khidja are back on malka tuti and this combo cannot and will not dissappoint. after their successful debut on john talabot s hiverndiscs, khidja continue their current direction of leftfield-club music exploration, this time in the form of microb, a track that is a wolrd of its own, fusioning heavy industrial vibes with their own take of -worldly music- to create this peak time dancefloor bonanza. on the flip side salon des amateurs tolouse low trax delievers two takes on the original track, stripped down and turned upside down, adding those massive vocals. these takes are hypnotic as they are groovey and they complete a unique package for the modern dance floor explorers.

the belgian duo „chassé- heats up the flux compensator and takes us on a hilarious time travel straight back to the mid 1990 s with their new ep „word up kids-. pumping chicago grooves meet dope down funk & soul loops – just the right mix to make you freak out on the mid-summer-dancefloor. these 12- is the dj-essential you need for surfin the incoming 90s revival wave. pretty much remarkable: „word up kids- is chassés vinyl debut – whats gonna be next? bigbait026 is the third installment of our random color special edition series. each record is a unique piece, because the color is constantly shifted during the production process. .... safe your copy!

the first in a series from pelvis records, dj tools volume 1 features an all-australian lineup of artists across 6 tracks. varying in tempo and moods, this first round comes courtesy of sam weston, mall grab, chunyin, body corp, jamie blanco and pelvis. from flat out percussion jams to four-to-the-floor acid, these are tracks to get you out of tight spots (or take you deeper into them).

originally released in japan in 2015 on dj emmas nitelist music as part of its acid ep series, only a small handful of copies of this 12inch made it to europe. jd twitch was lucky to score a copy and both tracks became firm favourites in his sets and much asked about. twitch felt this music deserved a wider audience so was kindly granted permission to reissue it on optimo trax. yes another double a side release, a1, hiroshi watanabes - infinity sign is a hypno ecstatic acid piano-tingling monolith. a2, kuniyukis acid air is a slow building organic percussive acid freak out that will cause a freak out on the floor. it is hard to do anything with a 303 that is interesting these days but both the tracks on this 12inch are 100% club classic.

2017 repress on black vinyl incoming!
techno stars collide as truncate and slam come together for the latest gynoid release “drum trax”. side a sees truncate return on the label with 2 original pieces in model 2 and the title track, “drum trax”. both dipped in that truncate signature floor driven minimalist funk and backed with tough percussion for drive. these are surefire dj faves waiting to happen. the flip side sees slam remix “model 2”, not once but twice. the slam remix charts darker and brooding territory, taking you deep into the rabbit hole. then the tenebris dub remix still maintains that mood, but shifts through the energy gears to develop into a dance floor bomb.

fever am comes from a berlin connection between a pair of artists with roots on either side of the mediterranean sea and on both sides of the atlantic. label founders mor elian and rhyw (one half of cassegrain) share many musical reference points reaching back to early childhood right up to the present including the deeper, darker reaches of electronic music. the label is the pair’s rawest and truest realisation of these influences.
the first ep will be from elian, a sublime 4 tracker that has matured after a winter in the studio and is now ready for club play - from heating up peak time dance floors to trippier after hours moments. sprinkling her trademark stripped back sound with electro and breakbeats the release sets out the label’s stall to release vibrant, challenging dance floor music.

art alfie is back on howl, after the massive track he gave to us howl008.4, is now ready to present his debut solo ep. heavily pulsating, disco infected dj house tune, perfect combo of moods and grooves, all these tracks are timeless, but perfect for this summer, sunny atmosphere with the unmistakable dirty and swing of the mpc

thomas schumacher is finally back on noir music with another outstanding 2-tracker. over the years me and thomas have become great friends as we click on so many levels and share the same taste in dark, melancholic and emotional music. i have been a big fan of thomas’ music for many years and i am still a great supporter of his productions today so obviously i am honored to release his music on my label again. on these 2 tracks thomas has recorded 2 authentic and raw tracks with a no holding back, zero bulls*** attitude. you can hear the “no formular” approach on both and i love that. we had an honest and creative back and forth a&r process on both tracks before and after testing them in the clubs and this has given both a unique and fresh techno sound. this is thomas schumacher’s natural rhythm.

tone depth has been making music for many years but he doesnt seem to get older...... he just gets better and better. this is his 2nd release on noir music and i can assure you there’s more to come in the near future. “escape” contains 3 instrumental and very intense tracks. they are all cleverly build for the underground floors. they each have their own special signature and carry that powerful tone depth production level. each track on this ep immediatley made me “escape” into the music, took me on a journey and captivated my attention throughout the running minutes of each piece. i have been playing these tracks since the day i received them track by track and they really do grow on you (play for play) like great music always tend to do.

