‘that jazz’ is coops first official offering since signing to high focus records back in october. by no means a debut, having already released two critically acclaimed albums ‘lost soul’ & ‘god complex’ under his own steam in 2014 and 2016, the london mc is putting his best foot forward - a no nonsense masterclass in smooth rhyming and soulful boom bap, produced by long time collaborator talos. the beginning in a long line of releases planned for coops this year, ‘that jazz’ serves as the perfect introduction. limited edition of 300 numbered copies on 7 inch vinyl.

file under dub techno

file under : house // jungle // bass // breakbeat

2018 repress -- smallville records celebrate their 10th anniversary with the 3rd and 4th part of the ways series. it started in 2011 with twentyfour ways (smallville 24)- one 12, four tracks, four artists and with timeless music only.

much love from the man from down under!

file under bass / dubstep / hardcore / jungle

warehouse music is the imprint brought to you by london based dj and producer ryan aitchison, aka mella dee.
after being named the ‘best breakthrough label’ of 2017 by dj mag and following on from the ‘techno disco tools ep’, warehouse music launches into 2018 presenting a three track ep, this time under aitchison’s given name ‘ryan aitchison’. this new project gives the more experimental, darker sounds he is producing an identity.
dn5 is relentlessly percussive and hard-hitting, whilst corruption is laced with a growling funk and auxiliary draws the ep to a close as a dark, electro cut. wm004 is pressed to white vinyl with a bespoke hand-stamp design of the infamous doncaster warehouse.

back in the area. banoffee pies original imprint continues with bp007. the more serious and leftfield off shoot under the labels wing this time inviting the introduction of two new label members on this 4 track va. toma kami opens the a1 with the title rivershells, a slowly erupting swirl of percussion and progressive drums. a real head turner. the a2 comes from pablo marco with his second addition to banoffee after his breakbeat power track on their black label series imprint earlier in the year. murmuring vocals and a swirling feeling with all about - sure fire dance floor reset button included. the b1. comes from liem & eddie ness, whos split ep with acs on the earlier released bp005 analog acid record was enough to invite a return appearance this time with leftfield fujiyama, and welcoming of k-lone previously known for his involvement on the powerful bristol label, wisdom teeth with a down tempo track with warm spherical sounds.

in der morgenröte des neuen millenniums entwickelte songwriter, produzent und multi-instrumentalist klayton celldweller, eine bahnbrechende auditive einheit für das nächste zeitalter. vor originalität sprühend verknüpfte celldweller electronic stile mit rock auf diesem selbstbetitelten debüt, das independent im jahr 2003 erschien und jetzt zum ersten mal auf vinyl erhältlich ist.

seven sisters hail from bristol under the supervision of label boss miotek and this time they return with va containing a stunning collection of tracks.

its the big 5! berlin frankfurt based label house is ok is celebrating its five-year long presence and has decided to mark that period with something special labels story started with a sticker homeboy printed in his former hometown, zagreb, saying house is ok. catchy, right? it became an underground slogan of the local scene. it didnt take long for people to embrace the idea stating that its ok to be into melodic, fresh, groovy yet, at times, a bit awkward dance music. just around the same time homeboys frankfurt based bros oliver achatz and janis played with the idea of starting a record label. guess what the logical choice for the name was? ten records, dozens of original songs and remixes later house is ok continues to grow. literally. what was once a platform for the original three founders is now an international family affair supporting the talented artists from frankfurt, stockholm, alexandria and orlando. nurturing the friendly approach this musical family continues to grow. looking back at the first five years, not only at the music that connected them all but at the bonds that deepened through the production process, house is ok crew wanted to take create a proper reminder and thank the ones supporting them throughout the years. a double 12 pack titled gemišt seemed like a proper way to do that. „gemišt will be released as two separate eps featuring the original music from kornél kovacs, roman flügel, gavri & mcqueen, tcb, house of life and the label makers themselves. oliver and janis deliver tracks under their known names, while homeboy introduces his new project with fellow wilde renate resident the swift, called longhair. croatian artist ugruv smek marks his yearlong collaboration with the label delivering yet another smashing artwork.

