a personal selection of electro classics, compiled by joey negro.

powder is an up-and-coming producer from tokyo who had put out only a couple of releases on born free and esp institute when resident advisor featured her on the monthly series breaking through this past august. inspired by her first visit to cocktail d amore in 2015, she was so enthralled by the atmosphere, she started working on an ep for the label capturing her experiences from the party. the way powder interprets sound is extremely personal and unique. the opener hip has a driving sensual groove with hints of acid, seasoned with a good amount of loons and a mysterious foggy melody while heart sounds like an italo disco aural translation of a shojo manga script for a fun in the sun tinged story. on the flip side a slowmo industrial-meets-rainforest groove characterizes hole followed by hair in which she blends many layers of rhythm patterns together.

astropolis records brings out its 7th release, welcoming a distinguished guest from scotland. vince watson, the glasgow-based producer, chose the french melodic techno label to release elektrik. his previous productions saw the likes of cocoon, planet e, ovum, tresor and very soon transmit or rebids ... granting him worldwide reputation.
elektrik is a deep, emotional piece of melodious techno that can be relished at home as well as on a massive dancefloor. dark chords, enticing bassline coupled to downy reverb progressively unfurls vince watson’s flair, grasping the audience for a 9-minute journey to a crepuscular, hypnotic and colourful universe.
the b-side highlights one of astropolis record’s cornerstones, frenchie techno activist madben. restyling vince watson’s climb on a dancefloor-powered techno track, whirling and effusive, tenderly shady and mysterious, madben brings the audience to an intense flickering excursion tinged with a smooth groove.

since day one, alex.do accompanied the evolution of plangent records. he gave his opinion and feedback on the first tracks and was actually living in the same flat as recondite when the label was founded back in 2010. it feels only natural that alex is nailing the plangent mood with excellence on his first appearance on the label by delivering 4 sensitive, gentle, deep and mysterious tracks.

groovy mysterious house music

this music sounds mysterious and moody. well constructed works of smudgy acid and intermittent distortion make these tracks equally as ready for a dance floor as they are a spliff. we defaced the labels to further cloak the craftsman.

end of dayz presents its tenth release with all stars vol 1., some old friends and a new face on the label. ness, who made a remix on the 002 brings us his original track “semblance”. nx1, who remixed the first reference and did the 003, brings us a mysterious “eod4”. on the b side we have nehuen, who has already published as cws (with cardopusher) the reference 006. this time brings us his track “fight or flight response”. finally, we welcome to end of dayz the german sebastian habben and his track “bdt”.

the next cosmos release comes from salomon dunkan, a mysterious and unknown producer who serves up two tantalising tracks... . android (adamantium mix) is a slow and percolating house track with a rugged acid line and sharp percussive knives cutting up the rubbery kick drums below. swirling pads add a cosmic atmosphere and there whole hits slowly but surely builds to a raging and intense peak of bristling hits and gurgling synths. it s controlled chaos and then tacchi a spillo treads a more direct path. again the high hats are bright and sharp, the mood is very sci-fi and the bass lines rumbled down low. like a deep space odyssey this one travels far and wide and grows ever more physical and jacking as it goes on.

electronic emergencies first release in 2017 is histoire dune ame by peine perdue, the acclaimed synthpop/minimal wave duo from paris and berlin. the ep, which is divided into four tableaux, tells a story that was inspired by 80s cult movie therese, directed by alain cavalier, about the mystical suffering of a nun who becomes a saint. expect nebulous acid wave chansons with mysterious french lyrics.

the second vinyl only release from this impeccable label presents textures of true deep house with vapour rise and the mysterious beings beyond comprehension, a spoken word dedication to the light from a leading authority in the sound healing field, a call for us to find the higher purpose, particularly relevant in these changing times and finally chant of antara (meaning within in sanskrit) a blissful ambient piece created by layers of throat singing and ethereal effects. vapour rises is beautiful, melancholy, meditative, deep house following on from the classics like fingers inc who created the genre so many moons ago. the celestial vocoder vocal version notes our searching for meaning, looking into little light boxes (our phones, computer screens and tvs)

yoshinori hayashi visits an imaginary place and finds these two masterpieces, a lyrical one and a junglish one. on the other side the mysterious db.source in a tribal-dub mood, roundtrip ticket. highly recommended!

