Coby Sey
CONDUIT

Newcomer Donnie Cosmo of Medellin, Colombia takes the helm for TSOL 005 with four spaced out nuggets. Donnie is a special story as he first appeared on the Limousine Dream sublabel Nug-Net after being selected as one of the winners from the Nug-Net course producer competition. Now he becomes the first to make the jump up to TSOL with a full EP.

Vargmal Records is an independent record label and multidisciplinary platform founded by Gent Gjonbalaj. Operating from Prishtina, Kosovo, the imprint publishes hypnotic compositions of various forms, exploring the realms of electronic music and beyond. The label's debut release marks the birth of an initiative started several years ago, reflecting on a process of growth, research and refinement.Conceived as a foundation record, the 'Classics' EP demonstrates Vargmal's concept and overall spirit. The Italian pioneer Leo Anibaldi inaugurates the label featuring two cuts on the A-side, originally produced in the early 1990s--'Muta 5' and an as yet unheard version of 'Endurance 4'--replete with Anibaldi's signature sound programming and high-octane output. On the flip, the torch is passed to another Italian master, Donato Dozzy, who takes them to another level with his peculiar and precise remix treatment. Where Anibaldi paves the way for a possible future, Dozzy applies a modern touch to the same fundamental approach--a balancing act that shows a spectrum within the conceptual framework from two different points in the continuum, transcending any individual style or place in time.Selected by their ability to extract the full potentiality of the sound, the tracks on this release reflect a minimalist approach that is inherently resourceful and discerning, whilst maximizing effect and impact. The efficiency of the sound can be heard in the stripped-back elements, practical arrangement and execution of the creative idea. 'Muta 5' opens the EP, a throbbing mass of pressure cooker action, continuously building tension with rippling percussion lines and syncopated beats. Ahead of its time in 1993, 'Muta 5' has a raw, driving energy and commanding authority. Dozzy reworks it into a tighter, linear forma--whilst retaining the angst of the original, he applies new synth motifs and notches the speed down for extra poise. 'Endurance 4' (Version II) is a tribal workout with hallmarks of the classic Italian deep techno sound. With arching drones, chugging rhythms and dramatic narratives, 'Endurance 4' presents an idiosyncratic style and emotive character which later became the model for this sound. Dozzy's hypnotic faculty shines through on the remix, a polished re-run that elaborates on the ominous melodic theme, and lifts the sound majestically to a gliding altitude--marking the end of this record and the beginning of Vargmal's journey.

Delirium 17 by Silver Zone aka Marco Repetto & Stefan Riesen in the rebound.First official re-issue after 1994!

S Born, Manchester-based Avernian inaugurates his newest club-night turned-label venture, with the help of Stenny (Ilian Tape), Tammo Hesselink (Delsin) and Jabes (Timedance).The first four-track compilation comes to form with opening piece 'Kembow' by Ilian Tape mainstay, Stenny; a pacy bass-ridden roller, executed to devastating effect with razor-sharp synths that stab down into the midrange of the speakers like daggers, sitting atop dread-ridden sub frequencies.Label-founder Avernian follows suit, already being widely recognised for rowdy releases on imprints such as More Time, Fever AM and Scuffed Recordings. 'Power Stance' continues the 12" with elephant trunk synthesis, and a galloping, low-mid frequency rumble that is second to none.Jabes (Timedance/Klunk) delivers 'Rite'; a deeply tense excursion with harrowing sound-design and analogue delays that dance around a playful stereo field, mixed down to extreme, scientific hyper-precision.Closing out the record is Tammo Hesselink (Delsin/Nous'klaer Audio) supplying 'Water Plus' with a neck-snapping groove of warm and distorted, polyrhythmic claps that have been self-recorded among a frenzy of foley lines that spiral into fun and friendly dancefloor adrenaline, bringing the compilation to a clean close and leaving the listener pining for the label's follow-up.

Back in 2021, when Volodymyr Gnatenko agreed to work on his debut album, none of us could have predicted it would be released, post-pandemic, against the backdrop of war. At the time, the 23-year-old producer from Lutsk was riding high on a string of well-received 12s for labels such as Where We Met and Animals On Psychedelics, besides local Ukraine labels such as LSS557 and Rhythm Buro. He was, between covid closures, playing live at Kyiv clubs such as Closer and Kureni, looking to tour in Europe, and spending every spare second making music.How things change. When missiles began to rain on Kyiv, Gnatenko, alongside a few friends from Closer, hid in his studio. For a while, the bombings did not stop. But for the producer, neither did the music-making. Choosing to stay in the city, he continues to make beats, managing only to mix down between bombing raids. He changed his first name to match that of his president, ditching the previous spelling of his name because it was the same as the aggressor, “[the same as] my worst enemy, I am ashamed and disgusted that I started my career with it”. The album speaks of softer, easier times. A combination of rich ambience, and laidback breaks alongside loose progressive and trance-fused dancefloor tracks, this debut brings together all the strands that Gnatenko plays with. The process, he says, was exhausting and long. Yet the results are lighter, fresher. Maybe because, he says, “it is dedicated to my future wife. All the tracks are my words of love for her". Deeply hypnotic and freely moving between ideas, it feels like it was made a lifetime ago, not a matter of months. Now, it resonates with a new defiance. It is a debut with an extra layer of meaning.

Havana - Eclypse © 1995 Pin UpSigmatibet - Rotom © 1992 Evolution Records.2 tracks.45 RPM.Compiled by Rey Colino.Mastered and Cut by Marco Pellegrino.Design by AJAM.