Not much more than a year has passed since the Zenker Brothers presented their debut EP – ‘Lion in Mars’ – on Tresor Records. The follow-up record segues perfectly between a triumphant year in the studio and in performance, and a 2014 which promises to take their growing reputation for blazing techno to new heights. ‘Stratus Phunk’ is an incendiary record, developing the ideas seeded in their first release to their fullest extent. The title track runs along the entire A-side. Building the raw acoustic sounds of wind. instruments into a rolling jam which soon becomes an unstoppable locomotive, shape -shifting in and out of smoky synth lines, tracky hi-hats and acetic basslines, « Stratus Phunk » is a vintage tune forged in the Tresor basement furnace. On the flip, « Thirty-Two » and « Vamp Like » explore the more splintered dimensions of the Münich based brothers’ work, familiar to whoever follows the releases on their own Ilian Tape label.

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Techno was inevitable for the Zenker Brothers. Eldest brother Dario cottoned on first, using his family ties to Munich's infamous Ultraschall club to edge into the DJ booth as an enthusiastic teen. Following its demise he migrated to Harry Klein with the rest of the Ultraschall crew, picking up a residency in 2006 that has only just been brought to a close. It was at this stage Marco received his own electronic awakening. Inspired by a set of his brother's at the very same institution, he joined Dario there a year later. Production-wise, however, the brothers continued to pursue separate paths: Dario sewing an assortment of seeds and racking up a wayfaring collec- tion of records for labels like Frozen Border, Vakant, Time To Express and Traut Muzik. Meanwhile Marco was cultivating deep and dreamy techno on the Zenkers' own Ilian Tape stable. After years of playing and working together side by side, in 2011 they emerged in official collaboration as Zenker Brothers with 'Berg 10 EP'. Now, the Zenker Brothers are back with their first release for Tresor, brandishing a matured sound and level of sensitivity yet displayed by either before. 'Lion In Mars' is like a fresh breeze billowing through the Tresor vaults. Honing in on signa- tures from the archive and repackaging them in modern sentiment, here Zenker Brothers deliver a record that gleans through the generations to deliver a cunning symbiosis of techno future, past
and present. On the A-side "Knighthof" and "The Future Is You" offer driving vintage basement techno with a Zenker twist, whilst B-side tracks "Davin" and "Cosmilian", the EP's clattering dystopic closer, blend Detroit tones together with their respective Ilian-proven pallets.
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-NO SALES TO JAPAN-
LP: 180g vinyl, half speed mastered, heavy sleeve, obi

Tracklisting LP
A1. Sonora
A2. Stella by Starlight
A3. Speak Low
A4. Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen
B1. Old Country
B2. Soultrane
B3. Chasin’ The Bird
B4. Be My Love

Info:

We Release Jazz is delighted to announce the official reissue of Ryo Fukui’s final album, the very personal contemporary jazz offering, A Letter from Slowboat, sourced from the original masters and available on limited edition 180 gram vinyl mastered at half speed for full audiophile sound, as well as on digipack CD.
Known for his miraculous albums Scenery (1976) and Mellow Dream (1977), legendary Hokkaido pianist Ryo Fukui, with the help of his wife Yasuko, opened his very own jazz club in Sapporo in 1995, Slowboat. This is where Ryo Fukui spent the latter half of his career, playing again and again, welcoming peers for unforgettable sessions, and perfecting the craft he lived for: jazz.

A Letter from Slowboat is a poetic, soulful, and honest love letter to Hokkaido, to Fukui’s jazz club, and to endless hours of practicing artistry in a place called home. Backed by longtime collaborators Takumi Awaya on bass, and Ittetsu Takemura on drums, Ryo Fukui flows through classics and originals with natural class, fluidity and absolute precision, expressing a smooth balance between skills and heart. Slowboat, full of breathtaking solos and exquisite moments of clarity, is another crucial piece in the career of one of the most fascinating jazzmen to ever grace the piano. It was released in 2016, sadly the year Ryo Fukui passed away, leaving behind a legacy of works that is sure to captivate jazz lovers for generations to come, and Slowboat, where the magic still happens to this day.

