2024 Repress.

Tracing Xircles (Luke Standing aka Blue Hour & Simon Pilkington aka A_JX) return to base after debuting ‘Gaia’s Requiem’ back in 2017. During that period the duo contributed to Air Texture VI curated by Steffi & Martyn and have been quietly readying their new record ‘Air Lock’. The 4 track EP develops their signature sound palette into new territory with references to timeless UK & Detroit flavours, sealing the record with a retro futuristic collage of ambient techno and timeless electronica.
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For the next Blue Hour Music chapter, a special friend of the label’s family is stepping in. Hailing from the city of Delft, Dutch composer Spekki Webu delivers ‘Tenzan’, a forceful 4-track EP which might be the producer’s most ambitious project to date. Spawned from a place of personal reflection, Tenzan is the result of the ongoing cycle of life that has been influencing Webu since his early years. This philosophy
was heightened after a fascination for mountains and a series of dreams about enlightenment on top of a sacred hill. These dreams later became reality after witnessing a ‘Tenzan’ (translated as ‘heavenly mountain’) during a trip in the Japanese wilderness. The cycle of life as represented by the heavenly mountain formed the spiritual direction to complete the narrative for this long-running Blue Hour project - as the leaves fell into place a new cycle began. Aligned in force and vigor, the A-side takes off with ‘Okada’, a grooving tension builder led by ominous melodies that drift off into the depths of the forests. Entering a state of empyrean elevation, ‘Horizon’ is a dub-induced peak-time roller of monumental grandeur. On the B side, the gears shift as ‘Solaris’ unveils a contemporary reinterpretation of 90s acid trance, fusing psyche-warping panned drones and minimalistic drum programming set to make blood pressures rise. Coming full circle, ‘Eion’ delivers euphoric salvation with a pulsating bassline guided by dreamy, repetitive soundscapes that reach for atmospheric heights. Vertigo-induced and wisdom-fueled, Spekki Webu opens the portal to the next cycle of sonic exploration marking the 25th release on Blue Hour Music. More

Repress!

Blue Hour Music welcomes French artist Mathys Lenne for his debut EP as ‘The Scan’ - his go to alias for classic techno. Titled ‘Callgroove’ the record features four functional and highly seductive DJ tools aimed at darkly-lit dance floors. Each track is stripped to its essential layers, holding its own unique tension with hints of pre-pandemic club moments, lead by bold rhythmic groove manipulation, classic drum programming and immersive atmospherics.

Written & produced by Mathys Lenne
Mastered @ Team by João Rodrigues More

2023 Repress!

Originally released in 1995 on Loop Records, ‘More Love’ by Agent Orange aka Cari Lekebusch is a warm and intimate Acid Techno/Trance record that has been in high demand for over 25 years. Now the original tracks have been remastered backed by a remix from label head Blue Hour and previously unreleased bonus tracks.

Published by Blue Hour Music 2023 | Made in the EU More

Label head Blue Hour steps up for the next release with an impressive two tracker, offering a new exploration of sound from the Berlin based producer. First up on the A side ‘Dimensions’ reveals a dramatic and eery driving Techno track with an atmosphere akin to early British IDM releases but with a more dancefloor-focused approach. ‘Dimensions’ is punctuated by warped mechanical percussive fx, pummeling drums and relentless groove highlighted by a simple yet effective melodic line which boldly opens things up and cuts through the complex layering of sound as the track evolves.

On the B side ‘Sun Dogz’ adopts a similar soundscape, however picks up the tempo with a more Trance orientated production inspired by darker Goa/Psy styles and modern Fast-Trance productions. Hypnotic acidic lines, spatial fx and tribal percussion guide the listener to the main event. A heavily reverbed metallic hook and unique piece of sound design which takes multiple twists and turns along the course of the track. The EP wraps up a year of multiple successful releases from the label, with next year marking 10 years since the labels inception - keep an eye on things to come. More

Original music from Blue Hour gets the ‘Copenhagen Remix Treatment’ on this special collaborative release with three diverse Techno/Trance energisers by Fast Forward Productions artists; DJ Ibon, Sugar and Repro.

2023 Repress! More

While digging for music at Snickars records in Stockholm, local producer, DJ and promoter Maya Lourenco aka Parallax Deep came across two classic goa/psy tracks. These were ‘Gobi Desert’ by 100th Monkey & Tristan (released on Matsuri Productions in 1995) and ‘Bunker’ by Four Carry Nuts (released on Aurinko Records in 2000). She took the records home and began working on creating her own edits by expertly slicing and re-arranging different sections of the tracks and coming up with her own unique versions staying true to the original identity, giving new life to two classics from decades past. More

Melbourne’s DJ Ali is up next on Blue Hour Music with a powerful EP of fast percussive tribal groovers recorded live over multiple hardware sessions. ‘Interceptor’ kicks off the record with energising and rolling momentum laced in echoes of shamanic ritual. ‘Paradox Cell’ maintains the tension with a stripped back and pumping drum track enhanced by repeating tones and swirling winds that suddenly take over. On the flip ‘Nightwatch’ feels even more immersive, tunneling down into hypnotic chambers where a voice guides and pulls the listener through a lucid void. ’Regeneration’ rounds up the record with an uplifting journey that begins to unfold with a series of shifting layers and hints of colour beneath a haze of euphoria. More

After successful releases on Transatlantic and Monnom Black, German FM synthesis wizard Luca Daniel Schwarz (aka LDS) presents his latest record ‘algo5’. The EP captures a wide range of sonic ground with innovative and futuristic edge.

