Toto Colonia

sweet and relax for happy day

Haida Gwaii 2025

The Antinote guys have always been keen on introducing new names to you and this addition to the label’s catalogue makes no exception to the rule: they are pleased to present Sfarot, the debut EP from Alek Lee, a musician currently living in Tel-Aviv.

The geographic origin of the artists on the Parisian imprint has never been felt as much as on Alek Lee’s debut 12”. In a very “fourth world” manner, Alek Lee brings together middle-eastern influences in his music with ease and without ever having it sounding cliché: on Harabait and Sfarot (and its dub version), his friends and him play the violin, the bass clarinet and the accordion in a way which reminds of Klezmer music, putting the three songs on the EP in line with both his musical education and his cultural background. 

This seems strikingly true when taking into account the process Alek Lee went through to record the tittle-track: the original material used in Sfarot comes from a recording Lee did a few years, and on which were recorded traditional songs Israeli children used to learn at school, performed by a choir of very young kids. Both conceptually and musically hypnotizing, Sfarot and its dub version take the listener on a slightly psychedelic trip
as the haunted voices from the kids loose themselves in long reverbs and are backed by a wide range of instruments played by the Israeli musician including an electric organ, percussions, etc.

And if you are still in need of more dubby excursions, the closing track is the one for you !

Sfarot

ALEK LEE - SFAROT

Stephane Sévérac ‎– Hold On (Johnny Hates Sax Edit)

Grant Williams Bournemouth 


Five years since its double EP release on Back To The Balearics, the Pastel Love suite is now united as one album for the first time.

maric0pa.bandcamp.com/album/pastel-love

Maricopa's self-styled “Balectronica” sound is showcased across nine colourful and melodic instrumentals that channel a timeless sense of nostalgia in a world of its own.

This release features new album art and a classy tracklist card to keep you right on your journey.

Includes unlimited streaming of Pastel Love via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 5 days
edition of 100

Pastel Love

Buy Here

Premiere : Satellite by Maricopa

BEGIN Here Comes The Sun

This is a limited vinyl only release on B.I.S. Records, Inc! 

Order it here or ask your local shop for it:
Phonica (UK): http://www.phonicarecords.com/product/view/108158
Juno (UK): http://www.juno.co.uk/products/461336-01.htm
Piccadilly Records (UK): http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/products/DJSteve-SpecialCuts1-BeatsInSpaceSpecialCuts-84633.html
Word And Sound (DE): http://www.wordandsound.de/article/77693
Disk Union (Japan): http://diskunion.net/clubh/ct/detail/CM-0055790
Capricious (Japan): http://capricious-records.com/?pid=45351678

   'A few years ago I took a journey to Europe searching for a new sound. People along the journey had been telling me about this guy from Tropea, Italy called DJ Steve (named after his favorite musician, Stevie Wonder).
   He's a butcher there by day, but at night he's the DJ at a club called Casablanca. I made my way to this tiny town in the south of Italy and found DJ Steve. His 12 hour DJ sets opened my eyes. This guy was the real deal. He was playing dubplates, vinyl, cassettes, and reel-to-reel's. All special edits he had done over the years. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

   In late November of 2011 DJ Steve finally made his first visit outside of Italy and came to New York. He came on my Beats In Space radio show and blew everyone away. It was one of the most listened to mixes of the year. While he was in New York, I was able to record in a few of the dubplates of edits he had done. Those recordings are how we arrived at the release of "DJ Steve's Special Cuts #1 & #2". With this release we also started a new sub-label for Beats In Space Records. B.I.S. Records, Inc is for any of the edits or bootlegs we might come across. Expect to hear more from DJ Steve soon.'

Tim Sweeney. June 2012, NYC.

Buy the 12"

DJ Steve - Special Cuts #1 - B.I.S. Records, Inc. Limited Edition.

Sillyboy’s Ghost Relatives can proudly claim to be “Greek radio’s favourite soft rock band”. The Athens-based quartet – fronted by bass-wielding former TV commercial composer turned Balearic popster Charalambos Kourtaras – are rising stars in their home country, with listeners warming to their distinctive blend of atmospheric guitars, retro-pop synths and head-in-the-clouds grooves.

So far, international stardom has passed them by, though their distinctive songs have caught the ear of a range of DJs across the globe. One was Claremont 56 founder Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy, who has worked his magic on one of the band’s previously unreleased gems, “In A Small Place”.

Perfectly capturing the claustrophobic reality of life in a small, remote town or village where everyone knows everyone else’s business, the song sees Sillyboy plan his escape over a mesmerizing backing track rich in ghostly synthesizers, chunky bass guitar, spacey electronics and a shuffling groove that sits somewhere between pitched-down dub disco and early ‘80s West Coast AOR.

Murphy’s “Extended Version” allows the track room to breathe, teasing out the clandestine and atmospheric instrumentation – eyes-closed guitar solos included – before introducing Sillyboy’s rueful and paranoid vocals. You’ll find the Greek band’s slimmed-down – and arguably even more trippy – original version on the B-side, completing a fittingly high quality musical package to kick-start Claremont 56’s 2019 release schedule.

In A Small Place (Mudd's Extended Mix)(Clip)

VINYL - https://lengrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sofian-incl-loyal-remix

Having lit up sunsets and sunrises the world over with their first outing on Leng, the deliciously Balearic ‘Last Night in Sant Celoni’, Payfone has opted for a more sensual and seductive sound on their triumphant follow-up.
 
Phil Passera and Jimmy Day are in fine form on ‘Sofian’, a deep, chugging and intoxicating affair topped off by a sleazy and breathy, half-sung and half-spoken vocal from Barbara Alcindor, previously of hugely successful European chart-toppers French Affair.
 
As with previous Payfone productions, no samples were used in the creation of the track. Instead, Passera and Day focus the action around hypnotic, slow-motion machine drums and a brilliant analogue synthesizer bassline that will quickly worm its way into your subconscious. 
 
On top of this the pair has layered up warming chords, languid boogie-style guitar riffs, colourful synthesizer lines, hand percussion and mazy Wurlitzer electric piano solos played by guest musician Phil Marten. It’s an undeniably alluring combination of musical elements that offers a clever counterpoint to the barely hidden melancholia within the track’s surprising lyrics.
 
Jimmy Day delivers the flipside ‘Loyal Mix’, a slightly brighter and more vivid interpretation that gives extra weight to the track’s razor-sharp guitar riffs and kaleidoscopic synth sounds. The result is a weighty, synth-powered dub disco workout that makes a fine accompaniment to one of Payfone’s most dramatic and addictive songs to date.

HELP ME 12mix

begin/james holroyd