Following well received EPs from Myriadd and Q-Chip, Gnosis are ecstatic to have prolific UK producer Nigel Rogers (aka Ellis De Havilland, Operator Tracey, Orpheus, Pagan Ritual, Sir Leon Greg etc.) on board for their third release. ‘Drowning In Your Eyes’ is a four track EP recorded under his Perseus Traxx handle.
Welcome to the all new Children Of The Box, a label heavily inspired by the edgier side of Chicago’s legendary club, the “Music Box”. We’re getting things rolling with a whirlwind of raw Analog recordings by Gavin Guthrie, aka TX Connect. First up is “Dripping”, which carries a vintage (yet modern) Gherkin Jerks sound. The song continuously builds throughout the track, ending in a frenzy of synthesizer’s & 707 drum patterns. The title track “Into the Box” takes you on a hypnotic journey through the mind of Hellraiser’s very own Pinhead. A melodic interlude gives the listener a slight break, but only to return with a vengeance. “Not Forever” brings a “back to the future” vibe, equally stacked with both vintage & modern elements. The song comes complete with an overpowering low synth line & 707 drums.
Closing things out is “Destinies”, a track inspired by the deeper side of the Windy City. A more than perfect ending to a stellar release.
A great pairing here as the rugged basslines, emotional melodies, and vintage percussion of Perseus Traxx seem right at home on the Love Notes stabel, who seem to be taking a quick break from showcasing artists from their homebase of Brooklyn, as they have on their last 4 records. More Songs About Girls is a cohesive EP of 4 original tracks and neither fans of this artist nor fans of this label will be disappointed.
The tightest duo since Batman and Robin is back. Rick Poppa Howard and son Tevo Howard team up once more for an emotional house trip.
1985, restored from a vintage vinyl copy (masters were lost long time ago in Chicago…) Copies sold for 0. On the Youtube thread for the track a cousin of T. Woodard says they pressed 2,500 copies of this – but that seems hard to believe unless they didn’t sell and got recycled at Trax and/or were simply thrown out, as this rarely show up anywhere. This is a very early and simple track which sums up the new and experimental sounds of early 1985 along with tracks such as Jesse Sanders On & On and Funkin Keith Funkin with the Drums. Basic early house music that havent lost any of its relevance.
Dark Entries present the sophomore album from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’ is a 70 minute journey spread across two pieces of vinyl. It’s comprised of seven tracks recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse’s home studio. At the time of recording, Bill was sending this material to Josh Vance (Josua Dorje Ngodup) for feedback. Most of the time Josh would respond in the form of artwork, and then Bill would create another track inspired by this feedback chain. Converse has dedicated this series of tracks to him. The songs on this album reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house, and Acid. For this album Converse slightly bumped up the tempos geared for dancefloor energy. Built around vintage synthesizer lines and gritty drum machine percussion, the tracks evoke how things have changed and how they have come to be.
Don Ron Trent re-engages his deep dub systematics with Blak Punk Soundsystem. There are two definitive sides to this story: “Red Cloud” plunges into a swampy, pensive stomp loaded and laced with heavy atmospheres and washes of heady percussion while the “BPS Dub” plays the consummate foil with a roomy, mystic rebuild that maintains the pressure in a soft focus hazy form. As always with Trent, the quality is benchmarks beyond mere mortals’ grasps.
Mr. Frankie Knuckles – this time operating under his Night Writers alias. We’re not sure too much needs to be said about this one, it’s all here really, that classic Knuckles deep touch, the musicality, the vibe… Ricky Dillard’s vocals encapsulating that feeling when the music takes over, pure abandon. The pairing of these two talents results in what would eventually become a bona-fide house classic.
Snuff Trax is thrilled to announce that Andrew Soul is back with his big love for house music on this new record. The – Wide Range Of Experiences EP’ features four tracks full of irresistible grooves, driving beats and sweet melodies. You can even catch up with Klaudia bringing fantastic and emotional vocals on the opening track – Strange Feelings’.
In recent years, original copies of Marcus Mixx’s superb 1992 single “Liquid Love” – a sublime chunk of deep house for the ages – have become sought-after amongst collectors. This can partly explained by the fact that the 12″ boasted a rare remix from the late, great Ron Hardy, which brilliantly peppered the original’s Mr Fingers style groove with whistling synthesizer melodies, lilting chords and sweet vocal loops. Hardy’s mix naturally takes pride of place on the flipside of this on-point reissue. On the A-side you’ll find the rich, soulful and full vocal “New York Mix” – think vintage Nu Groove with a dash of Dream II Science, and you’re close – and the “Can You Feel It” mix, which offers a loving tribute to the Chicago deep house style of Larry Heard.
After a quiet 2016 which saw the label release only a single EP, Altered Moods Recordings launches the first in a steady stream of releases for 2017. With “The Lodge”, AMR has joined forces with techno and jakbeat wunderkind D’Marc Cantu. On this double-12, he shows us and the world his more melodic, deeper side, while still maintaining a sense of urgency and a fingerhold on the jakbeat throughout.
Photic Fields usher a new name into the fold, Switzerland’s Contra Communem Opinionem aka CCO. The Lux Rec and Mathematics alumni arrives with The Road to the Stars, five tracks of his trademark acid elegance. The ferocity of the 303 has been sheathed, percussion pared down with lush chords and deep warmth being the focus. House is the foundation from which CCO builds. Those time honoured sounds support cascading melodies and fragile keys for a 12″ that borders between armchair abstraction, floor funk and the night sky.
One of the founding fathers of Chicago house, himself a grandson to a DJ and frequently alongside other greats such as Ron Hardy on the decks, Gene Hunt summons a 3-tracker for the Midnight Shift label. True house and techno direct from the source and in his own words, a rather ‘jungly’ take of it due to the tracks’ chaotic percussion.
After an amazing duo of vinyl releases from Jordan Fields and Vincent Floyd, Chicago Basement Trax keeps banging out the jams! The Boxed Out EP sports another lost tape from Jordan Fields with Oriental. No fake added noise here from this original 80’s synth and drum machine creation just more uncut raw from JF’s archive that seems to have no end!! Check out more old school and acid by jack Jeremy Williams, Italy’s Giuseppe Gatti and Paris underground pushers Wondernature.
The legend DJ Pierre digs through the vaults for a 12 track/12 artist double LP showcasing acid’s true pioneers from around the world. Acid 88 features new and original tracks from some of the style’s top producers that are flying the flag today for the Roland TB 303: Luke Vibert, Tyree Cooper, Mr. C, Posthuman, K Alexi Shelby and many more. Dedicated to the memory of Phuture co-founder DJ Spank Spank and respected German acid producer Andreas Gehm: who both passed away before their time in the summer of 2016. Each of them have a track included. Black & Yellow Vinyl with DJ Pierre’s acid history in the sleeve notes.
It’s Ike Velez aka Ike Release on the jack attack: three super heavy house bombs that have been shutting down our dance for a minute. Chicago born and raised but now living in New York, this is Ike’s first official release for The Mister (though we did put his amazing tune ‘Phazzled’ on our Weekends and Beginnings mix and sampler a couple summers ago).
Final Chapter return with an EP of deftly crafted house jams from Sean Dixon, that each tip their hat in the direction of Chicago.
The Hipodrome Of Music 