!! ltd 50% deal!! 4 new tracks from jus raw - not hard to hear the inspiration in these cuts. check!

looking back to the beatnik era on the south coast of england.
before package holidays and the rush to benidorm, beatniks ruled the seafronts and b&b’s of the southern beach resorts. beat poets and musicians pedalled alternative viewpoints & delivered fresh melodies to these waterfronts of escapism.
marking another step forward in his sonic evolution, appleblim inaugurates beatnik boulevard with a record that channels his roots in brooding bassweight club music into startling modern compositions. from his groundbreaking work on skull disco to various mutations of house, techno and electro explored via solo and collaborative releases for r&s, aus music and tempa , this 12” finds the berlin-based producer wielding fresh approaches to synthesis in a daring framework that finds physicality in music away from obvious rhythmic tropes.

here comes the new black loops ep! and by now you know what to expect: these irresistible rolling groove patterns with that unique warm black loops-feeling. that special vibe that made black loops one of the leading artists on toy tonics. by now its exactly four years that they released their debut ep right now on the gomma sublabel. they did four eps on toy tonics since then - followed by selected releases on neo vinyl, pets and gruuv records

nice price deal !!! plucked from huge classic rave tracks. these old rave samples are mixed up with proper rough-edged kicks and drumloops, turning them into deadly tools. anyone infected with the techno / tech-house virus and some knowledge of what happened back in the days, will be flying through the roof when one of these monsters is dropped

related artists red axes, lena willikens, khidja, autarkic, boot & tax key selling points il est vilaine arent from brittany, but they sure are tricksters. the francophiles among you might have caught on to the corny pun in their name (beating a certain presidential candidate to the punch all while turning the name of the pastoral ile-et-vilaine region into, literally, hes a nasty woman) but the real takeaway is that these born-and-bred parisians dont take themselves too seriously especially in an era in which there is much too much of that happening.

its the third album on our label and this time we grabbed on the other side of the ocean! the mexican techno native israel toledo, who lives these days in germany, is the man of now and gives us full-on electricity with 9 volts.

brian kage returns on michigander with the, best kept secret ep. kage once again provides three deeply emotional dance tracks filled with his signature warmth that immediately draw connections between personal memories and michigan’s natural splendor. best kept secret starts the record off with tones of hypnotic bells that cascade down from within minor chords that hypnotize the listener until they are met with swelling strings to tie the infectious grooves to intelligent vintage percussion. lush vocals continue building into an atmosphere of nostalgia and eventually gives way to that moment of intimacy that can only be felt outdoors while exploring with a person they love. lost on old free-soil road features a detuned analog synth-line that winds up and down over a bed of spooky night-time forest field-recordings which are encompassed by a jackin’ 909 beat . suddenly, juno stabs straight from the 80’s pierce through sending the syncopated grooves back the direction they came from taking dancers along for the joyful ride. cruise control on us-31 rounds out the record with an infectious blend of pitched wooden toms, warm mid-range bass, deep 303 lines, and a smoky pad straight from a vintage rhodes. all these elements help keep the composition positive & relaxing, while expertly conjuring the feeling of sun on your face. this tune is the perfect tool for any dj interested in luring day-partiers to a space where they can’t resist bobbing their heads and enjoying their summer outside. related items

w!ld delivers 4 unreleased remixes he did for sis, gsm, alex m for number 18 in the w label series. these 4 remixes show dj w!lds versatility. going from detroit electro through to house

nice price deal !!! from across the pond, pdd are pleaswed to welcome hard place to the fold. kicking of with the sound of 2008, our old friend deadmau5 cant see much daylight these days with his studio comitments, trademark floor filler from him. techno & electro collide across 3 further mixes, a varied and well constructed set of grooves from the tougher side of town

andy skopes debuts on inperspective with 2 absolutely storming amen laced tracks. we are so pleased to have finally finished our teddy bear trilogy and these tunes continue in the same strong, progressive vein of the first two from infamy and earl grey.
who are you is a slick amen roller with intense atmospheres, tight chopped drums and a thunderous bassline. certainly a track to get the floor moving!

