already drowning, a song-cycle inspired by various myths & folktales about female water spirits, marks something of a departure for aidan baker. while still retaining his trademark sense of ambience & texture, the tracks on this album are much more structured & song oriented, embracing a minimalist post-rock, slowcore style & featuring a different guest vocalist on each track.

only 9 years after its official opening, watergate has become one of the worlds most prominent underground electronic music institutions. in no small part due to its picturesque location running directly alongside the river spree, its wall to wall led dance floor installation and most of all, its consistent flow of first-rate international talent performing every week. watergates presence and influence has spawned many side projects including a boutique-style mix cd series now in its 8th volume. a whoÕs who of the clubs regular talent and resident artists such as sascha funke, sebo k, dop, ellen allien and others have all contributed to the aesthetically pleasing series, now regarded as collectors items. for the eight installment in our mix series, we bridge the gap between two global capitals of techno: berlin, and detroit, home of lee curtiss who delivers a forward-thinking mix, inspired by time spent living in both cities. lee is one of a new generation of techno visionaries from the motor city, that includes his visionquest collaborators ryan crosson, shaun reeves and seth troxler, who are putting their own unique spin on their citys most famous underground musical export. based between detroit and berlin for the last four years, lee has a fundamental grasp of what makes both dancefloors at watergate tick, and this enduring love and understanding of the space clearly shines through in his mix. building on the raw soul and funk of those who have blazed a trail before him, on both sides of the atlantic, lee brings his own subtle melodies and keen sense of dramatic tension to the fore in a mix that encompasses all that is vibrant and exciting about underground techno in 2011

the globetrotting album concept has returned as hed kandi world series takes on the usa, and after the recent success of world series miami vol 2, it only makes sense to continue this journey through americas evolving electronic music scene. electronic dance music has made it to the forefront of music across the globe, with it recently exploding in the united states. following the success of this yearÕs ultra music festival in miami and electric daisy carnival in las vegas, djÕs were booked to headline major festivals in america such as coachella, lollapalooza and swsx. with 3cds covering los angeles, las vegas and new york, it was difficult to whittle down the massive floor fillers we collected to only 45 tracks that represent the hedonism and glamour of dance music in the top 3 cities of the us.

mere is a new project that began as a soundtrack and continues as an experimental, dark-ambient jazz group. guitar, drums and bass clarinet provide an intense and improvised journey into the abyss. the trio first came together to work on a soundtrack for a dutch tv documentary called visserman. having known each other for some time this was the first time they had combined together to write music and the name mere comes from the dutch word for more. each member adds a different influence to the sound, the modal finger picked guitar playing of thomas adds a sense of movement while gareth takes both folk and free jazz ideas to play against leos free rock influenced drum work. the tracks were recorded all in single takes with just a quick discussion of outline and tuning as a basic guide. gareth davis records on important, miasmah, sonic pieces, dekorder, home normal etc. collaborating with machinefabriek, steven r. smith, scanner, frances marie uitti, ryan teague, elliott sharp, ian hawgood and the like. leo fabriek releases on digitalis, home normal etc. and is also the drummer with the noise rock band julie mittens.

for over a decade, ray lugo has crisscrossed the globe bringing his punky afro grooves to countless audiences as leader and singer of new york powerhouse kokolo, a mainstay on the global music scene through their extensive discography and consistent touring.

hospitals sublabel med school prŠsentiert blood pressure!

das nŠchtliche gemunkel am tresen bei bier und klaren war irritierend gewesen: aufs neue album, so drummer zimmermann und basser strohmeier, wŸrde das lo fat orchestra auch kinderchšre und ein streichquartett packen. man dachte mit grauen an Çthe wallÈ, konzeptalben-bombast, artrockkacke und hoffte halb, das sei nur der berŸchtigte schwarzwŠlder humor. jetzt ist Çthe second word is loveÈ da. nicht mit kinder- aber mit chšren und natŸrlich mit streichquartett. die befŸrchtungen zerbršseln im nu, wenn im opener Çbe honestÈ die bassdrum nagelt, die elektrizitŠt in der luft rauscht und singt, bevor der sŠgezahnbass und schmids gesang und orgel einsetzen. alles gut! alles besser! alles: mehr!

