Suche:as it is

The distinctive rolling grooves, growling basslines and blasting horns of Snakehips Etcetera combined to present Nucleus's most energetic record. First released on Vertigo in 1975, original copies of Snakehips Etcetera are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.

Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.

Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has kept relevant. To steal a line from a review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”

With all restraint out the window, 1975's pimped-up Snakehips Etcetera is the outrageous - in both cover art and sound - follow-up to the brooding Under The Sun. It's perhaps not one for the jazz purists! It finds Nucleus pared down to a core group of six, with Carr, Bob Bertles (sax), Ken Shaw (guitar), Geoff Castle (keys), Roger Sutton (bass) and Roger Sellers (drums) comprising the collective. Snakehips Etcetera reflects a period where the compositions start to become a little more direct and less-cerebral in comparison to some of Nucleus' previous releases. And why would we begrudge them some fun? This one rocks, swings and funks with no little soul. And more than a little jazzy sleaze. Clearly, they were having a good time.

The album has a real live, jamming feel to it, no surprise given the extent to which they were touring at the time. The band is tight and grooving throughout, none more so than on Bob Bertles's effervescent opener, "Rat’s Bag". So darn funky it stings, it's an infectious gem full of punchy clean lines over a killer bassline from Sutton. The thick, driving jazz-rock of "Alive And Kicking" is exactly that. It has a very improvisational feel, but an inspired one at that and features a wailing guitar solo from Ken Shaw that simply slays. The funky "Rachel’s Tune" is amazing, bringing you back to Canterbury days with its fuzzed-out organ solos to close out Side A.

Opening up Side B, the cool psychedelic title track unfolds slowly and sensually over its ten-plus minutes. A stoned soul stew of sorts, each member of the crew gets their chance to shine over Sellers's steady drums. The melodic funk fusion of "Pussyfoot" pairs Carr with Bertles on ace solo flute for a bright, springy melody. This one really gleams over shuffling drums. Changing the pace to close out this memorable set, the particularly cool "Heyday" is a reflective, sober tune which reinforces the sumptuous Nucleus palette, the acoustic guitar and bass high in the mix to make the neck snap, the horns elegantly blasting to help you swoon.

This Be With edition of Snakehips Etcetera has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Cicely Balston's cut at AIR Studios to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The striking, lascivious sleeve has been restored in all its seductive/ridiculous beauty.

"As I write these notes sitting on my balcony in July 2022, it has been more than 9 years since the release of my debut album and more than 11years since it was recorded, the time since has been a personally tumultuous period of twists and turns - retreat, reflection, realization, reassessment, therapy, triumph, trial and error - entangled in a decade-long creative block that had me questioning whether
I would ever be able to compose again and though I felt there was so much I wanted and needed to say, I felt I had lost my voice, or perhaps never had one in the first place. A constant knot had grown tighter and tighter within me over time, but I did not understand what had created it or how it might be undone. In 2018, shaken awake by the collision of two transients, I suddenly saw in a new light old
patterns whose familiar presences I realized I had felt for much of my life, but had until then never seen for what they were. Following a third, I finally found the humility to surrender, and as I began re- examining and confronting myself, I slowly started to discover new answers - and new questions to ask.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened, and the world stopped. Like so many of us caught in the new eerie calm, I retreated into inner spaces. I began revisiting sketches of ideas I had accumulated over the years, and finally, very, very slowly, new music started to come. " - Jussi Reijonen.

"Electrifying and deeply resonant, monumental and profoundly personal, Reijonen's five- movement suite is a beautifully crafted, remarkable journey of sound and emotion performed by a knockout nine-piece ensemble." - Monarch

"He's written one hell of a piece." - The Arts Fuse

"On this remarkable and ambitious new recording, Reijonen delivers an epic transcultural suite that feels as deeply personal as it is expansive and farreaching." - All About Jazz "a remarkable sophomore album" -The Boston Globe

"This is an album meticulously pulled together into a dense fabric of diverse musical threads. It merits repeated listening; with each fresh listen, the richness of Reijonen's intercultural vocabulary becomes more apparent." London Jazz News

"Even in our present jazz moment, when the art form is worldwide and vital, albums that come as complete surprises are relatively rare. Three seconds Kolme Toista is a stunner." Jazz Times

"Three seconds Kolme Toista is spellbinding from beginning to end, and full of virtuoso performances." All About Jazz

It's a cohesive song cycle purpose-built for pit stops at points beyond along the California country corridor. Sonically, Stay In It feels equally at home in 2022 as it might in 1972, evidenced by nods to "After The Gold Rush"- era Neil Young, Jonathan Wilson,and The War on Drugs.
The singer-songwriter trucked Jerry Garcia's old console to the desert to embrace the analog. The kind where if you want to rip a guitar solo at 3am with the windows open, you go for it, cowboy. A flurry of calls reverberated back and forth until Eric and his producer Damien Lewis (Kevin Parker, JamesBay), crash-landed in the tiny high desert outpost of Landers, California...in August.

"Stay In It" is a way of saying be present, it's "Be Here Now" says Silverman, an accomplished veteran of the Bay Area live music scene (with appearances at festivals such as Outside Lands and Noise Pop under his belt). "So the record is really about just finding that moment where it all locks in and flows. Get there and stay there."

This is music that picks up influences and imagery and shapes and colors as it encounters them on Interstate 62, before dropping them off as they turn into specks of dust on the horizon. There's the two-step lilt of "Better Days", where we start awash in melancholy synths but end up hopeful for possibility. There's the synthesizer summoning courtesy of first- call session keyboardist Adam MacDougall (Black Crowes, Circles Around The Sun) on "All In My Head" where
things get fully cosmic.

But no matter the track, there's something bigger happening here.

First repress since its original release in May 1998

Celebrating twenty-five years since its release as rgirl2 – the label’s first LP – Rocket Girl is reissuing its seminal compilation A Tribute to Spacemen 3 on double vinyl with spot varnish sleeve in May 2023.

Widely acclaimed at the time of its release (garnering rave reviews in the UK, US, Canadian and European music weeklies and monthlies), the collection sounds as fresh and inventive as it did three decades ago. Launched at a time when tribute albums were prevalent, A Tribute to Spacemen 3 stands apart from other covers albums in that it not only redecorates S3’s songs in a bold new palette of colours, but also acts as a time capsule documenting a very specific wave of 90s US and UK bands that shared many sensibilities – ‘post-rock’ might be the catch-all genre, but their music also encompassed psych, slowcore, analogue electronica, dream pop and space rock to varying degrees – and many of whom (Mogwai, Low, Arab Strap, Bardo Pond) have gone on to reap major critical and commercial success, and are still thriving today. In 1998 the LP was a gateway for fans of Spacemen 3 to discover these relatively unknown experimental artists operating on small independent labels either side of the Atlantic – today it is a celebration of the timeless innovation and longevity of that scene.

As author Richard Milward states in Rocket Girl 20, the 2019 book illuminating the history of the label: ‘In no way is the LP a collection of imitators simply regurgitating Spacemen 3’s songs sound-for-sound – rather, the compilation celebrates the purity and bravery of Pierce’s and Kember’s song writing (themselves never averse to a transformative cover version) while showcasing the originality and diversity of those bands they have inspired.’ It is the simultaneous simplicity and otherworldliness of S3’s songs that make them perfect fodder for reinterpretation, the band’s ‘three chords good, two chords better, one chord best’ mantra providing a solid, tantalising foundation for these bands to experiment with freely. Throbbing and humming with equal parts euphoria and melancholia, over the course of the album’s 69 minutes the tracks slide from slithering stoner psych (Asteroid #4’s ‘Losing Touch With My Mind’) to hymnal delicacy (Amp’s ‘So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)’ and Mogwai’s crisp, glockenspiel-chiming ‘Honey’) to zero-gravity lounge jazz (Transient Waves’ closer, ‘Billy Whizz’). There are radical reworkings: the oozing fuzztone lava of Bardo Pond’s ‘Call the Doctor’, and not least Arab Strap’s startling take on S3 live mainstay ‘Revolution’, replete with aggressive, crunching drum machine and the lyrics delivered down the telephone in Aidan Moffatt’s laconic Falkirk drawl – ‘a change, a solution, a wee… a wee revolution’ – before its explosive climax.

An explorative sonic landscape with the beautifully eclectic sounds of drum and bass at its core, Sustance’s debut album is every bit as thought-out, polished, and innovative as we’ve come to expect from one of drum and bass’ brightest prospects.

Having grown up listening to seminal Shogun albums like Spectrasoul's 'Delay No More' and Icicle's 'Under The Ice', ‘Perceived Connections’ acts as a full circle moment for the producer, who now finds himself following in the footsteps of the artists who profoundly influenced his approach to creating music.

Written between London and Berlin across a twelve-month period, 'Perceived Connections' encapsulates both of the alluring sides of Sustance's sound. In the same fashion that the album's writing process pivoted between two capital cities, Sustance's debut album presents both deep and expressive tracks such as 'I Want You' and 'Sweet Relief', as well as showcasing heavy, sound system-destroying tunes like 'Undercurrent' and 'Ten Ton’.

“The album title comes from the Zen idea that everyone perceives the world through their own perspective. Two people can listen to a record side by side and have totally different experiences. I really liked that idea as music is inherently so subjective. Sustance

Accompanying Sustance on this LP voyage is a plethora of D&B’s hottest talent, with Pola & Bryson, Visages, Flowdan, Strategy, Duskee, T-Man, Catching Cairo & Zara Kershaw all sprinkling their own flavours across the album.

Traversing an array of sounds, styles, and genres throughout, 'Perceived Connections' is nothing short of an exceptional extended body of work from a producer whose razor-tight approach to music has seen him emerge with one of the crispest and most captivating sonic palettes in drum and bass music.

Kundan Lal is a highly understated artist. Little is known about his background, though some refer to him as Kunsaf Halil, his personal life remains largely a mystery.

Gathering a cult following amongst people like Den Sorte Skole or DJ Marcelle with his previous releases, he is now set to sail new shores. There is a sense of wanderlust as he opens his box of field recordings, collected on his many travels. From the buzzing streets of Alexandria, early sunday markets in Tafraoute or a crackling bonfire down by the banks of the river Ganges. Each track takes you places.

Kundan's second album is a captivating blend of dubby beats, collages, and exotic instrumentation. Drawing from classic tools like the Roland 808, SC7 and the famous Space Echo, Kundan has created a unique and minimalistic sound that is sure to captivate listeners. At once nostalgic and experimental, "Power of Ra" is a must-listen for both electronic music purists and fans of adventurous soundscapes.

Compelled to work from home on his computer during lockdown, Kundan dusted his pawnshop e-piano, downloaded some orchestral soundkits and started to digitize almost forgotten field recordings. The "Power of Ra“ came to him.

“Illgrimage” is a good example of his approach. Combining atmospheric soundscapes with swirling strings, trombones and pianos. Echoes of birds and children playing in the streets. A small town filled with life and a theremin leading the way while you hear the faint yet powerful words of Greta Thunberg saying: "Imagine...“

“Raqaqa,” a powerful orchestral journey with a hip-hop edge. Tinkling chimes add a groovy vibe, while lush layers of wind instruments weave a masterful soundscape. It’s the slow-burning intensity of this track that pulls you in.

"Nasi Chip" is a signature song that exemplifies Kundan Lal’s musical prowess. An engaging beat coupled with chopped up vocals, 8-bit synth melodies and an arpeggiated piano provide an energetic atmosphere that is both cunning and unique.

