Suche:terri walker
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Terri Walker is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her critically acclaimed 2003 album, 'Untitled', with the release of her highly anticipated new album 'My Love Story', out now via Wings of a Hummingbird Records/Believe UK.
Produced by Konny Kon & Tyler Daley – widely recognised as Children of Zeus, who also co-wrote the album alongside Walker & Drs, the seven-track album showcases Terri's unique blend of Soul and RnB. Following on from the release of singles ‘Finally Over You’ and ‘I’m Not The One’, 'My Love Story' is a testament to Terri's growth as an artist over the past two decades.
Speaking about the album Terri said: “My Love Story is an album that I made for myself. It has been one of accountability, and ownership – no blaming or assumptions. It’s an album where I didn’t worry that it didn’t meet mine, or other people’s expectations.”
- A1: Rush Hour/Elegua (Feat. Kevin Haynes Grupo Elegua)
- A2: Frontline (Feat. Kevin Haynes Grupo Elegua)
- A3: Rye Lane Shuffle
- A4: Drum Dance
- A5: Axis Blue
- B1: City Nocturne (Feat. Zara Mcfarlane)
- B2: Waiting On The Night Bus (Feat. Terri Walker & Louis Vi)
- B3: Marooned In S.e.6 (Feat. Kevin Haynes Grupo Elegua)
- B4: Ancestors (Feat. Kevin Haynes Grupo Elegua)
Moses Boyd is at the forefront of the New British jazz scene having worked and recorded with like of Giles Peterson, Four Tet, Sons Of Kemet, Zara McFarlane and more. With 2 MOBO Awards to his name and Multiple Releases via his Label Exodus Records. Moses has established himself as one of the leaders in bringing the worlds of Jazz and Electronic music together.
This latest release is taken from the same sessions that brought us Rye Lane Shuffle. Displaced Diaspora is a collection of music from Moses Boyd recorded in 2015 that features some of the now leaders of the New British Jazz Scene Such as Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia and Nathaniel Cross. As well as the Iconic British Soul Vocalist Terri Walker, Saxophonist and Bata Player Kevin Haynes and his group, Grupo Eleggua and Rapper Louis VI. The music is a mix of Jazz, Yoruba chants with Hip Hop and electronica influenced beats.
Repress!
First Word Records is very proud to present the debut album by Children of Zeus - 'Travel Light'. It's been a long road leading to this album for Tyler Daley and Konny Kon.
They first embarked on their expedition into the music game two decades back - Tyler entered the scene as a songwriter, producer and vocalist, originally under the moniker Hoodman, whilst Konny began MCing, DJing and beat-making for hip hop crews The Microdisiacs and Broke'n'£nglish, along with DRS & Strategy.
To date, Children of Zeus have released three sell-out singles on First Word ('Still Standing', 'I Can't Wait' and 'Slow Down') and a compilation EP comprised of tracks made by the duo over the last decade entitled 'The Story So Far...'. Children of Zeus are finally at the stage where they are releasing their debut album proper, the over-riding ethos of which is about keeping their eyes on the road ahead, whilst shedding the baggage they've accumulated over the years - 'Travel Light'.
Features mainly come from Manny family, ( K S R ), LayFullStop, Metrodome (Levelz) and former Broke 'n' £nglish spar DRS. Guest production comes in the form of Switzerland's Sebb Bash, Nottingham's Juga-Naut, and London's Beat Butcha, and there's your favourite DJ's favourite DJ,
Mr Thing, slicing up the turntables on two tracks too. There's a few extra special ingredients on this album, along with their trademark sub-heavy, rhodes-laden hip hop soul hybrid. Reggae music has always been an integral piece of the CoZ sound-system ethic, so we see Tyler putting on his lover's rock hat for 'Hard Work', and they invite soul queen Terri Walker to join them on the fierce 'Sling Shot Riddim', while the album closes with the epic K15-produced jazz-bruk opus, 'Vibrations', on which Konny breaks it down quite simply: "high frequency means that you travel light, so get lifted yo, we'll live gifted".
Long as the journey has been, the time for looking back is over. This is about the present and future of Children of Zeus. A shining light in Manchester's now-school, and rightly heralded by many as the best new act to emerge in British soul music in the past decade. Aside from the above features, this project is written, performed and produced entirely by Tyler and Konny.
Since the crew first took flight, the end destination has never changed, the aim remains the same - to create timeless music, in their own unique style, without compromise, irrespective of industry and life distractions. The moral being this - travel light.
Artificial Intelligence's second studio album, and first for Metalheadz, was released just over 2 years ago, and we're now proud to present the remix package curated by the guys themselves.
The EP features remixes from Phil:osophy (Phil Tangent & Philth), SCAR and Zero T as well as two further digital bonus tracks from AI themselves and Deft, with some of the best 'Timeline' cuts given a new leash of life for 2018.
(digital bonus): Aroma Rmx + Forgotten Truths ft. Steo (Deft's '15 Rmx)
- A1: Frankie Knuckles Pres Director’s Cut – The Whistle Song (Re-Directed)
- A2: Frankie Knuckles Pres Director’s Cut Feat. Jamie Principle - Your Love (Director's Cut Signature Mix)
- B1: Frankie Knuckles Pres Director’s Cut Feat. B. Slade – Get Over U (Director's Cut Mix - Sami Dee Edit)
- B2: Frankie Knuckles Pres Director’s Cut Feat. Jamie Principle – I'll Take You There (Director's Cut Classic Signature Mix)
- C1: Ashford & Simpson - Bourgie Bourgie (A Director's Cut Exclusive)
- C2: Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band Feat Donna Gardier & Diane Charlemagne – The Secret Life Of Us (Director's Cut Signature Mix)
- D1: Artful & Ridney Feat Terri Walker - Missing You (Eric Kupper’s ‘Director's Cut Tribute To Fk' Mix)
- D2: Marshall Jefferson Feat Curtis Mcclain – The House Music Anthem (Move Your Body) (Director's Cut Retro Signature Mix)
Limited Edition Transparent Black Vinyl Version - 500 Units Only
There are few people across the globe, who will have not been touched by the work of Frankie Knuckles. Forever regarded as ‘The Godfather of House’ for his unrivalled contribution to the house music we know today; what started as an underground movement in Chicago has grown to international heights thanks to Frankie. His records earned him recognition on a global scale, allowing him to work with some of the globes biggest names including the likes of Diana Ross, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.
Five years ago, Frankie passed away in Chicago on 31st March 2014 leaving behind one of the greatest house music legacies spanning almost four decades. Now he is commemorated by long time writing and production partner Eric Kupper. Eric, himself a seasoned DJ producer and writer, has worked on over 116 Billboard #1 Dance Records and played a pivotal role in a many of Frankie’s productions. Having both worked together for many years they established themselves at ‘Director’s Cut’ from 2011 and set about producing original releases and remixes based on the classic ‘Def Mix’ sound while sharing equal credits for their creations.
Together they re-produced and re-purpose classic cuts for modern dancefloors, with reworks including tracks from Marshall Jefferson, Ashford & Simpson, Artful & Ridney and The Sunburst Band, alongside Frankie Knuckles originals. These releases have now been brought together by Eric to feature on special album called ‘The Directors Cut Collection’ on SoSure Music. It includes the Director’s Cut reworks of Frankie’s classic cuts such as ‘Your Love’ and ‘Take You There’ with Jamie Principle, alongside Frankie’s first #1 single - ‘The Whistle Song’ on which Eric shares writing credits.
Within a multitude of classic reworks, highlights include a previously unreleased version of Ashford & Simpson’s ‘Bourgie Bourgie’ and a huge Director’s Cut Retro Signature mix of Marshall Jefferson’s The House Music Anthem (Move Your Body) featuring Curtis McClain.
The Director’s Cut Collection is a fitting tribute to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Frankie’s passing whilst giving Eric a platform to tell his side of the creative story. This album is to be released in collaboration with The Frankie Knuckles Foundation who work to continuing Frankie’s legacy well into the future.
There’s something to be said for getting noticed, for standing out from the crowd. West London’s T.Williams is one of those people, having accomplished a full sweep of merited recognition over the years. Emerging onto the house scene in 2010, T.Williams instantly marked himself as a breakthrough artist with a difference; his unique take on house music turning heads.
