From New Jersey via The Netherlands: longstanding US craftsman Joey Anderson makes his debut on Deeptrax with his inspiring new album... 'Exotic Sequence' His fourth LP to date, 'Exotic Sequence' is a fully instrumental deep dive into both Joey's machines and mindset, as he explains himself... "The title 'Exotic Sequence' stood out to me because throughout the LP I tended to use a sequencer for the main melody of most of the tracks. Almost every time I approach a track with techno intentions it eventually ends up being deep / housey," states the artist who broke through 15 years ago on Qu's Strength Music and has worked closely with the likes of Dekmantel and, more recently, Avenue 66. Now at home on the relatively new and positively thriving label arm of Dutch record store institution Deeptrax, Joey tells us where he's at with a body of work that poignantly reminds us that it's not the destination that counts; it's the journey we endure to get there. In this sense, 'Exotic Sequence' is the sound of Joey letting his instruments guide, inform and inspire him. Cuts like the constantly rising and hopeful 'Sky Children', the deep 808 bubbles and dreamy reflections of 'Behind The Valley' and the emotionally rich 'Stop' are just a handful of examples of Joey being lost in deep flow, channeling the creative energy in his studio. It lands exactly three years after his last album 'Rainbow Doll', neatly bookending the strangest and most surreal start to any decade we've lived through since house and techno culture took root in the 80s. A timeless document that looks forward and back and remains unhurried, thoughtful and crafted with longevity, 'Exotic Sequence' is arguably the most honest and frank side to Joey Anderson we've heard in his extensive career so far.

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Killer release on Joey Anderson’s label.

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Killer release on Joey Anderson’s label.

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The art of omission is a craft New Jersey native Joey Anderson masters like few others

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New Jersey's Joey Anderson joins the TANSTAAFL family in fine tripping, jacking & twisting style. Body & soul music for the headstrong.



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One NYC's brightest drops a beauty of a double LP on Dekmantel. Awesomely dope! TIP! Spring 2014 will see Dutch label Dekmantel release the debut full-length album from New Jersey producer, DJ and Inimeg Records boss Joey Anderson. Entitled After Forever, the album is the natural next step for a producer who has turned out plenty of deep and intriguing techno EPs for labels like Latency, Deconstruct Music and Syncrophone over the last couple of years. Having been championed by the connoisseur likes of Levon Vincent and DJ Qu before the rest of the world cottoned on, Anderson’s style has proved to be truly idiosyncratic, where near bottomless techno grooves get run through with haunted piano lines, shadowy synth work or elegant drones. There are barely ever any claps or snares, instead just plenty of deeply hypnotic kicks and plenty of noir tension. “Every track on the album has its own take on my personality, my mentality musically and my vision of off-dancefloor music,” says Joey. “I find it very difficult to create something for people just to like. I’d rather pay attention to making them get close to the album and uncover the ideas within it. Being my first LP, it’s dedicated to my two daughters, Akatriel and Auset.”As well as two tracks that were released on Anderson's previous Dekmantel EP, the album offers nine new cuts and kicks off with ‘Space Between Curtains’. Haunting, saddened piano keys linger in the air above metallic synth sounds for the emotive duration of the track. Then there’s the teary eyed, end-of-the-world yet optimistic vibe of ‘Space Colors Ideas’. After that various intimate moods are explored, from heavy and ominous on ‘Maidens Response’ to celestial and cautiously uplifting on ‘Archer’s Ceremony’ via ‘Amp Me Up’, which sees Anderson’s spacious and atmospheric style suck you in with its weird, gurgling machine noises unravelling above an unchanging drum track. It’s an album that demands and indeed warrants close inspection, and is the sort of work that really transports you deep into another world far away from here. With After Forever, then, Joey Anderson confirms he crafts moody and atmospheric techno like few others.

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New EP by Joey Anderson on Syncrophone Recordings for new Experience !



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New Joey Anderson release form Chicago's man of the moment! 3 cuts of underground heaven, vinyl only!


