Browse by Label: CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)

Artist:	GEIOM/M. CANEY
Title:	Blanket/Four Fifty Five
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$5.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 007EP

"Geiom, a.k.a. Kamal Joory from Nottingham UK, is known for his remix work for Anthony Manning, as a longtime affiliate of Lee Norris (Metamatics), as a member of Tone Language, and as an acclaimed solo artist on Neo Ouija. Here, he delivers two tracks which simply fit perfectly into the City Centre Offices catalogue. On 'Blanket', he works with long time friend Mr. Caney and explains what happens when digitized high frequencies meet squirky drums, a melody as deep as the ocean and an (almost) acoustic bass. 'Four Fifty Five' is almost dubby, somehow lazy, maybe melancholic but definitely great. It's a track that will stick to your head. Both Geiom and M. Caney are working on a full length for City Centre Offices, due next year."

Artist:	VANLOO, BILL
Title:	Tones (For Sarah)/Harmonic Study 1.3
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$5.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 012EP

"Despite the fact that this 7" is Bill Vanloo's first ever release on his own, he is well known already because he built his reputation playing gig after gig over the last couple of years in the Detroit area. 'Tones' is is nothing else but a lovesong. Soft, beautiful melodies play pingpong with each other, boogie with something we call subbass and enjoy the work of various delay-units which might remind you of some of the early Detroit Escalator Co.-tracks. 'Harmonic Study 1.3' looks at the story from a completely different angle, assembles drones and drones and drones and carefully adds rhythmical accents to this lullaby for microchips."

Artist:	CANEY & KAMAL JOORY, MORGAN
Title:	Darling/Darling (Remix)
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$5.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 014EP

"After last year's stunning 7" on City Centre Offices, Morgan Caney & Kamal Joory (aka Geiom) return with a kind of special record. Right on time for Christmas, they give us one of the most beautiful tracks ever written. With pretty unusual, because acoustic sounds, both Morgan and Kamal sing and play themselves straight into our hearts. On the b-side they re-think the harmony of the a-side in a more digital, experimental way. 'Darling' is a taster of their long-expected album."

Artist:	STATIC WITH VALERIE TREBLEJAHR
Title:	Turn On Switch Off
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 016EP

"Static aka Hanno Leichtmann returns with three new tracks. For the title song, he teamed up with Valerie Trebeljahr, the singer from Lali Puna. 'Turn On Switch Off' is the piece of music the summer was waiting for to truly begin. A fluffy Rhodes-inspired dream with a deep bass, even a harp and Valerie's unique singing. 'Promesse de Bonheur' and 'Give Me Your Loving', both exclusive tracks to this release, give you and idea of what Mr. Static is working on at the moment and what directions he will take for his next album, both relaxed and intense pop tracks. Finally, Jan Jelinek aka Farben rounds up this EP with his interpretation of the title track."

Artist:	FIREWIRE
Title:	A Tribute To the Manzini
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	BLOCK 020CD

Firewire are: Frederic Stader (aka DIN-ST, DJ MAXXIMUS): Machines; Carl Crack (ATARI TEENAGE RIOT, WHATEVER): Voice. "Frederic Stader and Carl Crack met sometime during the 90s in Cologne at a Cosmic Orgasm-Rave. Back then, Frederic was a doing a project called Fever (later on DHR), Carl was the voice of Atari Teenage Riot. They got along well and worked on ideas together, on and off. Some years down the line, the idea of a common project became more and more important to both of them. They started recording. Then, in 2001, Carl Crack died and Frederic finished off the recordings himself. A Tribute To The Manzini, a release which has been approved by Carl's family, is a short but intense journey through a long forgotten world of distorted soul. Something you would not necessarily expect if you are familiar with both Frederic's and Carl's former work. Or maybe you would. From the haunting beauty of 'Open Ur Eyes', via the disturbing, Acid-infected 2Step error of '4 Ever' to the monstrous intensity of 'No Exit', each and every track remains a unique example of two exceptional musicians working together on something they both feel has to be done. An unusual release for CCO you might think. We don't think so. But this is another story."

Artist:	STATIC
Title:	Ghost Boy
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 021EP

"Taken from his current second album for City Centre Offices (Flavour Has No Name), 'Ghost Boy' is another brilliant collaboration with Tarwater's and To Rococo Rot's Ronald Lippok on vocals, what starts in a dark, almost irritating, but at the same time fascinating, atmosphere quickly turns into beautiful popsong. 'A Pleasant Place' is an absolute Static classic, which finally makes it onto vinyl. The b-side kicks off with our soulbrothers Isan, who, if there would be something like a 'Grand Prix of Lullabies', would definitely win that contest easily with their interpretation of 'Ghost Boy'. Finally, Static's long-time partner in crime Nicolas Bussmann aka Resistance delivers a wild, extreme interpretation, which, finally, should wake the ghost."

Artist:	WHARTON, DONATO
Title:	Built to Fail EP
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 023EP

"Built around one of the core tracks of his highly acclaimed album Trabanten (CCO, Towerblock 017), 'Built To Fail', Wharton delivers three new tracks which take his musical visions one step further. 'My Orange Lifejacket' combines the crackles of a digital campfire with soulful, processed guitars, weeping for a better tomorrow with one of the most peaceful and brightest melodies around. 'Collision Stills' takes the sunshine for granted, introduces a bassdrum to those of us who prefer not to dance when listening to music and explores the beauties of high frequencies. not only twitchers will feel at home. 'Glazed', on the contrary, was obviously written and orchestrated in the small hours of the night, shifts back and forth between pulsating crackles, fragmented voices and repetitive guitars. Suddenly, all is blue ... all is unplugged ... all is calm ..."

Artist:	DICTAPHONE
Title:	Nacht EP
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 024EP

"After the highly acclaimed album M.=Addiction, Dictaphone finally return with four new tracks. 'Peaks' and 'Warszawa w nocy' are based around recordings made in a rehearsal room somewhere in Berlin with some microphones hanging from the low ceiling: Roger D�ring (saxophone & clarinet on the Dictaphone album), Stephan W�hrmann (drums) & Piotr Rybkowski (bass) met up for a couple of sessions over the last two years .When Oliver Doerell heard those recordings, he immediately started to work on them. And finished them. 'Peaks' is more than a homage. Clearly inspired by the theme of a well known TV-series, it takes that certain haunting groove and transforms it into the most perfect base for D�ring's saxophone. 'Warszawa w nocy' sounds like a million things happening at the same time, but in the end, all there is is noise, hiss, a pleasantly disturbing groove and the saxophone. The B-Side features two classic Dictaphone tracks, made by Doerell and D�ring. Truly cinematic."

Artist:	REMOTE VIEWER
Title:	You're Going To Love Our Defeatist Attitude
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	BLOCK 025CD

"Somewhere in the Greater Manchester Area, on an average street, in an average attic of an average house, every now and again, time stands still. This is when Andrew Johnson and Craig Tattersal sit down and switch on their machines, opening the gates to the land of The Remote Viewer. This, however, does not happen too often, just in case you want to know why it took so long to compile new tracks for a new release on CCO. After their album Here I Go Again On My Own released in 2002, we are happy to announce the return of The Remote Viewer. You're Going To Love Our Defeatist Attitude picks up where Andrew and Craig pressed the Stop button after recording their last album, but at the same time takes their sound to a completely new level, a much more acoustic one. With Nicola Hodgkinson (from Empress) on vocals, Andrew and Craig dig deeper, haunt some friendly ghosts in detuned pianos, introduce a vocoder to the band, polish their little rhythms and make them shine even brighter. It is an intimate world these two gentlemen are orchestrating, a world in which time doesn't really matter, a world which is always there, which always awaits you with open arms."

Artist:	DUB TRACTOR
Title:	Faster EP
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 028EP

"These five new tracks give you a good idea of the direction Anders Remmer has chosen for his new album. Elements already present on the More Or Less Mono album feature even more prominently in this new work. What used to be pure electronic music has turned into a one-man band. Anders focuses more and more on his guitar, bass and voice, constructing beautifully crafted indie hymns. The title track 'Faster' and 'Right / Wrong' bring back memories of classic tunes like 'I Don't Care'. Combining his love for floating guitar hooks and simple though effective beats, Dub Tractor evokes a time when acoustic instruments were constantly employed in new and unpredictable ways. 'Cirkel' and 'Not At The Lab' are two wonderful instrumental tracks, which highlight Anders' skills of harmony, dub and structure. Finally, 'A Meter' makes you wonder what would have happened to music if the iBook had been invented in the 60s."

