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From weaving thought-provoking poetics to channeling the spirit of vintage West Coast gangsta rap, acclaimed Los Angeles emcee Blu is a dynamic musical presence, forever evolving and defying expectations. Supremely talented producer and musician Shafiq Husayn has a similarly diverse skill set, with a storied history as a member of Sa-Ra Creative Partners and solo production credits for top artists across the musical spectrum, from Erykah Badu to Ice-T to Anderson .Paak to Jurassic 5 and many more. After linking up for the mixtape The Blueprint back in 2018, Blu and Shafiq Husayn are reuniting for the new album Out Of The Blue, elevating their collaboration to a new level. “The Blueprint was just me rhyming over some of Shafiq's beats that I found online,” Blu explains. “This time we were actually in the studio together. We’ve been working together since 2008, but this is our first official album.” Awash in Shafiq’s dense sonic architecture, Out Of The Blue showcases the intricacy of Blu’s spiritual street talk while simultaneously delivering a series of bass-heavy L.A. anthems. Entirely produced by Shafiq Husayn, the collection features guest appearances by MED, Exile, Chuuwee, Thurz, Speed Walton, Jimetta Rose, and Freestyle Fellowship members Myka 9 and Self Jupiter. “Out Of The Blue is my G-Funk album,” Blu explains. “Big brother Shafiq gave us a master class in production. We just in here being funky and having fun.”

Nach einer beeindruckenden Reihe von Alben in den 2010er Jahren, die ihm eine treue Fangemeinde, Auszeichnungen von Zeitungen wie der New York Times, Fresh Air und Pitchfork und einen Platz in der oberen Riege der modernen Americana-Singer-Songwriter eingebracht haben, hat John Moreland in diesem Jahrzehnt bereits zwei unerwartete Wendungen vollzogen, die beide seine starke künstlerische Unabhängigkeit unterstreichen.

Zunächst veröffentlichte er 2022 mit Birds In The Ceiling eine brillante und klanglich vielschichtige Folk-Electronica-Meditation über moderne Entfremdung, die einige seiner Fans überraschte. Nachdem er im November 2022 eine schwierige Tournee hinter sich gebracht hatte, stellte er seine Arbeit komplett ein. Er nahm sich ein ganzes Jahr Auszeit von Auftritten und benutzte 6 Monate lang kein Smartphone.

Nach fast einem Jahrzehnt im Rampenlicht, in dem er ständig von den Erwartungen seines Publikums bedrängt wurde, nahm er sich zum ersten Mal Zeit, sich auszuruhen, zu heilen und zu reflektieren. Das Ergebnis dieses Unplugged-Jahres zu Hause ist 2024 Visitor, ein Folk-Rock-Album, das intim, unmittelbar, zutiefst nachdenklich und verdammt eingängig ist.

Unadorned with any post-production tricks or overdubs, Garcia/Grisman breathes with naturalism and presence. You will effortlessly detect the full body of the instruments, witness the woody grain textures, and get lost in the surprisingly velvety qualities of Garcia's lullaby-like singing. Our pressing also marks the first time this delightfully joyous affair has been issued in analogue form. You will never hear a better-sounding Americana-styled recording.

Pals since the mid-1960s, Garcia and Grisman bonded over their love for traditional folk and bluegrass. The two teamed up amidst what became a gold rush of top-notch productivity and creativity for Garcia. Partnering with bassist Jim Kerwin and percussionist/fiddler Joe Craven, the pair approaches every passage with innate ease, as if either musician could finish the others sentence. The affable chemistry and soothing interplay wash over a selection of songs as notable for their diversity as the way Garcia and "Dawg" turn them into the equivalent of old friends you haven't seen in years.

Exquisite melodies and jewel-shaped notes decorate the simple, convivial structures of tunes that hop, jump, skip, skitter, and bop. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the legendary gypsy-jazz exchanges between Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, and equally sharp. Swirling with Middle Eastern modality, the closing 16-minute-plus rendition of Grisman's rippling "Arabia" – complete with a section based on a Cuban fold theme - is alone enough worth the price of admission to this sensational session. But there's so much more.

The quartet delves into Celtic themes ("Two Soldiers"), jazz-grass ("Grateful Dawg"), old-world ballads ("Russian Lullaby"), and Appalachian flavours ("Walkin' Boss") with nonpareil skill and soulfulness. Garcia and Grisman's tandem picking throughout epitomize sublime. And for many listeners, the duo's revised version of the Grateful Dead staple "Friend of the Devil" ranks as the finest-ever recorded, the pace patient, the narrative vocals heartfelt, and the synchronous solos tailor-made for the enveloping progression. Better yet, it's all captured in astonishing fidelity.

AAA Audiophile 200g 45rpm Triple Disc LP!
Sourced from First Generation Analogue Recordings without Any Digital Corruption!
2xHD Mastering on Nagra Equipment by René Laflamme!

Sound Restoration by George Klabin & Fran Gala!

Cut All Analogue at Bernie Grundman Mastering on Tube Cutting Equipment!

There have been many guitar gods, but there's never been an electric bassist as deified as Jaco Pastorius. – Michael J. Agovino

This live album by Jaco Pastorius and the Word-of-Mouth Big Band, featuring harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans as special guest, was recorded in analog 24 tracks by the Record Plant mobile truck at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC on June 27, 1982, as part of George Wein's Kool Jazz Festival. This Deluxe 45rpm 200g edition is the first one to be mastered from the original 2 track master tapes that were found some 30 years later (the previous digital download versions were released from a digital remix of the 24 tracks). What we have here is the direct copy of the original pure analogue 2 track mix.

