drake white’s debut album spark shot to 1 on the itunes top country albums chart upon release. drakes emotional ballad makin me look good again won him the 2017 british country music association award for international song of the year. with strong support from bbc radio 2, chris country (leading uk country radio station) and critics across the board as well as an avid fanbase, drake’s return with his second album and a new tour is highly anticipated. this exclusive vinyl with blue and transparent marbling on the disc will be made available exclusively in the uk for record store day.

hessle audio is proud to present the first collaborations between longtime friend joy o and saxophonist ben vince. introduced to each other by jon rust, the two tracks are a result of studio sessions together as well as manipulation of bens existing recordings. both tracks explore the tonal, textural and rhythmic possibilities of bens playing within a focused dancefloor framework. ben vince will be releasing a solo lp with where to now? in late may, featuring collaborations with micachu and percussionist rupert clervaux.

beta librae is bailey hoffman, a producer from kansas city, living in new york city, who co-operates the extremely vital technofeminism residency with umfang at bossa nova civic club, and has previously released tapes on 1080p and lillerne tape club, as well as a single on physical therapy’s allergy season. incienso is extremely hyped to release “sanguine bond”, the debut lp from beta librae. an extremely singular ambi-tech-no-house album, encompassing all the deepest vibes of the rave - warm and fuzzy afterglow dub mixes, emo-ambient ‘ludes, yogic, tribal downtempo vibes and all, mixed with love by the one and only!

glyn bigga bush has been producing electronic and sample-based music since the early 90s when he formed rockers hi fi, going on to release numerous albums. since the turn of the century he has produced and dj d as biggabush as well as various side projects such as lightning head (sonar kollektiv), the dandelion set (buried treasure) and the magic drum orchestral (tru thoughts). biggas latest project sunken foal stories represents a departure from much of his other work in that it is not primarily based on beats. instead, his working method was to go with fascinating samples, accidental juxtapositions and irregular loops inspired by pioneers of sound such as faust and the audio experiments of julian house as well as early stereo test records, soundtracks and library music.

looking for a hardcore hip-hop addition to your record store day 2018 list? well, x gon give it to ya! this 15th anniversary reissue of ruff ryder dmxs best-selling single comes on blood red vinyl, and also features party up (up in here) and the instrumental of the title track.

named after the tenor saxophone, actually, jimi tenor is not just jimi tenor - he s as well jimi keys, jimi flute, jimi vox and jimi composer. yeah, he is, as a multi-instrumentalist and music master in general, all of this! but wait: active since the mid-80 s he s also jimi legend. and if you overlook his whole oeuvre then finally you will find out that on top of all of this he s jimi genius.

originally released back in 2011, lord giveth, lord taketh away, saw freddie gibbs team up with legendary east coast beat maker statik selektah. the project was recorded in a single day, with the sessions being broadcast out on u-stream. across the seven track ep, gibbs showcases his hyper technical gansta rap flow, stepping out of his comfort zone rapping over some classic nyc boom bap production. the ep features guest spots from trae the truth, smoke dza, termanology and more. omerta inc. will be bringing this collaborative project to vinyl for the first time. as well as featuring the seven tracks from the original project, the vinyl release will include two bonus tracks, crushin’ feelings and carry on featuring joey bada$$.

limited to 500 copies on heavyweight 180gm milk white vinyl, individually hand numbered in gold pen. chicago based producer icytwat, dropped his debut project, milk, in may of last year. milk showcases his eclectic style and range of influences, drawing from: odd future, three 6 mafia, 90s r&b and neo soul, early cash money production, and miami bass music, describing the resulting sound as “audio pastel.” divine council rapper $ilk money appears on two tracks including the projects highlight, don juan. other features include l.a rapper indigochildrick and atlanta singer kyeoshin. as well as handling production duties across the record icytwat picks up the mic and raps on the tracks without features, proving his talent on both sides of the mic.

one of the most popular, well-loved disco anthems of all time turns 45 this year. to celebrate we are releasing this heavyweight single with full 12inch disco versions of both i will survive and substitute (the original a-side). go on now, go. walk out the door. and make sure you get your hands on a copy for record store day 2018.

