Levon Vincent continues unabashed to combine the Streetwise and the Elegant on his newest release, The Medium is the Message II - A reference to Marshall McLuhan's theory that the message signifies content and character, and the 'content' of any medium blinds us to the character of said medium. Levon doubles-down with Novel Sound #40, promoting his love for vinyl all these pleasurable years.

Mastered by the inimitable Josh Bonati in Brooklyn, NY. More

Levon Vincent returns with his fourth full-length studio album Silent Cities a striking departure from his previous records. This, his first release experimenting with the cassette format, Silent Cities is a kind of mixtape through more private moods and personal pitches (literally given Levon’s non-standard tunings).

While Levon has always produced dance floor jams with the intention of raising people’s heart rates, Silent Cities began with 72 bpm: his average resting heart rate, and the concept of tuning the music he was making to his own body rather than increasing anything. This brought the tempos down to 72 bpm or even half of that, at 36bpm. Programming the record during the empty cityscape of Berlin lockdowns, this is the first time Levon’s created an album for the home stereo or for headphone listening whilst navigating through a city. A mixtape specialist in his youth; he was always wanted to play with the cassette format. The results are sure to delight any listener, with the ever-present ambient, krautrock, shoegaze, hip-hop and electro influences coming to the foreground on this work.

“I was expanding further along the lines of a surprise favourite from my previous LP, a song called She Likes To Wave To Passing Boats which was not a 4 on-the-floor piece to play in clubs but a more impressionistic piece of music that I wrote to expound some emotions one day” says Levon. “It was a song written using just intonation. I really love how warm the pure 4ths sound, so when working on the new LP Silent Cities I decided to use my own tunings”.

Historically, the use of just intonation has meant that such instruments could sound "in tune" in one key but at the expense of more dissonance in the other keys. None of the songs on Silent Cities use standard Western equal temperament, Levon created his own scale designs coupled with the ancient ratios found in just intonation.

Born in Houston in 1975, Levon’s life changed dramatically when his parents moved their family to New York in 1981, uprooted from what he knew, the shock, the change from Houston to New York at 6 years old, is referred to constantly in Levon’s Musical output over the years. Levon's family moved houses in and around NYC from 1981 -2010, never more than a mile or two from the WTC. He lived on the Lower East Side during his teenage years and early 20s. This time period and this locale are also a big theme recurrent in his music as he tries to convey how the "downtown" lifestyle and culture-melding affected him so much at a tender age. He cut his teeth working in record shops around lower Manhattan, and while working at the Halcyon Record shop in Brooklyn he (alongside DJ Jus-Ed) was instrumental in creating the wave that came to be known as the "NYC House Renaissance" circa 2010. During the Y2K years he studied 20th C post-minimalism at Purchase college of New York under James McElwaine (who tangentially produced Man Parrish’s Self-Titled proto-hip-hop debt LP). Levon was fortunate to study theory with avant-garde composer Dary John Mizelle and orchestration under conductor Joel Thome. He undertook masterclasses with Philip Glass and also served as intern for John Kilgore, engineer for Steve Reich, where he was present for notable mix sessions such as “Violin Phase.”

Post-minimalism clearly remains an influence not to mention the early sampler stars of 80s freestyle and synth pop. Mixing such far-reaching influences is something Levon executes tremendously well. The first track Everlasting Joy moves at a head nodding 96 BPM tempo, reflecting formative influences like Paul Hardcastle’s Rainforest or Art Of Noise’s Moments in Love. “Those types of songs were a big eye opener for me as a youth, because it was where I realised songs in popular culture didn’t have to be kept to just 3 minutes, and they didn’t require vocals either. So, Everlasting Joy is a song with that intention, one that might be radio-friendly, despite the long arrangement and without vocals. You could say it was inspired by 107.5 in NY because that was a station I listened to a lot in the 1980’s.”

The majority of demos on Silent Cities were recorded before Covid-19 hit the world - when Levon had found a studio space outside of home in his adopted city of Berlin. It was a career first - working on music outside the bedroom. This riding the train or bicycling ‘going to work’ in Berlin opened up a new mood in his music, using the time back and forth to be inspired - commuting as an NYC transplant who still feels as a tourist in Berlin, with a pair of headphones, looking out the window on the train, or stopping on bridges and parking his bike to enjoy Berlin's skyline and horizon. Then, the pandemic struck and “work” came to a halt. Levon had recorded so much material during that year in the studio out of house it seemed like an inflection point for him to lighten the burden of the possessions he was carrying.

