Various Artists - fortunea 10 (forTunea)

Austrian underground electronic imprint fortunea celebrates four years and ten releases with fortunea 10, a double 12” release featuring an octet of rising producers from the label family. fortunea has been pushing the deeper side of electronic dance music from Viennese and Upper Austrian talent and — as this compilation attests — this scene is thriving and deserving of dance floor attention.

Jon Gravy (Step Back Trax) opens the release with Prescription-influenced “Soul Groove,” followed by Peletronic’s deep, stabby, and appropriately named “Raw Culture.” Klaus Benedek (Piston, TNZBR) hypnotically ramps things up with “The Power Of Sweat” and HANZO (Club Celeste) presents “Veni Vide,” a chuggy late night wonder. The second half begins with “Do It Over” by Alex Kolodziej (Soul Shift, Czak Recordings) which is a funky bass and sax-led number, and is followed by Roman Rauch & Precious K. together as Twinpeaks (Secret Crunch Records, Janefondas) with “Here To Stay”, a track that will delightfully transport the nightclub back in time. LP & Johann Destroy are next with the acidy “Wax Mining,” and Lee Stevens (Luv Shack Records) closes out this top notch compilation with a sunny and chilled deep house tune titled “Magharibi.”

fortunea 10 was mastered by Patrick Pulsinger and the vinyl is limited to 300 copies.

Dutchican Soul (Strictly Rhythm) – “Here To Stay and Magharibi are my favorites here.”
Rise Ashen (Balanced Records) – “Very nice sounds here. Looking forward to absorbing this and spreading to the dancefloor.”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “Very nice release, great tracks here.”
Black Mighty Wax (Irma Records) – “There’s a lot to play here. I’ll be a fan of forTunea from now on.”
Fernando (Redux Records) – “Raw Culture sound very good.”
Pat Lezizmo (Conya Records) – “Great package with real house cuts. I’m digging the Peletronic track a lot.”
Sean-Michael Yoder (Ibiza Voice) – “Nice compilation, cool label.”
Daryl Dee (The Chewb Radio Station) – “Top work guys! What a selection, full support.”
Hober Mallow (Might Reel, Sydney) – “Classy sounds right through. There's a soul and energy to these I really like, and it's hard to find. Thanks for the beautiful music.”
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Show) – “Oh this is just wonderful. Must have been tough narrowing the field down to 8 but what a selection! A job well done and more reason why the fortunea imprint will continue to make big strides.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, Spotify, And Apple Music.

Limited edition 2x12” Vinyl available from: Bandcamp.

Alex Kolodziej - Workaholic (forTunea)

Alex Kolodziej, a German with Polish roots, now firmly based in Vienna, has been one of the most in-demand techno and house DJs in the Austrian capital since the early 2010s. With a limited number of productions released to the public, Alex’s DJ sets have been the main avenue for others to hear his tracks. Now Alex has revealed a crucial three track single for the forTunea label. Leading with “Workaholic”, the release quickly establishes a hallucinatory deep house vibe, thanks to the pulsing bass drone and enigmatic spoken vocal that open the track. Crisp percussion and building melodies develop throughout the dream-like affair without ever losing grasp of the dance floor. “Slacker Attitude” gets into down-and-dirty territory, introducing a throbbing, funky bass line under the cut’s slinky tempo. Strange vocals pop in and out, and various treatments and tone splashes imply a covert operation in progress. Viennese DJ/producer Peletronic (Hungarian Hot Wax, Underluxe Records) provides a spacey remix of “Slacker Attitude” to close the single, showcasing strategically placed sonic hits and flourishes that compliment the steadily reverberating pad and insistent kick drum. Late night satisfaction guaranteed.

Dean Facer (Resident Advisor) – “Very nice indeed!”
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) – “That (Peletronic) late night dub though!”
Tony H (Viva Recordings) – “I really dig the Workaholic track.”
Simon G (Volcano Radio) – “I love Workaholic’s bumping, heavy bass line. Winner!”
Larry Tee (Carnage Music) – “Hot one!”
Makossa (Makossa & Megablast) – “Some solid tracks here.”
Jamie Topham (CD Pool UK) – “Cool production across the whole EP. Peletronic’s Late Night Dub of Slacker Attitude grabbed my attention the most on here though.”
Greg Fenton (Magazine Sixty / DMC Magazine) – “Good Dub by Peletronic.”
Andrew Duke (Andrew Duke in the Mix) – “I’m very impressed with this label.”
DJ Tronic (Dancefloor Mayhem Blog) - “Really like the Late Night Dub. Will play on my radio show.”

Available Now From Beatport, Traxsource, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Peter Czak - Before The Rise (forTunea)

Austria’s forTunea Records unearths deep and driving breaks with Peter Czak’s “Before the Rise” in both digital and vinyl formats. With a nod to elements of Detroit progressive techno and emotive, trance-like synth lines of late ‘90s production, the driving beats of “Before the Rise” build to increasingly syncopated breakbeats. Peletronic remixes the track with moody, percussive dub, while Klaus Benedek’s “Rising Sun Remix” is a heavily rearranged version with sunny congas. Finally, “My Beat” is a layered synth track heavy on drum machine rhythms.

Peter Czak is a DJ, event organizer and producer whose work and interests span genres house, techno, ambient, nu-disco and downtempo. His “Before the Rise” EP will conjure memories of classic Detroit and electronic music’s foundations at the intersection of disco and house music. Give it a spin and be transported through decades of innovation.

Tensnake (Defected) – “Wonderful piece of music. It’s all killer.”
Spettro (Get Physical Music) – “Really nice dreamy vibe. Great drums.”
Blueshift (Nurvous Records) – “Liking the Dubbed Out Mix and My Beat.”
Manuel Sahagun (OFF Recordings) – “Nice work. Klaus Benedek’s remix and My Beat are for me.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Really liking both remixes. Deep goodness!”
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House Zine) – “Some truly delectable deep vibes.”
Dean Facer (Resident Advisor) – “Truly excellent release. I will be supporting this a lot.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Absolutely genius. La crème de la crème.”
Marcia Carr (Mi-Soul Radio) – “It’s all about the original version. A sultry, cosmic, aural delight!”
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Show) – “Wonderful release. Mesmerizing, melodic deep house. Perfect for a late night club, post club downtempo set, or to crank in the car for a long night drive.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Juno Download, Traxsource, And Spotify.