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Vinyl Only. 500 copies French vinyl-only label Latency comes back this spring with Joey Anderson. The former dancer and great house producer from New Jersey gives us dark and melancholic vibes carefully combined with groovy motions and classical dance music elements.

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Matching vivid world-building with a full house of kinetic rhythms, Polygonia delivers her latest album to Dekmantel as an invitation to experience 12 different dream scenarios.

As Polygonia, Munich-based Lindsey Wang has established herself as a constantly inventive, omnipresent operator within the modern electronic landscape, exploring varying shades of ambient and deep techno while increasingly spreading into downtempo and leftfield electronica with a playful yet mysterious spirit.

Dream Horizons is an instructive title — Wang approached her new album as a collection of different dream scenarios, with all the creative freedom the concept implies. From oceanic calm to artful propulsion, she was free to shift gears from track to track while relishing the strange and beautiful atmospheres her inspiration pointed towards. A multi-instrumentalist as well as a producer, Wang recorded her own voice, saxophone, flute, violin and percussion to inject organic, human vibrancy into the surreal spaces she was shaping out, capturing the uncanny sensation of alien and familiar that hangs over the places we visit when we sleep.

There are pointedly direct techno workouts on the album, from deft beatdown 'Soul Reflections' to shimmering ear worm 'Set Me Free', and 'Twisted Colours' relishes shifting blocks of flute around a sprightly, footwork-tickled framework. Elsewhere, there's space for softer expressions on pearlescent opus 'Crystal Valley' while elastic rhythms and tactile textures slither around at a lower tempo on 'Flakes Flying Upwards'. In between, Wang plays with fractured beat patterns and sharply sculpted sonic matter with a staggering level of detail and intention. 'Gate To Amygdala' is the perfect example of the bold scope of her expression — the midpoint track thrives on nervous tension and a dislocated sense of momentum without anything like a conventional techno trope. 'Mindfunk' equally pushes and pulls at sensory perception with an off-kilter, awkwardly looped synth phrase that relishes the opportunity to skew dance music conventions within the flexible rules of the dream world.

For all the smart production and knowingly experimental approaches that form the basis of the album's sound, it's also a record charged with the full range of emotions you might expect to experience on a break away from consciousness. Whether it's the melancholic impressions that smudge into incidental pauses on 'Metaphysical Scribbles' or the mantra-like breath and sax combination of 'Essential Breath' that closes the record, Polygonia's heart bursts out of the album's vibrant form as brilliantly as her exacting, studio-synced mind.

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In a blizzard of breaks and surrounded by towering slabs of icy atmospherics, Quelza comes spinning into the Dekmantel UFO orbit with an EP of grandiose proportions.

Anyone who caught Quelza at Dekmantel Ten last summer will be well aware of the breakthrough producer's affinity for evocative soundscapes — amongst his keen instinct for dancefloor propulsion its his richly rendered atmospheres that have made him such a vital new talent in the industry and club scene. The curious, extraterrestrial quality to his sound is the perfect fit for the resurgent UFO series, and Quelza has more than risen to the occasion with four tracks that take in the widest spectrum of his sound to date.

The title track 'Pensa Poetico' is a dramatic, 11-minute epic that moves beyond dancefloor rigidity into a fractured zone where rhythms splinter and shudder around immersive dub chords pulses and IDM infused rhythms . There might be the anchor of an insistent, staggered kick drum, but it's a simple tool to allow the freedom of movement for intricate layers of steel, glass, ice and dust before the second half erupts in a powerful display of breakbeat science. It's the most adventurous expression from Quelza to date — a track he credits with unblocking his creative process on the path towards a more honest expression within his production.

This spirit of adventure maintains throughout the EP, balancing cathartic compositional shifts with hyper-detailed scene-building and energy shifts that push and pull with your expectations. Quelza's well-established affinity for dancefloor physicality holds true as he twists and turns through these constantly surprising, nail-biting arrangements. Even when everything seems to fall apart, he'll sense the perfect moment to return to a pinpoint groove. Toying with minimal, modernist 2-step and complex organic percussion as well as choppy breaks, this is the sound of Quelza breaking out into a new phase where anything feels possible and his production vocabulary allows him to land audacious moves with mind-blowing finesse.

