Texas based Electro giant Cygnus arrives on Science Cult with a timeless cyberfunk 4 track EP. Expertly programmed beats and bass lines mixed with lush synths and vocoders make for an unforgettably smooth sound. Rounding out the EP is an energetic stomper of a remix by The Exaltics. Vinyl includes a download code + digital bonus. More

Blue Vinyl!

"Move toward that inner paradise; that immortal, glorious metroplex abounding with simplicity, rich with substance. That is our door to the future: right now. Go to your heaven and relax. Embrace the loneliness. You've done enough, and you've earned it. You don't need to do anything more. Take a break. Grant your mind permission to become tranquil, and relaxed. Take care. Listen to the sound of your life; that flawless, neverending symphony of electricity & beauty. What you hear is what you are." No better time to release (reissue) a cyberpunk masterpiece than a global pandemic, right?

Cygnus "Neon Flux" is a selection of remastered tracks from his under-the-radar digital release "Rainy Days" (Biosoft Records). Comin' in hot via Dallas, TX... Smashin' the thermometer w/ the dirty south electro heaters!! Don't mess with Texas!! More

With '100% Dope' we find Central Processing Unit bringing up their hundredth catalogue number, and you'd struggle to find a more fitting artist to ring in a century of releases for the label than Cygnus. The one born Phillip Washington has been with CPU since the very beginning, his 2012 LP 'Newmark Phase' representing the first record ever released on the imprint. That album's combination of textured techno and grizzly Drexciyan electro set the tone for CPU perfectly, and it's no surprise that Cygnus has returned to the Sheffield imprint several times down the years. While '100% Dope' is an expert demonstration of what Cygnus and CPU do, this EP also shows just how much both artist and label have grown over the past nine years. At its heart '100% Dope' is a set of prime machine-funk from a master of the form, but these are also some of the most daring and innovative tracks that Cygnus has ever produced. Take opening cut 'Bad RGB Controller'. In the undulating synth lines we have a ghost of grime as well as Drexciyan drive, and as such the track reminds one as much of Mr. Mitch or Last Japan as it does, say, Dopplereffekt. Furthermore, 'Bad RGB Controller' shifts gear around the halfway mark into a highwire electronica mode which has the wit and spark of prime Bogdan Raczynski. Entries like 'Float Back To The Surface' are similarly unpredictable. There's some lovely industrial techno bite to this one - the snare drum will echo in your head long after the party's died down - but Cygnus periodically pulls out the rug from underneath us with passages of impressionistic texture that almost border on sound art. 'Float Back To The Surface' is one of a trio of vocoder-led jams here. On 'Throwing Shade' we hear I-F and Egyptian Lover, with Cygnus' vocals clattering around like pronouncements from some funked-out robot overlord atop hissing-piston drums. Then there's the enticingly-titled 'CPU Records'. 'CPU Records' delivers all the crisp electro snap we've come to expect from a record emblazoned with that signature black-and-white artwork, yet this thing is also widescreen and cinematic in ways that demonstrate the maturation of the Cygnus sound. With a wicked vocoder vocal that celebrates the label's many achievements, 'CPU Records' is a victory lap tune if ever we've heard one. Central Processing Unit keep it 100 on for this new EP. '100% Dope' by Cygnus is CPU's 100th catalogue number, and the Texan producer delivers on the promise of the record's title with a collection of brilliantly unique electro joints. More

This is the first release from long time running party 'Lost Control' in Manchester and Berlin and NTS resident under the same name run by Black Eyes. The label itself is our new extension of the portal from the 7th dimension. Specialising in plasma house, sub-aquatic electro and cyber techno all brought back from the year 2097. The first EP is from Texan electro legend Cygnus. We don't need to explain how good he is. We just hope you enjoy the ride of cyber soul at its deadliest. There's even a tribute track to city of Manchester where Lost Control was birthed. The vinyl colour is inspired by the by acid blood of the xenomorphs from the Alien movies, meaning it's translucent fluorescent yellow. "They mostly come at night...mostly!" The record is also mastered by Dutch synth genius Rude 66. More

Five tracks full of vocoders and analog beats by Phillip Washington aka Cygnus.?No repress! More

Craigie Knowes step into the new decade with a 5 track 12" by Dallas resident, Cygnus. Cygnus has a prolific back catalogue that includes several releases on CPU, the legendary Breakin' Records and his own imprint, Biosoft. Impactful IDM and Masterful Electro across all 5 cuts - making this a fitting addition to one of the most impressive back-catalogues of any stateside IDM/Electro long-timer. More

Texas-based electro producer Cygnus broke the post "Cosmos" LP hiatus with 2018's "ne0 ge0" EP on Barba. Now, less than a year since, it feels like a good time to present another record from this artist worthy of the highest echelons of electro universe. "Liquid Sunlight" EP consists of four tracks: "Quicksilver Surprise", "Behold The Spirit", "Crystals In Your Mind" and "Liquid Soul" which all share common qualities of his previous work - deep, spacey, richly textured and just really well crafted electro music. Throughout the record's various moods, there's an undertone of melancholy and beauty. What Cygnus does so masterfully here is combine the futuristic imagery with deeply human emotions, a juxtaposition which makes the result feel much deeper than the sum of those parts. Without a doubt, "Liquid Sunlight" is a wonderful example of how electro in 2019 can sound. Respectful to the genre's tradition yet looking toward the future. Technology led but deeply grounded in the human condition. Engaging in solitary home listening, powerful at 4 AM in the club. All of our releases, this one's pressed onto a heavy duty 180 gram vinyl and beautifully dressed in an original artwork by local artist. More

Cygnus aka Phillip Washington returns home to CPU with Deep Analysis. Six tracks of nebulous compositions all containing his signature emotional and melodic electro.
Sheffield Bleep is an ode to CPU Records complete with an old school vocoder rap over CR-78 rhythms. Deep Analysis is an answer to one of Washington's favourite tracks 'Sleep Paralysis' by Mikron. Ultraterrestrial, Her Majesty and Descent of Man are beautiful si-fi electronic music without comparison. The E.P. wraps things up with Hallucinate Data cementing Cygnus as a master of the genre. More

Cyberwave-influenced technopop from the Texan electromegastar Cygnus.

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Texas-based electronic music producer Phillip Washington aka Cygnus was on bit of a hiatus since his phenomenal "Cosmos" long play on Fundamental Records, released near the end of 2016. With this EP, titled "ne0 ge0", he's breaking the silence and we're extremely happy to see it happening through Barba imprint. The record consists of 4 cuts; "Zone Shifting", "Vertexing", "ne0-ge0" and "Astronoot" which all share common qualities of his previous work - deep, spacey, richly textured and really well crafted. "Zone Shifting" is what electro in 2018 should sound like. Deep, emotional and futuristic but well grounded in the human condition through the vocal line which seems to haunt from the distance. "Vertexing" is a slightly more paced, moodier affair with slow enveloping Vangelis-esque synth lines bleeding all over traditional electro sounding beat. However, in this case that's exactly what's needed. Title track, "ne0-ge0" is the first one on the flip side and the busiest one. Creasing of multiple synth lines and pads is done in such an expertly elegant manner that you just can't resist but play it loud on a big soundsystem and see what it does to the dancefloor. And finally, record closes with "Astronoot", and as B2 tracks usually are - it's the deepest of them all, reserved for those heady moments when you need something to bring the magic to the next level. More

Four tracks of hypnotic, no-nonsense club bliss. Best enjoyed at 4am on a sweaty dance floor. Bring the beat back! More

Vinyl only w/ Mike Huckaby remix. Jorge Caiado’s new “Cycles” EP, offers 3 strong versions of title theme plus a remix by Detroit legend Mike Huckaby. A house/techno manifesto that takes his artistic vision one step further, placing him as a cutting edge producer internationally supported by the likes of Move D and others.
From Lisbon via Detroit, “Cycles” will make any worldwide dancefloor take a peak. So grab it, play it and check the results. More

Repress!

What is it about New York City, that concrete jungle that continually inspires the creative spirit? From Warhol’s Factory to Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage to David Mancuso’s Loft, collectives that celebrate and nurture unfettered, organic artistry have been absolutely intrinsic to the story of this sprawling metropolis. Its latest chapter is being written at the hands of ‘The Maestro’, Grammy Award winner Louie Vega and his Expansions NYC parties, the sound documented in his latest album Expansions In The NYC (Nervous Records).

Starting in February 2019 in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues, Vega’s Expansions NYC parties have their origin not in his revered prowess as a DJ but rather his whole-hearted appreciation of the different elements of the dance floor surrounding him: the dancers, the musicians who bring their instruments to join him ad-hoc on the night, the small, dedicated crowd of clubbers whose ears to the ground keep them informed on the underground party information. The events included 6-hour DJ Sets with Louie under his select curation, and would usually end with 3 AM jam sessions involving keyboardists, guitar players and poets all performing in front of a jam packed crowd. In just a few short years the Expansions NYC events have evolved into an NYC-clubland institution, an intimate celebration of house, funk, disco, afro, R&B and more.

As with his parties, so goes his album. The collective vibe that forms the beating heart of Expansions NYC parties is absolutely front and centre in Expansions In The NYC, Vega drawing in one of the most comprehensive lists of collaborators in recent memory. House heavyweights Honey Dijon, Joe Claussell, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Anané rub up against legendary vocalists Bernard Fowler, Cindy Mizelle, Lisa Fischer, Audrey Wheeler and Tony Momrelle. Gospel royalty BeBe Winans and Debbie Winans, pop icon Robyn and rising star Karen Harding sit alongside disco-era champions Unlimited Touch, Cuban jazz pianist Axel Tosca, Nico Vega, Two Soul Fusion with Josh Milan and Vega and underground legend DJ Spinna. At the centre of it all, fingerprint on every beat, touch on every groove, sits a master at work, weaving the individual threads into a rich dance music tapestry.

"In the past few years I’ve found new inspiration both from the musicians I’m working with and the audiences coming to see me at my DJ shows,” Vega says. “So for me this album represents new beginnings, bringing together a beautiful mosaic of artistic perspectives to express musically what we call Expansions In The NYC."

At its heart, Expansions In The NYC is a love letter to New York, as much as melting pot as the city it represents, the scope of its line-up possible only because of the influence and reverence of Vega the artist, the DJ, the producer, the curator. In creating this album, Louie Vega has once again utterly enriched the lives and libraries of music lovers the world over, far beyond the hustling streets of NYC that have so indelibly left their mark on his work. More

Repress coming Mid April!

Talented Kilkenny-based Peter Lawlor, aka Polytunnel, rocks up on Seventh Sign Recordings and turns in a masterly release. More

Legwork is back with a new single from our favourite cosmic crusader, Brother Nebula.

The A-side consists of a tape-crushed lysergic stormer, on which the Brother helps us to be mindful, and a couple of useful DJ tools from the same session. The B-side starts with a broken affair with pensive chords floating around bleeps and sounds of the universe, and finishes with a dubbed-out version of the previously-released and extremely well-received S.I.S. featuring San Francisco stalwart Solar. More