Forever Underground 3CD out now

NRK's parting shot, the triple CD 'Forever Underground (Artifacts 1997-2012)' is out now.

Not many record labels can lay claim to a 15 year stretch, but NRK Music has been a consistent and trusted source of the finest deep house and tech house music for the last decade and a half. Set up in 1996 in Bristol, UK, NRK Music quickly delivered a hefty slew of releases from the off from artists like Ian Pooley, François K, Dimitri From Paris and Nick Holder, and have never looked back since. Now with over 170 single releases and 45 albums, plus the mix compilation series Back In The Box, The Lab, nite:life and Deep Sensations, NRK prepare to celebrate it's 15th, and final year in the business with “Forever Underground”. 

 A 3CD package, “Forever Underground” collects some of the finest moments from the label’s career to date, and showcases the variety of sounds and trends within the house music scene over the last 15 years. CD1 features such hi-lights as Quentin Harris’ epic “Let’s Be Young”, the sensationally deep Charles Webster mix of Shara Nelson’s “Go That Deep”, Blackjoy’s awesome disco jam “Moustache” and Foremost Poet’s legendary call to the dancefloor “Moonraker”, plus truly memorable deep house cuts from Nick Holder, Sirus and Twisted Pair. 

 CD2 continues the delve into the NRK catalogue, opening up with perhaps one of the defining deep house records of our time, François K’s “Time & Space”, swiftly plucking another bomb from the vaults in Tom Middleton’s remix of Kerri Chandler’s “Bar A Thym”. The underground vibes continue with the luscious King Britt remix of “Innocent”, Nick Holder’s classic “Summer Daze” and DJ Q’s pounding and hypnotic “Superclique”. Throughout it’s 15 year tenure, NRK have always reflected the evolving sounds of electronic dance, and the trio of tracks that round off CD2 are some classic, analogue techno sounds from Paul Woolford, Ed Davenport and the legend that is Carl Craig, confirming that NRK has been a label that stands by quality underground music, regardless of the many sub genres out there. 

 CD3 is a bonus mix CD from NRK founder, DJ and producer, Nick Harris. With not an easy task to pick out a CDs worth of 170 releases and upwards to 700 tracks & remixes, Harris deftly programs and mixes some of the standout tracks from over the years along with various Dub Mixes, Bonus Beats and underground goodies from the vaults. And so, along with many of the catalogue favorites, Harris pulls out tracks and remixes from Spencer Parker, Pete Heller, Kings Of Tomorrow, Trackheadz, Joey Negro and Chris Lattner, creating the perfect mix to encapsulate NRK’s forward thinking music policy and ear for an underground dancefloor bomb!

The 3CD is now available from the NRK Shopify here

Digital download album will be available as from Monday 21st May 2012.

Dan Curtin's 'Stolen' EP out on Leviathan Sounds

Bristol’s Leviathan Sounds returns with a superb new single from scene stalwart Dan Curtin who offers up two new slabs of dark, twisted & funky grooves...

Leviathan Sounds is a brand new label for 2012 hailing from the musical hotbed of Bristol in the west of England. The first two EP’s from Admiral & Lewis Boardman have already garnered support from some of the globe’s leading DJs, including Sasha, Ripperton, Laurent Garnier & Anja Schneider and the label is being looked to as a possible leading light for the year ahead.

For the third release, due early April, the imprint has hooked up with US techno heavyweight Dan Curtin, a man who’s musical history runs parallel with the story of modern dance music. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Curtin has a catalogue of releases spanning almost 20 years and includes music on labels such as Peacefrog, Tuning Spork, Strictly Rhythm & Mobilee to name a just a few.

For his latest release Curtin has teamed up with vocalist The Blacknile for the wonderfully raw ‘Stolen’, a twisted, dark and funky slice of rough house that uses distorted drums, intense synths and rolling bass to underpin the outstanding spoken word vocals. The original mix is simply sublime and instantly conjures up that 7am warehouse feeling, offered alongside this is the ‘Postharmonix mix’ where Mr Curtin takes things down a bleeping and jackin route and provides an alternative that stands tall again the brilliant original.

