Delusion presents its first conceptual solo release by Mateo Hurtado. Psychedelic modular sounds form a deep and gloomy mood that perfectly affects on impulsive drums and basslines.
001.Features
VA – Djax-Re-Up Vol. 1 [DKMNTL063-1]
Dekmantel announce the re-issue of some of the most era-defining trans-Atlantic, techno cuts from the early nineties, thanks to cult label Djax-Up-Beats. The Dutch label was responsible for releasing some of underground’s most archetypal underground dance music, mixing together Chicago and European artists alike, and acting as the launch pad for some of today’s biggest producers. This timeless music is being re-issued on vinyl for the very first time. Founded in Eindhoven at the turn of the 90s, Djax-Up-Beats quickly earned an international reputation for being a reputable source of Chicago house, acid techno, and floor-filling, heavy hitting straight up, underground 12”s. This first re-issue volume sublimely blends esoteric, ambient sounds, with staunchly fierce, and energetic electronic rhythms. Throughout the eight-tracks you can hear the sounds of sequencers, drum machines, and motor-city basslines. It defined the beginning of an era that never went away. Whether you’re a collector, or DJ looking to add to the your left field techno collection, the re-issue of Djax-Up-Beats best records is not one to pass up.
Matt Whitehead & No Data Available present Manor House Boys – Temple Of Set EP [SRTX025]
For this outing on Super Rhythm Trax, Matt Whitehead is joined by No Data Available to come with something super special. ‘Sahara’ and ‘Temple Of Set’ conjure strong images that match their respective titles with the mood alternating between majestic and mystical. These two tracks are sandwiched by the hypnotic and acidic tendencies of ‘Full Resonance’ and ‘Panic In Flat 13’.
ASOK – Better Deat Than Alien [MOS025]
M>O>S Recordings kick off 2019 with a new EP from the Liverpool artist ASOK. With one foot on the dance floor and a mind lost somewhere in the cosmos, ASOK again combines breakbeats, astral synth work and prickly percussion into fresh new forms here. The title track is a twitchy and futuristic bit of house with glistening and distorted textures, Find A Way has a rubbery bassline and old school rave breaks, and Many Locations is a bumping bit of deep Detroit house with a real sense of serenity. Closer Baal ends in the heavens, with celestial ambiance, spinning hi hats and broken beats all sounding delicate yet dynamic as rasping bass ties everything together. This is another timeless and adventurous EP from ASOK.
Dmitry Distant – Machines Are Playing Us [TAT023]
Franck Sarrio – Army Of Robots EP [RM004]
After a musical break of ten years, Franck Sarrio celebrates his great return on Radio Mars with four original tracks half way between Electro and Techno genres. For his new EP on French label the Clermont-Ferrand based artist delivers a funky and cosmic trip of his typical trademark, alternating between cerebral and epic dance floor cuts of pure anthology.
Dez Williams – Running Circles [DATO04]
Electro master Dez Williams joins the Discos Atónicos camp for the label’s 4th installment and delivers 5 dystopian cuts infused with his signature sound – crunchy bass lines, spaced out drama, alien funk and a touch of acid. Strongly recommended! Hailing from the north of England, he is no stranger to the global electronic music scene yet prefers to stick to the underground and stay true to his own artistic and creative spirit.
Droids – Star Peace [MJJ392LP]
The first and the only album by Droids, “Star Peace” is a fascinating music exploration of the outer space conceived by the brilliant mind of one of the protagonists of the French disco scene, Yves Hayat. “Star Peace” came out – years ahead of its time – in 1979, and it’s a magisterial blend of groovy, funky, and electrojazz sounds mixed with an old-school analogue touch. A cosmic disco gem featuring the proto-techno essential, ‘Shanti Dance’, the space synth classic “(Do You Have) The Force”, and the album’s killer piece, “Tchoung Fou”.