the rastafarian roots reggae singer brings a majestic touch to the songs he sings, which are deeply infused with his beliefs. with a sense of reverence that only a solemn, pious man as prince alla could put into song, this collection centres on tracks recorded at lee perry-s black ark studio. having spent his early days living in rasta camps & working as a singer for joe gibbs, it was at greenwich farm that prince alla (born keith blake) crossed paths with tapper zukie who was so blown away by alla-s songs he initiated the recording sessions. this release compiles those songs & their extended versions alongside 3 classic extra cuts, -hail rastafari-, -black roses- & the sublime -royal throne room-.

2011 release from the french singer / songwriter. skyline is yann tiersen s seventh studio album, and sees tiersen taking a confident step forward, cementing the sound of its darker sister, the critically acclaimed dust lane, which was released almost exactly 12 months previously. says tiersen, -strangely while skyline musically comes across as lighter and happier than dust lane the subject matter is somewhat darker - there is certainly a sense of moving on and what thoughts are left having dealt with loss-.

hed kandis world series returns, visiting one of the mediterraneans most vibrant nightlife, fashion and clubbing scenes in the world. hed kandi headline djs, greg myers and sam cannon take you on a musical discovery across two mixed cds, selecting tracks that define the true party atmosphere from the catalonian dancefloor, bringing you the pure sound of one of the most iconic dance capitals of the world. from the city made famous by gaudi, dali, miro and picasso, this release brings you some of the hottest, upfront and cutting edge hits from a-list producers and modern day artists such as dj chus, david penn, copyright, jamie jones, lee foss, waifs & strays, jimpster, stefano noferini to name but a few. as is the case with the world series titles, this release is accompanied with a handy pull-out guide on hed kandiÕs recommended places to visit, eat, sleep and party in barcelona.

with a scraggle of noise and feedback zone beginning 26000, ilpo vaeisaenen and dirk dresselhaus continue their angel duo with a work that inhabits its own zone of cryptic anger and contemplation. if anything, a sense of structure destroyed has been the hallmark of both vaeisaenen and mika vainios work away from pan sonic, but 26000 in particular - with angel added and abetted by performers such as oren ambarchi and b.j. nilsen - introduces a sense of unspoken story to the proceedings, a soundtrack to a sci-fi film that emphasizes cosmic horror by implication. the slow roil that -before the rush- settles into, a combination throb and mechanistic growl, both parallels and contrasts the concluding -paradigm shift,- the subtlest of bass rhythms anchoring overlaid drone murk and screeches of noise shaped and controlled like an event horizon reached and held. central piece -dark matter leak- sounds it, deep echoes and distant footsteps and other outer space haunted house noises interspersed with up-front bursts of percussion rattlings and glitches, a robot companion in space rapidly going on the fritz. the overlaid clatter of -in- and similarly frenetic mess of -out- frame said dead center equally excellently.

gem club is an exclusive society: two people, a piano, and a cello. vocalist christopher barnes sings in a quivering whisper, and these minimal accompaniments assure that their sound never becomes louder than a hush. but the massachusetts duo s debut ep, acid and everything, showed just how much emotional intensity you could pack into compositions so spare, and how much could be suggested with so little. everything on breakers, their first full-length, sounds frozen over: icy, quiet, austere. you know that eerie feeling when you find yourself alone in a huge public place that s usually crowded-- maybe a shopping mall or a playing field- but at that moment is totally empty? this record sounds like a sustained version of that feeling. -i heard the party- juxtaposes echoing piano chords and a general sense of unease (-no one could have told you / your body would fail you-) with the refrain -i heard the partys here- floating across the track like the sound of dried up laughter. the word -party- feels so out of place in a song so pensive and lonely that there s something jarring about the experience. the feeling crops up repeatedly on breakers: a sense of slow-motion detachment, a suggestion that there were signs of life here once, but you ve arrived a couple of hours- or maybe a couple of weeks- too late.

