Bandleader Lance Ferguson and his nine piece Melbourne outfit The Bamboos have come a long way since forming in 2001. Initially inspired by the instrumental raw funk of the late ’60s and early ’70s, they made waves internationally and were quickly labelled as one of the greatest funk and soul bands of our time. But while many would be happy to simply soak up the praise and keep on keeping on, The Bamboos have proven that they are more than meets the eye; over four acclaimed albums, their evolution in sound and style has consistently confounded and exceeded expectations, pulling the rug from under the feet of those who like to pigeonhole.

With their fifth long-player “Medicine Man”, released in June 2012, they are about to unveil another revelatory, forward-looking record brimming with fresh ideas, stellar turns, classic songwriting and a brand of multi-layered pop they can truly call their own. Guest vocalists are Aloe Blacc, Tim Rogers (You Am I), Megan Washington, Daniel Merriweather and Bobby Flynn. The powerhouse singer and regular band member Kylie Auldist contributes four songs, while Melbourne based Ella Thompson adds a new facet to the band’s sound with her performance on two tracks.

The band signed to respected Brighton (UK) indie label Tru Thoughts in 2005, where they remain a cornerstone of the roster. Across their four studio albums to date – “Step It Up” (2006), “Rawville” (2007), “Side-Stepper” (2008) and “4″ (2010) – the metamorphosis of The Bamboos has been full of twists and turns, and it continues apace. A seasoned DJ, solo producer (aka Lanu) and all-round insatiable music obsessive, Ferguson’s myriad influences and passion for pushing things forward ensure that each new release is a discovery for devout fans and newcomers alike.

The Bamboos’ ridiculously enjoyable live shows have seen them perform at festivals including Byron Bay Blues & Roots Festival, Meredith Music Festival, Falls Festival, The West Coast Blues & Roots Festival, Golden Plains, Parklife, Pyramid Rock, The Port Fairy Folk Festival, Days Like This, The Adelaide Festival, The Caloundra Music Festival, The Sydney Festival and Trop Fest.

In Feb 2010 The Bamboos played the prestigious headline set at The St Kilda Festival to over 7000 people. The Bamboos have toured Europe and the U.K three times performing sell-out shows at esteemed venues including The Barbican & The Jazz Cafe in London and in countries including France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, Switzerland and Ireland. As the go-to band for tight and heavy vibes, they have also performed as the backing band for international artists including Eddie Bo (US), Syl Johnson (US), Joe Bataan (US), Eddie Floyd (US), Betty Harris (US) and Alice Russell (UK).

The Bamboos were included in the Melbourne Age’s prestigious ‘Top 100′ list of influential people in Melbourne city for 2008, and also voted Australia’s fourth best band in a poll by the same paper, just after AC/DC and ahead of well-known acts like Jet and Empire Of The Sun. While rising through the playlists on mainstream national radio stations in Australia, the UK, France, the US, Japan and beyond, The Bamboos have always held their appeal with the underground, gaining props from the likes of John Kennedy (XFM), Gilles Peterson (BBC R1) and Don Letts (BBC 6Music). The unshakable charm of their songs has seen them licensed to hit movies including Crazy Stupid Love, and TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy (US), One Tree Hill (US), Ugly Betty (US) and Underbelly (AUS).

www.thebamboos.com

With “Soulful Shanghai” IG draws a lineage directly from the civil values of jazz musicians like Harry Whitaker’s Black Renaissance and Roy Ayers’ We Live In Brooklyn, to present day music styles via the rhythms of hip hop, electro, house, and other drum machine oriented styles.

“I’m an OG,” says IG. “It feels right to me to link the music from musicians like Harry Whitaker, Gil Scott Heron, and the Mizells. They should be household names, but the younger generation don’t necessarily know who these people are.”

Musically, “Soulful Shanghai” mixes it all up while still making sense. Selected vocalists ID 4 Windz and John Robinson, both of east coast hip hop duo Scienz Of Life, Georgia Anne Muldrow conspirator Eagle Nebula, and New Jersey residents Bilal Salaam and K Banger lock IG’s skewed beats together. The hip hop swagger is punctuated by plenty of live jazz tracks, with dedications to the Mizell brothers and Harry Whitaker keeping the swing spiritual. Perhaps the centre-piece of the album is the live rework of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, with a 2012 lyrical update by Niles ‘Asheber’ Hailstones, reminding us that images of riots stay the same, and they keep happening round the world, round the clock, from decade to decade.

“The same issues are still relevant today,” IG says. “That’s why we did an update of ‘Revolution’. Same shit, different year. The sense of community and social values from that music is something I respect. At this stage in the game, if I’ve not got something to say then I shouldn’t be doing music, cause it’s not about the money.”

IG isn’t anachronistic though, and he’s quite happy to use the Internet to link up with like-minded artists across the Atlantic. New possibilities and opportunities are always to be embraced, and as the world gets smaller, it seems the same issues affect us all, as the sample of a newsreader on the track “Core Exit” demonstrates.

IG Culture has been releasing music and albums since the early 90′s – that’s over two decades of craft under his belt. He’s no stranger to anyone familiar with groups like New Sector Movements and Quango, a multitude of hip hop and broken beat projects and labels like Mainsqueeze. IG’s blend is about more than the craft though. It’s about why music is important to society, and why we’re moved by it.

“Soulful Shanghai” is a continuation of jazz and the civil rights of Black Jazz and Strata East. It’s a continuation of the spiritual funk of the Mizell brothers and the spoken word of Gil Scott Heron. It’s a descendant of hip hop and the resistance of the Zulu Nation, a distant cousin of techno and Juan Atkins’ deep space explorations. “Soulful shanghai is a place you navigate, hopefully you find It somehow,” IG concludes. Keep on searching.

www.kindred-spirits.nl

01. Can’t Believe It feat. ID 4 Windz
02. Truth feat. John Robinson
03. Core Exit feat. Bilaal Salaam
04. Talkin’ Bout Mine
05. Black Rennaissance feat. Akwasi Mensah
06. Futures Back feat. K Banger
07. Take It There feat. K Banger
08. The (Blessed) Mizells feat. Akwasi Mensah
09. Half Black Half Japanese feat. John Robinson
10. Bluff and Fold (Gamble And Bluf)
11. Catalog Pieces feat. John Robinson
12. The Revolution Will Not Be Tell Lie Vise
13. Do The Math feat. ID 4 Windz
14. Tangible Dream feat. Bilal Salaam
15. Outsider (The Lite) feat. Eagle Nebula
16. Whats Happening feat. K Banger
17. The Sankofaz Peace Arkestra

The album IG Culture “Soulful Shanghai” (Kindred Spirits) is going to be released May 25, 2012.

The Oxnard, California based beat-smith and emcee Oh No returns for a solo mission following two successful collaborative efforts alongside fellow producer/rapper The Alchemist as the power duo Gangrene -2010′s Gutter Water and 2012′s Vodka & Ayahuasca – and the 2011 gem with The Alchemist as Gangrene & Roc Marciano, the Greneberg EP.

This time, Oh No (born Michael Jackson; younger brother of Madlib and son of singer Otis Jackson) was granted unprecedented access to the Rudy Ray Moore / Dolemite audio archives and given free rein to slice, dice, chop and sample his way through the classic-yet-absolutely-filthy catalog. He was able to use legendary material from The Human Tornado, Petey Wheatstraw, the Dolemite Soundtrack and more, plus a multitude of previously unreleased and alternate acapellas and instrumentals.

The end result is Ohnomite, a 19 track head-banging extravaganza of sloppy funk, dirty soul, and brainy lyricism, all aimed at one thing- making your head nod and your ass shake. Much like his 2009 all-Ethiopian endeavor Dr. No’s Ethiopium, Oh No tackles this with an unmatched ferocity and proper admiration for the source material. He combines side-splitting vocal outtakes with the right amount of hard-hitting drum breaks and soul samples to concoct a mixture sure to appeal to both old and new schoolers alike. And when you add to that guests spots from the likes of MF Doom, Evidence, Phife Dawg, The Alchemist, Erick Sermon, Rapper Pooh, MED, Guilty Simpson, Roc Marciano, Sticky Fingaz, Chino XL, Roc C, Prozack Turner, Termanology, Frank Nitt and
more, and you are left with a one of a kind album from a one of a kind musician. Ohnomite- 19 songs of pure whoop ass from Oh No and Dolemite!

www.fivedayweekend.co.uk

Tracklisting:

01. Ohnomite Intro
02. Real Serious feat. Evidence and Alchemist, cuts by DJ Romes
03. The Guns feat. Guilty Simpson, MED and Pok Dog, cuts by DJ Romes
04. Time feat. Roc C and Chino XL
05. Cat Fight feat. MF DOOM
06. Let’s Roll feat. Damani
07. Stop (Interlude)
08. Hallucinations feat. Prozack Turner
09. Sound Off feat. Termanology and Ea$y Money
10. The Escape (Interlude)
11. Whoop Ass feat. Sticky Fingaz, cuts by DJ Romes
12. Ohnomite Jazz
13. The Hitmen feat. Roc Marciano
14. Touch It feat. Frank Nitt
15. You Don’t Know Me feat. Rapper Pooh and Phil da Ag
16. Dues n Don’ts feat. Jose James and Phife Dawg
17. Piano (Interlude)
18. Runnin’ The Show feat. Erick Sermon
19. Ohnomite Outro

The album Oh No “Ohnomite” (Five Day Weekend / Brick) is going to be released June 1, 2012.

Early in 2011 Fully Fullwood, the Jamaican roots-reggae legend became aware of Martin Zobel’s music. Founder and leader of the crucial Jamaican reggae band, the Soul Syndicate, Fullwood was jointly responsible for several hits reggae superstar Bob Marley recorded during the sessions with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and as a bass player he was a vital part of Peter Tosh’s ‘Word, Sound & Power’ band. Furthermore, his bass lines can be heard on countless other legendary recordings, including those of Dennis Brown, Derrick Morgan, Max Romeo, Michael Rose, Keith Hudson, and Big Youth, to name a few. It is by no means exaggerated to say he’s one of the most important musicians since the very beginning of the genre until the present day.

Over the years George ‘Fully’ Fullwood has become more and more involved in producing. When Martin Zobel and Fully Fullwood met in person in February 2011, the chemistry between them seemed to be right, and it was agreed that Fullwood would produce Zobel’s new album. Zobel significantly reduced his live appearances to focus on writing new songs, and only six months after that first meeting, Fully and Frances (Fully’s wife) were welcoming Martin and his whole band into Fully’s Kitchen, their Southern California studio, to begin the recordings. Martin Zobel & Soulrise spent an entire month in the “Kitchen”, cooking up their new songs, and for the sake of authenticity performed and recorded everything ‘live’ – just like back in the days. The result is a wonderful musical snapshot in time which, in every detail, reveals the spirit that must have been present during those early studio sessions back in Kingston, Jamaica. Beyond that, one is reminded of a sound, the likes of which hasn’t been heard for a long time, a sound containing something so familiar, yet different with something new and refreshing – a new breath of life. With “Land Of The Free” Fullwood, Zobel & Soulrise have managed to create a record in an extremely relaxed manner that is packed with emotions and musicality that stands on its own.

Over the weeks of recording the band became very close friends with Fully and Frances and the whole Fullwood family, so that the Fullwood home in Southern California became kind of a second home for the band as well, feasting on great reggae music, and home-cooked Jamaican food.

The experienced Jamaican has made it very clear to the young German musicians that he loved what they did together and that he wants to work with them on a longterm base. The first United States tour for Martin Zobel and Soulrise is scheduled for September 2012 – so it looks very much like “Land Of The Free” is only the beginning!

irievibrations-rec.com

Tracklisting:

01. Earth Wind & Fire
02. Take It Easy
03. Land Of The Free
04. They Got Soul
05. Where You Came From
06. Legends
07. Our Voices
08. What You Love
09. Slow Runner
10. Why Not
11. Never Let You Down
12. We Want More
13. Live It Up

The album Martin Zobel & Soulrise “Land Of The Free” (Irievibrations Records) has been released May 18, 2012.

Whenever you start to think that dance music – techno or house or Detroit and Berlin – is better suited for elderly people, suddenly there is a silver light on the horizon. And at the moment, it is Sascha Dive who is shining really bright. This young man from Frankfurt and his label Deep Vibes Recordings is among the most promising new producers and companies in Germany at the moment who, despite clear references to early U.S.-American sounds, all have found their very own rhythm and style by now.

