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Sophia Kennedy, the Baltimore-born, Hamburg-based artist, returns with her new album in May. Known for her genre-blending innovation and distinct vocal style, she has collaborated with DJ Koze and earned praise from The Guardian, Iggy Pop, and Resident Advisor.

Following her self-titled debut (2017, Pampa Records), a radiant dance between the glamour of the Great American Songbook, electronic textures, and clubland influences, earning her international acclaim, Kennedy released her second album, Monsters (2021, City Slang), and delved deeper into surrealism and transcendence. Now, on Squeeze Me, Kennedy and her long-time musical collaborator and co-writer Mense Reents sketch a more disillusioned commentary on the status quo of the world at large. The complexity of interpersonal relationships, questions of power dynamics, and the quest for self-determination—longstanding themes for Kennedy—run as a cohesive narrative throughout the album.
More minimalist than her previous works, Squeeze Me brims with Kennedy’s gift for catchy melodies with a certain pop appeal and psychedelic hues. The first single, "Rodeo," features hypnotic piano chords, shimmering synth basses, and glimmering choirs. 2025 will see Kennedy back on tour in Europe, supported by an international PR campaign to expand her global presence.

Das selbstbetitelte Debütalbum der kanadisch-amerikanische Singer-Songwriterin Martha Wainwright als 20th Anniversary Edition! Das Album wird bestimmt durch die Intensität und Vielseitigkeit ihrer Stimme und einer Mischung aus introspektiven Texten und emotionaler Instrumentierung. Ihre Songs verbinden poetische Texte mit einer Mischung aus Folk, Rock und Alternative-Einflüssen und erzählen Geschichten von Liebe, Verlust und persönlicher Stärke.

Stripping away all expectations, constraints, pressures, and limitations, there’s a certain purity and allure to art crafted simply for the sake of genuine expression. The desire to unleash one’s unencumbered ingenuity and unique vision into the world is an attitude embraced by those often celebrated for pushing boundaries, and it’s under this same premise that German newcomers SENNA were formed.
Drawing their name from the Arabic word for brightness, shine, or glow, bandmates Simon Masdjedi (vocals), Tobias Stulz (guitar/ vocals), Marcel Dürr (guitar), Fabian Cattarius (bass), and Leon Dorn(drums), never intended for SENNA–a musical outlet originally established as a studio side project–to come into its own as a fully-fledged unit. Yet, tackling a luminous blend of playful but technical instrumentation and edgy hard rock meets progressive post-hardcore styling, it’s only fitting that both the innovative outfit and their introductory work have entered the limelight for all to enjoy.
“It was really liberating,” guitarist Marcel Dürr recalls the group’s mindset leading up to their SharpTone debut. “Because we weren’t pursuing SENNA as a proper band at first, we had a lot of time to experiment with our sound. Our goal was to simply write the music that we enjoyed, without being boxed into any one genre.

Stripping away all expectations, constraints, pressures, and limitations, there’s a certain purity and allure to art crafted simply for the sake of genuine expression. The desire to unleash one’s unencumbered ingenuity and unique vision into the world is an attitude embraced by those often celebrated for pushing boundaries, and it’s under this same premise that German newcomers SENNA were formed.
Drawing their name from the Arabic word for brightness, shine, or glow, bandmates Simon Masdjedi (vocals), Tobias Stulz (guitar/ vocals), Marcel Dürr (guitar), Fabian Cattarius (bass), and Leon Dorn(drums), never intended for SENNA–a musical outlet originally established as a studio side project–to come into its own as a fully-fledged unit. Yet, tackling a luminous blend of playful but technical instrumentation and edgy hard rock meets progressive post-hardcore styling, it’s only fitting that both the innovative outfit and their introductory work have entered the limelight for all to enjoy.
“It was really liberating,” guitarist Marcel Dürr recalls the group’s mindset leading up to their SharpTone debut. “Because we weren’t pursuing SENNA as a proper band at first, we had a lot of time to experiment with our sound. Our goal was to simply write the music that we enjoyed, without being boxed into any one genre.

The album showcases Avantgarde Vak’s ability to turn old records into something completely new and mesmerizing. His signature sound of deep and low frequency beats come through vividly while maintaining the spirit of Hip-Hop through turtablelism and sampling.

The record tells the story of the Jesus De La Cruz Conde, who embarks on an epic journey of self-discovery after witnessing his hometown get burned to the ground. The tracks that make up this record are the very repertoire of songs sung by De La Cruz to Mezcal-soaked patrons in haunted cantinas, as he drifts from pueblo to pueblo across a desolate landscape bristling with tumbleweed. Throughout La Muerte en Realidad no Existe, Clothing conjures De la Cruz through this vampire-cowboy alter-ego creating as much a Mexican Gothic as a Latin American Giallo - a phantasmagoric fever dream of love, loss and violence - painted in neon Technicolor.

Pan Amsterdam, alias Leron Thomas, veröffentlicht am 23. Mai 2025 sein neues Album 'Confines' - sein erstes bei Heavenly Recordings. Die gleichnamige Single ist bereits jetzt erhältlich und präsentiert seinen einzigartigen Mix aus Hip-Hop, Jazz und elektronischen Klängen. Mit einem freien Stream-of-Consciousness-Flow und experimentellen Sounds verweigert sich Confines jeder Genregrenze und markiert einen persönlichen Neuanfang für den vielseitigen Musiker.

- Ltd. Col. LP: (Transparent Red Vinyl)

Trip-hop royalty Morcheeba make a blistering return with a stunning 11th studio album Escape The Chaos.

“This whole record is a process of trying to reconnect with what really matters. whether it’s what in your heart or with the world, putting your feet on grass and feeling the earth beneath you” says Ross Godfrey.

“For me, ‘We Live and Die’ is about my duration in the band and the music world and life in general,” Skye says of the lead single. “The lines become blurred after all this time. In a way, it’s a homage to the thirty years of being in Morcheeba which is 60% of my existence.”

Formed in London in 1995 the legendary band have extensively toured the globe, sold over 10 million albums worldwide and left their mark as one of the most influential acts of recent times. Releasing their acclaimed debut album Who Can You Trust? in 1996, the band have gone on to release a string of successful studio albums, including 1998’s platinum selling Big Calm, produced an album for Talking Heads’ David Byrne and produced soundtracks for Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.

In their 30th year Morcheeba are as relevant as ever and are set to mark the celebration in style.

These New Puritans veröffentlichen am 23. Mai 2025 ihr neues Album "Crooked Wing"!

"Crooked Wing" ist das fünfte Album von These New Puritans und ihr erstes neues Studioalbum seit sechs Jahren. Produziert von Jack Barnett und seinem langjährigen Mitarbeiter und Bark-Psychosis-Pionier Graham Sutton, enthält es Gastauftritte einer eklektischen und unberechenbaren Reihe von Mitstreitern, von Caroline Polachek bis zum britischen Jazz-Kontrabassisten Chris Laurence.
Das neue Album des experimentellen Kult-Duos bietet einen Sound, der sowohl brutal als auch wunderschön klingt, und festigt TNPs Ruf für visionäre Musik, die sich jeder Kategorisierung und Konvention entzieht, während sie gleichzeitig tiefes Eintauchen und Hingabe belohnt.

WOW. Daniel O'Sullivan's transcendent new album, Eros, is one of the greatest things we've ever heard. A simply stunning song cycle of hypnotic, experimental contemporary chamber music composed for a 14-piece ensemble. Combining minimalism, complex syncopation, detailed acoustic textures, weird intervals and samurai precision, this record will elegantly blow your mind. When Daniel first sent us this, he pitched it as “Liquid Swords meets Michael Nyman”. Trust us, he wasn't wrong. A "unique hybrid orchestral music", it presents a confluence of Daniel's longstanding fixations; indeed, there's elements of Nyman, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Magma, Aaron Copland and RZA. But this is wholly O'Sullivan's. Originally commissioned for the Sonoton Music Library in Munich, Eros now receives a deluxe vinyl release courtesy of Be With Records, bringing this meticulously crafted work to a wider audience. Limited to just 500 copies for the world, these are gonna fly.

An English composer and multi-instrumentalist, Daniel O'Sullivan’s career has been marked by versatility and innovation. In addition to his work with Sonoton, he has composed extensively for the legendary KPM music library, contributing to its storied legacy of production music. As a deep virtuoso and collaborator, O'Sullivan has also played in a number of influential projects, including Ulver, Sunn O))), This Is Not This Heat, Grumbling Fur and Miracle (with Steve Moore), leaving an indelible mark on the contemporary experimental music landscape.

O’Sullivan’s first foray into classically informed chamber music, Eros is a culmination of his long-standing fixations and expansive musical influences. The album features arrangements that are as detailed as they are emotionally resonant, showcasing his unparalleled ear for intervals and mastery of counterpoint. The music brims with complex rhythmic syncopation and a sensitivity to texture and space, resulting in a soundscape that is both intoxicating and dauntingly precise.