”Cen" lures you into the egyptian realm. A Harmonium slithers serpent like around a pounding beat.Horns gently swaying to the rhythm of the desert.

It is hard to put your finger on his style or genre. You can feel Kundan Lal‘s DIY spirit in his production, carving his own ethnic genre. For enthusiasts of Roberto Musci or Muslimgauze, this avant-garde album is one for your collection. Keep your senses open and let the Power of Ra pass you to another world.

Italian techno sensation Alignment is back with a fifth EP Close Your Eyes on Charlotte de Witte’s KNTXT label out on Friday 31st March.

Close Your Eyes is four tracks of thrilling all-out industrial assault from the Barcelona-based artist.

Title track ‘Close Your Eyes’ rips into a slamming turbo-charged beat accompanied by metal textures and warehouse atmospherics. Next up, ‘Deep Space’ is pure evocative melodrama, riding on a wave of ghostly vocals and piercing synth stabs. ‘Dance For Me’ ups the ante with a trance-tinged roller underscored by slamming bass, before ‘Fight For A New World’ closes out the EP with an epic journey to euphoria.

“I really thought of the Close Your Eyes EP as a travel in my current dreams and maybe a bit of my nightmares as well.” Alignment explains. “For this EP, I tried to combine the “original” Alignment influences with a touch of the new hard techno sounds.”

Charlotte de Witte adds: “Alignment is back, and his 5th release on the label is an absolute killer! I’ve been playing these tracks all over the world for the past couple of months and they don’t disappoint. I’m very excited to finally put them out there and have Alignment on board again!”

Italian-born artist Alignment, whose real name is Francesco Pierfelici, has emerged as an unstoppable force in the techno world in recent years. He has had an outstanding array of vital productions - with four previous EPs on Charlotte de Witte’s KNTXT label, including 2022’s acclaimed Attack - and his sound helps carry forward the diversity and musical
identity the label stands for. Describing his style as “a journey to the dark corners of one’s inner self”, Alignment’s industrial techno is reminiscent of an endless post-apocalyptic warehouse rave.

‘Close Your Eyes’ is another exhilarating offering from the new school techno giant. An EP you won’t want to miss.

Mattias Petersson debuts on the Swiss label Hallow Ground with »Triangular Progressions,« a suite in nine parts written entirely in the SuperCollider environment using additive synthesis. The starting point for the evocative piece is a magic number triangle that Petersson invented during his early composition studies and which has been an obsession of the artist for over twenty years, previously forming the foundation of many other of his works. By exploring the harmonic progressions found hiding within the triangle, »Triangular Progressions« at once emits a sense of introspective calm that fosters deep listening and evokes a whole spectrum of emotions, mediating between the abstract and the visceral.

The Stockholm-based Petersson, also known under the moniker Codespira1 and for his long-term collaboration with violinist George Kentros as There Are No More Four Seasons, has been active as a composer of computer music as well as an artist in the realms of live coding and modular synthesis for over two decades. Originally trained as a classical pianist, he also holds a diploma in electro-acoustic composition from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where he currently works as an associate professor. Besides his activities as a musician and teacher, Petersson is pursuing a PhD in composition at the Luleå University of Technology. Researching modular systems comprising both human and non-human modules, he is part of the GEMM))) Gesture Embodiment and Machines in Music cluster.

»Triangular Progressions« can be considered a perfect synthesis of Petersson’s academic interests and aesthetic ideas, combining a mathematical approach with artistic rigour. The magic number triangle highlights the beauty of symmetrical properties. By exploring its idiosyncrasies, the composer manages to translate them into engaging sounds. The lush melodies and harmonies of the music at times call to mind the intimate organ and drone works by label mates Kali Malone and Maria W Horn while also maintaining a unique signature sound. The addition of pure sinusoidal waves enables a deep listening exploration of the counterpoint between melodic and harmonic rhythms, chord structures and spectral harmonies that Petersson extrapolates from those magic numbers.

Degrees of Freedom is a Canadian musical group founded in 1984 in Montreal by Janet Cadman (vocals and percussion), Martin Chartrand (bass, guitar, rhythm programming and vocals) and David Curtis (keyboards, vocals, and percussion). Established as a 5-piece New Wave cover band, Degrees of Freedom evolved into its classic quartet configuration following the departure of the original guitarist and drummer, and the subsequent enlistment of Santino Mastrocola on drums. With this lineup change came a new musical mission: the writing, recording and live presentation of original material only. Since Santino's withdrawal from the band in 1988, Degrees of Freedom has carried on as a trio in the studio while augmenting concert performances with additional musicians. In February 1985, Degrees of Freedom performed at the newly formed S.O.S. (Save Our Songwriters) Club in Montreal. Like other participants in the S.O.S. project, Degrees of Freedom was rewarded with studio time to record some of its own songs. One of these, "August is an Angel" was selected to close out the locally produced 1985 band anthology album "Listen - A Faze Compilation of Montreal Music." The next year, a new track "In This Room," was included in the follow-up release "Listen 2." Both songs, with four newly recorded works, were issued in 1988 as Degrees of Freedom's eponymous sole vinyl release, informally known as the “China” album. In 2015, the music of Degrees of Freedom experienced a renaissance thanks to a new generation of club DJs, traditional and internet-based radio hosts, vinyl disc collectors, and other aficionados of synth-based music. Local and international recognition has come in the form of record sales to fans in Canada as well as in the USA, Germany, Scotland, England, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, Bulgaria, Australia, Vietnam, and Japan. Responding to the resurgence of interest, Degrees of Freedom has twice re-issued the disc (2017 and 2019). Today, with eyes on the future and the past, Janet, Martin and David continue to collaborate on new material including the songs, "Metal Flesh" and "Be This Way" both accessible on the band's YouTube channel.

‘Before the Odysee, there was the Iliad; a tale of the golden age of heroes and warriors.'

The idea behind the new Iliads series is to return to the sound of the golden age of Jungle/Drum & Bass, and more specifically the original ‘heroes’ of the Odysee label.
This first in the series pays homage to the style of music heard in the Oblivion releases that Source Direct delivered through Bassment Phil’s Street Beats imprint between 1995 & 1996.

Forbidden Affections is a classic Deep Amen track, made with tracks like Sands Of Time and Secret Liaison very much in mind. Right from the onset where the pads are given plenty of time and space to draw you in, it is completely faithful to that mid-90’s SD style. All the trademark break switches and deep 909 sub lines are present, and the palette of sounds are all drawn from those same sources that first inspired the SD sound (as such it is Atmospheric Jungle with a strong Techno persuasion). The finishing touches come from the achingly gorgeous female vocal ad-libs that were also such a trademark of the early, more atmospheric SD tracks.

Hidden Rooms is perhaps even more authentically SD, especially with its focus on arrangement, and the way it uses the selection of samples that are once more drawn from those same Deep Techno sources. The interaction between the rolling curls and cuts of the Apache at the start, and the crisp injection of the Think breaks at the drop comes straight out of the early SD portfolio. The bass drops down super deep underneath the drum work, punctuated by exposed electro hits and well-chosen samples. It is the haunting keys nearly 4 minutes in however that give this track the authentic SD twist more than anything, calling tracks like Fabric Of Space and Made Up Sound very much to mind.

Drifting Through is the final track of the E.P. with its beautifully sharp rolling Hotpants/Worm combination. This track leaves plenty of space; dubbed out to just breaks and bass for much of the duration, with the occasional injection of an obscure electronic sample, or the sweet vocal ad- libs to hold the tune together. Further down the track there is a touch of the Jazz influence as the Rhodes chords add an extra level of harmonic warmth.

Look out for Volume II where we will be returning to the distinctive flavours of the original Mirage releases on Odysee!

The 2022 American drama miniseries George And Tammy was created by Abe Sylvia and directed by John Hillcoat. It stars Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon as country music legends Tammy Wynette and George Jones, chronicling their tumultuous relationship and intertwined careers.

The 26-track soundtrack features iterations performed by Chastain and Shannon of songs made famous by Tammy Wynette and George Jones, including Wynette's “Stand By Your Man” and “D-I-V-O-R-C-E”, as well as Jones' “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and “The Race Is On”. Chastain and Shannon recorded their own vocals for the show and performed them live on set. The songs were produced by T Bone Burnett, who won several Grammy Awards and rose to fame as guitarist of Bob Dylan's band during the Seventies.

George And Tammy is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on gold coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

In 1978 Iasos has returned with a new album consist of 2 long peaceful compositions “The Angels of Comfort “ and “Angel Play”. These pieces are extremely soothing, heavenly, loving, and peaceful, and it captures the energies of love – on a galactic scale. It functions as a universal healing comforting presence. This genre of music could be termed “classical New Age music”. The philosopher Alan Watts has said, “Iasos is doing the classical music of the New Age.” This album is a “vibrational environment” of soothing loving angelic feelings – very nurturing and comforting. The music can be used for creating a sacred space, for meditating, body-work, visualization, hospice work, emotional healing, and for tuning into angels. It is well suited for relaxing the mind, body and spirit. When Iasos first released this album, it immediately became an underground classic, due to its universal appeal. It was the one of first albums that created a new music genre now known as “New Age” music. In addition, it still is one of the most cherished pieces of music worldwide. The Psychology Department at Plymouth State College had this music receive the highest rating, by quite a margin, for being “most like the heavenly music” heard by people who had had a near-death experience. “Angelic Music” was released on vinyl only once in 1989 on Brazilian label Estúdio Eldorado. This is a first LP reissue and additional CD reissue. Comes with original artwork – Painting “Star Dancer” by Gilbert Williams.

Sometimes I sink into the dark side of life,
Lucky me to have music to pull me back into the light” Kutiman

Following on from his critically acclaimed Open LP released in October, revered polymath Kutiman returns to Siyal Music with his Dense EP. Kutiman continues to push forward with developing his sound as we see the artist creating his first ever electric leaning release. Not the only first, as the haunting vocals layered throughout are a result of Kutiman debuting his very own voice. Kutiman pulls elements from various musical inspirations, be it moody electronica, garage and 2step, modern classical music, ambient or twisted r'n'b. The outcome is a unique, cutting edge blend of emotional pitched down vocals, melodic airy pianos and glitching sound effects.

“This EP expresses emotions from a dark period that I went through. At the time I was into dark electronics and also found inspiration from Rhythm and Sound, Burial, The Blaze, Plasticman and more. The EP all started from a little "Volca" drum machine, which I hooked up and set up a mostly analogue setup around it with some synths and drum machines that enabled me to "jam" a lot of the music without the need to stop for overdubbing or editing”. Kutiman

With an illustrious career spanning over a decade, Ophir Kutiel aka Kutiman moved to Tel Aviv as a teenager to study jazz at the prestigious Rimon music college. It was during this time that he was able to immerse himself in music, with influences cited as Massive Attack, DJ Shadow, Amon Tobin and Parliament. Fast forward to 2007 and his self-titled debut album received a 8.2 rating from Pitchfork and set the precedent for what was to come. Other tastemakers to highlight over the years include; The Guardian, Billboard, The New Yorker, The Wire, Uncut and XLR8R among others. Kutiman is forever pushing boundaries with his music, and draws on a range of world influences from spiritual jazz to psychedelic funk. ‘Dense EP’ sees Kutiman adding yet another string to his musical bow, as we enter the era of electronic inspired music.

