Repress!

As 'Portrait With Firewood' is Felix's most personal body of work to date, the product of an emotionally turbulent 2017, capturing the range of feelings and emotions he went through in vivid sonic beauty. By putting aside his previous sampladelic approach he returned to his childhood instrument of the piano as a core starting point. "It's a confessional record… I realise that's a word mostly used to describe singer/songwriter rather than (largely) instrumental music, but I think it's apt. There's a sort of emotional candour." Felix is classically trained in the jazz tradition and influenced by the likes of Keith Jarrett and Alice Coltrane. Previously he was shy at the prospect of fans hearing his piano playing, but determined to overcome this fear he has brought forward a new honesty to his work. "Finding the confidence to work with my own piano improvisations was a big part of that. Once I had figured out how I was going to make the music, it actually fell in to place rather quickly." Felix's goal was to create something "overwhelmingly beautiful", but also to capture the "inherent melancholy in beauty in all it's impermanance and fragility". He took inspiration and solace from performance artist Marina Abramovic. "She has an incredibly deep understanding of the human condition, and expresses it in such a poetic way. Many of the themes of her work had particular resonance for me over the course of 2017 as I worked on the album. I was moved to tears on several occasions watching her videos or reading about her work." Felix collaborated with cellist Zosia Jagodzinska and vocalist Lola Empire. Jagodzinska recorded several takes of improvisations over the track 'Creature' which Felix would chop, pitch and layer into new melodic lines and seed throughout the album. Felix's new approach expanded to experimentation with field recording, contact micing his beloved piano and purchasing his first hardware synth, all in service of enriching the personal, humane quality of the record. "Music helps me to communicate the sorts of things that I find almost impossible to put in to words. I think the process for this album has helped me create a more rich and emotionally complex body of work than I have managed before."

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We go through life. We shed our skins. We become ourselves.” This line from Patti Smith was going round and round Felix Manuel’s head as he gradually constructed Under Tangled Silence, his first album in six years and a record of a literal creative rebirth. Felix originally began it in earnest in 2020 Covid lockdown, but a catastrophic hard-drive meltdown destroyed almost all his work and sent him close to psychic collapse himself. However, ultimately this pushed him to rebuild from scratch and in so doing to confront and reassess every part of his musical and psychological processes. The result is utterly extraordinary. Felix was a child prodigy as an instrumentalist and his advanced musicality has always been prominent in his music, but here he has put himself front and centre as pianist, harpist and more. And this sense of exposure as a performer interweaves with an unflinching emotional openness too. Where sometimes electronic production as advanced as this can use intellect and techniques as shields from soul-baring, this is the sound of someone who can boldly say “I feel things, I cry all the time, and I'm not afraid to say it or show it in the music.” But this doesn’t mean there’s a move away from the soundsystems and dancefloors where Felix made his name as a uniquely innovative vinyl DJ. Even just in the opening track “A Tune for Us”, minimalist piano ripples and jazz drumming flow into the breaks of vintage jungle – and as the structure of the LP unfolds, a deep ambient meditation like “Hold” can sit very naturally in between the futurist dancehall of “L’Ancienne” and the high-definition acid house mind movie of “Galaxy in Silence”. In fact, as with the hands-on musicianship, that gutsy big-speaker electronic impact is delivered with more certainty, more expertise, more personal flourishes than ever. And all of those elements are more integrated than ever too: the sound of a total musical personality emerging afresh is truly something to behold. An already remarkable talent has been refreshed, reborn and is making the music of his life.

