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Vitesse X’s sophomore album This Infinite is about more than just escape. Vitesse X’s debut, 2022’s Us Ephemeral, was a tribute to the spiritual vibrations of the club, influenced by ‘90s rave, ambient techno, and Kraftwerk’s Tour de France. But before her time exploring the rhythms of nightlife, though, Vitesse X spent years playing in indie bands in her hometown of New York City. This Infinite weaves the slinking energy of her debut with these scrappy, livewire beginnings. The record is an exercise in anti-perfectionism, a sort of musical purging for the artist that she refers to as a “somatic release.” While writing, she pursued ideas without judging herself too harshly, leaving the songs rough around the edges and foregrounding confessional lyrics. This shift in mindset transported Vitesse X into a flow state, resulting in a powerful collection of wistful and sanguine dream-pop songs—always openhearted and forever unraveling. For Vitesse X, the album encourages the listener to free themselves from ego, as she aims to do. “It’s about trusting my gut,” says Vitesse X. “It feels like a weight was lifted. It says what it needs to say.” Pushing past injustice, the oppressiveness of a capitalist society, rage, and heartbreak, the record captures Vitesse X in the midst of release. Through the act of creation, she argues on This Infinite, we can make a change, both in ourselves and in the world.

“It’s difficult to distill the record down to a cohesive idea, because it’s served as a journal for the last 3 years of our lives, but it’s generally an exploration of the different worlds within America. I (Brandon) write most of the lyrics, and as a military kid I moved around a ton. I grew up mostly in a deeply suburban town called Lakewood in Colorado, and eventually moved to the greatest city on earth (New York) where we currently live.

About 50% of the record is an ode to (American) suburban malaise, the pure boredom and sheer sense that life is absolutely pointless and generally grueling. The sports games, the binge drinking, the standardization of everything, the long drives, the fabricated dramas. There’s a sort of simmering to life there, punctuated by the occasional horrifically violent event via overdoses, car crashes, or shootings, and many of the songs are written about those punctuations.

Another 25% is about love, we’ve felt it, you’ve felt it, it’s fun to write about. Generally our songs take a melancholic/fatalistic view of love: the inevitability of its fading, the fear of giving yourself up, the twin shadow of pain within every moment of pleasure.

The rest of it is about life in New York, a city of dreams, propped up by its own legend and its inhabitants desire to transcend beyond themselves and their hometowns. This part is about obsession with success and accumulation, obsession with the unhindered Ego, and its parallels to a broader American capitalism. Like America itself, it is a place with breathtaking highs and humiliating lows; endlessly stimulating yet empty of principle."

Vitesse X’s sophomore album This Infinite is about more than just escape. Vitesse X’s debut, 2022’s Us Ephemeral, was a tribute to the spiritual vibrations of the club, influenced by ‘90s rave, ambient techno, and Kraftwerk’s Tour de France. But before her time exploring the rhythms of nightlife, though, Vitesse X spent years playing in indie bands in her hometown of New York City. This Infinite weaves the slinking energy of her debut with these scrappy, livewire beginnings. The record is an exercise in anti-perfectionism, a sort of musical purging for the artist that she refers to as a “somatic release.” While writing, she pursued ideas without judging herself too harshly, leaving the songs rough around the edges and foregrounding confessional lyrics. This shift in mindset transported Vitesse X into a flow state, resulting in a powerful collection of wistful and sanguine dream-pop songs—always openhearted and forever unraveling. For Vitesse X, the album encourages the listener to free themselves from ego, as she aims to do. “It’s about trusting my gut,” says Vitesse X. “It feels like a weight was lifted. It says what it needs to say.” Pushing past injustice, the oppressiveness of a capitalist society, rage, and heartbreak, the record captures Vitesse X in the midst of release. Through the act of creation, she argues on This Infinite, we can make a change, both in ourselves and in the world.

Limited 2024 Repress

Tornado Wallace and Jamie Tiller present Heart Sphere, on their new imprint Basic Spirit. The first release "E.R. (Emergency Relief)", is a mid-tempo, cosmic trance manifestation with three revisions; Guitar Mix, Piano MIx, and the vinyl only Children Mix. For disciples of Big Room Balearic ™️, new-normal-beat, classic-trance, and George Clooney.

Back yard - Back yard is the first single from the new Teen Daze album, Elegant rhythms, and features singer-songwriter Andy Shauf on drums, and LA jazz staple, Sam Wilkes, on bass. This is a stark change in sound for Teen Daze, who’s last album Interior was an exploration of neon-lit House music. Back yard is a mellow groover, conjuring up images of Laurel Canyon in the 70s, yet still with its flourishes of contemporary sounds.

We’re out of phase again - We’re out of phase again is another vulnerable glimpse into the inner world of Teen Daze, and marks the release of his most personal album to date, Elegant rhythms. In contrast to the synthesized, digital world of his prior album, Interior, here we’ve been brought into a lush, organic arrangement, brought to you in large part to the stunning bass playing by Sam Wilkes. While the verses pulse forward, the chorus slows things down, and evokes the sophisti-pop sounds of The Blue Nile. This track is a stunning showcase of the world of Elegant rhythms.

Nothing’s gonna change my love - Teen Daze returns with his second single of the year, Nothing’s gonna change my love. The stark change in sound, as heard on previous single Back yard, is on display here again: a smouldering, 2 and a half minutes of slow jazz-pop, indebted to the great Sade, or perhaps the feeling of leaving downtown LA at 2 AM. Lyrically, we hear a story of a love, challenged by the unpredictable nature of our lives. This may be Teen Daze’s smoothest song to date.

Neighbourhood - Neighbourhood is the third single from the recently announced LP from Teen Daze, Elegant Rhythms. Along with Andy Shauf on the drums, and Sam Wilkes on the bass, Teen Daze gives us a languid tour of his quiet neighbourhood. The sun has set on the pleasant, tree-lined streets, and a stranger, more surreal environment presents itself. The song plods forward at an extremely comfortable pace, held down by the paradoxically loose-yet-tight rhythm section. Lyrically, we walk around the Neighbourhood at night, and while the chorus reveals a type of sobriety, the vibe of the song makes it easy to feel a little…effected.

