We've looked around and found look long but have a 'look' yourself!

 

How many of today’s producers have been releasing music for 13 years? Not Many. How many will still be recording 13 years from now? Hard to say. What can be said without doubt however is that Donnacha Costello is in this for the long haul. Since 1996 he has released dozens of 12“s and made significant contributions to electronic music from 2001’s classic ambient album Together Is The New Alone to 2004’s universally acclaimed Colorseries to 2006’s rigorously conceptual 6x6=36 amongst others. Shedding the skin of his ten year old MINIMISE label, Costello emerges from its semantic stranglehold to bring us his new label and platform LOOK LONG.  From this first release it is clear that Costello aims to produce work of lasting quality and beauty with little regard for what a turbulent marketplace might expect of him. Complexity and simplicity are addressed in equal measure here and with some surprise we find traces of Eric Satie, Chet Baker, Pat Metheny and Steve Reich. Perhaps unsurprisingly we also find the unmistakable traces of grace and emotion that have become Costello’s trademarks.

...we guess it didn´t took so long for you to agree you better order this one, right? 

Blackbelt Andersen shoots on Full Pupp

Daniel “Blackbelt” Andersen has been active in the Norwegian dance music community for a number of years. He got into electronic dance music in the early 90’s, and first started emulating the sound of Detroit techno on his father’s home computer. In the last half of the decade he bought his first turntables and a mixer, and was soon DJ’ing around Oslo. His first releases were on Canadian label Restructured Recordings and Prins Thomas’ first label Tamburin, under the name Kalle Magnus & Daniel, a collaboration with his childhood friends Kalle Sandås and Magnus “International” Sheehan. Through the last years he’s enjoyed success with his releases on Full Pupp, Trailerpark and Claremont 56 and recently remixes for fellow Norwegians Fjordfunk and the lowlands disco kings the Glimmers. His productions has licensed to a number of compilations like MOS Balearica(yes, a shit name…we know…) The Glimmers Fabric Live 31. He’s a co-resident on the monthly Full Pupp Oslo and has also had a number of international DJ gigs from Berlin to Beijing. The Blackbelt sound can be described as Juan Atkins jamming with Airto Moreira, with a bit of Larry Levan thrown in for good measure. His first album is a just prime example for the aforementioned - a highly infectious mix of motor city strings, slight Brazilian rhythms and arpeggiated disco basslines… a 70+ minute potpourri of songs blended each other and in the process actually turning into THE dancealbum of 2009(much like the 70’s Non stop dance party-style compilations….) Check the incredible “Ditrait” (hmm…what could that be?) , the spine shivering(and bowel shivering we might add) “Kuk Av Stal", the Thomas Dolbyesque “November” and the Future Classic “Sandoz” as an example. I know we might be blowing our cool by blowing our own horns, but it´s hard not to get excited listening to this brilliant masterpiece. Toot toot toot!!!!

Phonica Records say: Word (and Sound) Up!

After five years as London's foremost retailer of dance and electronic music, Phonica is launching its eponymous record label through Wordandsound world exclusive. Release 1 comes with an original production from its very own Hector alongside long-time friend and collaborator Ben Bryant, backed with a remix from Appleblim & Al Tourettes.

Over the past half-decade, Phonica has grown in stature to become something more than a record store - an institution. Operating at the very heart of London's vibrant electronic music community, Phonica is a true tastemaker: committed both to nurturing homegrown talent and to seeking out the best new music from around the world, with the emphasis always on quality. One of the things that has helped Phonica stay so on-point is the expertise and intuition of its staff, many of whom are prominent DJs/producers themselves - one such is Hector Murillo, who last year released his debut 12", 'La Raza', for Dinky's Horizontal imprint.

Fittingly, it's Hector teaming up with Bryant who are behind the Phonica label's first offering.

On remix duty is Appleblim - the Skull Disco co-founder and Apple Pips boss who has made the space where dubstep, house and techno overlap his own - in partnership with Al Tourettes.

Phonica has inaugurated its label with a 12" of depth, energy and innovation, lovingly crafted for forward-thinking dancefloors around the globe. Enjoy!

