quête:act one

Belarusian producer Four Walls is back after a seven-year hiatus. The first time around he made some standout cuts for the likes of Traxx Underground and Kolour LTD but this time around he finds himself on the new Ultraworld Records imprint from DJ Craft. This one kicks off with the lush prog house and silky synth arps of 'Mind Charger' which soon takes you to the stars. 'Metamorphosis' is a more raw-edged and acid-laced techno stomper for peak time action and 'Summer Nights' is a bubbling, elastic tapestry of new age overtones, thudding kicks, and trance-tinged pads. A remix by Toronto-based Pletnev adds another dimension to this club-ready EP.

The prolific ambient producer Zake (Zach Frizzell) has his latest release out for out us to enjoy. B4 Plus 3 features seven compositions in all. Many of them are brilliantly done drone pieces that are expressive in beautifully done tones that rise and slide. The heavenly 'Braken' as the opener for example. The layered tones creatively mask the depth of the drones to the point of a spontaneous feel that is almost changed by anything as slight as a light wind. 'Betrayal' present bells that ring out from the meandering depth while 'Blight' is deep and foreboding tot he point of being machinelike. 'Bane' is one of the most moving pieces in drone we have heard in a long, long time. Limited to only 50 cassettes in total (+download code), act fast to get the brilliant, peaceful and moving B4 Plus 3.

Original soundtrack of the acclaimed anime, printed on red vinyl.

Thus begins the story of the man who would become the greatest thief of all time...While Tokyo is experiencing tremendous economic growth, a young schoolboy leads a boring life. One day, he catches a guy pointing a gun at a delinquent. When he meets up with this person again a little later, something happens that leads them to team up...

Singles V1 is a 6 track, 12-inch beautiful marine blue coloured vinyl EP. It is also the first physical release by Low Girl. As the title suggests the EP is a collection of the band’s singles up to the end of 2023 which features Big Now, So Cool, Blessing, Bored, Uh-Oh and Pockets. If you haven’t yet heard of Low Girl, be in no doubt, you will do soon. The band are a four-piece fronted by singer songwriter Sarah Cosgrove with band mates Toby Morgan, Tom Cosgrove and Bradley Taylor and it is clear to see that their popularity has been steadily growing since the release of their first single Big Now in 2021. The band have featured on the BBC Introducing Stage at the Reading Festival and played at the Texas SXSW Festival at the invite of The British Music Embassy in 2022. They have also regularly toured and provided support for acts such as October Drift, Pale Blue Eyes, The Murder Capital, Dream Wife and most recently Dekker. Low Girl’s indie pop, lo/fi sound, attributable to its vulnerable lyrics, synth licks and guitar driven riffs, has attracted admirers and radio airplay on BBC Radio 1, Radio X and particularly at BBC Radio 6 music, who have play listed a number of the band’s singles. Indeed, their single ‘So Cool’ was one of BBC Radio 1 Introducing’s singles of the week in April 2022 and ‘Bored’, was featured on the Late in the Day program’s International Women’s Day 2023 edition alongside Arlo Parks, Bjork, Sade, Nina Simone and other premier female artists. Sarah Cosgrove has also joined the panellists on one of August’s editions of Steve Lamacq’s round table together with Felix White and Deadletter’s Zac.

The Sun-kissed songwriting, deft guitar work, and lush vocal harmonies that have been at the core of The HawtThorns' sound are exponentially magnified through the lens of their new record, 'Zero Gravity'

KP and Johnny Hawthorn, have had celebrated careers that started in LA's singer- songwriter and Alt- Country scenes. Between the two, they have hundreds of recordings heard on network and cable TV, and film. KP co-founded LA's CALICO the band while Johnny fronted his own band and played in legacy acts, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Everclear. Their common ground has been the starting point for a sum greater than it's parts, an inspired combination of top- notchsongwriting, vocals and guitar work.

"Dynamite duo who aim to pull up their roots, stick by their guns and bring back the sounds of the Laurel Canyon in the 1960's, the British invaders of the '70's and the cosmic cowboys still twirling through time and space" - Pop Matters

"A perfect blend of melody and magic, one that incorporates the sunny sounds of classic California Rock blended with the rich resonant sounds of today's Americana musical environs" -The Alternate Root

"Already a leading light in L.A.'s independent country scene, the HawtThorns swing for the heartland country-rock fences with "Shaking," whose brightly- strummed guitars and sunny harmonies channel the warmth of the band's west coast home." -Rolling Stone

Zero Gravity by Hawtthorns, released 5 April 2024, includes the following tracks: "Hands On A Clock", "Faking It", "Don't Plan To Lose", "Don't Wait By The Phone" and more.

