VALHALLA 19/12/2015

release date (vinyl / cd / digital): 21st of October

“I've intended to do an album for a long while. The tracks draw upon ideas going back to various points over the last 12 years or so - some of the hooks I wrote years ago other bits are brand new. In some ways I wanted it to reflect a personal arc and the way I tend to do things  - never rushed”

‘Frames of Reference’ is the some 12 years in the making debut album from UK based techno producer Ø [Phase].

Best known by his work on the Belgium based Token Records his style ranges from gritty minimal techno to Detroit influenced material. His debut ‘Module Overload’ was released on London’s Lost/Cosmic records in 2000 and was followed by a string of productions for London's Surface/Inceptive Records and Ben Sims Ingoma imprint.

The move to Token came in 2007, he shortly after began DJing professionally and has since performed at parties across the globe whilst becoming a regular guest at Berlin’s techno Mecca, Berghain performing alongside esteemed peers and supporters such as Marcel Dettmann, Len Faki and Ben Klock. His continued works have seen constant support throughout the techno world and have featured in CD mixes by Robert Hood, Dave Clarke, François Kevorkian and Fumiya Tanaka amongst others. Alongside his production work Ø [Phase] is also a mastering engineer and on/off artwork designer. Starting out at London’s prestigious Sony Music/Whitfield Street Studios, he has cut records for numerous underground dance acts as well as working on projects for mainstream artists.

Now after a string of acclaimed releases on Token and a selection of remixes for the likes of Robert Hood, Mark Broom and Peter Van Hoesen comes Ø [Phase]’s debut long-player ‘Frames of Reference’. Opening with the brooding and building swirl of ‘Binary Opposition (Process 3)’ Ø [Phase] sets out his template of evolving, richly textured atmospheres underpinned by shards of dark and light. ‘The Bwiti Initiate’ revolves around a bouncing techno rhythm that could most certainly traverse the house/techno divide whilst ‘Distracted’ and ‘Misaligned’ are the kind of unadulterated, pummeling, cavernous techno tracks that have made Lost such a party institution.
Then we have tracks like the soft beating ‘Just Another Dance’ providing a lighter edge, embellished with warmth and strings and the thick, densely woven tapestry of ‘Shadow Caster’ which goes from experimental to dancefloor and back again with consummate ease. The off-kilter lilt of ‘Perplexed’ drags us further into the dark before keys and a hint of a melody draw us back upwards for air whilst the fat driving bass of ‘Dirtro II’ and funkier edged menace of ‘On The Edge’ show a virtuoso producer at the top of his game. The closing introspection of ‘Self Deceit’ wallows in subtle nuances before a mid section synth and string intervention pulls us back from the brink before finally descending into the void.


Tracklist: 

2LP 
A1. Binary Opposition (process 3)
A2. The Bwiti Initiate
B1. Distracted
B2. Dirtro II
C1. Misaligned
C2. Just Another Dance (album version)
D1. Shadow Caster
D2. Self Deceit

CD & Digital:
1. Binary Opposition (process 3)
2. The Bwiti Initiate
3. Distracted
4. Dirtro II
5. On The Edge
6. Perplexed
7. Misaligned
8. Just Another Dance (album version)
9. Shadow Caster
10. Self Deceit

www.facebook.com/ashleyphase
www.residentadvisor.net/dj/phase 
www.tokenrecords.com
www.facebook.com/tokenrecords 

Ø [Phase] - Shadow Caster

D-Shake - Techno Trance

Symmetry Zone

Formed


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

Ctrls - x.y

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www.facebook.com/hafendisko
www.youtube.com/hafendisko
www.twitter.com/hfn_music
www.hfn-music.com/hafendisko

www.facebook.com/kasperbjorke
www.facebook.com/SisyEy
www.facebook.com/michael.mayer.kompakt
www.facebook.com/pages/Ewan-Pearson/9783572843

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On the 4th single from his highly acclaimed 4th LP "After Forever", Kasper Bjørke puts his disco noir anthem "Apart" into the safe hands of two luminary remixing talents.

The original version of "Apart" was selected as "Tune of The Month" in MixMag in the September issue, stating: 
“Its nothing short of genius… Kasper absolutely nailed it”.
And now, on the digital and limited edition 12” vinyl (with beautiful artwork by american artist John Copeland), you will find two epic remixes by Kompakt Records’ head honcho Michael Mayer and renowned UK producer, Ewan Pearson (Jagwar Ma, The Rapture, etc.).
 
Michael Mayer gives the tune's melancholy synth pop an epic feel, remaking it for the deepest and darkest of big room dancefloors, adding a discombobulating synth drone and ramping up the intensity levels.

Ewan Pearson's remix adds a High NRG vibe to expose the yearning vocal before adding layers of arpeggios and synthesizers to an utterly irresistible, motorik pulse with some epic breakdowns.

Both remixes skilfully navigate a line between the pop and dancefloor sensibilities of the original track, respecting the integrity of the bittersweet, emotional vocals of the Icelandic girlgroup Sísy Ey.

After the release of the three singles "Rush", "Sylvia" and "TNR", this package rounds off a quartet of singles, that confirms Bjørke's outstanding talent for sensitively combining influences of post disco and 80s synth pop in new and consistently invigorating ways. 

The album "After Forever" is out now on hfn Music.

Kasper Bjørke - Apart (feat. Sísý Ey) (Michael Mayer Remix)

Storming his way back onto Drumcode Luigi Madonna closes off the Summer with a four track smasher that will see him welcome in Autumn with a bang. Each track contains the solid, raw drums that are the backbone to each track Luigi has conjured up. With a brooding undertone, the simplicity found in each track gives the lead lines and ideas more space to breath, which overall creates a unique and charismatic submission that can only be found from the Italian.

Luigi Madonna - Le Ly Land - Drumcode - DC146

Pjotr G & Dubiosity are back on Lateral Fragments, this time with the special aid of Juan Sanchez and Conrad van Orton. Expect dark, slamming beats on this one!

Pjotr G & Dubiosity - Evasion (Juan Sanchez Remix)

Kwartz - Form And Void

A1 Tessellation
A2 1133
B1 Eter
B2 Svävarterminalen

A1 Tessellation
A2 1133
B1 Eter
B2 Svävarterminalen

Mastered by Walter Coelho
W&P by Patrick Siech
Distributed through Wallroom GmbH.

A2 - Patrick Siech - 1133 - PRBL 007 - 2 Mins

From Soma25, out today
https://www.somarecords.com/shop/music/soma_lp113/

Somalp113 E2 Slam Visions Kobosil Remix Soma Records

Regenerative Circuits Part II

Circuit V

Amotik - Solah - Edit - Select - Remix

Velvet V.

Trahison

Kmyle is a young artist that shaped his own space in the Techno scene in these last 5 years. His sound is a beautiful craft of all the technical aspects that make a Big Room track relevant, he has no fear in showing emotions but at the same time locking key elements essential for the dancefloor. Kmyle presents himself on the label with a hard explosion, but yet with an elegant touch.

Bandcamp → https://artsrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/equator
Artwork: Emmanuel & Jan Petry

A1. Kmyle - Capital

Evolve 

This name come from an idea that In order to evolve we need to be conscious aware of our behaviors as a species and make the right choices to move forward

Kwartz - Form And Void

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