2023 repress

Tracklist
A1. Electric Baile (Enzo Elia Vocal Edit)
A2. Electric Baile (Enzo Elia Dub Edit)
A3. Electric Baile (Enzo Elia Bonus Beats)
B1. Pushin’ Too Hard (Gerd Janson Mega mix)
B2. Pushin’ Too Hard (Gerd Janson Instrumix)


Shortinfo:
Master Plan was the Chicago based dance music project of Pepper Gomez and Tom O’Callahan. Spanning from 1984 to 1986, the groups development is in sync with the dance music scene of Chicago during that era. While their first record „Pushin’ Too Hard“ is a Windy City version of the NYC club music of the time and its European cross-pollination, „Electric Baile“ from two years later down the line is almost a quantum jump into house music. With the engineering help of Matt Warren, it bears the marks of Ron Hardy, Chip E, Farley Jackmaster Funk or the WBMX dance party craze, if you will. Here you have remastered and updated versions by Enzo Elia and Gerd Janson. The first ones’ edit attempt of „Electric Baile“ ignited this edition. A custom-tailored main mix is completed by a dub and useful bonus beat version to do, what DJs used to do. Concluded by two edits of „Pushin’ Too Hard“ by GJ, you get two great slices of yesterday that are still major dance music blue prints today.


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Tracklist

A1.XXXO
B1. ICA Beats Pt. 2 Gerd Janson Edit
B2. ICA Beats Pt. 1 Gerd Janson Edit

Release Info:
A central theme in the life and work of the British DJ pioneer Greg Wilson, UK electro is a page turner. With the seminal Street Sounds compilation from 1984 (please see Greg’s blog for the whole story) being the beacon, there are still a few overlooked corners.
XXXO by Equip is one of them. Originally intended to be part of said release and produced by Greg Wilson, Martin Jackson and Andy Connell (like most of the comp), it was turned down at the time. Sounding like a like a proto -house template with a dash of Klein & MBO, it wasn’t considered strong enough at the time, but found it’s way to the public as a one-sided 12“ in 2006, it felt like a brand-new track as it perfectly correlated with the electro influenced underground dance music mainstream at the time (Chicken Lips et al.). Here it is again: remastered, rekindled and unreduced cut to 45rpm. For full disclosure please see the liner notes on the back cover.
Pressed and released for the first time on this planet though are the ICA Beats Pt 1 & Pt 2. Intended to be backing tracks for a UK Electro live appearance in August ´84, they haven’t seen the light of day until now. Both Restored and re-edited with some help of label owner Gerd Janson, they are fierce examples of the sound at the time. Sitting between rhythm tracks and experimental drum machine compositions (and a short greeting from their creators’ other project Syncbeat), it makes you wonder how one could have lived for so long without them. The history of the past enables you to dream of the future.

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Non Exclusive Italian Import

Tracklist

A1 Schmutz - Love Games remix 06:15
A2 Schmutz - Love Games dub 05:17
A3 Luc Van Acker & Anna Domino - Zanna remix 04:36

B1 Luc Van Acker & Anna Domino - Zanna instrumental 04:36
B2 Scooter - You remix 05:57
B3 Scooter - You dub - 05:57

"All songs remixed by Joris Biesmans, bringing you the sound of B"

Berlin-based synthoholic and Watergate resident Biesmans steps up for the sixth installment of Running Back's Super Sound Singles series. Taking inspiration from Confetti's 1988 new beat smash This Is The Sound Of C, Biesmans revisits his Belgian roots and reimagines three gems from Belgium's rich '80s music scene.


Firstly, Biesmans gets to grips with synth pop stalwarts Schmutz and their '80s breakthrough Love Games, polishing the track up with a motorik disco sheen and chunky bass arpeggios. The remix swaps the new romantic vibe of the original for 8-bit arcade game energy, and calls to mind robotic dance moves and freeze frame video. It's a reboot of a long lost classic that sounds even better the second time round, and will transport dancers young and old alike onto a timeless dancefloor.


