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NEIL ARDLEY’S HARMONY OF THE SPHERES RETURNS TO VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 40 YEARS
Analogue October Records proudly presents the long-awaited LICENSED reissue of Harmony of the Spheres, Neil Ardley’s cosmic jazz masterpiece, originally released in 1979 by Decca. This marks the first vinyl reissue of the album since its original release, offering fans a rare opportunity to experience this extraordinary record in its purest form.

A Visionary Fusion of Jazz and Science
Recorded at the legendary Morgan Studios and produced by the esteemed Martin Levan, Harmony of the Spheres is another bold evolution in Ardley’s ever-expanding musical journey. A unique blend of jazz, electronic synthesis, and progressive rock, the album explores the ancient Greek concept that planets create celestial harmonies as they move through space. Using precise astronomical calculations, Ardley transposed planetary orbits into a nine-note chord—one that extends beyond the range of traditional acoustic instruments, making synthesizers the only means of fully realizing this cosmic sound.
The album features an all-star lineup, including the visionary John Martyn on guitar, saxophonist Barbara Thompson, Tony Coe, Ian Carr, and keyboardist Geoff Castle, alongside the formidable rhythm section of Billy Kristian (bass), Richard Burgess (drums), and Trevor Tomkins (percussion).

A True AAA Reissue – Cut Direct from the Original Master Tapes
Following the reissue success of Journey to the Urge Within (1986) by Courtney Pine (AOR-001-ST), Analogue October Records’ founder Craig Crane embarked on a mission to restore Harmony of the Spheres to its full sonic glory. Working with Gearbox and using Decca’s original 15ips 2-track stereo master tapes, this reissue is a true AAA release—an all-analogue production with no digital step. The album was meticulously cut directly from the tapes and pressed to the highest standards at Optimal in Germany.
Inside the deluxe package, fans will discover an 8-page booklet featuring an in-depth essay by Jazzwise magazine editor Mike Flynn, along with never-before-seen photos from the original recording sessions.

Continuing the Legacy
This reissue is just the beginning—Analogue October Records is committed to further explorations of Neil Ardley’s work, alongside other deep cuts from the UK’s vibrant 1970s jazz fusion and jazz-rock scene.
Whether you’re rediscovering Harmony of the Spheres or experiencing it for the first time, this release is a testament to the artistry and innovation of Neil Ardley.

DESCRIPTION
Looming above Hastings on the South Coast of the UK, carved into East Hill, three black shapes are visible from a distance. Mysterious and ominous, they assume the aspect of the entrance to a church or a portal to dimensions unknown. Closer inspection however reveals them to be no more than mere follies carved and painted into the rock, as hoaxster John Coussens sought to convince visitors that an elaborate subterranean kingdom lurked within. Centuries later, this coastal town remains a place that serves as a magnet to the wyrd and the mischievous. And it’s here that the meeting of minds took place that led to 'Folly' - the second release for Rocket’s Black Hole series - an imprint focused on the unorthodox, otherworldly and esoteric. The journey that led to ‘Folly’ began in the dingy cellar of a wine bar in the town. Black Arches formed around a regular local experimental night in such environs aptly named Weird Shit, initially as a freeform musical outlet for author and musician Gareth E. Rees’ later incorporating Matt Frost from his garage rock troupe The Dirty Contacts, and frequent collaborator James Weaver, to form a vehicle for wild experimentation and psychic abandon. Given he was also a regular attendee, it was no surprise when Sexton Ming, arch maverick outsider artist and uncompromising iconoclast of over four decades standing, entered the picture. Soon after a perplexing but serendipitous chain of events took place, with demons conjured up via improvised sessions, poetic licence taken, dystopias chronicled, audio files gone awry, vocals overdubbed and laptops lost, Somehow amidst the sturm-und-drang ‘Folly’ was summoned in all its murky glory. As we embark on the second quarter of an uncertain century, just maybe this psychic travelogue is a dark prism to make sense of the chaos we confront. Whichever, it remains a spectacle as compelling as that by which Black Arches were named

2005's Naturally was a pivotal moment in the history of soul music. It was the first Daptone album tracked at the renowned "House of Soul", a recording studio handbuilt by Sharon and the rest of the Daptone family in a two story rental in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The album has gone on to sell over 200,000 records, with hit singles "How Long Do I Have To Wait?" and "This Land is Your Land" streaming in the hundreds of millions- staggering figures for a wholly independent release.

Up to this point Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings had yet to reach an audience outside of dingy, hole-in-the-wall clubs, dive bars, and underground DJ parties, attended by only the most in-the-know. This was the scene where the band began to flourish, developing the sound that would forever alter the musical landscape and set a lofty new bar for what could be considered real-deal soul music. It made Daptone a household name and opened doors for countless musicians and record labels to come. Naturally sparked a renaissance that is still vibrating today- a testament to Sharon Jones' legacy as the undisputed, reigning Queen of Heavyweight Soul.

Mannequin Pussy"s music feels like a resilient and galvanizing shout that demands to be heard. Across four albums, the Philadelphia rock band that consists of Colins "Bear" Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths), and Marisa Dabice (guitar, vocals) has made cathartic tunes about despairing times. "There"s just so much constantly going on that feels intentionally evil that trying to make something beautiful feels like a radical act ," says Dabice. "The ethos of this band has always been to bring people together." Their new album, I Got Heaven, which is out March 1 via Epitaph Records, is the band"s most fully realized recording yet. Over ten ambitious tracks which abruptly turn from searing punk to inviting alternative pop, the album is deeply concerned with desire, the power in being alone, and how to live in an unfeeling and unkind world. It"s a document of a band doubling down on their unshakable bond to make something furious, thrilling, and wholly alive. Following the 2019 release of their critically acclaimed third album Patience, Mannequin Pussy returned in 2021 for their EP Perfect. They toured that release relentlessly and added guitarist Maxine Steen to the band"s official lineup. The band changed their entire creative formula, choosing to write together in the studio in Los Angeles with producer John Congleton , over slowly crafting tracks at home.

Discover the groundbreaking sound of Los Texao, a legendary Peruvian rock band that helped shape the music scene in the 1970s. Born in the culturally rich city of Arequipa, Los Texao's journey to stardom was paved with innovation, passion, and an undeniable connection to their roots. Their music fused the energy of psychedelic rock with Latin American influences, captivating audiences across their native Peru, Los Texao's psychedelic phase was marked by experimentation with new sounds and instruments. This release comprises their complete recordings, including all their singles and also covers of some of the most influential rock bands of the era, most of them previously unavailable on vinyl. Formed in 1969, the band took their name from Arequipa's emblematic flower, the nasturtium, and made an immediate impact with their debut at a local band contest. Soon after, they recorded their first 45 RPM single, which included covers of tracks by Chilean group Los Beat 4. But it was in the early 70s when Los Texao truly found their voice. With a dynamic lineup, including the talented Fernando "Feño" Humbser and Juan Núñez on guitar, Víctor Dibán on vocals and bass, and Edgar "Chito" Manrique on drums, their musical evolution began to take shape. The addition of Julio Torres, a keyboardist and guitarist from the iconic bands Los Beatniks and Los Dig It, further elevated their sound. Los Texao's psychedelic phase was marked by experimentation with new sounds and instruments. They embraced the emerging trend of playing rock in English, despite the language barrier, and incorporated cutting-edge gear. With the help of the legendary Peruvian jazz musician Jaime Delgado Aparicio, they created hypnotic tracks like 'Algún día' and 'Nunca cambias,' capturing the essence of 70s rock with swirling textures and atmospheric vibes. But it wasn't just the melodies that set them apart - their electrifying rhythms and powerful arrangements, like those heard in 'Stone' and 'La pelea del gobernador,' showcased their refined musicianship and intense dedication. Los Texao quickly became a sensation in Peru, performing in cities like Puno, Moquegua, and Arica (Chile), and sharing stages with iconic bands like Los Shain's, Traffic Sound, and Telegraph Avenue. Their infamous hit 'La pelea del gobernador' tells a tale of generational conflict and rebellious youth, captured in a live performance that still resonates with audiences today. The band's wild live shows became the stuff of legend, with fans packing into intimate venues to experience the raw energy of their loud, unapologetic rock. In addition to their 45s, Los Texao also recorded covers of some of the most influential rock bands of the era, including Cream, Steppenwolf, and The Guess Who, showcasing their versatility and love for classic rock. Unfortunately, this session remained lost for years and some of these covers have never been available on vinyl before. Despite their growing success, Los Texao eventually disbanded in 1975 due to personal and professional challenges. But their legacy never faded.

Ziúr lines up with The Tapeworm for an exclusive cassette-only release featuring Kenichi Iwasa, exploring the electroacoustic realms.

Invited to perform solo at Tarek Atoui's performance series at Kunsthaus Bregenz in October 2024, Ziúr decided to write a new piece for the occasion. This composition, 'Turn Liquid Into Dust', was then performed within the framework of Tarek Atoui's 'Waters' Witness' exhibition as an 8-channel spacial audio piece, transmitting sounds through the installation's structure – metal bars, stones, compost piles… Composed in London in autumn 2024, its principal source of sonic material is recordings of Atoui's instruments which Ziúr had recorded in his studio in Paris during the summer of 2024. In addition, she invited the Japanese woodwind player and virtuoso Kenichi Iwasa to join on all pieces, his contribution providing a binding element, tying the pieces together.

Opener 'A Cold Drip' consists solely of Iwasa's spectral squalls. The tense noir drone of 'Long Call' features a string instrument built by Atoui. For the airy yet dense title track, Ziúr recorded an organ named The Reed Box, with Iwasa floating atop its smoggy soundbed. Closer 'Chips 'n' Crumbles' echos and reverberates with the rattles of household items Ziúr found around her home.

Driven by a relentless appetite for boundless experimentation, Ziúr has been subverting expectations since she was a teenager, corkscrewing through hardcore, metal and punk before veering towards electronic music's turbulent fringes. She produces just like she DJs, gathering a wide variety of ingredients and figuring out the most intriguing, unexpected ways to simmer them into a coherent narrative that helps listeners synchronize the conflicting messages that surround them. Genre isn't a fixed point for Ziúr, but a colour in a vast palette that stretches across history and borders, helping illustrate music that's powerfully subversive. Her The Tapeworm edition follows acclaimed recordings for Planet Mu, PAN, Objects Limited and Hakuna Kulala.

Kenichi Iwasa is a London-based improviser and multidisciplinary artist from Japan, also known for his legendary Krautrock Karaoke night as well as collaborations with visual artists and musicians such as Beatrice Dillon, Maxwell Sterling and Linder Sterling. He currently performs with Naima Karlsson under the name Exotic Sin.

Wallis is back with a very heartfelt EP. Her goodbyes to the city she called home for the better part of the last decade. Many people move to Berlin, many people get stuck there and wonder where the time went. This EP talks about the unhealthy relationship she had with the city. It's about being stuck somewhere you no longer want to be but somehow cannot leave. The music is stripped down to its bare elements with moody vocals, unique drums patterns and intertwined baseline and melodies that somehow feel familiar. It's melancholic. It feels grey. Sad yet hopeful. Berlin. But tomorrow is another day.

Remixed by Brad Wood (Sunny Day Real Estate, Touche Amore) and mastered by Brad Boatright.

Forced Down was first created by Amenity vocalist: Mike Down and Pitchfork drummer: Joey Piro. The band was completed by vocalist Rob Base as well as members of other San Diego hardcore alumni including Scott Bartoloni from Heroin.

Full of idealism, love and anger the band recorded (2) vinyl 7”s including their swansong double-7”: “Stifle”. The Forced Down mission statement reads: “As the social values in our society become more set in stone, the individual is forgotten. When what the individual stands for goes against the ideas of the masses, and is considered a threat to order, be it right or wrong—they are forced down— disciplined to maintain "the order" Some conform, some resist, some fall, and they are forgotten”…. "time to rise from our knees and live on our feet"

RIP: Mike Down.

**RSD 2025** - Record Store Day exclusive pressing comes on Blue vinyl with heavyweight sleeve

Seminal album from cult Ghanaian musician Alhaji K. Frimpong, recorded in 1976 and considered to be one of the best highlife albums ever recorded.

Features the masterpiece Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’awu (come back my love) - universally known in Ghana, covered and sampled by artists such as Chronnix, Gnarls Barkley and many more.

Backed by Vis a Vis - one of the most influential bands to come out of the Ghana Highlife / Afro Rock movement.

Unique avant garde sound that blends traditional highlife percussion and horns with synthesizers

Original copies of the album are extremely rare. The album was reissued in limited quantities in 2011 and has been unavailable since - even reissue copies sell for high prices on the second hand market.

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The boundaries between contemporary art music and folk music are pushed as Apneseth and his all-star ensemble invite listeners into their very own musical universe. Hardanger fiddle player Erlend Apneseth, with his distinctive playing style, a long list of critically acclaimed Hubro releases, and explorative musical collaborations, has achieved the rare feat of becoming a favorite among audiences and critics in the worlds of folk music, jazz, and contemporary music. His latest album, Song over Støv, will be released on Hubro on April 4th, and the band he has assembled for the occasion can only be described as a supergroup made up of some of the most influential musicians on today’s Norwegian music scene. The project originated as a commissioned work for Oslo World and Riksscenen in 2023. As a composer, Apneseth has spent recent years working with orchestras and larger ensembles, and after being a member of Frode Haltli’s Avant Folkfor several years, he was inspired to write for a large band himself. For this project, he brought together 11 fantastic musicians, creating an immense musical playground. The commissioned work matured over time before Apneseth took the ensemble into Amper Tone studio in August 2024, with Bård Ingebrigtsen at the controls. Ingebrigtsen also mixed the album, which was produced by Anja Lauvdal and Apneseth himself

"“I Know It’s Too Late” is an unreleased track from Scott Weiland’s 2008 solo album, Happy In Galoshes. The B-side is a live version of “Missing Cleveland” recorded on the Happy In Galoshes tour in 2009. This is the first in a series of RSD exclusive 7” singles leading up to a full deluxe album release with additional bonus content. This album has never been available on vinyl.

2025 is the 10th anniversary of Scott’s passing. Primary Wave is honoured to release this unheard content to celebrate his music and legacy. Happy in Galoshes is the second solo album by Scott Weiland - known for his roles as the lead singer in Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver. He released his first solo album, 12 Bar Blues in 1998. Ten years later, Happy in Galoshes served as the official follow-up. The album was released November 25, 2008, on Weiland's own Softdrive Records. Produced by Doug Grean and Weiland, with select tracks recorded by Steve Albini, the album features guest appearances by Paul Oakenfold and No Doubt members Adrian Young, Tony Kanal, and Tom Dumont. Oakenfold appears on a cover of David Bowie's "Fame".

The annual Bonkers Music compilation returns, delivering another round of high-energy bangers. This year, the release explores a slightly evolved musical style while staying true to its signature sound. Celebrating its sixth edition, “Year VI” will be available on 12” vinyl, accompanied by a few exciting surprises.

A1. Neskeh’s “106 Cabrel” revolves around a melodic yet hypnotically repetitive lead sequence, crafted to evoke a trance-like state on the dance floor and radiate positive energy. The foundation of big, punchy kicks and a robust bassline gives it a quintessential club vibe.

A percussive break in the middle shifts the mood entirely, paying homage to Goa rhythms and shamanic rituals, immersing listeners in a more primal atmosphere. The drop reignites the momentum, enhanced by the warm tones of the beloved Minilogue, adding an almost epic dimension to the journey.