To close the package we have the wonderfully titled ‘The Night Will Set You Free’ which blends raw drums, hypnotic piano lines and twisted percussion to create and old school workout with a 2012 twist.

Dan Curtin's "Stolen" EP will be out exclusively on Beatport on 8th April, with all other digital sites to follow two weeks later.

SLIM TV interview with Paul Woolford

Kiki & Hector on the remix of Nick Harris' new EP

NRK Music keeps driving forwards, always with a relatively wide palette of deep house and techno sounds, and NRK171 sees label boss, Nick Harris, deliver another EP of solid house material.

“White Leather”, in its original “Xtra Tight Mix”, is built upon a sturdy, bass driven, moody beat and a carnival-esque melody lead, with plenty of percs and snaps to keep the energy levels up. Little breaks for enveloping Juno chords and rolling Chicago style deep beats keep the track nice & warm before the nagging melody kicks back in again. On the remix of “White Leather” we find Kiki (BPitch/Crosstown Rebels) stick with the percussive vibe and melody, fattening things up somewhat with a super bass heavy synth riff and stringy pads evocative of classic Carl Craig techno moments.

“Sunrise Over Volta” is a growling, bass heavy workout with hints of Kerri Chandler’s techier moments, tweaking little melodies in and out of the mix, filtering elements to and fro, all the while keeping things simple and focused on the floor. And providing his own interpretation, Hector Murillo, currently providing stellar sounds for the likes of Desolat, Tsuba, 2020 Vision and Mobilee, turns out a groovy as hell remix. Concrete heavy beats shuffle nicely and provide the groove, whilst Hector teases in the original elements for a swinging remix.

"White Leather" EP will be available on 12" vinyl and digital download in December.

Nick Harris - White Leather/Sunrise Over Volta -Kiki/Hector rmxs (NRK171) by nicknrk

New single and album from Ed Davenport

NRK look towards the release of ʻCounterchangeʼ, the debut album from the excellent Ed Davenport and sets the scene with ʻNew Yorkshireʼ, the superb lead single backed with remixes from Fred P and Nick Harris...

Over the past 5 years Ed Davenport has become a name synonymous with quality electronic music. From his recordings for labels such as Poker Flat, Liebe* Detail and NRK to his impressive DJ sets at clubs such as Berghain, Davenportʼs has proved himself an invaluable asset to the scene.

Now the UK born, Berlin based producer is readying himself for the release of his debut long player, ʻCounterchangeʼ, due on NRK in early 2012. As part of the build up, the label is releasing the first single taken from the album, the excellent ʻNew Yorkshireʼ. The artist himself describes the record as being dedicated “to the pioneering sounds of the North, fused with the heavy house beats filtering across the Atlantic from the East Coast” and the choice of New York producer Fred P to perform remix duties, alongside Nick Harris completes this concept.

The release offers 4 great versions of ʻNew Yorkshireʼ including the original club and club dub, these 2 mixes have a typical Davenport mix of heavy analog beats and warm, synth elements, finished off with the distinctive room-filling sound explored in his previous 'More Red Lights' EP.

New Yorkʼs Fred P, a producer whose name is on everyoneʼs lips right now, provides the first of the 2 remixes. For his version of ʻNew Yorkshireʼ he strips things back and delivers a deliciously deep slice of house with a brooding and intense atmosphere, showing exactly why the Soul People man is in such demand right now.

Following in his footsteps, NRK label boss Nick Harris steps up and turns in a brilliant Chicago inspired techno/house fusion mix that is certain to be a highlight for many Djs.

Nestled in the middle of the package is additional track ʻTestamentʼ, a beautifully deep and emotive nine and a half minute recordings that draws on a laid back drum track and bassline and rich pads and piano lines to create a sunrise masterpiece.

This is the first single from Ed Davenportʼs early 2012 debut album ʻCounterchangeʼ and if itʼs anything to go by we may be looking at one of the most exciting electronic albums of the year to come.

Ed Davenport - New Yorkshire EP (NRK170) by nicknrk