for its fourth release under its main series, quanta records welcomes panorama island, zwei kreise’s new album, mixing ambient, idm and sonic experimentations. with panorama island, zwei kreise delivers one of his most accomplished work so far, inspired by memory and more precisely its flaws: hidden corners, lost knowledge or elliptic recollections.
melancholic ambient tracks and deconstructed breaks come one after the other and set the mood of the person who dives in. melodies play a very important role in these introspections: meticulously planned, sharp or languishing, they guide the listener through his wandering. in this record, zwei kreise shows his obsession for detail and micro-variations under a new light, more ethereal and contemplative, renewing our perceptions with every listening.

nice price deal !!! big support from: laurent garnier – >pretty galaktic.. pretty moody< hammered by: deetron, angel molina, ripperton, hiroshi watanabe aka kaito, dan curtin – >the ashing mix brings a strong future < tribal groove that is really in line with what i like to play these days. hypnotic, thick, and full of suspense, perfect for creating tesnion and atmosphere on the floor. kubik is one that is perfect for those very late or very early sets.. also fabric just licensed mogdax track >kubik< for the forthcoming fabric 37: steve bug mix album

after constant id requests all year, doc daneeka finally drops these two new powerhouse jams fresh for summer - vinyl only, for the heads. / ltd repress

new teachers join the bass academy: uk droids gods of technology (phil klein & simon brown) featuring egyptian lover, and legendary us producer jamie jupitor. must have freak seeker (l.a. freax) feat. the unknown lover (you ll probably know who s behind) and future computer sign two authentic electro funk pieces in the great tradition of the west coast sound. phat bass, vocoderized lyrics, sharp 808 drums, and irresistible synth melodies characterize these instant classics guarantee to put you in a circle. come and take a lesson of music directly from the masters! ltd blue transparent vinyl.

10 inch special on the a to z label the lodger unpicks and reassembles two staples in his own inimitable style & dancefloor devastation ensues... limited repress run on these - don t snooze ! another sureshot !

it is an honor for 7777 to present its 13th release featuring dmx krew and yuri suzuki. side a brings you straight house attitude. b side strips it down and adds the acid. these songs are perfect for your record bag.

when life gives you lemons, have a lemonade. else the other side might be, your cup of tea. 2 labels, 1 mindset: lemonade and cup of tea are two belgian labels based on an ancient pinky-swear promise between arno lemons and fungku. it finally becomes reality with these 2 other-styled fusion labels working together as brothers! lemonade presents a sampler of studio 58 a project by sue avenue with the crazy funk band big whoop and the latin jazz band compro oro, london wonderboy cody currie and a smooth ending track by the brussels based duo lockwood. cup of tea is a mixtape made by fungku with an infused trip of tracks from a peculiar gang from brussels who live by the rules of ratlife. enjoy the flavour of all artists presented on this combo mini lp straight from the belgian underground! independently, but together.

the second release from mic comes from ladies as pimps - laps for short - is an anarchic glasgow duo formed by lady two collars of golden teacher and sue zuki from organs of love. their duets take centre stage on who me?: the vocal performances range from the stretched, soulful projections of ode to daughter to the lawless, clipped, sweet &, sour, spat-not- spoken word of edges. spirited percussion scatters in all directions and bass is smothered in tape delay, as the four tracks beat through dub, rnb, house, and way beyond, circling around acts like madame x, the bug, stuart argabright, francois k, mashing absurdity with dread. recorded at green door studios in glasgow (where the two met) and layered with the analogue production techniques learned on the first youth unemployment programme there, the energy and charisma of these recordings promise a pretty unique live show when they support princess nokia later this year. supported by ben ufo, dj moxie, pariah, optimo, nts, vinyl

these collections of winston riley’s early reggae releases shine the spotlight on his superb vocal productions with the shades, the mad lads, and of course the techniques, and feature the impeccable lead vocals of dave barker.

