Kelman Duran has been my soundtrack for the last couple of years. I was first introduced to Kelman’s work by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh aka Jerusalem in My Heart, during his curatorship for the festival [LE GUESS WHO?] in 2016. Kelman had just released 1804 KIDS, and at that point I had never heard anything like it, but it instantly clicked. I was obsessed.

When I reached out to him, he mentioned he’d send some new stuff he thought I might also like. Not just one song, but whole album sides, remixes & re-edits followed- jams just kept coming. His music is constantly changing, yet remains to be original, intriguing and genuine.

So when I was asked to be one of the White Label Curators, Kelman Duran was my first thought. The White Label format is perfect for his work, because besides being a dedicated artist, he is also an absolute enigma. Please try to find one of his previous albums online. They appear and disappear before you even know about them, with barely a trace left behind.

For this release we have compiled a collection of songs he has sent me over the years. Side A was meant to be an EP at some point and SIDE B is a selection of later jams that we felt had something in common. All adjusted and specially edited for this vinyl release. Of course, in keeping with the original White Label concept, there are no plans to release digitally. 

-Bob van Heur