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a masterclass in hardcore dancefloor and bittersweet feeling...Alex Crossan is both acclaimed and not feted enough' **** The Observer

Available on his own Pond Recordings, Curve 1 is a love-letter to club spaces, and the music and people who fill them.

Mura Masa’s forth album is a full-circle moment. Departing from the pop-leaning narrative and who’s-who guestlist of his most recent records, Curve 1 heads back down the rabbit-hole of club music that’s alternately euphoric, introspective, nostalgic and future-facing. Full of tension and release, ambiguity and playfulness, the significance of Curve 1 is left up to the individual: whether enjoyed solo or in the sweat of a packed room, here is music as enigmatic and layered as its author.

Mura Masa himself introduces Curve 1 as 'a manifestation of an attitude I’ve been cultivating in my personal life; ignore everything. All the content, all of the attention economy, all of it. In doing that, the really meaningful and vital parts of what’s around you make themselves known and unignorable, demanding your energy. It’s my first offering as an independent artist through my own record label, and as such I wanted it to be as free and anti-narrative as possible. Impressionistic. Music as entertainment has in many cases, to me, become very advertorial and excessively sentimental in terms of creating narrative around albums and artists. I wanted to strip this away as much as possible to leave room for the music to create its own meaning in the lives of people who form connections with it. It's hard for me not to explain away the intricacies and ideas contained within these records after having theorised and tolled and executed them over the course of nearly three years, but I think it’s far more fitting of the album’s intent to say simply: listen to it in the dark.'

Curve 1 pulls Mura Masa into focus as one of this generation’s most influential figures. Aptly reflecting his rare standing at the heart of youth culture, Mura Masa recently co-wrote long standing collaborator PinkPantheress’ single ‘Turn It Up’, as well as creating a series of remixes for Troye Sivan’s ‘Honey’. From producing global hits like ‘Boy’s a liar Pt.2’ to seminal records like Shygirl’s Mercury-nominated Nymph, it’s a juncture that has also seen Mura Masa embark on a new chapter of his own. He has set up his label and a creative hub and arts space - The Pond - in Peckham as a base for emerging artists and likeminded creatives, which will launch officially next year. Across his three critically-acclaimed solo albums, Mura Masa has built an audience who will follow wherever his genre-defying work goes next; with 2 billion streams, headline festival sets around the world, and live shows ranging from Alexandra Palace to Warehouse Project.

Curve 1 marks a back-to-your-roots approach whilst also highlighting the trailblazing young star’s recurring theme: to capture ‘that’ curvature in pop culture, to make it Mura Masa’s own, and to push things forward.

Should you find yourself taking a Thames-side stroll in the shadow of the City of London, keep an eye out for the headphone-clad figure of Ilan Pdahtzur. While be-suited bankers and frustrated office workers scurry home to their families, Ilan can frequently be found casting admiring glances towards the blinking lights of towering skyscrapers while filling his ears with the synthesizer-driven sounds of lesser-known 1980s dance music. Ilan, an avid but little-known record collector best known for sharing the artwork of obscure and under-appreciated early-to-mid ’80s club cuts on his popular Instagram feed, has been digging for vibrant, kaleidoscopic records since his teens. Now, thanks to Spacetalk, he’s been given a chance to offer a glimpse into his neon-lit nocturnal musical world. The result is Night City Life, a killer collection of 1980s synthesizer songs inspired by Ilan’s admiration for the glow of London’s late night skyline. Over the course of 13 essential tunes, Ilan escorts us on a vibrant sprint through rare Italo-disco, steamy South African synth-boogie, fizzing American freestyle, oddball Austrian electrofunk and so much more.
There are naturally a fair few sought-after cuts present, but also a fine selection of under-appreciated gems that for one reason or other have been all but ignored since they were released three and a half decades ago. In fact, some selections are so obscure that barely any information exists about them online. Check for example Preludio’s “Mysterious Nights”, an evocative fusion of slow electronic grooves, dreamy chords and twinkling piano motifs previously buried on a lesser-known album of unremarkable German synth-pop, or the dollar-bin brilliance of Fragile’s sweet synth-pop gem “We’ve Got Tonight, Boy”, a cut that Ilan says is capable of “wrapping itself like tendrils around your soul”. He’s not wrong.
At the other end of the scale you’ll find the ultra-rare Italo-disco breeziness of Friend of Mine’s incredible “Just Your Pride” and Mac & Monica’s soulful 1986 South African synth-boogie cut “You’re So Good To Me”, copies of which regularly change hands for hundreds of pounds online. Ilan originally reached out to the men behind the record last year to tell them how one of their other forgotten gems had been played on a Boiler Room session; naturally, they were thrilled. There’s plenty to admire elsewhere on the compilation, too, from the waves of analogue synths, bubbly melodies and bobbing beats of the instrumental dub version of Brian Tatcher’s “Hot Love” – a cold-war era cut inspired by the idea of love blossoming in the midst of a nuclear meltdown – to the Bobby Orlando-esque freestyle bustle of Janelle’s “Don’t Be Shy (Dub)” and the sparkling post-boogie brilliance of Jarmaz’s “Night City Life (Disco Remix)”, a track Ilan has listened to countless times while admiring the midnight skyline of his home city.

