Tracklist:
A1 Nothing
A2 Peace Again
A3 Donde Vas
A4 Secret Love
A5 We Belong To Someone
B1 Without You
B2 In The Sky
B3 Man-Day
B4 Blue & White

In 2026, Bureau B reissues Nothing, the 2001 album by Ata Tak’s Frank Fenstermacher and Kurt Dahlke (Pyrolator) aka A Certain Frank, newly remastered and available on vinyl for the first time. Marking its 25th anniversary, the record stands as a quietly distinctive chapter in Düsseldorf’s post-Kraut electronic lineage – understated, atmospheric, and strikingly timeless.

A Certain Frank emerged in the mid-1990s from Düsseldorf’s uniquely fertile musical environment. Kurt Dahlke (Pyrolator) and Frank Fenstermacher were already central figures in the city’s post-war pop modernism: pioneers of the so-called Neue Deutsche Welle, members of Der Plan and Fehlfarben, and co-founders of the influential Ata Tak label. Since its founding in 1980, Ata Tak had championed an alternative German aesthetic that combined conceptual thinking with pop sensibility, releasing early work by artists such as DAF, Andreas Dorau, S.Y.P.H., Holger Hiller and later Oval. By the late 1990s, German electronic music had become largely synonymous with techno and club culture. Against this backdrop, A Certain Frank proposed a different trajectory – not oppositional, but deliberately understated. Rather than pursuing dancefloor functionality or revivalist gestures, Dahlke and Fenstermacher turned toward reduction, atmosphere, and subtle reconstruction. Drawing on easy listening and the once so-called “exotica,” they treated these references as malleable material, reshaping them into something restrained yet contemporary. Following No End of No (1996) and Nobody? No! (1998), Nothing completed an informal trilogy shaped by denial and refinement. Conceived from the outset as a fully collaborative work, the album moved beyond sample-based construction toward a largely self-generated sound. Basslines, drum grooves, and synthesizer textures were played live, joined by the voices of Mai Lingani, Karin Knipphals, and Fenstermacher himself – integrated as tonal elements within a fluid sonic fabric rather than traditional lead vocals. Dutch bassist Pascal Plantinga and Austrian drummer Mike Daliot contributed significantly to the record’s light-footed, groove-oriented energy.Originally released at the threshold of the new millennium, Nothing occupies a distinct space between jazz-inflected electronica, cinematic ambience, digital dub, and understated traces of drum & bass and lounge. Neither functional club music nor retro exercise, it embodies a quietly confident strain of Düsseldorf modernism – reflective, precise, and resistant to spectacle.

With this anniversary edition, Bureau B once again highlights a strand of German electronic music that exists between eras and categories. Carefully remastered and now pressed on vinyl for the first time, Nothing returns not as a relic, but as a work whose understated clarity continues to resonate – a testament to Bureau B’s ongoing dedication to preserving and recontextualising Germany’s experimental pop heritage.

– Hannes Stutz, 2026

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On their ninth album for Bureau B, the internationally renowned Berlin/Düsseldorf-based outfit Kreidler focus on atmospheric soundscapes - of course maintaining their signature rhythmic groove, which on "Schemes" is simply more buoyant and less insistent. "Schemes" is also characterised by the more pronounced use of nature/outdoor recordings. The track featuring Leo Garcia as a guest vocalist is based on just such a field recording. With "Schemes", Kreidler step into a more ambient space of possibilities, crafting an album that feels both carefully considered and delightfully unguarded.

Selling Points:
One of Germany"s influential electronic outfits since the 1990s
International recognition, festivals, collaborations
Schemes: ambient sensibility, organic field recordings, guest vocals by Leo Garcia
A must-have for collectors and electronic music specialists

For fans of: To Rococo Rot, Mouse on Mars, Brian Eno, CAN, Neu!, F.S.K., The Notwist

Tracklist:
1.1Beads
1.2Klove Twin
1.3Snowflakes
1.4Bellboy
1.5The distance between you
1.6Looming Large
1.7Marble Upset
1.8Via da me
1.9Fenix [with Leo Garcia]
1.10Tar

