Tracklist 12":
A1 – Abstraxion - Wholes
A2 - Abstraxion - Gold
B1 - Abstraxion - Force
B2 - Abstraxion – Trance Body Music

Short Info:
Abstraxion once again delivers another twist to his exotic musical tale with "Trance Body Music". A four track collection
of 90’s-infused club rockets. Hi-NRG sounds that traverse the trance-techno-rave intersection.
Lead single ‘Whole’ is a distorted and relentless number that hammers along with skewed vocal chops and lashings of
bounce. ‘Gold’ however, is a more pushy heads-down affair. It's ramped BPM and vocals muster dewy-eyed Bonzaimemories, whilst harnessing the free spirit of the resurging eurodance movement.
Next out of the rave cannon comes ‘Force’, with its fierce tempo, jittering synth stabs and playful melody working
together to create a tidy dancefloor moment. The show is brought to a close with the bubbling title track Trance Body
Music. A perfect, almost soothing, finale to a wonderfully energetic adventure.



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Tracklist :
A1 - An Error Occurred (Tuff City Kids Remix)
A2 - An Error Occurred (Kasper Bjørke Stripped Down Rework)
A3 - An Error Occurred (Vessels Remix)
B1 - She Thought She Would Last Forever (Clarian Remix)
B2 - Spazieren (Conforce Remix)
C1 - Spazieren (Mattheis Remix)
C2 - Spazieren (Ripperton Remix)
D1 - Spazieren (INIT Remix)
D2 - Rinjani (Eduardo De La Calle Remix)
D3 - Dystopia (Cleveland Remix)

Shortinfo:

Abstraxion returns to his own Biologic Records to release this impressive revisited album - giving Tuff City Kids, Kasper Bjørke, Vessels, Clarian, Conforce, Mattheis, Ripperton, INIT, Eduardo De La Calle, Cleveland the freedom to have their own take on tracks from Abstraxion's 'She Thought She Would Last Forever' LP released in October 2016.
Ripperton's first mark on Spazieren is one of meticulous sound design and textures complemented by a poignant vocal that provides a wicked ambience. His second offering is rapt around a warm bassline with orderly percussive stabs. Init's remix has been crafted with precision - an unhurried and mysterious track that builds and anticipates smoothly due to the precise instrumentation and adept reverb that's been applied on the vocal. Conforce closes out the EP with intent by delivering a dark, forceful and abstract take on Spazieren.

PR report :

DJ Feedbacks :

Supported by : Barnt, Mano Le Tough, Jennifer Cardini, Joris Voorn...

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Roman Flügel "I think the first 5 tracks of the album are simply fantastic"

Tracklist :LP
A1 - An Error Occurred, A2 - Just What I've Always Wanted, A3 - She Thought She Would Last Forever, B1 - Needed You, B2 - Spazieren, C1 - Blackout, C2 - Seascape, C3 - Not Far Away From You, D1 - Rinjani, D2 - Dystopia