a year after the heartbreaking loss of brother scott hardkiss, gavin and robbie hardkiss release 1991 which was described by magnetic magazine as a throwback to that heady time as well as a timely loop into the future. reunited in the bay area in 2010, gavin and robbie produced an album that stands tall in the often repetitive world of electronic dance music. named for the year the hardkiss collective was formed, 1991 references the sounds and sentiments of their early rave days while exploring new funk and pseudo pop directions.

man powers me me me label proudly presents a very special new compilation, we we we, which will see all profits donated to the vital help refugees charity. the release boasts 25 new and exclusive tracks from a wide range of artists both new and established including pional, juan maclean, shit robot, medlar, asok, ian blevins and more. as well as the full album, two limited, vinyl-only samplers will also be released, with each featuring one exclusive track that is not available anywhere digitally.

repress with red standard sleeve ! you remember that kung fu kid movie, where he had to wash the motorcycles for years and then…whatever, constant dripping wears away the stone. dublin-manchester-nycs finest krystal klear (cold tonic, all city, tooth pick) has been honing his skills as a dress man for years and also made a name for himself as an expert in all things (electronic) boogie. the division is his dapper debut ep for running back. custom-made club studies shifting between sound factories, hot haciendas, heavenly lagoons and chrome-plated dance floors: fast, slow, hard and soft. a love letter to dance music written with pink ink. oh, and there is neutron dance on it as well…yes, the euphoric fun one. once again: dance!

up next on hot creations is the hugely influential leftroom records boss, matt tolfrey. well known for bringing fire to the dancefloor as well as to his productions, this punchy two-parter is no exception. on title track americas, tolfrey delivers a peak-time slice of rolling electronic goodness with pounding pads that bounce around the percussion, with a drum and vocal loop that lure you in. regain the past is laden with throbbing bass and subtle vocal stabs that gently caress your ear before thrusting you headfirst into the break. matt tolfrey has come a long way since his musical journey began. spotted by craig richards and invited to play at his fabric night, this culminated in the honour of recording fabric 81. since then tolfrey has become a mainstay in the scene. playing countless clubs and festivals across the globe, he also holds down residencies at stealth in nottingham, bar americas in guadalajara and r33 in barcelona. productions can also been seen on esteemed labels such as cuttin headz, phonica, crosstown rebels, rekids and his own impressive imprint, leftroom.

one of sonic groove s longest standing label artists, realmz returns with an infectious well rounded four cut extended ep entitled “mindfold”. straight out of pittsburgh the steel city capital of the usa realmz has been involved in electronic music since the last decade of the 20th century. growing up on a steadfast diet of industrial/ebm/idm/detroit techno and drum & bass, realmz has taken inspiration from these many underground forms of electronic music. in his signature style, the sci-fi sound design on “mindfold” weaves it s way in an out of bleak futuristic overtones set across a multitude of uniquely written broken beat and 4/4 drum rhythms. this heavily thought provocative & extremely well produced, contemporary industrial techno ep is a must for any aficionado of the genre.

the 30d records machinery does not stop. a new stylistic adventure has been concretized in the new label’s series “eyes have it”, which will be conducted by the well-known sonar and 30d’s resident dj, angel molina, as a&r. the lucio fulci’s movies iconic scary-eyes synthesizes the series essence perfectly. “eyes have it” builds the fundamentals for the boundless experimentation, lightlessness, cold and mechanical dynamics. the ep “shelter” is the very first result of this new proposal, an incontestable work signed by isolated lines. the swiss artist has a solid background in underground music throughout various projects, in and outside of electronics. that means a wider creative resources that can be easily noticeable, for instance, in the music harmonies. avant-garde, solid sound and savoir-faire, that is what defines the isolated lines production. “shelter” ep stylistic codes are crystal clear, brazen obstinacy of the rhythm base which sets the basis for epic distorted textures, that may become deeply emotional, like in the cases of “onshore” and “landfall”. steadfast rhythmic cycles on slamming sound mantras. furthermore, the ep includes an industrially nervous revision of “onshore” constructed by 30drop. isolated lines’ “shelter” ep is an utterly flawless starting point for this strongly promising new 30d series. so henceforth, keep always an eye on “eyes have it”!

