Red Vinyl pressing
Goldie - "These guys are at the top of their game"
Break - "One of the best labels in dnb, very happy to be involved"

Our next venture into the world of Utopia comes with new momentum gained from Elliot Garvey aka Quartz, who has delivered the incredible "Thorns" EP.

Rolling with the punches from his immense Resident Advisor podcast and the successful releases on Metalheadz, Samurai and Rupture, we're proud to put his next body of work out into the world. This brilliant four-tracker has it all: deep soundscapes, crunchy breakbeats, hypnotic grooves, haunting samples and an intense dose of powerful sub bass weight. Support from: Break, DLR, Djinn, Doc Scott, Double O, Flight, Goldie, Hydro, Loxy, Mantra, Noisia and many more.

Mako: "Quartz is one of those rare producers who can make any genre of music incredibly well. He chose drum and bass and I am thankful he did. I don't hear much I like these days but every tune he sends me I rate in one way or another. These 4 tunes are special though and I'm very lucky to call him a peer, a brother and a Utopia artist."


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In the mid-90s, Ken Ishii rose to prominence, with a futuristic sound rooted in Detroit’s machine soul yet unmistakably his own. Hailing from Sapporo, Ishii quickly became synonymous with futuristic, cutting-edge productions, and ‘Jelly Tones’ - originally released on R&S Records in 1995 - was the breakthrough release that propelled the Japanese producer to global notoriety.

Now reissued on vinyl for the first time since 2008, this 30-year anniversary edition of ‘Jelly Tones’, celebrates the album’s lasting legacy and continued influence with the dynamic rhythms, crystalline synth textures, and sophisticated arrangements that set Ishii apart - from the propulsive elegance of ‘Stretch’ and the layered complexity of ‘Pause in Herbs’, to the tribal, otherworldly darkness of ‘Moved By Air’ and the lush close of ‘Endless Season’.

Liste: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/album/4TU4WS5SHMNlIJ02ABUdTY?si=ljfjR6eGR12jahQ9gtM_oQ&nd=1&dlsi=3e5e7f016f2140c7

TRACKLIST
A1 Extra
A2 Cocoa Mousse
B1 Stretch
B2 Ethos 9
C1 Moved By Air
C2 Pause In Herbs
D1 Frame Out
D2 Endless Season

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Aphex Twin’s ‘Xylem Tube’ EP arrived in the summer of 1992 on R&S Records, coming hot off the heels of his landmark ‘Digeridoo’ release, and an audacious follow up from the then 21-year-old Richard D. James. Out of print for nearly two decades, this long-awaited vinyl reissue restores one of the pivotal early works in his catalogue.

Where ‘Digeridoo’ pushed the endurance of the rave floor to its limits, the ‘Xylem Tube’ EP stretched the Aphex Twin sound into new dimensions with ‘Polynomial-C’ becoming an enduring classic with its spiralling arpeggios, shattering breakbeats and alien melodics. Tracks like ‘Phlange Phace’ and ‘Tamphex (Hedphuq Mix)’ pushed distortion, humour and rhythm into uncharted territory, while ‘Dodeccaheedron’ acts as a bold signifier of James’ radical ideas of how dance music can sound, with its ominous and brooding synth work over a cacophony of eerie, broken beats.

Three decades later, the EP stands not only as a key chapter in the Aphex canon, but also as a statement of intent from an artist set on reshaping electronic music’s DNA. Now faithfully reissued on vinyl for the first time since a 2006 pressing, this edition returns one of the most in-demand Aphex R&S titles to circulation after nearly twenty years out of print.

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Multi-instrumentalist and synth wizard Paul White readies his third album for R&S Records, offering up a cinematic journey on ‘Peace In Chaos’ that captures the current mood with its shadowy electronic prowess.


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Dino Lenny’s latest two singles for Belgian titan R&S Records get coupled together for a vinyl release. ‘Lose Control’ and ‘Washington Street’ are both served up with alternate mixes. The London based Italian producer fired out another irresistible club heater on the ‘Lose Control’ single, racking up Top Ten chart positions across the dance DSPs. On the Tea With Quincy Mix, legendary American musician Jerry Hey in drafted in to add his unmistakable horn playing to this version of ‘Lose Control. Hey is a highly seasoned orchestrator and session musician, playing on hundreds of classic recordings including Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, ‘Rock With You’ and ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, and also playing with Earth, Wind & Fire, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, George Benson and numerous others, including Quincy Jones, whom the mix title doffs its cap to. A special ‘4am Mix’ of ‘Washington Street’ from Dino Lenny himself sits on the flip side, a propelling and heavyweight dancefloor cut laced with seductive saxophone and climaxing with sparkling melodic electronics.