Shortinfo:
After his stunning debut LP 'Break of Lights' on HAKT Recordings at the end of 2013, and releases on Nicolas Jaar's 'Other People' label, Harold Boué - better known as Abstraxion - is set to launch his second LP 'She Thought She Would Last Forever' in October this year. Abstraxion's career has already seen many highlights, two of which have been the label he runs with Belgian producer DC Salas reaching it's ten year anniversary this year and playing in some of the best clubs in the world. With his obvious talent and ability to create a pensive beauty in his productions, there is no doubt Abstraxion's career will continue to reach new heights. Full of reveries and hybrid explorations, Harold's second full length 'She Thought She Would Last Forever' evokes images of landscapes and forests. A stretching dark and dystopian atmosphere pervades the album, but he still manages to mesh the melancholy with an overarching and swelling euphoria. Contrasting themes of melancholia and exploring the tensions between expectation and reality. The explorative nature of the album is articulated clearly through Abstraxion's use of minor chords and organic sounds.
She Thought She Would Last Forever begins with 'An Error Occurred', a convivial albeit mysterious and energetic primer that then dives into the tight percussion and pensive vocals of 'Just What I've Always Wanted'. Title track 'She Thought She Would Last Forever' is a dramatic cut which transcends slickly into the rasping synth, and recoiling bass of 'Needed You' accompanied by the entrancing vocals of Loic Fleury from Isaac Delusion. 'Spazieren' is a 10-minute leisurely passage through dystopia that has been crafted with finesse. 'Blackout' is a minor key track whose lead synth is focused around an arpeggiator to create suspense. 'Seascape', a melancholic ambient track which shifts into the more energetic percussion of 'Not Far Away From You', picking up pace once again. 'Rinjani' is a melodic and menacing march with pulsing synth lines, leading expertly to the final track. 'Dystopia' blends otherworldly sounds from the distant future with percussion and reverb, creating space in the musical landscape and bringing Abstraxion's second album to an expansive and poignant close.
Mixed by Francis Harris in his New York studio.
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Roman Flügel "I think the first 5 tracks of the album are simply fantastic"

Tracklist CD:
01 - An Error Occurred, 02 - Just What I've Always Wanted, 03 - She Thought She Would Last Forever, 04 - Needed You, 05 - Spazieren, 06 - Blackout, 07 - Seascape, 08 - Not Far Away From You, 09 - Rinjani, 10 - Dystopia


Shortinfo:
After his stunning debut LP 'Break of Lights' on HAKT Recordings at the end of 2013, and releases on Nicolas Jaar's 'Other People' label, Harold Boué - better known as Abstraxion - is set to launch his second LP 'She Thought She Would Last Forever' in October this year. Abstraxion's career has already seen many highlights, two of which have been the label he runs with Belgian producer DC Salas reaching it's ten year anniversary this year and playing in some of the best clubs in the world. With his obvious talent and ability to create a pensive beauty in his productions, there is no doubt Abstraxion's career will continue to reach new heights. Full of reveries and hybrid explorations, Harold's second full length 'She Thought She Would Last Forever' evokes images of landscapes and forests. A stretching dark and dystopian atmosphere pervades the album, but he still manages to mesh the melancholy with an overarching and swelling euphoria. Contrasting themes of melancholia and exploring the tensions between expectation and reality. The explorative nature of the album is articulated clearly through Abstraxion's use of minor chords and organic sounds.
She Thought She Would Last Forever begins with 'An Error Occurred', a convivial albeit mysterious and energetic primer that then dives into the tight percussion and pensive vocals of 'Just What I've Always Wanted'. Title track 'She Thought She Would Last Forever' is a dramatic cut which transcends slickly into the rasping synth, and recoiling bass of 'Needed You' accompanied by the entrancing vocals of Loic Fleury from Isaac Delusion. 'Spazieren' is a 10-minute leisurely passage through dystopia that has been crafted with finesse. 'Blackout' is a minor key track whose lead synth is focused around an arpeggiator to create suspense. 'Seascape', a melancholic ambient track which shifts into the more energetic percussion of 'Not Far Away From You', picking up pace once again. 'Rinjani' is a melodic and menacing march with pulsing synth lines, leading expertly to the final track. 'Dystopia' blends otherworldly sounds from the distant future with percussion and reverb, creating space in the musical landscape and bringing Abstraxion's second album to an expansive and poignant close.
Mixed by Francis Harris in his New York studio.
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Tracklist
A1. Resonance A2. Resonance (Matrixxman remix) B1. Resonance (Fort Romeau remix) B2. Resonance (Massimiliano Pagliara remix)
Shortinfo:
After a series of releases on HAKT Recordings, Nicolas Jaar's Other People and a collab with Kasper Bjørke, Abstraxion returns to his own Biologic Records which he co-manages with DC Salas. ?
Not only is this his first solo EP on the label since a few years, it's also the second release to celebrate Biologic's 10th anniversary year.
Resonance comprises of two original cuts and three remixes. Going from a peak time techno track by Matrixxman to a house rework by Fort Romeau and a disco infused version by Massimiliano Pagliara, the EP not only represents the label's diverse sound but also Abstraxion's own productions and ever evolving style. As a next step, Abstraxion will release in 2016 his second LP She Thought She Would Last Forever, mixed by Francis Harris (Scissor & Thread, Adultnapper) and on which he already received support from his inspirations/ mentors Dan Snaith (Caribou) & John Talabot.
Feedback:
Axel Boman i really like the track Resonance ! nice!
Nicolas Jaar "Resonance is a great track"
Luca Bacchetti Nice release! Fort Romeau Remix and the always great Massimiliano Pagliara are my favs here! dj sasha Great package thanks
George Fitzgerald "Love the FR and Matrixxman remixes." 'Resonance (Fort Romeau Remix)' More

release date:11.11.2013 barcode:0311197700919
Tracklist LP: A1. White Rain Feat. Chloé A2. Moon A3. Every Night I'm Lying Feat. Astrid Engberg A4. Rising A5. Goodbye B1. Around Me B2. Break Of Lights (Album Version) B3. Yards B4. We Used To B5. Les Histoires
HAKT Recordings is pleased to internationally co-release Break of Lights, the stunning debut CD/LP from French musician and DJ Harold Boué, aka Abstraxion. If critics are merely a tough crowd, dance music producers rank tougher still, the London-based innovator's music has already garnered accolades (and spins) from both - including heavy hitters such as Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, James Holden and Dan Snaith (Caribou/Daphni). Full of melancholic reveries and hybrid explorations, Break of Lights reveals Abstraxion to be a standout producer and true obsessive to his craft. "The most important thing for me in this record was finding my own sounds and combinations to build a whole new world," says the producer of this, his first long player. "I wanted my album to be coherent and reflect what my project is about so that people could get into that timeless spaceship."
Break of Lights, consequently, abounds with texturally rich, rapturous gems and thoughtful meditations on the passage of time. Album opener "White Rain," featuring the whispered vocals of Parisian artist Chloé, winds plaintive guitar around modular synths and Abstraxion's own ghostly vocalizations. "Moon" bubbles with blinking synths and blip-and-bleep effects that, in a titular nod, flash celestially. "Every Night I'm Lying" marries tremendous beats with gorgeous vocals from Danish singer Astrid Engberg. Possibly the most hypnotic track here, "Around Me," warms with sonorous synths that speak like beautifully indecipherable utterances. And "Les Histoires," dedicated to the producer's father, emerges with half-recalled conversations from childhood, then drifts - as if via time - through spectral keyboards that filter past like memories.
Abstraxion co-manage the label Biologic Records with DJ, producer DC Salas. After putting out a series of EPs, he released the singles "Jus Acid" and "Jaipur's Elephant" on Different Records in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He has also released music on Marketing Music. Always a singular character with an ear for sound, he has built a music studio in Marseille with old analogic instruments. He spends his there time making electronic music that is as explorative and organic as possible. "I've built a system in my studio where I can spontaneously compose with all my instruments," he says. "That way, in the end, the track has the same warmth of feeling as the room during the recording process itself."
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release date:20.1.2014 barcode:0311197700933
Tracklist CD: 1. White Rain Feat. Chloé 2. Moon 3. Every Night I'm Lying Feat. Astrid Engberg 4. Rising 5. Goodbye 6. Around Me 7. Break Of Lights (Album Version) 8. Yards 9. We Used To 10. Les Histoires
HAKT Recordings is pleased to internationally co-release Break of Lights, the stunning debut CD/LP from French musician and DJ Harold Boué, aka Abstraxion. If critics are merely a tough crowd, dance music producers rank tougher still, the London-based innovator's music has already garnered accolades (and spins) from both - including heavy hitters such as Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, James Holden and Dan Snaith (Caribou/Daphni). Full of melancholic reveries and hybrid explorations, Break of Lights reveals Abstraxion to be a standout producer and true obsessive to his craft. "The most important thing for me in this record was finding my own sounds and combinations to build a whole new world," says the producer of this, his first long player. "I wanted my album to be coherent and reflect what my project is about so that people could get into that timeless spaceship."
Break of Lights, consequently, abounds with texturally rich, rapturous gems and thoughtful meditations on the passage of time. Album opener "White Rain," featuring the whispered vocals of Parisian artist Chloé, winds plaintive guitar around modular synths and Abstraxion's own ghostly vocalizations. "Moon" bubbles with blinking synths and blip-and-bleep effects that, in a titular nod, flash celestially. "Every Night I'm Lying" marries tremendous beats with gorgeous vocals from Danish singer Astrid Engberg. Possibly the most hypnotic track here, "Around Me," warms with sonorous synths that speak like beautifully indecipherable utterances. And "Les Histoires," dedicated to the producer's father, emerges with half-recalled conversations from childhood, then drifts - as if via time - through spectral keyboards that filter past like memories.
Abstraxion co-manage the label Biologic Records with DJ, producer DC Salas. After putting out a series of EPs, he released the singles "Jus Acid" and "Jaipur's Elephant" on Different Records in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He has also released music on Marketing Music. Always a singular character with an ear for sound, he has built a music studio in Marseille with old analogic instruments. He spends his there time making electronic music that is as explorative and organic as possible. "I've built a system in my studio where I can spontaneously compose with all my instruments," he says. "That way, in the end, the track has the same warmth of feeling as the room during the recording process itself."
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includes a VINYL ONLY remix by South London Ordinance

Tracklist / VINYL:
A1. Blind Flow
A2. Gate Masters
B1. Hel’s Reaction
B2. Gate Masters (South London
Ordinance Remix)

RELEASE INFO:
Yoan Rodriguez, aka Lokier, writes tracks like scenes. Following a release on British label Days of Being Wild and a remix with Morgan Hammer as She Made Monster for Iñigo Vontier, Yoan arrives to HAKT with Gate Masters, a heavy EP of uncanny dancefloor bombs for those of us with keft leabing ears.
• High Quality 150gm Vinyl Limited 500 copies More

Tracklist / VINYL:
A1. Appalachia A2. Big Hills A3. Jade B1. Lagoon Fool B2. Lagoon Fool (Bell Towers Remix)
RELEASE INFO:
Returning to HAKT after his 2013 single N1, Cale Parks continues to chart a compelling new path with the Lagoon Fool EP, his second foray into solo production. As the current drummer for Yeasayer and a prolific collaborator both in studio and live, Cale’s creativity knows no genre. The five tracks on offer sneak from the beaten path, complicating signifiers of style, gently tweaking the standard grammar of club music, and remaining accessible all the while.
Assembled in his Brooklyn studio, but sonically sourced from his grandparents’ Tennessee farm, Lagoon Fool carries that sublime, somehow inviting ethos of the Appalachian range. Airy and tectonic at once, impeccably detailed, yet easily taken as a whole, it’s a rich, deceptively layered listen. As a skilled songwriter and a produce quickly proving his caliber, Cale has composed a suite that demands multiple listens and a place at peaktime just the same.
The EP begins on “Appalachia,” with delayed dreamlike chords syncopating over slow breathing pads. While it’s easy to lull low into the track’s deep, cradling groove, keep your head up to catch the dynamism of the mix: like a cinematographer pulling focus over the broad mountains themselves. Next, “Big Hills” sounds like the thrill of reaching summit, with muscular bass weighing in opposition to a driving melody like lactic acid in the legs. “Jade” demonstrates Cale’s rhythmic intelligence with an unorthodox, yet tranquil drum part that carries a starry chord progression up into the stratosphere of soul. Closing things out, the title track bumps at a languid, triumphant pace with guitar chords, warbling synths, and elastic bass whirling into an anthemic progression. As a bonus, the aforementioned gets an insightful remix by Australian producer Bell Towers of Public Possesion fame, who adds some sparkle and funk while gently upping the tempo. It’s a set to be reckoned with — Cale’s next move is anyone’s guess. More

