Various Artists Book Of Shadows: Various Spells Vol. 1 (Occultists)

Occultists is a label concept born out of the idea of playing with the polarities of finding the light within the darkness and curating a musical output of techno that has an esoteric flair. After making some noise with the imprint’s freshman release from Dugong, label founder James Demon continued on the hunt for some fresh new artists to officially join the Occultists family. Finding just that, the label is proud to present its sophomore release Book Of Shadows: Various Spells Vol. 1.

Starting off the journey is Adra, an old time friend of James Demon – the two met as young ravers in the underground scene of Las Vegas as teenagers. Though reconnecting in their adult techno lives while based in San Francisco, it was finally when James moved to Berlin that he discovered Adra as a techno producer. Bringing a pure techno approach to her track “Ami”, she adds a special flair that is destined to create magic on the dance floor.

Following Adra is none other than Occultists artist Dugong who made her debut on the label with last year’s well-received Dead Man Rising EP. This time around Dugong shows her diversity as a producer by delivering a techno-friendly track while still being true to herself with her one-of-a-kind voice and songwriting style. The track “Heart Of War” takes the listener on a journey through the world of Dugong while remaining ready for those special moments in the club.

Turning the pages of the book of shadows brings the listener to James Demon, the founder Occultists. Taking inspiration from his favorite horror and sci-fi films James creates a club ready track “Old Magick” that tells a tale from the dark side that is sure to bring out the light within.

In the beginning stages of the label when James was looking for artists that fit the vibe of the occult concept, a friend from Berlin reached out to introduce the next artist, F600. When James heard this music he was immediately sold on his eerie approach to techno and chose the track “CH2=CH2” for this little book of spells.

Rounding out the EP is the only non-techno track on the release, creating a sense of diversity in the line-up of artists. Berlin based duo Zoid^ was discovered by James after meeting artist Ze Royale at one of his events in Berlin. After seeing the unique performance of Zoid^ with production and visuals from Misster Mystery James instantly knew he wanted them to be part of the Occultists concept. Their track “Freak” takes the listener on a journey through an android’s exploration of something or someone strange.

Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) – “Digging the funky, driving ‘Old Magick’ by James Demon.”
Jon Fugler (Fluke / XLNT radio show) – “Some very subtle and hypnotic things occurring here.”
Anri (Tokyo Redlight) – “These tracks are very cool and amazing. I will love playing these in my set.”
DJ Morpheus (Lysergic Factory Radio Show) – “Freak by Zoid^ is excellent!”
Rob Warner (Ibiza Voice) – “Heart Of War is fantastic.”
Iron Curtis (Mule Electronic) – “Old Magick sounds excellent!”
Darrell Stout (Next Level) – “Mind altering and haunting.”
Henderick AKA Thelonious Funk (Thelonious Funk Sessions) – “Very cool EP. I will definitely play these tracks on the show.”
Project Gestalten (ARAAA Records) – “Another consistent release by the label. I loved the first one and this is really great. I love the dark yet danceable approach. Definitely supporting this.”
Tiago Onez (Bane Le’ Dex Radio Show) – “What a wonderful release! Truly wonderful! I LOVE every single track. Fantastic release from the Occultists label.”

Available Now From: Beatport, What People Play, iTunes, And Spotify.

DJ Mix: The Launch of the Occult Rituals Podcast

The sonically esoteric Occultists label has just launched its Occult Rituals Podcast series, aiming to highlight releases and interests of the label and its artists, as well as broadcasting an ever-changing and compelling storyline. Here's how Occultists describes the series and the inaugural episode:

We've decided to start this podcast series to give our artists, remixers, and industry friends a platform to share their musical ritual with us. This gives the artist the freedom to tell their story without genre constraints. The only requirement is that the mix must tell a story of their ritual.

For the first edition Occultists founder James Demon provides his musical ritual featuring tracks from the Dugong - Dead Man Rising EP and his current favorites. Telling a story that ranges from downtempo, house, and techno James wanted to tell a story that was fully true to himself. Always being attracted to the darkness even in his youth, as he began to grow older and recognize his spiritual self he began to toy with the idea of finding the balance between the light and the dark. This is how the concept of Occultists was born, we all must embrace the darkness to find the light. Don't fear it because fear only holds us back. We hope you enjoy it and feel free to share and comment.

Track List:

1. Dead Can Dance - The Host of Seraphim
2. Dugong & Xenoscapes - Weak & Powerless
3. Likeatree & Dugong - The Evil Magician (Mrs. Jekyll Reconstruct Remix)
4. Kat Channel - Hangover Days
5. Marcel Fengler - Jaz
6. Oshana - Anything Is Possible
7. Vex - Vex-1
8. F.eht - Unday Roove (Tasi & Chriss Baker Remix)
9. Adra - Kaitain
10. Prince Of Denmark - OR6145
11. Evigt Mörker - Drömsyn
12. Prince Of Denmark - GS
13. Ness - Hybrid Discovery
14. Luigi Tozzi - Mefite (The Gods Planet Remix)
15. Konstantin Sibold - Mutter
16. Aes Dana - Low Tide Explorations
17. Lifetree & Dugong - The Evil Magician

Three of the tracks found in this mix are taken from the latest Occultists release, Dugong's Dead Man Rising EP. It's available now from Beatport and other digital shops. Listen to a preview:

Dugong - Dead Man Rising EP (Occultists)

“Emerging from the darkness, we found the light, a conscious and spiritual movement of esoteric knowledge and techno music.” The Berlin-based label Occultists proudly presents its first release, the Dead Man Rising EP by Filipino-Swiss-German producer Dugong, who brings us her spiritual exploration of the human experience. The extended digital release includes tracks by Dugong with several collaborations with Xenoscapes, Sweet Anomaly and Likeatree and remixes by Öona Dahl, Alicia Hush, and Mrs. Jekyll, a known techno producer whose identity will remain unrevealed: since the word ‘occultism’ is translated as hidden knowledge, Mrs. Jekyll’s real name will never reach the light of day. The vinyl release also includes a powerful vinyl-only remix by Jamaica Suk.

As the EP’s name and the symbolic artwork may suggest, Dead Man Rising is about understanding the seemingly final or negative events in life from an enlightened angle and perceiving them as something positive with a new hope or a possibility to grow. Death makes a way for life, challenges can be turned into blessings and edifying experiences, and without darkness, there would be no light to be shed into every corner. Dugong’s work calls for reconnecting with the self and the spirit and helps to find the ability to heal and save ourselves through the oldest art form which has been bringing people together: music.

On the EP, Dugong’s music pulsates in the techno heartbeat of the spiritual warriors (“Dead Man Rising”), sways in the downtempo of the warning calls about the danger for the human mind (“Evil Magician”) and contemplates in the deep dreams of our ancestors who could read the stars (“What May Come”). Dugong draws inspiration from various music styles and symbols which she boils together like secret ingredients of a reviving potion. The results are catchy, vital, and miscellaneous tracks full of high sensibility, layered vocals and tribal beats. The remixes are shrouded in a techno haze and have been conjured to unleash Dugong’s spirit on the dance floor.

Three (Hallucienda) – “Excellent originals and exceptional remix translations ... great release.”
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe / Treehouse Muzique) – “Öona has done spectacular work here. Really lovely.”
Nick Warren (Way Out West) – “Öona rocks the place!”
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite) – “Good variety of mixes to choose from here.”
Atish (Desert Hearts) – “Hard to pick a favorite here, but the Mrs. Jekyll and Öona Dahl remixes are really excellent.”
Spettro (Get Physical Music) – “Jamaica Suk remix for me. Great stuff.”
Igor Marijuan (Ibiza Sonica FM) – “Great stuff here. Will be supported at Ibiza Sonica.”
Severino (HorseMeatDisco) – “Great project. I love the Jamaica Suk Remix.”
Dima Studitsky (Compost / Sonar Kollektiv) – “Super Ep. Very very beautiful!”
Jon Wesley (Music Goes On radio show) – “Wow these are all great! I love the deep vibes of What May Come (Oona Dahl Remix). The original of What May Come is beautiful and The Evil Magician is excellent too. I will play those on my show. Thanks. Nice work!”

Available Now From: Beatport, Junodownload, iTunes, And Spotify.