honey butter launches in a flurry of feel good deep house from lesser known producers with a keen ear for straight up groovers. swales kicks the record off with the melancholic tones of pushin away, while ari bald sidles in with the wistful sample chops of hot 2 cold. sabie blanc takes things to even dreamier heights on the b-side with the harp-embellished romanticism of musique d ascenseur, and then eben rees finishes the party off with some seriously funky licks on dirty dishes. all in all, it s a formidable salvo of likeminded deep house jams that should work its way into the bags of all manner of soulfully-minded spinners.

brian eno’s 1973 album back on vinyl, 180gr

for the 108th installment in the ever expanding planet rhythm catalog, a various artists effort has been planned with some of the label’s usuals and some exciting names we have had our eye on for a while now. for the a-side, arts label owner emmanual brings his much appreciated e100 to vinyl. previously released digitally through his own imprint, this cut has been sought after for a while now. second up is eindhoven native albert van abbe. albert has been making a lot of waves for a long time now and we’re very glad to welcome him to the prruk family. more to ignore 04 is a funked out piece of machine music that will definitely turn some heads. the b side is opening with elyas the hangman. the mysteryman that gained some infamy through his releases on modularz and olympian delivers a cutting edge techno work-out. closing down this va 12” is mendy. returning to prruk for the 2nd time, mendy has come up with elevation which is a chordy techno theme for peak hours.

after releasing some heavy deep tracks on labels such as flyance records or steawards, the new figure of techno and deepness ka one & st-sene sign here a killer set of house music jewel. gunnter (rutilance recordings) is proud to introduce his close friends with this new label dedicated to real underground house sound. pressed with qualitative mastering, heavy bass lines and emotional synths, this wax will easily fits clubs with a powerful sound system.

when wph boss red d heard toriton being played by ken ishii during a wph radio takeover on belgiums studio brussel radio station he ran to the booth and knew this track had wph written all over it. not abiding to any trends, just devastatingly beautiful house music. some licence negotiations and months later satoshi fumi agreed and made lalalalaland, a brand new track to go along with toriton and make up this ep the title track has that unmistakable detroit feel that takes you from melancholy to euphoria and back, while lalalalaland has been described by people hearing it in red ds sets this summer as japanese sunset trance or end of the night eyes closed hands in the air stuff. whatever the words, its the music that counts and satoshi fumi takes his place among the wph family in style!

ltd 2017 repress - as well as steering stripped & chewed, garrett david has been holding down a residency at chicago s smart bar for some time. on a roll following an appearance on distant hawaii, the time finds the producer in fine fettle with a classic approach to deep house clearly born out of the city he calls home. -the time- is a shimmying jam powered by crafty dub processing and a steady hand on the arrangement, while -sea shell- is a more passionate affair that swoons through key changes. the night sea journey remix of -the time- is a more brooding affair punctuated by synth accents for a deeper end result.

double 12 inch vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

&#65279,,,jj funhouse compile thier long time favorite selections of dr. c. stein goodies. assembled from the plays for you cd-r (trumpett), the long sold out echo trip lp (treue um treue) and some obscure cor- ners of the trumpett archive. we couldn’t be more happy with this perfect dream sequence of softspot hitters. (limited to 500 copies)

edition of 250 copies, risopgraph printed sleeve
staatsfeinde… dutch synth duo staatseinde finally releases their debut ep on vinyl… after two 7”s on enfant terrible they present this 6 track ep… stripped down through the years from a band to a duo the sound also changed… the songs on this ep are more up-tempo, louder, more beat orientated… and also darker as before mostly… and… for sure more dance floor minded… expect some classic minimal synth tunes in line with el aviador dro and welle: erdball for example but also more punchy tracks with ebm influences… staatseinde 2.0 has arrived!

astral dust is a 4 song excursion bridging the styles of derek michael and marshall applewhite. this project stems from a live recording of a set performed by michael in 2002. after being tucked away for almost 15 years, the recording was found and sent to applewhite who dissected the performance into fragments and breathed a new life into them. while some portions of this release are distinctly sludgy, the majority is a perfect amalgamation of both michaels and applewhites hard-edge, melodic borderline idm styles. the digital release will feature 2 digital only sub cuts from the sessions.

