Browse by Label: SCAPE (GERMANY)

Artist:	VA
Title:	Instrumentals - Staedtizism 3
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 012CD

"With an ongoing diversion, HipHop adopted elements from all kinds of music and, at the same time, heavily influenced other musical genres as well. Within what we call electronic music these day, HipHop has a strong, solid standing, not only because people do not waste their energy any longer with 'genre-watching', but are interested in all kinds of music. More importantly, there is a growing number of artists who approach HipHop from a completely new direction. To dedicate the third part of Scape's Staedtizism compilation series to HipHop, is nothing but a logical Step. After Dub (part 1) and Jazz (part 2), it is up to HipHop, both a lifestyle and a musical genre open to all kinds of influences and references, to distill the perfect Scape sound. Open to all directions, it is easy for the artists involved to find staring-points creating their very own blends of HipHop. Somewhere in between Jazz and weird funk, A. Pekler, Jan Jelinek & Bus are floating along. Cappablack from Japan and John Tejada, who teams up with D. Styler, fan an earthquake full of Scratch-inspired Oldschool attacks. Kit Clayton's special brew of CutUp-R&B-Hop challenges Timbaland and, at the same time, invites him to hang out with him in San Francisco. In the meantime, Thomas Fehlmann is more interested in the relaxing power of the break and how beautifully crafted dub chords can work with it best, Deadbeat from Montreal approaches HipHop from a much darker angle and takes advantage from what he has learned from minimal techno. Process then hits the brakes quite heavily, deletes a couple of sounds, just to make sure that his slow-motion jazz fits on top of the break. Gazoo aka Dan Bell follows this strategy, although he spells jazz with a Detroit-dawn-technobassdrum. Antonelli Electr. joins in with a cute little technogroove which makes everybody go out and sit in the sun. In the meantime, System are doing research on HipHop in Danish minimalism and win the Nobel Prize. Staedizism 3 is the perfect, long awaited showcase of new HipHop."

Artist:	BUS FEAT. MC SOOM-T
Title:	Keep Life Right
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 018EP

"When, in 'Keep Life Right', she raps about disappointed love, loss of trust and realizing that the only person she can truly rely on is herself, she conveys the perspective of a woman whose serenity and wisdom is far more real than stereotypical role models in- and outside of the genre would like to make us believe. Soom-T's presence is strong throughout. Her presence remains noticeable even during the strictly instrumental tracks, as if listening in to ready herself for the next song. Perhaps bus play a version of dub that illuminates the other side of the coin -- definitely her agenda, too."

Artist:	BUS FEAT. MC SOOM-T
Title:	Middle Of The Road
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 019CD

"Whoever considers dub an invitation to either armchair or dancefloor will enter shaky ground with Middle of the Road, the new album by Berlin duo Bus. Here, in the middle lane, giving way on the left, overtaking on the right, rules are disregarded and accidents only a microsleep away. In the realm of Scape's characteristic tilde the coordinates of relational localization fail in the same way as Daniel Meteo and Tom Thiel disobey any directional marching orders. Instead they have chosen to cruise the Bermuda triangle of dub, minimal electronica and hiphop in a veritable craft, bursting the questionable airbag of attitude, ego and representation with their first stumbling beat. Bus do not stop at unmasking genre-typical poses, but move one step further. They collect all the tiny inconsistencies that unveil the desolate yet strong core of their own fragility, sometimes through a slightly wobbly beat, sometimes via brutally honest lyrics -- and always head for the limits. But don't worry -- the view remains enchanting, perhaps because it is so familiar. And the Bus dub, a warm engine, leads a likeable life of its own -- with small hiccups and endearing quirks. Spurred by this drive, armchair and dancefloor are soon forgotten -- and we step into the middle of the road, come what may. In their efforts to combine dub, minimal electronica and hiphop in one riff they have managed to win over strong vocal support from Glaswegian underground shooting star MC Soom-T -- the only woman to reach the finals of the recent 8 Mile MC Championships 2003. Soom-T employs a wrongly forgotten recitative style, voice full of sharp, credible femininity and demanding involvement far from the prevalent lady, bitch or girl patterns."

