Lee Foss’ ‘Starfruit EP’ is a sonic love letter to 1994 sent from the future. Fresh yet unmistakably Foss, each chapter is a seamless fusion of 90s RnB and low slung house grooves, amounting to his most refined and expressive solo package to date

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The glorious creative love affair between Londoner jozif and LA­ based Culprit continues unabated, with the artist’s fourth release for the imprint in as many years. Six months after the first ‘W?aikiki’?EP by j?ozif,?C?ulprit releases its follow­up. The five originals that formed the core of the two­part ‘W?aikiki’?were the fruits of the intensely prolific period of music­making by jozif. The two originals on ‘W?aikiki 2’?highlight jozif’s inimitable sound: organic in essence, steeped in references that reach beyond the classic house/techno cliche´s, loose and fun, yet with the emotional core and depth of feeling worn proudly on its proverbial sleeve. Remixes arrive courtesy of two exceptional producers of very different styles but equally strong personal voices: E?ric Volta’s idiosyncratic take dives deep into the realm of melodically eerie, perfectly calibrated for the discerning afterhours. H?anfry Martinez is the rising Spanish talent whose love for the ceaseless groove unites him with fellow house groove masters like A?pollonia,?D?jebali?and J?avier Carballo.?

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Culprit is delighted to kick­start its sixth year with a 50th EP release ­ Maxxi Soundsystem’s ‘Medicine’. The “Medicine“ EP represents Maxxi Soundsystem’s full­fledged Culprit debut, after providing a standout remix of Burnski & M A N I K’s “YJG” last year. The EP is Maxxi’s re­union with his frequent vocal collaborator Name One ­ their massive “Regrets I Have No Use For” was surely one of the songs of 2012 for the venerable Hypercolour label. Coincidentally, this is a second year running that Culprit begin their year with a record featuring Name One – his work for Adriatique’s “Midnight Walking” got 2014 off to a flying start for the LA imprint. “This EP represents the pick of the tracks I did working with Name One, they are songs but totally focused on the dancefloor ­ initially I thought of these as 3 singles but we did so many tracks together in a relatively short space of time it seemed only right to introduce them to the world on the same record. Working with Jack (Name One) is always a pleasure ­ his lyrics and ideas are in my opinion a huge level above what you find in most dance music”. Maxxi Soundsystem “Medicine” EP is a confident statement of intent from the Brighton­based producer, with three single­ready songs combined on one strong release. The hook­laden title track, the stark groove of “Lone Raver” and the deeply melodic “Fading Thought” all combine Maxxi’s dynamic composition and crisp production values with Name One’s memorable lyrics that go beyond the typical dance music fodder. Maxxi Soundsystem opens Culprit’s 2015 with a bang and is certain to be one of the label’s leading artists for some time to come.


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Culprit's fall/winter season opens with "Stars" - a truly global collaboration of London's Aidan Lavelle, Mexico's Robbie Akbal and Los Angeles' own, vocalist Shawni. o+ The song organically sprung out of Culprit's second release of 2014, Balcazar & Sordo, Dance Spirit and disCerN's "Calling For You," which also featured Shawni's ethereal vocals and an Aidan Lavelle remix. o+o Over the summer Lavelle has joined forces with Robbie Akbal - a veteran of the deep house scene and the owner of the widely respected label bearing his name. Their first song together, "Solaris Night," has made an impression on Get Physical's "Full Body Workout." o+o+ With Shawni's sultry vocals the centerpiece, the track has the shimmering melodic quality, creating the openair, nocturnal ambiance befitting the song's title. o+o+o The pair of remixes come from two of Culprit's favorite producers - the everinspiring label regular Inxec and the Culprit debut of one of the young rising stars of the moment, Andre? Hommen, who is best known for his work on Dennis Ferrer's Objektivity imprint. o+o+o+o Hommen delivers an epic burner of a rework, that builds and builds tension releasing it in a sweep of melody and voice. Inxec's deep and melancholy take provides another dimension to the single, rounding out the package nicely.