A2. Berlin’s Mike Sacchetti and Madrid’s David Meyer unite on “Agria Pachanga,” a dance energy piece that pulses with percussive drive and a subtle touch of Latin identity.

Acid-inspired arrangements swirl around classic drum machine sounds. The syncopated rhythms and pumping basslines push the track towards an agitated club atmosphere, building this song into a bold declaration of fiesta.

A3. Two friends from Guadalajara, Mexico, Leonor & Ludviq, now living in different European cities, (Barcelona & Lyon) join forces to bring you Capybara Trance, This electrifying track combines dark, driving energy with intricately sequenced melodies, a hard-hitting chugging bassline, and the unique touch of capybara-inspired sounds. Anchored by a commanding kick drum that sets an unrelenting tempo.

B1. “Nebula” is a deep, atmospheric journey through cosmic sounds and pulsating rhythms. The track blends hypnotic melodies with dark synthetic textures, evoking a sense of drifting through endless galaxies. With a strong groove and intricate arrangements, it delivers energy that fits perfectly in both morning sets and more conceptual playlists. The collaboration between Radial Gaze, Ducati Flux, and Persona RS captures the spirit of exploration, creating a versatile track that can be the highlight of any set

B2. Intruso hailing from Bogota, now based in Barcelona brings “Somos Acido” this track draws inspiration from the early 2000’s House and Trance, capturing the nostalgia and emotional resonance of his first experiences with electronic music as a child. A driving Acid bassline injects dynamic energy, making it perfectly suited for the dance floor.

B3. Argentinian born, Australia based producer Poulper teams up with Mexican maestro Hugo Vallejo to kick off this intergalactic adventure. This track weaves together acid-laced elements and an infectious rhythm, layered with haunting post-dark vocals that narrate the fiery, cosmic tale of love burning in the vast expanse of space. A bold and immersive journey into the unknown, perfect for this stellar compilation.

Electro music heroes DJ Di'jital, Microthol, Alex Cortex and Luxus Varta step up to the plate for the TRUST XY recombination series, recreating classic tracks from the Austrian label's history in their unique styles. Volume 4 of the series has Detroit veteran DJ Di'jital cut up DJ Glow's 'Whoami' from 2002 in ghetto bass MPC fashion. Vienna electro scientists Microthol remake J/V/N Machine's 'Somewhere Tonight' in one of their rare transmissions. Alex Cortex bares his soul as a pioneering minimalist in stripping down 'Honokida' by /DL/MS/ to its harmonic core, and electro virtuoso Luxus Varta brings out the melancholy funk in Populist's 'Psychometric Profiling'.

Belgium’s most ferocious metal band BARK returns to the spotlight with their highly anticipated fifth studio album, The Time Has Come, set to be released on Insert Release Date. This marks the band’s second collaboration with renowned French Metal label Listenable Records, solidifying their presence in the global scene. The Time Has Come encapsulates BARK’s relentless energy and raw power, delivering an unapologetic onslaught of heavy riffs, thunderous drums, and guttural vocals. The album showcases the band’s evolution while staying true to the no-holds-barred sound that has earned them a devoted following. With a mix of blistering anthems and dark, groove-laden tracks, The Time Has Come cements Bark’s reputation as one of Europe’s most formidable forces in modern metal. “This album is a statement,” says singer Ron Bruynseels. “We’ve poured all our passion into these songs. It’s about living the moment, confronting challenges head-on. We are telling stories that resonate with the listener because we have lived them first hand. We’re excited to unleash this beast with Listenable Records by our side again.” Recorded at their own studio Jurassic Recordings, under the guidance of guitarist Martin Furia (producer for Destruction, Nervosa, Toxik, Chemicide…) the album boasts a production that amplifies BARK’s signature sound while pushing their sonic boundaries even more to achieve their most brutal album to date. Standout tracks such as “Negativist”, “Shaman” and “On No One’s Word” offer a glimpse into the diverse yet cohesive journey that awaits listeners. BARK will be hitting the road shortly after the release, bringing their explosive live performances to fans across Europe. Tour dates will be announced soon.

"Dances With Wolves is the original soundtrack to the 1990 seven-time Academy Award and three-time Golden Globe Award-winning film of the same name. It is produced and directed by Kevin Costner, who also stars in the film himself. The original score and songs were composed and conducted by John Barry. Barry won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Original Score and the 1992 Grammy Award for ""Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television."" John Barry's fifth Oscar-winning score is a profoundly moving body of music. Dances With Wolves is available as a 35th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow coloured vinyl and comes in a deluxe sleeve finished with linen laminate."

Die Violinistin Esther Abrami wirft auf ihrem Album "WOMEN" neue und erhellende Schlaglichter auf Komponistinnen. "Women" legt den Fokus auf die außergewöhnlichen Talente von 14 Komponistinnen aus unterschiedlichen Epochen und Genres und enthält neue Kompositionen der Oscar-Preisträgerinnen Rachel Portman und Anne Dudley sowie neue Arrangements von Werken historischer Komponistinnen wie Pauline Viardot, Chiquinha Gonzaga, Teresa Carreño und Ethel Smyth. Esther Abrami hat selbst einige dieser Stücke neu arrangiert und mit "Transmission" ein eigenes Orchesterstück für das Album komponiert. Im Mittelpunkt von "Women" steht die Weltersteinspielung von Ina Boyles Violinkonzert, eine poetische, spätromantische Komposition. Esther Abrami hat jedes Stück für das Album aufgrund einer besonderen emotionalen Verbindung zu den unterschiedlichen Frauen hinter der Musik ausgewählt: "Solange ich mich erinnern kann, war die einzige klassische Musik, die ich je gehört habe, von männlichen Komponisten geschrieben. Ich habe über 15 Jahre lang klassische Musik an renommierten Musikschulen studiert, aber in all den Jahren kein einziges Stück von einer Frau gespielt. Es war nicht so, dass ich sie diese Stücke aktiv vermieden hätte - sie waren einfach nicht Teil des Kanons. Ich fragte mich 'haben Frauen jemals klassische Musik komponiert?' und es stellte sich heraus, dass sie es taten, und ich entdeckte einen verborgenen Schatz. Ich verbrachte Monate mit Recherchen und tauchte in eine völlig neue Welt der Musik und faszinierenden Geschichten von Frauen ein, die im Schatten der Geschichte geblieben waren. Dieses Album ist meine Hommage an sie und eine Reise durch Jahrhunderte der Musik, erzählt durch die Stimmen von Frauen, die trotz aller Widrigkeiten komponierten, kämpften, lebten und schufen. Die Geschichten dieser Frauen inspirierten mich für meinen Karriereweg und zeigten mir wie wichtig es ist, dass zukünftige Generationen diese entdecken können. Ich hoffe, 'Women' kann eine neue Generation junger Mädchen dazu inspirieren, zu komponieren." Über ihre gesamte noch junge Karriere als professionelle Musikerin hinweg hat sich Esther Abrami dafür eingesetzt, Komponistinnen eine Stimme zu geben. In ihrem Podcast "Women in Classical" spricht sie mit einflussreichen Musikerinnen über ihre Karriere. Auch mit ihrer EP "Spotlight" mit dem Londoner "Her Ensemble", das ausschließlich aus Frauen und non-binären Musiker*Innen besteht, hat sie bereits wortwörtlich ein Schlaglicht auf Komponistinnen geworfen. "Women" führt diesen Weg konsequent fort und versammelt eine Reihe außergewöhnlicher Mitwirkenden, wie das ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien unter der Leitung von Dirigentin Irene Delgado-Jiménez, die Pianistin Kim Barbier, die Harfenistin Lavinia Meijer und das Esther Abrami Quintet."Ich bin unglaublich glücklich mit einem so großartigen Orchester und tollen Musikerinnen an einem so persönlichen Projekt zu arbeiten. Diese Kompositionen mit einem Orchester zum Leben zu erwecken, ist eine Erinnerung, die ich nie vergessen werde."

