i:cube hat ein neues album aufgenommen. es ist ein sehr -handfestes- album, denn die acht gezeigten tracks wurden fast ausschließlich durch improvisationen mit elektronischer hardware - synthesizern, sequenzern, drumcomputern und effektgeräten - erstellt und in echtzeit aufgenommen, mit sehr wenig nachbearbeitung. es ist auch sein erstes album seit einem jahrzehnt.

vinyl only!

die alten freunde john cravache und i:cube haben sich zusammengetan, um das debütalbum von chimère fm auf versatile records zu veröffentlichen. verträumter synthie-funk reibt sich an heidnischen rhythmen und minimalistischen elektronischen drones.

bright future aka gilb r, satoshi yamamura and abel nagengast with one of their last studio sessions at the red light complex in amsterdam.

some nice remixes of the album on danse comme des fous by gilb r.

gilbrs erstes solo-album, unverzichtbares material!

session 4 to 7

french label versatile delivers the perfect summer lockdown soundtrack with this lo-fi afro-disco stomper hailing straight from the new ghettos created by confinement.

limited to 400 worldwide

french label versatile presents the newest work from legendary producer i:cube with these epic live sessions!

incl gilb’r rmx

deep house / experimental 12 inch by ariel kalma and gilbert cohen

what a trip... tip

dinked 7 inch vinyl

incl. anne lorric, arielle angelfred, bisou, cecilia, electropic, fabienne stoko, janou, laurent stopnicki, martin circus, milpattes, reserve, ronan girre, sonia, yogo, zigzag

dj sotofett / i:cube remixes

modern algerian music

in a time when jazz music is entering a contemporary renaissance and exciting the ears and minds of new audiences, zombie zombie s Étienne jaumet offers us his unique, idiosyncratic take on the sound with the sprawling “8 regards obliques”, his 3rd solo album with the versatile label

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

5 would be the key number for the brand new chateau flight release on versatile. its been 5 years since the last release and it took 5 days to record. nicolas (i:cube) was busy with his own material, i moved to amsterdam 3 years ago and as we like to make music in the same space. it took a bit of time but finally it s here, the dam house ep. i invited nicolas to visit me last winter, not to do music but just for a cool adam hang out. this turned into 5 intense days of fun production in my studio. it was amazing for both of us to witness how our connection remained intact after all those years and the ideas came really quick. the vibes of the tracks all turned out pretty different, it s a true chateau flight kaleidoscope with an epic 10mn techno track sargan, a more house vibe, crazy (dam house mix), a heavy dark funk drive of lo and the ambient crazy(ambient mix). this record would have not been the same without redlight records,to whom this records dedicated. james and abel left their shop open at night just for us and as children in a candy store we went through the racks looking for samples that formed the inspiration for this ep.

it was vladimir ivkovic who introduced me to the world of rex ilusivii. a world where the spirit of a genius holds sway. i remember spending an entire night at vladimir s house in germany, listening to all those recovered pieces, and feeling like i had entered another space-time. mitar tragically left us, one november night in 1999 in brazil, leaving behind an extensive body of work consisting of more than 500 pieces, for the most part never released. being submerged in such a unique universe, so singular, brought me happiness. it also filled me with hope, because i tell myself that today there must be many other outstanding musicians who produce in the shadow of the traditional circuit, just for the pleasure of making music. listening to the music of mitar suboti&#263,, makes you part of his world. he did not stop producing from 1983 to 1999, in different styles, but with an instantly recognizable touch.his music also marries the evolution of recording techniques with new instruments that have appeared over this time, from the tr808 to the digital samplers. it took me more than two years to select the music for this record, as each time i listened to the material it revealed other details and other possibilities. i am extremely happy and honored to present this record to you, in which i try to do justice to the different, versatile- facets of suba.

