Featured

Back in 1997 the Nuremberg based Jazz musician and studio owner Peter Heider started seeing the DJ & nightlife activist Florian Seyberth for regular studio sessions. Within a few weeks they chose the name „Boozoo Bajou“ for their collaboration. With muscial ingredients like Soul, Dub, Country or Brazilian obscurities they created their own trademark sound. With the first two singles „Night over Manaus“ and „Under my Sensi“ they became a much celebrated part of worldwide downbeat scene led by artists like Kruder & Dorfmeister or Nightmares on Wax. In 2001 they created a legendary and much rated masterpiece in that genre by releaseing their debut album „Satta“ on the iconic „Stereo Deluxe“ Label. 20 years later this 60 minute blueprint original of the chill out scene named after the Jamaican word „Relax“ is available again on double vinyl pressed from the original laquers. – Piccadilly Records

Ten years after his first album Bad Bad things, musician Max Guiguet aka Blundetto unveils his second album Good Good Things on Heavenly sweetness. The circle of intimates already present on the first album (Blundetto, Hindi Zahra, General Electric, Chico Mann) has expanded to include regular accomplices (Biga Ranx) and artists with whom Blundetto felt an obvious connection (Crime Apple, Leonardo Marques) for this second opus.
Guided by this roadmap written by Blundetto, all of them have succeeded one another to put their colours and spread their musical soul for a few minutes. Take the direction of Brazil, Africa or Latin America, get dizzy in the Jamaican fumes, get chipped on the salient angles of hip hop. As a conductor, Blundetto builds a beautiful musical mosaic through this album. – Pan-African-Music.com

At fifty-one years-old, Leeds-born George Evelyn has now been releasing trip-hop and techno records as Nightmares on Wax for thirty whole years. Influenced at first by the b-boy and rap scene of his home city, he was an early signee to Warp Records and soon became a key figure in their glitchy rise to dominance. But while Aphex Twin and Autechre pursued more challenging and propulsive sounds, Evelyn plunged towards far warmer territory. With records like 1999’s Carboot Soul, a nostalgic, crate-digging soundtrack to many a toke, he became a legend in the downtempo scene to follow.

As anyone who’s dabbled in a ten hour Lo-Fi-Beats-To-Study-To mix on YouTube knows, music which is laidback to the point of sedation can feel blissful and utterly inconsequential in equal measure. Even a craftsman like Evelyn began the last decade somewhat drifting, releasing albums which sounded soothing to the point of snoozing. But it’s a joy to announce that Nightmares On Wax is on something of a hot-streak. It began with 2019’s Shape The Future where he adopted the Avalanches-Gorillaz approach of bringing in a gamut of guest-singers and MCs, a formula he returns to with even greater success here.
The press which has surrounded this latest album emphasises that it was made by a rejuvenated creator. For him, the pandemic came at the end of ten years of relentless touring and a cancer scare. Like many people, the 2020 lockdowns brought Evelyn a chance for pause and self-reflection. He began writing with the focus of a man working on his final testament. The album which came from those sessions does indeed sound like one made by an artist deeply engaging and in love with his own music again. Frankly, Shout Out! To Freedom.... is a joy to listen to, packed as it is with warm tones, a boat-load of guest-stars, and an eclectic sound which dips between dub, rap, and house. – The Quietus

Pioneering Japanese producer Susumu Yokota's 2005 album 'Symbol', lovingly re-issued by P-Vine Recordings!

Borrowing passages and snippets from classical masters including Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Ravel, he expertly lifts the emotion behind the original music while uniquely reimagine the music. From the soothing strings of opening track 'Long Long Silk Bridge' to the mesmerising chants of 'Flaming Love And Destiny', the album overflows with imagination and spellbinding beauty. Yokota was a true master of electronic music composition, and 'Symbol' is among his most playfully seductive albums. Penetrable but profound, its re-issue represents a wonderful opportunity for new audiences to marvel at his studio prowess. – Mixmag Asia

Nick Murphy has had a peculiar existence since bursting on to the scene as Chet Faker working alongside Flume with his moody indie pop winning over a huge alt audience, before a back-and-forth of moniker shifts lost a few along the way.