Artist:	VA
Title:	But Then Again
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 023CD

Subtitled: 'Celebrating 5 Years of ~Scape'. "Half a decade and still going strong -- to mark its fifth anniversary, Berlin-based label ~scape has decided to release a new compilation: But Then Again. Entirely by chance this notable release coincides with catalogue number 23, but mysticism, confusion or conspiracy theories are pretty much the opposite of what ~scape represents. On the contrary -- the label�s philosophy is based on clear statements, quality and aesthetics, on meticulous R&D and its translation into sustainable ideas, to continue the label�s history and integrity. ~scape�s consistently high standards focus on the delicate equilibrium where a healthy mix of conceptual density and substantial purity prevents any dilution of quality or principle. In this field, far from any arbitrariness or repetition, futility or posing ~scape explores its unbridled passion for music, based on sincerity and an astute presence of mind. But Then Again is a felicitous homage to the swung dash -- after many artist albums and EPs this is the first ever ~scape compilation to completely and voluntarily dispense with any conceptual framework, something which had worked extremely well for the brilliantly executed 'Staedtizism'-series. Again, openness is paramount, plenty of scope and ~scape for the diversity characteristic of the label and its artists after five years. All fifteen tracks featured on the compilation are new and as yet unpublished, most of them were created with this minor anniversary in mind. Although references to the intricate ~scape sound abound, But Then Again is anything but a review of the label�s back catalogue. In fact, it serves as an experimental pi�ata with a bellyful of musical ideas ranging from dub and clicks to hip-hop, jazz, funk and popart, a rich surprise best cracked with a laser beam." Artists: Cappablack, Thomas Fehlmann, Mike Shannon feat. June, John Tejada, Deadbeat, Bus + Dabrye, Triola, Jan Jelinek, Epo, Andrew Peklar, Triosk, Heaset and Soulo, Rechenzentrum vs. Masha Qrella, System, Crackhaus.

Artist:	BUS FEAT. MC SOOM-T
Title:	Diamond EP
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 024EP

"This year, Bus have become a convertible. On their new Diamond EP everything is pervaded by a new, dynamic, open feel -- just like the sensation of loving your favorite club with renewed vigour after an elongated redecoration break. Maybe, just maybe this new direction has something to do with Daniel Meteo and Tom Thiel's new studio, finally allowing them to crank up all those tunes beyond sedentary, neighbor-friendly levels. And 'Diamond in the Rough' (its vocal version again graced by Scottish MC Soom-T) is one of those minimal, exuberant pieces of flickering dub better played loud. But while its funky claps and tiny melodies might point it towards the nearest the disco, it is more likely follow the signs to the nearest open air, pursuing that fluffy cloud high up in the sky shaped like an airy and eerie phantom Bus. 'Don't Change It' brims with self-confident chuckles and clucking cadences, always finishing in harmony -- and again features MC Soom-T who, unlike her insistent performances on the album Middle of the Road, adds a relaxing, yet forceful rap to this track. And finally, 'Slow' deigns to rumble out of the experimental corner with affirmative leisureliness to indulge in some slightly bonkers jangly vibraphone sounds."

Artist:	BUS FEAT. MC SOOM-T
Title:	Feelin' Dank
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 028CD

Feelin' Dank is the second Bus album on Scape. Berliners Tom Thiel and Daniel Meteo aka Bus have created a truly relaxed record that mops up and redispenses the fun and vastness around them. As on previous Bus excursions, dub, hiphop and electronic elements provide the imaginary, triangulated demarcation lines for an expansive freestyle adventure playground that might even spawn the odd house track. The overall mood of Feelin' Dank is that carefree abandon has returned to dancefloors across the globe and left its mark on impassioned DJ and club-goer Meteo. On their latest outing, Bus conjure up transgressive paradises, while gentler elements have snuck into the Bus mix -- "soul" and "party vibe," they call it. On "Rose Specs," they crank up the might of the handclap, kickstarting a jam which, for a good two minutes, leaves raw, untweaked keyboard and guitar tracks to their own devices. Glasgow MC Soom-T also adds her boyish and soulful rap recitative to this track, as well as to the instrumentals of "Diamond In The Rough" and "The Answer." Soom-T, who already graced the first Bus album Middle Of The Road (SCAPE 019CD/LP), is part of the Glasgow crew Monkeytribe. On Feelin' Dank Bus chose to treat her voice just like the live instruments -- instead of demanding 100% mathematical accuracy they preferred to leave passages with feeling in place. They took a similar approach with Soom-T's colleague MC Rhino and Gonzales-collaborator Paul PM (whose vocals can be heard on "Twistin" and "Perdu"), while the final offbeat house of "My Night" features a session with Ras T-Weed of the Birmingham-based Overproof Soundsystem.

