It’s happening again: dj, producer and dial records co-owner lawrence produced his fourth album for mule musiq. And once more, another very special one. The berlin-based artist wrote nine new arrangements specifically for “Studio Mule”, the new audiophile listening bar that mule musiq's head-honcho toshiya kawasaki recently opened in shibuya, tokyo.

Following hot in the heels of the acclaimed 'Young Birds / Palette' 12" on Optimo Music, 'The Fool' is destined to be another Cold Wave, Synth, New Industrial, Experimental ...whatever you want to call it ...classic.

Takeshi‘s Cashew are a newly formed cosmofunk group that explores the boundaries of club culture, world music and 70‘s psychedelia. Their diverse musical background fuses to a colorful vision of their respective genres embedded in a club-like beat framework. Takeshi elevate their often complex arrangements to beautiful composition with a danceable foundation.During summer 2020 Takeshi‘s Cashew recorded their debut album „Humans In A Pool“ in their tiny DIY studio in Vienna. A journey into cosmic krautrock, cumbia, afrobeat & disco, which can only be surpassed by one of their live performances – for which they teamed up with pojpoj agency, who already feature artists like Khruangbin, l´Eclair and Yin Yin.

A pure journey inward into the headspace of an artist, that reveals his gaze at the earth-ly zones he walks in: “Song for Joni”, the new album by Japanese musician Shunji Mori, brings pure natural music full of artificial nuances who create in conversation with ana-logue tones a new kind of musical nature, loaded with vibrant seasons, unknown to us, the unwise humans. moreover, the album is a fine continuation of Japan’s rich ambient leaning music traditions, carrying them into Lorren Connor’s like pending guitar galaxies.

Huerta inaugurates his new R&R imprint with TV Slang LP. Existing in a world away from the club, Huerta picks up where his debut album Junipero left off. Intended primarily as an immersive home-listening experience, TV Slang explores rhythmic moods and ambient soundscapes: combining traces of deep house, downtempo, and a suggestion of breakbeat flavors. Partially recorded back in 2019 and subsequently completed in 2022, TV Slang is the first release on R&R, a sub-label of Leizure focused on exploring more nuanced and eclectic sounds outside the rigid framework of dance music.

The Cologne-based Sono Kollektiv, an association of experimental artists Annie Bloch, Stefanie Grawe, Joel Jaffe, Alex Linster, Luis Weiß, Moritz Riesenbeck, Lukas Schäfer, Emily Wittbrodt and Max Würden, is represented for the first time with two contributions on Pop Ambient. The two works, the fragile "Bolzano Sessions IV" and the rather light-flooded "Bolzano Sessions V" (only available on CD and in the digital version) nestle perfectly into the musical whole of this year's compilation, not only in terms of their majestic leisureliness.

Over the last years a rehabilitation of the New Beat genre has taken place. Short-lived it succumbed under its own immense popularity at the beginning of the nineties, watered down once producers with an eye for commercial success - and not quality control - joined in on its seemingly easy recipe. Below the surface a lot of highly original tracks remain to be enjoyed however: the sound, with its unique mix of amongst others Chicago acid house and Belgian EBM, reveals itself to be an essential node in electronic music's Trans-Atlantic trajectory. Innershades has been a longtime enthusiast of the genre and made it a focal point of attention on "Heritage Vol. 1", the first part of a series that celebrates his inspirations and influences. Rather than making a selection of style exercises, he opts to subtly inject his tech and progressive productions with some of its tropes. It is a blend that comes naturally as menacing melodies and throbbing pulses are vital to his sound. Monolithic drum sequences, consisting of propulsive four to the flour kick drums and gated snares, run throughout the EP. On "This Is Belgium" this clear-cut rhythm structure leaves ample space for the bassline to glide and glint against the frantic SH-101 leads, while a deadpan vocal points out the release's theme. In a similar way a 303 runs havoc on "Eternal Voices". Hazy pads and understated dashes of melody furtherly infuse the track with a sense of emotive call and response. Just like most of its source material, it aims for high NRG via a low BPM. "The After Hours Club" lets a gnarled square bass line and a resonance intensive lead interplay until they get interrupted by a possibly familiar sounding news bulletin sample. "Rave Signal" finally combines an ever-modulating, hypnoid lead, silky string layers and a slab of trusty solid bass. The energetic track epitomizes Innershades's contemporary palette - it is a fitting conclusion to a record that renders regard for its precursors into current day dancefloor fervor.

