estetika 001 introduces the first release of the new imprint of jason patrick and pat king. the label s objective is to release a signature style of timeless techno. berlin-based artist mekas (originally from buenos aires) delivers the first 3 track record, nodata. a1 starts off the release with lebreton featuring qik. thick kick and bass anchor a beautifully warm hypnotic synth riff that filters meticulously throughout the track working hand in hand with a subtle atmospheric pad and spacious reverb touches to create a uniquely huge engulfing sound. b1 is the second track titled marshfield, a heavy tune for peak time. its kick, toms, and bassline form a rugged groove for its dark synth, which along with the mysterious pad capture the essence of the track while ride cymbals glisten and automate throughout. b2 is the third and final track, nothing, which continues the dark and mysterious vibe of the release. an acidy mid-range synth part works along with an ominous pad and well programmed hi-hats, claps, and rides with just the right reverb treatment to provide space and depth to the track.

2018 reperss - seth troxler continues to maintain ineffable consistency in steadily releasing cross-genre club music across his diverse collection of labels and readies the next 12inch on his no-nonsense imprint play it say it. in the wake of the success from the last installment from the mekanism comes the 7th record on the label - this time showcasing the lauded production skills of butch.

nicholas returns to church with a six track mini lp. correspondant welcome berlin duo hinode having established themselves with a string of well received cuts on their own science fiction imprint, they were spotted by chance by label boss jennifer cardini on a recent record-shopping jaunt. with a raw, no-rules sense of machine funk running through everything they create, they’re the perfect match for correspondant and make their label debut with four numerical delights. i lights the analog fire with raw sleaze and off-beat mischief. unkempt and wily, it sets the tone for the entire ep: ii writhes snake-like with its slinky kicks and purring textures, iii slurs with bass groans and shakes with paranoid, alien melodies while iv closes with much more of a tunnelling, sense-blurring experience. total machine harmony, unbounded synthetic creativity, made to mix and wholly outer-planetary. hinode and correspondant are a match made in the stars.

(incl. translucent insert) token79 feels conceptually complete as a record: the similarities between the tracks are almost as striking as their individual qualities. each piece is titled in reference to planetary layers, each presenting another piece of the same world. as tokens first ever releasing artist and now long recognized as an integral contributor to its distinctive sound, kennedy continues to offer his part in shaping the labels identity.

the unlikelihood of being alive warrants expression. in the increasingly digital universe we are tangibly intertwined yet phenomenally disconnected. this creation of soundscapes defines dream-like iterations of a post-internet reality and is uncanny in its ability to quintessentially emulate potential futuristic states of being. it induces the uniqueness and highly emotive aspects of undefined existences. it is raw and purposeful. potatoheadz is a melbourne/berlin based, diy label created by nipuna jayasekera, leon wan & sam sedgwick. it is dedicated to the dispersion of local and international music focused on innovative artistry. unknown data set is their first record and third release featuring the music of various artists. 400 copies!

hadtodoit kicks off their white-label series with a healthy dose of soft bangers courtesy of copenhagen’s slim hustla. with thumping basslines and skipping hihats across 4 tracks, the hand-stamped 12” is a welcome addition to any record bag. limited to 300 so get ’em while they’re hot.

patrice scott s works make sistrum, his label, designing the shapes of what a classic house record must sound like. not only a nice guy, patrice is one of the most talented producers of the planet house and he naturally is respected for that. sounds of the city continues to put out the music of the originators sons and reborn goodness is probably one of the most important addition to the label s catalogue.

la vie d artiste music are delighted to present the very first release of the label sunshine in heaven , brand new ep by sebb junior. based in south spain, sebb junior is a french dj producer who has been into house music since 2013 but quickly built a solid reputation with quality releases on large music, salted music, papa records, madhouse and his own imprint frigo vide records. as a new label and for the first release, la vie d artiste music wanted to showcase and perpetuate the art of sampling the old fashion way. sebb delivered here the perfect illustration of the concept with sunshine in heaven ep , a sample based disco house record with soulful vibes and high caliber production skills on display.

discos ato&#769,,,nicos proudly presents the label’s second release: age of aggression by bs-1. this new record was produced by dutch veteran roland van oorschot aka bs–1 growing up, he listened to bands like slayer, fear factory and anthrax, which formed his musical education and continues to impact his productions.

vinyl only! the label does not wish to go down the route of boring (yawn!) track explanations and nor do they want to say what other label this is part of, the artist jeff blank may also have put out a record or 2 in his time? quite simply, enjoy the music. be nice. rave safely.

