Scan 7

Romanian composer and DJ, Ada Kaleh, reveals a more intricate and textured side to his compositional dexterity, releasing a new album ‘Nodus Tollens’ on the legendary ambient label, Apollo Records. Composed and recorded between 2010 and 2020, ‘Nodus Tollens’ finds Ada Kaleh departing from the confines of minimal house and techno, and instead exploring the many facets of ambient electronica and minimalism. Drawing inspiration from minimalist artists such as Steve Reich and Terry Riley, four expansive compositions are offered up, each one transcending the boundaries of dance music dogma, and focusing on natural free-form rhythms; meditative and healing frequencies intertwine with special textures, resulting in soothing psychedelia. Questioning the linear nature of time, each production guides the listener though whirling soundscapes, DMT realms and time loops, creating an aural safe space in which to explore. Propelled by a passion for 60’s & 70’s spiritual jazz, afro-beats and other psychedelic inducing textures, Ada Kaleh describes these musical endeavours as Quantum Techno. Across two slabs of 12” vinyl, and four distinct passages and states of time (Future, Past, Present and Entropy), ‘Nodus Tollens’ is a seamless listening experience that heralds the development of the composer’s musical journey, which has to date afforded magnetic releases for labels like Dialogue, Rawax, R&S Records and his very own Ada Kaleh Romania imprint. Sleeve artwork on thew album comes courtesy of the super talented artist Anca Popa, now based in Cape Town after a move from her native Romania.

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Apollo / R&S are delighted to welcome back The Primitive Painter, aka the duo of Roman Flügel and Jörn Elling Wuttke for a timely reissue of their 1994 lost classic self-titled album of sonorous IDM

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Apollo are delighted to welcome Steve Legget & Mark Hand to the fold with their lush new single ‘If You Cannot Try’ featuring the dulcet vocals of Greg Blackman. Originally released as an uplifting bumping house track on Ramrock Records Blackman sent the stems of the release to longtime collaborator Steve Legget for a rework. Legget tore the original to pieces, deconstructing it into a much more ambiguous form. ”I’ve never been a fan of a chorus in a song,” Legget muses. "I like songs that are not direct that leave room for your imagination - Mark and I ended up building a new song around the texture of the original.” Hand and Legget met in the early 90s at the Northern College of Art in Middlesbrough, and have collaborated at various times in the intervening years, through a shared love of Detroit techno, experimental electronic music, jazz and funk. Their creative process involves sending audio files back and forth - “The release was written in collaboration over the internet Greg in Colchester, Mark in Hartlepool, and me in St Albans." Hand added spaced out textures and riffs from his collection of vintage Fender Rhodes and classic synths - taking the track into sunny space funk realms that comes on like a lost release from joe Claussell’s Spiritual Life label or Basic Channel jamming with Herbie Hancock. Using their new version as the seed - Hand decided to try his own ’Teesside Techno’ version - "I wanted to give the track more of a 'machine funk' vibe with my rework” he explains. “I generally like to work by jamming with hardware - the bass line is generated by triggering the arp on my Juno 6..using triggers from a TR606 kick drum and hats replaced by a TR909.. the result being more of a jackin' electronic funk mutation!" This continuing game of musical pass the parcel has indeed born some juicy fruit - as Legget summarises "Our version started as a rework, but then Mark's is a rework of the rework, its all very meta!"

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Apollo Records present a masterpiece of ambience and beyond – ‘Calypso’ – the stunning new album by Venetian maestro Gigi Masin. The LP is inspired by the mythical Greek island of Ogygia and its alleged real life counterpart Gavdos – also known unofficially as Calypso – a place of extreme beauty, which upon visiting had a profound effect on the musician.

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Synkro handpicks three great producers to remix tracks from his ‘Images’ album. Claro Intelecto has been releasing consistently on point deep techno and electro since 2003. His remix is perfectly equipped for dancefloors in 2020. Sad City represents R&S offshoot Meda Fury with a trademark hypnotic beatdown workout and Apollo label mate and collaborator Sieren ramps up the emotions for his remix of the title track.

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Apollo are delighted to welcome the return of Australia duo Albrecht La’Brooy AKA Sean La'Brooy and Alex Albrecht with their blissful new album 'Healesville' recorded in a mud-brick hut on a strawberry crop in the Melbourne countryside.

