ESP Institute artist Bartellow, one third of the project Tambien and otherwise known in the Contemporary Classical sphere as Beni Brachtel, returns to the label with his second full-length release, Noosphere. While currently heading the SVS label and residency series out of Munich, Beni’s resume expands well beyond electronic music to include immersive sound installations such as The Adven- ture Of The Empty House (solo live performance across seven floors of Walter Henn’s Deckelbau building), a slew of compositions for the Bavarian State Opera (for which he doubled as conductor), and a prolific career of over twenty-five theater scores for institutions such as the Münchner Kammerspiele, Schauspiel Basel, Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, Berliner Ensemble, Schauspiel Köln, Schaus- piel Graz and with directors Ersan Mondtag, Alexander Eisenach, Jessica Glause and Tobias Staab among others. Noosphere is a compendium excerpting from theatrical scores WUT (Elfriede Jelinek, at Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2020), Ödipus and Antigone (Maxim Gorki Theatre Berlin, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2017), Der Zauberberg (Thomas Mann, Schauspiel Graz, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2017), Hass Tryptichon (Sybille Berg, Wiener Festwochen / Maxim Gorki Theatre, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019), Wonderland Ave. (Sibylle Berg, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2018), Die Verdammten (after Visconti ´s film, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019) and Roi Ubu (Alfred Jarry, Theater Neumarkt, Zurich, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2018). The work traverses homages, infusing everything from Baroque to Impressionism, and while these types of references are certainly built into the canon of Theatre as a discipline, here we gather histor- ic layers in an even wider net. Under the self-referential thumb of Contemporary Classical music, this sort of "hindsight" approach has been largely avoided, however, in today’s all-access arena, the constant stream of historic causal-chained events has opened a delta where anything is possible. This defines Bartellow’s stance among his colleagues as well as his cultural position as a composer. Beni considers beauty a fleeting objective in the arts, that expression is often expected to follow notions of Destructivism or the unfulfilled. Art will pore over wounds, collective angst, mourn- ing a loss of natural habitat or a fear of technological invasion, yet there is a bitter irreverence for the friction or salvation in beauty itself. Acknowledging this subjectivity — what one audience considers superficial pleasure may be deeply profound to another — he leans into musical instinct as if composing via divine conduit. Noosphere conjures a array of suspense, ecstasy, melancholy, and dread, but in isolating the work from its theatrical component, Brachtel directs our focus toward formal qualities, clearing unim- peded space to conceive fresh narratives and examine dynamism and interconnectivity. In sympathy with often difficult theatre pieces, the passages can be dark and transgressive, but more importantly they remain relative to Brachtel’s circumstances at their time of creation. The title Noosphere speaks to the evolution of human thought and knowledge, opening a door to subjective points-of-view. For example, Nexus II On The Beach refers to both Roberto Musci’s Water Messages On Desert Sand as well as the film Bladerunner, invoking the image of an android enjoying the sunset, but whether or not this abstraction may be considered beautiful depends the listener’s cumulative life experience and perspective. This is hybrid chamber music, augmented by electro-acoustic layers, juxtaposing various periods and successively processing their residual themes into a trans-generational rendering of “now.”