And so has Sascha Dive (this is actually his real name!). Long before he turned 18 years old, he was deeply thrilled by the tapes his brother brought back home. He wanted to learn everything about this exciting music and hot nights out in clubs and at parties, for example Omen, XS, Wild Pitch Club or Robert-Johnson or DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos. And finally, Sascha Dive made his way into the coordinate system of Motor City in a more or less roundabout way. Records from Moodyman, Theo Parrish and Cie. telling stories about snoddy soul, flaky disco or shaking samplers are as inspiring to him as the dry funk and the abstract sounds from U.K. artists such as Baby Ford or Thomas Melchior. The inventive joint between these two styles can be found in Sascha’s highly appreciated productions. Not to mention that he runs his label Deep Vibes Recordings all by himself and in a very characteristic style when it comes to artwork, A&R, remixes and productions. Moreover, he can look back on a number of extremely successful remixes and tracks released on labels such as Raum…musik and Drumpoet Community. Dive soon became famous for his first-class, deep house sounds with references to Scott Ferugson or master Tony Rodriguez. The reaction was enormous and rather unusual for this almost nihilist and cynical daily business and its innumerable records and releases.

As a DJ, Sascha Dive does not hesitate to combine new and old, America and Europe, light grooves and finest melodies. He does not care whether a record is 10 years or 10 days old. What counts is its aesthetics and if the results fits in his sophisticated dramaturgy and subtlety of his set. Dive’s DJ sets are characterized by his knowledge of Afro-American dance music he skilfully translates into the empiricism of the European club scene and sociology that is becoming more and more expressive …

www.saschadive.de

Sascha Dive Top 10 May 2012:

01. Trus’me Good God (Norman Nodge Dub) (Prime Numbers)
02. Jay Tripwire – Tequila Makes You Drunk (Fine Funk)
03. Amir Alexander – Outsider EP (Deep Vibes Recordings)
04. AYBEE – Ether (Deepblak Recordings)
05. Sydenham & No Mad Ronin – The Song Of A Succeeded Life (Ibadan Records)
06. Pigon – Kamm Interpretations (Lirum Larum)
07. Tobias – Leaning Over Backwards (Efdemin remix) (Unterton)
08. DJ Spider & Hakim Murphy – Submerged Giant (Plan-B Records)
09. RTX – Innervoyage (Deeply Rooted House)
10. Master C & J – In The City (Devil Mix) (State Street Records)

Suff Daddy from Berlin is leading the pack of the new wave of German beat producers like Dexter, Brenk Sinatra, Twit One and Flako. “Suff Sells” is his third album after “Hi-Hat Club Vol.2 – Suff Draft” and “Gin Diaries”. Featuring guest appearances by Miles Bonny, Elzhi, Phat Kat, Fleur Earth, Vertual Vertigo, Twit One and Hulk Hodn. On “Suff Sells” he is giving the fans what they want: 29 brand-new Suff Daddy joints in a drunken boom bap style. Fuelled by crackling old records, weed and sick micro korg licks. A couple of vocals cuts are thrown into the mix too but it’s all about the beat and the vibe here.

Step into the world of Suff Daddy…

Life can be easy when you are Suff Daddy. You get up late and roll a phat one. You switch on your MacBook and chop some samples. Pour yourself a drink and twist the Micro Korg. Upload the track on the MPM server and let it marinate there for a minute. Miles Bonny, Elzhi or Fleur Earth may add some vocals later on. If it is a Tuesday night you pack up your gear and head to Beat Geeks, the producer hang-out in Berlin Kreuzberg that you host. If it is a Friday or Saturday chances are good that you jump on the ICE train and head to Cologne, Hamburg, Vienna or Zürich for a gig. You play Splash Festival, Beat BBQ, Hip-Hop Kemp and the Hi-Hat Club and do tours with Miles Bonny. No matter where you go, people welcome you with free weed and liqour. You hang out with your producer friends Brenk Sinatra, Twit One, Dexter, DJ Day or Hulk Hodn and talk beats, rhymes and life. When your new record is finished, HHV pre-order a 1.000 + copies and produce a free t-shirt. You sign sponsorship deals with the San Diego Padres, Tanqueray, Carhartt and Louis Vuitton…

In short: you are having the time of your life if you don’t take in account the beat blocks, hang-overs, shitty sound systems, shady promoters, filthy hotel rooms, crowded trains, colds, black-outs and long weekends away from your girl. But some of this might chance soon. Suff Daddy will move from Berlin to Sydney this summer …

www.myspace.com/suffdaddy

Tracklisting:

01. Intro (Ela Drums Restored)
02. P.G.O.B. feat. Miles Bonny
03. Feelin Allright
04. Drinks
05. Jimmy Smith Interlude
06. Quicc Beat
07. Pattern Select
08. Giscar Sob feat. Flat Pocket (Twit One & Lazy Jones)
09. Ultimate Interlude
10. Dr. Banard
11. Bad Night Out
12. Stein Im Brett feat. Fleur Earth
13. Make It Drip
14. Lovin You
15. K.C. Vodka
16. Dexter Wansel Interlude
17. Det2bln feat. Phat Kat & Elzhi
18. Quicc Jazz
19. Suff Disco
20. Take’em To The Kiosk
21. Elephant
22. Bo Break
23. Gimlet feat. Hulk Hodn
24. Beate
25. Cold Lampin
26. Twisted feat. Vertual Vertigo
27. Dilemma
28. Supersilverhaze
29. Flakey

The album Suff Daddy “Suff Sells” (Melting Pot Music) is going to be released May 25, 2012.

Witch’s five albums and rare 7″ tracks presented as a 4 CD (5 3/4″ X 10″) box set, restored and remastered from the original tapes. Contains a 24 page booklet with never before seen photos and ephemera; extensive liner notes and annotation; an interview with bandleader “Jagari” Chanda.

By the mid 1970s, the Southern African nation known as the Republic of Zambia had fallen on hard times: self-imposed, single party rule; a decline in prices for the country’s largest natural resource, copper; conflict in other countries on Zambia’s borders. This is the environment in which the Zamrock scene that flourished throughout that decade emerged. As we showed in this label’s previous investigation into the genre (Rikki Ililonga and Musi-O-Tunya’s Dark Sunrise – NA 5067) fuzz guitars were commonplace, driving rhythms as influenced by James Brown’s funk as Jimi Hendrix’s rock predominated, musical themes were often bleak and bands largely sang in the country’s constitutional language, English.

Although Witch is the best known Zamrock ensemble – and although they succeeded in releasing five albums in Zamrock’s golden years – they never made an impact on the global scale in, say, the way afro-beat maestro Fela Kuti did. Travel to – and within – Zambia is expensive, and the markers for the Zamrock scene are now few. Only a small number of the original Zamrock godfathers survived the AIDS epidemic that decimated this country.

Witch’s musical arc is contained to a five year span: The band’s first two, self-produced albums – released in unison with the birth of the commercial Zambian recording industry – are exuberant experiments in garage rock, and are as influenced by the Rolling Stones as they are James Brown; their third albun, Lazy Bones!!, is the band’s masterpiece – a dark, brooding psychedelic opus that makes equal use of wah-wah and fuzz guitars, that relies as heavily on the stomping feel of hard rock as it does the syncopation of funk; the band’s last two albums – recorded after the band toured with Osibisa – make use of traditional Zambian rhythms and folk melodies and are the most “afro-rock” of Witch’s oeuvre.

We’ve grouped together Witch’s albums stylistically. Thus, the band’s first two, self-produced albums appear on Disc One; Lazy Bones!! and its related 7″ single tracks appear on Disc Two, Lukombo Vibes and its 7″ single tracks appear on Disc Three and Including Janet (Hit Single) appears on Disc Four.

www.nowagainrecords.com

Tracklisting:

CD1 (“Introduction/In The Past”)

01. Introduction
02. Hometown
03. You Better Now
04. Feeling High
05. Like A Chicken
06. See You Mama
07. That’s What I Want
08. Try Me
09. No Time
10. Living in The Past
11. Young Lady
12. Chance
13. It’s Alright
14. I’ve Been Away
15. I Like The Way I Am
16. The Only Way
17. Smiling Face
18. She Is Mine
19. Mashed Potato

CD2 (“Lazy Bones!!”)

01. Black Tears
02. Motherless Child
03. Tooth Factory
04. Strange Dream
05. Look Out
06. Havoc
07. Ocotber Night
08. Off My Boots
09. Lazy Bones
10. Little Clown
11. Talking Universe
12. Evil Woman
13. Sweet Sixteen
14. Toloka
15. 81st Crowd Confusion
16. Up The Sky

CD3 (“Lukombo Vibes”)

01. Thou Shalt Not Cry
02. Bleeding Thunder
03. Devil’s Flight
04. Blood Donor
05. Nasauka
06. Evening Of My Life
07. Kangalaitoito
08. See – Saw
09. Chifundo
10. Fool’s Ride

CD4 (“Including Janet (Hit Single)”)

01. Janet
02. As Days Go By
03. Ntedelakumbi
04. In Flight
05. Nazingwa
06. Silver Lady
07. Anyinamwana
08. Mama Feel Good
09. The Way I Feel

The album Witch “We Intend To Cause Havoc!” (Now-Again) is going to be released May 25, 2012.

Listen to WITCH – Fireside Chat: www.redbullmusicacademyradio.com/shows/5234/

The new record from San Francisco based band Monophonics entitled “In Your Brain” sits on the fuzzy psych side of soul and funk. Paying homage to innovators such as Sly Stone, Norman Whitfield and Funkedelic’s George Clinton, the 6 piece outfit displays their ability to put a moody stamp on each composition. Touching on everything from cinematic soul, heavy funk, 60′s rock and spaghetti western laced with yellow sunshine acid, the album is sure to leave you tuned in and turned on!

With a new sound and a do it yourself attitude towards making records, Monophonics’ guitarist Ian McDonald and keyboardist/vocalist Kelly Finnigan took on the duties of engineering and producing. Finding influence and gear advice from Orgone’s Sergio Rios as well as articles from Daptone’s Gabe Roth and Shawn Lee, they purchased an 8-track ¼ inch tape machine, vintage microphones, spring reverbs and tape delays and dug into Finnigan’s basement in SF. “Half the battle making records in this genre is tone and vibe, we have figured out over the years that it might be the simplest written song but with the right production it can become timeless” explains McDonald. Jumping right out of the gate is the single “There’s A Riot Going On”. Starting with a snare fill that’s reminiscent of Jimi’s “Machine Gun.” Riot displays what becomes a consistent theme on the whole record: hard drums, catchy bass lines, dirty horns, organs mixed with vibraphones, fuzz guitar and soulful vocals sitting on a sheet of echo & slap back. The title track “In Your Brain” sounds like something straight off of Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain”, riding on the funk box and Bohlman’s snare snaps is a blaring guitar line that brings back thoughts of Eddie Hazel. In the tradition of 60′s soul label Brunswick comes the heart wenchers “Deception” and “They Don’t Understand.” One a dark 6/8 slow groove that catches your ear right away and the other a boom bap driven ballad that confronts the human fears of dreams and love lost. “Bang Bang” is one of the three meticulously chosen covers. The band approaches the famous 60′s pop song with a no holds barred attitude inspired by various versions from Betty Chung to Stevie Wonder to Nancy Sinatra. “Mirage,” is a tip of the hat to brilliant producer/composer David Axelrod and his innovative records on Capitol.”Temptation” a Cadillac riding classic, plays out as if John Berry wrote for blaxploitation films. Collaborating with talented friends was another consistent theme on this record featuring a dozen or so different musicians, but the stand out feature are the vocals of that soulful crazy queen Fanny Franklin (Orgone, Get Wet) on “All Together” and tapping Sergio Rios to do the mix at Killion Sound. Killion has become a highly respected studio because of Rios’s dirty tones and soulful style as evidenced by the various Orgone releases plus recordings from artists like Jack Splash (Cee-Lo & Alicia Keys) and Ikebe Shakedown.

Monophonics will embark on an extensive tour through the US & Canada so look out for them at a venue near you!

www.monophonics.com

Tracklisting:

01. Looking Ahead
02. There’s A Riot Going On
03. Sure Is Funky
04. In Your Brain
05. Deception
06. All Together
07. Say You Love Me
08. They Don’t Understand
09.Thinking Black
10. Bang Bang
11. Mirage
12. Foolish Love
13. Temptation
14. Keep Looking Ahead

The album Monophonics “In Your Brain” (Ubiquity) is going to be released May 18, 2012.

With his love for music tracing way back to an early age by dabbling with various instruments and then moving on to develop a passion for record collecting, Trus’me found his calling after learning the art of mixing and sample digging. Surrounded by the heads of Manchester and its deep rooted music scene, one couldn’t deny that it was an effortless task to be exposed to good music from all genres, thus explaining his constantly evolving tastes as evident in his eclectic DJ sets as well as in his uniquely, diverse productions. “Like bookends some 12′s will work with both the beginning and the end of the night, such is the classy sampling from Trus’me” (Peter Nicholson, XLR8R).

