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Come Back Down, the new album by Nashville experimental-pop duo Total Wife, was born from the edge of sleep. When composer and producer Luna Kupper would begin to fall asleep during late-night mixing sessions, the songs would follow her into the halfway place between dream and lucidity. Like Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, she'd wake with a new perspective on the puzzle she was piecing together. "I'm a psychological mixer - I'm trying to think of how someone's experiencing the sound, versus getting stuck in trying to make all these different tones and using all this gear to make something sound a certain way," Kupper says. And like a spiral from waking life into dream, the songs on Come Back Down are endlessly self-referential, building whole universes from a single point. Kupper sold all of her synths to make rent before she started working on the album, and so every inorganic sound is instead built from samples of the band's own work. A guitar on one song may be reprocessed and used as a synth on the next, while everywhere on the album vocal samples are taken from a single unreleased cover of Elliott Smith's 'Between the Bars.' In tribute to this process, the album was almost named The Julia Set after the mathematical equation which feeds into itself again and again, creating beautiful fractal images. The intention was to create something complex but accessible; experimental, yet precise and without abstraction. In her lyrics, too, lyricist and vocalist Ash Richter is as straightforward as she's ever been. She drew on her experience of pandemic isolation to write about connection and disconnection, using her lyrics as a tool for the communication that was missing in everyday life. On the soaring, shoegazey track 'peaches,' a storm that forced the cancellation of a recording session became a metaphor for emotional distance. 'still asleep' chronicles Richter's euphoria after Total Wife's first tour, and watches it begin to curdle into paranoia. "Thank the full moon, my heart is overflowing," she sings, before: "Is there such a thing as too happy?" The experience of isolation was prompting Richter to think back to her childhood, a time marked for her by solitude and natural play - climbing trees, making mud pies, getting lost in the woods. On tracks like 'in my head' and 'second spring,' she uses the imagery of nature to recall that time and forge a connection with her lonely inner child. "I feel connected with transcendentalist writing and magical realism - trying to convey things in a concrete way, but with that element of psychology and mystery," she says. Richter and Kupper, friends from high school, formed Total Wife in 2016, relocating from Boston to Nashville in 2020. Both are visual artists as well as musicians, which they incorporate into their work with Total Wife via layered and purposeful visuals. A DIY streak underpins everything that they do - from handling their own artwork and music videos to recording their own music, releasing tapes through their label Ivy Eat Home, and hosting house shows in the basement they've christened Ryman 2. In Nashville they've settled into a weirdo scene living under the record industry's floorboards, a hive of collaborative and creative energy that has made them excited to call the city home. They also assembled a live band for the first time shortly after moving to Nashville, consisting of Ryan Bigelow, Sean Booz and Billy Campbell - injecting their creative process with a jolt of spontaneity and aliveness that has fed back into Come Back Down.

A space is often described by its dimensions. The height of the ceiling, the expanse between walls. Division into functional elements of varying density follows. We have ideas of how such dimensions should be balanced to work well for sound — the classical concert hall, a Northward mastering room.

It’s tempting to try and use this idea of space to understand Space the group (Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman, Anna Lund). To calculate their cartesian co-ordinates: dynamics that run from whisper soft to punishing, shaking force; Ullén’s piano running the full expanse of the frequency spectrum; the mix of sudden, surprising and suggested variations in density (the space) that generates their musical structures.

But (a) space is a social phenomenon where meaning is accumulated and possibilities created by and through a constantly shifting set of social relations and their histories and entanglement inside and beyond the physical structures of a room or building. Reduced to its raw dimensions, Cafe OTO shouldn’t sound good: the low ceiling, the hollow void underneath the stage-not-stage, the hard glass windows out onto the street. But OTO as a social space — for gathering close to listen; the serious pursuit of a convivial good time (its productive mythology that an OTO audience is both up for it but also expects more); and then the idea of all that has happened before and what will come; that this is also part of ‘the music’ and changes what sounds to the point that none of those cartesian co-ordinates matter.**

It’s less of shock that Space sound good. Lisa Ullén is easily the most singular pianist in Sweden right now and Elsa and Anna’s ability to reroute in realtime reaffirms just how well they function as a group. The trio might have got their shit together holding down the rhythm section for the first incarnation of Anna Högberg Attack — but much like Högberg’s ongoing pursuit of artistic renewal, the trio avoid being shackled to any ideas about what a piano trio should be and there is something that happens (happened) in that room, on that night, with those people that made for something beyond just good.

It’s a gift that the sound of every concert at OTO gets recorded. A choice handful of these transcend their decoupling from that social space and radiate the room’s attendant energies. This record is one of them.

** See Jack Halberstam in Fred Moten & Stefano Harney, The Undercommons (2013): “…we must refuse the idea that music happens only when the musician enters and picks up an instrument; music is also the anticipation of the performance and the noises of appreciation it generates and the speaking that happens through and around it, making it and loving it, being in it while listening."

“When the flesh gets cut off the soul, it’s not the end.”

More than forty years after hardCORPS emerged from a Brixton basement, ‘Metal & Flesh’ returns in a new expanded edition on double vinyl and CD, newly remastered with the full involvement of surviving members Rob Doran and Clive Pierce. Born from the collision of punk, analogue synthesisers, sequencers, disco, reggae and experimental studio techniques, hardCORPS created electronic music that was as physical and emotional as it was mechanical. The arrival of French vocalist Regine Fetet gave the group its defining identity, placing her raw, uncompromising voice against the dense machinery of Hugh Ashton, Clive Pierce and Rob Doran. Working mainly with a Roland System 100, several Roland MC4 sequencers and later an additional MC500 and Atari ST 1040 computers, etc. pp., hardCORPS always transformed limitations, accidents, distortion and human imperfection into part of the music itself. Although rooted in the early 1980s, ‘Metal & Flesh’ refuses easy nostalgia, retaining the tension, space and character that made hardCORPS unlike their contemporaries. Yet, shall we eventually mention Kraftwerk, maybe let’s quote Ian Shirley from Record Collector magazine: „’Je Suis Passée‘ was not only a love letter to Kraftwerk but penned with such verve, passion and precision that Ralf and Florian probably would have accepted a blind date at a Düsseldorf cocktail bar (…).“ And as Martin Rushent famously said in 1990: “Hard Corps were ignored in their time. Perhaps it is the burden of the adventurous and the innovative to be ignored in their time, which is sad. Don’t ignore them now.”

This new edition has been carefully remastered to preserve that character and dynamics rather than simply making the recordings louder or more ‘modern’, while the artwork has likewise been developed to reflect the band’s original identity. Metal & Flesh’ is not merely an artefact of the 1980s, but a rare and fiercely individual document of four people discovering what happens when human instinct and machines collide.

Remastered by Martin Bowes. Graphic design by hard CORPS and Steve Lippert.

Gatefold sleeve gloss lamination, printed inner sleeves with lyrics, two double-sided hand-numbered.

“I thought I knew you, but you are alien to me.”

