Micah Baxter For Micah Baxter, some of the most important developments in his career have started with a simple exchange of music. The Peterborough producer has steadily established himself within the groove-led end of house and minimal, releasing on Nervous Records, Repopulate Mars, Deeperfect and more while building his own Gritty Records imprint. His latest release brings another of those connections full circle. ‘Pound 4 Pound’, Baxter’s first collaboration with 19-year-old Manchester producer HG, lands on Lost Culture Records following early support from Marco Carola, SOSA, Joseph Capriati, Paco Osuna and Lee Foss. The relationship began with HG sending Baxter promos, before their overlapping approaches made a collaboration increasingly obvious. “So HG had been sending me promos for a while, and I really liked his sound. There were also some big similarities with the tracks I was making at the time, but he had his own twist on it.” The record began with its recurring vocal. Baxter constructed an initial loop around it before HG reshaped the bassline, introducing the rolling movement that would ultimately define the track. Stems travelled back and forth and, within days, ‘Pound 4 Pound’ was finished. That economy reflects Baxter’s wider approach. His productions rarely rely on oversized melodic moments, instead finding impact through basslines, percussion and subtle changes in groove. “Personally, I approach it from the perspective of being on the dancefloor myself,” he explains. “I think about what gives me that ‘wow’ factor and what makes me want to move, especially with more stripped-back tracks.” The response from DJs he once looked towards for inspiration has provided reassurance that those instincts are translating. “Having their continued support means a lot to me, as it gives me confidence in the tracks I’m creating and provides even more motivation and self-belief when I start working on new music.” Lost Culture becomes the latest addition to a catalogue spread across several established house labels. Baxter, however, does not view those releases as having dictated his musical direction. Instead, he has sought homes that already make sense for what he produces. “Their sound and identity have always resonated with me, so when the opportunity came around, it felt like a natural fit to release this track with them.” That philosophy takes on another dimension with Gritty Records. Initially established as somewhere Baxter could release his own music when other labels passed on it, Gritty gradually became a platform for other producers, including HG. Its A&R philosophy deliberately ignores many of the metrics increasingly surrounding emerging artists. “We don’t really care how long someone has been producing or how big their social media following is. For us, it’s simple: good music is good music.” Building that platform from Peterborough has required Baxter to look well beyond his immediate surroundings. With little local dance music infrastructure and few venues nearby, networking elsewhere became a necessity rather than an optional part of developing his career. “Travelling to different areas and building connections, both online and in person, with DJs, promoters and other producers really helped me create a network that allowed me to move beyond Peterborough.” Those connections now extend considerably further. Alongside shows across Italy, Malta and the UK, Baxter has recently found himself working with Lee Foss and Chicago house pioneer Marshall Jefferson on a new version of Jefferson’s ‘Move Your Body’ for the record’s 40th anniversary. The opportunity grew from Baxter’s existing relationship with Foss following a release on his label. A conversation in Ibiza around an early version developed into the pair refining the remix together, before Foss brought Jefferson and the label into the process. “For me, the original track has always been a timeless classic, so when approaching the remix, we wanted to stay true to what made the original so special while bringing a fresh, updated feel to it for 2026.” As Baxter’s own schedule expands, Gritty increasingly demands the same attention as his artist career. Running the label has made organisation particularly important, but it has also expanded the international network that helped him move beyond the limitations of his hometown in the first place. “It’s not just about having contacts within the industry; it’s about building real relationships with people who share the same passion for music.” That idea connects much of Baxter’s journey so far. From receiving HG’s promos to running Gritty, releasing internationally and eventually sitting in a studio project connected to one of house music’s foundational records, relationships have repeatedly created the next opportunity. His ambitions now stretch beyond Europe, with more international shows, labels and collaborations still on the list. Yet the immediate objective is deliberately straightforward. “For now, my main focus is to keep releasing music consistently, as I’ve done throughout this year, and maintain that momentum as things continue to get busier.” For an artist whose career has largely been built by creating opportunities beyond what was available locally, there is little reason to change that approach now. Micah Baxter Instagram - Spotify - SoundCloud

