Search:act 1

Throughout their legendary, decade-long run, the Shadow Ring were an enigmatic force on the international musical sub-underground. Before their disbandment in 2002, this shambolic rock outfit, formed by a group of rowdy teenagers in southeast England, left behind a mighty run of eight LPs, a handful of 7"s, and a spate of raucous live shows and cryptic zine appearances on both sides of the Atlantic, all which have bolstered their enduring word-of-mouth mystique. Beginning this year with the first-ever vinyl pressing of the self-released pre-Shadow Ring tape The Cat & Bells Club (1992), Blank Forms Editions is conducting a systematic retrospective of the storied group, including a multi-year LP reissue effort and a forthcoming comprehensive CD box set and an over five hundred page book. Recorded and self-released by the group's own Dry Leaf Discs in 1993, City Lights is the debut record of the then duo Graham Lambkin and Darren Harris_an assured arrival statement teeming with stripling angst and ambition. Lifelong chums Lambkin and Harris were barely nineteen and living at home in the seaside town of Folkestone, Kent, with few overhead expenses. The two were freshly employed as a forklift operator at a hardware store and an aide at a home for children with disabilities, respectively, affording them the time and funds to commit to a proper full-length release. Frontman Lambkin describes the album as a "microscopic examination of leisure activities, this time centered around a nightclub," a conceit surging through its lyrics, song titles, cover art (depicting an audience of cats and mice at the Leas Club, a Folkestone fixture), and flip side (replete with fictional bandmates and pseudonymous liner notes). On a recently-acquired secondhand guitar, Lambkin plays repetitive, brooding licks that form the record's backbone, weaving in and out of sync with Harris's free-form percussion and the pair's sing-song poetry. Tracks range from unraveling nursery-rhyme ditties to extended jams awash with Casiotone and toy piano noodling. The duo's musical hobby-horses work themselves in: the influence of Mark E. Smith's breathless deadpan, the headless outer-edges of ESP-Disk's back catalog, the eerie atmospherics of Hirsche Nicht Aufs Sofa, and the deconstructed rock tunes of the Dunedin scene are all detectable, although there is a sui generis quality to the Shadow Ring's artless temerity. "I've got to see and taste those city lights," intones Lambkin on the album's title track_indeed, this is a record of naked drive and pent-up desperation, and a shimmering glimpse of what's to come. For Fans of The Fall, Royal Trux, The Dead C, Shirley Collins, '70s British progressive rock, Dean Blunt.

Manchmal fühlt es sich so an, als würde Dilla inmitten eines Films leben. Er spielt in einem Aperol-orangenen Universum, ist eine chaotische Kreuzung aus romantischer Coming-of-Age-Komödie und ausgeflipptem Actioner. Der rote Faden, der sich durch den Streifen zieht: Die kesse, fantasiegeladene Vertreterin der Gen-Z - Dilla eben - spaziert leichtfüßig eine schier endlose Avenue entlang. Immer wieder biegt sie kurz ab, feiert hier bis zum Sonnenaufgang, erkennt da Sinn im Banalen und fährt dort ein bisschen Gefühlsachterbahn. Über absurde Umwege landet sie schließlich in der großen Stadt, wo sie unverhofft zur gefeierten Musikerin avanciert.Im Spätsommer 2023 geht Dillas Reise in die nächste spannende Phase: Ihr lang ersehntes Debütalbum steht in den Startlöchern. Auf 11 Tracks verewigt die junge Musikerin die letzten 2 Jahre: Nicht chronologisch, eher anarchisch, augenzwinkernd und gespickt mit Perspektivwechseln. Dillas Debüt "Also bin ich" erscheint am 06.10.2023 auf orangefarbenem Vinyl.

Jacob Bellens’ new solo Off My Meds took shape over two turbulent years in Jacob’s life. Several major life events happened back to back in a very short time, and it ended up breaking him down to a point of total exhaustion. The energy needed to uphold the outer self we all need to function was no longer there, and his inner actual beliefs and values began to show themselves one by one, which was not pretty to look at. Change was inevitable, simply because the price of not changing would be much higher in the long term.

The album is a pop-poem about accepting the premise of the life given to you. It is an ode to the perils of modern existence and our birthgiven right to love, laugh and cry, whatever hand we may have been dealt to begin with. Lyrically it is centered around self care and the courage to love someone and be loved in return. About taking responsibility for everything in your life instead of using your life history as an excuse for not living, no matter how tragic or unique your situation might be or seem to yourself.
Musically it draws upon an eclectic mix of influences and genres, while still maintaining a distinct underlying red thread throughout the album. It is a melancholic funk hybrid with a positive DNA, and though it sounds like pop music in the best sense of the word, it doesn’t quite look and feel like pop music. It is rather a collection of sounds and feelings put into words that are deeply personal - but personal for all.

Pitchfork - 8.1 - “explosive and action-packed”

NME - 4/5 - “Sigur Rós are at their blackest and most sinister, sounding not so much reborn as in the ferocious throes of an almighty exorcism.”

Line of Best Fit - 9/10 - “Neither the drums, guitars or synths are ever understated, lo-fi or polite – throughout, they’re devastating, taking control of the band’s poppier sensibilities and lighting vicious fires beneath them.”

Kveikur is the seventh album by Sigur Rós, originally released on XL Recordings in June 2013. Completely out of print worldwide, the album will now be re-released on the band’s own label, Krunk.

Described by the band as “more aggressive” than any of their previous work, Kveikur – which means ‘fuse’ or ‘candle wick’ in the band’s native Icelandic – is heavier, both thematically and sonically. All of the lyrics are sung in Icelandic rather than the wordless “Vonlenska” (Hopelandic) as on ( ), providing a more grounded experience.

Owners Club call themselves a "pub rock four piece" - but they are so much more than that. There's a through line in their taut, visceral guitar sound going from British greats like Roxy Music and Marc Bolan, through The Buzzcocks and The Jam before taking a detour off to NYC and nodding towards The Strokes and The Walkmen. The Dorking-based four piece are a blistering live act, with songs that range from singing about the long discontinued Double Diamond beer to vampires, the occult and an England that feels like a distant memory.

This EP will be the band's debut release on vinyl. Recorded at Small Pond Studios in Brighton in April this year, and produced and mixed by Matt Gleeson of WELLY fame, it presents three songs that brilliantly demonstrate what a ferocious, tightly-wound sound this Dorking four-piece can produce.

The lead single will be Double Diamond - a song that came about after a chance purchase of a Double Diamond-branded ashtray from a car boot sale by Dorking train station. The song is a romantic and messy vision of the life the ashtray’s lived, the pub it came from, the punters who left their fag ends in it and the messy nights and bar fights it’s witnessed. With sprawling synths, punchy guitar lines and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the song is an anti-advertisement for a drink which no longer exists, as well as a look through rose-tinted beer googles at what Britain's night life - for better or (almost certainly) for worse - was once like. As the advert used to state: you know where you are with Double Diamond. It works wonders.

