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Decoding Numbers

Pillow Queen, the production duo of D. Tiffany and Vani-T, continue their sonic, sensous charting of the dancefloor in their new 3-track release Calling Me, a collaboration with the vocalist, writer and sex worker Ruin. Sexual drive has always been in the alchemy of Pillow Queen’s music, but at the fore is a wider, more encompassing erotics – one of the spirit and uninhibited body. Such is the force Ruin and the girls incant on this record.The opening track, which also gives the release its title, begins with wide, introspective chords. “Calling Me” is spacious, and takes its time to build over 10 and a half gorgeous minutes, riding on at 118 BPM. Akin to some works of Robert Leiner or John Beltran, it’s a track situating spirituality in the genre of trance via the builds and flows of the music itself, rather than gimmicky cues of “Eastern” Goa vocals or overblown psychedelic drama. As always with Pillow Queen, the vocal samples are pitched and twisted with the greatest care.By their third release, one can begin to note the duo’s characteristic gestures, and “Tunnel Vision” is somehow emblematic here: those pitched vocals, synth loops frayed out from filters, and crisp, bright drum programming that makes 134 BPM feel like the most natural metronome your feet and ass could follow. We hear Ruin for the first time two minutes in: “You cannot tunnel vision me”. She speaks of a “dance without dogma” in between short choral swells, picking up on the theme of a rewritten divine that figures into Pillow Queen’s Burn Me Up (2020). The phrase “dance without dogma” refers to the writings of Gabrielle Roth, a dancer and author noted for founding the 5Rhythms movement-meditation. Roth’s phrase “sweat your prayers” has also been held aloft as an ethic of the party series Radiant Love, where this EP's final track, “She’s Hot Magic,” was intended to be performed live by Ruin and D. Tiffany. Again we start airborne with birdcall and floating chords. Picking up a kick drum after 3 minutes, and a bassline after 5, this is truly some deep-dancefloor-7AM-body-and-soul-fully-merged shit. Concurrently, we hear Ruin asking us “Unconscious floor, do you know what good touch is?” and “Can you trust this sound?” No doubt, we are being called.

Million Dollar Ecstacy de Million Dollar EcstacyFor the first time in 28 years, Manufactured Recordings is proud to make this lost classic once again available to collectors and fans of the pioneering synthesized music of its time. The reissued LP includes all 8 original tracks, as well as never before released photos of Schyl Perry from the time of the recording, liner notes and an interview conducted by noted hip-hop/funk collector Jeff Mao, all of which are unique to this release. crédits

Isle Of Jura’s second longplayer reissue is an album from Ingleton Falls that touches upon Ambient, Dub, House and Balearic styles and was originally released in 1991 as a limited run of 100 self distributed cassette tapesIngleton Falls are Andy Hannam Seymour and Andy Eardley from Tyne and Wear in Newcastle. Having come from a more traditional band background originally, Ingleton Falls was their electronic project and the result of a love of acts like Dub Syndicate, African Headcharge, Gary Clail, The Orb and The KLF. Andy Hannam Seymour remembers “It was a very creative time musically, there was a lot going on around us that used new technology. I was excited by the possibilities. Up until then I'd been playing guitar with a more traditional drums/bass/guitar/vocal band with all the 'musical differences' that entailed (the two bands ran side by side for a while). I also liked the idea that you could write and record a piece of music that was ready to release yourself, rather than it being a demo or having to pay a lot of cash for studio time. That DIY aspect was a lot of fun.” The album is split into 2 parts, ‘Aware’ and ‘Unaware’. Andy explains “We decided that 'side1' and side2' were pretty dull and came up with the aware and unaware division based on a kind of enlightened and unenlightened mind kind of idea. The unaware side had the tunes with themes like necrophilia and samples of christians and the aware side was more expansive mindful themes.” Equipment used the make the album included a Cheetah SX16 sampler, Alesis HR16 Drum Machine, Yamaha FG440 Acoustic Guitar, Tokai Stratocaster Guitar and an Atari ST computer running a Steinberg Pro 24 sequencing program (from floppy disk!). Due to a lack of sampling memory sounds were added live from cassette into the final mixes. 25 years later these songs finally reach a wider audience, initially via a limited cassette release followed 6 weeks later by the 180 Gram Heavyweight LP.

"The Remedy," is I G Culture's latest album under Likwid Continutal Space Motion, Culture draws parallels between the complex world of fungi and London's Underground dance music scene. Both are intricate networks that thrive beneath the surface, connecting diverse elements and influencing one another. The London dance music scene, like fungi, encompasses a variety of styles and genres, from drum and bass to Garage Dance Subcultures may go unnoticed to the casual observer but are musical corner stones in our society. Dance floors and clubs serve as spaces for communal healing, allowing people to let go of daily stresses and connect through music and dance. I G Culture's "The Remedy" celebrates this vibrant underground culture and highlights the interconnectedness of all musical styles. Through his innovative production and thematic depth, he underscores the transformative power of dance music, emphasizing its role in promoting well-being and unity. The idea of Fungi also is expressed in the artwork by Amsterdams 'Machine' with IG's direction, who used fungi in an original collage revealing a secret world.

German label Bondage Music delivers the tenth instalment of its ‘Bondage Games’ series. Another vinyl only release, this time with four fresh tracks from Dachshund, Sascha Dive, Pornbugs, Markus Homm and Alex Ranerro.