A reference work, a body of knowledge, a record of human endeavour: this archival release of works from Arcarsenal's fertile collaboration in the period 2011–2016 is all of those things. Pressed on its two discs you will find, in the duo's own words, the 'broken flowers that needed just a little care and attention to bloom'. And exquisite flowers they are, rooted in the reduced formality of minimalism, yet prone to frequent and unabashed florescence. Ranging from their very earliest productions, made with limited gear, through to later recordings from a fully-equipped studio, the tracks move from techno to dub and house and into blissful after-hours and ambient, all with the rich and spacious imprint that is their own. Most of these tracks have been firm favourites on the dancefloor, whether played by other DJs or Arcarsenal themselves, yet this is the first time any of them have seen an official release. This 'Compendium' is a record of Arcarsenal's past achievements; only time will tell what new endeavours the two may pursue.

Orders on Bandcamp: https://innerbalancerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/compendium-lp-ibl15

Distribution with Carpet Distribution: info@carpetdistribution.com

Compendium LP

[IBL15] Arcarsenal - "Compendium" LP [OUT NOW!]

Belgian producer Gratts, an active dj for more than 20 years, teams up with pioneering Chicago vocalist Robert Owens on this new house anthem for our times. Hope is built into the very fibre of ‘Brighter Future’, from its optimistic synths to the sprightly Roland drum patterns, with Owens’ lilting affirmations soaring above. On the flip, Jorge Caiado’s remix and the New Vision Dub bring the track to the late night dancefloor, recalling the 90s heyday of Murk, Cajmere and Mood II Swing.

Orders on Bandcamp: https://innerbalancerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/brighter-future-ep 

Distribution with Carpet Distribution: info@carpetdistribution.com

Brighter Future

[IBL16] Gratts ft. Robert Owens - "Brighter Future" EP [OUT SOON!]

Jorge Caiado and Paul Cut return for another round after their 2020 collaboration on Caiado’s Time & Space LP. Those familiar with the two will know the order of the day: immaculately produced and deeply-felt house music that marries a studio master’s subtlety with a live musician’s flair. Each of these tracks bursts with the essence of soulful house and its jazz forebears, traversing moods that are by turns wistful, playful and go-getting. Cut’s solos on the keys — which recently graced Larry Heard’s latest LP — provide the loose counterpoint to Caiado’s tight production. Inner Balance softly strikes again.

Orders on Bandcamp: https://innerbalancerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/c-c-sessions-vol-1-ep-ibl17

Distribution with Carpet Distribution: info@carpetdistribution.com

[IBL17] Jorge Caiado & Paul Cut - "C&C Sessions Vol.1" EP [OUT NOW!]

French-Singaporean duo Dixia Sirong return for their third EP on Inner Balance, the sub-label of Chez Damier’s legendary Balance imprint. Breezy harmonies float over the tightest of grooves in a classy combination that has become the label’s hallmark. ‘Eight’O’Eight’ is a surefire hit while ‘Kashmere’ and ‘Yggdrasil’ will slot in with the best of today’s Berlin-London tech house sound. Closer ‘HK Side’ transcends subcategorisation, its piano and pads reaching for something bittersweet and timeless.

Orders on Bandcamp: https://innerbalancerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/di-san-ep

Distribution with @Carpetdistribution - info@carpetdistribution.com

[IBL18] Dixia Sirong - "Di San" EP [OUT NOW!]

Ed Nine returns to Chez Damier’s Inner Balance label with the third part in his The Journey series, as ever foregrounding the most classic of house sounds. Chicago from his head to his toes, Ed’s signature nods to the Windy City greats while pushing things forwards with fresh sound design and his innate musicality. From the bright and sunny melodies on ‘Nostalgia’ and ‘Time Will Tell’ to the driving bump and groove of ‘Not On The Radio’ and ‘There’s Always A Chance’, Ed establishes his credentials alongside the best of them.

Orders available on Carpet & Snares Records:
https://shop.carpetandsnares.com/release/28240285/Ed-Nine-The-Journey-Pt.3-EP

[IBL19] Ed Nine - "The Journey Pt.3" EP [OUT NOW!]

[IBL01] A2. Jorge Caiado - Maybe Tonight (dub mix)

[IBL03] B1. Dixia Sirong - Berry White

7 Hours Trip EP

7 Hours Trip Ep

[IBL04] A2. Keumel - Laïka (Domenico Rosa remix)

Vinyl only. Inner Balance welcomes French duo Arcarsenal, whose super-refined analog improvisations have found premium company on labels like Finest Hour, Underground Quality and their own Bass Cadet Records. Meditative, cyclical, distilled grooves with a fierce low-end are the order of the day, placing this EP squarely in the nearly 25 year-old lineage drawn from Maurizio through Bluetrain and Thor and in to the bags of the Verveines and Cloutiers of today. Whether it's the reverb-laden soundscapes of the A-side or the loopy mind-traps on the flip, these four tracks will animate and intrigue in equal measure.

A1. Arcarsenal - Hurricane

Vinyl Only. Fresh from releases on the legendary Vibraphone and Robsoul labels, alongside their own long-running Bosconi imprint, Fabio Della Torre & Ennio Colaci aka Minimono join the Inner Balance family for an EP of four fine house dishes. Each cut gives us a different taste of classic house, from
the sharp Melchior shuffle of 'Goblin' to the sweet rhodes and walking bassline of 'On The Edge',
which wouldn't sound out of place in the Fair Park catalogue. 'Still Alive' is a light confection of soft pads topped with subtle improvisations, while 'This Side Of The Forest' delivers a more flavoursome Sir Lord Commix-style groove. Satisfaction guaranteed.

