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LP
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TDPR 022LP
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Six songs, one sound signature, one vision. Supreme Beats Series by Drei Farben House is an album that firmly stands in the tradition of the big records of the disco era: a vinyl disc full of kicks and licks, just as much as two sides in amazing sound quality can hold. The album is the latest work of Michael Siegle, the Berlin-based producer and owner of Tenderpark Records. 13 years after Drei Farben House's first full-length on the acclaimed Force Tracks label (2006), it features contributions by singer and songwriter Mavin and none other than Robert Owens, who's voice shaped house music forever. The trademark sonic elegance of Drei Farben House blends perfectly with the timbre of the man behind Fingers Inc.'s "Mysteries Of Love". Siegle's work as a producer is not so much about turning this rich heritage upside down, but about refining it and creating a space within that realm that's very much his own. The title of the opening song with Owens states it: "I'm Remaining Here". And Supreme Beats Series invites you to come over and stay there, too, in a refuge of class and funkiness. The record offers dense layers of rhythm, vintage keyboard sounds, chucking guitar, and vocal samples that indulge in a many-voiced conversation. Not to forget the prominent, singing rather than walking bass lines performed by the hands of Michael Siegle himself with his bass guitar. You could think of Supreme Beats Series as a cross-section in time and space. It allows you to take a closer look at the here and now of a much bigger picture, both aesthetically and socially. Siegle uses the vocabulary of house music in a way that transcends its conception as merely a genre and speaks of the historic evolution and the profound roots of this music as a movement. His record takes inspiration from '60s Motown hits as well as the blue-eyed soul of the '80s, you can discover influences ranging from Philly's pre-disco craze to new jack swing and on to the heyday when house-pop divas stormed the charts. By drawing these lines, Siegle deliberately opens up the space of a visionary soul pop continuum.
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2x12"
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TDPR 020LP
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Throughout his life, Berlin based musician Drei Farben House has been thrilled by the artistic concepts of repetition and modifying resemblances. Small but precise and perceptible variations of (musical) themes have fascinated him throughout his life, specifically as a lover of dance-infused pop. The artistic concept of handwriting has been questioned in the world of fine arts with some justification, but Michael Siegle, aka Drei Farben House, has remained a strong advocate of this artistic principle, which, in his view, has resulted in many impressive musical expressions in the history of soul and disco. Fluency Fabrics' sleeve shows the "Doris and Norman Fisher House" in Hatboro (a suburb of Philadelphia) designed by Louis I. Kahn from 1960-1967. Kahn was based in Philadelphia and was one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century. The almost spiritual sensibility of his buildings and his poetry of light created deep, fundamental connections between the spaces and their inhabitants. "Every building must have . . . its own soul," the famous quote of Kahn, can easily be seen in the modest and wonderfully warm Fisher house, which consists of two intersecting cubic volumes created from cedar wood - twenty miles away, at the same time, the newly founded Sigma Sound Studio was recording the Delfonics' first record, installing the basements of Philadelphia Soul which was later leading to Philly sound, disco, and house. Drei Farben House sees Fluency Fabrics as a piece of work using disco as a main inspiration source, but steers clear of aesthetically imitating the pioneering sounds of the '70s and '80s from New York and Philadelphia. Instead, Fluency Fabrics strongly emphasizes a claim to contemporariness and unmistakably locates itself in the house music scene of the present. Still, the references to the times of classic disco are all there: from the laid-back tempo which leaves room for the dancers to breathe and unfold to the traditional format of a vinyl record. Concept, art direction, and graphic design created by Till Sperrle of ITF Grafikdesign. Cover photograph by Tom Crane. Mastered and cut by Helmut Erler at Duplates & Mastering. Includes download code.
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12"
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TDPR 019EP
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Cromby is an exciting addition to the London house scene; originally hailing from Belfast, he has made camp in the British capital and brought his Akai MPC2000XL with him. He grew up listening to Chez Damier and Moodymann, and makes use of the Japanese sampler in a fresh and creative way, combining raw drums with sweet, melancholic pads and chords. On Planets and Parks, Cromby balances an understanding of traditional deep house and a forward-thinking attitude. The cover art concludes Tenderpark's series conceived by art director Till Sperrle and photographer Magdalena Bichler. Mastered and cut by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering.
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12"
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TDPR 018EP
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Embezzlement Society returns to the early days of '80s hip-hop with his Rough Quarters EP. The man from Belfast relies heavily on funk-based drum loops to create two super-casual tracks with a cool hip-house attitude -- perfect for Drei Farben House, who remixes "Mi Casa" in his slick and smooth style, merging the raw drums with some tender Rhodes. Tenderpark regular Roman Rauch slows down the tempo in his remix of the same track, concentrating on the originals of the samples and displaying his mastery with the MPC once more. Mastered and cut by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering.
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12"
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TDPR 017EP
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Borrowed Identity and Tenderpark have been exchanging letters of enthusiasm for each other for quite some time, and the result is the Caps and Chords EP. Borrowed Identity teams up with his longtime musical partner Mechanical Soul Brother. As the title of the EP suggests, the two studio wizards come up with three very elegant deep house tracks that indulge in tender chords complemented by sweet soul vocals and funk samples, with Borrowed's powerful trademark beats -- it all reflects the two men's mastery and perfectly fits Tenderpark's musical route. Mastered and cut by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering.
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12"
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TDPR 016EP
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Wow -- Black Dynamite's second strike for Tenderpark ventures even more into hip-hop territory than his successful first EP did back in 2012. Ivano Tetelepta, the man behind Black Dynamite, has created three casual and well-hung tracks which form a fascinating hybrid between left field house and instrumental hip-hop. All tracks were recorded on an old school analog tape machine. The cover design is the second part of Tenderpark's new black-and-white artwork series conceived by the label's art director Till Sperrle and photographer Magdalena Bichler.
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12"
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TDPR 013EP
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YNK's third EP for Tender Park sends us straight to dub house heaven with the lush and chord-driven deepness of "Paradigms Lost." Just as dreamy as it is thrilling, the track perfectly illustrates YNK's highly musical approach to house which he further underlines with "Colorit": this fresh and funky piece of music is overflowing with Philly soul Rhodes pianos and vocals. So Philly lover no. 1 Drei Farben House obviously just had to contribute a remix.
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