located in toronto, forth is a collective of individuals who care deeply about music and its community. having started out throwing diy style raves, they soon became inspired by the city’s hunger for self-expression and the need for a local space that could offer artists a platform for their vision.
with this in mind, the crew present their debut release forth vol. 1 a six-track compilation of some of toronto’s finest talent. calling upon friends and colleagues who represent the diverse underground electronic scene, the compilation features club focused material from ciel (peach discs, diswoman), gingy (clone/royal oak, it’s not u it’s me), r (opal tapes, jericho one), kontravoid (cititrax, fliesch), hadi (forth), and joel eel (forth, x-img).

after a year’s hiatus optimo music disco plates returns with the first of several planned releases.
first up is long time friend phil kieran with an ep made specifically with optimo in mind. it has been tried and tested over recent months and more than ticks all our boxes. we feel confident it will tick yours too.
phil says “the ep was recorded in my house and made up of mostly live percussion performed live by thomas tettey annang. originally from ghana, he moved to belfast some years ago. it just so happens his wife is a close friend of my sisters and that was the first introduction. thomas now runs -releasing rhythms” here in belfast teaching drum classes.
we used a wide selection of traditional african drums that all have their own name, each one has a style and a sound. the rhythms used in this record would stem back to south american rhythms but using african drums. this was a sound and rhythm that influenced early post punk records in new york and still has an influence on dance music today.”

weaving the old with the new.
exploring the known and the unknown.
time is just irrelevant,
it’s the journey that matters
stories are forever...
mystery repeats!

genii’s debut ep on feines tier. we are more than happy to present four tracks by the man from amsterdam who’s also responsible for countless dutch party and festival happenings as well as the productions for electronic live band dialoque. artwork by daniel hageman.

the third of march’s trio of py 45s, is a revisit to the always enjoyable dark electro world of berlin’s mighty detox twins.
the new record offers up a pair of killer synthpop gems which, in the words of the bands’ mark vorderhaus “drift into the arena of the unwell with their latest outing “in the hospital garden”, and pose the curious questions: is it so unfortunate to surrender your mind to a permanent altered state? can losing oneself irreversibly to a manipulated insanity, actually prove to become a rare and wonderful freedom? attraction battles control as the transformation completes itself. the b-side, “transformation” depicts the liberated insanity without challenge, now thriving and pulsating beyond the point of any return.”
two more ace tunes which precede a full length later in the year for polytechnic youth. killer hooks from synth maestro mark, aligned with glorious effect to devi’s icy nico-esque vocals. another winner for both artist and label!
a pressing of 250 copies. hand numbered with sticker insert and destined to fly out super quick.

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.

cosmic garden (from cosmic rhythm fame...) new on our royal oak series. 4 tracks of smooth bleepy house that only italians do right. deep, timeless, all analog produced tracks for that pleasure moment.

special release alert - vinyl only / limited edition!
super dope debut from this new producer straight from ireland. we welcome jared aka btu who joins the family business. jared delivers a pulsating and emotive track, a stellar house journey into the mind. he is accompanied by the one and only, pépe. he delivers colorful track that picks influences from miami bass and electro, super silky and strong as always.

wata igarashi is back on midgar. this is part 2 of two mind-bending eps

redlight returns to uttu after his previous city jams ep on hot haus recs. here he reps dance trax with 2 insane mind bending breakbeat infused klub trax. totally enormous extinct dinosaurs & marquis hawkes both rerun gamma ray in different directions providing the ultimate club package!

strange valleys, the 2018 full-length from starving daughters, is a progression as well as a shift in sound from the la band s already-stellar previous releases. make no doubt about it that the sound of progressive rock and psychedelia still play a big role here but there s certainly a greater influence from library music on the new lp. the starving daughters vinyl impressions blog, led by chris tillotson of the band, shared the music of chris s collection of which many were library lp s. these records seemed to have seeped into the mind, body, and souls of the whole band on this strange valleys lp. everything from the instrumentation, the attention to melody, to the track-length shows the large appreciation they have for library music. that being said, this moog-heavy, psychedelic-prog-funk, california-themed record is certainly unique and adventurous. winding through the exotic roads of strange valleys is certainly a trip well worth taking over and over again.

limited repress. the mind is the subject in which ideas inhere. label based in bucharest romania.