Fade away - Fade away sets the tone for Elegant Rhythm’s side B: a deeply personal, though somewhat veiled, confession of loss. How does it feel to grieve something that was never really here? A smouldering, slowly progressing first half erupts in synthetic noise, and then fades into the ether with it’s repeating refrain, “I can feel you / feel you fade away / when there’s nothing / nothing left to say”.

Fall ahead - A sweet piano tune which serves as a quiet break in the record, intended to help the listener reflect and take a moment of pause before we reach the final two songs on the album.

HST underwater - The penultimate track on the record tells a story where the narrator finds themself in an alien, yet oddly familiar place. Arpeggios soaked in crystal blue water flow through the stereo field, while the narrator, vocoded and drenched in autotune, searches for meaning and purpose in a confusing world. This is one of Teen Daze’s most cinematic, emotional songs yet.

In the rain - It’s never really made explicitly clear on this record, but a lot of these songs find Teen Daze wrestling with life as a new father, and this song, the final on the album, expresses the fears of generational trauma. A touching, tender ode to his children, we hear Teen Daze at his most personal and vulnerable. The falling rain surrounds some absolutely breathtaking bass playing from Sam Wilkes, and Teen Daze’s signature ambient keyboard sounds.

8 years after the official reissue of the LP “An Eye For An Eye” by Byrne & Barnes, Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new single release. The 7inch first includes the classic “Love You Out Of Your Mind”, extracted from the WestCoast classic LP, which was a one-stop collaboration between Robert Byrne and Brendan Barnes, however both display incredible music career and went on to produce for famous artists such as Pointer Sisters, Patti Austin, Earth Wind & Fire, or Phil Collins to name just a few. The song parades all the elements of the AOR style: a jazzy sometimes fusion approach, with modern soul and groove flavors. The other side features an exclusive and unreleased track by Robert Byrne, dug by the original executive producer up in his archives for our great pleasure. “Do You Wanna Make Some Love” is also nurtured with Westcoast and AOR vibes, while leering to Boogie and Disco influences. We have no doubt it will delight all the Byrne & Barnes music lovers and many more.

Leya Touch & soFa elsewhere aka Dream Baby Dream combine their left-of-centre musical perspectives on an otherworldly new self-titled album that arrives on Hell Yeah this September and will get a Japanese domestic release on CD. The duo's beguiling mix of occult synths and treated vocals ride dubbed-out mid-tempo rhythms on a retro-futurist record that blends cold wave, cosmic disco, dub and trance.

Dream Baby Dream describes themselves as 'two children who refused to grow up' and now they offer a glimpse into their very own fantastic land of dreams. This journey into diverse flavours spontaneously started after a cosy dinner and after just three sessions resulted in the album presented here. Playful yet sometimes gloomy, this music echoes life, both imaginary and real - the highs, the lows, the dark moments and the joy, trance-inducted love zones, daydreams and everything in between. It is a coherent hole but one filled with surprising turns, moments of deja vu and plenty of outsider dance floor delights.

Leya Touch is a rising voice and live act on the Brussels alternative scene. Together with soFa, a veteran DJ and producer who released on many forward-thinking labels worldwide, they provide signature vocals and synths that challenge typical genre categorisations.

Opener 'Love Zone' sets a strangely seductive basic channel vs dreamy pop vibe with wispy cosmic melodies and oodles of echoes as Touch's vocals draw you in. Lose limbed percussive jumbled and sci-fi motifs define 'Badalamenti On Fries', 'Curry Con Sax' has an avant-guard sense of soul and melodic curiousness and 'Diskoteka' is a jittery mix of retro synth sounds and whispered vocal coos that shimmer like stars in the night sky. Elsewhere there's the malfunctioning Kraftwerkian electronics of 'Körperkonsum', goa-filter madness of 'Banana Trance' and the eerie interplanetary dub of 'Carpenter On The Beach' while 'Whale Rider' and 'The Rude Red Lady' bring warped lines and enchanting vocalisations that sound like nothing you have heard before.

This is an exultant album of new musical rituals, tiny soundscapes, dehumanised words and combinations of the past, present and future that never fail to excite and intrigue.

Thirty years after it was released on CD and cassette, Fuemana’s cult classic New Urban Polynesian album is finally available on vinyl. Born from the blood, sweat and tears of the late great Polynesian renaissance man Phil Fuemana and his family and friends, Fuemana’s music transports the listener back to the autumn and winter days of 1994 in the antipodes, where they turned love, loss, grief and acceptance into the finest R&B/street soul album ever recorded in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Fuemana spent several late nights tracking one-take sessions at The Lab Recording Studio with engineers Simon Taylor, Chris Sinclair and Mark Tierney. From there, New Urban Polynesian came together quickly. Across the album, Phil showed off his prodigious skills as a multi-instrumentalist and producer, playing most of the smooth, sophisticated, and heartfelt music himself. In the studio, he shared the lead with Christina and Matty J, supported by a cast of backing vocalists, musicians and guest vocalists, including a young Carly Binding.

From the lush openings of their soulful Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder covers ‘Closer’ and ‘Rocket Love’ to the misty new jack swing serenade of his original ‘Seasons,’ Phil’s goal was to craft material that would let the music industry know the Fuemanas had arrived while also inspiring the next generation.

In 1995, the Fuemana family’s youngest sibling, Pauly, borrowed the initials from Ōtara Millionaires Club and began performing as OMC. Not long after, he changed everything for New Zealand music by recording the feelgood guitar-laced Polynesian pop global mega-hit ‘How Bizarre’ with producer Alan Jansson.

Consumed by a desire to do more musically, Phil established Urban Pacifika Records, where he launched the careers of a new wave of Pacific hip-hop and R&B talent, including Lost Tribe, Moizna, AKA Brown, and Sani Sagala, aka Dei Hamo.

