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Jam packed with west coast twang and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the Doohickeys' debut album All Hat No Cattle tackles classic country topics like gettin' groped, tiny trucks, and LA traffic. Produced by two-time Grammy nominee, Eric Corne, the record will have you two-steppin' along and laughing out loud. The opening track, Rein It In Cowboy, includes rippin' licks from Dwight Yoakam's touring guitarist Eugene Edwards, as well as back-up vocals from Hayley Orrantia (The Golbergs, The Masked Singer). World-famous comedian Jim Jefferies makes an appearance at the end of Please Tell Me You're Sleepin' (he infamously suggested the song idea to the duo). "This Town Sucks" earned an award for Outstanding Songwriting in the 2023 Great American Song Contest and the music video for "Rein It In Cowboy" won The American Songwriter music video contest.

Blending late 2000's minimalism and harmonies with razor-sharp sound design, Nous'klaer Audio is excited to present Erik Luebs. The American via Japan techno producer joins the label with a four-track solo EP dropping in 2025. While Erik has released music on other labels sparingly, his self-released catalog is vast, versatile, and deeply immersive - a favorite on repeat at Nous'klaer HQ. We're proud to present his first offering with us. Glimpse of Reality is a deep dive into syncopated rhythms and intricate sound design. The EP is rich with atmospheric sounds that are meticulously crafted yet hit with real impact. Each track is layered with delicate textures and packed with detail, rewarding close listening as new elements reveal themselves with each play - especially on big soundsystems.

REMASTERED REISSUE of the legendary Pentagram 6th album with brand new artwork and coloured vinyl. Show 'Em How is the sixth album by American doom metal band Pentagram. It was released in 2004 by Italian label Black Widow Records. This album featured Bobby Liebling on vocals backed up by three members of Internal Void. Now it's time for a brand new remastered version with new artwork designed by Luca Solomacello.

Royal Blue Vinyl. REMASTERED REISSUE of the legendary Pentagram 6th album with brand new artwork and coloured vinyls. Show 'Em How is the sixth album by American doom metal band Pentagram. It was released in 2004 by Italian label Black Widow Records. This album featured Bobby Liebling on vocals backed up by three members of Internal Void. Now it's time for a brand new remastered version with new artwork designed by Luca Solomacello.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Vol. 1 is a studio album by American singer and pianist Ray Charles. It was recorded in February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City. It featured country, folk, and Western music standards reworked by Charles in popular song forms of the time, including R&B, pop, and jazz. Charles produced the album with Sid Feller and performed alongside saxophonist Hank Crawford, a string section conducted by Marty Paich, and a big band arranged by Gil Fuller and Gerald Wilson. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Vol. 2 features one side performed by the Ray Charles Big Band with the Raelettes, while the other side features a string section and the Jack Halloran Singers. Including "I Can't Stop Loving You", Bye Bye Love", "Half As Much", "You Win Again", "Careless Love", “You Are My Sunshine” and many more.

Los Belking’s was a groundbreaking instrumental rock band in South America, blending surf, garage, and easy listening styles over six years and five albums. Anchored by the unique vibrato of Raúl Herrera and the complementary guitar of Willy Sandoval, they constantly evolved, incorporating new talents like Andrés Roque Palma, who contributed memorable tracks such as “Bólido de fuego.” Their debut LP mixed original compositions with covers of global hits like “Tema para jóvenes enamorados” and “Autopista,” reimagined with a distinctive Peruvian edge. Known for evocative titles like “Condenado a muerte,” their music left a lasting impact, defining a new era in Latin American rock.

For this fifth album, the musical frequencies emitted by Vaudou Game have spread beyond the confines of the city and country, crossed the Atlantic, and reached Colombia. Drawn like magnets, tropical waves traveled along the equator from Latin America to Togo, arriving at the doors of the OTODI studio. They, too, wanted to join in and take advantage of its legendary analog equipment. Welcomed by Peter Solo, they weren’t the only contributors to the band’s renowned hypnotic groove.

The sedans parked outside tell their own story. From Lomé’s bustling market, the Nana Benz of Togo arrived to weave the delicacy of their beguiling vocal harmonies into call-and-response exchanges with Peter Solo. Meanwhile, Lomé Vio, a youth group whose instruments were provided by Peter during turbulent times, lent the strength of their trio of voice, guitar, and accordion.

Still operating under the supreme authority of funk guided by the esoteric and mystical essence of the Vaudou scale, Vaudou Game brings together the hands of highlife and cumbia in perfect unison. With guitars, percussion, horns, and future-vintage keyboards setting hips in motion or creating the most intriguing atmosphere, Peter delivers his messages hidden behind his iconic, inextricable mask. Whether political, human, or environmental, these messages are always wrapped in thick layers of sarcasm and humor, cleverly disguised to serve the exclusive purpose of joyful, dance-driven trance.

With the subliminal mantra to repay Africa—its people, its land—Vaudou Game calls out: FINTOU!

A new album by four-piece band District Five from Zurich is always a good moment to reassess one’s own expectations. After Burnt Sugar 2022 and Pause 2023, Come Closer is the third album by Vojko Huter, Paul Amereller, Tapiwa Svosve and Xaver Rüegg, which mixes a wide range of references without ever being bothered by the commitment to one genre only. Imagine the band as something like a catalyst, through which its members constantly process what they are influenced by. And these influences are in constant motion: derived from the old-fashioned and amicable interest of collaboratively making music, the band comes together in their weekly ritual, dedicated to this synthesis of interests. At one point, this unrestricted game was called jazz, but even a generous concept can become too narrow. Which is why the genre remains an important influence, but not the only point of reference. Rather, its qualities are the root system from which everything else grows.

