for serious music fans, sxsw in austin is close to heaven on earth. non-stop music of all sorts, plenty of beer & bbq, and for those of us in colder climates, a chance to enjoy some mild weather before spring is fully underway. this year, as a part of our celebration of 27 years of !k7 well be kicking the festivities off with dj sets from two of the recent stars of dj-kicks, photek & apparat.the party will be free and wont require a badge, so come one come all. in addition to the headliners, we also have a several special guests lined up, including artists who appear on photeks mix. were looking forward to starting the week of music off on the right foot with all our friends, and hope to see you there!

atlanta, ga. all-girl punk band the coathangers reckless energy from their half-serious roots is every bit as vibrant and rambunctious on their latest album, larceny & old lace. but this time around were hearing a band thats honed their trade and incorporated more stylistic variations. with this broadened artistic horizon, refinement of technique, and ed rawls production allowing every instrument to shine without detracting from the bands natural grit, the coathangers latest offering is easily their best record to date. join the party.

the fruit tree foundation is an independent project that grew from the scottish mental health arts and film festival. ed by emma pollock (formerly of the delgados) and rod jones (idlewild), the fruit tree foundation also features james graham (twilight sad), scott hutchison (frightened rabbit), jill o sullivan (sparrow and the workshop), alasdair roberts, james yorkston, karine polwart and jenny reeve. the artists wrote and rehearsed the album over a long weekend in a remote perthshire farmhouse and recorded the final album in chem19 studios. the songs were written with a view to focussing on issues of mental health and wellbeing. artwork design by aidan moffat.

even after more than 30 years of living the lifestyle of electronic dance music, techno is still sometimes looking for a matching form and sound language to transfer the special thrill of a live event to a club night adequately. so, sven vŠth and his crew were even more excited about the live set of eric estornell aka maetrik at cocoons closing party at amnesia / ibiza this year. for the final of a season that was once again exploring the limits of party culture, maetrik celebrated an extraordinary energetic state of emergency for more than one hour. the resulting live cd is reflecting that matchless mixture of pumping deep house, energetic soul and adrenaline-enriched noise.

uk collection from the 60s soul legends. smokey robinson and the miracles are one of the greatest vocal groups of all time. they made some of the most important popular music of the 60s and early 70s, that sounds as fresh today as when they were first recorded. this 20-track collection contains some of the groups most loved moments such as the tracks of my tears, the tears of a clown and i second that emotion. this collection takes the listener on a journey through the vocal groups back catalog of albums, taking in many of their best loved tracks.

2012 album from the british indie rock quartet. ester neatly combines elements including the dream pop of beach house, the sweet nocturnal melancholy of the xx and the sonic exploration of my bloody valentine to form an album that s streets apart from any of its contemporaries. it s a great achievement that from the first listen makes it apparent that a lot of people are about to fall in love with this band.

justice, the french duo formed by gaspard auge and xavier de rosnay, is the band of a whole generation. when the two friends were still bright students in graphic design, in 2003 they made justice a place to experiment a hybrid genre between music and image, which blends pop and electronic borders, and showcases the talents of 2 fascinating passionate pop culture craftsmen, bored with hierarchy. they met pedro winter who had just founded his label ed banger records, he immediately signs them after listening to >we are your friends< which, with its joyful and vitamin-enriched electro beats combined with exhilarating voices, became the hymn of a whole generation and one of the most important tracks of the year 2000, celebrating a reconciliation of pop music and the dancefloor.

the late steve reid, veteran jazz drummer and percussionist, and kieran hebden (four tet), the british electronic musician/producer young enough to be his grandson, present the fifth and final installment of their momentous synergy. the music on this double cd was recorded in concert on 20 june 2009 in the foyer of the queen elizabeth hall at london s southbank centre, as part of the meltdown festival curated by free jazz legend ornette coleman. for this marathon workout, reid and hebden were joined by swedish power saxophonist mats gustafsson, whose fiery blowing style had inspired kieran to seek out a drummer like steve to work with in the first place. live at the south bank stands as a memorial to a thrilling and productive partnership sadly cut off in its prime.