80g Limited Edition (2×12″lp)

“Sueño Mediterráneo” meets our primary goals of then and now: expanding our sonic horizon and telling a story in music that focuses on the human being, the soul, and the essential things to appreciate in life. “Sueño Mediterráneo” is a two-hand effort by the Italian DJ and producer Luca Averna (elsewhere also known as Jay Green) and the UK House veteran DJ and producer Chris Coco.

Luca moved to Ibiza permanently a few years back, firmly wanting to live the isle differently, appreciating the rustical life of the western hills with his beloved wife, dog, turntables, vinyl records, and drum machines. Chris is an Ibiza regular since the 90s, and during the last two decades, he has become one of the most respected figures within the island’s Balearic scene.

After meeting a couple of years ago, they decided right away to produce music together, giving birth to this “Sueño Mediterráneo” project, with the desire to pay tribute to the 90s Italo Dream House, celebrate a newborn friendship, and their shared love for the White Island.

All tracks written & produced in 2018 by Chris Mellor and Luca Averna, between Ibiza and London and using the following gear: Roland® TR 606,626,707,909; Yamaha RX5, Yamaha DX7, Korg M1.

Additional Credits: Guitar in ‘Mare’ By Micko Roche. Bass Guitar in “Walearic Dub” By Yusuke. Vocals in “Underwater” By Louis Van Johnson. Vocals in “Il Tempio Dell’Amore” By Luca Averna.

Mastered by Rune Lindbaek.

Graphic design by Dextro.org.

Buy Digital Album Streaming + Download Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, Flac and more.

Somewhere between Solid State Survivor, Force Majeure and Danzindan-Pojidon you’ll find Shinichi Omata’s Boku ・ Neko ・ Platanus. Or rather you won’t – throughout his captivating debut from 1984, reissued by chOOn!! in 2022, you’ll hear connections to other music but its unique unbridled will keeps pushing those references out of mind.

Shinichi Omata is a fascinating figure – an unsung hero of early Japanese electronic music who between 1981–84 recorded three albums of incredible DIY techno-pop while studying as a student in Tokyo. At University, Omata worked and collaborated as a sitar player and keyboardist with artists such as Hiroko Yoshihara, Takami, DEA and various members of the LLE music circle, where he developed an expressive fusion of minimal synth and psychedelia.

This selection, lovingly extracted from Omata’s unreleased early recorded output, dating from 1981’s Neo Modernism through to 1983's With My Dog Ricky, demonstrates just how closely he clung to the original abstract ideal of moulding 8-bit bleeps and ungainly drum patterns into lo-fi triumphalism. On paper you wouldn’t give this aesthetic clash a pass were it not for the aural evidence of a unique sensibility, precociously openminded and visionary, charmingly transparent in respect of its influences yet possessed of a need for individuality.

Throughout this kaleidoscopic collection, all the ghost plastic in Omata’s head, Kosmische synthesis, synth-funk squiggles, arcade games and early Ambient is thrown together, reimagined and regarded affectionately – through a glass lightly, so to speak. Beneath the pulsing arpeggiated bleeps, Omata’s compositions show a remarkable economy and poise hinting at European classical influences - like a reimagining of Erik Satie’s piano miniatures that swaps 19th century Parisian boulevards for Tokyo’s 1980s technopolis. The music is sheer skin- puckering delight throughout, a delirious, mesmeric collage of dark disco bubblegum and eccentrically enchanting atmospheres that you cannot quite believe you’ve never heard before.

Available for the first time on vinyl, With My Dog Ricky: The Early Works of Shinichi Omata 1981-1983 is a vivid selection of synth miniatures lovingly extracted from Omata’s unreleased early recorded output.

Produced in cooperation with the artist for chOOn!!.

Mastered for vinyl/digital by Josh Bonati. Artwork by the acclaimed book designer Luke Bird

Finally, this great record gets a nice re-press!

Music From Memory’s latest release in their 12” series focuses on the little known UK band The System. A project masterminded by Bob Lamb, a somewhat cult figure in Birmingham's music history; the short lived group released only one album ‘Logic' and a single in 1983 on the somewhat obscure French label ‘Romantic Records’. This distinctively forward thinking new wave/synth pop album met with poor distribution and with almost no promotion to speak of at the time and quickly dwindled into obscurity. The albums sense of technological exploration, outstanding production value coupled with the band’s gift of writing deeply emotive, yearning pop tunes, make it sound though perhaps more relevant today than many other far more successful albums of its time.

Broc Recordz is proud to announce the album "Puzzled" by the legendary JJ Whitefield, you'll immerse yourself in the enigmatic universe of this master of funk and psychedelism. Across 13 tracks, you will discover all facets of this musician hailing from Munich, ranging from raw funk to krautrock. JJ Whitefield is an iconic figure in the music scene, having played an essential role in diverse projects such as the mastermind behind Poets Of Rhythm, Karl Hector, The Whitefield Brothers and his essential role in the recent careers of Ebo Taylor, embryo and witch“. "Puzzled" is the perfect opportunity to delve into his unique musical world.