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Returning to his Chet Faker project in October 2020, Murphy has released his first album since the switch titled Hotel Surrender which is a 10-track reminiscent of his 2014 debut Built On Glass.

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The charm of Chet Faker always has been the mix of sway-inducing funky and bass laden tunes, combined with Murphy’s dry, effortless and perceptively unimpressed tone. The defiant lyrics and dry and brusque vocals of single ‘Whatever Tomorrow’ underline that. 

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Hotel Surrender offers plenty of that charm, albeit at a slow pace which arguably lets the album down. Some high points are the carefree ‘Get High’, uber cool ‘Whatever Tomorrow’, sexy and swaggy ‘Feel Good’ and under-rated sixth track ‘Peace Of Mind’. – The AU Review

South Asian dance and electronic music rarities handpicked, remastered and occasionally reworked. Featuring overlooked future classics from India, Pakistan, the U.K., Canada, Guyana and Suriname released between 1983 and 1992. Naya Beat Records is proud to present its first in a series of compilations and full-length album reissues dedicated to uncovering hidden electronic and dance music gems from the overlooked ‘80s and ‘90s South Asian music scene.

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The compilation features future classics from India, Pakistan, the U.K., Canada, Guyana and Suriname released between 1983 and 1992. From East-West’s dancefloor filler "Can't Face The Night (Club Mix)" to Remo’s balearic masterpiece "Jungle Days" (off his seminal album Bombay City!) to other disco, synth-pop, and balearic dancefloor bangers from artists like Babla & His Orchestra, Sheila Chandra, Bappi Lahiri and Asha Puthli to name a few, this double album includes highly sought after, previously never reissued and otherwise impossible to find grails.

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The double album has been mastered by multi Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt at his mastering studio The Carvery and includes some killer reworks by Naya Beat co-founders Turbotito and Ragz. Founded by former Poolside member Filip Nikolic (Turbotito) and DJ and record collector Raghav Mani (Ragz), Naya Beat (loosely translated from Hindi as “New Beat”) is building on the success of seminal South Asian dance and electronic reissues like Rupa Disco Jazz and Charanjit Singh’s iconic Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat.

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Turbotito and Ragz have spent years digging for records in the most unusual places, from the crowded and dusty markets of New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai to the Guyanese corner shops in Jamaica, Queens, to the Surinamese record stores in Amsterdam and the South Asian communities of London and Birmingham. They have amassed an exceptionally deep treasure trove of dance and groove-based music that has never been reissued. – Bandcamp

“Garrett III is more of a swan project. A final installment, if you will. Garrett is now retreating more deeply, as evident by the album cover by @GangCulture into obscurity. The time has come for a landing via this 3rd installment of his ‘private life’. After surviving a lockdown x worldwide pandemic in 1 piece, without going insane, he has finally decided 2 conclude this phase of his tightrope walk between lush Ambient touched Modern-Funk & the choice of no vocals / strictly instrumental aural experiences, for listeners of all hues, backgrounds & taste. The hope is that it’s enjoyed in whatever way feasible for all human (& alien) kind.” – Music From Memory

With their first LP in over three years, Californian psych-dub duo Peaking Lights offer an outlet from the mundane with a kaleidoscopic collection of lo-fi, escapist-electronic pop. Over their illustrious twelve-year-plus career, the husband and wife duo of Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis have set themselves apart with their characteristic dreamy, and melancholic sound that blends together elements of dub, and delicate-but-quirky electronics. E S C A P E, Peaking Light’s sixth album, and first for Dekmantel, finds them at their finest, replete with atmospheric landscapes crafted out of homemade-percussive loops, that sit alongside wondrous electronic pop and krautrock-like hooks, all tied together by Indra Dunis’ composed and hypnotic vocal charm.