Ares Carter Few electronic records come with quite as much baggage for a remixer as Oxia’s ‘Domino’. Twenty years after its original release, New York producer Ares Carter has taken on the enduring club classic with an official new remix for Armada Music. The challenge is an obvious one. ‘Domino’ is built around a triplet synth melody that has become instantly recognisable across generations of dancefloors, while its various versions have accumulated more than 150 million Spotify streams. Rather than attempting to reinvent that defining hook, Carter uses it as the anchor for his own interpretation. Finding what could sit underneath it proved to be the key. Carter worked through several versions of the remix before arriving at a bassline capable of giving the production its own identity without fighting the original melody. From there, he brings ‘Domino’ into the indie house territory that has increasingly defined his output. “Being asked to remix OXIA’s ‘Domino’ is a true honor. It’s such a legendary record, so I really took my time with it,” Carter explains. “I went through several versions before finding a bassline that sat right underneath that iconic triplet synth melody, but once it clicked, the rest of the remix almost wrote itself.” The New York producer has been steadily expanding his profile through house and indie dance, picking up support from Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati, Keinemusik, Black Coffee and John Summit. His touring schedule has also taken him to Awakenings, Mysteryland, Elrow Marbella and Ultra Music Festival, alongside Ibiza appearances at Pacha, Amnesia and UNVRS. Carter’s version follows Space 92’s remix earlier this year as Armada continues to revisit Oxia’s 2006 original two decades on. For Carter, the approach is less about replacing a classic than finding enough room inside one of electronic music’s most familiar melodies to leave his own mark. Ares Carter https://www.instagram.com/arescarter https://open.spotify.com/artist/5fSYYJ4qdUSyvj2q0YdHEF https://soundcloud.com/arescartermusic

Yaya And Obeid Yaya and Obeid have reunited for ‘Freak On’, a two-track collaboration landing via Sound D’Elite on 25th September. The release continues a creative relationship that has developed across several labels. The Italian and Argentinian producers previously collaborated on ‘On The Beat’ for Rendr Records, while Obeid has become a recurring presence on Yaya’s Tamango Records. His debut for the imprint, ‘For Real’, reached number two on Beatport’s Minimal / Deep Tech chart. For their latest meeting, the pair bring those shared club instincts into two contrasting but closely connected cuts. Title track ‘Freak On’ leads with funk-driven grooves and disco-inflected details, wrapping its percussive foundations in a more swirling, dreamlike atmosphere. Rather than separating those influences, Yaya and Obeid use them to add colour around a track still firmly engineered for the dancefloor. ‘Give Me Rhythm’ strips things back further. Repetitive drum loops, processed vocal touches and a prominent bassline provide its core, balancing a sense of euphoria with the tighter rhythmic framework of minimal and deep tech. The EP also marks Yaya’s return to Sound D’Elite following his ‘Respect’ EP in 2025. A longstanding figure within European house, his career has taken him to Hï Ibiza, Club Space and Sunwaves, while his Tamango imprint has provided another outlet for the groove-led sound around which his catalogue has developed. Obeid, meanwhile, continues to build his own presence through releases for Deeperfect, La Zic and TBX Records, alongside support from artists including Mochakk, Joseph Capriati and Davide Squillace. ‘Freak On’ brings their respective trajectories back together, with both tracks keeping percussion and movement at the centre while finding room for funk, disco and more atmospheric touches. Yaya Instagram / SoundCloud / Spotify Obeid Instagram / SoundCloud / Spotify Sound D’Elite Instagram / SoundCloud