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Mit Grumpy Pieces kehrt der Düsseldorfer Musiker Harmonious Thelonious alias Stefan Schwander mit einem Werk zurück, das seine langjährige Klangästhetik präzise destilliert und zugleich spürbar aufreibt. Wieder verbinden sich Pan-Afrikanische und Nahöstliche Rhythmuskonzepte, minimalistische Wiederholungsstrukturen und reduzierter Elektronik-Einsatz zu einem hypnotischen Sound - diesmal jedoch rauer, trockener und offener für Brüche als zuvor. Die acht Stücke wirken wie unter Spannung gesetzt: Melodien schaben über kantige Bassfundamente, scharfe Snare-Schläge durchschneiden das Gefüge, und trotz des klaren Groove-Fokus ist ständig ein nervöses Knistern präsent. Grumpy Pieces reflektiert eine Gegenwart voller politischer und gesellschaftlicher Reibung - ohne explizite Kommentare, aber mit einer Musik, die Reibung selbst zum Gestaltungsmittel macht. Während die A-Seite vergleichsweise direkt beginnt, öffnet sich die B-Seite zunehmend dem kontrollierten Zerfall, bis der finale Track "Dissolving" den Titel programmatisch umsetzt. Entstanden ist das Album in Schwanders Düsseldorfer Studio - intuitiv, unmittelbar, ohne große Bildschirm-Arrangements, eng verwoben mit seiner live-erprobten, tranceartigen Arbeitsweise. Grumpy Pieces ist kein Bruch, sondern eine Zuspitzung: ein kraftvoll verdichtetes, körperliches und zugleich unruhiges Album, das die charakteristische Handschrift von Harmonious Thelonious schärft. Tanzmusik mit Widerstand - und Biss.

Tracklist:
1.1And You May Find Yourself
1.2Tzing
1.3Flip The Script (Dispair)
1.4Tropical + Electronical
1.5Beacon
1.6Made In Italy
1.7Les Belles Vacances
1.8Dissolving

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From 1971 to 1977, Peter Baumann was a member of the legendary Berlin band TANGERINE DREAM. The group were pioneers of the so called Berliner Schule (Berlin School) which had such a profound impact on electronic music. He produced a number of momentous albums at his Paragon Studio (by the likes of Conrad Schnitzler, Cluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius) and also enjoyed success as a solo artist. The influence of Tangerine Dream can clearly be heard on "Romance 76", although the arrangements are comparatively minimalist-a state of affairs for which David Bowie can be held partially responsible.

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Camouflage - Spice Crackers (30th Anniversary Edition) Camouflage zählen zu den wenigen deutschen Bands, die seit Jahrzehnten national wie international erfolgreich sind. Mit Welthits wie "The Great Commandment" (1987) und "Love Is A Shield" (1989) prägten sie den Synthpop der späten 80er. Nach vier Alben wagte die Band einen radikalen Schritt: "Spice Crackers" (1995) entstand erstmals komplett im eigenen Studio - ein kreativer Freiraum, der zu einer experimentellen Klangreise führte. Zum 30. Jubiläum erscheint dieses visionäre Werk nun erstmals auf Vinyl. Die 2LP im hochwertigen Klappcover mit bedruckten Innenhüllen präsentiert Camouflage von einer neuen Seite: hypnotisch, sphärisch, introspektiv. Statt klassischer Songs entstanden Klangskizzen, die sich zwischen Electropop, Ambient und motorischen Rhythmen bewegen. Heiko Maile beschreibt die Entstehung als "schier unendliche Aufnahme-Session", bei der alles aufgenommen wurde, was in den Kopf kam. Das Ergebnis: ein akustisches Labor voller Mut und Tiefe.

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Mit "Faust IV" veröffentlichte die Krautrock-Formation 1973 ihr zugänglichstes und zugleich widersprüchlichstes Werk. Nach zwei radikal experimentellen Alben und dem surrealen "Faust Tapes"-Sampler wagte die Band den Schritt ins professionelle Studio - und blieb dennoch ihrem anarchischen Geist treu. Entstanden in Virgin Records" "The Manor"-Studio, kombiniert das Album neue Aufnahmen mit Fragmenten früherer Sessions. Der Opener "Krautrock" parodiert den Genrebegriff mit hypnotischem Motorik-Groove und klanglicher Raffinesse. "The Sad Skinhead" überrascht mit Reggae-Anklängen und ironischen Texten, während "Jennifer" als frühes Dream-Pop-Vorbild gilt - schön und verstörend zugleich. Die zweite Albumhälfte zeigt Faust in freier Form: Elektronische Experimente, jazzige Improvisationen und dadaistische Klangcollagen wechseln sich ab. Der Abschluss "It"s A Bit Of A Pain" vereint akustische Melancholie mit elektronischer Störung - ein Sinnbild für Fausts kreative Widersprüche. "Faust IV" ist ein vielschichtiges Dokument einer Band, die sich nie festlegen ließ.

