Artwork and Typography by Stefan Marx

Joe Davies aka DJ Assam makes a welcome return to Smallville following his ‘Shields In Full Sunlight’ LP with the ‘Pardon My Late Response’ EP.

The past decade has seen DJ Assam releasing material for the likes of (his own imprint) Lehult, that he runs with a few friends, KANN Records, Super Tuff and Smallville Records sub-label Down by the Lake, as well as Djing regularly at hotspots across Europe and beyond.

Last year he made his debut on Smallville appearing under his own name- Joe Davies with a long player project. Here he returns with more of his distinctive deep and hypnotic style on a new EP for Smallville.

Up first on the package is ‘Errol Dub’, a six minute journey traversing through bouncy bass tones, airy chords, crisp shuffled percussion and modulating synth lines before ‘Unknown’ dives deeper via a reduced rhythm section, acid synth bleeps, soft bell tones and subtly naunced atmospherics. Opening the flip-side ‘1234 Love’ captures a more raw aesthetic with saturated drums at its core while an amalgamation of modulating synth licks and ethereal pads ebb and flow throughout. The Frankfurt Mix of ‘Hi Life’, known from Joe's mesmerizing Smallville album, rounds out the release, journeying into dub territory courtesy of spiralling echoes and slowly unfurling chords underpinned by a bumpy off-kilter drum groove.

Tracklist:

A1 Errol Dub
A2 Unknown
B1 1234 Love
B2 Hi Life (Frankfurt Mix)


All tracks written, produced and mixed by Joe Davies, additional production on B2 by Ossia, Vocals on B2 by Ocker
Mastering by Helmut Erler, Vinyl Cut by Lathesville

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World excluding Japan

2024 repress

LP Format Notes:
First re-issue since its original release in Japan in 1983, remastered from the original masters, 140g vinyl, gatefold sleeve, 16 page photography book with liner notes.


LP Track List:

A1 : Blue Beach - Welcome To Your Beach
A2 : Never Find A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)
A3 : By The Pool
A4 : Roll Over, Beethoven - Out Of The Beach
A5 : In The Shade
A6 : Looking Across The Street
A7 : Long Distance Look

B1 : Hot Afternoon
B2 : Crying In The Sun
B3 : The Next Time
B4 : Miss B.B. Walks Away
B5 : Sleep Walk
B6 : Standing There

Release Notes:

For the first time since its inception 36 years ago, Steve Hiett’s elusive Down On The Road By The Beach is finally made available outside of Japan. Most recognized in the fashion sphere as an English photographer and graphic designer, Hiett‘s transportive audio portraits amplify his serpentine guitar to the infinite blue, recorded across Paris, Tokyo and New York with no coastline in sight. Now widely celebrated as a desert island disc, very little is actually known of its unfathomable genesis.

A career devotee of Brian Wilson’s ground breaking harmonies, Hiett shot The Beach Boys for Rolling Stone - as well as The Doors, Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix (in one of his final performances at the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival) - while establishing himself as a fashion photographer. Decamping to Paris in 1972, he began what would become 20-year collaborations with Vogue Paris and Marie Claire, printing his signature warm, saturated and vibrantly hued snapshots.

In 1982, representatives from Tokyo’s Galerie Watari visited him to propose a solo exhibition. Asking if he could insert a 7” of original music into the back of the exhibition catalogue, Hiett laid down ‘Blue Beach - Welcome To Your Beach’ in a Parisian radio station, playing all of the instruments himself, and two more cuts in New York with Yoko Ono, The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan hired-gun Elliot Randall. Once dispatched, the phone began ringing off the hook with requests for him to fly to Tokyo. Assuming these long-distance callers were wanting him to check proofs for the book, it wasn’t until he arrived that he discovered CBS/Sony had facilitated an entire album. Heitt hastily gripped some petty cash, bought a guitar and retreated to his hotel room to start writing.

Entering the studio the following day, he was further surprised by a waiting room of session players known as Moonriders - one of Japan’s most acclaimed rock bands of the 1980s. Intimidated by their indecipherable sheet music, Hiett suggested Randall join them and with money being no object for major labels at the time, his wingman was on the next plane out of New York to finalise the high production indulgence. Near-ambient arrangements that float in a space between The Durutti Column, Steve Cropper and Ashra, Down On The Road By The Beach also crowns Hiett the master of recontextualization with his zero-gravity blues visions of Roll Over Beethoven, Santo & Johnny’s Sleep Walk and the 1967 Eddie Floyd soul hit Never Found A Girl.