label boss tonbe is back on disco fruit under the moniker loshmi for the first time. loshmi is specialized for great disco and funk re-edits and he is a well known with his serious edits series on digital imprint. he constantly trying to blur dots between disco, funk and house music. these four tunes are selection of loshmis best selling pieces on digital imprint. highlights include the pounding disco-rock-flute workout drugstore. sweet & nasty is just about as seductive as you can get those strings do some real damage in that groove, while wsoop wsoop deliver heavy, floor friendly p-funk workouts.

this is a collection of works from british musician gp hall, recorded between 1994 and 1999. for over four decades, guitar in hand hall encountered many styles, jazz, blues, flamenco, rock, folk, and classical improvisation. all contributed to the creation of his unique style. emerging from the british blues boom of the 1960’s, he then followed a long and winding path through various scenes and cultures. in spain, he was influenced by flamenco master manitas del plata before touring europe with liverpool band casey jones & the governors. he was commissioned three times (twice by the arts council of great britain) for original music and was immersed in the avant-garde scene of the 1970’s as an improviser, a pioneer of electric flamenco and a composer of large-scale ensemble pieces. during the 1980’s hall turned his focus to soundtrack music before reinventing himself as the solo performer he is today. with this strong foundation he branched into a tactile expression of his craft, discovering a new style which he called industrial sound sculptures. these sonic compositions are performed on electric and acoustic guitars as well as the six-string bass and are played with various techniques and implements including slides, battery fans, the psaltery bow, razors, toys, velcro and crocodile clips which are fed through sound processors to create a rich sonic environment.

desiderii marginis long out of print debut album from 1997 “songs over ruins” is given a proper re-issue, carefully remastered by johan levin himself and with new artworks as cd and limited edition lp. a landmark in the genre, with it’s desolate, minimalistic and grief stricken odes to religious and spiritual burdens. a foray through abandoned ruins and a reflection on the passing of time and the impermanence of all things physical. outstanding in quality and production skills, this mesmerizing and foreboding journey is at times tranquil and melodic and also dives into more martial like percussive elements and industrial atmospheres. classics like these definitely need to be discovered still and also rediscovered, and it’s with great pleasure that we make it available once again.

we’re glad to welcome back aun to cyclic law for their latest opus! aun’s music as always suggested forays into other dimensions, be it to imaginary worlds, industrial wastelands, through space and time, or via mind altered states. from the ominous dystopian artwork, of a city being drained of its energy by some mysterious black hole, to the first notes of the title track “fiat lux” we are once again transported on aun’s otherworldly travelling path. ever since the space industrial and power electronics of aun’s previous cyclic law cult release “black pyramid”, the world has become even more sinister, but in contrast, “fiat lux” exudes even more of aun’s melancholic hopefulness. the disintegrating chords and densely textured waves, anchored by a left field industrial pulse, invoke occult drug enhanced, future psychedelia. created in part in their montreal studio, these tracks were extensively performed live, prior to recording, and refined while on tour breaks in montpellier, barcelona and tokyo. the energy of these cities is definitely at work in these recordings, which also features a french connection of experimental heavy hitters: witxes, frédéric d. oberland and philippe petit have helped round out dumais and leblanc’ arsenal. fiat lux: let there be light, from light will come darkness.

long beach serial chiller ahwlee is a beat vet who delivers smooth buttery samples with a nostalgic vibe. 1991 is a cult classic cassette now issued for the first time on vinyl. these tracks are dusty, mellow and easy-going. don’t mistake mellow for boring, however, because ahwlee’s production is nuanced and intricate underneath the minimalist overtones. there’s jazzed-up rhodes all over the place, and the percussion work masterfully includes a ton of negative space in between perfectly chopped breaks. they’ll get your head nodding.

jalal salaam and ewonee’s past lives stands among the top releases of 2015. and in 2016 it sees a deluxe vinyl release via house shoes’ street corner music. the 2lp will be complete with all instrumentals, and an insert containing all lyrics. the urgency of these recordings is reflective of the times we live in. jalal salaam’s raps are a perfect marriage to ewonee’s production, eschewing contemporary sounds for an album incredibly well balanced between tradition and progression. “this is one of the best albums i have heard in years, and i’m proud release what i consider a new classic from some of the new guard of new york city’s storied history of hip hop music...” • born in mount vernon, ny, ewonee is the first signee of east coast record label & producer collective, beat haus records, and featured on boiler room (link here) • jalal salaam is out of ardsley/dobbs ferry ny, has collaborated with artists such as ivan ave and fredfades and known for his radical, in depth, and emotionally free lyrical style • this deluxe 2xlp includes the full vocal album along with instrumentals and a lyric sheet.
“best rap album i’ve heard in a long time..” -house shoes