The brightest star in the electric bass firmament, Jaco Pastorius burst onto the national scene in 1976 with his audacious self-titled album on Columbia Records, featuring a line-up of top jazz musicians. With his extraordinary fretless electric bass playing as the centerpiece, Jaco Pastorius created an immediate sensation with the public and the media. His signature approach employed Latin-influenced funk, lyrical solos on fretless bass, bass chords, and innovative use of harmonics. In Jaco's work with Weather Report and beyond, the self-described "greatest bass player in the world" (an assessment shared with virtually the entire music world) established a new identity and role for his instrument and became the torch-bearer for a new way of playing both technically and conceptually. But behind it all was an ever present R&B and Latin-influenced groove and a screaming rock-'n'-roll attitude that he refined and incorporated into sophisticated jazz harmonic structures.

In addition to his extraordinary virtuosity, Jaco was also developing into an accomplished and sophisticated composer and arranger and those talents are gloriously on display on this album. The 3-time Grammy Award nominee was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1988, one of only seven bassists so honored (and the only electric bassist). His legacy as a bass innovator continues to this day, more than 30 years after his untimely death in 1987.

1STEP Process 180g 45rpm Double LP Pressed on VR900-Supreme Vinyl!
Mastered from the Analogue Mix-Down Tapes of the Original Digital Recording by Bernie Grundman!
Ultra-Luxe "Monster Pack" Jacket with a Deluxe 16-Page Booklet & Striking Outer Slipcase!

New lacquers cut after each run of 500 pressings!

Strictly Limited to 5,000 Numbered Pressings!

Impex 1STEP #5 celebrates Patricia Barber's 1999 "return" to The Green Mill, Chicago's fabled jazz club. Conceived as a "companion" to her Grammy-winning studio album Modern Cool, Companion finds Barber and her touring band in inspired form, playfully and energetically performing hits and deep tracks from her celebrated oeuvre.

The dynamic interaction between the artist and her reverent audience adds a palpable sense of space and community. At the same time, the fans' hushed attention creates a studio-like sense of precision and detail. The snap and crackle of Barber, her grand piano, and her onstage partners practically leaps off the groove into your listening room!

Companion's fan-favorite reputation is enhanced immeasurably by Jim Anderson's jaw-dropping, lifelike recording. Eschewing the crystalline sterility of digital recordings of the time, Anderson's sound is always warm, natural, and lacking unforced "hype."

Like Anderson, Impex aims to present great recordings that are as natural as possible. And we couldn't wait to put our favorite Patricia Barber release, using Jim's analog mix-down master tapes, on 180 grams of VR900 Super Vinyl. The deep, inky black backgrounds and absence of surface noise will pull listeners right into those three evenings in 1999, capturing a seminal modern jazz artist at a creative and professional peak and reveling in a perfectly rendered and joyous audio time capsule.

Finally, our deluxe Impex Treatment packages the whole party with a lovely outer slipcase, a booklet containing a new note from Patricia, and a dazzling array of photographs from the evenings by frequent Barber collaborator Valerie Booth, exclusive to our 1STEP. Heavy paper stock with spot gloss coating and a faithfully recreated exterior design will satisfy original fans and aesthetes throughout the music-loving world.

1973 was an amazing year for the pop/rock duo Hall & Oates as they ushered their superstardom further with the incredible second album masterpiece Abandoned Luncheonette.

Produced by the great Arif Mardin, this nine-song album fused with classic Philly soul, rock and acoustic pop anthems delivered in a big way for the history making duo. Including the huge hit single "She's Gone," as well as the celebrated title track, Abandoned Lunchonette was a watershed album which has rewarded them with non-stop success for the past four decades.

Abandoned Luncheonette is the most commercially successful of the duo's Atlantic Records period; the album reached No. 33 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. Twenty-nine years after its release, the album was certified platinum (over one million copies sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

This top-notch Analogue Productions reissue is pressed at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

Originally released in 1976, the War compilation album Greatest Hits contains a monster set of Chicano funky grooves from L.A., most of which forever transformed the sound of funk. The album includes most of the band's best cuts — such as "Slippin Into Darkness," "Cisco Kid," "World Is A Ghetto," "All Day Music," "Me & Baby Brother," "Why Can't We Be Friends," and "Low Rider." One of the hippest funk, rock and soul groups on the Cali scene of the '70s, who just kept on making great music as the years went on!

Now with our 45 RPM release, plated and pressed at QRP, the best-sounding version of this historic album gives listeners an even richer sonic experience. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.

Clean, balanced, richly detailed. Just the way an Analogue Productions reissue should sound.

Released only eight months after his exhilarating debut, Bruce Springsteen's The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle contains rousing dispatches from the boardwalk, the street, the beach, and the bedroom. It explodes with energy, dares to dream, teases with humour, crackles with tragedy, clings to hope, and overflows with discovery, youthfulness, and personality. It features an unforgettable cast of characters — corner boys, teenage hustlers, doomed lovers, jazz men, junk men, factory girls, fortune tellers, alley cats, pimps, escorts, and more — illuminated by vivid colour, breathtaking detail, and poetic action.

