Italian mainstay Davide Squillace makes his debut on Rebellion this September with Drive Good. Teaming up with UK regular Nolan, the single features French talent Jaw on vocals and US stalwart Rick Wade as remixer.

Nolan spoke about how the release came together, describing how: “Davide and I haven’t actually met in person, but we’ve created a few monster tracks together. He sent a few projects to me when I was in Brighton and I ripped out the rawest sounds to start turning them into tracks. We decided Drive Good was ready for some top line vocals from Jaw, who took the track to a whole other level.”

The seven-minute cut gets underway swiftly, with hard-edged kick-hat pairings cosying up next to warming chord tones to start. Bleep-like synths soon open into Jaw’s enchanting vocal offerings before Rick Wade’s remix takes on a softer edge, manifesting as a soothing dance cut with clear Detroit influences.

DJ and producer Davide Squillace has achieved a lot in his career as resident of the famed Circoloco and part of the supergroup Better Lost Than Stupid with Matthias Tanzmann and Martin Buttrich. He is also expanding on his production repertoire with releases on the likes of Cadenza, Kaoz Theory, No19, Moon Harbour and Hot Creations. Straddling house, disco, breaks and prog with a unique twist and an eye for the underground, Nolan is making serious waves with key releases on Mobilee, LNOE, Bedrock, Circus, Kittball, MadTech, Crew Love, Get Physical, OFF, Gruuv & Connaisseur Recordings.

French singer-songwriter Jaw is a prolific vocalist in electronic music, making regular appearances on Set About, BluFin and many more besides. Michigan-favourite Rick Wade has been a leading figure in Detroit house for decades, having been active as a producer since 1994. His music has found a welcome home on Shall Not Fade and Open Sound in recent times, a testament to his keen-ear for production.

01 Drive Good

02 Drive Good (Rick Wade Remix)

Stream & buy now –> lnk.to/RBL082

909originals catches up with Rebellion’s latest debutant and naples legend Davide Squillace. 

‘Drive Good’ out now: lnk.to/RBL082

“I like to make music when there is joy and unity…” 909originals catches up with Davide Squillace

Rogue D & Memoryman AKA Uovo team up for their latest release with the Electric Safari EP. The four-tracker marks their collaborative debut on Crosstown Rebels, fresh from Total Black on Rebellion in 2019, and includes two remixes by longstanding German talent, Roman Flügel.

Both artists spoke of how the release came together, stating: “The effects part of DJ Harvey’s Berghain and the synths of Padlock inspired us. A mix of these two masterpieces came to us while we were performing and recording, helping us create a mix of afro, electric funk and dub. The result is a trip to Africa with DJ Harvey!”

That tribal sound is felt right from the get go, as rustling hats marry up next to whirring synth pulses throughout. Ethereal keys chime beside resonant kicks whilst bell-like tones march on in the background. Roman Flügel’s remix takes on a more minimal-inspired feel, where a punchy underlying bassline perfectly compliments the celestial chord solos, before proceedings get stripped back further on the B Side with a dub version of each track. Italian-native Rogue D is a well-loved figure in the contemporary house sphere. Renowned as one of half of Flashmob, his back-catalogue boasts EPs on an array of the scene’s leading labels, including Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels and Defected to name a few. Fellow Italian-mainstay Memoryman AKA Uovo has garnered a global following in a career that spans decades. One third of the legendary Pastaboys collective, his productions have found a home on Snatch! Records and Rebellion in recent times. Roman Flügel has been a champion of Germany’s electronic music scene since the nineties. A prolific producer, the likes of Gerd Janson’s Running Back and Sven Väth’s Cocoon Recordings have welcomed his releases with open arms over the years.

A1 Electric Safari (Original Mix)
A2 Electric Safari (Roman Flügel Remix)
B1 Electric Safari (Dub Mix)
B2 Electric Safari (Roman Flügel Dub Mix)

Stream & buy now –> lnk.to/CRM260

Hen Yanni delivers a highly eclectic two hour selection for this week’s Crosstown Mix Show. Available to stream now in all the usual places…. -> https://lnk.to/crosstownmix33

Toka Musik interviews Swiss pairing Dachshund & Chaton around the release of their debut collaboration ‘Bleeping In Me’ on Crosstown Rebels‘ Rebellion imprint.

Bleeping In Me EP out now: https://lnk.to/rbl081

https://www.tokamusik.com/dachshundandchaton-interview

Gruuv label-heads Audiojack make a welcome return to Crosstown Rebels this August with Believer, their debut collaboration with Cuban- born American vocalist Liset Alea. The single comes fresh from the success of their recent album, Surface Tension.