Cut Face Anglo-French duo Cut Face have released ‘Upgrade (Body Hook Remix)’, a darker reworking of their April single arriving just days before their first ever UK live performance. Out on 25th September, the remix sees Body Hook, one half of the duo, dismantling the original and pushing its more abrasive tendencies to the foreground. He describes the process as “a slightly schizophrenic exercise”, with the new version amplifying the tension between heavy electronic production and the atmospheric elements central to Cut Face’s sound. The original ‘Upgrade’ arrived in April as a track centred on partying, drugs and the pursuit of numbness as a means of escape. Its new incarnation takes that idea further, replacing restraint with a more visceral approach while retaining the darkness at the heart of the original. The release precedes another significant step for Cut Face. On 30th September, the duo will make their UK live debut at Village Underground, opening for 1-800 GIRLS following a personal invitation from the producer. Cut Face brings together French producer Body Hook and British vocalist Tacita Grace. The former has received support from Four Tet, Special Request and Annie Mac, while Grace’s background combines classical training with experience in the UK drum & bass scene. Together, their music draws from garage, jungle, darkwave and punk without settling comfortably inside any one of them. The pair introduced that approach more fully on May’s debut EP, ‘You’ll Never Get The Same Moment Twice’, a five-track release exploring toxic relationships, self-destruction and the fleeting nature of experience. It subsequently received radio support from BBC 6 Music, KEXP and KCRW. With ‘Upgrade’ now pulled into harsher territory, Cut Face’s latest release arrives as both an extension of that debut project and a precursor to the duo taking their music onto a UK stage for the first time. ‘Upgrade (Body Hook Remix)’ is out now. Cut Face perform at Village Underground, London, alongside 1-800 GIRLS on 30th September 2026. Cut Face https://www.instagram.com/cutface_music https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ePW2VRCCUcvTreIndzgiF

Eskuche and Aaron Pfeiffer Eskuche has spent years refining records for the moment when a dancefloor is already in motion. On ‘BUSY’, he joins Aaron Pfeiffer for a title track that wastes little time getting there. Running at 130 BPM, the collaboration sits firmly in tech house territory, favouring a direct, club-focused approach over unnecessary decoration. It is the more immediate half of an EP that explores two closely connected shades of Eskuche’s current sound, keeping the emphasis on groove, pressure and functionality. That instinct has been sharpened across a catalogue stretching through Hot Creations, Repopulate Mars and Nervous. His 2018 track ‘Activator’ reached the Beatport overall Top 5, while ‘Passion’ followed with another extended chart run and later lent its name to his own imprint. Away from the studio, his club history has taken him from Space Miami to The Brooklyn Mirage. ‘BUSY’ brings Aaron Pfeiffer into that world, with the pair keeping the arrangement focused around its 130 BPM drive. Rather than chasing a dramatic crossover moment, it works through repetition and momentum, built for DJs who need a record capable of maintaining pressure once the room is fully locked in. The flip side, ‘OUTRAGE’, sees Eskuche take sole control and subtly change course. Dropping to 129 BPM, it moves into leaner minimal and deep tech territory, giving the release a darker late-night counterpart to the title track. Together, the two cuts make a concise statement of intent. There is little excess and even less interest in overcomplicating what already works. ‘BUSY’ puts the groove first and trusts the dancefloor to do the rest. Eskuche https://www.instagram.com/eskuchemusic https://open.spotify.com/artist/26OGW7G9W6HKQ3yjQ2CEkX https://soundcloud.com/eskuchemusic Issues https://www.instagram.com/issues_label https://soundcloud.com/issueslabel

Jemma Bolt, LoopDeeLoop Jemma Bolt and LoopDeeLoop, two key components of the Discoliscious collective, join David Penn’s Urbana Recordings with ‘Love Drug’, out 25th September 2026. The collaboration arrives having already been road tested around the world by Carl Cox, who has made the track a regular feature of his house sets via test pressing. Buy/Stream it here: https://xelon.ffm.to/luvdrg. Upbeat and firmly built for the club, ‘Love Drug’ draws on classic house and disco through a sultry vocal topline, swinging drums, soulful riffs and bright synth work. The production keeps the groove at the forefront, building a warm, pulsating energy around the vocal while balancing its old-school references with a clean contemporary finish. The record also comes from a relatively new creative partnership. Bolt opened The Bunker at UNVRS Ibiza with one of LoopDeeLoop’s remixes, prompting the pair to connect before heading into the studio together. They have since completed three tracks, with ‘Love Drug’ providing the first introduction to a collaboration built around their shared background in house music and its dancefloors. Jemma Bolt currently holds a weekly