This is reissued in conjunction with Ryo Fukui’s Ryo Fukui in New York (1999), also available via We Release Jazz.


Points of interests

- For fans of jazz, soul jazz, modal, hard bop, piano, Japanese jazz, boats, Sapporo, Scenery, jazz clubs and very personal letters.

- Official reissue of the final album by legendary Hokkaido pianist Ryo Fukui.

- 8th release from We Release Jazz, following Ryo Fukui’s Scenery and Mellow Dream, the soundtrack of Le Cercle Rouge by Eric Demarsan, Stuff Combe 5 + Percussion, Marc Moulin’s Pla-cebo Live 1971 and Boillat Thérace Quintet albums. We Release Jazz is the sister-label of Geneva-based WRWTFWW Records (Midori Takada’s Through The Looking Glass and Lunar Cruise with Masahiko Sato, MKWAJU ensemble’s KI-Motion, Jun Fukamachi’s Nicole, Bruno Spoerri’s Voice of Taurus and The Sound of the UFOs, Piero Umiliani’s Tra Scienza e Fantascienza and Il Mondo Dei Romani…)


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The Standard Edition - Territory - NO Sales to Japan
Ryo Fukui's 1976 highly sought-after jazz masterpiece SCENERY-
LP Edition: Mastered at half speed, 140g vinyl, Sticker

We Release Jazz (WRWTFWW Records' new sister-label) is proud to present its first release, the official reissue of Ryo Fukui's highly sought-after masterpiece Scenery (1976), sourced from the original masters and available on limited edition 180g vinyl mastered at half speed for audiophile sound and on digipack CD.

Unquestionably one of the most important Japanese jazz albums ever recorded, Scenery reveals Ryo Fukui as a miraculously brilliant self-taught pianist fusing modal, bop, and cool jazz influences for a very personal, dexterous and game-changing take on classic standards made famous by Bing Crosby and John Coltrane among others. From "It Could Happen To You" and its serene and calm intro which magically flows into a jubilant and upbeat piece, to the out-of-this-world piano solo of "Early Summer", or the incredible teamwork of "Autumn Leaves" where Fukui leads Satoshi Denpo (bass) and Yoshinori Fukui (drums) into groove heaven, every single note on the album oozes precision, confidence and flair and every single section slides seamlessly into one another, creating a supreme and elegant blend of jazz. Often compared to McCoy Tyner or Bill Evans, Ryo Fukui was a genius in his own right, a true master of his craft whose perfectionism gave birth to some of the greatest music ever recorded. Scenery is his magnum opus and an absolute must-have.

The Hokkaido wizard-pianist followed Scenery with the soulful gem Mellow Dream (also available on We Release Jazz) in 1977. He then focused on improving his live skills, often performing at Sapporo's Slowboat Jazz Club (which he co-founded with his wife Yasuko Fukui) and releasing 2 live albums. Ryo Fukui sadly passed away in March 2016, leaving behind a legacy of works that is sure to captivate jazz lovers for generations to come.


Tracklisting Vinyl LP
A1 It Could Happen To You
A2 I Want To Talk About You
A3 Early Summer
B1 Willow Weep For Me
B2 Autumn Leaves
B3 Scenery
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2LP
Belgian producer and curator soFa launches from Strangelove once again, this time with his celebrated compilation series. A second trip round the stars "elsewhere junior Vol 2" features a bunch of unknown and familiar offworld entertainers. Kosmische music lands amongst leftfield club krypton as our crew collaborate with young space cadets.

Tracklist:
Side A
A1 Alice George Perez & sofa- Little Dogs 2:47
A2 Jumbrel- Sintidesbald 4:38
A3 t-woc & Empress of Nature- Rapper's Delight 3:54
A4 Aroma von Troisdorf (feat. Marla Bereska)- Das Ozeall 3:44



Side B
B1 Puma & The Dolphin- How To Send Email 3:40
B2 Mytron - Fajny Dzie? 4:19
B3 Naomie Klaus- How Do We Make The Babies 4:20
B4 Androo- Police Justice 1:03

Side C
C1 A, C, and The Omni Ox3- Cyril's Stories 2:42
C2 Felix Kubin feat. Bela Elektra- On y va 2:51
C3 Sexo Y Fantasia- Gioca All'Amore 5:33
C4 Conny Frischauf - Ton Tour 5:11

Side D
D1 Das Unkenduo- Fortifrogs 5:14
D2 Oslo Karamell- t3 4:43
D3 Little Boy & The Mindful Potheads- Krautkid 5:54


Short info:

Belgian producer and curator soFa launches from Strangelove once again, this time with his celebrated compilation series. A second trip round the stars "elsewhere junior Vol 2" features a bunch of unknown and familiar offworld entertainers. Kosmische music lands amongst leftfield club krypton as our crew collaborate with young space cadets.

The Empress of Nature & t-woc cover the interplanetary boogie hit 'Rappers Delight' , while Felix Kubin & daughter Bela waltz through the stratus. Conny Frischauf and The Mindful Potheads take us to lynchian journeys of kindergarten Kraut. Mytron's motorik moon dance spins past Naomi Klaus' martian punk shuffle, all amongst a stellar double pack of electronics orbiting Uranus.

In these gloomy times some whimsical fun and a little lightness is just what we need right? Put on your space helmets, fly high and enjoy these trippy sonic explorations..

Vital Sales Points:
Follow up soFa's previous Strangelove releases CCCVVV (SL111) and Psychedelic Digestion Therapy (SL109)
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Territory: World excluding F+ UK

180g heavyweight 12" black vinyl in gatefold sleeve with embossing. Printed inner-sleeve.
Download code included.

Tracklist:

A1. Country Song / A2. Moving In With / A3. Mad Cyril / A4. Fat Lady Wrestlers / A5. Performance
B1. Brain Dead / B2. Wrote For Luck / B3. Bring A Friend / B4. Do It Better / B5. Lazy Itis

Short info:

Like many an influential album in rock history, the cultural significance of Happy Monday' Bummed was apparent to precious few listeners upon its first release on 5 November 1988. Within a decade or two, Bummed would be hailed as one of the best records of the '80s, often by the self-same publications that had slated it back in the day - a harbinger of the seismic shift about to take place in British popular music, away from the squeaky-clean, corporately ordained pop-radio fodder which had increasingly dominated the charts since punk, and back towards the more aggressive, unruly and experience-hungry urges which had always pulsed through rock 'n' roll.
With artwork lovingly replicated by original Manchester designers Central Station Design, this album is on vinyl for the first time since it's original release.
Featured the singles "Wrote For Luck" and "Lazyitis - One Armed Boxer"




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Tracklist:
A1. Guidance To The Sennou
A2. Percaholic

B1. Sashima
B2. Upperhorse


Release Info:
This 4 track EP combines bouncy arps, proggy basslines and FM synthesis that mingle with bubbly SFX, synth risers and field recordings, resulting in a sprightly, atmospheric collection of club tracks for leftfield adjacent dancers.


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Territories: World minus UK & US

2023 repress

2x12" 180g vinyl, full printed sleeve, dl card

TRACKLIST
1/A1. Intro 00:58
2/A2. First 04:46
3/A3. Krautrock 04:33
4/B1. Movement 04:33
5/B2. 9 Hours Into The Future 04:32
6/C1. Depart 04:11
7/C2. Rotunda 04:29
8/C3. Waiting 02:39
9/D1. Scorn 04:55
10/D2. Return 04:35

Release Info:
Tresor Records is fortunate enough to be sitting on a catalogue of past releases that no other label in electronic
music would turn down. Three of the finest in this collection were contributed by Surgeon;
“Basictonalvocabulary”, “Balance” and “Force + Form”, which all came out between 1997 and 1999.
Surgeon’s inimitable combination of Detroit techno and post-industrial sounds emanating from his British
homeland found its fullest expression in these masterful trio of releases.
Following the release of Surgeon's first album in 5 years "Crash Recoil" earlier in 2023, Tresor Records have decided
that its high time to give these seminal albums another airing. More