Produced in coordination between Be With, Efficient Space and the artist, this definitive reissue is restored from original masters with vivid reproductions of the Down On The Road By The Beach exhibition catalogue, intended to accompany its original release, and extensive liner notes penned by fellow Steve Hiett obsessive Mikey IQ Jones.


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2023 repress

We are happy and proud to present „The Trentemøller Chronicles“.This new double album is not a new studio album, but an overview of Trentemøller‘s impressive body of work. The Trentemøller Chronicles include Anders‘ personal selection of his best songs and remixes and includes one extremely excellent exclusive track Trentemoellers hymn against global warming: A1: The Blacksmoke Organisation: Danger Global Warming (Trentmøller Remix) * , A2: Trentemøller: The Forest , B1: Mathias Schaffhäuser: Coincidance (Trentemøller Remix) , B2: Jokke Ilsøe: Feeling Good (Trentemøller Remix Chronicles Edit)*, C1: Röyksopp: What Else Is There? (Trentemøller Remix), C2: Trentemøller: Gush , D1: The Knife: We Share Our Mother‘s Health (Trentemøller Remix), D2: Trentemøller: Kink

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Tracklist: Tracklist: (A1) Equity (B1) Immunised

Release Info:
Rico Puestel is a phenomenon and currently one of the best artists around when it comes to solid, discerning techno. That's techno that takes no detours, doesn't hide behind vocal samples or need unnecessary, pseudo-intelligent tinkering to get the listeners' attention.

Puestel's two current Cocoon contributions "Equity" and "Immunised" are strongly reminiscent of "Caravel", which he also released on Cocoon Recordings almost exactly a year ago. The mini breaks and prolonged dramatic pauses are all pieces in the puzzle of Puestel's arrangement and together with the hypnotic beats and constantly radiating synths and effects, they make up his own interpretation of techno sound. It buzzes, it shines and with the right PA it's exactly the type of vibe that help us forget the daily grind of dance music madness! That ubiquitous "Let The Bass Kick" sample hasn't felt so at home for a long time!


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Very few last Copies on Limited Yellow Vinyl. 3x12" vinyl with full cover print, shrink wrapped

Tracklist:
A1. Earthen Sea - Gleaming Beach
A2. John Beltran – Elevate it
A3. Jeremy Wentworth – Relaxed
B1. Arthur Robert – Remember Me
B2. KMRU - in a distance
C1. The Album Leaf - MD 10
C2. Len Faki – Flew Away
D1. Wata Igarashi – Our Place
D2. Laraaji – BELOVED
E1. Can Love Be Synth – Marzipan
E2. Biri - Neverending Celestial Dance
F1. Exos - Shifting in the East
F2. Future Beat Alliance – Memory Sketch
F3. Max Cooper – Contour

Infotext:
Open Space Vol. 2

A year after its first edition, the Open Space series returns in order to keep exploring what ambient music might mean nowadays.

A breadth of fresh artists, some new to the label and others renowned for their more dance-centric works, the compilation aims to give each individual artist their creative freedom to explore the space.

Techno producers such as Arthur Robert or label head Len Faki himself keep the beats present but this time focus on evoking states of introspection rather than the shuffle of dancefloors.
On the other end of the spectrum, we find seasoned multi-instrumentalist Laraaji, who has been crafting deeply meditative soundscapes since the 80’s. Using the special opportunity, the label reaches outside its usual sphere, inviting artists like the modular synth expert Jeremy Wentorth or Jimmy LaValle’s band project The Album Leaf. All while still featuring some well known veteran producers the likes of John Beltran or Exos.

No matter their respective scene or background, all artists are using their unique approach to display something deeply emotive. Be it the warm, expansive electro of Future Beat Alliance or a bubbly cosmic arpride by Hamburg Duo Can Love Be Synth.

Truly living up to its name, the Open Space series aims to open up possibilities for artists to freely pursue their creativity in a completely undefined area, a space for exploration and connection.

Artwork by Anna Rupprecht
2021 copyright figure







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Don’t pretend like you didn’t know that this was coming. Yes, our first vinyl release from the mighty DeepStitched
is here, and we have one of the longest standing artists on DeepStitched, Forteba. After having not released on
vinyl for such a long time, we felt that Forteba will be the best option to open up this vinyl catalogue, that
promises to change how we listen to deep house and dub techno on vinyl.

A1. Forteba - Misteria Sinensis (07.43 min)
A2. Forteba - Lyra Iblett (07.00 min)
B1. Forteba - Danz Metika (06.51 min)
B2. Forteba - Emblema (05.24 min)

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Tracklist: (A1) Florian Hollerith - Perlas (DE-Q20-19-01843)
(A2) Florian Hollerith - Love Summer (DE-Q20-19-01844)
(B1) Florian Hollerith - Electro Indianer (DE-Q20-19-01845)


Release Info:
As a winemaker hailing from the Palatinate, Florian Hollerith understands a thing or two about vintage. It's something that also comes through when you sample his music - rich, full bodied with just the right level of acidity. 2018 was already a good year with Ohrenzirkus featuring on both Sven Väth's Sound of the 19th Season mix CD as well as this year's Dots and Pearls vol. 5 compilation. Florian certainly announced his arrival on the scene in style, so it's only fair that he gets the chance to demonstrate his full range of skills on his very own Cocoon Recordings release. 2019 however, has a darker, more complex flavour...

Florian certainly knows a hookline when he finds one. On the EP's title track Perlas, he's working from the inside out with complex layers creating a vortex of sound. This dense sonic mesh is playful yet dangerous, with ethereal voices and jagged chants adding to the disorientation of the opening exchanges until the congas and skipping bassline give us something to hold onto. The dance floor melts under our feet as a raw, tripped out groove takes hold before the bass suddenly morphs into a brassy acid line that spreads its wings and soars. It's music for the headstrong, a celebration of the timeless tribal ceremonies that have come to define us.

Love Summer adds a contemporary twist to the melodic joys that drenched the early nineties in pure ecstasy. The soulful vocals soothe the mind as horn stabs punctuate the sensual groove, generating power and passion in equal measures. It's a straightforward approach, revolving around a familiar yet eminently seductive riff that just keeps on rolling, propelled forward by the force of its own momentum. There's no need to fuss when you hit on a winning formula like this.

More retro futurism abounds on Electro Indianer as arpeggiated bleeps usher in another vast, sprawling soundscape designed to induce a collective trance on the dance floor. Whistling, circular effects wash back and forth increasing the tension notch by notch as we're led deeper into the wormhole. Finally, the track deconstructs slightly, creating enough space for classic Casio-style bleeps and percussion to embellish a beautiful blissed out ending that trails off into the sun rise, as ancient Native American pipes pick out a haunting melody in the distance.


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Tracklist:
01 Lucky Star
02 Crystal Growing
03 Floating Tank
04 Analog Dreams


MASK’s ZentaSkai & Laura Merino Allue announce vinyl-only underground house and techno series as
Cuddling Monsters.
Cuddling Monsters serve up the first vinyl-only volume of a new self-titled series on Berlin-based Mask Records. All
four cuts explore deep and classy techno, dub and house soundscapes with the aim of rediscovering the soul of
electronic music and forming new bonds between human creativity and technological innovations.
Cuddling Monsters is the coming together of creative partners ZentaSkai and Laura Merino Allue. ZentaSkai is the
MASK founder recognised for his immersive, hypnotic groove, and Allue is a fashion and graphic designer. They are
newly assembled under this alias but have a long-time love of vinyl and analogue machines, which shows in their sounds.
"Crafting music with analogue instruments holds profound importance in the contemporary musical landscape. Despite
the omnipresence of digital technology, analogue instruments maintain a pivotal role, offering distinctive sonic qualities,
creative constraints, and genuine sound reproduction. The tactile, hands-on connection." - Cuddling Monsters
The superbly deep and atmospheric 'Lucky Star' is a dubby minimal cut with a deft rhythm and warm pads that are
perfect for cosy back rooms. The absorbing 'Crystal Growing' is another stripped-back techno roller with rubbery drums
and pensive chords that lock you into a state of meditation. Up next is the powerful 'Floating Tank' which pairs gorgeous
ambient synths with driving drums. It's a great coming together of the physical and the emotional that will take dance
floors to the next level. 'Analog Dreams' shuts down with more perfectly smoky pads and grainy lo-fi atmospheres as
slick but driving drums power onwards.
Cuddling Monsters ‘Cuddling Monsters_CM Vol. 01’ releases via MASK 29th March 2024.





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