2024 Repress!

Canadian produced, highly sought after Hi NRG masterpiece, who’s legacy continues to live on in certain Mexican dancefloors. Faithfully remastered and officially re-pressed for the first time since 1988, featuring newly edited Bonus Beats version by Castro. In memory of Fred “Kinck” Petersen - R.I.P. More

Reissue from 1991, Killer Egyptian cover version of Suzanne Vega - Toms Diner by Simone, Egyptian singer and actress. Originally only released on CD, now remastered for vinyl and pressed on 12" maxi format. Including a bonus beat edit of "Rekka" by Castro.
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Playful Italo-Disco project by Florentine Marzio Benelli, originally released in 1984. "Life Is Now" delivers a number of what seem to be almost very important life-teachings over a rather sloppy beat. The hi hats, although very present also make it clear "Spanish Crash" is in no rush to get anywhere any time soon, sounding almost off beat. What strikes the listener even more than the smudges of highly valuable advice in some form of English language is the creative usage of what might have been some of the latest studio recording toys to reach Italy in 1984, an array of rather unorthodox synthy effects, vocoders, trippy delays all topped off with imposing guitar riffs for good measure. Very much sounding like what could be the soundtrack to a bootleg Disney comic strip on acid. Castro's "Paella Crash" shifts the original lazy gear into a dubbier, high BPM, striped down version of the original that is more club oriented. More

An example of globalisation's ultra exoticisms: a Guinean hit that changed the perception of African music in European dance charts (selling over a million copies), covered by a Hongkongese pop star two years later, the perfect recipe for ensuring heavy frothing amongst diggers and collectors worldwide. Besides its aesthetic novelty, it's also highly effective on just about any dancefloor, a theme that sounds so familiar to many but then with the added unexpected surprised factor of the lyrics being sung in a female voice and in Cantonese -- a hard moment to forget on a well helmed club floor. Another generosity of this release amongst the other 3 tracks is a display of heavy Cantonese ballad prowess in the Adult Contemporary landscape, especially with a cover of Gamble & Huff's "When Will I See You Again", huge on the couples' slow dance scene, shameless drama. More

Another sad example of how unfair the music business can be. According to some sources, in June 1990, just a few weeks before Enigma's hugely successful track "Sadeness (Part I)" was released, Hartmut Gawehn (one half of Sloopey G.) brought a demo tape of „Domine“ to Virgin Records in Munich. The demo was quite well received, generating a great deal of interest on behalf of Virgin's A&R department. Interestingly enough, Michael Cretu of Enigma happened to have a music publishing company in the same building, just one floor above Virgin. Shortly thereafter, Enigma's "Sadeness (Part I)" was released, bearing a shamelessly striking resemblance. This "coincidence" led the production team at FURORE Studio in Düsseldorf into a long and complicated legal battle over their intellectual property, which dragged on for years — but with little success for the pioneers of this sound.
Here you can listen to the original tracks of the DOMINE production, along with a previously unreleased track from the same era. Downtempo breakbeat/house rhythms combined with religious samples and vocals — a sound that was very much ahead of its time. Get closer to God and to the truth behind the sound that helped sell so much perfume during the 90s. Must have for any true early house aficionado. More

Ace Buzz is one of the various projects of Tony Baron and Gery Francois (the minds behind projects like "Teknokrat's" and others that would found their output on labels like Carrere). Potentially naive for some, but surely playful and raw, an exquisite example of the sound of Belgian "New Beat". Void of the usual aggressive temper known to the genre, "Moskitos" comes in with a slight juxtaposition of Balearic accents in the form of those classic, very simple, piano chords we might have heard enough of. The samples employed invoke the image of someone in a cheap hotel room in Ibiza without AC trying to kill the airborne vermin celebrated in the title while hallucinating from an August drug infused heatwave, who knows. On the B-side, things slow down into a deeper more serious mood, "Nuevo Mondo" departs from the usual New Beat potency into something a bit more digestible to the ear in a rather unique way, followed by a Remix that sounds more like a complete facelift of a cover version by studio maestro Anatolian Weapons. More

