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With an EP titled "Antikoerper" (that is: antibody) it stands to reason we're dealing with a lockdown record here. And Marian Tone will happily admit, it is exactly that. Yet, it goes way beyond a killing-boredom-and-drowning-out-the-lockdown-blues-routine. It is in fact an accomplished contribution to a healing process we are collectively longing for. It masters unfavourable production conditions in a time of distance, to celebrate palpable unification within every of its bars. He gathers six different artists from different stylistic backgrounds to add their specific spectral colour to a light of compassion and escapism that shines through each of the arrangements herein. Through the effortlessly floating down beat jam "Go Out" for example. The Jazz laden and Soul-ful embrace "On Your Way", the rhodes-meets-horn meditation of the fittingly titled "Vibes" or every other piece of what rather should be categorized a mini-album. Tone approaches the production with unmistakable beatmaker attitude, educated in all consciousness-driven genres of the past five decades, yet he manages to keep the whole body of work sample-free, highlighting above all the vivid nature of collaboration and the overcoming of rough times in togetherness.

Limited editon of 500 copies on black vinyl.

“Drivin’ Far Away” is not a way to avoid reality, but a process of going further to find your own paths, especially in harder times. A trip you don’t necessarily need to take alone. B Dom, Brous One and Greco Murillo found the route together in the search of a unique sound, crossing borders and finding travelers with different perspectives along the way.
With “Drivin’ Far Away” the three Chilean artists put together their first EP, a six-song selection with influences that ranges from Jazz, Funk, and Soul to Hip-Hop with a Lo-Fi aesthetic. It all began with Brous One looking for a team of musicians to create the perfect soundtrack to let you feel and release your emotions. A very intimate project with deep sensations and at times sexy feelings.

To round it all up, every single track was remixed by some of the best European producers at the moment. FloFilz, Psalm Trees, Philanthrope & Leavv, Retrogott, Spaze Windu, and Misha gave their own touch and perspective to make a good project even greater.

Residing at the base of Mount Yōtei on Japan’s geologically wondrous island Hokkaido - with it’s volcanoes, hot springs and national park - Masaki “mfp” Konagi is no stranger to natural beauty. Having resided in L.A. and Melbourne in the past, mfp (or mindfullpeace) settled in this natural haven as the place to set down some roots and create.

Having begun his musical journey over a decade ago, including an appearance on Gilles Peterson’s “Brownswood Electr*c 2”, we are proud to announce his debut full length album “Natural Law”.

Drawing on long time collaborators and friends from his travels, mfp has pulled on his foundation in hip-hop and pushed its boundaries to breaking point, embodying the true ethos of the genre as an ever expandable principle.

Featuring Melbourne stalwarts Simon Mavin (Hiatus Kaiyote) and Alien (Piette Aillion) plus Sydney’s Natalie Slade (Eglo), funk maestro sauce81 and hip-hop hero Stan Smith, mfp’s productions ebb and flow, building and releasing pressure, exploring discord and harmony through electronic polyrhythms and diverse explorations in slaps, swirls, lopes and kicks.

Masaki has also opened the very first organic food store in the area - Pyram Organics & Plants - embodying his, (and our) ethos in food and music as a way to bring ecological awareness to reconnect with nature and our planet for sustaina

A download code is included.

It is the year 2020, a year that addresses our awareness of diversity, tolerance and sustainability in an assorted, socio-cultural way. We translate this demand into music. “Nuthin’ But A She Thang” focuses on a marginalised view of instrumental beat music. This sampler, reflects a cross-section of the international female producer scene: 14 female artists, 8 countries, 4 continents, one language - music! The 14 instrumentals take the listener on a musical journey, which creates a tension between classic sample sound and modern current productions. The many facets of female beat producing are presented by exclusive contributions by Ainie (de) o Aygyul (at) o Courtney Hawkins (us) o Da Chick (pt) o Georgia Anne Muldrow (us) o Gnarly (uk) o Jillesque (us) o Josi Miller (de) o Julie Schatz (us) o Lisa Vazquez (us) o Sadiva (aus) o Saltyyyy V (de) o Sowall (kor) o Usagi (jp). Together with Stylefile as a cooperation-partner, we were able to persuade none other than Hera (de). She implanted an even more artistic approach and added an exclusive artprint to this piece of music. Our latest Release Ddct003 is in the end not only a musical project, it is a statement, it is an attitude.

180g vinyl edition. Recorded between New York, New Orleans, Miami and Costa Rica, After A Thousand Years features legendary multi-instrumentalist Bill Summers, famed for his work with Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Eddie Henderson. The album also features Malawian-American guitarist Masauko Chipembere who has worked with the likes of RZA from Wu-Tang Clan and Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets.

“Banana Peel is exactly what we need now. Visionary Jneiro Jerel at his finest channelling healing sounds and rhythms from Mother Earth. A much-anticipated lens through Jneiro’s third eye. Thank you!” King Britt

The only way to cope with this loss was to communicate with my friend through these beats After recoup the Shorter family will receive all funds ❤️

Few things induce tunnel-vision like human loss. Revelries - Isak Gaines’ debut pair of releases with Inner Ocean - explores the tunnel from entrance to exit through the lens of a relationship that was doomed to fail from the onset. Airy vocal melodies draped over jagged sample collages, loose textural washes, and intricately layered drum programming lead the way through the selfish, confused entryway of Pt. I to an exit in Pt. II that is both more reflective and outward-looking.

Part-producer, part-improviser, part-composer, and part-visual artist, Isak Gaines has a creative identity that isn’t easily categorized. Between densely-layered sample manipulations, intricate chamber arrangements, and multi-instrumental improvisations, his work focuses on experimentation in search of the point where they all intersect.

Limited edition of 300 copies!

Radio Juicy proudly brings you "In Real Time" the new album by Martin $ky. After his previous album "Say No More" we were left wanting for more and the wait is finally over. Here's the result of last year's work by the very talented producer from Chicago. In Real Time is a fantastic experience that will make your mind float in an almost dream like state. The album takes you on a trip inside Martin's imagination, with a perfect flow you'll find yourself on a smooth ride to heaven. The vibes are heartwarming and positive, a much needed feeling in an otherwise harsh and rowdy world we live in.

Notes: The album comes in with a heavy weight list of featuring artists. Which makes the second part of the album or Side B if you have it on vinyl a otherworldly experience. The vinyl itself is a unique and limited edition with a translucent orange color and the cover is printed with a special coating that will give it a "soft touch" and premium feel. The art is also exceptional, the illustration is by Ioana a new artist to our roster that is incredibly talented and we can't wait to work with her again!

Midnight Nostalgia is HNGVR’s new sample based side-project. It's a mix of lofi sounds, hip hop, electronica, samples from dusty vinyl, cassettes, field recordings, experimentation and a melancholic nostalgia for the old way of making music.

