Breaks | Breakbeat 117 Items

All tracks written & produced by Michael Melchner. Mastered by Tangible Air. Designed by Gerardo Corizzo. Stickered cover.

Younger Than Me announces his debut full length "The Golden Age Of Love", to be released on 90's Wax this coming March 2024. The record is the perfect example of the breadth of his irrepressible and unique sound. Featuring collaborations with Massimiliano Pagliara, Brame & Hamo and Pablo Bozzi. The artist is an Italian native known for a modern interpretation of '90s club music' - a dynamic blend of Progressive House, Trance, EBM, Breakbeat, and Techno ideas. This first album is a love letter to a deep-rooted passion for the idiosyncrasies of rave culture and the crossover points with contemporary electronic music.

Younger Than Me, an artistic project by Francesco Mingrino that is steeped in the nostalgia of ‘90s rave, yet not at all trapped in that past. A project that has cemented a special place in the electronic music scene with a string of records on labels like Bordello A Parigi, Amsterdam-Utrecht based platform XXX, Rotterdam’s Bar and Jennifer Cardini’s Dischi Autunno. To this point Francesco has pushed his fun yet forceful sound, with many releases on his own 90's Wax, and collaborations with people like Skatebård, Francesco Farfa, Timothy Clerkin and Curses (as Y2c).

"The Golden Age Of Love" as a package is curated in Younger Than Me's characteristic style. Opening with "Long Life Death", a track that sets the stage with a cinematic soundscape in a classic Carpenter vibe. Picking up the tempo "Zarathustra Dance" takes you right into the golden age itself, its low slung beat and carefully sequenced lead line pushes an ever building tension designed to crack any dancefloor. The track with Massimiliano Pagliara, "Eternal Sunshine Of Solitary Mind", is one of the highlights, perfectly building around a catchy lead with tight arpeggio and sequenced acid. Leading us into the 2nd half of the record "Sadness Is The Only Way To Happiness" is a proto-trance beast, inspired by that period in the early 90s when Trance was less bright lights and big stages and more dark rooms and smoke filled spaces, an ever building progressive run of haunting vocals, rave stabs and rolling bass.

Whilst YTM is at home presenting dancefloor focussed material, we see him explore the other side too, with "Memory Is A Clock" like the earlier "Vortix", he ditches the 4x4 for breakbeat territory. Whilst the bass keeps the solid metronome you would expect, "Memory Is A Clock" is a track that takes a few moments, contemplative melody and trademark arpeggios take the lead. When it comes to the other collaborations on the record, the appearance of Brame And Hamo on "Raver's Heart Is A Mess" sees them lean into the Progressive nature both artists love so much. Then Pablo Bozzi lends his own unique outlook to "We Don't Know The Way, We Just Stay" in one of the standout tracks, epitomising Younger Than Me’s ability to create profound experiences.

The album concludes with "Music Will Never Stop, Heartbeat Will Never Fade, Party Will Never End", less of a title and more of a personal philosophy – the perpetual essence of rave culture and its timeless impact on music. A rhythmic belter, juxtaposed with incendiary synth-lines and staple catchy sequence work, finishing the record with one of the true highpoints. In addition the release also features four digital bonus tracks, including "The Other Face Of Loneliness" and a Prog Dance Reshape of one of the records more eclectic cuts "Zarathustra Dance" all offering an extended exploration into the creative landscape YTM inhabits.

"The Golden Age Of Love" is a debut album that ticks all the boxes; it's a celebration of a bygone era through the lens of the contemporary. Younger Than Me stands as a testament to the enduring spirit and evolving nature of the music that began in the ‘90s rave scene, with an LP that pushes Love, Progression and Fun to the forefront.

The night stretches through the forest of existence Not a drop of light Can slip through the leaves Lost in this columned maze Two trees are enough to form a door

Virtual Forest Records are delighted to present their first vinyl release, a 5-track journey by Brainbeats, Mohammed Vicente's alter ego.

Old-school trance nostalgia, dreamy breakbeats & hard-hitting serenades: this release merges all genres into a timeless synthetic voyage. Who knows where it leads?The night stretches through the forest of existence Not a drop of light Can slip through the leaves Lost in this columned maze Two trees are enough to form a door

Virtual Forest Records are delighted to present their first vinyl release, a 5-track journey by Brainbeats, Mohammed Vicente's alter ego.

Old-school trance nostalgia, dreamy breakbeats & hard-hitting serenades: this release merges all genres into a timeless synthetic voyage. Who knows where it leads?