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Djrum's first release since 2019, the Meaning’s Edge EP is an introduction to a whole new world. For the artist also known as Felix Manuel, it was created in the final stretches of six rather traumatic years work. Having carefully honed his techniques and aesthetics, and learned some hard-won emotional lessons over this time, finally he began to work in a quicker, lighter fashion – and to cleanse his palate a little by bringing in a fresh ingredient: his own flute playing. For listeners, though, it will serve as an appetiser, a way into the delights and complexities of this new phase of his creativity. It’s a serious work in its own right, mind. The use of flutes – including Bansuri, Shakuhatchi, Western Classical, and synthesised all blending and blurring into one another – gives it a coherence and a sense of airiness that unites the five tracks over half an hour, however divergent their beats get. And as in all his music, Felix’s whole life is in here. Ethnomusicology studies, untold hours of DJing everywhere from the gnarliest squat raves to the most rarefied deep house clubs, explorations of his own neurological and emotional makeup, and the technical finesse of someone who is never not creating music or art, all roll into an experience that’s dazzling, delightful and keeps on giving. Just the opening track ‘Codex’ alone touches on OG dubstep, Aphex Twin-like braindance, post-classical exploration, movie themes and more. The gentle tones and melodies that rise up out of it perfectly conjure Felix’s running theme of a protective bubble that provides a sense of safety and tranquillity even as the beats and acid gurgles and spurts all around it conjure up the slings and arrows of life’s difficulties. The tone set, the EP moves through ultra-rarefied glass-like p

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2023 Repress

Tracklisting:
A1 Djrum - Plantain
B1 Djrum - What I Was Doing When I Was Doing What I Was Doing

Sales Note:
2023 Repress of the Djrum 12" for Samurai Red Seal on a special Colour in Colour pressing

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2nd Drop Records release 'Seven Lies', the debut album by Felix Manuel aka Djrum (pronounced "Drum"). Its sounds are inspired by the rawness of urban London, influences of Portishead, DJ Shadow and The Cinematic Orchestra, jungle, minimal techno, classic house, broken beat - all seamlessly segued with a nod to jazz vinyl and film music.
Fans will recognise Djrum's iconic tropes on 'Seven Lies': widescreen atmospheres, dub chords, dusty and melancholic strings, obscure film samples. But this time its spread over a bigger, more luxurious canvas that dips like an undulating terrain of sound; techno troughs, bumpy hip hop breaks, euphoric drum and bass, all filtered through the Djrum node.
Felix would admit himself he is a not a prolific producer. Preferring to craft and hone, often allowing music to mutate and diverge down different paths, his tracks often top the 8-9 min marks in length. However, each track is never at risk of becoming staid or boring, quite the opposite as ideas mutate and evolve, subtle differences and nuances are evoked and explored.
Inspired by the sounds of Ninja Tune's Solid Steel radio show, Oxford born/London based Felix became involved with the free party scene and helped set up the seminal Yardcore nights in 2005. A night of wild extremes, it swept from acts as diverse as Hellfish, Andy Stott, Breakage and Various Production in one night. An aesthetic he still faithfully adheres to in his all-vinyl DJ sets, a seamless blend of techno, garage, dancehall, hip hop, old-school hardcore and jungle.
Just as the dominant dubstep scene was in a painful, if fertile, transitionary period in 2010, Felix made his production debut as Djrum with 12" singles on the On the Edge and Smokin Sessions labels. This would ultimately provide him with the perfect platform for his own hybrid sound. A sound that instead of reflecting the brash energy of his DJ style, turned inwards, almost ingesting and metabolising those sounds to create an introspective and more sensitive and tactile crossbreed.
The 2nd Drop label were lucky enough to pick up on his latent talent, drafting him to remix the wonderful lament 'Explode' by LV and Message To Bears ft Zaki Ibrahim, to widespread acclaim. In 2011 the 'Mountains EP' followed. A four track suite of music that captured the imagination of many: Francois K, Gilles Peterson, Craig Richards, Berlin's highly respected T++, and featured in end of year charts across the board. The 3rd part of the 'Mountains EP' came the following year - as 'Watermark' b/w 'The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn (Undercoat Pt2)' - completing an epic body of music and setting up the realization of 'Seven Lies', this highly accomplished debut long player.
The wonderful, celestial artwork is by an artist friend of Djrum's called Jaya Mansberger.
Seven Lies tracklist (available as triple pack vinyl):
1. Obsession
2. Como Los Cerdos
3. Dam
4. Arcana (Do I Need You)
5. Lies (ft Shadowbox)
6. Honey
7. Arcana (Coda)
8. Anchors (ft Shadowbox)
9. Thankyou



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Repress!