Midnight Hiss is the first hip-hop / jazz instrumental LP by Fed Nance. The sound reflects its place of birth: Fed’s hometown is next to a big river and a gigantic factory, where beautiful sunsets and huge smoke stacks are the daily panorama. The album is free of music samples: everything is written, played and produced by Fed. Midnight Hiss is a unique and dense mix of crooked-jazzy guitars, high-flying saxophones, drunk synthesizers, smooth piano riffs, syncopated bass lines and sharp drum brakes. The tracks are recorded into vintage reel-to-reel tape machines which give to the sound that particular flavor. The album cover is the original package of the magnetic tape that has been used for the mastering process of the album.

Beat Art Department and HHV proudly present this limited edition of Flips new album that comes with a bonus 45 including two productions by Flip with vocals by Sadat X & Fokis as well as ONYX! Only 100 copies. Only at HHV.

As instrumental HipHop albums seem to be at an all-time high, ranging from so called lo-fi aesthetics to progressive sounds with electronic vibe, one of Austrian HipHop’s godfathers and OGs on the boards has finally dropped an instrumental album on his own. The title “Experiences“ has been chosen not without reason as it both reflects the personal experiences the artist has gone through in his 25 years plus career but also hint the influences and musical aspects that went into this album.
Flip has tried to give insight into his musical influences that began in the 80ies with groups like Public Enemy or EPMD into the 90ies era with sounds ranging from Native Tongue territory to a DJ Premier or Pete Rock or the DITC producers, when he started making beats on his own for his rap group Texta. You can hear links to other production wizards like J Dilla, Hi-Tec or Madlib that changed the sampling techniques post 2000 with albums like Donuts, Hi-teknology or Madvillain. So yes, „Experiences“ is sample-based but further developed by Flip with original basslines, keys, guitar riffs played by the producer himself.
The final result though is not just a simple look back into the golden era but more a retro-futuristic approach that Flip tried to execute within those sixteen compositions. Additional scratches and vocal chops add more flavor to the tracks and as one song flows with ease into the next one, this makes „Experiences“ an experience for the listener, too. While a lot of HipHop instrumental albums just let some loops run for two minutes, Flip took a more ambitious approach where continued listening to the album will reveal new details and musical ideas every
time.

Another fact that won t go unnoticed is the heavy punch of the drums which is due to the As instrumental HipHop albums seem to be at an all-time high, ranging from so called lo-fi aesthetics to progressive sounds with electronic vibe, one of Austrian HipHop’s godfathers and OGs on the boards has finally dropped an instrumental album on his own. The title “Experiences“ has been chosen not without reason as it both reflects the personal experiences the artist has gone through in his 25 years plus career but also hint the influences and musical aspects that went into this album. Flip has tried to give insight into his musical influences that began in the 80ies with groups like Public Enemy or EPMD into the 90ies era with sounds ranging from Native Tongue territory to a DJ Premier or Pete Rock or the DITC producers, when he started making beats on his own for his rap group Texta. You can hear links to other production wizards like J Dilla, Hi-Tec or Madlib that changed the sampling techniques post 2000 with albums like Donuts, Hi-teknology or Madvillain. So yes, „Experiences“ is sample-based but further developed by Flip with original basslines, keys, guitar riffs played by the producer himself. The final result though is not just a simple look back into the golden era but more a retro-futuristic approach that Flip tried to execute within those sixteen compositions. Additional scratches and vocal chops add more flavor to the tracks and as one song flows with ease into the next one, this makes „Experiences“ an experience for the listener, too. While a lot of HipHop instrumental albums just let some loops run for two minutes, Flip took a more ambitious approach where continued listening to the album will reveal new details and musical ideas every time.
Another fact that won t go unnoticed is the heavy punch of the drums which is due to the ́ usage of old samplers like the legendary SP-1200, the ASR-10 or the MPC2000XL that Flip is still using, blending it though with the power of modern soft and hardware. So put your headphones on take a trip through Flip s musical mind.

We are excited to present Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes’ “What Kinda Music” – an astonishing collaboration between two artists of very different disciplines, and one of the most unique and seamlessly original projects of its ilk to date.

Moving fluidly through sleek electronica, avant-garde jazz, vintage hip hop and so much more, Misch and Dayes take you on a journey that is by turns surprising and spontaneous, heady and head spinning, and nothing less than compelling – a singular vision which fuses the DNA of both musicians with spectacular results, as can be seen in the title track, which comes backed by a gorgeously atmospheric video by XX.

Even though the fundamental bones of this project came together very quickly, its actual provenance stretches back much, much farther back, with the pair not only growing up in the same area of South East London, but Misch actually seeing Dayes play on drums in the school talent show for the first time when he was roughly 8 or 9. They both kept tabs on each other – Misch becoming a fan of Dayes’ act Yussef Kamaal, Dayes clocking his videos in 2014 – but it was only when they met at a launch party for Misch’s debut LP “Geography” in 2018 that the proverbial creative sparks began to fly. “As a musician you’re always looking for contemporaries who can push you and challenge you and make you better”, says Dayes. “I instantly felt that with Tom – he was such a gifted musician, and so prolific”. That summer they decided to go into the studio together, jam a little, and see what happens, with no other expectation placed upon it.

As it turns out, the music came fast and furiously. Two initial tracks were suddenly followed by a handful of others, and the pair found themselves contemplating what to do next. “Pretty soon, we knew that something was gelling”, Dayes says. “It didn’t feel like a one-off collaboration, it felt like a body of work”. What made the pair click, according to Misch and Dayes, were the exact same factors that meant it shouldn’t, by all rights, work. Misch says, “Yussef comes from a more experimental background, and he has a lot of loose, crazy ideas. I know how to write a catchy melody, but with interesting chords and have a good understanding of popular song forms, so I think I streamlined those ideas and made them accessible”. And certainly, in “What Kinda Music” you can sense the DNA of both musicians, but fusing so effortlessly and beautifully that it creates something else entirely, the appropriately named “Lift Off” sending goosebumps with its jazz flecked crescendo, and “Night Rider” hynotising with its deeply mesmeric grooves. “I have a love for harmony and chords”, Misch adds. “Working with someone like Yussef, who has such a gifted sense of rhythm allowed a perfect balance”.

Throughout the record, there is an utterly joyful feel of two musicians at the top of their game sparking off one another, picking up ideas and running with them – zigging where the other zags, ebbing where the other flows, with Misch producing the majority of the record and both having a hand in the overall sound and feel of the record.

“Working with Yussef has actually changed the way I work as a musician”, Misch muses. “He’s pushed me and unlocked a more experimental part of me that I hadn’t really allowed myself to explore before. I think we really did impact each other in a fundamental way”. Dayes is similarly effusive in his praise for Misch. “A musician like him, who’s at the top of his game, he doesn’t need to do this”, he raves. “He can just keep doing the same thing and why not? He’s killing it. The fact that he’s so humble, that he’s so curious about everything and open to collaboration, speaks a lot to him as an artist, because it’s not easy finding musicians who want to collaborate. Something always gets in the way, whether it’s ego or their team or whatever. But with Tom it felt like the intention was purely creative, and that’s what made it exciting”. In fact, Dayes says that the intentions of the record go even deeper than just music. “Both our parents who’d never met each other before, are now best friends as a result of this, they now see each other more than we do! I’d like to think, in some small way, that this album has a similar impact for people too – everything feels so divided these days, it would be nice for people to hear the record and hear two very different musicians coming together and realise it doesn’t have to be that way”.