AnD Bio: Enigmatic Mancunian Act AnD brings a dynamic and raw take on modern techno in his dj sets. He maintains always strong analogue production ethics and showcase this in his heavy hitting live show. Alongside production work that takes in everything from techno to electronica to hip hop with the uncompromising AnD attitude towards sound design.Always expect the unexpected!!!” Embracing the shadowy outskirts of techno, AnD’s covert productions on his own self-titled white label series looks to push them even further into their own brand of sonic destruction. In doing so AnD follow in the footsteps of UK luminaries Surgeon, Regis, James Ruskin and The Black Dog by continuing to shape a genuine and unflinching vision of techno. – credits All music by AnD Mastering by Joe Farr

‘We Should Shout’ features Nicola Duncan over a classic House vibe with a beautiful moody organ rolling over a hard house bass line

‘Babylon Fall’ classic – beautiful – sweet stuff from the Persian featuring vocal snippets from the talented Sevi G

The name of the next track is the same as the label: ‘Existence Is Resistance’ this has electronic tinged synths with a hard electronic bass riff, it has glimpses of the Authentic early Electro sound of 83-84 complete with vocoder

‘Pot Of Gold’ : Disco sounds of the roller skating era.

Elusive label ocp resurfaces for a new EP by Milz & Hitek!

Tony Boninsegna: Notes From The Underground 1986-1994 (Volumes 1 and 2) Cold Blow / Musique Pour La Danse

The story of dance music is littered with hidden heroes and underground activists whose immense contributions have been overlooked, ignored and under-documented. Tony Boninsegna, a producer who made and released countless classic cuts and forgotten gems during the acid house and rave era, is one such example.

Melding elements of all that was popular in underground clubs at the time to create his own dancefloor-friendly sound worlds, Boninsegna amassed a huge catalogue between 1986 and '94, while hiding his involvement via an array of oddball aliases and opaque pseudonyms. Boninsegna's story first came to light four years ago when he appeared in Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music, Matt Anniss's critically acclaimed alternative history of UK dance music in the rave era. Now Cold Blow has joined forces with Musique Pour La Danse to deliver a much-needed anthology of his greatest productions and co-productions - many rare or hard-to-find - for the first time. Featuring 24 restored and remastered tracks stretched across two volumes on vinyl and digital, including a handful of previously unreleased tracks and mixes, and accompanied by detailed sleeve notes by Anniss, Notes From The Underground 1986-1994 is a joyful celebration of one of British dance music's most under-appreciated artists. The full breadth and depth of Boninsegna's rave-ready catalogue, as well as an indication of the sheer volume of aliases he utilised during the period, is explored in detail across the two-part compilation.

Volume two continues in a similar vein while devoting more disc space to Boninsegna's breakbeat-driven productions of the early 1990s. So, alongside more must-have tracks from the producer's Chill-released projects (Return of The Living Acid's surging acid thumper 'Big Dipper', MI7's twisted bleep and breaks monster 'Show I', and a couple of killer cuts alongside Mykey Tee as Original Clique), Cold Blow & Musique Pour La Danse have also made room for the proto-jungle brilliance of Ragga Head's 'Give The People Junglis', the tongue-in-cheek excellence of Ministry of Fear's 'Original Cliché', two top tracks as Napoleon, and the wild, acid breaks breathlessness of 'Monsoon' by Sykosis 451.

It all adds up to the definitive musical retrospective of a genuine underground, rave-era hero whose time in the spotlight may finally have arrived.

Tony Boninsegna: Notes From The Underground 1986-1994 (Volumes 1 and 2) Cold Blow / Musique Pour La Danse

The story of dance music is littered with hidden heroes and underground activists whose immense contributions have been overlooked, ignored and under-documented. Tony Boninsegna, a producer who made and released countless classic cuts and forgotten gems during the acid house and rave era, is one such example.

Melding elements of all that was popular in underground clubs at the time to create his own dancefloor-friendly sound worlds, Boninsegna amassed a huge catalogue between 1986 and '94, while hiding his involvement via an array of oddball aliases and opaque pseudonyms. Boninsegna's story first came to light four years ago when he appeared in Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music, Matt Anniss's critically acclaimed alternative history of UK dance music in the rave era. Now Cold Blow has joined forces with Musique Pour La Danse to deliver a much-needed anthology of his greatest productions and co-productions - many rare or hard-to-find - for the first time. Featuring 24 restored and remastered tracks stretched across two volumes on vinyl and digital, including a handful of previously unreleased tracks and mixes, and accompanied by detailed sleeve notes by Anniss, Notes From The Underground 1986-1994 is a joyful celebration of one of British dance music's most under-appreciated artists. The full breadth and depth of Boninsegna's rave-ready catalogue, as well as an indication of the sheer volume of aliases he utilised during the period, is explored in detail across the two-part compilation.

