mdcl remixes vol.1 is a compilation of remixes by musical maverick mark de clive-lowe. bridging worlds of music from dj-led dancefloors to underground jazz clubs, mdcl is one of the most broadranging artists youll find anywhere. over his prolific career hes collaborated with the likes of kenny dope, dj spinna, joe clausell and restless soul, remixed the likes of omar, shirley horn and jody watley, and regularly takes his mind-ending live show far and wide all over the planet. with this new collection of soulful, dancefloor gems, mdcl presents his dj-friendly reworks of future classics. the selection kicks off with german trumpet master nils wülker featuring none other than jill scott vocalling the nia andrews and mocky-penned worth the wait where nils trumpet dances around jill scott, delivering with goosebumps as only she can. los angeles based moulton music collaborator vocalist nina lares gets remixed with a nod to classic late 90s house music, and songbird trio king get their song supernatural remixed with the originals lush instrumentation underpinned with a bubbling signature mdcl bassline and drums. side b launches with la multi-instrumentalist dexter storys as is reimagined as an ethereal late night dancefloor moment inspired by mdcls trips to south africa. euro-caribbean-american singer amana melomes lock & key has mdcl unleash his synths and piano keys for a full 88-keys workout, and the side closes with broken beat flavors of mdcl remixing longtime new zealand collaborator cherie mathieson with the bassline and drums pressure of games we play sounding like an undiscovered p-funk-meets-bugz in the attic anthem straight from the clubs of west london.

repress incoming! a blast from the past... one of the most iconic tracks from the noir music back-catalogue makes a remixed revival. 3 impressive remixes to spice up your dj sets. victor ruiz makes bipolar star a fantastic big room techno stomper with his signature sound and just the right amount of melody from the original to make it recognizable. re:axis almost makes the track unrecognicable with a more minimal techno approach. something i am sure will please the forefront of the underground techno scene. animal picnic & aaryon almost pays tribute to the original with their very cool update keeping a lot of the original feel but cleverly tweaked the elements to sound super fresh again. i believe there’s a little something for everyone in this remix package which was the purpose behind doing it instead of a bunch of remixes sounding the same. i hope you like the new remixes and put “bipolar star” right back into rotation.

detroit s inner city, one of the most influential dance acts of all time celebrated their 30th anniversary starting with a memorial day live show on the main stage of detroit’s movement festival this year. formed in 1987 by record producer, composer and international dj kevin saunderson and vocalist paris grey, inner city are best known for their early crossover hits “big fun” and “good life”. further successes saw the group topping the us billboard dance chart five times and securing nine top 40 hits on the uk singles chart.this 30th anniversary will mark a new chapter for inner city, one which sees kevin saunderson now joined by his son and creative protégé dantiez as a full-time member. new material and a live show will soon follow, featuring a variety of musical collaborators and vocalists. movement festival will set the stage for inner city’s new era, with a show formation featuring grammy winner and original inner city bandleader dennis white and kevin saunderson’s long-time collaborator tommy onyx alongside local talent and vocal sensation, steffanie christi’an. in kevin’s own words: “a true family and new sound for a new generation”. with over three decades in the game under inner city’s wing, with a renewed commitment to live performances featuring a strong family core, and two generations of saunderson men in the studio – inner city are poised to enjoy the good life as much today as they did in 1987 and this is entirely evident on the group s latest offering heavy . boasting a stellar edit from detroit techno luminary and inner city collaborator carl craig, heavy is a fresh taste of what s to come from this legendary outfit. essential detroit techno.

pleasure zone proudly presents sakro! his success shows constantly up to the stars so maybe -voyager1- is the right title to discribe sakro s career. he released on some of the most important imprints of our time. pleasure zone is happy to announce also a follow up after summer called -voyager2-. stay tuned!

the 8th instalment of am records contains 4 percussive edits by afrobot, the grooves function as dj tools for various occasions.
-soca trance- will bring some extra heat on the dance floor, it s a heavily cut-up, rough electronic soca rhythm with fragments of looped steeldrum melody on top. -i m alive- is another latin banger, a piece of proto house with some lush vocals in the background and a synthesized tropical bird flying over. on the flip, kalao is an underground afro/french drum track with lots of flanged percussion, cheering black vocals and an elephant passing by. body & soul is the most discoish edit of all: a hypnotic groove with a killer baseline (and a flute sound) interrupted by an uplifting drumbreak.