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One of clubland’s most unmistakable and loved duos, Steffi & Virginia present a new album of upfront house music, Patterns of Vibration.

Eight gracefully-driven songs stretch out from the hazy fog of the dancefloor to the sun-drenched future decades of house, offering a glimpse into the rich heritage and distinct forward momentum of the two artists.

With their first productions dating back to 2010 the pair continue on a long-lasting journey together as creators and partners. Their debut, Reasons, was quickly followed by the seminal Yours on Ostgut Ton - the blueprint for their trademark sound, embedding gorgeous vocal hooks within luxuriant, weighty club tracks.

In their own words, “a celebration of joyful moments,” Patterns of Vibration was put together over a three month period of intensive work and play. The pair immersed themselves in the daily ritual of putting down ideas at their Candy Mountain studio in the Portuguese countryside. At the same time Steffi’s 50th birthday celebrations fueled their creative fires, reconnecting with old friends and tapping into a deep love for those ecstatic moments of freedom and unity, soundtracked by house music.

In no time a huge folder of ideas amassed and they set about selecting the purest, stand-out signals with the motto, “let the positivity shine through!” It’s been a process that has gifted the two artists with energy and perspective as they continue on their unique path.

With the spirit of the fierce night streaming through on every track, this album marks a bright new chapter in the duo’s story - channeling that special potion of emotional vibrations found when music, dance, friends and lovers meet.

Thanks to countless hours behind the decks at their Berghain / Panorama Bar residencies and global touring, the album glistens with an ageless urgency and a straight-to-club core. That driving, early morning pulse is mirrored by a deft skill for conjuring arresting electronic hymns; transmitting their passion and collective years together on the road, in clubs, in the studio, and at home.

From the moody tribalism of lead single Nightflight, to the chord-led heaven of Stab Stealer, or the tracky 7 In The Morning, Steffi & Virginia’s partnership is alive with the essential throb of a movement that continues to blossom as it enters its 4th decade.

Virginia’s jubilant vocal hooks are front and centre on every track, enriched with Steffi’s precision analogue bump. Punchy and direct kick drums carry jacking snares and interwoven synth stabs. Perfectly placed basslines massage the low-end, leaving plenty of space for Virginia’s vivescent vocals.

A homogenous sonic code is woven throughout, as Virginia’s voice provides not only the soaring leading lines but also the “ornaments and tentacles” of each track, with percussive details and micro-elements melting into the grooves of every cut.

Steffi & Virginia’s house music is the stuff of folklore. Patterns of Vibration weaves a narrative through a record crate full of emotions, a forever-chorus calling out through the night, till the earthy glow of the new dawn.

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Percussion mastermind Ploy arrives on Dekmantel with a double-pack of unbridled dancefloor heat that sees him reconnecting with his house roots.

Before he made a striking breakthrough as Ploy with wayward broken techno for Hessle Audio and Timedance, Samuel Smith's first releases as Samuel were leftfield house excursions. On this release for Dekmantel he wanted to reflect on a decade of releasing music and the many high-impact dancefloors he's shared with the label, from Selectors to De School, over the years.

The common denominator across these eight tracks is no-nonsense house, offering up grooves that will serve a DJ exactly what they want in the mix. At the same time, Ploy doesn't dilute the distinctive edge of his sound, from the abundance of perfectly balanced percussion to the nagging hooks of an off-key synth line dropped at just the right moment. Wry samples inject the mischievous humour he's always creeping into his craft. This is where dancefloor magic is nurtured, hitting the sweet spot between rock solid reliability and the wild card energy that brings a heads-down set to life.

From 'Admirer's big room peaks to 'It's Later Than You Think's cosmic incantations, this is the sound of Ploy showing exactly what it takes to make laser-focused club bombs without losing one iota of his inimitable style.

