LIGHTLESS RECORDINGS is the record label run by Finland-based Fanu.
Lightless is the record label for the kind of jungle that Fanu is pushing: deep atmospheres and dirty fat breaks.
The label concentrates on representing timeless quality music that lends itself to the mid-nineties breakbeat music aesthetics.
Lightless cherishes the style of music whose backbone is made from quality breakworks and eerie atmospheres.
“Future jungle music mixed with the aesthetics from the past,” as Fanu himself puts it.
Lightless is distributed by S.T. Holdings.
Lightless Recs is proud to have the very talented graphic artist called Khoma as its in-house graphics designer. Check out his artwork at www.khomatech.com.
Among the supporters of Lightless are acclaimed DJs and producers such as Bailey (BBC 1Xtra), Flight (BBC 1Xtra), Grooverider (BBC), Amon Tobin (Ninja Tune), Outrage, Fracture, Stranjah, Gremlinz, and many more.
Check below for sounds and art of the Lightless past and future.
DISCOGRAPHY (in reverse order)
***"HOMEFREE"*** is the seventh Lightless release, being Fanu's second artist album, and third album altogether.
Homefree was released as a 3*12" vinyl release as well as a digital release. In total, there's 14 tracks of Fanu's trademark sampledelic, breakaholistic style.
This is what Boomkat have to say about it: It's common knowledge that there's not a lot to do in Finland. The severely dark winters and inhospitable terrain mean you're not likely to spend too long outdoors and have influenced Fanu's music in a big way. 'Homefree' is an epic set, moving through string swept landscapes on 'Amok' to turbulent apocalypse soundtracks on 'For Those Who Dream' or bursting prog-heavy styles on 'You May Fall But Don't Hide Your Face', with pretentiously overdone titles to match. It's really at the drumworks level where Fanu's strengths lie though, taking cues from Source Direct, Photek and Paradox to craft complex breakbeat maelstroms that have fans of this stuff tripping over themselves with excitement. If you're looking for a techier and alternative to D-Bridge or Calibre, this is your guy basically.
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***005, the sixth Lightless release*** .
On this release, Fanu and NSF combine forces to offer the drum-loving junglists what's going to rank among the drum-heaviest 12” of the year.
Poltergeist is Fanu's darkest track to date with haunting pads, nightmarely samples, XXL-sized breakwork and even fatter bass. Carol Anne would love this one.
NSF's long-awaited Come Back provides 300% of your suggested daily breakbeat and choppage dosage. Consult your doctor before consuming. Other ingredients include groovy funk samples and grunts.
In short, this shit is effing sick, and the beats are heavier than ever!
***004, the fifth Lightless release*** in the Lightless 12” series provides you with a hefty, all-German serving, proudly introducing German's freshest new talents Bad Matter, Martsman, and Cycom, all contributing to the lightlessness with some technoy beat-o-holism (the techno must be in the water there).
Petrol by Cycom deviates from Lightless's output so far by its more straightfoward drumline (notice the funky-as-heck 303-ish clapping there!) – and a fat drumline it is too, pounding on your chest like a crazed-up German drummachine. We dare claim the heaviest beats of 2008 are already here. The 808 bass (we're going low enough here!) isn't any easier on you either: it's big like an oversized wienerschnitzel. All those elements, coupled with a hypnotically haunting pad on the background make Petrol a dish for winners. For those who are into a more minimal yet heavy-as-hell technoy drum and bass, Petrol is a treat you don't come across very often.
Cold Love brings back the breakbeat action that'll satisfy the most demanding breakozoid. This track is (cold) love for synthesis all the way: bleeps, whirls, and slowly progressing synthlines and melodies all work together – with a sturdy subbass backbone – to create an ecstatic-electric journey from the dark to the light: dark vibes to start with, and a salvation to end with. Cold Love will get your brain rocking without pill-popping.
***The fourth Lightless release*** is the Fanu album. One half uptempo, the other downtempo. "DAYLIGHTLESS", the long-awaited debut album from the Finnish break maestro, Fanu, is released in both vinyl and CD formats (2CD / 3*12"). The multi-faceted, 22-track album proves that Fanu is a producer and an artist capable of doing multiple styles, always keeping the music deep - in Fanu's eerie trademark style - and the fat breaks and subs rolling.
***003***
For the third release on Lightless, veteran Junglist NAPHTA steps up to the plate to deliver the first two parts in his ‘Soundclash’ series. Digging deep to draw on the roots of sample-based Jungle, Naphta unveils an Amen break double-header that sets the pace for a return to the versatility, colour and sheer dynamism of vintage 94-95 era Jungle.
Already caned by a handful of discerning underground drum n bass and Jungle DJs around Europe and the US for the last 3 years, Soundclash Part 1 finally sees the light of day courtesy of Lightless Recordings. A beautiful blend of atmospherics, chopped-up breaks and wicked vocal interjections culled from hardcore ragga soundclashes, Soundclash 1 has already earned itself a reputation as a timeless classic that crosses the divide between headphone/home-listening and mashed-up dancefloors effortlessly.
Flip over for the follow-up Soundclash Part 2 (Junglist Rise). Swinging in with a jaunty reggae-influenced skank, the tune brings a warm party flavour in the intro, rolling beats setting the pace nicely, before the tune fades down into a wistful melodic roll-off… building the anticipation in preparation for a full-on breakbeat dancefloor attack! Similarly fired up by the energy of clash culture, Soundclash 2 offers a sweet sequel to the first in the series, and a perfect floor-mover for DJs to drop as the days grow brighter and Summer beckons…!