Musically, the heartfelt 1973 record is inhabited by sympathetic vignettes and cinematic arrangements steeped in rock 'n' roll, soul, jazz, and R&B. It finds the New Jersey native looking beyond the parameters of his preceding record and seeking to move on from environments he knows well (and chronicles here) by rushing headlong toward unknown territories, adventures, and people. Underpinned by the singer-guitarist's ambitious poetic enterprise and will to succeed, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the album on which Springsteen becomes the Boss.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's renowned mastering system, pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 7,500 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP set is the definitive-sounding version of Springsteen's sophomore record. Benefitting from SuperVinyl’s nearly non-existent noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle plays with a clarity, energy, presence, and openness that complement the expressiveness, dynamics, and scope of the seven restless songs that comprise a work Rolling Stone ranked the 345th Greatest Album of All Time.

Beyond the audiophile sonics that practically place you behind the console at 914 Sound Studios — listen to the separation between the instruments, natural decay of the notes, interplay within the widescreen soundstaging, and nothing-to-lose youthfulness of Springsteen’s voice — this reissue takes seriously this record’s influential merit by presenting it in packaging that underlines its status. Tucked in a beautiful slipcase, the LP is housed in a special foil-stamped jacket with faithful-to-the-original graphics. This reissue is made for listeners who prize sound quality and who want to engage themselves in everything involved with the invigorating set that busted Springsteen loose from the club circuit and landed him on the radio

Determined to liberate anyone within earshot and unafraid to come on strong, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle serves as the debut of the E Street Band — not only heard but seen for the first time by most of the public courtesy of the back-cover photograph. This is where saxophonist Clarence Clemons, organist-accordionist Danny Federici, and pianist David Sancious step out of the shadows — and drummer Vini Lopez and bassist Garry Tallent again stoke a fiery rhythmic engine that helps drive the untamed, reimagined big-band swing of “Kitty’s Back,” breathless R&B thrust of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” and carefree dance steps of the funky “The E Street Shuffle.”

Of course, the main attraction remains a then-24-year-old visionary on the precipice of becoming a sensation and turning a then-bloated rock scene on its head. Recorded over three months while Springsteen and company were busy touring his debut LP, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle reflects the high-octane approach the vocalist embraced onstage and drifts away from the label-dictated acoustic-based frameworks of his debut. The set also witnesses Springsteen deepening his observational skills, with narratives such as the romantically tinged “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” and redemptive epic “Incident on 57th Street” mirroring changes taking place in the singer’s own life, small towns, and America at large.

A thrilling collision of memories, reflections, and composites — Sandy, Rosalita, and the latter’s parents are all based on actual people Springsteen knew, as is the community depicted in the opening track — the aptly titled The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle resonates decades on due to its truths, authenticity, and spirit. Those characteristics — as well as the fact that many of its lengthy songs come on as the equivalent of sweaty, feverish soul revue that won’t stop until you’ve been exhausted — also explain how this now-iconic album triumphed over the reservations of industry “experts” that both demanded Springsteen re-record it and instructed deejays not to play it.



Yet there’d be no stopping a record that saw the past, present, and future, a band whose will would not be denied, and a phenomenon who was born to run. A never-ending invitation to act real cool and stay up all night, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle always feels alright.

Thou has always been a force of raw energy and unapologetic dissent, defying easy categorization and challenging listeners to confront the complexities of existence. Though often lumped in with New Orleans sludge bands like Eyehategod and Crowbar, Thou transcends genre boundaries, drawing inspiration from a diverse array of influences spanning from `90s proto-grunge icons like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden (all of whom they've covered extensively) to the raw intensity of obscure `90s DIY hardcore punk found on labels like Ebullition, Vermiform, and Crimethinc. Their latest record Umbilical, Thou's first full-length release of original music since their 2018 Sacred Bones debut Magus, is their firmest nod to the latter - a record filled with mosh-ready riffs, heavy breakdowns and scathing vocals. The band's aesthetic and political impulses have always been punk and like anyone embroiled in the subculture Thou have been exploring what it means to exist within and without a rigid morality. That exploration takes thematic center on Umbilical and their self-assessment is as harsh as that of the world around them.

Thou has always been a force of raw energy and unapologetic dissent, defying easy categorization and challenging listeners to confront the complexities of existence. Though often lumped in with New Orleans sludge bands like Eyehategod and Crowbar, Thou transcends genre boundaries, drawing inspiration from a diverse array of influences spanning from `90s proto-grunge icons like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden (all of whom they've covered extensively) to the raw intensity of obscure `90s DIY hardcore punk found on labels like Ebullition, Vermiform, and Crimethinc. Their latest record Umbilical, Thou's first full-length release of original music since their 2018 Sacred Bones debut Magus, is their firmest nod to the latter - a record filled with mosh-ready riffs, heavy breakdowns and scathing vocals. The band's aesthetic and political impulses have always been punk and like anyone embroiled in the subculture Thou have been exploring what it means to exist within and without a rigid morality. That exploration takes thematic center on Umbilical and their self-assessment is as harsh as that of the world around them.

