VA – Synthesize The Soul: Astro Atlantic Hypnotica From The Cape Verde Islands 1973-1988 [OST002]

In the 1980s, that feeling transpired across Lisbon, Paris, Rotterdam, and Boston, as one the largest waves of migration from a single country, propelled by political instability and economic uncertainty, sent thousands of Cape Verdeans to the West’s cities. Through 18 diverse tracks, this compilation reveals how immigration from the Cape Verde Islands to Europe and the United States gave us an alternate history of the electronic music that dominated hearts and minds across the world in the late 1990s. But the story doesn’t start in a major Western cultural hub, rather in the small cluster of islands 400 miles off the Senegalese coast, and offers an unparalleled insight into the longterm cultural splendor catalyzed by migration.

vinyl / CD

VA – Synthesize The Soul: Astro Atlantic Hypnotica From The Cape Verde Islands 1973-1988 [OST002]

Teakwood – A Distant Star [MSLP9053]

It is a rare occurrence, especially when you consider that we are writing this in the year 2017, that an unreleased soul/disco album from the 1970s surfaces after 40 years. The Tramp crew first heard about the album while discussing the re-release of Teakwood’s sole 45RPM single release “Can You Dig It” with former band leader and founding member of the group, Fred Forsh. It was in 1972 when two new Berry College freshmen met and realized that they were both music majors which led to an impromptu jam session in the lower level of the student center. This was the beginning of what would soon become Teakwood. “Those two original members, Ralph Moore on saxophone and me on piano, along with five others went into the studio in 1976 and recorded two songs for our first and only single”, remembers Fred Forsh. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, Moore and Forsh parted ways but Teakwood continued with four remaining members plus two new ones and with this new lineup, went into the studio in 1977 to record nine songs under the collective title “A Distant Star”. However, for some obscure reason the songs were never released but luckily the reel-to-reel master tapes survived. The tapes were sent to the head quarters of Tramp Records in early 2016. In the end it took several attempts at three different recording studios to transfer them successfully.

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Teakwood – A Distant Star [MSLP9053]

Halal Cool J – An Ottoman Excursion [EXC003]

For the third set of Excursions, we’re letting off some tasty Turkish flavours. Darkhouse Family presents ‘An Ottoman Excursion’. Halal Cool J (aka Don Leisure of Darkhouse Family) has blessed us with four cheeky edits, crafted with care, and guaranteed to create dancefloor flames. For ‘An Ottoman Excursion’ we head straight in with the neck-snapping drums and epic riffs of ‘Visne Nektari’, before the synth-led ‘Derbent’s Groove’ breezes triumphantly into motion. For the flip, we nicely drop the pace a little to do the ‘Turkish Duck Walk’, before the humidity of the ‘Fernebache Heat’ raises up the tempo to close out the set. 4 chops. 8 minutes of Turkish Psych-Funk vibes.

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Halal Cool J – An Ottoman Excursion [EXC003]

Azymuth – Dear Limmertz [JD037]

AZYMUTH - Dear Limmertz

With the dust of their new album Fenix still settling, Far Out and Azymuth flex back 37 years for one of their finest and most indelible records in their illustrious and consistent career: “Dear Limmertz” slaps and pops with the same ridiculous soaking wet slap bass it did when it first blew your mind. With dreamy chords, that yearning vocodered vocal and the pensive prelude thrown in, it’s still an incredible one-of-a-kind record. And that’s before we get to the way-ahead-of-its-time breakbeat and deep groove of “Maracana”.

