After the success of the first A-sides compilation in 2012, Adam Beyer has decided its time to release another. With Adam's stature steadily growing as one of the leading talents in the Techno scene and the rise of Drumcode, the standard of demo's that have been sent to Adam have been top notch. Adam has now decided to release two compilations with 10 tracks on each, both consisting of tracks that Adam has tried and tested. There are also new artists that have been invited to release on Drumcode for this compilation and others who are a staple in Drumcode's core family. Combining both old and new talents Drumcode have come up with something unique and distinctive to make this two-part compilation something extra special.

Roberto Capuano - The Space - Drumcode - DC129

Foremost international techno outlet Drumcode is delighted to announce the release of its next full-length album, ‘Satellite’, by enduring Italian techno talent Sam Paganini.

Though he has been active since the mid nineties, recent years have been hugely successful for Sam, with searing techno EPs coming on revered labels such as Riche Hawtin’s Plus8, Sven Vath’s Cocoon and of course, Adam Beyer’s Drumcode. In his time he has been responsible for underground hits like ‘Zoe’, ‘Polyester’ and ‘Fire In My Arms’, all of which demonstrate his dynamic understanding of sexy, dark and hypnotic techno grooves and at the same time have earned him plenty of great Beatport chart positions as well as respect from the best in the game.

Incredibly, ‘Satellite’ is Sam’s first full-length album. Informed by his DJ gigs at legendary places like Berghain in Berlin and Cielo in New York, the album starts with a dystopian bit of sonic scene setting, as if a space ship is charging up ready to take off.

From there it’s a case of getting straight down to business. ‘Another Chance’ is a spacey bit of cantering techno and ‘White’ is rooted in devastating kick drums and is riddled with serrated synth lines that build lots of great techno pressure. ‘Down’ is an undulating bit of funky techno complete with choice vocal flourishes and tracks like ‘Lotus’ are prime offerings from the deeper end of the scale.

No two tracks sound the same on Satellite: Sam is always teasing out a new bit of texture, nailing a slightly different vibe or exploring different amounts of light and dark throughout the course of this most excellent album. This is evidenced by diverse cuts like ‘Dusty’, ‘Toxic’ and ‘Rave’.

Despite ‘Satellite’ being Sam’s debut album, it showcases his seductive style in all its glory across 12 fantastic tracks that will leave you begging for more.

Sam Paganini - Lotus - Drumcode - DCCD10

Beatport

Pan-Pot - Grey Matter

Loophole

Buy on bandcamp

Red Richards - Loophole

Slow Motion Heat 447_mix

Mark Reeve - Exposure (Original Mix) [Drumcode]

Bart Skils’ fifth Drumcode offering comes in the shape of ‘Black Vans’. A high energy, full force, four track EP of powerful techno; he showcases his skills to produce four tight and solid tracks. Layering the EP with samples, synths and hard hitting drums, the four tracks create an emotive journey that proves Bart Skils is still on top of his game.

Bart Skils - Black Vans - Drumcode - DC153

 Adam Beyer's Drumcode juggernaut attracts more fans and critical plaudits with each passing year. Holding firm on its future facing ethos, techno's number one label presents a new volume in its acclaimed A-Sides series with 20 prime tracks to signify its 20th anniversary. 

Such is the volume of quality music Adam Beyer receives throughout the course of the year, releasing all of it would be impossible. Enter the blue chip A-Sides series: a chance for the quality-obsessive label head to issue a collection of outstanding tracks that couldn't fit in their regular EP release schedule. 

With an eye on future talent, as much as the label's established roster of heavy-hitters, the compilation showcases the full breadth of Drumcode's multifaceted techno sound, equal parts inspiring and functional. 

Led by the stealth techno funk of 'Nine of You', Beyer's deft collaboration with Mark Reeve, the compilation takes in exciting highlights from big guns such as Alan Fitzpatrick, Dustin Zahn, Bart Skils, Pleasurekraft, Luca Agnelli, Jay Lumen, Kaiserdisco and Gary Beck. 

The rich vein of form displayed by emerging techno talent is similarly given prime position. Rising DJ/producer Boxia makes his Drumcode debut, fresh from a well-received warm up set for the crew at the hugely successful Junction 2 festival in London, while the likes of Enrico Sangiuliano, Juan Sanchez, Ian O'Donovan and Timmo also drop fire, establishing their credentials as some of the most promising talent breaking through the ranks in 2016. 