Next up for reinterpretation is Luc van Acker and Anna Domino's quirky woodblock and piano-led song Zanna. Biesmans transforms it from a melancholic anthem to lost love, and into a darkly uplifting discotheque burner, as icy melodies, synth pads and guitar licks create the perfect bed for Anna Domino's plaintive vocals to float on top. As per the other versions, the instrumental dub version follows, and highlights just how Biesmans has built each of these remixes from the ground up, existing as stand alone tracks in their own right.


Rounding off the 12" Biesmans turns his attention to new wave rock band Scooter and their ode to self-reliance You, slowing it down slightly to a heavier beat, with hi hat triplets and a touch of Radiophonic Workshop atmosphere. By condensing the original to its essential vocal and synth melodies, Biesmans reconstructs a pumping 130bpm monster, certified to supercharge ravers all through the night. It rounds off a neatly balanced EP that sees Biesmans take the emotional core of influential tracks from his upbringing and put them in a different context, reworking them to share with a whole new generation.

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Tracklist
A. Kairo
B1. Kozak2000
B2. Kairo (Boris Dlugosch Edit)

Shortinfo:

A holy grail of European electronic dance music, and a classic at the Italian disco scene and Hamburg's Front club alike (you might have heard it on their recent Mastermix), is finally available again. Produced in 1984 by two mysterious friends during a hazy studio session in the small town of Aschaffenburg, Germany, it is best described by Discogs member goulashdj as “a funny version of some Imam praying on top of an electronic Groove”, .“Kairo” is all you want from an oddball record: fun and funky, weird and wonderful. Featuring original vocals by one of the two friends, it seems to be offensive to religious fanatics and devout Muslims (you better watch, where you play out the original). Therefore, a philosophical advisory or religious warning: “No religion, god or believer was harmed during the creation of this record. We believe in the right to believe or disbelief in anything and everything that isn’t inhuman.” For safety reasons, it includes a persecution-proof instrumental version by Boris Dlugosch as well as the original B-side and completely atheistic “Kosak 2000”. And to close with Mark Twain: Man was made at the end of the week's work, when God was tired.


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Tracklist
A1. Music
A2. Music (Remix)
A3. More Music
B1. Music (Boris Dlugosch Remix)
B2. Music (Boris Dlugosch Tribal Reprise)
B1. Music (Boris Dlugosch Bonus Beats)

Shortinfo:

When I first stumbled across mix tapes out of Hamburg's seminal Front Club (with Klaus Stockhausen and Boris Dlugosch at the helm) during the glorious and carefree early days of the popularized internet, there were certain tracks on them that struck a chord and had me rewinding the mp3-player.
In fact there was one specifically, I couldn't stop listening to. The mixture of an infectious bass line, a super sharp snare, "music" and "harmony" vocal snippets, happy claps and synths lines that evoked pictures of a convertible going down a coastline, and - to top it all off - a tribal chant, was irresistible. After some intensive track-id-hunting pre-shazam, I found out that the heaven-sent hymn was Music by an act called Syncbeat. Originally released in 1984 during the craze that was called UK Electro via Street Sounds resp. Streetwave and later licensed to German omnivore Zyx Records. A joint venture between the Electro-Funk mastermind,DJ pioneer and edit maestro Greg Wilson as well as Manchester musicians Martin Jackson & Andy Connell, it is exactly that type of dance track that eludes any classification - as you can see from my description above. Or to cite Greg Wilson himself from one of his essays on the subject of UK electro: "The track that received the best response was "Music" by Syncbeat, which was full of good vibes and could have easily been re-vamped down the line as a House track."
34 years later down the line, and in the wake of mix-cd-compilation by Stockhausen and Dlugosch portraying those divine years at the Front, Music is available again for the second time on this planet. Carrying all three mixes of the original and equipped with an extended Re-Mix, a bonus beat and a tribal reprise all perfectly conceived executed by Boris Dlugosch, this like a dream came true and a welcome addition to the Super Sound Singles series on Running Back.


