Fade to Zaire Records returns. Cottam opens the emotive and percussive floodgates, twisting and weaving ritual sitar sounds, signature percussion and subconscious bass lines. ELLES' deconstructed dance therapy rmx is finally out after melting minds all Summer at the forest raves and warehouses of Walthamstow marshes and beyond.A1. Distressed, B1. Drift, B2. Distressed (ELLES dance therapy rmx) More

For the 5th in the Ele Records catalogue esteemed producer Cottam brings two killer edits to the table. The A side sees a joyous disco rework, extending and expanding elements to really hone in on that exuberant bassline and string section. Flip it over and ‘Jigsaw’ delivers a dusty mixture of afro rhythms and stirring spoken words to entrance any audience it’s set before.
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Following Cottam’s critically acclaimed ‘I Can’t Carry On’ EP, which marked the inaugural release on FatCat records’ new electronic sub label FCR, the highly-rated DJ/producer’s new 12” drops on March …, also via FCR. ‘Locked in The Groove’ is a groovy, boogie chugger, which powerfully ebbs and flows over nearly 11 captivating minutes, and ‘Sample Heavy Dub’ is all dark ‘n’ heady eastern atmospherics, whilst ‘Dreaming Of Another Place’ is a fathoms deep, epic journey into mystical and majestic dub-house. An avid participant in Preston's early rave scene, Paul Cottam inevitably pursued DJing, progressing to warm up slots for his techno heroes Surgeon and Regis. Tentative steps into production using Ableton were met with such encouragement that Cottam’s debut releases began to appear. A set of four untitled, un-marketed and un-promoted vinyl self-releases created a huge organic stir with record collectors, attentive journalists and DJs including Moodyman, Gerd Janson and Soul Clap.
This buzz was helped in part by speculation on his identity, but was primarily due to his simple yet effective, flavour-filled and groovesome tracks that blurred the boundaries between re-edits, reworks and originals, moving between slow-mo chug and more straight-up house, whilst encompassing elements of disco, hip hop, nu soul and afrobeat. More

FCR’s first release is the deep future classic ‘I Can’t Carry On’ by Cottam, accompanied by a remix from Detroit’s Todd Modes on the flip.
'I Can't Carry On', is a proper Chi-style-deep-house-classic-in-the-making, whose layers subtly build over 12 immersive minutes. With a raw driving bassline, deep strings and killer underground vocal sample, it stands up easily against early Ron Trent and Lil Louis favourites.
Cottam shot to notoriety in 2009 with three limited edition 12"s that blew up the underground deep house and nu-disco scenes with no advertising and no info - combining neo-soul, afrobeat and hip hop with slo-mo house grooves all three sold out in double quick time and ended up in many 'best of 2009' charts. Since then, Cottam has concentrated on developing his own style of sub-aquatic acid house - remixes for Luv Jam on Phonica's label, Pattern Select on Delusions of Grandeur and Morning Factory on 20:20 Vision offshoot Fina have complemented original tracks on Quintessentials, Wolf Music, German undercover label Story and the summer anthem 'Sunrise Sunset'. The journey continues with his most accomplished tracks yet on the Deep Deep Down EP for Aus Music and a remix for Geoff Leopard on Endless Flight.
A burgeoning career behind the decks has seen Cottam DJ around the world from London & Ibiza super clubs to the dirtiest basements of Berlin and Manchester.
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Cottam returns to the eponymous label that started his musical journey with a couple of first for the label – more than two tracks and a step away from the reworks that have usually characterised this label to more original work with a minimum of samples, all with a nod to Paul’s continued struggle with illness.Raising the temperature, Heat Stroke has a dub techno vibe, mixing classic house drums with crunchy percussion and disembodied voices for a tripped-out old school Chicago feel. Lymph Nodes drops the pace and drops the bass, an almost unmasterable bassline mixes with far-easten strings and percussion for a heavyweight head-nodder that builds an unsettling vibe, proper haunted house.
Wall of Sound is nothing to do with Phil Spector but is a real builder, starting like (proper) minimal house and working the percussion & effects, with warning shouts, ghostly cries and ethereal voices that spin in & out of the mix. A real change of mood track that will freak out the floor without resorting to obvious build-and- drop tactics.
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After the success of his release on Versatile and a string of top productions on his own Ruff Draft label, Ferox is proud to welcome Cottam to the roster with this two tracker. 180g vinyl only release.
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Like the proverbial bus, you wait five years for a Cottam release and two turn up within 6 months. ‘Consciousness’ on the A re-works the soundtrack to a classic Japanese film into a devastating club track; ghostly vocals combine with dub effects and acid riffs for an unnerving slice of headfunk. On the flip ‘Rivers of Blood’ starts with a deep bassline and keeps on cranking up and piling on the pressure, until the synths wash in after four minutes and the track becomes a tempestuous torrent of Detroitian hi-tech jazz.
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Ruff Daft returns, and after a various artist EP for number 7, number 8 on the label goes back to the founder, with three new tracks from Cottam 'Washed Out' kicks things off, at the cross roads between Mood Hut & Basic Channel where dub techno sensibilities meet dreamy chords for a delectable deep house track. 'Horns' harks back to Cottam's earliest releases, with an afro-ish horn loop teased out over four minutes until the full loop and bass kick in to devastating effect. 'A Ruff Draft' sees Cottam look back towards his techno roots, with a killer kick drum and raw acid lending an abrasive edge to a well rounded EP of varied styles.
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Paul Cottam was diagnosed with Encephalomyelitis disseminata, or multiple sclerosis, just as his first records were released in 2009. The symptoms can come and go, one day you can feel OK and the next day a relapse can floor you. The last 2 or 3 years the relapses have become more frequent and aggressive. Both these tracks were written in the depths of a relapse; constant severe pain, couldn't walk or even stand for long enough to play some records. He was housebound, and cabin fever was setting in. So he sat at his computer and let the way he felt influence the music. The A side ‘Breaking through the pain barrier’ is the soundtrack to a late night chemist run, with a deep brooding bass and a tension that builds like your mind working against the disease. The B side ‘Encephalomyelitis disseminata’ has warm bass and a lively percussion groove twinned with a killer acid line and mournful strings. These tracks helped Paul through the worst of times, kept his mind off the pain and focused on something, and thankfully something positive came out of it. More