Case in point for this expansion of possibilities is the first track on Come Closer, which, and here comes a genre attribution after all, moves the album into the vicinity of dream pop. “Another One” centers the voice, evoking old and new memories alike. Accompanied by an adequately slowed-down guitar riff and rhythm, the musical framework remains stable before collapsing in a nervous, shimmering manner. Ready to be assembled anew. On the following seven tracks, District Five takes on this task, referencing post-punk motifs as well as progressive, meandering song structures. Condensed and expansive at the same time, driven by a desire for collective play.

This trusting cooperation between District Five’s members is ultimately the constant of Come Closer. Although the four musicians seem determined to find a different way to organize themselves as a band on almost every song, this conversational approach holds the album together on an intuitive level. And in the end, the only question that remains is: is it the members that influence the band, or is it the other way around?

Ten Fé return with their third album, Still In Love, marking a joyful new chapter in their ten year career. The band have evolved from the electro- pop of 2017’s breakout success Hit The Light, and the Americana of 2019’s Future Perfect Present Tense, to embrace a softer, more mature, rootsy sound on Still In Love. The chemistry of a decade playing together is evident throughout the 11 songs on Still In Love. Ten Fé capture the magic of seeing the band play live: relaxed, confident, showcasing the classic songwriting and musicianship Ten Fé are known for, with a new emphasis on honesty and pared- back arrangements.

This 30th anniversary reissue of The Clean's second studio LP marks its debut appearance on vinyl in North America.

Modern Rock crackles with spontaneous energy, as if The Clean—namely, Hamish Kilgour, David Kilgour, and Robert Scott—couldn’t help but make music together whenever they were in the same room. Following their 1989 reunion tour and the 1990 release of Vehicle, those opportunities were rare, with Hamish in New York City fronting The Mad Scene, David releasing his first solo album, and Robert recording albums with The Bats at a breakneck pace. Then, for nine days in April 1994, the stars aligned over Dunedin and Modern Rock bloomed into life.

For this reissue, Modern Rock has been remastered from the original tapes by producer and engineer Tex Houston and preserves Hamish Kilgour’s original artwork.

Anlässlich des 25. Jahrestags der Veröffentlichung des legendären American Football-Debütalbums bringt Polyvinyl ein genreübergreifendes Coveralbum, das die Bedeutung und den weitreichenden Einfluss dieses Klassikers hervorhebt. Mit Coverversionen aller Songs von hochgelobten Künstlern wie Iron & Wine, John McEntire (Tortoise), Ethel Cain, Blondshell, Manchester Orchestra, Novo Amor, Lowswimmer, Yvette Young, u.a. Jedes Cover unterstreicht auf wunderbare Weise die Schönheit und Bedeutung dieses bemerkenswerten Slowcore-Debüts und bekräftigt gleichzeitig das anhaltende Interesse an dieser unerwarteten Welle kultureller Resonanz.

MANOWAR is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the band is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology . The band is also known for a Loud and Bombastic sound. In 1984 the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on two occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for five hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria (at Kavarna Rock Fest) in 2008. MANOWAR have also been known for their slogan "Death to false metal » and have maintained a very strong following with dedicated fans worldwide as referred to by the band as "Metal Warriors", "Manowarriors", "Immortals" or "Brothers of Metal". The band signed with Atlantic Records in 1987. Via Atlantic, they released 'Fighting the World', which enjoyed more extensive distribution and increased the band's prominence in the international heavy metal scene. Album art was designed by Ken Kelly. In 1988, MANOWAR released the album 'Kings of Metal', which is the band's best known work. Songs like "Heart of Steel", "Kings of Metal" and "Hail and Kill" are performed regularly in concerts. 'Kings of Metal' is MANOWAR's highest-selling album worldwide. A new musical unit after the recent changes, MANOWAR released The Triumph of Steel in 1992. It gained some great success and was particularly famous for the presence of a suite lasting no less than 28 minutes entitled "Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts", inspired by the events of the Iliad and the hero Achilles. After this release, the band went on a world tour for two years. Those MANOWAR’s album have become legendary and are still must have in any metal fan record collection . Vinyls formats Having been very rare and reaching high prices online, those three albums are now being made available again in quality coloured vinyls; Grab them now while you can !!

La Sonora Mazuren is the latest addition to the already rich indie-tropical scene out of Bogotá, Colombia. Deeply rooted in the popular sounds and rhythms of South America, the group draws from cumbia, chicha, guaracha, champeta and other styles mostly from Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

Far from being folklorists or revivalists, La Sonora Mazuren combines synthesizers and electric guitars with accordion and percussion to create a futuristic style indebted to early pioneers such as Polibio Mayorga or Bogota’s own Eblis Alvarez, of Meridian Brothers fame, who also produced their debut album.

The result is a psychedelic feast reminiscent of the golden years of Tropicalia.

Their first album, Bailando con Extraños, got them many accolades in Europe, in France in particular where the band toured in the fall of 23 and again in the summer of 24.

Their follow up album, Magnetismo Animal, was mostly tracked in rural Normandy, during one of their European tours, and completed in Bogotá. Barbès Records (Roots of Chicha, Chicha Libre, Chico Trujillo) will be releasing it in the fall.

Franz Mesmer and his theory of animal magnetism provide the running theme for their new album. A collection of songs linked by the idea of a shared trance-inducing energy, channeled through rhythms and sound experiments. Musical inspiration for the album come from Colombian gaita, vallenato and cumbia, Peruvian huayno and chicha, Ecuadorian Sanjuanitos - a panoply of Afro-Andean traditions filtered through a futuristic vision of dance music that melds percussion-heavy polyrhythms and psychedelic sounds.

