FLOCKS is a new duo, formed by drone specialist WERNER DURAND and ULI HOHMANN. Musical landscapes that move between traditional as well as experimental sounds with influences from Krautrock and JON HASSEL's "fourth world" aesthetics.

WERNER DURAND has made himself a name with various projects with Dhrupad singerAMELIA CUNI, playing with URBAN SAX, ARNOLD DREYBLATT, HENNING CHRISTIANSEN, DAVID BEHRMAN, ELLEN FULLMAN, CATHERINE CHRISTER HENNIX, as the co-founder of THE 13th TRIBE, ARMCHAIR TRAVELLER and TONALIENS (with ROBIN AYWARD and HILARY JEFFERY) plus numerous solo albums, released on labels like Black Truffle, Unseen Worlds or Edition Telemark. Having studied saxophone as well as Indian / Persian flutes, the Berlin based DURAND is a highly reputated protagonist in the drone scene, famous for his self-built wind instruments like buzz-clarinets or his PVC neys & horns.

His partner in FLOCKS (and longtime personal friend) is ULI HOHMANN whose early encounters with music from Asia, India and Africa led to studies with the Ghanaian master drummer MUSTAPHA TETTEY ADDY and later Tombak and Daf with NEMAD DARMAN (Iran). HOHMANN played in a couple of projects that explored the language of classical Persian music, and started building his own stringed instruments (being an educated carpenter). In 2014 he joined DURAND and AMELIA CUNI for the album "Clearing", and 2018 DURAND and HOHMANN decided to continue as a duo: FLOCKS was born.

On their selftitled debut they shape drone-y soundscapes based on their self-built wind- & stringed instruments, Persian percussion and subtle electronics, drawing additional inspiration from Krautrock (listen to the irresistible, hypnotique groove of "Quicksand") as well as JON HASSEL's "fourth world" aesthetics, placing the duo nicely between tradition and experiment!

Credits:

Werner Durand:invented winds (ur-sax, buzz-clarinets, PVC neys & horns), tenor-sax, blown kalimba, mouth harp, drones

Uli Hohmann:invented strings(plugged, bowed&hammered),frame drums, kanjira, riq,electronics

Recorded at Abendland.studio Lengenfeld and Haveli Studio Berlin between 2017 & 2023

Mixed by Werner Durand & Uli Hohmann

Mastering and lacquer cut by Anne Taegert at D&M, Berlin

Cover painting by Sybille Wissmeyer

Layout by Serkan Sanli

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Remastered vinyl reissue of this 1990 BILL LASWELL / RICHARD HOROWITZproduction of local Gnawa musicians, recorded in the Medina of Marrakesh. Accordingto Allmusic.com "a must for fans of both African and Middle Eastern music" and votedone of the "10 essential Gnawa albums" by Songlines. The Gnawa are an ethnic minorityin today's Morocco, descendents of slaves from West Africawho were brought to Morocco in the 16th century and who (although they quickly converted toIslam) nevertheless brought with them remnants of their animistic practices.The Gnawa perform a complex ceremony (called lila or derdeba) that over the duration of severalhours recreates the genesis of the universe by the evocation of the seven main manifestationsof the divine, represented by seven colours. Those ceremonies, led by a master or "maleem",are still taking place today privately while Gnawa music in general has clearly been modernizingand thus become more profane, but witnessing a performance is still an astonishing experience. With the exception of a handful of recordings by PAUL BOWLES and PHILIP SCHUYLER (moreethnographic documents in a field recordings style), Gnawa music was barely heard outside ofMorocco before 1990 - one of the first westerners to come and record the music was BILLLASWELL, back then running his AXIOM label that portrayed a wide range of ethnic music andmusicians like THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA or MALEEM MAHMOUD GHANIA, toname just two. "Night Spirit Masters", recorded in the Medina of Marrakech, delivers soulfultracks of lead and group singers in call/ response mode, fired by sentirs, drums, hand clapping,and qrakechs, while others are drum features or sentir/ vocal pieces.Over 30 years after its initial release, this essential Gnawa album is finally available again -remastered and on 180gr audiophile vinyl! "Gnawa, bottom heavy trance music of North Africa. Repetitive bass lines, generated by thegimbri or sintir with metal clappers, hand drums and voice.Seven trances, seven colors, seven scents, Gnawa not only moves, it can remove."Bill Laswell Hell's Kitchen, NYC, May 2022

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Referring heavily on turkish poets and the tradition of a??ks (singer-poets and wanderingbards) these two albums represent unique and modern interpretations of turkish folk songsunmatched to this day. A matured artist with full conviction at the height of her powers!Back in the 60s Tülay German (*1935 in Istanbul, Turkey) shook the turkish music landscapewith several 7" records. Most notably her first 7" record "Burçak Tarlas?" (1964) is nowconsidered the cornerstone of what was to become the Anadolu Rock/ Pop movement andunderlines her rebellious nature and sense of justice.But due to the increasing repression Tülay German and her lifelong partner and intellectualimpetus Erdem Buri decided to leave Turkey a few years later. In fact, an impending prisonsentence for Erdem Buri for translating Hegel's "Dialectic and Science of Logic" andPlekhanov's "Fundamental Problems of Marxism" led the couple to emigrate to France.In France Tülay German signs a major contract with Philips resulting in many 7" releasessung in french under her french moniker Toula?. In the long run Tülay German doesn't feelquite comfortable with this major deal. And thus, despite the success and recognition she hadgained, she decides to quit the contract with Philips!Later on she signs to independent world-music label Arion to pursue her actual artistic goalsmore in line with her origin and temperament. Back to her mother tongue, Tülay Germanrecords above mentioned albums for Arion under full artistic freedom, the only full-lenghthsin her 20+ years career. Alongside with double-bass virtuoso and turkophil François Rabbath(*1931 in Aleppo, Syria) the albums consist of a??k traditionals and intonated poems mainlyby Naz?m Hikmet. Her passionate voice and the restrained arrangements of FrançoisRabbath turn these centuries old melodies and poems into glowing manifestos for love andjustice. The fruitful collaboration of these artists-in-exile adds significantly to the rich heritageof turkish folk music.The self-titled debut, which was awarded with the prestigious "Grand Prix du Disque" ofAcadémie Charles Cros in 1981, is now seeing a vinyl reissue after 40 years.Tülay German ended her musical career in 1987 and after the death of Erdem Buri in 1993she retired from public life completely, leading a quiet life in Paris where she still lives to thisday. In 2021 Tülay German was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the IstanbulFoundation for Culture and Arts, Turkey.

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Tracklisting
A1 Lady Starlight - Choose
A2 Lady Starlight - Permian-Triassic
B1 Lady Starlight - In A Tizzy
B2 Lady Starlight - No Expectations

Sales Note
After early work with Lady Gaga, Lady Starlight immediately entered techno's upper echelons playing live alongside Surgeon, earning the respect of one of the genre's most legendary hard asses, no small feat for an artist only then emerging. Forming a strong alliance with Len Faki's Figure reinforced her upward trajectory, so it's with considerable stature we introduce 'Choose', her first full solo EP since 2020.

'Choose' makes its choice from the beginning when the mutated, squealing vocal sample and insistent percussion command dancers to the floor. She adds sophistication with melodic ideas, quick breakdowns, and constantly shifting drums, the instability maintaining momentum. 'Permian-Triassic' could refer to earlier eras of techno Lady Starlight seeks to bury, although droning pads poke out of her deep soundscapes like fossils from the 90s framed elegantly. Excited like its title, 'In a Tizzy' centers its nervous energy around a seesawing motif until it breaks apart halfway through, then rides it into oblivion on top of rapid-fire drum fills and a return of the theme. The title track closes in the darkest mode, its tricked-out breakbeat evading dancer's expectations and the heavily-processed noises squalling in the background providing no respite.

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Jerome Hill returns with his 5th full EP on the label to warm you up for winter and it’s maybe stylistically, his widest offering yet.

A joyous mash of influences collide and Hill spits them out of the blender with some typically unexpected curveballs.

From the strikingly moody break beat acid of The Warning, to the 8 minute long extended Disco workout of ‘Harlseden Shuffle’. Then on the flip side, a reliably gnarly wedge of Technoey Acid House in ‘Combustion Zone’ and the EP culminates with a tip of the hat to mid nineties House with the rumbling bass and catchy percussion of ‘House Thing’.

Its obvious Jerome’s having fun with this EP and hopefully you will too !

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Tracklisting
A1 Alien Rave - Tanzen
A2 Alien Rave - Folge Mir
B1 Alien Rave - Tunel
B2 Alien Rave - Dark Matter

Sales Note
Here's the first vinyl record release by Alien Rave. We still can't explain the strange circumstances surrounding this record, which came to our attention in a mysterious and unexpected way. A coded message through Ableton Live led us to a strange place where we found the recordings. The instructions were very clear - all we had to was follow them You'll find the results on this interstellar '94 electro-break track. Alien Rave sets out to get inside your head, introducing evocative and epic mental moments that give way to energetic tunnels built on a solid rhythmic foundation carefully designed to withstand elegant ultrasonic bass frequencies. For electro-break fans, this record could be seen as a journey which originated in the German-inspired Florida scene before eventually finding its way back to Spain. It's funny how Florida, home to some of the most robotic and extraterrestrial electro-break music, is also one of the hot spots of the global UFO phenomenon. Coincidence? Maybe, but we're looking forward to the next contact: we know it's coming.

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Size L

Underground Resistance 'Workers' T-Shirt
Tan with Orange print on Gildan Ultra Cotton Shirt

Available in X-Small, Small, Medium, Large and X-Large


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We are glad to welcome talented producer Funktor with his debut EP "Emitter" for our 2nd release on Abstract Rhythm. His release contains 4 massive Electro tracks transforming electricity into machine funk heavy sound waves.

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Coming soon.

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Fresh off his explosive Boiler Room performance in Liverpool, the dust is yet to settle from the electronic eruptions caused by GTOWN head-honcho and energy inducer, KETTAMA. Namely, the damage caused by his latest armoured artillery; ‘GTOWN004’, a radioactive EP with devastatingly euphoric consequences. ‘Samba Soccer 2001’ is the track that opens the door to ‘GTOWN004’, as we’re welcomed by an anonymous voice that insults the listener; a perfect introduction to a project that is wildly unapologetic in its character, and utterly ruthless in its delivery. Released as the first single from the ‘GTOWN004’ EP, ‘Samba Soccer 2001’ has already been greatly received by the GTOWN faithful, and sets the tone for what is arguably KETTAMA’s most complete, and anticipated project yet. The EP starts as it means to go on, as KETTAMA drops another bombshell with ‘Blitz Zuruck.’ With a euphoric soundscape which the producer partners with a punishing bassline, this track is deeply nostalgic, embodying a time-capsule in the thick of a modern rave-renaissance. Further elements of revamped rave-nostalgia are seen in ‘Slaap Lekker’, before we’re taken deep into the belly of the Galway beast with the atomic ‘GTOWN IN EFFEKT’, and finally killed off with the ‘Rock Da Cliffe Mix’ of ‘Blitz Zuruck.’ ‘GTOWN004’ features an ungodly blend of sounds, and in the process, creates an atmosphere that is both ecstatic enough for heaven, and sinister enough for hell. Purpose built for dance-floor destruction, KETTAMA’s infusion of stomach-churning bass, hypnagogic synthesisers, soulful vocals and contagious drum patterns result in an utterly pure, addictive sound. From Galway to Vienna, Liverpool to New York, the track will be road tested amongst an armoured artillery of records, with dance-floor devastation an inevitable outcome. With his name boldly imprinted on the lineups for the likes of AVA Festival in Belfast, CRSSD in Miami, 121 Festival in New Zealand and Terminal V Festival in Edinburgh, KETTAMA’s worldwide domination of sound-systems continues.

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Orphic Apparition follow up their inaugural release by RAFRAM, the collaborative project of Toronto's Raf Reza aka Raf Rizzla and UK acid house luminary Ramjac Corporation, with a new two-tracker from the transatlantic bass warriors. Where the RAFRAM 12" gifted us five variations on the same live jam cut from Grow Tottenham, here we have a spontaneous track written by Paul (Ramjac) on the A-side and a fully warped dancehall mix from Raf on the B. (short)

'Press 1 to Repeat' began as an on-the-spot demonstration of the musical self, a natural response to being asked 'What is it that you do?'. Within a few minutes Ramjac had his laptop out and was bashing out a quintessentially English sort of kitchen tabletop version of Kraftwerk - Numbers, the tongue in cheek automated voice on the other end of the line querying his account balance in tow. Proudly showing his friend Ryoko his improvisatory skills, a £10 hifi from a Japanese 2nd hand shop served as the portable monitors whilst the track waited to be brought back to his studio in London. The track is anchored by a bouncy, Irdial-reminiscent percussive workout which punches above its weight for its humble beginnings. Add the dubbed out synth pads and sort of electrical static FX in the background and everything syncs together in cosmic harmony. Hopefully Ryoko now gets the gist!

Raf Rizzla takes the stems and channels some inspiration from the Jamaican movie “Third World Cop” by turning the track on its head with a double-time baseline and half-time melody to craft a big dancehall version with a bit of a modern day On-U twist. Here Raf shows yet another side to his truly versatile production chops which have seen him release house, trance, breaks and downtempo cuts on a variety of Canadian labels prior to starting Orphic Apparition.

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Gudu Records is proud to present remixes of Special Request and Novelist’s grime-meets-techno Summer anthem ‘Sliver’ - by two of club music’s modern-day heavyweights in KETTAMA and Tim Reaper. In Special Request’s words: “I chose Tim Reaper and KETTAMA because they are both 100% top-table practitioners of machine funk. They both delivered the goods in completely different ways and illuminate new paths with this song. Both mixes have been causing havoc in our sets and I can’t wait for people to hear them.” Both remixes are out now on all platforms, with a limited 12” release available to pre-order now. It continues a stand-out 2023 for Peggy Gou’s record label, which has already seen releases from Special Request & Novelist, Mogwaa, Matisa, Hiver, Matrefakt and DMX Krew, as well as the inaugural entry in Gudu & Friends - a new annual compilation series which introduced Salamanda, Closet Yi, Lady Blacktronika and more to the roster.

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