Author: hipodrome

V.V.A.A. – Struments 005 [STRUMENTS005]

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The free will of Struments has led them to concentrate in one 12inch the encyclopedic knowledge of Marc Pinol, a duo of kids that present themselves as T.A.L., and the responsible for all that, Spastor, that appears in a remix signed by Florian Kupfer. Lliure Albir sounds as if Pinol was dazzled by the light of a lantern in a chill out while Paranoid London resound in the next room. In his remix, Palms Trax bet on tom toms and certain tribal groove, adding soft eighties keyboards, deep atmosphere, speeches and dub deliriums that perfectly fit in the freak universe of Pinol. Florian Kupfer remix made of Spastor’s Death In La Paz: a hit made in the German musician style whose groove is created by a fold in the sound and the apparent imbalance it has with the bass drum. If after this dawn breaks, it will not be small thing. T.A.L. are guided by a retro-spatial pulse to open a fan of sounds that expands and contracts threateningly, and delicately form what looks like an EBM hit stripped of the hammers.

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V.V.A.A. – Struments 005 [STRUMENTS005]

Michael Ferragosto – It’s Real This Way [BLAMED002]

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Four acid-filtered, metal disco killers from the enigmatic Michael Ferragosto, gear to keep that Chicago Muzique shit alive and well. Hear from the horse’s mouth: ‘Man…this is the pure shit… pure house experiments are the only motherfucking thing that sounds real these days on the floor – know what I mean’.

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Michael Ferragosto – It’s Real This Way [BLAMED002]

Alphonse – Tribes Of Atlantis EP [WRECKS015]

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The last Klasse Wrecks release of 2017 comes from Alphonse. The four tracks on the ‘Tribes of Atlantis’ EP display an acute and developed knowledge of all things House and Techno, fizzing with bonafide analog production the EP goes on a journey of warm deepness, clunky baselines and loose grooves.

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Alphonse – Tribes Of Atlantis EP [WRECKS015]

Ceephax Acid Crew – Acid Fourniture [WEME047]

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Acid Fourniture is a journey into the darker recesses of Ceephax’s acidic mind. Simple 303 lines pulsate alongside sinister chords and detuned synths. Berlin Trip is a classic acid 4 to the floor track along the lines of Flow Coma by 808 State. Alligatored is a tight 808/303 groove made for the dancefloor. The Zone is a slower more introspective Acid, conjuring up lost warehouses and derelict minds. Alien Beacon takes a more electro acid slant, inspired by sinister lights in the sky and paranoia.

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Ceephax Acid Crew – Acid Fourniture [WEME047]

Man Power & Last Waltz – Tistish b/w Nee Shitteru [ESP069]

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Man Power returned to his Northern home for one Last Waltz. This is their joint offering for the ESP Institute. On side A, Man Power welcomes us with Tistish, stepping slightly out of his comfort zone and employing a boxy breakbeat to create a dose movement. This contrasts his signature fatty bassline and together they establish a ground on which to stack layers of atonal square and sawtooth waves. About halfway through he introduces a massively seductive string lead and for the remainder of the ride this palette of sounds coalesce in dark orchestral beauty. On side B, Man Power’s cohorts Last Waltz deliver Nee Shitteru, a true stomper of a track complete with in-your-face toms and off-time percussion patterns, an intense driving acid line, and aggressive shamanic chanting. Throw in some crash cymbals, sci-fi sound effects and a smattering of gamelan and it amounts to an overwhelmingly chaotic and psychedelic trip. These two songs will have you speaking in tongues.

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Man Power & Last Waltz – Tistish b/w Nee Shitteru [ESP069]

Marc Pinol / Charlotte Bendiks – HVN A/B [HVNAB]

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There are tracks that only deploy their full meaning when pumping through the speakers of a dark club. To give shelter to the latter, Hivern kick starts a new series of vinyl-only splits dedicated to club-ready cuts by artists in our orbit. To launch the series, we count with both a well-known Hivern stalwart and a new addition to the label. Side A is dedicated to ‘Cel Avall’, a track that has been hidden in Marc Pinol’s vaults for way too many years. With it’s slow pace and direct but hypnotic feel, it sounds as if one of the pioneers of the first wave of Chicago house had spent a night dancing to Danielle Baldelli at the Cosmic club. In the B-side, ‘Aurora 2’, by Norwegian producer Charlotte Bendiks, also has something of the rawness and minimalism of the first Chicago sound. A perpetually fresh energy that, combined with her nonchalant vocal phrasings, provides the track with her distinctive blend of darkness, sensuality and cheekiness.

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Marc Pinol / Charlotte Bendiks – HVN A/B [HVNAB]

E. Myers- Love / Hate [DE189]

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Contemporary producer E. Myers has self released four limited edition white label 12”s since 2015, whilst managing to remain low profile. Whoever they are, we guess they’re huge fans of late 1980s Chicago House, Shep Pettibone, Colourbox and most of our reissues. So much that they asked us to re-release their second 12” ‘Hate / Love’ from 2016 backed with new remix of “Hate” made for Dark Entries. “Love” kicks off the A-side “beats out a wood-cut tattoo of tuff drums rubbed with balloon-squeak synths to sound like Gesloten Cirkel meets Helena Hauff,” said Boomkat. “Hate” is a dreamy house number that ultilzes a Roland TR-707 drum machine with a rounded bassline, horns and strings that lift it into the stratosphere. For the new remix of “Hate” Myers subtly shifts the pace and deepens the groove, stretching out the song to over 7 minutes of dubbed out New Beat phantasia.

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E. Myers- Love / Hate [DE189]

Fallbeil – Macht Macht Zement [BOIDAE003]

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‘Macht Macht Zement’—what does it mean? 80s drums, synths and vocals, almost without context. Fallbeil, two soon-to-be men (aka boys), finish tracks at the rate of butchers kneading meatballs. Due to laziness and a lack of technique, everything gets recorded on one track and immediately thrown into the frier. Nothing is planned. First up, school detention followed by rough LoFi rap. The album contains a wide variety of themes; from mailmen to warthogs, from latecomers to sensible conversation, every track is created out of spontaneity. Two very short tracks on this album date back to 1999, when the boys performed as ‘Funky Granatos’ in the local youth centers. Sadly, their performances weren’t successful. Nobody wanted to listen to them and almost every concert ended in mass brawls. The track ‘Postman’ comes from the duo’s side project Grand Malheur and was recorded in 2015 in Bronxfeld. More output from this project will appear on various EPs in the near future.

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Fallbeil – Macht Macht Zement [BOIDAE003]

Alessandro Adriani – Enter The Fire [SA031]

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Alessandro Adriani’s debut EP for the Stroboscopic Artefacts label, Enter the Fire, is the first evidence of a new mutation in the Stroboscopic DNA, as can be seen by a shift in Ignazio Mortellaro’s design work for the label.

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Alessandro Adriani – Enter The Fire [SA031]

Grotto – Wait… No Hurry [LIVST004]

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First official reissue of Nigerian Boogie Disco Grail LP produced by Grotto for EMI Nigeria and originally released in 1978. Contains dance classic’Bad city Girl’. Liner notes by Nigerian Music expert Uchenna Ikkone, include previously unpublished photos and extensive interviews by Temitope Kogbe. It contains more examples of disco-era dancefloor heat, with the band utilizing Moog synthesizers alongside their usual instrumentation. While naturally rooted in Afro-funk, the set contains some of the earliest examples of Afro-boogie while also touching on jazz-funk, psychedelic funk and undulating Afrobeat/Afro-disco fusion.

vinyl / CD

Grotto – Wait… No Hurry [LIVST004]

Darkhouse Family – The Offering [FW168]

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First Word Records present you with ‘The Offering’ – the debut album by Darkhouse Family, a Cardiff-based duo consisting of Earl Jeffers & Don Leisure. Previously releasing music under their respective monikers, Metabeats and Jamal, they’ve produced an assortment of sounds over the years, from Hip Hop to House to D’n’B. Connecting as a duo almost a decade ago, this merger logically saw the birth of their own unique style, comprised of a bonafide fusion of genres. Recruiting friends Daf Davies on drums, Jonathan Williams on strings and cameos from Henry Wu; a keen eye on the soulful jazzy details is maintained throughout as swooning, sunny side keys, dusty samples and gorgeous vocals from the likes of Vanity Jay, Jessy Allen and Esther wrap themselves around their hybrid of chopped beats and Daf’s lavish, highly swung drums. Highlights include the Soul II Soul style “Journey To Love”, the twinkling slo-mo bruk of “GAEA”, the slinky slap bass and Rhodes tickle of “Modaji Suite” and the spiritual climax of the finale “The Accession”.

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Darkhouse Family – The Offering [FW168]

Tony Burkill – Work Money Death [ATALP008]

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A stalwart of the Leeds music scene for the best part of 3 decades, Tony Burkill has so far maintained a low profile nationally, choosing to favour continued study and development of the instrument over the attainment of success or recognition within the music industry. Working as a sideman for hire on the local circuit, he has impressed audiences with his powerful and gutsy approach to improvisation and has been a well-kept secret amongst both musicians and audiences in the north of England since the 1980s.Recently featuring as a guest soloist on the debut album by The Sorcerers, Tony has been on the radar of ATA Records since the inception of the label. Impressed by his exuberant and earthy performance style they decided to embark on the writing and production of what was to become ”Work Money Death”, choosing to frame his playing in the context of the performers that have helped to shape his sound, most notably the spiritual jazz of the 60s and 70s.

vinyl / CD

Tony Burkill – Work Money Death [ATALP008]

Vakula – Techno Game [ARMA018]

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Ukrainian producer Vakula, whose name is linked to the early days of Arma, re-emerges with Techno Game. The double vinyl features seven confidently-carved tracks that reflect Vakula’s current exploration of techno landscapes. As the cover suggests, it is a game. The author does little to nothing to explain the rules, throwing the listener into an elegantly structured space that feels alarmingly material.

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Vakula – Techno Game [ARMA018]