matt karmil, pional, marc piñol and dandara shed a new light on slowciety s previous record: guru. guru remixes opens with a mesmerising and brooding interpretation of the self-titled by matt karmil, recalling the raw textures of the uk-producer s lp. pional s remix comes next with a powerful treatment of elephant, once again proving the dancefloor expertise of the madrid-based producer. he delivers the shamanic experience from the original track and pushes it forward with soaring percussive elements & beats layered on a 90 s-esque emotive pad. marc piñol opens the b-side with a groovy remix of guru, described by the man himself as a 122 bpm after party tool. a heady bassline loop, as well as dry & twisted sounds beefed up by karmil s work on the mastering, lead the remix to a hypnotic ride, pure and efficient. last but not least, swiss producer dandara brings his tribal touch to the sensual -utopia-. a slow melodic dancefloor piece which smoothly closes this third record.

three years after the release of js reduction 2? (phorma008), phorma is now releasing its first remix ep. phorma008r features 3 stunning remixes by volte-face, blazej malinowski, and js himself, offering 3 distinct takes on the original suitable for peak-time as well as the after hours. the record will be released as vinyl only with a sleeve by hamburgs maison blessing, inverting the original artwork. first appearance of volte-face on phorma artwork by maison blessing (dial, laid) supported by etapp kyle, svreca, eric cloutier, peter van hoesen, ness, jonas kopp and others

beyond being a quality mixture of unusual dance tracks and unique electronica, xyxx is a conceptual body of work whose themes of sex, race, unity and destruction reveal themselves to those listening closely. xyxx is the first collaborative album between berlin based electronic producer nyma (nima chatrsimab) and toronto based, detroit raised vocalist noisy vibration. sitting somewhere in between house, techno and electro, but with honest pop sensibilities, the record is a push-and-pull of ideas, highlighting each artist in distinctive and mesmerizing ways. the berlin-via-tehran musician, dj and sound engineer?s melting-pot influences and wealth of experience are the perfect vehicle for noisy vibrations piercing lyrical style. he lets her do the talking, while delivering a powerful message of his own through more subconscious means. from the opening refrain the dialogue begins, angelic tones embrace you with open arms. noisys lyrics speak to nymas colourful beats and masterful sound design, connecting to the moment and full of unexpected turns. xyxx is an album that is both spontaneous and carefully considered. with xyxx, the ride is complete?the dna whole.

this 3 track ep can be called a classy kann record that puts the never lost house feel into a contemporary dance robe. once again the label boss duo convincing with a signature record.

2018 repress / vinyl only!! with its debut release, in any case is trying to give you the best and dustiest takes on house, hip-hop and disco, packed on one and only piece of wax. we are very proud to showcase five amazing tracks from five different artists from around the world on this first record. mr. pc from detroit (us) kicks things off with a stunning disco edit, “boogie with me” delivering a mastered groove throughout the whole title, perfect for all the dancefloors. then comes “another lonely man” by martin hayes from leipzig (de). we’re left with a heavy bottomed-end track featuring lush strings and nice vocals. on the flip, we’ve then got pascal viscardi from geneva (ch) and his “fuorigrotta” that comes from deep, deep down with its heavy kicks cutting through amazing synths and disco loops, packed together with that 90’s sp1200 sampler flavour. then, malouane from france (fr) continues the trip with “i did this at work”, another bass-heavy groove melting down below some perfectly arranged samples. finally, we’ve got g2s & ibn sabaa from france (fr) with their “dumb ruler”, a short and wonky hip hop instrumental, blending the fender rhodes sound we all love with dripping hats and screwed breakdowns. there is something for every taste here, so jump on it while it’s hot !

jungle/breakcore legends deformer are back with another horror infused release: “the living dead deformed”. deformer is known for putting the shock into electronic music and pushing the horror experience to another level. during their shows they cut off limbs and intestines are thrown into the audience while the extreme music turns the crowd into raging freaks. “the living dead deformed” pays hommage to one of the biggest horrorfilm classics of all time: “night of the living dead” (1968) and its creators.
the record was produced before the unfortunate passing of george a. romero. out of respect, deformer chose put out the record as a non-profit, limited edition, numbered by hand, green coloured vinyl release. the amazing cover art is created by legendary visual artist graham humphreys (a nightmare on elm street, the evil dead, poltergeist).
“the living dead deformed” is dark, menacing and will again turn parties into moshpits. they won’t stay deaf!

