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A new piece by minimalist / experimental composer PHILL NIBLOCK (1933 - 2024), co-composed and performed by ANNA CLEMENTI & THOMAS STERN. Intense, menacing layers of thick drones and alien sounds.

In summer 2022, within just a few weeks and by pure coincidence, 2 proposals regarding PHILL NIBLOCK albums arrived: one suggesting an overdue vinyl reissue of a CD release (more on that when the time has come for it), the other email was from ANNA CLEMENTI saying she and THOMAS STERN were working on new pieces that PHILL NIBLOCK has written for her … when "Zound Delta 2" was complete, PHILL sent photographs for the two artworks, we met twice to discuss details, but unfortunately he died unexpectedly early january this year so the album now is, sad as it is, a posthumous release … an intense goodbye from one of 20thcentury most iconic composers.

Phill Niblock

Phill Niblock (1933-2024, USA) was an artist whose fifty-year career spans minimalist and experimental music, film and photography. Since 1985, he has served as director of Experimental Intermedia, a foundation for avant-garde music based in New York with a branch in Ghent, and curator of the foundation's record label XI. Known for his thick, loud drones of music, Niblock's signature sound is filled with microtones of instrumental timbres that generate many other tones in the performance space. In 2013, his diverse artistic career was the subject of a retrospective realised in partnership between Circuit (Contemporary Art Centre Lausanne) and Musée de l'Elysée. The following year Niblock was honoured with the prestigious Foundation for Contemporary Arts John Cage Award.

Anna Clementi

Italian-Swedish singer Anna Clementi grew up in Rome, where she first studied the flute and completed acting training before moving to Berlin and studying experimental vocal music and experimental music theater with the composer Dieter Schnebel at Hochschule der Künste (now UdK Berlin). Anna Clementi sees herself as an "actress of the voice" rather than exclusively as a singer. In this way she also articulates the diversity of her artistic expression, with which she is always searching for new connections between voice, gesture, language, dance and theater.

During her decades spanning career, Anna Clementi has performed at the most important festivals, has premiered numerous works, many of which have been composed especially for her, and worked with Fast Forward, Michael Hirsch, Rupert Huber, Christian Kesten, Alexander Kolkowski, Olga Neuwirth, Josef Anton Riedl, Iris ter Schiphorst, Dieter Schnebel, Laurie Schwartz, Elliott Sharp, and many others.

A special focus of hers is the work of John Cage, whose pieces she has performed worldwide.

Thomas Stern

Born in Bremen, Thomas Stern moved to Berlin in 1984 where he joined Mona Mur with Alex Hacke and F. M. Einheit (both from Einstürzende Neubauten, with which Stern also worked as live sound engineer for many years). Around 1987 he co-founded the Berlin set up of Crime And The City Solution (Mick Harvey, Alex Hacke a.o.). Over the years, he has has collaborated with artists like Ulrike Haage, Phew, Nick Cave, Ton Steine Scherben, Meret Becker, Nina Hagen, Jaki Liebezeit, Ben Becker, N.U. Unruh, Gry, Iris ter Schiphorst, Automat, Swans, Hans Joacxhim Irmler and many more, on the road or in his own Sternstaubstudio.
credits:

Anna Clementi: voice

Thomas Stern: slide guitar, bass and soundprocessing

Composition by Phill Niblock, Anna Clementi and Thomas Stern

Recorded and mixed by Thomas Stern at Sternstaubstudio, Berlin

Mastering and lacquer cut: Kassian Troyer at D&M, Berlin

Cover photography by Phill Niblock

Layout and design by kaidoh

In the early 1990s, before the era of social media dominance, skateboarding culture found its voice through magazines and VHS video releases, notably from brands like Santa Cruz and Powell Peralta. These videos not only shaped the skateboarding world but also influenced creativity across various industries worldwide.

In 1988 and 1989, two groundbreaking videos, "Shackle Me Not" and "Hokus Pokus," emerged from the fledgling skateboard company: H-Street, unleashed a seismic shift in street skateboarding. These videos are revered as iconic masterpieces, celebrated for their innovative skateboarding sequences and unforgettable soundtracks.

“What’s particularly interesting about Hokus Pokus was its soundtrack, largely comprised of demo cassettes, unsigned artists, and bands with loose ties to the brand. Some of the songs were goofy, others almost anthemic, and few sounded of their time. Perhaps it was the repetition or the fact that Matt Hensley could have skated to the sounds of a broken oven and it would have been iconic, but the songs in Hokus Pokus became a secret handshake for the hardcore—people who really gave a shit about skateboarding’s culture not just the act”.

Artless / Anthony Pappalardo

“When we were filming for Shackle Me Not we were still a brand new company and hardly anybody knew who we were and it was so brand new. I was so busy skating and I noticed there was like a movement in skateboarding, you could feel there was a change in the way, in the tide, not just white H-Street but with every company. I think that video, the H-Street video was saw raw, with the crazy music, and you know, just the wackiness of all of it, I think that feeling went out into the world, and kids everywhere understood you don’t need to live 20mn away from Del Mar to actually be part of what’s happening. I think that just opened up the world of skateboarding to more people”

Matt Hensley – Pro skater and Floggin Molly band member.

Fast forward 35 years, and H-Street, in collaboration with Paris (France) based label Stereo Ronin Records, embarks on a momentous project to release special edition vinyl soundtracks from these seminal videos. This exclusive release features meticulously remastered tracks, including new versions and previously unreleased gems on vinyl, making it a treasure trove for any skateboarding enthusiast.

Curated from bands like Kirk & The Jerks, Sub Society, Wonderful Broken Thing, Voluntários da Pátria and The Cry, representing the golden era of skateboarding music, this album promises an unparalleled experience for fans of Punk Rock, Indy Rock, and of course, skateboarding.

Working alongside RTM Studio in Paris, Stereo Ronin Records has undertaken a remastering journey, ensuring that this vinyl edition delivers a truly unique sonic experience, capturing the essence of a bygone era while resonating with contemporary audiences.

From Cape Town to Cairo, and now to fans, stages and screens around the world, PJ Morton shares his newest album, fully made in the motherland. Cape Town to Cairo is a collection of songs that he created in 30 days throughout 4 countries in Africa — South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt. Described as the best trip of his life, this transformative journey began as just the seed of an idea last fall, but instantly grew into his most sonically-sprawling and immediately-inspired record to date. With no music, lyrics or preconceptions, he stepped foot onto the continent with two thoughts: a wild dream to write and record his next LP in less than a month, and a mission to immerse himself in as many different cultures, stories and communities as he could.

Surrounded by featured collaborators like Fireboy DML, Mádé Kuti, Asa, Ndabo Zulu, and Soweto Spiritual Singers, as well as additional producers including P.Priime and The Cavemen., his own live band and local musicians, PJ Morton used music as his common language. Always his greatest way of communicating, he expressed his feelings and experiences of Africa through songs he and others were forming together on the spot, side-by-side in different studios, cities and towns for the very first time. None of the tracks were written before he arrived or after he left, and the arrangements showcase both the countries’ native genres as well as the innate, stylistic instincts that have made Morton a 5x GRAMMY-winner and 20x GRAMMY-nominee, whether it be his soul, R&B and gospel roots, or the pop prowess he has further honed as a member of Maroon 5.