Northern California psychedelic sorcerers Carlton Melton are brain surfers, mind trippers, … “psychlists,” if you prefer. The band will take your head for a ride, occasionally rushing at superluminal speeds through a wormhole or gliding softly on a gentle breeze in a leafy glade. Sometimes your brain needs to rage, and sometimes it needs to repose. For a decade and a half, the band has yo-yo’ed, almost schizophrenically, between these two modes: walloping space jams with furious guitar solos in one hemisphere of the brain and ethereal, feather-light splashdowns in the other. Not to mention a track here and there that builds from the latter into the former. But with two new releases in 2023, the band has evolved. Whether psych rock or ambient trance, their sound remains driving, organic, and flowing. With the addition of Anthony Taibi (White Manna, DDT), however, the group’s metal freak-outs are Hawkwindier and their droning kraut trances are Spacemen 3-er. In January, the quartet released the playfully spacey Resemble Ensemble, recorded in Taibi’s home studio 3D Light. October now sees the band Turn To Earth, a work with scents of Autumn, a season of death and transition. The cover art evokes a vine-covered, electric crucifix. The sound is, well, earthy but also gritty and striving towards change. The album was recorded in Fall 2022 and now harvested in Fall 2023. Phil Becker (Terry Gross, Pins Of Light) contributed drums and percussion to a few tracks on Turn To Earth, recording the album at El Studio in San Francisco.

With Becker at the helm, the synths have become more prominent (“Cosmicity,” “Roboflow,” “Migration”) and the tone heavier on the doom (“Cloudstorming,” “Unlock The Land,” title track): several moments could even serve as background music for epic dark fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, Fire and Ice, or Heavy Metal. As exquisite as Turn To Earth is, Melton are best appreciated as a live act: their recordings as well as their gigs are largely improvised – not so much composed as birthed. And yet their most recent tour ended abruptly and perilously. The group had to cancel its final three shows once members were admitted to Arnhem hospital in the Netherlands. Five years later, reinforcements have strengthened the band and restocked its arsenal of great tracks. After the rockus interruptus of that 2018 tour and the tantric tease of the intervening Covid lockdown, Melton have some unfinished business. An October 2023 tour is poised to set the freshly minted quartet back onto the stages of Europe and within the cerebral folds of its fans. Turn To Earth, sure … but keep your head in outer space. Carlton Melton is: andy duvall – drums/gtr; clint golden – bass; rich millman – gtr/synth; and anthony taibi – synth/gtr.

Catatonic Suns is Patrick Shields (guitar, vocals) , Jakob Christman (bass) and Caleb Strobl (drums) Catatonic Suns new album sees them blend the underground psychedelia of the late 80s / early 90s Pacific Northwest with the shimmering shoegazery of Britain from the same time. Heavy and soft guitars, songs that soar, these new recordings verge on the epic. For fans of The Verve (early), Screaming Trees, Truly, Ride, Slowdive, Alice In Chains. Pennsylvanian threepiece Catatonic Suns release their brand new album via Agitated records this autumn (Fall if you reside in the US), Patrick and Jake have known each other since birth, obsessing on punk rock, but the band actually formed in 2019. Vocalist / guitarist Patrick and fellow guitarist Llambro Llaguri began creating homemade psychedelic psychedelic 4 track cassette demos during the Winter of 2015, taking heavy inspiration from an eclectic mix of acts ranging from Ween to R.E.M. As these early songs were created, the duo sought other like minded individuals in their hometown of Allentown, PA to take these primitive demos to the next level. It was then that Patrick recruited another childhood friend, Jakob Christman, to fill the role of bass along with another mutual friend Caleb Strobl completing the rhythm section of Catatonic Suns. In 2019, the group put out their first release, the Catatonic Suns demo, a collection of lo-fi recordings made by Patrick over the years. During this period, the band began to make a name for itself by playing shows across eastern Pennsylvania including the Lehigh Valley where local garage rock heroes Original Sins hailed from. During the months of August and September of the same year, Catatonic Sun's reputation for wall of sound psych-grunge was really brought to life when the group teamed up with local record producer guru Matt Molchany of Shards Recording Studio to track their debut studio venture “Aphelion” (more an extended EP). Self -Released in the December, the album found an audience beyond the local music circuit of Pennsylvania, even reaching countries such as the U.K.,Germany and Japan. The band continued to play shows growing their fanbase and honing their skills as a cohesive unit resulting in radio airplay across the country and a feature on the compilation “Pedal Worship” by Bummer Recordings. During this same period, Matt Molchany once again helped the band carve their next album (a full length) “Saudade” along with mastering engineer Matt Poirier (War On Drugs), which was also self released, in February 2022. They played plenty more gigs, and ventured to the west coast for some shows in LA with local friends Laurel Canyon, one especially wild night was with both bands supporting Strawberry Alarm Clock at the Whiskey A Go Go. Now a three piece and into 2023 the band record the 7 original songs and one Original Sins cover for this new release.. Recorded early 2023 at Shards Recording Studio, Bethelem, PA with tracking and mixing once again by Matt Molchany. Mastered by Mikey Young. Agitated/ Catatonic Suns intend to remaster/ reissue Saudade on LP / CD formats in 2024, to coincide with debut UK shows.

My ZEITGEIST. (in the words of The Legendary Tigerman)

Musically, I tried to follow the path left behind by early modular synths explorers like Suzanne Ciani or Wendy Carlos, mixing it with the raw & powerful energy of early punk explorers like The Cramps, Suicide or The Sonics (my teenage heroes!) and the orchestral universe of people like Lee Hazlewood or Scott Walker, looking back at the past while keeping an eye out for the future.
Zeitgeist is also the point where my work as a soundtrack composer meets my life as a punk Rock’n’roller.

The Legendary Tigerman is the artistic name of Portuguese musician and composer Paulo Furtado. With a solid career stemming from the DIY movement and characterized by the reinvention of genres such as blues, rock, and garage rock, while always maintaining a punk attitude, The Tigerman's recognition is founded on a galloping international career, marked by the release of the iconic album "Naked Blues" in 2001. In a few years, he goes from a cult artist to a reference name and with the acclaimed "Femina" (2009), he writes his name in the pantheon of the most creative rock made in Europe.
With "True" (2014) and "Misfit" (2018), he consolidated his position in the international rock scene with two albums that explore the dense soundscapes of a rock 'n' roll that moves away from common places. Live, the unstoppable and infernal rock machine, consisting of Paulo Furtado on vocals and guitar, Filipe Rocha on bass, Mike Ghost on drums, and Cabrita on saxophone, makes concerts unpredictable and explosive, exactly as expected from a rock 'n' roll act.
The success of The Legendary Tigerman goes beyond the borders of Portugal, thanks to tours in various countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In addition to his work on stage, Paulo Furtado has become notable for his prominent career in theater, cinema, soundtrack creation, photography, and film direction.
Focused on being a catalyst for unique and authentic music, The Legendary Tigerman is one of the main European rock names, renewing himself with creativity and innovation with each album. In 2023, there will be a new album, featuring more ethereal and intimate sounds alongside rock 'n' roll, but always keeping it punk.