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The past two years without a jozif release have felt like an eternity at Culprit headquarters. Imagine the collective relief and delight, when one of the label's core artists had a veritable musical outpouring, delivering five delicious originals. Too rich with originality and some of jozif's best ideas to be contained within one collection, "Waikiki" will be released in two parts, accompanied by exciting reworks coming from some of the label's favorite artists. Part 1 shows jozif's unwavering dedication to genre-defying, timeless dance music. Analogue disco meets old school r'n'b and funk, framed by a modern deep house feel, all delivered with jozif's typical poise and a sense of musical adventure. Never the one to hem himself by expectation of others, jozif continues unabated on his unique path. "Waikiki" accomplishes real depth with lightness of touch, yet again rewarding Culprit's faith in the artist with some of the best music in the label's cannon. Remixes on "Waikiki" Part 1 arrive courtesy of Matt Tolfrey and No Regular Play. Tolfrey is another Culprit mainstay, with the working relationship spanning almost the entirety of label's existence. His take on "Good Man" is warm yet trippy, its deadly groove led by a terrific bassline. Brooklyn's No Regular Play are long time friends of Culprit, with Greg Paulus (one half of the duo) having featured on a pair of remixes by Thugfucker and Signal Flow recently. This is the Wolf + Lamb family members' first proper work for Culprit and it's assured electronic funk is a very welcome addition to the release.

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The new Culprit release has a distinctly Scandinavian flavor. Sweden’s rising talents, the Bambook duo, deliver their Culprit debut with the stunning ‘Hearts & Roads’, backed with remixes by Norway’s Finnebassen and Finland’s finest export but current Berlin resident Kiki.


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Back in 2009, exactly five Marches ago, Culprit began its journey. 5 years of existence is a significant mark for a label and worthy of some introspection. With its new release, The Los Angeles­based label celebrates one of its most recognisable elements, The Standard Hotel Rooftop, the site of the label’s signature parties for the past 6 years: It’s been more that just a location – the rooftop has become the essential ingredient of Culprit’s philosophy. Inspiring a successful three­part compilation series, “Above the City,” which has united some of the best young production talent around, the series has showcased a particular brand of warm summer­time sound, modern yet timeless. Each remix is a Culprit debut for all of the remixers. Yet, each of them is part of the extended group of friends of the label, a like­minded tight­knit collective.

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With the second release of the New Year, Culprit delves deeper into the nocturnal, melodic side of its sound by presenting Balcazar & Sordo, Dance Spirit + Discern with ‘Calling For You featuring Shawni’. Following the template set by the title track from Adriatique’s ‘Midnight Walking’ EP that opened 2014 for the label, the ‘Calling For You’ single is another lush piece of pulsating electronic house. The artists behind it are truly a global creative collective that connects Culprit’s home base of Los Angeles with London, Guadalajara (Mexico), and Berlin.

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Barcelona­based, Argentinian producer Nicolas Abalos – aka Shall Ocin returns for his second helping of Culprit, almost exactly a year after his label debut, ‘Crash into My Love’. The first EP set the inventive and musically adventurous template for Shall and was supported by the likes of Damian Lazarus, Ivan Smagghe and Miguel Campbell, among others. The artist continues to explore the psychedelia­tinged, heavy electronic groove territory with the three sparkling originals on the ‘Conception EP’ plus a remix from Edu Imbernon. Each song is brimming with musically sophisticated ideas: Shall’s own effected vocals, at times immediate and emotionally charged, at others – disembodied and spooky; his love of a catchy electric guitar riff; tight and precise basslines; off­kilter synth melodies, touches of jazz fusion and shimmering ambient textures.

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Culprit's 39th EP release is an altogether special affair. The masters of epic underground pop, one of the most exciting and respected songwriting/production teams in dance music, Benoit & Sergio enter the label's artistic canon in emphatic fashion. Their two- song Culprit debut glows with the duo's forward thinking musical ideas, at once sweeping and intimate, and which depth and sophistication represents a leap in the Los Angeles-based imprint's growth. . After the irresistible electronic sweep of the duo's last few releases, "Adjustments" EP is a turn to a more intimate scale yet with the usual musical ambition intact. Two songs share a common immediacy but are a ying and yang of the artists' mood. The shimmying playful strut of "Shake Shake," with an incredibly fun interplay of vocoder'd vocal, piano stabs and one of Benoit & Sergio's most infectious basslines is paired with one of their most plaintive and delicate moments in "Adjustments." The title track in particular finds the artists stretching the expected musical palette into a deeply affecting territory, where the poignant lyrics are underpinned by a gently hypnotic groove and luminous ambiance. It is a particular thrill for Culprit to present such confidently eclectic work that goes beyond the mere genre confines and, as a whole, represents one of the creative high points for both the label and the artists.