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**DOWNLOAD CODE included

Dekmantel UFO Series continues its resurgent form with a new album of bruising, industrial wave and techno from Broken English Club. UK techno mainstay Oliver Ho debuted his dark and brooding alias more than 10 years ago with a release on Jealous God under the guidance of the late, great Juan Mendez (Silent Servant) — Songs Of Love And Decay is explicitly dedicated to Mendez, whose influence runs deep in this seductively sinister corner of underground, independent electronic music.

Within the overarching aesthetic of the Broken English Club sound, Ho finds the freedom to deliver a full spectrum album as diverse as it is consistent. You can sense the shadow of his roots in 90s tribal techno punching through on 'Crawling' and 'Death Cult', while 'England Heretic' leans on thick swathes of analogue synthesis indebted to Giallo soundtracks and the ever-compelling lure of 80s synthwave. In its grinding layers of distortion and dubbed out vocals 'Vessel Of Skin' speaks more to the post-punk influences which have set Broken English Club apart since the outset. This isn't a purely retro-fetishist expedition, though — 'Pacific Island Kill' and 'Lost Gods' exude stark modernism in their sharply-angled sequences and dramatic sound design, moving beyond the functional demands of 4/4 dance music to reach to more cinematic zones.

These are but some of the approaches Ho burrows into as he shapes out the depth and breadth of his muse on Songs Of Love And Decay. It's marked by the undeniable impact of his production, perfected over a decades-deep career at the bleeding edge of machine music. At times the album celebrates the addictive thrust of the dancefloor, while elsewhere it relishes the tension of suspended animation. Throughout, the gritty veneer binds together this accomplished, uncompromising body of work as both a fierce artistic statement and a loving tribute to Mendez — an artist who equally embodied the darker side of the dance.

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Four years since her last dancefloor 12", upsammy returns with a four-track exploration of gleaming, sprightly drum and bass with a restorative centre. Thessa Torsing's moves in upper tempo zones have been defined by her light touch, finding power and presence in finely chiseled sounds and sculpting space between intricate, interwoven rhythms.

The dynamic movement of her pristinely moulded percussion is absolutely geared up for the club, but it's also matched with an uplifting, meditative sound palette which tempers the busy energy of the drums. Pushing and pulling on her arrangements with ever-increasing expressiveness and revelling in the subtlest of modulations to her kinetic beat systems, upsammy proves once again that moving in time to fast music can be an incredibly restorative experience.

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Dopplereffekt, L.B. Dub Corp, JASSS, SHERELLE and Interstellar Funk on remix duty...

Dekmantel return to Marcel Dettmann's celebrated 2022 LP Fear Of Programming for a remix package featuring five of the biggest names in contemporary club music. Dettmann's unmistakably sleek, focused production style is the perfect springboard for all kinds of imaginative interpretations that touch on techno, footwork, electro and ambient.

Donning his L.B. Dub Corp alias, Luke Slater kicks off the A side by paring 'Suffice To Predict' down to its fundamentals and rebuilds a taut, punchy version out of the component parts. SHERELLE explores a sweet spot between techno and footwork in her natural 160 BPM zone on her angular, reverb-heavy version of 'x12'.

On the B side, Dopplereffekt supplement the cascading arpeggios of album closer 'Fear Of Programming' with their inimitable strain of dystopian electro. Interstellar Funk turns album centrepiece 'Water' into an atmospheric techno voyage shaped out by melancholic pads and fluttering leads. JASSS takes 'Fear Of Programming' further out through billowing clouds of ambience and dislocated vocal impressions, arriving at a bold and pensive closing statement to this heavyweight clutch of remixes.

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A cybernetic rush of non-conformist techno from Italian maverick Piezo.

Milan-based Piezo is usually found at the helm of his Ansia label, exploring a versatile spectrum of experimental club music grounded in soundsystem presence and non-linear structures. On Ecstatic Nostalgia he edges his sound into a more driving, techno-spirited framework which lends itself to the energy of the UFO series beautifully. From tightly wound, artfully fractured 150 rumble and elegant sci-fi breakbeat on to needlepoint electronica and subtly trance-brushed atmospherics, Piezo's broad palette fuels an ear-snagging EP which balances visceral impact with a deft touch.