as a polychrome composer, laurent perrier is developing his work through a large number of projects which, although they often share many common points, are all built on a strong identity. thus, zonk t has always been a way of exploring the most ambient fringes of dub, and the transition from the all-digital to compositions made entirely on modular synthesizers has overall not changed its approach in depth. yet, banburismus, whose unlikely title comes from the crypto-analytical process developed by alan turing during the second world war, begins by taking us by surprise with a long luminescent drone that seems to rise endlessly before dissolving little by little in a wall of echoes, glitches and distorted voices then make way to round and deep basses disturbed by metal peaks on which float distant blips, like farway echoes of the secret messages decoded by turing. real master stroke, this track occupying the first face of the lp is a trip in an ether much more populated than it seems. shorter, the three pieces of the b side participate in the same atmosphere, but still extend the sonic field. more stripped, more airy, more cosmic, banburismus achieves there new heights with ease. we could be tempted to play the game of references and try to put zonk t somewhere amongst the great experimenters of electronic dub. but who cares,, banburismus is well beyond categories, and laurent perrier, by cracking the code, opens for us the doors of a universe of disturbing and fascinating vastness.

for the past two years, flee has been working on its first issue entitled benga music – a signature genre from kenya. conceived as an attempt to document a kenyan timeless music genre – benga – this issue is also a visual and audial tribute to the heritage of east african music. approaching this musical genre with a new and innovative perspective, the first release of flee features a vinyl compilation and a printed journal. faithful to the local essence of the genre while transcending unproductive nostalgia, the two objects ensure that the vibrant traditional roots of the benga movement interact with a contemporary approach. to make this initiative possible, we joined forces with celebrated kenyan journalists, ondiso madete and emmanuel mwendwa, and collaborated with renowned international specialists such as douglas paterson. this great team work translated into a well-documented manuscript, with exciting articles, exclusive authentic photos of the era and creative present-day illustrations celebrating the genre. accompanying the journal, the record tells a surprising story, starting with the pioneers of benga (daniel owino misiani, george ramogi and the migori superstars) and concluding with the modern respectful re-interpretations of nik weston, jaakko eino kalevi, and africaine 808, blowing the dust of the original scores.

note: import release - limited repress - comes with digital download code and a 16 pages silkscreen printed journal with articles in english and french.

2018 has a lot in store for london spiritual jazz outfit emanative, with a full double lp and several remixes forthcoming, as well as some full live band appearances and dj gigs. “planet b” is the band’s first release of the year and it takes them in a slightly different direction, on a completely different vibration entirely, with an epic nine minute, almost post punk, afrobeat, disco and jazz inspired piece aimed at the leftfield dancefloor.

tom dragebo is a norwegian born dj and berlin residential producer whose love for techno and house music is infectious and radiates through every set he plays. hailing from a small leafy town in norway, dragebo has been djing for over 10 years and has been producing tracks since 2008. his latest release being the critically acclaimed so good ep on cleanroom records. his emotive and powerful debut for full pupp is a real tech treat well rounded by each a sparkling, driving pt diskomiks and forcefully clapping and delicately swirling prins thomas pure acid rett i fletta versjon.

red hot drum lead track backed by boiling point late night to early morning long haul truck driving or dancing music. shazam! vital sales points: drum track playing loudly the saws and sines have aligned! its how007 time. the release in front of your face is called the 417. it is three songs by daniel savio released on 12? vinyl strictly limited to 200 copies + an everlasting (well see how that works out) digital version of those same songs. this recording was conjured up on machinery people are known to touch and sell. mk1 menu diving desktop stuff. stuff that is ten years old, stuff that may be older. stuff that purrs, rocks, bounces and skates. machine prototypes on trade show floors will not be able to make songs like these. unless you would hand them to daniel which would lead to all sorts of inconsistencies in time. last year daniel savios race to the bottom and his plejjern från plejaderna album took swedish house music by storm. it is now with great delight that we hand you this 12?, acclaimed by well-informed djs. music centred around feelings for what is in front of our faces at the moment. how007, get in while you can.

transmitting treacherous local energy into his new creative undertakings, bogdan now joins the not an animal force keeping the flame well and truly ignited. a parovoznikov fires across all cylinders with a vigorous italo-arp bass motor, driving it further down the cosmic highway, engine doused in fully-lubricated synth-pad oil. justin van der volgen s remix swiftly rips the wing mirror clean off with a zealous two-to-the-floor-hitting blowout. on the b, listopad cruises top down with a more balearic approach. a dreamy square bass glissades alongside percussive hats and succulent pads that shuffle within the horizon, whilst computer bleeps chomp and add an intensifying clarity. kito jempere s remix closes the release with his first contribution to the label. it lifts up the original and drives towards sundown into moonlight. warping bass tones squelch against fetching stabs and brash breaks keeping this track fully pulsating.

