over the course of four unforgettable eps released on throne of blood since 2013, hardway brother sean johnston has cultivated a broad international following for his singular brand of dancefloor fodder. best known as one half of legendary dj team a love from outer space alongside the one-and-only andrew weatherall, johnston’s roots in the dance music scene include a clutch of leftfield 90’s era bangers on labels like sabres of paradise and flashcomm. beyond his original output, johnston has also remixed the likes of man power, the asphodells, museum of love, split secs, clandestino and many more. the laser ep is peaktime hardway bros business. friedman feedback loop revision (a nod to tob boss james friedmans highly-valued opinions) is a masterclass in efficient simplicity, elevating a few basic loops into an exhilarating 8 minute monster. the laser rounds out the a side with a classic electro rhythm/bass/vocal sample combo could easily have landed in retro territory. instead, hardway bros easily flips a clutch of oldschool tricks into an utterly modern execution. the b-side finds tobs label manager max pask injecting friedman feedback loop revision with his love for all things analog and italo. with his impressive collection of synths brought to life by chinatown records brennan green, the song is transformed into an epic set closer thats already devasting dancefloors like berlins panorama bar. the ep closes with afro sirene, a midtempo groover with melodic arpeggios built for the discerning djs warm-up set.

ori alboher, a.k.a. ori, a berlin based singer/songwriter and producer from jerusalem releases his second solo album “1986”. after his move to berlin, influenced by the city’s abundance of scenes and anonymity, he returned to his very core. “1986” creates a genre somewhere between electronica, r&b, pop and ambient, blending organic soundscapes with electronic influences, exposing his fragile and disarming voice with modified human vocals, loops and beats. ori builds up melodic, rhythmic and repetitive structures that pull you into his music, creating moods that oscillate between intimacy and distant depths. like swimming in a pleasant ocean yet struggling to keep your breath… the vinyl release includes a download code.

get in the car, we re goin to the cirque du freque, starring normal ones, deepchord, and lost lake. a journey from the murky depths to the boogie caves, from your pals at make mistakes. on the a side, deepchord crafts a driving, shifting, wall of noise. melodic stabs and resonant fuzz coat a pulsing beat and bass. hypnotic and divine, deepchord s take on the original is a potent, psychedelic tool for the late night warehouse dance floor. the original shines bright, a playful groove with an undercurrent of menace. with that sweet, sweet growling bass, and tip-a-tap percs, skittering all about, cirque du freque brings the dirty heat. cirque du freque carries an old school vibe, with modern sensibilities, a memorable jam for sweaty frantic, nights. every time the label features lost lake, he delivers an original, compelling dance floor jam, while retaining a warm, familial vibe. you ll know it when you hear it, as lost lake s pure electro funk works its way through your soul. one of those tracks you drop down into to relieve some pressure in the room, a deep sigh of release in preparation for the next round. as always, make mistakes brings high quality and varied content to the table. cirque du freque is another versatile, high quality record, that any dj can stick in their crate knowing it ll find a way to fill a special moment in any nigh

orlando voorn is back on tarvisium electronique with secret society, a mysterious, obscure and psychedelic ep exuding the essence of detroit techno. side a of the vinyl features the title track in which voorn melts the analogic rhythm with a spectral melodic pattern. side b features two tracks, playing for keeps, a techno bolt of lightning bound straight for the dancefloor and rush, a track characterized by a mechanical, analogic and highly experimental sound. to conclude the ep the label manager, steve lorenz, has composed a remix of secret society with an avant-garde fusion of minimal, acid and detroit techno.

greenvision is the collaborative brainchild of two esp institute artists, juan ramos and luca trentini aka trent, both longtime fixtures of berlin’s infamous playground known as cocktail d’amore. separately, these two explore their own very personal avenues of expression, putting their time in the trenches and endlessly polishing their works (this makes juan’s third release with the label), but when their efforts overlap we’re gifted a view into their uncanny synergy. juan and trent channel an exorbitant amount of smoke-fueled creativity, building layers upon layers into music so dense that the bulk of their studio time might then be spent navigating and formalizing their output into tangible tracks. greenvison’s collective debut with the esp institute showcases three intense cerebral workouts, banana paradiso, rambutan and the color of maracuja, an array of experiments pulling from all the corners of the duo’s imagination—it is disorienting, cacophonous, introverted and psychedelic, but at the same time playful, melodic, euphoric and undoubtably arresting—guaranteed to induce hallucinations under proper circumstances. we welcome the induction of greenvision to the esp institute, and with us as your guide, we welcome you to accompany on our descent into their abyss. try not to get lost.