“People close to me have watched me give away synths and hardware regularly and I have given away my record collection every few years for my whole life. As a struggling artist in my 20s who had worked in record stores that whole time, I learned that moving constantly with 12k records just wasn't the way to live. So, in light of the pandemic, I set up a shop online, and sold all my music equipment. I also created a separate shop for all my sneakers and clothes. Easy come, Easy go. This provided me with a slow drip type of income that carried me quite well through the pandemic and it allowed me to focus on my own art and music. Getting rid of all my possessions felt like a weight being lifted from my shoulders and I was able to stay the course and remain committed to the music. I needed a further 2 years to mix and arrange the LP. If it weren’t for the pandemic, I would not been able to make this type of LP, so in light of everything, I was able to turn a depressing time in to something lasting and musically very positive.”

You can hear how his approach to a cassette release retains the "Medium is the Message." ethos. Silent Cities is a spooling, warm piece about life memories and embodiment. More

Tracks for astral projection. Levon creates his own tonality using his original pitch designs to take the listener to a place that did not yet exist, whilst maintaining priority dance floor focus. The Niresa tracks are using such unique musical intervals that every listener can decide where the music is taking them, and there is no wrong answer. Levon says, "These are tracks for astral planing. The beauty of creating your own tonal dialog each time you work is that you can literally take the listener somewhere new and un-discovered with each new release More

Underwater deepness from Levon Vincent on Novel Sound, 3 beats to the bar and 180g pressing More

Limelight-era NYC street techno beats

Tracklist:
A1. ETA Infinity (Warm Mix) 12.33 mins
B1. ETA Infinity (Frenzy Mix) 11.00 mins More

Brand new Levon!

NS-35 SIDE A -JULIUS CAESAR- 9mins 5 seconds
Hypnotic ancient Espionage Techno-House Hybrid

NS-35 SIDE B-YEARS OF YOUR LIFE - 9 mins 10 sec
Targeted Dance-Floor Rhythms More

NS-34 SIDE A - WE WILL ALL DANCE TOGETHER AGAIN - 14min 37 seconds
A Funky Levon Live Jam

NS-34 SIDE B - BELLS PHASE - 10mins 56 seconds
Phasing Tribal House More

A celebration of L-O-V-E
incl. 12" x 24" Foldout More

I made this release to commemorate 10 years of Novel Sound.
It features a track from my Resident Advisor Podcast called "WKO" which people have asked me to release many times over the last decade.
https://www.mixcloud.com/residentadvisor/ra158/ More

Levon Vincent continues unabashed to combine the Streetwise and the Elegant on his newest release, The Medium is the Message II - A reference to Marshall McLuhan's theory that the message signifies content and character, and the 'content' of any medium blinds us to the character of said medium. Levon doubles-down with Novel Sound #40, promoting his love for vinyl all these pleasurable years.

Mastered by the inimitable Josh Bonati in Brooklyn, NY. More

Levon Vincent returns with his fourth full-length studio album Silent Cities a striking departure from his previous records. This, his first release experimenting with the cassette format, Silent Cities is a kind of mixtape through more private moods and personal pitches (literally given Levon’s non-standard tunings).

While Levon has always produced dance floor jams with the intention of raising people’s heart rates, Silent Cities began with 72 bpm: his average resting heart rate, and the concept of tuning the music he was making to his own body rather than increasing anything. This brought the tempos down to 72 bpm or even half of that, at 36bpm. Programming the record during the empty cityscape of Berlin lockdowns, this is the first time Levon’s created an album for the home stereo or for headphone listening whilst navigating through a city. A mixtape specialist in his youth; he was always wanted to play with the cassette format. The results are sure to delight any listener, with the ever-present ambient, krautrock, shoegaze, hip-hop and electro influences coming to the foreground on this work.

“I was expanding further along the lines of a surprise favourite from my previous LP, a song called She Likes To Wave To Passing Boats which was not a 4 on-the-floor piece to play in clubs but a more impressionistic piece of music that I wrote to expound some emotions one day” says Levon. “It was a song written using just intonation. I really love how warm the pure 4ths sound, so when working on the new LP Silent Cities I decided to use my own tunings”.

Historically, the use of just intonation has meant that such instruments could sound "in tune" in one key but at the expense of more dissonance in the other keys. None of the songs on Silent Cities use standard Western equal temperament, Levon created his own scale designs coupled with the ancient ratios found in just intonation.

