Tracklisting
A1 Oscar Mulero - Disapear Inside
A2 Oscar Mulero - A Hundred Baby Spiders Came Out
A3 Oscar Mulero - Take The Pleasures From The Serpent
B1 Oscar Mulero - No Termination Date
B2 Oscar Mulero - Same Answers The rest Of Us Want
C1 Oscar Mulero - Have You Ever Retired a Human by Mistake
C2 Oscar Mulero - Orange Body, Green Legs
D1 Oscar Mulero - Wait For Me
D2 Oscar Mulero - One More Kiss

Sales Note
Our private bandleader, Oscar Mulero, returns strongly to his own label with a complete techno album. This work represents the new edition of the WUBC special series and will be released in both double vinyl and digital formats with an extra son on the zeroes and ones edition.

On this occasion, Oscar focuses on the dance floor unceremoniously, except for the required ambient introduction. Throughout the sound journey that involves the continuous listening to the album, the listener is immersed in a complete experience on the dance floor, with the correct doses of mentalism and physical exercise that are required to develop the activity at the highest level.

As is tradition in Oscar Mulero's productions, there is a strong classical content, which draws on the original sources of Detroit and Birmingham, but seasoned with that dose of sci-fi that only he knows how to administer with this intensity. If you have followed his performances around the world you will have already been able to enjoy some of these exercises that now you can finally add to your collection.

One more piece in the unstoppable discography of one of the fittest exponents of contemporary techno, both on stage and in the studio. More

Tracklist

Tracklist
A1. Oscar Mulero - The Sweat And The Salt
A2. Oscar Mulero - The Reddish Glow

B1. Oscar Mulero - Why Are You Holding a Gun?
B2. Oscar Mulero - The Sunlight Blinded His Eyes


Known for his intense DJ sets and heavily textured productions, Oscar Mulero embodies all that has made him a central figure in the international techno scene in 'The Stranger'. His first release on Token since 2021's 'Titan', the Spaniard announces his return the only way he knows how, through layered concoctions of noisy synth work and impactful percussion wrapped up in a four track EP of impressive weight.

The record's first track 'The Sweat and the Salt' is a representative introduction to the rest of the project. Mulero holds nothing back with his moody, obscure style and funnels measured grit into every detail he can. Hypnotic to its core but noisy and saturated enough to give it an industrial edge, the intricacies of this first track are upheld and continued in 'The Reddish Glow'. Here, we have more of a melodic back and forth being played between synth sequences. With no small dose of reverb to open up the dimension of the track, the incessant tapping of high to low frequency plucks make it a destabilizing mind trip of a club record. Complete with racing hi hats and his signature kick, Mulero plays with his elements to ensure depth in disorientation. 'Why Are You Holding a Gun' flattens up the space a little bit, creating more of a two-dimensional ambiance and taking synth distortion to a new level. A mess of an analog sequence hissing in the high end is paced out by metallic rides and short hi hats, making an effective dancefloor instrument. As powerful as ever, the PoleGroup boss controls his chaos with rhythmically questionable elements that add to the general delirium of 'The Stranger'. As the final chapter, 'The Sunlight Blinded His Eyes' is the perfect arrival to a stomping EP. A meditative pad hovers in the back while a rhythmically centered track forms, shuffling through drum patterns and an infectious bassline. Still packing a punch in the kick, this final song takes us out into the cosmos after a high pressure club music display by one of Spain's most respected contributors to techno.



More

Tracklisting
A1 Oscar Mulero - Aroma de Falso Amor
A2 Oscar Mulero - Poisonality
B1 Oscar Mulero - Iris Malicioso
B2 Oscar Mulero - Dos Pequenos Zorros More

Tracklisting:
A1 Oscar Mulero - Flujo Fatal
A2 Oscar Mulero - Nueva y Oscura Era
B1 Oscar Mulero - Noches de Menta
B2 Oscar Mulero - Dos Esqueletos

Release Note:
Brand new EP from the boss showcasing his new perspective and vision about techno along five cuts. Oscar Mulero's sound it's always changing and evolving, it can be physical and muscular or deep and sci-fi or both at the same time as this record shows.

