SIS, the alias of Burak Sar, returns once again to Crosstown Rebels. Following on from releases such 2012’s Round Pen, 2015’s Sombra India and last year’s The Blindside, the German-born producer- heavily influenced by his Turkish roots- presents us with this tribal triple-threat. SIS explains that it was sending his first ever demo tape to Crosstown Rebels in 2004 that initiated his relationship with the label and tells us to “expect some rolling dance floor breakers” . Karmir Nur gets the EP underway. Sensual strings abound with a heady, tribal chant that lulls you into a state of hypnosis. Tima rolls along, building slowly as the layers pull you in deeper still towards those familiar strings. Dandini brings back the tribal chanting. The vocals are backed by mesmeric drums, perfect for an intoxicating, dance floor procession. Burak Sar has released a number of records on renowned imprints such as Get Physical Music, Mobilee and Cocoon Recordings as well as running his own successful label, Cocolino Records More

Bringing his signature sound to Crosstown Rebels, delightfully unconventional producer SIS delivers his third release on the label, The Blind Side. Hot on the heels of his Boabab album on Mobilee, Rodriguez Jr. delivers a stunning remix on the B-side. The Blind Side is set to soundtrack the summer, an incredibly infectious track with its exotic and intricate drum workouts and alluring vocal cuts. On the flip, Rodriguez Jr. brings in deep pads, uplifting melodic keys and a storming piano lines for a whole new take on the original. Taking his artistic enthusiasm from his Turkish father, SIS grew up in Berlin surrounded by music. Following a series of releases on Nick Curly’s Cecille, Ricardo Villalobos who loved his track Trompeta so much that he released it on his boutique label picked up the German producer Sei es Drum in 2008. His success of Trompeta led to an avalanche of recognition, Groove Magazine and ‘Newcomer of the Year’ by Raveline Mag named him both ‘Producer of the Year’. In 2011 SIS launched his own label Cocolino where he released his debut three-part album Dejame. Olivier Mateu aka Rodriguez Jr. grew up in the south of France and moved to Paris as a young adult and soon formed the electro group The Youngsters. Signed by Laurent Garnier to F Communications, the duo released two albums and a string of successful singles. Focusing on a different alias, Rodriguez Jr. gave Olivier the freedom to run with his creativity, which can be seen in his acclaimed live shows. More

The exotic ‘Sombra India’ gets to works with slick guitar licks and a driving beat, enhanced with powerful and captivating vocals from Eduardo Castillo. Already a firm favourite of Damain Lazarus and Luciano, this has been getting a huge response on dance floors this summer. On the flip and the cut-up Afro-house ‘Sanura’ is highly exotic driving monster of a tune, no messing around, straight to the dance floor! German native SIS shot into the limelight in 2008 with releases on Cecille and Ricardo Villalobos’ label Sei es Drum, which up until that point had only showcased Ricardo´s own productions. No stranger to the Crosstown Rebels catalogue, he delivered the first ever Rebellion release and then later the ‘Round Pen EP’ on Crosstown Rebels in the summer of 2012 and the more recent ‘Slider’ on Rebellion. Other productions have appeared on esteemed labels such as Cocoon, 8Bit, Connaisseur, Get Physical, with a more recent album on Cocolino.
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An aficionado’s household name ever since riding a well-deserved wave of hype in 2008, Burak Sar aka SIS has continued to impress with his instantly recognizable percussive grooves and unmistakable production style. Stepping up for the 99th release on Crosstown Rebels (having previously appeared on the first ever RebelLION) the German producer delivers ambitious four-tracker - the ‘Round Pen EP’. Shakers and bongos open things up on ‘Faces’, before a big, unwavering 4/4 kick enters the floor coupled with a hazy bassline. An evocative sample is used creatively in trademark SIS style and will no doubt have the same devastating effect on the floor. Things then get a little darker with a minimal, almost micro house intro on ‘Unforty’. Spacey pads and a menacing bassline lead the way hypnotically until an organ synth line snaps us out of the trance, giving the track a new perspective. We then dive straight back into some more vocal-led, peak time madness on ‘Miles From Me’. SIS displays his renowned propensity for manipulated vocals, chopping up a blues sample beyond recognition and then releasing the full vocal later on; whist a gratifying combo of warming distortion, elongated reverb tails and echoed stabs ensures that sounds twist and turn for the duration. Finally we return to the deep for ‘Forward Line’, a driving and relentless piece characterised by a slick percussive groove and hypnotic synth lead. More