collages are a marvelous thing, every now and then, almost a magical thing. the process of layering materials that were not meant to ft together, such as fabrics with photos, is one of constant choice and assessment. maybe these could ft with those? how can i make this sit well with that? as with physical objects, the process of creating sound collages will have you up late considering… contemplating… calculating… it can leave the strongest of minds numb. but then, all of a sudden, a magic moment occurs. these weirdly ft with those, this somehow blends perfectly with that, and creation just… happens. it will never cease to amaze me how some silky chords recorded on a sunny ohio day, seem destined to be paired with a stumbling polish drumbreak. that is the mind boggling, time traveling magic of beats. pieces of sound, from different times and places, sometimes appear to be made for each other with these words in mind from lyricist ivan ave, we present to you ol burger beats sophomore lp mind games. the frst lp on the newly founded label mutual intentions, and one of the most thematic releases weve done to this day. ol’ burger is known in the beatmaking circles for his jazzy sound and great drums. with his latest unreleased instrumentals ep well received, its now time to let the rappers jump on his beats. the feature-list includes underground heavy hitters like chester watson, jeremiah jae, quelle chris, ivan ave, fly anakin & koncept jack$on and kami from savemoney.

supérieur goes for round two after its relaunch in autumn last year. some of you might be surprised that we re breaking up with the single release concept of having one original and one remix, but we believe the time has come to do so. supérieur will be more independent in the future, with an own artist roaster and also with a different sound than the one deliver with connaisseur. this release is by the highly respected south german producer and dj hans thalau, partisan of the techno soul approach, which was celebrated for years by russ gabriel and his ferox recordings crew. it comes as no suprise that hans and russ are friends. hans -soul adventure ep- is a timeless affair. three tracks full of emotional deepness and classiness, and probably thal communications mastermind best works so far. we re rather proud to be able to release these tunes, as they do strike our chord exactly.

for the past four years francesco leali kept busy running parachute alongside co-owners manfredi romano and thomas feriero, producing under different monikers and touring the globe as half of cw/a. finally back as clockwork, leali reveals a five track ep featuring some of his rugged music to date. a briery shift into foggier territories where leali explores layered sound-design and broken rhythms, something he had only hinted in his previous work. online entity depicts lealis hindrance with modern societys social networking obsession. in contrast to what these services were actually intended for, leali explains, they seem to have impacted a lot of people negatively, resulting in unnecessary resentments, misinformation and feelings of proximity when these tools can easily alienate you from reality. constantly worrying about how you want people to perceive you is absurd already, but for many of us this constant sharing has become the only way to achieve happiness, to be satisfied. in an era where all of this is getting out of hand its essential to remind yourself of the things that truly shape you as an individual. with online entity i aimed for feelings of release, mutating resentments into something positive - more physical. i imagined it as a soundtrack to an escape from these very situations. the release showcases this approach with five club-ready numbers filled with calculated, pounding drums and gloomy atmospheres, with only rare glimpses of hope scattered throughout. to round things up we mobilised fellow parachute affiliate ayarcana and serbian techno pro lag who both deliver two startling interpretations of escape sequence and rumination.

helic.al, the new label from todd sines + charles noel / archetyp, functions as an constrained exercise to break from restrictions. instead of the obvious new electronic dance music label that would be expected of these seasoned producers, helic.al turns history on its ear, resulting in collaborations new and old. the debut album from interval, featuring bassist andries boekelman, sines on vocals, guitar, synths & engineering, noel on drums and percussion, steps outside the comfort zone of endless tracks and overdubs from a digital workflow, tracked to 8-track tape, and mastered direct to lacquer by josh bonati, with no computers in between. future releases include crash course in science s michael zodorozny and todd sines as i/tmsz, soviet s amanda berkowitz and alyssa barrera as artefactos de dolor, möthersky, excepter s ssps & gramma, and is in discussion for releases from robert görl of deutsch amerikanische freundschaft, graham lewis of wire, dome and he said, and stephen mallinder of cabaret voltaire / wrangler, for a follow up to his seminal 1982 release, pow wow

sadar bahar & ben cosmic force team up and come correct with these two direct disco jams artwork by cosmo knex. tipp! the two tracker arose after sadar bahar discovered bens utrecht based studio (housing 60 synths!). electro fiend ben was charmed by the electronic elements in sadars funk and sadar loved bens ideas. nuff said, a new nl based project was born. nothing sampled for these tracks. only stabbing guitar, bass, sax and pounding drum programming for dance floor heat!