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Apollo welcome Metalheadz veterans Om Unit AKA Jim Coles and Kid Drama / Jon Convex AKA Damon Kirkham for a 4 track EP of blissed out autonomic dnb. the duo originally met on the DJ circuit, Coles had been a longtime fan of instra:mental, Kirkham's pioneering project with Alex Green AKA Boddika

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Apollo proudly presents the return of SW, joined by partner SVN for a sublime 6 track EP. SW's lush sound design and hypnotic arrangements of 2017’s ’The Album’ had hearts and minds swooning following it’s license from SUED to Apollo. It’s balmy glory won over Pitchfork ('deeply expressive debut album’ 8/10), Rolling Stone (best electronic albums 2017) and XLR8R (Best releases 2017) amongst many others. One year later, SW and SVN have gone into the studio, together; “to make some original music specifically for Apollo. The results are the 6 tracks on this EP,” they share in a typically taciturn statement. Taking inspiration from the iconic house and techno of the mid / late 90s - SW and SVN combine dreamy melodies and mesmeric grooves with unfussy, focussed minimalism, their beguiling, modern take on classic sounds and rhythms remains thrillingly unique and elusive. While SW and SVN are more comfortable out of the limelight, this 6 track EP for Apollo once again proves that they are rightly worthy of the hype that swirls around them.

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An all time classic originally released on the Visions Of The Past album (Apollo 1994). Released on 12” single for the first time. Re-mastered by Matt Colton. Includes a superb new remix/edit from Edward.

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Following the release of Synkro AKA Joe McBride collection of his formative early works earlier this year, Apollo Recordings is proud to present a brand new EP that draws on the rich heritage of library music. Despite having come up during the dubstep era McBride’s music has always resisted easy classification - ‘Hand In Hand’ sees him shift his musical focus in a yet more cinematic direction. McBride explains : "The record was inspired and influenced by my love of electronic 80's UK library records like the Chappell AV series, Bruton, Soundstage & De Wolfe Music library. There’s a lot of synth work that carries on from my album using my trusted Juno-6 / SH101 / JX8P combo with the addition of drum samples via an old akai S2800 I purchased recently. Most sounds I've made from scratch on hardware based on sounds used in the library records I mentioned above along with a few cheeky samples." Synkro's signature expansive atmospherics are still very much present, but now they have been burnished by soaring synth pads and pulsing drum tracks that call to mind the haunted melancholy of John Carpenter or contemporary such as Legowelt or Andy Stott. Rhythmically ‘Hand In Hand’ sees McBride moving somewhat away from his usual off kilter programming inspired by 2-step and garage, embracing the steady pulse of 4:4 which turns out to be an effortless fit.

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A software engineer at Ableton by day, Sieren’s love for UK influenced bass music and field recording and experimental soundscaping resulted in his Apollo debut ‘Static Polymorphism’ a masterly EP of spaced out street-rave soul. Now returning with the five track Ascension EP, Frick has tightened and toughened up his sound somewhat (see the caustic bass glower of ‘Slinger’), augmenting his starry eyed wonder with a firmer percussive underpinning and more driving tempos. However still present are his preternatural grasp of emotion and atmosphere that marked him out as one to watch - perfectly underscored by the heartbreaking beauty of the title track.Fellow Apollo cohort Synkro AKA Joe McBride was instrumental in the curation of Sieren’s debut Static Polymorphism EP on Apollo, hand picking the tracks, as well as road testing them in his DJ sets. This time McBride goes one further, collaborating with Frick on the track ‘Lost You’ to memorable effect - the beautiful pads and ghostly piano are a perfect synergy of their complimentary skill sets. This is richly textured and intricately programmed post-bass music that is sure to satisfy fans of Burial, dBridge, Akkord with its soulful sincerity and warmth.

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Apollo proudly presents a full release of the stunning debut album released by SW. SW's lush sound design and hypnotic arrangements nestles snugly alongside the classic 90’s Apollo releases of Biosphere and Robert Leiner in all their balmy glory. Originally issued on vinyl only via SW’s own SUED imprint, this Apollo re-release represents something of a coup in that it’s the first of the label’s music to ever be presented digitally. As a label, SUED has formed a reputation for releasing some of the most vital and sought after contemporary dance-floor vinyl, from both SW and SVN, as well as collaborations and comradeship with other analogue obsessed auteurs such as Dynamo Dreesen (who teams up with SVN as Dresvn), DJ Sotofett, DJ Fett Burger, PG Sounds and Club No-No, AKA Snorre Magnar Solberg. Ensconced in his studio in South West Germany, SW creates in isolation, exploring textures, dreamy melodies and mesmeric grooves within laid back 4/4 structures. ‘The Album’ was the first time anyone had experienced his music over a long player format and allowed SW to delve deeper into his influences. In addition to the aforementioned sublime electronica 'The Album’ also takes its cues from the iconic house and techno of the mid / late 90s - SW manages to fuse these influences together to create a beguiling, modern take on classic sounds and rhythms that remains thrillingly unique and elusive. Resident Advisor bestowed a rare 4.5 out of 5 on the record, describing it as ‘a lesson in how to put together a dance music album' Despite his comfort residing in the shadows, SW’s stunning debut album richly deserves the exposure that this broader release on Apollo should rightfully bestow.

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Apollo proudly welcomes the return of Gacha Bakradze (now recording under his full given name) to the fold with the ‘We Must Be Woods' EP, five stunning tracks which represent his finest work since his debut Apollo LP ‘Send Two Sunsets’ in 2015. This has already been a great 2017 for Bakradze, with stellar releases on Fort Romeau’s Cin Cin label and his own Transfigured Time imprint. Georgia born Bakradze’s music is a cinematic combination of beguiling melodies, exotic instrumentation and oceanic drones. Crafted in the autumn of 2016 ‘We Must Be Woods' sees a maturation and deepening of his sound - deftly programmed rhythms on vintage drum machines, eastern percussion and breakbeats underpin aching synth pads and gooey sub bass. Bakradze explores a range of tempos and moods, playing and recording kalimba, guitar and piano, weaving them into a captivating aural narrative which manages to both soothe and stimulate the imagination. Gacha’s ability to effortlessly fuse the the warm chords of Detroit techno and UK bass sounds with the dense atmospherics of shoe gaze, and the crumbling, analogue euphoria of krautrock is only growing with each release and should set expectations sky high for his forthcoming LP on Apollo later in 2017.=

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Apollo proudly presents the ‘All The Keys Are Here’ EP, Sebastian Mullaert’s beguiling debut on the label following collaborations with Mathew Jonson, Eitan Reiter, Aril Brikha and Ulf Eriksson, as well as releases for Hypercolour, Drumcode, Mule Musiq and Kontra Musik. While most well-known historically for his widescreen melodic techno as one half of Minilogue, Mullaert’s compositions for ‘All The Keys Are Here’ draw on a lusher, more organic palette of sounds, thrumming with intimate inner vibrations. Originating from piano based improvisations, these four musical excursions embrace simplicity through repetition and sparse arrangements that make for an ecstatic, enveloping listening experience.and French horn). Indeed two of the tracks featured on ‘All The Keys Are Here’; “Every Moment I Am” and “Earth Blossom” were part of the concert repertoire. ‘All The Keys Are Here's shimmering sonic panoramas perfectly summarise this exciting new chapter in Sebastian Mullaert’s ongoing musical journey and partnership with Apollo.

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Apollo proudly presents the debut from Haramia Tapes, a new mysterious side project from renowned Hungarian electronic music producer Laurine Frost. More usually known for his refined techno sensibilities, Frost has packed 'Pfunk’ with deftly programmed rhythmic structures and infused it with low slung bass and jazzy textures that make for a sumptuous, enveloping listening experience, ideal for fans of Nonkeen, Jazzanova or Leftfield. Pfunk' contains seven unique beat sessions - smooth funk, crossed with unique broken rhythms, live drums, bass and found sounds - shot through with cinematic melancholy. From the elegiac piano of opener ‘I Am You’ to the twisted drunken breaks of ‘Pfunk’ to the cooled out percussion and spaced atmospheres of ‘Hail’, or the moody spy-movie atmospherics of Farewell Four - this is an album that traverses a variety of moods and textures, effortlessly fusing traditional instrumentation with modern electronics and a perfect addition to Apollo’s beguiling canon of mellowed out grooves.

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Following Synkro AKA Joe McBride 2015’s stellar debut album ‘Changes’, Apollo Recordings is proud to present a collection of his formative early works. This 12” sampler follows the 17 track album which was released on CD and digital formats only. The A-side contains three tracks from the 2CD set and the B-side has three tracks from this period that are previously unreleased but that are in high demand amongst Synkro fans.

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Apollo / R&S are proud to present a compilation album of a series of classic EPs of timeless vibes and lush percussive excursions from overlooked Japanese innovator Mr YT AKA Yuji Takenouchi. The 'Brand New Day’, ‘Southern Paradise’ and ‘Parfum’ Eps were originally release between 1997 - 1998 on Apollo Records and R&S sub-labels Generations and Global Cuts. Over the intervening years, the EPs' heady blend of atmospheric pressure, balmy pads and deep grooves has percolated, gathering fans across the globe, to the point where original copies are in high demand on the secondhand market. Created in the late 90s on a hardware set up of Roland Super Jupiter, Roland JV1080, Roland D550, Yamaha TX81Z and Akai S1100, Takenouchi was burning with inspiration from the sounds of Ron Trent and Chez Damier, Basic Channel, House of 909, Ian Pooley and Carl Craig.

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Strong EP of emotive electronics from Belgian wunderkind on Apollo AMyn AKA Niels Blondeel delivers a 7 track bumper collection of his singular song craft - combining aching melodies with lush, expansive production and sound design. Self taught with a heavy emphasis on sound design and atmospherics, Blondeel’s acclaimed initial dancefloor explorations soon found a more natural fit in the introspective tracks herein, and a perfect compliment on the Apollo roster, nestling alongside the likes of Synkro. The fruits of his labour are now richly delivered on the ‘Best Heard..’ EP. Combining a cinematic sensibility with melancholic harmonics is Amyn’s true gift - witness the slow burn percussive pulse of the opener and title track - winsome vox cruise over the richly woven blanket of synth chords, and gently clanking sound design perc building to a fluttering climax. Other highlights include the desiccated minimal funk of ‘Side Of Golden You’ - soul-burning chords and hazy vocal tones bounce atop the bumping rhythm track, and majestic collab ‘Youniverse’ featuring the dulcet vocals of Alex Nelos, set against AMyn’s shimmering soundscape of synths and percussion. Closing track ‘Turn’ is perhaps the thematic core of the record - an epic electronic torch song, all yearning vocals and skying prophet chords that manages to conjure grandstanding emotion without resorting to needless bombast. Blondeel is always refining his sound - his only goal to evoke emotions through musical storytelling, it’s clear that on that level the ‘Best Heard In Shadows’ EP is a resounding success.

