!K7 HHV Records 62 Items

The slo-beat pioneers Kruder &Dorfmeister of Vienna are among thehottest producers in the dance universe.Even though they only produced twounreleased maxis, big names like CountBasie, Bomb The Bass, Alex Reece orUnited Future Organization had some oftheir tracks remixed by these exceptionalproducers. Their productions oncompilations of Ninja Tune, SSR and WallOf Sound are considered mile stonesregarding the trip-hop genre.During the work for DJ-Kicks and theirdebut album they refused doing remixesfor U2, Grace Jones, Elvis Costello and theFantastic Four!

Originally released on Studio !K7 Records in 1998, Peter Kruder and
Richard Dorfmeister's groundbreaking release, 'The K&D Sessions'
reset the bar for what could be achieved in a compilation. Across an
array of original tracks, dubs and infamous K&D Session remixes, the
DJ and producer duo took the listener on a smoke-filled blunted journey
that flowed flawlessly. Often compared to DJ Shadow's 'Endtroducing'
for it's similarly deft craft of rhythm and quoted by Allmusic as "the
most blissfully blunted music the world has ever heard", the album has
sold over 1,000,000 copies to date and was included in Spin s Top 20
albums of 1999 .
The album has long since been deleted on Vinyl
with original 4LP sets changing hands for 300+ on the collectors market
and even a bootleg vinyl copy will set a buyer back over 100. Sixteen
years later, this legendary album will be available as a long overdue
5LP reissue remastered by Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.
Finally back in print in 180g vinyl.

Tosca's second album 'Suzuki' (Studio K7) takes a lighter, airier approach to the trip-hop terrain that Opera explored. The spare, shimmering title track's delicate synth textures, minimal beats, mellow rhythms, and breathy vocal samples set the tone for more moody musical fairytales from Richard Dorfmeister, this time with Rupert Huber under the guise of Tosca. Suzuki is--like his releases with Kruder and Dorfmeister--a sublime work that manipulates emotions through sound. Soft and sweet, subtle and supple, Tosca's tracks drift, sifting from one dream to the next. Though they patch hip-hop, jazz, ambient, and techno together, you can't hear where one begins and the other ends. "Annanas" pairs sneaky, squeaky scratching with a lusty female vocal and bossa-nova-inspired hip-hop breaks, while "Orozco" loops a playful riff, running it through reverbs and filters, creating something like pure bliss for the ears.

Finally. More than eight years after Diorama, Dominik Eulberg releases his long awaited fifth studio album Mannigfaltig. With twelve elaborate pieces of music, he creates a burning plea to preserve the breathtaking biodiversity of nature and at the same time warns of the threat posed to it by humans.
It is a detailed record that demands close listening and showcases Eulberg's considerable synth craft, with drawn out pads and delicate keys laid over undulating rhythms that slowly take you through a wide range of emotions. Elements of ambient, downtempo, electronica, pop and minimal are infused with the sounds of nature, a choral sense of musicality and wistful air of grace across all the majestically composed pieces.

For Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber, the idea of rebirth is a creative driving force - an artistic device which not only informs their work, but anchors it. As the avant-garde electronic group Tosca, the two artists have lived many musical lives, from their early electronic experiments with tape decks to the blissed-out dub compositions with which they have made their name. Their latest project, Osam, takes this idea of renewal even further. A meditative journey through rhythm and texture, the album represents a new chapter for the Austrian duo. It's as much an instrument for change as it is a source of inspiration. 'Osam' is a direct translation of the number eight in Serbian, but it also acts as the mediaeval symbol for a fresh start - a renaissance. This is their ninth studio album but in true Tosca style when they started working on the concept for the record, they thought it was their eighth.

2022 repress

Red Axes return with the third EP in their ongoing Trips series. This multimedia project mixes up music, film and travel and finds the cult pair seeking out extraordinary collaborations in the countries they visit. This time they head to India having previously visited Vietnam in 2019, and Ethiopia and The Ivory Coast in 2018. Niv Arzi and Dori Sadovnik run their own Garzen Records label and have become much loved for their psyched-out and unusual fusions of guitars, synths and drums. From acid to techno to experimentalism they have done it all, and also worked with Life And Death label boss DJ Tennis as Redrago on a well received album in 2019. This project is about engaging with local cultures and musical traditions, linking up with local musicians, playing and recording with them and presenting workshops for youth music schools.