times of innocence etire en avant is a track by i:cube from 1996 recorded straight to tape, when he was still doing music in his bedroom at his parents house. this slow jam contains french hypnotizing aerobic lyrics combined with a funk filtered sample, perfect for a tantalising disco sleaze late night set. on the flip side, abel from the infamous red light records amsterdam offers us a surprising re-jam based on the original xxxx track released last year on the oeil cube ep speeding it up from 33 to 45 rpm, and then extending it for maximum effect. from cinematic slow boogie to proper boogie monster.

the man, the maestro, the mystery the cube! thats right, you read that correctly, new music from the mind of one of europe s freshest, not just one record, but two. at the same time. right here. versatile s main man (alongside monsieur gilb r) returns to the fray with a hotly anticipated set of tracks that will surely stand alone in their uniqueness, but if you re reading this then you already know that. i:cube has been busy, and he s keen to share the fruits of his labour with lucky us on this, the 120th release on versatile. the sounds here are diverse, impeccably mixed, arranged and selected by the man himself and will surely find their way into the ears and minds of those who come into close contact effortlessly. from the lost world dreamy trance of the first track flutes souterraines to the acid indigestion inducing fingering of the troglo dance, to the deep cavernous bass-line creepings of ramurc this collection of six stellar cuts is a stunning return to form and a perfect example of why i:cube should be regarded as one of the legends!

b-stock - plastic cover is broken - music = mint .... 3 years on, and after their first critically acclaimed album on versatile, five steps (aka jonathan fitoussi and clemens hourrière), who have been likened to the godfathers of the synthesizer genre (think suzanne cianni, françois bayle or morton subotnik and you re almost there!) are back with espaces timbrés a brand new episode in their exploration of the legendary modular synthesizer - the buchla, specially crafted for versatile records. after 2 years of tireless work, ever pushing and furthering their musical research, fitoussi and hourrière reveal to us new territories, textures, sounds and feelings to explore with the help of the equally legendary i:cube on mixing duties to add even more sonic reflections and mixing desk wizardry. this one s a hyper-jump into the future made possible through a machine from the past, giving birth to those most captivating of electronic mantras... dive in, the water s warm!

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.

van morrison scheint 2017 kreativer denn je zu sein: mit »versatile« präsentiert der nordirische musiker, sänger und komponist keine drei monate nach seinem letzten album »roll with the punches« schon wieder ein neues werk.
dieses mal kombiniert van morrison jazzstandards wie »i get a kick out of you«, »makin’ whoopee«, »unchained melody« und »a foggy day« mit überarbeiteten versionen eigener originale, darunter »i forgot that love existed«, »only a dream«, »take it easy baby« und »start all over again«. ein highlight der platte ist auch eine neu arrangierte version des traditionellen schottischen volksliedes »skye boat song«.
weiterhin wartet auf »versatile« noch ein brandneuer van-morrison-song, nämlich »broken record«.
das doppel-vinyl erscheint im klappcover inklusive downloadcode.

pierre bastien is a french legend that has collaborated with artists such as robert wyatt, jac berrocal and jaki liebezeit, to name just a few. he is also very well known for his compositions based on home-made mechanical instruments, designed and constructed by bastien himself. pure diy. using these instruments he would create a heady experimental mix incorporating poetry and some far-out music, all in all very intriguing and original indeed. needless to say when the notion of pierre bastien and versatile records potentially making a project together arose, it was a total honour! throw into the mix esteemed electro-acoustic composer eddie ladoire and now we ve really got something interesting. eddie and pierre met when they appeared on the same concert bill together and they decided to collaborate further with versatile being the platform for the fruits of this particular project. the original version of phantom dance is a beautiful piece where bastien plays a trumpet into some water blended with electronic drums and mellow organs lines, creating an otherworldly, subterranean jazz vibe for the freaks. suzanne kraft, the la native / amsterdam based producer turns the original into some mechanical broken funk vibes while rotterdam s oceanic delivers 2 fresh, reimagined versions. one for for the club with a strong afro beat feel while the other one is a slower affair for the after hours. both mixes bringing something new to the table. a truly original and interesting release from some very talented people, for those with open ears and open minds!

a 1997 house classic from french producer i:cube.

massive laurent garnier remix on this classic 1997 versatile release from dj gilb-r.