When Bob Vylan won the first MOBO award for Best Alternative Music Act in 2022, the punk-grime duo took to the stage and used the platform to speak about how they managed to achieve the impossible as independent artists in a genre-defying space. “We released an album this year that we produced entirely, mixed entirely, recorded entirely, all from my bedroom…so everybody that’s here, bigging up Atlantic and bigging up Warner, fuck that, us man did it ourselves”.

It was an acceptance speech that rattled the room and built anticipation for their next projects.

Humble as the Sun, the forthcoming album from Bob Vylan continues with much of the rage and urgency that they have come to be known and loved for, but this latest project shows that they are now stronger and wiser, bolstered by the wins and learnings that they have fought hard for along the way. The resulting tracklist aims to leave the listener feeling power alongside their anger, and brings a fresh and compelling blend of punk, rock, grime and rap together in an experimental way.

Following on from the last album, Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life, the message woven throughout Humble as the Sun remains dark in places but is high-energy, defiant and unapologetic in its critique of a broken social and political system that so many have fallen victim to, but feel powerless against.

This album is for the underdogs, the ones who come out swinging and those who refuse to be defeated in the face of injustice, and aims to remind listeners that anger is a fire that can be harnessed and put to use. The album creation started from a conversation with the sun, which is, after all, a big ball of fire that sustains life.

From masculinity to myths about the G Spot, the themes and topics explored on Humble As The Sun make for an often humorously empowering celebration of the peoples ability to endure, overcome and bring about change.

The lyricism on this album is even more layered than their previous projects, still darkly humorous, anti-establishment and unforgiving but at times pauses to deliver much-needed words of afrmation to listeners, “You are loved. You are not alone. You are going through hell but keep going.” Bobby assures the listener, ofering an antidote to the state of the world, aiming to give some power and agency to those who hear it. At a time when so little trust or faith exists between the people and the powers that be, Bob Vylan ofers out a hand in the despondent darkness that has overwhelmed so many in the shadow of a burning planet. They guides the listener to a place where they can see some light and feel empowered to do something, to fight back, to continue pushing forwards despite the challenges faced along the way.

Mixing all of the best quintessentially British - and Jamaican - musical elements from punk to drum and bass, grime and rock, Bob Vylan creates a sound that reflects the state of the nation, at once voicing the frustrations that normal people have, while also highlighting one’s ability to persevere, overcome hardship and to change.

A live act renowned for their free improvised performances, BIOS have markedly changed their approach since the debut release Fluorescent Minerals five years ago. To serve as a reliable basis for improvisation, the duo began to play with prearranged themes. Far from being limiting, on Powers of Ten these foundations become structures that are as full of change as they are playful. A single track can seem like a medley moving through sections of drama // reverie // fun without dwelling too long on either so as not to be at the expense of the whole. Fractured yet coherent, these emotions are professed in utmost seriousness and also half in jest.

Powers of Ten also marks a change in sound >> a new prominence given to rhythm and melody. Both members of BIOS claim not to listen to dance music much, but incidentally what they achieve on their new record is a kind of evermoving anxious dub. Its energy endures even after the rhythms and motifs dissolve in distant soundscapes, so that those too seem genuinely kinetic.

If the listener decides to follow this movement, they will be led on a journey into the record, framed and imagined as a quest through parallel variations of one environment. Powers of Ten is a decidedly adventurous album >> a spatial and hypnotic work of music composed by graphic designer Jozef Tušan and visual artist Boris Sirka, and the eighth release by the label Weltschmerzen.

The Stanford Family Band release their debut EP "For Your Listening Pleasure" via Goo Records on 5th April 2024. Fronted by the captivating lead vocals of Elliot Stanford, the EP's six songs captures a vintage pop aura whilst retaining a fresh indie and garage rock edge.

Offering a sound which journeys through bittersweet memories, nostalgia, and the warmth of sunlit days, The Stanford Family Band have started to make a name for their unique sonic approach - drawing inspiration from iconic acts such as The Beach Boys and The Modern Lovers, built around complex four-part harmonies and irresistibly memorable melodic hooks.

Speaking about the EP, Elliot Stanford (lead vocals, piano, guitar and songwriter) said: "When we were first signing with Goo, we really had no idea what we would release or how it would end up looking. We have a lot of songs, old and new, some of which have been floating around for many years. In the end we just really wanted to put out a body of work that really encapsulates everything we are about! We love big dramatic songs and arrangements, but at the same time, a little cheeky country/garage rock beat has always tickled us so we just really wanted to capture everything that we love in one concise record. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work on this with our friend Harry Hayes (Producer) and we are mega proud of how it all came together!"