Artist:	PORTABLE
Title:	Version
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 029CD

Version, Alan Abrahams' (aka Portable) second full-length album, is simultaneously archaic and totally futuristic, avidly exploring the fringes of techno and house. A resident of London via Capetown/South Africa, a superficial listen to Portable will reveal close parallels to the hyper-modern splinter-funk of the likes of Sutekh and his Context label where Portable also released his first record. On this release, futuristic elements that sound like miniscule spikeless particles strung together, pop up and then disappear within the tiniest fraction of a second, but are not relegated to the barrenness of micro-sampling techno. The archaic aspects of Portable's sound become most apparent in the unique sources Abrahams has unearthed for this release: reassembled field recording fragments of ancient African polyrhythms and syncopes. These snippets offer blurred glimpses of the jungle or a campfire, with the crackling taking on the character of ur-beats. Using modern audio software to digitally rework and filter these samples, they are given new shine, while preserving their old heritage -- their lore. The resulting sound is far from the "world music techno" some may have feared. Instead, Abrahams' Version represents a truly unfettered Afro-futuristic variant of techno that elegantly and serenely circumnavigates any prevalent beats, sub-scenes and trends. Abrahams allows syncopated bass drums, like dancehall rhythms, to mess with the static matrix of conventional 4/4 signatures while adding a polyrhythmic flow to the proceedings. Nevertheless, Version is also deep, soft, round and organic. Here "Portable" refers to Alan's home, often no more than the soft glow of a laptop in the twilight of a hotel room, somewhere in this world.

Artist:	SAFETY SCISSORS
Title:	Tainted Lunch
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 030CD

Tainted Lunch, the second full-length release from Matthew Patterson Curry (aka Safety Scissors), as mixed in Berlin by Vladislav Delay, shows a healthy but strange diet of influences and thoughts. With widescreen electronic pop music wearing its heart on its sleeve, the Berlin/San Francisco-based artist proves that clever songwriting, frisky arrangements, and slanted dancefloor maneuvers will always trump formulaic thumping and shrill, chilly attitudes. From amnesia to French cooking to transatlantic affairs of the heart, the lyrics sidestep clich� in favor of an awkward vulnerability, deliberate off-rhymes and quotidian details. Balancing smarts with slapstick humor, Curry sets a Rimbaud poem about trench warfare, but calls it "I Am The Cheese" and keeps an eyebrow cocked throughout. When his wavery, emotionally direct voice (think Chet Baker as a sozzled tech support worker) and wry lyrics are combined with brisk, brittle electronic production and twangy guitars, the result adds up to classic synthetic pop music of the kind that makes everybody reach for their New Order and Magnetic Fields albums. But there's a substantial freakiness/funkiness to Curry's production too which takes '80s synth funk stabs, saxophone, a rubber bass guitar, electric piano, kazoo and banjo in stride, and sets beats and basslines spinning in odd directions, as frazzled quakes and dubbed out bleeps fizz through the mix. The cast of supporting characters and guest artists reveal a considerable pedigree: guest singers and co-songwriters include Erelend �ye of Kings of Convenience, Kevin Blechdom, Fran�oise Cactus of Stereo Total, and Kim West of Crack W.A.R., and there are additional production flourishes from Apendics Shuffle, and Wobbly. On these ten songs the elegant techno pop classicism of Germany is tainted by the prankster freak flag spirit of California, and the results are yummy.

Artist:	BEAUPRE, STEPHEN
Title:	Macro-House EP
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 034EP

Those prone to motion sickness best steer clear of this latest offering from Montreal's Stephen Beaupr�, as the swirling clouds of jagged musical fragments contained herein are certain to send you stumbling for the dance floor in the throws of full cranial spin. A devoted musical prankster, as has been clearly documented by his work with Deadbeat as Crackhaus, The Macro-House EP sees Stephen spray painting happy faces and scribbling lewd limericks on the church of minimal's typically pristinely kept walls. Where others may click, he clunks; where others might break, he coasts confidently through the guard rails.