Born in Houston in 1975, Levon’s life changed dramatically when his parents moved their family to New York in 1981, uprooted from what he knew, the shock, the change from Houston to New York at 6 years old, is referred to constantly in Levon’s Musical output over the years. Levon's family moved houses in and around NYC from 1981 -2010, never more than a mile or two from the WTC. He lived on the Lower East Side during his teenage years and early 20s. This time period and this locale are also a big theme recurrent in his music as he tries to convey how the "downtown" lifestyle and culture-melding affected him so much at a tender age. He cut his teeth working in record shops around lower Manhattan, and while working at the Halcyon Record shop in Brooklyn he (alongside DJ Jus-Ed) was instrumental in creating the wave that came to be known as the "NYC House Renaissance" circa 2010. During the Y2K years he studied 20th C post-minimalism at Purchase college of New York under James McElwaine (who tangentially produced Man Parrish’s Self-Titled proto-hip-hop debt LP). Levon was fortunate to study theory with avant-garde composer Dary John Mizelle and orchestration under conductor Joel Thome. He undertook masterclasses with Philip Glass and also served as intern for John Kilgore, engineer for Steve Reich, where he was present for notable mix sessions such as “Violin Phase.”

Post-minimalism clearly remains an influence not to mention the early sampler stars of 80s freestyle and synth pop. Mixing such far-reaching influences is something Levon executes tremendously well. The first track Everlasting Joy moves at a head nodding 96 BPM tempo, reflecting formative influences like Paul Hardcastle’s Rainforest or Art Of Noise’s Moments in Love. “Those types of songs were a big eye opener for me as a youth, because it was where I realised songs in popular culture didn’t have to be kept to just 3 minutes, and they didn’t require vocals either. So, Everlasting Joy is a song with that intention, one that might be radio-friendly, despite the long arrangement and without vocals. You could say it was inspired by 107.5 in NY because that was a station I listened to a lot in the 1980’s.”

The majority of demos on Silent Cities were recorded before Covid-19 hit the world - when Levon had found a studio space outside of home in his adopted city of Berlin. It was a career first - working on music outside the bedroom. This riding the train or bicycling ‘going to work’ in Berlin opened up a new mood in his music, using the time back and forth to be inspired - commuting as an NYC transplant who still feels as a tourist in Berlin, with a pair of headphones, looking out the window on the train, or stopping on bridges and parking his bike to enjoy Berlin's skyline and horizon. Then, the pandemic struck and “work” came to a halt. Levon had recorded so much material during that year in the studio out of house it seemed like an inflection point for him to lighten the burden of the possessions he was carrying.

“People close to me have watched me give away synths and hardware regularly and I have given away my record collection every few years for my whole life. As a struggling artist in my 20s who had worked in record stores that whole time, I learned that moving constantly with 12k records just wasn't the way to live. So, in light of the pandemic, I set up a shop online, and sold all my music equipment. I also created a separate shop for all my sneakers and clothes. Easy come, Easy go. This provided me with a slow drip type of income that carried me quite well through the pandemic and it allowed me to focus on my own art and music. Getting rid of all my possessions felt like a weight being lifted from my shoulders and I was able to stay the course and remain committed to the music. I needed a further 2 years to mix and arrange the LP. If it weren’t for the pandemic, I would not been able to make this type of LP, so in light of everything, I was able to turn a depressing time in to something lasting and musically very positive.”

You can hear how his approach to a cassette release retains the "Medium is the Message." ethos. Silent Cities is a spooling, warm piece about life memories and embodiment. More

Tracks for astral projection. Levon creates his own tonality using his original pitch designs to take the listener to a place that did not yet exist, whilst maintaining priority dance floor focus. The Niresa tracks are using such unique musical intervals that every listener can decide where the music is taking them, and there is no wrong answer. Levon says, "These are tracks for astral planing. The beauty of creating your own tonal dialog each time you work is that you can literally take the listener somewhere new and un-discovered with each new release More

Underwater deepness from Levon Vincent on Novel Sound, 3 beats to the bar and 180g pressing More

Limelight-era NYC street techno beats

Tracklist:
A1. ETA Infinity (Warm Mix) 12.33 mins
B1. ETA Infinity (Frenzy Mix) 11.00 mins More

Brand new Levon!

NS-35 SIDE A -JULIUS CAESAR- 9mins 5 seconds
Hypnotic ancient Espionage Techno-House Hybrid

NS-35 SIDE B-YEARS OF YOUR LIFE - 9 mins 10 sec
Targeted Dance-Floor Rhythms More

NS-34 SIDE A - WE WILL ALL DANCE TOGETHER AGAIN - 14min 37 seconds
A Funky Levon Live Jam

NS-34 SIDE B - BELLS PHASE - 10mins 56 seconds
Phasing Tribal House More

A celebration of L-O-V-E
incl. 12" x 24" Foldout More

I made this release to commemorate 10 years of Novel Sound.
It features a track from my Resident Advisor Podcast called "WKO" which people have asked me to release many times over the last decade.
https://www.mixcloud.com/residentadvisor/ra158/ More

*2021 repress* Back in 1996 Robert Hood launched his Floorplan monikor on this 12" through his own M-Plant sub-label Drama. This is probably the only time he really touched up a disco record and what a way to do it... Raw and minimal to the bone. This has to be one of the funkiest records to have emerged from Detroit in the last 25 years, and its unmistakably Robert Hood. BIG TIP!