***002***
The A-side tune, Garmonbozia, is, again, a display of Fanu’s Twin-Peaks-holism. Laura Palmer's there even before the intro break kicks in, telling us about Killer Bob's antics. Fanu does here what he can do best: creates a cinematic intro with pads, sampledelia, and a rolling Bernard Purdie break, all contributing to a laidback and dreamy soundscape, leaving the listener totally unaware of what's ahead. All stays peaceful until the "long dark night of the soul" begins. The break gets heavyweight and in comes the bassline – both of which remind us of the nineties' Dillinja, another source of Fanu's dnb inspiration. Not for the light-hearted!
The track on AA-side, My Life In Flames – inspired by Ed Rush (notice the nineties groove in the intro?), Danny Breaks, and, again, Twin Peaks. The break and bass presence is equally strong in this track, and the eerie beginning with its dominating pad and odd Twin Peaks speech samples make this one quite a package. Here's a track that captures the listener with its rolling, cymbal-rich breakwork (it's a universal fact that cymbals get the chicks and we all know it!) and the bassline that is as woofer-shaking as it gets – and we're not talking about the nowadays oh-so-popular midrange here. This one's another track paying homage to Fanu's drum and bass influences; it's likely that the children of early Metalheadz era as well as those who were let down by the soulless drum-machine dnb will be pleased by the sounds of this track.
***001***
The A-side of 001 is called For Those Who Dream, and it represents the trademark Fanu sounds: sharp breaks with deep atmospheres that have absorbed a lot on an inspirational level (if not even on a sample level...) from Twin Peaks and certain David-Lynchism , which to Fanu are massive influences. Laura Palmer (R.I.P.!) would eat this up and buy five copies if she was alive and you know it.
The AA-side track (we only do double a-sides!), called Next To The Divine One I Wake, is a 3/4 downtempo track with a cymbally break, just as in the a-side tune. NTTDOIW introduces an equally dreamy atmosphere, beautiful vocals as well as a deep 808 bass. We can say with pride that this is Bill-Laswell-approved material!
SOUNDS + ART
Check below for release art + sounds.
Click on the titles below the pictures to listen to the releases and on the pictures to see the art in a bigger pop-up window.
Hey Fanu, My name's Lemphek, I'm a 15 year old master producer from Adelaide, South Australia.
Great to hear your beautiful music. It's pretty inspiring to listen to some of your music from Daylightless, especially when climbing high roofs in the city (as we do in Adelaide).
I have a great story of how I played Poltergeist at a commercial dance gig, and a girl had a panic attack (I think that means it's a convincing song :o).
Anyway, I'm interested in getting involved with you and your label, so if you could email/msn me on offbeatdnb(at)hotmail.com, it'd be much appreciated.
out now - MISSPENT011 Sub - Cerberus EP /w Cycom & ICR remixes
Continuing on with an international agenda, ICR pushes forward with his Misspent Music digital imprint. In the latest installment, the Hungarian label head invites SUB, a cornerstone in the Austrian drumfunk scene, for the eleventh release. SUB's four-track 'Cerberus EP' is a guaranteed adrenaline-fueled journey for all fans of tight, intricate drumwork. "It's the best release on Misspent yet" ~ DJ Flight "A very good release for people who love the original d&b sound." ~ Equinox
coming in may: MISSPENT012 ICR - Feels Like Spring / Tingle Tangle
After Sub's cold, winter release, Misspent 012 is all about uplifting and emotive textures. This colorful and vibrant offering is sure to put smiles on dancers' faces as they open up windows and let the fresh sounds in.
For the first Nerve release of 2009, we're very proud to present the debut EP from Copenhagen's Jean Doe.
It's drum n bass tinged with detroit techno and deep house, from the glitchy beats of the title track to deep rolling vibes on "Nuance" and "Fibre" before fellow Copenhagen based producer Pyro joins him for the epic and uplifting "Ambitions in A Minor".
brand new track just added to my page, don goliath DUBBING DOWN BABYLON,(SUB-VERSIVE&DJ GNOME REMIX) ,due for release shortly on DUBSTEP DIVISION RECORDINGS be great to get your comments on this one and as always feel free to promo your thing on my page,
allright there ,hope things are all good with ya!just to let you know grasshopper is due for release shortly on young nrg productions be good if you could check it thanks for the support
2008 brings bigger and better things for Offshore and Clever. Make sure not to miss Sat, Dec 13th as Clever touches down in San Francisco; showing you why Offshore Recordings has become a household name and giving you a taste of what the future holds for the label. Big BIG THINGS! MAKE SURE TO ADD US ON GOING BY CLICKING THE ABOVE LINK. HOPE TO SEE YOU!!!
With a history of invention spanning such diverse creations as the telephone, golf and economics, Scotland has proven itself to be at the forefront of well, basically, genius. To prove this once again, Nerve Recordings have focused on this part of the world for it's new release - The Intercity EP, featuring producers spread the length and breadth of Scotland (with a guest appearance from Singapore). From the dubby beats of Morphy to the techy futurism of Velocet, most of the sub genre's of drum n bass make an appearance here and show the quality and diversity of the production talent in the country. Starting with the tough beats of "Ruffneck" through to Linden's smooth roller "Day by Day" and finishing on two slabs of downtempo in the shape of Velocet's epic "Go With The Flaw" and the doom laden sounds of "Not In My Town" from the Figures of the Lost Dawn.
Tracklisting:
1) "Ruffneck" - Morphy 2) "Awaken Life" - Velocet & Paul Reset 3) "Island Rock" - Morphy & Kiat 4) "Day By Day" - Linden 5) "Tenma" - 9 Tails Fox 6) "Positive Vibes" - BZ 7) "Go With The Flaw" - Velocet 8) "Not In My Town" - The Figures of the Lost Dawn
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