Twelve years have passed since TWINS NATALIA’s debut album, “Destiny Room”, but Dave, Marc and Steve have never really stopped working on new ideas and projects, including the release of a mini-album from Marc’s solo project SHIBUYA STATION. This featured their first collaboration with Greek artist KRIISTAL ANN (also known from PARADOX OBSCUR), who provided the vocals for the track “Madness”. This led to Anna being invited by TWINS NATALIA to perform lead vocals on their cover version of KNOW’s “Knights of Pleasure”. The results were so pleasing that, from then on, Anna was persistently ’pestered’ to work on a TWINS NATALIA EP, which slowly morphed into a complete album entitled “I Died On Mars”. The album is a journey through electronic soundscapes and pure, dark ’80s minimal synth-pop, full of melancholia, haunting melodies, elaborate synth sound design and sequencing, ranging from neat to gnarly, and, of course, KRIISTAL ANN’s charismatic voice icing the cake.

“I Died On Mars” presents us with further surprises: TWINS NATALIA version of “The Dagger In Me” by ’80s Greek post-punk legends THE HANDS OF CAIN, as well as “A Different Hum” by PARADOX OBSCUR, a song that surely needs no further introduction. Anna has not shied away from specially re-recording the vocals for this version, while both versions have been given some distinctly Twins Natalia-specific additions and treatments. Furthermore, Anna has contributed her own composition “Find Me I A Fantasy”, so you’re in for a treat or two, for sure.

Mastering by Nikolas Haldoupis at SoundCave Studios Athens.

Graphic design by Steve Lippert with some original photography by Kriistal Ann.

,Es ist ein Bedroom-Album, das sich aber gar nicht wie eins anfühlt", sagt Glenn Morrow, Gründer von Bar/None Records, über ,Reseda Spleen", das lange verschollene Album von Ventilator aus dem Jahr 1996. Nach Jahren bei Permanent Green Light wurde Matt Devine klar, dass er weiterziehen musste. Devine stürzte sich kopfüber in sein neues musikalisches Kapitel: mit Earle Mankey als seinem musikalischen Mentor, Todd Rundgrens Klassiker ,Something/Anything" aus dem Jahr 1972 als konzeptionelle Inspiration und einem gebrauchten Tascam 388 - gekauft von einem Stuntman bei ,Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" -, den er in seiner Wohnung in North Hollywood aufstellte. ,Reseda Spleen" hätte bei Liebhabern von lautem, gitarrenlastigem Pop eigentlich Anklang finden müssen. Leider blieb die Existenz des Albums, wie bei so vielen Indie-Veröffentlichungen davor und danach, so gut wie unbemerkt - abgesehen von zwei begeisterten Kritiken (von ,The Big Takeover" und ,TapeOp"), die erst lange nach dem Verschwinden von ,Reseda Spleen" aus der Szene erschienen. ,Es ist so ein zeitloses Album", sagt Rob Zabrecky Possum Dixon. ,Es hat nicht diesen schrecklichen Glanz, mit dem damals so viele Bands überzogen wurden, und Matt hat nicht versucht, seine Gitarre wie Nirvana klingen zu lassen oder den Lo-Fi-Weg wie Pavement einzuschlagen; er war so im Reinen mit sich selbst und seiner Vision, dass ihn all das nicht beeinflusst hat. Es ist einfach so schön, dass diese Songs wieder herauskommen, denn ich glaube, die Leute müssen sie hören."

Rathmann spielen dunklen Gitarrenpop. Ungeschliffen und roh. Schmutzig, räumlich und mit einem Sinn für Romantik. Auf ihrem Debütalbum "Die Goldenen Zwanziger" haben sie zu einem klaren Selbstverständnis - einem eigenständigen Sound - gefunden und erzählen darin ehrlich und nahbar. Wenn in ihren Songs ein junges Paar ungewollt schwanger wird, Menschen aus der Bahn geraten oder sich dystopische Zukunftsaussichten breit machen - dann vertonen Rathmann abgründig und introspektiv, eingängig und wunderschön die Zwanziger. Ihre eigenen und das Jahrzehnt, in dem sie sie erleben. Vom Indierocker "Warum tut Liebe so" über den folkigen "Trauriger Geist" bis zum Italo-Western-Titeltrack des Albums - überall ist die klare Handschrift zu erkennen: Eine Band, die sich erlaubt, Band zu sein. Eine Band, die sich nicht am Zeitgeist, sondern ausschließlich an ihren eigenen Interessen orientiert. Und so findet man auf ihrem im Herbst 2026 erscheinenden Debütalbum mehr Anleihen von Leonard Cohen, Big Thief, Dr. Dog und Bands der Hamburger Schule als vom zeitgenössischen, deutschen Indiepop. Bei ihren Konzerten wie auch im Songwriting, Rathmann fangen in ihren Liedern den Moment ein: Die Unsicherheit unserer Zeit und die Tristesse einer soliden Quarter-Life-Crisis - immer aber auch die Freude an der Gemeinsamkeit und die Aufregung eines Lebens, das es noch zu entdecken gilt. Inklusive der Singles Wenn alles vorbei ist, Der Test in Deinen Fingern, Warum tut Liebe so & Trauriger Geist.

Das 1982 aufgenommene (aber erst 1986 veröffentlichte) Album *Jealous* war John Lee Hookers erstes
Album mit neuem Material seit Jahren und leitete ein Comeback ein, das drei Jahre später in dem mit
einem Grammy ausgezeichneten Album *The Healer* gipfelten sollte.
Im Gegensatz zu der Vielzahl an Gaststars, die auf den meisten Alben seiner späten Schaffensphase zu
hören waren, präsentiert sich *Jealous* als schnörkellose, erdige Produktion von Hookers eingespielter
Band. Das Album, das neu interpretierte, weniger bekannte Stücke aus seinem frühen Repertoire enthielt,
wurde schließlich mit einem W.C. Handy Award ausgezeichnet und für einen Grammy nominiert.

Der deutsch-amerikanische Violinist David Garrett veröffentlicht mit Immortal sein neues Album. Ein
zutiefst persönliches Projekt und zugleich eine Hommage an einige der bedeutendsten Komponisten der
Musikgeschichte wie W. A. Mozart, Claude Debussy und John Williams. Alle Stücke wurden von David neu arrangiert und spiegeln sein tiefes musikalisches Verständnis, sowie
seinen Anspruch an Authentizität wider. „Ich bin stolz darauf, sagen zu können, dass dieses Projekt zu
100 % handgemacht ist“, sagt er. „Ich hoffe, dass die Hörerinnen und Hörer nicht nur den Klang genießen,
sondern auch die menschliche Präsenz in der Musik spüren.“

Robert Nasveld (*1955 Utrecht) studied piano at the Utrecht Conservatory with Polo de Haas, Sas Bunge and Herman Uhlhorn, composition with Joep Straesser, and electronic music with Ton Bruynèl. After completing his piano studies, Robert Nasveld specialised in 20th-century repertoire, with a particular focus on Dutch, Russian and American music. He achieved international fame as a pianist for his interpretations of the works of the American composer George Crumb, which led to invitations to perform at various events, including the Warsaw Autumn Festival (1990). His connection with George Crumb also enabled him to produce a seven-hour live broadcast of Crumb's music for VPRO radio in 1986 and a television program with the composer. Nasveld recorded the complete works for one piano by George Crumb, which was released by the Attacca label in 1991. He has given concerts in Europe, Russia, and the United States.

