
Brand new triple LP pressing of rare and obscure oddities from Light Sounds Dark!

Following a year that saw the 50th entry in the long-running series released to wide acclaim, DJ-Kicks returns in 2016 another landmark edition. Iconic Detroit DJ and producer Moodymann is at the helm for his first ever multi-artist DJ mix compilation. Born Kenny Dixon Jr., Moodymann is a one-of-a-kind electronic music icon, hailing from, and wholly synonymous with the Motor City. He is an outspoken, impossibly charismatic artist who has been putting a distinctive and soulful stamp on house and techno since the early 90s. Melting together jazz, funk, soul, blues and rock in captivating ways, he is responsible for some of electronic music’s most definitive tracks, EPs and LPs on labels like Planet E, Peacefrog and his own KDJ and Mahogani Music imprints. As able to serve up the sweetest and most sensual sounds as he is the darkest and most depraved grooves, his own unique voice and stream of conscious musings infuse expertly sought-out samples for music that is decisively alive and authentic.

Spain’s Domestica are up to their usual antics, and this time it’s the second instalment of their excellent Domestic Landscape series, a varied and much-coveted collection of perfectly contemporary post-punk and coldwave oddities from the 1980s. We’re in love with every track on here, and we’re not exaggerating, this gear is of the highest calibre, and all very much relevant in a DJ nowadays. Think Optimo in the midst of a smokey, mid-morning set in a dark basement, and you’re almost there. Track upon track of solid gold discofied industrial music. Killer; highly recommended.

Kapvt Mvndi Records releases a first Various Artist compilation. Svprasensible Destination is a Post Techno sound from Abstract to Acid and experimental tones. A very full music experience from artist productions reflecting the forthcoming and past vinyl.

Optimo’s prolific DJ/producer/label boss JD Twitch aka Keith McIvor has curated a compilation of early ‘80s synth, industrial and cold wave classics and undiscovered gems in collaboration with The Vinyl Factory, titled So Low. The 16-track collection had its genesis in McIvor’s irregular club night of the same name in his hometown of Glasgow. “So Low is an occasional night at The Poetry Club in Glasgow where I play some of the music I played when I first started DJing back in 1987,” McIvor explains. “At that time the audience I played to mostly loathed what I was playing and rarely danced but then shortly after, when House music arrived I found a different audience who actually liked to dance. In response to my wife’s deep love of this music and requests from some friends who were too young to hear it in a club at the time, or indeed were not even born when most of this music was made, I was persuaded to revisit a lot of records I still loved but rarely played out, and So Low was born. It has an extremely enthusiastic audience, a joyous atmosphere and is the antithesis of what a club in Scotland playing this music nearly 30 years ago would have been like.”

The 030303 crew come with a brand new various artist package in a beautifully designed sleeve to celebrate their 10th anniversary. While not all featured artist are new to 030303, the label mainly sticks to what it does best: digging up exciting new names from the raving underground. The smooth electronic tracks on the comp hold the middle ground between acid, IDM, braindance, early 1990s 808 State-esque UK acid house and Detroit techno. Among the highlights are Echo 106’s eerie after hour acid jam ‘Phosphor’, ‘Damp Patch’ by Marco Bernardi which reminds us of classic Surgeon-style UK techno, Forma’s ‘Sailor” (reminiscent of Charanjit Singh’s ‘Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat’). Look no further if a versatile, subtle and beautiful acid compilation is what you’re after.

Designed to be as pleasing to the jazz newbie as the perennial chin-stroker, Deep Jazz comprises of nine obscure compositions which utterly deserve their moment in the sun. Compiled by one half of The Amalgamation Of Soundz, renowned DJs DJ and owner of bespoke record shop If Music Jean-Claude, the album offers a small glimpse into the mind of the legendary taste-maker. Hip-swaying, toe-tapping slick productions are the order of the day here, accessible enough to be enjoyed across the board, yet authentic enough to satisfy the most ardent purist. As Jean-Claude says: ”for those of us searching for that elusive groove: it is a lifelong quest!”

First compilation exploring abundant french West Indies jazz scene of the 70s and 80s. 12 little known songs, only known by collectors of vinyl, which mix the jazz and the West Indies rhythms for the best of the Creole Jazz.

Great techno/electro compilation on Science Fiction Recordings featuring Spoiled Drama, Chris Mitchell, Dj Nephil, Hinode, Moonknight, Jaymond, Arcarsenal, Rawmance, Jared Wilson & Dj Richard.

