For Skylax 140, Damien Zala, of Rowtag Records fame, brings the heat with a new 6 track EP. It kicks off with an absolutely mad remix of ‘Looking For The Sun’ by Detroit legend, Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir. The attention to detail is clear when it comes to someone who has been in the game for so long, and the rework he has done for Damien’s track is no exception. ‘The Final Break’ is Damien’s first original on the record; A skippy, staccato affair in both its percussion and its disco/funk/soul sampling. ‘Beauty Is Back’ is Damien taking things down a jazzier route, with a piano laden jazz sample and shuffling drums to match.On the flip, ‘Always Young’ is an audacious disco edit, sampling such a treasured song that many would consider untouchable; Luckily, Damien works his magic to make an edit which gets people moving without being obvious. The EP closes out with ‘Emotions’ and the original version of ‘ Looking For The Sun’, barely recognisable from the Anthony Shakir remix, in the best possible way! Sweet & Dirty indeed, don’t miss this offering by the one and only Damien Zala.

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SKYLAX RECORDS, THE company focused on realeasing original obscure dance classic and everything’s that sounds fine to their ears !What a special one we have here on Skylax Classic! Damien Zala, the man who put out the superb album ‘Lonely Happiness’ on Rowtag Records in late 2012, who gets heavy support from the great Theo Parrish, dishes up six special tracks for our next release. Before diving in, it is well worth noting that a selection of Damien’s album tracks had remixes by the likes of house icons such as DJ Jus-Ed, Rick Wade and Boo Williams! If those names register even the slightest blip on your radar, which they should, then this record might be the treasure you’ve been searching for. Damien’s sampling technique has a certain air of grandeur to it. ‘Shake Vibration’ makes this apparent right from the start with intricate layers of vocals, guitar licks and keys. ‘All My Respect’ and ‘Come Around’ both follow suit whilst ‘Dizzie’ picks up the B side with a bit more energy and frenzy compared to what has come before it. The record rounds out with two tracks taking things a bit deeper. ‘Stay Where You Are’ drives forward with filtered pad chords that accompany jazzy sax and vocal cuts while conversely, ‘Z To The Jz’ brings in a moodier vibe with its jazz samples and smoky drums. Do not miss the chance to get such a gem of a record from Damien Zala!, C L A S S I C ! A must to have in every djs collection. Essential Item No Digital More

For His Second release Rowtag records is happy to present a remixes compilation from the "Lonely Happiness" album from Damien Zala. Three remixes comes from USA housemasters, DJ JUS-ED, RICK WADE, BOO WILLIAMS and the fourth one have been done by a talented young producer from Germany RON DEACON.DJ JUS-ED delivers a very atmospheric version of "Hard day" modern and dreamy. RICK WADE shows us his dark side for his "Left & right" remix, the sound is raw and authentic from Detroit! BOO WILLIAMS as powerful as usual the "stricly jaz unit" member from chicago brings us a deep techno dancefloor dynamite! RON DEACON close the compilation with sweetness and melody, the man in love with his vintage keyboards reworks "Trinqui Under The Rain". More

Lonely happiness is the debut album By Damien Zala (24 years old, french producer) on his own Rowtag label. This album with many influences is a subtile travel between differents deep house inspirations, ideas come from ambient music, soul, funk, jazz but also movies and Damien's homeland (south of France). All tracks have been produced with analog hardware, a recorder and a few old vinyls samples.



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Ark & Pit Spector continue their inspired journey with an extended EP full of groovy jams and absorbing rhythms for Hold Youth. The Frenchmen have formed a potent alliance with a series of expertly-crafted, high-quality releases dropping over the last couple of years. On this new EP they go deeper into their sound explorations with five original works and a remix from their Parisian buddy and Hold Youth member, Le Loup. First up, we go into bumping jazzy territory with ‘Chauffage Central’, a mesmerising cut with swirling pads, soulful vocal clips and a jaunty b-line. Straight up after that, Hold Youth rudeboy Le Loup gives ‘Chauffage Central’ a funky little rework, throwing live sounding percussion, Nubian vocal clips, trumpet parps and a pumping bassline into the mix which gives a totally different identity. The final track on side A, is a cheeky teaser called ‘Petite Ondée’. Rolling out for just under two minutes the track has a muffled, jazz-esque feel to it with a warm rolling bassline and bright, sparkling piano keys. On the flip we kick off with ‘Air Conditionelle’, a lush, retro feeling with those oh-so-familiar heavy-hitting eighties snare licks. The bassline takes you to a New York City street and the whole atmosphere is that of an old school NYC neighbourhood, while a spoken-word sample adds a human touch just before the track comes to an end. ‘Sub Tropical’ goes a little leftfield with an unusual combination of sounds in tandem with a pulsating low end, occasional sax licks and punchy percussion to give it plenty of energy. ‘Averse Et Contre Tous’ closes out the EP with a slothish ride into the sunset – Ark and Pit Spector show their experimental side presenting an odd union between blues samples, gruff electronic sounds and piano keys. Another triumphant effort from Ark and Pit Spector, in fact, some of the finest work to date. Make sure you check it out!
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Riding on the back of a surge of interest in De La Club, the debut LP from Hold Youth, comes a smartly picked repress of House don Nail. While the duo is known for their eclectic vision of dance music, the first repress on the label I’ve Been There EP is in fact an exemplary example of straight-up, no-fuss House. Enjoying a modest comeback of late both as a producer and DJ, Nail originally released Full of Beestone Promise EP on DIY Discs in ’97. The stronger two of the four tracks will be repressed one on each side, ‘Our Love’ and ‘I've Been There’, distinctive for its melodic vocal and recent inclusion in the Apollonia fabric 70 compilation. While we have become accustomed to Hold Youth’s diversification of sounds with the current LP, I’ve Been There reminds us that a pigeon-holable classic can be highly refreshing More