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Apollo introduce Sieren, AKA Matthias Frick. A software engineer at Ableton by day, Sieren’s love for UK influenced bass music and field recording and experimental soundscaping has resulted in this masterly EP of atmospheric street-rave soul. This is his first release since his debut LP ‘Transients of Light’, released earlier this year on Christian Loffler’s Ki records. Fittingly, fellow Apollo cohort Synkro was instrumental in the curation of the Static Polymorphism EP - hand picking the tracks, as well as road testing them to memorable effect on Berghain’s hallowed system no less. ’Neglection’ opens the release, with billowing widescreen pads, a ghostly 2-step drum figure and pulsing subs, ‘Rebase’ ratchets up the intensity, with sinister bass drones punctuated by strafing perc and hissing ambiance while ‘Relicts’’s angelic yet melancholic atmosphere pulls the listener in with heart-aching synth washes and whispered female vocals. Closer ‘How To’ pairs mechanistic slo-mo funk with caustic 808 kicks, muttered vox and juddering bass stabs. This is richly textured and intricately programmed post-bass music that is sure to satisfy fans of Burial, dBridge, Akkord with its soulful sincerity and warmth.

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Lahun is a brand new signing to Apollo Records. He previously remixed Milch from Lakker on R&S Records. As well as being a skilful musician and producer he is also a handy DJ who joins the dots between Marvin Gaye, Innerzone Orchestra, Theo Parrish and Jay Dilla - all artists you can hear as influences on this debut EP. Slow Love featuring Sara Garvey opens the EP and signals the intent of Lahun to deliver timeless, soulful music of the highest order. Garvey’s beautiful vocals work perfectly on the dreamy, shuffling sunset beats. Lahun calls in another guest on Mystic Jam Hands with JD73 lending the mystic fingers on Rhodes and synths. Crisp drums and orchestral strings set the scene for another one the head nodders can get lost in. Siriusly and Nana Chan bump up the tempo and bring Lahun’s love of Detroit techno and broken beat to the surface. These are both heavy tracks that orbit the outer limits of the dance and could carry a 12” on their own.

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Following his EPs 'Remember' ("Music of deep intrigue, cloaked in an atmospheric fog" - Resident Advisor) and 'When The Watchman Saw The Light', Gacha returns to Apollo Records with another contemplative and composed record, his debut album 'Send Two Sunsets'. The album spans many moods and textures - the sparse pads of opening/closing tracks 'Abandoned City' and 'Blue Distance', soothing static of 'Waterfall' and guitar work.

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The Passage was one of the first releases released on Apollo in 1992 and the three tracks stand as some of Juan Atkins finest and most under rated music. Re-mastered by Matt Colton and available on limited edition clear vinyl and for the first time as a digital single.

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The first single to be released from the new Cloud Boat album ‘Model Of You’. Praise for their last album, 'Book Of Hours':

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Datassette aka John Davies has been recording music for over a decade, carving out a niche as a respected purveyor of electro and electronica. He's recorded and self-released an impressive discography from CD-R, net-labels and small independents, but it was his album for Ai Records in 2008 that first brought him to our attention. He's also remixed the likes of Röyksopp, Mark Archer and Al Tourettes. Datassette continues Apollo's tradition of releasing rich, musical electronica and follows on nicely from classic releases from the likes of Robert Leiner, Biosphere, David Morley and Andrea Parker. The four tracks on this varied EP explore classic electro sounds with contemporary arrangements, blurring the boundaries of half-step rhythms. Part 1 of Cagney XOR Lacey has an almost jazzy feel with the bassline having free rein to wander. Part 2 uses similar micro-sampled vocals, but moves along at a more head nodding pace that recalls Klavierwerke era James Blake if he had been brought up on Drexciya rather than Mala. Helvetica Calcium is probably the most DJ friendly cut. Proper Electrofunk with seriously heavy bass and some 8bit rave pianos bounced in from 1992. Vacuform finishes things off in classic Electro style on a 1980's Sheffield / Düsseldorf axis.