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Now based out in Amsterdam, and having firmly established themselves on Dekmantel with their 2018 EP Sea of Sand, Coyes and Dunis’ unique brand of indie-synthwave yet further explores their ongoing delve into transcendental, psychedelic music. With E S C A P E, the production duo illustrate their pragmatic use of instrumentation and dubbing to create more heady and celestial avant-pop. From the very outset on opening track ‘Dharma’, the band’s iconic retro-dub aesthetic kicks in, before being accompanied by a litany of drum machines, sweeping compressed effects, and Dunis’ hypnotic serene vocals. Coyes, somewhat of a connoisseur and collector of varying studio gear adopts his steadfast dynamic approach to production, playing with new mixing techniques, tape loops, compression and effects throughout. It’s this freedom to indulge, and create new instruments, processes and sounds that have made Peaking Lights unique; an ever-present industriousness that characterises E S C A P E, whether it be on the deep textures of ‘Change Always Comes’, to the cathartic 80s pre-rave-wave of ‘The Damned’.

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E S C A P E is a vibrant moment full of multi-spectral melodies crafted in an aesthetic the group have excelled in and made their own; a style exemplified by their breakout 2011 LP 936. And throughout E S C A P E, whether it’s on the esoteric ‘Eyes Alive’ to the mesmerising beach rhythms of ‘Dreams’, Peaking Lights’ rich and reverberated sonic palette shines through. For both dreamers and dancers alike, the latest offering to Peaking Lights’ illustrious catalogue is a true mind-expanding and fantastical listen full of passion and catharsis. – Bandcamp

Acid bass, slow funk and cosmic energy make for a mind expanding trip in the Liquid Canoe.

Load up on edibles, make it a macro-dose and let the music lead the way.

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Whether you’re hard at work on a Hamburg allotment, basking in the heat of a Balinese beach or enjoying the cool waters of the Salish Sea, remember that the same sky stretches over all of us. And if you forget your finger for a minute and soak in the heavenly beauty instead, you might just catch the cosmic vibrations of Liquid Canoe, the latest members of the Growing Bin family.

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A loose ensemble, Liquid Canoe is the brainchild of Wolfgang Matthes, a lost Angelino who’s swapped the rush and push of a mega city for the space of the Pacific Northwest - and listening to this eight track offering, you’ll realise that space is the place. Armed with an array of vintage synths and programmed rhythms, Wolfgang sketched out a slew of inter dimensional transmissions, inspired by the commune electronics and space rock of 70s Germany and inhabited by the spirit of the boogie. Inviting friends to drop by and lend their own instrumental skill, Wolfgang quickly turned Liquid Canoe into a true collaboration. Finalised in a converted stable on Galiano Island, the LP is a perfect marriage of the electronic and organic, shimmering arps and spheric synth bass intertwined with American primitive guitar, nuanced hand percussion and glassy chimes. As this mind expanding collection stretches out towards infinity, you’ll hear Floyd-ian funk, cosmic dub, tangerine daydreams and micro-dosed ambience, all imbued with the memories of New York lofts, Bay Area warehouses, skyscraping pines or the world wide web of fungi. Liquid Canoe taking you on an oarsome trip.

(Patrick Ryder)– Bandcamp

Dva is a return to the music of her roots, a triumph of keenly felt and brilliantly expressed reflections of oppression and freedom, be it political, sexual or artistic. Dva is an exploration of self-expression and sound, taking dark dub pop, sound design inspirations and melding them with classical music of her upbringing, taking Emika's production a giant step forward. – Ninja Tune

.gif have earned critical comparison to the likes of Bjork, Yukimi Nagano, The xx and Portishead, but the illustrious pair have managed to retain a fresh and unique dynamic to their chimerical sound, one that proved so compelling that the pair began filling a void of their own making within the Singaporean music scene. 

