Yuto Takei
Bells From The East EP

The 90’s San Francisco underground electronic scene always commanded a great deal of love and respect here at OCD. It played an important role not only in the development of the global electronic music scene, but also in our personal, never-ending journey of discovery. Back in 1996, between the early releases of one of the SF’s scene most important and pioneering record labels, Sunburn Records, an EP titled “Plum Pudding EP” by an artist called “Trailmix” appeared. It featured 4 tracks spanning between early hours progressive-house and more gentle, mellow breaks with a hint of electronica. For many years it has been one of our most favourite record from that scene and era.27 years later, we’re beyond stoked to have being able to successfully track down that gentleman by the name of Alan Aronoff (Trailmix) who, with no hesitation, allowed us to reissue that special EP on The Secret Sun.

Expanding on the blueprint of previous releases, Trieste-born, London-based producer Sohrab is the Kalahari clan’s latest inductee. OYSTER43 is a distillation of the Italian producer’s stylistic scope in its purest form; impeccably crafted dance music with a healthy dose of prog.Running deep with this one. Smartly refined constructions primed for meditative club use, the first four tracks are rendered in pristine detail. From the widescreen and tunnelling to straight-up utopian, there’s a life-affirming vitality like only the most quintessential '90s prog-house can achieve.The record begins to veer into realms of dilated abstraction on the second plate. Where ‘Fleeting Thoughts’ unfurls like a slice of hi-tech IDM undergoing an ayahuasca ceremony, ‘Sunseeker’ and ‘Deconstruct’ keep the ritual going at a lysergic, slo-mo chug. ‘Crystal Clear’, on the other hand, evokes the ‘70s with a bucolic, avant-garde synth lullaby.

Back with his second release on DEMO TEST, Roy Vision explores the different layers of an original, raw and multidisciplinary house music.“4” represents 4 variation styles that the producer fell for many years ago. The selected tracks were produced between 2017 and 2019, with dance in his sight, as demonstrated by the success of the track “La Danse Groove” in the eyes of House Dance lovers."Nina’s Talk" give off strong and mastered rhythmics; the energy of the tracks sends us directly to New Jersey of the 90’s. “Feelings” stays geographically close since it crawls in underground New York, where jazz and house music met. “LL Tribute” is a spiritual connection between Chicago and NYC. It’s a hidden tribute to one of the main characters of the underground New York scene, between The Loft and Paradise Garage, where all social and cultural background were blending, dreaming of a passionate freedom.

Nuances de Nuit’s first release of 2024 comes courtesy of Liquid Earth, Man/ipulate, Robin Graham and Basement Space.

After having him collaborating with MER’s very own Cabanelas on the B side of MER006, Fernando Zapico aka Z@P releases a full four-track EP. A record crafted with an unique imprint covering a wide range of sound within techno. A1 Submarino stands out for its ticking drumming plates and soft synths creating a sort of suspense atmosphere. A2 Sensations travels through a classic grooving sound with bright drum plates, stomping kick drum and timeless vocal sound. On the flip side, The Box features a more hypnotic and brassy sound by moving along an oscillating bassline and a jazzy percussion set. B2 features Frank 717, a peak time track with sharpened-plates percussion with an acidic and playful bassline.

Emerging from the heart of Brussels, Azo is poised to set the electronic music world ablaze with her latest EP, "Astroculture," scheduled for release on SNC Recs. Featuring four vibrant original tracks and a stellar remix from Offenbach Frankfurt's very own Maruwa, this EP takes listeners on an ecstatic journey through the realms of acid, trance, and high-energy drums.