More

Tracklisting:
A1 D. Carbone & DSTM - Never Stop Raveolution
A2 D. Carbone & d_b - The Bad Dance
A3 D. Carbone & Hypnoskull - We Are Stronger
B1 D. Carbone & Lucas Campagna - Social Pressure
B2 D. Carbone & SDBX - Pitch You Back
B3 D. Carbone & Valeriø Innørta - Push Your Back Spin

Sales Note
We want to celebrate the 5th Volume of our best series "Raving Disorder" in a special way.
Our Boss D. Carbone choose 6 of his favorite Artists on the label to make a Collab with each one.
DSTM, d_b, Hypnoskull, Lucas Campagna, SDBX, and Valerio Innorta are the mans who joined the boss in this amazing feature it creates a don't-miss duty bomb for your night.

A1 Never Stop The Raveolution is a dark and heavy techno banger that takes the mentality of D. Carbone and DSTM and brings it furthermore in the Techno Revolution Aim.

A2 The boss meets the mysterious d_b again after their debuts on Green Fetish Records "The Bad Dance" is a groovy Banger singed by d_b himself accompanied by powerful kick and 90's groove with dystopian noises and bells deliver the Kaos.

A3 D. Carbone featuring one of the most underground legends in Techno Hypnoskull with "We are Stronger".
The track is a Hymn against capitalism, a selfish attitude, and all the bad things of the Modern Era.
Listen deep to it!

B1 Starts with "Social Pressure" along with boy Lucas Campagna who meets the boss to create an absurd heavy banger, dreamy, powerful, complex, and modern make this a don't-miss bomb in your collection.

B2 is "Pitch You Back" along with SDBX a truly hit played by D. Carbone in almost every set during last year, is the first of long series of heavy hitters by this duo who is already working on EP, since the first listen to this track will be unforgettable.

B3 "Push Your Back Spin" is the Collaboration with the Roman hardcore boy Valerio Innorta, as the title says this track will let your back spin a heavy dance, the track came out after last Valerio's release on Carbone Records and blends in a perfect way this new style with the D. Carbone powerful sound.

Don't miss this vinyl, limited to 300 Marbled blue.

Release Date 22.09.23

Rave On! More

Tracklisting:
A1 Oxygeno - Veneno En Los Labios
A2 Oxygeno - Condenados
B1 Oxygeno - Grito Al Vacio
B2 Oxygeno - As De Corazones

Sales Note
"El Caos Reina" by Oxygeno is the new chapter of our label. This EP is made up of four raw, mental and introspective tracks where the creator tells us the story of a difficult and uncertain time.

Side A opens with "Veneno En Los Labios", an exercise with heavy drums, wrapped by a crunchy bass and a tense and nostalgic atmosphere. This track is followed by "Condenados", a more experimental, dark and anxious piece, where you can feel the terror of the situation.

On the B-side we first find "Grito Al Vacio", the most energetic track, with a strong kick and bassline, cutting percussions and a pad that appears as a desperate scream. In the last track but not least, "As De Corazones", is the hypnotic piece of the album but keeping the forcefulness of the rest. More

(incl. tracks by Nico Moreno, Ley Mar, X-Alox, Lucinee & Lifka & Swart) Exhale Records is back with a colossal techno compilation featuring 14 powerful tracks from 16 hard-hitting producers.



TRACKLISTING

A1. Nico Moreno - I'm From 1994 Dude
A2. Ley Mar - What U Get
B1. X-Alox - 260%
B2. Lucinee & Lifka - In Rage
B3. Swart - Downfall

INFO

Amelie Lens'event series / label hybrid sets the pace for the rest of the year with a formidable lineup of artists on this compilation, soon to be followed with the Exhale family debuting its party series in none other than the revered DC10 in Ibiza this summer.

On the last leg of the record, with 'I'm From 1994 Dude' Nico Moreno features a true Moreno production with industrial elements and a slamming acid sequence. 'What U Get' by Ley Mar is next with scuffed metal textures, minimal rave stabs and rumbling, dark synths. X-Alox picks up the pace with '260%' an energetic weapon with chaotic drum sequences and a sharp sliced-up vocal breakdown at the mid-way point. Lucinee & Lifka team up for galactic track 'In Rage', with an echoed vocal hook, resounding alarm and rolling kick drum. On a high with spiking synths, stretched out melodies and a pulsating kick that entrances listeners down to the final beat Swart lastly closes the compilation.