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2024 repress

Tracklist:

A1. Beautiful Strangers
A2. Can’t Fix A Broken Heart
B1. When I’m With You ft. Jasper Tygner
B2. False Attraction
B3. Memories Fade

Release Info:
Ever since the release of his masterpiece Winona it’s hard to imagine modern electronic dance music without DJ BORING. A progressive traditionalist DJ BORING finds new ways in old maps. Just like Beautiful Strangers. The lead single to his correspondent debut EP for Running Back illustrates his kaleidoscopic sound aesthetic and refreshing style. Harking back to the aural palette of BORING’s formative years in the early 2000s it manages to bridge infatuation and lovesickness wistfulness and bliss as well sundowns and sunrises dance floors and living rooms – and that is no mean feat.













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Territories: WORLD EXCL DE, AT, Scandinavia

LP transparent crystal clear vinyl, leaflet, sticker, download code

GENRE/S:
Alternative, Independent, Shoegaze, Dreampop

TRACKLIST:
A1. A Different Light
A2. Nightfall
A3. Dreamweavers
A4. I Give My Tears
A5. Hollow
B1. Behind My Eyes
B2. Empty Beaches
B3. In A Storm
B4. Winter's Ghost
B5. Closure


SHORT INFO:
In May, fans were treated to the first new music from Trentemøller since 2022. A new single, "A Different Light," showcased a stunning blend of prismatic space rock and folk. For anyone wondering if it foreshadowed the release of a full-length, Dreamweaver will drop in September, on Friday the 13th.
Featuring 10 tracks that traverse Trentemøller's many musical strengths, Dreamweaver also represents an obvious artistic leap, treading new ground while retaining the overall plot. Tracks featuring vocals come courtesy of of Iceland's Disa, who has been in Trentemøller's fold since the Memoria tour.
Dreamweaver's nylon string-led opening track, and first single from the album, "A Different Light," contains many of Trentemøller's trademarks: exploring dichotomies, musical shadowplay, Nordic frigidity, and warm waves. It opens the door for the steady, hypnotic "Nightfall," with its tetherless vocal, wistful guitars, and early morning desert chill. The third track in the opening trifecta, "Dreamweavers" finds its footing with a percussive soft trot, which starts after what feels like a shortwave radio scan in search of the right chords, eventually dialing in a weightless voice. Ostensibly keeping a ruminative pace with the previous two tracks, the song and, by extension, album soon opens up as the rest of the elements drop into place with a grand, luxurious burst.
Dreamweaver is about to enter its next phase. With the hatch blown off of the portal, the noisy "I Give My Tears," driven by its glissed and fuzzy bass line, pours into the void. It's followed by its sibling, the most chaotic track on Dreamweaver, "Behind My Eyes." Arriving as a piece of noise rock pandemonium, "Behind My Eyes," can't be contained in its plush vault. A whip-crack snare and convulsing guitars smash against each other in the song's verse chamber. The tension builds, as the particles collide, pushing past the point of critical mass, kicking off the chain reaction which is the chorus. At times it harkens back to the proto-gaze tracks that gave birth to dream pop, at others it newly defines what that is. There's no time to contemplate it, though, as the song disintegrates in a microphonic feedback instant.
A respite follows with the somnambulistic pair of "Hollow" and "Empty Beaches." Then, a moment of intensity returns as the soaring textures and tribal drum bursts of "In A Storm" take control, before being taken out with the ambient slo-core of "Winter's Ghost" and "Closure." This diptych wraps up an album which certainly feels on-script for Trentemøller, but is also much more psychedelic than previous offerings.
Dreamweaver will be released on Trentemøller's own In My Room label. It is an exceedingly immersive experience, bound to release any dormant hallucinations you may be harboring.
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LP 180g Heavyweight vinyl, Remastered, with original track-list available on vinyl for the first time

"Ken Ishii has risen to be one of techno's biggest names" Bandcamp Daily

"A pivotal moment in the history of techno, ambient and electronic music from Japan. An important milestone in a journey to explore the endless possibilities of music and a precious result of our passion and adventure at the time" Manabu Yamazaki (Sublime Records)


GENRE: Techno, Ambient


Tracklist:

1. Into The Inside (2024 Remaster)
2. Fading Sky (2024 Remaster)
3. Non Essential (2024 Remaster)

Side B

1. Finite Time (2024 Remaster)
2. Interjection (2024 Remaster)
3. Scene One (2024 Remaster)


New liner notes by Martyn Pepperell

The musician and DJ Ken Ishii sits right at the pinnacle of techno's most noteworthy, but although a game changer for the artist personally - and for Japanese electronic music in general - his 1994 album 'Reference to Difference' is something of an unsung gem today.