following a succesfull 2016 with his well received eps golden tides,sunlit forest and one of our fave releases bahia, joe offers up four cuts for pleasure unit. continuing the producers passion for new age , paradasical ambience and dreamy deep house,lead title -jacaranda skies- might be what telephones and met mr heard would of sounded like had they met in rimini circa 91. a dusky atmosphere provides the backdrop to ecstacy inducing chords,an elevated brass sequence and afro percussion driving a tight groove. mangrove dawn is an aural quaalude hit, gentle synth washes fold over each other,while nature sounds buzz through a distant 303. the lost garden opens to a reverb soaked slide guitar and soaring pad section before a jaguar snarl gives way to subtle kick pattern atop m1 chimes and bali bells. skies reprise closes off the ep with a beatless take on the original, the melodies given more space the sonic equivalent of open air swaying under hazy pink skies.

chances are if you are reading this, you are probably already familiar with dinosaur ls go bang and danced countless times to loose joints its all over my face. a prolific musician, arthur russell produced an abundant amount of recordings over the course of his career. although a classically trained cellist, he released a number of successful underground dance hits under various monikers and collaborations. as a solo artist however, his inability to complete projects resulted in a limited amount of official releases, world of echo (1986) being his only full-length solo effort to see release in his lifetime

matthias wagner lands on spaecial for our second release. we love his previous works, but looks that this artist stays under the radar for most people. always with a very personal touch, in archive 55 ep he delivers 4 totally differents cuts for distinct moods and dancefloors moments.

tony scott drops his 2nd single for soma under the edit select moniker and continues to experiment with his deep and pervasive soundscapes. as we work toward his debut lp on the label, scott turns in 3 perfectly crafted and hypnotic techno affairs, drenched in smooth, calculated rhythms and mind bending atmospheres.

following up to three albums on kompakt since 2011, the latest being signs under test (kom321/komcd119) in 2015, los angeles based house and techno producer john tejada returns to the cologne-based imprint with his thirteenth full-length, dead start program - an eleven-track journey spanning a prismatic array of styles and patterns, from john s signature soulful techno tunes to the further mazy, hypnotic motifs of his trancey electro hybrids. be it solo or through a host of multifaceted collaborations, tejada keeps himself busy on all fronts in and off the club environment, be it by contributing the 44th number in fabric s seminal mix series, playing drums for detroit legend daniel bell (as dbx), testing the limits of acid with tin man or joining forces with the hilarious self-proclaimed disinformationist reggie watts as wajatta. since his beginnings and the drop of his debut 12inch, waxing , released through his own label palette recordings over twenty years ago, john has been carving out a lane of his own combining and assembling elements from all ends of his wide-spanning spectrum of reference in a way that allows a more direct transition from the realm of the mind to the circuits of the machine, as confirmed by the deliberately limited studio setup used in the making of the present album. navigating across the lines, from the arrhythmic machine spook of the album s opener autoseek via the straight out thumping and jacking pulse of hypochondriac and heavy-lidded breakbeat of sleep spindle onto the kosmische-infused vibrations of telemetry, vibrant slo-mo inertia of loss and wistful club-ready winds of duty cycle and heal, john threads his way through genres and tempos with optimal chameleonic effect. cloaked in a beautiful sleeve art courtesy of johns long time friend juan mendez aka silent servant another key contributor to the los angeles scene worldwide

rave or die is delighted to welcome another techno rave pioneer into the fold. neil landstrumm (tresor, peacefrog) has been the key figure of the scottish experimental sound for more than two decades now, multiplying nasty cuts under numerous disguises including die fly die, navario sauro or polaris whilst spearheading future funk on his well known scandinavia records. on rod number nine, neil teams up with edinburg producer and sativae founder dave tarrida to deliver a banging morocco tune made of pumpin basslines and crunching breaks! these guys are no joke when it comes to set fire on the dancefloor. on the flipside, rod mastermind umwelt strikes back with (u=e-rl), an enigmatic equation and most probably the secret formula to smoke warehouses! old schoolish grooves with some extra muscle acid lines fused into heavy kicks turn this mental track a la the mover into an ode to rave music. a perfect combo of 4/4 anthems in their purest and primitive form, a 10inch that melds disparate sounds with scary intends!

