Tracklisting:
A1 Andy Ash - You_Me
A2 Andy Ash - You_Me (Mark E remix)
B1 Andy Ash - Momentary Days
B2 Andy Ash - Reach
B3 Andy Ash - Rico Rico!

Sales Note
Assured UK house producer Andy Ash takes care of the next EP on SAFTX while the equally esteemed Mark E steps up to remix.

For well over a decade now, Andy Ash has been turning out high-quality house music on a range of labels. Last year he served up a tasteful full-length on Quintessentials, the year before he dropped a double 12" on Still Music and he is also a regular at the likes of Delusions Of Grandeur. From deep and dusty to disco-tinged and dynamic, he has a stylish sound that is well-versed in the classics but always his own twist. He shows that again here with four fresh tunes which cannot fail to make you feel good.

Opener 'You:Me' features Faber and os brilliantly warm house groove. The drums and hi-hats are prefectly designed, the vamping chords bring a playful funk and swirling pads add diffuse late-night energy. It's timeless cut with nods to the US midwest and subtle vocal sounds.

Remixer and Merc label boss Mark E has a rich history of edits and originals on the likes of Running Back, Delusions Of Grandeur and Studio Barnhus. On this version, he lays down hazy, heavy kicks for a beatdown workout that comes alive with gorgeous synt work akin to all the best Detroit dons.

Ash's 'Momentary Days' is a slow and roomy, dubbed-out house swinger. Well-placed samples - vocal coos, guitar riffs, jazzy chords - all peel off the loose drums and can't fail to get you moving. 'Reach' is another humid house cut for cosy back rooms and basements. The Scruffy drums have frayed edges while dreamy melodies loop up top. It's a heartfelt sound that slowly turns you to deep inward reflection.

Last of all is 'Rico! Rico!', a downtempo jazz-funk jam with crisp broken beats, keys that take you to the Riviera and strings so lush you can almost feel the sun on your face.

This deep house music as it should be - raw, expressive and full of human soul. More

Andy Ash has been quietly sneaking out seriously good analogue-driven electronic music on some of the best underground labels for over a decade. The Liverpool-based producer, DJ and visual artist (the artwork for this re- lease is Andy’s own oil on canvas) has graced the likes of Chicago’s Stilove4music, NYC’s On The Prowl, Sydney’s People Must Jam and has remixed Fantastic Man for Detroit label Kolour LTD amongst many others. The bottom line is that he’s definitely one of the UK’s unsung heroes when it comes to deep, raw, Chicago and Detroit-influenced house music and we’re proud to welcome him to Delusions Of Grandeur with an amazing three tracker entitled the Bottleneck EP. The title track opens with snappy hats, flappy congas and sloppy baseline all sitting perfectly in the mix and with a looseness that is much harder to achieve that it may seem. A simple synth melody doubles up the bassline while an extra square wave lead adds that little extra hook without distracting us from the bouncing groove. With Bottleneck, less is definitely more. Flipping over we have Hump, an altogether darker affair with a twisting acid line joining distorted 808 drums and tripped-out snippets of spoken word coming in and out of focus. The low-slung bumpy groove and spacey synth parts make this a compelling warehouse track which will draw everyone into it’s seductive confines. Closing the release we have Actual Price, a shuffling, deep groover with rumbling low end and machine-like analogue synth part skipping around the crunchy beats. A cerebral yet punchy and dynamic closer to an excellent release! More

To keep people guessing, the fifth instalment from Australia's best selling People Must Jam label takes things in a house direction with Andy Ash at the controls. Andy has put through an immense EP of varying house flavours to satisfy an all tastes. The EP kicks of with the monster disco vibed 'Hurricane Fantasy' track. A beautiful summery looper that's sure to keep the floors burning hot! 'Move'is one of Andy's straight up house cuts - which he is becoming well known for, a deep sounding organ line carrying the track forward with stabs and a nice little vocal sample to boot. Mixing things up a little on the flip, our good friend - Ron Basejam has provided a sublime 'Adriatic Excursion' remix of 'Move'. Ron takes the track to a totally different place with uplifting piano lines and orchestral string stabs building to a lovely crescendo. This remix should be earmarked for Croatia 2015. Finally 'Dommah' takes the EP into almost techno territory with building pads and solid beats resulting in a monster track for when the strobelight pulses and the heads go down! 180g Vinyl - Strictly limited. More