Nasveld was also a member of the Orgella Quartet, founded in 1976 (with Margaret Krill, Polo de Haas, and Niek de Vente), Piano Kwadraat, and the Netherlands Pianists Quartet (with Marian Bolt, Corien van den Berg, and Niek de Vente). These ensembles specialised in performing music for two eight-handed pianos. He also collaborated with several vocalists, including Claron McFadden, Marjanne Kweksilber, and Liesbeth List (tour 1983/'84). Due to multiple sclerosis, he retired from performing in 1998.

From 1988 to 2021 Robert Nasveld worked for Dutch national radio (NOS/NPS/NTR) as a program producer for NPO Klassiek. Until 2004, he was editor of Supplement, which received the Silver Reiss Microphone in 1996, the highest award for a radio program, for its adventurous and innovative programming. Robert Nasveld also programmed concept evenings at Muziekcentrum Vredenburg, featuring contemporary music performed by soloists, ensembles, and the broadcasting orchestras for NOS/NPS. From 2019 until his retirement in 2021, he presented a series of podcasts for NTR/NPO Radio 4 about electronic music pioneers. The three compositions on this LP are the only tape pieces recorded by Nasveld. They were created at Ton Bruynèl’s studio at the Utrecht Conservatory and the Institute for Sonology in Utrecht.

A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.

Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.

As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.

It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.

In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.

– Tom Carter

A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.

Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.

As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.

It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.

In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.

– Tom Carter

Individually, Justo the MC & maticulous have impressive resumes in the underground hip hop circuit. Justo, who came up under the Gang Starr Foundation, has worked with Lord Finesse, Rockwilder, Marco Polo and DJ Skizz, releasing numerous projects, most recently “Black Ops,” produced entirely by Showbiz of DITC.

maticulous, who came up under Fat Beats NY, has delivered several producer albums and instrumental projects having produced for the likes of MF Doom, Masta Ace, Your Old Droog, Fame Of MOP, Blu, RA the Rugged Man and many more.

After a chance meeting at SiriusXM studios, the duo started to craft what would become “Mind Of A Man.” This album showcases the feeling of Brooklyn hip hop that stands firm on tradition, giving you true school flavor you’ve been missing. Featuring guest appearances by Kev Brown, Rasheed Chappell, DJ Eclipse and Davenport Grimes.
Limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies, with the first 100 pressed on black / grey A-side B-side vinyl, the remaining 200 pressed on black vinyl.

Boston based production duo and room-mates John Barera & Will Martin continue their journey into sculptural, storytelling House music, with their debut album on Dolly - ' Graceless'. The pair's work has found a wider audience since the success of 'Reality', which found its way into the hands of Berlin's Steffi, and acted as a central gear and in her 2013 Panorama 05 Mix. John Barera has been a firm disciple of the House and Techno world for the past 10 years, and after launching Supply Records in 2011 has brought an elegant, resoundingly universal mixture of underground club tracks to the fore. A fresh and fruitful partnership with close friend Will Martin grew out of the pair's rapidly growing studio, and the latest results can be found here over the 8 cool, classy and refined contemporary House tracks.

From the discovery of her smoke 'n' honey battlecry, through her baptism of fire in the Bronx blues clubs, onto backup vocals for giants like Joe Louis Walker and Popa Chubby - before finding her own voice with the solo career that exploded in 2016 - the award-winning New York singer-songwriter's road-scuffed leather boots have barely touched the ground. Now, Schorr releases Running Wild: the highly anticipated third album whose songs pulse with empowerment in dark times. "It's about defiance, selfdiscovery, reflection, resilience and freedom," she says. "I want these songs to lift people above the grind.

Leading the charge was a young band from West London called Pressure Point, whose debut single Mellow Moods caused a real stir on its release in 1985. The Stan Getz-inspired bossa nova was released initially on Viceroy Records, and immediately punched well above its weight, thanks to the considerable talents of producer Steve James, vocalist Lydia Gayle and some of London's leading session musicians: saxophonists Jamie Talbot and Ian Trimmer, trumpeter Steve Sidwell and his brother, trombonist Neil, and keyboard player Simon Etchells. It quickly became Capital Radio's 'People's Choice', winning praise on air from the likes of Kid Creole himself - August Darnell - and went on to be re-released by Bellaphon in Germany and by Gilles Peterson's HardBack Records. It is widely viewed as a rare groove classic, with copies changing hands for hefty sums in the following decades. London- based Pressure Point's core members were Matthew Best, Anthony 'Hugo' Longden and Sean Maher, who went on to work with Soul Legend Miss PP Arnold to complete 'Dreaming', a now legendary and as yet unreleased 1989 album

On the one hand, In Spades is as quintessentially Afghan Whigs as anything the group has ever done – fulfilling its original mandate to explore the missing link between howling Midwestern punk like Die Kreuzen and Hüsker Dü, The Temptations’ psychedelic soul symphonies, and the expansive hard-rock tapestries of Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd. At the same time, this record continues to push beyond anything in the Whigs’ previous repertoire – another trademark, along with the explosive group dynamic captured on the recording.

Much like a teacher, Meryl Streek imparts his knowledge and lived experiences to all who are willing to listen. His third album, ‘Stories They Don’t Teach You At School’, serves as an alternative form of education, delivered through a visceral blend of factual soundbites and raw emotion, loops and samples, guitars and bass. The lyrics resonate with core values of compassion, resilience, and community—themes rarely explored within a classroom setting or seen in today's fragmented society. By prioritising conviction over commercial success, the Dublin artist's outspokenness may invite controversy. Yet beneath the fervor lies a profound desire for positive social change at home in Ireland, and beyond.
Meryl Streek returned to Darkland Studios in Dublin to fine-tune the recordings previously made in a shed at the back of his ma's garden. Here he continued the genre-blurring nature of his earlier work, enticing listeners toward dissonant landscapes and hypnotic rhythms. Gentle piano tones collide with abrasive synths, creating a striking tension between beauty and noise. Streek tempers his rage when appropriate, integrating atmospheric textures and pop sensibilities into his ever-expanding sonic collage.
As is tradition with any Meryl Streek record, ‘Stories They Don’t Teach You At School’ unearths many uncomfortable truths. ‘Rotten Fruit’ examines media manipulation and the numbing proliferation of misinformation, all soundtracked by synth-punk. With gliding keys and a crunchy bassline, ‘Council Estates’ critiques systemic government failures affecting the working class. ‘Kelly’ is a slice of electronica that details an ongoing criminal investigation, currently classified as a “Contested Cause of Death”. The indie pop of 'The Chancer' brings much-needed attention to landlord politicians. As the album progresses, the mission remains absolute: to provide a voice for the voiceless.
To amplify these narratives, Meryl Streek handpicked a diverse group of collaborators for the project. ‘Rotten Fruit’ features Steve Ignorant of anarcho-punk collective CRASS. ‘Depression’ opens with a touching recording of the late Liam Norton, close friend and former touring companion, while Pete Holidai of The Radiators From Space contributes guitars on the song. Comedian Phill Jupitus provides the spoken outro for ‘The Chancer'. ‘Housing For All’ incorporates audio from Derelict Ireland campaigners Frank O’Connor and Jude Sherry. Venn Records owner and Gallows guitarist Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard joins forces with Adebisi Shank bassist Vinny McCreith on the aggressive ‘Bullet,’ while Sophie Porter of Other Half provides bass guitar for ‘Life is Not a Rehearsal’. The album concludes with a three-minute spoken word piece by Frankie McNamara, the viral creator behind ‘Meditations for the Anxious Mind’.
In her 1990 protest anthem “Black Boys on Mopeds,” the late Sinead O’Connor warned, “To say what you feel is to dig your own grave”. With this release, Meryl Streek firmly holds the shovel.