after a big contribution to our tenth release compilation back in 2014 (via his track “4×4&#8243,), defekt makes a long overdue full ep debut on earwiggle with his most overloaded 12” to date. while recently conspiring to make the first tinfoil album, he applies some similar grit here, while still retaining enough classic defekt components. displaying the full repertoire of his sound over 5 tracks – from tougher techno to acid to melodic electro to ebm – every one here is a killer in its own right. do not miss! early support from ben ufo, dave clarke, the hacker, boddika, boys noize, uvb, perc and more.

georgian producer hamatsuki appeared on gasp last year with the uncertain loops cassette release, but makes his vinyl debut on this damn fine 12- for the recently minted sensu label. -remember- is a rich, undulating swirl of deep house laden with melancholic pads, while -rett- sports a sunnier tone for its own arsenal of soft, rounded synth tones. dj sports comes on board for a remix of -rett- that plays with said synths and creates springy, computer jazz melodic threads out of them. -inexplainable inner sadness- completes the set with another trip into warm, chicago-indebted house tones for the introspective dancer.

the dundee label has produced their first vinyl release which contains hypnotic-electro tracks on both sides. side-a comes from the french-duo, crossmods who have supplied three guaranteed dance floor- fillers with a snappy electronic feel throughout. on the flip-side, edmundy and j wax have taken care of supplying two equally intricate melodic electro tracks to put the dundee electro-scene on the ma

in the 5th installment of our various ep series, we continue our journey through both international and georgian soundscapes. put the needle on the a side, and you’ll find yourself in a melodic electro labyrinth. the journey goes on with the hypnotizing grandezza of a big room. the a-side closes with a spaced out sketch, deeply dedicated to rave reminiscences. what happens when electronic music resonates with eastern territories? flip the record to find out. distorted kicks and dirty drums, like ruins of an empire long gone, clash with house samples. our second georgian artist keeps it dirty: intertwined melodies tell fairy tales of landscapes both familiar and foreign.

berlin based jens dohle is a man of many talents. an accomplished composer and arranger for theatre productions across europe, classically trained multi instrumentalist, explosive live drummer for ye:solar, munk, hot coins, sado opera. longtime collaborator with danilo plessow aka mcde and noema from african shakedown fame. remixer for jazzanova and 4 hero. there s not enough room here to list his amazing work. 2018 ushers forth a new identity to his already enviable c.v with his first ep as james dole (a jokingly anglicised version of his birth name). the 3 tracks here all showcase his ability to create a strong mood and use great splashes of melody and rhythm but without ever losing the groove. written during a period of introspection in deepest, darkest berlin, each one tells a different story. ex is a moody monster of a track. it builds and builds into a pounding nightime symphony with a kind of epic-ness which hints at many years spent mining the highs and lows of music, love and life. big room yet with a gut wrenching soul beneath the slightly flamboyant majesty. made in east berlin and well road tested in the cities debauched nightclubs. fantasia shows off mr doles jazz and broken beat background with rolling, funky drums sashaying with hip hoppy live jazz keys. then those signature euphoric yet melancholic synths appear halfway through the track to create an emotionally halcyon mood. wibes. the ep closes with grande. super melodic yet cinematic with amazing synth work and a sophisticated arrangement showcasing james s well trained musicianship and artistry. an opus of melody and longing built for italian arthouse films about unrequited love. dj support from - midland, honey soundsystem, sandrino, jimpster, ame, dvs1, shadow child, joe goddard, red rack em, futureboogie, soft rocks, domenic cappello, downtown party network, danny russell

around 6 months after the success of the first lateral fragments vinyl, pjotr g & dubiosity return for part two. they continue where they left off, serving some deep, melodic vibes on tabula rasa and outage. with turmoil, the duo takes a bit of a different approach. the warm synths make way for some more hypnotic, raw vibes. petter b delivers a truly grand remix for turmoil, which is as fitting to lateral fragments as it is to your sets.

sam vicary a.k.a hunrosa (meaning “to dream”) is an electronic music producer capturing the wild organic senses of his childhood and anchoring it with a darker 2am undercurrent. based in manchester, he is principally a bassist and currently a member of the cinematic orchestra, paper tiger and the dominic j marshall trio, as well as performing with manu delago, imogen heap, matthew halsall, anil sebastian and stuart macallum. his latest offering “ransome” is a heavily rhythmic journey, full of textured hand percussion and soaring strings, accompanied by the beautifully melodic vocals of alice higgins drifting overhead. the clap clap remix sees the black acre mainstay exploring expansive territories, polyrhythmic hand percussion and textured electronica perfectly intertwine, drenched in dub ambience, heightened by scattered arpeggios and swirling synths. the music is inspired by a coastal upbringing, represented in the music via field recordings, as well as being aided by visual stimulus throughout the writing process.