Die Violinistin Esther Abrami wirft auf ihrem Album "WOMEN" neue und erhellende Schlaglichter auf Komponistinnen. "Women" legt den Fokus auf die außergewöhnlichen Talente von 14 Komponistinnen aus unterschiedlichen Epochen und Genres und enthält neue Kompositionen der Oscar-Preisträgerinnen Rachel Portman und Anne Dudley sowie neue Arrangements von Werken historischer Komponistinnen wie Pauline Viardot, Chiquinha Gonzaga, Teresa Carreño und Ethel Smyth. Esther Abrami hat selbst einige dieser Stücke neu arrangiert und mit "Transmission" ein eigenes Orchesterstück für das Album komponiert. Im Mittelpunkt von "Women" steht die Weltersteinspielung von Ina Boyles Violinkonzert, eine poetische, spätromantische Komposition. Esther Abrami hat jedes Stück für das Album aufgrund einer besonderen emotionalen Verbindung zu den unterschiedlichen Frauen hinter der Musik ausgewählt: "Solange ich mich erinnern kann, war die einzige klassische Musik, die ich je gehört habe, von männlichen Komponisten geschrieben. Ich habe über 15 Jahre lang klassische Musik an renommierten Musikschulen studiert, aber in all den Jahren kein einziges Stück von einer Frau gespielt. Es war nicht so, dass ich sie diese Stücke aktiv vermieden hätte - sie waren einfach nicht Teil des Kanons. Ich fragte mich 'haben Frauen jemals klassische Musik komponiert?' und es stellte sich heraus, dass sie es taten, und ich entdeckte einen verborgenen Schatz. Ich verbrachte Monate mit Recherchen und tauchte in eine völlig neue Welt der Musik und faszinierenden Geschichten von Frauen ein, die im Schatten der Geschichte geblieben waren. Dieses Album ist meine Hommage an sie und eine Reise durch Jahrhunderte der Musik, erzählt durch die Stimmen von Frauen, die trotz aller Widrigkeiten komponierten, kämpften, lebten und schufen. Die Geschichten dieser Frauen inspirierten mich für meinen Karriereweg und zeigten mir wie wichtig es ist, dass zukünftige Generationen diese entdecken können. Ich hoffe, 'Women' kann eine neue Generation junger Mädchen dazu inspirieren, zu komponieren." Über ihre gesamte noch junge Karriere als professionelle Musikerin hinweg hat sich Esther Abrami dafür eingesetzt, Komponistinnen eine Stimme zu geben. In ihrem Podcast "Women in Classical" spricht sie mit einflussreichen Musikerinnen über ihre Karriere. Auch mit ihrer EP "Spotlight" mit dem Londoner "Her Ensemble", das ausschließlich aus Frauen und non-binären Musiker*Innen besteht, hat sie bereits wortwörtlich ein Schlaglicht auf Komponistinnen geworfen. "Women" führt diesen Weg konsequent fort und versammelt eine Reihe außergewöhnlicher Mitwirkenden, wie das ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien unter der Leitung von Dirigentin Irene Delgado-Jiménez, die Pianistin Kim Barbier, die Harfenistin Lavinia Meijer und das Esther Abrami Quintet."Ich bin unglaublich glücklich mit einem so großartigen Orchester und tollen Musikerinnen an einem so persönlichen Projekt zu arbeiten. Diese Kompositionen mit einem Orchester zum Leben zu erwecken, ist eine Erinnerung, die ich nie vergessen werde."

Co-directed with Maxime Daoud (Ojard), this 7th opus was written and composed with passion and recorded with an outstanding team of musicians. The message of Barbara Carlotti's new album is direct and essential: "Cherish your future!" It is an invitation to welcome the unknown, to view our destinies with tenderness, to strive toward the future while taking care of our style, to counter life's setbacks, to chase the green ray, and to reinvent love. The goal is to liberate expression, heal the wounds of the past, articulate desire with elegance and humor, and let ourselves be moved by fleeting yet eternal joys, the sight of the ocean, or the infinite beauty of a singing voice that fills us with hope and strength in an outpouring of freedom.

Embark on a funky synth-drenched journey as the cosmic count Jimi Tenor reunites with Timmion Records' soul architects Cold Diamond & Mink for yet another album. When placed side by side with the fellows' recent effort "Is There Love In Outer Space? "July Blue Skies" glides on a slightly more raw and mystical plane. Crafted over fiery sessions between Tenor and Cold Diamond & Mink, this vinyl release offers six soul-grasping tracks ranging from mellow groove to soundtrack funk. The album's opening title song kicks off with an extended analog synth intro which eventually develops into a sweet romantic invocation, painting a sonic canvas reminiscent of a boundless summer sky. The most vocal tune of this quite instrumental set of songs "Sky Train Baby" propels the listener on a locomotive ride through the star systems while "Venus of Barsoon" with its drum breaks and fuzz sounds blast you straight into sci fi movie funk territory. The album's B-side opens with "Ikuchi," where Tenor's always trusted flute and tenor sax take the spotlight over the slinky library beats. Closing the album we discover two single releases, the sublime "Summer Of Synesthesia" and the demonic "Tsicroxe" both completely worthy to hear sequenced inside this album as well. This album might be just the Spring jam that you needed in your life.

Legendary New Zealand-born experimental composer and sound art pioneer Annea Lockwood returns to Black Truffle with On Fractured Ground / Skin Resonance, her third release for the label. Having recently celebrated her 85th birthday, Lockwood shows no sign of slowing down in her exploration of new sound sources and collaborations with an ever-growing intergenerational pool of performers – here with Vanessa Tomlinson. Her creative vibrancy is alive as ever on the two recent works presented here, which demonstrate both her engagement with the social dimensions of sound and the deeply reflective, meditative aspect of her art.

On Fractured Ground derives from material recorded with Pedro Rebelo and Georgios Varoutsos for the soundtrack of Maria Fusco and Margaret Salmon’s opera-film, History of the Present (2023). Working together in Belfast, Lockwood, Rebelo and Varoutsos made extensive recordings of the city’s ‘peace lines’, the dozens of walls erected since the beginning of the Troubles in the late 1960s to separate Catholic and Protestant areas of the city. Struck by the immensity of these barriers, ‘the brutal way they sever neighbourhoods’, Lockwood and her collaborators focused not on the sound environment of the city, but on the walls themselves, playing them as gigantic resonant instruments, using their hands and objects such as stones and leaves. Continuing to work in her studio with the material collected for the soundtrack after its completion, Lockwood composed the work presented here, occupying a space somewhere between her own extended-technique percussion music and the Cagean tradition of hyper-amplified small sounds. From deep, gong-like metallic tolling to dry scrapes and uneasy groans, the piece’s sustained attention to single sounds derived from unorthodox sources draws a line all the way back to Lockwood’s classic Glass World (1967-1970). Its spaciousness and delicacy are at odds with the dark historical background of the Troubles, creating a moving listening experience somehow haunted by the shadow of violence and conflict.

Skin Resonance is a collaboration with Australian composer and percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson. Developed through conversations in which the two discussed the idea of ‘sonic attraction’, the piece focuses on Tomlinson’s relationship to the bass drum, reflecting on the complex web of connections embodied in this seemingly simply instrument, which is at once ‘animal, wood, and metal’. Approaching the instrument in a suitably elemental fashion, Tomlinson’s performance strips away conventional technique to explore the resonance and timbral properties of skin, drum, and metal hardware, producing overlapping waves of texture that at times seem closer to wind swishing through leaves or the ocean than anything usually associated with a drum. Emphasising the symbiotic relationship between performer and instrument, Tomlinson’s voice is heard at times, exploring the field of associations and connections the bass drum suggests to her: ‘Maybe the bass drum skin is an ear as well?’