“When you’ve been in music as long as I have, you’re constantly looking for inspiration,” says PJ Morton. “And you’re looking for the things that made you want to do it in the first place. I’ve made albums every type of way you can think, so I wanted to try something I hadn’t done before. As a Black American who had never been to South or West Africa, I knew there was something there waiting for me. So I put a little pressure on myself to make a full record in a month, but I also said, ‘If I’m gonna go to Africa, I want to see Africa.’ We made music, but we also formed connections. We made new friends, and this is just the start.”

ESSENCE adds, "This trip is not just a physical move, it's a spiritual return…The soul of Africa pulses through every note he plays and every word he sings,” and VIBE adds that “the multi-faceted artist is fully embracing a new phase in his life.” Cape Town to Cairo marks PJ Morton’s first album since 2022’s Watch The Sun, which featured collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Nas, JoJo, Wale, Jill Scott, Alex Isley and more. Since then, Morton has become the first Black composer to write an original song for a Disney attraction, having just finished making the music for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, opening on June 28th, 2024 at Disney World and Fall 2024 at Disneyland. He also won his latest GRAMMY earlier this year, worked with Samara Joy on “Why I’m Here” for Regina King’s Netflix film Shirley, and landed a cover of his song “Don’t Let Go” as the soundtrack to Apple’s iPhone 15 commercial.

PJ Morton recently returned from headlining his debut shows in Asia, New Zealand and Australia, and announced an extensive Cape Town to Cairo Tour for North America summer and fall 2024. Following iconic performances at New Orleans Jazz Fest, The Kennedy Center, Roots Picnic and Newport Jazz Fest, Morton will embark on a run of more than 25 dates across the country, including New York City’s Beacon Theatre, Chicago’s Chicago Theatre, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, and dozens of others.

On the heels of his headline tour and Maroon 5’s Las Vegas residency, PJ Morton will publish a life-spanning new book titled Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. The memoir sees him recounting and reflecting upon a trailblazing path that continues to defy expectations and straddle the tensions of music and faith, race and culture, expression and identity. As the son of two pastors and gospel artists, Morton grew up grounded by the sound of the Church, but soon found himself drawn to R&B, pop and soul, writing songs that the industry, his family and community struggled to understand. In the face of mounting pressure, rejection and constant miscategorization, he committed himself to a steadfast path of independence: making music on his own terms, launching his own record label, joining one of the biggest bands in the world while staying true to his New Orleans roots. The risks he took paid off, and through his transformation from preacher's kid to the busiest man in showbiz – performing everywhere from his local congregation to the Super Bowl, collaborating with everyone from his father to Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Jon Batiste and Lil Wayne – he hopes to encourage readers and listeners to overcome obstacles as they seek their dreams.

From the perspective of people who categorize music by genres and types, Evan Shornstein, better-known under his production moniker Photay, has created lots of different kinds of sounds over the past decade. There’s the Hudson Valley-raised, Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist composer’s quasi-IDM and electronic almost-pop tracks with the occasional vocal; the improvised organic and and experimental music sessions he participates in alongside new age giants, Laraaji and Carlos Niño; the diaspora electronic folk-jazz he makes with veteran musicians from all over the globe; and the disco and house adjacent records he tag-team DJs with Brooklyn producer Cesar Toribio and engineer Phil Moffa (who also masters all of Photay’s records — and those of dance-music dons around the world). But if you’ve listened closely to Shornstein’s prodigious output, you know that separating and classifying the work is actually contrary to the energy of Photay music. That what on-the-surface may lazily appear as differences, is actually brought together by a shared sonic warmth, a hardware pastoralism at play. Whatever category he engages, Photay makes outdoor music under the spell of the elements, for the purpose of different human movements — some physical, some spiritual, some emotional, some philosophica.

Today, Los Diablos Rojos are known around the world for a unique tropical sound that has transcended passing fashions and managed to hold its own in an era marked by transience and oblivion. Over the years, they have become the forerunners of a trend that has been developing for half a century and is gaining more and more praise and recognition. They have become a musical reference for other contemporary tropical music bands that have found in Los Diablos Rojos, above all, an example of creativity and resilience.

The Peruvian cumbia band Los Diablos Rojos was born within the quincha and adobe walls of Cañete Chico with a proposal very different from what all the musicians of the time were working on: an instrumental tropical music style of their own. Even Enrique Delgado (Los Destellos), Beto Cuesta (Los Ecos) and Berardo Hernandez (Manzanita y su Conjunto), who all found a source of income in música criolla, did not limit themselves to working for hire. They were all crossing the same bridge, the bridge of tropical music. Above all, the sense of renewal was the incentive for this bet. If they wanted to change the paradigm, they would not do it by copying styles they had already heard many times before.

• Eddie Singleton had a musical career in Los Angeles after his Shrine Records venture had bloomed then died. He cut this heart-felt soul ballad on an undocumented group called the Exclusive around 1969, but it was left on tape only until now.

If you have put your ear to the ground, you might have heard it coming...

Hailing from Rotterdam, DJ Easy B is one of the co-founders of the subversive renegade collectives ZMK Soundsystem and Move Around Sound. As a producer, Easy B's sonic palette is a raw and vibrant blend, drawing from '90s West Coast Electro, early Rotterdam Gabber and underground bass. Influenced by the infamous Dutch Acid Freeparty scene and the DIY energy of the UK Breakbeat/Hardcore Soundsystem culture.

This EP is Easy's first solo project, and there's more to come.

John Mayall is often referred to as the "Father of British Blues." Born on November 29, 1933, he's primarily known for his work as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, particularly as a harmonica player and keyboardist. Mayall gained prominence in the 1960s as the founder and leader of the band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, which served as a launching pad for numerous British blues and rock musicians. Mayall's Bluesbreakers lineup famously included Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor, all of whom went on to achieve great success in their own right. His band became a crucial part of the British blues movement and influenced countless musicians around the world. Over the years, John Mayall has released numerous albums both as a solo artist and with various iterations of the Bluesbreakers. His music spans a wide range of blues styles, from traditional Chicago blues to more experimental and progressive sounds. Mayall's influence on the development of blues and rock music cannot be overstated, and he will always remain a respected figure in the music industry. This John Mayall release from Indigo Records ''Through The Years Live 60's to 80's'' are live recordings presented on Blue vinyl.