detroit producers omar s & brian kage team up to bring you thru the madness ep. thru the madness has all the elements of a classic dance music collaboration. the tune showcases omar s raw and funky analog bass playing and drum programming combined with brian kage signature warm melodic synth lines and chord structures. the clever use of a catchy 90’s vocal sample helps solidify and unify the composition. thru the madness (honk & nik mix) takes a deeper approach by adding a deep detroit-style dx pad, nile rodger-esque funk guitars parts, and vintage drum breaks that will keep the party moving into the late night hours. like dutch & dillon from predator, some times you gotta get thru the madness!

transcendent records is proud to present a new immersive cinematic techno release by a french producer who goes under the name of ersatz olfolks. some might already know him from previous releases on singular records and cheap. for a producer with only two records behind him we think he already has a bright voice within the overcrowded musical techno landscape. heliopolis is the city of the sun and was the theological center of the greatest sun temple of pharaonic times. the sunrays bring brightness but we also find ourselves in the darkest ominous shades of an eclipse. we were instantly captivated by his contra dictionary sound that is filled with subtle harmonic distortions and sophisticated melodic and evolving modular patterns. heliopolis ep is a careful selection of works recorded during live sessions. this is our definition of techno! pressing of 300 copies in special silver sleeve.

our boss claude vonstroke is the busiest guy we know. when hes not traveling the world or curating an event, hes in the studio every day putting in hours upon hours, relentless in perfecting his craft. hes had a slew of hits the past couple years in the form of remixes and collaborations, and now with the walay (my bae) ep, claude gets back to some inventive and somewhat out of the box solo works. the title song leads with a melodic riff and an funky vocal that sounds like a defective cyborg is proclaiming love for his partner, walay. this quasi-human uses the slang my bae to try and pass for human and we almost believe in his passion. the sound harkens back to old classic rave tracks but also pushes very modern production techniques. on the flip, raw nerve is an emotional exploration in both sounds and lyrics. a melancholy vonstroke dives deep into his insecurities and fears with sonically mutated lyrics like im feeling so sad, im feeling real bad today. when i see you on the street i dont want to compete. you can feel the social instability oozing out of the vocal only to come back at the close with a violently hard bassline embodying the personal angst and frustration that goes along with not fitting in.

verdant recordings 3rd ep is a collaboration between the rising talent aos and sonitus eco. a debut release on vinyl for aos who has previously released digitally on blankstairs with the enchanting 90 east minialbum. sonitus eco should be well know for his own harr label and for his majestic ambient and dub techno projects with silent season. on this release both bring their love of deep atmospheric and melodic techno for two original works which are then reconstructed by each other. its fascinating to hear how these tracks reshape the original signatures. an ep that reaches for the stars and yet is subtly introspective and melancholy. 180g pressing an once again the artwork features the beautiful colours of sophie o leary.

chris weeks has been building up the kingbastard catalogue for a long time now, generally taking a self-reliant approach in the underground electronica scene where cd-r releases reign supreme. hes been a key figure on ambidextrous since the label launched back in 2008, and now he s committed to wax with a range of crunched up leftfield sonics for the machine-loving crowd. anxiety is a melodic cut with a house-minded structure, but theres a lot of production acrobatics and compositional swerves taking place within this framework. scatterbrain is more overtly out there, tapping up the kind of heavily processed sounds that producers like paradroid have championed in the past. data loss strike a heavy blow somewhere between dubstep and electro, and data ctrl ups the tempo for a rabble-rousing exercise in mind-bending machine music

“den heliga Ån” (the sacred river) is the debut album of ambient wizard and techno connoisseur aos. the album is themed around the river helge Å that runs through the town of Åhus in the southern parts of sweden. the town in which aos grew up. the music reflects both a deep love of the river and the nature that surrounds it and has a melancholic feel of a time passed by.
on the course of this album aos invites us to take the journey on the river with him: from the sweeping electronic gestures of timelessness in tiden upphör vid mölleholmen, via the melodic pings that can be heard throughout graften, and the ritualistic electronics at play in jag eldar vass vid kavrö until the blissful mellowness of vår i biflödena – where spring has arrived, and both the river and the music are filled with a calm melancholy, yet joyful in its celebration of a winter that is ending.
this debut album collects six tracks of soft techno, ambient atmospheres and field recordings with a close attention to details, harmonics and electronics.

after gaining international praise from their hugely successful ep, l.d.o.e , aaaron & deckert return to the stage, this time debuting their forthcoming ep, wide eyes , on scatcity records. the pair offer more of their immersive and melodic techno, with jmii and skatman coming through on the remix duties.