soundway return once more to the caribbean and are proud to present ifetaya by black truth rhythm band, originally released in 1976. led by the charismatic oluko imo, ifetaya was the only release from the afro-centric trinidadian band and is re-issued here for the first time on cd. whereas most of their peers at the time were looking to the funk of the usa & james brown for inspiration,black truth rhythm band looked to africa, fusing rhythms from africa & the west indies with elements of jazz, funk, calypsoand soul. ifetayo was to be the only release from black truth rhythm band but imo continued his music and love of african rhythms, going onto record with fela kuti in 1988 and later on perform with members of felas egypt 80 band.

this collection documents the two-decades-plus recording career of r&b icon luther vandross. even before he started putting out records under his own name, he was a first-call session singer (hes the one who created and sang the chorus hook on david bowies -young americans,- for just one example). throughout the 80s and the 90s, he was (both commercially and aesthetically) one of the most consistently successful r&b singer/songwriter/producers. this healthy two-disc selection of highlights from the impressive vandross catalogue moves deftly from heartfelt ballads (-a house is not a home-) to percolating, poppy numbers (-never too much-), spotlighting the mans mellifluous voice and tasteful phrasing at each turn. this is quite clearly the definitive career summary for this deeply influential r&b titan.

trust now is the keystone album of brooklyns prince rama. the album takes the kaleidoscopic mysticism of ancient devotional music and focuses it through the fierce urgency and archetypal language of pop, forming an environment that is both accessible and impenetrable. first conceived as a ritual to be performed live, the songs were fittingly recorded inside a 19th century church in seattle by scott colburn (sun city girls, animal collective, arcade fire). as their 5th full-length album, and first as a duo, trust now is perhaps prince ramas most focused, cohesive and powerful album to date.

incl white crosses & black crosses.. + 32 page booklet!

the xxlerator concept has become the longest running hardstyle club night of europe. it is one of the most successful nights hosted by club matrixx, where many well-known hardstyle djs have taken their place behind the decks. this particular club has been at the top of the dutch club scene ever since the doors were swung open 10 years ago. it has understandably been voted as the number one club of the netherlands three times. club matrixx stands for quality and they will no doubt prove it to you once more with an incredible compilation cd. behind the scenes, club matrixx teamed up with one of the biggest hardstyle artists in the world today: ran-d. this man has a large amount of memorable sets at parties like defqon.1, decibel, intents festival, emporium and xxlerator. in addition, his discography displays a high rate of quality and quantity with regards to his productions. ran-d pulled out all the stops to put together this cd. the result is a brutal mix with a perfect combination of raw and euphoric tracks. pure hardstyle will project from your speakers with the sounds of italian hardstyle legend the rebelz, a records and gunz for hire colleague adaro and of course the hottest tunes from noisecontrollers. he also added tracks from other great producers such as: alpha, psyko punkz, coone and crypsis. this album puts every hardstyle lover in the party mood and is a must have for any collection.

silent dust is the project of uk duo dan blishen (originally from manchester) and andy hobbs (hailing from kent), who produced drum & bass together for years under the respective monikers zyon base and hobzee. their self-titled debut,silent dust,brings their signature d&b sound into a different light, drawing from a wide range of influences - ambient, drum & bass, garage, dub, breakbeat and soundtracks. the result is a collection of deep, bass-laden productions that sound like absolutely nothing else, filled with lush arrangements, an array of found sounds (footsteps, vinyl crackle, sellotape stretching), cinematic vocal samples and glitchy, idiosyncratic drum programming. the album travels through a wide range of emotions and sounds - from the sublime intensity of the giant (equipped with floating operatic samples and tight drum programming) and the dark atmospheric grace of marlowe, to the weighted basslines of the club-suited zero nine zero and the sheer beauty of winter song lined with strings and a reggae-tinted vocal. though its driven by experimentation, this is a d&b record at heart: even the ambient tracks were written at 160-170 bpm. their debut album was originally signed to soul:r, but was pulled at the last minute: the duo bravely opted to start their own label, none60, to release their tour de force.silent dust is a downtempo, atmospheric album that will become an instant favourite for open minds, and for those who seek something new. one of the most unique records to come out of d&b this decade.