ike yard recombine their music looking across decades of post punk, electronic, soundtracks and come out with some of their best yet and enough to last the next 20-30 years (in ike yard s very own words). originally founded in 1979 new york city, members michael diekmann (keyboard, guitar, vocals), kenneth compton (programming drums, synths arrangements, bass, guitar, vocals) and stuart argabright (programming drums, synths arrangements, distortion bass, keyboards, metal perc) reformed the band once in 2007 and again in 2010. each time different and with new ambitions. this time ‘sacred machine’ ep is defined by detailed drum layers supported by multiple basses and keyboards, some off-timing beat patterns that turn in a second of synchrony into a straight four on the floor kick and first time vocal collaborations.

edition of 200 copies, screen printed sleeve... here is another best kept secret from the netherlands: garçon taupe… this musician has been around for quite some time but released only a few tracks yet… mostly on dutch label narrominded… and these released tracks are quite elektro orientated… this 4 track ep is all about acid… techno and elektro beats go hand in hand to make up party music pur sang… this is simply a great piece of acid music which will appeal to fans of ceephax acid crew and acid trax in general…

roza roza returns with a batch of secret drummy 303 bizz! punctured, stuttering, heavily swung alien-acid traxx plus some hefty drum jams to boot.

tramps feeling nice series has positioned itself as a universally accepted essential cultural and historical document of some of the greatest unknown local vernacular american black music of the sixties and seventies. the feeling nice series has been dedicated to filling in the blanks between the more well known cuts of so-called deep funk canon and drawing out the relationships and stories behind and between the tunes and the artists, and ultimately creating a dialogue that serves to enlighten and enliven a true anti-racist discussion of american popular music specifically and of global human music in general. with feeling nice vol. 4, tramp continues this important conversation, and having spent over 700 days unearthing a rousing selection across the board, offers it to you, now, as a double lp with full-color label scans, never before seen promo shots, and detailed biographical information - in some cases in the words of the artists themselves! also includes a single-sided bonus 7 inch plus download code for the full release, all housed in a gatefold sleeve.

tropical jam is a new project from a producer from ukraine and a collector from australia, who wanted to share some special pieces with like-minded dj’s. the emphasis is on world music but also with an intention for the dancefloor. tje-001 is the first release on tropical jam, offering 3 different edits. the a1 side is a peak time afro disco bomb with an infectious vocal. a2 is a mid-tempo electro boogie workout. b1 takes us to the caribbean with a synthy slow burner, on the reggae / disco tip.

barrott: in 2016 i released cascades. francois k got in touch with some very kind words about the track and offered to remix it, initially in surround for his 2016 show at the ministry of sound and later on in stereo. here it is. its deep & luscious. enveloping and all encompassing. a melted chocolate fountain of warmth & joy minus augustus gloop.

last year’s on the corner underground smash release, the 12” ep santuri’s embaire umeme, introduced uganda’s mugwisa international xylophone group (m.i.x.g) to the world. the recordings center on the embaire, a giant xylophone native to ugandan folk music, which is dug into a pit for a natural, earthy bass resonance as gargantuous as the instrument itself. the instrument performs a key role in village life, with ceremonial playing sessions lasting for hours on end. these recordings may be esoteric in nature but they add important context to the santuri’s embaire umeme 12” and are a vital documentation of the iganga village’s culture, as well as that of uganda. jones has artfully chopped the epic session into a series of short evocative chapters to create a pioneering masterpiece. remix duties are led by griot house innovators, the diabolcal liberties, who have raved-up some sun ra frequencies for the cosmic junglist crew. last but never least, victoria topping has created beautiful artwork using the session photography taken by jones during the recordings

it is time for the nang and rayko worlds to collide once more. the awesome madrid-based dj and producer is back with his second album on nang. as ever the grooves are wide, the beats are large and the musical elements ooze funk and nu disco sheen. thing open up with the title track and recent single no stopping. the track features the fine vocals from tania haroshka and it is a powerhouse of synth disco, electronic groove with real bass guitar and darting guitars giving it just a tint of miami vice sheen. 2016 single crazy is up next with it s catchy hooks and counter melodies. it comes with just the right amount of good-time groove to bring a smile to any face. things tone down robot life which is a creeping synth fest with wandering grooves and chunky drums. danielle moore features with a fine vocal on a pure rayko style classic cosmic pirate. muscular basses and darting guitars being deployed to maximum effect. ocarina of time is next with its layered complexity and stabby synth bass notes. tania haroshika returns for the final trio of tunes on the album. her fine vocals melding effortlessly with the slick production from our hero. first up is hot which builds the music slowly adding layers of multi tracked guitars and real bass before breaking forth into song. u sneaks in from the leftfield with its quirky strings and arpegiated synth-clavi lines. the album closes with the (slightly) melancholic and pensive groover space boat. tania adding a brooding vocal over a pulsating juno style bassline. a fine effort from our madrid based hero who once again shows everyone what this top-of-his-game dj-producer can do with some guitars and keyboards.

