12 track album he wrote in prison - check these gritty lo-bit productions!

for house heads of a certain persuasion, dj duke is a name that resonates for all the right reasons. the u.s. veteran has been responsible for some of the 90’s most seminal moments, chiefly through tracks such as 12 minutes to do it (under his pleasure dome alias), party time and the prosumer-endorsed deep house classic, heard. he returns here courtesy of emerging imprint solo werks, who host his latest ep, green pastures. a momentous house-led workout, it compounds duke’s reputation as a producer of considerable panache while also acting as an auspicious start to life for the dublin based label. the title track is a grainy, old-school cut that bears all the hallmarks of a dusty analogue-jam and harks back to the days of vintage chicago with the sort of zest you’d expect from a man of duke’s credentials. the other original, skyscapes, is packed to the brim with industrial motifs and is characterised by the sort of effortlessly catchy baseline with which duke has made his name. mysterious and ethereal, it takes the listener on an uncompromising and throughly captivating house journey from the off. on the flip side, we have two stunning remixes, the first of which arrives from new jersey don, ruben candelario aka nicuri. a long-time favourite of nyc-based producers a la joey anderson, nicuri turns green pastures into a dreamy, acid-led space, adding layers of suspense and a glittering vocal intto the mix as he goes. last but not least are dublin-based producers slowburn, who serve up a stunning version of skyscapes. a carefully construed voyage into the deep, it caps off a fine ep with some aplomb.

the third outing for modern manners emerges on the back of two very strong 12inches that introduced this anonymous outfit to the world. timeless vibe continues where the last release left off, building up a wonderfully cosmic bed of processed melody under which casual hand played percussion and warm bass notes can linger. azzahar too keeps things pleasantly soporific with its gentle pace and lilting guitar refrains, and then middle east manners rounds this excellent trio of eps out with a beautifully realised swirl of sounds that find focus once a kick drum starts pulsing and the percussion starts building. quite who modern manners are is a mystery at this stage, but across these three 12inches they ve certainly made their presence felt in the softest, most laid back of ways.

my rules storms into 2018 with the raw machine music project happy family from eric duncan and justin van der volgen. a side downtown wedgeee kicks off with twisted acid lines and drunken arpeggios which build and build until completely going off the rails, then finishing with ethereal pads and metallic percussion. b side bad monks ups the tempo and goes even further into woozy psychedelic territory with thick dizzying drones and a smeared pounding analogue rhythm.

this lp + bonus cd features the entire track listing, plus 5 bonus tracks from the italia new wave lp. this album represents the musical mutation that occurred after the post-punk hangover gave way to more frigid emotional shores, in-line with the synth-wave moment that was sweeping europe and the white cliffs of albion. this scene flourished in italy between 1981-1985, and the musicians that came out of it are still revered today (particularly in the us). robotic rhythms and intuitions that, besides sharing common ground with the electronic movements that had come before, also knew how to fill up the dancefloor! featuring four previously unreleased tracks by der blaue reiter, along with tracks by modo, actor s studio and la maison, as well as the still fresh sounding contributions by true pioneers of the genre neon and naif orchestra.

zodiac childs kicks off his zodiac wax imprint with a three track ep. three cuts channeling the rolling breaks of the early 90s combined with zcs sonic imprint.

months after their debut release, bosconi soundsystem is back with another killer package. the italian production trio, consisting of rufus, mass prod and bosconi boss fabio della torre, perk up here with unrequested states of bliss, a 2 x 12- offering that s packed from start to finish with spectacular dancefloor-ready cuts. the title reflects the contents of the album: psychedelic and minimal techno and electro music on a deep and dark tip that speaks to both the mind and the soul. the action kicks off with -serotonin-, a driving tech house jam that s full of driving, spacey atmospheric overtones. -eclipsed- is a more introspective cut, while on the flip you ll find the anthemic swing of the utterly outrageous -scaccomatto- and the psychotic electro of -minor thinking-. the c side opens with the cavernous bass riffs and the ghostly voices of -gravel fire-, followed by the funky grooves and twisted synth lines of -no flowers-. an unusual breakbeat track, it marks an interesting turn of direction of a release filled with intriguing motifs from the off. -blackout- opens amongst a claustrophionic vibe, before things come down a peg or two on the dreamy, celestial strands of -mandibola-

