All Vinyl

Crooked Man - Crooked House

$31.98

Crooked Man - Crooked House

$31.98

The elusive Crooked Man returns to DFA with Crooked House, a maximalist take on electronic and house music that picks up where 2016’s self-titled LP left off. Teaming up again with Michael Somerset Ward (Clock DVA) and David Lewin (Bleep & Booster) in the studio, Richard Barratt crafts a comprehensive journey of hi-fi house belters with more sinister electro-pop mixed in for good measure. The LP is influenced by two historic epicenters of electronic music: Sheffield, UK, where Richard has had an illustrious career in a mix of legendary groups like Funky Worm, Sweet Exorcist, and The All Seeing I; and the NYC Loft-era disco sound, where extended grooves were layered with peak-time choruses.

Richard’s diverse collaborations and intensely prolific discography have now led him to records as lush and sophisticated as Crooked House. Considering the rarity of a live Crooked Man performance or DJ set, it’s a testament to his hyper-creativity that these tracks are able to reach new heights in a club setting. With support from disco historian Bill Brewster and NTS resident Ross Allen (not to mention “Echo Loves Narcissus” being named #1 single of the year by Piccadilly Records in 2017, before it was even properly released), it’s clear that Crooked House brings a timeless vitality to the current landscape of dance music, and continues an exciting new chapter in Crooked Man’s career.

TRACKLIST:
1) Every Killer Needs A Friend
2) Here On Earth
3) Make Up
4) Turnaround
5) Walls
6) Take It All Away
7) Long Time Dead
8) Echo Loves Narcissus
9) Robots

PRE-ORDER - Heavyweight Double Vinyl LP and CD releases October 19, 2018

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Amy Douglas - Never Saw It Coming 12"

$14.98

Amy Douglas - Never Saw It Coming 12"

$14.98

Tracklist:

a1. Never Saw It Coming (Crooked Man Version)
b1. Never Saw It Coming (Original Version)
b2. Never Saw It Coming (Crooked Man Dub)

NYC singer Amy Douglas makes her official DFA debut with “Never Saw It Coming,” a limited release 12” single co-written and produced by Tim Wagner of 33Hz, with two remixes by Sheffield artist Crooked Man.

With a five-octave range and a diverse background in performance, ranging from rock to soul to jazz, Douglas’ voice is the heart of the song, lending heightened drama to the steady mechanical funk of Wagner’s production. The two remixes by DFA artist Crooked Man let the track grow and build slowly with longer, lush arrangements, while his hypnotic dub doubles down on the woozy bassline and has Amy’s vocals echoing out into the ether.

Though this is Douglas’ first release on the label, she is no stranger to the DFA roster. She is the voice behind “Happiness,” the epic closing track on Crooked Man’s self-titled 2016 LP, and also appears on the forthcoming Crooked Man album, due out on DFA this fall. Amy also works with Juan Maclean as one half of Peach Melba, who have released singles on both DFA and Defected / Classic. Crooked Man’s signature maximalist house sound has always been complemented by the support of strong female vocalists, and together the pair take each other’s work to a new level for an impressive collaboration. Rumor has it they’re currently working on more tracks together…

Lots of artists these days aim to ‘reimagine’ the sounds of disco, house, and soul, but Amy Douglas and Crooked Man are creating something all their own that pulls from the best of times past, while also looking decidedly forward.

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Crooked Man Album Bundle

$44.98

LCD Soundsystem - Confuse The Marketplace 12"

$14.98

LAPS - Who Me 12"

$12.98

LAPS - Who Me 12"

$12.98

TRACKLIST:
A1) Who Me?
A2) Who Me? (Duppy Gun Remix)
A3) Who Me? (D. Tiffany & Roza Terenzi Remix)
4) Ladybug

Glasgow duo Ladies As Pimps, a.k.a. LAPS, make their DFA debut with the Who Me? EP. After first meeting each other in an analogue production course run by Green Door Studio several years ago, Lady Two Collars (Golden Teacher) and Sue Zuki (Organs of Love) have now refined their sound and produced one of the most focused and vital club singles to emerge from the Glasgow underground, with their unique and thoroughly danceable fusion of dub, house, and trip-hop.

“Who Me?” asks the question via a French-English narration, anchored by a hard-edged rhythm that assertively struts between percussive triplets and whizzing frequencies. “Ladybug” gets even more dubbed out, with arrangements that unfurl somewhere between Neneh Cherry, ESG, and early Tricky. “Who Me?” caught the ears of everyone from Ben UFO (who hosted LAPS live at XOYO and on Rinse FM) to Rihanna, who featured their music in her Savage x Fenty show at this year’s NYFW.