presented here are some of the leading figures of chicago’s blues scene of the early 1950s.

finnish legends and everything-but-grey eminences of electronic music, jimi tenor and freestyle man revive their dormant partnership on this four track ep for studio barnhus, jam-packed with classic drum machine funk, congenial synth lines and jimi’s unmistakable lead vocals and flute-playing. the sleepover ep is fuelled by the two maestros’ mutual love for new jersey house music and pyjama parties, as well as musical wisdom gained from numerous collaborations in the past, ranging back to some fabled mid-90s sähkö releases. live show booking now! artwork by robin ekemark.

following on from his intimate entry into the dj-kicks mix series, lone is putting out a vinyl only ep of all the unreleased tracks from it. the horizontal mix tapped into all of lones influences, from hip-hop to house, idm to techno. it also showcased some producers signed to his own magic wire label, and of course the back bone was built from some of the nottingham mans freshest new productions. they come after celebrated releases on werk discs, r&s and dekmantel, and include dance floor aligned eps and more rounded full lengths designed for close listening. here he sits in between the two across three thrilling cuts. opener ‘saturday night is a breezy bit of deep house with crisp boom-baps and swirling pads that lend it a dreamy, ethereal feel. spoken word snippets are stitched into the groove and the whole thing is as frictionless and feel good as house comes. next up, ‘arc is a little more direct, with scattered snares flapping over dry wooden kicks. its a punchy bit of house latest dj-kicks mix star kerri chandler would be proud, and comes overlaid with spring time flutes and luscious pads as a classically inclined bassline powers things along. last but not least is ‘alpha wheel 4 (ambient mix), a kaleidoscopic passage of suspensory sound scuffed up glassy surfaces trapping you in rays of refracted light from start to finish. all three tracks exhibit lones authentic, lived in and lo-fi aesthetic, and as a result slip perfectly into his ever more essential discography.

no matter where the winds may blow, what storms may come or what pirates will do, the transatlantyk ship is still sailing. navigated for the last three years by zambon out of berlin, ultimately avoiding the shallow waters of the generic and constantly patrolling the seas in search of exciting sounds. after all that sailing the label just had to replenish its ranks with some fresh faces - those still capable of voyaging into the unknown. joining the crew is a young gun tamten, who by day serves as a vinyl pusher in warsaw s finest side one record store. what he does by night is not the matter of this short text, but we are sure he does a lot of it. hence his love for all things distant - from subaquatic pads and floating riffs, to new-age-y siren voices, otherworldly effects and percussion drenched in reverb. there is a lot of similarly distant, sun-bleached material on this five tracker, full of a druggy and hippy balearic feel. beautiful ambient jam przebudzenie is the stand out track, but znaki czasu is equally as good with its simple, yet memorable melody, reminding of dawns and sunsets on some god forsaken beach. sultry deepness of nieznajoma is followed by enchanting digital exotica of wyrocznia and wavey trip-hop cut po burzy . overall its one of the strongest eps that transatlantyk managed to co-opt into its growing catalogue. definitely one for the dreamers.

dive released a vast amount of productions and remixes on high class labels such as cocoon recordings, tsuba, freebase, deep labs (balance us), raum musik or stir15. the cocoon artist still runs his own label deep vibes with great success. deep vibes brought up some outstanding music by sascha dive and his „house-mates like brothers vibe or robert dietz. welcome sascha dive with his trippy dark tech house track child of sorrow at the aras family. aras label head andré galluzzi has been a vinyl dj for 25 years. with residencies at tresor, ostgut and berghain and releases on labels like ostgut, cocoon, cadenza, plus8 ,ovum, music man ,ongaku, taksi and bar 25, andré can look back at quite a history. 2017 has been another busy season for the artist who additionally presenting his berlin based eventy series we play vinyl regulary. bambo is a mysterious club tool with a breeze of darkness. this signature tune stands for open minded sound as galluzzi always does.

a new label services deal with !k7 was announced this year that will see the relaunch of the two hundred & forty volts label and for the first time ever the entire swayzak back catalogue. to celebrate the re-launch and ultimately draw a line under the old material a 19 track retrospective will released shortly afterwards on dec 1. the lost tapes compilation will include some of their seminal classics, unreleased versions and a brand new single from swayzak & richard davis, all paving way for the new album next year. the compilation will be released on vinyl over 3 consecutive eps

seven years into its celebrated journey, life and death assembles its third and most adventurous compilation to date - displaced soundtracks. for the first instalment in a new series, dj tennis has given free rein to some of his most trusted contemporaries, enabling many of todays most respected dance music producers to display their hidden talents as composers. gathering music from a long-aborted film, the collection stands as another bastion of life and deaths perpetual evolution. duncan gray embraces dissonance, black merlin, appleblim and artefakt go interstellar and fango channels post-punk squat music. hades rocket showcases the expertly-sequenced synth work that has graced simian mobile discos illustrious career, while redshape revisits all the right sides of 80s wave and library music. danny daze and synth-savant kink embrace non-standard tempi with great success, while axel boman delivers sitar-laced gospelhouse without a bass drum. elsewhere, your favourite producers favourite producer, stimming, teams up with pianist lambert and the pair learn to fly. inspired and challenging, life and death ventures into their eighth year confidently, constantly evolving without compromise.

autumns is the solo project of christian donaghey from derry, northern ireland. following several releases on downwards and clan destine and hot on the heels of his debut lp, »suffocating brothers«, the »dyslexia tracks« ep sees autumns deliver 5 tracks and 38 minutes of brutal beauty. aligning itself closely to his recent live performances – where snares (and belts) crack like whips and synthesizers »wriggle like a fucking eel« – »dyslexia tracks« completes autumns journey from his post-punk beginnings to producing some of the tautest and toughest electronic music we’ve heard in some time.
alongside progressive appearances on cult labels donaghey’s restless work ethic has seen him share stages in europe and the us with the kvb, lust for youth, beak, silent servant & dva damas.

hot on the heels of the first two parts comes part three of hoshs stories from sa talaia series. the series takes tracks from his recently released album of the same name and releases them on his new fryhide label. first up are two collaborations with pig&dan. atlantis is not a fairy tale, a spine tingling tune with shifting melodies above rolling rubber beats. it s emotive and colourful and sets a nice mood to start off. the second brotherhood balearea is deep and elastic, with nice rubber beats and spraying synths bringing some real dynamism to the table. one of those tunes sven väth would drop at those special ibiza after parties. awakening of the birds a collaboration with karmon takes off right there and keeps you in that trance but gets more groovy with its inducing light footed drums, airy hi hats and skyward melodies all zoning you out. last of all, meeting mia lee is a beautifully melodic track that really moves you and strikes a resonant chord with your heart as the smooth and deep house vibes unfold. speaking of heart it features the heartbeat of hoshs unborn daughter. once again then, this is another richly rewarding ep from the one and only hosh.

one year after its debut release, in any case is back with its third record, delivering, as planned, a large organic and groovy sound-scape.this time, co-founder mal... cutouane - sorry - is taking the lead with an edit flawlessly handled , you ll find an uptempo driving beat, a collection of horns and vocals but most importantly, a killer bassline that won t fail at keeping your dancefloor tight. next to him, you ll trip on one of the newcomer to the imprint, kaffe crème, teaming up with co-founder g2s on an hybrid track. this one won t disappoint you with its funky bassline, jazzy and lush rhodes layers, horn ensemble and lastly, mellow pads and sax solo , everything cleverly arranged on top of a massive beat. this one already got dancefloor-proofed this summer and should represent a nice addition to your sets. on the other side, you ll find another new face on in any case named 4004. he worked on a mellow sounding house groove, with jazzy drums samples and a mean bassline below some lush electric piano samples. this one will make your head move anywhere you ll listen to. we ve then got the same team as on a side , g2s & kaffe crème, with a more chopped up track, blending up a disco beat and bassline supported by some house drums and jazz samples for an unusual yet pleasant feeling. closing this third adventure, manuel nie from iac002 is returning to the label with a leftfield downtempo joint, all groovy and organic sounding, perfect for those lazy sunday afternoons.

the cowboy moved slowly out of the booth and into the studio. you could tell by the look in his eyes, that the half-dozen shots of chivas regal had put his ego to rest, and he was ready to sing with the lady. they sang for three nights - the cowboy and the lady, and the gods were kind, and their album was finished on time. herein, lie the results…some good, some bad and some more. - lee hazlewood

recorded in new york’s avatar studios in may 2017 and produced by manfred eicher, blue maqams brings tunisian oud master anouar brahem together with three brilliant improvisers. for anouar brahem and dave holland the album marks a reunion: they first collaborated 20 years ago on the very widely-acclaimed thimar album. brahem meets jack dejohnette for the first time here, but holland and dejohnette have been frequent musical partners over the last half-century beginning with ground-breaking work with miles davis – their collaborations are legendary. british pianist django bates also rises superbly to the challenge of brahem’s compositions. and anouar in turn is inspired to some of his most outgoing playing. blue maqams is a highlight of ecm’s autumn season.
180 gram double vinyl release.

left ear are re-introducing another ten lost tracks from nicholas georgieff and virgil work, st louis basement electronics duo workdub. the release spans material from 1989-95 and includes recordings from their sole lp and both cassette albums. workdubs music hardly fits into a vacuum and some might even say it’s otherworldly. tracks like reach for the stars and lunar module reflect dreams of space-age exploration, all the while their investigation into drum machines, synthesizers, samples matched with their organic live instrumentation work to create a unique atmospheric dubbed out sound.

debut solo single from aaron frazer of durand jones & the indications. aaron’s super sweet, silvery falsetto was featured on “is it any wonder?” on the indications’ debut lp, but aaron steps out here with some low-down gospel soul with some help from friends including eli paperboy reed.

born and raised by jamaican parents in london, england, alpheus developed a passion for singing after seeing an old recording of sam cooke perform on television, and performing on local sound systems in london as a youth. his love for ska rocksteady and reggae developed as he was exposed to singers like john holt, marcia griffiths, don carlos, dennis brown, frankie paul, michael gordon, keith douglas, thriller u, maxi priest, and many more great artists.

a one of a kind track with a totally unique groove and a bass line not coming from this world. the dx sound that makes the track so powerful sounds like some kind of mutant machine that is going wild and the sublime combination with the robert owens vocals makes this a highlight in the history of house music!

coming hot off his rather expansive cognitive dissonance 2x12inch for love notes, and also an ep for axetrax, tape_hiss herein continues his impressive run. on jacob s ladder, the artist pushes his emotionally wrought sound over cooking percussion and bubbling acid undertones. maspeth ave is quite honestly the nastiest bassline we have heard on a deep house track in some time, sure to cause spontaneous bass face in the listener. life as an echo uses soaring chords and synths to prove its point, and forests of my mind finishes the ep off with a pitch bending chord that pushes the track right along. yet another extremely cohesive, emotionally charged effort from this artist.

some might say jordan fields is one of the most criminally underappreciated figures to rise out of chicago in the late 90s, not for people who know what s what though. after a career spanning more than 20 years he has established himself as one of the key figures of the underground. coming out of where everything started, chicago, jordan released records on a handful of key labels like catalyst, track mode, som underground, mood groove, maffia. he did not stop there and today he is still releasing bangers having never lost that magic touch that has kept him firmly grounded on the purest form of the underground, and that, after more than 20 years is pretty much unheard of. when we first contacted jordan we wanted to go back to where it all started, we wanted to be transported to late 90s chicago, to a time where it was all about the dance floor, when tracks meant something more than songs, when purely club-oriented music was the purest form of the underground. to be honest we were not expecting to get exactly what we wanted straight away, he immediately sent us a collection of tools straight out of dat tapes he had, going all the way back to the 90s and early 2000s, so yeah to say that we are excited with this release would be a huge understatement. this is a collection of tools meant for the dancefloor, not reminiscent of some gone by era, these are the real deal, made by a true master, 20 years ago, for the future.