One to watch Ibellini makes an imprint with his brilliant debut ‘Wide Soul EP’ on Crosstown Rebels off-shoot RebelLion. Title track ‘Wide Soul’ is intensely mystifying with a deep bass, warbling synths and warmth flowing through the atmospherics. Following suit ‘I Dream Of Funk’ unfolds on a more uplifting tip with powerful melodies, solid groove and layered synths. On the B-side Desolat favourite Guti remixes ‘Wide Soul’ taking it deeper and more rolling for the early hours of the morning. Rounding off the EP ‘Milk & Honey’ is exactly the type of track you’d love to hear at BPM festival or Burning Man, luscious and hypnotic with plenty of grit and groove. More

A firm favourite in the Rebellion camp, prolific producer Aidan Lavelle makes his third appearance on the imprint this time with the immense 'Direction EP', comprising of three outstanding big room tracks that will blow your mind. Powerful build ups and epic breakdowns will dominate the dancefloor while trippy FX, rolling grooves and deep tribal undertones will circulate the atmosphere with Aidan's vocoder enhanced vocals adding a real stand out element. All three tracks are to be played loud for full effect and maximum destruction on the dancefloor. Accomplished composer and producer, Aidan Lavelle has worked with a number of world-class artists including U.N.K.L.E Gorillaz, Ian Brown, Queens Of The Stone Age and Massive Attack. Having built up an illustrious body of work in television and film music, last May saw him take a step back into the realms of underground dance music with his debut solo release on Rebellion, the 'Tinnitus EP'. While also remixing for the likes of Layo & Bushwacka and Betoko, the highly successful 'Get Yourself EP' followed in December on Rebellion receiving huge support from the likes of Pete Tong on his Radio 1 show. Aidan´s releases are being heavily by a wide range of artists including James Holden, Richie Hawtin, Solomun, Nic Fancuilli, Sasha, Tiefschwarz and Mandy Aside from building up a busy touring schedule and playing alongside Damian Lazarus at the Rebellion Rave in London and the Crosstown Rebel's Warehouse Project date in Manchester last year, Aidan is also working on a solo album under the name Modal, whilst continuing to create sound design and score for film and planning more underground dance music releases and remixes. More

Capturing the essence of Crosstown Rebels Robot Rebel Heart experience at Burning Man, DAVI’s selection of deep melodic odysseys for Rebellion are awash with the other-worldly magic of the Playa. A-side ‘Rebel Heart’ fuses ancient Eastern melodies with moody bass and mystical arrangements. Second track ‘Anunnaki’ (a name denoting a group of deities in ancient Mesopotamian cultures) continues the theme of spellbinding, earthy tones and on the remix, Hot Creations Mark Jenkyns toughens up ‘Rebel Heart’ with a squelchy acid-flecked bassline, solid kicks and overlays of his own wonky synth structures. Last but not least the masterstroke ‘Two Suns In The Sky’ hypnotises the soul with rolling drum beats and epic chords as waves of spooky energy and polyrhythms punctuate the cosmic sunrise soundscape. More

DJ W!LD is back, this time on Crosstown offshoot Rebellion with a stomping summer anthem featuring Cari Golden on vocals ‘Shape U’. The original fuses the solid punch of a club weapon with the laidback feel of poolside disco, while the Fur Coat Remake gives the track an entirely different sheen all chugging disco bass-line, dark synths and pitched down vocals. An aptly named WILDER remix and dub from the producer ties up an unmissable EP. The prolific DJ W!LD is one of France’s longest serving underground house heroes. As part of the Cocoon family and as a Circo Loco resident, DJ W!LD under various aliases has released on labels such as OFF Recordings, Robsoul, and his own imprints Catwash Records and W including debut album ‘Palace’ in 2011. Second album ‘D!RTY’ landed on Cabin Fever last year. Originally from Dijon, W!LD’s passion for graffiti, street culture, disco, funk and hip hop led him into DJing, taking his name from cult 1983 film Wild Style. Relocating to Paris in 1996, DJ W!LD was instrumental in the French house scene, pouring his energies into the city’s underground club community and later becoming a globally successful artist and fixture at the best international clubs and festivals. Fur Coat have been blazing a trail since their mighty debut album in 2012 on Crosstown Rebels ‘Mind Over Matter’ also featuring Cari Golden on vocals on the massive hit ‘You And I’. The fast-rising Venezuelan duo have been remixed by TEED and have a single forthcoming on Crosstown.
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Moodymanc´s Dubble D project lands on the Rebellion imprint, paying tribute to the funk mecca of early Detroit and expressing a different kind of worship with ’Church’ featuring the legendary Ashley Beedle on remix duty. Danny Ward AKA Moodymanc is one of the most well respected names in house music. His first foray on Rebellion is a truly religious experience. A superb slice of Detroit/Chi-town infused house with spiritual appeal. Ashley Beedle provides the ReVersion of the flip like only he can.. a killer double header! More

