vinyl only! for the 3rd release, we are more than happy to welcome the legendary john tejada alongside his forever partner in crime arian leviste. we asked this special duo to dig in their archives and heres what they delivered! 4 old school flavoured bomb tracks!

the playground is proud to present it’s 10th release by john tejada & arian leviste, two long standing & revered american figures who have been producing together for over 2 decades. tejadas signature sound mixed with levistes musical background makes them a strong team. they deliver a well rounded four track ep that spans from the minimal sounds of empathy for sensors to the driving energy in -rock the transport .

favorite recordings proudly presents this new official reissue of arian: a rare and underrated disco album originally released in 1981 by pgp rtb label and fully recorded in new-york. arian kerliu was born in the small town of macedonia, dibra or debar. arian’s first recordings for a local radio stations were at the age of 14, appearing in almost every music festival in ex-yugoslavia. when he was 19, arian came to new york city, working different jobs and studying music. his first music engagements were in various clubs throughout the city, playing guitar and singing. he then met with james benjamin-fish, well known bass-guitar player, with whom he formed the band arian & funky family, mainly performing in the best clubs of nyc at that time. together, they came to an idea to record an album of their own. after travelling throughout the us, they got to know each other very well, and had connected with probably some of the best musicians you could find at that time. thus they had sinclair acey arranging three songs and hubert eaves, as a writer of -still together-, a beautiful ballad written in honor of his wife. by that time hubert had gained two grammy awards for stephanie mills’ albums. kornelius cambell also wrote and composed two songs of the album, which sinclair acey arranged. the album also contains a great cover of “can’t say goodbye” by bobby caldwell, a song that arian and james had interpreted almost every night when touring. and all of this completed with the background vocals of tawatha agee (mtume), shevill alexander and sybil thomas (raw silk). arian & funky family band was then invited in yugoslavia for a european tour, including james, kornelius and stacey, but also others great musicians such as william -spaceman- patterson, zane mark, steve kroon, trevor gale, alex foster, or reggie marks, not forgetting flame braithwaite and meli sa morgan on background vocals. having the material of the 4 songs ready and finalized, the pgp rtb label from belgrade offered them to release an album, with the idea to also adapt the songs with lyrics from the famous croatian musician and writer mario mihaljevic. today, favorite recordings is deeply honored to bring this brilliant lp back to life. in order to insure the best sound quality, the original tracklist has been dispatched on a double vinyl version, which should please all djs and music collectors

john tejada and arian leviste are back on areal after their much celebrated release “reactance“. these guys are working for 25 years together meeting up weekly in the studio to try new things. they say themselves that it is their longest and most special collaboration. they use mainly hardware with an old school mind set that comes more from the early 80s nyc hip hop culture than anything else. early pioneers misusing gear and making the best of their limitations. their newest release “hysteresis“ comes along strongly functional for the club.

it was a hot summer day, no clouds in the big blue sky, as i suddenly got up to return my friends basketball after not returning it for more then 10 years

whatpeopleplay reels in another biggie for their second release: >western starland< is surely one of the signature tunes by tech-funk luminary john tejada and his long-time collaborateur ariane leviste. originally released in 2001 on his palette imprint this is one of those tunes that never leave the crates of many djs and if you have been dancing anywhere in the last 10 years you will surely instantly recognize those synthetic string chords. tejada himself gets busy here and revamps the also included original with a brand-new 2011 mix: the original signature elements are right there from the start but fused with a beefy house beat, a new bassline, a hissing soul organ and lifted to the next plateau by thundering staccato chords in a classic detroit style. the flip holds the glorious original plus the not any less brilliant john tejada vip mix from 2003.

finally, the long wait is over! we are proud to present the first solo effort by leviste and its been worth the wait. three ultra varied tracks starting with the driving drums and bassline of >senioritis<. >better get used to it< shows off levistes melodic abilities with a beautiful melancholic epic. these first two songs really show what an important role leviste has played in the duos productions over the years. >change the station< rounds things out with a bit of modular synth experimentation over a jacking rhythm track.

palette recordings celebrates its 13 year anniversary with a release by the duo that started it all for the label. no giant mix compilation or collection of remixes, just another example of what has built the foundation of palette over the last 13 years. john tejada & arian leviste have been collaborating for over 18 years now. with this release the duo in a way come full circle, combining some of their oldest production techniques with newer ones. its been a long road for these 2 seeing styles and trends change, equipment and technology come and go over the years, but what has remained a constant is their vision of electronic music. >messenger< with its subtle intro of modular synths and rhythmic pads breaks out of its sinister drop full force into a multi dimensional crowd pleaser. the stabs continue to build energy while layered drum programming and modulating synth lines escalate the tracks energy. on the flip, >observer< continues with a fierce pace that harkens back to the days of palette 4, combining vintage synth stabs and drum machines recreating that classic vibe which is gaining such momentum again these days. the difference here is these guys were around at the time already releasing music that would garner them such high acclaim over the years.

after lots of single collaborations over the last years this is the full-length-debut of john tejada and arian leviste.

after 17 years of working together, tejada & leviste are back in the studio again putting their modular synths to good work. m tracks (m as in modular) features 4 analog workouts in varying styles. m track 1 features a melodic deep, yet driving track reminiscent of the duos best known work. m track 2 and 3 showcase a trackier sound focusing on basic elements while m track 4 turns in a much more experimental direction. the approach to this ep was a very fun, hands on process. analog sequencers are used to drive the various modular synths and their components. this process allowed for a more organic feel as the unstable electronics change over time as well as the manual changing of parameters over time. systems used include doepfer and frostwave sequencers, and modular systems consisting of cwejman, doepfer, harvestman and bananalogue modules. analog drum machines aided in the rhythms, however m track 3 was generated from pure modular hardware including the drums.

john tejada & arian leviste from 2001 with great deep techno to techhouse

three tracks pulled from john tejadas & arian levistes current live set. >lost in thought< will remind many of tejadas smash hit >end of it all<, with its strong drums, sweet melodies and positive emotions. on the flip >forbidden planet< is a mysterious detroit flavored track with dark chords and classic build ups. >half live< finishes off the ep with a bit more shuffle and more of the duos signature synth work

it took a good one and a half years to see these two gentlemen reunite again. pro s may know why. you can only create so much quality work that it s good to take some time off now and then to get back on it with refreshed senses, new gear and new ideas. this 3 tracker is the start of a string of new 12s and simply >multiplies< everything good in john and arian s music. the motion, the funk, the accurate timing, the control, the tension, the groove, the deepness, the classic techno-ness, and the oh my goodness< kick assivity! :) check out the ultra intense, sturdy >multiplier,< a hard rocking deep dark tune layered with modular synth madness. flip to the b for >mathemagician,< the >mono on mono< update youve been waiting for. closing out the single, another analog scorcher >synthescheizer< does it s damage with 2 ms-20s side by side. no plug ins on this release, just good old dirty hardware... already support from anja schneider , karotte... and of course myself too...

back in stock !! ein knaller für alle john tejada fans !!!

amazing 8 track ep with fantastic jackin minimal techhouse monster tunes. big cinema

turn on! is part of the upcoming t.o.y. full length album the prophet and also featured as an exclusive remix on the metropol nights limited edition vinyl lp

thomas neyens lässt sich von den wurzeln des frühen techno und der lo-fi electronica inspirieren und präsentiert eine einzigartige klangpalette, die auf einem diy- und rohen produktionsstil basiert.

split ep with maceo plex and clarian

5th anniversay on smog coloured vinyl !

blue & white vinyl with booklet.

indie exclusive - neongrüne variante

indie colour 2 !

infiltrate welcomes obergman. electronic masterpiece!

reggae / dub reggae

20th anniversary coloured reissue of the 2003 white stripes album, including the über-hit “seven nation army”. red smoke (1. lp) & clear with red & black smoke

melodic tech house out of israel

original from 2002 now on 180gram vinyl