UPC: 0311197701015 Release : 30.06.2014
Tracklist Vinyl: A. Lie To Me feat Big Willy B1. Swing State B2. Lie To Me (Lightbluemover Dub Mix)
Info:
As a DJ/producer/label owner, Anthony Collins is a man of many talents. Since first landing on the decks as a young 17-year-old in France to holding down some of New York's finest parties and uncovering new talent from different corners of the globe, Collins remains a steady fixture in today's evolving electronic scene. An explorer of different soundscapes, Collins is widely known for delivering strings of quality releases. This April, HAKT Recordings proudly presents Lie To Me, the latest diamond in the rough by Collins.
Our journey begins with the album's eponymous track. Its raw, gritty, in-your-face pounding bassline immediately captivates, gradually building up to an unforgettable vocal drop. A nod to old school Chicago and ghetto house, Big Willy's grimy, infectious vocal work brings the track to life as he roars, "This motherfuckin' pimp's got to get P-A-I-D." Recorded years earlier, it wasn't until Collins cleaned out an old hard drive that he re-discovered the vocals--undoubtedly a blessing in disguise for listeners as the end result is a powerful,12-minute beast of a track destined to elevate listeners into a state of hedonistic euphoria. Following suit is the markedly calmer but equally throbbing jam, "Swing State." Though it relies on the similar old school style as its antecedent, the EP's second single remains an instrumental track. Amid crackling kicks and snares, the jacking groove takes hold when a sudden chorus of thundering claps erupts toward the finish line before drifting to a close. Stripping away any remnants of Big Willy's vocals, what remains on the EP is a dub offering by Collin's label companion and Frank & Tony's other half, Francis Harris under his Lightbluemover alias. Deep, dark and minimal, the wicked re-work's distorted synths and subdued percussion transports listeners to a hazy paradise they won't want to abandon any time soon. More