Strictly limited edition of 300 copies.

A creative union of 90s hiphop production techniques, live instrumentation, turntablism and spoken word poetry. Performed by Dan Broak, Herbal Bert and Lion El Hämpton at Odd Funk Records studio under the dope quality control surveillance of the notorious production-duo The Blassics.

After winning many beat battles (Beat Cinema, Beast of the Beats LA, etc.) and touring with Dirty Science all stars, Blu & Exile, Dag Savage, Choosey and more--So Cal beatsmith and Exile’s protégé, Sirplus is ready to make his Dirty Science Records debut with a 7", followed by the digital release of "Brandy vs. Moesha." This instrumental 45 is just an introduction to what he has in store but is the perfect way to get the party started or just to throw on and vibe. After producing for the likes of: Blu, Med, Planet Asia, Cali Agents Edo G and more,
Sirplus is dropping this beautiful solo limited instrumental 45 to show you how his beats can stand alone and hold a standard even without vocals.

The „Sans rouge EP“ is a return to Greymatter’s sampling roots reminiscent of his early works on WOLF Music. A record that sits half way between house and hip hop, in terms of style and tempo. „Sans Rouge“ epitomises that mood: starting out with a hip hop groove that drops into a beat-down house chugger. „Royale“ drops things down to an even slower motion with another tough beat down groove, chopped and driven key samples and a catchy vocal chop. The B-side start with a nice goodie: this is the first time that the full length/12” mix of „Move Slow“ has a proper release (the short version appears on the „7 years who cares?“ 2x7“ on WOLF Music). Greymatter’s most popular track of recent years - more heavy soul chops this time pitched more towards peak time. „Billy O“ finishes things off with a slamming, choppy club jam laiden with strings and vocals. Another mighty fine Quintessetnials release that shows all the talent of Greymatter!

Radio Juicy proudly brings back o k h o with his new and thrilling album 100 Grey Hounds. A very close and personal journey to the core of the artist. Sharing his own tale and life path through the course of this album that in many ways is unique and distinguished from anything he previously released and anything you've heard so far on our scene. The entire album is sample less, every sound designed and recorded by o k h o himself to bring you even closer to his inner sanctum. The album tells a story and could be seen as the soundtrack for a coming of age movie. It has a very nostalgic and retro vibe while being very new at the same time.
This is why we're so happy to bring this unique album to you today. A little nudge away from what everyone is pushing nowadays and since we've been having this Summer heat wave hit us, we also thought a breath of fresh air could only be a good thing.
It comes with a very nice looking color vinyl, a marbled silver/white/black tri-color mix that will certainly impress you.

All Tracks Produced, Mixed and Mastered by o k h o
Vinyl mastering and additional mastering by sterilOne at Staub Audio Engineering, Vienna
Artwork by Alexander Dueckminor
Vinyl graphic layout by Alex Brade
Published, manufactured and distributed by Urban Waves

Canadian beatdown master “eddie c” is back with fourth full length on endless flight! This new album is his unique mixture of laid back hip hop and lo-fi house sound which is inspired from late 80’s to early 90’s and much more darker than usual. The album kick off by old school hip hop tracks of “carbondate”,in the park” then new wave disco sound of “way uptown” it reminds us nyc post punk/new wave artist “konk”,dubby brazilian percus-sive disco track “batucada”,”berlina” is early 90’s nyc house like pal joy, probably most club friendly track “bad words” is wired new wavy vocal house madness and the album close with dreamy down tempo track “an der wedding” heavy kraut rock influenced stuff.

Canadian beatdown master “eddie c” is back with fourth full length on endless flight! This new album is his unique mixture of laid back hip hop and lo-fi house sound which is inspired from late 80’s to early 90’s and much more darker than usual. The album kick off by old school hip hop tracks of “carbondate”,in the park” then new wave disco sound of “way uptown” it reminds us nyc post punk/new wave artist “konk”,dubby brazilian percus-sive disco track “batucada”,”berlina” is early 90’s nyc house like pal joy, probably most club friendly track “bad words” is wired new wavy vocal house madness and the album close with dreamy down tempo track “an der wedding” heavy kraut rock influenced stuff.

Austin Boogie Crew had to do something special for our first vinyl release of 2019, and with that we present H1NDS1GHT , a killer double 7” modern funk EP by the one and only XL Middleton! Hailing from Pasadena, California, XL has established himself as one of the premiere musicians, label owners (MoFunk Records), and tastemakers in the game. Using outstanding and mostly unreleased material from his archives as the foundation for this project (hence the name H1NDS1GHT), XL reimagined these songs and penned fresh lyrics specifically for the release. We divided the EP into two 45s, each with its own distinct vibe, and with the help of illustrator Austin Cashell and designer Rene Cardenas, created a unique album jacket that forms one image when the two records are held side by side. Viewed as a whole, this EP is an exceptional ride that will carry you from spring into summer!

Vol. 2 A: “Gamin’” (120 BPM) - Broken beat inspired drums and soaring chords lay the groundwork for this exceptional jam about approaching a woman with respect and care. With a sick solo and some vocoder peppered into the mix, this is a winner in more ways than one.

B: “Enjoyable Sunburn” (116 BPM) - XL crafts a playful yet smooth instrumental that would sound at home in an Outrun video game or on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. But it isn’t just the nostalgia factor that will keep you coming back to this one, it’s the compositional finesse, amazing synth sounds, and heart.

Austin Boogie Crew had to do something special for our first vinyl release of 2019, and with that we present H1NDS1GHT , a killer double 7” modern funk EP by the one and only XL Middleton! Hailing from Pasadena, California, XL has established himself as one of the premiere musicians, label owners (MoFunk Records), and tastemakers in the game. Using outstanding and mostly unreleased material from his archives as the foundation for this project (hence the name H1NDS1GHT), XL reimagined these songs and penned fresh lyrics specifically for the release. We divided the EP into two 45s, each with its own distinct vibe, and with the help of illustrator Austin Cashell and designer Rene Cardenas, created a unique album jacket that forms one image when the two records are held side by side. Viewed as a whole, this EP is an exceptional ride that will carry you from spring into summer!

Vol. 1 A: “Nervous” (112 BPM) - Making a lasting impression out the gate, “Nervous” is a modern funk anthem for anyone who’s struggled with the confidence to approach someone romantically. On top of the endearing and refreshing songwriting, the instrumentation on this one is crisp and way funky.

B: “Digital Devils” (113 BPM) - Originally featured on the 2014 cassette compilation Is This The Future?, this irresistible instrumental is long overdue for the vinyl treatment. The slapping drums and wet, punchy bass on this one immediately demand attention. With lovely changeups and 16-bit style leads, this is an ace in the hole on any dance floor.

