- Followup to 2015's Insides. - RIYL: Jacques Greene, Leon Vynehall, DJ Seinfeld, Project Pablo - Features cover art by Salvador Dalí protégé Steven Arnold. - Silver halide (gray + black marble) vinyl limited to 1,500 copies worldwide - Vinyl is housed in a black dust sleeve inserted in to a matte varnish jacket with metallic silver spot color // After a run of critically-acclaimed singles and EPs, British producer Michael Greene, aka Fort Romeau, returns to the full-length format with Beings of Light, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015's Insides and his second LP on Ghostly International. While a prolific DJ who orients many of his productions for the dancefloor, Greene still sees the album as the ultimate statement of intent, "a space to stretch out, to speak in full paragraphs rather than stunted sentences." He has explored several stylistic fragments in recent years (including the summer 2018 anthem "Pablo," hailed a Best New Track by Pitchfork), but when faced with the extended pause to the dance community in 2020, Greene felt compelled to focus on a larger body of work. Embracing a back-to-basics mentality, he amassed over a dozen hours of sounds, asking himself throughout the sessions: "Does the music move you? Is it honest?" He came out the other end with Beings of Light, an expressive collection traversing rainy day ambient, moonlit disco, and dream-like techno in pursuit of the power found within our subconscious. Album opener "Untitled IV" ushers in a sprinting tempo in its exploration of the human voice, a recurring device in the Fort Romeau project. Greene uses it as a compositional layer, disembodied with its context often opaque or reduced to a single phrase. Here the voice is scattered in percussive twitches, colliding with a kick drum to induce a near state of hypnosis as horns sound off in the distance. Propulsive standout "Spotlights'' is Greene's ode to the romanticised New York City that lives in our hearts, nocturnal and carefree. A vocal snippet repeats the title with a breezy poise, reminiscent of classic house cuts. "Ramona'' honors the beloved Robert Johnson club in Offenbach, Germany. Hazy, spacious, and sustained, Greene designed the beat with their system in mind, "also with a strong nod to the more modern lineage of exceptional minimal house music from Frankfurt," he says. Two ambient pieces surround the track, "(In The) Rain" sets the scene and "Porta Coeli" (a Latin phrase which loosely translates to "heaven's gate") soundtracks the comedown. The album's closer, the title track, is an arc constructed with atmospheric textures, euphoric swings of percussion, and a well-placed piano refrain, "Beings of Light" is adaptive; one could imagine it reverberating from a club, scoring the emotional apex of a film, or radiating through the realm of dreams. More

Fort Romeau provides Phantasy with a none-more-timely rave opus in the form of FWD NRG. Unleashing an unexpected, accelerated side of his immaculate studio experiments, FWD NRG is also remixed with blistering results by AceMo.

Immediately engulfing dancers in breakneck kicks, trancing synths and driven by a vampish melody, FWD NRG’s intent is rich in vintage rave texture, dusty and almost warped. This expertly controlled chaos builds to an epic wormhole of a breakdown, dissolving time and space until dancers find their minds transported to a field near Frankfurt, circa 1994.

FWD NRG could well be the maxim of New York’s AceMo, the prolific New York producer who has earned a deserved reputation as one of electronic music’s most inventive and versatile figures. His monumental ‘N Is For Nrg’ remix locates a menacing undertone in Fort Romeau’s original production, spinning off and hitting even tougher with vast rave stabs and gloriously frenetic arrangements. More

Fort Romeau returns with his first 12” of 2018 following a string of releases on Live at Robert Johnson, Running Back and Ghostly International as well as appearances on compilations from Rush Hour, Cocoon, and Mule Musiq. On the A side, “Pablo” unfurls with swirling arpeggios which build to a euphoric crescendo while the more heady “Terracotta” explores polyphonic syncopated FM sequences and ambiguous chord progressions. More

“Reasons" marks Fort Romeau’s first full solo release since 2016’s “Secrets & Lies” on Live At Robert Johnson, having previously released records with Ghostly International, Running Back and his own Cin Cin imprint. The title track sees the development of the producer’s interest in playing with the human voice, developing a harmonic and rhythmic hook which builds to a crescendo of wailing synths. “C.E.M” is a focused dance floor workout built around syncopated sequences which ebb and flow creating a constantly evolving pattern of tension and release. On the final track “Satellite 2” a pair of beautiful duelling sequences unfurl giving a sense of weightlessness and provide the perfect epilogue to a record that marks the continuing evolution of the producer’s unique sound. More

Spectral Sound has assembled four distinctive but complementary producers to flesh out Fort Romeau's remix 12", Frankfurt Versions. Dial Records vet Roman Flügel builds on vaporous atmosphere and snappy movements for his densely layered version of "Insides". Tackling "Lately" and "All I Want", Robert Johnson regulars Orson Wells and Massimiliano Pagliara display their love for bassline-driven dance music. And the Tuff City Kids outfit (a.k.a. Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer) delivers two interpretations of Insides closer "Cloche". Frankfurt Versions doesn't just wrangle together Fort Romeau's cohorts and contemporaries, it illustrates their vitality in spades. More

A warm and affectionate take on the sound of Chicago house, mixing thick analog pad sounds with a 4/4 kick. More

Part 1: Mano Le Tough, Jimi Jules, Coloray & Tjade More

Part 2: Dax J, Deniro & JP Enfant More

Part 3: Adriatique, Roman Flügel & Nicky Elisabeth More

Part 4: Frank Wiedemann / Trikk, Terr / Daniel Watts /Johann Heyss, Kino Todo / Danelz & Lucky Done Gone More

DGTL Records - the official label arm of Dutch festival giant DGTL - marks its fifth anniversary in style with brand new album ‘5YRS of DGTL Records’. The 14-track long player is released on April 29th as a 4x 12” vinyl set and drops digitally across 4 separate EP releases between February 18 and April 1.

