and in other news...those bad ass rodents are back with another batch of cut n paste unclassics for the discerning disc jockeys out there. packed full of sleaze and with max potential for body popping moves, the only bombs these bushy-tailed bad boys drop are on the dance floor.

stratton released two of last years stand out 12s on natural sciences & of paradise. here he debuts on dance trax with 4 jackin house slammers.. ready to light up dancefloors all summer long!

salsoul records have always stayed one step ahead of the game. since the labels inception in the early 1970 s the imprint s focus has been firmly fixed on presenting the most cutting edge dance music sounds and in the process the label has been instrumental in creating legends and shaping the landscape of contemporary club culture throughout the original disco era and beyond. it comes as no surprise that many of todays labels and artists cite salsoul as a fundamental influence on them and their output. the labels music has been endlessly rediscovered, sampled, re-edited and appreciated over and over again, your favourite dj s and selectors undoubtedly reach for tracks from the catalogue each time they play. this is why salsoul continue to collaborate with the best labels and artists out there today.

ace mid 1980s bullwackies album w/ revised track listing (w/ download code)

the songs, the words, the melodies in this album, they all matter to me because they represent the real time outworking of my own trauma, pain and discovery of joy and peace. but there is a life inside this record equally important to all of the above, which is also trying to be communicated. it’s almost like how listening to a song in a foreign language doesn’t hinder you from absorbing what the song is communicating. in listening closely as i expose myself to myself, that is where the art is. maybe every time we have the courage to unabashedly be true in ourselves, the courage to do the same is received by someone else.
i ask that you pray for me, so that i can continue to live on the surface, not only in private while making art, but also in public while living life visibly. also that as i continue on this journey with myself, that i can communicate who this old yet new person i have found is. a little better each time, with more clarity each time. - vicktor taiwò

the first long player on pressure traxx welomes dario reimann from darmstadt. known for his releases on sensual, la peña or offm he shows here in full length why he is one of the most interesting new school producers out there. delivering 8 diverse cuts that will stand the test of time, easily. step into -dario s castle-

prfy 002 features four acid centered tracks by purify records co-founder and longterm goethebunker resident cramp. the first solo ep of the german dj and producer features four crafty club cuts suitable for a versatile range of settings. acid, techno, house, dub - it‘s all in there. don‘t sleep on this one!

as the title suggests, joakim recorded this new album last year at studio venezia, the installation/sculptural ensemble/recording studio created by xavier veilhan for the prestigious 2017 venice art biennale. built inside the french pavilion & inspired by the grotto-like merzbau by kurt schwitters, studio venezia had dozens of artists create and record there over the 6 months of the biennale (from chassol to brian eno, from joakim to sebastien tellier), invited by xavier veilhan himself with the help of co-curator christian marclay. with an impressive collection of rare instruments from medieval horns to rare modular synths (baschet crystals and percussions, a buchla, a clavinet...), studio venezia was an amazing creative playground for the adventurous musician. those instruments were captured by a team of sound engineers in the best possible way thanks to nigel godrich’s (beck, radiohead...) mobile studio loaded with state of the art vintage recording gear.

the latest transmission from emotional response s ever-essential schleissen series takes a trip to the fourth world with jon keliehor on the a side. there s no denying the influence of jon hassell on tracks like opener -serpent in the sky,- but keliehor channels those exotic notions into some truly captivating music that is all his own. from chiming tones to purposeful percussion, his sound is a rich and evocative one, beautifully recorded and artfully composed. on the other side, lord of the isles indulges his ambient side to great effect with no less than seven vignettes of varying moods and energies, all played out through delicately handled synthesisers.