SOIA's happy place is "Where Magnolia Grows". This is where her paradise lies, where she can bloom and blossom. Adorned with playful melodies, the soundtrack fuses HipHop, R&B, NuSoul and Jazz over saturated and ample beats. The downright lyrics offer deep insights into SOIA’s soul. Together with her producer Mez she revives her musical roots of the nineties. The songs range between sensual soul and expressive contemporary R&B, neatly packed in a shell of electronic synths and keys. Throughout the nine tracks the beats make your head nod while SOIA’s voice makes you close your eyes in delight.

The first track, a boom bap tune called RUN WITH WOLVES, gently introduces you to the album. In her paradise world she runs from nothing and determines her own pace. SOIA's high-pitched vocals are a deliberate alienation, a stylistic break from her two predecessor albums, which she also uses in HOE FOR LOVE and LOOMING STORM.

VACANT PARADISE employs deep 808 kick drums and rolling hi-hats. In PAY FOR PIZZA, SOIA not only shows her love for HipHop, but also urges everyone to pay for their bills them damn selves.

Released on Beat Art Department, a new sub-label of the well-renowned Munich-based record label Compost Records, WHERE MAGNOLIA GROWS is SOIA's third solo album. Her two previous albums MOOD SWINGS and H.I.O.P. were published by the Philadelphia-based label Record Breakin' Music.

Her pre-productions have been nominated for the Austrian music award Amadeus twice and enjoy a loyal international fan base. She has appeared live at festivals such as SXSW, Sonic Visions, Electric Spring, Waves Vienna or Popfest Vienna, as well as at numerous club gigs from Cape Town to Vienna. Thanks to NASOM programme (The New Austrian Sound of Music) she is currently on tour with her band of four.

Quotes:

„Soia delivers sensual, abstract lyrics while effortlessly moving between spoken-word rhymes and melodic singing.“ - OKAYPLAYER / USA

„Soia & Mez have grown immensely over the years musically pushing the boundaries of soul & jazz within an electronically tainted spectrum. Brilliant Album!“ - JAY SCARLETT / SOUND SUPREME / SPACEK

"Soia and Mez have had a unique musical vibe from the start, but on this record they truly came into their own. Trusting each others talents and instincts enabled them to expand their sonic universe while staying 100% true to their path." -TRISHES / RADIO FM4

This spring, acclaimed abstract hip-hop producer and cofounder of Anticon Records, Odd Nosdam, will release MIRRORS - a new LP via Alien Transistor. Composed entirely of found sounds, most of them sourced from rare and private press vinyl, MIRRORS’s instrumental beats and sound collages pulse with a sense of exploration and rediscovery that has been Nosdam’s calling card since the turn of this past century. Its every track presents a treasure trove of unique aural gems, each nestled in atmospheric textures that swirl like a cloud of dust just blown off of some once-overlooked heirloom.

Designed specifically for vinyl, the record’s A and B sides play out like a pair of cohesive psychedelic dreams. Yet even a skilled psychoanalyst would struggle to categorize these reveries as either pure seraphic bliss or full-on nightmare. By sneaking strategic bursts of beauty into MIRROR’s more sinister beats (“MIRRORS I”) and by lacing its largely angelic compositions with foreboding tones (“THE BURN”), Odd Nosdam has crafted a record that is not only engrossingly nuanced, but that captures a highly specified, often hypnogogic, mental state with breathtaking accuracy: cognitive dissonance.

The sensation of experiencing an emotion that runs in direct opposition to one’s circumstantial narrative - a sense of melancholy when things are ostensibly fine, a smile as the world seems to crumble - may once have been predominately the stuff of dreams. But in our current age of ebullient social media fac¸ades, and at a sociopolitical moment when joy feels like an aberrant blip in an up-scrolling sea of horror, MIRRORS provides an unsettlingly apt soundtrack to the waking experience of the modern era.

Oneric interpretations aside, at its core MIRRORS is simply a stunning and dynamic beat tape. As he has for two decades - whether in crafting instrumentals for avant-rap legends cLOUDDEAD and art-rapper Serengeti, soundtracking skate videos for Element Skateboards, or adding to his prolific catalog of solo recordings - Odd Nosdam uses his special knack for marrying monolithic, lumbering drum arrangements with novel melodic flourishes to create a breed of experimental hip-hop music entirely his own. An evocative record that seamlessly blends transcendence with menace, MIRRORS is a captivating addition to the producer’s body of work and one that will continue to leave listeners awed by his creativity, versatility, and his singular vision.

Born of the sun of Brazil, DJ DFKT aka Defekto came as a
child via Frankfurt to Leipzig and brings back the last
Sunbeams in wave form, sweet juicy like a grape he adjust 15
beats in a fresh experience. He made songs with many good
artists and friends around the globe known as Maulheld, GALV,
Morlockk Dilemma, Plusmacher , Guilty Simpson, Illa Ghee,
Phat Kat, Lil Pepe, Black Milk, Foul Monday, and so on. At the
beginning of the year he went to Los Angeles in the Dr.
Greenthumb Studio to record a single with B-Real and Sen Dog
of Cypress Hill. As the dimensions changed, a few things
remained the same: a playful musical impulsiveness that
lters the Brazilian way of life into German life reality. Defekto,
next stop "The Grape Vol.1“!

An outstanding 2LP compiling the best instrumentals of the greatest white rap group ever: the Beastie Boys. New Yorkers Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D crossed over into the mainstream in the mid 80s with their full-length Licensed to Ill and exploded any notions of one-dimensionality with its ambitious followups such as Paul’s Boutique, On Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Taking influences from hardcore and hip hop, these innovators performed most of the music while integrating an array of rock samples, 808 beats and witty wordplay into an everintriguing sonic smorgasbord. This 2019 comes with a new limited version presented in White Color Vinyl to enjoy in both ways of this wonderfulLP.

The instrumentals Hip Hop label CDR-SI has the honor of advertise the new double LP of the successful collections of Hip Hop instrumentals. Now is the turn for NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Here you have the most importants cuts and tracks of its trayectory in
instrumental version in a double lp format. This is a esential and powerful weapon for all the Hip Hop creators and DJ´s. This 2019 comes with a new limited version presented in Orange Crush Color Vinyl to enjoy in both ways of this wonderful LP.

Limited edition of 300 copies on black vinyl!

"Coming Up For Air" is a fantastic journey in the mind of the young producer from San Jose, California, the one and only Knowmadic. The album takes you along to an adventure through an urban jungle of vintage light signs, street stalls and autumn leaves. When suddenly the street is covered with people crowding in front of something that you can't see but the urge to know is overwhelming so you push your way forward to finally come up for air. Like opening a door to discover a room filled with people lounging and talking to each other with drinks and smokes, a familiar music is playing and you wanna know what it is, that's when you see Knowmadic playing his latest album in the corner of the room.

It's a very simple concept but true to its nature, everything is on point. Knowmadic expertly brings you this album that is full of joy and sorrow and will make you unconsciously reflect and progress.

