VA – Africa Airways Five (Brace Brace Boogie 1976 – 1982) [ASVN050]

April 21, 2019August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrica seven records, african, compilation, disco, funk, outernationalLeave a comment

The skies are calling and its time to board our trusty jet for the 5th outing of Africa Seven’s premiere class compilation Africa Airways. For volume 5 its time to brace yourselves for 10 slices of Afro boogie goodness. There’s a slightly different feel to the latest instalment of the fantastic “Africa Airways” compilation series. While previous instalments have largely focused on heavy Afro-funk and Afro-soul, this fifth edition showcases material recorded during the disco and boogie era (1976-82). The ten included tracks are superb, with highlights including the fuzzy, Clavinet-driven thrills of “Sweet Sidney (Edit)” by Black Bells Group, the heavy grooves and dancing synth lines of Gyedu Blay Ambolley’s “Highlife”, the spacey Afro-boogie badness of Fotso’s “French Girl” and the flash-fried disco-funk celebration that is Jide Obe’s spacey, Moog-sporting “Too Young”. As the old cliche goes, this is all killer and no filler.

VA – Resist Entropy [LPDR006]

April 18, 2019April 17, 2019 hipodromecompilation, das ding, geier aus stahl, halle k, industrial, john parsley, lustpoderosa, minimal synth, seven sisters, synth waveLeave a comment

Splattered vinyl with a silk screen printed cover and a huge poster inside. Lustpoderosa`s eclectic lifestyle continues with its very first various artist compilation. A clash of generations in sonic form, ranging from slow and heavy industrial beats to gloomy minimal wave. Four contemporary tracks and two reissues from 1984.

VA – Eminent Domain [LIES125]

March 21, 2019February 28, 2020 hipodrome51717, ariisk, beau wanzer, compilation, daniel holt, electro, enrique, experimental, filth, halflings, industrial, jt whitfield, l.i.e.s., long island electrical systems, nick klein, shane english, skander, technoLeave a comment

Massive 22 track compilation spanning three vinyl lps and one 45 showcasing a wide scope of subterranean American electronics. This is just a small look into the the massive contemporary underbelly of odd-ball sonic bottom dwellers making noise across the 50 states. These tranmissions come from remote government outposts, booming overcrowded metropolis’, outskirts of America’s South and even the long forgotten muck and sleaze of Northeastern suburbia. This America in its glory, a nasty place rife with tension and division, ready to boil over into complete chaos at any given moment and these are artists that walk amongst it. Absorbing it all and spitting it out, moments of clarity and tranqilty go head to head with dramatic clashes, attempting to make sense of it all or simply to isolate oneself and escape this morbid world. A definitive sonic document of modern life in a nation on the decline.

VA – Previously Undisclosed Rituals II [VEYL006]

March 21, 2019November 9, 2020 hipodromeacid, ayarcana, compilation, december, dj loser, industrial, lost highway, tv.out, vaal, veylLeave a comment

Veyl is introducing the second edition of ceremonial covenant, ‘Previously Undisclosed Rituals II’. The all-star cast which includes December (Blackest Ever Black/Pinkman), Vaal (Pale Blue Dot), TV.OUT (L.I.E.S.), Instruments of Discipline overlords Operant, Lost Highway, human bulldozer Ayarcana and the Greek tragedy DJ Loser.

VA – Spiritual Jazz 9: Blue Notes Parts 1 & 2 [JMANCD103]

March 9, 2019January 29, 2021 hipodromeblue note, compilation, jazz, jazzman records, spiritual jazzLeave a comment