Remastered reissue of Francesco Messina's seminal LP from 1983 produced by electronic Italian pioneer Franco Battiato.
Messina and Battiato are considered central figures within the Italian avant-garde. Part of a generation of artists who contributed to a radical rethinking of musical practices and composition, they reveal Minimalism as it's rarely known: delicate melodies, subtle harmonic interplay, incorporating diverse creative traditions and slowly giving way to an ever-expanding open space. This album was recorded at the legendary Polygram Studios in Milan and using the most powerful electronic music synthesizers for that times like the CMI Fairlight and the EMU Emulator.

Memory Lane Lying in Pain is the debut Ep by Evil Saint Francis, the latest incarnation of Francesco Mele, a known figure in the Italian indie/darkwave scene. Penned at the height of lockdown to exorcise his demons, these songs were produced by Jacopo Bigagli. The Memory Lane Ep is a darkwave / synthpop / shoegaze’s threesome with a very dark bystander who resemble rowland s howard. Lvca aka Luca Cazal steps up on remix duties, drawing from his synth pop and new wave influences of his former years as a musician, delivering an acid tinged rendition of the main track.

Panthera is a mysterious figure, and that’s how they plan to keep it. Arriving at the Bordello in a veil of secrecy, the four tracks of Synthesizer Hits do the talking for this unknown artist; and you better believe this music has something to say. The gloriously uplifting “Eurodrink” opens. Beaming bars border on pure elation and sullen sorrow, a tight drum keeping time in this space opera soundtrack. That same line of joy and sadness is maintained in the considered and reflective “20000” with its distant words and epic synthwork. “Bra” melts the pulsating energy of disco with complex percussions while a future vision melody descends. The close comes in the form of “Il Vizietto.” A daring work of astral electronics that takes its cue from the masters of silver screen and beyond. A stunning debut from an artist who music lovers will want to know.

Just when you thought you had Kasper Bjørke figured out he comes back with another great musical surprise. His new album Puzzles, which will be released April 5th on hfn music, follows two recent collaborative EPs on Live at Robert Johnson and Mule Musiq as well as his second Kasper Bjørke Quartet neoclassical/ambient album Mother on Kompakt.
Puzzles is Kasper’s love letter to the sound of early 2000s New York - merged with his Scandinavian sense of producing songs that goes beyond conventional club music; combining disco tinged instrumentations mixed with elements of 80s funk, jazz and contemporary pop songwriting, creating something familiar yet, something very fresh and innovative at the same time.
The album includes collaborations with a wide range of musicians and vocalists. From California based indie-disco troubadour Woolfy (DFA, Rong, Permanent Vacation etc.) to the Icelandic dream-folk trio Systur aka Sísý Ey (who also featured on Kasper’s 2014 single Apart, where the Michael Mayer remix became a timeless club anthem), as well as other longtime collaborators and artist friends: Toby Ernest, Jacob Bellens, WhoMadeWho’s Tomas Høffding on bass, Posh Isolation affiliate Frederik Valentin on guitar and the young, rising jazz star Oilly Wallace on saxophone and flute. Essentially, the majority of Puzzles is played and recorded live, including the drums by Rasmus Littauer (School of X, MØ). Many of the songs emerged from chord progressions written during studio sessions between Kasper and Toby - which Kasper then produced into a colourful and effective album, rooted in an expressive live feeling far from programmed patterns.
Puzzles is a new step for Kasper as a producer and artist, showcasing his ability to move and flow freely between genres and expressions, however still deeply rooted in his love and affection for the classic disco groove - which is only natural after more than two decades as an active DJ.
Another piece has been added to the musical puzzle of Kasper Bjørke

Duper, the new release from Morgan Geist, is a not-so-subtle callback to his 2001 EP, Super. "I was working most days with Kelley Polar on our new vocal project, Au Suisse, which isn't really dance music at all," he explains. "I started fooling around with these instrumental tracks at night for fun. Each track was in a different style, but they seemed to work nicely as a group. By the time I asked Kelley to contribute strings to the A-side, the record really started feeling like the sequel to Super."

Super Duper ¬- get it?

Indeed, the playful synth riffs and sweeping disco strings of "Twilight Express" echo the palette of Geist's cult classic "24k" and early Metro Area. "Black Test Car" is a unique collision of minimal, almost Krautrock-style drums, sound library textures and spacy electro percussion. Meanwhile, "Feeling Is Mutual" is a rare acid outing that pushes beyond the usual comfort zone, the 303 acting more as feather than hammer on top of major-key modulations. "I love a lot of Aphex Twin and I love sweet, "quiet storm"-style R&B," says Geist. "I figured, why not?"

‘Fog’ is one of most obscure and dark italo instrumental works done in 1984 late at night in Riccardo Cioni’s garage/studio by his trusty Stephen Head experimenting on PPG Wave 2.2, Linn 9000 and Phophet 5.

