Cosmic | Balearic Vinyl 319 Items

After putting out Kito Jempere's well received Sea Monsters album last year, Hell Yeah now serve up another selection of remixes of it. Accomplished musician Jimi Tenor, plus Miskotom and Max Essa all contribute before a 7", also taken from the album, lands later in summer.
First up is Jimi Tenor, the legndary Finnish musician who has released on Warp, collaborated with Tony Allen and has his own band as well as occasionally playing sax with Kito Jempere Band at live gigs. He flips Puzzled into five minutes of stripped back and moody electronics with plenty of his own flute playing in the track. Busted drum sounds, spooky sci-fi synths and scattered hits make it woozy and late night and utterly absorbing.
Miskotom—a newly emerging pair made up of Mik and his wife Andra, both based in Vilnius, Lithuania with credits on Pleasure Unit and Balearic —then reimagine 'Ampa' as a beatdown but of deep house with trudging drums staying low and shimmering synths drift out in all directions. Crunchy hits bring a subtle sense of funk and reverb drenched vocals bring a heavenly feel to the soul drenched grooves and summery keys.
Then comes Max Essa, the Japan based Brit who is a regular on this label as well as the likes of Is It Balearic?. His first remix is a huge one that is sure to soundtrack many a boat party this summer. It's a gorgeous rework of 'Ampa' that puts achingly blissful vocals front and centre as low slung bass and slowly turning drums sink you into a pan-pipe laced reverie. Secondly, Essa offers a Dub Reprise that removes the vocals and places all the focus on his churning drums and new age grooves.
This is another perfect package of masterfully electronic horizontal sounds.

Mr Bongo is proud to present three unique reworks of Kit Sebastian. Each of the producers featured in this package created their own interpretation of the 'lo-fi-hi-fi’ originals and have taken the duo’s sound into bold new directions. When it came to choosing who should remix Kit Sebastian, Natureboy Flako (Flako / Dario Rojo Guerra) was a producer at the top of our list. Keeping true to the original, whilst leaving his own stamp on the track, his mix adds break-beat drums and middle-Eastern guitar riffs that transform the track into a more cinematic piece. It sounds to us like the music from an exotica dive-bar scene in a David Lynch film - which of course, is a very good thing.
Producer and DJ Baris K, who was behind the awesome 'İstanbul 70' series (re-edits of classic Turkish gems), takes ‘Durma’ in a very different direction. Totally reconstructing the track, his remix has flipped the original and totally run wild. The results are an epic left-field electronic workout. By bringing the spoken-word vocals to the forefront and giving the track a darker industrial vibe, it wouldn't sound out of place bouncing around the walls of a Berlin basement club at 5am on a Sunday morning. The pairing of Kit Sebastian and Halal Cool J grew after DJing together at the alternative Great Escape party at the Mr Bongo HQ in May 2019. They share a love for dusty old psychedelic Turkish records. Halal Cool J (aka Aly Jamal / Don Leisure) has released records on First World and is a co-member of Darkhouse Family with Earl Jeffers. For his interpretation he has delivered a mix-tape-collage with a hip-hop aesthetic, and rather than focusing on remixing a specific song, he has cut and paste his favourite elements of tracks taken off the band’s 'Mantra Moderne’ album. Available in 2 limited-edition, hand-numbered sleeve designs.

Kinzua are Lucas Brell and Marvin Uhde (known as Qnete to some), great live band. “None Of The Above” is their debut album. Powerfully introvert and extrovert at the same time. Songs of glory, decay, rebuilding and hope that found Offen at the right moment. Many moons later the album withstood the test of time and can be enjoyed in its whole glory.

Written & produced in different spheres by Lucas Brell & Marvin Uhde at CSG Studios, Leipzig and M90 Remise, Berlin.

Voice on „The Dancing Snake“ by Giulia Fournier-Mercadante (Gigi FM) with words from „Les Fleurs de Mal“ by Charles Beaudelaire

