Smokestack Lightnin' (Howlin' Wolf)

1/3/2015

Tracklist:

1. Jorge Reyes - Río de Nueve Corrientes
2. T'iwu - Chapu
3. DJ Spooky - Juba
4. Ryuichi Sakamoto / Illuha / Taylor Deupree - Movement, 3
5. Unknown - Unknown
6. O Yuki Conjugate - Anima
7. Biosphere - Antennaria
8. Raime - The Last Foundry
9. S.A.M. - Delaphine 003
10. Pete Namlook - Ancient Beauty
11. Aphex Twin - Blue Calx
12. Jorge Reyes - Luna Caracol

Alkimia Sessions 001

We are proud to present our second release by Beat Pharmacy AKA Brendon Moeller AKA Echologist, a singular voice in contemporary electronic, techno, and sound system musics in his various guises.  Beat Pharmacy tunes begin life as live hardware jams where reverb, echo and delay rule the day, and rugged textures rub against digital processing.

In “Density,” bass, kick and heavily reverbed piano skanks anchor an instantly enveloping soundworld of deepest dubwise ambience.  From around hidden corners emerge the hiss of distant pistons and valves, sentient machinery working in complex relationships.  Wobbles, wubs and sweeps communicate across cavernous spaces, as strange rhythmic elements sputter and spatter, tangling and massing in double-time to the point of rupture, only to resolve into crystalline moments of suspension into gorgeous, neck-snapping drops.  Simply mesmerizing, and heavy in the dance.  “Everything to Gain” is spun from the same heavy metals, with a sparser feel, processed voice, and a buzzing, repeating alarm figure that sounds like a submarine warning that the dive is getting too deep, too dangerous…

Music that is moving, powerful, evocative and kinetic, slotting beautifully into 140 sets while defying easy categorization or description, always following vision over fashion.  This is why we love Beat Pharmacy.

Limited to 600 copies for the world.  Vinyl only, no repress, no digital.  Design & screen print by Polygon Press.

Beat Pharmacy "Density" b/w "Everything To Gain" ZamZam 55 7" vinyl rip edit

After a few months’ hiatus, ZamZam Sounds returns with our third release from Philadelphia dub-tech duo Heights & Worship, the propulsive & heady “Selassie’s Song” in two parts. Heights is Ras Heights of Ital Sound System, Worship represents Rob Paine, long-time head of dubhouse institution Worship Recordings and Solomonic Sound System. ZamZam’s friendship and musical connection to Rob extends back to the BSI Records days, and the link remains strong.

Both versions of “Selassie’s Song” utilize dub techno principles in new shapes and forms, far from the familiar Rhythm & Sound homages. Techy clicks & skittering percussion intertwine with the ancient sound of the binghi drum, signaling a seamless marriage of Rasta consciousness with an early morning eyes-down techno pulse & palette.

The A side “Never Chained” mix marries double time hi hats and synthetic textures to a body-rocking half time riddim. Sharp snares cut through the dense atmospheres, like shots fired across distant waves, and the disembodied voice of Emperor Haile Selassie I intones timeless wisdom on the unity of humanity in spite of differences in race, creed, religion, or nationality. The tune’s second drop leads into a 4/4 pulse that carries the tune into full dub techno territory, continued in even sparser style on the B side.

The “Break Every Chain” mix strips away most of the melodics to focus on the heartbeat techno pulse, as metallic synth skanks rise and fall, hi hats deftly shift patterns and mechanical textures emerge and fade, a disorienting game of light and shadow. A masterclass in deep & esoteric dubwise as only Heights & Worship do it.

Mastered by Sam at Precise.  Released mid-March, 2018. Limited to 600 7" vinyl copies for the world. Design & screen print by Polygon Press.  No repress, no digital. 

Contact zamzamsounds@gmail.com for any information, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to be kept in the loop!

Heights & Worship "Selassie's Song" ZamZam 60 vinyl rip blend

We are very pleased to finally unleash ZamZam 62, a power-plate from New Zealanders LQ & Headland.  We’ve been running both of these tunes on acetate for some time now, and the results are consistently devastating.  

