to celebrate kontra-musik records hitting the ten-year mark, founder and label owner ulf eriksson has put together a collection of some of our finest releases.

gari romalis and lello di franco - dreamin for the uninitiated, our man gary romalis is the unsung master of detroit’s house and techno scene. having djed across the motor city’s top venues for the last three decades, gary is somewhat of a seminal figure for many of detroit’s djs currently at the forefront. following a slew of high quality releases on various labels over the past few years, gary now unleashes that special flavour on us for skylax 142! he is not alone though. with him, he brings all round italian partymaker, and top selector in his own right, lello di franco. let me tell you, this duo’s collaboration is something to behold. throughout all 3 tracks on the record, gary and lello maintain the essence of what the detroit underground is all about, stripped back tracks with soul that never feel like they go ‘big’ for the sake of it. while dreamin (wanda mix) may be packing a big kick and power clap combo, it’s the elegantly filtered, jazzy sample that will leave you wishing that the track lasted forever. the vibe takes a dip right into the deep in detroit underground (beat dat mix). spacious pad synths alongside a mesmeric vocal carry us through. taking a step back up, afrobeat rounds off the ep, made with a solid toolkit of afro-centric samples.

finale sessions is excited to have another parisian on our superb roster and janeret is not one to sleep on that s for sure. so we are getting right to the music with the first track midnight soul one of my favorites for sure with its beautiful keys and its rich pads and it s enormous bass this track is a latenight beater for sure. track two-contrast-is more on the techier side of things with more pads and a think basline no question a floor pumper it also has really nice drums to flavor that nice vocal. track three subdub this track is more for the dub techno crowd for sure with its super deep chords and its deep sub ambiance sound track four ehtereal electro madness is i am going to say

after kicking off 2016 with the massive don t need ep from callahan featuring that remix from man of-the-moment hodge, dext is back with another banger of an ep from fast rising uk producer mella dee. the man from doncaster, uk has been creating a name for himself on the scene of late with releases on redlight s lobster boy and shy fx s digital soundboy imprint, and his dext debut certainly doesn t disappoint. over the last year or so, he has been masterfully fusing 90 s jungle influences with driving house & techno percussion and his ep for us is, we think, his strongest work to date.

after the sublime releases of parts 1 and 2 from b.j. smiths between ship and shore 3 part ep series, we take a breather before we get to the final part to bring you these selections from japanese jazz and electronic music legend, ryo kawasaki... we have gone through ryo s extensive catalogue to bring you a section of what we consider are his finest works, but to be honest we could have easily added 20 more to this list. take a small journey through the amazing repertoire of ryo with the 5 tracks that take in sublime jazz through to out there electronic vibes.

mood 24 brings you the first in a limited vinyl only series in the form of mood series. each track has its own story to tell from artists silat beksi, gorbani, herck, leparente. *secret circle* from silat beksi has a very minimal feel, simplistic drums, repetitive groove combined with spacey atmospheric pads and synths. gorbanis track *the jaw* is more drum and percussion oriented with subtle fx shots and and groovy sub bass. hercks *gura sada* is very atmospheric, lots of organic noises. but its that main synth that gets you moving which the entire track is built around. *flashback* from leparente is deep and groovy, pieced together with a wicked bassline and main synth/pad that you can feel in your soul. ears open, this is just the beginning.....

holy wood’s ability to maneuver between true school techno, malicious reduced house, and motor city is ornamented with his very own mark. for resopal red , he delivers something like a summation of his work. -scar soul ep- is subterranean haunted techno with a broken heart, and will satisfy your needs

horatio and javi green met in ibiza and decided to summon their production skills in order to produce something really groundbreaking. horatio & javi did a superb job by fusing together the much hyped romanian techno with some spanish soul flavoured. on the remix duties is the one guy who is truly on the roll right now: ada kaleh .