lithuanian artist pletnev debuts on sze with 3 tracks of ethno-techno, backed with a remix from ploy. having previously released on the likes of meda fury, bahnsteig23 and le temps perdu, the &#8203,,thrown furniture ep&#8203,, sees pletnev delve into the harder-edged side of his work.
the a-side features &#8203,,her cruel smile &#8203,,and thrown furniture, &#8203,,two acid fuelled workouts with a strong rhythmic pulse and those afro-tinged samples that are fast becoming a characteristic sound of the artist. the b-side kicks off with &#8203,,my first teacher, &#8203,,a creepy and slow burning trip that gets right under the skin. rounding off the release is a remix from ploy, coming off the back of his standout eps for hemlock and hessle audio, the remix is a dive headfirst into the distinctive sludgy sound of this young artist.

ombra international can save you with the fury and lust. bordeaux cold-wave band, bagarre perdue kick things off with cowboy and the psychedelic spaniard, sutja gutierrez closes with a tripped out vocal track. the b-side goes more for the dance floor with french-londonite, mondowski and a post-punk slow wave song ties it all together from st. petersburg russias, seven knives.

reissue of the much sought after hotbath edit series from crazy p. hotbath edits vol.1 kicks off with a rather tasty re-work of a familiar nyc disco record which uses only the beat and vocal of the original with some very tasty musical elements added. backing that up is the equally juicy edit which works that groove and takes it straight to the dancefloor. changing tack for the flip we have a re-work with original elements of the acoustic guitar and the vocals are bolstered with live beats, bass, strings and brass to give a truly uplifting mix. finally look out for the curveball edit of a certain neptunes penned pop hit to round off this killer package!

as huntleys + palmers events has drawn to a close, 2018 will see a big focus in releasing some brilliant new music and introducing some amazing new artists. first up is wheelman straight out of glasgow and fresh off the back of his debut for our studio barnhus buddies. to our shame, it took a kornel kovacs trip to rubadub to bring to our attention a real talent who was under our now the whole time! hed even been to a bunch of our parties and wed never made the connection. righting this wrong, we promptly hit him up for music to include on a clyde built compilation and they were so good, we designated the bulk of these tracks to this release 5 absolute belters!

4 lp incl. tracks by blue mana, blue mora, deadmau5, rezz, draft and more

following the release of synkro aka joe mcbride collection of his formative early works earlier this year, apollo recordings is proud to present a brand new ep that draws on the rich heritage of library music. despite having come up during the dubstep era mcbrides music has always resisted easy classification - hand in hand sees him shift his musical focus in a yet more cinematic direction. mcbride explains: the record was inspired and influenced by my love of electronic 80s uk library records like the chappell av series, bruton, soundstage & de wolfe music library. theres a lot of synth work that carries on from my album using my trusted juno-6 / sh101 / jx8p combo with the addition of drum samples via an old akai s2800 i purchased recently. most sounds ive made from scratch on hardware based on sounds used in the library records i mentioned above along with a few cheeky samples.- synkro s signature expansive atmospherics are still very much present, but now they have been burnished by soaring synth pads and pulsing drum tracks that call to mind the haunted melancholy of john carpenter or contemporary such as legowelt or andy stott. rhythmically hand in hand sees mcbride moving somewhat away from his usual off kilter programming inspired by 2-step and garage, embracing the steady pulse of 4:4 which turns out to be an effortless fit.

death & leisure is excited to welcome back jerome tcherneyan and barkosina hanusova as the incredible years of denial for a special split 12- with maenad veyl , the brand new project from italian producer thomas feriero. years of denial deliver a heavy synth wave techno classic with -we operate on each other- , and the pounding hypnotic - numeric affairs- maenad veyl starts things off on his side with the broken percussion of -paint the ossuary- , after that we get the slow dragging darkness of -tell me secrets- and lastly -who you could not- with its drilling synths and noise.