Raining Heart is a studio project originally created by the German musicians Peter Heckmann and Tobias Freund in 1986 in Frankfurt. Very much in the same vein as Art of Noise with its studio sound experimentalism, but with a Kraut edge to it. If there was one track that could be played for everyone at the G20 Summit whilst on LSD in hopes of achieving world peace, it might be “Raining Heart”, the first track on this EP, it’s just one of those tracks that makes you wonder what these people were eating for breakfast at the time. Nothing technically mind blowing, just crafted to perfection in terms of all the elements coming together in therapeutic beauty, (also clearly exposing Peter’s relationship with theatrical production). A downtempo chugger with the dreamiest of sounds, effortlessly transporting the listener to another dimension, the vocals are unthinkable, by Yucca Rose, an East Javanese Jazz singer, almost as if she was broadcasting from a radio station in a parallel universe. “Alien Beat” takes a more aggressive turn into some kind of neo rock direction generously decorated with a wide range of studio tricks that might have been ground breaking at the time. B-side offers two new remixes by Castro, a “K-hole Collage” version of “Raining Heart” taking the original theme to another dubbed out realm, and a “Bonus Beat” extension of “Alien Beat” that dissects the key elements of the original track in efforts to develop a more dancefloor oriented DJ tool. Remastered with original artwork. More

2024 Repress!

Getting into Summer vibe gears with this breezy smooth Italo-Disco single originally released in 1990 as a 7” under another one of the many unknown Italian private press labels, Tengo La Sangre Caliente is a playful latin sounding production with a strong balearic feeling given by the Spanish lyrics and Flamenco guitars that adorn the early drum machine house beats. Certainly one to have haunted a good amount of Discogs wantlists over the past years, THANKYOU brings it back again remastered for 12” format with a new edit from Castro that cuts off some of the harder-to-digest vocals along with a more to the point “bonus beats” as well. More

Although all three tracks offer the listener valuable insight into the level of music production ingenuity that was going on in Japan at the time, it's "Electric City" that really stands out as an unmistakably unique dancefloor track, where the then teenage female vocalists from Shohjo-Tai are left out and a galloping 120BPM beat sets a blank canvas for a number of unexpected elements to present: completely unorthodox accents in a wide range of unidentifiable sounds, a very enthusiastic electric guitar solo, the Ennio Morricone-esque Spaghetti Western vocal moments, all of which get contrasted with a blissful chorus that reminds one that this is somehow still a collaboration with a Japanese female idol band from the 80s. A hard track to forget even in the less sober dancefloors, it is no surprise that it would be a fundamental secret weapon in the repertoire of diggers such as Dea Barandana. Can't go wrong, buy on sight. Remastered with new artwork. More

Repress!

Without doubt a balearic anthem, sounding so familiar yet at the same time maybe never heard before on too many contemporary dance floors. This track checks all the boxes: generous synthetic low end bass lines, catchy piano/string riffs, Spanish vocals, Flamenco guitar accents, dreamy synth chords, early synthesized flutes. Play this on any outdoor festival dance floor this summer and see for yourself, sunset or sunrise this will establish a moment of truth on the floor. Comes with 3 different remixes to choose from, all great, no fluff. Seriously remastered with new highly suggestive full color artwork. More

Iconic early 90's Ibiza downtempo sound, “Daybreak” would have undoubtedly been the soundtrack to many sunrises in the Baleares. Simon Monday mixes the essential ingredients for bliss in perfect balance, a production so simple yet so effective, no rocket-science just pure intuition, honesty and sharp club sense. All elements coming together to make such an effortlessly powerful sounding instrumental house classic that will forever stand the test of time. Repacked in this new remastered re-issue with full artwork and with 2 new mixes: an extended 9 minute dub version with a new religious edge to it along with an additional re-drummed percussion heavy “bonus beats” for good measure. A no brainer buy-on-sight release for any proper record collection, just in time for the summer season. More

Repress!

Originally only released on CD, now remastered for vinyl and pressed on 12" maxi format. Featuring 2 original tracks - "Mabsouta" and "Al Eih" including a bonus beat edit of "Rekka" by Castro. "Mabsouta" is a game changing Arabic cover version of a track that stayed in a generation's childhood memories - Tom's Dinner by Suzanne Vega. Simone's beautiful voice in Arabic brings an entirely new meaning to what might have been a track you couldn't hear anymore, highly refreshing! More

This EP could arguably be the peak expression of Filippini's, (aka Enrico “Big City” Filippini) career in Italo-Disco. Without doubt a more polished pinnacle within the genre, elegantly and efficiently conceived, with less grammar mistakes than many of its contemporaries. Downtempo paced in the low 100's, Enrico takes his time with the nostalgic lyrics in confident efforts of mending some questionable past romantic affairs. A production with melancholic nuances that would very deservingly find its place in a mix by the late visionary DJ Zecky for example. The kind of track that could be played 3 times in a row before offending anyone, very digestible to the ear, a delightful pleasure for the less sober soul, to be served with cocktails and high SPF sunscreen, just cruising along. More

Repress!

