Tom Frankel
Obvious Choice EP (Incl. Revivis Remix)

Colin Chiddle’s Art of Dark releases its 14th EP.

Over the past decade, Vienna-based Florian Stöffelbauer – also known as Heap, has built a consistent reputation as a skilled DJ, producer and Neubau’s label head.Isla is proud to present his latest effort “False Hope” which explores the intersections between industrial, electro and dark wave – all with a leftfield twist.As diverse as it is powerful, the 7 tracks featured here almost feel like nocturnal tales, chalking out Heap’s observations wandering through the streets of a silent city, with cigarette smoke permeating the air and sirens ringing in the distance.The cinematic essence of the release emerges from the very beginning, with the atmospheric beauty “Diall” transporting us straight into some late-80s scenery of Kraftwerkian nostalgia. In “Jetzt Oder Nie” a sharp knit of drums is placed on top of the grave frequencies of the bass: it’s indeed “now or never”, the moral imperative of the release, requiring us to take action.Throughout the whole album, hypnotic sounds punctuate the dark space, bouncing between the polyrhythmic and uplifting energies of “Inner peace” and “No Palm Too Big”, a sneaky slow-burner with a nocturnal groove and Gayna Rose Madder’s robotic voice reciting the stream of consciousness of this urban wanderer.“Trist” rises slowly yet powerfully thanks to its mystical synths covering the ground and preparing us for what comes next.The title track “False Hope” holds the unique charm of a creature effortlessly floating in between dualities. As obscure as it is airy, as delicate as it is forceful, this hybrid composition is rich in details and plot twists.At the end of this journey, “Losing time” reminds us of the urgency to take action expressed at the beginning of the album. In a rarefied canvas, an off-kilter solitary sound comes in, starting off as insistent as a car horn in rush hour, and evolving into a beautiful instrument arpeggiating the melody.Here Heap concludes his narrative for now. We like to imagine him walking away, a shadow fading in the smoke of the city as the first lights of the day appear.

On behalf of re:discovery records, it is with great excitement that we announce the joint compilation from Facil and Prototype 909 called 'Excerpts from 1993-1995.As most know, Prototype 909 was a legendary acid techno act from New York that toured the circuit as one of the premier rave acts from America during the 1990s.Facil was a side small duo project that only made one album and a few appearances on a handful of compilations. The A-side features two Facil tracks. 'Tree Frog' has an amazingly robotic ambient dub electro sound. A killer track that will have dancefloor patrons staring at each other with blank wtf faces. '700x7' completes the A-side with ambient dub gem. Floaty and airy melodics balance out a devastating 808 drum beat. This is ambient dub in the truest example. The b-side then offers two spacey trance beauties with 'Transit' & 'Planet S' from Prototype 909. The EP finishes with more space junk ambient dub with 'Same Place' by Facil. Overall, a great look into the window of early to mid-1990s New York ambient dub.

We once again call upon Jorg Kuning for his sonic offerings. In answer, he has delivered four bubbling, pulsating tracks that ooze with organic vitality. The fruit of Jorg’s labour comes shrouded in morning mist from the Black Mountains, their meticulous details expanding and collapsing like dew drops in earthly pools.The record begins with ‘Simmons’. Deep, amphibious sub bass drives the elements in perpetual forward motion. Atonal squeals wriggle through the undergrowth, cutting swathes of space to make room for the chords; whose arrival descend like manna to nourish us in all their microtonal glory.We then ramble onto ‘Transplant’. Joyful squelches tumble around an Entish kick drum; the healing vibrations of which swell with the clinical serenity of the jazz indebted stabs. Pads swell and shine above the vegetation, leaving fractal trails in their wake.The B side marches on with ‘Dripgroove’. The crystal clear, angular elements are playfully squeezed out of Jorg’s machines. The rhythm section approaches us with primeval generosity, until the quaking tension is finally released and the dam is open.The holistic ‘Bodyscan’ concludes the trip. Beginning with gentle warming movement, the energy quickly takes a decidedly more twisted turn. When the sun sets on the shimmering keys, Jorg’s synthetic seagulls signal our return to the murk; the ensuing groove driving us deeper towards the earth’s core.

Alien Imprints is back with their second release which includes some well-respected artists along with rising talents showcasing their skills.False prophets - Relpek A.K.A. Kepler is a DJ/producer who hails from the North of England. His offering is a crisp electro track that generates a calculated bass, analogue stabs and phrases with sweeping synths.Spider Ink - Ollie Drummond, a respected DJ from London gives us a proper tech house number solid 4:4 beats, crafted basslines and pad effects that follow with acid riffs.Thibo - Bronxy and ETRE from the Ukraine collaborate on this deep house affair, with soulful grooves, smooth deep bassline and "spacey vibe" pads create a cool hypnotic flow.Inverted - Hydra Machine's music is influenced by 1980's electro. Deep 808 inspired beats meets an "Electro Funk" bassline, 80's style pads and acid bleeps combine together perfectly.

Introducing Cutcross, created to champion the melting pot of bass-centric sounds teetering around 140 bpm. Heading up the concept is Sicaria Sound, a DJ duo who since their inception set out to explore and expand on the possibilities of these sounds whilst spotlighting underground artists. Cutcross is therefore their next step in supporting the forward-thinking music that they've drawn for when curating sets.For CXT005 we've curated another compilation EP - "With The Sonant" - stitching together a collectively hazy set of tracks yet each with their own vocal deviations. Epoch's long coveted "2-Door Subaru" is the explosive opener, followed by two distinct approaches to trappier terrains via Woven Thorn's "Loveless" and "Try Me" by zns before descending into the dub-diving murky waters of Soukah's "Don't Care".