Following the huge response for the last two EPs, Rags Of Time (featuring 2017 ‘summer anthem’ and Bill Brewster’s Record Of The Year, Web Of Intrigue) and Aranath (12″ funded entirely via Kickstarter), Leonidas & Hobbes return with a two-track single release: ‘What Is In Space?’ backed with virtual B-side ‘Space Symphony’. Both feature samples from NASA’s immense public archive. Are you spotting a theme?

The ambient material was recorded/completed during lockdown last year and is scheduled for a vinyl release as part of the forthcoming Leonidas & Hobbes debut album (due late ‘22 / early ‘23 tbc). As such, the label is breaking with tradition somewhat…

Label boss Hobbes explains: ‘With the current delays in vinyl production making lead times longer than ever before in our ten-year experience, coupled with the opportunities afforded by going direct to the audience via Bandcamp etc, it seems churlish to wait until all the material for the album is ready to roll and then maybe another six months for people to get their hands on the record…

So, we thought it would be more interesting to drip-feed some of the new material as and when it’s ready and let the audience get involved in the A&R process as well.

As such, YOU, the people who actually put your hands in your pockets to support what we do IRL are invited to feed back to the label/artists (via Bandcamp, social media etc – NB this material is not being released on Spotify and other streaming platforms right now), involving YOU in the process of programming the forthcoming album, too.

After all, you are the ones who will be spending your hard-earned on what will inevitably be a double-vinyl release. If the material released digitally doesn’t still stand up after the 6-9 months we expect the whole process to take, then it isn’t really worth pressing to vinyl anyway.”

While this release continues a trend explored via the ambient mixes on the Aranath EP, Leonidas & Hobbes will be returning to the dance floor on other releases. But, for now, please feel free to drift away and contemplate the messages and emotions contained within these tracks.’

Many thanks to Fannoire Ge for having Leonidas & Hobbes on his ‘Chez Fannoire’ show on the UK capital’s new radio station, Hale London.

The second half of the show is a Leonidas & Hobbes DJ mix, featuring material from new EP Aranath, alongside recent and forthcoming, material plus a couple of favourites from the L&H back cat.

NB Track-list reproduced below with links to buy individual tracks etc.

1. Leonidas & Hobbes – Out Of It
2. Leonidas & Hobbes – Into It
Both taken from Leonidas & Hobbes – “Aranath” EP
3. Leonidas & Hobbes – Jackin Pschidt
Taken from Leonidas & Hobbes – Machines, Tapes & Electronic Setups EP
4. Leonidas feat Bob James and U:Guru – Dub for Black Lives
5. Leonidas feat Bob James and U:Guru – Love for Black Lives (WoE Mix)
6. Leonidas feat Bob James and U:Guru – Dub for Black Lives
Taken from Leonidas feat Bob James and U:Guru – “Love for Black Lives”
7. Leonidas & TK1 – Vanilla
Taken from the forthcoming Percebes Musica compilation “Produto Interno Bruto II”
8. Leonidas & Hobbes – Aranatha
9. Leonidas & Hobbes – Aranath
Both taken from Leonidas & Hobbes “Aranath” EP
10. Leonidas – Twilight
Taken from Leonidas – “August Moon”
11. Leonidas & Hobbes – Sputnik
Taken from Leonidas & Hobbes – “Mo’ Machines”
12. Leonidas & Hobbes – Oona’s World
Taken from forthcoming compilation on Touched Music (name TBC)
13. Leonidas & Hobbes – Web Of Intrigue (Long Haul Mix)
Taken from Leonidas & Hobbes “Aranath” EP

Nemone played Web Of Intrigue (Long Haul Mix) on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6Music Show, Friday 16th April ’21.

Buy 12″* // Downloads:

*Limited Edition (250) 12″ vinyl run, featuring artists’ signatures in the run-out groove/dead wax, housed in a full colour, shrink-wrapped sleeve with 3mm spine.

See previous posts for more info.

Sleeve art (front cover)

Following a successful Kickstarter at the end of 2020, the fourth Leonidas & Hobbes EP Aranath, is available to pre-order now (on 12″ vinyl & digital download) via Bandcamp (shipping on/around 16th April):

Listen in full below.

Sleeve art (back cover)

See previous post (below) for more info, DJ reactions etc.

Leonidas & Hobbes make a timely return with Aranath EP, 3 years after Web Of Intrigue (from 3rd EP Rags Of Time) was voted No1 in Bill Brewster’s 2017 DJ History poll.  Delivering a follow-up to many people’s 2017 summer anthem has been something of a protracted process, not least due to Covid and the 400 miles between us.

