azuli return for their flagship compilation with three of the biggest house stars around at the moment. olav basoski, james talk and ridney will take the helm of this years offering, serving up a tough, peak-time mix of house music.

being a product of the age it was written, slow clubs 2009 debut, yeah so, dealt with the all too familiar space between adolescence and the oncoming storm of adulthood. a boy-girl duo who played a flower-adorned chair live, they were the polar opposite of what was coming out of post-arctic monkeys sheffield. slow club were fun, cute, whimsical and all manner of other words just shy of twee - and they hate being called twee. paradise, however, is where the duo grows up. two years on, it stumbles out of a trivial, self-indulgent teenage malaise (where sexual adventure was priority for most) and carries itself with a sense of perspective that only adulthood can give - a darker, more thoughtful view of the world. for instance, on the poignant you, earth or ash, a song about rebecca taylor s granddad, her melancholic vocals (beautiful, as always) evoke an awareness of mortality for those around her: singing -and i know, soon you ll go,- her voice seemingly breaks under the weight of premature grief. whereas even love-wise (an inspiration every band draws from) slow club s lyrical output is glossed with a more mature and detached sense of sauce, with taylor crooning on where i m waking: -i can see you looking at me / you got the brains i ve got the body-.

it might sound like an empty phrase, but when oliver koletzki founded stil vor talent in 2005, he certainly didnt anticipate where his label would be today. now - six years and over sixty releases later - stil vor talent can look back at many magnificent moments in the labels history. originally started to give other musicians the chance to showcase their music, stil vor talent has preserved this very down-to-earth attitude until today and has helped foster the careers of producers such as channel x, niko schwind, juli holz or david august to name just a few. while there have never been any musical or stylistic limitations, an open philosophy dominated by quality and individualism prevails at olivers label, from delicately designed record sleeves to their own fashion line and to music that varies from house to pop to jacking dancefloor cuts. now it is time to congratulate everyone involved and the fans of stil vor talent with a special birthday present: a six-year anniversary compilation that celebrates past, present and future of the label on two cds

cocker kicks off a collectable series of bargain-priced finders keepers compilations made to support the label in light of the recent warehouse fire at pias north london depot. a long time fan of the label and their doings, he was granted full access to rifle their catalogue and hes picked some absolute treats for ya, including, if were not mistaken, some which have never appeared on cd before. to start theres the perspicacious poetics of carol battens beeing, besides the legendary pseudo j-pop of yamasuki (made by none other than thomas -daft punk- bangalters dad!), besides a first cd appearance for jacky chalards super man, super cool from the cache cache 12-. youll also find a nugget from the stone soundtrack, one of the labels finest moments from amrals trinidad cavaliers steel drum orchestra, the glam prog of gongs rational anthem, balearic prog from fusioon, tender folk from jane weaver with wendy flower, and a bonus moment in jean claude vanniers au desepoir des singles. top picks, well recommended!

last year, we here at mexican summer came under the spell of the starry kaplan sisters: piper and skylar, and their band pearl harbor, who graced the land with their beautific something about the chapparrals ep. funny how time flies for the beyond their year siblings, as its suddenly 2011 and pearl harbor now goes by the name of puro instinct. now piper and sky find themselves bolstered by four other bandmates: cody porter, jessie clavin, mike baum, and crazy murray to make their hazy, swirling pop even more realized and sumptuous.

the thing return with guitars (gasp!) from none other than otomo yoshihide. recorded by jim o rourke live at pit inn in tokyo, shinkjuku crawl documents the different aspects of the thing and how they are shaping and melting together with the wonderful guitar magic of yoshihide. otomo yoshihide first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the noise rock group ground zero, and has since worked in a variety of contexts, ranging from free improvisation to noise, jazz, avant-garde and contemporary classical.