The much reputed CD sampler “Nards” that was responsible for initialing releases on Chicago’s Still Music label, inevitably sparked off Trus’me’s promising musical career. Seeing support from respected names such as Ashley Beedle, Juan Atkins, Mad Matts, Gilles Peterson and Chez Damier plus his productions selling out at record stores from Manchester to Tokyo, led to the highly successful release of his debut album, “Working Nights”, on Fat City Recordings, that’s hailed by most to be a timeless album, still finding devotees to this day.

Not one to rest on his laurels, the label Prime Numbers was set up and quickly gained an unfaltering reputation for highly collectable and exceptional music from artistes such as Move D, Actress, Linkwood, Fudge Fingas, Motorcity Drum Ensemble; all artistes that fit the ethos and style that Trus’me continues to carry a torch for. In 2009, his highly anticipated follow-up album, “In The Red” that featured the likes of Chez, Damier, Amp Fiddler and Dam Funk further cemented his place in the house scene and set off a flurry remixes for acts such as LCD Soundsystem, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Alton Miller, Anthony Shake Shakir and more, including non-stop touring to clubs and festivals alike in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, North America, South America and of course, in his backyard, the city of Manchester where it all began.

www.soundcloud.com/trusme

Trus’me Top 10 May 2012:

01. Trus’me – Sweet Mother (Marcel Dettmann remix) (Prime Numbers)
02. Bicep – $tripper (Love Fever)
03. Ben Sims – New Blood (Robert Hood remix) (Theory)
04. Skudge – Wonder Stories (Answer Code Request) (Skudge Records)
05. Andrew Grant – Riverboat (EDEC Music Outlet)
06. Vedomir – Dreams (Dekmantel)
07. Obsolete Music Technology – Mmmmmusic Emphasis Recordings)
08. The Traveller – A 100 (Ostgut Ton)
09. Madteo – ReCast (Meakusma)
10. Equation – I’ll Say A Prayer 4 U (Rush Hour Recordings)

“It was a shock back in 1992. That was 20 years ago and I still haven’t recovered from it. It was really powerful and straight to the brain! It hit Philippe Zdar and me at the same time, on a barge in the suburbs of Paris. The party was called ‘Transbody Express’ and the music we discovered that night was the first act of a revolution to come.

First a personal revolution, one that diametrically changed my perception of music and the way I understood it. And then a global revolution. Pop music was totally transformed by the fact that the whole world now had access to production equipment. No style of music escaped the influence of techno. I was lucky enough to live through this revolution and to be able to make my own “small” contribution to it.

I have two different types of fans. There are people my age who discovered house, techno and electronic music at the same time as me. They liked Air, Daft Punk, Alex Gopher, SUPERDISCOUNT and the rest of that pulsating 90s scene. Then they grew older, got a job, had children and stopped going to clubs. Whenever I bump into them, they ask me how I am, what I’m up to and if I’m still making music.

And then there are kids of between 15 and 20 now and got into electronic music through the Bloody Beetroots and Justice. They’re the ones who now go clubbing on a Saturday night. They’ve never heard of SUPERDISCOUNT and when they meet me, they’re surprised to find I’m the same age as their parents!

Admittedly I’ve gone to great pains to confuse matters. I’ve always given out information sparingly and done my best to release my projects at unexpected times, announcing them as obscurely and as elusively as possible. It wasn’t deliberate – I just thought I was doing the right thing!

I’m releasing this retrospective to unite these two sets of fans. People who thought I’d stopped after Tempovision will find out that since the beginning of the millennium I’ve taken a more underground path more closely in tune with the music that lit up my life – techno! And people who were under the impression that my career began in a cube will, I hope, understand the road that led me here.

To give a representative overview of my work, I brought together the most symbolic tracks of the different stages of my career along with remixes I’ve done for other artists and a lot of previously unreleased tracks. For 20 years now I’ve been trying to make our planet a warmer place – especially on Saturday nights! This box set sums up how I’ve gone about it.” – Etienne de Crécy

www.myspace.com/etiennedecrecy

Tracklisting:

CD1 – EDC BEST OF

01. Les Ondes (MotorBass)
02. Le Patron Est Devenu Fou (Superdiscount)
03. Prix Choc (Superdiscount)
04. Am I Wrong (Tempovision)
05. 3 Days Week End (Tempovision)
06. Scratched (Tempovision)
07. Apretime (Ad Renault)
08. Someone Like You (Superdiscount 2)
09. Overnet (Superdiscount 2)
10. Punk (Commercial EP 2) 11. Funk (Commercial EP 2)
12. France (Compilation Great Summer Games Stuff)
13. Welcome (Beats’N'Cubes Live Version)
14. Binary (Beats’N'Cubes)
15. No Brain (Beats’N'Cubes)
16. Ash Sync (This Is The End – H5 Cover Art)
17. Fermeture Definitive (Superdiscount)

CD2 – EDC BEST OF REMIXES 1995-2005

01. Air – Modulor Mix (Stein House Remix)
02. Alex Gopher – Gordini Mix (The Lord Of Monza Mix)
03. Lil Louis & The Party – Clap Your Hands (Fremur Mix)
04. Furry Phreaks feat. Terra Deva – Want Me Like Water (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
05. Etienne de Crécy – Prix Choc (Ultra Dark Mix)
06. Dj Mehdi – Breakaway (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
07. Moby – Lift me Up (Superdiscount Mix)
08. Kratfwerk – Aerodynamik (Alex Gopher & Etienne De Crécy Dynamik Mix)
09. Engineers – Come In Out Of The Rain (Etienne De Crécy Remix)

CD3 – EDC BEST OF REMIXES 2005-2011

01. Mylo – Paris Four Hundred (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
02. Who Made Who – Out The Door (Superdiscount Remix)
03. Eyerer & Namito – Quipa (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
04. Bumblebeez – Rio (Etienne De Crécy Tech Remix)
05. Cut Copy – Lights & Music (Superdiscount Remix)
06. Adam Freeland – How To Fake Your Own Life (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
07. Keren Ann – Between Flatlands & The Caspian Sea (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
08. The Shoes – Stay The Same (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
09. Taï – Big Bass Drum (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
10. Light Year – Moderation (Etienne De Crécy Remix)

CD4 – EDC UNRELEASED TRACKS 1992-2005

01. 1992
02. Rhodes
03. Right
04. Hoo Haa
05. Duplicate
06. Slap
07. Time
08. TRP
09. DLS
10. Carpenter
11. Trance
12. Rythm & Bitch
13.Trip Pop
14. Alex Gopher
15. Yesman
16. My Mind
17. Good Intro

CD5 – EDC UNRELEASED TRACKS 2006-2011

01. Mothman
02. Rocksteady
03. Mmmmmm
04. Revelation
05. Rising Soul
06. Infinite Funkiness
07. Flute
08. Bell
09. Intro
10. Only One Mind
11. Iggy
12. Hun Gipsy Yeah
13. Kik Sn Bass
14. Positive Radiation
15. Oh Oui!
16. Beatcrush
17. Vocoda

The album Etienne De Crecy “My Contribution To The Global Warming” (Pixadelic) has been released May 11, 2012.

Silly Walks Discotheque is one of Germany’s foundation reggae soundsystems founded in 1991. Under the name Silly Walks Movement, Silly Walks made a deep impact on the european reggae scene with their productions and releases such as “Songs Of Melody”, “Silly Walks meets Patrice” and various 7″ releases feat. Gentleman, Capleton, Tanya Stephens, Turbulence, Lutan Fyah just to name a few.

The musical focus of Silly Walks covers 40 years of reggae-history from Studio One to the latest dancehall tunes. Always spiced with a dignified selection of other caribbean sounds as soca or reggaeton just as music from urban africa like the Ghanaian
Hiplife or Coupé Decalé from the Ivory coast.

Silly Walks Discotheque is also working as a reggae/dancehall producerteam. Their latest release on the Silly Walks Disco Label is a dancehall-reggae riddim called “Aspire” which was released in 2009. The Release features 14 tracks with Gentleman, Luciano, Louie Culture, Lutan Fyah, Lady G, Rebellion, Nkulee Dube and more.

The “Aspire Riddim” climbed up various reggae charts worlwide, had the German reggae charts locked for weeks and was the #1 riddim in Gambia and other parts of West Africa in 2010.

In 2010 Silly Walks has been part of the production team of the latest Gentleman album with the track “Shut Eye Country” feat. Gentleman, Luciano and Jack Radics as well as an official remix of the chart topping single “To The Top” feat. Gentleman and Christopher Martin.

The crew is amongst the most booked sounds in Germany right now and they played all over Europe including shows on the biggest reggae festivals such as Summerjam, Reggaejam and Chiemsee Reggae in Germany, Rototom Festival in Italy as well as Uppsala reggae festival in Sweden and many more.

Now they’re celebrating their twentieth anniversary with the production of the album “Storms Of Life”. The longplayer presents finest international reggae tunes – 16 original & exclusive songs by the stars and newcomers from all offshoots of the genre, from roots reggae to contemporary dancehall. Top artists include Gentleman, Luciano, DaVille, Jah Vinci, Bugle, Konshens, Exco Levi, Peter Hunningdale and J Boog.

www.sillywalksdisco.com
www.facebook.com/sillywalksdisco

Tracklisting:

01. Torch – Reggae Music
02. DaVille – All You Need In A Friend
03. Hezron – Everytime
04. Exco Levi – Storms Of Life
05. RC – Can’t Bridge My Defense
06. Konshens – You
07. Bugle – Run The Streets
08. Gentlemen – Mountain High
09. Jah Vinci – Still Nah Lose
10. Etzia – Same Thing A Gwaan
11. Torch – Are You With It
12. Terry Linen – My Music
13. J Boog – I Wish I Could
14. Peter Hunnigale – Positive
15. Jah 9 – Brothers
16. Luciano & Louie Culture – Reload

The album Silly Walks Discotheque “Storms Of Life” (Tete Music) is going to be released May 18, 2012.

Dave Dub’s The Treatment is hip-hop at its bare bones. It’s the philosophical twin of wrecked stoner-rock bands like Sleep, a group Dave frequently shared unlikely billing with, in the early 1990s hometown of San Jose CA. That’s how bad his psychedelic hell-ride weirded out the rest of the “San Hopeless” rap community (also the original home of Stones Throw itself). Later, he’d ooze into opening slots for black metal and punk bands, even joining a punk band shortly before recording The Treatment.

Despite plenty of communication with the proto-Stones Throw crew Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, there was never any official deal, and Dub confined his particular brand of madness to cassette tape only.

From ’92 on, he says he abandoned even caring about commercial rap and detached himself from the genre. In ’99, he abandoned the U.S.A. and split to Jamaica to ride out Y2K. He came back illegally and secretly, reuniting after almost a decade with his original collaborator and current producer Tape Mastah Steph.