On remix duties, LA producer M. Geddes Gengras appears under the Duppy Gun alias, chopping the vocal track into a pleasantly disorienting remix. Vancouver-based D. Tiffany (Coastal Haze, Pacific Rhythm) and Melbourne up-and-comer Roza Terenzi collaborate on a stripped-back, high-energy take, while ANY WAYS, a.k.a. Tom Marshallsay (Golden Teacher, General Ludd) rounds out the EP, bringing it back to Glasgow.

“Who Me?” and “Ladybug” were originally released in July 2017 by MIC Records (London, UK). This EP is a co-release between MIC and DFA. Vinyl 12" launches January 25th.

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Eric Copeland - Trogg Modal Vol. 2

from $5

Khidja - In The Middle Of The Night 12"

$12.98

Sinkane Album Bundle

$29.98

Paperclip People / LCD Soundsystem - Throw

$14.98

Edward - Underwater Jams 12"

$14.98

Edward - Underwater Jams 12"

$14.98

TRACKLIST:

A) Mental Dive (14:57)
B The Lagoon (11:35)

On his DFA debut, German experimental techno producer Edward largely departs from the 4/4 grid he frequents and blurs the focus towards a more slippery, improvisational vibe. Fans of his Desert Sky alias, as well as his work reshaping classic tracks by Harmonia & Eno and Rolf Trostel of Tangerine Dream, will be quite pleased with Underwater Jams. These two new songs unfold at their leisure, going off on whizzing, kosmiche-influenced tangents, all the while guided by the hand drums of percussionist Geronimo Dehler. On A-side “The Lagoon,” the freedom of the long-form composition allows Edward to go deeper and more mesmeric, while the restrained stomp of B-side “Mental Dive” allows for an introspective dance floor moment.

Though he’s been releasing music for the past decade, Edward has always been a bit enigmatic, with a majority of his discography only available on vinyl. He remains as prolific as ever – in the last year alone, Edward has toured all over the world, playing esteemed clubs from Berghain to Fabric, and splitting bills with artists like Ricardo Villalobos and Oskar Offermann. His numerous releases on Giegling, Die Orakel, and White demonstrate his penchant for combining the psychedelic and the locked-in groove, but it’s the sprawling sense of adventure that makes this release one of the more idiosyncratic in Edward’s catalog.

Limited heavyweight vinyl with matte finish jacket and picture sleeve, rainbox gradient center label. Ships with bolt stickers.

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Eric Copeland - Hermaphrodite 12"

$14.98

The Juan Maclean - Zone Non Linear 12"

$14.98

The Juan Maclean - The Brighter The Light

from $5

The Juan Maclean - The Brighter The Light

$5.00

album artwork by Bráulio Amado.

1. The Brighter The Light
2. Zone Non Linear
3. You Are My Destiny
4. Get Down (With My Love)
5. Feel Like Movin'
6. Quiet Magician
7. Pressure Danger
8. Can You Ever Really Know Somebody
9. The Brighter The Light

The Juan Maclean return to DFA with a compilation LP of 12-inch singles they’ve amassed over the past six years – re-edited, re-mastered, and ready for fans who may have missed the tracks the first time around. From the dub house sway of 2013’s “You Are My Destiny” to the high-energy stomp of this May’s “Zone Non Linear,” and featuring two never-before-released tracks, “Quiet Magician” and “Pressure Danger,” The Juan Maclean once again justify their longevity as a musical force that is more than capable of repurposing club tracks for every setting.

The Brighter The Light is put together in a way that lends itself to appreciating the sheer banging quality of the songs while simultaneously being able to dance to them in your living room. For example, take “Feel Like Movin,’” which Pitchfork called “gloriously beatific” and “pure DFA gold.” In the new remastered version, the fullness of the keys and the kicks takes over, unfurling across the listener. Deep house rhythms, sparkling synths and a certain spaciousness are what’s emphasized across the record. Gone is the slow-motion melancholy disco from their recent full-lengths – The Brighter The Light is all fierce enthusiasm and dance floor missives, perfect for those who aren’t quite ready to let go of summer.