Recorded June 2023 and February 2024, in Brussels, London and Carmarthenshire, Wales, Eros features members of Echo Collective (Neil Leiter and Margaret Hermant), Thighpaulsandra (from seminal post-industrial band Coil), and jazz pioneer Oren Marshall. Daniel's sonic weapons of choice, in his own inimitable words, were "Big Bad Drum, Pee Anne Oh, Low End Brass, Willowy Winds & Samurai Strings." You get the picture. As a cyclical suite, this is a record that really needs to be heard in its entitreity, from start to finish, to truly appreciate the genius at work here.

A jaw-dropping statement of intent, the minimalist "Golden Verses" sets the tone with its complex cue which has your neck snapping right when it feels like it needs to. Listen and you'll understand. A syncopated tangle of sharp strings, crunchy bass, drums percussion and bright piano and mallets vie for position with French horn and woodwind melody in the most compelling and unexpected ways. Quite simply, it's one of the finest album openers I've ever heard. It's followed by the atmospheric rippling minimalism of "Lyre Lyre", a gorgeous gem with shimmering chimes, bright melody, human percussion and syncopated pizzicato strings. It kinda comes on like a less-abstract Boards Of Canada, bursting with typical wonderment. The piano and string-drenched "Dolorous Stroke" effortlessly builds its warm, pastoral orchestration with flowing piano arpeggio, steadfast drums, expressive string quartet, rich low brass, woodwind and lyrical flute. Just sublime.

The insistent frenetic propulsion of "Plain Paper" is utterly beguiling, featuring a determined string motif, urgent drums and percussion, driving low brass and breathless, energetic flute. The haunting, interweaving string arpeggios that propel "Grapes Draped" presents a claustrophobic minimalism for chaos and darkness, with growling low woodwind and brass, spiky harpsichord, skittering flutes and tight drums. Up next, "Xanix Annum" is a stately minimalist waltz with expressive lyrical string quartet and delicate woodwind, anchored by drums and percussion. "Painting Rose" is a bouncy stop-start track with angular syncopated strings and a piano pulse underneath bright harpsichord and flutes. "Rotunda Garden" presents ethereal textural minimalism for landscapes and reflection with flowing string arpeggios, warm, low woodwind drones, floating choir and cymbal swells. Closing out this extraordinary side of music, the glowing, flowing minimalism of "Flowry Orb" features urgent organ, piano and woodwind arpeggios, half-time drums with shimmering cymbals, a soaring, beautiful violin solo and hypnotic vocal chant.

Side 2 opens with "Theia Mania" a determinedly off-kilter, angular track featuring low wind, brass and drum stomp in dialogue with lively string trio, woodwind and solo horn. The light, airy minimalism of "Painting Percy" is built around an interplay of rhythmic motifs for piano, low brass, bassoon, fluttering flutes, urgent strings, drums and percussion whilst "For Archetypes" is a delicate, gently syncopated chamber cue for nostalgia, nature, reflection and moments of calm, with steady piano motif, intimate woodwind and French horn, and warm, graceful strings. The urgent Ars Memoriae is a propulsive march for progress, processes and industry, underpinned by driving tuba, with determined strings, resolute drums, and vivid, expressive flute, clarinet and French horn.

The syncopated energetic minimalism of "Mirrored Seven" presents layers of melodic and cyclical piano, drums, low brass, harp, flute and strings. "Pure Ornament" follows, a slowly evolving chamber cue with flowing clarinet, string and harp arpeggio, plodding tuba and percussion, fluttering flute and graceful, lyrical solos. Stunning! Up next, "Brave Boy" moves from its tender, warm, lullaby-like intro with lyrical flute, clarinet and strings before opening into a playful backend driven by a bouncy tuba riff and syncopated piano, woodwind, string trio, and drums and percussion. Rounding out this astonishing piece, "Waxen Waned" is a warm, pastoral chamber cue with light lyrical woodwind, tender French horn and subtly pulsing string trio.

The album's title is a reference to Plato’s conception of Eros, which is more than romantic or physical desire. It is a dynamic and creative force that drives individuals to seek perfection whether in art, relationships, philosophy or the pursuit of truth. Wholly appropriate, here, we think. When asked what his influences were in making this astounding record, he answered thusly: "Non-musical: Householding, Pythagoras, Goethe, Grail romances, Hermeticism, Doctrine of Signatures (Parcelsus, Bohme, Pliny), Eric Rohmer, John Stezaker, Yasujiro Ozu. Musical: Duke Ellington (late suites), Smile-era Brian, early RZA, Wagner (Parsifal Overture), Magma, Mancini, Axelrod, YMO, Hildegard, Nyman, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Jobim (Stone Flower), Alessandro Alessandroni, Tavener, Moondog, Orthodox Music, Secular Music." That's some pretty deep shit. Makes you want to dive in, no?

Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis, and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. Truly, Eros is a work of extraordinary depth and sophistication. It invites listeners to immerse themselves in its intricate layers, to lose themselves in its hypnotic rhythms, and to marvel at the precision of its execution. With this release, O’Sullivan reaffirms his position as one of the most inventive and uncompromising voices in contemporary music. Do. Not. Sleep.

"Godspeed" ist das vierte Album des sechsköpfigen Indie-Ensembles aus der Londoner Grassroots-Szene, The Golden Dregs um Frotmann/Sänger Ben Woods. Nach dem Vorgänger "On Grace & Dignity" 2023 auf 4AD, nach der Einrichtung von Kate Bush' altem Studio als neue Produktionsstätte, nach Auftritten mit Future Islands und Ezra Furmann, fährt die neue LP zwar bisherige Soundsignaturen fort, ist aber deutlich direkter. Die zwar konstanten Hooks greifen selten auf bekannte Tropen zurück und lassen so Raum für unvorhersehbare Wendungen. "Godspeed" markiert eine neue Souveränität, Unabhängigkeit und kreative Absicht der Golden Dregs.

Dune: Prophecy is an HBO original series based on the
best-selling books by Frank Herbert and Brian Herbert, and a spin-off to the blockbuster movies of Dune.

The music for the series was composed by Academy Award-winning composer Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on
the Western Front, Conclave, Lion), whose evocative, futuris- tic ambience, meets bold, powerful orchestral tracks on this score, accompanying the story.

Set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fa- bled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. Dune: Prophecy is inspired by the novel “Sisterhood of Dune”, writ- ten by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

The soundtrack of Dune: Prophecy is available as a limited edition of 1000 numbered copies on orange “Spice” marbled vinyl and includes a 4-page booklet with pictures from the series.

"Maintenant" (meaning: Now) defines it all: A snapshot in time, 13 piano pieces, completely improvised by Rico Friebe in one take! Three years after recording "The Silva Sessions", this new album serves as some kind of sequel to the improvisational and aesthetic characteristics - presenting a vast and meditative soundscape solely on the piano with some subtle electronic manoeuvring within. A truly unique moment that got captured here and a special album, you won't come along too often these days...

Hailing from Naarm/Melbourne, punk trio CLAMM—comprising Jack Summers, Miles Harding, and Stella Rennex—delve into the tumultuous experience of youth striving to lead an authentic and principled life in an increasingly chaotic world. Their music confronts the challenges of navigating entrenched systems of power and oppression while striving to preserve mental well-being and a strong sense of self. Through their raw and visceral sound, CLAMM aspires to foster community, ignite creativity, and provide a channel for catharsis.



Serious Acts continues the band’s signature raw intensity, with frontman Summer’s commanding vocals and incisive lyricism delving deep into the highs and lows of human existence.

As on their first EP "Mokili Na Poche" on Seismographic Records, ATELIER KAMIKAZI'S collaborative lyrics are dedicated to their spectrum of life as street kids. They struggle with the exhausting and dangerous beauty of life in Kinshasa by encouraging themselves and promising never to give up. Neither in the face of lying politics, nor in the face of a religion whose representative they call "Priest Cat's Heart", nor in the face of that great power to which they dedicate several songs, the drug called "Bomb", made from car catalyst deposits mixed with a wild cocktail of ingredients. They warn against using this drug to see "the nakedness of the turtle", because the only thing that could really be seen would be the ridiculousness of those consuming the drug. They counter that they are on a mission to conquer the future with their weapons: the weapons of speech, their knowledge and Loketo, the hip swing of dance.

Recently appearing alongside Ibrahim Maalouf on the show “Improbox” (TSF Jazz), or as the opening act for Vulfpeck at Jazz à Vienne 2024, Sampling is Beautiful Trio is made up of: Zajazza on turntables and samplers (produced for Gaël Faye, HomeboySandman...), Yacha Berdah on trumpet and bass (Grand Corps Malade, Ibrahim Maalouf...), Japhet Boristhène on drums (Saïan Supa Crew, Chassol, Shibuuya).

Sampling Is Beautiful is: “A trio, a collective, a vibe, a freedom, ...”
These are the words of the artist Kaynixe in the introduction to this record.
Each “captured” sample is highlighted, cherished, reversed, modified… and finally used as a melodic or rhythmic basis to construct a new piece. With a certain black magic or piracy, this first album is a photograph of the Trio's musical moment, filled with homages to sampled composers, nods to Jazz and film music.
Yacha, Japhet and Zajazza, surrounded by many talented artists, share here this colorful musical picture of samples and each person's journey.