Artist:	SHANNON, MIKE
Title:	Possible Conclusions To Stories That Never End
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 036CD

Recently relocated to Barcelona, Mike Shannon established himself as Canada's most respected techno and house DJ. Involved with the Cynosure and Revolver labels (and artists like Akufen, Deadbeat, Pan/tone), Mike Shannon himself has been actively performing and promoting a very specific genre of minimal house and techno that today is reaching a new level of awareness in the global electronic community. On Possible Conclusions To Stories That Never End, Shannon switches skins, putting aside overt techno nuances he has been punishing parishioners of the dance floor with for well over a decade to explore a different region of actualization. The album commences using field-recordings of a typhoon hitting the streets of Tokyo, and the listener is shunted into an environment where each song is chimeric conclusion bathed in a cinematic light. On "Taken Only Road" (featuring Anais) Mike Shannon's sparse, sedate jazz manifestations form with a subtle electronic prosthetic to make a seamless hybrid of haunting lyrical form and near-ambient formlessness. Anais's vocals wander from sweet supplication to a silky lament over neon throbs of heady keys dappling over a languid bass-line. Atop the springy malleable groove of "Last One Terrified," spoken word elemental Moral Undulations catalogs the soul-stunting elements in North American culture with measured but casual defiance. In addition to Anais and Moral Undulations, Toronto-based jazz drummer Tim-Stokes Reese's smooth percussion ghosts and weaves through the album, serving as beacon points to the thick narcotic groove espoused on this fourteen track offering. On "Tears" Montreal musician Patrick Watson gently flays with piano ripple in time to Reese's drum patterns to make a resoundingly emotional result. The innocuous dread that underlies many of the tracks contains trace elements of influence from cinematic composer Angelo Badalamenti, to Montreal electronic wizards Marc Leclair and Deadbeat. With releases on various imprints worldwide Mike Shannon has consistently maintained an aesthetic quality to his techno productions defining him a key player in the global circuit.

Artist:	MAPSTATION
Title:	Distance Told Me Things To Be Said
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 038CD

Behind Mapstation is Stefan Schneider (To Rococo Rot, Music A.M.) from D�sseldorf, and this is his fourth recording and debut for the ~scape label. Distance Told Me Things To Be Said brings us to unknown topographies and familiar surroundings alike. Produced between 2003 and 2005 at various studio and living places in London, Berlin and D�sseldorf, it was mixed by Bernd Jestram of Tarwater. On songs like "Horns Version" and "Warm Distance" we hear wonderful guest appearances by London- based trombonist Annie Whitehead, and Martin Brandlmayr of Vienna trio Radian is once again the percussionist of choice. After his stunning performance on Mapstation's previous album Version Train, Brandlmayr offers polyrhythms that elegantly and effortlessly match with the sequencers. The songs "Valencia Was Asleep" and "Listening to Stockholm" are based on real live recordings from these cities and project a sense of narration -- pockets of silence within amplified streets. On "Loin D'Afrique" we find the other Africa, imbued with a mild ecstatic feeling, the scenery slowly changing from dark green to ochre where circling rhythms and melodic fragments produce afternoon atmospheres and twilight music. Also found here are plenty of electronic sounds, 303 basslines, drum machines, percussion and trombone phrases. By combining low-key melodies with field recordings, a submerged reality seeps into the material: a child is playing somewhere nearby, the window is open, a car is passing by. Then you return to the room to scrutinize the atlas. This is an album of quiet music and secret melodies.

Artist:	JELINEK, JAN
Title:	Tierbeobachtungen
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 041CD

The follow up to his highly acclaimed and successful album Kosmischer Pitch from Jan Jelinek, the leading German producer within the experimental electronic music scene. Kosmischer was a drifting loop vortex peppered with subtle Kraut references, and this is the perfect continuation of that highly developed acoustical matrix. The animal is experiencing a renaissance in music. It provides a reflective surface for our notion of the unbridled and irrational, of that Other the philosophers Deleuze/Guattari -- as part of their "Animalisation" -- called the embodiment of artistic deliverance. And yet, how much of a liberation can art actually tolerate? To what extent can music truly throw off its fetters without descending into chaos? Jan Jelinek's new album title provides a first hint of this development: like the above, Tierbeobachtungen (animal observations) is his fourth album for ~scape, and it addresses the issue of release and liberation. Recorded almost in transit, while preparing his move to a new studio, the tracks reveal and relish in their improvisational character, and drifting, lost sound -- yet, they never lose sight of their underlying structure. Tierbeobachtungen might constitute Jelinek's freest and most personal work, with simply arranged tracks based on four to five layered and modulated loops, while his own studio equipment provides the main sampling sources, from synthesizer and guitaret to vibraphone. Jelinek takes on the role of observer on this record, with a level of reflection remaining audible throughout. However, this is by no means intellectual, distanced music -- Jelinek leads us straight into a thicket, an acoustic jungle where sumptuous splendor meets the uncanny. A long tradition of psychedelic music pervades the recordings -- Amon D��l, Cluster, My Bloody Valentine -- yet whatever musical memories might vie for our attention, these are no clear-cut references, just loose associations. On occasion, one might even be tempted to take them for field recordings -- gems discovered, stored and returned from their travels by ethnologists fifty or a hundred years ago. Similar to the pioneers of industrial music, like Cabaret Voltaire or Zoviet France, who experimented with field recordings to challenge Western listening habits, Tierbeobachtungen takes us to new, unknown territories and brims with sounds that defy geographic or stylistic classification, not unlike the semi-conscious state between dream and awakening. Overt romanticism is also precluded by Jelinek's sense of humor, which rears its head in titles like "Palmen Aus Leder" (palm trees of leather) and prevents us from taking the album's mystic overtones too seriously.