Steph convinced him to go back not just to the roots but down to the actual dirt itself and record an album with nothing but what they used back in the day – an SP-1200 and a vintage Ensoniq EPS. The result was The Treatment, Dub’s full-length Stones Throw debut—a horror film as refracted through the mind of a man who’s seen it all and knows too much.

www.stonesthrow.com

16.05.2012 F-Marseille, Cabaret Aleatoire
17.05.2012 F-Strasbourg, Molodoi
18.05.2012 CZ-Jablonec, Klub Woko
19.05.2012 G-Athens, Kyttaro Live
20.05.2012 NL-Heerlen, Nieuwe Nor
21.05.2012 RU-Petersburgh, Kosmonavt Club
23.05.2012 RO-Bucarest, The Silver Church
24.05.2012 D-Hamburg, Gruenspan
25.05.2012 CH-Aarau, Make The Hood Look Good
26.05.2012 ES-Barcelona, Sala Razzmatazz
27.05.2012 D-Goeggingen, No Stress Festival
30.05.2012 CH-Chur, Palazzo
31.05.2012 I-Rome, Brancaleone
01.06.2012 I-Palermo, Villa Lampedusa
02.06.2012 I-Pinerella Di Cervia, Rockplanet Club
03.06.2012 F-Toulouse (Ramonville St Agne), Le Bikini

www.lacokanostra.com

11.05.2012 DK-Copenhagen, Rust
12.05.2012 D-Bremen, Lightplanke
13.05.2012 F-Paris, Glazart Porte De La Vilette
14.05.2012 F-Nantes, Le Ferrailleur
15.05.2012 D-Heidelberg, Karlstor
16.05.2012 D-Muenster, Skaters Palace
17.05.2012 D-Munich, Crux
18.05.2012 D-Duisburg, High5Club
19.05.2012 D-Leipzig, Conne Island
21.05.2012 P-Poznan, Eskalup Club
23.05.2012 S-Gothenburg, Yaki-Da
24.05.2012 D-Berlin, Lido
25.05.2012 CH-Aarau, Make The Hood Look Good
26.05.2012 CH-Winterthur, Albani
27.05.2012 ES-Madrid, Sala Heineken
28.05.2012 UK-London, Jazz Cafe

www.fatbeats.com

27.05.2012 Munich, Postgaragen
01.06.2012 Wiesbaden, Kontext
16.06.2012 Duesseldorf, Blue Note

www.homeboysandman.com

29.05.2012 Dresden, Scheune
30.05.2012 Offenbach, Robert Johnson
31.05.2012 Hamburg, Neidklub
01.06.2012 Berlin, Bohannon
02.06.2012 Muenster, Skaters Palace

www.myspace.com/damfunk

11.05.2012 Erfurt, Club Centrum
12.05.2012 Dresden, Wettbüro
16.05.2012 Mannheim, Alte Feuerwache
19.05.2012 Leipzig, Conne Island
27.05.2012 Cologne, Beat BBQ
29.05.2012 Berlin, Monarch
31.05.2012 Munich, Atomic
01.06.2012 Nuernberg, Desi
02.06.2012 Hamburg, Grüner Jäger

www.mpmsite.com

11.05.2012 Munich, Feierwerk
12.05.2012 A-Wien, WUK
16.05.2012 Augsburg, Schwarzes Schaaf
18.05.2012 Zwickau, Lutherkeller
19.05.2012 Leipzig, Conne Island
26.05.2012 Kein Stress Festival
31.05.2012 Dortmund, FZW
01.06.2012 Oldenburg, TBC
02.06.2012 Hamburg, Fundbureau

www.mpmsite.com

Early in 2011 Fully Fullwood, the Jamaican roots-reggae legend became aware of Martin Zobel’s music. Founder and leader of the crucial Jamaican reggae band, the Soul Syndicate, Fullwood was jointly responsible for several hits reggae superstar Bob Marley recorded during the sessions with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and as a bass player he was a vital part of Peter Tosh’s ‘Word, Sound & Power’ band. Furthermore, his bass lines can be heard on countless other legendary recordings, including those of Dennis Brown, Derrick Morgan, Max Romeo, Michael Rose, Keith Hudson, and Big Youth, to name a few. It is by no means exaggerated to say he’s one of the most important musicians since the very beginning of the genre until the present day.

Over the years George ‘Fully’ Fullwood has become more and more involved in producing. When Martin Zobel and Fully Fullwood met in person in February 2011, the chemistry between them seemed to be right, and it was agreed that Fullwood would produce Zobel’s new album. Zobel significantly reduced his live appearances to focus on writing new songs, and only six months after that first meeting, Fully and Frances (Fully’s wife) were welcoming Martin and his whole band into Fully’s Kitchen, their Southern California studio, to begin the recordings. Martin Zobel & Soulrise spent an entire month in the “Kitchen”, cooking up their new songs, and for the sake of authenticity performed and recorded everything ‘live’ – just like back in the days. The result is a wonderful musical snapshot in time which, in every detail, reveals the spirit that must have been present during those early studio sessions back in Kingston, Jamaica. Beyond that, one is reminded of a sound, the likes of which hasn’t been heard for a long time, a sound containing something so familiar, yet different with something new and refreshing – a new breath of life. With “Land Of The Free” Fullwood, Zobel & Soulrise have managed to create a record in an extremely relaxed manner that is packed with emotions and musicality that stands on its own.

Over the weeks of recording the band became very close friends with Fully and Frances and the whole Fullwood family, so that the Fullwood home in Southern California became kind of a second home for the band as well, feasting on great reggae music, and home-cooked Jamaican food.

The experienced Jamaican has made it very clear to the young German musicians that he loved what they did together and that he wants to work with them on a longterm base. The first United States tour for Martin Zobel and Soulrise is scheduled for September 2012 – so it looks very much like “Land Of The Free” is only the beginning!

irievibrations-rec.com

Tracklisting:

01. Earth Wind & Fire
02. Take It Easy
03. Land Of The Free
04. They Got Soul
05. Where You Came From
06. Legends
07. Our Voices
08. What You Love
09. Slow Runner
10. Why Not
11. Never Let You Down
12. We Want More
13. Live It Up

The album Martin Zobel & Soulrise “Land Of The Free” (Irievibrations Records) is going to be released May 18, 2012.

There has been a lot of buzz about The KDMS lately. They have been described as the ‘indie disco answer to Adele’. Swedish producer Axel Boman found a wonderful description: “shimmering little diamonds in the autumn night”. Then a German journalist wrote: “The KDMS could be for the new underground disco scene what Moloko were for the late 90′s downbeat phenomena. A key band that connects current club music with great song writing and the unique voice of great Soul Diva”. Let’s see. Right now they are the newcomers with great personality. Three singles out in two years have seen a prominent fan base growing rapidly, creating a good buzz in the electronic music world. Tensnake, Jaymo, Hot Chip are fans. Hot Chip even got involved in the album: Felix Martin did a remix for “Tonight”. Alexis Taylor and Justus Köhncke (Kompakt) are guests on the album. They made a bonus track: a hypnotic alternative version of “Wonderman”.

The KDMS are London’s electro soul diva Kathy Diamond and the super talented young producer Max Skiba. On stage they get support from three side musicians. Kathy and Max met a few years ago and immediately felt that there was a connection. Max had done a few things for labels like Under the Shade, Skylax, Record Makers. Kathy had worked with Maurice Fulton (on Permanent Vacation), Aeroplane and Toby Tobias (on Rekids). But since their first session it was clear that this cooperation could grow. There was a kind of magic in the air. When they make music together a special energy emerges. They have soul. They are sophisticated. Sometimes melancholic. But then there is this dirty funk. It is nasty.

The story goes like this: When they finished their first track “Never Stop Believing” four years ago they gave it to some DJ’s. Daniel Wang was always playing the first demo at New York’s Santos club. People started to talk. Then they met the Gommaboys and the vibe was perfect. Three singles out. Huge feedback from all kinds of musicians. Morgan Geist (Metro Area) calls and wants to do one of his rare remixes. The buzz gets bigger. Now three singles later and they are getting played by many of today’s most interesting DJ’s. From Soul Clap to Tim Sweeney and Aeroplane. The blogs love them. It seems that somehow they created the blueprint for a new, modern touch on electronic pop music.

Now finally here comes the debut album. The KDMS from London are stepping out right at the moment where their label Gomma is getting very popular in the UK. In December, Annie Mac played some Gomma tracks in her BBC show and was going mad about Gomma: “Hands in the air … for the fantastic Gomma label … releasing guaranteed goodness …”. i-D magazine is preparing a big piece about “Germany’s freshest label” as Dazed & Confused magazine recently called them. So the time is right. The indie discohouse movement is growing. Mainstream pop music is bored and is searching for new inspirations in the dance world. The KDMS emerges using state of the art underground electronic styles evolving them into a new deep, dirty but glamorous pop sound. Slow, nasty, futuristic disco. A new genre crossing style. Connecting different musical angles. Inspired by James Chance or Lil’ Louis kind of crunchy beats, David Bowie or Quincy Jones compositions, Chaka Khan’s voice mixed with the sound of 2012. Maybe all these early descriptions of the band sound exaggerated. But when you know about where dance and pop music are right now you could say that The KDMS quite frankly come in the right moment. The band that gets upfront club music to a bigger audience. And whatever it is that you need for that: The KDMS have it.

www.gomma.de

Tracklisting:

01. High Wire
02. Wonderman
03. Tonight
04. Circles
05. Something’s Eatin’ Me
06. Killer
07. Never Stop Believing
08. Part Time Lovers
09. Your Love Is Right
10. No Sad Goodbyes
11. Wonderman (Justus Köhncke Remix)
12. Tonight (Morgan Geist Version)

The album The KDMS “Kinky Dramas And Magic Stories” (Gomma) is going to be released May 11, 2012.

Renowned sound system Silly Walks is celebrating a twenty-year milestone with the production of the album “Storms Of Life”. The longplayer presents finest international reggae tunes – 16 original & exclusive songs by the stars and newcomers from all offshoots of the genre, from roots reggae to contemporary dancehall.

The reggae giant Silly Walks is residing in Germany’s biggest harbour city Hamburg, and will be presenting and promoting the album from late spring throughout the summer on the festivals, club tours and via the various sound systerm connections all around the globe.

Top artists include Gentleman, Luciano, DaVille, Jah Vinci, Bugle, Konshens, Exco Levi, Peter Hunningdale and J Boog.

www.sillywalksdisco.com
www.facebook.com/sillywalksdisco

Tracklisting:

01. Torch – Reggae Music
02. DaVille – All You Need In A Friend
03. Hezron – Everytime
04. Exco Levi – Storms Of Life
05. RC – Can’t Bridge My Defense
06. Konshens – You
07. Bugle – Run The Streets
08. Gentlemen – Mountain High
09. Jah Vinci – Still Nah Lose
10. Etzia – Same Thing A Gwaan
11. Torch – Are You With It
12. Terry Linen – My Music
13. J Boog – I Wish I Could
14. Peter Hunnigale – Positive
15. Jah 9 – Brothers
16. Luciano & Louie Culture – Reload

The album Silly Walks Discotheque “Storms Of Life” (Tete Music) is going to be released May 18, 2012.

Brighton-raised, multi-award winning Friction is a member of a truly exclusive club; he is one of the only artists who has earned his stripes through DJing alone, succeeding to become one of the pinnacle players in the game. Aside from increased studio time and A&R, it is Friction’s skills behind the turntables that first escalated him to star accreditation. Adapting to any crowd, his diverse and thoughtful yet lightning-quick selection brought him worldwide acclaim and one of the busiest gigging schedules drum & bass has ever seen.

Friction first got the bug in the mid-90s, playing at and promoting his own events. This soon led to a link-up with local Brighton producers, Stakka and K-Tee, and hence a long-standing coalition was formed. Studio time ensued and February ’99 saw Friction release his debut single “Critical Mass” under the alias Kinnetix on the Underfire compilation. This soon gained him interest from legendary labels, Trouble On Vinyl and Renegade Hardware, producing a track “Photon” for TOV’s “Here Comes Trouble” EP – how apt the title was. Immediately following this was the acclaimed “Altitude”, with Stakka & Skynet, regarded as a truly groundbreaking piece of drum & bass fusing high-energy techno and jungle. Releases followed on a host of top drum & bass labels including Valve, Tru Playaz, Passenger, Hardware, 31 Records, Hospital and Charge amongst others. Joining BBC 1Xtra in 2002 at the station’s launch, Friction quickly made his mark; his “Mix Show” was truly innovative, creating a massive following worldwide. After 2 years, though, a constantly growing DJ schedule proved too much and reluctantly he called it a day with the show.

In 2004, Friction established Shogun Audio with production partner-in-crime, K-Tee. Since then the label has gone on to become a rare ‘buy on site’ label, releasing some of the best drum & bass in recent times and picking up legions of fans along the way. Artists such as Alix Perez, Spor, Jonny L, Break, Marcus Intalex, SpectraSoul, Noisia, Klute, Icicle, Spirit, Rockwell and, of course, Friction & K-Tee have all appeared over the years and the arsenal of music both new and old at Friction’s disposal is immense.

Picking up numerous awards over the years, Friction’s mix CDs have also grown in quality and popularity. The Bingo Sessions Vol.1 CD with DJ Zinc was a massive hit, charting in the national LP Top 40, followed by the first of his own highly-successful series – The Next Level – which went on to sell thousands worldwide. More recognition followed in April 2006 with Friction’s Pete Tong “Essential Mix” which aired to huge acclaim. In Pete Tong’s own words, Friction had become one of the drum & bass ‘Big Dogs’. His remix of “Back To Your Roots” released on Shogun Audio in 2007 was regarded as the biggest drum & bass track of the year, receiving plays from Annie Mac to Stanton Warriors to Judge Jules.

2008 saw Friction continuing to push his DJ career, playing worldwide every weekend, yet still finding time to get in the studio with his debut releases on Metalheadz, “Shogun Nightmare”, the massive anthem “3rd Degree Gurns” on Valve plus the highly-anticipated “Altitude” remixes on Shogun Audio. He also mixed the 2008 Drum&BassArena album alongside scene legend, Fabio, and it was from this that plans hatched for an all-new Friction mix series that would set a new standard in drum & bass mix albums. 2009 turned into one of the biggest in Friction and Shogun history, with said mix album – Assassin Volume One – dropped to high critical-acclaim from both music media and fans across the globe. Following this was Friction & K-tee’s vocal smasher “Fired Up” on Hospital Records that received support from the likes of Annie Mac and Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1.