2011 holiday collection. the project started in 2010 when jan illustrated the diversity of more than 50 christmas tunes in the field of jazz, funk and soul to tobias kirmayer of tramp records, germany. although some of the titles had already been compiled, there were exceptional songs that grabbed their attention. major record companies owned a handful of the initially pre-selected songs. despite the fact that these terrific songs never topped the charts the quality of this compilation easily shakes hands with famous christmas records of major artists like james brown or lou rawls. ladies and gentlemen, sing along, shake your hips and dance because: santas funk & soul christmas party is goin on.

this duo of finnish architects launched their career in 2008 with spraycan on switchs dubsided. they soon found eager champions in the tastemakers at kitsune, sound pellegrino, and the blogtelligensia over at fluokids. by 2010, they were legitimate players, having remixed whomade- who, delphic, crystal fighters, brodinski, crookers, health, and, most recently, azari & iii. a more refined, structural sound emerged on the babbadabba ep on made to play. and the larger scope of their commitment to intelligent design comes to fruition on their upcoming album on turbo, erecting a post-tropical hermitage of dancing manÕs thoughtfunk. the music is highly detailoriented, referencing everything from bass music to curry house, with eyes and ears trained on millennia of art and concept, with a special emphasis on the millennia when music actually existed.

ralph myerz is with no doubt one of the most active music personas of the norwegian music scene. it was the year of 1997 when ralph asked for people to play percussion with him during a party in bergen, norway. the jack herren band showed up through a combination of mutual contacts and high-school friendship. supposedly a one-time-event, they had so much fun playing together that they decided to form a band, and ralph myerz & the jack herren band was formed. the band released a 7inch and a 12inch on the telle records that were followed by great reviews from magazines and dj around europe, including dimitri from paris who included the track nikita on one of his playboy mansion compilations.

this latest release by the ever impressive trunk records consists of two jazz recordings from 1964. the first four tracks, credited to west indian trumpeter shake keane, are taken from an unreleased acetate belonging to garricks private collection. the final four tracks consist of the shake keane & michael garrick quartettes a case of jazz ep that had a limited pressing of just 99 copies. much like trunks earlier michael garrick release moonscape (which was recorded in the same year), this is indeed obscure 1960s uk jazz. the first four cuts from the untitled acetate are very much jazz of the bossa nova variety. the hastings girls choir feature on the first two tracks and their lush vocals add a cool exotic vibe. tracks 3 & 4 are taken from the flipside of the acetate and were recorded with the gordon langford orchestra. the final four tracks from the a case of jazz ep are freer flowing and keanes trumpeting accompanied by garricks piano makes for some quality early modern british jazz. moody album closer regrets is a stunner and best showcases how well they both compliment each other.

gem club is an exclusive society: two people, a piano, and a cello. vocalist christopher barnes sings in a quivering whisper, and these minimal accompaniments assure that their sound never becomes louder than a hush. but the massachusetts duo s debut ep, acid and everything, showed just how much emotional intensity you could pack into compositions so spare, and how much could be suggested with so little. everything on breakers, their first full-length, sounds frozen over: icy, quiet, austere. you know that eerie feeling when you find yourself alone in a huge public place that s usually crowded-- maybe a shopping mall or a playing field- but at that moment is totally empty? this record sounds like a sustained version of that feeling. -i heard the party- juxtaposes echoing piano chords and a general sense of unease (-no one could have told you / your body would fail you-) with the refrain -i heard the partys here- floating across the track like the sound of dried up laughter. the word -party- feels so out of place in a song so pensive and lonely that there s something jarring about the experience. the feeling crops up repeatedly on breakers: a sense of slow-motion detachment, a suggestion that there were signs of life here once, but you ve arrived a couple of hours- or maybe a couple of weeks- too late.

xhins debut album on stroboscopic artefacts,sword,showcases the breath of his vision. as the second full-length release on stroboscopic artefacts, sword stretches the remit of the label s identity ever further. produced and recorded in singapore, xhin plucks sounds from the outer edges of electronic music and fuses them together. xhins approach revels not only in a hybrid sound palette but its also an album desi- gned for multiple contexts. its a record typified by duality. sword harbours electronic music ranges from brutal club sounds to deep and delicate murmurs.