Das bisherige Schaffen von Oskar Rice und Adam Jackson beschränkte sich auf eine Debüt-EP mitten im Lockdown und einige weitere Singles. Doch das ändert sich jetzt mit ihrem Debütalbum: Das charmante Duo feiert einen bedeutenden Schritt nach vorne und eine brillante Essenz all dessen, was die ersten Releases so dramatisch machte. Das Album erzählt die Geschichte eines turbulenten Jahres voller Leben, Liebe (und dessen Ende). Die Songs sind das Tagebuch 12 ereignisreicher Monate. "we're having a barn dance" übertrifft die Ziele des Duos. Die LP ist sowohl in der Produktion als auch im Songwritering offenkundig ambitioniert.

Loco Dice kündigt sein viertes Album „Purple Jam“ an: Mit 12 Tracks und einer Fülle hochkarätiger Kollaborationen unterstreicht er die ständige Weiterentwicklung seines Sounds und die erfolgreiche Verschiebung von Genregrenzen.

Loco Dice ist eine absolute Legende und einer der einflussreichsten Charaktere in der elektronischen Musikszene. Seit Beginn seiner Karriere hat er seinen einzigartigen Genre Twist aus House & Techno mit starken Hip-Hop Einflüssen etabliert. Von den Anfängen als Hip-Hop-DJ in Düsseldorf bis hin zu Residencies in den legendären Ibiza-Superclubs wie Circoloco im DC-10 und Amnesia Terrace sowie im Space Miami in den USA war Loco Dice immer für seine Fähigkeit bekannt, tiefe, introspektive Sounds mit energiegeladenen Tracks zu mischen.

Das enorm hohe Level und kreative Spektrum dieses Albums wurde bereits mit den ersten Single-Auskopplungen zementiert: Auf „Heavy Heart“ mit Skrillex & Fireboy DML, „Road Runner“ mit Carl Cox, „Ice Cold Dealer“ mit Haftbefehl und „Juice“ mit The Martinez Brothers & Trinidad James sammeln sich bereits Millionen an Streams.

Das Album erscheint als farbige 1 LP (180 Gramm).

After his critically acclaimed EP LOOP (national press coverage, playlist support, a sold-out tour with Odezenne, opening for Zaho de Sagazan and Pomme, winner of the 2024 iNOUïS of Printemps de Bourges), Jean unveils an ambitious and cohesive debut album, conceived as a complete work of art. Created without guest features or compromise, this 12-track record delves deep into introspective songwriting, raw yet poetic, at the crossroads of rap, melancholic pop, and modern French chanson. Jean isn’t trying to please, he exposes himself with no filter.



The album stands out for its strong narrative and visual identity, where each track plays like a film sequence, a resurfacing memory. It explores universal themes: love, solitude, escape, addiction, aging, through a deeply personal and always lucid lens. The imagery reflects this universe: the album cover, shot in a movie theater, introduces an ambiguous character, somewhere between absurdity and allegory, perhaps a manifestation of the artist’s inner demon. A disturbing yet familiar presence, intentionally open to interpretation, like a key without a lock.



Musically, the album spans multiple aesthetics without losing its coherence: each track asserts a distinct tone and balance. Jean positions himself within a new, demanding francophone scene, free from cynicism or affectation. He delivers a unique, sincere project, both accessible and profound, that invites listeners to experience it in one sitting, from start to finish.

t's been a half century since Pavlov's Dog burst onto the burgeoning progressive rock scene of the early 1970s. Hailing from the city of St. Louis, Missouri, their heady blend of rock, classical and folk music turned them into cult legends. The band has seen lots of lineup changes and internal turmoil over the years, leading to extended breaks between album releases. But today, David Surkamp - lead singer, main songwriter and last remaining original member of Pavlov's Dog - continues to fly the banner high, accompanied by an accomplished group of musicians that is a credit to the band's good name. For decades, Pavlov's Dog's "lost album" - "Has Anyone Here Seen Siegfried?" - recorded in St. Louis in 1977 - was available only in inferior quality. With the rediscovery of the master tapes several years ago, it became possible to hear the album as originally intended. Tensions within the band had reached the boiling point as they entered the studio and would lead to a breakup soon thereafter. Nevertheless, tracks like the piano ballad "Only You" and the somber "Suicide" are brilliant additions to the band's canon.

Andreas Kümmert ist DER Blues-, Rock Sänger aus Deutschland. Seine Stimme und seine Musik sind zeitlos. Die Songs auf dem neuen Album „Working Class Hero“ sind emotional, tief, mitreißend, berührend und tröstend zugleich.

Stillstand ist für Vollblutmusiker Andreas Kümmert ein Fremdwort. Inmitten einer Welt im Ausnahmezustand ist sein neues Album „Working Class Hero“ entstanden. Und weil sich Andreas eben nicht in einem sterilen Studio zurückgezogen, sondern sich als Künstler mitten im Zeitgeschehen bewegt hat, ist es ein grundehrliches, authentisches Abbild dessen geworden, was der gebürtige Lohrer dabei erlebt, gefühlt, gedacht und durchgemacht hat. „Es sind großenteils sehr wütende Songs mit wütenden, manchmal auch sehr sarkastischen Texten geworden“, sagt Andreas. „Sie handeln von dem, was in der Welt abgeht, aber auch dem, wie es mir persönlich damit geht. Eine Gegenüberstellung von Makro- und Mikrokosmos sozusagen. Man sieht und erlebt die Welt, und zugleich macht das etwas mit einem selbst, mit seinen eigenen Gefühlen und Gedanken. Und inmitten dieser Zeitgeschehnisse hat man noch seine ganz eigenen Probleme, die man bewältigen muss.“ Die Musik und Andreas gehören – das wird auf „Working Class Hero“ deutlicher denn je – untrennbar zusammen. Die Songs von Andreas Kümmert sind emotional, tief, mitreißend, berührend und tröstend zugleich. Sie bringen so viel von dem zum Ausdruck, was diese Welt nun einmal ist und was sie aus einem machen kann.

Following ‘No Closer To Heaven’, The Wonder Years released ‘Sister Cities’, their most transformative work to date.
Recorded at Sunset Sound with Joe Chiccarelli (Manchester Orchestra, The Shins, Spoon) and Carlos de la Garza (Jimmy Eat World, Paramore), ‘Sister Cities’ is an album about distance, connectivity and the way humanity towers above boundaries.

What The Wonder Years do so effortlessly on ‘Sister Cities’ is no small feat; through poetic lyricism, ambient guitar swells and Jimmy Eat World-levels of crashing momentum. On ‘Sister Cities’, they take a massive, unexpected leap forward both sonically and thematically, now speaking confidently to the world at large.

Vocalist Dan Campbell on the inspiration behind ‘Sister Cities’: “It started with journals and photos. We started by documenting. We didn’t know where it would go or if it would go anywhere at all, but we wrote it all down. We took photos of everything. And
then when it came to put it altogether, we had this catalog of how we felt and what it looked like and sounded like and we built from there. Figuring out what the moments were that stayed with me the most. When did I feel most connected to the people around me and why? What did being in this place during this moment teach me? It was a difficult year personally and globally and we experienced that through this lens of being everywhere but home, kind of floating through places and seeing how being there altered our perspective.”
The album is housed in a 200-page, 13”x13”, full-colour book that includes photos, artwork, journal entries and lyrics. LP pressed onto Shinjuku Street Splatter coloured vinyl.
An overpowering sense of earnestness and vulnerability.” - Pitchfork
There is a lifetime yelled in every punk song, captured in the desperate and catchy ‘Sister Cities’.” - NPR MusicFrom the first notes, it’s already clear that The Wonder Years are stepping into uncharted territory.” - UPROXX

Singer-songwriter Dan Arsenault’s avant-garde music infuses classic progressive rock and modern hard rock vibes - crafting himself a unique style of accessible songs that truly inspires the listeners. Born and raised in Atlantic Canada - home of many diverse artists, Dan’s taste in music genre greatly varied in his adult life, you can surely spot many of his style influences in his songs, ranging from early progressive rock to modern rock. His lyrical metaphor style along his punched-in odd signature moments, brings a strange complexity to the songs always leaving you discovering something new in each playbacks.

Dan’s first official released music arrived in 2021, with his first full length instrumental album ‘Eminence’ which was nominated for recording of the year at the MNB Awards 2021 and was highly accepted by the progressive music
community and qualified as a hidden jewel. Dan’s new concept album, ‘Signs point to Yes’, will truly showcase his passionate composing and producing skills, through the story journey of a kid on his quest for musical stardom and
happiness, featuring elite artists like Joe Calderone (Arch Echo), Jemma Heigis and Danny Bourgeois.

At a time when post-ambient electronica and bedevilled folk music are co-habiting, and the public’s interest in Pagan rites and rituals has been sparked by a new generation of fans. The bizarre storyline of Whistle And I’ll Come To You seems even more pertinent… and strangely haunting.
The Jonathan Miller-adapted 1968 ghost story was originally part of BBC’s Omnibus series and featured Michael Horden as a fussy professor who discovers an ancient whistle which summons up the spirits. A black and white folkloric tale in the style of The Wicker Man, the original TV programme received rave reviews.

The esoteric live score was recorded at the Hypnos Theatre in Malmö. The 42-minute soundtrack utilises stuttering tape loops on ‘Intro’ before breathing new life into the primitive John Carpenter-like drum machine on ‘Supernatural Breakfast’, while ‘Walk On The Beach 2’ sounds like a hauntological rendition of a Broadcast classic. Indeed, that effect is amplified on ‘Nightmares’, with its swirling wind and other-worldly choral effect, before the feeling of some supernatural presence is suggested on the penultimate cut ‘Evidence Of Spiritualism’

Das Debütalbum der britischen Rock-Band Wunderhorse rund um Leadsänger Jacob Slater als limitierte Clear Vinyl Neuauflage

These New Puritans veröffentlichen am 23. Mai 2025 ihr neues Album "Crooked Wing"!

"Crooked Wing" ist das fünfte Album von These New Puritans und ihr erstes neues Studioalbum seit sechs Jahren. Produziert von Jack Barnett und seinem langjährigen Mitarbeiter und Bark-Psychosis-Pionier Graham Sutton, enthält es Gastauftritte einer eklektischen und unberechenbaren Reihe von Mitstreitern, von Caroline Polachek bis zum britischen Jazz-Kontrabassisten Chris Laurence.
Das neue Album des experimentellen Kult-Duos bietet einen Sound, der sowohl brutal als auch wunderschön klingt, und festigt TNPs Ruf für visionäre Musik, die sich jeder Kategorisierung und Konvention entzieht, während sie gleichzeitig tiefes Eintauchen und Hingabe belohnt.

One of the very rare chances, and quite possibly the only chance to listen to the genius of Ennio Morricone engaging with the musical world of jazz. His soundtrack for the film The Blue-Eyed Bandit (Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzuri by Alfredo Giannetti, 1980) is marked by a relentless rhythm that perfectly matches the atmosphere of the film. The film was shot in Genoa – one of the most iconic cities of the Italian detective (poliziottesco) film genre – and stars Franco Nero, one of the leading stars of the whole genre. The main theme, Città Viva, is a vibrant and metropolitan piece, beautifully arranged for big band + trio of soloists, hand-picked by Morricone himself; his friend and collaborator Enrico Pieranunzi (piano), Roberto Gatto (drums) and Riccardo Del Fra (double bass). This is one of the very few times in which Ennio Morricone, who was famously suspicious of jazz improvisation, asked his musicians to be free and improvise, adding their solos to the original structure – the solo viola of Dino Asciolla, one of the greatest violists of all time, in particular stands out. This is the first time the soundtrack has been released on vinyl since its original release in 1982

Piero Piccioni undoubtedly was the most “dandy” of Italian film music composers. The most stylish one, in art as in life. On the centenary of the composer’s birth, CAM Sugar celebrates his art with a compilation that draws from both his well-know and lesser-known works, alongside a precious handful of tracks that, surprisingly, have remained fully unreleased until today. The result is a journey of rediscovery of the unique, dazzling and unmistakable sound of the Turin-born composer. The silky, sensual and emotional “Piccioni's touch” can be detected in every single composition he happened to work on during his long career which spanned jazz, bossa nova, funk, disco, and orchestral music. It is a touch that gives harmony and coherence to a corpus of soundtracks that stands out as one of the most prestigious and important discographies in the world: eternal music destined to last forever, without ever sounding out of place, just like the timeless elegance of Italy and Piccioni.

NOW is pleased to announce the next addition in the Millennium series NOW –the ultimate celebration of the finest pop hits from the 2000s . NOW – Millennium 2008-2009, bringing the first decade to a close – out September 27th! Available on STD 4CD set and a special edition 84-track 4CD set is housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet summary of the years and a track-by-track guide and 30 tracks across 2LP’s, pressed in a Gorgeous Gold and a White Vinyl, showcasing some of the most iconic sounds of the noughties!

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of world-famous DJ Pete Tong, conductor Jules Buckley, and The Heritage and The Essential Orchestra coming together to create orchestral versions of some of the greatest electronic dance songs as you’ve never heard them before. Alongside his Royal Albert Hall shows in May Pete has curated a special 2LP neon coloured vinyl, featuring hits from all four albums such as ‘Pjanoo’, ‘Lola’s Theme’ ‘Killer’, ‘Insomnia’, ‘9PM (Till I Come)’, ‘Your Love’ & many more. The releases also feature new Mark Ralph 2025 edits of fan favourites ‘Finally’, ‘Man With A Red Face’, ‘Yeke Yeke’ & ‘Cafe Del Mar’ which all previously featured on medleys and a new 2025 single. This limited edition release features brand new artwork and notes from Pete.

Mr Bongo proudly presents the third album by Melbourne/Naarm multi-instrumentalist, Don Glori, entitled ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. A kaleidoscopic genre-surfing odyssey that brings together the worlds of jazz, soul and funk. Feeling both contemporary and classic, familiar yet novel, it’s an assured third release that sees an artist in full flight, showcasing their creative prowess and the uniqueness of their musical voice.

Steering in a new direction, Don Glori (aka Gordon Li) has delved headfirst into his songwriting with ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. Deftly showcasing his talents as a writer and bandleader, he brings with him a whole host of friends from the creative crossroads that is Naarm. It’s an album enriched with more soul, R&B, and funk-oriented songs than his previous jazz-rooted productions, yet there’s still plenty of jazz material for those familiar fans of Don's earlier works.

The album’s title is an old Chinese proverb, roughly translated as 'you can’t deny the truth'. This underlying thread is woven between the songs. “A lot of them are in some way about truth-seeking, observations and the masks you put on to deal with life (hence the cover art)”, Don mentions. Take, for instance, the sensational soul single 'Brown Eyes' featuring silky lead vocals by ML Hall. A dissection of the minority experience, and the power and comfort in building those communities. Elsewhere, 'Disaster' is a satirical take on the structures serving everyone but the artists, and 'Flicker' tackles notations of truth and clarity after introspection.

To marry that meaning with the level of musicianship on these tracks is what really stands out. Don has set out his stall here as an artist who can write songs that hit home in the heart, as much as they do in the head. It’s a journey infused with a glistening jazz finesse, layered with nourishing vocal harmonies and powered by an instantly relatable human soul.

Recorded over two hot summer days in Rolling Stock Studios in Collingwood, Naarm, the lineup of musicians is built up of Don's friends and family. Featuring the backbone team of Tim Cox, Al Kennedy, Joel Trigg, Robyn Cummins and Lachlan Thompson, who were part of Don's touring band before he relocated to London, and a stunning selection of vocalists in the form of ML Hall, Ruby Dargaville, Isadora Lauritz, and Bianca Kyriacou. Also gracing the album are trumpeter extraordinaire Audrey Powne, saxophonist Joshua Moshe, and Alcides Neto who sprinkles some Brazilian magic into the record.

Taking influence from artists including Azymuth, SAULT, Jordan Rakei and Lynda Dawn, as well as from London musical beacons such as NTS and Total Refreshment Centre, Don has run with this, leaned in and come out with a record truly unique to himself and his distinctive core, with no mask necessary.

Salty Millers einziges Album ist ein verstecktes Juwel der Yachtrock-Szene, das 1980 in begrenzter Auflage erschien. Aufgenommen mit Mitgliedern der legendären Yachtrock-Combo The Embers, mischt die LP Soul, Disco und Midtempo-Stepper zum charakteristischen Szenetanz, dem Shag. Durchdrungen von pazifischen Sounds und gefühlvollen Streichern dient die LP sowohl als Liebesbrief an die goldenen Yachtrock-Jahre als auch als Ausreisser, der die Konventionen überschreitet. Während viele Songs nostalgische Yachtrock-Themen wie Liebe und Freude feiern, bieten andere mit einem nachdenklicheren Unterton eine seltene Abkehr vom traditionell sonnendurchfluteten Geist des Genres. Lang ersehnte, in den AIR Studios neu remasterte und geschnittene Neuauflage mit neuen Liner Notes.

In the vibrant streets of Tembisa, South Africa, amidst the sprawling urbanity connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria, the story of Moskito began. Formed in 2001 by Mahlubi "Shadow" Radebe and the late Zwelakhe "Malemon" Mtshali, the group first emerged as a powerhouse of pantsula dancers. However, their undeniable passion for music soon led them down a new path_ one that would cement their place in kwaito history. Spending countless hours on the street corners of their township, where they were born and raised, Shadow and Malemon danced and sang with an infectious energy that attracted crowds. It wasn't long before the duo decided to channel their talents into a kwaito group, and after adding friends Patrick Lwane and Menzi Dlodlo, Moskito was born. (Pantsula dancing emerged in the 1950s among Black South Africans in townships and continually evolved until it became intertwined with kwaito music culture. The stylized, rapid foot movements and characteristic low-dancing became associated with kwaito as it took over South African urban culture into the early 2000s.) With limited resources, the group displayed immense creativity, recording demos using two cassette decks and instrumental tracks from other artists. They would rap and sing over an instrumental playing on one deck while the second deck records their performance. Their determination paid off when they submitted their demo to Tammy Music Publishers, who were captivated by Moskito's style. "Kwaito was the thing `in' at the time. If you did music you did kwaito. We wanted to fit in and actually it was easy," says Radebe. "We didn't have engineers in the group, so the first time in a real studio was with Percy and Thami to record Idolar." That same year, the group released their debut album, Idolar, under Tammy Music. The album was an undeniable success reaching gold status selling over 25,000 units and earning them a devoted fan base across South Africa and neighboring countries like Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Moskito collaborated with industry legends such as Chilly Mthiya Tshabalala, who was known for his work with Thiza and Spoke "H." They drew inspiration from Thami Mdluli a.k.a Professor Rhythm, who had dominated the disco scene back in the 80s and 90s. Mdluli helped with musical arrangements and executive produced the album and signed on producer-engineer Percy Mudau, while Shadow and Malemon took pride in composing most of their songs. Like many of the rising kwaito artists of the time, they didn't have music production or engineering backgrounds so they required support from engineers together their ideas down on tape. They were inspired from South African kwaito icons like Trompies, Mdu, Mandoza, and Arthur Mafokate, alongside international heavyweights like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, and R. Kelly, Moskito created a sound that was uniquely theirs_a perfect blend of local flavor and global influence.

NOW is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series, and the final one representing an individual year from the 1980s: NOW – Yearbook 1989. 78 tracks across 4CDs – celebrating a magnificent and eclectic year in pop! This release is available as a standard 4-CD set, and as a special edition 4-CD set in ‘hardback book’ packaging, which includes a 28-page booklet packed with notes about all of the 78 featured tracks. Also available as 42 tracks across 3LPs, pressed in stunning pink vinyl…celebrating a magnificent and eclectic year in pop!

Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 release their new album "Fontana Rosa". Possibly the world's only musical group to fuse Latin music of all kinds with the Welsh language, this time Rio 18 draw inspiration from slightly different musical corners, including Chicano Soul, Nuyorican pop, and Salsoul disco plus Latin sounds filtered through the cultural spectrum of the USA.

Most significantly though, the album was among the last ever to be recorded by the acclaimed producer Liam Watson at his legendary studio and shrine to all things analogue, Toerag Studios - a huge inspiration and influence on Rio 18's Carwyn Ellis. The "Fontana Rosa" sessions saw Ellis draw together an all-star band at the fabled studio which is perhaps best known through its place in the White Stripes history.

Talking about the story and gestation of the album, Carwyn said:

"I was in Mexico City with Baldo Verdú when I heard that Toerag Studios in London was going to close. It came as a shock - Toerag and Liam Watson, its owner and resident producer had been a massive influence on me. Liam, along with Edwyn Collins, had taught me much of what I know about recording, had hired me as an instrumentalist on countless sessions and had helped me to get started when I began my own solo career. And over the years, I'd still go in to record with Liam whenever the opportunity arose. When I heard that Liam was shutting up shop, I took it upon myself to try and ensure he went out with a musical bang. I rounded up the best band I could get: the aforementioned Venezuelan percussion wiz and singer, Baldo Verdú: American drummer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Shawn Lee: the Isle of Wight's finest drum and percussion master, producer and composer Rupert Brown (whom I'd originally met at Toerag many moons ago): Elan Rhys, one of Wales's finest voices and long term collaborator with Rio 18, as well as being one third of the wonderful folk group, Plu: and Kassin - my Brazilian brother from Rio de Janeiro, bassist and producer with artists such as Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and a multitude of others, including Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18.

So this was my dream team, assembled to make beautiful music one more time at Toerag (I have to add at this point that Shawn and Rupert hit it off so well at our sessions that they booked their own session shortly afterwards! Look out for the brilliant Shawn Lee's Toerag Orchestra 'Percussion Discussion' album). Toerag, if you're not familiar with the place, made its name as London's foremost analogue studio for some 30 years, recording directly to tape which in essence means musicians playing live, together in a room until they get it right. And the sound? Oh the SOUND!! And this is all Liam Watson's doing, his sonic aesthetic - a real master engineer. The studio is perhaps best known as the place where the White Stripes recorded their monster hit album 'Elephant' but for me it's where I got to record with James Hunter, Lay Low (from Iceland), Quruli (from Japan), Fabienne Delsol (from France) and made many lasting friendships, learnt a great deal about popular music, as well as making a bunch of my own best recordings with Colorama.

Over the course of five days we laid down as much music as we could. We had some visitors too: guitar slinger Little Barrie (Primal Scream, The The and Liam Gallagher among other things, but also my dear bandmate in Edwyn Collins's band): sax and flute maestro Jim Hunt (Amy Winehouse, Primal Scream, Duffy and very many others): and Diego Laverde Rojas, the Colombian Latin harp virtuoso.

This time the music had a slightly different edge - although we still maintained our Brazilian/Welsh connection on 'Deffro'r Dydd' (written with and sung by Elan Rhys), our Cumbia vibe and some Merengue ('Mariposa' and 'Te Adoro', sung by Baldo Verdú) and even a traditional Afro-Venezuelan tune ('La Quichimba', again sung by Baldo) - the main influence for me this time was Latin music as recorded in the USA, both new and old. 'No More Secrets' is a straight up slice of Salsoul disco, while 'Hei Ti' is a punky funky but of Nu Yorican pop somewhere between ESG and the Beastie Boys. But one of my main influences in the last couple of years has been the current wave of Chicano Soul coming from California, particularly via the Penrose and Big Crown labels. I was turned on to this music when I was in Japan in early 2023 - Takashi-san at Pleased To Meet Me Records in Nara played me the Altons' 'Float' and I was hooked!

And that music has a similar aesthetic to Toerag: music recorded live to tape by excellent engineers, performed by fine musicians and singers. So our songs 'Impossible', 'Heartbreaker' and 'Lovesick' are very much in this vein. And that just leaves the title track, 'Fontana Rosa'."

"1980 was a huge year in pop music with every genre competing for hits. We have already included many tracks on the records of the 1980 Yearbook, the 80-84 Final Chapter, and their extras so far in our appreciation of the year…

Those tracks were generally the bigger hits of the year, with their chart achievement a factor in their inclusion – however – that’s not the whole singles story of the year, and our celebration of 1980 wouldn’t be complete without shining a light on some of the years’ singles that have been compiled much less frequently over the years.

Welcome to THE VAULT for 1980… Some of the tracks included were Top 40 hits, some missed the chart completely. Some were representative of massive selling albums, and some were big hits in the U.S. and not in the U.K… but all are part of the wonderful pop story of 1980. "

wetdogg was born in a grotto in Detroit, Michigan with a mission to information to the masses. Through sonic awakening, wetdoggs mission is to enlighten the subconscious and shine light on the deepest crevices of the human psyche. Allowing pathways back into animalistic intuition and away from the technocracy, dig a hole, plant a seed, run in circles and free your mind.

Coming out of Detroit based label Hold Me Records started by Detroit Techno aficionado MGUN and Underground don of all dons Ryan Spencer, wetdogg releases her first Album pssssssp…

From the artist:
"When a dog runs into a river and comes out and shakes itself dry, there is no data collected, technology does not aim to control those that it cannot. Numbers are definite and infinite, a linear path to doomsday. With every move we make, we are tracked and traced and categorized in order to sell ourselves into data hell. Intimacy used to have meaning, the present moment, truth and love but so much of it has been taken captive by technology that seeks to psychologically manipulate and control. A dog runs into the water because that is what dogs do, but it seems these days we are starved from our natural instincts, instead relying on someone else's answer that we of course seek online. "

Using the primitive technology of the password journal (often marketed to little girls to keep their secrets) wetdogg uses the idea of the password journal to imagine a utopia free of the surveillance state in her upcoming album pssssssp…

Founded in 2022, Hold Me Recordings is an independent record label based in southwest Detroit, MI. It is run by Manuel Gonzales (MGUN) & Ryan Spencer, who with a deep-rooted connection to the city's musical history, showcase innovative sounds that challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of contemporary electronic music. Focused on promoting both emerging and established artists, Hold Me is releasing genre-defying tracks that blend unconventional productions with the sincerity of Detroit's legacy. From experimental techno, to downtempo and ambient, Hold Me is committed to offering music that sounds fresh, exciting, and unlike anything you've heard before.

In the Andes of Peru, in a valley formed by the Huallaga River, lies the city of Huanuco. There, a little over fifty years ago, the emblematic cumbia band Los Darlings de Huánuco was born, and since then their compositions have gone around the world, bringing their homeland to the ears of music lovers and collectors. Adversities kept them away from music for two decades, but in spite of this, they marked a parallel path and created their own history in the maximum splendor of Peruvian cumbia. In a valley formed by the Huallaga River lies a temperate land located on the eastern slopes of the central Andes of Peru: Huánuco. A little more than seventy years ago, in that land of mountains and starry skies at almost 2,000 meters above sea level, Juan Nájera was born. A multifaceted musician by profession, he did not always have the privilege of being able to dedicate his life to music. For almost ten years he ran a family hardware store in Huánuco and then a mechanic shop on La Marina Avenue in Lima. He was also a truck driver. A decade of military dictatorships in Latin America made the artist's path very hard in the region, and Peru was no exception. Nájera was only nineteen when his first son was born. He had to make a living and the possibilities for entrepreneurship were slim. But if we go back in history, Juan Nájera was, first and foremost, a boy who dreamed of becoming a musician. Later, he was a boy who made it. Los Darlings de Huánuco managed to cross borders, not only in the capital of Peru, but also abroad. There are many collectors and music lovers around the world who seek and appreciate their songs, musical gems that have toured different latitudes and have managed to position this band from the Peruvian countryside in the most remote places on the planet. In a country characterized by its centralism, where opportunities in the countryside are much scarcer than in the capital, where the foreigner is greeted with more warmth than the local, and where getting ahead, especially in the musical field, implies an extraordinary effort, Los Darlings de Huánuco managed to take their sound to where they never thought it would be possible. From the Andes to the skyscrapers, from the heart of Huánuco to the immensity of other continents.

* The first release on Entire Records, in the shape of the soundtrack score to Academy-nominated 1976 documentary about the Bakhtiari tribe composed and performed by G.T. Moore and Shusha Guppy

* Available on vinyl for the first time since its original release.

* Musically encompassing Persian-flavoured and folk-tinged instrumentals and Farsi-language a-capellas.

* G.T. Moore is a singer and songwriter whose career stretches back to the late 60s when he was a member of folk band Heron. In the mid-70s he formed G.T. Moore and the Reggae Guitars. Later in his career, he would work with the likes of Lee Perry, Johnny Nash and Poly Styrene.
After 50 years in the music business, Gerald (G.T.) is still effortless bridging musical genres.

* Shusha Guppy, born in Tehran, was a talented writer, editor, songwriter, and singer.
Between 1971 and 1995, she recorded over ten albums of both Persian and Western folk songs.
She passed away in 2008.

The record is largely sung in Scots language, one of Scotland’s three official languages along with Gaelic and English. “Scots gives me a way of expressing myself which is connected directly with the landscapes I love. It brings the songs alive and it is a fascinating language. The name of the record is in Scots - Forefowk means the people who came before, or ancestors. When we say ‘mind me,’ we can mean a few things- remind, remember, watch over or care for me. The record explores how tradition needs to be constantly reconnected with, built upon, looked after, and shared.”
Quinie sings with a style inspired by Scottish Traveller singers. “I began singing unaccompanied Scots Song in 2015 after hearing Scots Traveller singer Sheila Stewart on the radio. Initially I felt like I shouldn't sing these songs because I'm not a Traveller, and I saw people around me doing that in a way that made me uncomfortable. But on the other hand this music made sense to me and I felt driven to learn. Over the years I have met Traveller friends who taught me that settled people sharing these songs could contribute to raising awareness. Scottish Travellers are marginalised and discriminated against in modern Scotland, despite being custodians of so many of our important traditions. So I started to perform them and tell this story. From there I built on my repertoire and started writing my own songs”.
To develop this record, Quinie travelled across Argyll with her horse. They went on a pilgrimage of sorts through the ancient landscapes of the West of Scotland to explore the interconnected relationships between people, ancestors, animals, and place. The album’s vinyl release is accompanied by a book and film, documenting this unusual research process.
Forefowk, Mind Me was recorded in August 2024 at The Big Shed in Highland Perthshire with support from Creative Scotland. Quinie is accompanied by an ensemble of musicians: Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh (viola), Oliver Pitt (duduk, bouzouki, percussion), Harry Górski-Brown (small pipes, violin), and Stevie Jones (double bass, recording, and mixing). Each of these artists brings their own distinctive voice, bridging contemporary experimental practice with worlds of traditional and early music.

Deerhoof haben sich schon vor langer Zeit als eine der großartigsten Rockgruppen des Planeten etabliert - wer das für übertrieben hält, hat noch nicht genug Zeit damit verbracht, Deerhoof zu hören - das wahnsinnig erfinderische Quartett behandelt jedes seiner neuen Alben als eine Gelegenheit zur kreativen Wiedergeburt. Und doch sind sie irgendwie auch zutiefst zuverlässig, eine seltsame, aber wahre Beschreibung für eine Band, die so kreativ rastlos ist. Man weiß nie, wie ein neues Deerhoof-Album klingen wird, außer dass es immer nach Deerhoof klingen wird. Die Band wird durch solche Paradoxien definiert, wie "Noble and Godlike in Ruin" erneut bestätigt. Ihr neuestes Album ist entweder ein Porträt einer Welt, die in monströsen Hass, Entmenschlichung und Dollarzeichen abgleitet, oder ein eindringliches Selbstporträt der Band als Monster: ein intelligentes, sensibles, hybrides Wesen, das unermüdlich von Liebe singt, sich aber zunehmend von dieser Welt entfremdet. Die Musik ist fröhlich und ahnungsvoll, kybernetisch und zutiefst menschlich, alles zugleich. Streicher, die an avantgardistische Kammermusik und klassische Horrorfilm-Soundtracks erinnern, prallen auf Gitarren- und Basslinien. Das Schlagzeug ist manchmal gefiltert und klingt fast elektronisch, aber kein Computer könnte einen so funkigen und dynamischen Rhythmus erzeugen, bei dem jede winzige Variation von einem Snare-Schlag zum nächsten Welten der Möglichkeiten vermittelt. An der Spitze steht die unnachahmliche Altstimme von Satomi Matsuzaki. Eine Stimme der Einsamkeit, deren schlichte Ruhe seltsam außerhalb des Mahlstroms der Band zu stehen scheint, zu dem sie mit ihren zackig-präzisen Bassläufen selbst beiträgt. Als Einwanderin der ersten Generation in den USA hat sie nie versucht, ihren japanischen Akzent oder ihre Karaoke-esken Vortrag zu verbergen. Auf "Noble und Godlike in Ruin" wirkt dies abwechselnd als Ausdruck von Einsamkeit und als kühle Provokation gegenüber Systemen der Unterdrückung und Kontrolle. ,Kindness is all I needed from you", singt sie auf dem epischen Albumabschluss ,Immigrant Songs`. ,But you think we're in your house." Nicht lange danach explodiert der Song, sein eng gewickelter Art-Pop macht Platz für mehrere Minuten heulenden Lärm. Auch wenn das Thema düster sein mag - wie könnte es anders sein - tragen die Songs trotzigen Optimismus in ihrer Weigerung, sich den Konventionen oder überlieferten Weisheiten zu beugen. Da ist diese berühmte Zeile von Dylan Thomas über das Wüten gegen das Sterben des Lichts: "Noble and Godlike in Ruin" fühlt sich ein wenig so an. Die Welt mag untergehen, aber Deerhoof gehen schwungvoll unter.

Louis Philippe und The Night Mail sind zurück mit einem neuen, fesselnden Album, auf dem die Songs wieder einmal makellos sind. Die Reise geht dieses Mal weiter, weg vom Klassischen, hin zum Unerwarteten. Neue Synthesizer und Claps machen das Ganze unmittelbar und plötzlich, während Stimmen wie aus luftiger Höhe und scheinbar spielerisch-furchtlos durch das Album rufen. Neben den üblichen Geschichten, die man sich so erzählt, gibt es eine geheime, parallele Version der Pophistorie, die von den wahren Enthusiasten und Eklektikern geschrieben wurde. Von jenen, für die ein Dauerbrenner wie Pet Sounds nicht nur Anlass zu endlosen Behauptungen über seine Außergewöhnlichkeit war, sondern auch mündete in einer Aneinanderreihung harmonischer Reichtümer, die bis ins einundzwanzigste Jahrhundert reicht. In diesem alternativen Universum ist Philippe Auclair alias Louis Philippe, anglo-französischer Singer-Songwriter sondergleichen, seit vier Jahrzehnten eine bewunderte Größe. Philippes musikalische Anfänge liegen als Pop-Protagonist und Haus-Produzent bei Mike Always legendärem Label él Records. Von hier aus führten ihn seine Ausflüge in den Shibuya-Sound und zur Zusammenarbeit mit Leuten wie Bertrand Burgalat, Dave Gregory von XTC, Sean O"Hagan von High Llamas und Stuart Moxham von Young Marble Giants bis hin zu seinen jüngsten Abenteuern mit The Night Mail. The Night Mail kamen vor zehn Jahren zusammen, um ein Album mit dem unterschätzten Post-Glam-Genie John Howard aufzunehmen. Nach diesem einmaligen Projekt verbrachten sie ein paar Abende in London, um als Begleitband für Robert Forster und Louis Philippe zu spielen, und schlossen dabei eine Allianz mit Letzterem, die 2020 zu ihrem ersten gemeinsamen Album Thunderclouds führen sollte. Angesichts der Komplexität, den reichhaltigen Sound dieses Albums auf der Bühne zu realisieren, holte Philippe seinen langjährigen Partner, musikalische Koryphäe und Multiinstrumentalist Danny Manners an Bord.

Horizon is a new collaborative album by Resavoir and Matt Gold. Across the 10 tracks the two Chicago-based producers combine their distinct sensibilities to create a hypnotic and inviting love letter to their shared admiration for "60s and "70s Brazilian music. Resavoir leading man Will Miller - the acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and producer who"s worked with SZA, Whitney, and more-makes room at the table for Gold - a seasoned multi-instrumentalist and accomplished guitarist who has collaborated with the likes of Makaya McCraven and Greg Ward - and the results are distinctly new for both of them. The sunny and expansive tunes on Horizon are as immersive as they are endlessly replayable, a dynamic and joyous body of work.

New Generation Carnival Riddims from St. Lucia and Dominica A hurricane of turbo-charged, body-buzzing tracks collide on Road Fever, a compilation of razor-produced, road-tested instrumental riddims from St. Lucia, Dominica & Guadeloupe that showcases the producers forging the future of Caribbean music in 2025. Road Fever draws together instrumental Dennery Segment and Bouyon riddims originally made for vocalists, presented for the first time as stand alone pieces of music. Distilling carnival riddims down to the bare bones, producers push minimal 150+bpms, FL-percussion packs, DJ/vox samples & synth riffs, bridging trap, drill, dancehall, sped-up Haitian konpa & Angolan kuduro. Ricocheting at the intersection of TikTok culture, best heard blasted through walls of speakers travelled by stage-sized carnival trucks or via bluetooth car speakers, St.Lucia"s "Dennery Segment" sound, (as iconic producer, G6 described in an interview), "sparks your inside; a sound you can"t hear and not move". Amsterdam-based, Curaçao-raised compiler Rozaly echoes G6: "Once you hear it, you can"t unhear or unfeel it. This is a musical movement with an entire history with so many relevant reasons why it still exists, and why it exists the way it exists right now". Rozaly concludes, "there is nothing more simple, let the artists speak."

The incredibly elusive band Sault release their debut album 5 on Vinyl via independent record label Forever Living Originals. The record fuses African, soul, funk and post-punk vibes amongst other flavours. With support from Radio 6's Lauren Laverne and USA's KWRC and KEXP, the band are set to go from strength to strength becoming one of the most prolific bands of 2020 with a barrage of material up their sleeves

Dean Josiah Cover aka Inflo has been composing for Michael Kiwanuka, The Kooks, Tom Odell, The Jungle and Little Simz

Repress!

2025 Repress

Om Unit surprises us with a second volume of his 'Acid Dub Studies' project, once again fusing his love for the 303 with studio techniques given to us by musical heroes such as King Tubby, Adrian Sherwood, Jammys and Basic Channel

This second volume further solidifies the convincing narrative created by its best-selling predecessor, heading in a more groove-based direction in places whilst being underpinned by the same sonic narrative that has been enjoyed by many music fans from a variety of different spheres for the past 18 months or so

Support so far for the Acid Dub Studies project has come from many corners including some of the most highly respected names in UK Radio such as Don Letts and Steve Barker, Benji B and Tom Ravenscroft as well as a whole host of truly global worldwide underground support both via radio and in the dance

Om Unit says of this record: 'I felt encouraged by the sheer love for the original selection of works to go back in again and continue to experiment with this approach to writing whilst refining some of the process. Being able to combine processes and influence has been the mainstay of my creative life and I hope this next volume of Acid Dub will be enjoyed by everyone who was a fan of the first'

The beloved 303 bassline continues to inspire every new generation and Acid Dub Studies II is another storybook of sound in that vast continuum that shows no sign of slowing down.

Claire Chicha aka Spill Tab is feeling more free than ever before. The LA-based, French-Korean songwriter and producer,has spent the past five years as spill tab honing a sound that is as raw-edged as it is refined, channelling low-slung guitar-strumming confessionals as well as the earworming melodic hooks of anthemic pop to produce a heady and distinctive mix.

Following the 2019 release of her intimate and infectious debut single “Decompose”, Spill Tab has evolved her spill tab project through three EPs: 2020’s synth-pop influenced Oatmilk, 2021’s playful, uptempo Bonnie, featuring Gus Dapperton and Tommy Genesis, and 2023’s co-produced, sonically-intricate Klepto, which gleefully meanders from the Hiatus Kaiyote-influenced jazz freakouts of “CRÈME BRÛLÉE!” to the guitar-chugging thump of “Splinter”. Live, meanwhile, Spill Tab has been tapped for her explosively energetic presence to open the North American leg of popstar Sabrina Carpenter’s tour, as well as touring through Australia with alt-rock trio Wallows.
With “PINK LEMONADE”, opening single from her forthcoming debut album “ANGIE” , spill tab’s freewheeling sound finds its fullest expression, harnessing this onstage experience and recorded experimentation with her bass-weight and pitched-up vocals. Here we find Chicha only ever chasing that “weird thing”, fizzing with an infectious enthusiasm and intricate musicianship. “The best songs come from writing the main idea in a day, as it’s so instinctual,” she says, such as “PINK LEMONADE” recorded “from a clip taken out of a 40-minute jam that we then chopped and spliced”.
Born to her French Algerian composer father and Korean pianist mother, Claire Chicha spent her early childhood in the mixing room of her parents’ LA post-production studio, bringing coffees to artists as they tracked scores for exciting new projects. “I hung out in that studio all the time until I was around 10 years old, absorbing jazz music my dad was into and classical music that my mom loved,” Chicha says. “My mom had a big hand in making me an adventurous kid, always trying new things from piano to harp and violin, forever soaking up new sounds.”

At 12, Chicha’s life was uprooted as she relocated to Thailand to live with her mother’s family following the collapse of her parents’ business after the 2008 recession. What followed was an unstable and formative few years of early teenagedom, navigating new cultures and life changes. In Thailand, Chicha began learning guitar to cover the Paramore and Green Day tracks she had grown to love while also becoming immersed in Thai traditional music. After a year, she moved once more to live with her aunt in Paris and there she was introduced to the classic sound of Serge Gainsbourg and Édith Piaf before ultimately returning to LA following the untimely death of her father.

“I had to become a real people person to fit in everywhere I was moving, and it immersed me into so many different styles of music,” she says. “I went from listening to the nasal singing of Thai traditional music at muay thai fights in Bangkok, to emotive classic French songs. It definitely informed the need to experiment with my sound as I became more interested in making music.”

At high school in LA, Chicha joined one of the country’s foremost show choirs and realised a natural aptitude for stagecraft and performance as she sang medleys in competitions throughout the US. Going on to study Music Business at NYU, Chicha found a love for the alternative soul and singer-songwriting of the likes of Moses Sumney and Bon Iver, as well as developing her own sound while spending summers interning as an A&R at Atlantic Records and being exposed to the gamut of New York’s live music scene.

“I was going to so many shows as an A&R intern and seeing just how much a lot of music sounded alike,” she says. “It made me realise I wanted my music to feel different, to cut through the noise but still make something that felt honest to me.”

Beginning to independently release tracks, Soill Tab gradually built a loyal fanbase with the release of wistful early numbers “Calvaire” and “Cotton Candy” and soon found herself signed to a major label. Yet, as her career progressed through the COVID pandemic the demands of a corporate major began to conflict with her own searching style. “My last two EPs were under contract and it felt like I was always chasing the carrot,” she says, “I felt a certain pressure to put out tracks quickly and find that ‘hit’. It wasn’t the right environment to truly make what I wanted.”

Ultimately parting ways with her label, Chicha began work on a new album, exploring new sounds and ideas with her LA-based community of collaborators like producer David Marinelli, Solomonophonic, Wyatt and Austin and John DeBold, without expectation. “It became this beautiful experience of only following ideas that I really believed in and exploring all the musical avenues I hadn’t before,” she says. “I’ve never been more excited about songs and I’ve never felt like a project is more mine.”

Writing and recording while touring with Sabrina Carpenter and Wallows, Chicha road-tested her new tracks to see what might land best with an audience who had likely never heard her music before. “You have to win people’s hearts as an opener and you can see what resonates and what doesn’t,” she says. “I would watch people fall in love or not and it’s usually always the song you’re having the most fun with that does the best. That’s what I put on the record.”

« Angie », Spill’s Tab debut album is relased on because Music and expected for May 16th release.

POST HEAVEN is Jadu Heart's 5th studio album, but marks their first album since splitting as a couple, signalling the end of one chapter opening the door to another. The romance may be over, but the band endures.

The album release precedes the band supporting Fontaines D.C. across the entirety of their US tour this April with Carlos from Fontaines describing the band as 'one of his favourites out there at the moment'. The picture of Jadu Heart’s evolving emotional landscape of the new record POST HEAVEN has come into sharper focus following the release of singles 'Mild To Moderate Pain', 'AUX' and 'U' which have been played across the BBC Radio network, the band also recently played a session for Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios playing tracks from the album and covering the Portishead track 'Glorybox'.

This is your favourite band's favourite band and POST HEAVEN will solidify their underground cult band status.

PHONOLAB is the new collaborative project from Anglo-Italian musician, solo artist and producer Gaudi and experimental electronica composer Eraldo Bernocchi Both fearless creators known for pushing the boundaries of sound for almost four decades, the duo's new album 'Disturbia' is set for release on the 11th April via Subsound Records and features contributions from heavyweights including Gerald Casale (Devo), Flowdan, Bill Laswell and the late Mark Stewart (The Pop Group).

With its eclectic blend of electronic innovation, deep basslines, and cutting- edge sound design, 'Disturbia' challenges and captivates listeners with its bold, genredefying vision, resulting in a deeply immersive and forward-thinking sonic experience. The title of the album was created by late post-punk pioneer and lead singer of The Pop Group, Mark Stewart, who was recording with PHONOLAB, shortly before he died. Some of the disruption and creative defance Stewart embodied can be heard throughout the album including tracks such as the glitchy 'Lapis Lazuli' and album title track, 'Disturbia.' The album acts as a homage to one of the most infuential post

In 2022, Osàre! Editions founder Elena Colombi approached artists and musicians with a prompt: Every body, everyone needs love to flourish. In her book The Will to Change, the eminent author and social activist, Bell Hooks, invites men to excavate their innermost selves, challenging the way that patriarchal society limits their capacity for intimacy, tenderness, care and emotion. As hooks lays out, feminist thought and work requires the collective participation of all genders in order to realise a liberated world. How can we imagine cross-gender solidarity through music and art? And how can we tell sonic stories that facilitate our full potential as desiring beings? These are the questions that The Male Body Will Be Next starts out from.

The title of the record draws connections between hooks' writing, a film by Rebecca Salvadori and Peter de Potter's stunning photo series of the same name. In de Potter and Salvadori's depictions, men's bodies appear as vulnerable, naked and exposed.

Divided into two parts, the first instalment of The Male Body Will Be Next hinges on colliding energies – the melding of club dance floors and haunting ambient textures, agile techno and noisy experimentation.

'The sun on my skin… it’s so warm and gentle,’ speak-sings Olivia Salvadori on ‘Su Di Te M’Infrango’, visualising utopias. Laurel Halo crafts a dreamscape spun from golden threads of synth and strings. Pensive and reflective, Ben Bertrand’s bass clarinet roams searchingly, its piercing tonality full of longing. Yet, in between these lucid, cinematic passages and spoken word, The Male Body Will Be Next finds space to dance together. Moving in fervent, rhythmic patterns, Sepehr’s ‘Divooneh’ pivots between tension and release. Filmmaker unleashes a wave of energy and The Spy delivers a potent take on vintage electro, the track title hinting at the double-bind of gendered expectations. Propelled between these eclectic styles, the record encapsulates the full spectrum of sonic expression.

The project by Jens-Uwe Beyer and Thomas Venker boasts a remarkable origin story. In 2017, Venker, co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Cologne’s Kaput magazine, hosted a gathering at Beyer's house, bringing together journalists, creatives, and musicians. To mark the occasion, the pair decided to join forces for an impromptu ambient-electronic performance, presenting themselves as a two-man band. That evening, donned in special costumes designed by artist Sarah Szczesny and fuelled by a generous amount of Japanese whisky, Hasan Poppu was born. Over the course of the pandemic, the duo thought about creating a record based on the live recording of their premiere show. However, the synergy of their collaborative creative energies led them in entirely novel directions. Their self-titled, double-sided album traverses a wild and raucous terrain, moving swiftly from hybrid noise-techno to giddy party ecstasy, to strange and shadowy atmospheres.

Including remixes by YPY, Hibotep, Lena Willikens, Efdemin and Barnt, the 11 tracks span a dizzying array of experimental dance-facing styles. 'Die-Biden' kicks off as a high-vibrational vocal experiment seemingly voiced by a sentient German vocoder. 'Kodō' follows, featuring Venker's playful mantra set against a stomping beat. Willikens' reimagining of 'Teiko' transports the track to obscure realms inhabited by strange creatures emitting ungodly sounds. Meanwhile, Efdemin's take on 'Ekusutashī' pulsates with a kinetic buzz. Flipping over to the B-side, 'Sakura' is a euphoric wall of drone punctuated by eerie whispers and mystical singing. Then, the second installment of 'Kodō' takes a fresh trajectory with a touch of Barnt’s electronic groove stylings. Finally, Hibotep's 'Shojo no yo ni flp' serves as the finsher – an unrepentant trance belter that disintegrates into sampled fragments. Loosely translating to "broken pop music," Hasan Poppu is informed by Beyer and Venker's shared love for Japan. The band takes their cues from the country’s rich sonic cultures while also drawing on Venker's wordsmith background and Beyer's flair for melding melodic tech-house with song-based synth-pop. Originally out on Beachcoma Recordings, Hasan Poppu’s debut album gets a new lease of life on Osàre! Editions with a digital and limited edition cassette tape release. Sarah Szczesny reprises her role in shaping the visual identity of Hasan Poppu by creating beautiful, painterly artwork for the record. words by Hannah Pezzack

Repress!

MIKE’s music carries age beyond his years. Born in New Jersey, he moved to London with his mother before eventually settling in The Bronx for the remainder of his teenage years. Renaissance Man was recorded between the two cities that shaped him, with both regions leaving a distinct mark on his sound. In London, he was immersed in grime and the music of King Krule, while in The Bronx, he gravitated toward the influences of Earl Sweatshirt and MF DOOM.Through his mixtapes Winter New York, Longest Day, Shortest Night, May God Bless Your Hustle, and his EP By The Water, he has made a definitive statement on the state of youth in New York. The releases turned heads outside of MIKE’s immediate community in the city, earning praise from The FADER, The New Yorker, and being selected as Best New Music by Pitchfork.MIKE raps over characteristically lo-fi, and soulfully hazy, self produced beats. Themes about the depression and anxiety that accompany being young and African American abound throughout his music, but a muted sense of hopefulness and certainty that he is moving towards ultimate triumph is the motor quietly propelling things forward.Renaissance Man follows his critically acclaimed Lex Records release, Black Soap

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Sought after instrumentals for critically acclaimed album Sour Soul, by Toronto jazz / hip hop band BadBadNotGood and Staten Island rap champ, Ghostface Killah. Inspired by 1960's and 70's music and taking inspiration from the recording techniques and production of that era, they embrace live instrumentation and zero sampling. BadBadNotGood with producer Frank Dukes created a dramatic, cinematic musical staging for Ghostface's vivid storytelling and this is the first and only time the instrumentals will be available as a standalone album.

Babe Rainbow's 'Slipper Imp and Shakaerator' ist ein sonnendurchflutetes Fest des psychedelischen Acid-Pop, durchdrungen von der entspannten Magie der australischen Goldküste. Das Album ist eine Rückkehr zu den Wurzeln der Band und verbindet nostalgische Riffs, schimmernden 80er-Jahre-Funk, fließende Rhythmen und psychedelische Jams zu einem mühelos fröhlichen Album, das wild und strahlend ist und geteilt werden will.

Mit ihrem siebten Studioalbum katapultiert die Berliner Band Kadavar ihren Sound in neue Dimensionen. Inspiriert von einem Zitat ihres Bassisten Simon 'Dragon' Bouteloup, „Ich will einfach nur ein Sound sein“, schaffen sie ein Manifest für Freiheit, Transformation und radikale Präsenz. Keine Konzepte, keine Grenzen: Das Album ist ein musikalisches Ritual des Übergangs, das sich nahtlos zwischen Rockhymnen, Balladen und epischen Momenten bewegt - immer voller Schwung und Veränderung.

Unterstützt von Produzent Max Rieger und begleitet von Gitarrist Jascha Kreft zelebrieren Kadavar die ewige Verwandlung des „Ewigen Jetzt“. Ein Soundtrack für die Widersprüche der Zeit, der alles hinter sich lässt, was nicht Musik ist - kraftvoll, verletzlich und immer bereit für einen Neuanfang. Es ist ein Liebesbrief an den Moment, an Berlin und an das Leben selbst - voller Liebe, Verlust, Narben und dem bittersüßen Gefühl der Vergänglichkeit. Kadavar laden uns ein, loszulassen und eins zu werden: mit der Musik, mit dem Jetzt, mit dem Klang.

Pavilions neue Compilation "Break The Glass, Burn The Cage (The Sound Of Indie Punk Rock)" feiert alles, was Indie und Punk ausmacht. Die Welt der engen, verschwitzten Grassroots-Locations mit elektrisierenden Gitarrenriffs, mitreissenden Basslines und den Stimmen der Bands, die man unbedingt gehört haben muss. Mit herausragenden Tracks von Lime Garden, SPRINTS, Lambrini Girls, Sunflower Bean, English Teacher, Dream Wife, Panic Shack oder, Big Joanie kanalisiert die Compilation die rohe Energie und den rebellischen Geist, die man nur erlangen kann, wenn man sich tief um die Ungerechtigkeiten und den Hass in dieser Welt kümmert. Es ist eine Soundreise durch die Angst, Leidenschaft, den Spass und die Freiheit, die man findet, wenn man "es dem Mann zeigt".

"Break The Glass, Burn The Cage (The Sound Of Indie Punk Rock)" wird am Internationalen Frauentag 2025 als Charity-Album angekündigt, alle Tracks wurden freundlicherweise von den Bands kostenlos gespendet. Somit geht der gesamte Gewinn aus jedem Verkauf an die beiden ausgewählten Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen, die ihr Möglichstes tun, um Frauen und Mädchen aus allen Schichten und Altersgruppen zu helfen, von häuslicher Gewalt über Trauerfälle bis hin zu Obdachlosigkeit und Krieg – Brighton Women's Centre & War Child. Das Album erscheint als recyceltes Vinyl und CD in limitierten Auflagen.