On The Edge EP

B2. Minimono - This Side Of The Forest

A2. Minimono - On The Edge

A1. Minimono - Goblin

Vinyl Only. Four spacious and moodful explorations mark Dixia Sirong's return to Inner Balance, the daughter label of Chez Damier's legendary Balance imprint. Further mining the atmospherics of their debut EP, both 'Yohji' and 'Qatarsea' combine organic rhythms and dubby pads to conjure a truly meditative state. Sharper edges and effects on the third original, 'Suspicions', lend it a more purposeful air, its expansive bass worthy of the grandest of stages. Finally, DJ Honesty (responsible for the respected Honeydrop releases on Cabinet) delivers an ebullient, elastic take on 'Yohji', drawing out the vocal samples of the original and directing the groove more squarely at the dancefloor.

Distribution by Syncrophone - info@syncrophone.fr

Di Er EP

B1. Dixia Sirong - Qatarsea

A2. Dixia Sirong - Yohji (Dj Honesty remix)

A1. Dixia Sirong - Yohji

Vinyl only. Paris-based Meemo joins the Inner Balance fold with three breezy originals and a remix from The Black Tone, just in time for longer, warmer days. 'Passage' and 'Soma' both take a pillow-like backdrop of dubby bass and slowly evolving pads and cut it through with skippy hats and fat claps – mellow yet driving to get things heated. 'Keep Movin' kicks harder, jazzed up a little by its vibrant percussion, while Toni Be aka The Black Tone takes 'Soma' for a late-hours spin, conjuring one of those sustained moments of dancefloor bliss that we've come to expect from this label.

B2. Meemo - Soma (The Black Tone Remix)

Vinyl only. ALVA, a young duo from France, provide Inner Balance with the label's 10th release, and its classic house sounds dovetail perfectly with what's come before. Deepness from mid-90s Chicago blends with the brighter elements of turn-of-the-millennium tech house, all wrapped up in a contemporary production style. 'Night Ride' and 'Krause Springs' speed along on a mix of Boo & Glenn low end and White Isle harmonies, while the skip and swagger of 'Gérard Juno' and 'Gamma Ray' recall the golden age of Plastic City. Look back to look forward, and join Alva on this trip while anticipating the next 10 on Inner Balance.

B2. ALVA - Gamma Ray

B1. ALVA - Gérard Juno

A2. ALVA - Krause Springs

A1. ALVA - Night Ride

Vinyl only. Twovi aka Vito Loperfido helps Inner Balance enter its adolescence on this deep house 4- tracker. Using familiar ingredients of bumping basslines, driving percussion and soulful keys, each cut finds allegiance in a different clan of classic US house sounds...with an extra Italian flavour! Check the Jovonn swagger of 'Sweet Eyes' or the Glenn thump of 'Theo Docet', the expansive floorfiller 'Fake Love' or the jazzy interludes in 'Tropical Age': this EP takes its place in an unmistakeable tradition that goes right back to Vibraphone and MBG in '92.

B2. Twovi - Tropical Age

A1. Twovi - Fake Love

Vinyl only. A companion to his earlier debut on Inner Balance, this follow-up EP sees Chicago native Ed Nine bring more of that irresistible Windy City sound across four stomping house bangers. Effortless arrangements are the order of the day, conjuring dancefloor moments that have worked for over 30 years and will work for many many more. The start-stop bounce and jive of 'Alert' or 'Creepers' recall classic Glenn & Boo, while the expansive synth work of 'Persevere' and 'Journey On Archer Avenue' also hark back to the Chicago-influenced mid-90s sound of South London's Justin David and Sir Lord Commix. As sounds go in and out of fashion, it's a joy to hear someone on top of their game representing a vibe that's truly timeless. Ed Nine, take a bow.

Pre-orders w/ Syncrophone: info@syncrophone.fr

B1. Ed Nine - Journey On Archer Avenue

A2. Ed Nine - Persevere

A1. Ed Nine - Alert

Vinyl only. Innerdisc's Lea Lisa debuts on Inner Balance with the kind of breezy house grooves that turn spring into summer. From the devil-may-care bassline and sunkissed keys of 'Here Comes The Night', through the balmy GU bounce of 'Let Your Heart Beat', to the humid beatdown of 'Waste My Time', there's no doubt that things are warming up. Agnès hops on board for a remix of the title track, the epitome of his signature simplicity. Roll the windows down and join the ride!

B2. Lea Lisa - Waste My Time

B1. Lea Lisa - Let Your Heart Beat

A2. Lea Lisa - Here Comes The Night (Agnès "good Juice" Remix)

A1. Lea Lisa - Here Comes The Night

Vinyl only. In preparation for a stunning archival long-player out later this year, French duo Arcarsenal release their second EP on Inner Balance, containing 4 unreleased tracks that showcase their rich yet stripped-down voyager sound. 'The Analysis', a staple of Arcarsenal's DJ sets, is an unhurried yet potent beginning to open dancers' minds, ready for the tempered dub and intriguing percussion of 'Transcendental Rumble'. 'Helix', with its sustained strings and soft syncopated bassline, harks back to the contemplative B-sides of mid-90s techno, before 'Sweat Lodge Breathing' rounds things out with the kind of rolling groove seen on their earlier track 'The Vessel'. Stay tuned for the LP!

B2. Arcarsenal - Sweat Lodge Breathing

B1. Arcarsenal - Helix

A2. Arcarsenal - Transcendental Rumble

A1. Arcarsenal - The Analysis

Vinyl only sub imprint of Chez Damier's Balance Recordings, managed by Jorge Caiado in Lisbon.

For label showcase bookings please contact rui@carpetagency.com

Artwork direction by Adília Lima.
Photography by Pedro Terror.

Inner Balance

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