Artist:	CAPPABLACK
Title:	Fa�ades & Skeletons
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 042CD

Cappablack is a duo comprised of Illeven (programming) and Hashim B. (programming & scratching). Influenced by the raw hip-hop sound of groups such as Mobb Deep, Cappablack released their debut album The State of the Night in 1997 from Soup-Disk, which combined experimental beats and noir soundscapes. This album became a classic instrumental album in the Japanese hip-hop scene. Their second 12" The Economics EP was discovered by Pole and they became the first Japanese group to contribute tracks to the ~scape compilations Staedtizism 3, Staedtizism 4 and But Then Again. Comparable in sound to artists such as Prefuse 73, Dabrye and Danger Mouse who mix electronica with hip-hop, and also succeeding in the line of Japanese instrumental hip-hop artists such as DJ Krush, Facades & Skeletons is a deep album that breaks the boundaries between numerous musical genres. The album features vocals by underground US West coast MC Awol One, and the remarkable rhyming skills of up-and-coming Japanese rapper Emirp. This album is filled with riveting, dense soundscapes and appeals to both electronica and hip-hop fans.

Artist:	FRIVOLOUS
Title:	Midnight Black Indulgence
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 043CD

This is the second full-length release from Canadian transplant to Berlin, Frivolous (Daniel Gardner). Frivolous is a protagonist of the minimal house scene who has released more than ten EPs. Midnight Black Indulgence marks a watershed in Gardner's career. For the first time, influences and inspirations are clearly discernible. Moments of pure dance ecstasy are followed by string interludes or appear next to jazz ballads. The connections Frivolous makes are of a convincing, almost compelling logic, and derive from his many years in the mid-'90s, peddling the new European minimalist sound as a club DJ in Vancouver. Struggling for acceptance amongst a Canadian scene obsessed with U.S. house music, Gardner sent his demos to five renowned German labels, and three of them wanted to release his music straightaway. The advanced minimal sound he has bestowed upon electronic dance music has a new, sophisticated body and generates a feeling for song structure within the house and techno format. At the same time, his understanding of melody and voice does not stem from a threadbare and shop-worn view on '80s pop music (as so often is the case), but from jazz. In his music, jazz and "jazziness" do not work as tacky, transfigured quotations but as snapshots full of character; impressions of feelings materialized as sound. Says Daniel: "For me jazz means a looseness and a feeling that can only be created by humans. It is the anti-machine. Even if it is sampled, it is usually for the quality of a magical moment that can't be graphed with 0-127 on time-code.." And although the tracks on Midnight Black Indulgence never pompously serve as a display for his musical prowess, there is something risky and luxurious about them. The dense and emotional thread which he weaves throughout the album was developed from baroque music, and alongside techno and dance experiments, he also stunningly incorporates classic instruments and vocals into an environment built on experiments with glitchy cut-up funk and found sound.

Artist:	POLE
Title:	Steingarten
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 044CD

This is Berlin-based producer Stefan Betke's sixth full-length release, and his second release on his own ~scape label. After his duties remixing and producing such artists as John Tejada, T.Raumschmiere and Barbara Morgenstern, and a collaboration with Burnt Friedman and Kit Clayton, Pole presents music that could be architecture, with his elegantly spare form that reaches out into space. After minimalist experiments with elements of hip-hop and dub, Steingarten has hardly any concrete references. What has remained, though, is the minimalism so characteristic of Pole. Built around little loops, his arrangements dispose with any kind of ornamentation. A stark contrast with the album's title and cover -- which shows a picture of the famously ornate, gingerbread-style castle Schloss Neuschwanstein. But despite some funky grooves, this is no dancefloor record. And despite its simplicity, the music never comes across as meager or repellently cool. This might be due to the fact that Pole has found a perfect middle point between avant-garde and pop. The beats are groovy, but never overtly dance-oriented. Melodies are used as harmonic dashes of color, but remain fragmentary rather than sing-song-y. Some cracking noises pop up, but not as a dissonant element -- they just seem a logical part of the sound structure -- a structure that creates space and order. Things dark, nebulous and irrational are alien to Pole, so it's all the more amazing how well it nurtures daydreams -- and practically invites listeners to drift off on flights of fancy. There is indeed one thing that Pole's music shares with the visions of King Ludwig, who, in building Schloss Neuschwanstein, wanted to create a world for himself shielded from reality: Pole's warm bass and powerful but elastic production style conveys a feeling of coziness; it doesn't take on the outside world, doesn't mirror it or comment on it, but creates a world all its own.