limited repress! amazing trippy groover on the mysterious howl label by a well known secret producer collectiv.

a bona-fide nigerian prince and probably the only musician to have ever played with fela kuti, miles davis and bob marley, eji oyewole combined african highlife with western jazz to create a hybrid so that was as smooth as it was funky. his first album, charity begins at home was an angry tirade against corruption in nigeria. me & you is his ‘relationship’ album, a brighter and happier set of songs that sees eji all loved up, presumably with the mysterious ‘cameleon’ featured on the cover. eji’s flute is no longer a strident voice raised in anger. instead, on ‘me & you’ and ‘i’m a dancer’ it is a playful line of seduction. on the wonky and woozy ‘eniafelamo’ his sax is a post-coital salutation. even the one political track, ‘long live nigeria’, is a loved up call for peace, progress and trust. chilled, assured and dexterious, me & you is a sophisticated showcase of eji oyewole’s chops. ‘this is the beginning of an atomic musical evolution,’ he declares on the cover. ‘brothers and sisters, stay cool.’
(peter moore)

another sizeable bite outta the big apple ! the mighty ny edits series returns ! very limited and mysterious one-off 12 s emanating, as you might expect, from the city that never sleeps put together by a legendary ny record store owner from a personal stash of edits constructed for back in the day club play, which still sound super fresh and effective today ! always a presale sellout - so don t snooze

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larrys ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicags toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

for the first release in 2017, echovolt draws from the canadian continent to bring an ep from mysterious producer from the west coast.an inventory of thoughtful cuts bringing dubby motifs, early italian house elements, and moody synth-work. a diverse expansive 12- presented with an all around deep, straight to tape sound quality.

the legacy goes on, after blowing minds of half of the world with his debut, the mysterious judas is back in the game. this ep shows to the world that simplicity is the key to creativity.

joining our label for the 4th release are dan andrei and kozo, under their collaboration named ak41, a fructuous project that offers three highly complex tracks.
on the a side you can find “icebreaker” solely, an eccentric sound with a steady bassline, percussive kicks, tripping shakers and a thoughtful, mysterious melody that touches all the frequencies of your body. turning to the b side we find “swingenious”, a groovier interpretation produced by a combination of spacey feelings and sophisticated instruments that will move every bone on the dancefloor. closing the ep is “in memoriam”, a melancholic version that is not short of an aggressive bassline, ambiguous vocals and deep introspects, all aligned to disconnect you from the reality of routine.

‘dazzle ship’ comes from the mysterious moniker of donald dust, switching the script for no bad days into something more cosmic, with five skyward songs of variety and velocity. think italo tinged burners, the greatest 80s sci-fi soundtracks that never were, and beatless drift with a synth bought off demdike stare to close.
dazzle by name, dazzle by nature…

the mysterious nic araguay lands on shall not fade with 5 killer tracks that blend moody synths, ambient soundscapes, gritty rhythm patterns and eerie vocals.

lobster finally enters the realm of the 7- record with a bumper 3x7- pack headed up by mysterious danish producer hllw.
twisted techno, effervescent electro, speedy electronica , machine music and rhythmic snippet ambient all collide over three discs of warp and aphex-inspired sonic wonders.
real hardware electronic mastery, rolling landscapes and lost nostalgic memories.

ersatz olfolks signs new singular, cat number 10 with strobes & smoke ep. singular records comes back this february with mysterious french producer ersatz olfolks. 2017 is going to be a busy year for singular rec and it starts with a full analogue trip. tough at first with the driving “srobes & smoke” till the deepness of “alkaest”. ersatz olfolks makes no compromise and deliver a superb combination of force and depth throughout these four cuts from live sessions. the all thing got a 90’s sound treatment by master scan x. enjoy!

perth, capital of western australia, sits where the swan river meets the southwest coast. sandy beaches line its suburbs giving purpose to hot summer days, but after sundown, the city is where its at if you know where to look. its possible that this double-life is what inspired the deep, melodic, futuristic sounds of one of australia s most mysterious electronic dance music labels of the 90s - red ember records.