Now reissued and remastered, released to mark the 30th anniversary of Musicmine / Sublime Records, and available on vinyl with its original track-list for the first time, this stunning, lesser-known classic is ripe for rediscovery.

Born 1970 in Sapporo, Ishii was introduced to electronic music at a young age through arcade games, and Japanese and German pioneers like Yellow Magic Orchestra, Isao Tomita and Kraftwerk. During his teens, he absorbed new wave, synth-pop, EBM and industrial, before making a life-changing discovery of Detroit techno in the late 80s.

As the 1990s dawned, so did his introduction to Black Dog Productions and Warp Records' Artificial Intelligence compilations. Blown away by the emerging British and American IDM, braindance, and ambient techno movements, he quickly folded their influence into his still-developing but cultivated aesthetic.

A futuristic confluence of unplaceable ambient atmospheres, space age techno, IDM and minimalist composition, 'Reference To Difference' unfolds as an effortless series of exercises in pristine synth textures, robust man/machine rhythm and understated melodies. It teleports the listener back to a golden moment in the mid-1990s, when a dedicated generation rose out of Tokyo's storied clubs and took the innovation, energy, and creativity of Japan's unique techno culture to the world.

Opened in 1993, Maniac Love was a new nightclub where Manabu Yamazaki aka DJ Yama promoted the Sublime parties, which soon became a crucial hub within the burgeoning Tokyo underground. It was here where Yamazaki rubbed shoulders with peers including Ishii and Susumu Yokota, and the trio's future became intertwined.

Much like Ishii, the late Susumu Yokota began his musical career by reaching out to Europe. Not long before Ishii released his debut longplayer 'Garden On The Palm' through Belgium's R&S, Yokota released his debut LP 'The Frankfurt-Tokyo Connection' through Harthouse, the German label co-founded by Sven Väth. In the wake of both records' overseas success, Ishii and Yokota set a benchmark for techno in Japan.

By 1993, as they both became in-demand producers and DJs, it felt like their dreams were coming true. Through talking with Ishii and Yokota, Yamazaki became emboldened to transform Sublime into a record label.

Soon after, Yamazaki partnered with Hideoki Amano, who was on the verge of founding Musicmine, a now respected and longstanding independent Japanese music company. As Yamazaki tells it, Amano helped him turn his dream into a reality: Sublime Records.

For Musicmine and Sublime Records' inaugural album releases, Yamazaki and Amano approached both Ishii and Yokota, resulting in the simultaneous drop of 'Reference To Difference' and 'Acid Mt. Fuji' respectively, on June 29th 1994.

Yamazaki remembered 'Reference To Difference' being well received by DJs, listeners, record store buyers and journalists, stating "people were excited by this new wave of music coming out of Japan, and had high praise for its unique sound."

With the pair of LPs further stamping Japan on the contemporary musical globe, the scene was beginning to boom at home too. Specialist record stores, and club music magazines like Ele-King and Loud spread the word, and in the wake of Maniac Love's impact, new nightclubs like the legendary Liquid Room were opening up, bringing a steady stream of world-famous DJs to the Japanese capital.

"Without a doubt, I think the arrival of Ken Ishii was a major turning point for the Japanese music industry in the 1990s," Amano reflected. "Nowadays, the Western club music scene is rediscovering Japanese techno from the 1990s, and digging our music is a common sight, but before Ken Ishii, no Japanese DJ was in sync with the global club music scene. He was the catalyst."

