Prequel Tapes Remixes

At a time when clubs are closed, the fire is being kept alight by producers the world over, setting ablaze bedrooms parties of one and taking responsibility for headphone explosions. Chiming in, Antwerp-based beat child Di Martinelli invited Saint-Petersburg’s Nocow to pick apart his latest track, ALTA, and remix it back together.

Aleksei Nikitin crosses borders between house, techno and modern electronica, his bio says. And that’s exactly what he’s done with this track. Of course, having served as one of St. Petersburg’s most consistently intriguing musical exports over the past few years, what else would you expect? Di Martinelli knew exactly why he was asking Nikitin to tinker with his track. 

Starting right off the bat, Nocow’s version of ALTA launches into a relentless club track that bounces back off the walls with ominous sounds. Upbeat and dark at the same time, it refuses to compromise and creates an empire that’s all electronics—at least until the halfway mark. 

At this turning point, Nocow uses the wildcard awarded to him by Di Martinelli, twisting the tune into a whole new story. He provides solace by adding slightly distorted vocals where there weren’t any and starts playing with the pace, slowing it down and then quickening his gait again near the end, slowly but steadily getting worked up. 

Blending an ever-widening universe of sounds and beats into Di Martinelli’s original, Nikitin assuages the discord of the original, giving the whole a softer, rounder edge. If not exactly a happy ending, this track definitely has an end that leaves room for hope in dark times. 

Nocow’s version of Di Martinelli’s ALTA track will be out on Clare Records on May 28.

Alta

Alta (Nocow Remix)



The mysterious producer Prequel Tapes released his debut album ‘Inner Systems’ in November on vinyl, CD and digital.

Describing his process as “a work of deep synthesis,” he has already remixed Ninja Tune mainstays Fink and Yppah. His take on OKRAA’s Vultur applies a gorgeous, dream- pop sheen to the original, pairing the melancholic vocal with loops of drifting feedback and understated 2-step rhythm. 

Colombia’s finest purveyor of psychedelic, deeply soulful future garage, Torres Alonso aka OKRAA released sophomore EP Vultur in October via Hot Gem Tunes, with artwork by Konx-Om-Pax (Warp Records, Rustie, Mogwai, Jamie Lidell). Following the dizzying, euphoric intensity and hyper-real colour of the EP, he now follows up with an exclusive remix by Prequel Tapes.

Listen to the original EP here
https://soundcloud.com/selftitledmag/sets/okraa-vultur-ep


Buy on boomkat

OKRAA - VULTUR (PREQUEL TAPES REMIX)

Prequel Tapes provides two distinct treatments of ‘The Come Up’ by @Lockedgrooves forthcoming on on the Milan based imprint @Just-this. 
The ‘Going Up Mix’ builds an intense energy with swirling filters and engulfing soundscapes, raising the tempo of the original whilst retaining its delicate ambience. Conversely, the ‘Going Down Mix’ deconstructs each motif to form a hazy composition where disparate notions drift towards each other.

Listen to the latter in full ahead of its release on 6 April.

Progression EP

Locked Groove - The Come Up (Prequel Tapes Going Down Mix)

The sound of the blackest pages in the history book

 When music delves into national history and halts on its blackest of pages, an enthralling magic sometimes happens. For his brand-new EP by the title of MSAADA, Di Martinelli chose to have a captivating voice relate a story not often told. Or at least, not often enough. After the release of Sensitivity on N.E.W.S., Di Martinelli strikes again with this EP that glimpses shards of the past in a sound that speaks of true electronic mastery.

This time around, a dark, grainy voice timbre serves as the perfect instrument to tackle the hairy chapter of Belgium’s colonial past. One that still haunts us, as recently demonstrated by a few youths who, sadly, thought it necessary to harass party-goers at the last edition of Pukkelpop. 

The lyrics of MSAADA evoke the guilt that lingers long after our country’s heinous crimes towards a population that had no means of defending itself. The slow pulse of the synth-laden track culminates in a statement that reminds one of the cyclical nature of history: “They used to name it lesser days / But lesser days would mean they’d fade / The Caesar shifts faces / But who rules a nation?” You won’t be surprised to learn ‘msaada’ means ‘help’ in Swahili. 

The EP’s shifty mood is continued in TIDES, a second track that divides itself in two equally haunting versions. The techno feel perseveres yet deepens and evolves into a feverish tune with an overall detached, isolated feel, nonetheless whipping itself up to danceability near the end of the four-minute ride through brazen country. The dub version paraphrases this DNA while digging even deeper into the song’s jagged rhythms.

For those who can’t get enough: stay tuned for upcoming remixes of MSAADA by @lockedgrooves and @xxxy.

--

Support from Sasha c/o, Javier Orduña, Luis Leon, VONDA7, Jody Wisternoff / Way Out
West, Alan Braxe, Agoria, Felix Da Housecat c/o, Leftfield, Marco Carola c/o, Jacques Renault,
Tom Simpson, Gel Abril, Philippe Zdar, Adriatique, Arnaud Rebotini, Hifi Sean, Luca Bacchetti,
Noir, Tim Sweeney, Whitesquare, Claude VonStroke c/o, Erol Alkan, Joris Delacroix, Krywald &
Farrer, John B, Mat.Joe, Leon, Luigi Madonna, Above & Beyond c/o, Dan Drastic, Richy Ahmed
c/o, Just Her, Kiki, Tazer, Animal Trainer, Betoko, DJ T., Elliot Adamson, &ME, Gonno, Auntie
Flo, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Joris Voorn, Richie Hawtin c/o, Hector Romero, André Lodemann,
Dubfire c/o, Olderic, Âme, BOg, Noah Pred, Carl Craig c/o, Severino / Horse Meat Disco, and
John Digweed c/o

--

DI MARTINELLI
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kdimartinelli
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kdimartinelli
Instagram: instagram.com/kdimartinelli

Clare Records
www.facebook.com/Clare-Records-745169002175341/
www.twitter.com/clarecords
@clarecords

MSAADA

MSAADA (xxxy Remix)

MSAADA (Locked Groove Remix)

TIDES (Dub Version)

TIDES

It’s Techno Tuesday, it’s called Alta Viskosa #001 and it has SCB Rain’s mix of my TIDES track on it. Go ahead, click that button!

Tracklist: 
1. DI MARTINELLI - TIDES (SCB Rain Mix) 
2. Ritus - A8 (Original Mix)
3. VSK - Echinopsis (Original Mix)
4. Beroshima - Interplugreaction (Tijana T Remix)
5. Deas - Contact (Original Mix)
6. Alexander Kowalski - Perception (Original Mix)
7. Hill Of Vision - Spazio Inverso (Original Mix)
8. Truncate - Wave 2 (Original Mix)
9. Rhyw - Felt (Original Mix)
10. Daniel Avery - Projector (Obscure Shape & SHDW Remix)
11. Qindek - Reach For The Cosmica (Original Mix)
12. Pris - Kink (Original Mix)

www.facebook.com/kdimartinelli
www.twitter.com/kdimartinelli
@dimartinelli

Alta Viskosa on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/user/112667149/playlist/50lQyaYbLmt9ncnYUlJEEW?si=42WP3P7ZQMmfiE_LHLp0wg

Alta Viskosa #001

A double take on @dimartinelli’s TIDES

Because twice is nice and every opportunity to work with inspiring A-level artists is one to jump upon, Di Martinelli strikes again with two masterly remixes of his TIDES track. While Berlin by night seems to be the thread that ties it all together, remixers @prequeltapes and @scubaofficial both churn out a very different version of this dusky dance floor filler.

‘When I discovered Everything Is Quiet Now, Prequel Tapes’ second album, I just knew I wanted to work with him’, Di Martinelli recalls. ‘There’s so much emotion and detail in his work. I’d been waiting for the right track to ask him to work together. TIDES was just the thing.’ 

In keeping with his signature analogue sound, Prequel Tapes composed a track all of its own that loosely plays with the elements of the original. The subtext is raw like a night out in Berlin, grittily textured with shards of EBM and Industrial. Fast-paced yet languorous, these retro Roland 808 vibes are laced with ethereal, hardly intelligible vocals à la The Knife, softly floating to the surface. 