From the two individually revered artists Seuil and Le Loup, comes the debut LP under their collaborative DJ/producing alias Hold Youth. A collection of dance-orientated tracks, designed to make the body move, De La Club explores the origins of Hold Youth’s fundamental influences to their modern day stance.A LP in two parts, the first vinyl is almost a retrospective of primarily State-side club sounds, but also of the pair’s early musical staples. Paying homage to old skool production, the inspiration drawn from the Detroit greats like Moodymann and Andres is clear on the funked-out, jazzy vibes of Street My Baby or the smooth flowing Les Enfants Du Soleil. Hold Youth’s love affair with head-bobbing hip hop also makes an appearance on the intro and outro, sampling the one and only J Dilla, perfectly combined with their own personal beat-boxing. Not forgetting their French 90’s roots, Kool & The Boug oozes that warmth defined so well by Pepe Bradock and Trankilou… a club track which has the power of subtlety to submerge the dancefloor that one level deeper.Part two looks to the example of German minimal and micro house and brings us up to date with the sounds fresh from Hold Youth’s record bag today. Be it the weird and murky territory of Dodge This, or the eerie, glitchy world of Black Dog, their modern vision of De La Club is darker and sturdier in its stature. But it is the ability to weave seamlessly between the LPs two halves, two ideals, which truly characterises the Hold Youth ethos and their signature DJing style.

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Seuil & Le Loup aka Hold Youth for deep vibes. Really good EP. More

all tracks written, produced & Published by Jordan Fields Music Ascap. More

All tracks written & produced by Ark (Guillaume Erroyer) and Pit Spector (Pierre Deniel) 4-track package from exciting new duo Ark & Pit Spector. Made up of brothers Ark, the Parisian known for his pioneering releases on Perlon and Karat, and Pit Spector, an up and coming producer, they join forces on their debut EP for eclectic label Hold Youth. True to the Hold Youth ethos the EP calls on a number of different influences, from the smooth, funk-led vibes on Tournsoul, to the techno-inspired sounds of Seuil’s remix of The Nuts. Ark & Pit Spector explore all that is sexy and hypnotic through the subtle but effective All Green, while more down-tempo The Nuts is verging on 80’s-esque wonky-pop. Seuil steps up for his take on the latter and delivers a dark, murky and all together sinister version of the original, adding a pulsating bassline to compliment the stripped back edit of the vocal. Forward-thinking and open-minded sounds, Old Futur is another worthy addition to the Hold Youth catalogue. More

Detroit’s original underground groove-maker comes on board with a 4-track package of goodies. For his debut release on Hold Youth, Mr. Rick Wade brings back the deep and soulful vibes of his famous ‘night series’ with Night Addiction EP. The A-side title track kicks off with dark keys winding through a thumping bassline and sultry horns, while Enter Dawn plunges deep into an ocean of warm pads and hypnotic bass. Flip over to the B-side for the obscure sounds of Hold Youth’s modern rework of Night Addiction, plus S3A’s disco-house interpretation, full of funky sampling, that will surely have your hands up in the air. More

For the fourth release, Hold Youth presents a new member to his family. S3A is a new french artist who travel all over the scene for some years, but finally release his great music. After his first acclaimed works on Phonogramme, he brought us 4 deep and moody tracks, where he draws his style from his standards. We remind you that we work vinyl only, so check your dealer asap for this essential 12" !!!

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Seuil & Le Loup return with Hold Youth's 3rd release, revealing a new aspect of their universe. The original of Jinx is a dirty & hypnotic track with an unstoppable groove. 2 remixes complete the package : the first comes from Doctor San Proper who takes you on a voodoo Journey that won’t let you go unscathed, whilst on the flipside, Och delivers a killer modern techno-oriented 12” to thrill any dance floor.

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Leading deep house connoisseurs and creators of Hold Youth Records Seuil and Le Loup, gear up to unveil their labels debut EP ‘Classics’ – an excursion into blue-eyed soul and hip-hop infused grooves. Retaining an element of mystery and authenticity, Hold Youth will be a vinyl only label, keeping it strictly underground. An outlet for Seuil and Le Loup’s own productions, the label will feed on their musical inspirations, and nurture homegrown talent while exploring a range of sounds and styles, from hip-hop and soul through to house and techno. Hold Youth is also the name of the DJ duo and their residency at Social Club in Paris. ‘Classics 001’ is a split EP with two offerings from Hold Youth on the A-side. The first track ‘Nautil Us’ is a rework, which modernises the 1974 ‘Nautilus’ by Bob James while ‘Paname’ focuses on the solid underground house style with that all-important French touch and a sprinkling of NYC. On the B-Side, Seuil delves into funkadelic, hip-hop influenced waters with ‘Khemestry’, which pays homage to Trankilou and J. Dilla’s deep side. Le Loup rounds off the EP with a track rooted in Cuban Salsa, but with brawny beats and a modern hip-hop twist.

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