Cult icon Bill Converse trots back to Dark Entries with Trust. Converse has honed his craft since the early days of the Midwest rave scene, absorbing lessons from luminaries like Claude Young and Traxx. His skill as a producer has been cemented with releases on labels like Dark Entries, Fit Sound, and Obsolete Futures, and his prowess as a DJ has been witnessed on floors worldwide. In recent years, Converse has also pushed audiences to their lysergic limits with his sinewy and kinetic live sets, which pair classic analog boxes like the Roland TB-303 with cutting-edge modular synthesis techniques. The 7 tracks on Trust pick up the wild energy of these live hardware explorations, channeling the splayed beats of Chicago’s Relief Records, the acidic grit of Midwest techno like Woody McBride’s Communique Records, and the hypnagogic hooks of Artificial Intelligence-era IDM. According to Converse, the abrupt changes and off-kilter rhythms are “an effort to facilitate or express trust-making in the listening experience. I want some degree of give and take with the listener.” This process makes Converse’s sound truly singular, the kind of aural landscape that can only be conjured through a lifetime of crate-digging and analog abuse - just check out the untenable funk of “Live Track” or the otherworldly groove of “Romance.” Trust comes in a sleeve featuring artwork from Sonya Rapaport from 1986 featuring images generated with an MS-DOS computer. Converse says “I think there's also a muscle-to-love vibe with this one.” We can trust him.

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Having plundered the cassette archives of Bill Converse for the psychedelically-charged album, Meditations/Industry, earlier this year, Dark Entries score another hit from the Texas-based hardware exponent for their latest 12". Three of the four tracks on this 12" originate from that same Obsolete Future cassette, with the fourth originating from studio sessions around the same time. Title track "Warehouse Invocation" sets the mood, with minor key synthesizer refrains and undulating acid lines weaving their way in and out of a druggy, off-kilter electronic groove. Converse moves further towards straight-up techno territory on the fizzing analogue funk of "Senys Magick", before fusing crystalline synthesizer riffs and a sludgy, distorted drum machine groove on the impressive "Riverbank".

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Underground hero Bill Converse returns to Dark Entries with Take Parts, perhaps his most muscular and floor-focused work to date. Converse has honed his analog craft since the early days of the Midwest rave scene, absorbing lessons from luminaries like Claude Young and Traxx. His skill as a producer has been established with releases on labels such as Dark Entries, Fit Sound, and Obsolete Futures, and his prowess as a DJ has been witnessed on floors the world over.

On Take Parts, Converse peels away the layers of acidic gauze that have characterized much of his work, revealing his sharp grasp of dancefloor dynamics and DJ functionality. While the 808’s, 909’s, and 303’s are on full display, Converse does not indulge in retro-fetishism; he channels the future forward impulse of the originary rave ethos. Tracks like “Stroke” and “What You Have” pit seasick chords and analog squelch atop funky but unsettling loops. The flurry of 808 snares on “Measurement (Of What?)” nods towards both footwork and jungle, but feels ultimately planted in a world of Converse’s own. With the acid-electro masterpiece “Take Apart”, Converse implores us to both join him in this new world and reconfigure the one we’re living in now. The 6-tracks on Take Parts present a new focus for Converse, and will excite DJ’s and thrill dancers.

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We are pleased to present 'Hallways' the third full length from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. 'Hallways' is an 80 minute journey spread across 12 tracks and 2 slabs of vinyl. All tracks were recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse's home studio over the past 2 years. Bill says, "One idea for this album is 'through bardos', the gap or moment of transition between two things according to Buddhism. Like an experience in meditation and attempting to find realization/s on the way through the illusory and interdependent nature of good old fashioned REALITY." Built around crunchy synthesizers, harsh drum machines and jarring acid lines, the tracks share a darker tone than Bill's previous albums and one song features guest vocals by music gourmet Carlos Souffront, a true DJ's DJ from Detroit. All songs have been mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each 2xLP is housed in a jacket designed by Eloise Leigh with rich purple and smokey turquoise kaleidoscopic patterns.

