Audiojack & Kevin Knapp - Implications (CRM181)

Long standing collaborators Audiojack & Kevin Knapp join forces with Implications. Their strongest release to date comes equipped with a remix from musical heavyweight Martin Buttrich.

"With each passing year it becomes more apparent to me that Audiojack are my music brothers. We are in the groove with the projects we approach and I get excited every time we start something new together." Kevin Knapp.

Releasing together for the first time on Crosstown Rebels, Audiojack & Kevin Knapp strengthen their position within the electronic scene with Implications. Knapp's vocals are center stage as he sings about experimentation and letting go. Grammy nominee Martin Buttrich delivers a fired up remix with added groove and playful percussion that flips the mood of the track.

The final production on the release, 6EQUJ5, was inspired by the alphanumeric sequence also known as the wow signal; a radio signal received by astronomers in 1977. "That had all the expected hallmarks of alien communication" Audiojack explains. "The track imagines travelling trough space at unimaginable speeds and the things you might encounter along the way'.

Fresh off the back from his release on sister label Rebellion, Kevin Knapp returns to the Crosstown family and continues to carve out his own sound. Founders of Gruuv, Audiojack have released on some of the biggest labels whilst recording their first BBC Essential Mix in 2016.

Tracklist:
1. Implications
2. Implications (Martin Buttrich Remix)
3. 6EQUJ5

Released: 26/05/2017
Cat#: CRM181
Distribution: Above Board

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Paris Green - You Got To Try (RBL044)

Amsterdam duo Paris Green, the unlikely partnership of DJ & producer Mitchel Kelly and jazz musician Thijs Bastiaans, make big impressions for their debut release on Crosstown sister label Rebellion with Poker Flat boss Steve Bug in for remix duty.

The deep and brooding You Got To Try, discovered by Kölsch in his BBC Radio 1 residency, was created during a jamming session with cohort David Stolk on vocals, singing about loosing sight of dreams due to other people's expectations.

"Day in, day out we are confronted with the expectations of others while we dream of our own future. Negative incentives haunt us upon our dreams at night. You can let others belittle you until there's nothing left of you. Are you gonna let that happen? Or are you willing to fight for yourself?" - Paris Green.

Ghost  is a dancefloor track that builds around highly manipulated electric piano keys. Fused with jazz harmonies, exotic sounds and crossing-rhythms, the whole track builds to a climax, taking the listener on a deep^emotional trip.

German mainstay Steve Bug steps up to the mark with his enriching Sunrise Mix of You Got To Try . In equal measure he delivers a smooth and hypnotic Club Dub  primed for the dancefloor. recently Steve made a welcome return to his 10-year-dormant Traffic Signs alias, began a vinyl-only project with Clé entitled Apes Go Bananas and also a Wax Only series on Poker Flat. He has also released on the label arm of famed Paris club Rex and started an event series called PLAY. After so long in business, it is a testament to Steve's unwavering vision that he and Poker Flat remain at the cutting edge of dance music.

Tracklist:

1. You Got To Try

2. Ghost

3. You Got To Try (Steve Bug Sunrise Mix)

4. You Got To Try (Steve Bug Club Dub)

Released: 19/05/2017

Cat#: RBL044

Distribution: Above Board

  

LINK TO THE TRACKS

Lee Van Dowski - Tale Of Ordinary Madness EP (CRM180)

Lee Van Dowski makes his debut on the mighty Crosstown Rebels with three delectably dark soundscapes in the Tale Of Ordinary Madness EP.

The talented producer delivered a stunning EP for Crosstown sub-label Rebellion back in 2015 and this follow up exceeds all expectations. The title track is based on atext from Charles Bukowski's My Madness. Opening with brooding intensity it evolves with haunting synths and subtle acid laced over a pitched down male vocal. On the flip The Great Escape and Rapidplatz follow suit and advancing with dark, hypnotic layers.

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?. Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams - this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness - and maddest of all : to see life as it is and not as it should be".

French born and Zurich based Lee Van Dowski has toured the world many times over, as party of Luciano's Vagabundos troupe and as an individual artist. His impressive discography covers labels including Wagon Repair, Cocoon, Suara, Soma, Rekids, BPitch Control, Ilian, Tape and Mobilee. This year shows no signs of slowing down with a release for Nicole Moudaber's MOOD followed by this heavy-weight release for Crosstown Rebels.

Tracklist:

1. Tale Of Ordinary Madness

2. The Great Escape

3. Rapidplatz

Released: 12/05/2017

Cat#: CRM180

Distribution: Above Board

LINK TO THE TRACKS

Ost & Kjex Feat. Mung - Dirty Mind (CRM179)

Norwegian duo Ost & Kjex make a welcomed return to Crosstown Rebels with a heady club cover of Prince's Dirty Mind. Ninja Tune's Seven Davis Jr. and German producer Basti Grub step up to remix with stellar results.

After label boss Damian Lazarus asked why they hadn't sent any new music lately, talented pair Ost & Kjex made it their mission to make a new release for Crosstown after 8 years. Delivering the goods, Dirty Mind is a minimalistic bomb with pulsating beats and soaring synths that lead you deep into the night.

"Our version of 'Dirty Mind' features our friend Mr Mung from Mungolian Jet Set on vocals and we couldn't be happier with our return release. The second track 'Movie Box' started of by using sounds from old 80s VHS machines, a sound design affair which turned out to be more melodic and trippy." Ost & Kjex.

Ost & Kjex are responsible for the huge Crosstown releases How Not To Be A Biscuit and anthem Summertime with Jamie Jones. The duo have been releasing music for over a decade with two albums under their belt and notable releases on Solomun's Diynamic amongst others.

Best known for his releases on Ninja Tune, Seven Davis Jr. is a trained gospel vocalist, raised on the classic vocal sounds of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Prince. A fitting remixer for this cover, he delivers a sleazy cut with an intoxicating bassline. Recognized for releases on the likes of Cocoon and Desolat, Basti Grub also makes his first appearance on Crosstown. For his remix he serves up an intricate slice techno for the big room with hypnotic layers.

Tracklist:

1. Dirty Mind

2. Movie Box

3. Dirty Mind (Seven Davis Jr. 'Doves' Remix)

4. Dirty Mind (Basti Grub Remix)

Released: 28/04/2017

Cat#: CRM179

Distribution: Above Board

LINK TO THE TRACKS