Far from a newcomer, his path as a musical artist started in the grime scene as Dread.D. Signed at the tender age of 17 with grime anthem Invasion on Jon E Cash’s Black Ops label, Williams went on to have mass success in the grime and bass world selling thousands of singles worldwide. After a five-year reign, Williams found himself veering towards the world of house music. With a new found love for the sound and its sub-genres, T.Williams forged a signature sound influenced by his grime days, jungle, and garage. With a style that undoubtedly impacts, T.Williams’ crossover has been the catalyst for his success. Not only rife with groove and feeling but meticulously produced and engineered with deep rumbling basslines, the unapologetic bounce of grime and smooth vocals that bleed through African infused percussion work.
While in 2010 the industry took note when hit record ‘Heartbeat’ featuring vocalist Terri Walker made an impression, it was throughout 2011 that T.Williams defined himself - releasing solo works on his imprint Local Action and Pattern with remixes for Maya Jane Coles, Ben Westbeech and Skream. Not stopping at pricking the ears of fellow artists and those on the dancefloor, the end of 2011 saw Williams nominated for ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’ by DJ Mag, ‘DJ Stars of 2012’ by Time Out and featured in The Guardian.
Two relationships came to the forefront in 2012 that propelled Williams to greater heights. The first was his weekly show on legendary London station, Rinse FM and the second, Williams’ relationship with label PMR through his remix of Javeon McCarthy’s ‘Lost Time’. The remix was named Record of the Week by BBC Radio 1 and supported by tastemakers Annie Mac and Fearne Cotton. From here T. signed to the label exclusively releasing his debut EP for the label in September 2012, and in the process receiving further support from BBC Radio 1. Further remixes of Mikky Ekko, Wretch 32 and Lianne La Havas followed suit, as well as his biggest to date - Disclosure’s ‘Latch’. Powering dancefloors across the globe, T. went on to play three US tours, numerous festival stages, and deliver a second EP on PMR titled ‘Feelings Within’. The EP once again spanned a number of bases, from club bangers to heartfelt vocal driven tracks alike. Gaining his own monthly residency show with BBC Radio 1, 2013 ended with T. having played over 100 shows across four continents.
2017 marked the launch and release of the first collaborative EP with UK producer Julio Bashmore, via their joint independent Conch Records, a label aiming to push out more underground cross-genre music with heavy rotation from the likes of Moxie and Shy One. With an ever-expanding global tour schedule and further solo releases on the legendary NYC house label Strictly Rhythm turning heads, T.’s upward trajectory has never showed signs of slowing down. Selected to soundtrack the social media campaign for boxer Anthony Joshua in 2019 and now using his technical prowess as a musician to educate the next generation of rising stars at London’s respected Point Blank Music School has cemented his status as one of the UK music scene’s key players.
New Zealand disco-boogie outfit Flamingo Pier plant some Brooklyn roots with their fresh new ‘Beneath the Neon EP’ on Razor-N-Tape. Known for parties in East London and their massive hometown festival, as well as previous releases on Soundway, the Kiwi collective deliver a trio of new songs that solidify and expand their signature danceable blue-eyed indie-soul sound.
Lead off single 'How 2 Feel' shows a clubbier side of the band, with a pulsating house rhythm track and layers of angular synth stabs, vibey horn lines, and vocal chants. 'Beneath the Neon' and 'Remedy' are more familiar Flamingo Pier territory, upbeat indie disco anthems that boast incendiary vocal hooks, funky guitar work, and crisp production by Luke Walker.
Rounding out the EP are remixes by Chicago house legend Glenn Underground, and RNT co-head JKriv, whose mix features a guest appearance by Afro-boogie royalty Steve Monite.
Oozing with hazy sun, Beneath the Neon is the perfect soundtrack to soak up the dog days of summer.
- A1: Vula – Want Ur Love
- A2: Terri Walker – Missing You (Ronnie Herel Remix)
- A3: Lukas Setto – Can You Feel The Love
- B1: Bon Garcon Ft. Michele Escoffery – Love Is Real
- B2: Tyler Daley – All I Need
- B3: Legato – Thug Luv
- C1: Zoe Kypri – Holding You
- C2: Vula – Tru Luv
- C3: Tyler Daley – 4So Long
- D1: Sebastian Mikael – Next Chapter
- D2: Anamé Rose – I Am
- D3: Slakah The Beatchild – The Cure
Blues and Soul Award winner and double MOBO Awards nominee Ronnie Herel is back with his 2nd volume of his excellent compilation series Neo-Soul Sessions. Ronnie, a massively important figure in the UK Black music scene, is a radio presenter with Mi Soul and includes BBC 1xtra in his broadcasting credits. He is a DJ of international renown and was one half of the Quartz production duo which scored memorable hits with Dina Carroll. His undisputed love for and knowledge of the Neo-Soul genre shines through in the Neo-Soul Sessions and this latest, volume 2, is no exception. Featuring tracks from artists such as Vula, Terri Walker, Aname Rose and Slakah the Beatchild, among others, Neo-Soul Sessions volume 2 is a brilliantly curated and pieced together selection of twelve tracks that absolutely nails the beauty of the later releases in the Neo-Soul genre. Played from start to finish the track selection and order is a pre-made DJ set that flows in a way that would soundtrack a dancefloor, a house party and an excellent backdrop of tunes for any time and day of the week. Ronnie's passion for championing independent artists is also evident in his selections here and the compilation serves as a platform for those voices who deserve to break through. The decision to choose six of his favourite tracks to sit alongside six exclusive and unreleased gems means that a light is now shined on every artist featured on the compilation. An absolute must for serious lovers of Neo-Soul, RnB and Black Music, Neo-Soul Sessions volume 2 is released on double vinyl LP and CD formats.
The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.
- Side A. Shy Guy Feat. Emi Tawata
- Side B. Mystic Voyage
NAUTILUS is a next-generation band leading the Japanese rare groove scene.
Information about the pre-release 7-inch single from their 10th album has finally been released!!
Includes NAUTILUS covers of Diana King's "Shy Guy" and Roy Ayers' "Mystic Voyage," featuring their close friend Emi Tawada on vocals.
NAUTILUS have become a driving force in Japan's rare groove scene.
Their constantly evolving new project is finally here.
Kicking off the project is a killer cover of Diana King's "Shy Guy," featuring their close friend Emi Tawada, who has also garnered attention for
her covers of Des'ree and Terri Walker.
The excellent arrangement, which makes use of the original beat but incorporates jazz elements, is perfect for an evening on the dance floor.
And on the flipside is a superb instrumental cover of the classic "Mystic Voyage" by Roy Ayers, who sadly passed away suddenly this spring.
Look forward to NAUTILUS' 10th album, which is garnering attention as a force to be reckoned with in the future of rare groove.
- 1: Intro Feat. Killa Kela
- 2: Put My Feet Up
- 3: It Wasn't Easy
- 4: Final Results Feat. Grafh
- 5: Different Fabric
- 6: Imposter Feat. Spyda, P Money & Rag'n'bone Man
- 7: Bad Boy Sound Feat. Eksman & Shabba D
- 8: Labour Of Love Feat. Scrufizzer
- 9: Motion Picture
- 10: Stay Defiant
- 11: Legendary Feat. Fliptrix, Jazz T & Verb T
- 12: Wild Bunch Feat. Leaf Dog
- 13: Chasing A Buzz
- 14: New Breed
- 15: Overthinking
- 16: Lazy Days
- 17: You Deserve It
- 18: Breathing Under Water
- 19: Salute Feat. Dj Prime Cuts
- 20: Odyssey Feat. Terri Walker
- 21: No Competition Feat. Westman
- 1: Intro Feat. Killa Kela
- 2: Put My Feet Up
- 3: It Wasn't Easy
- 4: Final Results Feat. Grafh
- 5: Different Fabric
- 6: Imposter Feat. Spyda, P Money & Rag'n'bone Man
- 7: Bad Boy Sound Feat. Eksman & Shabba D
- 8: Labour Of Love Feat. Scrufizzer
- 9: Motion Picture
- 10: Stay Defiant
- 11: Legendary Feat. Fliptrix, Jazz T & Verb T
- 12: Wild Bunch Feat. Leaf Dog
- 13: Chasing A Buzz
- 14: New Breed
- 15: Overthinking
- 16: Lazy Days
- 17: You Deserve It
- 18: Breathing Under Water
- 19: Salute Feat. Dj Prime Cuts
- 20: Odyssey Feat. Terri Walker
- 21: No Competition Feat. Westman
- A1: Roza Terenzi – Wrought Eye
- A2: Xupid – Raindanc94
- A3: Ayū – New Life
- B1: Aiden Francis – Idiom (Beat Around The Bush Mix)
- B2: Kalani – Duality
- B3: Plastic Grn – Membrane
- C1: Alfred Czital – Tropicana
- C2: Dj Life – Bramble
- C3: Cybernet – Veil Walker
- D1: Match Box – Water In Paris
- D2: Laars – Perceptions Of Reality
- D3: Cosmic G – Tamas
- E1: Tifra – Everlasting Rotation
- E2: Jeku – Dengue (Tribal Mix)
- E3: Ash Is – Movimento
- F1: Harrison Bdp – The Juice
- F2: Glen S – La Bomba
- F3: Baumb – Free Falling (Ft Harlev)
18 tracks pressed across three vinyls. A limited-run tee. Seven digital relics, unearthed for Bandcamp only.
As always, dance floor-focused with a clear nod to the ’90s — Progressive, deep & dubby, transcending, 303s. Immersive, but never drifting. Direct, but never dry. Forward thinking, expansive.
Direct, 303s, raw — this lane’s locked down by Roza Terenzi, Cybernet, Aju, Kalani, Ash Is and Xupid, each carving out their space with raw, floor-focused energy. On A2, Xupid slips in Raindanc94 — a long-lost gem some might recognise from D.Dan’s 2021 Boiler Room. Unreleased until now, it’s finally getting the drop it deserves.
Transcending? You know it. Trance mind-melters? Always. Plastic GRNchannels that classic 90s Xpander sound, Alfred Czital drops a dance floor annihilator, while Dutch duo Match Box keeps it as bright and club-ready as ever. It’s a full spectrum of sound, each track weaving into the next with peak energy and timeless hooks.
Progression, progression, progression — it’s shaped our sound from the start. Uplifting, expanding, always pushing into the outer zones. DJ Life, Aiden Francis, Jeku, Tifra, Cosmic G and Laars are back on the label and doing the business. Whether it’s a floor-heating bopper by DJ Life or emotive, widescreen territory by Aiden Francis, this release has it all.
And of course, no 6-year celebration of ND would be complete without a deep dive. Dubbed-out rollers and hypnotic house cuts come courtesy of Baumb, Glen S, and Harrison BDP. Fresh off his second EP last month, Baumb returns with those trademark low-end orbs, guiding us through the fog with finesse. Glen S strips it back and locks into a tech-deep groove. BDP lands on F1. Sublime, heads-down deep house with that unmistakable sample finesse — pure signature gear.
A nod to the 9 incredible artists who feature on the release through digital exclusives — Astro alongside Ash Is, Rounds & Plastic GRN, Primitive Needs, Hotpretty, Tourman, Skinner (making his way through the Pyramid Fields portal), and Wigs — whose Trigger Step track has been getting heavy rotation from Spray and Roza Terenzi, to name a few.
- Sandman's Song - 5:05
- Highlodge Hare - 2:15
- Fire And Wine (Steve Ashley) - 3:30
- Step Right Up (Henry Mccullough) - 3:10
- Ride, Ride - 3:20
- The Time Has Come - 2:35
- Clea Caught A Rabbit (Stan Ellison) - 1:50
- Tangled Man - 3:22
- Wishing Well (Anne Briggs, Bert Jansch) - 1:45
- Standing On The Shore - 4:33
- Tidewave - 3:23
- Everytime - 3:04
- Fine Horseman (Lal Knight) - 3:02
Black Vinyl[26,85 €]
Green vinyl repress, standard single sleeve printed inner. 'The Time Has Come' is an absolute master class on words and guitar twisting into one another - the poetry goes beyond simple observation into deeply personal and profound lore. A timeless document of sweet and haunting melodies. My favorite record of all time.' Ryley Walker. // "I've never written songs, regularly, because I never considered myself a songwriter. I've only ever really considered myself a ballad singer, which is what is most important to me. The stories... the ancient nature of the situations and the human condition. And obviously, it's changed so much over the centuries that those songs have been sung, but it always retains that essence of something that's universal... to humanity, and I've always wanted to touch that. I think I wanted to understand people; I think I wanted to understand myself. It's a way of finding the truth. I felt I belonged to that music." Anne Briggs // Offering some of her first original compositions, 'The Time Has Come' was a break from tradition in more ways than one for Anne Briggs. Where previous recordings displayed the unaccompanied melodies of her voice, this album - originally released by CBS in 1971 - brings additional instrumentation in the form of guitar and bouzouki. The result is that her vocals are not submerged, but heightened - the plucked strings providing the perfect foil for her crystalline inflection. 'The Time Has Come' is a mix of Anne's own songs alongside some notable covers (Lal Waterson, Steve Ashley, Stan Ellison, Henry McCulloch). All are graced with the quietly self-assured elegance of Anne's playing, with sounds ranging from the breezy 'Clea Caught A Rabbit' to the terrible beauty of 'Wishing Well' - each song typifying the bouzouki or guitar style. To say that Anne was an accomplished picker is to do her something of an disservice - the intricacy of her finger-work rivals - and more often than not eclipses - any number of her contemporaries.
- 1: Talking Haunted
- 2: Ordinary Voices
- 3: Wish Defense
- 4: A Room
- 5: Desire Path
- 6: Sometimes Only
- 7: You Future
Limited Indies “white split vinyl variant while supplies last. RIYL: Unwound, MBV, The Jesus Lizard, SUUNS, Preoccupations, METZ, Les Rallizes Denudes, The Dead C, Echo & The Bunnymen, Liars, This Heat, PIL. Sixth studio album from the Chicago trio. Features newly-rejoined original member Jonathan Van Herik. Recorded at Electrical Audio May 6 & 7, 2024 - final album recorded by Steve Albini. The duality of “man” is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your “true self” & what do they want? With their sixth studio album “Wish Defense” (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album “Negative Houses” was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band’s more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik’s original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group’s guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band’s dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio’s long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on “Wish Defense” revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles”, tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album’s title track; “Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance”. Case lays out the entire album’s theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that “other” person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is “...don’t let the bastards get you down, there’s something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good”. “Wish Defense”s artwork is also a subtle reference to “Negative Houses”’ art, returning to that album’s black & white starkness & minimalism. The album’s checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album’s lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; “Wish Defense” is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve’s untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio’s A room, off the tape, using Albini’s notes about the session.
- Talking Haunted
- Ordinary Voices
- Wish Defense
- A Room
- Desire Path
- Sometimes Only
- You Future
BLACK & WHITE SPLIT VINYL[20,13 €]
Cassette[13,99 €]
CLEAR & BLACK SPLATTER VINYL[20,13 €]
The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.
The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.
Black Vinyl[19,29 €]
BLACK & WHITE SPLIT VINYL[20,13 €]
CLEAR & BLACK SPLATTER VINYL[20,13 €]
The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.
Limited Indies “white split vinyl variant while supplies last. RIYL: Unwound, MBV, The Jesus Lizard, SUUNS, Preoccupations, METZ, Les Rallizes Denudes, The Dead C, Echo & The Bunnymen, Liars, This Heat, PIL. Sixth studio album from the Chicago trio. Features newly-rejoined original member Jonathan Van Herik. Recorded at Electrical Audio May 6 & 7, 2024 - final album recorded by Steve Albini. The duality of “man” is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your “true self” & what do they want? With their sixth studio album “Wish Defense” (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album “Negative Houses” was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band’s more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik’s original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group’s guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band’s dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio’s long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on “Wish Defense” revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles”, tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album’s title track; “Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance”. Case lays out the entire album’s theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that “other” person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is “...don’t let the bastards get you down, there’s something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good”. “Wish Defense”s artwork is also a subtle reference to “Negative Houses”’ art, returning to that album’s black & white starkness & minimalism. The album’s checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album’s lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; “Wish Defense” is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve’s untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio’s A room, off the tape, using Albini’s notes about the session.
Limited Indies “white split vinyl variant while supplies last. RIYL: Unwound, MBV, The Jesus Lizard, SUUNS, Preoccupations, METZ, Les Rallizes Denudes, The Dead C, Echo & The Bunnymen, Liars, This Heat, PIL. Sixth studio album from the Chicago trio. Features newly-rejoined original member Jonathan Van Herik. Recorded at Electrical Audio May 6 & 7, 2024 - final album recorded by Steve Albini. The duality of “man” is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your “true self” & what do they want? With their sixth studio album “Wish Defense” (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album “Negative Houses” was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band’s more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik’s original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group’s guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band’s dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio’s long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on “Wish Defense” revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles”, tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album’s title track; “Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance”. Case lays out the entire album’s theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that “other” person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is “...don’t let the bastards get you down, there’s something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good”. “Wish Defense”s artwork is also a subtle reference to “Negative Houses”’ art, returning to that album’s black & white starkness & minimalism. The album’s checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album’s lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; “Wish Defense” is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve’s untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio’s A room, off the tape, using Albini’s notes about the session.
Black Vinyl[27,69 €]
LP Ltd vinyl picture disc version w/ DL card, 500 pressed. Vanishing Twin furthers their exploration of decidedly experimental territories with Afternoon X. Crafted with a playful balance of humour and rigour, with each member embracing the role of the multi-instrumentalist and process, over outcome. Following a series of line-up changes, Vanishing Twin is now the tightly honed collective of singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer Valentina Magaletti (Holy Tongue, Tomaga, Moin) and bassist Susumu Mukai (Zongamin). Harnessing the diverse touchstones of its members; Lucas' left-field song-craft, Magaletti's singular approaches to experimental percussion, and Mukai's long history in the production of electronic music, the band has refined a hypnotic sound at the juncture of minimalism, kosmische, post-punk, and dream-laden, psychedelic pop. These eight fluttering abstractions, culled, collaged, and built upon from a vast constellation of instruments, samples, and unclaimed sources. Lucas employs her voice as an instrument and a generator of raw sound, weaving surreal imagery and uncanny juxtapositions amongst the dance and propellant drive. From infectious grooves of the album's title track and the constrained minimalism of "Subito", to the ambitious heights of pieces like 'The Down Below' and Lazy Garden, which unfurl a psychedelic avant-gardism on the scope and scale of David Axelrod and Scott Walker. Vanishing Twin embark upon a new multifaceted journey that collectively culminates as the bands most forward-thinking and groundbreaking release to date.
Vanishing Twin furthers their exploration of decidedly experimental territories with Afternoon X. Crafted with a playful balance of humour and rigour, with each member embracing the role of the multi-instrumentalist and process, over outcome. Following a series of line-up changes, Vanishing Twin is now the tightly honed collective of singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer Valentina Magaletti (Holy Tongue, Tomaga, Moin) and bassist Susumu Mukai (Zongamin). Harnessing the diverse touchstones of its members; Lucas’ left-field song-craft, Magaletti’s singular approaches to experimental percussion, and Mukai’s long history in the production of electronic music, the band has refined a hypnotic sound at the juncture of minimalism, kosmische, post-punk, and dream-laden, psychedelic pop. These eight fluttering abstractions, culled, collaged, and built upon from a vast constellation of instruments, samples, and unclaimed sources. Lucas employs her voice as an instrument and a generator of raw sound, weaving surreal imagery and uncanny juxtapositions amongst the dance and propellant drive. From infectious grooves of the album’s title track and the constrained minimalism of “Subito”, to the ambitious heights of pieces like ‘The Down Below’ and Lazy Garden, which unfurl a psychedelic avant-gardism on the scope and scale of David Axelrod and Scott Walker. Vanishing Twin embark upon a new multifaceted journey that collectively culminates as the bands most forward-thinking and groundbreaking release to date
Bill MacKay and Drag City are delirious with pride to announce the discovery of a new territory: Locust Land, a record which seeks to reflect the nerve-shredding consciousness run amok in our world today - and somehow allay it with sound. Bill"s music is a visceral crackling where it meets the air, and Locust Land can"t help but reflect its era more than any other in his discography. It"s been five years since the release of Fountain Fire - but in the interim, Bill has barely stopped moving, collaborating with artists across the spectrum, including cellist Katinka Kleijn, banjo player Nathan Bowles and keyboardist Cooper Crain. He"s also contributed to recordings by Steve Gunn, Ryley Walker, Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy (Blind Date Party), and Black Duck (on their self-titled record featuring Douglas McCombs and Charles Rumback). Forget five years - how"d he even get Locust Land squeezed out of his temporal lobes? Bill"s sense of music as art is constantly modulating - lifting off from where it is found and naturally migrating to some other place. Sometimes, that"s elsewhere - others, it"s simply to be found deeper inside the starting point. And so, the action of moving on informs the landscape of Locust Land. This manifests in several different ways. A restless energy and urgency is repeatedly felt - in the driving momentum of "Keeping in Time," "Glow Drift," and "When I Was Here" - while a dogged persistence radiates from the tone colors and percussion of "Oh, Pearl." Mating a dirge-like desolation with sparkling guitars, "Radiator" adds darkness and depth. The sense of searching, displacement and longing in vocal tracks "Keeping in Time," "Half of You," and "When I Was Here" speak literally to the tumult of current vibrations. Within the arrangements, there"s also departure from previous norms - in addition to the brilliant guitar work for which he is known, Bill plays a variety of keyboards, from piano to organ to synth, extending his music with the available voicings, while enriching the sound field without abandoning his signature brevity. For fans of his singing, and following in the recent tradition of Fountain Fire as well as his collaboration with Nathan Bowles, Keys, Locust Land expresses with an increased vocal presence - and heightened engagement, with Bill"s words and melodies drawing us closer. Also different: on his previous solo recordings, Bill played every sound. Here, he has invited other illustrious Chicagoans to join him: Sam Wagster (The Father Costume, Mute Duo) plays bass on three songs, two of which feature the percussion playing of Mikel Patrick Avery (Natural Information Society, Jeff Parker, etc.). Additionally, Janet Beveridge Bean (Eleventh Dream Day, Freakwater) adds otherworldly vocal textures to the elegiac "Neil"s Field." Whether played alone or with companions, this music projects the strength of a universal collective. Even with a piece that might earlier have passed for blissful pastorale, Bill displays some declamatory motives. The reverie which opens the album, "Phantasmic Fairy," embodies both transcendent and desperate moods, with Bill"s ineffable slide guitar playing afloat, with organs and synths, in a dream state suffused with a sense of foreboding - a requiem, perhaps for the days of unencumbered bandwidth? On the other side of the album, the strength to continue to hope appears in the lifting melodicism/exoticism of the album-closing title track, leaving the listener with the sense of having achieved a hard-won space - a place of personal contemplation and dissent, one that everyone on the planet deserves to visit every single day on earth. With cover art also by Bill MacKay (the third of his albums on Drag City to feature his work), Locust Land stands as a thoroughly personal statement from Bill to everyone everywhere.
Bill MacKay and Drag City are delirious with pride to announce the discovery of a new territory: Locust Land, a record which seeks to reflect the nerve-shredding consciousness run amok in our world today - and somehow allay it with sound. Bill"s music is a visceral crackling where it meets the air, and Locust Land can"t help but reflect its era more than any other in his discography. It"s been five years since the release of Fountain Fire - but in the interim, Bill has barely stopped moving, collaborating with artists across the spectrum, including cellist Katinka Kleijn, banjo player Nathan Bowles and keyboardist Cooper Crain. He"s also contributed to recordings by Steve Gunn, Ryley Walker, Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy (Blind Date Party), and Black Duck (on their self-titled record featuring Douglas McCombs and Charles Rumback). Forget five years - how"d he even get Locust Land squeezed out of his temporal lobes? Bill"s sense of music as art is constantly modulating - lifting off from where it is found and naturally migrating to some other place. Sometimes, that"s elsewhere - others, it"s simply to be found deeper inside the starting point. And so, the action of moving on informs the landscape of Locust Land. This manifests in several different ways. A restless energy and urgency is repeatedly felt - in the driving momentum of "Keeping in Time," "Glow Drift," and "When I Was Here" - while a dogged persistence radiates from the tone colors and percussion of "Oh, Pearl." Mating a dirge-like desolation with sparkling guitars, "Radiator" adds darkness and depth. The sense of searching, displacement and longing in vocal tracks "Keeping in Time," "Half of You," and "When I Was Here" speak literally to the tumult of current vibrations. Within the arrangements, there"s also departure from previous norms - in addition to the brilliant guitar work for which he is known, Bill plays a variety of keyboards, from piano to organ to synth, extending his music with the available voicings, while enriching the sound field without abandoning his signature brevity. For fans of his singing, and following in the recent tradition of Fountain Fire as well as his collaboration with Nathan Bowles, Keys, Locust Land expresses with an increased vocal presence - and heightened engagement, with Bill"s words and melodies drawing us closer. Also different: on his previous solo recordings, Bill played every sound. Here, he has invited other illustrious Chicagoans to join him: Sam Wagster (The Father Costume, Mute Duo) plays bass on three songs, two of which feature the percussion playing of Mikel Patrick Avery (Natural Information Society, Jeff Parker, etc.). Additionally, Janet Beveridge Bean (Eleventh Dream Day, Freakwater) adds otherworldly vocal textures to the elegiac "Neil"s Field." Whether played alone or with companions, this music projects the strength of a universal collective. Even with a piece that might earlier have passed for blissful pastorale, Bill displays some declamatory motives. The reverie which opens the album, "Phantasmic Fairy," embodies both transcendent and desperate moods, with Bill"s ineffable slide guitar playing afloat, with organs and synths, in a dream state suffused with a sense of foreboding - a requiem, perhaps for the days of unencumbered bandwidth? On the other side of the album, the strength to continue to hope appears in the lifting melodicism/exoticism of the album-closing title track, leaving the listener with the sense of having achieved a hard-won space - a place of personal contemplation and dissent, one that everyone on the planet deserves to visit every single day on earth. With cover art also by Bill MacKay (the third of his albums on Drag City to feature his work), Locust Land stands as a thoroughly personal statement from Bill to everyone everywhere.