5YRS of DGTL Records is a perfect reflection of not just of the label itself but also its global event patron: headliners sitting equally alongside local talent and up-and-coming acts.. Holding a great variety of forward-thinking house and techno, the label stays true to the same formula of the festival shows. Over the past five years, DGTL Records has grown into its own as a fully-fledged musical arm of the overall DGTL musical experience, introducing new sounds and acts to an international audience.

For promising Dutch DJ/producers Coloray, Tjade, Nicky Elisabeth and Lucky Done Gone, this will be their first release on DGTL Records, while the likes of Deniro and JP Enfant are already familiar names to label fans, having previously released EPs on the label. All are linked to promising rising international talent such as Jimi Jules, Kino Todo and Terr and to DGTL 'veterans' such as Adriatique, Dax J, Roman Flugel and Frank Wiedemann & Trikk, who have been part of the DGTL family for years.

Once the digital EPs are fully released, '5YRS of DGTL Records' will be available as a very special commemorative 4x12" vinyl release. Presented in a tri-fold cover, the LP will feature artwork by Eric Smilde, who has incorporated the distinctive elements of DGTL festival at the NDSM Docklands into a 3D design. Known for its sustainable ambitions, DGTL continues along that path with this vinyl release, choosing to work with Deepgrooves, the world’s greenest vinyl pressing plant thanks to their innovative and leading working method. The vinyl will be ready on the weekend of DGTL AMS 2022 at the NDSM Docklands and will be available there for the first time. More

After DGTL’s first ever Various Artists release it is time to hand over the momentum of the 9th release to one artist only: Lauer. Phillip Lauer has been producing and remixing for decades. He has over 250 remixes to his name, collaborations with Gerd Janson, Fabrizio Mammarella and Tim Sweeney and various EPs and albums under his Lauer moniker. For the DGTL release Lauer gives us the three-tracker Topo Chico doused with his signature sound. Starting off with Inkel Jet 880, maybe best described as a modern Italo track, but without the typical accented vocals, giving you a mean and lean vibe throughout. The thick and synthy bass-line combined with the sharp chords, thumping beat and two effective breaks make Inkel Jet 880 an energetic ride straight to the dance floor. The title track Topo Chico is a softer sounding track with a swinging bassline and high pitched arrangement that builds up to stretched out chords, giving it all a dreamy yet spirited feel. From here on the track continues to build up to various highs, by leaving out the chords here and there, but adding some bells instead, while slowly but surely the chords drop by again and makes Topo Chico all the more blissful. The EP ends with the Topo Chico Tribute mix which starts with an acidic bass line that drops into a bath of soft sounding bells and Lauer’s signature stretched out chords, while the arrangement gives the track a nostalgic vibe, turning more current later on in the track. The tribute ends where it all started, with the thick Acid bassline, making the Topo Chico Tribute mix a perfect ending to the EP. The sleeve of DGTL’s 9th release Topo Chico is yet again custom designed by the duo Boris Acket and Tim Straver. More

Strange Alliances holds two striking and contemporary tracks by the Tel Aviv native – who also has releases out on Turbo and Life and Death - plus remixes by Trikk and Rebolledo. And so it seems the Amsterdam based label has another winner on their hands. With Autarkic having an exceptional personality one would expect the same from his music. And this is exactly what you get with Strange Alliances, as his originality shines through on both tracks. Interesting fact is that Autarkic used a lot of live instruments and his own vocals on both tracks, adding to the ingenuity of the DGTL 006 release. More

The fourth instalment on DGTL Records is an EP by Satori, who delivers a record with three tracks that all bear his signature sound. This will be the first EP he releases after Maktub, his well-received album on Crosstown Rebels. Compared to the album, the EP is more dance floor orientated and thus right in time for the summer festival season.
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Man Power his raw electronic sound, organic flourishes and diverse selection make him a perfect match for DGTL, both on stage as well as on the imprint. Next to releasing a steady flow of records on established labels like ESP Institute, Optimo Trax, Correspondant and Hivern Discs, Man Power is running his own shop as well: Me Me Me. This gives him an outlet to release music by both friends and himself. For his release on DGTL Records he created a three-track EP called Apologue EP, that showcases just two of different sides of his multi-faceted musical scope. The a-side features two firm, acid influenced tracks. The first of these two, The Duelist, is an emotive house record, with a soundscape of piano melodies, synths and syncopated percussion laid on top of an acid bassline. El Mago del Tiempo features heavy hitting kicks combined with a sharp synth pattern. It has a long build up that keeps evolving throughout the entire composition. Halfway through, the track breaks in to a raw and fierce rhythm accompanied by yearning, drawn-out synth pads. On the flipside, Put Your Hands on the Car (And Get Ready To Die) brings back memories of a long gone past with nods to Balearic Pop, EBM, and the Soundtrack work of Stewart Copeland, James Horner, and Jan Hammer. This multi layered production has a warm and analogue sounding feel to it that rounds off a 3 dimensional release. More