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]

Christine Renée, a sonic storyteller and American expat, curates themed sets and occasionally interviews a variety of sound artists on her show FOR THE BIRDS. She's collected records since the '90s and DJed since the '00s. Renowned for her residency at Lot Radio (2016) and role at hi-fi club Public Records as head curator (2019), she's now studying sound as a healing modality.

FOR THE BIRDS w/ Christine Renée @ Kiosk Radio 04.09.2025

Eurostyle

Pre-order: https://maara.bandcamp.com/album/revenge-from-the-penthouse-ep

@maara’s next EP, 'Revenge From The Penthouse', on @very-ancient-records is a ride through the Montreal artist's signature fast and relentless club sounds.

Made for lovers of all things turbo, dark and mental freakiness, this five-track EP is packed full of unrelenting club energy.

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Premiere: Maara 'Unstable'

A debut label outing from Ambient Babestation Meltdown & Borai, the production pairing whose musical partnership has birthed a string of releases on Optimo Music, Me Me Me and Ritual Poison.

Known for their excursions into scuzzy, cyberpunk and EBM electronics, they join forces once again for ‘Why The Tiger And The Monkey Are Sworn Enemies’; a three-track EP chronicles the pair’s ventures into chugging grooves, wormhole acid and early 00s tech house à la Playhouse and Rework.

Waves

Buy/Stream

Ambient Babestation Meltdown & Borai - Waves

Artist: mpeg
Title: aureate LP
Track Title: Marks
Label: R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings
Cat #: RMLP01
Release date: 19.09.2025
Format: 2x12", digital

@mpegmusic
@rand_muzik_recordings

Berlin’s mpeg returns to R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings to celebrate both the label and artist’s firs LP - a journey through mpeg’s take on tech house, crafted for the dance floor but losing nothing heard in solitude through one’s headphones.

Bandcamp

Premiere | mpeg - Marks (RMLP01)

Exclusive mix by @nathalie-seres
DJ and producer based between Barcelona and Berlin, Nathalie Seres is a resident at Panorama Bar/Berghain. Specializing in vinyl sets, she blends house, UK garage and breakbeat influences, combining fresh releases with 1990s classics.
As co-founder of the label Never Not Now, she also stepped into production with her debut EP in 2022. Former artistic director of the Freqs of Nature festival, she continues her exploration today across renowned clubs, festivals, in the studio, and on Refuge Worldwide Berlin, leaving her mark on the electronic scene with her distinctive style.

TRACKLIST
Mr. Finger - I’m Strong (Instrumental Mix) 
Christopher Ledger - XTC 
Ion Ludwig - Transport Fighter 
Violet - Togetherness 
Zaltsman - Papito (unreleased)
Anunaku - Atlas 4088
Nathan Coles - Hide & Seek 
Mark Ambrose & Alexander Purkart - Sunrising 
Zaltsman - Rocking Horse (unreleased)
Martyn - Vancouver (Rhyw’s SKG Mix) 
Kidkanevil - The Floating World (Eliphino Remix)
Kode9 & The Spaceape - Kingstown (Vocal)
Marc Ashken - Roots Dyed Dark (Skream Remix)
Geiom Feat Marita - Reminissin (Geiomix)

DURE VIE
www.durevie.paris/
FB : www.facebook.com/durevieparis
IG : www.instagram.com/durevie/

278 • NATHALIE SERES

bandcamp

Explorations 02 (Snippets)

Boom Bunny - Guilty Treasures 
BUY LINK : https://dalfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/guilty-treasures
Label : DALF Records (https://soundcloud.com/danseaveclesfousrecords)
https://www.instagram.com/dalfrecords
> Boom Bunny (@boombunny_music)
https://www.instagram.com/boombunny_music

Il était une fois un lapin, avec des lunettes aviateur et une veste à paillettes.
— « Encore des carottes ? Bof… » soupira-t-il.
Ce lapin préférait de loin les vinyles de Chic et Giorgio Moroder.
Un jour, en sautillant après un vinyle qui brillait un peu trop, il tomba dans un tunnel de fréquences et de nappes cosmiques.
— « Wouah ! C’est quoi ce groove ?! Quoi de neuf, docteuuuuur ! » s’exclama-t-il.
Sous une boule à facettes géante, Disco et Trance fusionnèrent, et les arbres-carottes se mirent à onduler au rythme des basses.
Les néons pastels inondèrent le ciel, et tout prit des reflets roses et mauves.
— « Viens taper de la patte ! » cria une carotte phosphorescente.
Et Boom Bunny s’élança, sautillant, tournoyant, jusqu’à ce que la piste entière se transforme en un pays des merveilles.

Premiere | mpeg - Marks (RMLP01)

Inch By Inch Distribution

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