RW037

#1 Terence Fixmer - Blade EP: Somehow every artist comes with a story. Let’s start today with Terence Fixmer. Damn, I once left a single-sided record of his at Oma Doris while setting up the turntable and never saw it again. But let’s get back to the Blade EP. The perfect start to this newsletter. Very deep, very hypnotic, and somehow, the record sounds like a return to the roots. I have to say, I don’t like the A1 that much, but with the A2, I immediately get a great feeling. A beautifully dark synth that I directly associate with Fixmer, plus lots of drone elements. The B side goes even deeper. I really, really love B1 with “Seesaw”. Nicely driving and everything just pushes forward! B2, “Dead Calm”, is a nice closing track, atmospheric but a bit less strict. Somehow, the text now feels like I wrote a lot without actually saying anything. But honestly, I feel this record so much. It catapults me straight back to the 2010s, and the whole thing just flashes me. MUST HAVE!

#2 Levat - Kassovar EP: Today I was digging on the train. I don’t have a long subway ride from home to work, but I was standing in a packed train and thought, “Nice, I need some space to dance.” I mean, just listen to the A2, isn’t that insanely good? This mix of Techno, Electro, Trip Hop, and IDM on the record just pushes so hard and feels beautifully varied and diverse. I get so many flashbacks from this EP. Awesome. Levat doesn’t ring a bell for me yet, but I’ll definitely look into it!

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DECKS
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#3 Witch Trials - Return To Nothing: Man, this is so good! Just really good. I love how Dub Techno is coming back. We’ve kind of been following and rooting for this development for a while now. That warm sound every time just genuinely warms me up. But the record isn’t just four Dub Techno tracks. With A2 and B2, it brings in some diversity, which I really like. The cover is also really nice, though not because of the colors. As someone from Dortmund without football enthusiasm, I have to say that now and then! hahaha

#4 Juaan - Apego: Jam! Completely. It says “House”, “Techhouse”, “90s”, and “Techno”, but I honestly couldn’t tell you exactly what it is. In B1, which is definitely my favorite along with B2, I hear something that actually sounds like Electro, right? What I can say for sure: this record refuses to be put into a box. And that’s exactly what makes it come alive. It’s great that records are being pressed again that aren’t just “cut from the same cloth”. I always found that boring, even though it’s the market standard. BIG TIP!

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#1 Trakhead Steve - Crazy Wild Remix: Oh yes, a record I dug up recently during my livestream. I showed people how I dig on Discogs, what I look for, how I approach it, etc. Then I found this one, and I have to say: five tracks, and I love all five 100%. That’s honestly rare for me, that every track on a record hits. But here it does. Circuit Records is a label I generally like anyway. Great House music on that label, highly recommended! Unfortunately, I bought the last copy with shipping from Germany. Sorry about that! hahaha

#2 Mark Flash - Everynite: Mark Flash sent this record to me through Kathi, who played her find for me. I immediately said, “Hey, ‘Nevertoend’, Tafkamp used to play that track all the time.” There was only one copy on Discogs, and Kathi somehow didn’t want to buy it. I just grabbed it. There have been so many situations where there was only one copy, and I thought, “Ah, yeah, just wait, it’ll get cheaper.” Yeah right. What nonsense. The record is always gone, then it’s unavailable for months, and when it finally appears again, it’s two or three times more expensive. And in the end, you buy it anyway, because that thrill of “finally it’s listed again, hopefully I’m not too slow this time” just gets you! hahaha Oh, man. But I have to say: this pressing is really crappy. Even the Discogs comments say the same thing. I digitized the record and reworked it in Ableton Live so that the version is playable now. But be prepared for bad quality.

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#3 Titonton Duvanté - Voyeurism: Okay, I have to admit something. I had never heard of Titonton Duvanté or Starbaby in my life. And then I noticed he’s also musically connected to people like John Tejada. The album somehow totally flashed me. I randomly held it in my hands at Black Plastic, and I really love the switches between Electro, House, and Techno. Once again, we have diversity here. It’s just better when things are diverse! Give the album a listen; it’s also available on Apple Music, and it’s really interesting. I listened for about 20 minutes and immediately played it in the neighboring Mono Café next to Black Plastic in Dortmund.

#4 Oliver Kapp & Lightman - RandomAbstract EP: I listened to this record because I had previously found the label in the €2 bin. The A side is by Oliver Kapp, and the B side is by Lightman. Everything is very bleepy, very atmospheric, and not dark at all. Somehow a really nice record for your warm-up or closing set. Nothing more to say!

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Manual - Fallen

Robert Hood - Stereotype B1

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DISCOGS