Techno

Marshall Jefferson @ Suicide, Berlin  ('10 1996)

A2.Curtain Cloud

A1.Claw Eyes

B1.Else

Seahnak - Vaal

http://igetrvng.com/shop/swisher-blondes/

. Bora Bora


Release date (3LP, cd & digital format): 3rd of November

TRACKLIST
1. Ø [Phase] - Insectoid
2. Lucy - Sana Sana Sana Cura Cura Cura
3. Ctrls - x.y
4. Rødhåd - Haumea
5. Planetary Assault Systems - The 808 Track (Parts 1 and 2)
6. James Ruskin - No Trace
7. Surgeon - Fixed Action Pattern
8. Inigo Kennedy - Arcing
9. Karenn - Pace Yourself

INFO
It was early 2007 when Inigo Kennedy inaugurated Token. Since that Identify Yourself 12” the Belgian label has gone from strength to strength, integrating both Kennedy and Ashley Burchett, aka Ø [Phase], into becoming integral cogs in the Token machine. In between releases by Grovskopa, Oscar Mulero and Go Hiyama, both Ø [Phase] and Inigo Kennedy dominated Token’s output, but it wasn’t until Burchett’s watershed Binary Opposition that Token received the shower of praise it deserved. Following this, label founder Kr!z issued three remix 12”s of that release which, including Token regulars, took in a profound cast of producers to reprocess “Binary Opposition” by the way of Sigha, Peter Van Hoesen, Planetary Assault Systems and Ben Klock. It was here Token stamped their authority on contemporary techno.

Since then Token has grown exponentially, bringing into their fold artists like Xhin, Mark Broom and Rødhåd, while Ctrls, formally one half of Northern Structures, has seen his solo career flourish on Token with the release of five records to date, and he joins Inigo Kennedy and Ø [Phase] as a label stalwart. Additionally this year, Orphx and Ancient Methods debuted their relentless Eschaton collaboration on Token, and Christian Wünsch’s Spherical Coordinates dalliance with Oscar Mulero has gained even more momentum with a second release called Kinematics Equations. Now, seven years after that debut Kennedy record, Token present Aphelion, a nine-track CD and triple vinyl grandstand of new and exclusive material from label regulars and like-minded artists whom Token founder Kr!z specifically commissioned for this milestone release.

The penultimate record before Aphelion was a second Token 12” by Rødhåd, another artist adding to the cultivation of the label’s sound and roster, and for this compilation the Berliner supplies his cosmically inspired “Haumea”. Joining the Dystopian founder on Aphelion are three of the UK’s most influential techno artists: Surgeon, James Ruskin and Luke Slater under his Planetary Assault Systems alias who provide Token with solo material for the first time after previously appearing on the imprint in remix form. Entirely new names to grace the label via Aphelion include Stroboscopic Artefacts founder Lucy, and Blawan and Pariah's Karenn project, while label faithfuls Inigo Kennedy,  Ø [Phase] and Ctrls naturally commit three Token defining productions.

Casting one’s eye over Token’s back catalogue and it’s clear to see the label is a staunch advocate of absolute techno, remaining steadfast in issuing quality material that remains true to classic strands of the genre regardless of its popularity flux. In that respect, Aphelion - a word used to describe the point in orbit when a planet or comet is farthest from the sun - provides a simple analogy that the magnetic force of Token, unfazed by the shadows cast by popular opinion, will proudly shine light on their artists and given styles. 

“We started in an era where our genre was very unpopular,” Kr!z explains. “And in the end that seemed a big advantage for us, because when everyone was giving up, we started our mission.” Regularly hosting label nights in prominent clubs around the world, Token has become a label supported by a wide-ranging body of artists like Âme and Ben Klock to Efdemin, Truss and Ancient Methods. With the label now branching out into album and compilation territory, Token’s duty to techno may not yet be accomplished, but it’s been a job well done.

www.tokenrecords.com
www.facebook.com/tokenrecords

Aphelion

Rødhåd - Haumea

Lucy - Sana Sana Sana Cura Cura Cura

James Ruskin - No Trace

www.facebook.com/pokerflat.rec
www.youtube.com/PokerFlatRecordings
www.pokerflat-recordings.com

Poker Flat Recordings has been dealing out underground house music with a unique twist since 1999; from the defining debut 'Loverboy' through the Bugnology series, acclaimed albums and worldwide club hits, Steve Bug's essential imprint has unearthed new talent, developed rising stars and welcomed veterans into the fold. Steve Bug's reputation as an exceptionally gifted DJ, producer and music connoisseur is about to carry the beloved imprint to its 15th anniversary, which will be celebrated with its finest collection of raw talent yet, starting with this first instalment of the anniversary series called Four Jacks.

Following the winning format of the series thus far, Part 4 boasts two slamming new remixes of classics from the vault, and two brand spanking new tracks from Poker Flat's stellar roster. 

Trentemøller's electro touchstone 'Always Something Better' now draws the attention of DJ Tennis and Mind Against, who keep it slow and suspenseful with an intricate and modern deep house makeover. 