Mondo Groove release this 12″ 45rpm involving 4 key figures of analog electro: Morgan Geist (Metro Area), Tiger & Woods, N.O.I.A. and Daniele Baldelli.

Strictly limited edition.

Following on from Melodic Motion, Martin Matiske returns to Bordello A Parigi with a track that first appeared over a decade ago. Released on his first album on Stilleben, “Dimension Phantasy” has been dusted down and given a new lease of life. This extended version bubbles with the same energy as the original. Steady kicks give way to scaling chords as a racing piece of future gazing brilliance takes hold. Melodies are addictive, yet cold, with a common ground between disco and electro being forged. Sharing the 12” real estate are two good friends, each offering their own remix. Captain Mustache is a musician who can turn his hand to any style. Here the French producer remains true to the Matiske’s version, adding layers of warmth while maintaining the Springtime coolness of beats and harmonies. The flip is given over to Play Paul, a trailblazing figure in electronics. BPMs are reduced as sweetened lines take flight in the “Oh Lord! Remix”. Arpeggiators rumble before bold keys and heartfelt vocals enter in this emotive reinterpretation. The finale strips back lyrics to focus on those succulent synthesizer sounds. A celebration of past, present and future on one very special release.

There is a parallel, submerged dimension in which musicians meet when they improvise. Sound microcosms emerge in those moments, and this is precisely the magic that Bottazz! wanted to photograph in their first album: Bottazz! VOL.1. A "live" album, capable of transmitting spontaneity, sonic truths, empathy, feelings; ingredients that are difficult to transmit by recording the instruments individually or with other techniques. Recorded in the historic "Auditorium 900" studios, a true time machine, as well as an institution for music in Naples. Auditorium 900 took up the challenge in the figure of sound engineer Fabrizio Piccolo and from here the sound of Bottazz was born! A sound made up of lysergic Funk trips, 70's influences in all possible nuances: from progressive funk to Santana's Hispanic rock, up to touching its darkest and most hidden latitudes; audio waves influenced by the soundtracks of the cinematography linked to those times, organs, synths, percussion and wah wah guitars, which generate a melting pot in which nothing is taken for granted. Bottazz! VOL.1 is a ship's diary, a journey into which each sailor has inserted its own emotions accumulated over the years, thus giving us a sincere and genuine record. Happy navigation.

Running Back regular Feater aka Daniel Meuzard puts his newly-transplanted studio through its paces for the first time since relocating from Vienna, swapping out the bustle of the city for the fresh mountain breeze of the West Alps. The Positive People EP proves that a change is as good as a rest, as the wide open nature not only had some rejuvenating effects on the creative process - it also gave Feater some room in his head to ponder questions about nature, nurture, and whether our inner morality is externally programmed. The taut jazz funk of opening track Coding springs into action like the montage music of a lost ‘70s TV show, while the title track Positive People plays on the ambiguity of its title, with cascading synth notes, tastefully dubby 303 stabs, and an afro-cuban drum figure that forms the foundation for a spaced-out dancefloor workout. It's a combo of tracks that should appeal to chat room moderators and serotonin programmers alike. Expensive Zeit kicks off sounding like grime maverick XTC had been brought up on Murder Capital electro rather than East London garage - before it morphs into a bumpin electrofunk and percussion session, with its sights set firmly on an aquatic worm hole. The EP rounds out with Decline All Cookies, which breaks out of a flanged-out half-time drum 'n' effects intro to reveal a lush chord progression, flipping a soul jazz piano mood into a trippy slice of modern instrumental funk. Can man be the master of his own destiny? It seems with this change of location and musical direction, Feater might just have figured out the answer.

Harlem's legendary Disco label Queen Constance has long been a cult favourite among fans of underground dance music for decades. One of many labels operating under the equally legendary P&P family of imprints Queen Constance was operated by one Peter Brown, a truly colossal figure in NYC's music scene, its catalogue still fascinates music lovers to this day. Covering a wide range of styles including Gospel, early Rap and Disco the label's output continually finds it way into the playlists of respected DJ's and selectors across the globe. This latest repress from the vaults is a real biggie - a true NYC underground disco CLASSIC!

AS WE Continue ON! Caserta is back with another vocal you haven’t heard on it’s own before with music that defies the time period the song was actually recorded in. If it wasn’t for the recognizable vocal that is Curtis the A Side could be confused with something you might of found on Beat Electric back in the day. Growling bass and boogie synths stabs make for a west coast post disco affair.

While the B side is a cheeky take on another 80s classic from the legendary Solar Records catalog. With the familiar 808 drum and lush 80s synths it might be a bit of a task to figure out what version to sing along with!

Rome’s own disco wizard L.U.C.A. aka Francesco De Bellis is back for his second LP Terra, hot on the heels of his Venus 12” EP earlier this year. In this far-reaching album, the Edizioni Mondo founder explores the deteriorating relationship between Man and Nature, and the dire consequences. The album is split into two themes - part one is Consacrazione (Consecration) and side two is Coscienza (Conscience) - as L.U.C.A. charts a trip through mankind’s psychic universe, and imagines worlds beyond our physical dimension.

The opening composition Cities is an uptempo number that slowly comes into focus, as dreamy drum machines emerge from the urban bustle, before settling into a soulful groove as keyboard, upright bass and guitar figures dance across bright percussion. As it builds up a head of steam, the piece gives way to an ambient, tribal breakdown, which is also echoed in the following song, Drum Talk. This second tune sets up in a fourth world dreamscape of drums, synths, and abstracted echo effects, and is peppered with word fragments from the bush of ghosts. By the time we’ve reached the third track, Congiunzione sounds like travelling at singularity speed, beaming in from a future where human consciousness and gaia can finally dance on a cosmic plain.

Part two of Terra details how revelation of the spirit can guide the mind, as Time Spirals rises out of a drum motif with a nod to classic ragas, as a disembodied voice asks questions on the nature of corporeality. The sound design is just as front and centre as the sitar and fretless bass, and the song gives way to a richly-layered soup that sounds like the vast space between atoms. It’s this shift from composition to ambience that is the dynamic core of Terra, giving L.U.C.A. plenty of space to showcase his next-level audio and arranging skills. Midway through part two, Giallo Assoluto begins with reverb tails and choral voices before expanding in brightness and texture until the audio field is practically levitating your hi-fi speakers, vibrating them with drones, twinkling keys and shards of digital noise. The closing composition Ritorno al Domani is a perfect balance of optimism and mystery. Tension and release collapse in on themselves as waves of ambient pads crescendo and then break over stretched-out sonic turbulence, before reversed synths bring the listener to a closing door, and the end of the journey.

It’s a mind-expanding musical exploration of other worlds and parallel universes which are surely all around us, and in many ways serve to remind us of the marvel that is our own planet.

“Fire, the divine essence stolen from the gods by Prometheus and given to humanity thus, making us unique amongst other creatures of Mother Nature, bringing us closer to the divine.
The myth’s version chosen to illustrate the songs in this compilation, whispers that the figure of this fire remains alive in the shape of intelligence and cleverness. Technology split us apart while allowing us to own the sounds of Nature, to transform them, to travel in time within the 20th century using all sorts of folk instruments, assembling mezzo-sopranos coming down from orchestras high up in the sky, with the most virtuous percussionists in the Spanish music scene. Who would have told the sailor man that he would be dancing to down-tempo with his loved one, who is leaning on the balcony waiting for him.
This compilation is a deep scream from modern gods; the flame that is still alive in this new century.
I couldn’t be more thankful to Lord Guardado (Discómanos) for relying on me for the selection of songs, for being this project’s cornerstone and engine, as well as to all the artists who agreed to be part of it.”
Daniel Nielles

Subtitled As “The Open Gate To New Spanish Music” This Is An Amazing Compilation Dedicated To Spanish Minimal, New Age, Ambient, Downtempo, Folk, Experimental Sounds, 1989-1999, All Tracks Never Released On Vinyl Before.
Feat: Suso Saiz, Iury Lech, Finis Africae, Eliseo Parra...
Sublimely Curated By Daniel Nielles (Tuharrdosons), Inspired By The Work Of People Like Luis Delgado (El Cometa De Madrid, Etc).
LP Only Release, 500 Copies. 180Gr Vinyl.

If one looks at the output of Los Angeles based artist Mat/Matix , he d find that this quite illusive figure from the LA scene of contemporary electronic funk has quite some good tracks in his compact repertoire. This package (which contains a version from fellow West Coast artist Moon B) is dripping with heart wrenching synth soars and compact drum works that are built with the fierceness that is so significant for both the label and the artist.

If one looks at the output of Los Angeles based artist Mat/Matix , he d find that this quite illusive figure from the LA scene of contemporary electronic funk has quite some good tracks in his compact repertoire. This package (which contains a version from fellow West Coast artist Moon B) is dripping with heart wrenching synth soars and compact drum works that are built with the fierceness that is so significant for both the label and the artist.
Freaked in Private even though it s an EP feels more like a mini album of some sort. The opening track City Chiller is a slap bass heavy venture into G funk tainted dance music that perfectly utilizes an uplifting intermezzo, before heading into it s chorus which is highlighted by loosely played synth notes and some interesting vocal shots that are so significant for LA music from by gone days. The version by fellow funketeer Moon B goes a different route. The slap bass has been altered into a deep and sophisticated bass pattern which acts as the spine of the version. The drums are somewhat more outlandish, and the pad that floats on top works perfectly with the glow of the synths.

If one looks at the output of Los Angeles based artist Mat/Matix , he d find that this quite illusive figure from the LA scene of contemporary electronic funk has quite some good tracks in his compact repertoire. This package (which contains a version from fellow West Coast artist Moon B) is dripping with heart wrenching synth soars and compact drum works that are built with the fierceness that is so significant for both the label and the artist.
Freaked in Private even though it s an EP feels more like a mini album of some sort. The opening track City Chiller is a slap bass heavy venture into G funk tainted dance music that perfectly utilizes an uplifting intermezzo, before heading into it s chorus which is highlighted by loosely played synth notes and some interesting vocal shots that are so significant for LA music from by gone days. The version by fellow funketeer Moon B goes a different route. The slap bass has been altered into a deep and sophisticated bass pattern which acts as the spine of the version. The drums are somewhat more outlandish, and the pad that floats on top works perfectly with the glow of the synths.

Hold it down is a disco ish track that utilizes very smooth and soul touching elements that are built around various piano variations and a beautiful break with percussion in the fashion of Shuggie Otis Aht uh mi Hed .

Central Bank is keeping up the pace with a very hazy atmosphere and amazing vocals which ooze throughout. Very musical and warm. 135th is a piano track that again strikes the right chord for mellow week-ends in a park. Wayactive is closing down this extended effort with euphoric synths and uplifting chords.

After 8 years Georgian pioneer George Dzodzuashvili is back as Post Industrial Boys with a new album. It's his most personal record to date and opens up its own world: a world full of memories of a bygone time and observations so precise you almost feel like you are living and capturing them yourself with a Super8 camera.

Futuro Antico, the mesmerizing collaboration of Riccardo Sinigaglia with Walter Maioli and Gabin Dabirè evoked in its name the uncanniness of simultaneously witnessing past and future. Ambient Music, Riccardo Sinigaglia’s first solo work –recorded in Dec. 1984 and originally out on cassette from ADN Tapes in 1985— ultimately delivers on that idea, embodying different irreconcilable time frames not just in name.
From our vantage point, the sounds of the two performances --“Watertube” and “Ringspiel”-- appear as though they arrive to us from a past which we have great difficulty in recognizing and imagining ourselves coming from while simultaneously working as a projection of a future that is both our contemporaneity yet also surpasses it. It’s this ability that Riccardo Sinigaglia’s work has of being both rooted in its context while instantaneously capable of transcending our own that makes him one of the key figures of that explosion of beauty and creativity that defines the peculiar iteration of radical minimalism that characterized the experimental and avant-garde music scene in Italy, particularly the Milanese one with its rich countercultural scenes crossing over into the long reverberating academic legacy of the Studio di Fonologia Musicale RAI di Milano during a hyperactive decade starting in the late 1970s. An aggressively conquered freedom which resulted in works of an incredible gracefulness aimed towards a future at a moment when both grace and the future had seemingly begun their slow obliteration under the blows of powerful destructive forces.
“Watertube” starts as a synth and magnetic-tape based ambient soundscape that slowly adds what appears to be a prepared piano which eventually competes for audibility with a phrase that evokes the titular watertube, treated, looped and stacked as it phase-shifts producing a busy polyrhythm that asynchronously gurgles and bubbles, approaching but never breaking into chaos. It’s some strange version of Eno’s oblique discreetness ostensibly being overwhelmed by the perversity of a Stevereichian shape-shifting pattern but the moment the former is about to be overwhelmed the composition begins a slow recession back towards the system it originated from.
“Ringspiel” is a more playful yet warped affair, a complex ecology rather than a simple economy of sounds. Opening with a whimsical melody seemingly played on a prepared toy piano this gives way to a tape loop punctuated throughout the rest of the piece by individual sounds whose origins remain uncertain. These produce scattered melodies that underscore an electronic based minimalism with a synthetic heart that nonetheless showcases a pulsating, wet, fibrous core that beats with organic life. It ends not in the opening whimsy but in fragmenting percussive shards of sounds. While it might superficially appear deceitfully familiar and comforting and evoke recognizable pleasures this is neither your father’s ambient nor your mom’s minimalism. And it sure as hell ain’t your older brother’s lame substanceless new age noodling. There’s a dark heart to Sinigaglia’s record – listened to today we are conscious that the future “Watertube” and “Ringspiel” pointed towards never arrived and yet we are aware of nonetheless inhabiting it. That is ultimately the tragedy and the thrill of these compositions. We are told that the future’s been annulled due to a degenerative process that began precisely around the time in which this music was first recorded. And yet. As time folded in on itself and we were made to inhabit the futureless predicament of an eternal present these recordings act as relics from the last possible instance where a future could still stand to be imagined. A little sliver of opportunity. Look into it. It just might give you a peek into tomorrow. The time is out of joint.

Second Circle return with a special one-off album of music by Belgian producer soFa, German musician Houschyar and the legendary Turkish drummer and percussionist Okay Temiz.

elale is the result of a string of sessions that began in Istanbul in 2018, when soFa spontaneously teamed up with friend Houschyar for a series of smoky jams in the young German producer’s 5th floor apartment. soFa returned a few months later, with a plan to finish the EP, and whilst having lunch, the two decided to pay a spontaneous visit to Okay Temiz, with whom soFa had worked previously.

Welcoming the pair in the percussion workshop (Atölye) where he spends most of his days, Temiz was excited by their demos and the three of them began to jam around the tracks, with Temiz utilizing a number of his own homebuilt instruments from the workshop. The duo had now become a trio, it seems, and back in their home studio the jams would be edited and reworked; with Okay adding further overdubbing and contributions to the tracks.