Imagine for a moment that Arthur Russel had learned to speak Brazilian and then moved to Italy to produce an Italo-Disco single back in 1984. There's a good chance it would sound like the Dub version of the B side on this record (Remixed by Bob One). A percussive foundation channeling Latin Freestyle beats sets the groundwork for the chill sunset vibed melody to pleasantly unfold intertwined with the alluring Brazilian lyrics. The recording engineering on this production is clearly at a higher standard (than the usual neighborhood italo disco studio from back in the day) with some of the techniques at play giving it a very balanced and sophisticated sound for its time. The meticulous remastering this re-issue underwent allow for a generous low end with crystal clear mid range – game changing on any well calibrated dance floor sound system. More

"Kreaturen der Nacht" is a story about what we all could become when bitten by the music bug. The debut EP from Innuendo on LíO Press is just a small glimpse into his musical world.
Innuendo roots his inspiration from the past while keeping his sight on the present. His signature sound is a seamless blend of old-school charm and aesthetics, characterized by genuine melodies and infectious basslines that bridge the gap between home listening and dancefloor moments.
Comprising four tracks, each one showcases a diverse range of influences, "Kreaturen der Nacht" is a musical journey through the archives of time while maintaining his own personal approach. Each track meets the aesthetics of the new wave to the spirit of late 80s club culture, making Innuendo's EP a love letter to a bygone era, reimagined for the present day.
When the summer night arrives, lost in contemplation, gazing up at the sky full of stars, it's a moment of reflection or a fleeting pause in the chaos of everyday life.
In that moment, there are wonders about the mysterious creatures of the night — are they relics of the past or an augury of the future?
Nobody can answer.
But why not embrace the sense of wonder, rather than dwell on it?
Feel allowed to be swept away by imagination in the so-called 'Nightclub of the Mind,' where the music never stops and the possibilities are endless. More

5 track downtempo Balearic house EP by Ex Spiral tribe member Lol Hammond's studio project Wah Wah Planet from 1990 along side Russell Crone featuring female vocals by Lucy Sian. Serving as a pioneering early example of UK Street Soul. A side explores the romantic theme brought to the table by the lyrics in a more pop/radio edit oriented manner whereas the B-side takes things down a more leftfield route with 3 different excursions in early 90's smooth Balearics ranging from early breaky/triphop nuances to elements borrowing from dancehall music. Including a previously unreleased mix found deep in Lol's master tapes. More

An interesting insight into some of the diverse dancefloor oriented sounds going on in Canada during the 80s sitting somewhere between electro, italo disco and proto house. A-side starts off on a slow paced 80 bpm pop/rock italo-disco crossover track featuring lyrics in english with an unidentifiable accent, very much reminiscent of Italian local neighbourhood private press ventures featuring someone's sister on the vocal. 3 versions later, on the B side, things step up a notch coming in at 130 bpm with "Heat In Africa's" drum machine propelled rhythmic mayhem pulling out all the latest studio bells and whistles of the time. Big electric guitar solo build up on the "Dance Mix" and additional Bonus Beats mix by Castro. Remastered and officially re-released almost 4 decades later. More

Trustworthy sequal of Compost’s classic and mega-selling series. After 20 years a new Glücklich ! Rainer Trüby fished deep in Brazilian-, Latin tinged music and makes us more than glücklich.

It only took a little over 20 years since the last installment but a classic and much-loved compilation series is "de volta" in a very big way. And a two-decade break means that when you come back, you'd better come back strong, but of course this is Rainer Truby we're talking about here and he's got a serious bag of Brazilian and Brazilian-flavored goodies for all good boys and girls! Some of them were buried on obscure CDs ignored by vinyl collectors, several have escaped being compiled until now and all of them will make your summers very pleasant and happy indeed. By the way: The car is a VW Volkswagen SP2 manufactured in Brazil between 1972 and 1976.