Chardronnet vs. Afrilounge's 'Shake It' was a defining moment of minimal tech in 2005, and Ejeca modernises it with a full-bodied treatment of peaktime melodic techno. The finale offering of new tracks created to mark the anniversary come from John Tejada & Justin Maxwell and Kindimmer; the former reach for vintage boompty house and noodly acid on 'All We Know', while the latter opts for delicately minimalist deep house construction for the chiming, gleaming 'Tremor'.

With all four of Poker Flat's Four Jacks now been revealed, the label has played its winning hand once again, demonstrating just how they have stayed at the top of their game at 15 years deep.

Four Jacks, Pt. 4 - 15 Years of Poker Flat

Trentemøller - Always Something Better (DJ Tennis & Mind Against Rемiх)

Release date (vinyl & digital format): 8th of December

This year has proved to be Token’s biggest with the Belgian label releasing music from Surgeon, Rødhåd, an album by Inigo Kennedy, while also debuting Ancient Methods & Orphx’s Eschaton collaboration and welcoming back Oscar Mulero & Christian Wünsch’s Spherical Coordinates project. Following the release of Token’s unyielding Aphelion compilation, a collection of exclusive productions label founder Kr!z outsourced from famed artists like Luke Slater, James Ruskin, Lucy and Karenn, Token looks inward again by inviting back to its ranks hardened UK techno martial Makaton.

Steve Bailey, aka Makaton, has been releasing hard-line techno since 1999 with all but two of his releases coming through his own Rodz-Konez operation, a label that’s also put out music by Inigo Kennedy, Regis, Female and The 65D Mavericks. One of those two records not released on Rodz-Konez was Makaton’s 2009 Token debut, Leave Them All Behind, a record described by Resident Advisor as “hypnotic, swathed in enigmatic chord sequences”, which was, until now, his last.

After a five year hiatus Makaton makes a storming return to Token and releasing music with this Ra Ra Replica EP. To be expected, Bailey delivers a ruthless body of work incorporating hardcore components of British techno like he’s always done, be it the shuddering industrialisms of “Spit To Lubricate”, frenetic 909 workouts of “Night #1” or the psycho cluster synths of Lead You Astray. It’s not all cavernous cannonades of booming techno however, with Makaton also providing the dense but groovy drum-track “Dstablise” in a production that sculpts loopy electro tones with bleepy Warp-era synths made fit Token’s inured framework.

TRACKLIST
1. Makaton - Lead You Astray
2. Makaton - Night #1
3. Makaton - Spit To Lubricate
4. Makaton - Dstabilise

www.tokenrecords.com
www.facebook.com/tokenrecords

Ra Ra Replica

Makaton - Night #1

Artist: Woo York
Title: The Valley Of Songs Label: Life and Death
Cat: LAD020
Release: 25-February-2015 Format: Vinyl & Digital  

With its first release of the new year, Life and Death is proud to introduce the newest members of its formidable and tight knit family, Woo York. Hailing from the Ukraine, this hard working duo has been successfully making the transition from local heroes to major international players through their crafting of strong, emotive techno accompanied by a live show notable for its improvisational streak, allowing the guys to stay true to the spirit of the songs while still adapting them to whatever setting they find themselves presented with.
!For their debut appearance on Life and Death, they show an impressive range as they move from one mood to the next while always retaining their cohesive sound. From the beautiful opening salvo of The Valley Of Songs to the forward march of Odyssey to the unrelenting battle cry of Black Soul and then back to the triumphant finale of Distance, Woo York cover all the bases here, taking the listener on a trip that feels complete from start to finish.
!It’s an impressive beginning for their debut on Life and Death and we can surely expect much more from this forward thinking pair in the years to come..
!On the digital release, the extra bonus track He and She is also included.

LAD020 Woo York - The Valley Of Songs

Stephan Bodzin – Singularity

Beatport link: http://classic.beatport.com/release/singularity/1523803

Rising from humble beginnings like Icarus heading towards the skies, Singularity plots its course for the stratosphere as it heads ever onwards and upwards…but unlike Icarus this is a tempered and restrained ascent not an easy task to pull off but one that makes the impact so much stronger for it's subtle, ever evolving simplicity. 

With a melody that comes on like a half-remembered memory and lingers long after the sound itself fades away, Singularity stays with you, slowly and carefully weaving its way around you while its drums beat a steady, forceful pulse and its percussion jumps in and out like Billy Pilgrim skipping thru time. The combined effect is something much more than the sum of its parts. Somehow this simple techno tune creates an entire world of its own and asks you to inhabit it for a while, losing yourself in the process..

On the flip side, Monoloc exercises an equal and proportional restraint in his take on things. Like a voice emerging from a faded dream, the melody peeks out behind a curtain of reverb and industrial drums compellingly foreshadowing its full potential. Growing from there, the atmosphere slowly engulfs the listener until finally the slow build up reaches its full force providing a fantastic re-imagining of the original with an almost romantic yet no less powerful conclusion.

