Over three years in the making, ZIK ZAK is an African musical odyssey, featuring some of the freshest talent from ten countries on the mother continent. Tying this remarkable range of artists together are German production team ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS, weaving the vocal talents of the African singers into their distinctive “Boom Dub” sound. Drawing on Hip Hop, Dancehall, Roots Reggae, Bass Music, Soul, Electronica and Breakbeat, the production incorporates live instruments and musical influences from all over Africa and its diaspora. 

The concept behind all these tracks is ZIK ZAK (“Zig-Zag” in English), mapping out each artist’s life of tragedy and success, of compromise and integrity, in a context of global inequality and ruthless capitalism. This album responds to the urgent need to understand the daily struggle for survival by creative artists and musicians from the global south. Each artist gives a unique voice to their rocky way through the contemporary African landscape, revealing a new perspective from a different city, country, religion, and ideology. This is ZIK ZAK.

It's easy to forget how much harder it is for artists and musicians to survive away from the relative comfort of the richer parts of the world. In Africa, employment levels are shockingly low and the welfare state non-existent, so that most artists live in a state of constant precariousness, with nothing to fall back on when the music industry fails to pay. Yet the mainstream African music industry constantly feeds us a capitalist wet dream, with fantastical images of artists living a “bling-bling” lifestyle of fast cars, swimming pools and supermodels with inflated chests. The artists featured on ZIK ZAK have all rejected this preposterous mythology, instead bringing us real messages from their everyday lives, demonstrating more talent, creativity and authenticity in a single album, than in a lifetime of over-produced, commercial music videos.

In ZIK ZAK, particular focus is on the intense and vibrant scene in Uganda, where local, mutant forms of Afrobeats and Dancehall have evolved away from the more familiar, globalized products of Nigeria and Jamaica. ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS established a base and partnership with local studio East African Records, allowing them to dig deep in the wells of talent in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Elsewhere, they established friendships and musical relationships with enlightened artists as far afield as Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Togo, Guinea and Senegal. 

The ZIK ZAK project has provided these underground African artists an opportunity to reach a new worldwide audience, building on the success of ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS. This German production duo – aka DOGU and KABANJAK - have been working together since 2001, producing and touring with some of the biggest names in the alternative music scene: The Pharcyde, Tippa Irie, Akua Naru, The Jungle Brothers, Raashan Ahmad, DJ Brace, Nickodemus, Thievery Corporation, BANTU and many more. They are respected for their ethical and activist stance, as well as for their ground-breaking music: recently they were commissioned by Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Ian Urbina to work on the soundtrack to his important environmental book: “The Outlaw Ocean”. 

For the ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS, thus new album is an important project both musically and ideologically. In their own words: “With ZIK ZAK, we want to give a platform to young talents from Africa that are too good to ignore – they must be heard internationally. Africa is our motherland too, in the end. Civilization comes from Africa and that´s where rhythm comes from. After too many years of slavery and exploitation of the African countries, it is time to shine light on the great talent of Mother Africa.”

Stream & Buy

Ancient Astronauts present ZIK ZAK

Acid Dub Studies II

To The River

Release date: 25/08/2023

https://friske.bandcamp.com/album/encounter-overstep-in-effect-req009
https://www.redeyerecords.co.uk/vinyl/164893-req009-friske-
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/friske-encounter-vinyl/957771-01/

Friske returns to his home field Requisite with three cuts of high gloss Jungle futurism. 

Buoyant Apache breaks clatter back and forth over nostalgic key lines and haunting voices on “Encounter”, hypnotizing your mind while hulking subs pummel your chest,  bullying you to engage your feet. 

“Overstep” switches to villain mode, prowling underneath the searchlights with sinister digi-dancehall riddim and techno stab Rufige, drenched in chilling atmosphere and brooding attitude. 

The optimism returns as Friske loads up tightly wound breaks on “In Effect”, harnessing echos of Speed era ambiance with fluttering keys and airy melodies spiralling up and over the early morning mist.

Friske - Encounter - REQ009A

Threads (Remastered 10 Year Anniversary Edition)

Wicker and Pearl (Remastered 2023)

mainly tracks from dark red records with a few classics from dbridge on cylon and seba and paradox . half time , dnb, jungle and techstep

session 6

Slow

Mockingbird (feat. aya dia)

Chill Tape  Forthcoming on Vinyl VIBEZ'93 026 - VA  - Ocean Mist EP 2025

Shadow Club - Libra 1 - Kloke Remix

* Read More: https://boltingbits.com/dust-e-1-civilised-rhythm/
* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FM8m0p8dvf0
* Pre-order: https://lobstertheremin.com/album/the-lost-dustplates-ep

For their latest hand-stamped white label, the Lobster Theremin crew have procured Montréal homeboy, Dust-e-1, to serve up a healthy dose of late summer, break-infused drum and bass. It is well known that Lobster Theremin are the dons of all things dusty and raw, and it comes as no surprise that their latest 12” fits this aesthetic like a glove. 

