1
Memory Play - Anxious Attachment
2
Memory Play - Lightwork
3
Memory Play - Weather Structures
4
Memory Play - Sleep Cycles
Memory Play returns to Control Freak Recordings, this time offering up the latest release for their White Label series with Weather Structures EP.
Following recent performances across Japan and at London techno haven FOLD, Memory Play has marked themselves out as one of the most exciting & energetic live techno acts to emerge onto the scene in recent years.
Dark, mechanical and intensely psychedelic, Weather Structures EP sees Control Freak exploring new sonic territory. A boundary-pushing exploration in driving 4x4 techno, Memory Play’s strong focus on hyper-detailed textures will be instantly familiar to fans of their debut Choice EP, released on Control Freak earlier this year. More
Following recent performances across Japan and at London techno haven FOLD, Memory Play has marked themselves out as one of the most exciting & energetic live techno acts to emerge onto the scene in recent years.
Dark, mechanical and intensely psychedelic, Weather Structures EP sees Control Freak exploring new sonic territory. A boundary-pushing exploration in driving 4x4 techno, Memory Play’s strong focus on hyper-detailed textures will be instantly familiar to fans of their debut Choice EP, released on Control Freak earlier this year. More
More records from Control Freak Recordings
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:CTRLFRK008
Release-Date:12.05.2023
Genre:Electronic
Configuration:LP
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:CTRLFRK008
Release-Date:12.05.2023
Genre:Electronic
Configuration:LP
1
Keplrr - Leave Your Body
2
Keplrr - Estranged
3
Keplrr - Re-reality (Ft. Livi Graham)
4
Keplrr - Two Prophets Lay Here
5
Keplrr - Interlude
6
Keplrr - The Sky And The Birds
7
Keplrr - Celestial Body
8
Keplrr - A More Subtle Outro
9
Keplrr - Wake Up
Fittingly, Control Freak's first full length LP comes from the artist who launched our imprint near-on 4 years ago. Keplrr’s ‘Petra’ is a remarkable entry into the canon of contemporary ‘non-functional’ techno.
After a string of acclaimed EPs and singles, the South London-based DJ/producer brings his unique ear for sound design to the forefront across his debut album, a continuous piece with many recurring musical themes and motifs. Drifting between dream states and the psychedelic, ‘Petra’ sees Keplrr set aside the rigid constraints of club music and delve deep into the wells of the subconscious.
The album moves deftly through styles: meandering ambient/downtempo pieces, including a collaboration with classically trained Jazz singer Livi Graham, to the deep & techno-influenced ‘Two Prophets Lay Here’, reaching its crescendo in the IDM-inflected ‘Celestial Body’.
For fans of: Call Super, Leif, Koreless, Perila, Lorraine James. More
After a string of acclaimed EPs and singles, the South London-based DJ/producer brings his unique ear for sound design to the forefront across his debut album, a continuous piece with many recurring musical themes and motifs. Drifting between dream states and the psychedelic, ‘Petra’ sees Keplrr set aside the rigid constraints of club music and delve deep into the wells of the subconscious.
The album moves deftly through styles: meandering ambient/downtempo pieces, including a collaboration with classically trained Jazz singer Livi Graham, to the deep & techno-influenced ‘Two Prophets Lay Here’, reaching its crescendo in the IDM-inflected ‘Celestial Body’.
For fans of: Call Super, Leif, Koreless, Perila, Lorraine James. More
1
Syz - 1E
2
Syz - Botanic Receptors
3
Syz - Essence
4
Syz - Mindforms
5
Syz - Unidentified
6
Syz - Visage
Since his last outing on Control Freak with the sold-out Bunzunkunzun EP, Syz has built a reputation as one of the UKs most distinctive club producers, weaving playful, percussive techno with soundsystem-driven bass music. Releases via Shanti Celeste’s Peach Discs and more recently on Banoffee Pies have cemented his position as a rising star of the UK scene.
Much of this acclaim started with 2020’s Mindforms - a self-released mini-LP which saw the young producer step away from the dancefloor to explore an expansive sonic world, ‘balancing the tranquility of the ecological world with the immediacy of the digital one. Tropical botany meets ethereal cyberspace through a fusion of styles, influenced by UK techno, hip hop, ambient, acid, and sound-system-driven bass music’.
The original release was accompanied by a highly limited run of just 10 dubplates. Deeming this 6-tracker too good not to receive a proper pressing, Control Freak are proud to present the first ever complete vinyl run for Mindforms, housed in full-colour centre-cut sleeves featuring an adaptation of the original artwork by Jamie Fallon (Ghost Cell), reworked by London-based designer Blixa Aguerreberry.
Alongside the record, Syz & Control Freak have curated Clubforms, a collection of remixes available digitally from some of our favourite producers, each bringing the original release firmly onto the dancefloor with their own production flourishes. More
Much of this acclaim started with 2020’s Mindforms - a self-released mini-LP which saw the young producer step away from the dancefloor to explore an expansive sonic world, ‘balancing the tranquility of the ecological world with the immediacy of the digital one. Tropical botany meets ethereal cyberspace through a fusion of styles, influenced by UK techno, hip hop, ambient, acid, and sound-system-driven bass music’.
The original release was accompanied by a highly limited run of just 10 dubplates. Deeming this 6-tracker too good not to receive a proper pressing, Control Freak are proud to present the first ever complete vinyl run for Mindforms, housed in full-colour centre-cut sleeves featuring an adaptation of the original artwork by Jamie Fallon (Ghost Cell), reworked by London-based designer Blixa Aguerreberry.
Alongside the record, Syz & Control Freak have curated Clubforms, a collection of remixes available digitally from some of our favourite producers, each bringing the original release firmly onto the dancefloor with their own production flourishes. More
1
keplrr - Translucence
2
keplrr - Constant Hits
3
keplrr - 4DRK
4
keplrr - I Think Your Eyes Need Swapping
Repress!
Control Freak Recordings launches with ’Translucence’, the debut EP from London-based DJ and Producer Keplrr. With influences spanning UK techno, breaks and bass, it's already received support from DJs including Ben UFO, Or:la and Minor Science. Stripped back with a careful attention to detail, Transluence’s airy synths have drawn comparison with early releases on Warp Records. A diverse selection of tracks ranging from floor filling, breakbeat-driven tools to spacey cuts perfect for the earliest of hours. More
Control Freak Recordings launches with ’Translucence’, the debut EP from London-based DJ and Producer Keplrr. With influences spanning UK techno, breaks and bass, it's already received support from DJs including Ben UFO, Or:la and Minor Science. Stripped back with a careful attention to detail, Transluence’s airy synths have drawn comparison with early releases on Warp Records. A diverse selection of tracks ranging from floor filling, breakbeat-driven tools to spacey cuts perfect for the earliest of hours. More
1
Keplrr - Esoteric Functions
2
Keplrr - Convection
3
Keplrr - Bods Realm
Repress!
Keplrr returns to Control Freak with ‘Reconstructed Club’ - a collection of high-definition techno with a meticulous focus on sound design, careful arrangement, and a painstaking attention to detail.
A-Side ‘Esoteric Functions’ is a screw-face roller full of anxious, rising pads, driving percussion and an insistent sub rumble. On the flip, 'Convection' continues down the wormhole with a propulsive, hypnotic low-end throb & trickling, dissonant arpeggios. Finally, the chugging triplet groove of ‘Bods Realm' rounds off the journey with hair-raising whispers and warped, dubby textures.
’Reconstructed Club’ is a call to an extraterrestrial dance floor, a catapult through the vortex - strap in for the ride. More
Keplrr returns to Control Freak with ‘Reconstructed Club’ - a collection of high-definition techno with a meticulous focus on sound design, careful arrangement, and a painstaking attention to detail.