while attempting and failing to apprehend the shadowy figure known as max abysmal during a frenzied chase through the underground amsterdam arts establishment het skatecafe, we recovered a boxed reel of quarter-inch tape. intelligent assets have confirmed that this contains musical recordings of the type used to pass on coded messages to the safe trip organisation. the first recording we have titled donna, dont stop. we include it with this message so you can perform your own anaylsis. note the use of a rising and falling electronic motif capable of inducing a trance-like state in those untrained in listening to electronic music this potent and emotive. sutekhs mirage, the second coded composition, is bolder and warmer in tone, making use of dazzlingly colourful melodic patterns and passages of percussion that reference polyrhythms. do not be fooled by the surface beauty of this recording: it is capable of inducing hallucinations and irregular heartbeats, and therefore could be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

we are delighted to welcome egyptology to the hands in the dark family. the parisian duo, made up of stéphane laporte (domotic) and olivier lamm have been active since the late 90s in the french post-electronica/avant-pop scene. sur les autres mondes is inspired by a publication by french astronomer lucien rudaux (1937, larousse) in which he imagined the landscapes of other planets in our solar system through scientific descriptions. partly composed for a performance at the prestigious louvre museum in paris, the album is the band’s first full length output since 2012, and we can assure you that it has been worth the wait. their sharp ear for detail and the epic worlds evoked through the album make for an auditory voyage which is as graphic as the words inked by rudaux. the duo is bringing the 70s kosmiche genre back to life in a very fresh, bold way, offering a strong shot of pure analogue sound and a fantastic, melodic approach to synth-based ambient music.

r&s newcomer karim sahraoui delivers an ep of deep, emotive techno that draws on the rich legacy of detroit while staying relevant for the modern era. sahraoui is a globetrotting seeker of musical truth spending time in malaysia, italy and spain as well as his native france, he recorded in the early 2000s to some acclaim as djinxx, releasing prolifically for delsin, cocoon, f-com bedrock, and ovum amongst others. in 2009 he took a couple of years out from the industry, travelling to malaysia to find himself. in 2011 a chance meeting reconnected sahraoui with derrick may, who he originally met in the late 90s. may was reactivating transmat and persuaded karim to let him release his music, but on the condition it be under his own name. the resulting pair of eternal life eps in 2014 and 2016 marked his rich return to form glorious melodic, contemplative techno in the classic motor city mode. his plenitude ep for r&s builds on similar positive themes - from the percolating arpeggios and mystic melodies of spy of the desert, to the anthemic jazzy techo paen of born again or the aching symphonic build of before the 2nd coming its clear that after decades in the business sahraouis talent is only growing rather than diminishing. i wanted to give it more spirituality, musicality and roots with the choice of the sounds. going back in the past and transcribe everything with visionary fusions, sahraoui explains.

mark ambrose doubles up on his appearance on was/is with this strident bout of deep end dwellers, kicking off in style with the charged up strut and punchy mono bass of makossa (mix 1) making a point of stepping into a more peak time sound. makossa (mix 2) takes things in a more bugging direction, but there s still plenty of pressure to be felt in the wriggling low end mess and nagging hi hats. the teakup mix of makossa is a devilish broken beat track, and then wagamama slips in a loopy melodic hook and lets a firm but freaky slice of techno roll out underneath

having recently relocated to the remote redwood forests of northern california in order to set up a satellite mixing studio for his old stomping ground, glasgows green door studio, sordid sound system returns to invisible inc with 4 cuts of psychedelic dungeon disco. the ep opens with his most blissed out track to date die ewige nacht, an eight and a half minute inverted sun ritual based around shimmering cascades of dubbed up electronic percussion and an overdriven tintinnabulated fm arp. hi-nrg meets 80s b-boy electro on crescent city with a careering off-road excursion into tripped out mutant carnival cavalcade territory. dia de muertos offbeat eerie percussion and driving low frequencies are met with spectral buzzing melodic refrains from the furthermost reaches of a decaying oaxacan cemetery. the acid drenched ambient lullaby you & me brings proceedings to a fittingly fucked up close. sordid sound syste’s last release on invisible inc, 2017s fear eats the soul, received plays and praise from the likes of manfredas, trevor jackson, sascha funke, optimos jd twitch and thomas von party.

dj seinfeld presents an immersive ep exploring the balance between fragility and force. ‘sakura ep’ is the third and most dynamic offering from deep sea frequency. four tracks draw from a multitude of influences, breaks, electro, dub and trance elements band together with a familiar lo-fidelity approach where distortion acts as an instrument of its own. ‘sakura’ is a subaquatic dose of old school electro with swollen bass and fuzzy harmonics. title track ‘segrada’ brandishes swirling melodies with layers of detail, followed by ‘belvedere’ which uses looped breaks and a sub-driven bassline to build animated funk. ‘battery’ closes things out with a nod to detroit, and a full on drum workout which plays with delicate melodic inflections over a cavernous low end.