Please support the Aranath EP Kickstarter

Aranath features the hugely talented multi-instrumentalist Riad Abji and his virtuoso cello & tanpura raga, which inspired us to create 4 mixes, combining Riad’s Eastern lament with classic house and ambient techno. The release is complemented by the tropical flavours of ‘Into It’ and ‘Out Of It’.  The previously unreleased ambient mix of ‘Web of Intrigue’ (digital-only bonus track) from ‘Rags of Time’ rounds off what can certainly be described as a ‘deep’ release.

Clips below; full length tracks at the bottom of the page.

Artwork (back cover)

The front cover sleeve art (top of page) was inspired by an Indian painting from the 19th Century and created over the course of many obsessive evenings at the height of lockdown (as was some of the audio).  Needless to say, the whole project has helped to keep us both sane through these crazy months.

If our Kickstarter is successful, a limited edition of the record will be pressed up, featuring our signature in the run-out groove/dead wax, in a full colour sleeve with 3mm spine, shrink-wrapped (+ download code, including 3 bonus tracks).

We’re also planning a whole bunch of merch items: t-shirts, posters, tote bags etc (all available with a digital download of the full EP). See what floats your boat… 🙂

Please support the Aranath EP Kickstarter

Soft-feel cotton T-shirt w/slim fit (colour:’Natural’)

Also available in your choice of size and colour – see all colour mockups HERE / below! ;o)

Please support the Aranath EP Kickstarter

100% Organic Cotton Tote Bag (also available in black, navy, white or grey)

A1 Print (also available in A3)

Selected Feedback:
‘Ah fabulous cheers. Yes I’m a big fan of your work’ JUSTIN ROBERTSON (Soho Radio, LDN)
‘Oh yes to all of this please really nice deep heavy <raised fist emoji>.  Really curious about the instrumentation – amazing’ JIM STANTON (Horse Meat Disco, LDN)
‘I like Aranath.  [Into It] is very very good.’ BILL BREWSTER (DJ History, LDN)
‘I particularly dug the ambient mixes, especially ‘Arantha’. Mmmm, that cello!! Beautiful. Top work. I dug it all but that was the stand out for me’ JD TWITCH (Optimo, Glasgow)
‘Sounds good mate. Please send best quality files’ NICK THE RECORD (UK)
‘Love it all. Great production. Great music’ DICKY TRISCO (Disco Deviance, Maxi Discs, Home Taping etc, UK/Worldwide)
‘Really like it – my fave are the ambient mixes.  Great stuff’ KENNETH BAGER (Music For Dreams, DK)
‘I really like the Ambient versions and Web of Intrigue is A M A Z I N G ! ! !  Sounds like an Alfredo / Leo Mas secret weapon at Amnesia during summer of 87 🙂  Since I’m compiling a mixtape for Beats In Space I’m digging more “chill” stuff than dance beats, they will be included of course but I guess this WoI ambient version is perfect for the first minutes. Other tracks are great :)’ BAWRUT (Silencio, Ransom Note, Hard Fist, Madrid/SP)
‘Really like Ara, Arantha and the Web Of Intrigue version’ PHIL MISON (Cantoma/Reverso 68, LDN)
‘I like these. I will try to play something on my next show’ RED RACK EM (SWU FM, Bristol)
‘I like Aranatha best. The tripping synth is really cool’ KAY SUZUKI (Time Capsule/LDN)
‘I really like all the versions, great job, congratulations, you have all my support” LEO MAS (Balearic legend, IT)
‘Absolutely love this’ BALEARIC MIKE (UK)
‘Aranath (Original Mix) is super dope’ JONNY ROCK (UK)
‘I will get some of these on my various radio shows and live streams :o)’ PHAT PHIL COOPER (Nu Northern Soul/SP)
‘Ah, yes lads! Lovely stuff!!!  These are really excellent, in the next ALFOS EBS for sure! Was waiting to hear what you did next. I really like all of them very much’ SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space/LDN)
‘Lots to like here, very interesting EP. Really like the ambient cuts, especially of ‘Intrigue’, but those housier jams are great too. Def something to play across a range of styles which is always good!’ JOE MORRIS (Clandestino, Balamii/Leeds)
‘Interesting release. I really like it, the Balearic crowd are gonna have fun with it. Good DJ tool potential in some of the mixes too’ CHRIS ORR (XLR8R/URB/Revolution Magazine/Mixmag, San Francisco/US) 
‘It’s excellent’ JAMIE THOMSON (Radio Magnetic/Glasgow)

Listen to full length tracks below:

More feedback:
‘I remember this from when Andrew played it on a show for Radio Magnetic – I had it blasting out of the car whilst driving up north from London. Really enjoyed this track.  I love how the groove develops….  Well this (Aranatha/Beatless mix) is pretty damn special.  In fact this completely blew me away when i first heard it as well!  Was the beginning of the RM show!  I’m so glad i’ve found this music now, thank youuuu x’ SAM BAGG (Playasol Ibiza Radio, Enigma Ibiza)
‘That L&H cut with Riad Abji [Aranath (Original Mix)], what the hell?!?!  That is killer!!  Did it ever come out?  Love it!!! CHRIS LEWIS (Brighton FM)
‘Pretty solid and I am really interested in the Aranatha ambient version.  I will definitely play it’ DJ SPUTNICK (The Lion & Lamb/LDN)
‘Really liking all of the tracks and mixes mate. Strong, strong package and I’ll be giving ALL of these plenty of play!’ DAVID ELDERS (MFSB, Here With Me/EDIN)
‘Love Aranatha and the Web of Intrigue mix too. Lovely stuff. Proper music for real’ BEE SHIVER (Various/LDN)
‘Sounding great – very high quality production indeed!’ ASTROJAZZ (Kelburn Garden Party, Samedia, Wee Dub Festival/EDIN)
‘Into it – Solid deep house (are we still allowed to call it that or is deep house something else now? I can’t keep up!) that really comes into its own in the last third, making it stand out from your average deep house track. Big fan of the ambient mix too. Very early 90s (Irresistible Force) styleee.  Aranath – It could be easy for a track like this to turn out clichéd and by numbers but it’s executed with class and respect. The club mix reminds me of early 90s Rising High “Trance” before Trance was stolen from us. The addition of the ace ambient mix further cements this connecting. Casper Pound would be proud.  Web of Intrigue – Love it! Reminds me of something like Morricone or Aphrodite’s Child – like something Eric Duncan/Thomas Bullock would make/edit. One for the classy boozers.  Super strong EP all in! Well done.’ KRIS ‘WASABI’ WALKER
‘These tracks are great, really into them! I am loving the tracks with Riad, very original and classy! I hope these do well for you! I will definitely play these! Top work mate!’ MARTYN HENDERSON/MASH (Glasgow/UK)
‘Aranatha (Beatless Mix). Ooft.  That cello waaaugh. <heart emoji>. So nice. There’s a wee synth flourish that I love at 4.59.  Really lovely, a soothing balm but with an edge to it. Really beautiful artwork too. I’ll play some other tracks in the coming weeks’ NIKKI KENT (Lunch, EHFM/EDIN)
‘Aranath is wicked, both original and club mixes. Really like them a lot.  I like Out of It, too. Good work’ FELIX (ex-10kilo/We Are Electric/Sublime, LDN/EDIN)

Please support the Aranath EP Kickstarter

I never met José Padilla or heard him play.  And yet, it’s impossible for me not to have been influenced by the man and his DJ style.  He was just an absolute giant – an innovator of the scene broadly termed ‘Balearic’ and, to a very large extent, an originator of the scene labelled ‘Chill Out’.

I still have my vinyl copy of Cafe Del Mar: Ibiza (the first compilation in his series).  I pulled it out again, for the first time in years, a few months back.  It still sounds fresh.  So many classic artists and tunes feature, a number of whom/which i already knew when i first heard it (The Sabres of Paradise’s Smokebelch II (Beatless Mix), Leftfield’s Fanfare Of Life, Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s Fanfare Of A Found Harmonium, Sun Electric, Underworld) and a load more which I was introduced to by Padilla, not least his own productions, with the lush Agua opening the album.  It flows beautifully, the tracks dovetailing sweetly without a single ‘mix’, just killer selections all the way.  It really is flawless and the perfect soundtrack to a lazy afternoon/early eve, preferably in the sun!

Legend has it that Padilla was laughed out of the meeting/s with some major label/s in London, when he first tried to pitch his idea for the compilation back in the early 90s.  He’d been DJing around Ibiza since the late 70s but when his club was forced to close after one of the owners killed himself in the bar, he started selling mix-tapes in the local market. Business was brisk so he started selling tapes by his local DJ pals as well and, by 1989, he was selling so many, he had eight machines running in tandem 24/7, just to keep up with the crazy demand.  When the first compilation finally dropped via REACT, in 1994, it sold a couple of thousand (a very modest number for the time).  But Volume 2 then sold 20,000.  Volume 3 sold 100,000 and from there on, with the might of Universal Music suddenly very much behind them, subsequent volumes were soon selling millions worldwide.

