Our new limited ‘We, Meggy’ Longsleeve is out now.
Designed by Meggy.
Get it in black or white in our online shop 

Listen to the new Suol Radio Show mixed by our friend Lovebirds.

65 minutes of funky Disco and House

Suol and the Gang go Hip Hop.
We take you back to our roots with this all day jam at Ritter Butzke’s open air yard on the 4th of September. The Block Party will be for free – but not for nothing. Food Truck, smooth venue, the very best of Hip Hop, Soul and Disco and much more are on the program.

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We are delighted to announce the official release of Till Von Sein’s new EP “Blacker Than Ever”.

Beatport: http://tinyurl.com/blacker-than-ever-beatport
iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/blacker-than-ever-itunes

We are excited to announce the release of our fourth, annual summer compilation. The Suol Summer Daze 2016 is out on all platforms now!

Get it here:
iTunes: http://apple.co/28JoRSu
Beatport: http://btprt.dj/28QjIZY
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/28SeEV3

We are excited to announce that Larse’s debut EP ‘On Canvas Pt. 1’ is out on all platforms now! You can get it here:
Traxsource: http://bit.ly/22i6ysK
iTunes: http://apple.co/1TtM51Z
Beatport: http://btprt.dj/1U4A4M8

Listen here:
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1sENU2e
Deezer: http://bit.ly/1WGdpw7

We had a terrific time at the Suol Showcase at Bloc in Barcelona and had to share the vibes with you.

Chopstick & Johnjon’s EP Closer is out now! It comes with 4 new Tracks featuring Slow Hands, Chris James & Larissa Kapp.

Get it here:

http://apple.co/1LOhnIg

http://btprt.dj/1lne7P7

We had a marvelous time at our Suol x DOC Label-Showcase @ ADE this year! Take a look at this fine recap video we put together for you:

Till Von Sein’s Precious Remixes is out now and comes with 5 brand new remixes! Check out these teasers for each track below and get the EP here:

iTunes: http://apple.co/1Myzsei

Beatport: http://btprt.dj/1M0KOxi

We are excited to announce that Tender Game’s new EP ‘Notion’ is out on all platforms now! You can get it here:

iTunes (incl. exclusive Bonus Track)
Beatport

Want to dig deeper into the creative process behind the tracks of the EP? In the video below the guys from Tender Games explain how the EP came together and let you in on the stories behind the tracks:

Nearly one year after releasing his last original record, Larse returns with a tropical tune that turned out to be a secret weapon in his sets around summer! Check out the track in full below.

We had a great time with all of you who came out to celebrate our Suol Open Air on a very special Sunday! For those who missed it, here is a compilation of a few of our favorite moments:

Our Artist Till Von Sein is on #5 in Traxsource’s “Top 20 Deep House Artists of 2015”-List. Congratulations!

http://news.traxsource.com/articles/1953/top-20-deep-house-artists-of-2015-so-far

Our friends from BE-AT.TV recorded the sets of our artists at the Suol Open Air last Sunday – in case you missed it.

Check them out here: http://www.be-at.tv/brands/neue-heimat/suol-open-air-2015

Dear friends,

Suol is hosting an Open Air this Sunday, August 23rd!
The sound will be guaranteed top notch as well as the weather (Yes… we spoke with the weather gods and they assured us sun!)

Check out further information and RSVP to the event here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/144842145850895/
Resident Advisor: http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?742886

While in Barcelona for the Suol showcase at La Terrrazza, Meggy stepped up her sneaker game at Limiteditions and 24 KILATES.

See it here

Get it here

Read on here for Tills Interview for “Das Filter”.

And don’t miss to listen to his “Bedroom Magic” Podcast.

Finally it’s here: Till von Seins new LP “Precious”

Get your copy at iTunes!

Pre-Order Precious at iTunes.

Suol X Fun Time Apparel – Spring / Summer Line 2015
Watch the behind the scene video!

Hand packed in Berlin. Ready to be delivered!

First look on the new Suol Lookbook.

First look on the new Suol Lookbook!

Listen to our latest Radio Show by Tender Games

Listen to Tills new mix for Deep House Amsterdam

Listen to Chopstick & Johnjons favorites!
Including Tracks from Till von Sein, Adam Port, Martin Iveson and more.
Get them here: https://pro.beatport.com/chart/gone-fishing/347490

Get it here:

iTunes Single:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/booty-angel-feat.-kid-enigma/id981479028

Beatport Single:
http://pro.beatport.com/release/booty-angel/1501230

Pre Order Tills upcoming Album “Precious” on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/precious/id985549397

“Booty Angel” arrived in our office!
Release day is tomorrow. Whoop Whoop!

Listen here to the next premiere of Tills upcoming Single “Booty Angel” remixed by Jimpster.
–
Premiere of Johnjohns Remix from Till von TILL VON SEINs upcoming Single “Booty Angel” feat. Enigma on SlothBoogie! Release Date is in less than 10 Days.

Click here to listen to Johnjons Remix:

After collecting heaps of praise for their album ‘Twelve’, released last year, Suol’s head  hon­chos Chopstick & Johnjon are back with a brand new EP. Many listeners were especially fond of the way the duo were able to combine great songs with club appeal on their LP, and this rare ability is certainly in full effect once more here in the form of four fresh original tracks.
‘Oh Mama’ is definitely sure-fire club material. Instrumental, except for an echoing looped vocal sample, the track builds and builds, capturing the energy of a Minimoog jam and channelling it into pure dance floor bliss as sweet harmonies and lofty hi-hats float over a monster of a groove.
With New York City’s Ryan Cavanagh aka Slow Hands providing the vocals, ‘Catamount’ is another great example of how these two seemingly effortlessly manage to incorporate classy songwriting into a club track. This eight-minute journey transports the hypnotic elation of some of the pioneering house anthems of the late eighties and early nineties straight into the sound of today.
Quickly after first working with Chris James, Chopstick & Johnjon scrapped their original idea of working with a long list of guest vocalists on ‘Twelve’ and instead featured the British sin­ger not only on the single ‘Pining Moon‘, but on all of the album tracks but one. In ‘Skin’, Chris’ vocals again flow perfectly between C&J’s trademark harmonic synth stabs, accompanied by acoustic guitars and an electric bass, all expertly held together by a light but delight­fully bouncy house beat. Regular listeners will know that Chopstick & Johnjon always like to show another side of their sound with the last track on their EPs. And this time it is a little gem called ‘Track Of Time’ featuring Larissa Kapp, whose lush vocals sit beautifully on what is almost a ballad – a ballad with a huge 808 that is.