In 2005, Phil tragically passed away from a heart attack aged 41. Five years later, Pauly, equally tragically, joined him after an extended battle with a rare neurological disorder, leaving Tony and Chirstina to grieve and make sense of their family’s extraordinary story.

When New Urban Polynesian first hit record store shelves in 1994, the Fuemanas dedicated the album to their father, Takiula Fuemana. Three decades later, it has expanded in meaning to become a remembrance of their youngest brother Pauly and a celebration of the life and times of their big-hearted big brother, Mr. Fuemana, Mr. Phil Fuemana.

Words by Martyn Pepperell in conversation with Tony & Christina Fuemana.

Gazebo Records feel honoured for the opportunity to share this important album for our inaugural release, now available for the first time on vinyl with remastering by Mikey Young.

All proceeds from this record flowing to the Fuemana family.

Stop what you're doing and give us your full attention because Hell Yeah mainstay My Friend Dario's new album Senza Estate is going to define the sound of summer 2024. It's an eclectic eight-track collection that has something for everyone and is inspired by dreamy Italian soundtrack composers Piero Piccioni and Umiliani.

Curveball Italian talent Dario is a real dance floor don who collides acid, nu-disco, breakbeat and electro. His take on Balearic is unique and always sends dance floors wild, as proven with his last outing Food For Woofers Vol 2 earlier in the year. His new album is the sound of life by the Mediterranean, Balearic audio pleasure for daytime dreaming and nighttime dancing with vocal tracks written and performed by the UK's Space Echo Records associate Darene Obika.

Dario hails from Catania on the island of Sicily and his inspiration for Senza Estate, which translates as 'without summer,' was an imaginary holiday, weekends at the seaside, car journeys in the sun, relaxing sunsets and late-night dancing. 'For five years, I worked in a shop six days a week so despite living on a Mediterranean island I could never enjoy these things. Instead, I locked myself in the studio and jotted down the ideas, sensations, melodies and rhythms I had about another lost summer.'

'Keep On Cruising' is a downtempo opener with innocent synths that are filled with hope and promise for the warm months ahead. 'Zingarella' is a wide open sea view with wispy pads, seductive flutes and jazzy melodies that bristle with life and the tropical title cut gets more dancey on shuffling broken beats and radiant synth glows. There's a seductive laid-back cool to the tumbling keys of 'Marittimo' and 'What You Need' is a horizontal groove with loved-up vocals, 'Falò' pairs sensual acoustic guitar with work with pillowy drums and 'Il Pianeta Proibito' layers up sci-fi synths and stuttering bass into a bubbly sound that leads to cosmic take-off. 'Acid Panorama' is the melancholic closer which hints that the summer sun is setting one final time after weeks of carefree fun.

But the good news is, you can repeat the joys of My Friend Dario's masterful Senza Estate over and over again.

Open Space is proud to present our first ever full-length LP by LA’s newest 3-man band, Puli. Some words from our dear friend Matt McDermott below: In recent years, a cadre of musicians from the east side of Los Angeles have reestablished the city of angels as the first city of Balearica. Alex Ho’s “Move Through It” followed in the lumbering footsteps of Project Sandro’s “Blazer.” Now, there’s a new landmark for the floating west coast sound. Swirling, the first album from LA supergroup Puli. If you’ve got your ear to the ground you know the names involved here. Drummer and producer Damon Palermo’s pedigree stretches back a good 15 years or so, starting off with dub punks Mi Ami. Phil Cho is one of the busiest DJs, musicians and advocates for the deep stuff in LA, throwing legendary hillside parties under the Third Place banner. John Jones, the preternaturally talented guitarist and electronic tinkerer, records as AV Moves, is a key member of the Suzanne Kraft and Baba Stiltz live configurations and plays in The Trilogy Tapes-affiliated act Geo Rip. But this listing of personnel and credentials puts too fine a point on it. Puli are three close friends who go to parties, DJ and get tacos together, repairing to their Chinatown studio a few times a week and coming out with remarkably textured, idiosyncratic downtempo jams. Building off the solid foundation of their 7-inch of heavyweight dubs for Melbourne’s Constant Delay, Swirling is an exploration of new horizons in chill out. “Ramona” acts a statement of purpose—with halftime/double-time dub-tinged rhythms, hazy yet bright synth motifs and atmospheric guitar from Jones, not terribly far from the expansive approach of Japanese dub aesthetes Pecker. “Cloudy,” meanwhile, is a sort of deconstructed and bittersweet Balearic pop featuring Cho’s ethereal vocals. “Bongo Springs” is steppers’ house not far from close LA peer Benedek or the Mood Hut crew up north. But what truly sets this record apart is the space and layers in the production—while it’s nominally an electronic record, Puli is a band that has slowly crafted these songs in the rehearsal space. “Havana Jam” cruises along a sliding roundwound bass guitar take with dubby chords and textural guitars. Palermo’s hand drums and live percussion enmesh perfectly with icy pads on “Leech Seed Dub.” Cho is back on the mic for the gorgeous closer, “C.S.B.”, underpinned by breakbeat and trunk-rattling sub bass. Puli doesn’t sound like anyone else, and is ultimately reflective of the city itself. Listening to Swirling feels like navigating a warren of side streets in the eternal sunshine. Take the drive and dive.

Just a little over two years since the release of his debut album Opening the Door, Jack re-emgerges with a new full length album. On Blue Desert, the Australian-born Vancouver-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer wades deeper into the stylistically prismatic pool of his own creation: melancholy dub-funk, jangling psychedelia, moon-burnt sophisti-pop and stained glass folk mutations float freely together.

Entirely self-produced at Mood Hut Studios in Chinatown, Vancouver between 2022 and 2024, the album picks up where Opening the Door left off; the songwriting concise and refined, the voice front and centre on almost every song, the pensive mood irresistible and dense.