a1: solar reaction - asc is known for off the wall deep atmospheric music with a darker more menacing side to it, solar reaction encapsulates this to perfection. the usual asc trademark of quality is here in abundance, with intricate beats, as one would expect, accompanied with a mysterious dark atmosphere that evolves into something with a warm and more welcoming feeling. haunting chords and electrical static pulse sounds hypnotize and seduce the listener into a trance like state. the deeper drifty synth sounds drop with a friendly embrace on the ears and make you yearn for more. solar avoidance is a track of contrast is executed to great effect.

valuable, four pulsating house-flavored techno tools from this mysterious argentinean artist. a timeless piece of wax straight from the bottom. limited to 300 copies.

timely outing from two grand masters of exploratory electronics. kassel jaeger is the moniker of french musician françois bonnet who works at the grm and has released a number of books including the highly regarded the order of sounds, a sonorous archipelago published by urbanomic in 2016. jim o rourke is known to most through his explorations of the song and shapes, the high and low, the east and south. wakes on cerulean is a joint adventure where process folds upon process and the operation of procedure remains unknown. amongst a mysterious cloud of excited high frequencies tiny whistling howls. frog leaps in technique lay out a thrilling and uplifting journey that runs from the soothing to ecstatic and back to the buoyant again. wakes on cerulean is a staggering feast of the joys found in electronic process. a malleable bubble of hovering excitement, melody and joyous refrain.

label boss spartaque delivers a massive 3 tracker on the first codex vinyl release. in the beginning sets forth a commanding bassline while acidic synths move fluidly with the rhythm and distinct arpeggios come together to take you into the darkness. amber room stomps through the room with an elastic groove, hi hats sessions and deep basslines, while clearing the path for growling synths and melodic overtones layered with a sexy diva vocal sample. the ep closes with a track titled berliner goes the rave collaboration with spartaque s good friend greenjack, which delivers a grinding bassline in combination with the hypnotic male vocals of the haunting kind, eerie notes and a mysterious vibe throughout.

motion sequence is back with the second chapter, ms0.2 inferior exterior ’ ep by the mysterious ana poiesis —two-track ep concluded by a special sequencing from medicis and voltery. vinyl only / special white 12inch.

since laars epic crowdsurfing days touring with his former disco-band tog, laars has been honing his production skills with more metric music inspired by the classic godfathers patrick crowley and giorgio moroder for lysår/none 12inch. making playful, percussive house music with a disco heart is one of laars passions that comes into play on this 12inch. sampling hits from his favorite records, sweeping filters, playing on his juno 60 and having his band mates come in to play percussion and synthesizers over some of his grooves you can hear how much fun theyve been having making the record. the mysterious willy nickersen has remixed the songs into deeper territories complementing the record making it able to lift dance floors across the globe.

for its third volume jongno invites old collaborator and friend of the arts laura ingalls to the fold for more obscure korean edit madness. laura ingalls takes it down a notch with his signature endless dub delays and french touch filters, looping kim wan sun into oblivion on top of 707 daft beats, complete with guitar solo geekiness and spliced out vocals. on side b, mysterious digger and editor jongno edit takes the disco to the max on side a with a tina hwang facelift that will make you do the korean shuffle and back. loaded with bass slapness and disco synth toms this will fit right into the late night boogie and day light workout of anyone with a heartbeat.

the mysterious cornhusker unearths two obscure dj-only specials. the a side marries 70s soul (familiar to westwood listeners back in the day) with philly street-corner vocals that keener cinephiles may be able to place. the b side adds a beat to a soulful sunshine-imbued anthem that will ring a bell with fans of j-dilla productions, making it a must for outdoor gatherings. 7 inch large hole with hand stamp sleeve. this is the dj promo on this limited vinyl only release so grab it before its gone forever. upfront support: session victim razor n tape luke solomon nebraska

amazing release! t. gavroche, another mysterious alias for a well known artist, releasing his first ep via soulsity. >new era ep< brings 2 tracks perfect suited for long mornings, also powerful pressured for any time of the day or night, both with a subtile feeling of nostalgia. tip for the ones that still feel the music, rather than use it as a universal travel ticket to other dimensions … or places.