Mastered by Vril Artwork by Himbeer Pepe Sleeve by Percy

The eighteenth release on Second Circle is the label's second exploration into an artists archival works; this time presenting a selection of four early tracks by theatre, film and music producer Can Oral under his Khan alias. Can moved to Williamsburg, New York in the early 90's along with good friend and fellow musician Jimi Tenor. Born in Germany of Turkish-Finnish parents, he would frantically start buying equipment (such as a Tr808, Tb303 and Korg Polysix) from junk shops across New York, becoming greatly prolific in his recordings which he would work on throughout the night. During the daytime though, Can set up and ran the now defunct Temple Records, a seminal Soho record store, and later label, largely importing Techno and Acid from Europe. Though a small store, Temple Records would count musicians and DJs such as Björk, Tricky, Dee-Lite, Josh Wink and Joey Beltram among its regular customers. Also he would host many such guests to play live or DJ at his weekly Techno party “Killer” which was held at Save The Robots in New York’s East Village. Can Oral's nightly studio sessions eventually led to an almost inexhaustible discography with over a dozen monikers each representing a different aspect of his productions. Sc018 focuses then on his early electronic works as Khan. Named after the color painted studio where the EP was produced between 1993-1996, 'Blue Box Sessions' is a collection of four analogue machine driven cuts, covering different tempos and ethos within electronic music. Initially live recorded to an old DAT recorder, and without any overdubs, Sc018 is a lost and found artefact to Khan's unquestioned raw talent and timeless relevance.

Life might be a predominantly linear affair, but when lived right, it’s nevertheless a turbulent experience. It’s a system of trial and error, ebb and flow, order and chaos, action and reaction. And paradoxically, this system somehow still feels balanced amid all this turmoil. In fact, the same can be said about Keope’s second longplayer for Bigamo. Easily.

Keope might be a duo consisting of Marcus Rossknecht and Toni Bruna, but they actually sound like a collective of rather nomadic - and heavily gifted - musicians on their ever-present quest to reach different musical spheres. Everything is in motion, everything is in constant flux. Everything, everywhere, all at once. Their previous record “Triangulo“ already provided the audience an idea of their elaborate rhythmic vocabulary, but it’s the cryptically titled “Flikka Flokka“, which sees their multilayered compositions bloom into a fully-formed, new musical Esperanto.

You can immediately sense that Keope must be a phenomenal live act because the twelve tracks on “Flikka Flokka“ sound as if they were born from endless jam sessions fueled by a whole variety of influences. As a result, the work of Rossknecht and Bruna presents itself as a prime example of sound in motion that responds solely to its very own pulse by taking the aforementioned influences and making them completely their own. Now, let’s dance!

Nous'klaer warmly welcomes fellow Rotterdammer Kems Kriol for his debut: Equanimity EP. Consisting of three beautiful downtempo excursions touching on Cape Verdean and Colombian styles with a contemporary electronic approach. Three cuts reflecting the personal journey of Kems towards calmness and composure - and coincidentally a perfect soundtrack for the summer ahead. Besides being a multi-talented musician himself, Kems is also a producer in the classical sense - the EP wouldn't be what it is without the great performances of vocalists Wantee Teelapa and Sara Mariam Lima, and musicians Moises Toscano Fuentes (flute) and Bintang Manira Manik (percussion). Artwork by Berlin based painter Denis Faneites.

Útera is the exceptional and hypnotic sophomore studio album from Buenos Aires native Kaleema (aka Heidi Lewandowski). The album flirts between disparate styles, weaving together elements such as dub with andean flutes, or classic string melodies with ambient overtures that allow the listener to float freely in a sea of emotions. A departure from the gritty urban compositions and tribal vibes of her first album Nómada, this record reveals Kaleema's emotional evolution. Útera is a product of her creative space, a high tech sanctuary wherein she has refined not only her sophisticated electronic production but also her characteristic and beguiling voice. Moving from forceful techno-like rhythms (such as on Rama Negra or Utera) that take us through deep dark jungles, into demure yet rapturous passages on tracks like Portales and Invoco, Útera is ultimately an album that taps into Heidi's deep sense of connection to the natural world, and how her growth as an individual reflects the growth around her. Kaleema is Heidi Lewandowski - a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and singer from Buenos Aires who's planted herself deeply in the potent Latin American electronic scene. She released her debut album Nomada in 2017, receiving an array of critical acclaim for how she seamlessly and hypnotically weaves together contemporary electronic elements and tradition Latin American instrumentals. Since the release of the album, she's been catapulted onto renowned stages such as Mutek Montreal, Lollapalooza Chile among others and has collaborated with artists such as Chancha Via Circuito, Mateo Kingman, Lido Pimienta, and many more. Útera is Kaleema's second studio album and will be released via Wonderwheel Recordings in the Spring of 2021.