Anyone familiar with Dekmantel's flagship festival will know the UFO stages showcase spikier strains of modernist body music, and the label series serves to push these sounds forwards in the hands of consistently visionary producers. After a what could be seen as a brief pause in the UFO series - it's with a fresh wave of releases.

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An EP of mind-massaging techno-trance futurism from Wata Igarashi. Capturing the energy of the UFO stages which indulge Dekmantel Festival's darker, experimental tastes, Igarashi turns out four shapely serotonin injections in his inimitable style.

There's an immediacy to the Kaleidoscopic 12" which rushes into earshot the moment the EP fires up with the insistent acid throb of the title track. The eternal undulation of a 303 provides the bedrock for Igarashi's fluttering brushstrokes, while a tough yet supple beat charges underneath. Cascading arps are a core element of the richly melodic sound on this release, reaching measured peaks of ecstasy on 'The Sailage' without ever taking a cheap shortcut. Understated, emotionally-charged eloquence spills out of every sequence. There's a softer, blurry-eyed sentiment to the synth work on 'Steaming', while 'Interweave' tempers classic acid techno tropes with gaseous atmospherics.

There are plenty of crisp edges in his tracks for the dancers to latch onto, but Igarashi specialises in a fluid motion that encourages less thinking and more feeling—a lysergic techno flow to truly melt into.

Dekmantel continues to shape out the return of its UFO series with this new wave of 12"s... keep watching

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The Knife’s Olof Dreijer introduces Colombian - Swedish percussionist and DJ Diva Cruz with a new collaborative EP on Dekmantel Records. The 'Brujas' EP follows the debut of their exciting hybrid live show at Sonár Istanbul and ahead of upcoming performances at Sónar Barcelona, Dekmantel, and Øya Festival. Together, opposing patriarchy, racism, colonialism, capitalism, and immigrant challenges, they joined forces in Olof's studio, resulting in the creation of the ‘Brujas’ EP, where Diva debuts her voice. The 'Brujas' single and the entire EP, meaning "Witches" seeks to inspire us to find that powerful ancient energy within ourselves.

"I dream to empower everyone who feels outside the box with my lyrics. It is so sad to see children singing and dancing to music made by male artists whose lyrics degrade women, and on top of that, they win prestigious awards while doing so. I dream for a better world and especially Latin America, which needs to change the macho perspective and work together for a better world for everyone," says Diva Cruz.

As a percussionist Diva brings a combination of fierce live percussion together with a rhythmic blend of tunes from all over the world during her energetic DJ-sets. She has also been the lead percussionist for both Fever Ray and Robyn on their world tours.

Olof quote: I’m very excited about sharing this music with the world especially since it’s been a few years in the making. I’m very grateful to work with Diva. She has shown me a new world of music and I feel like I keep evolving and learning new things all the time, especially with our new live show when playing percussion together.

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Building on the buzz around his dynamic techno releases of the past few years, Sam Goku makes a welcome debut on Dekmantel with four striking set pieces which subvert the rules of the average floor fodder.

Through his steady stream of output on the likes of Atomnation Berlin-based Robin Wang has established himself as a must-check artist with an instinct for the unconventional. That comes through in jaw-dropping fashion on Radiants’ opening cut ‘Tides (Under The Moonlight)’, a swirling, mystical thumper which rises with graceful restraint to a thunderous peak. By way of contrast ‘Tanggu FM’ brings things up close and claustrophobic, using slippery sound design and stuttering vocals to create a different kind of maverick energy on top of the rugged low end. Even when he does reach for anthemic hooks on the EP’s title track, there’s a fundamental otherness to the sparkling chords and a toughness to the beat which edges out the competition.

This is just a snapshot of the versatility at work across Radiants, a record which will cement Goku’s position as a standout producer taking a less obvious path to truly distinctive, devastatingly original showstoppers.

