press release black wood 02 javier carballo - morning vibe javier carballo is probably one of spain s most relevant music ambassadors.aceo & founder of under your seat, this canarian artist rides between minimal / deep house and low dub techno, resulting in a delightfully balanced and distinctive style. on this release, javier dives into an elegant and perfect minimalistic loop filled with strokes of house music. powerful dance floor oriented deep tracks. yaya is the hidden gem on the release with an awesome remix. this well known music monster gives us a masterpiece where minimalistic and energetic coexist to perfection.

for the newest release on disco halal and his solo debut on his own label, moscoman has shared one of his personal weapons with the world. the disco halal boss explains: you need to know where you came from to know where youre going. for my first original ep on disco halal, its time to go back to the middle eastern roots of the label. its a special track that has been the ace up my sleeve on countless dance floors across the globe. accompanied by my fellow travellers simple symmetry on remix duties, im proud to release this two sided work. a patented dance floor scorcher, ‘i ran, sees middle-eastern vocals thread their way through a lofty percussive blend, simmering up a psychedelic energy which will be turning dance-floors upside down for times to come. on the flip, trusty disco halal comrades simple symmetry, the duo responsible for ‘voodoo your ex, one of 2017s most rinsed anthems, spin ‘i ran into a chugging guitar anthem, all in cinematic twist and turns.

forceful grooves and trippy soundscapes here business as usual for junes, whose latest ep adds to a string of releases getting bagged by those looking to work the floor with tight and atmospheric rhythms. the galdoors mans flair for unexpected combos is on parade in circuit rift, where a uk-style low end is flung into the mix with rough drums and 4am melodics. there s a funkier bassline and rolling groove at work in awake, this time with rich layers of pads and blips. brass hand uses a different palette a sparkling, loopy riff and crisp drums though its still signature junes

part of the current crop of artists spearheading the uk acid revival, posthuman s output has evolved over the years, encompassing many genres & styles from their early electronica releases, to their later acid & slow-mo techno. their debut release in 2000 was a series of hand made cds simply called -posthuman- (though better known by the colour of the card inserts grey, black, blue and brown). the duo then went on to host a number of parties in an abandoned underground train station in london between 2001 and 2004, and founded their own label seed records (2) with which they released 3 albums and several other releases of their own and other artists material. they also were the first act on manchester based imprint skam s smak sublabel. doherty left seed records to help relaunch uk techno imprint b12 records in 2006, and started a new label balkan vinyl in 2010. in 2007, doherty founded london-based acid house retrospective clubnight i love acid- where posthuman are monthly resident djs. in 2014 the clubnight launched a vinyl-only label of the same name. he also performs as agt rave cru and as one half of altern 8 live shows since 2015.

deaf chonky is an israeli folk, garage & punk duo formed by adi bronicki and tami kaminsky. ep incl.red axes, manfredas remix!deaf chonky is an israeli folk, garage & punk duo formed by adi bronicki and tami kaminsky. the two members of the band grew up in rehovot (israel) where they met and rehearsed. their name (which means girls in russian) was given to them by kaminskys father. the bands musical influences go from garage punk to russian folk music. this is their 1st ep for red axes label garzen records. incudes two remixes by manfredas & red axes themselves!

blacksilk s fourth release features the emerging italian producer unconscious. four relentlessly sophisticated electro tracks infused with a taste of ebm constitute the framework of this record. unconscious stands out as a refreshing surprise, enriching the complex structure of his work with a powerful dark veneer. a remarkable remix by violet poison is an added value, both the artists hailing from a country where the vatican s influence still pervades every level of social and public life, molding a pervasive hypocritical morality.

snaker under chari chari and a missing myth of the future as kaoru inoue were his latest albums back in 2013. time has come to finally celebrate his much awaited return with the exquisite em paz lp. a celestial ambient collection that will drive us through a beautiful imaginary place where the quest for peace is central. in fact, all kinds of peace. em paz will spontaneously make you seek for some brian eno or jon hassell albums because it emerges from that same timeless place. a very strong conceptual and listening album from the beginning to the very end.