Life and Death - Catalogue Number: LAD022

Artist: Stephan Bodzin
Title: Singularity EP
Format: Digital & 12”
Digital Release Date: 25.05.2015
Physical Release Date: TBC

Tracklisting Digital:

1. Singularity
2. Singularity (Monoloc Edit 02)
	             
Tracklisting 12”:

1. Singularity
2. Singularity (Monoloc Edit 01)

LAD022 Stephan Bodzin - Singularity (Monoloc Edit 01)

Stephan Bodzin – Singularity

Beatport Link: http://classic.beatport.com/release/singularity/1523803

Rising from humble beginnings like Icarus heading towards the skies, Singularity plots its course for the stratosphere as it heads ever onwards and upwards…but unlike Icarus this is a tempered and restrained ascent not an easy task to pull off but one that makes the impact so much stronger for it's subtle, ever evolving simplicity.

With a melody that comes on like a half-remembered memory and lingers long after the sound itself fades away, Singularity stays with you, slowly and carefully weaving its way around you while its drums beat a steady, forceful pulse and its percussion jumps in and out like Billy Pilgrim skipping thru time. The combined effect is something much more than the sum of its parts. Somehow this simple techno tune creates an entire world of its own and asks you to inhabit it for a while, losing yourself in the process..

On the flip side, Monoloc exercises an equal and proportional restraint in his take on things. Like a voice emerging from a faded dream, the melody peeks out behind a curtain of reverb and industrial drums compellingly foreshadowing its full potential. Growing from there, the atmosphere slowly engulfs the listener until finally the slow build up reaches its full force providing a fantastic re-imagining of the original with an almost romantic yet no less powerful conclusion.

Life and Death - Catalogue Number: LAD022

Artist: Stephan Bodzin
Title: Singularity EP
Format: Digital & 12”
Digital Release Date: 25.05.2015
Physical Release Date: TBC

Tracklisting Digital:

1. Singularity
2. Singularity (Monoloc Edit 02)

Tracklisting 12”:

1. Singularity
2. Singularity (Monoloc Edit 01)

Get it here

LAD022 Stephan Bodzin - Singularity

Vertere - Mind Against & Somne

Constantly turning around itself, the winding melody of Vertere turns outward and inward at the same time, bringing the listener on a journey outward while mirroring a simultaneous labyrinthine journey inward. Like the word itself, Vertere, with its roots in the Latin word Verto (which itself takes its roots in the earlier Sanskrit word, Vartayati) it signifies the very nature of change itself. It means both to turn and reflect inward and yet also move forward — a call to action for setting in motion new things. A paradox at first glance but also perhaps a surprisingly accurate description of the destructive and reconstructive nature of creation. An apt metaphor for this bright new collaboration between established Life and Death artists Mind Against and the new artist project of Federico Maccherone, aka Somne.

On remix duties, when you have an artist of the caliber of Tobias Freund, you don’t need to ask for anything more and with his outstanding remix of Vertere he very clearly shows why. This long time mainstay of the electronic music scene has managed to stay not just relevant but on the cutting edge longer than most with respected releases on some of the most seminal imprints to be putting out music in the world of underground dance music. With Vertere he takes what’s already top quality material and somehow manages to turn it inward and in his own unique way elevate it to another level entirely. With a relentless beat and a sonic force that is hard to describe with mere words the Tobias. remix of Vertere comes out of the gate like a runaway machine rapturously drunk on its own self awareness. It marches ever forward, full of fervor, and will surely be driving dance floors both large and small to the euphoric edge of the ecstatic state.


Life and Death - Catalogue Number: LAD023

Artist: Mind Against & Somne
Title: Vertere
Format: Digital & 12”
Digital Release Date: 29.06.2015
Physical Release Date: TBC

Tracklisting Digital & 12”:

1. Vertere
2. Vertere (Tobias. Remix) 
	             
Vertere written and produced by Mind Against & Somne.
Vertere (Tobias. Remix) written and produced by Tobias Freund. 

LAD023 Mind Against & Somne - Vertere (Snippet)

Mind Against & Somne - Vertere

Slam & Gary Beck - Pressure Lights - Soma

MASK
B: BSTRD001
BEATPORT http://s.beatport.com/M18jGx
ITUNES: http://bit.ly/R9wRgK

Buy on Beatport

Mask

CINE

release date (vinyl & digital): 4th of March 2013


After last years critically acclaimed ‘The Realm EP’, Xhin returns to Token with new savagery.

‘Projection’ sets the mood perfectly with its dark throbbing sound textures, while the real storm gathers during the title track, which showcases fierce percussion and a mean low end. When Xhin unleashes his demons in the brutal ‘Hunters’, the earth shakes under the heavy artillery of spiky, menacing drums. ‘A Different Angle’ is the soundtrack to the aftermath and guides us back to safer grounds accompanied by dark layers of dense atmospherics.

This EP sucks you right in and before you know it, you find yourself trapped in this ‘Dark Tiled Landscape’. Welcome back Xhin.


TRACKLIST
A1 Projection
A2 Dark Tiled Landscape
B1 Hunters
B2 A Different Angle


www.xhin.com
www.tokenrecords.com
www.facebook.com/xhin.official
www.facebook.com/tokenrecords


Techno

krkrff