following the widespread acclaim for ferro s the neverending story, lessizmore continues in its quest to highlight some of the most captivating practitioners of mind-altering house and techno. this time their search takes them to istanbul, shoring up with the considerable talents of mutlu san. this young producer has proven to be one of the most exciting artists in the turkish scene, already laying down a solo ep on petra digital. meanwhile he also works in partnership with fellow istanbul firebrand batu guler as bartaub, the pair having recently released the rhizome ep on the ever-excellent lumieres de la nuit.

lumièreslanuit (lln) is glad to introduce to you to samochai (llnoff004), 4th release of its off series by bremen-based music composers and djs massud matin & smisou. samochai ep presents two different atmospheres that lumièreslanuit and its off series are particularly fond of: deep- and dub-techno. indeed, whereas massud matin take us out of ourselves with the deep, atmospheric and mind-blowing beats of zal, smisou imm­­erses us in his musical world with the dubby, cadenced and aquatic beats of chanj. massud matin & smisou celebrate the same music since 2012. the beginning of their collaboration was marked by a couple of digital releases like smisou’s remix of massud matin’s come on (2015) and his keemun ep (2016) — in collaboration with miynn — on samani that also includes a remix by massud matin. more recently, massud matin & smisou released parand de muth on brosh records. finally, in december 2017, massud matin brought out his first vinyl ep like you (tprl03) on romanian label tupiar records.

slow glass is not only the debut release by le frère it is also a very personal diary of the last two years of his life. all four tracks are based on recordings, samples and ideas he collected while travelling the world. with the concept of slow glass in mind le frere tried to catch moments of his life without stripping them of their dynamic and evanescence. the ep starts with lots of positive energy and light but already reveals glimpses of the shadows that slowly emerge throughout the following tracks. nice is a lightly humming version of an (almost) innocent summer morning. it s a collage of field-recordings, synth-pads and manipulated guitar sounds. candid is a light and open dialog between a simple guitar theme and a playful synth-arpeggio. v1b1n creates the dense atmosphere of a rainy caribbean afternoon dominated by field recordings and everyday noises. nttt8-sets a counter point to the previous three tracks as the energy of le frere s travels cumulates in nttt8, making it a more dance-floor oriented piece carried by a dark and heavy bass-line and almost rave-sirens.

arkansas native, lee moore moved to memphis in 1975 with only one goal in mind: to make it big in the music industry and to release music that would be played in new york, l.a and everywhere in between. as a singer and songwriter lee moore spent the 1980s collaborating in memphis with the best of the best session musicians and vocalists from labels like volt and stax records to record and release futuristic boogie, soul, and funk. lee moore unfortunately never got close to reach his goals of fame and fortune. past due have taken the welcome liberty of repressing this monster slice of disco-soul from moores catalogue for us all to enjoy and spin on today s dance-floors. do you feel like party? is a rare early 80s jam from the man and features all the hallmarks of his unique sound and style.this dlp features every (incredibly rare) single and 12inch that lee produced under his name and different monikers. essential boogie business!

arkansas native, lee moore moved to memphis in 1975 with only one goal in mind: to make it big in the music industry and to release music that would be played in new york, l.a and everywhere in between. as a singer and songwriter lee moore spent the 1980s collaborating in memphis with the best of the best session musicians and vocalists from labels like volt and stax records to record and release futuristic boogie, soul, and funk. lee moore unfortunately never got close to reach his goals of fame and fortune. past due records have saved the day yet again by reissuing for the first time the west coast inspired funk full length le gamby - double oo too sweet from 1985, truly a rarity and another glimpse of the unheralded genius of lee moore. yet again, this rare lp is virtually a ghost, known only to the hardcore record collectors and boogie funk aficionados. now is the time!

arkansas native, lee moore moved to memphis in 1975 with only one goal in mind: to make it big in the music industry and to release music that would be played in new york, l.a and everywhere in between. as a singer and songwriter lee moore spent the 1980s collaborating in memphis with the best of the best session musicians and vocalists from labels like volt and stax records to record and release futuristic boogie, soul, and funk. lee moore unfortunately never got close to reach his goals of fame and fortune. for the first time, past due records is reissuing lees incredible free & easy lp which was only released as a handful of test pressings in 1981 because lee thought the record was too good to release on his score records label. it is a pure memphis modern soul / boogie funk masterpiece that features countless artists from the stax crew, al greens vocalists and even herbie hancocks keyboard player. the 1981 test pressing has commanded huge sums of money on the used vinyl market and is one for the real soul connoisseur

arkansas native, lee moore moved to memphis in 1975 with only one goal in mind: to make it big in the music industry and to release music that would be played in new york, l.a and everywhere in between. as a singer and songwriter lee moore spent the 1980s collaborating in memphis with the best of the best session musicians and vocalists from labels like volt and stax records to record and release futuristic boogie, soul, and funk. lee moore unfortunately never got close to reach his goals of fame and fortune. lee s final project for the score label is a bonafide underground gospel burner. originally released in 1989 it s a perfect look into his transition from the rougher edged funk, disco & boogie of his earlier efforts and shows his smooth transition into a more celestial and blessed musical output. again this one’s a real rarity and past due have secured this high quality, legit reissue for the heads.

sonic groove records presents the advent of a new strain of contemporary techno for 2018 and advancing electronic music culture further into the future with this release. this is a document of the convergence and alliance of two distinct artistic visions, that of veteran and pioneer thomas p heckmann under his drax moniker and current dedicated activist blush response. the results of this cutting edge collaboration are pure dance floor revelations of the infectious and mind expanding kind. four cryptic transmissions initiating a sequence of combined sonic dna output. this is an interpretation of techno rooted in radical experimentation and upgraded to the next level with compelling innovation. side a initiates the drama with mysterious analog machine signals of both purist and experimental dark techno that are composed of elements crafted at the molecular level. side b continues with intensity delivering more of the combined audio expression of the artists. the intense coded communication weaves through in waves of perfectly balanced synthesis that is reinforced with heavy percussion and complex intertwined and engaging rhythms. a new key to other dimensions in sound. essential

das mixen von östlicher avant-elektronica sowie krautrock mit jazz und bossa nova ist charakteristisch für cornelius musikalisches schaffen. seine karriere startete er als gründungsmitglied der band flipper’s guitar, die das in tokio entstandene genre shibuya-kei maßgeblich prägte. es folgten weitere veröffentlichungen, durch die er auch international große anerkennung erlangte: der -moderne brian wilson- oder japanische gegenpart zu beck oder the beastie boys waren nur einige der vergleiche, die in der presse sowie von kritikern gezogen wurden. cornelius live-shows gelten weltweit als einzigartig und sind bekannt für spektakuläre visuals, die perfekt synchron zur musik gezeigt werden. er feierte erfolge als produzent für filmmusik und wirkte unter anderem bei auftritten von yoko ono’s plastic ono band oder dem yellow magic orchestra mit. schwarzes 180g vinyl im gatefold.

decks full cover edition !!! you definitely should go for it if you are in love with a quality dub techno. there’s nothing can be more dubby as this particular release that will undoubtedly blow your mind. watch out! it’s extremely hot one. vinport ltd. is very proud to be distributing this label exclusively. ubertrend records is quite established play on the world’s techno scene and is managed by denny kay. vinyl only. no repress. limited press.

soundway releases new compilation of rare 1980s south african ‘bubblegum’ & boogie
in 1980s black south africa a local form of pop music evolved as the disco boom died down and slowly mutated. it was often ubiquitously described as bubblegum - usually stripped-down and lo-fi with a predominance of synths, keyboards and drum-machines and overlaid with the kind of deeply soulful trademark vocals and harmonies that south african music is famous for. compilers miles cleret (soundway) and dj okapi (afrosynth records) present a selection of 18 rare, handpicked 1980s cuts that highlight the period that nestles in between the ‘70s (where american-influenced jazz, funk and soul bumped shoulders with local mbaqanga) and the ‘90s when kwaito and eventually house-music ruled the dancefloors of urban south africa.

sudd records make the leap to vinyl with the help of detroit champ gari romalis. abstraxx (linear mix) kicks off the record in a heady fog of undulating pads, the smoke positively drifting out of the speaker cones over a simple, deep-as-you-like drum pattern. dark ryda (sunset mix) gets a little more funk in its rhythm, but the same mellow mood prevails, almost reaching dub techno levels in its atmospheric chord swells. heat (bout that life mix) takes things out of the darkness and into a lighter frame of mind, but romalis is still firmly in the deep end of the deep house pool with this final cut on the record.