Following the acclaim of their past releases, .gif's sophomore LP HAIL NOTHING still showcases the haunting vocals, deft lyricism and obsidian production that has become their distinctive sound. The album is named after a line in Ernest Hemingway' s A Clean Well Lighted Place - "Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee." 

The duo digs deeper on HAIL NOTHING; an ode to chaos and nothingness, a love song to the void. Expanding on their synth-driven soundscapes, haunting vocals and poignant lyrics, the album also features guests Bani Haykal and Usaama Minhas. 

The Analog Vault is supremely honoured to be working with .gif for their first-ever vinyl release on TAV Records. 

DJ, record label impresario and former Swedish champion b-boy, Mad Mats knows a thing or two about finding good music. As well as iconic underground imprints Raw Fusion and GAMM, Mad Mats is a partner in the highly regarded Local Talk label, making it highly probable that most of the world’s influential DJs have at least one of his discoveries in their record bags.

For his first compilation on BBE, Mats has put together a diverse selection of cuts; from reggae, hip hop and soul to boogie, electronica and house, reflecting his open-minded approach to DJing. “The compilation is very mixed, just like how I like to DJ...all freestyle. Yes, I play a lot of house clubs nowadays because of Local Talk, but at heart I've always been a so called "eclectic" selector. Most of these tracks are tunes I’ve played all over the years, sprinkled with some brand new discoveries.”

Coming from a strictly vinyl background, when Mats embraced Serato around 2005, he carried his crate digger’s mentality with him. Believing firmly that digging should always about the discovery of great music regardless of the format, the concept of ‘Digging Beyond The Crates’ was born.

Ranging far and wide in terms of genre and tempo, the album is tied together by one common factor; this is feel-good music made for dancing. “I'm just as hungry (probably even more so) to find my personal gems as I was back in the day, I just look for them with more variation. This album is dedicated to those select few individuals, just like myself: highly driven music lovers, collectors and DJs that truly are DIGGING BEYOND THE CRATES!” – BBE on Bandcamp

As the title suggests, Magnetic Syndromes is the sonic description of a life filled with unpredictable changes, carved out from the lens intensive view of Gypsy Mamba’s life. It can also be seen outside of the artist, defining the inner conflicts many conquer in their lifetime. Gypsy Mamba finds a battleground between the darkness and the light in Magnetic Syndromes. A unique music environment where tracks fluctuate between the frenetic and the subdued. It’s all pulled off with a wild array of colors and rhythms that can’t be associated to any other artist. - Alpha Pup Records

Drew Lustman leaves his ‘Falty DL’ persona at the door and dons his Cowboy hat for a new alter ego - ‘The Crystal Cowboy’ - his cleanest, most concise record to date.

The eleven tracks here are a body of work that Drew put together quickly, free of the connotations and associations of his Falty DL moniker. Creating music in the small hours of the morning rejuvenated his sense of experimentation and freedom. Under this new name Drew found himself making the kind of music he would DJ with or play to friends without the pressure of the conceptual weighing him down. Like all great projects between Planet Mu and Mr. Lustman, these songs found themselves in Mike Paradinas' inbox with little fanfare, letting the music speak for itself. The album often uses the speed or tropes of hardcore and drum & bass, assembling tracks a bit like lego, but adding in Drew’s own almost opaque elements of sophisticated soul and funk to give the roughness some melodic light and emotional pull.

The album opens with ‘Watch A Man Die’ which relives memories of mid-nineties drum & bass, weaving delicate melodies and smooth strings into brisk latticed drums. ‘Time Machine‘ is a stab-heavy recall of hardcore, with reverbed animal calls giving the track a humid jungle feel. ‘Angel Flesh's‘ delicate looped soul voices blend into a gaseous haze over jazzy drums, while ‘Green Technique’ layers intense beat and synth loops into a dark and disorienting vortex. ‘Wolves’ is Drew's melodic take on dub techno building crunchy, rolling drums and shivery chords into one of the albums many highlights. Placed at the albums midpoint, ‘Hyena’ takes a broken diva vocal and repeats it into an intense howl, leading into the title track whose carefully poised rhodes jazz chords and vocals are balanced against rough hardcore breaks and dense distorting bass which makes you feel like your bouncing on water. Drew takes things slower with ‘Onyx’ which featuring the rapper Le1f’s first ever sung vocals, over xylophone and light raindrop rhythms. The album finishes on the pumping electro of ‘Sykle’ whose itchy overexcited rhythms rub up against plaintive childlike piano and shimmering synths making it one of the album's most memorable highlights.