record comes in translucent red vinyl, full colour sleeve and printed innersleeve. limited edition a series of songs written and destroyed . . . self-cannibalized productions spit back out in abnormal silhouettes . . . the originals shredded apart into discreet motifs— miniature rhythmic patterns, collections of melodic runs . . . selected moments of recordings from maxwell sterling (double bass) and peter evans (trumpet) introduced as ‘probiotics’ . . . freeform ideas set to feed off of the original productions like bacterial organisms . . . creating new ‘growths’ . . . mutating and congealing into foreign forms.

molten moods releases another finely curated various artists record with tracks by skee mask, kessel vale, jonas yamer and konrad wehrmeister. kessel vales opening track -voguing geisha- is an unconventional breakbeat masterpiece following his sense of harmony and rhythm already shown through previous releases on tanstaafl records and rhythm nation. as the track unfolds it reveals musical storytelling by integrating a technoid polyrhythmic loop structure into melodic synth figures, slowly deconstructing in the end. skee mask collaborated with molten moods labelhead and carl gari member jonas yamer on -fanta ocean-, it being the first release ever outside of his ilian tape homebase. the outcome is a moody idm piece with cinematic qualities, complex but soothing. the b-side begins with -xenomorph- by konrad wehrmeister, who is known by his releases on public possession and svs records. this trancy yet distorted and detailed electro banger surely takes on the role of the records dancefloor highlight. the closing track -insgeheim- is delivered by molten moods head honcho jonas yamer. here groovy kicks, distorted chords and a psychedelic pad are woven into one compelling 10 am techno track. the common thread of molten moods 4 is four young munich artists going on a joint trip into idiosyncratic electronic music. the resulting tracks intertwine as one modern and diverse techno record. out on 12&#8243,, vinyl and wav by the end of march 2018. in the tradition of molten moods cost-conscious design strategies by paul bernhard, the record comes with a xeroxed low budget sticker set. mastered by manmade.

olsens first release on vinyl, surely not his last. melodic, dreamy and understated.

bridging instrumental tact with melodic mysticism, live act and dj duo hidden empire present their debut album mind palace, the fruit of their labour of one whirlwind year. on stil vor talent they find a welcome home, having already gained traction with several releases on the label as well as other renowned imprints such as suara and filth on acid. ranging from downtempo electronica to iterative techno with groovy house incursions, the diversity of the genres explored across the 12 tracks mirror the cologne-based artists’ own sonorous influences as well as their diverse musical sympathies. fluid, atmospheric tracks set a consistently lush vibe overall, from the esoteric kickoff track journey into self to subtle warm-up tools like the oriental-instilled hummus and fafnir, or the couple’s first vocal collaboration pure

hart & tief turns 3. as the most fascinating yet tremendous of creatures, h&t relaunches its sound in every release, like a shiny day that gently welcomes an outrageous storm leaving your body wet and your mind connected with whats next. everlasting artists dave dk & stimming are the chosen ones to break through the clouds and reach the dimension beyond what’s predictable. soulphiction, mike dehnert, robag wruhme and dj koze delivered the first 2 releases, showing what not to expect from the hart & tief state of beat: comforting sounds for predictable minds. let’s turn it upside down: deep emotional trips for like-minded clubbers and artists. non-conformist dancefloors and exacting passionate crowds. hamburg-based, stimming and dave dk have built their experience through uncountable tracks and performances. turning the lights off and playing it loud is what they are best known for. on this special occasion, painting the vinyl specially dark is what they were desiring and the frame brings together two superb tracks: frankfurt main and saida222. stimming has built in a sneaky percussion with an enormous engaging touch. buoyed up by a textured bass, frankfurt main reaches the center of what an in-depth track aims to be. saida222 takes us on a contemplative, introspective and melodic journey, a route usually explored by dave dk in his previous and acclaimed works. both tracks are pushing a refreshing and windy vision that, far beyond from being just obscure, gets us closer to a wise enlightening experience.

since his emergence in 2010, madben s melodic, detroit-inspired techno evolved, with various releases on caduceus, astropolis records, off recordings, inflyte and bedrock. nowadays, the paris-based artist remains a key figure in france s new generation of techno producers, with an upcoming debut lp on astropolis records. swinging from atmospheric sounds to techno, madben produces an alchemy of rave anthems, hardware material and groovy, emotional music. with support from france s favourite laurent garnier, manu le malin and rebekah warrior, fréquence(s) unveils his skillfull, mature universe.

