Since its inception in 2020, Italo Moderni’s energy, spirit and inspiration has been the dancefloor. The darkened bunkers of Belgium, the trembling speakers of Valencia, the warming dawn of Rimini, these influences have been the lifeblood. Solidifying this tireless effort, Mellow Bangers Vol 2 is the label’s most ambitious collection to date.
This is a compilation of 10 edits from the Anatolian Weapons vaults.
This transmission is pure unfiltered West Coast Squirrel Bait, C.L.A.W.S. featuring a cast of collaborators within the Squirrels extended universe. Dark after-hours to high desert romance, Mission District alley cats searching for sunlight. Squirrels On Film label cofounder Solar joins for a ‘Black Magic Carpet Ride’. ‘Wild Slugs United’ features deadly bass clarinet blasts by Paul Costuros (of Murder Murder / Death Sentence: Panda! et al).
‘End Beginnings’, the new album by Sandwell District, is the collective’s first new music since the tragic death of Juan Mendez (Silent Servant) in January 2024. Mendez’s stunning artwork and visuals have always been a central pillar of Sandwell District; in fact, he worked on a piece titled ‘End Beginnings’ – now the title of the third album and a tribute to their late friend. ‘End Beginnings’ invites new recruits – Monic, Rivet, and Sarah Wreath – and brings together towering techno and mind-blowing dancefloor dynamics, a masterful combination of innovation and ecstasy. It’s as deep, sturdy, and hypnotic as you would hope from the unit that invoked a sea change in techno and related club music during the 2000s and early 2010s.
Whether or not you’re a believer, the Gospel stands for the good news. ‘The Gospel Of Jesamy’ by Arp Frique & The Perpetual Singers is a personal good news journey ignited by the birth of a girl named Jesamy, Arp Frique’s daughter. The Amsterdam-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer returns with a new record full of gospel funk inspired by his offspring. The lesson is simple and universal: we are all in need of love, unconditional love. This new album is a deep journey in 7 tracks, where Arp Frique channels his love for organic, funk-based music full of obscure synths, bubbly basslines and swirling guitars to bring a new-old hybrid which could be described as P-funk meets gospel-disco. Legendary vocalists abound in this Gospel: Dennis Bovell channels his inner funkadelic on ‘Look Up Johnny’; diva Muriel Blijd takes a solo feature on ‘Father Father’; and longtime Arp-collaborator Mariseya joins the vocal squad throughout.
Leipzig-based icy dark electronic artist Rina Pavar unveils ‘six’ her second album. In ‘six’ “I delve even deeper into my very personal perception of my musical self. Songs about memories, visions and encounters flow into new sounds and beats … which I hope will touch and move the listener.”
Factory Floor return with their first new material since 2018, joining Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound imprint with a new single, ‘Between You’. Fifteen years since their formation, Factory Floor remain one of the most distinctive acts that the UK’s underground electronic scene has produced, channeling post-industrial, acid, rock and minimal influences into their deeply physical work. Building on a rapturously received performance at the 2024 edition of Mutek Montreal, ‘Between You’ captures the hypnotic, rejuvenated interplay of Gabe Gurnsey and Nik Colk Void, alongside additional percussion from touring member Joe Ward.
The Italian 80s avant garde / anarcho scene is explored in this limited 12” release presenting Nengue and their previously unreleased cover version of the new wave classic Los Ninos Del Parque and the electro pop wave African Beat. These are matched with a remake by Bionda e Lupo. Presenting a ‘Neumisch’, Sneaker’s exacting studio mastery and Sano’s additional vocals are a blessing – a new duo version – dynamic and wonderfully special. To complete, the powerful dub of African Beat closes. Stepping out of his time as one half of Romanian duo Khidja, Andrei Rusu delivers a fantastic, bottom heavy version.
“Studiomaster was born from an experiment I ran for a little over a year, releasing tracks exclusively on Bandcamp. I wanted to see how far music could travel without the institutional machinery of a label, without physical products, and without relying on mainstream platforms. The experiment worked so well that Studiomaster has now evolved into a label with physical vinyl releases. Throughout this journey, I found myself missing the physicality of music. So, to celebrate it, I decided to release something in a format I had never used before: the cassette tape. What better occasion to bring together a collection of previously unreleased tracks in the physical world and craft a mix the old-school way? Get your tape quickly, it’s limited!”