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Azymuth – Dear Limmertz [JD037]

Claudio PRC – Volumi Dinamici [SEM087]

Volumi Dinamici is the second long player of Claudio PRC, a project that combines music and art inspired by the Futurist concepts of movement and dynamism and artistic currents such as Abstract Expressionism; the name itself is a tribute to a work of Italian artist and pioneer Luigi Russolo. Volumi Dinamici is a collection of 11 tracks accompanied by the same number of illustrations, different from each other but characterized by a common technical and compositional approach. The several shades of the atmospheres and the linear rhythm of the grooves come together to form a dense and mental musical dimension, a journey into the sounds and their intrinsic symbolic value. Depth, lights, shadows and noises are tangible elements of this work that mark the beginning of a new sound research based mainly on the instinctive use of machines and analogue instruments.

vinyl / CD

Claudio PRC – Volumi Dinamici [SEM087]

VA – Dreamy Harbor [TRESOR291]

When Tresor founder Dimitri Hegemann stumbled into a former bank vault in East Berlin on March 13th 1991, he had little idea that the space he had unlocked would fast become one of Berlin’s most influential and enduring techno clubs. As Tresor celebrates its 25th anniversary with this work of artists from the US, Germany, China, France, Austria, Italy and the UK, it is worth dwelling on how the cultural conditions that birthed Detroit techno – economic neglect and broken industry – were mirrored by the disused bunkers and impromptu parties of post-unification East Berlin, where techno found new, vigorous expression. This record marks the spirit of those 25 years of creativity, a paean to the psychedelic music of Dimitri’s youth. From the signature magnetic soundscapes of Vainqueur to the dark textures of upcoming Beijing producer Shao; from Jon Hassell’s slow epicurean volutes, to the ritual auras of Marcelus and Claudia Anderson’s contributions; from the dub-infused pioneering programming of Juan Atkins and Moritz von Oswald, to Mønic’s enthralling cadences, it represents some of the old and new names that continually epitomise Tresor’s perennial spirit of ingenuity.

CD / vinyl

VA – Dreamy Harbor [TRESOR291]

VA – Edition 3 [MLM007]

The talented Italian producers Pietro Caprioglio aka Autre and Federico Pedron aka Xinner kicking it off with “Nebula”. An emotional piece of late night techno music full of analog warmth and heart warming depth. Autre´s “Seiryu” is an athmospheric and loopy groove monster for the deeper dancefloors.
Dresden´s Kryptic Universe delivers with “01309 Stairways” one of those georgeous and simply perfect analogue sounding dub techno tracks. Incredibly textured piece of work wich could have been already a classic since the golden basic channel / chain reaction years. Owen Jay and Brian James closing it up with “Chordless”, a mind blowing take of chord driven club material.

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VA – Edition 3 [MLM007]

Heavenly Music Corporation – Lunar Phase [AI006]

The material collated on this third release from Heavenly Music Corporation was composed specifically for St. Giga in Japan, a satellite broadcast radio station transmitting ethereal audio harmony 24 hours a day. What made this station otherworldly was its programming; motivated by tidal movements, the aquatic ebbs and flows of each day synchronised to the activity and intensity of the music broadcast.

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Heavenly Music Corporation – Lunar Phase [AI006]

VA – Nightfall & Other Stories [RS025]

London/Lisbon label Release/Sustain start the year as they mean to go on. Presenting a 4 track various artists 12” titled “Nightfall & Other Stories”.  Opening proceedings on A1 is Vakula, a regular at the Release/Sustain ‘Conclave’ parties and part of the RS family. His offering, “809”, is a percussive drum tool trip of a track, with sporadic raw percussion shooting shining across a positively minimalist backing. For A2, we see Italian stalwart of underground dance music Simoncino. Obscure sample work, and a repeating line ‘I can use a friend’, twist and turn over rugged, thumping, functional drums and bass. Furthering the quality of this standout 12” is Chicago house music pioneer Vincent Floyd. Rich in melody and familiar classic house sounds, Reggie’s soft jacking house sound bring a silky smooth, North American touch to a previously rugged, European 12 slab of wax.

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VA – Nightfall & Other Stories [RS025]

John Heckle – Aggro EP [CHIWAX025]

DJ/Producer from Merseyside UK, John Heckle has produced records for Mathematics Recordings, Tabernacle Records, Crème Organization, Lunar Disko and more. His releases include two full length studio albums, The Second Son and Desolate Figures (as well as The Last Magic Maker mini-album), plus multiple singles, remixes and EPs. Now he makes his debut on Chiwax with some more machine jacking house tracks.

