It’s 2024 and Egyptian-born artist of South Sudanese origin Sam Alfred has had a monstrous 12 months. A new year means stepping in a new zone with new tunes. This is Forward Step. First is the title track “Forward Step (Journey Mix)”, an epic cow-bell-laden house hammer that blooms into a euphoric flower. Running with a 90’s club flavour, Sam lays airy synths over punchy piano and rave stabs while an all-powerful speech plays out, celebrating the idea that we’re all in control of writing our futures. There’s a bubbling over of excitement on this one as it builds and builds and builds! Up next is “Care 4 U” – a crunchy drum club roller paired with fuzzy bass tones and a super hooky vocal loop. A section that’s been lodged in our brains from the moment we heard it. Toss in airy pads and a key melody that’s also impossible to forget and this track’s got you hook, line and sinker. In true Sam Alfred style, “Care 4 U” is yet more proof that this lad is a wizard at writing jacked-up club cuts, each full of fizz. Third in line comes “Keep It” a relentless hypnotic piece of techno. Outer space synths drone while shuddering percussion rumbles beneath. It’s here where the EP takes a darker turn. The curtain closer and focus track for the EP drop is “Distance” – an acidic house track to seriously lock and load to. Characterised by sharp hi-hats and lively keys, as its name suggests this one goes and goes and goes.

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There have been more than murmurs about Sam Alfred lately. The 22-year-old Naarm-based producer has been on quite the tear, releasing a slew of dreadnought records. Born in Egypt with a proud South Sudanese background, Sam brings a worldly essence to the Australian club landscape. already, the young producer has fashioned a distinctive energy to his sets and songwriting, one full of joy and fervour. Needless to say, folks are picking up what he’s putting down. Next up is his Suzuka EP, a bullish 4 tracker that we’re proud to emblazon with the Gallery insignia. A bundle of tunes that call to charged dancefloors and the unshackling of day-to-day stresses. Opening with force, we’re greeted by the title record ‘Suzuka’. Made up of a mean kick, euphoric synth strokes and hyper 808s, this one doesn’t let up. As beastly as ‘Suzuka’ is – there’s a warm and inviting undercurrent, an encouragement to gather your crew and party well into the wee hours. No doubt, DJs from both hemispheres will send crowds hopping mad with this bullet train. You only need to take a look at his sold-out Boiler Room HERE to see the stir this armament creates. Second, in line is ‘Salzburg’. An ode to 90’s rave culture, the track canters along with glee, full of fuzzed-out pads and a roaring vocal sample. Spliced throughout are galactic whirls that serve as perfect interludes to what’s an all-out riot. Tumbling over to the B-side, we come ear-to-ear with ‘Auckland's Groove’. Having been out since early December, this piano-laden roller continues to shine. Bringing a lovely buoyancy to the tune are squelchy kickdrums and lively sirens. A nod to Alfred’s skills in composition and ability to brew certain moods. Rounding out the body of work, ‘Lovin U’ comes into land. Defined by an enticing two-step rhythm, whirring synth play and sundry percussion, Sam signs out with serious polish. An honest and skilful interpretation of house that’s built to get people moving. Sam Alfred’s music is one of energy, celebration and satisfaction and this is an ideal ending.

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Innovative multi-instrumentalist and electronic luminary Mathew Jonson returns to Crosstown Rebels with ‘Tako Tako’. The Canadian synth wizard returns to Damian Lazarus' renowned imprint with two magical and absorbing new productions, with the most excellent two-tracker. Mathew Jonson has developed one of the most distinctive voices in electronic dance music. His take on house and techno is rich in synth craft and high on captivating emotions, all shaped by his notoriously extensive collection of analogue and hardware gear that he can play, manipulate and use like few others. An electronic mastermind renowned for releasing countless seminal tracks and albums, both solo and as a member of Cobblestone Jazz, he returns to a label that has been a constant throughout his career. With his ‘Tako Tako’ EP, he offers two more superb journeys on Crosstown Rebels. The fantastic ‘Tako Tako’ kicks off with Jonson’s signature mix of elegant and refined synth craft, with dancing melodies bringing futuristic energy and neon colour to crunchy beats. They are smeared and smudged in a painterly fashion and help make this production a pulsating dancefloor thrill. Equally standout is ‘Just a Little Bit’, powered by a jostling broken beat with a warm bassline and wordless vocals sampled throughout. It’s funky, kinetic, always on the move, and rounds out another one of Jonson’s fantastically inventive yet effective EPs.

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"Two-pronged, remix attacks don't come much more exciting and potent than this... as here - thanks to our good friends at Nervous NYC - we're beyond hyped to bring you the legendary Masters At Work and Dave Lee on one single, fully weaponised package. Putting their own, inimitable spins on Louie Vega's ?Music Is My Life? - which features the unique talents of Unlimited Touch - we're treated to a pair of wonderfully complimentary, but no less idiosyncratic re-rubs from these two stalwarts of the scene. With a production hand and artistic touch like no other - Masters At Work lead the way here, with their main remix. Characterised by that trademark looseness and deliciously warm, organic approach - their rework is awash with woozy psychedelia and layered so expertly, that getting lost in the music is both gloriously simple and an absolute pleasure. But no true Vega & Dope remix suite, would be complete without a bonafide Dub version. And for ?Music Is My Life? - this sees the dynamite duo take proceedings down a distinctly more mesmeric and mood-laden path… one where the vocal is instead used as a powerful rhythmic weapon, and the star of the show, is a surreptitiously morphing and shape-shifting, delicately acid-laced synth lead. Next up - having recently switched his attentions to productions under his own namesake - is Z Records' head honcho, Dave Lee. Snapping into life with its crisp and punchy drum work - what Lee's remix does share with that of the Masters is in the over-arching, tripped-out haze which douses proceedings. However - where his remix opts to stick its head well and truly above the parapit, is in it stylistic flavouring. As when it comes to slicing that genre cake, so to split the worlds of Disco and House perfectly down the middle - there's simply no one who does it finer.”