UPC: 0311197700810 Release: 17.03.2014
Special Remarks: MANIK side project / 2 month lead for vinyl
Tracklist Vinyl: A1. Combination A2. Moon And Back B. 106 Ways
Short info: As a producer, Chris Manik has never shied away from incorporating his affinity for different music genres and styles into his celebrated namesake material. As proven on previous releases, his innovative and sultry blend of house music has garnered praise from audiences worldwide. In 2013, however, the NYC native made the decision to embrace a different nom de plume as a chance to explore his sonic sensibilities. Inspired by frequent trips to the West Coast, MANIK would often return to the city with plenty of new flavors to experiment with in the studio. HAKT Recordings is proud to present the positive outcome of his newfound inspiration-106 Ways, the new EP by Culture Fires. Complete with a rousing, gripping bassline, the release kicks off with "Combination," a hedonistic track that speaks to MANIK's musical bilingualism, creating soundscapes that work both on and off the dance floor. Meanwhile, the sturdy texture enveloped within the release's second track, "Moon And Back," offers a more raw, uninhibited approach compared to the EP's preceding track. Handclaps weave between spacey production work as the track gradually picks up steam before drawing to a minimally short close. Rounding out the release, title track "106 Ways" uplifts with flickering synths and potent percussion--altogether a slice of music magic. The bleeping stomp of the bass carries you to a brief, airy intermission once again before Culture Fires sunsets the 106 Ways EP. Each track brings to life much of what he has been waiting to share with the world. Unlike previous efforts, much of this release relies heavily on analog instrumentation, pedals and effects. Warm, dreamy, laid-back vibes abound in the final result--a cohesively woven EP that will undoubtedly resonate with the HAKT fan base.
Vinyl available on March 10, 2014 and Digital available April 21, 2014.
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release date:20.1.2014 barcode:0311197700933
Tracklist CD: 1. White Rain Feat. Chloé 2. Moon 3. Every Night I'm Lying Feat. Astrid Engberg 4. Rising 5. Goodbye 6. Around Me 7. Break Of Lights (Album Version) 8. Yards 9. We Used To 10. Les Histoires
HAKT Recordings is pleased to internationally co-release Break of Lights, the stunning debut CD/LP from French musician and DJ Harold Boué, aka Abstraxion. If critics are merely a tough crowd, dance music producers rank tougher still, the London-based innovator's music has already garnered accolades (and spins) from both - including heavy hitters such as Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, James Holden and Dan Snaith (Caribou/Daphni). Full of melancholic reveries and hybrid explorations, Break of Lights reveals Abstraxion to be a standout producer and true obsessive to his craft. "The most important thing for me in this record was finding my own sounds and combinations to build a whole new world," says the producer of this, his first long player. "I wanted my album to be coherent and reflect what my project is about so that people could get into that timeless spaceship."
Break of Lights, consequently, abounds with texturally rich, rapturous gems and thoughtful meditations on the passage of time. Album opener "White Rain," featuring the whispered vocals of Parisian artist Chloé, winds plaintive guitar around modular synths and Abstraxion's own ghostly vocalizations. "Moon" bubbles with blinking synths and blip-and-bleep effects that, in a titular nod, flash celestially. "Every Night I'm Lying" marries tremendous beats with gorgeous vocals from Danish singer Astrid Engberg. Possibly the most hypnotic track here, "Around Me," warms with sonorous synths that speak like beautifully indecipherable utterances. And "Les Histoires," dedicated to the producer's father, emerges with half-recalled conversations from childhood, then drifts - as if via time - through spectral keyboards that filter past like memories.
Abstraxion co-manage the label Biologic Records with DJ, producer DC Salas. After putting out a series of EPs, he released the singles "Jus Acid" and "Jaipur's Elephant" on Different Records in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He has also released music on Marketing Music. Always a singular character with an ear for sound, he has built a music studio in Marseille with old analogic instruments. He spends his there time making electronic music that is as explorative and organic as possible. "I've built a system in my studio where I can spontaneously compose with all my instruments," he says. "That way, in the end, the track has the same warmth of feeling as the room during the recording process itself."
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release date:11.11.2013 barcode:0311197700919
Tracklist LP: A1. White Rain Feat. Chloé A2. Moon A3. Every Night I'm Lying Feat. Astrid Engberg A4. Rising A5. Goodbye B1. Around Me B2. Break Of Lights (Album Version) B3. Yards B4. We Used To B5. Les Histoires
HAKT Recordings is pleased to internationally co-release Break of Lights, the stunning debut CD/LP from French musician and DJ Harold Boué, aka Abstraxion. If critics are merely a tough crowd, dance music producers rank tougher still, the London-based innovator's music has already garnered accolades (and spins) from both - including heavy hitters such as Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, James Holden and Dan Snaith (Caribou/Daphni). Full of melancholic reveries and hybrid explorations, Break of Lights reveals Abstraxion to be a standout producer and true obsessive to his craft. "The most important thing for me in this record was finding my own sounds and combinations to build a whole new world," says the producer of this, his first long player. "I wanted my album to be coherent and reflect what my project is about so that people could get into that timeless spaceship."
Break of Lights, consequently, abounds with texturally rich, rapturous gems and thoughtful meditations on the passage of time. Album opener "White Rain," featuring the whispered vocals of Parisian artist Chloé, winds plaintive guitar around modular synths and Abstraxion's own ghostly vocalizations. "Moon" bubbles with blinking synths and blip-and-bleep effects that, in a titular nod, flash celestially. "Every Night I'm Lying" marries tremendous beats with gorgeous vocals from Danish singer Astrid Engberg. Possibly the most hypnotic track here, "Around Me," warms with sonorous synths that speak like beautifully indecipherable utterances. And "Les Histoires," dedicated to the producer's father, emerges with half-recalled conversations from childhood, then drifts - as if via time - through spectral keyboards that filter past like memories.
Abstraxion co-manage the label Biologic Records with DJ, producer DC Salas. After putting out a series of EPs, he released the singles "Jus Acid" and "Jaipur's Elephant" on Different Records in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He has also released music on Marketing Music. Always a singular character with an ear for sound, he has built a music studio in Marseille with old analogic instruments. He spends his there time making electronic music that is as explorative and organic as possible. "I've built a system in my studio where I can spontaneously compose with all my instruments," he says. "That way, in the end, the track has the same warmth of feeling as the room during the recording process itself."
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UPC: 0311197700612 Rel date 14.10.2013
TRACKS: A1. Prism A2. Cold Future B1. Overpass B2. Cylinder B3. Cylinder (Marc Houle Remix)
Hardly a stranger to the scene, Ash Moses first made a name for himself in DJ booths across his hometown of Sydney. It wasn't long before the bonafide musician crossed the DJ booth threshold into the realm of production under the Tunnel Signs moniker and, eventually, as one-half of the Death Strobe label, where he released his debut 'Sun' EP. Remixed by the likes of Daniel Avery and championed by DFA's James Murphy, 'Sun' made ripples in' the electronic pond far beyond his homeland. Following its success, Ash Moses has returned with a solid EP via Have A Killer Time.
The product of two years in the studio, 'Dream City' brings to life an array of Ash's influences across 5 tracks. Layered, complex, and slightly tortured, the record is a seamless amalgamation of inspiration. "I really got into a lot of minimal wave/EBM stuff whilst making the record and found a lot of it meshes nicely with my love for science fiction, especially books and films with an underlying sense of foreboding and a climate where technology has run amok," says Ash of 'Dream City.' A child of the '80s, Ash grew up idolizing 'Ghostbusters' and, in turn, the city of New York.
"I was always really fascinated by the city of New York and how it was an important character in those films," says Ash. "I loved the underground subway scenes in the second film and this began a lifelong interest with the unseen and hidden sides of cities." Subsequently, he credits a trip to the city and experiencing its gritty beauty for influencing the record. "Going to New York for the first time and seeing the steam rise from the grates fascinated the hell out of me." "The dream city is unnervingly familiar yet totally alien. In terms of the record, it's a reference to the skewered music, vibes and imagery that fueled the release." On remix duty is none other than Marc Houle. A man who hardly needs an introduction, the techno veteran has graced nearly every notable stage across the world with his incomparable live performance that continues to expand and improve with each passing year. With releases on Richie Hawtin's Minus imprint as well as his own, Items & Things, Houle has, without a doubt, earned his stripes as a legendary musician and his stellar closing remix of "Cylinder" is the perfect reminder of how he got there.
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You can hear, in the songs of No Regular Play, hints at the sounds that inspired the duo to make music in the first place, and sonic whispers of the vast musical lexicon they share. Friends since the age of eight, Greg Paulus and Nick DeBruyn grew up listening to Native Tongues and underground hip-hop and jazz. That love of music never waned: the two traveled to Cuba together to study Afro-Cuban music and Paulus formally studied classical and jazz and toured with the band Beirut. That explains, then, why their output since they began releasing music in 2008 – mostly as part of the Wolf+Lamb collective – has so effectively married diverse sonic influences with smooth house. Nothing Less, their debut release on the HAKT label, very nearly glides through its four songs, bringing along elements and instruments give this release depth, richness and texture. On “Nothing Less,” the opener, Paulus plays trumpet against a backbeat that’s suddenly surrounded by cosmic synths and his own Prince-reminiscent vocals. Track two, “Night Ranger,” feels like an ‘80s summer night, with keys forming elegant patterns beneath Paulus’s vocals and sparse, mournful horns. “Ice Cold Bottle” toys with synthy funk, and fills out with murky keys, thumping beats and lyrics that are smirkily, playfully sleazy (And includes maybe the best lyric of late: “Don't bother with the bathing suit/’Cause that suit will drop.”) And “Indigo,” which starts off with stacks of handclaps and big bottomed bass, unexpectedly weaves in swooning cello and string swells that feel hopelessly romantic. Greg Paulus has played with Matthew Dear and released solo music on Wolf+Lamb and Double Standard Records. NRP has also released music on Supplement Facts and Cut Mistake Music. Their debut full length, Endangered Species, was released in 2012.
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Midnight moves. That’s what comes to mind when you listen to Cale Parks's “N1,” preferably at an hour long after dusk has settled around you in some beautiful, insomniac city. Parks finds – or more aptly, seeks – beauty and grace in ambience and shadows. “N1” starts as pure atmosphere – it feels at first like a sort of lovely sonic nothingness slowly taking form – before growing into the darkly lit, gorgeous moodscape it later becomes. A sensual bassline, a pulsing downbeat, a cinematic piano, strains of Italo disco, and the sensation of breezing down a lightless road. If you could make sensuous shapes of the night – imagine kneading the dark itself – it might, at the very best, feel like this. The task of remixing Parks's original is taken up by French duo Paradis, who can otherwise be heard making music on Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space label. The Paris-based producers shine a brightening light on Parks's dusky creation, quickening its pulse and trading in its darkwave undercurrents for enlivening techno and house. There’s an element of floating here – a dreaminess in the rhythms, an astral aspect to the keys beaming through the beats. And with the addition of vocals, sung in French – a pop finishing touch on a song that already feels like an earworm – the transformation is complete. This excellent introduction to Cale Parks’s music is also his debut release on the HAKT label. More

Chicago-rooted, disco influenced tracks from John Camp’s excellent solo debut, out on the HAKT label, are reinvented by some of dance music’s industry captains. Once again, the HAKT label offers a collection of songs that pulse through the night and bring life to the dance floor. First, NYC nightlife luminaries Jacques Renault and HAKT label head Justin Miller ease into Camp’s “All You Gotta Do,” building from basics and then creating a sonically rich and texturally lush reworking. The grit of Camp’s composition is buffed away here, leaving behind a dreamier, glossier and more silken soundscape – one that cushions your ascent into the night, with radiant synths lighting the way. Next up, German DJ/Running Back label co-founder Gerd Janson and multimedia artist LOPAZZ pair up to take on Camp’s “Credit Default Swap.” The remixed track lightens the mood – but not the feverish danceability – of Camp’s work with a playful repeating key line and the infusion of outstretched cosmic synths. On the snare drum remix that closes out the trio of songs, the two strip away the musical layers of Camp’s original and build a song that takes the track to its beat-driven essence. More

What more appropriate artist could possibly be featured on the inaugural release from HAKT Recordings – the new label from dance music fixture Justin Miller, formerly of DFA Records – than DJ and producer Walter Jones? Over the course of a career that began in the late ‘80s, Jones’s impeccable sense of sound has led him to produce some of dance music’s high water marks of the last decade – while his unflagging standards of quality control have made his own catalog a restrained display of taste and talent. With critically lauded output including 2009’s “Living Without Your Love” under his belt, Jones has become known among house music fans as a source of reliably great dance music. His latest output, the fantastic Utopiano Project, has a twofold effect: it both continues Jones’s reputation as a discriminating music maker, and serves as a breathtaking launch pad for the new Miller’s HAKT label. The songs featured here are as varied as you might hope to find on a recording that still manages to move without a hitch through its four songs. “Talk to Me” opens with a series of pulses like robo-ized choral singers emoting in tones, a clever play on the song’s title. The track lifts into a beat-driven house round of dance floor ecstasy, complete with keys that glisten and a propulsive grind at the heart of it all. “Made in Holland,” though as danceable as its predecessor, is less intense, with funk underpinnings and spaceship gurglings percolating their way through. “Hands in the Sand” uses sun-bleached AM Gold (along with samba gleanings) as a blissful foundation for singer Aily’s sweetly dreamy vocals. While the Lauer remix of the track, with its wistful synths in multi-rhythmic layers, drags the song away from the beach and places it firmly back on the dance floor. More