Having already garnered tastemaker press coverage (Earmilk, Fame Magazine among others), a whole host of radio play (John Kennedy - Radio X, RTE 2XM), The Stanford Family Band have quickly started to gain critical acclaim. This EP showcases the outfit’s uncanny ability as songwriters, creating memorable, charming and beautifully constructed melodic tracks.

"Joe Pernice has been writing for a long time—most of his life, in fact—and has crafted a remarkable catalog that boldly reinterprets and recasts classic American pop. Who Will You Believe may be his most moving and nuanced album yet; it’s certainly his timeliest. “These songs were all written during the same time period,” he says, “and they all seemed to tap into a mood I was in at the time. I go through spells where I’m a certain way for three or four months. I might be more reticent than usual, or more outgoing. With all of my records—and especially with this one—the songs all feel like they belong together, probably because they all arrived during the same stretch of time.”

In a single six-month stretch he was left reeling from the deaths of three close friends, including David Berman, poet and songwriter for Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, and Gary Stewart, the Rhino Records co-founder and tireless Pernice Brothers supporter since their first album in 1998. “That was such a bad patch when David and Gary both took their own lives. And my cousin Joe Harvard, who started Fort Apache Studios in Boston and was like a brother to me—he died, too. It was such a tough year. I was thinking about them a lot and watching how divided America had become. I was doing my best to try and take nothing for granted.

”

Pernice has been releasing albums for over 25 years. And with age comes a greater patience and an immense appreciation for the act of creation. Who Will You Believe showcases a beautiful balance between such sadness and moments of solemnity with warm humor and camaraderie."

Bartees Strange has been one of the most significant indie artists to break out in the post-Pandemic era. He debuted with ‘Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy’, an album length collection of The National songs released in March 2020, on the cusp of the Pandemic. Later that year came his first LP, ‘Mustang’, which was named in endless year-end Best Of lists, including those from Pitchfork, Stereogum, Rolling Stone and NPR Music. He quickly signed to 4AD, and his debut for the label, ‘Farm To Table’, turned him into a club headliner and an arena-sized opening act with genre-defining artists such as The National, boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers and Courtney Barnett. The vinyl-exclusive release, ‘Magic Boy’, represents the Bartees story before this story began -33 1/2 minutes of recordings created before he entered the public eye, with eight out of ten never previously released. It finds his ever-malleable sound touching on genres like coffee house folk (‘IDK’, ‘Best Of You’, ‘You’re Here’), emo troubadour (‘Count It Back’, ‘Little Brother’), and wigged-out experimentation (‘Eat Your Heart Out’). Appended with two tracks previously available only as digital Bsides from ‘Say Goodbye’ (‘HAGS’, ‘Going Going’), ‘Magic Boy’ reads as a kind of ‘lost’ album for someone shaping up to be a major voice in indie music.

Technically, Yeah. Detroit artists Eddie Logix and Jo Rad Silver alchemize sonic matter on Real, No. The EP emerges from years of creative collaboration and blends each of the artists’ strengths into a deep-house, hi tech jazz, dubby leftfield assemblage straight from the pulse of today’s Detroit.

Since 2017, the pair has been producing tracks and co-curating Technically, Yeah., an influential monthly happening that encourages (Live) electronic musical expression. The duo’s curation is grounded in community, widely genre-diverse and steadfast in commitment to technological experimentation. The Real, No. EP distills this ethos and puts it on wax.

While Jo Rad is known for techno leanings and Eddie for organic jams (recently on Rocksteady Disco,) the two transform beats into substance with a diverse and thoughtfully constructed release. Glued together with attuned mixing from Salar Ansari and cut loud at Archer Pressing in Detroit, the EP’s range puts deep grooves in the bag for every discerning DJ.

AKKA’s Side: “King David” sticks the synthy deep house groove right in gear with a driving, bubbling bassline and floating effervescent vocal chops from and for a special someone. “Mango Strut” offers a slight island twang and dives into a breaky depth of a bracing cathartic arpeggiated, hand drum ecstasy. A vitamin filled chugger.

BEEP’s Side: The duo recorded “June Buggy” the first time they jammed together on a borrowed Juno. This propulsive Italo-ish conga groover is a mechanical piece of action. The record ends by summoning the ancestry of “Callin’ Dybbs,” a textured hi-tech jazz heater. Kasan Belgrave, young-gun horn of known pedigree, lays down the sax. The sultry brass tones lock in with buxom stabs. For those who know and those who don’t yet. This one holds depths!