Gene Warriner, better known in the sound system world as Headland, is a prolific producer of dark, multi-faceted bass music whose star has been rising via singles and EPs on Innamind, Unity Through Sound, and Well Rounded Dubs.  Ben LQ AKA Low Quality is an accomplished producer and runs the Dub/Steppas/Jungle vinyl label Echo Chamber Sound, dropping 10”s and 12”s since 2010. 

The collaborative “Fat Neck” (a cheeky working title that we insisted on keeping) is all about space - dubbed, dusty samples flex and breathe, creating a tense, cinematic space laced with sparse, chopped reggae snares and metronomic hi hats.  The lurching riddim is bonded by a web of Space Echo, spring reverb, and the saturation of LQ’s vintage soundtracs desk for a minimal yet powerfully immersive tune. 

Headland’s solo “Mineral Run” is a 140 workout that manages to weld 4/4 dub techno and half-time dubstep swagger into a rare, gleaming hybrid machine that causes mayhem every time it’s dropped.  “Mineral Run” was also put through LQ’s desk, unifying the sound of these two mini-epics.  The magic in both of these tunes is how deceptively simple they are, how easy LQ & Headland make it sound… but as every fan of sound system music knows, the proof is in the dance. 

Mastered by Sam at Precise.  Released early May, 2018. Limited to 700 7" vinyl copies for the world. Design & screen print by Polygon Press.  No repress, no digital. 

Contact zamzamsounds@gmail.com for any information, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to be kept in the loop!

LQ & Headland "Fat Neck" b/w Headland "Mineral Run" ZamZam 62 vinyl rip blend

We at ZamZam have long been fans of Schlachthofbronx’s genre-smashing club tracks that harness and hybridize bass music styles from Germany, UK, Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil, and beyond.  But when we heard the dark dub of last year’s “Blurred Vision” we knew we had to reach out.  Little did we know the duo was already into ZamZam, paving the way to an eagerly anticipated release championed on dubplate by selectors from The Bug to O.B.F. to Toddla T.  

The Munich pair's ZamZam pushes a sound that's intutive and familiar, yet unlike anything else out there. Schlachthofbronx have carved out an absolutely unique and steely-eyed take on punishing dubwise informed not only by post-punk, house, electro, industrial, and traditional dub reggae principles, but by the legendary 60,000 watt Elemental Wave rig they host their Blurred Vision night on.  Imagine an alternative musical universe where PIL, Mad Professor, and Basic Channel hole up in the Batcave for a pitch-black sound system rave and you’re getting the picture. 

“Dun Dem”’s ring-modulating lead works its way into unsuspecting ears while the projectile kick drum calls in an extended intro that builds into one of the most satisfying drops we’ve ever heard in a steppers tune.  A blackened bassline of pure dub fire drives galloping clave and 4/4 sleigh bells deeper and deeper into a flooded cavern of reverb and dark delights.

“Soundbad” is more maximal minimalism, wringing super-saturated color from deceptively simple elements, marrying a massive dub bassline to smeared white noise snares and rockers hi hats, twisting and rebounding lasers and warped FX into claustrophobic reverb traps. 

Both tunes were tested, worked, & reworked through Schlachthofbronx’ non-stop global touring schedule. Results in the dance speak for themselves - we think you’ll have trouble knowing which side to reach for first.  Do you want a sound system missile, or a sound system bomb??  

Mastered by Sam at Precise

Released 27 JULY, 2018. Limited to 800 7" vinyl copies for the world. Design & screen print by Polygon Press.  No repress, no digital. 

Contact zamzamsounds@gmail.com for any information, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to be kept in the loop!

Schlachthofbronx "Dun Dem" / "Soundbad" ZamZam 64 vinyl rip blend

Khaliphonic 11 is a truly epic release from one of our most prolific artists, Brendon Moeller AKA Echologist, AKA Beat Pharmacy.  In just the last two years, Moeller has released on labels as varied as Echocord, Silent Season, Kynant, and Rohs!, to name only the most well-known.  Recognized globally for a singularly organic and dubwise approach to techno, we are proud to have a close working relationship with an artist who coaxes humanity and warmth from machines like few others.  The Dub Purpose EP is one of his finest achievements.  

As we planned a third ZamZam release from our favorite well of hardware sonics, four tracks emerged as comprising a set that simply did not want to be separated.  The four tunes that make up this EP felt like chapters in a single gorgeous narrative, and so a 12” was born.  