The apparently effortless melodic interplay of voice, guitar, synthesizers and bass that Jack is well known for is ever present but despite the clear-eyed harmonies and energetic rhythms there is a shadow that quietly haunts the album. The lyrical buoyancy of his early EPs and even some of the more explicitly sunburnt instrumental moments of his last record have continued to fade and peel like paint. Regret, remorse and melancholy are woven into almost every turn of phrase; the self-deprecating longing of Tracey Thorn and Sade Adu can be heard alongside the plaintive echos of Mark Hollis and Arthur Russell. The Mood Hut Records founder and NTS host digs deeper in all the directions that he only brushed upon on Opening the Door, creating a kaleidoscopic index of his omnivorous listening habits: from Underworld to Kate Bush, Disco Inferno to Bryan Ferry, Julian Cope to Arthur Verocai.

The LP will be released on Jack’s own Mood Hut Records on November 1st and will be followed by a live tour in the UK and Europe in November and December, featuring a string of dates opening for revered Los Angeles artist Jessica Pratt. - Mood Hut Records, Vancouver

Produced by Jack Jutson at Mood Hut Studios, Chinatown Vancouver Mixed by Jack Jutson and CZ Wang Saxophone by Linda Fox Strings on Falling Down a Well by Aiden Ayers Bass on Down the Line by Diego Herrera Additional synth on Red Cloud by Liam Butler Artwork by Mela Melania + Jack Jutson

We are proud to announce that electronic music veterans Nick Höppner and Alex Kassian will launch their collaborative project H.A.N.K. on Second Circle, debuting with an album entitled 'The Big Melt'.

Born out of the unprecedented circumstances of the global pandemic, 'The Big Melt' represents a departure from the duo's typical club-oriented productions, instead exploring their shared passion for Krautrock, ambient, and guitar-driven music. The album showcases a more introspective and experimental side of both artists, blending elements of Fourth World, New Age, and leftfield electronic music.

Höppner and Kassian's creative partnership began in 2018 when Höppner released music from Kassian's project Opal Sunn on his label, Touch From A Distance. Their friendship quickly evolved into musical collaboration, initially focusing on dance music. However, as the pandemic unfolded, their studio sessions took an organic, freeform approach, embracing spontaneity and intuition.

'The Big Melt' features contributions from a diverse array of guest musicians, adding depth and texture to the album with instruments including guitar, clarinet, and the tar, an ancient Persian string instrument. Höppner's newly acquired drumming skills, developed during lockdown, also play a significant role in shaping the album's sound.

The creation of 'The Big Melt' spans several years, with initial jam sessions evolving into carefully crafted compositions through remote collaboration. This extended gestation period has allowed the music to mature, resulting in what Höppner describes as his proudest release to date.

'The Big Melt' stands as a testament to artistic resilience and creativity in the face of global challenges, offering listeners a rich, immersive journey into new sonic territories crafted by two of electronic music's most respected talents.

Sc021 will be released on LP as well as digitally on November 8th 2024. Sleeve art and design by Michael Willis.

The Chill Pill compilation hits volume VI. By now a stable in the landscape of „summer vibe“ chill out compilations, Public Possession continues to gather artists to create a version of the perfect soundtrack for a „healthy dose of relaxation & hedonism“. As usual the label presents an interesting mix of upcoming and more established artists, always looking for interesting combinations and unexpected twists. The idea to the compilation is clearly inspired by legendary compilation series such as „Cafe Del Mar“ and „Buddah Bar“ but has quickly found it‘s own language: easy listening - slightly oddball - very fun.

Vitesse X’s sophomore album This Infinite is about more than just escape. Vitesse X’s debut, 2022’s Us Ephemeral, was a tribute to the spiritual vibrations of the club, influenced by ‘90s rave, ambient techno, and Kraftwerk’s Tour de France. But before her time exploring the rhythms of nightlife, though, Vitesse X spent years playing in indie bands in her hometown of New York City. This Infinite weaves the slinking energy of her debut with these scrappy, livewire beginnings. The record is an exercise in anti-perfectionism, a sort of musical purging for the artist that she refers to as a “somatic release.” While writing, she pursued ideas without judging herself too harshly, leaving the songs rough around the edges and foregrounding confessional lyrics. This shift in mindset transported Vitesse X into a flow state, resulting in a powerful collection of wistful and sanguine dream-pop songs—always openhearted and forever unraveling. For Vitesse X, the album encourages the listener to free themselves from ego, as she aims to do. “It’s about trusting my gut,” says Vitesse X. “It feels like a weight was lifted. It says what it needs to say.” Pushing past injustice, the oppressiveness of a capitalist society, rage, and heartbreak, the record captures Vitesse X in the midst of release. Through the act of creation, she argues on This Infinite, we can make a change, both in ourselves and in the world.

The "hosono House" cover project, which began this February, has expanded with the addition of new participating artists. The cover album is set for LP release on November 6. The album, consisting of 11 tracks, includes new contributions from Towa TEI and SE SO Neon (kr), as well as a previously released cover of "Owari no Kisetsu" by rei harakami. The cover illustration is by Tomoo Gokita.

"hosono HOUSE," Haruomi Hosono's first album released in 1973, continues to be cherished and influential worldwide. For instance, Harry Styles' Grammy-winning album "Harry’s House" was inspired by "hosono HOUSE," showcasing its impact on a new generation of listeners around the globe.

This cover album, commemorating 50 years since the original release, features outstanding contributions from artists and bands who hold Hosono in high regard. It offers a fresh perspective on the timeless allure of "hosono HOUSE," which still shines brightly today.

Elkan's self titled debut LP is in a way a lifelong album in the making, it contains all the growing pains, internet isolation, losing one's self and finding it again, flourishing and finally releasing. Most of all it's like finding a little portal out of our universe into a new one. It was a bit of an excavation process to make this music available, some don't give themselves away so easily. Elkan's music is humble, quiet at times, but therein lies its power, it's a journey you don't quite come back from, at least not like how you once were. We are very happy to finally be able to share this music, and we hope it will resonate with you.