residency at UNVRS as part of David Guetta’s Galactic Circus, performing with her Discoliscious collective throughout 2025 and into summer 2026. More than a decade behind the decks has taken her to Hï Ibiza, Fabric’s Room 1 and Café Mambo, alongside festival appearances at Glastonbury, Creamfields and the Isle of Wight Festival. Her growing production catalogue includes collaborations with Jordan Peak, K-Klass, and Electric Emma, with support from BBC Radio 1, Capital Dance and KISS. LoopDeeLoop has spent the past two years playing everywhere from Arcadia at Glastonbury and Fatboy Slim’s All Back to Minehead to a headline set at Studio 338, with 2026 also taking her to UNVRS as part of the Discoliscious residency. Her productions have received support from Carl Cox, Jaguar, Arielle Free and BBC Introducing, while current studio collaborations include Roland Clark and Audio Bullys. With Carl Cox already putting ‘Love Drug’ through its paces on dancefloors worldwide, Jemma Bolt and LoopDeeLoop arrive on Urbana Recordings with a collaboration that connects their shared love of classic house and disco and the unrivalled energy of the Discoliscious dancefloor. JEMMA BOLT Instagram - Spotify LOOPDEELOOP Instagram - Spotify - Soundcloud URBANA RECORDINGS Soundcloud - YouTube

Medicine | Image: Make Your Era Medicine joins Make Your Era with ‘Just Walk Away’, landing on 25th September 2026. Built around a striking female vocal and a rolling Drum & Bass framework, the track balances a soulful topline with punchy drums, rhythmic bass and a production that continually shifts around the vocal. Buy/Stream: https://cygnusmusic.link/yd4wwja. ‘Just Walk Away’ opens with the vocals firmly in focus before developing into a more energetic arrangement of rolling drum grooves and low-end movement. Horn shots, fills and small rhythmic switches keep the track moving without crowding its central hook, giving Medicine room to move between the more emotive and playful sides of his production. The result sits comfortably within contemporary liquid and soulful Drum & Bass while retaining enough weight for the dancefloor. Originally from Ascot, Medicine is part of a new wave of producers combining vocal-led songwriting with the heavier foundations of modern Drum & Bass. His music regularly moves between those two ends of the genre, using melody and vocals alongside harder drums and bass rather than committing exclusively to either. That approach has already brought his productions to the attention of K Motionz, Ed Solo, Sub Zero and Make Your Era founder Vibe Chemistry. The latter previously included one of Medicine’s tracks in a BBC Radio 1 mix, giving the emerging producer an early platform as his catalogue continues to develop. His DJ sets follow a similar path, moving between vocal records and heavier selections while maintaining the energy expected from a Drum & Bass floor. With ‘Just Walk Away’, that balance is translated directly into the studio, pairing an immediately accessible vocal with enough rhythmic detail and bass weight to work beyond the headphones. The release also continues Make Your Era’s focus on developing artists working across different areas of contemporary Drum & Bass. Founded by Vibe Chemistry, the UK imprint has positioned itself as a platform for emerging producers while allowing its catalogue to move across the wider spectrum of bass-led electronic music. For Medicine, ‘Just Walk Away’ provides another step forward in a growing catalogue and a clear introduction to the balance of melody, vocals and club energy at the centre of his sound. Medicine Instagram – Spotify – SoundCloud Make Your Era Beatport - Instagram - TikTok

Louis Godfrey Dance music’s biggest careers are built by considerably more people than the artist standing behind the decks. For close to four years, Louis Godfrey saw that process at its highest level. Working across FISHER’s day-to-day management and creative operation placed him inside a global touring business encompassing everything from line-ups and brand partnerships to content, artwork and the wider presentation of shows and releases. At the beginning of 2026, Godfrey stepped away to establish ART @ PACE, an independent management and creative company through which he is now applying that experience at a very different stage of an artist’s career. “It was always a goal of mine to have my own Management Agency,” he says. “Working with Brunello gave me the confidence to make that leap.” The company’s name offers an insight into the management philosophy behind it. For Godfrey, everything begins with the creative work itself. The manager’s role is then to recognise when and how to build momentum around it. “I think good art is always the starting point. Once you have that, it is The Managers Job to move with Pace and get it out in the world in the best way