The Blue Note record label needs little introduction. Musically, graphically and sonically iconic, the label created and defined the golden age of modern jazz on record. Founded in 1939 by German émigré Alfred Lion, the label’s roster of artists is a litany of giants – Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock and many more. With peerless musicians in the grooves, the legendary Rudy Van Gelder behind the boards, and graphic design genius Reid Miles creating emblematic artwork for every release, Blue Note – ‘the Cadillac of the jazz lines’ – was outstanding in every way. Volume 8 of Jazzman’s Spiritual Jazz series takes a close look at the deeper side of Blue Note – from the experimental avant-garde explored by younger musicians such as Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson and Pete La Roca, to the exciting new developments in modal sounds put forward by stalwarts Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean and Duke Pearson. The music we have selected shows how musicians working with the label responded to a period of dramatic social and sonic change, charting the route toward the esoteric and spiritualised sounds that would dominate the deepest jazz of the 1970s. As ever, Blue Note had lit the path, and this new Spiritual Jazz collection shows that the progressive and underground jazz sound of the 1960s was not only the preserve of obscure artists and private pressings. Blue spirits and heavy sounds on Blue Note – the finest in jazz since 1939, brought to you by Jazzman.

CD / part 1 / part 2

VA – Vital Impetus [JUNE14]

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 hipodromealessandro adriani, compilation, dark wave, eindkrak, industrial, june records, lbeeze, morah, outermost, penelope's fiance, raum-zeit, synth wave, toni quiroga, venus volcanismLeave a comment

June Records latest compilation welcomes new artists on the label, the Australian newcomer Lbeeze, Raum-Zeit (Toni Quiroga & Eindkrak), Mannequin Records’ boss Alessandro Adriani, Morah (Phormix), Penelope’s Fiance and Outermost & Venus Volcanism.

VA – Cuneiform for Pumapunku [LSD027]

February 24, 2019December 17, 2019 hipodromeambient, brume, compilation, crepuscule, experimental, giancarlo toniutti, light sounds dark, macadam, poison dwarfs, psychic tv, terra della seraLeave a comment

Limited business from Light Sounds Dark. Very little info on this one, but quality ambient excursions from start to finish. Touching on post-punk textures and mildly orientalist tonalities

VA – Kankyo Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990 [LITA167LP]

February 24, 2019December 12, 2019 hipodromeambient, compilation, experimental, haruomi hosono, hiroshi yoshimura, joe hisaishi, light in the attic, ryuichi sakamoto, satoshi ashikawa, yoshio ojimaLeave a comment

Light In The Attic’s Japan Archival Series continues with Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990, an unprecedented overview of the country’s vital minimal, ambient, avant-garde, and New Age music – what can collectively be described as Kankyō Ongaku, or environmental music. The collection features internationally acclaimed artists such as Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Joe Hisaishi, as well as other pioneers like Hiroshi Yoshimura, Yoshio Ojima and Satoshi Ashikawa, who deserve a place alongside the indisputable giants of these genres.

VA - Special International [HC002]

February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 hipodromeacid, baz reznik, caprithy, compilation, electro, hypnotic connection, muzikalist, snuffo, synkronized, technoLeave a comment

Russian label Hypnotic Connection presents it’s second releasee, with tracks from artists from Mexico, Sweden, Germany, Holland and Russia. In the compilation you will hear elegant synth motifs and a banger acid house, electro and raw EBM stuff.

VA – Flam! EP [SAMEHEADS001]

February 12, 2019March 14, 2019 hipodromeacid, antoni maiovvi, balance crew, compilation, electro, kris baha, kruton, novo line, sameheads, synth wave, twoonkyLeave a comment

It took a while before it was this. It was a place to find clothes made by people lost in a minefield of ideas who liked to party. It was a place for temporary visions that turned out to happen and were then forgotten. It was always a place to find a new circle of friends. A place for expression where the throttle had been loosened and we all careered into the next day and the day after that. We all need to meet in the flesh away from the pixels and connect our first thoughts. Somewhere to ruffle our own feathers and take off on a phantom flight. It has been all this and it still is. Only now there is a record label to try and actually document a little of all of that. Welcome to Sameheads. This record is a morsel from the community. Novo Line, Twoonky, Kruton, Kris Baha and Antoni Maovvi and Balance Crew aka Dane Close & L. Zylberberg. Six acts whose sweat is in the carpet and who all owe more than seven euros to the place for one reason or another. Six songs that electrify a new way to no wave. Don’t forget, this a mince based dish.

