VA – Wamono A To Z Vol. I: Japanese Jazz Funk & Rare Groove 1968-1980 [180GWALP01]

DJ YOSHIZAWA DYNAMITE JP/CHINTAM/VARIOUS - Wamono A To Z Vol 1: Japanese Jazz Funk & Rare Groove 1968-1980 (reissue)

Wamono A to Z Vol. I – Japanese Jazz Funk & Rare Groove 1968-1980, Selected by DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite & Chintam. Dig right now into the Wamono sound – the cream of the Japanese funk, soul, rare groove and disco music developed throughout the years since the end of the sixties in Japan. Fully licensed Nippon Columbia and Victor Japan masters available for the first time outside of Japan, featuring Akira Ishikawa, Jiro Inagaki, Chikara Ueda, Kifu Misuhashi, Toshiko Yonekawa and more! Tracks selection by Japanese super diggers and Wamono specialists DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite and Chintam.

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VA – Wamono A To Z Vol. I: Japanese Jazz Funk & Rare Groove 1968-1980 [180GWALP01]

Han Sotofett & Jaakko Eino Kalevi with Andres Lõo – Jazzsomdub [AMFIBIA25]

HAN SOTOFETT/JAAKKO EINO KALEVI with ANDRES LOO - Jazzsomdub

Finnish multi instrumentalist Jaakko Eino Kalevi & Norwegian producer Han Sotofett (aka DJ Sotofett) teamed up with Estonian drummer Andres Lõo on the “Jazzsomdub” album for a wide & improvised excursion within a narrow world of drums, percussion, saxophone, flutes, electric piano, monophonic synths and tape delays. Besides distinctively exploring Lõo and Kalevi’s batterie & percussion work with deep-listening quality drum mixes there are elements of impulsive beauty, particularly on “Essens” free carrying sax solo. The album partly reaches for well known directions of jazz in the vain of the cosmic, psychedelic, improvised, atonal and spiritual, but the particularness lies within the rhythm & mix – like a rubber band stretched in 4 dimensions.

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Han Sotofett & Jaakko Eino Kalevi with Andres Lõo – Jazzsomdub [AMFIBIA25]

Inner Touch – 100% Gone [CR-005]

INNER TOUCH - 100% Gone

Inner Touch is the embodiment of Nicolas Field within the electronic music art form. The music is both simple and deceptively deep, best suited to those seeking moments of transcendence on the dancefloor. 100% Gone is the debut EP from Inner Touch. A five track exploration of synthetic textures, pulsing beats and polyrhythm that would happily bop in any night club. Yet these tracks hold the listener effortlessly to a place of fulfilled solitude and with a wonder for the natural world. This juxtaposition of solitude and community, nature and synthesis is what makes Inner Touch so special and a joy to listen to.

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Inner Touch – 100% Gone [CR-005]

Nesa Azadikhah/ Alison Marks – Limbic Resonance [VR009]

AZADIKHAH, Nesa/ALISON MARKS - Limbic Resonance

The 2nd release for Verdant in 2020 ‘Limbic Resonance’ is a double A side 12″ sharing the hearts and minds of 2 talented producers. The imprint once again provides a stage for a nascent artist; Nesa Azadikhah from Iran is a key voice for the underground scene in Tehran. Her unique style of music assimilates her culture and personal experiences with a worldly and studious appreciation of deep techno. Alison Marks, an established producer from London has an enviable catalogue of releases as herself, Lumina and as a member of Wallflower with Leah Floyeurs. Notably heard on Rebirth and Dogmatik her music is typically filled with warmth and soul.

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Nesa Azadikhah/ Alison Marks – Limbic Resonance [VR009]

Legowelt – System Shapeshift EP [CEE04]

Legowelt’s new EP ‘System Shapeshift’ will be released on Lapsus sub label C.E.E., specializing in more club-oriented sounds. The label returns to action after a two-year hiatus, during which time its intrepid explorers failed twice to scale the dizzy heights of Nanga Parbat. Now back at sea level C.E.E.’s head honchos have confirmed the release of Legowelt’s new five-track EP, bursting at the seams with 30 minutes of unrelenting old-school techno, synth house and snaking electro bathed in pure acid. The EP is a genuine time bomb, ideal for the most discerning of electronic music lovers.

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Legowelt – System Shapeshift EP [CEE04]

LB aka Labat – Steel City Dance Discs Volume 19 [SCDD019]

Steel City Dance Discs Volume 19 gets you 28+ minutes with the recordings of Lyon’s master of erotic electronixxx, LB aka LABAT. For those that haven’t heard of LB, this ve-play EP is the perfect place to start experimenting. Rude rhythms, spanking percussion, bang-for-your-buck bass and dirty talk vox; feel the wrath of LABAT’s French nesse in this kinetic MPC-driven House offering that explores the deep ‘n dark corners of the sound through late night and red light motifs.

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LB aka Labat – Steel City Dance Discs Volume 19 [SCDD019]

Intergalactic Gary & Pasiphae / SILF – DDS03 [DDS03]

INTERGALACTIC GARY/PASIPHAE/SILF - DDS 03

Third number in the DDS split series sees Budapest duo SILF (alias Farbwechsel chief-operators Alpar & S Olbricht) and Den Haag-based pair Intergalactic Gary and Pasiphae join forces on a quartet of elusive, unpigeonholeable power moves. I-G and Pasiphae are back at it with two left-of-centre hybrids of futuristic techno on a whirring electro-industrial tip. An off-kilter jam percolating fine hints of spiritual elation and post-apocalyptic anxiety, “Microwaves” gets the ball rolling on a dichotomous note. To slo-scudding flocks of loud, bouncy kicks supersede skeins of brittle chimes and rattling drums, all woven together by subtle tectonic shifts of moody pads. A further hi-intensity affair, “Indistinct Chatter” drives that essential heavenly/nightmarish duplicity to higher spheres of consciousness. Fusing lighthearted, daydreaming tonalities with brooding, cavernous onslaughts from the depths, the track has us navigating in a zone of its own, deftly oscillating betwixt moments of mystique-imbued euphoria and darkling introspection. A choice exponent of the Hague-based dyad’s capacity at busting antiquated patterns and limitations. Having slept in the label’s vaults for a few seasons, the two tracks composing the B-side emerge from their slumber in all their time-proof bravura. An in-your-face trampler, the ten-minute long “Mono Miner” takes no byway to get its point across, all set to smash basements and warehouses by the dozen with its electrifying compound of 909-emulated gut churn and spinning synth arpeggios circling like birds of prey over your sore, rhythm-enslaved carcass. Closing the journey on a much softer, hazier vibe, “Aces” steers us towards a realm of ambient wonder, where slo-drip cascades of tapping percussions and elegiac synth waters flow into warm, glimmering summer beds. A most contrasting, tranquillising finale to an EP defined by its propensity to change colours and intensity throughout.

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Intergalactic Gary & Pasiphae / SILF – DDS03 [DDS03]

L/F/D/M – Mutual Autopsy [VOI022]

LFDM - Mutual Autopsy

Following his debut contribution to the label’s catalogue this year via the Midnight Shift x Voitax ,”Mothership” compilation, (a contribution saw the artist paired with Veronica Maximova) the Brighton based producer L/F/D/M, also known as Richard Smith, is the latest to join the catalogue on Voitax. Having pushed the boundaries of his own music, Smith managed to release an impressive amount of records throughout the last years and has perpetuated his sound on cult labels such as Cititrax, Midnight Shift, Optimo Trax, Ecstatic and Clan Destine Records. The British producer now returns to Voitax with his “Mutual Autopsy” EP – a strong four-tracker that is characterised by Smith’s undenably grainy lo-fi signature. The whole package is armed with heavyweight kicks, bloating basslines and crunchy, percussive patterns, that he perfectly crowns with some memorable and catchy synth lines. The former art student, as well as one half of Bronze Teeth, shows once again his ability to modulate his way into the abstract, while keeping it groovy and warm and firmly secures himself in the ranks with the techno avant-garde.

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L/F/D/M – Mutual Autopsy [VOI022]

Luca Dell’Orso – A New Paradigm EP [RL35]

Mushrooming into Red Laser Corp’s continuing & stringent program of providing the best modern Manctalo (TM) and related flavours, Luca Dell’Orso follows up his taster session on Red Laser EP9 (RL28) with a fully realized solo EP. Based in Holland and obviously taking in the might of European dance influences that surround him, ‘A New Paradigm’ spawns a new natural genome, between Italo disco, Belgium new beat and our own, homegrown synth jizz that we’ve championed from the start.

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Luca Dell’Orso – A New Paradigm EP [RL35]

Diana Berti – The Hand That Seeds Death Part 1 [VVLP002]

BERTI, Diana - The Hand That Seeds Death Part 1

Diana Berti is the moniker used by Francesco Baudazzi (Violet Poison) for distinctly nostalgic productions that revisit the 80s of the obscure bands on cassette in a fairly modern way. The lean melodies and essential rhythms of “The Hand That Seeds Death” are the setting for a visionary and hypothetical 80s b-movie that looks like the plot of “Phenomena” by Dario Argento. Solidly anchored to certainties such as Muslimgauze, Goblin and Doxa Sinistra, turn on the VCR and enjoy this dream journey on VHS.