As 'Portrait With Firewood' is Felix's most personal body of work to date, the product of an emotionally turbulent 2017, capturing the range of feelings and emotions he went through in vivid sonic beauty. By putting aside his previous sampladelic approach he returned to his childhood instrument of the piano as a core starting point. "It's a confessional record… I realise that's a word mostly used to describe singer/songwriter rather than (largely) instrumental music, but I think it's apt. There's a sort of emotional candour." Felix is classically trained in the jazz tradition and influenced by the likes of Keith Jarrett and Alice Coltrane. Previously he was shy at the prospect of fans hearing his piano playing, but determined to overcome this fear he has brought forward a new honesty to his work. "Finding the confidence to work with my own piano improvisations was a big part of that. Once I had figured out how I was going to make the music, it actually fell in to place rather quickly." Felix's goal was to create something "overwhelmingly beautiful", but also to capture the "inherent melancholy in beauty in all it's impermanance and fragility". He took inspiration and solace from performance artist Marina Abramovic. "She has an incredibly deep understanding of the human condition, and expresses it in such a poetic way. Many of the themes of her work had particular resonance for me over the course of 2017 as I worked on the album. I was moved to tears on several occasions watching her videos or reading about her work." Felix collaborated with cellist Zosia Jagodzinska and vocalist Lola Empire. Jagodzinska recorded several takes of improvisations over the track 'Creature' which Felix would chop, pitch and layer into new melodic lines and seed throughout the album. Felix's new approach expanded to experimentation with field recording, contact micing his beloved piano and purchasing his first hardware synth, all in service of enriching the personal, humane quality of the record. "Music helps me to communicate the sorts of things that I find almost impossible to put in to words. I think the process for this album has helped me create a more rich and emotionally complex body of work than I have managed before."

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Another legendary R&S classic repressed in very limited numbers only on a one-sided 12" vinyl. The original 1992 release from Dutch producer Jaydee was a 10 minute long Hammond organ workout - many remixes over the years but you cant surpass the original!!!

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What can be said about Joey Beltram’s ‘Energy Flash’ that hasn’t be said already! The track still gets rinsed, week in, week out, across radio stations, clubs and festivals, testimony to the sheer importance of this techno classic. Released originally in 1990 on the R&S Records label, ‘Beltram Vol. 1’ included the aforementioned ‘Energy Flash’, alongside three equally ground-breaking dance tracks that possibly get overshadowed by the big lead track. But tracks like ‘Subsonic Bass’ broke the mould and went on to influence a raft of rave and drum ‘n’ bass tunes, thanks in part to its use of the now legendary ‘hoover’ bass sound. The sinister acid of ‘Jazz 3033’ still sounds as fresh today as it did 33 years ago, and the menacingly titled ‘Psycho Bass’ reveals the EP’s most passive moment, as its solid breakbeat cuts through ethereal tones and chugging synths. ‘Beltram Volume 1’ has been remastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, and the release comes in an updated sleeve, faithfully recreating the 1990 packaging.

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What can be said about Joey Beltram’s ‘Energy Flash’ that hasn’t be said already! The track still gets rinsed, week in, week out, across radio stations, clubs and festivals, testimony to the sheer importance of this techno classic. Released originally in 1990 on the R&S Records label, ‘Beltram Vol. 1’ included the aforementioned ‘Energy Flash’, alongside three equally ground-breaking dance tracks that possibly get overshadowed by the big lead track. But tracks like ‘Subsonic Bass’ broke the mould and went on to influence a raft of rave and drum ‘n’ bass tunes, thanks in part to its use of the now legendary ‘hoover’ bass sound. The sinister acid of ‘Jazz 3033’ still sounds as fresh today as it did 33 years ago, and the menacingly titled ‘Psycho Bass’ reveals the EP’s most passive moment, as its solid breakbeat cuts through ethereal tones and chugging synths. ‘Beltram Volume 1’ has been remastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, and the release comes in an updated sleeve, faithfully recreating the 1990 packaging.

