2023 REPRESS ! More

2023 OFFICIAL REISSUE More

If anyone deserves to have the name Don, it’s Don Carlos. Responsible for one of the most influential and genre-defining deep house tracks of all time the Italian legend more than lives up to his name being a true master of his craft. In 1991 his debut release Alone was presented to the world via Calypso Records and quickly gained classic status, blissing out dancefloors worldwide with it’s euphoric piano stabs, sun-drenched strings and laidback groove. Establishing the blueprint for what would become known as ‘Italian dream-house’ Don Carlos would follow up a year later with another masterpiece in the form of a mini LP entitled Mediterraneo which took influence from the Chicago master Larry Heard but added a European ‘Balearic’ perspective which would pave the way for a wave of warm, emotive late night house tracks emanating from Bel Paese. Don Carlos releases have been fairly sporadic since his seminal early 90’s output so Freerange is very happy to bring you brand new material in the form of the I’m Steel Here EP. Across the three original tracks we get to hear him revisit the vibe from those early years whilst bringing things bang up to date for todays DJ’s and dance floors. The title track marries a driving Italo synth bassline with trademark Carlos strings and piano to form an uplifting club track which will lift the spirits of all who hear it. Azimuth comes next cutting up and filtering a piano hook calling the mighty Trackheadz to mind, a gated vocal sample adding a distinctly 90’s hook for a nostalgic slice of regal house. Closing out this gem of an EP we have In The Sky which loops up a classic feel good disco riff for a mid tempo house jam which bumps along nicely and will create the perfect mood in any warm up set worth its salt. More

Originally released in 1994 on Calypso Records / Irma Records in a triple vinyl promo white label version, Don Carlos's album Aqua is the
second album by the Varese-based DJ producer, already then known for his first two singles Alone and Mediterraneo, then both included in
his first album entitled Mediterraneo and released only in Compact Disc format in 1992 for the American market printed and distributed by
IRMA U.S.A., the American subsidiary of IRMA Records Italy.
The same fate will also have the Compact Disc format of the Aqua album, again printed only on the American market.
But the triple vinyl, printed in a limited edition of 500 copies in a white generic envelope, was never reissued and has become a rare record
over the years.
After almost thirty years, after countless requests for reissues, especially in the last few years in which the name and music of Don Carlos
has made a comeback, Irma Records has decided to reissue the vinyl in exactly the same original triple version.
DJ Don Carlos (born Carlo Troja) with his productions in the 90s has become one of the cult producers for DJs around the world.
His track Alone released in 1991 for Calypso was and still is one of the classics of House Music, played by all the major American and British
DJs.
At the time of its publication it was considered an underground song and therefore did not sell very much, but over the years its myth has grown
thanks to its subsequent productions as for example his second single, the EP entitled Mediterraneo, title which it will then inspired his first CD
album printed in the USA with the same title.
Several other singles followed, another album, always printed only in the USA, entitled Aqua, from which a triple promo vinyl was extracted which
today is one of the artist's most requested rarities.
In Italy his third album was released in 2002 entitled The Music In My Mind where Kim Mazelle, Michelle Weeks, Taka Boom and Kevin Bryant
were present as vocal guests. In 2009 a collection of the first two albums released in the USA titled Mediterraneo-Club Favourite Collection '90-
98 and in 2010 his fourth album entitled The Cool Deep which reproduced the sounds closest to his first productions.
Also active as a remixer for Italian and international labels, one of his most important works is the remix of Byron Stingily of the song You Make
Me Feel of which he made a worldwide hit. As a producer he also used other pseudonyms such as Montego Bay, Aquanuts, Sotterranea and
Love 2 Love Orchestra. He has played and plays in different countries such as London, New York, Miami and at various festivals, such as the
Robot and the Stickermule Festival in an evening with Apparat, Derrick May, DJ Koze, Lil 'Louis, Young Marco and Ellen Allien, LTJ Xperience More

Among those who have written the history of the Italian House is certainly Carlo Troja, aka Don Carlos. In 1991 Irma Records released her first single Alone which immediately became a cult record for DJs across the Channel and especially American DJs. Its particular soft and ambient sounds defined a genre that was then called Paradise House. And it is precisely from this genre and from this Dj that Irma Records began the celebrations of its thirtieth anniversary a few years ago by proposing a selection of its catalog chosen by Don Carlos, trying to dig among some of the pearls of the genre but above all among some songs that featured in his evenings but were less popular at the time of their release. This compilation had a great response and it was decided to make a volume 2, always selected by Don Carlos. Also this compilation, like the first one, consists of two compact discs and a vinyl version this time with a selection of only 8 of the 20 tracks contained in the CD and Digital version. All the tracks on the double vinyl have been re-edited by Don Carlos for the occasion. The double cd is in a limited numbered edition. Among the artists and producers included are: Don Carlos, Lust Unlimited, Subsonic Posse, T.M.V. (Marco Trani, Moz-Art and Maurizio Verbeni), The Sweatbox Orchestra, Aritmya, Deep Aural Penetration, Be Noir, Love Nation, More Heavy Soul, Outdance, F.I.T.Z. and many others
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After blessing a special intimate Utopia Records dance in a North London loft with his iconic romantic and deep Italian House sound, pioneer Carlo Troja aka Don Carlos returned to Milan and sent the music to launch Alex Bradley's new 'Utopia Club Tracks' dance music sub-label.

Title track Tuono or 'Thunder' sees Mr Carlos bringing the original Mediterranean and Latin dance sound onto a modern page. The inspiration is clear, the trademark percussion of Vincent Montana forged with the spaghetti baselines of legendary film-score writer Piero Umiliani together with Carlos's trademark paradise house sound that lets you imagine the 3 in harmony, in a studio together.

Working from the blueprint of early house releases of a single track with multiples mixes, the A2 sees mythic underground London DJ and label boss Bradley team up with legendary UK house producer Neil Tolliday and guitarist Ollie Marks for a Utopia Sound Project mix entitled 'Tears of Petrichore'.
More than just an edit, a whole new Balearic house take is formed using just the pads and chords from the original with new bass, percussions and Marks' Pink Floyd-esque guitar warbles on top for a blissed out journey into romance.
The 12" is rounded off by a Tribal fix by Carlos himself, big room moves that draw you in and keeps you there...dreaming of better days...
Finally, the re-rub strips it back and locks the groove.

Salute Don Carlos. More

For the fifth instance in their reissue series, Echovolt Records brings us four lush house gems by one of the most influential Italian producers...Carlo Troja aka Don Carlos. Don Carlos started as a dj in the late '70s and debuted as a producer towards the end of the 80's with the cult single 'Alone', which pretty soon became one of the anthems of the international Deep House scene. "Inspiration EP" focuses on some of his finest productions from the mid '90s that were only available on his rare "Aqua" vinyl promo EP. This releases makes an effort to capture Don Carlos' unique approach on classic House with lot of Afro-american jazz sounds and ambient influences, that created a timeless deep jazzy house with a strong Mediterranean twist on it! More