From the deep caves the screeches echo and the footsteps get closer. Welcome label head
DJ Life as he takes you on a journey through the swamplands where goblins groan and the
magic forms. A heady 4 tracker of weird and wondrous tech house that embodies the sound
of Program. Another relic along the way, are you willing to take part? More

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DJ Life makes his Craigie Knowes debut with the club-focused 4 track "Retina" EP. Progressive house and techno beats laden with spiralling synths, mouthy stabs, winding 303 patterns and relentlessly rhythmic basslines. Eyes shut and ascend. More

Repress

Tracklisting:
A1 DJ Life - Gnagnag
A2 DJ Life - Zweop
B1 DJ Life - Behemoth
B2 DJ Life - Acidophilus

Release Note:
Aussie DJ and producer DJ Life has been a name on everyone's lips since surfacing as one of progressive dance music's most exciting emergers. Stellar releases have come on Dansu Discs and Echocentric Records, with remixes from fellow progtrance-techno influencers Adam Pits and Rudolf C, cementing his place at the top of the long-blend rise.

Now, debuting on Distant Horizons, DJ Life produces four typically entrancing cuts of hypnotic, stylish and straight-up fun dance music with its crosshairs fixated firmly on those dark, sweaty, underground nights. 'Gnagnag' gets the warm-up underway with its playful M1 chords and punchy kicks; a marching-on-the-spot number that was born to get silly to. 'Zweop' takes the tempo up a notch as we swap the waft for a heads-down aesthetic; a heady-blend of tech-house (the good kind) and prog creating a peak-time cruiser.

'Behemoth' presses pause on the trippy 4x4 in favour of wobbly basslines and breaks - much in the vein of the excellent Casa Voyager crew - electro feels and glowing atmospherics taking you on a 6-minute trip driving down the desert highway, before 'Acidophilus' sees us out with? You guessed it. A hefty dose of synthy acid to guide you into the wee hours.

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Special remarks : 12" Vinyl 33RPM House, Breakbeat, Acid

Tracklist 12":
A1 - DJ Life - Crisis Premonition
A2 - DJ Life - Resting Point
B1 - DJ Life - Strongman
B2 - DJ Life - Squar
Short Info:

Experience DJ Life on R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings!
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Virginia’s Stimulator Jones channels all things jungle on ‘Valley Center’ for his debut album on Craigie Knowes. Sam Lunsford is multi-talented genre-spanning artist; from song writing to singing, programming drum machines to drumming, performing live to DJing. ‘Valley Center’ showcases Lunsford’s seamless genre-hopping skills with the outcome an LP packed with tracks that wouldn’t sound out of place on LTJ Bukem’s ‘Logical Progressions’ series or in the Metalheadz archives. More

Dance music traditionalist Tom Carruthers joins Craigie Knowes. Tom’s commitment to the ruff n’ ready sound of dance music’s formative years is unshaken on the De-Facto EP, bundled with the same synths, drum machines, samplers and FX used in the by-gone golden era of the UK acid, breaks and hardcore scenes. Soul is found in disorder, not in a world that places false hope in perfectionism. More

The return of Guy Contact to Craigie Knowes. The “Energy Obsession” EP sees Guy Contact showcase his masterful take on progressive house as he continues to occupy his space at the very head of the pack. Technical and original – it’s a bumper record of 4 deadly beats to spin at your knees-up that are guaranteed to make the club bounce. More

The rank of ‘legend’ is often bestowed on those of a much lesser pedigree than Ron Wells. Known for his influence in the formative years of UK techno and drum and bass. Ron hand-carved his name in the underground hall of fame through his Sound Entity imprint, their series of sub-labels and his productions across countless monikers, none less so than his Jack Smooth namesake. Ron is joined by Anthony Wilson donning his Chicago Loop guise for 4 house and techno club-bumping collaborations that compile for release as the “Effusion 7075 EP”. Super-thick beats from seasoned veterans of the UK underground. More