Juan Maclean is a DJ and producer who has been a mainstay of the New York club scene, as well as maintaining a rigorous international touring schedule, since the release of his first records on DFA in 2002. Vocalist Nancy Whang is his longtime collaborator, best known as a founding member of LCD Soundsystem and a busy touring DJ. Together, the two artists have released an extensive catalogue of 12” singles and full-length albums for DFA, including 2014’s seminal In A Dream LP. The proper follow-up studio album will follow in 2020.

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Shit Robot - Wrong Galaxy 12"

$14.98

Shit Robot - Tuff Enuff? 12"

$14.98

Shit Robot Album Bundle

$44.98

LCD Soundsystem - Yeah 12"

$14.98

Wolfram - Amadeus

$22.98

Wolfram - Amadeus

$22.98

Tracklist:
1) Scirocco
2) Automatic (feat. Peaches)
3) Graffiti In Tehran
4) My Love Is For Real (feat. Haddaway) [Dance Mix]
5) What Is It Like (feat. Pamela Anderson)
6) Rein (feat. Yung Hurn & Egyptian Lover)
7) Put Me In Your Mobile Phone
8) Catalyst
9) My Love Is For Real (feat. Haddaway) [Live At The Cathedral]

Wolfram makes his triumphant return to DFA with Amadeus, a newly refined take on the Euro-disco pop he’s become known for over the past several years. Released by Public Possession overseas, the record takes the spirit of his 2011 debut full-length and focuses it more specifically towards the dance floor, helped as always by a variety of collaborators: Peaches, Haddaway, Egyptian Lover, Yung Hurn, Pamela Anderson, and more. A singular producer and entertainer, but coexisting in many worlds, Wolfram embeds a good sense of humor throughout his music. From the artists he works with, to his distinctively gleaming melodies, as well as his DJ sets at the likes of Robert Johnson, Wilden Renate, and Griessmuehle, Wolfram is a presence like no other.

On Amadeus, Wolfram zeroes in on the most earworm-y aspects of his past work, concentrating it down until we’re left with succinct, dopamine-inducing bangers. Tracks like “Graffiti in Tehran” and “Rein” recall the hi-octane crunch of artists like Daft Punk, while “Automatic” and “My Love Is For Real” both make use of soaring disco piano, taking the listener on a dance floor odyssey. The world he creates is one of high-gloss and high spirits – low brow, high concept with an Italo tinge, creating a unique brand of anthemic futuristic disco. The album begs one to come along for an irresistible ride in a beat-up vintage Ferrari, faux fur-lined bucket seats not included.

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XLNT - High Tide 12"

$14.98

XLNT - High Tide 12"

$14.98

Tracklist:
1) High Tide
2) High Tide (Secret Circuit)
3) High Tide (Dr. Dunks)

Christened High Tide after the sudden rising of the LA River basin during a particularly epic and rare rainfall, this cosmic slop funk jam was born from the minds of Devin Flynn (Pixeltan) and Eddie Ruscha (Secret Circuit), two individuals with a deep connection to Los Angeles tap water sources. While traipsing through the aisles of an Atwater Village bodega, the two mustered up a plan to create a rhythmic piece so delectable as to turn peoples’ heads inside out and pummel the senses with a wobbly Jah Wobble bass sound and a toy drum machine “no toy” style back beat. They figured if they laced it up with enough electronic scuzz, the masses would be sure to want to sip from its nectar.

When DFA got wind, it was all systems go, and from then on, all relevant parties knew that they should sit on the track for at least five years before it was released, otherwise the world at large would not be ready for it. The remixes are by Eddie himself, as Secret Circuit, and Dr. Dunks, AKA Eric Duncan, a fellow Angeleno (at least at heart). Eric and Devin rolled through the streets as small children, shredding curbs and tagging local ice cream trucks, so it was inevitable they would reconnect and jam on High Tide.

Devin Flynn is an animator, musician and teacher who has worked on projects like Gary Panter's web series Pink Donkey and the Fly and MTV2’s Wonder Showzen. He has previously released on DFA with Pixeltan, a trio—Flynn, Hisham Bharoocha of Black Dice, and singer Mika Yoneta—that recorded with The DFA at the label’s inception, creating two seminal singles. Eddie Ruscha is another DFA veteran, having remixed artists including Wolfram and Museum of Love. He has been making music for decades, as Secret Circuit and with a myriad of other aliases and collaborators, in addition to recording under his own name. He has released on labels like Beats in Space and Emotional Response, among others.

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Larry Gus - Subservient

$22.98

Larry Gus - Subservient

$22.98

Tracklist:

1) Total Diseases (Subservience)
2) A Likely Projection
3) Text of Intent
4) Taped Hands Here
5) In This Position
6) Ayler The Pilot
7) The Sun Sections

8) Readers & Authors
9) Classifying A Disease

10) Bare Concrete (Itea 97-09)

Larry Gus (real name Panagiotis Melidis) returns to DFA with Subservient, his fourth release for the label. More pop-oriented than his previous albums, Subservient is a lush combination of “crisis funk pop and trad Mediterranean grooves.” Lyrics sung in Greek and English address Larry’s overwhelming struggles with being a father, husband, artist, and human in 2019. In the artist’s own words, this album is about “trying to understand empathy and act with it on everyday life,” as well as “the imperative of empathy above everything else.”

Subservient is sample-free, a first for Larry, who plays every instrument himself: a drum kit, an SM57 microphone, a guitar, a bass, a TE OP-1 synthesizer, and a Roland JV-1010 synth module. This is fourth-world power pop, as if Alex Chilton was produced by Eno and Hassell. The thoughtful, upbeat arrangements and gentle vocals are spacious and warm, and tend to offset whatever darker tone the lyrics might imply. Larry confronts more acute tensions, such as being a father in Greece during the crisis, and the parallels of a child’s sicknesses and adult ailments, as well as larger, more existential pressures – the grasp of nostalgia, the weight and meaning of making decisions, and the desire to move from hermeticism towards sociability.

The record graciously explores the nuance that can be found within delineated lines: pop and folk music, rooted in Greek tradition; internal anxieties and empathy expressed outward; the tightrope struggle of living in the present and wallowing in the past.

Larry will also be releasing a 7-inch single alongside the album, which features two A-sides, “Kerkis (Judas-Tree)” and “Foreign Steps,” from the same recording sessions as Subservient. The lyrics to “Kerkis (Judas-Tree)” were written by Efthimis Filippou, an award-winning screenwriter known for his work with director Yorgos Lanthimos on films like Dogtooth, The Lobster, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The 7-inch precedes an upcoming audio play, written by Efthimis and scored by Larry, to be produced with the Onassis Stegi (AKA Cultural Center) sometime next year. The audio play will be released on DFA in 2020.

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Essaie pas - Earth 12"

$12.98

Cold Beat - Mother

from $5

Cold Beat - Mother

$5.00

Tracklist:
1) Smoke
2) Prism
3) Paper
4) Pearls
5) Gloves
6) Through
7) Double Sided Mirror
8) Mother
9) Crimes
10) Flat Earth

San Francisco band Cold Beat make their DFA debut with Mother, a collection of ten pop transmissions from Earth, 2020.

Wound tight with an energy that ricochets from one song into the next, Mother was made while frontperson Hannah Lew (formerly of indie trio Grass Widow) was pregnant and considering the chaotic conditions of the world she was bringing a new human into. If we consider Mother an artistic style guide through space and time, the framework Cold Beat provide is overcast by design but focused in execution; locked-in drums and synths with choir-like melodies high above it all.

“I found myself trying to describe our earth to a new human who had never been here,” says Lew. “It was a bleak year to be pregnant, but I was simultaneously filled with so much love and hope at the same time. I remember feeling a sense of wanting to show my whole range of self to this new person I was about to meet. In past albums, I sometimes held my artistic self in an ethereal place, but I found myself wanting to be very much on this earth and grounded during the creation of this record.”

The A-side of Mother presents the facts as we perceive them, while the B-side accelerates into the uncertain. Each of the first five track titles is one evocative word: the synths on “Prism” slide against the motorik guitar riffs and the plaintive saxophone on “Paper” casts the Leonard Cohen-esque melody in a melancholy shadow; “Gloves” is a real mood, all drive. Everything begins to unfurl from there. “Will it be over if there’s no sound?” Lew wonders on album standout “Double Sided Mirror,” and then ruminates, “it won’t be long until you find me in the beyond” on the more upbeat “Crimes.” The early architects of these sonic settings—Eurythmics, The Human League, Depeche Mode—act as touchstones and inspiration.

One of the most prescient things Mother teaches is that existence will not be, and has not ever been, a solitary experience. “It's really the first album where the project felt more like a band,” Lew says. “In a lot of ways, it feels like our first album.” And though four LPs (released on Dark Entries and Lew’s own label Crime On The Moon) precede this one, Mother is Cold Beat at their most concentrated and crystalline. It’s an honest, forgiving, and ultimately optimistic team effort from a band busy being born, re-born and giving life