Chopstick & Johnjon call it ‘Harmony Rave’, what do you call it?

iTunes  Beatport 

iTunes  Beatport 

Chopstick & Johnjon’s Berlin based Suol label follow up their balmy Summer Daze collection with an equally warming EP from label stalwarts Ulrich Harrison and Marlon Hoffstadt a.k.a Tender Games. Having had a busy summer including live shows at a slew of international festivals the artful pair offer up their ‘Notion’ EP: a 4 track collection of gently ambling rhythms and heart-rending melodicism.

Relating to themes of love, selfishness and disconnection – the title track kicks things off. A cyclical guitar motif paves the way for a buoyant thud and syncopated shuffles before a gently flexing synth pattern emerges. Swooning and snaring vocals are spread and reverberated before ‘Walking On’ is formed upon a theme of altruism. Purring organ tones and patterning tambourines interweave ahead of an arresting Rhodes motif before urgency is added through the injection of layered synths and additive percussion.

‘Collided’ – Tender Games’ collaboration with vocalist Mulay then sets grooving, scuzzy drums under a rich and sultry croon. Warped synth lines and skipping, off-grid hat patterns push progress forwards in a song about instant and impulsive connection. ‘Nimbus’ then blooms gradually behind stuttering synth tones and soft, allaying chord changes. A darting and purposeful groove drives in from underneath before flickering melodies dart in to cap off another fine addition to Suol’s ever-evolving catalogue.

iTunes  Beatport 

“One Of These Days” is the 3rd single from Fritz Kalkbrenner’s latest Album “Ways Over Water”, released in October 2014 on the Berlin Electronic Music Label SUOL.

Permeated by his ever-present charisma, the track is an immediately arresting soulful groove laced with his unmistakable vocal style. It provides the perfect foil for the atmospheric and visually striking video, shot in a SouthAfrican town.

Viral phenomenon LCAW- from the GOMMA camp and named “Best upcoming DJ” by Musikexpress- has remixed the track to predictably thrilling effect with other remixes from the quickly rising Swiss duo Fat Sushi and an outstanding progressive techno interpretation from Berlin based newcomer Franz Alice Stern. 

iTunes  Beatport  Amazon 

Berlin based imprint Suol follow up a slew of releases from Till Von Sein, Fritz Kalkbrenner and Meggy with the third installment in their annual Summer Daze series.
In keeping with the first two installments, number 3 is a bountiful collection of shimmering melodies, lucent pads and sunlight grooves primed for the changing of the seasons.
Curated by label heads Chopstick & Johnjon, Summer Daze 2015 is a compilation of 17 exclusive and previously unreleased tracks from Suol cohort members Larse, Jimpster, PBR Streetgang, Smash TV, Tender Games, Fritz Kalkbrenner, Chopstick & Johnjon, Meggy and many more.
Spanning from the infectious organ stabs of Tuff City Kids’ ‘Murphy’s Lawyer’ to the grand, interweaving pads of Paskal & Urban Absoloutes’ ‘June’ ­ and from the sultry, percolating synths of Johnjon’s ‘Just Fine’ to the tight, no­nonsense groove of Till Von Sein’s ‘Da House Jam’ ­ this comes together as a rich and varied package that is set to soundtrack those indelible summer memories spent by the pool, on the beach and in the club.