Naya Beat Records reveals Volume 2 of its critically acclaimed series dedicated to South Asian dance and electronic music. Label founders Turbotito and Ragz have curated an exceptional 13-track compilation with a focus on an overlooked era of house and electronic music released between '88 and '94. While Volume 1 explored early 80s Balearic, synth pop, and disco, Volume 2 uncovers lost or forgotten future classics from later in the decade. The release spotlights a unique era in the late 80s and early 90s when fertile cross-cultural collaboration abounded in diasporic communities in cities like London and New York and when South Asian music was infused with acid house, New Beat, and dub. There is a true wealth of sounds here, from The Jets Orkhestra’s organ-fuelled house workout ‘x-290’ to the downtempo splendour of the Asha Bhosle fronted West India Company. Lady M lends the Hindi house track and arpeggiated wonder of ‘Kali Raat’ and Mantra’s eponymously titled cut is a hypnotic gem. Featuring other scintillating Balearic house, dub, and street soul from the likes of Asha Puthli, Bappi Lahiri, Johnny Zee, and Kuljit Bhamra, this double album is a treasure of never-before-reissued and previously impossible-to-find holy grails. Often "too Asian for mainstream success in the West, and too Western for success in Asia," the pioneering music from this time was frequently released to short-lived success or relative anonymity. Naya Beat founders Filip Nikolic (aka Turbotito) and Raghav Mani (aka Ragz) have spent the last four years endlessly hunting through dusty records, obscure cassettes, and unreleased studio tapes to deliver a reference release for contemporary collectors, tastemakers, and bold selectors looking for fresh sounds. Featuring an incredible gatefold package with Naya Beat’s trademark stunning artwork and exhaustive liner notes, the 2LP release has been cut to vinyl for the discerning DJ and listener by Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt from The Carvery, London. Naya Beat Records is focused on uncovering foundational dance and electronic music from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora through reissues, remixes and compilations. Success came immediately with ‘Naya Beat Volume 1’, which was named Vinyl Factory’s number 1 reissue of 2021, and has been followed up with more fascinating releases such as a two-part remix project with disco-jazz legend Asha Puthli, a scintillating bhangra acid house EP with Mr. Scruff, a reissue of Pinky Ann Rihal’s 1985 Hindi new wave album, and the superb Bollywood compilation ‘Awaaz Series 1’.

Emotional Response returns with a second volume of its All Trades compilation which is named after its own NTS show. It is just as vast both in terms of style but also the eras it spans with a mix of dub, new wave, slow motion electronics and plenty in between. Tolouse Low Trax kicks off with the filthy dirty and seriously heavy dub glitch of 'Ossia' to provide an early highlight before the likes of Al Wootton get percussive and tribal with 'Altai' and Hlm38 channels some African Head Charge on another devastating dub cut. Later on, London's Good Block brings a little more light and sunshine with their lovely 'Strong Relax.'

You can never really pin down what the excellent Emotional Repose label does and that is exactly the sinking behind the title of its superb All Trades show on NTS. The sheer eclecticism of that show is now reflected in this new two-part compilation, also called All Trades, which offers up little morsels of what they do, something like a sonic tasting menu at a fancy restaurant. There is chugging electronic dub from Apiento & Tepper, industrial clatter from Black Bones, cosmic ambient breakbeat from Paperclip Minimiser and blissed out dub from Yamila & SoFa Elsewhere amongst many more highlights.

The LP for "Sunset Chillout Breeze," a compilation featuring a selection of relaxing and comfortable music perfect for chilling out during sunset and feeling the pleasant breeze, will be released on October 30, 2024.

Toru Hashimoto (suburbia) has been a guiding force for music listeners since the 1990s, curating over 350 compilations including "Free Soul," "Cafe Apres-midi," "Mellow Beats," "Good Mellows," "Jazz Supreme," "The Soundscape of Music," and "Incense Music" series. Celebrating 30 years as a compiler, he launched a new compilation series, "Chillout Breeze," in July 2024.

Joining him is graphic designer Jiro Fujita, known as FJD, who has created artwork for various music projects, from jazzy and mellow beats like Nujabes to works by artists like Calm, Sakura Fujiwara, and Keisuke Kuwata. His design work can be seen all over Tokyo, from architecture to hotel lobbies, and shop logos.

This new compilation series "Chillout Breeze," curated by Toru Hashimoto with artwork by Jiro Fujita and mastering by Calm, a top Japanese artist in jazz, chillout, and Balearic music, will release its second volume, "Sunset Chillout Breeze," on September 25, 2024. The vinyl LP, featuring 10 carefully selected tracks from the 17-track CD, will follow on October 30, 2024, and also showcases captivating artwork.

The compilation features a range of tracks from cool and mellow grooves, chillout Balearica, surf×bossa×folky, lovers' rock & dub, to jazzy and mellow beats, creating an ideal collection for an enjoyable lifestyle.

Included are fantastic new covers: "Quiet Moments," a mellow breeze masterpiece by Lonnie Liston Smith, newly recorded by DJ Mitsu the Beats, and "Sunset Red," a twilight breeze gem by Lucinda Sieger, reimagined by NOA NOA.

