An elusive producer comes back with a new mantle: Ruff Cherry, last seen on the label in 2017, returns with an EP of shredded halftime drum & bass with jungle accents that etches out a dominating stance in the producer’s first foray outside the thresholds of techno. Hugely distant from a meager first stab at the genre, the Cork-based producer’s ‘Phantom Fortress’ EP proficiently demarcates a sparse battleground for conflicting and rhythmically harmonic drum flairs, enveloping bass, and taut sound design that is as compelling as it is exhilarating.

Words by Freddie Hudson

Ruff Cherry - Phantom Fortress EP
https://soundcloud.com/ruffcherry

A1. Pass Real
A2. Livingdoom
B1. Tricky Dice
B2. Ruff Experience
D1. Livingdoom (Ruff Edit) 

Release Date
Digital : 15th June 2022
Vinyl : 30 November 2022

Mastering by Neel at Enisslab Rome
Artwork by Jacopo Severitano

Buy & Support

Ruff Cherry - B2. Ruff Experience

@magnapia a.k.a seasoned producer, DJ, and composer Hüseyin Evirgen, announces his second full-length album, ‘QUT’, arriving on Inland’s Counterchange label in March on double vinyl.

After 2 steamrolling EPs of club tracks on the label - now entering its tenth year of action - Magna Pia presents his most complete and advanced body of work to date, weaving a dense narrative of drone, figurative synthesis, bass-heavy electronica, and abstract techno.

Over eight tracks each referencing his rich cultural and musical background, we are treated to a unique overview of a producer at the crest of his art. The word ‘Qut’ is an ancient positive affirmation, in one short word encompassing all that is sacred, pure and good. The Old Turkic term meaning not only ‘good fortune’ and ‘joy’, but in shamanic circles, the ‘wonder of the heavens’, permeates the roots of Evirgen’s multi-heritage history.

That Evirgen expresses his interpretation of this central theme through the marriage of bewitching melodies with atonal, experimental and rumbling electronics is a conscious comment on the distortions and mutations of our Modern Era. We now exist in the digital age of the Technosphere for better or worse, and must seek beauty wherever possible.

The opening ‘Prologue’ invites the listener into a futuristic yet organic sound world, where lush stereo processing goes hand in hand with rumbling bass and subtly detuned drone languages. From the echoes of traditional Uyghur folk music, translated via synthesizers into a glistening slow-diving opus (‘Qizil’), to churning dub-techno adorned with a symphony of evolving sine-waves (‘Venus M’), Evirgen then deploys ‘X’ - a haunting experimental piece composed predominantly with his voice and electronic processing.

The interweaving synth lines of ‘Gudanna’ pierce the fog with a radiant and transcendent club-techno bounce before the ode to the ancient Bronze Age goddess ‘Astarte’ unfolds its snare-driven broken-beat formations. The title track ‘Qut’ embodies by far the heaviest club track of the album, in a deadly, stripped-back moment of future-techno hypnotism. Dancing flames of purple-tongued synthesis are held (just) in line by a wonderfully tough throb of drums.

With his ‘Epilogue’, Magna Pia allows the spectral ideas and concepts laid out across the LP to connect and travel full circle, confirming our suspicions that this could be one of the most coherent and exciting works to emerge in the brave new field of introspective, and sensitive techno-electronic language.

Written & Produced by Magna Pia, Berlin, 2022
Mastered by Inland
P & C Counterchange 2023
COUNTER034

Order 2 x 12''

Magna Pia - QUT LP [COUNTER034] preview

Minù Jr - Qabam [MCR02] · Limited Edition Compact Disc & Digital

1. October
2. TSS
3. Cure
4. Green

BC : https://monochromerecords.bandcamp.com/album/qabam

releases January 31, 2024

Written & Produced by Antoine Faure aka Minù Jr.
Mastering by Vincent Villuis at Ultimae Studios.
Design & Illustration by Marco Maldarella.

Minù Jr emerges as a multi-faceted project, in perpetual evolution, always looking for new influences.
His musical oeuvre stands apart with an hypnotic universe that adeptly techno pulsations with daring experiments, giving rise to an immersive ambiance during his performances.
Last year, following the release of two techno-oriented EPs, Minù Jr joined the roster of the Lyon collective/label Monochrome. This collaboration materialized through the unveiling of a composition entitled "Orcynia," where he tries out 170 pbm. The result was conclusive, the composition was valued by peers and has been played by various artists.
Currently, he persists in creating music towards a synthetic drum'n'bass, tinged with dub nuances, and delivers his latest EP, "Qabam."