Romano, bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark and pianist Joachim Kühn.
They hadn’t rehearsed anything, as if entering the studio to record an
album without any plan was something normal. The musicians were
obviously very used to playing with each other, as the five tracks on
Our Meanings And Our Feelings seem to flow perfectly without any
hint of improvisation. The zokra, an oriental clarinet that Michel Portal
plays on “Walking through the land” and “Dear old Morocco” brings a
singular touch to this album. This singularity is transcended by
Joachim Kühn’s ability to easily go from the piano to the saxophone
alto, from supporting to soloing, before playing the bells, then the
tambourine, opening the soundscape. Our Meanings And Our
Feelings may not be the first French free jazz record – as it was
preceded by the fantastic Free Jazz by François Tusques, released in
1965 and on which Michel Portal plays as well - but it remains one of
the most important. Its incredible outburst of sounds and melodies is
completely free yet never turns into cacophony. 44 years after its
release, it is still urgent to listen to Our Meanings And Our Feelings
and what these five talented musicians had to tell us.

On June 27th, 1969, Michel Portal pushed the door of the Pathé
Marconi studios. With him were drummers Jacques Thollot and Aldo

Lime green (yellowish?) vinyl LP Finnish noise rock duo NYOS deliver a clairvoyant Celebration of the present, written at a time when that present was shimmering just like the feathers of the cover art courtesy of animal photographer Zac Herr. Combining the danceable grooves of Battles with Sonic Youth - infused noise bursts and the yearning electric melodies of And So I Watch You From Afar, Celebration is a defiantly joyful, loud, and festive affair. A promising cure for the drudgery of the times we live in. Recorded by Brooke in his own Tonehaven Recording Studio, Celebration is the latest testament to the undeniable synergy these musicians have built over the past seven years. With the material largely written before the advent of corona, Celebration is a reflection of life before lockdown, filled to the brim with infectious grooves and glaring melodies. "We tried for something upbeat this time to contrast the times," explains Tom Brooke about the recording process, which in turn did take place during pandemic life. "We always love it when people can move to our music, so a big focus for the record was to embrace the dance vibe and go for it." This collection of eight colourful, jarring tracks is rife with small nods to dance music throughout the world. Take a song like "Light" with its complex syncopated drum pattern that recalls the Amen Break so typical for drum and bass music, but listen closely and the song reveals an off-beat skank that flips over into experimental reggae territory. Similarly, a track like "Tucano" recalls the experimental IDM of Bristol-based producer Vessel, while "Gold Vulcan" offsets a gnarly gyrating guitar riff with Latin- American and oriental melodies. The attention to detail on Celebration is phenomenal. The album contains some of the band's most layered compositions to date, but it is also the first NYOS record to feature improvised live recordings, the aptly named "First Take" as well as the celestial "Cloudberry". These musical sketches show two musicians at the apex of their connectedness. Every time that one of them appears to be taking a somewhat questionable turn, you'll find yourself carefully and respectfully readjusting your own interpretation of the song's intention - and what NYOS are all about.

This is Come Play With Me Records' first release since the partnership with EMI North has been announced. The compilation 10” is funded by Breed Media and features local Leeds artists Hang Linton, Claudia Fenoglio, Fehlt and Tirikilatops, with the vinyl featuring exclusive spoken word pieces from Jack Collins and Lily Fontaine (English Teacher). Key Quotes: “With summer on the horizon, ‘As Good As This’ possesses a most welcome warmth, its gentle familiarity as intoxicating as it is reassuring.” - God Is In The TV

Foyer Red’s debut LP, Yarn the Hours Away, plays out as a collection of short stories, each with its environment and protagonist(s) meticulously crafted by the band, with lead singer, vocalist, and clarinetist Elana Riordan at the helm. Foyer Red’s debut EP, Zigzag Wombat, showcased their playfully chaotic arrangements, which bridge art-punk, math rock, and sweetly sung indie with a dash of the zoomies.

The band synthesizes their homespun take on magical realist indie rock that was centered on their EP with their varied musical influences; taking cues from the otherworldly melodies of Cate Le Bon, Yucky Duster’s jangle-filled crayon rock, and the organized chaos of Deerhoof’s iconic polyrhythms. The songs that makeup Yarn the Hours Away are fantastical, surrealist stories that hinge on contemporary, post-digital life.

The lead single “Etc” captures this dynamic perfectly. Anchored by Eric Jaso’s hypnotizing bass line, the song unfolds with off-kilter call-and-response vocals between Riordan and Kristina Moore, their stilted deliveries bouncing around the mix. The track is searching but discontent with the algorithmic and claustrophobic realities of daily life: singer/guitarist Mitch Myers throws the song for a loop singing, “gathering information / will set you free once you’ve reached / 37 percent / of the database.” While there’s paranoia and cynicism undergirding the lyrics, the song itself is a thrilling and playful listen.

The songs on Yarn the Hours Away are uniformly exciting and compelling; each track feels distinct and sometimes even in direct conflict. The peppy opener “Plumbers Unite!” belies its themes of gamification of our daily lives and delves into the science fiction and fantasy songwriting of Foyer Red’s debut EP. Centered around a relentless rhythm section, their dueling vocals never abate; Moore and Riordan’s honey-sweet but getting more frantic as the song progresses, while Myers’ erratic talk-singing culminates in one final frustrated scream. Juxtapose this with “Gorgeous,” a lovely song about Riordan and drummer Marco Ocampo’s relationship that sees the band slowing their pace into a blissful sway. Riordan coos and sighs over the track while recalling “Marco-isms”; botched colloquialisms that Ocampo uses.

“Gorgeous” shares little in common with “Pocket,” a loose lamentation on late capitalism that touches on time travel and human evolution. Moore and Riordan’s exclamations are chopped up and used as rhythm instruments, layered over the intricately frenetic guitars of Myers and Moore. Foyer Red thrives on these extremes and contradictions. Where their first release was self-recorded, this LP found them in Figure8 Studios with a deadline. “It was really liberating,” says Jaso. “We're all just kind of throwing in our own voices and challenging each other to make the songs better.”

Yarn the Hours Away comes from a lyric on the closer “Toy Wagon.” The song that first marked the time Moore and the rest of the band worked together, a promising spark of a thrilling collaboration to come. “It harkens back to all of us coming together and spending the hours together in music,” says Moore. “There are few moments where you get to relax and exhale,” adds Riordan. “It's what happened when the five of us got together and started writing. We just wrote all of these out there songs and we didn't see a reason to dial that back. Its natural form is in its chaos and layered craziness.”

"prog stalwarts deliver the goods" KKKK Kerrang!
"an album of Muse-like, slow burning guitar anthems" Rock Sound
"TPT take the baton of Pink Floyd & run with it, with the same dream- like atmosphere on the cusp of a nightmare." TERRORIZER
"the sound of a band reaching the height of their powers" Classic Rock "a high- class, mature, up to date & consistently melancholic album in between Porcupine Tree & Muse...warm, popular, contrived" Metal Hammer (DE).

The Pineapple Thief are one of the leading lights of Europe's experimental rock domain, led by post-progressive mastermind Bruce Soord, the band have built an incredibly loyal fanbase over the past 23- years through extensive touring & consistently lauded recordings. Founder Bruce Soord started The Pineapple Thief as an outlet for his music back in 1999 & has since released over 15 studio albums.

'All The Wars' saw frontman Bruce Soord mature as a songwriter & grow in confidence, allowing him the use of a 22- piece string section & a choir. Soord explains, "no expense has been spared regarding the production of this record but at its heart it's still a rock record. It's very heavy in parts & very delicate & beautiful in others." Following Storm Thorgerson's cover for 'Someone Here Is Missing', the
artwork for this album features images created by the award- winning
photographer Mark Mawson as part of his 'Aqueous' series, which was projected onto Buckingham Palace as the background to Paul McCartney's performance of 'Magical Mystery Tour' during the diamond jubilee celebrations.

Kscope are now proud to present a newly remastered LP edition of 'All The Wars'

Bristol multi-instrumentalist, producer and nature freak Will Yates offers a new record from his Memotone alias, an expansive, hypothetical revue titled How Was Your Life?

Launching from terrains recognizable to fans of Will’s extensive, restless discography, How Was Your Life? packs up his penchant for baroque druid folk, homespun electronics and weightless woodwinds and explodes them into glistening, fractal star dust.

Instigated by the purchase of an antiquated Y2K era guitar synthesizer, the record was produced over the first half of 2022, in a large part a result of in-studio improvisation and carved by equipment that offered both possibilities and parameters that Will relished and explored to the nth degree. The Roland GR33 not only provided sublime guitar sounds but also empowered the guitar to convincingly mimic fretless bass, tabla and a vast percussive array, also summoning an artillery of uniquely outre atmospheres over the course of the record. The resulting concoction sounds familiar yet subtly, unshakeably otherworldly, shaping up as perhaps the most honed, energized and beatific Memotone album to date.

Paradise Drips gently lifts off with wobbly guitar, randomized sequences and unidentifiable percussive elements situating us somewhere in an unearthly realm, before Open World zaps the serotonin receptors and gushes with ecstatic warmth, it’s quietly insistent soft disco shuffle and levitational fretless driving towards a totally blissed and very soft “drop”. Forest Zone sees Memotone deep in the green, with a loose, propulsive groove and dancing flutes stumbling into a medieval ritual in the clearing halfway through, and Glow In The Dark deftly bounces between spacey ambience and an undulating no wave vamp. Carved By The Moon is a delightfully melted classical cut, while Canteen Sandwich offers the record’s most explicitly nod to modernity in the form of a nimble drum workout with samurai synths and melodic percussion that heaves towards a genuine peak. Lonehead immediately backs right off, viscerally melancholic clarinet and bubbling fx making for the records most hefty introspective moment, before Walking Backwards simmers all the way down on an wistful arpeggio, rooting back in earthly reality with charmed rhythms and jazzy tunings. Catharsis complete, Memotone is onto the next incarnation.

Will Yates has been making music as Memotone since 2010, releasing music on labels like Black Acre, Disktopia and Accidental Meetings, also releasing music as O.G. Jigg and Half Nelson. He’s worked as a producer, session musician and live performer on a broad spectrum of projects, and recently provided source sounds that made up Batu’s “Opal” on Timedance.

How Was Your Life? was written, produced and mixed by Will Yates. It was mastered by Chris Wang. Art and design by Hugo Bernier.

After the pandemic hit, and the people of the world grew wary and
suspicious of one another, Iguana Death Cult, one of Europe's most
exciting rock exports, became more than just a band to its members--it became therapy - "I think for the first ten times we went to jam," says guitarist/vocalist Tobias Opschoor, speaking about the making of the new album Echo Palace, "we just drank wine and talked about it for hours--and then were like, 'OK, I have to go because I have to work tomorrow.

Taking place at frontman Jeroen Reek's apartment in Rotterdam, these
gatherings slowly shifted from talking about this surreal chapter of their lives--the days of quiet streets and cramped buildings--to making music about it.
Armed with the talents of Justin Boer on bass and Arjen van Opstal on drums, and tapping the keys work Jimmy de Kok for the first time on album, the band took their trademark melodic garage-rock style and expanded it to make it vibier and looser, with each member contributing ideas to develop the sound palette in full. When it came time to record the album, the band headed to PAF Studio in
Rotterdam, and subsequently it was mixed by Joo- Joo Ashworth (Sasami, Dummy) at Studio 22 in Los Angeles and mastered by Dave Cooley (Tame Impala, Yves Tumor).