Band members are all active on the new tropical Bogotá scene. Keyboardist and accordionist Ivan Medellin and bassist Nicolas Eckardt are members of cult band Romperayo. Percussionists and singers Giovanna Mogollón and Diana

Sanmiguel are also 2/3 of popular trio LA PERLA.

A sunny and flamboyant spirit, the brazilian João Selva carries us away with his new wave album “Onda” - Underdog Records /2025.

Navegar (“to sail”) in 2021, Passarinho (“lit-tle bird”) in 2023... through the titles of these last two albums, João Selva will have displayed his ambitions and ideals: to fluidly and swiftly connect the musical components of a Black Atlantic that would extend from Brazilian samba to Angolan Semba, from Cape Verdean funaná to Caribbean zouk via Congolese rumba and American funk. His new album Onda continues to ride this same wave, crowning a luminous transatlantic artwork, imbued with sensuality and joie de vivre.

The latest from prolific producer and trumpeter Michael Leonhart (Steely Dan, Mark Ronson, El Michels Affair, Elvis Costello). The Leonhart Brass Band features members of Antibalas, the Dap-Kings & Red Baraat. The Leonhart Brass Band was conceived during the 2020 COVID-19 quarantine when trumpeter/composer/producer Michael Leonhart was unable to perform with his 18-piece orchestra at NYC's famous Jazz Standard. Leonhart began composing music for a small brass band that would be capable of playing outdoors without amplification. Building on the foundation of the classic brass bands (Dirty Dozen Brass and Rebirth Brass Band), Leonhart has infused elements of hip-hop and funk to create his own sound. The Leonhart Brass Band features members of Antibalas, the Dap-Kings & Red Baraat. "Jabbar" – Dedicated to and inspired by hooping legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar (aka Lew Alcindor), whose father was a transit police officer/jazz musician and whose mother worked as a department store price checker. In addition to Jabbar's storied career on the hardcourt, Jabbar grew up surrounded by jazz and has been a die-hard music fan his entire life, tragically losing his vast record collection in a 1983 fire that destroyed his LA home. Leonhart's tribute centers around an infectious bass riff in C minor, punctuated by brass stabs and solos by Leonhart on trumpet and Jason Marshall on the seldom-heard bass saxophone. "The Iceman" – The title is taken from basketball great George Gervin's famous nickname given to him during his years playing in both the ABA (American Basketball Association) and the NBA (National Basketball Association) for teams such as the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. Legend has it the name came from Gervin's cool temperament on the court and his rare ability to play incredibly hard without breaking a sweat. "The Iceman" sees the Leonhart Brass Band horn section dividing into two groups as they play counterpoint melodies against one another. The tape echo effected bari sax solo is performed by Stuart Bogie

CYRIL is the Aussie-born artist, DJ, mulit-instrumentalist and producer behind two of the world’s hottest records at the moment, “Stumblin’ In” and his remix of Grammy-nominated artist Disturbed’s “Sound of Silence.”. He is signed to the Dutch record label Spinnin’ Records, known for its smash hits in the EDM genre.

His biggest moment thus far came in late 2023 with the release of “Stumblin’ In,” which initially exploded on TikTok before dominating the worlds of streaming and radio. It became the #1 most played song on air in countries like Germany, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, and more, as well as covering some of Spotify and Apple’s biggest playlists.

Shortly afterwards, a remix of Disturbed’s cover of the Simon & Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence” was released and reached the Top 10 in several countries.

CYRIL’s debut album, From Down Under-To The World , features tracks such as “True” with Kita Alexander, alongside extended versions of “Stumblin’ In” and “The Sound of Silence.”

From Down Under - To The World is available as limited edition of 1000 copies on white coloured vinyl.

The definitive survey of America’s independent 70s soul scene, and a companion piece to Now-Again’s long-running Soul Cal series. “(Soul Cal) captures the retro-utopian vision of a past where every smalltown record store or garage in the US might have hidden a virtuosic funk outfit; the thrill of knowing that jobbing musicians might be getting paid for the first time; plus the bittersweet knowledge that those that passed on are getting deserved recognition. And all that before you get the thrill of the music itself.” - Wire Magazine. Compilation produced, annotated and researched by Eothen “Egon” Alapatt. Art direction by Errol Richardson. Mastered by Dave Cooley, Kelly Hibbert and Jason Bitner. Additional coordination by Tanner McCrary.

LP limited to 500 LP copies. Nina Garcia ’s first solo record widely available via international distribution. Nina has collaborated with artists like Stephen O’Malley, Sophie Agnel, Fred Frith, Antoine Chessex, Louis Schild, Leila Bordreuil, and supported for bands like Sonic Youth, SUNN O))). After a decade of performing concerts under the Mariachi guise, Nina Garcia has finally unveiled her unique approach in Bye Bye Bird, her first album under her name. Bye Bye Bird is her second solo album. With no pretence or demonstration, the album is a captivating blend of chiaroscuro, melodies, and raw emotion. Nina Garcia’s album takes on an almost documentary-like quality by adopting a simple approach to gesture and sound recording. It offers a candid portrayal of a moment, a lack, a state, and a breathtaking energy. With ostinato as her only credo, Nina Garcia’s music is an experiment in freedom, where the peaks answer the abysses, and the power of movement and the emotion of sound serves as her compass. From very short (01:28) to never very long (07:34), the eight tracks that make up this set explore a moment, a space, a mechanism, an intention or a way of doing things. As a common feature of almost all these pieces (all but one, the last), Nina Garcia explores a new technique. She adds to her instrumentation, reduced to the essentials (a guitar, a pedal and an amp), an electromagnetic microphone which, when held in hand, makes it possible to listen in on the exact zones where the vibration of the string creates a sound amid vast spaces of silence. The guitar is unplugged, and the body/instrument relationship changes in dimension. In this series of variations, you can get caught up in masses of noise seen from very, very close up, evocations of melodies in the making, feedback on ridgelines, pulsations that hold their own, modulations weakened by exhaustion and harmonic bursts that hint at better days to come. Neither hopelessly chthonic nor beatifically ethereal, Bye Bye Bird is a sum of musical pieces that make a whole and give voice to echoes of what has been, the presence of what is and the hope of what will be, a record movement in the form of flight and salvation. Since 2015, Nina Garcia has been researching and creating around the electric guitar, halfway between improvised music and noise. On numerous stages in Europe and North America, she has played occasionally with Stephen O’Malley, Sophie Agnel, Fred Frith, Antoine Chessex, Louis Schild or with Luke Stewart and Leila Bordreuil’s Feedback Ensemble, in addition to more regular formations in which she participates, such as the ensemble Le Un, mamiedaragon, Autoreverse (with Arnaud Rivière), duets with trombonist Maria Bertel and percussionist Camille Émaille, and the installation piece De Haut En Bas, De Bas En Haut Et Latéralement (with Christophe Cardoen, Jennifer Caubet, Etienne Foyer, Anna Gaïotti and Romain Simon). “Nina Garcia has been actively moving the art of noise guitar into surprising and intriguing new spaces. She has been at it for some time now, a bit of a secret weapon all the while hiding in plain sight. As I listen to her music and ruminate upon seeing her perform it brings me to a realization which I have with very few musicians: the ego inherent in making art can be transcended through a purity of direct action. At least that’s the feeling I have when experiencing Nina’s music which comes across as serious and radical and wholly engaged in the moment of its creative impulse.

The Sound System has become part of today’s musical/cultural heritage, playing the people’s favourite hits or just as important, breaking some new tunes.
But perhaps less known are the roots of the Sound System, which began way back when…in Kingston….

Around the late 1940’s the Sound System began to overtake the big bands that usually played at the dances in Kingston.

The American Rhythm and Blues records that were so popular at the time would find their way to Jamaica via the merchant sailors and migrant workers returning from their stints in America. For economical reasons alone it would pay to have a DJ on hand to play these hits rather than a 10 piece band that could eat and drink the promotor out of the house and on curried goat!!

The early Sound Systems were basic affairs built around a single record deck, a valve amp and a speaker.

But by the 1950’s they had grown to purpose built speakers the size of wardrobes that could be heard blocks away.

Record producer Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee would remember the time ‘Sound Systems was like our radio station…not many people on the island would own a wireless, so it was the way for the people to hear their music.

So this selection of Lovers, Ballads, Root’s classic’s made the Sound Sytems of Jamaica the place to be.

So sit back and enjoy the ride….SOUND SYSTEM ROCKERS …one and all

John Gosling (aka Mekon) the English big beat/industrial musician and electronica producer, is set to launch his new label Hua Hua (pronounced wah wah) with an 11-track compilation album this July. A quick scan at some of the featured artists showcases a line up of legends - eighties rap sensation Schooly D sitting alongside Primal Scream mainstay Bobby Gillespie and John’s recently departed punk hero Alan Vega - even Roxy Music’s saxophonist and founder member Andy Mackay makes an appearance. And while John’s electronic alter ego Mekon is always on hand to remix and arrange, he’s far from the only producer behind the proverbial wheel.
“It’s stuff I had lying around and now I am finding ways to get it out of my system,” he says. “It’s all been brought to the world with brilliant new artwork by Isabelle de Jour, who also features on various tracks.”
Gosling is well known as a member of both Psychic TV and Coil (for the album Transparent). Gosling founded the groups Zos Kia with John Balance and Bass-o-Matic with William Orbit before recording as Mekon. He has also remixed under the name Sugar J. And that’s before we get to the fact that he has soundtracked some of the most forward-thinking fashion shows in the world - crafting the soundscapes for Alexander McQueen shows since the show Dante in 1996. Firstly working hand in hand with the late great Lee “Alexander” McQueen, then with his successor Sarah Burton. In the mid-to-late-nineties he was a core member of the group Agent Provocateur along with Matthew Ashman (originally of Bow Wow Wow), Dan Peppe, Danny Saber (of Black Grape) and Cleo Torez. He has also worked with artists such as Roxanne Shanté ('Yes Yes Y'All'), Marc Almond ('Delirious'), and Afrika Bambaataa. His third album “Something Came Up” featured artwork by Alexander McQueen.
John is as passionate about Suicide and Alan Vega and what he describes as “the new stuff”. Besides, he says, “that’s how people listen to music now. I think kids – my kids anyway – listen right across the board. People don’t see genres anymore. So it’s my definition of good music.” It’s safe to say that this is very much Volume 1. “Yes, it doesn’t cover everything and Volume 2 will be completely different.”

George Clinton’s imagination knew no bounds and, defying normal music industry convention, by 1978 had five bands signed to three different record labels. One of these comprised of three Parliament / Funkadelic female backing singers working under the name of Parlet, whose debut single, ‘Pleasure Principle’ was released on Casablanca Records in March 1978.

It was Clinton’s idea that two other backing singers, Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva, become the Brides Of Funkenstein, a character he invented for the 1976 Parliament LP, “The Clones Of Dr Funkenstein”. “I have to be honest – at first, I hated the name and I thought George was kidding,” Mabry told Blues & Soul, “But I have gotten to like it – especially just the Brides.”

Clinton got the Brides signed to Atlantic Records and their first single was ‘Disco To Go’ / ‘ When You’re Gone’. The A-side was written and produced by Clinton and Bootsy Collins and had originally featured in live shows by Collins’ live band. Clinton was asked by Black Echoes why the song was recorded by the Brides rather than Bootsy. “He could, and it would have been a smash too,” he replied. “But we thought it sounded too much like James Brown, so we gave it to the girls. Now it don’t sound like James Brown.” It certainly did not and this electronic bass and horn-powered banger – complete with an Old MacDonald nursery rhyme refrain – debuted on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart at #80 on 30th September 1978. By the time the P-Funk crew were flying across the Atlantic in early November it had peaked at #7. Sadly for UK fans, ‘Disco To Go’ was only available on import although a Black Echoes review stated it was a “Slow chunky handclapper. It sounds not unlike Funkadelic’s own ‘Coming Round The Mountain’”.

‘Disco To Go’, went gold in America selling over 500,000 copies. It was the perfect springboard for the Brides debut LP, “Funk Or Walk” which quickly climbed into the upper reaches of the R&B chart and even saw the duo embark upon a signing tour of record stores. All of the songs on “Funk Or Walk” were written by legends of P-Funk, such as Bootsy Collins, Rodney Curtis, Bernie Worrell, Gary Shider and Clinton. “George has got thousands of tracks,” Mabry told Black Echoes. “When we go into the studio he says, ‘Like this one?

Maria Callas was born to a Greek family in New York in 1923. Her vocal training took place in Athens, where her teacher was the coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo, who had sung with Enrico Caruso and Feodor Chaliapin. After early performances in Greece, Callas’s international career was launched in 1947 when she performed the title role in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda at the Arena di Verona in Italy.

Her voice defied simple classification and her artistic range was extraordinary. In her early twenties she sang such heavy dramatic roles as Gioconda, Turandot, Brünnhilde and Isolde, but over the course of her career her most famous roles came to be: Bellini’s Norma and Amina (La sonnambula); Verdi’s Violetta (La traviata); Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Anna Bolena, Cherubini’s Medea and Puccini’s Tosca. Though her timbre was not always conventionally beautiful, Callas’s musicianship and phrasing were in a class of their own. She brought characters to vivid life with her skill in colouring her tone and making insightful use of the text.

She is credited with changing the history of opera: by placing a perhaps unprecedented emphasis on musical integrity and dramatic truth, and by transforming perceptions – and reviving the fortunes – of the bel canto repertoire, particularly Bellini and Donizetti.

The 1950s marked the height of Callas’s career. Its base lay in the opera houses of Italy, and she became the prima donna assoluta of Milan’s legendary La Scala – notably in the productions
of Luchino Visconti – but her operatic appearances also encompassed London’s Royal Opera House, the New York Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opéra, the Vienna State Opera, and the opera houses of Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Lisbon, and, in the early 1950s, Mexico City, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro.

From 1959, when she started a life-changing love affair with the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, her performing career slowed down and her voice became more fragile. Her final stage performances came in 1965, when she was only 42.

There were many plans for a return to the stage – and for further complete recordings – but they never reached fruition, though in 1974 she gave a series of concerts in Europe, North America and Japan with the tenor Giuseppe di Stefano; he had partnered her frequently in the opera house and in the studio, not least in the 1953 La Scala Tosca under Victor de Sabata, considered a landmark in recording history. Callas died alone in her Paris apartment in September 1977.

- 2025 Repress
- Black Bio vinyl
- Cut at 45RPM for optimum sound
- Printed on heavyweight board outer sleeve
- Vinyl comes in black poly-lined protective bag
- Housed in a heavyweight PVC protective outer sleeve
- Hype front sticker

Blue Lake's new offering 'Weft' sees its creator Jason Dungan unearth new musical terrain
with a mini-album which presents the projects evolution. Finding inspiration in the craft of weaving and embracing a collective spirit as a band leader, all while readying a new studio album expected later in 2025.

It follows the lauded album 'Sun Arcs' (2023) with Pitchfork naming it (Best New Music, 8.3), amongst numerous other accolades. Blue Lake is the ongoing musical project of American born, Copenhagen based musician Jason Dungan which serves as his artistic platform as composer and collaborator. Developed over the period of 2024 and witnessed at live performances across a swath of European cosmopolitan cities and festivals, the project stands at a new creative juncture. The earthy title track 'Weft' emerges with a sense of ease and familiarity as looping guitar riffs in open tunings bed in around a warm cello pulse that provides the essential heartbeat. These interlinking parts align to create his most explicit version yet of an American writing country music in Scandinavia. Dungan named the release 'Weft' as a reference to the weaving practice of his partner, Danish visual artist Maria Zahle, whose work "Torso" is featured on the album's cover. With her works providing a constant source of inspiration to his music and practice as an instrument-builder, Dungan found a symbiotic connection between their mediums, which is reflected in the music on 'Weft'.

'Weft' is a collection of new works that casts a net into new sound territories with distinctive timbres yet always channelled through the refined lens of Dungan's prism. Infused with an ongoing connection to nature, it furthermore expands his unique meld of off-kilter folk, jazz, country and left-field experimental ambience. 'Weft' then is an accomplishment of growth, of bolder objectives and of collaboration with like minds. The Blue Lake project takes a dynamic step forward venturing into new creative spaces while leaving some clues along the way.

“Luana – Americano” draws its inspiration from South-American atmospheres that are presented in classic Italo way. One of the most important parts of the project is the young, talented vocalist Luana, whose voice captivated the producers right from the beginning. Michael’s (Tiger Club) well flowing arrangements culminate in the catchy chorus, supported by male choir by Stefano Brignoli. A perfect track for the Italo-spring.