n our extremely talented artist pool we have the luxury of being able to work with local icelandic talent and for our 6th instalment in the lagaffe series we managed cook up a long awaited collaboration with a close friend and producer intr0beatz. intr0beatz has been known in the local music scene for quite some time and became one of the most iconic hip hop producers in iceland with the group forgotten lores. after the scene evolved and took changes intr0beatz reinvented himself as a house music producer. with intr0beatz you never go wrong. a long time hip-hop producer went housey on us, and he got the groove. house and old school hip-hop have a lot in common sampling and chopping old disco/soul tracks is the foundation of both. so this came naturally for him. the four-tracker includes the tracks dumpin (a1), mystery ride (a2), tapas (b1) and desco (b2).

during the eighties it was possible to observe an italian fascination with the mysterious far east. this can be found across art, design and music in italy during this time, in subtle or obvious ways. specifically there are italo-disco records that proudly show this influence, some of the best known being: fun fun – -living in japan-, koto – -chinese revenge- and city-o – -rose of tokyo-.

following in this theme is fancy – -null null-. not to be confused with the famous euro-disco artist behind -slice me nice-, this fancy is a one-off project from italo-disco icon raffaele fiume, the artist and voice behind many great italo-disco hits, such as: helicon – -you ... see-, malcom & the bad girls – -shoot me- and ralph river band – -strange vibration-.

adding to the original tracks of the 1982 release is a totally ecstatic and powerful remix from betonkust: one of the most talented and exciting dutch producers of recent years. also included is an instrumental edit from hysteric, for those who find the unique vocals challenging.

is / was is incredibly proud to introduce the enigmatic, insanely gifted, man-of-many-vibes himself, teakup. hailing from ohio, our man is yet another in a long lineage of shut-in freak-beat enthusiasts from the humble state. with a style referencing the melodic funk and swing of titonton duvante and the broken, advanced-beat wizardry of archetype, teakup steps into this proud heritage with a 4 tracker of various vibes sure to sate even the most discerning of dweebs. “lose my mind” is of the swung and jacking nü haus variety popularized by the will & ink lads. “shimmer” soothes with soft pads and throbbing bass while simultaneously spanking you upside the head with cracking snares and corrosive claps. “darkcore 2020” indulges in sci-fi breakbeat antics, earning the much sought-after status of “banger”. lastly, “i don’t fkn kno” slinks along in the timeless tradition of low-slung n’ swung house groovers. welcome to the sound of teakup.

the third release on null+void recordings comes from manchester based artist dead sound. who on his this is human ep has fully expressed his expert knack for laying down engrossing tracks on a solid bed of grooves. on this is human he works between slinky electro and quirky techno in a tough edged four track ep
null+void recordings label head kirsti has been a fan of dead sound since his first release in 2010 - no faith - on net label acroplane and following him avidely since. for anyone unfamiliar with the dead sound he’s historically found his releases land on perc trax and rebekah’s decoy two of the uk’s most uncompromising techno artists labels respectively.

one of our humble imprint s closest allies and a longstanding pillar of philadelphia s electronic music community, billy werner has been a constant presence in the booth at parties throughout the northeast corridor since 1998. we debuted his m//r alias in 2014 with the gathering response data 12- . since he s been busy bringing the grit to points beyond the city of brotherly love, putting in work for the likes of detailssound, l.i.e.s. and jackdept. most recently, he turned out a remix of karen gwyer s -why does your father look so nervous- for the rembo remixes on don t be afraid, as well as another for chaperone s -grit neglect- on the aforementioned snapbackbalaclava ep. written, recorded, and mixed over a period of 15 months, among the methods is in no small part a reflection of the affinities and sensibilities billy holds as both selector and producer. referencing a variety of influences from jazz to dub to electro, the album s allure stems from his deft ability to recontextualize those genres disparate aspects into a familiar–yet fiercely idiosyncratic–musical context. the end result is at once wildly fractured and precision-focused as among the methods finds its own seductive rhythm within a matrix of dub echoes and modulated low-end. it s heady ground,to be sure,as well as the most declarative aesthetic statement fromm//r to date. presented without further comment. the music is the message

