Gimme Fives!

 5-years-stickers

Unbelievable, it seems as if it was only a few months ago that Hauke and I came up with the idea of creating a vinyl-only label. It was in the first days of 2009 and we were having brunch at Bâteau Ivre… flash-forward to 2014 and Retreat is officially 5 years old!

 So we’re terribly excited to announce that our birthday present will take the form of a double 12“ named „Treats Volume 5“! RTR15 will feature exclusive cuts from the usual Retreat stable (Session Victim, Quarion and Iron Curtis) as well as new music from artists who, through the years, became part of our extended family: Jamie Lloyd, Kim Brown, Johannes Albert, Mr Beatnick, Roberto and the mysterious Reverend G. We won’t reveal more information for now but rest assured that the quality of the music will be up to par with the other “Treats” episodes, if not better!

And because such an anniversary only happens once, we made sure our celebrated designer Gesine Todt enjoys a big piece of the cake as well: the compilation will boast a full cover Artwork which will be presented in a gatefold sleeve with liner notes and photos.

We’re planning to have the records available in the shops for the middle of April but we’ll get back to you with an official release date soon!

 On top of that, you’ll be able to catch the Retreat crew on the road between April and May for a special „5 Year Anniversary tour“. So far, performances in London, Berlin, Zürich and Paris are confirmed with Session Victim and Quarion on the bill, plus Iron Curtis on selected gigs. There are still some dates available so get in touch with David and Elie if you are interested to bring the Retreat Soundsystem to your town!

Thank you for keeping vinyl culture alive and please stay tuned!

Iron Curtis – Glazing EP – RTR12

RTR_Label-12After the well-received “Treats Vol.4”, Retreat closes its 2012 chapter with a fantastic 4-tracker from House maestro Iron Curtis! Following his accomplished debut album on Mirau, «Glazing» is a highly versatile EP which sees the producer breaking new ground while staying true to his inimitable style. Expect the unexpected as Iron Curtis stretches House music far beyond its known boundaries with the help of Psychedelia, Dubstep and Hip-Hop!

«Glazing» kick things off with a swinging beat, a cowbell and one of those square bass punch that has «Chicago» all over it. But appearances can be deceiving as a drunk bassline emerges from the background with snappy vocals and hidden chords. The track builds steadily for almost 3 minutes before a very dramatic break: the wonky bassline takes center stage, majestic chords rise from every side and before you know it, your skin starts to crawl as you witness once again another euphoric “House” experience. You lose control as the beat comes back with extra ride cymbals which take you on a dancing frenzy. Subtle arpeggios float from left to right and vice-versa as «Glazing» takes you higher and higher. It finally eases down after 5 minutes: the bassline is reduced, the beat stripped down to its essentials and you’re gently taken to the tracks’s final stop. What a ride!

But if «glazing» takes you sky-high, «Helio» flies you to the center of our solar system as Iron Curtis displays his incredible talents for a tribute to our sun.You can almost see the solar flares as different beats smash into each other while surprising effects are dropped. A simple but solid bassline holds the whole madness together while 909 percussion, strings and pads seem to appear at will. A terrific break with cosmic wurlitzer chords suddenly takes “Helio” in a place beyond space and time. But the rotation starts again and you’re taken for another mad spin before the pads slowly disintegrate and you’re left with just the bassline and sound effects…

Flip the record and mysterious chords introduce «17» before a massive kick drum nails the track down. It takes a minute for the tune to pick up speed until a growling, almost reese-like bassline drops in. As additional percussion fills the whole, «17» sounds like the most «traditional» House track of the whole EP. That is until beautiful pads take it in a more emotional direction. It’s another goose-bump moment as a vocal loop filters up in the background before the groove comes back in a more basic form. Wahwah chords and strings make sure that “17” stays firmly on the deeper side of things before it reaches a classic beat-only conclusion.

Iron Curtis concludes his Tour De Force with the brilliant «Super Sorry», a nifty little Hip-Hop tune with descending chords, weird vocal samples and off-beat percussion. A few sneaky synths creep up in the background here and there and before you know it, the track comes to an end and leaves you with no other option but to play it again!

A1 – Glazing
A2 – Helio
B1 – 17
B2 – Super Sorry

Release: January 16th 2013 (get it here)

(RTR-12_Releasesheet)

December runnings

doing it in the park

Yep, we’ve been a bit quiet for a while but looks like December will keep us busy!

First of all, we’re organizing our last party of 2012 in the magical Loftus Hall! On the bill is Mr. Beatnick for his first ever performance in Berlin. Iron Curtis with a brand new live set and the Retreat officials Session Victim and Quarion! Get all the details here but be sure not to miss out on that one!

And we’re excited to announce that RTR12 is finished and getting processed in the pressing plant as we speak! Iron Curtis comes correct with a lethal 4-tracker which propels House music into the unknown!

We’ll drop more info in the coming week so please stay tuned…