Kacy Hill, US-Singer/Songwriterin, Produzentin und ehemaliges American Apparel-Model mit sechsstelligen Followerzahlen bei Instagram und Spotify, veröffentlicht ihr viertes Album BUG auf Nettwerk. Es folgt auf das 2017er Debüt "Like A Woman" auf Kanye Wests GOOD Music sowie zwei Alben im Eigenvertrieb. Das 10-Track-Album auf ockerfarbigem Vinyl enthält die Singles "No One", "Listen To You" und "You Know I Love You Still" sowie Kollaborationen mit Nourished By Time und Donna Missal.

Das Ende von DARK FORTRESS war unausweichlich. Ihre turbulente Reise vom ersten Vertrag beim amerikanischen Label Red Stream Records im Jahr 2001 bis zur The Cosmic End Tour (mit The Spirit und Asphagor) im Jahr 2023 war dabei voller Höhen und Tiefen - wobei die Höhepunkte ganz klar überwogen. Letztendlich zeichnete sich das Ende von DARK FORTRESS schon mit der Veröffentlichung ihres viel gelobten letzten Albums "Spectres from the Old World" im Jahr 2020 ab. Wobei ein selbst ge-wählter Schlussstrich immer eleganter ist, als am Tropf zu siechen und langsam in Vergessenheit zu geraten. Kaum jemandem war jedoch bewusst, dass das letzte Album den frühzeitigen Nekrolog der Band bedeuten sollte. DARK FORTRESS hinterlassen dabei mit "Anthems from Beyond the Grave" ihr einziges Live-Album und gleichzeitig pechschwarzes Testament.V. Santura sagt dazu: "Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass DARK FORTRESS jemals ein Live-Album machen würden. Nachdem ich mir Monate nach der letzten Show die Mehrspuraufnahmen aus Rotterdam und Bochum angehört hatte, traf es mich wie der berühm-te Blitz: 'Heilige Scheiße! Wir klangen echt unglaublich gut.' Und ich bin selten zufrieden mit unseren Shows. All unsere harte Arbeit hatte sich auf dieser Tournee endlich ausgezahlt. Als Century Media das Material hörte, stimmten sie sofort zu: 'Wir müs-sen es veröffentlichen - es ist zu gut, um es ungenutzt verschwinden zu lassen!' Wenn das unser Ende ist - und das ist es defini-tiv - dann ist es ein würdiges Ende für DARK FORTRESS.""Anthems from Beyond the Grave" ist nicht nur ein Live-Album, sondern funktioniert auch als perfektes Best of inklusive Linerno-tes, welches auf die 29jährige pechschwarze Geschichte der Band zurückblickt.DARK FORTRESS ist tot, lang lebe DARK FORTRESS!

Der deutsche-amerikanische Pianist Benjamin Lackner ist mit einem neu formierten Quintett zurück, das
er für eine besonders intensive Aufnahmesession im Frühling 2024 in der Provence zusammengestellt hat.
Mit der hochkarätigen Gruppe präsentiert er eine frische und spannende Seite seiner kompositorischen
Bandbreite. Mathias Eick ist der einzige Wiederkehrende von Lackners Debüt Last Decade und in markantem Dualismus mit Mark Turners eigenwilliger Saxophon-Dialektik zu hören – ein Schlüsselmerkmal des
Zusammenspiels auf Spindrift. Zum Bläserduo und dem Pianisten gesellen sich die international gefragte
Bassistin Linda May Han Oh und der französische Schlagzeuger Matthieu Chazarenc, der schon lange zu
Lackners Trio gehört. Subtile Fanfaren treffen auf kontemplativen Lyrismus in einem Programm eigener
Kompositionen, bei denen Melodie und Ensemblezusammenspiel immer an erster Stelle stehen. Saxophon
und Trompete übernehmen die Führung, bilden eine eigene kleine Einheit und tragen mit elegant ineinander
verwobenen Linien und bestechenden Soli zu einem besonders harmonischen Gruppensound und infektiös
melodischen Stücken bei. Das Album wurde von Manfred Eicher produziert.

“Hailing from Castlewood, VA in the heart of Appalachia, the five-piece 49 Winchester serves it up greasy, whether it’s Southern fried rock, honky tonk country, sentimental moments tickling the fringes of Americana, or a version of soul that takes all of those influences and stews them. It’s always Southern, but the variety of flavors you’re served keeps you on your toes for 10 tracks. And eventually an album you start off thinking might be good for a quick hoot turns out running through a range of emotions you may have not been ready for, though you sure do appreciate the ride afterwards.” - Saving Country Music Now, for the first time on vinyl, 49 Winchesters third album is available on standard black vinyl. ”…Country Music’s Buzziest of Buzz Bands”

Since its release in 2009 The Pains of Being Pure At Heart's self-titled debut has attained the status of a modern indiepop classic, and even more crucially a record that continues to have an impact well beyond the indiepop scene. As one of the key bands in Brooklyn’s late 00s guitar music revival (alongside Crystal Stilts, Grizzly Bear, Vivian Girls, Frankie Rose and others) The Pains paid tribute to everything from C86 to early Slumberland, Sarah and Creation label pop, but with a distinct American flavor drawn from groups like Smashing Pumpkins and The Pixies. This, their debut album, is a brilliantly confident blast of fuzz, melody, tunes and buckets of youthful enthusiasm that was immediately recognized as something very special indeed. Preceded by 3 effervescent singles the album exploded immediately, going places that indiepop records and bands rarely do (like TV appearances on Carson Daly's and David Letterman's shows) and leading to several years of constant touring and the further release of two more well-received albums. Now, on it's 15th birthday, we're happy to bring this crucial album back for a new generation of pop fans, this time on beautiful light blue vinyl with pink and purple splatter. A fitting tribute to a modern indiepop classic.