Leeds based Fullbarr have already release 12” involving Luke Solomon, Hans Berg, Immer, Kris wadsworth, Samaan, Vince Watson, Losoul and many more Now sees the turn of Liverpool based Andy Ash. To date Ash has been much in demand on a range of labels including Quintissentials, Fly By Night Music and Dessous, offering up fresh house that ranges from deep and moody to acid laced and angst ridden. More

Continuing to go about their considered house business, Fly By Night Music turns once again to established underground head Andy Ash for its next EP. The Liverpool man, previously associated with labels like Black Key and Scenery as well as having released on this label in 2012, serves up three tracks of well-rooted, beautifully analogue sounding house that's rich with both musicality and physicality. Three more killer tracks from Andy Ash, then, that whilst paying heed to house music's long heritage also look to the future in their serene synth patterns and proud production techniques. More

Liverpool based Andy Ash hits the SAFT imprint with two excellent analog house jams. The overall sound Andy comes up with, hints to the early machine driven house sounds from the late 80s on the A1 ''In Love'' whilst transitioning into the more jammy house sound Andy has been purveying on his string of latest releases on his A2 jam called ''Black Stem''. On the B side SAFT regular ''Kastil'' provides Andy Ash's ''In Love'' with a heavy machine rework. Kastil proves he has been crafting and perfecting his production skills with some new hardware gear. This remix hold the intense feel of a 4am sweaty club session. All and all SAFT proudly present the 5th installment in their series of pure and all round house releases. SAFT05 will hit all well-known record shops in September, of course in the beloved 12'' format. More

Marcos Cabral and Jacques Renault's latest On the Prowl 12" features the return of Andy Ash, the man who dropped "Another World" with them last year (OTP007) as well as a grab of edits on OTP Party Breaks way back in 2010. As is to be expected with the talented, young producer, the EP is all groovy, bouncy, high-octane house with a hardy injection of disco glitz.
"Get Loose" is what its name implies--an elastic, fidgety whirl of dancey guitar strums; a heavy bass that pans in and out, mimicking the experience of opening the door to an underground club; and a playful keyboard melody. "Love Me Straight" is a spacier affair, with a lounge-y pulse and hypnotic synth hook that creeps in, out, and around your ears. The Deep Space Orchestra remix amps up the bass of the original, making the entire track sound like it's being played under water. And "You Show Me" is a perfect example of Ash's trademarks all coalescing into one big pile of shuffling dance floor fun--you can almost see the swirling disco ball lights through your eyelids and feel the smoke machine juice snake into your nostrils. More

M.A.D have rounded up some friends new and old to bring you this stomping VA. More

Welcoming North 90 to the M.A.D family, the couple DJ / Production duo from Liverpool make music we want to play. Euro Trash is a hot contented for tune of the summer! More

Kenyan folk artist Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno and Man Power met while both artists in residence at the esteemed Glasshouse International Centre for Music and offer us something truly original here at M.A.D Records. Music has the power to bring people together and this is a shining example, Kenyan folk and electronic music from the North East of England - what’s not to like. On the flip label bosses Make A Dance offer up two remixes. More

The seventh release on M.A.D Records - label bosses Make A Dance are back.

The El U Vee E.P sees the London duo serve up an eclectic mix of influences from across the board. ‘Cool Girls’ opens with italo arps, gated snares and seductive vocal samples. Title track ‘El U Vee’ follows, blending house heat with a dash of Latin spice. This is a love-song body groover.

Flip it over and find the percussive basement jam ‘Oh Yeah’, before ‘No Way Out’ rounds off the EP with an acid tinged, new beat blend of M.A.D.ness. More

Two Cold, a name synonymous with the number two and of course, ice cold beats. Even though the London based brothers haven’t actually released any music yet, their coming has been foretold by a growing chill that has permeated the dance music stratosphere.

Legs beginning to quiver and shake? That’s Two Cold.
Hips involuntarily gyrating in an attempt to stay warm? Two Cold.
Jaw chattering like maracas? It’s those frosty boys, you’d better believe it.

