
Some modern tool techno cuts from the Bare Hands Camp, including a remix from Regis.

This is what legends are made of: Acid House, Chicago 1988, Mickey Oliver and his Hot Mix 5 Records, Larry Heard aka Fingers, Pierre, Phortune & Armando. Released in 1988, ACID LP was the first and only full length on Hot Mix 5 Records. It is much more than a classic album, it’s a staple for any self respecting DJ. This is probably one of the best Acid House compilation to make it out of Chicago. Still Music is proud to start its Hot Mix 5 Records reissue series with such a monument to House. Every track on here is a classic in its own right, with Pierre’s “Dreamgirl”, Armando’s “151”, the two incredible Fingers tunes ”The Juice” and “Ecstasy” and so much more. For the first time, this reissue features all the songs that were on the original release but remastered and on a red vinyl DLP. Don’t sleep on the ACID.

Regularfantasy and Void Mirror met up at the Dance Music Workshop in Victoria, B.C. during the dog days of summer to track down the house. The music here represents some of the results: melted italo, evergreen synths, and shining energy.

Attic Salt Discs presents the official re-issue of the Belgian synth-pop evergreen ‘Love In Motion’ (1984) by 1000 Ohm. The band kicked-off in 1979 with their successful debut A.G.N.E.S. / Look Around and later on developed their style from New Wave to Italo-Disco influenced Synth-Pop (‘The Claim’) and a decade later even touches of New Beat (‘You’re The One’). ‘Love In Motion’ is a beautiful mixture of 1000 Ohm’s repertoire. The release comes with remastered versions of the original 12″ version, instrumental and on top a DJ friendly ‘Vanzetti & Sacco’ edit.

Parisian party-starters Les Yeux Orange have served up some of the edit scene’s most sensational reworks of recent times. They’re at it again on their latest EP, which is hotter than a car bonnet after a day in the baking sun. Opener “Africa”, is a thrusting mid-1980s affair that smothers a throbbing, arpeggio-driven groove in breathy synth-flute motifs, ricocheting drum machine hits and choice vocal cuts. They continue on a similar vein on “Samurai”, a bustling re-edit of a mid 1980s French tune that’s as Balearic as hanging out at Amnesia while wearing paisley shirts and baggy dungarees. Best of all though is “Midnight”, a deliciously camp and sleazy affair rich in dirty arpeggio bass, over-the-top synth motifs and gravel-voiced male spoken word vocals.

Remastered 2019 edition of this all time italo-disco classic (previously re-issued on Clone Classic Cuts). The release also contains a Tiger & Woods remix.

The career of Patience Africa spanned over 40 years. After almost a decade of success on a major label with her Zulu Disco sound, and a few years in the early 80s experimenting with a more soulful sound, the funky synths of the 80’s would force her to stay relevant in the quick changing times. It would be in 1987 that she would sign to the independent Ream Music which with the help of their tight knit in house production team had released hits for upcoming disco artists Makwerhu, Ntombi Ndaba, Sunset, Athena, Percy Kay and more. The label’s success in the traditional market made Patience a perfect fit and could have been their first crossover artist.

For the 5th release of the label, Partout welcomes legend Juan Atkins starting the Detroit series and providing a reissue of tracks from 1993′ to 2011′.

First up on Klakson’s NR series is Berlin-based producer Privacy. There’s plenty to set the pulse racing throughout the EP, from the punchy electro beats, squelchy bass and foreboding synth-strings of opener “Slide Back”, to the rolling mid-tempo dancefloor melancholy of closing cut “(Not) Again!”, whose cascading chords and unsettling bassline help set a suitably clandestine mood. Elsewhere, “Filestream” is a fuzzy but melodious chunk of lo-fi late night electro, while “Go” is a high-octane ghetto-tech thriller capable of causing devastation on dancefloors that like it raw and speedy.

Mathematics Plus presents the second volume of Hieroglyphic Being’s “A Synthetic Life” featuring uptempo electronics & simmering circuit boards stamped with Chicago rhythm patterns.

