at last! this one took literally years to piece together. does dennis bovell need an introduction? i think not but in case you dont know, he is a musical polymath, top flight producer, dub legend and one of the finest artists the uk has ever produced. optimo music has worked with dennis before when he went into green door studios and dubbed out golden teacher to the max. this disco plate ep was already in the works before then but various circumstances caused it to take until now to see the light of day

london’s alex warren, aka kiwi presents “throwdown”, a cover version of carmen’s cult and in demand 1986 electro funk hit. it comes in two versions, a 4/4 club mix and at the suggestion of jd twitch, an updated take on a latin freestyle mix. both versions feature full vocals from ciara haidar and have “summer hit” written all over them.

nice price deal !!! the title of this ep sorta says it all. its quite an important release for the label. glasgow musical connections all around! when most people think of optimo music, they think of the long-running club night in glasgow >optimo (espacio)<, which ran for 12 years every sunday…headed by jd twitch and jg wilkes. label honcho jd twitch is extremely proud to be releasing naum gabo … as this is the studio project of his optimo partner, jonnie wilkes, along with james savage. jonnie and james (formally releasing three 12 inches simply as >naum< on kompakts mighty speicher series) have been active on the scene for a while now. as well as releasing the original music on kompakt, mule, eskimo, dissident, and tinae they have provided some wonderful naum gabo reworks for hot chip, simian mobile disco, franz ferdinand, snow patrol, psychonauts and so many more… twitch has long been a fan of naum gabo so it is a bit of a coup to be getting this fantastic release: two covers of two mighty scottish acts from the late 70s/early 80s.

pussy mothers is the behaviour of a cross-continental two piece from scotland and down under: formed by waving not drowning. chasing percussions, vocal athletics and hand claps concocted into a platter of disco junk funk and early hip hop rhythms, the number 1 ep took shape in glasgow s tenement flats and came to life through a spaced-out echo party held at green door studios.

after a sell out first ep on optimo music, mr tc follows it up with ep 2, surf & destroy four more tracks of analogue plus live instruments delirium. mr tc has been taking his live show (which involves a four-piece band) out on the road to great acclaim. his music and dj sets encompass leftfield disco, tropical oddity, house and techno whilst channelling the spirit of a youth spent playing in psychedelic rock bands in luxembourg, listening to krautrock and worshipping lou reed and david bowie. this is just the beginning

with his project fred und luna musician rainer buchmüller (sugar ray buckmiller) from karlsruhe, germany is paying tribute to his favourite electronic oriented music by using its characteristics like repetition and beautiful melodies, putting them in a contemporary context and preserving their subtle and seductive charm. fred und luna play their self described elektrokraut (concerning songs that are basically kraut mixed with electronic elements) and krautelektro (which is elektro mixed with kraut elements). they live in karlsruhe which, like düsseldorf, lies next to the river rhine. perhaps karlsruhe is the new (neu) düsseldorf, with fred und luna (as pioneers/vanguard).

originally released on the mighty y records in 1982, this one-off single by disconnection was a mutant disco cover version of a song from rodgers and hammersteins 1949 musical, south pacific which was made into a blockbuster film in 1958.

glasgows junto club return with their second ep. in their own words. this is the second in our planned trilogy of junto club eps. if the first was the birth of the junto club, this is the middle-aged existential crisis. we ve followed the same ethos as the first ep, allowing the music to develop organically rather than being restricted by considerations of genre. naturally, this was shaped by our experiences of the first ep.

noo are daze dasen (aka plastique de reve) and sami liuski (aka bangkok impact / putsch 79.

music for nightclubs and far beyond

this 12inch is pure trance. who is/are rita furstenhof? we have no idea who she/he/they are. the a1 track, the mighty -hadron collider- was sent to optimo music hq about 18 months ago. normally sending one track is not much use to a label, but this was so good that we instantly replied to say we wanted to release it. rita furstenhof works in mysterious ways, and it was 18 months until the other tracks for the ep arrived. along the way there were a few times when we thought they had completely vanished, and we were never going to have a complete ep, but finally, here it is.