for her first single, the sublime title loverboy comes out as a big urban spleen, released in a space made of asphalt and artificial paradises. groups like hooverphonic or even portishead play around this throbbing softness that is loverboy, splashing about in the electronic lounge of the 90s. the opener, alien lady features a flute-driven solo backed up by a funky guitar riff that then transitions into a tropical beat and tanja narrating the story of feeling a stranger in a big city, not understanding the social codes and clues ‘i don t speak the language in the way that you know’ while worth to you is a dreamy, glitched-out hypnotic track which maintains an edge of mysterious sexuality and her signature sense of intimate detachment. if the atmosphere coming out of lomboy’s work can be sometimes felt as prude and even shy, it certainly does not intend to hide with embarrassment the aphrodisiac scent that permeates it. on the contrary, this modesty perceived in the interpretation and in the production sensually envelops the different compositions, and imparts to this guilty pleasure the feeling of a stolen kiss. warped caress brings us to vertiginous heights and takes us into abyssal depths throughout the five tracks. this suggests at times a diegetic representation of this erotic world seen through the insolent prose and at other times a mimetic representation where each instrument plays an important part in every story told.

batongo’s journey into the world of editing continues with discoveries of new landscapes, like with “calypso”, where tropical echoes and liberating screams invoke your most primitive dance moves.

louisiana soul singer bobby king first recorded as a solo artist in 1973 for the reprise label where he also sang for ry cooder. in 1981 he switched to the main warner brorthers imprint and recorded what has become for soul fans a most highly regarded self-titled album. “if you don’t want my love” became a single, an original pressing for this ‘modern’ dancefloor record recently onsale for £300. it is coupled with an exceptuional track from the album “lovers by night” not previously available on 7” vinyl.

omerta inc will be bringing bodega bamz to vinyl for the first time ever, with a high quality pressing of this classic tape. limited edition pressing onto 180gm double transparent tan vinyl, each copy will come individually hand numbered and housed in a high quality matte sleeve with full original artwork. the pressing will feature all 15 tracks from the tapes original release, plus two bonus tracks navy and the don francisco remix featuring french montana.

soundway releases new compilation of rare 1980s south african ‘bubblegum’ & boogie
in 1980s black south africa a local form of pop music evolved as the disco boom died down and slowly mutated. it was often ubiquitously described as bubblegum - usually stripped-down and lo-fi with a predominance of synths, keyboards and drum-machines and overlaid with the kind of deeply soulful trademark vocals and harmonies that south african music is famous for. compilers miles cleret (soundway) and dj okapi (afrosynth records) present a selection of 18 rare, handpicked 1980s cuts that highlight the period that nestles in between the ‘70s (where american-influenced jazz, funk and soul bumped shoulders with local mbaqanga) and the ‘90s when kwaito and eventually house-music ruled the dancefloors of urban south africa.

culross close follow up their 2016 debut album home with a potent offering entitled moments. the quartet (a moniker of k15) meld fusion and future grooves to create a captivating ride through some of their recordings. from the opening manifesto, the listener is thrust into a world of purpose and understanding. slow your stroll is where the record begins to unfold, as floating synths and percussion carry the groove. what follows next is the hypnotic inna trice, the rawest of all the recordings where snares and sincerity collide. the record closes with unison (a future groove if there ever was one), a number that showcases the quartet s ability to truly explore their momen

versatile parisian jay ka, offers a slow dripping slice of deepness to the saft following. with the help of paula king on vocals, title track only grace is a reminiscent anthem with strong vocals supported by lush chords and smokey rhode hits. as a real single should, this package also offers 3 interpretations of the original. with remixes by briton ny*ak and atlanta situated kai alce, this saft output should grab your full attention easily. where ny*aks rework maintains a more repetitive vibe with nicely timed vocal cuts, kai alces late night interpretation recalls classic vocal-house reworks from the glory days of extended 12inch mixes. as usual for a complete single like this, an instrumental version of kai alce s rework is included.

dokta has been seen lurking around 20:20 vision with a curious take on that label s particular brand of house. that step to the left becomes more pronounced on this record, where dokta gets to call on a wealth of live instrumentation to animate his sound. on london nights he interweaves vocal, ambling keys and crooked basslines into a curious and utterly inspired cocktail of cool-headed pressure, which jason heath then simmers down to a purely instrumental refrain. burnski goes to the other extreme and beefs the track up for a firm and functional ride, while ralph lawson dubs the track out and gives it a low slung swagger.

born in poland and now operating out of the ever-effervescent london, the adoptive city where she’s learnt the ropes of music production and djing, anii – real name ania iwinska – has lived many lives in one. yet if one thing’s remained a constant over the years, no matter the harshness of the obstacles life threw at her, it’s indeed a deep and inextinguishable love for music, be it behind the mixing desk at wired studios or in her own shoreditch workroom, the key place where she’s kept honing her skills with unfazed diligence, up to the point of making it her actual second home. a&#324,,,,,,,,ii lands her debut transmission on kompakt and surely not the last. named after the polish word for ‘roots’, ‘korzenie’ finds ania threading her way in between subtle deep-house and techno folds, delving into the essential strength of her past and present to carve out an hypnotic maelstrom of traditional polish music strings, tribal percussions and elegiac melodies. coupling eerie ostinatos with stealthy bass moves, it’s an ode to the magnitude of memory and power of resilience that reels out, blurring the line between late night club environment and further spacious, moony soundscapes.

gulf points expanding roster delivers a twist with the introduction of vienna-based alexey lanvin. men s fashion connoisseur by day, one look diarises alexey s private persona as he broods over the octaves with acutely romantic flair. his series of short online videos hint at a realm where long stares, midnight moods and south beach style are everyday fare a vision fellow pastel chief and label boss benny badge simply couldn t ignore. one look- opens this window to lanvin s electrifying world even further, his talking keyboards ready as ever to converse. alexey gets straight to the point, launching into two searing ballads full of silky rhodes and evocative textures. while an ominous inner-city funk adorns all songs, its definitely miami when the upbeat items arrive (both good love and lips could score one of crockett s fleeting love scenes in easy fashion) - suggesting his high street antics are merely a front for his downtown demeanour. ep includes: standing out, in and out of love, your eyes, good love, lips, cassette only bonus track. arranged and recorded entirely at alexey s home studio with minor alterations by benny badge at secret heat music.

g perico has established himself as one of the most promising and consistently great voices in west coast hip hop over the past year. having already released a full-length album in all blue earlier this year with us, we re now back with a vinyl pressing of his latest record. 2 tha left picks up where all blue left off and showcases a prolific young rapper who is relentless about honing his craft and is getting better with every new verse he records. the album features la rappers teecee4800, ad, and polyester alongside northern california s nef the pharaoh and mozzy in addition to the legendary new orleans rapper curren$y. production on the project is characterized by a modern take on classic g-funk courtesy of longtime collaborators poly boy, polyester, westside webb, and cardo amongst others.
pressing on blue vinyl.

a leftfield haven, happy at home on the fringe where boundaries blur and textures intertwine. it was only a matter of time before jennifer cardini and noura labbanis dischi autunno imprint featured the bewitching sounds of mehmet aslan. following outstanding documents from dollkraut and the magic ray, berlin-based swiss-turk mehmet makes his label debut with four singular works of art. alysha takes the lead 22nd century desert funk with sand storm atmospheres, mushroom clouds of slide guitar and a hefty dose of blues, it sets us perfectly for the rest of the ep. elsewhere were sucked deep inside the dream machine in slo-mo as beasts lollops and thumps with warped insistency, we have the stately swampy cosmic stomps and trippy breakdown surprise of exotica before a collaboration with uk kindred spirit jonny rock closes the show with a sense-blurring psychedelic tagine of interlaced hooks and the tangiest riff this side of istanbul. beguiling business as always from dischi autunno.

the goldie award winning producer / dj debuts on alpha pup with a four track ep on orange & black splatter vinyl. across 15 hours to la, holly uses otherworldly synth tones, dissonant staccato, heavy low end, and frenzied digital drum-work, providing a synthetic journey where technicality and style meet at a unique crossroads.

back to the hardcore, talismann returns where it once started. early rave in the land of ecstasy, where synths saw deep and kicks shatter bones.

seven years ago, unbalance created his own label as a base for his musical ideas, a platform to play around with the conception of what -techno- is and would be alongside his own creative progression. come to present day and the label is now at its ninth release, reaching a point where the line of accumulated experiences must be drawn in the sand — and the experiences of previous projects and releases lead to venerable conclusion. enter ten, an album of internalized strife that was created during a period of big changes in the artist s life. between enduring personal experiences, his creative output veering between his straightforward club eccentricities and subdural sensibilities, unbalance cultivates a symbiotic link between sounds played and sounds portrayed — whilst paying tribute to the essence of groove, vibration and the hypnotic unknown that exists to balance the scales. this album will be the final point in the label s journey into the depths of multifaceted techno music.

the grand, sweeping sonic explorations of “pretoria”, from john matthias and jay auborn’s 2017 album “race to zero”, are given new life on this four-track remix ep.
moon gangs (better known as william young, keyboardist in bristol-based electronic outfit beak>) takes the reins first, delivering a thunderous take on the original’s faster-paced second half. typically of the artist, the track builds and builds in intensity, climaxing with an apocalypse of emotional, layered synths.
bristol’s cuts strips back the elements for a much darker reworking. a single, repeating piano note echoes into wide, open space alongside the original’s antique violins before clattering percussion and synths enter the mix for the most foreboding turn of the release.
closing the ep, former mogwai member john cummings also bases his reinterpretation around the original’s piano. but where cuts leans on moody darkness, cummings take is more upbeat, courtesy of a driving four to the floor kick and fidgety, high-pitched piano.

rené audiard delivers two tracks in between worlds for this ep. once again, his special approach left us with two out of the ordinary tracks, two long journeys where classical melodies and warm minimalistic beats come together. it s dark, yet beautiful.

a primer on london’s bright-burning young jazz scene, this new compilation brings together a collection of some of its sharpest talents. a set of nine newly-recorded tracks, we out here captures a moment where genre markers matter less than raw, focused energy. surveying the album’s running order, it could easily serve as a name-checking exercise for some of london’s most-tipped and hardworking bands of the past couple of years. recorded across three long, fruitful days in a north west london studio, the results speak for themselves: they’re a window into the wide-eyed future of london’s musical underground.

the first full artist ep of 2018 is one by a new artist for heist, but a familiar name for any modern day house aficionado: adryiano. after taking 2016 off, he came back guns blazing in 2017, releasing 5 solo eps in 1 year on labels like shall not fade and baka gaijin. his me and you and her ep for heist showcases his contemporary view on classic house and acid, and is an experiment into how much distortion a track can actually handle when youve got a killer sample hook. me and you and her is about as classic as a house track can be and moves in similar fashion as his post-2013 hit ‘on my side. its got a sweet and repetitive vocal loop, some semi-grainy but definitely groovy percussion and a deceptively simple piano hook. add some filtering and youve got a lovely warm house song that can go on forever. the a2 move it, move it moves straight into old-school chicago territory, with a raw af acid bassline. chicago bred jamie 3:26, now residing in its dutch counterpart rotterdam, gives the track a nice old school twist. hes going full 707 on the percussion and has casually added an amazing synth hook to give the remix a true vibe of its own. the ep closes off with fashion country girl: adryianos dystopian view of a world where dolly parton gets mangled through an overdrive, then gets distorted, crushed, mangled, deleted, re-added in 8 bit and then crushed some more. the result is an uptempo roller with more than enough grit, and just enough tongue-in-cheek to make everyone smile a little bit more. yours sincerely, maarten & lars.