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lThere are techno classics, and there are techno classics! It’s without doubt that Joey Beltram has played a pivotal role in the growth of the techno sound that gestated in Detroit and was lapped up in Europe during those early years. Beltram spearheaded a darker sound that became a staple in the UK and European rave scene in the early 90s, and a sound that continues to come back around for revival and a new twist on the genre from the producers and DJs of the day. ‘Beltram Volume 2’ was first released on R&S Records in 1991, and despite the huge success of the ‘Energy Flash’ single, released a year prior, ‘Volume 2’, some say, is ‘Beltram’s definitive release on R&S’. Deep, dark and deliciously hypnotic, all four cuts on this EP still sound as raw and devastating 30 years later. Big tunes at seminal clubs like Rage (Fabio & Grooverider) and the network of UK raves soundtracked by the likes of Carl Cox, Colin Faver, Eddie Richards et al, Beltram’s unique sound help spawn the bass heavy drum & bass genre that was also burgeoning at the time. ‘Beltram Volume 2’ has been remastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, and the release comes in an updated sleeve, faithfully recreating the 1991 packaging featuring Christel Brodahl’s now legendary oil painting.

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lThere are techno classics, and there are techno classics! It’s without doubt that Joey Beltram has played a pivotal role in the growth of the techno sound that gestated in Detroit and was lapped up in Europe during those early years. Beltram spearheaded a darker sound that became a staple in the UK and European rave scene in the early 90s, and a sound that continues to come back around for revival and a new twist on the genre from the producers and DJs of the day. ‘Beltram Volume 2’ was first released on R&S Records in 1991, and despite the huge success of the ‘Energy Flash’ single, released a year prior, ‘Volume 2’, some say, is ‘Beltram’s definitive release on R&S’. Deep, dark and deliciously hypnotic, all four cuts on this EP still sound as raw and devastating 30 years later. Big tunes at seminal clubs like Rage (Fabio & Grooverider) and the network of UK raves soundtracked by the likes of Carl Cox, Colin Faver, Eddie Richards et al, Beltram’s unique sound help spawn the bass heavy drum & bass genre that was also burgeoning at the time. ‘Beltram Volume 2’ has been remastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, and the release comes in an updated sleeve, faithfully recreating the 1991 packaging featuring Christel Brodahl’s now legendary oil painting.

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Joe McBride AKA Synkro has built up a hugely impressive catalogue of releases over the last few years. Via albums and singles for Apollo, Exit Records and his own Synkro Music imprint, the Manchester based producer and sound architect has amassed a dazzling archive of elaborate, emotive and intellectual soundscapes drawing in influences across a spectrum of bass culture and electronica. On the ‘Information’ EP, it’s business as usual, as Synkro deploys four fresh and forward thinking tracks that slither across the genres with ease. From the frantic percussion and dubwise tones of title track ‘Information’ to the absorbing textures and crackling ambience of the beatless opener ‘Cycles’, the attention to detail and the depth of layered sonics across all four tracks afford the listener a truly mesmerising experience. The dusty and dark skank of ‘Signal’ is a real mood piece, whilst ‘Last Breath’ closes the EP drenched in sanguine sentiments.

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Originally released on R&S Records in 2006, Chizawa Q revives his ‘Asia’ release with the surfacing of a new remix, the ‘Asia 4 (Lost Q Mix)’. The Japanese producer, who has enjoyed a modest string of releases for F-Communications and Deka Traxxx, fires out an epically irresistible remix that is sure to soundtrack the summer clubs and festivals ahead. With its roots in the Detroit school of techno, it’s easy to hear the influences of such legends as Underground Resistance and Rolando, and the melodic style of jazzy techno established by artists like R&S Records’ Dave Angel, Vince Watson and Steve Rachmand, but the ‘Lost Asia’ EP is no pastiche. Emotive and musical, delivered with the purity and spirit often lacking in modern techno, Chizawa Q’s music is a reminder that the authentic sounds always rise to the top in the end.