"The Sheila Divine is an American, Boston-based rock group. Critics compare their sound to the band's own heroes, mainly the early 1980s post-punk. The band is most often noted for its loud/soft musical dynamic and Aaron Perrino's soaring vocals, screaming in key one moment and howling a falsetto the next. The band has a large die hard fan base in what is often called ""the three Bs"": Boston, Buffalo, and Belgium. Their first full-length album New Parade was released in 1999. It received critical praise from local press and spawned the college radio hit Hum.

New Parade is available as limited numbered edition of 500 copies on black clouds coloured vinyl"

Gerson King Combo's 1977 album is a masterpiece of Brazilian soul, emerged within the Black Rio movement, which was recorded with União Black as the backing band. It features the kind of full-on funky sound you'd only expect to hear from a rare few American groups of the time. Its ten songs mix political statements, which primarily address issues of racial pride, and dancefloor-oriented music. The album has achieved cult status over the years, becoming one of the most sought-after Brazilian funk records of all times. Remastered from the original tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl in a gatefold sleeve. This release is part of a new reissue series that will include many other outstanding Brazilian classics

Black Truffle is thrilled to begin 2025 with a rare solo release from Konrad Sprenger, alias of elusive Berlin composer-producer-instrument builder Jörg Hiller. A prolific collaborator, Sprenger has worked extensively with icons of American minimalism such as Ellen Fullman (with whom her recorded the gloriously eccentric song album Ort) and Arnold Dreyblatt (as a core member of the Orchestra of Excited Strings since 2009), as well as releasing their music on his impeccably curated label, Choose. As an instrument builder and installation artist, he has overseen the creation of a computer-controlled multi-channel electric guitar and, with Phillip Sollmann, a modular pipe organ system designed to be reconfigured from space to space.

In much of Hiller’s work, a scientific approach to acoustic phenomena co-exists with a pop sensibility and a sly sense of humour. Nowhere is this unique combination more in evidence than in his slim body of solo work, beginning with the startling diversity of instrumentation and compositional approaches heard on the short pieces of Miniaturen (2006) and Versprochen (2009), followed by the more single-minded exploration of the computer-controlled electric guitar on Stack Music (2017). Set brings together these various strands of Sprenger’s work into a wildly infectious, playful epic, performed by the composer and the mysterious Ensemble Risonanze Moderne. On the LP’s second side, we are also treated to a guest appearance from longtime collaborator Oren Ambarchi, on whose recent solo releases Simian Angel and Shebang Sprenger has made key production contributions. Ambarchi’s signature stuttering, swirling harmonics weave through a sparkling assemblage of electric guitars, acoustic instruments, percussion and electronics—though, given the deft use that much of Sprenger’s recent production work makes of midi-controlled sampled instrumentation, it’s anyone’s guess where the acoustic ends and the digital begins here.

As soon as the needle drops on the first side, we are inside a musical world that Set will inhabit for its 33 minutes: sparkling guitar harmonics and palm-muted notes, tuned percussion, crisp electronic drum hits, flashes of horns, and untraceable bursts of synthetic sound are arranged into a skittering polyrhythmic framework calling up the detail-rich percussive constructions of contemporary techno filtered through the pointillism of the post-serialist European avant-garde. Behind this shifting mist of particulate sound, winds and strings sound out held chords, reminiscent of Arthur Russell’s Tower of Meaning in their epic yet seemingly aimless drift. The relationship between elements is mysterious, appearing both carefully considered and almost random. Though never straying too far from where it begins, as the piece moves along, it spotlights increasingly bizarre instrument choices (shakuhachi and steel drums, anyone?) as well as momentary liftoffs into motorik propulsion. Set is a fascinating, mercurial thing: at once propulsive and fragmented, essentially static in form yet ever-changing in detail, unabashedly egghead in its construction yet sure to get the feet tapping.

Anderson .Paak's ‘Venice’ with a limited run exclusive 10th anniversary vinyl reissue. GRAMMY-winning, influential, and cultural tastemaker, Anderson .Paak is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer known for his unique blend of R&B, hip-hop, funk, and soul. He first gained significant recognition with his debut album ""Venice"" in 2014, Vinyl Reissue

When Greg Freeman quietly released his debut album I Looked Out in 2022, it was immediately clear to the small community who heard it that the Vermont songwriter captured something intangibly exciting and distinctly American. Across 10 explosive songs that meld knotty indie rock with pastoral twang, he sings with a zealous urgency of shipwrecks, biblical visions, doomed drifters, dams breaking, and lives left in rearview mirrors. His evocative writing paints a world where revelation or ruin is behind every corner but it always leaves room for hope and human connection. A resoundingly confident LP, it’s a testament to Burlington’s vibrant music community and the pure magic of opening yourself up to creative risks and collaboration.

Now, for the first time, I Looked Out has been pressed to vinyl. Out digitally on Nov. 20 and on vinyl Jan. 17 via Canvasback/Transgressive, two bonus tracks are also available. On the digital release, there’s an acoustic duet version of “Long Distance Driver” with Merce Lemon, and on the vinyl, there’s the noisy sound collage “Sound Tests, Scraps, Lists.” Greg Freeman will release new music and this album’s full-length follow-up in 2025."

