Whoop! There it is. NEW 6.0. Get it here. Or here.

N.E.W. (Nieuwe Electronische Waar) is a platform for producers of electronic music from the East of The Netherlands. N.E.W. is a collaboration betweenproductiehuis ON, Burgerweeshuis and Doornroosje.

After a year of producing, uploading and voting, a professional jury (including me) selected 11 tracks to be featured on the  NEW 6.0 release. After being invited by the N.E.W. platform, esc.rec. stepped in as a free download distribution partner for this release in a support-your-local-scene kinda way.

The NEW 6.0 release won’t be part of the official esc.rec. catalogue, but is distributed by esc.rec. as a N.E.W. product. This is mainly because esc.rec. hasn’t got complete control over the content and aesthetics of a N.E.W. release, which just so happens to be the only benchmark for esc.rec. releases.

Now that I’ve tasted some of this N.E.W. collaboration, I can’t help but feeling somewhat discontent (weird isn’t it?). Not because of the tracks mind you! There are some real perls here. But I’m sure going to try to up my game a bit to see how esc.rec. can contribute more productively in shaping up for the upcoming NEW 7.0 release. My appetite for improvement has now been whet… be ready for it.

In this cold December month two small independent labels from the East of The Netherlands flirt with eachother. The result is a free download compilation named Flakes, officially released today, December 18.

Please download from www.escrec.com and/or www.lomechanik.com.

Esc.rec. and Lomechanik have a considerable overlap in their musical preference and besides a couple of artists in their catalogue they also share a mutual interest and vision on current music industry. Their main concern is bringing adventurous music the attention it deserves. If anything, Flakes proves these labels to be open minded music connoisseurs with a joint interest in narrative music.

With many thanks to the artists who contributed to this release, Lomechanik and esc.rec. proudly present this Christmas present to everyone who wants to listen. Enjoy!

In this cold December month two small independent labels from the East of The Netherlands flirt with eachother. The result is a free download compilation named Flakes. It will be released on December 18. You can then download it from www.escrec.com and www.lomechanik.com. Oh, and I designed the artwork for this release, but more on that later.

Esc.rec. and Lomechanik have a considerable overlap in their musical preference and besides a couple of artists in their catalogue they also share a mutual interest and vision on current music industry. Their main concern is bringing adventurous music the attention it deserves.

If anything, Flakes proves these labels to be open minded music connoisseurs with a joint interest in narrative music. With many thanks to the artists who contributed to this release, Lomechanik and esc.rec. proudly present this Christmas present to everyone who wants to listen. The video above is here to wet your appetite… Check back later for the download and enjoy!

On december 2 (19:00-23:00), Concertzender broadcasts a special live show themed around the hundredth edition of music and culture magazine Gonzo (circus). With many exclusive recordings and interviews with a selection of musicians, composers, artists and editors featured in Gonzo #100.

Guests in the studio: Ruth Timmermans (editor/coördinator Gonzo), Gert Jan Prins, Jasper and Bram Stadhouders, Vincent Korenman (Incubate), Merlijn Twaalfhoven, The Ex and label owners of Tonefloat (Charles Beterams) and esc.rec. (Harco Rutgers).

You can tune into Concertzender through cable, internet or mobile phone.

There’s a new esc.rec. release! Ambi is a relatively short album (call it EP if you will) by Transfolmer. The sentiment in his music almost borders the obscene and yet, this third Transfolmer album on esc.rec. holds a rare quality; it’s timeless. It could have been made years ago or yesterday, who knows. This album is also completely instrumental, which is a first for Transfolmer. Without Transfolmer’s dark voice to guide us, his sound reaches a higher abstraction level and is more open to personal interpretation. Less song, more scape.

This album is only available as a paid download, but you can listen to a stream of the whole thing for free if you like. Check it here!