Dark Entries continues celebrating our 10 year anniversary with ‘Preservation Bias’, a compilation of lost songs and rarities from Linea Aspera out June 28th. The group formed in London in November 2011 by Ryan Ambridge (Synths/Programming) and Alison Lewis (Vocals/Synths). Within the duo, Alison writes and performs all vocal elements, while Ryan is responsible for producing, recording and mixing the electronics. We released their debut self titled album in June 2012 that was followed by a posthumous vinyl reissue of their tour cassette “II” on Weyrd Son Records in 2013. For all recordings Ryan utilizes an analog synthesizer set up: Roland SH-09, Roland Juno 6, Vermona DRM MKiii, Korg Poly 800 and Analogue Solutions Semblance. Linea Aspera’s sound includes clear influences from 1980s electronic body music, synth-pop, industrial and noise. Lyrically the band incorporates the sciences of osteology, neuroscience, and anthropology weaving a new medical language around themes of desire, despair and renewal. Linea Aspera is the muscle attachment on the back of the femur and translates to ‘rough line’ in Latin. ‘Preservation Bias’ features all three songs from the limited ‘II’ tour cassette EP, four songs from the 2012 self-titled limited cassette EP and one song from the Desire Records 2013 compilation ‘And You Will Find Them In The Basement’. All songs have been mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in jacket designed by Niall Greaves and includes a double-sided insert with lyrics.

Aleatory Chaos compilation has been one of the most successful releases to date at Oráculo Records, both in sales and in pro press reviews. Now it’s time to reveal a new chapter including dark synth and dark guitar / post – punk future hymns by newcomers such as Etalon & Snem K, Dissident and Pindrops or by already known projects as Synths Versus Me or The Present Moment.

This latest collection for Artificial Dance comprises three freshly unearthed iterations coming from Hypnobeat. Spearheaded by James Dean Brown (also known from Perlon’s Narcotic Syntax) and Victor Sol, and featuring other rotating members, Hypnobeat is a true product of the open-ended spirit of DIY music that proliferated in the 1980s. The prescient project championed deft, machine-powered rhythm programming as its modus operandi long before the practice would become a dominant global cultural form. Since Hypnobeat was revived in 2012 with Helena Hauff joining JDB on stage for improvised live performances based on one 707 and three 808s, there have been a string of archival releases shining a light on the early and more recently recorded works of this forward-thinking venture.

After a brief appearance on the first edition of ‚Previously Undisclosed Rituals‘, Exhausted Modern is back on the label with ‘Moral Discourse’. 5 tracks of twisted, heavyweight, slow-motion electro filled to the brim with the producers’ trademark riffs.

Thomas Clarke returns to the wider Optimo Music family with his third offering as MR TC for us and his first on Against Fascism Trax. This collection of 4 tracks were recorded over the past couple of years in Clarke’s home studio and sees him diving deeper into the psychedelic dance explorations that you heard on ‘Soundtrack For Strangers’ and ‘Surf & Destroy’.

Ready for an adventure running parallel to their lives in common units, the quartet boarded a starship to set off on an astral expedition. The mission began perfectly, according to plan. From the very first measures, the travellers were released from the Earth’s gravity. Very quickly, their home planet appeared tiny and distant, before disappearing completely. Comets and novae lit the way through the fathomless depths of interstellar space. Their preliminary, in-depth studies of seventies jazz-funk were a great source of inspiration. Very early on, they knew that this sonic esthetic would allow them to travel even farther, navigating only with organic instruments and no digital backing or enhancements. Commander Virgile Raffaëlli’s bass lines guided their journey, offering a calm, yet vibrant foundation for the smoother phases and turning up the power to bring them through turbulence and meteor showers safe and sound. Like a compass, the bass indicated the direction and traced a groove that the loyal, valued crew could follow as their travels continued. Mathieu Edouard’s drums solidly locked down the rhythm to avoid any sudden jolts, working in tandem with Erwan Loeffel’s jet-propelled percussion. On the keyboards, Florian Pellissier drew harmonies and riffs from the synthesizers and electric pianos to oil the machinery and lighten the load when the ensemble needed to rise a few feet. The crew’s almost telepathic cohesion was key to their success, allowing them to express interior emotions with just a few notes.

Fantastic and rare album by Manu Dibango, the Afro Soul Maestro. These files were recorded in 1971 at Pathé-Marconi studio (Boulogne Billancourt) for professional sound illustration intended for the cinema, television and advertising. The jazzman experimenting with all genres was then beginning to convert solely to what soon to be called “Rare Groove” somewhere between Soul, Jazz and Afro-Funk, with a hint of Latin clave. In 2019, these tunes have not aged and the sound can be considered as “Huge” by many crate-diggers. These recordings were not supposed to reach the club or radio audience, it was more free sessions, a moment during they can open their imagination and test their “Afro something”, like Manu Dibango call it. Theses recording sessions included the best of the french soul scene at this time, Yvan Julien (Trumpet), Slim Pezin (Guitar), Jacques Bolognesi (Trombone), Lucien Dobat (Drums), Emile Boza (Percussions, Manfred (Bass) and the conductor himself at the vibraphone, marimba, saxophone, organ. This album is a wonderful return to the future and should satisfy the need of the Afro-Soul
aficionados.