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. More

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 More

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!" More

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. More

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. More

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.
More

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.

More

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. More

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. More

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.= More

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. More

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.

More

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. More

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.

More

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

More