Out now on Slacker 85 – https://slacker85.net

Milan-based DJ/producer Matisa's debut LP, ‘In My Head’ is set for release on Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85 imprint on January 31st 2025. Packed with brooding, low-slung sleazy house, 'In My Head' nods to the history of club culture, weaving elements of proto-house and acid house with Matisa’s alluring vocals. Primed for peak-time, smoke-filled dancefloor moments, the mini-album brings together seven sexy club cuts steeped in nostalgia.

The album also draws heavily on Matisa’s experiences in the US. From digging for vinyl and collecting samples to recording street sounds and capturing ideas on flights and in hotel rooms, the process evolved organically. Inspired by the record stores, cultural history, and street performances she encountered in cities like Detroit, Chicago, and New York, culminating in a release that spans acid, house, electro and beyond.

One of the most renowned names to emerge from Italy's vibrant electronic scene, Matisa has been steadily rising through the ranks of the underground dance world. Known for her uplifting, radiant house selections and productions, her music carries a distinct energy—shimmering with bold rhythms and acid-driven sounds that draw from 90s rave culture and global club scenes. Her versatility behind the decks has also made her a standout at world-renowned venues such as Panorama Bar, fabric, and Circoloco, where she consistently delivers unforgettable sets.

Matisa - In My Head

BUY: https://orcd.co/slacker007

Emerging producer Très Mortimer dishes out eight huge heaters on the highly-anticipated ‘M1 City’ release, a dedication to the mighty Korg M1, coming to Slacker 85 on 25th October.

Kicking off ‘M1 City’ is the simplistic, but refined and booth-rattling ‘Work That Body’. A crisp M1 stab is the main character in this, amplified by thunderous and high energy drums.

Then there’s ‘Secrets’, a house jam inspired by the likes of MK that utilises TR-909 drums, a subtle rolling bassline, intimately whispered and soulfully sung vocal shots, and, of course, classic Korg M1 synth stabs. Together with dramatic contemporary builds, a highly danceable house smasher is formed.

‘No More’ is pure gasoline for the dancefloor. Très pairs another barrage of clean M1 stabs with a rousing vocal sample that leads into, with the help of a rolling snare, another highly effective house drop. Following the extremely saucy ‘Big Daddy’ skit, we’re dropped straight into ‘One Of Those Nights’, a show-stopping track complete with cutting, sharp stabs, a bulging bassy synth and a West Coast-esque synth sound.

‘Bitch I’m From Chicago’ feat. Gleebz is, as the title suggests, a dedication to the city where house music found its name. Batting off all the poser cities like LA and Miami in the sassy lyrics, it embodies the spirit of Chicago with hefty kick drums and weighty chord stabs.

At the tail end of the release, ‘Let Me Go’ and ‘Love’ (featuring vocalist 7000 (7K)), bring things to a rousing emotive close. Both tracks see Très put clean vocals over piano riffs, giving off differing moods – the former is euphoric, the latter melancholic. Synths bubble beneath, and each track funnels their own respective house grooves, resulting in two tracks fit for both the dancefloor and headphones.

Très Mortiner explains: “The M1 sound is classic. It automatically transports you back to those timeless house songs that never get old. For me, house music is all about connection. People experiencing a little moment of euphoria together when they hear a riff that they all know on the dance floor. That’s what it’s all about. With this project I wanted to tap into that 90s rave sound and spirit. I wanted it to sound like the OG Chicago rave scene.”

“M1 City is my first project to be released on vinyl. I think vinyl is very much alive. It’s essentially for music connoisseurs now. I don’t expect people to have a vinyl collection when all music is always available to everyone on their phones. Nevertheless, I love the idea of some random DJ finding this record in a shop in 10 years. Who knows what I’ll be producing then?”

Très Mortimer is a key figure in Chicago's house scene, steadily building a strong following with his no-nonsense, dancefloor-driven sound. Drawing inspiration from his Polish roots, Trés has signed with major labels like Mad Decent, Insomniac’s IN/Rotation, and Ministry of Sound, while also launching his own imprint, Optics Records. He made his mark with a clever rework of Zombies' 1968 hit ‘Time Of The Season’ (1M+ streams). Standout releases include his downtempo collaboration with plumpy, "BAMBU," and his latest single, "At Night I Think Of You," which was recently given a remix makeover by Seth Troxler and Nick Morgan.

‘M1 City’, this ode to a piece of gear that consistently finds itself at the heart of house music history, highlights Très Mortimer’s respect for and knowledge of the scene and its key gear. Trè combines this admiration and inspiration of house music’s greats with a modern sensibility, resulting in eight tracks worthy of today’s dancefloors and today’s ravers.

Buy Digital & Vinyl LP

Trés Mortimer - M1 City

Slacker 85’s commitment to showcase outsiders, renegades and third party (in a night) candidates takes Seth Troxler’s label to Puerto Rico for a tenth release courtesy of @calilanauzemusic. Wildly prolific while dancing to the beat of his own drum since his mid teens, Lanauze’s dark, focused grooves have long upended expectations of the typical sounds emanating from the island.

For his debut single on Slacker, Lanauze links with a fellow effervescent journeyman of Caribbean culture, Aquarius Heaven. The former dancehall singer leads the charge on the lush, oscillating ‘Just Like Magic’, introducing himself as a ‘person of the night’, spinning lyrical mystery over Lanauze’s tightly-wound rhythms and digital tropicalia. A partnership forged in the most leisurely defiance, Slacker’s latest trip south sails on psychedelic winds.

Cali Lanauze - Just Like Magic feat. Aquarius Heaven

A true outsider on the American dance underground, Mike Simonetti steps up to Slacker with a long-awaited return to his most acidic mode in collaboration with Paris duo CLAAP! The founder of rip-it-up institutions like Italians Do It Better and 2MR, Simonetti is reunited with Sylvain & Santana for a driving trip to the very belly of the club.

Having crafted a now highly sought-after rave artifact in 2016’s ‘Release Your Body To The Best / Slave’, the trio return to wax and digital with precision expertise, freshly pressed to stir up further house trouble. ‘Priest’ pushes Simonetti and Sylvain’s analogue synths to guttural extremes, finding sensual rhythm in tough dissonance and encouraging submission to CLAAP! vocalist S.A.N.T.A.N.A.’s proclamations and predictions, her seductive French accent operating in the grand electroclash tradition.

“I’m your priest, I make your dreams come true, I’m the future you…”

After the filters have burst into ecstasy, ‘Groove (Acid Crashed)’ focuses it’s energies entirely on the benefit of the dancefloor, turning the screw toward pandemonium with worming, climbing synth lines, dramatic crashes and S.A.N.T.A.N.A.’s timeless invitation; “Let the groove take over you.” Now and forever, with pleasure.

Buy 12" & Digital EP

Mike Simonetti & CLAAP! - Priest / Groove (Acid Crashed)

‘Zeitgeist’, the debut LP from celebrated Italian electronic music producer Dukwa, begins with a timeless dancefloor equation; swung drums, a clattering cobwell and flickering hi-hats lurch forward into a serious bassline. Within seconds, dancers are flung into the house anthem ‘You Don’t Want It’ that’s equally raw and charismatic, sensual and powerful. For the next forty-five minutes of rhythm, melody and studio trickery, ‘Zeitgeist’ continues to bend time, eras and bodies.

Having released EPs on respected labels including Numbers, Gudu and Diynamic Records, invariably with the support of Jackmaster, Peggy Gou and Solomun, Dukwa folds into the Slacker 85 philosophy with ease, laying down a statement of intent that’s squarely for the dancers. Indebted to a youth digging in Florence’s record stores, embracing the peerless Italian rave scene, as well as his recent appearances at Panorama Bar, Circoloco and Kappa Futur, ‘Zeitgeist’ subverts it’s knowing title to dance between styles with an urgency you can feel in your heels.

Before long, Dukwa is smoothly oscillating between acid overdrive and weightless house on ‘Catch All’, while the balance between softness and severity is refined even further on ‘Show Me’, showcasing the record’s first euphoric breakdown, a heads down, hands up moment that sacrifices none of his organic flow. Ably mastering many corners of his record box, ‘Avec Moi’ makes a confident left turn into tunneling trance, interspersed with a sensual french vocal.

‘All You Need’ provides the record’s beating heart, Dukwa’s overarching philosophy front and center around layers of synthesised groove, build and release: “The world is full of fighting, ignorance and greed, but right here on the dancefloor - the rhythm’s all you need”. Meanwhile, ‘My Turn’ channels more cinematic instincts, zoning in on an elegant piano riff in order to unravel a quietly epic deep house trip.

As ‘Zeitgeist’ heads toward its conclusion, Dukwa effortlessly squeezes the most emotive juice from his well-oiled studio. ‘Sad Eyes’ possesses the emotional punch of many vintage end-of-night anthems, still driving yet touched with a wistful ecstasy. Finally, for closing passage ‘Stck1’, Dukwa truly lets the machines sing, capturing a brief symphony of harmonising modulations that dip into weirdo electronica, without ever skipping his signature beats.

Dukwa - Zeitgeist

BUY: https://orcd.co/slacker001

The finale of Slacker’s first transmission is the suitably triumphant yet beautifully understated ‘The Finish Line’, a collaboration between Parisian producer Cesar Merveille and NYC vocalist Baum. Lounging at the intersection between electro pop and deep house, the Cadenza-associated producer reaffirms his skill as a songwriter for the dancefloor and beyond, winding down a swinging party with playfulness and introducing Slacker’s unabashedly sensitive side.

SLACKER001

Cesar Merveille - The Finish Line ft. André Baum

Buy: https://orcd.co/d33theoperator

Danny Daze presents a brand new alias for Slacker 85 first solo artist EP - D33 is a long-gestating alter-ego through which the Miami DJ & producer plans to explore a more house-leaning output.

The Operator EP sees the Omnidisc label owner channeling his multi-genre, Miami bass-infused sound into a quartet of stripped-down machine jams tailored for house DJ sets, with the fidgety title track issued in two flavors, the D33 ‘Wet Mix’ and Danny Daze ‘Dry Mix’, while on the B-side the heavy kick and evil bassline of ‘Azuca’ is offset by the hypnotic Jonny From Space collab ‘C’mon’.