2013 marks marcos valle s 70th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the brazilian native s debut long player. for the past few years, light in the attic s been obsessed with valle s early 70s work, originally recorded for the odeon label. it s where a new modern brazilian pop sound effortlessly mixed bossa nova, baio and samba with foreign influences like jazz, rock, pop, soul and funk, bringing to mind the sounds of jean claude vannier and david axelrod. tip!!

g perico has established himself as one of the most promising and consistently great voices in west coast hip hop over the past year. having already released a full-length album in all blue earlier this year with us, we re now back with a vinyl pressing of his latest record. 2 tha left picks up where all blue left off and showcases a prolific young rapper who is relentless about honing his craft and is getting better with every new verse he records. the album features la rappers teecee4800, ad, and polyester alongside northern california s nef the pharaoh and mozzy in addition to the legendary new orleans rapper curren$y. production on the project is characterized by a modern take on classic g-funk courtesy of longtime collaborators poly boy, polyester, westside webb, and cardo amongst others.
pressing on blue vinyl.

spirit of music manitou chose for the fifth release sawe, lush grooving and mind blowing dreamy synth with atmospheric pressing rhythms and groove, as always warm bouncy dj tool house stompers mid 1990 inspired.

cosmic rhythm label head delivers another beauty with his classic signature. prescription s regular trinidadian deep to supply his personal vision.

a mysterious new label launches with a double lp that ranges from ambient, house, 2-step, breaks and techno. this idea originated from collaborations that the artist had with musicians from different spectrums of the universe but by keeping an open mind and a positive attitude they were able to create music and a deeper respect and understanding for the others art form, opening themselves up to infinite possibilities outside the normal realm of the comfort zone. the relative positivity project will consist of solo projects as well as collaborations with people that have had a positive impact on the life of the artist.

limited edition of 500 copies.

pressed onto 180g heavyweight, brand new 2018 remaster

few artforms are as apt to describing the fervour and tumult of human emotions as music is. songs transport us to real and imaginary places, living someone else s experiences as our own, connecting with thoughts and feelings through melodies, rhythm and words. as a producer working primarily with the tools of traditional hip-hop – samplers, records, synthesizers onra has distinguished himself over the past decade as one of the best of his generation, capable of creating vivid music that sparks the mind of the listener and brings them along to uniquely detailed spaces, both real and imagined

detroits norm talley kicks off new south london based vinyl only label out the box, hot off the heels of his critically acclaimed debut album >norm-a-lize< on omar s fxhe records.

2volt and emasa land their first posthouse ep on eademvoce. four tracks that serve all needs, with a strictly selected sound palette declined in four different moods. a1 delivers the hypnotic energy which is necessary to take off in a brief and significant journey into the past future. a2 is a pit-stop, giving the listener a pause to gaze around, leaving a chance to the mind evaporate into the synthetic atmospheres. b1 turns the situation in a determined hunt for something hidden, in a scenario dominated by rubbery tweaks and acid stabs. b2 is the celebration of arrival, the success of discovering something unique traveling in an acid path that cross a forest of morbid synths.

after a more than well-received first release, black carpet returns with 4 fresh industrial tinged techno behemoths. the amsterdam centred producer shrouds has been given the honours to do so, with zhark veteran huren on remix duty.

transparent as light, as ideas, as music and as the world should be no borders, but freedom and equality!
the new vinyl-imprint clikno is set to present dr.nojoke’s delicate understanding of contemporary dance-music, which is crafted and designed of self-made field-recordings as sample-source and which aims to trigger hips, belly, heart and mind equally.
it comes on transparent vinyl in a transparent sleeve with a silver/black clikno sticker inside.

parisian producer brice groulier has built a reputation as one of the new guard of techno artists to watch closely with consistently high quality sub aquatic, rhythm shifting techno for labels like semantica, midgar, planet rhythm, and modularz. while looking for music that integrated with our grey area releases, we found ourselves blending more von grall tunes than any other artist, so a horo release was requested. what originally began as a 4 track ep bloomed into an 8 track debut album that sees von grall expand his style beyond the muscular but hazy rhythmic mist he has become known for. the title track infinitum opens the lp like a contemplative bubble. hyper density and inside are pensive, evocative jogs, while emerald city and disturbance ramp up the energy and will be the most favoured floor tunes from infinitum. antonym allegory combines the von grall rhythmic bounce with an emotive pad that will echo in your mind long after listening. motel closes the lp with a quirky, almost joyful flow. infinitum wanders confidently into new ground for von grall and cements him as a versatile and singular voice in techno.