Reinforcing the global scope of the label, artists such as The Junkies from Toronto and Layton Giordani from New York, prove techno is winning a place in the heart of the new generation of artists coming out of North America.

Adam Beyer & Mark Reeve - Nine Of You [Drumcode]

Bipolar Star (Victor Ruiz Remix)

Stream FULL album: fanlink.to/LitAoM
Picking up where 2018's debut album left off, Pleasurekraft continue their foray into the Cosmic Techno sub-genre they ushered into the dance music lexicon, with their new LP "Love in the Age of Machines."
Arriving exclusively on Spotify initially on April 10, with other streaming platforms to follow a week later, Pleasurekraft had one of the biggest tracks last year on Drumcode with their remix for Adam Beyer's 'Space Date,' always bring forward thinking grooves embellished with astral melodies and spaced out synths that make for emotional as well as physical experiences.
"Love in the Age of Machines" is in no short supply of the sonic signatures the production duo have become known for, and there is a clear maturation at work here. The album's non-techno tracks showcase an artistry rarely seen in conventional dance music and techno in particular. From the gritty dystopian future that establishes the album's themes at the onset in "Last Sapien", to the dark, rainy, urban-lit textures that form the spine of "Nostalgic for the Future", there is a sense of impending self-wrought catastrophe, tempered with a sense of wonder of all that is, and all that could be if humanity somehow overcomes its hubris.
Things get more intense and turbulent on "Panopticon (The Patron Saint of Global Surveillance)" [ft. Thomas Gandey] before the voyage to the edges of our galaxy continues on "I Sing the Body Electric" & "Main Sequence" which keep up the enthralling techno atmospheres with increasing pressure, before the tension is released with the cinematic grandeur of "Novacene." Two more hard hitting bangers in "At the Mountains of Madness" and "Primordial" then rebuild the all consuming techno mood before you're left adrift in the cosmos with the album's swan song "Requiem For the American Dream."
As Kaveh Soroush of Pleasurekraft puts it, "Without sounding too reductionist, humans are simply a bundle of biochemical algorithms with a few holes at either end, who mistake their sensory experiences as objective, and their sense of self as something concrete, when in fact science reveals to us with each new finding that our basic intuitions about reality and the world around us have not evolved much from our first ancestors, who just wanted to make sure not to get eaten for long enough to feed and procreate on the African savannah. While there are certainly wonders about the Cosmos we have discovered given our enlarged frontal lobes, and technologies that we've invented dating back to when the first tool was built thanks to an opposable thumb, we haven't been the best custodians of the only planet that can sustain us, and history makes it abundantly clear that our wisdom lags far behind the technological advancements we develop with each new day."

Despite the overtly pessimistic tone, ultimately there is a sense of potential change on the horizon. That perhaps a species which has come up with abstract ideas of love, justice, liberty, and created works of immense artistic and scientific beauty, might just find a way to correct course before it's too late. This sense of wonder is on full display on "The Occupant" and the potential seed for our enlightenment is planted in "Corpse Reviver Number 3", a track brimming with homages to the love of philosophy and its place in navigating a more examined life.
Ultimately "Love in the Age of Machines" feels like a dystopian sci-fi soundtrack written for optimists who want to change humanity's looming fate. While still firmly rooted in the techno genre, the album evokes themes and ideas that are universal to the human experience and our place in the Cosmos, and it is this aspect of the album that makes "Love in the Age of Machines" such a rewarding musical experience. It's techno that is at once accessible and intelligent, a combination rarely heard in today's endless sea of dance music.

07 - Corpse Reviver Number 3

Bart Skils kicks off the three-track single with ‘Fight Club’. Using rolling drums, ‘Fight Club’ builds to a crescendo before the unusual melodic synth phrase bursts in to give the track a distinctive character. ‘Base Camp’ uses a throbbing, militant style synth that emanates in and out to add dynamic and tension. ‘Tracking Down’ uses atmospheric pads to construct a thick build up before a funky, melodic line kicks in to give ‘Tracking Down’ a different feel to the others.

DC114 - Bart Skils - Fight Club - Drumcode

Independent record label owned by Adam Beyer.