Eric Broucek was the ur-engineer of the most fertile era of DFA Studios, from about 2003 to 2008 (no one knows anything precisely about that time, as it’s all lost in the fog of chaos). His hand was on all of the remixes, LPs, dance 12s. He was there in that over-designed gear dungeon almost every day, recording, mixing, struggling to not roll his eyes at Tim and me. And somewhere in that fog, he quietly dropped limited runs of three 12-inch delayed reaction bombs on his own label Stickydisc Recordings—two under the name Babytalk, and one as Watussi with another DFA regular, Morgan Wiley.

Back in the day, Eric did not want his music released on DFA. He wanted to forge his own identity, which he did, sending out music that wandered from the DFA path with its uniquely wonky, upended and understated power. His music is so unlike everything else of that era, so profoundly singular, that it still sounds completely out of time.

A few years back, I started DJing the tracks again, and saw how the world was still surprised by what Eric had made, and the idea of this compilation was born.

So, in the end, Eric, we totally got to release your records anyway. We heart you, man.

-James Murphy

It wasn’t really hiding, just sitting quietly online. But Tom Sharkett’s edit of “Home” was too good to ignore. Originally a bootleg we first heard played on Flo Dill’s Breakfast Show on NTS, it wormed its way into our hearts and never left. So we made it official. Sometimes the internet actually makes your life better.

“No Cigar” is a track that didn’t make it onto 2023’s 5 Songs, which was, technically, five songs, so there wasn’t room. It’s a pokey, plonky bit of dance music from Shit Robot (aka Marcus Lambkin), made with Joe Goddard and Al Doyle at their RAE Studios in London.

It sounded… dubby. Like “what if Adrian Sherwood got his hands on this?” dubby. So we asked. And he said yes!

The b-side is classic Sherwood at the controls—a version that’s not fully exploded, but submerged, warped, a little demented. We’re honored and still hearing crazy new sounds every time we play it.

*

Written and produced by Marcus lambkin, Al Doyle, and Joe Goddard
An RAE production recorded at Relax And Enjoy (London)
Engineered by James Crump
Mixed by Korey Richey at DFA (NYC)
Mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service

Embroidered on a black Champion S700 Powerblend in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, by our friends at General Wear Inc.

Ships free to the US and UK.

This is a pre-order. Records will ship the week of June 2.

Proper Monday Number is Suzi Horn (of Prinzhorn Dance School) and Christoph. Their Deep clean your house EP clocks in at 5 tracks, 15 minutes — no flab, no faff, no second guessing, many phrases that belong on the front of t-shirts.

Musically, it’s stuff you know, done in a way you sorely miss. The sounds of late 90s/early 2000s electro may be familiar again, but the delivery here is all heart and self-honesty pushed through cracked plugins and budget speakers.

Play it loud. Lose your bits. Hug a friend. It’s out June 6.

This is a hand-stamped, white label, 1-sided 12" of Proper Monday Number's "High horse" DJ Edit done by Matt Cash and James Murphy.

Limited run of 500.

Proper Monday Number is Suzi Horn and Christoph.

Edit by Matt Cash and James Murphy.

Mastered by Bob Weston.

Engineered by Pablo Morales.

Free shipping in the US and UK.

Designed by our friend Josh at Enter The Night Gallery.

Printed on an Comfort Colors 6014 blank by our other friends at LVAC.

Ships free to the US + UK.

Printed on a Pepper Comfort Colors 1717 by our friends at LVAC.

Free shipping in the US and UK.

Note the quotation marks: it actually says DAD not DFA. We are not refunding you if you don't read this or notice that!

Embroidered on a black OTTO 18-202 Dad hat. 100% cotton pigment dyed cotton twill.

Free shipping in the US and UK.

Wavy on the front. Blue bolt on the left side.

Embroidered on a black OTTO 18-202 Dad hat. 100% cotton pigment dyed cotton twill.

Limited leftovers from the band's 2021 Brooklyn Steel run.

Long and short sleeve versions available in both black and white.

The debut LP from LCD Soundsystem.

1xLP in a reverse board sleeve.

Track Listing:

1. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
2. Too Much Love
3. Tribulations
4. Movement
5. Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up
6. On Repeat
7. Thrills
8. Disco Infiltrator
9. Great Release

Produced by James Murphy for DFA Productions.

Back in stock with the original 24"x36" folded poster insert! If you already have the record, you can order the poster on its own here.

Double LP in a gatefold jacket with matte finish and a silver foil stamp on the cover.

Pressed at Citizen Vinyl.

Tracklist:

Side A
01. Get Innocuous!
02. Time to Get Away

Side B
03. North American Scum
04. Someone Great

Side C
05. All My Friends
06. Us v Them

Side D
07. Watch the Tapes
08. Sound of Silver
09. New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down

Of the many arresting moments that fill LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening, perhaps the most unexpected comes less than halfway through album opener "Dance Yrself Clean." The seemingly unassuming, low-key rumble of a song morphs from its mumbled beginnings into an outsized flash of synth ballast and wailing vocals. The sudden shift is like the flicking on of a light, the perfect example of frontman-songwriter-mastermind James Murphy's effortless balance of restraint and release, organic rock and electro pop, and muted cool and vibrant emotion. This study in contrasts pervades LCD Soundsystem's third, and possibly final, release--an album where Murphy refracts images of heartbreak and longing through the scattered light of a disco ball. 

The cautious observations and honest reveals that follow are literally and figuratively quieter moments than that initial blare. On "All I Want," against a wall of whirling guitar, Murphy recognizes a relationship that can't be saved, and instead asks for "your pity" and "your bitter tears." "Get Along" shuffles over pulsing keys and bubbling percussion as Murphy tries to bridge physical and emotional distance, singing, "You might forget, forget the sound of a voice / Still, you shouldn't forget the things we laughed about." Conversely, the sparsely decorated, sauntering "Somebody's Calling Me" is almost hopeful in comparison: "Somebody's calling me" Murphy half whispers, "to be my girl." 

There are stretches of lyrical levity here, too. "You Wanted a Hit," which sits atop shiny synths, a driving bass-line and layers of handclaps, laments record label demands on what turns out to be one of the album's hookiest tracks. "Pow Pow" veers toward past "talkies" like "Losing My Edge," and features keyboardist Nancy Whang shouting in unison with Murphy. 

With This Is Happening, Murphy has created a work of both nuanced introspection and distanced observation. DFA is proud to offer the vinyl version of this much lauded release, which also includes contributions from drummer Pat Mahoney and sound collagist Gavin Russom.

DFA no doubt owes a very large part of its existence to the incredible, indelible Liquid Liquid, so it is with great and humble honor that we release this 12” from the New York no wave legends, a double a-side package featuring sorta-new versions of classic Liquids tracks.

This torrential take on “Bellhead” was recorded and produced by James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy in 2004 and originally appeared on DFA”s “Compilation #2.” It’s an all-timer percussion workout, bursting at the seams with marimba, drums, and, yes, all manner of bells, a far cry for the see-saw slouch of the original.

The other side is an unreleased instrumental remix of “Optimo,” which (bear with us here) was rerecorded by the Liquids in 2008 and then remixed by Optimo (Espacio), the Glaswegian duo who are named in tribute to the song in question. If you followed that, then you know. If not, just remember that we’re all showing up here because of how important and essential this band remains.

**

"Bellhead"
Recorded in 2004 at RPM Studios, NYC.
Produced by the DFA. Engineered by Andy Sarnoff
Assisted by Eric Broucek

"Optimo - Instrumental Mix by Optimo (Espacio)"
Recorded in 2008 at SRG Studios in Hamilton, NJ
Mixed by JD Twitch and Dave Clark

Mastered and cut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service
Vinyl pressed at Furnace Record Pressing in Alexandria, VA

1. Brinna ut (feat. Loopsel)
2. Etiopisk hallucination (feat. Julia Bjernelind)
3. Letar efter nya plågor
4. Köpa saker (feat. Clara Flygare)
5. Verkligheten och jag
6. Balladen om elpriset i Augusti 2022 (feat. Loopsel)
7. Coral bass strings (feat. Loopsel, Nathan Roche)
8. Dödsdisco (feat. Clara Flygare)
9. Ringer å ringer
10. Välkommen på intervju (feat. Nathan Roche)

In the discourse around new albums from singular, world-building artists, the phrase “a big step forward” can often be a blinking red warning sign. You know you’re about to be pulled somewhere new against your will. Inertia is a hell of a thing. It’s nice here. Surely, the party’s not over yet?

JJULIUS’ Vol. 3 album is a big step forward, or a step up, out of the murky basement of the preceding two volumes. There’s no time to acclimate. A spindly violin grabs you by the hand and pulls you into the pastoral bounce of “Brinna ut,” which, in spite of its meaning (“Burn out”), creates the kind of blind positivity and warm stomach feeling less cynical people might find in self-help seminars. For us, we have records like this. And, inertia be damned, Vol. 3 has charm like a balm.

JJULIUS records have always arrived like meteors from another planet, an impression hammered home by the fact that they’re titled like compendiums of artifacts. And while Vols. 1 and 2 carried that notable tinge of darkness, Vol. 3 has (almost!) cast that shadow, adding elements of disco (“Dödsdisco”) and dream-pop (“Etopisk hallucination”) to his forever favorites Arthur Russell, African Head Charge, and The Fall.

Some of that new car smell could be attributed to a change in process. Each song was written over beats played by Tor Sjödén of the wild-eyed Stockholm group Viagra Boys, beats that were themselves inspired by tracks from the likes of Patrick Cowley, CAN, Count Ossie, Black Devil Disco Club and others that Julius would send to him as inspiration.

Unless you're Mark E. Smith, fervor fades. Eventually we all crave a lie down in some nice grass, a few minutes to gaze at the sky and wonder if everything is actually all that bad. Vol. 3 gives you 35 of those respiting minutes. “No looking back, no misery, no talking trash, no enemies.”

Produced by JJULIUS with invaluable help from Petter Granberg


Mixed by Petter Granberg


Mastered and cut by Bob Weston


Graphic design by William Jokijärvi Andersson

Pressed at Furnace Record Pressing in Alexandria, VA