17 year old french producer, petit biscuit, has gained massive global success off of his track sunset lover, which has amassed over 350m streams across key platforms. as a classically trained musician, petit biscuit s sound combines acoustic and electric elements with trademark vocal manipulations at the forefront. the next single waterfall, features australian singer/producer panama and his debut album presence is released on his 18th birthday.

bastinov returns on his beloved etruria beat after the big success of solar system with a brand new four track ep, wormhole. kicking off with the title track, characterized by a powerful 909 groove and strong synth, were plunged deep within its magical atmosphere. materia follows with its wonderful ambient pad and energetic kick, before were taken on a melodic tangent by the synth driven ‘paradox. closing the ep and rolling out another beautifully crafted 909 groove is the thumping quantum gravity.

the talents of enei and critical boss kasra combine once more to kick off 2018. with the infamous jakes on title track vocal duty, the transmitter ep rolls out four pieces of low-slung, sci-fi drum & bass designed for darkened rooms across the world.
the vinyl release includes a download code.

solar phenomena welcomes singular rhythm master stl for a new ep that offers four fantastic tracks of dubby house. it is the label’s fourth release and finds the something label boss in a typically inventive mood.
first track spy vs spy opens things with shuffling drum loops and eerie synth details that hypnotises over seven minutes. atomsmasha has wooden hits and rough shakers peppering a soft, imperfect groove as awkward chords bring an unhinged edge to the mix. on the flip, summer breeze & brotherhood has loose keys doing an off kilter dance over stl’s trademark low-key drums where freebird zones you out with long held chords and detuned keys as cloudy, dusty kicks bring a barely-there groove deep down low. you know what to get from stl by now, but at the same time you can never get enough.

reeepressss - new sub label from natural sciences...
kickin off our new off-shot dolphin traxx , d. futers takes the rains with a pounding two tracker of aqueous goo, molecular body deposits and corrosive laser stains, pressed up loud + harddd. cyber-hounds might recognise the first track i care - a pitched up vocal garage house jam bootlegged on your bros samsung razorblade and running piano keys hoisted in the back of the multi-changer. on the flip, never givin up is for the jungle heads, bringing back the oscillating machine gun funk of the warehouse, crashing between broken beat euphorics and shimmering pads.

contemporary producer e. myers has self released four limited edition white label 12?s since 2015, whilst managing to remain low profile. whoever they are, we guess they?re huge fans of late 1980s chicago house, shep pettibone, colourbox and most of our reissues. so much that they asked us to re-release their second 12? ?hate / love? from 2016 backed with new remix of ?hate? made for dark entries. ?love? kicks off the a-side ?beats out a wood-cut tattoo of tuff drums rubbed with balloon-squeak synths to sound like gesloten cirkel meets helena hauff,? said boomkat. ?hate? is a dreamy house number that ultilzes a roland tr-707 drum machine with a rounded bassline, horns and strings that lift it into the stratosphere. for the new remix of ?hate? myers subtly shifts the pace and deepens the groove, stretching out the song to over 7 minutes of dubbed out new beat phantasia. all songs have been remastered for vinyl by george horn at fantasy studios in berkeley. the 12? is housed in a die cut disco jacket that features an original design by eloise leigh.

first up on the fresh amsterdam-based label late night burners is kurley s debut -feelings ep-. for this young and very talented musician anything goes, as long as it s unique, warm, rhythmic, and raw, and this five tracker perfectly showcases this ethos. from the uplifting, acid-driven title track, we dive straight into -heartbeat-, taking us a level deeper. on the b-side kurley starts off with the stabby, slightly melancholic -long time- while never losing the floor out of sight, preparing us for the vocoder-infused killer -groove all night-. closing off the ep is -tribute-, bringing a more exotic type of heat. in short: a lot to love.

the superb forbidden planet is a shiny early electro cut with a great funk bass line, a real instrumental groove and fantastic melodies that shimmer like a hot sun. it s filled with joy and sounds as fresh today as ever, the way it ducks and dives and offers real warmth. the francisco remix keeps the funk vibe but changes the groove to be a more chicago house style cut. as such it has a rasping bassline, big drums and coarse percussion that make you want to jack. the masterful ali renault—a go-to disco and synth specialist who runs cyber dance records, human shield record company and most recently his own vivod imprint—then turns out a hypnotic version that is more driven and direct for the dance floor, with robotic bass and epic reflective synth lines. it s a cinematic track with great analogue textures that goes back to the future. the last original is the excellent stay with me , a cosmic love song with breezy trumpets and dreamy disco vibes as well as soulful vocals. italo melodies and infectious percussion finish it off and make it an instant crowd pleaser.