following on from hashman deejay debuting his studio mody moniker as the first release on the newly formed sideline label headed up by salik, comes the second release by going good favourites e. corre and s. letelier (nummer) under a new alias detroit syndrome ... the label is keeping to the 3 track, low key presentation of the first release, with the focus being directed towards the music and continuing with a series that attempts to bring out a style that the artists may not necessarily be associated with. the direction given to the artists from the label is simple - do whatever you like, with the dance floor and longevity of music in mind.

experimental cinema sonics, electroacoustic research practice and shadowy wind instruments come together to form this unique interpretation of the mythical city of gold. utilising rare, half forgotten soviet era synthesisers vladimir karpov creates immersive soundscapes under the name xyr. the formanta mini keytar and the alisa 1377 lend karpovs music strange, seldom heard atmospheres which the st. petersburg native then combines with field recordings, toy percussion and wood flute to further build upon his utopian narratives. part concept album, part nod to popol vuh, his attempt to channel the thematics of the ancient tale of the muisca people through his modest home studio left a lasting impression on us here at 12th isle and were proud to present a selection of the tracks on vinyl for the very first time. originally confined to just 25 cassette tapes, for this edition we have assembled some of the most inspiring tracks from the sessions as well as the bonus closing piece aguirre song. immediately engaging, sincerely heartfelt and strikingly original, these are recordings we have returned to time and time again. limited edition lp comes housed in screenprinted sleeve. el dorado recorded april-august 2014, originally released via illuminated paths (march 2015).

a 1969 co-production between cinevic and rai tv for a mini television series that was aired in 3 parts - april 17 to may 1, 1969 - directed by dino bartolo partesano, under the production of pino passalacqua, and played by valentina cortese, oreste lionello and paolo villaggio. the promotional record, printed by cam in 1969 and produced by giuseppe giacchi, features easy-listening instrumental material, performed by the orchestra directed by maestro ferrio, the 4 + 4 choir by nora orlandi and the voices of olympia and peppino gagliardi in the songs “sensitive creature” and “strange people-, with lyrics written by antonio amurri and partesano himself. composed and orchestrated by gianni ferrio. artistic production by franco de gemini. available for the first time since it’s original release, this limited edition vinyl reissue is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies (the first 200 copies are pressed on colored vinyl).

the dark jazz masterpiece by piero piccioni written for the film directed by paolo heusch in 1962, played by franco citti and taken from the novel under the same title written by pier paolo pasolini. produced and made by cam on a rare and sophisticated lp, the music of piero piccioni for this film embraces the jazz big band’s frantic pulsations, directed by the master - who sits on the piano - with symphonism and the best popular italian melodic tradition brass, dart, bows and rhythm. available for the first time since it’s original release, this limited edition vinyl reissue is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies on red coloured & black splattered 180 gram vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

the no man is an island ep is a single cut from the debut album of the same name by aalko, a new project by kebko music founder akiko kiyama. renowned for her minimal techno track featured in richie hawtin s seminal de9 transitions album, the japanese producer reveals her another side under this new alias. the project has already created a stir as aalko has garnered support from gilles peterson on his bbc 6 music radio show and premiered a live performance at mutek’s tokyo launch, where she drew the audience into an inspiring frenzy.

reality check a one-off project from freddy turner & jason hernandez who dropped this soulful, street-tough slice of house on strictly rhythm back in 1998. this is one of those hidden gems, tucked away in the recesses of the strictly catalogue, so it may well have slipped by under the radar save for a few dedicated heads and vinyl junkies! it s got that nyc sound, hard drums, vocal samples, tripped out loops and stabs. perfect dj material if you re into the funked out stripped back house sounds of the mid to late 90s, this one will certainly be (in) your bag. fantasy has been given some tasty 2017 remastering treatment and repressed onto a high quality, weighty 12inch for all you fiends out there, this one will keep them moving in the mix. perfect nyc house sounds here, untouched and represented in its original 1998 form, no sleeping permitted!

seekers new album, this time 2 x 12 inch records , plus one special 7 inch included in the first 200 copies. all tracks were recorded in tape in 2017 somewhere in europe.

pleasure zone welcomes dubfound aka dima kulakovsky to the family! dubfound is a chisinau based producer & dj. co-owner of vinyl only labels swoon and nurum music. he s releasing his tracks on labels like sleep is commercial, cadenza, vinyl club, fox trax. diving deeper he creates his side project under a name jezellic with crispy experimental and minimalistic sound picture.

boris bunnik is no stranger in the world of electronic music. he released several albums and ep’s under a variety of monikers since 2007 on labels like delsin, shipwrec, frustrated funk and his own transcendent imprint. fauxpas musik welcomes him for a new project called severnaya.
originally hailing from the island of terschelling, the most northern and remote part of the netherlands he now made a piece of music dedicated to this special place. severnaya means north in russian and refers to the bright frozen landscapes of the northern archipels. boris often plays with the influences and elements of ambient in his music. if we have to believe the man himself, polar skies is his most personal sound trajectory to come from his mind. drum programming is scarce and what remains is a lush and profound listening experience floating on scapes and melodies. we clearly hear his roots and intentions represented in the airy, tranquil sound design of this new album project. things sound spacious, and life is at ease in these melancholic compositions. crispy crackling percussions and icey pads place you in the midst of a resonant arctic landscape. you can hear influences drawn from producers like biosphere, pub, brian eno but we also hear more contemporary influences from modern day film composition but most of all we here boris his own signature. the tracks were composed over a couple of years (2015-2017) in a more contemplative mindset. at some point this selection formed a consistent piece of music and as a result you hear his most personal and fragile works to date. fauxpas musik is proud to release this new project in 2018. written and produced by boris bunnik aka conforce at the pasadenaoceanlab studios special thanks to family, friends and fauxpas musik for their support. this release comes in 180g vinyl and a hot foil stamping on the cover. vinyl tastes better...

psyfunk is a record series curated by franco cinelli, driving force of the south american underground dance music landscape and argentina’s most respected producer and dj. with psyfunk, cinelli provides a selection of minutely crafted and slowly-evolving extended dj tools. for this third chapter, cinelli calls on young upcoming talents from argentina and uruguay. opening up the a.side, bodeler lands with his reduced ghettotek funk, which is already one of the deadly dancefloor weapons of some of the most respected djs out there. irresistible! following up, is richard hz. other very promising artist on argentine grounds, hz provides here a burning break track, with clear touches of psychedelic acid and mystery. an ideal track to keep the floor floating in thin air. on the flip! alan castro, hailing from the atlantic coast of bahia blanca, produces here an intimate number packed with melancholy. jazzy relaxing swings under a sea of glitches, afterhour material. bringing this record to the runout is a wonderful and rare appearance of the uruguayan z@p. “mental telepathy” is resolutely funky and a clear flashback to the us midwest right when house became techno.

solar shield kicked off the austin boogie crew records discography with a bang in 2014 with his -reesis- 45 -- so much so that the labelhad to press it 3 times to meet demand. now , austin boogie crew present his much anticipated selftitled lp with 9 tracks of laid back modern funk! . austin, tx, musician chris mcdowell is a wonder on the keys. under his solar shield moniker texas producer chris mcdowell creates exuberant compositions that elegantly walk a tightrope between modern funk and electronic beat music. this quality nine track release features songs created between 2011 and 2013, settling into the modern funk cannon of 2018 with ease.