Summer might be fading away, but the good time grooves keep on coming courtesy of Hell Yeah’s next album project: Cats Do Not Care About Glasses is the latest from all round musical talent Juan Moretti, who fuses together jazz, hip hop, electronics, soundtracks, musical experimentation and much more into a freeform album of intoxicating sonic journeys.
Moretti is a bassist, drummer, composer, arranger, visual artist, DJ, hard clubber and good food lover who has been plotting his own route since the early nineties. He is co-founder of the 3IO jazz band and Things Happen nu disco duo who has been involved with theatre shows, short soundtracks, visual installations, festivals, DJ sets, experimental art and more. Drawing on all that and heading off into the unknown, out of his comfort zone and into brave new sound worlds, he goes where the compositional process takes him without a view to any specific genre or style.
That plays out across the seven suburb tracks, with opener ‘Flare’ managing to be a worldly ambient piece as well as a slow motion acid track, a blissful balearic trip but also a majestic melodic masterpiece. ‘Fahrenheit’ fuses cosmic Sun Ra jazz with glistening electronics that drown you in warm sunshine, and ‘Insane’ has a tropical feeling and gentle bossa rhythm, but intensely freeform synths that tie you up in knots.
The midpoint sinks you into the breezy wind instruments, afro vocals and gently lilting guitar licks of ‘Fortaleza’ before ‘Claustrophonic’ is another celestial electronic jazz epic with withering sci-fi synths and live drums that constantly evolves. A swaggering dub beat and drifting sax line make ‘Moroboshi’ a low key beach club classic in the making, and finally ‘Backdoor (Mad The Cat)’ is a lush hip hop vibe awash with breezy licks and steamy chords.
This is a brilliantly inventive album that brings together jazz, electronics and hip hop in truly magical new ways.

Jean-Philippe Altier’s first full-length excursion as Jpye, 2021’s Samba With You, was heralded a contemporary Balearic pop gem – a superbly summery, sun-kissed set full of atmospheric instrumentation, colourful synth sounds, strong songs and star turns from a wide variety of musical friends and guest performers.

Bleu Your Mind, his hotly anticipated follow-up, takes a similar sonic approach to its predecessor, with Altier being joined in the studio by friends old (vocalist e11e, keyboardist Michael T and fellow Twonk members Leonidas and Renato Tonini all reprise their roles from ‘Samba With You’) and new (Da Roc and Iamrobd) on a set that effortlessly mixes and matches elements of nu-disco, jazz-funk, laidback synth-pop, Italo-disco and Balearic beats. Those who savoured ‘Samba With You’ will feel at home right away, as e11e sings softly and sweetly atop the gentle Latin infused shuffle, dusk-ready instrumentation and chiming vibraphone solos of ‘Freedom Ain’t Free’. French composer and keyboardist Da Roc make’s his first appearance on the following track, the duelling electric pianos and synths of sun-splashed instrumental Balearic pop gem ‘You Freak Out’, before e11e returns on the throbbing and suspenseful ‘Shiver’– a re-imagined and genuinely glassy-eyed cover of Marie Laure Sachs’ sleazy 1978 Italian disco jam of the same name. So, it continues, with Altier and his collaborators painting scintillating sonic pictures in kaleidoscopic colours. Impeccable arrangements and pin-sharp instrumentation work in perfect harmony with seductive grooves that pack plenty of subtle swing. Even more impressively, ‘Bleu Your Mind’ is an album that genuinely rewards repeat listens, with each successive spin revealing more musical touches and cannily crafted melodic motifs. As a result, highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the delay-laden jazz-funk-goes-electrofunk fizz of ‘Xcuse My French’ (with Da Roc), and the humid afternoon heat of ‘Va Là-Bas’ – a gorgeous and immersive, sunset-ready affair produced alongside Renato and featuring dazzling kets from Michael T) – to the slow-motion Gallic/Italian reggae-pop of ‘Tutto OK’ (a nod to the tropical-tinged reggae sounds created in France during the 1980s), and the slap-bass sporting, smoothed-out (but low-down) grooves of Renato hook-up ‘Take Off’.

As ‘Bleu Your Mind’ progresses, the musical details become more refined, the grooves drowsier and the mood more horizontal. This subtle shift can be heard in Leonidas co-production ‘Lazyjack’ – all chiming lead lines, languid bass guitar, snappy drum machine beats and glistening guitar motifs – the vocoder-sporting stoner funk of ‘Spinnaker’, and the yearning brilliance of ‘Fingers Crossed’. The album’s most emotive and immersive moment by some distance, ‘Fingers Crossed’ sees Altier and collaborator Iamrobd (also a fellow Twonk member) tease out a slow-motion groove in combination with lilting Spanish guitar solos, ultra-dreamy chords, twinkling pianos and delay-laden drum machine hits. Bittersweet and brilliant, it’s a track guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. By the time it fades out, via a sustained piano chord, you’ll be sat or stood in wide-eyed, open-mouthed wonder.

Two years after his acclaimed ‘Darkos LP’, Jonquera is back to Charlieu’s surrounding vales for his second album on Bamboo Shows.

Through ‘La Croix des Cros’, the French Musician delivers a loner-folk eclogue about the fantasized inner demons of a country dweller. Just like clay, audio recordings here are a malleable substance, slowly reworked over a year, following a sinuous production process where all mishaps are welcomed as breaches to step into.

Far from the spaghetti western myth of the reckless bounty hunter, riding his faithful horse in the great outdoors to spill blood; this 14-track album is the grieving lament of a wistful cowboy, longing for a simple patch of peace where one’s free to cultivate the earth and noodle on the guitar.

Heldon’s cosmic space-rock, Badalamenti’s Twin-Peaksesque foggy jazz or Morricone’s glorious soundtracks, so many references to portray another fertile imprint by Jonquera, available from February 13, 2023 on a 12” vinyl.

Melody As Truth founder Jonny Nash returns to action with his first solo album in four years.

Over the course of eleven mesmerising tracks, Nash points the compass gently inwards, casting aside any conceptual frameworks in favour of exploring an imaginative and idealised “personal folk music” that combines elements of traditional acoustic music with the producer’s richly immersive interpretation of ambient, a sound he has been developing for well over a decade.

From the smudged acid-folk bliss of ‘Theories’ and ‘Eternal Life’, to the layered acoustic guitars of ‘All I Ever Needed’ and the delay-soaked, Durutti Column-esque ‘Light From Three Sides’, a wide variety of musical textures weave their way throughout the album.

Point of Entry is much more than a mere ‘guitar album’ – it draws on a rich and diverse palette to achieve its purpose. The delicate saxophone work of ambient-jazz contemporary Joseph Shabason swells on ‘Ditto’ and ‘Light From Three Sides’. Cascading piano lines ripple through the crystal clear sonic waters of ‘Face of Another’, whilst echoes of Nash’s work with Gigi Masin and Young Marco as Gaussian Curve appear in the dancing synth sequences of ‘Ditto’ and ‘Golden Hour’. Nash’s reverb-laden voice also appears for the first time since 2016’s critically acclaimed Exit Strategies, used delicately throughout the album to conjure up a world of dusk and golden light.

Combining the delicate human touch and naivety of earlier Melody As Truth releases with widened scope and vision, Point Of Entry is arguably Nash’s most complete work to date – an album that’s as much a statement of his “personal folk” vision as a future ambient classic.

Reflections of the Sun is a collection of new music that see John Rocca experiment with a more laid back side to his musical personality. John is best know in Jazz Funk circles for his 1980s self funded, self produced and self released Brit Funk classic 'Southern Freeez', and as the band Freeez's founder. "The melancholic suburban soul of ‘Southern Freeez’ never gets tired for me....an album that has remained at the top of my Brit Funk pile!" - Gilles Peterson Much of the album is also somewhat reflective. A personal and emotional reflection on John's life - the tracks a nod to John's varied musical pasts. Sounds, a pondering upon his collection of global influences and his life experiences over the years; Genre, the pulse of today, societal, musical or otherwise - but not easy to place as is John's character; Lyrics, the present dilemmas we face as humanity, whilst reflecting on our own private and deepest human feelings, of life and, of love in all its wonderous forms. Musically, the 'Reflections of the Sun' album casts a glimpse back to Rocca's Brit Funk roots growing up amongst 1970s classic Jazz Funk and Soul, while also blending inspiration from his 1980-90s electronic influences topped off with everything else he has seen and heard on his life travels since then. Giving a nod to John's own past while bringing Reflections of the Sun up to date was completed by adding elements of London's re-surgent and vibrant jazz scene. Not so different from John’s own early days jamming with Freeez, he is accompanied on all the album's tracks by his two young nephews and highly respected jazz musicians, Benjamin Rocca on keyboards and Joel Rocca on Saxophone. The two youngsters are known on the current London Jazz scene as the "Rocca Brothers". The album's title track, "Reflections of the Sun" refers to how humanity, gorging on the sunshine that brings life to everything, also has a tendency to reflect the hellishness of the sun itself. Comparing our self-destructive nature with our planet's volumes of un-ending beauty.

Record Store Day 2020 Release. Rare tracks taken from key albums from Spanish / Balearic Islands musician Joan Bibiloni’s extensive career focusing on the period 1982 to 1989. This will continue the NuNorthern Soul Selected Works series, following on from the x2 Ryo Kawasaki EPs released. One of those was a RSD release in 2017. Vinyl will be black, sleeve notes will come from interviews conducted by Marc Rowlands plus the RSD release will contain a poster of the front cover sleeve artwork.