It is the contrasts that make the Iiro Rantala HEL Trio so appealing. As a pianist, Rantala often captivates with great lightness and ravishingly supple lines. On the other hand, Anton Eger, with his irresistibly delicate playing, and Conor Chaplin, with his weighty and agile grooves on the bass, bring their very own idea of sound and design to the music.

Nach einer beeindruckenden Reihe von Alben in den 2010er Jahren, die ihm eine treue Fangemeinde, Auszeichnungen von Zeitungen wie der New York Times, Fresh Air und Pitchfork und einen Platz in der oberen Riege der modernen Americana-Singer-Songwriter eingebracht haben, hat John Moreland in diesem Jahrzehnt bereits zwei unerwartete Wendungen vollzogen, die beide seine starke künstlerische Unabhängigkeit unterstreichen.

Zunächst veröffentlichte er 2022 mit Birds In The Ceiling eine brillante und klanglich vielschichtige Folk-Electronica-Meditation über moderne Entfremdung, die einige seiner Fans überraschte. Nachdem er im November 2022 eine schwierige Tournee hinter sich gebracht hatte, stellte er seine Arbeit komplett ein. Er nahm sich ein ganzes Jahr Auszeit von Auftritten und benutzte 6 Monate lang kein Smartphone.

Nach fast einem Jahrzehnt im Rampenlicht, in dem er ständig von den Erwartungen seines Publikums bedrängt wurde, nahm er sich zum ersten Mal Zeit, sich auszuruhen, zu heilen und zu reflektieren. Das Ergebnis dieses Unplugged-Jahres zu Hause ist 2024 Visitor, ein Folk-Rock-Album, das intim, unmittelbar, zutiefst nachdenklich und verdammt eingängig ist.

Bad Nerves, das uneheliche Kind eines One-Night-Stands zwischen den Ramones und den Strokes, spielen rasend schnelle, verzerrte Popsongs und
ernteten mit ihren bisherigen Veröffentlichungen "Dreaming", "Baby Drummer" und "Can't Be Mine" viel Lob. Kurz vor der Veröffentlichung ihres
zweiten Albums, dem brillant betitelten Still Nervous, sind die Jungs noch immer von ihrem Überraschungserfolg überwältigt.
Mit ihrem selbstproduzierten und selbstfinanzierten Debüt spielten sie sich 2020 in die Herzen und Köpfe der Crème de la Crème der alternativen
Musikszene; von Vordenkern wie Dan P Carter und Alyx Holcombe und von Gleichgesinnten wie Billie Joe Armstrong von Green Day und Stone
Gossard von Pearl Jam wurden Bad Nerves sofort als Retter einer Art von Punk angekündigt, die nie auszusterben verspricht. Sie sind mit Royal Blood
und The Darkness getourt und wurden mit Supergrass, den Ramones und Jay Reatard verglichen. Die Zukunft ist laut für Bad Nerves.

Castle Face present Dan Rincon’s (OSEES, Wild Thing, Apache, Personal and the Pizzas) premier solo release Spotlight City.

Artificial landscapes and melodies comprised of Moog Grandmother, Mellotron and a kinky Modular system span from beautiful and lilting to haunting and etherial. The album was a years long learning experience of getting all components and ingredients to link arms and blend comfortably. Wrangling was part of the process. Strings soaring and sines weaving. Sometimes in the atmosphere, sometimes in the Earth’s core, sometimes flanked by neon blur as it hums & weave patterns through a world imagined in vintage sci-fi pulp.

“I was listening to a lot of solo Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler records while writing this record and I’d say that both have been hugely inspirational on what I want to do as a solo recording artist. The way both of those of those artist pushed the early, chaotic electronic music into something more melodic is really inspiring to me, it’s not that dissimilar than trying to get melodies out of a modular synthesizer.”

An absolute necessary slab for anyone a fan of CF, OSEES, Popol Vuh soundtracks , 8 bit video game accompaniment & 80s Tangerine Dream. Burn one and burn out.

"Tools of Oppression / Rule by Deception" ist das neue Album von The Hope Conspiracy. Das Album wurde von Kurt Ballou und Zach Weeks in den God City Studios produziert. Das Artwork für die Veröffentlichung stammt von dem gefeierten Künstler Alexander Heir (Death/Traitors).

Dies ist wahre akustische Gewalt, die sich gegen politische Spaltung, wirtschaftliche Manipulation, Kriegsgewinnlerei, Medienpropaganda und andere abscheuliche Formen globaler Unterdrückung richtet. Luftschutzsirenen heulen auf, während die ahnungsvollen "Those Who Gave Us Yesterday" und "The Prophets and Doom" wie brennende Schrapnells explodieren. Der Höllenritt geht weiter mit "A Struggle For Power" und "Live In Fear", zwei bösartigen Blasts, die vor Bosheit und Verachtung nur so strotzen. "Shock By Shock" und "Of A Dying Nation" leiten die doomig-düstere Schwere ein
und drosseln das Tempo auf ein mittelschnelles Sperrfeuer. "Confusion/Chaos/Misery" zieht das Tempo an und geht mit verbrannter Erde auf die soziopolitischen Alpträume los, die uns alle umgarnen, während "Broken Vessels" die Opioid-Krise und die Sucht als Ganzes thematisiert. Dies führt zu "The West Is Dead", einer dystopischen Hardcore-Hymne mit vielen Hooks, und dem epischen Schlussstück "The Specter Looms"; ein unheilvoller Soundtrack zum stetigen Niedergang unserer modernen Zeit.Keine Frage, The Hope Conspiracy ist zurück, um eine kalte, harte Aussage über die Existenz in der Endzeit zu treffen.

