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OUT: album 'See Us Rise - And Win' by James BKS

‘See Us Rise – And Win’ is the bold and deeply personal new deluxe album from James BKS, a French-Cameroonian artist, producer and visionary storyteller. A creative force whose sound bridges France, Cameroon and the United States, he has carved out his own niche in the global music scene.

Drawing on his Bikutsi heritage and his background as the son of the legendary saxophonist Manu Dibango, he fuses West African rhythms and chant-driven hooks with modern HipHop to create a cinematic style that is both intimate and epic.

Having crafted hits for Snoop Dogg, Akon and other global stars, James now stands firmly in his own spotlight, creating music charged with purpose, identity and emotional honesty.

‘See Us Rise – And Win’ is an expansion of his 2025 EP ‘See Us Rise’, adding four new tracks that reflect vulnerability, heritage, and growth. This deluxe edition was born at a turning point in James's life: the moment he stopped creating for approval and chose to create for connection instead. Each track explores victories, doubts, friendships, temptation, and healing with unfiltered clarity. One of the standout tracks is the 'Milly Vanity – Remix', featuring Fab Morvan, one half of the Milli Vanilli duo. Written after James watched the 2023 Paramount+ documentary about the duo, the song reimagines their painful legacy as one of redemption. With Morvan himself joining the remix, the track becomes a powerful narrative of truth, accountability, lost innocence and the courage to recover from public humiliation. James transforms a saga once defined by scandal into a message about reclaiming one's identity and standing tall again.

Throughout the album, James BKS invites listeners to reflect on rhythm and resilience, offering an open space where masks fall and healing begins. 'See Us Rise – And Win' is not just a project, but a call to rise together, tell the truth and win with authenticity.

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25 Years anniversary of Moon Harbour Recording

Matthias Tanzmann’s influential Leipzig-born label celebrates a quarter century of groove with 25 Years of Moon Harbour. The eight-track compilation features long-time favourites and new school tastemakers alike, with the likes of Cinthie, Steve Bug, Mathias Kaden, Stefano Noferini, Reboot, wAFF, Defex, Luna City Express and the boss himself all contributing.

Founded in 2000 as “a little musical home” for Tanzmann and his friends, Moon Harbour has since evolved into one of Europe’s most respected platforms for deep, tech and house music. “When we started, we didn’t think that far ahead. We just wanted to release our own music. Running the label for 25 years wasn’t something we could envision.”

The new anniversary compilation captures the full arc of Moon Harbour’s journey, uniting both early contributors and newer collaborators. “For the anniversary, we tried to compile new music of artists from the whole timespan of the label’s existence”, Tanzmann explains. “Luna City Express and myself were there from the beginning. Steve Bug and Mathias Kaden have always been in the circle, while wAFF, Stefano Noferini, Defex and Cinthie represent the more recent chapters.” The result is a panoramic view of Moon Harbour’s sound – organic, groove-driven and steeped in deep house and classic tech textures.

Over 25 years, Moon Harbour’s sound has evolved with the times while keeping its rhythmic heart intact. “We come from classic deep house and what was considered tech house back in the days. The sound is organic and very groove-oriented,” says Tanzmann. Despite shifting trends, the label’s identity remains rooted in musicality and flow rather than fleeting fashion.

For Tanzmann, the real reward lies in longevity and legacy: “To still be here after 25 years is a big achievement. We are looking back on a lot of great music by fantastic artists. That is the most rewarding aspect.” Reflecting on the lessons learned, he adds, “Music naturally evolves and trends change. But it also revolves around its own history. Even though there might not be a complete reinvention of dance music, there is always exciting new music coming out.”

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OUT: album '1999' by DJ SURF

Berlin-based DJ SURF just released his latest Phonk album '1999'. It features affiliates like Ikarus and CV70, perfect collabo partners for dark and griddy sound.    

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Schwarz' 'Make Me Feel' score

Congratulations to SCHWARZ aka Roland Meyer de Voltaire who wrote the title track of the cinema movie 'Make Me Feel' which is Timur Örge's visual masterpiece and a milestone in German independent cinema!

Roland has been making his mark on the German music and film scene for many years: Starting his career as a singer and songwriter for the  indie band Voltaire, followed by his work as a composer for films which garnered him Emmy and Grimme awards nominations, as well as his current alter ego Schwarz. With Schwarz he has been releasing English-language songs since 2014 and has sung the main single on the Schiller album ‚Morgenstund‘, hitting the No. 1 spot in Germany in 2019. He was a guest on the subsequent 2019 arena tour, and wrote and sang the theme song for the Amazon Prime documentaryseries ‚Inside Borussia Dortmund‘, for which he also composed the entire soundtrack. In 2023, he released the theme song for the German HBO series ‚Two sides of the Abbys‘ together with Israeli producer Mark Pinhasov.

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40,000 people at Because Beaubourg

Because Beaubourg, launched by our french partner Because Music just a week ago, made a lasting impression and was a tremendous popular success, bringing together 40,000 people at the Centre Pompidou over two days and two nights.

It was a bold gamble: in barely two months, to show that Because Music — an international and independent label built on the synergy between publishing, production, and live performance — could, twenty years after its creation, bring to life an exceptional event in an exceptional venue.

Because Beaubourg was entirely conceived through a remarkable collaboration between the teams at the Centre Pompidou, the French and international teams at BecauseMusic, and those at Corida, who ensured the technical and artistic production.

From concept to production, from programming to showcasing both established and emerging artists; from audiovisual production to digital communication — everything was imagined, created, and delivered in-house. In just two days, Because demonstrated its ability to fully master the entire creative and distribution chain, both physical and digital.

The result was a magnificent demonstration of our synergies, and of the complementarity of our talents in amplifying our artists’ work on a global scale.

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new signing: DJ Surf

We are happy to announce that DJ Surf is now part of the Freibank family. The Berlin-based HipHop Producer is responsible for the productions for the likes of Jace, GPC, KDM Shey and Fruchtmax to name a few. 

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Roland Meyer de Voltaire nominated for 'Deutscher Filmmusikpreis 2025'

Congratualtions to Roland Meyer de Voltaire, who has been nominated for this years Deutscher Filmmusikpreis in the category 'Best Music in Film' for the film 'Fritz Litzmann, mein Vater und ich'.

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OUT: single 'Devotion (Trentemøller Remix)' by Kaela

Trentemøller had the great pleasure of reworking the track 'Devotion' by singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Kaela. The single is from her debut album 'Supraliminal', a nostalgic and atmospheric ambient odyssey with a dusting of pop. 

"I’m so excited to finally share a remix of 'Devotion' by an artist I admire on so many levels: Trentemøller. What an honor to hear his reinterpretation of my song. Thank you Anders for saying yes! I’m so grateful. This song is totally unique and delightful. I can’t stop listening."

Trentemøller shared a bit about his process:
“I had the great pleasure of reworking Kaela’s track 'Devotion'. The journey took me all over the place, and I ended up with a pretty un-typical (for me) rework. Some 90s club vibes just felt right! I used only her amazing vocal and, as I often do, built a whole new piece around it: fresh chords, new drums, and a pop-tinged organ. Give it a spin… I hope you dig it! Huge thanks to the insanely talented Kaela for letting me dive into this one.”

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