self defence returns in full effect with new yorks one and only dj dukes (of sex trax / power music fame) >summer madness ep<. dj duke had retired from the music front for a while, after he had about 300 records emerged after his >blow your whistle< blew up in 1993 and during the past few years. with releases dating back to 1990, you know the mans got skills aplenty, and they once again get a killer workout on this ep. each of the tracks shows a different side of his music-making and rewards ones time and attention, demonstrating that duke plays in his own league of house music. a bit of curry flavour seeps into >summer blast< by way of a sinuous string melody, adding an exotic tinge to the breeziness that otherwise infuses the cut. a funky, vibes-like motif and analog synth streams bring additional colour to the scene while a crisp, pumping groove locks everything solidly in place

supported by: angel molina, david mothersole, dj tlr, paul woolford, simbad, jörn werner, franck roger, fabrice lig, will o brien, hakim murphy, esther duijn,.. >my electronic soul< is probably one of franco cangellis most personal tracks. slow and almost sensual 909 drums create a sonic canvas on which soulful pads and elegant melodies create a timeless electronic ballad reminiscent of early chicago deep house combined with the melancholy of detroit. as the title suggests, this track pretty much exposes francos true roots and is an ode to those long lost and almost forgotten days. >house for brunch< is another deep house offering with more detroit melodics

big with laurent garnier, elliot dodge, angel molina, andy vaz, tomaz,… self defence return with more almost perverted deepness on our 3rd release. after lopaaz, don williams and russ gabriel on the first releases, sdf now strikes back with belgiums franco cangellis superb >raw emotions< remix ep. the mixes got re-emotionalized by dan curtin and russ gabriel who both are no strangers the variable world of electronic music – one could call them pioneers and thats clearly demonstrated in the result of these outstanding tracks. deep, groovin, nicely textured detroit funk, a very round affair and dj crate must have being the result. russ gabriel of ferox fame, recorded for most of the major techno forces of the 90s: carl craigs planet-e, peacefrog records, djax-up- beats, gpr, force-inc, soma recordings, new electronica and dave clarkes magnetic north, while dan curtin walked his path in the us with his own label metamorphic recordings, and with his profile on the rise, he eventually caught the attention of peacefrog in the mid nineties…

self defence proudly returns with our second release, with oldschool veteran russ gabriel. hes been releasing techno tracks since 1993, and has established a morethan- solid reputation through releases on his own liss, hampshire-based ferox (until 2000) and more recent sestra labels, as well as on carl craigs planet-e, peacefrog records, force-inc, soma recordings, mobilee records, and others. with ears wide open to techno pouring out of detroit, the netherlands, and elsewhere, gabriels done the global circuit as a dj and has laid down roots in detroit, london, and germany. the three-track novowooks ep finds him showcasing his ample talents on the sdf labels sophomore release

self defence, a new label operating between catania/sicily and cologne/germany run by alessandro vaccaro and andy vaz proudly debuts with its first release.
on sdf-001 presenting eddie zarooks >nobody cares ep<, with remixes by lopaaz & don williams. eddiesown original mix opens understatedly, peppering its snappy low-end pulse and hovering synth chord with dub touches, before picking up the pace and activity level. subtle percussive and chordal accents appear from all corners and gradually accumulate until the track becomes a more forceful exercise in superb tech-house.