Shadow Dancer's Debut Album

After 3 smashing EPs on Boysnoize Records, remixes for Chromeo, The Faint and The Teenagers and live gigs with Soulwax, Trevor Jackson, A-Trak, Ivan Smagghe and the Ed Banger Crew, Shadow Dancer finally present their long awaited debut album. “Golden Traxe” is a culmination of the UK duo´s electronica, cut-up techno, acid house and space disco sounds. Already loved and greatly supported by a range of classy producers such as erol Alkan, Mr. Oizo, Modeselektor and Soulwax, this album takes the UK duo to the next level. Shadow Dancer began in the summer of 2006 almost by accident. Brothers Paul and Alan Farrier had been writing music since childhood drawn by their love of artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, Human League and Pet Shop Boys to follow synthesizers rather than guitars. Although the pop and video game music of the ’80s was their initial inspiration, it was the sounds coming out of Detroit (Underground Resistance, Axis, Planet E), Chicago (Trax, Relief) and the European techno scene (Warp, Ideal, Tresor, Basic Channel, R&S, Harthouse) that started an obsession with electronic dance music. And, having previously created tracks using tape overdubs and a limited sampler, they started to build up a small studio of second-hand synths. Originally from Liverpool, the brothers were pulled towards Manchester in the ’90s by it’s musical legacy where they still live and produce. Since their live debut as Shadow Dancer supporting Soulwax Nite Versions Tour, The Whip in Manchester on New Year’s Eve 2006, the brothers have played (both live and DJ sets) alongside Boys Noize, Trevor Jackson, A-Trak, Radioclit, Ivan Smagghe, D.I.M., Sinden, Surkin, Para One, Housemeister, Crookers, The Glimmers, Teenage Bad Girl, Filthy Dukes, Riton, Mixhell and many others.

Naughty Mood of Pagliacco

In 2008 began a new chapter for Berlin-based Italian Filippo Moscatello, with his choice to retire his DJ Naughty alias representing a shift back to his techno and house roots after a decade of eclectic, electro mischief. Metamorphosis and re-invention are key themes. Equally prolific as remix artist and producer, Filippo has reinvigorated tracks for artists of the calibre of Goldfrapp, Fischerspooner, Inner City and many others. A flag-bearer for DJ Hell’s genre-redefining ‘International Deejay Gigolo’ label in the late 90’s with his first 12-inch release ‘Boing Bumm Tschag’. His debut artist album ‘Disco Volante’ and collaborations with Terranova and The Cosmonauts of Innerspace followed, further distinguishing his place at the helm of the disco-charged house aesthetic at the birth of the millennium. Equally prominent in his productions, an intuitive logic maps Filippo’s ascendancy to the forefront of the Berlin soundscape. Sicilian-born, his Italo-Disco education resonates throughout his releases on seminal labels such as Eskimo and K7!, and reflects in his relationships formed with studio mates and kindred spirits Ewan Pearson and Sasse. His latest transformation has found fertile ground on Sasse’s ‘Moodmusic’ imprint, with last year’s ‘World EP’ paving the way for a new studio album to be released in the winter of this year. These sophisticated house and techno productions count as some of Filippo’s finest work yet, suggesting that his decision to send the naughty boy to bed might just be taking the party to the next level. In February 2009 his long awaited second album “Pagliaccio” will be released on Moodmusic.

Afrobutt is Wunderbutt

After a very long break Afrobutt, the second aka. London Disco Dub/Edits Impressario and Bear Funk/Ambassadors a&r Steve Kotey is back! Many will recall the wonderful moments he brought us with Afrobutt offerings on Big Bear and Noid. This time Afrobutt jumps ship to the bright young things at Electric Minds. Afrobutt’s life has been dedicated to two things and they are disco and butt’s. He spent the last15 years researching these two subjects so he could then report his findings to the rest of his tribe. The journey has been a long one, but on his travels Afrobutt would make recordings and rearrange them in way that would not offend the rest of his tribe. Wunderbutt is a collection of those recordings, shimmering in their full disco glory no stone has been left unturned to reach his goal of providing sexy, dubby disco music that will have you butt shaking at home or on a disco friendly dance floor.

Dj Sprinkles' (aka Terre Thaemlitz) debut full length album...

...continues with themes from 1998's "Sloppy 42nds: A tribute to the 42nd Street transsexual clubs destroyed by Walt Disney's buyout of Times Square" (a track recently featured on Ame's "Coast2Coast" DJ mix compilation for NRK Records). While the world celebrates the revival of New York House Music, constructing utopian fictions about the genre as it goes along, DJ Sprinkles retreats deep into the bowels of house. This is the rhythm of empty midtown dancefloors resonating with the difficulties of transgendered sex work, black market hormones, drug & alcohol addiction, racism, gender & sexual crises, unemployment, and censorship. The title song of track1&2 is a real "strictly rhythm" house music. It's a simple 4/4 beat with piano loop. Maybe this is a real minimal house! Third track "Ball'r (madonna-free zone)" is a euphoric mid tempo house.this track reminds Jan Jelinek or Larry Heard. Fourth track "Brenda's $20 Dilemma" is a sequel of his fag jazz style.check the beautiful kuniyuki remix of this song(mule musiq 34). Fifth track "House Music Is Controllable Desire You Can Own" is a classic new york house style.if you like the record of jus-ed or that kind of artist,you like this song. Sixth track "Sisters, I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" is a one of the highlight song on the album. Actually this track is not 4/4 beat house but very emotional powerfull music.
Seventh track "Reverse Rotation" is a deep and madness beautiful song.When you listen this song,you associate the music of theo parrish or pepe bradock. Eighth&nineth track are main songs of this album.
"Grand Central, Pt. I (Deep Into the Bowel of House)" is associated the sound of jungle wonz or virgo. but this song is filled with some sadness.