das darkwave elektronik-duo boy harsher aus northampton, massachusetts, startet sein eigenes label nude club!

parisian veteran dj deep and romain poncet (well known for his traumer allias) released their first sergie rezza album on desire records in 2015, the album received heavy support from dixon, laurent garnier, hunee, antal to name a few. they now decided to start sergie rezza s own imprint. sergie rezzas sound is heavilly influenced by ambient, electronica, dub, jazz, industrial, funk, and also techno and house roots.

junior loves has previously been spotted alongside scientific dreamz of u on the excellent the dreamcode cassette for 1080p back in 2015, and now the spiritually charged producer is stepping out on sdou-friendly label tabernacle to impart some well-travelled rhythm science to all astral journeypeople. there s definitely a psyched-out drum circle vibe to light/new faith, but it s shot through with foreboding that makes it all the more alluring. hallowed (0.e.p) is a strafing exercise in space age arpeggios and eerie chords, and the scientific one lends a hand on the thrumming cosmic engine of altar native states

with the celebrated return of dr. octagon (dan the automator, kool keith and dj qbert) in 2017 including their first-ever live performances fans are sure to keep gobbling up the space weirdness that first surfaced more than 20 years ago. get on down presents a unique picture disc, featuring the original octagon album artwork by the legendary artist pushead. the infamous doctor’s head and lower torso reach above and below the actual 45 rpm playing surface, as if trying to escape their two-dimensional status. on the a-side is a brand-new dr. octagon song, “octagon octagon,” which picks up where the original energy left off. it’s a dark and grooving glimpse into keith’s rubberband mind, jumping abstractly from line to line, chock full of equal partscharisma and dementia. on the flip is the song for which the group is most well-known, “blue flowers.” the version presented here is the amazing “prince paul’s so beautiful” remix, which first appeared on a mo wax 12” in the uk in late 1996. it was the first meeting of the two great production minds from different eras – dan the automator and prince paul would go on to collaborate many more times over the next decade, most notably as the group handsome boy modeling school. this is another great trophy for any self-respecting kool keith and dan the automator fan, combining the old and the new in triumphant fashion.

aus music follow up a string of exclusive releases from primitive trust with tee mango (one half of pt) having released on clone in 2017 tee mango comes back to aus for his second ep in as many years. ep#2 carries forth much of the the same classiness hes well know for. a side ‘come a little closer samples a personal favourite make it last forever by inner life which is paired with playful drum rhythms and smooth rhodes chords. prototypical opts for punchy drums and a swinging bass, a track that would work as well peak time as it would warming up. wazoo rounds off the perectly balanced ep a deep cruiser with a pinch of acid.

sterns edits returns after their well received and recently repressed amadou balake excursions, this time with ben gomori turning his hand to guinea for a third instalment in the series of re-works from the sterns music catalogue of african gems. balla et ses balladins were one of guinea s national orchestras formed as a result of the newly elected president, sekou toures authenticite policy of the early 1960s, which sought to promote guinea s cultural identity following independence from france in 1958. gomori takes the scalpel to two cuts recorded during their years on the state-run syliphone label, making good use of bandleader balla s lively trumpet playing. the gently haunting nyo is taken on a stomping slo-mo chug with a head-nodding bassline and stuttering fx creating a shimmering effect on the tropical guitars, while the rousing horns of wilikabo are laid over with rasping synth bass for a punchy juxtaposition. sterns edits is an official collaboration between african music stalwarts sterns music and london s ben gomori.

a four track ep, by mysterious up & coming producers, which brings to you both the thrills of modern techno and the feel of a classic 90’s rave. this is the real deal. unknown artists hand stamped limited edition white label delivered with a well balanced mixture of banging techno/early rave tracks that will bring you back, to the lovely times and feelings of the 90’s.