In The Red Records is proud to announce a previously unreleased new album by Brooklyn-born master of minimalism Alan Vega, Insurrection. The eleven songs here showcase the unparalleled vision and uncompromising force from one of the most influential artists of all time. Alan Vega was born in Brooklyn in 1938. He co-founded the legendary New York City punk band Suicide with Martin Rev in 1970. Suicide’s groundbreaking 1977 debut is considered one of the most influential albums of all time. Vega considered his solo records the audio counterpoint to his visual art that reflected the world around him while simultaneously exploring universal themes. It makes his work as relevant today as it was when he created them. It was during his highly experimental period beginning in the late ’80s that he began working with Liz Lamere, who became the most crucial collaborator of his solo career until his death in 2016. Lamere, along with Jared Artaud, resurrected these newly unearthed collection of lost recordings, which they co-produced and mixed. Lamere and Artaud spearhead the Vega Vault project, which aims to bring rare, unreleased and back catalog work spanning Alan Vega and Suicide’s career to the public for the first time. On Insurrection, Lamere says: “Insurrection was created in the time period around 1997/98, after Mutator and prior to Vega’s 1999 release of 2007 and captures the intense energy of NYC in the ’90s rife with crime, killing, hate, fascism, racism, and moral bankruptcy. You can hear the tortured souls floating through this album. Post-Gulf War angst still enveloped Alan. He was having premonitions about a major terror attack in the US, well before 9/11. The upcoming birth of his son raised further awareness of the state of our world. All these emotions are mirrored in the sounds he magnetized. And true to Vega form, there remains hope and empowerment coursing through the tracks. In the almost three decades of going into the studio with Vega, we recorded significantly more material than the seven albums released. Vega’s intention was to experiment with sound which would become the canvas for the poetry that reflected his vision of the universe. Because the goal wasn’t to make albums, he had no timeline or constraints and would freely follow new paths uncovered along the way.”

Luxury Apartments have spent long enough pondering in the orb of creative frustration as art charged city dwellers and have alchemised a jagged piece of guitar work that calls on the past for a quick catch up before cracking on with their day as a witty, energised and wiry punk band. Formed before your favourite East London neighbourhood became full of high rises, cockapoos and pubs with Madri & Beavertown on Draft, there’s a whole swath of words you could use to describe Luxury Apartments, but doing so might draw too many parallels to estate agent listings wo we’re gonna let their track record and new LP do the talking… LA played with the likes of TOY, TELEGRAM, Deep Tan, Es, The Chisel and Rifle before even having an LP. Mixing dry humour with a belting live show served them well while the guys were woodshedding and earnt them early fans such as Graham Coxon and Jamie Reynolds, who I can only gather shed a single tear of seeing where they came from with all the chaotic guitar-busting, skin-splitting, bottle-smashing madness of an early LA show. But we’re here talking about NOW and NOW is the time to get your pre-order for their first LP, a half hour of power smashing the atoms of 80s c86 indie on lead track ‘Energy’, 77 punk on ‘Wire’ and new garage rock explosions on ‘Taliban’ which morph in to a piece of black wax that’s 100% guaranteed to get the disenfranchised wiggling, the fed-up hurling half bricks through foxtons windows and the punk lifers flipping off yet another boss before carving out another fork in their paths of resistance.

This will be available on ltd edition pink vinyl, with only 250 copies pressed.

We are delighted to welcome the incredible Masal to the Up In Her Room family! Masal is a collaboration between Al Johnson and Ozlem Simsek. Ozlem is a Turkish multi instrumentalist whose middle eastern background is entwined with her western studies in classical music. Al performs psychedelic electronic music as Alien.

As Masal they weave harp, Theremin and electronics into a beautiful aural journeys. Having worked with legends such as Andy Bell & Mark Gardener of RIDE, and Sonic Cathedral, plus enjoyed radio play from the wonderful Simone Butler of Primal Scream on Soho Radio, and Mark Riley and Stuart Maconie on BBC 6 Music, we are very excited for you to see what the pair have been cooking up.

‘The Galloping Cat finds this unlikely pair of “neurodiverse nature lovers” collaborating on six meandering tracks of psychedelic grooves, electronic weirdness and motorik basslines mostly wordlessly exploring themes of self-discovery – and it’s stunning.

Sonic Cathedral – March 2023

The Galloping Cat is a work of compassion and tenderness. It’s also surprisingly funk (see ‘Dying Days’ and ‘Dokuz’) with Al revealing hitherto undiscovered Clyde Stubblefield-style chops behind the (digital) drumkit.’

Even Butterfly’s Make A Sound – March 2023

Meridian Brothers & El Grupo Renacimiento' excavates the forgotten sounds of the fantastical 1970s salsa dura group El Grupo Renacimiento. The group identifies as "B-class" salsa whose music explores human struggles in the urban city landscape, with themes such as police brutality, social marginalization, and addiction. Meridian Brothers collaborated with El Grupo Renacimiento in Bogota's Isaac Newton studios to capture their "fantasy salsa dura" sound. Although the group came out of myth, its members have been created in spirit. Embodied by Meridian Brothers and depicted in the graphic creations of illustrators Glenda Torrado and Mateo Rivano, the members of El Grupo Renacimiento have now come to life.