Curses – So Strange EP [WE008]
A new addition to our ever-growing discoid dance club is Curses. The Italo American brings something a little darker to the party – four cuts of EBM influenced madness. Bone crunching snares and B-Movie samples sit atop shimmering synth licks that will be right at home on a wide variety of modern and retro dance-floors.
Anopolis – Dimadou [APR01]
The third release in the Anopolis trilogy coincides with the founding of Anopolis Records. Like the previous two EPs, Dimadou takes reference points from the sound of the 90s and avoids getting bogged down with track titles. The first track, A19 is noticeably influenced by the Sheffield scene and Rising High records. The EP continues with the heavy bass line and the TR-707 drums of A18, a strong nod to the Chicago sound. On the B side, drum machines dominate in A21 and A20 with their piercing sound hinting towards the style of Ron Hardy. Rounding off the EP is the atmospheric A17 and its warm, hazy pads. This final part of the trilogy is simultaneously the beginning for further releases through the project s new imprint Anopolis Records.
Dibek – Frantic [VIGRAM002]
Second Vigram installment brings us producing artist Dibek, who is half of Vienna’s electro/techno group /DL/MS/. Dibek explores some Spesimen-style electro on the A-Side, and goes into more bouncy and weird acid jack territory on the flip.
Intimacy – Earth Sciences EP [AAL009]
Lovely lush emotive dance tracks full of cosmic vibes. Intimacy drags you from one musical dimension to another. His outerworld soundscapes and propelling drum rhythms make you doubt whether or not you’re still on earth.
VA – Life & Death On The New York Dance Floor: 1980-1983 Part 2 [REAPPEARLP001PT2]
For the last 20 years London-based author and party organizer Tim Lawrence has dedicated himself to excavating the history of New York City party culture and bringing some of the most powerful aspects of that culture to London’s dance scene, from where it has ricocheted around the world. Having conducted the first set of major interviews with David Mancuso, Lawrence started to put on Loft-style Lucky Cloud Sound System parties with David and friends in London in June 2003. In early 2004 he published Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-79, which tracked the influence of the Loft on the wider New York DJ, dance and disco scene. In 2009 his biography of the iconic musician Arthur Russell became the first book to map the wider downtown music scene. These beautifully written and politically insightful histories have educated, inspired and celebrated the previously overlooked foundations of contemporary dance music. Lawrence’s most recent publication, Life & Death On The New York Dancefloor, 1980 – 1983, published in late 2016, shines a light on ‘one of the most dynamic and creative periods in the history of New York City’. Falling between the more regularly celebrated sounds of disco, house and techno, the period produced a uniquely hybrid series of sounds that never acquired a settled name. This led them to be largely ignored by historians and even DJs, yet the power of the period’s music and the scenes it birthed, Lawrence argues, remains undeniable. Met with a rapturous response, Life and Death On The New York Dance Floor saw Lawrence on the road for most of the next year as he spread the word about the characters, the records, the clubs and the bands that shaped the post-Disco, post-Punk, and burgeoning Hip Hop landscapes of New York City during the early 1980s—a period when freedom still ruled.
Alpha Stone – Stereophonic Pop Art Music [HNALP002]
Pete ‘Bassman’ Bain, one of the founding members of the UK cult psych rock band Spacemen 3, formed Alpha Stone after Spacemen 3 and his other band The Darkside split up in the mid-nineties. In 1996 the band recorded the album ‘Stereophonic Pop Art Music’ and it was released on Bomp! Records on Compact Disc. The album hasn’t had a ‘proper’ vinyl release until now, 2018, when Hoga Nord Rekords continues their collaboration with Pete Bassman by releasing the album. You can clearly hear that Pete Bassman was the driving force behind Alpha Stone; fuzz, synthesiser -sweeps, programmed drums and processed vocals are the cornerstones in Alpha Stone’s sound. Raga-like mantras, heard in Farmer C, lies track to track with more percussion driven grooves and psychedelic pop oriented songs. The album’s sound has obviously survived the 20+ years shelved in obscurity and proves the ‘Drugby’ sound still vital! It’s always hard to sum up a bands particular sound in a few words, but you could say that if you put guitar and bass, synthesisers, a drum machine, and Julian Copes record collection in the hands of an alien, you’ve got Alpha Stone.