otdxi is the newest installment in the classic r&s compilation series. previous installments have been responsible for rounding up the labels roster at the time and presenting their finest tracks to a wider audience, and have gone onto become classics in their own rights. with r&s again re-positioned as one of the most forward thinking electronic labels and with an enviable roster of cutting edge young talent it makes perfect sense to relaunch the series. disc one contains highlights from the last 18 months and includes contributions from blawan, lone and untold whose classic r&s influences are worn on their sleeves. tracks from james blake, pariah and the chain take cues from a distinctly uk sound, which the label has been keenly following from its new london base, and in cmyk have the biggest single from 2010.

byetone s new record symeta opens with a combined track - a transit - since topas and telegramm could be seen as one single piece. both tracks convey the atmosphere of a live session rather than the character of a studio production. the tracks are quite long and deal with repetition, layers of sounds, density and energy, more than melodic and engineering finesse. the whole album follows this approach, as it was fashioned within the context of live performances during the last two years. neuschnee Ð the third track Ð has an obviously reduced tempo, creating a wide landscape of sound with an intimate aura, which works as a counter draft to the other tracks of the record. with opal, the tempo speeds up again, a polyrhythmic phrase whirls around a straight beat, filters are turned, all that evokes the impression of early-90s minimal techno. byetone is basically interested in remembering, in a way to preserve, in citing rock/pop styles, without getting stuck in the past, whereas non of the tracks really fit into a specific genre. seen from this perspective, helix opens the final, more rocky block of the album. here, the tracks are offensive and rude and sound like a band in a rehearsal room. this part peaks with black peace in a high speed heavy metal session. finally, golden elegy closes symeta and a band-like situation occurs. the track ends with a wired lament, presented by jan kummer in the tenor of chemnitz, hometown of both artists. in former gdr-times, they started their musical activity with the brilliant-dilettantish ag geige, together with frank bretschneider (komet). symeta , the title of the album, appears mysterious. this synthetic word arouses associations with symmetry, synthesis or (meta-)structures. it doesn t stand for a definite object, there isn t any solution, and that is the reason why the title has been chosen. byetone s music tries to create such associations without really fulfilling these expectations. in this sense, symeta consequently follows death of a typographer (r-n92), the well received predecessor.

good price for good music! these words are in the deepest part of douglass greed and the approach to his debut album. he allows his heart to lead, the better to look where it goes. therein he s distributing straight dope, however, in the sense of emotional impact Ð dance floor dictation it is not. greed crafts music that serves up euphoria for your mind on the terrace, mas- sage table, train or car trip and so on. a timeless effect stretches along the borders... an enduring touch, and to remain in the mind for seasons to come is his concern with this album. this is more weeping or laughing in the mirror rather than admiring the physical. douglas discusses not the luxurious but rather simplicity, in order to serve a sophisticated author-future-popfor the club under the bedspread. his fondness for other forms of musical self-realization shimmers on all of his releases up to now. on his own album, he expresses this passion to the fullest. the inclination for sensible beauty in the dark plays as the greed signature, a central role. featuring musician friends such as mooryc (poznan /polen), pascal bideau (a frenchman in london), kemo (a ger- man-hawaiian in new york), ian simmonds (uk) and delhia (jena), greed casts twelve expressive pulse beats of pure greed cosmos