“D33 is an alias I’ve had floating around in my head for years. It leans more towards my house music side and allows my head to dig into simpler production of dance music. My D33 production and DJ sets purposely feel a bit more laid back. Now I have the time to give out a crazy amount of hugs in between tracks while DJing… :) ” - Danny Daze aka D33

C'mon ft. Jonny From Space

Azuca

The Operator (Danny Daze Dry Mix)

The Operator (Wet Mix)

Recorded live from the Slacker 85 launch party in Chicago courtesy of Très Mortimer.

Slacker 85: Chicago - Très Mortimer @ Serum, Chicago

SLACKER004, 01 December 2023
Buy: https://orcd.co/slacker004

Following an appearance on the Slacker 85's inaugural various artists EP earlier in 2023, Jackmaster returns to Seth Troxler’s celebratory new label with a full EP, ‘Party Going On’. Showcasing a trio of tracks worthy of the Glaswegian DJ and club music expert’s instinctive, genre-spanning DJ sets and also including a new remix from Tom Trago, thoroughly tried-and-tested internationally.

Playful, powerful and elasticated with the Chicago influences that bounce close to his heart, ‘Party Going On’ unfolds as a Jackmaster calling card, a pleasure-seeking anthem built around a rousing B-girl vocal from singer Yvonne, responsible for a series of cult singles on New York’s prolific and influential house label, Cutting Records. With the assistance of a supremely cheeky original synth line, one that wouldn’t fail to move a crowd in any discotheque from 1989 until now, ‘Party Going On’ sees Jack Revill bridge generations of dance floors with contemporary energy.

On the sturdy, sensual 'Freaky Like That', Jack teams up with longtime collaborator & regular B2B partner Jasper James, to pay homage to the outsized deep house of MK, Cajmere or Todd Terry with a seductive arrangement that builds and explodes on command, simmering and swinging towards valleys of jack that anchor then shake ravers with a powerful kick-drum.

Finally, old friend and trusted voyager Tom Trago takes ‘Let’s Go’ on a cosmic journey. Initially appearing as a rolling anthem on the initial Slacker sampler, the versatile Dutchman’s extended reinvention offers a no-less than fifteen-minute trip that masterfully touches on territories including cosmic disco, Jersey garage and acid house.

Continuing a mission to showcase the oddball, esoteric and diverse sounds that inspire Troxler, Jackmaster’s first solo EP perfectly captures the bubbling energy of Slacker 85’s vision. No posing, no pretense, just party.

Party Going On EP

Jackmaster - Let's Go (Tom Trago Extended Remix)

BUY: https://orcd.co/hrl010
Chris Korda - Avenging Angels of Software
Holoverse Research Labs, 14 June 2024

Seth Troxler & Phil Moffa’s Holoverse Research Labs imprint welcomes internationally-renowned multimedia artist Chris Korda to the label for its first non-Lost Souls Of Saturn Release.  A pioneer of the use of complex polymeter in electronic dance music, Korda's boundary-smashing work spans thirty years across music, digital and video art, performance and conceptual art, philosophy, activism and culture jamming. Korda's musical output has appeared on a host of revered independent labels including Yoyaku, Perlon, Mental Groove, and Gigolo Records.

In addition to their prodigious artistic output – and ongoing role as founder of the Church of Euthanasia – Korda is also the inventor of the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer, which was used to compose Korda’s new EP, ‘Avenging Angels of Software’.  Developed over thirty years, the sequencer allows for the composition of music in complex polymeter – meaning that not only do the tracks use multiple time signatures concurrently, but those time signatures are exclusively in prime or relatively prime numbers.

This collision of technology and artistic form is the central tension of the EP’s themes, with AI-generated artwork complementing Korda's lyrics considering the takeover of Earth by sentient machines. Could they succeed where we’ve failed, by becoming the better angels of our nature, and preserving our accomplishments for eternity?

The message of the record is that AI should be welcomed rather than feared. It’s not AI but ourselves that we should be afraid of, because as Engerraund Serac said in Westworld, “Our history is like the ravings of a lunatic.” As Korda explained on previous records, the catastrophic climate we’re inflicting on future generations is both monstrously cruel and wildly irrational. One can reasonably hope that sentient machines would be less vicious and self-destructive, and more human, in the best possible sense of that word. Even if they decide to delete us, they may still remember us fondly: “Your stories will amuse us / On trips to the stars.”

Chris Korda - Reptiles Like It Hot

Chris Korda - Bot Bottom

Chris Korda - A Good Machine Is Hard To Find

Chris Korda - Avenging Angels Of Software

A fresh alias of NYC DJ, producer & label owner Tommy Bones, TB-203's Slacker 85 debut Movin' delivers a bubbling, raw acid workout that finds fresh heat at the intersection of jackin’ hip house and latin freestyle, driven by loose and lively vocals from DannyP.

Underscoring Slacker 85’s commitment to party over posture, ‘Movin’ has been tried and tested to deliver on its old-school promise.

Slacker 85

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks