die besten rock-balladen aus der sat.1-show “die hit-giganten” auf doppel-vinyl im klappcover.

forever cursed with deep and tech-house labels by the press due to decisions taken 10 years ago before he had any idea how this industry worked, avatism returns mildly angrier than ever before with ate-up, an ep the producer actually started writing during an mdma-induced lucid dream after vakant label boss spiked his drinks in 2011. to give his poor soul some credibility, weve enlisted aqxdm (aquarian & deapmash, fresh from their storming debut on bedouin records) and the mysterious maenad veyl (veyl, pinkman, death & leisure) on remix duties.

auch wenn yves tumor die bühne wie ein heulender cyperpunk-geist betritt, der den zuschauer erschlägt, vereint seine musik kaleidoskopisches songwriting mit lobotomisierten soundexperimenten. diese dualität offenbart sich schleichend, aber einzelne spuren und bilder aus musik und text erzeugen den eindruck, dass durch erfahrung und zuhören am ende alles perfekt im fokus zusammenfliesst. so schreibt pitchfork zur vorabsingle noid: anstatt zwischen genrereferenzen umherzuirren, wirft tumor sie in irritierende und fesselnde kontraste zusammen. noid versenkt den allgemeinen, Überschwenglichen duktus von disco und soul in ein spukendes fass voller verzweiflung. es ist ein schöner neuer ansatz von pop-düsterheit, die nur tumor so heraufbeschwören kann

reissue of this rare nigerian/ghana funk record. incl. the jam african soul power which you might have heard getting spins in the clubs. incl. a poster+extensive liner notes. fela kuti believed the identical twins of basa basa to possess magical powers, bringing luck and prosperity. fela co-produced their first lp, and played on their second. but the wondrous powers of the nyaku twins from ghana reached their summit on their third album, which basa basa recorded with producer and multi-instrumentalist themba t-fire matebese in nigeria. this collaboration resulted in the bewitching homowo album, which combines the earthy mood of the twins and the futuristic vision of themba matebese as well as the hot and sweaty afro disco sound of lagos, where the album was recorded. from the blue title track homowo to the afro disco floor burner african soul power, the album makes a consistent listen. amsterdam based dj collective and vinyl shop vintage voudou makes the highly sought-after lp available again after almost four decades, working in close collaboration with the artists.

phenomenal only album released by transs, a supergroup band project led by fariz rm, that came out in the early 80s. a full blend of soul, funk, cosmic disco, brazilian jazz and synth-pop. this album had a very big impact on the indonesian music scene at that time, and quickly became the trendsetter of the jazz fusion genre throughout the 1980s.

mop mop is the brainchild of andrea benini, musician, producer, dj who has been active for more than ten years exploring a large variety of musical genres, from club to jazz music. „kiss of kali“ is the name of his second album - originally released in 2008 only on cd, now available on vinyl for the first time.

although ultimately a comedy act, the cuban brothers are simultaneously serious musicians who have played with prince, been on the road with james brown and supported fatboy slim, chuck berry and de la soul to name but a few. 2018 will see them perform with a 12-piece band and a rotating roll-call of special guests on board to help them turn 20, including the average white band’s hamish stuart and the jungle brothers’ baby bam. ‘la familia’, released 24th august via sunday best, features a brand new cubans track, ‘i hate hate’, alongside such classics by roy ayers, bill withers, erykah badu, a tribe called quest, children of zeus, d’angelo and more. the cuban brothers clearly have an impeccable taste in music.

g. markus - recently revealed as ben gomori of monologues records and sterns edits—returns with the fifth volume of his vinyl-only edits series. ‘lifted is a joyous, vocal chopped bumping edit, manipulating and filtering those gospel flavoured samples into a raucous, hands in the air feel good anthem, tied behind a gritty no-nonsense beat. flip it over and panties hits you with a wobbly party jam, full of exuberant guitar licks, fizzing hats and funked out bass riffs - sure to get the heart racing from the off. two killer edits once again from the g-edits camp! dj support: disclosure, hercules & love affair, soul clap, karizma, shadow child, marcel vogel, auntie flo, till von sein, roger sanchez, danny tenaglia, richy ahmed, moon boots, sacha robotti, droog, kraak & smaak, horse meat disco, meggy, kristin velvet, terry farley, hernan cattaneo, mark farina, piek, danvers, coco cole, dom servini, kiko navarro

dusty archives, the backrooms of record stores, private reel to reel stashes, master tapes - these are the environs of the dynamic range experience. dynamic range is a new label focused on unearthing deep soul, funk and disco jams that continue to resonate with todays dancers and dj’s. time spent scouring the bowels of the majors and independents has unsurprisingly resulted in numerous gems being added to the dr wants list. high quality, fully licensed reissues are the order of the day, always taken from the correct master source and re-presented to hungry record heads the world over. to repeat, this is a fully legit operation - avoid the sharks at all costs!

