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Like some of his contemporary UK peers (looking at you, Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei), the 27-year-old Austrian producer-turned-singer Wandl is a rare example of an artist that’s able to combine the groove and emotionality of soul music with colorful electronic textures and the exciting and youthful feel of hip-hop. His third solo album »Body Memory« works as an empowering statement of clarity and immediacy. Being blunt, it could be described as Wandl’s »pop album«, even though that might do a disservice to his craft. Still, to this day there is no work in his catalogue that allows Lukas Wandl, the human, that much space for presentation.

Recordings for »Body Memory« started even before his last album »Womb« was released in 2020. For Wandl, the process of working on it mirrors the idea of opening himself back up to a community. It all started when he found himself in a place of brokenness, physically and mentally drained, having to cancel a planned tour because of this. To overcome the resulting state of depression and hopelessness, he instigated a process of tuning back in with his environment and the world at large. »Body Memory« is the result of this inner journey, exploring the fact that stress and emotional injuries are stored in our bodies and therefore can only be expressed and given form through our bodies.

For »Body Memory«, Wandl worked with some of his usual peers from the Austrian scene, such as Dorian Concept, The Clonious, Fid Mella or Lex Lugner, but also his new partner-in-crime, German beatsmith Torky Tork, that co-produced almost half of the record. To let their joint creative spirits flow, they traveled to Poland to build a foundation of tunes, while others were written and recorded in Vienna, Berlin, the Austrian countryside and even the basement of Wandl’s parents’ place in St Pölten, Lower Austria. No surprise that this album has turned out a deeply collaborative work, as almost every track contains contributions from multiple musicians. Not forgoing the playfulness and innovation of his past records, Wandl moves his emotional, fragile vocals to the very front of the mix for the first time. In moving past his comfort zone, he breaks free from learned stereotypes of taste, writing slightly more conventional, but still extremely authentic songs. Working to regain access to his true inner voice and intuition, Wandl has written an album of sheer physicality, but also immense emotional depth and beauty.

Nothing But Net presents “Perceptions”, the debut LP from Los Angeles producer/beat maker Jamma-Dee aka Dyami O’Brien. Jamma-Dee has been a figure in the west coast modern funk and boogie scene, both as an accomplished DJ and music producer, having released records under his own name and producing for the likes of Joyce Wrice, Mndsgn and others.

From a musical upbringing in Los Angeles, Dyami’s adolescent obsession with record digging and beatmaking eventually led him to Dam-Funk’s renown Funkmosphere parties where he built friendships with key players in the LA funk scene and began to make a name for himself as a DJ and producer. In the second half of the 2010’s he released a series of EPs on Arcane and hosted the legendary Soul In Paradise show on NTS radio.

His first full-length, “Perceptions” is a long time in the making. Beginning with studio experiments nearly a decade ago, a version of the album found its way to producer and Nothing But Net label boss Onra, who helped guide the project to completion. The album artwork was created by outsider soul music conceptualist and painter, Mingering Mike, whom O’Brien felt compelled to reach out to after discovering his work years earlier. Thematically, the artwork, record, and its title touch on very modern themes: the alienation of life in a world of instant-gratification, an overly-connected society of masks, distorted realities and shifting identities.

Musically, “Perceptions” is the culmination of a life lived under the groove. Featuring a long list of collaborators, including Benedek, Mndsgn, Koreatown Oddity, the legendary Craig T. Cooper and fellow NBN labelmate, Devin Morrison, the double album touches on all of O’Brien’s musical influences. Album opener “Up N Down” sets the scene with it’s syrupy g-funk impressionism, before “Jamma’s Jam” bounces out of the speakers through an auburn-colored sunset haze of lush Rhodes chords and sparkling vibraphones. “It Takes A Freak” and “Datafile Groove” shuffle westward, re-imagining New Jack Swing grooves through a distinctly Californian lens. Elsewhere, the album touches on classic deep house rhythms (“Tic Toc” and “Silly”) and crystalline, downtempo R&B and UK street soul (“Joy”, “Saturday”).“U.R.” features legendary L.A. guitarist Craig T. Cooper laying down a network of stunning, silken guitar lines with absolute class.