you can forgive a band who set out to create something even just a little bit different and get it horrendously wrong, but its tough to have sympathy for a band who shy away from the challenge altogether. such was the case with autokratz on their first album, animal, which, apart from a passable opening track, consisted of a series of bland electronic pastiches Ð dance music that conversely made the listener want to sit and wait it out. that didnt stop the hype building around the duo, though, thanks in no small part to the fact that the album was released through in-vogue french label kitsunŽ music. the confusing positivity surrounding the lp suggesting, perhaps, that style overcomes substance once a record company has received the hipster seal of approval.this time around, however, kitsune has stepped aside, with autokratz releasing the follow-up on their own label, bad life. but has the sense of responsibility that surely comes with this step made them re-evaluate their direction? has it inspired them to inject a much-needed shot of creativity into their work? not a hope. if anything, autokratz descend even further into mediocrity on self help for beginners. once again, their best tunes are loaded towards the front of the album, starting with the lead single, -opposite of love. its far from outstanding, helped in no small part by the terribly contrived lyrics, but does possess a catchy synth melody Ð enough to earn it a place on club playlists, at least. its a similar story with -becoming the wraith, which has peter hook on hand to deliver an overtly new order-esque bassline. beyond that, however, the quality dips dramatically. tracks like -the seventh seal and -r.i.s.e. are typical of the selection on offer, underwhelmingly vapid, derivative tunes which show up a disappointing, but not totally unexpected, scarcity of guile on the part of their creators.where autokratz do excel is as producers Ð a quality evident not only in their own work, but also in their remixes for other artists. unfortunately, this only serves to exacerbate their deficiencies on the other side of the control room desk. ultimately it may mean that, having failed to address the shortcomings of their debut, autokratz will be fated to be filed under -also rans in the annals of music history. thats assuming, of course, that someone out there will actually remember them at all.

digitally remastered edition of this 1975 album. gil scott heron is justifiably recognized as one of the most unique black music artists of all time. his music transgresses all musical barriers in the same way that stevie wonder, bob marley and marvin gaye did. first minute of a new day was the first album that gil and collaborator brian jackson recorded with the fantastic midnight band, and is a revelation throughout. the album reflects all the aspects of gil and brians music, a mixture of soul, jazz and other influences sometimes powerful, mellow at others, but always compelling. but it is the lyrics and messages of the songs that really made gil scott heron stand out from his contemporaries, always telling a story and informing us of situations that needed attention.

the ever on point citrus recordings is stepping up for its 5th artist lp. after having released the debut albums of mindscape & jade wich all went on for critical acclaim its time for citrus to get ready for its 3rd artist album. this time its time for the debut album of fourward! hailing straight from lower austria the four men collective fourward started out producing music in early 2007. the boys knew each other for quite a while and shared the love and passion for drumandbass music. for them it was always a main issue not to stick to any particular tiny subgenre only, but to develop a sound of their own. all members have different musical backgrounds which fit together perfectly and provide a great studio vibe. days went by and the boys finished a couple of tunes properly and it wasnt long until austrian drumandbass producer duo body&soul showed interest in their works. also international artists like bbcs very own crissy criss began to support their music giving them airplay on his radio show. as a result of their effort fourward has released quality tunes on labels like subsonik sound, planet funk and fokuz. the year 2010 they experienced the so called breakthrough with releases on nasca recordings and fokuz followed by an epic 12inch for the legendary label virus recordings! the guys definitely didnt stop there and being on the road now broadened their horizon even further. resulting in a series of tunes perfectly fitting together in this cd. diversity and musicallity are keywords for this album. listen from low blow to you and me, quality drum n bass!!

daydreaming is the debut album release from paris based artist von d on boka records. a fusion chef of bassweight, von d has deftly sliced into unpredictable genres, concocting strange and beautiful new forms.the album sees von d collaborating with the internationally renowned foreign beggars, phephe, david boomah (vocalist for shy fx murderation), riya & mr lager, while his previous work has also been remixed by a host of respected dubstep djs including skream and tes la rok. born into the cultural melting pot of the paris suburbs, von d found his souls conduit in a beaten up old drum kit. whilst the riddims of king tubby alongside the foetal jungle of photek and serge gainsborg were initial inspirations, after forging a successful path as a sound engineer von d honed his sound sculpting skills to a razor sharp edge. von ds productions have been picked up by skream, arguably one of dubsteps most successful artists, who snapped up a release for his label disfigured dubs. dj chef released von ds >show me< on his sub freq imprint, which quickly became one of the most talked about releases of 2009 Ð so much so that three time dmc world champion dj craze has been supporting the track in recent mixes. not one to be complacent, von dÕs kept up the pressure with releases on black acre, tempa, soul jazz and argon Ð enough to attract the attention of bbc radio 1s gilles peterson who has included a track for his hotly anticipated brownswood bubblers compilation album. von d has created a global buzz with his numerous explosive live performances featuring unreleased and exciting material from himself as well as other established producers. having had a host of successful tours in the united states, europe and china, von d has now set his sights on touring new zealand and australia