In 2008 I came across a box of 7” tapes at an estate sale in Altadena. The woman there said that they had belonged to her father and were “field recordings” of a turn-of-the century orchestra. It took me maybe another year to actually load them up and transfer them to the computer. When I did, what I found was an incredible documentation of indigenous folkloric music that was meticulously recorded and then later transferred to 2-track tape sometime in the 1960’s. The tapes were labeled “Contact Field Orchestra”-- a collection of field recordings that seem to date from sometime around the turn of the 20th century (possibly a little earlier). After transferring the tapes and cleaning them up as best I could, I discovered that due to the frequency range, they must have been recorded largely with hand-made piezo transducers of some sort. Some of the tapes were partially destroyed, so I found that I had to re-play or play over the songs as best I could to fill-in and augment the original ideas. I tried to stay as true to the original recordings as much as possible. I’ll admit I took some liberties with the EQ (perhaps too much...) and where applicable added a small amount of delay and reverb to accent the track. (Okay, and maybe a few electric guitars...sue me.) The result, I think, is an amazing collection of esoteric folk recordings of a mysterious band of San Gabriel miners turned musicians. Apparently having given-up after the gold boom, these folks stayed in what would later become Upper Mallard Canyon in Altadena -- living in the old Dawn’s Mine shaft, and crafting their own instruments from discarded mining equipment and whatever small guitars and banjos they had brought with them. The sound this orchestra created is like something out of a Jim Jarmusch film, and reminds me of an old Library of Congress or Folkways recording. The music itself is full of opposites -- hypnotizing and odd; meditative and jarring. It’s strangely familiar, but also distantly unrecognizable. Some songs are more minimalist in their approach, building up a rhythm with mbiras and percussion, while others seem to have much more harmony and tonal structure and almost Blues/Country feel. Either way, they had me hooked from the first bar, and I find myself returning to it again and again, irregardless of my heavy-handed noodling... I’m really happy to have discovered this, and I hope you are too. All the best, Damon Aaron / “Sounds like Tom Waits and Augustus Pablo smoking opium on the bayou.” - Kutmah

The Bless compilation series is our annual fundraiser to gather artists and beat makers together to raise money for the global community. Bless Volume 2 is a collection of 99 tracks from artists representing 25 different countries, the full album spans nearly 4 hours of incredible music! This year we wanted to do something special and curated a selection of tracks from the full album for this Limited Edition Double LP release.

100% of the proceeds from the sale ofBless Volume 2 will be donated to a variety of Micro Loan programs for Women, Sustainable Water and Agriculture projects, Refugees, Education, Health Care and the Arts. The funds from the Micro Loans are paid back over time and it’s our promise to the supporters of this album that we will perpetually reinvest those funds back into future Micro Loans. This way the funds can continue to support people who need it for many years ahead.

Bluestaeb's evolution from a beatmaker to a producer is his sophmore album “Everything is Always a Process”.

He is one of the key figures of a new generation of up and coming HipHop beatmakers, who have emancipated from genre thinking and instead merge old school aesthetics with a new school attitude and organic instrumentation.

Everything Is Always A Process re-iterates Bluestaeb's overall approach to life (and thinking), but also has direct reference to the making of the album itself, which began with moving from Berlin to Paris in 2015 in the search of new influences and a new creative environment.
Created between 2015 and early 2018, EIAAP embodies the process of this transition - as well as collaboration with instrumentalists and vocalists from all over the world and recording in different studios in Paris, London & Berlin.

"Meeting all those musicians and trying out new ways of producing by using real analogue synths, Rhodes, drums and percussion etc. made it possible to overcome the creative boundaries of a home studio with just a midi keyboard" / Bluestaeb

Influenced by Madlib's "Shades Of Blue" and trained in African drum techniques such as Djembé and Daruka, Bluestaeb had been crafting his own beats since his teenage years and gradually found his sound identity through experimenting with HipHop and Jazz – first to be heard by a broader music community in 2013, when he released his debut album "1991 Extraterrestrial" (Radio Juicy). Since then the prolific young artist has released numerous solo and collaboration projects ("B.L.U.E. Friday" in 2015 and „Sidekicks“ with S. Fidelity in 2016). In 2016, he produced collaborative album "LIT - Lost In Translation“ with rapper JuJu Rogers, a keen manifesto against racism, xenophobia and the rise of anti-heroes such as Donald Trump.
Today, Bluestaeb lives and works in Paris and Berlin and is set to release his third solo album “Everything Is Always a Process”, a smooth Neo Soul-induced epic featuring artists such as Noah Slee, Harleighblu and Melodiesinfonie.

Limited cassette edition!
Only one copy per customer!
Hip Hop producer L-One from Munich presents his new album “Medusa”. “Medusa” is a 44-minute long instrumental album that includes a vocal-feature by Akere.

A live version of the critically acclaimed 2017 album “The Iceberg,” Oddisee’s masterpiece has been performed around the world. As hehas toured, he has been joined by his band, Good Compny: Olivier St. Louis on guitar, Ralph “Real” Washington on Keys, DJ Unown on MPC, Jon Laine on drums and Dennis Turner on bass.
The first live album release from both Oddisee & Mello Music Group, this project shows what people all over the world already know- Oddisee and Good Compny put on an amazing live show. With bonus tracks from Oddisee’s albums “The Good Fight,” and “People Hear What They See,” this new project breaths life into Oddisee’s catalogue in a way we’ve never heard before.

Swarvy presents his new album “Bop” on Paxico Records

"Songs of love sung by robots."

From the moment this machine is booted BOP begins buzzing with kinetic warmth. This is something characteristic of Swarvy's sound, the LA-by-way-of-Philly musical polymath with a vast catalog including sun-soaked live instrumentals, jazz-infused loops and lo-fi gems. With BOP, he is musical mad scientist, flaunting his technical finesse as he plunges into the realm of abstraction.

Swarvy makes his mark in BOP even while grappling with its colder, industrial elements. With broken rhythms and jagged textures, he pieces together tunes of emotive beauty. The result is undeniably playful and delightfully odd, something like songs of love sung by robots.

Through its wavy ambience runs a current of aural ephemera - bits of speech samples, bossa riffs, and R&B with opaque origins. BOP's genre-bending tracks will take you to ten compelling dimensions, forming an archeology of cyberspace and musical artifacts that'll leave your cold robotic heart melting in the LA sun..

Beat Art Department releases an EP with remixes from the upcoming album of the Vienna DJ and producer Urbs by Retrogott, Brenk Sinatra and Cookin' Soul.
Retrogott aka Kurt Hustle from Cologne, who completely reshaped the track "10.000 Years Behind Me", is one of the most important representatives of
German Independent Hip Hop ever since the mid-2000s. Collectors spend a small fortune for his 2007 debut album “Jetzt Schämst Du Dich!”, which
has become the blueprint of German rap. He has remained popular, even when he changed his name.

It has been eleven long years since Urbs dropped his last album which was called “Toujours Le Meme Film”. Back then, the musician, DJ and producer created the soundtrack to a fictitious Film Noir, which was released on Kruder & Dorfmeister‘s G-Stone Label, but after touring Europe he almost completely retreated from public life. He does not consider his creativity as
being his career, but rather as a part of his life which rarely is subject to concrete planning, and that is why Urbs quite consciously took his time to create his latest –untitled- album.