Artist:	ROAM THE HELLO CLOUDS
Title:	Near Misses
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 045CD

This is the debut recording by Australia's Roam The Hello Clouds, a group made up of members Laurence Pike (of Triosk), Dave Miller and Phil Slater. Near Misses is a rare combination that will make many lovers of jazz and/or electronic music delirious. At a glance, some might mistakenly classify it as jazz/electronica mainly due to Slater's soaring trumpet (reminiscent of Miles Davis circa Bitches Brew) in combination with Miller's subtle electronics and Pike's untethered drumming. The musicians used chance and error as their modus operandi, inviting the unknown and then manipulating it into something cool and free, from abstract to electronic. In October 2003, Sydney-based drummer Laurence Pike was paired up with Perth laptop artist Dave Miller in a musical blind date for a performance at the Sydney Opera House. It turned out to be the meeting of kindred spirits. Pike called upon trumpeter Phil Slater to complete what he thought would be an ideal musical partnership for a one-off collaboration. And he was right -- about the partnership, but fortunately not about it being a one-off thing. The following year, a second performance was scheduled, and with only two gigs under their belts, the band set about trying to capture the intuitive nature of their exciting live performances in a studio situation. The result is this album of unrehearsed group improvisation recorded in a single day. What you hear is a live band; playing and processing and recording in takes, much the way they used to do in the '60s. Even Dave Miller's sound sources came almost exclusively from live on-the-fly sampling from the band's previous gigs. They fuse together with a breathtaking musical rapport, yet always retain their individual characteristics.

Artist:	DEADBEAT
Title:	Journeyman's Annual
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 046CD

This is Montreal-based Deadbeat aka Scott Monteith's fourth full-length release on the ~scape label. Since the release of his previous outing, New World Observer in March 2005, Monteith has spent the vast majority of his time on the road, honing his skills as a master craftsman of genre defying electronic dance music. Though fans of Monteith's previous ~scape full lengths might find it difficult to envision his music as the soundtrack to a rollicking dance floor, Journeyman's Annual is the first to showcase an updated version of the Deadbeat sound that has quietly been overtaking his more meditative work over the last year and-a-half. This is modern bass music of an entirely unique sort, crafted with the intention of moving asses as much as stimulating minds. Easily the closest stylistically to his previous work for ~scape, the opening two tracks employ minimal techno's careful ruminations on endlessly repeating groove structures, while sitting comfortably in dubstep's doom-filled, 140 bpm pocket. For the album opener, Monteith enlists the aid of violinist and fellow Montrealer Sophie Trudeau (ex-GY!BE, A Silver Mount Zion) to craft what is potentially the darkest song in his entire catalog. "Melbourne Round Midnight" combines a lurching funeral organ line with vaporous horns and a thunderous one note bass drop to create a chugging dub monster. Along with Trudeau's string arrangements, Monteith also calls upon vocalists to expand the album's sonic palette. This record also features Bristol-based Bubbz, who spits a fiery tale on "Refund Me." "Deep In Country" marks the triumphant return of Moral Undulations, whose bad man vocal stylings provide a rhythmic assault. "Gimme A Little Slack" features Montreal's DJ Jah Cutta, and the dynamic duo craft a piece of pure heavyweight bashment, filled with searing percussion, impossibly low bass, and a vocal hook that will stay in your head for days. Finally, as a bonus to this already fine set, this record includes Deadbeat's much sought-after remix of Saul Williams' "Black Stacey" from 2005. Previously only available on an incredibly rare promo-only 12", the track has been a trademark finisher of Deadbeat live sets and has driven the floor into a frenzy each and every time. Easily his most diverse album to date, Journeyman's Annual is a far reaching account of new creative connections and rhythmic inspirations drawn from the four corners of the globe, and a spectacular sign of things to come from one of electronic music's premier low-end prophets.