Eight tracks blend the boundaries between original productions, illicit remixes and straight re-edits. There’s a celebratory, life-affirming feel throughout, from the rubbery bass, D-Train synths and rolling house grooves of Giovanni Damico’s ”The Break Down”, to the bluesy deep house brilliance of Borrowed Identity’s ”Queens Bridge”. Highlights are plentiful elsewhere, too, from the hustlin’ electrofunk-meets-disco of Vogel’s own ”Come On”, to the killer synth solos and fuzzy bits of Tim Jules’ thrilling ”Slap Beat”.

FUTURE TIMES CATALOG + is a special digital Future Times compilation, and a must for the uninitiated. Past + Present + Future tracks from the likes of Hunee, Hashman Deejay, Beautiful Swimmers, Jordan GCZ, Protect-U, Huerco S, Tom Noble, Maxmillion Dunbar or Steve Summers.
Name your price for this compilation.

Legendary acid album on Hotmix 5 Records showcasing some of the best acid tracks ever made! previously available as single LP now re-pressed as double pack

Its been zehn years, ninety-two 12”; EPs, twenty albums, fourteen DJ mixes, seven Unterton releases, two compilations, one 7 single and one cassette. Within this time, Ostgut Ton has grown as a label not only in terms of catalogue numbers and musical variety, but also in terms of experience, professionality and as a musical haven for Berghains and Panorama Bars residents.

Red Laser conductor general Il Bosco once again turns his beam on 8 tracks of mind melding italo. Providing a double vinyl release of tracks that have been inspirational to Red Laser Records and the labels releases. This isn’t by any means your run of the mill italo selection. Il Bosco knowingly selects a set that shows the true girth of style and fashion in the genre. Face grillers are ramped up next to sleazy pop sensibilities. Goth-synth disco frottages with 8-bit machine gun bass lines. Chugger masterpieces salivate on crystalline new romantics. As the compiler says ‘Truth is loads of Italo is shite but when its good it’s up there with the best electronic disco music you will ever hear’ Check this album and you’ll agree. For maximum disco potential several Red Laser protagonists have suitably revamped and edited some of the selections with Kid Machine & Il Bosco uniting in the cut, Flemming Dalum sprinkling his magic dust over a bonafide classic & Parisian Romain Bezzina repairing an old banger. As always Red Laser pay close attention to detail with all tracks carefully restored & remastered whilst the vinyl comes in full colour heavy card inners with two riso print poster sleeves & a gatefold pvc cover.

Africa Seven Records presents volume two of their Africa Airways compilation, featuring 9 pure african funk tracks.
Continue reading “VA – Africa Airways Two: Funk Departures 1973-1982 [ASVN010]”

Bolstered by the unshakable body of work behind it, Brooklyn-born Berlin-based techno label Chronicle reaches its milestone tenth release with its gaze fixed dead ahead. Ten releases in, it pays to make a strong, defiant statement of intent, toasting to what the label has been about so far. More important though is to remind those tuned in to take heed, because the next step is always the most significant. Joining in on this behemoth project is; Aiken, Arnaud Le Texier, Ben Gibson, Hironori Takahashi, Imugem Orihasam, Echoplex, Mike Storm, Staffan Linzatti, & Zadig. The forward-thinking nature of the music in this collection sums up the ethos of Chronicle as a whole. Each artist has a distinct identity but they all strive to push techno into unexplored realms, placing the emphasis on atmosphere and psychological impact. In such an approach can the most affecting sounds be found, and there will surely be few listeners left unmarked by this record.

This year, Smallville Records is celebrating a decade in the game with the Smallville Ways compilation.

The Dance is the result of a long lasting musical love affair between Kontra-Musik’s Ulf Eriksson and Sebastian Mullaert (aka Minilogue). As most love affairs, it started off as an exciting experiment: Ulf would play records and Sebastian would bring out his music gear and play a live set. As they were touring with this live concept, their sounds started to really integrate, and after one especially fine night at Trouw, Amsterdam, Ulf and Sebastian decided it was time to conceive The Dance. Once the decision was taken, everything else came naturally. The Dance was to be recorded live, in one take, at Kontra-Musik’s home field Inkonst, Malmo, Sweden.

Serendip.Lab presents a compilation gathering 10 great and rare tracks of french synth wave released between 1981 and 1984. The A side reflects this sunny sweet synth pop scene, whereas B side, more cosmic, is made of instrumentals.