new label

ozel ab follows up releases on lobster theremin and workshop with this highly accomplished genre-busting ep for third ear. ozel ab approached third ear with a selection of tracks for us to consider, which he thought would suit the label. he was not wrong.

the ebm-indebted techno funk of james welshs thread reemerges from the industrial fog, evolved into two outstanding remixes by a trio of established, emerging and somewhat unexpected artists. ozel ab delivers his debut remix, reimagining thread to encompass a widescreen vision of depth and drama. unfolding slowly and ethereally, with military kicks holding down a seemingly weightless, extended breakdown, his taste in dreamlike rave euphoria contains the same magic touch as it has done on previous, acclaimed releases for workshop and lobster theremin. on his garten remix, radio slave takes a percussive approach to the relatively raw electronics of the original track, adding a deceptively simple but immediately effective layer of drums to the production, before unleashing a more filtered and fucked-up interpretation of the riff to winning effect.

beautifully deep ambient house pulses

ozel ab comes swinging back to the lobster fam. this time with a hardware-heavy, industrial-blended sound extracted from the rigs of the north sea.
hints of the lucid tripped-out melodia remain but this time bolstered and scaffolded with steel roads, clanging metallic hooks and grumbling machine-torn synths.

the lobster white label series finally gets back into gear with a sublime five-track scorcher from core london member luke palmer aka ozel ab. after firing some deafening shots with last years crimes ep - which burrowed deep into some seriously trippy and journey d house, techno and acid - valis sees palmer develop those evolving arrangement ideas across five very different soundboards that bring his signature brain-fuzzed deepness, rubbery acid and dubbed-out sound design to the fore.

turkish psych folk from 1970-1978 on double vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

including ozel ab remix (workshop artist).

having recently been remixed by radio slave, ozel ab and fc kahuna on phantasy, james welsh returns to the label with zurich/a65. anoth-er expertly executed two-track primed for the club but infused with detail and sheer personality, it further cements his idiosyncratic and forward-thinking interpretation of techno, industrial and experimental electronic styles. opening the ep, zurich takes an infectious, urgent bassline and gradu-ally expands into a weightless landscape. slowly revealing it’s rhythmic intent, it seamlessly blends a distinct melancholy with intensity, which, like the best of welshs work so far, is both wistful and physical. appropriate to its namesake, a65 sets the scene by sampling the un-mistakable sound of speeding yorkshire traffic, opening up a breathless musical autobahn, driven by luminescent synths that pulse with euphoria and energy.

it seems somehow surprising that its only now that james zabiela enters the fold of balances compilation selectors. a perfect fit for the series, his unfeasibly intricate approach to djing shinesthrough on this sprawling two-parter, created through a back-and-forth process between his pioneer ddj-rz and ableton and featuring two exclusive new productions from the man himself.