its probably safe to say that youve never heard anything like brothers of brazil before. for the past three years the brotherly duo of supla and joao have been combining elements of traditional brazilian music such as bossa nova and samba with rock and funk to create a unique sound thats won over countless fans in brazil, and now theyre ready to expand worldwide with the release of their self-titled album. the duo was started when the brothers landed their own national variety show in brazil called brothers on rede tv. supla and joao realized then that when they collaborated the results were beyond what they had ever imagined.

kanda bongo man is a giant of african music and the artist credited with introducing john peel to african music. his fans number vampire weekend (cape cod kwassa kwassa), paul simon and john peel. all the tracks were recorded for joe boyds hannibal records between 1984-91, an era we can look back on today as the high watermark of parisian soukous, and showcase a band at the height of their powers. behind his soaring voice kanda employed diblo dibala and rigo star, two lead guitarists who are widely considered as the best soukous guitarists who ever lived. diblo was recruited from the band led by the legendary franco whilst rigos scorching licks graced albums by paul simon and it was their twinning that gave kandas music a wonderfully joyous, ringing quality. they both feature extensively on the -king of kwassa kwassa-.

leng records follows up last years out of town album with a selection of remixes and re-works of tracks taken from cantomas second long player ! out of town fused a wide variety of sounds and styles resulting in a beautiful, otherworldly album that moved effortlessly between blissful flamenco, shimmering, slo-mo nu disco, dubbed-out tango and haunting, ethereal soundscapes. the remixers were hand picked by cantoma aka phil mison due to their unique approach to music and their complementary production styles and the result is an album bursting with downtempo and dancefloor led remixes.

2011 release. their first new album in more than three years, hysterical marks a major milestone in the continuing evolution of clap your hands say yeah. born out of an intensely collaborative process in which songs were constructed, dismantled, and then rebuilt anew, the album finds the band their most confident and creative, expertly expanding upon its already distinctive sound. from the chrome-plated licks of maniac and the title track to the sheets of eddying synths and emotive motorik pulsebeats of into your alien arms and ketamine and ecstasy, the band delivers up sonically provocative pop music that is simultaneously jubilant, mesmeric, and altogether infectious. hysterical reveals clap your hands say yeah to be a wholly developed band in full command of their unique artistic gifts. this long play version pressed on 180 gram vinyl also includes a download card.

being a product of the age it was written, slow clubs 2009 debut, yeah so, dealt with the all too familiar space between adolescence and the oncoming storm of adulthood. a boy-girl duo who played a flower-adorned chair live, they were the polar opposite of what was coming out of post-arctic monkeys sheffield. slow club were fun, cute, whimsical and all manner of other words just shy of twee - and they hate being called twee. paradise, however, is where the duo grows up. two years on, it stumbles out of a trivial, self-indulgent teenage malaise (where sexual adventure was priority for most) and carries itself with a sense of perspective that only adulthood can give - a darker, more thoughtful view of the world. for instance, on the poignant you, earth or ash, a song about rebecca taylor s granddad, her melancholic vocals (beautiful, as always) evoke an awareness of mortality for those around her: singing -and i know, soon you ll go,- her voice seemingly breaks under the weight of premature grief. whereas even love-wise (an inspiration every band draws from) slow club s lyrical output is glossed with a more mature and detached sense of sauce, with taylor crooning on where i m waking: -i can see you looking at me / you got the brains i ve got the body-.

before he made his breakthrough with 69 love songs, stephin merritt was a little-known songwriter signed to merge records. the label reaches into its own archives for this rarities compilation, which features 14 songs recorded between 1994 and 1999. full description1999. some of the tracks were originally released as 7 inch vinyl singles by the magnetic fields, others are unreleased rarities, including three cuts from merritts unfinished science fiction musical and one outtake from the 69 love songs sessions.

cocker kicks off a collectable series of bargain-priced finders keepers compilations made to support the label in light of the recent warehouse fire at pias north london depot. a long time fan of the label and their doings, he was granted full access to rifle their catalogue and hes picked some absolute treats for ya, including, if were not mistaken, some which have never appeared on cd before. to start theres the perspicacious poetics of carol battens beeing, besides the legendary pseudo j-pop of yamasuki (made by none other than thomas -daft punk- bangalters dad!), besides a first cd appearance for jacky chalards super man, super cool from the cache cache 12-. youll also find a nugget from the stone soundtrack, one of the labels finest moments from amrals trinidad cavaliers steel drum orchestra, the glam prog of gongs rational anthem, balearic prog from fusioon, tender folk from jane weaver with wendy flower, and a bonus moment in jean claude vanniers au desepoir des singles. top picks, well recommended!

wretch 32, real name jermaine scott, is one of the uks most loved mcs - from the underground up. from his early years in londons flourishing grime scene back in the early 00s, the tottenham-raised lyricist has always stood out from the crowd. his conscious and reflective bars, along with an extremely relaxed flow, made him a firm favourite on the uk hip hop circuit. much like tinie tempah, wretch 32 has proved that british mcs can reach the mainstream without selling their soul to pop. the first fruits of this crossover success were tasted in january 2011, when his single traktor broke into the domestic top five following an appearance on the bbc sound ofÉ list. and his second official single, unorthodox, fared even better, peaking at number two in april. so its clear that much has changed since his debut lp of 2008, wretchrospective - but has public recognition come at the expense of what marked wretch 32 out as such a talent in the first place? not at all - on the opening title-track, the rapper lets the listener know that its the same old wretch at work. over a drum-heavy hip hop beat he sets up the rest of the album well, advising everyone to fasten their seatbelts as he prepares to take them on a ride that they wont forget in a hurry. never be me finds wretch delving into his past, opening up about making certain decisions in life that got him to where he is today. featuring rnb newcomer angel on the hook, the track has an inspirational feel to it - all over another impressive, but this time more grime-influenced, beat. a true standout is anniversary, with alex mills on singing duties - its a love song, minus any cheese. then the album lurches into the electro-infused sanes the new mad - a glimpse into wretchs party lifestyle, with ladies and alcohol at the forefront of his attentions. and closer dont go just might be one of the tracks of the year.

after two re-releases of conrad schnitzler classics, (zug & ballet statique) now m=minimal releases a completely new work from the pioneer of electronic music. conrad schnitzler is a sound explorer. for many years, he has been on expeditions, journeys through his collection of electronic synthesizers almost every day. sounds he liked has been conserved on tape and stored in his sound library. the result is a huge library of audio files, he calls them >solen<. >borngrŠber & struever< have got the chance to examine that library and started to con-struct new pieces out of the hidden gems. these are not remixes but new compositions. none of the sound combinations were thought or heard before. the 8 tracks form an album independent of any trend and therefore it becomes a real acoustic environment for everyone. the album was produced at studio.wannsee. to give the album more authenticity, the complete audio processing was done using analog equipment. they not only used many classics among the finest synthesizers and outboard equipment, but also custom built tube gear. the icing on the cake are the tubes used from the 60s, which bought christian borngrŠber on a trip through the atacama desert in a small radio repair business in the city of calama. thanks to the desert climate even the packaging of the tubes looked as new

2087 is inspired by the science fiction film -cyborg: 2087- (1966) by the writer arthur c. pierce, directed by franklin adreon. plot modification and soundtrack by jeff mills. it is the year 2087. the world had become a place where thoughts were not only monitored and restricted, but also, muted or reconstructed to favor the current rulers of earth and its inhabitants. the once exceptional human was merely reduced to a byproduct in the multi-dimensional industry of planetary hypostatisification. a boundless depository of cosmic energy controlled by an unknown force that had become too powerful to even reveal itself. a small and resourceful group of young scientists, engineers and devoted supporters create and send back through time a cyborg. a low technological invention consisting of human fibers and machine. out of desperation and precise planning, he is sent back to the year 1966 to prevent earths leading mathematician from thinking about the numeric breakthrough that would eventually lead to the mass thought control and human manipulation of the future. the cyborg (garth) soon discovers he is not alone in his mission, giving grave suspicion to possible traitors or spy within the young group of his creators. garth succeeds in finding and assassinating his target, but as the result, he alters the future and becomes the only remaining symbol of a time that never existed. a man out of time.