- Sandman's Song - 5:05
- Highlodge Hare - 2:15
- Fire And Wine (Steve Ashley) - 3:30
- Step Right Up (Henry Mccullough) - 3:10
- Ride, Ride - 3:20
- The Time Has Come - 2:35
- Clea Caught A Rabbit (Stan Ellison) - 1:50
- Tangled Man - 3:22
- Wishing Well (Anne Briggs, Bert Jansch) - 1:45
- Standing On The Shore - 4:33
- Tidewave - 3:23
- Everytime - 3:04
- Fine Horseman (Lal Knight) - 3:02
GREEN VINYL[27,31 €]
LP black vinyl repress, standard single sleeve printed inner but note no download card. The Time Has Come’ is an absolute master class on words and guitar twisting into one another - the poetry goes beyond simple observation into deeply personal and profound lore. A timeless document of sweet and haunting melodies. My favourite record of all time.’ Ryley Walker. // "I've never written songs, regularly, because I never considered myself a songwriter. I've only ever really considered myself a ballad singer, which is what is most important to me. The stories... the ancient nature of the situations and the human condition. And obviously, it's changed so much over the centuries that those songs have been sung, but it always retains that essence of something that's universal... to humanity, and I've always wanted to touch that. I think I wanted to understand people; I think I wanted to understand myself. It's a way of finding the truth. I felt I belonged to that music.” Anne Briggs // Offering some of her first original compositions, ‘The Time Has Come’ was a break from tradition in more ways than one for Anne Briggs. Where previous recordings displayed the unaccompanied melodies of her voice, this album - originally released by CBS in 1971 - brings additional instrumentation in the form of guitar and bouzouki. The result is that her vocals are not submerged but heightened - the plucked strings providing the perfect foil for her crystalline inflection. ‘The Time Has Come’ is a mix of Anne’s own songs alongside some notable covers (Lal Waterson, Steve Ashley, Stan Ellison, Henry McCulloch). All are graced with the quietly self-assured elegance of Anne’s playing, with sounds ranging from the breezy ‘Clea Caught A Rabbit’ to the terrible beauty of ‘Wishing Well’ - each song typifying the bouzouki or guitar style. To say that Anne was an accomplished picker is to do her something of an disservice - the intricacy of her finger-work rivals - and more often than not eclipses - any number of her contemporaries.
- (Is Anybody Goin' To) San Antone (3:32)
- Cotton Eyed Joe (1:41)
- Rains Came (3:49)
- Papa Ain't Salty (4:01)
- Stormy Monday (5:37)
- At The Crossroads (6:11)
- Nuevo Laredo (3:18)
- Dynamite Woman (3:40)
- Crazy Baby (1:30)
- One Night (1:24)
- Sometimes (0:22)
- Wasted Days & Wasted Nights (0:55)
- Mendocino (5:06)
- It's Gonna Be Easy (3:40)
- She's About A Mover (6:21)
This is the first color pressing of this performance. Doug Sahm AKA Sir Doug was both a Texas rock & roll legend and pioneer. True, there were others before him (Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison come to mind), but the Sir Douglas Quintet counterattacked the British invasion of the mid 1960’s with their own brand of Chicano-influenced rock that they had been playing around their hometown of San Antonio. Wearing their tight-fitting, English-looking suits, they hit the charts with “She’s About A Mover” in ’65, riding the waves with Doug’s incessant guitar twangs and Augie Meyer’s much-imitated, two-to-a-beat Vox electric organ chords. This performance, recorded October 14, 1975, came after Doug had temporarily retired the Sir Douglas name, but features original member Meyer along with musical compadres Martin Steitle, John Barber, Steve McDaniels and Harry Hess. All the Sir Douglas Quintet classics are here, including “She’s About a Mover,” “Mendocino,” and “Rains Came,” and Doug ventures into other musical territory ranging from T-Bone Walker to Bob Wills. Long before the Quintet, Doug had been making music since even before the birth of rock & roll. He began his career as “Little Doug,” a guitar-playing prodigy who was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry when he was only 13. Over time, with the help of his irrepressible personality, he became a voice for Texas music, the original “cosmic cowboy” back in the heyday of the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. But his influence went beyond Texas; in 1973 he even lured Bob Dylan out of hermitage to record with him, and Bob in turn invited him to join his legendary Rolling Thunder Review Tour. Doug left us suddenly in 1999, but he left behind a unique legacy, a “Groover’s Paradise” indeed. - Terry Lickona (Producer Austin City Limits®)
- A1: Frankie Knuckles Pres. Director’s Cut – The Whistle Song (Re-Directed)
- A2: Frankie Knuckles Pres. Director’s Cut Feat. Jamie Principle – Your Love (Director's Cut
- B1: Frankie Knuckles Pres. Director’s Cut Feat. B. Slade – Get Over U (Director's Cut Mix
- B2: Frankie Knuckles Pres. Director’s Cut Feat. Jamie Principle – I'll Take You There
- C1: Ashford & Simpson - Bourgie Bourgie (A Director's Cut Exclusive)
- C2: Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band Feat. Donna Gardier & Diane Charlemagne – The
- D1: Artful & Ridney Feat. Terri Walker - Missing You (Eric Kupper’s ‘Director's Cut Tribute To
- D2: Marshall Jefferson Feat. Curtis Mcclain – The House Music Anthem (Move Your Body)
There are few people across the globe, who will have not been touched by the work of Frankie Knuckles. Forever regarded as ‘The Godfather of House’ for his unrivalled contribution to the house music we know today; what started as an underground movement in Chicago has grown to international heights thanks to Frankie. His records earned him recognition on a global scale, allowing him to work with some of the globes biggest names including the likes of Diana Ross, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.
Five years ago, Frankie passed away in Chicago on 31st March 2014 leaving behind one of the greatest house music legacies spanning almost four decades. Now he is commemorated by long time writing and production partner Eric Kupper. Eric, himself a seasoned DJ producer and writer, has worked on over 116 Billboard #1 Dance Records and played a pivotal role in a many of Frankie’s productions. Having both worked together for many years they established themselves at ‘Director’s Cut’ from 2011 and set about producing original releases and remixes based on the classic ‘Def Mix’ sound while sharing equal credits for their creations.
Together they re-produced and re-purpose classic cuts for modern dancefloors, with reworks including tracks from Marshall Jefferson, Ashford & Simpson, Artful & Ridney and The Sunburst Band, alongside Frankie Knuckles originals. These releases have now been brought together by Eric to feature on special album called ‘The Directors Cut Collection’ on SoSure Music. It includes the Director’s Cut reworks of Frankie’s classic cuts such as ‘Your Love’ and ‘Take You There’ with Jamie Principle, alongside Frankie’s first #1 single - ‘The Whistle Song’ on which Eric shares writing credits.
Within a multitude of classic reworks, highlights include a previously unreleased version of Ashford & Simpson’s ‘Bourgie Bourgie’ and a huge Director’s Cut Retro Signature mix of Marshall Jefferson’s 'The House Music Anthem (Move Your Body)' featuring Curtis McClain.
The Director’s Cut Collection is a fitting tribute to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Frankie’s passing whilst giving Eric a platform to tell his side of the creative story. This album is to be released in collaboration with The Frankie Knuckles Foundation who work to continuing Frankie’s legacy well into the future.
Volume 2 of a new 12" vinyl series from REEL PEOPLE MUSIC. 4 stunning cuts from the RPM back catalogue.
A Side on Volume 2 features the wonderful remix by OPOLOPO of ADINA HOWARD – MIND READER and the stunning remix by ROCCO RODAMAAL of KELLI SAE’s remake of the PLATINUM DOLL classic BELIEVE IN A BRIGHTER DAY.
B Side includes the ever so soulful REEL PEOPLE remix of ZO! FEAT. TAMISHA WADEN – STEAL MY JOY and also MICHAEL GRAY’s superb remix of JOE BUHDHA PRESENTS TERRI WALKER – FEEL RIGHT.
Mighty Eye Records is proud to present the first single off its debut release, the self-titled full length album by 10th Street. Comprised of some of the best NYC musicians to grace the music scene in the past 20 plus years, this ode to late ‘70s disco, funk and bogie is sure to be a future classic!
Recorded at Soul Fire Studios (Williamsburg, Brooklyn) over the course of two years, more than twenty musicians were involved in the making of this album, boasting members of El Michels Affair, Lee Fields & The Expressions, The Dap-Kings, Antibalas and more.
“Hot Tonight” is a tight and sexy mid-tempo groover, driven by sultry female vocals from Terri Walker, Katt Rockell, Camille Sledge and a string arrangement by Leon Michels. B-side can seamlessly be mixed into the A-side for a five minute total play time. Get your doubles today!
- A1: If Tommy Duncan's Voice Was Booze
- A2: In Texas With The Band (Feat Ray Benson)
- A3: If I Treated You Like You Treat Me (Feat Emily Gimble)
- A4: Same Dream
- A5: Tell Him I'm Dead (Feat Katie Shore)
- A6: Obsessed With The West
- B1: Comin' In Hot
- B2: I Was Just Thinking Of You
- B3: I Don't Want Someone Who Don't Want Me
- B4: Riding Off Onto Sunset Boulevard
- B5: You're Doing It Wrong
- B6: Cottonwood Fuzz
'I've been obsessed with western swing since I was a kid, and it's always
been an influence, but my records in the past have ranged from bluegrass
to hard country to folk, So I've never fully explored it' - So says genrebusting Fargo-born, Austin- incubated, Nashville resident Brennen Leigh,
whose new collaboration with the kings of modern-day western swing,
Asleep at the Wheel, Obsessed With The West, is a showcase not just for
the Bob Wills fans, but for anyone who's ever curled up with Loretta Lynn,
Hank Sr, Cindy Walker, Billie Holiday, or Willie Nelson
On twelve all original songs, Leigh's supple winking voice and multi- instrument
fluency, her interplay with Ray Benson, and the undeniable chops of the Wheel
serve up a treat on Leigh's seventh album. With cameos from Emily Gimble and
Katie Shore, and all the players getting their moments in the sun, Leigh - a twotime winner of the Texas Music Awards Best Female Vocalist award -
demonstrates on the terrific jump 40's rhythm and blues, 'Comin' in Hot' and the
lonesome cowboy musing of 'Riding Off Onto Sunset Boulevard' why Rodney
Crowell and Lee Ann Womack have recorded her songs. Obsessed With The West
is a celebration of music for music's sake in 2022, not just an exercise in looking
back on times gone by.
Bria is an intimate and incisive labour of love from multi-instrumentalists Bria Salmena
and Duncan Hay Jennings. Catapulted by a deep sense of dread and confusion in the
depths of 2020, Salmena decided to forgo writing her own music. “I wanted to listen for
what might reflect my life back to me,” she says, “six tracks that could be my mirror.” The
result is a pointillistic knockout of a release that weaves a landscape both luscious and a
little rogue; showing us exactly what good songs can do.
Bria’s internal turbulence seemed to mirror last year’s external instability. When Jennings
and back-up singer Jaime McCuaig moved to The Outside Inn, a hobby farm in Hockley
Hills, Ontario, Bria soon joined. The farm’s living-room-turned-studio proved an ideal
setting for the long-time friends to compile a record of handpicked country covers. They
went searching for songs that could speak to our everyday loneliness, outside and in.
‘Cuntry Covers’ houses it all: well-worn favourites and lesser-known gems.
The record opens with ‘Green Rocky Road’, as performed by Greenwich Village legend
Karen Dalton. Jennings’ twangy guitar carries Bria’s original inflection and richly textured
vocals, complete with dreamy overlay. ‘Dreaming My Dreams With You’, a rendition of the
Waylon Jennings hit, is followed by John Cale’s ‘Buffalo Ballet’, a lyrical journey through
Abilene, Texas, the endpoint of the Chisholm Trail.
Engineered and mixed by Duncan Hay Jennings, each song brings desire and sexuality
front and centre, with all the swagger you’d expect – and more. Bria hopes the record will
be understood as a small contribution to the subversion of a genre with deep patriarchal
roots. Mistress Mary’s ‘I Don’t Wanna Love Ya Now’, from the 1969 album ‘Housewife’,
served as the original inspiration. “It was the first song Duncan and I worked on,” Bria
notes. “It definitely set the tone for the other tracks we picked.”
Bria’s voice - described as wavering between “sultry and howitzer” - shines on ‘Fruits Of
My Labour’, written and performed by country great, Lucinda Williams. The Walker
Brothers’ ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’ is a harmonic (and hypnotic) standout. A
musical explorer who moves fluidly between styles, Bria doesn’t consider herself a
country artist: “I feel as though I’m a visitor here, paying respect to a style that has
informed a part of my musical identity. Country music, as much as any other art form,
should be an arena for representation, expression and provocation. I have a ton of
reverence for artists who came before me and challenged the primarily whiteheterosexual status quo.”
Salmena and Jennings have toured for years as members of Toronto four-piece FRIGS,
whose 2018 debut ‘Basic Behaviour’ was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Making a
mark in diverse genres from country to punk, both play as permanent members of Orville
Peck’s band.
‘Cuntry Covers’ was recorded on the territories of the Anishnaabe, the Haudenosaunee,
the Wendat and the Mississaugas of the Credit. The release also features contributions
from FRIGS drummer Kris Bowering and vocals by Ali Jennings.
LP pressed on opaque breeze blue vinyl.
Bria is an intimate and incisive labour of love from multi-instrumentalists Bria Salmena
and Duncan Hay Jennings. Catapulted by a deep sense of dread and confusion in the
depths of 2020, Salmena decided to forgo writing her own music. “I wanted to listen for
what might reflect my life back to me,” she says, “six tracks that could be my mirror.” The
result is a pointillistic knockout of a release that weaves a landscape both luscious and a
little rogue; showing us exactly what good songs can do.
Bria’s internal turbulence seemed to mirror last year’s external instability. When Jennings
and back-up singer Jaime McCuaig moved to The Outside Inn, a hobby farm in Hockley
Hills, Ontario, Bria soon joined. The farm’s living-room-turned-studio proved an ideal
setting for the long-time friends to compile a record of handpicked country covers. They
went searching for songs that could speak to our everyday loneliness, outside and in.
‘Cuntry Covers’ houses it all: well-worn favourites and lesser-known gems.
The record opens with ‘Green Rocky Road’, as performed by Greenwich Village legend
Karen Dalton. Jennings’ twangy guitar carries Bria’s original inflection and richly textured
vocals, complete with dreamy overlay. ‘Dreaming My Dreams With You’, a rendition of the
Waylon Jennings hit, is followed by John Cale’s ‘Buffalo Ballet’, a lyrical journey through
Abilene, Texas, the endpoint of the Chisholm Trail.
Engineered and mixed by Duncan Hay Jennings, each song brings desire and sexuality
front and centre, with all the swagger you’d expect – and more. Bria hopes the record will
be understood as a small contribution to the subversion of a genre with deep patriarchal
roots. Mistress Mary’s ‘I Don’t Wanna Love Ya Now’, from the 1969 album ‘Housewife’,
served as the original inspiration. “It was the first song Duncan and I worked on,” Bria
notes. “It definitely set the tone for the other tracks we picked.”
Bria’s voice - described as wavering between “sultry and howitzer” - shines on ‘Fruits Of
My Labour’, written and performed by country great, Lucinda Williams. The Walker
Brothers’ ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’ is a harmonic (and hypnotic) standout. A
musical explorer who moves fluidly between styles, Bria doesn’t consider herself a
country artist: “I feel as though I’m a visitor here, paying respect to a style that has
informed a part of my musical identity. Country music, as much as any other art form,
should be an arena for representation, expression and provocation. I have a ton of
reverence for artists who came before me and challenged the primarily whiteheterosexual status quo.”