The first is the only one that i’ve got.  I remember Volumes 2 and 3 also being great and the consensus now seems to be that Volumes 1-6 (the ones Padilla compiled) are all proper classics.  But as the series progressed, it was so heavily marketed I became somewhat immune to its charms and by the mid-Noughts the concept had been so widely imitated that it seemed to have become a bit of a parody, the impact somewhat dissipated.  That always happens when big money gets involved but this isn’t to detract in any respect from Padilla’s achievement and influence.  If anything, it’s more of an acknowledgement of just how profound that was.  José Padilla was clearly wired into something else, just on a different level altogether, and Cafe Del Mar remains a real mecca for the vibe he created.

I’ve recorded quite a few ambient and chill-out style mixes in the past.  I had a residency in a club playing sets a bit like that at one point (a kind of amazing but very short-lived weekly Sunday night at Cabaret Voltaire called ‘Escape From New York’, set up in the the early Noughts, by promoter Grum Anderson, of Edinburgh’s late 90s techno/trance shindig, Sublime).  I also played the UK’s once notorious Big Chill festival a bit later (luckily before Pete Lawrence sold it – the big money men really ruined that) and managed to record my set – mostly a mini-homage to Berlin dub maestros Rhythm & Sound.

I’ve never seen myself as a ‘chill-out DJ’ (and i’m sure few of the best ones do, either – most just play great music across the board) but I’ve always identified with the spirit that Padilla (and others like him*) espoused, which was really just to represent great music that he loved, whatever the style and wherever it came from.  If it works well on the dance floor, why not play it?  And if your dance floor is the terrace of a beautiful outdoor bar with an incredible view of the sunset, then why not play absolutely anything and everything you can get your hands on that you truly love, however light and fluffy it might be?  You couldn’t really imagine a better setting for it.

Apparently Padilla used a pair of turntables alongside a twin cassette deck, incorporating myriad sound fx from nature etc alongside his truly eclectic selections and much like the late, great David Mancuso he didn’t play the music especially loud, either.  It was audible but never so loud, as he focussed on creating a selection that drew in and entranced his audience.  As well as influencing the way I’ve aimed to play out myself, on occasion, this style has also informed the way I’ve often produced music in the studio, especially alongside Leonidas, who has a similar respect/love for all things ‘Balearic’.  As I’ve never actually been to Ibiza (and Leo only visited once in the mid-90s), I guess this is partly due to the fact that we both have Mediterranean roots (Leo is 100% Greek, while my mum was born in Athens) and we’ve both spent countless summer holidays in the Motherland since we were very small, especially (for me) in the late 70s and early 80s (before it became a more pricey destination).

*Gilles Peterson and Francois Kevorkian both spring immediately to mind.  It’s no coincidence that both have recorded touching homages to the man, Gilles on his 6Music show (the last half-hour of which was a ‘Sunset Mix’ dedicated to JP) and FK creating a monster six-and-a-half hour live stream on Twitch.

Both are well worth checking out to hear how these DJs, both highly influential in their own right, articulate how much Padilla inspired them.  But there are countless others, too: Andrew Weatherall (RIP), Sean Johnston, JD Twitch, Bill Brewster, Alfredo, Phil Mison, Justin Robertson, Coldcut, Tim Sweeney, Leo Mas, Nancy Noise, Chris Coco, Kenneth Bager, Alex Paterson/The Orb, Mixmaster Morris, Rob Da Bank, Balearic Mike, Jonny Rock, Mr Shiver are a handful i can also think of right now but there will no doubt be many, many more…

There are sure to be many other great tributes online right now but this one by Paul Byrne (aka Apiento) from Test Pressing caught my attention as well, since it features interviews with Nancy Noise, Kenneth Bager and Phil Mison as well as a load more killer tunes that were big Padilla selections (only a few of which i already knew):

Like I said, it’s kind of impossible not to have been influenced by José Padilla.

Further reading (with thanks):
José Padilla, Forever King Of The Sunset (Ban Ban Ton Ton)
José Padilla, DJ and music producer, 1955-2020 – A pioneer of chillout music who linked Ibiza’s bohemian past with its clubbing present (Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, The Financial Times)
José Padilla – A Life In Music (The Chill Out Tent)
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton (Headline Books)
The Record Players, Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton (Virgin Books)

Further listening (from a more personal/tangential perspective, so to speak):

Fabric: 100% ring spun jersey cotton*
*All Heathers: 65% Polyester, 35% Cotton
Weight: 155 GSM

NB Kickstarter Ends Monday 14th December (Midday)

Remember to let us know what size and colour you want (please post details in a comment on KS)
NB Kickstarter Ends Monday 14th December (Midday)

Remember to let us know what size and colour you want (pls post as comment)

Photo: Charlie Barnes (Packaged Sounds)

Continuing a run of highly eclectic and quirky but consistently individual releases, we are very excited to welcome Jacksonville aka Yorkshire-born, Edinburgh-based artist Chris Lyth, to the fold. He has carpet-bombed the last few Hobbes Music events at Edinburgh’s Bongo Club with his excellent live sets and this release has been in the pipeline for some time.

