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The music on this album was inspired by the original ska recordings coming out of Jamaica in the early to mid 1960s. In particular, the fiery horn instrumentals played by musicians like Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling, Baba Brooks, Dizzy Moore, Lloyd Brevett, Ernest Ranglin, Jackie Mittoo, Lloyd Knibb, Drumbago, to name just a few. Many of them were originally jazz musicians, and they played in groups like Prince Buster’s All Stars, the Skatalites, Baba Brooks’ Band, King Edwards’ group, and many more.

This is my humble paean to their great works in this now largely neglected era of music. I hope you enjoy it.

Peace,
Nat Birchall.

Chris Hontos und Aaron Anderson sind sowohl als Nuke Watch als auch als ihre auf Samples basierenden Cousins Beat Detectives tätig. Die Detectives sind das, was The Beatnuts unter dem Einfluss einer experimentellen dissoziativen Droge produzieren würden, während Nuke Watch eine freie Improvisationsband ist, die keinen Grund sieht, zu quietschen, und an Vergnügen glaubt. Das neue Album von Nuke Watch, "Grave New World", ist ihr zehntes seit Beginn des Projekts im Jahr 2020. Diese Musik taucht ein, kollidiert und quillt aus einer Tasche heraus, der Sound einer elektrischen Welt, die sich selbst mulcht. Modulare Synthesizer breiten sich wie Cordyceps in Räumen voller Bass, Saxophon und Handtrommeln aus und hinterlassen einen neuen, verseuchten Raum: leuchtend, sicher und verrückt. Diese Musik wurde mit Instrumenten gespielt, ein Großteil davon komplett live. Die meisten Tracks sind Aufnahmen von Hontos und Anderson mit ein oder zwei weiteren Musikern, es handelt sich also größtenteils um Trio-Aufnahmen. Man ist versucht, Grave New World als Fusion zu bezeichnen, aber das trifft es nicht ganz. Otto Willbergs Bassspiel ist so versiert, dass es Giganten wie Percy Jones und Jaco heraufbeschwört, und Leonard King nähert sich dem Bass ein wenig wie jemand aus Felas Africa 70. Die drei verarbeiteten Blasinstrumente - Zack Stafford an der verarbeiteten Flöte, Christopher Farstad am MIDI-Blasinstrument und Cole Pulice am verarbeiteten Saxophon - bringen die Musik in die Nähe des Jazz, obwohl keine der Kompositionen der Band wirklich nach Jazz klingt. Outtakes aus der Star Wars Foley-Datenbank? Eine berührungsempfindliche Multimedia-Gewächshausausstellung, die von einer Kindergartengruppe übernommen wurde? Eine Zoom-Session mit Latenzproblemen, verursacht durch Musiker auf fünf verschiedenen Kontinenten? "Grave New World" könnte man als Weltmusik bezeichnen, in dem Sinne, dass, wenn man die Welt zu einem Trichter zusammenfalten, schütteln und alle auf einen Teller voller Menschen rutschen lassen würde, mit denen sie nicht aufgewachsen sind, sie am Ende vielleicht genau das hier produzieren würden. - Sasha Frere-Jones, 2025

Dillinger one of the most consistently successful DJ’s to come out of the Jamaica, fondly remembered for his massive ‘Cocaine In My Brain’ hit from the great CB200 album and the later reworked ‘Marijuana In My Brain’ which gave Dillinger crossover hits in both England and Europe. But the versatile DJ has many more strings to his bow.

Dillinger (born. Lester Bullocks,1953 Kingston, Jamaica) began his musical venture around 1971, working asa DJ to Sound Systems run by Prince Jackie and El Brasso.1974 saw his first vinyl release in the form of ‘Freshly’ for Producer Yabby U and in 1975 he came with the great ‘Brace A Boy’ for the young Mr Augustus Pablo.But his first album release was through Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One setup, where he let Dillinger fire some vocals over classic Rocksteady rhythms. It took the form of ‘Ready Natty Dreadie’. It was his time at Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Hookim’s Channel One Studio that produced his second album set(a crossover release and fore mentioned) the timeless 1976 classic ‘CB 200’. It contained three big singles in ‘Plantation Heights’, ‘Cocaine In My Brain’ and ‘Crank Face’. The reworked ‘ Marijuana In My Brain’ even became a No 1 hit in Holland in 1979.

We have taken our set of tunes from his classic 70’s period when Mr Dillinger could do no wrong.Alongside the big ‘Cocaine’ and ‘Marijuana’ hits the great opening track ‘Love Is All I Bring’ sees him working over Alton Ellis ‘Still In Love With You’ which Itself turned into ‘3 Piece Suite’. ‘Money Alone Is Not All’ where he works over Barry Brown’s ‘Mr Money Man’, ‘Hear and Deaf’ working over Johnny Clarke’s ‘Nobodies Business’. ‘King Pharaoh Was A Baldhead’ has him working Frankie Jone’s ‘ Jesse Black’ cut. ‘Concubine’ reworks the Mighty Diamond’s ‘Mother Winney’ and ‘Time So Hard’ sees Dillinger telling it like it is over Ronnie Davis’ original ‘ Time So Hard’ cut, empathizing the points in fine style.

A classic set of tunes all ‘Killer No Filler’ from the master of rhyme himself we hope you agree…..

Exklusive Vinyl-Sammlung mit Demos, Skizzen und Outtakes vom neuen Album "Season Of The Peach" von Black Lips. Mit einem Feature von King Khan sowie alternativen Versionen und Mixen und exklusiven Songs aus den Sessions. Gleichzeitig mit ihrem richtigem neuen Album "Season Of The Peach" wird die Outtakes-Sammlung "Bebop Armageddon (Detours & Offcuts From Season Of The Peach)" veröffentlicht, ein wildes, limitiertes Kompendium: Demos, alternativen Versionen und klingende Missgeschicke der jüngsten Sessions zum neuen Album, für echte Fans auf Vinyl gebannt. Wenn "Season Of The Peach" eine farbenfrohe Halluzination ist - teils Garagenrock-Fantasie, teils verbranntes Americana-Land - dann ist "Bebop Armageddon" sein zerfetzter, magnetischer Schatten. Diese 14 Tracks nehmen einen orientierungslosen Weg durch dasselbe Terrain und bieten mutierte Skizzen, wunderschöne Trümmer und freakige Umwege, die vor rohem Charme und chaotischer Erfindungsgabe nur so strotzen. Es gibt alternative Mixe (,Kassandra"), Demoversionen (,Judas Pig", ,Zulu Saints") und schwindelerregende Neuinterpretationen wie ,The Illusion Pt. 1 (dream mix)". Das Exklusive ,Colt 44" (mit King Khan) rattert wie ein Güterzug, der zu entgleisen droht, während ,Satan" und ,Back To Kiev" gleichermaßen versengten Psych, Saloon-Gospel und gespenstische Front-Porch-Melodien bieten. Alle Tracks wurden auf Analogband im Sound At Manor Studio von Oakley Munson in den Catskills aufgenommen. Bebop Armageddon fängt den Geist der Sessions in roher, ungekünstelter Form ein. Keine sauberen Linien. Keine Wiederholungen. Kein Glanz. Das ist das Chaos unter der polierten Oberfläche des Mutteralbums - die Black Lips, die sich nicht benehmen wollten. Limitiertes klassisch schwarzes Vinyl (1000 Stück weltweit) mit DLC dabei.

"Songs in the Key of Yikes" ist ein typisches Superchunk-Album: viszeral und zeitlos und verdammt eingängig - ein kathartischer Balsam für diese bedrückenden Zeiten. "Bruised Lung" - "No Hope" - "Care Less" - "Climb the Walls" - "Everybody Dies". Wenn man die Trackliste von "Songs in the Key of Yikes" überfliegt, fragt man sich unweigerlich: Sind Superchunk okay? In einer Welt, die wohl düsterer ist als die, die "Wild Loneliness" (2022) oder "What a Time to Be Alive" (2018) begrüßte, geht es uns da überhaupt noch gut? "Es war schon immer so, dass jeder etwas durchmacht, von dem man vielleicht nichts weiß", bemerkt Mac McCaughan. "Das gilt derzeit mehr denn je - aber es ist auch so, dass wir alle gemeinsam etwas durchmachen. Angesichts dessen, was nützt Kunst und wo findet man Glück? (Spoiler-Alarm: Ich weiß es nicht.)" Auf der Suche nach einer Antwort entfesselt "Songs in the Key of Yikes" einen Sound, der triumphierend und hell in der Dunkelheit ist, "Majesty Shredding" im Overdrive. Die Lead-Single ,Is It Making You Feel Something" gibt früh den Ton an, wobei die Band - McCaughan, Laura Ballance, Jim Wilbur und Laura King - aus dem Potenzial für Freude eine Hymne baut und in schlammverschmutzte Gewässer taucht und mit einer Perle wieder hochkommt. "No Hope" ist ähnlich widerstandsfähig, McCaughans Texte zeichnen ein niederschmetterndes Bild, bevor sie in den titelgebenden Refrain übergehen. Er wiederholt den Satz neun Mal, macht eine Pause und verwandelt die Stimmung vollständig, indem er den Gesang mit der Zeile "and here we are singing" unterbricht. Der Text ist scharf, gleichzeitig eine einfache Beobachtung und eine tiefgründige Aussage über das Sein, die erdrückenden Nächte und endlosen Tage, aber McCaughans Stimme findet eine gewisse Süße darin, durchgehalten zu haben und dies auch weiterhin zu tun. Paradoxerweise grenzt die Energie von "Songs in the Key of Yikes" an Euphorie und bricht manchmal sogar in sie aus, wie in "Stuck in a Dream", das wie eine oasenartige Fata Morgana zwischen "Everybody Dies" und "Train on Fire" auftaucht, ein voller Sprint, der die Menge begeistert und sich zum Pogen im Pit eignet. "Care Less" ist ein düsterer, komischer Spiegel dieser Energie, ein Garage-Jam, in dem ein scharfzüngiger McCaughan Zuflucht vor dem Sturm sucht, indem er so tut, als würde er nicht direkt vor seiner Tür toben. Diese Strategie funktioniert nicht. Natürlich funktioniert sie nicht. Es ist ein Song auf einem Superchunk-Album, und Superchunk-Alben sind Argumente gegen Engstirnigkeit und für Partys, die groß genug sind, um alle zu beherbergen. Dieses Album begrüßt nicht nur Laura King nach zwei Jahren als Tour-Schlagzeugerin in der Band, sondern enthält auch Beiträge von Rosali Middleman ("Bruised Lung" und "Everybody Dies"), Bella Quinlan und Holly Thomas von Quivers ("Cue") und der Tour-Bassistin Betsy Wright ("Care Less"). Das Album wurde von Paul Voran (The Menzingers, Hurray for the Riff Raff) und Eli Webb produziert und von Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr) gemischt. Gemeinsam kommen sie zu keinem Ergebnis darüber, was gute Kunst in Krisenzeiten ausmacht und schaffen gleichzeitig großartige Kunst.