"Mountain Music is Nina Nesbitt as fans have never heard her before. Having risen to fame at a young age with her disarming, candid pop – the Scottish musician is now found in an entirely new realm. It is inspired in part by the two years she spent touring the States in support of her second studio album: the critically acclaimed Top 40, The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change, which has now accrued over a billion streams. These songs are permeated with gorgeous nods to US folk and Americana. It’s made all the more extraordinary by the face that, not long ago, Nesbitt was considering quitting music altogether. Produced by Peter Miles and Nesbitt, mixed and mastered by Miles at his stunning studio MiddleFarm in south Devon, and released via her own label, Apple Tree Records. A playful nod to her 2012 debut EP, TheApple Tree, this marks the start of an exciting new era for Nina Nesbitt. While it might sound strange that Nesbitt was drawn to the music of Appalachia, heard echoing through the vast, verdant mountain ranges of the eastern United States, it makes more sense when you consider how traditional Scottish ballads and hymns are threads in that rich tapestry.

Empathy is one of Nesbitt’s greatest strengths. We hear it on “Painkiller”, a Joni Mitchell-indebted ballad on which her heart breaks for the men who believe they have to suppress their own feelings. One of the album’s standout qualities is, perhaps, the dynamic that Nesbitt creates from one song to the next. Where many folk artists might lean into quiet introspection, she craves the full spectrum of emotion – so ensconced around “Painkiller” you have the tender “On the Run’, with its distant shivers of percussion and crystalline piano, but also “Anger”. She’s in a nostalgic mood on the rousing “Coming Home”, a Springsteen-inspired, driving-with-the-top-down journey back to the places and people she loves. We all lose ourselves sometimes. The trick is learning how to find our way back, pushing those clouds away to see the blue skies beyond. For artist Nina Nesbitt, hard-hitting truths and revelations take precedent on her remarkable, career-best album, Mountain Music. Nesbitt knows exactly who she is, and now, she’s ready to tell the world."

Die umjubelelten, schrill-bunten Rockerinnen von The Hot Damn! sind mit einem Paukenschlag zurück und veröffentlichen ihre elektrisierende neue Single Can You Hear Me Now? zusammen mit der Ankündigung ihres mit Spannung erwarteten Debütalbums Dancing on the Milky Way, das am Freitag, den 27. September 2024, über Fat Earth Records erscheinen wird. Die vierköpfige britische Rockband wird als das ,farbenfrohe Chaos" des Rock bezeichnet und bringt mit jedem Song, jedem Video und einer energischen Live-Show nach der anderen wieder Farbe in die Musikszene. Mit knackigen Riffs und wilden Harmonien bringen The Hot Damn! dich zum Tanzen, bevor du es merkst. Die vier temperamentvollen Damen, die unter anderem von Kerrang!, Planet Rock und BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 und Radio BOB gelobt wurden, sind keine Unbekannten in der Musikszene. entstand die Band u.a. aus der Asche von The Amorettes und Tequila Mockingbyrd und besteht aus den Talenten von Gill Montgomery (The Amorettes), Josie O'Toole (Tequila Mockingbyrd), Laurie Buchanan (Aaron Buchanan and the Cult Classics) und Lzi Hayes (New Device/Sophie Lloyd Band).The Hot Damn! aus Marlow, Buckinghamshire, mögen es laut, aber sie machen nicht nur mit ihrer Musik auf sich aufmerksam, sondern auch auf ein Thema, das ihnen am Herzen liegt - den Gehörschutz. Da die Band erkannt hat, wie wichtig die Gesundheit des Gehörs sowohl für das Publikum als auch für die Musiker ist, hat sie sich dazu verpflichtet, bei all ihren Konzerten Einweg-Ohrstöpsel anzubieten. Neben einzelnen Headline-Gigs reisen The Hot Damn! im November 2024 als Support von D-A-D durch Deutschland um ihr hart rockendes Werk zu präsentieren. CD mit zwei Akustik-Bonustracks, LP als Sunshine Yellow Vinyl!

Perpignan Burning: the Southern French capital of garage rock in search of the riff. Or as Lou Reed would put it: "You can"t beat two guitars, bass, and drums." Content: 27 previously unreleased tracks on the double LP and six digital-only bonus tracks. All tracks on this compilation were recorded in or around Perpignan, France, and go to the musical extremes of an extreme city. Whether garage punks or freakbeat mods, country punks or city rockers, whether pioneers or new to the scene: the only thing that counts is the riff. Pascal Comelade, infamous riff explorer since the 1970s, is the unlikely godfather of this bunch of punks and rockers. He opens the trip with his emblematic cover design and closes it with his own Riffifi orchestra to the ultimate riff of The Stooges" "I Wanna Be Your Dog".

"Fairground Attraction’s first single, ‘Perfect’, came out on 21 March, 1988 and quickly went to Number One on the UK charts and in countries all around the world. Their debut album The First Of A Million Kisses, earned triple-platinum sales status and the group won Brit Awards for Best Single and Best Album of 1988 – they were the first band to win both these coveted awards in the same year; only Blur, Coldplay and Adele have done it since.
While ‘Perfect’ has gone on to become regarded as a genuine pop classic, Fairground Attraction imploded on the first day of recording what should have been their second album, leaving fans, and the band themselves, wondering what might have been had they been able to continue.. There is no other band like Fairground Attraction and, after more than 35 years, this is only their second album. Will there be another? Who knows, but whatever happens, don’t miss this, it is beautiful. TV appearances on BBC Breakfast, ITV This Morning, Channel 5 News and Sky "

Inside Automatic Popular Music there are two people sitting in a room, their backs to each other. One plays a piano with no particular attention to detail and tuning of the instrument, and another, sitting behind him, claps his hands on his own legs. They do not see each other, they never look at each other, they can only listen to each other, look around. The room is large enough, it is daytime, there are four windows through which enough light enters to illuminate the objects and furniture with objects on them. October, the temperature is great and outside the window there are many people and all these people are dancing to the music of another record.

Automatic Popular Music was recorded and mixed by Nicola Ratti between July and December 2023. The tracks consist almost entirely of sounds generated by automatisms programmed on modular synthesisers. These are combined with tape loops on which fragments of both acoustic and digital pianos are engraved, generating tracks that are structured on repetitiveness in both their rhythmic and harmonic components. The adjective 'popular' is in this case the result of the other adjective 'automatic' since the machine has been entrusted with the task of generating the melodic patterns and harmonic structures of the tracks on the disc.

Automatic Popular Music is the first release by LL, a curatorial and editorial platform based in Milano and formed by artists and curators.

Composed, recorded and mixed by Nicola Ratti between July and December 2023. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi. Cover photo by Cédrick Eymenier.

From the first notes of Symbiont, the radical new collaborative album and document of Black and Indigenous futurism from Jake Blount and Mali Obomsawin, the listener is met with rising tidewaters, massive droughts, and the appearance of an iconoclastic uprising amidst the worlds indifference. Questions of future or present tense swirl around the music as the duo unspools the intertwined threads of racial and climate justice. Amid rumbling synthesizer drones, the thrum of banjo, and the thwack of drum machines, a whisper of truth can be heard: this crisis has been unfolding for centuries.