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John Heckle – Aggro EP [CHIWAX025]

Villa Åbo – Duophonic Mind EP [MOW002]

The second Memories On Wax release comes from Jan Svenson AKA VILLA ÅBO, one of the members of Frak, and the man behind Börft records and other projects such as Zwarre. Duophonic Mind is a 4 track release with 3 slow and heavy analog techno and a powerful remix by the emerging talent, Estrato Aurora.

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Villa Åbo – Duophonic Mind EP [MOW002]

Beranek – Sound Of Danger [DE147]

Espen Beranek Holm is a Norwegian musician and comedian, born 1960 and began his music career as a clarinetist. Inspired by early synthesizer bands Kraftwerk and The Residents, he began making experimental pop music. His debut single Dra te’ hælvete’ was released in 1981 and was immediately banned by national TV/radio channel NRK due to explicit lyrics. This gave the young artist tons of publicity, helping the single spend almost 6 months on the national charts. Beranek returned to the Starholm Studios in Oslo from June – September 1981 to record nine new compositions. His debut album, Sound of Danger’, was released on Mind Expanding Records in November 1981. Nowhere near as accessible as the previous single, the album fared poorly commercially. Withdrawing from the single’s fun, kitsch pop, the album is cool and static, driven by thin rhythm boxes, cold synths, and glacial guitars. Taking heavy cues from David Bowie, all of the songs are sung in a nasally English accent, a rare occurrence in Norway at the time. The lyrics are melancholic, but tinged with paranoia. There are also upbeat tracks that evoke a prog or glam sensibility a la King Crimson, Alan Parsons, or Roxy Music.

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Beranek – Sound Of Danger [DE147]

VA – Electro: A Personal Selection Of Electro Classics [ZEDD040]

NEGRO, Joey/VARIOUS - Joey Negro Presents Electro

Z Records are back in the funk hot-seat, but this time Joey Negro presents a snapshot of the edgier, robotic sounds of the emerging early 80s electro scene. From stone-cold classics such as Hashim’s Al Naafiysh (The Soul), Tyrone Brunson’s ‘The Smurf’ and Key-Matic’s ‘Breakin’ In Space’ to revered party anthem’s such as Aleem’s ‘Release Yourself (Dub)’, Two Sisters ‘High Noon (Part 2)’ and Dwayne Omarr’s ‘This Party’s Jam Packed’ to electro oddities like Paul Hardcastle’s ‘Rain Forest’ and The Packman’s ‘I’m The Packman’ we get a genuine labour of love and a timely reminder of the raw drum machine sounds that were soon to define the beginning of the house and techno scenes we have today.

vinyl / CD

VA – Electro: A Personal Selection Of Electro Classics [ZEDD040]

Metamatics – Bodypop EP [SHIP048]

It seemed like Neo Ouija, a Norfolk based IDM imprint, had closed up shop. Four years of silence suggested that founder Lee Norris, aka Metamatics, had decided to call it a day. But looks can be deceiving. 2016 saw the boss release a CD album of fluid acid, squelching electro and heartfelt electronics. Shipwrec are now bringing four choice cuts from Bodypop to the vinyl faithful. Proudly sitting on the “difficult to define” shelf, Norris seamlessly shifts from frigid winter moods to warming autumnal sunshine. Old-school sounds are rewired, softened by delicate keys and steady beats. Machine music morphs into organic matter. Acid coils, echoed bleeps and clicks grow and blossom into vivid audio vistas with Metamatics, once again, proving his musical mastery.

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Metamatics – Bodypop EP [SHIP048]

VA – Limited Series 04 [BPLS004]

The 4th edition to the Limited Series drops on Banoffee Pies Records. More mixed taste loving for your record bag. Italo feelings on Safari from FYI Chris’ own Watson leading the charge on 80’s mode along with a chugged out creeper from Hysteric. Plenty of acquarium breaks from DJ Ok and Rasputin and more bongos in between from Ny*Ak and Ian Blevins on K Dance.

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VA – Limited Series 04 [BPLS004]