ambient / experimental

ambient / experimntal with female voice of diana rogerson

new output

isa gordon presents her new album <for you only<

electronic journey

optimo music is delighted to release a first album by fantastic twins (formerly known as the twins). we’ll let them tell you the story behind this inspired and beguiling record

its not exactly a dance album, although there is music you can dance to on it. its more filmic in nature.

sex judas feat. ricky presents their now album: night songs

slowly but pure dope

debut from stranded, incl rsd remix

on an unassuming cassette, just labelled ‘robert rental’ in green dymo tape, these demos have lain unheard for years amongst his family’s treasured possessions, cared-for artefacts of a life cut short far too soon.
these songs, which robert recorded in his council flat in battersea in 1980, provide an enticing glimpse into his all-too-infrequent solo work. on most occasions, robert worked with thomas leer, daniel miller or other collaborators. these are rough recordings, tape hiss still in evidence, but his creativity shines through the murk, like uncut diamonds.

a new optimo music disco plate and the debut release from feon. when these tracks first came my way i instantly knew they were ripe for a release on the label. original, idiosyncratic, full of imagination and featuring a couple of dancefloor hits, how could i resist? ’also, “the sun is high” was surely destined to become a sun-blissed summer anthem.

optimo music don’t generally do limited edition releases but when the golden filter did these extra mixes of “end of times”, the a1 track off their recent ep we thought they were too good to remain in the digital domain so have pressed up a small run of 12” singles aimed specifically at djs. the original single version is a future synth classic. these new dub versions take it to the dancefloor and have been tried and tested around the world over the last few months. they are considerably extended, dubbed out and add extra dynamics & ecstatic synth power with hints of the original vocal. there is a slo mo version at 103 bpm and a faster version at 118bpm which means the track should work any time from warm up to peak set. there is also a drone-apella version included too.

two of the best tracks off the brasileira lp get an updated dancefloor treatment by selvagem, carrot green and joakim. those who experienced listening to the original maria rita version of cantico brasileiro nº3 (kamaiura) on the dancefloor know it s such a thrilling experience that could only be better if the song was a bit longer. at the same time, it didnt make much sense to mess with the original. having these thoughts on their minds, the selvagem boys augusto olivani and millos kaiser (the minds behind selva discos) had an insight while discussing the reissue of the brasileira material with singer maria rita stumpf: why not hit the studio and remake the track? also, why not ask someone like joakim, known for his exquisite taste and brilliant production skills, to remix lamento africano/rictus? it would be the perfect package.

an original copy of the brasileira lp by brazilian singer maria rita stumpf has been on top of collectors and music lovers wishlist for the past couple of years, since cântico brasileiro no 3 (kamaiura)- broke out and cast a spell worldwide – from japan to brazil, from norway to south africa, everybody was flabbergasted after they first heard the song, and each and every time they heard it again. for the lucky ones that could listen to her whole album – and get to know other gems such as lamento africano/rictus and a cidade it is clear that it is an ouvre that more people should have access to, not only an elite of listeners and connaisseurs. the good news are that the lp will be available again in its entirety in a new, glossy, loud and clear pressing released through selva discos, a new label run by augusto olivani and millos kaiser (the dj/production duo known as selvagem) in partnership with jd twitch s optimo music. it s a legit reissue overviewed by maria rita stumpf herself, the music being remastered from the remaining dat tape of the original release and artwork faithfully updated by brazilian design studio colletivo, featuring liner notes by the singer/songwriter.

in 2016. i rented out a small piano studio in east london for nearly the whole year and set out to write an introspective, trendless, and mostly beatless album. inspired by albums from this mortal coil and scott walker, who also sought freedom to work outside of the expectations of their previous work, i limited the instrumentation to mostly an acoustic piano and effects, which left space to expose a lot of emotional vulnerabilities about myself and people close to me. writing lullabies about being a mother in a dystopian world, with pensive words about swimming against the current as a female artist, i felt free enough to tell untold truths that i’ve never felt comfortable talking about within music. free, liberated, empowered. naked.

iona fortune is a composer and producer from glasgow and presents the “tao of i” album as her debut release. inspired by eastern philosophy and slated to be the first in an 8 album series exploring all the symbols of the i ching, her music is influenced by oriental sounds and features a palette of instruments that includes the guzheng, gamelan and synthi aks. the overall effect is a singular and beguiling sound that loosely fits in with the fourth world concept imagined by jon hassell, and indeed iona fortune has also contributed a track to optimo music’s new fourth world compilation “miracle steps”. the initial vinyl edition will come on a white vinyl pressing with inside sleeve and original artwork by iona fortune.

nice price deal !!! the title of this ep sorta says it all. its quite an important release for the label. glasgow musical connections all around! when most people think of optimo music, they think of the long-running club night in glasgow >optimo (espacio)<, which ran for 12 years every sunday…headed by jd twitch and jg wilkes. label honcho jd twitch is extremely proud to be releasing naum gabo … as this is the studio project of his optimo partner, jonnie wilkes, along with james savage. jonnie and james (formally releasing three 12 inches simply as >naum< on kompakts mighty speicher series) have been active on the scene for a while now. as well as releasing the original music on kompakt, mule, eskimo, dissident, and tinae they have provided some wonderful naum gabo reworks for hot chip, simian mobile disco, franz ferdinand, snow patrol, psychonauts and so many more… twitch has long been a fan of naum gabo so it is a bit of a coup to be getting this fantastic release: two covers of two mighty scottish acts from the late 70s/early 80s.

with his project fred und luna musician rainer buchmüller (sugar ray buckmiller) from karlsruhe, germany is paying tribute to his favourite electronic oriented music by using its characteristics like repetition and beautiful melodies, putting them in a contemporary context and preserving their subtle and seductive charm. fred und luna play their self described elektrokraut (concerning songs that are basically kraut mixed with electronic elements) and krautelektro (which is elektro mixed with kraut elements). they live in karlsruhe which, like düsseldorf, lies next to the river rhine. perhaps karlsruhe is the new (neu) düsseldorf, with fred und luna (as pioneers/vanguard).

music for nightclubs and far beyond

this 12inch is pure trance. who is/are rita furstenhof? we have no idea who she/he/they are. the a1 track, the mighty -hadron collider- was sent to optimo music hq about 18 months ago. normally sending one track is not much use to a label, but this was so good that we instantly replied to say we wanted to release it. rita furstenhof works in mysterious ways, and it was 18 months until the other tracks for the ep arrived. along the way there were a few times when we thought they had completely vanished, and we were never going to have a complete ep, but finally, here it is.

four tracks of highly original, impossible to pigeonhole, dancefloor-not-dancefloor music.

inspiration is taken from psychedelic rock, deep southern disco, rhythm and blues, classic house and techno also taking a key from the avant-garde

on the aa side is the previously unreleased instigator while on the a side he reworked golden teachers

scaled to fit is the debut ep from london s shift work. four tracks plus four interludes. machine music for hypno dance floors and home listening tranceouts. live shows forthcoming. in their own words: shift work wring everyday sounds into something you can dance to. snippets of woven speech, audio fragments stitched with waves of pulsing mid-priced synths - the noise of syncopation, cheap art, ringing ears, cracked snares, accidents and oscillations. and some very tidy wiring.

these tracks are fairly special in our opinion and we are very honoured to be releasing them as the first optimo music disco plate.noo are daze dasen (aka plastique de reve) and sami liuski (aka bangkok impact / putsch 79). this is a double a side 12inch single (plus a digital bonus track that we couldnt fit on the 12inch and still have maximum pressing volume). built out of imaginative sampling combined with analogue hardware, these tracks are phenomenally produced, lush disco string fuelled epics that fully work their magic in a club setting. this is modern disco, most definitely not nu disco.

limited to 500 units coming in silkscreen printed sleeves

from hippie dance to optimo. the twins are back with three moody dance tracks.

compass point, muscle shoals, sun studios, studio one, cargo studios, spaceward studios : all seminal recording studios. here in glasgow we are very fortunate to have green door studio which is a free thinking hub for wild, original creativity and great sounding analogue recordings.

first 300 copies come in a limited artwork cover. any further pressings will be in a generic optimo music sleeve

80s inspired synth / disco - electro - space anthem

two definitive dancefloor powers collide with some dark, space, psych-out grooves. dont worry, there is some melody going on here. a serious electronic feel too. the deep vibe of early acid house minimalism is abundant as well. just listen, and all shall be revealed. as for the artists…? well, old school meets new school.

psyche are a canadian dark synth pop act centered around singer darrin huss, who has made his homebase in germany. since their debut album >insomnia theatre< in the early 80s, psyche have continued to record, and perform globally nearly 30 years to date. their indie electro-pop hits such as >unveiling the secret<, >prisoner to desire<, >sanctuary<, >gods and monsters<, and >15 minutes< are enjoyed throughout the world. psyches version of >goodbye horses<, originally made famous by q lazzarus (as heard in that pivotal buffalo bill moment in the movie >silence of the lambs<) has maintained and continued their renown as it has been played, and performed throughout europe, and as far away as mexico, south africa, and australia. optimo offers a re-aquaintance with not only the exclusive re-workings of two favorite club songs >goodbye horses< and >prisoner to desire>, but also with two of psyches pioneering instrumental tracks that inspired djs and electronic fans alike.

organs of love are the power-sleaze duo of james mckinven (organs, love) and alicia matthews (vocals, love). james mckinvens musical odyssey started with playing synth in (kraftwerk, suicide-inspired) electro band berlin blondes. he then moved on to altered images. after that he worked in genetic studios learning from the modern day genius that was producer martin rushent (human league, the stranglers, the buzzcocks). then went on to form one dove and worked with maverick genius andy weatherall. after that he drifted back to where it all started, analog electro, and miss alicia matthews. alicia matthews has quite a different background – one from fine art and performance. through working together at the same bar and having many intoxicating late night chats, they decided to try to get back to a 70s theatrical, musical performance: where live music and art combine for something beyond the rock gig vibe. and luckily enough, miss matthews has quite the pair of pipes – a true vocal delight. the result is organs of love … who frequently perform live around glasgow and have quite the reputation of thee band to see. videos can be provided, but they are not for the faint-hearted! not that optimo music ever provide a dull moment …

originally released in 1985 for chris carters >mondo beat< lp on conspiracy international, >moonlight< is getting a long-overdue single release of the original and reinterpretation from neurotic drum band. a long-time fave of jd twitchs, >moonlight< was a hit in the late 80s with a much-slowed down bootlegged version on the belgian new beat scene and amongst the italian cosmic djs. the ny duo of ulysses and john selway, aka neurotic drum band, recreate >moonlight< keeping the original feel, slowing it down just a touch and ultra cosmic-a-fying it for an ultra-headtrip psychedelic spaceflight! as a special bonus, there is a digital-only remix from oneohtrix point never. its the sort of drone, dark ambient sound that fans of opns daniel lopatin know and love. bliss out… for those who may not know, chris carter is one of the founding members of throbbing gristle, partner with cosey fanni tutti (knows as carter-tutti and formerly recording as chris & cosey) and has been working with sound for over 40 years. for an extensive biography and up-to-date info about his current projects.

its early days yet, but things are going well for the london-based trio factory floor: nik colk (guitar/vocals/electronics), gabe gurnsey (drums/ electronics) and dom butler (electronics/vocals). and optimo music are in the unique position of doing a remix for factory floor and having a exclusive single release for it. ~ (r e a l l o v e) an optimo (espacio) mix is already getting attention from james holden, the quietus, and it was only mastered about a fortnight ago. the optimo (espacio) mix was made at the behest of factory floor an was done by optimo music head honcho jd twitch alongside his sometime collaborator dave clark.

the green door studio opened its (confusingly black) doors to glasgows vibrant music community at the end of 2007. set up by three glasgow-based musicians emily maclaren (michael dracula/the lady vanishes), sam smith (mother & the addicts) and jamie greer (park attack), who, sick of using other peoples clinical digital studios and being told by engineers >you cant do that..<, decided to create a musician-friendly space where >actually you can...<.

finally, jd twitch remixes >nocturnal creatures< from space systems second album!

originally recorded between 1974 and 1978 at industrial records studio in london >the space between< album was first released as a 90 minute cassette in 1980 on throbbing gristles industrial records label. it wasnt until 1991 that it was again released by mute records on cd. although tracks from >the space between< have appeared on numerous compilations since its release, the album has never been available on vinyl until now.