We are delighted to offer a very limited hand-stamped repress of Black Loops’ debut EP, 7 Hills on Freerange

The Italian producer who splits his time between Berlin and his native country has had a solid few years rising through the house music ranks through releases on respected labels such as Shall Not Fade, Pets, Toytonics, Aterral, Gruuv & Neovinyl.

His broad-ranging influences taking in funk, soul, disco and 90’s NY house inform a depth, warmth and musicality to his productions which has seen him in demand DJing around the world and makes him an obvious fit for us here on Freerange.

This EP, produced almost exclusively during an extended tour in Australia opens with title track 7Hills, the area where he stayed and worked on this release. The trademark Black Loops swinging groove, smooth Rhodes stabs/ keys licks courtesy of Nikos Haropoulos and a deep, rolling bassline all come together to form the perfect warm up track - uplifting, understate and with a subtle sense of anticipation.

Next up we have Parisian producer Mad Rey getting stuck into 7Hills for a raw, bumping interpretation which jacks things up a notch taking it into heavier peak-time territory. Mad Rey has been responsible for some brilliant releases on French label D.Ko, Rekids and most recently Mamie’s Records and alongside label mates Flabaire and Paul Cut he has helped reestablish Paris as a hotbed of fresh, musical talent.

Flipping over we have two more Black Loops originals. King Paul takes an old soul vocal sample and works it to great effect over crisp 909 beats and sun-soaked keys whilst a vinyl-only bonus track Linda38 treads a similar path but with a punchier groove and warm pads rounding off this EP in fine style.

The long-awaited return of the techno trance wizard Asymetric80 is finally here. You can once again expect his unique vision of what a dancefloor banger should be: powerful low drums and mesmerizing melodies dancing around the perfect bass to energize any dancefloor. Presented in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid BLACK vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

“Überkeine underlines his inclination towards textured techno drifts with this second Ep. Four tracks designed for the club, designed for motion, stirring up disorder on the dancefloor. Aggressive Starter, as its name implies, lays the foundations of the record with assertiveness.
Infatuated with Broken beat techno debauchery, Überkeine continues
experimenting the relationship between kick drum layers and synthetic rambunctious sounds. Revolving around a simple yet effective loop, this track toggles between various stages of distortion bringing emotions through force and discharge. Piggyback Ride brings us into a wavering and unhealthy yet very danceable chamber of depravity.
Energetic, odd and straightforward, the track is divided into two different sections acting as trauma resolving pieces of cake. Radical Jazz starts the B side with ruthless energy, delivering a noteworthy slap dipped in lunatic infringement. A not so sorry, carnal bassline, that hits you in the guts, right where it belongs. Techno with a lack of boundaries. Last but not least, Atomic moog’s proficiency in making deep and spaced out techno acts as leverage for the record. A breath of fresh-air, dedicated to the after-hours. Solid, dubbed-out and delectable piece of equipment. Black and clear “split effect” vinyl, each record is unique !”

The 20th Anniversary Edition of Beyond Good & Evil and its official soundtrack offer a refreshed yet faithful rendition of the game's original music. Utilizing a full orchestra, we preserved the unique, intimate feel of the compositions, often created through improvised sessions. The soundtrack includes new tracks, some recorded with unconventional instruments, celebrating the creativity that made the 2003 original and the franchise special.

“Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition and its official soundtrack are a true labor of love that give a beautiful new sheen to the notes and melodies of the game, yet always staying true to the emotions that resonated with the fans back then. While we had the means to work with a full-fledged orchestra this time around, we made sure to keep the quirky, intimate feel of the compositions that were, more often than not, the results of improvised jams and family reunions around an iron anvil or a toy ukulele. This soundtrack is an ode to a sort of colorful, artisanal and unbridled creativity, completed here with new tracks (including parts recorded on a broken guitar with an unconventional tuning), and the perfect celebration of all the little things that made the 2003 original and this franchise so special.”

-Christophe Héral

No one has lived a life quite like Marcos Valle. He became an overnight international sensation, fled a military dictatorship, dodged the Vietnam war draft, had his music sung by Homer Simpson, made enemies with Marlon Brando, and became an unsuspecting fitness guru for multiple generations. But to truly understand the great Brazilian composer, arranger, singer and multi instrumentalist, one must listen to his music.

Lead Single (Life Is What It Is) : Between the release of his first album in 1962 and today, Marcos Valle has released twenty-two studio albums traversing definitive bossa nova, classic samba, iconic disco pop, psychedelic rock, nineties dance and orchestral music. He has also had his songs recorded by some of the all time greats, including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Sergio Mendes, Elis Regina, and (last but not least), Emma Button of the Spice Girls. He has also had his music sampled by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pusha T and many more.


With his twenty-third studio album Túnel Acustico, Valle set out to bring it all together.

“I believe my music is many things. It goes in different directions. I have many different ways of writing music, sometimes it’s melodies and harmony, sometimes the groove is the focus. But all the music I have made over my sixty year career is unified. It is all natural and it is all sincere. And this is what I wanted to bring to my new album.”

A prominent feature of Valle’s career has been his dual residence between Brazil and the USA. Originally moving over in the mid-sixties on the back of bossa nova’s international proliferation, Valle toured with Sergio Mendes and became hugely in demand as a composer and arranger. But the Vietnam War loomed and the threat of being drafted saw him return to Brazil. He spent the following years in Rio writing music for TV and film, as well as four cult favourite albums in collaboration with some of Brazil’s most groundbreaking musicians including Milton Nascimento, Azymuth, Som Imaginario and O Terco.

By 1975, Brazil's military dictatorship was at its most oppressive, making living and working increasingly difficult. Valle moved back to the US where he would reside in LA, writing songs for, and collaborating with the likes of Eumir Deodato, Airto Moreira, Chicago, Sarah Vaughn and Leon Ware, amongst others.

Túnel Acústico features two songs originally conceived during Valle’s time on the West Coast: “Feels So Good”, a stirring two-step soul triumph written in 1979 with soul icon Leon Ware, and the sublime AOR disco track “Life Is What It Is”, composed around the same time, with percussionist Laudir De Oliveira from the group Chicago.

Built around an unfinished demo Marcos found on a shelf in his house 44 years after it was made, the “Feels So Good” demo was restored with the help of producer Daniel Maunick, who also utilised AI stem-separation to remove the placeholder vocal ad-libs. Valle added Portuguese lyrics to sit alongside Ware’s vocal hook, as well as extra keyboards and percussion.

Also written in late seventies LA, “Life Is What Is It” was co-penned by Laudir De Oliveira from the band Chicago and first released on the bands’ Chicago 13 album with lyrics by Robert Lamb. Another nod to his good times in LA, Valle recorded his own version for Túnel Acústico, upping the tempo and deepening the groove for a blast of irresistible summer soul.

On Túnel Acústico, Valle's core band features two members of the renowned Brazilian jazz-funk group Azymuth: Alex Malheiros on bass and Renato Massa on drums. The rhythm section is completed by percussionist Ian Moreira, with additional contributions from guitarist Paulinho Guitarra and trumpeter Jesse Sadoc.

