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12"
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NT 015EP
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J. Albert's config EP for Couldn't Care More is one more step into his very own microcosm of electronic music wizardry: There is the flickering groove of "Armor", myriads of cut-up sonic pieces morphed into a glorious track somewhere next to techno and house and there's the distorted quiet beauty of slowly breathing "config4", ambient-esque but filled with tension like Huerco S does it. There are the holographic breakbeats of "config5", with voice samples and synth stabs melted in New York's fiercest heat and there's the sped-up ambient groove of ghostly "config2". The last track "Court" sums it up, a breathless groove mutation topped by spheric keyboard sounds. J. Albert gets it all together and he does it with a quite uncanny certainty. A different level.
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12"
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NTUNSURE 001EP
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We Smile were part of the Hamburger Schule back in the early nineties: expressive vocals, associative lyrics in German and English, brittle guitars, and, overall, a quite broad interpretation of the general idea of pop. Now, 30 years later, Hamburg label Couldn't Care More releases these spectacular remixes of songs from We Smile's album Für Die Anderen: Glasgow's JD Twitch (Optimo) turns "Sack Voll Drogen" into one twisted colossus of a track, made from electro, breaks, and rave; Tokyo's Tentenko fires up the Casio for her two versions of "31 24 42"; and Hamburg's Mense Reents (Egoexpress, Die Vögel, Die Goldenen Zitronen) builds the most extraordinary elegant pop song from the sparse "Can't Resist (Popmusiker Sind Auch Künstler-Version)". Also included is the formidable (and remastered) original of "Kind Und Kegel".
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12"
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NT 014EP
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"Monks In A Club" from the Repeat Orchestra's album Infamous Lost Tracks (NT 002LP) is a perfect example of elegant dancefloor understatement, smooth, minimalistic, and groovy as hell; no wonder that Superpitcher got thrilled and created not a remix but his own track inspired by Repeat Orchestra, reworking the essence of "Monks In A Club". And Superpitcher did what only Superpitcher can: "Monks In The Sky" is an epic ride, expanding, stretching, ebbing and flowing, ten minutes of levitating groove hypnosis that goes in depth. Fascinating.
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12"
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NT 013EP
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Back in 2011, Markus Guentner and Heiko Badje formed Stareaway to follow their vision of creating both enchanting and haunting music from melodies and drones. Combining Guentner's complex wall of electronic sound and Badje's ethereal androgyn voice and multi-faceted guitar play, they indeed produced some epic works between ambient, pop, and shoegaze, strangely shimmering and profoundly mysterious. Now, Stareaway's fantastic (and back then maybe a little overlooked) album No Life In This Ghost Town (NT 001LP, 2013) sees its rerelease and is, for celebrational purposes, accompanied by this EP of four stunning remixes by stunning artists Rafael Anton Irisarri (who also did the mastering), Simon Scott (Slowdive), Thomas Fehlmann, and David Westlake (ex-Sneaker Pimps). Rafael Anton Irisarri's magical take on "O Suomi" sparkles bright, still with melancholia always present. David Westlake emphasizes the pop aspect of "Appointments", adding lush synth melodies and light-filled grooves while Thomas Fehlmann lets "All Over You" spiral into pop ambients most majestic heights. Finally, Simon Scott builds a "Kathedrale aus Klang" on "Dreams May Never". Amazing remixes of amazing originals.
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LP
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NT 002LP
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Stefan Schwander's Repeat Orchestra presents Infamous Lost Tracks, an album appearing out of the blue, coming from spheres where time, space and Zeitgeist are nothing more than words. With the Repeat Orchestra, Schwander (who of course also is Harmonious Thelonious, A Rocket In Dub, Antonelli, and a lot more) found a unique way of channeling deep house music, a minimalistic setup and an idea of creating enjoyable music into amazing tracks that sound so effortless and natural. From first track "Call And Response" on it's obvious that the main thing that this album is about is the groove, sometimes euphoric, sometimes quite unobtrusive but always irresistible, build from massive basslines, complex rhythms and the masterfully performed interplay of repetition and modulation. Warm harmonies, multilayered (at times quite unusual ("Nightdubbing") melodies and subtle arrangements complete these Infamous Lost Tracks and their very own formular between Düsseldorf, Chicago, and Lagos. There's nothing harsh in this music, no aggression, still it's far from being tame or tranquil: The pumping energy of "A Means To An End" or the sublime liquid shuffle of "Less Sensational" show the swing and kick inside these works that are made for delight but not to please. And "Monks In A Club" is the most brilliant example of dancefloor understatement that you'll ever hear in your life. Reduction, elegance and the right kind of mania concentrated into some minutes of pure club heaven. Handclaps, nonchalance, and madness. An essential singularity and the swan song to the Repeat Orchestra, there will be no more of it.
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12"
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NT 012EP
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Following her highly praised An Antworten EP on TAL (TAL 021EP), Tentenko releases The Soft Cave on Couldn't Care More. The Tokyo wonder girl further expands her unique universe of electronic music with four stunning tracks between oddly beguiling iridescence ("The Wave") and deliberately raw technoid clanging ("Stalactite"), developing a twisted yet very playful version of experimental techno, breakbeats, or whatever it is ("The Fish Stone"). Exciting stuff for Warp/Modern Love/Sähkö aficionados and everyone who dares.
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12"
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NT 011EP
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On his new EP Three Colours for Couldn't Care More the ever-searching RVDS (Golden Pudel Club, Bureau B, It's) keeps his senses wide open and comes up with three amazing tracks as diverse as coherent: While "Clicks in Pink House" is enthusiastic warm house music with a big bassline, "Blue Signals in Space"'s flow of hypnotic meditation has a strange tension underneath that effortlessly connects with the delicate elegance of "Purple Dreams in March"|'s playful piano chords. Three quite different colors that make a beautiful whole.