berlin’s mechatronica returns with another compilation of forward-thinking electro and acid sounds from innershades, norwell, dj nephil and gestalt.
the a-side packs a dose of merciless electro/acid for the floor by innershadesatmospheric electro journey by norwell. the flip boasts a more gritty sound, as russian producer gestalt debuts on mechatronica with the twisted mndfck, and dj nephil’s slow-rolling monster white dwarf finishes off the record.

in recent years moire&#769,, has become an integral figure in re-imagining club music. the enigmatic artist has travelled a note-perfect path and in just a few years has collaborated with fundamental record labels such as r&s, werk discs and rush hour.

the jam starts with -orange sunshine- (doesn t it always?) of course as usual it takes a while to kick in and by the time it does it s obvious helltown acid militia are back with their time warping spaceship. by the second track -still turning- the fog clears a little, but there are still echoes of a time past, what is it? can t quite put my finger on it... on the flip we are met with chunky 909 rhythms in -more important-, because what s more important than a 909 rhythm track? for the final outing -broadcast- (which may be the real hidden gem here) the tempo drops and there s chord stabs, strings and talk of ufos. its at this point that you realise that the label on the record has a picture of mitzi the cat, in a space suit, holding a white 303!! this acid really is a trip.

originally released in 1993 by the italian imprint minus habens records, -concrete jungle- is the second album by this seminal project of dirk ivens (the klinik, absolute body control). a work considered as groundbreaking by lot of fans of early 90s industrial, noise and ebm. there are few electro-pioneers that are still active and successful and mr. ivens is one of them, inspiring a lot of acts to follow in the past three decades. -concrete jungle- is being released for the first time on vinyl in a limited/numbered edition of 700 copies. double record including all the original tracks plus the -extended play- ep (1994) and some songs from old compilations. artwork based on the original design and presented on a deluxe gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves and numbered card.

bring back is back! with the brand new vinyl only release. here s limited single sided record with two jungle bangers. luv this music have combines mystical sound and vibes of the darkness. it s seems like we are back in time, in 93-94. classic breaks and hardcore stabs are able to bewitch anyone. sweet murda opposite, more light with nice pads, filled with the sound of the oldskool jungle music.

nice price deal !!! future retro vol. 2 continues the excursion through the label background. an intimate electro record that goes straight to the darker corner of your collection.

repress - keeping up the urgent pace set by the strength in numbers collection, thema now turns to a modern master of the jakbeat, d’marc cantu. hailing from ann arbor on the fringes of detroit, cantu has worked for more than a decade developing a sound that carries the torch from the box jam originators of techno and house music. his first appearances were alongside the mighty tadd mullinix (better known as james t. cotton) with their 2 am/fm project, before bringing traxx into the fold for the x2 venture. as a solo artist cantu has shored up on labels as highly regarded as crème organization, m>o>s, nation and desire, bringing a rich, full-bodied sound laden with powerful synth hooks, crafty drum programming and a live, jammed-out delivery that overflows with imagination. given his adventurous tendencies and punchy midwestern finish, cantu is a perfect fit on thema and the six tracks that make up this record show a great deal of the diversity the man is capable of, from dancefloor burners to atmospheric introspections

as ever, the next project on opilec music is one with a rich back story this time paying homage to a very specific disco scene of the early 80s: it finds label boss i-robots turning out one of his brilliant reconstructions, namely of a classic and cult track by one hit wonders ahzz. this track was first released on land of hits, a label run by peter brown (who also wrote -material girl- for madonna) and michael campbell and has now been officially licensed for this reissue by opilec music. the track, new york s movin was huge on the new york disco scene and was played by the likes of david mancuso at the loft, larry levan at the paradise garage and by nicky siano at studio 54, but continued to be a big hit with modern new york tastemakers kenny dope, dj spinna, danny krivit and his body & soul party crew well into the 90s, as well as with stars like motor city drum ensemble and bulljun. i-robots is a notorious producer and record collector with a vast understanding of the history of house and disco and his version combines an original vocal and instrumental version into something really magical. new york s movin (i-robots reconstruction take i) is a jangling, organic and lose limbed disco number with a funky drum line, soul in its bones and plenty of lovably rough percussion, clicks and drums. a retro and impassioned vocal line adds flair to the track at the midpoint just before that groove kicks once more. this version is featured on the new i-robots - reconstructions 2007-2017 10th year anniversary release. new york s movin (i-robots reconstruction take ii) is then just as emotive and outgoing but after the break has more of a focus on funk. this is a huge party starting track filled with feel good vibes and once again proves opilec music work on only the most special projects.

