Third Ear Recordings

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Third Ear Recordings What is the Third Ear sound? Music made primarily with computers, synthesisers, processors and turntables/controllers as the musical instruments. Mainly for DJs

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Freddy K's dance floor is, unquestionably one of THE dance floors to be on right now. I know, because I'm there as often...
24/04/2024

Freddy K's dance floor is, unquestionably one of THE dance floors to be on right now. I know, because I'm there as often as I can be. A superlative DJ with the spirit of the underground deep in his blood. This is Techno.

Guy Mccreery - Third Ear

"I don't play for me—in that moment, I play for all of us." The Italian techno master reflects on preparing for marathon sets that run for as long as the crowd can stay standing.

Next release... coming May/June
06/03/2024

Next release... coming May/June

23/01/2024

Many of us are really struggling with the sudden, tragic, and devastating loss of our friend Juan Mendez aka Silent Servant (Official), in addition to his wife Simone Ling, and Luis Vasquez aka The Soft Moon. May they all rest in peace.

I met Juan sometime around I’m guessing 2004 via my friends Marcus Miller and Jon Santos at subTonic, the venue that housed The Bunker for our first 5 years. He went on to be a guest DJ (and occasional live artist as well) at The Bunker more than any other artist in our history. As I’ve thought back on nearly 20 years of knowing Juan these past couple days, I keep coming back to his many admirable qualities. It was helpful for me to write some of his key qualities down, and I wanted to share them here. I’ve learned so much from Juan over the years, and his example will continue to be a shining light to me for the rest of my life.

Visionary: This one is a no brainer. Juan’s innovative contributions to music and design deserve the widespread celebration you’ve seen across many eulogies this week, and then some. He played at The Bunker many times in the 2009-2015 era when techno was really blowing up in NYC again, and truly helped to redefine what techno was. His productions and design for Sandwell District and Jealous God brought countless people from the post punk, industrial, EBM, and noise scenes into the techno fold. The way he flawlessly connected all of those dots for us behind the decks was truly unparalleled. And he had the art and design chops to present this all visually as well, in a singular way we’d never seen in techno before. I clearly saw his artistic vision transform my party and our scene in general. He made techno cool to a whole new generation of freaks and geeks who never felt welcome at clubs and raves. It’s impossible to overstate his influence, he’s truly a giant of modern music.

Empathetic: In a scene full of many people who only want to give attention to those who they think can help their own career, Juan connected with everyone, no matter their place on the social totem pole. In the past few days, I’ve seen so many moving and deeply personal eulogies not just from his peers in the music world, but from fans he developed genuine friendships with. He cared so much about all of his friends. He genuinely checked and wanted to know how you were really doing, way beyond the small talk that dominates most club conversations. He mentored countless people, his capacity for it seemed almost limitless.

Generous: One of my favorite Juan stories is the time he called me and asked me to pick up a piece of art at ACE Hotel in Manhattan. He had been curated into a group art show and it didn’t sell and he didn’t want to deal with having it shipped to LA. I of course agreed to go grab it, having no idea what it was, simply because Juan was my dude and I wanted to help. When I got there, I was amazed to see it was a framed original Mendez collage that became part of Sandwell District’s “Feed Forward” artwork. I texted Juan that I had it for him and got in a cab to ride home and he told me to keep it. I was absolutely floored, and it’s become a prized possession that hangs on my wall to this day, a daily reminder or Juan. I can’t tell you how many times Juan gave me a t-shirt, a record (multiple times when I asked him what he was playing, he’d just hand me the record to keep), glasses frames, and so on. And as noted above, he was just so generous with his time and energy. I know so many people have stories like this, he was genuinely a give you the shirt off his back kind of guy.

Vulnerable: Juan was always SO real. I’ll never forget the time he sat at mine and Seze’s kitchen table at our old Williamsburg loft and went super deep on his process around his childhood wounds, relationship with his parents, etc etc. In my late 20s at this point, I think he was literally the first man I had this kind of conversation with. It ultimately motivated me to get into therapy, and when I think about it now, was a huge turning point in my life that ultimately really pushed me to the path I’m on now.

Humble: When I met Juan I was a *gigantic* fan of a label he co-ran in the 90s called Cytrax and released music as Jasper. The Bunker was a low key affair with very little budget for guest DJs at the time. Juan would come by at least a couple times a year when he was visiting NYC from LA, and I’d always beg him to let me know the next time he’d be around so he could bring some records and play at our party. I can’t tell you how many people were begging me to play the party at that time, and I simply couldn’t get Juan to do it! This went on for years without him playing, with him saying things like “nah, you don’t need me playing records at your party”, until he finally agreed to play in 2009 when the new Silent Servant project was really starting to gain steam. Juan’s music was his art. He made his art for art’s sake, because he had something to express. I always got the sense he would be making his music whether or not anyone paid attention. He just happened to be gifted and visionary enough that he caught the attention of a worldwide fan base. Juan almost always had some kind of job outside of music. He talked about how he liked that because it took the pressure off of making art to pay the bills. He only released the music that came from the depths of his soul. He only played the gigs he wanted to play, and was constantly turning things down that he didn’t think were cool and aligned with his aesthetics and values. He never expected a career or anything from music, he did it because he loved it. This is the way it should be, but rarely is for most artists.

I honestly could go on and on about Juan’s many good qualities but I’ll leave it there for now.

- Bryan Kasenic, The Bunker New York

Thomas Brinkmann reviews... Mele Boy and maxERNST 25 in Groove Magazine, Germany)Thomas Brinkmann from Cologne has someh...
18/01/2024

Thomas Brinkmann reviews... Mele Boy and maxERNST 25 in Groove Magazine, Germany)

Thomas Brinkmann from Cologne has somehow always been his own cosmos. Often a bit misunderstood as the protagonist of purist, minimal techno. Seventies disco funk and Russian futurism played at least an equal role as inspiration for him. 25 years after the start of the Ernst label with its twelve maxis and one CD-spanning name register from Anna/Beate to Yvette/Zora, Brinkmann is now surprisingly filling in the missing letters with Quila and Romy.

And similar to the Mele Boy project, which was also released on Third Ear a few weeks earlier, the six tracks develop a wonderfully particle-loving swing. Rhythm guitar attacks (“Quila 1”), absurd organ ostinatos (“Romy 1”), complex ska piano percussions (“Quila 2”) and vocal Ringelnatz boomerang expressionism (“Romy 2”) seemingly weightless in the feet. Great!

Review of maxERNST 25 Anniversary EP and mention for MELE BOY's Seduction EP
12/01/2024

Review of maxERNST 25 Anniversary EP and mention for MELE BOY's Seduction EP

Die Platten der Woche – in dieser Ausgabe mit Reviews zu Ekkel, Jorkes, Memphis Glass, Midland und Thomas Brinkmann.

Mike Agent X Clark’s Activate ep makes the Juno Daily top 25 singles of the year list!Thank you Norm Talley II, clone.nl...
21/12/2023

Mike Agent X Clark’s Activate ep makes the Juno Daily top 25 singles of the year list!

Thank you Norm Talley II, clone.nl, Clone Records, The Orchard, handle with care manufacturing, Scape Mastering

The 25 45s that made 23 a great year for singles 1 Sleaford Mods - West End Girls (Rough Trade) Sometimes you're better off dead... There's a gun in your hand and it's pointing at yo

Today, we are very proud to release this landmark EP. VInyl and digital.This EP is 6 unreleased tracks in the Thomas Bri...
24/11/2023

Today, we are very proud to release this landmark EP. VInyl and digital.

This EP is 6 unreleased tracks in the Thomas Brinkmann celebrated Max Ernst series of 12", all with female names, released with names ordered alphabetically. Starting with. 1. Anna Beate, the series ran for 12 releases over the 2 years from 1998 to 2000. 2. Clara Doris 3. Erika Frauke 4. Gisela Heidi 5. Inge Jutta 6. Karin Lotte 7. Monika Nikola 8. Olga Petra 9. Susie Trixi 10. Ulla Vera 11. Wanda Xenia 12. Yvette Zara, followed. There was never an ep with Q and R. Number 9 is Susie and Trixie. The tapes were lost. But have come to light nearly 25 years later. So now, here is Q/R; Quila 1-3 and Romy 1-3. What we have here are the original tracks as intended for release, with some minor editing and rearranging for release now. The original series was very successful. The first 3 12", released at the same time were a sensation on release. Suddenly, Thomas Brinkmann was the name to check. Today, these Quila/Romy tracks may well have the same impact as the other tracks in the series had when they were released. There is still nothing that sounds like this music. It seems to be an example of a perfect melding of soul and machine. 25 five years later... a annniversary of sorts, offered up by the machines.

Released today as a Bandcamp exclusive release (a general release to follow), a special-priced Third Ear compilation. Fi...
10/11/2023

Released today as a Bandcamp exclusive release (a general release to follow), a special-priced Third Ear compilation.

First album in a new compilation series from Third Ear focusing on the variety in the catalogue. One of reasons why Third Ear is renowned is because of the 'No Boundaries No Genres' aspect of the label. The Fill My Head With Music compilation series will bring together tracks that wouldn't normally be found in the same playlist. Raising awareness of some lesser-known gems is also a part of the idea. We hope this series fills your head and your heart and your soul with music.

https://third-ear-recordings.bandcamp.com/album/fill-my-head-with-music-1-a-third-ear-compilation

*this release is digital-only

Next Release.... vinyl and digital 24th November.It is a truly great honour to release this landmark record.
06/11/2023

Next Release.... vinyl and digital 24th November.

It is a truly great honour to release this landmark record.

Third Ear Recordings presents, Max Ernst 25th Anniversary EP by Thomas Brinkmann

BANDCAMP.. still the best way to support us.
02/11/2023

BANDCAMP.. still the best way to support us.

Record label. What is the Third Ear sound? Music made primarily but not exclusively with computers synthesisers and turntables/ controllers as the musical instruments. Nearly all the music we release is with DJs in mind. Not always. If we're feeling it we want to release it. Go to www.third-ear.net....

Always good to learn from our peers.
30/10/2023

Always good to learn from our peers.

The iconic crate-digger talks us through serendipitous needle drops, moving on from the MPC and the making of his latest project

Tomorrow 27th October.Vinyl and digital
26/10/2023

Tomorrow 27th October.

Vinyl and digital

Choose your preferred music service

Vinyl and digital 27th October
11/10/2023

Vinyl and digital 27th October

The Detroit techno cadet on his new four tracker Mike Agent X Clark has been telling Juno Daily how environmental activism inspired the lead track from the 'Activate' EP. The producer -

Third Ear named checked. Detroit Metro Times article from 2010.
14/09/2023

Third Ear named checked. Detroit Metro Times article from 2010.

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