2024 repress, Watergate standard sleeve

Tracklist:
A1) Checkmate
A2) Checkmate (Cinthie Remix)
B1) Checkmate (Steve Rachmad Remix)

Infotext:
It's been quite a while since we've last seen our next artist on Watergate Records. It was 2014 when he dropped his Watergate mix and EP so it is with great pleasure that we welcome back the legendary Kerri Chandler.
'Checkmate' is the epitome of a Kerri Chandler classic and has all the makings of a timeless future classic. With bold, soulful keys and massive analog drums 'Checkmate' elevates any dance floor's intensity to meteoric levels. To give an extra perspective to the single we invited another icon, Steve Rachmad to remix the original and he delivers an incredibly soulful Techno revision while Watergate mainstay Cinthie hands over a expertly crafted modern twist with classic appeal. No matter what your searching for, there is a gem for you here. Welcome back Kerri!
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Aaliyah is the self-titled third and final studio album by the "Queen of Urban Pop." Originally released in 2001 by Blackground Records, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Cited by critics as one of the best R&B records of its time, the album is a reflection of herself as both a young adult and matured vocalist. Standout tracks include "We Need A Resolution," "More Than A Woman," and "Rock The Boat."

Key Selling:
First time pressed on Vinyl since 2001
First time pressed on CD in the US since 2001
Aaliyah debuted at number two and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200
Cited by critics as one of the best and influential R&B records from this era
The album was certified 2x Platinum in the US, certified Platinum in the UK and Canada, & certified Gold in France, Australia, Germany & Japan
The album has sold 13 million copies worldwide
Aaliyah was nominated for Best R&B Album and the single, Rock The Boat, was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 2001 GRAMMY Awards

Key Marketing:
Single/Video rereleases for "We Need A Resolution," "Rock The Boat," "More Than A Woman," & "I Care 4 U"
Fully produced visualizers for each song using album packaging planned
OOH activations planned worldwide - digital billboards, stenciling, wheatpasting, murals, etc
Fan activation: Aaliyah Immersive Experience
Virtual events on Clubhouse, Verzuz x Triller
Virtual Official Dance Party planned with D-Nice
Content planned with Genius
Artist testimonials planned
Radio: Mixshow/DJ Club Takeovers
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Modern Obscure Music presents "Sakuraza," a live album featuring Eiko Ishibashi (flute and electronics), Jim O'Rourke (electronics), Kei Matsumaru (alto saxophone), Tatsuhisa Yamamoto (drums), and Giovanni Di Domenico (piano). Recorded at the Sakuraza jazz club in Kofu, Japan, this dynamic and sophisticated performance blends jazz, electronic music, and pop elements.
Giovanni Di Domenico, a frequent visitor to Japan, organized this June 2023 concert with long-time collaborators Ishibashi, O'Rourke, and Yamamoto, and invited saxophonist Matsumaru. The warm, intimate setting of Sakuraza provided the perfect backdrop for their unedited, improvisational session.
"Sakuraza" captures the deep musical connection and spontaneity of these artists, offering an immersive auditory experience. Recorded on June 14, 2023.

TRACKLISTS:
A Sakuraza part I 16:29MIN
B. Sakuraza part II 22:19MIN
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Tracklist:
A1 / Charlie - Spacewoman (Instrumental)
A2 / Charlie - Let Go
B1 / Charlie - Dark Waver
B2 / Charlie - In The Night


Key Selling Points
Polish multi-instrumentalist and prolific producer Charlie lands on Wrong Era with her earth-shattering EP 'Spacewoman'. As a revered live act and spearhead within the Italo-Proto scene, Charlie’s record is a testament to her unique and impactful sound design, which is on full display in her thunderous progressions.

Having garnered a following with her DJ and live performances at some of the most influential clubs in Europe, the record sees the Polish producer integrate her infectious rhythmic flair into another standout release, capturing the consistently mind-opening energy of her live sets and hooking us in with potent synth lines and vocals.
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TERRITORY: World excluding France
Les Mystères de Lorient remixes

After the release of their first album, Il Est Vilaine ask to artists and friends to deliver a series of high-flying remixes: Tolouse Low Trax, Krikor, Khidja, Marvin & Guy, Golden Bug, Rubin Steiner, C.A.R…
Tolouse Low Trax opens the ball with a destructured version of Yvré- L'évêque while keeping the darkness of the track. We can hear a nod to the track "Holland Tunnel Dive" anthem of the Salon des Amateurs.
For the eponymous track Khidja were inspired by the sounds of the land of the rising sun which is a good thing to accompany the song of Narumi Hedgehog! A bright version and influenced by YMO's era Sakamato.
Golden Bug & In Field proposes an alternative just as trippy as the original version of Marilyn Drum, a trip between neighborhood hospitals and crazy guru.
Another version of Yvré-l'Evêque this time Krikor takes care of it and takes out his sampler for a digi-dancehall version that only he has the secret, Faya !
Rubin Steiner delivers a version back to the roots of Bar à Gwin mixing deep house texture and 80's-NY-hip-hop/electro.
The two Italians of Marvin & Guy bring out the hits, the guitars and the arpeggios for an epic version of Mystères de Lorient.
To close the album, we find Narumi Hérisson at the controls of her piano for a dreamy and sensitive version of Phare Ouest where her voice and that of Yula Kasp are mixed in the greatest harmony!