Accompanied by insightful liner notes on both pieces and photographs documenting the recording of On Fractured Ground and a performance of Skin Resonance, this LP is a moving testament to the engagement, generosity, and openness that sustain Annea Lockwood’s work, still finding new directions after more than fifty years of activity.

Marina y su Melao is a band from Barcelona led by Puerto Rican Marina Molina. After a period of live activity, in 2025 they will release their debut album, "Rezo al agua", where Puerto Rico's bomba, an eminently rhythmic genre, expands to fuse with the colours and flavours of other Afro-Caribbean sounds. Tradition and folklore are embodied in a powerful and innovative conception.

In "Rezo al agua", Marina Molina expresses an attachment to the land, the landscape, the culture, the beliefs and the environment where she was born, Puerto Rico. She does this through bomba, one of the country's most identifying musical expressions. Bomba is as old as the slavery of those who gave birth to it in order to tell their tribulations and hopes, armed with the instrument they had at hand: the drums. It is a kind of meta-genre that includes a multitude of rhythmic varieties.

But Marina is something more than bomba, the legacy she received from her elders and which she does not wish to turn into a frozen object of veneration, an untouchable totem, mystical and ruled by norms bequeathed by the years. Marina, who has Colombian blood in her veins, is an artist of today, of a world in which cultures can mix, people migrate, influence each other, travel, exchange their cultural traces, can see online what happens at the other end of the world and thus open the window that facilitates the mixing of identities. These mixtures redraw borders and genres, allowing popular music to avoid its fossilization.

Marina grows in this fertile territory. She has a ductile and powerful voice, as clear as her strong, independent mindset. This is a remarkable element in the lyrics of the album, which despite being written from a current perspective, contain the sense that popular lyrics have always had: they explain life with the small letters of the everyday. And all this is presented in the bomba genre. Impure. There is an African guitar, a pedal steel guitar, a Wurlitzer, an accordion and everything that Marina and Miguelito Superstar, the album's producer, thought was necessary to accentuate the musicality of a full voice and drums that resonate raw with the vibration of tradition. A tradition now in the hands of a woman who aspires to her own space in life, to write her own chapter.

What it is, is funky! When the acid jazz scene ruled the world it looked for its inspiration in places that other jazz fans tended to overlook. The soul jazz of the late 60s and early 70s. The music of lounge bars and small clubs that fuelled the night life of black America. This compilation brings together ten examples of the sound and is a high quality listen from start to finish.

In the post-bebop world jazz was often condemned as an intellectual music aimed at the head not the feet, but a strain of the music was always for dancing, coming straight from the legacy of the big bands, and always tipping its head to what was going on in the R&B charts. The tracks included here all stay true to that legacy.

So whether we have Lonnie Liston Smith’s plea for 'Peace & Love' with its Bob Marley echoing horn lines, or Joe Bataan as band leader covering Isaac Hayes’ ‘Theme From the Men’, this is music allied with the contemporary sounds of the day. Oliver Nelson's synth heavy 'Skull Session' or his TV hit 'Theme From The Six Million Dollar Man' covered by Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes show this. At the heart of these recordings are the rhythms − and as such Bernard Purdie is the star either as a solo artist or simply as the man behind the kit with Harold Alexander.

This is Funky Jazz is an entry ticket to a party that everyone should want to be invited to.

Compiled by Bob Stanley to document the acid folk scene, “Gather In The Mushrooms” was first issued in 2004 on Sanctuary as a CD-only release; it proved popular enough for a sequel entitled “Early Morning Hush” two years later.

This new edition of “Gather In The Mushrooms” contains the cream of both long-deleted compilations with a few additions – COB, Roy Harper, Fotheringay – that weren’t available to Sanctuary at the time. Though they aren’t traditional, these songs have an authenticity of their own, an autumnal atmosphere and a naivety which proved influential in the 00s neo-folk boom (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Alasdair Roberts, Tuung et al) but impossible to replicate. For many of these acts at the end of the 60s, folk music and the hippy world that surrounded them was a way of life, a way of opting out from the Vietnam war, Angry Brigade and three-day-week early 70s. Anne Briggs lived in a caravan in Suffolk, Shelagh McDonald lived in a tent, Vashti Bunyan eschewed electricity; they weren’t part-timers. Listening to “Gather In The Mushrooms”, we are transported to a time when no one used the term post-modernist.

It may not have resonated with dyed-in-the wool political folkies, but over five decades later this music sounds very evocative of an England of yore – not necessarily one of poachers and pedlars, but one of long-haired youths in tie-dye T-shirts, bikers and hippies, acoustic guitars played in white stone cottages. Groups such as Stone Angel, Midwinter and Oberon made primitive, privately recorded folk albums; today they sound as distant and mystical as the field recordings of Alan Lomax. The sincerity and folk knowledge of a group like Forest becomes irrelevant once you hear something as eerie and evocative as ‘Graveyard’. Home-made, homely, warm as soup or chilling as a hoar frost, this is music of innocence and rare beauty.

PURPLE TRAP, the powerful trio of KEIJI HAINO (voice, guitar), BILL LASWELL on bass and RASHIED ALI (drums), recorded live on stage at The Stone.


Recorded in december 2005, this furious live album by what can easily be called a super group remained unreleased till in 2023 BILL LASWELL made it accessible in a rough-mixed digital version for his bandcamp subscribers program exclusively. For this vinyl version, the music has been newly mixed by DIRK DRESSELHAUS (SchneiderTM) and mastered / cut by RUY MARINÉ at Dubplates & Mastering Berlin.


PURPLE TRAP, the trio of LASWELL / HAINO / ALI, reunited for this one-off gig as part of a 5-day-HAINO-festival at John Zorn's venue "The Stone", seven years after its only album Decided ... Already The Motionless Heart Of Tranquility, Tangling The Prayer Called "I" had been recorded (released on Tzadik in 1999).
The six untitled tracks (+ one as digital bonus) deliver what can be expected from such musical masters:
RASHIED ALI, iconic free jazz drummer who played with JOHN and ALICE COLTRANE, PHAROAH SANDERS, SONNY ROLLINS, JAMES BLOOD ULMER and countless more, is all drums, from quiet tiny sounds to high-energy rhythm patterns.
KEIJI HAINO, one of the most prolific artists of the Japanese experimental / noise scene for almost 50 years now, switches between truculent guitar splatters and full-on psychedelic outbursts.
BILL LASWELL, who as producer and musician created a massive body of work in fiields as diverse as ambient, world music, funk, jazz (and often hybrids of these), has proven his mastery in improvisation in projects like MASSACRE, PAINKILLER or (early) MATERIAL and provides the low-end grounding with his signicature bass sound, or adds effect-laden ornaments to the whole.
An overdue addition to a very small body of work by a clearly under-documented supergroup!

Credits:
KEIJI HAINO: voice, guitar BILL LASWELL: bass RASHIED ALI: drums

Recorded at The Stone, New York, december 15th, 2005. Edited by James Dellatacoma at Orange Music, West Orange, NJ. Mixed by Dirk Dresselhaus at the Zone, Berlin. Mastered & cut by Ruy Mariné at D&M, Berlin.

Layout & design by kaidoh. Cover photography by Jasmin Bär.

The 20th installment of Saddle Creek’s Document series features Dean Johnson, the Seattle-based singer/songwriter whose heartfelt storytelling and undeniable charm have been quietly building a devoted fanbase across the globe.

For years regulars at Al’s Tavern might murmur to each other about Dean Johnson behind the bar. There were nudges and whispers that he might just be the best songwriter in town. They spoke of his talent like a family secret –Seattle folklore. How many times, and for how many years, did Dean elusively reply to some variation of the question, “When will there be a record?”