Acclaimed NY-based singer songwriter Jordan Lee aka Mutual
Benefit announces ‘Growing At The Edges’, on Transgressive
Records, his first record since 2019.
 ‘Growing at the Edges’ is sonically expansive, artfully blending
genres from country to classical with the help of multifaceted
co-producer Gabriel Birnbaum (Wilder Maker) and critically
acclaimed string arranger Concetta Abbate. The band,
alongside Lee and Birnbaum, was made up of Wilder Maker
members Sean Mullins (Andy Shauf) and Nick Jost (Baroness)
and features help from Jonnie Baker of Florist and Eva
Goodman of Nighttime among others.
 “I approached ‘Growing at the Edges’ as an act of worldbuilding. It was a place we visited often over the past 5 years
collaging and sonically redecorating until it reflected the joy and
the pain of being human in a universe that will always be
changing. I wanted to make music that could simultaneously
mourn versions of the past but still find hope in the seedlings
which could, perhaps, bloom into better futures” - Jordan Lee
 The album cover is a purposefully ‘unfinished’ weaving by fibre
artist Natalie Phillips.
 “I had this theme for ‘Growing at the Edges’ where I was
thinking about the first little life forms that pop up after
something natural like winter or less natural like a disaster and
kind of channeling their spirit for the art and music. That got me
imagining one of Natalie’s beautiful weavings but in-process
with stray yarn and loom still visible. Incomplete yet still
beautiful. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”
 Mutual Benefit’s live shows are known for their rotating cast of
wide-ranging musicians leading to inspired interpretations of the
extensive catalogue on notable stages like MoMA’s sculpture
garden or UK’s Green Man Festival as well as the occasional
surprise park or basement show at home in Brooklyn.
 Throughout the years Mutual Benefit has been in Album Of The
Year lists among Pitchfork and Stereogum, as well as Folk
Musician Of The Year by New York’s Village Voice.

Das neue Meisterwerk des sibirischen Dark-Folk-Duos NYTT LAND entführt Fans von HEILUNG & WARDRUNA in eine spirituelle, kosmische Welt!

NYTT LAND, 2013 von dem schamanischen Paar Natasha ”Baba Yaga” und Anatoly Pakhalenko gegründet, zählt derzeit zu einem der fesselndsten und spannendsten Acts der Dark Folk Szene. Unter dem Titel Torem veröffentlicht das Duo aus Sibirien diesen Herbst, am 6. Oktober 2023, seinen neunten StudioEpos über Napalm Records. Torem entführt die Hörer in eine mystische Welt altertümlicher, perkussiver Instrumentierung und hypnotisierender Gesänge. Das Album lädt zu einem einzigartigen Klangerlebnis ein und ist der Beginn einer neuen Trilogie der Band, die im kosmologischen Sinne von den drei Welten ihres Landes erzählt. Auf Torem bedient sich das Duo der alten Sprachen Khanty (Sibirischer Eingeborenenstamm) und Old Norse (Altisländisch). Übersetzt bedeutet der Albumtitel ”Großer Himmel” – auf welchem die Vorfahren sitzen und in dem die Seelen von Menschen und Tieren in Form von Vögeln wiedergeboren werden.

Der einzigartige Sound von NYTT LAND ist vom Klang der sibirischen Natur inspiriert – die musikalischen Wurzeln der Band sind tief mit Mythologie, historischen Themen und alter schamanischer Kultur verbunden. Für Fans von HEILUNG, WARDRUNA, RUNAHILD und darüber hinaus ein absolutes Muss; NYTT LAND ist gekommen, um deinen Geist wiederzubeleben!

The Darkness announce Permission To Land… Again; a special 20th Anniversary reissue collection, to be released on October 6th 2023 via Warner Music. Britain’s beloved rock band celebrate this landmark with a special 5LP release including the full original album, rare B-sides, bonus unreleased demos, as well as live albums from their iconic shows at London’s Astoria (2003), Knebworth (in support of Robbie Williams in 2003) and Wembley Arena (2004).

Permission To Land was originally released in 2003 via Atlantic Records and stormed to the top of the UK Albums chart, where it remained for four weeks, and spent 53 weeks in the Top 100. It achieved the band three BRIT Awards, including British Album Of The Year, British Group and British Rock Act, where they fended off competition from the likes of Blur, Radiohead, Sugababes, Muse, Primal Scream and more. The record has sold over 1.4 million copies to date.

The release will be supported by a promo campaign with interviews featuring lead singer Justin Hawkins. TV, Radio, and Press opportunities are being discussed. For announcement Justin will be interviewed on Planet Rock and Kerrang! Radio. Heavyweight digital marketing campaign across socials and banner advertising.

Hailing from the hallowed city that birthed classic death metal acts such as Entombed, Dismember and Unleashed before them, Stockholm, Sweden’s XORSIST are preparing to release their sophomore album, At the Somber Steps of Serenity, via Prosthetic Records in October. Following their self-released debut album Deadly Possession in 2022, XORSIST caught the attention of the Los Angeles metal label with their old school approach to and affinity for Sweden’s death metal legacy and history. Founded by Gustav Ryderfelt (vocals and guitar) before cementing their line-up with both Birk Castenmalm (vocals and bass) and Alphonse Bouquelon (drums), XORSIST’s core sound is one rooted in deep reverence for the genre’s roots as much as it is a spirited progression of the raw and uncompromising Stockholm sound. Seeking to continue their working relationship with the legendary Sunlight Studios (Dismember, At The Gates, Entombed, Grave and more), XORSIST once again opted to retain Tomas Skogsberg on co-production duties with Iñaki Marconi (Soen, Sepultura, Carcass). XORSIST’s proclivity for musical tradition is not mere homage so much as it is a graceful carrying of the genre’s torch. Having built up a glowing reputation in the Swedish underground by fans new and old, At the Somber Steps of Serenity sees the young band ensure the old school Swedish death metal torch continues to burn brighter than before for the fabled city in which they reside.

'New World Artifacts' is the debut album from Rouen, France-based group Unschooling, arriving following their 2021 'Random Acts of Total Control' EP and 2019's 'Defensive Designs' tape. Out October 6th via Bad Vibrations, it's a collection of lo-fi post-punk clocking in at 30 minutes, underscored with subtle pop melodies and structures but never far away from bouts of chaotic no-wave dissonance. Here, Unschooling claim loud and clear their desire to return to a sound which is less calibrated, less obvious. As they themselves write, "New World Artifacts is an ode to the unexpected, a tribute to many art rock bands who are always where you least expect them." Already heralded as one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the new school of post-punk revivalists, having spent the last couple of years playing to busy crowds and festival fields across the continent, 'New World Artifacts' might just mark them out as the best in class. The Unschooling quintet, as referred to on the album's collage artwork, is made up of Vincent Fevrier (Vocals/Guitar), Damien Tebbal (Bass), Paul Morvant (Guitar), Marc Lebreuilly (Guitar/Synth) and Thomas Fromager (Drums). Although their music might revel in discord, it is a calculated one. The musicianship is complex and meticulous, hardened by their time spent together playing on the road. For 'New World Artifacts', additional musicians were also brought in to expand the sound in new ways, including saxophonists Levi Gillis (The Dip, Beat Connection) and Emeline Morisset (Les Agamemnonz), and Kyleen King (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, My Morning Jacket) on strings. Pressing Info: 180g blue vinyl, limited to 300 hand-numbered copies ww, download card included.

Hans Hulbækmo, a driving force in the groups Moskus, Skadedyr, Flukten and Reolo, and a prominent member of bands like Atomic, Hanna Paulsberg Concept, Broen and Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester, is now ready with his first solo album - "Tilfeldig Næpe".Hulbækmo was born into a musical family, where both his mother Tone Hulbækmo, and father Hans Fredrik Jacobsen, were active musicians within Norwegian Folk Music. Hans and his brother Alf were taken on tours around the world from an early age. His upbringing has shaped his identity as a musician and has made music a natural part of everyday life. His versatile musicality makes it as natural for him to express himself through the drum set as through other instruments. On "Tilfeldig Næpe" he explores a variety of instruments that form an "expanded drum kit".Throughout the album, the listener is introduced to Hulbækmo's passion for Dadaism and European improvisational music, while also finding inspiration in the everyday and in Norwegian traditional and functional music. Each track is improvised and showcases his unique musicality, strongly characteristic playing style, and ability for spontaneous composition. The love for interaction, communal improvisation, and the social aspect of music has always been essential to Hulbækmo. On his first solo album, he has found ways to play with or against himself, both in the spontaneous creation and in the process of putting the album together as a whole. At times, he plays several different instruments simultaneously. This framework creates both opportunities and limitations. "Tilfeldig Næpe" draws the listener into Hans Hulbækmo's creative world, a world full of coincidences and exciting compositions

Like an annabac, the first seconds of the first song from the first album by SAFFRON EYES (a group from Saint-Etienne including members of Raymonde Howard, Le Parti, ThOmas.W...) summarize, for those in a hurry, the themes and feelings that will be developed on the short half-hour of music that the disc contains: smiles in front, blows in the back, amicable breakups and deaf threats. Smile Until It Hurts encapsulates all of this: pleasure in offering (racy and referenced songs, in the fine tradition of indie rock), joy in receiving (pies in the mouth). If the previous EP - first recording act - of the group Pursue a Less Miserable Life (released in 2020 on our label) had a taste of the end of summer, this one clearly smells of the Cold War. He is degreased, boned and only the desire to fight remains, mischievously camouflaged under a form of obvious beauty that whistles in the shower. A production fed on indie rock and its roots (blues, post-punk and a hint of doo-wop), bringing together around a happy campfire the Pixies, Jesus Lizard, Wet Leg, Fugazi, The Cramps, The Gun Club, La Luz, The Feelies, The Bad Seeds, Kathleen Hanna, Anna Waronker…

Vathres is the new project by Swedish-based keyboardist and composer Alex Zethson, who usually
performs with acts such as Angles 9, Fire! Orchestra Goran Kajfeš Tropiques, Sven Wunder and
Mariam the Believer, in addition to his own ensembles and solo projects. Record consists of three
extended pieces of cinematic, minimalist post-rock featuring a large ensemble and appearances by
guitar-wizard Reine Fiske (Dungen), keyboardist Tomas Hallonsten, former Meshuggah-bassist
Gustaf Hielm and Cult of Luna-drummer Christian Augustin, among others. LP comes in a Tip-On
sleeve with artwork by Michell Zethson.

Guitar Legend! Songwriting Legend! Producer Legend! Blues Brother & Stax Legend!

Like the first words of a book, the opening notes of an album can make you lean in. Sometimes it’s like meeting a stranger who later becomes a lifelong friend, or on rare occasions, a spouse. Please drop your stylus on this record and say hello to your new best friend. Hear the confidence, hear the tone, feel the vibe.
—Robert Gordon (from his liner notes)

As a founding member of Stax house band Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Steve Cropper was involved in some of the most important music of the 1960s as a player, songwriter, and producer. The following decade introduced him to a new group of fans as guitarist for The Blues Brothers, appearing on both their records and film. A two-time Grammy® winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Cropper has been an integral thread in the cloth of American music, writing, playing and producing into the 21st century to this very day.

In 1969, Cropper released his first solo album, producing and arranging its eleven tracks himself. His backing band? While there is no actual record of who played on the album itself, Grammy® winner Robert Gordon’s liner notes point to his fellow M.G.’s, Buddy Miles, Jim Keltner, the Bar-Kay’s James Alexander, and more as candidates. From original tracks to its well-known covers (including The Beatles classic the release shares its name with), it is a tour de force of pure Memphis rock and soul.

The core eleven tracks now appear again on an all-analog cut, new pressing of the LP as With A Little Help From My Friends returns for a new generation to experience. The CD version contains a whopping eight bonus tracks, including four tracks not included on the original release and alternate versions of four that do. Add in Robert Gordon’s notes and this release is as much a history lesson as it is a timepiece of pure musical magic.

'New World Artifacts' is the debut album from Rouen, France-based group Unschooling, arriving following their 2021 'Random Acts of Total Control' EP and 2019's 'Defensive Designs' tape. Out October 6th via Bad Vibrations, it's a collection of lo-fi post-punk clocking in at 30 minutes, underscored with subtle pop melodies and structures but never far away from bouts of chaotic no-wave dissonance. Here, Unschooling claim loud and clear their desire to return to a sound which is less calibrated, less obvious. As they themselves write, "New World Artifacts is an ode to the unexpected, a tribute to many art rock bands who are always where you least expect them." Already heralded as one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the new school of post-punk revivalists, having spent the last couple of years playing to busy crowds and festival fields across the continent, 'New World Artifacts' might just mark them out as the best in class. The Unschooling quintet, as referred to on the album's collage artwork, is made up of Vincent Fevrier (Vocals/Guitar), Damien Tebbal (Bass), Paul Morvant (Guitar), Marc Lebreuilly (Guitar/Synth) and Thomas Fromager (Drums). Although their music might revel in discord, it is a calculated one. The musicianship is complex and meticulous, hardened by their time spent together playing on the road. For 'New World Artifacts', additional musicians were also brought in to expand the sound in new ways, including saxophonists Levi Gillis (The Dip, Beat Connection) and Emeline Morisset (Les Agamemnonz), and Kyleen King (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, My Morning Jacket) on strings. Pressing Info: 180g blue vinyl, limited to 300 hand-numbered copies ww, download card included.

For this album Ghetto Kumbé has enlisted an all-star roster of artists from four different continents, they’ve put together a fresh version of their debut album that’s been specifically geared to the world’s diverse slate of dancefloors, whether at home or in the club, this double 12” 45 RPM is the perfect format to experience this music. There's no denying the power of the drum. It's primal, it cuts across borders and most importantly, it makes you want to move. Ghetto Kumbé don't just understand that they celebrate it, and it's why the tambor was at the heart of the Bogotá-based trio's 2020 self-titled debut album. Rooted in mysticism and the Afro-Caribbean rhythms they'd grown up with all their lives, the critically acclaimed LP thrillingly updated the traditional Latin template, folding in elements of modern hip-hop, house and bass music while also delivering a transportive Afro-futurist vision. On Clubbing Remixes, that vision has been further amplified, as Ghetto Kumbé who were already one of Colombia's most prominent alternative acts have now gone fully global; enlisting an all-star roster of artists from four different continents, they've put together a fresh version of their debut album that's been specifically geared to the world's diverse slate of dancefloors. As the title implies, the new LP is meant for the club, which is why Ghetto Kumbé have turned to Latin music heavyweights like Trooka a multiple Grammy winner whose resume includes work with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Residente and Monte (a.k.a. Bomba Estéreo founder Simón Mejía), along with top-shelf DJs like Nickodemus and Uproot Andy, two NYC artists who've spent decades championing Afro-Latin rhythms. True to the LP's global spirit, the record also includes reworks from batida maestro DJ Firmeza, fellow Afro-Portuguese outfit Studio Bros and Parisian house groovers Les Enfants Sauvages, plus genre-blurring remixes from sonically adventurous Colombians Montoya (himself another ZZK artist) and Cero39. Even the artwork on Clubbing Remixes is a remix, as Ghetto Kumbé have tapped Uganda's Denzel Muhumuza to transform the cover of their debut album into a new, explicitly Afro-futuristic illustration. Depicting a strong Black face and glowing neon fauna beneath a sparkling moonlit sky, the fantastical image speaks to both the ritual magic and Afro-indebted heritage of Ghetto Kumbé's music, and thanks to Clubbing Remixes, the group's passionate, drum-fueled sounds will soon be blasting out of soundsystems around the globe.a