"Songs in the Key of Yikes" ist ein typisches Superchunk-Album: viszeral und zeitlos und verdammt eingängig - ein kathartischer Balsam für diese bedrückenden Zeiten. "Bruised Lung" - "No Hope" - "Care Less" - "Climb the Walls" - "Everybody Dies". Wenn man die Trackliste von "Songs in the Key of Yikes" überfliegt, fragt man sich unweigerlich: Sind Superchunk okay? In einer Welt, die wohl düsterer ist als die, die "Wild Loneliness" (2022) oder "What a Time to Be Alive" (2018) begrüßte, geht es uns da überhaupt noch gut? "Es war schon immer so, dass jeder etwas durchmacht, von dem man vielleicht nichts weiß", bemerkt Mac McCaughan. "Das gilt derzeit mehr denn je - aber es ist auch so, dass wir alle gemeinsam etwas durchmachen. Angesichts dessen, was nützt Kunst und wo findet man Glück? (Spoiler-Alarm: Ich weiß es nicht.)" Auf der Suche nach einer Antwort entfesselt "Songs in the Key of Yikes" einen Sound, der triumphierend und hell in der Dunkelheit ist, "Majesty Shredding" im Overdrive. Die Lead-Single ,Is It Making You Feel Something" gibt früh den Ton an, wobei die Band - McCaughan, Laura Ballance, Jim Wilbur und Laura King - aus dem Potenzial für Freude eine Hymne baut und in schlammverschmutzte Gewässer taucht und mit einer Perle wieder hochkommt. "No Hope" ist ähnlich widerstandsfähig, McCaughans Texte zeichnen ein niederschmetterndes Bild, bevor sie in den titelgebenden Refrain übergehen. Er wiederholt den Satz neun Mal, macht eine Pause und verwandelt die Stimmung vollständig, indem er den Gesang mit der Zeile "and here we are singing" unterbricht. Der Text ist scharf, gleichzeitig eine einfache Beobachtung und eine tiefgründige Aussage über das Sein, die erdrückenden Nächte und endlosen Tage, aber McCaughans Stimme findet eine gewisse Süße darin, durchgehalten zu haben und dies auch weiterhin zu tun. Paradoxerweise grenzt die Energie von "Songs in the Key of Yikes" an Euphorie und bricht manchmal sogar in sie aus, wie in "Stuck in a Dream", das wie eine oasenartige Fata Morgana zwischen "Everybody Dies" und "Train on Fire" auftaucht, ein voller Sprint, der die Menge begeistert und sich zum Pogen im Pit eignet. "Care Less" ist ein düsterer, komischer Spiegel dieser Energie, ein Garage-Jam, in dem ein scharfzüngiger McCaughan Zuflucht vor dem Sturm sucht, indem er so tut, als würde er nicht direkt vor seiner Tür toben. Diese Strategie funktioniert nicht. Natürlich funktioniert sie nicht. Es ist ein Song auf einem Superchunk-Album, und Superchunk-Alben sind Argumente gegen Engstirnigkeit und für Partys, die groß genug sind, um alle zu beherbergen. Dieses Album begrüßt nicht nur Laura King nach zwei Jahren als Tour-Schlagzeugerin in der Band, sondern enthält auch Beiträge von Rosali Middleman ("Bruised Lung" und "Everybody Dies"), Bella Quinlan und Holly Thomas von Quivers ("Cue") und der Tour-Bassistin Betsy Wright ("Care Less"). Das Album wurde von Paul Voran (The Menzingers, Hurray for the Riff Raff) und Eli Webb produziert und von Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr) gemischt. Gemeinsam kommen sie zu keinem Ergebnis darüber, was gute Kunst in Krisenzeiten ausmacht und schaffen gleichzeitig großartige Kunst.

"Songs in the Key of Yikes" ist ein typisches Superchunk-Album: viszeral und zeitlos und verdammt eingängig - ein kathartischer Balsam für diese bedrückenden Zeiten. "Bruised Lung" - "No Hope" - "Care Less" - "Climb the Walls" - "Everybody Dies". Wenn man die Trackliste von "Songs in the Key of Yikes" überfliegt, fragt man sich unweigerlich: Sind Superchunk okay? In einer Welt, die wohl düsterer ist als die, die "Wild Loneliness" (2022) oder "What a Time to Be Alive" (2018) begrüßte, geht es uns da überhaupt noch gut? "Es war schon immer so, dass jeder etwas durchmacht, von dem man vielleicht nichts weiß", bemerkt Mac McCaughan. "Das gilt derzeit mehr denn je - aber es ist auch so, dass wir alle gemeinsam etwas durchmachen. Angesichts dessen, was nützt Kunst und wo findet man Glück? (Spoiler-Alarm: Ich weiß es nicht.)" Auf der Suche nach einer Antwort entfesselt "Songs in the Key of Yikes" einen Sound, der triumphierend und hell in der Dunkelheit ist, "Majesty Shredding" im Overdrive. Die Lead-Single ,Is It Making You Feel Something" gibt früh den Ton an, wobei die Band - McCaughan, Laura Ballance, Jim Wilbur und Laura King - aus dem Potenzial für Freude eine Hymne baut und in schlammverschmutzte Gewässer taucht und mit einer Perle wieder hochkommt. "No Hope" ist ähnlich widerstandsfähig, McCaughans Texte zeichnen ein niederschmetterndes Bild, bevor sie in den titelgebenden Refrain übergehen. Er wiederholt den Satz neun Mal, macht eine Pause und verwandelt die Stimmung vollständig, indem er den Gesang mit der Zeile "and here we are singing" unterbricht. Der Text ist scharf, gleichzeitig eine einfache Beobachtung und eine tiefgründige Aussage über das Sein, die erdrückenden Nächte und endlosen Tage, aber McCaughans Stimme findet eine gewisse Süße darin, durchgehalten zu haben und dies auch weiterhin zu tun. Paradoxerweise grenzt die Energie von "Songs in the Key of Yikes" an Euphorie und bricht manchmal sogar in sie aus, wie in "Stuck in a Dream", das wie eine oasenartige Fata Morgana zwischen "Everybody Dies" und "Train on Fire" auftaucht, ein voller Sprint, der die Menge begeistert und sich zum Pogen im Pit eignet. "Care Less" ist ein düsterer, komischer Spiegel dieser Energie, ein Garage-Jam, in dem ein scharfzüngiger McCaughan Zuflucht vor dem Sturm sucht, indem er so tut, als würde er nicht direkt vor seiner Tür toben. Diese Strategie funktioniert nicht. Natürlich funktioniert sie nicht. Es ist ein Song auf einem Superchunk-Album, und Superchunk-Alben sind Argumente gegen Engstirnigkeit und für Partys, die groß genug sind, um alle zu beherbergen. Dieses Album begrüßt nicht nur Laura King nach zwei Jahren als Tour-Schlagzeugerin in der Band, sondern enthält auch Beiträge von Rosali Middleman ("Bruised Lung" und "Everybody Dies"), Bella Quinlan und Holly Thomas von Quivers ("Cue") und der Tour-Bassistin Betsy Wright ("Care Less"). Das Album wurde von Paul Voran (The Menzingers, Hurray for the Riff Raff) und Eli Webb produziert und von Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr) gemischt. Gemeinsam kommen sie zu keinem Ergebnis darüber, was gute Kunst in Krisenzeiten ausmacht und schaffen gleichzeitig großartige Kunst.

With his honeyed falsetto, Horace Andy has long been considered one of roots reggae's most inimitable voices. His signature tune, "Skylarking," is one of a handful of songs that can be instantly recognized by even the most casual of reggae fans. Making his debut with producer and mentor Phil Pratt at the age of sixteen, Andy's expressive vocal style is immediately distinctive, bearing the soulful influence of American artists Otis Redding and Smokey Robinson as well as fellow countryman Alton Ellis.