four tracks of highly original, impossible to pigeonhole, dancefloor-not-dancefloor music.

inspiration is taken from psychedelic rock, deep southern disco, rhythm and blues, classic house and techno also taking a key from the avant-garde

after two sold out 12 eps on optimo trax, boot & tax head over to mother label for the release of their debut

on the aa side is the previously unreleased instigator while on the a side he reworked golden teachers

noo are daze dasen (aka plastique de reve) and sami liuski (aka bangkok impact / putsch 79.

reel houze are/were dominic dawson and rob mello, and these two tracks were originally released in 1996.

its not exactly a dance album, although there is music you can dance to on it. its more filmic in nature.

scaled to fit is the debut ep from london s shift work. four tracks plus four interludes. machine music for hypno dance floors and home listening tranceouts. live shows forthcoming. in their own words: shift work wring everyday sounds into something you can dance to. snippets of woven speech, audio fragments stitched with waves of pulsing mid-priced synths - the noise of syncopation, cheap art, ringing ears, cracked snares, accidents and oscillations. and some very tidy wiring.

these tracks are fairly special in our opinion and we are very honoured to be releasing them as the first optimo music disco plate.noo are daze dasen (aka plastique de reve) and sami liuski (aka bangkok impact / putsch 79). this is a double a side 12inch single (plus a digital bonus track that we couldnt fit on the 12inch and still have maximum pressing volume). built out of imaginative sampling combined with analogue hardware, these tracks are phenomenally produced, lush disco string fuelled epics that fully work their magic in a club setting. this is modern disco, most definitely not nu disco.

limited to 500 units coming in silkscreen printed sleeves

from hippie dance to optimo. the twins are back with three moody dance tracks.

compass point, muscle shoals, sun studios, studio one, cargo studios, spaceward studios : all seminal recording studios. here in glasgow we are very fortunate to have green door studio which is a free thinking hub for wild, original creativity and great sounding analogue recordings.

first 300 copies come in a limited artwork cover. any further pressings will be in a generic optimo music sleeve

80s inspired synth / disco - electro - space anthem

golden teacher started life as a studio collaboration between glasgows noise punk trio, ultimate thrush and glasgows all analogue house duo, silk cut. the results of their collaboration turned the ears of all who heard them, not least twitch who after one listen asked if he could release the project on optimo music label.

two definitive dancefloor powers collide with some dark, space, psych-out grooves. dont worry, there is some melody going on here. a serious electronic feel too. the deep vibe of early acid house minimalism is abundant as well. just listen, and all shall be revealed. as for the artists…? well, old school meets new school.

complimenting the original version, playout have assembled an all-star cast of remixes to create one of the most essential releases youll hear this month. tigersushis joakim, new yorks com truise, and finally its the turn of the uks optimo, creating the perfect warehouse moment in the process.

psyche are a canadian dark synth pop act centered around singer darrin huss, who has made his homebase in germany. since their debut album >insomnia theatre< in the early 80s, psyche have continued to record, and perform globally nearly 30 years to date. their indie electro-pop hits such as >unveiling the secret<, >prisoner to desire<, >sanctuary<, >gods and monsters<, and >15 minutes< are enjoyed throughout the world. psyches version of >goodbye horses<, originally made famous by q lazzarus (as heard in that pivotal buffalo bill moment in the movie >silence of the lambs<) has maintained and continued their renown as it has been played, and performed throughout europe, and as far away as mexico, south africa, and australia. optimo offers a re-aquaintance with not only the exclusive re-workings of two favorite club songs >goodbye horses< and >prisoner to desire>, but also with two of psyches pioneering instrumental tracks that inspired djs and electronic fans alike.

organs of love are the power-sleaze duo of james mckinven (organs, love) and alicia matthews (vocals, love). james mckinvens musical odyssey started with playing synth in (kraftwerk, suicide-inspired) electro band berlin blondes. he then moved on to altered images. after that he worked in genetic studios learning from the modern day genius that was producer martin rushent (human league, the stranglers, the buzzcocks). then went on to form one dove and worked with maverick genius andy weatherall. after that he drifted back to where it all started, analog electro, and miss alicia matthews. alicia matthews has quite a different background – one from fine art and performance. through working together at the same bar and having many intoxicating late night chats, they decided to try to get back to a 70s theatrical, musical performance: where live music and art combine for something beyond the rock gig vibe. and luckily enough, miss matthews has quite the pair of pipes – a true vocal delight. the result is organs of love … who frequently perform live around glasgow and have quite the reputation of thee band to see. videos can be provided, but they are not for the faint-hearted! not that optimo music ever provide a dull moment …

originally released in 1985 for chris carters >mondo beat< lp on conspiracy international, >moonlight< is getting a long-overdue single release of the original and reinterpretation from neurotic drum band. a long-time fave of jd twitchs, >moonlight< was a hit in the late 80s with a much-slowed down bootlegged version on the belgian new beat scene and amongst the italian cosmic djs. the ny duo of ulysses and john selway, aka neurotic drum band, recreate >moonlight< keeping the original feel, slowing it down just a touch and ultra cosmic-a-fying it for an ultra-headtrip psychedelic spaceflight! as a special bonus, there is a digital-only remix from oneohtrix point never. its the sort of drone, dark ambient sound that fans of opns daniel lopatin know and love. bliss out… for those who may not know, chris carter is one of the founding members of throbbing gristle, partner with cosey fanni tutti (knows as carter-tutti and formerly recording as chris & cosey) and has been working with sound for over 40 years. for an extensive biography and up-to-date info about his current projects.

its early days yet, but things are going well for the london-based trio factory floor: nik colk (guitar/vocals/electronics), gabe gurnsey (drums/ electronics) and dom butler (electronics/vocals). and optimo music are in the unique position of doing a remix for factory floor and having a exclusive single release for it. ~ (r e a l l o v e) an optimo (espacio) mix is already getting attention from james holden, the quietus, and it was only mastered about a fortnight ago. the optimo (espacio) mix was made at the behest of factory floor an was done by optimo music head honcho jd twitch alongside his sometime collaborator dave clark.

the green door studio opened its (confusingly black) doors to glasgows vibrant music community at the end of 2007. set up by three glasgow-based musicians emily maclaren (michael dracula/the lady vanishes), sam smith (mother & the addicts) and jamie greer (park attack), who, sick of using other peoples clinical digital studios and being told by engineers >you cant do that..<, decided to create a musician-friendly space where >actually you can...<.

finally, jd twitch remixes >nocturnal creatures< from space systems second album!

originally recorded between 1974 and 1978 at industrial records studio in london >the space between< album was first released as a 90 minute cassette in 1980 on throbbing gristles industrial records label. it wasnt until 1991 that it was again released by mute records on cd. although tracks from >the space between< have appeared on numerous compilations since its release, the album has never been available on vinyl until now.

part 1

part 2

limited to 100 cds

repress , 4 of the biggest tunes by this groundbreaking artschool guys band who mixed nu wave with funk, disco and polyrhythmics. included are cavern - which formed the basis for white lines - optimo, scraper and out!!

so low is an occasional night in glasgow run by iona fortune, jd twitch, katie shambles and becky marshall. so low is strictly for creatures of the night and plays music that could perhaps be described by the words dark waves / cold waves / minimal synthesis / maximal industrial / lo-nrg / forgotten flemish goth bands, teutonic apocalyptic beats +++ it is now also a label, administered by optimo music. the third release on so low is a 5-track ep from ian hicks, formerly one half of soft metals. ian also appeared on our “now & then” compilation ep. here he commands his own release and sets the synths to stun with 5 tracks of analogue waves ranging from the xtc bliss out of “character collapse” and “depths of psyche” to the shockwave klang of “chemical environments” and “specter”, perhaps leaving the very best to last with the ultimate hypno, sex slug groove of “continuous”. subliminal vocals. wrecked drum boxes. synths spiralling. full colour picture sleeve designed by so low collective member and acclaimed glasgow artist katie shannon.

optimo trax reaches no. 33, the final number in the series (although reserving the right to return at some point). the last release is a 3 track ep from montreal’s solitary dancer that ends the label’s run with a distinctly non 4/4 feel. we asked solitary dancer to say a few words about this ep to which they responded with

- -recordings inspired by archetypes existing within a hypothetical matriarchal society and how that may pertain to our present day reality.”

the penultimate release on optimo trax (at least for now) comes from tel aviv’s mighty kalbata. i was already a big fan and was so delighted when he got in touch to see if i would be interested in releasing something by him. unusually for optimo trax this is one track in 3 versions but each version is so different that often i play them all in one dj set. originally there were two versions but as kalbata is a renowned master of dub (check out the documentary online about him recording in jamaica), i gently persuaded him to do a no-holds-barred dub mix too which appears here as enkuan pt 3. a few words about the record from kalbata – i went to ethiopia in the beginning of 2017 to record musicians. the most memorable one was mulugeta teshome who plays the washint flute on this record. it’s a traditional ethiopian flute made out of wood, and mulugeta came to the studio carrying a whole bag of them, each one in a different key. we chose the scale and started the recording session. i ended up taking the tracks a lot further with the three cuts on the record but really it all started that day, in a small studio shack in addis ababa.

optimo trax presents a 4-track ep from germanys mathias schober, head honcho of berlin’s lossless label. as always we prefer to let our artists do the talking. heres what mathias has to say about this release - the idea behind all tracks on the ep was a simple setup of drums and one synth that would do a main sequence/sound, yet theres a lot of detail in all of them. in a certain way features a 808ish beat with a main sequence coming from a tiny monophon synth called atmegatron - 8bit love, it turned out being much more music than i thought it would be when i set everything up. but what rules are made for is the same setup but the sequence is a 101 and so are all the washed out fx synths. on is to break them i went a different route, i had the dub, delayed stabs synth first as i was messin with my moog and a space echo - which btw is used on every single track i release, if you haven’t noticed yet. so i was trying to build something around those stabs in order to fit the track to the others and so i ended up with another sequence coming from my moog. as there was still space on the record, i decided to add an ambient version of is to break them, i love the ambience on this track. i hope that my love for dub sounds is obvious enough on these tracks. happy i found such an excellent home for the ep!

most excellent now project from the one more commonly known as alex smoke (r&s / optimo / soma)
hand printed lino-cut case for the tape
exploring modal music and various other writing techniques, and taking influence from music of various traditions.

optimo trax 30 celebrates a double 30 year anniversary: the original release date of “rejekto” and 30 years since twitch started dj’ing. in 1987, twitch, who wasn’t known as twitch yet, picked up a copy of “rejekto” at glasgow’s then numero uno import shop, 23rd precinct. he was smitten.

newcastle-born, mexico-based man power debuts on optimo trax with two psychasonic missives cut extra loud for optimum sound system performance. we asked man power for some words about this release and he told us - -both tracks sound different, but they re both from the same place in as much as they represent a conscious effort by me to strip back some of unnecessary niceties in my music and really sharpen my focus on what makes people dance without crossing the fine line of what makes me sound like me.”

originally released in japan in 2015 on dj emmas nitelist music as part of its acid ep series, only a small handful of copies of this 12inch made it to europe. jd twitch was lucky to score a copy and both tracks became firm favourites in his sets and much asked about. twitch felt this music deserved a wider audience so was kindly granted permission to reissue it on optimo trax. yes another double a side release, a1, hiroshi watanabes - infinity sign is a hypno ecstatic acid piano-tingling monolith. a2, kuniyukis acid air is a slow building organic percussive acid freak out that will cause a freak out on the floor. it is hard to do anything with a 303 that is interesting these days but both the tracks on this 12inch are 100% club classic.

after a split single with muslimgauze and a single of their own on optimo trax, we are delighted to present the first optimo trax album release by italys underspreche.

after a split single with muslimgauze and a single of their own on optimo trax, we are delighted to present the first optimo trax album release by italy’s underspreche. the album is split across two four- track eps, released two weeks apart