Probably best known as a member of The Don Cherry Trio, for his own band Oriental Wind and for numerous collaborations with some of the best Jazz musicians in the world since the early 70ties, Temiz is considered to be one of the most innovative and outstanding musical figures in Turkey and beyond. Since first becoming a drummer, after his mother’s dreams of him becoming a trumpeter were dashed after being told his arms were too short, this amazing Turkish musician has continually pushed musical boundaries.

In this latest collaboration, Okay Temiz weaves his percussive magic through six diverse psychedelic synthesizer and drum computer jams, alongside two exciting young producers. Şelale is mixed by Dusseldorf studio wizard Gordon Pohl.

The French-Hong Kong DJ and producer Romain FX, founder of Fauve Radio and Fauve Records, debuts on Cracki Records ! After having made his mark on renowned labels such as Exploited, Eskimo Recordings, Novaj 新し, Lagasta, Fantastic Voyage, Mamie's Records or Hard Fist Records, the ultra-productive artist is about to release Le Sucre d'Adam a new EP of 4 tracks and 2 remixes with the Parisian label Cracki Records. Mixing Italian dream house, jazz, and Italo Disco, Romain FX wanted to create with this EP a timeless record and convey a message of hope for a better world. The first track "Zeste d'Orange" is full of joyful emotions, with a feeling of unity and sharing, strongly influenced by 80-90's pop songs like "Rise Up" by The Parachute Club, and "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Roots. With its melancholic keyboards, "Le Sucre d'Adam" is a pure concentrate of Italo Dream House, and it's not a coincidence that Romain FX entrusted the remix of the track to the German Lauer, specialist of the genre. "Italominati" with its powerful bass, draws him in the field of the fairy, influenced by artists like Todd Terje or Skatebård. It is the Korean producer Shubostar, new figure of the dark disco scene, who took care of the remix for a very effective cosmic version ! Last track of the EP, "Crave Cave Rave" with its Rave UK and progressive house accents was imagined as a long DJ Set closing. Intense and heavy at the beginning, the track ends with a feeling of extreme release, closing the EP in the most beautiful way.

Unhuman & Petra Flurr is the collaborative synthpunk-technoid project of Bite label stalwart, Berlin-based Greek artist Unhuman and legendary queer wave figure Petra Flurr. 'Mala Vida' is their debut album on Bite that further evolves their sound beyond genre borders. The duo deliver an 8-track LP consisting of punk body music exhibiting the team's mastery on production, their androgynous vision and diverse influences. Petra Flurr's staggered, often effected, vocals cruise over pounding beats, bold iconic hooks and psychedelic atmospheres. His lyrics reference the seedy underbelly of Berlin's sex underground. Meanwhile, Unhuman's productions broadly range from the post-punk references of 'Labyrinth' to the new beat grooves of 'Short Life' featuring Ukrainian duo Garden Krist to the melodic orchestrations of 'Rush'. All this is reinterpreted by techno duo New Frames on a digital remix of 'Unzivilisiert'. 'Mala Vida' is a direct inspiration from their debut performance at Berghain for last year's Bite label night. After which, they swiftly retreated to the studio to compose, still in their platform heels. The two paint a coat of neon red over their preexisting batcave of sound. While the artwork by Liam Noonan compliments the gender fluidness of the album, distorting and digitally manipulating images of the creators themselves. Using heavy rhythmics, wavy mandates, an androgynous stare and unavoidable sexuality, Unhuman & Petra Flurr introduce us to their culled brand of queer death techno. Always with a wink.

Including 12-page booklet including liner notes and artwork made by Vormlust** Lush house, electronic and italo tracks ready for club use. A beautifully produced album with absolute floor killers and emotional set-enders. Figi's debut album, "fig.1", is a meticulously crafted compilation of 11 tracks that have been made and woven together over a span of three years. The album delves into the intriguing realm of figures, both in the context of shapes and language, where they possess the unique ability to evoke emotions and connections without being the exact representation of those sentiments. Each track on "fig.1'' originated in moments of creativity, allowing the smallest of ideas to sprout and grow into full musical compositions. Drawing inspiration from the serene landscapes of the Jura in Pays de Gex and the energy of club nights in Amsterdam, Berlin, London and The Hague. Throughout the album, Figi skillfully captures the essence of pure bliss in some tracks, while others ignite extreme dancefloor excitement. "fig.1" marks an exciting new chapter in Figi's musical journey, serving as a blueprint for innovative approaches to music creation. It is a demonstration of the artist's dedication to crafting a rich and diverse sonic landscape that resonates deeply with the listener.

Following his trio debut ‘Triptych’ last year, trumpeter Matthias Lindermayr presents his duo record ‘Sequence’ with long-time companion and ECM Recording Artist Matthieu Bordenave on tenor saxophone. In contrast to its technical title, ‘Sequence’ is a very lyrical record, sacral at times. Like two figure skaters, the voices gracefully glide along and whirl around in perfect synch, always sensing where the other one is going. A fitting comparison also, as the recording session was equally exhausting, due to the level of concentration required to perform this music. The minimalist line-up and the hyper-focused playing gives the album both a breath-like purity and solemn depth.