fresh off the back of his glitterbox remix of camelphat & elderbrooks hit cola, mousse t. drops his first original release on the glitterbox label, showing off the depth of his production skills in this sparkling genre-binding track rock the mic. mousse t. enlists the help of artist taz, the man who became the first uk rapper to sign to hip hop mecca def jam, also earning a prestigious ivor novello award nomination for his writing skills. rock the mic reunites mousse with american song writer inaya day, best known for her unforgettable vocals on the german producer’s biggest record, horny. the catchy hook and toe-tapping groove of intertwine perfectly over smooth strings to make this an irresistible record. the killer collaboration combines hip hop with disco, giving us the best of both worlds. rock the mic lives up to the hype, delivering six minutes of bliss alongside a percussive remix courtesy of kon. kons accapella and instrumental versions round off this full rocking package

the original, the inspirational, the bombastic, the never bettered, the one. don t make me wait is all of the above and so much more. classic to the core. huge earth shattering record right here. ok, so the scoop, for the uninitiated is this - the peech boys were larry levan s group, we re talking early 80 s nyc here, 1982 to be precise, around the height of the paradise garage as larry was making the transition from superstar dj to producer. he brought a sparse, dubbed out, narcotic late night feel to the overall sound of this record. this was a short-lived project, but the influence is still felt today, the peech boys dna is inside the veins of modern dance music, as is larry s. there is no underestimating what an impact this record had. 7+ minutes of electronic bliss, trailblazing stuff, and don t get us started on the dub. do yourself a favour, buy this classic if you don t own it already, you ll keep coming back to it time and time again. guaranteed. this essential 12inch is repressed here in it s original 1979 glory, an essential classic that has stood the test of time for the last 30+ years & is now available again, remastered & repressed for 2017 in conjunction with west end records, nyc.

brand new edition of soul jazz records’ brasil album recorded in rio de janeiro in 1994 with a host of legendary brazilian musicians including sivuca, raul de souza and singer joyce moreno – which has remained one of the key defining early releases from the record label. out-of-print for over 20 years (!!!) the album has now been fully digitally re-mastered for this new 2018 edition. includes down
the album was recorded at the height of the first wave of interest in brazilian music in london in the 1990s. joyce and a group led by husband drummer tutty moreno had just been brought to the uk for the first time ever by gilles peterson and brazilian music obsessive joe davis (and future head of far out records) and performing to over 2.000 new young fans.

jayda j with alexa dash is back on freakout cult. this time with some proper diva bitch house. three tracker with jayda g’s vibey house style and alexa dash demanding devoition vox. includes jayda g remix and alexa dash accapella. jayda g’s excellent new record will also be follow up by a soon to come diva bitch remix pack. so get the original while its hot and avalable.

urpa i musell, the new barcelona-based record label, feels very fortunate to announce its second release, the first ever vinyl reissue of mr. wollogallu, the collaboration album between carlos maria trindade andnuno canavarro originally released in portugal on união lisboa, produções audiovisuais lda. in 1991 the collaboration began when the manager antónio cunha, a mutual friend of both musicians, brought the two together for a performance. afterwards they decided to embark on mr. wollogallu. they had never worked together before, although their careers had parallels between them. both were part of the 80s portuguese pop-rock scene: carlos maria trindade had played with corpo diplomático and heróis do mar, while nuno canavarro played in street kids and delfins. moreover, individually, carlos maria had released the single princesa / em campo aberto (vimúsica, 1982), and nuno had done the lp plux quba (ama romanta, 1988), now recognized worldwide for its uniqueness.

len faki is ready to share another batch of his personal secret weapons, this time giving away three floor-focused edits, starring a pair of russian producers philipp gorbachev and nocow. first up are two takes from gorbachevs recent lp, a throwback into the rave scenes heyday. featuring anthemic synths and even front-row vocals by polina. the catchy album opener gets rigged with a solid fundament and peak time-friendly bpm, while similarly sumptuous cut lazer waltzes through fakis tested and well-proven percussive layers. boasting massive low-end impact on the flip, the hardspace mix of nocows k$$$$ hits a special spot, mixing heavy bass, idm-grade level of detail and ghetto-ish vox into a unique and heady power-blend. as with all releases of lf rmx, the proceeds of this record will be forwarded to the berlin organization straßenkinder e.v. to be used in actions against child poverty.