warehouse find ! mjazz presents rawtrachs is a 17-minute ride of beats, bass, noise and rawness. there is an obvious influence of jungle break beats and a f**k off attitude to formulaic music. the music represents freedom from the formula, freedom from restrictions, and most of all the freedom to connect with the universe via intuitive experiments with sounds. this release is limited to 30 cassettes – the cassettes are blue in a yellow case with a handcrafted cover – each of these covers are different (no two covers are the same). the cassette cases are then packaged up in an extra case which is hand sprayed with the mjazz seal of approval – super limited handcrafted packaging! this music is unapologetic and unadulterated – no watered down for the masses business!

blumoog music is proud to present its new release of 4 tracks of great musical thickness. this time, blumoog music has selected quality and passion. we introduce a character like aubrey (metroplex, ferox, outsgun and more...) with a classical song of his repertoire : low crushing bag and psychadelic, you will go to cosmic dimension. it s gotshell time, colombian artist, who is pointing to into historical labels like blueprint, missile. his song is terrifying and powerful, not for the weak of heart. it s time for frankie serious(blumoog music,switch off rec.,the zone rec.), artist from rome. with his very high production quality, he proposes with a powerful killer song, excellent for dancefloors but at the same time wonderful for a mental journey. unchained souls goes to end this ep of a large thickness, a mysterious duo whom we ll sure speak about. they propose a dark psychadelic selection which will take you inside the deep abyss of your mind... blumoog music is always near you with soul and passion for the electronics music.....good listening supported by: richie hawtin, lario alicante, dj rolando, marcel heese , rivet, advanced human . luigi madonna, paul mac, m.i.d.i., thor, radial, spec, rush plus, alexi delano, m.r.e.u.x, danielle godiva , p.leone, bodyscrub, david james ruskin , eric, jef k, johannes volk, dj spider, sintek,, tom laws, orde meikle ,e

hot off the heels of cdh005 by dj lettuce, french imprint chineurs de house releases chabha dassin hakku, an ep by established swiss producer pascal viscardi.

vinyl release of the original motion picture soundtrack from “pitch perfect 3”.

if m.a beat! was a place, it would be the liquidrom in berlin. this sauna where the youth swim to the rhythm of comforting electronica. their music is often oneiric composed of ethereal details with surrealist samples. after ‘drowning for love’ album and a few eps, m.a beat! ‘s second album ‘sans soleil’ will be released 29 september via bmm records and its first single nosferato on september 8 with a clip by the gif artist sarah zucker. ambient music legend, brian eno-collaborator, laraaji is featured on the album and give birth to a cross collaboration with the band : m.a beat! will release a remix for laraaji s new album. in the lineage of avant-garde electronic music, the band s last effort appears to be experimental, adventurous and radically different from their previous ones. using less sample collages and improving composition techniques, the trio seems to travel in time with ambient landscapes and obscure pop songs.

name kicks off his side effects ep with the title track, a deep chugging workout that wouldn t have been out of place on jamie thinness seminal deephouse label season back in the 90s. there s more classy deephouse on offer with clos des trams , a lush affair based on a deceptively simple bassline and samplework that would do st. germain proud. flip over for nobody , a fine slice of moody basement beatdown, and finally vibraphone bowed , a peaktime stomper with todd terry-esque beats and kevin yost-like xylophone lines.

it all started in march 2016 when attek and guy johnson met each other at their school in utrecht (nl). they immediately started working together on some house projects, it was the beginning of a great friendship. when mentor and friend dj caspa sended over some oldskool vinyl which he recorded from his magical collection, things really took off. with deep characteristic pads, uplifting drums, soft chords and warm smootchy vocals, attek and guy johnson went all out with this warm ep. strctr is proud to introduce another beautiful piece of art, mastered once again by the house legend dj steaw.

vinyl lp plus download code.

remastered reissue of the self-titled enterprise album from 1977.

shlomo takes a step away from his own taapion records to return to delsin for his second full ep for the label. the parisian producer serves up two of his modern techno jams, a lush ambient piece plus a slamming rework by tommy four seven. up first is in absentia: tome 2, a follow up track to his last ep on the label. it is another cold techno cut with turbulent drums down low and icy, slithering hi hats up top all backed by synths that light up the track from behind with a heavenly glow. tbilisian cure is a more abrasive affair with blistered synth lines and scurrying electronics running through the fast and brutal drums. lali then flips the script and offers an ambient excursion with watery synths forming celestial puddles in the sky. it s a zoned out soundtrack that s the perfect comedown. finishing off the ep, 47 label boss tommy four seven flips this one into a weightless techno groove that rocks back and forth on the drums as sweeping chords leave you feeling suspended in mid air. plenty of ground is covered in this one, and all with equally compelling results.