The album is a big swing, stretching Iguana Death Cult beyond its garage rock origins and taking them to a new realm. The end result of Echo Palace is an appropriately worldly album from a group breaking past the confines of its home country.

"Dutch band Iguana Death Cult's rip- roaring melodies are built to jettison far beyond their homebase of Rotterdam." - FADER

"Frenetic, intense sonic assaults, they turn psych punk into astonishingly concise three-dimensional documents." - CLASH

mule musiq dives into the archives of humanoid ambient music history, bringing the vinyl premiere of a masterwork by german dj, producer, and musician david moufang, globally known as move d. released in 1995 on pete namlook’s fabled fax +49-69/450464 label, the album marks his only output as solitaire, featuring heroic, supple ambient music, that some folks call one of the best works by move d.

just three years before he dropped it, moufang launched with jonas grossmann the celebrated label source records, active from 1992 to 2005. it was the platform for his first move d album “kun-ststoff”, likewise released in 1995, highlighting diverse genres like techno, house, idm, ambient, electro, and downtempo.

“solitaire” works with pulsating rhythms, too. gentle ones, that cater sensations beyond the propel-ling dance sectors. a spiritual album. recorded at the resource studios/heidelberg in july/august 1994. it reaches out to higher ground, never leaving the sediment.

still state of the art. not a single melody, note, tone has aged. all sparkle, all innocence is still there, somewhere deep in the arpeggiated space, absorbing time. an exploratory early electronic work by an artist, who still had his most prolific years to come.

and yet, “solitaire” sounds like being shaped by a fully mature creative mind, that defined his sonic language already profoundly. six epic tunes between five and 16 minutes, listening to emblematic titles like “damaskus/dakar, “sergio leone’s wet dream”, or “indian mantra”, while opening ambient into investigative textural layer landscapes, that subtly incorporate acid, downbeat, idm, or early techno districts.

for those who have been around in the electronic music sphere for a while, “solitaire” is a classic. for those who are young at heart, it opens new horizons. each new passive or active listing loop fresh ones. hidden in the harmonies. hidden in the melodies. somewhere inside the sound. leading outside into a visual texture, where you can almost see the music!

After his first appearance on Specimen Records as a part of the, SPECTRO-017 with his track “React”, Arsonist Recorder now comes with a first solo-EP on the label, Arsonist Recorder now comes with a first solo-EP on the label, in which the producer reaches back into some deeper, almost trippy states of mind, accompanied by some ultimately addictive electro grooves.

The first track, “Vaxxer”, which also titles the EP, puts up a warehouse-worthy beat, handing out bass-punches as it moves along. A rude hi-hat pattern shuffles the groove, and once the rhythm has you hooked, some lush eerie synth patterns start to emerge transporting the listener to the rooftop of a skyscraper in a dystopian city.

Next up is “Oxidant”, which was written with a close friend in mind who was going through some difficult times. The strong determination of the pulsating bass, overlayed by a very emotional melodic element leads you from the contrast to unity, refecting, pushing forward.

“Multiverse” comes in with a thunderous boom, reminiscent of a huge spaceship landing, which could be a metaphor for events that land on top of our heads, which we have no control over and have to deal with. The track introduces an infectious 808-groove, building up, and some chilling synths warp their way straight into your mind to de-program all the viruses in there and set you free from any mind-control.

Finally, finishing off is “Shiffty”. It lands straight away with a heart-pounding beat, with bass-bots bouncing, adding an ultra-funky bassline that will keep your feet moving. Waves of synthy-bliss wash over as this groove connects all your individual elements together.

”The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” ist Sparks’ erste Veröffentlichung seit fast fünf Jahrzehnten, nach Klassikern wie dem 1974 erschienenen Erfolgsalbum ”Kimono My House”, mit der Hit-Single ”This Town Ain’t
Big Enough For Both Of Us”. Das neue Album wird von Ron und Russell Mael als eine Platte beschrieben, die ”so kühn und kompromisslos ist wie alles, was wir damals gemacht haben, oder auch zu jeder anderen Zeit unserer Karriere”.

Das Album enthält fesselnde neue musikalische Elemente wie „Mona Lisa’s Packing, Leaving Late Tonight“ und „Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is“, Songs, die Sparks’ unermüdliche Fähigkeit unter Beweis stellen, in perfekten dreieinhalbminütigen Pop-Meisterwerken vollständige und detaillierte Geschichten zu erzählen.

„The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte“ ist sowohl charakterlich zeitlos als auch modern und bekräftigt einmal mehr, dass Sparks nach mehr als einem halben Jahrhundert, in dem sie solche Meisterwerke geschaffen haben, originell, genial und wie immer absolut einzigartig blieben.

Das Album ist erhältlich auf Vinyl und als CD.

”The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” ist Sparks’ erste Veröffentlichung seit fast fünf Jahrzehnten, nach Klassikern wie dem 1974 erschienenen Erfolgsalbum ”Kimono My House”, mit der Hit-Single ”This Town Ain’t
Big Enough For Both Of Us”. Das neue Album wird von Ron und Russell Mael als eine Platte beschrieben, die ”so kühn und kompromisslos ist wie alles, was wir damals gemacht haben, oder auch zu jeder anderen Zeit unserer Karriere”.

Das Album enthält fesselnde neue musikalische Elemente wie „Mona Lisa’s Packing, Leaving Late Tonight“ und „Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is“, Songs, die Sparks’ unermüdliche Fähigkeit unter Beweis stellen, in perfekten dreieinhalbminütigen Pop-Meisterwerken vollständige und detaillierte Geschichten zu erzählen.

„The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte“ ist sowohl charakterlich zeitlos als auch modern und bekräftigt einmal mehr, dass Sparks nach mehr als einem halben Jahrhundert, in dem sie solche Meisterwerke geschaffen haben, originell, genial und wie immer absolut einzigartig blieben.

Das Album ist erhältlich auf Vinyl und als CD.

Pinky Perzelle, aka Sonny Rooney's debut 'No Games' featuring Eda Eren, is a true labour of love and an ode to his total passion and dedication to multi instrumental record creation without compromise. Almost every instrument was recorded and played by Perzelle at his home studio. Featuring the utterly unique, impassioned and reassuring vocals of British-Turkish artist, Eda Eren, and additional drums from world renowned Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics). The lead track is a timeless, heartfelt, funk-ladened portal into a world reminiscent of a cinematic movie scene or an undiscovered gem from another era all-together. The hypnotic 'Remix' from Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold aka Gerry Rooney & Joel Martin, introduces subtle electronica and dubbed out instrumentation. A true lesson in after hours, left-field Balearica. Pinky's own 'Electronic Mix' references early house music and broken-beat electronic drums. Showing yet another side of Perzelle's approach to music making.

DJ Feedback

Gilles Peterson:
"Great stuff! Loving the Turkish twist on No Games. Whoooop!"

Dj Harvey:
"Definitely a jam I’ll play in Ibiza for my summer season!"

Francios K:
"I have the Original Mix and love it!"

Tim Sweeney (Beats in space):
"Great job with this. Definitely supporting! Added to BIS playlist."

Colleen Cosmo Murphy (WWFM):
"Now here’s a great new song. A debut song from Pinky Perzelle aka Sonny Rooney. Also a great remix from Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold!"

Charlie Bones (Do You):
"Dangerously sexy."

Apiento (Test Pressing):
"A killer song put together with an overall vision from someone that knows where they want to be. An artist to watch. Respect."

Nancy Noise:
"I haven’t stopped listening to it! I mean it! Well done!"

Laurent Garnier:
"Playlisting Original Mix on PBB Radio. Thanks a lot!"

Luke Howard (Horse Meat Disco):
"Bravo, great job. Keep up the good work. Always happy to hear real music with new melodies and ideas!"

Leo Mas:
"Pinky’s Electronic Mix’ is great! Great job, bravo!"

Ashley Beedle:
"I’ll be putting this in August’s show. Sounds wicked."

Jonny Rock:
"This is great! Intense emotion dancefloor bomb! Big up the Perzelle."

Mehmet Aslan:
"Nice ones, I like! Added to Spotify ‘Track ID’s’ playlist."

CC Disco:
"Sick release! Was not what I was expecting. Even better!"

Patrizio Cavaliere (Mixmag Asia):
"A sublime statement of intent."

Fuzz is Ty Segall (drums/vocals), Charlie Moothart (guitar/vocals)
and Roland Cosio (bass). They’re heavy rock lifers—three Californiabred dudes who have been refining their riffs and getting weird together since high school (which wasn’t that long ago, actually). If you are not already aware of Segall, well, what’s up? He’s one of garage rock’s most prolific sons. He said he was going to take it easy this year, but by the time you finish reading this, the onesheet for his next record will have already arrived in your inbox. Moothart
plays guitar in The Ty Segall Band and was also a member of The Moonhearts, which included Cosio on guitar.

Way back in the early ’00s, all three played in the Epsilons. Fuzz was formed a couple years ago as a collaboration between Segall and Moothart, but only recently did the pair have sufficient time to guide
the band out of side-project limbo and into a recording studio. Since then, they have released two singles, “This Time I Got a Reason” (Trouble In Mind) and “Sleigh Ride” (In The Red). Around the time of the latter, Cosio joined on bass.

They are not dabblers or dilettantes. Fuzz flipped through used bins,
hard drives and record collections of the world, seeking out the finest
weirdo cuts. The band’s self-titled debut LP, which was recorded by Chris Woodhouse (Thee Oh Sees, The Intelligence), dives deep, drawing inspiration from the more esoteric reaches of heavy metal pre-history. There are Sabbath and Hendrix nods, obviously, but on “Sleigh Bells” you might also catch a whiff of UK progressive blues business like The Groundhogs, particularly when the song quits its 10/4-time intro and reboots into fullbore choogle.

Maybe you’ll even glimpse the ghost of Australian guitar legend/sharpie guru Lobby Lloyde sniffing around “Raise.”

The mood is not light. The songs project a state of perpetual paranoia
and eroding mental health. And as it should be, you know? It’s a record for the burners.

From ‘OK Computer’ to ‘Screamadelica’, history has shown that a band’s third album is when shit starts to get real. When, after an introductory debut and a second that tests new waters, the particular alchemy of a group stamps its personality in ways that no other configuration of individuals can do; when the outside voices have been tempered and all that’s left is a perfect cocktail of confidence, skill and momentum. It’s a theory that’s been proven time and time again, and one that Newcastle trio Demob Happy are underlining with ‘Divine Machines’: a third album that harnesses their delicate tightrope of heaviness and melody, sweetness and riffs, and rides it up to the stratosphere.

From ‘OK Computer’ to ‘Screamadelica’, history has shown that a band’s third album is when shit starts to get real. When, after an introductory debut and a second that tests new waters, the particular alchemy of a group stamps its personality in ways that no other configuration of individuals can do; when the outside voices have been tempered and all that’s left is a perfect cocktail of confidence, skill and momentum. It’s a theory that’s been proven time and time again, and one that Newcastle trio Demob Happy are underlining with ‘Divine Machines’: a third album that harnesses their delicate tightrope of heaviness and melody, sweetness and riffs, and rides it up to the stratosphere.

The Last Kingdom is a British historical fiction TV series based on novels called The Saxon Stories by author Bernard Cornwell (originally aired on BBC 2 & BBC America). John Lunn's music possesses a unique voice that spans a wide spectrum of musical styles. Classically trained, yet contemporary in attitude, he combines a highly intelligent and sensitive approach with a sound that always hits at the emotional heart of a piece. He is probably best known for scoring the hugely successfuldrama Downton Abbey, for which he has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as a BAFTA nomination.

