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2LP
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SMLP 002LP
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In the vast musical archive that is Roman Flügel's discography, Ro70 holds a special place. Written, performed, and produced between January and July 1995, it is his debut album as a full-fledged solo artist. Enquired and inspired by a certain David Moufang from Heidelberg, who used to share a classroom with Jörn Elling Wuttke at the SAE Institute and revealed himself to be an Acid Jesus fan and also of the Roman IV 12" project, it seemed like a good fit for his (and Jonas Grossmann's) Source Records label. In the days before file sharing that meant going back and forth with various DATs in his mom's Volkswagen Polo Fox for actual listening sessions between Darmstadt and Heidelberg. The time was as special and idiosyncratic one as was the sound of Source Records and of course Ro70 itself. While the rave-olution was ready to eat its kids with the commercial outlook of former underground phenomena looked bright and the scene's prophecy seemed grim, enterprises like Source and artists like Roman Flügel were defying any competition out of those corners with their own means. Listening back to the ten tracks of Ro70, it proves them, their taste and artistic vision right. Probably still being put into the ambient, downtempo, electronica, or chill out sections of most record shops, this music could have been made, relished and cherished anytime between 1995 and now. Made in Roman's home studio in his parent's house or in the Klangfabrik studio in Egelsbach, this was made for before or after the rave -- or for people who didn't want to have to do anything with it at all. His signature is all over it. Well-balanced soundscapes with an almost uncanny presence and clarity. Bittersweet symphonies that don't seem to be in an inferior position to modern classical or electronic studies. It is also a very personal testament to a time in the artist's life that was ready to get caught in the maelstrom of the oscillating techno city called Frankfurt am Main and its halcyon days between the Delirium record shop, Sven Väth's marathon sets, the early days of the label triumvirate Playhouse, Klang & Ongaku. In a musical journal without lyrics, those memories will have to stay pantomimic and private. All for the better, that you can at least still listen to them.
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3LP
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SMLP 001LP
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Roman Flügel presents: Sister Midnight! What started as a party series that saw Roman inviting friends and favorites is turning into a full-fledged label adventure now. Shaped to be the vehicle for old and new Roman Flügel music alike, unreleased surprises and previously released sure shots from the archives, it's the first time after his involvement in the seminal Playhouse and Klang label universe, that he tends to such an enterprise himself -- with the help and support of Running Back records. Now, the journey of Roman Flügel's own Sister Midnight label starts with the valuable Tracks On Delivery series. Originally released on the third jewel in the Playhouse crown (Ongaku Musik) from 2000 to 2002, it's a meditation on and contemplation of techno. Remastered, recut, and repackaged as a triple vinyl edition with the addition of two previously unreleased "Pattern". Pristine sound design, hypnotic wizardry and dry then architecture let all of them appear as if they haven't aged a day. Or as Roman says himself: "I've always tried to push myself into new territories since I started music production. Those new territories can surely be achieved by the endless possibilities of inspiration, chaos and will power. At the time of the production of my Pattern series as under the name Tracks On Delivery I was highly inspired by some of Andrew Weatherall's techno sets while visiting London for some of his Blood Sugar Parties. Tracks On Delivery is unthinkable without the crude 'Germanic' mixture of Detroit labels like Jay Denham's Black Nation and Weatherall's own UK Techno imprints like Emissions Output. The Pattern Series, back then created for the Frankfurt based Ongaku Musik label, and now I am very happy to be able to release 15 original Patterns along two unreleased Patterns on my own Sister Midnight label."
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