Hot on the heels of his debut release on Collect-Call, The Lost Dustplates EP is the second instalment from British-born Canada-based Alex Sheaf’s Dust-e-1 alias. The EP explores a unique soundscape while still providing a a welcomed encore of the rough, breaky London sound that earned garnered Dust-e-1 a spot on our radar. Its influences are distinctly 90’s and distinctly British; a nod to the glory days of jungle, breaks and drum and bass.

Today we have the pleasure of bringing you a slice of banging, warehouse-ready drum and bass straight from the EP’s A2: Civilised Rhythms. The track opens in cosmic fashion, before taking us on a mind-bending journey reminiscent of a trip down Rainbow Road (the lo-fi Nintendo 64 version, obviously). A deep vocal provides the perfect balance to the drum and bass shuffle and effervescent breaks. The eclectic addition of interstellar riffs and a touch of bongos is a refreshing reminder of what the possibilities that lie beyond the confines of a particular time and space. 

It’s a civilised rhythm made for not-so-civilised behaviour. Get your hands on the wax from September 28.

The Lost Dustplates EP

Civilised Rhythms

PREMIERE: Dust-e-1 - Civilised Rhythm

The Untouchables - Stance

Danny Scrilla - Daybreak (CBR033)
Release Date: 14th August 2020 
12” Vinyl & Download
Artwork by Studio Tape Echo

Pre-order: https://bit.ly/CBR033

A1. Onyx
A2. World Below
A3. Sparks
B1. Suede Suit
B2. The Undying
B3. A Stone Left Unturned


Danny Scrilla returns for 2020 with six tracks of varying flavours for Cosmic Bridge. One of the key and foundational artists on the label, his sound is widely appreciated from forest raves to tiny basements alike.

This is a record that showcases just how diverse a producer he is without creating a sense of pastiche or hedge-betting. A record that will engage people from the opener 'Onyx', a low-slung swaying throwback to the days of 2011/2012 when Cosmic Bridge was cracking heads in the beats world and influencing other producers to follow suit, to the finalé 'A Stone Left Unturned', a nostalgic gentle number or the 'beats to study and chill to' fans but with production levels far above the all-too-often throwaway 'lo-fi' tag. The main body of the record takes in The grinding 85bpm sci-fi stepper 'World Below', the fast-paced Juke-inspired club groove 'Sparks', The space disco poolside chugger 'Suede Suit', and sends us all the way left to a valium-drenched underworld with the meditative and true-to-form abstraction of 'The Undying', again reminiscent of the labels roots in forward-thinking genre-shattering production for the heads.

'Daybreak' is yet another solidification of Danny's ongoing desire to keep pushing with authenticity rather than playing to any scene or idea that isn't his own. We are very pleased and proud to present a full-colour six track Vinyl and digital release that reflects this.

Daybreak (CBR033) (MP3)

Buy 12"/Digi

Danny Scrilla - Onyx (CBR033)

ZIK ZAK

Upliftment Skit Feat. C Wyne Nalukalala

Basonyiwe Feat. Spyda MC

Pagliacci´s Reprise Feat. Joyce Olong

Ghetto Youth Never Give Up Feat. C Wyne Nalukalala

Pump Up The Sound Feat. Bani Fyah

Deram Me 1 Minuto Feat. Olho Vivo

The Ancient Astronauts are Kabanjak and Dogu, a bulletproof production and DJ duo hailing from Cologne, Germany. The phenomenon of “ancient astronauts, “a belief that extraterrestrial beings visited Earth in ancient times to mingle and trade ideas with early human civilizations”, isn’t an alien concept to these Ancient Astronauts.  The cross-pollination and mash-up of ideas, sounds, styles, and a collaborative spirit are their modus operandi.
Although, the long-time friends are quick to admit that they are not followers of the German music scene, Kabanjak notes, “for us music is and will always be an international phenomena”, and Ancient Astronauts are certainly not afraid to draw on influences from international artists and styles.
Self described as a “mash up of the distant past and far future”; these time travelers´ music is a mystic brew born out of an eclectic mix of ideas, sounds and styles. 
Already having remixed and collaborated with AM & Shawn Lee, Nickodemus, Fort Knox Five, Ladybug Mecca (Digable Planets), Zion I, The Pharcyde, Azeem, Analogik, Subatomic Sound System & Anthony B, Bajka, Vieux Farka Toure, Raashan Ahmad, Bajka, DJ Brace and Tippa Irie, the Ancient Astronauts always link up with a quality selection of sonic collaborators. 
 “At an early stage we realized that we are both big music heads so we started running parties in our hometown together”. Those parties became the catalyst for a production team that never forgot its roots. They specialize in diversity loosely glued together by a single thread. Like a good party, you don’t just listen to the music, you experience it. 
In 2001 Dogu of Ancient Astronauts started his own label Switchstance Recordings, which was developed as a way of allowing them total musical freedom. The label soon gathered momentum and built up an impressive international fan base. Switchstance Recordings is now famous in international club circles for the integrity of its production and style.

www.ancientastronauts.de


Deram Me 1 Minuto Feat. Olho Vivo

Ancient Astronauts

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