an ardent heart is a focused techno mini album that brings forward stefan goldmann’s most dancefloor-centered material in a decade. the tracks push and pull relentlessly. despite their linear appeal, there is an intricately balanced interplay between the heavy-handed kicks, the bouncy bass accents and the sizzling, yet clear-cut details whipped up by the rallying drums. the peculiar, seemingly “vocalised” mode of synthesis is maybe the most unifying sonic characteristic of the six tracks and one coda. formant shaping, vowel filters and airstream perturbations let a wide range of sounding elements speak in the tongues of a cybernetic babylon. layered polymetric patterns perforate the aural plane with alien scripts. clearly structured, yet opaque messages that seem to have traveled for aeons emanate from the red-hot circuitry. they spill into a network of delays, channeled down into labyrinthine corridors, enveloped in electrostatic noise. most tracks build on chance patterns evoked with hardware sequencers and freeform modulation sources. the resulting synthetic systems are as cohesive as they exhibit vast internal variation and range. thus balancing simplicity and complexity right in the middle, the results are just as immediately gripping as they can feed sustained attention. a wide palette of distortion and overtones mark the contours of individual elements that seem to have near-physical qualities – as if there were metallic strings, thick membranes, a resonating sphere, all struck by electric mallets, caused to vibrate by mechanical bows and sung by silicone lips.

by your side is the second solo release of the year from will saul, it follows his spring 12inch bugs which gathered support from gilles peterson on his bbc 6 music show as well as leon vynehall, midland & deetron. never content to sit still in one style or genre bys sees will exploring his love for electro, acid and tripped out left of center house. with more eps on the horizon for the autumn we find an artist full of inspiration, elated to be back in the studio and enjoying his most fruitful production spell in recent history.

not content with already steering the vigenere and oscillat labels and appearing regularly on will & ink and lazare hoche, malin genie has launched his own self-titled label as a vessel for his most intriguing twists on the house and techno template. the record strides in with the tracky tones of hypothetical island of stability, a feast of micro pops and squiggles strapped to a rock solid beat. fudeoroshi is more overtly minimalist in nature, using the barest of ingredients to make a potent dancefloor cut. bulbocavernosa opens up the filters and lets a little nasty acid fun and games into the mix, and then mer neith it es rounds the record off with a soaring slice of melodic, deep techno that stands confidently apart from the rest of the tracks.

having produced a wealth of some of the most lovingly referential and consistent music of recent times, the tracks making up palta og ti på den tolvte Ø are slightly harder to pin down to exact genre markers. each song is busy yet never overcrowded with elements, building concise and playful grooves which if forced we would say positions them somewhere in the ambient space between jazzy-improv-house and dubby, hypnotic electronics. that s as absolute in adjectives as we would ever care to be... expertly crafted both technically and musically, we are more than excited to be able to present this to you as our fifth installment.

veteran nyc producer and dfa regular juan maclean hops on the rnt wagon for a rolling ep of drum-machine driven grooves for the reserve sub-imprint. the record starts with the peak-time stomper fine time, building exquisite tension and release through looped and filtered samples, and then moves on to the boogie-infused swing of dont stop for nothing. everybody clap leads off side b with a soulful and string-laden vocal over a bouncing hi-hat-focused house arrangement, and the ep closes out on the dubbier tip with the eponymous panic in fort greene park, a synthy and smooth slow burner. all around beautifully produced and eminently playable, señor maclean has made himself a most welcome addition to the razor-n-tape family with this dynamic ep

“great many arrows” is the 6th studio album from damien dubrovnik, the danish duo of loke rahbek and christian stadsgaard. it is also the 200th release on their posh isolation label, marking 8 years for both the label and project. the label’s inception came with damien dubrovnik’s debut album, and since then the two have been inseparable. without damien dubrovnik there would most likely have been no posh isolation, and vice versa.