’nbdfoil’ the opening track starts the voyage with mesmerising awe before sliding into ‘kizzt_VF’ where reality distorts and mind-warping events unfold. Closing out the A side the interlude ‘<13’ stumbles along with playful weirdness and explorative sonic gestures. Back in more familiar territory the B-side’s ‘fl+’ and ‘Vone’ propel dynamic rhythms through the ether until arriving at the final track, ‘mfäg’ where fragmented arps and cinematic ambience give an emotional sense of closure.

LDS’s ability to compose to a high level of depth and intrigue is unmistakably a significant feat for any electronic dance music producer and testament to the possibilities of modern sound design. More

Delivering his first solo EP in over two years, Blue Hour releases Origins, the 21st release on Blue Hour Music. Following a succession of remixes, V/A contributions and an EP under his Tracing Xircles alias earlier this year, the Berlin-based producer and DJ shares four tracks diving deeper into his UK roots. Channelling breakbeat, techno and trance with the hallmarks of 90’s rave, Origins builds upon the foundations created from his EP ‘Devotion’ in 2020.
In this eclectic EP, Blue Hour explores several sonic palettes. The title track blends celestial chords with urgent drums and acid basslines, while uplifting vocals and subtle melodies wind through the track. ‘True’ dips more heavily into breakbeat territory with evolving and immersive pads, soaring strings and a twinkling synth-line. A dynamic fusion of fast-paced energy and soft touches.

On the flip, ‘Emergence’ dances a delicate line between melancholia and elation, as dystopian chords pool with a squelchy acid sequence and a classic house vocal. ‘Searching’ closes on an ambient tip with spell-binding pads and an angelic melody, conveying a bright side to Blue Hour’s aesthetic, akin to Origins as a whole. More

Restock 24.5.

Italian Progressive Trance Holy Grail!
“Fabula”, one of the most sought after dance rarities of the 90s, gets the reissue treatment via Ultimo Tango - romantic strings, quirky acid riffs, blissful pads, sharp kicks - a beautiful, timeless fantasy awaits!

Label Description:
Ultimo Tango is a Milan-based reissue label fueled by a passionate interest for visionary genre-crossing music, driving them on a hunt for forgotten musical treasures that draw bridges between worldspanning sensibilities. More

Panoram makes soundtracks for daydreams gone sideways. Picture the scene: an afternoon nap with the television on, quietly, in the corner; snatches of conversation drift in through the open window. Wandering, half-formed thoughts take unexpected detours; before you know it, there’s a movie playing out against closed lids, the colors bright, the characters unfamiliar. Accidental rhythms, incidental melodies, imitations of life, messages in code.

Across 17 fragmentary, sketch-like tracks, Panoram carves a labyrinthine path in which nothing is what it seems: a fantasy world of breathy vox pads, faux guitar, detuned synths, bursts of flute and orchestral percussion, and even the occasional cheeky cartoon sample. It’s chillout music with a chilly edge, ambient with a darkly ironic undertone. (The briefest glance at your news outlet of choice should be enough to confirm that the title—Great Times—ought to be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism.)

Panoram has been making music under his principal alias for more than a decade now, releasing albums on labels like Firecracker, Running Back, and his own Wandering Eye. (He has also performed and recorded with Amen Dunes, and has co-production credits on Amen Dunes’ forthcoming Sub Pop album Death Jokes.) Panoram’s output has ranged widely, taking in abstract pop, classical composition, twisted takes on library music, and cyborg funk. One record of “bio-acoustic transmissions” came with a cannabis leaf pressed in clear wax; his 2021 album Pianosequenza Vol. 1 gathers his experiments on the Yamaha Disklavier. But Great Times offers the truest picture yet of a project that has never been easy to pin down.

Loath to overshare details about his personal life, Panoram instead lets the music do the talking, using his cryptic tracks to express the slipperiest sorts of ideas—the thoughts that take root where anxiety, distraction, and the most fleeting traces of grace commingle. Panoram’s approach flies in the face of contemporary ambient orthodoxy, with its emphasis on immersion and uplift. Great Times expresses something thornier, more difficult to translate, yet also more tantalizing to contend with. Its 17 tracks offer a chance to get lost—and an invitation to remain in the maze as long as you like. More

Limited edition 140gram "Red Moon" color vinyl LP in a heavyweight gatefold jacket, with quarterfold A2 poster insert, IARC obi strip, and dome-patterned inner sleeve

Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly share musical, communal, and ancestral roots within the Latinx diaspora of Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. Ferragutti - raised in Cochabamba, Bolivia - comes from South American musical royalty on both sides of her family... with maternal uncles from the psychedelic staple of Bolivian music Los Kjarkas, and a Brazilian accordionist who played with Gilberto Gil, among others, as a paternal uncle. Rosaly was born and raised in Arizona, but spent the better part of his prolific career working on the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene where, in many ways, he himself defined the sound of the free jazz scene, for a particular era. The two artists connected in Amsterdam in 2015, where they now live together, and work in many capacities across music, theatre, performance art, dance, and community organizing.