This album is for a real house music lovers.

Efdemin watches Simon Flower's Phosphene

With releases on Moon Harbour, Curl Curl, Railyard and his Poker Flat debut „The Whisper Had It“ last year, Simon Flower is one of New Zealand‘s top exports. Now he‘s back with two more slabs of irrepressible dancefloor action, complete with a slow burning deep-techno remix by Berlin‘s own Efdemin. ‚Phosphenes‘ is a pacy, chemically induced affair into the darker eschews of Flower‘s production techniques. Sinister background atmospheres churn beneath a strong kick and wonderful stuttering micro elements. The track builds with true style to release a huge bassline that drives the dark-funk energy forward with intensity and urgency. The much praised Berlin based producer Efdemin has more than proved his talents over the past years, with a fantastic album on Dial and further solo EP‘s, or with his partner RNDM, as their more freestyle techno project, Pigon. Here Efdemin follows a long driving, dub-bass heavy approach which will fit well across the board as its paranoid, edgy atmospheres and body shaking grooves dominate the floor. Its a strong hypnotic big-club vibe thats upheld until the dramatic yet reduced final resolution. Finally the almost self explanatory ‚Late Night‘ is a pumping, jumping groover that sums up the busier side of Poker Flat‘s sound perfectly. Intricate, multi-layered percussion and fx slide over a tough bottom end whose bass grinds throughout the track. Its an energetic, clever tool track that will once again find its way into many different styles of DJ sets, thanks to its rich and clever fusion of sounds and genres. A: Phosphenes B1: Phosphenes (Efdemin remix) B2: Late Night

Sideshow Album on AusMusic: Admit One

“Admit one”, the new album from Sideshow, is a particular labour of love.
Fin Greenall would describe himself as the engine of Sideshow, backed up by the band he has been touring with as legendary London label Ninja Tune’s first and foremost singer-songwriter, Fink. During the bands downtime in between touring Europe and the USA, and writing his critically acclaimed soul-blues-dub, they came together in his 7Dials studio in Brighton to bring us some more trademark dub infused goodness..
Here to tell you about the album is Sideshow himself. “Most of the tracks are live versions, sometimes the 8th or 9th take of tracks….because that's real. Some of the tracks on this album are just straight up tracks, others are covers or versions of tracks I love. Yeah – there are a few samples in there, yeah that bassline is the bassline from that old record – sometimes dub and the nature of dub is about paying tribute, not stealing ideas…..
This fine line runs throughout the history of dub and reggae, and runs through this record. When I first starting producing stuff back in the early nineties it was old dub records that acted like a text book on how to do it – the dub producer masters would often record stuff “live” – and so would make mistakes sometimes – and when they did you could pick up little things like “oh right – the bassline and kick are on the same channel”, or “right! the fx have their own channels, and the snare has it’s own too” kinda thing…. Dub to me is about space, vibe, texture, it's about not thinking too hard, but feeling. Dub is like the church of music to me – a simple innocence with immense power, I hope you feel that in the album Admit One…”
‘Admit One’ has brought together many musicians. Guy Whittaker (bass), Tim Thornton (drums) and Ellie Wyatt (strings), whilst a number of talented vocalists have also collaborated including Tina Grace (Nitin Sawhney, Moby, Terry Callier); Cortney Tidwell whose sublime debut album ‘Don’t Let The Stars Keep Us Tangled Up’ introduced her incredible voice and song writing talent to the public, while her live shows have won her fans across Europe and the USA; Paul St. Hilaire (previously known as Tikiman) a dub vocalist and live performer of considerable power. Also worth a mention are Fin’s Quadraverb GT and Boss SE50 fx units – both are crucial in achieving the Sideshow sound and made it through the recording process with a lot a love and the help of some masking tape.

The Internasjonal Mole gives us Hope For the Lost!

Colin de la plante is the canadian bred and berlin-based The Mole (He is Internasjonal!). His unique and abstract take on modern disco on labels like wagon repair and musique risque put him right at the top of my wishlist….. so after promises of fulfilling filthy fantasies and a big share in the Norwegian oil fund these 2 golden nuggets were handed over!
After the Mole was As High On The Sky on his last album on Wagon Repair, he's now just For the Lost, who is us. Please save us...yes, There's Hope !