Next on Coccon Recordings a 12″ release made by none less than Gregor Tresher. Making something different after many years in the scene isn’t a joke, especially when you send a lot of ideas to record labels; anyway the artist has been capable of making a rendezvous point between tradition and innovation, shifting into fast inspired warehouse techno (from 135-150 bpm rate). In the title track ‘the whole sound gets differentiated, recalling to the eclecticism of a music producer: through this track Gregor shows an undiscovered side of his style, where he explores new sound combinations. Follows ‘Phantom Dancer’ which is a truly dancefloor banger, the production is designed to build a constant tension which constantly shares an engaging vibe, thanks also to a solid instrumental setup.
Rising from the vibrant and diverse landscape of Electronic Music, Drunk & Play presents a passionate and enthralling creative world that genre enthusiasts around the globe cannot help but pay attention to. As he cements himself on the scene, bringing his powerful signature sound and characteristically electrifying energy, Drunk & Play emerges as one the most exciting rising stars within Electronic Music: with hard-hitting productions and striking live performances, this talented Producer and DJ shines bright.
A project started in 2016 by Lúcio Merçon, Drunk & Play is a creative expression of passion and enthusiasm; the result of Lúcio Merçon’s years of experience on the dancefloor, Drunk & Play translates the adrenaline-fuelled vibes of live DJing into dynamic productions, consistently bringing energetic and unique sounds that never fail to surprise and impress listeners. With a signature style firmly rooted in Tech House, Drunk & Play has spent time curating a distinctive sonic identity, confidently pushing past creative norms to present an original and innovative approach to Electronic Music production. Characterised by his abundantly dynamic energy and unstoppable drive, Drunk & Play presents productions that consistently showcase his high-quality talents, immersing listeners in intricately detailed soundscapes and invigorating them with his infectiously groovy beats. His unmatched style has garnered the attention of genre heavyweights like Michael Bibi, Cloonee, Mochakk, and Paco Osuna, among others: support that affirms his skills as a Producer, recognising him as a talent to watch closely as he continues carving out his creative path.
Drunk & Play’s artistic prowess is not limited to the studio; when he takes to the stage, crowds unite in ecstatic motion, unified by the pulse-racing music coming from the decks. Throughout his career, Drunk & Play has travelled across Brazil, enlivening dancefloors with his seamlessly blended mixes and mighty DJing mastery: an experienced ability that has led him to enjoy several milestone achievements as a live DJ. Having shared the stage with top VIP names like Classmatic, Mochakk, Trallez and Gabe, to name a few, it is clear that Drunk & Play has an undeniable talent that position his name to rise to even higher heights within the Electronic Music realm as he continues to deliver unforgettable live shows.
In a genre that applauds innovation and originality, Drunk & Play appears at the forefront as an inspiring trailblazing force whose smash productions and powerful live performances are a welcome addition to the scene. With an ever-evolving sound, this talented Producer and DJ is certainly one to follow as he embarks on the next chapter of his exciting musical journey. So, stay tuned as it promises to be a remarkable adventure.
Artist: Drumsauw, Unknown Code Title: Berliner EP Label: Virgo Cat. #: VIRGO021D Format: Digital Release Date: 4th October 2023 Tracklist 1) Berliner 2) Ostbahnhof 3) Schwärmen
lario Alicante’s Virgo label returns with more vital club gold, this time from Drumsauw and Unknown Code with their ‘Berliner’ EP.
Unknown Code is an Italian artist making waves in the European underground with heavy yet fluid techno releases on legendary outlet Planet Rhythm while featuring as a resident of the Roman crew Traumers. Here joins up with UK DJ/producer Drumsauw, who has quickly become a core part of techno’s cutting edge, support from Adam Beyer, Radio Slave, Chris Liebing and Charlotte De Witte on Beatport topping cuts via labels like AnalyticTrail and On Edge Society.