the night is what makes a big city come to life. right after sundown, the hectic buzzing of downtown makes way for adventure playgrounds, bathed in neon light, revealing their countless chances and opportunities. its when youll find the subway spitting out its purpose seeking passengers by the minute. a coming and going of restless people passing through. all it takes is a few hours, before the sunrise makes it all disappear. mental bend captures the magic of that very moment in their dreamy soundtracks. if you close your eyes, you can see blurry pictures passing in slow motion, accompanied by their atmospheric songs. grainy black and white snapshots, fragments of memories lighting up somewhere in the farthest corner of the cortex. one step is the berlin-based indietronica duos visually vivid debut album, released on enfant fenou. mental bend are all about letting go. sissip (voc/synth/bass) and hendrik havekost (beats/production) know how to trust their instincts, crafting their hypnotic signature sound, somewhere in between electronica, ambient and dream pop. before founding the band in 2013, the two were already shaping their skills in all kinds of different formations and styles of music. as soon as they got together, they had a viral mini hit with their song take my hand, praised on various tastemaker blogs and generating over 100.000 likes on soundcloud in no time. the bands first long play record one step is all about important experiences and decisions, small as well as big steps, all a part of making progress, which in the end can even be life changing. it was a step, that recently got mental bend their record deal on mos ferrys sub label enfant fenou.

a collection of crossover artists that really stand out for us with tunes that do so much more than just be hot. demuir, the organ grinder, snazzy trax & melodymann, they all bring their edge to this sick ep for melodymathics. we hope you like this record as much as we do!

blurt are perhaps the act who have played live at optimo more than any other. active for close to 40 years they are one of the uk’s all time great acts, phenomenal live and on record and supremely underrated. blurt mainman ted milton is a living legend. now in his 70s but more vibrant on stage than most artists 50 years his junior, he is a man of many talents, artist, poet, musician, performer…. in 1984 he released a solo 12”, “love is like a viol&#275,nce”, a no doubt accidental dancefloor gem completely out of kilter with any other music of the era that now makes total sense in 2017. dubbed-out stabs, programmed rhythm, trademark sax squeals and a more subdued than normal vocal that is strangely reminiscent of vincent price. thee definition of a cult classic and much in demand, side a of this 12” presents the a and b side (the equally outre “it’s only recently that stalins have begun to roost”) of this mighty 12” on one side of vinyl.

knlb first appeared with the initialize 12inch on vibraphone in july of this year, and it s not taken them long to return with another slab of on-point, upfront house music loaded with flair and imagination. up again is a heavy, chugging and bumping jam that should inspire all manner of screwed up faces of appreciation on the floor, and then fog machine smell simmers things down to a more measured house groove. half life brings a few more dubby elements into the mix, and then the club mix of sin sends the record spinning off in a wonderfully dusty reverie of detuned pianos and late-hitting drums.

echoplex signs his “entering the sky” to sungate as the third release of the labels catalogue. echoplex, previously known for his vast label appearances across the world, now delivers a beautifully crafted four track original ep. this record balances smoothly between a forward thinking and highly effective techno tracks. specially envision for the body and soul, for the dance floor and for the home listening pleasure.

the fourth release is a solo ep from elad magdasi, bringing his inner raver to his music at all times. a full-on energy-charged techno extravaganza - with soul, passion and front left love. including download codes of the ep + a digital bonus track.
the music:
killer hertz: hypnotic bells with a powerful rhythm, a recipe for drama.
immortal: the evil side of the record, a mysterious arp that keeps on rolling.
reflection: a high energy synth celebration, with attention to detail and lots of groove.
red skies: moody melody and dark bassline, a combination of heaven and hell.

killekill house trax is going strong – this time with a 4-tracker by the incredible andreas gehm. he sent us the music shortly before his death and said we could pick any of his artist names and his only condition was that the music was released on vinyl. only after his death we realized that he had obviously already taken a decision then… so we are releasing this record now as an homage to one of the most creative and funniest persons in the electronic universe of the last decade. the ep includes all his typical styles and ranges from hard jacking acid house over weirdo electro house to old school chicago- leaning piano house. a timeless record for all situations. may you rest in peace, andreas, and thanks for still rocking our floors, even when you are long gone!

rumble records present a reissue of serge gainsbourg s du jazz dans le ravin, originally released in 1966. gainsbourg, the original bad boy of french pop, the man who updated the french chanson and made it hip again infusing it with the youth culture of the late 50s and 60s, ruled by jazz, drugs, and free love. very different from his celebrated later works, the music captured on this vinyl edition finds gainsbourg mixing traditional chanson and big-band jazz rather than the avant garde pop that went on to define his career outside of france. this record presents a revealing insight into the early years of this iconic figure.

we have encountered ice dog during one sunny belgrade afternoon while he was chasing what he was calling fish (actually slavic seniors transformed into dolphins and dolphin is not a fish). he might or might not told us the fore-coming story: a man complains of being hungry. all the time. dogs it seems are never hungry. so the man decides to become a dog. to be a dog one must walk on all fours. the hero decides to wear shoes on his hands only to discover that there is no hand left to tie the laces on the fourth shoe. what does a shoe-shod dog tie laces with? its mouth. organ by organ the man becomes a dog. one lace at a time his record transformed us into a new type of misunderstood creatures. most of the tracks are surprisingly fast and playable yet broken while others are groovy however noisy. i am pretty sure you havent heard anything like it before. but what do i know i’m a fish.
ice dog is an alias of 33.10.3402.
cover by martyna bolanowska / kaja kukul, a mastered by tim xavier at manmade mastering.

deeplabs happily welcomes jeff hess for his debut release cherubim ep. eagerly anticipated, this record encompasses jeff’s sound inspired by mid-90’s minimal techno. cherubim ep focuses on classic leaning and stripped down analog techno to create functional dance tracks with unique character and plenty of soul.

drec recordings is a record-label from magdeburg run by patrick dre, releasing music between techno, and electronica.

house music from leipzig (and beyond) for r.a.n.d. muziks yearly 24.12. record.

grammy winning nyc disco and house legend louie vega has decades upon decades in the recording studio and dj game under his belt and having played endless gigs all over the world during that time its safe to say the original he knows exactly what hes doing when it comes to this music thing! pair louie with the legendary king street sounds label and youre having a party! this is exactly what happened in 2007 when the label asked him to contribute to their legendary mix the vibe series where top flight selectors like louie get to dig deep and produce a fresh dj mix for the label. now, you know the quality control is going to be sky-high on a project like this and this limited dj sampler featuring tracks from the compilation proves just that! featuring tracks and exclusive mixes from the likes of 95 north, basil, mood ii swing and more this ep more than deserves a place on your record shelf or in your dj bag! all featured tracks have been fully licensed from king street, remastered and reissued with %100 involvement from the label. essential house music for the seasoned heads and neophytes alike!

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!

sterns edits returns after the sell-out success of its debut edition with another two catalogue reworks from ben gomori. this time he turns his attention to burkina faso s much-loved taxi-driver-turned-singer, amadou balaké. balaké ( porcupine in mandinka) is burkina faso s proudest musical export, and in 2013 he recorded his final album before passing away: in conclusion. the record saw him revisit some of his most popular tracks from his remarkable 50-year career, backed by an eight-piece burkinabé band who took the country s traditional sounds and brought them into a contemporary light. gomori retains the essence of the original recordings which were mostly captured in one take and marries them to vigorous afro-house stylings. bar konon mousso (musicien c est pas quelqu un) in which balaké tells of a bar lady being unimpressed by his profession, gets a gentle push towards the modern dancefloor, its wonderful sax lines resplendent. massa kamba is taken for a drive down the more traditional route, with commanding drums bolstering the original grooves and a marvelous triple harmony brass section at its core. balakes freewheeling style suits the hypnotic feel of the edits to a tee. sterns edits is an official collaboration between african music stalwarts sterns music and london s ben gomori.

rbchmbrs returns to 1432r with another mind bending dance ep. passports barges in with a mean kick drum and a manic attitude, slammin and trippin its way through sweaty samples. sliced mangos follows behind with more madness, a swaggering polyrhythm beneath a sicko loop. the b-side sees rbchmbrs slide back into freaky break mode. a cleaned up, bugged out update to the drum n bass featured on his first record. club tested and approved!

into the mystic. crank up the amp and drop the needle on the record. exclusively on vinyl only, it s the cross-genre collaboration everybody s talking about - between the don of drum n bass and one of the godfather s of grime.

im going to try not to gush too much about the fact that me me me has raj pannus first ever record, but you have to understand that he’s dj royalty to someone from where i come from. from his residencies in newcastle in the early 90s, touring all over europe, playing with the likes of gilles peterson, jazzanova and james lavelle to his move into turntablism in the late 90s playing one on one with dj craze, a-trak and q-bert.

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.