Scissor and Thread's Essential Tracks

_XVÍ. ²/⁸

Frank & Tony

Scissor and Thread Essentials

Scissor & Thread is cut from a different cloth than your average dance imprint. Patterned more like an indie label, Scissor & Thread is focused on developing artists and providing them a platform for ambitious ideas that expand beyond the confines of the 

Scissor and Thread Discography

Full interview here: https://tinyurl.com/2u33m34k

Next up we welcome the fabulous Black Light Smoke to the series. We have been big fans of his for some time here at Berlin-Brighton HQ especially enjoying the expertly laced and groove filled releases he has been putting out there for some time. 

Black Light Smoke is the electronic music moniker of Jordan Lieb - producer, songwriter, and Daytime Emmy Award winning film and tv composer. A Chicago native and child of 90s house music, Jordan transplanted to New York City in 2001, where his career as a multi-disciplined musician has taken flight in many forms. 

Black Light Smoke first lit up the house music scene in 2010 with his EP “Lovework” (Scissor & Thread), which was spurred on by a remix from DJ T and a spot on Andrew Weatherall’s Masterpiece. He followed up with “Rough Cuts” (2013), delivering the dance floor banger “That’s My Yes”, and the 80s-synth-drenched “Firefly” (2014), two tracks from which were featured in Ana Lily Amirpour’s 2016 indie cult film “The Bad Batch”. With “City Life” and “Nothing Makes Me Feel (Good Anymore)” (2019) Black Light Smoke returned to his jacking and deep house roots.

Black Light Smoke has showcased his wide breadth of influences with releases on Voodoo Down, hafendisko, Cut Mistake Music, Nein Records, and his own imprint Death Decay Magic. His sound spans from house, techno, italo, EBM and post punk, often infused with his own haunting vocals. Black Light Smoke has performed his unique live set around the globe, including Fabric in London, Boiler Room, Robot Heart, the BPM festival in Mexico, and in many cities across North America. 

In June 2023 he returns to revered New York label Scissor and Thread with Ghosts, a sophomore LP that sees the Chicago native revisiting his youth through exploring the origins of house music, while touching on themes of closure, creativity and identity. This LP is something of an anticipated homecoming as he debuted on the label over a decade ago with his gritty, analog sound, and he’d become a regular fixture throughout Scissor and Thread’s earlier years before pursuing other projects.

Tracklist:
Black Light Smoke - The Storm
Mike Dehnert - Dico B1
Maan - Trow (Sterac Remix)
Patrick Dandoczi - Deetroy (Samuel L Session Remix)
Moritz Von Oswald, Juan Atkins - Transport (Carl Craig Remix - DJ Deep & Roman Poncet Rework)
Frequency - Panic Mode
Ejeca - Encounter
Parallel 9 - Technic
Tracey - Interceptor
Silent Servant - Discipline
Adam Beyer - Crispy Beats
Steve O’Sullivan - viridi
Black Light Smoke - Out From Within
Steve O’Sullivan - Better Late Than Never (Unreleased Mix) 
Delano Smith - Free To Explore (Interpreted By Makam) (Remix)

Berlin Mixtapes - Black Light Smoke - Episode 052

INTERVIEW & TRACKLIST > https://inverted-audio.com/mix/black-light-smoke

American producer @black-light-smoke steps up to deliver the 374th edition of the IA MIX Series, interweaving a subterranean masterclass of deep club sonorities, bolstered with his own edits of classic tracks from Maurizio and Chip E.

Originally from Chicago, Jordan Lieb studied in Massachusetts before relocating to New York in 2001 to pursue a career in music. He met Francis Harris (circa 2010), whilst Harris was looking for a studio to mix down his debut album ‘Leland‘. This initial friendship blossomed into a mutual kinship that resulted in Jordan releasing the first two vinyl releases on @scissorandthread.

Jordan's second studio album ‘Ghosts‘ is a woozy deep house LP packing 15 chugging grooves, analogue synth melodies and sultry vocals that will appeal to the deepest of house heads. In the interview below, we find out more about the makings of the album, its cryptic artwork, collaborations with vocalist Léah Lazonick and his long-standing admiration for all things Terre Thaemlitz, alongside studio gear and his approach to using social media.