NO OBI VERSION

Music From Memory is excited to announce a special compilation that they’ve been working on for some time now; Mfm053 – VA – Heisei No Oto – Japanese Left-field Pop From The CD Age (1989-1996). Compiled by long-time friends of the label, Eiji Taniguchi and Norio Sato, Heisei No Oto delves into a world of music released almost exclusively on CD and brings together a fascinating selection of discoveries from a little known and overlooked part of Japan’s musical history. The last ten or so years have seen a global wave of interest in Japanese music encompassing ambient, jazz, new wave and pop records from the 1980s, some of which is increasingly considered the most innovative and visionary music of that time. Although some music from this period, in the form of ‘City Pop’ or ‘rare groove’ records, had been coveted by collectors and DJs for a number of years, most Japanese music from the time was little known outside and often even within Japan. Sometime around the mid 2000s, two Osaka record store owners, Eiji Taniguchi of Revelation Time and Norio Sato of Rare Groove, along with a handful of deep Japanese diggers such as Chee Shimizu of Organic Music records in Tokyo, began to explore beyond the typical ‘grooves’ or ‘breaks’. Much like their counterparts in Europe and the US, they began delving into home-grown ambient, jazz, new wave and pop records, discovering visionary music, often driven by synthesizers or drum computers, that broke beyond the typical confines of their genres. Spending tireless hours in local record stores and embarking on digging trips across the country, Eiji Taniguchi and Norio Sato, much like Chee Shimizu, have been at the forefront of unearthing and introducing many of the very Japanese records now loved and sought after around the world. Yet as YouTube algorithms and vinyl reissues would transport such music into the global consciousness and demand and therefore scarcity intensified for such records, so Eiji and Norio have recently begun to turn their attention to CDs. The title of the compilation Heisei No Oto refers to the sound of the Heisei era, which began in 1989 and corresponds to the reign of Emperor Akihito until his abdication in 2019. Marking the culmination of one of the most rapid economic growths in Japanese history, 1989 also coincided with the music industry’s final shift away from vinyl in favour of CDs. And, although compact discs were first introduced seven years earlier it wasn’t until late into the ‘80s that, beyond dance music labels, CDs became the exclusive format for major and independent labels in Japan and throughout the world. This however didn’t signal the end of the innovation in Japan. Many of those same musicians who have become known for their work in the ‘80s would continue to produce outstanding music well into the mid ‘90s, as greater innovation and advances in musical equipment allowed Japanese musicians and producers to refine and explore new sounds. While musicians such as the seminal Haruomi Hosono, whose productions feature on a number of tracks, would continue to push the boundaries of these new technologies, these technological advances also meant less established musicians were able to make use of increasingly affordable but state-of-the-art equipment. Including music by Haruomi Hosono as well as Yasuaki Shimizu, Toshifumi Hinata and Ichiko Hashimoto who have become known and loved around the world in recent years, Hesei No Oto also features Japanese pop star Yosui Inoue, producers Jun Sato and Keisuke Kikuchi in aaddition to less established artists from the contemporary, jazz, new wave, pop and dance music scenes. Bringing together a selection of tracks that seem to define these specific genres and in fact move fluidly between a number of them, the music on the compilation is again underscored by experimentations with synthesizers and drum computers though with something of a gentle Pop sensibility. Reimagined here then under the encompassing term ‘Left-field Pop’, this is an exciting chapter in Japanese musical history that has only just begun to be fully explored.

Especial welcomes new artist DJ 1985 to the label. As so often, the idea of pushing new music has been the raison d'etre of the past decade. An EP of a love for Acid, from the breaks anthem of the title We Trippin’ to exploring the ethereal and even mind-melting Ambient House and Balearic of how the Roland Tb-303 has become a fundamental element in the history of electronic music. Soviet born; Belgrade exile Stanislav Grishchuk is DJ 1985. A man of many monikers, came to House later, originally progressing from Breaks, Hardcore and onto Drum and Bass as DJ Saint Man, a Mixmaster in the truest sense, switching it up to include Ghetto House and Booty, DJing led to producing, finally seeing DJ 1985 emerged to encompass Acid, Bleep, Breakbeat, Chicago and beyond. A DJ supreme from the old school – check his Boiler Room mix for live vinyl dexterity – his productions nod to Aphex Twin and the Rephlex / UK lineage, the Techno. Electro of masters Underground Resistance and Drexciya and on to Italo, Italian House and early 90s New Jersey and New York’s golden period and of course the masters Kraftwerk, all influence the sounds of this debut EP. Starting as 808 and 909 Electro and Techno jams, all the tracks are recorded live, MPC, synth and drum machines, no computers involved. We Trippin’ is built around the “Think” break, with trippy 303 line, some 808, synths and off we go “we trippin”. Dolphin and Sirens was inspired by the Boka Bay dolphins of Montenegro, near where the recording was made. A flotation bath of warm dreamy acid beats and aquatic found sound, fast, shifting breaks, the Adriatic Sea of Croatia and beyond beckoning. Catland’s title is a nod to Stanislav’s love of all the feline, but the breaks’n’303 cut is an endlessly uplifting spark, celestial, a cosmic evolutionary odyssey. DJ 1985 completes his debut EP with the aptly titled The Last One. Spherular, mysterious, this rise of spatial breaks is a reawakening of symbolic music that is touched by both East and West. Stanislav’s music intersects, trans-national, almost spiritual and psychedelic. Live jamming, more hearted, the snap electro percussion, dream-laden pads are twinned with an ethereal otherness via the endless possibilities of the Tb-303.

Even as a relatively new face on the scene, Boaksi, isn’t a stranger to longer format releases. The budding Zurich based producer made a splash with his first two releases “Under The Pavilion'' and "I Thought It Was Yesterday” which featured remixes from Soela, Louf and Al Zanders. Now he debuts on Seb Wildblood's all my thoughts label with a 4 track emotionally visceral EP titled Keep Movin’.

The title track, "Keep Movin'," takes a dynamic approach, layering creamy pads and impactful percussion with subtle dub techno influences that create a refreshingly deep groove, propelling a carefully positioned vocal sample into the forefront.

“Didn't I", leads with a beautiful, progressive melody that evokes a sense of yearning, and the ever-relatable Romanticism of the club. Delicately triggered chords dance off the wonderfully unpredictable drum patterns, while Boaksi's minimalist vocals add a touch of human emotion.

"Running Out Of Time" takes a more introspective turn, featuring distant, detuned textures that set the stage for a bed of soft, distorted pads. Stripped-back percussion allows the climbing arpeggios to take centre stage, building to a cleansing break that allows the atmosphereto expand before settling back into a warm, percussive groove.