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One of Poland’s most innovative and singular electronic producers, Hatti Vatti, lands on Belgian giant R&S Records with a new instrumental album filled with unparalleled and experimental jazz electronica.


Tracklisting:

1. FROGS
2. ZWIERCIADLO
3. UENO
4. ZEIT
5. BRIDGE
6. MAKE SENSE
7. LICHT
8. FLAGI
9. KYO

Listen: listen.k7.com/30f96ab0-e6fa-4c7e-b155-8ee685053081


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Hailing from the West side of St. Louis, Missouri, Mikahl Anthony’s sonic roots spread far across the global Alt-Soul / Hip-Hop scene. A highly sought- after multidisciplinary artist (who has collaborated with the likes of Mick Jenkins, Chance The Rapper, Joey Purp, Smino & more), as well as being a founding member of Chicago’s THEMpeople collective, he now prepares to unveil his masterful full-length debut ‘MUSE’ via R&S Records.

Listen: https://listen.k7.com/3b4be142-df9a-4c7f-8800-9dff08eb70a8

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“It’s just too easy to make a standard dance track,” Aphex Twin said of his mindset back in 1992. “You’ve got to put a bit of thought into it to get something a bit different.” ‘Didgeridoo’ was released on the Belgian R&S Records label in 1992, and originally peaked at #55 in the UK singles chart in May of that year. Over the last 32 years the track has become one of the essential Aphex Twin tracks in a gargantuan catalogue that continues to amaze and inspire. “I wanted to have some tracks to play to finish the raves I used to play in Cornwall, to really kill everybody off so they couldn’t dance,” Richard D James, AKA Aphex, told Select magazine back in the 90s. “Digeridoo came out of that.” Released as a 4 track EP that also included early Aphex productions (now classics) including the industrial, acidic clang of ‘Flap Head’ and hyperbolic futurism of ‘Isopropanol’, the release cemented a relationship with the R&S label that went on to release the ‘Xylem Tube’ EP and the pivotal album ‘Selected Ambient Works 85-92’ in the same year. The label’s owner & A&R Renaat Vandepapeliere reflected “When I first heard Aphex Twin’s music I said, ‘This is it!’, and everybody else said, ‘You’re crazy!’ …a lot of the hardcore R&S fans dropped us. To them it wasn’t music.” ‘Didgeridoo’ (Expanded Edition) is the first time the EP has been re-issued with extra material. Whilst digging in his DAT archive (allegedly stored in an airtight military ammo box), Richard James revisited the recordings, encoding them through a Nakamichi CR7e cassette deck, using the customised deck with vari-speed to encode at speeds “felt right at the time”. Alongside these CR7e versions, the original mixes have been remastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, offering a dilated insight into one of electronic music’s most endearing releases.

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Joey Beltram mega-ultra-classic, ‘Energy Flash’ re-mastered by Matt Colton. Pressed nice and loud on a one sided 12”. E.S.S.E.N.T.I.A.L.!!! (...still after all these years...)



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Ada Kaleh, the Romanian composer and DJ, follows up on his recent releases for R&S Records and Apollo with a brand new single, ‘Unravelling’. Featuring the vocals of Fela Kuti at his most potent, ‘Unravelling’ also includes a featured performance from Eric Leeds, the American saxophone player most noted for his work with Prince, both in the studio and as part of the Purple One’s touring band. Ada Kaleh constructs a hypnotising and minimalistic rhythm, reminiscent of Tony Allen's drumming style, speckled with dubbed out complexions and kaleidoscopic sonics that provide the perfect bed for Fela Kuti’s distinguished vocal delivery and conscientious lyric. The illustrious jazz musician Eric Leeds lends his prowess to the main mix here, as his smoky saxophone tones glide across ‘Unravelling’ with pure professional class!

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Spanish sound designer and producer Architectural layers intense beat science and waves of ethereal tones across three stunning new tracks on the ‘Clothed in Light’ EP for R&S Records. Also known for his production work under the aliases Reeko, Humano and Neither (amongst others), the experimental producer has issued a slew of mind bending releases for labels like Music Man, Pole Recordings, Non Series, Ellum Audio and his own Mental Disorder imprint over the past two decades. The ‘Clothed In Light’ EP finds Architectural back on R&S Records, following his 2020 released ‘Planet Is But A Dream’ single.

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First released back in the fall of 1989, the In Order To Dance album was a compilation LP that pulled together tracks from a select band of electronic producers, pushing the boundaries of the house and electronic music that was in its infancy stage.