In the night, the borders between trance and acid blur. A quiet intermezzo reshuffles the entire stack of cards and some of Anne Clark’s Sleeper in Metropolis seeps in. In the end, it boils down to seven minutes of sleeplessness, preferably looped to provide a soundtrack for your insomnia.

SCB works his magic
Not content to hear just one version of his labour’s fruits, Di Martinelli ventured for a second interpretation. Paul Rose aka SCB left his native London to become a fixture in Berlin’s Berghain. Accordingly, he’s cut and dried TIDES to become a cult hit reverberating from club walls the world over. 

Starting straight off the bat, a bone-dry beat fills your eardrums with unapologetic insistence. Suspense builds up as on top of that relentless hammering layer after layer is being built, adding a bassline that creeps up from underneath and only comes up for air in an apostrophe of slashed and syncopated vowels. Then, like a carefully subsiding tide, the track tiptoes before once again crashing on a shore of pointed hi-hats, picking up right where it left off. Merciless yet cathartic down to the very last beat.

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DI MARTINELLI
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdimartinelli
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kdimartinelli
Instagram: https://instagram.com/kdimartinelli
@dimartinelli

SCB
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialScuba
Twitter: https://twitter.com/scubaOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scubaofficial
@scubaofficial

Prequel Tapes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prequeltapes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prequel_tapes
@prequeltapes

DI MARTINELLI - TIDES (SCB Rain Mix)

DI MARTINELLI - TIDES (Prequel Tapes Remix)

François X presents Irregular Passion Reshaped, a 12 track LP that re-works his album of the same name, due for release on the 12th of December on Demented XXX. The original full length LP, released in 2018 explored themes of euphoria and melancholy. Entertaining the listener with sensual atmospheres and unpredictable fervour, all designed to mirror the emotions and intensities of nightlife. With Blade Runner-esque soundscapes and bassy club tracks, François X played with a variety of genres and references, holding the piece together with cinematic and hedonistic atmospheres. François X has invited an accomplished list of friends and artists, both established and newcomers, to reimagine the album tracks for Irregular Passion Reshape, building a community of like-minded producers that boldy represent what XXX is all about. From Bjarki’s frenzied IDM exploration of breaks and golden era dubstep on ‘Blurry Youth’, to Anthony Linell aka Abdullah Rashim’s experimental reshape of ‘Down Under’. The collection marks a beautiful transmigration of the original work, embodying the diversity and myriad inﬂuences in François’ own music.   ‘I wanted a complete rework of my album, containing a wide range of musical directions. A good representation of what XXX is all about. The important thing for me was to have some real transformations on my original material, in a way its a complete new album.’

follow Prequel Tapes : soundcloud.com/prequeltapes

Irregular Passion Reshaped

PREMIERE : Francois X - Falling For Her (Prequel Tapes Reshape)

Making music is like climbing mountains. You’re headed to a summit, but you don’t know how long the journey will take and where it might meander. Ableton feels like that, too, when you click to open a new ‘Untitled’ project. You start the day by putting on your hiking shoes and get all your gear ready. You layer. You loop. You follow the route you’ve chosen earlier—until you hit a roadblock and the map’s no use anymore. So, MacGyver, what do you do? Will you press Command + S(ave) and find your way up later? Or will it be Command + Q(uit)? 

With this new EP, DI MARTINELLI decided to press on. “When making Tides, the second track of my Msaada EP, I wound up treading into new territory, influenced by (French) Techno. With Alta Viskosa, I decided to further explore that path.” In fact, it’s two paths the Antwerp-based artist and producer is talking about. Two sides of the same medal, if you will.

Viskosa (Original Mix)

Alta (Original Mix)

After years of producing music, it was some old DAT recordings from my youth that were to kick start Prequel Tapes. Listening to those recordings was like a flight back into the past. Understanding these recordings was to realise why I do what I am doing.
Again a circle is closing. I find it´s very enjoyable to open and close all those circles. Time is relative. 
Nothing is new, nothing is old.

For booking requests prequeltapes@gmail.com
PR & management mt@tailored-communication.com

DI MARTINELLI - TIDES (Prequel Tapes Remix)

Clare Records

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