james ford (mdr) let the trip begin.

schwarzes doppel-vinyl im klappcover, downloadcode inklusive.
die entstehung von “and the anonymous nobody” hat einige jahre gedauert. es war der wunsch der band ein sample-basiertes album aufzunehmen im stile von “3 feet high and rising”. um zum ziel zu gelangen, nahmen de la soul über 300 stunden musik in den verschiedensten stilen auf - von bossa nova über soul, hiphop, funk, disco bis zu reggae - und erschufen so ihr eigenes arsenal an instrumental-alben, aus denen sie samplen konnten.
ein weiteres wichtiges merkmal von “and the anonymous nobody” sind die zahlreichen gast-feature, die dem album noch mal eine enorme vielschichtigkeit geben. die liste der gastmusiker auf “and the anonymous nobody” ist entsprechend illuster wie spannend: damon albarn, david byrne, snoop dogg, usher, 2chainz, pete rock, justin hawkins, jill scott, estelle und roc marciano - sie alle leisten ihren beitrag zum neuen album von de la soul.

no light at the end of the tunnel. no helping hand to pull you out of the hole. no second chances. no god to cure this deadly disease. no heaven to save your soul after your final seconds... hope will hold on, but in the end, death shall claim it. all this, we understand a little more, day by day. we will experience our absolute zero, and the stages of life that come as close. we think that we will never recover and that we are not strong enough to fight against it. our immaculate, peaceful souls, that we begin our lives with, start to bleed, and slowly get torn into, bit by bit by the cold hard truth that breaks our protective walls. we learn to handle and accept this even as pieces of us shatter and die every time a little bit more inside us. to give light, we must endure burning. but what if everything we are able to burn is gone? there is no other way... we are falling apart a bit more, every day... dedicated to this state of mind.

light in the attic reissues their impossible to find 1969 album, originally out on third world recordings ! 5 on kurt cobains top 50 favorite albums. philosophy of the world is a collection of garage rock tunes that balanced charm and discordance in equal measure. in 1968, three sisters from fremont, new hampshire strapped on their instruments and declared themselves the shaggs. at that moment begun a peculiar tale that would last far beyond the groups five-year run. dot, betty and helen (and occasionally rachel, the fourth sister) played in the group on the insistence of their father, austin wiggin jr., who was convinced they were going to be big. years earlier, austins mother gave him a palm reading, predicting that her son would marry a strawberry blonde woman, that he would have two sons after his mother died, and that his daughters would form a popular music outfit. the first two became reality, so austin was certain the third would follow suit.

limited first pressing of 500 numbered copies on yellow 180 gram vinyl, including 4 page booklet and housed in a pvc protective sleeve.
pelé: birth of a legend tells the miraculous story of the legendary soccer player’s rise to glory from a young boy, to the 17 year old who scored the winning goal in brazil’s first ever world cup victory in 1958. from a life full of disadvantages and an impoverished youth in brazil, pelé used his unorthodox yet authentic style of play and his unbeatable spirit to overcome all odds, find greatness and inspire a country that he changed forever.
the original motion picture soundtrack, comprised of several styles of latin music, is composed by the indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist a.r. rahman (slumdog millionaire). described as the world s most prominent and prolific film composer by time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and traditional orchestral arrangements. rahman won many awards including two academy awards, two grammy awards, a bafta award, a golden globe and four national film awards.

munich based pair jorkes are something of an enigma, having appeared on the scene recently with a fully formed sound and a desire to let their music do the speaking for them. musically the duo seem to be operating with few boundaries, looking to express their emotional states through their music with scant consideration for styles or genres. this latest release sees jorkes team up with fellow munich resident and vocalist karol schmejchel to deliver a slice of evocative, slo-mo nu-disco. the release kicks of with the original mix of thank you, marrying chugging drums and warm bass with stirring pads and the emotionally charged vocals of schmejchel. its a perfect track for dark backrooms and home lounging alike. the remix comes from manchester trio menage a trois who deliver a sonical beautiful reworking built around heartwrenching keys and heavily reverbed guitar parts. simple understated drums carrying the record along as their vocal treatment soars towards the heavens, this is sublime stuff. the vinyl release will also feature an exclusive instrumental of the menage a trois mix for those who like things a little more stripped back. in keeping with jorkes creative outlook, and following on from their previous release, there will be an exclusive music video of thank you forthcoming which is likely to set pulses racing once again! thanks for purchasing a real copy!

the ep entitled deceased unknown, a seemingly morbid piece of art (art/music) but look a little deeper! this ep sees b12 pick up the pace from their previous firescope release brokenunbroken “coduktor” an organ plays some subtle chords behind this track while beautiful drums skip along on top, to create a sonic backdrop for the very quirky melodies and top lines that constantly evolve and interpolate. a spiritual experience ? “dont look down” 808 and 909 drum and pads always a killer combination add to this an odd malformed bass line which never really reveals quite what it is doing makes for a pretty interesting track. don’t look down where is the question “blue and green capsule” a pumping kick drum sets the pace for this track which builds up using classic b12 style drums. the swirling pads and sliding melodies interlaced make this track reminiscent of “epillion” as featured on the classic b12 album “time tourist” on warp records in 1996. a track you can move your feet as well as your head to “minor decay” brain decay , world decay , urban decay , human decay , music decay, unavoidable decay - a simple straightforward techno track using its simplicity to conjure up feelings of sadness and thoughtfulness as well as joy and hope. a new hope finished in glorious red with black splatter vinyl with exclusive artwork by sarah sparkes

final ep of trevor jacksons nine volume series, title track little things features a young (pre four tet) kieran hebden on guitar, an extended blissed out ambient cosmic jam flipped with slo mo tribal percussive work out + life and 4 u a minneapolis style electro funk ode to the island life. 250 copies, dont sleep!