In May of 2023, there finally was. Nothing For Me, Please, Dean Johnson’s debut album, was released on his 50th birthday.

Calling him a “hidden gem” doesn’t quite fit, because there’s nothing hidden about him—he shines in plain sight. It was only a matter of time before people stopped to take notice.

Dean’s music feels like a conversation with an old friend—warm, honest, and deeply human. His songs bridge the past and present, weaving modern sensibilities with a timeless appeal. With razor-sharp wit and an uncanny ability to make you laugh and cry in the same breath, Dean’s songwriting reminds us why music matters, offering proof that a song can be more than the sum of it’s parts. Hear just a phrase of his melody, catch even a moment of the sobering depth in his voice, and you’ll feel it—like a letter written, signed, sealed, and delivered just for you.

Go see him live, and you’ll understand. That’s how he won us over—one song, one story, one unforgettable moment at a time.

Where's Joao Donato? It's a frequently asked question, referring simultaneously to the physical location and the musical moment he inhabits. A sampling of some of his more descriptive song titles suggests Donato's comfort with musical hybrids: "Bluchanga," "Sambolero," and "Sambongo," to name just a few. Lacking a formal genre for his style of music, Donato's is a distinct sound, immediately recognizable from the first few bars of any of his compositions. He was funky back when "funk" was a bad word (listen to either of his 1960s Brazilian LPs, Sambou, Sambou and The New Sound if Brasil, for proof). His compositions are deceptively simple, while his arrangements are harmonically complex, revealing their intricate details upon repeat listening. Today, Donato brings this flavor, now near synonymous with his name, to a new album in the Jazz Is Dead series with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Joao Donato JID007. "Donato is one of the greatest Brazilian composers from that golden era. His signature style, simple melodies combined with colorful chordal progressions, establishes a new lane for Jazz Is Dead," explains Younge. "Joao is one of the most innovative Brazilian jazz composers of the last century. Creating with and learning from this maestro was one of the greatest experiences of my career."

1990's Recurring, the fourth and final studio album by Spacemen 3, is often considered the introduction of two brilliant solo projects (Spectrum and Spiritualized) rather than the work of a functioning band. While Spacemen 3's departing statement surely reveals a deep divide within the S3 camp – each side of the LP was written by Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce separately and, unlike previous releases, the two do not play on each other's songs – Recurring maintains a cohesive, dreamy feel with its chief sonic officers backed by fellow travelers Will Carruthers, Mark Refoy and Jon Mattock.

Opening saga "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)" marries ambient haze with narcotized indie rock, while "I Love You" manages to arrange a beautiful flute alongside a defiantly throbbing bass track. "Hypnotized," a reimagined fuzz-pop hymn, would become the group's first entry in the UK Singles Charts. Recurring lays bare the essence of Spacemen 3's persistent sound, rooted in both aural expansion and phenomenal songwriting.

Includes download card and new insert with liner notes by Marc Masters.

Justin Sullivan has been living something of an artistic double life for the last 8 years. He’s been playing drums in Los Angeles’ Flat Worms and getting back together with his NYC bandmates in The Babies, but he’s also been crafting his own songs under the name Night Shop. Under this moniker, Sullivan has released two LPs and two 12” EPs and toured supporting, Widowspeak, Shannon Lay and Waxahatchee.

Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield once described Sullivan as “a well-read modern day Buddy Holly” and on his new record, The Beloved Returns, he raises the bar of both the literary allusions and the rock’n’roll. The record’s title track was inspired by Thomas Manns’s 1939 fictionalized biography of Goethe titled Lotte in Weimar: The Beloved Returns and themes of desire, obsession and the places they send you are all over the record. On the sonic end, the record is louder and faster than any Night Shop record before, a result of Sullivan’s collaboration with the Summer Cannibals’ Jessica Bourdeaux who produced the record, with songs like the opener “Ode To Joy II” coming fast out of the gate quickly followed by “Let Me Be the Lamb.”

Heidi Montag first came to prominence as a reality television personality on MTV’s “The Hills,” but the multifaceted entertainer has always credited music as her first love. Her debut album, Superficial, on which Montag worked with notable talents including L.P., Cathy Dennis, Stacy Barthe, Steve Morales, and Dave Pensado, has become a cult classic. A remix of “More Is More,” produced by Dave Audé, peaked at number 27 on Billboard’s dance charts. Montag’s one and only public performance of “Body Language” — at the 2009 Miss Universe pageant — was watched by a billion people worldwide. Hailed as “ahead of its time,” Superficial’s initial release faltered due to both promotional issues and Montag’s status as a reality star. The album has since gained praise for its pure pop sounds, which were influenced by Britney Spears and Janet Jackson, as well as for its message of empowerment. In 2018, Life&Style pronounced the album “criminally underrated.” In 2023, the Superficial track “I’ll Do It” became one of the top trending sounds on TikTok, garnering more than a billion streams and poising Montag for a musical comeback. Her most recent re-releases of the tracks “Bad Boy” and “Touch Me” have been celebrated by fans, who all have one question: “What’s next?” First time on CD and Vinyl and now in-stores!

"Change Today? is the third studio album by the American rock band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds Of Liberty), released in 1984. It was the band's first album with singer/guitarist Joe Wood and drummer Mitch Dean, replacing founding members Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes who had left the band in late 1983.

The album was recorded using money loaned to T.S.O.L. by the Dead Kennedys, and found the new incarnation of the band moving away from the Hardcore Punk associations of the original lineup in favor of a traditional Rock and Gothic Rock sound. Over the course of four nights at Mad Dog Studio in Venice, California T.S.O.L. recorded their new songs with recording engineer Stuart Schanwetter and producer Chris Grayson. The album was mastered by Eddy Schreyer. Change Today? is available as a limited numbered edition of 1000 copies on white coloured vinyl and it contains an insert"

" Pickled Eggs and Sherbet is the sole album by English electronic group All Seeing I - the production trio of Dean Honer, Jason Buckle and Richard Barrett (aka DJ Parrot).

" Part of the late nineties big beat / trip hop scene, it brought together many disparate threads of the Sheffield's music scene past (and then) present including contributions from the likes of cabaret crooner Tony Christie, Human League frontman Phil Oakey and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker.

" Lead single "The Beat Goes On" which had a huge viral moment on TikTok and social media in 2022, becoming one of the most widely used 'Sounds' in recent years accruing 2.4 billion views and 162k creations.

" The follow up 'Walk Like A Panther' peaked at #10 in the UK Singles Chart. Featuring vocals from Tony Christie, it became his first hit single in 25 years.

" London Records have remastered & re-issued the cult-classic album :
1. for the very first time on vinyl ! As collector Red & Yellow Double LP.
2. with an expanded and remastered 2CD edition to boot, including rare b-sides from lost CD singles, new mixes from DJ Parrot and more.

1978: Die Radierer werden in Limburg von Jürgen Beuth und C B Bodenstein gegründet und gehören neben DAF, S.Y.P.H. etc. zu den Pionieren des deutschen Postpunk. Der musikalische Kopf, Beuth, Multi-Instrumentalist und Komponist, entwirft das musikalische Szenarium zu den schrillen Texten der Radierer. Der Sequenzer tuckert erbarmungslos, die Gitarre treibt und kratzt und poppige, kindliche Melodien bilden den Zuckerguss. Hemmungslose Experimentierfreude rules! Bodenstein ist der Sänger und Texter. Seine Topics sind die Top Ten der Themen, über die man bei Tisch nicht spricht. Die Lyrics sind bizarre Comic-Fantasien: Subversiv, ätzend sarkastisch, morbide und gerne auch mal am Puls der Zeit. Beste Unterhaltung for adults only! 2025: Die Radierer haben für ihre neue, 7. LP eine Frischzellenkur gemacht und sind wieder einmal in Bestform. Als Gast im Studio: Tom Dokoupil, Keyboarder der Band in den 80ern, liefert ein paar extra crazy Sounds und hilft beim Mix.