A-Side ‘Esoteric Functions’ is a screw-face roller full of anxious, rising pads, driving percussion and an insistent sub rumble. On the flip, 'Convection' continues down the wormhole with a propulsive, hypnotic low-end throb & trickling, dissonant arpeggios. Finally, the chugging triplet groove of ‘Bods Realm' rounds off the journey with hair-raising whispers and warped, dubby textures.
’Reconstructed Club’ is a call to an extraterrestrial dance floor, a catapult through the vortex - strap in for the ride. More
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:CTRLFRK004RMX
Release-Date:28.04.2023
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12"
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:CTRLFRK004RMX
Release-Date:28.04.2023
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12"
1
Keplrr - Convection (Desert Sound Colony Remix)
2
Keplrr - Convection (Konduku Remix)
3
Keplrr - Esoteric Functions (Syz Refunction)
4
Keplrr - Bod’s Realm (Piezo’s Doom Ragga Mix)
A core part of the Control Freak Recordings family, London based artist Keplrr has built a reputation as a deft & talented producer with unparalleled attention to detail. In the wake of the widespread support for his 2020 EP ‘Reconstructed Club’, we asked four producers we have long-admired to flip a track from the original release. The result is ‘Club Reconstructed’ - a collection of remixes which distill the spirit of Keplrr’s original record into new forms.
First up, Holding Hands boss Desert Sound Colony serves up one of his signature slammers, locking Convection into a thumping four to the floor groover. Berlin-based Konduku, who has carved some of the most kinetic, angular club tracks of recent years with releases on Nous’klaer Audio, Spazio Donsible and others, provides a second interpretation of Convection, time-stretching the original material into a slow-motion panic attack.
On the flip, Syz makes his return to the label after 2019’s highly acclaimed Bunzunkunzun EP, applying his organic touch to Esoteric Functions with a ‘refunction’, which blurs the line between techno and 140 - packing some serious low-end and a cheeky mid-way switch-up to send the dance wild. Rounding things off, Milan’s Piezo proves his reputation as one of the most inventive producers on the scene, repurposing Bod’s Realm into an aggy, warped & technoid ‘Doom Ragga Mix’.
Pressed by Deepgrooves - Europe’s leading ecologically-friendly plant for sustainable vinyl production, made using 100% green biomass energy More
First up, Holding Hands boss Desert Sound Colony serves up one of his signature slammers, locking Convection into a thumping four to the floor groover. Berlin-based Konduku, who has carved some of the most kinetic, angular club tracks of recent years with releases on Nous’klaer Audio, Spazio Donsible and others, provides a second interpretation of Convection, time-stretching the original material into a slow-motion panic attack.
On the flip, Syz makes his return to the label after 2019’s highly acclaimed Bunzunkunzun EP, applying his organic touch to Esoteric Functions with a ‘refunction’, which blurs the line between techno and 140 - packing some serious low-end and a cheeky mid-way switch-up to send the dance wild. Rounding things off, Milan’s Piezo proves his reputation as one of the most inventive producers on the scene, repurposing Bod’s Realm into an aggy, warped & technoid ‘Doom Ragga Mix’.
Pressed by Deepgrooves - Europe’s leading ecologically-friendly plant for sustainable vinyl production, made using 100% green biomass energy More
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:WLFRK004
Release-Date:18.11.2022
Genre:House / Techno
Configuration:12"
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:WLFRK004
Release-Date:18.11.2022
Genre:House / Techno
Configuration:12"
1
Soreab - Untitled 1
2
Soreab - Untitled 2
3
Soreab - Untitled 1 (Dub)
4
Soreab - Untitled 1 (Jay Duncan Remix)
Soreab returns to Control Freak for a full length white label release - a masterclass in organic, dubbed-out, dancefloor psychedelia, featuring live recordings by sound artist and modular percussionist Cinna Peyghamy following a recent collaboration with Azu Tiwaline.
As a DJ, producer and co-founder of Baroque Sunburst, Italian-born Soreab has been a mainstay of London’s underground electronic music scene for over 5 years. On ‘Teleportation’, he manipulates and twists Cinna’s deft percussion work into a distinct range of UK styles, ranging from 170bpm euphoria to subby, half-time ex- plorations from the school of FWD>> and Plastic People.
On the B2, Jay Duncan (Phantasy Sound / Intergraded) takes a decidedly minimal tack on her remix of ‘Untitled 1’, with deep, dubby chord stabs and immersive rhythms for late night dancefloor revelations.
For Fans Of: Om Unit, Shackleton, Al Wootton
Limited pressing of just 300 hand-stamped records - don’t miss your chance to grab one
Mastered & cut by Ruy Marine @ D&M, Berlin More
As a DJ, producer and co-founder of Baroque Sunburst, Italian-born Soreab has been a mainstay of London’s underground electronic music scene for over 5 years. On ‘Teleportation’, he manipulates and twists Cinna’s deft percussion work into a distinct range of UK styles, ranging from 170bpm euphoria to subby, half-time ex- plorations from the school of FWD>> and Plastic People.
On the B2, Jay Duncan (Phantasy Sound / Intergraded) takes a decidedly minimal tack on her remix of ‘Untitled 1’, with deep, dubby chord stabs and immersive rhythms for late night dancefloor revelations.
For Fans Of: Om Unit, Shackleton, Al Wootton
Limited pressing of just 300 hand-stamped records - don’t miss your chance to grab one
Mastered & cut by Ruy Marine @ D&M, Berlin More
1
Awo Ojiji - What A Mess
2
Awo Ojiji - Woodpecker
3
Awo Ojiji - Glyph
4
Awo Ojiji - Mud
5
Awo Ojiji - Mud (Control Freak Remix)
Awo Ojiji debuts on Control Freak for the long awaited return of our White Label series with his ‘Solidify EP’ - four percussive, wonky & propulsive club cuts, com-plete with a remix from label heads Finnaman and Customer Service.
Based out of Graz, Austria, Awo Ojiji has been quietly carving out his own lane in the leftfield techno & bass music world. Distinct, detailed and fundamentally genre- fluid, his oddball productions cross a range of stylistic influences and tempos, pur-pose built for the explorative DJ.
Early support on this one from Laksa, re:ni, Gramrcy & more - very limited pressing of just 300 hand-stamped records - don’t miss your chance to grab one.
For fans of: Minor Science, Hodge & Ploy
Pressed by Deepgrooves - Europe’s leading ecologically-friendly plant for sustain-able vinyl production, made using 100% green biomass energy. More
Based out of Graz, Austria, Awo Ojiji has been quietly carving out his own lane in the leftfield techno & bass music world. Distinct, detailed and fundamentally genre- fluid, his oddball productions cross a range of stylistic influences and tempos, pur-pose built for the explorative DJ.
Early support on this one from Laksa, re:ni, Gramrcy & more - very limited pressing of just 300 hand-stamped records - don’t miss your chance to grab one.
For fans of: Minor Science, Hodge & Ploy
Pressed by Deepgrooves - Europe’s leading ecologically-friendly plant for sustain-able vinyl production, made using 100% green biomass energy. More
1
Kincaid - Air-ism
2
Kincaid - Sugar
3
Kincaid - E
4
Kincaid - Sycamore
Kincaid returns to Control Freak for a main label release with the Sugar EP - 4 sac- charine, club-ready weapons from a producer at the top of his game.
Drawing on an array of club sounds from trance to UK garage and the best in con- temporary leftfield techno, the EP marks our most rave-ready statement yet, with percussive drum tracks and soaring euphoric pads - carefully crafted for dark rooms and packed dancefloors.
On the A-Side, Air-ism and Sugar bubble with peak time energy - a pair of secret weapons which haven’t left our record bags for months now. B1 E is a pounding, energetic 4x4 pumper, whilst Sycamore closes things out with moody, shuffling drums and powerful low end pressure.