1975's Get Wise collects a series of singles produced by Pratt including versions of hits "Money, Money" ("Root Of All Evil") and "Zion Gate" ("I Don't Want To Be Outside"). Recorded between 1972 and 1974, these sides were captured at legendary studios Channel One, Black Ark, Dynamic Sound and Randy's Studio 17 with house engineers Ernest Hoo Kim, Lee Perry, Carlton Lee and Errol Thompson at the helm.

Originally released on Pratt's Sunshot label, the album doubles as a showcase for The Soul Syndicate Band, a typically ad-hoc session group which featured Sly & Robbie, Aston "Family Man" Barrett and Earl "Chinna" Smith, among others.

Get Wise delivers ten tracks of Andy's finest material and should be in the collection of any aficionado of the classic '70s Kingston sound. Liner notes by JR Gonne.

"Tonky" ist Lonnie Holleys fünftes Studioalbum und enthält Gastauftritte von Isaac Brock, Angel Bat Dawid, Billy Woods, Alabaster de Plume, Mary Lattimore und anderen. Bei der Leadsingle "Protest With Love" ist Jacknife Lee, der auch das gefeierte Vorgängeralbum "Oh Me Oh My" produziert hat, als Bassist, Keyboarder, Synthesizer, Schlagzeuger, Programmierer, Flötist, Percussionist und Sänger zu hören. Weitere Mitwirkende sind The Legendary Ingramettes am Gesang, Kelly Pratt an den Bläsern und Flöten, Jordan Katz an den Bläsern und natürlich Holley am Gesang. Holley fordert die Zuhörer auf, "mit Liebe zu protestieren" und "die Liebe zu deiner Waffe zu machen". Es gibt Dichter wie die große Mary Oliver, die vorschlagen, dass die Hauptfunktion des Menschen, wenn er sich durch die Welt bewegt, solange er Leben und die Fähigkeit hat, sich durch die Welt zu bewegen, darin besteht, dem Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken, was andere törichterweise als klein oder alltäglich bezeichnen mögen. Das Gehirn und das Herz sind beides Gefäße, die so viel Platz haben, wie man ihnen zugestehen möchte, und zu leben bedeutet, Sammlungen von gefundenen Zuneigungen zu schaffen. Die Geräusche der geliebten und vertrauten Häuser, die Bewegungen der Bäume und der Menschen unter ihnen, die Art und Weise, wie jemand, den man verehrt, einen ein paar Sekunden lang umarmt, bevor er sich aus der Umarmung löst und in einer überfüllten Fußgängerzone verschwindet. Wenn wir unser Leben, unser Schaffen und unsere Liebe auf diese Weise betrachten, bedeutet das, dass wir, zumindest für einige von uns, durch die Aussicht auf das, was als Nächstes kommt, vorwärts getrieben werden können. Welchen Moment wir festhalten und in unsere überquellenden Taschen stecken können. Die Arbeit von Lonnie Holley ist ein Werk dieser Art von Anhäufung und genauer Aufmerksamkeit. Das Vergnügen, einen Klang zu finden und ihn gegen einen anderen gefundenen Klang und einen weiteren zu pressen, bis der Hörer, bevor er es merkt, von einer Klangsinfonie überflutet wird, die sich anfühlt, als würde sie sich zusammenfügen, während sie über einen hinwegspült. "Tonky" ist ein Album, das seinen Namen von einem Spitznamen aus der Kindheit hat, der Holley anhaftete, als er einen Teil seiner Kindheit in einem Honky Tonk verbrachte. Lonnie Holleys Leben des Überlebens und der Ausdauer erforderte - und erfordert zweifellos immer noch - eine Art Erfindung. Eine Erfindung, die auch in Holleys Liedern reichhaltig und präsent ist, die auf "Tonky" voll und eindringlich sind, einem Album, das mit seinem längsten Lied beginnt, einem neunminütigen, erschöpfenden Marathon eines Stücks namens "Seeds", das mit einem einzigen spärlichen Klang beginnt und sich dann ausdehnt. Gesänge, schwache Tasten, Streicher und als Krönung Holleys Stimme, die nicht singt, sondern klar und deutlich von der Arbeit auf der Erde erzählt, als er jung war, und von der Gewalt, die er dabei ertragen musste, als er blutig und mit Schmerzen von Schlägen ins Bett ging. Der Song weitet sich zu einer Metapher über den Ort aus, über das Versagen des Zuhauses oder eines Ortes, der einen beschützen soll, der nicht das hält, was er zu sein vorgibt, selbst wenn man unermüdlich daran arbeitet, daran arbeitet, daran arbeitet, etwas Sinnvolles daraus zu machen. "Seeds" gibt nicht nur den Ton für ein Album an, das sich um Wiedergeburt, Erneuerung und die Grenzen von Hoffnung und Glaube dreht, sondern unterstreicht auch, was Holleys größte Stärke als Musiker ist, nämlich sein Engagement für Fülle und Großzügigkeit. Er ist ein unglaublich begabter Geschichtenerzähler, der sich der mündlichen Tradition verschrieben hat, so dass viele Hörer völlig zufrieden wären, wenn sie zu Füßen einer Lonnie-Holley-Platte säßen und seinen robusten, ausladenden Erzählungen lauschen könnten. Aber "Tonky" ist ein Album, das sowohl klanglich als auch in Bezug auf die vielen verschiedenen Künstler, die auf dem Album vertreten sind, einen Platz bietet, an dem sie sich zu Hause fühlen können, ganz gleich, wie sie die Zeit verbringen, die sie für einen Song brauchen.

Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.

At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.

There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.

The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.

The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

Though Scratch may have at times seemed crazy, it is worth noting that creative
genius appears so because geniuses see things others do not see and inhabit
realities unseen. As the music on this album reveals, Lee Perry's Black Ark creations
re-arrange the familiar into something new and magical.
Lee spent his early days working with legendary producers Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid,
Joe Gibbs, Clancy Eccles and Prince Buster, and by 1968 he was an independent
producer, naming his studio musicians The Upsetters and scoring instrumental hits
with innovative rhythms that helped forge the new reggae style. In 1970-1971 he
produced what many consider the greatest works by the Wailers; in 1968 one of his
Upsetters productions hit #5 on the UK pop chart and more hits followed. That gave
him the funds to build his own studio and in 1973 the legendary Black Ark was born.
Among the many landmark classics cut at Black Ark are such incisive political
commentaries as Max Romeo's "War Ina Babylon," and Junior Murvin's "Police and
Thieves" (covered by the Clash). The Congos' "Heart of the Congos" album is a roots
classic and there are many wonderful obscure singles such as Carlton and the Shoes'
"Better Days." Many dub creations made innovative use of Scratch's sonic wizardry via
echo, phasing, reverb, fanging, wah-wah and various sound effects.
It all came to an end in 1978 as Lee, besieged by extortionists, freeloaders, religious
fanatics and assorted pilgrims, let the studio lapse. And then he set it on fre, some
say due to frustration, others say from mental collapse. He left Jamaica, collaborated
with musicians around the world, toured as a sort of mystic trickster/ shaman and
prospered. But his work at Black Ark will always stand as his ultimate creative
achievement.

How would you like to hear it? This project is the brainchild of Andy Baxter, a multi-talented musician and multi-instrumentalist from London. His recording career began in 2018 when he released his first album, Green, on Village Live.

Buoyed by this initial recognition by his peers, he quickly released a second self-produced opus the following year, entitled Dusk. But it was his third LP, Shapes, released by KingUnderground, that took him to the next level.

Conceived during the first period of confinement, Andy played almost every instrument on the album (a few musicians joined in here and there): drums first and foremost, his instrument of choice, but also bass, guitar, keyboards and even the flute, which he had just learnt at the time of the album's creation. Largely inspired by the library music of the 70s, including some of his mentors such as Piero Umilani, David Axelrod and Brian Bennett, the album is nonetheless resolutely modern. But there's no denying the cinematic atmosphere that emanates from his compositions.

From the opening track "We're From Nowhere", with its heavy, funky bass, you get the impression of being plunged into the Harlem blaxploitation of the heyday, and you can't help but see a musical nod to Roy Ayers' "We live in Brooklyn, baby". But you soon realise that far from being a nostalgic musician, Baxter also listens to his contemporaries like Khruangbin and BadBadNotGood, as can be heard on tracks like 'Leaves', 'Odysea' and 'Ikigai', with their atmospheric guitars and Fransesca Uberti's haunting backing vocals, which instantly invite you to travel and escape! But there are times when the mood gets a little tense, like on the more angst-ridden 'Villains', with its almost free jazz flights of fancy. Finally, his drumming also comes to the fore on the last track, 'Stay Free', with its Afrobeat rhythm reminiscent of a certain Tony Allen and evoking creative freedom as a common thread running through his values.

In nine tracks, Shapes takes us on a neo jazz journey that once again demonstrates the vitality of the English scene in this field for several years now! At the start of 2022, Robohands released their latest album, Violet, on the same label, confirming all the good things we thought about them! By allowing a number of musicians to join him on this new opus, Andy Baxter has shown a willingness to work with more accomplished collaborators.