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Diana Berti – The Hand That Seeds Death Part 1 [VVLP002]

Sam De La Rosa – Slick People EP [MNQ135]

DE LA ROSA, Sam - Slick People EP

Sam de la Rosa of the band Led Er Est, and with Karen Sharkey of The Coombe, is back on Mannequin Records with his third release with 4 stunning tracks blending the finest TR-606 driven electro cold wave with expressive spoken wordy minimal synth instrumentals.

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Sam De La Rosa – Slick People EP [MNQ135]

Randstad – These Serpents [VEYL020]

RANDSTAD - These Serpents

Randstad is the production and DJ moniker of dutch multimedia artist Thomas van Linge, co-founder of the record labels BAKK and Rubber and freshly relocated to Berlin. Now he presents his second EP ‘These Serpents’ for Veyl. Randstad is pushing his idea across the spectrum of industrialized beat music for this outright roaring 6-tracker ideal to tear down clubs when they finally re-open in 2036.

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Randstad – These Serpents [VEYL020]

R 325 – Mouvements [BT52]

Having garnered an online cult following, painter and producer Youl Dirlès AKA R 325 makes his record debut with Mouvements. Across 5 tracks, R 325 runs the gamut through IDM, electro and breaks, creating an insular EP full of emotive, multilayered atmospheres.

R 325 – Mouvements [BT52]

Feral – Woodland [HYPNUS028]

FERAL - Woodland

Hypnus shares another vinyl relic by adept veteran Feral. ‘Woodland’ takes us on a trip through his immaculate craftsmanship and inimitable sound, lacing contemporary minimalist deep dub techno with tribal psychedelia. Feral consistently carries a thread of spirituality throughout his work. Embodying the sound of deep techno through his passion for audio engineering, hardware experimentation and fascination for percussive instruments, as well as an affinity for the shamanic becomes apparent when we swirl in tribal timbres and rhythms.

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Feral – Woodland [HYPNUS028]

Sun Ra Arkestra – Swirling [STRUT153LP]

SUN RA ARKESTRA - Swirling

The planets align this October as the mighty Sun Ra Arkestra, under the direction of the maestro Marshall Allen, release their first studio album in over twenty years, ‘Swirling’. Recorded at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Philadelphia, the new recording represents the continuation of a heartfelt rebirth of the Arkestra under Allen’s guidance since Sun Ra left the planet in 1993, gaining new generations of followers from their regular touring across the globe. With a big band line-up featuring long-standing Arkestra members including Danny Ray Thompson (RIP), Michael Ray, Vincent Chancey, Knoel Scott, Cecil Brooks, Atakatune (RIP), Elson Nascimento and Tyler Mitchell, the album is a full-blooded celebration of Sun Ra’s legacy. Tracks include brand new arrangements of Arkestra staples ‘Angels And Demons At Play’, ‘Satellites Are Spinning’, ‘Door Of The Cosmos’ and ‘Rocket No. 9’ alongside lesser known gems; the rousing blues ‘Darkness’ is recorded here for the first time, resurrected from the Ra archives by Marshall Allen. Other highlights include an epic version of ‘Seductive Fantasy’ (first recorded on Ra’s ‘On Jupiter’ LP in 1979), the freeform sonic blast of ‘Infinity / I’ll Wait For You’ and a first ever recording of the Marshall Allen swing composition, ‘Swirling’. “We truly hope that this recording brings much joy to a planet which is so deeply in need of a spirit sound and vibration,” states saxophonist Knoel Scott. “We hope it contributes to a change in the ominous direction of man’s journey through the cosmos.” “This new release is the Arkestra’s love offering to the world,” concludes Marshall Allen. “Beta music for a better world.”

vinyl / CD

Sun Ra Arkestra – Swirling [STRUT153LP]

Matana Roberts & Pat Thomas – The Truth [ROKU024]

ROBERTS, Matana/PAT THOMAS - The Truth

Pat Thomas is one of the most extraordinary pianists of our time. In a first time duo with saxophonist Matana Roberts, the lyricism of his distinctly dexterous and curious approach to the piano paints pathways for Robert’s poignantly vocal saxophone. Together the two speak; locked grooves and neat switchbacks on the keys form dialogue with long deliberate lines on the alto, punctuated by Roberts’ ecstatic vocalisations.

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Matana Roberts & Pat Thomas – The Truth [ROKU024]

The Stance Brothers – On Top [WJ0711]

STANCE BROTHERS, The - On Top

Producer/drummer Teppo Mäkynen shares a new release with his celebrated alias The Stance Brothers. ”On Top” is a solid gold Stance groover which appears on this We Jazz Records 7” vinyl single as two versions. On side A, the track is led by guitar and flute (the latter courtesy of Diamond T aka Timo Lassy) and the flip introduces a soul jazz scorcher with organ & vibes. Both cuts are ripe and ready to be enjoyed by DJs and home listeners alike.

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The Stance Brothers – On Top [WJ0711]