Tracklisting
A1 John Manhard - Facist Dictators Throw Good Parties
A2 John Manhard - Key Tones
B1 John Manhard - Facist Dictators Throw Good Parties (Huerta Rework)
B2 John Manhard - Facist Dictators Throw Good Parties (Tom Ellis Rework)

Sales Note
- 2024 repress -

With this fifth release of Sous:sol Records John Manhard, Huerta and Tom Ellis deliver a four-tracker of club music to smoothly connect us right to the dance-floor. A subtle fusion of Minimal and House with a touch of Jazz. Definitely a must have for groove seekers. More

The Perfect Timing label is an eclectic one but even by their standards, this five tracker from San Diego really does take in a wide range of tuneage. Side one kicks off with 'My Life Is A Walk In The Park', a perky house/disco beaming like the sun does on a hot day, before the ruffneck Amens of track two, 'You Can Only See Me After Dark', slam us into completely different territory, with the Bukem-esque Rhodes piano proving a nice counterpoint to the rugged beats. 'I Go There To Look At The Spurce' takes us off on another tangent, a broken beat with sped up hip-hop credentials, a double bass and some echoey dub effects filling up the sound spectrum. 'But My Name Is Not Bruce' takes a speedy, trip hoppy groove into hypnotic, loopy, spaces, while 'I Am The Scariest Man At The Park' proves not only that our man is a dab hand at an original title, he also has a keen sense of drama, closing the EP with some nicely haunted house piano and general eeriness. More

Butter Side Up Records welcomes back Liquid Earth for Deputy Dog, his second EP on the label. It arrives in early May and once again explores a sublime and spaced-out club sound with original artwork by Cleymoore.

New school mainstay Liquid Earth last appeared on this label in the summer of 2020. Since then, the LA-based artist has continued to bring his sound to labels like Kalahari Oyster Cult and his own Liquid Earth Physical. He mixes up elements of the OG 90s tech house sound with fresh West Coast feels, infectious analogue grooves and a real understanding of dance floor dynamics.

This new EP continues that signature sound with opener '2 The Dance Floor' bringing tight, punchy drums and swirling cosmic pads that make for a cinematic trip. 'Deputy Dog' gets more unhinged with its wild modulated leads bleeping and squeaking over brushed metal drums and a fat bassline. 'Rim City' continues to up the ante with party-starting energy coming from quick, slick drums and jungle breaks, raved-up chord patterns and subtle trance vibes. It's a brilliantly busy arrangement to really make the floor cut loose. Last but not least, 'Feels So Good (As It Should)' locks you into a deeper, more marching groove that's coloured with muted neon pads and cosmic motifs.

These are full-flavour tracks that brim with musical character and plenty of dance floor clout. More

London based label and party Butter Side Up follow-up a sold out debut release from Christian Jay with another helping of atmospheric house music, this time from Leeds based rising star Midge Thompson. The long time BSU associate serves up three tracks that are complemented with a rare remix from the legendary Titonton Duvante.
Opener ‘Destination 2242’ is a slick and spaced out broken beat groover. Sci-fi motifs wither next to a sprinkling of garage percussion and rubbery drum programming is brilliantly loose and body popping. ‘Delta’ gets even deeper, with skeletal drums knocking out an infectious late-night rhythm while dreamy pads flesh things out. Spacecrafts drift in the background to add some cinematic stylings and make it perfect for the more close-knit dance floors.
On the flip, ‘Beeston Lights’ picks up the pace with perfectly rolling kicks pulling you in as keys twinkle up top like a distant metropolis at night. It’s smooth and breezy house music to carry you away on a blissful vibe. Remixing is Titonton Duvante, a long time influence on the Butter Side Up crew and a cult figure in heady house circles thanks to definitive work on his own Residual Recordings, Mosaic and many others. His chunky take on techno is hard to beat, as proven here with a remix that re-works the drums into busy, restless things that work the feet while the Americans’s typically ethereal pads bring real depth.
Original artwork by Sophie Douala.
More

Dean Josiah Cover AKA Info's Sault collective has been one of the success stories of the last few years - a hard-to-pigeonhole outfit that manages to knock out inspired albums at a rate of knots. Their latest full-length, '11', is another brilliant and must-check excursion. Largely lo-fi, languid and laidback, it delivers a particularly loose and lo-fi take on soul - blessed with their usual nods to Afrobeat and soundsystem culture - whose instrumentation is deliberately sparse and laidback (think bass guitar, drums and guitar). The results are rarely less than impeccable, with the collective's vocals (both female and male singers feature) rising above vintage-sounding grooves and arrangements that variously doff a cap to Sly Stone, Cymande and - on the drowsy, warming and synth-sporting 'Higher' - the more tactile end of British 80s soul. More

The mysterious Sault troupe is back with a call to action and revolutionary soul soundtrack that really bangs the box. "Ain't nothing gunna keep us silent" the lead singer yelps on 'Stop Der', which is an immediate banger after the soothing ambience and closely mic-ed whispers of the opener, which muse on what it means to be black. The rest of the record is a hard hitting mix of crisp drums and empowering vocals, with elements of classic soul as well as contemporary jazz colouring the grooves. This is powerful music with an even more powerful message. More

Very little is known about the collective of musicians behind the SAULT project, but their music in many ways speaks for itself. Earlier in the year they delivered Untitled (Black Is), a heartfelt, angry and righteous set of soul, funk, drill and spoken word tracks that provided a brilliant commentary on what it means to be black in 2020. It's a contender for album of the year, for sure, and the good news is that this speedy follow-up is every bit as essential. It's undoubtedly more celebratory than its predecessor, but every bit as musically detailed, combining cutting-edge electronics and all manner of infectious rhythms with enlightening vocals and all manner of live jazz, soul, punk-funk and jazz-funk instrumentation (as well as some seriously evocative orchestration). More

Belgrade-based Laars marks his first solo vinyl release over a sensual 4-track tale honouring the merits of faith, discipline, and the satisfaction of taking your sweet time. Drawing from the vibrant sounds of the 90s and 00s progressive trance and house scenes, he discovered a kindredship with those who have since then primed and perfected their own modern takes on the definitive genres.

The proggy trance/house opener “Breath Control” sighs into existence, emerging like the head-rush of euphoria that accompanies surfing the sadistic tease between suspense and bliss. High resonance and acid sounds punctuate the track, supplying a dominant bodily cue amidst the melodies, gated vocals and loops. “What If You Fly” observes the void below and decides to jump anyway, finding its faith rewarded in a free-fall through chords and synths that knit into a dark, groovy soundscape - soaring over an underscore of conga drums as though caught in exhilarating flight.

On the B-side, “Concur” looks up from the void back into the ether, embracing the danger of the pale blank space above. At 135BPM it glitches and dances through a cyclone of atmospheric synths, pads and cult sci-fi film samples, grinding like a serrated blade under a soft-focus lens. For the close, “Delight” flirts with the comfort of another, tantalising its approach before erupting in slow-motion from its amniotic state. It blisters, bubbles and gasps - and then takes a roll-eyed descent into breakbeats and arps that glide like menacingly slow fingertips over hot skin.

The record from Laars has a precious message: when was the last time that you really let go and listened to the steady rise and fall of your own breath, or sank into the discomfort of not knowing, but continued anyway? The outcome is still the same: jump. More

You might not have a fixed image of who or what Sault are, given their skill in maintaining a degree of anonymity, but as they notch up their sixth album it's hard to ignore the imposing presence they cut on the experimental fringe of modern UK soul. They started out in 2019 with raw funk and Afrobeat inspired excursions, reflecting on varying perspectives of the Black experience. On Air, the group shake off their previous groove orientation to offer something more orchestrally-inclined, and to their credit they pull it off in remarkable fashion. Lyrically they're focusing on self care and individuality within the Black community, injecting a sense of uplift into their message where they previously reflected on inherited pain and tribulations. Their rapid output doesn't come at the expense of the quality and depth of their expression, making this another essential step forward for one of the most intriguing crews out there right now. More

another repress coming mid/end of january 2025. More

Jennifer Loveless's 2023 anthem 'Pleasure' gets twisted with three dynamic reworks and a dub mix, taking the original vision into new sonic territory. Parisian DJ / producer extraordinaire Bambounou pumps out a jackin' version to fire things up. Next up, the Lisbon-based veteran tINI gives a nod to old-school electro in a fresh bass-heavy offering. The EP is rounded off with an Indubm-3ntal mix by Loveless and label bosses Sleep D venturing into dubbed out techno territory, layering deep, atmospheric textures over hypnotic beats. Together, these remixes take the original to new heights, bringing pure pleasure to the deepest and darkest dancefloors. More

Tracklisting
A1 Peryl - Raster
A2 Viels - Caduta Nel Vuoto
B1 ORBE - Extraction
B2 dc11 - Special Serial

Sales Note
End Of Perception welcome on board four established and well known techno producers Orbe, dc11, Viels and Peryl for the seventh VA of the label.
Defined raw and trippy techno cuts. More