“Pound for pound, Simon Joyner is my favorite lyricist of all time. He has shades of all the greats (Van Zandt, Cohen, Dylan) but exists in a space all his own…He truly is an American songwriting treasure.” - Conor Oberst REISSUED!!! Omaha, Nebraska native and singer/songwriter SIMON JOYNER has been writing about the dizzy and dark aspects of the human condition since 1992. The Cowardly Traveller Pays His Toll was originally released in 1994, on Sing, Eunuchs!, exclusively on vinyl, and marks the first major critical milestone in Joyner’s lauded career. John Peel famously played it in its entirety on his BBC radio program and Joyner’s underground cult status was solidified; in all of John Peel’s years in radio he had only played a record in its entirety three other times.

When Greg Freeman quietly released his debut album I Looked Out in 2022, it was immediately clear to the small community who heard it that the Vermont songwriter captured something intangibly exciting and distinctly American. Across 10 explosive songs that meld knotty indie rock with pastoral twang, he sings with a zealous urgency of shipwrecks, biblical visions, doomed drifters, dams breaking, and lives left in rearview mirrors. His evocative writing paints a world where revelation or ruin is behind every corner but it always leaves room for hope and human connection. A resoundingly confident LP, it’s a testament to Burlington’s vibrant music community and the pure magic of opening yourself up to creative risks and collaboration.

Now, for the first time, I Looked Out has been pressed to vinyl. Out digitally on Nov. 20 and on vinyl Jan. 17 via Canvasback/Transgressive, two bonus tracks are also available. On the digital release, there’s an acoustic duet version of “Long Distance Driver” with Merce Lemon, and on the vinyl, there’s the noisy sound collage “Sound Tests, Scraps, Lists.” Greg Freeman will release new music and this album’s full-length follow-up in 2025."

War Head Constriction, a trio that defined an uncompromising afro psych-rock sound, began by playing shows that combined dark proto-metal influences from Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with afro-rhythmic elements. Their raw energy caught the attention of Afrodisia, a progressive record label, which signed them to release a single in 1973: "Graceful Bird" b/w "Shower of Stone." Unfortunately, the record was too experimental for mainstream audiences and quickly faded, leading to the band's breakup. Despite this, they played their biggest show opening for Fela & the Afrika 70 at the National Stadium in Lagos before disbanding. However, the members quickly moved on, continuing to form new groups.

Amenechi recalls jamming with Soga Benson, his cousin Skid, and Ben Bruce at St. Gregory’s, where they wrote and performed together. Benson, who had previously been in rival groups, became close with Amenechi once he joined Greg’s. Benson, a talented guitarist, joined Ofege for their second and third albums in 1975 and 1977. Despite this, his main group, Grotto, had yet to record. That changed when EMI Records, the leading afro-rock label, took interest in Grotto in 1977.

Odion Iruoje, A&R manager at EMI Nigeria, recalls his first encounter with Grotto, noting their cocky attitude and raw material. He sought to help them find an authentic sound, avoiding the typical influences of British rock or groups like Ofege. Iruoje was passionate about youth bands, seeing them as a fresh opportunity to experiment and create something unique. Despite skepticism from EMI Nigeria about the youth market, Iruoje felt confident that Grotto’s originality would shine through.

Finally! The first Sally Shapiro album re-issued. Almost 20 years later sound as fresh as the first listening.

When Sally Shapiro’s iconic debut LP, Disco Romance, hit the European scene in late 2006 (and the following year in North America), it created a bit of an earthquake, the vibrations of which the duo of Sally Shapiro and Johan Agebjörn are still riding today. Pitchfork awarded it “best new music” and an 8.5 review. Nearly 2,000 music fans on the big RateYourMusic forum ranked it the top Italo Disco album of all time. It wasn’t that it was the only Italo Disco revival album. However, Disco Romance was notable for the particularly high quality of the songwriting and production, for Sally’s ethereal vocals, and for the depth and breadth of the album’s scope.

February 2014 saw the band release their 'Back To Bagarmossen' EP on London/Stockholm indie label PNKSLM Recordings. The 10' vinyl received huge praise both internationally and at home, even picking up mainstream TV coverage on Sweden's TV4. Following the EP, Les Big Byrd are now preparing to unleash their debut full length release, 'They Worshipped Cats', on Anton Newcombe's A Records ,Anton has co written & plays 2 tracks on the album . They are supporting the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their European tour . When Anton recently visited Stockholm with his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the guys accidentally ran into each other at a local record shop, and started talking about music. Anton invited the band down to his studio in Berlin to record and jam for a few days and it was there that a big part of "They Worshipped Cats" was conceived and recorded. Les Big Byrd was formed in Stockholm by Joakim Åhlund and Frans Johansson a couple of years ago. They each eventually joined different rock bands that brought them out of Sweden and into a different world. Frans' band Fireside, got signed by Rick Rubin to his label Def American and Jocke had a taste of international success with 60's-influenced garage-pop outfit Caesars, as well as his other, more electronically flavored project Teddybears. They decided that they still - in spite of everything - had their love for music intact, and the dream in common to get the perfect band together and give it one more shot. They recruited Jocke's former bandmate, drummer Nino Keller and keyboardist Konie and started jamming and rehearsing. Joakim had been running a recording studio in Stockholm, writing and producing for Swedish and international artists, including Robyn and Håkan Hellström, and had also directed music videos for prominent Swedish exports such as Bob Hund, Refused, Broder Daniel and The International Noise Conspiracy. Keyboardist Konie also runs a studio in Stockholm, where he's been recording a number of film scores as well as many of Swedens most interesting black metal acts.

The High Llamas discover America - yes, it had been done before, but not via their envisaged pilgrims" passage. Energized by the breakthroughs of Gideon Gaye, they went all-in, producing a wide-screen epic further exploring their unique agenda. The reference points multiplied, stretching through realms of classic pop and jazz, soundtrack music, exotica and neo-Americana, while charting a journey through musical landscapes of abiding lightness.