possible.” Brunello became ART @ PACE’s first client, and the reasoning behind the decision was considerably simpler than any discussion of data, marketability or strategy. “His music man… it is so special.” Since then, the relationship has developed into something broader. Brunello has appeared at Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle and Raw Cuts at Santa Monica Pier, while Mellow Circus has grown across independently released music, events, merchandise and its own visual identity. The project has sold out events in Miami and New York, achieved multiple Beatport number ones and sold through three merchandise drops. For Godfrey, maintaining the personality behind that growth comes down to a straightforward principle. “Stay weird, and always true to the vision.” Of the milestones so far, Coachella inevitably stands out. Yet Godfrey points towards a different moment when considering what has felt most significant from a management perspective. “Coachella is hard to beat, but I would say the first Mellow Circus event at Club Space. That was truly special, and everyone in that room could feel it.” There is a notable contrast between Godfrey’s two chapters in management. With FISHER, he experienced the demands surrounding an artist operating at global headline level. With ART @ PACE, he is involved much earlier, helping establish the creative and professional foundations from which a career can develop. The latter has brought an unexpected reward. Asked what surprised him most about making that transition, Godfrey’s answer is concise: “How rewarding it is to work with an artist from the start.” It also means making decisions before success is necessarily quantifiable. Streaming figures, ticket sales and social metrics can demonstrate momentum once it exists, but identifying an artist worth investing time in requires looking elsewhere. “The music, how they hold and carry themselves, and the vision for their project.” Hilel Lev became ART @ PACE’s second signing, bringing another distinct creative identity into the company. Once again, Godfrey says the decision began with the records rather than a calculated assessment of where they might fit into the market. “Again, it was his music. There is something so unique about it and all I want to do is hear it blasting on big club speakers.” That artist-led approach also informs how Godfrey handles one of management’s more difficult balancing acts. When a record, booking or idea begins generating attention, there can be considerable pressure to capitalise while the opportunity is there. Moving quickly, however, risks allowing momentum to dictate an artist’s direction. Godfrey’s position is unequivocal. “Artist first, always.” It is a deceptively simple principle within an industry that increasingly provides managers with more information than ever before. Data can show where records are moving, where audiences are growing and where opportunities might exist, but ART @ PACE’s opening year suggests Godfrey is equally interested in the less measurable elements of artist development: identity, creative conviction and whether something can grow without losing what made it interesting in the first place. His experience across both ends of that spectrum gives him an unusual perspective. He has worked inside the infrastructure surrounding an internationally established electronic artist and is now taking those lessons into projects where much of that infrastructure still needs to be created. The ambition is not simply to replicate the same career blueprint on a smaller scale. ART @ PACE instead gives Godfrey the opportunity to build around the individual artist, with management, creative direction, releases, events and wider presentation developing alongside the music rather than ahead of it. Less than a year into the company’s story, there are already tangible markers of progress. Yet when asked what meaningful growth over the next 12 months would actually look like, Godfrey again returns to the people and creative work at its centre. “Happy artists and amazing art being supported by an incredible team. If the artists are happy and the creativity is flowing then there is nothing that can stand in the way.” There is, however, one more item on the list. “Oh and a residency…” After spending close to four years helping operate within one of electronic music’s biggest artist teams, Godfrey has chosen to take what he learned and return to the beginning of the process. ART @ PACE is still young, but the intention behind it is already defined: find artists with distinctive music and a clear vision, build the right team around them and create the conditions for both the art and the career to move forward at the right pace. ART @ PACE https://www.instagram.com/artatpace