Eivør often envisions the dramatic landscape of her Nordic homeland, a remote archipelago known as the Faroe Islands. “It can be very harsh and very gentle at the same time, and when I sing, I see that wildness and softness blended together”. Now based in Copenhagen, Eivør brings that stark contrast to a darkly textured, yet brightly melodic sound centred on her captivating vocals. While her origins lie in Faroese folk singing, Eivør's most recent output reveals her fascination with the infinite possibilities of electronic music. Along with earning comparisons to Kate Bush in the pages of MOJO, Eivør's otherworldly ingenuity has led to her role in co-composing the soundtrack to the BBC/Netflix flagship series The Last Kingdom.

It features compositions by the great Stan Tracey - The Godfather of British Jazz - inspired by Dylan Thomas' drama 'Under Milk Wood', including the timeless "Starless and Bible Black" with its acclaimed solo by tenor saxophonist Bobby Wellins.

Like Thomas's characters, the themes vary greatly in tempo, in mood, in dramatic depth. The title song is a triumph, not only because it stands by itself as a beautifully conceived jazz ballad, but because it sets the scene for the rest of the writing and playing. Some of the other themes are impressionistic and highly subjective sketches of Thomas seen through the prism of jazz.

It was awarded 69th place in Jazzwise magazine's The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World: "Tracey is indispensable, a one-man mission statement. Here he showed how much could be achieved within the basic jazz quartet format.

Reaction at the time seems to have been along the lines of where on earth did this come from? Coherent, vital and mind-stretching."
"The haunting Starless and Bible Black remains probably the finest single recorded performance by a British jazz group." - The Observer

»Picture a Frame,« the debut album by the Belgian composer Elisabeth Klinck, was born out of strict isolation and is nonetheless a result of a collaborative process that saw her working closely with artist Oscar Claus. Enriching her compositions for violin with electronic soundscapes and field recordings from their surroundings, the two entered an artistic dialogue that took place inside its own idiosyncratic space outside of conventional time. It is an intimate record in which Klinck’s expressive playing that incorporates unconventional techniques forms the basis of something much bigger: an invitation to inhabit a specific space at a specific time together with the two of them.

For an entire week in the spring of 2021, Klinck and Claus stayed at an abandoned monastery surrounded by beautiful gardens, but with no power or running water. The intention was to record some of Klinck’s musical ideas on violin, experiment with electronics and acoustic spaces and to get to know each other on a musical level. This proved to be an inspiring and deeply moving process—and the starting point for more. In the winter of that year, the duo set out to the Spanish Pyrenees to build a DIY studio in a small village on a mountain top and record the eight pieces that form »Picture a Frame.« The idea of losing track of time and space is a theme that found its way in these recordings. The two spent their days and nights reading, walking, talking, cooking and taking care of the animals living there but also experimenting with sound, improvising together and making field recordings.

This deep focus on being present in the moment, listening to the world around them and each other resulted in a holistic experience that was translated into music and sound. Klinck and Claus understand this album as a collage, an attempt to evoke the implicit, an essay that suggests a time and space, and a gentle collision between two people that deeply resonate with one another. It’s impossible to argue with that, and even harder not to be drawn into it.

A self- described "semi- professional" musician since he was 14, Barna played drums for Deaf West Theatre's Los Angeles production of Spring Awakening and on the national Broadway tour for The Producers, but it took a trip to Berlin's Club Legarré, and its English-speaking open mic, to find his own voice as a songwriter and performer. His new album is a collection of stories, vulnerable and
openhearted, of his New York. In his words, "It's a character study of the bar itself.

It's a safe space, but there's alcohol, drugs, sadness, and your own demons."

Recorded in Rochester, Seán wrote late into the night as producer (producer!) and his kids slept. Moving fast, Macri Park became the center of a song cycle documenting giddiness, grief, history, and everything in- between. He enlisted friends, including Counting Crows' Adam Duritz and David Immerglück, harpist and songwriter Mikaela Davis, Danielle Ponder, and Maria Taylor, to bring his world to life.

Back with his second full-length release of 2022 and follow-up to the wildly successful album, “FACE,” Babyface Ray gifts fans with “MOB,” an 18-track album featuring tightly selected appearances by Lil Durk, Blxst, Ninja, Doe Boy, Samuel Shabazz,King Hendrick$ & GMO Stax. 2022 was a banner year for Ray, with him being named to XXLs Freshmen class of 2022, as well as being elected to be part of the 2022 class for YouTube Music’s Black Voices Fund. He also embarked on his first sold out nationwide headlining tour, and appeared at several notable festivals, including Rolling Loud, Lyrical Lemonade's Summer Smash, Made In America, Wireless Fest, Broccoli City and others. After making a late night appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Ray announced his second headline tour slated for 2023, entitled “Courtesy of the MOB.” If one thing is clear, it’s that Babyface Ray is a force to stay for years to come.

Brussels-based producer Sagat’s highly anticipated debut album ‘Silver Lining’ lands on Vlek Records. Sagat takes us on a deep dive into a dense sonic universe: It’s bass music viewed from multiple vantage points, an explorative zoom onto contemporary dance music’s broad ranging cadences, paradoxically viewed from a distance. Silver lining bathes in cluttering rhythms that hover over corroded thumping grooves. Poly chrome synths emerge dramatically, interlocking with oddly timed techno syncopations. Yet all tracks are held together by firm, dubbed out beat repetitions and slabs of sub bass, not without a melodic sense of drama. Sagat’s disintegrated sound-design stands in between musical dichotomies, at once spaced-out, disorienting and emotive, but also explorative, colourful and full of tension. Moving, yet statuesquely standing idle. Silver Lining is an album longing for the dancefloor, but also about disconnection from it: A highly personal presentation of this producers’ singular take on bass oriented club music. From our standing point we love to see how Sagat’s music keeps evolving, toying with contemporary club music’s specific tropes, unbound by its normativeness. Silver lining is an album rich in contrast that works for personal listening experience as well as for the adventurous DJ with one foot firmly on the dancefloor, the other somewhere way out there.

Father, author, podcaster; producer, TV pundit and presenter, entrepreneur; lyricist, victim and survivor of racist violence. In just thirty-three years, the highly-acclaimed Guvna B has lived a life which has been as varied as his elite talents.The Village Is On Fire, his tenth studio album, is his richest and most rewarding work to date. Against a soundscape that evokes London in all its agony and glory - a seamless blend of soul, house, grime, Afrobeats and more - he grapples with the aftermath of an unprovoked and racially motivated attack.

* In Katta's music, ancient and modern worlds come together, the sacred meets the profane, and technological chasms are crossed: you might hear her play on some of the world's most treasured pipe organs in churches and cathedrals, or on her state-of-the-art, custom-built electric touring organ - and whether the ambience is provided by the dreamy acoustics of vaulted sacred spaces, or electronic soundscapes weaving in and out of her organ lines, the spirit of her music is unmistakable: ethereal, experimental, arresting.

* Katta first came to international prominence as a classical organist and harpsichordist, performing with orchestras such as Anima Eterna (with Jos van Immerseel), Zurich Chamber Orchestra (with Sir Roger Norrington), the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra - but it was when she started writing and performing her own music that her artistic identity truly asserted itself. 2016's 'Veni Sancte Spiritus' album was the first to showcase her compositions – other-worldly, spiritual works featuring distinctive vocals and tinkling, percussive bells: by turns lyrical and jarring, they seemed to come from a distant and mysterious past, and yet to belong entirely to the present. Katta’s original vocal/instrumental project Vox Organi won a prize at 2018 Classic Prague Awards.
* Katta also finds inspiration in collaborating with other artists, from British violinist Daniel Hope to American organ sensation Cameron Carpenter. This year she performed at Olavsfest in Norway, taking the stage right after a set from Björk. Her new album 'Vox Organi' will be released soon on Berlin label Emika Records, and Katta has been performing material from the album on her recent tour of the same name.

Dutch progressive Death Metal legends Phlebotomized at the peak of their 30 year old career!

Phlebotomized is among the oldest Death Metal bands from Holland and one of the first using violin and synthesizers in extreme metal. Their typical “Death Metal with a twist” caused a stir in the booming Dutch metal scene back in the early 90’s. Formed in 1989, Phlebotomized started out as a Grindcore/Death Metal band,
inspired by acts like Morbid Angel, Nocturnus and Paradise Lost. Later on, the band began to use keyboard and violin arrangements, resulting in their unique sound. Their “Devoted to God” demo (1992) was recognized as a classic one demo worldwide. In 1994 Phlebotomized released their seminal “Immense Intense Suspense” album which offered an intelligent blend of atmosphere and brutality. It took the Death Metal scene by storm, giving both the band and the album a legendary Cult status worldwide.

The band played numerous shows but disbanded shortly after the release of their second full-length album “Skycontact” in 1997.

After a hibernation of 16 years, Phlebotomized regrouped in 2013 upon the re-release of their classic albums. The band played several live-shows and

Finally back on vinyl, this time a limited pressing of 500 copies on 180g white vinyl, 'More Wealth Than Money' by Normil Hawaiians quickly sold-out upon its initial release in 2017.
'More Wealth Than Money' proved a vastly ambitious debut album, sprawling across four sides of vinyl in a way that still feels truly expansive, brave, cinematic even. From the plaintive pastoralism of 'British Warm' to the transcendental vistas of 'Other Ways Of Knowing', the album constantly surprises with its ringing trails of guitar, motorik pulse and synth rambles. From the striving incursion of 'Sally IV' to the softly spoken disbelief of 'Yellow Rain' the album is nothing short of a waking dream. Guy Smith's vocal floats through the album in a haunting manner, at times heartfelt at others overcome. He's on a quest to his own celestial city and we can stay for the whole journey if we only listen.
Described by the press upon its release in 1982 as an "absolutely mesmerising double album travelling through progressive rock, via industrial folk to freaky art-punk whilst sounding delightfully coherent" and "a huge slab of mindblowing dark psychedelia" the album was critically acknowledged for its peculiarly British kosmische. However, for an album so indebted to the fertile soil from which it sprang, it's curious that 'More Wealth Than Money' never came out officially in the UK. The band's label Illuminated were temporarily blacklisted by their distributor because of unpaid debts and so the album was only available from the band at concerts within the UK. The bulk of the record's sales went to mainland Europe on export.
Upset The Rhythm are now very proud to finally give 'More Wealth Than Money' the release it's always deserved. On December 1st, 35 years since the album first appeared, Upset The Rhythm will be reissuing the newly re-mastered 'More Wealth Than Money' album, alongside a further full-length collection of demos and unreleased tracks from the album's overlooked corners. Both the 2xCD and DLP versions also come with a booklet contextualizing the release, full of anecdotes and photos from all band members.
Track listing:

Sergio Fazio has been the driving force behind a string of early 90s high octane releases sitting somewhere between breaky rave indulgences and early progressive trancey sounds.

Starting with “The Factory” project which we had the pleasure of releasing last year, we continue this relationship with an unreleased EP from the same time, finally allowing it to see the day of light 30 years after it was produced. To compliment the occasion we bring Berlin's specialist Trent to cook a new remixed version in his studio - Italy at it's best.

Heavy percussive elements flowing in and out of driving bass line patterns, hearing is believing, can't go wrong. Remastered and with full cover artwork.