Artist's words : "Qabam is a an ode to moments shared with family – fleeting instances that constitute precious times of our lives. In this safe space, only the desires of experiencing life collectively and make the most of the moment persist. It is the authenticity of these moments that inspired my composition. All the tracks have a particular aesthetic and artistic consistency inspired by people that surround me.
In a nutshell , these four musical pieces stand as a reverential tribute to the individuals surrounding me and the shared moments that define our collective existence."

Qabam

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𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 : Qabam • Minù Jr [MCR02]

LOST RAÅ’s deep journey mix.1

Taken from Liam Costar's Pertinax (Month 1) LP on Aythekos, out March 7.

Pre-order: https://aythekos.bandcamp.com/album/pertinax-month-1
More: www.orbmag.com/music

@aythekos
@anthonylinell

Pertinax (Month 1)

Listen more

Premiere: Liam Costar - With New Hands Tear Silk (Anthony Linell Remix)

Paris-based DJ, Maemm shapes her style by navigating through different atmospheres. Her sets usually focus on hypnotic and raw sounds, sometimes with a hint of psychedelic tones. She also draws inspiration from ambient and more experimental genres, leading her to occasionally slow down the pace and delve into slow, vaporous atmospheres with very downtempo rhythms. Her love for exploring and discovering new sounds keeps her in a constant state of evolution.

SC : @mmaemm
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/maemm___

#30 - Maemm - Warm River

NOT HUMAN ARTISTS — Ceață

En mai dernier le collectif et label de musique Tustance a été invité pour une soirée au Gs Club à Poitiers organisée par White Babel. Avec Béton cramé nous avons eu le plaisir d'aller y jouer. 

Heure de passage : 3h00 - 4h00.

Baptack live at Gs Club - White Babel night in Poitiers - 03.05.2024

Contempo proudly presents the highly anticipated EP by Luigi Madonna, "Duality", a powerful exploration of the deeper and rawer dimensions of techno, enriched with hypnotic elements.

The renowned Italian techno artist and label founder, Luigi Madonna, has been an influential figure on the global scene for decades, celebrated for his dynamic performances and distinctive sound. As the driving force behind Contempo, Luigi Madonna continually pushes the boundaries of the genre, merging raw energy with hypnotic grooves. His recent releases on the esteemed Planet Rhythm label have further solidified his signature raw sound, earning support from many prominent artists in the scene.

"Duality" EP embodies the heart and soul of Contempo’s vision, reinforcing the label’s commitment to innovative techno that balances deep, hypnotic textures with powerful, pulsating rhythms.

The EP opens with "Foresight," creating an intense atmosphere with pulsating basslines and carefully layered synths, perfectly primed for peak-time euphoria. 

follow : @luigimadonna @contempo

Duality

Foresight

Buy / Stream

Foresight [CNTMP017]

🪅This track is about the tension between control and release. Masks&Madness is the mask you wear in the club, and the madness you feel when the drop hits.🪅
Loveyou😙

Masks&Madness

_2025-10-09_erth

French-Armenian queer artist LOSTRAÅ studied classical music for eleven years. They have shaped their musical tastes towards progressive house/trance, deep techno and groovy mental techno through their club experiences in Prague, Berlin and Lyon. Their passion for groove and dancefloors has grown over the years and naturally led them to get behind the decks. The organic essence of dance and rhythms that set the body free are of paramount importance to LOSTRAÅ, enabling them to shape a cohesive dancefloor that they advocate as inclusive, free and cathartic.

---

« Տղա pronounced «tgha» in Armenian means boy

Râ is also Sun god in Egyptian mythology, god of creation who brought light to the universe

Lost «tgha» gave Lost Raå and is a reference to redefining gender and gender questioning, its fluidity

When sun is gone/lost, magic of the night happens where people can live and express their gender freely as the vision of partying i advocate

Mentale hypnotic music is dark by its specific sounds and is mezmerizing people seeking for escape

Techno and celebrating freedom have been a huge process in queer underground culture and club culture »

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LOST RAÅ’s deep journey mix.1

LOSTRAÅ

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