“Fierce jazz buggin futurism in outerspace” - Luke Una

“Driving and psychedelic and gorgeous hi-tech.” - Peter Croce

“Perfectly crunchy soul squeezed jams begging to be rinsed” - 2Lanes

“Funky, jackin’, atmospheric, groovy, ravey and ethereal”- Father Dukes

“I’m calling dibs on callin’ dybbs!” - DJ Etta

Lewis Brooker: A Collaboration between Andy Lewis and Hugh Brooker. Andy Lewis was one of the founding fathers of legendary Camden night Blow Up and was recruited by Blur to DJ on their Parklife tour. Always a musician as much as a DJ, Andy played bass for Pimlico, Spearmint and later spent eight years performing with Paul Weller. He also signed to Acid Jazz Records in 2002 for whom he’s recorded a number of albums and singles. Hugh Brooker founded The Night Trains in 1987, who became one of the first acts signed to Acid Jazz records. He also formed The Humble Souls with UK rapper and Fatboy Slim cohort MC Wildski and released the all-time classic single “Beads Things And Flowers”, still played on the jazz dance scene to this day.

Two talents with careers spanning varying eras, yet artists positioned at the heart of Italy’s current house landscape, Alex Neri and Mennie are adding to their rich solo discographies with a series of selected works in partnership with one another. Tuscany’s Neri, co-owner of the iconic nightlife institution Tenax and label boss at Wildflower Records, stands as one of the legendary Italian names from the past 30 years, holding residencies at the likes of Pikes in Ibiza while releasing a long list of classic records since the early 90s under numerous aliases, including Kamasutra alongside Marco Baroni. A familiar name to FUSE fans, having released material via sister imprints LOCUS and INFUSE, Mennie has seen his career flourish of late, regularly touring Europe’s key venues while also holding a residency at the legendary Tenax. Here, the two build on their recent joint studio projects with a debut on FUSE for the third edition of the label’s collaborative X Series, unveiling a quartet of impactful house cuts in heavy rotation for label head honcho Siragusa.

Taking a deep dive amongst swirling synths and cosmic interludes, ‘Reality’ opens proceedings with a trippy and punchy lead cut as the duo introduce slick groove-laden drum arrangements to get things moving, while ‘Find Me’ keeps the pressure on with bumping low-ends, shuffling hats and a menacing yet captivating bass groove sure to keep dancers moving in lockstep. On the b-side, ‘Rockets’ brings luminous melodies amongst breaks-influenced percussion for a playful and dynamic production, before ‘Watch Me’ rounds things out with another all-action affair as acid-dipped and kinetically charged closer made for big moments.

HoneyLuv impresses on her Crosstown Rebels debut with ‘Right Spot’, accompanied by remixes from house heavyweights Dennis Ferrer and Byron The Aquarius Unveiling her first solo production of 2024, the DJ Mag North America ‘Best Breakthrough Producer’ 2023 winner showcases a deeper side to her growing sound, backed by a pair of unorthodox remixes from two of house music’s favourite names.

One of the most hotly-tipped artists within the current house landscape, it’s safe to say Cleveland-born, London-based DJ/producer HoneyLuv arrived in 2023 and hasn’t looked back since. Riding high following a whirlwind twelve months, featuring as one of Radio 1’s Future Stars, Tomorrowland’s ‘20 of 2023’, and as a DJ Mag North America cover star, plus being selected as one of Beatport’s ‘Beatport Next: Class of 2023’ and most recently as one of Spotify’s ‘Mint Artists To Watch’, her 2024 account opens with a big label debut as she heads to Damian Lazarus’ iconic Crosstown Rebel for the first time. Paying homage to the rich house history of Chicago, she unveils her latest single, ‘Right Spot’ - joined by a double-dose all-star remix cast in the form of house icons Dennis Ferrer and Byron The Aquarius, two individuals who need little introduction.

Groove-laden and rich, harnessed by the alluring vocal at the heart of the production, ‘Right Spot’ is an excellently crafted trip through varying shades of house music as slick percussion and vibrant leads accent hazy textures to offer up a future-focused cut with nods to the past.

Dennis Ferrer’s interpretation sees the NYC icon switch things up as he veers towards the after-hours with a bubbly, stripped-back take that leans on colourful stabs, sweeping melodies and off-kilter drum shots. To close, Alabama’s finest, Byron The Aquarius’ remix ups the tempo and launches right into the action as tunnelling grooves and skippy hats take hold for an energy-charged ride.