topping off 2017, scrub a dub has signed two hot new producers with some fresh soundsystem weapons. unity sessions sound system resident somah delivers a spacious dub with whiplashing synths, while jsm comes with a gritty percussion lead piece entitled “king of kings”, rough and tough. these tracks are already gaining support from vivek, coki, bukez finest, mungo’s hi fi and many more. with only 500 copies pressed, here’s one 12- not to sleep on.

in recent years the clamour for the funkier side of aor, blue eyed soul, funky rock or any other description you d care to imagine has reached heightened places. the hardest diggers have been endlessly searching for breezy, soulful and rock-infused r&b gems hidden away in the recesses of the major and independent label archives. miamis cat records one such independent, and an off shoot of the hugely successful tk disco empire had made its mark since the early 70s with stellar sides from little beaver, george & gwen mccrae, raw soul express and many more

integral 042 sees the return of the invincible dawn wall. picking up from where they left off with the amazing twin falls ep, we are now championing their latest and greatest problems ep. a continuation of the mistical journey through their enigmatic world via 4 new heavy weight anthems, these new dw beats are already on hot rotation with support from the likes of andy c and friction awarding it his friction fire tune of the week on radio 1.

* friske joins the dust audio revolution in the form of the destruction ep . the assassin comes with 3 tracks of pure undiluted drum & bass cuts. fresh of the back of his critically acclaimed metalheadz ep he doesn’t slow down with the clinical drums and unrelenting bass… seek this out now, if not it will defiantly search you out, lock on to its target and cause destruction. * the ep’s title track “destruction” rolls from start to finish with clever intricate bass play that sneaks, weaves and hisses like a cobra snake. the almighty drop hits you and the vocal snippet “destruction” aptly describes what this killer is going to do on many a dancefloor, this rib cage rattler is designed to sit in any dj’s selection who wants to boost intensity and create a certain mood. * on the flip friske drops “artikal” into the equation. this vibing half stepping chunk of goodness has all the classic friske trademarks, atmospheric intro, little vocal’s that have been twisted into different territories. the bass and mid ranges juxtaposition for space but work in tandem for the common good.

jaunt records is celebrating 10 years of active service in fine style with this series of various artist 12inches. the air installment features four beat scientists presenting diverse musings on deep diving techno, kicking off with the hypnotic, cyclical meandering rivers by kaelan. jc meanwhile spices things up with the breakbeat roughness of the jaunt track before basic soul unit lays the smack down with the bruising broken techno of escape velocity. blackhall & bookless finish the ep off with the big room dub-out of spirit, a churning beast of a techno track that still maintains the meditative qualities of the other tracks.

cold recordings is very proud to include berlin based producer phon.o as part of it’s growing roster by means of this immaculate ep. across the 3 tracks, phon.o demonstrates his ability to combine uk- bass influences with techno sensibilities, ultimately crafting cutting edge music for the dancefloor.
‘clu5t3r’ opens the ep with a swinging 132bpm rhythm that sits somewhere in between classic uk-funky and a cracking shed/heads high techno anthem. the repeating riff that circles and cycles, sweeps through the frequency spectrum, energising and purposeful. versatile and effective, this is a track to come back to time and time again.
flip the plate and there’s another couple of gems. ‘v3r5u5’ continues on from where ‘clu5t3r’ left off, progressing the mood into a more ethereal space, building layers of pads and texture as the track developes, rising and ramping up, before pulling back and dropping into a rolling rhythm. closing up the ep is ‘h4ndcuff3d’, which takes the mood into a more dramatic backdrop. chilling pads swell up from the ground like mist in a graveyard, while the broken rhythm sets pace, creating a moody ambiance for those moments when you want to take a dancefloor into mystical, other-worldly territories. dramatic and energising!