IA MIX SERIES

INTERVIEW

IA MIX 374 Black Light Smoke

For the next GREYSCALE Special Mix chapter we welcome Sean La’Brooy, one-half of Albrecht La'Brooy and co-founder of Analogue Attic record label that we've been fans of for the last couple of years.
Dive in for this amazing journey!
-
Don't forget to check our Bandcamp for the freshest releases!
►►► www.scale-limited.com/
-
-
Tracklist:

Other Joe - I was that Book [.jpeg Artifacts]
Khlav Kalash - I just don’t know what I’m supposed to be [Khlav Kalash]
Dotwish - Risky Endeavours [Dotwish]
Retza - Waiting to go [Satya]
Unknown Artist - UnknownB1 [Unknown]
Tonema - Gruvin [tonema]
Double X - Renounce [Kanzleramt]
Sean La’Brooy - Let [Analogue Attic Recordings]
Alex Albrecht - Unnamed [Unreleased]
Christian Prommer’s Drumlesson - Nervous Track [Sonar Kollektiv]
Sean La’Brooy - Snow Storm [Scissor and Thread (forthcoming)]

Sean La’Brooy:

►SC: @sean_labrooy
► https://www.instagram.com/sean__labrooy/
► https://www.facebook.com/analogueattic

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝘆𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲:

►SC: @greyscale-music-lt
►FB: www.facebook.com/greyscale.recs/
►Instagram: www.instagram.com/greyscale.records/
►Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5n776zbk1eOaMUSgGqH9sN?si=1682cc1be3e642d9

#greyscale #mix #dubtechno #techno #deep

more info

GREYSCALE Special 041 - Sean La’Brooy

Deep and dreamy house. 

Tracklisting and download: https://bit.ly/XLR8Rpodcast_SeanLaBrooy

XLR8R Podcast

Tracklist & Download

XLR8R Podcast 828: Sean La'Brooy

We've been playing for the crew at Robot Heart for close to a decade now and each experience we've had is always so memorable, mostly because of the love and appreciation we feel from the whole crew and their impeccable attention to detail, allowing us to do what we do best, play records. 

When we were invited for the inaugural season of events in Oakland, we were deeply honored. 

We hope you all enjoy this set of select deeper than deep cuts from our record bags to your ears. Long live Robot Heart!

Frank & Tony

instagram.com/frankandtonybk/
instagram.com/grant.la/
instagram.com/scissorandthread/
instagram.com/francisscissor/
instagram.com/tonydeepcollins/

Photo Credit:
John Dill

Frank & Tony (Vinyl Set) - Robot Heart Residency - Oakland 2023

www.linktr..ee/scissorandthread

Will Long is an American artist. He curates and manages the label Two Acorns, as well as producing music since 2005, in various forms under his own name for Terre Thaemiltz's Comatonse Recordings, and as Celer for his own label and many others. 

Here he joins the perfectly aligned Scissor and Thread label of Francis Harris and Anthony Collins for the Too Much EP. 

"Too Much" is a deep cut from the same grooves as the Long Trax series," says Will Long, "a further entry for the downtrodden, the overwhelmed, and those that think change has come. A midnight meditation of intentional simplicity, strained, and on that night train."

The title track is lush, loose deep jam that combines wistful, warm pads with an insistent groove and choice samples.  

Francis Harris steps up to provide one of his signature reforms, adding a little more percussion and drive to the track, while DJ Aakmael (Greg Stewart) offers up another version that takes the track somehow even deeper, adding some additional instrumentation and raw sounds.

Too Much

Will Long - Too Much

Alex Albrecht returns with Aurora - a pristine followup to his Blue Caves transmission via Scissor and Thread in 2018. 

The Melbourne based composer and sound designer Albrecht has leans into his predilection for woozy, affecting melodies intertwined with skittering drums and snaking grooves, and Aurora brings that to the fore with six tracks of shimmering beauty. 