Over the course of these 15 tracks, Jamma Dee consolidates, renovates and perpetuates the sound of his influences. “Perceptions” is a masterclass in modern funk and soul production.

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.

"Some albums act as tickets to travel through time and space, ones where you hear history and venture to worlds familiar, yet undeniably foreign and exciting. RBGxDD, the inaugural release for indie-label Uno Loop Records, is one of these albums. The LP is the beginning of a collaboration between two virtuosos you’ll want to keep an eye (and ear) on: producer Abderraouf B Grissa (Pink Siifu, Abstract Abder on Radio alHara) and drummer/producer Dan Drohan (Nick Hakim, Olden Yolk, Carrtoons, Andrew VanWyngarden of Mgmt).

Think CAN, Makaya McCraven, Sun Ra, or Madlib, and you’ll scratch the surface of what this LP has to offer, what it reminds you of, what it's inspired by. Grissa says of its creation, ""what began as a clear cut, beat-album featuring blistering acoustic drums evolved into a fluid, sonic journey that throws time- signature and structure to the wind."" RBGxDD is an album that expands the notion of how live instrumentation and sampling can continually innovate in unexpectedly catchy ways. The arrangements give space for both dancing and relaxing, with no shortage of finding the groove.

Joining them are artists who have perfected their craft upon arrival. Bobbie Johnston(Ear Yoga Ensemble,élan)delivers guitar riffs so smooth that they somehow blend into the music yet stand out in crispness and quality. Jarrett Gilgore (Heart of the Ghost; Jaimie Branch) takes a scorching approach to the saxophone that rejuvenates us, feeling as if we've been hit with a splash of cold water. Ahmad Kafari's (Sudan Archives, Pink Siifu, Jaw Gems, Chakram) piano playing is a gift, you hear expertise - years of influence by spiritual jazz and classical piano music emerge in a language first developed by Dorothy Ashby and honed by Dilla. Mastering was done by Kelly Hibbert (The Heliocentrics, Knxwledge, Flying Lotus, Karriem Riggins) who sends your ears to another sonic planet.

The LP is physically surrounded by something just as beautiful as the music it houses. We have artist Carol Summers and designer Daniel Rocha to thank for that. LP and artwork was licensed directly from Summers’ family. One of America's foremost printmakers with a career spanning over half a century, Summers has his works found in the Moma Lacma, NGA, and more. Rocha's LP designs are impeccably on cue with the music contained within, making the release look like it could’ve been released in 1973 or 2023. "

The music of v i v (they/them) is a shuttle for your mind to a state of complete zen. Ultimately, the album you are experiencing is about a personal self-acceptance.

As a label and creative individuals, our team is excited to welcome them to the family and share this beautiful and intimate album with the world.

Tear Dance goes beyond the realm of v i v’s struggles with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The album, which is scheduled for a release on artists’ 30th birthday, tells stories learned so far.

You need to have “Patience” with yourself to understand the “Essence” of life and go through its “Cadence”. That’s why those three songs are placed in that manner in the album, as intro, midtro, and outro.

“In ‘Patience’, you can hear me breathing slowly in the background trying to calm myself down. Mindful breathing is one of the few things that has helped me manage my anxiety. This is the reason why I tried to incorporate breath sounds in most of the songs, to symbolize that I’m still alive and fighting through my struggles. At the end of the song, I whisper to myself that ‘everything’s going to be okay’, hoping that I’d eventually fall asleep. “When The Lights Go Off” is exactly about that – the moment I fall asleep and start dreaming about the magical world of music. Almost all the songs on the album came from my dreams, so I thought it’d be fitting to open the album with this track.”, shares v i v.

“Time” is a collaboration with another Stereofox Records artist – Norwegian producer fnonose.

“Most of my late 20s, I’ve spent worrying about running out of time. This, of course, exacerbated my anxiety, and I kept feeling that time was constantly going against me. I definitely realized in the past year, after we were all forced to slow down by the pandemic, that time is actually on our side, and that we can all learn to calmly move with its flow. The faint ticking clock sound in the background, which used to trigger my anxiety, has now become a part of this lovely relaxing tune ‘Time’ that I’ve had the honour to make with one of the kindest, most talented producer I’ve met on this musical journey, fnonose.”