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Mit "So Far" setzte die Krautrock-Legende Faust 1972 ihre radikale Klangforschung fort. Nach dem experimentellen Debüt zeigt sich die Band hier strukturierter - aber nicht weniger subversiv. Die Songs wirken zugänglicher, doch unter der Oberfläche brodelt weiterhin Fausts anarchischer Geist.

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Mit Selenites, Selenites! präsentiert Jimi Tenor das erste Album seiner neuen Band - ein Meilenstein in der Karriere des finnischen Multiinstrumentalisten, der 2025 seinen 60. Geburtstag feierte. Tenor, bekannt für seine genreübergreifenden Visionen, vereint hier Afrobeat, Electronica, Spiritual Jazz und experimentelle Klangwelten zu einem kraftvollen, organischen Sound. Seit den 1990er Jahren prägt Tenor die internationale Musikszene mit Veröffentlichungen auf Labels wie Sähko und Warp Records. Seine Zusammenarbeit mit Künstlern wie Tony Allen, dem UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra und Florence Adooni zeigt seine Offenheit für musikalische Kulturen und seine Fähigkeit, scheinbar Gegensätzliches zu verbinden. Die JIMI TENOR BAND entstand in Helsinki und besteht aus fünf virtuosen Musiker:innen, die ihre Stücke live erprobt und verinnerlicht haben. Die Aufnahmen spiegeln diese Energie wider: Direkt, roh und voller Spielfreude. Die Songs wirken wie Live-Mitschnitte - spontan, intensiv und nahbar. Mit Selenites, Selenites! gelingt Tenor ein Album, das nicht nur musikalisch überzeugt, sondern auch seine Rolle als stilprägender Künstler unterstreicht.

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Mit Communication veröffentlicht Karl Bartos sein visionäres Soloalbum aus dem Jahr 2003 erneut - und trifft damit den Nerv der Zeit. Als prägendes Mitglied von Kraftwerk war Bartos maßgeblich an Klassikern wie "The Model", "The Robots" und "Numbers" beteiligt. Nach seinem Ausstieg 1990 setzte er mit Communication seine musikalische Reise fort - nun mit einem kritischen Blick auf die digitale Medienwelt. Das Album ist eine klanglich präzise und inhaltlich scharfsinnige Auseinandersetzung mit Themen wie Bildüberflutung, Identitätskonstruktion und der Fragmentierung von Realität. Was damals wie ein Blick in die Zukunft wirkte, ist heute aktueller denn je: Smartphones, soziale Medien und algorithmische Manipulation bestimmen unseren Alltag. Bartos gelingt es, elektronische Popmusik mit gesellschaftlicher Reflexion zu verbinden - ein seltenes Zusammenspiel von Klangfreude und Medienkritik. Die Neuauflage auf Bureau B ist keine nostalgische Rückschau, sondern ein Statement zur Gegenwart. "Wir leben in einer Zeit massiver Verhaltensmanipulation", sagt Bartos. "Kybernetik, künstliche Intelligenz - das ist eine große Herausforderung für die Menschheit."

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Mit Faust erschien 1971 eines der kompromisslosesten Debütalben der Musikgeschichte - ein Werk, das bis heute als Grundstein des Krautrock gilt. Jetzt wird dieses legendäre Album von Bureau B neu aufgelegt - roh, radikal und visionär wie eh und je. Was als Suche nach einer deutschen Antwort auf die Beatles begann, wurde zu einem anarchischen Klangexperiment: In einem umgebauten Schulhaus in Wümme lebte und arbeitete die Band wie in einer Kommune - mit selbstgebautem Studio, völliger kreativer Freiheit und einem Hang zum Kontrollverlust. Das Ergebnis: ein Album, das mit Tape-Loops, Improvisation, Dada-Collagen und Noise-Elementen die Rockmusik dekonstruiert und neu zusammensetzt. Tracks wie "Why Don"t You Eat Carrots" oder "Miss Fortune" sind keine Songs im klassischen Sinn, sondern klanggewordene Manifeste - roh, verspielt, politisch, poetisch. Faust ist ein Meilenstein für Fans von Avantgarde, Post-Rock, Industrial und experimenteller Elektronik - und ein faszinierendes Zeitdokument aus einer Ära des musikalischen Aufbruchs.

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Nach ihrem gefeierten Comeback-Album im Oktober 2024 melden sich Propaganda mit einem elektrisierenden Remix-Album zurück: Remix Encounters - eine klanggewaltige Hommage an ihr eigenes Werk, neu interpretiert von internationalen Größen wie Moby, Tangerine Dream, Rhys Fulber, Schiller und vielen mehr. Veröffentlicht auf Bureau B, vereint dieses Album die kreative Energie einer neuen Generation mit der visionären Kraft von Propaganda. Was als einzelne Remix-Anfrage begann, entwickelte sich zu einem globalen Projekt - von Düsseldorf über Helsinki bis Los Angeles. Jeder Track ist ein eigenständiges Kunstwerk, das elektronische Subgenres wie EBM, Ambient, House, Industrial und Rave aufgreift und neu verbindet. Remix Encounters ist mehr als ein Remix-Album - es ist ein Statement. Eine Feier der Transformation, der künstlerischen Freiheit und der ungebrochenen Relevanz einer Band, die seit ihrem Debüt A Secret Wish 1985 elektronische Musikgeschichte schreibt.


Tracklist:

1.1Purveyor Of Pleasure (Moby Remix)
1.2Distant (Schiller Remix)
1.3Dystopian (Steingen & Mertens Remix)
1.4They Call Me Nocebo (Rhys Fulber Remix)
1.5They Call Me Nocebo (Metroland Remix)
1.6They Call Me Nocebo (Tangerine Dream Remix)
2.1Tipping Point (Jori Hulkkonnen Remix)
2.2Love:Craft (Cult With No Name Remix)
2.3Vicious Circle (Jimi Tenor Remix)
2.4Distant (Gewalt Remix)
2.5Love:Craft (Pyrolator Remix)
2.6Vicious Circle (Thunder Bae Remix)

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Black Vinyl!

Nach ihrem gefeierten Comeback-Album im Oktober 2024 melden sich Propaganda mit einem elektrisierenden Remix-Album zurück: Remix Encounters - eine klanggewaltige Hommage an ihr eigenes Werk, neu interpretiert von internationalen Größen wie Moby, Tangerine Dream, Rhys Fulber, Schiller und vielen mehr. Veröffentlicht auf Bureau B, vereint dieses Album die kreative Energie einer neuen Generation mit der visionären Kraft von Propaganda. Was als einzelne Remix-Anfrage begann, entwickelte sich zu einem globalen Projekt - von Düsseldorf über Helsinki bis Los Angeles. Jeder Track ist ein eigenständiges Kunstwerk, das elektronische Subgenres wie EBM, Ambient, House, Industrial und Rave aufgreift und neu verbindet. Remix Encounters ist mehr als ein Remix-Album - es ist ein Statement. Eine Feier der Transformation, der künstlerischen Freiheit und der ungebrochenen Relevanz einer Band, die seit ihrem Debüt A Secret Wish 1985 elektronische Musikgeschichte schreibt.


Tracklist:

1.1Purveyor Of Pleasure (Moby Remix)
1.2Distant (Schiller Remix)
1.3Dystopian (Steingen & Mertens Remix)
1.4They Call Me Nocebo (Rhys Fulber Remix)
1.5They Call Me Nocebo (Metroland Remix)
1.6They Call Me Nocebo (Tangerine Dream Remix)
2.1Tipping Point (Jori Hulkkonnen Remix)
2.2Love:Craft (Cult With No Name Remix)
2.3Vicious Circle (Jimi Tenor Remix)
2.4Distant (Gewalt Remix)
2.5Love:Craft (Pyrolator Remix)
2.6Vicious Circle (Thunder Bae Remix)

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On their last trip to Silberland, Bureau B hurtled along the chrome highways and glass skyways of the kosmische landscape, powered ever onwards in perpetual motorik motion. This time, however, the Hamburg imprint opt for an unhurried itinerary, coasting far beyond the familiar rhythmic terrain to explore crystal caverns and emerald pastures, immersing listeners in the ambient side of this alternative Allemagne. Building on the tape loops, tone poems, and minimalist compositions of the 60"s avant-garde, these musicians utilised the sweeping scope of the synthesiser to create expansive meditations on outer-planetary escapism, human connection, and the natural world. This compilation offers a survey of this singular era, blending pioneering voices with lesser-known artists for an immersive sonic experience.

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Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nXSR2fzBvE

Im Schatten der nuklearen Katastrophe von Fukushima im Jahr 2011 fanden sich die japanische Musikerin Phew, die Künstlerin Erika Kobayashi und der deutsche Elektronik-Pionier Dieter Moebius (Cluster, Harmonia) zu einem außergewöhnlichen Projekt zusammen. Gemeinsam entwickelten sie das Konzeptalbum "Radium Girls 2011", das sie 2012 unter dem Projektnamen Project UNDARK veröffentlichten - 114 Jahre nach der Entdeckung des Radiums durch Marie und Pierre Curie. Das Album ist den sogenannten Radium Girls gewidmet, Fabrikarbeiterinnen in den USA der 1920er Jahre, die Ziffernblätter mit radioaktiver Leuchtfarbe bemalten und schwere gesundheitliche Schäden durch Radiumvergiftungen erlitten. Anlässlich des 80. Jahrestags der Atombombenabwürfe auf Hiroshima und Nagasaki macht das Label Bureau B "Radium Girls" wieder zugänglich - erstmals auch auf Vinyl.

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Nach mehr als 40 Jahren ist die 1983 auf Sky Records erschienene EP "Ich suche dein Gesicht" von Silberstreif wieder erhältlich. Für den Sky-Katalog eher ungewöhnlich, spielte das Duo lupenreinen Synthie-Pop mit deutschsprachigen Texten. Diese EP ging in der Flut der hyperkommerziellen deutschen New-Wave-Veröffentlichungen der 1980er Jahre unter. Später wurde die Band zum Geheimtipp und die EP zu einem begehrten Sammlerstück. Die Wiederveröffentlichung wird von vier bisher unveröffentlichten Bonustracks begleitet.

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Die kosmischen Treuhänder von Bureau B heißen den legendären Synth-Maestro Peter Baumann willkommen zurück. Dieser stellt 2025 sein erstes Solo-Album seit dem Vorgänger "Machines Of Desire" (2016) vor. Als prägende Kraft in der sogenannten Berliner Schule - sowohl als Mitglied von Tangerine Dream in ihrer wichtigsten Ära als auch als Solokünstler - hat Baumann immer eine Brücke zwischen dem Intellektuellen und dem Filmischen geschlagen. Mit "Nightfall" begibt er sich auf eine weitere Klangreise und erschafft eine atmosphärische Platte, die von Geheimnissen und bewegenden Geschichten durchdrungen ist.