a shimmering piece of gold - discos dorados is a 4 track va e.p. brought to our shores by the lovedancing adventurers. felipe gordon & vagabundo club social open up the e.p. marrying dreamy arps and luscious rhodes stabs, with tribal-esque chanting to create an exotic, bubbling groover. eddie c then ramps up the disco flavour with his stomp mix of the original introducing a phased upbeat hook and choice horn samples, isolating out elements before unleashing a killer keys solo over the top. flip it and sleazy mcqueen & vagabundo club social bring the heat with chips y salsoul , blending jazzy chords and echoed out trumpets evocative of a mexican fiesta after one too many tequilas. to close it out eddie c rides off into the sunset sampling a vocal dialogue that wouldn t be out of place on a moodymann record, alongside succulent strings and crisp percussion - reminiscent of the jazz infused, mpc laden house of the moomin s of this world.

dauwd returns to technicolour with -theory of colours - versions- ep. a new 4-tracker ep containing remixes/reworks of various singles from his debut album. the ep opens with a piano rework of analogische memories , recoded at his studio in berlin and the result of countless hours work - -it took some time, as i had to learn to play piano- dauwd explains. dauwd also makes up one third of the berlin collective, party and radio show, african acid is the future having previously released on kompakt and ghostly international. ukrainian music producer and leleka label boss vakula provides a remix of macadam therapy . fresh from the release of his well received lp -metaphors- and following on from last years -techno game- released via arma and -cyclicality between procyon and gomeisa- released via dekmantel in 2016. aaitf partner romain azzaro aka rouge mécanique provides two remixes of murmure (one -walking-, the other -running-) - -romain and i returned to the studio where i made much of the album in utrecht in the netherlands. we got to experiment again with many of the wonderful machines they had there, in particular the original roland system 700-.

time flies, doesn’t it? it sure does when you suddenly wake up to celebrate your 10th vinyl release as a small label, which is the case with us. but as we’re all about quality over quantity, our latest 12” offering comes with a superb collage of fresh music by the one and only radicall. having made his mark as one of the most consistent producers, known for his trademark combination of strong, dynamic drum programming and soft and booming basslines, radicall keeps on delivering top-quality music with each next release. and this 12” single is no exception to the said rule. the playful, happy-go-lucky “touch” is a bit of a nod to the old-school/rave/early jungle/footwork/you-name-it style given its complex drum pattern and an array of acid-style synthetic samples and tinges of vocal here and there, but sticking to modern-day standards nonetheless. the flipside comes with “build me up” remixed by bungle, who surely knows how to make good things just as good as they are, but yet a bit different. and here we have the brazilian powerhouse reshaping radicall’s work to make it a bit lighter and upbeat, but still retaining some elements of rawness mixed perfectly with traces of nostalgia. an excellent job, breathing a new life into the original piece - a darker-shaded straight-to-the-point roller, which you can get as a digital bonus added to the release. so here it is - the tenth vinyl item in our catalogue, featuring names you simply can’t go wrong with. what better way to celebrate the occasion?

it is not the honor that you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind. we don’t have every day a rework of a classic techno milestone on a label that tries to push the boundaries of the future, but this time is the time. thomas schumacher represents one of those artists that was there since the very beginning, and he is the proof of how an artist can evolve in many ways during the years, but always been devoted to techno, and the meaning of it. “when i rock” was played all over the world for decades but now gets a brand new rework by label boss emmanuel, and the creator itself thomas schumacher. the record has a b/w sleeve cover design by caitlin schumacher on 12”.

another of vakula s editions. there s no point explaining just listen and dance.

after the release on french label basse resolution and after a couple of years since his last ep on bosconi, having released with the -under the line- track one of the highlights of our latest 10 years compilation and as bss together with his mates fabio della torre and mass prod, rufus is back on bosconi with a new four tracker record which goes on a new direction compared to the past music he did. -ritual chants- was mainly recorded in the abandoned industrial area of milan called bovisa and probably for this reason the release sounds all around a bit sci fi, cinematic and especially gothic. all begins with the raw techno jam of -fast rituals- where structured mellow and dreamy synth lines combine with the dusty, aggressive and driving rhythmical transportation of its drum section. fast rituals is one of those electronic pieces which tells you a story from the beginning till the end, so please pay attention to it. -sapere sparare- looks calmer but actually has the more mental and psychotic feeling of the whole record, driven by an intoxicating and fat bass line, rough jazzy beats and a lot of twisted out fm synths goodness whose times are punctuated twice by the warning female vocal theme of the track. -last shot #5- instead is a jacked out, hypnotic and darker broken house track dense of pumping low ends and subtle but glorious synth riffs properly made for the late hours and totally in the vein of a baby ford - minimal man production.-tenebre- closes up the ep with its horror movie atmosphere, drilling drones here and there, big bouncy bass lines, reverberated snares, drama strings and a dominant sinister melody which slightly reminds of some old dbx track.