A1. Yvré-L'Evêque feat. C.A.R, Tolouse Low Trax broken pleasure remix
A2. Les Mystères de Lorient feat. Narumi Herisson, Khidja remix
A3. Marilyn Drum, Golden Bug & In Fields remix
B1. Yvré-L'Evêque feat. C.A.R, Krikor remix
B2. Bar A Gwin feat. Macdara, Rubin Steiner remix
B3. Les Mystères de Lorient feat. Narumi Herisson, Marvin & Guy remix
B4. Phare Ouest feat. Yula Kasp, Narumi rework

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2 x 12”, black vinyl, 4C gatefold
My studio is my shelter, I feel comfortable there, surrounded by wonderful inspiring machines. A small cosy room where ideas emerge, mature, morph, and solidify into their final shape. 'Studio' is the result of spending time in that space. The album's intention is simple: Presenting a beautiful personal musical journey. The creative process in itself matters to me, the interaction with my instruments, the accidental discoveries, the successful execution of a vision and anything in between.
Most of the tracks on this album got revised countless times, and then even more, once I knew in which context and order I wanted to arrange them. I have been living with my music for months now, listening, thinking, changing, diving deeper and deeper into each piece.
I love albums, they are a beautiful long-form format where each part has its place, a journey from the start till the end. Each piece has its own story, its own flavour and history.
Some of them have been with me since a while already. There is material which I created years ago for installations and music derived from previous audiovisual works, all completely ripped apart and rearranged multiple times. During their creation my pieces often turn into something completely different, they repeatedly shift from one state to another until they become solid. What I consider a core element at the beginning might be later discarded completely, and a little detail in the background might become the essence.
Many explorations ended in the trash bin before the results had a chance to be part of 'Studio'. Things did not fall into place, did not feel right.
Other compositions had to fill the void instead, some created quickly in a rush of inspiration, some slowly, shy, questioning their significance. This album did not come into existence in a hurry, it took as long as it needed. I used the time to walk around my creations, to listen to them from the distance, physically, mentally, with friends, in all kinds of different contexts. I tried to understand what I just did. I started to see patterns, hidden motifs, things that were buried in between too many layers of sound. What is essential? What is ornament? I reduced, rearranged, added again.
The closer I got to the final state of 'Studio' the more clarity I found. The inherent doubts and the nagging voices from the inside got more quiet, and a sense of achievement started to manifest itself. More and more details just fell into place. And now it is done. After making electronic music since almost thirty years I don't care anymore about genres, about how to label things. It is music, my own personal music, and that's it. Call it electronica if you wish.
Process Notes
The music on this album has been constructed in Ableton Live. Most of the sounds have been created with my collection of beloved hardware synthesisers and effects, often further processed until something completely different did emerge. Sometimes I spend days in the studio just recording sounds or creating new presets, without already having a composition in mind. A few selected musical instruments contributed significantly to the palette of this album; a New England Digital Synclavier II, which also served as inspiration for the artwork, a Sequential Prophet VS, which is present on all Monolake albums since 1996, a Yamaha SY77, Linn Drum, and the Oberheim Xpander. And then there is Operator in Ableton Live, which I developed in 2004 and still love to use, and a lot of the other effects and instruments in the software. And of course my Granulator III instrument, and the PitchLoop89 audio effect. The final sonic world is often the result of radical processing of these elements, via filtering, pitch shifting, time stretching and other types of processing, both in Live and with my hardware. The good old Alesis Quadraverb deserves an honorary mention here, so does the AMS RMX 16.
Artwork
The cover combines a few complex elements. A composition of various lichen photographs, and a computational noise field that cuts rivers into the structure, where the inner artwork of the album shines through: The inside of the CD package and the gatefold vinyl cover shows a non-existing musical instrument, based on the user interface of the Synclavier II. I've always been fond of its futuristic button matrix with red LEDs, which conjures a sense of nostalgia for early computer systems. But I wanted more than just a photograph of it. Instead, I created a collage that not only consists of its existing controls but also integrated additional features it never possessed, though it might have in a subsequent iteration. In essence, I crafted a vision of a future that never materialized.
Geeky detail: When a Synclavier II is turned on, and the connected mainframe computer did not boot yet, the LEDs in the buttons light up in random patterns. The imaginary version of it does the same.
Track Listing:
01 The Elders Disagree
02 Thru Stalactites
03 Signals
04 Cute Little Aliens
05 Intermezzo
06 Global Transport
07 Stasis Field
08 Prime Lundy
09 Red Alphonso
10 Eclipse

Composed, mixed and produced by Robert Henke 2024.. More

Pedro Vian and Merzbow release their first joint work, an unbounded expression of creativity
and experimentation. Over the album's forty-minute duration, listeners can experience a blend of
field recordings made by Pedro Vian at the Dia Beacon Foundation in NYC, specifically inside Richard
Serra's sculptures. These recordings are interwoven with the ambient percussion and melodies
characteristic of Vian's work, alongside the piercing and sharp computer frequencies produced by
Merzbow, one of the most acclaimed artists in the global noise scene.

"Inside Richard Serra Sculptures" is both a complex and spontaneous piece, an abstract journey
into the unconscious that may be difficult to grasp for closed minds. This work stands as a
masterpiece of contemporary expressionism, merging ambient sound and noise in a way that
challenges and redefines the boundaries of sound art.

The collaboration between Vian and Merzbow is notable not only for its innovation but also for
its ability to transport listeners to a space where sound becomes an immersive and visceral
experience. The use of Richard Serra's sculptures as a source of inspiration and sonic material
adds a unique dimension to the project, emphasizing the interaction between physical space
and musical creation. Photo by Alba Ricard




A Inside Richard Serra Sculptures Part I 20:13
B Inside Richard Serra Sculptures Part II 21:00
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