With DJ Koze’s epic mix taking the #1 slot on year-end lists from Resident Advisor, Mixmag and DJ Mag, 2015 may look like a tough year to top for the DJ-Kicks series. We’ve got a few aces up our sleeves though… Like the fact that the outspoken and enigmatic Detroit legend Moodymann is mixing the first DJ-Kicks of 2016!

Born Kenny Dixon Jr., Moodymann is a one-of-a-kind electronic music icon, hailing from, and wholly synonymous with the Motor City. DJ-Kicks will be Dixon’s first ever official multi-artist DJ mix. Across 75 minutes and 30 tracks, Moodymann creates a libidinous, blues-drenched mood that takes in heart-breaking soul, gorgeous hip-hop and love-fuelled house.

With his friendly and sometimes melancholic manner, DJ Koze is one of the most remarkable players in today's club landscape and one of the few internationally active DJs who are also relevant outside of dance music. For his 70-minute journey for the anniversary edition of the "DJ Kicks" series, "Kosi Kos" manages to give the mix its own timbre despite the various styles represented: be it the pared-down hip-hop of Madlib, brutal Berghain techno, timeless songwriting, flowing indie pop and tracks that oscillate between absurdity and melancholy. "I didn't want to shine with knowledge," Koze says, "but rather bring together some gems that make sense to people who aren't necessarily music nerds." It should fit together harmoniously: "The idea was to create the impression of a radio show, like John Peel used to do. A huge cosmos of music rushing through my filter." For fans of DJ Koze, Recondite, Mount Kimbie, Four Tet, Caribou, Matthew Dear, Simian Mobile Disco, Apparat, Efdemin.

Credited by many as one of the leading tastemakers in dance music, his DJ sets have influenced a generation (or two) of musicians and fans out there today. An artist that has never allowed time or age to slow him down – Michael Mayer remains tirelessly motivated behind the DJ decks, in the studio or behind his desk at Kompakt, the company he co-owns. Last year’s full-length LP, ‘&’, was Michael’s fourth, a departure that saw him extensively collaborate with an impressive host of contemporaries and friends, including Joe Goddard, Prins Thomas and Agoria. Complimenting these excursions perfectly, Michael’s long overdue contribution to the legendary DJ Kicks series finds the Cologne artist in just as generous of a mood, only rooted in his ever-expanding record collection, and above all, his defining instinct to share the beauty of music with others. “On an abstract level, the approach was basically the same for both projects”, observes Mayer. “For & I put together a group of people that are close to my heart. For Kicks it was a group of records that are like friends to me. All of the tracks I used went through heaven and hell with me. They've become true companions. Circling in on and bringing together these friends was the only criterion for the making of this mix. I wanted it
to be as personal as possible.”
Perhaps unnervingly to some, fifteen years have passed since the debut edition to Mayer’s breathtaking, scene defining mix trilogy, Immer. Not that it’s legacy - Resident Advisor’s #1 Mix of the 00s, one of Rolling Stone’s 30 Greatest EDM Albums Of All Time - has disturbed Mayer’s formidable workload. A catalogue of no less than 23 EPs, 4 albums and 170 remixes informs a near constant level of international touring. Exhausting as this can be, even after all these years, it’s a ritual that informs the delicate
construction of Mayer’s contribution to the DJ Kicks series.

London outfit Kassian continue their broadly- evolving yet highly detailed journey through and beyond sound towards something ever more expansive. Their second release for !K7 Records comes in the wake of creating a dedicated hardware-forward studio in a Northeast London container complex, where they have the freedom to interlink their machines. This renewed focus brought them to Supercontinent EP, named for the ancient geological era when Africa and South America were joined as Pangea.

A reformulation of rhythmic ideas inspired by South= African Amapiano and South American Baile Funk governs the two hemispheres of the record. The pair examine and deconstruct dancefloor material, eschewing 4/4 for interlocking shaker patterns, searing acid lines, cracking breakbeats, and vocal samples in Zulu and Brazil Portuguese.

The immediacy of the restless rhythm and bass-led funk of “Yena” (the word Yena translates to ‘he/him /man’)forms a sweet spot where double-time and half-time can coexist. “Yami” (‘mine’ in Zulu) is a slinkier proposition which sheds prominent percussion in favour of a weighty, fluid, acid-informed bassline undulating from below.