Salmena and Jennings have toured for years as members of Toronto four-piece FRIGS,
whose 2018 debut ‘Basic Behaviour’ was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Making a
mark in diverse genres from country to punk, both play as permanent members of Orville
Peck’s band.
‘Cuntry Covers’ was recorded on the territories of the Anishnaabe, the Haudenosaunee,
the Wendat and the Mississaugas of the Credit. The release also features contributions
from FRIGS drummer Kris Bowering and vocals by Ali Jennings.
LP pressed on opaque breeze blue vinyl.
LTD COLOUR[29,79 €]
Classic black LPs housed in gatefold w/ special canvas cardboard stock and silver hot foil! Nordic pop diva KARIN PARK of ÅRABROT adds her ethereal, mournful voice and keys to the primordial sound of legendary electronic pioneer LUSTMORD for this sublime and poignant collaboration. ALTER is a ritual of our times. On the pair's frst collaborative work, the nine tracks that make up ALTER are every bit as heart-wrenching as they are terrifying, mining new sonic territory, it is a fascinating study of light and shade that delves deep into vast uncharted darkness. Their ability to create atmosphere on the album opener "Hiraeth" is second to none, perfectly assembling a harrowing backdrop for Park's lilting sound of longing. From there, Park's vocals add all of the emotional depth and power found in names like Kate Bush, Maynard J Keenan and Elizabeth Frasier, perfectly playing against Lustmord's waves of dark drama and creating a wholly unique record that recalls Dead Can Dance, Massive Attack and Portishead at their greatest. Considering Park's credentials, it might be surprising that a collaboration with Lustmord would ft so seamlessly. Utilizing a sound comprised of elements of industrial, synth pop and more, the celebrated Swedish solo artist and member of Norwegian rock band Årabrot utilizes experimentation in her work, blazing trails and bringing to mind the work of her peers The Knife, Scott Walker, Robyn, Depeche Mode and Burial with her darkly-rich compositions. Multiple winner of Norway's Spellemann award, Park co-wrote the Norwegian entry for the 2013 Eurovision, fnishing fourth overall. But it is the sensibility of the sacred music of her youth that Park adds to ALTER, contributing a powerful vocal that guides the listener through the cavernous, mystical depth of their collaborative work. "Lustmord is the Gustave Doré of music", Karin Park ofers pensively. "Painting magical pictures with a sound that is so vast, it gives space for your own imagination." Brian Williams grew up in North Wales, beginning his musical career as Lustmord in 1980 and becoming a pivotal fgure and pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. A former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, Williams went on to work with Throbbing Gristle members Chris & Cosey and appeared on early albums by Current 93 and Nurse With Wound amongst others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed, as well as on several video game, television scores and solo albums. Williams has also contributed to and collaborated with artists as varied as the Melvins, Clock DVA, Jarboe, John Balance of Coil, Clock DVA, Paul Haslinger (Tangerine Dream), Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), Puscifer and more, including Grammy Award-winners Tool from their much acclaimed eforts 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum. FOR FANS OF Lustmord, Årabrot, Dead Can Dance, Hans Zimmer, Sunn O))), Fever Ray, Chelsea Wolfe, Boards of Canada, Heilung, Zola Jesus, Swans.
2LP[25,59 €]
Limited coloured LPs housed in gatefold w/ special canvas cardboard stock and silver hot foil! Nordic pop diva KARIN PARK of ÅRABROT adds her ethereal, mournful voice and keys to the primordial sound of legendary electronic pioneer LUSTMORD for this sublime and poignant collaboration. ALTER is a ritual of our times. On the pair's frst collaborative work, the nine tracks that make up ALTER are every bit as heart-wrenching as they are terrifying, mining new sonic territory, it is a fascinating study of light and shade that delves deep into vast uncharted darkness. Their ability to create atmosphere on the album opener "Hiraeth" is second to none, perfectly assembling a harrowing backdrop for Park's lilting sound of longing. From there, Park's vocals add all of the emotional depth and power found in names like Kate Bush, Maynard J Keenan and Elizabeth Frasier, perfectly playing against Lustmord's waves of dark drama and creating a wholly unique record that recalls Dead Can Dance, Massive Attack and Portishead at their greatest. Considering Park's credentials, it might be surprising that a collaboration with Lustmord would ft so seamlessly. Utilizing a sound comprised of elements of industrial, synth pop and more, the celebrated Swedish solo artist and member of Norwegian rock band Årabrot utilizes experimentation in her work, blazing trails and bringing to mind the work of her peers The Knife, Scott Walker, Robyn, Depeche Mode and Burial with her darkly-rich compositions. Multiple winner of Norway's Spellemann award, Park co-wrote the Norwegian entry for the 2013 Eurovision, fnishing fourth overall. But it is the sensibility of the sacred music of her youth that Park adds to ALTER, contributing a powerful vocal that guides the listener through the cavernous, mystical depth of their collaborative work. "Lustmord is the Gustave Doré of music", Karin Park ofers pensively. "Painting magical pictures with a sound that is so vast, it gives space for your own imagination." Brian Williams grew up in North Wales, beginning his musical career as Lustmord in 1980 and becoming a pivotal fgure and pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. A former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, Williams went on to work with Throbbing Gristle members Chris & Cosey and appeared on early albums by Current 93 and Nurse With Wound amongst others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed, as well as on several video game, television scores and solo albums. Williams has also contributed to and collaborated with artists as varied as the Melvins, Clock DVA, Jarboe, John Balance of Coil, Clock DVA, Paul Haslinger (Tangerine Dream), Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), Puscifer and more, including Grammy Award-winners Tool from their much acclaimed eforts 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum.
Raf Rundell announces the release of his second album, ‘O.M. Days’,
released on Heavenly Recordings.
Features guest appearances from Chas Jankel, Lias Saoudi, Terri Walker,
Andy Jenkins and Man & The Echo.
The cover features a striking Keith Haring-meets-the Green Man image from
acclaimed artist and longtime collaborator Ben Edge, the picture was
inspired by the folk tale of the giant of Dawson, who is both male and
female, human and vegetation and lived in the imagination of Dawson’s Hill,
a stretch of South London parkland a stone’s throw away from Dawson’s
Heights, the flats featured on the cover of the debut album ‘Stop Lying’.
Edge and Rundell, for reasons they can’t entirely comprehend, concocted a
rite which took place the first full moon after this year’s summer solstice
(the results of which can be seen in the short film trailer for the album).
This involved the giant - also known as Tommy Hill Figure - being created
on Dawson’s Hill. “Ben’s been digging deeper and deeper into ancient
myths, the green man, all the stuff that’s been co-opted by organised
religion,” Rundell explains. All this chimed with him because he is a magnet
for signs and symbols. He has been ever since his Mod-loving parents
named him after the RAF roundel symbol.
“We’d been talking about this sort of stuff a lot,” Rundell continues. “The
rite was about the birth of the new and using the coronavirus as a catalyst
for that change, like a full stop to the way things were before. The corona
was called the spark in the ceremony, although we’re not being too specific
about the virus because this is a thing we hope to do annually.”
This is the backdrop to the album, a record far larger and more confident
than its creator could ever have imagined. Unlike his itinerantly created
previous records, ‘O.M. Days’ was entirely recorded in the same Forest Hill
studio, with the aforementioned collaborators. “I love collaborating with
people - like Lias Saoudi or Andy Jenkins, who are both on this record -
that’s where it’s at for me,” Rundell says. “I worked really hard on this one.
And although I had no plan about where it was going, I always have a
notion about how I want things to sound. I had a particular idea about
that.”
Initial copies are eco-wax vinyl, reverting to standard vinyl (HVNLP181)
when sold out.
Digital download code included.