marc & oveous bring the classic bruk flavours to atjazz’s label with their new e.p. ‘on again’. the original harks back to the old co-op nights with a tough bass synth and oveous’ soul laden vocals, tied together behind a punchy, syncopated broken beat rhythm. dress to sweat, this one will make the bodies move. first up on the flip side the ‘4x4 dub’ switches the rhythm to a straight up 4x4 house beat, but that subby synth carries through the broken beat touch. the original mixes’ vocals are dropped in favour of one of oveous’ short spoken word monologues before he steps back to let the music do the magic. the ‘dubstramental’ gives you one final interpretation utilising the same dubbed out template as the b1, but reverting back to the original broken beat pattern to give you three different flavours to throw down with.

divine situation are, greg belson is a veteran dj and one of the premiere collectors of soul music worldwide. he s known as the go to authoritarian for gospel soul music, is the compiler of the divine disco series on cultures of soul and presents his radio broadcast divine chord gospel show on la s dublab.com creative hub. and paulo fulci is a dj and producer out of bristol uk. his work as part of the situation edit crew has been released and supported as part of the underground for many years….he now spends his days slangin records, whilst honing his disco scalpel skills in the late twilight hours. following on from their incendiary slab of two sided gospel goodness born again & soul revival , the divine situation duo have crafted the next lot of bangin spiritualized dancefloor destroyers for your record box. here we have an ep catering for several sides to your night. the lead off cut is the flat out roof raiser the problem solver …..then it s boogified territory with brand new feelin , before they close out with the end of nighter, try love . once again, moton bringin the heavyweight platters that matter!

brand new detroit duo man vs indian man comprises ian finkelstein (of scott grooves’s overdubs fame) and even haywood. complementing each other’s strengths, the pair make the perfect match as they pour out thick viscously barbed future soul in thick gooey doses, both “ice accountant” and “cloud nine” are wrapped in foggy layers of sleepy textures as the falsetto vocals and lean instrumentation cut through with dreamy delight. remixes from the legendary egyptian lover (cosmic electro), fellow detroitian pontchartrain (filtered disco house) and brazilian table daddy (lolloping dream tech).

* following the completely sold out Ôimagine Ð a Ð nationÕ and Ôle fusionÕ reissues, anotherday brings you a very special release from the vault of the enigma that is spencer kincy, aka gemini - we are very proud, and extremely excited to present geminiÕs first 4 releases, lovingly re-mastered! * originally released on relief records, the chicago techno label headed up by cajmere, these releases were geminiÕs introduction into the worlds of house and techno, and contain some of his most vital works. * as one of chicagoÕs most mysterious and revered characters, the story of gemini, aka spencer kincy has become something of a myth in recent years Ð blazing a trail throughout the 90Õs, prolifically releasing over 200 tracks from 1994 to 1999, spencerÕs music had shades innovation and soul few of his peers could match. then, suddenly, at the peak of his career, he disappeared. * as before, this album has been licensed directly from the man himself, and the money made from its exploitation will go directly to him.

victor simonelli opens up the vaults once more to unlock groove committee s dirty games , the follow up to the seminal i want you to know . taking the blueprint from his timeless house classic, simonelli reworked the bassline for this 92 follow up whilst holding onto that sublimely simple yet powerful chord progression, one that never fails to put a smile on the face. add in a helping of swung hats and crunched up shakers and this is a classic by anyone s standards. the vocals - a charged up, evocative warning to a mistreating lover - fit the nyc garage house rhythm so perfectly and deliver a raw emotion to the track. next up the dubb mix kicks off with the accapella vocals laid bare in all their glory, before that piano progression lays the path for the full force of dirty games to make its impact. there s more space between the vocals in this dub mix, allowing simonelli s production prowess room to breathe. a surefire spine tingler from start to finish. on the b side, simonelli offers up his 1993 re-edit, extending, elongating and beefing up certain elements to captivate audiences all over again. closing out the e.p. is groove committee s 93 track i wana hold you produced in collaboration with glenn sweety g toby - it follows that same garage house shuffling rhythm, with soul-laden organs and paula brion s killer vocals. another much welcomed reissue of some of victor simonelli s most sought after tracks, remastered by the man himself for a new generation of listeners.