Artist:	MIWON
Title:	Brother Mole
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 030EP

"Hendrik Kr�tz aka Miwon has been an active member of the Berlin-based electronic music scene for a very long time. Hundred's of live P.A.s created a big fan base for his soulful electronic pop music. As the initiator of the already legendary 'laptop battles' he did important ground work for the development of electronic music in Berlin in general. Apart from a long deleted split-12" on the Grundrauschen imprint, Brother Mole is his first release. The title track is a blueprint of modern synth-pop. A pumping bassdrum, lush chords and catchy vocals make 'Brother Mole' an instant hit you will be whistling walking down the street. Be prepared for some serious addiction. A perfect track for CCO's very own John Tejada to remix. He transforms the track into a dancefloor anthem. An even more kicking bassdrum and a much straighter arrangement turn the track into a killer DJ-Tool. 'Spiralize' shows Miwon's love for more dirty, gritty sounds. His dreamy melodies do the rest. 'Rain Or Shine', the closing track, is a lullaby for lonely laptops. Deep and haunting."

Artist:	AROVANE
Title:	Tides
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 001CD

Emitting "future classic" status within seconds of play, this sophomore album by Berlin's Uwe Zahn is filled to the brim with liquid harpsichord euphoria, bridging that gap between early 90s "classic ambient" and more contemporary static like little else known. "Shortly after the release of Arovane's debut album on Din, CCO releases his follow-up album Tides. Inspired by a holiday spent in France by the sea, Tides marks a new step in Arovane's career. Based on hip hop grooves and live played guitars, Tides does not concentrate on digital glitches, but on warm melancholic songs. As Bleed From the German DeBug magazine put it, 'Tides is the iMac of electronica LPs. Wonderful, translucent, somehow familiar, but simply so great that you have to say hello.'"

Artist:	STATIC
Title:	Eject Your Mind
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 006CD

"Modular pop, anthemish circuit cuddlings, or maybe simply electronica, always on the verge between song and track: there is a good number of cosy little drawers one could open in order to find an appropriate language to describe Static's music. One can be sure, however, that in a better world, Static's music would be played on heavy rotation everywhere between Iceland and Japan and lucky owners of oldskool jukeboxes would cut dubplate after dubplate to feed their little machines with tracks from Eject Your Mind. Static is one of a few monikers of Hanno Leichtmann, a Berlin-based musician. If not working on Static material, he plays in various other projects like Paloma, Ich Schwitze Nie or DJ Attach� & The Beige Oscillator. On Eject Your Mind, Static combines quiet dsp-stills with a warm, almost investigative pop appeal, resulting in a perfect illusion of a crumbly-glitchy electronica aquarium, in which small sounds, dubby echos, minimal beats and beautiful melodies walk hand in hand. Such music needs vocals. So, Static picked up the phone and invited Ronald Lippok (To Rococo Rot, Tarwater) and Justine Electra to join him in his studio. The CD-version also features a special video application ('type f for fullscreen'), developed by Joshua Goldberg, a New York-based video artist, together with Mr. Static, to give macintosh users the chance to visualize this beautiful, stunning album."

Artist:	THE REMOTE VIEWER
Title:	Here I Go Again On My Own
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 007CD

"Craig Tattersall and Andrew Johnson aka The Remote Viewer have been active in the UK-indie-scene for a good number of years now. Both started as members of Hood (Craig played drums, Andrew guitar) and recorded four albums with the band. Here I Go Again On My Own is the second Remote Viewer album to date. The ten tracks are all very personal, intimate moments full of fragile warmth and quiet melancholy taking you by the hand as soon as the guitar comes in and plays along to colorful melodies and small clicky beats. This is an album sounding like a dreamy day spent alone in the countryside, when you look down a hill and whisper songs from another world. File under indietronics."

Artist:	CANEY & KAMAL JOORY, MORGAN
Title:	Magic Radios
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 008CD

"The Magic Radios album and live experience represents a happy collision between two musicians from very different backgrounds. All the way from the ultra precise world of contemporary electronics to imaginary soundtracks of the wild praries and the mating rituals of the pioneers. yeeeeee haaaaaaa! Kamal Joory has produced many recordings for various electronic labels (Skam, Neo Ouija, Staaplatt, Nature etc) as Geiom -- also taking his sound to various open-minded corners of the globe and providing interactive soundscapes for international performance artist Simone Kenyon and the milleux collective. Morgan Caney - a versatile and well travelled musician/composer, whose experience has taken in playing at Ronnie Scotts (as part of the experimental jazz ensemble) scaring people in tunnels ( part of his ongoing sonic art tapeworks project ) and teaching Himalayan children the joys of the human beatbox. Gorge Aplenty on a myriad feast of warm and delicate melodies, vacuum cleaners in space junkshop vibes, Latino piano, insect percussion, lovesick cowboy vocals, electro brakes, spine-tingling violins, acoustic shredding, campfire. expect to find this and more in a typical live transmission from Magic Radios."

Artist:	DENZEL & HUHN
Title:	Time Is A Good Thing
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 009CD

"Recorded high above sea-level at upperroom, a snug attic studio in Berlin, giving it that same crackling fireside glow. But there's also something sub-marine about it, exploring the depths, alert to the sonar patterns, the throbbing of turbines, the tolling of a bell-boy far above. this is no coincidence: Denzel + Huhn's affinity for underwater scenarios recently had them working on music for a samadhi floatation tank. If you wanna categorize d+h's sound, think of a crossover between the static but lively crackling glitches of your old vinyl collection, treated by digital circuitry, a bass as heavy as a high-rise building and the warmth of a noisy drone telling you everything you ever wanted to know. Somewhere between .snd's seriousness, a playful and charming reminiscences of a world called 'indie', and a fascination for obviously Berlin-inspired dub-metaphors, d+h create their own sonic universe, experimental of sorts, heart-grabbing for sure."

Artist:	DICTAPHONE
Title:	m.=addiction
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 010CD

"From the very beginning, Dictaphone was the idea of Oliver Doerell. Born and bred in Brussels, multi-instrumentalist Doerell now lives in Berlin and has been working on the Dictaphone project for the last three years. Together with Roger D�ring, saxophone and clarinet player, he has slowly been developing his version of electronically processed slo-motion jazz, which is nothing but a collection of beautiful lovesongs. A deep bass meets an ocean full of warm, enchanting melancholy. m.=addiction feels like a French autumn dream. Strings are struggling against precisely placed artefacts and rhythmic noisy bits. Field recordings from public swimming pools meet strange messages recorded with old dictaphones. Maika Spiegel ('minimal compact') makes one of the tracks even more beautiful with her unique voice. m.=addiction simply makes you drown in a soft, velvety atmosphere."

Artist:	I'M NOT A GUN
Title:	Everything At Once
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 011CD

"I'm Not A Gun are John Tejada and Takeshi Nishimoto. Techno's best kept secret, John Tejada (Playhouse, Palette, 7th City etc.) has decided to take a break from his usual (strictly electronic) productions. Together with his friend Takeshi Nishimoto he sits back on the veranda of postrock-instrumentals and relaxes. Tejada on drums, guitar and electronics, Nishimoto on guitar and bass dream away their day -- and make ours. With airy gestures and a sunny state of mind, they jam themselves into textures which have learned their lesson from the best records of the Chicago school: jazzrock does not have to be a pretentious monster, but can sing a poem of the utopia of unhierachical communication. As soon as structure wins over the solo, dialogue over technical skills and the lightness of swing over the pathos of improvisation. With I'm Not A Gun, everything seems to be structure, dialogue and lightness. In a cheerful dizziness, these instrumentals seem to plan themselves, accepting no control from the outside world. Tejada and Nishimoto are just following that stream. Everything At Once is music of the inner ear, floating sessions full of trust in a higher sense of justice. Music which finally arrives at itself, unfolds, blossoms and stretches out its feelers. Here, work has got nothing to do with effort, and producing nothing with reason."

Artist:	STATIC
Title:	Flavour Has No Name
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 014CD

"Hanno Leichtman's Berlin studio is a friendly place. You imagine it in half-light, scattered cushions, open bottles of wine and an opulence of form welcoming his family of collaborators and friends to dip into his world of shimmering pop. Flavour Has No Name sets out the agenda in a multi-coloured display of variation and a love of a melody that will not remove itself from your mind. This is, simply put, a perfect pop record. With guests: Justine Electra, Ronald Lippok, Christoff Kurzmann, and Lali Puna's vocalist Valerie Trebeljahr."