Next up on Crosstown Rebels clandestine off-shoot label Rebellion is the dexterous and versatile producer behind latest alias, SIOPIS. Adorning the ‘Master Plan’ EP with a far murkier quality than previous works as Silversurfer, the SIOPIS sound is destined for the darker recesses of the club. Comprised of three superlative cuts, the tone of the ‘Master Plan’ EP is set with a blend of lingering vocals, punchy basslines and moody undertones. A-side ‘Master Plan’ leads the way with its haunting vocals, layered over a howling bassline as the synths build with intensity.
Flip over to the B-side and it’s all swagger with ‘Buy Underground’s’ tough bassline stabs, mingling with warped synths as the track breaks down into trippy spaced out FX before a killer drop. ‘House of Mouse’ feat. Mz Sunday & Bootslap delivers growling sub-bass and grimy beats under nimble keys and skittish bleeps while a sinister male vocal is contested by a sweeter female voice and trippier fx perpetuates the menacing mood. More

Back once again on Crosstown’s wayward younger brother Rebellion, Aidan Lavelle delivers another three superb cuts of timeless dance music featuring his own haunting live vocals and epic tribal grooves – a hybrid of techno styles with deep and moody undertones. Title track ‘Get Yourself’ builds with solid claps and humming bass tones leading upcto a break where Aidan’s pitched down vocal winds its dark path into the mix along with the murky bassline and off-key echoing bleeps and chimes. A master of sonic layers, Aidan sets the tone of the EP here with striking lyrics, chugging groove and sharp shooting synths. ‘Abyss’ is a more urgent floor burner with plenty of tension and mood, swirling, spooky overlapping melodies and the effect of spiraling into darkness. Hidden away as B2 you have another worthy lead track, ‘Unreal’. Major rave appeal exudes from the main riff of off-kilter chimes punching through the solid groove and building up throughout weaved into epic synths. Aidan’s gothic voice remains a beguiling force. Prolific composer and producer, Aidan Lavelle (brother to James) has worked with a number of world-class artists including U.N.K.K.L.E Gorillaz, Ian Brown, Queens Of The Stone Age and Massive Attack. Having since built up an illustrious body of work in television and film music, debut solo release on Rebellion ‘Tinnitus EP’ back in May firmly marked Aidan’s return to underground dance music. The ‘Get Yourself EP’ is further evidence of the solo producer’s magnanimous style. More

After her incredible Changes EP on Crosstown Rebels earlier this year, new lady of house Francesca Lombardo continues to impress this time through the Rebellion arm of the enterprise with her Eyes of Nature EP. ‘Eyes’ is first up and opens with a slick percussive grove characterised by lots of organic elements coalescing to paint a mesmerising, ritualistic picture. Bells, shakers and cymbals rattle and echo while deep haunting synths climb and fall to create a real sense of drama. Francesca utilises her vocal training to devastating effect intermittently throughout the track, panning her own heavily FX'd vocals across the mix further adding to the suspense. On the flip and Julien Riachi’s vocal and a tabla drum riff set the tone on ‘Wander and Wonder’ before an ever returning woodblock melody signals the arrival of a killer baseline which takes the track straight to the dance floor. Exquisite production skills ensure that sonically and elementally the track is constantly going somewhere, whilst Lombardo's classically trained ear ensures that she can effortlessly make perfect musical sense of all the different parts within her tracks. With Halloween just around the corner, this release will definitely be heard at a few spooky soirees across the globe... More

The clue is in the title of the release from new Rebellion signing Enki. A double odyssey of spiraling trippy grooves, 'Tim Burton Abduction' is all spooky FX, organs and dense rolling percussion a superb slice of heady tripped out infectious techno that is going down a storm with the Rebels crew this summer!! A self-professed master of magic and exorcism, French born Enki is certainly a young talent with a distinctively dreamlike quality to his music. Seemingly unperturbed or influenced by the current populist dancefloor, Rebellion has found a perfect contributor to its off-centre catalogue of cavernous late night sounds as Enki offers up his debut and what he calls "Alien House and Cosmic Techno", conceived to make people dance naked under the full moon. A-side 'Tim Burton Abduction' is a treat for the senses – a purely hypnotic groove that unravels and builds in a glitchy outer space framework of chimes, claps, bells and bleeps. As the gentle kick enters the mix, the grip of the groove is tighter still as the sci-fi FX and abstract organ melodies merge with the intricate percussive patterns. On the flip, 'From Another Planet' weaves strange melodies in another spellbinding setting. Big on atmosphere and rhythm, the sub bass creeps in and takes the tracker to a deeper place as soaring electronic harps and abstract keys work into the fluid ethereal groove and the drama builds. Off-kilter, dark and absorbing, Enki's debut is another reason to watch the French underground and a fine example of Rebellion's leftfield imagination.

