MUSHROOMS PROJECT - Psilocybe Odyssey Pt 1 & 2 - Opilec Music

Next up on the hard working Opilec Music label is a two-part EP from Psilocybe Odyssey, aka Italians Giorgio Giri and Marco Lentano. This pair has worked together for over a decade; take their inspiration from the likes of the Idjut Boys and Mateo & Matos and have DJ’ed in top clubs in Ibiza, the UK and Berlin.
In 2008 they started producing music and soon hooked up with labels like Bear Funk, Electric Minds and Under The Shade, today Mushrooms Project is a name known around the globe as a go to for slo-mo electronica. The pair do deep, druggy, chunky mid tempo grooves, sometimes more Balearic, sometimes just hypnotic, but always with plenty of charm. Their first album has just been released by Leng Records but here they drop a rather special selection for Turin based label Opilec Music.
All tracks here are long musical journeys that are made from acoustic instruments like flutes (played by Luca Roccatagliati, a member of Italian duo Ajello and Dimitri From Paris collaborator), hang drums (by Marco Selvaggio), bass, guitars (by Ivan “King” Torelli and Francesco Copelli) and percussion and make for truly magical and soothing listening.
‘Odyssey I’ (another version of which was included in the We Are Opilec...! Vol. II compilation) is a lush bit of summery sound awash with lazy, rippling guitar riffs, twinkling cosmic soul and blissed out Balearic vibes. It swells and flows perfectly naturally, with big and dramatic bass notes dropping in to change direction just when needed.
‘Odyssey II’ is a more purposeful track with a compelling mid tempo kick drum driving the whole thing along. Above it various drum hits, echoing guitar riffs and silvery bits of percussion all help to create a truly soothing, cosmic bit of music.
‘Odyssey III’ is a perfect slow-mo chugger of the sort that DJs including Andrew Weatherall and Ewan Pearson will no doubt love – it’s deep and full of reverb, is peppered with rich sounding percussion and glowing guitars. It transports you to a heavenly place as soon as it starts playing and goes through many subtle evolutions throughout its 15 minutes run time.
Last but by no means least, ‘Odyssey IV’ flutters and sparkles as it lazily rolls on lumpy drums. The distant sound of vocals bring plenty of human atmosphere to proceedings as golden strings and low-down riffs all work you into a hip swaying place of musical heavenliness.
This is pure and perfect music that sooths mind, body and soul in a truly magical fashion from start to finish.


Tracklist:

Pt. I - 1. Mushrooms Project - Odyssey I
Pt. I - 2. Mushrooms Project - Odyssey II

Pt. II - 1. Mushrooms Project - Odyssey III
Pt. II - 2. Mushrooms Project - Odyssey IV

MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE - Raw Cuts Remixes - MCDE

The label say: "It's been 6 years since Danilo Plessow aka Motor City Drum Ensemble first emerged on the scene with his debut 12inch released on his own MCDE Recordings imprint. Appropriately titled "Raw Cuts", the two tracks would start a series of raw house jams Danilo made in his studio using old school samplers and drum machines, a sound that at the time was far away from being status quo. Having been heavily influenced by Soul, Jazz, House and Techno emerging from both the Motor City and beyond, Danilo found his signature sound: sample-based, raw, emotional and mature tracks.

MCDE released two more "Raw Cuts" twelve inches in the coming years and it wouldn't be wrong to call them modern house classics - each of the records found support from all over the globe, from Moodymann to Gilles Peterson, and especially the last record of the series (Raw Cuts #5 & #6) was just everywhere in the year 2010.

What better way to end a concept series than to invite some people to remix those tracks? People that inspired him to do this music in the first place: Marcellus Pittman of 3 Chairs fame, Mike Huckaby, one of Detroit`s house heroes and synth nerd per excellence, and lastly Recloose, whose unique approach to the Detroit sound has been a favorite of Danilo for years.

With a package this strong we will not bore you with more praise - just listen and enjoy."


Tracklist:


1. Marcellus Pittman Remix
2. Mike Huckaby Remix
3. Recloose Remix

HTRK - Psychic 9-5 Club - Ghostly International

Psychic 9-5 Club marks the beginning of a new chapter for HTRK. It's an album that looks back on a time of sadness and struggle, and within that struggle they find hope and humour and love. It's Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang's first album recorded entirely as a duo—former band member Sean Stewart died halfway through the recording of their last LP, 2011's Work (Work Work).
Though the record is instantly recognisable as HTRK—Standish's vocal delivery remains central to the band's sound, while the productions are typically lean and dubby—they've found ample room for exploration within this framework. Gone are the reverb-soaked guitar explorations of 2009's Marry Me Tonight and the fuzzy growls that ran through Work (Work Work). They've been replaced with something tender, velvety and polished. This is HTRK, but the flesh has been stripped from their sound, throwing the focus on naked arrangements and minimalist sound design.
The album was recorded at Blazer Sound Studios in New Mexico with Excepter's Nathan Corbin, who had previously directed the video clip for Work (Work Work) cut "Bendin." Inviting a third party into their world was no easy decision, but in Corbin they found a kindred spirit. The LP was then refined and reworked in Australia at the turn of 2013, before the finishing touches were applied in New York during the summer.
Of all the themes that run through Psychic 9-5 Club, love is the most central. The word is laced throughout the album in lyrics and titles—love as a distraction, loving yourself, loving others. Standish's lyrics explore the complexities of sexuality and the body's reaction to personal loss, though there's room for wry humour—a constant through much of the best experimental Australian music of the past few decades.
Standish explores her vocal range fully—her husky spoken-word drawl remains, but we also hear her laugh and sing. Equally, Yang's exploratory production techniques—particularly his well-documented love of dub—are given room to shine. They dip headlong into some of the things that make humans tick—love, loss and desire—with the kind of integrity that has marked the band out from day one. Psychic 9-5 Club is truly an album for the body and for the soul.