Artist:	BOY ROBOT
Title:	Glamorizing Corporate Lifestyle
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 016CD

"It had to happen. Imagine two successful solo artists, Michael Zorn and Hans M�ller (used to be a member of the highly successful Swedish project Boulderdash), just happening to meet at work in Berlin and realising that they share not only an interest in music, but, more specifically, a love for that particular tinge of electronic music that finds itself surrounded by a dubby effervescence. The 10 tracks on board manage to encapsulate and dissect a pool of sub-generic ideas that scarcely make an appearance on a single body of work, perfectly fusing the musical signatures that each artist has perfected over the course of the last few years. From an unfolding rigid digital riddim that Mr Zorn structures so well, a cascade of twilight melodies weaving itself in and out of the ride to a ballearic vibe that seems deliciously out of place, like a tranquilised, late night version of post-rave blues. If you're familiar with the work of both of them, you will be instantly aware of the magic at play. Over the last couple of years, Zorn has acquired a reputation for deep technoid tracks, focusing on complex rhythms. M�ller fits perfectly into that image, adding his own vision of percussive structure and melodies, playing the melodica and the kalimba imbuing the whole album with a more acoustic edge."

Artist:	WHARTON, DONATO
Title:	Trabanten
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 017CD

"Debut album by Donato Wharton. At the age of 18, he signed his first record contract and moved to Cologne. There, he became interested in digital music and started producing hip hop instrumentals for the up-and-coming scene of Stuttgart. Trabanten is Donato's first real solo effort -- an important move away from supporting other artists to focusing completely on his own ideas and visions. Donato, for whom Hendrix's Electric Ladyland is as important an influence as the more recent work from musicians like Vladislav Delay, Radiohead, Mogwai or jazz and hip hop in general, allows his tracks a lot of time and space to develop. He masters the more than difficult task of combining very detailed sound design with an ability to write wonderful, deep, intense songs. Doing so, he is one of few tellers of digital stories. And those stories are full of ideas. Without trying to describe the tracks in detail and bring up boring overused metaphors, Trabanten is the perfect soundtrack the time of the day when you go offline, switch off your phone and concentrating on music is all you really want to do. Trabanten requires attention, but the listener is rewarded. The way Donato Wharton pastes his sounds together, the way he gets all those noises out of his machines and, most importantly, the way he combines them with acoustic fragments and his guitar-playing, is unique. The fact that he is busy composing music for theater pieces makes complete sense."

Artist:	KLEINE, CHRISTIAN
Title:	Real Ghosts
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 019CD

"This is the story of Christian Kleine, someone who is famous for his electronic music. Be it on his own or as a member of Herrmann & Kleine, Christian and his PowerBooks formed an entity. They still do, but for a long time, other instruments have been living in his studio. Instruments that were there long before he bought his first computer. Maybe this is one of the reasons why it took 18 months for him to complete his new, second full-length. Among other things, Real Ghosts is a meditation on Christian's musical roots. Not a restart, not a sudden denial of electronic music. The time was just right to get out the guitars again. 'I always played guitar, I simply did not record it very often. This is new. For Real Ghosts, I used whatever instruments were available. Guitar, bass, harmonica or computers.' The most obvious change is indeed Christian's focus on his guitar-playing. Real Ghosts is a real rocker. Distorted walls of guitars, head-nodding beats and the deepest, fattest basslines make Real Ghosts a completely different story, open up a complete new world. Take a track like 'Ghostwriting' for instance, where the synthesizer is simply overrun by loud guitars and precise flageolett-figures, gains ground again in an ongoing fight. This short track sums up the two sides of Real Ghosts: lush atmospheres and grounded directness. Christian Kleine combines these two elements like no one else. Sometimes is it good when things take a little longer. And maybe ghosts need more time to develop, anyway."

Artist:	SWOD
Title:	Gehen
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 021CD

"Translated as 'go', Gehen represents a labour of love from two musicians experienced in the art of seductive and evocative music making. Having first worked together producing live soundtracks to silent movies, Oliver and Stephan tread a delicate board of crystalline piano cascades and the sort of subtle electronic tinkering you can barely recognise or absorb in one sitting. It's fitting that the pair are so used to tailor-making their harmonious shards of sound to moving imagery, Gehen evokes a plethora of half forgotten films and life experiences offered up in glimpses in the back of your mind. If you can imagine a sitting specially programmed by film directors Th�o Angelopoulos or Krzysztof Kieslowski, or the music of Eric Satie, Ryuchi Sakamoto or Keith Jarret's 'K�ln Concert', you'll have some idea of what to expect."

Artist:	REMOTE VIEWER
Title:	Let Your Heart Draw A Line
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 024CD

The new studio album by the founding members of Hood, and their third full-length release for City Centre Offices. Eschewing technology in favor of the bedroom studio, this is Remote Viewer's most song-oriented album yet. Craig Tattersall and Andrew Johnson craft quiet, almost shy songs that are composed in a way that make you think they were never supposed to leave the studio. Fusing melancholy indietronics, ghostly vocals, detuned toy pianos and glockenspiel, deep bass murmurs, quiet glitches and gentle guitar fret-work, listening to Let Your Heart Draw A Line picks up where we all put the stylus of our turntable to sleep after listening to their last album over and over again. The songs on Let Your Heart Draw A Line are the most intimate moments Andrew and Craig have been sharing with their listeners so far, as they

allow us to crawl into our speakers, just to be sure that we would not miss anything, to be sure that the music was indeed music and not a private conversation of whispered ideas, thoughts and advice. Deep and moving songwriting at its best.

Artist:	STUDIO PANKOW
Title:	Linienbusse
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 025CD

In the first collaboration between City Centre Offices and Germany's cult label Source, Studio Pankow is the mixed venture of three musicians who have been pivotal to the development of electronic music: David Moufang (Move D), Jamie Hodge (Born Under A Rhyming Planet, Conjoint) and Kai Kroker (Rawell). Between them the three have had releases on labels as influential and diverse as Warp, Ninja Tune, Plus 8, Rising High, Plug Research, WMF, Fax, Reflective and, most importantly, David Moufag's seminal Source Records. Between Moufang's deeply emotive emissions as Move D and Hodge's organic techno for Richie Hawtin's Plus 8 imprint, both artists created a new electronic variant that acted as a missing link between the groundbreaking constructions that typified Detroit techno and the artificial intelligence movement pioneered by the Warp label. The tracks that feature on this album were recorded in

three sessions over a time period of more than four years. The three artists, each residing at a different location, would converge at Kai's studio Pankow and start improvising. This bunkered-down intensity is ever-present on Linienbusse, at times nodding towards their familiar fascination with beats and hazy strings, at others developing the session into an effervescent glow of minimalism and velvet ambience. On the incredible title track, for instance, this sumptuous reduction features a solitary piano that acts as a sparkling, reflective counterweight to the celluloid and fuzzy transmissions that lie beneath. With a title that roughly translates as "regular busses," you get the feeling that somewhere outside these artists' collaborative space, life very gently slowed down until each single detail and intonation of mundane existence became perfectly clear, captured here for posterity.

Artist:	PORN SWORD TOBACCO
Title:	Explains Freedom
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 027CD

Henrik Jonsson hails from G�teborg, Sweden and this is his first full-length album and his second release for City Centre Offices. Last year, Jonsson, aka Porn Sword Tobacco, set the speed for the future of ambient-inspired campfire music. Reminding us of the possible greatness of pioneers like Harold Budd and Brian Eno, Jonsson managed to adapt the endlessness of a piano tone for our digital, laptop-based generation. Taking off in his comfortable domain of introverted crackles, nature sounds, and tiny piano fragments, Explains Freedom switches moods as fast as a turntablist changes his records and offers snapshots of a slow-motion world we all miss. "Eudaimonia" is a blueprint for your early morning wake up call, "Watt Towers" should play as a loop in every crib, "Talk is Cheap, Swords are Sharp" is what you feel when you see the sun coming up behind a big mountain, "Folkhemmet" is the dance the elderly dance when they fall in love and "Futuristic Rasta Money" makes you realize that Henrik Jonsson is not the person you thought he was. Explains Freedom is peaceful and hopeful -- as if the world is a flower.