ground is an osaka native, but his soul is truly that of a nomad, traversing the planet, befriending the kindred spirits found in humans, animals and plants. he is exceptionally receptive to the beauty in all that surrounds him—the incidental music of a busy city street, the orchestrated chaos of a scrambling radio, the syncopated grace of a migrating flock of birds, the simplicity of an isolated hand clap—and as his map continuously unfolds, he accumulates a vast catalogue of visceral tools to complex musically recount his experiences. sunizm is a cross section of the artist’s process—an array of complex microcosms overlapping to comprise a thematic whole—gathering field recordings, found instrumentation, jagged electronics, and synthesized chanting, to be woven into a dense narrative that appears both obsessively constructed and divinely improvised. with each consecutive track, the artist gradually constructs hypnotic patterns that 1-up the mind as it struggles to break free from a seduction of loops, steadily intensifying until reaching an apex of sound collage so cerebral that the listener might consider a post-album shower. but alas, the fourth quarter releases a bit of pressure, our gobs still lay smacked but there is a warm confidence as the psychedelic trial delivers us home to nod out. dear humans, animals and plants, ground and the esp institute present, sunizm.

2017 saw the arrival of pin up club here at the bordello with a superb three tracker, friends of the vortex. now the dutch partnership are back. this time a quartet of tracks has been selected to produce the forever machine. the bold bars of friends of the vortex, the romantic rushes and soundtrack silhouettes are all present with new elements being introduced to further develop a truly unique style. breathy vocals and melancholy are countered by warm synthlines in the brooding -valis- before the lonesome -is there anybody out there?- blooms into a daringly bright work of disco dimensions. opening the flip is the title piece. smouldering, -the forever machine- burns with quivering chords that rise ever skyward on a column of tight rhythms as lyrics spiral ever upward. -a deepness in the sky- is a perfect illustration of pin up club s ability to transform burgeoning sombre sounds into tempered elation, rumbling strings and fragile percussion intermingling for a heady finale. welcome back to bordello a parigi guys, welcome back to pin up club.

smoove and turrell are back with a stunning fifth studio album, “mount pleasant”. conceived as the middle album of a trilogy starting with their previous “crown posada”, the new record showcases the evocative lyrics and voice of john turrell alongside the glossy production skills of his partner in crime smoove and is described by john as “an optimistic look at a pessimistic time”.

after the label was put on hold for many years, there was no doubt, that lory d was up to the task of reanimating the sleeping beauty of seilscheibenpfeiler schallplatten berlin. t he italian techno producer deliveres a stunning ep for catalogue number sspb001. with its driving acid sounds, sublimed by raw percussions and hypnotic rhythms, this ep definitely is one for the darker parts of the night. last but not least it also features an edit of berlin local marcel dettmann, a man that doesn?t need no further introduction. a big bang that makes sure that the next release won?t take another 24 years...!

benin city are the london-based three-piece comprised of vocalist and poet joshua idehen, vocalist shanaz dorsett with multi-instrumentalist tom leaper.
clubbing is a source of euphoria: a weekly, often daily escape, a respite from the grind. that culture and its landmarks – some of london’s best venues and many countless pubs - are slowly disappearing for good. on last night, which was recorded in all four corners of london with marc pell (micachu and the shapes), lv, rob marfarlane and james anderson, benin city take an album-long look at the dual nature of london’s nightlife.

