It's heartening to see an artist strike upon an idea, an aesthetic, an approach of some kind, and channel that into a cohesive catalogue of work, not least when it's one of your mates. To the outside world Rhythmic Theory appears to operate with a shroud of mystery around him, but to us he's a long-standing patron and parental figure in the development of Idle Hands. From the first strains of murky, UK-rooted techno that emerged from his enviable studio, it was clear that this was an artist who had finally found that elusive creative purpose in which to channel his imagination. Now after bearing down heavy on our own label, his own label, BRSTL, Happy Skull, Ancient Monarchy and A14 over the past four years, it's a true pleasure to be presenting Rhythmic Theory's debut album. You can never be sure quite how an artist will tackle the challenge of the long player, but the Bristol scene stalwart has delivered a concise artistic statement that builds on the themes laid out in his prior singles while capitalising on the wider space in which to express himself. The strings that linger in the upper reaches of the frequency band on "Longevity" call out to the sci-fi yearning of early Detroit techno, but laced with a very British bitterness. The blown out piano chords and sultry sax licks of "Waldrons Lament" evoke seedy late nights and '90s sample culture in an utterly haunting fashion. The gently lilting pads on "Interlude" swoop down in a reverie so blissful it's hard not to reach for the nearest hammock. This is an album of deeply emotional music. It's not all heartfelt niceties and eye-welling moods though. Rhythmic Theory did after all come to light (or should that be dark) in the gloomy alleyways of UK soundsystem music begat from dubstep and all that other stuff. "Creeper" is on hand to affirm that this is a record still steeped in true, stern moodiness, where a stalking sub line, some metallic percussion and an icy drone can still strike fear more than a thousand angry wobble basslines. It's worth noting how much attention has been given to shorter vignettes. As well as the aforementioned, cryptically titled "Interlude", "Work Of Fiction" and "End (of Forever)" both give insights into the places Rhythmic Theory cares to roam beyond the structure of a long form track. These are places where melancholic or downright ambiguous dispositions interplay with each other, from the synthetic to the earthly, the malevolent to the tender. In the end, even at its most monochromatic, nothing is black and white on Rhythmic Theory's debut album, and that's just fine with us.

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Following an acclaimed release on Ancient Monarchy and ahead of his debut for Blackest Ever Black, Rhythmic Theory returns to Idle Hands for the third time. 'Future Tense' channels the spirit of era defining mid-90s DnB but twists it with a contemporary techno feel. A contemporary of Livity Sound and Hodge, Rhythmic Theory's music sits closely to theirs but with a distinct sound palette all of his own More

We never forget our roots here at Idle Hands. For people of a certain age the wild experiments of Jungle and DnB remain close to our hearts. Whilst scenes, sounds and trends may wax and wane that visceral feeling of chest rattling bass is something we hold on to. Rhythmic Theory is one producer who like us, never forgot. Here we present two tunes deeply indebted to those times. It must be stated though, you will not find any amen breaks or ragga samples here; Instead, this up and coming Bristol producer transposes the atmospheres and deadly subs to a techno template. ‘Legacy of the Lost’ and ‘Riveted’ follow on from two well received vinyl only release on BRSTL and his own self titled label. Both tracks are immaculately crafted hardware jams that are designed solely with sound system use in mind.” More

Repress!

Much has been said about Nami Shimada's JPop Bubblegum Deep House anthem. Produced by Soichi Terada in 1989, Larry Levan used to bang it in he Paradise Garage, ressurected by Creme in 2004, over a decade before the hype. What more credentials do you need? Here's all the versions that matter, including a beautiful and haunting Legowelt remix that's rated amongst his best work (by experts that is). More

Limited reissue of the classic Exaltics 2011 release on Creme Eclipse aka The Living Planet. Housed in a full sleeve with fantastic previously unreleased artwork by Godspill. Dont miss this masterclass in brooding and dark electronix tech-fi. It may sound scary at first but lucky for you it all ends in a crop circle rave! More

Part 1 of a retrospective of sorts, compiled from dozens of unreleased tracks from literally two decades of producing, these gems were collecting dust in the vaults of Ekman. Evocative and eerie electro from the Dutch master. We think we can let the music speak for itself in this case, as it's unique and instantly recognizable. More

Part two of our retrospective takes our journey deeper into the woods with his unique brooding electro, vivid sparkling soundscapes and minimum for the maximum dirty brown The Hague Acid (TM). Whatever, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it... gorgeous and essential. More

For the first time ever on vinyl, Iv/An's spectacular debut album Self and Selfish. Toiling away for years in relative obscurity, this Ex-Yu cult vocalist has a slew of highly sought after releases on his own boutique label as well as Austrian Tonn Recordings and more recently Fettkakao. Blending New Romanticism with a stern style of Cold Wave - he sings and produces every song himself - Iv/An has been a staple of the Balkan and Austro-Hungarian live scene for close to a decade now. Recently he started to make waves internationally with a stellar live set for Intergalactic FM, where his sleeper hit "Loopholes" turned more than a few heads. He featured prominently in Henry Rollins' 2022 end of year radio show and is constantly performing and honing his vocal craft. Strictly limited to 400 copies on White Vinyl in exclusive sleeve design, so whatcha waitin for? More

Repress!
New album by the irrepressible Dutchman... The '2080' part of the album title is taken from the Roland JV2080, a legendary digital synthesizer from the nineties that was used a lot in the making of the album. Bought second-hand in Tokyo for a couple of hundred dollars, it lends the record a very dewy eyed soul, whilst the 'Crystal' part of the title stands for the self-made 'DIY germanium crystal compressor' Legowelt used throughout the writing process. The album itself features ten new tracks of pure Legowelt music mainly recorded in De Hague in the past year, but also on the road during tours of LA, the Californian desert, Tokyo (which spawned 'Crystal Cult 2080') and Tejada Gran Canaria (where 'The Future of Myself' was written.) Where his last album The Paranormal Soul was an organic trip into misty forests, this one seems more concerned with medieval spirits; it's deeper, darker and the whole thing is tied together by a more coherent sense of ancient alchemy. Gi ven the use of a DIY germanium crystal compressor during production, it's no wonder everything feels warm, fuzzy and mystic in a way that draws your attention in like that fabled philosopher's stone... glare too long and you might just turn to stone. Right from the opening track the mood is so encapsulating you are drawn right into Danny Wolfers' mysterious electronic world. From there various different tempos are explored and plenty of famed synthesiser work comes to the fore, wrapping grooves in trippy themes, impish spirits and plenty of organic lushness.
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A spectacular debut by this mystery production team by way of London and Berlin. Deep EBM influenced Electro from beyond the rim with a dash of acidic retro futurism. More

Remastered re-issue of this all-time classic alien-funk electro by Aux 88! More

Chicago house and Detroit techno devotee Simoncino is a master of authentic analogue wizardry. The HotMix Records boss joins the dots between the past and the future with his deep and dreamlike tracks and put out an album on Creme Organization back in 2015, and has remained hugely prolific ever the years. Here he explores a full range of sounds, starting with the slow and mysterious deep house of Housetime, which has beautiful synth patterns unfolding throughout. Two mixes of It Up explore ambient with a pained vocal loop and rubbery bass, and a loose and cosmic dub house cut that Larry Heard would love. On the flip, the roomy Tribu has dreamy Italo bird calls and glistening synths paired with punchy rubber kicks that set your mind wandering and Una Notte Con Michelle is expansive deep house with drums that march, tinkling bells and a squelchy bassline that is perfect for the intimate back rooms. Digi bonus Timezones rounds things out with smoky and atmospheric deep house that is filled with deft little details that occupy your mind as much as your feet. More

Dona is back with another EP of emo-jakkin Mediterranean style dark-side. He walks the fine line between hope and hate on this one, mood-swinging his way through various shades of azure and off white. More

Next up on Creme Organizaiton is Lake Haze. The Hague based Portuguese artist is a regular on this label having put out four EPs in the last two years. He's also linked with Unknown to the Unknown and Shall Not Fade so is an esteemed talent with a blistering sound that fuses futuristic techno and electro into storytelling dancefloor dynamite. Space Reservoirs kicks off this EP with slow but heavy drum work, acid twitches and spooky cosmic echoes. The Observer picks up the pace with quick and slick kicks from the streets of Detroit overlaid with ripping electro basslines and deep space atmospherics. Unexplored Oceanic Territory is expansive electro with busted drums and echoing pads that add real scale before more acid finishes things off with real rawness. Prototype is dark and heavy, with another searing baseline and crisp metallic hits, then Into The Unknown is a blissed out electro roller with dreamy pads and twinkling keys melting into the cosmos. It closes out another essential EP from this timeless producer. More

Creme Organization's latest missive comes from Fabio Monesi, an Italian with a gritty house sound that is aimed squarely at the club. He's served up punchy beats on labels like Russian Torrent versions as well as his own Wilson Records before now and has a simple but effective sound. 'Riot' kicks us off with rock slid kicks and lithe synth stabs fleshing out the macho groove. Clever vocal samples bring some steaminess and ensure this one will do plenty of damage on the floor. 'Last Friday' is a raw and lo-fi affair with rattling, sharp edged hits and hissing synths all softened with jazzy chords. House drums and rolling bass prop it up in groovy fashion, then 'Reduction' is a frazzled brew of spiting hits, jerking machine grooves and busted frequencies that is as raw and tough as you like. Last of all, the excellent 'Ozyork' rounds us out with punchy drum programming, intoxicating and off kilter chords and brain frying sonic imperfections that are perfectly imperfect. Add in a deep acid line and you have a surefire house bomb with real meat in its bones. More

Creme Organization welcome a new producer to the ranks for their next EP: that man is Rhythmic Theory, a mysterious artist from Bristol who has years of experience of DJing, producing and running labels behind him. Most recently he has been in charge of his own eponymous label, and has close involvement with the BRSTL imprint as well as releasing on Idle Hands and Happy Skull. Across four track he shows a number of different sides, all of which are fascinating and inventive. Pessimists' opener Empty House (RT's Choppage Mix) is a sparse and broody track with, at first, only the occasional kick drum beneath sooty synth smears. Its from a post-human world and eventually turns into a lurching, off beat track that rises form the ashes of jungle and dubstep with real menace. Outlawed From Reality is another slow and purposeful track that is eerie and cinematic: the off beat drums and spooky atmospheres are full of intrigue and suck you right in, then Cyclic Motion continues to bring a paranoid and unsettled feel to the EP with its layering of elastic drums, naught sine waves and scattered drum hits. Last of all, Rachael's Theme mixes up passages of blissful cosmic ambient with loose, rumbling drums and a general vibe that feels something akin to passing from this life to the next.
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After an EP on Creme Organization off-shoot Jericho One as DJ Plant Texture, Dona Basile now assumes his Dona alias for a new EP on the main label. Entitled The V.G.P Sessions, it features four new cuts from the Italian. Up first is a live cut version of 'Energia', a bristling electro track with globular bass and coarse hits. Turbulent but full of synth based serenity, it is a fine start. 'Cigarettes' is rugged and broken, with glossy IDM synths and corrugated drums all loosely arranged into something prickly and unsettling. 'The Deads At Twelve' then gets even more fucked up, with rusty synths and blown out drums making for a dystopian house groove that will likely soundtrack the apocalypse. Last but not least, 'Nr. 13' mixes up Detroit synths, wild acid, heavenly chords and chopped up, buried deep vocal samples into something that will fire every synapse in your body. This is outlier stuff from Dona that sounds like little else. More

Next up Creme Organization is a return by regular artist Lake Haze. Following his Natural Insight EP earlier in the year comes Intergalactic Communicationz, four more fresh tracks of acid, techno and electro that is brilliantly evocative. The Portuguese artist known as Goncalo Salgado also please son labels like Unknown to the Unknown and is a real hardware master. At The Gates ov Futron is a turbulent lack track with zipping acid and a cacophony of percussion that is visceral as well as cinematic. Drexciyan Aquarium is, as the name suggest, an aqueous electro track that slithers and slides through an expansive underwater world. Poseidon's Dream then offers a more rugged electro groove that is backed by heavenly pads and a real sense of loss in the synths. Last of all, Intergalactic Communication closes out this far travelling and intergalactic EP with a sci-fi deep house track that is filled with light, 909s and a sense that the end of the world is coming.
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The next chapter in the Creme Organization Ecplise series comes from Cosmic Garden with three original tracks and one remix from Orgue Electronique. Little is known about Cosmic Garden other than he is from Southern Italy and has had two EPs out in 2016, one on HotMix and one on Cosmic Rhythm. He heads out the blocks here with 'Reptilian Treant', six minutes of lo-fi deep house that is roomy and atmospheric. Lazy synths bring soul and a gentle chatter of claps and hits helps drive it along. 'Rare Centaur' is also way below the surface but is darker and more celestial, with turbulent bass, frantic claps and angelic chords glowing like a white light at the end of a tunnel. Dutch house and electro don Orgue Electronique then remixes 'Reptilian Treant' into something that is slick and serene, with metallic lines dancing above rubbery drums as big piano chords boucle up top. It is joyous and colourful and truly majestic before final track 'Apocalyptic Moose' takes us back down into a mournful house vibe that echoes Chicago with its roughhewn analogue textures and lovestruck chords. More

The last few years have seen Belgian artist Innershades turn out plenty of rugged house on labels like Creme Organization and Pinkman, and now returns to the former with a four track EP on Dutch label Creme. The prolific producer shows he still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve across all four cuts and stitches in acid, jack and Chicago styles with his own sense of charm. The Kings comes hard and fast out of the blocks with big hits, wild synths and raved-up vibes that will have you punching the air. Knowledge is another banger with powerful kicks and globular bassline run through with more ravey sirens, but this time is a little more haunted. Crossing Paths is all about a simple but effective bassline that bounces along and takes you with it in ways similar to an Omar S joint, then Wait is the most stripped back and mysterious of the lot with cosmic melodies panning about in a spacious and airy deep house groove. Utterly timeless from start to finish, this is another massively effective offering from Innershades. More

Raw Tools label boss and Bucharest based producer Romansoff is making his debut on Creme Organization in 2016. His Wrath of Zeus EP features four tracks of the sort of frayed and authentic house music that the label is known for around the world. Romansoff mostly releases on his own label but has also served up plenty of rawness on Machine Records, Mork and Bitter Moon. Bundle of Acid is the opener and is a heavy but mystic track with grainy claps and plodding drums undermining bubbling synths. It's crunchy and spooky and really comes alive with some squiggly acid lines. The title track is more stripped back and trippy, with corrugated drums and nervy chords trapping you in a suspenseful groove before Who You Gunna Call is another rough hewn analogue monster that manges to take you down into some cavernous underworld at the same time as offering up some angelic emotions. Lastly, She Owns The Game is the most melodic of the lot, with a far sighted ripple of keys, spaced out atmospheres and muttered vocal lines all making for something that is truly from another world. More