Launched by DJ Stretch in 1995 with the help of record label Reinforced Records, A-Ko Recordings released numerous records by Stretch throughout the ’90s. A-Ko Recordings also inspired numerous offshoots, including AKO Beatz in 2014. AKO Beatz focused on promoting established artists and fostering new talent within the jungle and drum and bass music scene.

The London-based label also includes sub-labels AKO Reload, AKO10, AKO150 Arcade, and Warn Ah Bruddah. They are also responsible for running various underground shows throughout London.

Since its launch, AKO Beatz has released records by artists such as Ricky Force, Goldie, and Tom & Jerry across its main label and sub-labels.

In a statement about the 25-year milestone, DJ Stretch wrote, “I’m super proud to see a new generation getting to hear the sound we believed in back in the day, and bringing it into the future now. And it doesn’t stop there. Every year I’m raising the bar higher!”

AKO Beatz… 25 Years in the Jungle can be watched on YouTube.

The turntable will be a limited edition run with only 50 units available. It will glow various soft neon colors as a record plays. As of now, the only way of purchasing it is by enquiring with the gallery via their website. No price is listed, though many expect it will be high. Each turntable will have Eno’s signature and edition number engraved on the side.

Speaking about his invention, Eno said, “One of the great breakthroughs of evolution theory is that you can start with simple things and they will grow into complexity. This is very unintuitive – it’s one of these things that the human brain isn’t immediately capable of grasping. It doesn’t make sense until you see it.”

Born in the U.K., Brian Eno studied painting and experimental music at Ipswich Civic College. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of glam rock band Roxy Music. Throughout his career, he has worked as a producer with numerous influential groups such as Devo, Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay. He also produces sound installations, including the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Nestled among trees at the base of a mountain in the Barite area, the festival site is chosen for its natural beauty. Camping sites are available to rent by attendees looking for a complete outdoor experience.

Techno enthusiasts and nature lovers alike can catch performances by tINI, Cally plus Romanian legend Raresh amongst others. The bill also sees festival favorites and residents returning to the site.

“After the break we decided to take in 2020, the need for a proper experience connecting music and nature is stronger than ever,” reads a statement on their event page. “This year our hearts are full of bliss, because Festival in the Nature is definitely happening. The forest, the musical delights and the people around you are going to create together a whole chapter of stories worth telling long after everything is over.”

The festival’s Facebook page describes it as “…a special place. A place, where you can go … and grow, musically and spiritually. A mystical place, at the foot of the mountain, where beautiful music, art, and nature combine, to give you the climax of pure happiness.”

Stewardship of the environment is a focus for the event and guests are encouraged to bring reusable cups to cut down on plastic waste. It’s essential that visitors “treat the forest like home,” as the event page states, and return the area to its natural state after the festivities are done.

Tickets are available through event.gg. Pictures from past events can be found on the festival’s Instagram page.

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Youandewan has returned to U.K. label Butter Side Up with a compelling minimal house record. The Thyme Capsules EP is all the more impressive considering that all four tracks were purportedly “made purely on ’90s grooveboxes and recorded live to cassette.” No release date has been announced at the time of writing.

A common thread tying together each song on the EP is elastic, resonant synth plucks that stand out as the centerpiece of each arrangement. This element is perhaps less present in the melodious title track and “Beyond My Ken,” but the flip side sees it in full force. “Scissor Juice” and “Slow Down” featuring Art Feynman fully utilize it to take the listener on an aural journey through rhythm, timber and tone.

Youandewan (real name Ewan Smith) was born in Scotland, raised in Yorkshire, and has lived in Berlin since 2018. His discography extends back to 2009, however, with his music landing on imprints such as Moma Recordings, Aus Music and Eclipser Chaser.

Smith was previously enlisted to remix “Green” off of Christian Jay‘s Running EP, the first-ever Butter Side Up release. The label is run by Hugh Bailey and Hamish Cole, the latter of whom also does booking for Dimensions Festival in Croatia.

Preorder the Thyme Capsules EP in vinyl record format via Subwax.

There’s a magic in a great groove that sticks to your bones and the trio has touched upon that enchanting kind of moment. Sandy’s soulful swagger accents all the right notes above pulsating, airy synth stabs. In a time when most of us can’t dance inside a dark, sweaty warehouse, “Just Look” takes us back there – at least in spirit. Gomi, Ivy, and Sandy B have captured the blissful ethos of early rave and transported it into a post-rave world.

Each of the three NYC-based artists has a proven track record in dance music. DJ Gomi, a consistent fixture in dance music for nearly three decades, boasts remixes for the likes of Madonna, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion. NYC native Mike Ivy has in the last decade appeared on stalwart labels like Toolroom and Skint, and Sandy B first reached number one on Billboard’s dance charts with “Make the World Go Round” and “Ain’t No Need to Hide” in 1996, and 1997, respectively. Since then, she has become a regular of the Nervous Records family.