Shogun Audio released the debut LP from Alix Perez in 2009 which, helped by Friction’s relentless DJ schedule, became the drum & bass artist album of the year. Friction & K-tee’s killer single “Set It Off” dropped on Shogun at the end of the year and, along with a nomination for ‘Best DJ’ at the Drum&BassArena Awards and a new Shogun club residency in their home town of Brighton, it marked a huge growth and successful end to 2009.

2010 acted as another non-stop rollercoaster ride for Friction with gigs from London to Sydney to Korea and even Hawaii. Although the schedule is fierce and unrivalled, a Friction set never falters; whether he’s on two or three decks, playing for two hours or four, to 500 to 20,000, people are rapidly learning that, drum & bass fanatics or otherwise, a night with Friction is one to remember. Alongside the highly-respected, sophisticated labels – Shogun Audio and SGN:Ltd – releasing music unlike any other, it’s no surprise that Friction was asked in 2010 to pioneer the first of Ministry Of Sound’s “Mixed” series, collating and mixing a forward-thinking, deep yet dancefloor compilation which was received, deservedly, to phenomenally high-acclaim.

Overseeing the signing of new distinctive artists to the label, Friction is ensuring that Shogun persistently grows to accommodate the constantly fresh and exciting movement that he has pioneered. With an ever-successful Brighton residency at Digital club and a new residency in the capital at London’s Cable, Shogun events, releases and artists are a storming and unquestioned success each time.

www.shogunaudio.co.uk

Friction & K-Tee Top 10 May 2012:

01. Rockwell – Constantcomplexrhythmicsound (Shogun Audio)
02. Friction & K-Tee – Jupiter (Shogun Audio)
03. Total Science – Feel Me (Shogun Audio)
04. Friction – Led Astray (Shogun Audio)
05. The Prototypes – Subterrestrial (Shogun Audio)
06. Spectra Soul – Light In The Dark feat. Terri Walker (Shogun Audio)
07. Alix Perez – Myriads (Jubei Remix) (Shogun Audio)
08. Spectra Soul – Shackles feat. Fox (Shogun Audio)
09. D Bridge – Not What You Want (Shogun Audio)
10. Interface – Desperate Measures (Shogun Audio)

Kitsuné’s latest project, Kitsuné America, brings you America’s new wave! After exploding in Japan, expanding in SE Asia and steadily developing in France and Europe, Kitsuné felt it was time to get closer to the USA!

For the first time, the Parisian emporium has compiled a quirky, eclectic selection of fresh new US artists. One album full of the stuff that we like most: good songs and big talents yet to be discovered, from indie bands to dance producers and whatever can fit in between.

Covering the many bases of electro-pop, indie-dance and everything in between, Kitsuné America offers a lively snapshot of what is cooking up for 2012 in the US!

With the label and brand celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, it was also the perfect timing for the opening of the new Maison Kitsuné boutique in New York – at the NoMad hotel in April – to be precise, and the kick off of the second Kitsuné Club Night US Tour including stops at SXSW and Miami WMC!

www.kitsune.fr

Tracklisting:

01. St. Lucia – Before The Dive
02. DWNTWN – See My Eyes
03. Childish Gambino – Heartbeat (Them Jeans remix)
04. Heartsrevolution – Retrograde
05. FrancesRose – Vampire
06. Gigamesh – Your Body
07. White Shadow – If You Like It
08. XXXChange – F*k Yeah Ace Of Hearts
09. Oliver – Walk With Me
10. Emil &Friends – Royal Oats
11. Selberities – Regret
12. Poindexter – Helpless
13. Computer Magic – Help Me
14. Giraffage feat. XXYYXX – Even Though

The compilation Various “Kitsune America” (Kitsuné) is going to be released May 11, 2012.

Psychedelic soul, sometimes called Black Rock, is a sub-genre of soul music, which mixes the characteristics of soul with psychedelic rock. It came to prominence in the late 1960s and continued into the 1970s, playing a major role in the development of soul and funk music. Over the past seven years, Monophonics have staked their claim as one of California’s premier bands. Raised amid the Bay Area’s rich musical culture, Monophonics has proudly carried on the tradition of music native to their hometown, which flourished during the birth of psychedelia.

Monophonics were formed in 2005; originally a instrumental ensemble comprised of guitarist Ian McDonald, bassist Myles O’Mahony, saxophonist Alex Baky, trumpeter Ryan Scott, and drummer Austin Bohlman, the band has recently added the dynamic soul vocals of keyboardist Kelly Finnigan. The result is a psychedelic soul & heavy funk sound, which harks back to the stylings of the late 60′s and early 70′s, all while keeping its feet planted in the present.

As a mainstay of San Francisco venues such as The Independent, Brick and Mortar & Boom Boom Room, the Monophonics have created a national buzz and fervent local following, sharing the stage & bill with such names as Budos Band, Orgone, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Kings Go Forth, Soulive and many many more. Their touring schedule has brought their signature rowdy, hard-hitting live set to over 400 dates from California up to Motown and down to Louisiana establishing themselves as yearly residents at the legendary New Orleans Jazz Festival. The band has also played some of the major music festivals on the west coast including High Sierra, Joshua Tree, Blacksheep Family Reunion, and Las Tortugas.

Already in 2012 the band has signed on with top booking agency Intrepid Artists Int’l and has seen their touring schedule triple fast and has helped get them get in big festivals like Wakarusa in Arkansas and the Portland Waterfront Blues Fest in Oregon. Other big news in 2012 is the bands new record “In Your Brain” which will be released by legendary label Ubiquity Records (Orgone, Shawn Lee, Breakestra, Connie Price & The Keystones). It was recorded & produced by Ian McDonald and Kelly Finnigan in San Francisco and was mixed by Sergio Rios from Orgone at Killion Sound in LA. With a transformation of the group in the last 18 months, they have matured and found our own sound. This new record sits on the fuzzy psychedelic side of soul and heavy funk! Taking a cue from their San Francisco roots and greats like Norman Whitfield, George Clinton’s Funkadelic, David Axelrod and Sly Stone the group has found their path which has taken on a direction that focuses on great tones using analog equipment, a simpler and more spontaneous songwriting approach and trying to always catch a vibe that brings back thoughts of the 1969 psychedelic movement!

www.monophonics.com

You know that little something you’ve been missing but can’t quite wrap your noodle around what in the world it could be? This is something of an epidemic here in sunny Bushwick Brooklyn, and if the fan mail and phone calls don’t deceive, which they never do – this is happening worldwide folks. But don’t waste another second pondering this proverbial hole in your SOUL, because Daptone has the solution. After years of research, 10 to be exact, it came to our attention that everyone’s favorite funky instrumentalists, The Sugarman 3 hadn’t released a new LP in some time.

Well, of course!!! How could we have been so neglectful to our fans? Within hours of this epiphany Daptone Brass had the boys back in the studio. With only 8 tape tracks, a handful of peanuts, and a bottle of high proof Dutch Schnapps these gentlemen flexed their musical maturity – writing and tracking the entire album in 4 days. There were tears shed, and blood spilled over those four fateful sessions, but we’re happy to report that what went down is some of the finest instrumental tunes ever laid to tape. Dig the masterful renditions of favorites such as: The Bacharach penned opus, and title track of the album “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” – Quite a fitting title considering this record is practically saving the world from incomplete-itis. As well as JJ Jackson’s SOUL classic “It’s Alright” – and for all you Bean Town enthusiasts, “Dirty Water” by the Standells (take it easy Mr. + Mrs. Know-it-alls, we know they’re from LA). And if that ain’t enough to make you wanna Boogaloo down Troutman St, surely their newly crafted originals will have your tail feathers shakin’ all over.

www.daptonerecords.com

Tracklisting:

01. Rudy’s Intervention
02. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Sugarman
03. Got To Get Back To My Baby
04. But It’s Alright
05. Witch’s Boogaloo
06. Brother T.
07. What The World Needs Now Is Love
08. Dirty Water
09. Jealous Moon
10. Mellow Meeting
11. Love Went Away

The album Sugarman 3 “What The World Needs Now” (Daptone Records) is going to be released May 11, 2012.

Twenty two year old Romain Virgo is a Jamaican sensation. A young man with a musical mission, Romain was first introduced to the Jamaican public as a contestant and eventual winner of Rising Stars (new talent competition). Demonstrating excellence on stage and record, hit debut album and 2010/2011 tour schedule has planted the seeds for the breakthrough of a major developing talent. The sophomore album The System is fifteen original songs that express the growing emotional and social awareness of a young man experiencing life on the road and developing a world view. The songs are personal and universal, Romain’s sincere delivery brings all the elements together.

Romain Virgo delivers a quality set of dynamic, conscious-themed roots and lover’s rock tales. Each song flows seamlessly to the next and shimmers with the vocal delivery of one of Jamaica’s most captivating new voices. Romain teamed up with Jamaica’s top producers on the new album, including Shane Brown (who produced seven of the songs) as well as Donovan Germain and Viking Productions.

It has only been five years since Romain Virgo made history as the youngest winner of TVJ’s popular “Rising Stars” – Jamaica’s equivalent to American Idol. In this short time frame, Romain teamed up with reggae producer Donovan Germain to record several chart-topping reggae hits (“Can’t Sleep” and “Wanna Go Home”), released a stellar debut album with VP, won numerous awards within the Caribbean community and made history as the first Jamaican artist to perform at Academy of Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.

He continues this success with his second full-length release The System. Recorded primarily at the legendary Penthouse Studio, these 15 lyrically sophisticated tracks offer compelling accounts of the challenges of living the ghetto life. Songs like “Minimum Wage”, “Another Day Another Dollar”, “Press On” and “Not Today” are clear examples of the struggle that many face on a daily basis. And on the gritty first single “I Know Better,” Romain cautions the youth to refrain from picking up the gun despite their desperate circumstances.

www.myspace.com/romainvirgo

Tracklisting:

01. The System
02. Minimum Wage
03. Another Day Another Dollar
04. Food Fi The Plate
05. Dem A Coward
06. I Know Better
07. Mama’s Song
08. Not Today
09. I Am Rich In Love
10. Ray Of Sunshine
11. Fantasize
12. Fired Up Inside
13. Don’t You Remember
14. Broken Heart feat. Busy Signal
15. Press On

The album Romain Virgo “The System” (VP) has been released May 4, 2012.

Combining a very modern aesthetic with classic song writing ability, this album is a collision of haunting vocals, tough analogue sounds and bleeding edge electronic production. Stranger rhythms and basslines inhabit this record; both in the studio and onstage, Belleruche have picked up new instruments and ideas to create a complexity and an attack that take the band’s core elements to a new level.

Away from the distractions of their hectic touring schedule, they spent the last five months of 2011 writing and recording the album; taking sounds and twisting them, recording straight versions of songs with bass, drums and guitar and then tearing the idea apart to find a novel and captivating style. This unconventional approach to songwriting has resulted in a record which is introspective yet aggressive; the harmonies flit between menacing and angelic, and soulful siren deBoer is by turns endearingly candid and enticingly enigmatic.

Belleruche’s distinctive sound is a self-styled brand of handmade hip hop blues soul: think Sarah Vaughan, Django Reinhardt and Cut Chemist stuck in a lift with Russian beer and a sampler. The trio is made up of Kathrin deBoer (vocals), Ricky Fabulous (guitar) and DJ Modest (decks); the band was formed after Ricky and Modest, who played bizarre turntable and guitar sets in London bars, bumped in to Kathryn in the market one day. She did some singing over a cup of tea with the pair and Belleruche was born.

www.tru-thoughts.co.uk

Tracklisting:

01. Stormbird
02. Wasted Time
03. Get More
04. 16 Minutes
05. Reach For The Bottle
06. Passenger Side
07. Afan
08. Cloverleaf
09. Under Fire
10. Henbane
11. Limelight
12. Song For Bill
13. Longer Days, Longer Nights

The album Belleruche “Rollerchain” (Tru Thoughts) is going to be released May 4, 2012.

Twenty two year old Romain Virgo is a Jamaican sensation. A young man with a musical mission, Romain was first introduced to the Jamaican public as a contestant and eventual winner of Rising Stars (new talent competition). Demonstrating excellence on stage and record, hit debut album and 2010/2011 tour schedule has planted the seeds for the breakthrough of a major developing talent. The sophomore album The System is fifteen original songs that express the growing emotional and social awareness of a young man experiencing life on the road and developing a world view. The songs are personal and universal, Romain’s sincere delivery brings all the elements together.