"Looking back, I can tell it was meaningful that this was one of the first techno albums by a Japanese artist that was released on a Japanese label," Ishii reflects. "Maybe I did something that bridged between old school Japanese electronic music and 'new school' techno in line with the Detroit sound with this record" he adds, in modest understatement.
The new liner notes were written Martyn Pepperell, a well-regarded music journalist who has covered Susumu Yokota for Wax Poetics and Midori Takada for Dazed, amongst numerous other articles.

Ken Ishi DJ dates:

Fri 14 June Tokyo, Japan : MUSICMINE 30th Anniversary @ WWW
Sat 15 June Nagano Pref, Japan : Re:birth Festival 2024 @ Kurumayama-Kogen Skypark Resort
Sat 22 June Tbilisi, Georgia : Tbilisi Open Air (Khidi Stage) @ Lisi Wonderland
Fri 12 July Tokyo, Japan : TECHNOH LAB. @ Suigian (*Non+techno performance with Manjiro Tatsumi)
Fri 12 July Tokyo, Japan : @ Vent
Fri 26 July Tokyo, Japan : @ Shinjuku Loft
Sun 28 July Naeba, Japan : @ Fuji Rock Festival
Sat 31 August Amsterdam, The Netherlands : Wooferland 2024 @ Houtrak Halfweg

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Genre: Ambient, Chillout, Cool Jazz, Minimalism, Downtempo

LP: Limited Edition of 500, Heavy 350gsm Sleeve, Sticker

Tracklisting LP
A1. 21st Street
A2. Mike’s Kitchen
A3. Too Much Time
A4. Each Day Is Every day
A5. Be Outside Talking
A6. Closing In 5 Minutes, Customers
B1. 10’Clock Ride
B2. Not Home
B3. Spring Street
B4. Late Love Walk
B5. Metal From Out A Window
B6. Her Coming In

Info

WRWTFWW Records is continuing its fruitful and blissful collaboration with New York ambient / jazz / downtempo musician Danny Scott Lane with the first ever vinyl release for his 2021 cassette album Caput. The 12-track beauty is available as a limited edition LP (500 copies worldwide) housed in a marvelously designed heavy 350gsm sleeve. The album is also available digitally.

Originally released on cassette only, Caput is desert music inspired by the city, a serene and cozy soundtrack of contemplative synth, mini pleasure-grooves, and botanical ambient jazz, sure to gently pacify the emotionally conflicted and make small moments the best moments. Scott Lane’s smooth downtempo is like a cushiony bubble of simple life, protecting the mind from noise and stress. It’s the comforting hand on the shoulder, the blanket that keeps warm, the easy Sunday morning breakfast - caring chillout music to escape from the brouhaha.

Caput follows the adorable, so comfy, and beloved soundscapes Home Decor and Shower, both available on WRWTFWW Records, and thus marks the third Danny Scott Lane release on the label…and surely not the last! Complete the collection now and feel the joy of being alive.


Points of interests

For fans of ambient jazz, cool jazz, downtempo, lofi, bedroom tapes, cassettes becoming vinyl records, the simple good life, easy mornings and cozy nights, finding solace in this world of madness.

Super limited imited edition vinyl for Danny Scott Lane’s 2021 cult cassette release Caput.
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Rights: World excl. France,
1 LP, first Re Issue Ever, Cut from original masters. Original packaging strictly reproduced.
+ printed sleeve and printed inner-sleeve with CD included.EAN: 5060525433153
Original year of release: 1989. Features the tracks 'King Kong Five', 'Pas Assez De Toi', 'Sidi H'bibi', etc.

Mano Negra the legendary first band of French singer Manu Chao ... featuring songs in Spanish, French, English and Arabic..
We are celebrating this year the 30th anniversary of its foundation.
The album has been unavailable on vinyl since its first original pressing.

Tracklisting:

A1. Mano Negra
A2. Rock’n’roll Band
A3. King Kong Five
A4. Soledad
A5. Sidi H’bibi
A6. The Rebel Spell
A7. Peligro
A8. Pas Assez De Toi
A9. Magic Dice

B1. Mad House
B2. Guayaquil City
B3. Voodoo
B4. Patchanka
B5. La Rançon Du Succès
B6. The Devil’s Call
B7. Roger Cageot
B8. El Sur
B9. Patchuko Hop
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Format : Vinyl 12” (180 gr., Limited Full Cover)

Track list:

A1 Touch Me Again
A2 Hang On
B1 The Joy of Melancholy
B2 Forever and Ever

Release Info:

Dam Swindle return to Heist in excellent form with a 4-track EP in their signature style.

