DJ Rashad - 'Rollin' artwork by Optigram

Link: Optigram 
Link: Alex Trochut
Link: Hyperdub

Another sleeve from Manuel Sepulveda of Optigram for the Hyperdub label. This time it's a visualisation for an upcoming four track EP by DJ Rashad: a name synonymous with Chicago's footwork sound. Not that this is completely new territory for Sepulveda (he previously designed an album cover for, scene stalwart, Traxman on Planet Mu) but it is representative of Hyperdub's continued diversification.

This one sees the designer creating the sort of dark textures that typified Ikonika's 2010 album while also making use of a bold typeface created by Alex Trochut.

Getz/Andy Pain & Z Connection - 'The Wicker Man/Dive Ruv' artwork by Pyramid Studio

Link: Pyramid Studio

12" artwork for, Russian label, Interactive Music by Pyramid Studio's João Miguel Chaves. Nice.

Fort Romeau - 'SW9' artwork by Michael Cina

Link: Michael Cina
Link: John Klukas
Link: Ghostly

More beautiful Ghostly/Spectral work from Michael Cina that picks up from the painterly figurative style of his previous Matthew Dear sleeve. Only this time (for the 100% Silk-affiliated Fort Romeau) the paint adds a gauzy texture to a photograph of a woman by John Klukas with further veiling of the image via a more rigid graphic overlay. Cina pairs this with some sophisticated and carefully arranged type on the reverse. Out 11th March.

'Dalston Fried Chicken' from MarkJames_Works and Unbox Industries

Link: Mark James_Works
Link: Unbox Industries

Inspired by hazy late night visits to fast food outlets, Dalston is six inches of finger lickin’ fried chicken presented in vinyl. Delivered in a hand screen printed box, and limited to 200 pieces. 

DFC also comes with a deep fried orange 7” single featuring a brand new track, 'Chicken Rhythm' by Gareth Goddard, (Cherrystones)

Also available will be a limited edition screen print and T-shirt. 

 

Autechre - Exai by The Designers Republic

Link: The Designers Republic
Link: Autechre
Link: Warp

Exai is the 11th album from Rob Brown and Sean Booth
Released March 2013

17 tracks - 2 hours 32 seconds

- Deluxe Vinyl Edition
- Compact Disc
- High Quality Download

Made in The Designers Republic™ 


Deluxe Vinyl Edition

• 4 x heavyweight 180gram vinyl, each disc packed in its own printed inner sleeve.
• Housed in a rigid slipcase wrapped in Cairn Eco Kraft stock with clear foil block to front.
• Includes Download code redeemable at Bleep.com

CD Edition

• 2 x cd, each packed in its own printed cd wallet.
• Housed in a CD slipcase made from Cairn Eco Kraft stock with clear foil block to front.

Included free with all Vinyl & CD orders on Bleep.com

• Your choice of 16bit / 44.1kHz or 24bit / 44.1kHz WAV version of the album
• Plus a 320kbps LAME encoded MP3 version of the album for your portable player

• These digital versions will be available to download direct from Bleep.com on day of release

Preordering now.

The Shee - Murmurations by Lillias Kinsman-Blake

Link: Full story at Computer Arts
Link: Lillias Kinsman-Blake

...Every copy of the album is itself unique. All 2000 of the CDs they've shipped have different patterns of starlings in flight on their covers.

"The conventional method for CD covers is lithographic printing but the flexibility of digital printing made it feasible for each cover to be different," says Kinsman-Blake...

 

Karenn/The Analogue Cops - 'Studio 3/OCPLX1' by Give Up Art and Shaun Bloodworth

Link: Give Up Art
Link: Shaun Bloodworth
Link: The Green Series
Link: Bleep.com

Following up 2009's North/South/East/West project, Bleep.com has again collaborated with the formidable team of, design company, Give Up Art and, photographer, Shaun Bloodworth. Again fusing artwork and music, 'The Green Series' has made its pre-order debut with a split techno-oriented single from Karenn (a.k.a. producers Pariah and Blawan) and The Analogue Cops (Marieu and Lucretio).

The standard version for this release is already pretty special - with its die-cut sleeve, embossing and hand-stamped details - yet there is additionally a numbered deluxe edition that additionally comes with two high quality art prints signed by Bloodworth. Both versions include MP3 versions that will be delivered on, release date, 19th November. Neither are going to be around for long: the pressing is limited to 100 copies of the deluxe vinyl available and a further 500 of the standard version.

Michael Mayer - Mantasy artwork by Wolfgang Voigt

Link: Kompakt

The long awaited album by, Kompakt boss, Michael Mayer has just been released - a whole eight years since his Touch long-player. The artwork for Mantasy - as it is titled - has been created by Kompakt co-founder Wolfgang Voigt; an individual known for making his own music while operating under guises such as Mike Ink, Centrifugal Force and Gas.

Incorporating collaged vintage details, it relies on the kind of glitchy digital manipulation that was previously seen on Voigt's 'For The Love of God' release. Additionally, two deluxe vinyl editions have been made available that both rework the cover art as a repeat pattern on a 35" x 35" silk scarf. The two available options are 'Golden Cherub' and 'Blue Cherub'. For those less flamboyant fans, it is also available on CD and download.

 

Trevino - 'Tactical Manoeuvre EP' by Jeroen Erosie

Link: Erosie
Link: 3024
Link: Marcus Intalex/Trevino

The latest on Martyn and Erosie's 3024 label features another wonderful sleeve from the latter. Trevino's new EP actually boasts an aesthetic that is both a continuation of earlier releases on the label (with its glimpses of Jacques Greene's 'Ready EP') and also a break from earlier imagery (with that more angular composition).

Trevino, by the way, is Manchester-based producer/DJ Marcus Intalex: a man better known for his drum & bass exploits who employs this alter ego for his techno-oriented output. Assumedly then delivering the kind of recordings that require a sharp-edged visualization.

 

Peter Gabriel - So box set by Marc Bessant

Link: Marc Bessant 
Link: Peter Gabriel 

It seems that anniversary editions and deluxe box sets are everywhere - with many recent cash-ins seemingly testing that definition of "classic". However, Peter Gabriel's fifth studio album (that contained, huge international hit, 'Sledgehammer' and Kate Bush collaboration 'Don't Give Up') has now been remastered as a timely reminder of its enduring qualities.

With its multiple vinyl, CD and download content alongside a 60 page case-bound book, the Marc Bessant-designed So 25 set additionally demonstrates Gabriel's commitment to work that is beautifully realised. And its the attention to detail - particularly the subtle embossed icons - that make this a worthy follow-up to Bessant's sumptuous packaging for the artist's Scratch My Back long-player.

18 Years of Rinse - Give Up Art

Leading up to Rinse FM's 18th birthday, a series of videos have been put together with individuals/associates reflecting on their relationship with the radio station (and its record label). This instalment features Give Up Art: the brilliantly inventive studio that has come to define Rinse's visual communication.