“Just Right” is available to stream and download across platforms here.

The song’s chorus – a duet between Miller and Anderson .Paak – undulates softly in the background for a completely different take on the modern breakup song. Remixes are at their best when they reimagine a song within a new context. SÖTTO and UNDTKG realized the rhythmic groove of Miller’s flow and allowed it to shine atop thumping percussion.

SÖTTO and UNDTKG are part of a league of young house producers that hail from Brasília, Brazil. Like their friend MKJAY, who’s spent the last few years destroying the charts with groundbreaking productions on Insomniac Records and Dirtybird, SÖTTO and UNDTKG have found the balance of bass-forward beats and classic house grooves.

“Dang” (Remix) is available as a free download via Soundcloud.

Phinnegan and Madrush both hail from the U.K., and on account of the COVID-19 pandemic they haven’t had the chance to test this out on a real life crowd. New Zealand duo Melt., however, have returned to playing shows in front of real people, and have seen the damage this belter can do to a dance floor.

The ghostly intro smoothly swells into an absolutely filthy, crushed reese bass line. The modulating low-end wobble that has been synonymous with drum and bass since its inception still packs a powerful punch to the gut. Madrush MC’s slick vocals provide just the right amount of organic balance for a wall of halting amen breaks.

The trio masterfully demonstrate what makes drum and bass such a compelling genre. Its stark elements allow the body to experience the rhythm in a way that’s visceral. It feels fierce and chaotic, yet the drum programming is so subtly delicate and precise.

“Everyone” is available as part of the onesevenfour Vol. 1 compilation.

The trill of haunting chords sets the tone. As a syncopated backbeat begins to breathe life into the song, the female vocal slithers in. With such a sensual start, the crisp and punchy drums catch you a bit off guard. As thick as they are, though, their weight turns the sultry, R&B-tinged number on its head. The result is thumping, raw, and sexy. Funk carioca is an amalgamation of sounds, and Jaca pulls that thread with a compelling, modern twist.

Favela funk’s popularity rose alongside that of hip-hop and dance music. In the ’80s Miami bass, hip-hop, and freestyle dominated South Florida record stores. It was a sound that already had deep roots in the diaspora. It’s easy to see why DJs from Rio returned with those records after traveling to Miami. The sound evolved as it merged with Samba and was further influenced by Afro-religious music that was popular among Black communities in Brazil.

Like hip-hop and Miami bass, favela funk was popularized in Rio De Janero’s predominantly Black favelas. By the mid-’90s it had gained mainstream acceptance in Brazil. With lyrics that delve into race, sex, violence, and social inequality, the parallels between it and hip-hop are stark. The genre has come under similar cultural criticism for its glorification of violence and degradation of women. While the lyrics often push the limits, it can be seen as an authentic representation of life in the favelas.

“Faixa Preta” by Jaca Beats is available as a free download.

The original mix opens with two minutes of uplifting melodic bliss. Thumping kicks, syncopated percussion, vocal shouts, and a joy-inducing arpeggio set the tone. While the vocal is teased to great effect several times, the dancefloor-blazing drum breakdown leading into the full vocal is a moment that would undoubtedly bring any dancefloor to its knees. And then with a near-perfect blend, the chugging melodic ecstasy returns again.

Mijangos’ “Afro Latin Remix” amps up the energy and ads a splash of tech. Because he’s spent the majority of his career pushing a sound that has his Latin roots at its heart, he was the perfect producer to enlist. The drums, while mostly pulling from the same elements as the original, have an added sparkle – they are the centerpiece of this remix.

The package is rounded by a heavy “Drum Dub,” also from Mijangos. On this round, the bass line comes out full force with far more rhythmic vocal accents than before. The melodic elements are purely accents in this remix, while Mijangos pays full attention to a rhythm that hits you right in the chest.

You can stream and download “Baila Gana” across platforms here.

“Can I Turn Too,” features the hallmarks of the Bay Area-born artist’s trademark sound. It opens with a tuned-down soul sample, almost foreboding, and all at once, a sultry wall of Rhodes offers a stark juxtaposition that doesn’t feel out of place in a year like 2020. “Can I Turn Too” is really a marriage of the deep house cuts that brought her into production and the more hard-edged Berlin sound that she’s picked up while living there. The synths and bass line are bright and airy, but the beats are heavy and throbbing.

Lady Blacktronika’s music runs through waves of darkness and light. It’s music indicative of a life that has been met with intense joy and extraordinary heartache and austerity. She was born and raised in San Jose, California, and throughout her life, she has experienced periods of drug addiction, homelessness, and prostitution. Through it all, her music was a solace.

In the late 90’s Lady Blacktronika got her start lending her vocals to numerous house records that never saw the light of day. After years of feeling left out of the writing process, her own smoothed-out deep house cuts were discovered by Mike Huckaby on MySpace, and he introduced her to the world in 2007.

“Can I Turn Too” and the entire Drum Control EP are available via BandCamp.