The contemporarily composed music on Túnel Acústico features an impressive lineup of guest lyricists, including renowned Brazilian artists: Joyce Moreno (Bora Meu Vem), Céu (Nao Sei), and Moreno Veloso (Palavras Tão Gentis) as well as Valle's brother Paulo Sergio Valle (Tem Que Ser Feliz).

The album closes with "Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)", a tribute to the legendary composer who passed away in 2023.

Túnel Acústico will be released on 20th September 2024 via Far Out Recordings. Valle is set to tour Europe and America in support of the album.

"Here is what 2014 felt like: The cold, rushed walk from the Montrose Avenue L to the downstairs entrance of 20 Meadow Street, an address you could never quite remember. The careful steep climb to the top of the nondescript building, where Titus Andronicus’s Patrick Stickles was waiting to take your balled-up cash and stamp the inside of your wrist. Standing beneath that jagged cardboard punk bunting, draped with tangled twinkle lights, while Joe Galarraga, frontman of Big Ups, slowly, menacingly, wound a microphone cable around his fist. Then a barbed F-sharp sprang forward from Amar Lal’s guitar, shaking the entirety of Shea Stadium to life.

For much of that time period, ten years now behind us, it would be easy to say, man, you just had to be there. You had to be there when Death By Audio closed. You had to be there when the Apple store opened on Bedford Ave. If you weren’t there when a small, specific subculture of New York City took over its abandoned lofts and grimy basements and squatted itself into community, that’s okay — it might be too clunky and myopic to explain now. Released in January 2014 to Dead Labour in the US and Tough Love Records in the UK, Eighteen Hours of Static stands even now as a triumphant representation of what Big Ups did so well over the course of their nine-year run as a band. Now, with the re-release of Big Ups’ killer debut full-length, those who didn’t get to experience all this the first time around will get a shot at living as if it’s the glory days again."

Mystic, member of the legendary rap collective Digital Underground, is releasing her 3rd album Dreaming In Cursive: The Girl Who Loved Sparklers on Vinyl. She is most known for her classic Cuts For Luck and Scars for Freedom which was released on vinyl last year. This new album find a return to her roots working with long time collaborator Walt Liquor to create the sonic landscape she's most known for. There was a crowd-sourcing campaign to create the visuals for this project that was successful and from it came three visuals that will be the foundation for a short film released this summer called A Black Love Trilogy. This project is the healing balm the world needs in these trying times.
GRAMMY-nominated rapper, singer, and Bay Area legend Mystic (affectionately known as the “DU Goddess of Digital Underground”) has returned to bless the world with a new album like only she can. "Dreaming In Cursive: The Girl Who Loved Sparklers" is Mystic’s first new release from her label, Beautifull Soundworks, and is produced by herself and Walt Liquor. With song and voice that resonates with the beauty of unadulterated womanhood, Mystic’s new album is what she coined, “Healed Black woman music.” As a seasoned veteran in the music business, Mystic reminds us of her ability to seamlessly weave together harmonies and vivid lyrics that invoke thoughts of love, community, and healing. Always on time with her offerings, this new project warms the soul as only Mystic can—a perfect reminder to long-time fans of their love for her and a welcoming invitation to music lovers around the world looking for high-quality, meaningful, and banging music at once.
Quote: “I am known for moving in between the intersections of trauma and healing--the beauty and the pain. My healing journey and life journey have brought me to a place where the art reflects my level of healing and the knowledge, wisdom, and joy I passionately pursue. My fans have healed and grown with me, and I look forward to the joy and conversations this album will encourage.”

2024 Repress

Pitch Black’s “Electronomicon”, a landmark album in New Zealand’s electronica scene, finally gets pressed on vinyl.First released in 2000, “Electronomicon” shows Pitch Black developing their deep dubby sound further by creating long and involved song structures that traverse a range of sonic experiences. The resultant album journeys from organic ambience and layered soundscapes to skanking keyboards, cutting acid riffs and thumping rhythmic grooves, with dub being the glue that holds it all together.

“Electronomicon” reached 28 in the New Zealand album charts and led to a sell-out 30-date tour of New Zealand and Australia. It has since gone on to become one of the duo’s most popular albums, regularly finding new fans around the world.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release, the band dug out the original audio files and Angus McNaughton has remastered them for this vinyl release. Hamish Macaulay has also adapted the original artwork, creating a brand new collage for the centerfold out of pictures taken at the time.

Aboriginal Australian blues, country, and gospel by the great Kankawa Nagarra, Queen of the Bandaral Ngadu Delta. These intimate recordings introduce the world outside Australia to Kankawa Nagarra, a beloved Walmatjarri Elder, teacher, human rights advocate, and environmental activist. Born in the traditional lands of the Gooniyandi and Walmatjarri peoples of North Western Australia, Kankawa grew up with the tribal songs at cultural ceremonies. When she was taken from her family to the mission, she was taught hymns and Gospel songs with the choir. On the pastoral lease where she was sent to work, Country music was everywhere. She first heard rock and roll on the station gramophone. But it wasn't until many years later her musical journey truly began, when she stopped to listen to a busker outside a shop in Derby, Western Australia. It was the first time she'd heard the blues, and it awakened something in her. Through it, she found a medium to express all her thoughts and feelings, and it inspired her to turn these into songs. The empathy of her message extends from those she sees struggling around her to the entire planet being ravaged for profit. These twelve tracks, recorded live near her home of Wangkatjungka, WA, offer a cross-section of Kankawa's entire musical experience - shifting gracefully between musical styles, languages, and moods, backed by the buzz of night bugs and call of daytime birds. In turns humorous, warm, and real about the hardships of life and the pillage of the land she holds dear, the record is the closest thing you can get to spending time with the great Kankawa herself. We are extremely grateful to release this record alongside Flippin Yeah Records and in collaboration with Kankawa Nagarra. High-quality vinyl comes with a four-page booklet featuring translations, stories, and track notes by the artist.

Aboriginal Australian blues, country, and gospel by the great Kankawa Nagarra, Queen of the Bandaral Ngadu Delta. These intimate recordings introduce the world outside Australia to Kankawa Nagarra, a beloved Walmatjarri Elder, teacher, human rights advocate, and environmental activist. Born in the traditional lands of the Gooniyandi and Walmatjarri peoples of North Western Australia, Kankawa grew up with the tribal songs at cultural ceremonies. When she was taken from her family to the mission, she was taught hymns and Gospel songs with the choir. On the pastoral lease where she was sent to work, Country music was everywhere. She first heard rock and roll on the station gramophone. But it wasn't until many years later her musical journey truly began, when she stopped to listen to a busker outside a shop in Derby, Western Australia. It was the first time she'd heard the blues, and it awakened something in her. Through it, she found a medium to express all her thoughts and feelings, and it inspired her to turn these into songs. The empathy of her message extends from those she sees struggling around her to the entire planet being ravaged for profit. These twelve tracks, recorded live near her home of Wangkatjungka, WA, offer a cross-section of Kankawa's entire musical experience - shifting gracefully between musical styles, languages, and moods, backed by the buzz of night bugs and call of daytime birds. In turns humorous, warm, and real about the hardships of life and the pillage of the land she holds dear, the record is the closest thing you can get to spending time with the great Kankawa herself. We are extremely grateful to release this record alongside Flippin Yeah Records and in collaboration with Kankawa Nagarra. High-quality vinyl comes with a four-page booklet featuring translations, stories, and track notes by the artist.

Optimo Music excitedly unleashes Japan’s GǼG and their Anarcho Disco volumes 1 & 2 into the world. We thought we were done with 12” single release, at least for now, but then these tracks showed up and it was instantly obviously ESSENTIAL that they get pressed up on big fat twelve inch singles. Every single track here has been tried and tested and caused delirious delight on the dancefloor over the last year. Now it is time to share them with YOU! Truly Anarchic, Psychedelic dance music for the open-minded and genre-free crews.

GǼG say – 
DISKO KLUBB boss MONKEY TIMERS, who leads Tokyo’s underground disco scene, and KEITA SANO, who has been gaining attention for his releases on labels around the world, have started the project “GǼG”.

Using a variety of sampling and unique FX, our music has created a unique GǼG sound that is psychedelic and anarchic.

This subversive sound is sure to be the key to shaking the dancefloor.

Malcolm Pardon (Roll The Dice) is back into the fold for his second solo album, "The Abyss". The album, which will be released on Leaf, is a meditation on the taboos that surround mortality in our culture, looking past the bleak or macabre to observe death as a multi-layered, lifelong acquaintance. It"s also highly melodic and very beautiful. Malcolm has enlisted some remarkable creative talent around the project, including photographer Chris Shonting, designer Peter Ström and film-maker Oskar Wrangö.

Malcolm Pardon (Roll The Dice) is back into the fold for his second solo album, "The Abyss". The album, which will be released on Leaf, is a meditation on the taboos that surround mortality in our culture, looking past the bleak or macabre to observe death as a multi-layered, lifelong acquaintance. It"s also highly melodic and very beautiful. Malcolm has enlisted some remarkable creative talent around the project, including photographer Chris Shonting, designer Peter Ström and film-maker Oskar Wrangö.

For as much as Sammy Rae & The Friends may be a band, this collective of dreamers and artists considers themselves a family first. That all-for-one and one-for-all camaraderie ignites their unforgettable and can’t-miss live shows, which serve as a catharsis for both the musicians and their fervent audience. Fronted by singer/songwriter Sammy Rae and honed through years of touring, the group is capable of flourishing in any spotlight thanks to its signature blend of palpable chemistry, deft virtuosity, and vocal fireworks.

Their sound, which has attracted new fans by the thousands in the past few years, is a unique mélange of Sammy’s influences: classic rock, folk and funk and sprinkled with soul and jazz. Rae has been building toward this moment since moving to NYC from Connecticut in her early 20s. Finding herself without a built-in peer group, she simply built it herself: the literal and proverbial Friends. When she started playing shows, she made sure the audience was part of the family too. Everything that’s happened since, from the EPs The Good Life (2018) and Let’s Throw a Party (2021) to sold-out shows in major markets and secondary markets alike across North America and the UK & Europe, to high-profile festival sets around the world, including Bonnaroo’s main stage, Sound on Sound and more, has been based on friends telling friends. As they prepare for the release of their long-awaited debut full-length album in 2024, Something for Everybody, Sammy Rae & The Friends have come to represent more than just a band: they are a full-on movement being adopted with a refreshingly diverse clientele.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio to Russian parents, Alina Baraz has been around music all her life. With both parents having classical training, she was destined to find her voice through music. Almost immediately after the release of her first single, “Roses Dipped in Gold” at age 19, Baraz and her family moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a singer/songwriter full time.In 2015, Baraz released her debut project, Urban Flora. The acclaimed project was praised by the Guardian, NPR, Huffington Post, Harpers Bazaar and many more, and sat on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart for over 125 weeks, peaking at #2. In January of 2017, she released the viral single “Electric” ft. Khalid, which has been streamed over 190M times and counting. In 2018 she released The Color of You, enlisting Grammy-nominated producer Robin Hannibal (Kendrick Lamar, Calvin Harris, Cee Lo Green) to help produce the project Baraz has been in the works of a special project, leading with her single “Trust” as her first release of 2020.

Few bands are as primed to capture their ecstatic live energy in masterful sonic detail like Terry Gross. Composed of three renowned engineer/producers (recording artists like Wooden Shjips, Moon Duo, Earthless, Big Business, and more) whose studio doubles as their jam spot and communal gathering place, the trio"s penchant for longform psychedelic escapades is able to be recorded with granular precision. The potency of the fellowship formed by drummer Phil Becker (Lower Forty-Eight, Peace Creeps, Pins of Light), bassist Donny Newenhouse, and guitarist Phil Manley (Trans Am, Oneida, Life Coach) lies in their ability to utilize their prowess as both players and record engineers to translate feeling with immaculate clarity. On Huge Improvement, Terry Gross embody a complex web of emotion with songs as ferocious and precise as they are agile and care-free, delighting in the catharsis of excising tension alongside one"s most trusted peers. Huge Improvement"s tongue-in-cheek title is rightfully earned. Like their debut Soft Opening, the pieces on Huge Improvement began as improvised studio jam sessions without expectations. The trio"s ability to plug in, play and have each experiment thoroughly documented opens up unparalleled avenues for further exploration and honing. The four mammoth slabs that make up Huge Improvement are driving, unrelenting excursions into the unknown. Whether burning white-hot or smoldering in plumes of smoke, the pieces stretch as much inwardly as they do cosmically, embracing every surprising turn. Terry Gross"s Huge Improvement morphs the trio"s search for communal connection and reprieve into a transcendent respite, a burst of focused energy to be enveloped in while facing the senselessness around us with a smile.

2024 marks 10 years since the release of Perfume Genius" critically acclaimed album Too Bright (Matador). The third studio album by Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) marked a significant departure from his earlier work with its bold, avant-garde sound and introspective lyrics. The LP featured the standout single "Queen"- Hadreas" confrontational dissection of "gay panic" which Pitchfork said "sounds like triumph amid the pathetic relevancy of its subject matter in 2014." The song was jolt in the cultural discourse and has since become a fan-favorite. Hadreas grew up in Seattle, WA and started his music career in 2008. He put himself on the map with the release of debut album Learning in 2010 via long-time label home Matador Records, earning him widespread praise from music critics and fans around the world.The momentum only intensified with his subsequent albums, 2012"s Put Your Back N 2 It, and 2014"s Too Bright, which exhibited a massive leap forward in both production and confidence.

"‘A virtuoso guitarist with a galvanising charm that electrifies her audience.’ - Guardian

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway release a new six-song EP, Into the Wild, via Nonesuch Records. The EP, a follow-up to their Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed 2023 album, City of Gold, includes three new songs as well as previously released covers of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ and Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘good 4 u’, and an alternate version of the City of Gold track ‘Stranger Things’.

In addition to the band’s previously scheduled US tour dates, which include a performance at the Ryman in Nashville in September, they have announced a new batch of US dates in November, including stops in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, upstate New York, Massachusetts, and more.
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Of the new release, Tuttle says: “With this new EP we invite you to come on a journey with us Into the Wild. I wrote the title track with Ketch Secor after a week spent in the redwoods. This song is about getting lost in the wilderness even if it’s just in the forest of your mind. ‘Getaway Girl’ was an unfinished song I had started writing for our last LP City of Gold. It’s about a whirlwind romance set in New York City, kind of like Carrie Bradshaw meets bluegrass. In addition to these two new original songs, we included some of our favorite covers that we’ve woven into the live show, ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane and ‘good 4 u’ by Olivia Rodrigo.”

She continues: “We paid tribute to one of my favorite California songwriters Kate Wolf with a new version of her song ‘Here in California’ which features my dad, Jack Tuttle, and longtime friend AJ Lee singing with me. I used to play this one with my family band back in the day! On ‘Stranger Things’ (Down the Rabbit Hole Version) I wanted to go for a stripped back ethereal version of this song originally played by the full band on City of Gold. It features a trio with Dominick Leslie on mandolin, and Nathaniel Smith on cello and synth. I hope you enjoy trekking deeper into the woods with us as we pick up where we left off on City of Gold and explore new territory as a band.”

Earlier this year, Tuttle and the band—fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, mandolinist Dominick Leslie, bass player Shelby Means, and banjo player Kyle Tuttle—earned their second consecutive GRAMMY win for Best Bluegrass album for City of Gold, released last year on Nonesuch Records. Earlier this month, the band was nominated for eight IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards: Tuttle and the band are up for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, and Album of the Year for City of Gold. Tuttle is nominated for both Female Vocalist of the Year and Guitar Player of the Year, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes for Fiddle Player of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Additionally, Jerry Douglas, who produced City of Gold with Tuttle and is up for Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year, will be inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Raised in Northern California, Tuttle moved to Nashville in 2015. In the years since, she has received many accolades; in addition to the two GRAMMY wins she was also nominated for Best New Artist. She has earned three wins at the 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards and Tuttle won Album of the Year at the 2023 International Folk Music Awards. Additionally, she has earned Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2018 Americana Music Awards, and Guitar Player of the Year at the IBMAs in both 2017 and 2018. Tuttle has performed around the world, including shows with Billy Strings, Béla Fleck, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jason Isbell, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Dwight Yoakam, as well as at several major festivals including Newport Folk Festival and Pilgrimage."

20th Anniversary reissue. • Available on CD, and for the first time ever, on LP. • Includes new liner notes from Sam. • Contains “Reflecting Light” and “If I Could Write”—both featured on the fan- and streaming-favorite Gilmore Girls. Since the late 1980s Sam Phillips has been a poetic voice in the alternative/pop realm. She recorded a series of acclaimed albums for Virgin Records, including the Grammy-nominated Martinis And Bikinis (expanded and reissued by Omnivore Recordings in 2012), all produced by her then-husband T Bone Burnett. At the turn of the century, Sam was invited by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who was a fan of Sam’s music, to score her new television series, Gilmore Girls, on a new network, The WB. Sam’s unconventional score featuring vocal and acoustic guitar was likened to an onscreen character itself and dubbed “the La La’s” by the growing legion of Gilmore Girls fans. Around that time Sam signed a new deal with Nonesuch Records and continued to build her stellar catalog. In 2004, Phillips released A Boot And A Shoe, featuring guest artists including Burnett, Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Eminem), legendary drummer Jim Keltner, and the Section Quartet. The album contained 13 tracks including “Reflecting Light” and “If I Could Write”—both featured prominently in the Gilmore Girls original series and, most memorably, the Netflix revival Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of A Boot And A Shoe and to commemorate the anniversary, it is being issued for the very first time on vinyl, and reissued on CD, both with new liner notes by Sam. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, now is the time to reintroduce this incredible record, and on the format fans of Sam and Gilmore Girls have been waiting for.

REISSUED!!! Received an 8.1 rating from Pitchfork. "Sadly, many will hear Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt's latest LP, Made Out of Sound, as 'not-jazz,' though it would be more aptly described as 'not-not-jazz.' In a better world, it would warrant above-the-fold reviews in Downbeat, or an appearance on David Sanborn's late-night show (if someone would only give it back to him). More likely, we can hope for a haiku review on Byron Coley's Twitter timeline to sufficiently connect the various improvised terrains trodden by this long-time duo—but if you've been able to listen past the overmodulated icepick fidelity of Harry Pussy, it should surprise you not an iota that Orcutt's style is rooted as much in the fractal melodies of Trane and Taylor as it is in Delta syrup or Tin Pan Alley glitz. As for Corsano, well, it may seem daft to call this particular record 'jazz' (because duh, it has a drummer), but to me Corsano is beyond jazz, almost beyond music, his ambidextrous, octopoid technique grappling many stylistic levers and spraying a torrent of light from every direction. Corsano's ferocity has elevated many 'mere' improv records to transcendence, but here he's crafted his polyrhythms within more narrative channels, bringing to mind his 'mannered' playing in the lamented Flower-Corsano duo. It's not 'groove' playing precisely, but it follows many grooves simultaneously, much like Orcutt's own melodic musings—which is why they're so naturally lock-in-key here. Which maybe makes it all the more surprising that Made Out of Sound was in fact recorded in different rooms on different coasts at different times, and stitched together by Orcutt on his desktop. Corsano recorded the drums in Ithaca, NY, and (as Orcutt states), 'I didn't edit them at all. I overdubbed two guitar tracks, panned left/right. I'd listen to the drums a couple times, pick a tuning, then improvise a part, thinking of the first track as backing and the second as the 'lead', though those are pretty fluid terms. I was watching the waveforms as I was recording, so I could see when a crescendo was coming or when to bring it down.' Fluidity ties the tracks together. With a little more groove and a little less around-the-beat maneuvering, one could almost hear the boiling harmonic layers as Miles-oid in 'Man Carrying Thing,' but with new-found Sharrockian modalities, Corsano accentuating the tumbling nature of the falling notes. The Sharrock vein continues with 'How to Cook a Wolf,' its Blind Willie-esque melodic simplicity and repetition extrapolated 360-style in a repetitive descending riff that falls into Cippolina-isms (by way of Verlaine ) until the end crashes upon the shore. Much like Orcutt's last solo album, Odds Against Tomorrow, there's a gentler, almost pastoral flow to some tracks ('Some Tennessee Jar,' 'A Port in Air,' 'Thirteen Ways of Looking') that calls to mind the mixolydian swamplands of Lonnie Liston Smith—but unlike Odds , other tracks ('The Thing Itself') smash that same lyricism into overdriven, multi-dimensional melodic clumps that push several vector envelopes at once in an Interstellar Space vein. With the help of Corsano, Orcutt has managed to slither even further out of the noise/improv pigeonhole lazy listeners/writers keep trying to shove him into. Looking at the back cover of Made Out of Sound , we should not see Orcutt hurling a guitar into the air with post-punk bravado, Corsano toiling behind him in the engine room—we should witness an instrument levitating from his hands, rising on invisible major-key tendrils of melody, fired by percussion, spiraling into an invisible event horizon..."—Tom Carter

