part 1

part 2

ambient / experimntal with female voice of diana rogerson

2x12 inch lp

second album of kaukolampi

anarcho punk

de ambassade presents the fool on optimo music

repress , 4 of the biggest tunes by this groundbreaking artschool guys band who mixed nu wave with funk, disco and polyrhythmics. included are cavern - which formed the basis for white lines - optimo, scraper and out!!

debut album of pleasure pool

new output

isa gordon presents her new album <for you only<

for fans of underworld

post punk by rudolf abramov

sex judas feat. ricky presents their now album: night songs

electronic journey

comes with insert

coloured vinyl

incl charles webster remix

file under synth pop / leftfield

slowly but pure dope

zum abschluss der sommersaison für selva discos, erscheint die vierte ausgabe der brasingles-reihe. diesmal präsentiert das label einen slowburner der singer-songwriterin taciana barros aus ihrem einzigen solo-album -janela dos sonhos- (1995), das von der mächtigen mitar subotic aka suba produziert wurde.

ltd reissue , originally released through egberto gismonti s cult record label carmo in 1987

originally recorded in 1979 in paris but only released independently in brazil in 1981

here is volume 2 featuring tried and tested club hits from new zealand s vanessa worm, scotland s brain dancing, portugal s internal n.y. rhythms and mexico s theus mago.

it is the first vinyl release on diet clinic’s newly-formed sub label of optimo music marking international women’s day 2019 and featuring brand new tracks from artists c.a.r, cucina povera, fantastic twins, human jones, maral, marika underspreche, odete, penelope trappes, slime, sue zuki and zoe mcpherson.

another 12inch ep from the depths of the glasgow underground. unique, organic, mind expanding.

new album from lia mice

debut from stranded, incl rsd remix

on an unassuming cassette, just labelled ‘robert rental’ in green dymo tape, these demos have lain unheard for years amongst his family’s treasured possessions, cared-for artefacts of a life cut short far too soon.
these songs, which robert recorded in his council flat in battersea in 1980, provide an enticing glimpse into his all-too-infrequent solo work. on most occasions, robert worked with thomas leer, daniel miller or other collaborators. these are rough recordings, tape hiss still in evidence, but his creativity shines through the murk, like uncut diamonds.

selva discos kick off a new series of singles with a rare native brazilian chant adapted by marlui miranda backed with a dancefloor friendly joutro mundo mix the indigenous cause is an urgent one not only in terms of territory but also when it comes to the preservation of the vast native brazilian culture and brazilian singer-songwriter marlui miranda has been dedicating herself for almost four decades to keep their music alive (she s a doctorate on native brazilian music, so you know).

brasileira is the second record released by selva discos and administrated by optimo music.
those who experienced listening to the original maria rita version of -cântico brasileiro nº3 (kamaiurá)- on the dancefloor know it’s such a thrilling experience that could only be better if the song was a bit longer. at the same time, it didn’t make much sense to mess with the original. having these thoughts on their minds, the selvagem boys augusto olivani and millos kaiser (the minds behind selva discos) had an insight while discussing the reissue of the -brasileira- material with singer maria rita stumpf: why not hit the studio and remake the track? also, why not ask someone like joakim, known for his exquisite taste and brilliant production skills, to remix -lamento africano/rictus-? it would be the perfect package. and that’s what happened.

a new optimo music disco plate and the debut release from feon. when these tracks first came my way i instantly knew they were ripe for a release on the label. original, idiosyncratic, full of imagination and featuring a couple of dancefloor hits, how could i resist? ’also, “the sun is high” was surely destined to become a sun-blissed summer anthem.

it’s the return of the sexual vigilante sex judas and his trusted sidekick ricky. this time in full album mode. norwegian producer tore gjedrem of ost & kjex fame, channels his love of comix, bohemia and fascination with human vice, the unspoken, the red light districts, the alleys of the mind into his alter ego.

another fierce and unique act from the depths of the glasgow underground appear on optimo music with their debut green door studios recorded four track ep. keyboard player jim mckinven was previously in altered images, worked for many years in martin rushent s genetic studios, was in one dove and previously appeared on optimo music as one half of organs of love. he is however but one component of this transgenerational band. they describe their music far better than we could - “seedy electronica, consisting of 2 basses, electronic drums, synths and dark vocals. inspired by the avant-garde that influenced the electronic music scene of the late 70’s and early 80’s.”

optimo music is thrilled to release the new album from jacob yates. not only is he one of our all-time favourite artists from glasgow, but he is one of our favourite artists from anywhere. criminally unknown except to a few who have been long transfixed by his recordings and performances, we hope this release will open a few more ears to his wondrous musical world.

after a year’s hiatus optimo music disco plates returns with the first of several planned releases.
first up is long time friend phil kieran with an ep made specifically with optimo in mind. it has been tried and tested over recent months and more than ticks all our boxes. we feel confident it will tick yours too.
phil says “the ep was recorded in my house and made up of mostly live percussion performed live by thomas tettey annang. originally from ghana, he moved to belfast some years ago. it just so happens his wife is a close friend of my sisters and that was the first introduction. thomas now runs -releasing rhythms” here in belfast teaching drum classes.
we used a wide selection of traditional african drums that all have their own name, each one has a style and a sound. the rhythms used in this record would stem back to south american rhythms but using african drums. this was a sound and rhythm that influenced early post punk records in new york and still has an influence on dance music today.”

so low is an occasional night in glasgow run by iona fortune, jd twitch, katie shambles and becky marshall. so low is strictly for creatures of the night and plays music that could perhaps be described by the words dark waves / cold waves / minimal synthesis / maximal industrial / lo-nrg / forgotten flemish goth bands, teutonic apocalyptic beats +++ it is now also a label, administered by optimo music. the third release on so low is a 5-track ep from ian hicks, formerly one half of soft metals. ian also appeared on our “now & then” compilation ep. here he commands his own release and sets the synths to stun with 5 tracks of analogue waves ranging from the xtc bliss out of “character collapse” and “depths of psyche” to the shockwave klang of “chemical environments” and “specter”, perhaps leaving the very best to last with the ultimate hypno, sex slug groove of “continuous”. subliminal vocals. wrecked drum boxes. synths spiralling. full colour picture sleeve designed by so low collective member and acclaimed glasgow artist katie shannon.

optimo trax reaches no. 33, the final number in the series (although reserving the right to return at some point). the last release is a 3 track ep from montreal’s solitary dancer that ends the label’s run with a distinctly non 4/4 feel. we asked solitary dancer to say a few words about this ep to which they responded with

- -recordings inspired by archetypes existing within a hypothetical matriarchal society and how that may pertain to our present day reality.”

blurt are perhaps the act who have played live at optimo more than any other. active for close to 40 years they are one of the uk’s all time great acts, phenomenal live and on record and supremely underrated. blurt mainman ted milton is a living legend. now in his 70s but more vibrant on stage than most artists 50 years his junior, he is a man of many talents, artist, poet, musician, performer…. in 1984 he released a solo 12”, “love is like a viol&#275,nce”, a no doubt accidental dancefloor gem completely out of kilter with any other music of the era that now makes total sense in 2017. dubbed-out stabs, programmed rhythm, trademark sax squeals and a more subdued than normal vocal that is strangely reminiscent of vincent price. thee definition of a cult classic and much in demand, side a of this 12” presents the a and b side (the equally outre “it’s only recently that stalins have begun to roost”) of this mighty 12” on one side of vinyl.

optimo music don’t generally do limited edition releases but when the golden filter did these extra mixes of “end of times”, the a1 track off their recent ep we thought they were too good to remain in the digital domain so have pressed up a small run of 12” singles aimed specifically at djs. the original single version is a future synth classic. these new dub versions take it to the dancefloor and have been tried and tested around the world over the last few months. they are considerably extended, dubbed out and add extra dynamics & ecstatic synth power with hints of the original vocal. there is a slo mo version at 103 bpm and a faster version at 118bpm which means the track should work any time from warm up to peak set. there is also a drone-apella version included too.

the penultimate release on optimo trax (at least for now) comes from tel aviv’s mighty kalbata. i was already a big fan and was so delighted when he got in touch to see if i would be interested in releasing something by him. unusually for optimo trax this is one track in 3 versions but each version is so different that often i play them all in one dj set. originally there were two versions but as kalbata is a renowned master of dub (check out the documentary online about him recording in jamaica), i gently persuaded him to do a no-holds-barred dub mix too which appears here as enkuan pt 3. a few words about the record from kalbata – i went to ethiopia in the beginning of 2017 to record musicians. the most memorable one was mulugeta teshome who plays the washint flute on this record. it’s a traditional ethiopian flute made out of wood, and mulugeta came to the studio carrying a whole bag of them, each one in a different key. we chose the scale and started the recording session. i ended up taking the tracks a lot further with the three cuts on the record but really it all started that day, in a small studio shack in addis ababa.

optimo music is delighted to continue its fruitful relationship with the golden filter with the release of this fantastic 4-track 12inch ep.

optimo trax presents a 4-track ep from germanys mathias schober, head honcho of berlin’s lossless label. as always we prefer to let our artists do the talking. heres what mathias has to say about this release - the idea behind all tracks on the ep was a simple setup of drums and one synth that would do a main sequence/sound, yet theres a lot of detail in all of them. in a certain way features a 808ish beat with a main sequence coming from a tiny monophon synth called atmegatron - 8bit love, it turned out being much more music than i thought it would be when i set everything up. but what rules are made for is the same setup but the sequence is a 101 and so are all the washed out fx synths. on is to break them i went a different route, i had the dub, delayed stabs synth first as i was messin with my moog and a space echo - which btw is used on every single track i release, if you haven’t noticed yet. so i was trying to build something around those stabs in order to fit the track to the others and so i ended up with another sequence coming from my moog. as there was still space on the record, i decided to add an ambient version of is to break them, i love the ambience on this track. i hope that my love for dub sounds is obvious enough on these tracks. happy i found such an excellent home for the ep!

two of the best tracks off the brasileira lp get an updated dancefloor treatment by selvagem, carrot green and joakim. those who experienced listening to the original maria rita version of cantico brasileiro nº3 (kamaiura) on the dancefloor know it s such a thrilling experience that could only be better if the song was a bit longer. at the same time, it didnt make much sense to mess with the original. having these thoughts on their minds, the selvagem boys augusto olivani and millos kaiser (the minds behind selva discos) had an insight while discussing the reissue of the brasileira material with singer maria rita stumpf: why not hit the studio and remake the track? also, why not ask someone like joakim, known for his exquisite taste and brilliant production skills, to remix lamento africano/rictus? it would be the perfect package.

optimo music is delighted to release a first album by fantastic twins (formerly known as the twins). we’ll let them tell you the story behind this inspired and beguiling record