LTD. LOSER EDITION
Kiwi Jr. is a phenomenal "rock" and/or "punk" and/or "indie-rock" (whichever you like more) band from Canada, made up of Jeremy Gaudet (mic, guitar), Brohan Moore (drums), Mike Walker (bass), and Brian Murphy (guitar). Cooler Returns is their second album, and their first for Sub Pop. Despite being a snapshot of the pandemic-infused beginnings of this decade, Cooler Returns is truly a whole lot of fun. RIYL indie-pop from down under, things that are smart/exuberant/catchy all at once. Buildings burning in every direction; macabre unknowns in your friendly neighbor's basement; undecided voters sharpening their pencils: under pressure we could call Kiwi Jr.'s Cooler Returns "timely." But what year is it, again? On Cooler Returns, Kiwi Jr. cycle through the recent zigs & looming zags of the new decade, squinting anew at New Year's parties forgotten and under-investigated small town diner fires, piecing together low-stakes conspiracy theories on what's coming down the pike in 2021. Put together like a thousand-piece puzzle, assembled in flow state through the first dull stretch of quarantine, sanitized singer shuffling to sanitized studio by streetcar, masked like it's the kind of work where getting recognized means getting killed, Cooler Returns materializes as a sprawling survey from the first few bites of the terrible twenties, an investigative exposé of recent history buried under the headlines & ancient kings buried under parking lots. Not so long since their debut Football Money in archaeological time, unending gray eons later in the dog years of quaran-time, spiritually antipodean Canadians Kiwi Jr return to disseminate this year's annual report to the shareholders, burying the incriminating numbers in the endless appendices of a longform narrative record, a 3,000 word tract for stakeholders to pore over. These stories - memories of Augusts past, unrepressed & transcribed fast - go down easier thanks to meaningful changes enacted in 2019's KiwiCares Pledge: delivering on a promise to transition from Crunchy to Smooth by 2021, the caveman chug of Football Money has been steamed & pressed with the purifying air of a saloon piano - operated with bow-tie untied - and a spring green side-salad of tentatively up-tempo organ taps & freshly fluted harmonica. A chronically detuned spin of the dial through swivel-chair distractions & WFH daydreams, an immersive ctrl-tab deluge cycling through popular listicle distractions like the unentombing of Richard III, or the deja vu destruction of the Glasgow School of Art, Kiwi Jr. sing this song to an indoor audience, crisscrossing canceled, every other prestige distraction source wrung dry, only songwriting remaining to deliver engrossing tales to the populace, just how I imagine it worked in the old days. Fixing loose ingredients into a sturdy whip, Kiwi Jr. beam in live from the 9-5, striding into 2021 with a mastered brainwave that comes equally from the back room of the record store as the penalty box. And how do we, left holding this box of deliberate entanglements, sign off to those as yet uninitiated, undecided, uncertain, unseen, absent return coordinates - Best Wishes, Warm Regards, Good Luck? Cooler Returns, Cooler Returns, C o o l e r R e t u r n s ! Cooler Returns was produced by Kiwi Jr., mixed and engineered by Graham Walsh (METZ, Bully) in Toronto, and mastered by Phillip Shaw Bova at Bova Labs in Ottawa, Ontario.
Kiwi Jr. is a phenomenal "rock" and/or "punk" and/or "indie-rock" (whichever you like more) band from Canada, made up of Jeremy Gaudet (mic, guitar), Brohan Moore (drums), Mike Walker (bass), and Brian Murphy (guitar). Cooler Returns is their second album, and their first for Sub Pop. Despite being a snapshot of the pandemic-infused beginnings of this decade, Cooler Returns is truly a whole lot of fun. RIYL indie-pop from down under, things that are smart/exuberant/catchy all at once. Buildings burning in every direction; macabre unknowns in your friendly neighbor's basement; undecided voters sharpening their pencils: under pressure we could call Kiwi Jr.'s Cooler Returns "timely." But what year is it, again? On Cooler Returns, Kiwi Jr. cycle through the recent zigs & looming zags of the new decade, squinting anew at New Year's parties forgotten and under-investigated small town diner fires, piecing together low-stakes conspiracy theories on what's coming down the pike in 2021. Put together like a thousand-piece puzzle, assembled in flow state through the first dull stretch of quarantine, sanitized singer shuffling to sanitized studio by streetcar, masked like it's the kind of work where getting recognized means getting killed, Cooler Returns materializes as a sprawling survey from the first few bites of the terrible twenties, an investigative exposé of recent history buried under the headlines & ancient kings buried under parking lots. Not so long since their debut Football Money in archaeological time, unending gray eons later in the dog years of quaran-time, spiritually antipodean Canadians Kiwi Jr return to disseminate this year's annual report to the shareholders, burying the incriminating numbers in the endless appendices of a longform narrative record, a 3,000 word tract for stakeholders to pore over. These stories - memories of Augusts past, unrepressed & transcribed fast - go down easier thanks to meaningful changes enacted in 2019's KiwiCares Pledge: delivering on a promise to transition from Crunchy to Smooth by 2021, the caveman chug of Football Money has been steamed & pressed with the purifying air of a saloon piano - operated with bow-tie untied - and a spring green side-salad of tentatively up-tempo organ taps & freshly fluted harmonica. A chronically detuned spin of the dial through swivel-chair distractions & WFH daydreams, an immersive ctrl-tab deluge cycling through popular listicle distractions like the unentombing of Richard III, or the deja vu destruction of the Glasgow School of Art, Kiwi Jr. sing this song to an indoor audience, crisscrossing canceled, every other prestige distraction source wrung dry, only songwriting remaining to deliver engrossing tales to the populace, just how I imagine it worked in the old days. Fixing loose ingredients into a sturdy whip, Kiwi Jr. beam in live from the 9-5, striding into 2021 with a mastered brainwave that comes equally from the back room of the record store as the penalty box. And how do we, left holding this box of deliberate entanglements, sign off to those as yet uninitiated, undecided, uncertain, unseen, absent return coordinates - Best Wishes, Warm Regards, Good Luck? Cooler Returns, Cooler Returns, C o o l e r R e t u r n s ! Cooler Returns was produced by Kiwi Jr., mixed and engineered by Graham Walsh (METZ, Bully) in Toronto, and mastered by Phillip Shaw Bova at Bova Labs in Ottawa, Ontario.
2023 Backstock
New album of one of the biggest Reggae/Dub french soundsystem starring MacGyver, Rooty Step & Pupajim (who worked with Alpha Steppa, Biga Ranx, High Tone, Mungo's Hi-Fi ...).
Since their inception at start of the 2000s, Stand High Patrol have rocked sound systems to their own riddim, assimilating and re-purposing the codes of the genre in their own unique style. From tiny bars in Brittany to huge festival stages, on independent radio or across national airwaves, the crew have quietly trod their own path, never compromising their core value of independence. Connoisseurs have long recognised Stand High’s credentials both as a dub group and a leading sound system, but they stand out from the crowd because of their ability to deliver the unexpected, whether live or on record. Their ability to draw such a diverse audience is testament to this atypical approach to making music.
In 2020, almost 20 years since their humble beginnings, the collective presents their fifth album, “Our Own Way”. As with their first two albums “Midnight Walkers” and “Matter Of Scale”, now considered as classics in their genre, this new opus asserts itself as the latest representation of the crew’s versatile approach to crafting sound. Their music, a blend of its own known as “Dubadub”, has always borrowed influences from multiple sources, and over the course of their career their roots in dub and reggae have intertwined with hip-hop, jazz, new wave, trip-hop and numerous other genres. The ‘Dubadub Musketeers’ have never ceased experimenting, forever seeking to increase the sonic territory they cover, day after day. Both live and recorded, they’ve made it a point of honour to never offer up the same thing twice. Any resemblance that “Our Own Way” might bear to those first two albums is a consequence of this obvious creative continuity, rather than of going “back to basics”.
In contrast to the last two Stand High Patrol records, the hip-hop inspired “The Shift”, or the Bristol indebted “Summer On Mars”, “Our Own Way” doesn’t have a unifying concept or theme. Rather than being limited to a single aesthetic, the LP pays respect to the entire canon of Jamaican music, all unified under Stand High’s inimitable production values. With the wealth of experience gained during the recording of their last two records, the collective decided to aim for a freer project, letting themselves be guided by their own music and their own instincts. The end result is a musical portrait of what Stand High Patrol is in the present moment.
The tracks that make up the new LP burst out of the studio, each born out of unbridled, impulsive creativity. Previously unheard compositions and specially re-tooled dub plates have been assembled into a tracklist that shifts and moves like a classic Dubadub Musketeer live set. Each step of the process has been refined by years of practice : composition, effects, and the final mix. Throughout “On Our Way”, the brutal dub stepper, though still a favourite for sound system sessions, is noticeable by its absence. Instead, it’s the full weight of the crew’s reggae heritage that’s expressed in the mix. It's not just the depth and weight of each tune that strikes the listener, but also the spaces heard between the notes that grab and hold their attention.. The sense of a trip, whether musical, internal or geographic, is omnipresent throughout the LP, linking each track to those before and after. “Our Own Way” finds Stand High Patrol exploring as usual, yet also narrating their journey as they’ve rarely done before.







