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In 2017, Bartellow deviated from ESP Institute’s celebrated Tambien, the Bavarian trio (alongside Public Possession’s Marvin and Valentino) whose two prior releases had stormed castles across the land, and graced us with his debut 2xLP Panokorama. He set a high bar for discerning listeners, painting grand gestures from a re?ned palette and bending unconventional audio sources into a rich textural melange. Now, two years later, a motley crew of producers reimagines two of Bartellow’s captivating album cuts. Side A leads with a blistering bastardization of Sala Sensi by Florian Kupfer, a down-and-dirty mechanic from the neighboring L.I.E.S. camp who’s built a base of thick relentless drum patterns that batters beneath disorienting machines and a haphazardly stabbing piano. Following this, Stockholm depth-charger Skudge strips away the ?lth, reducing Clypp to a few tidy elements and focuses on their warm hypnotic nature. Side B holds a distorted mirror to its former, leading again with Sala Sensi but Chateau Flight’s Gilb’r twists the music into an exquisite corpse, a loose amalgamation of late-night sessions from his Amsterdam studio interwoven as one. Rounding out this bizarre exercises is another remix of Clypp by longtime collaborator from Osaka, Ground—this reciprocates for Bartellow’s remix of 2018’s Logos—and the musical approach here is somewhat of a Ground calling card; playful, psychedelic, organic and dripping wet. Upon ?rst listen, this collection may feel disparate as utensils in a kitchen sink, but with time spent pinging between all four corners, we discover a sense of freedom in amongst their disengagement, an unapologetic “fuck you.”



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Bartellow has long been associated with the ESP Institute though Tambien, a trio formed alongside Bavarian cohorts Marvin and Valentino, who have released seminal dancefloor material over recent years. With his debut album Panokorama, we are invited into a completely different world of Bartellow's creation—a place where influences become a melting pot of mood, nuance and texture, and where instrumentation is abstracted from a variety of cultures, including those that exist solely within his imagination. Bartellow has found a way to merge Primitivism with Retrofuturism, identifying their point of intersection and reveling in their union across ten songs. While his academic background as a Jazz musician certainly informs both his progressive approach to composition and non-linear production, it is his obsession with electronics and synthesis that shape his current musical climate. The title Panokorama stems from Bartellow’s visualization of the album, a surreal landscape with a foreign presence centrally embedded, a “panorama” punctuated by a “ko”—although a hybrid word that reads as nonsense, it somehow feels and sounds just right.

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City Fly are very pleased to announce the upcoming release of their 13th record, and it's a very special one indeed. The Leicester imprint has always been a champion of quality house music both local and worldwide, but this latest wax features the talent of the home team with a track from each of the City Fly crew. The collection hones in on City Fly's trademark sound of deep, authentic house music with no compromise. The EP open's with recent 'Future Society' by Seven Davis Jr signing Jonna & Samwell with their debut collaboration 'Henry Western' featuring the unstoppable Lady Blacktronika. It's a heads down, no nonsense affair with moody chords underpinning mournful vocals that just ooze soul. Next up is the smooth, loopy disco of Last Trip to Gandahar's 'R136a1' which is a classic cut that even Soundstream himself would be proud of. From here we move on to 'Without You' by Darran P, which balances silky Rhodes chords and melancholic vocals. Bringing the EP to a close is J'Shez's killer remix of 'Holloway' by Flori. The original surfaced on City Fly 003 and this reinterpretation is a pure pumper from start to finish.

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City Fly are very excited to present their latest 12 inch, this time coming from long time friend of the label and all round powerhouse Kez YM. The Leicester label have long been representing for the East Midlands underground house scene, bringing local talent to the world and bringing global connections to their locale. Hot off the back of their 10th release celebration VA and a strong offering from legend Tim Toh, the Japanese connoisseur Kez YM is back with more of the goodness that has made him a favourite of the label from such an early stage. The EP drips with Kez's trademark blend of deepness, kicking off with the heads down groover of 'Bump into the Sky'. Next up 'Eagle Eye' builds around crisp 909 drums and a super tight bass line. Pure classic vibes from start to finish. Over on the flip 'My Joy' is underpinned by deep, jazzy chords and finishing off we have 'Spiral Traffic' which takes things to a new tip entirely with an almost Latin feel to the chord patterns.