*INSTOCK AND SHIPPING* The North-West’s legendary electro-prog-pop experimenalists a.P.A.t.T. are back with their first studio album in 6 years. a.P.A.t.T. are an English ensemble generally known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Redefining notions of failure and success with electronic art pop. Since their first release, (e.p.) in 2002 a.P.A.t.T. have released over 7 albums, numerous singles, 100’s of music films; received commissions from a Smörgåsbord of leading arts organisations, created a feature-length film and even starred in and composed for a BBC TV Sitcom. The last album Fun with Music (2016) saw the band more refined and focussed than ever… “Their most accessible work yet..in a freaky kinda way” said BBC’s Stuart Maconie. This album discusses the ‘I’ the ‘WE’ and the confusing notion of self. 6 years since the release of the last a.P.A.t.T. album and the world seems to have changed. “It’s different now” muses General MIDI when asked, “We were all doing something pretty similar in some respect. We changed. We struggled. We adapted. We grew. We felt more collective than ever…maybe?” ‘We’ is an adventurous collection of passing thoughts, barely laughable references, pop songs andsonic experiments. It’s a look at people. It’s a look within.

Berlin party series and label AWAY Music continues its limited vinyl series called "Reissued", dedicated to re-releasing iconic cuts from the vast collaborative catalog of Move D & Pete Namlook. The second installment "Reissued 2", which follows the series' inaugural EP from 2019, features again some exceptional pieces that were previously only available on CD.


Move D and Pete Namlook are electronic visionaries whose 26-album relationship explored and intertwined psychedelic synthscapes, deep house and techno, future jazz, and downtempo on Namlook's cult imprint Fax Records. Their innovative and influential works keep inspiring electronic music producers today, showcasing their willingness to collaborate and push the boundaries of electronic music.


"Silk Route Part 1", which comes from their 2008 album "Travelling The Silk Route", occupies the A-side with a 12-minute journey full of jazz-infused ambient soundscapes meeting oriental melodies with sophisticated percussion patterns. A truly immersive listening experience!

On the flip, "Sleeplearnin'" was described as psycho-active electronica when it first came out on the "Sons of Kraut" album 17 years ago. Translated, we're talking about minimal house that carries their warm trademark sound, enriched by pulsating echoes, space noises, and relapsing vocoder shreds. It conveys the pair's unique energy that embraces the improvisational moment to create a hypnotic flow that's nothing but timeless.


"Reissued 2" is a true testament to the innovative spirit and pioneering work of Move D and Pete Namlook. With these tracks now available on vinyl for the first time, AWAY's limited series is a must-have for old and new fans alike.

In the days before “landfill” indie, and in rebellion against a developing Britpop orthodoxy, there were some weird but melodic bands coming of age outside London that drew inspiration from the US underground and the sparkly retro-futurism of Japan. Primitive guitar noise with art rock leanings, post punk DIY and fanzine culture. The best known of these bands was maybe Urusei Yatsura; “noisy stars”, named in honour of Rumiko Takahashi, legendary manga creator.

Back in 1996, after several increasingly well-received 7’s, the band travelled to Leamington Spa to record their debut album with John Rivers, producer of Swell Maps and Glasgow scene godparents, The Pastels. The resulting album won the group legions of new fans and gained them their first Independent #1 chart placing, alongside peers Ash and Super Furry Animals.

“These were fertile years in Glasgow, a scene with no name, no single sound, where the magic thread tying everyone together was words and works so personal, they couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else’s. ‘We Are Urusei Yatsura’ is a cascade of ‘why not?’ thinking. The way ‘Phasers on Stun’ spirals into ‘Sola Kola’; the sunburned 23-second improv at the end of ‘Pachinko’; the slack-echoing strings of the outro to ‘Road Song’ sprayed with the shrapnel of toy electronics. Pure pop magic, Ren & Stimpy on upstairs, ray-guns, Ian’s homemade walkie-talkie speaker, a beatbox, all sealed with a “Talking Tina” doll’s emphatic endorsement: “I love it”” – Nick Soulsby

Since 1999, Gogol Bordello has been bringing their unique fusion of punk rock and Eastern European influences to the world, including their legendary theatrical and rambunctious live shows. From its inception, Gogol Bordello has been a band of immigrants, with members hailing from Ukraine, Ecuador, Russia, and Ethiopia. With their upcoming eighth studio album and first in five years, Solidaritine, they are going back to singer, Eugene Hutz's more punk rock roots as heard on the new single "Focus Coin" While finishing up the new record, the world turned upside down for Hutz and other members as the war in Ukraine started. With his mind now on helping out his homeland, Hutz has used his influence and art to raise money and awareness. He's collaborated with everyone from Les Claypool to Billy Strings in recent months, to putting together benefits featuring Patti Smith and more. Now Gogol Bordello is ready to bring their new album to the masses, and use their art to help end the war and bring Solidaritine to the world.

Since 1999, Gogol Bordello has been bringing their unique fusion of punk rock and Eastern European influences to the world, including their legendary theatrical and rambunctious live shows. From its inception, Gogol Bordello has been a band of immigrants, with members hailing from Ukraine, Ecuador, Russia, and Ethiopia. With their upcoming eighth studio album and first in five years, Solidaritine, they are going back to singer, Eugene Hutz's more punk rock roots as heard on the new single "Focus Coin" While finishing up the new record, the world turned upside down for Hutz and other members as the war in Ukraine started. With his mind now on helping out his homeland, Hutz has used his influence and art to raise money and awareness. He's collaborated with everyone from Les Claypool to Billy Strings in recent months, to putting together benefits featuring Patti Smith and more. Now Gogol Bordello is ready to bring their new album to the masses, and use their art to help end the war and bring Solidaritine to the world.

Avalon Emerson & the Charm is an evolution. Created during an extended break from the hectic blur of her life as a touring DJ, the album is a personal statement of intent from an artist who’s long looked beyond the club for inspiration. It’s also the first time that Emerson has put herself, her emotions and, most notably, her voice fully into the spotlight.

Having spent her entire career working more or less alone, Emerson purposely sought out a small cast of like-minded artists to help bring the album to life. A Chief among them was UK avant-pop savant Bullion, who executive produced the record and, most importantly, shares both Emerson’s predilection for shimmering pop melodies and her boundary- less approach to music-making.

Working together, they cracked open her head and heart alike, creating a space where she could intimately reflect on the people and places she’s loved and left behind.

Mambo Diablo is a 1986 Grammy winner in the Tropical Latin album category. It remains as one of the most distinct Latin albums to bridge the gap between Jazz and Latin music ever.

Tito was a multi-Grammy winner, and this album features his all-star band of Bobby Rodriguez, Sonny Bravo, Jimmy Frisaura, John “Dandy” Rodriguez and even includes Jazz legend George Shearing.

The album is reissued for the first time in decades in honor of Tito’s centennial.

Re-issue of Cate Le Bon's April 2016 album originally released on Drag City which she described as "A coalition of inescapable feelings and fabricated nonsense," . A few years prior to its release, Cate's mother unearthed her birth certificate, and admitted to her daughter that they'd had her birthday a day off for nearly three decades. That sense of misaligned reality is the guiding force on Crab Day, where Cate establishes a strange, almost Dadaist lyrical scheme to make sense-or make more nonsense-of some unnamed life rupture that's left her grasping Ltd. coloured vinyl edition!

His best work to date is presented to us as Ivan’s voice is centre stage, with layered harmonies added to the soundscape of delay-soaked electric guitars, and essentials-only drums and bass.

Drawing from new life experiences, musical influences from the likes of J.J. Cale, Nina Simone and Tim Buckley, along with the freedom to create at his leisure; Ivan’s original and unique sound remains recognisably present, creating a fusion of 1960s/70s folk and blues. If you’re a fan of John Martyn’s drowsy melancholia you’ll love this album.

Rave Or Die's sixteenth release signs a 100% frenchies masterpiece that will leave you breathless! As an absolute must-have for anyone who loves old-school music, this collectible double 10" features tracks from techno pioneers The Hacker, David Carretta, Terence Fixmer, and Umwelt.

Characterized by a fierce atmosphere over a classic Rave construction, The Hacker's highenergy "Reactor" on A side signs a nod to Circuit Breaker style. No doubt it will get your blood pumping!

David Carretta on the flip injects some New Beat and electro touches on his 4/4 flying gem, adding a unique flavor to the LP. Gold "Invasive Machinery" sounds like the perfect example of how the old and new can come together to create something beautiful. Terence Fixmer's "Detune My Brain" coming next is a milestone of a banger, with modulated vocals fusing into a sonic assault of mental acid sororities propelled by pounding beats. Ace!

Lastly, ROD mastermind Umwelt signs with analog "Mind War Acid," a vibrant tribute to Chaos A.D.'s "Mind War Electro" on Rephlex. This absolute tour de force driven by an insane 303 will make you want to dance until the end of world thanks to its gloomy and apocalyptic melodies.

Each track on this compilation is unique for sure, but they all come together to create an unforgettable listening experience covering every shade of the techno spectrum. Don't sleep on this one!

Re-issue of Cate Le Bon's April 2016 album originally released on Drag City which she described as "A coalition of inescapable feelings and fabricated nonsense," . A few years prior to its release, Cate's mother unearthed her birth certificate, and admitted to her daughter that they'd had her birthday a day off for nearly three decades. That sense of misaligned reality is the guiding force on Crab Day, where Cate establishes a strange, almost Dadaist lyrical scheme to make sense-or make more nonsense-of some unnamed life rupture that's left her grasping Ltd. coloured vinyl edition!

We complete 2019 with the "Sky, Horse and Catch EP" by label boss Noema himself.
On his quest to 'Bring the Jams', the world traveling DJ delivers two stunning tunes, streaked with percussion that he recorded on a trip to Sao Paulo.
Last but not least, Noema's EP comes along with a mind-bending remix by our favourite Romanians Khidja.

The title track translates a 90's Detroit House Groove to the present day and adds Cuica, Berimbau and several other Brazilian drums on top. Riding the complex groove, you encounter eccentric synths, mysterious soundscapes and of course the horse, on this 11 minute long hack.
'Minhocao' trades the horse for a racing car and takes you on a cruise on the same-named elevated highway that leads through the city of Sao Paulo. Surrounded by driving beats, guitar single-notes, massive synth-bass howls and a gritty Moog theme, this jam is a hell of a joyride!

Khidja strips down the original title track to its core and creates a solely percussive version in a half-time groove. By adding a virtuoso Qanon/Saz-like sound the tune develops an arabesque flavour with a dubby bass as the cherry on the top.

THE MON is the name of the solo project by Urlo, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, synth player and founder (together with Poia) of the heavy psych italian band Ufomammut and one of the three minds behind the poster art trio Malleus Rock Art Lab.

Slovenia multimedia, electronic and rock group Borghesia formed back in 1982 from members of an underground theatre group that was known as FV-112/15. They also ran their own alternative club and had an illicit, illegal aesthetic based around anything taboo, banned or prohibited in the country at the time, much like the likes of Front 242 and Nitizer Ebb. Rugged City was an album first released in 1988 and only in Yugoslavia. It collects the best tunes from previous albums Escorts And Models and No Hope No Fear and is a perfect overview of their powerful mutant sound.

Sound Metaphors and Transmigration explore the early underground Goa party scene with a 2x12” compilation.

