Love the upbeat - not too much, artistically made too, and the jazzy vibes quite all along - mixed too

Download / Vinyl / Stream: toy-tonics.lnk.to/BrooklynTapesEP

Blessed Madonna, Pete Tong, Gerd Janson, Ash Lauryn... the list of great DJs playing and loving Sam Ruffillo's very special italian disco music is long. With only 3 EPs on Toy Tonics, he might be the most talked about producer on the Berlin label (with Cody Currie and Coeo). One of his Italian disco songs from his last EP ITALIANISSIMO ("Chiamami Subito“) made it into the high rotation playlist of the biggest Italian pop radio and is still growing in the international club underground.

Now Sam comes with a new EP. And this EP shows his other side. Until now Sam has been known for his Italian organic disco songs (no samples, all instruments played live). But for his new BROOKLYN TAPES EP the Italo-Sicilian DJ, producer and super styler Sam Ruffillo worked with a few American rappers and soul singers to create what a New York critic called „post digital soul house music“.

In fact these 4 songs are house and electronic funk - but it's also rap music and R&B and disco. Played in a very modern way, musically colorful and complex and extremely groovy. It's dance music made by musicians - not by DJs. And that makes a big difference. The melodic and harmonic elements are catchy and clever, the chord progressions are beautiful and the syncopated bass lines make you think about great bass play by maestros like Bootsy Collins or Marcus Miller (musicians know them!). It’s a rap house & disco soul EP and it features a well known Canadian rapper (who decided to stay anonymous) as well as Edson Sean, soul singer and composer from New York.

For Toy Tonics this is one more step in the evolution of high quality dancefloor music for the future. Combining house with soul, jazz with 4 to the floor beats, disco with Indie, the Toy Tonics crew is working hard on new forms of quality dance music. And finding the most interesting new artists. With Sam Ruffillo, and the other American artists on Toy Tonics (NY singer Kosmo Kint, American jazz keyboardist Joel Holmes...) the label is bringing together what's internationally new in the dance world - with no borders and no limits...

Remixes for this EP coming soon by some of Sam's fans: Ash Lauryn from Detroit, Eli Escobar from New York and Art Of Tones from France.

www.toytonics.de 
Album release: 20.01.23

Sam Ruffillo - Don't Think Twice

Download/Vinyl/Stream: https://kryptox.lnk.to/IntoTheAbyss

Joel Holmes – Into The Abyss (Kryptox 2023)
Once known as a techno city, Berlin has quietly become the capital for jazz bands in recent years. While the queues in front of the techno clubs become shorter and shorter, the city is slowly converting into a melting pot for all sorts of musicians and artists with amazing instrumentalists, producers and bands from all over the world moving to the German capital to create a new scene. As a result, Berlin has come out with some of the craziest, non-conformist types of music. Toy Tonics sister label Kryptox has started to establish itself as a key platform for this new scene.
One of the protagonists of this scene is Joel Holmes, the former band leader of Carl Craig's synthesizer ensemble and keyboarder of (Grammy-nominated) cult band Roy Hargrove. Joel Holmes’ new album ‘Into The Abyss’ is a perfect capturing of the current moment in Berlin. The album features other main players of its new scene such as Ziggy Zeitgeist from Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, as well as tapping into international talent such as acclaimed flutist Tenderlonious from London.
Few people bridge the gap between jazz and electronic music as successfully as Holmes. Over the past years, he’s been working with some of jazz’s most relevant artists, incl. Roy Hargrove, Curtis Fuller, Javon Jackson, Nnenna Freelon, Curtis Lundy and Jimmy Cobb. Once tapped into electronic music too, he made records with legends such as Carl Craig. Working with techno artists made him curious about the new dance scene, resulting in his moved to Berlin, where he quickly started making music with the likes of Cody Currie and Kapote.
Joel describes the album in his own words as follows: "The next album "Into the Abyss" is the first time I recorded music through the lens of different landscapes and on 2 different continents reflecting the times of today’s music that is mirroring what is happening in our communities and worlds today. From dark colors to light, music is so diverse, and I tried to reflect this in my album. This is also the first time I have had this many special guests on an album. So I’m excited about this.“

Album release: 05.04.23

Joel Holmes - Broken Styles (feat. Tenderlonious and Roberto Manzin)

Download/Vinyl/Stream: https://toy-tonics.lnk.to/KosmoKint

Toy Tonics welcome the first vocalist to their roster! Kosmo Kint - born and raised in NYC to Trinidadian parents and now based in Berlin - brings together the musical heritage of the two cities: the soul of NYC and the dance floor vibes of Berlin. Kosmo joins forces with Mathias ‘Kapote’ Modica and other producers from the Toy Tonics crew to write and produce this debut album that connects Toy Tonics’ signature warm and uplifting disco and house sound with Kosmo’s sensibilities as a songwriter for American R&B, soul and hip hop artists.

Kosmo has a wide musical background. With his grandfather being one of the pioneers of the steel pan alongside Lord Kitchener, Kosmo has been tapped into music from day 1. Attending New York's prestigious Professional Performing Arts School, followed by the New England Conservatory, he’s had the opportunity to share the stage with musical icons incl. Elton John, Alicia Keys, Winton Marsalis as a backing singer. In 2016 Kosmo left NYC to move to the creative melting pot of Berlin. Writing for Grammy award winning producers such as Michael Malih and David Morales, and electronic artists like Daniel Grunberg and Catz’n’Dogz to name a few, he signed to Toy Tonics shortly after. After four guest appearances on EPs by his fellow Toy Tonics artists, Kosmo now gives us a chance to fully indulge in his very own world with his debut album ‘Groove Religion’.