The single features a collaboration between Studio Kosmische from UK and Cloud Canyons from Italy. Side A is a rework by Studio Kosmische of “Under Neon Stars”, a track from Cloud Canyon’s 2023 debut album “Dreaming Of Horses Running In Circles”: by adding a few parts and alchemically blending the original elements of the song - the relentless motorik pulse, the ethereal female vocals, the multilayers of monophonic analogue synths - Studio Kosmische’s version moulds a shrouding and lilting veil on the 9-minutes long original track. Side B features a brand new track, “Black Fruit”, also sprung from the creative dialogue between the two bands and clocking at about 9 minutes side-long. Born as an instrumental piece by Studio Kosmische, “Black Fruit” developed in a full song thanks to the vocal additions by Michelle Cristofori, Laura Storchi and Stella Baraldi (Cloud Canyons’ singers) and a rich yet minimalistic array of instrumental parts by Studio Kosmische’s Dom Keen, who ingeniously shaped the keys harmonies and rhythmic textures around the vocal lines. Accomplished by some subtle electronics treatment by Cloud Canyons’ Nicola Caleffi, “Black Fruit” ideally complements “Under Neon Stars” as a two-sided creature, hanging somewhere between krautrock and electronica.

Though she was Stax Records' Queen of Soul (and Otis Redding was her king), there was much more to Carla Thomas. In 1967, even while being promoted by the name of her most recent album, The Queen Alone, she was expanding her sound, developing a cabaret act that showcased a mix of genres and styles and that was built around her beautiful voice. She was exploring new vistas when these two sides were recorded.
Isaac Hayes wrote "Loneliness". Carla's suave delivery evokes Diana Ross, and the shiny brass horns call out a Burt Bacharach arrangement as much as Stax. This is Carla with a nice polish on the groove.
Labelmate and friend Deanie Parker wrote "If It's Not Asking Too Much". A sparer presentation, the organ drives the tango rhythm and also—a second keyboard, I think—swells behind Carla, everything entwining and deepening the song's brooding tone. This is the kind of side that can both start your night or finish it.
Carla Thomas has got it all.

CO-OP REISSUE by NOT LOST RECORDS and RUGGER BUGGER !! ** Black Vinyl ** 500 Copies // The AK47's or the Tottenham AK47's formed in the late 80's / early 90's in North London. They turned up on the London squatting gig scene fully formed and ready to go, fusing punk, ska and reggae with a strong and simple political, socio-anarchist message. The band were instantly popular in London and sat very much next to Radical Dance Faction, Back to the Planet and Culture Shock. Their one and only release was the album "Don't call me Vanilla" which was originally released in 1991 by Rugger Bugger Discs. The album was recorded and produced at The Refuge studio in Reading by Jim Warren. Built around a solid dub-punk backdrop with some atmospheric flute squalls and FX's weaving in and out of the mix while lyrically remaining true to their anarcho roots. Over the years the album's legacy has grown and yet has never been reissued. Finally 32 years after its release the band, Sean from Rugger Bugger and Not Lost reissue this gem in an exact replica. No coloured vinyl - just black vinyl with the same Lyric Insert. This reissue has been remastered from the original tapes.

The band was originally the solo project of multi-instrumentalist musician, songwriter and a Föllakzoid founder Juan Pablo Rodríguez, formed in 2011 and used as a vehicle to explore instrumental active ambient and space rock music with the following equipment: Roland JD800, Roland SPX404 and Samick guitar. Their debut album, the eponymously titled Special Cases has received critical acclaim since 2020, with The Quietus’ Brian Coney praising its place in neo psychedelic music and the legacy of Föllakzoid, "As a whole, though, Special Cases spills over with low-key majesty and purpose. From the vantage point of the future where his band have cornered a niche within modern psychedelia, it evinces JPR as a rare shaman of kosmiche savvy." Since late 2020, Special Cases has developed into a fully fledged live band centred around Rodríguez with songwriting and performance geared towards alternative and psychedelic rock. As a live act, they have performed at numerous venues and festivals across Chile, captivating audiences with their dynamic stage presence and infectious energy. Visual Artists Tomás Olivos and Martin Line have contributed album art on various records. The band has physical releases on cassette, CD and vinyl spread across the following record labels: Blow Your Mind, Weisskalt and ETCS Records. Their 6th album '6' was recorded in two days at Estudio Lautaro and mastered in BYM Records, it features the stable trio from 'No Mind' plus painter and guitarist Chiri, driving the sound to a more 'indie' vibe with long ambient songs, laid back and energetic tracks. The album cover was made by painter Diego Hernandez (which played in 'Album Name') and it's going to be available in colour vinyl.

Satya continues its release schedule this November with the Atman EP, a maiden collaboration between label founder YokoO and US talent Atish. The four-tracker continues a standout 2021 for the imprint, which saw its first release land in April of this year.

“Despite having followed seemingly different musical paths over the last couple of years, our passion for ‘moving’ heartfelt music stands at the core and remains aligned. Atish’s initial musical ideas, no matter how much they were transformed, sit at the heart of the EP. They initiated the creative process.” - YokoO.

Proceedings begin with Inner Labyrinth, a gently-building dance cut packed full of ethereal synths and dream-like pads. The title track comes next, manifesting as a similarly celestial number that’s ripe for the early hours, before Words To Say ups the tempo with driving kick-hat combos. Sunrise maestro Sepp rounds off the EP, serving up a stunning remix of the final track that marks itself as a masterclass in stripped-back, minimal house.

France’s YokoO is an esteemed talent in the electronic music scene. Releases on Lee Burridge’s All Day I Dream, as well as his recently-launched Satya imprint, have cemented his reputation for all things deep, emotive and dreamy, whilst performances across all five continents have highlighted him as a truly global artist. Based in New York, Atish has cultivated a devoted following around the world. As co-founder of the Manjumasi record label, he has created an outlet for other artists’ music as well as his own productions and his own work has found a welcome home on prestigious imprints including Anjunadeep, Kindisch, and Stil Vor Talent to name a few.

The relationship between our star, the source that gives us life and the land we occupy during this transcendental process is one of sensitivity and compassion. Topography and rock settlements are positioned as conductive posts of energy. An energy line wrapping around a planet that straddles between the past, the present and the future. And on this land, exists an engineered string of energy called the 37th Parallel. Time Travel, multi-dimensional activity, healing, spiritual transition and rejuvenations in the supernatural respect and other powers we've yet to discover and realize.