special edition with bonus 7 inch - limited to 300 copies.
it’s already been 5 years since the last zombie zombie album rituels d’un nouveau monde, after which the group explored other territories by signing 2 film scores, namely loubia hamra by narimane mari and irréprochable by sébastien marnier, as well as creating the music accompanying a contemporary circus show called slow futur created by martin palisse and elsa guérin. wouldn’t these beautiful parentheses make you want to return to the sources? after 10 years at versatile records, 2017 also marks the decade anniversary of the release of their first album a land for renegades in 2007, at the time considered to be one of the 10 best albums of the year according to rough trade. livity - zombie zombie’s latest opus seems to plunge us deep into science fiction, with a cover designed by the mythic cartoonist philippe druillet, who is also the founder of the cult métal hurlant comic series. the title of the album is somewhat misleading, as one could mistakenly think of a certain dub record made at the famous island records compass point studio in the bahamas.

it’s already been 5 years since the last zombie zombie album rituels d’un nouveau monde, after which the group explored other territories by signing 2 film scores, namely loubia hamra by narimane mari and irréprochable by sébastien marnier, as well as creating the music accompanying a contemporary circus show called slow futur created by martin palisse and elsa guérin. wouldn’t these beautiful parentheses make you want to return to the sources? after 10 years at versatile records, 2017 also marks the decade anniversary of the release of their first album a land for renegades in 2007, at the time considered to be one of the 10 best albums of the year according to rough trade. livity - zombie zombie’s latest opus seems to plunge us deep into science fiction, with a cover designed by the mythic cartoonist philippe druillet, who is also the founder of the cult métal hurlant comic series. the title of the album is somewhat misleading, as one could mistakenly think of a certain dub record made at the famous island records compass point studio in the bahamas.

ltd warehouse find !!

stefan schwander aka harmonious thelonious is definitely not a newcomer. he has been around for a long time and has already released lots of amazingly varied music on labels such as emotional response, italic, meakusma and diskant. he’s also an integral part of the infamous duesseldorf / salon des amateurs axis that is an obvious hotbed of talent. he describes his style as -american minimalism vs. african drumming vs. european sequencing-, a heady mixture which is clearly evident on this ep though with a definite middle eastern twist. here at versatile hq we were introduced to this clutch of tracks by one of the members of acid arab and we were totally blown away. stefan has a very unique production style, fusing all of the above elements with a hint of gamelan, a dash of tweaked fm synthesis type sounds with a dose of warm ambience and finally his own singular touch on the mix. we are very happy to present you these 4 tracks to you, an essential ep from one of european music s true originals.

genuine emotional house in the vein of his early cassette days, combined with twisted disco loops.

i discovered benoit b through his own label - banlieue records. he’s part of a new breed of young french producers who make music without any hang-ups and that are inspired by the entire history of house and techno and everything in-between. i liked the combination of club beats with a deep, super melodic approach. the 6 tracks featured here almost make up an entire album that reflects benoit’s skills and sense of production. everything is here -from ambient experiments to heavyweight club tracks and beyond. here, bear witness to the new sound of france (even though he lives in berlin!)

inspired by a french 19th century etching, nicolas chaix (a.k.a i:cube under his moniker icola) made these 4 diabolical percussion driven tracks during the hot summer of 2016. ultra heavy and trippy music for the body and the mind.

played by sven vÄth !!!in a recent interview, i:cube mentioned how difficult it is to finish an album. he finally triumphed over the chimera and delivered a new ep – lucifer en discothèque – as a prelude to his forthcoming album (he must have fought the chimera for real!) after 15 years of an almost constant production, how can any artist possibly avoid the pitfall of repetition while re-inventing his style? cube delivers a masterly answer! as its name implies, transpiration (>perspiration< in english) is sure to make dance floors sweat around the globe. whats fascinating with these new tracks, especially transpiration, is the way chaix manages to reconcile the old with the new, his 15-year heritage of production with all the recent technological developments. this track reveals various influences, for instance todd terry, godfather of the 90s ny house, as well as sheffield rave parties of the same era yet revisited without an ounce of pomposity.

supported by flemming dalum, tim sweeney, joakim, chimère fm, france culture, françoise pigeot. monster fritalo tune featuring john cravache on vocals and piano, produced by partner in crime i:cube. same version as on the - cites nomades lp, but now ready to be played out loud in the discothèques and fun fairs.

alma vox is an eccentric parisian combo, they gave us this little 7-inch without much explanation, and we were instantly drawn by its hazy poetical pop appeal. the a side covers the famous french 80 s song ‘toi mon toit , by elli medeiros, adding a sensual neurasthenic disco twist, yet danceable and fun. theme ii on the b-side, has a mid-tempo reggae/funk mood combined with some ecstatic emotional chords. perfect for a cliché-freemediterranean sunset, this tune has already worked wonders on various discerning dance floors. both tracks have been mixed by i:cube, who added his unique sound to great effect.

mystery, poetry, a play of masks: artistic creation according to john cravache. his collaboration with versatile dates back to the beginning of the millennium. a childhood friend of i:cube, he is 44 years old, lives in a paris suburb, and is not a professional artist. getting involved in writing, he has been boasting his artistic and economic independence and his crafty attitude outside of the industrial system. he gave himself time to invent a personal world, wild and funny, which eventually gave birth to the album -cités nomades-. even though his influences are quite varied and avant-garde (magma, captain beefheart, tom waits), they did not really affect this unclassifiable project. poetry and mystery come before all, because john cravache is appearing masked. john cravache and nicolas chaix (i:cube) have recorded radio creations since the early 90s, in particular for chimère fm in paris, as well as numerous long improvised music sessions. at the approach of the millennium, they embarked on the creation of an album that was not completed until sixteen (!) years later. john is a poet, accomplished pianist, and registered truck driver and nicolas, a self-taught musician, have both made the realisation of -cités nomades- possible. this is not an ironic pop album, this album is simply all you want. listening will do you much good

slow futur was the name of the live soundtrack of zombie zombie for a juggling company. an add project that we decided to release some months ago, consisting in 4 tracks of 15 minutes. we were suprisingly sold out very quick. so we decided to give that record a longer life having some new mixes of one the track : hyperspace. tolouse low trax is all around the place at the moment. the amazing resident dj at salon des amareurs in dusseldorf provides a kind of sleazy remix here,that never really starts but subtlelly evolves while i:cube brings it in the dub territories, in a lush mood. enfin, gilb r provides a little reprise,putting the percussions in the front for a tropical effect.

versatile records are proud to present a 12 inch vinyl sampler of selected tracks form the forthcoming physical and digital anniversary compilation spanning 20 years of the labels output 1996/2016. the compilation will feature exclusive and unreleased music carefully chosen from the versatile records vaults. the sampler features the return of the mighty i:cube with his early house influenced cut vvv, inspired by the masters with that unique cubic touch.

2016 repress x 300 units
excellent fresh house for the deeper underground business

2016 repress - 250 copies only. after the success of his smack release on versatile, maghreban returns with 3 tracks for the label. all of them are quite different. i m not gonna describe them all here… here are some adjectives who will help you to catch the vibe : b-boy house / rough / jackin / early techno influenced / esg / deep / k7. all i can say is that ayman has a special approach to house music, probably influenced by his hip-hop roots as a producer. lots of cuts, breaks and raw sounding for maximum floor effect.

this track has been in my computer since a little while when dj sotofett joined me here in amsterdam, to play an epic back to back at the school (amazing new club here). when i am doing a track, it could go to a lot of different directions as im jamming them for hours in my pipe studio. i sometimes could get lost. so i asked sotofett to join me in the studio to help to finish it. then we ended with those 2 versions of cham, which are, as often when i work with the sextags man, the result of live takes almost unedited. we also add some percussions from shadi khries and we recorded two versions of the same track within hours. one being bass driven with a lot of psychedelic noises and the other one more space-techno. our adventures continues, here is another slice of spaced out music.hope you ll enjoy.