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Up steps the prodigiously talented 20year old Justin Jay, a true California golden child, born, raised and nourished within the LA city limits for his Culprit debut with 'The Jaguar'. The threetrack EP has been the result of organically built relationship with the LAbased imprint, with songs inspired by LA and the label's sound and credo. The title track is dedicated to that quintessential Los Angeles icon - a classic car. This is a joyous ode to a topdown drive at sunset with the city sprawled underneath and all around, its possibilities endless. 'Coldwater' is named after one of LA's most striking canyon roads, the song's rapturous tone being the emotive core of the release. 'You and Me' is the sound of the hot LA afternoon, the beach, the girls, the lazy hazy comfort of sunburnt days.

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Criminal Love’ is the welcome return of Culprit’s biggest young discoveries of 2012 – Climbers – to the label. It’s their third Culprit release and yet another single aimed to sweep this summer season’s best daytime parties, in the wake of success of last year’s ‘2 Come Back’.

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M A N I K makes his fourth release on Culprit, making him (along with Lee Foss) the label's true "resident" producer. Alongside him Burnski makes his full debut for Culprit, having been responsible for one of the label's most memorable songs of 2012 ­ his remix of Subb­an's ‘What I Do’.Yellow Jacket Girl’ takes the duo's retro house inspired sound palette and takes into a deeper and more sultry territory, with suggestive lyrics penned and sung by M A N I K adding a subtle element of sleaze to the song's low slung groove. Each artist picked a remixer of his choice ­ Leeds connection between Burnski and Laura Jones; M A N I K selecting fellow rider of the techno/disco line Maxxi Soundsystem. Both remixers are artists Culprit has been eager to add to its roster.

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Culprit makes a fourth stop on its European talent-scouting trip, inviting the London- based Swedish producer Adeline to join the label’s global motley crew.
Adeline’s confident use of her own voice as a major part of her music is a bold but justified choice. Combining it with truly impressive sound design and strong musical ideas, with a touch of the unexpected, adds up to instantly memorably dance music. The three originals on her Culprit debut speak to all these strengths. ‘What You Got’ is that appealing combination of sensuously soft vocals and “muscular” rhythm and low end that many a standout track is made of. The most immediate of the songs on the EP, it has had early champions like Jamie Jones and Russ Yallop. ‘Under The Moon’ goes deeper and a bit sideways, but successfully so, pitching down her distinct vocal and riding a catchy bassline hook on top of a shuffle beat, the song glides and seduces. ‘Unravel My Mind’ is the darker counter-part to the title song. Adeline’s vocals add on a moody dimension, sitting on top of a more sinister bassline and a crisp beat. With its tension and build, one for the early peak hours. The remix by New York-based Thugfucker and Greg Paulus of No Regular Play is a real musical treat. Also making their label debut, the trio come up with a deeply melodic take on ‘Under the Moon.’ Its instrumental sweeps and playful bassline, cleverly arranged and punctuated by some of Paulus’ most accomplished trumpet work add up to something special.


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Yet another gifted and hard working producer who’s successfully crafted his own sound in a very short period of time, Shall Ocin is in the midst of an artistic breakthrough with distinct releases recently on Leftroom and Ellum Audio. Striking in its crisp sound design and adventurous in its sonic ideas, ‘Crash into My Love’ is the work of a self-assured talent. Its three originals fall within the underground dance music spectrum that Culprit specialises in: deep and nuanced, yet propulsive and dance-floor ready; placed perfectly between primal and cerebral, between esoteric and immediate. The EP carries a few coherent themes: its heavy electronic bounce underpinning jazzy instrumental passages that belie the producer’s deep musicality, with slightly eerie vocal touches – Shall’s own – connecting the dots. ‘Crash Into My Life’ is the EP’s most punchy and percussively strong statement and its most dance-floor engaging, with the improvisational electric guitar riffs adding a special element. The vibe is deeply nocturnal and foreboding. ‘Don’t Come Here’ also bristles with the bouncy energy, its processed vocal the most energetic part of the EP. ‘My Little World’ is the most plaintive and emotional track on the release, its acoustic guitar and bassline parts complimenting the hopeful vocal hook. Culprit’s Canadian compadres, My Favorite Robot, make a much welcomed debut appearance on the label, delivering a slice of contagious electro funk with their interpretation of the title track featuring heavy bassline riffs sure to get many a floor moving.