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Marking its 11th release, Leicester-based label City Fly welcome Philpot regular Tim Toh to its already impressive roster spanning DJ Nature, Fred P, Andres, Medlar and Basic Soul Unit. The Berlin artist is also renowned for his works on the likes of Ornaments Music, Delusions of Grandeur and Mild Pitch, and his idiosyncratic vision of electronic music is one shared with the discerning minds behind City Fly. ‘Endlessly' is a track that melds interlinking rhythms with vocal snippets before easing in to a beautiful Rhodes sequence containing all the hallmarks of an absolute floor filler.
‘Everything' then features the beautiful vocals of Ranavalona to engineer a track dripping with pure soul, making way for a remix from Thatmanmonkz that focuses on rhythm whilst boiling the piece down to a slice of timeless house. Finally 'Expectations' is a number exhibiting Toh's avant-garde approach to music production whilst still focusing squarely on the dancefloor.

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After an excursion in initiating their new subsidiary 'City Fly Records LTD' to release new, interesting projects - in which they presented a super exclusive in the form of a beautifully packaged limited edition clear 10 inch by 'UglyInk' aka drum machine deviants and aural aestheticians Ugly Drums and Inkswel - City Fly are back in familiar territory with some house flavour on the hallowed 12-inch format. To celebrate their tenth release City Fly revive their 'Visions' series which has previously featured house heroes such as Pablo Valentino, Lay-Far, YSE and Basic Soul Unit. The ethos of the Visions EP's are to present an array of artists from an international palette - representing the full house spectrum and showcasing house in all its forms. As well as welcoming back label mainstay Ugly Drums and former Midlander-turned-Berliner Red Rack 'em, City Fly are proud to bring Marlow and Simbad into the fold for Visions Vol 3.. MARLOW - I'M RIDING HIGH
Though consistently featuring house heavyweights on their releases like Andres, DJ Nature, Fred P, Kez YM and Inkswel, City Fly like to push those left in the shadows to the forefront - continuing their quest in discovering and nurturing hidden house talent.. Step forward veteran German producer Marlow aka Mario Weise who's been on the scene for over two decades. Having recorded for house labels as varied as Moon Harbour, Room With A View, Fifty Fathoms Deep and Dennis Ferrer's Objektivity imprint (not to mention an array of remixes with Compost's Rainer Truby), Marlow has been at the fore of the many facets of house. More recently he released on Jazzanova's influential institution Sonar Kollektiv with the cosmic-infused disco and honeyed harmonies of his 'Backroom EP'. For his City Fly debut Marlow drops a jutterin' house rhythm with an old dusty male vocal filtering through the squelchin' stabs and percussive patterns, culminating in an ethereal crescendo awash with soaring synths and soulful vox serenading 'I'm Riding High'. A soul-drenched anthem that you'll lose yourself in..
UGLY DRUMS - WHO'S GETTIN' DOWN
Not content with featuring one German on the EP, City Fly welcome back Cologne native Ugly Drums for their tenth release. Ugly Drums has an inimitable style that has seen him appear on a host of choice house labels such as Rush Hour, Freerange, Kolour, Black Key, and Fifty Fathoms Deep plus his debut 'Saturn Memories' LP on the discernible Quintessentials imprint. More recently he featured on the aforementioned 'UglyInk' 10inch and Bartellow's 'Humming Birds' EP for City Fly turning out an acid-induced interpretation of the title track that was a highlight. So naturally it was only a matter of time before City Fly got this production wunderkind back on wax again.. As the 'Who's Getting Down' title suggests, Ugly Drums brings to the plate a proper filtered beatdown joint that's got its eye firmly on the dancefloor complete with a deep dose of disco added to proceedings. Just when you're gettin' lost in the groove suddenly the track goes off-kilter with stuttering keys bound to make you jit and deeper synths coming into play. Definitely one for the more discernible dancefloors to get on down with..
RED RACK 'EM - DARK BOXING
Berlin-based Red Rack 'em aka Danny Berman returns to the City Fly family after releasing the well-received 'Zoned EP' last year complete with a funk-fuelled and soul-soaked interpretation from DJ Nature. His genre-defying productions on choice labels such as Ramp, Philomena and Wolf Music are always in the bag of revered purveyors such as Mike Huckaby, Move D, MCDE and Kyle Hall. With the Midlands connection (where he resided before jettin' to Berlin) it was only natural City Fly got him back representing again. His contribution typically takes us on a deeper trajectory - the smoky haze of the jazzy keys and dusty vox sounding like it could be a long lost blunted KDJ joint flowin' with some Motor City soul. One for the lights down low..
SIMBAD - MY TIME
For their final contribution of the EP City Fly are proud to present London-based French DJ/production extraordinaire Simbad to bringing his varying flavour to their house palette. Initially coming to prominence over a decade ago under his 'Marathon Men' alias with kindred spirit Freddy McQuinn, tracks like 'Sweet Exorcist' on G.A.M.M. were picked up by tastemakers such as Laurent Garnier, Moodymann, King Britt, Norman Jay and Gilles Peterson - who made their 'In Paradise' track a permanent fixture on his Radio 1 show 'Worldwide'. Simbad's chameleon-like ability to fuse together a meltin' pot of genres including jazz, funk, soul, disco, house and hip-hop has seen him appear on a variety of choice label's under a myriad of guises including Twitch, Heal, Les Barons, Mowgly, TettoryBad (with Grooveman Spot & Masaya Kobayashi of Jazzy Sport fame) plus collaborating with Karizma under their Izmabad. On to the track and 'My Time' is a typically soul-infused groove reminiscent of his Raw Fusion classics - the frenzied percussion, driving bass and electronic flourishes all intertwining effortlessly with Eric Rico's yearning larynx. One to take the dancefloor in a different direction..

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Not content with releasing high quality house music via their main imprint, City Fly present a limited edition and beautifully packaged clear 10inch by 'UglyInk' - a collaboration between the equally talented Ugly Drums and Inkswel. Cologne native Ugly Drums has an inimitable style that has seen him appear on a number of choice labels such as Rush Hour, Freerange and Fifty Fathoms Deep, plus his debut 'Saturn Memories' LP on the discernible Quintessentials imprint. More recently he featured on Bartellow's 'Humming Birds' EP for City Fly, turning out an acid-infused interpretation of the title track, so it was only a matter of time before City Fly presented this production wunderkind back on wax again..Inkswel has gained critical acclaim with his distinctive beat-tape boogie, featuring on labels such as the Firecraker Recordings' offshoot Unthank, Faces Records, Rush Hour's 'Dam jam subsidiary 'Boogie Bash - not to mention a forthcoming 12inch on Wolf Recordings. He has also collaborated with Chicago house hierarchy Merwyn Sanders (formerly of Virgo Four and Ace & The Sandman) and produced for electro boogie outfit Nite Class for their supreme synth odyssey 'Love Scenes' LP, both on Hot Shot Sounds. Having been on City Fly's radar for some time, they are now proud to introduce Inkswel to the burgeoning City Fly family and present this exclusive collaboration with Ugly Drums. So on to the tracks and the EP kicks off with 'Watch Out!' that features the honeyed harmonies of regular Inkswel collaborator Charli James and is a welcome soulful summer sojourn with a spring in its step. With the remix, Inkswel's interpretation is a typically idiosyncratic affair, taking the track on a heavier drum workout laced with reverberating synths that is aimed more for the floor. On the flip and the 'UglyInk Theme' takes the listener on a deeper trajectory with its space-age synths, cosmic keys and husky male vox resulting in an otherworldly groove. Completing the EP is 'Fresh Out The Water' with its vintage drum machines and synth-soaked styling wouldn't sound out of place on a Dam Funk record.Though a departure from their usual releases, City Fly as ever continue to push the boundaries and showcase the many facets of house - watch out for more of their new limited series coming soon..


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Last year City Fly unearthed a raw diamond in the form of Russia's Alexander Lay-Far AKA Lay-Far with his 'Perfect World' track being the choice cut on City Fly's 'Visions Volume 2' EP - its dream-like harmony, yearning female tones and warm bass culminating in a transcendent production. Since his contribution to City Fly the Moscow native and 'In-Beat-Ween Sessions' host has already built an impressive discography with releases on Dutch tastemakers 4lux, Moscow's Shanti records and JD records with Detroit marvel Terrence Parker remixing him - not to mention further releases out on distinguished house labels including Amp Art, Visky Recordings, Fifty Fathoms Deep and a forthcoming 12inch with Jonny Miller on the Atjazz Record Company imprint. However, it was the release of his acclaimed debut album 'So Many Ways' on Chicago imprint Glenview Records Inc that saw him receive some deserved exposure and gain a wider audience - putting him firmly on the house map. Though the album has its roots in house, its melting pot of influences and genres with lashings of funk, soul and R&B elevated it above the usual house fare and found its way into the record bags of revered tastemakers such as Osunlade, Mad Mats and Inkswel. Having monitored his progress closely since there last collaboration it was only a matter of time before City Fly brought Lay-Far back into the fold. Having planted the seeds to grow an alliance that has come to fruition with him flying over for an exclusive DJ set and now launching his debut 'It's On' EP for the label, this Kindred Spirit is definitely one to watch..
WITHOUT
Kicking off with lashings of funk and warm jazzy keys, 'Without' initially has a sunnier disposition then the title implies. However, a dusty male soul vox and moody organ then interject - taking things deeper and juxtaposing against the funk-fuelled spirit of the track ultimately adding more layers and depth giving it a more beatdown feel. A typical soul-infused Lay-Far production with it's an organic and timeless aesthetic, this is definitely one to soak up and kick back to in the summer sun..
SUMMER IS ON (DEDICATED TO GEORGE)
As the title suggests 'Summer Is On (Dedicated to George)' has summer written all over it. Beginning with warm bass, jazz licks and an infectious rhythm that slowly builds until the track takes a sudden tempo change with orchestral sweeps. There's no time to acclimatise though as the track metamorphoses again with the rolling drum and handclaps bringing the track back to the dancefloor with the introduction of a guiro adding some latin flair. A pure summer joint that'll be perfect for the roof terrace..
PENSAMENTO NOVO
The summer theme is in full flow as next up is 'Pensamento Novo' which as the Portuguese title suggests is a strictly Brazilian affair. With a heavy drum and funky guitar licks kicking off proceedings, the track takes a shift into Bossa Nova territory with its fusion of spoken word and raw percussive elements giving it an authentic Brazilian flavour culminating in a crescendo awash with sax and blissful keys.
PENSAMENTO NOVO (S3A'S WURM REMIX)
Having previously featured house heavyweights on remix duties including Andres, Fred P and DJ Nature, City Fly like to balance this with their quest in discovering and nurturing hidden house talent. Step forward S3A straight outta France who has been on City Fly's radar for quite some time now and are proud to present him for this release. The unusual 'S3A' name is an acronym for 'Sampling As An Art', and as well as holding down a spot at club du jour Concrete his productions have featured on revered house labels such as Local Talk and Slow House Records not to mention the creme de la creme of French labels such as Phonogramme, Lazare Hoche Records and City Fly's partner in crime Pablo Valentino's Faces imprint. On to the remix and S3A's interpretation is a more house-orientated affair and as ever joins the dots between the classic sounds of house with an ear open to the future - the perfect contrast to the EP's more relaxed, summery tone.

Aiden d'Araujo

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After the success of their debut 12” – the ‘Visions EP’ featuring James Johnston, YSE, Tone Control and Basic Soul Unit – with support coming from the full house spectrum (including Alex Agore, Brawther, Danny Tenaglia, Deetron, Ethyl, Groove Armada, Red Rack’em and many more), it’s only natural City Fly follow up their 1st release with a new EP to further showcase the deeper house sounds synonymous with their ethos.



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