The iconic Amsterdam duo returned to the studio after their much-lauded ‘Minor Fools’ EP, where the lead track ‘That’s Right’ became one of the most heartwarming tracks 2023. Their recent contribution to the Phonica 20-year compilation -‘Allright (just a tribute)’- is turning into one of the biggest hits of this year with big plays on pretty much every festival around, whether it’s Glastonbury or Dekmantel. The guys are known for their ability to bend different styles into something very much their own and their newest addition to the Heist catalog is no different. The ‘Touch Me Again’ EP sees them go from sample-heavy house to classic 90’s piano-driven tracks with a touch of acid and it’s one you don’t want to miss.

The record starts with ‘Touch Me Again’, a house jam with chopped vocals, energetic synth stabs and a big breakdown. Add to that a touch of acid and you’ve got a follow-up to their Phonica hit of 2023.

‘Hang On’ takes you back into classic Swindle territory, with their signature sampling style and knack for finding those lush vocals. The synth chops and bassline give the track its upbeat energy and the distant filtered pads move in an ever so subtle way, that there’s always something new happening while keeping the attention on that catchy main hook.

On the flip, we see the guys take things a bit deeper with emotive vocals and introverted keys layered over a steady groove on their track ‘The Joy of Melancholy’. Fast-forward to the drop and all that energy comes free with a huge piano break, which propels the track into a blissful ‘hands-in-the-air’ dancefloor moment.

The EP closes with ‘Forever and Ever’, a gospel-inspired Deep house tune full of organ hits and off-kilter sample chops. This 4-track EP gives you jam upon jam upon jam and sees Dam Swindle solidify their position as the go-to artist in the house scene and keeps them at the forefront of electronic music.

Grab this record while you can and share the love,

Heist Recordings. More

Genre: Detroit House, Soulful House, Deep House, Vocal House

Tracklist 12":

A1. Niko Marks - HERE IN PARADISE (Nile River Mix) 06:42

B1. Niko Marks - MODEST INTELLECT 06:53
B2. Niko Marks - ORGANIZED FUTURE 06:15

Detroit's Niko Marks with a Soulful Detroit House EP. Soulful,Jazzy, with vocals
so sweet, your soul's gonna hurt. Strictly limited to 250 copies, no repress.
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Territories: WW minus FR

Tracklist :
A1 - "H" Friend
A2 - Timing, Forget The Timing
A3 - One To Choose
B1 - We Never Fly Away Again
B2 - Follow Me (Instrumental)
B3 - No Regrets

Release Info:
Disco Club is a groundbreaking 1978 EP of experimental electronic disco created by Bernard Fevre and his collaborator under their tongue-in-cheek aliases Joachim Sherylee and Junior Claristidge. The Aphex Twin-backed Rephlex label notably reworked a handful of Disco Club tracks in 2004, however this is the first ever reissue of the EP in its complete, originally intended sequence. So synonymous is Fèvre's career with this release, he continues to perform internationally as Black Devil Disco Club today. An impossibly rare piece, this edition has been treated to a remaster from the original tapes by Fèvre himself. More

12"
2. GENRE/S:
House, Deep Techno


3. TRACKLISTS:
A1. The Truth (original)
A2. The Truth Dub
B1. Strolling
B2. The Truth (acapella)

01. The Truth (original)
02. The Truth Dub
03. Strolling
04. The Truth (acapella)


4. SHORT INFO:
Kwench Records is synonymous with homage-driven house and techno. Cassy's guilefully-curated selection of releasing DJs and producers is to be admired yet again with the arrival of heritage artists Jesper Dahlbäck and Alexi Delano under their respective aliases The Persuader and AD. Together they collaborate on a deftly-cut four-tracker with artist and writer Bella Hardcover adding her touch in spoken word.
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GENRE/S: Electronica, Deep House