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The RebelLION imprint, younger sibling to the firmly established underground leader Crosstown Rebels, has reached its 10th release as the daddy label edges towards its tenth year and 100th release! Nurturing the more leftfield club music catching the radar of Damian Lazarus, RebelLION next delivers the creative juices from American heavyweight Tim Xavier with the driving, tribal masterstroke ‘Arco della Devozione’. Loved and respected by many, Tim Xavier’s passionate personality and lifestyle have kept him at the forefront of the techno scene since his first releases almost a decade ago. On the stage Tim is known for his undeniable talent as a once-hard techno mixer turned minimal trend-setter but behind the scenes, the expert sound engineer and key artist for the fast-rising imprint Clink Music, runs a highly successful mastering company based in Berlin. Also working with Tony Rohr as one half of The Afternoon Coffee Boys, Tim’s production style overflows with maturity and fluent simplicity and the results are always deep, dark and emotional. This RebelLION installment is no different. The ‘Main Prime Time’ mix of ‘Arco della Devozione’ is a deep and brooding tribal roller nestled in a dense and dubby sound bed of rich percussion, distorting bass and howling sonic winds. As the disembodied vocals descend and echo through the pulsing beats, the atmosphere drives into murkier waters. On the alternative mixes, the ‘Paint-The-Sky-Dub’ lends a heavy dose of sub-bass and wonky FX while the ‘Dub Version’ allows the track to throb unbounded by the shuddering voices - a magnificent weapon for any DJ wanting to inject some freakiness into the dancefloor. More

Zod is the new project from Rebels boss Damian Lazarus and James What. Debut warped production 'Rise Before Zod' is about to land on Rebellion with a diverse duo of remixes from Acid Pauli and Shadow Dancer. The original 'Rise Before Zod' is a psychedelic trip into dubby sounds that come from deep in the jungle, held together by a killer groove. Dark and groovy, it's the first brainchild from two producers with a proclivity for the left of centre. Paul and Al Farrier aka Shadow Dancer step up for the first remix. Signed to Boyz Noize, the pair injects a heavy dose of uplifting synth lasers, rave stabs and lick of acid, taking the track from the cave to neon club. With the Acid Pauli installment it's back to nature with tribal rhythms, electronic droplets and sparse arrangements that build into a richly padded sound bed of bass, strings and drums. One of Damian's all time favourite DJs, Acid Pauli was a resident at Bar25 in Berlin and is currently preparing his debut artist album for Clown & Sunset, out later this year. More

Next up on Crosstown Rebels offshoot label RebelLION is London-based producer Tim Green, showcasing his range with an EP crossing disco with deep house grooves. A-side ‘Cherry’ is Tim’s own twist on the disco sound paired with a deeper vibe and pitched-down tempo. The rhythmic cowbells, infectious R&B vocal stylings and swinging groove are pure summer funkiness. On the flip, ‘Swamp Girl’ is a quirky houser, with popping synths, old school vocal bits and a cheeky bounce. More

Latest release on RebelLION is a superb four-tracker of off-kilter subsonic house from the illustrious Pezzner! Each cut is unique in it’s own charm and quirkiness. The two killer cuts on the A side feature the infectious, driving, heady resonance of ‘One More’ and the beautiful, transcendental nature of ‘Try it Again’ featuring the illustrious Nneka Gryffyn from APT Entertainment. The flip features the piano driven, snake charming ‘Native Language’ and the staccato sub-ska rhythm and flute-infested genius of ‘Not A Good Idea’. What a cracking EP! More

The forth release on the RebelLION label comes courtesy of LA based DJ and producer Jimmy Maheras. Space Jam is a sonic homage to some of his heroes in this tripped and stripped out slice of groovy tech house with a monster of Matt Tolfrey remix… watch out for that bassline! Championed in the Rebels camp amongst Damian Lazarus, Clive Henry and Seth Troxler this cheeky release is destined for big things this summer in the med! More

Second release on the hot new RebelLION label. After SIS’s monstrous ‘Gallian’ release Solomun delivers another knock out blow in the Sonics with a heavy weight slab of electric moon groove. Pan-rattling percussion and a bass funkier than a trunk of funk underpins the stupendously catchy and incessant vocal licks, and then there’s the guitar.. oh my god, does it get any better than this? On the flip Parisian funkateer D’Julz hikes the tempo and kicks the groove headway into the bass bins as its heads down for some serious dancefloor action. A great second package on this rebellious new label! Please note this is a limited release, so get these hot puppies whilst you can.
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