We are super happy to be back with our Hula-Hop Tapes. We are even happier to introduce to you the very first podcast of our own Donky, the engine of this project. If you still don't know him,he is the most romantic DJ you have ever listened to. You just need to listen to this podcast and see his dance moves.

Expect some deep and warm vibes, mixing minimal-influenced house together with some broken beats, future jazz, tech house... Donkadas in general.

Some words from the main man: "I'm very happy with the release of my first podcast, which I recorded when I felt confident with the story I wanted to tell you. In addition, this was recorded at home sorrounded by the people I love the most, who are also my biggest influences and make this podcast very very special. I hope you enjoy as much as I did."

HULA-HOP TAPE 003  ~ DONKY

Release: End Feb 2023

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Our fourth release follows the ebb and flow of a night out in a strange mood. For starters, guided by the concerned voice of Query D, we turn a few corners and go to the local 24h store to pick up some Night Shop Gold, aka the best midnight snack, a samosa. After that we do some Doomstrolling to a tune that invites us to indulge in the night’s pleasures, absently grinning through it’s darkest hours. When the sun comes up again, The Sleepless rounds out the EP for all the insomniacs out there, with some reflections on the dangers of sleep deprivation set to a melancholy beat.

B1. The Sleepless Snippet

Up next, Marginal Returns is happy to finally unveil Gwenan’s debut EP. Already familiar to many via her DJ sets at various notable events over the past years - from festival main-stage techno to backroom boutique ambient - 2023 finally raises the curtain on Gwenan’s studio output. 
 
Activation Energy presents an elegant, particular and personable take on rhythmic electronic music, taking in A1’s downtempo, dub shrouded ‘Rhythm Delay’, the sneakily effective plucked lilt of A2 ‘Foundation’, the contemplative, emotive glide of B1 ‘Control Change’ and B2 ‘Attention Movement’s brooding syncopation.

Mixed by Ismael Zouaoui 
Mastered by Alberto Pretto at Blackhead Studios

A1. Rhythm Delay

Tava Oro figured out how to spin some sick beats. But then, he got real passionate about spreading the music love in his small town. So they started throwing dope events, making sure everybody got a taste of all the different kinds of tunes out there.

Locked-In Podcast 3.5 [Tava Oro]

The eccentric beat ambassador Alexander Skancke showcases his sound once more on his Quirk label, diving into spring with his debut LP, “Kingdom Couch”. The Norwegian has crafted a versatile yet cohesive body of work between 2020 and 2023, parallel to when he began attending sessions with a therapist. The 10 track double 12” traverses between meticulously arranged minimal moods, shuffling jazz rhythms and ethereal experimental textures. In its few years of existence Quirk has become a safe haven for a freedom of expression as Skancke and his affiliates share their wild side on the label, but the LP marks a milestone on the imprint and for Alexander himself whose lifelong dedication to sound has built towards this moment, utilising the vast influences has absorbed over the years.

“Therapy Session I” teases you into the LP, shimmering blissfully as it grows, blossoming into a dream-like world, tuning your ears for the trip you are about to encounter. Constructed upon slick jazzy drums is “Lost In Time” loosening your senses as the pulsating bass swallows up your train of thought. “Dumbo Move” blurs the lines perfectly between the atmospheres the Berlin based producer has captured within the album. Dark, mysterious and mind bending material in “Purple Lucy” a chugging sub heavy bass driving the track forward as precise beeps and bleeps whirr throughout. On a more playful note is the B2, “Extravagance” animated drum patterns converse with the elastic groove perfectly. Closing off the first vinyl is “Therapy Session II”, another extended exploration of otherworldly ambience, drifting deeper in the world of Quirk.

“The Magnificent Tree Hut” stirs consistently throughout, crisp percussion combined with the psychedelic vocal samples which continue to flash in and out. Transitioning now into “Therapy Session III” sophisticated sounds, enticed further into the full bodied experience by the storytelling sounds of a female voice. Your eyes begin to close and you wake up in a hazy club setting, immersed in the after hours; that’s the immediate impact of “New Dawn”, pensive and hypnotic as it rumbles quietly in the realms of the underground. At just over ten minutes long Alexander Skancke brings you down for landing with the final “Therapy Sessions IV”, transcending movements crammed full of raw emotion, floating you calmly
out of the seventh outing on the label, and the thriving talents finest work to date.

The “Kingdom Couch” is an amalgamation of Skancke’s undying passion and burning desire to create outside of the norm, this can be heard throughout this masterpiece and will undoubtedly inspire its listeners to search for the bigger picture.

Artwork: Johann 3000
Mastering: Mike Grinser, Manmade Mastering

Kingdom Couch

A1 - Alexander Skancke - Therapy Session I (QRK007)

EPI001 - A1. S.Time

TASCAM DR-05X

S.M.Podcast 03 - Javier Gallardo

Hailing from the North of England with roots in Scotland & Jamaica Karis relocated from Leeds to London in 2021.
Since then she has played a few select parties inc UK hun, Rythm Brighton & Upgrade, with 10 years experience under her belt she has mastered the art of being a good DJ and a true selector with a passion for underground music. 

For us here at Connect this is a serious one to watch so enjoy this next hour of Karis’ favourite sounds of the moment.

ConnectCast 052 - Karis

Deyra [Minimal Groove Concept]

Clast [Minimal Groove Concept]

Contact: infoffthegrid [at] gmail.com

  3n0
  Animals on Psychedelics
  Appian
  Children Of The Sun
  Deep Frontier Records
  Disk Capita
  DMA
  Dote
  Dopium Tribe
  E.P.I.
  Fides
  Finest Hour  
  Flash As a Rat
  Fuori Orario
  Future Friend
  Garage Hermétique
  Hardacre
  Iceman
  Karnak On Acid
  Kontrast
  La Nota Del Diablo
  Lumbago
  Marginal Returns
  Metallic States
  Midibasics
  Mood Waves
  No Acting Vibes
  Off The Grid
  O Mato
  Needs
  No Time County
  Nugs on Board
  Overground
  Part of The Gang
  Pinguin Society
  Presence Unknown
  Roche Madame
  Sarahtonin
  Satelliet Studio
  Saisei
  Shotgun
  SHVRW1
  Spindesire
  Spinning Plates
  Space Shepherd
  Sports
  Stoned Pilot
  Subsequent
  Tape Archive 
  TFR
  Transversal
  trUst
  Tokyo Ghost
  Underlying Form
  Understory
  Wicked Bass
  Vakum
  YAY

EPI001 - A1. S.Time

Off The Grid Records