For 15 years, female-fronted quintet LEONOV have been honing their captivating brand of celestial doom metal. Named after Aleksej Leonov, the first human to take a walk in space, the Norwegians combine the melancholic slow burn of King Woman with the ethereal heaviness of Subrosa and an incredible voice that undeniably reminds of Julie Christmas. Shape of Ash showcases the refined sound of a band that has been around for quite a while_ a band whose career has been a similar slow burn as their music, yet a band that has managed to stay together and create music throughout all these years, despite the odds of families and the real world. Like staring into a purgatory bonfire, listening to `Shape of Ash' is a powerfully entrancing experience. Dealing with themes of helplessness, uncertainty, conflict and resolution, these four songs touch upon the many adversities of life. On Shape of Ash, LEONOV create moments of primordial heaviness on which Tåran's unique voice floats atop, blends in effortlessly in some moments and takes reserved distance in others. With the 4 songs that make up this stunning EP, the band sets the bar incredibly high for their upcoming full length album. We can't wait for it! FOR FANS OF GGGOLDDD, King Woman, Marriages, Subrosa, Cult of Luna, Julie Christmas, Chelsea Wolfe, True Widow, Spurv

Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.

At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.

There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.

The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.

The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

New R&B discoveries continue to emerge and entertain the many followers of the New Breed musical cult; nobody finds more than the Kent connoisseurs.
Berna Dean’s two previously unheard recordings are by far her best. They were laid down at Cosimo Matassa’s New Orleans’ studios by GNP Crescendo but eschewed in favour of two relatively average sides. The great 50s R&B songwriter Jesse Stone provides a rocker for the much-admired Jimmy Breedlove and a super-catchy ‘This Morning’ for an unknown mixed vocal group that has a joyous gospel feel. Jesse also penned ‘Private Eye’, a classic early 60s story-song, for Buddy Wilkins which was issued on Al Sears’ Tri-Ess imprint.
The title track is used twice, on two very different Fraternity recordings. Kenny Smith’s version was issued in 1964 and has many followers, but the equally meritorious Coasters-inspired composition by the Citations is newly discovered. Win Menifee’s ‘I’m Runnin’ Around’ from the same Cincinnati label comes complete with a fascinating back-story.
There are three cover versions. Vermettya Royster’s ‘All Around The World’ is backed by James Brown’s 1961 band, while Roosevelt Lee's 1970 update of the 1947-originated ‘Hey Little Girl’ funks the tune up a la Godfather of Soul. The cover that will make the biggest noise is undoubtedly west coast band the Afterglows’ version of Barbara Lynn’s evergreen dancer ‘I’m A Good Woman’ – this is a future monster.
Golden Crest provides two fabulous male vocal group sides – the swinging ‘What’s On Your Mind’ by Eddie Daye’s Four Bars and the delightful harmonies of the appropriately-named, but unknown Delights ‘Mary Don’t You Weep’.
Blues still thrived into the 70s as Albert Washington’s mean and moody ‘Case Of The Blues’ proves. Smokey Wilson took the music into the late 70s with the storming ‘Goin’ Away Baby (Round Like An Apple)’, which benefits here from a 45-style edit. His Pioneer Club on 88th Street in South Central L A provides the atmospheric photo for this collection.
More early 60s movers come from Wilbur “Hi-Fi” White with ‘Don’t Look Now’, future hit songwriter Johnny Madara’s raucous ‘You Make Me Mad’ and Big Boy Groves ‘Bucket O’ Blood’ which brilliantly describes the kind of club these tracks would fit right into.
The LP version loses a few tracks, but so many collectors have strong preferences we’ve thrown the vinyl junkies a lifeline.

Far above the skylark sings And beats the air with joyful wings Till all the sky with music rings At high noon of the day With 2022's critically acclaimed album Ghosts, enigmatic Shropshire group HARESS markedout their own place in a growing landscape of artists navigating the world of the traditional and the rural in new ways. Ghosts led to the normally reclusive Haress venturing out from their base in the Shropshire Hills for live performances with the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Shovel Dance Collective, Big Brave, Steve Von Till and appearances at Supersonic and Krankenhaus Festivals - not to mention making fans of everyone from Kevin Martin to James Holden in the process. Skylarks is perhaps the natural conclusion of these past few years for the group. Whereas previous Haress recordings have embraced something of the unknown in the process of their making, Skylarks sees a well-travelled group of musicians carefully craft long and expressive pieces of music in a powerful and instinctual way. The music here might be long, but it never sprawls out of control. The telepathy present in live performance has been harnessed and used to carefully compose and arrange these four pieces, narrating a journey through landscape and time that is as powerful as it is beautiful. Inspired by found folk songs, the power of nature and the power of community and Ben Myers' brutal tale of resistance The Gallows Pole, Haress have created a genuinely epic soundtrack to a world both past and future, real and imagined. The ambience and atmosphere of the recording (expertly captured by Phil Booth of JT Soar Studio on location in the group's hometown of Bishop's Castle) is entirely natural, the sound of an ensemble playing live in the room around you. The only vocal interjection this time comes from a choir of voices, replicating the communal singing that has been the centrepiece of Haress live performances. When the voices emerge, it feels truly euphoric and heavy. Not heavy as in metal, but heavy as in the Earth itself - a primal, joyful gut punch to the system. "This blissed-out psychedelia is not quite pastoral – there’s nothing twee about these unwinding grooves – yet evokes water and wood, light and shadow, a place of forgotten labour and the absent human form with a beguiling grace" - Luke Turner on Ghosts, The Quietus Albums Of The Year 2022 "That timelessness of the old sounds but with an added tripped out modernity and dissonance hooked into the past by the power of drone is magical and exhilarating stuff – they are truly spellbinding – ancient and modern like British ragas or a damp searching for the soul of England take on the desert blues of a Tinariwen" - Jon Robb reviews Krankenhaus Festival 2023, Louder Than War

First ever release of pioneering radiophonic / experimental / electronic / soundtrack composer you may never have heard of but really should have by now. 26 tracks in all.
As we began the mammoth task of whittling down material for this album Elizabeth recalled the time she met Delia Derbyshire. It was during a party for existing and former Radiophonic Workshop composers at BBC Maida Vale in the early 1980s. Delia introduced herself with typical energy and exuberance proclaiming "It's up to you now - I'm passing the baton. Show these men how we get things done". That must have been quite an honour and responsibility for a young, female composer establishing herself within the male-dominated environs at Delaware Road.
Looking back over a musical career spanning almost five decades, it's clear Elizabeth rose to the challenge and made her mark. She was consistently in demand with television and radio producers, composing for an array of ground-breaking, critically acclaimed and popular BBC projects. Whilst Delia's legacy has achieved mythical status with her position as an innovator and feminist icon secured, the majority of Elizabeth's recorded work remains unavailable so her contribution to the output of the Workshop and evolution of British electronic music is somewhat under-appreciated.
Perhaps this record will help start to remedy the situation. Included are early tape experiments, home demos and non-BBC commissions from the early 1970's to the late 2000s. Having listened to 260+ digital audio tapes from Elizabeth's personal archive we have barely scratched the surface but hope to provide an indication of the breadth of her compositional and sound design skills.
Classically trained in cello and piano, Elizabeth graduated from the University of East Anglia with a degree in Music in 1973. She was mentored by Tristram Cary who helped her to become UEA's first recipient of a Masters in Electronic Music and later awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Staffordshire University. Joining the BBC as a studio manager in 1975, Elizabeth transferred to the Radiophonic Workshop in 1978. One of her first tasks was to create special sound effects for Blake's 7 using tape loops, the EMS 100 and trusted VCS3.
Her celebrated score for The Living Planet in 1982 featured early use of the PPG synthesizer and earned an Emmy nomination. Over the following years studio technology evolved rapidly, but Elizabeth transitioned from analogue recording techniques to newer digital platforms with relative ease, using samplers, midi sequencing and computer controlled workstations.
With an incredible 1,400 commissions to her name, she created special sound for The Day Of The Triffids, Lord Of The Rings, countless radio dramas including Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea, Harold Pinter's Moonlight, all of Howard Barker's plays, productions of King Lear, Wordsworth's Prelude and The Pallisers. The success of The Living Planet led to further work for the BBC Natural History Unit followed by numerous commissions for The Natural World. At one point in the late 1980's at least five of her signature tunes were being broadcast every week including Points Of View, Horizon, Doctors To Be and Everyman.
After the closure of the Workshop in 1996 Elizabeth became freelance, arranging Faure's Pavane for the BBC World Cup '98 coverage (reaching no. 9 in the UK singles chart). She wrote additional music for Monty Python's Holy Grail DVD, scored Michael Palin's Full Circle and Sahara TV series, The Lost Gardens Of Heligan and The Human Body with Robert Winston.
Retiring from the music industry in the late 2000's, Elizabeth recently returned to her East Anglian roots and now lives near the coast. She walks daily, listening to all kinds of music, new and old, on her beloved air-pods.

2025 Repress

The Sound of Now...mentioned in 'The Return of Jack Slade' by Derrick Morgan was the sound of 1969/1970 and that sound was the sound of Jamaican Reggae.The look at the time was the Skinhead fashion borrowed heavily from the Jamaican Rude Boy style.
The Skinhead movement started around 1968 and by the following year of 1969 became the style and fashion of many British teenagers.The uniform of the Skinheads consisted of boots,braces and jeans and the upbeat Reggae sound seemed to match the style perfectly.
Never before has a music matched a look more perfectly than that of the Skinhead/Rude Boy and Jamaican Reggae sound.
So stand up and move your feet one more time to the Skinhead Reggae Sound!!!
Hope you enjoy the set....