3LP black vinyl with printed inners

A1. Vromm - Red Tuna
A2. Hyphen - Winter Sky
B1. Saytek - IYNDUB01 (Live)
B2. Pascal Nuzzo – Hold On
B3. Nphonix & Matrika - Rumble Around
C1. Acidulant - Make Love To A Machine
C2. Insider - Something Flash
D1. Dharma - Structured Chaos
D2. Som.1 – Ultimatum
E1. Dino Lenny – Did This
E2. Adam Antine - Sortavala
E3. Paul Roux – Bapteme
F1. Underworld – Appleshine (Film Edit)
F2. Subject 13, Conscious Route – Dripping Sauce

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Manchester based DJ/producer Antagonist cues up a collection of dense and uncompromising electronic tracks on his R&S Records debut. The ‘Rites’ EP pulls together 5 new tracks that lean on the artist’s drum ‘n’ bass roots and influences, a sound that has informed his DJ sets and studio productions since he launched the project in 2004. Channelling his productions towards the more cinematic and darker side of drum ‘n’ bass and broken beats, Antagonist has released a strong run of EPs for labels such as Samurai Music, Ronin Ordinance, One.Seventy and his own Discipline imprint, stamping his hybrid sound across these well received releases. Layers upon layers of shadowy ambience and wistful tones are punctured by hard edged beat-science, as Antagonist goes in deep on the complex breakbeats, chopping back and forth knifelike loops and dynamic kicks. A highly accomplished debut for the R&S label from this sonically exciting young producer.

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Downtown E-Style Sound Crawlers

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Another essential US 90s bit from Tom Chasteen and Michael Kandel originally on the Exist Dance portfolio. Well ahead of its time, this exposé of ceremonial grade psychedelic nuances featuring South Asian vocal samples interlaced with electronic music production methods takes the originally more fast passed trance-like direction of the label’s first 3 years and re-directs things towards a new more downtempo/trip-hop route. With the BPM counter cruising in the low 100’s steadily throughout the first 3 tracks and ending on a full on ambient beatless 8 minute meditative journey, this EP marks a new aesthetic plateau for the Exist Dance catalogue, with “Cantamilla” even crossing over to Balearic radars and being played by Ibiza legends like Jose Padilla.
“Recorded in Heaven”. Take a trip.

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Palmkids is a creative duo/studio with its own production line based in Pontevedra (Galicia). Among other projects such as PALMCO RADIO, this EP is the result of the union and friendship between Palmkids and the Galician label Must Be On Wax. On this EP, Bruss presents his vision of 90s Brazilian Baile Funk, fusing the pulsating rhythms of Baile Funk and deep grooves of Miami Bass, including remixes by Juait and Street Choice.

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Tracklisting
A1 Stones Taro - Clutch
A2 Stones Taro - Busy Lips
B1 Stones Taro - Stealthy Meow
B2 Stones Taro - Clutch (Christopher Ledger remix)

Sales Note
A Bold New Direction from Kyoto's Finest

Kyoto-based dance music label NC4K's boss, Stones Taro, delivers a daring new EP in the third installment of the NC4KWAX series. Known for his dance-floor-focused beats and impeccable sound quality, Stones Taro pushes the boundaries of his sound on this release.
The EP kicks off with "Clutch," a track that immediately captivates with its addictive vocal chops and signature Stones Taro breakbeats. The up-and-down bassline provides a solid foundation, ensuring that your speakers get a workout. "Busy Lip" follows suit, with its chaotic mix of vocal samples and percussion creating a sense of euphoria. The clap on the third beat adds a challenging yet rewarding twist to the track. The third track is pure Stones Taro, featuring a ravey breakbeat sound with trance-like elements that elevate the track to new heights. Finally, Roman producer Christopher Ledger delivers a stunning remix of the fourth track, transforming it into a tech-house masterpiece with intricate arrangements and a deep, bass-driven groove.

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In late 2013 I was trying to take a disconap before djing a New Years party in Glasgow. All I could think about was finally getting in touch with Ata Kak. I decided to book a oneway flight to Toronto and I was not going to leave until I found some family contacts. It turned out Yaw's son Jeffrey still lives there and we had this incredible meeting in a townhouse complex on the edge of town.

I couldn't believe it when I finally spoke with Yaw and explained to him how well-loved his music had become. ATFA the label had been operating for several years by then but the tape that really started the whole thing couldn't get reissued. Once we got in touch all the complexities of how to actually do that came into focus.?It always irked me that our reissue of Obaa Sima didn't sound excellent. Nevertheless, it has a sonic charm that endures. Obaa Sima was a kind of manifesto for the whole Awesome Tapes From Arica blog project when it started. That sound and approach embodied something I wanted to further explore.

After years of enjoying his music, it was thrilling to finally meet Yaw and hear his story. I wanted to let everyone hear the music in the highest resolution possible but we couldn't make it happen.?In early 2024, by some cosmic coincidence, I made a new friend in my Berlin neighborhood who causally introduced himself by saying, "I have a clean copy of Obaa Sima, you can have it if you want." Not just wildly kind but also serendipitous as we reach the 10th year since the cassette's reissue.?