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Operating on the outer rim of the drum & bass scene for over a decade, Blocks & Escher have been designing intelligent and forward-thinking electronic dance across a multitude of releases for labels such as Metalheadz, Digital Soundboy and their own Narratives Music. Their first release of 2022, ‘Shot In The Dark’ EP, pulls together four outstanding cuts of shadowy breaks and abstract electronica. Otherwise known as Phillip Smith and Will Hansen, Blocks & Escher distilled their sound into the critically acclaimed 2018 album ‘Something Blue’. Released on Goldie’s Metalheadz imprint, the long player displayed a confident maturity of sound, and a more than capable accomplishment of pulling the visionary sounds of drum & bass into a new era. The industrial breaks and hoover bass of ‘Shot In The Dark’ anchor a wave of cinematic synth sweeps, fashioning an arresting opening track on this accomplished EP. The ingenious beats continue to unfurl across ‘Abyss’ and ‘This One’, as brooding atmospherics wash over in waves. The finale of ‘Dance Girl’ ramps up the BPMs and beat complexity, as a breathless assault of rhythm and sound captivates and rewards in abundance.

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1991 techno classics - repressed and reissued for 2021!
Second Phase (aka Joey Beltram and Mundo Muzique) are 2 legendary producers whose output shaped an entire generation of ravers, DJs and producers minds. 'Mentasm / Mind To Mind' is one such influential release, literally creating new styles, new directions and impacting on dance music for decades to come. Unique programming and fresh sounds made their records stand out head and shoulders above everyone else's output. 'Mentasm' particularly broke ground with it's now infamous 'hoover sound', influencing house, techno and trance music to come and even spilling over into the nascent hardcore, jungle and D&B scenes where it was often imitated or sampled by producers who wanted that ruff, visceral feel for their own tracks, but didn't know how to create it themselves. A new energy was born and it emanated from this milestone 12". 'Mind To Mind' on the flipside is equally as deadly, but in a deeper, more spaced out realm it maneuvers and pulls into a trippy early morning space, the yin to 'Mentasm's yang. This is a quintessential techno record, a glimpse of innovation from back in the day. File under 'classic'. This special 2021 edition is reissued by R&S Records from original master sources, remastered by Curve Pusher.

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Presenting a special limited edition reissue of a stone cold classic from the R&S vaults, 1993 style, remastered and repressed on special transparent wax. Capricorn aka Dutch producer and DJ Hans Weekhout originally released the '20Hz' 3 track EP on R&S sub-label Global Cuts to much acclaim.
A record that was literally everywhere in '93 and still rocks any club today, '20Hz' is undoubtedly an all-time anthem with it's combination of rolling, thunderous drums, glacial marimba-like melodies and a tense trance inducing atmosphere that literally lifts the dancefloor to another place. 'Didn't I' is also a proper old-school peak-time stormer, it's uptempo, dripping in positive vibes with sampled soulful vocals and chopped up drum breaks all encapsulated within a real rave sensibility. Closing out the EP we are treated to 'For The Soul, Body & Mind' which is a much darker, deeper and menacing vibe than the previous cuts. More in line with the earliest fringes of jungle, hardcore and bleep tehcno the track takes us on a journey into the heart of the night with it's bass heavy and intricate sound programming and breakbeats, proving that Hans Weekhout was an extremely versatile and open minded producer. Overall, a truly classic and essential EP from the heyday of European house and techno that still packs a punch today! This special 2021 edition is reissued by R&S Records from original master sources, remastered by Curve Pusher.

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Master sampler Fed Conti has a way of making grooves sound as light as a feather, elevating kraut and jazz phrases to dreamy realms where the imagination is tickled. To kick off the forthcoming debut PROGedia album, revered producer and remixer Charles Webster adds his inimitable touch to the single ‘We Are The Night’, expanding on Conti’s heartfelt arrangements, playing with beats and textures, as he travels smooth melodic lines. PROGedia is the newest alias of the Italian producer Fed Conti, also known as Mahjong and Nardis. After having played his Hammond organ with several jazz deities, and produced samples for Coca Cola and Universal, he is finally unleashing his kinky musical imagination in the PROGedia album; ‘We Are The Night’ kicks off a mixture of kraut, psychedelic grooves and nu jazz, tied together through clever arrangements and a refined sampling process. ‘It’s an escape from modern decadence,’ says Fed, who adores the authentic and offbeat. It only makes sense, then, that the first track of his upcoming album is called ‘We Are The Night’; during the darkest hours PROGedia’s retro extravagance can claim a foothold, offering a warm breeding ground for quirkiness, infatuation, and musical liberation. The renowned producer Charles Webster, too, is a real music fetishist; he got his first instruments at the age of 13 and went on to collaborate with the likes of Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, founding his own Love From San Francisco project and following with two decades of classy and sophisticated music productions. For this occasion, he has added his unmistakable touch to the ‘We Are The Night’ title track, complementing PROGedia’s infectious grooves with poignant rhythms and motley textures.