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12"
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NT 010EP
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With the indeed adventurous Aventure EP on Couldn't Care More Harmonious Thelonious further explores the depths of his unique vision, merging African rhythms, European harmonies, and American minimalism. The title track keeps the same yet ever-changing lighthearted melody effortlessly meandering back-and-forth over electrified beats while "Some Blue Beats" is more on the minimalist side, as controlled as eccentric. "Ta Ta Ta" keeps it darker, with hypnotic percussions, organ chords noir, and a big bass. Advanced music. Play loud.
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12"
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NT 009EP
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John Daly's amazing It's All Around You EP (NT 008EP, 2018) gets remixed by German virtuosos Losoul and Benjamin Brunn and the results are as diverse as stunning: while Benjamin Brunn morphs "One Four Tee" into subtly swinging electronica, Losoul expands "Stay Close" into an unbelievable 11-minute groove ride between house and techno, as tight as epic.
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12"
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NT 008EP
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The very talented John Daly delivers four master class house tracks for Couldn't Care More. "It's All Around You" and "One Four Tee" let deepness and passion rule in full swing while "Rescue" rides smoothly on a huge bass line. And "Stay Close" is nothing but a fascinating groove. Inspired and timeless vibes by John Daly, if you have a floor to fill this record comes handy for sure.
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12"
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NT 007EP
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A Sagittariun delivers the three track Oxidize EP for German label Couldn't Care More. While "Heights" is a stripped-down Basic-Channelish techno ride, rough, edgy and with a hint of hypnotic melodies, the title track heads in a quite different direction: still it's raw expressionistic techno, but the flow is ever-changing, mesmerizingly shifting and twisting between hissing beats and enlightened synths. For the remix of "Oxidize" RVDS fires up the acid machine and does it Detroit style, warm and cold, uplifting and melancholic.
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12"
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NT 006EP
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Monaco À Go-Go is singer/songwriter Jobst Miksche from Hamburg, Germany and this is his debut release for Couldn't Care More. With "Dance Around Yourself" and "Machines," it offers two slow, intimate folk songs full of beauty and melancholia, but also a certain easiness. On the B-side, Aera (who runs the Aleph label), translates "Dance Around Yourself" into an exotica-infused cumbia acid mix that makes you feel dizzy, weird, and sublime.
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12"
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NT 005EP
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Paris' house legends Château Flight and up-and-coming Swedish producer Librah deliver beautiful dancefloor-focused remixes of Stareaway's epic pop/ambient sketches, "No Life in This Ghost Town" and "Appointments," both taken from Stareaway's album No Life in This Ghost Town, also released on Couldn't Care More. Château Flight, accompanied by Cosmic Neman playing the bongos, transform the widescreen wall-of sound arrangement of "No Life in This Ghost Town" into a lush, magically-enchanted roller-coaster-ride from deep warm bass to breathtaking heights of pop. Librah translates "Appointments" into a smooth and transparent, yet banging groove. A beatless "Reprise" version completes this lovely remix EP.
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2LP
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NT 001LP
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2022 re-release. Stareaway is Markus Guentner (Kompakt, A Strangely Isolated Place) and Heiko Badje (La Grande Illusion) carefully combining ambient soundscapes, shoegaze-y guitars, melancholic pop melodies and these amazing bodiless vocals to form a deep, subtle and somehow hard to define kind of enchanted music. Their 2013 album No Life In This Ghost Town (mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri) is now re-released (via Couldn't Care More); seven wonderful tracks, caressing and thoughtful, yet touched by a certain darkness that makes you shiver. Brilliant works that need to be rediscovered. The album-rerelease is accompanied by a spectacular EP with remixes by Rafael Anton Irisarri, Simon Scott (Slowdive), Thomas Fehlmann, and David Westlake (ex-Sneaker Pimps).
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12"
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NT 004EP
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The OliverWho Factory present a release on Couldn't Care More. With "You Just Don't Know," originally sung by soul-diva Phyllis Hyman, the duo delivers energetic Detroit sounds between techno and house, massive beats and soulful vocals. Vibrant stuff with a unique twist.
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12"
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NT 003EP
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After releases on Gigolo, Rush Hour, Planet E and We Play House, French producer Sebastien San presents the Asylum EP, made to be played on every dancefloor there is. With the hypnotic techno-soundscapes of "Asylum," Sebastien San has created one of his best tracks, ever, and the other two tracks are of the same quality. "Does Compute" is driven by inescapable hooks while "Alpha Centauri" slows it down with warm strings, Chicago house claps and a subtly pulsating bassline.
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12"
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NT 002EP
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This is the second release by the German label Couldn't Care More. The duo from Detroit, who by the way, run the stunning label Madd Chaise Inc., delivers fine Detroit tech deep house with a twist that will make you scream on the dancefloor. While the basic track is voluminously wafting and rawly pushing forward, vocalist Shonie C. tops it with her powerful and soulful singing. Both tracks are mastered straight to the point by A.O.S. Classic.
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12"
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NT 001EP
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Debut release for Stareaway, a new project by German "inventor of pop ambient" Markus Guentner with singer Heiko Badje, the man behind saudade-driven pop band La Grande Illusion. The both aerial and profound ambient soundscape of "Learn How To Love Me" increases softly while Heiko Badje's voice shivers with emotions of entreaty and wanting. It is followed by the sublime deepness of "Unwise" in which Badje's lyrics about love and temptation dissipate in a vision of pop of atmospheric intensity.
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