“Essence depicts how I hear my music ideas and what I feel when I hear them. Everything is stripped down. No fancy gear; It’s just me and the piano in the room. The focus is solely on the sound of the melodies. There’s nothing to cover up the imperfections. I try to capture those imperfections by recording this in one-take, without correcting anything. There’s beauty in having flaws. It took me a while to understand, but now I know how to embrace them. That to me is the essence of life.”

Album’s centerpiece is the pillar of v i v’s and it reveals the most intimate part of artists’ soul.

“Tear Dance tells a story of my younger self, who fell deep into depression and struggled with insecurities and self-doubt. Making music started off as a means to cope with my mental issues, but I quickly realized that that’s where my passion lies. Unfortunately, my family was against the idea of me becoming a musician. I ended up going the usual route of studying something “safe”, just to not disappoint anyone. I felt that I was always entertaining to make people happy, without them seeing the sadness that I’ve carried along with me. In a way, it’s a story about being misunderstood and invisible.”

Album’s last 2 tracks focus on different people in v i v’s life and how one person’s presence in your life can completely change your life.

“‘The Rain in Your Eyes’ is a song about having and showing empathy. It’s about myself no longer feeling invisible. I felt understood because someone could finally see the rain in my eyes and choose to stand in that rain with me. I learned that in life, we don’t have to go through the hard times alone. We can share our burden; we don’t have to act tough all the time. There is strength in being vulnerable, and that’s something we need to be proud about. On this track I’ve partnered with the amazingly talented Imelda Lizal, who has believed in me from day one and convinced me that I had it in me to complete this project. This album wouldn’t have been possible if it’s wasn’t for her. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Mel.

“On the other hand, ‘Cadence’ is a song I wrote for my best friend, who is featured on the track. Her dad had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and she took upon herself to care for him and spend more time with him. As a friend, all I could do is to listen to her when she vents her frustrations to me. I felt so powerless, imagining how awfully painful it must be for her to witness her dad slowly slipping away from her. That’s when this song just flowed out of me. Through her experience, I learned that your loved ones are far more important than chasing after materialistic things, that having regrets is one of the saddest things you can experience in life.”

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

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.

Limited Edition of 100 records on green vinyl. Exclusive run for HHV. On Ol' Burger Beats' new albumWelcome 2 Norway, the Norwegian beatmaker delves into Norway's rich music history and has created a record that might be his most accomplished to date. On the best beat tapes throughout history, a story is told through the samples used, and this is truly the case with Ol' Burger Beats' new album, his first on Jansen Records. Norwegian Ol' Burger Beats (Ole-Birger Neergård) has been a mainstay on the international beats scene ever since his debut album High Rhodes was released in 2014. On that record we were introduced to the Oslo-based producer, DJ, and record collector's ability to create magic from old jazz and soul records. On Welcome 2 Norway, he re-discovers many national treasure, both well-known and forgotten ones. Among other things, he has had free access to the catalog of the legendary Arne Bendiksen's old record label, he’s sampled songs by Norwegian greats Jan Erik Vold, Kåre Virud, and Åse Kleveland, and chopped and pasted forgotten ballads from old-time dance bands, along with some Christian gems from dusty basements. The result is a record that both showcases the venerable history of Norwegian music, and also highlights Ol' Burger Beats' ability to create fantastic instrumental hip-hop tunes from old and dusty classics. The last albums by J Dilla might be the biggest inspiration for this album and are good examples of storytelling through sampling. The title Welcome 2 Norway also refers to Welcome 2 Detroit, a Dilla album that introduced the listener to the various musical styles in Dilla's hometown. In addition to delivering brilliant solo albums in rapid succession, he is also keen to collaborate with other artists on different levels. There are projects where he is the producer–Mind Games from 2017 and Out of Sight, Out of Mind from 2018 – where he works with some of his favorite rappers like Quelle Chris, Pink Siifu, Fly Anakin, Maxo, and Illa J. But then we also have the magical Loft from 2022, where the12 tracks explores the world of jazz together with other jazz enthusiasts like Ralph Thomas and Wendell Harrison, and the very successful albums with the Norwegian rapper Vuyo–All Yours from 2020 and Dialogue from 2021 When talking about the new album, Welcome 2 Norway, Neergård himself says: «After doing a few collaborations with rappers that’ve dragged out a bit, with more emailing and coordinating than music production, this has been an album where I've banged out a lot of beats, and just had some fun again. The samples I've used tell stories from my life over the past few years, and I've been searching for a Norwegian sound reminiscent of the typical soul and jazz samples found in American hip-hop–and I think the result turned out quite unique!»

