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Crónicas del Milenio Pasado

ERNESTO - Táncolj! (Dance!) Music that makes you 20 yearsyounger. Introducing Ernesto: a new project by Gnork. FromEuro to Italo, from earworms to theatrical drops. An eclecticjourney of musical self indulgement - 100% pleasure, 0%shame.

»Infuso Giallo aka Philipp Carbotta originally hails from rural Western Germany, first cut his teeth in the music scene of nearby Cologne and conducts a host of activities in Berlin for a couple of years now – co-running the label Kame House, designing graphics and producing and playing leftfield electronic music. His debut LP Ocular Soda presents an intersection of these activities – self-released, self-designed and of course self-produced. Even before the first synth chords and reverse atmospheres of the two-part opener 'Every Waking Hour' tickle the ear, it is the eye that is drawn to the bright, cut-out style cover art – itself made up of two eyes on the front and what seem to be their rough shapes or discarded counterparts on the back.To stay within that metaphor, Infuso Giallo's music is indeed of a reflective and calm nature, taking cues from Berlin School, library and New Age musics from roughly the 1970s to the 1990s – steadily repeating and slowly evolving ostinatos, lush digital pads, quirky filtered toplines and electronic percussion that mostly eschews four-four monotony in favor of much more subtle syncopations. Balearic bomb 'The Big Rip' with its big drums and acid bass turns the energy level up a notch while retaining the somnambulistic, lingering quality that makes Ocular Soda such a coherent listening experience – music on the sheath of waking and dreaming, both worlds and their inherent logics freely bleeding into each other. There are moments of great expanse, such as in 'Mole Gaze' – I couldn't help but see myself hovering somewhere in mid-air while the music unfolds as if on a great deserted plane below me. Maybe this is what it sounds like once the mole leaves his tunnels and takes in the sound of the world overground. 'Hello World', indeed, in its multitude of information to eye and ear, in its gently overwhelming quality. The title track 'Ocular Soda' closes the proceedings with a whimsical nod to 1970s botany-centered library music, its brooding chord sequence and sweet lead lines gradually fading in the distance. A fitting ending to an impressive LP of highly evocative, at times sombre and at times blissfully naive pieces that leave me yearning for more.«Written, recorded & produced by Infuso Giallo in 2020 & 2021 in Berlin. Mixed by Philipp Janzen & Sebastian Blume at Dumbo Studios, Cologne. Mastered by Sam Irl in Vienna. Design by Infuso Giallo.

Butter Side Up’s 12th release, Weekend at Raymond’s Place’ comes from San Diego’s hotly tipped John Manhard. A densely textured and unpredictable six-track EP whose languid groove and swing will sound equally sweet warming up a dancefloor or late into the following day.Based in LA and resident of cult party V:isions, John’s been on a roll of late, with releases on the likes of Mui Mui, Perfect Timings & InTheBagg (alongside Dylan Payne) cementing him as a singular producer with an impressively broad reference board.The EP’s first track, ‘Shake Your Body’ immediately gets under the skin, a bouncy groove and synth-line pulling you under its command. Over the next 30-odd minutes the spell doesn’t lift - deep house tropes twist and turn playfully over shuffling breaks and swinging basslines, reminiscent of West-Coast house’s finer moments. Manhard’s studio-craft and ear for the unpredictable give a fresh perspective to a much revered and distinctively Pacific-coast sound.This is music for the fuzzy margins either side of peak time. It’s fitting that Hamish first met and heard John’s music at a hazy afters in LA back in 2022, drawn to a selection of tracks which were largely his own. Two years later these ideas have refined to form another stellar release on BSU, complete with original artwork from Max Binski and scheduled for release in early October.

For our 8th EP we bring you fresh works from the Dominican producer Log_In. He’s released on underground staples such Dance Floor Rituals, Art of Dark, and Partout, always delivering his own take on modern italo-disco infused techno music.This time, Log_In presents three tracks which take heavy inspiration from the sound palettes of 90’s video games. A1, Cracking Code, is a driving yet nostalgic soundtrack for the early sunrise. A2, RFW, serves as the dazzling anthem in the midst of the night. B1, Modal, is a hi energy power track that is sure to get the crowd moving.Gamine’s own Christian ties the EP together with a slick remix of the B1 track. Slightly more minimalistic than the original, this track is suited for any point of the night.

Rotterdam-based Beyun returns to Vault Wax with four deep cuts of Detroit-meets-UK influenced breaks and electro with lush pads, emotive strings, and cosmic acid lines.

Thirsty work!Leeds-based long-time friends Kepler & Wickham join forces for the first Thirst release, with four varied and functional house cuts. ‘The Recipe’ kicks things off with a wiggy bassline and plenty of energy, Octa takes things into more melodic territory with a nod to classic deep house. The B side starts in hypnotic fashion with the golden-era UK tech house influenced ‘Represent’, before the closing future classic ‘Free Your Mind (Deep Mix)’ wraps the package up nicely. Something classy for all occasions.