Rando Arand is an Estonian electronic music producer from Tallinn. With a strong foundation in sound design, Arand released his debut record on Asphalt Soliloquies in 2017 and has since captivated audiences at clubs and festivals across the Baltics with his unpredictable and unique live sets. Drawing inspiration from a range of genres such as broken jazz, dubtechno, breakbeat and jungle, Arand incorporates modular synth patches into his performances. He has shared the stage with artists like Dorian Concept, Gerry Read and King Midas Sound. In 2019, Arand released the "Alles" EP on Ali Asker's LIITHELI imprint, which focuses on promoting local talent from Estonia's capital. Arand's latest EP, "Aru" (2022), showcases his exploration of a new "Linki" format. In addition to his musical pursuits, Arand was also a host at the underground venue Ulme in Tallinn.

About the album „Child of the Internet”

The new album by experimental sound designer and electronic music producer Rando Arand takes the artist on a completely different path compared to the previously known dance music influenced deep and contemplative instrumental tracks. Featuring several notable guest artists, the album is a sizzling hot record that makes feet tapping and bodies grooving. On the artist’s most listener-friendly work to date, an impressive lineup of Estonian vocalists makes an appearance: Hyrr IV, the lead singer of the indie band Ouu; Jon Mikiver from Elephants from Neptune; actress Mirtel Pohla; alternative pop artist Kitty Florentine; queer artist Helgi Saldo; comedian Maiduk; and hobby musicians Maihe and David.

The conceptual album "Child of the Internet" is dedicated to young kids for whom the internet has been a defining part of growing up. Genre-wise, the album is very flexible, weaving through various musical chapters and styles with the help of numerous musical sketches, touching on both the comedic and the darker oddities that circulate online.

The album features scorchingly hot, electrified synth-funk jams with a nostalgic touch reminiscent of Prince ("Slidin in Yo DM’s", "Refresh"). Kitty Florentine delivers a sensual neo-soul ballad ("Just Scrolling"), filled with soft tones, soulful warmth, and a smooth groove. For more demanding listeners, the record also explores elements of chillwave, glitch, lo-fi hip-hop, techno, house, and breakbeat. Longer tracks and shorter interludes come together like a bouquet of favorite memes or a collection of countless open web browser tabs that we all keep running. At the same time, the album hints at the immense impact the internet has on our everyday lives.

Rando Arand’s latest studio album is an intriguing listen — perfect for enjoying alone with good headphones or as an ideal background soundtrack for a larger gathering with friends.

In the turbulent world of hip-hop, few artists are able to make the transition from hot young star to acclaimed rap luminary. Los Angeles emcee Blu has followed this rare path, graduating from a spot on the 2009 XXL Freshman list to an expansive catalog with more than 25 celebrated releases. Now, the talented lyricist is celebrating his remarkable journey with Forty, a new album entirely produced by influential beatsmith August Fanon, who has crafted tracks for Westside Gunn, Mach-Hommy, Tha God Fahim, billy woods, Navy Blue, and more. “This album is a celebration of me reaching 40 years of age,” Blu explains. “All the content is a reflection of where I am mentally at the age of 40.” With intricate verses packed with wisdom and maturity, the collection finds Blu and a host of guests reflecting on happiness, religion, love, knowledge, humanity, and more.
Fanon brings these tracks to life with a unique production approach, taking it back to basics with soul heavy soundscapes Blu describes as “straight loops, no drum programming or layers, just really soulful loops.” With appearances by Kota The Friend, Asher Roth, R.A.P. Ferreira, Mickey Factz, Homeboy Sandman, Chester Watson, Fashawn, and more, Forty is a timless experience from an artist who remains a vital presence in any decade of life.

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

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

Rot/grünes Vinyl, limitiert auf 300 Exemplare. RULAMAN steht für schwebende, psychedelische Klangteppiche, gewoben aus einem erdigen und analogen Sound. 2015 gegründet, gelang es ihnen unter dem Namen `TheHace' schnell lokale Erfolge zu feiern. Damals noch als Quartett unterwegs spielten sie überall, wo sie konnten -wobei das Publikum ständig wuchs. Nach zwei Jahre des Schaffens, Dichten und Texten steht das zweite Album DEATH WHISTLE in den Startlöchern. Der aktuelle Sound zeigt sich im düsteren Gewand, vereint dabei sowohl Doom als auch Stoner und klassischen Rock. Schwere Riffs, leicht im Ohr, brachiale Bässe gefolgt von tänzelnden Percussions. Textlich erkunden RULAMAN die Abgründe des menschlichen Daseins und die Verlockungen falscher Versprechen. Auf der Suche nach Glück und Zugehörigkeit, klingen die Versprechen skrupelloser Sekten und Kulte nur allzu verlockend. Alles, was man für wahr hält wird in Frage gestellt. Kenne ich mich? Kenne ich wirklich die Menschen um mich herum? Ist es nicht einfacher sich gänzlich dem Gemeinwohl aufzuopfern und sich selbst aufzugeben? Bis der Geist und alles drum herum ausgetrocknet ist.

Dennis Brown has always been cited as Jamaica’s favourite singer. While Bob Marley set out to conquer the world, Dennis’s popularity on the island grew with every year. Overseas success also came Browns way with crossover hits like the massive ‘Money In My Pocket’. He will always be fondly remembered on the sound systems across the caribbean as the Crown Prince of Reggae.

Dennis Brown (b Dennis Emanuel Brown,1957, Kingston, Jamaica) began his illustrious career at the grand age of eleven like many of the other child singers at Coxsonne Dodds Studio One stable. His first hit in 1969 a cover of Van Dykes ‘No Man Is An Island’ still stands the tests of time and also its follow up cut ‘If I Follow My Heart’ as Reggae classics. The 1970’s saw Dennis build on his reputation by working with all the top Jamaican producers and
studio’s perfecting his sound. Lloyd Daley, Impact, Joe Gibbs, Aquarius and Derrick Harriott to name but a few. But it was his work with producer Winston ‘Niney’ Holness that he enjoyed the most success and many say recorded his best work for. Where many of the other producers stayed with the tried and tested Lovers Rock formula that did prove so popular with Dennis’s voice, producer Niney the Observer as he is fondly called, pushed him into a more roots led direction, over stark rhythms created by Niney’s studio band Soul Syndicate.

Two outstanding albums were put together ‘Just Dennis’ (1975) built on a collection of singles they had recorded together, ’Cassandra’, ’Westbound Train’, ’No More Will I Roam’ and ‘Conqueror’. The second 1977 set ‘Wolf and Leopards’ made up again of singles the prolific two had cut including, ‘Here I Come’ (a live favourite that Dennis always liked to start his set with) and ‘Children of Israel’ made these both strong roots era albums.

We have stayed with this period for our Dennis Brown album. Some of the above-mentioned cuts are present alongside the timeless crossover hit ‘Money In My Pocket’ (1979) produced by Niney but often credited as a Joe Gibbs production as it was released (and sweetened by adding Orchestration for the foreign market place) on his label. By the way this is the original Jamaican version (unsweetened) that you will find on this album a more truthful version in our humble opinion. His voice reigns supreme across these Niney produced cuts ‘Smile like An Angel’ ‘Silver Words’, ‘Play Girl’ and the fantastic ‘Poor Side Of Town’ (helped along by the great harmonies of the Heptones group), ‘Tribulation’ and ‘We Will Be Free’. Dennis Brown’s prolific catalogue of tunes that also found an outlet on his own DEB inprint (named after his initials) stands to show what a great artist he was and what a fine team he and Niney made when in the studio creating these magical moments. So sit back and enjoy a killer set of tunes compiled by Niney himself...Tribulation Times indeed and long may the records of the Crown Prince of Reggae Dennis Brown rule the world.....

THE NIGHTINGALES veröffentlichen ihr erstes Studioalbum seit dem viel gelobten Vorgänger "The Last Laugh" von 2022. Ihr neues Album "The Awful Truth", das am 4. April bei Fire Records erscheint, ist eine moderne Music-Hall-Interpretation mit Popsongs und 80er Nostalgie. Gefeiert in dem exzellenten, von Stewart Lee erzählten Film "King Rocker of 2020", in dem der Vorhang für die Magie des "altgedienten Punk/Alternative-Rock-Freiwilligen" (The Quietus) Robert Lloyd gelüftet wurde, sind THE NIGHTINGALES so aktuell wie eh und je, denn sie veröffentlichen eine scharfes Statement-Album auf die moderne Zeit, die zu Recht als "The Awful Truth" betitelt wird. Das Eröffnungsstück "The New Emperor's New Clothes" ist ein beschwingter, mitreißender Ausbruch mit einem dröhnenden Klavier, das den Song einleitend begleitet und dann in wilder, improvisierter Popmusik endet. Die Band über den Track: "A stream of consciousness. Initially inspired by the tawdry but tractable trend of the vacant, voluntarily egged on by ego hungry politicians, pop stars, beauties, ballers, ingrowing haters and hard-nosed influencers. One hundred percent on point with the nonsense of neo populism and savagely edited to fit the music, it is far from silky, it is futile and silly. Real rock 'n' roll." In den frühen 80er Jahren genossen sie Kultstatus als Lieblinge der glaubwürdigen Musikszene und wurden von John Peel angepriesen, der über sie sagte: ,Ihre Auftritte werden dazu dienen, ihre Exzellenz zu bestätigen, wenn wir weit genug von den 1980er Jahren entfernt sind, um diese Zeit rational zu betrachten, und andere, unendlich viel bekanntere Bands als Scharlatane entlarvt werden." Ihre Zeit ist in der Tat gekommen. The Nightingales sind Robert Lloyd, Andreas Schmid (Faust) am Bass, Fliss Kitson (Violet Violet) am Schlagzeug und Gitarrist James Smith (Damo Suzuki). "They genuinely sound more vital than ever." Uncut - "One of rock's unsung heroes" Esquire - "Still stunningly relevant" London Evening Standard - "Lloyd is the most underestimated songwriter of his generation" The Independent

