Pantamuzik Records

Inkzvolte is a super talented young artist, amazing producer and off the hook multi instrumentalist, we met Inkzvolte last year in his beautiful hometown in the mexican caribean, Riviera Maya and we clicked instantly, we really love his unique style full of funk and a loud expression of love!

He has already collaborated with us in Blaq Records before and he is already a part of our family, he has other beautiful projects that you will be hearing from in the next months for sure, top quality productions filled with style and oozing of love and higher vibrations.

The remixes for this ep come from some dear friends also part of Blaq Records family Alberto Santizzo drops a beautiful housey gem that will be in many dj sets around the world guaranteed, another top remix from Luis Siller part of the duo Bioniq, and a 3rd remix by Signal Deluxe dropping’ some broken beat extravaganza.

And as a bonus remix we have a re interpretation from Inkzvolte alternative project Voltik Kid this is the first release of the jointed venture between Blaq Records and Pantamuzik, we close the year with this release and we are ready with some amazing releases to start 2012, mixing up mexican upcoming talent with more stablished international names, sharing love through music and expression.

Always with a twist and a deep sense of humor, Razz always keeps things un a funk tip.

This ep is full of fun and flavor, bouncing up and down and getting loose all over the place, just given it all out for a good time.

3 original tracks that have groove all they way down to the core and are stylish in sound, Pantamuzik’s own rock and roll rebel, Razz, creates a great combo mixed from house to techno and back to tech house territories with some latin tinted grooves and a heavy chicago influenced vibe.
Including one tight remix from Dich, courtesy of Zarek Recordings, this one is a funky excursion in house, with an elegant arrangement and a sudden and nicely placed latin style.

For our release number 18 we have our dear friend Julian Brody come on board again, his first release with us was catalog number PTMZK007 “Suavecito pegadito”.

Leaving behind his electro roots and taking a deep dive straight into tech house territory he delivers 3 new tracks for full enjoyment!

Fuego is a house track that honors the Gaiteros de San Jacinto. The voice of Antonio Tranquilino plays the part of a song from this group, this song is puts you in a chilled relaxed groove letting you fly along.
Night drive in Belize is a dark tech house repetitive groove thathypnotizes it’s like a ride on a train looking out the window watching different landscapes pass by.

Sound 21- 7 is also a tech house jam with electro flavor, it flows from different sounds and different dimensions, this song has a great arrangement.

The latest release is Pantamuzik’s most ambitious to date. As label chief Monopolar prepares for his summer emigration to Berlin, he paves the way with the excellent “Übersalsa” EP. Since his first forays into music production, Monopolar has consistently looked to incorporate a Latin American origin in his work. Whilst he loves to work with traditional instruments and take influence from certain styles, his respect is such that he always steers clear of the common malpractice of simply throwing beats under a sample.

A love of Salsa instilled in his youth, was to be recalled and reworked in the most modern of ways. Whilst on a trip to Berlin and having read about the ‘übermensch’ Nietzchean notion, Monopolar set about creating a modern salsa track, processed through his very German idea of technique and power. “Übersalsa” was born. “I produced a brass melody (trombones and trumpets) that recall a harmonic change that is very usual in salsa music and reverb it to a point where it’s just a texture, a blurred memory of something very beloved to me, and built the track around it.” “Las Cajas” on the flip, created in a similar influential process, is a tribute to the Peruvian percussive ‘Cajón’ instrument. “I recorded some cajón lines and built a 6/8 pattern with a more cuban-caribbean feel, trying to set a bridge between two afrolatino traditions that are geographically apart but spiritually close.”

To choose remixers for such a personal piece of work is no mean feat. However Pantamuzik have shone here, in their choice of, Camea, Sierra Sam & Marcus Vector and Clint Stewart. Clink Recordings boss Camea, fresh from her reworking of Ellen Allien’s “Dust”, likes a added bite to her “Übersalsa.” Perfect for the summer floors, the jackin’ bounce of her mix is set to impress. Sierra Sam & Marcus Vector, prefer a milder yet equally as tasty type of dressing. The German duo plunge “Übersalsa” to deep and dubby territory, using the original’s brass section to guide through the mix. San Francisco’s Clint Stewart is handed the reigns on “Las Cajas” and softens the original’s techy edges to create a beautifully deep yet driving remix.

Exclusive Promo are very happy to welcome our very first Mexican label to the family. We say Mexican, but in reality Pantamuzik is a Latin American label, having emigrated from firstly Peru, to Columbia and now to their current home of Mexico City. Whilst the continent is renowned for its ancient traditions, colour, rhythms, movement and mystery, it also contends with historic brutality and blood shed.

Pantamuzik has supported its South American artists and allowed them a platform for personal expression. With a sound that blends pure and raw emotion, with a latin twist, they have already gained respect and support from the likes of Richie Hawtin, Loco Dice and Samim. With many artists having played at the labels now-famous “Alterego” parties.

Having built an impressive homegrown roster and, over the past 10 years, established themselves as a major player in South America. The time has come for Pantamuzik to boldly enter the European fray, and spread some much needed Latin warmth. With a number of key releases already scheduled, backed with impressive remix packages, the task of kicking off their 2011 campaign goes to the Argentinean duo of Christian Hainich and Juan Manuel Castelo, aka. Dub Dummies.

Having first met back in 2011 whilst studying electronic music composition and biotechnology, the musical chemistry between Juan and Christian was instant. A first release in 2008, was followed by releases on Darek Recordings. Their finest work to date was also their most recent. Their “Mantra” EP, released on Jesper Dahlback’s International Sound Laboratory Records, featured remixes from Phil Kieran and Jesper himself.

From the tough path of their last release, to the wonderfully smooth tones of their latest. The pair, never tied to genres, have created two beautifully deep and atmospheric cuts in the form of “Intermitencias” and “Lunes Amarillo.”

Humberto Polar (Pantamuzik founder, member of Monopolar):

‘When I started Pantamuzik, back in 2000, no digital music downloads were sold at all, vinyl distribution was an insane investment in Latin America (still is) and nobody djed with CDs.
So, if you were a musician as I was, trying to establish an ethos about creating a real Latin-American breed of electronic music that didn’t sound like an idiot putting some congas on top of some loops, you had to be really patient and in good terms with your own suicidal tendencies, financially speaking.

Maybe Argentina and Chile had a bit more presence in the alternative dancefloors due to talented musicians and DJs that made a name in Europe such as Franco Cinelli, Pier Bucci or Ricardo Villalobos. But if you were a Peruvian, living in Colombia and heading to Mexico as I was, things looked much tougher.
But here we are. As we said in the very beginning, the world doesn’t need another dance music label, especially the Third World. But we did it anyway.

Eight CDs and 15 digital releases in a decade are not a lot, but they speak clearly about how carefully we choose the music we release. Whenever we believe in an artist or a track, we support that music with all our heart, playing it, spreading it no matter how difficult that is nowadays, in a polytonal world where everybody is able to make himself heard, for the good or the bad.

Now we live in Mexico City. Razz, another ex-pat, from Argentina  joined me a couple of years ago and we spend long hours listening to demos from Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Venezuela… sometimes we DJ our catalog in clubs in the city, the country, the continent – and we can’t help smiling when we realize that hundreds of people dance frenetically to this music we Latin-Americans love and understand. It’s very likely that no German or UK label would ever listened to the dudes we release, maybe yes… anyway, we are here for the love of our music and our culture and we hope we can survive many more years doing exactly the same.

TRACKLISTING

01 Razz – Altiplano (Argenis Brito Remix)
02 Monopolar – Me Preocupan Otras Cosas (Original Mix)
03 Miguel Toro – Kurduca (Piek Remix)
04 Israel Vich & Miki Gonzalez – Los Boras (Original Mix)
05 Jay Haze & Guajira – Guajira (Special Edit)
06 Signal Deluxe & Donovan – More Love & Sweet Divine (Original Mix)
07 Pablo Decoder & Capo – Imposible (Club Edit)

The Viaje E.P. on Pantamuzik is a two-track release of clustered synthesis drips, coming together with steady rhythms to create an unnerving, bouncy…yet unashamedly danceable house pack.

Title track, “Viaje” sounds like the beginning of some ancient ritual…but soon jars into a club surrounding for a rather nice juxtaposition. The two scenes are melded together with ease by neat & tidy percussive tricks (his drum lessons clearly showing thru here) into a ferocious mix of sexual tension and hypnotic malevolence.

“Altiplano” gives us a bit of jazz, and why not? The swing ride symbols, the diminished 7th chords, the shakers; all you need is a martini and a bow tie and you are transported to Chicago circa 1930. Don’t get too comfortable though, its not long till the menace of synthesisers bombard the whole scene with their dripping wet sound and clockwork relentlessness. Think Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow….only good……(and not a film).

It’s been hard to ignore the buzz around Pantamuzik these days. For their latest release, the Mexico City-based label heads south to Peru, teaming up with Rock-Meets-Afro Peruvian music legend Miki Gonzalez for three tracks of well-crafted blend of traditional instruments and precision techno.

The original versions of these “remixes” appear on the forthcoming album by Gonzalez titled Lando Por Bulerias. The release is significant, not only because of Gonzalez – whose career spans four decades exploring everything from flamenco to electronic music along the way – but that the album will be released digitally by OMBLIGO – the label co-founded by the owners of Pantamuzik. The label will serve as a conduit for a wide spectrum of underground music emerging from Latin America.

EN LA COCINA features flamenco chants by Amalia Barbero and Saúl Quiroz, flamenco guitar by Paquete, and Peruvian percussion by Gigio Parodi. Lifting those chants and the polyrhythmic textures of the traditional afro Peruvian percussion instrument the Cajon from the original, Monopolar transforms it in to hypnotic, pulsating techno replete with spanish guitar accents. With a heavy-footed kick drum, “En La Cocina” is a dark and wild ride to the kitchen for a late night snack.

OTRA MARINERA features Peruvian “guapeos”· (those ad lib voices saying only rhythmic nonsense) by Marco Campos and Mangué Vásquez. Once again the original version that this track draws inspiration from is a powerful and rhythmic tune that sounds like a drunken sea chantey. Extracted are the numerous polyrhythmic textures of the guapeos and of the Cajon, which are then synthesized into a dense wall of plucked strings all driven by the cadence of the castanet – never drifting far from the flamenco roots that underpin this track.

OTRO PAYANDÉ features flamenco chant by Loli Abadía. The track is one of the solid b-side gems that instantly stands out. Abadia’s chanting along with interesting usage of various guitar sounds gives this one a warm deep house feel that is hard to ignore. The subtle use of melody is a Pantamuzik trademark and it shines brightly on this track making it the perfect track from the upcoming fall season.

For all the Non-Espanol speakers out there, “Fotographias Viejas” basically means “Old Photographs” – And yes, there is certainly a throwback feeling etched into the soundscapes of the newest release by Israel Vich on Pantamuzik. Throwback in a classic, brassy sort of way – but there is nothing throw-away about it! Label newcomer, long-time DJ hero, and producer Maverick…Israel Vich is clearly at the top of his game throughout the South Americas. Having first touched down in the Pantamuzik catalog with his release, “Cornuda,” a collaboration between Israel & Nu – the “Fotographias Viejas” release is full of jazz sparks, and horns, ivory keys, and gorgeous percussions. Israel’s foray on Pantamuzik is fleshy, feisty, and just in time for the last of the summer standoffs.

The package kicks off with El Vibe (Grau Remix) to get things moving into a deep vibe. The tune is all over the dancefloor though, so don’t be misled – Argentine producer & Miniatura Records founder brings his signature sound to the track with deep basslines, and neverending ivory keys.

The original version of El Vibe takes it even deeper, with an impressive breakdown, lush high-hats, and just a touch of vocal tease. Percussion, Percussion…with a twist!

Fotographias Viejas, the title track of the package – is remniscent of some dark trip into the moonlit tech-jungles…dirty, driving, and with spots of gorgeous sax in all the right places.

Fotographias Viejas (M.in Remix)

Striking a nearly Prince- remniscensce as the wheels start to turning on this remix by German-native up & comer, M.in, his clear aficionado for all things sexy, and jazzy come thru in driving beat waves.

The Musicians

A little minimal magic for good measure, this one paints a vivid image of gutter talk, a musicians on a mission…the percussion creeps down your spine like a bead of sweat…sit back & listen.

At Pantamuzik, we are glad to introduce our 11th EP: Point EP (PNTMZK011) delivered by Mild Bang, who is a talented Mexican musician and producer. He’s been playing and releasing his own tracks since many years, on different labels such as: Love Hertz, Substudio Records, Drag Music, Packed Music, Piso Records, Proton Ltd, Blaq Records, Miniatura Records, Pluse Code Recordings, and others.

ALO: The first track of this new EP has a strong house sound. A steady groove, and a sensual melody.

POINT: The track that bears the name of this album is more tech house oriented, and you can dance on each one of its beats.

POINT (Signal Deluxe Remix): And finally you’ll find this sensational remix of Signal Deluxe. This duo has a long history in this industry, and this time, they’re offering us a groovy tech house with their personal touch. This one if definitely sexy and dark at the same time, a real pleasure for your senses!