Re:versal Records has returned with ‘REV004’, a limited-edition heavyweight vinyl release bringing four drum & bass recordings from the Universal Music Group archive back into circulation. The latest instalment pairs two Calibre remixes with Blu Mar Ten’s interpretation of Erykah Badu and a concise edit of Adam F’s ‘Circles’, connecting different eras and approaches within British drum & bass. Calibre occupies the A-side, opening with his remix of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ ‘Garden’ before turning to Bo Saris’ ‘She’s On Fire’. Both selections highlight the producer’s restrained approach to remixing, placing the original songs within his distinctive drum & bass framework. On the reverse, Blu Mar Ten revisit Erykah Badu’s neo-soul classic ‘On & On’, bringing intricate percussion, spacious atmospherics and rolling low-end to the recording. Adam F’s ‘Circles’ closes the release in its 7-inch edit, returning to a defining moment in the development of British drum & bass. “Drum & bass completely changed what was possible with electronic production,” says Re:versal Records label manager Felix Lindsell. “These four tracks show very different sides of that history, from Calibre and Blu Mar Ten’s approach to remixing through to a record like ‘Circles’, which still sounds remarkable nearly 30 years later.” The release continues Re:versal’s archival approach, which has involved exploring more than 100,000 releases and sourcing original DAT masters to recover overlooked recordings and rare versions. Alongside its vinyl catalogue, the label documents electronic music history through interviews, archive stories and documentary features, placing the records within the wider scenes that produced them. ‘REV004’ is available now as a limited heavyweight vinyl pressing via Re:versal Records.

Rainer Trüby In 1996, Freiburg’s club nights tended to keep their musical identities separate. House had its rooms, techno had its own, and hip-hop occupied another part of the city’s nightlife. Rainer Trüby wanted somewhere he could bring jazz, funk, soul, trip-hop, house and drum & bass together without having to choose between them. The result was Root Down. Thirty years later, the party has welcomed artists including Gilles Peterson, Theo Parrish, Jazzanova, Laurent Garnier and Kyoto Jazz Massive, while building a loyal audience willing to follow the music wherever it goes. Its anniversary is now marked by ROOT DOWN 30, a compilation curated by Trüby for DAYBREAKERS Records. “We wanted to showcase the possibilities of (underground) soulful freestyle all in one night, focusing on the lesser known genres in club music that we liked.” The idea was not conceived as a radical challenge to club culture. It reflected how Trüby and his contemporaries were already listening, with inspiration coming from Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge’s UK nights, Jazzanova in Berlin, Compost Records’ Into Somethin’ parties in Munich and Japan’s Kyoto Jazz Massive and UFO. That openness became Root Down’s identity. Rather than expecting guests to fit a house style, Trüby invited them to bring their own. Even drum & bass bookings could find an enthusiastic audience, and the night’s structure often encouraged extended exchanges between resident and guest. “I usually do the warm-up and then the guest DJ comes on for 1 or 2 hours, then I usually play for a bit, the guest comes back on and often it ended up in long BSB sets until the end.” Freiburg’s position outside the recognised club capitals may have helped that community develop on its own terms. Root Down drew regulars from across Germany, neighbouring Alsace and Switzerland, and even welcomed a group of around 50 UK clubbers who travelled over for a weekend. “Maybe it was a bonus not to be in Berlin or New York, Freiburg remaining the best kept secret in club life, in the woods of the Black Forest ;)” For ROOT DOWN 30, Trüby chose not to attempt an exhaustive history of everything played at the party. Such a collection would need to encompass vintage boogie, jazz, soul, funk, Brazilian and Latin records alongside its electronic selections. Instead, he looked back to the approach of 1999’s Root Down compilation on Nuphonic, bringing together music from favoured producers and guests, including Jimpster, Osunlade, Da Lata, Jazzanova and Crackazat. The opening Flashbaxx track captures how Trüby likes to begin a night: an unhurried groove, warm Fender Rhodes chords and enough space for dancers to settle in. From there, the compilation moves towards the slower house and broken beat territory that might emerge hours later. “Chords and harmonies are quite important in my personal musical taste plus a certain warmth and there you go.” Compiling has been part of Trüby’s practice since the first Glücklich collection appeared on Compost Records in 1994. More recent projects, including The Aachen Jazz Files and The Catalyst