pi electronics reaches its fourth release with pi04 and welcomes on board the legendary figure of justin k. broadrick, also known as jk flesh. broadrick, whose name relates to the birmingham industrial metal band godflesh, as well as napalm death, jesu and more, delivers an ep of 3 original tracks under his electronic music moniker of jk flesh. informed by industrial, dub, power electronics and the extreme excesses of electronic music driven by beats and bass, jk flesh presents different sides of his repertoire. california based juan mendez aka silent servant, co-founder of the ground-breaking jealous god and sandwell district imprints and known for his minimal wave-indebted techno sound, offers an atmospheric electro remix of broadrick’s pi04.2.

damon wild releases 4 funky acidic minded psychedelic new tracks under his alias mistaken identity.

after releasing its two-parts -10 years be as one” compilation, bao debuts a new talent on the imprint “linkan ray- a moniker under which hides one of spain s most successful techno artists of recent times. fresh with a new name on be as one, the producer delivers 3 rolling cuts, while retaining a common denominator of uncompressed dark and moody techno.

the enigmatic tennessee-raised, turin-based yves tumor presents a poignant new album, recorded between miami, leipzig, los angeles and berlin over the past three years.
evolved from a diverse and prolific creative history under an expansive plethora of covert aliases via various forward-thinking labels, ‘yves tumor’ emerges as his most personal and matured incarnation to date.
with involvement across various artistic outlets expanding to fashion such as a visceral live performance for la’s hood by air earlier this year, the global artist has built a distinctly bold personal aesthetic both musically and visually as a performer.

american dj & producer eric estornel aka maceo plex is set to relaunch his old moniker called mariel ito in 2018. the mysterious alias was active during the early 2000s and flourished from estornel’s experimentation on electro sounds before he would become known worldwide as maceo plex. he delivered a bunch of releases under this moniker during 2005 and 2006 including an ep on modern love and an album on scsi-av, to name a few. estornel will come back with a first mariel ito ep in 12 years. this new single titled 2e komst will land on january 26th on his fresh imprint lone romantic, that he launched with the recent maceo plex lp solar last summer. the ep brings two new tracks sintex49 and dmode90 that illustrates the electro edge of his sound with the recognizable obscure synths and electrifying samples of his productions. all tracks written & produced by eric estornel

wolf müller & versatile label head gilbr give the remix treatment to zombie zombies hippocampe - the first track from their recent livity lp. a long time fan of the band, jan schulte (under his wolf müller alias), delivers 2 interpretations of the track, combining heavy krautrock influences a la can with a distinctive b-boy twist. gilr takes hippocampe in a more minimalistic direction, with heavy drums laying the basis for a dubbed out journey.

daniel avery returns to phantasy for a 4-track limited edition 12inch vinyl ep, slow fade, featuring the title track and first single from his much-anticipated sophomore lp, upcoming in april via phantasy. a prelude to the lps sonic exploration of the twilight world of a personal, transient life spent between clubs, hotel rooms, airports and home, slow fade captures the expanded foundations of averys sonic palette. arresting club moments linger under the surface, but the focus is on the smudged ambience that underpin averys grasp on rave euphoria. as a re-entry into a broader musical universe, slow fade is immediately compelling, combining neo-acid, feedback loops and pure atmosphere at a patient but restrained pace. meanwhile, after dark alters this aesthetic to its raw, pensive elements, stripping avery’s distinctive drums completely, revealing a meditative, ambient fog. radius announces itself with industrial intent, before unfolding seamlessly into a wistful electronic hymn, the perfect soundtrack to brooding london skies, and eventually evolving into slow-motion motorik. closing the ep, fever dream finds avery at club tempo, but in a somewhat agitated state, on this occasion focusing on a paranoid rhythm that emerges clean from eerie, even paranoid territory. close your eyes, press repeat.

rekids launch re-issue label entitled r-time records with four timeless tracks from sir lord comixx. having established a handful of renowned imprints such as rekids, pyramids of mars, cabin fever and the double r, matt edwards new venture aims to shine a light on classic tracks that didn t always get the recognition they deserve. amoon sir lord comixx and i go back a long way and we met through our friend justin isonoe in the early 90s,” says matt edwards. “i was still living in catford and would regularly drive over to justin s studio where he d play me all this crazy, otherworldly music from amoon and it blew my mind i was completely captivated by his unique take on techno. at the time i had no idea that we grew up in the same neighbourhood and amoon was living just around the corner so, of course, we hooked up and in 1996 i released an ep from him including one of his classics ur my omen on my hard up label.” composed of four tracks from separate releases, retroactive (part one) inaugurates with 1 4 the groove from sir lord comixx s danceteria ep on ugly music. produced in 96, the track s raw aesthetic features sharp percussion, heady melodies and a compelling groove. meanwhile, enemax - which appeared on 1a records demonstrates throbbing synths and shuffling drums. originally produced under his a.moon moniker in 98, funk box is the most robust track on the package with its thudding kicks and assortment of meandering sounds, before the azid jazz provides a deep and funky finale.

julien sandre and mennie return under their jarau guise this january with the saturn system ep, set for release via visionquests special edition sub-label. julien sandre and mennie return under their jarau guise this january with the saturn system ep, set for release via visionquest’s special edition sub-label. france’s julian sandre and italy’s mennie have both individually carved out quite the career over the past decade with the former racking up releases on blindbox, franck roger’s home invasion and e wax amongst others, and the latter holding a residency at tenax club in italy and collaborating togheter on releases for poker flat and housewax of late, 2017 also saw their collaborative debut as jarau which came courtesy of the revered pleasure zone imprint. now returning for their second ep under this new guise the pair join the roster of visionquest special edition with saturn system and taking the lead is le voyage a snaking journey through billowing synth swells, jangling percussive chimes and organic drums before dubhe strips the vibe back to modulating resonant synths, shuffled stripped-back rhythms and lumpy sub bass tones. adrienne opens the flip side with the focus on a swinging drum groove as airy atmospherics ebb and flow throughout. hypnotize then rounds out the package and as the name would suggest relies on subtle nuances to draw you deeper and deeper into the intricately programmed percussion and smoothly blooming synth flourishes.

edition of 75 black tapes with riso print (download code included)... olfactory nerve is a recent moniker of thessaloniki-based artist photis houliaras, whos been actively conducting experiments and releasing albums on tape under his mysterious guise le fonte son. influenced primarily by synth electronic music and psychedelic mysticism, the greek electronic composer is injecting new ideas into something in the ballpark of the unknown rarities from the underground cassette scene. orfeo, his first album for details sound, offers a diverse range of original and magnetic output with a naive experimental heart.

four cuts of sublime underground house music from across the globe. sean mccabe with previous releases on local talk & joey negros z records label, victor sol under his soul2black moniker, b side see s the return of soul central as johnny rampin & to round of the ep u.k garage pioneer brian keys tharme.

2017 remixes of volcov s this time under his classic isoul8 moniker song on my heart, featuring the great paul randolph on vocals. the ndatl boss delivers three versions that combine jazziness and dancefloor attitude. also included here the in-demand jam speak your word that features osunlade on keys and spoken word by rasiyah.

for almost a decade, spains ramiro lopez has established himself as one his countrys leading proponents of techno, with strong releases across labels that include suara, intec, octopus recordings and bedrock. he first debuted on drumcode in 2015 with the rousing collaborative track clap your hands that ranked among one of the labels standout tracks for the year. with one drumcode release already under his belt in 2017 and a new label project odd recordings with fellow dc cohort arjun vagale recently launched, hes enjoying another strong year. his return to the label comes in the form of being alone , a powerful trio of cuts, all of which featured in adam beyers awakenings festival day 1 performance. the title track is a multi-layered weapon, propelled by a dizzying vocal, swirling synth effects and pin-sharp percussion that build toward a smooth classy finish. dark science is an effective stomper brought to life by a bell chime hookline and undulating synth melody ensuring its peak-time prowess. der raum rounds out the ep, highlighted by lopez s deft drum work, proceeded by a driving, euphoric climax.

