Richie Hawtin
Acid King

Montréal singer/songwriter Laroie with an EP of low key radio hits produced by Gene Tellem with Gabriel Rei and Robert Robert.‘Seductive sadness. Powerful vulnerability. Precise yet irresistible vocals. A few words to describe Laroie as she steps forward in full possession of her means, following up on her debut and namesake EP released in August 2020, and on the recent singles "Can't Let Go" and "One More". Here she is with Speed of Life, an extended play destined to be absorbed and listened to in one sitting. Funny how it sounds both familiar — you feel like you’ve known these songs your whole life — and brand new, all at once. In this nostalgic and emotional territory, standing at the borders of her influences, Laroie's talent shines through.Skilfully navigating the electro-pop sonic palette, the artist crafts a comfortable, soothing canvas where dance, soul, and R&B from the late 90s and early 2000 also hop into the mix. From the bewitching slow garage "Elevate" to the cathartic and luminous "Can't Let Go", and through the trip-hop infused "One More", the very danceable "A Place on Earth", "Moonlight", reminiscent of the best of TLC, Brandy and Monica, and the title track’s addictive vocal melody, Speed of Life, just like a silky everyday soundtrack, is enjoyable on repeat.’Limited to 150 copies and includes DL codes for the album & remixes.

Over the past decade, Vienna-based Florian Stöffelbauer – also known as Heap, has built a consistent reputation as a skilled DJ, producer and Neubau’s label head.Isla is proud to present his latest effort “False Hope” which explores the intersections between industrial, electro and dark wave – all with a leftfield twist.As diverse as it is powerful, the 7 tracks featured here almost feel like nocturnal tales, chalking out Heap’s observations wandering through the streets of a silent city, with cigarette smoke permeating the air and sirens ringing in the distance.

Deeptrax go even deeper with 'Hi8tus' - the first album from Detroit pioneer and forerunner Suburban Knight in over 12 years. One of the earliest protagonists in the epoch-defining, landscape-changing Motor City cultural movement, and a card-carrying Underground Resistance member, James Pennington's fingerprints are all over Detroit's nascent phases as he mentored the likes of Mike Banks, collaborated with Kevin Saunderson and appeared on formative Transmat dispatches in the late 80s and early 90s. Preferring a behind the scenes role for many years, Pennington has operated in the shadows, only ever releasing music when he's had something to say. There have been long periods of silence in his discography but in recent times he's returned with a series of singles and outings on Mollison Folson & Derrick Lewis's Detroit Techno Records. Now time to level up once again and remind us of his sonic skills and stature, 'Hi8tus' thrives off its timeless futurist schematics, each one instantly tapping into the deepest of Detroit sources, but doing so without any repetition or covering old routes. Largely breakbeat-based, Pennington pays homage to the electro foundations in a wide range of forward-facing ways; the uncompromising icy opener 'Far Far Away', the hazy soul and dreamy waves of 'Spiritual Ride' and the gnarled, brittle brutalism of 'Stalker Turned Electro' (a nod to one of this most enduring bangers back in the day - 'The Art Of Stalking') map out the parameters of Knight's navigations. In between we have brooding, pensive moments of tension. The four-to-the-floor prowl of 'Thy Will Be Done', the b-boy swagger of 'Machete', the glacial dark side voyage of '2 Different Worlds', the list of immersive explorations goes on... Proof that when it's in your DNA it doesn't matter how long you pause between releases; it's about what you say with your music. Suburban Knight's hiatus is well and truly over.