The EP closes with "Wanna Be With You," another emotionally intelligent piece that showcases Boaksi's prowess for crafting captivating soundscapes. Elemental drums and breathtaking, climatic chords provide the foundation for a beautifully free-forming synth arpeggio that flutters playfully around an unforgettable vocal hook.

Without doubt a balearic anthem, sounding so familiar yet at the same time maybe never heard before on too many contemporary dance floors. This track checks all the boxes: generous synthetic low end bass lines, catchy piano/string riffs, Spanish vocals, Flamenco guitar accents, dreamy synth chords, early synthesized flutes. Play this on any outdoor festival dance floor this summer and see for yourself, sunset or sunrise this will establish a moment of truth on the floor. Comes with 3 different remixes to choose from, all great, no fluff. Seriously remastered with new highly suggestive full color artwork.

Sunny Crypt is incredibly happy to announce its seventh release: a retrospective compilation of six previously CD-only tracks by Nightmare Lodge, a name that might ring the bell to many enthusiasts of Italian experimental music. It Passed Like A Dream is a selection of some of our favourite tracks they released between 1994 and 2000, aiming to spotlight a small glimpse of the amazing body of music they did throughout the years. Nightmare Lodge is a musical project by Minus Habens Records / Disturbance founder Ivan Iusco alongside vocalist B. Mazzilli and bass player Gianni Mantelli, when the Bari based trio decided to decided to embark on a path in search of their own dreamlike musical dimension tied to introspective explorations. Over the years, the group's lineup evolved, eventually solidifying as a duo comprising Iusco and Russolo. With their first release dated 1987 and staying active till the early 2000s, it is quite challenging to put the Nightmare Lodge discography in a precise musical box. Their first outings flirted with post-industrial music and a more stripped down sound palette marked by a DIY approach to composition, while in later years leaning towards a more horroresque / cinematic feeling and following the development of new technologies but always charactering their output with a ritualistic, trance inducing and mystical approach, whatever if it’s ambient, downtempo, techno not techno, or a whole lotta else...

Who doesn't love a good edit, some nice Balearic, and especially some mystical Balearic edits? Well, that's just what we have here from Matsoaka who taps into several worldly flavours on this new six tracker courtesy of Magic Wand. 'Parlband Utmed Kusten' starts slow and steady, wet and dubby. 'Jah Banana' is a supremely horizontal and sun-kissed beach groove and 'Alligator' cuts loose on glistening melodies and playful chord vamps. Gentle breakbeats power the seductive 'Shish Balearic' and 'Asian Dance Groove' closes out with loose, percussive rhythms and funky guitar rifts. A truly global sonic trip.

The magic and majesty of Holger Czukay’s late career works for Claremont 56 is being celebrated on a new compilation. The former Can bassist – a musical maverick renowned for his freewheeling approach to composition, recording and promotion – released a string of inspired tracks on Paul Murphy’s label between 2009 and 2012, typically delivering hard-to-pigeonhole workouts, bona-fide epics and radical reinventions of some of his most beloved tracks.

The collection has been a labour of love – fitting given the sonic details and inventive musicality that marked out the late artist’s solo career – for Claremont 56 founder Paul Murphy AKA Mudd, who first reached out to Czukay after witnessing his now legendary live performance at the Roundhouse in 2009. As Murphy details in his introductory liner notes, it led to a productive working relationship between the pair that included collaborative recording sessions with Ben Smith in Czukay’s legendary Innerspace Studio – a former cinema in Cologne in which much of Can’s music was recorded.The impact of that Roundhouse gig on Murphy is reflected in the fact that two of the tracks on the collection are based on that celebrated performance. There’s ‘Ode To Perfume’, a languid and solo-laden version of one of Czukay’s most celebrated solo records that ratchets up the original’s inherent dreaminess, and a jaunty take on quirky kraut-pop number ‘Photosong’ featuring a spoken introduction recorded at the concert in question.

Murphy’s ability to coax Czukay into delving into his archives is evident across the compilation. Opener ‘A Perfect World (Remix)’ is an eccentric, ever-building masterpiece originally recorded in 1984 – but later re-imagined for Claremont 56 – featuring vocalist Sheldon Ancel and former Can band-mates Jaki Leibezeit and Michael Karoli, while ‘Fragrance’ is a subtly re-wired slab of picturesque Balearic kraut-dub which was initially recorded as a coda for ‘Ode To Perfume’ but lay unreleased for decades.

Then there’s ‘Let’s Get Cool’, a bright and breezy, French horn-sporting 2009 take on 1979 avant-disco classic ‘Cool In The Pool’; ‘My Persian Love (Remix)’, a 2010 re-take of one of his earliest solos recordings; and the near 18-minute brilliance of ‘Music Is A Miracle’. Originally recorded for his fans in the 1980s – but only released three decades later – this widescreen epic not only features drums by Jaki Leibezeit and a fine spoken word vocal by Czukay, but also numerous nods to some of his most revered tracks.

It's fitting, too, that two of the most potent cuts feature Czukay’s much-missed wife and musical muse Ursa Major: the dense, trippy and fittingly out-there ambient soundscape ‘In Space’, and the mesmerising ‘Music To be Murdered By’. Partially inspired by hearing painfully out of tune violin practice through his studio windows, the track was originally recorded for an unreleased album but finally found a home on Claremont 56’s 10th anniversary box set ion 2017. A genuinely spaced-out and mind-mangling slab of organic dub in Czukay’s distinctive style, it delivers a fine curtain call to the iconic artist’s endlessly inventive career.

The mighty Becker & Mukai return with a tidal wave of sonic highways with new album Spirit Only, this time travelling outside of their East London studio bunker to Japanese mountains, with pit stops in Mali and Trinidad & Tobago.

Experimenting between balearic, indie dance, psychedelic, folk and electronica, Spirit Only is a complete body of work, confident and unashamed.