We asked Brendon how dub influences his process, and what this EP specifically is about.  He replied: 

"Dub facilitates whatever vision I have with music, which is one of the reasons I incorporate a dub approach in everything I do. Whether infusing Nyabinghi rhythms with epic strings, roots dub with industrial dread or grungy modular antics with stepping vibes, dub is the glue that keeps it together. The inspiration behind these tracks are On-U Sound, Wordsound and Bill Laswell, travelers who understood the possibilities of dub."

The Dub Purpose EP does in four tunes what many LPs struggle to do in eight - it builds a cohesive narrative arc that moves from menace, to exploration, through mystery, closing with beauty.   And just wait til you hear it on a proper Sound… 

Mastered by Sam Precise. Released March 15, 2019. Limited to 500 12" vinyl copies for the world. Design by Polygon Press.  No repress, no digital. 

Contact zamzamsounds@gmail.com for any information, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to be kept in the loop!

Beat Pharmacy "Dub Purpose" Khaliphonic 11 12" EP vinyl sampler

ZamZam 72 comes from one of our favorite producers for the last few years, the elusive Andy Mac. Known in particular for his “Diving Bird” series, a buy-on-sight trilogy of 12”s on Bristol’s Idle Hands, the idiosyncratic producer also has releases on No Corner (in collaboration with Ossia), and the seminal Punch Drunk label.  His unique style of chopped, techy, warm, pastoralist dubwise had us from the first, and the tunes he sent us flew through our A&R gauntlet with ease.  His are records we return to again and again, revealing more subtlety with each listen, free from genre or tempo constraints.

“Dawner,” the first of two transmissions from Lands End, Cornwall, is a perfect encapsulation of the Andy Mac sound: melancholy yet uplifting, rooted in techno-steppers yet rough-hewn and organic, breezy yet piercingly introspective.  Led by a staccato kick and insistent metallic snare, Featuring a bubbling Hammond organ lead by Richard Blackbarrow of cult UK Rough Trade band “Bob,” this one shimmers with summer warmth, lens-flare refracting saturated side-light, made for dusk sessions and sunrise sets, preferably out of doors, far from any city. 

Layered with field recordings of streams and sea, “Tawny Grammar” is an altogether deeper affair, a dark, hallucinatory journey into the power of repetition in a 140-ish style.  Shaker, kick, and hi hat lay the foundation for a looping and loping Binghi drum and guitar chop that begin their journey hacking through a dense undergrowth of sound, only to find themselves ensnared in a web of backwards delays and psychotropic effects that suspend the unwary in a strange tension between minimal and claustrophobic… the dance’s dark beating heart.

Limited to 600 copies for the world. No digital, no repress. Design & screen print by Polygon Press. Mastered by Sam Precise. Releasing the week of May 27, 2019.

Andy Mac "Dawner" b/w "Tawny Grammar" ZamZam 72 7" vinyl rips

Continuing the march to 100 releases, ZamZam 75 comes from one of our favorite contemporary producers, Alex Waitoa, the man known as Akcept.  Hailing from Christchurch New Zealand, steeped in that country’s unique sound system culture, with a rep cemented by a string of deep and dread releases on crucial imprints including Amar, Moonshine, Sentry, Modern Hypnosis, and Artikal, we are very happy to offer the next chapter in his already strong discography.  With roots, UK dub, techno, and dubstep as points of reference, Akcept operates in an open space where creativity and personal exploration are paramount. 

Murderous on dub for some time, “Cambridge Road” (named for Green King Cuts’ HQ where the tune originated) is a weighty, slyly menacing 140 rocker featuring Akcept’s signature syncopated percussion chops & a slithering, minimalist bassline. A disquietingly distorted hook, pitched & chorused vocal snippets and test tones lead the way through a dark dance equal parts eyes down & wariness - danger lurking around every corner.  

“Over & Out” is the secret weapon, a loping, lumbering behemoth of dubwise built for serious Sounds, a stew of filtered hi hat, heaving bass, sampled drum fills, swung shaker, oddly-looped reggae horns, and claustrophobic spaces navigated by cagey reverbs.

Releasing end of September 2019. Limited to 700 vinyl copies for the world, no repress, no digital. Design & screen print by Polygon Press. Mastering by Sam at Precise Mastering.  Email zamzamsounds@gmail.com for info on ordering, subscribing, or for stockists in your area of the world.  Peace!