The inaugural release on KMRU's own fledgling OFNOT imprint, 'Dissolution Grip' is an ambitious project that emerged from his studies at Berlin's prestigious UDK. The Kenyan composer and sound artist is best known for his field recording work, and as he traveled across Europe and the wider world for regular live performances, he made a point to snapshot each city. But the more he studied and the more he examined his practice, the more KMRU began to wonder what the purpose of these recordings were, and what bearing they might actually have on his self-expression. Simultaneously, he'd begun to dive more wholeheartedly into the world of synthesis. In a way, synthesis is the most basic form of sound, and KMRU started to wonder not just how he could harness these sounds but how he might be able to more dynamically combine them with field recordings.

Guided by Jasmine Guffond at Berlin's Universität der Künste (better known as UDK), KMRU looked at waveforms - the visual representation of sound itself - and embarked on a process where he would write scores from the shapes, gradually turning the scores into raw synth sounds. Considering the spaces he was inspired by and shuttled through, KMRU decided that instead of using environmental recordings as an aesthetic marker, he would use these captured moments to guide the waveforms. So each sound is birthed from a field recording, but none of those recordings are audible in their original form. For example, on the digital bonus track 'Along A Wall', KMRU recorded in an old shack on his family's compound in Nairobi, where wind was shaking the building to its foundations. Listening to the finished piece, we can hear subtle electronic tones that rub and vibrate against each other, slowly saturating and mimicking the erratic motion of the wind. The original recording has been removed, but the feeling remains.

The album's opening side 'Till Hurricane Bisect' is a 15-minute epic that evolves at its own glacial pace, carefully transforming blustering wind sounds into gasping drones, glassy oscillations and choked distortion. Cosmic and meditative, it's a testament to KMRU's skill as a sound engineer and patience as a composer, combining the gentle world building of his acclaimed Editions Mego album 'Peel' with the rumbling energy of 'Limen', last year's collaboration with Aho Ssan. On the title track, KMRU takes the opportunity to flex his orchestral muscle, conducting a cast of warbling synth tones into a durational symphony. Starting as quietly as a whisper, 'Dissolution Grip' expands at its own pace until it's a dense wall of harmony, powerful but never completely overwhelming. It's music embedded with a rich sense of place that informs us of KMRU's past and present, and signals where his musical philosophy might take us in the future.

Next up on Toolroom’s 4-track vinyl sampler series is a juicy selection of the hottest new releases from 2023. Long-standing member of the toolroom family, Martin Ikin lays down an absolute stomper on with ‘Oscill8’. German DJ and production duo Raumakustik and French DJ and producer Tony Romera, land with their deep club weapon ‘That Groove’.

One of dance music’s hottest acts right now Low Steppa, drops his seriously exciting debut collaboration with label favourite Crusy - ‘BFG’. Rounding off the package is another main label debut from Eden Prince who arrives with new single, ‘Get Down’.

Félicia Atkinson: »Ni envers ni endroit que cette roche brûlante (Pour Georgia O’Keeffe)« (2021)

Félicia Atkinson’s Ni envers ni endroit que cette roche brûlante (Pour Georgia O’Keeffe) is approached as a meditation, not as meditative music, but as a reflection on the art of creation: how to inhabit one’s creation, how to convey it, domesticate it and live with it. Drawing inspiration from the artist Georgia O’ Keeffe, both in her work as a painter and in the houses in which she lived in New Mexico, and even in the landscapes that surround them, Félicia Atkinson has composed a piece that evokes and celebrates, in a poetic and holistic way, the mystery of art, the somnambulic oscillation that accompanies the act of creating. Blending fragmentary voices, islands of piano, electronic textures and patterns, and field recordings, Félicia Atkinson’s music is sincere and inspired, a meditation, then, but also a lesson we sometimes forget: being an artist is not an activity, even less a profession, it’s a singular way of approaching the world and, in so doing, densifying it.

Richard Chartier: »Recurrence.Expansion« (2020)

Richard Chartier’s music takes up residence at the frontiers of the audible, on the edge where sound diffracts into an inter-dimensionality where sounds, space, listening and silence recombine in an arborescence of becomings that present themselves to us and then disappear. The space-time in which Richard Chartier’s music unfolds is a stretched space-time, barely emerging in the world of sound. The delicacy, precision and accuracy of the composition Recurrence. Expansion lies precisely in this dialogue between a shape that is exposed and developed in an inspired and masterful way, and the sonic biotope in which this shape develops. It is from such an encounter that the singularity of Richard Chartier’s music emerges, music of attentive listening, but also sensitive, inhabited music, a music of discreet metamorphosis.

Celebrating his 70th year in show business, Pat Boone, legendary singer, actor, songwriter, and author is reconnecting with his Nashville roots with a milestone country music project, Country Jubilee

Included in the 25 tracks are 5 Pat Boone Top 100 Country recordings, Boone's recordings of classic hits by Country legends, plus a new recording of the classic duet and Billboard #1 'You and I' (with featured guest artist Crystal Gayle), and Pat's new song, 'Grits' (with featured guest artists Ray Stevens, The Gatlin Brothers, Lorrie Morgan, Deborah Allen and Dean Miller), tailor-made for the line dancing crowd.

The Commemorative Edition 2CD format includes a 56- page booklet with 'The Story Behind the Song' (compiled by hit Country songwriter Frank Myers), 'I Remember Red' (influence of father-in-law and Country music pioneer and Grand Ole Opry co- founder Red Foley), lyrics, and archival and behind- the- scenes photographs.

'Released via Sony CMG - 'Scouting for Girls' unforgettable pop anthems such as 'She's So Lovely', 'This Ain't a Love Song' and 'Heartbeat' set them on a path to phenomenal success which included four Top 10 singles, four Top 10 albums, 2 million sales and more than a billion streams - plus four BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello. After so many highlights, the trio questioned where to go next as they planned their seventh studio album. The solution? To return to their roots back when they were three unknown musicians in Ruislip, West London and reconnect with the reasons that they started a band in the first place. As a result, Scouting for Girls are back to their best with their new album 'The Place We Used to Meet'. A x12 trk album, available on standard Black LP Vinyl, retail exclusive Orange LP Vinyl, standard CD & Deluxe CD formats. Extensive promo & marketing activity across all media outlets, including mainstream TV, radio, press & online.