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Two titans in UK breakbeat culture, Loxy & Ink were both present at the inception of the birth of UK dance music and continue to be torchbearers. With ‘Manifested Visions’ the duo does exactly what the title suggests; transcending the boundaries of genre, roots dub meets hip hop and in-your-face drum and bass to create a five-track EP that will make you submit, revel, rave and float.

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Sam Interface (formerly known as SNØW) returns to the seminal R&S Records following the success of last year’s R&S Presents: More Time Records Vol 1, which was a 4 track compilation featuring Ahadadream, Bala Bala Boyz, Bryte & SNØW. He is the co-founder of London’s More Time Records, on which he has released much of his own music as SNØW (including collaborations with Zed Bias, Fox, Dread MC & more) and can also be found monthly on Rinse FM and Reprezent Radio playing a range of percussive genres including UK Funky, GQOM, Kuduro, Afrobeats and more. The name change takes him closer to his first alias Interface, under which he had DnB hits with the likes of DJ Die and more, he explains: “When i first released music back in my early DnB days I used the alias “Interface” and so many people still call me Sam Interface - it feels like the most natural name for me.” The lead track “Underground” (which samples an announcement from the tube) references a range of London-centric genres, combining polyrhythmic percussion with an extremely upfront bass sound which draws influence from and exxagerates recent drill productions. “Finally”, a collaboration with an old friend & prolific DnB producer Break follows, bringing frantic motion to the release. The third track “Crud” utilises Sam’s signature gully bass production, flooding the speakers with low end on the drop. The EP wraps up with “Pink Dolphins” - a euphoric dancefloor moment which channels the energy and emotion of jungle, drawing on some of Sam’s earliest rave influences. TRACK LISTING: A1. Underground, A2. Finally (ft. Break), B1. Crud, B2. Pink Dolphins

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Space Dimension Controller returns to R&S Records for the follow up album to 'Welcome To Mikrosector-50'. Stranded at the edge of space and time; Mr. 8040 has crash landed on a strange planet following a space dust and vecta grog fuelled burnout on the astro bandit colony of PVLN. With distress calls lost to the planet's surrounding empty space and his life support system damaged beyond repair; Mr. 8040 exits his ship to brave the unknown world in the hope of finding help. Weakened by the planet's heavy atmosphere; Mr. 8040 collapses. He is awoken by the calming presence of a native woman who offers to guide him to someone that may be able to repair his ship. Though frail and disorientated; Mr. 8040 moves forward, growing ever fonder of his new aquaintance. She bestows a small piece of her life-force to him, aiding him on the early stages of their journey. Days later the pair reach The Reflective Forest; A beautiful, yet dangerous region of the planet where time moves slower - the psychoactive environment can cause crippling hallucinations. Tormented by the visions of his past; Mr. 8040 breaks down. Uncertain of his ability to travel any further, he is reassured by his companion. By sundown they find themselves at the end of their journey; but not where Mr. 8040 had expected. It is the crash site of his ship and from within the flames a figure of static and noise walks towards him. Face to face with the mysterious figure, Mr. 8040 realises it is an apparition of his former self. Under the advice of the woman that saved his life, he knows that in order to continue he must let go of all that came before the crash, both good and bad. In a sudden burst of light, Mr. 8040 and the apparition become one. The light fades and his ship appears unscathed, his newfound muse waiting onboard. With his mind and ship repaired, Mr. 8040 climbs on board. The pair leave the planet behind, embarking on new adventures deep into the unknown galaxy…


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Berlin-based producer Adam Longman Parker announces "Colored", his first full-length LP as Afriqua for R&S Records. The album is a celebration of the unifying power of Black culture through the prism of electronic music.


