DJ Enne - Glockenspiel (Karmaloft Music)

Prolific German house music label Karmaloft Music proudly presents the latest EP from DJ Enne, the prolific DJ, piano player, drummer, and member of Italo-influenced combo Mohear. With an ever-expanding discography including releases and remix work for the likes of Compost, Nang, and Permanent Vacation, DJ Enne has been spreading his fancy fusion of spacey house, subversive disco, and cosmic funk far and wide. This latest EP, titled Glockenspiel, features three cool new original cuts as well as remixes from Tom Appl and DJ Aroma.

The release opens with the pulsing "Glockenspiel", a cut that starts out with understated yet teasing synths before a potent rhythmic loop kicks in. It masterfully builds from there; a rolling bass line plays along with melodic riffs from the eponymous glockenspiel as a mysterious vocoder voice supplies the hook. "Stand Up" follows, showcasing a strong, uplifting house music composition, complete with a catchy, Balearic-style vocal performance and fantastic piano chords. Summer perfection. "Bora Galattica" digs into DJ Enne's Italo-influences, as an ominous synth bass drone leads the track through layers of dusky pads and slinky beats until an arpeggiated keyboard lead takes flight.

Tom Appl is no stranger to followers of Karmaloft Music, and here the Munich-based producer remixes "Glockenspiel" into a dense, progressive-tinged groover. Tom brings the glockenspiel instrument to the forefront, using his driving rhythm section to compliment its melody in a club-ready fashion. On the final track, Berlin's DJ Aroma deftly remixes "In The Beginning", taken from DJ Enne's recent Shades of House album. She adds some very Berlin-esque textures, including dramatic synth washes, a stun-gun bass line, and a vocal tag that's processed and echoed throughout. All in all, Glockenspiel shows DJ and dance floors some of the many flavors in DJ Enne's repertoire … an impressive release.

Prolific German house music label Karmaloft Music proudly presents the latest EP from DJ Enne, the prolific DJ, piano player, drummer, and member of Italo-influenced combo Mohear. With an ever-expanding discography including releases and remix work for the likes of Compost, Nang, and Permanent Vacation, DJ Enne has been spreading his fancy fusion of spacey house, subversive disco, and cosmic funk far and wide. This latest EP, titled Glockenspiel, features three cool new original cuts as well as remixes from Tom Appl and DJ Aroma, each showcasing distinctly modern takes on deep house sounds. An impressive release … give this a spin.

Nick Warren - "Excellent release … great production on all the tracks."
Stacey Pullen- "This is cool."
Hardway Bros (A Love From Outer Space) - "Killer."
Makossa (Makossa & Megablast) - "Great release … one can hear thirty years musical experience in his tracks."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle) - "Another round of cosmic spaced out elegance. DJ Enne is on fire lately!"
Blueshift (French Express / Nurvous Records) - "I'm liking that Tom Appl remix and 'Bora Galattica'."
Mark Mac (The Sounds Collective) - "'Stand Up' is a real floor smasher … top release."
Ken Liu (Headset Recordings / Headset Hi FI) - "Feeling 'Bora Galattica' the most … swirling synthy goodness."
DJ Zach (Subtronic End) - "Beautiful bass line and vocal on 'Glockenspiel', and 'Stand Up' is also impressive. I'll get a lot of play out of all of this."
Sandro Bianchi (Ibiza Sonica) - "All four tracks are awesome!"
Harry Avers (NOICE! / Proton Radio) - "5 out of 5 … but if there was a sixth star, I would choose it. The Tom Appl remix is 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.

DJ Enne - Shades Of House (Karmaloft Music)

Karmaloft Music is pleased to present a new ten track album 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, also, his fourth album: Shades Of House.

A collection of wide ranged house and (classic style) electro tracks with handmade, funky bass lines and soulful, cheerful hooks, Shades Of House was recorded in Enne's home-base of Munich with the sounds pretty much all played by the multi-instrumentalist himself. Opening with "Break Me", the album gets off to a romanticized and arpeggiated Italo disco-ish start, particularly potent in the delayed piano chords and step-it-up bass. Pulsing and tribal, "Congolia" features a foreboding bell and the complex rhythm of African hand drums sounding straight out of the Congo. "Pink Souls" marks a shift as the album's hauntingly cosmic number, full of drama and accented by spoken word. The pitch perfect, lush house of "Song For Kezia" eventually evolves into "Strings Of Life"-like piano ecstasy. A hefty slice of krautrock, "Allein" features German singer Jens Poenitsch with lyrics in his native tongue. These are just some of the highlights … with half the album already accounting for such an array of different styles, experiencing it in full will leave no doubt of Enne's knack for taking on any shade of house he sees fit.

Johnwaynes (Cécille Records / Compost) - "'Song For Krezia' is the one for me … well done!"
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "Quel energy! I love this."
Vanilla Ace (OFF Recordings) - "'C Minor In My House' … that's for me."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Lots of great tracks here . Very very nice sound."
Hardway Bros (A Love From Outer Space) - "'Song For Krezia' is a killer."
DJ Tonka (Tonka Tunes) - "'Congolia' is a sure player! Kinda tribal-meets-Doppelwipper-style tech-house. Me like!"
Aromabar (INFRACom!) - "Funky, deep, old school … on the spot!"
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "Yes, this is a simply superb collection of beats … a real example of how to make 'proper' house music, in all its glory."
Pat Lezizmo (Conya Records) - "Such a nice collection of tunes. 'Song For Kezia' is the highlight for me … great groove and that nice organ melody."
Richard Hardcastle (Solid State / All Out War) - "Distinctive and well-produced vocals in 'Allein' and 'Pink Souls' make those two stand out in a solid lineup … but all tracks very good, indeed."
Mark Mac (The Sounds Collective) - "Retro feel but with a clear and solid production."
Logan Fisher (Haules Baules) - "A versatile and always entertaining album. DJ Enne doesn't put a foot wrong throughout. Great release."

Available now from Beatport, iTunes, and Juno Download

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.