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. More

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. More

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.. More

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 More

Having featured international house heavyweights Kez YM and Andres on their previous release it's no surprise that the 'Late Night Blue Sound' EP was a monumental success with demand outweighing supply and a repress sought. However, as at the forefront of the house revival City Fly continue their quest in discovering and nurturing hidden house talent... So for their seventh release City Fly are proud to present Bartellow aka Benedikt Brachtel. Hailing from Munich, Benedikt was educated in classical composition and has worked as a film soundtrack producer. Having found a kindred spirit in the form of fellow Munich-based producer Amos, the duo formed successful avant-garde electronic pop act 'Columbus' awash with analog synth stylings, infectious pop melodies and neo-futurism. However, it's under his 'Bartellow' alias which has seen him gain further recognition as a visionary virtuoso. Initially appearing on Michel Baumann's (Soulphiction) revered Philpot label with partner in crime Roman Rauch, he has since gained the attention of influential tastemakers such as Gilles Peterson and Rainer Truby with his 'The Bartellow Thrill' EP. Last year proved just as productive too with a release on City Fly favourite Red Rack 'Em's 'Smuggler's Inn' imprint, a remix for Philly marvel King Britt and two releases on his own conceptual 'SVS Records' featuring the cream of Munich's mercurial production wunderkids . Always on the lookout to showcase those left in the shadows, it looks like City Fly have unearthed another raw diamond in the form of Bartellow...
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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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