Artist:	BOY ROBOT
Title:	Rotten Cocktails
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 028CD

Electronica aimed firmly for the dancefloor, Rotten Cocktails is Hans M�ller (Boulderdash) and Michael Zorn's second album after 2003's smasher Glamorizing Corporate Lifestyle (CCO 016 CD/LP). Boy Robot is the meeting of two ex-software industry solo artists who have forged a musical history all their own. This release is all about power, about the punch of a hefty bass drum, about the type of energy thought to be impossible in what we call electronica. Assembling disco-stompers, French filterhouse, and rocking robotics, Boy Robot merge their unique approach towards melody and sound with sometimes straight, sometimes dreamy beats, converting every dancefloor into a mosh-pit of the freshest electronica ever heard. Rotten Cocktails is a m�lange that will never let you down: let's drink to that.

Artist:	MIWON
Title:	Pale Glitter
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 029CD

Berlin-based Hendrik Kr�z aka Miwon's debut full-length release. Kr�z has been an active member of the Berlin-based electronic music scene for a very long time, and his hundreds of live P.A.s created a big fan base for his soulful electronic pop music. As the initiator of the already-legendary "laptop battles," he did important groundwork for the development of Berlin electronic music in general. After the release of his 12" Brother Mole, Miwon returns with Pale Glitter -- one of the most perfect pop albums out there. Miwon embraces his long history of recording and experimenting with electronic music and merges it all into one big, irresistible wall of catchy sounds and tunes. "Hush" and the title track "Pale Glitter" are deep, minimal dancefloor killers, while "When Angels Travel" drags the more experimental side of Miwon's sound out of the dark, and polishes it until they fit into this last-man-on-earth soundtrack. Then there is "No Need For Sanity," a remix Miwon did for Pia Fraus, a band from Estonia which has already made a big buzz in Japan. "Flakes" displays Miwon's devotion to heavy use of locked turntable grooves, and turns somewhat into a laptop lullaby. If you are looking for the essence of electronic pop, you do not have to look any further. The same can be said about "Vertizontale," proving Miwon's compatibility with the biggest venues on this planet, merging an old-school house-anthem with U2-like guitars. Enough said. Enjoy the Pale Glitter.

Artist:	DUB TRACTOR
Title:	Hideout
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 030CD

This is the second full-length release for Copenhagen-based Dub Tractor, aka Anders Remmer. Together with Thomas Knak (aka Opiate) and Jesper Skaaning aka Acustic), he is also a member of the Danish supergroup System and Future 3. Listening to his early works, one can clearly detect where the name for the project came from: spring reverbs and tape delays act as key ingredients, full of incredible blueprints of indie-driven electronica. While his first full-length More Or Less Mono marked a crossroads for Remmer, focusing more and more on his guitar, bass and vocals, Hideout officially declares that this transition is over. Dub Tractor is now a fully-blown one-piece indie band. With the hushed gentle crackle of static and warm lambent background noise, Hideout evokes music recorded in a dusty garage with an old microphone, picked up at a clear-out sale. Hideout is irresistibly quiet yet unbelievably catchy and somehow heartbreaking and melancholic at the same time. This is undoubtedly Anders Remmer's strongest and coziest album to date.

Artist:	DUB TRACTOR
Title:	Hideout
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 030LP

LP version. This is the second full-length release for Copenhagen-based Dub Tractor, aka Anders Remmer. Dub Tractor is now a fully-blown one-piece indie band. With the hushed gentle crackle of static and warm lambent background noise, Hideout evokes music recorded in a dusty garage with an old microphone, picked up at a clear-out sale. Hideout is irresistibly quiet yet unbelievably catchy and somehow heartbreaking and melancholic at the same time. This is undoubtedly Anders Remmer's strongest and coziest album to date.

Artist:	STATIC
Title:	Re: Talking About Memories
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 031CD

This is Static's third full-length album for City Centre Offices. Hanno Leichtmann has been a pivotal musician in Berlin's burgeoning scene for a number of years -- his list of collaborators, co-conspirators and featured guests ranges from members of To Rococo Rot and Tarwater through to Lali Puna and, most recently, Pole and Jan Jelinek with whom Hanno has been recording new albums and preparing to tour. For his own material Hanno has always managed to inject electronic construction with an element of popular appeal, from the metamorphosis of "track" into more recognizable "songs," or with his use of hooks and central melody lines to capture the imagination of an audience not necessarily fluent in the language of disembodied whirrs, clicks and fractured cuts. For this album Hanno Leichtmann met with longtime collaborators and admired musicians Christof Kurzmann and Martin Siewert, whose contributions on this release form the central identity of this excellent album. Long forgotten melodies are realized through samples of neglected, dusty classical records woven into layers of guitar strums played by Martin Siewert and decorated with Kurzmann's flamboyantly odd vocal delivery. Add to this piquant blend a pop song Hanno wrote together with Tarwater/To Rococo Rot's Ronald Lippok ("Return of She") and Leichtmann's intended theme is realized perfectly -- pop music derived by uncompromisingly innovative means. As if to reiterate the popular fascination at the heart of the proceedings, as well as the album title's preoccupation with memories, Hanno recorded his first-ever cover version -- a daring, beautiful take on The Assembly's '80s hit "Never Never." Talk about memories, indeed.

Artist:	DICTAPHONE
Title:	Vertigo II
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 032CD

Vertigo II is the second album from Oliver Doerell and Roger Doring under the Dictaphone tag, further honing their delicately homespun tape loops and jazz emissions into a new kind of midnight effervescence that has won them a sizeable following and a dedicated audience for their hugely acclaimed live shows. As anyone who has had the indignity of using one will know, dictaphones tend to be awkward little buggers that happily tape a conversation across the room whilst rendering the intended subject incomprehensible. Dictaphone have taken this appellation as a starting point and there is undoubtedly something of the "overheard" about Vertigo II. Laying down a membrane of mealy clicks, glitches and sliced digitalis, Vertigo II at times resembles the intricate bedrock of artists such as Jen Jelinek or Angelo Badalamenti. Vertigo II happily indulges in sonorous bass, allowing the loose-limbed horns and digital detritus to roam the spectrum without becoming detached from the guiding core. Peppering the album with snatches of shortwave-interference (most memorably a snooker match), found-sound snapshots and soundtrack conventions (including a haunting nod to Ed Wood), Dictaphone manage to massage an astonishing amount of material into an end result that feels as light as a feather and refreshingly clean, while avoiding the inherent sterility this can often imply. Littered with a vault full of lost memories and escaped snatches of conversation, Vertigo II reads like a montage of recollections torn and taped by David Lynch in a smoky hotel room, someplace in the middle of nowhere.

Artist:	MARSEN JULES
Title:	Les Fleurs
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 034CD

This is Germany-based Marsen Jules' (Martin Juhls) second full-length release, after his highly-acclaimed 2005 debut, Herbstlaub. If Herbstlaub represented the sound of frost-shrouded autumn, then new album Les Fleurs sees Marsen Jules throwing open the windows and welcoming in the scent of spring. An intricately plotted series of ambient machinations, Herbstlaub was a record that delighted in technology without leaving the listener suffering from digital cold-shoulder -- exchanging the often austere environs of sample-based compositions for a piquant study of lush crate-digging. Opening through the beautiful chimes of "Oeillet Sauvage," Jules allows a diffused soundscape to slowly bloom -- enveloping the listener in a miasma of creamy vibraphone-bruised resonance that is neither overpowering nor sleight. Bolstered by the introduction of genuine instrumentation, Jules seems to have discovered a more outlandish side to his personality, with the thrumming percussion of "La Digitale Poupre" and sonorous bass of "Coquelicot" both exhibiting a more pronounced willingness to firm up the tacit reference points in his work. Whilst comparisons can be readily drawn with the likes of Harold Budd, Max Richter, Arvo P�rt and even William Basinski, Marsen Jules is nonetheless utterly unique -- mixing his evident love of skewed compositions with a real ear for melody. The aural equivalent of catching sight of something on a sunny day from the corner of your eye, Les Fleurs shreds its source material then scatters it to the wind -- creating a sound that is at once calming without becoming soporific, and exhilarating without veering towards the breathless. Jules demands a wider audience for his work and manages to introduce lashings of strings for "Coeur Saignant" and not call upon the clich�d notions of cheap orchestration or dreaded imaginary film soundtrack references. Jules closes the album with "Oeillet En Delta" wherein a honeyed breed of blunted ambience brings down the curtain in considerable style. If the summer is half as good as this musical spring, we're in for a scorcher.