nothing like an edit is from an obscure acid jazz track that made its rounds in the underground disco scene in chicago. played by veterans like sadar, lee collins & ron trent at clubs like slicks & the b-side café. don t cha wanna get down is a rare groove monster chopped from a funk 45 and kicks off with tights drums, bass licks and crazy synths coupled with some sick brass stabs and a touch of vocals that keeps it all in check and make you wanna get down, get down. played by: rahaan, theo parrish, ron trent, marcellus pittman, jamie 3:26, kai alce , zernell & soul clap.

as one of fuse s original residents, rich nxt played a major part in the brand s evolution, helping take it from that sunday morning afters to being one of the most respected event brands and labels on the planet ever since the age of 10, rich nxt has been involved in creating his own music. thanks to his early training as both a drummer and keyboardist, nxt has an inherent musicianship fully apparent in his sound and style of production. taking influence from the london rave scene of the early 90s spanning drum n bass and jungle and later the minimal and tech-house scenes of europe, nxt s output found a platform on the now world-class fuse london label (launched in 2011). a core artist for the label, with five solo eps and a collaboration alongside seb zito, rich nxt has been integral to fuse s trademark sound with his debut ep bristle and quixotic ep two of the labels defining moments. nxt and zito s chemistry in the studio is clear with a further two collaborations on fuse sister label infuse. alongside his own productions, nxt s remix catalogue includes seb zito s never with enzo siragusa and his original breakthrough remix of jon maker s seeker , which was championed by tini and many other leading djs in the minimal house scene. by the end of 2016, a residency at amnesia ibiza with hyte x fuse alongside dates at off week in barcelona and several stand out events on fuse s 8th birthday tour including an epic after hours set at berlin s hoppetosse proved nxt is on top of his game. nxt also launched his own imprint nxt records that year, another platform for his own consistently quality output. several releases down the line, nxt s distinctive style layered with intricate percussion, obscure synths and ethereal pads combined with punchy snares and atmospheric vocals is marking out the producer and label as a prime source for djs and vinyl lovers. 2017 sees the launch of a second vinyl only imprint what nxt, a home for musical discoveries that end up buried deep in his own record bag. featuring both emerging talent and established artists from the uk and beyond, what nxt? all roads lead to the rave.

maciej banasik has been releasing plenty of music as mb as well as docetism since 2012, but this release on silent season marks the first time the prolific artist s music has been committed to wax. in true silent season style the mood is consistently haunting, leading in with the foggy pulse of dentario enneaphyllidis fagetum i before the second part of the piece heads off into pure swelling drone. querco pinetum i is a different kind of droning techno that comes loaded with cinematic poise, but it makes for a natural partner to the a side. the second part of that piece drifts into calming field recordings of birds and shapeless synth swells of a truly majestic nature.

local talk broadens the palette further with new music by melbourne producer prequel. the a side plays host to freedom, a jazzy, undulating, mixed-up house sound that epitomises the spirit of prequel in one track. it s loose and swinging beat infused with hip-shaking bass, heavily percussive piano riffs and crunchy claps only quieten to make way for an unidentified vocal, who politely thanks you for listening and hopes you have a great time while you are here. it sits perfectly in peak-time territory as it does on a late night afterhours tip. on the flip is the ever evolving lefty . a track that starts off playful & dreamy and features some truly lovely keyboard work. after settling into the groove it takes a sudden and sharp left turn and enters a harder acid focused workout. percussive elements weave definitively in and out of the bass line as detroit influenced vocal cries echo throughout the background. this is the type of track you ll be sure to hear blasting out of speaker stacks on all open-minded dance floors around the globe. another accomplished and celebratory affair from prequel, it comes highly recommended.

blind delon debuted back in 2016 with -edouard ep-. after a sold out and a lot of love and great acceptance of specialized press the french duo presents 4 new remixes of the main track -edouard- signed by kareem, synths versus me, i hate models and violet poison. -edouard remixed- will be presented on 12&#8243,, ep format and produced in a one-off truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid black vinyl. all tracks have been specially mastered and remastered for long cut vinyl by eric van wonterghem.