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After a five year hiatus Luke Slater reanimates his L.B. Dub Corp alias for a dynamic, vocal-led ode to the club featuring Robert Owens, Paul St. Hilaire, Miss Kittin and more. The LP is set to release on 10th May 2024

Since his first forays into DJing, Luke Slater has been pursuing different streams of inspiration to wind up with some of the most enduring electronic music of the past 30 years. From the grandiose ambient techno of The 7th Plain to the trailblazing machine funk of Planetary Assault Systems, he’s gifted a lot of music to the world. His L.B. Dub Corp alias first emerged in 2006, and has since been a vessel for a looser approach to club music compared to the steely big room energy of P.A.S. At times it’s housier, elsewhere dubbier, but still logically attached to Slater’s overall arc as an artist and music lover.

On his new album, which marks his first appearance on Dekmantel, Slater wanted to celebrate the unique cultural intake which set him on his path. It starts with his earliest memories marvelling at the beats in his father’s big band and jazz funk records until he was old enough to be drumming himself. The drums have remained a source of fascination despite his years entangled in machine music, and for the first time Slater uses his own live drumming on Saturn to Home.

The subtle imperfections of human rhythm are a big draw - Slater has always shied away from anything too ‘perfect’. From the rough and ready advent of drum machines and synths in early 80s pop, disco and electro to the breakthrough years of house music, Slater started to get a handle on how the sounds were made by identifying with the DIY, anything-goes spirit of the era. These are the touchstones which were on his mind as he started to work on Saturn to Home, not seeking to create carbon copies or overtly retro tracks, but rather to keep the verve and open-ended attitude of that music on his mind as made the album throughout 2022.

Beyond the drums, the vocals are the other vital ingredient which Slater knew he needed for this record. His own voice appears sporadically, but he also very intentionally reached out to artists such as legendary deep house original Robert Owens and dub techno crooner Paul St. Hilaire. Iconic French electro provocateur Miss Kittin also makes an appearance. Alex is the solo alias for Alexandra Grübler of Baal & Mortimer, who lends her freewheeling approach to ‘Golden Star’ in a style Slater compares to Liz Fraser in Cocteau Twins.

Behind ‘Only The Good Times’ lies the story of fabled Eindhoven street character Arnol Kox, who passed away in 2020, whose philosophical proclamations had become local legend. Slater managed to record Kox shouting the Dutch equivalent of the track title, which had become his sole mantra after years preaching to folk in the city centre, creating a heartfelt tribute to someone who embodied the misfit individuality Slater feels most at home around, not least in the club.

It’s this lattice of sounds, stories and feelings which give Saturn to Home its electric, diaristic energy. Whether it’s the feverish passion of ‘Your Love’s infectious chord stabs or the smoky soundsystem tendrils of ‘Golden Star’, the elastic drums and mutant synth funk of ‘Krank’ or the star-scraping breakbeat techno of ‘Only The Good Times’, Slater tells the story of his life in music, which means his life overall, without ever being stuck in the past.

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Making his Dekmantel debut with a flourish of symphonic, transcendental techno, Sepehr takes us into a fictional metaphysical zone he calls the Genesis Domain. Over the past 10 years NYC-based Sepehr Alimagham’s versatile club music practice has taken in techno, D&B, electro, EBM and acid on a suite of scene-leading labels. This new EP builds on the pseudo-spirituality he explored on recent LP Fall From Grace with an exploration of an imagined space “where your reality can be reinvented at any given moment.”

On the A side, the title track sets the pace with a throbbing, sparkling-yet-spooky trip that allows a touch of trance into the mix, while ‘Delicate Senses’ explores snappier broken beat rhythms and edgy atmospherics with a distinctly moody outlook.

The mystical electro shades of ‘Twisted Solstice’ and ‘Planet Lonely’s melancholic 4/4 pastures strike a note between contemplative introspection and anthemic main stage energy. ‘Queen Of Demons’ is the consummate EP closer, leaning on brooding low end and snaking, intricate beats with a healthy dose of shimmering beauty up top.