Up first is ‘Berliner’, a sleek and linear techno effort with synth stabs flashing across the face of the heavy drums and rumbling bass. It’s a rave-ready sound that takes you to the heart of a smoky dance floor. The excellent ‘Ostbahnhof’ keeps the energy levels high with more thundering kick drums beneath pulsing synths and paranoid vocal fragments, delivering perfectly muscular techno with a warm machine soul. Last of all is ‘Schwärmen’, which is more strobe-lit and frenzied as wall-rattling drums bring the tension, coarse claps add texture, and insistent stabs ensure maximum impact on the dancefloor.
Artist: Pushmann Title: Phases Of Appearance EP Label: Symbolism Cat. #: SYMDIGI035 Format: Digital Release Date: 29th September 2023 Tracklist: 01 Pushmann – Trauma 02 Pushmann – Ride 03 Jeroen Search & Pushmann – Absolute Motion 04 Pushmann – State Of Shock
Pushmann drops the ‘Phases Of Appearance’ EP on Ben Sims’ Symbolism, featuring a collaboration with Jeroen Search.
Yet another artist who makes the leap from Ben Sims’ Hardgroove to Symbolism(or vice versa), Spain’s Pushmann drops his ‘Phases of Appearance EP’, including a collaboration with Jeroen Search, late September.
Much like his ‘Augua D’o Binies EP’ on Hardgroove, Pushmann isn’t messing around on ‘Phases of Appearance’. Each track’s rich detail provides multiple sonic hooks and otherworldly seams to fixate on while the grooves are confidently tight and understated. From the bursting aggravation of ‘Trauma’, the manic melodies of ‘Ride’, the stomping minimalism of ‘Absolute Motion’ with Jeroen Search and the joyfully overwhelming tones of ‘Stake of Shock’, this is an EP that cooly shows off its intensity.
Artist: Habbo Foxx Title: Tell U Something Label: Fibre Records Cat. #: fbr003 Format: Digital Release Date: 22.09.2023 Tracklist: 1. Tell U Something 2. Worth The Time
We’re just getting into the fall season while returning to club parties, leaving back to our memories the open air and festival environments. Habbo Fox keeps the heat with the publication of the two tracker ‘Tell U Something’ hosted by Fibre Records. The title track is a solid tech house theme which recalls some oldschool influences, mainly aroused by the vocal and the main chord line. Subsequent to it ‘Worth The Time’ still features a contemporary instrumental but the vocal, which plays a major role in the playback, shares again a melancholic but hopeful feeling.
Artist: Undo & Casiowaves Title: Casiobass EP Remixer: Nhar Label: Melodize Cat. #: Melodize013 Format: Vinyl/Digital Release Date: 22nd September 2023 Tracklist: 01 Casiobass 02 Overcruiser 03 Something Blue 04 Waves to Come (Nhar Remix) 05 Waves to Come
Undo & Casiowaves return to Melodize with the ‘Casiobass’ EP backed with a remix from Nhar.
A long-time resident at Barcelona’s legendary Razzmatazz and label head of Factor City for two decades, Undo is a Spanish mainstay with countless releases that have garnered support from the likes of Andrew Weatherall, Roman Flugel and Erol Alkan. He teams up with fellow Spaniard and synth-pop wizard Casiowaves to return for their second collaborative release on Melodize after last year’s ‘Predict The Future’ EP.
The straight-forward ‘Casiobass’ kicks off with fizzing synth lines, chugging dark disco drums, a fat bass and circling pads. ‘Overcruiser’ is a pumping, Italo-influenced cut with retro-future chords and a clean, cosmic feel, while ‘Something Blue’ layers up the crispy analogue drums with sonar pulses, deadpan cold wave vocals and majestic leads that bring color and vibrancy.
Drummer-turned electronic producer and live act Nhar, who boasts an impressive discography spanning two decades, makes his debut on the label with a remix of ‘Waves to Come’ that brings a widescreen serenity and calm to the original through pensive chord work and starry keys twinkling in the distance. The original then closes out with Balearic guitar licks, punchy drums, and rich bass for a fusion of retro sounds with futuristic sentiment. From the driving Casiobass to the Balearic, serene ‘Waves to Come,’ Undo & Casiowaves have served up offerings for all hours with the versatile ‘Casiobass’ EP.
Artist: Asha Puthli Title: Disco Mystic – Select Remixes Volume 1 Label: Naya Beat Records Cat. #: NAYA-005 Format: Vinyl, Digital Release Date: 22nd September 2023 Tracklist: 1. Asha Puthli – I Am Song (Sing Me) (Yuksek Remix) 2. Asha Puthli – Space Talk (Maurice Fulton Remix) 3. Asha Puthli – Lies (Kraak & Smaak Remix) 4. Asha Puthli – One Night Affair (Turbotito & Ragz Remix) 5. Asha Puthli – Right Down Here (Psychemagik Remix) 6. Asha Puthli – I’m Gonna Dance (Jitwam Remix)
Turbotito and Ragz’s electrifying new Naya Beat label has curated a cultured list of remixers to add their spin to the work of legendary Indian vocalist Asha Puthli. This essential remix album features Yuksek, Jitwam, Maurice Fulton, Psychemagik, Kraak & Smaak, and Turbotito & Ragz.
Naya Beat, which translates from Hindi as ‘new beat’, is focused on uncovering foundational electronic sounds from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora through reissues, remixes and compilations. It found quick success with its first release, ‘Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983 – 1992′, followed by a rare 1985 Hindi New Wave album by Pinky Ann Rihal. The label now offers up the first of two releases based around the music of cosmic disco pioneer, Studio 54 icon and jazz improviser Asha Puthli, an artist who has recorded, sung or shared the stage with the likes of Roy Ayers, Alice Coltrane, Grace Jones, Barry White, Andy Warhol and many more. From David Mancuso’s The Loft, to Giorgio Moroder’s early work with Donna Summer, to hip-hop where she has been sampled extensively, Asha’s musical influence and impact is profound. She was the first artist of South Asian descent to successfully crossover and make a mark on dance, jazz and pop culture in the West.
For this LP, the label tracked down the long mythologised original stems and recordings of Puthli’s most seminal albums, including ‘The Devil is Loose’, and working closely with Asha, they have tasked a series of producers inspired by her work to remix her music.
Yuksek opens up with a pumping disco remix of ‘I Am Song (Sing Me)’ awash with uplifting synths and big claps next to the original vocals, which soar to the heavens. The seminal ‘Space Talk’ is remixed by Maurice Fulton into super steamy and late-night territory. The live drums and jumbled percussion are lit up with soulful chords as Puthli’s carefully delivered vocal seduces up top. ‘Lies’ (Kraak & Smaak Remix) rides on fat-bottomed drums and bass that unfold with a dub swagger beneath a nebulous eco-system of cosmic synths and dramatic vocals. Label heads Turbotito & Ragz flip ‘One Night Affair’ into a leggy disco celebration with sweeping synths and bright effects, and Psychemagik’s ‘Right Down Here’ is a pulsating mix of dark, snaking bass and drums with deep space ambience and raw hits making for a turbulent and tense atmosphere. Lastly, Jitwam closes out with a smooth disco sound laced with dynamic drums and cruising chords next to another sensuous top line from Asha Puthli.
This is a stunning collection of remixes that pay homage to the originals while taking them into new sonic territory. A series of single drops will precede the whole LP; Yuksek (21st July), Maurice Fulton (4th August), Turbotito & Ragz (18th August), Psychemagik (1st September), Kraak & Smaak (15th September), Jitwam + LP (21st September).
Artist: Subradeon Title: Keep Fighting EP Label: Subradeon Records Cat. #: SBRDN004 Format: Vinyl/Digital Release Date: 22nd September 2023 Tracklist: 01 Improvement 02 Keep Fighting 03 Brothers And Sisters 04 We Are Still Struggling
Rekids and Hardgroove act Subradeon announce the first in a series of conceptual releases on their self-titled label.