jus groove it is a new label launched by rhythm&soul where he will release his own productions and collaborations with other house chefs and friends. a record label focused on new grooves, tight beats, hypnotic sounds and modern house music. first release comes by himself, two tracks, one per side. both combining west coast house flavors with modern and organic house grooves. west feel and beyond the basics are both made to shake your body and warm your floor! music made for djs and groove lovers

groove line records series of officially licensed disco / funk 12” reissues continues with two incredible cuts from the nu-yorican soul/r&b/jazz singer-songwriter angela bofill – “people make the world go ‘round” and “under the moon and over the sky.”

technosoul .03 comes from blazej malinowski, who has previously released on swedish phorma and canadian silent season amongst others. “mika” and “open closed open” might serve as blazej s sound signature – deeply rooted, hypnotic techno with a trance edge, which works both on the dancefloor and in comfort of one s home. remix number one comes from the legendary british dj and producer steve bicknell, whose take on “mika” is raw and very dense at once – it serves as the most brutal piece of music on the release. remix number two comes from “the mad ukrainian” stanislav tolkachev, whose vision strikes as a real surprise. instead of his usual beats stampede, he has provided the record with a beautiful, ethereal offbeat techno: this won t probably work as a peak time monster, but with a proper audience, it will have a mesmerizing effect!

micronation is the frank agrarios new label. after some key releases on internasjonal, tom tom disco and maxi discs frank decided to start his own vinyl label. micronation is a declaration of independence, frank makes his own rules, passports and stamps, while music is the currency. 02. percussion, deep bases and franks trademark dubby dealys are all there. bottin provides a killer rmx ready to destroy any dancefloor. early support from soul clap, jimpster, munk, swayzak, mammarella and thomas von party.

taking a brief detour from his normal abrasive distorted sound, pinion showcases his broad spectrum as an artist with the desire ep. the title track, desire (half measure),starts out of the gate with a thunderous half beat 808 coupled with a swinging hihat pattern that slowly works ethereal vocal slices into the forefront, accompanied with a modulating synth pad that evolves into a defining melody. the sister track, desire (full measure), has very similar characteristics as the original, but allowing a little more edge for the dancefloor to build on. the third original track, recollection shifts gears quite drastically with a 135 bpm stormer with enough soul and melody to make the uncharacteristically fast tempo seem inconsequential. last, comes kyle geiger on remix duties to round out the ep with a housier take on desire, but still enough bite to fit nicely into any techno set.

the album is a soundtrack of music inspired by the movie rubble kings and is out globally via mass appeal records. produced by longtime run the jewels collaborator little shalimar, the album features appearances from bun b, ghostface killah, killer mike, tunde adebimpe, mr muthaf*kin exquire, boldy james, cuz lightyear, ka and roxiny, in addition to run the jewels. scoring the film was the first time little shalimar set out to make period music. half of the music on this album was taken directly from the score and is heavily indebted to ‘60s and ‘70s soul and funk music. for the new tunes shalimar sampled joints from the score and created new beats out of them.
the grey marbled double lp version comes in a gatefold sleeve and includes an iron-on patch of the rubble kings plus a download code for the rubble kings album and documentary.

the last couple of years have been huge for pomo, going from a relatively obscure canadian producer to releasing his debut ep on hw&w, remixing for the likes of janet jackson and mark ronson, and touring the globe with disclosure as their hand-picked opening act.
bastard jazz has commissioned pomo to be next in line for the fourth volume of their *tempo dreams* compilation albums, following on the heels of the hotly contested soul clap compiled vol. 3. as with other tempo dreams records, we tease it out with a limited 7 inch release with tracks from the compiler made specifically for the tempo dreams album.
*blue soda* (part 1) - pomos first original release since his ep in november of 2014 is a typical, rollicking pomo new disco joint with stabbing synths, chopped vocal samples and an irresistible bassline. part 2 on the flip-side delivers more of the same, with a little more of an introspective twist. part 2 is exclusive to the 7 inch only and wont be on the album.

the latest toy tonics release comes straight from london with a remix by germanys finest tuff city kids. metropolitan soul museum or msm are nick & filippo.

p2s is back with a new project of hip-hop / breakbeat / scratches / accapella!