Consistent with his versatile approach since day one, Sepehr proves any blend of tempos and rhythms can be folded into his vivid, evocative sound world — the results will always draw you in close until his vision becomes yours.

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Barcelona’s Tunik follows up on last year’s A New Dawn with a distinct turn to the dark side as he pays tribute to the iconic, vampiric creature of the night, Nosferatu.

The horror theme on the title track is a natural fit with the Argentinian artist’s schlocky strain of EBM-styled electro-techno, but the music is no joke. Boxy drum machine jack and a suite of darkly seductive synth lines strike the perfect note between vintage flair and modernist impact, and the macabre mood lingers over the rest of this trip through gothic club music.

Whether it’s the Twilight Zone creep around the edges of ‘Slave’, acid blood raining down on ‘W72’ or the undead getting busy with the grungy bass and dry snare hits on ‘Sorrow’, Tunik has got exactly what you need to send a shiver down the dance floor’s spine and raise the temperature in the room, all in the same heartbeat.

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Theo Kottis arrives on Dekmantel with an EP of snappy, melodically-charged house, techno and electro with a distinct 90s edge. Lighthouse marks a shift in focus for the London-based Scottish producer — the result of a self-imposed creative reset which has seen him honing a more mature sound both in the studio and on the decks. The EP’s title track has been on heavy rotation this summer from the likes of Ben UFO, Francesco Del Garda & Palms Trax, and it’s not hard to work out why. ‘Lighthouse’ draws on all the best elements of club music and moulds them into a deadly, effective whole. From the driving low-end of the Reese bassline to the razor-sharp attack of the 4/4 drums, the swoon of the Motor City pads to the tweaked acid line, it’s a hybrid techno workout of the highest order. Following the inspirational flash point of ‘Lighthouse’ Kottis built out the rest of the EP in a similar vein of characterful, impactful club tracks driven by iconic 90s sounds wielded with precision. ‘Warp’ brings the 303 further to the forefront while ‘Take Control’ digs into deliciously dirty lead lines and ‘Distance’ takes a more explicit electro direction. He might be exploring a revitalised sound, but Kottis holds true to his flair for ear-snagging anthems evidenced on past releases for Permanent Vacation, Space Dust and DGTL amongst many others. As Kottis’ impact on the scene continues to grow, it’s a true pleasure to present some of his fiercest tracks to date on his continued upward trajectory.

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Germany
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Celebrating the interconnected strands of head-tripping electronica she holds dear, Nadia Struiwigh arrives on Dekmantel with her fourth album of widescreen machine soul. Birds Of Paradise joins the dots between electro, techno, ambient and jungle as a reflection of the symbiotic relationship between the contrasting elements which drive all life on earth - the inescapable and chaotic forces of cause and effect. Echoing the free-spirited approach of electronic music in the mid-90s, it’s an album which rejects absolutes in favour of emotionally honest expression, true to Struiwigh’s deeply felt passion for the sounds and styles which defined her own journey into music. Since first emerging in the wider scene, Struiwigh has ably demonstrated her instinct for different sonic approaches across her accomplished career, whether exploring expansive ambience on album projects or holding down the physical intensity of a residency at Berlin techno temple Tresor. Her 2017 debut album Lenticular on Central Processing Unit most closely resembles the approach on Birds Of Paradise, where introspective beat constructions and nuanced sound design folded into a natural, flowing whole unbound by perceived rules around genre. The narrative flow uses contrasting energies to glide though distinctive spaces, unfolding with the considered pace of a truly immersive listening experience.

From the rich, undulating beatless pastures of ‘JSF48’ to the intricate mechanics of ‘02nd’, the dubby downtempo of ‘cmmn cmmn’ to the crunchy beatdown of ‘Dreamsynth’, the spaces Struiwigh defines on Birds Of Paradise are brilliantly vivid and bound together by an affinity for emotionally-charged ambience. At times the effect is nostalgic, calling to mind the exotic ecosystems of Future Sound Of London or Higher Intelligence Agency, but even these passages are charged with a restless futurism informed by the imagined vistas of science fiction as a comment on the realities of the here and now.

