Right for the 30th anniversary of his Electro project Electro Nation, Thomas P. Heckmann returns with a brand new album on his mates label Activities Records from Brussels with a stunning album artwork by Elzo Durt ! Slave To The Machine is a full story throughout the album about an ordinary life that is down to all things being controlled by machines, internet and digits, just to escape and meet the machine at he end... And the end is obviously open."

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

A virus to enslave us all, the test of humanity and the future of mankind.
Electro Nation will kndly guide you to your destiny.
Stay safe and healthy...

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Essential Electro from 1996 the mighty Thomas P. Heckmann aka Electro Nation!

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Returning to his original Electro disguise Electro Nation, Thomas P. Heckmann returns with fresh and brand new material after 20 years! All that you love in original funky Electro is there, Robot voices (done with an ultra rare Texas Instruments Magic Wand), fat Bass, spacey effects and smooth as silk pads ! Enjoy the ride and stay tuned for more to come !

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

A virus to enslave us all, the test of humanity and the future of mankind.
Electro Nation will kndly guide you to your destiny.
Stay safe and healthy...

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Returning to his original Electro disguise Electro Nation, Thomas P. Heckmann returns with fresh and brand new material after 20 years! All that you love in original funky Electro is there, Robot voices (done with an ultra rare Texas Instruments Magic Wand), fat Bass, spacey effects and smooth as silk pads ! Enjoy the ride and stay tuned for more to come !

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

We Are Thrilled to Announce the Reissue of Ellery Cowles' Iconic "Sonic Control" Ep, Originally Released in 1995 on the Legendary Djax-Up-Beats Label. Ellery Cowles' "Sonic Control" Ep Is a Masterpiece That Has Stood the Test of Time, Embodying the Raw Energy and Innovative Spirit of 90s Techno and Acid House. the Reissue Preserves the Original's Groundbreaking Sound While Delivering a Fresh and Vibrant Listening Experience on a Limited Blue Marbled Vinyl.....

Ben UFO (Hessle Audio / Rinse FM): sick
Samuel Deep (SlapFunk Records): Dope!
Malin Génie (Mandar, Oscillat Music, Vigenère): Great
Fred P: Dope...
DVS1: THanks!!
Roy Davis Jnr: Full support when Im in this mode!
Efdemin (Dial): thanks for bringing this back into the game
Stenny (Ilian Tape): Played this to death, good to see a reissue of this killer! big up!
Radio Slave (Rekids): Soooooo goood !!!
Ben Sims: classic material!
Luke Slater: thanks!
Pangaea (Hessle Audio / Hadal): Lovely, many thanks
DJ Pierre (Phuture): SONIC CONTROL!!
DJ Bone (FURTHER): Classic!!!!
Dana Ruh (Underground Quality / Broquade): YES!!! Its taking control!
Inland (Inland): Thanks, legendary!
DJ Rolando (R3): Classic Killer vibes here. Luv it. Thanks!!!
Alinka (Twirl, Classic, Crosstown Rebels, Batty Bass): Nice one
ROD / Benny Rodrigues: man oh man, it's taking control has such a special value to me, hearing josh wink canning this out mid 90's pffff goosebumps and happy to have a proper remaster. ellery cowles is such a unsung hero, so im glad to see some reissue props here, much love!
Gene Richards Jr (CLR / Truncate): Dope cutz !!
Jennifer Cardini (Correspondant / Dischi Autunno): thanks!
Eddie Fowlkes (Detroit Wax, Rekids, Classic Music Company): cool
Ryan Elliott (Faith Beat): Massive!
Lakuti (Uzuri / Panorama Bar): heat !!!bthanks-lakuti
DJ Steaw (Rutilance / Steaward): Solide ep ! :-)
Ame (Innervisions): thanks
Bradley Zero (Rhythm Section): ooo! this is magic - Opcode is perfect basement business
Josh Caffe (Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Exploited, BPitch, Batty Bass): Yes! So glad these have been reissued!
Jonas Kopp: great stuff! love it.
D'Julz (Bass Culture): great reissue transient all the way
Antal (Rush Hour): dope! love all is work
Truncate: Great reissue!
Bake (All Caps/Rinse FM): love this record. thank you!
Elisa Bee: Love it! Thanks x
Marcel Dettmann: thx
Blasha & Allatt (Meat Free): Classic!
Carista: nice
Maher Daniel (The Other Side): great reissue here its taking control is a special one
Gerd (4Lux / Clone): classic release by Ellery. amazing that this gets a re-issue. syncrophone killing it with all those mighty fine releases!