hot on the heels of his brilliant superfoods trilogy of albums on bbe, australian production powerhouse inkswel returns with a brand new solo effort entitled unity 4 utopia . stellar collaborators steve spacek, recloose, crazy p, lay-far, kid sublime, mark de clive-lowe & colonel red all make an appearance help to make inkswel s quest for musical utopia a reality, and the album certainly does not disappoint. as the man himself puts it: -we need to work together if we want happiness and furthermore if we want positive change- this is mirrored in music, collaboration being key-. echoes of early hip hop, 80 s boogie, disco and house can all clearly be heard, all woven together by inkwel s uniquely soulful, futuristic yet vintage production style. drawn together by an abundantly positive feeling, vocal performances and beats are all faultlessly smooth and highly polished, but somehow the album retains a real sense of fun. already touring tirelessly, unity 4 utopia could well be the project which elevates mr inkswel from an underground phenomenon into a household name.

vinyl only , new project by two friends. rawax label head robert drewek and rawax artist robin scholz came together to celebrate their passion for music aka rdrs.

a side brings rudman s finest house sounds for this heavy dancefloor produced track, but in the same time moody and balearic with a strong synth bassline that easely took control of the vibe and transformed it to a strong dance effect. for the b side imogen meets nunorthern soul artist dos palos with a slower tempo track with ilija rudman s instrumental stripped down mix of the lady of the west way. this remix sounds and could easily be integrated in any motion picture end having that powerful vibe of goodbye.

for lets do it again 2. ricardo villalobos delivers his 2nd remix for the label (2 of 5) which hes worked up, alongside studio partner frank greiner, into a confoundingly brilliant reworking of eighties throwback. taking freaks original and already twisted sounds and vocals and twisting them up even further into another 14 minute (in its edited form) piece of musical genius

basel based producer ben kaczor comes up with the 6th installment in the snx series. serious house/techno 4-track release. heavy drums and intense atmospheres.

lifetime records presents the new ep from yana heinsteinafter hernan cataneo played the first promo that track made his trip around the global club world.music for body mind and soul , nothing predictable. so is the marcelo cura rmx , crazy breaks. perfect buildupand a deep sub that needs a good club pa to pump up at itsbest. to make a long story short .... 2 tracks you shouldn´t miss prefect to those who believe in the never ending development of musicand ufos are real.... . really !!!!

soul masooka. the first international african hit, classic groove of summer ’73 gets instant jamaican treatments by ex-melodians brent dowe backed by the gaytones. years before manu dibango came to kingston for a sly & robby session, a tribute had been paid to the “negropolitan”. from coast to coast! from africa to jamaica! this is earth sound!
single sided pressing on translucent red 10 inch vinyl.

mexican duo 4004 and sebastian vorhaus aka soul of hex have had a great few years under their various monikers with releases for dirt crew, vicario ltd and of course cvmr where they return to here following their debut ‘lip reading’. this inaugural release was accompanied by remixes from larry heard and put soul of hex on the map for the duo, with support coming from the likes of dj sneak, art department, sebo k, breach, shadow child and huxley to name but a few.

2015 has been a busy year for soul intent. relocating from nottingham to bromley, releasing -the fruit club ep- on lossless in march, his -wanna fight ep- dropped on klute s commercial suicide in august, the sci-fi themed -replicant- marked lossless music s first digital only release in october and his -late night sleaze ep- has been awarded mixmag s dnb tune of the month (nov 15 issue). on top of all this alex is about to launch two (yes two!!) sub-labels for lossless music. the first of these is exkursions. exkursions will cater for the deeper, more experimental side of dnb & electronic music. though concentrating it s tempo focus around the 170 mark exkursions will also be taking explorations down into slower soundscapes. the first release is a 3 tracker from soul intent and the tracks have already turned the heads of respected selectors including doc scott, presha, loxy and logistics. we won t say much for than that, we ll let the music do the talking.

conga fever is a project dedicated to oldschool housemusic. it is for everybody who is in it. in it for the warm feeling inside the dancing body and the drifting soul. space out with conga fever.

