Over the past few years, Lando Kal (a.k.a. Antaeus Roy) has undergone quite the transformation. In the process of relocating from San Francisco to New York to Berlin, the man has blossomed as an artist. Where he was once simply known as one half of Lazer Sword, he's now celebrated as an accomplished producer in his own right, having released music for the esteemed Rush Hour and Hotflush labels while also helping to pilot the Stillcold imprint. Throughout this time, he's also been considered an extended member of the Icee Hot family, a crew whose ranks include Ghosts on Tape, Shawn Reynaldo, Rollie Fingers, and Lando's Lazer Sword compatriot, Low Limit. As such, when the San Francisco-based Icee Hot made the leap from party promotion to record label earlier this year, Lando Kal was an obvious choice to join the roster, and his "Let You in the Sky" / "Help Myself" single just might be some of his best work yet. Since installing himself in the German capital, Lando has (unsurprisingly) found himself delving deeper into the world of techno and its various sound palettes, an exploration which has properly borne fruit here. "Let You in the Sky" is a churning slice of techno colored by lilting synths, melodic stabs, and an almost robotic vocal sample. "Help Myself" takes a slightly funkier approach, layering swaying pads and sassy vocal snippets over a steady pulse before exploding with an array of claps and hi-hats about halfway through. Digital-only cut "So Correct" might be the most propulsive track on the release, its uptempo percussion and chunky rhythms carried along by an insistent piano riff. The remixes also come correct, the first courtesy of Detroit legend Anthony Shakir. "Shake" has always been a bit of a chameleon, but his take on "Help Myself" finds him exploring a new sound, one punctuated by overdriven synths, wildly distorted vocal bits, and a wonderfully sashaying pattern of bongos. Rounding out the record is a rework from Montreal youngsters Grown Folk, who will also be at the helm of the next Icee Hot release. The duo's version of "Let You in the Sky" offers a dark, pounding undercarriage that's unique to its discography, but also bathes the tune in a warm cloud of the pair's trademark billowing synth melodies. More

Hotflush Recordings presents the follow-up single to George FitzGerald’s summer debut “The Let Down” & “Weakness”. Due for release in mid-January 2011 on Hotflush Two, this much-touted single is seeing the light of day after its inclusion in Scuba’s groundbreaking SUB:STANCE mix compilation on Ostgut Ton earlier this year. Here we see the budding London-based producer reaching into the brighter side of dubstep and garage styles, achieving a mood that is both blissful and emotive. On the flipside, Scuba gives the original mix a churning techno re-flex under his SCB guise.
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Superb mini album from BNJMN.... TIP More

Braille serves up a firing couple of tracks on Rush Hour's Direct Current sub label.... More

Affectionate house grooves ranging from deep to high energy upbeat on this double 12" from Cosmic TRG! More

We are pleased to announce the debut release of a young producer from the UK, BNJMN. His adventurous electronic sound is one we haven't heard in a while, and excited us on first listen. While on one hand his music has a traditional sound (early 90's UK), BNJMN does create a world of his own due to the versatility in his productions. It is this versatility that creates an exciting hybrid sound, therefore pushing the envelope and making it sound very current, future even. Welcome to the world of BNJMN, we love it!

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It's not every day that we receive demo's from new artists that totally rock our world, but when its happens it's a joy and a reminder of why we are still doing this. And so tears of joy rolled onto the speakers when we played Policy's demo's. When contacted Policy he told us he is from NYC, is a part time movie director and only started making music recently. Out of the bunch of tracks we received 'Specialty Party' and 'Light Over Fort Lee' form his debut EP. Both tracks challenge the beat spectrum once again and definitely speak his cinematic mind. Expect more music from Policy on Rush Hour later this year. He surely is our contender for best newcomer of 2011.

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