On this occasion Spanish titles explain the feeling of each track perfectly, Flujo Fatal is the first slice, Fatal Flow in English, a mental and deep voyage into intelligent techno: full of detail but with an energetic pulse below that activates the dance while the mind is traveling in unveiled territories.

Nueva y Oscura Era is the second cut, fast and obsessive, with detailed percussive elements crossing the stereo field while continuous synth lines run over the precise beat. An ideal mix tool for the peak time hours in the dancefloor.

Noches de Menta reminds us of the good old Birmingham days, intense, rugged and fast. Minimal in the components and pristine in the sound processing. Music for those who dance with closed eyes in the shadows and strobe lights.

Dos Esqueletos is the last cut on vinyl, an elastic and liquid piece made of shuffled rhythms almost 90% percussive. Perfect mixing tool for those who know.

On the digital release appears an extra track called Aire Silencioso, sibilant and resonant textures fly on the high part of the sound spectrum while a compact groove keeps the pace for a full physical experience. The extreme frequency treatment will cause waves in people's minds while dancing... immersive and expansive at the same time.
More

- repress on dark red marbled vinyl / in original sleeve -
More

This is the second installment of the Warm Up Bandcamp Vinyl series and comes again signed by label boss Oscar Mulero. Limited edition vinyl EP with three cuts of merciless techno designed to shake minds and feet.

"Gradual Blending" starts with the core elements up, distorted kicks, shuffled hats, resonant percussive components, super reverberated claps, density and obscurity aligned in an hypnotic structure.

"Evolutionary Decay" is elastic and physical, a solid subbass / kick / hat groove, phased synthetic layers, atmospheres and liquidness: Intelligent tool.

"Natural Resources" relies again on distorted drums, asymmetrical sinoidal sequences and Fm synths all designed in a wise arrangement.

Timeless, hard and mental for the real players out there. More

We are glad to introduce you this Bandcamp exclusive premiere, release available on pre-order vinyl and digital, from label owner Oscar Mulero, offering us four cuts of precise and expertly crafted techno.
"Transparent Ray" relies on a cosmic sequenced line, growing and evolving over a dry kick drum while additional percussive layers run on top.
"Solarized" starts with a solid groove and gated synth sounds that change in shape as the minutes go. Liquid but raw at the same time.
"Opposite" is built upon an asymmetrical beat combining digital bleeps and filtered 808 snares spiced with delays and reverbs, a mixing tool in essence.
As a digital bonus track, "Generator", fat bass drums, continuous percussive components in various layers, plus occasional synth action.
Four cuts that interacts one with each other, made to be combined, frequency melted in expert dj sets. More

Oscar Mulero is back home with this intense four tracker, giving a twist to his sound, running into harsher territories, using distortion wisely, going uptempo and focusing directly on those dancing.
"Unveiling of Reality" opens with shuffled elements, obsessive sequences and punchy drum work, asymmetrical notes fight in the arrangement going back and forth, attacking every neuronal process.
"Out of Field" is pulsating and spacey, a few elements swinging together in a wise arrangement.
"Wandering Nowhere" returns to grey and granular terrain, distorted synth lines, super low bass workout, sharpened hats and percussions and darkness as leitmotiv.
"Unnoticed Absence" goes jazzy with unquantised elements, liquid filtered synths,a nd again shuffled beats. A few elements well seasoned to make an ideal mixing tool. More

Oscar Mulero presents: 'Perfect Peace'. Don't expect dancefloor burners here, this time the spanish techno master goes deep and low, exploring sonic textures, low BPM grooves and the intelligent side of electronic music. Melodies, pads, drones and grooves collide in this soulful collection, conceived to be listened as a soundtrack. Oscar is not new to this sounds, in his Grey Fades To Green or Muscle and Mind albums he showcased his abilities in this field as well as with his Av projects Biolive and Monochrome. A new step in Oscar Mulero's ever growing career, showing his studio skills and music taste, far beyond his role as a fundamental techno dj. More