its the third album on our label and this time we grabbed on the other side of the ocean! the mexican techno native israel toledo, who lives these days in germany, is the man of now and gives us full-on electricity with - 9 volts.

drummer amir bresler, born in 89, has been established as one of the most sought after israeli drummers, performing in israel and abroad at prominent local and world stage jazz festivals. starting his musical education at the age of 13, amir was first exposed to jazz music at the age of 15 upon his enrollment for the jazz program at the thelma-yellin national high school of the arts from which he graduated with honors. in 2010 amir joined the world renowned bass player, singer and composer avishai cohen, in concerts globally. avishai cohen is considered to be one of the most successful jazz artists in the world today. amir also performed alongside visiting musicians like sam yahel, joel fraham, mark turner, kirk lightsay, dwayne bruno. in addition, amir played with various israeli artists among these are, daniel zamir, omer klein, kutiman, nitai hershkovits, yotam silbrestein, amos hoffman, gilad abro, shai maestro, to name a few. this release is comprised of two tracks, originally composed and recorded for meinl cymbals drummers-videos-series. these tracks were later chosen by amir to be officially released. the first track, afro golden line, is inspired by 70s african high-life music (specially from ghana and nigeria) this is an odd-meter afro-beat track. featuring sefi zislings distinct trumpet melody and uzi ramirez s playful guitar. the second track, fish, is taken from lbts old mixtapes (originally with vocals by kerendun). it was re-recorded at amirs studio while bassist beno hendler & keyboardist nomok composed the third part of the track. both tracks were produced with rejoicer.

paulino vieira, bana, and their legendary troupe, voz de cabo verde, made lisbon the headquarters spearheading the musical revolution taking place within cape verdean emigre communities across europe in the 1980s. musicians from across the diaspora would eagerly travel to the portuguese capital to record. but in smaller pockets, second-generation krioulu musicians were independently contributing to one of the most lush periods of cultural innovation by immigrants in europe. in 1986, a group of nine teenagers — antonio monteiro, ambrosio gomes, emilio borges, fefa cabral, to pereira, pedro varela, celeste monteiro, clarisse, germano shares — formed the largely unknown, often overlooked, but consistently brilliant band, pilon. combining traditional funana rhythms and the hybrid colazouk style with psychedelic synth work and rugged guitar ostinatos, pilon refined their sound for years until releasing these recordings as part of their debut album, tradicao, in 1993, with a tight-knit unit of just five remaining members. the band is still a popular mainstay for parties in the cape verdean circles of frankfurt, paris, lyon, marseille, rotterdam, and geneva.

part i - operated under extreme psychosis, performed live in the dead of night at the studio of the hagues pirate radio tonka, these two records contain an apocalyptic selection of the very darkest moments of its maker, an anglo-french bruxellois driftwood expat washed ashore on the west holland wasteland

new years deal - a1 - luc marianni - six synthetic suites (anno stamm remix) berlin producer anstam’s remix of six synthetic suites is quite a trip. the producer has crafted a dubbed-out version, almost sub aquatic in its sound design, structured around a murky but driving techno beat on which he layers marianni’s sounds. exotic instruments, unusual timbres, daring melodies and even slapped bass: the contrast between these sounds and stamm’s grayscale groove is powerful. a2 vril - synthetic suite giegling artist vril uses samples from marianni’s six synthetic suites released in 1986 to produce this lovely slab of dub techno. carefully crafted, this track is all about soft edges, with a kind of blurry and hazy vibe that permeates it. a sense of motion is conveyed by the sparse but efficient rhythmic section, with chords and melodic elements giving the impression of floating. with much more contrast and complexity than it might seem at first listen, this is beyond your usual dub techno cut. b1 luc marianni - six synthetic suites (margaret dygas remix) also based in berlin, margaret dygas’ own remix of six synthetic suites is a deconstructed affair, built around a half step groove, ready to be used creatively in dj sets. somewhere between an ambient excursion and a more rhythmic jam, the producer uses a sparse palette of hallucinogenic, dizzying sounds with a dash of eerie darkness that gives this version a melancholic, unsettling nature. words by edouard isar.

