Sharif Laffrey is something of an unheralded hero of the underground Detroit scene. Active since the halcyon days of the early-90s Motor City rave movement, his sporadic releases are rarely less than superb. Sharif Laffrey has been playing records and making music for over 20 years. Born in Detroit, Michigan – he’s worked on the line checking camshafts for Chryslers & as an operative for Underground Resistance (UR) at Submerge for Mike Banks, at the same time. Currently releasing music on his own label SPECIAL FORCES.
Championed by DJ Harvey, Carl Craig, Dixon, Andrew Weatherall, Ivan Smagghe, Seth Troxler, The Juan Maclean, Optimo, Trevor Jackson, Hunee, Manfredas, Solar, The Chemical Brothers...
“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” The steadily brilliant French producer Nathan Melja – who’s made the rounds between choice outlets over the past half decade, from Mister Saturday Nights to Antinote, via Ninja Tune offshoot Technicolour and Opal Tapes, seems to have learnt Bruce Lee’s lesson by heart, and his seamlessly fluid, no-nonsense debut foray on K.O.C. is here to potently cement his status as one of Europe’s number one club trailblazers, and one that knows all too well how to turn any dancefloor into an infinity pool of pure liquid euphoria.
Drawing its name from the physiological and psychological process that results in a confusion of one’s sensory perceptions, ‘Synesthesia’ is indeed the kind of club single that shall trigger off massive reaction amongst right-minded bipeds and chromakey house suckers. Straightforward club business done right, Melja’s original is a vivid kaleidoscope of skittish drums, swampy bass stabs and a well-rounded, supremely curvy synthwork, tailored to take ravers on a flash journey through space and time without the help of Richard Branson or Elon Tusk (pun intended).
Called in on remix duty, TTT affiliate and Incienso co-founder Anthony Naples delivers a more fragmented and ambientish variation, though functional and club-ready in its own right. Brushing even wider verbed-out pad tapestries for your brain to wander in, the track expands to deeper organic horizons with a field-depth that can not but recall that of the KLF and Bochum Welt’s emotional soundscaping. Meanwhile, Karenn half Pariah takes care of whelming us deep into more techno-friendly terrains, true to his ever masterly touch for epic buildups and multi-level textural innovation, bringing up the acidic phlegm of Melja’s original as he treats us to a carefully orchestrated ballet of synthetic whorls, contemplative chords and propulsive drum programming.
Adam Curtain & Bobby. return with their EXTRA TERRESTRIAL alias, bringing three tracks of interstellar dancefloor wonk. Expect electro, techno and broken beats all written at Mission Control - Devon Analogue Studios.
Contains 4 tracks from Mannheim ́s new wave of forward-thinking producers inspired by melancholic industrial landscapes, the neckar/rhein river and the inner city concrete jungle.
Intuitive "Grüße-aus-dem-Schützengraben*-style driven techno by newcomer DSH (Drunken Stank Hoe) followed by an Auxweg Allstar EBM jam by CONTI and DOGPATROL dedicated to an old friend. Also another vinyl debut by C3LLARDOOR with a thrilling oddball modular workout on the flip. As a special treat you can find also the eagerly awaited instrumental version of a very famous crossover project by DOGPATROL and Vienna ́s/Berlin ́s very own K.RONALDO.
I came across this record by chance when I was shopping at my local record shop Palace Vinyl and Chris the owner was packing his bag for a gig that coming weekend. He was listening to bits on the shop sound system and in-between a couple of records in the stack that I was checking out on my headphones I caught little bit of the A side of this one. I immediately removed the cans and made him put the record on from start to finish.
He told me his copy wasn’t for sale and when I looked on Discogs, as is often the case I found a few pricey copies and none of them available in England. I knew at that moment I would be attempting to reissue it myself. Fortunately Walker was pretty easy to find and now spends his time in Portugal building an amazing self sustaining echo oasis.
I picked my two favourite tracks from the original and recorded a pretty hefty remix of the B side to round out the EP. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :D OK enough of my blather. Go and listen to the damn things yourself and decide if you like them, rather than trying to work it out from reading a bloody press release you weirdos.
All three tracks are produced and sculpted for the club. They want big sound systems and dark rooms.
Close your eyes, hold hands and experience transcendental space flight...
a1. Walker - Untitled A
b1. Walker - Untitled B
b2. Walker - Untitled B (Desert Sound Colony Remix)
Frosty… 4 ice cold trax from Toby Smith AKA Tobias Schmidt and 1/2 of Sugar Experiment Station. Following the release of the new EP by SES alongside Neil Landstrumm who coincidentally designed the sleeve for this record as well, comes the “Arctic E.P.” Jacking Detroit Techno meets footwork on these 150 BPM plus hitters. Get your party started or send everyone home with this rave gear. Not a lot is known about Toby Smith and we at BBR like the mystery. Let these tracks tell you everything you need to know about the myth that is the… Secret State.
The mighty Truncate crash lands on Catz n’ Dogz’ Pets imprint with two outstanding slabs of forthright techno tension. His first full single for the label, Truncate was last spotted aboard remixing KiNK way back in 2015. Now he’s making up for lost time, thumping away relentlessly like two old mates who haven’t caught up with each other in years.
‘Pressure’ takes the lead. Bouncy, stripped-back, pounding and riddled with Ovum-level acidic funk, once you’re locked into Truncate’s loopy hypnosis, you may never escape. ‘Level Up’ does exactly what its title suggests, too. Total rolling thunder with builds upon builds, there’s a sense of momentum that elevates at every twist.
And if that’s not enough, Unknown 2 The Unknown bossman and fusionist king DJ Haus gets involved with some prime remix real estate. Buckle up friends, the pressure is only just beginning to rise…
Nathan Micay is pleased to present another member to the Schvitz label family: Original Schvitz, a home for tracks he made purely for the rave. On the inaugural 12’’, Micay provides three of his most dancefloor-friendly cuts to date. A-side stormer ‘The Canadian Shield (Loon Song)’ is an epic trance journey that contextualizes the Canadian loon like never before. On the flip, Micay finally gives the heads the sought-after ID ‘Feed The Planetary Sharks’, a playful house groove that has worked dancefloors the world over. Finally, ‘I Like My Nudeln Fried’ successfully merges UK garage and trance to create a roller for the ages. As always, Schvitz gives back. This time all proceeds from record sales go to Give Something Back to Berlin, an inclusive space that offers free workshops, courses and events to teach people new skills in music and beyond. Hello Schvitz trifecta!
Nathan Micay introduces a new label into the Schvitz family: Eternal Schvitz, a home for re- issues of those most rare slabs of wax. The inaugural release offers a sampler of coveted tunes from the fabled Baby Blue Records run by Chris Simmonds between1990-1993. Almost impossible to find, these tunes have become a thing of discogs legend, offering up a snapshot into the label's short but memorable run. Lovingly re-stored straight from the DAT tapes of yore. To fight the evil no-ID-DJ forces currently at work, every release will be providing 60% of the cut to the artists and ensuring their credits are front and centre. The remaining 40% of profits will go to aequa, a Berlin-based collective with a focus on empowerment of women, trans and non- binary folks through gatherings for interpersonal exchange. Schvitz is Love. Schvitz is communal.
After previous releases on Gerd Janson's Running Back Records (including 2018 hit 'Tim's Symphony' being rinsed all over by Dixon, Ame & Sven Vath), Younger Rebinds (aka Benny Rodrigues aka ROD) starts his own eponymous label with 2 eclectic summer jams filled with earworm melodies and retro drums right in time for the festivalseason... FUN allowed!
Belfast’s EJECA debuts on UTTU’s Dance Trax series with 3 originals plus a rework from Berlin based Berghain ghoul Matrixxman. 4 incredible dance floor bombs that touch on jackin house, detroit techno, trance & dubbed out berlin techno.
![Sharif Laffrey - Sounds To Come [Single Sided 12" Vinyl]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/sf2_{width}x.jpg?v=1579264880)
![Motive Power - Null Root [Hand-stamped Vinyl]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/mp01a_{width}x.jpg?v=1578392774)
![DJ Haus - Let My Brain Go (Len Faki Remix) [10" Single Sided Purple Vinyl]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/uttu100_{width}x.jpg?v=1578052053)
![Marcel Dettmann - Bad Manners 3 [Import]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/bm3_{width}x.jpg?v=1575383542)
![Eternal Schvitz 001 - Baby Blue Records Sampler [Repress]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/es001_{width}x.jpg?v=1571439247)