the delsin re-issue arm turns its attention to lost trax. this ep features four cuts taken from two different eps, the saturnian system and lost trax 2 from 2006 and 2010 respectively. saturnian system opens the ep with some acid laced electro slickness. fluttering snares and spacey synths carry it away into the cosmos, then the sequel gets much busier. scurrying lines dart about in manic but funky fashion, with serene pads off setting the high energy drums. self destruct sequence then drops into an urgent, slippery electronic groove riddled with squelchy sounds and rubbery bass all perfectly orchestrated. last of all, birth is a nimble electronic house cut with plaintive synths and kinetic drums that wiggle and wriggling through the night sky. this is an ep stuffed with timeless sounds and is another essential reissue from delsin.

semantica 101. a special triple album packed with talented techno producersdropping some deep trippy techno knowledge right here! limited supplies.

route 8 back to his techno project q3a dropping some heavy grooving tracks! a year after his last release on delsin, the talented hungarian producer is back with four more cuts of techno and electro excellence, club tracks that ooze atmosphere and intriguing details. the nameless place kicks off with a tense and tangled techno track that is urgent and slick as is hurries on through damp underground caverns. the very end of you completely flips the script and is a slow motion bit of dub. with only sparse kick drums, the focus is on the cavernous pads that smear in huge arcs as watery droplets and heavenly chords add to the brain soothing effect. temple of retribution is back to techno, this time with loose, jumbled percussion and clipped drums cantering along at high speed. again it s roomy stuff with no real edge, the deva station drops into house mode, wriggling drums and distant vocal cries finished off with some classic detroit keys. it s a high tech, soulful track that closes out a diverse and devastating ep.

quadratschulz delivers his debut album -ww303-. ten tracks make up this vision, a vision of lazers, pulsing neon and gleaming chrome. arcade game memories. curls of acid. electrofunk vocals. synth wave chic. and even some past greats. all are lovingly folded together in this rich and diverse collection. styles are juxtaposed. 303 bars throb and strings soar in the lilting -der rasende roland- whereas -robotic dancer- struts to a future-world funk. quadratschulz sculpts his sound with a wonderfully warm and autumnal quality, as in the cascading synth showers of ferrofluid. yet there are colder moments, the frigid flows of kran sprouting into the chilly house tones of piloten. a tribute to the groundbreaking lfo is also included. bleep festooned chicanery is the offering as ring the bell takes you back to the infamous warehouse parties of 90s britain. and if that weren t enough, the 2lp also comes with downloads for some cracking remixes by dmx krew, andreas gehm, kettel, chris moss acid and posthuman to name but a few. a wide angle view of quadratschulz s unique sound.

for gregory porter, the influence of nat king cole on his life and music runs deep, a through-line that reaches back into some of his earliest childhood memories, and culminates in the release of the two-time grammy-winning vocalist’s stunning fifth studio album nat king cole & me, a heartfelt tribute to the legendary singer, pianist, and capitol recording artist. “he was one of a kind. he left such great music – such beautiful things to listen to that you can’t help but be influenced by that extraordinary timbre, style, and ultimate cool,” porter enthuses.

niall mannion aka mano le tough is set to release his first record on pampa entitled ahsure. the 3 track ep sees the irish producer showcase his unique ability to combine dance floor rhythms with visceral vocal based songs. the result of which is a piece of work that will find a comfortable home in a variety of settings. while this method has become the hallmark of manos discography, ahsure feels like some of his most honest and accomplished work to date.

next up on the main label there is a shureshot by sebastian habben himself. with pasadena he delivers a blinding baseline-journey that evolves into a deep techno track including some heavy dub chords. not as heavy but therefore even more groovy montebello present a slightly house influenced dub track that is matched with classic sounding chords and a cool vocal sample. on the remix duty we are more than happy to see our italian buddy federico alfieri join us with a superb dub techno version of pasadena. give it a spin!

the label focus on a specific musical need and want to offer a contemporary garage house, raw and essential interpretation of some rare groove hits and other disco classics.