Urbs: “A lot of people totally appreciated my last album “Toujours Le Meme Film”, and over the years I’ve learned that it really means a lot to some of them. Which was a burden, because, obviously, you do not want to disappoint these people. By now, I think enough water went down Danube river to perhaps surprise some of them with something completely new.
Those who know me know that I’ve always simply produced dope hip hop
tracks.”

This time, as a consequence, this is no all instrumental album but a collection of 12 soulful hip hop tunes that feature some handpicked vocalist
of the international rap, dancehall and soul scenes. On the album right next to EMC’s Wordsworth or R.A. the Rugged Man from New York, you will hear Ward 21 from Kingston, Jamaica, Voice Monet from New Orleans, One Self’s Blu Rum 13 from Washington DC, as well as long time companions like Skero from Vienna or Blabbwona from the group Abstract Art, who now lives in Munich by choice.

There also is a simple answer to the question of why the album has no title:
“This album, so to say, is my competitive exhibition in this field and owing to the endlessly long ripening process it is wonderfully and intensively boiled
down and on point. Therefore, no intros, no interludes, no title, no gimmicks, simply 12 good songs – period."

Our most ambitious project to date, a massive compilation of talented young producers that are shaping the way forward. This release was conceptualized as a means to unite the music community together and be as inclusive as possible. An album by the people, for the people. With over an hour and a half worth of music you can sit back and vibe to this tape all day!

KingUnderground presents the debut album - Instrumental beat tapes Volume 1-2, produced in 2008-2009 from Swedish producer Sun Raw aka SRAW.

The ”Beat Week” concept came about in 2008 when Myspace still was the main internet platform for spreading independent music. SRAW wanted to use the social media platform to his advantage and make a release that was adapted to the specific ways of posting music and maintaining an audience on Myspace. He came up with the idea to publish one song a day for the duration of a week so that it would exist as a whole in the Myspace player after the week had passed.
The beats were simply named after the day it was published, making the final beat tape hold 7 tracks. Beat Week #1 was received very well so a year later Beat Week #2 was released in the same way. Around this time Myspace had lost most users to Facebook, and Soundcloud slowly began to take over as the new platform for musicians.

“I guess this is my tribute to the (for many of us) important MySpace days!” - SRAW

"Tonjen One" is an explosion of tasteful sounds and imagery. Deeply setup into modern electronic it mixes ambient robotic bleeps and soulful jazz hip hop beats. It's a multi-genre composition going easily from one world to the other and playing with the contrast between the two in a very satisfying way. The album flows as a continuous stream of sonic pleasure and comes out of the mind of Swiss producer YZNO (formerly known as Jazzo) releasing his first LP complemented by Isabel Seiffert's incredible artwork and under the Swiss label Boyoom Connective in collab with Urban Waves and HHV.

LIT is a snapshot of Bluestaeb und JuJu Rogers' musical endeavors in Fall 2016. Both had a successful 2015 & 2016 with highly acclaimed albums and a European support tour of Oddisee for JuJu Roogers. Both musicians are working on new solo albums and both of them are not happy with having the "boom bap" stamp forced on them. Their perspective is about progression, live music, changing the formula and going new ways. This doesn’t mean that they’re blindly following trends but to question and adapt one’s own formula. In the case of lit it means adding live musicians to the equation, going for a sound that refines the direction they took on their previous releases.

With regard to content, JuJu's raps on the project deals with the important questions of our time. The trend word „lit“ becomes „LIT“, an abbreviation for "lost in translation" and a metaphor for the disconnection from trends of our society in general and hip hop especially. Racism, police brutality, gangsta rapper turning activists while still following a pattern of hate and destruction. Bluestaeb’s productions fluctuates from soulful and smooth to raw and gritty without sounding redundant or interchangeable.

‘The Path’ is a progression from my previous record ‘Inner Worlds’ and the focus on searching for the musical voyages is still very relevant in the building of this album. During the process of this album I moved from a vibrant city atmosphere to a rural sea town. This move played a big part in terms of influences, being close to the sea and nature brought a calming effect on the development. ‘The Path’ represents the search for a musical progression, focusing more on the smaller details and textures to create a broader dynamic sense, allowing the different elements to breathe more.
During the process of making this record there was a curiosity to explore new ways of making music, experimenting more with hardware synths, different recording techniques and including more live instrumentation as an alternative to sample based techniques. ”

‘The Path’ comes out worldwide on limited double vinyl (including download code) and limited cassette.

Originally released in 2007 on now defunct MERCK Records, ‘Sound Puzzle’ has never before been pressed on vinyl in its entirety and now also includes highly exclusive bonus material that has only been available on a very limited run of 100 cassettes back when it was first released.

A record that would foreshadow 40 Winks’ ascendance on the stage of left-field instrumental productions and paved the way for what has been an outstanding discography over the course of well over 10 years, ‘Sound Puzzle’, as the name implies, is the amalgamation of a myriad of samples, drums and loops, infused with film references, skits and humor, creating a release that begs to be listened to in its entirety.

‘Sound Puzzle’ is now available on vinyl for the first time. The exclusive remastered deluxe set includes previously unreleased bonus material and comes out worldwide on limited gatefold white vinyl and cassette.

Originally released in 2007 on now defunct MERCK Records, ‘Sound Puzzle’ has never before been pressed on vinyl in its entirety and now also includes highly exclusive bonus material that has only been available on a very limited run of 100 cassettes back when it was first released.

Limited edition of 500 copies on white vinyl!

A record that would foreshadow 40 Winks’ ascendance on the stage of left-field instrumental productions and paved the way for what has been an outstanding discography over the course of well over 10 years, ‘Sound Puzzle’, as the name implies, is the amalgamation of a myriad of samples, drums and loops, infused with film references, skits and humor, creating a release that begs to be listened to in its entirety.

‘Sound Puzzle’ is now available on vinyl for the first time. The exclusive remastered deluxe set includes previously unreleased bonus material and comes out worldwide on limited gatefold white vinyl and cassette.

‘Kellion’ is the story of a young boy who was born into a mysterious world he explores with his curious eyes, ears and hands. Every new experience lets him grow as a person and also expands his knowledge of the world that surrounds him. His young mind is sometimes blurrying the lines between imagination and reality, dreaming and being awake, reality and fantasy. Making sense of this world in its very own unique way, his world is filled with fantastic and surreal magical creatures and quirky characters.

Over the course of the ten songs many different little adventures unfold and await the young boy, slowly building his character while he explores nature in all its varieties and learns to appreciate it. He lives through new emotions and gets to learn about his own feelings during the process. The title track ‘Kellion’ represents the very inner world of the kid – it is his cocoon where he can always return to and be safe after his journeys and adventures.

„I was trying to live his life with him together and feel what he felt. I tried to understand and recollect what it feels like as a little boy walking around in this big world. I attempted to see the world through his eyes, to experience his fears and happiness and in doing that, just helping him to be a kid.“ – Long Arm

‘Kellion’ is the long awaited sophomore full length album by Long Arm and will come out worldwide on double vinyl in a beautiful gatefold cover as well as on CD and cassette tape, all including download codes.