travis stewart is a producer whos always been admired by the electronic cognosenti, both as a solo producer in his project machinedrum and also as one half of sepalcure on hotflush recordings. after a break from producing he started to resurface in a major way last year with the -many faces e.p.- on glasgows luckyme label. however, for -room(s)-, his latest album on planet mu, he s well ahead of the curve, approaching the album in a way he s never worked before.the tracks on room(s) were started on the spur of the moment, often whilst traveling and finished in the studio, with the notion in mind that great moments of inspiration are fleeting so its best to grab on to that moment when it happens and squeeze it for all its worth. travis says of this process, -i feel like the energy of a song is lost the longer you spend working on it. this experiment in becoming less attached to my work essentially lead to a lot of songs that are connected sonically and aesthetically.-

yuri mendez jr. has an amazing gift for composing good songs. he arranges them and records them brilliantly, and then groups them together on an album in an unpredictable yet cohesive way (his last album had 22 tracks. this one only has 8). uri mŽndez jr. is a true artisan in the best sense of the word. this is pajaro sunrises third album, and although the essentials havenÕt changed (good songs, great songs), the rest has certainly evolved. yuris voice sounds more and more emphatic, and with an extensive register full of nuances, he sings a story in every song. in doing this, he covers a stunning vocal range that dazzles from the first listen. yuri has been playing together with the same fantastic band for some time now. with them, he has rehearsed the tracks (many of which they were already playing in concerts), and then gone into the studio where almost everything was recorded with everyone playing live. the benefits of having a group that has already travelled together, as well as shared stages and life experiences are evident. and, if this disc breathes anything, its travel, highways, and familiar stories stolen from faraway places that also feel nearby. its a grandiose yet intimate album that thrills and grows with each listen.

derrick morgans recording career spans over five decades, starting with smiths in the late 1950s with mainly r&b style output. in the ska era of the early 1960s he moved on to work with producers: duke reid, prince buster, leslie kong, c.s. dodd (studio one) and later in the 1960s and into the 1970s, with the ubiquitous bunny lee. during this time, many of his own productions were also released, this compilation features ska productions from the 1960-1966 period. the lp has been re-compiled, re-mastered and has new art-work. it features the best tracks from now deleted 12 inch lp rrtlp 06 and concentrates on obscure and hard to find sides.

amiable new york city-based alt-rockers spin doctors hit it big in 1993 with the jam band hits -two princes- and -little miss cant be wrong,- both of which fueled many countless collegiate afternoons spent hacky sacking and devil stick juggling amidst a sea of red plastic cups. released in 2011, the best of spin doctors, which doesnt differ too much from 2000s just go ahead now: a retrospective or 2009s playlist: the very best of spin doctors, features 18 tracks culled from the groups three albums for epic. front-loaded with the groups two biggest, aforementioned hits, the collection loses steam as it progresses (though there are some tight, 70s-inspired nuggets to be found like -mary jane- and -cleopatras cat-), due in no small part to the groups penchant for always staying in its comfort zone.

dave.i.d likes to think for himself. always has done. its the reason why his debut album didnt go quite according to his initial plan. he was going to make, to use his own words, >something pretty simple and straightforward<. but then he noticed lots of his friends were discovering new beliefs. some even tried to convert him. >im very open-minded to different beliefs, but i question and see things slightly differently,< he says. without necessarily wanting to, he found himself reflecting on existential questions. >the album is a record of the time that it was made, and thats what was going on in my life at the time. i didnt necessarily want to make the debut album like that. i felt i had to make it<. the cerebral inspiration catapulted him into musics outer rim. he beamed back a dark, dense sometimes confrontational sound, but ultimately compelling sound. but, in the end, it turned out to be a happy accident because the resulting record, called >response< appropriately enough, is mind-bendingly inventive, brilliantly off-kilter and constantly surprising. crucially, the tough sonics are paired with killer melodies: this is deep, heavy music you can hum. the records he was listening to while making >response< help make sense of his singular sound

daydreaming is the debut album release from paris based artist von d on boka records. a fusion chef of bassweight, von d has deftly sliced into unpredictable genres, concocting strange and beautiful new forms.the album sees von d collaborating with the internationally renowned foreign beggars, phephe, david boomah (vocalist for shy fx murderation), riya & mr lager, while his previous work has also been remixed by a host of respected dubstep djs including skream and tes la rok. born into the cultural melting pot of the paris suburbs, von d found his souls conduit in a beaten up old drum kit. whilst the riddims of king tubby alongside the foetal jungle of photek and serge gainsborg were initial inspirations, after forging a successful path as a sound engineer von d honed his sound sculpting skills to a razor sharp edge. von ds productions have been picked up by skream, arguably one of dubsteps most successful artists, who snapped up a release for his label disfigured dubs. dj chef released von ds >show me< on his sub freq imprint, which quickly became one of the most talked about releases of 2009 Ð so much so that three time dmc world champion dj craze has been supporting the track in recent mixes. not one to be complacent, von dÕs kept up the pressure with releases on black acre, tempa, soul jazz and argon Ð enough to attract the attention of bbc radio 1s gilles peterson who has included a track for his hotly anticipated brownswood bubblers compilation album. von d has created a global buzz with his numerous explosive live performances featuring unreleased and exciting material from himself as well as other established producers. having had a host of successful tours in the united states, europe and china, von d has now set his sights on touring new zealand and australia

milk maid is martin cohen from nine black alps. they were discovered by jack cooper of mazes, who released a single on suffering jukebox before they were signed by fatcat records. the whole album was recorded on martins 8-track in his flat in manchester. reference points include mazes, woods and the woodsist label, the shins, guided by voices, oasis, jesus and mary chain.

musikalisch ist drums between the bells die abwechslungsreichste arbeit enos seit jahren. perkussive tracks, basierend auf industrial/noise, rock oder ethno-elementen wechseln sich ab mit elektronischen oder klassischen listening-passagen von erhabener schšnheit. doch das album ist mehr. sŠmtliche tracks sind mit gedichten des lyrikers rick holland versehen, vorgetragen von eno persšnlich oder personen seines umfeldes (fitnessstudio, ladenangestellte, buchhalter, grafikdesigner, ...). jeder trŠgt seinen part inviduell unterschiedlich vor: narrativ, per vocoder verfremdet, als mantra, mit echo verhallen, stakkato, hypnagogisch, als gebet, abstrakt. eno nennt sie speech-songs. seine arbeit ist eine innovative kombination aus musik & text, eine neuartige form von sprechgesang und sicherlich sein interessantestes werk seit langem!

the beginning of a new era. founded in 2005 by thomas wendel aka don williams the beloved seminal imprint with cult status mojuba is facing the next level with the debut album kawasaki by stereociti from tokyo. when in 2005 the first sounds of mojuba were introduced to the world, people quickly realized that there is something very special going on different to the usual house or techno business É it was something more emotional, more personal, somewhat more deeply rooted! stereociti aka ken sumitani is truly one of japans finest when it comes to uncompromising underground dance music with heart & soul, whether it is the realm of deep house music or the darker moods of detroit techno. you can actually feel that his roots go far back into the early days of electronic club music but never lose sight of the history of soul, funk or dub. his debut kawasaki, named after his hometown, is delivering the quintessence of what is considered as the mojuba sound. being capable of such a musical sense, it was no wonder that the other mojuba family members nick solŽ, sven weisemann and oracy welcomed stereociti very warm. so if you are new to the world of mojuba, please tune in and enjoy the journey! kawasaki is a timeless piece of music, equipped with everything you need for an outstanding album experience. it will take you by the hand from the very first moments and will be there for you second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day until you let it go