Cottam is proud to present the first release on his new label, Ruff Draft. Paul Cottam came to wider attention with a series of limited edition blank-label 12s released from 2009 onwards, showcasing his production talents by re-working afro-beat, neo-soul, funk & hip-hop into deep house burners, but Ruff Draft is all about original tracks, and the first release sees three tracks from the man himself. 'Lost In My Brain Fog' comes in two versions, the super deep original is an ethereal trip of shimmering strings and delayed percussion, but with a kicking distorted thump at the bottom end to still work the floor - a real trip. The Medicated Mix has a mystery vocalist mixing with dub techno chords and jacking percussion for a late night trip to the back room of a dark warehouse. The EP is completed with 'A Variation on a Theme', a gem of a deep house groover with beautiful chords and acid that creeps up and sidles its way behind and around you before pinching your wallet and necking your drink. The first release on Ruff Draft sets a high standard, pressed on 180 gram vinyl and cut loud. Keep a look out for further transmissions in the near future, from Cottam and other artists as they keep it deep and keep it Ruff.
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The first release on Use of Weapons saw heavy support from DJs across the board - jocks such as Jimpster, The Revenge, The Unabombers, Bill Brewster, Tornado Wallace and more all gave their support to the inaugural release. Following on from Deep Space Orchestra’s “Trust Skynet” EP, Cottam heads up Use of Weapons 002 with a killer track already turning the heads of those that know. Needing no introduction after a series of sellout releases on his own self-titled label, the mysterious Lancastrian brings strings, acid and a building drum track to a release that is sure to widen eyes on the dancefloor and beyond. First up to the remix plate are label heads Deep Space Orchestra, currently making waves with releases on Foto, ART and Winding Road. Taking the acid lines and strings of the original while upping the tempo and adding layers of bass and synths, the track jacks hard while maintaining the original’s soulful vibe. Second up is Berlin’s Hunee. Quickly garnering a reputation for accomplished DJ sets and blistering house productions on labels such as Rush Hour and Drumpoet, he does not disappoint and twists the original into brand new territory with a Detroit-influenced workout, replete with immense analogue synths, added vocals and driving snare rolls. More

A Rubadub classic repressed.


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Tudor Gheorghe, also known as Romansoff, is a DJ, producer & vinyl collector form Bucharest', Romania. Heavily influenced by the small local underground parties on the electronic music scene in Buchares tRomansoff started collecting vinyl, dj'ing and later on headed in to production. In 2013 he started releasing music on his own imprint, Raw Tools. A vinyl only series with a raw, analogue, sound which was charted by known artists such as Ben Sims, Mark Henning and Serge. Now picked up by Machine Music's Diesel we bring you two great tracks from Romansoff's dark vaults in Romania 'Rage Machine' and 'In My Heart' More