The ‘FON’ EP (caps intentional) combines a love of classic electro and techno with dub reggae, sound system culture, the UK’s contemporary bass scene etc. Mastering was done by Optimum in Bristol, who did a really lovely job, with loads of width in the mix.

This release follows Jacksonville’s ‘Machines Of Loving Grace’ EP which dropped in November via Inner Shift. He has a pedigree spanning some 20 years plus via releases for the likes of 2020Vision, Hizou, Doppler, Thug, Plastic City, Leftroom, A.E.R, Shanti and Dan Curtin’s Metamorphic. This record’s a bit of a departure for him.

While we’re deeply saddened by the knowledge that there’s no chance now of us ever hearing Andy Weatherall play it out, we’re kinda heartened by the idea that he would have probably dug it…. RIP.

DJ REACTIONS etc:
‘Really digging the grooviness’ AVALON EMERSON
‘Yeah that’s nice. Great DJ Tools!!! These will come in very handy… :)’ ROLANDO (UR)
‘Thanks for sending, I like all 3 tracks. Will play in my DJ sets’ SURGEON
‘Love it Thanks!’ JD TWITCH (Optimo)
‘Very cool release indeed. Thanks a lot for that. Will play for sure’ LAURENT GARNIER
‘They are nice. I do like them. I especially like Orienne’ RED RACK’EM
‘I love all of this, the electro realness, the glitches, the dubby vibes! Yessss thanks so much’ VIOLET (Naive Trax, PT)
‘Really cool release’ JEROME HILL
‘Love it’ INTERGALACTIC GARY (IFM, NL)
‘I really like Orienne, is great’ LEO MAS (Balearic legend, Milan/IT)
‘The music is really nice. Glad to see Chris getting busy with releases over the past months. I’m definitely enjoying this’ DAN CURTIN (Metamorphic)
‘Great stuff, will buy the record’ XDB
‘Sounding good, really like Orienne’ DOMENIC CAPPELLO (Sub Club)
‘Thanks for these. In terms of club play, Orienne is the one. All three tracks are good’ GARETH SOMMERVILLE (Athens Of The North)
‘Nice one, love it!’ SKILLIS (Headset, SSL)
‘That bassline is ACE’ (re FON) SIMON HARRISON (Basic Soul)
‘This sounds absolutely tremendous and it’s a shoo-in for March Bandcamp roundup. Love “FON”, it reminds me of classic Peverelist before he went more techno’ JOE MUGGS (The Wire, Bandcamp, Guardian, VICE, BBC etc)
‘Sounding great! Top work!’ JAMES THOMSON (Ornate)
‘I will definitely play Jacksonville on EHFM’ COLVIN CRUICKSHANK (Snide Rhythms, Thinktank)
‘Really dig this one, there’s a sense of aesthetic wholeness to the whole thing, down to the artwork too. I like all three: the immediacy and urgency of FON and the glacial chords of Orienne; there’s something about the juxtaposed elements and downright distortion of Varadi that I find especially compelling though, so it’s my pick of the bunch.. and the fact the track is named after an obscure Hungarian footballer just enhances my enjoyment of it’ PENCIL (Rebel Art Centre)
‘FON bangs AF so defo will play it out’ FAULTLINES (Ciarki)
‘Loving this EP. Played FON on the show on Monday with a view playing Varadi next week. Excellent stuff as always’ PAT BENSBERG (The Eccentric Selection, Phonic FM, Exeter)

REVIEWS:
“Focussing on stepping rhythms and dubbed-out bass, Varadi shimmers effortlessly, while the electro-influenced Orienne also impresses. 7.5/10” RICHARD BROPHY (DJ MAG)

RADIO/PODCASTS:
TOM RAVENSCROFT played FON (BBC 6MUSIC) 28.2.20
PAT BENSBERG played FON (Phonic FM) 2.3.20 & Varadi 9.3.20
SPATIAL AWARENESS (Funky.sx 103.7FM) played FON 2.3.20
SIMON HARRISON (Basic Soul) played ‘FON’
24.2.20  // 09.03.20
SNIDE RHYTHMS (EHFM) played FON 5.3.20