TRACKLIST:
A1. Unsuitable
A2. Through The Windows (feat. Francis Harris & Philipp Priebe)
A3. Drowning (feat. Module One)
A4. Dark Portrait
B1. Lost In The Fog
B2. February Is Not Going To Be Forever (feat. Lawrence)
B3. Spirits
B4. Even If I Ask You To Stay

SHORT INFO:
Soela is the DJ and production alias of Elina Shorokhova, a Russia-born Berlin-based experienced pianist and vocalist who has made a hugely impactful transition into electronic music. Having released material on such labels as Kompakt, Dial, Shall Not Fade, Lost Palms, E-Beamz, Red Ember Records, Sushitech, and others, Soela joins the ranks of Scissor & Thread for this exquisite album - Dark Portrait.
The album opens in a typically understated manner with Unsuitable - a melancholic trip-hop adjacent track that sets the tone for the next 8 pieces. As Soela explains, “I was dealing with some very complex feelings, so I came up with this album, which helped me not to despair, to work on myself, to grow internally, and to start listening to myself. It helped me to keep sane when my country invaded Ukraine with a full scale war. It absolutely broke my heart, and music was one of my main salvations.”
This complex mix of emotions plays out across the album with tracks that utilize her beautiful musicality (Through the Windows feat. Francis Harris and Philipp Priebe, Drowning feat. Module One) and ear for details with skittering beats, ambient soundscapes (Spirits, Lost In The Fog) and lose-yourself dancefloor moments such as the collaboration with Lawrence on February Is Not Going To Be Forever. The title track Dark Portrait combines dubby elements with affecting pads and melodic touches, while the lead single Even If I Ask You Stay delves into multiple feelings around escaping toxic situations, and battling depression. It features a powerful vocal from Soela supported by a deeply affecting arrangement. The closing track The Darkest Hour Before Sunrise brings a sense of hope and light, balancing subdued keys and strings with ethereal tones and atmospheres










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The Standard Edition - Territory - NO Sales to Japan
Ryo Fukui's 1976 highly sought-after jazz masterpiece SCENERY-
LP Edition: Mastered at half speed, 140g vinyl, Sticker

We Release Jazz (WRWTFWW Records' new sister-label) is proud to present its first release, the official reissue of Ryo Fukui's highly sought-after masterpiece Scenery (1976), sourced from the original masters and available on limited edition 180g vinyl mastered at half speed for audiophile sound and on digipack CD.

Unquestionably one of the most important Japanese jazz albums ever recorded, Scenery reveals Ryo Fukui as a miraculously brilliant self-taught pianist fusing modal, bop, and cool jazz influences for a very personal, dexterous and game-changing take on classic standards made famous by Bing Crosby and John Coltrane among others. From "It Could Happen To You" and its serene and calm intro which magically flows into a jubilant and upbeat piece, to the out-of-this-world piano solo of "Early Summer", or the incredible teamwork of "Autumn Leaves" where Fukui leads Satoshi Denpo (bass) and Yoshinori Fukui (drums) into groove heaven, every single note on the album oozes precision, confidence and flair and every single section slides seamlessly into one another, creating a supreme and elegant blend of jazz. Often compared to McCoy Tyner or Bill Evans, Ryo Fukui was a genius in his own right, a true master of his craft whose perfectionism gave birth to some of the greatest music ever recorded. Scenery is his magnum opus and an absolute must-have.

The Hokkaido wizard-pianist followed Scenery with the soulful gem Mellow Dream (also available on We Release Jazz) in 1977. He then focused on improving his live skills, often performing at Sapporo's Slowboat Jazz Club (which he co-founded with his wife Yasuko Fukui) and releasing 2 live albums. Ryo Fukui sadly passed away in March 2016, leaving behind a legacy of works that is sure to captivate jazz lovers for generations to come.


Tracklisting Vinyl LP
A1 It Could Happen To You
A2 I Want To Talk About You
A3 Early Summer
B1 Willow Weep For Me
B2 Autumn Leaves
B3 Scenery
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