Long awaited album, “Imaginary Soundscapes”, from Jamal Moss brings nine breathtaking compositions of raw electronic goodness that only he can concoct. From soft atmospheric sound environments to banging warehouse beat tracks, this is pure sonic bliss.
Former Main ingredient leader Cuba Gooding recorded two albums for Motown in the late 70’s produced by Lambert and Potter. The 1st album is the strongest and includes the dancers ‘Mind Pleasers’ and ‘Hold On To What You Got’, the mid tempo floater ‘Fool of The year’ and a good cover of Patti Austin’s ‘We’re In Love’. The highlight though is the 2 stepper ‘All I Can Give You is Love’. Expansion Records includes the two classic albums on one CD. The first Coba Gooding album Love Dancer.
Detroit DJ, producer and MC, ZHAO-SKI is proud to present his first vinyl release via Submerge’s new label Black Operation Records. As part of the track-e-zoid production team and the “keep it classic” movement, Zhao-ski has been involved in the production of some of your favorite hip hop songs from Detroit. No Vocals. Hipnotech style.
Years after rumors of the mysterious Usio first started spreading, Studio Barnhus are finally ready to release the project’s debut outing, an LP called Kuwa Huru. This is emotional, intricate electronic blues for the modern dance floor, with 8 tracks ranging from afro-beat influenced house jams to starlight spangled techno compositions.
Function aka Dave Sumner presents “Incubation”, his first solo album on Ostgut Ton. Over nine tracks we are guided through the varying moods and scenes of Function’s musical temperament. Be it through writhing layered club tracks, soaring string-led atmospheres, or melodic pieces founded on classic electronic traditions, ‘Incubation’ marks a new level of maturity for the Berlin-based producer.
Halloween is early this year……fantasy soundtracking returns with his third official full-length, two years after the badass psychodrama of Prophecy of the Black Widow. What instantly distinguishes this new album from the previous two is its ominous, slow-burn compositional model, building its evil temple brick by brick, basking in the tension of each new chiming, Carpenteresque synth line or monkish doom Om for multiple measures before stirring the next substance into the cauldron. This elegant sense of patience gives the tracks a more oozing, operatic aura; these confrontations aren’t hostile showdowns in the woods but the creeping dread of alien-nation body snatchers infiltrating the populace. Death comes slipping.
Bad Cop Bad Cop are underground veteran Alex Cortex (XX Badcop) and glam-tech-hero Lopazz (ZZ Badcop). So different they are in their respective solo-projects, so indistinguishably they melt their unique visions into one flow of effervescent creativity when they hit the studio or stage together. Bad Cop Bad Cop’s music is deeply rooted in early to mid-nineties techno, house, and electronica but at the same time peeps through wormholes into the future. Driving, roaring, epic, and cosmic are all apt descriptions of their sound, but so would be jacking, funny, surreal and -above all- alien. A typical trip to Bad-Cop-Land is a full on crash through a psychedelic wall of sound that has to be experienced rather than understood. Now, Pomelo label brings Bad Cop Bad Cop’s debut album “Wings of Techno”. It’s a trippy puzzle of styles and moods that blends the most absurdly divergent tracks effortlessly into one coherent piece of intriguing musicality.
Cititrax present a new release by the UK duo known as The KVB via our sublabel Cititrax. Combining shoegaze guitars, minimal synth melodies, hypnotic drum machine rhythms and reverb drenched vocals, The KVB was first formed in 2010 as the solo project of Klaus Von Barrel. He was later joined by his girlfriend Kat Day, who added synthesizers and abstract visual elements. Their sound can be described as dark, layered, complex and moody – an icy atmosphere juxtaposed by the warmth of distorted guitars.
Informatics were a post-punk electronic band from Melbourne, Australia formed in 1981. Michael Trudgeon, Valek Sadovchikoff, Steve Adam and Ramesh Ayyar met in the experimental sound studio while attending the same art school. Philip McKellar later joined the band in 1983. They came to work together through a shared fascination in electronic music and the capabilities of analogue synthesizers. In early performances, long before the advent of samplers, the Informatics used a collection of synthesizers and other analogue and hand built equipment. These were patched together to create a unique battery of sounds. Informatics early songs have a brittle, cold, disconnected feel made by a Roland SH-101, Korg MS-20 and a lot of processed guitar. The later songs utilize newer technology and ambient, synthesized melodies closer to their country mates Severed Heads.
Inspired by reggae, sound system culture and the myriad of musical styles influenced by Jamaican music old and new, The Lions’ sound is firmly placed in soul music. The band draws together a dozen or so of LA’s elite reggae and soul forerunners who loosely coalesced as The Lions in 2007. Members of the legendary ska band Hepcat, Deston Berry and Alex Désert, form half of the vocal team, and the latter also has a successful career on screen, including roles in the films Swingers and High Fidelity. The other half is the sweet falsetto of Malik Moore and DJ stylings of Black Shakespeare, the charismatic cousin of Robbie Shakespeare (of Sly & Robbie fame) and co-runner of the i&i Sound System, a customized ice cream van bringing bass to the streets of the west coast. ‘This Generation’ is being released on vinyl in the form of a 45 box set containing the 12 tracks from the album plus non-album dub versions.
Brand new label Contemporary Scarecrow launches this January with a double pack vinyl EP from Chicago house veteran Boo Williams. He was propelled into the underground house and techno scene through long time ally Glenn Underground who introduced Williams to music production back in the late 90’s, Boo has since gone on to record for reputable imprints. Vinyl comes in 1x transparent blue, 1x yellow version).
Holland’s FAH (aka Robin de Bekker) presents his album of braindance influenced electro Fahzers Set To Earth. Tight, punchy electrobass riddims, operating on the cusp of Rephlexian electro a la DMX Krew and Drexciyan aqua-funk, Fah cycles from the skating 808 patterns of ‘Not Enough Fahzers’ to the whirring syncopations and jazz chords of ‘Casting The Rod’ on the front, while paying tribute to James Stinson on the flipside’s woozy ‘Glowism’ and the skewed, angular hyperfunk programming of ‘Magnetic Freedom’.
Versalife aka Boris Bunnik returns to the Clone West Coast Series for more under sea level electro-techno. After his debut 12inch series Night Time Activities, here a full length album inspired by the horizons and emptyness of his home lands in Friesland. Accompanied by beautiful artwork of fellow Frisian, and one of Hollands most talented painters, Robert Zandvliet (who happens to have his atelier around the corner of the Clone Hq). His amazing painting ”Winter by Jouswier” (spread among the front and backside of the digipack) symbolizes perfectly the rhythm of the open spaces in Friesland. Especialy in the whitened more abstract and cold winter landscape thats almost synonym for Versalife’s abstract ice cold electro techno.
Medical Records presents the groundbreaking electronic classic “Explorer” and its sister LP “Yellow Power” by Tony Carey. (a keyboard whiz from California) In the mid-late 1970’s, he moved to Germany and began working in Peter Hauke’s studio. Here a reissue of the highly-sought after “Explorer” LP along with “Yellow Power” as a 2LP package. Rumor has it that “Explorer” was intended to be demos for the “Yellow Power”. Eventually both of these brilliant LPs were released on X Records in 1982. “Explorer” is the more stripped down almost proto-techno meets synthed out Italo disco while “Yellow Power” has a more polished, well-rounded and produced sound with a different array of instrumentation and alteration in mood. The tracks on “Yellow Power” seem to convey a futuristic sci-fi Japanese motif which possibly explains the beautiful airbrushed samurai warrior on the original cover. Some tracks have sparse vocal samples such as on the lovely “Peking Duck” and “Queen of Scots”.
Brand new hip-hop/ beats album from Nick Speed (UR) on Moodymann’s label Mahogani Music. Moodymann’s Mahogani institute break off a raw and soulful hip hop session from Nick Speed aka Nicholas. Proper MPC beats are in order; 20 short and efficient ideas ranging from bass-heavy blues bumps to Dilla-esque funk chop-ups, one wicked auto-tune R&B nugget and nuff crispy neck snappers.
Robbie M, from the Midnight Express Show Band “Danger Zone” fame, finally releases tracks from his extensive RAM MUSIC PRODUCTIONS catalog. 10 titles total featuring 5 lost instrumental synth funk riders, and 5 classic club multi-tracks. Over 40 minutes to smooth your evening, lay back on and vibe. Robbie’s mood is infectious and delivers with every chord and melody. Prepare yourself for “Let’s Groove”.
Synth funk album by Atlanta Georgia artist Moon B released on Peoples Potential Unlimited. There’s a strong boogie presence across the 11 untitled tracks, but it doesn’t stop at your usual sleazy fare. There are also plaintive moments of refined introspection, and a constant display of production skills, albeit draped in the crust and charm of those archaic music-making means. If you’re a fan of the likes of Dam-Funk and can’t enough of that heady 80s funk flex, then this record should have you bumping and grinding for months to come.
Frustrated Funk present the stunning solo project by Victoria Lukas (Zerkalo fame) called Vita, featuring eleven ambient electronica tracks.
The Hipodrome Of Music 