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R&S welcomes Brock Van Wey AKA East Of Oceans (also known as ambient legend dvdub for his stunning 2018 album 'Drowning in Daylight' on Apollo) "East of Oceans is a pure tribute to my rave history that brought everything into being; pure elation, pure drive, pure escape, and frankly, just hearing shit that was the fucking jam." Van Wey debuts on R&S with his stunning new EP as East Of Oceans 'Neverlasting Love'. As always, Van Wey's music connects deeply into his past - his East of Oceans monicker draws on his time as a stalwart DJ and promoter of the halcyon 90s San Francisco rave scene, and features a much more direct aesthetic than the gauzy remembrances of his work as bvdub. "My music as bvdub is about pausing to remember what it means - East of Oceans is about moving to forget it all." Before Brock began DJing, made his first ambient mixtape, or began down the road of ambient, deep electronics, and deep house to follow; "I began my rave life, as many did, in breaks and hardcore, the faster the better. The harder the better. But always the deeper the better.” Packed with explosive breakbeats combined with haunting vocals and sepia tinged soundscapes, ‘Neverlasting Love’ is another stunning release that see Van Wey working at the peak of his powers

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R&S present the eponymous, debut, full length album transmission from Lost Souls Of Saturn. Epic in scope, time and space, this multidimensional mind trip is for fans of Mark Leckey's 'Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore', David Morales' Red Zone dubs, Don Cherry's 'Organic Music Society', The Orb's 'Ultraworld' and KLF's 'Space' and much more besides. This ambient house masterpiece combines flavours gathered from across the galaxy, stewing them up into a delicious primordial soup. Old sci-fi soundtracks, acid, free jazz, avant garde, musique concrete, world music and more all whirl around an underground-dance-music axis. Primarily LSOS are Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa, plus further opaque participants congregating to combine music, imagery, and storytelling into an inextricably linked whole, all wrapped-up in a philosophy of their own making. Attempting something creatively that's above-and-beyond, LSOS explore new ways to open doors of perception and challenge the reality vs. simulation paradigm, whilst capturing the spirit of Alejandro Jodorowsky, Philip K. Dick and Sun Ra within their music, live experiences and films. These spiritual, psychoactive aural vibrations resonate for a long distance, all the way back to something deeper and more enchanting than the prosaicism of modern life:


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Split album from The Bug and Ghost Dubs, released on The Bug’s PRESSURE label.
Defines a new form of spectral dub: brutally minimal, hypnotic, and sub-quake heavy.
Features the original lead tracks from their recent "Imploded Versions" white-label single.
Mastered by Stefan Betke (POLE) at Scape Mastering for ultimate low-end clarity.
Fusing dub, techno, and doom into a sacred, narcotic whole.
CD version features 4 bonus tracks.
Description:
When Chuck D proclaimed "Bass, how low can you go?" on Public Enemy's anthemic 'Bring the Noise,' maybe he was pre-empting or inciting the 10,000 fathoms-deep, spine-bending basslines and sub-quake tremors of 'Implosion.'
Implosion is a crushing split album, appropriately released on The Bug's own PRESSURE label. Mapping out a new form of spectral dub, the sound is deliberately immersive, introverted, and yes, definitely implosive. In pursuit of heavy lids, blurred vision, and merciless bass bin punishment, it’s one part meditation, two parts low-end theory, and essentially a confession of devoted sound system addiction.
As expected from a tag team featuring British soundlab explorer and 'London Zoo' composer Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz—a long-time graduate of Germany's new school of sound system reggae culture—the duo approaches their target differently yet share the goal of keeping their sound "raw" (Fiedler) and "brutally minimal" (Martin). This proves that opposites can attract, even if their tools are different and their methods sometimes diverge.
From such a disparate combo, hailing from different geographical and aesthetic backgrounds, contrasts are certainly on display, even within each artist's own contributions. From the melancholia and transcendence of 'Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds),' to the duality of ascension and descension on 'Hope,' or the Sunn 0))) in dub, visceral drone of 'Dread (The End, London),' to the tripped-out repetitions of 'Midnight,' which reinvents Chain Reaction for post-millennials, the result is both sacred and narcotic. Each track illuminates the emotional impact and atmospheric pressure being explored across this deceptively sparse album—a mastery of tone and texture.
This collection might be as reduced, minimal, and deep as The Bug has ever gone, perhaps echoing the solemnity of his recent Kevin Richard Martin Black release and invoking the futurist steppas self-pioneered on his previous Pressure album. Alternatively, Fiedler‘s Ghost Dubs project ventures into his most heavyweight direction yet, which is no mean feat considering his previous, the critically acclaimed album Damaged, was a monstrously massive triumph of analogue weight and enviable sound design.
Implosion is ice-cool, a stark contrast to the warmth and sociability of traditional Jamaican roots and the current trends in digi-dub. Instead, the mood is soaked in tension and intense dread, finding an unexpected melting point where classic dub's stark rhythm attack, isolationist ambience's eerie drift, dub techno's floatation strategies, and even the relentless riffs of doom metal collide. As the bass-obsessed pair drop what is arguably the heaviest ambient dub album to emerge from any electronic sector—a moody counterpoint to The Orb's fluffy clouds, etc, Martin has cited The Roots Radics, Black Jade, and On U Sound's Pounding System as heavily influencing his approach to the album, while Fiedler has expressed his admiration for Adrian Sherwood's productions and Rhythm & Sound's enchanting soundscape. Yet, the super heavyweight pulsations, emotive resonances, and bone-rattling vibrations detonated here effortlessly go far beyond these influences.
Shadowy and elusive, there’s a mysteriousness at this record's core. A haunting moodiness oscillating between nostalgia and future shock. Despite the deadly fixation with SLOW and HEAVY, the album maintains a totally hypnotic swing throughout. Implosion and its lead single 'Imploded Versions' are testaments to being enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass, and utterly crushed by bass, as The Bug and Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of dub for zonal headz and Babylon seekers.


Mastered by Stefan Betke (a.k.a. POLE) at Scape Mastering studio, this record is heavy as f-ck without resorting to continuous distortion. It’s low-end worship taken to an absolute extreme, yet remains highly listenable and definitely danceable, albeit at the slowest of paces. Sacred and narcotic, this is low-end worship amplified to the max. Dive in if you dare.

Tracklisting:

01. THE BUG – Hooked (Hyams Gym, Leytonstone)
02. GHOST DUBS – In The Zone
03. THE BUG – Believers (Imperial Gardens, Camberwell)
04. GHOST DUBS – Hope
05. THE BUG – Burial Skank (Arches, Vauxhall)
06. GHOST DUBS – Dub Remote
07. THE BUG – Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds)
08. GHOST DUBS – Down
09. THE BUG – Militants (The Rocket, Holloway)
10. GHOST DUBS – Into The Mystic
11. THE BUG – Dread (Mass Brixton)
12. GHOST DUBS – Midnight

https://soundcloud.com/the-bug-vs-ghost-dubs/sets/the-bug-vs-ghost-dubs/s-ZAkhMCyRUFs?mc_cid=92ab01d063&mc_eid=38fffc39d4

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5 cuts of gospel-funk, modern soul, and disco-influenced spiritual music edits beamed down from on high. Primed & stretched for dancefloor acceptance, and sunshine bright Sunday jams alike by renowned crate-digger, deejay and producer TONE B. NIMBLE

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RAWAX proudly presents the 3rd and last part of Ricardo Villalobos' Salvador "Trilogy"!
The three Masterpiece records which came out between 1998 - 2000 on Frisbee Tracks,
are part of Ricardo's own series on RAWAX - including new tracklistings!

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Originally released in 1988 as a side project from members of Münster rock band The New Colours. New Harbours was produced by Graziano Mallozzi, member of influential Italian darkwave group Kirlian Camera. The result is an irresistible melancholic synth pop anthem. Due to an extremely limited pressing, the track never received the attention it deserves aside from within Discogs digger circles or in the bags of a few virtuous DJs, including JD Twitch of Optimo who introduced us to the record.The 2025 reissue features a stunning club remix from Berlin’s own Italian darkwave master Curses.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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