"The Crystal Cowboy asks the listener to lose themselves and any inhibitions they may have as he takes the time to hold your hand and lead you through his thrilling and immersive wonderland. Good night and good luck." 

Belt up for a mind-altering journey through time and space stopping by Japanese enka, 8-bit psychedelica and mutated digi dub on this genre-defying long player from King Midas Sound’s Kiki Hitomi and Jahtari bossman disrupt.

Born in Assam, Gauhati, in Northeast India, but currently based in New York’s storied borough of Brooklyn, jitwam spent his formative years in New Zealand and Australia, before living in monasteries in Thailand, orphanages in South Africa, and washed out apartments in London. Of everywhere and nowhere, his music draws influence from a litany of iconoclasts including, but not limited to RD Burman, Moondog, The Velvet Underground, Yayoi Kusama, Jay Electronica, Jay Dilla, Moodymann, Leon Thomas, Madlib and Asha Bhosle.

Across the album he utilises knowledge acquired through years spent digging through dusty crates, and talents honed as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist. A series of stumbling, jazz/soul-rooted beat sculptures, each buried beneath a haze of fuzzy psychedelia, broken microphone blues, and articulated through a freestyled process he describes as “first thought, best thought”, ज़ितम सिहँ solidifies jitwam's spot as a major emerging talent.

Recalling the fourth world dreamscapes explored by oddball songwriters like Connan Mockasin, Clarence Clarity, Jai Paul, Silicon, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, it represents a time of transition and remembrance for jitwam, while still fulfilling the core qualities he looks for in song. In his words, “Music is a refuge. A shelter from the storm. A place you can go to close your eyes.” – Jitwam | Bandcamp

Brute is the second studio album of Kuwait musician Fatima Al Qadiri. A protest album inspired by events such as the 2015 Baltimore protests and the Ferguson unrest, the album regards the authoritarian power of law enforcement in the United States and the illusion of democracy existing in the western part of the world. Its cover art by Josh Kline, Babok Radboy, and Joerg Lohse is a photograph of one of the "police teletubbies" found in Kline's art piece "Freedom," which was intended to present how civil rights were being destroyed in the 21st century. Brute features samples of the Ferguson protest, an MSNBC report of Occupy Wall Street by Lawrence O'Donnell, and an interview with a former member of the LAPD regarding the power of the police. - Wiki

Released by Hyperdub in March 2016, Brute garnered significant media coverage for its unique political message and was listed in the "Top Ten Protest Albums Of 2016" by Shadowproof, where Kevin Gosztola described it as "the kind of album that will carry even more resonance in the era of President Donald Trump."

Coastlines are a new production unit formed by DJ/ Producer, Masanori Ikeda and keyboard player from the group, cro-magnon, Takumi Kaneko. In 2018 and early 2019, they made their debut releasing, 2 well received and quickly sold out 7" singles from Flower Records. Although both Masanori and Takumi are renowned for being active in the Japanese dance music scene for many years, they also work together to produce music for video works and that is where their Coastlines project was born. Their musical vision is focused on creating a laid back, for listening, modern library music-like musical sceneries that one can imagine a beautiful & breathtaking "coastline". On top of the down tempo, balearic, jazz fusion and other various musical vibes that Masanori creates, Takumi layers his beautiful, melodic keyboard solos to grand effect. Coastline’s music is all about presenting, a joyous, relaxing, summery soundtrack for everyone's after hours wind down. – Bandcamp