Bassline technicality and production prowess by Fader Cap on his return to Craigie Knowes. 4 tracks that combine club-sensibilities with width and melody to transcend dancefloors to the outer realms. Echo Chamber provides DJs with a mix of club-focussed beats for all times of the night, strap in. More

Pascale Project debuts on Craigie Knowes with the ‘Good People Only’ EP. The title is lifted from the title track ‘Café Crazy’ – a dance-pop hybrid soaked in good vibes and electronic fun. The 3 original tracks are laced with original lyrics and themes that were written and performed by Pascale Project. A1 is remixed and refoamed by the D. Tiffany with additional vox by NAP. More

Glen S debuts on Craigie Knowes with the Elation Station LP. 7 club-handy tracks shaped to elate minds and elevate dancefloors. A reflective trip glimmering with positivity and illumination. More

Primitive needs unearth long-lost technology, rituals and rhythms on their Craigie Knowes debut. Technical and tribal in equal doses from a forgotten time, the Protosphere EP packed with beats to shake the deepest of buried bones. Pumping tracks for the dancefloor with layers of intelligence to discover and re-discover with each pass of the stylus. More

Fasme joins Craigie Knowes for a fantastical outing of acid-smiley conjuring synthesis, trance influenced sun-rays and sunset Sunday steppers. Creeping Plant climbs and attaches to all bases of the Fasme spectrum, with a foot-loose in every camp and crevasse. Expect thumping club euphorics and odes to nod your head to on the walk home. More

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Euphoria-tinged club jams by Giammarco Orsini and Jacopo Latini under their rising Data Memory Access moniker for their first outing with Craigie Knowes. Gold standard house music built for peak time clubbing and early morning memories. More

Beautiful mix of peak time minimalism, intricate electro, come-up euphorics and come-down remedies by the masterful 'not even noticed' duo on their Craigie Knowes debut EP Microtransitions. A bit for everyone and something for every time, yet nothing out of place. More

It's the one you've all been waiting for! Reflex Blue joins Craigie Knowes for his monstrous debut EP 'Gotham'. It's an A-grade fusion of club-ready trax on an EP overflowing with frequencies primed to help you freq. Strap yourself in! More

Turntable magician and champion of all things strange in the world of dance music, Jerome Hill, joins Craigie Knowes for his debut record on the imprint. 4 mind-melting acid trax primed to contort even the most rigid of dancefloors. More

Jeku joins Craigie Knowes for a trip through the mind on with his label debut the 'Surreality' EP. An outing of the spirit that rides the arc of the night. Club tracks for DJs looking to lift dancefloors and mind-melters to help lead the crowd to the outer realms. More

Club toilet door-shakers by the incredible Lisene on his Craigie Knowes debut. Technical and intricate club-fodder prepped to shake the foundations of your favourite nightclubs. Watch your hinges! More

High value DJ clobber that gives the purchasing selector options throughout the night. House-master Matthias joins Craigie Knowes for his debut EP with the Scottish imprint. Classy cuts glittering with originality and outright funk. More

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No Moon returns to Craigie Knowes with another spectacular 3-track cosmic exhibition. A journey of electronic voices, strange drum patterns, complementary bass and pads that climb and fall - all executed with a beautiful uniqueness. Superb. More

Housey Doingz was a sort of pre-millennial super crew of London producers and DJ's (Dave Coker, Dave Pine, Justin Bailey, Laurant Webb, Nathan Coles, Terry Francis), movers and shakers on the capital's tech-house scene. The latter half of the decade into the first half of the noughties belonged to the exciting future looking and stripped down sounds that were emanating from now cult labels like Wiggle, Swag, Surreal etc. The Housey Doingz crew were at the centre of this scene and sound, but 'Doing It' from 1997 and released on the Pagan label predates and showcases a plethora of sonic styles that later became synonymous with that scene. Borderline 'Progressive' numbers like this corking EP are real beauties and found themselves in the boxes of the top jocks of that world and more (see: Sasha, John Digweed & co). A beautifully diverse collection of cuts right here, and a very rare and sought after slab of wax among record collecting circles. For a real flavour of what was to come 'Doing It' is a dope look through the window of one of London's most exciting electronic music scenes. TRACK LISTING: A1. Curly Wurly A2. The Poet, B1. Ambidextrous Left, B2. Flying Saucer More

Well well well, what do we have here? Some certified, 100% pure solid tech-house gold from the masters, that's what. Look at the line up, those who make up The Delinquents: Terry Francis, Nathan Coles and Matthew Bushwacka! B, that should grab your attention. This slab of Wiggle sonics, Room On Top, is the real deal indeed, all the way from back in 1998 this is that premium gear. It's all here, the funk is present in spades, the swagger, the breakbeats - you name it. 4 more tracks of primetime cuts, out of press since the late 1990's, ready to do damage yet again and sounding as fresh and as futuristic as it did back then. This is the kind of record you *hope* will show up in the racks when you're out diggin' but it never happens, no way. Expensive for the last few years, this repress will fill the gap for you and will undoubtedly enable you to rock a few dancefloors in the interim! Totally fresh, totally essential. More

Tracklisting:
A1 Giralda - Spacer edit
A2 Giralda & Sepp - Spacer Tent 4 Re-edit
B1 Giralda - Hey dub Guy! edit

Sales Note
Girlada edits are back with one of the hottest tracks of the year , Played by some of the biggest names in the business. With a super classy edit on the flip to finish things off ! 12" limited vinyl More

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Detroit a city of great contrasts. Feats of engineering that spurred the world forward. For a few decades wealth and prosperity. Hi-tech dreams seemed achieved. But with the dream also comes nightmares…..Traffic Jams, Predatory Insurance Companies prey on municipalities with no mass transporation, freeways built specifically to ruin minority prosperity & to build walls between people. Beautiful countries all over the world wrecked at war over the thirst for oil, entire neighborhoods decimated when the corporate greed for profit forces engineers to build throw away cars that are quickly replaced by better built foreign competition. Even Worse……Climate change. Detroit the city that knows the best NO CORPORATIONS SHOULD DICTATE CITY FUNCTION the people should……listen to the sound and learn from it……or deal with the Lo-tech reality that Corporate greed actually is so good at building. UR the future UR the change…… More

“Tighten Up” was a summer 1968 number-one R&B and pop hit single by Archie Bell & the Drells. Sonny Bravo cover is a Blast.

The son of a Cuban bassist with Conjunto Caney, Sonny Bravo had toured as a member of Tito Puente’s Latin Jazz Ensemble, among other gigs. Like others, Bravo made boogaloo records in the late 60s.

"We Got Latin Soul" by Mongo Santamaria is a cover of Dyke & the Blazers' "We Got More Soul".

Mongo Santamaria introduced Afro-Cuban street music to the World. He later fused the music of his native Cuba with R&B and jazz to create a distinct sound that would be popular with audiences worldwide.

Licensed by Sony Music Portugal More

Maria Rita is a musical pioneer that was ahead of her time. On first hearing her song, 'Cântico Brasileiro No.3 (Kamaiurá)’, we thought it sounded like a contemporary remix that an artist such as Carl Craig could have produced. In fact, it came out in 1988 and was taken from Maria's 'Brasileira' album, released on the Brazilian, independent Acorde imprint. The song would go on to gain cult status with its inclusion on John Gomez's superb 'Outro Tempo' compilation, released on the Music From Memory label in 2017.

The album fuses new-age electronics with indigenous vocals and Amazonian rhythms. It is beautiful and unique and takes you on a journey through different moods, textures and ethereal planes. Through the sounds Maria created, you join her on a timeless voyage gazing into the future whilst embracing her powerful roots.