An ascending percussive riff marks the arrival of “Pulgueiro”, followed closely by break beats and the nostalgia of distinctly British acid electro; it is an intentionally future-forward retelling of a vintage sound, replete with a mind-melt breakdown of rave pads.

A dubbed-out groove dominates the bottom-heavy “Sistema” – a groovy, steady roller that chugs and propels and chugs with head-nod hypnotism through an intricately minimalistic approach.

Celebrating 20 years since the original release, Tosca are proud to present this remastered version of cult classic album Dehli 9. Carefully reworked by Bo Kondren at Calyx Mastering in Berlin, this 2023 master purposely avoids any modern hi-fi tricks and techniques and is committed to the sound of the early 2000"s, creating an improved authenticity of the original album.

Growing up in Chicago, later Detroit-based music producer, Theo Parrish is internationally well known for his own inimitable downtempo house music style. The approach Parrish took to compiling DJ-Kicks was very ambitious, inviting his Detroit peers to produce a collection of brand new material, and in turn creating the first ever all exclusive entry to the esteemed series.

Following her debut album on Aus in 2020, Berlin's Cinthie marks another milestone in her career delivering the latest installment of the esteemed DJ-Kicks compilation series for !K7 Records. Berlin-based producer, DJ, record store owner and head honcho of numerous labels, Cinthie, has long been a key figure in the House scene. Her career in the industry dates back decades, working behind the desk of a record store in Saarbrücken near Frankfurt and as a resident DJ at several clubs in the city. Now in 2022 the highly acclaimed artist has well and truly cemented herself as a driving force for the contemporary house scene, releasing material on the likes of her own 803 Crystal Grooves, Aus, Shall Not Fade, Key Vinyl and taking crates from Tokyo to Paris, London, Amsterdam and beyond with her DJ sets as well as regular appearances on her home turf and clubbing mecca, Berlin.

For a duo whose youthful energy rejuvenated the world of house music at the start of the 2010s, it seems incredible that Disclosure are now into their second decade of musical life. The incredible vigour of those early records, the spark of invention and ever-onward musical thrust, remains with the Disclosure brothers, Howard and Guy Lawrence, to this day. Their third album, 2020’s Energy, was aptly named, with house, breakbeats, disco, UK Garage, electro, soul, R&B, hip hop and a globe-trotting array of percussion combining to bracing effect, as the Lawrence brothers spat musical life into the face of the pandemic.

The emphasis throughout DJ Kicks is on motion. After a brief ambient introduction from Pépe’s Life Signs, Disclosure keep the energy high, in a mix that showcases the wonderful malleability of a house beat in the right hands. From sub bass to disco samples to 303 tweak, all is welcome in Disclosure’s house, with the mix allowing individual songs space to breathe even as the pace remains harefooted.

“Most of the mix is presenting what you can do with house,” says Guy. “And that's basically our career: trying to move house forward, whether it's with songwriting or using different genres or different languages. The mix should represent where we’re at now; and where we’re at now is clubby.”

Energy may have confirmed Disclosure’s place at the top of the dance music tree but Guy compares the duo’s DJ Kicks to the sets they might play at after parties and smaller shows, rather than at their huge headline dates. “If you put us in Phonox in Brixton, we're gonna play a bunch of this stuff - it's a good representation of that,” Guy concludes, “what we're going to play in a sweaty basement rave.”

When Peggy Gou released her debut EP ‘Art of War’ in
2016, she made a list of career goals. One of them was to
become the first South Korean DJ to play Berlin’s techno
institution Berghain, an objective she achieved only a few
months later. Another item on that list was to record an
instalment of !K7’s DJ-Kicks series. “It’s the premier
class of DJ mixes,” she says. “Some of my favourite
selectors have contributed to it.” Now Peggy Gou can
tick that off her list too as she proudly presents the 69th
edition of the mix series.
The Berliner-by-choice started working on the mix last year. It was a
busy time for the 28-year-old: she’d just scored her first Mixmag cover
and her single ‘It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)’ was receiving awards
and critical acclaim. Each month she would DJ in 20 nightclubs all over
the world. And yet, the goal for her mix was ambitious: instead of trying
to capture the energy of her DJ sets, she aimed to create a portrayal of
her own musical journey. An 18-track listening session that takes you
straight into Peggy Gou’s living room where she plays you the formative
tunes from her collection. No genre boundaries – she moves across
disco, house, techno and electro. No tempo limits – the mix ranges from
90 to 150 BPM. And no age restriction – the earliest tunes on the mix
are from 1983.

Unmixed versions of 8 choice tracks from the comp!

When Peggy Gou released her debut EP ‘Art of War’ in
2016, she made a list of career goals. One of them was to
become the first South Korean DJ to play Berlin’s techno
institution Berghain, an objective she achieved only a few
months later. Another item on that list was to record an
instalment of !K7’s DJ-Kicks series. “It’s the premier
class of DJ mixes,” she says. “Some of my favourite
selectors have contributed to it.” Now Peggy Gou can
tick that off her list too as she proudly presents the 69th
edition of the mix series.
The Berliner-by-choice started working on the mix last year. It was a
busy time for the 28-year-old: she’d just scored her first Mixmag cover
and her single ‘It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)’ was receiving awards
and critical acclaim. Each month she would DJ in 20 nightclubs all over
the world. And yet, the goal for her mix was ambitious: instead of trying
to capture the energy of her DJ sets, she aimed to create a portrayal of
her own musical journey. An 18-track listening session that takes you
straight into Peggy Gou’s living room where she plays you the formative
tunes from her collection. No genre boundaries – she moves across
disco, house, techno and electro. No tempo limits – the mix ranges from
90 to 150 BPM. And no age restriction – the earliest tunes on the mix
are from 1983.

Electronic artist and founder of bbbbbb Bjarki announces new
album ‘Happy Earthday’ with a slew of tour dates in the new year,
including shows in London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Sydney and
Barcelona.
“Maybe you can feel the melancholy of my life, the nature overall.
Volcanos and the lava flowing down the slopes, the frightening
noise of the ocean beating the land, the strong wind in the
mountain passes and a glimpse of the first ray of the rising sun
over the glacier. Now that is the dawn of a new day.”
An expressive electronic album filled with sadness, yet one with
the sort of positive, stirring resolve that leaves you feeling utterly
comforted, Bjarki’s new album ‘Happy Earthday’ is influenced by
his home country Iceland as well as environmental issues.
Having released bodies of work on Nina Kraviz’s label and
his own label bbbbbb, Bjarki views ‘Happy Earthday’ as his
proper debut album; he feels it’s a more coherent and conceptual
body of work that finds him offering up music he never thought he
would release.

Detroit’s pioneering techno giant Robert Hood is next to take the reins of the DJ-Kicks mix series. His timeless 22 track offering includes four of his own new exclusives, and will come on CD as well as with a 2 x 12” vinyl sampler.

Red Axes are very excited to present the first part of their new project called: “Trips", a multi media venture combining music, film and travelling across the globe in pursuit of extra ordinary collaborations. Niv Arzi and Dori Sadovnik are seeking to discover new grounds and sounds, and to record local musicians, indigenous instruments and present workshops for youth music schools. In March of 2017, the Israeli duo touched down in Africa for the first time, and set up camp in both Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, yielding In Africa, a triple header EP which features three slices of contemporary body music, with both East and West African musical motifs. The project will always present a musical release, on vinyl and digital, that was created on the trip, accompanied with a documentary, showing the whole journey.

It's been a big year for the acclaimed !K7 series, following entries from Marcel Dettmann, Dâm-Funk, Jackmaster and Moodymann. Avery's instalment is meant to capture the moment "your watch stops ticking" in the club and you get lost in the music. Avery includes tracks from Svreca, Rrose, Iori, Post Scriptum and Planetary Assault Systems. The mix also features three new originals—an ambient cut called "Space Echo," a DJ-Kicks exclusive called "A Mechanical Sky" and a new tune from Rote, his collaboration with Volte-Face.

Marcel Dettmann has mixed the latest edition of the highly respected DJ-Kicks compilation series. Whilst Dettmann is well-known for his incendiary sets at his residency at Berghain, his DJ-Kicks mix is crafted for listening, and displays a more reflective side of the DJ and producer. The mix explores a wide array of selections from various subgenres; ranging from the a new vocal-led Strictly Rhythm release, to rapping on Clarence G’s 1991 release ‘Cause I Said It Right’, recently reissued by Clone Records.

Over the course of its 1hr 14 duration, Dettmann reveals multiple new original productions; most notably a collaboration with Levon Vincent, ‘Can You See It’. The pair have collaborated once in the past, releasing ‘Vengeance’ on Levon’s own Novel Sound label towards the end of 2015 to critical acclaim. ‘Can You See It’ sees the duo venture into darker territory; a stripped back, sub-bass laden affair, the quality of this production immediately stands out in the early stages of the mix. Dettmann also collaborates with MDR affiliate Wincent Kunth on ’Possible Step’. In addition to five brand new original Dettmann remixes and edits, there’s an unreleased remix of Marcel’s ‘Let’s Do It’ from Ostgut Ton labelmate Rolando. Designed to be enjoyed by both the critics and more casual listeners, this mix is the latest in a long series of lifetime achievements over the course of Dettmann’s career – and with so many new unreleased original Marcel Dettmann productions included, this is a landmark release for the producer.

DaM-FunK is the kind of guy who seems like he’d make great company: laid-back, affable, personable. But to truly get the guy, to really understand him, is to know a deep love of music like no other. Dam’s contribution to the DJ-Kicks series gives you an opportunity to do just that. It’s a snapshot view into the mind of the pioneer of Modern-Funk music… DJ-Kicks invites you to get to know the man behind the shades.

Dam makes a lifetime of digging and absorbing music that feels as laid-back as the Santa Ana breeze. Years ago, he coined the term ‘Modern Funk’ to give context to his music. The elements of the synth-heavy and multi-layered style are gloriously displayed on DJ-Kicks. “Modern-Funk is a combination of all the sounds on the mix,” he explains. “Funk, Boogie, Electro, House, Modern-Soul, Ambient tones… a push and pull of nostalgia and progressiveness…”

At a satisfying 19 songs, DâM-FunK’s DJ-Kicks lets grooves breathe. This is a mix to happily get lost within; a document in vibe. Unexpected contemporary joints mingle with lost gems from unlikely places. The exclusive DâM-FunK production “Believer” makes its debut on DJ-Kicks, an extensive instrumental composition that on it’s own could only be classified as signature Modern-Funk. The mix also includes Dam’s excellent collaboration with Nite Jewel, as ‘Nite-Funk,’ on “Can U Read Me?”

Suchi’s bouncy, airy productions are so organically deft that they almost belie the complexity that exists within. Prior to her !K7 debut the Oslo-born, London-bred, Delhiinfluenced DJ and producer found herself in a period of creative stagnation, while attempting to rediscover her own voice through production. After going back to the drawing board again and again she resolved to let go of overthinking, eschew the process, and let experimentation lead the way, revisiting some simmering sketches and work in new ways.

Ghungroo EP is the result of this reset, and rediscovers Suchi’s sense of playfulness through different production styles. It’s pressed on eco-friendly vinyl, PVR free and 100% recycled. “Ghungroo” is a homage to Suchi’s early years, and named for the small metallic bells strung around the ankles of classical Indian dancers. The track is equal parts cosmic, bassy and wavy, with a downwards bassline that plumbs the depths of low frequencies. The memory of early music passions emerges as the same melodic loop undresses and redresses in different guises - between breezy pads, glowing chimes and euphoric bells.

“Blåmerke” means bruise in Suchi’s native Norweigan tongue, and it leads heavily with double-time polyrhythmic drums, ravey rhythms and percussive bubbles popping. Triplets of synth stabs are artfully deployed with reverb and warped, stretched pads, bringing a whimsical twist to a track that is otherwise a tough-edged stomper. “Bottlepop” loosens up the tempo for a funky house framework, foregrounded by a big melodic synth riff. The track’s hookiness is enhanced by its old-school school feel, with distorted whistles and evocative pads. “Blåmerke” is then given a rework by Sam Goku who was chosen for his euphoric, dusty-sounding club tracks that hit hard; in his care the remix provides exactly that, via throbbing, shimmering, deep trippiness

For Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber, the idea of rebirth is a creative driving force - an artistic device which not only informs their work, but anchors it.As the avant-garde electronic group Tosca, the two artists have lived many musical lives, from their early electronic experiments with tape decks to the blissed-out dub compositions with which they have made their name.Their most recent album, OSAM, takes this idea of renewal even further. Now they have reworked the source material from their ninth record and selected some of their friends to help make MIRAGE: The OSAM Remixes.

Toronto-based producer and DJ Ciel is renowned for a style of dancefloor material that’s as heady as it is visceral. The Xi’an-born artist’s ascendant profile has seen her cutting- edge and club-ready EPs released on UK labels Peach Discs and Coastal Haze, as well as Stateside imprints Spectral Sound and Mister Saturday Night.

As a member of the renowned collective Discwoman and the creator of femme-forward party Work in Progress Ciel’s thoughtful narratives are clear, running in parallel to the perception-altering sounds that are consistently woven deeply into her wide-ranging sets, beloved mixes and inventive collaborations. Now the Parallel Minds label co- founder is crystallising her imaginative and omnivorous sound with her !K7 Records debut, Orlando.

Written during her emergence from an uncharacteristic bout of writers’ block, the three original tracks of Orlando chart a return to the musical self, spurred along by a cinephile’s embrace of film, a love of classic literature, and a curiosity for the oddest corners of popular culture. “scenes From A Marriage” might share a name with the episodic series, but is rather a nuanced critique of the modern rite of union, moving through structured chapters, and mirroring the un-static nature of longtime love.Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s radical novel, and its superphysical protagonist, “Orlando” considers the cult literary figure who lived from the renaissance to the modern age, and embodies both sides of the sex binary. The thrown sounds and aural illusions of “EL Califa” create the effect of a beckoning, beguiling psychedelic experience. To complete the EP, Ali Berger, Ciel’s recent collaborator on the Jacktone Records’ release Damn Skippy! repurposes the mind-bending flourishes of “El Califa” into a noodly and spacious deep house production, replete with pillowy, gauzy pads.

As one of the three co-founders of Washington D.C. production and DJ trio Black Rave Culture, James Bangura is no stranger to situating electronic music within its most purposeful and potent contexts. With this new duo of tracks, however, Bangura taps into a deep, personal internality, metabolising visceral experiences and personal transitions into unexplored phases of his musical life.

The bass-forward “Harrar” is a complex organism which operates on two planes: a sweat-drenched 150pm symphony of synth pulses, fidgety percussion, shimmies and distorted vocals, that falls into lockstep with a meditative, dubby bass tone that calmly swells and recedes. Emerging out of Bangura’s high intensity hardware jam sessions with friends and collaborators, both the depth and energetic fizz of “Harrar”’ are signified by its name, borrowed from Harrar Coffee & Roastery--a beloved Ethiopian coffee house and community meeting place in Washington D.C. that radiates warmth and familiarity.

“Witness Dub” occupies less of the senses, exploring a state of liminality through a contemplative deep house signature. Having emerged from an extended period of active duty in the military, Bangura had to navigate civilian life for the first time, causing him to process multiple culture shocks that stretched across culture, language, communication and identity. “Witness Dub” finds Bangura at this crossroad, juxtaposing the steady propulsion of kicks and drums with pensive minor key chords, as he begins to explore the other side of the self, letting the energy guide the music.

Tosca is Richard Dorfmeister (of Kruder & Dorfmeister fame) and Rupert Huber, who have been crafting trip-hop and downtempo together for nearly two decades. Odeon, their sixth proper full-length album, should be darker and more subdued than previous material. Dorfmeister explains: "We"ve always had a darker, ambient side, but we really wanted to emphasize that aspect of music with this record. That"s where our hearts are at the moment, just keeping the whole vibe low and understated." The album promises to be an intimate listen as well, due in part to Tosca"s face-to-face work with a "creative inner circle" of guest vocalists.

Growing up in Chicago, later Detroit-based music producer, Theo Parrish is internationally well known for his own inimitable downtempo house music style. The approach Parrish took to compiling DJ-Kicks was very ambitious, inviting his Detroit peers to produce a collection of brand new material, and in turn creating the first ever all exclusive entry to the esteemed series.

Born Kenny Dixon Jr., Moodymann is a one-of-a-kind electronic music icon, hailing from, and wholly synonymous with the Motor City. DJ-Kicks will be Dixon’s first ever official multi-artist DJ mix. Across 75 minutes and 30 tracks, Moodymann creates a libidinous, blues-drenched mood that takes in heart-breaking soul, gorgeous hip-hop and love-fuelled house.

Label cover.

For Wema, collaboration is a state of mind. The five-piece collective - consisting of Tanzanian multi-instrumentalist Msafiri Zawose, producer Photay and Penya members Magnus P.I, Lilli Elina and Jimmy le Messurier - is an artistic pursuit founded on community; a space in which to harness the transformative power of connection. Translated from Swahili, 'wema' means kindness and benevolence - virtues that lie at the core of the project, and are reflected in the group's world-embracing approach to music. "Wema is a state of gratitude and belief, without sorrow or grief. It's about giving your entire heart," Msafiri declares. Wema's beginnings, however, have a more cosmic origin. As the world ground to a halt in March 2020, Photay and Magnus were both feeling the strain of creative burnout. Both artists had been keen to collaborate for a while, but the stars never quite aligned - until an off-hand conversation about the pressures of losing yourself to a project sparked an unlikely moment of inspiration. The pair began exchanging their backlog of beats, home-spun demos and unfinished ideas. Before they knew it, their songs began to take real shape - and it was some of the most invigorating music they'd ever written.

Jessy Lanza has always made music that perfectly suits the mood - whether it's the heads-down trance of the dancefloor or that hazy, post-club bliss. It's no surprise for an artist that takes electronic music's most intoxicating sensibilities and effortlessly reimagines them as experimental pop and R&B. The Canadian singer, producer and DJ from Hamilton, Ontario, has trodden an inspiring path which led to 2013's boldly minimalist debut Pull My Hair Back, released on revered UK label Hyperdub. Gorgeously complex follow-ups Oh No - shortlisted for Canada's prestigious Polaris Prize - and 2020's All the Time crowned her as a singular talent in the left-of-pop sphere. It's with this genre-bending approach that Jessy Lanza presents her entry for the DJ-Kicks series - a sprawling, club-indebted odyssey that draws you in closer and closer with each listen. Recorded this summer, the mix is an incisive snapshot of her emotional landscape during the past 18 months. In 2020, with nothing but a van, a few personal belongings and her musical gear, Lanza and her partner relocated from New York City to the Bay Area to ride out the pandemic. A change of scenery, buoyed by the slower pace of their new home, gave her a fresh perspective during a worldwide screeching halt. Jessy Lanza's DJ-Kicks mix also arrives as a divine stroke of timing. As the world slowly starts to re-open, it's a portal into the ecstatic energy of the dancefloor; an emblem of genuine healing - both personal and communal - that transports listeners to a state of pure euphoria.

Tom Middleton is focused on the future in many ways. His new alias Gcom is an all-new, 21st century redesign of his original Global Communication concept and collaboration with Mark Pritchard. The new album E2-xo is some of the most advanced music he has ever made, both in sound and concept. signifying a technological, creative and philosophical evolution into the new era; from planetary communication and understanding to Galactic Communication.

For a duo whose youthful energy rejuvenated the world of house music at the start of the 2010s, it seems incredible that Disclosure are now into their second decade of musical life. The incredible vigour of those early records, the spark of invention and ever-onward musical thrust, remains with the Disclosure brothers, Howard and Guy Lawrence, to this day. Their third album, 2020’s Energy, was aptly named, with house, breakbeats, disco, UK Garage, electro, soul, R&B, hip hop and a globe-trotting array of percussion combining to bracing effect, as the Lawrence brothers spat musical life into the face of the pandemic.

The emphasis throughout DJ Kicks is on motion. After a brief ambient introduction from Pépe’s Life Signs, Disclosure keep the energy high, in a mix that showcases the wonderful malleability of a house beat in the right hands. From sub bass to disco samples to 303 tweak, all is welcome in Disclosure’s house, with the mix allowing individual songs space to breathe even as the pace remains harefooted.

“Most of the mix is presenting what you can do with house,” says Guy. “And that's basically our career: trying to move house forward, whether it's with songwriting or using different genres or different languages. The mix should represent where we’re at now; and where we’re at now is clubby.”

Energy may have confirmed Disclosure’s place at the top of the dance music tree but Guy compares the duo’s DJ Kicks to the sets they might play at after parties and smaller shows, rather than at their huge headline dates. “If you put us in Phonox in Brixton, we're gonna play a bunch of this stuff - it's a good representation of that,” Guy concludes, “what we're going to play in a sweaty basement rave.”

The label on Side J has been pressed twice and overlaps with the grooves of the last track. The other records are between VG+ and NM.

Special Request continues his impeccable run of form with a typically fervent entry into the DJ-Kicks mix series. His adventurous 25 track mix takes in personal favourites, new school classics and of course a selection of his own brand new and exclusive edits, dubs and reworks next to some overlooked gems. Leeds based Paul Woolford dares to go where few others do. He can do face-melting underground bangers, peak time piano anthems, ambient cinematics or chart climbing crossover hits. What unites his work as Special Request across labels like Houndstooth and R&S, though, is precision engineering, but never at the expense of real, raw emotion and visceral impact. He is an artist who very much pours his heart into everything he does, and has been on such a prolific run in recent years that it has been impossible to keep abreast of all his many projects. Even in this mix, he hints at yet more new sides and sounds. As always with Special Request, this is an emotional, full spirited ride through the musical mind of one of the most accomplished artists of the day.

Game-changing multi-instrumentalist Kamaal Williams has put together the latest DJ-Kicks mix. Due for release on November 8th, it features four of his own brand new and exclusive tracks and hints at the wide world of influences that have made him one of the most prominent artists of the last few years.

Williams has taken his long standing love of seventies jazz fusion and mixed it up with the contemporary sound of the London underground to devastating effect. House, broken beat, grime, soul, funk, hip hop and jazz all permeate his work, which has seen him evolve from one-man producer Henry Wu to acclaimed live band Kamaal Williams, backed by talented drummers and bassists. His pioneering work in the studio and live arena has influenced a whole new generation of like-minded musicians that have helped make the capital one of the most musically exciting and quickly evolving cities in the world, with Williams' own virtuoso drumming and percussion right at the heart of it all.

The exceptional Yussef Kamaal album 'Black Focus' was one of the most talked about records of 2016. Vinyl pressings kept selling out, it received rave reviews, earned the band the Breakthrough Act award at the 2017 Jazz FM awards and led to spellbinding live shows all over Europe. The follow up, The Return, came on Williams' own new Black Focus label and took his band global, all while picking up nominations for best independent album at the AIM Music Awards.

Improvised rhythm and spirituality are at the heart of everything Williams does, as is London life, with its diverse people, cultures and musical customs all feeding into his work. That is also true when making more electronic sounds as Henry Wu, who appears here after standout EPs on labels like Rhythm Section International. Williams' music is so individual it is more than deserving of its own tag: the artist himself calls it Wu Funk, and some of the many sounds that feed into it are all showcased on this adventurous new mix.

Exclusives include a live take of 'Snitches Brew,' new Kamaal Williams tracks 'Shinjuku' and 'Strings ATL' , as well as 'Wivout U' from Henry Wu. Those vital highlights sit next to classic jams from Southern Freeze, a strong contingent of London innovators from K15 to Dego and Tenderlonius to Kaidi Tatham, with funk driven house from Peven Everett, raw stuff from Steve Julien, lush synth grooves from Lone and feel good grooves from Phil Asher all making this is an honest and uplifting collection that, when necessary, is happy to eschew blends, fades and mixing in favour of red hot selections and sequencing.

Kamaal Williams DJ-Kicks is a fascinating insight into the record collection of a true musical alchemist.

The debut full- length album from Lafawndah, ANCESTOR BOY, releasing on 22nd March 2019 via her own label imprint CONCORDIA, is a bracing statement of intent, heralding an artist unbound in scope, scale, and intensity. It simply must be heard. The debut full- length album from Lafawndah, ANCESTOR BOY, releasing on 22nd March 2019 via her own label imprint CONCORDIA, is a bracing statement of intent, heralding an artist unbound in scope, scale, and intensity. Having in her prior self-titled and TAN EPs upturned geography, in ANCESTOR BOY Lafawndah digs deep to unravel geology, mining emotions of the deep pastand future. The album's physicality is elemental; its memory, mineral. It is a becoming- of- age story for a people yet to come, created out of a need to find the others. In the middle of the album's sonic and lyrical onslaught is the desire to share the uncertainties of growing up when you don't belong anywhere. Crafted with the aid of fellow travelers Nick Weiss, ADR, and L-Vis 1990, ANCESTOR BOY's maximalism- it's overflow of detail, of feeling, of ideas-serves to amplify a frequent lyrical motif: the sensation that one body, one lifetime, isn't big enough for what you're feeling. The record is pregnant with memories shared across more than one mind, recalling the storytelling antagonisms of Nina Simone at her most strident and unpredictable. Inresponse, the rhythmic aggressions of her music have grown even more determined and psychedelic, drawing a line in fire between Jimmy Jam's turnt industrialism on Control and the furious unease of Red Mecca-era Cabaret Voltaire. With a palate equal parts chrome and dirt, ice and depth, Lafawndah's finesse with song architecture imbues the LP with an uncanny addictiveness: anthems loaded with trap doors. ANCESTOR BOY imagines a pop music that is neither imperial nor local, but a freedom of movement; a residue, perhaps, from the album's nomadic creation between Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, London, and Paris.