the fourth in the successful compilation series, chilled r&b summer 2011, this triple album contains current laid back r&b hits alongside a wealth of huge classics from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s. the new 60 track collection is led by tracks that perfectly encapsulate this vibe including aloe blacc -i need a dollar-, rihanna -russian roulette-, mariah carey -my all-, nelly -just a dream-, michael jackson -human nature-, sade -no ordinary love- and bobby brown -rock wit cha-. also featured are huge laid back hits such as jennifer lopez -if you had my love-, jason derulo -ridin solo acoustic version-, usher -you make me wanna- and alicia keys -you don t know my name-. plus, other superstars appearing on the compilation with chilled classics include al green, whitney houston, justin timberlake, kelly rowland, lemar, r.kelly, tlc, craig david and ne-yo.

the beginning of a new era. founded in 2005 by thomas wendel aka don williams the beloved seminal imprint with cult status mojuba is facing the next level with the debut album kawasaki by stereociti from tokyo. when in 2005 the first sounds of mojuba were introduced to the world, people quickly realized that there is something very special going on different to the usual house or techno business É it was something more emotional, more personal, somewhat more deeply rooted! stereociti aka ken sumitani is truly one of japans finest when it comes to uncompromising underground dance music with heart & soul, whether it is the realm of deep house music or the darker moods of detroit techno. you can actually feel that his roots go far back into the early days of electronic club music but never lose sight of the history of soul, funk or dub. his debut kawasaki, named after his hometown, is delivering the quintessence of what is considered as the mojuba sound. being capable of such a musical sense, it was no wonder that the other mojuba family members nick solŽ, sven weisemann and oracy welcomed stereociti very warm. so if you are new to the world of mojuba, please tune in and enjoy the journey! kawasaki is a timeless piece of music, equipped with everything you need for an outstanding album experience. it will take you by the hand from the very first moments and will be there for you second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day until you let it go

played by nick curly, reboot, mathias kaden, monika kruse, karotte, sis, shlomi aber, dj t., gorge, brothers vibe... debut album of helmut dubnitzky (brise records / 8bit) at his own imprint. massive support from the scene, perfect for the summer!

incl. groove armada (m3 & bachelors of science remix of history), wagon cookin (music is not far), and shiny objects (set it off marcus mescaline mix). along with other choice cuts & remixes by hot toddy, mike monday, fred everything, lance de sardi, ron basejam and shiny objects.plus 55+ minute continuous mix by al velilla.

whats the point of a concept album when no one hears the concept in it? maybe that it sets a boundary, forcing mr artist to go even deeper into the fewer possibilities left. creativity by limitation and all thatÉ well spare you further theorizing. >fever<, the third longplayer by dutch low end scientist 2562, then, is his disco album: a thorough reinterpretation of underground disco music from the mid seventies to the early eighties, with his own birthyear 1979 as the gravitational point. all based on one simple rule: every single sound, from the smallest background shiver to the most obese sub bass, originates from a disco record Ð no additional synthesizers, drumcomputers or other samplesources involved. disco-edits, italo homages or filtered loops then? hardly. this is genuinely new and retro-free music that respectfully flips its sources so hard even the biggest paradise garage connaisseurs wont recognize what just hit them. or in the words of musical allies martyn and pinch, who independently drew the same conclusion: >sorry, but i dont hear that whole disco story in there. this simply sounds like you.< completely failed as a concept album, then Ð and all the better for it.

supremely catchy and insanely haunting, the work of 23 year old self trained singer /musician claire boucher is one of lifeÕs great mysteries. itÕs been a good time for music in the last year or so, weÕve been loving the new psychedelic sound sometimes called hypnagogic pop at other times chill wave, glo fiÉ..zzzzzz. for us no other act captured the fractal flow better than canadian singer claire boucher aka grimes

no other music has held such revolutionary possibility as hip-hop and to celebrate 30 years of this innovative genre ministry of sound brings you the latest instalment in our epic anthems series. the inspirational pioneers of this unique culture are all present on this essential release that begins with classic club anthems from artists such as run dmc, a tribe called quest, dr dre, cypress hill and gang starr this anthology is summarised with a taste of where the scene has developed into the modern era with a collection of #1 smashes that still blow up the dance floors across clubs worldwide.

hercules and love affair Ð the name itself combines images of strength and vulnerability, masculinity and femininity, as well as a classic disco troupe. their music on their self-titled album debut followed suit. strident beats but sweetness at the core. music with a plan of attack but an identity as fluid as that of its creators. a gloriously burnished fusion of three decades of dance, from disco to house, acid to synth-pop, derrick may to giorgio moroder (and lets not forget yazoo), but sounding like no other dance record before Ð or since. and now theyve gone and done it again. the troupes second album blue songs represents the best that dance music can get Ð still bursting with freshness while in touch with its roots. as mainman andy butler says, >its a softer record in some ways, and at other moments a more aggressive record too.< the album also reveals more about his world and his songwriting, resulting in a more honest, and yet more universal, record

pop ambient returns. kompakts beloved series. this is our other arena of bliss, always curated and carefully compiled by label co-owner wolfgang voigt (aka gas). somber times call for more introspective sound scapes - >pop ambient 2011< continues its mission to slowly persuade its signature sound introduced over a decade ago. this year we see the series leaning towards a slightly darker complexion than its predecessors.

madlib got a bit lost in his detour into jazz - madlib medicine shows 7 (high jazz) and 8 (advanced jazz). he was supposed to circle back with a punch-you-in-the-face return to hip-hop form - a collaborative album with detroit rapper frank nitti - but instead he found himself lost in the lost gates... a place where black soul (madlib medicine show 10) really means disco funk. sorry about that. the good news is: hes back. and that hip-hop album, for which the medicine show faithfully have been holding their tickets, is finally here. its called lowbudget high-fi music and its a interesting look back at the madlib medicine show and a prelude of what is to come in the 12th, 13th and Ð maybe Ð 9th releases in the series. all of the regular madlib collaborators Ð med, guilty simpson, strong arm steady Ð are represented here with exclusive tracks. karriem riggins pops in for a supreme team interlude, as does a.g. madlib digs out a jaylib-era track that was earmarked for the never-realized second album and, of course, interludes, outerludes and Ð probably Ð queludes abound. the madlib medicine show series is a combination of madlibs new hip-hop productions, remixes, beat tapes, and jazz, as well as mixtapes of funk, soul, brazilian, psych, jazz and other undefined forms of music from the beat...

exclusive tracks by some pretty wellknown artists like gui boratto, dusty kid, extrawelt, kreidler, popof, khan, martin eyerer and many more. original & exciting concept: dancefloor heros showing another side of their passion & work. 2 cd compilation with noble digipack!

after a slew of massive singles this year, the esp institute presents one of the most important pieces of electronic music to emerge in ages, gozmez land *chaosexotica, the highly anticipated full-length album from tokyos cos/mes (the cryptic moniker for dj/production duo flatic and 5ive). this is truly something special, an exotic journey over eleven stunning tracks, beautifully constructed and holding their own individually while working in perfect harmony as a gracefully paced album

bozzwell is a solo projekt of david boswell from sheffield, who has had remarkable hits with the all seein eye together with phil oakey from the human league in the nineties and latest as hiem together with his friend nicco eastwood a couple of years ago. after knowing and loving bozzy through buddy dirk leyers we released two 12inch with some of his brilliant stuff in 2008 and 2009. songs like marlenas eyes, fionas song and escape5 which are now also part of this cd-album. with the album are coming various other songs reflecting life in common and in sheffield. the cd is also including the track >i cant be< that we did in our studios together with bozzy and many firm artists joining and contributing.

please welcome a first for skyline recordings. yes our first artist album release has come! from the moment that i first heard stop the bus and purification, i knew that funkshone would be releasing an album. 2 years from those first releases we now have it, shining by funkshone.here you have a 12 track album that covers the funky four corners of the the world. opening up the album is a drumtastic break beat explosion called let the drum speak and oh yes brothers and sisters let them scream the roof off. accompied by tom mcload on the baratone who lays down a monster of a groove. the album also offers you the raw, deeper love droppin and wired which all feature the dynamic and superb soulful voice of nastasha watts. other new and super funky recordings are run for it, the strut, two new original funky workouts. also included are two bboy stompers hot wheels the chase(from the film gordens war) and panama (first released by the roy porter sound manchine band). both are super heavy weight versions ready to blow up! im so proud to release this album on skyline recordings, please open up your ears, and let funkshone find that shining place in you mind, body and soul - let the sound flow in. the message is simple, feel the groove and get into it! from james brown and funkadelic to kool and the gang and the fatback band, its all about the groove and that sound. in an age where digital technology is fast becoming king, funkshone offer you a slice of yesterday for tomorrow. so turn it on, turn it up and get down to the deep funk sound that is shining by funkshone.

previously known as universal funk, the black lillies debut freestyle release is a distinctive and highly original work. fusing electronica, soul, house & jazz with an ethereal, eclectic other worldly feel and featuring contributions from thulla wamberg, hannah vasanth & jo harrop.

lovestoned! finally here it comes: the eagerly anticipated follow-up album of dj und producer oliver koletzki, set for release in september this year. after the success of großstadtmaerchen oliver koletzki has teamed up with singer fran, voice of the über-successful single hypnotized, to record an 11-track electronic pop album. fran and oliver are not merely partners in crime when it comes to music - they are also lovestoned, glued together by their mutual love for music and their love for each other.

apologies to de la soul, but today, five is the magic number. dan curtins >lifeblood< marks the fifth artist album in mobilee®s ever-growing catalogue. it also happens to be his ninth album, and his first fulllength in three years, which we think is ample cause for celebration.

special kind of fool is tys story. the tale of an artist who after ten years,three critically acclaimed albums (awkward 2001, upwards 2003, closer 2006), collaborations with the likes of tony allen, de la soul, damon albarn and estelle, a mercury nomination amongst other accolades, and a worldwide army of fans, has always followed his heart.

take a listen man from earth!

like hardly any other contemporary dj, catherine britton aka cassy is living at the interfaces between reduction and soul, jazzy deep house and geometrically structured techno. and it comes as no surprise, because being the english-born daughter of a caribbean father and an austrian mother, cassy started at a very early age to develop a sense for artistic aesthetics that draws its special magic from the >in-between< especially. being resident in berlin since 2003, she quickly gained a residence at the panorama bar, worked as a producer with such renowned musicians like ricardo villalobos, luciano, mathew jonson or swayzak and releases her music on labels such as perlon, ostgutton as well as on her own imprint cassy. simply devotion, cassys 2nd mix cd after the highly acclaimed panorama bar 01 compilation is a proof of her love for deep house of a different kind, which has - despite occasional flashes of souly vocals - nothing to do with garage house and handbag factor

for lovers, collectors & followers of the cosmic space groove then check this heavy deep compilation by the voyeurer. super rare balearic classics, french disco oddities, deep boogie madness & far out eastern discoveries are here for the first time! these original gems are going for crazy prices right now on certain website stores and other titles are completely unknown and lovingly redited and by the voyeurer.

blessed with a lavishly soulful voice, alices sound is modern, but firmly rooted in the past Ð surpassing the likes of duffy and adeles impersonations of the soul greats, alices records are extremely refreshing. likewise, her live performances are truly unique, capable of captivating an audience and holding its attention throughout, expertly tugging at individual heartstrings. her smouldering blues-inflected lament is constantly evolving in her solo material, thanks to collaborations with other producers which have encompassed everything from funk to soul, gospel to jazz, and to hip-hop and beyond.

you get 40 mind-blowing armada tracks, from orjan nilsens summer hit >la guitarra< to the latest w&w track, >countach< and several other beauties of heatbeat, push, fei-fei, dazzle and many other. for the armin lovers among you, the brand new single >in & out of love<, in the sensitive the blizzard remix is featured on this must-have

nice space-disco sound compiled & mixed by tom wieland. incl. rufus & chaka khan - aint nobody and leb harmony - feeling love

this compilation presents the amazing vocal jazz recordings of a dutch lady,who already became a living legend with her 50 year stage jubilee.moreover she is constantly going strong with over 80 live performances in changing musical formations within the year 2007.

mixing future soul,broken beat,hip hop and forward thinking production with intuitive jazz sensibility,this lp marks a distinct departure from the deep funk sound of lanus other project >the bamboos<.lanu has received dj support mr.scruff,gilles peterson,mad mats and bugz in the attic