"Tonky" ist Lonnie Holleys fünftes Studioalbum und enthält Gastauftritte von Isaac Brock, Angel Bat Dawid, Billy Woods, Alabaster de Plume, Mary Lattimore und anderen. Bei der Leadsingle "Protest With Love" ist Jacknife Lee, der auch das gefeierte Vorgängeralbum "Oh Me Oh My" produziert hat, als Bassist, Keyboarder, Synthesizer, Schlagzeuger, Programmierer, Flötist, Percussionist und Sänger zu hören. Weitere Mitwirkende sind The Legendary Ingramettes am Gesang, Kelly Pratt an den Bläsern und Flöten, Jordan Katz an den Bläsern und natürlich Holley am Gesang. Holley fordert die Zuhörer auf, "mit Liebe zu protestieren" und "die Liebe zu deiner Waffe zu machen". Es gibt Dichter wie die große Mary Oliver, die vorschlagen, dass die Hauptfunktion des Menschen, wenn er sich durch die Welt bewegt, solange er Leben und die Fähigkeit hat, sich durch die Welt zu bewegen, darin besteht, dem Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken, was andere törichterweise als klein oder alltäglich bezeichnen mögen. Das Gehirn und das Herz sind beides Gefäße, die so viel Platz haben, wie man ihnen zugestehen möchte, und zu leben bedeutet, Sammlungen von gefundenen Zuneigungen zu schaffen. Die Geräusche der geliebten und vertrauten Häuser, die Bewegungen der Bäume und der Menschen unter ihnen, die Art und Weise, wie jemand, den man verehrt, einen ein paar Sekunden lang umarmt, bevor er sich aus der Umarmung löst und in einer überfüllten Fußgängerzone verschwindet. Wenn wir unser Leben, unser Schaffen und unsere Liebe auf diese Weise betrachten, bedeutet das, dass wir, zumindest für einige von uns, durch die Aussicht auf das, was als Nächstes kommt, vorwärts getrieben werden können. Welchen Moment wir festhalten und in unsere überquellenden Taschen stecken können. Die Arbeit von Lonnie Holley ist ein Werk dieser Art von Anhäufung und genauer Aufmerksamkeit. Das Vergnügen, einen Klang zu finden und ihn gegen einen anderen gefundenen Klang und einen weiteren zu pressen, bis der Hörer, bevor er es merkt, von einer Klangsinfonie überflutet wird, die sich anfühlt, als würde sie sich zusammenfügen, während sie über einen hinwegspült. "Tonky" ist ein Album, das seinen Namen von einem Spitznamen aus der Kindheit hat, der Holley anhaftete, als er einen Teil seiner Kindheit in einem Honky Tonk verbrachte. Lonnie Holleys Leben des Überlebens und der Ausdauer erforderte - und erfordert zweifellos immer noch - eine Art Erfindung. Eine Erfindung, die auch in Holleys Liedern reichhaltig und präsent ist, die auf "Tonky" voll und eindringlich sind, einem Album, das mit seinem längsten Lied beginnt, einem neunminütigen, erschöpfenden Marathon eines Stücks namens "Seeds", das mit einem einzigen spärlichen Klang beginnt und sich dann ausdehnt. Gesänge, schwache Tasten, Streicher und als Krönung Holleys Stimme, die nicht singt, sondern klar und deutlich von der Arbeit auf der Erde erzählt, als er jung war, und von der Gewalt, die er dabei ertragen musste, als er blutig und mit Schmerzen von Schlägen ins Bett ging. Der Song weitet sich zu einer Metapher über den Ort aus, über das Versagen des Zuhauses oder eines Ortes, der einen beschützen soll, der nicht das hält, was er zu sein vorgibt, selbst wenn man unermüdlich daran arbeitet, daran arbeitet, daran arbeitet, etwas Sinnvolles daraus zu machen. "Seeds" gibt nicht nur den Ton für ein Album an, das sich um Wiedergeburt, Erneuerung und die Grenzen von Hoffnung und Glaube dreht, sondern unterstreicht auch, was Holleys größte Stärke als Musiker ist, nämlich sein Engagement für Fülle und Großzügigkeit. Er ist ein unglaublich begabter Geschichtenerzähler, der sich der mündlichen Tradition verschrieben hat, so dass viele Hörer völlig zufrieden wären, wenn sie zu Füßen einer Lonnie-Holley-Platte säßen und seinen robusten, ausladenden Erzählungen lauschen könnten. Aber "Tonky" ist ein Album, das sowohl klanglich als auch in Bezug auf die vielen verschiedenen Künstler, die auf dem Album vertreten sind, einen Platz bietet, an dem sie sich zu Hause fühlen können, ganz gleich, wie sie die Zeit verbringen, die sie für einen Song brauchen.

"Black & White Movie" ist das bemerkenswert souveräne Debütalbum von Gustaffson, produziert von Craig Potter (Elbow). Die Platte enthält mitreissende Streicharrangements des preisgekrönten Filmkomponisten Bear McCreary (Outlander, The Walking Dead) und einen Cameo-Auftritt des legendären Schauspielers Sir Ben Kingsley. Die 13 Albumsongs sind individuelle Kinoerlebnisse. Die ergreifenden Texte des Leadsängers und Songwriters Andrew Gower, die er in 15 Jahren als Schauspieler perfektioniert hat, werfen Licht und Schatten auf die Dualität der menschlichen Existenz und erzählen aussergewöhnliche Geschichten aus gewöhnlichen Leben. Das Album vermischt nahtlos die klassischen Klänge der Musik- und Filmwelt und lädt die Zuhörer auf eine Reise ein, bei der jeder Titel ein Film für sich ist.

"Mein Leben als Teenager hat sich für immer verändert, als ich das 'White Album' der Beatles entdeckte. Es war die erste Platte, die es mir als Zuhörer ermöglichte, nuancierte Texte und Musik in ihrer besten Form zu entdecken", erklärt Gower. "Im Studio konzentrierten wir uns alle auf die Bedeutung und Verantwortung, die wir haben, die Geschichten zu erzählen, ohne das Publikum mit dem Löffel zu füttern."

Liner Notes Shawn Pittman 'My Journey' Since releasing my first album in
1998, I have been on a road with many twists and turns and some interesting
stops along the way - Like the title song of this album 'My Journey' reveals,
"if I played on the streets, or on the biggest stage..." I think of high points like
getting a standing ovation and an encore as the opening act at The Fillmore in
San Francisco
Opening up for B.B. King for two nights in Houston at The House of Blues. Playing the
Chicago Blues Festival and having hundreds of people standing in line for an
autographed CD. Playing with the Muddy Waters band at Antone's in Austin and doing
a duo with James Cotton. Being a guest front man with Double Trouble in Minneapolis
and many more special moments. There were also gigs where I played for tips on the
street (mainly 6th street in Austin) and played at a shark auction on a pier in Bordeaux
(the auctioneer would interrupt the song and speak in very fast French!). I played 3
nights a week on the Riverwalk in San Antonio for people throwing wadded up napkins
at me and yelling "Play something we've heard!"
During this journey you meet people along the way that can see something in you that
maybe you can't even see yourself. I have been fortunate enough to meet many
people like that that have encouraged me to continue to use the gift that God gave
me. Erkan Ozdemir is one of those people. We started doing tours together around
2011 and I have had the privilege of sharing the band stand with him many times in
Europe and even in the USA. He is a great bass player and has raised up some
amazing young men as well as musicians, Kenan and Levent. You may know them as
the Ozdemirs. I am kind of like the "American cousin" to them as I have seen them
grow up and felt like family. This is the second time we have teamed up on a record.
The first was 'Make it Right' with Levent on drums and Erkan on bass. We have a great
chemistry live and in the studio.
I think this album might just be my favorite one of them all! Hope you enjoy!

Find all the titles that influenced one of the greatest rock band of all times, on a double vinyl. With: B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Muddy Waters, Sonny By Williamson I... The tracklist was made up by the journalist Lionel Eskenazi, who is a true specialist of the what many consider as the best rock band ever

"With their dulcet fusion of ‘60s French ye-ye pop, slinky Studio One reggae, and liminal Brazilian tropicalia, Claude Fontaine’s songs embody the best kept dreams of a globally connected world. The second album from the Los Angeles artist reflects the dream of creating the soundtrack for this utopia by the sea.

Released on Innovative Leisure, La Mer is a mesmerizing portal. It’s impossible for it to exist outside of the modern moment, but it floats on the gilded dust of the past. At times, Fontaine channels Jane Birkin as backed by Jorge Ben. Francois Hardy locked into sonic reverie with Mulatu Astatke, or Margo Guryan making lovers rock.

None of this is a happy accident. For her second opus, Fontaine assembled some of the most gifted musicians of the last five decades. First and foremost is her co-writer and producer, the multi-platinum Grammy-Award winning Lester Mendez, whose resume includes everyone from Grace Jones and Baaba Maal to Shakira and Nelly Furtado.