Akcept "Cambridge Road" b/w "Over & Out" ZamZam 75 7" vinyl rip blend

Any fan of genre-smashing sound system music outta Europe at this point simply must be aware of Schlachthofbronx. Synthesizing bass music traditions and experimentalism from their home continent, the Americas, Africa, and the Caribbean, the Munich duo are sound system staples, with a relentless (pre-covid) touring schedule and a long-running residency on the 60,000-watt Elemental Wave rig at their legendary Blurred Vision night. Absolutely no one makes omnivorous hybrid rave-club-dub-tech like the boys from Munich, and after the universal love received for their first ZamZam, “Dun Dem” b/w “Soundbad” we couldn’t wait to get into a next chapter.

The A side began life as a Blurred Vision tool, gradually molding itself into a proper tune. “Akkord” brings heavy dub reggae energy and mystically marries it to cumbia-laced accordions, an ultra-sick and darkly melodic bassline, and their patented punishing 4/4 matrix. A filtered vocal snippet warps itself into pure rhythmic texture, anchored by a clanging metal “snare” and layer upon layer of lush, saturated synths. All these elements fling into glorious, beatless suspension in full-spectrum reverb space, tension and release artistry expressed through three massive drops for the skankers.

“Shell” is driven by filtering white noise that swarms and swirls overhead like low-flying propeller blades over 808 village percussion. Throbbing single-note sub bass and fist-pumping kick form the sweltering, locked-down beat stage for Doubla J, a friend and collaborator from Costa Rica. He’s the MC in your head, liminal hype-man inside the record, at once calling for, calling out, and existing within the tune and the dark recesses of the echo chamber.

Mastered by Sam at Precise. Shipping end of October, 2020. Limited to 650 7″ vinyl copies for the world. Design & screen print by Polygon Press. No repress, no digital.

Subscribe to the ZamZam 7" singles club (USA only) PayPal $55 to zamzamsounds@gmail.com and get the next 5 releases shipped to your door.

Schlachthofbronx "Akkord" b/w "Shell ft. Doubla J" ZamZam 81 vinyl blend

ZamZam 82 marks our first collaboration with another label - the mighty Dubquake Records outta Geneva! We’ve long been fans of O.B.F. and Dubquake, so when Von D proposed the collaboration all sides were eager to make it happen. 

Nazamba burst on the global sound system scene in 2018 with O.B.F. and the Bug-produced stormer “Vex,” and has since worked exclusively with O.B.F. and Dubquake, releasing two singles and a powerful statement of an LP last year. Firmly in the tradition of the great dub poets such as Prince Far-I, LKJ, and Mutabaruka, Nazamba has digested the lessons of the past and is now changing the game by carving his own niche in the living history of dub poetry. His lyrics are born from lessons learned living in Kingston, and meditations on life, spirit, and the trials imposed by Babylon. 

“She Solid" was born when Rico & Steph of Dubquake played Nazamba the instrumental while driving in the Alps - inspiration struck immediately and he began writing in the car! The poem describes the resilience of a woman - a mother - strong, independent, providing for herself and her children without the help of a man, or the institutions of society. Simply maintaining her sanity and surviving every day in a system that doesn’t value or even see her strength is a victory. Nazamba's seemingly effortless delivery belies a mastery of cadence that perfectly locks his voice to the riddim with every syllable. A true dub poet plays his cadence like an instrument, and “She Solid” is a masterclass in this subtle art. 

Von D’s hard yet restrained 140 steppers perfectly frames Nazamba’s ode to struggle and determination. Kete drum and plucked guitar filigree intertwine at the edges of the growling baritone, buoyed by a rockstone bassline mirrored in a heavily filtered midrange melody. Von D’s dub cracks open the space inherent in the tune with wicked snare splashes maimed & mangled in FX chains only he knows the secrets to. Guitar & percussion come forward and the echoes reel out in fine style. Hands-on-desk raw dub the way the people love it!!

Soundcloud blend recorded straight from the vinyl so you know what you’re getting. Release date: 11 Dec 2020. Limited to 750 7″ vinyl copies for the world. Mastered by Sam at Precise. Design and screen print by Polygon Press. Digital available soon via Dubquake Records Bandcamp.

Alkimia Sessions 001

T'iwu + Mambo