VA – Djax-Re-Up Vol. 1 [DKMNTL063-1]

February 7, 2019January 4, 2023 hipodromechicago house, compilation, dekmantel records, djax up beats, felix da housecat, glenn underground, ismistik, k-alexi shelby, planet gong, random xs, techno, terrace, xexagoneLeave a comment

Dekmantel announce the re-issue of some of the most era-defining trans-Atlantic, techno cuts from the early nineties, thanks to cult label Djax-Up-Beats. The Dutch label was responsible for releasing some of underground’s most archetypal underground dance music, mixing together Chicago and European artists alike, and acting as the launch pad for some of today’s biggest producers. This timeless music is being re-issued on vinyl for the very first time. Founded in Eindhoven at the turn of the 90s, Djax-Up-Beats quickly earned an international reputation for being a reputable source of Chicago house, acid techno, and floor-filling, heavy hitting straight up, underground 12”s. This first re-issue volume sublimely blends esoteric, ambient sounds, with staunchly fierce, and energetic electronic rhythms. Throughout the eight-tracks you can hear the sounds of sequencers, drum machines, and motor-city basslines. It defined the beginning of an era that never went away. Whether you’re a collector, or DJ looking to add to the your left field techno collection, the re-issue of Djax-Up-Beats best records is not one to pass up.

VA – Life & Death On The New York Dance Floor: 1980-1983 Part 2 [REAPPEARLP001PT2]

February 3, 2019January 31, 2019 hipodromecompilation, disco, experimental, funk, george kranz, james white, quando quango, reappearing records, tim lawrenceLeave a comment

For the last 20 years London-based author and party organizer Tim Lawrence has dedicated himself to excavating the history of New York City party culture and bringing some of the most powerful aspects of that culture to London’s dance scene, from where it has ricocheted around the world. Having conducted the first set of major interviews with David Mancuso, Lawrence started to put on Loft-style Lucky Cloud Sound System parties with David and friends in London in June 2003. In early 2004 he published Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-79, which tracked the influence of the Loft on the wider New York DJ, dance and disco scene. In 2009 his biography of the iconic musician Arthur Russell became the first book to map the wider downtown music scene. These beautifully written and politically insightful histories have educated, inspired and celebrated the previously overlooked foundations of contemporary dance music. Lawrence’s most recent publication, Life & Death On The New York Dancefloor, 1980 – 1983, published in late 2016, shines a light on ‘one of the most dynamic and creative periods in the history of New York City’. Falling between the more regularly celebrated sounds of disco, house and techno, the period produced a uniquely hybrid series of sounds that never acquired a settled name. This led them to be largely ignored by historians and even DJs, yet the power of the period’s music and the scenes it birthed, Lawrence argues, remains undeniable. Met with a rapturous response, Life and Death On The New York Dance Floor saw Lawrence on the road for most of the next year as he spread the word about the characters, the records, the clubs and the bands that shaped the post-Disco, post-Punk, and burgeoning Hip Hop landscapes of New York City during the early 1980s—a period when freedom still ruled.

VA – System Updates [DDV2.0]

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 hipodromecompilation, datadisk, drox, electro, sol37, southern outpost, the sentinelLeave a comment

After 10 years of deep hibernation, Southern Outpost’s sub-label, Datadisk, brings the first in a series of ‘System Updates’ (think Direct Beat style bonus beats). Southern Outpost label boss, The Sentinel has compiled 9 byte-sized electro tracks/tools programmed specifically for DJ’s who like to throw down. The updates were developed by 3 programmers, from opposite ends of the planet. The Sentinel (Southern Outpost/Datadisk), Sol37 (Southern Outpost) both Australian ex-pats now based in San Francisco and Drox (Analog Cabin) based in Sydney, Australia. The tracks are on average 2 mins long, which mean they get straight to the point and are ready to deploy at a moments notice. For the advanced DJ, utilizing 2 copies will offer the opportunity to extend and remix the updates 24,310 ways. The release was mastered at Dubplates & Mastering and pressed at R.A.N.D to ensure the release is at the highest sonic quality.