Romain Virgo delivers a quality set of dynamic, conscious-themed roots and lover’s rock tales. Each song flows seamlessly to the next and shimmers with the vocal delivery of one of Jamaica’s most captivating new voices. Romain teamed up with Jamaica’s top producers on the new album, including Shane Brown (who produced seven of the songs) as well as Donovan Germain and Viking Productions.

It has only been five years since Romain Virgo made history as the youngest winner of TVJ’s popular “Rising Stars” – Jamaica’s equivalent to American Idol. In this short time frame, Romain teamed up with reggae producer Donovan Germain to record several chart-topping reggae hits (“Can’t Sleep” and “Wanna Go Home”), released a stellar debut album with VP, won numerous awards within the Caribbean community and made history as the first Jamaican artist to perform at Academy of Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.

He continues this success with his second full-length release The System. Recorded primarily at the legendary Penthouse Studio, these 15 lyrically sophisticated tracks offer compelling accounts of the challenges of living the ghetto life. Songs like “Minimum Wage”, “Another Day Another Dollar”, “Press On” and “Not Today” are clear examples of the struggle that many face on a daily basis. And on the gritty first single “I Know Better,” Romain cautions the youth to refrain from picking up the gun despite their desperate circumstances.

www.myspace.com/romainvirgo

Tracklisting:

01. The System
02. Minimum Wage
03. Another Day Another Dollar
04. Food Fi The Plate
05. Dem A Coward
06. I Know Better
07. Mama?s Song
08. Not Today
09. I Am Rich In Love
10. Ray Of Sunshine
11. Fantasize
12. Fired Up Inside
13. Don’t You Remember
14. Broken Heart feat. Busy Signal
15. Press On

The album Romain Virgo “The System” (VP) is going to be released May 4, 2012.

What do all these things have in common? Spherical vibrators in the streets of Notting Hill, award winning mediaeval maidens, Gypsy swing with a cockney twist, a half naked fire-eating burlesque dancer, anorexic nuns, the Uk’s No.1 female fronted goth power metal band, glass orchestras, music boxes, childrens songs, an old 1950s typewriter and a Berlin circus sideshow of musical freaks? The answer of course is Bev Lee Harling, who having begun her violin studies at the age of 5, followed by piano and voice studies, toured Europe extensively as a teenager, playing classical repertoire with the East Sussex Youth Orchestra.

Bev then attended Middlesex University, gaining a degree in Jazz Studies with voice as her first study, and inspired by her lecturers, most of whom were from the Uk Jazz big band Loose Tubes, began writing her own material.

In 2006 Bev recorded a 5 track E.P of her songs – “Impossible Human” produced by Julian Hinton (arr/producer for Trevor Horn). Many of the tracks have since featured in compilation releases, including Jazzanova’s “Broadcasting from Offtrack Radio” and “Café Paradiso” alongside Thom Yorke and Martina Topley-Bird.

The final track on the E.P “Im For You” even found its way into the latest big ad campaign for exclusive lingerie company Myla, advertising their latest new adult toy called “The Sphere” – a hilarious rip of the Sony Bravia ad, set in Notting Hill, rather than the streets of San Francisco, and featuring thousands of quite different balls bouncing down the Portobello Road.

Whilst performing her songs at a songwriters night in London, Bev came to the attention of Katherine Blake, the founder of 80′s band “Miranda Sexgarden”, and the No.1 Uk chart selling classical act the “Mediaeval Baebes”. Asked to become a “Baebe”, Bev has now toured extensively in America and Europe with the group of 6 women, singing, playing violin and writing songs for their latest album “Illumination” released in 2008. They also won an Ivor Novello award in 2007 for their collaboration with composer Martin Phipps on the acclaimed BBC series “The Virgin Queen”.

In 2008 Bev was commissioned to write the music for a Channel 4 film as part of their “Coming Up” series, a showcase for new writers and directors. The 30 minute film, “Thinspiration”, directed by Harry Burton, starring Sian Thomas and Karen Gillan (Dr Who’s latest companion) is set in a nunnery in the 16th Century, and tells the story of how nuns would starve themselves to death in order to get closer to God. The film has since been featured as part of Channel 4′s Generation Next campaign and enjoyed its premier cinema screening at the National Film Theatre.

Bev has also been a long time musical collaborator with Berlin based Producer/Dj Stefan Rogall, having joined his band “Rogall and The Electric Circus Sideshow” in 2006 alongside Earl Zinger (Galliano), Hugo Race (Nick Cave) and Henry Rollins. In 2009 Bev co-wrote and performed songs for the project’s debut album, released on Perfect Toy records.

Following this collaboration, Stefan Rogall has been producing Bev’s debut solo album “Urban Gypsy” due for release 2010. This album is a collection of songs featuring a lot of old junk Bev has found lying around, including an old 1950′s typewriter, a home made glass orchestra and plenty of pots and pans.

Bev currently has a new live project, Bev Lee Harling and the Kitchen Sink, a 7 piece band including glass orchestras, music boxes, an electric drill and a 1950′s typewriter, playing music from her album “Urban Gypsy”. Their debut gig was supporting the 15 piece frenetic gypsy band The Destroyers at Wiltons Music Hall.

Since recording her album Bev came to the attention of the Peoples Music Awards 2010, voted for by a combination of public voting and music industry panellists. She became a finalist in their Solo Female Artist category with her song “Buy Me” quoted as being: “Individual, clever and funny … the most original pop song we’ve heard this year”

Always seeking variety in her musical career Bev is usually involved in many eclectic projects at one time, her most recent to date have been performing violin for the London Burlesque Festival with Amsterdam Burlesque star Natsumi Scarlett, singing and playing violin for The Bright Size Gypsies, a modern gypsy swing project at the London Jazz Festival, and playing violin and viola for the latest recordings of Sophie Barker’s wonderful cd series for children with producer KK (Bjork, Dido). She also had a lot of fun recently at rock festival “Bloodstock” playing violin for goth metal band “Pythia” and features on their album “Beneath The Veiled Embrace”. Bev also collaborated with Hospital Records latest signing Netsky for a track on his debut album in 2010.

Bev’s upcoming new album “Barefoot In Your Kitchen” (Wah Wah) is due for release on May 11, 2012. The album combines her love of music and cooking. Her fun and soulful vocals come alive as she sings over chopping board, cheese graters, glass orchestras, colanders, dog bowls, music boxes and a slew of sound creating devices. Even a 1950′s typewriter lends its vibrant percussive sounds. The album is fun and magical with a uniquely addictive sound that includes influences from folk, electronica and soul. We’re very excited about this young lady.

www.bevleeharling.com

Logistics grew up on a self-prescribed musical diet made up of equal parts guitar-based compositions from bands such as Rage Against The Machine and down tempo efforts from labels like Mo’ Wax. Matt Gresham a.k.a Logistics, younger brother of Dan Nu:Tone, railed against the music his brother would listen to and finally acquired a taste for drum & bass through the Full Cycle “Music Box” LP. “That LP was like down tempo tunes with double time beats!” he explained, “I’d always been into stuff like Mo’ Wax and that album, particularly ’11.55′ by Roni Size & DJ Die had the same vibe that I could relate to.”

Having a brother already signed up to Hospital didn’t qualify Matt for an ‘automatic in’ and it wasn’t until he sent “Replay” down to the office, swiftly followed by Fabio and Grooverider picking up on the tune, that he got his chance to work on his own album project. Having just left college this was a great opportunity for Logistics and he made the very best of it, working solidly on creating masterpieces in the form of “Together”, “Spacejam”, “The Trip” and “Release The Pressure” (the only previously released tune on the album) and bridging the gap between liquid funk, which, until then had often been a lacklustre sub-genre and a more exciting, dance floor orientated variety of drum & bass. It’s Logistics’ influence that has been picked up by the major DJs in the scene such as Andy C and Friction, and his anthemic creations have contributed greatly to the modern Hospital sound.

The LP itself “Now More Than Ever” (released in the autumn of 2006) was a hugely ambitious project, restraining no less than twenty four speaker-busting tunes beneath its calm exterior. In 2007 Logistics also submitted his “Medical History”. Eighteen months on, having scooped ‘Best Album’ at the 1xtra Bass awards for his debut album, Logistics dropped his second long player “Reality Checkpoint”. Rammed full of genre-bending goodness it was heralded as a glimpse of the future with dubstep and electronica influences fusing together with the anthemic Logistics sound. 2008 saw the Luke Skywalker of the “Future Sound Of Cambridge” drop the massive track “Cosmonaut” and feature on several awesome collabs with Commix and brother Nu:Tone, keeping sub basses across the land pounding for the rest of the year. Having been locked away deep in the Degobah system making tracks, 2009 was time for Logistics to unleash the full power of the force with the onomatopeic “Crash Bang Wallop”, smacking dancefloors and stereos hard.

2011 saw Logistics busying himself in the studio, with his track “Closer” featuring on the “Fifteen Years Of Hospital Records” album towards the end of the year and providing a taster of what’s to come next. Lo and behold, Logistics is ready to dish up more musical mayhem in 2012 in the form of a brand new album project, “Fear Not”. “We Are One” – the lead single from the album – was released in March, swiftly followed up by the full album “Fear Not” which is out next week on Hospital Records. Arguably more cohesive and ambitious than his previous efforts, the album covers a variety of tempos and styles, but is still 100% Logistics to the core. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

www.logisticsdnb.com

Tracklisting:

01. Fear Not
02. Timelapse
03. 2999
04. Try Again
05. We Are One
06. Crystal Skies
07. Feels So Good
08. Running Late (Interlude)
09. Early Again
10. Believe In Me
11. Letting Go
12. Sendai Song
13. Over And Out
14. Destination Unknown (Interlude)
15. Watching The World Go By

The album Logistics “Fear Not” (Hospital) has been released April 27, 2012.

Grenoble born Caroline Hervé, aka Miss Kittin, has over the past years become one of the most inspiring DJs and voices to emerge within the electronic music scene. Alongside long-time production partner The Hacker, tracks such as “Frank Sinatra” and “1982″ propelled them into the spotlight, whilst further collaborations with Felix Da Housecat, Golden Boy, Sven Väth, Steve Bug, Antonelli Electric and T.Raumschmiere to name but a few, have confirmed Miss Kittin’s star billing status. She released her debut solo artist album “I Com” in 2004, that showed her spreading her wings with jacking Chicago house, distorted punk attitude, skanked-up dub and electronic pop as the singles “Professional Distortion”, “Requiem For A Hit” and “Happy Violentine” so aptly displayed.

The heavily-accented deadpan delivery over techno beats that established her notoriety on previous recordings has been unseated by a desire to sing, to scream, to rap and to croon, all of which she manages to do with ample helpings of sly wit and wordplay and a musical landscape that incorporates both brazen beats and intoxicating atmospherics.

However for all her releases and collaborations Kittin’s first and main love remains DJing. From starting out in 1994, Kittin’s name first appeared on a flyer in the chill-out room for a rave in an old military fort in the mountains. From there on Kittin hasn’t looked back. From playing harder edged techno, rave classics, Chicago, acid and Detroit techno Kittin has progressed into more leftfield, electro and electronic realms. Able to play Prince with Black Dog or Aphex Twin with a new Kompakt 12″ she has an uncanny and intuitive sense of selection that not only flows but also maintains that primary sense of the party. Anyone who has seen Kittin dancing behind the decks or grabbing the microphone mid-set will understand only too well that she is also a clubber at heart. As Kittin says, “I love playing records, it’s probably the best thing I know to do in life. I do it because it’s big fun and it makes me free.”

Based in Paris since 2007, Kittin released her second solo album “Batbox” in 2008, followed by the second album of the collaboration with her all time favorite musical partner The Hacker entitled “Two” in 2009, both released on her own label Nobody’s Bizzness. After the extensive live touring of Miss Kittin & The Hacker in 2009 all over the globe, 2010 has seen Kittin’s couple of remixes and collaborations and in early 2011 a release of the “All You Need” EP on Mobilee Records, that brought her sultry yet punchy vocals back to the floor with a classic electro bassline.

Having spent over a decade cultivating her intransigent image, Miss Kittin reliably brings all her gusto, charisma and inspiration to the decks, which have produced many seminal moments of dance-floor heaven and is rightly placed as one of the most revered and recognizable artists in dance music today.

