happy skull

Cosmic Garden – Sealaconda EP [HAPSKL011]

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Cosmic Garden continues to grow root and flourish for his release for Happy Skull. The Bari based producer offers up two tracks for his Happy Skull debut, drawing influence from decades of hazy Italian deep house, the vibrancy of Rimini disco and the utopian sensibility of vintage ambient ‘Sealaconda’ slithers it’s way deep in to the psyche, distinctly italo but with a firm nod to 90’s Detroit. Preoccupata’ draws on darker elements with a wave inspired bass line and clipped vocal snippets. On the flipside, Happy Skull regular Creta Kano offers up his interpretations of Cosmic Garden’s kaleidoscopic productions. His version of ”Preoccupata” retains the deep and colourful fluidity of the Italian’s original version, whilst introducing a spacey, electro-inspired rhythm and gently undulating acid lines. To round things off Creta Kano turns down the tempo and ups the intensity on his wonderfully screwed dub, a fittingly beautiful end to the EP.

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Cosmic Garden – Sealaconda EP [HAPSKL011]

Andreas Gehm / Elec Pt1 – Yes Or No [HAPSKL007]

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Cologne based acid maverick Andreas Gehm dons his Elec Pt1 guise for his debut 12″ on Bristol’s Happy Skull. The A-Side see’s the German producer take us deep in to jak-beat territory with ‘Yes or No’,  a riotous fusion of scatter bomb 707’s, hard hitting claps and undulating acid lines. ‘Summer Time in Coloniae’ lightens the mood slightly, a misty eyed homage to his hometown complete with melancholic synths and yearning melodies. Rounding off the 12″ is ‘Going By’, possibly the most adventurous cut of the three. A dense pulp of saturated drum machine noise, destined for only the wildest of dance floors.

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Andreas Gehm / Elec Pt1 – Yes Or No [HAPSKL007]

Creta Kano – Skyway Motel [HAPSKL006]

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Happy Skull’s first release of 2015 comes from UK based artist Creta Kano. He showcases his highly melodious and deeply textured sound across three tracks for the Bristol imprint. ‘Skyway Motel’ is an emotive, Detroit inspired amalgamation of warm chords and rolling drum machine rhythms. The track’s romantic qualities are emphasised on ‘Skyway 81’, a screwed, pitched-down version that re-casts the original as a serotonin fuelled slow jam. ‘False Water’ completes the package. A sprawling trip in to broken techno territory, reminiscent of 90’s era Rephlex.’

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Creta Kano – Skyway Motel [HAPSKL006]

Marco Bernardi – Floating [HPSKL004]

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For their fourth transmission, Happy Skull presents a trio of dystopian fantasies from analogue maverick Marco Bernardi. Opener ‘Floating’ is a throbbing trip in to rattling techno territory complete with discordant chords and bubbling acid lines. ‘Broken Boiler’ offers a trademark Bernardi fusion of sweet, visceral melodies and raw machine drums. Rounding things off is ‘upside In’, a fearlessly wonky voyage in to freaky techno-funk.

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Marco Bernardi – Floating [HPSKL004]