On Ol' Burger Beats' new albumWelcome 2 Norway, the Norwegian beatmaker delves into Norway's rich music history and has created a record that might be his most accomplished to date. On the best beat tapes throughout history, a story is told through the samples used, and this is truly the case with Ol' Burger Beats' new album, his first on Jansen Records. Norwegian Ol' Burger Beats (Ole-Birger Neergård) has been a mainstay on the international beats scene ever since his debut album High Rhodes was released in 2014. On that record we were introduced to the Oslo-based producer, DJ, and record collector's ability to create magic from old jazz and soul records. On Welcome 2 Norway, he re-discovers many national treasure, both well-known and forgotten ones. Among other things, he has had free access to the catalog of the legendary Arne Bendiksen's old record label, he’s sampled songs by Norwegian greats Jan Erik Vold, Kåre Virud, and Åse Kleveland, and chopped and pasted forgotten ballads from old-time dance bands, along with some Christian gems from dusty basements. The result is a record that both showcases the venerable history of Norwegian music, and also highlights Ol' Burger Beats' ability to create fantastic instrumental hip-hop tunes from old and dusty classics. The last albums by J Dilla might be the biggest inspiration for this album and are good examples of storytelling through sampling. The title Welcome 2 Norway also refers to Welcome 2 Detroit, a Dilla album that introduced the listener to the various musical styles in Dilla's hometown. In addition to delivering brilliant solo albums in rapid succession, he is also keen to collaborate with other artists on different levels. There are projects where he is the producer–Mind Games from 2017 and Out of Sight, Out of Mind from 2018 – where he works with some of his favorite rappers like Quelle Chris, Pink Siifu, Fly Anakin, Maxo, and Illa J. But then we also have the magical Loft from 2022, where the12 tracks explores the world of jazz together with other jazz enthusiasts like Ralph Thomas and Wendell Harrison, and the very successful albums with the Norwegian rapper Vuyo–All Yours from 2020 and Dialogue from 2021 When talking about the new album, Welcome 2 Norway, Neergård himself says: «After doing a few collaborations with rappers that’ve dragged out a bit, with more emailing and coordinating than music production, this has been an album where I've banged out a lot of beats, and just had some fun again. The samples I've used tell stories from my life over the past few years, and I've been searching for a Norwegian sound reminiscent of the typical soul and jazz samples found in American hip-hop–and I think the result turned out quite unique!»

“A Dream In A Dream” is the debut LP by DJ Piper, also known as Felix Wagner of techno superstar duo Fjaak. One might be surprised about this all hip-hop instrumental album looking at Felix’ all dance music focussed musical resumé. Nevertheless, he has been crafting rap beats ever since he started producing as a teen, but had his childhood friends freestyle over the tracks solely. It took until 2020 when he teamed up with Lukas and lim.

“A Dream In A Dream” is the debut LP by DJ Piper, also known as Felix Wagner of techno superstar duo Fjaak. One might be surprised about this all hip-hop instrumental album looking at Felix’ all dance music focussed musical resumé. Nevertheless, he has been crafting rap beats ever since he started producing as a teen, but had his childhood friends freestyle over the tracks solely. It took until 2020 when he teamed up with Lukas and Jonathan Nixdorff of Kommerz Records to release his first solo track “Iluminay”, which was part of “Kommerz Season 1: Anti-Virus” compilation and shared by B-Real of Cypress Hill right away.

Now, 2022, marks the right moment to share his debut album, a waltzing ode to hip-hop’s golden era. The Berlin-Spandau original merges the legacies of both Pete Rock and Dr. Dre, while funky breakbeats meet laid back SoCal “Chronic” vibes. 12 instrumental tracks and 2 skits strong, his album tells the story of a young man, who lives up to his wildest teenage dreams. Most of the track ideas came up while being on tour with Fjaak. Between international transit areas, making inspirational new friends and bizarre encounters all over the world, beat making became DJ Piper’s safe space to process all the positive madness around him. As a result, “A Dream In A Dream” breathes that raw, untamable creative energy around Felix’ extraordinary day-to-day life, while being heavily influenced by the sound of his childhood, 90s and 2000s rap.

To visualize “A Dream In A Dream” DJ Piper and Kommerz Records joined forces with Raman Djafari, a childhood friend of the artist, who illustrated music videos for Dua Lipa and Elton John (no joke!) and worked for New Release Information Adult Swim. Raman’s supernaturalistic aesthetics bring life to DJ Piper’s somewhat psychedelic, somewhat nostalgic fantasy, locating the album in an otherworldly version of Spandau, hometown to both of the artists. As one half of Fjaak Felix became an icon of Berlin techno conquering major festival stages and mainstream audiences while heavily representing underground D.I.Y. mentality up to this very day. As an initiator of Spandau20 label and collective, Felix pushes his creative family and day 1’s regardless of commercial potentials. The same ethos and love for culture fuels the DJ Piper project. No matter if it’s Fjaak or DJ Piper, techno or hiphop. Integrity is key!

Dressed in a powder blue suit with the frilly shirt to match, DJ Yoda invites you to be his +1 for ‘Prom Nite’, his new album promising retro Americana full of daydreaming reverie, international megastar guests, trip hop acknowledging the likes of Morcheeba and Nightmares on Wax, and the turntable extraordinaire’s bread and butter of cuts, beats and rhymes. Certainly no stranger to retro sounds having famously peppered his DJ and AV sets with the unexpected the world over, and his ‘How to Cut n Paste’ mix series going all the way back to the 30s, Yoda’s harp-laden puppy love vibe spreads from the sweet and mellow sound of 2019’s ‘Home Cooking’, an album described as ‘boundary-breaking’ by Mojo upon slotting nicely into the UK’s blooming jazz canon. Think deliciously harmonised doo-wop murmuring ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ with an eye for dreamboats en route to Makeout Point – on ‘My Energy’, Eva Lazarus takes the form of an earth angel, with Yoda on jukebox cut-ups, taking it back to starry-eyed, clean cut days of wonder (or more recently, Little Mix’s ‘Love Me Like You’). Beginning enigmatically with the assistance of Hollywood A-lister (and former next-door neighbour) Lily James, ‘Breathe’ demonstrate Yoda’s continued evolution as a musician (not to mention shrewd decision maker), with James’ vocal confidence - a little Lana del Rey to her breathiness - returning on the velvet-smooth ‘Airplane Mode’. It’s a smartly executed soundclash accentuated by LA rapper Choosey, the star of the album’s straightest hip-hop shooter ‘Harder I Rock’. Homeboy Sandman adds some kick to the prom punch with typical wordplay sent down ‘Coconut Grove’, and Liam Bailey i s perfectly cast for the darkly cinematic sway of ‘Don’t Even Try It’. On an album of many talking points, the LP’s crowning glory is opening single ‘Feel Like Home’: featuring the vocal comforts of the House Gospel Choir, it’s your go–to pick-me-up when the chips are down, targeting the hairs on the backs of necks like a softer focus version of Jamie xx’s ‘Loud Places’. Extended into an alternative, equally uplifting form by Beardyman’s ‘Don’t Mean Thing’, summer festival season already has its homecoming anthem. With tongues wagging, the twists and turns step away from Heartbreak Ridge when O Love tucks into the mouthwatering shopping list funk of ‘Way Home’; and ‘Lesson 1956’, featuring Jamie Cullum and DJ Woody, jauntily pays homage to classic Cut Chemist alchemy, Yoda’s celebrated turntable tomfoolery back in full effect and extending the flavours found in ‘Home Cooking’. Again maximising the experience and enjoyment gained from recording live instruments and prioritising songs over beats, Yoda continues to progress with a mixture of risk-taking, elite musicianship, nostalgia brought bang up to date, and ultimately, good clean fun capable of stirring your soul, making ‘Prom Nite’ a date to remember. Magpie artwork supplied by London’s Endless, whose signature style has tagged Liberty and Lagerfeld as but two high profile clients, Yoda again maximises the experience and enjoyment gained from recording live instruments and prioritising songs over beats. His continued progress mixes risk-taking, elite musicianship, nostalgia brought bang up to date, and ultimately, good clean fun capable of stirring your soul, making ‘Prom Nite’ a date to remember.