More

(part 3/3 featuring Charlie Sparks, Under Black Helmet, Xiorro & Ahl Iver) Amelie Lens' EXHALE Records continues to deliver fiercely dynamic techno from the underground's most promising, rising and established artists with its second VA compilation.


TRACKLISTING

A1. Charlie Sparks - Tatakai
A2. Under Black Helmet - Rogue
B1. Xiorro - Hearing Colors
B2. Ahl Iver - There Is Always Light More

Immerse yourself in an ethereal sonic voyage with Dasha Rush's latest electronic music masterpiece, »Contemplating«. This ambient album takes listeners on a transcendental journey through ethereal landscapes and immersive textures. The album's title perfectly encapsulates its essence. From the very first note, »Contemplating« captivates with its intricate layers of atmospheric harmonies, meticulously weaving together a tapestry of minimalistic sonic elements. As the ethereal soundscape unfolds, listeners are invited to embrace the moment of stillness in a realm where emotions and thoughts intertwine, creating a sonic experience that is both introspective and otherworldly. More

Tracklisting
A1 Lenny San - Expansion
A2 Lenny San - Disruption
B1 Lenny San - Eruption
B2 Lenny San - Dispersion More

(transparent vinyl in custom transparent sleeve) Lenske Records mainstay Farrago delivers 'Flashpoint' EP, a hefty 4 track peak-time workout.

TRACKLISTING

A1. Farrago - Quieto (Flashpoint Mix)
A2. Farrago - No Competition
B1. Farrago - Beleiv
B2. Farrago - Disc 1

INFO

Farrago returns to his resident label Lenske Records with 'Flashpoint EP'. A pillar of the Lenske imprint and regular at the likes of EXHALE and Awakenings, Farrago's heavy-hitting sets and production have had an extensive influence on Belgium's techno scene.

Leading the A side is the cosmic expedition 'Quieto'. An energizing cut that incorporates the key ingredients of a true Farrago track - rave elements, a spiking vocal, eccentric hi-hats and a determined, driving beat that urges listeners to move. Following is 'No Competition', an exercise in wild percussion, thundering bass and the deep, dark synths that Lenske is known for. A smug voice calls out the track title repeatedly over the oscillating and menacing main horn synth.

On the flip is 'Beleiv' - a malevolent mix of dense bass, eerie sirens and slamming percussion. Arguably the heaviest track on the record, the hi-hats, echoing keys and fleeting breakdowns add an ethereal dimension, taking listeners on a mesmeric journey. Next up is the celestial 'Disc 1', produced entirely using Playstation 1 sound effects. Doomy pads are accompanied by twinkling keys and a growling bass that creates a feeling of euphoria as the track crescendos. A deep & hypnotic cut that closes out the record on a high. More

Tracklisting:
A1 Lewis Fautzi - Total Absence
A2 Lewis Fautzi - Paranoia
B1 Lewis Fautzi - Ground State
B2 Lewis Fautzi - Uncertainty More

Parisian DJ, Producer and Elixyr Records label boss AIROD returns to Amelie Lens' Lenske for his third EP on the label. Following 2019's 'Rave Cycle' and 'Voltage' EP's, this year's LP on Molekul and appearances at some of Europe's most revered clubs and showcases including the EXHALE event series, the Frenchman has proven himself as a dominant force in today's techno scene.

'Assassin's Walk' welcomes us with rolling kicks and looping sirens accompanied by foreboding synths that orchestrate a deep sense of tension. As these fade, explosive drums perturb the peace again with the addition of a wavering acid line and incessant hi-hats that conjure urgency and pure exhilaration. Returning to the familiar AIROD sound we've been acquainted with is 'Topaz', employing pounding kick drums, jolting sirens and an indiscernible cut up vocal sample to engage listeners into an ambient delirium. Sharp white noise slices through the resounding beat in a rhythmic assault after the first drop and characterize the remainder of the track. More

(part 1/3 featuring 999999999, Jastice, Kontain & Gräfin) Amelie Lens' EXHALE Records continues to deliver fiercely dynamic techno from the underground's most promising, rising and established artists with its second VA compilation.

TRACKLISTING

A1. 999999999 - Alarm 303
A2. Jastice - Hey You
B1. Kontain - Neck Crank
B2. Gräfin - Chatty Echoes More