Samurai Music returns to the evocative sound world of Ancestral Voices for an album that splits the difference between cinematic sound design and deadly restraint at 170 BPM. Nemeton continues Liam Blackburn's exploration of ancient Celtic mysticism through snaking rhythms and snarling sound design, conjuring a high-definition sonic image of sacred groves and the druids practicing amongst them.

Blackburn's Ancestral Voices project tracks back to 2015, when he debuted on Samurai Horo with the Night Of Visions album. In stark contrast to his celebrated 140 work as Indigo, this project leaned on the inspiration of pagan spirituality to charge his vivid, advanced production style with a rich and mysterious atmosphere. While he's channelled this approach into a variety of tempos and styles, on his 2016 EP Old Earth Voodoo on Samurai Music he applied the concept to a drum & bass framework, which he returns to on Nemeton with rigorous focus.

Far from a straightforward collection of breakbeat tracks, Blackburn uses negative space and pointillist production to carve out an immersive, tense sound world around the 170 grid. He takes a widescreen approach to percussion, running from pin-prick synthesised one-shots to tumbling, organic drums you'd more readily associate with a Hans Zimmer score. Scene-building is the foremost mission across Nemeton, casting otherworldly forces in sweeps of low-end friction and dramatic melodic blooms amidst tangible real-world field recordings of flora and fauna.

Casting the mind back some 2000 years is an exercise in imagination as much as research, and Blackburn ably summons dark fantasy as he delves ever deeper into Welsh mythology with a studious zeal and avid fascination. It's that drive that makes Nemeton burst forth and take shape so powerfully, bristling with kinetic energy and a barely-concealed, strangely seductive menace that leaves a lasting impression long after the last snatch of bass has bared its teeth.

An Introduction To Syd Barrett, is a reissue of the 2010 collection that brought together for the first time the tracks of Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett on one compilation.

David Gilmour, who originally worked on Syd Barrett's two solo albums, as co-producer of The Madcap Laughs and as producer of Barrett, was the executive producer for the album. Damon Iddins and Andy Jackson at Astoria Studios remixed five tracks including ‘Octopus’, ‘She Took A Long Cool Look’, ‘Dominoes’ and ‘Here I Go’, with David Gilmour adding bass guitar to the last track. Pink Floyd's ‘Matilda Mother’ also received a fresh 2010 Mix.

The album features the original 24-page booklet and graphics plus all lyrics, and was designed including the cover art by long time Pink Floyd associate the late Storm Thorgerson and his estimable studio.

Born in Cambridge in 1946, Roger Keith 'Syd' Barrett was the primary songwriter, guitarist and original lead vocalist in the first incarnation of Pink Floyd. He formed the band in the mid-1960s with drummer Nick Mason, bassist Roger Waters and keyboard-player Richard Wright. With their groundbreaking, semi-improvised sets at the legendary UFO Club in London's Tottenham Court Road, they became the prime movers of British psychedelia.

Barrett wrote the warped pop vignettes ‘Arnold Layne’ and ‘See Emily Play’, the group's two hit singles from 1967, as well as 'Apples And Oranges', and the lion's share of the material – the dreamy ‘Matilda Mother’, ‘Chapter 24’ and the whimsical ‘Bike’ – on their debut album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. Recorded at EMI's famed Abbey Road Studios while the Beatles were making Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd's first album has proved an enduring classic, referenced by everyone from David Bowie to Spiritualized via The Damned.

Barrett contributed ‘Jugband Blues’ to A Saucerful Of Secrets, the band's follow-up, but his behaviour became increasingly erratic and he left in April 1968, a few months after the addition to the group of his Cambridge friend David Gilmour on guitar and vocals.

Syd Barrett's first solo album, The Madcap Laughs, was a long time coming but made the Top 40 on its release in January 1970. Barrett followed in November that year, and contains tracks such as ‘Baby Lemonade’ and ‘Gigolo Aunt’ that provided the names for two cult US groups in the 80s and 90s.

Over the last four decades, Syd Barrett has become the ultimate rock enigma. In 1975, he paid an eerie visit to his former band mates at Abbey Road while they were recording ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, the centrepiece of the Wish You Were Here album he had inspired. He never entered a studio again. In 2001, he was the subject of a BBC Omnibus documentary.

He died in July 2006 but his legacy lives on in the music of R.E.M., Robyn Hitchcock, Julian Cope, Spiritualized, Blur and countless other groups. Earlier this year, Faber and Faber published Syd Barrett: A Very Irregular Head, an exhaustive biography by long-time fan Rob Chapman.

An Introduction To Syd Barrett provides a handy overview of this visionary talent, this madcap genius whose star shone brightly yet burnt out all too quickly.

Running Back is delighted to introduce RB Studio Sessions, a new sub-imprint of music envisioned, recorded and fully realised at Running Back’s in-house studio.
Built on the promise of unfettered creative freedom and aided by agreeable local autobahn connections in the Hesse region, the RB Studio Sessions project is christened with the work of Running Back’s founder, chief dreamer, and Geschäftsführer, Gerd Janson.
For this debut edition, he is joined for a momentous jam by the new-school hero of the house, good friend and kindred spirit, Narciss.
Just as Running Back’s earliest releases dropped a stylus to preserve timeless ideals of club culture, the four tracks on ‘No Maze Like Heaven’ further this continuum by turning back the sonic clock just a decade or so. Picture, if you will, a nascent Narciss, youthfully club
hopping and deeply inspired by the selections of Gerd himself, alongside a selection of DJs coaxing the Panorama Bar blinds open with exquisite, mid-tempo precision.
As such, new light immediately floods in for ‘Chicco’s Chips’, which captures many of those irresistible elements—Italo-tinted synths, hooky vocals, and perfect percussion— regenerated with the wide-eyed, high energy of Narciss’s own solo productions. ‘Elka,
meanwhile, is a richer, deeper dish, masterfully interlocking multiple heavenly melodies under layers of optimistic analogue fuzz.
Narciss and Gerd then look to the Netherlands for further collaboration with one of electronic music’s best-loved vocalists and another fine producer, Coloray, who fills ‘Look For You’ with a yearning performance in the vulnerable, synth-pop tradition. Finally, ‘No
Maze Like Heaven’ builds on this mood and melody for a finale that hits the sweet spot between machine power and oh-so-human emotion.
Featuring labyrinthian artwork from the mighty Gasius., via a sleeve that appears to blend M.C. Escher with MC Hammer, ‘No Maze Like Heaven’ proves to be a divine foundation of RB Studio Sessions. For Narciss, “a memory they will cherish forever.”
For Gerd, a taxdeductible working lunch. For DJs and dancers? Four ebullient hits-in-waiting, sounding great and meaning more.

Crazy streched breakcore hardcore and speedcore ! 2 LP one 7 inch... The absolute collector !! TIP !!!

For their second album 'The Foel Tower', Quade holed up in an old stone barn in the cradle of a Welsh mountain valley.
The valley was a stark and windswept backdrop with little daylight, as the band would huddle around crackling fires each evening. “There was very much a feeling of being on the complete fringes of society,” the band says. “The last vestiges of settlement before the unrelenting barren moors that loomed over us.”
It was an environment that would shape the band – a Bristol four piece made up of Barney Matthews, Leo Fini, Matt Griffiths and Tom Connolly – and the record they have made. It’s an album that is as dreamy as it is melancholic, and as quiet and tender as it is forceful and potent – gliding across genres like winds blowing over those wide-spanning Welsh hills – to arrive at something the band half-jokingly, yet somewhat accurately, describe as “doomer sad boy, ambient-dub, folk, experimental post-rock.”

