From Sweden with Italo to Dresden with love. Stockholm's DJ City drops his first release on Dresden's Uncanny Valley with the COSMICOMICS EP, a 100% fun record for all the senses, deeply inspired by Italo Calvino's iconic short story collection. The stories have inspired DJ City to a record that aesthetically draws from 80s Italo Disco and 70s science fiction films. In the book, each story is based on a scientific fact about the world and the cosmos whilst using fiction to ask how we understand it. Where Calvino's stories are comical and absurd, DJ City surrenders to the sublime and romantic and moves further into the metaphysical world that Calvino created to come up with three energetic and melodic tracks bursting heavily with fantasy and drama. Deeply rooted in dance music's history, they shine with Hi-NRG-vibes, strict dancefloor commitment and little easter eggs like that Drexciya-reference in COSMICOMICS. The cover of the record is a painting from 2020 by Swedish artist Jens Faenge called THE INN. The picture seems to have been broken up into several dimensions, and abstract details make it difficult for the viewer to know exactly what and when the scene is taking place. When shown in Shanghai, the painting was censored by government agents and had to be taken down. A testament to the power of the image. Perhaps it shows our main character, perhaps it shows us the author or the artist. Depending on who listens, who reads and who looks, a multitude of universes open. More

Acid Reflux is an EP compiled by Acid Adams that focuses on acid sounds from different times, genres and genders. The journey starts with the deep and melodic excursions by Nihilist and softcoresoft before we enter a sweaty basement to get lost to rough and punchy tracks by ADSX and Ida Bux. On both sides, a track from the 90s (which has never been released on vinyl before) is followed up by a new composition that was inspired by its predecessor and has been produced especially for this release. Since the 90s-tracks are exclusively by male producers, the concept tries to balance this era-inherent state of affairs with the fact that the new tracks are solely by finta* artists. On a meta-level, this release is about connecting times, genres and genders, beyond forms of binary thinking. The record comes in a reused sleeve from the 90s with a fresh logo sticker designed by Frieedland and a promo sheet like back in the days. More

Jacob Stoy's OVERLOAD is here. It is a long-running and crucial project in the Berlin musician and graphic designer's artistic output. What began as a multi-dimensional art project about the over-presence of stimuli hammering our consciousness in the days of late capitalism evolved into a fascinating musical field study into the deep canyons of future IDM, lo-fi wave, freakfolk and everything in between. The album is a piece of conceptual art that uses sound and music to reflect on the modern information society and our relationship to digital content. Lost in the endless stream of sensations, we are not only plagued by fears of missing out on relevant information, but also increasingly by addictive behavior in the form of a permanent longing for content. Despite the constant oversupply, these relationships lead to loneliness, social isolation and the inability to make decisions. Almost inevitably, the musical spectrum on OVERLOAD is extraordinarily broad, ranging from state-of-the-art IDM to lo-fi wave sketches, hip-hop stumblings and freakfolk miniatures through to twisted ambient. Nevertheless, it is surprisingly cohesive and works well as a cure for digital overload in a kind of conceptual irony. It is an album that will inevitably cast a spell over listeners. A very limited physical edition of the album has been designed and manufactured with love and care by Jacob Stoy. It comes in the form of a handmade twelve-sided booklet that consists of eleven printed transparent foils and the CD in a protective sleeve. But Jacob Stoy's album is by no means the end of the OVERLOAD concept. The ideas are being continued on the project's website and in various artistic contributions. Jacob Stoy has asked many friends how they would translate their thoughts on the subject into individual works of art. Many exhibits have already been submitted, with many more to come. The project will ultimately culminate in a concept exhibition that brings together all the contributions and creates a dialog between them. More

Credit 00 is back on track with four monsters in his bag that are almost too dangerous to get unleashed. The Uncanny Valley regular from Leipzig sends us down into the electronic vortex while taking some detours to places that haven't been visited in a long time. Thanks to his DIY attitude and an open mindedness for all kinds of music, you can find traces of jungle, garage, trance or even 90s pop and gabber in this hard rocking machine funk. He's juggling with sounds and genres like no one else. It's just so much fun to listen and dance to these tunes. Indeed, there is no other... More

Repress!

Two years ago Credit 00 was lucky enough to find a flat with a winter garden in the midst of the city's concrete vastness. Setting up his studio there, surrounded by plants, facing the backyard oasis with its trees, bushes and birds singing all day was quite the opposite of his usual work environment. The contrast of being in nature whilst surrounded by an urban neighbourhood is explored on Credit 00's latest outing on Uncanny Valley. Two different settings represented on either side of the vinyl record. The street side of the building is Credit 00's typical habitat: rough drums, face melting acid and ghetto style track arrangement. R U READY 2 JACK pays tribute to Belgium New Beat and wants to sound like Hardcore that is coming from the heart. TRUE 2 THE GEHM is an ode to one of the true German Acid innovators, Andreas Gehm (R.I.P.), originally written in 2016 for a compilation, which raised money to help him cover expenses incurred due to his severe health issues. The backyard side reveals the influence of flora and fauna on Credit 00's work. On both THE GARDEN and DEEP IN THE JUNGLE, you can hear his synthetic interpretation of mother nature's repertoire. Birds chirping, acid frogs croaking and the wind blowing through the trees to the sound of jungle drums. Despite all the differences between the concrete and the green jungle, there are also a lot of similarities. As the artwork (hand-drawn by Credit 00 himself) illustrates, graffiti spreads all over buildings like wild vine grows on rocks: chaos reigns everywhere, whether in natural or man-made environments! More

Eight years after Cuthead's "Give'n'Take", it's Sneaker's turn to put together four of his favorite tracks for Uncanny Valley's compilation series. The artwork is once again by Planetluke.com aka Luca Lozano. "This record is a vista of my world where music inhabits the air between people. As an exchange of genius, emotions, gestures - even conventions, rituals, and love. Dedicated to L.B. BaD, whose music I inhaled and whose records inspired me on my quest for deepness. You will be missed!" (Sneaker) Besides L.B. BaD's wonderful "Late In The Evening (Music's Seeping Thru)" you'll get three absolute bangers on top. The Optimistic Misanthropes are Mystic Bill, VeXaTioN and Sneaker himself. One of the most influential Chicago House DJs, true to the underground for over three decades now, and once part of the Trax Records roster... Mystic Bill. VeXaTioN already got to know him back in the days but is currently hailing from Mexico City. His track was born in Los Angeles and remixed by Sneaker in Berlin. Also, Left Unknown's "Maedchen" got the jacking Midas touch from Sneaker, a touch you've come to recognize. Behind the one-off project is Saxonian Gnista aka DJ Detox and somebody who wants to remain incognito. Jacob Korn however is well-known since the early days of Uncanny Valley and is above all Sneaker's best buddy at TailOut Studio, Dresden. More

From "Made By Desire" to "Remade By Desire": The Uncanny Valley label from Dresden, Germany curates a remixed and reworked version of the debut album by local pop heroes ATNA and takes us on a trip through various styles of Club Music, electronic Pop excursions and music college Rock'n'Roll. When ATNA sent the German pop world and beyond into rapture with their debut album "Made By Desire" in 2020, the Uncanny Valley crew was also very excited by the duo's life-affirming pop concept. Soon, the idea of a cooperation came up. Since both the band and the label operate from their base in Dresden, contacts were quickly made and the first meeting was so productive that the plan for a collaborative remix and rework album was soon turned into action. Uncanny Valley put together a selection of stylistically diverse artists that took account for the various influences in ATNA's music and reflect the multifaceted sounds of the Uncanny Valley label cosmos. After the initial idea two years ago, "Remade By Desire" is now an album that puts the ATNA songs into new musical context, but sounds surprisingly coherent given the stylistic diversity of the artists involved. It's as if all the musicians had attended a studio retreat for a week and experimented with what is possible when you mix their respective skills. The result is a true crossover album that takes us from edgy techno over orchestral ambient to jazzy punk and challenges without overchallenging. More

THE LIGHTS, THE HEAT, THE STROBE, THE SWEAT! Just in time for the club season, Sneaker hands in two ten-minute trips containing the darkest secrets of dance music. And for the working DJ, there are 4 stripped-down tools on top. The Flow is the sound of tomorrow! The Flow is the sound of the 90s. But elevated to the next level. Yeah, progressive! The Flow is the sound of our heroes. The Flow is the sound of NY and Boccaccio wrought into DEEP BEAT. The Flow is the mellow of LB and the trip of Andrew. May they rest in heaven's glory on the wings of eternity! The Flow is the endless vibe of Josh's groove and the elegant abyss of Murk ensouled with celestial angels. The Flow switches paradigm into the extravaganza synthesis of Dazzle Ships. Ain't nuthin but a 909, an Emulator and a Studer. Cream of the crop. Plus the immersive soul of Yvonne drawing from half a century of light, heat, strobe and sweat. And the vision of a continental producer, whose perspective is timeless, deep, and loving. The Flow is a utopia, where clubs exist. - And flourish! More

Three is the magic number and continues the Connection Lost series by Massimiliano Pagliara on Uncanny Valley. The series is a highly emotional project for the masterful Italian DJ and producer with music that is deeply inspired by thoughts on how to cope, once the connection with loved ones is cut. As wide as the feelings and emotions in those situations are, as varied is the sound palette with tracks between Acid, House, Disco and Downbeat. There's also continuity in the visual aspects, as Alexander Dorn aka Credit 00 again created the artwork for the third part of the series in line with the two predecessors. More

Do you miss CVBox? You are not alone. There are a lot of people that are longing for a new sign of life from this mysterious figure. Presumably, he's wandering around in the forests of the Zittauer Gebirge or is selling mushrooms from Saturn at a Dresden based farmers market. Anyway, the number of CVBox-aficionados keeps growing. And here's the good news: Three years after his album SO IST ES IM NADELWALD on Uncanny Valley, there is a new EP called TeqNoTv coming up with music ready to soundtrack not only the sky-high amplitudes of your life. More

1 CUTHEAD - PARTY CHORDS
2 MASSIMILIANO PAGLIARA - SUNSET FUNK
3 DURERSTUBEN - IWESU YEWISU
4 PANTHERA KRAUSE - THE NAKED NOW
5 DANIELA LA LUZ - WHEN YOU GO ALL IN AND WAIT
Friends, it is time for a finish. Here's the seventh and last chapter of the festivities that we put together for our 50th catalogue number. Once again, the mighty graphics wizards Doppeldenk from Leipzig provided us with a delightfull artwork. And once again, you'll get a record that sports a kaleidoscope of sophisticated dance music from Uncanny Valley veterans and newcomers. This time with the emphasis on bright and positive timbres which can be associated with the colour yellow. Cuthead starts things with a bang and his PARTY CHORDS set the tone perfectly (including neck pain after nodding your head to the beat like there's no tomorrow). If chords could be president this would get a lot of votes. Massimiliano Pagliara shifts down a gear with the acoustic road trip SUNSET FUNK, a masterfully arranged track, made up for driving around on your bike, skateboard or whatever vehicle you are using to get from A to B. The slow and sexy IWESU YEWISU from the soul brothers of Duererstuben is a longtime favorite in the Uncanny Valley headquarters. We are super happy that this groover will finally see the light of day. Panthera Krause provides the subtle but euphoric THE NAKED NOW, a House music lesson that's bubbling under the surface. And finally, Uncanny Valley first-timer Daniela La Luz closes the record with WHEN YOU GO ALL IN AND WAIT, a drum heavy but also embracing excursion into your own neural circuit. More

After Brexit, we thought it would be a brave attempt to snatch the Queen's interpretational sovereignty over the colour purple. So, we have named our new record just like that. Of course, this is only half the truth, as we named all six other UV050 compilation records after colours as well. The purple one, this one right here, is the second to last, completely with the wonderful artwork by Leipzig's Doppeldenk and four tracks to dance your ass off to. Krakow's Chino shows us how to balance perfectly between straightforward urgency and mystic playfulness. His acidic FORBIDDEN VOICES sports just the right amount of chaos to make you go crazy on the dancefloor. Being a spiritual brother for a long time, it's actually the first time Berliner Johannes Albert releases on Uncanny Valley with his VISION UTOPIA, a subtle House bomb, that pushes just the right buttons to trigger your desire to escape into cosmos. Also from Berlin comes Lake People, who does what he does best with ROAMING THE STREETS: A subtle and razor-sharp track that points out that good dance music can sweeten your life everywhere, not only in the club. Finally, RVDS, one of Hamburg's finest, blesses us with MOON OPERATOR, a deep and masterful dive into sonic sceneries that no one has ever listened to before. Except of course for your expert friends, who claim to have heard even the most obscure dreamy Acid track.
1 CHINO - FORBIDDEN VOICES
2 JOHANNES ALBERT - VISION UTOPIA
3 LAKE PEOPLE - ROAMING THE STREETS
4 RVDS - MOON OPERATOR More

After PINK and RED comes ORANGE. It's the third out of seven records for the celebrations of the 50th Uncanny Valley release. And it's tailor-made for pure dance floor delight. Sweden's Jor-El aka Joel Alter spells out house music on HUMAN MATRIX with great effect. You can't resist being dragged along by a track that is well composed down to the last tiny little detail, but always comes across light and easy. Synth stabs for the masses. Uncanny Valley-Newcomer Karima F from Oslo delivers FLACCID HOUSE, a track that feels like the perfect way to make ravers resurrect. The track is based on few, but effectively used ingredients like a hammering broken beat and those odd vocal bits. Thus, it gets to the point without detours. Being a scene-legend himself, Toronto's Basic Soul Unit contributes GROTTO BOUNCE, a raw but precise nod to classic Detroit and Acid tunes. Finally, former Hamburger and now Berliner Christopher Rau is in full play mode and turns on all the equipment in the studio for PARADIJS, a wonky house track that gives you goose bumps even though he may be throwing you out of step.
1 JOR-EL - HUMAN MATRIX
2 KARIMA F - FLACCID HOUSE
3 BASIC SOUL UNIT - GROTTO BOUNCE
4 CHRISTOPHER RAU - PARADIJS More

The Dresden label Uncanny Valley celebrates its catalogue number 50 with a compilation series that stretches over several records. That's also a return to the beginnings of the label, which started in 2010 with four compilation records. The first record of the series is already a foretaste of an upcoming summer. With FANTA KORN TANKER Hessen's Golden Boy Lauer stomps through the club, while letting the magic speak through keys. SUMMER INTERLUDE by James Booth is playing out on an entire range of feelings, banging hard and showing off the European producer's Pop music sensibilities as well. On side b we have the two Dresden based producers Sandrow M and Will Dubner with their fun and funky bass line monster DISCO SCHLAMBONI. While Sandrow M is already established on the label with two solo EPs under his belt, it's the first outing from not-so-new-comer Will Dubner. Another new face is Berlin's Jules Etienne who contributes DUDE'S DEN, a first class Disco affair, complete with beguiling vocals and arousing percussions. More

After his outing at the beginning of 2018, Amrint Keen (an alias of Lake People reserved for his rawer, broken and more experimental productions) is following up on Uncanny Valley with a new EP. And boy, nobody else does dance tracks so unpretentious, but still demanding. Oscillating between house and electro rhythms, the tracks once again show his midas touch of combining subtlety and fun on the dance floor. A track like TRANSIENT LOSS OF RESPONSE explores the corners of urban landscapes and finds melancholy, but also a pumping urgency for the club. MAYBE IT WON'T BE comes with a pretty funny but throughout stable track architecture consisting of many different toy blocks disguised as sounds. DOOZY OF A DAY is indeed a doozy of a track that maybe just fell in love considering the infatuated synths. And also CREPUSCULAR can't hide its romantic qualities after an abrupt start with impetuous drumming. As with the first Amrint Keen record, the artwork comes from Murat Oenen, a painter born in Istanbul and now a graduate at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. More

From the heart of Macedonia comes Herzel with his first EP for Uncanny Valley. The four tracks point him out as an expert for creating tracks on the blurred line between Rave and darkness. If you are listening on a proper sound system, it is almost impossible not to be moved by the mighty drones of FORMS that almost feel like tectonic shifts. GLIDE runs in similar veines and brings power to the dance floor with rolling bass synths and sublime pads. A little more straightforward is GLOWWORMS with sharp drums and an acidic synth theme only to finally merge into an elegiac climax. Finally, TWO More

For the first time Iron Curtis enters the ring over the full EP length for Uncanny Valley. There hasn't been much of a discussion whether or not this is something for Uncanny Valley when Iron Curtis approached the four label heads with this new pile of dance floor material. These tunes are too good. Iron Curtis must have been particularly inspired by the muse while producing these four outstanding House tracks. You'll feel a comprehensive knowledge about Dance music's history when listening. No doubt, the Franconian who is now based in Berlin has spent a good time of analysing House music's techniques. "Sweet Romancer" is the best example for his studio eloquence. Modulated synths, a classic bass line and a whole batch of drum ideas are combined into a wonderful track. The interplay between subtlety and vitality characterizes "Nixdorf Danse". Plus, you won't forget those strings. On "Triroom" he proves that he has a knack for melodies as well. Finally, "Take Me Home" should provide a lot of emotional moments on the dance floor with its dramatic piano and crescendo-like synth line.

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Do yourself a favour and dance across the floor when listening to the new Jacob Korn-record, aptly titled Son Of GX. The music is heavily based on the good old Yamaha Electone Organ. The home organ for the world's gentlemen was modified by Jacob himself and is now an integral part of his studio. As you'll hear it on the EP, it injects a decent dose of fun into Jacob's vision of House music. At least, you will instantly notice that when listening to Singlefinger Chord, a track that conquers the floor with its Disco elements. Rumours say that Jacob's cat toddled on his poor man's Yamaha CS80 when producing Cats On Organs. If that's true, the cat provided an irresistible hook to an already slamming, Italo-inspired track. Son Of GX is every bit as compelling as the first two tracks with its synth trumpet glory while the slighty darker Fun Blocks sustains us with heavy percussion works straight out of the Yamaha Electone Organ. On top, you'll get a remix for Singlefinger Chord by New York's Jacques Renault (Let's Play House) as digital bonus. More