Escape Music are pleased to announce the release date for long awaited Turkish Delight studio album titled “Volume 1" with 500 limited edition double Vinyl “Side A+B Snowy White colour and side C+D Skull Gold colour” all will be numbered 1-500! ‘Turkish Delights Volume One’ celebrates the absolute joy that Escape Music co-owner Khalil Turk has for the kind of music he loves so much and has spent the last thirty and then some years championing. Indeed, his enthusiasm for a new band or a new song today is no different from when I first met him in the mid ‘80’s. I lost count of the number of phone calls he made to me when I was working for ‘Kerrang!’ magazine, where he would excitedly tell me ‘Dave, you just have to listen to this! It’s brilliant! You’ll love it!’ before playing me something over the phone – new and often obscure - he had picked up on his international record buying trips. Nine and a half times out of ten he’d be right!! Khalil’s quality control has been such that the record label he co-founded with fellow melodic rock enthusiast Barrie Kirtley in 1995 remains reliably and solidly in place all these years later. Escape continues to deliver monthly doses of quality hard rock, melodic rock and AOR to a very devoted following. Khalil had first entered the music business in the early ‘90’s, effectively as a talent scout for the German owned Long Island label. However, after the company folded, Turk felt that, rather than look at opportunities with other labels, he had the enthusiasm and now had rather more knowledge of the inner workings of the music business to put something together himself alongside the equally enthusiastic and astute Kirtley. We’ve seen hundreds of solid album releases from a huge variety of acts (including AXE, Steve Walsh (Kansas), John Elefante (Kansas), Lonerider, Shadowman, Alliance, Pinnacle Point, Mass, Heartland, Grand Illusion, Overland, Last Autumn’s Dream, Punky Meadows, ColdSpell, Chris Ousey, Ozone and Touch, to name just a few) as well as reissues (from Aviator, Sugarcreek, Jon Butcher Axis, Franke And The Knockouts, FM, Tantrum and Surrender, Zon, Hanover Fist etc) ever since. So here we are, over twenty-five years since that first Escape Music album appeared hot off the presses (Heartland’s ‘III’ album in November 1995, if you’re asking) and this collection of songs, personally chosen by Khalil, reiterates that pure joy he still possesses for the music he is utterly immersed by. With material from the pens of Steve Overland (FM), Chris Ousey (Heartland), Steve Morris (Export/Ian Gillan/Heartland), Mick Devine (Seven), Steve Newman (Newman/Compass) and Tommy Denander (Radioactive) there’s also a list of musicians culled from Khalil’s contact book that, quite frankly, is VERY impressive. Just a few names appearing on ‘Turkish Delights’ to throw at you include Ronnie Platt (Kansas), Billy Greer (Streets/Kansas), Billy Sheehan (Talas/David Lee Roth/Mr Big), Gary Pihl (Sammy Hagar/Boston/Alliance), Gene Black (Device), Jeff Pilson (Dokken), Jeff Scott Soto, Chris Childs (Thunder), Mike Slamer (City Boy/ Streets/Seventh Keys/ Steelhouse Lane) Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake/Joel Hoekstra’s 13), Mark Mangold (American Tears/Touch/ Drive, She Said), Mark Stanway (Magnum), Mat Sinner (Sinner), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy/Whitesnake/Journey), Ricky Phillips (The Babys/Bad English/Styx), Robin Beck, Robin Mc Auley (Grand Prix/MSG), James Christian (House Of Lords) Steve Overland (FM), Jerome Mazza (Pinnacle Point/solo), Terry Brock (Strangeways) and Vince DiCola (‘Transformers’/Thread/Storming Heaven). This is a cast of thousands. Well, it at least appears that way! It’s a very interesting package and, as Khalil would surely say, you’ll love it! - Dave Reynolds / August 2022. Produced by Khalil Turk for Turkish Delight Productions / Mixed and Mastered by Stephen DeAcutis at Sound Spa Studio, New Jersey, USA / *Mixed by Andy Zukerman / *Mastered by Fredrik Folkare / **Mixed and Mastered by Brian J Anthony (Vinyl Only) - Artwork Design by Hugh Syme (Rush/Bad English/Elton John) - Turkish Delights: The Musicians are: Ronnie Platt: Lead vocals (Kansas) / Billy Greer: Lead vocals (Kansas/Seventh Keys/Streets) / Jeff Scott Soto: Lead and backing vocals (Talisman/Yngwie Malmsteen/Trans-Siberian Orchestra) / Robin McAuley: Lead and backing vocals (Michael Schenker Group/Grand Prix/solo artist) / Chris Ousey: Lead vocals and Backing vocals (Heartland/Ousey-Mann/Virginia Wolf/Ozone)/ Jerome Mazza: vocals (Pinnacle Point/Steve Walsh) / James Christian: Lead and backing vocals (House Of Lords)Terry Brock: Lead vocals (Strangeways/Kansas) / Lee Small: Lead and backing vocals (Phenomena/Lionheart/Shy) / Mick Devine: Lead and Backing vocals (Devine Intervention/7/solo artist) / Ronnie Romero: Lead and backing vocals (Rainbow/Michael Schenker Group) / Tony Harnell: Lead vocals and backing vocals (TNT/Westworld/Starbreaker/Morning Wood) / Steve Overland: Lead and backing vocals (Lonerider/FM/Shadowman/solo artist) / Robin Beck: Backing vocals (solo artist) / Matt Sinner: Bass (Primal Fear/Sinner) / Joel Hoekstra: Guitars (Whitesnake/Trans-Siberian Orchestra/13) / Mike Slamer: Guitars (City Boy/Streets/Seventh Key/Steelhouse Lane) / Jeff Pilson: Bass (Foreigner/Dokken) / Gary Pihl: Guitars (Sammy Hagar/Boston) / Steve Morris: Guitars and Keyboards (Heartland/Lonerider/Ian Gillan Band/Shadowman) / Gene Black: Lead Guitars (Tina Turner/Rod Stewart/Device) / Billy Sheehan: Bass (Mr Big/The Flood/Talas) / Tracy Ferrie: Bass (Stryper/Boston) / Ricky Phillips: Bass (Baby’s/Styx/Bad English) / Rocky Newton: Bass (Michael Schenker Group/Lionheart) / Josh Devine: Drums (One Direction/Levara/Devine Intervention) / Takeaki Itoh: Bass (Pinnacle Point) / Jim Kirkpatrick: Slide guitar (FM/The Flood/Bernie Marsden Band) / Chris Childs: Bass (Thunder/Lonerider) / Steve Mann: Keyboards (Michael Schenker Group/Lionheart/Ousey/Mann) / Vince DiCola: Keyboards (Rocky4/Staying Alive/Transformers/Storming Heaven/Thread) / Mark Mangold: Keyboards (Touch/American Tears/Drive She Said) / Alessandro Del Vecchio: Keyboards (Revolution Saints/Edge Of Forever/Hardline) / Stevie D: Lead guitar / Marco Mendoza: Bass (Whitesnake/Thin Lizzy/Journey) / Jimmy Nicholas: B3 (Faith Hill/Kenny Loggins/Van Zant/Jim Peterik/Juice Newton) / Tommy Denander: Guitars and keyboards (Radioactive/Steve Walsh/Robert Hart)) / Brain J Anthony: Bass (Steve Walsh/Lonerider/Robert Heart/Robbie LeBlanc) / Brian Tichy: Drums (Whitesnake/Dead Daisies/ Foreigner) / Mark Stanway: Keyboards (Magnum/Grand Slam) / Robin Beck: Backing vocals (solo artist) / Nikolo Kotzev: Lead guitars (Brazen Abbot/Robin Gibb) / Fredrik Folkare: Guitars (Unleashed/Heartwind) / Mikael Rosengren: Keyboards (Heartwind) / Steve Newman: Guitars/keys/backing vocals (Newman/Compass) / Eric Ragno: Keyboards (Baby’s/Joe LynnTurner) / Fredrik Bergh: Keyboards (Talk Of Town/BloodBound) - CD Track listing: Intro; Live Again; Crazy Days; Bad Enough; Never Will Forget; Harder They Fall; Get Out Of Here; Believe; Hangman Blues; State Of Mind; Belly Of The Beast*; Holy Water; Sweet Serenity; Take It Away; Bad To Good. Vinyl Track listing: Intro; Live Again; Crazy Days; Bad Enough; Never Will Forget; Harder They Fall; Get Out Of Here; Believe; Hangman Blues; State Of Mind; Belly Of The Beast*; Holy Water; Sweet Serenity; Take It Away; Bad To Good; The Year 2000; Frozen Rose