Another Michael's next chapter begins with Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, their new album due out this spring on Run For Cover Records. Following last year's sibling album Wishes to Fulfill, Pick Me Up is a more expansive output, patiently unfolding to reveal an exploratory side that brings new hues into the band's vibrant sound. Helmed by lead singer/songwriter Michael Doherty and producer/bassist Nick Sebastiano-along with signature contributions of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Alenni Davis, drummer Noah Dardaris, and longtime engineer/co-producer/confidante Scoops Dardaris-Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down came to life over three years of intermittent writing and recording sessions that proved unexpectedly fruitful. The band decamped at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia, PA, as well as the same Ferndale, NY house where they made their debut LP, 2021's New Music and Big Pop. The songs on Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down often take the knack for melody that defined Wishes To Fulfill and apply it to left turns like the hypnotic quasi-krautrock of "I've Come Around To That," the sparse balladry of the title track, or the pulsating synth explorations of "The Diner's Spoon." The album's world is weirder and more improvisational, like in the twisting ends of "Hub of Dreams" or the spontaneous performances of "Like I Won A Car"-but Doherty's warm singing and conversational lyricism always keep things grounded. On Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, the band didn't set out to capture the all encompassing, existential value of music, but they did contribute to it-offering more songs to the world, and with them, chances to create one of those moments.

Eine Platte zu machen ist beides: Musik, die als Momentaufnahme festgehalten wird, und gleichzeitig eine Dokumentation des Zeitraums, in dem die Lieder entstanden sind. Wenn man dieser Dokumentation und dem Zeitrahmen einen Namen geben möchte (wie einem Albumtitel), stellt sich die Frage: Was ist seit der letzten Aufnahme passiert - auf persönlicher, sozialer und vielen anderen Ebenen? Was hat sich verändert? Oder ging es einfach nur um "mehr" vom Gleichen: in immer kürzerer Zeit zig Dinge parallel erledigen, optimieren, wiederholen? Entwickeln sich diese Dinge in die Richtungen, in die sie sich entwickeln sollten? Schreitet der Fortschritt überhaupt voran? Oder geht es einfach nur darum, das zu tun, was wir schon vorher getan haben - nur schneller, effizienter? Der Ausdruck "L'inertie polaire" (fast 35 Jahre alt) erklärt nicht alles, was in der Welt vor sich geht, aber eine, ziemlich unangenehme, Menge_ 3 Jahre nach Extract.Transform.Debase veröffentlichen The Antikaroshi ihr 6. Album, das inhaltlich direkt an den Vorgänger anknüpft. Das Trio setzt genau dort an, wo es aufgehört hat: Lieder, die sich Zeit nehmen, die atmen um dann im nächsten Moment hektisch zu lärmen! Die Lautstärke ist immer ein Mittel zum Zweck und das Spiel mit ihr ein Markenzeichen von The Antikaroshi. Während Drums und Bass die Grundlage bilden, aber trotzdem immer wieder bekannte Muster durchbrechen, ist die Gitarre hypnotisch und forschend. Die Vocals wechseln zwischen rezitativem und melodiösem Ausdruck und geben der Musik genügend Raum. So bilden The Antikaroshi die Welt ab, die sie umgibt: Hektik und Stillstand schließen einander nicht aus, sondern sind kulturelle Pole zwischen denen sich Gesellschaft entfaltet. Und so wird ihre Musik politisch: Während eine Handvoll superreicher Menschen bereits Abschied von diesem Planeten nimmt (Lost In Compassion), läuft die Medienmaschine geölt wie ein Uhrwerk und hat gelernt, schlechte Nachrichten als gute zu verkaufen (Shiny White Teeth). Kriege werden zu Friedensmissionen (Authority) und das Ergebnis rechtfertigt allzu oft die Mittel (Gravity), wenn es darum geht, der eigenen Schwerkraft zu trotzen. Sogar Seen stehen inzwischen zum Verkauf (Thousand Lakes) und alle verfügbaren Mittel werden genutzt (Sticky Hands). Die Menschen schwanken zwischen gegensätzlichen Sichtweisen, handeln gegen ihren Verstand und viel zu oft auch gegen ihr Herz (Doxa). Was lässt sich dem entgegensetzen? Solidarität und metaphorisch die Wölfe zu vertreiben (Homohominilupus). Und natürlich der kollektive Protest (Tang Ping).