as their passion for electronic beats knows no limit, they have initiated themselves in the wonders of music production, creating an impressive collection of tracks faithful to the genre, some of which charted real high along the way in the digital industry. after several years of committed effort, which involved studies in their chosen field of music, long sessions in the studio and many sleepless nights trying to integrate their own unique sounds into the underground techno music scene and propose a heady mix between the soul of techno and the irreverent expression of romanian underground musicians.

repress 10.03.2016 , vinyl only release , rhythm & soul is back on organic music for his second vinyl release. right after his solid ep on djebali, he serves another 3 groove infected tracks coming up with a wild remix from diego krause.

sol power sound is proud to present the color soul ep by obas nenor. after a huge year with releases on legendary strictly rhythm and moodymann s mahogani music, the tel aviv producer blesses sol power sound with a four song ep of thick afro-disco, bumping house, and twisted techy grooves.

slow town s 12th release comes with a classy and timeless ep from michigan s great producer, gari romalis. releasing strong ep s through this past few years he s definitely making some noise with his great and prolific work. one machine one soul is a 3 tracker record full of deep and classic vibes. this kind of tracks that stills vibing over time. enjoy the ride!

henry wu + k15 = wu15. house, bruk, soul and hip hop. dont sweat the technique.

after a brief hiatus komplex de deep and its chief protagonist master-h make a welcome return together to present the label’s twenty second release. in his very own words, -this is a new me-, h is now ready to unveil new music having been holed away in the studio for months on end mastering an array of new hardware and analog processes. the french producer is also challenging himself with the recording, locking down each individual track live and in one take. an art that was practiced by many of the jazz greats in their heyday and one that has also influenced the title of the new release - ’soul take’. as with all master-h productions we are drawn to the detail and emotion. ‘somba people’ with its inviting tribal rhythm pairs traditional african song with a warm and enveloping blanket of strings, handclaps and bass. the title track ramps things up with its bobbing drums, stabbing synth and echoing cowbell. one take and plenty of soul. komplex de deep are also happy to announce that they are now a strictly limited vinyl only label.

spiritual energy is one of a kind. its pure, eternal, and soothing. spiritual energy positively impacts 9 to 5 office workers, athletes and artists alike. a strong spiritual grounding, no matter what religion, is the essence of happiness and positivity. you are everything from the forthcoming album, louie vega starring features jocelyn brown, an infinitely talented singer and staple of r&b, soul and dance music. the single is a powerful exaltation of our protagonists deep appreciation for her lord that she wants the world to hear. and let us tell you...with jocelyns golden pipes.

its a very exciting time for soul of hex right now. not only have they hit upon a rich vein of creative inspiration and clearly loving every second of being in the studio making some brilliant music, but the young duo from tijuana also seem to be inadvertently, or maybe purposefully, shaping a fresh new direction for the mexican house scene. taking influences from detroit via berlin, and with a knowledge of house, jazz, funk, soul and disco which goes way beyond their years sebastien vorhaus and 4004 are in the vanguard of this new generation of house producers and are already making their mark worldwide through releases on cvmr, mcde, faces and their own vicario ltd imprint.

scottish party crew jelly roll soul (responsible for giving the likes of kyle hall, specter, funkineven & jay daniel their scottish debuts) celebrate their 5th birthday by getting in to the record game. their first release comes from london based scot, sirrahttam with the out there house wanderings of his tanz ep.

philadelphia s michael the lion has been making waves recently with his original productions and edits for soul clap records and razor-n-tape. michael s most known edits ep brings the philly flavour with big strings, hot percussion and uplifting vibes. he adapts the trademark sound he d developed for over a decade under the pseudonyms dj apt one and rcmp - live instruments sit seamlessly with sampled grooves to create organic, classic textures. the lion sound is always funky, always strong and always ready for the floor. a1. the hangover - a reslung take on one of the great dancefloor classics. a long-time staple of michael s tour sets. a2. know this - rock solid philly funk grooves complete with live bass and organ right in the pocket. b1. fly robert - strings and percussion rule the day on this uplifting take on a most known cut. b2. bo knows - bo knows afro-latin percussion, bo knows horns. bo knows feel-good vibes! michael s recent releases have had dj support from bicep, faze action, mark farina, the reflex, kraak & smaak, greg wilson, jacques renault, cosmo baker, mousse t, ron basejam, yam who?, razor-n-tape, nicholas, dj bruce, soul clap, sleazy mcqueen, hot toddy, pete herbert, dj rocca, inkswel, recloose and more.

a sort of cabaret voltaire for the iphone age, drooids are a collective of three multimedia artists who produce electronic music using improvisational, often anarchic methods. utilizing a hodgepodge of gear both old and new, and not-wholly-quantized, they create a collage of sounds that verges on chaos before slipping back into a dark yet weirdly club-oriented beat. their live shows usually feature multiple guest collaborators, costumes, sculptural props and performative antics. for their debut release on lse we tried to capture the spirit of these shows and recorded over 11 hours of drooids improvising in the studio of the course of one week. those 11 sprawling hours then got edited down to these 4 snapshots, mastered and pressed in a limited edition of 200 (40 with original gelatin silver prints) for our 6th vinyl release.

veteran nottinghamshire based drum & bass artist soul intent unleashes a limited edition, gorgeously black and gold mixed, 12 inch vinyl release, entitled *soul intent relicks 01*. featuring two killer d&b remixes guaranteed to devastate any discerning dance-floor.

following the extraordinary success of the releases signed by lory d and john beltran, soul research is publishing an ep by the creative minds of ednic, who is from livorno, italy and an historical name in the international realm of electronic music, g-man. pets (try this with mantra) is, in its original version, full of pathos. the tibetan mantra enters and expands through base lines and obsessive rhythm. the g-man version, on the other hand, is the perfect for dance floor devastation, like all the techno which has come from gez varley.

from detroit and passing thru chicago on the soul research train, comes titonton duvante, a multi-faceted artist who has been in the us scene for over 15 years, and has been making the motor city music scene proud ever since. recapitulate, ep vol1 is new and a pot of inspiration. two tracks which mix detroit grooves and sounds with a chicago style rhythm. recapitulate, produced with christopher rau, is experimental and ethereal. the ep ends with a yotam avni, a young and talented artist from israel, who takes recapitulate into techno with no compromises.

stuart li, better known as basic soul unit, has been dropping quality records via a litany of highly respected imprints like ostgut ton, creme organization, mule electronic and versatile over the past decade. hypnotic and deep, but always funky, li now brings his rugged house to the dekmantel imprint for the very first time, serving up this finely crafted follow-up to his 2012 debut album.

one of swedens best kept techno secrets, kab, is back with a vengeance. remix done by karl m. dreamy, deep and funky ep for your soul!

one of the defining releases on large music gets a special re-issue after a 16 year wait. considered by many to be one of the top 3 packages in the early large catalog, this ep set the trajectory for what would quickly become known as the west coast sound of american house. the main vocal on side a also became a venerable classic at the shelter in nyc and was played consistently by timmy regisford throughout his tenure there. the darker, more disco filtered tones on the flip side were also highly praised and played at the time by french djs such as daft punk, phil weeks, cassius and many others. rasoul is often overlooked as one of the chief architects of modern deep house, yet this release certainly secures his elite standing in the annals of house music history. essential!

co produced by steve poindexter this ep presented kareem smith to the world. all superb deep cuts here from 1991 full of soul and attitude. re released in conjunction with trax 2015.

moscow producer (futureboogie, manmade, sonar kollectiv, kerri chandler’s madtech) with 4 tracks of nasty modern funk-meets-house, some driving boogie-fueled business, low slung pulsing funk, shimmering disco vibes, + a bit of a melancholy strut.

the 5th edition of ( djebali ) presents is here, and it features a number of new and forward-thinking artists, 3 moody tracks full of deepness by rhythm&soul, label manager of slow town records, and on a mission records along with jef k … it comes with a remix of two diggers !

it s no secret that duky draws inspiration from other popular genres and effectively fuses them seamlessly into his music, resulting in something that can can best be described as deep, groovy, minimal/house with a chunky hip-hop twis