Together with producers Greg Cerrone, Zac Tenenbaum, Sam Ruffillo, Woz 301, Kapote and more, these 10 songs were recorded in Berlin and New York during lockdown. The lyrics and mood throughout the album remind us how positivity has the power to turn any challenge in a chance, the seemingly bad into good.

Take ‘Invincible’ for example; produced by Sam Ruffillo and Kapote and written in the darkest days of Covid after Kosmo’s breakup - a hymn of empowerment and hope. ‘Fake Love’ on the other hand was produced by the son of legendary French producer Cerrone, Greg Cerrone. Greg and Kosmo go through the type of love they are not interested in: fake love, smelling the gold diggers from miles away. It was written after Kosmo got separated from his longtime girlfriend, who was not only his love but also his songwriting partner. Then there’s ‘Happily Ever After’, which Kosmo felt was his last chance to tell his partner how he felt, apologizing for mistakes he had made and now trying to be a better man. Written from the pain of a broken heart, trying to get another chance.

But what would this wonderful debut album be without all the songs that can turn every boring morning into a house party, instantly making you move and swing. ‘Groove Religion' is one of them; it doesn’t only give the album its name, but also serves as a reminder of Kosmo’s and Toy Tonics’ maxim: leave your problems behind and get into the groove. Join the Groove Religion and things will get better from here.

Remixes for the album come from David Morales, Atjazz, Kai Alce and more!

Released May 26, 2023

Kosmo Kint - Groove Religion

Download/Vinyl/Stream: https://toy-tonics.lnk.to/NewLifeEP

Toy Tonics welcome one of the US’ absolute legends in the game on their roster - Kai Alcé!  One of the original masters of jazzy house, Kai is a prime example of someone who witnessed the genesis of Detroit’s electronic musical landscape and strives to keep that spirit alive. Being of Haitian descent laid the foundation for his musical ear, starting with his childhood in Queens, New York. Some of his earliest musical influences included his mother’s penchant for soca music and the distinct Caribbean rhythms of his culture. An appreciation of Jazz would be further guided by his father’s expanding audiophile home system. During the 1970s the kindling of Hip Hop and the heyday of Disco perked the ear of a young Kai while they were living in NYC. The Big Apple would remain a constant throughout his musical journey as the years went on, but it was the move to Michigan that ultimately shaped his artistic vision.

On this 5 track EP Kai once again makes it all feel so easy! Deeply musical, yet also instantly effective on the dance floor, tracks like ‘New Life Livin’ and ‘Slide It In’ come with an ease that shows why he’s shaped the game for decades.

Album released: 08.09.23

Kai Alcé - Strollin Thru Barcelona

Kai Alcé - Rough Sands

Download/Vinyl/Stream: toy-tonics.lnk.to/metamorphosis

Toy Tonics signed Gee Lane also known as Virginie. Her debut Metamorphosis EP (with remixes by Demi Riquísimo and Divorce From New York Remix & PIEK will come out in October. 
Gee Lane is a Venezuelan DJ and vinyl digger based in Barcelona. Gee Lane has been djing with the Toy Tonics Krew already for more than a year now. Kids who go to dance to the Toy Tonics Jam happenings around Europe might have seen her jamming with Kapote and the TT krew and spreading her fabulous music with an extremely positive energy and attitude. Gee Lane is a unique personality with a very strong style (in music but also as a person) and very elaborated ability to read and play with the dancers. Now she delivers her first ever EP. Recorded in Barcelona and Berlin with a little help by Robin Braum from Athlete Whippet. And it reflects well her roots and passion for everything what came out from New York in sense of dance culture. You can hear influences from the 80‘ promo disco scenes as well as the 1990 Body & Soul/ Francois Kervorkian ä/ Joe Claussell universe. In fact Gee Lane after being raised in Cara as and musically educated by her father from a very early age, (a composer and musician) she moved to New York at a very young age in the late 90's where she fell in love with the HOUSE scene. And especially everything that happened at the famous and influential ’Body & Soul’ club.

This culture increased her curiosity to become a DJ (and vinyl digger herself) who is not just interested in house music but wants to explore other genres such as funk , Hip-Hop , jazz and Latin sounds and include these vibes into her DJ sets. A vinyl collector (and long time record shop employee) since then, she is known for her musical eclecticism that leads her to mix everything what she wants ...

Besides her DJ activity she is the host of the radio show: Table For Two on Radio d59b (Belgrade/Berlin).

Gee Lane now is a steady member of the Toy Tonics Krew and is already playing the Toy Tonics Jams all around Europe. A second EP is in the making.

On remix duty on this EP: Demi Riquísimo and Divorce From New York & PIEK.

Released 25.09.23

Gee Lane - Neon Beach (Demi Riquísimo Remix)

Unearthing Dystopian Beats, A Rebelion of Resonance.

From the Crate Vol3 

@yepecc

 Lets ride...

From The Crate Vol 3 - yepecc

Forgiveness update 2 sound adj1 - 21.01.24, 21.43

New edition 8 Version  -

Joel Holmes a.k.a i-Wonder is a Four time Grammy Nominated Concert Pianist, Composer, Producer and Arranger. Over the last 15 years, Joel Holmes aka i-Wonder has toured the world with Grammy winning jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, vocalist Nnenna Freelon and is currently in Detroit Techno's Ambassador Carl Craig and his Synthesizer Ensemble. Joel Holmes aka i-Wonder has performed in such places as Italy, France, Taiwan, Japan,Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Greece, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Holland, England, Spain, Chile,Ecuador, Uruguay, Canada and his home country the USA. 
Thank you for listening!
For bookings: booking@dbartists.ne
NEW ALBUM
https://kryptox.lnk.to/IntoTheAbyss

if you want to support 
PayPal.Me/joelholmesproduction

New edition 8 Version -

Joel Holmes Productions

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