this latest work from vanity productions is a turbulence steadied to rest with care, and marks a critical high point in the project’s evolution. as the nom de plume of posh isolation’s co-founder christian stadsgaard, there is a deeply private yet fiercely empathic quality to “only the grains of love remain”. pirouetting between his collaborative work with loke rahbek as damien dubrovnik, as well as the empire line with varg and iron sight, to name just stadsgaard’s most recent activity, the inwardness reserved for vanity productions is perhaps a necessary step. that the emotive experimentation should generate such a touching soliloquy is an arresting watermark, presenting only the grains of love remain as the most eloquent work of the project to date.

boli group is a new ensemble spearheaded by copenhagen based composer and producer asger hartvig. responsible for some of the most fearless and intriguing works to come from the city in recent years, hartvig is as imposing as he is mysterious, and his debut release for posh isolation makes no concessions.

rephlex producer eod drops a mind-bending fifteen track debut album on bjarki’s bbbbbb this june. born in trondheim, norway, stian gjevik is a rarity amongst electronic music producers. possibly the most interesting musician representing the braindance and idm sounds of today, eod’s productions have landed on labels like we&#769,,,,me&#768,,,, records, sleepers, cpu, 030303 and aphex twin’s highly respected rephlex. dropping on bbbbbb last year, his ‘swurlk ep’ sold out within a month and received support from aphex twin, bicep, bjarki, nina kraviz and many more. “it s the album i ve wanted to do since i started making music - feels like a dream come true. inspired by what got me into electronic music in the first place, jungle and early ‘00s warp/rephlex -drill & bass--type stuff, but shifted through my own eod-style lens. oh yeah and loads of lovecraft references because i love those.” - eod a must-listen for fans of sublime synth-driven cuts, otherworldly beatless affairs and frenetic, machine- driven jams, eod’s ‘named’ is a refreshing and highly anticipated debut long player from a true master of his craft.

produced, arranged and mixed by &#150, dario fimiani, flavio cuva, giuseppe zanin, jamie lewis and tibor lörincz for u.m.m. records in the 1993 . 5 house/deep/happy vibe tracks...flash forward represses one of the most played record in the underground house scene of the 90s, five different high quality tracks for an ep that after 24 years its still an absolute gem. enjoy !

ltd coloured edition ... produced, arranged and mixed by &#150, dario fimiani, flavio cuva, giuseppe zanin, jamie lewis and tibor lörincz for u.m.m. records in the 1993 . 5 house/deep/happy vibe tracks...flash forward represses one of the most played record in the underground house scene of the 90s, five different high quality tracks for an ep that after 24 years its still an absolute gem. enjoy !

1991 production by flavio vecchi and ricky montanari for ethos mama production and irma records rimini , riccione and all the - riviera - always been the place where there is the highest concentration of clubs and ethos mama was definitely one of the most underground of that period ... ricky & flavio imposed their unique sound and realized one of the most played and danced deep house record ever! limited 500 copies black vinyl big reissue on flash forward .

1991 production by flavio vecchi and ricky montanari for ethos mama production and irma records rimini , riccione and all the - riviera - always been the place where there is the highest concentration of clubs and ethos mama was definitely one of the most underground of that period ... ricky & flavio imposed their unique sound and realized one of the most played and danced deep house record ever! limited 100 copies marbled vinyl

the 20th release from nina kravizs seminal &#1090,,,,,,,&#1088,,,,,,,&#1080,,,,,,,&#1087,,,,,,, imprint is an homage to some of the most uncompromising manifestations of electronic music imaginable. tracing sub-cultures from the 90s to the present day, &#1090,,,,,,,&#1088,,,,,,,&#1080,,,,,,,&#1087,,,,,,, 20 interrogates the boundaries of tempo and form via hardcore, gabber, acid techno and ambient. a mix of unreleased material and essential gems, the ten-track compilation visits &#1090,,,,,,,&#1088,,,,,,,&#1080,,,,,,,&#1087,,,,,,, regulars, esoteric masters and relative newcomers on a voyage to the extremities of a global underground. &#1090,,,,,,,&#1088,,,,,,,&#1080,,,,,,,&#1087,,,,,,, 20 continues the tradition of gatefold double eps as a conceptual album. all of the tracks are selected around a particular story, a trip, and presented as a continuous sonic landscape. all of the tracks are structured in a way that they can be mixed one with another an endless amount of times making a continuous loop, a trip, that needs only end when the party stops. kraviz works without release dates or deadlines, enabling her to achieve a certain sound bank to shape the story, unmasking the thoughts and unraveling like a dream.

amsterdam based luuk van dijk is welcomed into the hot creations fold this july with his heavy-hitting parallax e.p. chicago production wizard dj skull is also on board to rework the b-side. title track parallax is set to cause a serious stir at festivals and clubs alike this summer. the smattering of high-hats elevate the track as the space-like beeps and blips add another facet. on the flip, dimension applies an ominous vocal stab as the bass rumbles — perfect for low ceiling basement raves. on the remix, dj skull adds a touch of chicago class via some softer vocals, dubby chords and a pounding bass. at the tender age of 22, luuk van dijk has been signed to acclaimed labels such as viva music, roush, food music, sanity and lost records. championed by stalwarts such as steve lawler and eats everything, he has taken his sound to some of the world’s most prestigious events. ron maney aka dj skull became known for being one of the first djs to play the new sound coming out of chicago, honing his craft at the infamous music box and power plant. releasing records since the early 90s, he later launched his own labels hypnotic tones and wax candy records. recent releases have appeared on chiwax, domina trxxx and mentha records.

crew member dj format has joined forces with mc andy cooper to produce a special little number for 45 live records. “get on that”, taken from andy’s most recent lp has been completely re-worked into a brand new track with a new vocal from andy and matt format adding his superb production skills. it’s classic format material, super funky, deftly arranged and aimed squarely at the dancefloor. throw this donut on and watch the floor ignite! this 45 comes complete with an instrumental on the flip, ready to get busy in the mix if you re grabbing doubles.

luv dancin’ is an absolutely essential record. the underground solution was one of the monikers for roger sanchez, one of the most prolific house music producers in the 90s. this 1990 anthem luv dancin is a nyc deep house benchmark. based on arthur russell’s disco classic is it all over my face and with elements of the bottle interspersed with a deep, rolling garage bassline, dreamy keys and pads, the “s” man crafted a timeless piece of dance music that still inspires today and is often imitated yet obviously never bettered! a side is the remix version featuring jasmine on vocals, while the b side is the sought after “in deep mix” from the original 12”. as with all our ny house classics, first time available on 7”.

if peace, love, unity and freedom are some of the pillars of house music “follow me” is a call to action. this vocal driven cut instantly become an anthem and one house music’s most revered songs. although they did not release more than a dozen singles, aly-us made their greatest impact with the 1992 single -follow me.- produced by kyle smith and written by smith with vocalists eddie -super- lewis and william -kaylin-x- jennings, the deep and uplifting track became an early- 90s house classic and continues to be one of the most memorable tracks out of the vast strictly rhythm catalog. original mix on the a, and dub on the b-side. available for the first time as a 7”.

with the masters at work name under contract elsewhere at the peak of their career, kenny dope and louie vega had little choice but to work under other names for their strictly rhythm projects. hardrive became popular, largely thanks to the iconic ‘deep inside’ whose vocal hook (from, barbara tucker’s ‘beautiful people’) and bass line helped made the track become one of house music‘s most memorable hits. “sometimes a record just manages to capture and distill the true essence of what this is all about and deep inside is one such record, it bears all the hallmarks of golden era masters at work, all the signposts of what was happening in nyc s clubs in the early to mid 90 s were there within it s grooves. you know a record is good when it s still being, quite literally, hammered nearly 25 years later”. it’s no surprise even kanye west would sample this classic to make another chart topping track! this one s a straight up essential for any self-respecting house music aficionado. availble for the first time as a 7”. original mix on the a, dub on the flip. you know what to do!

homage returns for their fourth release with the debut ep from irish playboy kettama. the galway native is quickly becoming irelands most exciting electronic music name, known for his hard-hitting tracks laced with old school samples and classic rave sounds. the eps highly anticipated single, body, is making waves online thanks to mall grab givin it the heavy rinse cycle, most recently to a huge crowd at lost & found festival during a b2b with mella dee and denis sulta. the eps b-side is equally as big, housing two absolute peak-hour rave weapons. kettamas bucklyn bridge ep is one hell of a debut, and what better home for it than homage, the new york city label voted most likely to sustain themselves on bodega sandwiches.

die form is the legendary post-industrial electronic project leaded by french artist philippe fichot and active since the late 70 s. -tears of eros- was originally released by the german imprint hyperium records in 1993 and shows die form on it s most intense and productive years. sexual deviations, sadomasochism, fetish and domination set to danceable beats with a dark atmosphere. this mini-album is re-issue for the first time on vinyl including all the original songs plus a different version of -doctor x-. limited to 333 copies with die-cut jacket silk-screen printed on deluxe black paper, printed inner sleeve and numbered card

in the studio prototype 909 was a group that rarely agreed on a clear idea of exactly what they were trying to accomplish. the entire project was an experiment, and every time they hit record there was nothing better for them to do than to just try stuff. whenever it came time to put together an album they would go through what they had recently done and nd the tracks that seemed to fit together well, or that at least sounded like they were made by the same group. that left on the cutting room foor some really amazing worst that somehow just didnt fit their goals at the time. at schmer, we remember. p-909 leftovers have schmer written all over them. these four tracks were all recorded live in the studio in between their three studio albums 93-97. brenecki ( half of ontal ) provided his remix inspired by one of them. hyperdrive and -datafash- were recorded shortly after acid technology was released in 93. they come from the -lets make acid technology vol 2 approach-. that would have made a really cool record had they done it but they decided on making transistor rhythm instead. anoisenyc aka the tracs that dietrich hates is what you get when you let jason go nuts on a doepfer maq-16 ( they never made that mistake again ). bobo is possibly the most prototypical p-909 tracks ever: it took three guys making their own tracks simultaneously almost ignoring what the others were doing but somehow mixing them into a flow to make this one, but it all comes together nicely in the end. its amazing that they never released it before. you ve enjoyed the wait, now enjoy your new prototype 909 while it still is new!

cong burn continues to exercise one of the most promising instincts for future-minded music on this, their third release. it s surprising they haven t done more previously, considering the maturity of their curation, but either way the quality remains at an all time high here, leading in with some light and liquefied 4/4 sonics from chekov before pirouetting into one of duckett s illustrious abstractions around the techno blueprint. label regular lack is back on side b with the stern and punchy -track 3,- and then haddon finishes the record off with -anabiosis,- a densely textured, slow creeping trip of a track.

after kicking off with a selection of artists pushing hard on the serious electro tip, latvian label electronic leatherette is back once again with another round of smartly chosen protagonists plying their machine funk wares. plant43 are the most established here, dealing in immaculate drexciyan funk of the most aqueous kind. gestalt is equally on killer form with ecosystem while maroje t taps up the noir mood to perfection on la confidential. jack roland s crafty osmotic potential is a smart b2 reach loaded with detail and production chops while exploring a more mysterious atmosphere in the process.

under frustration is a 3 volumes compilation project by tunisian collective arabstazy, establishing a picture of the contemporary electronic music scene in the arab world. this musical journey stands for the diversity of this scene, and deconstructs the occidental perceptions that sees the arab world as a culturally united and homogeneous entity. it is a manifesto for the burgeoning wave of post-revolution futurism. arabstazy chose to give all the benefits and profits of this project to the lebanese ngo basmeh & zeitooneh, and most specifically to their yearly art event - seen - which highlights unseen artists and break stereotypes about refugees.

the very first release of 2018 from eureka!, is the well known parisian sampling master s3a (sampling as an art) with his perfect definition between underground quality emotional house music and dancefloor efficiency. he released from lazare house records, hold youth, concrete music, local talk, phonogramme and faces and with his background culture based on a solid knowledge of house music, soul, funk made him one of the most promising house artist of the french scene. mountain charr contains 3 tracks in completely different styles. doop doop is definitely a sound of s3a, with characteristic vocal cut up by adding powerful horn section and melodic piano loop. emotional m1 is classic yet warm and cosy low deep groove track that is playable regardless of a time or place, from lounge to dancefloor. to complete the package we have denials , a more down tempo offering, but its melody is fascinating and yes, sexy. this ep definitely brings you his predominant sense of sampling.

there is something to be majestic about stalwarts of a certain flock coming together to be creative. the harder side of drum & bass didn’t have its own power formation until today. it’s as of this day that czech producer forbidden society, formed an alliance with two of his most respected peers to create 3rdknd. donny, katharsys and fs all have a strong lean to rhythmic textures, tough drum cuts and experimental fx works. just in time for the european festival season, the thunderous first effort has arrived, and it’s going to turn some heads.

bror records and jens records proudly present a gothenburg-strong collaborative effort with brorx1/jens009. on the a-side jens records mainstay pontus björland delivers “limits” with love karlsson on industrialesque vocals. a raw, distorted machine workout with an acid undertone.
bror records curator dj lily ups the pace with an energetic remix of “limits”, making the most out of its original dystopian atmospheric elements, presented at a steady 132 bpm.
the b-side holds the undisclosed gothenburg duo quackpac with the deadly and stunningly executed late hour excursion “earthquack”, measuring in an impressive 16 minutes (hint: don’t miss the last minute).

sensual and primitive, chante afrique ep is perfectly encloses the most acid house digressions and its deepest roots. a work that well combines past, present and future. all the genius of the legendary paul johnson in three original mixes and the -wild circus mix- of chante afrique track by lello di franco aka l.d.f., an introspective and sophisticated remake. a must have!

for our next excursion, we’re off to the library. in search of library records that is - you know the type, the crazy rare records used for soundtracks and such and such. we have a sick selection of synthed-up beats and pieces chopped together by one earl jeffers, making the most out of his international library digging card* (*not a real thing).
for those that don’t know, cardiff’s earl jeffers is one half of darkhouse family, regular family at our sister label, first word, on which they released their debut album “the offering” late last year. earl is a prolific producer in his own right, also releasing over the years under the aliases chesus and metabeats on labels like mcde, fat city and local talk, collaborating with artists like byron the aquarius, action bronson and kamaal williams / henry wu, turning his hand ably to house, hip hop, jungle, jazz and more. all this in addition to running his own label, mélange records.
a dedicated digger and record collector first and foremost, earl has provided us with a quadruple set of heavyweight stuttery sci-fi boom bap. in earl’s words: “this record was mostly inspired by my penchant for the more electronic / synthesized jams, mostly replayed from the original compositions then thrust in to 2028 and beyond….”

in the era of the brand, kutiman is an anomaly. a musician who’s a video artist who’s a producer who’s an animator who’s also the unwilling star of one of israel’s most successful recent documentaries, his every record contrasts with whatever it was that came before. but that’s fundamental to his appeal: no one, not even him, really knows what to expect next. unsurprisingly, therefore, ‘don’t hold onto the clouds’ is no different, which means it’s like nothing he’s ever done. most artists would acknowledge this by working under pseudonyms, but kutiman is – yes, you’ve guessed it – different again. “if i changed my name every time i wanted to do something new,” he laughs, “i think i’d have too many names!”

ghori from d-operation drop is a driving soundsystem roller with a low swung beat crushed through 80’s sci-fi algorithms and burnt onto analog tape. on the flip is natty coil, one of the crew’s most requested tracks, a masterful mix of organic bass and robotic shuffled hi hats from these mix scientists. d-operation drop are a crew from italy who gravitated around their love of bass, releasing music on labels such as artikal, lion charge, zam zam and moonshine, gaining support from the likes of j:kenzo, n type, bukez finezt, and dj madd.

don mike paradinas, one of the most influential and respected artist of our time unleashing archives from the golden era. previously unreleased stuff selected by af and mike... so there s no need to say what you have to do. must.

salsoul records have always stayed one step ahead of the game. since the labels inception in the early 1970 s the imprint s focus has been firmly fixed on presenting the most cutting edge dance music sounds and in the process the label has been instrumental in creating legends and shaping the landscape of contemporary club culture throughout the original disco era and beyond. it comes as no surprise that many of todays labels and artists cite salsoul as a fundamental influence on them and their output. the labels music has been endlessly rediscovered, sampled, re-edited and appreciated over and over again, your favourite dj s and selectors undoubtedly reach for tracks from the catalogue each time they play. this is why salsoul continue to collaborate with the best labels and artists out there today.

seth troxler continues to showcase the work of chicago great k’alexi shelby: after an ep on his other label tuskegee music and a remix for sean miller on this imprint, shelby now steps up to play it say it with a trio of excellent club cuts. k’alexi shelby is one of the windy city’s most venerated heroes. he’s put out six albums and almost 60 eps since the late eighties, all of which have helped evolve and establish the chicago house sound around the world. next to remixing acts like the pet shop boys and derrick may, he runs his own k klassik and 321 labels and remains as vital as ever. the perfectly titled ‘groove with us’ opens up with a cut and paste style, funky disco loops and plenty of filters all bringing the loose house funk. it’s a playful and timeless tune that is designed to blow up the ‘floor and most certainly will thanks to its unbridled energy. the dynamic and driving ‘so chicago’ then slips into a slick house groove, with great percussion, more big string samples lighting up the track and a knotted bassline that keeps you on your toes. suspenseful and explosive, it’s filled with authentic party vibes and a real sense of fun that will ignite any set. last but not least is the excellent ‘black sunday’, which takes uplifting preacher vocals from a church sermon and backs it with gospel singing, an old school baseline and raw energy that will get hands in the air. it’s a definitive piece of authentic house music with real heart and soul. this is an expressive ep of house tracks that embody the instinctive and emotive spirit of the genre to perfection.

arthur baker and murk are two of the most iconic brands in electronic music. arthur baker’s career started in boston, and then hit its stride while he was living in new york city in the 80s and 90s, and he now spends much of his time in miami. oscar g and ralph falcon aka murk were born, raised, and lived their entire lives in miami. this new single is a culmination of the three artists spending time together in miami, and djing on the weekly murk monday events at renowned miami location coyo taco (delicious tacos up front, beats in a secret club in the back). coyo combines the tribal house percussion that murk is known for with the party-driven synths, vocals and instrumentation that is arthur baker’s trademark.

‘closer apart’ is the debut album by uk/south african duo okzharp and manthe ribane.
okzharp says ‘most of the music came out of headphone moments in hotel rooms, planes and airports in the brief periods of time that we spent together, mainly on tour, in paris and later vienna’, a city manthe describes as a ‘beautiful dream place’.
okzharp describes manthe as a ‘co-producer’, ‘she selected instrumental sketches and we developed them together, sometimes just keeping the bare bones or a melody or rhythm, or trying different elements or sounds.’

the next release on leading french label zone is a very special one indeed from long time friend of the label and pioneering electro figure kittin, the artist formerly known as miss kittin. her standout original comes with an equally impressive remix from truncate. a long time stalwart of the electroclash scene who has put out many seminal singles, kittin has famously collaborated with the hacker and felix da housecat and mixed up new wave and techno in arresting new ways for decades. her albums have always been hailed as hugely accomplished and the prolific and innovative frenchwoman has worked with numerous top labels. now back once more in 2018 with her first solo single in some time, she is in fine form. her offering here, ‘eacid’, is a timeless piece of deep techno with brain melting bass and twinkling yet menacing keys. her own vocals are twisted and chopped up into wordless forms that add layers of intrigue and the whole thing is brilliantly broody. a breakdown at the mid point allows you to catch your breath as her voice refracts round the airwaves, then the icy hi hats and rumbling drums and bass land again with subtly uplifting, light emitting chords rising in the background. all in all, this is one of kittin’s most special and evocative tracks of recent times. remixing is truncate, the deep techno artist who runs a label of the same name and has released his killer wares on 50weapons. his version is more wild and flailing, with the keys becoming more manic, the drums darting about all over the place and the voice becoming more paranoid and trippy.

reissue of obscure wackies twelve, you re back by lloyd mctaggart is one of wackies earliest and most obscure 12-. recorded around the same time as the monumental revolution / the time is now by leroy sibbles / stranger cole, it features the love joys backing vocals, lots of 70s synth percussion, the weirdest trumpet part and a wicked version as part two on the flipside.