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

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

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

LTD Repress
Severed Heads are one of the longest standing bands to have emerged from the Australian post-punk and experimental scene. They began in Sydney in 1979, and were an early outfit to incorporate elements of 'industrial' noise-generation, tape cutting & looping and electronic sound synthesis. As the project developed, song-structures and vocals were employed in a more-or-less recognizable mutant electro pop style. After many line-up changes featuring Gary Bradbury and psychedelic guitarist Simon Knuckey, Severed Heads became the solo vehicle for composer Tom Ellard.

In 1983 they released a C-60 cassette called “Since The Accident” that grabbed the attention of Ink Records, a subsidiary of Virgin in the UK. Ellard added a throwaway track at the last minute to fill out the cassette, not wanting to leave an unseemly gap on a C60 tape. This track, “Dead Eyes Opened” was catchy enough to get a lot of airplay on the main non-commercial radio station in Sydney. The band was asked to make this song into a 12” single. For this extended version, Tom Ellard and producer Patrick Gibson went to M Squared studio and passed the multitracked recordings through various EQ's and delays. “Dead Eyes Opened” features samples from a radio program narrated by Edgar Lustgarten, a crime journalist from England, referencing a double murder case that occurred in 1924. The rhythms are made by a TR-808 drum machine and an SH-1 synthesizer. A KORG PolySix was used for strings and additional atmospheric elements. The lead solo was a Casiotone run through an Octaver foot pedal. On the B-side are two solo compositions “Bullet” and “Mount” that Ellard recorded at Terse Tapes in 1982.

All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring the iconic photograph of a girl with a painted face wrapped in some cloth by Juilee Pryor. Each copy includes a fold-out newsprint poster with a large photo of the band wearing Art Unit skull shirts on one side and liner notes and press clippings on the other. 30 years later Severed Heads are still paving the way for powerful, imaginative, and challenging music.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Sweetart Vinyl. Originally released in 2004, MF DOOM's MM.FOOD is hailed as a classic | hip-hop album full of inventive production, brilliant wordplay, and unique themes. Celebraled for its seamless blend of humor, wit, and social commentary, the album ushers listeners into a bizarre world af food-related metaphors, painting a bitterly comedic portrait of a life tainted by vice, violence, and jealousy. It was a brilliant and novel concept that gave DOOM plenty of room to explore the album's subjects. Throughout MM..FOOD, DOOM embeds complex ideas within seemingly simple narratives. Album opener "Beef Rapp' is a multi-pronged metaphor reminding listeners of the dangers involved in the glorification of conflict, especially within the rap game. "Hoe Cakes" borrows its name from the sweet, hot water cornmeal patties, which he uses as a symbol to rhyme about indulgence and excess. Continuing the motif, DOOM uses the Madlib-produced "One Beer" to fold layers of depth about escapism and ego, while the popular "Rapp Snitch Knishes" critiques the sell-incrimination and contradictory behaviors of some rappers. Overall, MM.FOOD is both a social commentary and a piece of social satire, showcasing MF DOOM'S ability to blend serious themes with his unique, playful lyrical style. In celebration of the album's 20th anniversary, MM.FOOD has been repackaged with all new artwork by Sam Rodriguez!

Tracklist:

1.1BEEF RAPP
1.2HOE CAKES
1.3POTHOLDERZ FEAT. COUNT BASS D
1.4ONE BEER
1.5DEEP FRIED FRENZ
1.6POO-PUTT PLATTER
1.7FILLET-O-RAPPER
1.8GUMBO
1.9FIG LEAF BI-CARBONATE
1.10KON KARNE
1.11GUINNESSEZ FEAT. ANGELKIA & 4IZE
1.12KON QUESO
1.13RAPP SNITCH KNISHES FEAT. MR. FANTASTIK
1.14VOMITSPIT
1.15KOOKIES

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Tracklisting
A1 Ø [Phase] - Shape Shifter
A2 Ø [Phase] - Number Zero
B1 Ø [Phase] - Living Proof
B2 Ø [Phase] - Deluge

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

In their first bout of new music since 2022’s critically celebrated Mondays at Enfield Tennis Academy, Jeff Parker and his ETA IVtet find themselves exploring the depths of improvised jazz grooves on The Way Out of Easy.

Tracklist
1.1Freakadelic
1.2Late Autumn
2.1Easy Way Out
2.2Chrome Dome

Listen: https://listen.k7.com/3b02e2f5-05af-484c-8bbe-5645f87763dc

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Every now and again, a record carves itself an indelible place in the history of a place, a scene or a genre, all under its own steam – without a big budget, without a press campaign, without mainstream radio, just by hitting all the right notes at the right moment. Maybe you had to have been there to really feel it – locked into the pirate stations, a regular at the right clubs, or leaning on the counter in the right records shops on a Saturday afternoon – but if you were, there are some tunes that will always vibrate with the underground cultural energy of their time. Bô'vel's 1996 Manchester streetsoul anthem 'Check 4 U' is one of those tunes. The kind of song that makes the over-used phrase 'underground classic' mean something again, it effortlessly distills the sounds of its era into one of the most undeniable, genre-spanning cuts of the mid-1990s. The song resonates with the regional flavours of UK sound-system culture: the sweet club sound of Manchester's vibrant streetsoul scene, the dubwise hip-hop throb of the Bristol movement, and the bass-lore of the reggae sound systems whose wisdom stretched from Leeds to South London and beyond. Built around a humid kick drum and a bin-busting bass pulse arranged in head-nodding syncopation, the song is blessed with an instantly memorable harmonised hook, and perfectly set off by Bô'vel's crystalline vocals. Upful, stepping and tinged with melancholy, it remains one of the most well-loved and highly sought-after UK streetsoul sides. The three mixes of 'Check 4 U' appeared as the a-side of a blank-label five-track 12". It was Bô'vel's second release, after a soulful five-track EP issued in 1995 on her own Bô'vel Records had been a surprise success. Produced by Kev Waddington, that initial record had come about almost by accident after a chance encounter in Manchester's HQ Studios, as Bô'vel recalls today: 'We were making these five tracks because we were having bit of an argument with radio not being able to play what they wanted, really, only what the record labels wanted… they never had anybody coming through properly, because everything was pretty much underground. We were making records, like really pop stuff, to take the piss… So in the studio one day, this guy came in – all I know is that his was name was Nigel. And he came in and said, I want to put that five-track EP out with you. We just don't know who the hell he was to this day, really. And he said, you've got to do it 50/50, it's going to be £1000. So I said okay – I just trusted him. I gave him 500 quid. He gave me 1000 records. He just dropped them at the studio. I picked them up and then I went into Manchester city centre and gave it to a couple of DJs on underground radio.' Pirate radio loved it. With play on stalwart Manchester pirates like Buzz FM and Soul Nation, the EP immediately blew up. Bô'vel took the record into Fat City Records, Manchester's premier outlet and distributor for soul, hip-hop and dance, who took a batch, quickly sold out and took several hundred more copies; it eventually transpired that a large quantity were selling to Japan, where the combination of soul smarts and classy production had been caught by discerning ears. Elsewhere, friends distributed the record by hand in London and Birmingham, working them through UK's then burgeoning network of independent dance music shops. The warm reception the record received encouraged Bo'vel to return to the studio for sessions that would become 'Check 4 U'. The EP had been issued under a Bô'vel Records imprint, but she had sold it to Fat City without disclosing that she was the artist – 'I said, "There's this singer, she's great, she's done this cheesy stuff, try it, it's a bit Kylie Minogue". He said "oh, give us 300", and then he had some more.' For the next release, she decided to keep things completely minimal. 'The next one, I said, right, let's just put it out as a white label, and if people like it they like it, they don't have to see who we are or anything.' Though punitive legislation and overexposure had tamed rave culture, and the inflated status of superstar DJs had pushed once underground scenes fully into the mainstream, dance music culture in mid-1990s Britain still retained a certain feral energy. There was still a groundswell of vital local scenes and rapidly changing musical styles, and – combined with local record shops – clubs and pirate radio were still the chief arbiters of influence. 'In the 90s, pirate radio just played the best music. I mean, you couldn't really get music like that anywhere. The same as you couldn't get music like that [being played] in the Reno, which was very different,' remembers Bô'vel, referring to the legendary Moss Side soul club, an underground institution from 1962 until its closure in 1986. 'That's where music really started for me, going to clubs like the Reno at the age 15, 16, 17, and going to places like the Nile [upstairs from the Reno], which was all reggae, you know – that's really where the beats came for me.' The production on the new record would reflect these influences more than the EP had been able too. 'I liked a big bassline,' the singer reflects. 'There's a big bassline there on the five-track EP, 'I Can't Get By', which is a really, really good song, but they just could not get the bass – I was so gutted when that came back…if they'd have shown us the master we'd have said no.' These problems were to be avoided on 'Check 4 U' by the involvement of producer Uriah Gale. 'We already had the tune, and Uriah came on board, and I said, it's just not soulful enough. I was working with Kev Waddington, and he said "I just can't do it." So when Uriah came along, the bass was there, but he tidied it all up and made it really cool, and he was tremendous on the harmony,' she recalls. 'Out of all the mixes, his was the best. He was incredible to work with, and also incredibly talented. With alternate mixes of 'Life Changes You' from the 1995 EP as the b-side, 'Check 4 U' was issued with blank blue labels and sent out with a DJ one-sheet describing Bô'vel as 'Manchester's favourite soul Diva'. 2000 copies were pressed, and the record was distributed by Jetstar. It quickly became another pirate radio hit. 'Soul Nation and Buzz FM did support me from the very start [along with] every single DJ on Manchester radio,' she recalls, 'They're my biggest fans, the DJs here, I've got to big them up!' Manchester's support was mirrored by pirates around the UK. 'We had the support of radios across the country – I just could not believe it. So we went on a tour… We would go to the pirate stations, do an interview, then do a gig – that's how the gigging came about… gigging in Birmingham, Huddersfield, Liverpool, London – I've got so much respect for the pirate radios down there. They were brilliant… We used to take all my stuff straight to London,' she remembers. 'Each radio was doing pretty much the same thing, in their own style, with their own beats. Like, when I went down to Bristol, I showed them the EP and 'I Check 4 U' and they said, hey girl, you've got the Bristol beat!' But her core audience was at home in Manchester. 'London did support me a lot, but not like my home town – they loved me as I love them… Manchester supported me through and through, to this very day,' she remembers. Performing in mid-1990s Manchester was not always straightforward, though: 'In Manchester, it was kind of hard to do gigs, because there was a bit of gang warfare. So, you know, that was a problem. You'd be doing a gig and they'd all be there in their [bulletproof] vests, you know, Cheetham Hill and Moss Side, and it was a bit of a nightmare. And because I was more Manchester side, even though I went to school in Cheetham Hill, I was with a guy from Moss Side. So it was pretty hard gigging in Manchester, I had a bit of a hard time.' Nevertheless, 'my gigs were packed to the rafters…I wasn't scared because I knew I had protection. The gigs were fantastic, here in Manchester and everywhere, and I'm glad and very grateful to be able to say that.' A further single followed – the garage-flavoured 'Earthling', made with producer Ben Stansfield – but this would be her final release. 'My life changed,' she remembers. 'I had a split… I was just bringing my daughter up. I used to live in the countryside, and I was having a bit of a different life… I just spent a lot of time writing when I split up – I couldn't sing, it was like my voice wouldn't work. I was just thinking all the time, and not speaking. So I was just speaking through my music… I just became a writer, and I was more looking for other people to sing the [songs], you know? Because there's a lot of talent here in Manchester.' However, she retained access to a studio, and over time she began to record again, working with various producers and amassing a large amount of material. It is this unreleased material that we collect on Life Changes – nine unheard Bô'vel songs from the period 1997-2008(dates?), selected from her own archive. Until now, none of this unreleased work has been heard. Not an artist to be constrained by genre, the music showcases Bô'vel's exploration of a wide range of styles, from the dubbed-out downtempo of 'My Man' or 'I Wanna Be Free' to the updated streetsoul of 'Let Down And Liar', via the breakbeat hype of 'Do It Your Way' and the straight-ahead reggae vibe of 'Daydreamer'. This unreleased music is presented alongside the unfadeable 'I Check 4 U' and two classic streetsoul cuts from her 1995 EP, 'Life Changes You' and 'Coming Back'. The common denominator across the album is of course Bô'vel herself: a singer of rare timbral clarity whose musical vision has determined the sound of every record she has made, a prolific and personal song-writer in the UK soul tradition, and the artist behind one of the most celebrated underground soul tunes of the pirate radio era. Still most definitely someone to check for.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More