“We started making the original version during lockdown 2020, when playing music on dancefloors seemed like a distant possibility. We wanted to create something that would reach beyond the dancefloor, something with a wider appeal. Being fans of her previous work we contacted Liset to see if she’d like to collaborate and after sending her a backing track she wrote and performed the vocals for Believer at her home in Paris. Fast forward to summer 2021 and as dancefloors begin to reopen we decided to add a Club Mix, to have a version to play out in our own DJ sets. Then Damian said he’d like to follow up our album Surface Tension with another single, so we sent it over to him and he signed it on the spot” Audiojack

That ethereal nature is felt right from the get go, as Believer begins with Liset Alea’s emotive, heart-rending vocals. Gentle percussion perfectly compliments the poignant lyrical offering, leaving us in a haze of dream-like, starry-eyed reflection. Audiojack showcase their electronic roots on the B Side, curating a six minute Club Mix of dancefloor-ready material. Prominent kick-hat pairings up the tempo, forming a feel-good edit that is sure to light up many a dancefloor this summer.

Ibiza-based duo Audiojack have established themselves as one of electronic music’s most-established pairings, thanks to a consistent schedule of quality releases. Their latest Crosstown Rebels album, Surface Tension, garnered the support of leading tastemakers, whilst their Isolation Tapes series on Gruuv showcased the eclectic sound with which they’ve become best known, using music to provide an escape from the feelings brought on by lockdown. Renowned as the lead singer of iconic French cover band Nouvelle Vague, Liset Alea has become a prolific vocalist on the global dance music circuit in recent times. Contributing What Is Real to Rodriguez Jr.’s 2020 album, Blisss, Liset has gone on to collaborate with some of contemporary house’s leading talents, including Patrick Topping and Alexkid to name a few.

A Believer
B Believer (Club Mix)

Stream & buy now –> lnk.to/CRM259

With the release of their single ‘Believer’ on Crosstown Rebels, Audiojack graces the Crosstown Mix Show featuring tracks from ELKKA, Rafael Cerato, Orbital & Hugo Massien along with a ton of exclusive new cuts from the duo. -> https://lnk.to/crosstownmix32

Switzerland-based pairing Dachshund & Chaton have teamed up for their first collaboration this August with the Bleeping In Me EP. This marks Dachshund’s second release on Rebellion, fresh from 2012’s The Mammoth, whilst Chaton makes his debut.

Both artists spoke about the inspiration behind the release, stating: “Bleeping In Me is about deep expression; Euphoria is about exploring melodies and simplicity; and the idea behind Otaku 1996 was to make a cool track straight out of Detroit in the nineties.”

The title track leads the charge, taking the form of a slow-building, minimal-toned number as subtle hats build upon punchy, whip-like kicks. Euphoria soon arrives, pairing emotive key solos next to resonant synth combos before Otaku 1996 completes proceedings. The eight minute piece leaves few prisoners in its wake, manifesting as a late-night, club ready cut that’s built purely for the dancefloor.

Dachshund has been a regular of Switzerland’s club circuit for decades. Having co-found Clapper alongside fellow Swiss-talent Quenum, the imprint acts as an outlet for solely self-made productions, whilst Dachshund has also found a welcome home on Nick Curly’s 8bit and Audiojack’s Gruuv to name a few. From playing his first gig abroad at the iconic Panorama Bar, to mixing number 201 of RA’s coveted mix series, Chaton has remained a pillar of quality electronic music since the early 2000’s. His own label, Plak Records, has been a bastion of contemporary minimal techno for twenty years and he continues such a legacy thanks to his recently launched vinyl-only imprint, Useless Transmissions.

01 Bleeping In Me
02 Euphoria
03 Otaku 1996

Stream & buy now –> lnk.to/RBL081

Following on from the release of the remix album to ‘The Edge Of Everything’, Krust shares his favourite B-Sides for Electronic Beats TV. Some serious cuts in this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YdCbfppASo

MoM steps up for this week’s Crosstown Mix Show with a set that features tracks from Seth Troxler, The Martinez Brothers, Sobek, Cioz and more as well as some exclusive cuts. -> https://lnk.to/crosstownmix31

On 9th July Crosstown Rebels released ‘TTOE Remixes #3’ – the third in a trio of Eps featuring reworks from Krust’s lauded masterpiece ‘The Edge Of Everything’. The selection of top-drawer artists delighted to rub shoulders with the revered master added UNKLE, Hodge and DJ Nature to a list that has seen Masters At Work, Four Tet, Damian Lazarus, Batu, Calibre, LCY and Flynn all deliver inspired versions. Following ‘TTOE Remixes #3’ EP, the full set of reworks is now released via Crosstown Rebels as an album called ‘The Edge Of Everything – Remixed’.

Linking back to a shared history that saw Krust (alongside Roni Size) remix DJ Krush’s ‘Dig This Vibe’ and also provide their own track ‘Tribetoon’ for the seminal ‘Headz 2’ compilation, both on James Lavelle’s label Mo’Wax, now the influential DJ/producer/A&R delivers arguably his best ever work under the UNKLE alias, with deep breakbeat goodness that’s both classic and perfectly now.

A sonic son of Krust, fellow Bristolian Hodge works ‘Constructive Ambiguity’ into a proggy new school breaks monster that carves the original’s metallic bass into sharp new shapes, whilst sparkling like melodic stars is Four Tet’s take on ‘Negative Returns’, which packs a deceptively heavy punch, maintaining the original’s hurtling velocity, fuelled by a huge sub-bass engine.

In an exchange that reaches back to 1997, Krust sampled Masters At Work alias Nuyorican Soul’s ‘Nautilus (Mawtilus)’/‘Mind Fluid’ on his game-changing single ‘Soul In Motion’. This was reciprocated in 1998 by Nuyorican Soul’s remix of ‘Watching Windows’ by Reprazent, of which Krust was a key member. Here the duo individually known as Kenny ”Dope” Gonzalez and Little Louie Vega deliver pure audiophile euphony, somewhere between broken beat, real house, cosmic acid and future jazz funk.

A rugged halftime head-nodder (which again brings things full circle) is by Krust’s brother Flynn – a fellow member of 1989 ‘Wishing On A Star’ hitmakers Fresh 4 alongside Krust, and also a jungle legend in his own right, as half of veteran duo Flynn & Flora. More West Country royalty comes from Wild Bunch founder Milo Johnson AKA DJ Nature’s wigged-out Martian house by way of New York – which, in another of Krust’s many thematic circles – echoes the Latin-tinged, blunted science of Nu Yorican Soul’s ‘Mind Fluid’ and ‘The Nervous Track’.

Crosstown Rebels boss Damian Lazarus maintains Krust’s epic adventure narrative, retelling the tale in his own words, taking recognisable parts from the original and transposing them into a groovy cosmic house odyssey, whilst Calibre turns ‘It’s A Lot’ into a warm, glowing two-step roller with serrated analogue bass and masterful musicality befitting his classical training.

The spiralling beat-and-bass science of Batu’s version takes ‘Space Oddity’ and deconstructs it like a cubist portrait, matching Krust himself in pure outside-the-box original expression. Rising new school leader LCY is clearly a kindred spirit too, rivalling Krust with their future-facing breakbeat science that’s equally as compelling and inventive as the original.

With such inspiring source material, it’s unsurprising that all of the remixers have brought their best game to this impeccable collection.

Stream & buy now –> https://lnk.to/krustremixes

Longstanding Spanish talent Dennis Cruz makes a welcome return to Crosstown Rebels with Los Tamales. The single precedes his maiden album, soon-to-be-released on Damian Lazarus’ flagship label this October. It follows on from Ahora Todo Va, the first single released ahead of the LP, that was produced in conjunction with Josh Butler and featured a Gorgon City remix.

Speaking on how the single came together, Dennis Cruz stated: “I’m so happy to finally release Los Tamales! On this one we decided to record all of the instruments live in Colombia – vox, drums, piano, brass and bass.Yazaneth on the vocals and the rest of the guys killed it too, it’s a mix between salsa and house music which is perfect for summer. Monkey Business is on the b-side with a more dubby focus on the low end, this one is made for the club.”

The title track sets the tone, manifesting as a salsa-inspired dance cut with plenty of feel-good rhythm. Yazaneth’s signature Spanish vocals dart beneath an iconic piano roll, whilst charming trombone solos march on in the background. Monkey Business completes proceedings, taking the form of a stripped-back, minimal-laced number. With clear dubby influences, Cruz showcases the full breadth of his production capabilities, as low-slung bass elements reside next to punchy kick-hat pairings.

MÜSE co-founder Dennis Cruz has cemented his reputation as one of global dance music’s most-esteemed talents, in a career that spans decades. Regular industry awards and nominations (including Beatport, RA, Vicious Magazine, and DJ Awards: Best Tech House 2018, Best Deep Tech 2019 and winner of Best Producer in 2017), showcase the skill with which Dennis has become a tastemaker for quality house music, whilst consistent appearances across the worldwide festival circuit have brought his sound to international audiences. BPM, Tomorrowland, ADE, Kappa Futur and WMC are just a few examples, a testament to Dennis’ esteemed presence in the scene.

Stream & buy now –> https://lnk.to/CRM258

Concret joins us for this week’s Crosstown Mix Show, with a super eclectic selection… -> https://lnk.to/crosstownmix30

Dennis Cruz chats to 909originals ahead of the release of his new single, ‘Los Tamales’. This is in preparation for a full album dropping later this year. The full interview can be found here.

909originals chats to Dennis Cruz ahead of the release of new single, ‘Los Tamales’

Maceo Plex’s seminal debut album ‘Life Index’ is released on Vinyl for the first time ever, as a Record Store Day 2021 exclusive on white vinyl. Maceo Plex is the Crosstown Rebels production moniker for renowned Techno producers Maetrik (Eric Estornel). ‘Life Index’ is a collection of truly outstanding tracks, which have a more accomplished and musical feel than your average house album.