new 7inch from the mysterious gitkin, who crisscrossed the us in the late 70s selling knockoff gibson guitars to the diverse & disparate groups of immigrants from all four corners of the globe who were coming to the us during the 2nd great migration. recycling and filtering the sounds he encountered through his own psychdelic lens, he created a sound rooted in other, but deeply his own. this single is taken from his forthcoming album, 5 star motel and features two tracks from the album grand street feast which charts a sand dusted, melodic funk misadventure, while cancion del rey has the sound of the peruvian chicha steady-moving, alluring, and lyrical winding its way through gitkins fuzz-filtered licks, and the rhythm underpinning.

japanese guitarist kazumi watanabe has been a treasure of leftfield music in the far east since the 70s, and jazzy conscious are doing a great service in highlighting the delicate talents of this gifted artist for a new generation. there s a new age lilt to the looped up melodic chime patterns that course through -garuda- as they flirt with watanabe s effervescent playing. kuniyuki then hops on the b side to deliver a contemporary remix of the track that shapes out a brooding, immersive atmosphere populated by earthly drums and looming reverb.

rudy returns to faze action records with an all-new collection of atmospheric and evocative tropical sounds. last august saw the release of the by nature ep that encapsulated the steamy and exotic textures of the balearic sound. this time, midnight safari takes up where on the beaches of formentera, where the last ep left us. this time setting sail on a midnight safari with marimba s and chugging rhythms underpinning sophisticated piano melodies. following this we drop anchor and appreciate the evening breeze of in the air with its haunting cello, endless drifting arpeggio s and tropical percussion with a hint of north africa. reach backless points the way squarely to the dance floor with chunky drums and synth bass, synth hooks galore and that piano solo that launches into starry evening skies. it s back down to earth with the settled quiet bass guitar harmonics of windchimes before heading into the more soulful and synth melodic territory of solar plex.

lobster mainstay and german purveyor of the deep raw, trp aka david willenberger, returns to lobster theremin for a full-on outing of crunchy, melodic, acid-tinged house, techno & electro. with recent ep’s for mörk and shall not fade, the young producer comes full circle with a cement-mixed, drum-heavy sound that melds an even weightier production aesthetic to a spectral of tonal distortion usages.

trinidadian producer and long respected deep house soldier damien lee ah yen aka trinidadian deep returns on the legendary shelter label for an ep of sun drenched, soulful sounds entitled tribute songs . this ep marks the start of a new run of releases for the newly regenerated ny house label that has long been at the forefront of the deeper end of house and garage for over 2 decades. trinidadian deep s latest effort see 2 brand new cuts - dear owen & snake hips cover a wonderfully emotive and rhythmically driven pair of cuts that can work on the dancefloor at any time of the day or night! on dear owen gorgeous melodic pads envelope around recordings of children playing far off in the distance, weaving guitars and live percussions drive us into a dreamlike state, a truly sublime and blissed slice of music indeed. snake hips sees things move in a more stripped back, techy direction that still maintains the td trademark deepness, a blend of detroit leaning synth notes and live cowbells combine to create a joyful mood that will undoubtedly take the dancers off into a new cosmos, heads down and hands up to the sky. a truly original 12- here and one that sees the shelter label heading off into a new and exciting direction for the future, essential house music.

drumcode favourite bart skils kickstarts the new year with his sixth ep for the label since his debut on drumcode in 2012, bart skils has been one of the label s most regular contributors, with the dutchmans brand of functional, hook-driven techno a go-to weapon for adam beyer from his stellar shadowprint ep in 2014, to last year s classy remix of mobys go. one of the netherlands hardest working ambassadors for techno, he is the organiser of the beloved voltt love summer festival that s has been a favourite of beyers for many years. his latest work for drumcode, bells of the revolution continues his impeccable reputation for quality with everything he does, with four cuts all with their own distinct storyline. the title track is characterised by dark driving grooves and bubbling acid line that slowly evolves into a lush melodic riff. ocean drive nose-dives into deeper techno territory, while maintaining a sense of exquisite tension throughout. vocalized follows, a stomping acid techno cut that slides into the deep courtesy of skilfully programmed vox and elegant licks of melody. the ep concludes with retrodade, a track thats been one of the biggest in beyers sets in 2017 and features the famous vocal from rozallas everybodys free. the sample was used with kind permission from the iconic 90s singer

the x vinyl series continues with label head florian meindl at the helm with the upcoming release metaphysics. synonymous with deep, dark techno, florian does not disappoint with this 4 track ep, enlisting in demand producer and rabe label boss denise rabe on remixing duties. playing live with his modular synth set up, florian began working on the concept for what would become these three original tracks while playing shows over the last month. the live jam character can clearly be felt in the first two tracks metaphysics and holomorphic function. florian s original bell s theorem has a deep melodic structure. with denise rabes interpretation, the track is contorted through some serious distortion pedals and broken beat to match her dark take on the synth line. the outcome is an impressive piece for one of those never ending nights in concrete walled rooms with oversized loudspeakers.

mysterious berlin imprint mask preps its second release with four more untitled tracks this march. continuing the theme of the first release, noah has been produced and recorded live in one take using a selection of analogue gear, including an emu sp 1200, mutual instruments ambika, nord rack 2x, octatrack, vermona action filter 4. a soothing synth line sets the tone of the a1 before implementing sporadic drums and squelchy notes, making way for the melodic chords and a wall of sub bass in the mesmerising a2. murky atmospherics and a medley of percussive hits generate a dusty aesthetic in the b1 until the organic beat and distorted robotic sounds of the b2 provide an otherworldly conclusion to the enigmatic release.

when we started the bunker new york label in 2014 there was a short list of artists whose music we knew that we wanted to get out into the world. lori napoleon, aka antenes, was high up on that list, although at the time the brooklyn-based chicago native had yet to release her recorded music at all. five years on, after acclaimed records on l.i.e.s. and silent season, residencies at issue project room and bell labs plus a busy global touring schedule as both a dj and live performer, we are proud and excited to present loris ante meridiem ep under her antemeridian production moniker. she tells us that the antemeridian project is a special outlet for her more melodic synthesizer compositions and the name antemeridian refers to morning light and the meridian lines of the planet, the view you would have from above if you were already in the sky/space/seeing the atmosphere also from a great distance.

polytechnic youth enter the fray once again, continuing an already productive year (these new 45s are 4/5/6th releases in 2018 already!) with a trio of quite brilliant yet totally different 45s.
alpár aka hungarian bálint zalkai, is the co-founder of farbwechsel, the budapest based record label, and his own recordings of electronic compositions (often built upon random looping sequencers in a minimalist style) are key to the label’s release output thus far. his goal as he sees it is to “catch a random pattern, loop it and build up a piece with that randomly pulsing theme. just let to flow the voltages and sound waves and try not to disturb them or change their basic behaviours”.
the two tracks here were recorded with this approach very much in mind. the atmosphere of “mejiro” is “not unlike a bird observation. attempting to find the right spot, getting closer and closer to the bird, which almost controls you and your movements as you attempt to near it”. whereas “wakayama” is a more direct piece, and maybe the most melodic song alpár ever recorded. while “mejiro” is a woozy, cautious piece, “wakayama is like a tropical fruit or the ume, (the japanese apricot), colourful and full of flavour yet -with thanks to- the slowly humming theme in the background, an element of sourness grips you at the back of your tongue as it ends!
a beautiful pair of tracks released as a double a side 45 early march 2018. pressing of 250 numbered copies.

astropolis records adds to misericordia’s w.lv.s (electric rescue and the driver) four remixes that amplifies the rave vibe of the ep released last year, with more power and agression, with four distinguished guests from techno and hardcore spheres: french veteran the hacker, the mysterious and rare lunatic asylum, the pilar maxime dangles and techno hardcore figure torgull. a must have for all lovers of the french techno and hardcore scene, a wild ride taking you straight to hell!
the hacker rebuilds blacksmith in his vintage and industrial spirit between electro, acid and techno, while the lunatic asylum rework of misercordia will catch you up in the dark room of dance, with delicious breaks and metallic spirals melodies added to this rave anthem. flipside, maxime dangles is turning misericordia in a muscular but melodic late night techno assault with dark vocals and his typical synths and chords, while torgull’s version steps up the darkness with a techno hardcore rework, raw, heavily haunted by vocals, textured and sensory.

legs 11 was formed when sigmund floyd, of palace of pleasure fame, joined forces with torstein dyrnes from the now defunct playstation duo tøyen, and mysterious bedroom musician nils tveten. during a karaoke-fuelled haze in the seedy parts of oslo, they discovered a shared love of synth pop, post-punk, new wave and house music. drawing on these influences, the band has created a diverse musical universe, ranging from dark repetitive guitar driven tracks, via infectious pop gems, to deep yet melodic dancefloor-orientated grooves. in 2017 they were joined by multi-instrumentalist audun severin eftevåg, who also brought a new instrument into the band: the saxophone! the “another wave” album is hand-picked tracks from their latest works, focusing on a more dancier approach. the house and nu-dance influences of today is mixed with heavy influences from 90’s uk indie-dance acts like the shamen and the madchester scene, and hints of new wave from the 80’s.

