Luke Slater / PAS / L.B. Dub Corp / The 7th Plain

out now: Planetary Assault Systems – Reassembled [Mote-Evolver]

Artist:
Planetary Assault Systems

Title:
Reassembled

Label:
Mote-Evolver

Cat#:
REAS01

Release Date:
28th March 2025 (Bandcamp, Beatport + streaming services)
11th April 2025 (other digital stores)
18th April 2025 (vinyl)

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Give It Up
(Len Faki Reassembly 1)

B1.
Strange Attractor
(Chlär Reassembly)

B2.
Give It Up
(Len Faki Reassembly 2)

C1.
Surface Noise
(Oscar Mulero Reassembly 1)

D1.
Raid
(Rene Wise Reassembly)

D2.
Surface Noise
(Oscar Mulero Reassembly 2)

E1.
Engage Now To Surface
(Luke Slater Reassembly)

F1.
Desert Races
(Luke Slater Reassembly 2025)

F2.
Rip The Keys
(Luke Slater Reassembly)

Press Info:
Following on last year‘s 5th volume of ‘Deep Heet‘ series, UK techno‘s front runner Luke Slater committed to cutting-edge, thought-provoking sounds teamed up with renowned names to reassemble tracks from PAS‘ long standing opus and recent releases.

Reassembled features standout contributions from former Ostgut Ton label-mate Len Faki, techno master Chlär, DJs favourite producer Rene Wise, Spanish techno figurehead Oscar Mulero, and Slater himself.

Driving drums, hypnotic vocals, and a subtle acid flair, Berlin-based techno powerhouse Len Faki delivers his reassembled take on ‘Give It Up‘. Chlär reimagines ‘Strange Attractor‘ embodying slick weaving eerie sonic elements and hypnotic vocals. On the second reiteration of ‘Give It Up‘, Len Faki delivers escalated urgency resounding through the track. Following with the prolific Oscar Mulero tweaking timeless sounds of ‘Surface Noise‘. Rene Wise ventures into deeper, darker, less straight-forward territories with Luke Slater‘s 2017 ‘Raid‘ track. Oscar Mulero double downs on ‘Surface Noise‘ with a more raw, more chaotic and experimental version. Focused almost solely on percussive elements of the original track, it‘s an elegance reimagined.

Slater contributes three closing tracks, including Rip The Keys, a housier, glossy techno rendition; Desert Races, transformed into a fast-paced dancefloor cut; and Engage Now To Surface, which plunges into distorted depths to round off the release.

Snippets:
click here

Full Track Streaming:
“Desert Races (Luke Slater Reassembly 2025)”

“Give It Up (Len Faki Reassembly 2)”

“Surface Noise (Oscar Mulero Reassembly 1)”

“Give It Up (Len Faki Reassembly 2)”

Video:
“Give It Up (Len Faki Reassembly 1)”

video by the29nov films

Special:
“AMFM | 364”

Recommendations:
all stuff by Luke Slater and his aliases
all stuff on Mote-Evolver

Buy Vinyl:
Deejay
HHV
WOM
Decks
Juno
Red Eye Records
Clone
Bleep
Hardwax
Rough Trade
Phonica Records
Dussmann Kulturkaufhaus
MediaMarkt
Norman Records
more soon

Buy Download:
Mote-Evolver @ Bandcamp
Qobuz
Beatport
TraxSource
iTunes
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Qobuz
Spotify
Apple Music
Deezer
Youtube Music

Booking:
Planetary Assault Systems

Websites:
Luke Slater
Luke Slater @ Facebook
Mote-Evolver
Mote-Evolver Fan page

out for a while: Luke Slater – She Showed Me Heaven (Remixes) [Mote-Evolver]

Artist:
Luke Slater

Title:
She Showed Me Heaven (Remixes)

Label:
Mote-Evolver

Cat#:
MOTE010

Release Date:
28th April 2008

Format:
vinyl & download

Tracklist:
01.
She Showed Me Heaven
(Luke Slater’s Junk Funk Remix)

02.
She Showed Me Heaven
(L.B.Dub Corp Remix)

03.
She Showed Me Heaven
(Len Faki Remix)

04.
She Showed Me Heaven
(Radial Remix)

Press Info:
Luke Slater’s “She Showed Me Heaven” made it’s first appearance as part of the “Head Converter EP” released back in 2006 and was only the third release on Luke’s own Mote-Evolver label. Now the label celebrates number ten with this latest instalment featuring 2 cracking new mixes from Mr Slater as well as interpretations from guests, Len Faki and Radial.

At the time, the original version of “She Showed Me Heaven”, featuring Luke’s own vocals, was a slice of electro-funk that helped to introduce this techno pioneer to a new audience. The latest remixes are firmly rooted in dancefloor territory, kicking off the A-side with Luke’s “Junk Funk” remix which turns the original into a thrashing, no holds barred, peak time killer.

Flip over to the B-side for Luke’s dubbier alter ego, L.B. Dub Corp and a stripped down, lazy dub-bass vibe. Slater himself says of the moniker: “A lot of inspiration came from my regular sets at Space Base in London where I started mixing up Dub reggae records with electronic minimalism.”

Disc 2 passes the baton over to the guest remixers, and first up is Berlin’s Len Faki (Podium / OstGut Ton / Berghain) with his dark, pounding techno version; heavy on the thundering bass and choppy beats.

Completing the package Dutch duo, Radial (Jeroen Liebregts & Laurens van der Starre) transfer the energy of their live shows into a vibrant remix of surging beats and distorted frequencies.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
“She Showed Me Heaven (Radial Remix)”

Special:
“CLR Podcast 175”

Recommendations:
all stuff of Luke Slater and his aliases we featured
all stuff on Mote-Evolver

Buy Vinyl:
Decks
Juno
more soon

Buy Download:
Mote-Evolver @ Bandcamp
more soon

Booking:
Luke Slater

Websites:
Luke Slater
Luke Slater @ Facebook
Mote-Evolver Fanpage
Mote-Evolver

out for a while: Luke Slater – Freek Funk [NovaMute]

Artist:
Luke Slater

Title:
Freek Funk

Label:
NovaMute

Cat#:
NOMU57

Release Date:
20th October 1997 (original release date for physical items)

Format:
CD, vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
01.
Purely

02.
Score One

03.
Origin

04.
Score Two

05.
Are You There?

06.
Score Three (Message from Hulal)

07.
Engine One

08.
Freek Funk

09.
Zebediah

10.
Bless Bless

11.
Filter 2

12.
Time Dancer

13.
Score Four (Black Cloud Over Zin Vortex)

14.
Love

15.
Black Cloud (Epilogue)

16.
Walking The Line

Press Info:
Something of an unique talent, Luke Slater does not run with the pack. Shunning the obvious and adopting the different, Slater has forged an eclectic album of esoteric techno, chilling ambience and funk driven grooves. ‘Freek Funk’ is the album that so many have striven to make, an album that smashes the nuances and particulars of the techno genre into little pieces, rearranging them in a strange pattern to create a truly original album of polar opposites and polyrhythmic twists. ‘Freek Funk’ indeed.

A self-motivated individual, Slater stands alone, looking in on a scene he has helped to mould. Unconcerned with the vagaries of fashion, Luke is all the better for his almost isolationist position and is left to mould a rich and rewarding blend of sound that owes as much to his own frantic imagination as to the techno tradition.

Boasting an output as frenetic as the Dagenham Ford motor plant, Slater has progressed through a series of guises and labels at a rapid rate. From his newly forged relationship with NovaMute, Luke has etched out an album, ‘Freek Funk’, that is the perfect remedy for techno’s current painting-by-numbers attitude. Seemingly never content nor happy with its course, the album progresses, twisting and turning and spitting out warped takes on familiar themes. Simply passing it off as another techno album would be absurd. Luke Slater has much more to offer.

‘Freek Funk’ sees the ascension of a prodigious talent to his rightful position. Opening with the funk-driven ‘Purely’, we are then transported to ‘Score One’, a darkly futuristic soundscape which melts into ‘Origin’ and ‘Score Two’, a bubbling mass of weird sounds and deep beats. The trip continues throughout the album with the warped relatives ‘Scores Three And Four’, popping up intermittently throughout proceedings with the stealth of a John Carpenter score. Electro gets a nod with ‘Are You There?’, with its rich string arrangements and soothing waves of bell chimes this is a ‘Tour De France’ for the 1990’s. ‘Bless Bless’ is a different creature altogether, a spacedusted silver surfer’s rare groove anthem. Onwards to ‘Time Dancer’, where James Brown meets Liz Frazer on a car production line – ethereal industrial funk if you like. And not to forget the stellar beauty of ‘Love’ that ranks alongside UR’s ‘Amazon’ as a track to break hearts at 40 beats and the otherworldly madness of ‘Walking The Line’, a jazz odyssey that conjures forth the Saturnalian spirit of Sun Ra.

An untouchable album by an untouchable talent. Luke Slater, the future starts here.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
“Are You There?”

“Score One”

Special:
“@ Rockit Festival, Utrecht – NL, 31 July 2010”

Recommendations:
all stuff by Luke Slater and his aliases
all stuff on Mute & sublabels

Buy CD:
Juno
more soon

Buy Vinyl:
Juno
more soon

Buy Download:
Qobuz
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
Boomkat
Bleep
Clone Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Qobuz
Spotify
Apple Music
Deezer
Youtube Music

Booking:
Luke Slater

Websites:
Luke Slater
Luke Slater @ Facebook
NovaMute
Mute @ Facebook
Mute Germany @ Facebook
Mute Germany @ Threads
Mute Germany @ Mastodon
Mute

out now: Planetary Assault Systems – Deep Heet Vol. 5 [Mote-Evolver]

Artist:
Planetary Assault Systems

Title:
Deep Heet Vol. 5

Label:
Mote-Evolver

Cat#:
MOTE070

Release Date:
14th June 2024

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Clap Trap

A2.
Sidewinder

B1.
Electric Culp

B2.
Grid Livers

Press Info:
Planetary Assault Systems is one of UK techno innovator Luke Slater’s most enduring aliases, a project focused on forward-thinking techno with maximum cerebral impact. Each Planetary Assault System release is closely related to the live shows, joining the dots between studio and stage.

For his first new music as Planetary Assault Systems in several years, and the 70th release on his own Mote-Evolver label, he heads full throttle into the deep dark recesses of the club. ‘Deep Heet Vol 5’ EP follows 2017’s 4th volume which included the ever popular ‘Desert Races’.

Snippets:
click here

Special:
“Awakenings Spring Festival 2023”

Recommendations:
all stuff by Luke Slater and his aliases
all stuff on Mote-Evolver

Buy Vinyl:
Deejay
Decks
Juno
HHV
Hardwax
Red Eye Records
Rush Hour
FreeStyle Online
more soon

Buy Download:
Mote-Evolver @ Bandcamp
Qobuz
Hardwax
7Digital
Beatport
JunoDownload
iTunes
TraxSource
Boomkat
Bleep
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Qobuz
Spotify
Deezer
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
Planetary Assault Systems

Websites:
Luke Slater
Luke Slater @ Facebook
www.PlanetaryAssaultSystems.com
Mote-Evolver
Mote-Evolver Fan page

out now: L.B. Dub Corp – Saturn To Home [Dekmantel]

Artist:
L.B. Dub Corp

Title:
Saturn To Home

Label:
Dekmantel

Cat#:
DKMNTL101

Release Date:
24th May 2024

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Saturn To Home
[feat. Kittin]

A2.
You Got Me
[feat. Robert Owens]

B1.
Your Love

B2.
Golden Star
[feat. Baal Mortimer]

C1.
Only The Good Times

C2.
Krank

D1.
No Trouble In Paradise
[feat. Paul St. Hilaire]

D2.
Cloak And Dagger

Press Info:
After a five year hiatus Luke Slater reanimates his L.B. Dub Corp alias for a dynamic, vocal-led ode to the club featuring Robert Owens, Paul St. Hilaire, Miss Kittin and more. The album ‘Saturn to Home’ will be released on 24th May 2024.

Since his first forays into DJing, Luke Slater has been pursuing different streams of inspiration to create with some of the most enduring electronic music of the past 30 years. From his grandiose ambient techno of The 7th Plain to the trailblazing machine funk of Planetary Assault Systems, he’s gifted a lot of music to the world. His L.B. Dub Corp alias first emerged in 2006, and has since been a vessel for a looser approach to club music compared to the steely big room energy of P.A.S. At times it’s housier, elsewhere dubbier, but still logically attached to Slater’s overall arc as an artist and music lover.

On his new album, which marks his first appearance on Dekmantel, Slater wanted to celebrate the unique cultural ferment that set him on his path. It starts with his earliest memories marvelling at the beats in his father’s big band and jazz funk records until he was old enough to be drumming himself. Drums have remained a source of fascination, despite his years entangled in machine music, and for the first time Slater uses his own live drumming on Saturn to Home.

The subtle imperfections of human rhythm are a big draw – Slater has always shied away from anything too ‘perfect’. From the rough and ready advent of drum machines and synths in early 80s pop, disco and electro to the breakthrough years of house music, Slater started to get a handle on how the sounds were made by identifying with the DIY, anything-goes spirit of the era. These are the touchstones that were on his mind as he started to work on Saturn to Home, not seeking to create carbon copies or overtly retro tracks, but rather to keep the verve and open-ended attitude of that music on his mind as made the album throughout 2022.

Beyond the drums, the vocals are the other vital ingredient which Slater knew he needed for this record. His own voice appears sporadically, but he also very intentionally reached out to artists such as deep house original Robert Owens and dub techno quiet legend Paul St. Hilaire. Iconic French electro provocateur Miss Kittin also makes an appearance, although her turn on ‘Saturn To Home’ came about in a more cosmic fashion. Slater had been puzzling over who might work on the track only to be reunited with Kittin at a gig for the first time in years and it felt like a sign to Slater. Alex is the solo alias for Alexandra Grübler of Baal & Mortimer, who lends her freewheeling approach to ‘Golden Star’ in a style Slater compares to Liz Fraser in Cocteau Twins.

If Planetary Assault Systems is in service to the energetic apex of the rave, L.B. Dub Corp is a celebration of the club. Some might equate the two terms, but for Slater his idea of the club was forged in those formative 80s years, when styles slipped into one another in tandem with the melee of social strata. It’s remained an enduring focus — he looks back fondly to playing with the late, great Andrew Weatherall for Steve Bicknell’s Spacebase party at Plastic People, when house, Italo, rare groove and dub were just some of the ingredients flowing into the loose-fit flavour of the night.

Behind ‘Only The Good Times’ lies the story of fabled Eindhoven street character Arnol Kox, whose philosophical proclamations had become local legend. Slater managed to record Kox shouting the Dutch equivalent of the track title, which had become his sole mantra after years preaching to folk in the city centre. Kox passed away in 2020, and so ‘Only The Good Times’ became a heartfelt tribute to someone who embodied the misfit individuality Slater feels most at home around, not least in the club.

It’s this lattice of sounds, stories and feelings which give Saturn to Home its electric, diaristic energy. Whether it’s the feverish passion of ‘Your Love’s infectious chord stabs or the smoky soundsystem tendrils of ‘Golden Star’, the elastic drums and mutant synth funk of ‘Krank’ or the star-scraping breakbeat techno of ‘Only The Good Times’, Slater tells the story of his life in music, which means his life overall, without ever being stuck in the past.

Full Track Streaming: