Larry Heard – Alien [ML9009]

One of Larry Heard’s most under-rated albums finally remastered and available as full vinyl release for the first time! Known for his classic early house releases Larry Heard’s productions always hinted at deepest outer space, but his 1996 Alien album was his first actual science-fiction record. It’s almost as polished as the most mainstream dance production, but just as sublime as any Detroit producer. Heard’s house roots often show themselves, while the chords and shimmering production make this an album almost on par with Heard’s mid-’80s peak. The project was a recording & sound-development experiment that was mostly constructed around a Korg O1/W workstation keyboard that was left at Larry’s studio to check out by Victor melodious myles Houston along with some of the staples of his studio, including the Roland d550 and Oberheim Matrix 1000. Mr Fingers magic touch can be heard all over the album, and this showcases the incredible musical talents of the man, who’s name by now cant be left out from any hall of fame when you’re talking music innovators from the last century.

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Larry Heard – Alien [ML9009]

D’Marc Cantu – Physical State EP [ANSATZ1002]

D’Marc Cantu has long been a standard bearer for hardware revivalism, having first released his drum machine-heavy blends of vintage jack and starlight rave revivalism on Creme Organization back in 2007. Here, he pops up on Ansatz with a superbly varied trip into warehouse-friendly territory. There are a couple of rush-inducing doses of strobelight-enhanced rave revivalism territory (the frankly nasty “Heater” and brilliantly wide-eyed “Surface Dweller”, which sounds like it’s been ripped from pirate radio sometime around 1992), a Larry Heard-ish foray into tactile analogue deep house (the brilliant “Grey”) and a thrillingly industrial-sounding fusion of jackin’ beats and clanking bleep melodies (“Box Sound Scape”).

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D’Marc Cantu – Physical State EP [ANSATZ1002]

D’Marc Cantu – Long Weekend [MOSDEEP019]

D'MARC CANTU - Long Weekend

This new EP from D’Marc Cantu, Long Weekend, features three new tracks of fully formed house and techno with more than a touch of acid along the way. The title track opens the EP with a lively house jam that has proud kick drums, plenty of muffled and deeply buried chords and a busy bassline that darts about like a kangaroo on hot rocks. It’s propulsive and emotive as it surges along, taking you with it every step of the way. Next up, ‘1Lb Of Flesh’ is a much more jagged and serrated track, mainly because of the manic acid squiggle that runs right through the heart of the slapping snares and icy cold hi hats. Full throttle and as ever delightfully frayed and analogue sounding, it’s a real face melter. Last but by no means least, ‘Acid Test’ is the quickest of the lot, coming over like a slick, powerful fusion of electro and techno that whips and snaps as Dance Mania style snares flap about above a grilling bassline and acid wiggles in and out. It’s a busy, fulsome track but never feels cluttered and rounds out another exceptional EP from both MOS and main man D’Marc Cantu.

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D’Marc Cantu – Long Weekend [MOSDEEP019]

Hieroglyphic Being – Acid Rain Under The Stars [TRAJECTORY1009]

An explosive caustic acid concoction awaits from within the grooves of this gargantuan twelve inch from Chicago heavyweight, Hieroglyphic Being. ‘Free the Energy (No Vocal Energy)’ is highly volatile, with severely unforgiving and distorted drum programming, this violently radioactive adventure is nothing short of brutal and certainly not for the squeamish. Title cut, ‘Acid Rain Under the Stars’ paints a dreamy landscape, while the acidic protons and neutrons busily rebound in the background on this elongated, hypnosis-inducing and beautifully mind-distorting headtrip.

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Hieroglyphic Being – Acid Rain Under The Stars [TRAJECTORY1009]

Innerspace Halflife – Orbital Maneuvers [MDREAMS012]

Spaced out 4 track project from duo of Hakim Murphy & Ike Release. Emotional & cosmic tunes that focus on outer space themes & share common thread of infinite possibilities. Neo-acid house to straight deep house.

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Innerspace Halflife – Orbital Maneuvers [MDREAMS012]

Punknown – Heartbeat [LOD002]

Punknown is Orazio Bongiovanni, dj and producer from Italy. His tracks appeared on Jam Traxx Records. Since his childhood Orazio’s felt in love with Chicago and Detroit sound. Roland TR 606, 707, 808, 909, Roland TB 303, Juno 106 and Korg M1 are the ”weapons” which he uses to create his music. All the vocals are his own recordings, using vocoder and fx. He loves melodies, often introspective and never granted, he loves powerful rhythmics, he loves to transmit his mind and feelings through the music… He loves…. The EP is named as ”Heartbeat”…. His heart beats for the music.

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Punknown – Heartbeat [LOD002]

VA – RDY #13 [RDY013]

Thirteen is unlucky for some, but that’s not the case when it comes to the hugely popular RDY label which digs through the vast archives of Muzic Box favourites pioneered by the legend that was Ron Hardy for a thirteenth time. On the A Side is a classic example of Ron’s style, extending the intro to “Adventure” by The Dells into 8 minutes of blissful disco excellence, whilst the take on “Love Surge” embellishes the electronic nuances of Jules Shear’s mid 80s synth pop curio. House heads will be all over the final cut, a “Untitled” production/edit Hardy collaborated with fellow Chi-town House pioneer Jesse Saunders which has box jam brilliance written into it’s DNA.

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VA – RDY #13 [RDY013]

Sequence Report – Been Steppin’ To Your Love [TTHR010]

New Tevo Howard project! As a step into the Chicago Electro House genre, Sequence Report is an alias of Tevo that came about with the intention of exploring Popular music. inspired by the early pioneer work of artists such as The Art of Noise and Kraftwerk who crafted the computer automated voice in electronic music. Secromance , nonetheless, utilizes tuned and pitched automated vocals in a bit more of exploration within the Chicago Electro House genre. Our special feature for this album is a popular gem for the Chicago Steppin’ community titled, ”Been Steppin’ to your Love…” All extended versions for the DJs.s

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Sequence Report – Been Steppin’ To Your Love [TTHR010]

VA – J.A.M. Traxx 005 [JAM005]

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J.A.M. TRAXX back with a various artist ep from the gothic atmosphere, a mixture of Acid – Horror disco – Electro – Wave by Punknown, Andreas Gehm, Yus Yus, Mystic Mirror and Cornflake 808.

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VA – J.A.M. Traxx 005 [JAM005]

G. Marcell – Destructured World [EPISODES006]

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Chicago’s G. Marcell arrives on Episodes bringing a wealth of experience that only comes from a long, storied history with House – the sound and the scene from within the city where it all began. DJ’s all over the world are already familiar with the high quality and endearing character that every track of his embodies. Boldly take this journey into his ‘Destructured World’ which he proudly presents for us here – deep, spacious, lush, and banging!

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G. Marcell – Destructured World [EPISODES006]

Neville Watson – Hot & Heavy [DBASE002]

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Neville Watson ends 2013 with a club-focussed 12” and the second in the DBA Special Editions series. Since remixing DBA003, and thereby providing one of the most requested tracks in the label’s history, it has only been a matter of time before the legendary UK producer joined the DBA camp for a full 12” release. In keeping with the remit of the Special Editions sub-label, all three tracks are …

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Neville Watson – Hot & Heavy [DBASE002]

John Heckle – Desolate Figures [TABR022]

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Two years after his last full-length titled ‘Second Son’, which was out on Jamal Moss‘s Mathematics label, John Heckle has returned with his second album ‘Desolate Figures’ for Tabernacle Records. ‘Desolate Figures’ revolves around vintage-tinged Detroit techno, gritty Chicago house and experimental hybrids of the aforementioned genres, with the overall result sounding deliciously and uncompromisingly nasty. The album opens with a wonderfully warped slab of Detroitish techno in the form of ‘Blindman’s Bluff’, a track deeply rooted in spacey synth and string structures that gradually transforms into a superb dancefloor track. From that point on, Heckle continues to present his broad view on house and techno across a set of track that seem to stray away from pre-fabricated song patterns, instead drawing on more abstract and less rigid textures. This ethos gives the LP as a whole a very personal and organic touch, as if it were recorded in a single take while creativity and intuition were peaking. Tracks such as the emotive ‘Inhuman Nature’, ‘Something For Your Distorted Mind’, and the acid-driven, Legowelt-esque ‘Never With You’ are all examples of Heckle’s signature blend of flowing melodics and raspy rhythms, while the industrial and very minimal ‘Love-Lies’ and the nervously rattling ‘Crazy Metal’ add a dash of experimental flavors to the LP. Its diverse content and overall DIY-attitude turn ‘Desolate Figures’ in a somewhat unorthodox package, but if you don’t shy away from experimental house and techno (or if you’re just a fan of the Crème Organization and Tabernacle labels in general), then you simply can’t afford to miss out on this one.

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John Heckle – Desolate Figures [TABR022]

Hieroglyphic Being – A Synthetic Love Life: +++10 Love [MATHSPLUS010]

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“A Synthetic Love Life” is an 8 track “compilation of experimental tunes & sonic art in retrospect from 1996-2013”. Mathematics label boss/founder Jamal Moss releases some of his more challenging tunes on the Mathematics Plus side label. Limited pressing, hand stamped with printed insert.

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Hieroglyphic Being – A Synthetic Love Life: +++10 Love [MATHSPLUS010]