hutsons first solo album since leaving the impressions bearing the influences of curtom records main man curtis mayfield. considered one of the best soul albums released in the summer of 1973 it features some of leroys most popular tracks love oh love, when you smile and so in love with you. part of acid jazzs campaign to reissue all of mr. hutsons classic albums which has so far seen impressive support at radio and press.

richard searling’s music & memories from wigan casino 1973-1981 - the soundtrack to the book “setting the record straight”.

following up lou karsh’s excellent “ataraxia” ep we’re hitting up australia once again, such is the level of burgeoning talent down under. this time it’s the turn of sydney native e davd.

the first release by the amsterdam based duo caim on there self-titled label. the duo s distillation of the everyday voices captivated on this mindset focused four-track ep. each track stands as an analysis of the deep, groovy and detail driven biota. soothing atmospheres and pulsating synths offer us a first glimpse into caim s state of mind.

our good friend riccardo aka. black loops joined rough limited with his buddy innocent soul from italy. they made three classic house cuts for this vinyl only release. >the lady< is opening the ep - a classic homage to all old school chicago house tracks with a chopped vocal sample. listening to the b-side, there is >from the streets< a more disco influenced track with pianos and a moog baseline. with a raw & authentic house stomper there is >smoke signals< on b2 to round up the whole package. enjoy!

first lp by visballa (also part of atelier records adopo) is a long avaited lecture in real industrial funk. hard edged & rhythmical, but sometimes also as if recorded underwater or getting stuck in between two charging electrons. where some tracks bare the quality of dub rhythms others are fast forward 80s - and there s also the psychotic ones - either way it s 100% excellent.

whether or not techno music is destructive and to what degree is fair concern to have, but there s no denying that it can call upon our primal instinct of surrendering to rhythms together with everyone around the proverbial camp fire. sure, the camps of today are the clubs, and the fires are strobes, but that doesn t change the essence of rituals that we continue practicing. the release stays close to 130 bpm and offers efficient tools for the dancefloor: airy, for one, represents a syncopated narrative of wonder and magical realism, whereas in the hands of gotshell it becomes less contemplative, shifting to a more direct perspective. backed by cascading kicks xi takes a dive into atonal realm, and kujin —the most brutal number of ep—offers a densely packed treble range running above the hammering 3/3 kicks. with hydra, it s a trip laden with wondrous soundscapes, shamanic percussion and sensations of unexplored grounds emanating from the bassline, after which the closer trioptic provides a rebellious theme fitting for times of unrest and resistance.

for our first anniversary as a label, we have prepared a compilation of tracks by our closest associates, collaborators and some randomly found favourites, who might also make future appearances on our imprint.

ltd copies, screen printed sleeve by al white & house of traps, this marks the first new vinyl release from echospace detroit this year with all the content lovingly re-mastered in echospace, detroit, usa & cut @ deepgrooves. an unreleased classic from the vaults emerges with newly remastered content from radius s celebrated -obsolete machines- double album & two of the most epic creations featured on the -interpolation tapes- cd series, available for the first time ever on vinyl format. many of the songs featured in this project were initially sent to rod modell & mike schommer shortly after they launched their brilliant deepchord label in 2001. (recorded from 1993-2000) they were incredibly kind in saying it was the best demo they had ever heard and passed it on to octal records for release, sadly, that didn t materialize and since then these masters have been collecting dust in our cassette rack for nearly 20 years now. we ve spent months doing our best to restore the old tapes from our tascam 688, an 8 track cassette recorder purchased and abused since 1992 and to our ears still sounds quite impressive even by modern standards. we ve had nearly every component replaced and re-calibrated to bring this obsolete machine back to life, it s been a truly nostalgic experience re-visiting and redesigning these masters. we truly hope you enjoy reliving these magical times of music, very inspired by all that was happening in those years, there was just something in the air, an undeniable energy, long may it live on..

total makt is the molten new ep from evigt morker. there s plenty to be charmed by as the collection of tracks open out and tame our senses. once the flirting fades, we are quite casually led down bumpy, aqueous routes into something, and slowly we are funnelled into evigt morker s terrain, eventually arriving in darker corners of the fantasy that first caught our eye.