Born in Majorca, Marc Melià is a composer/producer, who’s been based in Brussels for over 10 years. First spotted alongside Françoiz Breut, Lonely Drifter Karen or Borja Flames, he released Music for Prophet in 2017. It was issued on Gaspar Claus’s label Les Disques du Festival Permanent, as part of Flavien Berger’s curation.

On that first album, Marc Melià had explored the possibilities of a mythic synth; on Veus, as if sloughing, he applied the process of sound modification to his own voice, until becoming an android. But an android who sings of love and dreams, a sensitive automaton who plays with the tropes of pop music. Through this device, Marc Melià knowingly seeks poetry and beauty within transgenics, in the search of a universe where one can surf though waves of profoundly moving chord patterns, hear voices unconstrained by range limitations, or dance freely, as in zero gravity.

Part of the album has been recorded in Une ferme dans les Vosges, courtesy of Rodolphe Burger. It was recorded with Roméo Poirier, one of the most promising figures of ambient, and the elegant multi-talented Lou Rotzinger. As if progressing in parallel with his own linguistic experience, to add another layer to the sloughing, side A is sung in Catalan, Marc Melià’s mother tongue, and side B in French, his adopted language.

Like an echo to his previous album, Veus opens with an instrumental, “Pulse on a E”, which starts with a sequence created with a single note transposed to its octave, just like “Fata Fou”, the last song on Music for Prophet.

Although the title seems to reference an iconic 80s synth, “dx7” is actually about the seven days of the week. It is a love song, about the temperamental oscillations which make every morning the blank canvas of an unpredictable story. Wednesday, I hate you, Sunday, I love you. With few words and a lot of emotion, a synthetic voice is trying to grow more human each day.

“Dent de Serra” deals with the weight of memory on our relationships, but also with the way we revisit them constantly in order to integrate souvenirs within present relationships. Suddenly, the song stops and enters a new dimension, everything is different, as if what had just happened was now forgotten forever.

Oxytocin (“Oxitocines” in Catalan) is said to be the hormone of love. This song deals in a playful way with the duality between science and faith, between rational and magic, when it comes to sentimental relationships. Love is a universal theme, it is everywhere in the world, and love songs have been written for a very long time. But this particular love song is an ode to an aspect of love that has been less sung about: biology, which makes it possible to feel like you’re floating in space when you fall in love.

“Les étoiles” is a trio with Flavien Berger and Pi Ja Ma. The song is about attraction. What attracts humans to each other, but also the inevitable gravitational attraction. The song is also about accidents, magic moments that take us outside of our daily lives and give us the possibility to imagine a sidereal, infinite love.

“A propos d’une chanson” was born after Marc Melià had dreamed he had written the most beautiful song he’d ever created. When he woke up, he realized that song was actually O Superman by Laurie Anderson.

Aside from these songs, Marc Melià offers a few breaks, instrumental but no less narrative.

“Final d’hivern” conjures these quiet moments between two intense events; sleeping at night between two days; the calm that settles in after a hard winter, right before spring properly starts.

Using a musical language that clearly references Ryuichi Sakamoto, “Romain”, with its theme based on a melancholic chord pattern, could be the soundtrack to a 1970s movie lost in time. Little by little, elements that seem to come from a completely different context find their place, while turning the initial mood into something strange and unexpected.

Finally, “Retorn”, which finishes the album, is a reprise of the theme of “dx7”.

From the chords that make up a song, to the days that make up our lives, existence is but a cycle, and Veus is an exploration of them. Marc Melià keeps on drifting on his personal path, between homage to the past and visions of the future.

Following their first album in 2016, The Pilotwings are back – having gone from two to three members - with the LP « Les Charismatiques » on the infamous Brothers From Different Mothers label. As witty and sparkling as ever, the trio’s given birth to a 2020 millesime that dares to oscillate from synth-pop to digit dub, psych-rock and new-age ; combining acoustic sounds with traditional music, all tainted with an 80s summer-hit influence… As whacky as it may sound at first listen through its melting-pot of personal anecdotes and dated corporate speeches, the album does succeed in avoiding the totally-offbeat ; by adjusting sensibilities and altering the way one listens to music these days, these tracks transcend and fly. Guided by anti-conformist synth-sounds, « Les Charismatiques » embarks on the path towards the gilded light of remission and spiritual rebirth ! New collaborations have also emerged on this album from long-lasting friendships but also impromptu meetings, with Hajj firstly, the Dawn Records’ boss who needs no introduction, but also with their Lyon friend Amélie Arcuri alias Bigoudi, half of Schmilblick ; or more surprising, with the cult underground figure of Robert Lapassenkoff, crooner and singer from the 80s band of the same name who’s been recently re-issued on vinyle before joining the Pilotwings on tour. 5 years later the Pilotwings are back on Bfdm with an album that seems ripe for tasting, like a fine wine with a mouthful of flavors.