Over the past five years, Fever AM has given us a steady drip of exquisitely modern, genre-defying club music, from angular rhythm sculptures like Gacha Bakradze's "Daraji" to twisted party-rockers like Rhyw's "Biggest Bully."

To celebrate their fifth anniversary, label founders Mor Elian and Rhyw have put together a compilation that captures their strikingly fresh vision. "It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature" presents core Fever AM artists like Xen Chron and Ayesha alongside a few newcomers to the label, such as Pariah, MSJY, Peder Mannerfelt. Fans of the label know what to expect: soundsystem-tailored bangers with a surreal twist, for DJs that like to keep the crowd on their toes.

It's Not A Bug, It's A Feature

Bandcamp

Pariah - Squishy Windows

Soft Raw is a new label from Danielle – a natural extension of the Bristol-based DJ’s expansive tastes within contemporary club music. Over the past few years the NTS resident has become a leading light in the multifaceted world of modernist techno abstractions, ably balancing soundsystem pressure and propulsive rhythmic intensity with experimental textures and explorative energy variations. Soft Raw seeks to continue that mission with releases which will progress stylistically from one approach to another, taking in exciting, emergent producers unique in their approach but bound together by the idiosyncratic curation of Danielle – a faithful reflection of her proven skill as a selector.

The label launches with a six-track drop from Slacker. Sam Black has been winding up a potent strain of needlepoint techno which leans towards jungle and half-time D&B in its tempo and structure. Across a selection of various releases, Black’s sound has evolved into an accomplished and detailed style which draws on moody atmospheres and advanced engineering in the grand tradition of UK soundsystem music. Across this EP the Slacker sound matches up to the spirit of Soft Raw, balancing fierce kinetic energy with delicacy and finesse and leaving some space for outright ambience. At times he locks into a half-step warm-up mode, while elsewhere the amens creep in for a more pronounced jungle rinse-out.

It’s a strong opening statement for this new label, but crucially this doesn’t spell out the future in absolute terms. True to Danielle’s broad outlook, subsequent releases are set to take in everything from straight up 4/4 and acid to footwork and electro, with a narrative binding each release together according to her internal logic and the tension between soft and raw qualities explored across consistently cutting-edge tracks. 

Press release by Oli Warwick. 

Releases November 25, 2022

Written & Produced by Sam Black
Mastered by Analogue Cuts
Distributed by One Eye Witness
Design by Atelier Superplus
softraw.bandcamp.com
@soft__raw

all rights reserved

Slacker - Damage To Be Undone | Soft Raw (SFTRW01)- Snippets

Full stream of Pugilist's "Misanthrope," taken from his Negative Space EP on Of Paradise, out February 24.

Pre-order: https://pugilist.bandcamp.com/album/negative-space
More: www.orbmag.com/music

@ofparadiserecords
@pugilistmusic

Negative Space

Listen more

Premiere: Pugilist - Misanthrope

Pre-order - https://pressuredome.bandcamp.com/album/two-is-greater-than-one

Our sixth VA compilation continues in the collective spirit at the heart of Pressure Dome; here taking its fullest form. The first of its kind in the label catalogue, ‘Two [Is Greater Than] One’ sees a selection of PD regulars and friends of the label put their heads together across eight atmospheric tracks, equally as suited to the club as to solo listening. 

Those who have followed the label for a while will be no stranger to the comp’s first collaborator. Human Resources teams up with London dub techno specialist, Keplrr, on ‘Spring’: a mood-led composition where the impact is contained in atmosphere. Fragmented drum breaks are engulfed by airy synth pads and punctuated by a dancehall-indebted rhythm that marches at 90BPM. ‘Yuppel’ welcomes Noods Radio mainstay Sid Quirk aka Keppel into the mix. He is joined by label boss, Yushh, on a ruminative percussive tool, guided by cavernous drums that fabricate a vivid, immersive environment. With the guidance of Brighton’s Caldera, the journey continues with ‘Süss Choc’. The reverb-laden synth plucks on ‘evoke water droplets, and hallucinatory details echo around them to create the illusion of being in a mountainous cove.

Delay Grounds – an audiophile in the truest sense of the word – is next to take the baton. Together, he and Yushh take it up a notch on ‘Telomere’ – a full-bodied club-ready track packed with glitchy chords and giddy drums. A gnarly, Pariah-esque breakdown segues into the track’s second wind where pitched-up vocal chops accelerate it to the compilation’s energetic climax. With the help of London drum specialist, Syz, ‘Fuzbidun’ keeps our feet firmly on the dancefloor. Breakbeats are chopped and rearranged, flitting between double and half time whilst a distorted mid-bass roughens things round the edges, prepping the ground for the compilation’s move to a more inorganic feel.

Bristol don, Forever, joins Yushh next on ‘Passing Notes’ – a groove-driven club track where skittish percussion ricochets from side to side, so palpable it tempts the touch. ‘Crash Bash Party At BUFOs’ is no different. The link-up between Delay Grounds and dance music’s stalwart of musique concrète, Wordcolour, is completely idiosyncratic to both artists: the perfect combination of found-sound percussion and skillfully rehashed vocal samples. It’s up to two PD mainstays – Roy Mills and Human Resources – to close proceedings. A chugging rhythm bubbles under the surface of ‘Sycophantasy’, sending us on a dubbed-out trip before picking the pace back up again.

Copy – Annie Parker
Artwork – Jesse Webb
Mastering – Matthew Bentley

@keplrr | @are-human-resources | @sidquirk | @caldera-caldera | @delay-grounds | @syzuk | @foreverg10 | @wordcolour | @private_planet | @yushh

Spring

Pre-Order

Various Artists - Two [Is Greater Than] One (PDCOLLAB001) [clips]

Skee Mask - ISS009

A1. UWLSD
A2. Studio 626
B1. Reviver
B2. Bandprobe Dub

ISS009 SKEE MASK - ISS009

@syzuk self-released his Mindforms mini-LP in 2020, stepping away from the dancefloor to explore an expansive sonic world, ‘balancing the tranquility of the ecological world with the immediacy of the digital one'.

The original release was accompanied by a highly limited run of just 10 dubplates. Deeming this 6-tracker too good not to receive a proper pressing, Control Freak are proud to present the first ever complete vinyl run for Mindforms:
controlfreakrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/mindforms

Alongside the record, Syz & Control Freak have curated Clubforms, a collection of remixes from some of our favourite producers, each bringing the original release firmly onto the dancefloor with their own production flourishes.

@henry-greenleaf & @daisymoon take a decidedly Bristolian approach, delivering a pair of scorching hot, bass-driven club stompers. Meanwhile, @tammohesselink brings deep, European techno flavours to the slate, whilst @keplrr twists ‘Essence’ into a deep, loopy and meandering afterparty favourite. Finally, Syz reworks ‘1E’ in his own inimitable style for his ‘2Es VIP’ - rounding off one of the finest collections of club tracks we’ve ever had the pleasure to present on Control Freak.

Buy Now

Syz - Clubforms (Daisy Moon, Henry Greenleaf, Tammo Hesselink & Keplrr Remixes - Previews

Following multiple appearances on local Naarm label digital compilations, RBI lands on Butter Sessions with a full lengths worth of downtempo, ambient and full throttle, braindance-inspired dnb/jungle cuts. Whilst 'Proximity' and 'Return to Nature' presented RBI as one amongst many contemporary vanguards of the Australian electronic underground, her production style is allowed to shine in full effect on debut album Disseminate.

There is an undeniable influence of early breakbeat, 90s IDM and UK sound system pressure at play, though RBI's sound design is knowingly modern. Rarely dropping the tempo below 140 aside from brief, beatless interludes ('100o10o1hz' / 'Gossip'), the result is a fine balance of unrelenting rave music and thoughtful, introspective glitch. Penultimate jam 'Subterranean Dub' seems like a nod to the living-room techno of the Artificial Intelligence series, occasional soft breaks mixing with murky, aquatic ambience, whilst things close with an eerie avant-garde electroacoustic piece. 'Arrivée Les Nuages' strikes as a participation in the current re-evaluation of psytrance, though follows on from 'Vault Ultra' which clearly references the atmospheric breakdowns of golden era dubstep.
All in all, an impressive collection of dance productions which combines elements from scenes of the past 40 years.