Pressed by Deepgrooves - Europe’s leading ecologically-friendly plant for sustain- able vinyl production, made using 100% green biomass energy.
Big tip for fans of Two Shell & Overmono!
More
Drawing on an array of club sounds from trance to UK garage and the best in con- temporary leftfield techno, the EP marks our most rave-ready statement yet, with percussive drum tracks and soaring euphoric pads - carefully crafted for dark rooms and packed dancefloors.
On the A-Side, Air-ism and Sugar bubble with peak time energy - a pair of secret weapons which haven’t left our record bags for months now. B1 E is a pounding, energetic 4x4 pumper, whilst Sycamore closes things out with moody, shuffling drums and powerful low end pressure.
Pressed by Deepgrooves - Europe’s leading ecologically-friendly plant for sustain- able vinyl production, made using 100% green biomass energy.
Big tip for fans of Two Shell & Overmono!
More
1
Will Hofbauer & Sangre Voss - Pumice
2
Will Hofbauer & Sangre Voss - Flundra (Flundra Mix)
3
Will Hofbauer & Sangre Voss - June-O
4
Will Hofbauer & Sangre Voss - June-O (Ciel's Venus Remix)
Will Hofbauer & Sangre Voss team up for ‘Steppe EP’ this June on Control Freak Recordings, featuring a remix from Discwoman’s Ciel.
London-based Will Hofbauer and Sangre Voss, who’s individual work has seen them appear on labels such as Rhythm Section and Will’s own Third Place imprint, team up for the first time on Control Freak Recordings for the wonky ‘Steppe EP’, picking up early support from Ben UFO, Bradley Zero, and more.
Leading the release, ‘Pumice’ tumbles through rolling low end, crunchy percussion and an eerie breakdown for a high energy start to the A-side. ‘Flundra (Flundra Mix)’ follows with bubbling pads and speaker-rattling subs around a kick-less drop, leading into a shimmering breakdown.
On the flip, ‘June-O’ sees the duo craft a low tempo slugger, peppered with tablas, bells and eagle samples around warped, loopy synthesis. Ciel’s remix of ‘June-O’ takes the B2 spot, adding stuttering percussion, vocal chops, and additional wildlife samples to the mixture to round out the release.
Will Hofbauer & Sangre Voss ‘Steppe EP’ drops on Control Freak Recordings on 18th June. More
London-based Will Hofbauer and Sangre Voss, who’s individual work has seen them appear on labels such as Rhythm Section and Will’s own Third Place imprint, team up for the first time on Control Freak Recordings for the wonky ‘Steppe EP’, picking up early support from Ben UFO, Bradley Zero, and more.
Leading the release, ‘Pumice’ tumbles through rolling low end, crunchy percussion and an eerie breakdown for a high energy start to the A-side. ‘Flundra (Flundra Mix)’ follows with bubbling pads and speaker-rattling subs around a kick-less drop, leading into a shimmering breakdown.
On the flip, ‘June-O’ sees the duo craft a low tempo slugger, peppered with tablas, bells and eagle samples around warped, loopy synthesis. Ciel’s remix of ‘June-O’ takes the B2 spot, adding stuttering percussion, vocal chops, and additional wildlife samples to the mixture to round out the release.
Will Hofbauer & Sangre Voss ‘Steppe EP’ drops on Control Freak Recordings on 18th June. More
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:ctrlfrk003
Release-Date:11.03.2020
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12"
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:ctrlfrk003
Release-Date:11.03.2020
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12"
1
Customer Service - Dance First, Think Later
2
Customer Service - Recalcitrance
3
Customer Service - Betty’s Audition
4
Customer Service - B1SM
5
Customer Service - Exquisite Corpse
Kicking off the new decade, Control Freak co-founder Customer Service makes his production debut with five tracks of adventurous outsider electronics. On the A-side, ‘Dance First, Think Later’ is a bass-heavy dancefloor destroyer guaranteed to send the club west. It's followed with the ethereal sound design and off-kilter rhythms of ‘Recalcitrance’. On the flip, ‘Betty’s Audition’ takes the pace down a notch with rolling, hypnotic drum programming and plenty of low end punch, whilst ‘B1SM’ deploys a skeletal breakbeat - one for the early hours. Rounding things off, ‘Exquisite Corpse’ locks into a rigid 4/4 groove combining acid with delicate, textured pads. Control Freak Recordings is the sister label of London-based party Cabin Fever. They are next at The Cause on 20th March with Inga Mauer and Dark Entries. In April they head to Corsica Studios with Anthony Linell and Barker. A1. Dance First, Think Later, A2. Recalcitrance, B1. Betty’s Audition, B2. B1SM, B3. Exquisite Corpse
More
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:ctrlfrk002
Release-Date:29.11.2019
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12"
Label:Control Freak Recordings
Cat-No:ctrlfrk002
Release-Date:29.11.2019
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12"
1
Guava - Lift
2
Guava - Segelflugzeug
3
Guava - Can’t Catch Me
4
Guava - Alt Love
We’re delighted to welcome Bradley Hutchings aka Guava to the Control Freak family for his first solo EP to round off 2019. Between a busy touring schedule as a session guitarist, Bradley has developed a distinctively meticulous approach to songwriting and production which has already earned him acclaim for releases on Holding Hands & Nick Hoppner’s Touch From a Distance. The A-Side features two dancefloor heaters which take influence from across the spectrum of UK club music. Title track ‘Lift’ is a playful wobbler, combining a wubby baseline with trippy sample manipulation. Segelflugzeug is guaranteed to do peak time damage, driven by an atmospheric, rising synth line, rolling breaks and explosive low end pressure. On the flip, Can’t Catch Me brings a distinct flavour of UKG to the table with it’s glitchy percussive fills & tightly chopped vocal sampling. The record closes with Alt-Love, a lush and delicate ambient guitar track.
More
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1
Bicep, - Stash
2
Bicep, - Courtside Drama
3
Bicep, - Rise
4
Bicep, - The Game
2022 Repress
UPC: 827170486263
Tracklist EP: A1: Stash A2: Courtside Drama B1:Rise B2: The Game
Release Info:
Aus Music non-stop. Not quite content with already chalking up two of the biggest EPs of 2013 so far from Midland and Dusky, Aus return once again with yet another release you’ve been waiting for - the return of Belfast’s biggest sons, Bicep. The London-based duo of Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar had a breakthrough year in 2012, four years after the pair's Feel My Bicep blog first began. The past year has seen them play in more than a dozen countries, including major gigs across the US, China and, more recently, Australia, with particular highlights including a peak time set at Berlin’s haloed Panorama Bar and capacity crowds at both Sub Club and Trouw. In addition to the release of “You/ Don’t” on Aus, the boys also inaugurated their own imprint With the Visions Of Love EP, whilst "$tripper", which was released through Love Fever, came in at number 35 on RA's top 50 tracks of 2012 poll. Further to that they scooped the award for DJ Mag’s Best Breakthrough DJ, supplied Tim Sweeney’s Beats In Space show with an exclusive mix of unreleased material, remixed Ripperton’s “Let’s Hope,” and all the while maintaining the DJ treasure trove that is their blog. Across the EP they take things a little deeper, delving into a different area of their own personal taste. What's presented is an overall more lo-fi style and broader approach, drawing from a wide range of influences including King Street Sounds, HBO's The Wire and Aphex Twin. More
UPC: 827170486263
Tracklist EP: A1: Stash A2: Courtside Drama B1:Rise B2: The Game
Release Info:
Aus Music non-stop. Not quite content with already chalking up two of the biggest EPs of 2013 so far from Midland and Dusky, Aus return once again with yet another release you’ve been waiting for - the return of Belfast’s biggest sons, Bicep. The London-based duo of Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar had a breakthrough year in 2012, four years after the pair's Feel My Bicep blog first began. The past year has seen them play in more than a dozen countries, including major gigs across the US, China and, more recently, Australia, with particular highlights including a peak time set at Berlin’s haloed Panorama Bar and capacity crowds at both Sub Club and Trouw. In addition to the release of “You/ Don’t” on Aus, the boys also inaugurated their own imprint With the Visions Of Love EP, whilst "$tripper", which was released through Love Fever, came in at number 35 on RA's top 50 tracks of 2012 poll. Further to that they scooped the award for DJ Mag’s Best Breakthrough DJ, supplied Tim Sweeney’s Beats In Space show with an exclusive mix of unreleased material, remixed Ripperton’s “Let’s Hope,” and all the while maintaining the DJ treasure trove that is their blog. Across the EP they take things a little deeper, delving into a different area of their own personal taste. What's presented is an overall more lo-fi style and broader approach, drawing from a wide range of influences including King Street Sounds, HBO's The Wire and Aphex Twin. More
1
Guy Pedersen - Indian Pop Bass (2:35)
2
Guy Pedersen - Prélude À Une Angoisse (2:20)
3
Guy Pedersen - Patio Bass (2:30)
4
Guy Pedersen - Tension Nerveuse (2:10)
5
Guy Pedersen - Amour, Délices Et Contrebasse (2:30)
6
Guy Pedersen - Percussion Bass (2:50)
7
Guy Pedersen - Obsession Diabolique (2:02)
8
Guy Pedersen - Les Copains De La Basse (2:32)
9
Guy Pedersen - Doucement La Basse (2:22)
10
Guy Pedersen - Bass Session (2:25)
11
Guy Pedersen - Bass After Love (2:06)
12
Guy Pedersen - Ballade Pour Une Basse (2:02)
13
Guy Pedersen - Cosmic Bass (2:55)
Territories: Worldwide no restrictions
Format Notes: Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Indian Pop Bass 2:35
A2 Prélude À Une Angoisse 2:20
A3 Patio Bass 2:30
A4 Tension Nerveuse 2:10
A5 Amour, Délices Et Contrebasse 2:30
A6 Percussion Bass 2:50
A7 Obsession Diabolique 2:02
B1 Les Copains De La Basse 2:32
B2 Doucement La Basse 2:22
B3 Bass Session 2:25
B4 Bass After Love 2:06
B5 Ballade Pour Une Basse 2:02
B6 Cosmic Bass 2:55
Release Notes:
Guy Pedersen, French jazz-soul-funk double-bass player extraordinaire, recorded Contrebasses in 1970 for Tele Music. It's one of the most outstanding - yet puzzlingly slept-on - releases in the library's catalogue. Forget library, this is basically a sublime, straight-up moody jazz record with monster breaks. It's brimming with sensational psychedelic/jazzy bass-heavy moments throughout; it's absolute gold.
"Indian Pop Bass" contains a deep, abstract breakbeat that intersects with a bassline that loops as if it sinks into the swaying, heavy, slow drums. The mysterious, deliberate "Prélude À Une Angoisse" is an eerie, magical number with ace effects whilst "Patio Bass" is a breezy deep jazz knockout with fantastic drums and a sashaying melody. "Tension Nerveuse" creates an atmosphere that's exactly as the title suggests, full of genuine suspense, rumbling percussion and deep drama jazz. "Amour, Délices Et Contrebasse" is a touch lightweight so you're advised to head to the much darker, peculiar funk of "Percussion Bass", bursting with imaginative sounds and effects. "Obsession Diabolique" closes out the A Side, with a funky walking bassline and sparkling percussion battling against droning strings to create a uniquely unsettling, beatless track.
Enlivening the B-Side immediately is the fantastic, propulsive funky-jazz of "Les Copains De La Basse". "Doucement La Basse" is largely forgettable but "Bass Session" is a blazing psych-jazz-rock burner. Absolutely thrilling. Equally, "Bass After Love" is devastatingly psychy, funky and unique. "Ballade Pour Une Basse" is a classic funky French jazz piece with an infectious bass melody that seems to anticipate "Before The Night Is Over", the Joe Simon track that Outkast sampled for "So Fresh, So Clean".
The audio for Contrebasses has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue. More
Format Notes: Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Indian Pop Bass 2:35
A2 Prélude À Une Angoisse 2:20
A3 Patio Bass 2:30
A4 Tension Nerveuse 2:10
A5 Amour, Délices Et Contrebasse 2:30
A6 Percussion Bass 2:50
A7 Obsession Diabolique 2:02
B1 Les Copains De La Basse 2:32
B2 Doucement La Basse 2:22
B3 Bass Session 2:25
B4 Bass After Love 2:06
B5 Ballade Pour Une Basse 2:02
B6 Cosmic Bass 2:55
Release Notes:
Guy Pedersen, French jazz-soul-funk double-bass player extraordinaire, recorded Contrebasses in 1970 for Tele Music. It's one of the most outstanding - yet puzzlingly slept-on - releases in the library's catalogue. Forget library, this is basically a sublime, straight-up moody jazz record with monster breaks. It's brimming with sensational psychedelic/jazzy bass-heavy moments throughout; it's absolute gold.
"Indian Pop Bass" contains a deep, abstract breakbeat that intersects with a bassline that loops as if it sinks into the swaying, heavy, slow drums. The mysterious, deliberate "Prélude À Une Angoisse" is an eerie, magical number with ace effects whilst "Patio Bass" is a breezy deep jazz knockout with fantastic drums and a sashaying melody. "Tension Nerveuse" creates an atmosphere that's exactly as the title suggests, full of genuine suspense, rumbling percussion and deep drama jazz. "Amour, Délices Et Contrebasse" is a touch lightweight so you're advised to head to the much darker, peculiar funk of "Percussion Bass", bursting with imaginative sounds and effects. "Obsession Diabolique" closes out the A Side, with a funky walking bassline and sparkling percussion battling against droning strings to create a uniquely unsettling, beatless track.
Enlivening the B-Side immediately is the fantastic, propulsive funky-jazz of "Les Copains De La Basse". "Doucement La Basse" is largely forgettable but "Bass Session" is a blazing psych-jazz-rock burner. Absolutely thrilling. Equally, "Bass After Love" is devastatingly psychy, funky and unique. "Ballade Pour Une Basse" is a classic funky French jazz piece with an infectious bass melody that seems to anticipate "Before The Night Is Over", the Joe Simon track that Outkast sampled for "So Fresh, So Clean".
The audio for Contrebasses has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue. More
1
Brainwaltzera - A1. FMsquared [royal wavetable mellodies A]
2
Brainwaltzera - A2. copperfeel
3
Brainwaltzera - A3. WSsquared [royal wavetable mellodies B]
4
Brainwaltzera - B1. good endgar
5
Brainwaltzera - B2. FMsquared [epiloggy] [beauvine bonus perc version]
6
Brainwaltzera - B3. LANsqape4 [short_oneTake]
LP
tracklist:
A1. FMsquared [royal wavetable mellodies A] B1. good endgar
A2. copperfeel B2. FMsquared [epiloggy] [beauvine bonus perc version]
A3. WSsquared [royal wavetable mellodies B] B3. LANsqape4 [short_oneTake]
short info:
Brainwaltzera returns to FILM with a brace of archive recordings in the artist's characteristically idiosyncratic style.