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Cold Beat is a San Francisco-based quartet fronted by Hannah Lew (synths, vocals) with Kyle King (synths, guitar), Luciano Talpini Aita (synths) and Sean Monaghan (guitar). Formed in 2013 the band has released three albums and two EPs. 'A Simple Reflection' is a 7-song collection of Eurythmics covers, yet feels just as personal as any of their original material. While digging through a collection of 12?s for her record shop Contact Records, Lew stumbled across the earliest Eurythmics B-sides and was floored. This lead to the discovery of their debut album 'In The Garden'. Annie Lennox's abstract and poetic lyrics really struck a chord with Hannah. What had started out as a single cover quickly snowballed into a full blown obsession. The synth and drum programming resonated with her songwriting process, so reimagining them was very creatively fulfilling. The covers on this EP are simultaneously dynamic and atmospheric post-punk that plays to Lew's ethereal vocals and King's crystalline guitar. All songs have been mixed by Mikey Young (Total Control) and mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The record is housed in a jacket designed by Eloise Leigh, which features pink and purple clouds that evoke a dreamy softness and DIY playfulness and photos Lew in her best Lennox-inspired drag. Each copy includes a postcard with photos and notes. "Sometimes a song seems to sing just for you, as if someone knows your most inner thoughts and feelings and has found a way to describe them effortlessly" - Hannah Lew

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We are pleased to present the sophomore album from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. His debut album ‘Meditations/Industry’ was released on cassette in 2013 and edited for a vinyl release in January 2016 followed by two 12” singles ‘Warehouse Invocation’ and ‘7 of 9’ the same year. ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’ is a 70 minute journey spread across two pieces of vinyl. It's comprised of seven tracks recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse's home studio. At the time of recording, Bill was sending this material to Josh Vance (Josua Dorje Ngodup) for feedback. Most of the time Josh would respond in the form of artwork, and then Bill would create another track inspired by this
feedback chain. Converse has dedicated this series of tracks to him. The songs on this album reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house, and Acid. For this album Converse slightly bumped up the tempos geared for dancefloor energy. Built around vintage synthesizer lines and gritty drum machine percussion, the tracks evoke “how things have changed and how they have come to be.”



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Double pack of trippy jams from the Midwest / Bill Converse's first release outside of the US


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Collection V1 marks FIT SOUND's first compilation, showcasing tracks from renowned artists Jared Wilson, Bizz O.D., and FIT Siegel. Detroit’s own Jared Wilson is a true master of the TB-303, delivering jacking and melodic acid for over a decade. 'Mind Travel' is a mesmerizing 10-minute journey that intertwines melodic acid lines with ethereal strings. Bizz O.D., an enigmatic figure known for her jackin' acid techno tracks released between '93 and '98, emerges once again with the previously unreleased floor-killing acid stomper, 'One Two,' which, despite being recorded in the mid-'90s, remains as fresh as ever. FIT Siegel's contribution, 'No Feedback,' originated as a sampling exercise in the studio and transformed into an experimental yet functional piece that would find its home in the crates of adventurous DJs."

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Under the alias 4E, producer Can Oral created his own unique sound of raw, futuristic acid-electro. The A-Side tracks "Ask Isadora" and "Conga Banana" first appeared on the album, Blue Note, released on Home Entertainment in 1996. On the flip are two unreleased tracks picked from his extensive archive and edited by FIT Siegel. These were also recorded during this era, which Can describes below:

"In the 90s I moved to NYC to start a band with Jimi Tenor. I had a small flat in the East Village with the apartment number 4E and that became my artist name for the downtempo and electro material I was working on. The style I called Futuristic Electro because I didn't want to relate to the old school with this. I had my studio on the kitchen floor and pretty much only used EMU SP-1200, TB-303, TR-808 and SH-101 by good ol’ Roland. In a way NYC was still developing because it was all about house music. In 1995, I opened Temple Records in Manhattan with Dr Walker from Air Liquide and DJ DB from Smile Communications. The record shop was inside the Liquid Sky clothing store. After a fire in the shop, along with a falling out with the owner I decided to talk to a fortune teller to find out what the future held. Her name was Isadora, and she had a TV show called "Ask Isadora." She told me on live television to move out, have my own shop and be independent, so I did. Thanks Isadora!"

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Dedicated to those who find transcendence through music.

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Two mind melting acidic drippers that Ron Hardy would've been proud of!
rvds & sneaker - inside me
•katrina fairlee, joshua cordova & sneaker - geist bahn


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Instinct's "Just A Feeling" is the pure embodiment of an early 90s Detroit techno record. Originally released in 1992 on Instinct's Decisive Records , not many copies managed to get outside of the city of Detroit. Within the melodic strings, 808s, and loosely swung samples - you can feel the spirit of these early days and of this young producer finding his sound. Meticulously remastered by Josh Bonati from the master tapes for this 2018 issue.

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