Subradeon’s ‘Keep Fighting’ EP kicks things off with the fantastic ‘Improvement’, a Detroit-inspired techno cut with hi-tek synths and spoken word vocals that muse on self-betterment. The drums are deep and spare, with wet claps and jazzy lines bringing the track to life. ‘Keep Fighting’ is the first in a series of three EPs, each representing three phases of epochal change. This introductory release uses human voices and organic sounds that represent our present, with the title track picking up the pace via thumping, pulsing drums, cosmic synths and chattery percussion.
Next up, ‘Brothers and Sisters’ is another Motor City-influenced track with wispy synths and heavy drum funk made all the more dramatic by the vocal fragments scattered throughout the mix. Closing the release, the urgent, straight-up ‘We Are Still Struggling’ is a hands-in-the-air, synth-laced and sophisticated techno hit that will take any dance floor to the next dimension.
Giuseppe Salone and Salvatore Iannotta form Subradeon, they make driving techno marked by real soul, incorporating elements of house, live sampling and acapella into their tracks on the likes of Rekids, Motech and Hardgroove, while winning the support of artists like DJ Bone, Dave Clarke, and Jennifer Cardini.
Artist: AutoClub Title: Apparition EP Label: Kajunga Records Cat. #: KAJUNG010 Format: Vinyl/Digital Release Date: 22nd September 2023 Tracklist: 01 An Apparition 02 CoupCoup 03 Molecular 04 It’s You 05 Delos Infidelity (Digital Bonus)
AutoClub drops an acid-fuelled, deep and dubby house release on Kajunga.
‘An Apparition’ introduces the hazy feeling of AutoClub’s ‘Apparition’ EP with a thundering kick, dubbed-out chords, and a mysterious vocal sample topped off with a funky 303 interlude. The A2 track, ‘CoupCoup’, then builds late-night suspense with looming strings and chords driven by deep, groove-soaked percussion.
‘Molecular’ kicks off the B side with eerie vocal samples and gorgeous, otherworldly synth work, held together with a heavy broken beat and a morphing acid line. This is before ‘It’s You’ summarises the EP’s concept with a mesmerising exploration through propulsive percussion, deep bass and immersive, evolving chords. Lastly, ‘Delos Infidelity’ joins the release as a digital bonus with smooth, dreamlike melodies and detailed, interlaid grooves.
Mike McClure and Craig Lambert form AutoClub. Craig, known as Midnight Music Club, and McClure, going by the alias of Autokinetic, join forces to create modern music rooted in old-school sound through live performance, blending futuristic electronic music with refreshing human qualities. They now land on Kajunga Records, a label with a discography spanning the left-field recordings of artists such as Lonefront, Heckadecimal, Ryote, and Lambert’s Midnight Music Club.
Artist: Isaac Reuben Title: Keep Pace EP Label: Sous Music Remixer: Anja Schneider Cat. #: SOUS042 Format: Digital Release Date: 06.10.2023 Tracklist: 01. Keep Pace 02. I Look 2 U 03. Full Tilt 04. I Look 2 U (Anja Schneider Remix)
Isaac Reuben (Hotflush Recordings, Rhythm Nation) gets a release slot on Anja Schneider’s Sous Music, delivering a set of four appealing productions. ‘Keep Pace EP’ opens with the title track which shares a mellow house inspired vibe, follows ‘I Look 2 U’ that warms up the sound environment: the instrumental patterns are infectious and add tension during the playback, while a dancefloor inspired sensation seems to keep the control of the music. ‘Full Tilt’ through its high quality drums recalls to the drum machine jams made in the past, also the synths adopted elevate the magnetism of the entire song. The EP is closed with Anja’s remix of ‘I Look 2 U’, the label manager puts on the sequencer an intriguing and fascinating touch, making the interpretation spumescent but respectful of the original.