as with all ultradyne works there is meaning in everything. ocular animus delves into the mindset of humanity and breaks away from the usual ep format - three tracks - five songs. this release explores the terraforming of humanitity as seen through the eyes of the machinists as they look into the mirror at its underbelly. solid rhythms, shifting beats, eerie synth lines splatter across the canvass of this new release feeding the beat hungry and philosopher alike. fear. uncertainty. hate. a glimpse of the possible future or the deconstruction of a paradigm. you decide if you like what you see

you got the stuff is not lovely day - that much is true. this ones a wigged out, extended, trip into deep space from 1978 that is truly baffling. of course, it features bill singing for the first half of the track but then all of a sudden we re launched into a cosmic wormhole as everything just falls back and the track is stripped of any earthly qualities. people find themselves asking this, this is bill withers? as lazer guided synths and rock solid drums pull us into the sonic vortex. truly amazing. obviously a nugget like this has not gone unnoticed and has been edited and chopped and sampled deftly by the more sarcastic, left-field oriented crate diggers out there but it has never been reissued legitimately - until now! a hugely sought after and collectible gem right here, backed with the wistful slow jam look to each other for love as per the original 1978 columbia promo 12inch version. this left-field, cosmic classic has been legally reissued by above board distribution in conjunction with the legal rights holders sony music entertainment. this high quality repress features original columbia pink label disco 12inch artwork and has been remastered from sonys original sources by optimum mastering, bristol uk.

a true rarity from salsouls vast archive here, one for the bonafide boogie heads out there. this has gotta be one of the rarest surface records in existence, 3 cuts of that amazing early 80s funk that only surface can do! a licensed late 90 s pressing of this particular ep became highly sought after and has since been impossible to track down for even the most dedicated diggers. 3 full length jams presented here, including a wondrous mix from the legendary shep pettibone of the classic falling in love, also included are the previously unreleased stop holding back and when your x wants you back. this whole record is pure heat, one for the aficionados. properly licensed, wonderfully remastered and reissued for the dancefloor! you re not gonna find a more solid, well rounded example of that killer post-disco, electronic funk than this collection of cuts. essential. snoozing not advised!

what can be said about the girl whose greatest friend was the mist? it can be said she was never short of adventure, for each time the mist cleared, it had a new surprise. rabbits and rocking horses came out of hats the size of hills, armies of ants played in marching bands, deer danced, giraffes juggled, elephants tap-danced atop the moon, flowers bloomed in the sky, and stars shone on the ground, because, why cant down be up? with the mist there was always the kind of hocus pocus that twisted itself into a pocus hocus, a shenanigan or a hijinks so high it could not be jinxed, but it had to be jumped. by a fish flown by a boy from out of town. it was enough to make her giddy with happy.

the patchouli brothers strike back with a second edition of their edits for basic fingers. on the a-side we get a big dancefloor bullet with piano luxury, euphoric vocals and 110% party vibes. on the flip there s more of that uptempo feel-good business, just take your pick.

after their butterfunk ep from last year, fouk are back again with their new offering mating call ep. as the name suggests, this three track ep is made for the hot & heavy moments while dancing away, during those infinite summer days. the title track mating call is a funky beast, driven by a very infectious bassline and live instrumentation, edging the line between disco and house, as has we have come to expect from the duo. the next track on the flip furthers the fact that this release is all about the groove. housey vibes with a classic hint, rhodes floating on a solid rolling funk bass. just feel good ? yup! finally we come to down below . you might wonder what s down below? well, there you can find a dreamy thumper, driven by the compact kick, repeating drone and deep bassline, while the synth pads in the middle tie it all together.

label devoted to old school house music. every release will have an original version and one or more remixes coming from the artists that made our life worth living in the last 30 years. house music is our religion. we are not interested in hype. we are not interested in becoming famous. we are not interested in djing worldwide. there wont be any repress since we are not interested in making money. well release music for personal pleasure only if it ll satisfy our minimum quality standard. finally, we wont release any digital download, ‘cause we didnt grow-up listening to music that we couldnt touch.

the mutable nature of our lives leads to a constant pursuit of musical incentives. last month we launched a new series on mindtrip aiming to bring together diverse sounds and musical backgrounds under a mutual project. mutable minds edition ii welcomes the very exceptional work from five of our favorite artists out there. the release opens with our head honcho pfirter and his anti-routine that comes with his trademark modular effect and a well-constructed sequence. sleepwalker belongs to mexicos finest techno export aka fixeer who delivered a pounding track with great energy. on the b-side things are getting deeper and more tripped out yet still powerful and intense with the swedish duo kuf & dold and their track mint. mutual minds ii closes with a familiar name that is none other than jonas kopp who returns to mindtrip with a very interesting piece that comprises a narcotic feeling and space stabs. the final outcome of the second mutable minds edition perfectly describes the musical perspective and ethos on mindtrip. hope you enjoy this trip to the fullest. this is mindtrip!

beneath the still waters of lonely sound there lays the ruins of howland abbey, its 3000lb bell still hanging in the belfry, only swayed by the currents of the regular tides across the estuary, over 100 years since it was rang by the order of carthusian monks who lived in the nearby priory. at the turn of the last century during a heavy storm the abbey was plundered by an unknown gang of marauders, as they left on horseback carrying with them all the gold from the abbey the sea defences around lonely sound were breached, flooding the abbey, priory and the surrounding land, the monks ran for dry land as they watched their beloved bell tower disappear beneath the rising waters, unable to chase the thieves, cut off as the water rose around them. some locals say these ransackers were in league with the elements, some say they had just intentionally damaged the sea defences before making their raid. local folk-law claims that the morning bells of the abbey can be heard ring out from beneath the murky waters of the sound every year on the anniversary of the great storm, ringing the peel that was never rung.

there are west coast classics, and then there is music to driveby, the third lp from the group that birthed mc eiht: compton’s most wanted. although the group started in the late ‘80s with multiple mcs (including tha chill and boom bam), by 1992 eiht as pulling the group’s vocal weight – supported by dj mike t on turntables and production – and even producing and co-producing tracks. music to driveby might lack beats-per-minute variety, but to fans that’s not a bad thing. across the board, this is mid-tempo, super deep, funky hip-hop, made for cars creeping along boulevards across the west and south, and it’s about as good as it gets for such purposes. just about filler-free, the album struts intensely and with purpose, as eiht throws tales of cali street life at fans for an hour straight, almost without a break. this solo marathon is given a respite only once, with scarface’s guest spot on “n 2 deep,” an excellent hood roller supported by a soulful guitar lick sampled from lyn collins’ “do your thing.” elsewhere, eiht rolls alone and intensely, on cuts like the classic mash single “hood took me under”, the album’s second single and tim dog attack “who’s fu**ing who?”, the hometown big-up “compton 4 life”, and hustle tales like “jack mode” and “i gots to get over.” after this album, eiht released more classics under his own name, and with similar fan worship. it was the continuation of a legendary career and music to driveby still ranks high on anyone’s “west coast legends” playlist.

“we are doing this on our own, with not much help from government. i am proud that we are building a movement. it’s like a child that you can see growing and evolving. it’s growing exponentially, but that was the plan… we are standing on the shoulders of giants. i grew up respecting the craft. there was that golden era of reggae music when everyone looked to jamaica. i know the history, i know the impact reggae music can have, and i want to be part of an era that brings it back to that stature” - protoje

we share with kaffe crème, a penchant for side roads, for mixing textures and visiting other territories. if house music is at the heart of our project and history, it is often just a medium to cross the path of genres and bringing into some of our other tastes like here jazz, broken beat or hip hop.after his remarkable debut ep in 2016 which was containing the staggering beauty kapo choc that still resonates every weekend in many clubs around the world, we are very happy to welcome, the lyon-based kaffe crème for our fourth release. you ll find there everything you loved about his debut ep, which means, a beautifully produced organic and dusty house music that make a leap into contemporary jazz (i <3 u) and dig into warm finely mpc-sliced syncopated beats. but you ll also find an astonishing broken beat song (umusa) that show all the former-percussionist s talent for making sophisticated and ambitious jazz-infused rhythm compositions.

for this seconde release, the brotherhood from marseille wanted to present their personal profiles, this ep is built like a various, but built with a common touch, the random bass! hypnotic, trippy and randomised, these tracks are done to push up the dancefloors. the last track is a downtempo vision of the eclectism of this southern crew, hip-hop beat and a bassline played by there friend mike b4, a real candy to close this ep!

heady, astute, deep techno and ambient from blue veil, a new musical project from danny clancy. blue veils debut ep reveals gorgeously textured techno on tracks like wherethetimegoes and citizen score, as well as crafting some tender ambient passages on cuts like night czar and a kind of adventure. the ep will be released on dichotomy records, a new imprint, dedicated to refined electronic music. the labels ambition is to allow artists to explore dichotomies through their work, as they span sonic landscapes from pure ambient to techno, and other abstract dance sounds in-between. there will be a strong attention to the visual presentation of the label, with all artwork and photography also created by label boss danny clancy. with the next release lined up from ahu, and more to follow from there, the agenda for dichotomy records looks hugely promising indeed.

ikue asazaki is a veteran japanese traditional music singer and yoisura bushi is a traditional music in amami oshima(small southern island). i think yoisura bushi is most emotional music which i have listened in my life. there are not the word to describe how beautiful…. kuniyuki remix is simply amazing,i think it’s his best work.

(140 gram pressing, black vinyl) musique pour la danse presents cron aka todd sines scalable architectures , the classic 1995 ep remastered. for fans of dopplereffekt, drexciya, keith tucker, mid-west electro

from his debut on tresor in 2012 with the super strength ep, all the way through to his vibrations long player in 2016, paris based artist marcelus has continuously provided some of the most intricate productions to come out on tresor records in recent years. marcelus instills unpredictable rhythms as the very eseence of his music. these di erent layered time signatures move together in spiraling forms designed in the french enchanter’s mind. the magnet ep o ers one long trip in four chapters. the title track, “magnet”, ushers in the ritual and strikes with its creole flavors, drawing careful listeners back to sound palettes and rhythms of some decisive ur references. from there on, the mind-bending begins. “parenthesis” is the second slow step in this brooding ceremony. “say it again” picks up the pace, driving the listener further down into the tunnel. the beads of “descent” finally brings the mind back to the surface of reality.

dutch label field records is back with another special album project, this time from japanese producer ena aka yu asaeda. bridge is an introspective soundtrack for a documentary also called bridge - out this spring - which is about the dejima bridge, a reconstructed symbol of the dutch-japanese trading history in nagasaki, japan. the album finds the producer stepping outside of his usual remit of dark ambient and experimental music, and instead comprises ten shorter tracks that touch on abstract and rhythmic sounds that define the essence of japanese culture. although he has worked with the director before, this is ena s first original sound track and finds him freely inspired by the movie and heading in exciting and unknown directions. hugely atmospheric throughout, there is hypnotic repetition of sounds, strange audio design and a mixture of melancholic moods with more dreamy synths. sometimes gloopy rhythms gently ripple beneath soothing harmonies and at others times a micro-rhythm appears through the constantly shifting and evolving found sound loops. it s a compelling and unusual album that seamlessly mixes human emotions with a mechanical sense of industry.

lou courtney recorded one of the all time great 70’s soul albums in 1974 with the jerry ragavoy co-produced ‘i’m in need of love’. the 10 great songs are expertly arranged by leon pendarvis backed with superb instrumentation and topped with wonderful expressive soulful vocal performances from lou courtney. the album includes the modern soul gems ‘what do you want me to do’, ‘i don’t want nobody else’, ‘i’m in need of love’ and ‘the common broken heart’. the philly inspired up tempo cuts ‘i will if you will’ and ‘somebody new is lovin on you’ plus there are some great ballads. essential for any 70’s soul fans.