'Released via Sony CMG - 'Scouting for Girls' unforgettable pop anthems such as 'She's So Lovely', 'This Ain't a Love Song' and 'Heartbeat' set them on a path to phenomenal success which included four Top 10 singles, four Top 10 albums, 2 million sales and more than a billion streams - plus four BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello. After so many highlights, the trio questioned where to go next as they planned their seventh studio album. The solution? To return to their roots back when they were three unknown musicians in Ruislip, West London and reconnect with the reasons that they started a band in the first place. As a result, Scouting for Girls are back to their best with their new album 'The Place We Used to Meet'. A x12 trk album, available on standard Black LP Vinyl, retail exclusive Orange LP Vinyl, standard CD & Deluxe CD formats. Extensive promo & marketing activity across all media outlets, including mainstream TV, radio, press & online.

TPG long term friend and homeboy Ben Oyefeso pulls out a trio of double-jointed cuts for the club and not, the German producer's debut EP ‘Lagerfeuer’ packs that left-of-centre house punch that’s come to define the label throughout the previous ten releases and certainly more than just that. Cutting his lane at the junction of oddball party music and deconstructionist boogie, Oyefeso’s maiden sortie floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. A weird, buzzing slab of body-jacking electronics that doesn’t play by the book.

An off-road bouncer of a track, the opening number ‘Matt’ has us nodding our heads to a high-in-vitamin mix of jacking house programming and erratic acid patterns gone astray. Knee deep in 303-marinated puddles of psychedelic squelch, Oyefeso keeps swinging the pendulum between a proper syncopated 4x4 motif’d framework and frantic digressions into an abstract-leaning headspace.

A2 ‘Kool’ opts for a further sliced-and-diced rhythmic line of action, generously infused with twisted Rephlexian phrases and sustained waves of micro-house clicking. Topping off that strange journey, the title-track ‘Lagerfeuer’ merges polyrhythmic intricacies with a forward-moving, earwormy kind of linear groove, all laced with a spooky baseline that stretches out into a purgatory of frankly eerie dissonances. Enough with the words, just jump on board Ben Oyefeso’s ghost train for a seriously tortuous, nonconformist ride across dance music’s jagged ridges and most secret crevasses.

Another Michael, the captivating and introspective musical artist, is poised to make a profound impact with their highly anticipated upcoming record, “Wishes to Fulfill.” Comprised of Michael Doherty (vocals, guitar), Nick Sebastiano (bass), and Alenni Davis (drums), the band has honed their craft and expanded their sonic horizons, promising a musical journey that will resonate deeply with listeners.

With “Wishes to Fulfill,” Another Michael continues to delve into the depths of human experience, exploring themes of longing, hope, and the pursuit of dreams. The album showcases their signature heartfelt songwriting, as well as their ability to craft intricate melodies and lush arrangements. Michael Doherty’s evocative vocals guide listeners through a tapestry of emotions, inviting introspection and connection on a profound level.

Anticipation for “Wishes to Fulfill” has been steadily building, with fans eagerly awaiting the band’s next chapter. Another Michael’s previous releases have garnered critical acclaimand a devoted following, and their latest record promises to be a culmination of their artistic growth and exploration. With its thoughtful lyrics, mesmerizing instrumentation, and captivating performances, “Wishes to Fulfill” is set to solidify Another Michael’s position as one of the most exciting and introspective acts in contemporary indie music.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic LP "Ongaku Zukan", originally issued in Japan on his own School label in 1984.

The reissue will replicate the original Japanese release which offered two versions: a normal edition featuring the LP with a bonus 2-track 7" EP (WWSLP71), and a limited edition which includes a 3-track 12" EP in place of the 7" (WWSLP72)

Remastered by Saidera Mastering in Tokyo the reissue boasts the original gatefold artwork plus an extra 2-page insert with new liner notes by Andy Beta



The early '80s were a turning point for Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. As a solo artist, the smash hit soundtrack he had composed for 1983's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (a film in which he had also acted), had put him on the verge of becoming a global superstar. Meanwhile he had called a halt to his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra; the influential, globally successful pop trio calling it quits after the release of their 1983 album "Naughty Boys".

Against this backdrop, Sakamoto descended on Tokyo's Onkyo Haus Studio to record his fourth solo album, "Ongaku Zukan" ("Musical Encyclopedia") accompanied by a handful of musicians including his ex-YMO partners Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, and the prolifically talented Yasuaki Shimizu, Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshinori Kondo. Sakamoto began with no particular plan in mind, recording 30 basic tracks over the best part of 1983. It was on his return to the studio the following year that the album truly began to take shape. Accompanied by a newly acquired Fairlight CMI sampler, the musician made extensive use of the revolutionary equipment to create a wide palette of sound textures which he added to the tracks, a creatively fertile process that was captured on film for the French documentary "Tokyo Melody, A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto".)

Released in August 1984 the album "Ongaku Zukan" proved a huge success, providing Sakamoto with his first top 5 hit in Japan. Filled with inspired melodies that showcase his unique gift as a composer, it offers up a fascinating mix of styles. Asiatic electro pop nuggets ("Tibetan Dance") share space with futuristic ambient pieces ("Hane no Hayashi de"), and brilliantly creative fusions of jazz, funk, techno and reggae ("Etude" and "Tabi no Kyokuhoki.")

Two simultaneous editions of the album were released in Japan: the regular one featuring a bonus 7" EP with two extra tracks: "Replica" and "Ma Mère l'Oye" while a limited edition added a 12" EP (in lieu of the 7") which included a third track, "Tibetan Dance (Version)." An international version was released two years later in 1986 by 10 Records/Virgin under the title "Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia," but with a very different track list. Five tracks from "Ongaku Zukan" were dropped, namely "Self Portrait," "Tabi no kyokuhoku," "Mori no Hito," "A Tribute to N.J.P" and "Tibetan Dance (Version)", to be replaced by two non-album singles from 1985, "Stepping Into Asia" and "Field Work."

This is the very first time that the two 1984 Japanese editions of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic album have been released internationally in collaboration with the artist's management and Midi Inc., with remastered audio and the original artwork faithfully reproduced, paying tribute to one of contemporary music's undisputed geniuses.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic LP "Ongaku Zukan", originally issued in Japan on his own School label in 1984.

The reissue will replicate the original Japanese release which offered two versions: a normal edition featuring the LP with a bonus 2-track 7" EP (WWSLP71), and a limited edition which includes a 3-track 12" EP in place of the 7" (WWSLP72)

Remastered by Saidera Mastering in Tokyo the reissue boasts the original gatefold artwork plus an extra 2-page insert with new liner notes by Andy Beta



The early '80s were a turning point for Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. As a solo artist, the smash hit soundtrack he had composed for 1983's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (a film in which he had also acted), had put him on the verge of becoming a global superstar. Meanwhile he had called a halt to his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra; the influential, globally successful pop trio calling it quits after the release of their 1983 album "Naughty Boys".