Artist:	WHARTON, DONATO
Title:	Body Isolations
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 035CD

This is the second full-length release by London-based Donato Wharton. Citing the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Mogwai and Vladislav Delay as tacit influences on his work, Wharton has successfully distilled elements of each into his own oeuvre -- yet rather than come across as a copyist, these fragments instead serve to inspire the mood of the music and leave the gentle compositions in which he specializes to mature at their own pace. Taking its name from a contemporary dance term, Donato Wharton chose to call his new album Body Isolations in order to draw parallels with the manner in which an audience in any field can have their attention focused on a particular thing. "Basically it describes the movement of isolated body parts," Wharton explains, "and whether this be a hand, foot, arm, finger, or head -- it conspires so that the entire concentration of both dancer and audience is focused on that particular isolated detail." Taking this notion and applying it to his music, Wharton goes on to discuss how he sees this as translating to his work. "Each track exists as a concentrated expression -- representing a certain state that ranges from dreaming and inertia, through to yearning and aloofness." While this may all come across as somewhat cerebral, the truth is in the music and the music is stunning. Opening through the William Basinski-style sprawl of "Absentia," Wharton then goes on to present some of the most deep and gorgeous music imaginable -- with the likes of "Blue Skied Demon," (his first ever vocal track) a crumbling edifice of sun-bleached melodies and incremental atmospherics. From here, "Underwave" takes a pulsing electronic tide and matches it to some piquant soundscapes, "Sidereal" indulges his love of mealy hiss and hums for a gorgeous sliver of soapy melody, while "Transparencies" coaxes a dusty piano into life for a poignant journey down memory lane. Isolation has never been such an inviting prospect.

Artist:	DENZEL & HUHN
Title:	Paraport
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 036CD

This is Berlin-based Denzel & Huhn's third release on City Centre Offices. After the broken minimalism of Filet and the monochrome soundscapes of Time Is A Good Thing, Paraport continues to push their work into more complex avenues where shattered compositions are recast as lush and emotive sonic diktats. Originally playing music as part of a loose collective that included members of To Rococo Rot and Tarwater, Bertram Denzel and Erik Huhn came to the attention of City Centre Offices when their CD was passed onto the label by the Lippok brothers. Combining a rich musical genealogy, as well as playing in Ornament & Verbrechen, Denzel & Huhn have worked on numerous soundtrack projects that fully utilize their ability to focus grand sonic gestures into intimately realized aural dissertations that don't confuse a sense of scale with a lack of tacit emotions. Paraport opens through a tide of surging strings on "Kleiner Bruder," a song that is brought into startling clarity through a tender acoustic guitar melody that carbonates the digitalis with a warmth that is hard to categorize. Paraport also ably balances the insistent electronic insects of "Targo" with an ebbing backdrop of blossoming atmospherics that is utterly beguiling and totally addictive. Avoiding the studious air of academia that can often pervade these types of projects, the likes of "Karlsruhe" and its malfunctioning cinematics, the caustic rhythmical aesthetics of "Dorian," and "Lope"'s creamy analog bubbles all have an ease of stature which belies their creators' understanding of texture, balance and production skills. Encompassing a spectrum of styles which invites comparisons with everyone from Jan Jelinek and Johann Johannsson, through to Pole and Fennesz, Denzel & Huhn have delivered a record that maintains a firm cohesive thread throughout without constraining the boundaries of their creativity. Grainy, opaque and beautifully detailed, Paraport is a record that requires no border controls.

Artist:	MOVE D
Title:	Kunststoff
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 037CD

Kunststoff was originally released on Move D's (David Moufang) own Heidelberg-based Source Records back in 1995. Brought back into print by City Centre Offices for a whole new generation to discover, Kunststoff is a dreamlike journey through Move D's compelling vision of an electronic vista that unfurls gradually like a majestic digital tapestry. This is the sound of techno if viewed through a heat-haze. Originally from Heidelberg Germany, Move D spent his childhood listening to the likes of Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd -- yet rather than credit these auteurs with the inspiration behind his work, Moufang pinpoints another factor as the core influence to his musical gestation; space. Having been profoundly affected by a trip to the cinema to see 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moufang spent his childhood obsessed with the cosmos -- and when the desire to make music eventually took over, it's little wonder that the results incorporated such strong elements of the ethereal and otherworldly. Translated into English as "plastic," Kunststoff is anything but production line -- succeeding in sounding as genre defying now as it was when originally released at the half-time interval of the '90s. The tracks "Soap Bubbles" and album standout "In/Out" are intensely textured compositions that take their beats as a flexible spine onto which all manner of sonic flourishes can be mapped. As innovative as any album of the past two decades, Kunststoff is generous to the listener -- refusing to insult their intelligence through easily pigeon-holed avenues, Move D instead throws up a startlingly diverse selection of music that nonetheless retains a firm cohesive thread. Best enjoyed as a whole, Kunststoff revels in juxtaposing the serrated grooves of "Nimm 2" against the kaleidoscopic synths and carbonated beats of "Beyond The Machine" -- stone cold classic.

Artist:	SPRINGINTGUT
Title:	Park And Ride
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 038CD

This is the second full-length record from L�neburg, Germany's Springintgut (Andreas Otto). Recorded partly in his house in the middle of the forest and partly in Amsterdam, Park And Ride is heavily influenced by these two very different environments. "You may take the title literally," says Otto. "'Park' represents the more melancholic chunk of tracks on the album, which I recorded at home in the forest ... The more upbeat tracks would fall into the 'Ride' category. I remember riding my bike in Amsterdam during the summer. Life was good, happy and light." Park And Ride combines the high craftsmanship of electronic music with spontaneous outbreaks. With Andreas playing the cello and bass or his friend Max Fey playing guitar, this release lovingly irritates the listener with high-pitched noises from bended circuitry, surprises from the chopped-up vocals of Japanese singer Kazumi, and the long, crackling ambiences and field recordings on "Everything In Focus." Jan St. Werner from Mouse On Mars sums it up perfectly: "I feel inherited in a very gentle way. What a record!"

Artist:	PORN SWORD TOBACCO
Title:	New Exclusive Olympic Heights
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 039CD

New Exclusive Olympic Heights is Henrik Jonsson's second full-length album and his third release for City Centre Offices. Having originally come to the music world's attention through 2004's self-titled muted masterpiece, Jonsson has edged off into more analog territory without losing the frayed sense of wonder that saw him compared with the likes of Harold Budd, Marsen Jules and Brian Eno. Recorded over a two-year period in the same studio which gave birth to the previous two Porn Sword Tobacco albums, New Exclusive Olympic Heights is an astonishing tapestry of sound and Swedish atmosphere that brings to mind images of sun-dappled clearings and unseen dusky threats. Swirled through with beads of static and crackle, this release is an epic doctrine in the power of ambient music, wherein Jonsson coaxes disparate elements into the kind of organic whole that is a million miles away from most of his peers. Opening with "Tools For Trains," the sheer weight of time spent away from 21st century life is drawn upon with remarkable ease as soapy waves of fizzing chords accrue filigree hisses -- before the whole composition fades into obscurity against the sound of a distant train passing by. Emotional in a way which is difficult to define, "Den Rosa Sporten" features frosted glass aesthetics and delicate acoustic guitar that are wrapped around the kind of music which Boards of Canada should be making. Seemingly in possession of a tacit understanding of what makes a piece of music both uncluttered yet thoroughly arresting, New Exclusive Olympic Heights oozes beauty from every pore and sees Jonsson firmly installed as a true grandmaster of this soundscape-rich music. With other highlights including the warm instrumental glow of "Pappa! Min Karlek �r Gravid" and "U.S. Saloon Interiors 41/59" with its Badalamenti overtones, Porn Sword Tobacco has consummately proven that isolation and a sense of wonder at your surroundings can conjure up the most magical of emotions.

