Z@P
PHONOTOOLS VOL.2

Amsterdam based DJ and producer Mayo joins the Fides family with her Frenemies EP marking the 15th release of Fides Records.Mayo showcases 5 cuts of finely crafted electro and EBM-influenced Techno, it's impossible not to be drawn by her distorted voice that defines each track.Unrelenting grooves and a deeper look into her analog sound design flair, these tracks are timeless in sound and production quality.“Tell me how you die” kicks it off as the A1 with stomping analog kick and drums, a dark jumping bassline pushing the groove with ethereal synths.“Not your shadow” as the A2 strips it back into a 303Acidbass-based track marked by singular industrial sounds and Vocal Shots that are lost in the groove carried by a background synth sequence that follows throughout the track.The last track of the A Side is “Frenemies” a pulsing, meditative composition featuring label owner and Tresor resident Z.I.P.P.O, who added to Mayo's energetic, analog and eventually dark sense, a more mental, deep and intense face typical of the Italian artist. The B Side starts with Miami Legend Danny Daze’s Hell Mix of “Frenemies” in which he exhibits his unique sound design techniques, combining tribal-tinged rhythm, sharp FX that pops up from the corners of the soundscape with stretched vocals in order to highlight the track's protagonist: a modulated brass bass.Mary Lake’s Remix of “Tell Me How you Die” closes the EP with a deep kick drum driven forward with rolling and modulated closed hats that run through the track while atmospheric sounds carry the filtered Brass before dissolving into the end of the track.

For the first release of the label we would like to welcome MASI. Two brothers from Amsterdam who’s sound could be described as old meets new school electro and minimal. The A1 of the EP represents that old meets new school electro club focused track while B1 is an atmospheric cosmic inspired minimal track.B2 is a smart club driver track that gradually adds deep low end bass throughout the track for a unique build up that will be noticed best on a proper soundsystem.

Sound the alarms, red-hot new label Spray has checked in for round two; nummer zwei.. though far from dry; with Leisureplex, a suspiciously proficient debut from Dublin’s Drua. Joining the prog-parade full steam ahead, the 3 tracker dabbles in tech trance activity with a bonus remix from Berlin’s backbone Mor Elian. The enigmatic newcomer showcasing mature structural bliss, crafted for moments of subconscious synchronicity between the dj and their dancers. Breaking out of the cookie cutter mold in sharp fashion is the title track, rolling effortlessly with addictive bell delays and morish gating. Layers graciously build a wall of sound that can’t be broken down; splintered shakers flicker above board whilst demonic vocal blurs act as rhythmic counterparts. Mor Elian’s dystopian leaning rendition still holds some stealthily euphoric aura, the heavy handed machine drum freakout a brain scattering rendering on speed. The B Side stands alone tall and proud; Larp feels like a climax at the party. Sirens flaring high as hell, the rise and fall of the bassline bouncing in tandem with driving drums, only stopping for a dramatic drumroll. An essential to top off a seriously stunning first record from Drua, get it before he blows up!

‘Albino Sound concocts textual delights in shades of metal on his forthcoming EP for Turnend Tapes.The ‘Metallurgy’ EP forthcoming on Turnend Tapes sees Japanese artist Hirotaka Umetani transmit four club orientated tracks through a UK bass lens, delineating from past musical excursions and so marking a turning point of his works.Indicative of this shift is the vast and varied sources of inspiration Hirotaka has tapped into in creating ‘Metallurgy’. Translating visual into sound through Hirotaka’s own experience, bare witness to granular detail made macro through swathes of sound design kinetically akin to the flurry of mineral-rich hot water springs, seething in chemical harmony.Entwining impressions of the past with forecasts of the future Hirotaka deftly connects the dots between the sounds stemming from the alchemy of metal and it’s interplay with the natural environment as we proceed ever closer to organic-synthetic assimilation.’

Sparsely condensed.
Intrinsically detailed.Moody, yet goofy.Nordic Noir.DJ Lifegoals is a Helsinki-based beat-maker and mood-shaper.