The Metropolitan Soul Museum helmed Kulture Galerie returns with Volume 2 of its various artist focused release series. This new 5 tracks compilation showcases some of the finest Dutch and American sound, all brought together by London's own MSM.

Amongst the collection there is an original composition from lauded American artist and Delsin regular John Beltran (+ a special ambient version of said track available exclusively on Bandcamp), and more from Böhm (030303), US' best kept secret Tramic, De Lighting's' own Nathan Kofi & RDS and of course the label bosses Metropolitan Soul Museum themselves.

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Non Exclsuive.
TRACKLIST
Abdul Raeva - Grace
Gene Tellem - Nervous Planet
Nesa Azadikhah - Fleeting Emotions
Alien D - Heavy Cream

Metropolitan Soul Museum are proud to present the first vinyl release on their Kulture Galerie label. The collection includes 4 liquid and deep tracks coming from 4 different artists: the wonderfully talented Gene Tellem, the power duo Abdul Raeva, NYC’ own Alien D and force of nature Nesa Azadikhah. Don’t sleep on it.

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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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A globally-renowned selector whose ‘Mastermix’ series and impactful, diverse DJ sets have garnered a cult following for the past decade, Numbers co-founder Jackmaster has seen his focus shifted towards his blossoming discography of late, releasing material via Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85, The Martinez Brothers’ Cuttin’ Headz and CircoLoco Records, plus his own TDSR imprint. Here, he continues to showcase his studio nouse with an impressive label debut on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels, unveiling two new original productions across his latest EP, ‘Don’t You Want My Lovin’.

Vibrant, deep and jackin’, featuring resonant stabs, skippy drums and soulful vocals at its core, the bubbly ‘Don’t You Want My Lovin’ is a punchy slice of house crafted for bustling dancefloors, while the airy and trippy ‘Ode 2 U’ takes things into more paired back territories and journeys through vast textures to unveil a wormhole of a production.

Needing little introduction, Chicago’s finest and house music icon, Mike Dunn, steps up on remix duties as he makes his first outing on the renowned imprint. His aptly titled ‘Blackball 303’ interpretation is precisely that: a wicked, acid-laced trip harnessing the original’s infectious vocal while offering an instrumental for those looking to keep things darker.

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n hip-hop, with a golden-era glint and a 20-strong cast is given fresh impetus on Ela Partiu, 24 year old rapper Laiz’s breakout

Listen: https://listen.k7.com/fb702000-ce81-4bca-bbac-49d0d2a746c0

Tracklist
1.1Hues
1.2Carcara
1.3Take Em
1.4Paranaue
1.5Jongo
1.6Trimegistus
1.7Bagda
2.1Mena
2.2Ninho
2.3Tanta Coisa
2.4Fui
2.5Tipo Assim
2.6Skevri La
2.7Chame Me

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Superkilen, the new album from Danish duo Svaneborg Kardyb, Nikolaj Svaneborg (keyboards) and Jonas Kardyb (drums), is named after a public park in the ethnically diverse Nørrebro district of Copenhagen.

Tracklist
1.1Superkilen
1.2Cycles
1.3St. Pancras
1.4Vakler
1.5Balancen
1.6Tvillinger
1.7Tide
1.8Udsigten
1.9Arendal

Listen: https://on.soundcloud.com/ZsWDx7n6FTUYt9DG7

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Cherry Blossom Baby, Shigeto's first full-length statement since 2017, sprouts out from a collective thaw, ambitious, collaborative, and fully realized. The Detroit-based, Japanese-American musician, DJ, Portage Garage Sounds label co-founder, and longtime Ghostly International artist embraces the role of producer and composer. Bold and cultivated with intention, the band-built sound honors traditions in electronic, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, a fusion that's become his signature, now more vibrant than ever. Zach Saginaw and a group of guests and players present a snapshot in time, a celebration of self-love and an expression of vitality distinctly rooted in Detroit and informed by his family’s cultural history. "I am a cherry blossom baby," he says. "We all are cherry blossom babies, we all are resilient, we all are growing, we all will continue to."

Heritage has been at the heart of Saginaw's recording project from the start; his middle name is Shigeto, a name passed down from his great grandfather, which means "to grow" — it was apt given his premature birth weight of less than a pound, and remains fitting for the evolution of his artistry, now nearly 15 years since he signed to Ghostly. On Lineage (GI-148, 2012), Saginaw grappled with an ancestral story; the artwork contrasted photos taken of his great-grandfather's home in Hiroshima in 1916 and later at the Amache Internment Camp in Grenada, Colorado, where he and his family were sent during the Second World War. The line continues through Cherry Blossom Baby, which finds Saginaw drawing inspiration from the cherry trees that bloom every spring at Hiroshima, an enduring image of hope, resilience, and renewal.

Saginaw's been searching, a simmering introspection that surfaced in recent years as nightlife paused and he began to question the idea of Shigeto, the performer and Michigan fixture. "My identity is always something I've struggled with, not being really considered Japanese, not being considered white. I think Shigeto was a way for me to have this identity, to create one for myself that I can latch onto, and it suddenly didn't exist anymore." The realization pushed him to work on himself, to come back to his craft and his community, laying the groundwork for a record that rises from the figurative ashes anew.