Quade is a band but it’s also a very close-knit group that have been friends since childhood who use this musical vehicle for interpersonal explorations and connections. “We’ve individually experienced a lot of difficulty over the last several years and Quade has represented a space to shelter from these,” the band says. “This means we often communicate extensively with each other about the issues affecting us individually and collectively. These conversations and concerns are central to The Foel Tower.”

In many ways, the making of this record – or any Quade record – goes way deeper than the simple writing, construction and recording of music. It is a profoundly deep and meaningful experience. “A key theme of the album relates to why we connect with specific places in the way that we do,” the group says. “We often remove ourselves to isolated valleys, sheltered from some of the painful personal struggles that we have experienced as a band. These become spaces in which we collectively purge ourselves of some of these difficulties hoping to make Quade a physical and emotional place of solace. This album celebrates these places that we’ve been able to retreat to and recuperate.”

It is a deep, dense record that is stuffed with musical, cinematic and literary influences – from Ursula La Guin and Cormac MacCarthy through to RS Thomas and Yeats – but despite the heavy, introspective and anxious nature of some of the material, it is also a record that is remarkably deft, agile and considered.

Made with producer Jack Ogborne and mixer Larry ‘Bruce’ McCarthy, there is a pleasing duality to the final sound of the record. One that feels fragile and intimate but also powerful and forceful, as introspective as it is expansive, and a record that is as detailed and textured as it is wide open and spacious.

The album title also pays homage to the place that shaped it so greatly. Within this remote Welsh valley stands the Foel Tower, a stone structure filled with valves and cylinders that can raise and lower the level of the reservoir to draw off water. Which it can then send as far as 70 miles to Birmingham. However, in the late 1800s this land was occupied by local farmers and families in the hundreds until the British Government acquired the land, cleared the valleys, and promptly displaced them in order to begin serving the vastly expanding industrial English city. The band dug into the history and politics of this and wove it into the themes they were already thinking about, using what the Foel Tower stands for as something of a contemporary metaphor. “This tension was something that we wanted to explore without the haughty judgement of our more metropolitan lifestyles,” they say. “And to explore how this specifically relates to ourselves: how can we envisage a genuinely ecological future for ourselves – one that is accessible, affordable and in harmony with endangered rural practices.”

What makes The Foel Tower such an incredible record is that it feels born of a time, place and situation that only existed in that very moment. It’s a snapshot of those 10 days spent in rural Wales and all the feelings and anxieties the band were experiencing at that specific time, magically caught on tape. “The album very much feels tied to this valley for us and the conversations and experiences we shared there,” they say. “It brings up a great deal of poignancy for us, an emblem of some fleeting respite from the strains we all have to experience. But there’s also deep sadness knowing how transient these moments are – in fact, there’s just a great deal of sadness in this album. But it’s also a record that while personal, resigned, and emotionally burdened, is ultimately hopeful.”

“Trustworthy”. is the meaning of “danama”, this Bambara word from Mali. Believing in oneself, in others, in the word given, in desirable futures. Advocating optimism, momentum towards the future, collective strength and the wise magic of cultural blending… especially during these troubled times of endless wars, of nationalist withdrawals or the abundance of naturals disasters, all encouraged by a carnivorous capitalism?

So confidence, we need tons of it. Maintained by the flame, the phlegm and the stratagem of these afro-groove scientists, without ignoring their sorrows nor the scandals of History. This is the athletic art of Arat Kilo, who remain without question the best ethio-jazz orchestra in France, on the trail of this fifth album recorded in the Spring of 2024. Confidence was also needed to change the way things worked. For all the previous albums, the band came together in the studio to play each track together, all in the same room, in the romantic idea of a warm, lively, organic gesture, in the manner of the great Ethiopian masters of the 60s and 70s.

For Danama, the music was initially collected in tandem: guitar/bass, drums/percussion, saxophone/trumpet, and the two voices. A few new instruments were added along the way : dark synthesizers, a bass clarinet, a tiny guitalélé (similar to the ukulele) and a Malian n'goni (sometimes described as ‘the griot's lute’). Then, and above all, there was the question of experimenting with real sound production, using sound design, multi-track exploration and effects applied to the textures collected over eight days at the Gong studios in Montreuil and OneTwoPassIt in Bagnolet just outside Paris.

In this way the band, all growing up influenced by the hip French Radio Nova's ‘Grand Mix’, were completely free to express their natural taste for fusion between genres. Borrowing from the frantic rhythms of Newark's jersey club, English 2-step or New Orleans brass bands, grafted onto Arat Kilo's musical base: tezeta, the famous minor pentatonic scale typical of Ethiopian jazz, melancholic to perfection. The result is layers of sound, collages of emotions, like the album cover, created by artist Clément Laurentin from multicoloured fragments of posters torn up in the street.

So Arat Kilo are back: The same band, the same collective strength, the same fight for values, their new album “Danama” carries the demand for a better world even further, with words of hope from singer Mamani Keita and the social critique of American MC and poet Mike Ladd ! The result is this luminous voyage down the Danama canal. In all, eleven songs and an instrumental, mixed by Mathieu ‘Gib’ Gibert - one of French band La Fine Équipe's beatmakers - set to drive the crowds wild and remind us how to stick together again.

Repress

Traveling time to the year 1979 we find ourselves on the Gulf Coast of Florida in a city called Sarasota. Sal Garcia leads Omni, the resident band at the Columbia, a Spanish restaurant operating in the city since the turn of the century. Sal and his band look to record a single ironically called Disco Sucks but the restaurant isn't willing to fund a record with the word 'sucks' in it, so the band changes the track title to 'Disco Socks'. The song is a disco odyssey with driving drums, ethereal flutes, playful lyrics, and a synth solo for the gods. On the b side there's a little latin number called 'Sarasota (Que Bueno Esta)'. An ode to their city, the song praises Sarasota for its beautiful women and precious beaches. Sal is still living his dream playing at piano bars in the city. Terrestrial Funk provides you with the first officially licensed reissue of this rare disco 12". Floridian Love.

past present (tone poems across time)" is Mark de Clive-Lowe's exquisite new solo album and his debut for Greg Boraman's Impressive Collective label in partnership with BBE Music. Previously the pair released the Pharoah Sanders tribute album 'Freedom', and the equally lauded 'Hotel San Claudio' in collaboration with Shigeto & Melanie Charles. A deeply personal sonic exploration by Mark, "past present" is a reflection on family, heritage, and healing which was created in tandem with retracing his late father’s journey across Japan 70 years ago. The project is a collection of ambient jazz, emotional cinematic soundscapes that weave analog synths with field recordings from Japanese sacred sites and nature locations. "past present” partially came into existence thanks to the perseverance of producer, percussionist and Mark’s friend Carlos Niño, who after experiencing Mark's multi-layered motifs in the studio and in live contexts over many years explains, "I kept hearing him make an album like this, I kept telling him that he needed to, and that it would be his best album yet. Subtle, poetic, solo, texturally rhythmic, expressive, full of rippling layers, and arrangements representing such profound thoughts, feelings, relationships, and memories". Mark also took on board Carlos' recommendation of recording the bulk of "past present" at Ken Barrientos’ analog synth studio, 'The Breath' in Pomona, California - where he utilized no less than 22 different keyboards to create the ethereal and engaging soundscapes across all 11 tracks, also intertwining his own field recordings made during a long, explorative stay in Japan. Being such an individual and personal concept, it was only correct that Mark wrote the extensive album liner notes, to fully illustrate the decades-long backstory to this stunning collection. Mark completes the album's presentation using archive images from his family's private photo collection - an entire process he likens to time travel and signs off to the listener by stating that he hopes "it takes you on your own journey of imagination and reflection, leading to unexpected places, just as it has for me