Spring Orchard opens the record, effortlessly merging deeply buried keys with washes of dreamlike synths, and dubby effects. 
Wildflower Walk is a melancholic affair, underpinned with a restless groove. 
The title track Aurora treads a similar path, but with a more driving approach, while an interplay between piano, guitar, and synths drenched in reverb offer a warm, enveloping atmosphere. 


Aurora is also shared here as a remix by Roza Terenzi, who entirely reworks the track with her signature club ready grooves . 

Kennett River exhibits a kind of smudged, cinematic hip hop feel, while closing track Morning Piazza showcases Albrecht’s sense of drama and pacing, producing a sublime ending to this deeply affecting collection.

Aurora

Alex Albrecht - Aurora

https://soundcloud.com/soelaela
www.linktr.ee/scissorandthread

Soela releases the first single from her upcoming album Dark Portrait on Scissor & Thread - Even If I Ask You Stay. 

Russian born Berlin based Elina Shorokhova has made a transition from pianist and vocalist into electronic music, balancing her ear for melody and musicality.

With this single, we get to see a very vulnerable side of Soela; "Even If I Ask You To Stay has several meanings for me. The most direct one is about an abusive relationship where you're already openly asking the person to leave, but are so attached that you want them to stay. The second meaning is with my struggle with depression. My experience is that it takes a lot of inner strength to heal from depression, and sometimes you're still powerless against the disease. So it stays with you again and again”.
 
The track itself merges a skittering rhythm, gorgeously melancholic piano and string sections with Soela's vocals that cut deep - resulting in a beautifully realized and powerful composition

Even If I Ask You To Stay

Soela - Even If I Ask You To Stay

Artist: @soelaela
Stream/Buy: www.linktr.ee/scissorandthread

Soela is the DJ and production alias of Elina Shorokhova, a Russia-born Berlin-based experienced pianist and vocalist who has made a hugely impactful transition into electronic music.

Having released material on such labels as Kompakt, Dial, Shall Not Fade, Lost Palms, E-Beamz, Red Ember Records, Sushitech, and others, Soela joins the ranks of Scissor & Thread for this exquisite album - Dark Portrait. 

The album opens in a typically understated manner with Unsuitable - a melancholic trip-hop adjacent track that sets the tone for the next 8 pieces. As Soela explains, “I was dealing with some very complex feelings, so I came up with this album, which helped me not to despair, to work on myself, to grow internally, and to start listening to myself. It helped me to keep sane when my country invaded Ukraine with a full scale war. It absolutely broke my heart, and music was one of my main salvations.” 

This complex mix of emotions plays out across the album with tracks that utilize her beautiful musicality (Through the Windows feat. Francis Harris and Philipp Priebe, Drowning feat. Module One) and ear for details with skittering beats, ambient soundscapes (Spirits, Lost In The Fog) and lose-yourself dancefloor moments such as the collaboration with Lawrence on February Is Not Going To Be Forever. The title track Dark Portrait combines dubby elements with affecting pads and melodic touches, while the lead single Even If I Ask You Stay delves into multiple feelings around escaping toxic situations, and battling depression. It features a powerful vocal from Soela supported by a deeply affecting arrangement. The closing track The Darkest Hour Before Sunrise brings a sense of hope and light, balancing subdued keys and strings with ethereal tones and atmospheres

Dark Portrait

Soela - Unsuitable

Stream/Vinyl: www.linktr.ee/scissorandthread

DaRand Land, who hails from the post industrial confines of Buffalo, NY was one of the leading figures of Deep4Life, a cult label known for submersible oriented, yet dancefloor-friendly productions. With ambient synth-driven tones and heavy funk basslines being at the center of his sound, DaRand Land’s music often evokes an introspective quality, without losing its groove fundamental.

Following on from a number of releases on Pulp, Downbeat, Urban Imagery and the “Discover You” EP on Scissor & Thread, here is Nature Of Reality, the single taken from DaRand Land’s second album Wander Being, released on Scissor & Thread in late November 2024. 





“In particular, the single, The Nature of Reality”, says DaRand, “was written to convey a sense of what it feels like to be in a state of suspended animation. There is a natural tension introduced via the organic, swirling pad progression juxtaposed against endless vocal echoes and the low-end groove of the bassline. Thematically, I wanted to carry this forward through the entirety of the album.”

The Nature Of Reality

Stream/Vinyl

DaRand Land - The Nature Of Reality

Stream/Vinyl www.linktr.ee/scissorandthread

DaRand Land, who hails from the post industrial confines of Buffalo, NY was one of the leading figures of Deep4Life, a cult label known for submersible oriented, yet dancefloor-friendly productions. With ambient synth-driven tones and heavy funk basslines being at the center of his sound, DaRand Land’s music often evokes an introspective quality, without losing its groove fundamental. DaRand’s works, which span decades on deep house labels such as Downbeat, Confluence and Pulp have been described as “uncompromising” and has afforded him a passionate following of listeners who seek a more emotive, thought-provoking brand of underground music.

Teaming up once again with Scissors and Thread - the perfect fit for his sound - DaRand Land drops an album full of crafty, trippy house for the heads. Wander Being contains 10 tracks on the double vinyl release with a pair of additional tracks for the digital release. The vibe is deep and sleek, with a rough, bumping edge. The title track sets the tone, a smattering of percussion accompanying a thick, round kick drum and Rhodes chords, giving off a classic Detroit feel. Tracks like Turn to The Music ramp up the energy somewhat, but overall the tracks sit in the sweet spot between dancefloor burners and soulful, jazzy, deep cuts. 

Noticeable is the space given to each element across the tracks - the hi-hats sparkle, the snare snaps, and the basslines roll and rumble. Add to this the magic melodic flourishes provided by the pads and synths, reminiscent of the late Mike Huckaby in places, made this whole album a thoughtful, joyful experience.

„The genesis for the Wander Being LP”, says DaRand “was a desire to return to the essence of some of my original Deep4Life productions. How was this accomplished? Principally, through the exclusive use of hardware components, minimalist arrangement, and a minds-eye approach to source the musical elements. In particular, the single, The Nature of Reality was written to convey a sense of what it feels like to be in a state of suspended animation. There is a natural tension introduced via the organic, swirling pad progression juxtaposed against endless vocal echoes and the low-end groove of the bassline. Thematically, I wanted to carry this forward through the entirety of the album.

Wander Being

DaRand Land - Wander Being

Stream/Vinyl: www.linktr.ee/scissorandthread

DaRand Land, who hails from the post industrial confines of Buffalo, NY was one of the leading figures of Deep4Life, a cult label known for submersible oriented, yet dancefloor-friendly productions. With ambient synth-driven tones and heavy funk basslines being at the center of his sound, DaRand Land’s music often evokes an introspective quality, without losing its groove fundamental. DaRand’s works, which span decades on deep house labels such as Downbeat, Confluence and Pulp have been described as “uncompromising” and has afforded him a passionate following of listeners who seek a more emotive, thought-provoking brand of underground music.

Teaming up once again with Scissors and Thread - the perfect fit for his sound - DaRand Land drops an album full of crafty, trippy house for the heads. Wander Being contains 10 tracks on the double vinyl release with a pair of additional tracks for the digital release. The vibe is deep and sleek, with a rough, bumping edge. The title track sets the tone, a smattering of percussion accompanying a thick, round kick drum and Rhodes chords, giving off a classic Detroit feel. Tracks like Turn to The Music ramp up the energy somewhat, but overall the tracks sit in the sweet spot between dancefloor burners and soulful, jazzy, deep cuts. 

Noticeable is the space given to each element across the tracks - the hi-hats sparkle, the snare snaps, and the basslines roll and rumble. Add to this the magic melodic flourishes provided by the pads and synths, reminiscent of the late Mike Huckaby in places, made this whole album a thoughtful, joyful experience.