Acid Jerks on Flaneurecordings with some 80’s and 90’s inspired house music, powerful and stylistically confident.
Non Stop Rhythm presents a new release from label boss Tom Carruthers.
Robotron, the man behind the screen, has been active since the 90s and now he’s back with some refresh electro-synth action.
Kalcagni is back with another tasty batch of electro delights for his Cosmoba label. Kicking things off is “Target Practice,” a no-nonsense dance floor weapon. Think chunky analog basslines paired with eerie strings, all held together by rock-solid beats and a live break workout that keeps it raw and energetic. “Improv” follows up with punchy chords, sharp synth stabs, and deep, rumbling bass—built to rattle walls and fill rooms. On the flip, “Clean Shirt” features a wobbly, warping bassline that occasionally steps aside for lush, stacked pads, creating a hypnotic push-and-pull dynamic. While “Drift n Shift” closes with smooth minor 7th chords, dissonant basslines, and 808-driven grooves.
Andy Vaz delivers The New Germans EP, a deep house heavyweight straight from Deutztroit Studios in Cologne. Tracks like ‘2 Brown Skinned Brothers’ and ‘Hometown CGN’ bring a raw, soulful vibe that hits different. This is underground fire for those who know what’s real.
Since his early days at Chain Reaction, K. Soublis (Fluxion) has carved his own unique style, combining elements of dub, ambient, techno, score, textural, and even jazz elements, all glued together with his distinct production aesthetic. Haze is a broad selection of pieces that was recorded between 2023-2024. The music is moving from more slow cyclic compositional pieces on Life Motif, Nexus, Desiderium, to ambient dub pieces, on Magenta and Touch, on to more euphoric and uplifting ones on Footsteps, Berlin and What Tommorow Brings, reflecting on artist’s need to tell stories. As a whole Haze showcases the artist’s versatility on moving and combining differentgenders with his own distinct crafted sound, bringing a bold always fresh unique view, making the album an indulging and intriguing listening experience as a whole. Fluxion has managed to constantly adding to his sound through the years always evolving and Haze is a testament of his restless nature and the artist’s need to move towards more uncharted territories without alienating the listener.
Demuja unveils ”Blueprint”, the first release on his label MUJA to feature collaborations with other artists, both familiar and fresh faces in town, Kylle Hall, Gonno, Retromigration, Makez, Basic Soul Unit and Hubie Davison. While it offers a variety of sounds, it stays true to its core, remaining focused on deep and underground house music.
Kirk Degiorgio’s influence on electronic music cannot be overstated, having been responsible for producing some of the most emotive and soulful machine music dating right back to the early 90’s. His connection with Cyphon co-founder Jamie Odell also dates back to the turn of the millennium when Kirk invited Jamie to play keys on his 21st Century Soul LP released on Ubiquity and subsequently releasing an EP together under the name Super Aloof on Exceptional. With Cyphon’s inspiration being indebted so heavily to the influence of Kirk’s music, the label presents the follow up to last year’s Frayed Edge EP here on the Elate EP. Rolling, acidic house, filtering pads, percussive groove and a bubbling 303 are all here to create a classic sound which will create just the right energy on a big system and help transition from deeper house to Detroit techno.
Anorax sticks to its’ #eatsleepcollect mantra with this limited edition 7” by UK Techno pioneers Nexus 21. Both tracks were stuck in the Network vaults (well a metal box full of DATS) since being recorded in 1991 before greeting the World on the Nexus 21 – Mind Machines LP released last December. Both stood out on that album so much that issuing them on a 300 press run 7” single for collectors seems the obvious thing to do.
Syncrophone presents Convextion – Torc, marking Gerard Hanson’s long-awaited return to the EP format since his iconic releases. The title track ‘Torc’ delivers deep, atmospheric techno grooves, while ‘Andas’ plunges further into his signature sound. E.R.P.’s remix flips ‘Torc’ into a futuristic electro masterpiece.
15 Years Of Dame-Music Vol.1 is an ode to the unmistakable sound of the TB-303, a core element of Bloody Mary’s widely respected sound and label. Above all, it celebrates fifteen years of quality dance music, set to continue across its three excellently curated volumes in 2025. The first volume features a track from Bloody Mary and welcomes back Thomas P. Heckmann, E-Bony, and Hardfloor to the imprint.
The Hipodrome Of Music 