steve stoll, the man behind proper back again on orbe, the well known madrid techno based label. limited to 300 copies on red vinyl

ltd fullcover edition! steve stoll, the man behind proper back again on orbe, the well known madrid techno based label. limited to 300 copies on red vinyl

doug cooney has cultivated his knowledge of techno over many years. doug’s passion for this craft runs deep and his dj sets span the full spectrum of techno, past and present. his style and attention to detail have earned him warm up sets for many of his techno heroes, with dave clarke, uvb and abstract division being recent highlights. as well as being a mutate resident, he also plays regular headline slots in dublin’s biggest venues & has played several gigs abroad taking a trip to berlin’s arena club last year featuring on the same line up as adam x & the dystopian record labels jon hester.

a multi-system conglomerate servicing planets within the orion arm of the milky way, terrafirm provides the desiccated, toxified, irradiated or otherwise uninhabitable planets of this sector with a suite of services to rectify all of their environmental challenges. from geoformation to carbon extraction, desalination to biome rehabilitation, terrafirm has a full range of services to return your planet to its naturally thriving, pre-apocalypse state.

the first step in most cases of planetary remediation is biogenesis, or the re-seeding of a planet with the most foundational forms of organic life. bacteria, protozoa, fungi and other unicellular organisms are introduced across all biomes of the planet. over the course of the next two or three billion years (while terrafirm is conducting other basic treatments like carbon extraction and cloud-seeding) these organisms will evolve and branch out to form all matter of flora and fauna. once complete, your planet will be well on its way to a sustainable, organic future.

vactrol park are kyle martin and guido zen. besides responsible for 2 unforgettable eps on esp institute in 2015 & 2016 under this alias, kyle and guido are prolific producers, with kyle being part of spectral empire (alongside black merlin), as well as half of land of light (with johnny nash) and more, while guido has been producing under the alias of brain machine amongst others. since malka tuti has been a fan of all of the above, it is no surprise the duo found its way into the ever growing family. with an lp scheduled later in 2018, this ep, self titled, is a door into the sound of vactrol park and its evolution - ever deeper, abstract, and mature. always clear, coherent and flowing, never boring. expect big things from this duo, as their live show, incorporating self-built modular synths and effects is destined for greatness…

berlin based jens dohle is a man of many talents. an accomplished composer and arranger for theatre productions across europe, classically trained multi instrumentalist, explosive live drummer for ye:solar, munk, hot coins, sado opera. longtime collaborator with danilo plessow aka mcde and noema from african shakedown fame. remixer for jazzanova and 4 hero. there s not enough room here to list his amazing work. 2018 ushers forth a new identity to his already enviable c.v with his first ep as james dole (a jokingly anglicised version of his birth name). the 3 tracks here all showcase his ability to create a strong mood and use great splashes of melody and rhythm but without ever losing the groove. written during a period of introspection in deepest, darkest berlin, each one tells a different story. ex is a moody monster of a track. it builds and builds into a pounding nightime symphony with a kind of epic-ness which hints at many years spent mining the highs and lows of music, love and life. big room yet with a gut wrenching soul beneath the slightly flamboyant majesty. made in east berlin and well road tested in the cities debauched nightclubs. fantasia shows off mr doles jazz and broken beat background with rolling, funky drums sashaying with hip hoppy live jazz keys. then those signature euphoric yet melancholic synths appear halfway through the track to create an emotionally halcyon mood. wibes. the ep closes with grande. super melodic yet cinematic with amazing synth work and a sophisticated arrangement showcasing james s well trained musicianship and artistry. an opus of melody and longing built for italian arthouse films about unrequited love. dj support from - midland, honey soundsystem, sandrino, jimpster, ame, dvs1, shadow child, joe goddard, red rack em, futureboogie, soft rocks, domenic cappello, downtown party network, danny russell

rocco universal, based in tokyo, arrives on when i met you records third release with a slick disco work out. fresh from his release on leng, rocco brings in the boogie. previous releases on on when i met you from label owner ten ven have generated multiple radio 1 plays across the dance specialist shows as well as a global club support.

phillys instant funk are one of salsouls most well-known and respected groups. appearing on the legendary tsop label in 1976 the outfit was renowned for their ultra-tight musicianship and for backing disco icon bunny sigler as his group. the late 1970s saw them sign to nycs salsoul label and this is the point where this compilation comes to life. i got my mind made up was the groups opening shot on salsoul and was a huge hit for them, helped in part by a super long, stripped back and funked out remix by paradise garage jock larry levan. this track and a whole host of others feature on this amazing compilation and snapshot of one of disco s toughest rhythm sections, boasting all their hits and some stellar mixes from levan, tom moulton, john morales, francois kevorkian, shep pettibone and more! this whole selection features the mixes in their 12inch glory, unedited, end to end, as intended. a truly essential package for the die-hard disco aficionado or for those who are exploring this most important movement in dance music for the first time. curated with the full input and backing of salsoul records and carefully selected to reflect the truly timeless nature of the music contained within. for listening, for dancing, for turning on a party! remastered by optimum mastering. artwork & design by million dollar disco. fully authorised and approved by salsoul records.

using a modular system comprised of make noise modules (as well as a prophet 5 synthesizer), kaitlyn aurelia smith created abstractions as a live score for the film of the same name by visual artist harry everett smith. comprised of a single track across the records two sides, abstractions presents a unique experimental release within kaitlyns stellar catalog of contemporary electronic music. this make noise records release was digitally mastered by shawn hatfield at audible odditieshttp://www.audibleoddities.com/ pressed to 12inch clear (140g) vinyl and inserted into a black inner dust sleeve and matte jacket featuring artwork by harry everett smith (comprised of film negatives from abstractions, licensed from the harry smith archives), assembled by sean curtis patrick

la’s kidgusto sets out to light up dance floors worldwide spanning influences from south america to west africa and beyond on boogieburg’s sixth vinyl release. kidgusto is joined by acclaimed guest collaborators jungle fire (nacional records and colemine records) as well as dc’s the harry bells band and la vocalist, by way of colombia, caro cobo.

tim (aka jean marie tiam) and the sadly departed maurice foty who died in 2011. the musical cousins hails from bafoussam in cameroon. their signature vocal harmony sound may be the first thing you hear, however they also have produced a host of funkiest african funk around. they sing in their native language ngomâlah, as well as duala and english.

africa seven is taking its first trip to germany... well germany via cameroun. charlie kingue soppo is better known as charly kingson, cousin of manu dibango and a cameroonian emigrant in the 1970s. charly first headed to paris and then found his way to munich in 1978. he recorded two albums in his career, “born in africa” in munich in 1978 and “dance to the music” two years later in new york. for this outing we focus on his debut “born in africa”. it was recorded in union studios in munich with some of the city’s finest (and surprisingly funky) session musicians of the day.

deepartsound, perpetual rhythms, osunlade s -yoruba-, and many others – -about u- is trinidadian deep s first release for croatian label burek.

born and raised on the island of trinidad and tobago, today a place this producer calls -home- is found on various locations scattered all over the globe and a variety of influences is what is immediately evident by rich sounds and textures engraved onto this piece of vinyl.

a side, -i want- is the most laid-back moment, in lack of a better term. warm-sounding tribal percussions supporting the interaction of deep chords and wonderfully lush synths running thought the whole track only to get enriched with a beautiful piano line in the 2nd half. if there is track fitting to represent the sunset, that transition from day to night moment – -i would- is the one.

b1 -ghost- is the track on the record with the most forward-momentum. deep tribal rhythms and lush synth lines are a sort-of a leitmotif on this record and are present here as well, with an occasional vocal snippet that only deepens the magic.

b2 -abourisha- makes good use of those leitmotifs in a similarly effective but overall quite different manner. broken rhythm gives it a slightly different energy, making it an ideal track for those 5 am moments when a track like this marks the night.

a new duo launches by the name of ghost vision. joining forces with an introspective, uplifting debut slice on kompakt, the pair are two well-known figures thomas gandey aka cagedbaby, member of matom alongside matt edwards, and daniel mclewin, half of uk-based production duo psychemagik. fruit of these blissful moments when no imaginary wall obstructs the vision and the stream of consciousness gives up to the entrancing magic of the creative flow, saturnus is an upright mano a mano between two musicians and their gear, unchained from all preconceptions and biases, real (machine) talk as the hip-hop heads would say.

