VA – Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984 [AACD083]

VARIOUS - Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984

Now Analog Africa returns to put the record straight. Pop-Makossa shines a light on a glorious but largely overlooked period in the story of Cameroonian makossa, when local musicians began to replace funk and highlife influences with the rubbery bass of classic disco and the sparkling synth flourishes and drum machines of electrofunk. The resultant compilation, which apparently took eight years to produce, is packed full of brilliant cuts, from the heavily-electronic jauntiness of Pasteur Lappe’s “Sanaga Calypso” and horn-totin’ Highlife-disco of Emmaniel Kahe and Jeanette Kemogne’s “Ye Medjuie”, to the dense, organ-laden wig out that is Clement Djimogne’s “Africa”.

The Pop Makossa adventure started in 2009, when Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb first travelled to Cameroon to make an initial assessment of the country’s musical situation. He returned with enough tracks for an explosive compilation highlighting the period when funk and disco sounds began to infiltrate the Makossa style popular throughout Cameroon.

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VA – Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984 [AACD083]

VA – Distant Waves II [DWR015]

Dead Wax Records presents “Distant Waves II”, a follow up of the well received 2014 compilation. This was compiled in three whole years (and a lot of research work) and is a collection of songs that share some common factors: they all were made in the 80s, they all feature synths and they all are extremely sought after, rare as hell or just previously unreleased. There are obvious style variations as each band here is unique but “Distant Waves II” is quite more homogeneous than its predecessor. We have the upbeat, danceable minimalism of Standing Ovation, Boris Dzaneck, Störung, Doppler Effect and Factoría Ribbentrop. The cold, moody melancholy of Broken Tables and La Valse. Virtually unknown acts like The Sixth Sense, Seeing Red and Almost Anyone, heavily underrated new wave giants like Grey Parade and Puppets Of Mankind. An unreleased synth pop masterpiece from Almost Alone here, an unheard 7” rendition of a worldwide dancefloor smasher by Nightmoves there. A total of 14 amazing tracks, all ‘instant classics’

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VA – Distant Waves II [DWR015]

VA – Selectors 003 [DKMNTLSLCTRS003]

DETTMANN, Marcel/VARIOUS - Selectors 003

Dekmantel’s Selectors series now continues with an edition curated by Marcel Dettmann. Although he’s now known as one of the world’s most celebrated techno artists, even Marcel Dettmann had to start somewhere. Long before he ever held court at Berghain (or its predecessor, Ostgut), he was just another young boy in Eastern Germany, one whose earliest encounters with capitalism involved spending every penny he could scrape together down at the local record shop. In those days, it wasn’t techno that got him excited, but new wave, post-punk, industrial and EBM acts like Front 242 and Depeche Mode. Get back to his roots right here.

vinyl / CD

VA – Selectors 003 [DKMNTLSLCTRS003]

VA – Terra Incognita [ERC034]

Emotional Rescue starts its 5th year by shining a light on one of Europe’s best underground 80s’ label in Spain’s Auxilio De Ciento. Their Terra Incognita Volumes I and II collated an international mix of synth-pop, new wave, world and industrial sounds to a small but appreciative following. Released in 1985 and 1986, the Volumes have become highly regarded and rightly sought after, finding a place in discerning playlists from London to Amsterdam and Dusseldorf to Glasgow. Here, taking a premise of avoiding the songs unearthed on other recent reissues, is a unique album itself. Starting with Denis Mpunga & Paul K’s esoteric Criola, a fusion of fourth world ideals and poly-rhythmic funk. The music of Mal, Bene Gesserit and La Caida De La Casa Usher, however, soon highlight that the decade also belonged to dark, minimal synth as to shiny balearic ideals. The inclusion of Hector Zazou with Bony Biyake and their contribution Komba, is a fitting continuation from their cult Noir Et Blanc LP before, things continue with US avant-artist Danny Alias and his humorous Big Brother “response” to Laurie Anderson’s Superman O. Image Pour Image loose indie-pop and the inclusion of seminal Beast Of Burden lead again to a Zazou contribution, this time in his collaborative Stranger In A New Light, before the compilation eclectically ends with the dadaesque Lakota and the post punk dub of Instead Of’s closer, Angels .

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VA – Terra Incognita [ERC034]

Steffi – Fabric 94 [FABRIC187]

Given that there have been 93 previous editions of Fabric’s long-running mix series, you’d think DJs would struggle to find a new angle. Steffi, though, has had no such problems. The Berlin-based Dutchwoman has flipped the script by commissioning all 16 tracks especially for the mix. It’s a neat trick and works well, with the result being a typically impressively put-together stroll through a myriad of techno, house, IDM and electro-related sounds. There are two exclusive Steffi collaborations (one with Martyn as Doms and Deykers, the other with Shed), alongside seriously good cuts from pals Dexter (solo and alongside Virginia), Late Night Approach, Answer Code Request, Privacy and UAS.

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Steffi – Fabric 94 [FABRIC187]

VA – Musica Per L’Immagine [FBNMLP001]

With Fly by Night Music now celebrating their fifth year of operation, Lorenzo has marked the occasion by assembling his biggest project to date – an impeccably curated collection of obscure Italian production music circa 1974 – 1985. The project, nearly a year in the making, has been very close to Lorenzo’s heart – beginning unexpectedly in the record fairs of Buenos Aires and leading him on several trips to Rome and Milan, tracking down the original musicians and licensors. ”In this compilation, I have tried to include some of the most interesting cuts I have collected over the years. Tracks like the entirely electronic ”Nitrogen” from Alberto Baldan Bembo’s ”Sound Orchestra” LP on Star Track Records, featuring a wild evolving bassline leading us through frantic rhythmic experimentations. ”In the Space”, by French born composer Albert Verrecchia and taken from Italian poliziesco drama ‘Il Tempo Degli Assasini’ (Season for Assasins), tells the tale of wistful longing, played out with serenity on strings and keys, but unexpected interruption from its stop-start arrangement brings an unforeseen tension into the mix… And how could I not include the wonderfully charming ”Screw Driver” by Fabio Fabor, from his collaborative album ”Superman” with a young Antonio Arena. Featuring an orchestra of beautifully programmed ARP and Oberheim sonorities alongside the Commodore 64 programmed graphical artwork by Antonio Arena himself.” The music itself was partly sourced from Lorenzo’s own collection, archived and then restored especially for this release. Where possible, tracks (such as ”Vision”, ”Nitrogen” and ”Blue Magnolia”) have been lifted directly from the original master tapes kindly lent by the repertoire owners. Every track, however, has been carefully restored, remastered and cut for vinyl by the cautious hands of Andreas [LUPO] Lubich at Calyx Mastering, Berlin.

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VA – Musica Per L’Immagine [FBNMLP001]

VA – Cameron 10 [DSR/C10]

VARIOUS - Cameron 10

Delsin is to put out an eight track compilation for the tenth release on its Cameron series, taking in stronghold names as Claro Intelecto and Vril, as well as former contributors to the series Shlømo, Artefakt and Gunnar Haslam. As has been the mission for the series before, there’s eye for new talent too – in the names of recent Delsin newcomer Sentomea, The Invariants and Cameron. All contributors look beyond the dance floor to offer a mixture of moody and atmospheric sounds, and everyone was given free rein, which has resulted in a collection that covers so much stylistic ground.

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VA – Cameron 10 [DSR/C10]

VA – Five Years Of Loving Notes [ATN5YEARS]

5th Birthday comp featuring a host of artistst who’ve graced the label over the perioid.. Exclusives from Tolouse Lowtrax, Geena, Iueke, Domenique Dumont, . Inoue Shirabe, Raphael Top-Secret and more… Gatefold Sleeve. The music on this compilation covers a wide spectrum of moods and atmospheres, from the dark and raw excursions from Tolouse Low Trax or Iueke to the lush instrumental crafted by Nico Motte and Syracuses Antoine Kogut; however as the listener gets deeper into the compilation, the whole of the tunes, sitting side by side on the records, start to make sense as they all seem to point towards the same direction. If one should try isolating a common trait from all these songs, one might come to the conclusion that it lies in the way they all speak directly to the listeners emotional receptors, unvarnished and without abusing of producers tricks.

