Daniel Anselmi
Radio Tokyo

Off The Grid christens its record label with a first release composed by very close people to the heart of its functioning. On the A1 we find a melancholic optimist house cut, made in collaboration by Ancut, head-mastering engineer from Analogcut, and Onirik, OTG’s head honcho. A2 features Onirik’s solo offering, a trippy dreamy off kilter cut, ideal for warm-up or early hours. The B-side belongs to Views, already responsible for a couple of releases on Garage Hermétique, one of the founding labels of Off The Grid, who wraps up two tracks full of atmospherical punchiness, clubby IDM, with his signature acid basslines and storytelling.

Amsterdam based DJ and producer Mayo joins the Fides family with her Frenemies EP marking the 15th release of Fides Records. Mayo showcases 5 cuts of finely crafted electro and EBM-influenced Techno, it's impossible not to be drawn by her distorted voice that defines each track.Unrelenting grooves and a deeper look into her analog sound design flair, these tracks are timeless in sound and production quality. “Tell me how you die” kicks it off as the A1 with stomping analog kick and drums, a dark jumping bassline pushing the groove with ethereal synths. “Not your shadow” as the A2 strips it back into a 303Acidbass-based track marked by singular industrial sounds and Vocal Shots that are lost in the groove carried by a background synth sequence that follows throughout the track. The last track of the A Side is “Frenemies” a pulsing, meditative composition featuring label owner and Tresor resident Z.I.P.P.O, who added to Mayo's energetic, analog and eventually dark sense, a more mental, deep and intense face typical of the Italian artist. The B Side starts with Miami Legend Danny Daze’s Hell Mix of “Frenemies” in which he exhibits his unique sound design techniques, combining tribal-tinged rhythm, sharp FX that pops up from the corners of the soundscape with stretched vocals in order to highlight the track's protagonist: a modulated brass bass. Mary Lake’s Remix of “Tell Me How you Die” closes the EP with a deep kick drum driven forward with rolling and modulated closed hats that run through the track while atmospheric

Up next on Pleasure Club we launch our new Members Only series. A place to present single tracks from friends old and new.On Volume 1 we have killer contributions from Voigtmann, Henry Hyde, Mariiin and HearThug. Four artists who know how to work a dancefloor both as DJs and producers.Enjoy the ride. There is no guest list tonight.

We're beyond excited to be announcing the next release on our Classic Cuts series, pertaining to none other Israeli duo, Red Axes. The Tel Aviv techno stalwarts are veterans of the scene, over the years honing an inimitable sound which draws on a unique concoction of influences ranging from post-punk and EBM to disco and new wave.As is encapsulated in the title, Electric Bees EP focuses on constructing strange, uncanny worlds which at times are disorienting, spooky and hostile ('The Electric'); and at others transportive to times past. 'Next One Is Bill' and 'The Bee' combine the retro quality of squelchy, square wave acid synths with an uber-polished production value to see a modern take on the classic sound, whilst 'Axes In The Sky' sees the EP's energy climax. Set apart from the rest of the tracks with a BPM of 130 and distinctly contemporary feel, it gives you a whiplash tour around a myriad of sounds, taking sharp and unanticipated corners at each breakdown.

Damian Schwartz makes a welcome return to Pulp for his third full-length album, La Sal De Tu Especie. The 11 track record was written over the last three years as a way of coping with some tough experiences and features remixesfrom K15 and Gifted & Blessed. It once again finds the Madrid producer serving up the sort of richly musical house that has always stood him apart.Schwartz has been away for a while but emerged in the early 2000s with an artful take on house music. As a student of jazz, composition and bass, his intricate grooves have always been embellished with real melodic craftsmanship. In the past, they have come on this label, Esperanza and A Harmless Deed which he co-runs with Jose Cabrera. He has put out two albums before now and also works under the Epiphany alias as a producer and live act. He is a real master of his analog machinery and someone who never fails to bring fresh ideas. This superbly adventurous and widescreen new album proves that once again and shows off diverse influences such as 90s broken beat by acts like Hanna and 4 Hero, the early IDM of LFO and Aphex Twin and the Detroit house and electro styles of greats such as Juan Atkins, Teknotika, Marcellus Pittman and Kyle Hall.It kicks off with Renacido which is a cinematic synth opener that places you into orbit. La Elipa is expansive and jazzy house with cosmic chord work over the tight, punchy kicks and Lopp then gets physical with broken beat drums and funky bass dancing around each other to uplifting effect. The superb Zwei Danke is another masterclass in off-grid beat programming and soulful machine sounds that captures the essence of early Detroit house.It is remixed by K15, a vital London beatmaker with credits on labels like Eglo and Wild Oats. His version showcases rugged, lo-fi and dusty drums softened by heart-melting chords and angelic vocal coos.Schwartz's 'Morro Da Urca' is a suspensory ambient interlude that makes way for the crisp electro-funk and starry-eyed pads of 'Rufo,' then 'Meco' cuts loosewith boogie bass and glistening drums and perc that voyage through a whole eco-system of bright, nebulous synths. 'Mika' is another out of this world house composition with majestic leads and pixelated pads that bring warmth and future soul. There is real electricity in the freeform keys and corrugated drums of Coney Island that will ensure any dance floor takes off.Final remixer Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker aka GB (Gifted & Blessed) is a composer and sound artist whose music is a constant exploration of the bridge between the technological and the ancestral. He flips 'Loop' into an Afro-future jazz dance with infectious percussion and expressive chords that never rest.La Sal De Tu Especie is a timeless fusion of jazz freedom and house grooves that takes you into a magical new dimension.

Quality techno from this Dutch Techno Don! A stalwart of the Dutch techno scene since the mid nineties, Jeroen Schrijvershof has been ploughing his own furrow aside from the typical norms and standards of the techno scene with lasting integrity and unflinching dedication throughout the years. A coinage derived from the sharp, clinically designed blends he has come to be known for, that Search-sound has long established as a blueprint for DJs seeking laser-guided weaponry into their sets, and Jeroen's maiden effort for RYC follows that very guideline. Starting with the massive pound of the title-track, "Enigma", the EP knocks into your system with blunt force, ushering us into a no-frills corridor of hydraulic kicks and sizzling static. As per usual with Jeroen's compositions, minimalism serves a purpose of exponential effect. True to the fuel-efficient philosophy of the producer, "Modules" harnesses a controlled avalanche of modular signals and no-prisoner, big-room techno dynamics to forge a piece of exquisitely raw rave material that can move blocks of concrete with its nose. Letting the groove a little bit looser, "Object of Ridicule" spins at fierce tempo whilst relying on the same limited palette of chiselled drums and ominous strings to plunge the dance floor into a darker, neo-noir paradox of rhythmic straightforwardness and mystery-shrouded ambiguity. Topping the release off is "Circle Park", a cut that further exposes Jeroen's constant juggling between atmospheric opacity and a surgical, technicist approach towards production. A matter of thoroughly finessed textures and obsession for the faintest detail that shines through "Enigma" with unrelenting ebullience. More than anything the fruit of an endless search for fresh, unheard forms of transcending techno expression. In reflection to the release's outstanding character, we decided to have it pressed to 180g audiophile vinyl so y'all purists can revel in Enigma's heavily detailed sound spectrum.