paul hester created his cult moon music label in 1997 as a portal for his own productions and sounds. the label was short-lived, with only 3 releases in it s catalogue, all produced by hester himself. those few releases on moon are now highly sought after among house and techno aficionados who are forever seeking that deeper groove. the interesting part of this story, beyond the amazing music that was released, is that there are many other tracks that never saw the light of the day, thus leaving the full moon story untold. the electric wig ep was the first release on the label and is here in fully remastered reissue form, with all racks lovingly transferred from paul hester s private, personal dat stash. classic, deep uk techno sounds from the pre-millenium era, re-presented for the first time for 2017 s dancefloors. across these 2 tracks and 2 lock grooves we are treated to a sound that is timeless and will undoubtedly gain paul hester new fans while reminding those of us who were there in the late 90 s about his subtle and uniquely fresh production style.

extreme-orient, technoïd and abstract shades. new outgrowth of the blaník research program, the young korean artist seaen lee offers a four tracker speculative/experimental hybrid techno research. its about fierce and heading forces, flashing shades coming out of nowhere. these aquatic and abyssal hummings, among other technoïds and abstract blushes, have no other choice but to take out for real. must be used with wise hands.

danny scrilla returns to cosmic bridge records with a full-length project inspired by a desire to experiment outside of club conventions. while cosmic bridge has become known for forward-thinking, dubwise dancefloor mutations, label founder om unit has long been a fan of ambient and synthesizer music and ancient musical box offers a current take on the format, with 16 tracks of lush electronic compositions and meditations. fittingly, ancient musical box also marks the label s first cassette release.

ancient musical box was written over the past year as a direct reaction to danny s frustration with club music and the inevitable cynicism that can sometimes arise from prolonged contact with scenes, styles, and genres. i wanted to create something without any ulterior motives, he explains. as the tracks accumulated, the project took on a personal dimension and therapeutic qualities. intent on not over-thinking or polishing his ideas, danny created something that is less album and more a collection of emotions in their rawest form.

despite not being intended for the dancefloor, the music on ancient musical box still bears clear relations to danny s catalogue in its minimalist approach and use of melodic motifs. you can hear it in the hazy crescendo of night sweats , the wobbly funk of pangalactic gargleblaster , and the gentle keys of talisman . alongside these are more experimental moments, seemingly fragile in their simplicity but hiding a depth that reveals itself in context: the delicate loops of the title track, the vibrations of cryopod , the melancholy progressions of too little too late .

ancient musical box is the sound of a producer remembering that the best ideas are the simplest, in the process pointing to new directions.

music is love boss returns to his home label after a few brief excursions on hot creations & viva music last year, and he returns in style. 3 summer time slammers and a stellar remix from the mak & pasteman boys. middle ground is a dusty filtered house track, aligned with a soaring string section, which narrate the warm uplifting journey this track lays down. mandingo was made as a tool for oli’s sets last summer and after some huge reactions and some serious demand, mandingo was set for a vinyl release. big stabs and plenty of funk - this track is party ready. on the flip we find mak & pasteman return to music is love after an appearance on the 3rd lovebox va in 2016. piano4 is flipped into what these boys do best, simple stripped back grooves delivered with stupendous power. on b2 is the original take on piano4 which sees oli flexing his power house muscles on this big piano track. piano4 is an unrelenting beast that twists and turns its way through various passages of maximum intent.

the second single from the cultures of soul compilation, boogie breakdown: south african disco 1980 to 1984, benjamin ball’s -i just keep dancing- is a synth and drum machine-fueled track that also reveals ball as one of south africa’s earliest rappers. boston-bred djs, soul clap provide an excellent rework of the track adding some big room club flavor to the track for djs around the world. soul clap are the globe trotting dj duo of eli goldstein and charles levine who ve done everything from headlining clubs in ibiza to creating dj mix albums for fabric and dj kicks to making records with george dj/producer and co-founder of the running back label, gerd janson provides two funked up rerubs of the track, one with vocals and one without. licensed directly from the artist and housed in a custom disco sleeve these edits won t be available on the compilation.