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The four track EP meets the Culprit grade with style: brimming with fine musical ideas, genuinely conceived and precisely executed modern electronic house, perfectly in tune with the times yet projecting an individual and coherent style. Dance floor – ready stuff with depth and verve, it’s the sound of two fine young talents finding a Culprit home. Faithful to Culprit’s credo of focusing the spotlight on artists on the verge of greatness, Adriatique are a duo making a quick and decisive impact on the genre. Their solo and collaborative (with Thyladomid) work has made the boys a legion of fans over the past 2 years. Having been groomed from within the un-stoppable Diynamic family, Adriatique have spread their wings with outstanding work for labels like City Fox and now, Culprit. Quick on the heels of their ‘Trigger Dance’ track (with Thyladomid) – that was part of the ‘Above the City 2’ compilation – comes ‘Face to Face,’ an exciting EP that Adriatique’s now patented electronic bassline-driven groove with the Culprit’s inclination toward warm musicality. The title track is a finely balanced work, irresistibly combining deep chords with the dance-floor destroying bassline and an infectious vocal hook. It’s already a firm favourite with the Culprit and Diynamic DJ camps. ‘Blackbox’ is an on-point example of what makes the EP such a great fit for the LA-based label’s oeuvre, it’s guitar driven bit of psychedelia a counterpoint to jozif’s Culprit work, its electronic plaintiveness in line with M A N I K’s recent EP.



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For its thirtieth EP release, Culprit eagerly dips into the ever-expanding pool of Italian production talent to welcome back Lula Circus. The release also features remixes from one of London’s rising stars Alexis Raphael and L.A favourite Urulu.The two originals on the EP are the work of artists rapidly and confidently coming into their own, marrying their deep but pulsating electronic house style with Culprit’s preference for emotionally charged dance music, with a natural flair for drama and an underlying sense of story-telling. ‘Passive Memories’ has been one of this year’s favourite DJ staples for the Culprit inner circle: a moody mid-paced groover that builds and builds, adding layers of subtle electronic throb, minor melody and deep funk, a track that seduces rather than bashes. ‘Theory of Folds’ is the (slightly) more “maximal,” more overtly joyous take on its counterparts subtlety. It’s modern deep house meets retro Italo Disco, precise in execution and ambitious in its melodic sweep. Two remixes on the EP come courtesy of another two stellar talents, London’s Alexis Raphael and Los Angeles’ own Taylor Freels aka Urulu. Refreshingly, they offer two completely different takes on ‘Theory of Folds’: Raphael’s dance-floor ready, bassline-driven jam and Urulu’s sunny homage to classic 90’s Deep House. They contribute to making this an exceptionally well-rounded release


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Returning to Culprit with his third EP of original material is one of the brightest American production talents, Chris Manik aka M A N I K with ‘Ten Times Ten’. For the third October running, M A N I K delivers an EP of assured musicality, profoundly original and accomplished.. Each of the four songs sets a mood and tone of its own, from the deep melodic nostalgia of ‘Breakfast Club’ to the subtle breakbeat of the electro-funk work-out that is ‘Heartbeat’ and the gritty strut of the synth squelch-driven ‘Wave Eclectic’ giving way to M A N I K’s ballsy but completely justified and immaculately pulled off dip into pure Urban Soul territory with ‘These Days’ that showcases the producer’s new favourite original weapon – his own voice. All unified by a shimmering quality of production fast becoming typical of Chris’ music, equal parts retro and forward-thinking, edgy, urbane yet retaining its disarming openness and, even, sweetness. M A N I K’s ‘Ten Times Ten’ shows a talented producer and maturing label in full flight, defining each other’s sensibilities, pushing one another in new and exciting directions while staying true to their credo. ‘Ten Times Ten’ makes M A N I K the LA- based label’s most frequent competitor and the one who will continue to define its sound.

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