The Telescopes Radio Sessions collects together the essence of three live session recordings in 3 different countries over a three year period between 2016-2019. This is the third in a series of radio session releases from Tapete Records that have so far included The Monochrome Set and Comet Gain. More session releases are being lined up for the rest of the year and beyond - enjoy the sonics and stay tuned. Over the years I have read a lot on people’s impressions of The Telescopes. Some folk think it’s a collective, others imagine it used to be a band and feel nostalgia towards what they consider to be the original line-up (even though many had come before, during and since) and some people refer to it as currently a solo career. In a way this is all true and none of it is. When faced with these kind of questions, along with questions about the style of music that The Telescopes make I often say The Telescopes house has many rooms, which explains things perfectly for me but for people on the outside looking in it only serves to increase their confusion. For me, confusion isn’t such a bad thing. Everything is born into confusion, the sense we try and make of that chaos is interesting and excites me. The universe often disorientates, it sends me a jumble of thoughts and impressions coupled with a feeling of something I need to express… if I could only decipher the encryption. This is how The Telescopes music comes to be and it is also how The Telescopes came to me. I regard The Telescopes as an entity of it’s own that introduced itself in my darkest hour and I was chosen as its vessel. From the second it arrived I was obsessed to the point where there was nothing else. A bit like having an imaginary friend. As the obsession grew it began to infect others, everybody loved my imaginary friend and wanted a piece of it. As its success grew however, so did the corruption, until one day the entity fell silent. The silence lasted for years, I tried everything to reconnect but it was having none of it. I had been a bad caretaker, I had let the house become infested and I had lost my way. This epiphany served to remind me of simpler times when anything felt possible with this entity by my side. It had trusted me with something so simplistically profound and I had let it down. The realisation of this was a eureka moment. I am not The Telescopes, I never was and never will be, I am the caretaker, the lighthouse keeper and if a job is worth doing it is worth doing well. With this dawning, I felt a crack open up in the cosmic egg and a familiar confusion in my head. The entity had returned. It was time to start untangling its tangled threads once more, to make sense of what it was saying, this time without corruption. It’s all about listening. I listen to what my cosmic friend sends me and channel this expression into what you hear through your speakers. It may take one person to achieve this, it may take more. There is no set line up or instrumentation that can hold The Telescopes. Whatever it takes to hit the zone, whatever is available, absolute focus is imperative. Sometimes it takes sabotage to keep that line of vision intact, there is no room for preconceptions or complacency in making the music. The Telescopes music is the now

incarnate and a state of total being is necessary to achieve. From the outside looking in... again, it’s all about listening. What comes through your speakers is the only thing that matters. The music either reaches you or it doesn’t. Everything else may seem interesting or confusing but ultimately it is corruption. So if you’ve bought the record, read the sleeve notes and bought a ticket to see a live show, don’t be surprised if the line-up is or isn’t the same as the recording. The only thing that is for sure is that The Telescopes as an entity is speaking to you in its own voice in every scenario.
Of course the difference between albums and live shows is that you can play the record over and over again to the point where you know every line and every note that was played. Whereas with live events you are left with an impression that can only be replayed in your mind. It can be frustrating at times. When you are touring with a great line-up and feel like something exciting is happening, you want everyone to hear it, not just the people at the shows but the people that couldn’t make it on the night as well. There is no guarantee that there will be the same line-up at a live show as there is on the album. This is why live sessions are important, they document a side of things that is often fleeting. Here we have three sessions, all different people transmitting The Telescopes sound on each. Some are regulars, some dip in and out and some were just passing through. In each case The Telescopes chose them as their vessel and as the lighthouse keeper I did everything I could to help them on that journey while trying to be a good caretaker to the house of many rooms. The Telescopes have been invited in for many sessions over the years, the first two were for John Peel on BBC Radio 1. We also recorded a session for Marc Riley and Mark Radcliffe before their
celebrity when they had a show on BBC Radio Manchester. We could have compiled this album from those sessions, it was certainly considered but Tapete and myself believe this selection gives an exciting glimpse into that fleeting side of The Telescopes in a constant state of flux that is left mostly to myth and imagination. For those who listen to the records but have never had the chance to take in the live experience, welcome to the other side. For those that follow us live, here’s a little reminder and a keepsake. Infinite suns. Stephen Lawrie February 2024.

Galaxy Orange/Black Vinyl. Limited to 500 copies. Data Diamond is the sound of FOUR STROKE BARON at their most confidently unhinged. Originally conceived as two separate EPs (one purely electronic - Data, one heavy - Diamond) that would then meld together on one full length release, the idea morphed into what is now the succinct sucker punch of an album that is heading our way at speed. Heavily inspired by their own work on Data Diamond's predecessor, Classics, Witt and Vallarino got to work in their laboratory creating the most potent, concentrated form of FOUR STROKE BARON possible. Data Diamond - a dizzying sub-40 minute dive into the deranged psyches of its creators. The tracks on Data Diamond are lithe yet still allow enough room for idiosyncratic flourishes that mark this out as a true FOUR STROKE BARON opus. If Classics was a Man vs. Food belly busting plate of indulgence, Data Diamond is an upmarket Gordon Ramsay dish, served with a side of insanity. Finding a co-conspirator in Cynic's Paul Masvidal, the trio get somewhat psychedelic on the album's eponymous closing - and most expansive - track, which also features Vola's Adam Janzi on drums. Thematically, this is their most murderous anthology to date. Those who find themselves embroiled in these bloodthirsty tales include a Radio Shack CEO, an internationally acclaimed cyborg, an accidental trafficker of human body parts, and the leader of a death cult located in a convenience store. FOUR STROKE BARON's anomalous view of the world takes a particularly dark turn across the songs on Data Diamond, yet, as ever the macabre tragedies are dressed up with catchy melodies, pop hooks for days and a big shimmering bow of positivity.