following on from co-ops vol. 1 (counter004), counterchange continues the various artist series with an 8 track, double vinyl edition for its tenth release. joining the dots between a network of producers all pushing boundaries in their respective fields, label curator inland (aka ed davenport) invited boddika (nonplus), cassegrain & tin man (killekill, infrastructure new york), distant echoes (dystopian), pharaoh & yogg (the block tel aviv residents, parallax), patrik skoog (sample & hold, headroom) and bnjmn (tresor, tiercel) to all submit new music.
the result is a heavyweight, diverse trip through modern techno, presented in a hand printed sleeve featuring artwork by carina wittmann, limited to 200 copies.

the first release from erotek in 15 years, he joins the ftp family, along with dj nasty aka detroit’s filthiest. other heat on this heavy electro comp is coming from artists from frankfurt, ukraine, and texas.

a benchmark project that has been in fruition over the past year, one against time is the magnum opus of john dimas career. it is a pivotal milestone that embodies his depth of knowledge and his personal fascination with the mysteries of life and the universe. spread across 14 tracks, one against time sees dimas really broaden his artistic capabilities, drawing from a melting pot of influences and woven together by his desire to channel a feeling of intrigue and curiosity taking a journey outward into the deepest recesses of outer space while simultaneously traveling inward to that same area of deep space inside his own soul...

a deluxe double lp version of curtis mayfield’s 1972 soundtrack masterpiece.

the first single taken from the forthcoming 3rd album by lay-far! never good enough for you is a deeply intimate and emotionally charged love message, written in collaboration with the acclaimed singer and songwriter stee downes. rough and edgy but equally soulful beat, showcasing heavy influences from hip-hop, broken beat and house, forms a perfect foundation for the heart-felt story of emotional struggle and break-up, delivered by stee downes! autobiographical song for both the songwriter and the producer. the single comes packaged with an instrumental version and a remix. the latter is a slightly more straightforward and politically-correct vision of the song, also produced by lay-far, using roland tr-707 drum machine instead of the gritty chopped drum breaks of the original. last but not least comes the bonus track -blow my mind bottom-heavy banger on the edge of funky breakbeats, bruk and classic electro a 2018 modern fusion ode to b-boying and breaking boundaries! watch out for the second single and the full-length album war is over, coming out later this year!

after two impressive remix eps taken from ellen allien s seventh studio album, nost , bpitch control unveil round three with another heavyweight lineup of contributors stepping up to the plate to deliver their own interpretations of the queen bee s original works. this time around we re honoured to have alan oldham, eomac, amotik and xdb volunteering their services to bring a whole new dimension to the music from nost . each of the four artists has earned a sterling reputation, with a style all of their ow

following our first release with opal, which aimed at the dance and the bodies, we wanted with this second ep to reach to people’s mind. as a geneva-based techno label, it was fundamental to work with our local hero: opuswerk. he’s already been working outside of the country with artists like francois x and labels such as arts, semantica or dement3d. it was time we involved him in our project. through this ep, opuswerk clearly shows what he knows and does best. much like his dj sets, he connects dots and layers in unexpected ways, like a rhizome connecting different multiplicities. inspiration for the original tracks came from designing systems of independent yet connected sounds, where events are triggered, un-triggered and alter other events, each behaving on their own. as one of those elements, the artist acts as a guide, directing them from one place to the next acting as and with the machines. the -mot d’ordre- is about becoming one of the machines, blending techniques with vibes and catching them like ever escaping dreams. the result is two uniquely sounding spaces, either filled with raw energy like on extensum or with subtle and serene ever-evolving bleeps on spatium. those two extremes are fitting to how we want present the multiple dimensions of our artists works to the world. the same logic went into choosing the remixers, with whom opuswerk had a human connection with. inland and antigone need no introductions, having both established their sound on labels like countercharge or token. each brought their own re-interpretations of the original tracks bringing them closer to the dancefloors.

the make mistakes ethos is one of diversity and evolution, and that is showcased in full on our newest vinyl release need your luvin. house, acid, techno, roy england, jarvi, fredy grogan. one track, three styles, all dance floor bounders. roy englands original mix is a jackin house jam with a timeless vibe. a classic house sound propelled forward by the titular vocal sample, england manages to deliver a track that would work equally in the lounge, as well as late night in the big room. on the b side jarvi s acid workout strips the original down even further, and fills it back up, with a wandering, hypnotic acid line to stitch it all together. an old school party sound, both familiar and fresh. fredy grogan deconstructs the original into its component parts, building it back up into his dark, and driving dub techno remix. drawing it out over nearly 8 minutes, this ll have the heads bouncing off the walls. house, acid, techno, pillars of dance music, mixed together, given the ol razzle dazzle, and served up hot and ready for mind, body, and soul. grab need your luvin, stick it in the crate, and never worry, because you ll always have the luvin you need. beware the irrational, however seductive. shun the transcendent and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. distrust compassion, prefer dignity for yourself and others. dont be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. picture all experts as if they were mammals. never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. seek out argument and disputation for their own sake the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. suspect your own motives, and all excuses. do not live for others any more than you would expect others to live for you.