If you like your dance music to take you on a psychedelic journey through time and space, the DESERT LEATHER EP is for you.
Winding passages that explore breaks, bleeps, bass and beyond.
Genre defying influences snatched from every dimension of the dance diaspora.
Inescapable body-rocking beats that echo through your very bones so hard that even your ancestors have a boogie.

The DESERT LEATHER EP will expand your mind to the very edge of the horizon, where earth and sky meet and where all laws of nature are meaningless.

Two lads
Wicked beats
Original styles

Clever boys
Original styles… wait I said that already
Lots of bass
Delightful melodies

Two - as in there are two of them
Cold - as in their beats are ice cold More

Half Spanish, half Lebanese, Rakim Under was born in Chile, grew up in Memphis and Spain and is now based in London.

Listening to his debut EP for M.A.D. Records, it’s easy to hear his exotic heritage very much reflected in his music.

Karim effortlessly covers many styles, ranging from Latin house to Bollywood infused breaks and electro, all under pinned with his distinct hi-pressure bass lines.

As a DJ, Rakim has a taste for a variety of musical styles, where genre has no limit. Selecting from his painstakingly curated record collection, even the deepest of diggers will walk away having had their ears opened, failing that, he’ll at least make you dance your ass off.

When not playing on his own, he is a resident at his own event, Soursopp where he often plays alongside David Triana at what is quickly becoming one of the best parties in London and beyond. More

Live electronics duo REKK&KUTOBOY provides raw electronic manipulations, femme noise, and off-kilter dance extravaganza for a self-titled EP on Attention Management.

Katya Rekk and Ilya Kutoboy have been playing live shows for years and cut their teeth on the local improv, noise, and experimental scene in several projects and collaborations. Ranging from unholy fx-scape crackers to haunted lullabies but mostly striking as kinetic grooves, the band embodies a heavy, amplified synth sound, sitting somewhere between machine sequencing, processed vocalizations and use of DIY electronics. The enfant terrible of Katya's grrrl high-energy and improvisational tactics paired with Ilya's mutant beats blends into an idiosyncratic sonic realm that empowers you in its own way. More

It got away! The hounds are back on the leash for another session, as Montel makes a bid for better days with this all-out charm offensive of serenades, blissed up patter and emotional blackmail, Palmer-style.

The result is 12 tracks steeped in mind games, romance power plays and neurotoxin rollercoasters, with additional bonus strategies to dissociate with minimum dignity.
Big up Kiwi’s Kiosk..

More

The seventh release on M.A.D Records - label bosses Make A Dance are back.

The El U Vee E.P sees the London duo serve up an eclectic mix of influences from across the board. ‘Cool Girls’ opens with italo arps, gated snares and seductive vocal samples. Title track ‘El U Vee’ follows, blending house heat with a dash of Latin spice. This is a love-song body groover.

Flip it over and find the percussive basement jam ‘Oh Yeah’, before ‘No Way Out’ rounds off the EP with an acid tinged, new beat blend of M.A.D.ness. More

Sacred Medicine, the joint project/label Joaquin Joe Claussell and Ron Trent have been carefully crafting and honing over the past couple of years, brings you the second instalment of deepness and authenticity.The much anticipated ‘Magic Carnival’, a song heavily programmed in their sets to maximum effect, is finally here!Another manifestation of the powerful and original output of the label, ‘Magic Carnival’ builds and builds in a musical crescendo with signature musical elements pulsating all over the song to full impact.A relentless spiritual groove….another jam in the Sacred Medicine building catalogue…a special one-sided 12 inch made with love and extra care, to spread the message loud and clear! More

Two Cold, a name synonymous with the number two and of course, ice cold beats. Even though the London based brothers haven’t actually released any music yet, their coming has been foretold by a growing chill that has permeated the dance music stratosphere.

Legs beginning to quiver and shake? That’s Two Cold.
Hips involuntarily gyrating in an attempt to stay warm? Two Cold.
Jaw chattering like maracas? It’s those frosty boys, you’d better believe it.

If you like your dance music to take you on a psychedelic journey through time and space, the DESERT LEATHER EP is for you.
Winding passages that explore breaks, bleeps, bass and beyond.
Genre defying influences snatched from every dimension of the dance diaspora.
Inescapable body-rocking beats that echo through your very bones so hard that even your ancestors have a boogie.

The DESERT LEATHER EP will expand your mind to the very edge of the horizon, where earth and sky meet and where all laws of nature are meaningless.

Two lads
Wicked beats
Original styles

Clever boys
Original styles… wait I said that already
Lots of bass
Delightful melodies

Two - as in there are two of them
Cold - as in their beats are ice cold More

Sound Metaphors Records continues to explore the Italian early 90's techno scene with another re-issue of D.A.T.A.'s precious catalogue. Already 3 decades ago, 4 Italians got together in northern Italy to elaborate this sound, and it's only fair to say it's still timelessly effective, possibly a mixture of pure naivety and/or premeditated distilled club essence, bold and minimal in its use of rhythmic patterns generated by drum machines and samplers of the time. To imagine this music was being made in a time where only petrol company CEO's had cell phones, emails weren't even a thing, let alone social media, a time capsule into a special epoch where "progressive" or "trance" weren't quite established keywords yet. Re-issued with a new remastered face and 2 new remixes from studio guru Anatolian Weapons beautifully adding to this powerful exploration of club oriented electronics. More

*2023 Repress**

A stunning follow-up to his late 2018 release. Mostly recorded live at the Apollo Hotel Amsterdam in 1991. This is a compilation of the ''Apollo Hotel CD box'', that Ronald made himself, for family and friends.. BIG tip!

Some words from the label:

From 1986 until 1992, Ronald had a residency in the lounge of Amsterdam’s Apollo Hotel. He would play there 5 days a week, for 5 hours a day. In 1991, throughout several sessions, he recorded himself on a cassette recorder. The recordings were ranging from re-interpreted cover versions to multiple own compositions.

The Apollo was particularly known for its sophisticated and elegant crowd. Guests would come to meet in the lounge to talk business, or end the day with a drink at the bar - dancing was never an option.

Listening to the album, one must wonder how some of this music would go hand in hand with a place like that. It seems Ronald gets lost in music and returns in unequally balanced patterns. Lounge sounds meet drum computer rhythms, punchy baselines, distorted space noises, reoccurring clarinet interludes and improvised piano solos.

Back then, just as now, Ronald never liked to be the center of attention. He simply tried to interact with the surrounding as a provider of the mood - as he explains himself.

Instruments
Live: Grand Piano, Yamaha QX1 Sequencer, 2x Yamaha TX7 Tone Generator, Drumtraks Sequential Circuits, Clarinet, Voice
Added at home: Yamaha DX7 Sounds, Roland R-8
Space Train: Kurzweil Piano, Yamaha DX7, Roland R-8, Soprano Sax, Voice

Recorded live at the Apollo Hotel Amsterdam in 1991, except 'Space train', which was recorded in Ronald’s living room.

All instruments played and arranged by Ronald Langestraat.
All tracks written an composed by Ronald Langestraat, except 'Lowdown' which was written by David Paich & Boz Scaggs, 'Give and take' which was written by Michael Shrieve, Tom Coster & Carlos Santana and 'Orpheus' which was written by David Sylvian. More

"Reflections Within is a mergence of Alton Miller's signature house style with tracks which feature the wondrous vocal abilities of Giinga Flame - providing an enriching and all encompassing experience. ‘No Fomo’, which opens the record up, and ‘No Vibe Check’, feature Flame up top above the sea of instrumental excellence. ‘No Fomo’ strips the backing track to a strong pulse, with Flame given plenty of room to showcase her talents. ‘Vibe Check’ contains a delightful chord progression alongside sweeping jazzy lines, with Flame’s voice gently but powerfully floating above the kicks, effortlessly wrapping the dance floor up, moving hearts and minds along.

Reverie, ‘Light of the World’ and ‘Around the Corner’ all speak of Miller’s multi-faceted approach, with each track bringing something slightly different to the table. Reverie’ feeds into the rhythm of the dancefloor, with a pulsating chord that underpins the rhythm and provides a beautiful link between the glorious melodic meanderings that come forth. ‘Light of the World’ is involving and evolving, like waves lapping at the beach, characterised by the gentle key stabs and sparkling top layer elements that give it a real gleam. ‘Around the Corner’ features a similar top quality rhythm layer, with this one a bit more playful, providing an up and down motion to proceedings that is sure to get the feet moving. "


A1 Vibe Check
A2 Light of the World
B1 No Fomo
B2 Around the Corner
More