To address the weight of the world without speaking of weariness. To march the song to breathlessness but loosen your grip when the band wanders. To tell all your secrets but shield your loved ones from vulnerability. To dress up in the charm and temptation of the pop song but maintain a core of peculiarity, of a single voice trying to navigate this world. This is the project of the Spatulas. Think of the few songwriters who know they're the only ones in the world who could write their songs. The ones who sing in the confidence that the song couldn't exist without them: Peter Jefferies, Jenny Mae, Ron House, Heather Lewis. Jonathan Richman? Put Miranda Soileau-Pratt and the Spatulas on this list. All eleven songs on `Beehive Mind' share a percussive, unshadowed presence, a steady, clear-voiced clop. Every note on the record is a little bit sad on its own but then they're organized in a way that you don't actually notice. Credit this to the band's skill_Jon Grothman, Lila Jarzombek, Kyle Raquipiso and Miranda Soileau-Pratt all play with no limits and they all play with profound ease. The songs breathe in warmth and patience, they are immediate and sweet. And then they start to meander. The guitar skitters with the deliberate unpredictability of a wild animal. Parts repeat and reset with the obsessiveness of an anxious mind. The lyrics open doors to unexpected scenes of lovers, family, and violence. This is all intentional: "I need to play music and listen to music as a form of therapy," explains Soileau. This means safety, this means encouragement, this means trauma, this means hard questions. Only a band so comfortable at the margins, only a band so capable, only a band so trusting can achieve all this. Miranda Solileau-Pratt wrote the first Spatulas song in 2020, while living in Oregon. Since that time, the band has released two cassettes and toured the United States. Members of the Spatulas have also played in The Blimp, Honey Bucket, Hot Gum, and Meerkaz. The band has shared stages with Helen, Lavender Flu, Debt Rag, Pink Reason, Blues Ambush, and Kath Bloom. `Beehive Mind' is their debut LP.

Limited Pink w/ Purple & Cream Swirl Vinyl. To celebrate the 10 Year anniversary of their album The Things We Think We're Missing, Balance and Composure teamed up with longtime collaborator Will Yip to track the record live for a one-time livestream event in late 2023. That performance has been pressed to vinyl & is now available in a one-time vinyl pressing.

After five long years, Balance and Composure return with Too Quick To Forgive--newly signed to Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip's label, Memory Music, the alt-rock darlings sound more assured and adventurous than ever across two vulnerable tracks. Too Quick To Forgive is a reflection on personal perseverance in the wake of confrontation, told through two distinctly different scenarios. "Savior Mode" finds frontman Jon Simmons baring his soul in a way that is unparalleled in their discography, while "Last To Know" is an emotionally-resonant highlight that leaves a lasting impact well after its final notes play out. Simmons' vulnerability and emotional delivery across both tracks cut through with unflinching precision courtesy of Andy Slaymaker (guitar), Matt Warner (bass), Erik Petersen (guitar), Dennis Wilson (drums), and who the band considers their 6th member--producer Will Yip. In the fall of 2022, the group got together at his Conshohocken, PA studio, Studio 4, with a few ideas that Yip helped turn into these otherworldly tracks. "It was all magic," Jon says. With a renewed sense of purpose, Balance and Composure will return to the stage for a series of Too Quick To Forgive release shows in some of the biggest rooms they've ever played.

Listening to The Softies has always felt like peeking into a diary, with no personal detail spared. Lyrically the band documents a lovelorn heart in every manifestation, and hope is the bright silver lining adorning each song. As the third Softies album, Holiday in Rhode Island KLP119 presents a more accessible view to the humble honesty of their emotive universe. When Holiday in Rhode Island was originally released in Sept. 2000, it had been three and a half years since The Softies previous album Winter Pageant [KLP061]. In that time Jen and Rose's introspective musings are reborn, sparkling with renewed vision, both musically and spiritually. The trademark harmonies between Jen Sbragia (All Girl Summer Fun Band) and Rose Melberg (Tiger Trap, Gaze) simply shimmer, brighter than ever before, benefiting from strong yet simple arrangements and excellent production (at a house on Galiano Island near Victoria, British Columbia) by Dave Carswell and John Collins. The beautiful surroundings and supportive production crew inspired The Softies to extend their minimalist blueprint of two delicately jangling guitars and two crystalline voices to include acoustic guitar embellishment on "Just a Day," "You and Only You;" piano and sparse drums on "Me and the Bees;" a xylophone makes subtle appearances here and there. Holiday in Rhode Island is a stunning artistic accomplishment from these two much heralded pop icons.

Sydney Northern Beaches' very own hard-biting rockers C.O.F.F.I.N are proud to announce their fifth full-length studio album entitled 'Australia Stops', the highly-anticipated follow-up to their monumental 'Children In Finland Fighting In Norway' album from 2020. Due for release on September 15th 2023 via Bad Vibrations in Europe, the new album comes off the back of the band's world tour with Amyl and the Sniffers in 2022, and their recent UK headline dates this May where C.O.F.F.I.N stunned audiences with the high-intensity rock action they are renowned for. 'Australia Stops' was recorded in January 2023 at The Pet Food Factory studio with producer Jason Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb) behind the desk. A record that showcases a collection of diverse and gripping new works that highlight the band's evolution into more melodious, 1970's Australiana and boogie rock and roll. Frenzied, high-voltage guitars, thumping rhythms, flowing melody and clever, captivating lyrics exhibit an undeniable progression in composition and songwriting, while still unmistakably the C.O.F.F.I.N that fans world-wide have come to worship over their 18-year lifespan. 180g green vinyl, printed inner-sleeve, download card included