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OUT: single 'Warm Star' by Wolfgang Tillmans and Juan Pablo Echeverri

'Warm Star' is a collaboration between German star photographer Wolfgang Tillmans and Colombian artist Juan Pablo Echeverri. The piece was originally composed and recorded in 2016. It marked one of the first joint recording sessions between the two friends. The track remained unreleased for over a decade. Following Juan Pablo Echeverri’s untimely death in 2022, Tillmans decided to release the work in 2026 to mark the 10th anniversary of their collaboration. The record coincided with the retrospective w-o-r-k/s, an exhibition of Echeverri’s works at the Berlin gallery Klemm’s as part of Gallery Weekend Berlin, honoring his friend’s legacy.

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OUT: album 'Three Decades' by Mathias Kaden

The ‘Three Decades' album opens with a title intro, in which Mathias Kaden expresses gratitude to those closest to him before moving into his signature deep, emotive House sound. Tracks like ‘Keep Balance’ set the tone with sub-heavy bass and crisp, driving drums, occasionally punctuated by vocal snippets, while ‘I Got You’ features Cassy for a high-energy, soulful dancefloor moment. Reminiscent of Kaden’s work as Mathimidori, the dubbiness of ‘Getting Closer’ sets the stage for ‘Inner Signal’, which leans into wiggy electro territory, before the second record shifts gears with ‘Next Wave’ and ‘Shelter’, returning to pacey, piano-fuelled rave energy. ‘Viral’ follows with tough drums and excellent stab work, before the album closes on ‘Fyutr’, Kaden’s collaboration with Zoë Xenia, 

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new signing: Mathias Kaden

Likably undisguised, always surprising and full of verve - putting Mathias Kaden's charisma in a nutshell is one thing. Another is the feeling of hearing him live in a night club or open air - nothing feels like that. Very naturally he absorbs the audience's vibe and radiates his own energy into it - no matter whether it's for a warm-up, at prime time or whilst closing. Mathias Kaden has been a House and Techno DJ for 30 years now. He never lost his addictive enthusiasm which keeps providing those special dancefloor moments to fans on almost all continents.

After more than 100 releases on highly influential labels such as Sven Väth’s Cocoon and Watergate Records, and thousands of DJ gigs, he is now celebrating his 30-year career as a musician with his new album 'Three Decades', on Radio Slave’s label Rekids. 

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“the AI Godfather”

While we wait for two new Dr. Walker albums, which are set to be released in the coming months, we can pass the time with an Interview with Ingmer Koch aka Dr. Walker as “the AI Godfather” on scanna.ai: "Creativity makes people happy. Happy people don't kill the postman." And the best way to do that is to listen to the 527 songs on his latest album 'Da Dark Dada-ist'.

Read the full interview -> here <-

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3 Freibank related acts in Impala's 100 to watch

The program, curated by Impala’s European network, showcases artists nominated by Impala members in collaboration with YouTube. “These acts and their labels stand out for their artistic innovation, their commitment to diversity, and their commercial potential - a clear example of the unique cultural significance of the independent music sector,” according to a statement from Brussels. 

The '100 Artists to Watch' features Derya Yıldırım, Maureen and 100%Wet. 

Read the whole article -> here <-

OUT: album 'Opium' by Thilo Schölpen

'Opium' features ten piano pieces that defy clear categorization but can be aptly described as “neo-avant-garde.”

'Opium' is conceived like a pop album: short pieces, each of which opens up its own self-contained sonic world. In doing so, they do not follow conventional structures of melody and harmony, but rather develop from noises and everyday sounds - such as the wind in the leaves of trees, boats lapping against the dock with the waves, engine noises, shimmering, and rustling.

Thilo Schölpen uses the piano less as a melodic instrument than as a sound generator - to create textures, vibrations, and resonances. Dissonant intervals in the lower register produce overtones that sound electronic; rapidly played sequences of notes can also evoke this impression. The piano sound becomes orchestral and condenses into expansive soundscapes.

The album title 'Opium' alludes to the subtle intoxicating quality of this music: the pleasure of the unknown, the encounter with one’s own unconscious, the poetry of transience, and hidden fantasies.

With his music, Schölpen places the piano within a context of contemporary music, jazz, improvisation, neoclassical, and pop-cultural trends. A neo-avant-garde sound aesthetic with a touch of pop, played classically on an acoustic instrument.

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OUT: album 'Bananenkiste' by Fruchtmax

After over a year of releasing singles, Fruchtmax’s album 'Bananenkiste' is now out. Street rap straight from Kreuzberg, featuring many well-known artists and Fruchti’s signature humor

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Peter Sempel has passed away

It is with deep sadness and grief that we have learned of the passing of director Peter Sempel. He passed away during the night from Thursday to Friday at Marienkrankenhaus in Hamburg, shortly before his 72nd birthday, which would have been today, March 24, 2026.
We shared a long-standing personal and professional friendship with Peter Sempel. Almost none of his wonderful films were made without a track from our catalog; in particular, his friendship and admiration for Frank Ziegert of Abwärts led to numerous appearances in his films. But Blixa Bargeld, both as an actor and through the music of Einstürzende Neubauten, and most recently Derya Yıldırım in his last major work, ARTISTAS, were also featured by him and lovingly integrated into his films. With Peter Sempel, we have lost one of the great independent, unique, and pioneering filmmakers. In his New Year’s card, he wrote: “How lucky we are!! To work with music, to play… yippee!!! Keep on going!! With luck and good energy!” We will miss him and his good energy.

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