This new remaster, lovingly rendered from an almost impeccable source, is a revelation for anyone who wished to hear more of how this music was meant to sound. Our longtime collaborator Jessica Thompson carefully restored it with updated tools in her state-of-the-art studio.?

Over the past 15 years or so, as I DJ these Ata Kak songs at almost every show, I still feel a sense of wonder upon listening. You can go deep into the crevices of the very audible audio artefacts and hear a lot. Maybe it's a little sad to part ways with the wows and flutters whose contours I'd grown to know like the back of my hand.?When I visited Yaw in Kumasi a few years ago for a documentary shoot, it was shocking to learn that his brother had actually sold quite a few copies of the tape. As we moved through Kejetia market one day we encountered a handful of folks who remembered hearing Obaa Sima back around its release in 1994. More recently, thanks to a few Ghanaian-made viral TikToks, I've learned how many people of a certain age heard these songs as staples at funerals and other local dance parties. The music reached a lot more people despite what Yaw had reported. ?

I was also surprised to learn that the album was originally recorded at a slower speed—we have included a slow version download here.?In the years since, the concerts that Ata Kak has performed have been one of the absolute joys of my life to experience. It couldn't have been achieved without the intense dedication of Ata Kak's booking agents at the time QuJunktions and his London-based bandmates, including Esa Williams, Pax Nindi, Binisa Bonner and Tim Tapsell. Hearing Obaa Sima live is astounding and thousands of people all over the world have been there too.?

—Brian Shimkovitz, Berlin 2025

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Born 2 Be Free continues its good early work with another dose of UKG old skool magic. It comes from the label head Azaad, whose previous drops have all sold out in quick time, and this one will likely do the same such is its magnetic appeal. The Londoner opens up with 'Caliente' and rides on bumpy drums with some turbo-charged stabs injecting the heat. 'Feel It' bobble along with cute chords brings a balmy feel next to whispered vocals and low slung bass for maximum lip curl. 'I Want You' brings another timeless vibe with its neon pads and cuddly, immersive atmosphere then the Az Gets Deep mix sets down with some extra depth and drive.

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Tracklisting
A1 Unknown Artist - Gin & Juice
A2 Unknown Artist - Wasn't Me
B1 Unknown Artist - Hit 'Em Up
B2 Unknown Artist - Best I Ever Had

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We go through life. We shed our skins. We become ourselves.” This line from Patti Smith was going round and round Felix Manuel’s head as he gradually constructed Under Tangled Silence, his first album in six years and a record of a literal creative rebirth. Felix originally began it in earnest in 2020 Covid lockdown, but a catastrophic hard-drive meltdown destroyed almost all his work and sent him close to psychic collapse himself. However, ultimately this pushed him to rebuild from scratch and in so doing to confront and reassess every part of his musical and psychological processes. The result is utterly extraordinary. Felix was a child prodigy as an instrumentalist and his advanced musicality has always been prominent in his music, but here he has put himself front and centre as pianist, harpist and more. And this sense of exposure as a performer interweaves with an unflinching emotional openness too. Where sometimes electronic production as advanced as this can use intellect and techniques as shields from soul-baring, this is the sound of someone who can boldly say “I feel things, I cry all the time, and I'm not afraid to say it or show it in the music.” But this doesn’t mean there’s a move away from the soundsystems and dancefloors where Felix made his name as a uniquely innovative vinyl DJ. Even just in the opening track “A Tune for Us”, minimalist piano ripples and jazz drumming flow into the breaks of vintage jungle – and as the structure of the LP unfolds, a deep ambient meditation like “Hold” can sit very naturally in between the futurist dancehall of “L’Ancienne” and the high-definition acid house mind movie of “Galaxy in Silence”. In fact, as with the hands-on musicianship, that gutsy big-speaker electronic impact is delivered with more certainty, more expertise, more personal flourishes than ever. And all of those elements are more integrated than ever too: the sound of a total musical personality emerging afresh is truly something to behold. An already remarkable talent has been refreshed, reborn and is making the music of his life.

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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.

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Plastik People Collections dropped this one back in 2019, and it became an instant classic that soon sold out. It has since rocketed in price on the second-hand markets, so thankfully, the label is reissuing it this summer. Cultured Pearls's 'Mother Earth' is effortlessly cool garage-house with bumpy drums and expressive piano jams perfect for outdoor dancing. Night Society's 'You Turn Me On' has an authentic US edge and hot and humid groove with passionate vocal cries, then JJ Can's 'I Don't Know Why' is a dubby and low-slung deep garage sound with chopped vocals and a timeless appeal. Three vital cuts that will be huge all over again this year.

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