As for the future? Watch out for her next, 3rd solo artist album in 2012.

www.myspace.com/kittinmusic

Miss Kittin Top 10 April 2012:

01. Djedjotronic – Miamite (Boysnoize Records)
02. The Hacker – Shockwave (Mark Archer Remix) (Different)
03. Mark Broom – Scream (Saved Records)
04. NUfrequency Feat Plavka – Love Sick (Mock & Toof Remix) (Rebirth)
05. Waze & Odyssey – Feels Good (Southern Fried Records)
06. Sacha Robotti – The Major (Dirtybird)
07. Maceo Plex – Deez Nuts (Ellum Audio)
08. Audision – Yellow Sunset (Robags Stoylago Edit) (&nd)
09. Dato – Bangkok (Casio Social Club Remix) (Mullet Records)
10. Max Cooper – Simplexity (Traum Schallplatten)

You know that little something you’ve been missing but can’t quite wrap your noodle around what in the world it could be? This is something of an epidemic here in sunny Bushwick Brooklyn, and if the fan mail and phone calls don’t deceive, which they never do – this is happening worldwide folks. But don’t waste another second pondering this proverbial hole in your SOUL, because Daptone has the solution. After years of research, 10 to be exact, it came to our attention that everyone’s favorite funky instrumentalists, The Sugarman 3 hadn’t released a new LP in some time.

Well, of course!!! How could we have been so neglectful to our fans? Within hours of this epiphany Daptone Brass had the boys back in the studio. With only 8 tape tracks, a handful of peanuts, and a bottle of high proof Dutch Schnapps these gentlemen flexed their musical maturity – writing and tracking the entire album in 4 days. There were tears shed, and blood spilled over those four fateful sessions, but we’re happy to report that what went down is some of the finest instrumental tunes ever laid to tape. Dig the masterful renditions of favorites such as: The Bacharach penned opus, and title track of the album “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” – Quite a fitting title considering this record is practically saving the world from incomplete-itis. As well as JJ Jackson’s SOUL classic “It’s Alright” – and for all you Bean Town enthusiasts, “Dirty Water” by the Standells (take it easy Mr. + Mrs. Know-it-alls, we know they’re from LA). And if that ain’t enough to make you wanna Boogaloo down Troutman St, surely their newly crafted originals will have your tail feathers shakin’ all over.

www.daptonerecords.com

Tracklisting:

01. Rudy’s Intervention
02. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Sugarman
03. Got To Get Back To My Baby
04. But It’s Alright
05. Witch’s Boogaloo
06. Brother T.
07. What The World Needs Now Is Love
08. Dirty Water
09. Jealous Moon
10. Mellow Meeting
11. Love Went Away

The album Sugarman 3 “What The World Needs Now” (Daptone Records) is going to be released May 11, 2012.

Brand new Wah Wah signing Bev Lee Harling’s love of music and cooking combine where chopping boards, cheese graters, glass orchestras, colanders and a dog bowl are used along with music boxes, a musical saw and a 1950′s typewriter to create a musical, organic experience. Sometimes dark, sometimes frivolous, always engaging and human spirited, her songs’ common bond being the luscious, pure vocals that thread their way through the highs and lows of life experience.

Bev’s debut album is filled to the brim with immediate, catchy and yet unconventional recordings. Cuts like the forthcoming single, “Post” and her gorgeous cover of The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” have huge crossover pop potential, whereas elsewhere Bev takes in bossa nova on “Private Life Of A Puppet”, darker electronics on “Tired Of The City” and a little southern drawl on the very tongue in cheek “Devil’s Got Your Tail”. Add to that the use of found sounds and household junk on “Robots And Angels” and the title track, and you’ve got something very special indeed, all hung together by Bev’s sweet vocals and German producer Rogall’s cunning production techniques.

We’re very excited about this young lady. Make sure you check her out live!

www.myspace.com/bevleeharling

Tracklisting:

01. Buy Me
02. Robots And Angels
03. Same Story
04. Tired Of The City
05. Private Life Of A Puppet
06. Post
07. I’m Not That Girl
08. Devil’s On Your Tail
09. Wundaman
10. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
11. Barefoot In Your Kitchen
12. Canary
13. Sunlight

The album Bev Lee Harling “Barefoot In Your Kitchen” (Wah Wah) is going to be released May 11, 2012.

First Word are proud to present “La Belle Vie”, the debut album from Souleance. The album has a huge range of influences that takes in breaks (Le Monde), soul (Tryin), Hip Hop (Pride), Brasilian (Passarinho) and even the funkier end of the 80s (Cool FM). This makes their achievement in crafting a coherent and unified album all the more remarkable. The duo have also developed a fantastic live show, so look out for them at this summer’s more discerning festivals (including Croatia’s Soundwave).

Souleance are producer extraordinaire Fulgeance and the French Funky President DJ Soulist. Fulgeance is rapidly becoming one of the most respected beatmakers in Europe with his work on Musique Large, One Handed, MPM and in his Peter Digital Orchestra guise. Soulist is one of the men behind the legendary What The Funk? parties in Paris and is a stalwart of the Parisian music scene.

As well as culling a selection of highlights from their three EPs, the duo have rounded out their trademark mix of soulful samples, crunchy beats and quirky arrangements with some very special guest appearances. There are vocals from Rashaan Ahmad (Pride) and labelmate Homecut (The Unseen) and drums from Shawn Lee (Ubiquity), on the stunning live rework of Le Plaisir (which also includes live bass from Fulgeance!).

www.firstwordrecords.com

Tracklisting:

01. Intro
02. Rendez Vous
03. La Romance
04. Passarinho
05. Pride feat. Rashaan Ahmad
06. Manana
07. La Plage
08. I Dont Want Much (Interlude)
09. Automatico
10. Unseen feat. Homecut
11. Tranquille
12. Le Plaisir feat. Shawn Lee
13. Tryin (Interlude)
14. Cool FM
15. Boobs
16. La Monde
17. One Step
18. La Belle Vie
19. The Ladies (Outro)

The album Souleance “La Belle Vie” (First Word Records) is going to be released April 27, 2012.

“It was a shock back in 1992. That was 20 years ago and I still haven’t recovered from it. It was really powerful and straight to the brain! It hit Philippe Zdar and me at the same time, on a barge in the suburbs of Paris. The party was called ‘Transbody Express’ and the music we discovered that night was the first act of a revolution to come.

First a personal revolution, one that diametrically changed my perception of music and the way I understood it. And then a global revolution. Pop music was totally transformed by the fact that the whole world now had access to production equipment. No style of music escaped the influence of techno. I was lucky enough to live through this revolution and to be able to make my own “small” contribution to it.

I have two different types of fans. There are people my age who discovered house, techno and electronic music at the same time as me. They liked Air, Daft Punk, Alex Gopher, SUPERDISCOUNT and the rest of that pulsating 90s scene. Then they grew older, got a job, had children and stopped going to clubs. Whenever I bump into them, they ask me how I am, what I’m up to and if I’m still making music.

And then there are kids of between 15 and 20 now and got into electronic music through the Bloody Beetroots and Justice. They’re the ones who now go clubbing on a Saturday night. They’ve never heard of SUPERDISCOUNT and when they meet me, they’re surprised to find I’m the same age as their parents!

Admittedly I’ve gone to great pains to confuse matters. I’ve always given out information sparingly and done my best to release my projects at unexpected times, announcing them as obscurely and as elusively as possible. It wasn’t deliberate – I just thought I was doing the right thing!

I’m releasing this retrospective to unite these two sets of fans. People who thought I’d stopped after Tempovision will find out that since the beginning of the millennium I’ve taken a more underground path more closely in tune with the music that lit up my life – techno! And people who were under the impression that my career began in a cube will, I hope, understand the road that led me here.

To give a representative overview of my work, I brought together the most symbolic tracks of the different stages of my career along with remixes I’ve done for other artists and a lot of previously unreleased tracks. For 20 years now I’ve been trying to make our planet a warmer place – especially on Saturday nights! This box set sums up how I’ve gone about it.” – Etienne de Crécy

www.myspace.com/etiennedecrecy

Tracklisting:

CD1 – EDC BEST OF

01. Les Ondes (MotorBass)
02. Le Patron Est Devenu Fou (Superdiscount)
03. Prix Choc (Superdiscount)
04. Am I Wrong (Tempovision)
05. 3 Days Week End (Tempovision)
06. Scratched (Tempovision)
07. Apretime (Ad Renault)
08. Someone Like You (Superdiscount 2)
09. Overnet (Superdiscount 2)
10. Punk (Commercial EP 2) 11. Funk (Commercial EP 2)
12. France (Compilation Great Summer Games Stuff)
13. Welcome (Beats’N'Cubes Live Version)
14. Binary (Beats’N'Cubes)
15. No Brain (Beats’N'Cubes)
16. Ash Sync (This Is The End – H5 Cover Art)
17. Fermeture Definitive (Superdiscount)

CD2 – EDC BEST OF REMIXES 1995-2005

01. Air – Modulor Mix (Stein House Remix)
02. Alex Gopher – Gordini Mix (The Lord Of Monza Mix)
03. Lil Louis & The Party – Clap Your Hands (Fremur Mix)
04. Furry Phreaks feat. Terra Deva – Want Me Like Water (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
05. Etienne de Crécy – Prix Choc (Ultra Dark Mix)
06. Dj Mehdi – Breakaway (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
07. Moby – Lift me Up (Superdiscount Mix)
08. Kratfwerk – Aerodynamik (Alex Gopher & Etienne De Crécy Dynamik Mix)
09. Engineers – Come In Out Of The Rain (Etienne De Crécy Remix)

CD3 – EDC BEST OF REMIXES 2005-2011

01. Mylo – Paris Four Hundred (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
02. Who Made Who – Out The Door (Superdiscount Remix)
03. Eyerer & Namito – Quipa (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
04. Bumblebeez – Rio (Etienne De Crécy Tech Remix)
05. Cut Copy – Lights & Music (Superdiscount Remix)
06. Adam Freeland – How To Fake Your Own Life (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
07. Keren Ann – Between Flatlands & The Caspian Sea (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
08. The Shoes – Stay The Same (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
09. Taï – Big Bass Drum (Etienne De Crécy Remix)
10. Light Year – Moderation (Etienne De Crécy Remix)

CD4 – EDC UNRELEASED TRACKS 1992-2005

01. 1992
02. Rhodes
03. Right
04. Hoo Haa
05. Duplicate
06. Slap
07. Time
08. TRP
09. DLS
10. Carpenter
11. Trance
12. Rythm & Bitch
13.Trip Pop
14. Alex Gopher
15. Yesman
16. My Mind
17. Good Intro

CD5 – EDC UNRELEASED TRACKS 2006-2011

01. Mothman
02. Rocksteady
03. Mmmmmm
04. Revelation
05. Rising Soul
06. Infinite Funkiness
07. Flute
08. Bell
09. Intro
10. Only One Mind
11. Iggy
12. Hun Gipsy Yeah
13. Kik Sn Bass
14. Positive Radiation
15. Oh Oui!
16. Beatcrush
17. Vocoda

The album Etienne De Crecy “My Contribution To The Global Warming” (Pixadelic) is going to be released May 11, 2012.

Logistics grew up on a self-prescribed musical diet made up of equal parts guitar-based compositions from bands such as Rage Against The Machine and down tempo efforts from labels like Mo’ Wax. Matt Gresham a.k.a Logistics, younger brother of Dan Nu:Tone, railed against the music his brother would listen to and finally acquired a taste for drum & bass through the Full Cycle “Music Box” LP. “That LP was like down tempo tunes with double time beats!” he explained, “I’d always been into stuff like Mo’ Wax and that album, particularly ’11.55′ by Roni Size & DJ Die had the same vibe that I could relate to.”

Having a brother already signed up to Hospital didn’t qualify Matt for an ‘automatic in’ and it wasn’t until he sent “Replay” down to the office, swiftly followed by Fabio and Grooverider picking up on the tune, that he got his chance to work on his own album project. Having just left college this was a great opportunity for Logistics and he made the very best of it, working solidly on creating masterpieces in the form of “Together”, “Spacejam”, “The Trip” and “Release The Pressure” (the only previously released tune on the album) and bridging the gap between liquid funk, which, until then had often been a lacklustre sub-genre and a more exciting, dance floor orientated variety of drum & bass. It’s Logistics’ influence that has been picked up by the major DJs in the scene such as Andy C and Friction, and his anthemic creations have contributed greatly to the modern Hospital sound.

The LP itself “Now More Than Ever” (released in the autumn of 2006) was a hugely ambitious project, restraining no less than twenty four speaker-busting tunes beneath its calm exterior. In 2007 Logistics also submitted his “Medical History”. Eighteen months on, having scooped ‘Best Album’ at the 1xtra Bass awards for his debut album, Logistics dropped his second long player “Reality Checkpoint”. Rammed full of genre-bending goodness it was heralded as a glimpse of the future with dubstep and electronica influences fusing together with the anthemic Logistics sound. 2008 saw the Luke Skywalker of the “Future Sound Of Cambridge” drop the massive track “Cosmonaut” and feature on several awesome collabs with Commix and brother Nu:Tone, keeping sub basses across the land pounding for the rest of the year. Having been locked away deep in the Degobah system making tracks, 2009 was time for Logistics to unleash the full power of the force with the onomatopeic “Crash Bang Wallop”, smacking dancefloors and stereos hard.

