Ambien Baby
Taste The Bass

With this EP James Bangura has definitely taken me to another place musically. It certainly is the deepest record on any of the Holding Hands labels and yet I was so drawn to the tracks. Something about the weight of the sub just called to me and then shot me off into an imaginary club space. I could feel myself swaying with my eyes closed in a dark space with enormous subs and it felt right.

The new LP by Krefeld-born, Berlin-based artist Philipp Otterbach entitled 'The Dahlem Diaries'.Recorded in a little-visited corner of the German capital, 'The Dahlem Diaries' is a convergence of ideas, sketches and tracks, both old and new, most of which were produced between 2020-2022. Whilst eerie atmospheres, electronics and drums have played a pivotal role in Philipp’s earlier releases, his latest is a rather more introspective affair, in which the guitar takes a leading role. A role Otterbach uses to quietly bring light and hope to his music.Speaking about his writing process, Philipp explains that, based around his original compositions, “Friends were nice enough to contribute additional parts on their instruments which I then reworked, put together and re-contextualized. The recordings encapsulate a very specific moment in time, one that would have sounded perhaps very different the day before or after.”Combined with a strong use of effects and field recordings, 'The Dahlem Diaries' feels somewhat like a scene or fragment from a story, in which the narrative remains undefined. It is a playful album that is something of a blurred underwater adventure, sounding as bright as it is hazy, even psychedelic at times, yet with an almost melancholic positivity. In Philipp’s own words: “It could be an album about friendship and being at one with myself, whilst at the same time bringing a certain seriousness to my music, but not necessarily to myself; there is also a playful humour hidden in there. ”Artwork by David McFarline.

Inaugurating their first ever vinyl release, KEY Vinyl welcomes young Argentinian duo Translate & Pulso.Mischievous, sci-fi oriented, yet groovy and grounding sounds. And so it goes: "Ocular Optics" initiates the tour by offering a more laid-back, tooly cadence. Common thread between all tracks, A1 introduces a bleepy arp sequence adding dimension to the strong percussive elements. A punchy kick drum and snippets of a vocal top the whole off- one for layering. "Global Agreement" slightly changes the emotional gear to a more sinister, obscure energy. Powerful low frequencies merge with fluent pads and mysterious bleeps creating a very special ambience- tip.Proceeding on the B side, "Nodes 2962" definitely makes an impression... A macabre soundtrack shadowing the night deeds of Krueger... Lastly, "Backup Quest" extends the eerie atmosphere which is glued beneath rich, atmospheric textures.Definitely a pick for the dance floors !

It's over 25 years since Baby Ford decamped to the studio with, alternately, Mark Broom and the late Ian 'Eon' Loveday to re-examine the depths and possibilities of collaborative underground techno. The result, as we now know, was a giant step forward into a new sound, with a new label, Ifach, that would go on to define the blueprint for a more minimal sound it would take others a decade emulate. Monolense, four bittersweet, emotional, stripped bare explorations of techno has long been sought-after, commanding high prices on the secondhand market, and is finally getting a re-release. This is not just a moment in time, but a bookmark in UK techno history.

Following a four-year hiatus, our main imprint is back with a new outing by our long-time friend, Laslo. His previous works found home on quality record labels like Greta Cottage Workshop, Greta Cottage Woodpile and Soundscape Versions. Now he is delivering three originals, all shaped and arranged along his dub-infused, peculiar sound. As label heads, we rarely focus on remixes, but in the case of this EP we could not resist the chance to get one by the Hungarian drum & bass veteran Ghost Warrior (31 Records, re:st, Well Street Records), who did his first ever remix for Tape Hiss, this time exploring the mid-tempo territory.

Classy Detroit leaning four track electro EP by Derek Carr on his own label Trident Recordings.