James Andrew
The Excursion Of Dreams

Through 35 hedonistic highlights stretched across three volumes, Music For The Radical Xenomaniac delivers the first ever deep dive into The Netherlands’ colourful house sound of the 90s and the under-celebrated producers and record labels whose music soundtracked a countrywide cultural movement.Plenty of books and documentaries have celebrated the riotous raves, legendary clubs, high profile DJs and promoters who shaped The Netherlands’ hedonistic house scene throughout the 90s. Music For The Radical Xenomaniac dares to challenge these narratives by shining a light, for the first time, on those who created the scene’s kaleidoscopic, game-changing and globally influential soundtrack.Leading the charge were a disparate group of key creators who not only forged links with their counterparts in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom, but also became celebrated figures on the worldwide electronic underground (Eric Nouhan, Aad De Mooy, Orlando Voorn, Stefan Robbers and Steve Rachmad). Alongside key underground imprints (Stealth Records, Basic Energy, ESP, Prime and Outland Records included) and lesser-known producers, these pioneers gave flavour to a radical musical movement via open-mindedness, unheard-of creativity and a genuinely futuristic ethos. All of these artists and labels are represented throughout the series.So, what defined this hedonistic house sound from The Netherlands? Stylistically, it was varied – as the series so emphatically proves – but was defined by a set of distinctive sonic characteristics: emotive musical motifs, high-frequency synth sounds, mellow basslines, pulsating rhythms and more than a touch of hallucinatory intent.Volume 1 boasts a wealth of notable tracks and slept-on gems. There’s ‘No Strings Attached (Freedom of the Soul Work)’ by Marionette, a magical spell of percussion-rich fairy-tale house from 1991 courtesy of R.o.X.Y Amsterdam resident DJ Dimitri and mellow pioneer Eric Nouhan, and the sole single by Eindhoven techno producer MAX404 as Faceless Techno Bastards, the rushing excellence of ‘Go Mellow’.Other highlights include Rachmad Project’s ‘Summer Breeze’, a chirpy house masterpiece from foundational producer Steve Rachmad that first appeared on Outland Records offshoot Spiritual Records, a genuine oddball obscurity from John Krengiëlczak as Land of Fantasy, Tales And Myths (‘And They Lived Happily Ever After’), and a seriously sought-after cut from Rotterdam duo Space Trax, 1992’s ‘Aura’.Packed full of forward-thinking 90s gems remastered for today’s dance floors by Alden Tyrell, Music For The Radical Xenomaniac Volume 1 is a life-affirming celebration of a distinctly Dutch musical movement, whose rich textures and melodies are still inspiring new generations of DJs and dancers today.

After a one and half year hiatus we are back with the Foundation debut of a talent who’s always been bound to be part of our family. Matthew Dexter shares with us “Future Radionica:” a special four tracker shaped to fit our output. Straying away from his usual darker trademark sound, Matthew presents an EP full of light and energy to kickstart a path into new territories, both for him and us alike. With a bass-line begging for movement “The Future” is made for all types of dancers looking to let loose. Straight to the point and without a hassle, it’s guaranteed to secure energy on the floor. “Quantum Tangerine” brings us into our first ambient journey and showcases Matthew’s highly skilled sound design achieved through complex layering, textures, vocal play and advanced audio engineering techniques. A mix of diverse 90’s influences takes us to the next point in our journey “Yantra Radionica.” A bit of Goa, a touch of techno and a lot trance makes this the perfect track for the darker hours of the night. A rolling bass-line tangled to eerie yet energetic sounds make this the perfect fit for one of our favourite contrasting styles, which can best be described as “dark yet uplifting.” The best part of many nights are ofen lived in the morning hours, when only the true enthusiasts remain. “Sequoia’s Hymn” is perfect for those bits in 4me where its all about the mu- sic. Like the name suggests it draws on grandiose energies while remaining calm and subtle much like the wind blowing through the forests of the biggest trees on planet earth.

NICOBAR…There, in the immense blueamid impossible cloudsthe stillness of a truthis spread out because Nicobar is a present gift lost in the time of colors and green earthof secrets that only the soul recognizes when it opens the existence in front of itand all creatures visit that bluewhile nothing else matters only this paradise in our eyesthis being herein the powerful nature… in the world

R.I.O. welcomes Pieter Kock aka DJ Peacock, one of the guiding souls behind the Berlin based bar/micro club O Tannenbaum. Musically active since 1986 as singer, guitarist, drummer and noisemaker, Peter already released a string of albums under different aliases like Billie and Ballie, The Hitmachine and Taladu. Since the early 1990s he narrates haunting sonic stories as a DJ, playing a vast palette of styles - from cosmic and leftfield techno to tape experiments, sound-art, wave, world, jazz, punk, industrial, and all that weird pop music. Last year saw him liberating his first solo recordings under his civil name as a cassette tape named “Flocks & Murders of Entitled Spirits”, dropped by the Berlin/Vilnius based label Musikii. It unreels twelve sensitive tunes, made with the help of online synths and drum computers, Youtube travel- and talk show-videos or samples from Youtube synths- and rhythm box-demonstration videos. Now he refined his idiosyncratic style of music crafting a bit deeper and shares “Facial Recognition” – a gently twisted album that unites hypnagogic pop, library dances, cosmic funk, leftfield grooves and experimental sonic zones under one roof. His seven found sound tunes are layering a rhizomatic veil of unidentifiable web sounds, all transmuted into hazy looped ambiances, that trigger unconscious brain activities with future samples from the past, woven rhythm structures and a simultaneity of moments, derived from myriad world wide web informations. When it’s true, that nothing can have value without being an object of utility, then Pieter Kock managed to give the internet a new rate while using its manyfold informations as a tool to create art. Art, whose originality isn’t defined by the creator’s playful virtuosity. Instead, his sensibility of deciphering unheard rhythms, harmonies, and melodies in an avalanche of prefabricated ideas is his mastery. Pieter Kock transformed them into unfamiliar compositions with a familiar touch, that can evoke the feeling of being synchronous in a world of the many. A data rain without drops, a stream of consciousness without cognizance. Come in, drop out.

RAMZi is returning home with these eight sonic quests, reanimating the dormant FATi Records, Phoebé’s own label. Feu Follets (Fire Sprites) are fireflies, flickering balls of light dancing in the dark shadows, found in fields, forests, chaparral, and scrublands, the many different landscapes of RAMZi’s whimsical adventures.Including collaborative efforts with friends DJ Python (NY) - A2, anabasine (MTL) - B3 and CZ Wang (NY) - B4