Artist:	SEASONS, THE
Title:	Undone
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 040CD

This is the debut full-length release by The Seasons -- a collaborative project by an international assemblage of accomplished musicians in the realm of jazz, electronic, and indie-rock. Members include Trenton label-head Sam Rouanet (aka Reynold), DJ/producer/Duplex 100 member Phil Stumpf, double bassist James Sindatry, Sam Rouanet's father Jacques Rouanet, a well-known French jazz piano player who toured the world several times with Argentinean singer/songwriter Alberto Cortez, and finally, cornet player Rob Mazurek, the mind behind Chicago Underground and The Exploding Star Orchestra, who has played with Sam Prekop, Isotope 217, Tortoise, Pan American and Stereolab. Rouanet & Stumpf were working on their project Duplex 100, running the famous "Minimal Dancin" nights at the Nouveau Casino in Paris, when they decided to start another band to act as a counterbalance to the very digital, dancefloor-serving material they were doing at the time. Their aim: no boundaries. The core: beautiful music. James Sindatry joined them. Sam's father did some features. While living in Chicago, Sam had played in AUFM (Alien Unknown Funk Mob) and had met Rob Mazurek, who was more than happy to contribute as well. Recorded over innumerable sessions, Undone merges beautiful acoustic instruments with high-tech electronics, allowing the individual talents of the musicians to shimmer -- the chords vibrating, the beats earth-shaking. Sam Rouanet (guitar, programming), Phil Stumpf (Polysix, programming), James Sindatry (double bass, flute, programming), Jacques Rouanet (Rhodes), and Rob Mazurek (cornet).

Artist:	SWOD
Title:	Sekunden
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 041CD

This is the second full-length release by Swod (Oliver Doerell & Stephan W�hrmann), following 2004's highly-acclaimed Gehen album. If there's been one positive trend emerging from the ruins of what used to be called electronica for the last couple of years, it has been the comeback of acoustic instruments, especially the piano. Swod, without a doubt, are among the founding fathers of this new, almost neoclassical approach and the success of their debut only proved them right. Sekunden is more than a simple follow-up, more than what bands just do... keep on recording and eventually coming up with a second album, even though it is made of the same ingredients: W�hrmann's piano and drums, Doerell's guitar, bass and electronics. And yet Sekunden is bigger than even the band's die-hard fans could have hoped for. The melodies are catchier, the bass is tighter, the electronics catch the general mood of the tracks even better and the drums, in all their subtlety, are funkier. On tracks like "Ja" or "Belgien," the voice of a long-dead cinema icon perfectly sets the mood, "Deer" feels like a long-awaited breeze in the blistering heat, "Sekunden" brings back dreamy memories of the long-gone ambient tradition of the late '70s, "Insects" kindly disturbs the listener with its delicate mixture of field-recordings, warm synth patterns and almost sequenced piano and "Patinage," in all its speed and glory, lets all Swod is famous for culminate in an endless loop of beauty. Then the piano fades and all one can do is to start from the beginning.

Artist:	MIWON
Title:	A To B
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 042CD

This is Berlin-based Hendrik Kr�z aka Miwon's second full-length release. Kr�z has been an active member of the Berlin-based electronic music scene for a very long time, and his hundreds of live P.A.s created a big fan base for his soulful electronic pop music. As the initiator of the already-legendary "laptop battles," he did important groundwork for the development of Berlin electronic music in general. In 2008, Miwon returns with A To B. First, there is the bullet train. Once inside the Shinkansen, Miwon unpacks his euphoric melodies, haunting atmospheres, killer beats and sweet, irresistible pop songs. On A To B, Miwon takes his love for electronic music to another level, making it even more accessible. Ranging from hands-down pop songs (the title track "A To B" is a homage to/cover version of Fleetwood Mac) to more dancefloor-oriented tunes like "Matchbox" that are clearly-influenced by Cologne pioneers like Burger/Ink, and true ballads like "Another Term For," Miwon explores all possible angles of electronica. Featuring the talents of Japanese singer Maho Masuda, as well as Sibylle Fendt, Fleckfumie's Nick Gloeckner on guitar and Galaktlan on synths, A To B will help you get through the cold, barren months, back to summertime warmth, and back again, from A To B.

Artist:	GENTLEMAN LOSERS, THE
Title:	Dustland
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 043CD

This is the second full-length by Finnish siblings Samu and Ville Kuukka aka The Gentleman Losers, the follow-up to their 2006 debut on the B�ro label. The brothers have been making music since their early teens, and they both still revel in a sound that evokes tarnished grandeur -- where decay and starry-eyed innocence rub shoulders with dusty strings and syrup-drenched instrumentation. If the band's debut was like a sneak-peak into their universe, Dustland breathes the air of more than confident self-assurance. More refined and more detailed, the new album sounds like a ballroom orchestra recorded inside a snow globe. Big songs compressed through the bottleneck of lo-fi genius. Meanwhile, the ballerina still dances. A seamless, deep journey into an unknown yet familiar world, packed with references still to become reality. From the opening track "Honey Bunch," which dances around a little guitar motif backed up by a horizon full of slide-airiness, to the tape-hiss-driven "Silver Water Ripples" -- from "Lullaby Of Dustland," which is exactly that, to the dark drones of "Wind In Black Trees," to the '60s movie soundtrack-flavored harpsichord of "Farandole," with Dustland, The Gentleman Losers deliver a fascinating, hypnotic second album. Muses Ville when asked about their sound, "...it's about memories of things to come -- faded souvenirs from a twilight place that no one has been to." Adds Samu: "That place is called Dustland."

Artist:	GENTLEMAN LOSERS, THE
Title:	Dustland
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 043LP

LP version. This is the second full-length by Finnish siblings Samu and Ville Kuukka aka The Gentleman Losers, the follow-up to their 2006 debut on the B�ro label. The brothers have been making music since their early teens, and they both still revel in a sound that evokes tarnished grandeur -- where decay and starry-eyed innocence rub shoulders with dusty strings and syrup-drenched instrumentation. If the band's debut was like a sneak-peak into their universe, Dustland breathes the air of more than confident self-assurance. More refined and more detailed, the new album sounds like a ballroom orchestra recorded inside a snow globe. Big songs compressed through the bottleneck of lo-fi genius. Meanwhile, the ballerina still dances. A seamless, deep journey into an unknown yet familiar world, packed with references still to become reality. From the opening track "Honey Bunch," which dances around a little guitar motif backed up by a horizon full of slide-airiness, to the tape-hiss-driven "Silver Water Ripples" -- from "Lullaby Of Dustland," which is exactly that, to the dark drones of "Wind In Black Trees," to the '60s movie soundtrack-flavored harpsichord of "Farandole," with Dustland, The Gentleman Losers deliver a fascinating, hypnotic second album. Muses Ville when asked about their sound, "...it's about memories of things to come -- faded souvenirs from a twilight place that no one has been to." Adds Samu: "That place is called Dustland."

Artist:	PORN SWORD TOBACCO
Title:	Everything Is Music To The Ear
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 044CD

This is the fourth album by Sweden's Henrik Jonsson aka Porn Sword Tobacco. Recorded in the legendary Silence studios with long-time collaborators Patrick and Tommi, Everything Is Music To The Ear came into existence largely without planning or calculation, without much thinking nor hard work -- often improvised on the spot, even the melodies on the characteristic piano that Jonsson claims he never learned to play. He has played in bands before, also releasing a number of records ranging from a leftfield electro EP to two solo albums of laidback electronic dub. Most crucial, however, were his 4 years of travelling across the world as a stage musician for a popular electronic project, playing for numerous audiences on all continents, from Japan to Zambia -- a unique school of music, but also of life, and an experience that nourished a determination to pursue what's really important. In his early years, he swapped violin lessons for a Roland Space Echo, listened to audio plays at the local library, and to his parents' colorful record collection -- The Beach Boys, Eno, Kraftwerk -- this is what forms Porn Sword Tobacco. It's a project that takes a decidedly naive and unabashedly nostalgic position, exploring a dreamy escapism that is undiluted and personal. Porn Sword Tobacco's songs, seemingly field recordings in nightly landscapes of musical sounds, are equally far from ambient and from pop, from retro avant-rock or any other genre. Jonsson hones his songs until they work as loops, or long, rhythmic figures with the heartbeat of classic and modern deep house and electro. Possibly inspired by his relocation to Berlin in 2007, Everything Is Music To The Ear is a statement -- an evolving world of comforting dreams crystallized into comforting audio, exquisitely easy and refined, yet new and unique.