“i’ve said it before, but dancehall and its influence on uk music has been a massive inspiration for me, going way back to hearing chris goldfinger on radio 1 playing music that was like nothing else i’d heard before. i love that fundamental rhythmic pattern, and i love how within the same world you can have some tunes that are built around the sweetest melodies and harmonies, and others that are built around super-tuff minimal drums and crazy squeeks and bleeps.
when it came time to build another ep for critical, i decided to link up with my good friend and long-time collaborator rider shafique, who has a much deeper knowledge of this music than me, and together create something that references both old and new dancehall, while still being playable in the kinds of sets i ve become known for. there’s no halftime and no chopped-up jungle breaks here - we wanted to make something really focussed and even disciplined - and hopefully we’ve succeeded.
big shouts to the vocal collaborators - super hyped to work with stush on a tune, irah came through with the righteous fire, and tiffanie malvo absolutely bodied her beat - but ultimate biggups have to go to rider. this wasn’t a project where i made the beats and rider voiced them - for pretty much every tune, we worked and reworked the riddims together. we’re both stoked on the results, and it seems like people in the dance feel the same way.” - sam binga

when it comes to living legends in the texas and latin music pantheon, few have been at it longer and are more revered by their fans and peers than soul vocalist and mexican-american songwriter and bandleader sunny ozuna. he became a star right out of high school in the late ‘50s and hasn’t looked back in the six decades since.
among countless other honors and notable achievements, sunny was the first latino artist to appear on dick clark’s “american bandstand” (in 1963). songs like “put me in jail,” “talk to me,” “should i take you home,” “my dream” and “smile now, cry later” still bring crowds to their feet throughout the southwest and california and around the world at “oldies” and “lowrider soul” events. and after releasing dozens of albums since the mid-1960s (in spanish and english), sunny still keeps a busy schedule and loves performing as much as he did as a teenager. his classic 45s regularly change hands for hundreds of dollars among collectors around the world, affirming his timeless appeal.
this new compilation on brooklyn’s acclaimed big crown label is a lovingly curated selection of songs from the years 1966 to 1972. all compositions were originally released on sunny’s key-loc label, formed after his national star had been established, so he could have control of his own musical destiny. with sunny hits – a mix of originals and some great covers thrown in mr. brown eyed soul is an excellent celebration of sunny’s amazing body of work, and a perfect introduction for newcomers.
produced in full collaboration and cooperation with ozuna himself, the cd and lp packaging includes liner notes by texas music scholar and archivist ramon hernandez, and features dozens of rare photos provided by sunny himself.
vinyl lp in gatefold sleeve including download code.

this record is a collaborative between marq spekt and experimental, proto-new wave musician gary wilson (stones throw). it’s rare that you get the opportunity to work with the actual artist rather than just sampling his records. gary opened his vaults and provided sample soundscapes. some of these instrumentals date back to 1973 and may have been heard before. others may not. the ending result is a pure creative expression and meshes hip-hop, psychedelic, jazz and funk. soak up the vibrations and enjoy!
this is the kind of idea that makes you enjoy the fringes of rap more than what’s in the spotlight. with that said, “broken mazes” sounds weirder on paper than it does in the headphones. gary wilson is an awesomely strange dude with some outré music under his belt, but for this project spekt wisely sticks with the more accessible sides of wilson’s catalog. it’s all breezy jazz-funk with some vague psychedelic touches for extra oomph, a wide-open feld for spekt to run his free-flowing bars. the result is relaxed and enjoyable, if at times a bit unfocused – kinda like a good open-ended improv session by a talented jazz band.

originally released in 1973, dream on dreamer is a fine collection of songs. it was the last album to feature guitarist and songwriter robbie van leeuwen, all the songs are written by him. the arrangements are simple, the sound is tight and the playing solid. highly recommended to all shocking blue fans and anyone who wants to hear some of the best hidden gems in rock music history.
remastered audio 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

pioneer dj, guy cuevas made his name by being one of the first residents in the famous parisian club le palace, shortly after it opened in 1978. attracting some of the biggest names in the entertainment business like prince, madonna, kenzo, serge gainsbourg, the location was a must-go for any one wanting to party over the paris adopted cuban expat’s amazing selection.
released in 1983, guy cuevas’ 12” single “obsession” is probably one of the best french disco-boogie records, enriched by jean-paul goude’s artwork for the cover.
the a-side’s nassau mix by françois k is a sensual and airy journey, while the b-side’s london mix offers a more realistic approach that will please the more classic-listening disco enthusiasts.
to this day this is a limited repress to 1000.