Tracklist LP
A1. The Matheus Combo - Adericó
A2. Christian Knobel - Sambomambo
A3. Wütrio - Hallo Höppel
B1. Midnight Gigolos - Brother Samba - *exclusive
B2. Marcia Maria - Brasil Nativo
B3. Debbie Cameron & Richard Boone - Stop Foolin' Yourself
C1. A Bossa Elétrica - Sob A Luz Do Sol
C2. Guillermo Reuter - Mr. Jenkins - *exclusive
C3. Jean-Marc Jafet - Offering
D1. Jon Lucien - Come With Me To Rio
D2. Sonzeira - The Mystery Of Man (Rainer Trüby & Corrado Bucci pres. Truccy Remix) (08:24)
D3. Grupo Ébano - Pé No Chão More

Demi Riquisimo’s Semi Delicious return for their 18th vinyl only excursion via Berlin based Revivis’ ‘Surrender The Body’ EP.

A dance floor focused 4 tracker, the EP is a distillation of the sonic palette quickly becoming synonymous with the sound of Revivis, nodding to the past whilst looking to the future, all through the lens of timeless house fundamentals.

The release kicks off with ‘Pick Me Up’, a diva vocal affected chugger that leans on the 90s progressive aesthetic whilst remaining versatile and current. The A-side wraps up with the title track ‘Surrender The Body’. A minimal fuss, hands in the air, euphoric piano house jam that can be noted for it’s subtlety despite it’s anthemic nature.

No foreplay on the flip as we’re straight into the mixer via ’Perceptions’. A sample heavy four/four beat combines with a bass line that implores your head to nod along a menacing top line.. big peak time business on this one. Closing out a wildy impressive Semi Delicious debut from Revivis is ‘Ruminating’ bringing with it a healthy helping of gospel keys and acid. More

BOO WILLIAMS coming thru with a slightly more chilled out vibe on this hand stamped 12", the 7th release in the limited series of 10 on his BOO MOONMAN imprint. BOO stretches his trademark cosmic sound out into deep space across 4 tracks of jazzy keys & floating synths. Perfect for sunrise sets More

Within the transformations of their meticulous processes, London duo Kassian become a vessel for alchemy: filtering and distilling scores of stems, samples and layers until something richer and more complex than the sum of its parts emerges. Uncomfortable in any solitary genre, and at the midpoint of somewhere unexpected and uncharted, the pair describe their sound as “almost techno.”

Since their debut release in 2018, Kassian have drifted leftwards into heavier, more abstract territory, harnessing their individual skills for working in the small pockets and painting the whole cloth of the canvas. In their first outing for !K7, Phase Two EP, the Roland System 1 synth is the throughline as they painstakingly piece together sketches, turning high hats into kick drums, capturing the resonance of percussion and drift further into each other’s heavy-hitting sonic realms.

“X-303” recontextualises the sci-fi inspiration of its name, forging a new style of interstellar acid. A driving kick drum holds steady through a track which oscillates between contrasts: from eerie, suspenseful pads and distorted string sounds, to a minimalistic groove accented with double-time drums and mechanistic pulses. “Tabla” reduces a distinct latin rhythm down to its essence, and is propelled by a thick and distended bass loop. Its hypnotic groove combines the human and the virtual with a glitching vocal sample and the juddering of strummed guitar strings, highlighted by the percussive hits of its namesake instrument.

The pair characterise “Prelude” as “a Frankenstein kind of monster.” Constructed around a radio sample of a legend of the scene, it is a sleek and incremental gradation of shades, with micro layers from their palette of sounds rising and falling, blending and twisting with no obvious lead or bass. Repurposing the same drums as “X-303”, the EP’s final track “Patterns” was inspired by Kassian’s earliest incarnations of live performances, and it unashamedly captures the peaks of communal moments, rounding out the EP with an epic take on deep and techy house. More