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Gacha is a young artist originally from Georgia, now operating in Berlin, this second EP for Apollo Records is an excellent six tracker that fits the Apollo chillout manifesto perfectly. His music is a cinematic, glacial mix of beautiful melodies, treated guitars and tender drum programming, and two tracks on this release see him working in tandem with Natalie Beridze who adds her ethereal vocals for standout tracks 'Saysea' and 'Atlas'. Elsewhere on the EP Gacha continues the form of his last EP, working his influences from classic electronica to garage into his trademark deep and atmospheric sound.

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R&S sister label Apollo are very proud to announce a four-track EP from James Leyland Kirby. Mastermind behind arch sonic provocateurs V/Vm as well as the more contemplative The Caretaker and The Stranger, Kirby has been responsible for some of the most unique, subversive and moving electronic music of the past two decades. Following a quiet 2012 and 2013, the EP marks both his Apollo debut and his first release since 2011 under the Leyland Kirby alias - an outlet for his most personal and reflective work. Like 2011's acclaimed Intrigue & Stuff series, its four tracks flit between moods, from gorgeous, skin-prickling surges of ambience to cryptic rhythms and intricate, jazzy techno. As with all of his Leyland Kirby music, they're played in a manner so tactile and reflexive as to seem like direct reflections of his thoughts and memories. The melancholic drift of 'Breaks My Heart Each Time' builds to an dense, harrowingly beautiful climax, while 'Last Ditch Legacy' strafes a watery beat with blast upon blast of overdriven fuzz. 'Diminishing Emotion' strips away everything save soft synthlines that trace glowing arcs through an otherwise silent world.

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Close your eyes and breathe deeply with this one, as Synkro returns for his third release on Apollo with four new productions of affecting, midnight electronica. Joe McBride's ear for inimitable melodies has always fit his intricate percussion patterns like a glove. On the Lost Here EP, however, the Synkro project has been elevated to a new level with subtle flourishes of pop structure and two standout vocal performances by Robert Manos. Lost Here ascends to the clouds, hovering on cavernous chords that wrap Manos' words in a cocoon of eyes-down emotion as scissoring rhythms flit underneath. Touching down again, In My Arms calls on circadian rhythms and oscillating layers of synthesizer to create a dreamlike environment, isolating Manos' song in an antechamber of space and sound. The B side slinks in with a playful bass riff on Nights of Pleasure, underpinning celestial waves of chimes, tones, and chords before Fading Lights suspends each element in zero-gravity as a pure, heat-treated distillation of the Synkro sound.

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Makoto returns to Apollo with the Primitive EP. As he builds his fast-paced style into a leaner, more aggressive manifestation of the soulful Makoto sound, it quickly becomes clear that no one genre or signifier can fully describe this new collection of five tracks, from the rampant tribal ideology of "Primitive" through the freestyle explorations of "Ritual."

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Kasket (aka Charlie Baldwin) returns to Apollo with his second EP. Warm Regards, a collection of four songs left to simmer with traces of ambient, jazz, and dance rhythms, opens in dramatic fashion with a majestic title track of billowing synths and plaintively struck chords that serves as an ideal introduction to Kasket's most realised work yet. "Give It A Name" continues the evolution of swirling piano, soft-hued synths and live percussion at a markedly faster tempo, punctuated by sweeping trumpet lines that give the song a cinematic sheen. The mood lightens with the playful, elastic bounce of "Bad Connection", Kasket's most ambitious exercise in syncopated jazz improvisation yet. Ascending keys ripple over a strutting double bass into loose, free-form territory until "Between Sleep and Dreams" concludes the EP with a symphonic flourish that utilises strings, acoustic drums, and digital filters to create a track of refined emotional power. A stirring closer to Warm Regards that demands repeated listens, this closing song allows the listener to fully appreciate the grand scope of Kasket's latest release in his progression from the dancefloor to somewhere new entirely

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Apollo collect rare highlights and new productions from the desk of Moscow's premier deep house producer. Disc 1 is drenched with the luscious 'Water', his rugged 'Road Trip Song' and the spectral original, 'Fade To What' from his Ethereal Sound releases; Disc 2 features 'Miles and More' from the C.O.M.E compilation on Fred P's Soul People Music label, plus the exclusive beatdown number 'Funky Man' on side A, backed with one of our favourite A. Zap cuts, 'Captain Storm' from his eponymous debut on Underground Quality circa 2008, and finally the beautiful ambient house patter of 'Miniature'.