The collection opens with FMsquared [royal wavetable mellodies A], a mesmerizing beatless composition split across two contrasting movements. Synth-focused, the first explores a more introspective tone whilst the second is decidedly more elevated and playful. Follow up good endgar showcases the artist's enviable talent for crafting rolling, wide-open IDM, marrying crisp drum machine hits with washed out pads and a resonant bassline. WSsquared [royal wavetable mellodies B] follows the same pattern as mellodies A, split once again into two movements. This time each movement is markedly more distinct: the first, an atmospheric, half-time dirge and the second a more uplifting and esoteric workout, with crystalline FX breaking up the composition. On LANsqape4 [short_oneTake] Brainwaltzera lets the drums roll out, underpinning more lush synth work with a hint of a break closing in as the piece subsides near its close. Copperfeel, the penultimate offering, is the most reduced work in the collection with a single main melody doing the bulk of the legwork, and buoyed by vocal-sounding synths. FMsquared [epiloggy] [beauvine bonus perc version] closes the collection, a pleasing bookend that sees the riff from the opening track's latter movement return - now underpinned with rolling drums.
More
tracklist:
A1. FMsquared [royal wavetable mellodies A] B1. good endgar
A2. copperfeel B2. FMsquared [epiloggy] [beauvine bonus perc version]
A3. WSsquared [royal wavetable mellodies B] B3. LANsqape4 [short_oneTake]
short info:
Brainwaltzera returns to FILM with a brace of archive recordings in the artist's characteristically idiosyncratic style.
The collection opens with FMsquared [royal wavetable mellodies A], a mesmerizing beatless composition split across two contrasting movements. Synth-focused, the first explores a more introspective tone whilst the second is decidedly more elevated and playful. Follow up good endgar showcases the artist's enviable talent for crafting rolling, wide-open IDM, marrying crisp drum machine hits with washed out pads and a resonant bassline. WSsquared [royal wavetable mellodies B] follows the same pattern as mellodies A, split once again into two movements. This time each movement is markedly more distinct: the first, an atmospheric, half-time dirge and the second a more uplifting and esoteric workout, with crystalline FX breaking up the composition. On LANsqape4 [short_oneTake] Brainwaltzera lets the drums roll out, underpinning more lush synth work with a hint of a break closing in as the piece subsides near its close. Copperfeel, the penultimate offering, is the most reduced work in the collection with a single main melody doing the bulk of the legwork, and buoyed by vocal-sounding synths. FMsquared [epiloggy] [beauvine bonus perc version] closes the collection, a pleasing bookend that sees the riff from the opening track's latter movement return - now underpinned with rolling drums.
More
1
µ-Ziq - 4am
2
µ-Ziq - Éire
3
µ-Ziq - Allegro
4
µ-Ziq - Houzz 13
5
µ-Ziq - Belt & Carpet
6
µ-Ziq - Marmite
7
µ-Ziq - Asda
8
µ-Ziq - 1977 (Ft. Meemo Comma)
9
µ-Ziq - Xolbe 3
10
µ-Ziq - Burnt Orange
11
µ-Ziq - Lime Aero
12
µ-Ziq - Reference Gravy
13
µ-Ziq - Mesolithic Jungle
14
µ-Ziq - Pillowy
15
µ-Ziq - Froglets
When we established Balmat in 2021, neither of us could have imagined that within two years, we’d be putting out an album by one of our musical heroes: Mike Paradinas, aka µ-Ziq. The British producer has been an inspiration to label co-founders Albert Salinas and Philip Sherburne since the 1990s. In fact, his album-length remix project The Auteurs Vs µ-Ziq was one of the very first pieces of electronic music that Philip bought, way back in 1994. To have the opportunity to release his music now feels like a real full-circle moment.
Paradinas, of course, needs no introduction. Under a slew of aliases, chief among them µ-Ziq, the British artist revolutionized leftfield electronic music in the 1990s—coincidentally, this year marks the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Tango N’ Vectif, for his friend and sometime collaborator Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label—and his label Planet Mu has built up a formidable catalog of visionary, forwardlooking records, mapping virtually every corner of the electronic spectrum. With 1977, he turns the clock backward in a sense, and not just with the album’s title: Rooted in classic ambient and electronic sounds, these 15 tracks evoke the anything-goes spirit of the early ’90s, before the tools and tropes had calcified into cut-and-dried styles.
There’s no shortage of familiar sounds on 1977. There are echoes of raves and chillout rooms and transmissions from the fringes of techno; there are detuned synths and glistening reverb tails and, above all, gauzy vox pads, the eerie glue that holds it all together. The title, he says, is meant to invoke a general sense of nostalgia, bookmarking a year in his boyhood when he became more selfaware. More than anything, 1977 sounds like µ-Ziq distilled: Stripped of his signature breakbeats and customary chaos, Paradinas’ first-ever strictly (well, mostly) ambient album presents the essence of his music in a whole new light.
Along the way Paradinas touches on dark-ambient drones (“Marmite”), horror-film themes (“Belt & Carpet”), jungle breaks (“Mesolithic Jungle”), and even house music (“Houzz 13”), which marks the first bona fide dance-floor moment on Balmat to date). Yet the album never—to our ears, anyway— feels expressly retro. Rather, Paradinas plucks timeless sounds out of the ether and gives them a gentle tap, spinning them into unexpected new orbits. At times, 1977 feels like an experience of extended déjà vu: When we first listened to it, we had the sense that we already knew this music. It was as though we had heard it years ago, perhaps on a battered cassette tape lent to us by a friend, and been searching for it ever since. We hope you feel the same. More
Paradinas, of course, needs no introduction. Under a slew of aliases, chief among them µ-Ziq, the British artist revolutionized leftfield electronic music in the 1990s—coincidentally, this year marks the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Tango N’ Vectif, for his friend and sometime collaborator Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label—and his label Planet Mu has built up a formidable catalog of visionary, forwardlooking records, mapping virtually every corner of the electronic spectrum. With 1977, he turns the clock backward in a sense, and not just with the album’s title: Rooted in classic ambient and electronic sounds, these 15 tracks evoke the anything-goes spirit of the early ’90s, before the tools and tropes had calcified into cut-and-dried styles.
There’s no shortage of familiar sounds on 1977. There are echoes of raves and chillout rooms and transmissions from the fringes of techno; there are detuned synths and glistening reverb tails and, above all, gauzy vox pads, the eerie glue that holds it all together. The title, he says, is meant to invoke a general sense of nostalgia, bookmarking a year in his boyhood when he became more selfaware. More than anything, 1977 sounds like µ-Ziq distilled: Stripped of his signature breakbeats and customary chaos, Paradinas’ first-ever strictly (well, mostly) ambient album presents the essence of his music in a whole new light.
Along the way Paradinas touches on dark-ambient drones (“Marmite”), horror-film themes (“Belt & Carpet”), jungle breaks (“Mesolithic Jungle”), and even house music (“Houzz 13”), which marks the first bona fide dance-floor moment on Balmat to date). Yet the album never—to our ears, anyway— feels expressly retro. Rather, Paradinas plucks timeless sounds out of the ether and gives them a gentle tap, spinning them into unexpected new orbits. At times, 1977 feels like an experience of extended déjà vu: When we first listened to it, we had the sense that we already knew this music. It was as though we had heard it years ago, perhaps on a battered cassette tape lent to us by a friend, and been searching for it ever since. We hope you feel the same. More
1
Loefah - Disco Rekah
2
Coki - All of a Sudden
Tracklisting:
A1 Loefah - Disco Rekah
B1 Coki - All of a Sudden
Sales Note
For the first time after its original release in 2007, MEDi003 is back in stock!
"I was kinda not into the tune, but Mala was like 'nah - I love it' and he pushed for it and, yeah, ultimately got it on DEEP MEDi. And if he hadn't done that I probably wouldn't brought it out, it probaly would've just ended up on a hard drive somewhere, not doing a thing."
Loefah on Disco Rekah
A Loefah - Disco Rekah
B Coki - All of a Sudden
Release: 29th September 2023
Format: 12" Vinyl Black
(MEDi003RP sold in MEDi sleeves, not original colour) More
A1 Loefah - Disco Rekah
B1 Coki - All of a Sudden
Sales Note
For the first time after its original release in 2007, MEDi003 is back in stock!
"I was kinda not into the tune, but Mala was like 'nah - I love it' and he pushed for it and, yeah, ultimately got it on DEEP MEDi. And if he hadn't done that I probably wouldn't brought it out, it probaly would've just ended up on a hard drive somewhere, not doing a thing."
Loefah on Disco Rekah
A Loefah - Disco Rekah
B Coki - All of a Sudden
Release: 29th September 2023
Format: 12" Vinyl Black
(MEDi003RP sold in MEDi sleeves, not original colour) More
1
Huerta - Humming Bird
2
Huerta - TV Slang
3
Huerta - Stutter Dub
4
Huerta - Deez Things
5
Huerta - Hang Time
6
Huerta - Traces
7
Huerta - Sylvio's Dream
8
Huerta - Park Dub
9
Huerta - Coconino
Huerta inaugurates his new R&R imprint with TV Slang LP. Existing in a world away from the club, Huerta picks up where his debut album Junipero left off. Intended primarily as an immersive home-listening experience, TV Slang explores rhythmic moods and ambient soundscapes: combining traces of deep house, downtempo, and a suggestion of breakbeat flavors. Partially recorded back in 2019 and subsequently completed in 2022, TV Slang is the first release on R&R, a sub-label of Leizure focused on exploring more nuanced and eclectic sounds outside the rigid framework of dance music.
More
1
XY0815 - Splendid Synth Seasons
2
XY0815 - Oppelt Astra
3
XY0815 - Gleis Ohne Bahnhof
4
XY0815 - Network A
5
XY0815 - Constant Expected
6
XY0815 - Patched And Evolved
7
XY0815 - Seasonal Flowers
8
XY0815 - Squares In My Blood
XY0815 wraps up his magnum opus with an additional collection of eight tracks. The second volume of 'Gates Need Inputs' blends crafty, melodic electronica with intricate rhythms.
Synth escapades to curb the dystopia.
Mastered by Alden Tyrell. More
Synth escapades to curb the dystopia.
Mastered by Alden Tyrell. More
1
Andrea - Jaim
2
Andrea - Audieze
3
Andrea - Ress
4
Andrea - Remote Working
5
Andrea - Silent Now
6
Andrea - Sephr
7
Andrea - Lush In End (Drum Version)
8
Andrea - Dove Mai
9
Andrea - Chessbio
10
Andrea - Hazymo
11
Andrea - Am Der
12
Andrea - Return_Lei
Andrea’s second album “Due In Color“ was primarily created in 2020 and 2021. During these crazy and decelerated times he explored more hazy and experimental Jazz, which inspired him to use more acoustic sounds in his productions. Dark loud clubs are in a far away distance, while Andrea takes us to wonderful blooming fields.
More
1
Minor Science - Introduction
2
Minor Science - Dread The Evening
3
Minor Science - Sun Turn
4
Minor Science - The Dinas Walk
5
Minor Science - Summer Diary
6
Minor Science - Life Texture
7
Minor Science - Contingency
8
Minor Science - Gather Your Party (Dispersed Mix)
Minor Science—aka UK-born, Berlin-based musician Angus Finlayson—makes his Balmat debut with Absent Friends Vol. III, the third installment in a shape-shifting series across a variety of formats and platforms. And with it, he pushes forward his vision of ambient music as neither static vista or merely mood-setting atmosphere, but rather a dynamic matrix of textures, sensations, and even rhythms.
The first two Absent Friends—a 2014 set for Blowing Up the Workshop, and a 2017 cassette and web player for Whities (now AD93)—were hybrid affairs, part DJ mix and part collage, mostly featuring music made by other people. Then, in 2020-21, Finlayson developed the project into a live show of his own material. Armed with hundreds of bespoke stems created in his studio—idiosyncratic FX chains, feedback loops through cheap rack gear, heavily post-processed field recordings, found voices, etc.—he would improvise on four CDJs, mixer, FX, and live synths, extending techniques he learned as a club DJ into a live context, accompanied by visuals by Stockholm-based artist Paul Witherden.
Absent Friends Vol. III is an album of studio versions of the music developed for the live show. But in Minor Science’s world, even a category as simple as “studio versions” is slightly opaque. “Most of these tracks weren’t ‘composed’ in the studio,” Finlayson explains: “The sounds started out as stems and source material for the live show, and might not have been intended to go together—but then through performance, they settled into shapes that worked. I then recreated those performances in the studio.” That organic process of ideation and realization might help explain the unusual coherence of the album, in which sounds and textures flow seamlessly from one to the next, sometimes seeming to stand still, and sometimes looping back. There are virtually no melodies, few recognizable motifs or riffs, yet the eight-track album nevertheless moves with a distinctive logic and a determined sense of purpose, from the frozen-in-time shimmer of the opening “Introduction” through the early cuts’ studies of space and light; from the seemingly autobiographical “Summer Diary” through the rushing trance (yes, trance) arpeggios of “Contingency” and on to the dulcet denouement of the closing “Gather Your Party (Dispersed Mix).” More
The first two Absent Friends—a 2014 set for Blowing Up the Workshop, and a 2017 cassette and web player for Whities (now AD93)—were hybrid affairs, part DJ mix and part collage, mostly featuring music made by other people. Then, in 2020-21, Finlayson developed the project into a live show of his own material. Armed with hundreds of bespoke stems created in his studio—idiosyncratic FX chains, feedback loops through cheap rack gear, heavily post-processed field recordings, found voices, etc.—he would improvise on four CDJs, mixer, FX, and live synths, extending techniques he learned as a club DJ into a live context, accompanied by visuals by Stockholm-based artist Paul Witherden.
Absent Friends Vol. III is an album of studio versions of the music developed for the live show. But in Minor Science’s world, even a category as simple as “studio versions” is slightly opaque. “Most of these tracks weren’t ‘composed’ in the studio,” Finlayson explains: “The sounds started out as stems and source material for the live show, and might not have been intended to go together—but then through performance, they settled into shapes that worked. I then recreated those performances in the studio.” That organic process of ideation and realization might help explain the unusual coherence of the album, in which sounds and textures flow seamlessly from one to the next, sometimes seeming to stand still, and sometimes looping back. There are virtually no melodies, few recognizable motifs or riffs, yet the eight-track album nevertheless moves with a distinctive logic and a determined sense of purpose, from the frozen-in-time shimmer of the opening “Introduction” through the early cuts’ studies of space and light; from the seemingly autobiographical “Summer Diary” through the rushing trance (yes, trance) arpeggios of “Contingency” and on to the dulcet denouement of the closing “Gather Your Party (Dispersed Mix).” More
1
Moritz von Oswald - Silencio 12:34
2
Moritz von Oswald - Luminoso 08:53
3
Moritz von Oswald - Librarsi 03:04
4
Moritz von Oswald - Infinito 06:17
5
Moritz von Oswald - Colpo 05:05
6
Moritz von Oswald - Volta (Version) 04:02
7
Moritz von Oswald - Infinito (Version) 06:25
8
Moritz von Oswald - Luminoso (Version) 04:49
9
Moritz von Oswald - Volta 05:47
10
Moritz von Oswald - Opaco 08:57
11
Moritz von Oswald - Opaco (Version) 01:54
Territories: World excl. UK + North America
FORMAT 2x12" 180g vinyl, full printed sleeve, artwork by Cyprien Gaillard
TRACKLIST
1 / A1. Silencio 12:34
2 / A2. Luminoso 08:53
3 / B1. Librarsi 03:04
4 / B2. Infinito 06:17
5 / B3. Colpo 05:05
6 / C1. Volta (Version) 04:02
7 / C2. Infinito (Version) 06:25
8 / C3. Luminoso (Version) 04:49
9 / D1. Volta 05:47
10 / D2. Opaco 08:57
11 / D3. Opaco (Version) 01:54
What are the differences and similarities between human and artificial sound, between oscillations generated by vocal cords and synthesizer voices, voltage amplified by speakers? On Silencio, his latest album for Tresor Records, Moritz von Oswald works with a
16-voice choir to explore this concept.
Drawing from the ensemble works of long-standing inspirations Edgard Varèse, György Ligeti and Iannis Xenakis, von Oswald and Vocalconsort Berlin delve into the space between sounds, creating a deeply textured collection that shifts between light & ethereal and
dark & dissonant.
As masterfully demonstrated in the early work of von Oswald and Mark Ernestus’ influential Basic Channel project, repetition and reduction are key elements here, much in the tradition of techno and minimalism. The vast dynamism of the human voice adds to the
profound weight of electronics while offering up a rhythmic source and sonic noise palette unexplored in von Oswald’s repertoire. In Silencio, von Oswald dredges a dank murk, pulling clouds over a distant pulse. It hangs, ready to take on new forms.
The compositions were written in von Oswald’s Berlin studio on classic synthesizers, such as the EMS VCS3 & AKS, Prophet V, Oberheim 4-Voice and the Moog Model 15. These abstract recordings were transcribed to sheet music for choir by Berlin-based Finnish composer and pianist, Jarkko Riihimäki and performed by Vocalconsort Berlin in Ölberg church in the city’s Kreuzberg district, only few metres down the road from where Dubplates & Mastering and Hard Wax opened their doors for music enthusiasts for many years so long. The recordings of the choral versions were then incorporated into the synthesized parts of the album and brought into anew electronic context; in Silencio, the focus is not on using one means to imitate the other, but to sonically discuss the tensions and harmonies between the two worlds and create a dialogue between them.
The relationship between von Oswald and Tresor Records goes back thirty years, all the way to Blake Baxter’s Dream Sequence in 1991 - which von Oswald engineered alongside Thomas Fehlmann. The collaboration with Fehlmann lived on, seeing the duo team up as 3MB with Eddie Fowlkes or Juan Atkins. More recently, the Detroit-Berlin connection continued as Juan Atkins & Moritz von Oswald present Borderland.
For von Oswald, Tresor Records and also the participating guest musicians of the choir, this release brings together audiences from other musical areas, cross-pollinating; Silencio is an album that stands for itself beyond the musical genre boundaries. More
FORMAT 2x12" 180g vinyl, full printed sleeve, artwork by Cyprien Gaillard
TRACKLIST
1 / A1. Silencio 12:34
2 / A2. Luminoso 08:53
3 / B1. Librarsi 03:04
4 / B2. Infinito 06:17
5 / B3. Colpo 05:05
6 / C1. Volta (Version) 04:02
7 / C2. Infinito (Version) 06:25
8 / C3. Luminoso (Version) 04:49
9 / D1. Volta 05:47
10 / D2. Opaco 08:57
11 / D3. Opaco (Version) 01:54
What are the differences and similarities between human and artificial sound, between oscillations generated by vocal cords and synthesizer voices, voltage amplified by speakers? On Silencio, his latest album for Tresor Records, Moritz von Oswald works with a
16-voice choir to explore this concept.
Drawing from the ensemble works of long-standing inspirations Edgard Varèse, György Ligeti and Iannis Xenakis, von Oswald and Vocalconsort Berlin delve into the space between sounds, creating a deeply textured collection that shifts between light & ethereal and
dark & dissonant.
As masterfully demonstrated in the early work of von Oswald and Mark Ernestus’ influential Basic Channel project, repetition and reduction are key elements here, much in the tradition of techno and minimalism. The vast dynamism of the human voice adds to the
profound weight of electronics while offering up a rhythmic source and sonic noise palette unexplored in von Oswald’s repertoire. In Silencio, von Oswald dredges a dank murk, pulling clouds over a distant pulse. It hangs, ready to take on new forms.
The compositions were written in von Oswald’s Berlin studio on classic synthesizers, such as the EMS VCS3 & AKS, Prophet V, Oberheim 4-Voice and the Moog Model 15. These abstract recordings were transcribed to sheet music for choir by Berlin-based Finnish composer and pianist, Jarkko Riihimäki and performed by Vocalconsort Berlin in Ölberg church in the city’s Kreuzberg district, only few metres down the road from where Dubplates & Mastering and Hard Wax opened their doors for music enthusiasts for many years so long. The recordings of the choral versions were then incorporated into the synthesized parts of the album and brought into anew electronic context; in Silencio, the focus is not on using one means to imitate the other, but to sonically discuss the tensions and harmonies between the two worlds and create a dialogue between them.
The relationship between von Oswald and Tresor Records goes back thirty years, all the way to Blake Baxter’s Dream Sequence in 1991 - which von Oswald engineered alongside Thomas Fehlmann. The collaboration with Fehlmann lived on, seeing the duo team up as 3MB with Eddie Fowlkes or Juan Atkins. More recently, the Detroit-Berlin connection continued as Juan Atkins & Moritz von Oswald present Borderland.
For von Oswald, Tresor Records and also the participating guest musicians of the choir, this release brings together audiences from other musical areas, cross-pollinating; Silencio is an album that stands for itself beyond the musical genre boundaries. More
1
Michel Gonet - Mondial Scoop (Number III) (2:04)
2
Michel Gonet - Phasing Percussions A (2:23)
3
Michel Gonet - Phasing Percussions B (1:41)
4
Michel Gonet - Phasing Percussions C (1:27)
5
Michel Gonet - Phasing Percussions D (1:59)
6
Michel Gonet - Phasing Leitmotive A (2:40)
7
Michel Gonet - Phasing Leitmotive B (1:10)
8
Michel Gonet - Phasing March (2:07)
9
Michel Gonet - Devil Dance A (2:31)
10
Michel Gonet - Devil Dance B (2:30)
11
Michel Gonet - Flower Dance A (2:42)
12
Michel Gonet - Flower Dance B (1:08)
13
Michel Gonet - Happy Smith (Number II) (1:14)
14
Michel Gonet - Phasing Cymbals (1:56)
15
Michel Gonet - Phasing Winds (0:51)
16
Michel Gonet - Phasing Suspense A (1:46)
17
Michel Gonet - Phasing Suspense B (1:23)
Territories: Worldwide no restrictions
Format Notes:
Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Mondial Scoop (Number III) 2:04
A2 Phasing Percussions A 2:23
A3 Phasing Percussions B 1:41
A4 Phasing Percussions C 1:27
A5 Phasing Percussions D 1:59
A6 Phasing Leitmotive A 2:40
A7 Phasing Leitmotive B 1:10
A8 Phasing March 2:07
B1 Devil Dance A 2:31
B2 Devil Dance B 2:30
B3 Flower Dance A 2:42
B4 Flower Dance B 1:08
B5 Happy Smith (Number II) 1:14
B6 Phasing Cymbals 1:56
B7 Phasing Winds 0:51
B8 Phasing Suspense A 1:46
B9 Phasing Suspense B 1:23
Release Notes:
Every once in a while, a library record's absurd level of perfection will be enough to throw up your hands and pack it all in. "How will I ever find this record in the wild?!", you may despair. And, yes, up until now, Michel Gonet's Phasing News Volume 2 was such a work of this ridiculous standard. Not just hyper-rare, but hyper-brilliant. Its high points transcend the "library" genre. This is a record that has always been so so hot on secondary markets. And it's easy to hear why! It's a big big French library classic with mad crazy demand.