Official reissue for this long lost 1966 LP, the very first to be endorsed by the Trevor Lucas estate. Pressed on orange vinyl for RSD 2022. Ultra-rare 1966 solo album by singer/songwriter Trevor Lucas of Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, and Election. This Australian born folk legend recorded his own songs and a handful of covers – mostly solo acoustic, occasionally accompanied by bass, concertina, and fiddle. This is the first ever authorized reissue (by his estate), a long lost gem from a seminal songwriter.

Jude Brothers sails toward a new shore with Dogwood Maiden Voyage. Created in living rooms, recording studios, and train tunnels between Tennessee and Arkansas, it's an adventurous album that's every bit as eclectic as its world-traveling creator. Here, Jude's vision of freethinking folk music — a multicultural sound that truly knows no borders, inspired by a vast array of global folk, sacred music, and pop songs— is given a lush update with string arrangements and vocal harmonies, shining new light on an artist who's always evolving.

Jude's songs are rarely linear. Instead, they explode outward in unexpected directions, exploring left-hand turns and detours before returning to their original paths. Caught halfway between the free-form, the freak-folk, and the finely-crafted, they tell stories about the complicated paths we take toward self-discovery, the push-and-pull between the desire to belong and the perpetual feeling of otherness, and the growth that emerges during times of barrenness. "You can sit with an old southerner on the porch and they’ll be telling you a story, and there are 17 different tangents," Jude says. "That's how I make music. I take all different plot lines and weave them together."

Throughout Dogwood Maiden Voyage, Jude indulges in childlike fantasy as an adult, encouraging fractured pieces of identity to communicate with one another. Much of that fantasy takes place in the woods, surrounded by trees, protected by the natural world that Jude's music so wistfully evokes. There's grief and darkness here, but there's light, too, like a forested landscape that's beginning to embrace spring after a long winter. Dogwood Maiden Voyage makes room for both sides of that divide. It's an album of multitudes — a record for all seasons.

Scottish musician Kay Logan (aka Helena Celle) self-released the prescient collection of oddball aleatoric bangers "Copy Music" in 2021, before pulling it from circulation. With the help of London imprint SWIMS, this cult album is now remastered and available on vinyl for the first time, under the new name "Endless Waltz". This will be the final Helena Celle album.

Raised on a diet of industrial queer pioneers Coil and Throbbing Gristle, occultish physics (John Dee, Aleister Crowley) and Frank Zappa, Kay's work has toyed and probed at the fringes of outsider art and technology for over ten years. Her 2016 album "If I Can't Handle Me At My Best..." established Celle's unique sonic language of unrepeatably gnarled techno, coaxed from a bewildering array of disintegrating midi controllers, Markov chains, and whatever else came to hand.

"Endless Waltz" pursues this formula to its bizarre conclusion: 18 fever loops of algorithmically crumpled dance music, pulled through a cheese cloth of obscure '90s computer game palettes and pop froth wordplay. Some of these delirious vignettes evoke a rudimentary AI regurgitating Captain Beefheart scores. Others, as one fan put it, are "sort of like if 'Commercial Album'-era Residents did an album on Rephlex". Enjoy the trip.

Recommended if you like Rezzett, Beau Wanzer, Hype Williams...

Nach drei Jahren und zehendtausend Höllen entfesseln SPIRIT POSSESSION am 2. Oktober ihr drittes Album in voller Länge: „Cathedral Speech“.
Sieben angreifende Labyrinthe weitreichenden Black Heavy Metals, bei denen alle Turmspitzen nach unten zeigen.
Wo „Of the Sign…“ aus dem Jahr 2023 noch einen messerscharfen Blick auf unberechenbare, abenteuerliche Hymnen warf, erweckt „Cathedral Speech“ die bisher stechendste, am stärksten deragierte und erzählerisch epischste Form von SPIRIT POSSESSION. Spiralförmige Gitarrenstürme und explosive Schlagzeug-Hämmerungen kanalisieren Black-/Death-Metal-Angriffe der ersten Welle im selben Atemzug mit ausladenden 70er-Jahre-Kompositionen.
Mit vier Schritten in den Wahnsinn, gefolgt von einer seitenlangen Suite, sind dies bösartige elektrische Gesänge, ebenso hochragend wie gotteslästerlich.

Besetzung: S. Peacock (Black Curse / Ulthar / Mastery) an Saiten und Gesang sowie A. Spungin (Ormus) an Schlagzeug und handgefertigten Synthesizern. Aufgenommen in den Tiefen des S•P-Dungeons und gemischt von Colin Marston in den New Menegroth, The Thousand Caves. Cover-Artwork von Luciana Lupe Vasconselos.

DIGITiSE knüpft dort an, wo HAAis Album HUMANiSE aus dem Jahr 2025 aufgehört hat, und versetzt uns direkt auf die Tanzfläche. Die zehn Tracks bewegen sich klanglich über verschiedene Genres und Stilrichtungen hinweg und sind von HAAis legendären All-Night-Long-DJ-Sets inspiriert.
Mit DIGITiSE setzt HAAi ihre Auseinandersetzung mit der Frage fort, was es bedeutet, in einer zunehmend digitalen Welt Mensch zu sein. Das Album beleuchtet das rasante Tempo von KI und technologischer Entwicklung, die Spaltungen, die dadurch entstehen, sowie die Belastungen, die damit einhergehen. Gleichzeitig bietet es ein Gegenmittel: Gemeinschaft. Menschen in einem Raum oder auf einer Tanzfläche zusammenzubringen, ein Gefühl von Zusammenhalt und Zugehörigkeit zu schaffen – dafür steht HAAi seit jeher mit voller Überzeugung. DIGITiSE öffnet sich diesem Geist vollkommen.
Für das Album arbeitet die in London lebende, australischstämmige Produzentin, Songwriterin und DJ mit neuen Kollaborateur:innen wie Echonomist, Skybreak und Cantoalegre (einem Kinderchor aus Medellín, Kolumbien) zusammen. Darüber hinaus sind auch Künstler:innen vertreten, mit denen HAAi bereits zuvor gearbeitet hat, darunter Pat Alvarez, ILA, James Messiah und Kaiden Ford.
DIGITiSE nimmt HUMANiSE an die Hand und führt es direkt in den Club.