As with Fontaine’s self-titled first album, the legendary Tony Chin appears on guitar, bringing the orphic tones expected from someone who has played with some of the greatest reggae musicians of all-time (King Tubby, Dennis Brown, Lee Perry, Jackie Mittoo, Max Romeo, Sly & Robbie). On bass, there’s Ronnie McQueen, one of the co-founders of Steel Pulse. Sergio Mendes’ percussionist, Gibi Dos Santos, supplies propulsive locomotion. So does Ziggy Marley’s drummer, Rock Deadrick. And that’s just the abridged list of storied instrumentalists who appear on La Mer."

Of all the nicknames given to Elvis, only one of them really seems to reflect his importance in the history of rock: they called him The King.

Together with Chuck Berry, Elvis represented the young generation that vibrated to the music with new rhythms that appeared in the Fifties: Rock’n’Roll. Presley’s personality, not to mention his voice, charm, and a whole series of chart hits, guaranteed Elvis a special place in the hearts of his fans; and not only in his own lifetime, because the same is true some fifty years later.

The thirty titles included in this album are a brilliant demonstration of Elvis’ talents, and the music alone is enough to explain the cult following of his fans, who will worship him forever.

Recorded in 1997, Mountain Top features the commanding vocals of Tony Roots, backed by the legendary Firehouse Crew and produced by the visionary Fada Waz (Clifton Carnegie). This record’s release was driven by the people, evidenced and encouraged by the countless wheel-ups and sing-alongs during King Original’s international tour dates over the last three years whenever this seminal recording was dropped in the set.

Tony Roots, known for his cultural and spiritual themes, delivers a powerful vocal performance, reminding us that life’s most important journey is overcoming obstacles to find ‘Jah Love on the Mountain Top.’ This message is as relevant in today’s fast-paced, easy-come-easy-go consumer culture as it was when recorded three decades ago.

The Firehouse Crew renowned for their work with iconic acts like Luciano and Sizzla—shine brightly on this riddim, with the MPC drum machine-centered sound of 90s Jamaican roots reggae. An up-tempo 4/4 steppers beat layered with rich analogue textures and soulful instrumentation defines this timeless recording.

The first of many collaborations between Studio 55, Before Zero Records, and Footsie, the King Original legacy continues into the future, honouring the enduring contributions of Fada Waz and his collaborators.

Clifton Carnegie aka Ras Wazair aka Fada Waz - Clifton Carnegie, known as Ras Wazair, founded King Original Sound System in 1973, establishing it as East London’s foremost reggae sound. Operating under his Studio 55 moniker, he collaborated with legends like Johnny Osbourne, Barry Brown, Michael Prophet, Cornell Campbell, and Frankie Paul through imprints such as Original Sounds, Studio 55, and Original International. A mentor to many of the UK’s top sound systems and a key figure in London’s RasTafari community, Ras Wazair’s connections with prominent Jamaican artists, bands, and producers like Fattis Burrell ensured that Jamaican music remained an influential force in the UK sound system scene.

King Original
Founded in 1973 by Fada Waz, King Original Sound System shaped East London’s reggae scene for over two decades. Fada Waz and his son Footsie—a UK Grime pioneer who in later years expanded the legacy through his KO LP series and sold-out King Original mixed-genre events at London’s top venues—worked together until Footsie assumed full control following Fada Waz’s passing in 2021. Having worked with artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys, The Prodigy, D-Double E, Wiley, and Skepta, Footsie’s dedication to King Original has reinvigorated the legacy that underpins all UK bass music—the reggae sound system. Joining Footsie is his brother, Wazair’s last born Ras D also Jah Model, and long-time collaborator Sir Spyro, producer of two UK number-one hits with Stormzy and son of UK reggae stalwart Nerious Joseph. Armed with cutting-edge QSS sound system technology, King Original continues to set trends, shaping the future of UK bass music.

Tony Roots
Hailing from Manchester, Jamaica, in the 1980s, Tony Roots emerged alongside iconic figures like Garnet Silk and Tony Rebel. While his peers remained in Jamaica, Tony moved to the UK, where he went on to release ten albums and numerous singles, including hits like Grow Your Natty Dread Locks and Hola Zion. A steadfast champion of Rastafari, Tony has collaborated with legends such as the Firehouse Crew, earning worldwide respect and a devoted following within both the reggae community and the UK sound system scene.

The Firehouse Crew
Formed in 1986, The Firehouse Crew became a cornerstone of the 1990s roots-reggae revival. Initially associated with King Tubby’s Firehouse label before establishing their own, the band rose to prominence through collaborations with producer Philip “Fattis” Burrell at Xterminator Records. Their contributions to timeless albums like Luciano’s Where There is Life highlight their extraordinary musicianship. Over the years, The Firehouse Crew has backed iconic artists such as Sizzla, Buju Banton, and Beres Hammond, cementing their legacy as masters of roots reggae.

A special moment here with this one. This is one of my personal all time favorite tunes since I first heard it just about 20 years ago. Likewise, it’s been on the DKR wish list since the very first time such a list was made. This record has it all - one of the best rhythms of the entire ‘80s let alone the early digital canon, laced with lazers, killer synths, dive bombs, vocoder, screeching across the border, militant lyrics, gigantic drums, perfect claps, the list goes on and on. An absolutely perfect record for the period and for the ages. Hopeton Lindo lets loose an awesome vocal - his salute to the heroes and martyrs of the militant struggle against South African apartheid - Benjamin Moloise, Stephen Biko and of course Nelson Mandela. If you don’t know, read up on these men ASAP. This tune was made at Tubby’s on a wild mix of the original King Tubby’s tempo riddim, and was originally released on the very short lived Aqua label due to some producer runnings back in the day. Now recut from the original master tape, this is one of those joyous occasions where this new issue actually sounds better than the original, which suffered from being made at the notoriously quality plagued GG’s pressing plant. Fans of late ‘80s digital and militant reggae take note - this is your perfect storm. A long time searching for this one, finally here.

Alkisah Versi Hitam is a radical deconstruction and reimagination of Indonesian duo Senyawa's most recent album Alkisah by Hamburg's Marc Richter aka Black To Comm. The original album was released to critical acclaim in February of this year as a decentralized release on a multitude of labels from all corners of the world, Germany’s Dekorder being one of them. Richter is now completely reinventing the original album from scratch by doing an almost Teo Macero-level production job here, cutting up the originals and (re)constructing new material from scratch.

Arcane chants and vocal cut-ups, fierce freeform percussion, grimy No Wave collage, monochrome drones exploding into multicolour streams, unearthly psychedelic Noise and sheer sonic mayhem, warped discordant rhythms between moments of calming beauty - it's never easy to digest but the outcome is both ecstatic and transcendental - never sounding anything less than a fully formed singular album.

A special cassette version of the album will be released by Jordanian label Drowned By Locals.

BLACK TO COMM is the moniker of Hamburg composer/musician Marc Richter who is creating intricate multi-layered collage based works for labels like Thrill Jockey, Type and Dekorder. His 2019 album "Seven Horses For Seven Kings" revealed an increasingly angry, transcendental and fearless approach, attaining new levels of urgency through noise, volume, rhythm, repetition, atonality and beauty.

Jogjakarta’s SENYAWA embody the aural elements of traditional Indonesian music whilst exploring the framework of experimental music practice, pushing the boundaries of both traditions. Their music strikes a perfect balance between their avant-garde influences and cultural heritage to create truly contemporary Indonesian new music. Their sound is comprised of Rully Shabara’s deft extended vocal techniques punctuating the frenetic sounds of instrument builder, Wukir Suryadi’s modern-primitive instrumentation. Inventions like his handcrafted ‘Bamboo Spear’; a thick stem of bamboo strung up with percussive strips of the animal skin along side steel strings. Amplified it fuses elements of traditional Indonesian instrumentation with garage guitar distortion. Sonically dynamic, the instrument can be rhythmically percussive on one side whilst being melodically bowed and plucked on the other.

They have collaborated and performed with many notable musicians such as Stephen O'Malley of Sunn o))), Otomo Yoshide, KK Null, Keiji Haino, Rabih Beiani, Trevor Dunn, Greg Fox, Arrington De Dionysus, Melt Banana, Damo Suzuki and Oren Ambarchi.

Hip-hop legend Rakim is breaking new ground with his upcoming studio album, G.O.D.'S NETWORK (REB7RTH), by flexing his skills both on the mic and behind the boards. Widely lauded as the best lyricist of all time, The God MC himself is blessing the culture with the next step in his historic career.

“I feel like the battery in my back has been reenergized,” Rakim said about his new album, which arrives nearly four decades after the release of his classic debut with Eric B., Paid In Full. Since then, he’s continued to shape the landscape and culture of hip-hop as we know it, inspiring rising artists with his hype live shows and incredible studio albums. And while he’s produced some of his previous work—notably “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” “Juice (Know The Ledge),” and “Paid In Full”—this feels like new territory for the 18th Letter, whose production and scratching talents are nothing short of remarkable.

G.O.D.'S NETWORK (REB7RTH) is proof that Rakim is truly one of the most special artists we’ve known not just in hip-hop, but all of music. You can tell he feels that level of praise when speaking about the genesis of the album. “Having the ability to showcase my talents behind the boards coupled with the elite lyricism the world already knows and gives me infinite praise for alongside some of the best talents to ever do it is truly a blessing and for that I am humbled,” he said.

Rakim is more than an official triple-threat as an artist, because he’s also showing off skills as a curator. On this album’s seven tracks, he enlists a who’s-who of top hip-hop talent, including the dearly departed Nipsey Hussle, Fred the Godson, DMX, and Prodigy (of Mobb Deep). Rakim also linked with many of his contemporaries, such as Snoop Dogg, Method Man, KXNG Crooked, B.G., and Kool G. Rap, among others.

The album’s first single, “Be Ill,” is the perfect introduction, as it pairs Rakim’s raw rhymes and head-nodding production with slick guest features from Kurupt and Masta Killa. Elsewhere, Rakim slows it down for the soulful “Love Is The Message,” which features Nipsey Hussle, Planet Asia, Louis King, Snoop Dogg, Sally Green, Kobe Honeycutt, and the LA Grand Choir. And then there’s the chest-thumping “International,” a straight-up slapper with hard-hitting rhymes from Kool G. Rap, Tristate, and Joell Ortiz.

For fans of hip-hop, and especially of Rakim’s storied discography, there is so much to love on this record. You can hear his hunger as an emcee and producer on every track, as well as his desire to collaborate with so many respected artists. Despite having decades in the game and many classics to his name, it feels like Rakim is just getting started.

While the world awaits the July 26th release date, fans can catch Rakim performing live throughout the US from now until the end of year in support of G.O.D.S Network (REB7RTH). In addition to debuting new material, he’ll be performing all the classics from his beloved catalog.

Hip-hop legend Rakim is breaking new ground with his upcoming studio album, G.O.D.'S NETWORK (REB7RTH), by flexing his skills both on the mic and behind the boards. Widely lauded as the best lyricist of all time, The God MC himself is blessing the culture with the next step in his historic career.

“I feel like the battery in my back has been reenergized,” Rakim said about his new album, which arrives nearly four decades after the release of his classic debut with Eric B., Paid In Full. Since then, he’s continued to shape the landscape and culture of hip-hop as we know it, inspiring rising artists with his hype live shows and incredible studio albums. And while he’s produced some of his previous work—notably “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” “Juice (Know The Ledge),” and “Paid In Full”—this feels like new territory for the 18th Letter, whose production and scratching talents are nothing short of remarkable.

G.O.D.'S NETWORK (REB7RTH) is proof that Rakim is truly one of the most special artists we’ve known not just in hip-hop, but all of music. You can tell he feels that level of praise when speaking about the genesis of the album. “Having the ability to showcase my talents behind the boards coupled with the elite lyricism the world already knows and gives me infinite praise for alongside some of the best talents to ever do it is truly a blessing and for that I am humbled,” he said.

Rakim is more than an official triple-threat as an artist, because he’s also showing off skills as a curator. On this album’s seven tracks, he enlists a who’s-who of top hip-hop talent, including the dearly departed Nipsey Hussle, Fred the Godson, DMX, and Prodigy (of Mobb Deep). Rakim also linked with many of his contemporaries, such as Snoop Dogg, Method Man, KXNG Crooked, B.G., and Kool G. Rap, among others.

The album’s first single, “Be Ill,” is the perfect introduction, as it pairs Rakim’s raw rhymes and head-nodding production with slick guest features from Kurupt and Masta Killa. Elsewhere, Rakim slows it down for the soulful “Love Is The Message,” which features Nipsey Hussle, Planet Asia, Louis King, Snoop Dogg, Sally Green, Kobe Honeycutt, and the LA Grand Choir. And then there’s the chest-thumping “International,” a straight-up slapper with hard-hitting rhymes from Kool G. Rap, Tristate, and Joell Ortiz.

For fans of hip-hop, and especially of Rakim’s storied discography, there is so much to love on this record. You can hear his hunger as an emcee and producer on every track, as well as his desire to collaborate with so many respected artists. Despite having decades in the game and many classics to his name, it feels like Rakim is just getting started.

While the world awaits the July 26th release date, fans can catch Rakim performing live throughout the US from now until the end of year in support of G.O.D.S Network (REB7RTH). In addition to debuting new material, he’ll be performing all the classics from his beloved catalog.

The Equatoguinean Norberto de Nöah established in Madrid in the early 80s, where he became a firebrand of African culture in the vibrant Movida. In 1988 he self-released his first solo album, a blend of homeland sounds —modern and traditional— with new synth and drum machine touches. The vanished album finally gets its well-deserved reissue.

Edition of 500 albums on vinyl (Bandcamp download code included) - Original artwork with new 14 pages insert and poster

In the mid-1980s, the European media, music industry and public became increasingly interested in African music. This was a period of international success for King Sunny Adé, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Ray Lema, Touré Kunda, etc. Spain, with its own particular conditions, wasn’t oblivious to the phenomenon and the Equatoguinean Norberto de Nöah may be its best exponent.

Norberto moved in the early eighties from his hometown in the island Fernando Po (now known as Bioko) to its former colonial capital, Madrid. While studying dramatic arts, he created and led the band Nohkis, made up of African and Spanish musicians. In 1985 they released the maxi-single “Mujer española” / “África, ¿dónde está tu gloria?”, and the song “El loco”, was released on a compilation LP called Esto es increíble, both on the label Lollipop. According to the journalist Patricia Godes, they were first artists to record an African music record in Spain. It received positive reviews and a great impact on the most independent side of Madrid’s La Movida movement. Very soon afterwards, Nohkis’ band split up.

Afterwards, Norberto would concentrate on his solo career, and Norberto de Nöah and The Böhöbé Spirits Müsic was released in 1988, definitely a solo album. Norberto created his own label, Kilimandjaro Productions, and composed, arranged and produced all the songs of the LP. Moreover, he sang and played all the instruments: a vast selection of organic instruments, a Yamaha RX-5 drum machine and a Roland D-50 synthesizer.

In the album he exposed his deepest roots, updating the lexicon of traditional Bubi music, the musician’s ethnic group, a compendium of ceremonial melodies that ancient troubadours composed for the court. Doing so he showed new possibilities to one of the oldest ethnic groups in the world. Besides all this, he was also inspired by American music such as funk, R&B, Latin American music and also by a wide range of African and Caribbean rhythms.

Mixing the traditional and the avant-garde in a spontaneous and natural way, the music contained in the record’s grooves flows freely and takes you to places full of magic and mystery, while still transmitting new and exciting sensations. Even more, according to the Equatoguinean musician and writer Baron Ya Búk-Lu based in Madrid, the album’s sound was “the perfect combination of all characteristics that defined the Equatoguinean Afropop music made in Madrid during the 1980s”, a story that still needs to be told in all its depth and intensity!

Following the release of two LPs and several singles, the activity of Norberto de Nöah and Kilimandjaro Productions (and the subsequent Bananas Podridas) ceased. Nevertheless, Norberto’s links to music continued, as a promoter and DJ in Madrid’s nightlife.

Norberto de Nöah contributed greatly to changing Spain’s musical landscape, breaking barriers and mental frameworks. He was the first to make contemporary and popular Guinean music known to the Spanish public.

The repercussions in the African market of a Spanish (and Bube) speaking African musical project, where English and French dominate, was very difficult. In addition, the passage of time and changes in phonographic formats have diluted the memory of Norberto's legacy. Now it’s time to reverse the situation and break all the outdated frontiers!

Norberto de Nöah and The Böhöbé Spirits Müsic, as every important music piece, was at the same time part of a universal phenomenon of recognition of African music and a very personal project, based on the artist’s nostalgic and heartfelt need to show and homage his ethnic group, the Bubis. In this process he also refreshed his hometown music legacy, giving it a new air and opening the door to lots of other great Equatoguinean artists coming afterwards, as well as being an inspiration for many musicians in Spain.

"In Game of Thrones Season 5, nine noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Political and sexual intrigue is pervasive. Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, asks his old friend Eddard, Lord Stark, to serve as Hand of the King, or highest official. Secretly warned that the previous Hand was assassinated, Eddard accepts in order to investigate further. Meanwhile the Queen's family, the Lannisters, may be hatching a plot to take power. Across the sea, the last members of the previous and deposed ruling family, the Targaryens, are also scheming to regain the throne. The friction between the houses Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Targaryen and with the remaining great houses Greyjoy, Tully, Arryn,Tyrell and Martell leads to a full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war and political confusion, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond. Game of Thrones has always featured excellent music. The opening theme is practically iconic at this point, having been played and covered so many times. Composer Ramin Djawadi’s heavy, atmospheric tunes have always helped set the mood, no matter what tone the show is going for at any given time. Game of Thrones Season 5 (Music From The HBO® Series) is available as a limited edition of 750 numbered copies on translucent red coloured vinyl and includes an insert."

In Game of Thrones Season 5, nine noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Political and sexual intrigue is pervasive. Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, asks his old friend Eddard, Lord Stark, to serve as Hand of the King, or highest official. Secretly warned that the previous Hand was assassinated, Eddard accepts in order to investigate further.

Meanwhile the Queen’s family, the Lannisters, may be hatching a plot to take power. Across the sea, the last members of the previous and deposed ruling family, the Targaryens, are also scheming to regain the throne. The friction between the houses Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Targaryen and with the remaining great houses Greyjoy, Tully, Arryn,Tyrell and Martell leads to a full-scale war.

All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war and political confusion, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

Game of Thrones has always featured excellent music. The opening theme is practically iconic at this point, having been played and covered so many times. Composer Ramin Djawadi’s heavy,
atmospheric tunes have always helped set the mood, no matter what tone the show is going for at any given time.

Game of Thrones Season 5 (Music From The HBO® Series) is available as a limited edition of 750 numbered copies on translucent red coloured vinyl and includes an insert.