after successful releases with labels such as rawax, taped artifact & thule records, the two icelandic techno titans bring us yet another intriguing release.a ohm is best known for his releases on force inc with his long-time partner exos and as an inventive techno dj. octal industries, a veteran who has already gained a reputation within the idm community under his ruxpin pseudonym, returns yet again to his origins with collaborating with ohm, a pioneer of the within the icelandic scene. bardo ep offers us four enigmatic & atmospheric techno tracks with intricate soundscapes and otherwordly chords. from the ethereal sounds of bardo to the hard hitting flow machine, a this ep works as an essential choice for both the dancefloor as well as for dancefloor within your mind.

an artist as versatile as alex krüger is a rare find these days, not only did he release numerous eps and albums as tigerskin or korsakow since the mid 90s, hes also been on the forefront of the dub techno movement since 1999 with outings on classic labels such as raum…musik, force tracks and 3b/ united states of mars. now ten years after his last album on opossum recordings alex is back with this well crafted genre bending full length caves & cages. from deep techno cuts through rippling ambient excursions to funky reggae infused live jams with haushausen this work is yet another milestone in the creative bubble alex lives in (i.e. his studio)

the italian dj and producer viels is the perfect example of a promising artist who has earned his stripes in the scene. his first contribution to dynamic reflection was a single track on a va two years ago, then a solo ep on the nursery last year and now it s time for his first well-earned vinyl called distrophism. although his sound has matured over the years, he has never compromised as far as his straight forward sound goes. circular, the a1, is the best possible example of that. the continuous drive keeps it going for well over seven minutes, without ever becoming superficial or dull. the b-side extends to other sides of his musical spectrum by making use of more drone-like, hypnotic elements. beside these three convincing originals, spanish heavyweight svreca jumps in for a remix of circular, completing the variance of styles. needless to say, this new release, proves that viels as an artist and this ep in particular, are forces to be reckoned with.

big tunes by mac gregor.., nan ye li kan is a sought after and well known bomb.. a welcome release that brings the two nicest tunes from the lp to 12 format for that loud dj play. . originally from martinique, clem marise voltine aka mac gregor moved to abidjan in 1979 searching for, what she called, her “negritude quest”. she sang about her love for her adoptive city until her death in april 2004 at chu of abidjan, trechville hospital.

rather than rely on their usual full band, live performance, one-room live single recording session, the making of ‘dragonz’ was a departure for the apples. a multi-studio project spanning three continents, they assembled new instrumental tracks based on loops created in the studio and presented them to a wide-ranging selection of vocal collaborators to complete the picture with, and applied this method to the capturing of longstanding live favourites as well. the concept of a “vocal album” was implemented on non-vocalist songs as well, treating the omnipresent turntables’ sample work not as the central element to the band, but rather its frontman. though containing disparate influences, guests and production methods, ‘dragonz’ is undeniably apples, might be their most focused lp to date, and it is certainly their most middle-eastern. elements of the region’s indigenous genres have always been present in the band’s work, but never has their influence been as pronounced.

sam vicary a.k.a hunrosa (meaning “to dream”) is an electronic music producer capturing the wild organic senses of his childhood and anchoring it with a darker 2am undercurrent. based in manchester, he is principally a bassist and currently a member of the cinematic orchestra, paper tiger and the dominic j marshall trio, as well as performing with manu delago, imogen heap, matthew halsall, anil sebastian and stuart macallum. his latest offering “ransome” is a heavily rhythmic journey, full of textured hand percussion and soaring strings, accompanied by the beautifully melodic vocals of alice higgins drifting overhead. the clap clap remix sees the black acre mainstay exploring expansive territories, polyrhythmic hand percussion and textured electronica perfectly intertwine, drenched in dub ambience, heightened by scattered arpeggios and swirling synths. the music is inspired by a coastal upbringing, represented in the music via field recordings, as well as being aided by visual stimulus throughout the writing process.

the barcelona based record store and label run by dj bruce lee is very proud to release the first work from tr, a well known dj in the madrid underground scene. tr was responsible for one of the remixes from the first release on the label. that remix was techno, but his tastes embrace many different styles as we can see now. multi ep is the second release on rhythm control barcelona where tr, colaborates with causmin lizou on the keyboard for the b side tracks. the a side contains 2 90s infuenced breaks and electro tracks titled bassaur and eah (part 1.2 & 3). the b side contains 2 detroit influenced house tracks, fingers de pollo and gitroit highlights. a producer worth following without a doubt!