it was 2016 when we last saw the venezuelan duo, better known as fur coat, drop their debut ‘interstellar ep on watergate records and now they finally return with their follow up, the ‘immersion ep. immersion kicks off with an agile kick drum setting the stage for rapid fire percussion and an overwhelmingly satisfying ascending organ line that could be the trademark of any sci-fi film score. add a few shudders of glimmering atmospherics and its a trek into the cosmic realm of techno where space and time cease to exist. flipping sides the duo dive deeper into the infinite expanse with inner circle where lush textures canvas a mesmerizing groove and hypnotic spirals of gratifying repetitive sonics resulting in a fiercely energetic yet undeniably euphoric expedition under the club lights. embracing the tools and mechanics that have made their sound unique and successful for so long, fur coat seems to have delivered their most mature and polished ep to date with their ‘immersion ep where stunning spacial details and a precise attention to detail have embodied the age old saying, less is more. fur coat is back. immerse yourself.

direct from havana, cuba daptone records is proud to present the debut single by orquesta akokan. featuring some of havanas most formidable musicians playing with a groove, a tumbao, that hasn t been heard for decades, orquesta akokán is a classic mambo-inspired force of nature. mambo rapidito, a lively up-tempo one-chord vamp in the vein of prado or more, boasts an undeniable energy ripe for a freshly polished dancefloor! on the flip, un tabaco para elegua, describes a tambor (an afro-cuban religious ceremony) over a slow, bubbling groove a perfect compliment to sipping distilled sugar cane. the two massive sides offered up were recorded at the pre-revolutionary 1940s era areito studios in centro havana where the spirit of aragón, tata güines and elena burke still reverberate through the walls.

troy gunner continues to strengthen his new imprint gunner with a second self-released title. having had 001 hotly-tipped by the likes of ra, dj mag and mixmag - plus a plethora of dj support from hodge, zenker brothers, john osborn, carl craig and moxie to name but a few, gunner stays firmly on track with another trio of armoured uk-techno tracks packed with chilly atmospherics and gnarly drums.

as you may probably know, we have a sister digital label called aine, where we release mainly the work of new talents of the scene. now it’s time to step forward and give them physical exposure, of course on wax. for this purpose we have selected four tracks from aine’s back catalogue to start this mini compilation series. the chosen are ribe, oisel, refracted and ruptur3. three spanish producers and an italian one.

as founding member of uran gbg, with a past in cult bands such as lava, and appearing on stage and in studio with some of gothenburg s more prominent acts, makes jerker jarold one of the cornerstones in the city’s psychedelic scene. by the name of vastlanken, jarold is now making his first release as a solo artist on hoga nord rekords.
the music on the tracks autobaba and moebel, is a mixture of dub, ambient and techno where few but tasteful components builds the sound. vastlankens transcendent qualities lies in jarolds ability to limit himself in matter of recording techniques and instrumentation, one synthesiser, one delay pedal and one mobile studio is all he need to make delicate dub.
activate your pineal gland and meditate yourself free from general angst with gothenburg’s last shaman!

2020 repress - luca lozano is back on super rhythm trax with another ep, this time a vibrant 4 tracker channeling influences from the under celebrated year of 1990, a period where house and techno began splintering off and for a while, the sky was the limit, before the beast of hardcore swept everyone up and fed them to jungle. here, bleeps, breaks and bass collide in an explosion of colour sounding super fresh

killer compilation of difficult to find boogie / disco tracks where leston paul was involved. incl the heavy tunes all nite tonight and everyday life

rumours believes that the only way to harmony is by allowing yourself to be extreme in every way. after listening to megamix for the first time, the origin of the name reveals itself after every track you hear. rumours are hannah vandenbussche and jonas boermans (both active at monami), birds-singer pieter-jan cools and brutus drummer stefanie mannaerts. they joined forces a few years ago to produce something they call sjamaanhop. a self-invented term that best can be defined as an enchanting combination of techno and trip hop. it’s as if the knife and crystal castles suddenly found the ideal pool partners in four tet and nosaj thing. where rumours is known for their dark, fast paced and heartfelt live sets, they show they ve got more to them in their first studio album. influences from every corner creep into the songs, which makes it a quiet unusual, but balanced album. a mishmash of melancholy (every cry for help needs a saving anthem), a certain tint of sadness and that one urgent place in our hearts that we call desire. for the visual aspect of the album, the spanish party island ibiza was an obvious choice for the band. the destination was not only a refuge, it was a place where hope and grief can exist together.
the vinyl lp includes a download code.

as weekend circuit approach their 20th release, argentinian duo yyyy return for their second full length ep on the label to celebrate this benchmark. the yyyy modus operandi is already familiar to the initiated - expressive, raw techno experimentalism from the outer reaches. carry this blood is a collection of 4 moods and sounds, carved out with emotion soaked ambience, synapse flaring distortion and machine fracturing rhythms. repent , as the title suggests, takes no prisoners, leaving no survivors in it s wake, it is a glimpse into a tear in the time-space continuum where chaos rules. hands towards the giver is epic, glacial, spacial widescreen techno. dramatic and urgent, the soundtrack to a doomed planet collapsing from within. carry this blood bestows an eerie, cold feeling. an atmosphere of regret and loss hangs over it like a thick fog on a hillside, punctuated only by a heartbeat mimicking kick drum offering a human touch. of thrones and comfort snaps us out of the haze, the fog clears and we are faced with the frenzied electronics and thundering kick drum of this most sinister of tracks.

white on white is an absorbingly dynamic, multi-layered album of improvisations made on the seminal ppg wave synth, inspired by the work, life and theories of the great, if forgotten, british constructivist artist marlow moss (1889-1958): a radical, gender-bending british jewish lesbian and innovator of non-figurative art who was a then-contemporary influence on piet mondrian, with whom she worked alongside from the late 1920s as part of the abstraction-creation artists association in paris, until the nazi’s forced her from mainland europe back to england, where she settled in the far west of cornwall.

following two sought after, sold out 45s on the label, kevin hendrick’s m i d d e x project releases it’s debut lp for mid-february and right from the off this is no everyday minimal synth project. 10 brutally sharp, icily industrial, analogue synth blasts which tip their hat to those hugely influential days in the late 70s where across the uk, tiny pockets of forward thinking, electronic experimentalists were creating groundbreaking, analogue electronic music, under the radar from almost all, unknowing at the time of course about their impact even to this day. limited edition of 300 numbered copies.

mirror trax proudly presents its first release: the esox lucius ep by esox lucius! born in the late 90’s, esox lucius seems to have soaked up his environment quickly. old school flavour transmitted to the depths where esox lucius roams seems to be the recipe for elementary and spaced-out techno. nimbus on the a side is a classic techno track reminiscent of the x-mix days! its soothing melody and driving bass will propel you towards the clouds, cruise-missile style. on the b side, the first track indica is a high-speed techno train. driven by its resonant lead and shifting snares, b1 will definitely leave you as high and disoriented as the name implies. common thread on the b side seems to be a hague-ish influence, as the closing track is a heavy grinding techno track with a hint of electro. b2 will definitely sink your ship so make sure the hoff is around! 300 copies available.

following our first release with opal, which aimed at the dance and the bodies, we wanted with this second ep to reach to people’s mind. as a geneva-based techno label, it was fundamental to work with our local hero: opuswerk. he’s already been working outside of the country with artists like francois x and labels such as arts, semantica or dement3d. it was time we involved him in our project. through this ep, opuswerk clearly shows what he knows and does best. much like his dj sets, he connects dots and layers in unexpected ways, like a rhizome connecting different multiplicities. inspiration for the original tracks came from designing systems of independent yet connected sounds, where events are triggered, un-triggered and alter other events, each behaving on their own. as one of those elements, the artist acts as a guide, directing them from one place to the next acting as and with the machines. the -mot d’ordre- is about becoming one of the machines, blending techniques with vibes and catching them like ever escaping dreams. the result is two uniquely sounding spaces, either filled with raw energy like on extensum or with subtle and serene ever-evolving bleeps on spatium. those two extremes are fitting to how we want present the multiple dimensions of our artists works to the world. the same logic went into choosing the remixers, with whom opuswerk had a human connection with. inland and antigone need no introductions, having both established their sound on labels like countercharge or token. each brought their own re-interpretations of the original tracks bringing them closer to the dancefloors.

sparrow s visit of jamaica, “the isle of springs”, during the month of june 1963, has left him with very pleasant and joyful reminiscences of the love, warmth and hospitality of its people. well! and it s from there it all started, for like oliver twist, sparrow continued, where ever he went to ask for more, and, obviously when the drinks are in, the wits are out. you are therefore left to deduce whatever you may during his presentation of this contribution. “i ll be around” (bossa-nova) is a warning to one of his lovers of her promiscuous traits towards him and the retribution she would eventually suffer for so doing. theses two calypso songs were recorded with the famous bert inniss national recording orchestra. this single 7” is absolutely impossible to find and will warm any dances in the world.

vinyl only. lisbon-based record shop carpet & snares second release comes from owner jorge caiado. optimistic strings and sweetly melancholic keys bring a touch of wistfulness to both ap135 and choices : the former matches skippy detroit hats with deep berlin bass in the manner of derek carr, while the latter draws from a rawer palette more reminiscent of 3 chairs. on the flip, tarradas takes us into spacier territory, the almost-broken beat contrasted with a sustained background wash of synths and acid highlights, which s. moreira of the slow life crew turns into the main motif of his driving, funked-up remix, finding a place where techno, breaks and house influences coalesce into a new, exciting whole

on the first long player release on ken oath records, we are proud as punch to step away from the dancefloor entirely and bring you a deep journey into the alfresco inspirations of life in the australian bush. sydneys angophora (max santilli and jacob fugar) present scenes, where resting pulses and humid atmospherics frame gentle percussion, warm synth work and tasteful guitar licks that take a note from the balearic handbook but remain clear in their appreciation and respect for the sounds and colours of australian nature. music best listened with the ancient ochres of the australian outback in view. so seamlessly will the sonic palette of scenes fit your surroundings, youll begin to question whether or not these gentle surroundings are being emitted from the wax spinning on your plate or eucalypts whirring in the wind around you

congratulations to brian “javonntte” garrett, who this year celebrates two decades releasing mind-expanding deep house gold. his first 12&#8243, of 2018 sees him pop up on people of earth, a label that has previously delivered eps from such scene stalwarts as rick wade, patrice scott and kai alce. fittingly, garrett is in a nostalgic mood on opener “way back-, where his deep, dreamy and soul-flecked deep house groove is accompanied by a spoken word vocal reminiscing about the mid 1990s. elsewhere, “zodiac” wraps starbust motifs around a chunky, bass-heavy groove, “house joint” is a bumpin’ box jam rich in sturdy drum machine hits and swirling chords, and “boom house” is a slightly tougher workout that boasts beats worthy of derrick carter or dj sneak.

late eighties, early nineties. a back-alley studio in antwerp where new beat and detroit techno lingered. trance was still in the house. electronic body and mind music, fuelled by common sense and primitive artificial intelligence. there was a buzz about wonka. elektrons revolving around atom. humanity firmly on the mappa mundi. labels and sub labels, one-off projects and alter egos, unsung heroes and soon-to-be stars. laurent garnier pushing ludovic navarre to pass on his tapes. all-night light from koenie’s basement. sven van hees entangled in liaisons dangereuses. jan van den bergh before lounge. jan vanneste spreading the news. jan berquin and nicolas rosquin going quadratic. usa import was ready to export its own music. antwerp bio techno. homegrown and uncut. these tracks are evergreens from that place and time.

to kick-start 2018, happy skull serve up a rare ep from italy s d arcangelo brothers. the sibling duo have been active since the early 1990s, when they played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of roman techno alongside contemporaries lory d, leo anibaldi and their automatic sound unlimited production partner, max durante. in the two decades that have passed since, fabrizio and marco have consistently delivered off-kilter, futurist electronic masterpieces for the likes of nature, analogical force and, most famously, rephlex. the four tracks contained on this happy skull outing are not re-discovered archive cuts, but rather fresh slabs of mind-altering musical intoxication. the alternating bliss and acid-fired psychedelia of -saba tree-and the creeping late night paranoia of -pull seven- set the tone. the effervescent fun continues on the flip, where saucer-eyed chords and idm electronics combine on the rush-inducing -13th cider-. to finish things off fabrizio and marco treat us to -korty-, a mesmerizing, deep space slow jam full of backwards electronics and rumbling flashes of sub-bass.

initially released on sonia e. pottinger s highly respected high note records in 1981, sonya spence s sings love lp was relatively overlooked at the time her album came out. sent on her final journey in 2007, the one-woman band leaves us with a legacy of exception. however, time and a small first pressing has made it an object of desire for collectors, deejays and lovers all around the world. and, though it was shamelessly bootlegged throughout history, it is the first that time that this bliss of an lp gets the official reissue treatment on wax, with the love and respect it deserves. beyond classic tracks let the flow on baby, where is the love and the reggae gem fantasy, this 10-tracker abounds with treasures, some of which cannot be found on the internet.

fina records strides into 2018 with another fresh new house ep, this time from paso aka pascal pamme. over the last few years this french artist has released on the likes of d.ko records, increase, and the groove, and always showcases his knack for loose limbed, organic house grooves laden with jazzy keys and soul-infused synths. the four cuts he offers up here once again prove he is a producer with a truly authentic and musical style.

swiss artist and veteran producer ripperton contacted the esp institute out of the blue mid-2017 to share a gorgeous mix of self-produced material, a collection of pieces made without any agenda outside of representing the self, not geared toward the dancefloor or a specific environment but simply a bi-product of introspective exploration. we were floored, the mix was on constant repeat in our world for weeks, then was subsequently pulled apart into separate titles to form this beautiful double lp, ripperton’s debut with the label. the title sight seeing speaks of someone stepping outside their current reality to look in the mirror, as if to ground themselves and keep sight of who they are in a world of extreme highs and lows. inspired greatly by expansive landscapes and views from airplane windows (imagine your commute flying over the alps every weekend), ripperton describes this collection as postcards to himself, messages from his subconscious recorded on tape (both conceptually and literally), melancholy soundtracks to the mondays that follow weekend journeys. while musical genres tend to cycle through bandwagon moments, the esp institute strives to operate independently of these, and while sight seeing is undoubtably an ambient album, we’re simply proud to revel in the chance moment where an esteemed artist such as ripperton spreads his wings in a beautifully unexpected mode of expression.

reissue der i always say yes ep von glass candy (aka johnny jewel & ida no), die 2006 auf troubleman unlimited erschien und ein definitives statement in richtung italo-disco und synth-pop war (und ist). limitierte neuauflage auf rosafarbenem vinyl.