ex-harry pussy guitarist bill orcutt s 2009 side a new way to pay old debts was an instant classic for those attuned to his brand of stomach-scrapingly raw, hoary blues improvisation. few could have expected the album to be subsequently issued on cd by editions mego, but the more you thought about it the more it made sense - though all-acoustic, orcutt s music is every bit as extreme, violent and threshold-testing as that of, say, florian hecker, russell haswell or mika vainio. as if to prove it wasn t a token gesture towards eclecticism, mego boss peter rehberg has signed a brand new album from orcutt, and what an album it is. for the most part it s in that visceral, coruscating style that he s best known for, all finger-bleeding fretboard assaults that manage to sound at once virtuoso and completely out-of-control, reaching a psychotic climax on the visible bosom: but there are some more reflective passages too, hell, the title track might even be the most chilled thing he s ever recorded. the album was cut at d+m in berlin, which really teases every last drop of blood, sweat and tears out of the recording, which took place at orcutt s home studio in san francisco in spring of 2011. brutal, bludgeoning but incurably romantic, how the thing sings demands your steadfast attention. mind-blowing.

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-.

yuri mendez jr. has an amazing gift for composing good songs. he arranges them and records them brilliantly, and then groups them together on an album in an unpredictable yet cohesive way (his last album had 22 tracks. this one only has 8). uri mŽndez jr. is a true artisan in the best sense of the word. this is pajaro sunrises third album, and although the essentials havenÕt changed (good songs, great songs), the rest has certainly evolved. yuris voice sounds more and more emphatic, and with an extensive register full of nuances, he sings a story in every song. in doing this, he covers a stunning vocal range that dazzles from the first listen. yuri has been playing together with the same fantastic band for some time now. with them, he has rehearsed the tracks (many of which they were already playing in concerts), and then gone into the studio where almost everything was recorded with everyone playing live. the benefits of having a group that has already travelled together, as well as shared stages and life experiences are evident. and, if this disc breathes anything, its travel, highways, and familiar stories stolen from faraway places that also feel nearby. its a grandiose yet intimate album that thrills and grows with each listen.

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.

dave.i.d likes to think for himself. always has done. its the reason why his debut album didnt go quite according to his initial plan. he was going to make, to use his own words, >something pretty simple and straightforward<. but then he noticed lots of his friends were discovering new beliefs. some even tried to convert him. >im very open-minded to different beliefs, but i question and see things slightly differently,< he says. without necessarily wanting to, he found himself reflecting on existential questions. >the album is a record of the time that it was made, and thats what was going on in my life at the time. i didnt necessarily want to make the debut album like that. i felt i had to make it<. the cerebral inspiration catapulted him into musics outer rim. he beamed back a dark, dense sometimes confrontational sound, but ultimately compelling sound. but, in the end, it turned out to be a happy accident because the resulting record, called >response< appropriately enough, is mind-bendingly inventive, brilliantly off-kilter and constantly surprising. crucially, the tough sonics are paired with killer melodies: this is deep, heavy music you can hum. the records he was listening to while making >response< help make sense of his singular sound

-love has no recession-, is the fourth album from husband and wife duo fatin dantzler and aja graydon and the follow up to 2008s arrival. it continues on a similar vein to their previous 3 albums with another album aimed squarely at the adult contemporary

viele der antiken heldenfiguren waren zugleich halbgštter oder zumindest gegenstand religišser verehrung. wie war das noch gleich: god is a dj? spa§ beiseite. die zwšlfte ibiza-season des cocoon-teams um sven vŠth hat sich als motto >cocoon heroes< gesetzt. cocoon recordings sorgt deshalb mit der mittlerweile fŸnften summer-mix-ausgabe fŸr die offizielle einstimmung in diese mega-event-reihe. eines der absoluten highlights in dieser saison ist der auftritt von adam beyer am 25. juli. der stockholmer drumcode-labelboss gehšrt seit Ÿber fŸnfzehn jahren zusammen mit richie hawtin, jeff mills und sven vŠth zu den wichtigsten taktgebern der elektronischen tanzmusik. als produzent oft ein garant fŸr stringenten und harten techno, beweist beyer seine vielschichtigkeit mit einem energetischen parforceritt zwischen hypnotisch perkussivem techhouse, dub und acid und Ÿberrascht nicht zuletzt mit einer ausgeprŠgten neigung zu sinn stiftenden vocal-samples. schon bei der opening party im amnesia dabei ist der frankfurter dorian paic, als mit-inhaber der plattenladeninstitution freebase und als label-chef von raum...musik. seit vielen jahren untrennbar mit der rhein-main-szene verbunden. wer dorian paic als dj bereits erleben durfte, wei§ um seine beispiellose begabung, mit geschmackssicher reduzierten und dennoch unverwechselbaren techhouse-juwelen eine ganz eigene geschichte zu erzŠhlen.

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

excellent groovin tech house !!

excellent dj t. album!!

>we have no agenda. we are not a brand. we stand for people and music. we believe in the beauty of artefacts. we stand for a sense of community. we respect the dance floor because the dance floor never lies.<

dubstep-star shackleton liefert auf seiner fabric-cd ein 80-minŸtiges set aus unveršffentlichtem (!) eigenmaterial, gespickt mit einigen seiner besten tracks fŸr perlon, skull disco & hotflush. insgesamt 22 tunes feinster britischer bass music in einem superben flow machen diese ausgabe zu einem der deepesten, intensivsten und besten glanzstŸcke aktueller elektronischer musik!

debut album from curv on vinyl vibes records ... after various successful 12inch releases on vinyl vibes, the label introduce their first artist album from curv. while in the past mixing organic and clubby elements, deeply rooted in soul and jazz, curv recently developed a stronger love for electronic music, splendidly reflected in this fantastic record. between here and nowhere is not just another electronic album as one might expect. it features a unique style of warm, analog sounding club music which makes perfect sense as a listening experience too. it would not be curv if jazz, funk and disco didnt feature, if he would not occationally mix the electronic beats with some natural sounding drums, the keyboards with some piano. but he is now putting all these things into an electronic context of house beats, naughty electro and even deep minimal. in between all of this you still find all those stunning little details that make his music curv-music in its very own & special way.

the rhythms have a house/techno/breakbeat influenced feel but with less heft, with a bleepy downtempo character and movement without boominess, like four people clapping in their living room before heading out for the evening. through this, he creates a sense of minor drama, the kind that doesnt call attention to itself, but sneaks up on you with its haunting, focused sense of melodic timing.

with her new album, dust, ellen removes the sense of remoteness entirely. a warm immediacy takes centre stage in place of distanced artistic abstraction. as such, what is perhaps ellens most personal album takes the form of a complete spectrum of her creative output to date, a cross-section in time which also looks ahead to previously untrodden paths... the world according to ellen!

walls are a band from london made up of members sam willis (of allez-allez) and alessio natalizia (of banjo or freakout), >we take our inspiration by the sense of discovery, curiosity and playful nature of our approach to making music. we have a pastoral take on the natural world, music that has a natural, unique and personal feel - utilizing the best that old / modern technology has to offer.<

its a brighter, more immediate sound than before warmer, too, with the singers voices positively glowing inside intricately woven electronic nests. but theres no lack of nuance. every track is a delicate balance of intimate delivery and cosmic sonics, underscored by a faint sense of melancholy.

yes, it comes full circle- fuckponys long-player for ravers in love and for raved out lovers who are still going long after peak time. a self-contained album with powerful melodic arches and a great dramatic underscoring of house, embedded in tradition but not dwelling on the past. ten tracks, each unique and self-sufficient, held together through love: the love of music, of house, of berlin, of parties, of all of you out there. so in this sense, love it also! real love is forever...

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

trailing, distant voices, folk-leaning, yet wholly otherwise melodies, and a grounding in both electro-acoustic origins and a decidedly rooted sense of place characterize acre loss, a collaborative project which brings together musician mark templeton and filmmaker aaron munson to create 10 musical compositions accompanied by 10 short films. working together on all pieces of this project, the resulting blend of sonic orientation and cinematic warmth gives acre loss an unusual, yet familiar perspective into the impact of a fleeting sense of home