Ferragutti & Rosaly have come together on MESTIZX - their debut full-length record as co-composers, arrangers, and musician - to deeply investigate to their lineage and ancestries without the confines of tradition or genre. They are fascinated by the never-ending beauty of Latin rhythmic patterns, microtonal mountain flutes, and oblong swing from the pre and post-colonial Latin American region. With references to free jazz, electronica, Chicago post-rock, bomba, plena, cumbia, ambient, Andean, minimal, noise, punk and folk, the record illustrates several sides of a decolonization process in a deliberately loose, eclectic, and celebratory story. The music harkens to the richness of ritualistic gatherings, which they recognize as an intrinsic form of resilience and resistance, as well as a deeply necessary practice that most humans seek — in churches, dance clubs, music venues and festivals. An atmosphere of their native ecologies appear throughout the record. Allegoric symbolism and dance traditions from the Caribbean and Andes materialize. Sometimes as a distant memory, often scrupulously. These aspects have shaped the music to represent Latin cultures and it is deeply woven in the fabric of an eccentric, speculative song-story, rhyming with echoes of protest music marked by post-dictator realities and various socio-political instabilities.

Joining them on MESTIZX is a community of international musicians and beloved friends in a collective assembly of celebratory protest music: Matt Lux, Avreeayl Ra, Ben LaMar Gay, Daniel Villarreal, Bill MacKay, Rob Frye, Mikel Patrick Avery, Chris Doyle, Guilherme Granado, Viktor Le Givens & Fredy Velásquez.

RIYL: Juana Molina, Max Roach & Abbey Lincoln, Café Tacvba, As Mercenarias, Liquid Liquid, The Ex, Tortoise, Tom Zé, Elza Soares, La Mecanica Popular More

Absis returns to Hivern Discs with his Fenix EP. Six cuts that dive deep into Salva's more abstract and slow side keeping his signature reverberating drums and droning landscapes. Comes with poster that will be printed, together with the sleeve, at L'Anacronica in Barcelona, with letterpress on a shiny silver cardboard. More

Marewrew (pronounced: Ma-leoo-leoo / m?le?ul? e?u)? is a female vocal group that sings traditional Ainu songs. The music of the long-suppressed people from northern Japan has been a particular focus of Pingipung's output in recent years, together with Oki Kano who recorded and produced many Ainu artists. Following various re-releases by Umeko Ando, the late grande dame of traditional Ainu music, the spotlight is now on the a cappella music of Marewrew, which by the way means ‘butterfly’ in Ainu. Attentive listeners will recognise the voices, as some of the band have already performed as backing singers on recordings by Umeko Ando. Their a cappella versions of traditional Ainu music shed a whole new light on the fascinating songs that have been passed down through generations exclusively through song. 'Ukouk' means 'round singing', which refers to the form in which Marewrew perform and record. Many of the songs are set as tightly interwoven canons: one starts, the others join in, but slightly out of phase: Almost like dub echoes, except that they are sung and not created in post-production. The short songs sometimes unfold into a wondrous trance ('Sikata Kuykuy', 'Honkaya') that seems to spin round and round - if singing can actually dance, then this is how. Nature sounds and woodpeckers can be heard ('Hawsa’), and there is a funny miniature in which the ladies imitate birdsong ('Takuro'). Things get hypnotic with an evocative song about stranded whales ('Hunpe Yan Na’) or an ode to the Orca as ‘Little Sea God’ (‘Pon Repun Kamuy’). The album culminates in unexpected pop ('Yaykatekara') or cumbia moments ('Kanerenren') with a band line-up including percussions and Oki Kano on the famous Tonkori harp. Marewrew are Rekpo, Hisae and Mayunkiki. Rim-Rim was a member of the group until 2022. Mayunkiki reflects on the ambivalence of performing traditional music as a contemporary band: "When we first started performing, we all thought we had to perform in an Ainu way. But over time we have become more and more open to new ways of singing. I think if our way of singing is seen as the only, correct way of our tradition, then it won't spread, it's not alive. We like it when it's traditional, but it changes, just like our voices have changed over time.” * 'Ukouk' is a selection of Marewrew's work from the last 13 years, compiled from CD releases by Pingipung's Andi Otto. Oki Kano has contributed unreleased material and added new versions of the songs which had only been released in Japan. The album has been remastered by Kassian Troyer and is now available on LP for the first time. More