Against this backdrop, Sakamoto descended on Tokyo's Onkyo Haus Studio to record his fourth solo album, "Ongaku Zukan" ("Musical Encyclopedia") accompanied by a handful of musicians including his ex-YMO partners Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, and the prolifically talented Yasuaki Shimizu, Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshinori Kondo. Sakamoto began with no particular plan in mind, recording 30 basic tracks over the best part of 1983. It was on his return to the studio the following year that the album truly began to take shape. Accompanied by a newly acquired Fairlight CMI sampler, the musician made extensive use of the revolutionary equipment to create a wide palette of sound textures which he added to the tracks, a creatively fertile process that was captured on film for the French documentary "Tokyo Melody, A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto".)

Released in August 1984 the album "Ongaku Zukan" proved a huge success, providing Sakamoto with his first top 5 hit in Japan. Filled with inspired melodies that showcase his unique gift as a composer, it offers up a fascinating mix of styles. Asiatic electro pop nuggets ("Tibetan Dance") share space with futuristic ambient pieces ("Hane no Hayashi de"), and brilliantly creative fusions of jazz, funk, techno and reggae ("Etude" and "Tabi no Kyokuhoki.")

Two simultaneous editions of the album were released in Japan: the regular one featuring a bonus 7" EP with two extra tracks: "Replica" and "Ma Mère l'Oye" while a limited edition added a 12" EP (in lieu of the 7") which included a third track, "Tibetan Dance (Version)." An international version was released two years later in 1986 by 10 Records/Virgin under the title "Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia," but with a very different track list. Five tracks from "Ongaku Zukan" were dropped, namely "Self Portrait," "Tabi no kyokuhoku," "Mori no Hito," "A Tribute to N.J.P" and "Tibetan Dance (Version)", to be replaced by two non-album singles from 1985, "Stepping Into Asia" and "Field Work."

This is the very first time that the two 1984 Japanese editions of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic album have been released internationally in collaboration with the artist's management and Midi Inc., with remastered audio and the original artwork faithfully reproduced, paying tribute to one of contemporary music's undisputed geniuses.

Hen Yanni’s first EP is the story of a journey. A story in music of a spatial and psychological journey. With this record, she abandons her former life as a nomadic model, actress and DJ, for that of a musician. She performs a cathartic exercise of going back over the darkest moments of her life. She opens up on the grief of losing her mother, the end of an incandescent seven-year relationship and, more generally, on the loss - tangible or not - of people, moments and memories. Produced by electronic music composer Arnaud Rebotini, the Israeli musician’s album transcends its folk, rock, dark and new wave influences. He transforms her into a voice (summoning PJ Harvey, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Sharon Van Etten, and Joan As Police Woman), serving as an introduction, without a doubt, to a sensitive, sincere and intimate work driven by the lyrics and vocals.

Miss Tiny is a brand-new musical project featuring acclaimed record producer and Speedy Wunderground label founder Dan Carey (Wet Leg, Slowthai, Fontaines D.C.) alongside Ben Romans-Hopcraft of Warmduscher / Insecure Men / Childhood fame.

A spiritually, and methodically united front, Miss Tiny’s universe is a thoroughly explored romance between heritage, rebellion, and years old friendship; a triptych of variables all gravitating towards one signalled output, with no real sense of time, or external pressures. Having spent the best part of a decade orchestrating haphazard jam-sessions, Carey and Romans-Hopcraft would eventually go on to discover a fundamental principle of their own. One which would come to define Miss Tiny, throughout her various forms and guises.

“We called it anti-recording,” continues Carey. “Only doing it for the pleasure of doing it”. When fully committing to this practice, the music meticulously follows two courses; refine, or degrade. Perfect the moment, or let it go; never to be heard, or re-lived ever again for fear that the action of pressing record, would inevitably take ownership of the occasion and lead the experimentation into a downward spiral towards something all-together tangible.

The irony of a seminal producer and critically revered musician banding together out of mutual distaste for recording, is not one that’s gone amiss. In fact, they’ll be the first to proudly call it into question- and yet still, Miss Tiny holds her own despite all peripheral associations, and would eventually go on to be documented. These aren’t ‘sit-down-and-write-a-song’ kinda songs. These spurts of spontaneity which would, in time, ultimately form the duo's debut EP ‘DEN7’, are years’ worth of trial and error. Trial and elation. A process in which strong technique and melodic-manipulation are the sole foundations required to reinvent the meaning of memory; be it guitar and drums, or flesh and blood.

Produced and recorded at Carey’s ‘Speedy Wunderground’ studio in Streatham, ‘DEN7’ is a masterful introduction to a group whose members need none. Through chopping, editing, and re-defining their improvised segments into songs which they could eventually go on to learn, Carey and Romans-Hopcraft by chance, stumbled upon gold-dust. Like Alice and her looking glass, our two protagonists effortlessly pass through all notions of engineered logic in order to see beyond the expected. The bigger picture perhaps. Or the magic in the small things that matter most.

It only took fifteen minutes for Bob Gaudio to pen the lyrics to Sherry,
which was originally named Jackie Baby as a tribute to First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy. Producer Bob Crewe had suggested to Gaudio that he should write a song which exploited Valli's remarkable vocal range.

It reached Number 1 in America and stayed there for five weeks along with top-ten success in the British charts. Under his guidance, the group followed up with Big Girls Don't Cry and another Number 1 in the American charts ensued.

The Four Seasons were one of the few American acts to survive the British invasion of 1964. Indeed, they are the only act to have a US Number 1 hit before, during and after the Beatles successfully invaded the USA.

Shakey Graves, the brainchild of musician, actor, and artist Alejandro
Rose-Garcia, returns with his 4th studio album 'Movie of The Week,'
featuring the bona fide streaming hit "Ready or Not (feat Sierra Ferrell),"
which has garnered over 15M streams

So begins the legendary Don Letts' liner notes for this young band's new album,
'Ladders', their first on Easy Star Records. The band hails from Washington, DC,
and features lead singer Kelly Di Filippo, who has been heard on tracks by Jon
Quan and others. Letts continues: "I don't know how this Washington, DC-based
dub reggae outfit was brought up, but for the most part, like me, they seem to
have been raised with sixties pop hitting them in one ear and seventies reggae
hitting them in the other." That just about nails it for this unique act that sounds
pretty unlike any of their contemporaries in the US and world reggae scene.

Bay Area technical death metal entity FABRICANT leverages any musical
tool for their riff and song fabrication
Speed, stillness, technicality, simplicity, consonance, dissonance... are all at play
for the express purpose of telling the stories of humanity's hubris, madness, and
frailty. FABRICANT glimpsed into this black vortex, extracted the raw materials of
inspiration, and refined the chaos into the ten fully actualized, death metal songs
on their debut album "Drudge to the Thicket".
This album was FABRICANT's obsession: a forbidden riddle to solve. From its
beginnings stretching as far back as their 2010 demo and to its ultimate end, this
album inhabited the deepest recesses of their minds as an omnipresent
consumer of thought. With the arrival of this debut, FABRICANT frees themselves
of this thicket. The battle was hard-won, but the next ones inexorably begin. From
new obsessions to delirium to the mundane, consciousness marches onwards,
screaming out at all of existence for answers, only to feebly fall on deaf ears.
Descend into the chaos with FABRICANT.
FABRICANT's debut album "Drudge To The Thicket" is unlike anything you'll hear
in the technical death metal genre all year, truly a unique and singular album of its
own kind. One that has been in the works for over a decade.
FABRICANT features members of celebrated technical death/ black metal outfit
Mefitis.
For fans of Necrophagist, early Pestilence, early Atheist, Defeated Sanity, and
Gorguts

The mystery continues to deepen, as you hear whispers beckoning you out to the sea...

After refining their dark and seductive vision of alternative/gothic metal to surreal, cinematic levels with three EPs and a full-length album, The Cause of Shipwreck, behind them, the Assen-based Blackbriar continue to set their sails towards the future in 2023, signing with Nuclear Blast Records and working towards their second full-length album, again accompanied by long-time collaborator Joost van den Broek.

Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, they crafted their first single in 2014 with “Ready to Kill,” but it was 2015’s second single “Until Eternity” that truly propelled them into the scene. A sweeping track with an equally compelling and beautiful video, it continues to draw many to the act with over 18.1 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding the band, they independently recorded and released their first EP, Fractured Fairytales, as well as acquiring a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP layed down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal and breathtaking sound and brought about new opportunities for the act, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where the band played alongside Epica, Halestorm, In This Moment, Delain and MaYan. To keep moving ahead with full control of their creative ideals, the band successfully crowdfunded their follow-up EP, We’d Rather Burn, and brought it to life in October 2018. This EP would be the first time the band worked alongside esteemed producer Joost van den Broek to arrange and produce the effort, and this fruitful collaboration allowed Blackbriar’s whimsical and enigmatic sound to reach new sonic heights. Released the same day as their self-made video for “I’d Rather Burn,” this EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. In the time following, keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) took a larger role within the band and began playing shows, after being involved in the songwriting process since Fractured Fairytales.

A busy 2019 followed, the band released a haunting single in May entitled “Snow White and Rose Red.” A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairytale featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairytale realms, Blackbriar closed the year with their third EP, Our Mortal Remains. Ever-sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breathtaking musicianship, the EP brought about new live exposures for the act as well. Small, sold out tours with Epica in 2019 and 2020, as well as a sold out opening for Delain’s Apocalypse & Chill release show in Utrecht followed, with more future plans then being put on hold due to COVID-19. Championing their continued independence, which included everything from songwriting, maintaining their web presence, overseeing merch, as well as shooting and producing their own videos and photos, Blackbriar reached out to their ever-growing and loyal fanbase for assistance to make their full-length album a reality in 2020. Fans fervently heeded the call, reaching the € 25,000 goal in under 24 hours and ending with a total of € 70,000 and achieving all five stretch goals. An impressive accomplishment for an independent act, which also showcases a strong internet presence with over 214,000 YouTube subscribers and 46.1 million channel views as well as 27.6 million Spotify streams and 150,000 monthly streamers on the platform.

S. O. R. M sind ein Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Act aus Lidkoping, Schweden. Kurz nach der Bandgründung veröffentlichte S. O. R. M die herausragende "Hellraiser EP" und führte die Band mit der hookgeladenen Lead-Single und dem Videoclip "Gypsy Queen" der Welt vor. S. O. R. M. bestätigte seinen Platz als Act, der in der Lage ist, ein breites Heavy-Musik-Publikum anzusprechen, indem er zeitgenössischen und traditionellen Hard Rock und Heavy Metal verschmelzte und Fans von Acts wie Grand Magus, GHOST und Night Flight Orchestra bis hin zu den Ikonen des Genres, WASP und Judas Priest, ansprach. Im Jahr 2020 unterschrieb die Band mit den Mitgliedern Micke Holm (Guitar and Vocals), Johan Östman (Bass) und Robin Wernebratt (Drums) beim neu gegründeten Label Noble Demon und schloss sich Acts wie Night Crowned, Dawn Of Solace, No Raza und Gomorra an.Die Band wird 2023 ein Debütalbum veröffentlichen. Im Jahr 2021 schloss sich die Band für einige Shows mit dem Gitarristen von W. A. S. P. Doug Blair als Vollband und als akustisches Duo mit Micke und Doug zusammen.

One year after his first release, the french producer and multi instrumentist Antoine Bourachot returns with Diversions, a groove filled journey into espionage.

Inspired by great fusion and disco records, with the help from virtuosos Jim Grandcamp (Guitar) and Shoko Igarashi (Soprano Saxophone, Flute), this record is a tribute to musicians and their craft.

Alongside cinematic instrumental tracks, a pop side of the record emerges. Miracle, with epic celestial vocals from Giacomo Lecchi d’Alessandro and the ever so sweet Action with his trusted studio mate Irfane (Breakbot).

Created in a gear sanctuary somewhere in Paris this record takes the listener into a spy fantasy, portrayed on the cover by the very talented Julia & Vincent.

2023 Repress

Since Jesper Munk's debut album in 2013 the German singer-songwriter has made a name for himself as multi-instrumentalist , "in the paths of Jack White and Dan Auerbach," as the Rolling Stone Magazine puts it, playing music that ranges from Blues and Soul to heartfelt Pop and indulging Jazz, all this with a very unique, post-Punk
edge. His new album Taped Heart Sounds offers an evolution of Munk's sound: warm, gentle and soft vibes that go deep. "If there is a way to give you a hug in form of an album, this is how I'd attempt to do so," says Munk.

Recorded in an offbeat band room in Berlin with The Cassette Heads, the album brings together classics reaching from Blues to Rock'n Roll. Twelve songs of legendary artists who have influenced and inspired Munk since his early days, including Tom Waits, JJ Cale, Etta James, Hank Williams, Willie Dixon, Jacques Brel, and Mocky.
The entire album was recorded with a Tascam Portastudio 8-Track Cassette Recorder which brought an original and authentic sound to each song: "The technical limitations immediately liberated all other aspects of the recording," Munk says. "It shows how much of making music is just listening and without a screen to catch your eye, you really have no choice but to do so." All Songs face realness and live from these volatile moments that reveal vulnerability and musical generosity. The outcome of this analogue experiment is a very personal album, both inspiring and consoling.
Taped Heart Sounds courageously opens with Donnie & Joe Emerson's Baby; a song so iconic that it actually cannot be enhanced. However, Munk's interpretation stands out and has a presence that gives the song a life of its own - made for walking. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, All the World Is Green, I'd Rather Go Blind, Head in the Clouds - what follows is a journey through Blues and Soul that is so vital and "now" that End of the Line may be the final track but certainly not the end of the story.
The album wouldn't be what it is without collaboration and partnership. Munk's special thanks go to his fans who helped to crowd-fund the recording. "On top of having had a real fun learning experience it all felt like a community project with real support from friends, the Cassette Heads, incredibly inspiring guests, and from Miles Deico, a wonderfully open and able engineer," so Munk about the making of the album.
Taped Heart Sounds is Jesper Munk's 4th album, following acclaimed debut album For in My Way it Lies (2013), CLAIM (2016), and Favourite Stranger (2018). Released via Billbrook Records, Hamburg-based Distributor Wordandsound's new label, the album is available for pre-order now - for purchase on vinyl and CD. The first single 'Baby' is going to be released on November 19, 2021.