Avoidance is back with an EP from Jeku. Four versatile tracks for elevating the dancefloors and diving into deeper moments.

Do you care to sip from the Chalice of MidiVerb? Awaiting you on the other side is a world of kaleidoscopic and hypnotizing techno with an esoteric soul. It only takes a small dose of Danny Wolfer's concoctions to induce a state of total entrancement.

Gianni Brezzo – the studio project led by Cologne-based, multi-instrumentalist / producer Marvin Horsch, presents his sonically rich full-length LP “Tutto Passa". "Tutto Passa" is a project with a variety of moods, ranging from Arthur Verocai inspired arrangements to lush, thematic jazz progressions with a swingin' percussive edge akin to works by David Axelrod. It’s a timeless release, one that would sit just as well in 1972 as it does in 2022.

100 Limousines expands their off-the-beaten-track catalogue with this deep sound exploration from Detroit.

Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2003)’ is a new in-depth compilation of works by Japanese musician Dream Dolphin. Co-compiled by Eiji Taniguchi, it draws from a vast discography of music oscillating between IDM, Pop and Electronic Dance Music. First appearing on Eiji’s compilation ’Heisei No Oto - Japanese Left-field Pop From The CD Age (1989-1996)’, this selection of rediscoveries, further shines a light on the singular musician known as Dream Dolphin and her place in Japan’s rich electronic music legacy.Dream Dolphin was originally an Ambient and Electronic project by the Japanese artist referred to simply as Noriko, who moved from studying classic Italian songs as a child, to increasingly being inspired by artists such as PIL, Yellow Magic Orchestra, KLF and movies such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Le Grand Bleu’. The music she released under the name Dream Dolphin, from the age of sixteen, is unique and versatile in style, encompassing Ambient, IDM, Techno, Trance and Drum & Bass, whilst fusing natural sounds with her own spoken word lyrics.Dream Dolphin released an incredible twenty albums in just eight years. In addition to her own projects, she has also put together a number of fascinating compilations herself, as well as composing ambient music to be used in hospitals and other caring contexts. ‘Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2003)’ contains 15 tracks thoughtfully selected from various albums that until now were only released on CD format.

Richard Lamb’s second and (presumably) final release under this moniker is a bit of a special one. Lamb starts off with ‘Salt Lick’. A track with beautiful, lush, sunny sounds that lure you into an unexpected world of electro, heavy bass and more dance orientated tracks like ‘A Life In Harmony’.Following up his first EP ‘Automatic Tango’ on his own Montreal based Temple imprint, there’s still hints of early Moog greasiness but overall it’s a more decisive production compared to the previous one. Intricately layered percussion mixed together with dreamy pads take you on a journey to a hidden Utopia where tight arrangements and tribal-esque rhythms dictate the pace. Once more we are shown how versatile Lamb’s productions are and how he juggles genres freely, ranging from dub to electronica, experimental, idm and techno.The second side of this EP features two remixes by non other than Norwegian DJ and producer DJ Sotofett. A heavyweight in the electronic music scene who needs little introduction takes on the EP’s title track ‘A Life In Harmony’ and turns it into two electro-acid pieces ready to tear up any dance floor, or anything else for that matter. Surrender to the acid and indulge in these masterful tracks.

French drummer and Jazz musician/composer Daniel Bechet dedicated 1979 “Songs to My Father” to his father, the famous Sax/Clarinet player Sydney Bechet.The base is a solid Fusion and Jazz Funk sound. Still, the mellow and soulful moment is wonderfully groovy with arrangements reminding George Duke’s albums, or Cortex plenty of funky Fender Rhodes.