Artist:	POLE
Title:	Steingarten Remixes
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 050CD

This is Berlin-based producer Stefan Betke's (aka Pole) third release on his own ~scape label. Originally a string of four limited colored vinyl 12" releases, the Steingarten Remixes now assembles all tracks in the series on CD. Remixing Pole is a bit of a challenge. Carefully assembled, piece-by-piece, his seamless, highly-acclaimed Steingarten exhibits no gaps, no ornaments, no superfluous flourishes. And a closer look at the tracks' underlying structures confirms: any additions would only distract from their delicate balance. Steingarten's eclectic assembly of equally eclectic remixers were well aware of this tricky challenge -- and none have opted for unnecessary embellishments. With plenty of respect for Pole's pared-down appeal, they nevertheless imbue the new versions with their very own signature sound. While Betke's minimal approach sets the overall mood, subtle nuances add different flavors to the mix. Rarely has a remix project been this coherent. An assembly of reworkings by friends and colleagues, the resulting tracks achieve the rare feat of reinterpreting Pole's music without ever drowning out their singular clarity. While Dimbiman, for example, starts his version of "Achterbahn" with a bout of gently bouncing beats that evolve into a springy house groove, Mike Huckaby takes a more angular approach, yet both remain true to Steingarten's bare essentials. From Deadbeat's sharp, dancehall-inspired beats to Shackleton's sizzling dub grooves and Gudrun Gut's subdued vocal samples "a recited A-Z of girl's names," the resulting works refuse to twist Pole's music out of shape, but highlight, cherish and reflect their essence. Here, Betke's distinctive sound finds itself clothed in a wide array of contemporary electronic guises, from deep house to dubstep. And, best of all, despite their sometimes dizzying level of abstraction, all tracks are extremely danceable. Other remixes by Peverelist, The Mole, Ghislain Poirier, Frivolous and Melchior Productions.

Artist:	POLE
Title:	Steingarten Remixes 4
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	SCAPE 051EP

The final part of Pole's Steingarten Remix series comes in red vinyl with outstanding remixes from Deadbeat, Ghislain Poirier and Gudrun Gut. Deadbeat moved "Sylvenstein" to the dancehall while Ghislain Poirier turned "Winkelstreben" into what he describes as "cosmopolitan bass and chunky digital dancehall." Gudrun Gut refused to twist Pole's music out of shape, instead highlighting, cherishing and reflecting its essence with some killer girlie vocals. Pressed on clear red vinyl.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Round Black Ghosts
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	SCAPE 052CD

From day one, the pursuit of dub's influence on contemporary electronic music has been one of ~scape's guiding principles. Round Black Ghosts continues this tradition and, at the same time, adds a new facet to the mix. This CD, compiled by label owners Stefan Betke (Pole) and Barbara Preisinger together with Tim Tetzner (the heart and mind behind Berlin's Dense Records shop), throws a spotlight on dubstep, a relatively recent genre, oscillating within and beyond its own fluid boundaries. Originally a London phenomenon, dubstep pursues a different path from Berlin's trademark dub techno. Where dub techno borrows from the more traditional forms of dub and the corresponding mix techniques, dubstep not only lays claim to the strongly dub and reggae-influenced legacy of British rave culture, but also draws on various other styles without missing a step. Now, an entire generation of young dubstep producers have started to explore the genre, inventing some new, previously-unheard sounds. Round Black Ghosts presents a concise overview of the latest developments, ready to take these new sounds to a wider audience. The artists on the compilation debug and recycle the aesthetics of techno, playfully merging dubstep bass lines that shake your bowels with the feedbacks of the echo chamber. While Martyn takes a detour to Detroit with his warm synth chords, Syncom Data's quietly pulsating track proudly pursues the paths of Berlin's dub techno legacy, and Elemental takes inspiration from the harsh sounds of IDM and acid house. Yet despite their different approaches, the overall mix sounds impressively coherent. Beyond the genre's unifying and characteristic bass lines, all tracks leave plenty of room for deep delves into their own, private soundscapes. Other artists include 2562, Untold, Pole, Ramadanman, Pinch, Peverelist and Pangaea.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Round Black Ghosts 2
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	SCAPE 057CD