iTunes  Beatport  Amazon 

How did the myth surrounding the proverbi- al ‘difficult second album’ come about? And who first started the rumour that you have
a lifetime to finish the first album, but two years at most for the second? It’s likely that all these platitudes simply got churned out of the cliché machine at some stage, but the fact remains: They are out there and they some- times make life tough for musicians.
But not for Till von Sein. He simply ap- proached the dictatorship of the schedule with a shoulder shrug; stress rolled off him like water off a duck’s back, and he released
his second album a good three years after
his début work #LTD. But isn’t Tilly the guy whose tour schedules barely leave any cor- ner of the earth untouched? That’s right. In reality, those three years were compressed into a time frame during which other artists on the scene manage to put out a few EPs and remixes at most. More importantly, von Sein’s Precious is not merely a follow-up,
it’s not just material for the next few years’ worth of tours: von Sein has re-calibrated himself, re-assessed his approach to creating an album cycle. He summed up his approach to recording this release with unambiguous brevity: “I wanted the album to get to the point.” While its predecessor could be de- scribed as performing a loyal service to the functional aspects of House, the tracks on this album dance to the ever-changing tune
of their author. Precious effortlessly does its name justice, forming a collection of interpre- tations of all the musical treasures that have left the deepest impression on von Sein as an artist. The album shifts between House, R’n’B and soul-inflected pop, stylishly connecting the most remote bpms and succeeding, where many others have failed, in combining dance- floor compatibility with a touch of songwriter
inspiration and even airplayability.
Following the intro, in which guest artist Lazarus seems touched by the spirit of Gil Scott-Heron, the first song on the album transports the essence of the latest TvS sound directly to your hips. Booty Angel feat. Kid Enigma simply oozes sex appeal, unzip- ping our inhibitions with its almost x-rated tongue-in-cheek swagger, its suggestive claps underscoring the sitting apparatus celebrated on this track, while its piano break paves the way for the musicality that infuses the entire album.
What follows is the disarming disco vibe
of It’s all in the Spirits and No Luxury, a dub-tinged track that continues the organic songwriting approach and opens up sensual reverberating voids that are adequately filled out by the vocal talents of The Black 80s. Young Again is probably the closest the album gets to outright R’n’B, with a call-and- response motif by featured artists Diamond Setter & Maria Leonard that is pure goose- bump material.
Another highlight is the axiomatic The Man- ifest, featuring none other than Mr. V, who vocally kneels at the altar of House, creat-
ing a hymnic monument to the genre for the ages. The track is nothing less than a mani- festation of the groove mantra, embodying a depth of feeling that made House an ageless, rock-solid musical entity over the last thirty years. “Some people say it was a guy called Jack who started this, but I don’t think so. It could’ve been Jack or Jill, that’s up to you.” When Mr. V addresses the genre that is his
life’s passion, House becomes a goddess, the embodiment of the feminine principle. That’s something that needed to be said.
Further tracks include the impassioned jam Like Air, graced by von Sein’s ‘Suolmate’ Meggy, and Electric Love, again featuring Di- amon Setter & Maria Leonard, which seems like a peaceful interlude, easing along at a leisurely 67 bpm.
Every single track is a jewel in its own right – but taken as a whole album, Precious be- comes a treasure trove of the highest order. Has there ever been a German artist capable of creating a comparable sound? I don’t think so. But that’s incidental: What counts is that Precious is a timeless gem, proving again that Till von Sein is one of the few DJ/producers with an unmistakeable musical vision – and with the talent to translate that into his work.

iTunes  Beatport  Amazon  Decks 

Berlin DJ, producer and vocalist Meggy starts a new series of split 12”s on SUOL, teaming up with some of her favourite artists to create four new musical gems. The first release features collabs with Sonar Kollektiv’s Paskal & Urban Absolutes, Vitalik boss Soulade, DIRTYBIRD’s Ardalan and Delsin associate Erdbeerschnitzel.

Our SUOL sister Meggy is a revered and creative talent who has lent her gorgeous vocals to tracks from Till von Sein, Rampa and Re.You for Cocoon, Defected and, of course, Suol. As such she’s featured on many club hits and saw her own release, Hide 4 Love, also shine back in 2013.

We, Meggy opens opens with Doin’ Your Thing, her collab with Vitalik boss and Ibiza based DJ and producer Soulade. A steely cut with a gritty techno groove. Booming claps and hits, a prying bassline and shimmering synths come on like a late afternoon heatwave, on a track that is kinetic and engaging on every level.

Keeping the heat, Meggy teams up with our Persian brother Ardalan on Space Pishi, a bumping, deeply groovy, mid tempo house cut with tight drums and alluring vocal ad libs from the hostess. This seductive, smooth and loose sounding jam is perfect for warming the floor.

Baby Love sees Meggy working with long time collaborators Paskal & Urban Absolutes. Together they deliver a heartbreaking end-of-night vibe with their sombre yet uplifting chords and delicate drums work. It’s an intimate track that brilliantly showcases Meggy’s vocals, delivered in sensitive and rueful fashion.

Closing the release is the Erdbeerschnitzel collab Pressure. A track very much in the refreshing experimental vein of his work on Delsin. His spacious arrangement, crawling drums and swathes of reverb all create a huge chamber in which Meggy’s voice drifts and floats with a romantic sense of Sunday afternoon soul.

With the release of „Ways Over Water“ Fritz Kalkbrenner brought us his musically rich third studio album in October 2014. For 2015 Fritz Kalkbrenner is not only touring Europe extensively – he has also a brand new single ready for his fans and listeners. “Void“ which will be available on his Berlin homebase label „Suol“ in January 2015 continues where “Back Home“ ended.

The new single with a very strong chorus based on well made lyrics sits perfectly on that almost classic Deephouse Beat. You find all those charismatic, emotional and sometimes melancholic moments in here which are Fritz Kalkbrenner’s well received trademark elements.

“Void“ comes with a strong Remix package covering various musical directions and styles. The Baron Dafoe Remix uses a strong UK sounding piano backing track which makes totally sense with Fritz singing on top of it in fine form.

The brazilian legend Gui Boratto delivers a filteresque House Remix with a stomping beat working perfectly with the song. German Dj/Producer Andre Hommen hailing from Dennis Ferrer’s Objektivity camp creates a great minimal driven atmosphere with his remix leading the vocal to a great big room moment with additional chords and synthpatterns. On top the german newcomer Talul delivers a fine piece of progressive house rework to round up a great bundle of Remixes which also contains various dub mixes.

Beatport 

After being premiered by Annie Mac, as well as receiving love all around, ‘Lost’ was bound to become the second single of Tender Games’ self-titled debut album. While their debut single ‘In A Mess’ was more on the experimental side, the duo presents its soulful side on this cut. Starting off with the signature rhodes alongside a soothing first verse, the song transforms into a sexy, highly danceable piece really quick after the first drop.

To top this release, the boys recruited some serious remixers again. The first one is Ben Pearce, who on his remixes showcases his ability to entirely transform a track. He brings Summer back with his playful use of Marimbas and makes the track more clubby by increasing the pace significantly.

The other remix comes from Chopstick & Johnjon. After a busy year with a series of great releases and remixes, the Suol heads show, yet again, their deeper side. Their nterpretation is a real club track, with a deep and drifting bassline, plucky synths and groovy percussions – perfectly fitting to dance off Winter in those long Berlin club nights.

Beatport 

You can rely on Fritz Kalkbrenner. While his fellow producers and DJs wear themselves out with demanding tour schedules that leave them with no energy for the studio, Kalkbrenner unfailingly releases a new album every two years. And instead of resting on his laurels, he refines his sound through every album, takes risks and impresses us again with his vocal and production skills. Hence the excitement about his eagerly awaited new album.

“Ways Over Water” is the name of the new, third studio album, and it shows us once again why Fritz Kalkbrenner is one of Germany’s most original electronic music artists. Like it’s predecessors, “Ways Over Water” was produced in the Suol-Studios in Kreuzberg and follows the musical direction Fritz Kalkbrenner started with his debut single “Wingman” in 2009. The well made production of “Ways Over Water” sounds even fuller and more at ease with itself than anything that Suol’s Soul-Boy Number 1 has produced to date.

The instrumentation has been expanded with great brass elements to that both surprise you or give you goosebumps. Otherwise Fritz Kalkbrenner stays with the formula that made his previous albums so special – dusty, distorted drums, licks on Rhodes piano or guitars, and his very typical melodic bass lines within those strong electronic music tracks. Very present again is his unique voice that turns tracks like “Heart Of The City”, “One Of These Days” and “Void” into anthems, the vocal taking centre space even more than before.

If the step between his 2010 debut album “Here Today Gone Tomorrow” and “Sick Travellin’” was interpreted as a big one, then “Ways Over Water” sounds more like the work of someone who has found his sound and has gone to work on the details, certainly something that makes this album come across as more mature than it’s forerunners without sounding boring or uninspired.

Clubby instrumental tracks alternate perfectly with electronic pop songs based on classic songwriting driven by his unique voice like with the two singles “Back Home” and “Void”. After the first two tracks it becomes clear that he has developed his sound into his own sonic universe which doesn’t stick to but transcends genres like House, Techno or Pop.

One of the most surprising track on the album is “Front Of The World” with it’s afro- beat groove and mellow-soul brass parts, a track that once more proves Fritz Kalkbrenner’s versatility. A versatility that through the disco funk of “Pass The Buck”, the hypnotic house ecstasy of “Pitch Perfect” and the radio-friendly catchiness of “The Sun”, makes for a coherent and perfectly infectious album.

iTunes  Amazon  Decks 

Double the trouble and you’ll triple the fun – after the end of Trickski earlier this year, Yannick Labbé decided to make a record together with one of his favourite upcoming producers: Dominik Marz. The result: the 3-tracker „Out Of The Other Side EP“ on Suol.

„Out Of This Cage“ is a prime slice of leftfield house music featuring the quirky vocals of Nils Corssen (which some might know from his collab on Daniel Bortz’ album).

„Other Side“ carries you off to the, erm, well … other side of house music – dreamy, melodic, it’s everything you need for the very early or very late party-moments. The Rampue remix of „Out Of This Cage“ finally injects some techno flavour into the whole package while integrating Corssen’s vocals even more than the original cut – made for the dancefloor, made of melodies.

Beatport 

First album single out now!

Back Home – the first piece of Fritz`upcoming album “Ways Over Water” (Release Date 17.10.2014) is available in stores now already!

With “Back Home”, Fritz delivers the almost perfect pop song. The variety of sounds with wind instruments and guitars show, which development he has taken on the way to his new long player.

iTunes 

The Berlin based imprint returns with the second installment of its Summer Daze series, bringing a fine array of sun-dappled grooves and melodies.

Carefully curated by label bosses Chopstick & Johnjon, the compilation offers a wide variety of music from across the spectrum, with all but one of the tracks being exclusively released through Suol. It’s designed to soundtrack everything from the warm up pool parties to the peak time club moments – via a beach or two on the way.

Not only have they managed to cram all members of the tightlyknight Suol crew under one roof, but Chopstick & Johnjon have also bucked the label’s usual trend and included music from outside its usual roster, including a hand-picked array of guest producers, close friends of the label and young upcoming talent.

“Suol always felt like summer to us,” said Chopstick & Johnjon, “so we decided to inspire our friends and family to produce exclusive tracks just for the sunny season. And there we had it, Suol Summer Daze was born!”

This compilation comes in both mixed and unmixed formats.

iTunes  Beatport 

Tender Games is the brand new project between BBC Radio 1 Future Star Marlon Hoffstadt and HRRSN, head of the Berlin-based Well Done! imprint. Both established producers in their own right, they’ve shifted their sonic-palette away from house-based sounds to create an LP that has all the makings of a future soul classic.

Oozing with rich harmonies and warm grooves, the Tender Games sound is much more indebted to the UK club scene than to the darker, heavier timbres their hometown Berlin is associated with. By deliberately going against the city’s status-quo of technoid bleeps-and-squeaks, this album represents not just an artistic expression but a mission statement of sorts.

The duo’s disparate influences have come together to create a distinctive new sound; the 20 yearold Hoffstadt’s house leanings are prominent, whilst HRRSN has drawn from garage, blues and even folk. The album came together over the space of a year or so in the enviably decked-out studio of fellow Suolmates Chopstick & Johnjon, and features a wealth of guest vocalists and live instrumentation courtesy of HRRSN. The finished result is one which sounds lush, organic, and most of all, fresh.

Your Perception’ makes album’s cultural alignments quite clear, kicking things off with a classic British 2-step garage beat, vocal chops and a searing synth lead which sets the tone for the rest of the LP. In ‘Lost’, the listener is eased in with a delicate Rhodes motifs, before breaking into HRRSN’s soulful croon in its majestic glory for the first time.

‘Make Believe’ ups the tempo with inspiring vocal performances from Yvy Coe and Stee Downes, the latter of which is better known as the voice behind Lovebirds’ now seminal underground classic ‘Want You In My Soul’. ‘Want It All’s bumping house beat takes things out of the lounge and firmly into dancefloor territory, with New Jersey chord stabs and swung garage drums. After reaching a steadily controlled crescendo, ‘In Her Bed’ slams on the brakes for an unexpected, all-out blues ballad, complete with a delicately smoky vocal performance from Miss NatNat.

The stripped-back bedtime lull of the album’s opening single ‘In A Mess’ again features HRRSN’s haunting vocal performance, along with twinkling, lustrous Rhodes piano chords and warm bassline.

‘City Lights’ carries itself with a spacious lope and hot-blooded sensual swagger, with impassioned lyrical content which makes for heady listening. The album is rounded off by the whomping bass of ‘Freak In The Sheets’, underpinned by the vocal talents of Forrest who is known for his previous excursions on Visionquest, 2020Visions and Mobilee.

All in all, whilst comparisons to the likes of Disclosure and their ilk may be expected, the myriad of different styles touched upon in Distinctions demonstrate a versatility that gives Tender Games a sound all of their own. And when the music is this good, who could help but excited?

iTunes  Beatport 

Suol label bosses Chopstick & Johnjon return with the second single from their recent LP “Twelve”. The album’s opener, “Run Slowly” is an intensely soulful track which bridges the gap between electronic and acoustic instrumentation. Densely layered guitar and string harmonics dovetail alongside Chris James’ mournful vocals to create a rich emotional listening experience, but without sacrificing dancefloor potential.

André Lodemann’s less-is-more interpretation retains the melodic elements but injects it with space by weaving it out across nine minutes into a carefully controlled crescendo of muted harmonies.

Few Nolder’s slightly harder interpretation has a tougher bassline and brittle synth stabs, but melts away into a delicately beautiful breakdown, retaining the bittersweet strings and vocals of the original.

Rounding off the EP is Quarion’s remix, a late night excursion which comprises primarily of an ominous arpeggiated synth and muffled chords. Leaving the vocals fully intact, it makes for heady and intoxicating listening.

Beatport  Decks 

After announcing themselves to the world in late 2013 with the ‘Plastic Surgery’ EP, the secretive Berliner duo return to Suol for their second outing. Once again showcasing their deep, harmonious yet accessible sound, this release is the first to be taken from their debut LP dropping later in the summer.

Those who enjoyed ‘Plastic Surgery’ will feel right at home here, with its familiarly haunting vocal performance and twinkling, lustrous chords. The song progresses with a subtle, warm bassline and Rhodes piano, whilst halfstep drum patterns which give the tune a pleasant spacious lope, allowing plenty of room to let the harmonies shine through.

Kasper Bjorke’s propulsive rework wisely leaves the song structure largely untouched, opting instead to knead it out to twice its original length and underpin it with a buoyant 4×4 drum pattern. Dale Howard takes the exact opposite route, stripping the track of any melodic glossiness, and replacing it with one of his trademark thunderous basslines and raw drums that’ll go down a storm on the dancefloor.

iTunes  Beatport  Decks 

Daniel Bortz isn’t a big fan of reckless experiments. A fact that makes this new release even more remarkable: he’s breaking his own rule of not having his own tracks remixed.

Needless to say, he didn’t just pick anyone to get this job done. His choice fell on some highly esteemed friends and colleagues, resulting in a quite remarkable package.

On A1 Acid Pauli and Nu give us their interpretation of “The Misery”, using Nils Corßen’s voice as a hook lead element, never losing the melancholy vibe of the original and still putting it into a rather dancefloor-compatible context.

On A2, Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer team up, delivering a driving Tuff City Kids version of “Pictures”.

For the flip Daniel put his own hands on “Monkey Biznizz” again for a 12”-Club Version, while Bostro Pesopeo from Permanent Vacation showcases his rework on the album’s bonus track “Too Late”.

Beatport  Decks 

Good things take time. For listeners out there who still need convincing, quality time with Chopstick & Johnjon‘s debut album, “TWELVE” is in order. That‘s right. An entire album!

Despite being busy these last few years tackling market demands with EPs and remixes, they‘ve finally managed to put out a full-length opus. And what an album it is! This is an album that lets the ever-changing winds of House music blow right on by, and, through what felt like years in the making, has developed a vibrant tonal language that will continue to tell new stories after stories for years to come.

During the final Berlin studio sessions last winter, and it was the only way to get through winter, these arrangements fanned the embers of our “suols” into a healthy glow, helping us survive the cold and grey outside. It‘s an album that focuses on song over track, skillfully pleasing listeners without simply fixating on maximum floor effect. Besides its ample fruition time, the album‘s second most important ingredient is the voice of Chris James, a London-based singer and musician, who often releases music with his band Stateless on !K7 and Ninja Tune.

Rumour has it that a list of preferred candidates for vocal features circulated through the studio when recording began. That list was quickly crumpled up and thrown into the studio‘s trash bin the second James‘ soothing vocals took flight. Ultimately, the studio recording session proved so intuitive and natural that James‘s heart-warming vocal lines and harmonies are featured on eleven of the twelve album tracks.

The magic blooms on the album‘s opener, “Run Slowly”, a dance composed of key riffs and guitar harmonies suspended beneath a canopy of reverb. The moment it starts, the song establishes an organic pulse that beats through every track. “Comets”, a song driven by repeating notes, makes an unmistakable statement when it comes to catchiness. On “Twisted”, a Rhodes-infused slow-jam co-produced by Tanner Ross, James‘s voice seems to take on the character of a lusciously soft blanket. (Ross also grabbed a seat at the control board for “Nothing Yet”.)

“Pining Moon” is a born hit whose strains of softly plucked acoustic guitars and a prayerful cello, making it perfectly for moon gazing. “Dissolving Spaces” is a small wonder of strumming bass and cello, a range of filters and a crisp beat framework. And then there‘s “Roots”, which many listeners are already familiar with from a previously released EP.

This is one of those albums that takes you to the cleaners – and you love it: No matter how often you find a favourite song, there‘s another track you can‘t stop humming to waiting to take its place. This is the mother load we‘ve all been waiting for – an entire universe of sound for the existing Chopstick & Johnjon discography. A universe whose gravitational pull is impossible to escape or ignore.

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German:

Was Chopstick & Johnjon hier in Zusammenarbeit mit Chris James (u.a. Stateless) in “Pining Moon“ zusammen fließen lassen, darf man wohl ihre bislang konzentrierteste Fassung eines Popsongs nennen. Gefühlstiefe Arrangements, angeschoben von einer bauchigen Kick, zum Moongazen geradezu einladende Akustikgitarren- und Cello-Einschübe und James Vocals, ohne die von jetzt an keine Nachtromanze mehr vorstellbar ist. Es ist einer der herausstrahlenden Songs auf Chopstick & Johnjons neuem Album “Twelve“ (Veröffentlichung 04.04.2014) und völlig verständlich dessen erste Single.

Jay Shepheard liefert gleich zwei Umdeutungen des Stückes – eine etwas entsättigte Variante mit Synthmotiv, die die Gesangsharmonie einfach auf den Kopf stellt und den Falsett-Anteil in den Vordergrund schiebt und eine Fassung, die zwischen Floorgroove und melancholischem Gitarrenseufzen die genaue Mitte sucht. Ein ähnlicher Ansatz ist auch im Death on the Balcony-Edit zu beobachten, der die zarten Arrangements des Originals aufgreift und sich unter Beihilfe eines treibenden Bass-Grooves etwas entschiedener in Richtung Floor ausrichtet.

English:

What Chopstick & Johnjon have created in “Pining Moon” is arguably their most intently focused pop song to date. Recorded in collaboration with Chris James, whose projects include the band Stateless, the song features deeply emotional arrangements driven by a punchy kick drum and cleverly interwoven with enticing, dreamy acoustic guitar and cello cameos. It’s all topped by vocals from James that redefine the concept of nocturnal romance. This is one of the most poignant and striking songs on Chopstick & Johnjon’s “TWELVE” (release 04.04.2014), making it a perfect choice for the album’s first single.

Jay Shepheard delivers two different interpretations of the song. The first is airier, with a synth pattern that turns the song’s vocal harmony on its head and shines the spotlight on falsetto. The second is the absolute synthesis of dance floor groove and melancholic, sighing guitar. The Death on the Balcony Remix takes a similar approach, where the gentle arrangements of the original are capped with a pulsating bass groove, which takes the song decisively in the direction of the dance floor.

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On his most recent release, Till von Sein lays down pure, vintage tracks to stun the dance floor, unburdened by the Zeitgeist’s gentle waft.

The album hits the ground running with the A1 track. “Abaco” is this line-­‐up’s unmistakable groove machine. While a compelling bass line weakens the knees, the sound massages every inch of the stereo, building suspense until a sophisticated synth cord enters the scene and snare drums psych the song up to the height of ecstasy.

“Don’t U Eva” works with an equally robust beat structure. Its steady framework, the one-­‐two-­‐three-­‐four of the beat, offers a contrast to steady synth layers and Meggy’s soothing vocals, which tenderly caress the song. On this track, Meggy is in top form once again, elevating the age-­‐old theme of impossible love to a state of visceral fidelity that joins the ranks of addictive hook-­‐harmonies. Danger: an anthem lurks!

“Tilly’s Jam” caps off the album deep house style. The beat pulses through a discreet white-­‐noise haze, as a Rhodes figure sweetly eases worries away. At first, the song shyly staggers out from the cover of the tree line, but when it kicks up to full gear, there’s no holding back. A lovely, dipping synth layer pushes relentlessly forward, no break in sight. A dream without end.

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Little is known about the mysterious producer/DJ duo known as Tender Games. Seemingly emerging from nowhere, these Berlin-based producers are rumoured to have previously achieved individual success in their own right but are now joining forces for their Suol Debut. Citing influences as the likes of SBTRKT, Dusky and Bondax, their unique sound is shaped by house and r’n’b in equal measures to produce a stunningly emotive yet danceable sound.

The stark opening chords of ‘Your Body’ set the tone for the EP, presenting the listener with an overwhelming juxtaposition of melancholic euphoria. Rich harmonies majestically soar over a lamenting male vocal performance, to create an electronic ballad of yearning, lust and love.

‘Thinking About It’ is a soul-drenched groover, with its warm chords and atmospherics straddling a subtly clipped garage shuffle. The lyrics evoke the spirit of R. Kelly and Boyz II Men to create an intimate atmosphere which would be just as effective in one’s headphones as it would be on the dancefloor.

The tempo may go down but the temperature most definitely goes up on ‘Liar’. This shamelessly unadulterated love song progresses from a woozy down-tempo number into a climatic explosion of sexual passion. Saucy stuff! The bouncy house beats of ‘Struck’ round off the EP, taking the vibe out of the bedroom and pushing it firmly back into club territory.

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Daniel Bortz is no friend of excess. Anyone familiar with his previous work is aware of the clear contours that permeate and define his tracks. Overkill, in any case, is not in his repertoire. What Daniel Bortz does instead is pack compatible sounds together from all the drawers in the ‘beat’ cabinet and arrange them into a system bearing his own inimitable signature. And that’s how this album works.

Its doors are open, and they in turn open up a stylistic spectrum that effortlessly expands the borders drawn by his previous discography. But it simultaneously comes together as a single unit far more substantial than the mere sum of its parts. Here the individual elements transform to serve a mood, a feeling. That in itself is already exciting. Bortz is unmatched in how he crafts his sounds, how he modulates reverb depths, how he opens spaces and inserts details between the tracks with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. His nonchalance in turning apparently cool vibes into a fiery inferno is the definition of informed understatement.

‘Patchwork Memories’ becomes tangible as an experience through the depth of these moods, through the immediacy he applies in portraying his memories. These are memories Daniel has scribbled down in sketches and arrangements over time. For the album he returned to them, carefully picking those to resuscitate. He’s somehow managed to accomplish this audio self-revelation without stumbling into self-immolation and, most importantly, without losing sight of the laws of the dance floor. Those suspicious that LP productions are for the head(phones) and not for the feet will be astonished at how ‘Patchwork Memories’ brings both to life.

It all starts with ‘Alone at Home’, featuring an ocean-depths down tempo vibe that rivals the track’s title in telling the song’s story. The deep minor piano appears right away as Daniel Bortz’s unmistakable trademark. Other gems include ‘Spend the Night’, bearing an instantly irresistible vocal loop as an endless hook joined by Daniel’s bassy voice, which appears intermittently throughout the album. ‘First Love’ features singer Eva Gold and a Goldfrapp-meets-Moloko-under-a-mirrorball, kick-drum driven disco vibe that makes the track the album’s pop highlight.

The memories continue, journeying through the laid-back stomper “Satisfaction” and its buckets of club coolness, ‘The Misery Feat. Nils Corßen’ looking back on a love thought won but ultimately lost, and ‘Pictures’, a teardrop cradled in discreetly rolling drums and delicate harp strings. The album closes, as all things should, with ‘Friends’, a thank you to all the anonymous people who indirectly contributed to its creation; to those who trigger memories, those who surround us and those who stay with us.

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With a whole new album up on his sleeve and slated to be released on Suol, Daniel Bortz is serving a range of appetizers coming in shape of a 3-tracker, giving an outlook on what’s to come, setting the vibe right for the follow-up in full length.

Deriving from the same body of work, this EP steps out of the sometimes enclosed and rather introspective routes, the album is taking, aiming for a more floor-approved agenda.

All three tracks have Bortz-trademarks all over. The detailed, synth-melody ridden, somewhat spaced out and significantly titled opener “Cosy”. The dry and pumping “Low”, introducing Nils Corßen, who will have another feature-appearance on the upcoming album. And the filtered and loopy affair “Half Edit”, not doing things by halves at all. Three tracks equally strong to let this thing run under ‘triple A-side’.

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Suol Mates II – Since the release of the Suol Mates debut edition with Fritz Kalkbrenner at the controls, we’ve known for certain that this series has more to say than your plain vanilla DJ mix. It’s obvious that here the overall storytelling and even the tiniest of emotion-laden brushstrokes are at least as important as the basics of each mixed track.
So who better to man the helm for the Suol Mates method than Till von Sein? You know the guy…the one who treats genre parameters like poorly guarded borders and laughs at the “speed police” sheep keeping a watchful eye out underneath the 115 bpm zone. He’s the same guy whose DJ sets virtually embody what’s happening on this CD. Till is that rare breed that can build things up by committing the cardinal sin of ignoring matching tempos and stylistic conformity, instead focusing on the emotion (read: “Soul”) and colour of a track over its alleged functionality. “Colour”, you say? Well, with Till it usually changes from a lush orange to a glowing red.
Till von Sein, who always celebrates the fringes of House music in his productions and sets anyway, has almost completely abolished the accustomed four-to-thefloor dictate on this compilation. In its place, he has created a kind of fascinating song-stream limbo from which intoxicating dance floor moments emerge from time to time, but where he ultimately has the bigger picture in view; certainly bigger than any dance floor could ever be.
We’re into ethereal heights of mixing expertise when a compilation of tracks predominately from other artists bears an inimitable signature. And that’s precisely what we have here. First, start with the Field Recording-based meditative waves from Noyce and throw in ingredients like Ayala’s smooth D’n’B, Ripperton’s feelgood after-hours vibrations and jazzed up Latin space disco from Ackin’. Add the slow melancholy of El_Txef_A and the chillwave “grandeza” of Toro Y Moi and Blood Orange, then exhale slowly in an easy-going Sebastien Tellier jam. Finish up by mixing it all into a sunset synth-flooded, instantaneously relaxing and altogether cohesive vibe. All that’s left is to sign your name: Suolmate Till von Sein.

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You are sitting on a terrace, looking out over beautiful rolling green hills that run down to white beaches and then on to bright aquamarine seas. There is not a cloud in the bright azure sky.

You grab your Vodka Tonic, lean back into your deck chair and relax, letting this moment be the only moment there ever was. The music you are listening to !ts perfectly to the situation and your current mood. It‘s so summery, so chill, so warm so deep, and yet it still gets you kind of excited about going on later that night.

You arise from your reverie for a moment just long enough to ask your friend who owns the hacienda what‘s playing. “It‘s Suol‘s new summer compilation. It‘s all the Suol artists and some of their friends. Great, isn‘t it?” Yes, you think, as you sink back into your puddle of funky bliss, yes it is…

Suol‘s new bi-annual compilation series kicks off with Summer Daze 2013 and features 13 exclusive and previously unreleased tracks by not only the entire label family, but also five fantastic guest artists, namely the Jazz- and burger-loving Saalmen, Dominik Marz from Pastamusik, the young aspiring duo Marlon Hoffstadt & HRRSN, Nils Penner and AWOL – short for: Absent without official leave.

Enjoy this Summer soundtrack and be sure Suol is already preparing some warming highlight tunes for Winter Daze 2013/2014.

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After one whole year without a full release, Chopstick & Johnjon are now back on track, sending out the first vanguard of their upcoming debut album.

For ‚Roots’ they team up with Signaljacker a.k.a. Chris James of the infamous UK-Band Stateless (Ninja Tune, !K7). The title track comes in two different moods – the dreamy, almost melancholic Original Mix plus the rather bright Alternative Mix, spreading a whiff of Summer, still never undermining the intensity and genuineness of James´ vocals.

‚Still Breathing’ eventually takes the beat even further down than the ‚Roots’ Original, bringing forth a never heard side of Chopstick & Johnjon that no one should be missing. Chris James’ contribution for ‚Roots’ is not their last liason on Suol, as his feature on Chopstick & Johnjon’s long player is already cut and dried.

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“Global Player – Wo wir sind isch vorne” (In Cinemas October 3rd 2013) is already the fourth collaboration between Florian Appl and screenwriter / director Hannes Stoehr (“Berlin Is In Germany” (2001), Tatort “Odins Rache” (2003) und “One Day In Europe” (2005)).

For his contribution to the movie “Berlin Is In Germany” Florian Appl even won the Rolf-Hans- Mueller Award for the best movie score. Paul Kalkbrenner and Hannes Stoehr aren´t strangers to each other since a long time as well. In 2008 Kalkbrenner starred in Stoehr´s Movie “Berlin Calling” and wrote the soundtrack of the same name, which won Platinum status in 2012.

Fritz Kalkbrenner, who is currently on the road for his worldwide Sick Travellin‘ album tour, sings the title track for the movie once again with “Willing” (just like he did in the track “Sky & Sand” for “Berlin Calling”) For “Global Player – Wo wir sind isch vorne” Hannes Stöhr took the opportunity of a collaboration between Florian Appl and the Kalkbrenner brothers Paul and Fritz.

Out came a soundtrack which impressively and elegantly compounds classical music, melancholia and dance floor, hence between young and old. On this soundtrack you will find already well-known compositions by Fritz and Paul – newly interpreted with assistance of the Babelsberg Film Orchestra – as well as parts of the movie score with remixes by the two brothers.

All things considered just imagine Paul and Fritz Kalbrenner and Florian Appl playing music with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra to living pictures by Hannes Stoehr.

More info about the film: www.globalplayerfilm.com

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After his solo debut ‘Mehlspeicher EP’, House-jack-of-all-trades Sven von Thülen delivers his second EP ‘Beginnings‘ on Suol. And, well, what can you expect from Sven? Nothing less than 4 pieces of finest Old School House, wrapped up in a contemporary garment.

Listening to ‘Liquid Light’, one could think that Sven has written this track on a Sunday afternoon in Panorama Bar.
A dark, sexy and hypnotizing voice, smashing claps and these haunting chords that make you want someone to open the window shutters to let the sun shine in for just a few seconds.

‘Those Days And Nights’ uses a slightly softer approach. Carried by a dreamy layer, this track is made to ease minds after – well, those days and nights…

‘Illuminate’ raises the throttle again and turns the dancefloor lights back on. If not being a peaktime bomb like ‘Liquid Light’, it will work perfectly for every DJ to pave the way into whatever is set to come.

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Fritz Kalkbrenners second studio album “Sick Travellin'” has left its mark, that’s for sure. Entering the german album charts at #6 and peaking the german itunes hitlist at #1, this can be labeled as a huge success!

The second album always seems to be the hardest to accomplish for any artist – but after his amazing debut in 2010, Fritz easily takes on the challenge with the new long player, once again showcasing his songwriting skills and his musical talent with an even more mature and organic sound.

“Little by Little” is the the second single taken from this longplayer and it comes alongside two great remixes.

The first interpretation comes from french legend Agoria presenting his new project Sunlune (in collaboration Everydayz), giving “Little by Little” a trippy and deep club feel. On the flipside we have the young, very promising newcomer and Get Physical artist Jonas Woehl from Weimar/ Germany. His remix picks up the dreamy vibe of the vocals and turns it into a bass heavy emotional ride.

Video Link:

https://itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/little-by-little-official/id599575247?i=132123598&mt=2

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Suol is proudly introducing: Meggy!

Having this girl become part of our Suol family is a huge deal for us. If you haven’t heard of her until now, you must have been living under a rock on the far side of the moon. And if you have heard of her – and especially heard her sing, you must be as excited as we are by now. We’re on the edge of our seats.

Meggy has teamed up with Chopstick & Johnjon to produce some absolute beauties for her “Hide 4 Love” EP on Suol. Her amazing, distinctive voice finally gets the stage it deserves.

“Anything You Can” has already been tried and tested on the dancefloors of the world and came back with the predicates “highly valuable”, “precious” and “dancefloor bombing”.

The title track of the EP, “Hide 4 Love” is more of a slow jam – an emotional showcase of Meggy’s talent to connect with the listener on an intimate level.

The B1 features Chopstick & Johnjon, and the three of them are one hell of a team! “Curious” is a late night groover – clicking percussion, a brooding, pushing bassline and ecstatic piano chords, all accompanying Meggy’s vocals perfectly.

But that’s not all, folks: Fritz Kalkbrenner joined Meggy in the studio between releasing his album and starting his tour. A combination that instantly works. “Better” is the knot that ties all the strings of this release together. A wonderful slow Hip-Hop jam. Fritz’s love for Soul and Hip Hop is an excellent match for Meggy’s groovier side that she already brought to effect on her feature with Till Von Sein, “Get Over Yourself”. The tune to round off the “Hide 4 Love” EP is one that you will find yourself coming back to again and again.

And still this release is just “the tip of the iceberg” that sounds so promising already. These tracks are surely the best way to spend your time until Meggy’s full debut drops on Suol.

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Suol Radio Show 035 - Tender Games: A Tape For Evin by Suol on Mixcloud

Suol Radio Show 034 - Nils Penner by Suol on Mixcloud

Suol Radio Show 033 - Chopstick & Johnjon by Suol on Mixcloud

Suol Radio Show 032 - Pablo Fierro by Suol on Mixcloud