dj aakmael is a producer weve been loving for many years and were proud to be presenting you with his freerange debut. the us artist has had consistent releases dating back to 2004 and has graced the discographies of many a fine label including uzuri, earthrumental, kolour ltd, his own unxpozd entertainment and most recently the hotly tipped uk label church. here on his daydreeming ep were treated to four original tracks of real house music produced by a true original of the underground. kicking off we have daydreeming with muscular beats laying the foundation for some widescreen orchestral strings and off-kilter and subtly deranged torchsong vocals. rimbaudian steps up for the remix following what for us, is one of the tracks of 2016, werka 8 from his meda fury release. the swedish producer brings a very fresh approach with a loopy and hypnotic techno edge which draws you in with its repeating vocal and trippy sinewave melodies. flipping over we have basement 2 which drops the tempo slightly for a more heads down detroit-inspired jam. a simple three note synth repeats throughout while moody pads bring the deep heat resulting in a track that you could get lost in for days. beacot road closes the ep in fine style with introspective filtered piano chords providing the magic on this simple, stripped back track, the whole thing sounding somehow blunted like its being beamed through a thick haze of ganja smoke. enjoy, and please show your support for dj aakmael!

pretty great sounds from the legendary antonio carlos jobim – an album cut a bit later than his bossa years, but with a darkly sophisticated sound that’s pretty darn compelling! the album features larger orchestrations by claus ogerman, and in a way, it’s similar to the jobim album on decca from 1973 (aka maita pere) – in that it’s got all the simple elements of jobim’s earlier bossa scoring, flushed out into moodier orchestral forms that we’d rank right up there with the modernist work of gil evans or duke ellington. a few cuts have a breezier sparer sound, and you’ll hear english versions of some older bossa tunes. titles include -dreamer-, -canta mais-, -olha maria-, -wave-, -two kites-, -this happy madness-, -song of the sabia-, -estrada do sol-, -voce vai ver-, -off key-, and -triste-.

b.k.r is the techno project of simon baker, presenting four dancefloor fillers on duskys 17 steps. the ep starts with bubble & squeak, a collaboration with jamie jones which is a groovy number flecked with gentle synths. fly is a techno track, where dark and broody tones push through a continuum of crashing percussions. dis is punchy, energetic and bold, and das rounds off the release, with b.k.r skillfully playing with layers of percussion and a serene melody.

happa kicks off the year with the third 12 on his pt5 imprint and the first of several releases planned for the mercurial leeds producer in 2017. lead track “bum trance” pitches futurist drexciya synth optimism against frantic metallic drum programming adding another level to happas increasingly diverse production armoury. intense punk techno monster hallunciations first appeared in 2015 on various mix tapes and radio shows and now appears in its full release to complete the 12inch

the dynamic duo of second storey and appleblim return to r&s for another slice of their off kilter dance floor alchemy second storey & appleblim bring their detroit machine rhythms and sleek electronic grooves back to r&s for the ‘gimme 6’ ep. since their initial forays in 2015 on the label in the form of a trio of eps and a compilation that introduced the world to their unique strain of cyborg funk, the duo have gone on to refine their sound to ever new creative heights. this new ep is the fruit of that hard work - opener, and title track ‘gimme 6’ sees their production grandiosity hit new highs - swooping pads soon give way to slurping twisted bass and mechanistic hi hats before a collapsing breakdown freakout twists the trad techno blueprint into exciting new shapes. ‘levying rooks’ injects a sense of frenetic levity - serrated bass and scudding percussion, while ‘aperture‘ is drenched in swooning pads and fizzing, flanged out hats underpinned by relentless mutant kicks. too often modern electronic club music is all too content to sit heavily within genre boundaries, and ‘rules - ss&a’s gleeful disregard for categorisation and innate sense of melody, harmony and rhythm make their offerings the perfect antidote to the jaded veteran techno fans as well as the gleeful new jacks

remastered 2017 version of the 2002 thump mix with a new version on the flip, played with band and the addition of live instruments.. the legendary german house label needs (not wants) returns after a long hiatus with a new release on the exclusive gold edition that is set up for revisiting their own classics to upgrade them with brand new versions and re-interpretations. walkin thru circles - originally produced by lars & marek bartkuhn - has always been a favourite for many of their fans. the original thump mix is a constantly building mover that is based on a massive beat, hypnotic soundscapes and highly energetic chord hooks, ready for taking off to outer space. for the full expansion lars has gone back to the studio to recompose and re-record the whole thing over again, combining the skills of some excellent session musicians with lots of live instruments, drum & percussion and vocals all played and sung by the producer himself. the result is a complex, epic and fearless jazzfunk odyssey, both musically expansive and heavily grooving at the same time.