Volume 5: Jazz N Palms returns with another selection of some of the most iconic sunset, poolside sounds to be heard at Pikes Hotel (Ibiza), reworked, retouched and edited for your listening pleasure. A trusted taste, Jazz N Palms warms up the monthly exclusive Ronnie Scott's (London) jazz concerts held at Pikes, fusing jazz sartorially with Latin, funk, rock and international sounds to be enjoyed under the palms and the sun of the Mediterranean sea.

Over the last decade, we’ve come accustomed to Jason Letkiewicz releasing material under a dizzying array of aliases, each utilized to explore a different side of his multi-faceted musical persona. Now, some 14 years after he made his recording debut alongside Ari Goldman as Manhunter, Letkiewicz has joined forces with Into The Light Records to release his first album under his real name.
The Reflecting Pool sees Letkiewicz exploring the uncomplicated and uncluttered in the pursuit of pure aural beauty. While his recent album as Opposing Currents was dense, dark, urban and industrial, The Reflecting Pool is stripped back, quiet and melodious. The contrast between the two projects is marked, with The Reflecting Pool drawing more on Letkiewicz’s love of crystalline ambient, slow burn synthesizer soundscapes, early ’80s library music and the kind of obscure electronic new age music that has been a hallmark of Into The Light’s releases to date.
The set’s 12 tracks gently ebb and flow, with Letkiewicz making great use of dusty old drum machines, effects units and a range of vintage analogue and digital synthesizers. It’s a set-up that results in a range of complimentary mood pieces and interludes, from the delay-laden military drums and lilting lead lines of “Out of Body Experiences”, to the drowsy, sunrise bliss of “Sunspot”, the bubbling Tangerine Dream style shuffle of “Mind Awake Body Asleep” and the outer-space atmosphere of “The Kill Fee”.
Throughout, Letkiewicz showcases his seemingly intrinsic grasp of mood, atmosphere and melody. It can be heard within the glacial guitar motifs, occasional beats and elongated chords of “The Reflecting Pool”, the rhythmic bustle of “Numb Drums”, the glassy-eyed melancholia of “Arhythmia” and the cinematic paranoia of “Burning Off The Morning Fog”. It’s also evident amongst the classically beat-less ambient of closing cut “Weightless”, whose alien electronics, effects-laden pulses and opaque chords recall established masters of the genre.
With The Reflecting Pool, Letkiewicz has provided us with a much-needed dose of stress-free musical escapism, at the same time offering hope that in these troubling times, love may still save the day.

2LP, remaster - Imperial Tiger Orchestra's Mercato [12th years Anniversary Edition] includes the best of both albums Mercato & Addis Abeba remastered with bonuses live recordings in London, Paris, Addis, Tokyo & Cape Town.

Ichisan has been coaxed back behind the velvet curtain of the Bordello, this time for eleven track trip into a land of funk filled machine music. Aperitiv cruises with no single style, instead this Slovenian synthesist glides and slides through a scatting of sounds. Cosmic. House. Disco. Wave. Italo. All are plundered to produce an album overflowing with good feeling. And these feelings are pretty damn good. The road bends- The course changes. Bubrling acid bliss, crisp beats and stunningly delicate key shifts characterise this collection. Inviting strings pull you ever deeper. A soundtrack to coast line journeys along the Gulf of Trieste in a top down convertible, late night romances and evenings of endless warmth. Allow yourself to be whisked off by Ichisan, a trip you won´t want to come back from.

MAT is proud to announce the forthcoming release of ‘The Side I Never See’, by Hugh Small & Brian Allen Simon. Hugh forms half of Scottish post-punk duo Vazz, whose work was the subject of a recent retrospective by Belgian label Stroom. Brian is known best for his solo project Anenon, under which name he has released four full length albums and multiple remixes for artists including Ryuichi Sakamoto. An improvised recording of Brian playing over the Vazz piece ‘Kazimierz’ catalysed this long-distance collaboration; 2000 feet up a mountain in Andalucia, Hugh heard the recording on a broadcast of Brian’s dublab LA radio show. Immediately taken in by Brian’s playing, the pair soon established contact and began discussing the possibility of working to create something new together. The rest, as they say, is history: the results are fully realised in ‘The Side I Never See’, a shimmering suite of ten compositions for piano, soprano saxophone, synthesizer and guitar. In Hughs words… ‘so, what is it? It’s Ambient-Punk, Abstract-Jazz, Disaffected-Classical, it’s whatever the fuck you want it to be!’ :-) ‘The Side I Never See’ will be released on Melody As Truth in early August 2021, as always on vinyl and digital. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu, Artwork by Michael Willis.