It was in february 2015 when japanese producer and sound designer kuniyuki takahashi, sometimes known as koss, releases with the ep “newwave project ‘2” a record, that tapped some roots of his mu-sical education: new wave, german electro punk from bands like a daf, ebm from acts like front 242 as well as industrial music.Styles, about kuniyuki claims that they are his “favourite music”. now, nearly two years after his first newwave project ep, he drops an album that is leaning towards his musical love from the past. com-pared to his former work, that was rooted in worlds of classic, jazz, house, ambient, and electronic song-writing, his new tunes are full of melodic drifts and rhythmical shifts.As usual all is loaded with tones and rhythms straight from the heart that filter and modulate human emotions without losing their natural source. to get a sound that is fresh but still leaning to the 1980ees, he used some old synthesisers like a roland jupiter 8, a juno 60, a korg ms 20, an old tape echo machine but also new instruments like the roland aira. furthermore, his modular synthesizers talk too.

On his debut LP 'Impromptu', Julian Klaas presents a stunning work of sonic ambivalence inspired by the beauty and potential of the Wurlitzer piano. "I didn't attempt to pursue grand feelings like ultimate happiness or deep sadness, I'm much more fascinated in the in-between: the moments you might not otherwise write down, and that you might have forgotten if you hadn't recorded them." With 'Impromptu' Klaas has found a way to honour these moments, revealing the depth and richness that underpins the present.

Stix Records, a sub-label of Favorite Recordings, proudly presents Push Push, the new album by acclaimed producer Taggy Matcher aka Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart (Voilaaa, Mr President, The Dynamics, Uptown Funk Empire, Metropolitan Jazz Affair, Da Break, …). After the success of his previous LP Singasong, Taggy Matcher returns with 8 tracks exploring his wide range of Reggae & Dub influences, each time magnified by a fine crew of vocal guests as LMK, Birdy Nixon, Alexandra Charry, Hawa, John Milk & Elodie Rama. With a great sense of authenticity, they all bring their own touch to Taggy Matcher's compositions and covers. Always faithful to its inspirations, brilliantly produced, Push Push is your new invitation to follow the Lion to Zion.

It feels odd to call this self-titled release by Soul Supreme his 'debut album'; the Amsterdam-based keyboardist, DJ & producer has been widely recognized for over six years now. With best known his 45 records reinterpreting music by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and Mos Def (sold out within a matter of days), and more recently his ATCQ 45Check The Rhime b/w Lyrics To Go(an instant success with two represses). But here we are, with his first of official album with his own compositions and productions. Chasing more supreme sounds on this self-released LP.

Brock Van Wey returns as Earth House Hold and his third full album under the alias, continuing to explore the furthest influences of Ambient-infused, deconstructed Deep House in all its varying elements.“...from the second I descended those stairs, lived it for myself, and the events that followed, I knew my life had changed forever. A life that brought with it a beauty as infinite as its pain”.Daybreak Basements and Broken Hearts explores a new aspect of Brock’s early Deep House influences, one that meticulous followers of this guise would have been patiently trying to guess since his last outing in 2018. If Brock’s debut Earth House Hold album (When Love Lived, 2012) took the grooves and danceability from Deep House, and his second, (Never Forget Us, 2018), highlighted the powerful progression of vocals and melodies, then Daybreak Basements and Broken Hearts continues to build on the many aspects and inspirations of the Deep House genre, with a raw, dirty and somehow deeper take on the sound that Brock grew up with many years ago.Brock’s signature vocals once again provide the narration and backbone to an album that is designed to progress; from its patient and spacious beginnings to its energetic and emotional closing chapters. Reverberating synths fill cavernous spaces as basslines rumble, bringing a darker, more abstract, early-morning vibe to an album born from a place of both reflection, and personal experiences.“This is a house album in the purest sense of the word - just as much as the furthest thing from one that ever existed. As much a deconstruction of what deep house means as an attempt to reconstruct a time, and a life, it built.”