Tangible Dreams (Lawrence Remix)

FEATURE > https://inverted-audio.com/feature/the-burrell-connection-looks-back-on-10-years-of-craigie-knowes 

For Zander Hay - better known as @theburrellconnection - music has always been as much about people as it is about sound. His new EP for @craigie-knowes, 'I Waste My Time So You Don’t Have To', arrives as the label marks its 10th anniversary, a milestone that means more to him than most. Not only has Zander released music with the Glasgow-born imprint, he’s also been quietly running their PR from behind the scenes since the early days, helping to tell their story to the world.

That dual role makes this release feel like a full-circle moment. The EP gathers together material shaped in the club, in the bedroom, and most importantly, in the company of friends. Lead cut “E Before I” has already been heard echoing through Berlin basements, including in a live version taken from Zander’s performance at Tresor, invited by LNS and DJ Sotofett. The B-side heads deeper, pairing the dubbed-out force of “Celestial” with the warm, widescreen pads of “Ensemble” - tracks that carry what he half-jokingly calls his “signature sound,” something he’s been chiselling away at for over a decade.

Zander speaks candidly about the title of the record, pointing to the endless hours spent in pursuit of something original. He’s unflinching in his criticism of DJs hiding IDs or passing off other people’s tracks as their own - a reminder that, for him, credit and community go hand in hand. “Music is not a luxury, it’s an essential,” he insists, and it’s clear that ethos drives not just his own practice, but also the way he moves through the scene.

That scene has taken him from Glasgow, where he cut his teeth at La Cheetah Club and soaked up records at Rubadub, to Berlin, where he now co-runs Slurp of the Antics with Valcat - a party deliberately centred on live performance in a city often saturated with DJ culture. Between the drizzle-soaked after-hours of Scotland and the intensity of Berlin’s underground, he has carved out a practice that feels both grounded and exploratory, rooted in place yet open to evolution.

At the heart of it all is Craigie Knowes. For Zander, the label’s story is bound up with his own - from being pushed creatively by deadlines and honest feedback, to finding genuine friendship with Max, Mitch and the wider CK family. “Friendship!” he says without hesitation when asked about the most rewarding part of his journey so far. That word runs like a thread through his reflections: from teenage trips to Sub Club on borrowed IDs, to afterhour residencies, to the countless connections made through music over the years.

As he sets up a new studio, offers tuition, and continues to develop his live shows, Zander isn’t slowing down. 'I Waste My Time So You Don’t Have To' is more than a title; it’s a snapshot of where he’s at right now - committed, outspoken, and still finding joy in the graft. For him, the story of Craigie Knowes at 10 isn’t just about a label’s legacy, but about the friendships that make the music possible.

The Burrell Connection - Celestial [Craigie Knowes]

https://www.instagram.com/gee____dee/?hl=en

Radio On Vacation With Gee Dee

séa is the groove-driven alter ego of radio host Valerie Wynants (Studio Brussels’ UNTZ). 

With a deep love for ‘90s house and a taste for the unexpected, she floats between funk, groovy house, trance, some well-digged disco (du monde), and the sleazy pulses of ghetto tech. A blend that’s both nostalgic and forward-looking.

séa @ Kiosk Radio 04.09.2025

Pulse

D'JULZ : HOME DIGGIN' - 13 Septembre 2025

A standout cut from the Ballroom Records catalogue, Narayannah by Minörs, remixed by Aston Alba, is now featured in TEN: The Archive Series, Pt. 5 — a chapter celebrating the more melodic and house-driven side of our sound.

Defined by warm grooves and emotive atmospheres, the track highlights the refined, melo side of Ballroom’s Melodic House & Techno identity.

Enjoy listening!!!

TEN: The Archive Series, Pt. 5

Narayannah (Aston Alba Remix)

After 2 outings on recent SHOUTS compilations, Asa Tate lands on Rhythm Section Intl proper with a timeless EP - “ Replica”.
Asa Tate, fka Tech Support has been on a bit of a tear recently and this record feels like a real step up: a statement of intention aimed directly at the peak time dance floor.

A student of the Weatherall school of DJing, Asa Tate has showcased an astonishingly mature approach to production over the years that belies his age. You’d be forgiven for thinking these 4 tracks had been discovered from a dusty DAT tape, locked away in the vaults of a northern Italian club and rediscovered after 30 years….Listen more closely and you’ll notice the contemporary production flair and more recent influences that make this EP a perfect reinterpretation of the mid 90s house sound: sitting somewhere between dream house and Morales finest work under the red zone moniker.

The EP wastes no time in setting it’s intentions with the A1 Title Track, “Replica” - after a brief and floaty progressive house intro the refrain “ E-e-e-e-e-e-e-ECSTASY” echoes loudly over sampled vocals, euphorias piano chords, throbbing lead synths and a bouncy tech house bass line. It straddles so many sub genres of house without feeling derivative of any of them. Cliche’s and classic samples are embraced playfully and serve to contextualise and elevate the influences. This is not just really great house music or excellent storytelling, it’s art history.

“89” is a sultry deep house cut featuring rising Spanish star, Dariam Coco on Vocals. It floats like a butterfly, but stings like a bee, as the soft chords are interrupted with huge drum fills deftly transforming an after party jam to a peak time moment.

We continue to “ Unknowns” - a masterclass in building tension and holding it - this track simmers with restrained intensity for almost 6 minutes. It’s trademark Asa Tate production at its most understated and classy.

We round of the EP with the fittingly titled “Last Dance”, a wistful composition that brings us back down to earth slowly, safely and gently; always grooving but never pushing - this one is the soundtrack to the end of a long summer day and reaffirms Asa Tate’s claim to be a modern master of Deep House.

We’re super excited to give Ned the platform he deserves and look forward to hearing this one soundtrack many a dance as this long, beautiful summer draws to a close  

buy/stream now

Asa Tate - Replica - RS071 EP Preview

There’s something quietly magnetic about Duncan Thomas. A London-based producer, live performer and lifelong digger, his sound sits at the crossroads of warm soul, deep groove and harmonic richness. From his early work with TR Trio and Size 8 to recent solo outings on The Check In and his forthcoming label Slam Duncs, Thomas has steadily carved out a space that favours feeling over formula. Whether behind a keyboard or a pair of decks, he approaches music with a jazz musician’s ear and a selector’s instinct — patient, playful, rooted in depth.

His Phonica Friends & Family mix is a love letter to that ethos. Rather than chasing dancefloor peaks, this is a set built on timelessness — music he wants to return to in ten years and still feel connected to. These are deep, soulful cuts that lean into warmth and atmosphere, curated from both dusty crates and digital rabbit holes. True to form, the mix resists trend in favour of tone, inviting you into a space where melody, memory and movement meet. It’s subtle, emotive, and unmistakably Duncan Thomas.

Phonica Friends & Family Mix Series 25: Duncan Thomas

Odopt is wired.
wired into the circuit, wired into the night.

4 transmissions from beyond the static. Remix from Roman Flügel

Released 10 October

Odopt - Wired (CBR002) snippets

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