Akofa Akoussah – Akofa Akoussah [MRBLP174]
Rich, deep, percussive soulful folk album from master Togolese singer, Akofa Akoussah. The album moves through uptempo afro-folk-funk on ‘Tango’ to deep ballads of ‘Ramer Sans Rame’ and ‘I Tcho Tchass’ and lighter moments on ‘G Blem Di’ and ‘Mitso Aseye’. Akofa’s exceptional songs and soaring vocals are decorated with percussion, guitar lines, subtle backing vocals and horns to create a unique, rich sonic. The album was recorded for release by French label Sonafric in 1976.
La Compagnie Créole – A.I.É (Larry Levan Remixes) [PN001]
Since 2019 the collective of Parisian partygoers, Pardonnez-Nous, have decided to launch their own label. Just like their parties, their goal is to shine a light on dancing music. Constantly looking for new tracks to enlighten the dancefloors, their outings are in line with the vision of deejaying defended by its founders. Finding forgotten pieces that are the geneses of dance music and mixing them with more contemporary sounds. Re-editions, edits, remixes or original productions the label doesn’t just stick to one style but aspires to represent all the music of partying. For its 1st release, the label strike hard and unearthed a quite surprising hidden track by one of the most famous band from the French Islands. La Compagnie Créole: born in 1975, this mythical band known by all the francophones will be remembered by future generations, thanks to all those super hits spread over the course of 23 albums, mixing music from the Antilles, Guyane and popular tunes from the French metropole. A.I.É, was written by Daniel Vangarde in 1987 and in 1988 Larry Levan, produced a remix of this track for the soundtrack of the film Sweet Lies. A mix not released, which remained relatively unknown up to this point. ‘Pardonnez-Nous’ (Excuse us), but here it is.
Lungile Masitha – Vuyani [LER1017]
Lungile Masitha was the short-lived studio name for renowned SA artist Sello ‘Chicco’ Twala, who played with such iconic bands as Harari and Umoja. However, in the mid 80’s his name was under license to one of the major labels and in an effort for self-expression recorded under the name ‘Lungile Masitha’, here he linked up with long term friend Jimmy Mngwandi to co-write and arrange the two tracks ‘Vuyani’ & ‘Makoti’, both sung in his native Tsongan tongue. Vuyani is an upbeat tune that matches Chicco’s unique vocal style with percolating drums and distorted choruses to incredible effect, while Makoti is a mellower blend of floating keys and choruses sung by local kids in an effort to expose “emerging talent”.
Mikron – Severance [CPU01000110]
Mikron return to CPU with their second album ‘Severance’. The Corcoran brothers refine their critically acclaimed sound which has evolved to be more haunting than the last release. This album is a nostalgic affair with synthetic landscapes washing over you, before propelling you into the distant future. The ambient moments draw parallels with Boards of Canada, Burial and Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2.
Mr. Blatman – Space Cowboy EP [LOP06]
Tred – Planet Perth EP [DEE002]
Sydney label Doe Dee continues it’s exploration of Australia’s outer limits with Tred’s ‘Planet Perth’ EP delving into the realm of fast paced electro over 4 cuts. Tred’s 2 original tracks explore the mature sonic range of the young Perth born Berlin based producer with ‘(To)Night’ bringing deep driving melodic euphoria and ‘S2003’s shimmering pads building into a moody mysterious crescendo. Fellow Perth export Privacy provides the S2003 remix where a steppy half time intro leads the way into a surprise half mark arpeggio rinse-out and Sydney’s Jensen Interceptor rounds things out with a full throttle acid mindmelting version of (To)Night.
The Hipodrome Of Music 