Tracklist:

01 Give It Up
02 Blue Sunshine
03 Feels Like Love
04 Soul Sleep
05 Wet Dream
06 Love Is Distraction
07 Chinatown Style
08 The Body You Deserve

FANTASTIC MR FOX - On My Own - Black Acre

Fantastic Mr Fox returns home to deliver his most ambitious work to date. Here combining with much hyped new folk voice Denai Moore to produce a heart break anthem with genuine emotional impact. Fantastic Mr Fox underpins Denai's electronically warped siren song with soaring choral stabs and desolate bass-work.
Already leaked by none other than Jamie XX late last year, overwhelming demand has drawn this song into the light. On the flip Fantastic Mr Fox returns to familiar territory with cheeky club smasher "Broke" drawing heavily on his break jacking roots in Hip Hop.
Very soon on Black Acre!


Tracklist:


1. On My Own feat. Denai Moore
2. Broke

Podcast #20 - Hurri Cane at Kundaluna

Escape from the city and drive until you get lost in the mountains. There’s a place where nature still rules gently on everyday life and where strange creatures move through the woods remembering you to love and be loved. In that place, there’s a valley hidden in the embrace of rocks and streams and there you can find peace. There you can find strength and inspiration and joy! Just go through the doors of a magical place called Kundaluna. Open your dj bag and spin some tunes for 3 hours without thinking to anything else, just led by the music you hear inside. Now this music came back to the city and it’s ready to make you feel good!
Listen & Download this pure live recording made by "Hurri Cane" at Kundaluna, featuring Lou Reed, Suuns, Munk & Rebolledo, Metronomy, Moodymann and a bunch of other masters of our times.

Francesca Basile 

CLAY WILSON - The Bunker New York 002 - The Bunker New York

Clay Wilson’s life story is, for the most part, a mystery. Little is known about the 24-year-old producer, who began turning heads with mesmerizing tracks from his home base in Brooklyn last year. The deeply psychedelic groove of Clay’s debut release for Brooklyn's Styles Upon Styles’ Bangers and Ash series immediately caught our attention.
Before Wilson started making techno, he studied improvisation at music school in upstate New York. Wilson played bass, studying with noted jazz musicians who had worked with Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and many artists who recorded for the ECM label. He counts Coleman, Coltrane, and Art Ensemble of Chicago among his major inspirations. You can sense the subtle traces of Wilson’s avant-garde jazz training in his techno. You can hear the shifting layers of intriguing textures in the music, his deep understanding of the low end, of arranging and composition, of form. “Understanding the foundation of form has allowed me to not worry so much about putting loops into a full ‘song’, which seems to be a common thing with electronic music,” he says. “I think the textures kind of come from trying to get away from standard musical ideas.”
While nerding out over our mutual love of fine craft beers and deep techno, we asked Wilson to create some music for our (then hypothetical) new label, and he obliged, in spades. Wilson was already a big fan of The Bunker, and a regular at our parties. He had already started making music before experiencing The Bunker, but the sound of the party inspired him massively, and helped him to refine his own aesthetic. He was deeply moved by Bunker sets by Voices From The Lake, Demdike Stare, Peter Van Hoesen, the Interdimensional Transmissions crew, Bee Mask, Atom™, Tobias, and many more.Wilson sent a lot of music our way over the next few months, and what you have here are our three favorites, culled from the pile with help from our resident DJ Eric Cloutier.


Tracklist:


A1. E4
B1. Socorro
B2. Oizumi

GLIMPSE - Baretta - Aus Music

Chris Spero has been at the cutting edge of house and techno for many years now, with landmark releases for labels such as Planet E and Hypercolour as Glimpse whilst his recent reinvention as Dense & Pika (alongside Alex Jones) for Hotflush has seen him capable of hulking, powerful techno that has won him fans from Richie Hawtin to Koze whilst troubling the Beatport top ten via their smash 'Colt'.
His first EP for Aus Music last year, ‘True South,’ carried the familiar weight of his Dense & Pika project, yet touched on a deeper, rolling house-leaning sound.
With this new 12”, he once again steers straight down the house-techno divide with a set of perfectly weighted basslines underpinning some deliciously, rough-cut percussion.
Already being supported heavily by the likes of Scuba and George FitzGerald (who played both tracks on his Radio 1 'In New Music We Trust' residency).


Tracklist:

1 - Baretta
2 - L.E.D.

PHILIPP GORBACHEV - Silver Album - Cómeme

Russian-born dance avant-guardiste Philipp Gorbachev is in self-exile - from Moscow to Berlin - due to his political views and his purpose to join Cómeme in 2011. This collective of musicians and artists, operating between Latin America and Europe, is known for a killer instinct in producing forward thinking dance music beyond any standards of contemporary music industry.
Focusing on serving dance music audiences all around the globe, Philipp Gorbachev composes, produces and performs music in a way that resembles the heritage axe of Russian avant-garde and Moscow’s Conceptualist movement rather than following any current dance music tradition.

Based on a unique performing and recording technique - created and tested together with his buddy Matias Aguayo in “The District Union” studio in Berlin - “Silver Album” is a well-collected music piece consisting of nine live performed arrangements, crafted with insurgent Russian lyrics that are fable-like inventions, fairy tales that deal with spiritual vibes, using the sound of the Russian language in order to form a new alternative music.

Musicians like ex-Helmet-and-now-Battles drummer John Stanier, as well as co-producers and mixing engineers like Butthole Surfer’s guitarist Paul Leary; Mexican Cómeme brother Daniel Maloso; or Non Standard Productions head honcho and Ostgut Ton artist Tobias Freund, have been welcomed by Philipp Gorbachev to take part in the production of the record.

The first single of the Silver Album, called „Arrest Me“ is a dedication to the imprisoned people around the world, a journey starter towards freedom of spirit, pioneering in never before expressed sounds, timing and space control.


Tracklist:

01 Arrest Me - Песня Для Арестантов
02 Push The Gaz Pedal - Дави На Газ
03 Distance - Не На Ты
04 Europa (feat. John Stanier) – Европа
05 It Could Be Good - Ох, Бывает
06 Come On Let's Warp - Давай Разберёмся
07 New Sound
08 Silver Symphony - Серебряная Симфония
09 What Do You Need - Что Тебе Надо

MIA DORA - Jezebel Ep - Glasgow Underground

This April will see rising stars Mia Dora return to Glasgow Underground with the ‘Jezebel’ EP, backed with remixes from another ascending duo in underground house, Walker & Royce, and another from ThermalBear.
Mia Dora, better known to their friends as Al Quinn and Robert Etherson, have taken huge strides in their career of late, dropping material via Kerri Chandler’s MadTech Records, Jaymo & Andy George’s Moda Black and of course Glasgow Underground where they return to here following a string of remixes for the likes of Romanthony, Admin and Walker & Royce. We’ve seen the BBC Radio elite, Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Rob Da Bank, B Traits, Skream & Benga, Gilles Peterson and many more getting behind Mia Dora material, MadTech have now enlisted the duo for a follow up single to ‘You In The Future’ and the ever on-point Optimo Trax will unearth some fresh material from the pair very soon, all of which stands as testament to Mia Dora’s undeniable ability to craft powerful and skilfully produced dance-floor cuts.
Title track ‘Jezebel’ opens things up, a raw percussive-led workout, laid out over seven minutes with an ever- evolving dynamic and enthralling groove, fusing organic rhythms, dubbed out vocal licks and a bumpy tom- driven bass line, the result, Mia Dora’s most DJ friendly work to date.
Up next we have two reworks of ‘Jezebel’ on offer, the first of which comes from Last Night On Earth artist ThermalBear, the British producer offers up a New-Jersey tinged interpretation here, tipping the focus towards smooth chord progressions, swinging drums and tension building strings. Crosstown Rebels, NYC based artists Walker & Royce step up after to deliver a gritty analogue interpretation, stretching out the groove of the original cut into a brooding, ethereal number with elongated bass tones, cascading synth chords and weighty, raw rhythms.
Lastly to close the release is ‘Sex Lines’, the second original from Mia Dora in the package, which sees the duo merge hip-house vocal lines, bumpy Chicago drums and bubbling synth sounds, with a penetrating sub hook and expansive atmospheres to round off the package in style.


Tracklist:


1. Jezebel

2. Jezebel (ThermalBear Remix)

3. Jezebel (Walker & Royce Remix)

4. Sex Lines

ARTHUR RUSSEL - WORLD OF ECHO, REMASTERED, REVISED - Audika Records

Audika Records releases a remastered and revised artwork edition of Arthur Russell's definitive statement 'World Of Echo' on double vinyl LP in a LTD edition of 1000 copies!
Following on 'Calling Out Of Context' LP/CD, here is the vinyl edition from the CD that was with the CD/DVD pack from 'World Of Echo'. So also 18 tracks; track 1-14 is the full album as released in the eighties, track 15-18 are previously unreleased. Included are beatless versions of disco tracks like the AR produced Lola's 'Wax The Van', 'Treehouse' or 'Let's Go Swimming'. The music is very minimal, it's just Arthur singing in a meditative way and his cello playing, using echo/delay guitar boxes. But it's exactly this minimal setup that gives strength to the final output. Well recommended!


Tracklist:

1. Tone Bone Kone
2. Soon To Be Innocent Fun/Let's See
3. Answers Me
4. Being It
5. Place I Know/Kid Like You
6. She's The Star/I Take This Time
7. Tree House
8. See Through
9. Hiding Your Present From You
10. Wax The Van
11. All Boy All Girl
12. Lucky Cloud
13. Tower Of Meaning/Rabbit's Ear/Home Away From Home
14. Let's Go Swimming
15. The Name Of The Next Song
16. Happy Ending
17. Canvas Home
18. Our Last Night Together

NOO - Noo Ep - Optimo Music Disco Plate

Noo are Daze Dasen (aka Plastique De Reve) and Sami Liuski (aka Bangkok Impact / Putsch '79). This is a double A side 12" single (plus a digital bonus track that we couldn't fit on the 12" and still have maximum pressing volume). Built out of imaginative sampling combined with analogue hardware, these tracks are phenomenally produced, lush disco string fuelled epics that fully work their magic in a club setting. This is Modern disco, most definitely NOT Nu Disco.

OMD 01 - Noo - Noo EP

A)  The First Night

AA)  No More

Digital Bonus -
Why Don't You?



Optimo Music Disco Plate One will be released on Optimo Music as a two track 12" (3 track digital)  in May 2014. Distribution by Kompakt.

LOOPS HAUNT - Exits - Black Acre

Since his debut in 2009, Loops Haunt has continued to confound and excite with an output as mercurial as it is rare. Toying with Jungle and Hip Hop on "Zenith" and outright sound design on "Ark", the wilderness-bound beat alchemist uses his isolation to explore and even create his otherworldly sound palate. Lurking behind immaculate drums are the windswept sounds of the desolate North and mechanized textures plucked from his Father’s own workshop. Here we embark on Loops’ most complete work to date. "Exits" is designed to be listened to as one continuous track, opening with ambient mood and emotion, layering outboard synths and found-sounds on the title track and "Trap Door". An unexpected calm beginning is shattered in the second act with the pounding rhythms and industrial heart beats of "Howl" and "IIVA". "Exits" is an insight into a uniquely unpredictable talent and rare chance to be immersed in his sound.


Tracklist:

1. Exits
2. Trap Door
3. Hollowed
4. Ellum Tonal
5. Run Young
6. Howl
7. Tunneling
8. IIVA
9. Hex
10. Fissure
11. Tymadlyb

RADIO SLAVE - Don't Stop No Sleep - Nonplus Records

Having started the year in strong fashion, fighting 'The Clone Wars' on his own Rekids imprint in January before following that with the Rødhåd-remixed 'Repeat Myself' on Work Them, Matt Edwards aka Radio Slave continues his 2014 ascension with his Nonplus+ debut 'Don't Stop No Sleep'.

Another pared-down techno workout, 'Don't Stop No Sleep' is a classic Radio Slave roller imbued with the tougher edge of his earlier work such as Grindhouse and Screaming Hands, retaining the hallmarks of his most influential records whilst updating them with his now trademark energetic house style.

Tracklist:

A1. Don't Stop No Sleep
A2. Don't Stop No Sleep (Acapella)
B1. War Dub (Version 2)
B2. Don't Stop No Sleep (Nightmare mix)

THE EMPEROR MACHINE - RMI Is All I Want - Southern Fried Records

Ahead of the release of his latest album, ‘Like A Machine’, The Emperor Machine serves up a stunning lead single in the shape of ‘RMI is All I Want’, complete with killer remixes from Erol Alkan and Dimitri Veimar.
‘RMI Is All I Want’ in original form is a stomping brew of gurgling, malfunctioning machine lines, bright dark disco synths and dirty rock licks that is funkier than a funky thing. Riddled with attitude and psychedelic charm it sits pretty right at the heart of the excellent forthcoming album.
Phantasy Sound label boss and notorious multi genre specialist Erol Alkan remixes the track first. His extended rework is even more expressive, with shooting synths, tumbling drums and fractured vocals all wrapped up in ripping pixelated lines and frosty textures. It’s a peak time freak out that tugs in many different directions and will truly blow dancefloors away.
Finally, Daniel Avery recommended, Moscow based German Dimitri Veimar then steps up with his squelchy take on the original. This one is a bit more groove driven with incessant hi hats, techno pulses down below and harmonic melodies sprinkled across the top.
This is another stunning single from The Emperor Machine and further ratchets up the excitement in the lead up to his brand new album in May. This year’s Record Store Day will be marked with a special version of the LP available on the 19th April and this June will see The Emperor Machine return to the stage, bringing his live show to XOYO as part of the 2 Bears summer residency.


Tracklist:

1.    RMI Is All I Want
2.    RMI Is All I Want (Erol Alkan’s Extended Rework)
3.    RMI Is All I Want (Dimitri Veimar Remix)

CHARLES COHEN - A Retrospective - Morphine Records

Double CD compilation of those enchanting Charles Cohen vinyl releases + 2 unreleased recordings. Packaged in a rigid double CD Box with booklet. TIP!
"Philadelphia's Charles Cohen, free-jazz improvisor and synth composer has managed to remain almost unknown outside of his local improv scene for decades. This retrospective of his early works, all recorded between 1976 & 1989 , testify to the understated genius of his work. Fleeting between polyrhythmic cosmic patterns, gravity-tarred bleeps and noise, outer-worldly melodies, all executed with unfathomable astuteness and grace, this collection showcases the breadth of this idiosyncratic electronic musician.
One of the few people to master the rare Buchla Music Easel, his work since the 1970s has focused almost exclusively on this instrument. With his first solo European tour hypnotising audiences in early 2014, his work is finally reaching a wider audience, enchanted by his mesmerizing yet deeply focused approach. His roaming raw synths, rhythmic intensity and immersive drones have resonated with uncanny familiarity for a younger generation of electronic experimentalists.
This double CD release combines all three LPs released on Morphosis' Morphine Records in 2013, excavated from Cohen's archives; "The Middle Distance" featuring his early works from the Philadelphia’s “No Man’s Land” art installment, the “University Of Texas in El Paso” and “The Painted Bride” Art Center performances as well as "Dance of the Spiritcatchers", originally issued in 1980 on Zero Records; "Group Motion" a live recording from a dance theater piece in Philadelphia of the same name and "Generator", a live recording from Generator Sound Art Gallery in NYC (featuring the Music Easel and the even rarer Buchla 700 series, apparently the only two known recordings of this instrument ever formally released); and "Music For Dance and Theater", a further collection containing some of Cohen’s collaborations and performances in theater pieces and art installations by Jeff Cain and Tonio Guerra amongst others. This selection includes two previously unreleased tracks "Conundrums" and "Slow Blue and Horizontal".
Each track has Cohen's immediately captivating hallmark, equal parts playful and mysterious. A stunning retrospective, unearthing a wealth of truly beautiful material. "


Tracklist:

1. Club Revival Performance
2. Tubs
3. UTEP2
4. Blue Krishna
5. Bell Jar
6. Sonomama
7. Group Motion Performance
8. Velcro Dance
9. Sunrise - Women-Men
10. In Search Of Mysteries
11. Generator
12. Dance of the SpiritCatchers
13. Shopping Cart Lady
14. Conundrums
15. Duos-Solos
16. Camera Dance
17. UTEP1
18. The Middle Distance
19. Water
20. Overture
21. Slow Blue and Horizontal
22. The Street

MO KOLOURS - MO KOLOURS - One Handed Music

Mo Kolours is a half-Mauritian, half-English producer, singer and percussionist. On his self-titled debut album he displays dazzling inventiveness and joyous spirit – unsurprising for someone raised on the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Lee Perry and A Tribe Called Quest while remaining ever curious about his Indian Ocean roots.
The album Mo Kolours follows a trilogy of EPs for One-Handed Music that mixed soul, dub, hip-hop, various electronic styles and the Sega music native to Mauritius. Recognising Mo’s singular voice Gilles Peterson invited him to Maida Vale Studios to record a live session for the BBC before his first EP had even hit the shelves. Now Mo counts the likes of Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard and Friendly Fires’ Jack Savidge among his fans.
There’s an exotic appeal to Mo Kolours and his music but there’s also something very British about this record. Mo Kolours follows in the footsteps of UK artists who have synthesised a variety of imported styles and added the indelible stamp of our rainy island, from The Specials and Cymande (who receive a tribute here in the form of Mike Black) to Massive Attack and Mala. His humour reveals an idiosyncratic Britishness too, as when he shouts out forgotten budget rides such as the Datsun Sunny on Play It Loud (In Your Car) or titles his ominous environmental warning Natural Disasters Wish List.
There’s plenty of seriousness here though, from his reimagining of dance music on The Afro Quarters to his remarkable rhythmic production prowess: witness the irresistible funk of Say Word or the nagging steel drum hook on lead single and live favourite Little Brown Dog.
This album introduces a generous and endlessly creative talent to the world at large. And, as with his mesmerising live show, Mo Kolours doesn’t just give us a glimpse of the path less travelled but also offers us the fruits of his labours along the way.


Tracklist:


1. Brixton House
2. Little Brown Dog
3. Curly Girly
4. Love For You (Humbeat)
5. Mike Black
6. Lighter Break
7. Say Word
8. Afro Quarters
9. Take Us (Darker Side Intro)
10. Streets Again
11. 16-bit Slaves
12. In Her Eyes (Funk Heart)
13. Child's Play
14. Natural Disasters Wish List
15. Other Day House
16. Play It Loud (In Your Car)
17. Shepherd
18. Straight Ruk (ft. Jeen Bassa)

SAN PROPER - Leave It Up To All Of Us - Rush Hour - Voyage Direct

San Proper returns to home territory with his first 12” for longtime friend Tom Trago’s Rush Hour Voyage Direct imprint. Featuring two loose, winding tracks packed with cozy warmth and fluid live instrumentation, Leave It Up To All Of Us further enhances his reputation as a producer with a deep understanding of the groove.
“Inside All of Us” sets the tone, wrapping toasty electric piano chords, unusual vocal samples and a live bassline around a fuzzy, stripped-back groove. There’s a looseness and jazzy flexibility about the rhythm and arrangement that’s addictive. It’s house music taken to a whole new place, where jazz-funk, disco and off-kilter rhythms combine to create something wonderfully effervescent. “Leave It To The Doc” flips the script, delivering a constantly changing groove built around choice disco samples, undulating percussion and more oven-hot keys. Propelled forward over nine enjoyable minutes by an incessant bassline and hypnotic rhythms, its’ sparse, dub-influenced production – all drops, builds and breakdowns – gives the track a loose, live feel. San Proper works the groove like an expert, taking us with him on the journey. It’s the kind of track you can get lost in; nine minutes just whirls by. Like its counterpart on the A-side, it offers further proof of San Proper’s deep understanding of dancefloor dynamics. Even when playing around with a handful of live elements, he’s capable of creating cuts that stand out from the crowd.

Tracklist:

1 - Inside All Of Us
2 - Leave It To The Doc

PRINCE FATTY - Prince Fatty Vs Mungo' s Hi Fi - Mr Bongo

The much-anticipated release of the next instalment from the legendary Prince Fatty. This time Prince Fatty faces off against the mighty Mungo’s Hi Fi Soundsystem.
Mungo's Hi Fi champion the evolution reggae, dub and dancehall music and are re-invigorating soundsystem culture. They have developed formidable live shows, collaborating with foundation legends like Ranking Joe, Sugar Minott and Sister Nancy as well as top vocalists on the scene at the moment including Charlie P, Solo Banton, Mr Williamz, YT and Scotland's own lyrical lassie Soom T.
Their Double LP 'Soundsystem Champions' was released in 2008 and turned many on to their sounds and the massive 'Forward Ever' from 2011 gave a preview of what is to come on singles and EPs. The releases have been supported by countless worldwide tours. Mungo's Hi Fi are Tom Tattersall, Douglas Paine, Craig Macleod, James Whelan and Jerome Joly, supported by the rest of the Scotch Bonnet Crew.


Tracklist:


01. Herbalist (Prince Fatty mix) ft. Top Cat
02. Scrub a Dub Style (Prince Fatty mix) ft. Sugar Minott
03. Did You Really Know (Prince Fatty Mix) ft. Soom T
04. Under Arrest (Prince Fatty Mix)
05. Divorce A L'Italienne (Prince Fatty Mix) ft. Marina P
06. Sugar Water (Mungo’s Hi Fi Mix)
07. Dry Your Tears (Mungo’s Hi Fi Mix) ft. Winston Francis
08. Horsemove (Mungo’s Hi Fi Mix)
09. Say What You’re Saying (Mungo’s Hi Fi Mix) ft. George Dekker
10. For Me You Are (Mungo’s Hi Fi Mix) ft. Hollie Cook

HEARTHROB - Someone Called Again - ISNISNT

ISNISNT offers it's second release of forward leaning electronics with a diverse group of modern techno bangers from label head Jesse Siminski. Acting under his Heartthrob guise, Jesse initiates the release with "Someone Called Again" a tough, but funky, bass driven tune that marries detailed production with his signature ominous melodies to great effect. Subtle modulating percussion work against harder, swung snare and synthetic drums workouts, as surprising analog synth bursts glue things together. Building smoothly into a headfirst groove, the track pressurizes and never loses it's drive as heady synth riffs keep things musical and emotionally interesting.
In an even funkier direction the two mixes of "Cougar Juice" draw together an irresistible bass line with pushing breakbeats and precise synth stabs. These horn like synthesizer bursts mark surprising turns and recall similar moments in classic Hip-Hop jams or even tracks from Detroit's Anthony Shakir or Robert Hood - two of Jesse's production heroes. The "Driving Past the Jail Mix" incorporates these synth stabs hypnotically within the melodic structure, while the "Reduced Dub Mix" dials things back and focuses on the bass line, drums and dubbed out flourishes. With their funk driven momentum constantly moving forward, either mix will bring something unique to either a house or techno set.
And finally "Let Them Go" rounds out the group in a deep, yet still driving fashion. It splices sub bass pulses, a melancholic synth atmosphere, absurd bleeps and submerged voices amongst stripped down drums into a steadily building hybrid cut- not quite house and not really techno. It's half time and polyrhythmic synth melodies slither atop the punishing bass and tight drum arrangement below. Taking loose cues from bass music, and early techno the tune manages to keep things simple and stripped. It's an extended listen for the right subterranean dance floor moment.



Sleeve artwork by " The "Warm" Friendly Feeling Embodied in a Red-Pink One 1961" by Mcdermott & McGough.


Tracklist:

01. Someone Called Again
02. Cougar Juice - (Driving Past The Jail Mix)
03. Cougar Juice (Reduced Dub)
04. Let Them Go

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Remodeled & Reworked Vol 2 - Creaked Records

Since 2004, Creaked Records has always pushed the music forward by bringing up-and-coming artists, shaping its very own style of electronic music and building a cutting-edge discography that defies all manner of genre. To celebrate the 40th addition to our catalog, the extended Remodeled and Reworked Vol. 1, we look at some of our best moments with a second remix collection.
Remodeled and Reworked Vol. 2 picks the labelʼs most exciting recent tracks, from OY “Akwaba”, Gaspard de La Montagne “Pôle” to Kylmyys “Very Jeremiah” and the exclusive Larytta “Broken Leg Theory” cut. Weʼve given them some beautiful brand-new spit ʻn polish from four of our favorite artists, Glaswegian Dam Mantle, Italian house producer Bottin, techno label-mate Isolated Lines and Creakedʼs newer artist, My Panda Shall Fly.
 

Tracklist:

A1 - Larytta - Broken Leg Theory (Dam Mantle Remix)
A2 - OY - Akwaba (Bottin Rerub)
B1 - Gaspard De La Montagne - Pole (Isolated Lines Remix)
B2 - Kylmyys - Very Jeremiah (My Panda Shall Fly Remix)

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Rebolledo Mixes: Momento Drive - Kompakt

It surely must be a pretty special DJ mixtape if a label sees the need for a CD edition - in this age of total download overload, it's just something you don't do anymore. But along comes REBOLLEDO and proves everybody wrong with MOMENTO DRIVE, a persuasive plea for a nearly forgotten format and a high point for a vanishing art form.

"I always liked the word 'momento'", says the DJ and producer, "because of its double meaning in Spanish... as in 'moment' when talking about a space in time or 'momentum' when talking about inertia". And sure enough, the tendency of an object to keep in motion is one important part of REBOLLEDO's very own formula, but it's not the only one: "I truly enjoy the feeling of constant motion - music can take you to places without you even leaving the room. The resulting effect on the body that has nothing to do with bpm amounts or high volume, but all with inertia and power. I like to call that effect 'drive'".

The first major solo outing for Rebo after his adored full-length debut SUPER VATO (CÓMEME CD 01) from 2011 is a DJ mix - in the hands of an artist as distinctive as the Mexican half of globetrotting duo infernale PACHANGA BOYS, however, the result is just as engaging and idiosyncratic as any artist album. Rebo's own studio work makes a welcome appearance with the exclusive "Windsurf, Sunburn And Dollar", Pachanga Boys' "Poem For The Youth", their remix of Slove's "Flash" or Red Axes' "Caminho De Dreyfus" (reworked by the master himself) - all of them proven bangers neatly interwoven with eerily fitting contributions from kindred spirits such as Barnt, The Twins, Wolfgang Voigt or Justus Köhncke.

And then, there's that cover. A loving recreation of the artwork for the album "Wally On The Road" from Pinoy rock legend Wally Gonzalez, this harks back to Rebo stumbling upon that record in the psychedelic rock section of a shop in Shibuya, Tokyo: "70 ́s Yamaha motocross bike, Porsche on the side... what else do you need!?!? I bought it right away." The music found an open ear, too:

"It was raw and powerful, a perfect match for my taste. That ́s when I decided to include one of his tracks in the project and to recreate the original artwork. In my perspective, it perfectly mirrors my approach to music - simple and strong at the same time."

It truly is a rare feat to find a DJ mix informed with as much personality as this one - especially when it comes paired with skilled flow and a knack for musical storytelling. A wonderful continuation of Kompakt's celebrated Mix CD series, MOMENTO DRIVE more than ticks all the right boxes - like an excellent wine, it is an extraordinary sensory experience orchestrated by a world-renowned sommelier of sounds. Or in Rebo's own words: "'Momento Drive' is a little tribute to all those who like Wally and love to do it raw and powerful".

Tracklist:

01. Wally Gonzalez - Wally's Blues (Rebo Intro Edit)
02. Barnt - Is This What They Were Born For?
03. Slove - Flash (Pachanga Boys Hippie Dance)
04. Wolfgang Voigt - Du Musst Nichts Sagen (Fanfaren mix)
05. Rebolledo - Windsurf, Sunburn And Dollar
06. Christian S. - Jagos / Sebastien Bouchet - Tempestuous
07. Gebr. Teichmann - Dance And More
08. C.A.R. - Angelina (Manfredas Instrumental)
09. Red Axes - Caminho De Dreyfus (Rebolledo Remix)
10. The Lovesupreme - Pork Chop Express
11. VoxLow - See The Light ( Ivan Smagghe Remix )
12. Pachanga Boys - Poem For The Youth
13. Justus Köhncke - Homogen
14. The Twins - You Gotta Twin In The Attic (You Lunatic)
15. Wally Gonzalez - Wally ́s Blues (Rebo Outro Edit)

VLADISLAV DELAY- Ripatti03 - Ripatti

Having walked his own musical path for almost two decades, Sasu Ripatti’s eponymous imprint has already provided a platform for some of the most experimental and daring material of his career to date. Following on from his debut release as Ripatti, and a complex riddim trip in collaboration with Max Loderbauer (NSI., Sun Electric, MvO Trio) as Heisenberg, Ripatti returns with his third release for the label, his first as Vladislav Delay. The A-side is complex and unforgiving, an intense percussive tangle that takes the dub essence of so many classic Vladislav Delay productions and re-assembles them into a frazzled steppers-riddim at double speed, sounding like a footwork variant of his signature dubs. On the flip, it opens with more immediately familiar Delay markers, a dub bassline lures you in before once again re-configuring the template with a jittery percussive tangle that runs amok, with only a careful alignment of snares keeping things from falling off the edge.

• Ripatti is a new label from Sasu Ripatti (Vladislav Delay, Luomo, Uusitalo, Sistol), intended for his own productions and collaborations.

• Ripatti03 is the first release on the label from Sasu under the Vladislav Delay moniker.

• Edition of 350 copies, cut by Matt Colton at Alchemy.

WHILST - Everything there was was there Ep - Optimo Music

Compass Point, Muscle Shoals, Sun Studios, Studio One, Cargo Studios, Spaceward Studios : all seminal recording studios. Here in Glasgow we are very fortunate to have Green Door Studio which is a free thinking hub for wild, original creativity and great sounding analogue recordings. Several Optimo Music releases including Golden Teacher were born out of recording sessions there and indeed, this will be the 6th release on Optimo Music to be recorded at Green Door. They deserve credit as my secret A&R division occasionally getting in touch and saying "we think you might like this" which inevitably leads to me scraping my brain off the floor and deciding I have to release it as a record asap. This 5 track EP by Whilst was the latest transmission from Green Door that my ears fell in love with. How to describe it? I have no idea except to say that it is wildly inventive and incredibly free music made by several individuals who are unnervingly young to be making these sounds. They describe themselves as follows -

"Formed originally as a jam-based project in the ever-fertile analogue studio ‘Green Door’, Whilst jump seamlessly between free jazz, primitive electronics, dubby post-punk, North African and motorik stlyings, underpinning their sound with a strong punk ethos".

OM 21 - Whilst - Everything There Was Was There EP


Tracklist:


A1) Goya's Skull
A2 ) Untitled From North Africa

B1) Umgebung
B2) Wee Moth
B3) Postcard From A Robot

GERRY READ - Shrubby - Aus Music

At the age of just 21, Gerry Read has already worked with an exceptional cross-section of record labels including 2nd Drop, Delsin and Ramp’s sub-label, Fourth Wave. With a formidable back catalogue of EPs and two albums to his name, the prolific producer steps up for another rough and ready release on Aus Music.
Gerry’s approach to writing music is never pretentious or over-complicated, having carved out a name for himself with a spread of stilted house grooves. ‘Shrubby’ continues in a similar vein to this earlier material, with unpolished beats and unaffected production. His unique sounds are part influenced by playing the drums for over 9 years, “the ‘knackered’ sound…comes by itself from me using old recordings of me playing the drums…using this shit skype mic.” Don’t let these carefree techniques fool you, as big on the dancefloor as your headphones; everyone from Ben Sims to Deetron to Ben Pearce has championed his introverted 12”s.
Providing the sauce on top, Redshape remixes the original’ twice over, with his “Disco Scope” and “Not So Serious Mix.” With a similar attention to drums and raw sounds, the two remixes arm up what is an already strong release.

 Tracklist:

A1. Shrubby
A2. Shrubby (Redshape's Not So Serious Mix)
B1. Zig Zag
B2. Shrubby (Redshape's Disco Scope Mix)

LUCIANO & FRIENDS - In To The Aether (Part One) - Cadenza

It’s been a while since we heard from Cadenza boss Luciano but here he returns with two essential new tracks made in collaboration with Marlowe and Dani Casarano respectively. Cadenza head honcho, Luciano, often collaborates with many other artists, his constant touring schedule blessing him the opportunity to write and produce music with a multitude of like minded producers, and on ‘Into The Aether’, we get the first part of a two part series of tracks composed with various other Cadenza personnel. First collaborator Marlowe is Laurent Bovey, a Swiss born producer who has released a number of times on Cadenza and who has had plenty of success as a live act as part of Digitaline. Together with boss Luciano the Swiss pair come up with ‘Arizona Green Song’. It’s a typically serpentine bit of abstract house wired up with myriad weird synths, found sound hooks and clattering bits of shiny metal percussion. It’s tightly woven, intricate groove that wraps round and round itself and leaves you feeling beautifully confused in its presence. Next collaborator Dani Casarano is another Swiss who has a long association with Cadenza as well as an ever-busier DJ diary that takes him constantly around the globe. With monitor Luciano Dani crafts ‘Bell’s & Tonic’. This one is another curious and quirky track with distant bird whistles and the sound of a spring day always within ear shot, the synths blurt out odd patterns, the percussion is coarse and scattered and when the kick drum drops it immediately sweeps you up and locks you into a wavy, waify minimal groove of the sort for which Cadenza are best known. As ever this is truly unique and magical electronic music from Luciano and friends. Expect Part Two to be released in the coming months...



Tracklist:


A. Luciano & Marlowe – Arizona Green Song

B. Luciano & Dani Casarano – Bell’s & Tonic

MICHELE MININNI - Tupolev Love Ep - Optimo Trax

Michele Mininni is from Southern Italy where he says people are not interested in his type of music so he was forced to reach out to Glasgow where it turns out some people most defintely are. Citing his influences as kraut, post rock, new wave and electronic amongst others, this is his debut release and most accomplished it is too. Lowering the tempo somewhat compared with previous Optimo Trax releases, Tupolev Love is a sub 100bpm cosmic trancer while Telekomdisko raises the tempo and heads off into sun drenched space territory. The EP is completed by Michele's fellow countrymen, Boot & Tax's great acid inflected remix of Tupolev Love.

Optimo Trax OT 007 is released on 12" and digital April 2014. Distribution by Kompakt and Rub A Dub.