Opening with "Mondial Scoop (Number III)", it continues on from where the dramatic tracks of Phasing News Volume 1 left off. The group of "Phasing Percussions" get under your skin, sample material for days here. "Phasing Leitmotive A" and "Phasing Leitmotive B" hypnotise with their analogue synth loops. Yet it's "Phasing March", closing out the side, that is absolutely sensational. Timpani drums merge with open breaks making for an irresistible neck-snapping tour de force.
Side B starts with "Devil Dance A", an unbelievably infectious bass instrumental whilst "Devil Dance B" adds more percussion and bass flourishes and is all the more funky for it.
And now for the main event. "Flower Dance A". What can we even say? An instantly captivating, sparkling keys loop and glittering percussion neatly arranged atop a very strong bassline and drums, all lean and potent. The melody was lifted wholesale by The Soulsavers for "Rumblefish" back in 2002 and you can't really blame them. "Flower Dance B" removes the bassline for a lighter feel but that loop still burrows inside your brain. It's perfect.
"Happy Smith (Number II)" was used by Madlib for Erykah's "My People" (!!!) whilst the set closes out with a group of tense, phased workouts.
The audio for Phasing News Volume 2 has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue. More
Format Notes:
Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Mondial Scoop (Number III) 2:04
A2 Phasing Percussions A 2:23
A3 Phasing Percussions B 1:41
A4 Phasing Percussions C 1:27
A5 Phasing Percussions D 1:59
A6 Phasing Leitmotive A 2:40
A7 Phasing Leitmotive B 1:10
A8 Phasing March 2:07
B1 Devil Dance A 2:31
B2 Devil Dance B 2:30
B3 Flower Dance A 2:42
B4 Flower Dance B 1:08
B5 Happy Smith (Number II) 1:14
B6 Phasing Cymbals 1:56
B7 Phasing Winds 0:51
B8 Phasing Suspense A 1:46
B9 Phasing Suspense B 1:23
Release Notes:
Every once in a while, a library record's absurd level of perfection will be enough to throw up your hands and pack it all in. "How will I ever find this record in the wild?!", you may despair. And, yes, up until now, Michel Gonet's Phasing News Volume 2 was such a work of this ridiculous standard. Not just hyper-rare, but hyper-brilliant. Its high points transcend the "library" genre. This is a record that has always been so so hot on secondary markets. And it's easy to hear why! It's a big big French library classic with mad crazy demand.
Opening with "Mondial Scoop (Number III)", it continues on from where the dramatic tracks of Phasing News Volume 1 left off. The group of "Phasing Percussions" get under your skin, sample material for days here. "Phasing Leitmotive A" and "Phasing Leitmotive B" hypnotise with their analogue synth loops. Yet it's "Phasing March", closing out the side, that is absolutely sensational. Timpani drums merge with open breaks making for an irresistible neck-snapping tour de force.
Side B starts with "Devil Dance A", an unbelievably infectious bass instrumental whilst "Devil Dance B" adds more percussion and bass flourishes and is all the more funky for it.
And now for the main event. "Flower Dance A". What can we even say? An instantly captivating, sparkling keys loop and glittering percussion neatly arranged atop a very strong bassline and drums, all lean and potent. The melody was lifted wholesale by The Soulsavers for "Rumblefish" back in 2002 and you can't really blame them. "Flower Dance B" removes the bassline for a lighter feel but that loop still burrows inside your brain. It's perfect.
"Happy Smith (Number II)" was used by Madlib for Erykah's "My People" (!!!) whilst the set closes out with a group of tense, phased workouts.
The audio for Phasing News Volume 2 has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue. More
1
GLENN ASTRO & MENTAL TRANCE - INTRO TRACK
2
GLENN ASTRO & CRYSTALLINE REALITY - THE GROWL (CRYSTALLINE MIX)
3
GLENN ASTRO & EYE SOUL8R - AUTUMN SUBS
4
GLENN ASTRO & BRAIN LIQUOR - BLAME IT ON
5
GLENN ASTRO & DJ 1999 - THE ABYSS
6
GLENN ASTRO & BRAIN LIQUOR - JAQUE?
7
GLENN ASTRO & CRYSTALLINE REALITY - THE GROWL (NIGHT MIX)
8
GLENN ASTRO & MENTAL TRANCE - MENTAL TRANCE
9
GLENN ASTRO & THE FOUNDATION - STEPPERS WORLDWIDE, UNITE!
10
GLENN ASTRO & DJ 1999 - ALMOST PLEASANT
Taking his cue from seminal mix albums of days gone by, Glenn Astro is back with a compilation of original productions from a cast of fictional artists on Nothing Is Real. Across 13 tracks, the Tartelet mainstay celebrates the thrill of discovery which came as standard listening to new entries in series’ like X-Mix and DJ Kicks, moving between head-nodding downtempo, ambient techno, broken beat and all manner of chill-out room delights. You might be left wishing artists such as DJ 1999, Mental Trance and Eye Soul8r had actual discographies to go and explore, but as Astro himself is keen to point out, “nothing is real.”
Astro has never been shy to embrace classic tropes and tones in his past albums for Tartelet, Apollo and Ninja Tune, but he’s drawing on a different set of influences for this album and embracing the flexibility afforded by using imagined aliases for varied production styles.
“I had the idea to do a mixtape, preferably with unknown dance tracks that also reflect that whole 90s/early 00s vibe,” Astro explains. “Instead of digging for some records that haven’t been sourced yet or trying to find those ‘forgotten’ treasures, I made the tracks myself. That way I had full control over BPMs, feel and the whole arrangement of tracks. I thought of a few alter egos and started producing the tracks in the order that I intended to play them in a mix. In the end a whole compilation of tracks emerged.”
While the concept might suggest you’re going to hear a lot of over- familiar sounds, don’t be fooled. Astro is inspired and inquisitive, channeling the experimental spirit of the 90s and early 00s when electronic music was still continually being redefined in all kinds of micro-scenes. In many cases, Astro’s productions slip into the cracks between genres rather than specifically mimicking a style.
Even if the reference points are detectable, the end result is a curious blend as indebted to ambiguity as the overall concept of the compilation. Like the spine-tingling sensation of hitting play and awaiting the waves of unknown sonics on one of those seminal mixes, you never know exactly what you’re going to get as you take the trip through Nothing Is Real. More
Astro has never been shy to embrace classic tropes and tones in his past albums for Tartelet, Apollo and Ninja Tune, but he’s drawing on a different set of influences for this album and embracing the flexibility afforded by using imagined aliases for varied production styles.
“I had the idea to do a mixtape, preferably with unknown dance tracks that also reflect that whole 90s/early 00s vibe,” Astro explains. “Instead of digging for some records that haven’t been sourced yet or trying to find those ‘forgotten’ treasures, I made the tracks myself. That way I had full control over BPMs, feel and the whole arrangement of tracks. I thought of a few alter egos and started producing the tracks in the order that I intended to play them in a mix. In the end a whole compilation of tracks emerged.”
While the concept might suggest you’re going to hear a lot of over- familiar sounds, don’t be fooled. Astro is inspired and inquisitive, channeling the experimental spirit of the 90s and early 00s when electronic music was still continually being redefined in all kinds of micro-scenes. In many cases, Astro’s productions slip into the cracks between genres rather than specifically mimicking a style.
Even if the reference points are detectable, the end result is a curious blend as indebted to ambiguity as the overall concept of the compilation. Like the spine-tingling sensation of hitting play and awaiting the waves of unknown sonics on one of those seminal mixes, you never know exactly what you’re going to get as you take the trip through Nothing Is Real. More