Tracklist:
(1) Raxon – Robotalia (DE-Q20-23-00013)
(2) Raxon – Kryptonite (DE-Q20-23-00014)

Release Info:
Next up is an overdue reunion with a familiar face. After his outstanding contribution to Cocoon Compilation S and his first solo EP on Cocoon Recordings, Raxon is back with a more than equally fascinating sound. The Egyptian-born and now Barcelona-based artist is back on it again, delivering two tracks that will take you on a journey through the depths of robotic soundscapes.
Intricate beats, hypnotic synthesizer melodies, deep bassline grooves, and distinctive EFX sounds create Raxon’s very special signature sound.

Straight drum programming paired with chirping percussions takes us away to embark on a travel through space and time while distinctive claps poke through a futuristic nebula of floating and shifting sequences. The twisted melody of “Robotalia” carries us to a parallel dimension of machine sound and if you listen closely, you can hear the robots’ screwing and sawing. Warping bleeps and mechanical effects complete the robotic feeling. Raxon’s understanding of structures and architectural abilities are reflected through the arrangement, slowly increasing to ecstasy.

“Kryptonite” scores with alien soundscapes. Stuttering vocals are the questions, while futuristic and dramatic chord stabs are the direct answer. A straight, radiant sound appears as an electronic trombone from outer space, offensively supporting the driving bassline. The symbiotic interplay between the euphoric synthesizer hook line and the relentless beat with pushing sharp hi-hats visualize powerful images in one's mind's eye. Suddenly the beat stagnates and results in a morphing break going head over heels developing a start-stop pitch effect that not only builds up tremendous tension but also bears an increased risk of melting your brain. We just love tape delay!



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Notes: Part 2 of 2

Tracklist:
A TELEPHONE AT THE WINDOW
B I DON’T KNOW ENOUGH CONTINUED


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2023 repress

Tracklist
A. Pick Up (12" Extended Disco Version)
B. The Love Truck

DJ Koze might be one of the world's best producers, but above all he's a DJ, and it's his DJ ear that governs. Just as in a great set, so with his releases: "Seeing Aliens" came out of nowhere, a big buzzing beast of a track, to announce that Koze was back on the scene and prime everyone for the coming album, knock knock. But now that Koze has your attention, it's time to remind everyone what's most important about club music, pull things back, take a turn to the left, and get deep into the groove.

Thus "Pick Up": the second single from knock knock is 100% pure groove, doubly so in the extended 12" version. In a sense it's incredibly familiar - it is essentially a filter disco record, very close to something you could imagine coming out of Paris around the turn of the millennium. But of course, this is Koze. Nothing is normal or familiar in his world, and he's taken this most foundational of clubland staples into new territory. Flipping samples of Gladys Knight & the Pips "Neither One Of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" and Melba Moore's "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance", it creates something completely airborne, shot through with emotions such as gods must feel: not quite explicable to the human mind but strong enough to knock you off your feet. In its way it's absolutely as powerful as "Seeing Aliens", but it comes in like the proverbial iron fist in a glove of velvet.

The flip, a ten-minute new track, "The Love Truck" is a big contrast again. If "Pick Up" is giddy flight, "The Love Truck" is woozy floating. Its sharp, clicking percussion recalls 2000s minimal techno, but this time absolutely nothing is generic. The long, intense, on-and-off bass tones, the flickers of birdsong, the pure voices slipping in backwards as if from the future... it's all like the most blissful dream, and culminates in a coda so subtle yet so beautiful it's like ever time you've ever seen the sun rise and thought "I never want this to end", all the while understanding deep down that the fleeting nature of the pleasure is also what give it its power. But of course, being created with that consummate DJ's ear, it's also full of the thrill of wondering what Koze has in store next.

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UPC: 827170577060 Release : 19/01/2015
Tracklist EP:
A1. Looki A2. Looki (Lauer Remix) B1. Looki (Fantastic Man Remix) B2. Looki (Africaine 808 Live Dub)
Info:
Bucharest's own Khidja have been an active part in the local nightclub scene over the past years. After first appearing as co-compilers of the Romanian Jazz LP for Sonar Kollektiv, it was finally a remix for Baris K on [Emotional] Especial in late 2013 which put the duo on the want list of many tasteful DJs around the world. The time was just perfect to appear with oriental soundscapes having been the most sought-after spice in dance music during that summer period. Two original EPs on Especial and Forgotten Corner popped up in spring 2014 and gave evidence that Khidja scheduled themselves to be around for the long term. Looki stands out to be the perfect Balearic aftermath to Telephones' previous release on Love On The Rocks. Pursuing the transcendent motive from sunrise to sunset, it is far away from the arabesque melodies of their previous productions. Khidja speak their hearts to the sound of the Neo-New-Age generation - no beat, no stress, just a guitar, the beach and the sea. To accompany are three remixes to catch any imagination. Godfather of the MDMA-infected sound synthesis, Lauer needs no further introduction, epic as ever, the perfect take, moving the track from chill out to dance floor with uplifting grace. Australian newcomer Fantastic Man is next, dropping the guitar for good and kicks in with a polyrhythmic tribal rhythm for a dance floor friendly mood. Closing the EP are the one and only Africaine 808, who bubble up the original with a cascade of reverbs and delays, embedded in a reduced yet complex dub beat, constantly raising desperate demands for that unattainable peak moment.
Available on four track EP and digitally.
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Special remarks: 12" with exclusive full colour artwork printed on sleeve, limited to 300 copies
Tracklist:
A1. Psycho Hub (Original Mix)
B1. Shroud (Original Mix)
B2. Get in the Fridge (Original Mix)
Short info:
Kevin Arnemann and Daan Kemp's Taped Artifact label clocks up its fourth release with a three track offering from Outlaw Rec boss and key part of the Italian Serendipity club, namely Matthew Oh. Matthew has previously released on his own label and others like Side Off, and eloquently marries dub, techno and house into smooth and sensuous sonic landscapes.

The opening track 'Psycho Hub' is an atmospheric and spacious roller with dubbed out drums and pads, coupled with incendiary hi hats urging you along. 'Shroud' is seven minutes of slick and spaced out deep techno with liquid synths and clacking hits all racing along and making for a frictionless groove that sucks you right in. Finally, 'Get in the Fridge' slows the tempo down and becomes an even more widescreen and roomy roller with suspensory pads, smeared synths and aqueous sonic details that make you feel like you are floating in sound.
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