A collection of Techno, Italian-House, New Beat and Post Punk all heard on the same dancefloors amongst Goa's tropical beaches during the late 80's and early 90's. What is now understood as Goa Trance was once preceded by an amalgamation of many different genres smuggled to Goa in tape format by true music devotees that filtered through all that was being produced in the West shaping a unique dancefloor sound that could only pertain to the “Special Goa Music” genre. Sound Metaphors teams up with Transmigration and journalist, DJ and first hand witness of the scene at hand - Ray Castle – to present a meticulous body of research into the sound signature of that unique scene. 11 highly sought after tracks presented in a double LP gatefold format with an A1 poster insert and insightful liner notes by Ray Castle. A tracklist so lush, your discogs wantlists will forever be grateful – buy on sight.

“Everything about the Goa counterculture was illicit. The music from vinyl was bought with black market money and bootlegged onto cassettes and backpacked to India. Collectors and DJs would swap, dub and edit it, for free parties. The music was disseminated tape-to-tape by a clandestine traveller clique of ragtag party makers. This highly coveted ‘Special Goa Music’ contained a vibe—a brain-infesting vibe—capable of triggering apotheosis-like states for dosed up dancefloors, only possible for sunrise Goa parties in nature, in India.” - Ray Castle

Although its name comes from the literal translation of the Korean term - which could mean anything from fanciful daydreams to nightmarish terrors, but always alluding to the idea that they are nonsensical, unrealistic, or simply silly - Lucy Liyou's sophomore album instead takes seriously these questions of why we dream what we dream, what slumber offers us that sober reality fails to, and
which forgotten desires dare only emerge as our bodies go to rest. RIYL: Elysia Crampton, Eiko Ishibashi, Mariah Carey, Valerio Tricolor (Tour Sketch), Perfume Genius.

After the success of their first full length album Midnight Ensemble, it's now time for a massive remixpack divided in 2 EP's; Part 1 followed by Part 2 (which will be follow soon after this).

The Dynamic duo asked some of their close friends, label residents and inspirators to rework all of the tracks taken from the original album.

On Part 1 you will find remixes from DJ Nobu, Rrose, Jeroen Search on the 12" added by 2 Digital Bonus tracks bij Pyramidal Decode and Hitam.

Expect a diverse range of techno cuts and ambient drones as you are used to
from Dynamic Reflection.

* 300 COPIES FOR UK/EU* With a friendship stretching back nearly 20 years, it strangely ended up being a couple of childhood photographs that finally brought Ben Chasny and Rick Tomlinson together as collaborators. Both have rich musical backgrounds: Chasny being a member of the psych-rock outfit Comets on Fire but probably best known for his solo project, Six Organs of Admittance, while Tomlinson has released numerous records as Voice of the Seven Woods/Thunders and under his own name. “A mutual acquaintance, Jamie Tugwell, took me to go see Rick play live around 2005,” remembers Chasny. “Jamie kept saying how Rick was sort of an ornery fellow and that I would like him a lot. He was right. I loved his guitar playing right away, which seemed so far from what a lot of players were doing. We had drinks and hit it off. We remained friends over the years.” Chasny became a regular visitor to Tomlinson when on tour in the UK and one particular stay unearthed something serendipitous that would kickstart the making of a joint album. “I was staying at Rick’s house after a show and I looked over and saw a photo of him in a Halloween costume as a box of matches,” Chasny recalls. “It cracked me up because I have a similar photo of me as a robot and I tried to explain to him how it matched his photo.” About 6 months later Chasny found it and sent it to Tomlinson to show him the uncanny likeness of their childhood outfits. “Pretty soon after that we realized we needed to do a duo record and have those photos be on the cover,” says Chasny. “The entire record comes from the photos on the cover.” Tomlinson adds: “It was a pretty odd coincidence. Even down to us both standing on flags with a conifer behind us. We obviously had no option but to use these for the sleeve.” Recorded at Tomlinson’s house in Todmorden over three days one June, initially the pair didn’t quite know where they wanted to go with their musical direction. Tomlinson kept pulling out super rare records from his vast collection for inspiration and they sat and listened to the solo piano recordings of Popol Vuh’s Florian Fricke but they knew they needed to land on something that was intrinsically them. “We knew we wanted to do a record together but we weren’t sure what direction to take,” says Chasny. “When we first sat down to work out some ideas it was pretty much just us getting down to finally having a guitar showdown where each of us tried to outdo each other with flashy moves and ridiculous riffs and playing. After we got that out of our system, we were able to settle down and concentrate on a mood for the record to focus on.” The result is 6 instrumental tracks that capture beautifully fluid and interlocking guitars played with deft grace and skill but also a subtle looseness. On the 9 minute-plus ‘Wait For Low Tide’, the sparse and spacious back and forth playing becomes utterly hypnotic, neatly capturing the kind of natural and intuitive playing that can only come from music made between friends who understand the crucialness of leaving space for one another. While acoustic guitars are the primary means of expression on the record - from the soothing and gentle ‘i’ to the intricate playing of ‘Waking of Insects’ - the pair delve into ambient drone tape loop territory on the humming 16 minute ‘Paths of Ocean Currents and Wind Belts’, which further adds to the deeply textural, spacious and immersive feel of the album. All the tracks were recorded in one take, with the titles all stemming from translations from the Chinese book, The Dream Pool Essays, and then mixed in London at Jimmy Robertson's SNAFU studio, with additional mixing and mastering from Andrew Liles. The laid back, breezy and spontaneous approach to making this record is one that was reflective of the pair’s friendship and camaraderie, with their relationship ultimately driving the tone and feel of the finished album. “We hiked around the countryside, climbed into church bell towers, drank delicious beer in the middle of sunny afternoons, and had fantastic dinners,” says Chasny of the three-day recording period. “I think all of that wound up in the music. I really had the best time in the world.

Unrilis drops the latest release in its reinvigorated Rilis release series with a four-track EP by Ritzi Lee who is known for his hypnotic grooves and analogue sounds.

Rino Cerrone launched the Rilis series in the '90s as an outlet for his own experimental tracks and in 2022 the Unrilis team decided to relaunch the project.

Ritzi Lee is a Dutch artist based in Amsterdam who is well-known for his releases on underground imprints ranging from Bas Mooy's Mord to Ben Klock's Klockworks and his dark and dystopian style with raw percussion is a perfect fit for the Rilis style.
Talking about his new Rilis series release, Ritzi Lee said: 'I'm a big fan of the early Rilis releases. That sound was always integrated to my DJ sets and a big inspiration for most of my productions. The early Naples techno sound was always about pushing the limits, but at the same time keeping it groovy and funky. So, I was able to use those rules and apply them into this release while still combining my own signature sound. I think it's best described as ruff edged with a minimalistic approach, but making sure to keep it warm sounding. I'm really happy with the result, as feels like there is a strong Amsterdam/Naples connection in this sound and I would say it is a perfect match.'

A cult icon on the international film scene, Japanese actress Meiko Kaji, born in Tokyo, has been put into the spotlight internationally by Quentin Tarantino when he heavily based his Kill Bill film on the 1973 revenge genre film 'Lady Snowblood,' one of Kaji's most famous films. By the time she appeared in it, she had already made almost fifty feature films (she began her career in 1965) among which the cult 'Stray Cat Rock' and 'Female Prisoner Scorpion' film series and she was one of the most famous exploitation actresses in Japan doubling as a sex symbol. This gave the studios the idea of getting her to start a singing career and release music closely associated with the films she starred in often singing the theme songs. Thus she began releasing records at the dawn of the 70s, recording several 7" singles and five albums for Teichiku which have become sought-after and almost as cult as her films.
Drawing on her film roles, the music on these albums were an uber-cool mix of kayokyoku (Japanese Pop), traditional Enka Music, Acid Folk and Funky beats arranged by the best producers of the time in a cinematic way that could sound like Ennio Morricone or Jean-Claude Vannier. that explosive cocktail is featured in full blow on the first album from the Meiko Kaji reissue program, 'Hajiki Uta' released by Teichiku in 1973.
The album featured two film songs, namely 'Urami Bushi' used for the film series "Female Prisoner Scorpion" and 'Onna No Jumon' featured in the film 'Female Prisoner Scorpion - Jailhouse 41,' which have been composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi who also composed the score for these films. At first Kaji was unsure of her singing talents as told to Hashim Bharoocha in an interview but she quickly rose to the challenge: "I told Shunsuke Kikuchi that I couldn’t imagine myself singing the songs. He said I could ignore the melody that he wrote, and just sing it the way I wanted to. That really lifted the pressure off my shoulders, and I decided to sing the song as the character in the film. The director was also happy with that idea.”
The rest of the album follows the same pattern with atmospheric songs such as "Onna Hagure Uta" or "Onna Somuki Uta" displaying Meiko's sombre singing over a superb slow-burning groove, which precedes the funkier "Hitori Kaze" featuring a wah wah guitar, a breakbeat-like rhythm section and slick string arrangement, shaping the unique Meiko Kaji signature sound.
Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue "Hajiki Uta" and the rest of Meiko Kaji superb early 70s albums for the first time in fifty years in their glorious original Japanese artwork, with remastered audio, cementing further the actress' reputation as a true international pop culture icon.

This is Parand Haghi’s debut project for Specimen, and here we indulge the concept of events based around Area 51. This has always created controversy and conspiracy as a covert space for experimenting on extraterrestrial aliens. We can only imagine the horrors of human endeavour to probe the inner bodies as a means of developing advanced interstellar technology. Albeit, driven by fear and paranoia as a means of conquering outer space the alien species remain a puzzle, but they are here among us have no doubt.

An alien organism reaches planet earth it is sent in the form of a superior female whose dark, passionate embrace allures us to the magical and mystical bewilderment of sonic worlds. Parand is the future of Specimen with PATIENT-X. This is a taste of things to come, after probing into the future with a dark remix of Arsonist Recorder’s "Vaxxer", she is proving to be a formidable force in the realms of electro.


PARAND is Berlin-based producer
At an early age, she developed her passion and taste for music. While her musical roots are grounded in classical piano training, her broad influences and obsession with electronic beats led her to experimenting with DJing and producing what could be considered a unique style of electro with experimental sound shapes, infused with dark bass-lines and beats.

Croatian DJ & producer heavyweight Insolate debuts on Luke Slater's legendary Mote-Evolver imprint with a massive four-tracker of pure bred techno ready for the dance floor. After leaving her signature on highly respected labels such as DJ Deep's Deeply Rooted, Developer's Modularz, Ben Sim's Symbolism as well as her Out Of Place imprint which she operates along with Volster, she now delivers 'Push' a finely crafted EP of peak time material. Opening the A side, fierce workout 'Outer Bass' is showcasing a sinister driving energy that is followed by the raw frenetic groover title track 'Push'. On the flip side 'Blow' is a trippy, no-compromise cut, while closing, classy atmospheric track 'Desire' finishes off the EP with its effortless soulful touch and elegant, melodic synth pads flying by.

Autokinetic’s techno roots reach back to 1993 when Mike McClure and John Golden formed Auto K in Minneapolis, forming the vibrant MPLS rave scene alongside Freddy Fresh, Woody McBride, and DVS1. Auto K then changed their name to Auto Kinetic, and now Mike McClure is ripping hypnotic modular techno in hyperspace solo as Autokinetic. These tracks have been secret weapons in DVS1 sets for the past couple years.

“great stuff as always” - Decoder
“Very cool” - Justin Cudmore
“It bangs!” - CMD
“Really good” - 2Lanes
“Great release!” - PlayPlay
“Sounds great!!” - Golden Medusa
“Big blend potential with these trax!” - Escaflowne


The A side consists of “Sidewinder” and the cheekily titled “Didgeradont”. Both of these are bonafide heady techno hits. I mean, the production on these…higher consciousness inducing dancefloor rolling mania. For the old ears and fresh feet alike.