a four track ep from slum village co-founder, former bling47 label boss and current head of the dirt tech reck label, waajeed. the detroit native has worked previously with theo parrish, mad mike banks and amp fiddler, and in 2017 held a residency at detroit love parties across the globe. ‘mother’, featuring detroit singer-songwriter steffanie christi an, is driven by an arpeggiated synth lead above shuffling percussion and heartfelt vocals, whilst ‘earth’, a collaboration with the enigmatic blaktony, takes a moodier turn with stripped back drums and syncopated keys. ‘obba’ rides a melodic bassline into the cosmos, whilst ‘frances’ offers a soothing dose of otherworldly disco funk. additional mixing on the ep was provided by planet e head carl craig

the fourth installment in john osborns dred records series will be from fellow uk producer harsh puri who goes under the moniker reformed society. dred 004 consists of six tracks in total three that will appear on the vinyl release, followed by another three that will be digital-only exclusives. harsh puri aka reformed society debuted in 2015 with this being his sixth consecutive release in order. harshs productions caught johns eye, or rather ear, after being sent to him last year and resulted in this release of six solid prime time deep house stompers. packaged in an understated matte white sleeve with a black and white picture of brahma (the four headed hindu god of creation) handstamped on each cover by the label owner himself, this being a continuation of the human skull dred logo. one life opens the dimensions ep and is the track given to label boss john osborn for deconstructing and remoulding into his own specific vision each release will contain a rework from osborn. if you are familiar with johns previous work you will immediately recognize his characteristic resonating percussion, the tune being a deep house sci-fi storm expedition driven by a full luscious kick covering the tracks of chords from unsettled pads. the eps title track has ambient sonic rays flowing through it, being aptly named dimensions it is also the records warmest adventure, distorted percussion juggles sparse subaqueous melodic moments, and from here we go into the 12inches final moment, chasing titanoid. reformed society goes in with full yet silent force on this one. a warped bassline co-creates the groove with a particularly bouncy beat with sharp strings piercing though.

la based independent experimental techno label halocyan, returns with an outstanding ep from toby leeming aka the third man (ai records, sunday best, tabernacle records, chaval records) koffi is a hypnotic driving techno track. red boxing a low swung deep bass techno / house groove. closing the ep repeater is a deep melodic detroit techno jam. a strong ep from the young london based artist which proves he has a bright future ahead of him. 180g cyan blue 12inch vinyl with laser-etched tracklist in double sleeves and a deluxe pvc wallet with flap. the outer sleeve is embossed with die cut over-sized centres, 2 spot uv stickers and a cyan metallic foil stamp.

matuss continue to deliver deep and soulful techno via her vinyl only imprint absence seizure, which she helms alongside abe duque. opening with whistler, matuss delivers heavyweight bass tones, dubbed out drums and obscure synthesiser transitions before zoya the destroyer provides eerie atmospheres, crisp percussion and subtle mid-range motifs which sit on top of a melodic low-end. on the flip side we have stranger things, which sets an ominous tone with murky ambiences and ethereal pads underpinned by a powerful kick, rumbling sub-bass and percolating rhythms to close the release.

following on from his debut ep on drumcode earlier this year, ilario alicante returns. for the past few years ilario alicante has enjoyed something of an unintentional ibiza kinship with adam beyer. when the swede played his special annual sets on the amnesia terrace for cocoon, for three years out of four, the italian has been right there playing alongside him, ensuring his talents were on the radar of the drumcode chief. ilario made his first appearance on the label in 2016 with the stirring temporary featuring on a-sides vol.4, before securing his first full-length release with the awakened ep that dropped earlier this year. figures & echoes deepens his contribution to the label with half a dozen powerful cuts. figure of ra opens the ep, combining a rousing vocal loop, pulsating beats and effective melodic interlude to fantastic effect. the acid runner follows and is true to its name, characterised by echoing vocal effects that lead to a piercing 303-line that hits with peak-time power. virgos echoes features a persistent synth line that combining effectively with lush layers of melody to create an atmospheric impact. third eye delivers an exhilarating dose of rave thanks to the hypnotizing riff that runs throughout.

fresh from his lets roll ep on radio slaves rekids, hopeworks curator lo shea further cements his status as a true innovator of the uk underground with the iterations ep on duskys 17 steps. leading the charge, iterations is 8 dark twisted minutes of tripped-out melodic techno that will sweat the walls of warehouses from london to tokyo drawing a lineage from the omen, atomic jam and the orbit through to berghain, de school and hopeworks itself. on the remix, stockholm’s peder mannerfelt takes it down an industrial rabbit hole of terror-core synths, rave sirens and sonic paranoia. across rest of ep, lo shea flexes his sonic diversity with ornithurae offering an intruiging mix of bruising bass, twitchy layer loaded percussion and sinister soundscapes - somewhere between d&b don dillinja circa 96, early claude von stroke, radioactive man and fellow sheffield legend oris jay. dark, soulful and ravey, higher closes things off with a uniquely uk hybrid that traces lines through militant tresor-heyday techno, vintage strictly rhythm diva house and hardcore vibes.