O-Wells is back on Die Orakel with his fourth transmission, called “Moldoom”. This 4-track séance is mainly made of uplifiting, spaced out electro tracks, some rolling along with subtle or acid basslines, lush pads and gently subdued detroitish chords.
Two heavyweights of the Detroit underground come together on this kicking new EP from Puzzlebox. K-1 aka Keith Tucker brings his famously repetitive sounds and rugged electro-funk to ‘On My Computer’, which bumps irresistibly as smeared sci-fi chords set your sights on the future. Add in robotic vocals and supple bass and you have an instant classic. It’s then to the Eastside of the Motor City for DJ Maaco’s ‘The People’ which is just as funky but in totally different ways; his laid-back groove is embellished with lush synth sequences and late-night cool that is topped off by a more seductive male vocal. Two very different but equally brilliant tunes.
A new EP by UK DJ / producer Controlled Weirdness lands on Cultivated Electronics Ltd (CE’s vinyl only sister label). On ‘In The Shadows’ he delivers 4 earthy and raw Electro cuts with exciting electronics, tough beats and wonky acid.
Napolitano artist Tullio De Piscopo’s ‘Stop Bajon’ was a massive mid eighties club hit and Chicago House anthem. His Italo disco, proto house, balearic classic was made for warm summer evenings, a gentle breeze in the air, beer in hand and smiley faces abound. Michael Gray has kept the downbeat groove and added some great additional beat production on his new remix.
Obscure Italo disco from back in the WBMX HOT MIX 5 days. This rare and in demand vinyl originally pressed in ’84 finally gets an official reissue via Turin Dancefloor Express featuring original versions along with a new I-Robots remix.
Emotional Rescue reaches its 100th reissue in its 10th year with a landmark, a collection of previously unreleased songs from Brenda Ray. Encouraged and cajoled since the label’s inception, Brenda Ray’s (Kenny) music has gone from cult curio to cult status in that time, as her mix of DIY/post punk, dub reggae, jazz and pop transcends reached admiring audiences. Following the completion of Naafi Sandwich in 1985 and the subsequent recordings as Brenda And The Beach Balls – the sought after Volume 1 LP in 1986 and three singles on Siren/Virgin in 1987/88 – her releases might of stopped for almost two decades but she never stopped recording. The 10 songs show not only continuous activity in her North-West home studio, but to be consistently creative, moving forward and relevant. Hip-Hop, Street Soul and House all feature alongside Brenda’s unmistakeable Be-Pop-Dub-Pop song writing. Working as always with partner Gerry Kenny aka Sir Freddie Viadukt, plus a cohort of friends joining across the sphere.
Members Only returns with 4 more Worst Edits. “Fake News” sets the tone with pulsing synth bass and New Wave guitar. Heady cut-up psychedelia and an appearance from John Cooper Clark on “Pagan Paradise”. The B-side opener is pure intensity, before a soft landing on tropical “It’s A Long Way Back”.
Members Only is back with another slab of heavy-psychedelic-cut-up-tribal- disco-funk-madness. The relentless tribal rhythms and chanting of standout “Journey Into Your Feelings” feel deeply ceremonial before eventually giving way to hands-in-the-air disco euphoria.
Communique Records USA, reactivated the superb house-sublabel Sensuist Records and SEN006 comes from Chris Brann also known for the The Ananda Project and Wamdue Project. The first re-issue since 1997 will be available on solid 180 Gramm vinyl.
Geier aus Stahl is one of the many artistic guises of Leonard Prochazka. No superfluous elements take away from the core experience of his sound. Somewhere a statement from David Byrne crossed our path, able to highlight something of the essence of Leonard’s art: “No matter how alienated the subject or the singer might appear, the groove and its connection to the body would provide solace and grounding. But the edgy, uncomfortable stuff was still on the foreground”. The debut album ‘Strapazen und Genesung’ takes us to an exciting world that twists, squeaks and creaks, yet is grounded by an unmistakable groove.
New Analog Concept side project focused on the local acid scene. The project was born after a forest trip in August 2021 and includes four tracks from the like of Larionov, Low Orbit Satellite & Esmi, Low Tape and RSN.
Long-time west coast collaborator RA-X aka Drvg Cvltvre comes with some deep brown sounds from the sewer. Slow and haunting tracks that make you watch your back every other minute.
CWPT deliver four tracks of intoxicating after-hours dance music from Italian duo, Voodoos & Taboos. ‘Tropical Love’ refines the V&T sound further still into physicality and sensuality alike. DJs with a taste for sunrise and beyond are truly spoiled for choice by Voodoos & Taboos, with each track bottling a different level of rave energy. Another fine addition to the steadily expanding back catalogue of Palms Trax’s label, ‘Tropical Love’ is a refreshing turn for those with no intention of calling it a night; heads music with real heart.
The genre re-defining chameleons of Hard Ton are back on Schrödinger’s Box with their own brand of style splitting acid house disco. Bigger is Better, a double EP album, has all the depravity and drama you would expect from these disruptors. “Waking Up The House” melts claps, cowbells and vocals over a molten melody. Bold stabbing keys are central to “The Right Thing”, lyrics spiralling skyward as a bitter acid line pulls the track down into the sweaty pit of the club. That TB303 goes into overdrive for the wonderfully demonic hedonism of “Bypass My Love.” Two-stepping jack is given a voice thanks to the breathy words of Josh Caffe as fanfare rains. The understated “Let Yourself Go” is a distant cousin of the bawdy and brutish “I Know A Bitch”, the heavy bass and cutting samples of the finale recalling the basement bruisers of Chicago.
Strut present the first box set release to bring together the 1970s recordings of The Pyramids, led by Idris Ackamoor. As students at Antioch College, Ohio, alto saxophonist Idris Ackamoor, flautist Margaux Simmons and bass player Kimathi Asante created three lasting monuments in sound – Lalibela, King of Kings, and Birth / Speed / Merging, a trio of albums produced without any label backing or distribution between 1972 and 1976. Their music is unique among the varied canon of avant-garde and experimental music of 1970s America: high intensity African-styled percussion topped with songs, chants, and horns, laced with African instruments and arranged into long, flowing suites that surge and roll.
The Hipodrome Of Music 