abandon all expectations ye who enter here, other lands (previous, druid-like incantations on firec015 mac-talla nan creag) got you covered with a truly compelling assortment of jazz snaz and post-armaggedon cosmo-disco oddities, occupying the space between alien-revisited exotica, classic jacking house workouts and a boc chromakey dreamcoat kinda vibe, seemingly elusive at first but definitely familiar to the ears of uncool survivors like you and i. one thing s sure, other lands could throw a balearic party at one of berghain s most secret leather-friendly backrooms that it wouldn t feel out of place. never mind the weird, inverse sun-tan lines.

german producer silent-one presents an ambient four track release on his own label intimate silence this february. part of the from another mind crew longside obscure shape & shdw and javier ba&#776,,hr, silent-one (real name benedikt merkl) launched intimate silence as a platform for ambient music in 2016. since then the label has hosted artists like ressort imprint regular g&#322,,o&#769,,s, taapion records co-founder pvnv and arsenik records’ dold, however this release sees the label founder make his very own debut. fuzzy atmospherics and chilling chord sequences set the tone for the ominous ‘human border’ before ghostly synths and twinkling melodies work together to form ‘decide your fate’. on the flip, mesmerising arpeggios meander within an echoing setting in ‘sign of anxiety’ until the murky ‘lost souls’ pairs dusky elements with a spoken word sample to create a sci-fi aesthetic to conclude the release.

congratulations to brian “javonntte” garrett, who this year celebrates two decades releasing mind-expanding deep house gold. his first 12&#8243, of 2018 sees him pop up on people of earth, a label that has previously delivered eps from such scene stalwarts as rick wade, patrice scott and kai alce. fittingly, garrett is in a nostalgic mood on opener “way back-, where his deep, dreamy and soul-flecked deep house groove is accompanied by a spoken word vocal reminiscing about the mid 1990s. elsewhere, “zodiac” wraps starbust motifs around a chunky, bass-heavy groove, “house joint” is a bumpin’ box jam rich in sturdy drum machine hits and swirling chords, and “boom house” is a slightly tougher workout that boasts beats worthy of derrick carter or dj sneak.

late eighties, early nineties. a back-alley studio in antwerp where new beat and detroit techno lingered. trance was still in the house. electronic body and mind music, fuelled by common sense and primitive artificial intelligence. there was a buzz about wonka. elektrons revolving around atom. humanity firmly on the mappa mundi. labels and sub labels, one-off projects and alter egos, unsung heroes and soon-to-be stars. laurent garnier pushing ludovic navarre to pass on his tapes. all-night light from koenie’s basement. sven van hees entangled in liaisons dangereuses. jan van den bergh before lounge. jan vanneste spreading the news. jan berquin and nicolas rosquin going quadratic. usa import was ready to export its own music. antwerp bio techno. homegrown and uncut. these tracks are evergreens from that place and time.

to kick-start 2018, happy skull serve up a rare ep from italy s d arcangelo brothers. the sibling duo have been active since the early 1990s, when they played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of roman techno alongside contemporaries lory d, leo anibaldi and their automatic sound unlimited production partner, max durante. in the two decades that have passed since, fabrizio and marco have consistently delivered off-kilter, futurist electronic masterpieces for the likes of nature, analogical force and, most famously, rephlex. the four tracks contained on this happy skull outing are not re-discovered archive cuts, but rather fresh slabs of mind-altering musical intoxication. the alternating bliss and acid-fired psychedelia of -saba tree-and the creeping late night paranoia of -pull seven- set the tone. the effervescent fun continues on the flip, where saucer-eyed chords and idm electronics combine on the rush-inducing -13th cider-. to finish things off fabrizio and marco treat us to -korty-, a mesmerizing, deep space slow jam full of backwards electronics and rumbling flashes of sub-bass.