during the mid-nineties, david kempston secured himself a considerable following while recording releases for the seminal uk labels clear and evolution/universal language. he went on to produce music under various guises including the solid house sounds of cartel productions and his darker electro alias clatterbox. now its 2011 and time seems right to put out a collection of tracks that we have been sitting on for quite a while. 2 very strong and razor sharp electro tracks of the highest order + the main track desolate void, an experimental drone that comes in various different takes through out the ep for a healthy dose of unpleasant frustrated funk atmosphere. this is the first ff release in a new quality series of limited hand numbered and hand stamped colored vinyl 12 inches. highly limited, so act quick!

estmode, after a fantastic release under his alias arav on bordei records comes up with this melodic mood ep on vidre, new white label with limited press.

ext to being one of the core members of the acoustic deep listening ensemble razen, ameel brecht is a trained guitar player who has a life-long involvement with the instruments repertoire under his belt. on his debut album polygraph heartbeat, he puts his guitar-heart on the line by means of 9 compositions for steel resonator and resonator mandolin.

spell pets backwards to get step. spell step forwards and you get pets going back to basics. step is the new vinyl-only label from the founders of pets catz n dogz with a focus on the rawest forms and root functions of dance music. step searches for the fundamentals with under-theradar house and techno thats not afraid to be rough around the edges. its all about the music.

all tracks of the ep are accompanied by idil meos soft as summer rain vocals and lyrics rhyming on stories of streets. the ep will be released under kanto records label, the newly established contemporary platform focused primarily on experimental music and the arts, founded by oceanvs orientalis himself. featuring many esteemed musicians such as ilhan ersahin, idil mese, hasan gozetlik and ali ceyhun kartalsuna, general tales of ordinary madness ep consists four tracks, recorded over a year in new york and istanbul.

hike: cristal clear lakes, impressive mountains, soothing forests and berlin techno music. the tazekka national park in morocco features forests of cork oak and holm oak, caves, canyons, rural landscapes, cascades and a mountain jbel tazekka which is some 1.980 meters high. its a joy to hike through, yet it flies under the radar of most visitors to morocco. sometimes, if youre really lucky, you can find a beautiful aragonite near a spring in one of the beautiful caves, that belong to the national park.

for house heads of a certain persuasion, dj duke is a name that resonates for all the right reasons. the u.s. veteran has been responsible for some of the 90’s most seminal moments, chiefly through tracks such as 12 minutes to do it (under his pleasure dome alias), party time and the prosumer-endorsed deep house classic, heard. he returns here courtesy of emerging imprint solo werks, who host his latest ep, green pastures. a momentous house-led workout, it compounds duke’s reputation as a producer of considerable panache while also acting as an auspicious start to life for the dublin based label. the title track is a grainy, old-school cut that bears all the hallmarks of a dusty analogue-jam and harks back to the days of vintage chicago with the sort of zest you’d expect from a man of duke’s credentials. the other original, skyscapes, is packed to the brim with industrial motifs and is characterised by the sort of effortlessly catchy baseline with which duke has made his name. mysterious and ethereal, it takes the listener on an uncompromising and throughly captivating house journey from the off. on the flip side, we have two stunning remixes, the first of which arrives from new jersey don, ruben candelario aka nicuri. a long-time favourite of nyc-based producers a la joey anderson, nicuri turns green pastures into a dreamy, acid-led space, adding layers of suspense and a glittering vocal intto the mix as he goes. last but not least are dublin-based producers slowburn, who serve up a stunning version of skyscapes. a carefully construed voyage into the deep, it caps off a fine ep with some aplomb.

the third outing for modern manners emerges on the back of two very strong 12inches that introduced this anonymous outfit to the world. timeless vibe continues where the last release left off, building up a wonderfully cosmic bed of processed melody under which casual hand played percussion and warm bass notes can linger. azzahar too keeps things pleasantly soporific with its gentle pace and lilting guitar refrains, and then middle east manners rounds this excellent trio of eps out with a beautifully realised swirl of sounds that find focus once a kick drum starts pulsing and the percussion starts building. quite who modern manners are is a mystery at this stage, but across these three 12inches they ve certainly made their presence felt in the softest, most laid back of ways.