Iconic early 90's Ibiza downtempo sound, “Daybreak” would have undoubtedly been the soundtrack to many sunrises in the Baleares. Simon Monday mixes the essential ingredients for bliss in perfect balance, a production so simple yet so effective, no rocket-science just pure intuition, honesty and sharp club sense. All elements coming together to make such an effortlessly powerful sounding instrumental house classic that will forever stand the test of time. Repacked in this new remastered re-issue with full artwork and with 2 new mixes: an extended 9 minute dub version with a new religious edge to it along with an additional re-drummed percussion heavy “bonus beats” for good measure. A no brainer buy-on-sight release for any proper record collection, just in time for the summer season.

Tom Noble, digger extraordinaire, owner of Superior Elevation Records, and general Brooklyn/LA legend, dons his House Of Sprits moniker for the first single from a forthcoming LP on Razor-N-Tape.

'Times Are Changing' sets the tone for this album project that collects the work of nearly 15 years, a gritty vision of modern-retro soul that throws a reverent nod to its Mizell Brothers and Patrick Adams influences as it brings the sound into the future. Recorded with all live instrumentation and mixed tough for the dance floor, this limited 12 Inch boasts an extended original and instrumental on the A side, and a huge remix from Aussie synth wizard Harvey Sutherland on the flip that highlights the rich instrumentation and extremely catchy vocal hook. A surefire summer jam, this is timeless music that is only the tip of the iceberg from a future classic album.

The Wrekin Crew is back for a seance outing on the peerless Is It Balearic? This new offering rather continues where the first one left off with two tracks of immersive sonics for sunny days. First up is 'Vapour Trails' which melds lush Italo disco melodies and nice emotinoal pop of the sort you would expect to hear in this duo's DJ sets. Goldsuite also step up with a remix to smooth the edges and lay down moon-lit Balearica then closer 'Broken Wings' has more meaningful vocals but this time over grooves more suited to a late-night setting. Cosmic arps finish it in style with plenty of dubby undercurrents.

M.A.D have rounded up some friends new and old to bring you this stomping VA.

First release in 5years by Snaker, and the catalog counts 10th. The first full length album by Odopt, the duo being releasing their signature hypnotic, freaky feeling sound from labels like [Emotional] Especial、Hivern Discs、Born Free and so on. And they prepared a “contemporary library sound” for Snaker. Not quite for dance floor or not exactly for home listening, but definitely a unique cinematic sound scape is compiled for a new special experience. Artwork by Masato Mori.

This one has been in the works for quite some time. A statement compilation showing what Full Circle is about, paying homage to the very roots of psychedelic dance music. A little town in India, which was a haven to a bunch of hippie outcasts, was throwing freeform outdoor parties since the day those freaks put their flag down. What was once a gathering around live music blew up into a rave as electronic music started to appear, paving the way to what would eventually become Goa Trance.

Full Circle, the duo project of Alexis Le-Tan and Joakim, started 10 years ago when Alexis accidentally discovered that some of his old Goa Trance records he was about to sell sounded great when played at the wrong speed : 33rpm instead of 45rpm. He called his long-time friend and collaborator Joakim to work on edits of those tracks that became the sound signature of this DJ duo : a slow, heavy and trippy sound that would eventually infiltrate the fringes of the underground club scene via like-minded DJs such as Vladimir Ivkovic, Jane Fitz, Ivan Smagghe and many more.

10 years later and a bunch of releases and remixes behind them, Full Circle decided to tell the story of how this Goa sound came to life. At a time when Trance has made a major

comeback and infiltrated pretty much all the sub-genres of club music, it felt right to look back at where it all started - going full circle, when Trance was not Trance, Goa was not Goa but the seeds of tripped out dance music were being sown.

After all, there are countless compilations about Balearism, the Italian Cosmic scene,The Loft, The Paradise Garage etc but none about the roots of this Goa sound.

This is a compilation of the best tunes played by the pioneer Goa DJs like Laurent, Goa Gil, Mike Maguire amongst others, between the late 80s and early 90s. Proto House, New Beat, early Techno, Industrial, with a distinct psychedelic tone, a few arpeggios here and there, acid lines, chopped up vocals, all elements of what would later constitute a genre of its own.

This beautifully packaged compilation includes liner notes by Tom Colebrooke and excerpts from Tom and Alexis’ interview of Mike Maguire of Juno Reactor fame, one of the pioneers of Goa Trance.

Check the liner notes for more info about the early Goa history !

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.

The much-talked-about cover of Yoshitaka Minami's "Yakanhikou" is now available on 7inch release! From Yoshitaka Minami's 70's urban pop sound masterpiece album "south OF THE Border", for which Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote all the songs, Halfby has produced a superb cover of the famous song "Yakanhikou", which has a brilliant Brazilian essence of samba and bossa nova, with Keiichi Sokabe on guest vocals.

JKriv’s long out-of-press Bukom Mashie Rework gets a king-size reboot in this tasty 7 Inch package with a fresh new acid dub! J’s original 8 min opus is nipped and tucked in all the right places to make for a streamlined A-side stomper, and a brand new version on the flip, with a tastefully reimagined arrangement, punctuated with spicy 303 acid lines and live flute performed by the inimitable Domenica (of Underground System). Big summer banger alert!

Played on 6Music by Tom Ravenscroft & Deb Grant.

Banabila returns with a second LP release on Knekelhuis. The renowned Dutch producer is up there among the stars when it comes to ambient music and the so-called ‘fourth world’ legacy. On this eleven-track album, we witness soul-wrenching, kraut-tinted, and early-yet-modernist electronics.

Coming from his heart, these imaginative recordings center around otherworldly voices – fictional characters chanting in a made-up language, imbued with a captivating spirit, transcending linguistic barriers. Through remarkable complexity and technique, 'Unspeakable Visions' is full of sonic textures, together evoking a layered, emotional arc.

While the track 'Rattles' still references the artist's first album on Knekelhuis, 'Echo Transformations', the style of most other tracks departs towards an intriguing new mix of both pop-infused songs and gloomy abstraction, balancing between a sense of anticipation and desolation.