Artist:	PORN SWORD TOBACCO
Title:	Everything Is Music To The Ear
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 044LP

LP version. This is the fourth album by Sweden's Henrik Jonsson aka Porn Sword Tobacco. Recorded in the legendary Silence studios with long-time collaborators Patrick and Tommi, Everything Is Music To The Ear came into existence largely without planning or calculation, without much thinking nor hard work -- often improvised on the spot, even the melodies on the characteristic piano that Jonsson claims he never learned to play. He has played in bands before, also releasing a number of records ranging from a leftfield electro EP to two solo albums of laidback electronic dub. Most crucial, however, were his 4 years of travelling across the world as a stage musician for a popular electronic project, playing for numerous audiences on all continents, from Japan to Zambia -- a unique school of music, but also of life, and an experience that nourished a determination to pursue what's really important. In his early years, he swapped violin lessons for a Roland Space Echo, listened to audio plays at the local library, and to his parents' colorful record collection -- The Beach Boys, Eno, Kraftwerk -- this is what forms Porn Sword Tobacco. It's a project that takes a decidedly naive and unabashedly nostalgic position, exploring a dreamy escapism that is undiluted and personal. Porn Sword Tobacco's songs, seemingly field recordings in nightly landscapes of musical sounds, are equally far from ambient and from pop, from retro avant-rock or any other genre. Jonsson hones his songs until they work as loops, or long, rhythmic figures with the heartbeat of classic and modern deep house and electro. Possibly inspired by his relocation to Berlin in 2007, Everything Is Music To The Ear is a statement -- an evolving world of comforting dreams crystallized into comforting audio, exquisitely easy and refined, yet new and unique.

Artist:	DUB TRACTOR
Title:	Sorry
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 045CD

This is the third full-length release from Denmark's Anders Remmer aka Dub Tractor for the City Centre Offices label. Formerly a member of Danish supergroups Future 3 and System together with Thomas Knak (aka Opiate) and Jesper Skaaning (aka Acustic), his previous albums More Or Less Mono and Hideout marked a crossroad for Anders, increasingly focusing more and more on his guitar, bass and vocals. As a result, Sorry is a veritable full-blown, one-piece indie band. While his previous releases featured short glimpses of Anders' vocal capabilities, this album unfolds into a confident, lyrics-heavy collection of pure pop. With clear references to the shoegaze movements of the '90s, Anders Remmer merges this heritage with his very own blend of dub-fuelled sound design and prototype electronica. Delicate beats are the foundation for his deep, melancholic, yet uplifting songs. The opening track "And You Are Back" is not only a proper hit, it also shows perfectly what this album is all about, riding in on an anthemic, ascending/descending, washed-out guitar line against heart-tugging, lightly synthesized vocals. Against a backdrop of reliable dub thump, this album takes you under its wings, shifting between sparse arrangements and nodding in the direction of late works from bands like Slowdive to full-on walls of guitars in proper My Bloody Valentine style. Sorry is a musical tour de force through the more contemplative regions of your musical brain with exquisite, dreamy layers of electronics and guitars, and moody bass lines. Guaranteed to slow the pulse while still compelling you to sway.

Artist:	VAN HOEN, MARK
Title:	Where Is The Truth
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 046CD

Mark Van Hoen bought his first synthesizer and tape recorder in 1981, and immediately began making electronic music with influences from Brian Eno and Cabaret Voltaire. Most recordings were made at his home studio, but others were made at the radio stations he worked at during the '80s. As a contemporary of Aphex Twin, he was signed in 1993 on R&S Records as Locust. Listening to what he's done in the past over various labels from R&S, Touch, 4AD and now City Centre Offices, it's clear that it's time for Van Hoen's music to be up for critical reappraisal. He is a greatly admired and influential composer and performer that has inspired many other musicians. Recorded in London UK and Brooklyn, USA and finished in his recording studio in Woodstock, New York, this album is more than just a mere collection of tracks. A life-changing discovery and enlightenment is expressed in this rich, dense and emotive album. While working through the red tape involved in emigrating from the UK to the USA, he discovered quite by chance that his identity and childhood family life contained the dark secret of a covered up adoption. His life-long sense of displacement started to make sense and the cathartic voyage that ensued is explored in this album. More collaborative than his previous solo works, Where Is The Truth includes contributions from other musicians including Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3) and Julia Frodahl (Edison Woods). Reliant not only on Mark's familiar brooding electronic tones, it features more electro-acoustic sounds than in previous releases. Interestingly, this album also consolidates many of the styles and sounds Mark has explored on previous albums, as a solo artist, collaborator and producer. Where Is The Truth sees Mark Van Hoen entering a new phase.

Artist:	VAN HOEN, MARK
Title:	Where Is The Truth
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 046LP

LP version. Mark Van Hoen bought his first synthesizer and tape recorder in 1981, and immediately began making electronic music with influences from Brian Eno and Cabaret Voltaire. Most recordings were made at his home studio, but others were made at the radio stations he worked at during the '80s. As a contemporary of Aphex Twin, he was signed in 1993 on R&S Records as Locust. Listening to what he's done in the past over various labels from R&S, Touch, 4AD and now City Centre Offices, it's clear that it's time for Van Hoen's music to be up for critical reappraisal. He is a greatly admired and influential composer and performer that has inspired many other musicians. Recorded in London UK and Brooklyn, USA and finished in his recording studio in Woodstock, New York, this album is more than just a mere collection of tracks. A life-changing discovery and enlightenment is expressed in this rich, dense and emotive album. While working through the red tape involved in emigrating from the UK to the USA, he discovered quite by chance that his identity and childhood family life contained the dark secret of a covered up adoption. His life-long sense of displacement started to make sense and the cathartic voyage that ensued is explored in this album. More collaborative than his previous solo works, Where Is The Truth includes contributions from other musicians including Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3) and Julia Frodahl (Edison Woods). Reliant not only on Mark's familiar brooding electronic tones, it features more electro-acoustic sounds than in previous releases. Interestingly, this album also consolidates many of the styles and sounds Mark has explored on previous albums, as a solo artist, collaborator and producer. Where Is The Truth sees Mark Van Hoen entering a new phase.

Artist:	I'M NOT A GUN
Title:	Solace
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 047CD

This is the fifth full-length album from I'm Not A Gun, a collaboration between John Tejada and Takeshi Nishimoto. John Tejada is one of the most prolific DJs and producers in the techno world. His remixes and DJ sets are well sought-after, his label Palette is pumping out 12" after 12" of quality electronic music. Takeshi Nishimoto, a classically-trained guitarist, has been a long-time member of the jazz/improv scene in Los Angeles. Born in Japan and now living in Berlin, Nishimoto is currently involved in many projects, ranging from soundtracks to gallery-based sound installations. His unique style of guitar-playing makes him both a sought-after collaborator and mentor for a broad range of musical projects. Solace is hands-down the duo's best work to-date. With much more refined production skills and incredible songwriting, Solace embraces both a more upbeat approach and a shimmering love for pop anthems.

Artist:	GIARDINI DI MIRO
Title:	Il Fuoco
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 048CD

Giardini Di Mir� is a post-rock band born in Cavriago, Italy, a small town near Reggio Emilia. After the first EP in 1998, the band has not only released a ton of records, but has also toured like crazy, both their home Italy and the rest of Europe. So far, the band has released four full-length albums; the discography, however, also includes a multitude of EPs, remixes and exclusive tracks for compilations. While not working with the band, GDM's members engage in solo projects, tapping into sounds and genres one would not necessarily expect from a band deeply routed in guitar music. Giardini Di Mir� has been on City Centre Offices' watch for almost a decade and they are thrilled to release Il Fuoco as a first step in hopefully a long partnership. This album was originally released in Italy in 2009, and City Centre Offices is finally bringing the album to the rest of the world. Translated "The Fire," Il Fuoco compiles music for Giovanni Pastrone's silent movie of the same name. Released in 1915, the movie is considered a masterpiece of early 20th century Italian cinema and the result of Pastrone's collaboration with Gabriele D'Annunzio. The movie is divided into three chapters, representing different moments of a morbid, yet passionate love story: "La Favilla" ("The Spark"), "La Fiamma" ("The Flame") and "La Cenere" ("The Ash"). In October 2006, the Museo Nazionale Del Cinema in Turin commissioned the band to compose and perform a new soundtrack for the movie. After an incredible success in one live show, the band decided to turn the soundtrack into a proper album, taking the music composed for the film several steps further and adding new ideas. Il Fuoco is Giardini di Mir�'s most ambitious work to date.