2011 saw Logistics busying himself in the studio, with his track “Closer” featuring on the “Fifteen Years Of Hospital Records” album towards the end of the year and providing a taster of what’s to come next. Lo and behold, Logistics is ready to dish up more musical mayhem in 2012 in the form of a brand new album project, “Fear Not”. “We Are One” – the lead single from the album – was released in March, swiftly followed up by the full album “Fear Not” which is out next week on Hospital Records. Arguably more cohesive and ambitious than his previous efforts, the album covers a variety of tempos and styles, but is still 100% Logistics to the core. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

www.logisticsdnb.com

Tracklisting:

01. Fear Not
02. Timelapse
03. 2999
04. Try Again
05. We Are One
06. Crystal Skies
07. Feels So Good
08. Running Late (Interlude)
09. Early Again
10. Believe In Me
11. Letting Go
12. Sendai Song
13. Over And Out
14. Destination Unknown (Interlude)
15. Watching The World Go By

The album Logistics “Fear Not” (Hospital) is going to be released April 27, 2012.

Marbert Rocel spend most of their time looking out of the window and smoking. Then they make music, someone draws for a while, and they soon go back to looking out of the window and making music. Marbert Rocel are twinkle-toed, and yet hardly tangible when you try to grasp them. They combine dance music with songs, songs with cookies and, in turn, cookies with dance music. Therefore, Marbert Rocel spent a lot of time touring – playing gigs in Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, indoors, outdoors, on the roof, in the cellar, in small groups, in front of many people, and in front of very many people. “It greatly influenced our music. This is the reason as to why we now make ballads at 130 bpm.” At a concert on Enceladus in 2010, Marbert Rocel met Martin Kohlstedt. He seemed to fit perfectly to the band and behind the Rhodes, thanks to his constant eight-armness and his tiger stripes.

Marbert Rocel life in a flat share in Leipzig. The sound of a kick resounds daily. Sometimes, four guys are sitting in four different rooms and tweaking four different tracks. On rare occasions you can hear the piano sounding from the flat below. “This wonderfully describes the musically-familiar atmosphere we life in.”

On account of this, Marbert Rocel have been with Buki Good since 2011. A small booking agency from Leipzig. In Leipzig, everything is just ’round the corner. Even their own studio wich have a little lake and a mountain, onto which they can climb when they need some time off. This is where their new album small hours came into being. The album deals with the all too human abiding themes of love, lonesomeness, a sore throat or disappointment, and describes a progression from the early evening hours to the early morning hours. The time in which one reflects, dances, whines or simply smokes and looks out of the window.

Marbert Rocel formed in 2002 in a flat share in Erfurt, in the first floor of a shady establishment. It started off with DJ Malik, who was DJing rap and producing, and Panthera, who at this time was still washing his laundry at his parent’s house. Together they built beats, and presented several radio shows at open radio channels in Weimar and Erfurt. These usually consisted of them introducing their two favorite songs from Chat Baker and Taktloss (german rap artist) with brittle voices. At this time Malik had a small Studio at Zughafen, Erfurt. In this colorful house they produced their first two albums: Speed Emotions (2007) and catch a bird (2009). And there they even get in contact witch Lotus Lumina, the guys, that doing the Lightshow for Marbert Rocel. Through interstellar destiny, Spunk eventually moved into the Zughafen. She recorded the vocals of her first Song in her pajamas – the harder they come.

“In 2007, we burnt a couple of songs onto a CD, attached it to a painted piece of wood, and sent it to Compost Records, our label. We try to make a lot things ourselves, or with the help of our friends. We like to use things that spontaneously come to hand. Our drums consist of a couch, a chest and a 1L wine glass. Our light show consists of old street lights from Leipzig, and we make our artwork ourselves, as well as our videos, mixes, etc … the only thing we have difficulty with is tying our shoe laces – that seems to be jinxed!”

Last year Marbert Rocel played, produced, remixed, ate cake and, together with Mathias Kaden, they founded KAROCEL, as a special dance interlude for the Nachtdigital Festival. This turned out to be such a successful fusion, that KAROCEL now perform live as well, culminating in the need for concert goers to bring a spare T-Shirt. And between all that excitement Marbert Rocel looking out of the window, smoke and make music.

www.marbertrocel.com

Tracklisting:

01. ’cause Of Loving
02. Small Hours
03. Whether The Night
04. Song For You
05. I Wanna
06. Lax Sax
07. I Don’t Know
08. Wait For My Racoon
09. The Temple
10. The Evening
11. Little Things

The album Marbert Rocel “Small Hours” (Compost) has been released April 20, 2012.

Twenty two year old Romain Virgo is a Jamaican sensation. A young man with a musical mission, Romain was first introduced to the Jamaican public as a contestant and eventual winner of Rising Stars (new talent competition). Demonstrating excellence on stage and record, hit debut album and 2010/2011 tour schedule has planted the seeds for the breakthrough of a major developing talent. The sophomore album The System is fifteen original songs that express the growing emotional and social awareness of a young man experiencing life on the road and developing a world view. The songs are personal and universal, Romain’s sincere delivery brings all the elements together.

Romain Virgo delivers a quality set of dynamic, conscious-themed roots and lover’s rock tales. Each song flows seamlessly to the next and shimmers with the vocal delivery of one of Jamaica’s most captivating new voices. Romain teamed up with Jamaica’s top producers on the new album, including Shane Brown (who produced seven of the songs) as well as Donovan Germain and Viking Productions.

It has only been five years since Romain Virgo made history as the youngest winner of TVJ’s popular “Rising Stars” – Jamaica’s equivalent to American Idol. In this short time frame, Romain teamed up with reggae producer Donovan Germain to record several chart-topping reggae hits (“Can’t Sleep” and “Wanna Go Home”), released a stellar debut album with VP, won numerous awards within the Caribbean community and made history as the first Jamaican artist to perform at Academy of Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.

He continues this success with his second full-length release The System. Recorded primarily at the legendary Penthouse Studio, these 15 lyrically sophisticated tracks offer compelling accounts of the challenges of living the ghetto life. Songs like “Minimum Wage”, “Another Day Another Dollar”, “Press On” and “Not Today” are clear examples of the struggle that many face on a daily basis. And on the gritty first single “I Know Better,” Romain cautions the youth to refrain from picking up the gun despite their desperate circumstances.

www.myspace.com/romainvirgo

Marbert Rocel spend most of their time looking out of the window and smoking. Then they make music, someone draws for a while, and they soon go back to looking out of the window and making music. Marbert Rocel are twinkle-toed, and yet hardly tangible when you try to grasp them. They combine dance music with songs, songs with cookies and, in turn, cookies with dance music. Therefore, Marbert Rocel spent a lot of time touring – playing gigs in Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, indoors, outdoors, on the roof, in the cellar, in small groups, in front of many people, and in front of very many people. “It greatly influenced our music. This is the reason as to why we now make ballads at 130 bpm.” At a concert on Enceladus in 2010, Marbert Rocel met Martin Kohlstedt. He seemed to fit perfectly to the band and behind the Rhodes, thanks to his constant eight-armness and his tiger stripes.

Marbert Rocel life in a flat share in Leipzig. The sound of a kick resounds daily. Sometimes, four guys are sitting in four different rooms and tweaking four different tracks. On rare occasions you can hear the piano sounding from the flat below. “This wonderfully describes the musically-familiar atmosphere we life in.”

On account of this, Marbert Rocel have been with Buki Good since 2011. A small booking agency from Leipzig. In Leipzig, everything is just ’round the corner. Even their own studio wich have a little lake and a mountain, onto which they can climb when they need some time off. This is where their new album small hours came into being. The album deals with the all too human abiding themes of love, lonesomeness, a sore throat or disappointment, and describes a progression from the early evening hours to the early morning hours. The time in which one reflects, dances, whines or simply smokes and looks out of the window.

Marbert Rocel formed in 2002 in a flat share in Erfurt, in the first floor of a shady establishment. It started off with DJ Malik, who was DJing rap and producing, and Panthera, who at this time was still washing his laundry at his parent’s house. Together they built beats, and presented several radio shows at open radio channels in Weimar and Erfurt. These usually consisted of them introducing their two favorite songs from Chat Baker and Taktloss (german rap artist) with brittle voices. At this time Malik had a small Studio at Zughafen, Erfurt. In this colorful house they produced their first two albums: Speed Emotions (2007) and catch a bird (2009). And there they even get in contact witch Lotus Lumina, the guys, that doing the Lightshow for Marbert Rocel. Through interstellar destiny, Spunk eventually moved into the Zughafen. She recorded the vocals of her first Song in her pajamas – the harder they come.

“In 2007, we burnt a couple of songs onto a CD, attached it to a painted piece of wood, and sent it to Compost Records, our label. We try to make a lot things ourselves, or with the help of our friends. We like to use things that spontaneously come to hand. Our drums consist of a couch, a chest and a 1L wine glass. Our light show consists of old street lights from Leipzig, and we make our artwork ourselves, as well as our videos, mixes, etc … the only thing we have difficulty with is tying our shoe laces – that seems to be jinxed!”

Last year Marbert Rocel played, produced, remixed, ate cake and, together with Mathias Kaden, they founded KAROCEL, as a special dance interlude for the Nachtdigital Festival. This turned out to be such a successful fusion, that KAROCEL now perform live as well, culminating in the need for concert goers to bring a spare T-Shirt. And between all that excitement Marbert Rocel looking out of the window, smoke and make music.

www.marbertrocel.com

Tracklisting:

01. ’cause Of Loving
02. Small Hours
03. Whether The Night
04. Song For You
05. I Wanna
06. Lax Sax
07. I Don’t Know
08. Wait For My Racoon
09. The Temple
10. The Evening
11. Little Things

The album Marbert Rocel “Small Hours” (Compost) has been released April 20, 2012.

TJ Kong aka Erwin van Moll was one of the first Dutch techno musicians during the early nineties and one of the main producers to give birth to the ‘Eindhoven techno sound’. Since then he has built an extensive discography containing a wide variety of styles such as deep house, disco, break beats, ambient music and down tempo. When asked what all his music has in common there’s a long pause. “It all has a warmth and a strong atmosphere I hope” he replies. “Oh, and the bass line. I find the bass line very important in dance music”.

He has released records on labels such as Mo’ Wax, Djax, Evolution/Universal Language, Compost, Compost Black Label and Eskimo Recordings, and he did remixes for David Holmes, Kirk Degiorgio, Steve Poindexter and Gerd. His 1995 album “Love & Mathematics” has earned him a place in the acclaimed Penguin book “The Rough Guide To Techno”.

In summer 2010 TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos released the much anticipated full-length album “After Dark My Sweet” on Compost Records.

As a dj TJ Kong’s much loved for his fluent and open minded style. He played every Dutch club and has stood in the spotlights at The End (London), Café d’Anvers (Antwerp), 10 days off (Ghent), Nitsa (Barcelona), Harry Klein (Munich), The Arches (Glasgow), Beam Hall (Tokyo) to name just a few.

After collaborating on exclusive tracks for the label’s lovingly-acidic “Forward To The Past” series, TJ Kong & Modular K released their debut full-length, “Dream Cargoes” (release date: 13.04.2012) on Poker Flat.

Having been friends and colleagues in the Dutch electronic scene for well over a decade, the talented pair have so much experience in working on different studio projects, and now come together in this glorious full-length exploration of their vision of house and techno today.

www.compost-rec.com

TJ Kong Dream Cargoes Top 10:

01. Petar Dundov – Brownian Interplay (Music Man Records)
02. TJ Kong & Modular K – Dream Cargoes (Poker Flat Recordings)
03. I:Cube – Deep Republic (Versatile Records)
04. Roger Martinez – Die Magische Tijd (Gem Records)
05. Skwerl – Pollyanna (International DeeJay Gigolo Records)
06. Bitcrush – Post (Nichts ist wie vorher, Bersarin Quartett RMX) (N5MD Records)
07. F.E.X. & Ron Costa – Acid Shaking (Poker Flat Recordings)
08. max 404 – Quiddity (First Visit) (EevoNext)
09. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth – The Duke Arrives: The Barricade / The President At The Train (12″ re-edit) (Strut)
10. Mark E – Oranges (Spectral Sound)