Legendary NYC house label Strictly Rhythm is celebrating a mammoth 3 decades of cutting edge, roof-raising house music. Truly a benchmark.
Originally founded in 1989 by the dynamic pairing of music industry man Mark Finkelstein and A&R expert Gladys Pizarro, Strictly tapped directly into the fertile New York underground and after hours club scene, helping to launch and bolster the recording careers of dance music luminaries like Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, Ultra Nate, Todd Terry, Wamdue Project, DJ Sneak, Louie Vega and many more. Strictly Rhythm is easily one of the most recognisable and respected dance music powerhouses of all time.
Across 3 limited double vinyl offerings, the Strictly catalogue has been expertly picked over to present you with a snapshot of some of the most earth shattering house music to emanate from the streets of New York City. A who's who of producers and artists, all killer and no filler. End to end classics that help to tell the story of one of dance music's most well loved labels. Classic cuts and essentials from Danny Tenaglia (Code 718), George Morel, Kerri Chandler (KCYC), Louie Vega and more all feature on part 1 in their unedited, 12" mix glory.
Fully legit, remastered and selected with love courtesy of Strictly Rhythm and Above Board distribution for 2020. Happy birthday Strictly Rhythm!
Track Listing
A1. Code 718 - Equinox (Heavenly Club Mix)
A2. CLS - Can You Feel It (In House Dub)
B1. George Morel - Let's Groove
B2. KCYC - I'm Not Dreaming (Mystipsychotix Mix)
C1. Hardrive - Deep Inside
C2. Groove Patrol - Need Your Love (Original Mix)
D1. Lou² - Freaky (The "Bar Heads" Mix)
D2. Wink - Higher State of Consciousness (Tweekin Acid Funk) More

Straight Outta Belpaese, disco - exotica - balearic for the demanding digger. More

London outfit Kassian continue their broadly- evolving yet highly detailed journey through and beyond sound towards something ever more expansive. Their second release for !K7 Records comes in the wake of creating a dedicated hardware-forward studio in a Northeast London container complex, where they have the freedom to interlink their machines. This renewed focus brought them to Supercontinent EP, named for the ancient geological era when Africa and South America were joined as Pangea.

A reformulation of rhythmic ideas inspired by South= African Amapiano and South American Baile Funk governs the two hemispheres of the record. The pair examine and deconstruct dancefloor material, eschewing 4/4 for interlocking shaker patterns, searing acid lines, cracking breakbeats, and vocal samples in Zulu and Brazil Portuguese.

The immediacy of the restless rhythm and bass-led funk of “Yena” (the word Yena translates to ‘he/him /man’)forms a sweet spot where double-time and half-time can coexist. “Yami” (‘mine’ in Zulu) is a slinkier proposition which sheds prominent percussion in favour of a weighty, fluid, acid-informed bassline undulating from below.

An ascending percussive riff marks the arrival of “Pulgueiro”, followed closely by break beats and the nostalgia of distinctly British acid electro; it is an intentionally future-forward retelling of a vintage sound, replete with a mind-melt breakdown of rave pads.

A dubbed-out groove dominates the bottom-heavy “Sistema” – a groovy, steady roller that chugs and propels and chugs with head-nod hypnotism through an intricately minimalistic approach. More

Riot Records offshoot Disco Juice kicks off with 4 massive disco house bangers featuring some big hitters in the scene. Soul Sonic Orchestra Ft the legendary Kathy Brown / Da Lukas & label boss Yam Who? More

Returning to Damian Lazarus’ renowned label for their seventh EP on the label, the Gruuv bosses showcase the latest evolution of their rich and diverse sound, with the dancefloor-driven quartet of hot cuts! From their early beginnings between Ibiza and their hometown of Leeds to a near twenty-year-long career that has taken them from Space (Ibiza) to Womb (Tokyo), fabric (London) to Zouk (Singapore), UK duo Audiojack have remained and continue to prove themselves as both ever-present dancefloor hit makers, but artists that have helped carry the UK’s evolving house sound. From their initial releases on Leftroom and 2020vision through to their Crosstown Rebels debut in 2016, and then fast-forwarding to recent music on Solid Grooves, Knee Deep In Sound and their own Gruuv imprint, the pair’s unwavering passion for fresh sounds continues to burn bright. Now regulars on Damian Lazarus’ iconic imprint, serving up five EPs, numerous remixes, and their 2021 album ‘Surface Tension’ on the label to date, the end of May welcomes the duo’s latest chapter on Crosstown with their latest EP, ‘Play With My Mind’. The skippy and vibrant ‘Play With My Mind’ opens the package with an abundance of nostalgia, channelling 90s sonics via the infectious organ melody and hooky vocals at its core, while ‘Casual Verve’ is trippy and loose while delivering a slice of driving funk to the mix. Next, ‘Connect’ provides a vocal-led, garage-dipped cut that keeps the energy levels sizzling before ‘Delirium’ closes the show with a swathe of pure dancefloor ecstasy. More