Various
Eukahouse Vaults 2

Over the last years a lot of '90s Italian tiny labels (or sublabels) gained a lot of attention from djs and collectors worldwide, starting a curious lottery of blind-buys and sleepless digging session.Mammut Records is certainly one of the most persued and elusive, proposing a distinct and recognizable dark sound. A good part of the label's productions are still unknown.Evasione Digitale is excited to release the first reissue of this great catalogue.

Presence Unknown is a vinyl and digital label curated by longtime producer and DJ, Neil Keating aka Controlled Weirdness. Neil has been behind the decks and deeply involved in all aspects of club and underground sound system culture since the early Eighties. He has released his music on numerous underground labels and performed all over the world, from plush clubs to dirty warehouses. Worth a read are a couple of published articles by Neil regarding his experiences on the dance floor of underground clubs in London and New York in the Eighties. See links at the bottom of this page for these as well as a detailed biography and discography. There is also a link to a recent 40-minute interview with Distant Planet TV that explores his cultured rave history.The third release on Presence Unknown contains four slamming tunes, crafted with precision by Controlled Weirdness using a variety of analogue and digital machines in his South London studio. The A-side features some deep and bass heavy electro acid for the dance floor. "Ghosts of the Heygate" and "Running on Empty" feature rolling 808 boom with 303 groove. The flip side starts off with "Are you angry or are you boring?" a future-retro rave anthem with lately bass and killer mentasm stabs and has been destroying dance floors on dub during Controlled Weirdness’ DJ sets the past six months. The EP closes with, "Strange Desires", a slow, sleazy, slinky and salacious groove. Music from the margins. Presence Unknown.

After a one and half year hiatus we are back with the Foundation debut of a talent who’s always been bound to be part of our family. Matthew Dexter shares with us “Future Radionica:” a special four tracker shaped to fit our output. Straying away from his usual darker trademark sound, Matthew presents an EP full of light and energy to kickstart a path into new territories, both for him and us alike. With a bass-line begging for movement “The Future” is made for all types of dancers looking to let loose. Straight to the point and without a hassle, it’s guaranteed to secure energy on the floor. “Quantum Tangerine” brings us into our first ambient journey and showcases Matthew’s highly skilled sound design achieved through complex layering, textures, vocal play and advanced audio engineering techniques. A mix of diverse 90’s influences takes us to the next point in our journey “Yantra Radionica.” A bit of Goa, a touch of techno and a lot trance makes this the perfect track for the darker hours of the night. A rolling bass-line tangled to eerie yet energetic sounds make this the perfect fit for one of our favourite contrasting styles, which can best be described as “dark yet uplifting.” The best part of many nights are ofen lived in the morning hours, when only the true enthusiasts remain. “Sequoia’s Hymn” is perfect for those bits in 4me where its all about the mu- sic. Like the name suggests it draws on grandiose energies while remaining calm and subtle much like the wind blowing through the forests of the biggest trees on planet earth.

New Lifeforms by Death Lessons

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.