Artist:	SWOD
Title:	Drei
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 049CD

Swod are Oliver Doerell and Stephan W�hrmann, two musicians who met in Berlin in 1991. Ever since, they have been collaborating on various projects. Oliver plays guitar, bass and takes care of electronics, Stephan plays drums and -- most importantly -- the piano, the instrument which sets Swod's trademark sound and reputation. Oliver Doerell is also a member of Dictaphone, the band with which he has released two albums and an EP on City Centre Offices so far. With Raz Ohara, he has recorded two albums so far under the Raz Ohara And The Odd Orchestra moniker. While not working on Swod, both musicians are busy working on theater productions. After 2004's Gehen and 2007's Sekunden, this is Swod's third album. There is no other instrument which experienced such a glorious renaissance over the last couple of years like the piano. Heavily tempered with or as pure as possible, the piano has re-established itself as a driving force in innovative music. Ever since the release of their first album in 2004, Swod have been among the most respected acts in this genre which many falsely label "neo classical." With Drei, Swod take their unique sound to a new level. "Sans Peau" for instance, a piece of gold for every DJ with an open mind, perfectly sets the stage for the new album. With heavy 808 toms, the right amount of noise and distortion and one of the most catchy hooklines of all times, the track is a perfect example of how the two Berlin-based musicians have fine-tuned, taken apart and reassembled both their style of composing and cutting-edge production. Fear not, though, Drei is a carefully-crafted evolution of the well-established Swod sound. It's all there, and more. The melancholy of the piano, found sounds, delicate bass and guitar, the always-present samples of a woman we all love and worship. For the first time, however, Drei showcases inspirations and influences more prominently which had been present in the band's earlier work, but which had been somewhat carefully buried. A deep love for the minimalists, which gives tracks like "Hellerau" or "I Am Here" an almost mechanical, sequenced feel, opens up Swod's body of work to a whole new audience.

Artist:	SWOD
Title:	Drei
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	CCO 049LP

LP version. Swod are Oliver Doerell and Stephan W�hrmann, two musicians who met in Berlin in 1991. Ever since, they have been collaborating on various projects. Oliver plays guitar, bass and takes care of electronics, Stephan plays drums and -- most importantly -- the piano, the instrument which sets Swod's trademark sound and reputation. Oliver Doerell is also a member of Dictaphone, the band with which he has released two albums and an EP on City Centre Offices so far. With Raz Ohara, he has recorded two albums so far under the Raz Ohara And The Odd Orchestra moniker. While not working on Swod, both musicians are busy working on theater productions. After 2004's Gehen and 2007's Sekunden, this is Swod's third album. There is no other instrument which experienced such a glorious renaissance over the last couple of years like the piano. Heavily tempered with or as pure as possible, the piano has re-established itself as a driving force in innovative music. Ever since the release of their first album in 2004, Swod have been among the most respected acts in this genre which many falsely label "neo classical." With Drei, Swod take their unique sound to a new level. "Sans Peau" for instance, a piece of gold for every DJ with an open mind, perfectly sets the stage for the new album. With heavy 808 toms, the right amount of noise and distortion and one of the most catchy hooklines of all times, the track is a perfect example of how the two Berlin-based musicians have fine-tuned, taken apart and reassembled both their style of composing and cutting-edge production. Fear not, though, Drei is a carefully-crafted evolution of the well-established Swod sound. It's all there, and more. The melancholy of the piano, found sounds, delicate bass and guitar, the always-present samples of a woman we all love and worship. For the first time, however, Drei showcases inspirations and influences more prominently which had been present in the band's earlier work, but which had been somewhat carefully buried. A deep love for the minimalists, which gives tracks like "Hellerau" or "I Am Here" an almost mechanical, sequenced feel, opens up Swod's body of work to a whole new audience.

Artist:	GIARDINI DI MIRO
Title:	Good Luck
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	CCO 051CD

Giardini Di Mir� hails from Cavriago, Italy -- a small town near Reggio Emilia. The band released its first EP in 1998 and not only put out a ton of records ever since, but has been touring both Italy and the rest of Europe like crazy. So far, the band has released four full-length albums, but the discography also includes a multitude of EPs, remixes and exclusive tracks for compilations. While not working with the band, GDM's members engage in solo projects, tapping into sounds and genres one would not necessarily expect from a band deeply routed in guitar music. The band has also collaborated with and commissioned remixes from artists like Cyne, Dntl, Hood, Alias, Apparat, Piano Magic, Opiate, Isan and Herrmann & Kleine. In 2010, City Centre Offices finally started to work with GDM, releasing the critically-accaimed Il Fuoco, the band's soundtrack for Giovanni Pastrone's silent movie from 1915. As a first release in 2012, City Centre Offices now releases Good Luck, the band's first proper studio album since 2007. Explained in the band's own words: "There is something spiritual in the Emilian countryside, made of minimalism, simplicity, geometry, natural lines guiding the eyes. Our album was recorded and mixed in San Prospero -- Correggio, near Reggio Emilia (Italy), not far from where CCCP recorded their masterpiece Epica Etica Etnica Pathos, an album which has been considered to be a milestone in Italian alternative culture for the last 25 years. Good Luck is a surprising little box: details, places, people, expressions, long sequences, intrusive strangers, familiar faces. Every musician knows how much time is spent in the van and how many things go through one's head travelling from one gig to the next, putting the foot down on the motorway, trying to make it on time. Some songs on this album were written, refined and tested while we were on tour, but the record got its special flavor when we went into the studio -- the flavor of our homeland, the scent of its earth, visions of its open spaces, straight lines, huge landscapes, unconscious or intentional parallelism between modern life and a farm, a dairy, a piggery. The fifth album in our discography has been recorded like it was homemade, in a private place among close friends. Sara Lov (Devics) sings on 'There Is A Place,' Stefano Pilia plays guitar on 'Spurious Love,' Angela Baraldi sings on both 'Spurious Love' and 'Rome.'"

Artist:	GIARDINI DI MIRO
Title:	Good Luck
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	CCO 051LP

LP version. Giardini Di Mir� hails from Cavriago, Italy -- a small town near Reggio Emilia. The band released its first EP in 1998 and not only put out a ton of records ever since, but has been touring both Italy and the rest of Europe like crazy. So far, the band has released four full-length albums, but the discography also includes a multitude of EPs, remixes and exclusive tracks for compilations. While not working with the band, GDM's members engage in solo projects, tapping into sounds and genres one would not necessarily expect from a band deeply routed in guitar music. The band has also collaborated with and commissioned remixes from artists like Cyne, Dntl, Hood, Alias, Apparat, Piano Magic, Opiate, Isan and Herrmann & Kleine. In 2010, City Centre Offices finally started to work with GDM, releasing the critically-accaimed Il Fuoco, the band's soundtrack for Giovanni Pastrone's silent movie from 1915. As a first release in 2012, City Centre Offices now releases Good Luck, the band's first proper studio album since 2007. Explained in the band's own words: "There is something spiritual in the Emilian countryside, made of minimalism, simplicity, geometry, natural lines guiding the eyes. Our album was recorded and mixed in San Prospero -- Correggio, near Reggio Emilia (Italy), not far from where CCCP recorded their masterpiece Epica Etica Etnica Pathos, an album which has been considered to be a milestone in Italian alternative culture for the last 25 years. Good Luck is a surprising little box: details, places, people, expressions, long sequences, intrusive strangers, familiar faces. Every musician knows how much time is spent in the van and how many things go through one's head travelling from one gig to the next, putting the foot down on the motorway, trying to make it on time. Some songs on this album were written, refined and tested while we were on tour, but the record got its special flavor when we went into the studio -- the flavor of our homeland, the scent of its earth, visions of its open spaces, straight lines, huge landscapes, unconscious or intentional parallelism between modern life and a farm, a dairy, a piggery. The fifth album in our discography has been recorded like it was homemade, in a private place among close friends. Sara Lov (Devics) sings on 'There Is A Place,' Stefano Pilia plays guitar on 'Spurious Love,' Angela Baraldi sings on both 'Spurious Love' and 'Rome.'" Includes mp3 download.

Previous Page Index of Labels Next Page

Artist:	ZORN
Title:	Eckermann/Vian
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$5.50
Catalog #:	BLOCK 011EP

Artist:	YASUME
Title:	Where We're From The Birds Sing A Pretty Song
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 015LP

Artist:	XELA
Title:	Tangled Wool
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 018LP