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Leon Michels has quietly become one of the most sought-after producers in music. His signature sound has caught the attention of the mainstream while continuing to inspire the underground. Since 2023's El Michels Affair & Black Thought album Glorious Game, Michels has been busy producing records for other artists; Norah Jones' Grammy winning Visions, Clairo's Grammy nominated Charm, Kali Uchis' "Moonlight", as well as albums for labelmates Brainstory, Derya Yyldyrym & Grup imek, Thee Heart Tones, and Liam Bailey. His new album 24 Hr Sports marks the highly anticipated return to recording under his own moniker, El Michels Affair 24 Hr Sports was inspired by the fashion and graphic design of `80s & `90s Sports Illustrated magazines, MF DOOM's Special Herbs albums, the sample sources used on them, and gospel music a la Pastor T.L. Barrett. The sum of those inuences with Michels' impeccable creative touch prove to be the recipe for an instant classic that will surely be one of the most heralded releases of 2025. The album opener "Drum Line" is an anthemic, uplifting tune with marching band drumming and thundering brass arrangements that command undivided attention and set the tone for what's to come. 24 Hr Sports sees a signicant departure from the largely instrumental music of the El Michels Affair catalog with a roster of vocal features that manages to mirror the undenable genre of his music. The rst one on the album is "Mágica" which features Brazil's Rogê. He takes the already pumping energy of the track over the top with his fútbol inspired lyrics. Moving from Brazil to Ghana, "Say Goodbye" features Florence Adooni who touts her individuality with an effortless swag jumping between Frafra and English, telling it like it is in the earworm chorus, "never gonna nd a girl like me_". Labelmate and world renowned trumpeter from The Roots, Dave Guy joins the `70s groove of "Oakley's Car Wash" with his distinct horn lines before the track switches lanes, closing with a dubby outro. From raucous to serene, "Anticipate" featuring Clairo picks up on the musical synergy between her and Leon that created 2024's Charm album. Clairo rides signature EMA arrangements perfectly as she pines for an unattainable love over the band's airtight instrumentation. "Eastside" is a song that could soundtrack a sunrise over the ocean, putting Leon's tasteful use of space and arrangement on a pedestal. By way of Japan, The Suginami Children's Choir join in on the lush "Clean The Line" singing a song about the moon, the sun, and birds. Next, "Cortex" kicks in the door with gritty distorted guitars and thundering drums that puts a moment of pure cinematic intensity in the middle of the album. Leon himself handles lead vocals on "Shining," a song about looking for a friend to share the joys of a sunny day with. The universally adored Shintaro Sakamoto is featured on "Indifference", a swanky tune built on bouncing basslines and ute chops. Shintaro uses the arrangements to go from singing to speaking, musing over a eeting love. The Grammy winning duo of Norah Jones and Michels reunite on "Carry Me Away" with Jones' honeyed vocals soaring over a track that is hard to place but easy to love. Leon leans into El Michels Affair territory on the tune that sounds decidedly different from the Norah Jones records he has produced. "Take My Hand" puts gospel inuence front and center with the Fabulous Rainbow Singers choir on the chorus and a saxophone solo from the late great Rahsaan Roland Kirk. "Open Season", a mid tempo, piano driven number with group vocals chanting "we want the gold, we want the gold_" could soundtrack a slow motion highlight reel, while the aptly titled album closer "Victory Lap" is a dreamy euphoric wind-down worthy of the record that just nished. When all is said and done, the trophy on the cover of the album speaks volumes. El Michels Affair is champion sound and 24 Hr Sports hammers that home.

Tracklist
1.1DRUMLINE
1.2MáGICA FEAT ROGê
1.324 HR SPORTS THEME NO 1
1.4SAY GOODBYE FEAT FLORENCE ADOONI
1.5OAKLEY'S CAR WASH FEAT DAVE GUY
1.6ANTICIPATE FEAT CLAIRO
1.7EASTSIDE
1.8CLEAN THE LINE
1.9CORTEX
1.10SHINING
1.1124 HR SPORTS THEME NO 2
1.12INDIFFERENCE FEAT SHINTARO SAKAMOTO
1.13CARRY ME AWAY FEAT NORAH JONES
1.14TAKE MY HAND FEAT RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK
1.15OPEN SEASON
1.16VICTORY LAP

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DJ Support: Luciano, Joseph Capriati, Carl Cox and Dennis Cruz

Circus head honcho returns with a 6 track Album sampler. Pressed on limited Purple Vinyl to match the Albums Concept.

“Colourful Authentic House Music From Dj & Producer Yousef, Using Modern Production Techniques With Live Musicians To Make Club Slammers” Yousef

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Colombia's finest purveyor of all things jazzy and musical, Felipe Gordon is back on Local Talk with a double album, but this time around he's going all live.

Together with his 8 piece band, Felipe has recorded a "Live Session" that perfectly explains how live played jazz, funk and fusion work so well with electronic dance music.
Over eight compositions, Felipe and his band explore everything from downtempo jazz-funk (example, check 'Wes'), jazz-fusion (example, check 'Socorro Y Jupiter'), jazz-house (example, check 'Strings Of The Afterlife').

There's even a great disco-funk cover of Gypsy Woman for added dance floor effect.

All together, this is a beautiful session where Felipe and his friends showcase what you can expect when you experience this band live on stage...Bogota style!

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Rival Consoles has been concurrently in the foreground and background of electronic music since the late 00s; conjuring tense melancholia for Black Mirror soundtracks, playing in front of 10,000 dance fans at Drumsheds, selling out London’s Barbican Hall, and logging an expansive, wandering collection of synth-sculpted albums that explore a myriad different styles and aesthetics—but always with human emotion as their lodestar. Landscape from Memory, the ninth studio LP from the UK producer and musician born Ryan Lee West, finally blossomed following a frustrating fallow year away from the production desk. For West, having spent the past decade producing and writing in a habitual way, falling out of love with creativity meant a slowing of the clock that makes him tick, a sense of being swallowed whole by some elementary force. However, the time out also made room for his most invigorating record yet.

Partly stitched together from a scrapbook of discarded audio snippets, Landscape from Memory demanded a degree of openness and vulnerability in its assembly. “There is a kind of strange beauty to it because it involves the past, present and future in a very strong way,” offers the Erased Tapes mainstay. He set to work massaging melodic kernels into full tracks, like the skippy, haunted club shuffle of memory-jogging lead single ‘Catherine’, which is dedicated to his partner. “It’s extremely open, just a naked melody on drums, so exposed as an idea… I think because she was so excited by it, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I'm excited too, actually, I just didn't realise,” he reflects.

Appropriately, the title track became the first piece of music that made West “feel an emotional reaction after a long time of having zero reaction”—closing the record transcendently in a fever dream of euphoric synthwave—although ‘Catherine’ can be understood as the spark that lit the fuse, bristling with energetic joy. Similarly, ‘Known Shape’ makes a play for an otherworldly dancefloor, melding a loping drum pattern to a twitchy soundscape. Granted, some of the standout moments of the LP can be found lurking in its weirder, wilder corners, from the broken-sounding synth that runs like a rough river through ‘2 Forms’, to the head-nodding, disembodied bounce of uncanny valley bop ‘In a Trance’. “I remember making that in a New York hotel room, starting it, when Robert (Raths, Erased Tapes founder) was doing something on his phone and I was just being annoying in the background,” recalls West of one of several pieces made on the road. Yet Raths expressed his excitement about the track as he was hooked instantly.

“I like music that has a sense of momentum, really pushing forward,” he adds of the ‘Landscape from Memory’ ice-breaker. “And it just instantly has that from the first breath. So I kind of like moments like that when they appear.”

These climatic productions are characterised by their propulsive quality, and driven by West’s own push to step outside his comfort zone, having found inspiration flowing from new and unfamiliar sources. After his self-built Hackney studio suddenly felt too controlled of an environment, West altered course, mapping out tracks away from his desk. To that end, Landscape from Memory is a travelogue of creativity on the move, a collection of postcards from everywhere, and an album defined by its restlessness.

Just like the record itself sprang from conflicting emotions, bliss and dread tussle audibly for dominance throughout. You can hear this tug-of-war in the radiant swell of ‘Nocturne’, an eerie, reverb-drenched meander through classical tones, or the warm piano figures that collide with percussive crunch on ‘If Not Now’. Away from the music, this essence resides in a grainy film photo that in West’s eyes holds the record’s emotional DNA: a serene vista of tall green trees that hide the roaring A12 road beneath this studio. “I just think it’s quite evocative because even though it was an alarming place, it also looks really comforting at the same time,” he muses.

This dichotomy flourishes in that sweet spot between knotty ambient and widescreen electronica, where environmental tones and electro-acoustic textures converge to create a living document of sound. On Landscape from Memory, sonic touches hint at something intimate and familiar: cracking ice, the buzzing of a fridge, the distant hum of the motorway. Investing more time with the acoustic guitar in the initial stages helped West convey this homespun quality. For instance, on ‘In Reverse’, gossamer melodies are layered to create “a tapestry of guitar parts” while ‘Gaivotas’, which was born out of a residency at Lisbon’s synth hotspot Patch Point last February, contrasts “extremely digital synths” with a cheap acoustic guitar that snakes through dense, rhythmic terrain.

“A lot of things that go on in the music are like a guitarist's perspective of treating sounds,” he offers, explaining that much of the record involved “crudely recording” ideas into a laptop microphone. “I just like the honesty of it,” he says of the guitar, also pointing to the record’s additional array of “unusual recording techniques.” Among these, drums were placed on the sofa to create the muffled, deadened sensation on ‘Coda’, where a woozy shoegaze fog and angel sighs build into a jumpy, organic groove. Or ‘Tape Loop’, which “importantly, was recorded with a microphone. So not only does it slow down the music, but also the dimensions of the room the microphone picks up changes,” he explains.

Growing up, West would often mess around with the materials on his parents’ land in the small town of Syston outside of Leicester, hammering nails into wood and “sawing stuff,” which ignited a strong curiosity for making and materials from childhood. He soon found his way into music, starting on the guitar before teaching himself digital production and going on to study music technology at Leicester’s De Montfort University. He later became the first signee to the nascent London label Erased Tapes in 2007, establishing the label's shorthand for exploratory post-minimalism. IO, his debut album as Rival Consoles, came out in 2009, while his output has since evolved across nearly two decades of activity, from the critically acclaimed 2018 offering Persona to Landscape from Memory’s 2022 predecessor, Now Is.

As a multidisciplinary artist he has always been passionate about imagery and how it relates to and inspires music. His 2020 record Articulation was informed by drawings he made in his sketchbook. He has also been experimenting in various motion media, from programming particle animations in Max MSP to filming and editing daily video clips, and manipulating imagery in Touchdesigner or Blender, which would shape the visual counterpart in his live A/V shows since 2015.

As Rival Consoles, West’s calling card is his ability to channel hope, pain, sadness, and euphoria in one fell swoop, twisting the key in the lock of his internal world and telling stories without words. Crucially, Landscape from Memory is as much about zooming in on the details as it is about seeing past the horizon. Like a saturated photograph or an abstract painting daubed with bright splotches, Landscape from Memory is a riot of colour, an album blazing with a sound-shaper’s renewed love for his craft.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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TOTAL 25… Another anniversary in a year that is already rich in anniversaries. For the 25th time, the Kompakt family is gathering for its annual rendezvous. Prick up your ears, here we go!

The latest boy band in town, POP VAMPIRES COLOGNE, opens the party with the enigmatic ‘Karianne’. SUPERPITCHER knows how to make a grand appearance, accompanied by high-calibre guests. His electro-pop treat ‘Pandora’s Box’ features Hot Chip’s ALEXIS TAYLOR? on vocals.? JÜRGEN PAAPE isn’t coming alone either, but with newcomer HELLA in tow. ‘Grace (A Tale)‘ once again shows our resident hit maker at his best. JÖRG BURGER also has a table companion, the extremely talented Irene Kalisvaart, and remixes himself on top of that. REINHARD VOIGT points out that money never sleeps and proceeds according to the motto: ’?Zahl an einem anderen Tag (Pay another day?)’. Our Brazilian whirlwind GUI BORATTO returns after a long absence with the banger ‘Panorama X-Press’. After careful consideration, ROBAG WRUHME has named his new track ‘Total’ and sings in the chorus with his family for the first time. WASSERMANN contributes an ultra-fat remix of Mayer’s ‘Brainwave Technology’, while MICHAEL MAYER himself marvels at the rare ‘Erdbeermond’. HARDT ANTOINE’s ‘Let Me Go’ really gets the party going again before WASSERMANN orders a large taxi and skips out on the bill.

See you again next year!

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Strut proudly reintroduces a classic from the Topomic catalogue, Ice’s ‘Each Man Makes His Destiny’, officially available on vinyl for the first time.

Tracklist
1.1Too Little Room
1.2Suicide
1.3One Chance
1.4Love Can
1.5There's Time To Change
1.6Put An X On The Spot (In The Sky)
1.7Losin'
1.8Dgunji


Listen: listen.k7.com/ebb673d1-436f-4601-af63-077b3488dec9

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

The official soundtrack to Jean-Cosme Delaloye's documentary about the life and career of Detroit techno pioneer Carl Craig, Desire: The Carl Craig Story. The collection, coming via his prolific and seminal Planet E Communications, features music from across Craig’s vast catalog, including several tracks that have never previously seen full digital release. Its selections span his many aliases and projects, offering a rare glimpse into the full scope of his groundbreaking career.

LP Tracklist
A1. Carl Craig - No More Words
A2. Slam - Azure (Carl Craig C2 Remix)
B1. Carl Craig - At Les
B2. Psyche/BFC - Galaxy
C1. 69 - Desire
C2. Innerzone Orchestra - Bug In The Bassbin
D1. Designer Music - The Truth
D2. Junior Boys - Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix)

LP: https://listen.k7.com/0f1e4cfe-9885-4615-88f3-477e781d24db

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More