Project: Mooncircle & Finest Ego have teamed up to establish a fresh new 12” producer series, entitled “Faces”. On every edition, you will find two different producers. Respectively, each producer will have their own record-side and unique cover artwork by the aspiring Bioniq, known for his surrealistic portraits, blending humans and elements of technology.

The fifth edition of our “Faces“ series comes with double the amount of producers as usually. One side we find Greek brothers and production duo Tendts while the other side is shared by the two young artists Daixie and Hanami, from Australia and the UK respectively.

- gnothi seauton | nosce the ipsum –
The oldest masks are more than 9000 years old and have been a part of earliest ritual ceremonies.
A mask disguises our true emotion and can also give the impression of fake feelings or make us appear emotionless. Strangely contrasted like the painted face of a clown, we appear sad and happy simultaneously. Moods and temper change rapidly, while there is nothing visible on the outside. We reflect ourselves in the image of others, project our ambitions and wishes but also fears into them, caring more about our perception by others until we don’t recognize our own image in the mirror anymore, instead of focusing on self-awareness and knowledge of self.

Where is the thin line between the truth and a lie? Do we all wear invisible masks during our everyday life? A story fractured into million pieces of a puzzle, waiting to be put back together.

If you were an idea, would you be a static one? An idea that never changes ?
An idea that tends to become something else ? An idea that becomes an obsession?
An idea can be an object, can be a sentence or just one word.
“Tendts“. What kind of word is that ? Could it be two words merged into one ? Or was it one from the beginning ? Let’s just say that the idea behind the word came up when two people were writing music in a room. In this particular room the only window that had a view of the outside world was always blocked by a rusty, dusty tent. Was this annoying tent worth becoming their artistic totem ? Maybe. But the one thing sure needed was a change. They had to transform the word into something else. They had to add something else. One letter.
Tent. Tend. TENDTS.

Hertfordshire based producer ‘Hanami‘ is set to stir things up in the coming months for the UK electronic music scene.
Now moving away from his days of working in a live electro band, Ryan Newton has decided to embark on an ambitious solo project. A direction that he has been meaning to pursue for some time. Whilst still keeping the use of sampled instruments and drum sequencers he is looking to bring a new lease of life to the increasingly generic sounds the scene continues to produce as the music becomes more popular.

Only 19 years of age and only producing for seven months now, Alex Xie, alias Daixie, is a young producer from Australia with a Chinese and Cambodian background. While drawing influences from many artists, his main inspiration comes from nature and his everyday personal interactions. His music, based heavily on field recordings, is a way of expressing his emotions – something that he has trouble doing in his day to day life. It is his release which allows him to feel more deeply about things he can not express by other means.

Bioniq is an artwork designer, DJ and producer from St. Petersburg in cold Russia and Project: Mooncircle’s special KGB agent. With his drawings he aims to create new horizons on paper and draws inspiration from historic tales, events of the present age but also possibilities the future might hold.

Limited 12” vinyl for serious collectors, DJ’s and record addicts only!

From its opening notes ‘You, Me, Temporary’ announces itself as music from the soul reaching for the soul. The album recounts a modern day love story through the musical eyes of its protagonist, Sweatson Klank. It’s a story of love in the fast lane that touches on the good – innocence, romance, lust, sex – and the bad – drugs, debauchery, loss of self, despair – before closing with the peaceful beauty that comes with total acceptance of what is. ‘You, Me, Temporary’ is Sweatson Klank’s third full-length album in 10 years, and it shows just how extensive the Los Angeles native’s artistic growth has been. The music tight ropes between electronic, hip hop and futuristic R&B, sidestepping obvious boxes while finding its own effortlessly. ‘You, Me, Temporary’ transcends genres, balancing the vulnerable and sensual with the rough and jagged. The album has an emotive and sometimes pressing quality, in direct opposition to today’s disposable music mania. The hypnotic interplay of chords, melodies and rhythms draws you in and is equally effective in headphones as it is on the dancefloor. The warmth of analogue equipment flirts with expert sampling and chops that evoke the playful soul of ‘90s R&B and the heartfelt angst of classic hip hop while remaining forward thinking.

A wide cast of vocal guests help recount the different tales and stages of this story: Vikter Duplaix, Ango, Selfsays, Doc Illingsworth, Deniro Farrar, Anna Wise of Sonny Moon and Pat Parra. Upbeat and energetic songs sit next to hypnotic ballads, the sort most conducive to ‘baby making’ you might even say. The music is often elating, sexy and at times dreamy but also progresses to show melancholy and despondency in the sincerest way. Sometimes playful, sometimes serious the vocal tracks add a human dimension to the story that ‘You, Me, Temporary’ tells, completing its message and taking the album to that proverbial next level.

With this third album Sweatson Klank puts aside self-indulgence for simple honesty and the maturity that only comes with being a seasoned artist. ‘You, Me, Temporary’ tells a timeless story in a compelling way, and while its title hints at the trials and tribulations behind relationships, the overt concept lies in the impermanence of everything around us.

Project: Mooncircle & Finest Ego have teamed up to establish a fresh new 12” producer series, entitled “Faces”. On every edition, you will find two different producers. Respectively, each producer will have their own record-side and unique cover artwork by the aspiring Bioniq, known for his surrealistic portraits, blending humans and technology.

On our fourth “Faces” edition we are featuring the two ascending artists Lomovolokno and Sieren, presumably the two most unknown so far. Originally hailing from Krasnodar, Russia and Bielefeld, Germany, one was inspired by naive childhood memories of imaginative creatures seen floating in the nighttime sky, while the other looks into an uncertain future that holds the anxiety of a fresh start but also the ever present risk of failure. The artwork takes these motifs and implements them in a vision of technological enhancements of human capacities and evolvement, forming a futuristic symbiosis that enables for synaesthetic senses heightened to an subatomic degree. But it is unsure, however, if these augmentations can actually expand our human experience or rather amplify our solitary existence and emotional void while traveling across fantastic worlds and the universal vacuum filling the space between.

Krasnodar, Russia: In the midst of grey soviet housing projects, a young boy enjoys playing and improvising his first little melodies on his parents piano. Always being inspired by the nature nearby the city - memories of peaceful springtime swimming sessions in the Black Sea come to mind – Lomovolokno grows up fascinated by machinery like samplers and the rapidly increasing possibilities of modern computers. Delving deeply into twisting melodies, building sounds and crossing notes leads his way to first field recordings resulting in an influx of elements ranging from waves of the sea, the wind, sand, crackling noises, banging and rustling becoming a part of his sound.

Sieren is the maiden name of Matthias Frick’s mother and also his current alias under which he started to release his first free tracks in 2011. Rumor has it that he has a dark secret history of producing experimental techno, albeit his love for UK influenced bass music existed for more than one handful of years. It was not until recently that he began to make the most of his love for field recording and experimental soundscaping and is now throwing his full force into music, while simultaneously finishing a university degree in computer science and design before moving from small town to métropole to follow a new set of challenges and advance to the next stage of his life.