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A Mountain of One have been on an ever-evolving creative mission since they originally formed back in 2006.
Spearheaded by Mo Morris and Zeben Jameson, the collaboration has taken them around the world with
different band members, releasing multiple albums and EP’s, and crucially given them a platform to play,
explore and hone a definable sound that deftly pairs acoustics with electronics through dream-like songs.
Following their 2008 LP ‘Collected Works’ and 2010 LP ‘Institute of Joy’, the pair reunited in the studio to
release their much-admired ‘Stars Planets Dust Me’ LP in 2022, that was championed by Lauren Laverne and
Tracklisting
1. Star (Ricardo Villalobos Master)
2. Custard Last Stand / AMO1 Ambient Version (Ricardo Villalobos Master)
3. Make My Love Grow (Ricardo Villalobos Mix Down)
4. Black Apple Pink Apple (Ricardo Villalobos Remix)
5. Make My Love Grow (Ricardo Villalobos Make My Love Groove Remix)
6. Softlanding (Ricardo Villalobos Remix)
7. Dealer (Ricardo Villalobos Remix)
Tom Ravenscroft at 6music amongst others. And now, in true AMO1 creative fashion they are presenting an
off-shoot release of that album, one completely reimagined by the man, the myth: Ricardo Villalobos.
Much has been written and talked about when it comes to producer/DJ Ricardo Villalobos over the years.
The mercurial Chilean-German artist has consistently redefined the boundaries of techno and electronica
over the past 30-years as a producer, whilst also traversing the world and expanding minds as a DJ who can
equally delight as he does challenge.Like a great jazz drummer (he was a percussionist before discovering mixing records), Villalobos has not so
much as broken “the rules” of structure as just created his own unique approach. One that is often surprising,
ever open-minded, and clearly lead by whatever happens to be inspiring him at any given moment. Watching
him work or hearing him play music always feels live and free. He’s an artist. And that is exactly how this
(perhaps unlikely) collaborative album has come to light – but then this is Ricardo, so maybe we should all
know by now that anything is possible.
Villalobos explains, “In my scientific search for some electroacoustic musical landscapes, the offer of
remixing ‘Black Apple Pink Apple’ was just perfect for me… In general, the song writing is so very good and
particular, with all the instruments played into a sequencer, so it was very inspiring to strip down these pop
songs into my dubby extensions, taking only the drums, bass, and vocals of the song.” Expanding further,
“After delivering the first remix, Mo and myself came up with the idea of reimagining the whole album in a new
way, mixed simple with other ears and my inspirations, with a new and different point of view of what
instruments are important to hold the song to bare itself.”
It says a lot, and somehow captures the essence of Ricardo’s approach to music (and life), that one remix
soon evolved into a whole plethora of reimagined works, driven by a creative slipstream and a clear
connection to the songs created by A Mountain of One.
Mo Morris provides more insight into his own connection with Villalobos, “I lived in Berlin back in 2002-04 and
used to religiously go to dance to Rici at the after (after) hours parties: little, tiny events. And he just used to
blow my mind, I hadn’t heard anything like it before (or since). Ultra-modern and forward thinking.”
Mo continues, “A good friend connected to Ibiza happenings introduced me to Ricardo as it transpired that he
was a fan of our early material, so I sent him some demo’s when we were in the studio creating ‘Stars Planets
Dust Me’ and he loved ‘Black Apple Pink Apple’. The relationship and collaboration grew from there really, and
I hope that this release is still at the start of what we can all create together.”
Focussing in on the album at hand – ‘Ricardo Villalobos reimagines: Stars Planets Dust Me’ – we are treated to
a concept listen that guides us from dreamy daytime Balearic pop – staying very true to the original songs – all
the way through to completely original deep dubby techno excursions. And to Villalobos fans, it will perhaps
surprise (and hopefully delight) how light a touch he has provided to the opening tracks, focussing more on
enhancing the sonics, and allowing the originals to shine brighter through remastering and mixing down. It’s in
these moments that we see Ricardo as a pure music fan, needing not overly change or alter what’s already
been created, but simply doing what he can to maximise what’s already there.
What will certainly delight Ricardo fans are the four full ‘klub’ remixes provided of ‘Black Apple Pink Apple’,
‘Make My Love Grow’, ‘Softlanding’ and ‘Dealer’ that each boldly explore the outer regions of the dancefloor in
a way that only Villalobos can.
Mo rounds off, “From an electronic and sonics standpoint he’s kind of out there on his own. It’s such a unique
sound. Weatherall also had this, and Harvey has that unique flavour, and also people like Nils Frahm and Max
Richter have this gift. It’s not an easy thing to produce. Ricardo has his own personal cosmic trademark.”
Indeed he does. Take a trip with him around the stars and planets and see for yourself.

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