this the second album by big funk factory d-funkt! the soundtrack to the story transaction declined traces the final adventure of dweeb droid and introduces aged rocker awm, whose perfidious character we will suffer a good deal more in the final chapter of the big funk epic bucky ball. anyway back to d-funkt! the band s usual cast features amongst others mat johnson (jamiroquai, laura doggit, julian perretta, duffy) as the nerdmeister general on keyboards. wayne nunes and perry melius (tricky, aswad, billy ocean) as that tall bloke and the metrognome on bass and drums

after completing his debut 12- for 100% silk (which saw a release in feb 2016) hubert clarke jr spent most of 2015 focused on pushing the music of others, through sydney s newest record store, outer time inner space. owning and being surrounded by a literal shop full of records provided motivation and inspiration but left little time for writing.

minimood continues with a deep piece of heady minimal from esteem german producer sascha dive with a mesmerizing remix by celebrated dutch producer ion ludwig. the after the storm ep is released on vinyl only. after the storm is ten sumptuous minutes of moody and atmospheric deep minimal house with warbling synths, meandering drums and spooky, spaced out atmospheres. the drums roll on free from any friction and the pads are delicate, elegant affairs that circle round you and leave you hanging in a wide open space. vocals sounds like those from a spaceship s pa and lend the whole thing a sense that you are voyaging through the galaxies. it is a truly burrowing track that gets right into your mind, body and soul. ion ludwig s remix is quicker and more synthetic, with waify pads, gently breaking waves and fizzing little modular synth lines that are crisp and rhythmic and will fit perfectly into a set by the likes of ricardo villalobos. this is classy and subtle music that is stripped back and slow burning yet has a huge impact.

if you love contemporary minimal music, then you are certainly familiar with the greek artist stathis leontiadis. with his bands human puppets, exetix and plexiglas this musician became one of the stars of the genre. now he is back with doric. with this solo project he already released a single and an album on fabrika and a 10- on domestica. the new release is once again a 10-, this time on peripheral minimal. doric uses a special concept. the a-side is the so-called asleep side and is about loneliness: music that sounds paranoid. sleep of reason is almost unbearable, it s madness driven by minimal electronics. everything is very danceable, but this is the dance of madness. the minimal sound comes straight from the 80s. over my dreamssounds a bit like the early parade ground. simply great! head against the wall (a title that needs little explanation) is slow and compelling.

there is an alternative reality known as the big funk factory. those unsuspecting travellers who fall into this other place find themselves exposed to many characters and tales from this universe.

the formula was simple: marry bubblegum and soul to the absolute sincerity of an enthusiastic child, cross your fingers and pray for airplay. but while the youthful sums of that formula may have grown up and walked away from their illusions of stardom, their permanent records remain. by 1973, michael, tito, jermaine, marlon and jackie were as hip as kids could get—household names, with lunchboxes, coloring books, a saturday morning cartoon, and an alpha-bits cereal commercial pushing the j5 brand onto any kid with television reception. their impressive run of four consecutive #1 singles playing on both pop and r&b stations cemented their appeal to both whites and blacks, prompting mgm to launch the osmonds as the safer (read: white) alternative. and parents? well michael had that wrapped up with his impossible-not-to-love mini-james brown thing. even their song selection straddled both sides, with “zip a dee do dah” and “abc” for kids, and contemporary standards “standing in the shadows of love” and “my cherie amour” for the older crowd. this extreme marketing and merchandising juggernaut created the kid soul explosion. a decade removed from our acclaimed home schooled compilation comes a fresh batch of talent show titans. with enterprising parents, neighbors, and teachers turning play dates into recording dates, groups like magical connection, little man and the inquires, and five ounces of soul emulated the jacksons, who’d made grade-school stardom appear easy as abc. afterschool special: the 123s of kid soul contains 19 tiny tunes ranging from bilingual d.a.r.e. anthem, to james brown bio, to young love and life beyond the playground.

one of house musics true originators, todd terry was first discovered by pioneering new york house imprint fourth floor records. now the label has collected four of his earliest and most essential productions on to one 12inch vinyl. the a-side houses a pair of tracks created under his black riot alias in 1988, both featuring his trademark raw, jacking drums. the unmistakable rave stabs on a day in the life were to reappear on countless hardcore records, testament to the tracks influence, whilst the cut-and-paste sample patchwork of warlock defines the house sound of that era. meanwhile, the b-side features two tracks as masters at work, a moniker that todd would later pass on to his friends little louie vega and kenny dope gonzalez. both alright alright and dum dum cry, originally released in 1987, exhibit terrys musical roots, combining hip-hop breakbeats, powerful electro-funk and playful freestyle melodies in his inimitable style.