NB: The tracks on Disseminate sit within a wider audio-visual context where they soundtrack various Naarm cityscapes rebuilt as immersive digital worlds: "I was lucky enough to collaborate with an incredibly talented friend and training architect Dom who came up with the idea of videos exploring digital spaces and worlds extracted from real locations. To create the work she filmed a number of locations near where we live, a warehouse party location, artist spaces, liminal spaces, objects..."

Artwork – Dom Tang
Mixing – Ruby Willis 
Mastering – Corey Kikos 
Album notes – Fergus Clark

Eavesdropping - RBI

Of Paradise continue their Various Artists series with an 11-track masterclass in shapeshifting underground dance music.

Comprised of all new material, the fifth instalment in the label’s VA series showcases a spellbinding collection of cross-genre and multifaceted compositions that mutate from rumbling bass pressure into atmospheric jungle, contorted techno and beyond.  

Featuring selected works from Slolek, Kellen303, Destrata, Pugilist, Fiesta Soundsystem, Tom Jarmey, Vilhelm, Fade, Atrice, Lazarus and D3U5E, Of Paradise Vol. 5 is a mesmerising and hallucinatory soundtrack curated to be played out across a shattered club landscape.

1. Slolek – Obsidian
2. Kellen303 – Pulse Analysis
3. Destrata – Meridian
4. Pugilist – Serpentine
5. Fiesta Soundsystem – Passivity Trap
6. Tom Jarmey – Crystal Fields
7. Vilhelm – Peak
8. Fade – Acrylic
9. Atrice – Levels
10. Lazarus – DJs Hate This Trick
11. D3U5E – Helm

@slolek, @kellen303, @destratavan, @pugilistmusic, @fiestasoundsystem, @tom-jarmey, @vilhelmhasselgren, @fadeofparadise, @atricemiras, @lazarus_nbg, @d3u5e.

Of Paradise Vol. 5

OP022 // Various Artists - Of Paradise Vol. 5

Following up on his much acclaimed debut album ‘Opal’ released in 2022, Batu heads into a new year introducing A Long Strange Dream : a new imprint dedicated to his spontaneous musical explorations, conceived with the aim to follow curiosities and share his own music in a back-to-basics and spontaneous fashion.

The inaugural release « For Spirits » is packed with some of the Bristol based producer’s most psychedelic dancefloor studies to date. Flowing seamlessly as a whole piece, this long-form EP showcases Batu’s versatile and deep personal sound, as well as a riveting talent for electronic experiments ranging from trance-inducing ambient to peak-time techno wreckage.
credits
releases May 26, 2023

Written & produced by Batu.
Artwork by Laurie Herman.

Mastered by Rhys Crouch at Optimum Mastering

Traverse

KW - ALTGR

A1. Mignight Run
A2. Paste
B1. Copy
B2. Lastmin_Res

Alluring Stripped Down Dribblers on 180g heavyweight vinyl.

Mastered by Tangible Air.
Artwork by Bettina Zenker.

IT056 KW - ALTGR

https://www.deejay.de/Volen_Stinger_Pinger_EP_ARTG001_Vinyl__1055371

@artgangldn

Premiere : Volen - Stinger Pinger (ARTG001)

Munich based record label founded in 2007 and run by the Zenker Brothers. 
Artists: Andrea, Andrés Zacco, Atrice, Dario Zenker, Deetron presents Soulmate, Djrum, Dj Plant Texture, Etch, Fireground, Full Bloom, Jake Muir, Jichael Mackson, Kas / Galaxian, Katatonic Silentio, Kid Sundance, Konrad Wehrmeister, Laksa, Mia Koden, Marco Zenker, MPU101, Packed Rich, Pessimist, Prime Vertical, re:ni, Roger 23, ROLROLROL, Sciahri, Seba & Paradox, Simple, Skee Mask, Stenny, Surgeon, Sustrapperazzi, Thigpen, Walton, Zeki 808, Zenker Brothers

ISS009 SKEE MASK - ISS009

ILIAN TAPE

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