Advance 12" of the upcoming Oscar Mulero album 'Perfect Peace', SEMANTICA 70 with some deep electronix! More

It's time to celebrate, nothing less than 50 releases spread along 17 years of existence. For this very reason we have planned this awesome remixes pack, split in two EP's based in the limited clear vinyl PATTERN SERIES originals and with an amazing digital release including all original cuts of the series not available digitally until now. The second EP features Shlomo's modern approach to Textures, rolling subbass, shuffled grooves, micro drones and lush pads comprise the equation. Maestro Donato Dozzy approaches Color in an old school way, vintage grooves, acid lines and rude sound mixed with resonant sweeps and sci-fi paraphernalia. Chevel offers his own personal view on Form, mixing pads and atmospheres with 80's flavored melodies and weird beats ending in industrial madness, a very unique version.



More

Tracklisting
A1 Translate - Scattering
A2 Translate - Orbital Range
B1 Translate - Syntaxi
B2 Translate - Vertex More

Tracklisting
A1 Oscar Mulero - Disapear Inside
A2 Oscar Mulero - A Hundred Baby Spiders Came Out
A3 Oscar Mulero - Take The Pleasures From The Serpent
B1 Oscar Mulero - No Termination Date
B2 Oscar Mulero - Same Answers The rest Of Us Want
C1 Oscar Mulero - Have You Ever Retired a Human by Mistake
C2 Oscar Mulero - Orange Body, Green Legs
D1 Oscar Mulero - Wait For Me
D2 Oscar Mulero - One More Kiss

Sales Note
Our private bandleader, Oscar Mulero, returns strongly to his own label with a complete techno album. This work represents the new edition of the WUBC special series and will be released in both double vinyl and digital formats with an extra son on the zeroes and ones edition.

On this occasion, Oscar focuses on the dance floor unceremoniously, except for the required ambient introduction. Throughout the sound journey that involves the continuous listening to the album, the listener is immersed in a complete experience on the dance floor, with the correct doses of mentalism and physical exercise that are required to develop the activity at the highest level.

As is tradition in Oscar Mulero's productions, there is a strong classical content, which draws on the original sources of Detroit and Birmingham, but seasoned with that dose of sci-fi that only he knows how to administer with this intensity. If you have followed his performances around the world you will have already been able to enjoy some of these exercises that now you can finally add to your collection.

One more piece in the unstoppable discography of one of the fittest exponents of contemporary techno, both on stage and in the studio. More

Tracklisting
A1 Claudio PRC - Elliptic
A2 Claudio PRC - Focal Zone
B1 Claudio PRC - Axial
B2 Claudio PRC - Focal Zone (Oscar Mulero remix) More

Tracklisting
A1 DJ Surgeles - Philokalist
A2 DJ Surgeles - Beams and rays
B1 DJ Surgeles - Frames of time
B2 DJ Surgeles - Act of valor More

Tracklisting
A1 Sciahri - Dying Nature
A2 Sciahri - No Regrets
B1 Sciahri - Purity
B2 Sciahri - Aurora

More

Tracklisting:
A1 Notzing - Protae
A2 Notzing - Fagus
B1 Notzing - Ekaterin
B2 Notzing - Molniya
B3 Notzing - Emision

Sales Note
It is always our pleasure to have new talents in the house, and we've been following Notzing's development since long ago. His approach to techno is absolutely personal and complex, hard and intrincated, mental and physical.

Protae is the first missile in this box full of weapons, a super busy techno exercise with compacted drums, drilling synth lines and random metallic hits breaking the monotony. The effect on the floor is devastating and has been tested extensively in dancefloors worldwide by label owner Oscar Mulero in the past months. 7 minutes of pure dancefloor mayhem.

Fagus continues with the sickness, with hysterical synth washe repeating an hypnotic chant, adding layers of sound as the groove goes by. Repetition is here the key to proper trance, not exactly with pleasant tones but by aggression.

Ekaterin is gummy and elastic with formant synth sounds chewing frequencies and changing constantly in shape. Another mental mantra with a physical drive.

Molniya slows down the pace and dives into profound sound scapes full of unnatural underwater sounds and washes providing a feeling of scuba diving.

To end this sonic odyssey, Emision goes completely beatless, growing from the profound sub bass frequencies to crispy and crunchy surface noises, creating the soundtrack of floating in outer space with no gravity. Please beware of the super intense bass tones when playing on a big sound system.
The perfect combination of experimentation and punchiness, keep an eye on this guy, is gonna make some proper noise in the coming years. More

Tracklisting:
A1 Endplate - Unreal
A2 Endplate - PMMM
B1 Endplate - No Succes Street
B2 Endplate - Malenia

Sales Note
Endplate is back after his excellent Gemini EP from 2020. The andalusian expert gives us four exercises of proper driving techno with an excellent sonic craft.

Unreal opens this slice of plastic with a repetitive and elastic line grooving across the precise beat. The main synth line changes in intensity along the development of the track playing wisely with the percussive elements to create the required feeling.

On PMMM the rhythm goes dirty and pulsating, gummy sequences come along a n intense drum pattern heavily reverberated and processed.

The flip side opens with, No Success Street, starting with a voice-like sound, obsessive and intense with an opaque bass drum as foundation. Sibilant drones add tension to the formula, increasing the adrenaline levels as the track goes into total madness.

Malenia closes the physical edition with echoed drums and loads of reverb. The drums go solo for the first bars, being filtered and processed constantly. A superb tool to add tension to a busy set.

As the first bonus digital track, Animal Noise, dirty and screamy, a dystopic hymn for the proper morning routine at Berghain for example.

To end the digital version, Green Eye, direct and punchy, with the right dose of drum pressure on a 90% rhythmic track, again a tool for those to know how to use them.

Techno with no jokes inside, from the makers to the real players. More

Tracklisting:
A1 Divide - Anamorfosi
A2 Divide - Liquidazione
A3 Divide - Isocrono
B1 Divide - Decomposizione
B2 Divide - Elaborazione More

2022 repress

We launch our rocket number 057 by the expert hands of Tensal, three pieces of direct to the floor operational techno, faster, heavier and darker than the previous outcome by Hector.
On the A-side, the first cut is "Civil Defense", sharp continuous sequences showing up right from the beginning, solid kicks and a memorable break. This one is gone make some damage in sound systems out there.
B1 "Collapse", again starting with no remorse, white noises, distorted textures, heavy sub bass action and hi speed tempos, another to the bone exercise.
B2 is "Bihotxak", solid grooves, percussive panned details, on a linear and tooly arrangement excellent for long mixes and build-ups.
Composed, designed and recorded by Tensal. Mixed by Oscar Mulero. More

Tracklisting:
A1 PWCCA - Intro
A2 PWCCA - Unreal Element
A3 PWCCA - Unnatural Register
B1 PWCCA - Unexpected Result
B2 PWCCA - Irregular Frecuencies
B3 PWCCA - Outro More

Tracklist:
A1 Ribé - Palette
A2 Ribé - Shapes
B1 Ribé - Ad Infinitum (Oscar Mulero remix)
B2 Ribé - Ad Infinitum

Release Note:
Alberto Pascual, also known as Ribe is a well seasoned veteran in the Spanish scene. An expert synthesist and modular weirdo, his sound palette is amazing. If you have been so fortunate to enjoy his live PA before these turbulent times, you've got the precision and hypnosis he always provides.

This release has a physical side and a digital one, with four and seven tracks respectively, including two Oscar Mulero remixes.

"Palette" opens the release, a lone kick drum squashed in reverb sets the pace on the first bars while abstract details appear randomly and a continuous sequence grows from below. The tension is kept all over the arrangement, not additional percussive elements, just the few principal elements going back and forth.

"Shapes" has a Basic Channel approach soundwise, texturized techno as its best, exploring the dark corners of sound design, and again all relaying on a linear and mental arrangement.

"Ad Infinitum" is remixed by Oscar Mulero in his first remake, transforming the formerly broken and abstract Ad Infinitum is a danceable intelligent weapon.

Original version of "Ad Infinitum" follows, providing the experimental slice of the EP. More

The Portuguese scfi maker Nørbak is back home after his "Faktor EP" from January 2019. These non clubbing days look like the perfect scenario for listening to long distance works, so here you have this brand new album to enjoy at your private soundsystem.

"Flesh to Ashes" will be released both physically and digitally, with an extra track on the downloadable version.

Nørbak is well known for his precision and deepness, always pushing forward production wise, focusing on the details and sound design aspects.

The album gravitates between beatless cuts, broken beats, profound exercises and virtual dancefloor weapons.

"Intro" and "Camera" (the extra digital track) belong to the first category, "The third morality" is the broken cut, "Flesh to ashes" and "Land of sin" explore the deepest side of techno and the rest of the tracklist is about peak time tracks.

The overall feeling while listening to this album is travelling out there where no gravity is the mood, swinging among stars and constellations, landing on undiscovered planets... a landscape with no viruses or facemasks or repression.

A collection of a-temporal tracks that will surely pass the test of time and be ready to be playable whenever this nightmare ends. More

Mike Storm is one of the true exponents of cosmic and advanced techno, his relentless output has seen the light on the best labels around and has been a favorite for dj's like Jeff Mills and Oscar Mulero to name but a few.

In his first output in our label, both physically and digitally he offers a total of five cuts, four on wax and five on files.

His sound has not changed during the years, always pulsating, cosmic and abstract. With a high BPM rate and continuous and unpredictable structures and arrangements.

This is the soundtrack of a cosmic voyage out there where there is no atmosphere nor barriers, the music score of a timeless space adventure.

Skillful dj's will love this work, perfect to be use as layering tools or to stand on their own as proper club tracks.

Definitely not for everyone this is an a-temporal statement on how proper techno should be. More

This is the second installment of the Warm Up Bandcamp Vinyl series and comes again signed by label boss Oscar Mulero. Limited edition vinyl EP with three cuts of merciless techno designed to shake minds and feet.

"Gradual Blending" starts with the core elements up, distorted kicks, shuffled hats, resonant percussive components, super reverberated claps, density and obscurity aligned in an hypnotic structure.

"Evolutionary Decay" is elastic and physical, a solid subbass / kick / hat groove, phased synthetic layers, atmospheres and liquidness: Intelligent tool.

"Natural Resources" relies again on distorted drums, asymmetrical sinoidal sequences and Fm synths all designed in a wise arrangement.

Timeless, hard and mental for the real players out there. More

It's always a pleasure to have a visit from the family, so we welcome again Kessell at home. Not many words needed to introduce this classic producer whose name means skills, futurism and quality.
He offers four cuts of hypnotically driven techno, starting with "Killing Vector". Sharp drum work, funky stabs and classy feeling.
"Crypto" follows with a more alien approach, random Fm sequences, shuffled grooves and asymmetrical synth lines.
"Processed For Use" comes into tooly territories, with opaque sequences that progressively grow from the low part of the sound spectrum and a solid rhythm backing, mutating and evolving wisely.
"Refuse To Conform" sounds scifi and bleepy, irregular drum patterns, reverberated synth bleeps and lots of fx processing collide in a super intelligent mix tool.
Four tracks of pure techno aside of tendencies, for the real players out there. More

When complex sci-fi techno comes to mind, the name of Eric Fetcher is fundamental. For this slice of wax, the French producer based in Barcelona offers 5 cuts, four in the physical edition and one extra in the digital release.
"Rupture 1" is like a Martian troops march in hyperspace, obsessive modular sequences, shuffled beats and a linear and hypnotic arrangement.
"Rupture 2", goes even more alien, whit hi tech jazz synth lines, traditional 909 shuffled beats and again an abstract development.
"Rupture 3" is like an elongation of the previous two, with the same stytlistic parameters.
"Rupture 4" goes deeper into percussive fields, less synthetic and more toolish.
Music from the future cooked today by one of the best sound designers around. More

We are glad to introduce you this Bandcamp exclusive premiere, release available on pre-order vinyl and digital, from label owner Oscar Mulero, offering us four cuts of precise and expertly crafted techno.
"Transparent Ray" relies on a cosmic sequenced line, growing and evolving over a dry kick drum while additional percussive layers run on top.
"Solarized" starts with a solid groove and gated synth sounds that change in shape as the minutes go. Liquid but raw at the same time.
"Opposite" is built upon an asymmetrical beat combining digital bleeps and filtered 808 snares spiced with delays and reverbs, a mixing tool in essence.
As a digital bonus track, "Generator", fat bass drums, continuous percussive components in various layers, plus occasional synth action.
Four cuts that interacts one with each other, made to be combined, frequency melted in expert dj sets. More

We bring Patrik Carrera to our team, starting our relationship with this "Inevitable Decay EP". The Australian born, Berlin based producer, offers four slices of modern techno, balancing aggression with hypnosis along four cuts.
"Standing Fog" uses a mega distorted kick and resonant hypnotic bleeps on top, reminding the old X 102 feeling. No remorse in this track, straight to the point madness.
"Altered Form" relies on a complex groove, with asymmetrical components and is heavily texturized, the main synth line goes on forever while different elements go back and forth. The rhythm grows in intensity on the final moments, adding distortion and dirtiness.
"Liquid Toil" goes hyperspace, abstract sinusoidal sequences float over an opaque groove that is soon filled with shuffled 909 hats and sci-fi textures. Jeff Mills will love this one.
"Influx" puts the eye in old Birmingham tools, with a reverberated repetitive sequence over a shuffled beat, things move just a bit, keeping the pace linear and obsessive making a superb mixing tool.
A diverse EP with a personal approach to intelligent dance territories, music that could be from 10 years after today, from the future. More

Every now and again, a record carves itself an indelible place in the history of a place, a scene or a genre, all under its own steam – without a big budget, without a press campaign, without mainstream radio, just by hitting all the right notes at the right moment. Maybe you had to have been there to really feel it – locked into the pirate stations, a regular at the right clubs, or leaning on the counter in the right records shops on a Saturday afternoon – but if you were, there are some tunes that will always vibrate with the underground cultural energy of their time. Bô'vel's 1996 Manchester streetsoul anthem 'Check 4 U' is one of those tunes. The kind of song that makes the over-used phrase 'underground classic' mean something again, it effortlessly distills the sounds of its era into one of the most undeniable, genre-spanning cuts of the mid-1990s. The song resonates with the regional flavours of UK sound-system culture: the sweet club sound of Manchester's vibrant streetsoul scene, the dubwise hip-hop throb of the Bristol movement, and the bass-lore of the reggae sound systems whose wisdom stretched from Leeds to South London and beyond. Built around a humid kick drum and a bin-busting bass pulse arranged in head-nodding syncopation, the song is blessed with an instantly memorable harmonised hook, and perfectly set off by Bô'vel's crystalline vocals. Upful, stepping and tinged with melancholy, it remains one of the most well-loved and highly sought-after UK streetsoul sides. The three mixes of 'Check 4 U' appeared as the a-side of a blank-label five-track 12". It was Bô'vel's second release, after a soulful five-track EP issued in 1995 on her own Bô'vel Records had been a surprise success. Produced by Kev Waddington, that initial record had come about almost by accident after a chance encounter in Manchester's HQ Studios, as Bô'vel recalls today: 'We were making these five tracks because we were having bit of an argument with radio not being able to play what they wanted, really, only what the record labels wanted… they never had anybody coming through properly, because everything was pretty much underground. We were making records, like really pop stuff, to take the piss… So in the studio one day, this guy came in – all I know is that his was name was Nigel. And he came in and said, I want to put that five-track EP out with you. We just don't know who the hell he was to this day, really. And he said, you've got to do it 50/50, it's going to be £1000. So I said okay – I just trusted him. I gave him 500 quid. He gave me 1000 records. He just dropped them at the studio. I picked them up and then I went into Manchester city centre and gave it to a couple of DJs on underground radio.' Pirate radio loved it. With play on stalwart Manchester pirates like Buzz FM and Soul Nation, the EP immediately blew up. Bô'vel took the record into Fat City Records, Manchester's premier outlet and distributor for soul, hip-hop and dance, who took a batch, quickly sold out and took several hundred more copies; it eventually transpired that a large quantity were selling to Japan, where the combination of soul smarts and classy production had been caught by discerning ears. Elsewhere, friends distributed the record by hand in London and Birmingham, working them through UK's then burgeoning network of independent dance music shops. The warm reception the record received encouraged Bo'vel to return to the studio for sessions that would become 'Check 4 U'. The EP had been issued under a Bô'vel Records imprint, but she had sold it to Fat City without disclosing that she was the artist – 'I said, "There's this singer, she's great, she's done this cheesy stuff, try it, it's a bit Kylie Minogue". He said "oh, give us 300", and then he had some more.' For the next release, she decided to keep things completely minimal. 'The next one, I said, right, let's just put it out as a white label, and if people like it they like it, they don't have to see who we are or anything.' Though punitive legislation and overexposure had tamed rave culture, and the inflated status of superstar DJs had pushed once underground scenes fully into the mainstream, dance music culture in mid-1990s Britain still retained a certain feral energy. There was still a groundswell of vital local scenes and rapidly changing musical styles, and – combined with local record shops – clubs and pirate radio were still the chief arbiters of influence. 'In the 90s, pirate radio just played the best music. I mean, you couldn't really get music like that anywhere. The same as you couldn't get music like that [being played] in the Reno, which was very different,' remembers Bô'vel, referring to the legendary Moss Side soul club, an underground institution from 1962 until its closure in 1986. 'That's where music really started for me, going to clubs like the Reno at the age 15, 16, 17, and going to places like the Nile [upstairs from the Reno], which was all reggae, you know – that's really where the beats came for me.' The production on the new record would reflect these influences more than the EP had been able too. 'I liked a big bassline,' the singer reflects. 'There's a big bassline there on the five-track EP, 'I Can't Get By', which is a really, really good song, but they just could not get the bass – I was so gutted when that came back…if they'd have shown us the master we'd have said no.' These problems were to be avoided on 'Check 4 U' by the involvement of producer Uriah Gale. 'We already had the tune, and Uriah came on board, and I said, it's just not soulful enough. I was working with Kev Waddington, and he said "I just can't do it." So when Uriah came along, the bass was there, but he tidied it all up and made it really cool, and he was tremendous on the harmony,' she recalls. 'Out of all the mixes, his was the best. He was incredible to work with, and also incredibly talented. With alternate mixes of 'Life Changes You' from the 1995 EP as the b-side, 'Check 4 U' was issued with blank blue labels and sent out with a DJ one-sheet describing Bô'vel as 'Manchester's favourite soul Diva'. 2000 copies were pressed, and the record was distributed by Jetstar. It quickly became another pirate radio hit. 'Soul Nation and Buzz FM did support me from the very start [along with] every single DJ on Manchester radio,' she recalls, 'They're my biggest fans, the DJs here, I've got to big them up!' Manchester's support was mirrored by pirates around the UK. 'We had the support of radios across the country – I just could not believe it. So we went on a tour… We would go to the pirate stations, do an interview, then do a gig – that's how the gigging came about… gigging in Birmingham, Huddersfield, Liverpool, London – I've got so much respect for the pirate radios down there. They were brilliant… We used to take all my stuff straight to London,' she remembers. 'Each radio was doing pretty much the same thing, in their own style, with their own beats. Like, when I went down to Bristol, I showed them the EP and 'I Check 4 U' and they said, hey girl, you've got the Bristol beat!' But her core audience was at home in Manchester. 'London did support me a lot, but not like my home town – they loved me as I love them… Manchester supported me through and through, to this very day,' she remembers. Performing in mid-1990s Manchester was not always straightforward, though: 'In Manchester, it was kind of hard to do gigs, because there was a bit of gang warfare. So, you know, that was a problem. You'd be doing a gig and they'd all be there in their [bulletproof] vests, you know, Cheetham Hill and Moss Side, and it was a bit of a nightmare. And because I was more Manchester side, even though I went to school in Cheetham Hill, I was with a guy from Moss Side. So it was pretty hard gigging in Manchester, I had a bit of a hard time.' Nevertheless, 'my gigs were packed to the rafters…I wasn't scared because I knew I had protection. The gigs were fantastic, here in Manchester and everywhere, and I'm glad and very grateful to be able to say that.' A further single followed – the garage-flavoured 'Earthling', made with producer Ben Stansfield – but this would be her final release. 'My life changed,' she remembers. 'I had a split… I was just bringing my daughter up. I used to live in the countryside, and I was having a bit of a different life… I just spent a lot of time writing when I split up – I couldn't sing, it was like my voice wouldn't work. I was just thinking all the time, and not speaking. So I was just speaking through my music… I just became a writer, and I was more looking for other people to sing the [songs], you know? Because there's a lot of talent here in Manchester.' However, she retained access to a studio, and over time she began to record again, working with various producers and amassing a large amount of material. It is this unreleased material that we collect on Life Changes – nine unheard Bô'vel songs from the period 1997-2008(dates?), selected from her own archive. Until now, none of this unreleased work has been heard. Not an artist to be constrained by genre, the music showcases Bô'vel's exploration of a wide range of styles, from the dubbed-out downtempo of 'My Man' or 'I Wanna Be Free' to the updated streetsoul of 'Let Down And Liar', via the breakbeat hype of 'Do It Your Way' and the straight-ahead reggae vibe of 'Daydreamer'. This unreleased music is presented alongside the unfadeable 'I Check 4 U' and two classic streetsoul cuts from her 1995 EP, 'Life Changes You' and 'Coming Back'. The common denominator across the album is of course Bô'vel herself: a singer of rare timbral clarity whose musical vision has determined the sound of every record she has made, a prolific and personal song-writer in the UK soul tradition, and the artist behind one of the most celebrated underground soul tunes of the pirate radio era. Still most definitely someone to check for. More

Tracklisting
A1 Reeko - Urmah #1
B1 Reeko - Urmah #2
C1 Reeko - Urmah #3
C2 Reeko - Urmah #4
D1 Reeko - Urmah #5
D2 Reeko - Urmah #6

Sales Note
Building on the foundation of his two EPs for Samurai Music, we proudly present Urmah, the first LP exploring the 170 tempo from acclaimed Techno/Electronic producer Juan Rico aka Reeko, aka Architectural.

Reeko has now become an integral part of the overall Samurai Music sound. His work resonates deeply within the label's ethos, and Urmah exemplifies this synergy, highlighting his ability to enrich and expand Samurai Music's vision and push the boundaries of his own artistic expression.

For Urmah, Reeko delves even further into sound and psyche with a richer, more enveloping exploration into his distinct interpretation of the tempo. Reeko's production prowess shines brightly on Urmah with the warmth and weight of each track leaving an indelible impression.

Urmah focuses on heady fathomless grooves that tease shards of breakbeats like delicious icing, binding themselves to a gentle psychedelia with celestial textures. This is dexterous, meditative journey music from a producer who has an intimate relationship with groove creation.

As one of the most respected Techno producers in the genres long history, Reeko's influence and mastery are undeniable. With Urmah, he further showcases his expertise, expanding his palette to display a refined command of the 170 BPM tempo. The LP is a testament to his ability to innovate and redefine, solidifying his reputation as a pioneering force in electronic music. More

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