strong limited repress due to high demand on requests. mysterious masterpiece of minimalism, from the picturesque lands of romania. 3 tracks with almost 30 minutes playtime. 180g and vinyl only! be fast to get your hands on this one

for the 4th release of the viennese vinyl-only imprint, the pomelo-mastermind dan lodig provides a mysterious 4-tracker and shows again his versatility which perfectly fits to the whole concept of yoshi.

mysterious kiev based label. iv mickey, shine grooves & michel, kiddmisha, nocow with raw n dirty groove tools. amazing record!

mysterious acid project. amazing spacey cutz from another world. special handmade silverprinted cover.

2017 repress .. subsequent. we live in old structures, admire the same old gods! after the success and the blitz sale of their first release - subsequent is back with 4 uncompromised original tracks from a group of mysterious london producers. a striking simplicity defines this moody ep. subsequent material at its best. as always subsequent promotes originality and beautifully crafted music of the next generation of expert producers. enjoy!

nice price deal !!! newcomer ingo thomas provides the next installment on beyond with three very unique, raw and individual tracks on vinyl. the off kilter, deep and detroit inspired ‚ suludada charms and chimes its way down a dusty, richly textured path as the meandering synth themes intertwine and grow throughout 8 and half minutes. painting a mysterious picture of late night abandon, echoes of dark moody club atmospheres and super deep vibes a plenty, its a really stand out track… and the quality doesnt let off here! sweep is another suitably textural offering that lays down tense atmospheric chords and uplifting synth themes from the very start. reminding us of some of the very best deep techno from over the decades, thrown into one giant melting pot of quality, inventive production, it makes us wonder if our man ingo just might be a future electronic music fi gurehead in the making! closing the record we find >hum reprise< whose dubby stabs, tricky arrangement and bad ass reduction all contribute to another wonderful track. certainly intended to play loud, this outstanding piece of other worldly electronic entertainment is yet another reason to remember the name flashnap.

the vinyl only series bones brought to you by a mysterious underground house & techno dj / producer unleashes their 4th release. vinyl only limited stock.

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larrys ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larrys success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larry’s ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larry’s ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larrys ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larrys ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive – what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larry’s ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive – what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larrys ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive what many consider to be the holy grail of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

for the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure lps and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label lad productions, inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious south side chicago singer/song writer larry dixon. larry s raw songs capture the transition from r&b to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. they also perfectly illustrate larrys ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. with the support of his faithful musicians, larry s success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. this is the story of larry dixon, his label lad productions, inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in chicagos toughest neighborhoods. jerome derradji is proud to reactivate past due records the boogie funk division of still music to release this fantastic archive – what many consider to be the holy grail - of chicago funk, boogie and soul.

returning to hypercolour with a second volume of his sugar cane chronicles, gary gritness lays down more devastating funk and classy riffing over his trusty roland 606. after the first volume, released last april, sold out its vinyl run, gritness delivers more explorations and adventures into his unique and soulful world. having elusively built his reputation as an outstanding session player, live producer and fantastically dressed funkateer, gritness has delivered a handful of releases on labels like clone crown ltd, nyami nyami and his own diy and cassette-only slikk tapes. steady choosin gets downright fusion-jazz and gritness fires out seductive melodies and latin piano playing of the highest order whilst countin up with starr delves into a darker well of synth mania, with a sexual groove reminiscing of rick james, all the while retaining garys signature licks and riffs. runner joes revenge on the flip ramps up the hysteria for a gritty and colossal production that typifies his love of cyberpunk soundtracks and the drama and narrative to be found in this style. the sugar cane chronicles vol. 2 closes with the low-slung pool shark loot wrapping up on a mysterious and captivating tone, its wandering bassline and melodic touches carrying all the signature gritness sounds, with the p-funk sleaziness on top.

south street follow up their debut release with the mysterious yaki incipient. two disco house cuts strictly for the dance floor. includes a tape test locked groove and a secret track. early support from frits wentink, malin genie & wolf music.