OT 007 - Michele Mininni - Tupolev Love EP


Tracklist:




A1) Tupolev Love


AA1) Telekomdisko

AA2) Tupolev Love (Boot & Tax Remix)

GOLDEN TEACHER - Party People / Love Ep - Optimo Music

After the success of their first EP “Bells from the Deep End” and their second “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, we are very happy to present the third Golden Teacher EP with another sleeve designed and made by their fair hands. This is is an edition of 500 as that is all that time allows to be made. We are not advocates of limited edition releases but sometimes necessity dictates. Further copies will be available in the Optimo Music house bag.
Their latest release is a party record…play it loud, preferably with some lasers and strobes, and LET LOOSE.
It s a double A-side release. Party People is Go-Go a go go while the more electronic leaning Love has been cut at 45 so it can be cunningly played at either speed for extra added value love. The 12" also features an added bonus not jazz funk gem, Silver Chalice.
Wild party music from Glasgow from our hearts to yours. Available on 12" and digital, April 2014. Distribution by Kompakt.

OM 23 - Golden Teacher - Party People/Love EP


Tracklist:

A1) Love
AA1) Party People
AA2) Silver Chalice

LAKKER - Containing A Thousand - R & S Records

After a decade of creating some of "the most distinctive techno around" (Resident Advisor) for the likes of Blueprint and Stroboscopic Artefacts, R&S is delighted to welcome Dublin based duo, Lakker into the fold with their stunning new EP 'Containing A Thousand'.
Lakker: 'We're delighted to be releasing on R&S. It's one of those labels that has been huge in electronic music for years - anyone who is into modern electronic music will have a few R&S records in their collection. Ourselves included - classics from Joey Beltram and AFX up to the recent Tessela stuff. It's all in our bag!"
Their intricate, yet muscular soundscapes and skittering percussion have an epic, alien quality that set them head and shoulders above their less ambitious peers; witness the blistering noise of the brooding title track, the staggered, slurping beats and mechanistic clanks of 'Mausoleum', the crisp, propulsive grooves of 'K'antu' and jagged slashing drums of 'Thermohaline'.
Having a background in punk, metal and broken beat as well as noise and techno helps give Lakker their truly unique and uncompromising sound - indeed their music has won them the most coveted recommendation in electronic music - Richard D James (Aphex Twin) himself has been known to deploy multiple Lakker tracks in his face melting live sets.


Tracklist:


A1 - Containing A Thousand
A2 - Mausoleum
B1 - K'antu
B2 - Thermohaline

DEADBEAT and PAUL ST HILAIRE - The Infinity Dub Sessions - BLKRTZ

Deadbeat. Tikiman. Infinity. Dub. A quadrangle of such obvious statement and perfect musical inference may very well never have been uttered for those of the wholly weeded out persuasion with a discerning ear to the ground of current musical runnings. Indeed, when the great book of Dub is written the names Scott Monteith and Paul St Hilaire will undoubtedly figure highly in its chapters devoted to recent years. Monteith, the last great prodigal son of the doctrine handed down from the Blue Mount of Lord Scratch and King Tubby, St Hilaire the undisputed voice of a whole generation of cloistered bedroom sound smiths, those fanatical warrior monks, followers of the most Holy House of Ernestus and Von Oswald incarnate. 
Having developed a fast friendship from their very first meeting in Montreal at the premier Micro Mutek event a decade ago, Deadbeat and Tikiman's occasional collaborative performances have since blown the minds of audiences from Berlin to Tokyo and many points in between. No great surprise then that their first album length venture is a Tour de Force of Dub music of the highest order.
 Nearly a year in the making, the genetic code of Deadbeat's Infinity Dubs series gets shot through with a Dreader than Dread Kingstonian logic, hi hats dropping back from the three to the one, Tikiman at his most militant, poetic, fierce, and flowing. These are the recordings of two lions uncaged, and none who bare witness shall escape their fiery judgement.
If music is truly eternal, here be two voices which shall echo in infinity with all the weight, reverence, and dire power unleashed with every tectonic bass hit, and every whimsical turn of phrase here laid to wax. And if these eight burnt offerings are any indication of what happens when these two sit down for a session of smoke and reasoning, here's hoping they choose to do it frequently. Dub without end. Ad Infinitum.
The Infinity Dub Sessions will be available on CD and 2x12 vinyl formats via BLKRTZ, with worldwide distribution through Kompakt on March 3rd 2014.


Tracklist:

01 - Hold On Strong
02 - Dopa
03 - What The Heck Them Expect
04 - Working Everyday
05 - Rock Of Creation
06 - Little Darling
07 - Under Cover
08 - Peace And Love

ILLYUS & BARRIENTOS - Do Anything You Wanna - Glasgow Underground

The latest salvo from Glasgow Underground comes from a new collaboration between existing GU talent, Illyus and Barrientos. ‘Do You Wanna’ is a two track EP from the pair who have previously remixed Grum together (picking up support from Pete Tong’s Essential Selection straight off the bat) and delivered solo EPs for GU, Morris Audio and Seven Music.
Already seeing support from a huge range of DJs including Skream, Huxley, Sasha, Kiki and Amine Edge, ‘Do Anything You Wanna’ is set to be another Glasgow Underground bomb.
We're just a little bit proud of this collaboration. We've been working with these two guys for a while now and thought their talents would be a perfect match. After a bit of cajoling, we got the two of them in the studio and boy are we glad we did.

There is no other way to put this - "Do Anything You Wanna" is an absolute anthem. The vocals are hooky like "Shake That", pianos classy like Ejeca's finest and its beats walk around like they are bigger than Prince. An instant dancefloor bomb that should propel two of Glasgow's hottest new talents on to seriously big things. "The Times We Shared" is a bit moodier, but equally floor-filling. It oozes vocal style like the best of Diynamic but with some added super-tough Glaswegian beats that take the record into the kind of territory Deep Dish would be in (if they were still making records as good as they did in '94 today).
Glasgow Underground, Feb 2014
Illyus & Barrientos’ ‘Do Anything You Wanna’ is released everywhere 24th March 2014 with a Beatport exclusive appearing on the 10th of March.


Tracklist:

A1 - Do Anything You Wanna
B1 - The Times We Shared

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