After the great response to ~scape's first survey of the creative cross-fertilization of dubstep and techno, Round Black Ghosts enters its second round. Yet again, Stefan Betke (Pole), Barbara Preisinger and Tim Tetzner join forces to scent out exceptional examples of dubstep skirting the boundaries of techno and other flavors of electronic music. The result: eleven defining and definitive tracks of a musical (r)evolution that has moved far beyond its London origins, reflected in the huge variety of nationalities assembled on this CD: from L.A. and Bristol to Bucharest and St. Petersburg. The emergence of a creative "axis" between London and Berlin adds to the relevance of this compilation. Among its figureheads: former Londoner and new Berliner Scuba, who jumped the Channel in 2007 and contributes a previously-unreleased track, "Bleach," to Round Black Ghosts 2. His club night Sub.Stance, at Berlin's legendary techno-heaven Berghain, has become THE point of reference for the latest techno/dubstep crossover. Other contributing producers with strong collaborative ties to Berlin's musicians, labels and mastering studios include Appleblim and Ramadanman. In this growing and ever-evolving network, ~scape fills a pivotal role: with in-house legend Pole, collaborations by artists like Shackleton and Peverelist and, last but not least, this vital compilation.

Artist:	GROUPSHOW
Title:	The Martyrdom Of Groupshow
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	SCAPE 058CD

This is the debut full-length release by Groupshow, an all-star cast of electronic producers including Andrew Pekler (Sad Rockets), Hanno Leichtmann (Vulva String Quartett/Static/Forest Jackson), and Jan Jelinek (Farben). Groupshow is a blitz through the year's best music genres, in less time than it takes to read the newspaper. Groupshow is a personal listener to advance your career, selecting the 2% of sounds that can make a measurable difference in your life and in the work you do. The tracks collected here re-live the most memorable moments of approximately 200 gigabytes of improvised jam sessions and contain an impressive arsenal of low-quality effects pedals. Pekler (guitar, effects), Leichtmann (drums) and Jelinek (electronics) switch instruments on a regular basis, resulting in a free-improv, Krautronic assemblage of silence and noise. These 12 tracks give you enough juice for a lifetime of enchantment, while raising a few eyebrows. Safe, effective, annoying vibrations.

Artist:	MAPSTATION
Title:	The Africa Chamber
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	SCAPE 059CD

This is the third album by Mapstation. Since 2001, Stefan Schneider has been working under this moniker. Nevertheless, this new release marks a premiere for the Dusseldorf-based artist: it is the first album produced by Schneider himself. Delving deeper into the sounds and subjects already explored on his previous outings, Map Of Africa (2002) and Loin D'Afrique (2006), this record expands on Mapstation's tentative love and study of the African continent. Like his earlier aural collages, The Africa Chamber treats this region not only as a geographic location, but also as a symbol of unknown terrain, of distant shores awaiting our exploration. Unfettered by the fetish of authenticity, but rather bolstered by various encounters on neutral, diasporic grounds like European Internet cafes ("Unitel"), African beauty parlors ("The Protector") or folkloristic kitsch figurines ("Return Of The Hunter"), Schneider prefers an associative approach to music. His Africa Chamber becomes a fanciful wunderkammer of would-be African sounds. In this spirit, the album retraces the subconscious cultural amalgamations that shape our contemporary mainstream culture and reciprocal influences, from the digital replication and recreation of jungle ambience for the Antwerp Zoo ("Nocturama") to the illustrated Swedish porcelain gracing the cover, heavily influenced by African art. In a fitting twist, Schneider's inimitable Mapstation sound, conjuring up broad and expansive soundscapes from a bare minimum of synthesizer arpeggiator, has started to incorporate more and more analog percussion for a coarser, less predictably-textured sound. Amplifiers are miked up. Distortion, overamplification and feedback claim their rightful space. Besides a plethora of percussive hollow-ware like vases or pitchers and prepared piano passages -- recorded in the studio of Dusseldorf-based pianist and composer Volker Bertelmann aka Hauschka -- the album relies mainly on digital synths, reawakened and injected with new warmth. Continuing his tradition of collaboration, Schneider also invited an eclectic range of master musicians to join him on this sonic journey. Annie Whitehead, on-stage staple of Robert Wyatt, Afrika Express/Damon Albarn or James Blood Ulmer and a welcome addition to Schneider's previous album, fleshed out two tracks with her spellbinding trombone. Nicholas Addo-Nettey also contributes percussion (he played alongside Tony Allen for the seminal Fela Kuti Band in the 1970s). Drummer Thomas Klein (Kreidler) completes Mapstation's trio of collaborators.

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Artist:	PEKLER, ANDREW
Title:	Station To Station
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 011LP

Artist:	HEADSET
Title:	Space Settings
Label:	SCAPE (GERMANY)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	SCAPE 022LP