Widely recognised for her expertise in a multitude of production processes (not least her extensive knowledge of outboard gear), Birds Of Paradise pools Struiwigh’s devotion to her craft into an exquisite instant-classic to be savoured and absorbed in the same fashion as so many iconic electronica albums which have come before.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Tunik lands on Dekmantel with his distinctive strain of jacking drum machine electro-techno. The Barcelona-based, Argentina-born artist first emerged in 2020 with a standout EP and collaborative spot for Nicolas Lutz’s My Own Jupiter label before notching up a release with Furthur Electronix, and now his emotionally-charged sound spreads its wings once more.

A New Dawn lands somewhere between original 80s synth-pop, the noirish allure of early 00s electro and sleek modern techno, using a full spectrum of synths to draw out harmonically rich tunes that pack in the feels while holding enough mystery to keep a dancefloor enthralled. From the melancholic chimes of 'New Dawn Fades' to the electro lament of 'The Aeon', 'Electro 01's punchy, bass-warping rave energy to 'Third Eye Connection's acidic introspection, it’s an EP which cements Tunik’s highly developed expression through his array of studio tools, all strapped to finely honed club structures for maximum dancefloor impact.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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*2022 Repress* Profondo Nero compiled by Cinema Royale

Profondo Nero narrates a storyline that goes beyond the borders of Italy’s musical legacy. Cutting across the face of Italo disco’s leftfield musicians between the early and late ‘80s, Profondo Nero champions a multi-faceted sound that nods to the blueprint of Italo disco but tries to dig deeper. The music is unmistakably Italo disco but moves away from the familiar classic sound. Amsterdam based collector Cinema Royale stitches together eleven tracks from 1983 – 1989, celebrating a sound he fittingly describes as ‘leftfield Italo’.

The compilation connects the dots between soulful disco (Louise Freeman – Mirage), synth-pop (Mark – Dreamland), electro-rap (Loukas Thanos – Jazzburger), breaks (Santoro – Lover Message), 80s dub disco (Jet Set – Love Break), Balearic (Isamar & Compan~ia ?- No Estas), boogie (Tom Hooker – Talk With Your Body) and proto-house (International Music System - An English ’93).

Profondo Nero’s title salutes the legendary oeuvre of Italian horror director Dario Argento. His Profondo Rosso (1975) is a classic example of exquisite cinematic storytelling, boasting courageous colors, expressionist camera angles and an unforgettable Goblin score forming the ingredients for an intriguing piece of art. Profondo Rosso’s music, created the spark for a new Dekmantel Records endeavor led by Amsterdam based experimental film score connoisseur, record collector and DJ Cinema Royale.

For those in the know of underground Amsterdam music culture, Arne Visser aka Cinema Royale is among the city’s longest standing record collectors. Born to an Italian mother and Dutch father, Arne was brought up on a diet of Italo disco in the 80s. Cinema Royale explains: ‘For Profondo Nero I took a plunge into the lesser known fringes of Italo disco. From there I tried to connect, among others, San Francisco boogie, Balearic, Japanese late era Italo-electro and synth-pop funk. I hope you can hear what I had in mind: an infectious showcase of my take on traditional Italo disco that will hopefully get a lot of listeners itching for a spin. It’s fair to say that lately this particular sound has seen a reappraisal and renewed interest.

As a party-starting collection for entry-level connoisseurs or suave but lazy types, I hope Profondo Nero can be an education. I’m not claiming I’m the first DJ or collector to do so, but I did try do present something special by digging deep.’ It wasn’t my goal to unearth the most obscure tracks, instead I wanted to compose a compilation that takes you on a journey.
‘In my opinion the best DJs create something extraordinary out of illogical selections by combining music against all odds and showing different kind of moods along the way. There’s a certain amount of arrogance involved: you take the music out of its original context. But by doing so in a very conscious way, you might be able to enhance the power of the individual records. Hopefully each song on Profondo Nero provides an intimate and memorable experience.’

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore