The heat is on!

so hot it will melt your chocolates
so hot it will melt your chocolates

It’s that time of the year again: the sun appears for the first time in months, Berliners are in a better mood and the Retreat HQ is buzzing with activity after a long hibernation!

But to be honest, the people behind your favourite vinyl-only label were actually quite busy these last few months: Hauke has been on an extensive touring schedule with his mate Matthias Reiling as Session Victim, smashing club after club in Europe, Russia, the USA and Canada while still dropping essential remixes and tracks for Wolf Music, Compost Black and Retrofit. Quarion on the other hand worked hard in the studio and finally delivered a follow-up to 2010’s “Moons Around Jupiter”! Introducing 3 monster tracks that cover a wide spectrum of Dance music, the “Shifts In The Environment” EP is a return to form as well as a departure from the traditional House sound associated with the producer. Expect the record to hit the shelves in mid-june, but of course, we’ll keep you posted on this one.

Actually, RTR13 is only the first out of six releases coming out this summer. What?!!? Well, sort of: we’ve decided to finally repress some of our earlier catalog on full quality 180 gram vinyl! Needless to say that you might run into a lot of Retreat wax in the shops these next months as most of the EPs were sold out until now! But if you want to secure a copy of “Pepper Candy”, “Move Me So” or the classic “Good Intentions” (yes!) you can also go straight to our webshop, put in a preorder and receive the records as soon as they’re hot off the press! Oh, and we’ll even throw in a special present for those looong summer afternoons at the festival, open-air afterparty or biergarten!

It’s getting hot in here so stay tuned for more news!

Freshly repressed!

Records? Somebody wants records?

Back in 2010, we released two records that sold out quickier than hot pancakes: the “Treats Vol.2” sampler featuring tunes from Session Victim and Quarion followed by a 12″ from Session Victim entitled “On The Roll”. Since then, we’ve been constantly asked to repress these EPs and after much delay, we finally ordered a fresh batch of RTR05 & RTR06!

We were so excited to have ALL of our productions back in stock that we also took the opportunity to upgrade our webshop page with a broader display, an embedded SC player and dope new releases out of the Frank Music, Fried Tofu, or Lurker camp!

Thanks for your ongoing support, signing off for now!

Session Victim – On The Roll – RTR06

After their hot contributions for “Treats Vol. 2”, SESSION VICTIM prove indeed that they are « On The Roll » with a funkafied and no holds barred EP that pays homage to their Hip-Hop Roots.

» Move Me So « starts rather simply, with just a guitar and a vocal, but you can hear a moving bassline and distant rhodes chords creeping up from the background. Two minutes into the track and there’s still no kick drum, although the level of excitement produced by the magnetic groove is almost unbearable. A filtered drum break finally gives way to a four to the floor beat that should turn any dancefloor into a frenetic party. The track builds with high energy, as the pounding bassline seems to be directly lifted from an early 90’s Hip-Hop classic. The breakdown sees the vocal/guitar loop being played differently until the second part shifts gear and brings more surprises in the mix with the intro rhodes chords coming in and out. But just as you think this jam will stay on the same vibe until the end, the now-famous “Session Victim twist” appears and this time the boys conclude the track with gorgeous keyboard chords that slowly mellow the whole thing out, as if the song has reached serenity after so much action.

» A Wooden Mind«  begins with a rather off-beat percussion and bass loop, but a very comfortable analog groove sets in after a while. You’ve just embarked for a fantastic voyage…until a quirky rhodes motif steers the song into a somewhat more hypnotic direction, with a catchy but faint melody playing from a distance. A new part reintroduces the chords found at the beginning while the quiet melody gets pushed to the forefront in its full pop glory. “A Wooden Mind” finishes rather splendidly with elements of the melody appearing at will while the chords gently fade away…

» Secrets « is the EP’s closer and the first 100% Hip-Hop instrumental ever released on Retreat! Starting off in true old school fashion with only a drum workout, the track then releases a Leslie-fuelled organ loop as well as scratchy guitars. Enhanced by vocal snippets emphasizing the importance of being original, “Secrets” is a veritable showcase for Session Victim’s ever-evolving talent and a perfect conclusion to this well-crafted EP.

A1 – Move Me So
B1 – A Wooden Mind
B2 – Secrets

[audio:http://www.retreat-vinyl.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/RTR06-A1.mp3,http://www.retreat-vinyl.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/RTR06-B1.mp3,http://www.retreat-vinyl.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/RTR06-B2.mp3|titles=Move Me So,A Wooden Mind, Secrets|artists=Session Victim,Session Victim,Session Victim]

Release: June 30th 2010
(Releasesheet)

Out of the Ice Age

Frank, I spent so much time on this tee, using my non-existing drawing skills to the max...you better wear it!

Phew, it really feels like eons since I’ve sat down and wrote some nonsense for our blog…then again, it’s not like I’ve been lazy: I’m known as der Pressemann, the one in charge for all the release sheets, party infos, Reels descriptions and basically every written text that is related to Retreat, so there has been some stuff to rant about, but fair enough, my last proper blog entry was in November. Back then, I was moaning about the tough Berlin winter but now, believe or not, the sun came back! My brain still has trouble processing this new information and I was indeed training to live in this Ice Age for the rest of my life (dressing up with 5 layers, being really cautious not to slip on the road, mumbling instead of talking so that my lips don’t bleed)…but hey, the ice is gone, the birds are singing and the days are getting longer so I guess I can ditch those adamantium gloves.

So what’s new at  Retreat HQ? Well, in case you didn’t notice, we have a new record out entitled “Treats Vol.2” which is getting some major airplay. It’s a hot split EP with two cuts from Session Victim and 1 track from myself. You can read about it here and there but also just make up your own mind by listening to it. Session Victim are now busy working on RTR06 but if you’re a fiend for their groovy cut-up approach, i would strongly recommend that you check out Matthias Reiling‘s excellent “Das Gespenst Von Altona” on Giegling. This Mini-album from the talented producer who makes up 1/2 of Session Victim has Funk stamped all over its 3 House tracks and 5 Hip-Hop Instrumentals. Being the ageing b-boy that I am, my preference goes to the 5 little gems: intricate yet bouncy beats that seem to be tailormade for MC’s like DOOM or Kool Keith. Hot ish! In fact, if you’re in Berlin tonight, be sure to check Matthias out at Farbfernseher, it’s about to become pretty steamy in this little place!

That’s it for now peeps, more news and the usual q-nonsense will follow shortly…