2024 Label Compilation (mixed by todos)

Handing over a year’s worth of releases to todos and watching the magic unfold is always an exhilarating experience. His ability to craft a narrative from such a rich and varied palette is unparalleled, offering fresh insights into the music and the year behind us. A true specialist in narrative witchcraft, todos continues to redefine DJ mixes with such a limited palette to build from. This year’s selection posed an increasingly complex challenge, with its mix of tempos and styles, but it’s a testament to the incredible work of the ASIP artists in 2024, all tied together under the meticulous eye of our trusted selector.

The year began with new label signing Salvatore Mercatante, and his pin-point drum patterns and room-filled IDM. This was followed by an about-turn in style with a new label signing, Lihla, presenting her hypnotizing blend of spoken word and atmospheric multi-instrument talent. Lapsed Pacifist (who happens to be a good friend of todos' in the UK - another full circle moment for the label) presented his debut album, featuring 'rolling waves of lavender synths', which Pop Matters recently listed as one of its best ambient albums of 2024. Keeping things unexpected, we then presented another new artist, Theef, who released a selection of timeless deep techno cuts from a DJ mix he posted online in 2018. It was then a chance for one of ASIPs most cherished sounds to return, as Illuvia continued his monumental exploration into the deep expanse of ethereal ambient drum'n bass. By now, we were approaching the much-celebrated half-century catalog number, and who better than long-time label artist, Markus Guentner to bring it over the line, alongside eight other fantastic talents. Colombian producer OKRAA, evolved his living-and-breathing psychedelic electronics, introducing more breaks and electro to his palette, in a truly unexpected second album. And closing out the year, Hungarian artist swanasa, presented a taster of her sonic capabilities in a short EP, that shone a light on multiple approaches we hope to explore from her very soon.

Thank you for all of your support, comments, and encouragement this year. Here's to those who explore the unique, the nostalgic and the new, and those who forge their own way forward.

Download on Bandcamp

Join us on Friday 20th December, 12pm PST for the full mix premiere and Bandcamp listening party.

todos Continuous DJ mix tracklist:

1. swanasa - Swan Song (edit)
2. Lihla - Resonance
3. Markus Guentner - Father Of Waters
4. Lapsed Pacifist - Tragic
5. Markus Guentner & Arovane - Utopian Fragments (edit) / Illuvia - A New Tomorrow (edit) / swanasa - AHO / Lihla - Becoming Human (edit)
6. OKRAA - La Gran Corriente
7. Salvatore Mercatante - Love Of Lies
8. Illuvia - Tectonic Shift
9. Markus Guentner & Abul Mogard - While Hunting Nightmares And Dreaming For Peace
10. Theef - Strange Nights
11. Salvatore Mercatante - How Many Hands
12. OKRAA - Para Desaprender (edit)
13. Theef - Odd Entity
14. Lapsed Pacifist - Almost Remembered

Download MP3

Digging in New York: Five of New York and Brooklyn's best record stores

Hitting record stores while in New York is a must. Despite heading there a few times over the years, I've always had a crammed agenda with “work”, so I never really had the time to do some proper digging. This time around, I was so focused on our event at Public Records, and digging took a bit of a back seat again. I ended up nearly missing my flight home by cramming in as many stores as possible up to the last minute. And with that rush, I didn't really have the time to take nice photos (some stores don't even allow it) or make this a much richer article, similar to my dives into Tokyo and Osaka record stores.

But, given the overwhelming choice of record stores in this city, it's worth me compiling this list for anyone going for the first time, especially if you're into the same music as you find here (and maybe I can continue to update it after another trip).

I would have loved something like this before planning my weekend... So, here's a hit list of stores I managed to hit and come recommended if you’re looking for records on the more ambient and electronic spectrum (rock, punk, jazz and hip-hop, etc can also be found at some of these stores).

Octopus Records

Octopus Records

This store is a bit of a trek if you're staying anywhere downtown or Manhattan, but if you're Brooklyn side, it's not too bad. Beginning as a Discogs seller and evolving into a physical location, Octopus is the most closely aligned to my kind of music, with a superb curation of ambient, downtempo, and all things in between. It had an ASIP label section at one point, but speaking to the owner now, the stock has been cut back lately (and I hope to fix that!) This is a quintessential neighborhood record store, with a knowledgeable, approachable owner, cats enjoying the space, and a warm vibe that makes you want to spend all day digging (then hit a nice Taco joint around the corner - let me know if you need the tip).

I could have purchased a lot more from this store, but it was my first hit, so I was trying to keep some cash in the bank. I managed to pick up this album from my Wantlist by Uf0, which I have yet to see in the flesh, and with no copies available in the US on Discogs, it was a nice little find to kick things off.

Ergot Records with a used copy of one of our early releases - ASIPV003.

Ergot Records

I was staying in Brooklyn, and I wasn't sure if I would get into Manhattan, but I'm glad I did. We showed up at opening time on Sunday, but no one was there after 15 minutes. Burger at 'Hamburger America' it was then just a short walk down the road [damn, it's a good Smashburger].

Heading back to Ergot after a near heart attack, the store had now opened, and as soon as I walked in, a section dedicated to "Future Dance" focused my attention. After browsing a solid chunk, I could sense the store's curation intention, with music from the likes of Brian Leeds and his Loidis album, Djrum, Ali Berger, and many others in today's world of artists blurring the edges of dance music, techno, ambient and IDM. This section also featured artists and labels who call New York home, so it made sense that Ergot would cater to this crowd. In addition, Ergot continued to draw on similar styles throughout its racks, with the likes of minimal techno, experimental, disco, drum and bass, and many more sections in the electronic world to get busy in.

The guy working the desk was spinning the new album by SnPLO, a lovely 3X12"of Chain Reaction-esque techno, so I had to pick that up, along with an original used Peter Michael Hamel LP of his infamous Berlin-School trip, Colors of Time, some lovely brooding ambient by Civilistjavel (thanks for the tip Juan!). And lastly, the third Tranquilizer EP by Terre Thaemlitz - highly sought after before a recent repress.

A1 - Records

An institution, no doubt, so a visit was a must. I knew it would be heavy on hip-hop given its history and what I’ve seen in the press before, but I was there for the house music if anything. At this point, my time was running out, and I only managed to go through the top bins, leaving the knee-breaking bottom rows for next time. As you would expect from a record store that has been around since 1996, the choice was deep and extensive. With speed of the essence now and my flight approaching, my eyes went to the wall, where record stores would normally place their most expensive records, but in this case, records that don't otherwise fit in any of the existing genre racks, maybe? An early Blu Mar Ten record - a classic that is hard to find in the US with only one on Discogs right now at over $250... purchased for just $40.

Upon checkout, the cashier asked what it was - apparently, the owner had brought it into the shop recently from his own collection, and the cashier had meant to give it a spin. So he stuck it on the turntable, gave me an approving nod, and then said he would be finding it on Spotify. Wait, what? Don’t you work in a record store? My loaded question was met with a resounding NY response - "Are you aware how small NYC apartments are? I can only take home so many records!".

Fair.

Stranded Records

Stranded Records

Probably one for the calm aesthetics rather than my music choice, but this nice sub-street level spot was a nice vibe to look through, despite not finding anything of substance for my own taste. And being just around the corner from Ergot, it's worth a shot for anyone in the area. There is plenty of jazz, as well as more pop-oriented records, but anyone looking for something that straddles early experimental, synth, or similar might have some luck here, as the recent arrivals bins were a nice mix of early electronic records, and you know when you can just tell it’s the type of place to get a few gems every now and then?

ASIP artist OKRAA digging at Captured Records

Captured Records Shop

More of a classic ‘anyone can find something in here’ store, akin to the Amoeba Store’s on the opposite coast, it was probably the largest store out of the bunch I visited. This meant a healthy selection of all genres, but I was pleased to find sections for house and techno 12"s specifically, meaning a lovely variety from the cheesiest stuff of the 90’s to the more underground techno of late. Nothing really hit home, but I did find a nice DJ Food album for a friend who tries to snap up anything on Ninja Tune.

Razor N Tape

A bonus mention if you’re already in the nighborhood. Technically, it is a label-specific store, and this small space is run by the label namesake but also features some other select curations. I'm calling it out, as it's just around the corner from Captured Records, and owning a small label shop is a dream of mine. They also had some quality merch that I tried to get in my size, to no avail.

Superior Elevation (Brooklyn)

BONUS (Superior Elevation)

EDIT (March 2025), I was lucky enough to get back to NY recently and hit up another store on the list, Superior Elevation in Brooklyn, and a definite worthy addition. On hindsight, probably in my top 3 stores out of the list here. I picked up a bunch of random old second-hand electronic 12’s, including some early trance music. They also had a promo pressing of one of my fav records of all time, Manuel Göttsching’s E2 E4. But the pressing was dead quiet, and the repress better quality than this white label promo… I may live to regret that one day but for $50 I had to pass.

~

On my hitlist for next time:

Face Records - if it's as good as the Tokyo store [see here] then a must hit.

Archivio Records - appointment only, I didn't plan too well and missed any open spots.

What did I miss? Where else should I add for next time?

Brooklyn Record Exchange has two shops, full of world, abstract and proper digger territories.

A Strangely Isolated Place Label Showcase at Public Records - Photos from the night

We had an amazing night at Public Records, New York last Friday, as we held our first label showcase in a very long time. With OKRAA in town from the UK, and local artists Salvatore Mercatante and Aspetuck, it made sense for us to put some firepower behind this moment and bring them together for a special evening (and then also spend the weekend record shopping!).

Aspetuck opened the evening with his sublime meld of ambient-forward beats, debuting new material, including tracks from his upcoming ASIP album in 2025.

Salvatore Mercatante followed, and put the epic Devon Ojas 4-point surround system to the test through his chest-rumbling electronics and sharp hi-hats, taking music from his recent release ‘Ø’, plus plenty of unreleased material.

OKRAA closed the evening with a mixture of his amorphous ambient and big swells of drones, interspersed by his more electronic breaks and electro from his new album ‘La Gran Corriente’. By the end, the room was jacking, and Juan was pulling at our hearts as the closing track from his 1994 release, ‘Ola De Luz’, rounded out the evening in fine fashion.

A big thank you to everyone who came, said hello, and purchased some records. Visuals on the night were created by Salvatore for his own set, and Dead Society for OKRAA’s, with photography by Daniel Salemi.

See you at the next one.

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Video: swanasa / Swan Song (by guardabrazo)

A new video for the final track, Swan Song, taken from swanasa’s new release here on ASIP. Directed by guardabrazo the video’s simplicity matches the track’s pure recordings and abstract manipulation of swan sounds.

Mirror EP by swanasa, is now available digitally, streaming, and as name your price on Bandcamp.

swanasa / Mirror (ASIP042)

A Strangely Isolated Place proudly presents Mirror EP, the first label release from Hungarian electronic artist swanasa (A. Abigél Bánházi). Following her 2023 debut, When You Need to Rest, Let the Sounds Hold You, released on Budapest’s EXILES, Abigél’s Mirror EP serves as a captivating follow-up and a purposeful first introduction to the world of ASIP, showcasing her ability to bridge experimental sound design with hypnotic, meditative drones.

“We begin at the edge, the Sad Sea, where the waves mirror our emotions, a boundary between the conscious and the deep unknown. As we dive, the waters grow wild, swirling in the chaos of our unconscious. But through the storm, we start to see the patterns—guided by the wolf, the soul’s escort through the shadows.

Deeper still, silence falls. In this quiet, the voices of whales, and dolphins become our companions, leading us toward truth. The water washes away the darkness, and in that stillness, the swan rises—a symbol of transformation, of wisdom found.”

Mirror EP encompasses a diverse range of textures, from deeply immersive soundscapes to intricate rhythmic elements, reflecting swanasa's dedication to pushing the boundaries of ambient music, informed by the interplay of folk culture, Jungian psychology, and digital experimentation. Each composition is a seamless blend of synthetic and organic sounds, influenced by her connection to nature, creating an evocative experience that resonates with themes of ecological awareness and modern technology’s role in artistic expression.

Featuring rhythmic chanting and layered vocal samples that invoke a sense of ritual and deep introspection, washes of abstracted sounds manipulated from the recordings of wolves, and mystical sounds straight from nature’s own. The EPs tracks highlight swanasa's exploration of sound as a symbolic language, inviting listeners into a world where the lines between reality and imagination blur.

swanasa's music is brought to life through her live performances, where Mirror EP and her previous material form the foundation for dynamic, meditative sets. Having performed alongside artists such as Abul Mogard, swanasa’s live shows emphasize deep listening and immersive sound environments, drawing audiences into her unique sonic world.

Mirror EP will be released on November 22nd, 2024, available as a digital download, mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri @ Black Knoll Studio, New York. The artwork, an original texture created by Zsuzsi Palman, continues the theme from Abigél’s first EP.

View the release page for full details and links to buy.