VA – From The Dark Volume 3 [CE028]

January 21, 2019March 15, 2021 hipodromealpha606, animistic beliefs, calderin, compilation, cultivated electronics, electro, joonam prada, morphology, nomadic, sc-164, silicon scally, sync 24Leave a comment

VARIOUS - From The Dark Vol 3

Following volumes 1 & 2, Cultivated Electronics label-head Sync 24 hails another world-class line up to the helm to bring ‘From The Dark’ to a strong close with Volume 3. Finnish duo Morphology kick things off with ‘Sentinel’; a gritty stepper with a sinister synth riff, followed by Alpha 606’s ‘Zombie King’ of wiggy arpeggios and off-kilter analogue delays. Flip for the B1 where Silicon Scally enters with a raspy and cutting, harmonious jam. B2, which is a collaboration between CE head-honcho Sync 24 and NYC based Joonam, Prada, is a 140bpm big-room monster, with a reverberated low end and quivering moans of spooky voices. On the next disc, is Miami-based Calderin with a sickening groove that draws you in and holds you where you are from start to finish. Following up is Brooklyn based techno stalwart Donor under his new SC-164 electro alias switching things up with earthy snare rattles and a tweaked-out, panicky synth lines. Nomadic (of UK electro label Touchin’ Bass) then rolls out an addictive chord progression above tight, snappy beats, while masked, Dutch duo Animistic Beliefs close out the series with winding, morish pads that draw from a sci fi sound-palate, showcasing a glimpse into their astounding live set-up.

VA – Material Eléctrico Vol. III LP [BFE051]

January 14, 2019September 15, 2021 hipodromeb.f.e. records, bässt, black zone myth chant, burka for everybody, celldöd, circa tapes, compilation, industrial, klack, kyle dixon, minimal synth, sam de la rosa, santiago, synth wave, violet poisonLeave a comment

VARIOUS - Material Electrico Vol III

Great compilation on Spanish wierdo label Burka For Everybody. The third volume of the series Material Eléctrico, a compilation of international mutant electronic underground. A tour around experimental electronics covering abstract rythms (Santiago, Black Zone Myth Chant), industrial EBM / new beat (Celldöd, Klack, Violet Poison, Bässt), minimal wave (Circa Tapes, Sam de la Rosa) and the great collaboration between Sam De La Rosa & Kyle Dixon.

VA – Life & Death on a New York Dance Floor Part 1 [REAPPEARLP001PT1]

December 2, 2018December 2, 2018 hipodromealan vega, compilation, david byrne, dinosaur l, disco, experimental, gray, jazz, johnny dynell, reappearing records, tim lawrence, tuxedomoonLeave a comment

For the last 20 years London-based author and party organiser Tim Lawrence has dedicated himself to excavating the history of New York City party culture and bringing some of the most powerful aspects of that culture to London’s dance scene, from where it has ricocheted around the world. Having conducted the first set of major interviews with David Mancuso, Lawrence started to put on Loft-style Lucky Cloud Sound System parties with David and friends in London in June 2003. In early 2004 he published Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-79, which tracked the influence of the Loft on the wider New York DJ, dance and disco scene. In 2009 his biography of the iconic musician Arthur Russell became the first book to map the wider downtown music scene. These beautifully written and politically insightful histories have educated, inspired and celebrated the previously overlooked foundations of contemporary dance music. Lawrence’s most recent publication, Life & Death On The New York Dancefloor, 1980 – 1983, published in late 2016, shines a light on ‘one of the most dynamic and creative periods in the history of New York City’. Falling between the more regularly celebrated sounds of disco, house and techno, the period produced a uniquely hybrid series of sounds that never acquired a settled name. This led them to be largely ignored by historians and even DJs, yet the power of the period’s music and the scenes it birthed, Lawrence argues, remains undeniable. Met with a rapturous response, Life and Death On The New York Dance Floor saw Lawrence on the road for most of the next year as he spread the word about the characters, the records, the clubs and the bands that shaped the post-Disco, post-Punk, and burgeoning Hip Hop landscapes of New York City during the early 1980s—a period when freedom still ruled.

