“I've collaborated with Polychrome for quite some time. I performed at their one-year anniversary at Sexyland and, along with Eversines, played at their ADE 2022 party. Additionally, I contributed to their recent "Reflection EP." Throughout this collaboration, we became friends. Hervé, one of the core members of the group, asked me numerous times to create an EP together. It wasn't until his wedding that I finally said yes (how fitting!).

The first track of the EP is "Laak," a tune I created the day after playing at the club in Den Haag. I thoroughly enjoyed DJing at this venue with its impressive sound system. It inspired me to work on the low reese-bass that forms the core foundation of the track. Hervé and I decided to dedicate the entire A-side to this tune, as we had discussed how nice it would be to have a 45-side on this EP.

The second side focuses more on the emotional aspects we appreciate. "Underwater (Dream Mix)" opens this side with an uptempo techno-ish foundation and trancy melodies, fitting the label's aesthetic perfectly. The track's name stems from my unintentional creation of very "underwater" sounding pads during the recording session (note to self: next time double-check if the mix is alright). The EP concludes with "Reassociate," a tune heavily inspired by the early 2000s IDM gems we adore.”

Rein

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After already working on yeyeh005 together, it was more than overdue to do a solo EP together. Our lives crossed over ten years ago, and the past six years saw us grow into a deep friendship. All four tracks were made around the time of preparation for a Breakfast Club ADE 2021 with De Lichting live. Three years later, we are releasing these solo club cuts.

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Through their music curation work at One Eye Witness, co-founder Hylke has been silently influencing the sounds that resonate in clubs and underground dance music record collections around the world.

His newly created label Spectral Bounce takes it one step deeper, providing a platform for music imbued with eerie grooves and subtly expressive energy, capturing the listener right at their core.

SPEC01 - Force of Nature - Is the fruit of the long-standing musical relationship and shared visions of producer and Selector RDS and Spectral Bounce, the perfect catalogue opener.

Over four moody club-ready tracks, RDS dives into the sound of the after-hours, where minds are freed and darker energies are expressed. Both sides display perfectly controlled acid synthesis, heart-grabbing bass lines, cut-through drum sampling and an extremely textured and gritty mix. RDS' musical influences are clearly felt, harmoniously fusing UK 90s bleep techno, spacey tech house and dub with his own emotional perspective to club music.

The Dutch producer's distinct dance floor sound is here captured in its essence, processed through his expressive electronic machines while controlling tempo and energy in a unique manner. This EP is a sonic statement, offering the listener the Spectral Bounce sound.

Words by Hervé Kacou
Artwork & Logo by Susanne Janssen

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Human Space Machine makes another visit to earth with “Searching”: a fresh four tracker consisting of effective yet deeply heady pieces of club music.

Following his well received EP “Cycle”, HSM explores a darker vibe, one that has become signature to his more recent works. Human Space Machine’s music never floats too far from dance floor focus, but once again tirelessly sparks interest to the ear with complex rhythms and tribal percussion.

‘Searching’ makes a big entrance, an unpretending piece of serious acidness, not ever letting the listener leave the groove, yet carrying a glimpse of hope throughout. After comes ‘SP4C3’, pulling into deeper territory, with minimalistic techno-ey drums and a dash of psy-influences for those really late or early moments. Flipping over, the B-side punches out an ominous and broken cut ‘Ritm’ that crosses over many genres but is ultimately a signature HSM track, one for the subs. Rounding off, Human Space Machine’s ’SH3’ showcases his passion for faster pasted grooves and mind-tripping synths combined in a rhythmical journey.

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After four years, De Lichting is back with a new double album: Drie Nul Drie!

This fresh addition to the infamous compilation series revolves around a central theme: The 303 Acid Bassline.

The double LP format has always been the weapon of choice for the crew when it comes to implementing diversity in their musical story.

Despite the 303 being a rather limited concept, everyone within the collective finds a unique way to approach this classic element that has been rinsed for decades.

From the typical techno bomb of “MJM002” to the sneaky after hours tech gem “5421”, or the Detroit influenced chill-out cut “Tool”, the album bursts with playfulness and creativity, while coming together logically sound wise.

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Oi! This is Nathan Kofi, introducing; “Voltage Controlled Love Affair”. A story about love, love for frequencies, love for the journey, love for the culture and love for ‘the self’.

This record will be my debuting ep since my name changed from Nathan Surreal to Nathan Kofi. And that transformation is evident throughout this ep. The A-side kinda represents ‘the old me’. A1: My Heart Will Go On and A2: Words of Affirmation are both tracks made a little while ago and are cut out of the same wood; a family affair if you wish. They consist of similar samples and thus share sonic DNA, yet reveal two completely different characters in their experience.

Both tracks are fundamentally rooted in a classic ‘house’ ethos and display the use of vocals to enhance the listening experience while it progresses to its full potential. Although the “a1” exudes a more galvanising upbeat energy with a strong pulse triggering bodily movements, the “b1” takes a different route and evokes a more collective meditative journey; hence the title.

Moving over to the b-side. This side represents a new me; personally and musically. Both tracks are rooted in a sense of authenticity and fresh renewed energy. This side moves away from the 4-to-the-floor formula and introduces breaky patterns and melodic experiments.

While a lot of people, including myself suffered through several lockdowns triggering mental struggles as a consequence, I had a really hard time finding peace and balance in life and in the studio. B1: ‘Platonic Intimacy’ is the result of many frustrating studio sessions trying to find my mojo back; trying to reinvent myself to rekindle the experience of bliss and joy while music-making. This track, in particular, brings up the topic of writer's block, mental health and blockages alike artists are suffering from. But when those demons are fought, those barriers are broken, mountains are moved – It is the start of something new, and beautiful; ‘Platonic Intimacy’. The B2: ‘Candy Girl’, in essence, a straight-up sugar-coated electro banger with a mood, yet simultaneously signifies the power of ‘reclaiming’ what is yours.

Best,

Nathan Kofi

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Hi, this is Remco, who made the music for this record. These tracks are my take on techno and electro cuts with an experimental twist. But I’d rather share a bit on the underlying theme of what this record means to me.

Digital Plant System, Solvation, Labyrinth and Altar all touch upon the subject of not always being able to change difficult situations that you encounter. It has occurred to me that the more you seek, the more you will keep looking. Digital Plant System for me symbolizes how it can feel very hard if not impossible to understand the world and how it works, while Solvation and Labyrinth as you might guess by their titles, feel like dwelling on certain problems and getting stuck in thought loops about them. The final track Altar is all about surrendering to the fact that a solution might not come by working ever so hard on analyzing it, but simply yielding to something bigger, and stop resisting.

This record feels very personal to me even though it’s one of the clubbier projects I’ve put out, which is why I like to share some of the symbolism these tracks hold for me. I really hope you enjoy them.

Sincerely,
Remco

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Amsterdam producer Kaap steps forward on his own De Lichting imprint with three twisted jams of deep and playful techno. The passionate gearhead, known for his dubby takes on house and techno, started his Working Titles playground back in 2017 by running a niche cassette outlet Yield on the side. In late 2018 he merged into the prolific De Lichting collective and is a frequent guest on Indigo Aera's AEX series. After many years of hard work, Kaap's new solo EP is surfacing, and it's worth the wait. Over the course of three tracks, Kaap shows high levels of creativity. The first track 'Razor' is a bouncy bass wobbler, its rubbery acid lines and crispy percussion make it an ideal party starter. Title track 'Omen' reaches for deeper grounds, a deep and murky groover enlightened by tactical bleepy rhythms. Kaap's love for dub-techno triumphs on the lengthy b-side as a closer on this EP. With over ten minutes of hazy atmospheres and mesmerizing pads, it builds and builds towards the rolling fields of euphoria.

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De Lichting announces its first solo record “Znton EP”, by the courtesy of Boris Acket (half of Working Titles). Boris delivers a conceptual club package of six lingering yet pounding groovers, ranging from playful minimal to dreamy house and more UK to techno influenced bass music. Four out of six tracks made their way onto vinyl, while the other two will be available digital on De Lichting’s Bandcamp page. Produced in one run with just a drum computer, mono synth, sampler, tape echo and a mixer, the release comprises a solid overlapping sound, but preserves its diversity through shimmering delays, distorting ring modulations and ever haunting synth patterns.

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De Lichting is back for their second double vinyl album titled; “Twee”. The collective showcases a genuinely sensitive and pure sound resulting in an emotionally charged album.
The A-side kicks off with Boris Acket & Kaap. The live and improvised performance “De Tuin” starts as a percussive soundscape and evolves into light footed ambiance, which resonates to a designated chill-out space, followed by “Verwar” of Eversines. A darker hedonistic cut thanks to its atonal pads and heavy but sensual low end. A polyrhythmic breakbeat is introduced, which releases the tension and clears all the grey clouds to its sonic spectrum.
Human Space Machine & queniv take over the B-side this time, working their way through an emotional techno journey with Human Space Machine’s “Feels” and the most apocalyptical techno banger we’ve heard from queniv so far called “U.I.C”.
Switching records to the second vinyl, we start on the C-side with Boris Acket’s “Humming”, a house anthem sure to jerk the tears of euphoric dancers. Continuing, three other cuts which are Nathan Surreal’s “Chaos In The Echoes”; a mental deep weapon, queniv’s museum inspired experiment “Kruller Muller” and “Onvoorwaardelijk” by RDS. C4 lives up to its number; blowing up clubs with a lovely sensitive yet dangerous electro bomb of a track.
When the concluding side is put on, we’re taken aback by Kaap’s “Hartzeer”, a heart aching combo of 707 drums, grungy textures and a rolling 16th bass, which goes right in the feels. RDS is featured a second time on D2 with “Haat & Liefde”, resulting in the most acoustic sounding track on the compilation before we end with Eversines’ “2Anticipate”. An ambient cut where the 303 acid synth has hardly ever sounded so soft, tender and more sincere than you’d expect. And so, the album is wrapped up and implies a feeling of a new start to the next compilation.



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