A reaffirmed sense of self, momentum, and maturation is apparent in where Saginaw situates here as a songwriter and producer arranging ideas alongside Detroit's finest, a physical manifestation of his WDET 101.9FM show highlighting “forward-thinking music from the Detroit Diaspora.” Every track is a collaboration, be it with a vocalist or multiple instrumentalists, a tradition forged in his Portage Garage studio sessions. "It's the first time I'm writing this stuff myself and getting these players to make it even better…it's impossible to have made it at this level without them." The production and mix favor a full, throwback quality, eschewing modern compression for more spacious dynamics, a nod to psych and jazz records of the '70s and '80s. "It was on purpose but also subconsciously, playing live with jazz bands and DJing b2b with mentors like Dez Andrés, playing older sounds over the last decade. Sonically I wanted to make this record feel like you could see multiple people in a studio."

The group puts egos aside to pursue the best possible outcomes, like Saginaw's choice to invite drummer Ian Maciak (Machinedrum) for the early standout "Ready. Set. Flex,” which takes off with drum & bass velocity. "Ian's sound is unmatched, I can't play jungle breaks like Ian and I thought, how cool would it be if I could get another drummer to play that track?" Above the breaks and a rolling piano loop, there's Zelooperz, the ascendant rapper and Bruiser Brigade member (as well as Shigeto's partner in 2017 project ZGTO), rattling off a series of cerebral lines, with upright bass from Josef Deas (a Portage Garage alum) and Saginaw's synth flourishes.

"The Punch" dips into an electro-boogie vibe; it's a crew jam featuring rising star vocalist and musician KESSWA, who has worked with Shigeto on previous releases and a 2022 MOCAD museum installation and lights up half of Cherry's ten tracks with her smooth, soulful delivery. Behind the kit, Saginaw provides the percussive punch (as well as synth and glockenspiel), surrounded by the personnel that has comprised his live band and Versions (GI-340, 2019) ensemble, including Ian Finkelstein, Dez Andrés, and later, Marcus Elliot.

The collaborative spirit that runs through Cherry Blossom Baby widens its range. Rapper Cleveland Thrasher brings raspy bars to the hypnotic "Runnup On'm" with harpist Ahya Simone, the trap/breakbeat-wielding "BookaMagick," and across the pop grooves of "Nothing Simple," where he bobs and weaves with producer/DJ Tammy Lakkis. Guitarist Sasha Kashperko riffs through several tracks, giving the material a loungier feel — "I've always wanted a great guitarist on my tracks," says Saginaw. Ahya Simone returns to elevate "Let's Talk" to the cosmos. Her harp parts represent a natural progression for the Shigeto sound; whereas in the past, he might have collaged string elements together, he leans back in the open space and lets it all flow organically.

Expanding on the title's metaphor, Shigeto is pushing forward with the people around him: "A cherry blossom is regrowing, but it's always different too, and I'm speaking to that with all the different musicians on this record, getting everyone involved and honoring their contributions is part of that cherry blossom philosophy.”

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Subb-an, Kepler & Wickham team up as 'Complex Phantasy' for an ep of warm club focused house music on leipzig's R.A.N.D. Muzik imprint.

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Following a string of releases on a who’s who of top labels such as Planet Euphorique, Salt Mines, Haws and Craigie Knowes, prog-trance pioneer Lisene drops a full-length LP on his On Rotation imprint. With 8 hyper-detailed tracks ranging from club-focused techno, progressive and electro to slo-mo downtempo, Lisene brings his A-game to an album sure to cement his place as one of the most exciting producers and DJs in the UK’s underground music scene.

Created over several years with a perfectionist’s attention to detail, “Science Friction” flits between moods and sonic environments with ease while retaining the cohesion of Lisene’s inimitable production style. Despite being an album, this is still very much a record for the DJs, featuring heads-down club tracks and bass-heavy electro crafted with precision and a cinematic sense of scale. For the home listeners, expansive slo-mo soundscapes and cerebral synth odysseys float high above the clouds, with widescreen details revealing themselves ever further with each re-play.

“This album has been 15 years in the making and represents a culmination of everything I’ve worked towards in defining my own sound and style without letting myself be pigeonholed. I’m immensely proud of each track - it really reflects where I was at musically while making this, while giving a glimpse into my future sound. This is a record that deserves to be played on the finest sound systems and hi-fis, and I couldn’t be more happy with how it’s turned out. Dive in and enjoy!”

Combining influences from across the spectrum of dance music with a cinematic sense of psychedelia and his own inimitable production skills, “Science Friction” is sure to see a lot of airtime across the festivals, after-parties and living rooms of the world this summer and beyond.

On Rotation is a Leeds based label, event & mix series run by Chris I’Anson, Lisene & Adam Pits. Artwork illustrated and designed by Patch D Keyes.

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