NTTG proudly presents the limited 2LP version of Controller 7’s Exhale 02: Moments, limited to 300 copies with an exclusive bonus disc uniquely crafted for this release. Beautiful gate-fold layout design with a full color 11”x11” insert. According to Controller 7: “This record is perhaps the most “me” record I have ever done but is also me trying things for the first time.”

Needle To The Groove’s recent reissue of Controller 7’s opus, Left Handed Straw, originally released in 2000, quickly sold out. On it were opera samples, dour strings and piano, all underscored with vicious, breakneck drum programming. A project of its time, it’s been able to age well, outlasting an era where many of its contemporaries have fallen by the wayside.

Exhale02 – Moments comes on the heels of a reemergence by the Bay Area producer. After a lengthy sabbatical from music, he recently released a gaggle of projects (Couch with Mestizo and Billy with Buck 65, amongst others). He’s found renewed inspiration and Exhale is his most introspective project to date, replete with vignettes and broken dialogue, another quirky chapter on his humble path to instrumental hip-hop esteem. “This record is a series of escapes… it is more a collection of individual moments. The ding clears your ear as you move on to the next moment. It’s hopeless and hopeful. Broken and fixed,” he says.

Exhale was made as a challenge to himself. While this is something artists tritely announce come album promo time, Exhale indeed feels different yet retains trademarks of his past work. A sample-based artist and pastiche producer of the highest degree, here we find Controller 7 playing a lot of his own instruments. It was primarily recorded between June 2020 and May 2021 during a dark life phase, but the music offers a wholly different outlook—sunny backdrops with exuberant changeups. Originally released digitally in 2021, this is its first proper vinyl release with incredible bonus tracks; a collection of outtakes, demos, and ideas from the same time period that are exclusive to this vinyl release. Exhale is a full statement, a homespun art project with the gatefold image also completed by Controller 7.

Says Controller 7: “This is a series of meditations and broken- hearted fumblings.”

Produced, recorded, and mixed by Controller 7
Studio Less Music (ASCAP)

Mastered by Deeskee for Weightless Audio Productions
Art/Layout by Controller 7

RIYL: DJ Shadow, Clutchy Hopkins, Tommy Guerrero, Jel, Instrumental hip hop, Lo-fi beats

Label fixture Casual Crypt reemerges with a new project, a collaboration with singer/songwriter Eldita Tarani (out of Kosovo) called Invisible Light Agency or simply ILA. The duo formed in 2015 and collectively derive inspiration from groups like Stereolab and Broadcast. The pair organically met through mutual friends and was immediately in lockstep. Says Tarani: “We appreciated similar music and the same musical geniuses, which created this opportunity despite us coming from two totally different cultures.”

On this new EP, Pink Lagoon, ILA bends future-retro with swirling psychedelic dream pop. The group wears their influences on their sleeve but transcend comparisons by riding on their own wave of original musical impulses. The EP glides you through a dreamy blend of lo-fi and pop sensibilities— hazy, sparse vocals over propulsive backbeats, underscored by slick electric guitars and synths. The songs were recorded in 2018 and finalized just before Covid-19, forcing Tarani to return to her homeland until further notice. Recently she returned to the States, permanent visa in hand, perfect timing for the release of Pink Lagoon. The EP is dedicated to the memory of Elmir Tarani, a beloved musician and strong supporter of the band, according to her.

Pink Lagoon will be available on pink or black vinyl and all streaming platforms.

Order the limited vinyl HERE