hailing from barcelona, the 12tree crew fire up their own in-house label hot piroski with a sterling opening round that s already garnering support from the likes of pete herbert, crazy p, psychemagik and more. the original track on the a side, -sugamomma,- is a well-rounded, full-fat dancefloor burner that should sit comfortably with fans of hot natured et al, given an extra boost with a sample of a young stevie wonder. on the flip, afrobeat classic n gwode by aleke kanonu gets a respectful edit that injects just the right amount of extra groove without diluting the loose, infectious soul of the original

a matter of concepts is a very personal selection of songs by recent, active underground bands and artists that we love at dwr. coming from the uk, us, the netherlands, canada, france, russia, australia and ranging from post-punk to coldwave to synth-pop to indie. fast paced and dancey or romantic and moody, there’s something for every soul here. we regard all of these songs as ‘modern instant classics’ and we bet that you’ll love them, too!! a matter of concepts is presented in a limited, hand numbered edition of 205 black vinyl copies housed in a matt sleeve with printed inner sleeve (credits / band pics) and including a download code. all songs have been mastered (or re-mastered) specifically for this vinyl release and its accompanying download.

ihren größten erfolg feierte die us-soul- und gospel-sängerine in der zweiten hälfte der 1970er jahre, als sie ihren stil für einige jahre zur disco-musik hin veränderte und mit “young hearts run free” einen internationalen hit landete. die vinyl-lp erscheint inklusive downloadcode.

vaudou game, the french afro-funk band, is back from togo with a brand new album called otodi (out oct 26th 2018).
otodi was the name of the recording studio in lomé, closed in 1987, and which peter solo, the band leader and his crew reopened during the spring 2018 to record these all analog 13 brilliant songs.
from this amazing album, here comes a 7 inch single dedicated to afro-funk dj’s and radio. pure afro-funk with togolese soul!

great compilation of works by underrated french library music composer, yan tregger.

well, this is different… fourth kind the self titled mini album on omniverse records. it’s hard to pinpoint a genre with records like this, produced by marc mac of 4hero and similar to some of the 4hero output, it defies genre and fits somewhere in-between many. the production is heavily reliant on synthesisers and vintage drum machines in places but is full of real life and organic movements, this is partly down to the signature drums played by luke parkhouse. the only other guest spot is filled by nu jazz funker pascal strauss aka luman child who plays bass guitar on “take me to your sky” which along with “afterglows” are the closest we get to dance tracks, in most parts a 70s fusion feel is present. the short interlude type tracks are just as important and i would go as far as to say vital to telling the story. moogs, arps and solina strings weave patterns throughout, all in all, across the 10 tracks the album is a journey of mood and emotions. 180g pressing.

known for his strong live performances, swedish producer celldöd creates music for the body as well as the soul: his influences range from punk, industrial and dub music over to acid house, techno and ebm. that new five track banger ep is dealing with subjects such as sadism, masochism, unhealthy relationships, and the fact that the good never prevails. but if the world is going to hell, we can at least dance on the way down. let us move, together. in darkness.

neck-snapping soul masterpiece from freddie scott, famously sampled by biz markie for his melancholic pop-rap hit “just a friend” and a surefire piano-driven basement party anthem in its own right. the work of the legendary producers gamble & huff, the track was also sampled by ghostface killah for the wonderful “save me dear” with jay dilla also utilising the crunching drums to lace many memorable productions for a tribe called quest and slum village. a peerless piece of deep soul and hip-hop history, here’s your chance to own the first ever officially licensed reissue on 45. on the flip, “powerful love” is uptempo guitar-soul with finger-popping swing. featuring delicate horns and gorgeous backing vocals, it’s an unfairly slept-on gem but, given the weight of the a-side, this is perfectly understandable. this special 7&#8243,, single comes housed in a heavy duty custom printed full-colour company sleeve and is limited to just 500 copies.

california flight project is a well known name for many record collectors because of the ppu 7 release of california flight, and the self released cd-r’s from the front man, jerry j. finally preservation records is very proud to present to you the first official release on vinyl of their early tracks 79-81. fantastic modern soul from berkley california. licenced, remastered, with new cover and full credits makes this a collectors item. only 500 pressed.

killer unreleased mid 70’s blue eyed soul/aor - between the sessions at wishborne sound studios, the session musicians terry woodford, clayton ivey, muscle shoals horns among others, got down to record some of the finest funky soul and aor. they took the name mirage, aiming for stardom. unfortunately no album was ever released and many tracks went on the shelves in the studio. over 40 years later, preservation records are releasing two of their finest tracks on an exclusive 7”. only 500 pressed.

insane synth-heavy feel-good brit-funk classic and huge favourite of dam-funk. a certified uk boogie bomb, originally released in 1982, and coming hot on the heels of the pink rhythm reissue campaign. side on was a one-off uk soul dream team, consisting of peter maas, everton mccalla and rick clarke.

matt edwards’ r-time records reissue label drops four more sir lord commix tracks in the third ‘retroactive’ release.

liliterete edition von 1000 nummerierten exemplaren auf weißem vinyl inklusive downloadcode. mit spannung erwartetes debütalbum des londoner produzenten und multiinstrumentalisten leifur james, der - ähnlich wie der gleichgesinnte floating points - auf eine organische art analoge elektronik und warme akustikinstrumente zu einer begnadeten melange aus jazz, psychedelia, klassik, blues, electronica, folk, world und soul fusioniert, teilweise angereichert mit seinen soul-vocals. das ergebnis ist ein weiträumiges, besinnliches, dennoch energetisches werk aus reichhaltigen strukturen voller nuancierter elektronischer instrumentals, dubby synths und jazz-breaks.

dark entries are honored to reissue the 4th full-length from carolyn fok / cyrnai, an asian-american female solo artist from the bay area. in 1990 ‘to subtle-drive’ was re-released with 2 songs from the 1988 release and 4 new compositions. this reissue adds 5 bonus tracks recorded during the same period spread across a double lp set. each copy includes a double sided insert with lyrics, photos and notes by carolyn. all songs have been remastered by george horn at fantasy studios. old-soul beat tracks on cassette with time and techno-guilotine songs.

austin hip-hop beatrepreneur the deli made serious waves with previous cold busted album vibes 3, featuring the song “flowers.” this track shook up the spotify world with over 14 million plays and inclusion on at least 500 playlists. anticipation is strong for a follow-up from the deli and, with his new album jazz cat, he delivers with gusto. filled with the smoked-out, laid-back cut-and-paste rhythmology that the deli is known for, jazz cat contains 15 enticing beat compositions. the title cut shows where he’s at, transmitting an old-is-new-again feel through scratchy snare snaps, looping piano chords, and faraway — both in time and place — city sounds. other highlights include the dreamy lounge pressure of “virgo flip,” “fractals” and its shimmering vibraphone atmospheres co-produced by lungfulls, the ‘hip-hop party happening down the street’ vibe of “spring,” and the crucial, jazzy beat construction of “going home.” dig in ... with jazz cat, the deli trips the night fantastic.

limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on orange 180 gram vinyl.
the jamaican sonia pottinger was once called “the most important jamaican woman involved in music business”. dancing down orange street is a collection of some of her famous productions for different artists. the album captures the moment when rocksteady transformed into reggae by speeding up a little and moving towards a more jerky and less smooth musical palette. famous singers as delano stewart and ken boothe are present on the album with multiple tracks. the vocal trio the melodians (known for their hit “rivers of babylon”) provide a couple of beautifull songs. even after all those years (released for the first time in 1969) the compilation remains a treasure of showcasing some of the finest songs produced by sonia. sonia pottinger was married to music producer lyndon pottinger and started to record musicians in 1996. during the late 60’s she produced songs for joe white, the melodians and toots & the maytals.

a much in demand reissue of two of nyc born-and-bred, pal joeys, classics from his joint label with reynald deschamps, loop dloop. first up, party time which harnesses that 90s nyc underground house energy with a rawness that was to emanate through many of pal joeys subsequent productions. scalpel in hand, joey expertly crafted this sample laden groover, his trademark stuttering, off-kilter rhythms, loops and fills keeping listeners on their toes throughout, never knowing how the next phrase might unfold. on the flip, raw love utilises a seminal disco classic as its main sample source, looping it in a way only pal joeys mind knows how, adding percussive hits and extra effects to create an innovative, animated and exhilaratingly rhythmic dancefloor bomb. both tracks are perfect examples of the simplicity and seeming effortlessness that pal joey maintains in his productions, adhering to the mantra that less is more but with a resonating rawness that touches deep down in the soul.

33 years after it s first release rick clarke s street soul simmerdown on local records, love with a stranger gets a much welcomed official reissue, remastered from the original tapes. check the dub! just peep that og artwork to get a taste of how this one s about to go down. written and produced by john collins, known for producing the specials - ghost town , love with a stranger perfectly encapsulates that 80s street soul sound. distinctly soulful, synthy slow jams, heavy on the bass with a touch of the low-slung, lovers rock vibrations about them. rick clarke s sultry sweet nothings weave their way irresistibly through this five minute gem, but for those that want to provide their own rendition over the top, the dub has been affectionately cut to the flip.

things tend to move in circles until they are complete. such is the case with wph ten-8. when fcl released their ‘cherry pie e.p.’ on kai alcé’s ndatl label it was already decided that kai alcé would find a home on wph as well. and with his absolutely stunning string of remixes of recent years in mind it made sense to ask kai to take up remix duties for a new fcl release. . the result is a release that oozes soul all over. the original track is fcl’s ‘let’s make a track and have great singers aka lady linn and gustaph singing about house music’-moment and kai’s remix is…well…simply another amazing slice of soul from the man that can do no wrong. it’s house music…as you should know it.

von london nach hollywood: zweites album des britischen neo-soul-kollektivs.

gospelhouse from heaven! yes - this is a very special record: nyc‘s phenomenal handclap band meets londons ray mang - the psychedelic soul disciples meet the disco champ by way of remix. ray mang is a hero to fans of underground disco: remixer, collector, producer, dj - he is part of that magic circle of london dj connoisseurs around dj harvey.

after his much acclaimed how is club 246 (quintessentials 59) some months ago, our detroit maestro and non stop producer is back! we love javonntte as he covers everything from live and direct cuts to smooth deep house tunes as you will hear on his private party ep. no big fuss just pure house music! are you invited to javonnttes private party?

heart to hearts 12th record comes to us by way of berlin with westcoast goddess. following up his heavily favorited -springtime forever released earlier this year on sweden’s tasteful house imprint omena records. the goddess will resonate well with house heads with love for the east coast house sound. packed with punchy drum beats and full spectrum instrumentation, these tunes are designed to lift ones soul and turn any frown upside down.

extreme rare library-music-veröffentlichung von französischem disco-pionier aus dem jahr 1978.

air texture vol. vi selected by steffi and martyn

9 months of gestation that ignites in 7 titles of contemplative pop, hovering funk, cosmic soul built all this: the jazz fusion of soft machine, the krautrock of the wizards of can, the irresistible languor of italian crooners (toto cutugno and lucio battisti in the lead) as the soundtracks, so sensual, composed by pino donnagio for brian de palma... but if antoine kogut makes this references his own, it is because he considers each of the titles of sphere of existence as «songs, not tracks». with his deep voice he has the ambition to tell us a story through them: his own, and that of the world in which we live with as a guiding idea that all phillip k. dicks predictions have come true today. which ones? youll have to look in the multiple circles assembled by antoine kogut to compose sphere of existence.

this is a long overdue collaboration and we couldnt be more excited to present a brand new ep from our man, jenas mad scientist funk freak himself, metaboman. a stalwart veteran of the legendary musik krause camp, which has been a kindred spiritual sister label of sorts of ours since the millennium-turn heydays, being fellow purveyors of bold and raw dance floor music, still brimming with new ideas galore and bucket loads of soul. here with the wireless dancer ep we have metaboman in top form offering nothing less than his finest work: doppeldenk starts things off with some classic krause bump that brings to mind the heights of the duo at their peak but updated, like an stl banger turned up to 11 with sinewy melodic lines and that special thuringen twist. hanno follows up with a guest spot by jazz saxophone master thomas prestin, and guarantees to bring down the house with a storm of swinging stabs, rough riffs, and fresh-as-it-gets drum work. on the flip, splitit does exactly that, whether referring to wigs, legs, or that last drink ticket - where dusty blues vox chops and a rolling percussive smack down will revive any fading floor faces. and finally, echterg rounds it all out nicely with the illest of atonal trips and subsonic bass tones that the finer sound systems out there will fully indulge. much love from jena & paris to the world!

long time scene stalwart darren price is stepping out on brand new label, kilsha music, with a fantastic ep of monster house tracks arriving. opener charm offensive is a fantastic ten-minute trip into loose limbed techno. drums, bass and percussion all wrap and weave around each other and melt your mind in the process. a rasping lead synth eventually becomes the focal point as background chords bring real soul. the brilliantly bristling everybody jack (uw live maschine mix) is a full fat track with busy textured synths, sci-fi effects and old school jack vocals that will really work the dance floor into a lather. its dynamic and ever evolving, with plenty of tense peaks and troughs throughout to keep the floor on its toes. the final vinyl track is this is house music, a deeper cut with warm, warbling bass and a muted acid line spraying about the mix. it slowly builds the pressure in heady fashion and is one to really hypnotise.

soulful, west coast hip-hop. a sound unique unto itself. a sound that recalls a classic era nostalgia. a sound steeped in the deep roots of gospel, funk and soul. low blow builds on that tradition with his debut album first book of timothy. the inglewood native embraces the sun-drenched, southern california sound and pushes it forward with intoxicating ows and a soulful musicality that the los angeles music scene is so well known for. consisting of 10 tracks, first book of timothy nds low blow reecting on his life, recounting stories of hardship and loss, relationships and social issues over soulful beats with his unique brand of melodic rhymes and cadences. the album includes production from luke ellington and trevin hickman, with additional production from allakoi mic holden peete. the lp also features musicians miguel atwood-ferguson, uncle chucc (1500 or nothin), jose rios (free nationals), ernest tibbs, jamire williams, jonah levine, jimetta rose, and more.

the patchouli brothers deliver four raw tunes, looped for optimum dancefloor ecstasy. on the a side he wonders is a squelching synthy, guitar laden gem, extended and reworked for full cosmic galacticness. a mighty joy follows up with a slice of gospel disco gold, expertly tweaked to enrich your soul with spiritual goodness. on the b side can t stop christy is laced with a good helping of slap bass and trumpet flurries alongside the elusive christy trading licks with that hazy distorted guitar. closing out the ep. take you there channels the glory days of disco into a six-and-half-minute reglammed opus.

divine gospel modern soul boogie lp written, composed and produced by jeffrey roberson, first released in 1982 on black diamond records.

limited edition of 500 numbered copies. the double vinyl is housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with download code included.
lucky brown is forging new paths by soaking up musical styles from all over the world to infuse with his own trademark sound. those who praise the cross-cultural musical experiments of mulatu astatke of the 1960s and menahan street band of the 2000s will love this album.

keine andere musikrichtung ist so mit dem sommer verknüpft wie reggae. sobald die wärmsten tage des jahres beginnen hört man aus den cabrios und auf vielen partys die rhythmen aus jamaika. natürlich darf der größte aller reggae künstler nicht fehlen: bob marley. außerdem gibt es hits von beenie man, gregory isaacs, sly & robbie, john holt auf vinyl.

exzellente best-of-compilation von roy ayers uno melodic-label, das in den frühen 1980er jahren seine hochphase erlebte. sämtliche tracks sind von roy ayers produziert und komplett neu remastered. während sylvia striplin, eighties ladies und ethel beatty die soul/disco/2step/boogie-seite des labels repräsentieren, stehen bobbi humphrey, justo almario und roy selbst für den jazz/funk/fusion-sound. der sampler endet mit einem der besten momente des labels und den spoken words von rick holmes.

am 21. september erscheint das neue, vierte villagers album the art of pretending to swim. nach der zurückgenommenen, intimen atmosphäre des vorgängers darling arythmetic (2015), auf dem sich die zeitlosen singles courage und everything i am is yours befanden, verfolgt das neue album ein vielschichtigeres, facettenreicheres konzept, wie man es schon von conor o’briens debütalbum becoming a jackal (2010) und dessen nachfolger {awayland} (2013) kennt. eine gute prise soul, ein intelligenter rhythmus und ein umwerfendes spektrum akustischer details, analog wie digital, erzeugen eine hoch emotionale stimmung mit überaus eingängigen melodien. fein austariert, mit raffinierten perspektiven und songtexten, die die existentiellen Ängste und hoffnungen in einem eher hoffnungslosen, dystopischen, von technik bestimmten zeitalter umarmen, ist the art of pretending to swim das bislang wohl am opulentesten ausgestattete und beschwingteste album von villagers. das album wurde von conor o’ brien in seinem studio in dublin geschrieben, produziert, gemischt und zu großen teilen auch eingespielt.
die schwarze heavyweight lp erscheint inklusive vierseitigem booklet und mp3-downloadkarte im klappcover.