King Of Blue by Yes Indeed sees Laurie Tompkins and Otto Wilberg take their eclectic stance on cosmic jazz and electronics to further uncharted and dreamlike territory, encompassing a unique logic of what is harmoniously absurdist.

King of Blue by Yes Indeed sees members Laurie Tompkins and Otto Willberg further dive into their melismatic take on cosmic jazz and new electronics, by way of their highly eclectic and at times nonsensically sensical modus operandi. Their work is defined by an eloquent flurry of ideas, spheres, and signifiers, creating a musical universe of surprising longevity and depth. Treating musical convention with gentle disdain, Yes Indeed take on a variety of genres and moods and switch them around into a beautifully melismatic and dreamlike state of being. King Of Blue is a mini- album of fragmented beauty and warmth. It puts the illogical center stage and gives space to abruptly miniaturist musical ideas, allowing them to take on a meaning bigger than one would expect. It is cosmic music for modern times. A brazen descent into the execution of a fundamentally diversified musical stance.

'Yes Indeed' are Laurie Tompkins & Otto Willberg. Live, they play keys, bouncy bass and sing over tactile, emotive samples. Their music is epic and also somehow wrong, with space for delicacy, straight-up joy and soaring licks. Since 2022’s ‘Rotten Luck’ - their first proper album, on Bison - YI have played across the UK and Europe. Solo, Laurie co-ran the Slip label and has put out CDs on Entr’acte, 33-33 and Hyperdelia. Otto is a roaming bassist in groups like Historically Fucked and Abstract Concrete and his LP of “wildly singular, wickedly trippy and sensual set of fusion jams” (Boomkat) was recently out on Black Truffle.

Anna Gréta goes gentle...into her second album on ACT, “Star of Spring”. The Reykjavik-born pianist, singer and a songwriter, who has lived in Stockholm since 2014, has her own way of approaching the art of quiet, artful, deeply personal songs, often drawing inspiration from the beauty and power of Iceland’s natural landscape. Her 2021 ACT debut "Nightjar in the Northern Sky" was named after a bird, and this follow-up album lands gracefully on a flower, the “glory of the snow”, also known as the "star of spring", which symbolises the ending of winter and the arrival of spring.

But look closer, and there are always other levels of meaning. Her "Nightjar”, the rare bird she once saw in front of the northern sky, was a metaphor for the search for the things which are special and essential. In fact, almost all of Anna Gréta's lyrics have more than one significance, and her storytelling has now taken a leap forward on "Star of Spring". She says of the little flower on the title track: "I wasn't just inspired by the way it takes over the meadows in spring and turns them from green to blue, but also by the fact that it blooms because it is compelled to do so. It cannot do anything else."

Anna Gréta's starting point to creating music was and is the piano. She first studied classical music, then switched to jazz. She only started singing later, when she was writing the songs for Nightjar and wanted to express herself in words. Anna Gréta's debut as a singer, pianist and songwriter earned her international acclaim: Downbeat Magazine called it „an album with the metamophoric diversity of a year’s seasons and a voice like the everchanging colours of the Northern lights“, France Musique “a remarkably immersive experience” and Jazzwise “starkly beautiful”.

On "Star Of Spring" Anna Gréta has further developed her individual style. Her vocal lines can resemble piano motifs, often doubling them and resonating with an impressively quiet vibrato, sometimes quirkily reminiscent of Björk, at other times with the brooding ease of Norah Jones. The album also bears a very distinctive production style. For each of the songs, Anna Gréta has created her own little world of choirs, rhythmic textures and various smartly used keyboard instruments. The album ranges from the hymnal and elegiac - in "She Moves" or in the title track - to the playful and cheerful "Space Time" or the extremely pared-down melancholic ballad "Denouement". And even if the general mood of the music exudes above all warmth and comfort, Anna Gréta also deals with serious topics, such as the forced birth control of women in Greenland during the 60s and 70s in the song "The Body Remembers".

There is a directness of expression and emotionality, even sensuousness about the new album, and that is not least because Anna Gréta’s band has developed and become a properly played-in unit with the experience to take this album’s more complex arrangements in its stride. The sheen and brightness of her piano playing is contrasted with a deeper voice, that of her father Sigurður Flosason's bass clarinet, on three tracks. "This album is more playful and experimental," she says. "A lot of things were easier for me than on the first album. And while I was still completely focussed on my own world then, now I was even more conscious and aware of what was going on around me."

The result is music that is rooted in jazz, but at the same time goes far beyond it in a very subtle and deeply touching way.

Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth. It's the seventh instalment in the Transformers live-action film series. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film was released in June 2023. The soundtrack was in hands of Jongnic Bontemps, who gave the film a new sound. The score also features a reimagining of familiar musical compositions from the earlier movies by Steve Jablonsky. Bontemps felt his goal was influencing the score from the first five films directed by Michael Bay, but as the movie takes place after the events of Bumblebee (2018), which deviated from the timeline of the original films, he also needed to provide new fresh music. During the soundtrack's production, different musical styles were experimented with. However, Bontemps said they quickly realized that ""an organic, orchestral, emotional score, that sound we are all familiar with, and has such a deep history, goes a long way for we as the audience to connect with these robots."" Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Expanded Edition) is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on Autobots Red (LP1) vs Decepticons Purple (LP2) coloured vinyl. The vinyl edition features 5 bonus tracks and it includes a 4-page booklet with liner notes by the director, composer, and music executive of Paramount."

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts by Jongnic Bontemps, released 29 March 2024, includes the following tracks: "Autobots Enter", "More Than Meets the Eye", "Museum Heist", "Fallen Hero" and more.

This version of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts comes as a 2xLP. This release comes with (a) Booklet.

The vinyl is pressed as a red disc. Another vinyl is pressed as a purple disc.

Originally rumoured to be a double album the plan was shot down - Dave Thompson in conversation with Melanie managed to work out what it would look like and here we present all newly mastered the deluxe version. Woodstock and Glastonbury Fayre icon Melanie had been working with Easy Action on the deluxe vinyl and CD rerelease of one of the most legendary albums in her long catalogue prior to her very sad passing. In 1972, Melanie and her producer and husband Peter Schekeryk began work on what she intended to be her most ambitious album yet. Stoneground Words was to be a double album - the first such statement from any female rock artist. It would also be the first worldwide release on Neighborhood Records, the label she and Schekeryk established in 1971 - another first, as she entered territory into which only The Beatles, The Stones and The Moody Blues had previously stepped. Even more crucially, however, it was her personal response to the enormous success, earlier in the year, of the hit "Brand New Key" - "the bicycle song," as so many people recall it. Stoneground Words returned to the drawing board. Ten songs were selected; the remainder were placed to one side; and the album was released to generally positive reviews which included Melody Maker's assertion that it was "the most sophisticated she's made. The naiveté of the past has been replaced by deeper, more comprehensive methods of expression." She is the first to admit that the new edition of Stoneground Words is not a true facsimile of the original. The paperwork for all three projects, after all, disappeared long ago, as did the tapes ("who knows where?"). Stoneground Words will be released in March 2024 by Easy Action/Neighbourhood Records o Issued for the very first time as a double LP o Completely remastered. o Limited pressing on Pink Vinyl, CD Presented in large deluxe gatefold sleeve with full colour booklet o Brand new artwork o Originally recorded in New York in 1972 and released on Melanie's own Neighbourhood Records label.

The Diggin' in the Crates Crew, commonly abbreviated as D.I.T.C., is a hip hop collective from New York City. It was founded by Diamond D and Showbiz and its name is from the art of digging for records to sample for production. The members have achieved substantial and consistent recognition in the music industry and Hip Hop circles.

They have collaborated with underground and commercial artists from around the world. All of the members are from the Bronx, with the exception of the late Big L from Harlem, and O.C. from Brooklyn. D.I.T.C., “The Official” Version is an alternative version of D.I.T.C.'s self-titled album D.I.T.C. which was not officially available on vinyl upon its initial release via Tommy Boy when it became apparent that group maintained vinyl rights of the album.

The Official Version has a different track listing with many of the songs being totally different versions than the ones appearing on the first album and also 2 tracks that weren't on D.I.T.C. at all - "All Love" and "We Known For That" (which is actually a remix of the 12" single "Internationally Known"). The album is executively produced by Show and re-released on D.I.T.C. Records with distribution by Fat Beats Distribution -20 years after its initial limited pressing.

Many of the songs appear in remixed forms that had yet to be released, some remixes and some original versions. Highlights include "Where Ya At"; the Big Pun/Milano collaboration but here, instead set over a slamming DJ Premier remix. Likewise, the "Way Of Life" features a totally different Buckwild beat, that is actually the original version of the track, that stands in stark contrast to the B-Boy anthem heard on the Tommy Boy album.

a A1. Thick Rockwilder Mix
b A2. Way Of Life Buckwild's OG Mix (Ft. additional Lord Finesse verse]
[c] A3. Get Yours [Show Remix]
[d] A4. Where Ya At [DJ Premier Remix] (w. Big Pun & Milano)
[e] A5. We Known For That (Internationally Known) [Show Remix]


[h] B1. Ebonics [DJ Premier Remix]