Volume two continues in a similar vein while devoting more disc space to Boninsegna's breakbeat-driven productions of the early 1990s. So, alongside more must-have tracks from the producer's Chill-released projects (Return of The Living Acid's surging acid thumper 'Big Dipper', MI7's twisted bleep and breaks monster 'Show I', and a couple of killer cuts alongside Mykey Tee as Original Clique), Cold Blow & Musique Pour La Danse have also made room for the proto-jungle brilliance of Ragga Head's 'Give The People Junglis', the tongue-in-cheek excellence of Ministry of Fear's 'Original Cliché', two top tracks as Napoleon, and the wild, acid breaks breathlessness of 'Monsoon' by Sykosis 451.

It all adds up to the definitive musical retrospective of a genuine underground, rave-era hero whose time in the spotlight may finally have arrived.

Qui Existe isn't just an album, it's a kaleidoscopic journey through Mézigue's soul. Each track is a chapter, a glimpse into the artist's life, blending raw energy, rhythmic eloquence, and fearless experimentalism.

This release solidifies Mézigue's status as a visionary, unshackled by genre constraints.

Part two of the retrofuturistic 12’’ compilation series introduced by To Pikap Records. Legacy inaugurates the release with an acid JeffMillsian ode to Detroit’s techno-electro sound, Future Draft takes us back to Europe with a euphoric broken house, while The Jaffa Kid concludes side A with a number of quirky melodies floating over Autechre’s (or Aphex Twin’s) memories of the genre previously known as idm. On side B, Odpein updates the Drexciyan electro palette slipping in elements of Chicago’s footwork combined with heavy acid bass, subsequently Dj Tsoug’s misty atmosphere crawls over some dry city bringing catharsis with its most anticipated drops of acid and finally happy99@gmail.com enforces us to open up our eyes with a stripped and muffled techno-acid anthem of the future. It’s a must have till the next one!

Deep within the freeway buzz of dystopian Los Angeles, there exists an unstoppable sonic gathering of minds, who call themselves “Fast At Work” and abide by a belief in the deeper potential of higher tempos. However, lately, there has been some debate about the true existence of the Fast At Work mantra. Just as the debate was reaching its climax, seemingly out of nowhere, a helicopter emerged containing a musical capsule from the future (or possibly aliens). The group accepted this music as scripture, and coined it “Soft Fascination,” – naming group member Carré as their chosen matriarch. Through the title hymn “Soft Fascination,” Carré preached a proto vision of a classic dubstep bassline and tender pads. With “Cute Mad,” Carré magically induced a sense of positivity and bubbly bass. And with the third offering, “Glowing,” she pushed her audience closer to understanding simplicity and space. Finally, in an effort to expand their gospel to the furthest realms of their musical world, she recruited Priori and James Bangura to create their own missions, rooted in the original offerings of the alien helicopter’s capsule disc. While Priori expertly rearranged “Soft Fascination” into a shiny mind-melter, James Bangura expanded on the lightness of “Glowing,” creating his own lucid dreamscape of deep melancholia.

Mephis is back with All Killer No Filler Vol. 2; yet another faithful compilation of the eclectic Uruguayan underground sound.

Elias brings the timeless, hypnotic and energetic loopiness. Stonem comes with the intense and tense, acidic and robotic electro breaks.

Alfalfa serves an introspective acid trance bonanza extravaganza and Two Phase U delivers a majestic and melancholic acid-tech-dubby masterpiece.

If you don't have enough cash for holidays in Montevideo, feel free to get Mphs004 and have a nice little mind trip to the south.

‘Mini Tollbooth’ is inspired by a novel called Phantom Tollbooth. The film adaptation from 1961 is so beautiful. I like to get lost in these childish worlds of freedom, where everything is possible. This modern fairy tale is about a young boy named Milo who is bored by the world around him. He feels everything is a waste of time. He comes home from school one day to find in his bedroom an anonymous package containing a miniature tollbooth and a map of the Lands Beyond. He takes the map, drives through in his toy car, and instantly finds himself driving on a road to Expectations. Enjoying the ride, he pays no attention to his route and soon becomes lost in the Doldrums, a colorless place where thinking and laughing are not allowed. He is having plenty more adventures like watching Chroma the Great conduct his orchestra in playing the colors of the
sunset or meeting The Awful Dynne, a genie who collects noises for Dr. Dischord. – fLako

All Songs produced by fLako.
All Vocals by Dirg Gerner.
Except Vocals by Shuanise.
Art Design by Iain Macarthur.