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VA – Five Years Of Loving Notes [ATN5YEARS]

VA – Mosaics [EVR010]

Echovolt’s lost and found 10th release is finally out. A beautiful mosaic of six tracks produced by new and old friends hailing from six different parts of the world. From the no-reason unreleased Terekke’s “Sun Salutation” remix, the new Greek producer but old friend of us under the (for the time being) name “Old Man Talkin'”, the first hip hop jam ever released on the label by West Coast’s “Tlim Shug” to the mysterious one-off alias of Sydney’s “Indreamz”. However, this compilation could never be more complete without our new loves that are Australia’s Hugo Gerani (aka John Tanner) and Shea from overseas both of them to be seen in future solo releases!

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VA – Mosaics [EVR010]

VA – Danzas Electricas [MMLP404]

Macadam Mambo is launching a special compilation of adjustments made by friends and members of the label (Kilian Krings, Sneaker/Dunkeltier, Obermannkind, Panoptique, Mori Ra, Shiny Boots, Misha Geylen, Smagghe & Cross, Guillaume des Bois, Johan Ressle). Mostly very obscure tracks in Sacha’s ‘Metalic vibe’, from post-punk to synth-pop, experimental and more.

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VA – Danzas Electricas [MMLP404]

VA – DJ Pierre presents Acid 88 [AAT014]

DJ PIERRE/VARIOUS - Acid 88 (Record Store Day 2017)

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.

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VA – DJ Pierre presents Acid 88 [AAT014]

VA – Ethiopiques Box [HS164VL]

VARIOUS - Ethiopiques Box (Record Store Day 2017)

If you’ve been digging the brilliant Ethiopiques series of compilations, which shine a light on the lesser-known Ethiopian music scene of the 1960s and ’70s, you’ll love this lavishly produced box set. Put together by series founder Francis Falceto, the box boasts fresh pressings of six impossible-to-find 7″ singles and a booklet containing extensive liner notes. The musical treats come thick and fast, quickly jumping between evocative Ethiopian jazz, unique fusions of rhythm and blues and traditional East African styles, Hammond-heavy groovers and exotic dancefloor workouts that defy easy categorization. Includes tracks from great Ethiopian artists like : Mulatu Astatke, Girma Beyene, Mahmoud Hamed, Getatchew Mekuria, Tilahun Gessesse.

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VA – Ethiopiques Box [HS164VL]

VA – Standing Before The Unknown [SYM020]

Ben Sims’ Symbolism celebrates its 20th release with an 8 tracker featuring the first original Ben Sims material in the past few years. Launched in 1999, Symbolism was initially intended as side project of Sims’ Theory imprint but quickly developed in to a standout label itself with releases from Sims (as Aural Emote), Exos, Reeko and a split release with Function hitting home on the circuit. After a 9 year hiatus Symbolism was reactivated in in 2015 and has since dropped 12”s from the likes of Mike Gervais, D_Func, JC & Kastil and George Tounisidis, ‘Standing Before The Unknown’ is a heavy package from start to finish and takes in a number of tones while remaining firmly dancefloor focused. Paul Mac’s solo contribution ‘Off a Cliff’ kicks things off in typically pristine style while ‘Ishishish’, his collaboration with Sims, is a rougher, percussive affair that marks a fine return to the studio for Sims. Russia’s Rodion Stankevich makes two contrasting appearances; first with the abrassive ‘Umustgothruit’ and later with intricately layered and hypnotic ‘Any Questions Any Answers’. Joton also appears twice with his playfully tough ‘Fatum’ working nicely against the later night sonics of ‘Filia’. Minneapolis’ Mike Gervais returns to Symbolism with his most intense cut to date in ‘Crisis’ whilst Dutch producer Mike Storm debuts on the label with the strident ‘Confirmed Life’.

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VA – Standing Before The Unknown [SYM020]

VA – Air Texture Volume V [AIR005]

SPACETIME CONTINUUM/JUJU & JORDASH/VARIOUS - Air Texture Volume V

Besides their mesmeric and inventive live sets, EPs and LPs, Juju & Jordash are also accomplished selectors. They prove that here by linking with Spacetime Continuum to curate one CD each for the ambient and down tempo series, Air Texture. Their majestic disc includes one of their own pieces, tracks made with Move D as Magic Mountain High, plus other unreleased tracks from Donato Dozzy, Gigi Masin and others. It makes for a brain soothing and escapist listening.

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VA – Air Texture Volume V [AIR005]

VA – Mono No Aware [PAN077]

Mono No Aware is the first compilation to be released on PAN, collating unreleased ambient tracks from both new and existing PAN artists. Featuring Jeff Witscher, Helm, TCF, Yves Tumor, M.E.S.H., Pan Daijing, HVAD, Kareem Lotfy, ADR, Mya Gomez, Sky H1, James K, Oli XL, Bill Kouligas, Flora Yin-Wong, Malibu, and AYYA, the compilation moves through more traditional notions of what is called ‘ambient’, to incorporating wider variations that fall under the term. ‘Mono No Aware’, ‘the pathos of things’, also translates as ‘an empathy toward things’, or ‘a sensitivity to ephemera’. A term for the awareness of impermanence, or the transience of things. A meditation on mortality and life’s transience, ephemerality heightens the appreciation of beauty and sensitivity to their passing. In investigating the passing of time, the boundaries between memory and hallucination become blurred; between fiction and reality. The movement of time transforms into an eternal present..

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VA – Mono No Aware [PAN077]

VA – Welcome To Paradise: Italian Dream House 89-93 Vol.1 [ST003-2]

Safe Trip releases Welcome To Paradise, an expansive retrospective of the Italian dream house sound co-compiled by label founder Young Marco. At the tail end of the 1980s, a new take on deep house began to emerge from Italian studios. ‘Dream house’ drew inspiration from key U.S deep house records of the period – the spacey melodiousness of Larry Heard’s productions, and the rich jazziness of tracks originating in New Jersey in particular – but sounded distinctly different. Its’ ‘head-in-the-clouds’ feel – all rich chords, tactile basslines, fluid piano lines and starry electronics – made ‘dream house’ a uniquely Italian proposition.

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VA – Welcome To Paradise: Italian Dream House 89-93 Vol.1 [ST003-2]

VA – Welcome To Paradise: Italian Dream House 89-93 Vol.1 [ST003-1]

Safe Trip releases Welcome To Paradise, an expansive retrospective of the Italian dream house sound co-compiled by label founder Young Marco. At the tail end of the 1980s, a new take on deep house began to emerge from Italian studios. ‘Dream house’ drew inspiration from key U.S deep house records of the period – the spacey melodiousness of Larry Heard’s productions, and the rich jazziness of tracks originating in New Jersey in particular – but sounded distinctly different. Its’ ‘head-in-the-clouds’ feel – all rich chords, tactile basslines, fluid piano lines and starry electronics – made ‘dream house’ a uniquely Italian proposition.

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VA – Welcome To Paradise: Italian Dream House 89-93 Vol.1 [ST003-1]

Planetary Assault Systems – The Light Years Reworks [MOTELP003]

Having already unleashed a considerable amount of collaborative magic with the ”Planetary Funk: 22 Light Years” series of remix EPs, Luke Slater has now upped the ante with six full sides’ worth of material,all of them injecting the spirit of classic P.A.S. into new sonic organisms. Behind the controls: Marcel Fengler, Function, Psyk,Octave One, Kamikaze Space Programme, Lucy, Slam and Steve Bicknell.

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Planetary Assault Systems – The Light Years Reworks [MOTELP003]

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]

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]