mark stewart first made his presence felt as the front man for the pop group in the late 1970s. they were pioneers of the post punk dance sound and had success with singles such as >she is beyond good and evil<, and >we are all prostitutes<. when the band split in 1980, mark joined the emerging on u sound crew as a part time member of the new age steppers. he then went on to form his own band with keith leblanc and doug wimbish, the rhythm section of the sugar hill gang, and guitarist skip mcdonald. with adrian sherwood and his production magic at the controls, the maffia unleashed an awesome mix of styles that sounded like bootsy collins jamming over a bootleg jah shaka tape in an urban warzone. this incredible mix of funk, dub and electronic overload pre empted techno and drum & bass by years. mark stewart, often copied, never bettered. the film retraces the singers steps and paths from the early days of the pop group right up to the present. schifer, who followed mark around for a full 3 years, has crafted a detailed, often intimate portrait of the artist, supplemented by interviews with a. o. mark stewart himself, adrian sherwood (on.u sound), daniel miller (mute records), nick cave, mick harvey, doug wimbish, skip mcdonald, keith leblanc, douglas hart (the jesus & mary chain), fritz catlin (23 skidoo), mike watt (minutemen, the stooges), gareth sager (the pop group, rip rig and panic), dan catsis (the pop group), john waddington (the pop group) janine rainforth (maximum joy), massive attack, keith levine (p.i.l.) and many others, plus never seen live recordings and music clips

nice price deal !!! four years since osunlade has graced us with an original full length house album. his next release and self-proclaimed last house release is nearing the gate. pyrography is an evolution incorporating the signature yoruba soul sound, bridging organic and electronic. braced with more vocal songs than any of osunlades previous house offerings, he has created an innovative endeavour. tracks including idiocyncracy, the infectious envision, and the yoruba chant of ser al santisimo showcase the wonderful palette of the musical diversity encompassed here. in addition to the album itself, osunlade has teamed up with the amazing talent of pyrography artist scott marr to create an original art experience harking back to the days when these two art forms were one and showcasing the synergy between them. the result is a very special selection of >fire paintings< created for each track making up the artwork for pyrography.

the glitz have made people smile more than just one time during the last years. who has seen them knows that this is their life - their passion. so it was just a question of time they would honor us with their first long player. because of many releases at ideal, material-series, voltage-musique and pocketgame it is no surprise that this is no common album. the glitz are always different, always peculiar. fabulous remixes by daniel steinberg, nick curly, mihalis safras, kombinat100 and many others on this particular album collection prove this the truth. hugh and small glitz-hits were pimped with reinterpretations. blake baxter delights with a chicago-like smasher and tiny cheerful dub-melodies by soultek alternate with nic fanciulli s technoid grooves. on remixed you find various facets of club music by the glitz. a varied journey through the dance floors of this world. and the voyage has started just now

incl. tracks from j dilla, dj jazzy jeff, larry gold, dj spinna and will.i.am and from legends such as pete rock and marley marl. in addition there were albums leftfield heavyweights king britt and madlib. last but not least the set included a session of unreleased poetry from american literary giants - allen ginsberg, peter orlovsky and greg corso whose well documented movement lent its name to the series.

boys and diamonds is unmistakably a pop album but also one that comfortably fits in with kompakts long-standing lineage of genre-refracting releases. you will be hard up find another record that cohesively brings to mind siouxsie rubbing elbows with shabba ranks, giorgio moroder sipping daiquiris in bali, desmond dekker envisioned through skittering footwork, tom tom club sitting in with congotronics, even early madonna produced by chris and cosey. unlikely as all of that sounds, rainbow arabia makes it sound easy. mostly recorded at their home studio in echo park, muppet palace, boys and diamonds was written and produced by the couple with help from their friends in los angeles and beyond. drummer/producer extraordinaire butchy fuego (pit er pat, boredoms, mia) contributes arrangements and beats in places, and icy demons dylan ryan plays on the percussion-heavy island shuffle nothin gonna be undone . the album was mixed at the wonderful hobby shop studios in la by mudrock, who also adds some final production touches on the record. the 11 new songs on the album, were also made possible by the encouragement of peers/heroes in la like former ghosts, fool s gold, secret circuit, abe vigoda, and part time punks dj crew. outside of their hometown, they also found support and inspiration from kindred spirits like pictureplane, spoek mathambo, as well as their new home, the ever-illustrious kompakt