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Germany
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Apollo Records are proud to announce the hotly anticipated debut album from Nadine Shah. Recorded with and produced by Ben Hillier, (Blur, Depeche Mode, The Horrors), Having set the tone and incredible pace over the past 12 months with two critically acclaimed EPs 'Dreary Town' and 'Aching Bones', Love Your Dum and Mad not only continues to mark Nadine as an emerging talent but offers a complete, beautifully formed artistic statement. Of Norwegian and Pakistani ancestry and hailing from the north east town of Whitburn, this young London based artist's compositions lean towards the dramatic, with all 11 tracks finding themselves imbued with an understated unease, a deep personal connection to their author and a real triumphant streak beneath the darker hued material. Musically, she is reminiscent of early Bad Seeds material and the bruised honesty of a sheen-less Broken English by Marianne Faithful. Vocally, Nadine counts her inspirations as Nina Simone and Maria Callas by way of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, while lyrically her classic tales of love and loss find their roots in personal experiences, filtered through abstracts of William Hogarth, and Frida Kahlo. Nadine has taken these influences and has created a work which blends her rich and husky classic jazz streak with fantastical, organic instrumentation and the twisted industrial sounds of modern life

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Apollo Records are proud to announce the hotly anticipated debut album from Nadine Shah. Recorded with and produced by Ben Hillier, (Blur, Depeche Mode, The Horrors), Having set the tone and incredible pace over the past 12 months with two critically acclaimed EPs 'Dreary Town' and 'Aching Bones', Love Your Dum and Mad not only continues to mark Nadine as an emerging talent but offers a complete, beautifully formed artistic statement. Of Norwegian and Pakistani ancestry and hailing from the north east town of Whitburn, this young London based artist's compositions lean towards the dramatic, with all 11 tracks finding themselves imbued with an understated unease, a deep personal connection to their author and a real triumphant streak beneath the darker hued material. Musically, she is reminiscent of early Bad Seeds material and the bruised honesty of a sheen-less Broken English by Marianne Faithful. Vocally, Nadine counts her inspirations as Nina Simone and Maria Callas by way of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, while lyrically her classic tales of love and loss find their roots in personal experiences, filtered through abstracts of William Hogarth, and Frida Kahlo. Nadine has taken these influences and has created a work which blends her rich and husky classic jazz streak with fantastical, organic instrumentation and the twisted industrial sounds of modern life

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Apollo Records are proud to announce the hotly anticipated debut album from Nadine Shah. Recorded with and produced by Ben Hillier, (Blur, Depeche Mode, The Horrors), Having set the tone and incredible pace over the past 12 months with two critically acclaimed EPs 'Dreary Town' and 'Aching Bones', Love Your Dum and Mad not only continues to mark Nadine as an emerging talent but offers a complete, beautifully formed artistic statement. Of Norwegian and Pakistani ancestry and hailing from the north east town of Whitburn, this young London based artist's compositions lean towards the dramatic, with all 11 tracks finding themselves imbued with an understated unease, a deep personal connection to their author and a real triumphant streak beneath the darker hued material. Musically, she is reminiscent of early Bad Seeds material and the bruised honesty of a sheen-less Broken English by Marianne Faithful. Vocally, Nadine counts her inspirations as Nina Simone and Maria Callas by way of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, while lyrically her classic tales of love and loss find their roots in personal experiences, filtered through abstracts of William Hogarth, and Frida Kahlo. Nadine has taken these influences and has created a work which blends her rich and husky classic jazz streak with fantastical, organic instrumentation and the twisted industrial sounds of modern life

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Having first hit the scene 15 years ago with 'Night over Manaus', Boozoo Bajou have since gone on to release 3 critically acclaimedalbums on !K7 and Stereo Deluxe, working with the likes of legendary drummer Tony Allen and soul legend Willie Hutch and remixing. Common and Tosca along the way. Stepping up for their debut release on Apollo Records, the Nuremberg duo of Peter Heider and Florian Seyberth have put together a stunning four track EP that draws on their considerable history while simultaneously moving their sound forward. Kodiak kicks off with an incessant pulse, offset with ride cymbals and complex jazz percussion patterns that sound half junk yard, half mad max. The underlying pulse grows in intensity until a break beat kicks in half way through and pushes the track deep into funk territory. Stronsay, which comes on like a piece of mid 70s sci-fi soul - yearning pads underpinning an overdriven beat to fantastic effect. Most ambient of all the tracks on display is Stufen-Spitzbergen, which marries a menacing synth bass to a funeral march beat with the result an epic filmic piece of music that transports the listener into the richly imagined world that Boozoo Bajou inhabit.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Exclusive to this release is an excellent remix of Wanderlust by Old Apparatus [Sullen Tone].

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Embodying the spirit that has imbued Apollo with a fresh lease of life since last year’s rebirth, Jack Lever AKA Bering Strait channels a wealth of electronic influence on his debut EP, applying his own natural sense of rhythm and production talent to create purposeful and emotive music. The 21 year old producer from High Peak was brought to the labels attention by Synkro who he collaborates with under the Kiyoko pseudonym. As Bering Strait builds his own brand of organic and ethereal electronica from self recorded instrumentation and field recordings. Interpreting his dreams and observations of his rural surroundings, he drifts from beatless soundscapes to more upbeat movements, employing a dynamism and drive that can be sourced to his origins as a percussionist. Throughout the whole of his Apollo debut Lever retains an impressive restraint, a maturity and sureness of mind that allows him to paint pictures in sound so vivid that they take the listener to a wholly different place each time, a beautiful collection of tracks in it’s own right and a stunning debut that suggests a big future lies ahead for Bering Strait. Tracklisting: 1. Apart 2. Luna 3. Surface 4. Journey 5. Deep Breaths 6. Surya 7. The Sea God

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Eight tracks from one of the world's leading up and coming producers.- Two 12" in a picture sleeve. Initially coming from a background in the musically raucous worlds of 2 Step and Garage, Synkro has, over time, developed a sound that is altogether more introspective, more emotive and more emotionally complex. Stepping up here with his second release on legendary Apollo Records, Synkro delivers eight tracks that - while retaining some of the stutter and swing of Garage, are far more rooted in the textural world of ambient music for which Apollo is famed

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

You would be forgiven if you thought the latest signings to Apollo were a couple of New York or London based hipsters, the music is so fresh. Shadow Child is already well known for his debut Shadow Child EP (which contained the ubiquitous String Thing) dropping on Dirty Bird at the start of 2012, but under other pseudonyms he's has been a well known face on the dance music scene for a while. His co-conspirator on Bordertown, Horx, is also no new-comer and has been involved in the scene since its genesis in the early nineties founding XL Recordings and Positiva.. Kicking off with the deadpan, rapped vocals of TK Wonder and a huge electronic gun-shot like clap, Bordertown immediately signals it's sparse intentions. A stretched, warped synth bass joins the ultra minimal arrangement along with the staccato, quick fire vocal delivery, which serve to drive the whole piece along. This is music for dark and small sweaty clubs. On the first of two remixes, Synkro takes Bordertown into more organic territory, adding deep house pads and replacing the huge synthetic drums hits of the original mix with claps that sit around a slightly swung house rhythm and complemented by a bouncing synth bassline that melds all the syncopation into a coherent floor filler, all the while TK Wonder's vocals riding the rhythm and propelling the track forward. Next up on remix duty is Gacha, fresh from his own debut on Apollo earlier this year. Gacha pushes Bordertown through his own lush atmospheric filters, dispensing with the vocal and instead building up layer upon layer of warm, dubby ambience with only touches of the original shining through the haze. It's a beautiful mix that once again shows Gacha's mastery of the mysterious, early-hours mood. To be so established within the music industry and yet to still have the hunger to make music with the guts, attitude and verve of Bordertown is a sure sign that Shadowchild and Horx are capable of confounding all expectations; what they do next is impossible to predict, but whatever it is, in terms of raw grit and sheer visceral power, Bordertown will take some bettering. Tracklisting: A1 - Bordertown A2 - Bordertown (Gacha remix) B - Bordertown (Synkro edit)

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

With releases on Hypercolour, Brownswood and Tectonic already under his belt and with the massive Ayahuasca / The Root dropping on Exit Records earlier in 2012, it's safe to say that Indigo is an artist who's star is most certainly on the rise. Since his first release back in 2008 on his own label, Mindset Recordings, interest has steadily built in a young producer who refuses to compromise in his approach to music and now Indigo, aka Liam Blackburn, steps up to drop his debut EP on Apollo records. From the very first strains of Sea of Stars, the opening track on the EP, the listener is immersed in Indigo's trademark washed out soundscape of faded sonics and terse atmospherics which immediately draw you into his aural universe. The second track on the EP is Azha opens with a minute and a half of tense ambient noise with flashes of rain and disembodied vocal sounds before a steady kick drum enters the fray, anchoring the track and providing propulsion. Indigo is an expert in the art of the tempered arrangement, creating a tension that feels organic, never forced. Next up is Sunrise, a spooky, mysterious slice of post dubstep with a huge lurching sub bass and scuttling rhythm patterns complemented by chiming arps that have something of the exorcist about them. Sunrise, as with all the tracks here, feels like the soundtrack to a dystopian sci-fi future, imbued with longing but, also, with a strange broken form of hope. The EP closes with Keerthana, a deeply emotional piece, slowed down almost to a stop and with what sounds for all the world like deep sobs providing occasional off-beat percussion, against an intermittent vocal. The sadness is inescapable and embodied in every sound within the track, from the maudlin refrain of the reverb cloaked keys, to the hesitant drum that sounds tired with life. It's a great and unusual thing to hear an artist utilizing all the trappings of modern music production technology and yet creating music so timeless and universal in it's ability to resonate with human emotion. With this EP, Indigo has transcended the confines of musical vogues and fashions and, in doing so, delivered a selection of music that seems set to stand the test of time and live on beyond the ever shortening lifespan of the vast majority of modern music. TRACKLISTING A1. Sea Of Stars A2. Azha B1. Sunrise B2. Keerthana

