Fred Ventura and Rafal Lachmirowicz, aka Also Playable Mono, have teamed up, All We Need being the pairing’s audio vision of italo disco. Steady kicks and cascading cowbells pave the way for an infectious synthline before a vocoder-enveloped Ventura smoulders with a burning intensity. Bold chords and pulsating rhythms are at the robotic heart of “System Breakdown On Wikileaks”. Bombastic and brilliant, this electrified disco dreadnaught swings with the power of a wrecking ball; a power that only amplifies the track’s impacting message of our very civilisation’s future. Scaling notes spiral ever higher in the addictive groove of “In The Night”, A.P.Mono’s computerised words adopting the mantle of his machines. Circling samples introduce “The News”. Rhythms are clean and tight, snapping at the tails of soaring synthwork with Ventura’s smoky social commentary, coupled with the silken and sonorous Chelsea Muller, offering something better for us all. More

This is the brand new sublabel of HOTMIX Records, runned by Nick Anthony Simoncino!
The first release comes from Shin Watanabe. Propper Classic House Music! More

Experience the profound legacy of The Last Poets with their new release, "Africanism", set to be released on November the 29th. Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan revisit and re-energize some of their seminal works such as "When The Revolution Comes", "Gash Man" and "Niggers Are Scared of Revolution", infusing them with fresh and potent new soundscapes. Joining the Poets are the late, great Tony Allen (Fela Kuti) - laying the album's foundations with legendary Afrobeat rhythms - Egypt 80 guitarist and bassist Akinola Adio Oyebola and Kunle Justice, jazz keyboardist Kaidi Tatham (dubbed as 'The UK's Herbie Hancock') and saxophonist Courtney Pine."Africanism" is the result of vibrant live sessions in Brooklyn and London, recorded and mixed by producer Prince Fatty. The album bridges spoken-word poetry with a bold fusion of Afrobeat and contemporary jazz, where live instruments amplify the Poets' raw and unflinching verses."Together, this stellar band of musicians completed an album that has few real predecessors and seems destined to become a cult favourite for many years to come." More

Emotional Response is proud to welcome renowned multi-instrumentalist Alan Briand aka Shelter, to the label with a striking new EP that delves deep into the realms of modern Digi-Dub.

Over a myriad of releases Shelter’s dextrous ability to straddle genres, from ambient, Balearic, improvisation and most recently a series of acid ragas, releasing on an impressive roster of today’s electronic labels including Antinote, Growing Bin, International Feel, Séance Centre and his own Protopost imprint.

After making waves on Emotional Response's All Trades compilations with his standout track "The Four Knights Dub," Briand returns to further explore his passion for digital dub and UK roots. Across four tracks, all recorded live, he merges sound design, found sounds, and world music with seismic basslines, creating a truly immersive sonic experience.

The rise of Digital Dub is often traced to the groundbreaking "Under Me Sleng Teng" by Prince Jammy / Wayne Smith, but it was the UK's later reversioning – adding electronic drums to roots and steppers rhythms – that gave birth to the unique sound of Digi-Dub.

Shelter pays homage to this tradition, drawing inspiration from the likes of Alpha & Omega, Bush Chemist, and Jonah Dan. His process is as raw as it is innovative: building an analog setup with a MIDI sequencer, DCO synth, live vocals, and sound effects fed through Boss pedals. Digital drums from the KPR77 and DD10 are layered in, with everything mixed live to tape, no overdubs, capturing the raw, live energy of the performance.

This EP must be experienced as a whole – a continuous live set of steppers 4/4 rhythms, cryptic titles (a nod to chess tactics) that acts as rewinds, paying tribute to dub classics of the past. More

Laurent Garnier is joining the ‘fabric presents’ mix series, and details are now out on this bespoke milestone release. The trailblazing DJ and producer is doing not one but four mixes as he embraces an opportunity to go even bigger for the London institution in its 25th groundbreaking year. A full-spectrum and multi-genre release, there’s a UK-focus, house, techno and downtempo mix. In his words, “diversity makes it richer, makes it better.” Eager to pay homage to the vitality of club culture, his vision is to take us through a rapturous weekend at fabric from Friday through to the afters. Making it even more unique, he’s also dropping an original four-track EP - one track per genre. Garnier: “Clubs have been my second home since the start of my career. Once you’ve witnessed that unique connection you can create in a club with a crowd, once you’ve experienced it from behind the decks, you just know you are where you’re meant to be. This special journey with fabric is of course a tribute to the legendary London club - a place that’s been a home to so many clubbers, DJs and music-lovers for so many years - but most of all, a tribute to all the dancefloors and all the clubs around the world.” Ploughing through hundreds of records a day, it’s no surprise to hear Garnier describe the track selection process as being “complicated”. His enriching trip through fabric spans over five hours with each mix coming in at 1 hour 20 minutes. Across all four, it’s clear that he’s immersed in the present and future-focussed with a majority of the chosen records dropping only in the last three years. The House Odyssey mix kicks off with afro house via South African producer Mr. Blasé, and the vibrancy continues through cuts from Cape Verde to Chicago as newer faces Culoe De Song, Neinzer and Tal Fussman meet linchpins DJ Spen, DJ Lady D and Mike Dunn. In techno, his Rhythmic Resonance mix is searing with high impact moments from Red Axes, John Tejada, Electric Rescue, Works of Intent, and himself as three of his own epic productions feature. A UK-focus underpins Garnier’s nod to fabric’s fervent bass devotees with the Into The Low-End session featuring Skrillex, MC GQ, Sami Virji and Martin Badder. On The Way Home sidles up to clubbers for a downtempo dust down with stunning explorations from Daudi Matsiko, Adriano Koch, Richie Culver and Melody Gardot, among others. His EP further showcases his mastery of genres. Luminous house cut ‘Odyssée Maison’ is in for spirited dancefloor grabs with Dan Diamond on vocals, while ‘Resonances From The D’ is for techno heads, glued together with tumbling rhythms, soaring synths and scattering hi-hats. ‘Playing With The Low-End’ is the bass-doused maze that looms large before ‘On The Way Home’ brings a shower of orbiting synths. One for collectors, especially as the uniquely-packaged deluxe vinyl and CD are limited editions, it drops as physical-only on 29th November. The deluxe LP includes a bespoke box, coloured vinyl of the mixes and 12” EP and a picture booklet of Garnier. The CD comes with embossed ‘25 Years of fabric’ aluminium cases and the booklet. Experience the essence of Laurent Garnier with this exquisite 4xLP sampler, featuring a selection of 24 tracks meticulously chosen by Laurent from his house, techno, UK, and ambient mixes. This release captures the full artistry of his mixes, providing a deep dive into his musical journey. Plus, with your vinyl purchase, you'll receive a download card for the digital mixes, available in 2025. More

UK Dub pioneers Alpha & Omega finally return to ZamZam with “The Jungle Trembles,” an absolute anthem of a tune, a heartical call to action voiced by Steppas Records’ stalwart Nai-Jah. “Money-making has filled our minds with disease / you keep on raping, yet some still can’t find food to eat.” The lyrics demand empathy and overstanding atop a heaving bassline, magisterial melodica, sparkling keys and synths and jungle sounds that transport us to the very heart of the struggle. “The Dubplate Trembles” extends the vibes in classic A&O fashion, reminding us once again of why the duo have such a storied place in the history of this music we love.

Inspired in large part by the immortal Jah Shaka, A&O were amongst the very first artists to make dub music outside of Jamaica, key in the soundsystem culture and bass music expansion from JA via the UK to the world. Formed in the 1980’s and with over 30 studio albums to their name, we couldn’t be more proud to work with them once again. Nai-Jah graced the ZamZam stage at Outlook festival alongside Dub Dynasty back in 2017, so finally having him on a release completes another circle. An instant classic, “The Jungle Trembles” is a call to hear and heed the cry of the planetary systems and indigenous wisdom that sustain us before it’s too late.
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