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12"
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KM 012.2EP
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"Future Thought also contains several deeper house excursions. Take the track 'Cream,' so unique, so heavy and so warm at the same time. Not to mention 'Butterscotch' -- spacey and floating, releasing all tension in body and mind. Before the end, Jason leaves us with 'Many To Many,' a positive house track melting away in pads and sweet harmony."
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12"
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KM 012.1EP
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"The second full length release from Jason Fine, the master of the melodic bassline, the subtle pads and the delicate live feel drum programming, is out on Kontra-Musik. The dance music producer today can, to categorize, be divided into two types. First we have the producer, and this is the majority - who skillfully manipulate sound to satisfy dance floors and clubs. Then there is the musician - a person who transforms human thought and emotion into music. This is the category that best describes Jason. What comes out of his studio is always something very personal and special. The sounds are old school but the outcome is so much Jason's own, that if feels very fresh and new. On Future Thought, the follow up to the much acclaimed album, Our Music Is A Secret Order -- released on Kontra-Musik in 2008, Jason once again sets his mind to spin, this time towards the future, and out comes electronic music full of human presence. Or as Jason Fine puts it: 'I am constantly thinking about the future, future of technology, humanity and the earth. So this series of tracks is an auditory representation of my future thought.' Amplitude modulation gives you an energetic techno track without losing in melody and funk. Broken home is warm electro brings thought to Claro Intelecto masterpiece Peace of Mind."
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12"
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KM 011EP
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"Kontra-Musik 011 gives you a beautiful Moondog tribute from Italian talent Mass Prod. The B-side offers a different sounding Jus-Ed remix that makes running a label worthwhile. Thank you! The summer is here and so is the soundtrack to it. On the track 'Focaccina,' Mass Prod uses a series of classic Roland drum sounds, a Moondog sample and carefully layered harmonics to build this driving euphoric rhythm piece. The feeling is live, warm and jazzy. If techno is the sound of George Clinton and Kraftwerk stuck in an elevator, this is the sound of Derrick May and Moondog jamming together on the top floor. On the B-side, Jus-Ed gives his treat to the track. The result, more techno than house, came out so good that Ed jokingly said that he had plans to keep it for his own label. We understand why. This is hypnotic mood music taken to a new level. This is music you instantly feel -- your soul gets stirred. Not to be missed!"
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12"
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KM 006EP
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"Kontra-Musik 006 moves the label into the analog domain of electronic dance music. This kind of sound you only get with the good old analogs. The A-side, produced by the master of the modular system, pseudonym Scaff, takes us deep down our favorite techno memory lane. If techno was the meeting of Kraftwerk and George Clinton in an elevator, 'SSM 440' is the outcome of Jeff Mills and Maurizio having breakfast at Tiffany's. This track is warm, dubby and monotonous but with a drive heading straight for the late-night dancefloor. The B-side gives us two unique sounding tracks from pseudonym Aparatus. 'City Tunnel' slowly and elegantly grinds, cranks and turns while building its way towards dancefloor bliss. 'X-Presso' is best described as periodic fluctuations of voltages in the analog domain. Elegant details of beautiful sound take us back to the time when minimal music still was interesting. This is 'techno' in the sense that the term was originally intended. Enjoy 'cause analog is the bastard."
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KM 004EP
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"The Soulful EP, produced by Swedish mastermind Mikael Stavöstrand, takes him one step closer to his goal, to fuse experimental compositions with dance floor perfection. On the first track, 'My Day,' a steady 4-beat tries to keep up with a sinister synth line that has broken free from its lace. Together with beautifully programmed organic percussion, this track is a dynamic roller coaster ride, aiming for the peak hour dance floor with a twist. The B-side and the track 'Blau,' takes off with a vocal sample reminding us of the Kontra-Musik motto: You got to go, where you want to go. Starting off as a warm hypnotic groover, 'Blau' climbs towards a multi-layered soundscape, pushed forward by a hectic arpeggio, reminding of minimalist heroes like Robert Rood and Mika Vainio. 'Blau' is dance floor music that aims for the soul."
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12"
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KM 003EP
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"Tobias von Hofsten springs from a generation of talented Swedish producers, alongside producers like Cari Lekebusch and Adam Beyer, that in the mid-'90s defined the typical Swedish/Stockholm techno sound. This EP Have a Heart is the result of a producer who puts all of his heart into his music. The first track, 'Deep Thought,' is full proof of this. Kick, bass line, piano stab and a drum programming from above, together turns into one of the funkiest pieces of music ever to be pressed onto vinyl. If punk music is reduced, straight forward and efficient rock music, 'Deep Thought' is reduced, straight forward and efficient dance music. The second track on the A-side, 'Sexmachine,' is raw, distorted and compressed, but at the same time a very delicate techno track. If funk is sex, 'Sexmachine' is machine funk. The B-side and the track 'Kontrafunk' is Tobias von Hofsten's most recent creation. Still the production is all analog. As a typical Tobias von Hofsten produced track, 'Kontrafunk' only contains what is necessary for maximal effect."
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12"
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KM 002EP
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"Producer Agaric alias Patrik Skoog is a techno veteran who released his first tracks already back in '98. During the years he has grown into a mature and skilled producer, which has brought him up to his most recent alias. With his own interpretation of minimalism, Agaric is the choice of the moment...generating amounts of positive response and support from world renowned DJs like Richie Hawtin, Villalobos and Michael Mayer. The EP The World Is Asleep is a conscious step away from the over exploited minimal scene. The A-side and the track 'Over the Hill' instead offers a deep, reverb drenched and soulful techno classic. This is a track that flirts more with Detroit than Chicago but still there is something in the groove that makes it irresistibly funky. The B-side and the track 'The Outside' starts off with a short Jack Nicholson sample from the classic '60s movie Easy Rider. What follows is a slow bass cord that reminds more of the drone/doom group Sunn O))) than of techno music."
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