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Moniker of 22-year-old Brighton based Charlie Baldwin who cites Steve Reich & percussion heavy jazz as main influences for excursions into complex rhythmical territory. Uses found sounds, live drums, synth & vocoder for unearthly beauty. Kasket kicks off the EP with Fallen, and it’s apparent from the off that here is an artist very much ploughing his own unique furrow – the track has a polyrhythmic bounce that veers towards bhangra, tethered by a deep melancholic synth chord sequence and a heavily distorted vocoder. It’s a deeply idiosyncratic piece of music and illustrates immediately that Kasket is emerging as a real ‘voice’, eschewing genres and trends within electronic music to instead pursue his own brightly coloured vision. Following on from Fallen, Kasket eases back into Mia, a piece of low slung, breathy post r&b, that slowly and surely burns into a full blown piano epic – backwards keys and strange reverbs and effects that propel the track towards avant garde territory. Rounding off, we have the title track – Autumn Fades, perhaps the EP’s most dazzling moment, which kicks off sounding like a techno Captain Beefheart before shifting up into a manic bounce: a vivid riot of bass, crisp percussion and impatient drums. Next Kasket introduces a vocoded vocal and wild synths swirls, before dropping the intensity with a beautiful string led breakdown and ending with what sounds like a mournful, synthetic colliery band. TRACK LISTING: 1. Autumn Fades 1. Fallen 2. Mia

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Having first come to prominence in 1999 when he was signed to LTJ Bukem s Good Looking label, Makoto has steadily, consistently carved out his own groove in the world of Drum and Bass, with his trademark expansive jazz and soul-inflected workouts garnering critical praise from all corners. Having worked with a veritable who s who of the scene, with releases on Zinc s Bingo Beats, Fabio s Creative Source and numerous collaborations with DJ Marky, Makoto now releases his first EP on Apollo records. Kicking off with Another Generation, Makoto launches straight into a shimmering, spacy soundscape which he subtly juxtaposes against a rooted, earthy bass line and snappy breakbeats, before taking us on a journey through a twisting cosmos of artfully crafted bubbling, resonating synths, occasionally punctuated and given a human touch by the simple male/female spoken word refrain of Another Generation . Following on from this, Summer Nights retains echoes of Theo Parrish at his most jazz like, and is full of the technical mastery which Makoto has developed through years of sonic experimentation, with an effortlessly light footed arrangement anchoring the dubby synths and funked out breaks and sounding for all the world like a future classic in the making. On the flip, track three entitled 73 is a short study in arpeggios - opening up with a gentle, subtly shifting electric piano, which ebbs and flows as naturally as a river on a calm summers day and showcases Makoto at his reflective, meditative best. Finishing off with Skyline, Makoto heads back to the floor of the nightclub again the track is led by arpeggios, this time crisp and colourfully synthetic and building to a pressurised peak before the drop of sub bass propels the piece into a more visceral, muscular proposition referencing 80s boogie as well as the work of melodic synth pioneers such as Jean Luc Ponty . Again Makoto illustrates his comprehensive understanding of arrangement, reining the track in and letting it run free at just the right moments. TRACK LISTING: 1. Another Generation 2. Summer Nights 3. 73 4. Skyline

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net

Hailing from Georgia Gacha is a young artist who's star is rapidly on the rise, a producer capable of pulling together various strands of electronic music heritage and stitching them artfully together to make a bewitching sound all of his own. This debut release proves to be a perfect match to the slowed down, spaced out ethos at the core of the sound with which Apollo records, the offshoot of R&S records set up and run by Renaat Vandepapeliere, are synonymous. Having learnt to play guitar at the tender age of ten, Gacha began his quest to realize his own innate fragile melodies and harmonies early on, but it wasn't until some years later, in a eureka moment brought about by discovering Boards of Canada's classic ambient work Geogaddi, that he began to really strive to shape his own sound and sonic environment. Adding the MPC and classic Korg synths to his arsenal, Gacha gradually, patiently developed his own signature and his early productions were quickly picked up on by various influential music blogs. Opening here with Remember, Gacha states his intention right from the get go: distorted washed out chords come underpinned with a funeral-march beat and are complemented by a yearning, distorted pitched down vocal sample which injects a sadness and deep soulfulness into the piece. After gently hypnotizing the listener, Gacha proceeds to introduce a hauntingly melodic guitar line and a switching of the beat from slow half step to a complex stutter, illustrating his love for both the rhythms of the hip hop experimentalists and the swing of early Uk garage. B -side Bowl is a heavier proposition, ramping up the distortion and giving wry admiring nods to the masters of Detroit House and the murky half-light of early dubstep. The chords are pure Detroit and the arrangement constantly defies expectation, slipping and twisting this way and that. The whole piece is enveloped in a shroud of mysterious atmosphere, with the merest presence of a vocal appearing momentarily, here and there, from behind Gacha's expertly constructed smokescreen of heavy reverb. With this stellar debut release on Apollo, Gacha, still in his early twenties, shows himself to be fully conversant with a number of styles older than his own tender age: from the dip and swing of Dilla to the ominous, dusty atmospheres of early dubstep, via the textures of Aphex twin and classic Detroit House. TRACKLISTING: A1 - Remember A2 - Bowl

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.net