„The genesis for the Wander Being LP”, says DaRand “was a desire to return to the essence of some of my original Deep4Life productions. How was this accomplished? Principally, through the exclusive use of hardware components, minimalist arrangement, and a minds-eye approach to source the musical elements. In particular, the single, The Nature of Reality was written to convey a sense of what it feels like to be in a state of suspended animation. There is a natural tension introduced via the organic, swirling pad progression juxtaposed against endless vocal echoes and the low-end groove of the bassline. Thematically, I wanted to carry this forward through the entirety of the album.

Turn To The Music

DaRand Land - Turn To The Music

www.linktr.ee/scissorandthread

DaRand Land, who hails from the post industrial confines of Buffalo, NY was one of the leading figures of Deep4Life, a cult label known for submersible oriented, yet dancefloor-friendly productions. With ambient synth-driven tones and heavy funk basslines being at the center of his sound, DaRand Land’s music often evokes an introspective quality, without losing its groove fundamental. DaRand’s works, which span decades on deep house labels such as Downbeat, Confluence and Pulp have been described as “uncompromising” and has afforded him a passionate following of listeners who seek a more emotive, thought-provoking brand of underground music.

Teaming up once again with Scissors and Thread - the perfect fit for his sound - DaRand Land drops an album full of crafty, trippy house for the heads. Wander Being contains 10 tracks on the double vinyl release with a pair of additional tracks for the digital release. The vibe is deep and sleek, with a rough, bumping edge. The title track sets the tone, a smattering of percussion accompanying a thick, round kick drum and Rhodes chords, giving off a classic Detroit feel. Tracks like Turn to The Music ramp up the energy somewhat, but overall the tracks sit in the sweet spot between dancefloor burners and soulful, jazzy, deep cuts. 

Noticeable is the space given to each element across the tracks - the hi-hats sparkle, the snare snaps, and the basslines roll and rumble. Add to this the magic melodic flourishes provided by the pads and synths, reminiscent of the late Mike Huckaby in places, made this whole album a thoughtful, joyful experience.

„The genesis for the Wander Being LP”, says DaRand “was a desire to return to the essence of some of my original Deep4Life productions. How was this accomplished? Principally, through the exclusive use of hardware components, minimalist arrangement, and a minds-eye approach to source the musical elements. In particular, the single, The Nature of Reality was written to convey a sense of what it feels like to be in a state of suspended animation. There is a natural tension introduced via the organic, swirling pad progression juxtaposed against endless vocal echoes and the low-end groove of the bassline. Thematically, I wanted to carry this forward through the entirety of the album.

Jazz Intend

DaRand Land - Jazz Intend

At The Feeling Level

DaRand Land - At The Feeling Level

fka boursin is a DJ and producer out of Bristol, UK. 
Previously known as DJ Boursin, he is recognized for his deep, ambient-infused house music that explores political dimensions of clubs and identity politics.

Welcomed into the Scissor & Thread fold, fka boursin shares two cuts of deep and introspective electronic music. 

The original Listless Intertext is a hazy trip through ambient soundscapes, shuffling rhythms and half-caught conversations, drifting across a 12 minute run time that slowly evolves and shifts with time.  

"Listless Intertext is a track centred around the "failed" employment of cheap vocoder software that attempted to process explicit words and phrases across 11 minutes." says fka boursin. "Instead, the vocoder output made any words indecipherable and I was left with thematic vagueness. The final text of the track is simply a submission to its own limitations with some french thrown in."

When label bosses Frank & Tony step up for their Housebeat Dub, they keep the essential mood but introduce a thick, fat groove that works just as well in conveying the mood. 

"Our remix is a strictly dancefloor approach," says Frank, "an extended psychedelic beat rework perfect for late night, early morning vibes".


Listless Intertext (Frank & Tony's Housebeat Dub)

Isaiah Rashad - Stuck In The Mud (feat. SZA)

Future Bound - Sorrow

Featuring: https://soundcloud.com/seesosi

Produced by: The Virus and Antidote

It'sNotTheEndYet - Ft. Sosi

MUSIC VIDEO LINKS:
the bootleg boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc03KA8w4dk
dynmk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zO8RoRpm7E

we don't really talk now