Bioniq is an artwork designer, DJ and producer from St. Petersburg in cold Russia and Project: Mooncircle's special KGB agent. With his drawings he aims to create new horizons on paper and draws inspiration from historic tales, events of the present age but also possibilities the future might hold.

2nd pressing on black vinyl! A child agrees then screams the name. Kid-o-suke. Did you hear that right? The music trickles in. It sounds like it was made in a toy factory. Hold on. Let me reach for the button over there. Childhood memories. The magical sounds of a roundabout sending you to sleep. The wonders of the world seen through eyes that don’t yet ully comprehend and ears that find musical potential in everything. Two kindred souls find each other, distance never the issue, they share and laugh the only way they know how.

In a repeatedly rephrased metaphor of vinyl archaeologists digging for samples and re-constructing music from tiny pieces and fractions of long lost sounds, Weedy of 40 Winks is actually a rare example of this image being executed to perfection. His puzzling way of piecing together intricate beats, rich in details, breaks and variations, is rather analogous to surrealist art than to most of his fellow contemporary beat-smiths. On top he adds his own instrumentation to perfect these compositions, being like a conservator creating mosaics of rhythms, grooves and harmonies, giving the listeners imagination ample space to wander about.

A child agrees then screams the name. Kid-o-suke. Did you hear that right? The music trickles in. It sounds like it was made in a toy factory. Hold on. Let me reach for the button over there. Childhood memories. The magical sounds of a roundabout sending you to sleep. The wonders of the world seen through eyes that don’t yet fully comprehend and ears that find musical potential in everything. Two kindred souls find each other, distance never the issue, they share and laugh the only way they know how.

The wonderful pixelated world of a video game. Where does reality end and where does the imagination start? Somewhere in the distance an explosion can be heard, or was it a booming bass drum? There are birds singing a crystalline melody. One I heard before, in a dream perhaps. All of a sudden a child exclaims ‘come, let’s go’. Where did he come from? Is he real or another pixelated fragment of imagination?

Yokatta desu. There’s a castle in the sky. Two boys team up to reach it, carried by the power of their dreams. The same dreams that marked their childhood and brought them to be men. If ever there was music worthy of becoming the soundtrack to a Ghibli movie this could be it. There’s a girl asleep on a plastic deer, going around and around. She reminds me of the hand drawn versions of the pixelated heroes of my childhood. I imagine her dreams filled with exciting adventures.

I swear I heard the sounds of Tokyo’s public transport. It told me we’d arrived at Shibuya yet I can’t see the neon bright lights when I look around. Oh well, I’ll just have to imagine them.

It’s an album, so of course it’s real. The music is the result of a desire to create regardless of outcome, for the simple fact that there is a story to tell. People will consume it whichever way they want. Is it this sound or that sound? Does it really matter? Stop for a minute and enjoy the music for what it is. A synthesis of two aesthetics joined not just by a love of music but also a love of the abstract and the childish, the things that remind us we were all young one day and things were simpler. Things like dancing as if no one was looking or making music as if the outcome never mattered.

Kidsuke is a collaborative project between the UK’s Kidkanevil and Japan’s Daisuke Tanabe. Their self-titled debut is released by Project Mooncircle in November 2012 on double colored vinyl LP and digital.

Composed, according to Flying Lotus, as “a collage of mystical states, dreams, sleep and lullabies”, Until the Quiet Comes has the distinct feel of this nocturnal trip. From the twitching descent into a subconscious state and the out-of-focus time-ether of the journey that follows, the sound is an unhinged, yet elegant evolution of the melodic and rhythmic interplay that is woven into the DNA of Flying Lotus’ aural personae.

All this stylistic mingling and genre-melting has contributed significantly to shift music in a direction that makes intellectual leaps without forsaking the all-important heft of a bassline or unimpeded ‘swing’ of a drum beat – the same way so many masters of soul music have infused their songs for lovers and dancers with brilliant and heady subtext for decades. Until The Quiet Comes follows this tradition while clearing a path distinctly it’s own, which is a mark of a classic.

The album features guests Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington, Niki Randa, Thundercat & Thom Yorke!

With over ten years’ experience in the music game, including three full length albums and a slew of EPs, Sweatson Klank – formerly known as Take – is one of L.A’s longest standing producers working at the periphery of hip hop and electronic music, a man who had a direct hand in shaping L.A’s beat scene in the 00s through the Sketchbook night alongside Kutmah. Whether or not you’ve heard his music before you’ll n have felt the impact of his work. After a two-year hiatus Sweatson Klank returns with the Elevate Me EP on Project Mooncircle, five tracks that further cement him as one of the nicest and most articulate producers in the game today. Elevate Me is both a departure from Sweatson’s previous output and a continuation of what has made him a unique voice in L.A’s thriving instrumental hip hop and electronic scene.

From the opener Always You the bar is set high with music that could only come from someone with musical savoir faire born of experience and hard work. The music is intricate and playful, the rhythms are hard to resist and the melodies perfectly match the uplifting mood, qualities that are carried throughout the EP.

Own almost feels like a band is playing yet it’s all coming from one man’s mind. The track references both Sweatson’s hip hop lineage and a deep understanding of the emotional potentials of electronic dance music. The tempo might surprise you at first but once you let the music take you in you’ll be pressing play again in no time.

I Can’t Explain is an ode to Sweatson’s love of hip hop, of the beat. The crunchy breaks will make your head nod before you’ve even realised it while the melodies and samples evoke images of sunny, lazy L.A days.

All of these ideas are further explored on My Love Is Here where certain tropes of popular dance music are put to use in a way that is rarely heard today. Instead of being the all-consuming focus of the song, the bass is used to reinforce the rhythmic foundations and combined with a beautifully emotive vocal sample that can seem jarring at first yet makes perfect sense. There is a subtlety to the music that really shines through on repeated listens.

In Between closes proceedings, winding things down with a smoother mood that’s still full of musical intricacies. Combining melancholic vocal samples with uplifting melodies and intricate rhythms, Sweatson manages to push through emotions that seem to burst out of the music, rendering any discussion of genre or style irrelevant.

Elevate Me is genuine, honest music born of emotions and offered to the listener with no disguise. It’s subtle and beautiful and it lets Sweatson Klank’s experience shine through in a way that will no doubt appeal to both old and new listeners. Jump aboard and let yourself be taken on a ride.

12" EP clear vinyl - Limited edition

The Invisible Architect is the third full-length album by like minded production duo and long-term friends 1000 Names. Unlike their previous releases, which focused more on technology and machinery, they drew their inspiration for this album from the unconscious moments that just happen during live shows or studio improvisations, those happy accidents when the music emerges out of the chaos with no traceable origin. In these unconscious moments, it seems, the invisible architect – a mysterious natural power – creates this untouched and raw music, almost like the geological formation of rocks in a mountain or the trees in a forest are formed by the fundamental forces of nature.
In their own words: “It’s a mystery where the music comes from and why it sounds the way it does. We look for the answer in the garden of the invisible architect – and try just to be…“

Instrumental versions to Elzhi's (Slum Village) tribute to Nas "Illmatic" performed by Chicago funk band Will Sessions. Limited edition vinyl with free mp3 download card.