A Modern Revisit to a Cult Classic: A fresh "Twentysix Mix" of the 2016 underground staple In Your Body, updated for 2026 dancefloors with contemporary BPM and sharp remaster.

Ten years after defining the early sound of his own label, Berlin-based electronic explorer Cosmin TRG revisits a cornerstone of his discography. In Your Body (Twentysix Mix) sees the Romanian-born producer breathe new life into the 2016 underground anthem that helped cement the Sportiv label's reputation for high-end, functional techno.

This updated iteration retains the propulsive, hypnotic spirit of the original while sharpening the edges for a contemporary club environment. The package is rounded out by the driving, industrial-tinged cuts "Erodat" and "Iradiat," plus an exclusive digital remix by mysterious newcomers TRYL. Delivered as a classic hand-stamped white label, this release continues the Sportiv tradition of marrying stripped-back, high-impact club aesthetics with meticulous sound design.

We release our second record, COPPIES002. Another hand stamped white label EP, collecting tunes from thecommunity, for the community. This time with tracks by Kerr Wilson, Salomo, illousion and APRS. Kerr starts on A1 with his "The Key To My Heart". He showed the first version of the track to Robert around 4 years ago in a memorable summer spent together. We made the promise that this will be pressed on record one day and, here it is! Thanks Kerr! It's a melancholic late-summer tune that makes you tear up and feel like the warm euphoria won't last forever, but it will surely return if you're patient. Salomo follows with a similar moody approach on "Say less (on the DF)", even though we can argue about the meaning of the title ;). illousion builds more tension on the flipside with "Masc or Mask". Entering dubby, rolling terrains with more high intensity drum patterns for later moments of the night. APRS is closing the EP with "I Want to Speak" on B2, maybe the counter argument to Salomos desire of a less noisy dancefloor. He crafted a minimal, loopy trip that drags you down the rabbit hole and won't iet you go til the party is over. COPPIES002 is available on vinyl only with digi download option

Risk/Reward’s fourth release sees one of the UK’s most prolific and recognizable Producer/DJ’s take the elevator all the way down to the basement of the Tech House sonic spectrum…

Archie Hamilton has achieved superstar status after over a decade of consistently excellent musical output. As the name suggests, Friends in Low Places sees him return to the underground with the rolling, acid-laced, “for the heads” sound that first saw him explode on to the scene 10+ years ago, supplying 3 original tracks that will surprise and delight in equal measure!

A1: NyLon blends the dreamy shades of 90s Italo with the rugged bounce of golden era UK Tech House, to create a beautiful, bold fever dream. Intricate synth melodies, rudeboy vocal cuts and transcendant pads play out over crunchy swinging drums. A bold opening statement to kick off the EP.

A2: The energy kicks up to 11 on Trance-Tech bomb No Signal, a certified weapon of mass dance floor destruction! Vintage Archie rolling 303 bass layered with complex acid lines, haunting siren calls and relentless, gritty drums make for a powerful peak time standout that will have jaws dropping!

B1: On the flip side Archie takes you Higher with another signature roller that’s instantly familiar yet enigmatic. Punchy yet intricate drums, deeply groovy bass, a variety of ear worm melodies and an oh so familiar voice take you up, up and away in to the atmosphere. An instant classic from a man who’s made his fair share.

B2: Returning to the scene he played a key role in building after almost a decade out, UK Tech House DON Gideon Jackson delivers a gargantuan remix that could very easily reduce the club to rubble if not handled carefully. No element of Higher was spared in this rework, but the weight and pressure get cranked up to the absolute fullest - tougher than tough stuff from the OG!

Four years after Les Mystères de Lorient, Il Est Vilaine returns with Best Service, a rich and cosmopolitan album that broadens horizons in a bleak era.


Twelve tracks and interludes crafted with the aesthetic the duo has been refining since its inception: a blend of analog electronics, techno, vintage rock, and synth-pop.


Tailor-made atmospheres, oscillating between raw energy, groove, and dark romanticism, provide perfect spaces for unexpected guests.

Long overdue reissue of classic Scottish ambient techno banger ‘Mindweeds’, originally released in 1993 on the Pure-affiliated T&B Vinyl label run by Keith McIvor (JD Twitch) and Andy Watson (Brainstorm). With a Discogs demand ratio at about 300 have : 2000 want, and used prices peaking at over £100, now seems to be the right time for a re-release.

State of Flux were Roger Elliott and Dave Clark (aka Sparky, LUMA, Truffle Club and main man behind Kübler-Ross). They first met at Glasgow’s Strathclyde University in 1990, bonding over a shared love of weasel racing, German sausages and “man-duos” like The KLF and The Shamen. Dave was fully pubescent and already had a synth and drum machine, while Roger – a late developer – bought “another cheap synth, a Commodore Amiga for sequencing and a tiny mixer with no EQ”. For two long years they concentrated hard on “churning out unlistenable pish”, admittedly clueless about what they were trying to do.

Then – out of nowhere in the summer of 1992 – a flatmate’s Jello Biafra spoken word CD (‘I Blow Minds For A Living’) provided the inspiration to unlock the spark of dynamite that set the raving world on fire. Sampled using a Walkman* cassette** tape*** on playback (a decision the pair soon came to regret every time the track was subsequently performed live), Jello’s pilfered rant would soon become the crucial glue that held together the burgeoning kaleidoscopic helicopter spliff that is ‘Mindweeds’, loaded as it was – and indeed still is – with a veritably seething morass of cheeky electronic blims, nasal filter cheese and gay Caledonian spunk.

* a vintage portable listening device roughly the size of 4 iPhones stacked on top of one another and weighing the same as a small tub of yoghurt

** a plastic cartridge enclosing 2 miniature spools of magnetically coated, polyester-type plastic film (magnetic tape), notoriously convenient for pirating copyright material and secreting in one’s underpants for transporting between illicit market trader stalls

*** thin ribbon coated with ferromagnetic particles, usually ferric oxide but also chromium dioxide, "pseudochrome" ferricobalt or iron-cobalt-nickel “metal” formulations – with the latter types sounding marginally less crap

Playing demos of the track to friends, one thing led to another and a copy arrived with Twitch. Meeting the legends behind Pure in late 1992, a release was scheduled for summer 1993… but not before a promotional live gig in February of that year, supporting their heroes The Black Dog. Confessing that they “didn’t have a clue how to play live”, the duo played it safe, “went to a studio near Edinburgh airport to record the ‘live’ show” and then “mimed it off a DAT” at the gig, “standing in front of unplugged synths”. Soon after this, they recorded the full EP at Finitribe’s ‘Finiflex’ studio in Leith, Edinburgh and the record came out as planned that summer – the same week as Underworld’s ‘Rez’.

The record received high praise, appeared in many big-name DJ charts, sold out very quickly and was repressed within a few weeks, selling several thousand copies by the end of 1993 – no mean feat in an era when people had to use landline phones ****, faxes ***** or good old-fashioned carrier pigeons ****** to ascertain literally anything about the outside world, what was cool, where to buy the cool shit, or how to meet people and have fun.

**** a fixed communication device that connects to a telephone network using physical wires, cables, or a stationary base unit tied to a specific geographic address, using a handset incorporating a mouthpiece featuring a small metal disk and carbon grains, converting sound pressure from the human voice into a flow of electrical waves caused by these grains being squeezed together, before the variable signal is transmitted down DC voltage-powered copper wire and rerouted by a central exchange to arrive at the earpiece magnet of the target receiver’s handset, moving a small speaker cone accordingly so the message is intelligible WITHOUT THE PERSON SPEAKING ACTUALLY BEING PRESENT

***** as above, but for the d/Deaf

****** flying vermin riddled with diseases and capable of surviving nuclear armageddon

Soon Roger and Dave became sick of the Walkman being the only instrument played live in their set: with their new found fame and riches, they invested in a case for their Amiga to transport it around Scotland, while also putting in the hours on how to pretend to play live better with a sequencer and synths that were FINALLY plugged in. Following the release of ‘The Mercury EP' in April 1994, they embarked on a full tour of the UK and even managed to part ways and end the band by June that year.

This reissue includes the two original mixes of ‘Mindweeds’ recorded at Finiflex (‘Original’ and engineer ‘Fred's Fancy’), the original cassette demo (mastered directly from the actual recording sent to Twitch & Brainstorm in 1992) and a live version recorded at the Birmingham club night 'Oscillate' in April 1994.

Have Isaac Carter & Callum Asa made the most tasteful tech house EP of recent memory? The short answer is
yes....

Isaac and Callum, known for their respective club nights: OCHI and Planet People have been quietly chipping away at the coalface of underground dance music for quite some time now.

Isaac - perhaps known more widely as a regular at Circoloco & Phonox has shared bills with the likes of Moodyman, DJ Bone, Kai Alce, Laurent Garnier and Marcellus Pittmann whilst being championed by Joy Orbison, Ben UFO, Moxie, Seth Troxler, Raresh and Floating Points to name but a few. With such an impressive CV and wide ranging support, it’s wild to note that the first EP released on his own label, OCHI only came out in 2023. His star is clearly ascending with rapidity - so when we throw long term collaborator Callum Asa into the mix, things start to get really interesting. Calum has been running Planet People for the last couple of years, welcoming incredible names such as Shed, Surgeon, Willow, Ploy, Cooly G, Rroxymore and so many more. Steel sharpens steel and having been surrounded by such esteemed talent, it’s clearly rubbed off on the pair who present 4 polished, meticulously constructed, club ready masterpieces, each with their own distinct feel and an insatiable groove.

‘Feel Me’ sets the scene with a descending baseline that would eek a wiggle out of the most reluctant spectator. The twisted dub eeks out even more groove, locking in a more sinister bounce for the heads. By The time ‘Understand’ get’s into full swing, we’re already under the spell of Carter & Asa, this is the kind of roller that could go on forever and ever. The synth embellishments and washes of analog synth pull us deeper and deeper in, prepping us for the finale , ’Try You’ which simmers with deep, brooding intensity.

The magic of the dup’s appeal is that this EP will find its way into the bags of the deepest diggers and also appeal to a new generation of house fans. Elements of it are accessible , but in the right hands - the EP will open a portal to new worlds.

Die Synthesizer-Künstlerin und Komponistin Emily A. Sprague verbindet intuitive Klangstrukturen mit ausdrucksstarkem Songwriting und schafft so weitläufige Klangwelten, die unmittelbar und mitreißend sind. Nach ersten Experimenten mit Gitarre und Keyboard als Teenager gründete Sprague Anfang der 2010er Jahre die Indie-Band Florist und gewann damit ein treues Publikum. Nach einer Reihe gefeierter EPs nahmen Florist fünf Studioalben auf, die sich durch ihre intime Weltgestaltung und durch Spragues gefühlvollen Gesang auszeichnen. Den Soloalben "Hill, Flower, Fog" aus dem Jahr 2020 und "Cloud Time" aus dem Jahr 2025 - einem Album mit modularen Synthesizern, das live in Japan aufgenommen wurde - nachfolgend, ist "Cyano" ist ihr erstes Soloalbum, das Spragues intuitive Synthesizer-Musik mit dem Songwriting verbindet, für das sie mit ihrer Band Florist bekannt ist, und führt Gesang in ihr bisher rein instrumentales Schaffen ein. Absichtlich minimalistisch gehalten, ist Spragues Gesang wie eine rauschbehaftete Übertragung, die einen technischen und symbolischen Wendepunkt markiert - mit experimenteller, formloser Musik, die die eher konventionellen Songstile von Florist dekonstruiert. Emotional verankert und von Vergänglichkeit getrieben, spiegelt das Album sowohl Spragues inneren Raum als auch den konzeptionellen Planeten "Cyano" wider und setzt sich mit dem Selbst, dem Anderen, der Ökologie und dem Leben in einer fernen Welt auseinander. Spragues musikalischer Ansatz ist geprägt von einer zutiefst persönlichen Atmosphäre, die darin wurzelt, Geschichten über sich selbst und andere - Formen der innerpersönlichen und zwischenmenschlichen Verbindung - sowie die Unbeständigkeit dieser Versuche zu ergründen. Durch intime phänomenologische Erkundungen bietet "Cyano" subtile und eindrucksvolle Klangtexturen, die Verletzlichkeit einbeziehen. Emily A. Sprague erschafft eine komplexe Welt und erweitert dabei ein Klangspektrum, das zugleich vertraut und zutiefst neu ist - ein Spiegelbild ihres inneren Spektrums, das in andere Welten blickt.

ERSTMALS AUF VINYL! Ursprüngliche 2-CD-Veröffentlichung: 1995. 32 Improvisations- und Dub-Tracks von The Ex! Die Verbindungen zwischen einer Punkband und improvisierter Musik liegen also auf der Hand: Ablehnung von Autorität, Hinterfragung traditionell gepriesener Maßstäbe, Erforschung von Kreativität jenseits der Zwänge kommerzieller Verkäuflichkeit. Kein Instantkaffee, kein Instant-Frühstück, kein Instant-Geld - INSTANTS, DIE BEWIRKEN. Momente, die bekräftigen: ,Das ist jetzt; hier sind wir, das tun wir." Auch improvisierte Musik braucht so einen Energieschub, um nicht engstirnig, verfestigt, elitär, kleinlich oder elitär zu werden. Wie Misha Mengeberg sagte: ,Ich bin im Moment sehr weit davon entfernt, Aussagen zu treffen wie ,Komposition sollte so oder so sein` oder ,Improvisation war bisher so und so`. Das hebe ich mir für den Moment auf, in dem ich tatsächlich in eine musikalische Aktion einsteige. In solchen Momenten habe ich vielleicht ein paar Definitionen. Aber jetzt noch nicht." - John Corbett ,32 Miniaturen. Manche sind ehrlich gesagt faszinierend, andere auf jeden Fall umwerfend. Aber es wird nie langweilig oder glatt. Praktisch ohne Gesang reisen The Ex durch eine Traumwelt, in der Überraschungen sich gegenseitig überraschen und in der sich neue und bisher verborgene Welten offenbaren." - The Wire THE EX: Terrie, Luc, Andy, Katrin, Han Buhrs, G.W.Sok & Gäste: Ab Baars, Wolter Wierbos, Han Bennink, Dolf, Tristan Honsinger, Michael Vatcher.

Green Goose Vol. 2 marks the second chapter of the label’s various artists series, bringing together a handpicked selection of artists who embody the sound and spirit of the project.

Featuring Jesse You, Kashawar, Nicolas Duque, and Ducato Driver, the EP explores a diverse spectrum of house and techno influences, blending deep grooves, hypnotic rhythms and late-night energy into a cohesive journey.

With performances alongside Walter Trout, Kingfish Ingram, Fantastic Negrito, and Samantha Fish, Spencer Mackenzie has established himself as one of Canada's top young blues- rock artists. His new album Empty Chairs combines blistering riffs, ,soulful vocals, and emotionally charged songwriting. Backed by an international PR and radio campaign, the February 2026 release promises to connect blues fans worldwide.

Per Hammar returns to his own Dirty Hands imprint with the four-track ‘Ontario EP’, once again showcasing his raw, robust and groove-led style.

Swedish producer and DJ Per Hammar has steadily carved out a reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary underground electronic music. As the founder of the acclaimed Dirty Hands imprint, Hammar has built a platform synonymous with deep, groove-led and uncompromising club music, while other productions have found homes on some of the scene's most respected labels including Sushitech, Kalahari Oyster Cult and Craigie Knowes. Here we see him returning to his own home and delivering stripped-back late-night tools, psychedelic excursions and deep, hypnotic dancefloor journeys. Hammar consistently balances functionality with personality, a quality that has established him as one of Europe's most respected underground talents.

Title cut ‘Ontario’ leads with Per laying down crisp, crunchy drums alongside dubby bass tones, fluttering stab sequences and intricate modulations, all delicately ebbing and flowing throughout the composition. ‘Off Disk’ follows, fusing organic percussive elements with weighty sub-bass, shifting synth flourishes and bubbling, delayed melodies that steadily unfold across the groove.

On the flip side, ‘Oops All Sixes’ shifts into more acid-tinged House territory, built around a squelchy acid bass hook and saturated drums, while sporadic, expansive delays and hypnotic reverberations drift atop the track’s raw, loopy foundation. ‘Airex’ concludes the release by diving deeper, stripping things back to oscillating percussion, a snaking low-end pulse and airy chords.

Belgian artist Jennifur announces MAZDA, an album inspired by long car rides, emotional transitions, and the strange beauty of existing between places, people, and versions of yourself.

Musically, MAZDA moves fluidly between genres and emotional textures, blending electronic love songs, indie rock structures, UK bass influences, cinematic electronica, and flashes of classical composition.

The project began when Jennifur's brother sent him a playlist called MAZDA, filled with songs their father used to play in the car. What started as a nostalgia gesture quickly became the emotional blueprint for the album.

While writing MAZDA, Jennifur realized he was unknowingly creating the soundtrack to a fictional romcom film that existed only in his imagination. Rather than avoiding clichés like love, heartbreak, growing older, or transition, he chose to embrace them wholeheartedly.

"In a car, you exist in a kind of in-between space," Jennifur explains. "You've left something behind, but you haven't arrived yet. That feeling became the entire record."

The album opener, From A to B, sets the emotional framework for the entire project. Its extended introduction mirrors the exact moment you pull out of your street and realisethat something new has begun.

Highlights include "I Need You To Hold On", written for Jennifur's brother as a message of encouragement. The song "I Once Had a Dream Where I Could Fly" originated from a conversation with his father about recurring dreams of flying. Meanwhile, "From The Sideline" confronts a quieter existential fear, becoming a coming-of-age anthem for anyone who suddenly realizes they have become more of a spectator than an active participant in their own life.

Tracks like "In The Sun" bring a softer, almost cinematic intimacy to the album. Written around the image of spending one final Sunday at the seaside with someone who is seriously ill, the song captures the beauty and fragility of fleeting moments. The closing track "The Dialogue Before We Left" serves as the emotional final scene of the album.

"For me, it's the moment after a long drive when you turn off the engine but stay seated for a minute," Jennifur explains. "You realise something happened. You listened to my story, and we travelled from A to B together."

Die Synthesizer-Künstlerin und Komponistin Emily A. Sprague verbindet intuitive Klangstrukturen mit ausdrucksstarkem Songwriting und schafft so weitläufige Klangwelten, die unmittelbar und mitreißend sind. Nach ersten Experimenten mit Gitarre und Keyboard als Teenager gründete Sprague Anfang der 2010er Jahre die Indie-Band Florist und gewann damit ein treues Publikum. Nach einer Reihe gefeierter EPs nahmen Florist fünf Studioalben auf, die sich durch ihre intime Weltgestaltung und durch Spragues gefühlvollen Gesang auszeichnen. Den Soloalben "Hill, Flower, Fog" aus dem Jahr 2020 und "Cloud Time" aus dem Jahr 2025 - einem Album mit modularen Synthesizern, das live in Japan aufgenommen wurde - nachfolgend, ist "Cyano" ist ihr erstes Soloalbum, das Spragues intuitive Synthesizer-Musik mit dem Songwriting verbindet, für das sie mit ihrer Band Florist bekannt ist, und führt Gesang in ihr bisher rein instrumentales Schaffen ein. Absichtlich minimalistisch gehalten, ist Spragues Gesang wie eine rauschbehaftete Übertragung, die einen technischen und symbolischen Wendepunkt markiert - mit experimenteller, formloser Musik, die die eher konventionellen Songstile von Florist dekonstruiert. Emotional verankert und von Vergänglichkeit getrieben, spiegelt das Album sowohl Spragues inneren Raum als auch den konzeptionellen Planeten "Cyano" wider und setzt sich mit dem Selbst, dem Anderen, der Ökologie und dem Leben in einer fernen Welt auseinander. Spragues musikalischer Ansatz ist geprägt von einer zutiefst persönlichen Atmosphäre, die darin wurzelt, Geschichten über sich selbst und andere - Formen der innerpersönlichen und zwischenmenschlichen Verbindung - sowie die Unbeständigkeit dieser Versuche zu ergründen. Durch intime phänomenologische Erkundungen bietet "Cyano" subtile und eindrucksvolle Klangtexturen, die Verletzlichkeit einbeziehen. Emily A. Sprague erschafft eine komplexe Welt und erweitert dabei ein Klangspektrum, das zugleich vertraut und zutiefst neu ist - ein Spiegelbild ihres inneren Spektrums, das in andere Welten blickt.

Das wandlungsfähige Trio Vanishing Twin präsentiert sein neues Album ,Archives" - eine Collage aus postmoderner Songkunst, die im gemeinsamen Schaffensprozess Transzendenz findet. Der Albumtitel spielt auf den unverwechselbaren Ansatz von Vanishing Twin an, tägliche Aufnahmesessions anzuhören, zusammenzufügen und neu zu bearbeiten. Gründungsmitglied Cathy Lucas beschreibt den Prozess so: ,Material sammeln, damit herumspielen, es auf den Kopf stellen, versuchen, die Teile zusammenzufügen und daraus eine Geschichte zu erschaffen". Da Lucas mittlerweile ins ländliche Frankreich gezogen ist und Valentina Magaletti sowie Susumu Mukai in London leben, verbinden sich die drei, indem sie Songs und Instrumentalfragmente in einem virtuellen Studio austauschen. Die geografische Distanz wird durch ihre kollektive Kreativität überbrückt, wobei jedes Mitglied als Multi-Instrumentalist seinen Beitrag leistet. Jeder Musiker bringt umfangreiche Erfahrung in Zusammenarbeit und Improvisation mit, wobei das Anhören und Bearbeiten von Studio-Sessions ein wesentlicher Bestandteil des kreativen Prozesses ist. Konzepte von Urheberschaft und Eigentumsrechten lösen sich in der Musik von Vanishing Twin auf, während die Mitglieder Instrumente tauschen und sich ganz dem Moment der Zusammenarbeit hingeben. Die ,Archive", die dem Albumtitel seinen Namen geben, werden zu Dokumenten der kollektiven Intelligenz des Trios. Die chaotische Energie von ,Archives" treibt Vanishing Twin in ungewohnte Formen und Richtungen. Außerhalb ihrer Komfortzonen findet das Trio neue Momente der Erleuchtung und Freude. Tief im Mix hörst du vielleicht, wie Magaletti zum Bass greift, Mukai unerwartet am Schlagzeug einspringt oder Lucas chamäleonartig durch die Lücken gleitet. ,Archives" verfeinert Vanishing Twins Modell des kollektiven Musizierens, bei dem Egos in spielerischen Mix-and-Match-Spielen in den Hintergrund treten und die Kreativität zwischen den drei Multi-Instrumentalisten fließt. Sie bewegen sich zwischen und außerhalb konventioneller Genrekategorien und reihen sich neben Weggefährten wie dem Tara Clerkin Trio und Still House Plants ein, wodurch sie die Vorstellung vom zeitgenössischen Musikensemble erweitern. Nach einem Jahrzehnt ihres Bestehens sind Vanishing Twin wandelbarer denn je.

Es handelt sich um einen Vermerk, den der Dark-Ambient-/Industrial-Titan Lustmord beinahe in die Liner Notes seiner neuen Zusammenarbeit mit der Schlagzeuglegende Dave Lombardo aufgenommen hätte. Bei ihrer ersten Zusammenarbeit loten sie die Tiefen des ursprünglichen Industrial und Dark Ambient aus und schaffen dabei etwas, das über die reine Musik hinausgeht. Dave Lombardo bedarf keiner Vorstellung. Sein Ruf als innovativer Schlagzeuger und musikalischer Vorreiter ist unübertroffen. Ob es nun seine jahrzehntelange Tätigkeit bei den Thrash-Metal-Giganten Slayer, seine vier Alben umfassende Zusammenarbeit mit den einflussreichen Experimentalisten Fantômas oder seine Arbeit mit dem renommierten Komponisten und Saxophonisten John Zorn war - Lombardos Leidenschaft für den Klang und seine spirituelle Verbindung dazu überschreiten alle Grenzen Lustmord ist der walisische Musiker, der weithin als Begründer der Dark-Ambient-Musik gilt. Er war zunächst in den frühen 80er Jahren als Mitglied von SPK mit der Industrial-Szene verbunden, bevor er seinen charakteristischen Sound mit Veröffentlichungen wie ,Paradise Disowned" aus dem Jahr 1986 etablierte. Über sein Solowerk hinaus hat Lustmord eine umfangreiche Karriere als Kooperationspartner und Film- sowie Spielekomponist aufgebaut, wobei er mit Bands wie den Melvins, Tool, Nurse With Wound und Wes Borland zusammengearbeitet hat; zudem hat er zu über vierzig Kinofilmen beigetragen, darunter ,First Reformed", ,The Crow" und ,Underworld".

Neuaufgelegt! Hebt das Glas mit mir und gemeinsam trinken wir "Auf die Liebe und auf die Sehnsucht"! Das sechste Studioalbum aus dem Jahr 2013 gilt zurecht schlichtweg als Klassiker und hatte erheblichen Anteil am heutigen - nennen wir es ruhig - "Phänomenen OXO86". Mit ihrem einzigartigen Stil aus Gute-Laune Ohrwürmern gepaart mit subtilem Wortwitz, Punkrock, Bläsern und Sänger Willi's knochentrocken-verschmitztem Gesang, haben die Bernauer seitdem ein Alleinstellungsmerkmal weit über die üblichen Szenegrenzen hinaus. Millionen Streams der Album-Songs mit Hits wie "Bier und Reggae", "Samba Skinheads", "Saus und Braus" bis hin zum Titelsong zeigen dies deutlich. Die Vinyl-Auflagen von "Auf die Liebe und auf die Sehnsucht" sind allesamt in kurzer Zeit vergriffen gewesen und derzeit fast nur zu horrenden Sammlerpreisen erhältlich. Doppel-Vinyl mit dem Original-Album sowie der Kinderlieder-Bonus EP "If the Kids Are United" auf Seite C und wunderschönem Etching des beliebten Anker-Logos auf Seite D! Selbstredend auf 180g Vinyl, in schwarz oder trans-yellow/gold splatter, limitiert auf insgesamt 500 Exemplare!

Neuaufgelegt! Hebt das Glas mit mir und gemeinsam trinken wir "Auf die Liebe und auf die Sehnsucht"! Das sechste Studioalbum aus dem Jahr 2013 gilt zurecht schlichtweg als Klassiker und hatte erheblichen Anteil am heutigen - nennen wir es ruhig - "Phänomenen OXO86". Mit ihrem einzigartigen Stil aus Gute-Laune Ohrwürmern gepaart mit subtilem Wortwitz, Punkrock, Bläsern und Sänger Willi's knochentrocken-verschmitztem Gesang, haben die Bernauer seitdem ein Alleinstellungsmerkmal weit über die üblichen Szenegrenzen hinaus. Millionen Streams der Album-Songs mit Hits wie "Bier und Reggae", "Samba Skinheads", "Saus und Braus" bis hin zum Titelsong zeigen dies deutlich. Die Vinyl-Auflagen von "Auf die Liebe und auf die Sehnsucht" sind allesamt in kurzer Zeit vergriffen gewesen und derzeit fast nur zu horrenden Sammlerpreisen erhältlich. Doppel-Vinyl mit dem Original-Album sowie der Kinderlieder-Bonus EP "If the Kids Are United" auf Seite C und wunderschönem Etching des beliebten Anker-Logos auf Seite D! Selbstredend auf 180g Vinyl, in schwarz oder trans-yellow/gold splatter, limitiert auf insgesamt 500 Exemplare!