Coming in as the 8th release from an incredible Prague based imprint Harmony Records, Reality Check is the second offering from label co-founder Alfred Czital, who followed up on his 2019 release, ‘Lippa’. Our focus for today lies nestled in between two of the more beat driven tracks, providing a nice juxtaposition to some of the harder tracks on the release.

Much like gazing down at the surface of a watery pool, Alfred Czital & Jamida’s collaboration Hermannstraße 176 evokes a sense of aural depth and serenity. Breath like pads swell and subside in the background, as bright textures snap in and out of existence. Creating a shimmering sonic backdrop as if the sun were dancing across a thousand small waves.
Write up by @huedj

@fred-czital
@ja-mida
@harmony-rec

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PREMIERE: Alfred Czital & Jamida - Hermannstraße 176 [Harmony Rec.]

For the first time in more than a decade, Paul St. Hilaire (AKA Tikiman) presents a solo album – 100% Tiki. 

Over his 30-plus year career, St. Hilaire has become one of dance music’s quietly legendary figures. Born and raised in the Caribbean island Dominica, he moved to Berlin in 1994 and has lent both his voice and his musicianship to some of the most iconic electronic music from the German capital – and beyond. Renowned for his collaborations with Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus (AKA Rhythm & Sound), he has also appeared on records with Deadbeat, Rhauder, Larry Heard aka Mr. Fingers and Stereotyp (G-Stone Recordings), amongst others. 

However, few know the extent of St. Hilaire’s compositional and technical mastery. From his home studio in Kreuzberg, which includes an extensive collection of vintage hardware, self-built instruments and notebooks scribbled with endless lyrics, he has created a vast archive of material spanning ambient dub, avant-jazz, lush techno and lovers rock. 

Tikiman Vol. 1 is a heady, downtempo tour de force of patois metaphors on education, displacement and personal vs. global histories, as is evident on slippy album opener “Bedroom in My Bag”: Mister, mister / Where are you going? / I’m heading for a faraway land / What are you having in the bag in your hand? / Help us to understand / He said, I’ve got my bedroom in my bag. 

Overall, the album’s lyrics reflect on life between Berlin and Dominica, specifically St. Hilaire’s hometown of Grand Bay, where he has worked with various musicians famous for the island’s different genres of carnival music. St. Hilaire himself always favoured the island’s more “discrete” music, developing a sonic synergy between two different geographical strains of groove and minimalism, and combining them with foundational Caribbean mixing techniques, which provide the basis for his songwriting and distinct baritone. 

Tikiman Vol.1 offers a rare insight into St. Hilaire’s complex artistry, from the eyes-down grooves of “Little Way” and the guitar-heavy digi dancehall experiment “Keep Safe,” to the subtle hypnosis of “Ten to One” and the softly crashing synth waves of closer “Three and a Half”, evoking not only beaches but also coasts and borders. It’s a fitting expression of both the breadth of St. Hilaire’s work, as well as his history as one of the few black, Berlin-based artists who, despite remaining largely overlooked, has influenced the city’s electronic music culture since its beginnings. 

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Kynant Records was founded in 2015 by Richard Akingbehin, a British-Nigerian radio programmer (Refuge Worldwide), music writer and DJ. Originally specialising in deep techno and featuring artists such as Cio D’Or, Terrence Dixon and Donato Dozzy, Kynant has since launched a sub-label Kynant EX which focuses on ambient, dub and experimental electronics. 

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Distributed by N.E.W.S 
Mastered by Stefan Betke 
Artwork by Grant Gibson 

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Supported by Initiative Musik gGmbH with project funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media.

B1 Paul St. Hilaire - Bright One

Following up his recent record on NAFF, Cousin returns to the Moonshoe home front for his latest offering. Introspective and unbound sounds etched into the latest mini disc - delicately staunch cuts that may both pluck at your heart strings and rattle your bones. Recommended connection to the call as it phones home.

*7 inch features shorter edits of each track to maximise premium sound quality for the format.

releases May 15, 2023

Music & Art by Cousin
Mastered by The Herbalist

Cousin - Rosie // On2 - MSH014 (Snippets)

Pub - Summer

Legendary dub techno artist Paul St. Hilaire (AKA Tikiman) announces new collaborative album, marking 10 years of Kynant Records. 

Building on the success of Paul St. Hilaire’s landmark solo album for Kynant in 2023, w/ The Producers switches up the formula to pair St. Hilaire with a different producer on each track. Referencing fellow dub techno pioneers Mark Ernestus & Moritz von Oswald’s acclaimed album w/ The Artists as Rhythm & Sound, St. Hilaire flips the concept to feature as the lone vocalist.

Over the album’s nine tracks, St. Hilaire offers a range of conscious song-writing and headtop musings, such as the spoken-word dread of “What’s This” or the sparse call-to-action of “Send Them On”. w/ The Producers is yet another essential record in St. Hilaire’s unmatched discography.

The album marks 10 years of Kynant Records, with label owner Richard Akingbehin curating an eclectic but sonically connected group of producers. These include luminaries such as Digital Mystikz boss and dubstep trailblazer Mala, or the elusive Chain Reaction artist Shinichi Atobe. They sit alongside some of the most exciting names in recent electronic music - Batu, Gavsborg, Azu Tiwaline, Priori, Cousin, Russell E.L. Butler, Aurora Halal and DJ G - all of whom bring different elements of dub techno into their productions.

w/ The Producers finds Kynant Records bridging the original voice of dub techno with the genre’s new wave. It’s a statement of intent from the label, which began 10 years ago with deep, hypnotic techno and has veered gradually towards more dubwise sounds.

Mastered by Stefan Betke
Artwork by Grant Gibson
Distributed by N.E.W.S 

B2 Paul St. Hilaire & Shinichi Atobe - Time to Wake Up

Welcome to CUFFIN SEASON VOL. 1 [TRACK 8 ]

Acapella Version OUT NOW on YOUTUBE visit "The Cheff Beats"

Music a Fe Rule (Part 2)

Rhythm & Sound

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