Maria Rita Stumpf was born in the southern inland of Brazil, in the mountains of Aparados da Serra. She started writing music at the age of 14, and through participation in festivals and song contests, she developed her material and sound. A move to Rio de Janeiro in 1985 furthered her career and led to the release of the 'Brasileira' album. The record features the legendary pianist Luiz Eça, alongside the group Uaktí and Ricardo Bordini.

1993 saw the release of 'Mapa das Nuvens (Map of the Clouds)' on CD via the Leblon label, but soon after, Maria would have a hiatus from the music industry, dedicating herself to her cultural and arts agency, Acorde. She left the stage and recordings behind, but quality always shines through and years after its original release, international diggers, producers and DJs rediscovered the greatness of Maria's music. This would lead to a re-issue of the ‘Brasileira’ LP, and later Optimo Music/Selva Discos released a 12” EP of ‘Brasileira’ remixes by Selvagem, Carrot Green and Joakim. Maria also spoke at the Red Bull Music Academy Festival in São Paulo, performed at both the Kino Beat Festival and the Brazilian leg of the Dutch festival, Dekmantel. Her two latest albums received critical acclaim, ’Inkiri Om’ in 2020 and ‘Ver Tente’ in 2022. At last, Maria has got the credit and kudos she deserves, inspiring new and future generations of producers and music lovers.

Though previously re-issued, it was after a conversation with Maria that we learned that she wanted to keep this sublime record in press, and this was something that we couldn’t wait to put into action. So here it is, the Mr Bongo pressing of ‘Brasileira’, housed in a gatefold cover. More

The word 'classic' gets thrown around a lot these days, often abused and attached to things that don't deserve the tag.

I think we can all agree that an outfit like Earth, Wind & Fire are truly deserving of such an accolade, since their first tentative steps in the early 1970's as an outfit the Chicago, IL pioneers have made themselves a force to be reckoned with and have sold over 90,000,000 units worldwide! Fusing together Jazz, Funk, Soul, African and Brazilian sounds EWF have been at the top of their game for decades, seeing them inducted into the legendary 'rock n roll hall of fame' at the turn of the millennium. Respect due. On this special, legit 12" reissue we are treated to 2 stellar reworkings by one of Disco and modern dance music's most respected names - Danny Krivit. Danny's tenure in dance music has almost been as long as EWF's themselves so it makes sense that he's on deck to breathe some dancefloor magic into their cult classics 'Brazilian Rhyme' and 'Runnin'. Both tracks are massive club anthems with them being generously sampled over the years and featuring in the playlists of too numerous to mention DJ's and selectors. Both of these amazing edits are extremely sought after and have been legally reissued by Above Board Distribution in conjunction with Danny Krivit and the legal rights holders - Sony Music Entertainment. This high quality repress features original Columbia white label Disco promo artwork and has been remastered from Sony's original sources by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK. More

'You got the stuff' is not 'Lovely day' - that much is true. This one's a wigged out, extended, trip into deep space from 1978 that is truly baffling. Of course, it features Bill singing for the first half of the track but then all of a sudden we're launched into a cosmic wormhole as everything just falls back and the track is stripped of any earthly qualities. People find themselves asking 'this...... this is Bill Withers?' as lazer guided synths and rock solid drums pull us into the sonic vortex. Truly amazing. Obviously a nugget like this has not gone unnoticed and has been edited and chopped and sampled deftly by the more sarcastic, left-field oriented crate diggers out there but it has never been reissued legitimately - Until now! A hugely sought after and collectible gem right here, backed with the wistful slow jam 'Look To Each Other For Love' as per the original 1978 Columbia promo 12" version. This left-field, cosmic classic has been legally reissued by Above Board distribution in conjunction with the legal rights holders - Sony Music Entertainment. This high quality repress features original Columbia pink label Disco 12" artwork and has been remastered from Sony's original sources by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK. More