Take two monster tracks and apply the ‘Heavy Disco’ ethos to them. Then get on the dance floor and let the music take control. Remember – Heavy Makes You Happy.

Since joining the label back in 2018, Hear & Now have quickly become one of Claremont 56’s most prolific and consistent acts. The Italian duo impressed with their debut album Aurora Baleare – a drowsy, mood enhancing masterpiece – and then went one better with 2020’s Alba Sol, a seductive and sun-kissed set that incorporated more nods to Hear & Now members Ricky L and Marcoradi’s 1990s deep house roots.

The pair have once more struck sonic gold with their third album, Milvus, a set whose colouful chords, unfurling melodies, warming instrumentation and sun-soaked vibes were mostly laid down during the various pandemic lockdowns of 2020. If it’s vivid, picturesque and immersive musical escapism you’re after, Milvus delivers and then some.

The album’s clear White Isle-friendly intent can be heard on opening track ‘Bassa Marea’, a yearning chunk of horizontal brilliance in which guest musician Marco Evengelista’s emotive flugelhorn sounds spar with slow-motion, eyes-closed electric guitar solos over billowing ambient chords and a tactile, thickset bassline. The pair’s ability to craft high-class, saucer-eyed Balearic soundscapes is a theme that’s returned to several times across the album, with ‘Abisso’– another near beat-free slab of touchy-feely dreaminess – standing out.

Ricky L and Marcoradi’s love of evocative, pitched-down excursions is another recurring theme. For proof, check out the chugging weariness of ‘Zanziblu’, where a lone whistle drifts across waves of heady chords and metronomic beats, the dub-fired Balearic reggae shuffle of ‘Coccobello’ and the bright aural colours of gentle title track ‘Milvus’, whose cascading piano motifs, echoing harmonica motifs and chunky dub disco grooves are as appealing as they are infectious.

While the prevailing mood is perhaps even more horizontal than their previous albums, Hear & Now have not completely abandoned the dancefloor. Two of the set’s standout moments are those where the pair actively explore their early ‘90s Italian dream house roots.

There’s the rolling haziness of ‘Levante’, where more emotion-rich electric guitar solos and ear-catching whistling softly spar with pulsing pads, club-ready house beats and chiming synthesizer motifs, and the breathlessly brilliant ‘Baiadriatica’, whose stirring, sustained opening chords should always be described as “rush-inducing”.

Rich in jangling piano riffs, fluid keys, squelchy bass and glistening guitars, the track is little less than a glorious 21st century update of the dream house sound first made famous by the likes of Sueno Latino and Key-Tronic Ensemble. Like the rest of Hear & Now’s absorbing and emotive third album, it’s a stunning, sunset-ready delight.

Who is Harvey Couture? Some say he’s a survivor of French pop music’s sun-soaked synth-pop era of the early 1980s, others that he’s a more suave and stylish Serge Gainsbourg for the nu-Balearic era. There were even rumours circulating that he’s a musical mobster from the Cote D’Azure: a shadowy member of the mafia who deals in synths, drum machines and fretless bass guitars rather than guns, money and drugs.

In truth, not even Leng Records knows much about the man behind the moniker, though his vividly kaleidoscopic, retro-futurist debut album, Scellé En Cristal, does offer a number of crafty clues. Whether listeners will make the necessary deductions to solve the mystery remains to be seen; regardless, it’s the music that matters, and on that score Scellé En Cristal simply cannot be faulted.

Rich in humid, afternoon-bright musical delights, the set sees our publicity-shy hero mix and mangle a multitude of musical influences – think proto-Balearic European synth-pop, Prince style purple funk, immersive ambient, early INXS style synth-rock, the electronic end of zouk and much more besides – with constantly colourful and imaginative results.

Couture is most at home adding his variously seductive, sexy and sleazy vocals to bubbly, upbeat and mid-tempo numbers that combine delay-laden drum machine beats with surging synths, fluid bass, stylish guitars, lashings of leftfield pop nouse and plenty of tongue-in-cheek Gallic flair.

For proof, check the throbbing, off-kilter alien-funk throb of ‘Les Portes De La Perception’, the bustling, percussion-laden cheeriness of ‘Crème Solaire’ and the loose-limbed, toe-tapping brilliance of ‘Je Ne Peux Pas’, where chiming, steel pan style melodies and pots-and-pans percussion hits jostle for position with sliding fretless bass notes and flash-fried guitars. Check to ‘Passion’, a swaggering slab of bustling electrofunk/synth-rock fusion rich in ‘Rockit’-style scratches and restless synth-bass.

The influence of languid, sunset-ready European pop records of the 1980s – those cuts that would later become sought-after amongst dusty-fingered collectors of Mediterranean music – is another recurring feature of Couture’s cultured but joyous debut album. It can be heard amongst the drowsy guitars, yawning bass and tumbling lead lines of ‘Look Within’, the pleasingly laidback ‘Invincible Line’, the elastic bass, fluorescent synth sounds and stuttering machine drums of ‘Marche’.

Yet Couture is no one-trick pony. Horizontal and loved-up moments of a more downtempo hue can be found scattered across the album, with the enveloping ambient awe of ‘Les Portes’ – all swelling chords, gentle melodies and atmospheric field recordings – and slowly unfurling ‘Whale Song’ both lingering long in the memory.

Harvey Couture may not be ready to step out of the shadows just yet, but his music most certainly is. We have a feeling that Scellé En Cristal is just the start of the mystery monsieur’s musical journey.

Stefan Schwander aka Harmonious Thelonious is definitely not a newcomer. He has been around for a long time and has already released lots of amazingly varied music on labels such as Emotional Response, Italic, Meakusma and Diskant. He’s also an integral part of the infamous Duesseldorf / Salon Des Amateurs axis that is an obvious hotbed of talent. He describes his style as "American minimalism vs. African drumming vs. European sequencing", a heady mixture which is clearly evident on this EP though with a definite Middle Eastern twist. Here at Versatile HQ we were introduced to this clutch of tracks by one of the members of Acid Arab and we were totally blown away. Stefan has a very unique production style, fusing all of the above elements with a hint of Gamelan, a dash of tweaked FM synthesis type sounds with a dose of warm ambience and finally his own singular touch on the mix. We are very happy to present you these 4 tracks to you, an essential EP from one of European music's true originals.

Limited, Vinyl Only, Label from Melbourne, Australia Blowing over from the west comes Hame DJ’s debut on Vulcan Venti, with three tracks carefully constructed for the discerning Disc Jockey. Stretching out over dubby breaks and tranquil textures, this is one twelve inch you’re sure to get trispy to!

Precious gems mined from a wall of vinyl. Cut, polished and mounted for maximum love.

Limited edition pressed on white vinyl.

Precious gems mined from a wall of vinyl. Cut, polished and mounted for maximum love.

Brand new album from Greville on Mad Habitat. Tip for fans of Jon Hassell, Ramzi and 12th Isle

Greville translates the deft drum programming and atmospherics of their previous work on Mad Habitat into a dextrous downtempo odyssey. The tracks pair woody percussion with crystalline pads and figurative sounds that evoke their own biospheres; listen to the woodland motorik of “Marbles” or swingbeat syncopation and coruscating arps of “Time”. The depth of production here is best exemplified by “Night Light” where the “Ambient Mix” strips the track down the dreamy chords and the asynchronous twitter and chirrups of a synthesized bushland - and like the EP altogether, it's a curious sonification of Australia in the summer.

12 inch 180G vinyl with a Bonus 7 inch 180G vinyl in Printed Sleeve shrink wrapped.
Occupying a musical space somewhere between the relentless Afrobeat pulse of Fela Kuti and the interstellar sensibilities of Sun Ra, The Golden Dawn Arkestra come to RNT Reserve with a magical EP of summertime bliss. Known for their spectacularly raucous live shows in their hometown Austin, Tx and around the globe, this release captures two of their groovier songs from their last album, never before released on vinyl.
With the originals on either side of the 7”, the 12” contains a sun-soaked remix from Austin Ato, a pulsing tropical mix by JKriv, and a disco chugger from Dicky Trisco.

Go Dugong is back on Hyperjazz Records! The new album "Meridies" is the result of his ongoing investigative work into traditional Apulian music from the south of Italy, inspired by his hometown, Taranto, and the phenomenon of the Tarantella - started with Trnt (2019, Hyperjazz). On a quest to push the boundaries of traditional Apulian music, Go Dugong’s research has allowed him to rethink and rework these musical traditions of his homeland, leading to the creation of a soundtrack for an imaginative and futuristic ensemble of peasants and farmers. In "Meridies" Go Dugong has collaborated with several musicians in order to combine traditional Apulian music with sounds and influences belonging to other Italian and Mediterranean regions, reinterpreting a genre that for many years has lived trapped in its canons.

Part two of a two part set. Two years after Africa Oscura, considered by many to be the “dark side” of Sorgini’s masterpiece ‘Zoo Folle’ and partly recorded during the same session in 1974, Four Flies has decided to celebrate the album's modernity with a double 12” featuring 7 reworks by six of Italy’s most visionary DJs/producers. The original tracks have been reworked with different approaches, sometimes into full reinterpretations, and with demanding dance floors in mind. The result is a stunning collection of electronic reworks that preserve the spirit of the original versions while projecting them into the future.

Part one of a two part set. Two years after Africa Oscura, considered by many to be the “dark side” of Sorgini’s masterpiece ‘Zoo Folle’ and partly recorded during the same session in 1974, Four Flies has decided to celebrate the album's modernity with a double 12” featuring 7 reworks by six of Italy’s most visionary DJs/producers. The original tracks have been reworked with different approaches, sometimes into full reinterpretations, and with demanding dance floors in mind. The result is a stunning collection of electronic reworks that preserve the spirit of the original versions while projecting them into the future.

Following his “Cosmic Sands” cassette on Light Of Other Days, Greg D debuts “Ocean Walk” under his new alias, GEE DEE. Recorded in 2019, the EP marries ambient, dub, and house influences to create an enticing body of mid-tempo magic. Using limited hardware [505, Juno 6, D50, and a Space Echo] the four-tracker bears a hazy vibe throughout and pairs simple drum programming with sun-kissed synths and hypnotic bass lines. Whether dusk is upon you at your local cafe bar, or the lights are down in the discotheque, GEE DEE delivers an array of leftfield bumpers that will fit just about any mood. Coming 2020 on Superior Elevation Records.

For its eleventh release, CAF? is happy to present an EP bringing together Swiss producer Ganj and rapper Nathalie Froehlich. From dub to dubstep, these 6 tracks never fail to give an industrial feeling, recalling wanders inside foggy clubs, those where smoke-machines never stop. In addition to the powerful instrumentals, Nathalie Froehlich’s sharp tone and raw lyrics intertwine perfectly with the wobbly basses and clear hats. Extended party, everybody wants it crowdy.

One Copy per Customer! Limited edition reissue of one of the most sought after balearic disco song produced in 1983 by the italian duo : Giorgio Giordano & Giorgio Dolce. Now finally remastered from the original master tapes by Best Record Italy.

GAF are back!!! This time under their Estrella de la Muerte configuration and with a gateway musical behemoth double album into the cosmic unknown.

The prolific project, helmed by local Canarian anchorman Mladen Kurajica, dwells deep into esoteric rock genres and this time, they waste no time in plunging the listener into their brave new type of cosmic rock with a deeply influenced krautrock voyage of 70’s jamming and psychonautic exploration.

Recorded over three days in the cultural space of El Tanque, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, at the height of the covid pandemic of 2020 and during one of the hottest summers to date, the band entered the space with no plan in mind deciding instead to approach the recording sessions without any preconceived ideas or pre-composed songs. Clean out of external influences and ready to experiment they loaded in all their available gear, including an array of modular synths, in order to create a new approach to song writing and flesh out some ideas for a future album in situ. The very process of that search, through pure improvisation and jamming, became the album we’re presenting here.

No overdubs or subsequent edits were done, except for cutting some songs so that they could fit on the album. Almost 5 hours of recordings in total, finally reaching a 7 track, 69-minute double LP. All the reverb heard on the record is the natural reverb of El Tanque, a 16 second tail natural reverb recorded with several room mics at different locations in the venue. Eventually this became the first fully instrumental album by the Estrella de la Muerte configuration, with a line up of 7 musicians (Gaf y Estrella de la Muerte are normally a sextet).

Enter then, this inspired selection of psychedelically damaged tunes, 70’s space rock, psychoacoustics and Kosmishe inspired jamming. This is healing music for your mind altering journeys. The titled Pyramids here serving not only as a gateway to the cosmic unknown but also as an exploratory symbol of the bands willingness to freely embrace their subconscious inner flows into a cosmic collective. Ecstatic music for our times!

One of life's most difficult arts is learning to let go. You can try to cling to control in the face of a turbulent world, but the only constant we can count on is change—the tendrils of cleansing fire wiping away the old, new life springing forth from the dust and ash. So what's the point? Give yourself over to the depths. Surrender to the flow. G.S. Schray's new solo album The Changing Account is an appropriate soundtrack for learning to cope with a world we can't count on. Each piece is full of elliptical melodies that swirl with the unstable logic of dreams. Flurries of piano, guitar lines, and other more alien instrumentation shimmer delicately, but before they coalesce into familiar shapes or rhythms they change, then change, then change again. Listening is a bit like falling asleep on a long road—with each passing song you're waking up somewhere new, trying to get your bearings in another strange world. How did I get here? Where are we going? It doesn't matter. Close your eyes, drift away again.

400, 10" marbled pink, hand stamped, individually numbered records, single press only.