Meitei’s 2020 album 'Kofū' was the bold bookend to an expedition, where sounds were first navigated and then subverted in 2018’s 'Kwaidan' and 2019’s 'Komachi'.

All three albums were Meitei’s attempt at immersive storytelling, reimagining moments of Japanese history he felt were being washed away – not least by the unforgiving sands of time – through wistful compositions that stretched across ambient music, hauntology, and musique concrete.

When it came to finalizing 'Kofū', Meitei found he was left with over 60 fully realized tracks, bursting with ideas that fired in divergent, curious directions. Meitei was content with the 13 tracks he had selected. But when it came time to begin his next album, he found that it had been sitting in front of him all along. He realized his work wasn’t over yet.

Meitei sounds right at home celebrating the past he first reimagined in his previous work. The merriment is palpable in its first two tracks of 'Kofū II' – a loop of cheery whistling amidst the clanking of wood leads into strings, cricket sounds and flutes, all united in bustling harmony.

'Happyaku-yachō' is where it comes into focus. Pitch-shifted vocal samples roam around in the crowded sonic field. “My image of this music is that it expresses the vibrant mood of Edo's merchant culture,” says Meitei, “where old Japanese dwellings were densely packed together in a vast expanse of land.” The affair becomes bittersweet as the track leads into the desolate 'Kaworu', a compositional piece lifted from his 'Komachi' sessions – a final requiem to his late grandmother.

The album is bursting with spectral vignettes of wandering samurais, red lanterns, ninjas, puppet theatres, poets, even a vengeful assassin ('Shurayuki hime', known to Western audiences as ‘Lady Snowblood’).

'Saryō' is as elegant and refined as you would expect. It induces stillness in its repetition, with each synth note a brushstroke. It was inspired by a Sengoku-era tea house he once visited, designed by national icon Sen no Rikyū. Meitei tied it to the reaction he felt while poring over the ink paintings in his grandmother’s house. “The decayed earthen walls and faded tatami mats gave me an emotional impression,” he says. “And the cosmic flow of time drifting in the small room. I decided to put my impression of this into music.”

In 'Akira Kurosawa', an appropriately thunderous track, Meitei finds deep resonance in his vast filmography, which drew equally from Japan’s rich heritage and troubled circumstances post-WWII.

'Kofū II' is not a leftovers album, nor is it a straightforward companion piece. In this album, Meitei has his biggest reckoning with the Japanese identity yet. Over the years, he has attempted to peel back what he believes has defined Japan and its people. After seeking answers with three full-length albums, his fourth poses more questions.

If his first three albums inspired a sense of longing – or, perhaps inevitably, fed an irreparable nostalgia doomed to history – 'Kofū II' compels us to reassess our relationship with the past. By constantly looking back, are we ever afforded a clearer present? After capturing the “lost Japanese mood”, where does that leave its country in the modern world? Meitei offers no immediate answers with 'Kofū II'. It forces you to sit with its disparate moods, to meditate amidst the textured fragments.

'Kofū II' will be released on 180g LP, CD and digital format on December 10, 2021 (LP expected to land January 28, 2022) via KITCHEN. LABEL. Both LP and CD format are presented in a debossed sleeve with obi strip and include a 16-page insert with words in Japanese and English from Meitei, printed on premium paper stock with design by KITCHEN. LABEL founder Ricks Ang, and is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama in Tokyo, Japan.

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!