Files, have allowed him to explore specific label catalogues and bring overlooked recordings to new listeners. “I like to have a musical theme to focus on, such as a musical style, a label or more clubby sounds like in the Root Down comps.” A compilation also offers a different relationship with time. A DJ set responds to the people in front of him and the moment they share; a collection can be revisited, allowing its less familiar records to reveal themselves gradually. That distinction matters to a DJ whose approach to discovery has remained constant even as his equipment has changed. Root Down began in an all-vinyl era, when Trüby sometimes cut exclusive dubplates to play unreleased productions. Self-burnt CDs followed, and today he combines new music on USB with older records on vinyl. “I like the combination of these 2 formats as much as I still enjoy doing pure vinyl sets.” The collecting itself has never stopped. He continues to fill gaps in his shelves and reconsider records that did not connect with him first time around. Music from the 1980s and ’90s, for instance, has become a richer part of his listening than he expected when he was younger. “There is always something new to discover and there is always something in the collection to rediscover, that maybe in the 90s wasn’t entirely my thing.” That curiosity is also what he asks of a Root Down audience. Trüby believes familiar records can help establish trust, but he wants that trust to lead dancers towards something they have not heard before. “I do believe in the word „edutainment“, education and / whilst entertainment.” As Root Down enters its fourth decade, its future is not about recreating 1996. Trüby hopes to establish more regular guest nights when a suitable venue becomes available, while continuing his compilation work and developing new productions with longtime collaborator Marlow. The aim remains remarkably close to the original idea: a dancefloor grounded in soul, jazz, funk, Afro-Latin and Brazilian music, but always receptive to what comes next. “The combination of old & new music always worked for us.” ROOT DOWN 30 is available here. DAYBREAKERS https://www.instagram.com/daybreakers_house https://daybreakershouse.bandcamp.com

Flamingo Pier Flamingo Pier began with a practical ambition: make music they could play at their own parties in Hackney Wick. More than a decade later, that idea has grown into a world encompassing records, international tours, a Waiheke Island festival and a live band that brings their music well beyond the DJ booth. For Luke Walker, Dom Jones and Brad Craig, those different sides of the project have never been separate. They have shaped one another, bringing new collaborators into the studio and new possibilities to the stage. It is a fitting backdrop for Woven Together, their second album and the first they have written, produced and released entirely on their own terms. “We like to say woven together in life and on the dancefloor as it feels much bigger than the three of us now,” the trio explain. “We’ve created some pretty epic memories together over the years, the people we’ve met and collaborated with through the festival and parties all have an influence and leave their mark on us.” The album arrives five years after their debut LP, following a run of EPs and extensive touring. That cycle had kept Flamingo Pier moving, but left little room to explore ideas without an imminent release or show on the horizon. “We wanted to clear the schedule for this project and just write with no real plan or deadline in mind. We left a lot of tracks and ideas on the cutting room floor and whittled it down to the best of the bunch.” Working independently gave them space to follow ideas that might not have suited a particular label. It also brought the less glamorous responsibility of deciding when the record was finished. “There was a moment where we had to pull our heads in and say ok lets finish this thing! Otherwise you’re just forever tweaking and sitting on a bunch of half songs.” That freedom is audible in the singles. ‘Cool Nights’ carries an Italo shimmer, ‘No Excuses’ pushes forward on piano-led energy, while ‘Glowdown’ takes a slower route. Rather than forcing those starting points into a predetermined sound, the group relied on their shared process to bring the songs together. “Those tracks in particular were started by one of us and finished by the group, so while the initial spark pulls it in one direction, once we each lay our parts down it ends up feeling like Flamingo Pier.” A consistent live drum sound, recurring synths and Luke’s mixing helped establish a common thread. ‘Be The Same’, meanwhile, draws from Outkast and Timbaland, particularly the drum production and spacious arrangements of their era. “The hip hop records from that era just sound so great so we wanted to pull some of that feeling into an FP track.” The album was made primarily in Auckland, where the pace of life offered a contrast to the London environment that helped establish the group. Although Flamingo Pier do not consciously write to evoke a particular place, their surroundings inevitably affect the conditions in which music is made. “The city also has 53 small volcanoes so we’d sometimes walk up the ones close to the studio and get a view of the city and ocean. It feels like you’re on the edge of the world here and it can seem very quiet, especially after living in London.” That relative quiet gave them room to focus on a longer project. The album also brings the three founding members into closer focus than some of their earlier releases, while retaining the contributions of musicians within their wider community. Lou’ana sings on ‘Be The Same’, Elijah White plays drums on several tracks, and regular percussionist Issac Chadderton contributes congas and bongos throughout. Those relationships reflect the way Flamingo Pier has grown. The parties led to the music, the music developed into a live project, and the festival continues to introduce people who become part of the records or performances. “People we meet through the festival end up playing on our records, or opening an interesting door for the live band that we wouldn’t have found otherwise, so it’s pretty interconnected at this point.” With Woven Together complete, their attention has shifted towards the stage. The record’s emphasis on live drums, musicianship and shared performance gives the trio a new opportunity to show audiences what Flamingo Pier can be beyond the studio. “This record really shines when played with a live band so we’re hoping to connect with people more in that way. It’s also opened up our sound in some new and interesting ways so I think there's some more depth for us and our audience to explore there too.” For a project that began by making records for its own dancefloor, the next chapter is about bringing more people into that experience. Woven Together draws on the relationships and creative freedom Flamingo Pier have built over the years, while leaving space for the music, and the community around it, to keep growing. Flamingo Pier https://www.instagram.com/flamingopier https://open.spotify.com/artist/0gWNgpI1v73a7BEbi39wt8 https://soundcloud.com/flamingopier

There is something particularly satisfying about electronic music that refuses to hurry. On ‘Mycelium Bloom’, Visions Of Light make a virtue of taking their time, allowing basslines, guitar phrases and drifting electronics to settle into grooves that reveal their details gradually. The follow-up to 2025’s ‘The Mandela Vortex’ finds Simon Sheldon, Muzka and Dan Dub Lounge pushing their Balearic and dub influences into more psychedelic territory. The trio’s familiar warmth remains, but the arrangements are increasingly interested in strange textures, unexpected sounds and the space between musical elements. Opener ‘Split The Scene’ establishes that direction through acidic squelches, deep bass and languid percussion. Its ambient dub foundations give the electronics room to wander without disturbing the track’s unhurried pulse. ‘All The Best Things’ takes a more expansive route, bringing desert blues influences into a sound that recalls the exploratory spirit of early ’90s chill-out rooms. ‘Holding Jupiter’ continues that immersion, with effects-laden guitars, dreamy chords and low-tempo rhythms creating the feeling of music unfolding around the listener rather than pushing towards a conventional peak. The album’s more playful side emerges on ‘B Town’, where a summery skank brings the trio’s rootsier influences to the surface. ‘Radiant Flux’ finds a natural balance between Balearic atmosphere and dancefloor movement, while ‘Perfect You’ introduces a more personal dimension through Richard Dormer’s words and Luis Vilca’s flute. ‘Let Go’ offers another reminder of the trio’s melodic instincts, favouring gentle development and warmth over dramatic shifts. On the digital edition, ‘Saru’ and ‘Mirage’ extend the journey into off-kilter deep dub and jazzier, sample-rich territory respectively. What distinguishes ‘Mycelium Bloom’ is the relationship between its reassuring grooves and its more exploratory production. The psychedelic elements rarely overwhelm the music’s underlying warmth, while the dub foundations prevent its ambient passages from becoming directionless. Visions Of Light have not abandoned the sound established on their debut. They have found more interesting places to take it, producing an album that feels equally suited to a late-night listening session, a sun-drenched afternoon or the quieter corners of a dancefloor. Visions Of Light https://www.instagram.com/visionsoflight_music https://open.spotify.com/artist/5QJnnb9PGev2yM9aPzYCQH