Bes & Meret - Cruising (Karmaloft Music)

Karmaloft Music has enlisted Munich-based production duo Bes & Meret for a bright, summer-ready house single, appropriately titled "Cruising". Bes & Meret joined forces in 2010, and have been making a name for themselves with high class house and lounge productions. Their tracks have appeared on compilation series like Café Del Mar, Buddha Bar, and We Love Ibiza and their DJ sets have moved crowds in venues such as Pacha Munich, Milchbar, and Carpe Diem Beach. Bes & Meret's last Karmaloft single, "My Cocoon", was charted by many dance radio jocks and remains a club staple.

For "Cruising", Bes & Meret capture the warm feeling of driving down a beachside avenue, top down and stereo turned up. With elements of nu-disco and Italo-dance sprinkled over the duo's house finesse, the cut transmits a joyful, light-hearted vibe for the dance floor. A groovy, bending bass line plays with the rhythm while crisp, truncated chords and -- for the song's hook -- a haunting, echoed lead melody grab the listener's attention. It's a solid, feel-good production, suitable for sunrise beach parties and deep, late night club moments alike.

Nick Warren - "A very cool track … support."
Dado Funky Poetz (MC2 / Radio Monte Carlo) - "A great voyage."
Foster (Sub FM) - "Summer vibes … love it."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "Delicious beach house with an uplifting groove … an elegant late night affair with a classic '90s Ibiza sound."
Blueshift (French Express / Nurvous Records) - "Some very cool bass work on this one."
Cherokee (Cherry Global / KISS FM, Australia) - "It's hip and bright … I'll spin it!"
Corbin Dooley (Electric Feel Radio Show) - "A really cool track with a unique arrangement."
Brian Bacchus (Summit Sessions Radio Show) - "There's a beautiful epic-ness and richness to this track that keeps it very interesting."
Tariq Ziyad (New Urban ERA) - "Incredibly infectious … lovely warm summery sounds."
Jean Jérome (Radio FG / Kut 'N' Paste) - "Just one word, guys: excellent!"

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.

DJ Enne - Allein (Karmaloft Music)

Karmaloft Music is pleased to present a new single from DJ Enne, a prolific musician and mastermind of Italo-inspired electro-disco-rock band Mohear. His solo releases have made their way onto labels like Compost and Permanent Vacation, but this comes as no surprise considering his close relationship to the Italian cosmic pioneers Baldelli and Beppe Loda. He spent much of the '80s absorbed in the afro-funky-cosmic-disco sound -- the reoccurring hyphen-bridged music descriptors reflective of his genre-bending tastes -- and his single "Allein" is no exception.

"Allein" is a cover of an original song written by Uli Erdmann from the popular '80s era of Neue Deutsche Welle, a short-lived genre which was the German equivalent to the punk rock and new wave music out of England. Produced alongside the Munich-based Tom Appl (also known as Fruitroom), "Allein" has an appealing Italo flair and features vocals from Jens Poenitsch. The lyrics capture the zeitgeist of the Cold War times, covering the ideas of loneliness, yearning, alienation, and anonymity. The result is a moody and epic onward march of guitars and layered synths. All three of the song's participants also provide their own distinct remixes, joined by the Munich DJ duo of Bes & Meret.

First to the table, Tom Appl only provides minor touches to the track, reworking his own percussive groove and lowering the pitch of the rhythmic guitar into more of a symbiosis with the synths. DJ Enne gives "Allein" a referential class with his lounge-y Piano Mix. Meeting somewhere in the middle, Bes & Meret introduce a piano and synthetic chord progressions in the breakdowns with more of a club pump to the kick and drum programming. Poenitsch & Jakopic give the song a retro spin, taking it back to the kind of synth bass lines and keys that owe everything to the new wave influences of NDW.

All in all DJs will find "Allein" sehr gut.

Tim "Love" Lee (Tummy Touch) - "I'm loving this!"
Johnwaynes (Cécille Records / Compost) - "This is really well produced … I will use the Piano Mix for some special DJ sets. I can feel some Balearic on it!"
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "Dope."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Yes … I love this."
Hardway Bros (A Love From Outer Space) - "This is great."
Markus Schneider (The Robot Scientists / Emerald and Doreen) - "Wonderful '80s new wave gem! I love the synths and vocals, too. Great … I might like it better than the Tabu original from 1982."
Black Mighty Wax (Irma) - "So cosmico!"
Nathan Stewart (The New Black / Whiskey Pickle) - "What a juicy departure from the usual stuff I've been hearing."
DJ Doubles (Freestyle Fusion) - "Nice, diverse approaches … this is fun."
Daniel D (Shake Machine / Discobox) - "Serious grooves … the Poenitsch & Jakopic remix has got me!"
Richard Hardcastle (Solid State / All Out War) - "It's difficult to carry off this sort of cosmic / new wave vibe convincingly unless you're steeped in it and know the canon inside out, We're in safe hands here and you can tell it's the real deal."
Deadbeat Disco Radio Show - "Some cool vibes here. The Tom Appl Mix is great … a wicked combination of '80s feel with a modern deep house vibe."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.

Tom Appl - Downtown (Karmaloft Music)

Karmaloft Music keeps up the summer pace with a new release from Munich-based sound engineer Tom Appl. Tom’s career as a DJ dates back to the early ’90s with the sounds of tech, deep, and melody-infused house music. As a producer he has previously created productions and remixes under the pseudonym Fruitroom. Two originals, “Downtown" and "Klichi,” make up his new effort with remixes from Bes & Meret, Enne, Matthias Freudmann, and Christos Fourkis.

Tom Appl combines old world gipsy style with carnival flair, all adding up with a balearic effect. It’s a blend of guitar plucking, castanets, metallic chimes, and a festive lead organ with folk style vocals delivered as a higher pitched croon. “Klichi” also feels fit for the White Isle, but the growl of its heavily distorted bass and the nerve rattling sensations of its melodic keys lend it a more after-hours appeal. The first to remix “Downtown” are Bes & Meret, two DJs also from Munich whose productions have contributed to some impressive compilations, one such being Café del Mar. They straighten out the track’s groove, providing for more drive. Dresden’s Matthias Freudmann, Munich transplant Enne, and Greek native Christos Fourkis each harden the original around the edges with more club- friendly approaches. Enne, a prolific musician and member of Mohear, with his solo releases finding a home on labels like Compost and Permanent Vacation, is a definitive highlight with a heavy house shuffle on the hats and snare placed over the top of a deep, menacing acid bass line. There’s plenty to choose from on this release for a variety of different nightclub contexts.

Vincent Kwok (Eight-Fifteen / Transport Recordings) - “Great remix from Mathias Freudmann.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Good selection of vibes and solid beats here … I’m really digging the original ‘Downtown’ and the Christos Fourkis remix. ‘Klichi’ is also superb.”
Pete Williams (Natural Rhythm) - “‘Downtown’ has a very unique and infectious sound. My favorite is the Bes & Meret remix.”
Pat Lezizmo (Conya Records) - “‘Klichi’ is just my cup of tea … such a powerful track. Loving it!”
Fine Cut Bodies (Chi Recordings) - “Some nice vibes here.”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “The Mathias Freudmann remix is just slammin’ … the bass knocks you about nicely.”
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences) - “Beautiful and at the same time a pretty twisted release. I must say that Tom Appl has done a very intriguing job on these tracks. Enne’s Garage Remix and then Christos Fourkis’s one are my favorites but I’m quite sure I’d use the other tracks here, too.”
Kosta (Vibe FM, Romania) - “I haven’t heard of Tom Appl previously, but his work comes as a nice surprise. Good remixes, too … the Bes & Meret mix is the cherry on top.”
Mark Mac (The Sounds Collective) - “The Mathias Freudmann remix takes this track track to another level. There’s a great summer feel to this deep, driving stunner. Tune!”
Dado Funky Poetz (Radio Monte Carlo) - “A possible hit!”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.