The First Circle

Barcelona record shop for electronic vinyl spanning house, techno, deep house, minimal, disco, Afro and beat-driven music.

Dancing Vinyl

May 2020

2020

People who like The First Circle also listen to FYI Chris, Glenn Astro, Awanto 3, Inkswel, Max Graef, Linkwood, Takuya Matsumoto, Young Marco, Panthera Krause, Roman Rauch.

Neroli released The First Circle on Thu May 28 2020. The 9 track Leftfield release features Aybee, Dego, Fred P, Gerald Mitchell, Ian O'Brien, Ian Obrien, K15, Kirk Degiorgio, Linkwood, Patrice Scott, Pirahnahead , Piranhahead, and Volcov. **Neroli** has also released vinyl by [Rest Symbol](/artist/rest-symbol), [Resonating](/artist/resonating), [Domu](/artist/domu), [Phil Asher](/artist/phil-asher), and [Nathan Haines](/artist/nathan-haines). Browse the [Neroli catalogue](/label/neroli). People who like The First Circle also listen to FYI Chris, Glenn Astro, Awanto 3, Inkswel, Max Graef, Linkwood, Takuya Matsumoto, Young Marco, Panthera Krause, Roman Rauch.

Aybee

Absorbing a lifetime’s worth of soul, reggae and hip-hop growing up in North-West London, Dego was a sound system selector before he had left school and a pirate radio DJ not long after. Developing as a producer, his first releases were at the dawn of the 1990s as part of 4hero, dance music pioneers for whom jungle and drum n’ bass was their work’s exoskeleton, shooting off into techno and jazz. Their sound was freely infused with myriad musical influences and a wealth of renegade London spirit, supported along the way by all-star guests like Larry Mizell, Roy Ayers and Terry Callier. They turned out a slew of albums – among them 1994’s Parallel Universe, the Mercury Prize-nominated Two Pages in 1998 and 2001’s Creating Patterns - each one a thrilling statement of musicianship, a shade ahead of the pulse of modern British black music and a deft balance of the avant-garde and daring futurism. At the start of the 2000s Dego, Phil Asher, IG Culture and a cast of other likeminded Londoners started Co-Op at the Velvet Rooms, a clubland home for a fresh new scene that was emerging. The sound of the club was maybe best captured in 4hero’s ‘Hold It Down’, a Dego-written minor hit. His 2000BLACK label, meanwhile, was gallantly carving out its own niche via a series of singles, albums and compilations, its output an uncompromising concoction of house, techno and soul, or just London boogie for short. Then his first solo album A Wha’ Him Deh Pon?, a storming, sprawling twenty-track opus, won across-the-board acclaim in 2011. After a spell working in New York in the mid-2000s, Dego returned to his London roots and picked up where he left off. A reinvigorated 2000BLACK put out the Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks long player, an exemplary piece of teamwork with frequent collaborators Kaidi Tatham, Matt Lord and Akwasi Mensah. And in 2013 and 2014 Dego embarked on a string of hotly received 12” releases: a diverse three-tracker on Italian imprint Neroli; a one-two punch combo of EPs for Eglo and Brooklyn producer Falty DL’s Blueberry Records; and another deadly triple-header on Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature. Dego’s sound might be difficult to pin down – naturally morphing into something else when you think you’ve got it figured out – but what remains consistent is his vivid awareness of the wisdom in leaving genres out of the picture and letting the music itself do the dirty work.

Dego

“Deep”, perhaps the word most associated with the career of Fred P, and for once, an accurate portrayal. Eleven albums, innumerable releases and decades of Djing into his career, the New York-turned-Berlin resident continues to push further into his own sound, craft, and mind. For those fortunate enough to be present for one of Fred's cathartic, physical and spiritual DJ sets, the dancefloor is not just a place for enjoyment, but for potential. That opportunity for potential – his own, yours, that of our collective consciousness – has long-been the earnest pursuit of Fred P, channeled expertly through his evolved and deeply personal exploration of house and techno music. His futurist approach is inspired as much by the scene's bonafide revolutionaries, Frankie Knuckles to David Morales and Danny Tenaglia, as his own futurist philosophy, weaved together from a glorious patchwork inspired by an ever-expanding network or thinkers, collaborators, and international encounters. If this all sounds rather academic, then any appearance from Fred P will cement the sound of his vision. Years dancing at New York nightspots such as Red Zone, Sound Factory and Tunnel proved to be the sort of open-minded education that cannot be bought, cannot be sold and cannot be hyped. Here, among an eclectic cast throng of consciously aligned fellow party-goers, Fred P learned pleasure and patience from extensive record collections that often went some way to suggest that less can mean more. It's a confidence that runs through his music and Djing, and most recently earned him a quarterly residency split between London's twin clubs, Oval Space and Pickle Factory, sharing the bill with like-minded contemporaries. He was also handed control of the club's sound system for several all-night sessions, a favorite format of his, creating space to conjure a unique, sensual and almost psychedelic early morning atmosphere that the New York native is almost notorious for being able to conjure like few others (refer to his own cult classic, '6AM' for a seductive glimpse of this particular sound.) All this in mind, what's the eventual aim? “Like-minds together, to raise each other's consciousness”, he considers. “And with that, you can have an experience. I'm all for that because I know music can be medicine. Meditation... It's a gift for everybody. So to use it with intent but not self-interest – which is very difficult nowadays – it's all about the time you're given and the quality of what you decide to do with that time.” Time passes, for better or worse, and with that, change must be embraced. 2018 sees Fred P bring his acclaimed Soul People Music outlet to an end and embrace a new label, Perpetual Sound. Launching with a new recording for arguably his best-loved alias, Black Jazz Consortium, the label will be guided solely by his proven eye for emotion and evolution, anticipating new collaborations and styles. That first release was a statement, tellingly titled ‘Evolutions’, adorned with a retro-futurist cover that harks back, perhaps with a sigh, to retro-sixties futurism. On the cusp of an AI revolution, in the midst of political, cultural and social tension and disruption on an international scale, Fred P is determined to ensure optimism and futurism lead forward his practice. “The 20th century was big on originality... The 21st century, so far, not too much”, he reflects. “That attitude in general, towards everything, pushes this singular ethos. The us or nothing bullshit. So what's standing in the way of the obvious stuff? What is the end goal? The end goal is to fully embrace our potential and to remove the things that hold us back: Greed, envy, and self-interest. To embrace a more humanitarian approach Not just for ourselves, but for our species.”

Fred P

Gerald Mitchell

Ian O'Brien

Ian Obrien

Kirk Degiorgio

Linkwood

Patrice Scott’s roots in the Detroit music scene go a long way back. At the age of just 11 he lived down the road from early DJ group Direct Drive and it was at these block parties that Scott decided that this is what he wanted to do. That his inspiration should be so deeply rooted in live music and the dance floor environment makes sense – he has become known as one of the most innovative and dynamic club DJs from the Motor City with his own deep and textured house & techno sound. In those early days of the Detroit techno scene Patrice was exposed to legendary artist and disc jockeys like Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Jeff Mills as well as radio personality The Electrifying Mojo. Patrice also was profoundly inspired by the Chicago Sounds of Larry Heard, Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles a few hundred miles west. Patrice’s music reflects much of the rich sound palette of deep house and techno from the 1990’s but combines this with a sense of constant innovation which depends less on trends and fashions and more on Scott’s own passion for seeking out an otherworldliness in music. In 2006 Scott launched his own imprint, Sistrum Recordings, which has since released a long series of records to ongoing critical acclaim. 2015 saw the long awaited release of this debut album – “Euphonium” – where Scott displayed “jaw – dropping production prowess, both from a programming and compositional perspective” (Resident Advisor) Patrice Scott remains one of the scenes most ambitious and interesting figures with a relentless focus on unique music, the dance floor environment and collaborating with a compelling selection of American and European artists.

The First Circle

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