VA – The Black Book [IDEAL175]

November 18, 2018October 14, 2021 hipodromeambient techno, compilation, drone, dungeon acid, experimental, ideal recordings, jasss, robert aiki aubrey loweLeave a comment

VARIOUS - The Black Book

Epic, brilliantly curated two hour collection of new and exclusive material celebrating iDEAL Recordings’ (1998-2018) 20th anniversary featuring JASSS, Stephen O’Malley, Jim O’Rourke (an epic 17 minute trance-enducer – honestly worthy of its own LP), Ectoplasm Girls, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Prurient, Puce Mary and many others…

VA – The Library Music Film: Music From & Inspired By The Film [LEGO148]

November 4, 2018November 2, 2018 hipodromealan hawkshaw, brian bennett, compilation, funk, geoff astow, jazz, légère recordings, piero umiliani, shawn lee, soundtrackLeave a comment

The Library Music Film follows record producer, composer and library music enthusiast Shawn Lee as he travels from his recording studio in London, through Europe, and California, USA to search out and interview the great pioneers of library music. Collecting rare, unreleased vinyl is big business. Library music was only available on vinyl and only given to industry professionals. There were very small production runs; sometimes only 200 copies of each album were pressed. Most of those were destroyed through the Nineties with the advent of CDs. Finding these records is extremely rare and therefore some of these records go for well over a thousand pounds. Shawn Lee opens the record boxes of some of the most notorious collectors, getting a glimpse and having a listen to their favourite wax. Delving into the vaults of the classic library music houses, meeting the people behind these incredible themes at Music De Wolfe, Warner-Chappell, Bruton Music, Bosworth, Flipper Music, KPM, Tele Music and Capitol Media Music as well as talking to some of the modern record labels that are compiling and re-issuing these quintessential pieces.

VA – From The Dark Volume 1 [CE026]

October 29, 2018November 8, 2022 hipodrome214, alienata, assembler code, compilation, cultivated electronics, delta funktionen, electro, exterminador, jensen interceptor, rico casazza, stratowerx, sync 24, techno, versalifeLeave a comment

Sync 24’s Cultivated Electronics rounds off 2018 in style with the “From The Dark” Series. 3 x V/A LP’s showcasing some of the leading lights of modern electro alongside some solid newcomers. Focussing on the spookier side of the genre FTD brings in the various shades of darker electro tones from across the Globe. Volume 1 kicks off the series with with some super dark selections from Sync 24 & Alienata, Australia’s hottest electro exports of the moment Jensen Interceptor and Assembler Code, Seattle Electro Veteran 214, CE newcomer Rico Casazza, Radio Matrix Boss & Tresor resident Delta Funktionen, Caught London Sleeping Head Honcho Stratowerx, Delsin & Clone affiliate Versalife and Berlin based CE newcomer Exterminador.

VA – Global Surveyor 4 [DE-025]

October 22, 2018December 30, 2021 hipodromeanthony rother, carl finlow, compilation, dominance electricity, electro, hardfloor, heliopause, patronen, silicon scally, techno, visoniaLeave a comment

The German label Dominance Electricity presents Phase 4 of the Global Surveyor various artist album series (launched in 1998). Featuring heavy-weights of the international Electro genre such as Anthony Rother, Hardfloor, Silicon Scally aka Carl Finlow and Heliopause (a project of Germany’s Dynamik Bass System & Detroit’s Keith Tucker of AUX 88) and many more, this carefully selected collection includes a total of 24 productions out of 13 countries / 5 continents ranging between clubbish acid power, deep space cruiser, playful kraftwerkesk melodic downtempo and ambient synth magic.