The B side opens up with “File003”, which has a robotic restraint and up-beat bassline to keep you locked in for the never ending tunnel ride of a track. “Wakeword” ends the EP with a proper, slightly acidic challenger to meet all late night crowds with taste. But no chin scratching here. This is techno at its tastiest. Mike is a pro who knows how to kick and punch with full peak euphoric power. He’s been in the game for three decades at this point, and is still pushing his craft and himself to new heights.

300 copies pressed worldwide. Not to be missed out on.
Produced and performed by Mike McClure in MPLS, MN USA
Mastered by Dietrich Schoenemann.
Design by Nick Owen.
Distributed by One Eye Witness.

Specimen Records continue their exploration into the deeper reaches of electro with an EP from Berlin based Richard Easel, featuring remixes from close collaborators Datawave and Federico Leocata. The EP comprises of 3 distinct styles in one release, Easel with intricate sublimation and experimental modular sounds of the Buchala. Datawave’s remix of Exterreri, with his trademark spatial depth charged electro and Federico Leocata with his unique funky-minimal approach, which renders his darkly mysterious sound unlike Metaphysix underpinning a sound suited to Specimen.

Richard Easel is the electro project of Berlin-based DJ and producer and Italian born Riccardo Sbardella. He derives his sense of style out of the various IDM and Hip Hop projects he has created throughout his production journey. Richard Easel is an artistic endeavour that serves as an outlet for his own interpretation of Electro. The word Easel comes from Buchla Music Easel, as a tribute to his passion for modular synthesisers, and especially for West Coast Synthesis.

A dynamic configuration of rhythms plus melodies, overlaid with musings on repetitive neverlands: R.i.O. welcomes KXB, aka Sam Gill and Wes Holland, a duo that, as they put it, “was born and baptised on the balcony at Robert Johnson in 2019, while Wes lived in London and Sam in Melbourne.” “Areas of Uncertainty” is their first musical outcome. It carries a rhythmic show bag, that circumnavigates streamlined track architecture. From Can-ish live drumming submitted by guest rhythmist Graeme Pogson to sequenced synth spheres, the three multilayered groove landscapes of the Australian duo punch severely arcane. Sometimes techno frankness messes with the big bad dub universe. Or Hacienda- Breakbeats cut tellingly through looped vocal waters, sanctified sung in by “Thrush”, one third of the Melbourne based Aussie/Deutsch swamp beat trio Concentration. Additionally, their buddy Richard Fearless added a remix for the premiere, fishing in dark dub zones, bringing in anxious cosmic tones. All recorded in a deeper shade of space somewhere in Melbourne, Berlin, and Fearless’ Metal Box studio in London, while diving into an avalanche of infinitely hyperlinked cadences.

Foghornia is the sequel to Tapani Rinne's previous album Radioton, which was received well by both critics and fans last year. It will be the second album to be released on the Signature Dark label, first digitally and later on vinyl.

The musical basis of the new album remains the same as earlier, consisting mainly of bass clarinet and electronic soundscapes. However, this time Tapani Rinne dives deeper into melancholic waves all the way to the depths of dark ambient.

The current state of the world has influenced the music of Rinne as well, while some of the songs are based merely on personal experiences and memories. The track Kirjurinluoto for example could be heard as the soundtrack of Tapani’s childhood hometown Pori, known both from its industrial nature as well as the home turf of internationally acknowledged Pori Jazz Festival. Tapani says ”The song is dedicated most of all to the festival and its two founders, Tapani Kontula and Jyrki Kangas, who both deceased during the last years. Without their influence i would had never made this particular album neither.” Another track, Confirmation, was originally composed for the confirmation ceremony of Tapani’s nephew. As often within art that makes strong impression, private things mold into public and vice versa. "Music is not a separate island of its own but a part of everyday life", Rinne describes.

Marvin Gaye at his very best! Two classics from Gaye’s esteemed catalogue, ‘I Wanna Be Where You Are’ and ‘I Want You’ with alternative mixes that have never been on 12 inch before. Plucked from the Deluxe Edition of the spellbinding ‘I Want You’ album that was mixed Kevin Reeves & remastered by Ellen Fitton, these two cuts have always called out for loud and proud pressing on either side of a 12.

Up first, ‘I Wanna Be Where You Are’ written by the magical pairing of Leon Ware and Arthur 'T-Boy' Ross with Ware also behind the production controls. An abbreviated cover of Michael Jackson’s hit, it sees Gaye take a brief respite from his usual steamy and sensual swooning to express his love for his family. Jackson would then return the favour, taking influence from Marvin’s 1977 hit ‘Got to Give it Up’ to make ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’.

Originally a 1:17 minute segue on the album, the Unedited version clocks in at over 6 minutes, turning it from a transitionary passage to a standalone gem. Extending those delectable grooves, building and breaking with a sun-kissed, funk channelling feeling that washes over like a warm wave. With the 7 inch release trading hands for over £75 on Discogs this ain’t one to miss.

On the flip, ‘I Want You’ written by the same duo as the A, with Leon Ware once again on the production and released as part of the same ’76 album. It was an LP that introduced a change in musical styles for Gaye, songs such as this giving him a disco audience thanks to Leon Ware. The Jam-Alternate version leaves Gaye’s vocals till the final section, letting that sweet soaring soundtrack sing to its absolute emotive peak. Sunrise or sunset, this one is not to be used lightly - tears of joy on the dancefloor guaranteed.

Age of Rage aka the studio powerhouse pairing that is Dubbyman and Dan Piu is back on Sole Aspect with a third outing. The title of this one, Credo, is from the Latin word for a "firm set of beliefs and principles." It finds the duo serving up deeply soulful spirits and romantic atmospheres with dusty house beats as the vehicle. 'Open to Close' is balmy and gentle, with the dub even more warm for you to sink into. 'Fake Action' brings shuffling grooves and lush cosmic designs and 'Lover' is a smoochy closer that echoes Sade. Lovely stuff as always from this accomplished partnership.

Label owner Florian Meindl delivers the first Limited Edition Splatter Vinyl on FLASH Recordings featuring the title track of the 300. release on the label "Galaxy Storm" as well as one unreleased electro track called "Creator Of A Better World".

On the B Side a 2015 production named "Mental Atmsphere" found its way on vinyl as it was only digital before and Chord Raider is a fairly new track which has been produced live on a Twitch stream together with Sinee from Cologne.

As NuNorthern Soul eases into its second decade, the label welcomes back a familiar face: Benjamin J Smith, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and pro-ducer whose emotive, colourful and atmospheric compositions are the very definition of ‘Balearic’.

Famously, it was Smith’s The Movedrill Projects album that kicked off the NuNorthern Soul story way back in 2012, and he’s periodically returned to the imprint on numerous occasions since. It’s fitting, then, that Smith is stepping up once more, with NuNorthern Soul found-er Phil Cooper selecting to showcase two overlooked gems from his bulging back catalogue.

Both tracks are taken from Smith’s digital-only album Mojave (Vintage Californian Dreams), a set of thor-oughly gorgeous, West Coast-inspired library music compositions smothered in sumptuous strings and in-formed by the artist’s love of jazz-funk, languid jazz-rock and the kind of luscious, sunset-ready soundscapes that defy neat categorization.

Opening proceedings, and sitting on side A of the vinyl release, is the breath-taking ‘Marina Del Rey’, where layered, reverb-laden harmonic vocalisations, twin-kling electric piano improvisations, lazy guitar licks, spacey synth flourishes and sultry strings slowly rise above a toasty bassline and gentle, Latin-tinged beats. Smith cannily adds layers of sound throughout while moving the musical story forwards, leading to a mem-orable, awe-inspiring conclusion.

In contrast, ‘Big Sur’ sees Smith take an imaginary road trip through the driest, dustiest parts of the Cali-fornian countryside. Psychedelic rock style organ mo-tifs, sustained Hammond B-3 chords and glistening West Coast rock guitar solos dance atop a rubbery bassline and intoxicated, loose-limbed drums, with Smith’s eyes-closed vocalisations – drenched in reverb and delay – adding extra layers of aural loveliness. Like ‘Marina Del Rey’, ‘Big Sur’ is a vivid, widescreen con-coction tailor-made for soundtracking films that have yet to be made.

Annett Gapstream is back on Artminding with her first EP. Two originals show her distinctive and characteristic musical variety drawn by vivacious DJ gigs all over Europe. Just as her international career, also her latest productions are picking up speed and reflect the constant process of heading a little further.
For the title track “Halluzination” Annett Gapstream premiered herself in the recording booth of the studio and created a dynamic, highly memorable iteration towards illusional, hallucinatory messages that wreathe the audience in a higher mental state while dancing. Surrounded by a lofty melody and very present drums the track reveals an entire new range of melodic techno creativity.
Meanwhile “Surrealism” and its warm bassline conveys a more soothing or relaxed atmosphere with lots of potential to dream away during clubby mornings.
The whole idea of this release is fulfilled by three extraordinary remixes. Amsterdam based electronic music gem Hollt, shootingstar Max von Sternberg from Vienna and Live artist Concious complete the EP with their majestic note right on top of modern electronic music production.

Hania Rani announces "On Giacometti" a tender meditation on the life and art of Alberto Giacometti and family. "On Giacometti" is a collection of beautiful recordings inspired by the renowned artist and family and features some of Rani's most profoundly delicate compositions to date. Invited by film director Susanna Fanzun, to score her forthcoming documentary on the legendary artist Alberto Giacometti, Hania Rani took herself to the Swiss mountains to compose in blissful isolation. As Rani explains eloquently below the compositions are based on improvised melodies, simple harmonies and structures and inspired by the silence of the mountains as Rani returns to her main instrument, the piano. The results are beguilingly reminiscent of her beloved debut album Esja, but with subtle extra layers of synthesiser, and on two tracks cello from friend and long-running collaborator Dobrawa Czocher.

'On Giacometti' is presented as a limited edition LP with bespoke packaging featuring Les Naturals - Chocolat (Gmund) sustainable recycled paperboard made from 100 % recovered paper with Foil Artwork by Łukasz Pałczyński. Plus Double sided printed insert and download code inside.

Hania Rani "On Giacometti":
‘When I was asked to compose a soundtrack for a movie about the family of Giacometti I didn't think twice.

Alberto Giacometti, a Swiss artist, who worked mainly as painter and sculptor has been one of my favourite artists for a long time. His individual style, aesthetics and the character of his creative process is still fascinating to me on many levels, so being able to dive even deeper into his universe, getting to know not only him but also his family was an opportunity that I couldn't miss. Little did I know how far this "yes" will take me - not only mentally and on a creative level but also physically. Thanks to the director of the documentary - Susanna Fanzun and by a stroke of luck and a couple of extra questions I decided to move for a couple of months to the Swiss mountains, not far away from the place where Giacometti was born and where the place he called home was, although he didn't live there. Susanna showed me a place close to her hometown where I could rent a studio and work on the soundtrack but also for my other projects. It was the middle of a winter, the area was full of ice and snow, just like only it can happen still in the mountains. The residency house was located in a valley surrounded by high mountains and the sun in the winter season was not coming up for too long during the day. I remember she told me about it and added "that not everyone is feeling well there, but I hope you will". I did.

Being almost separated from reality, the city and its entertainments, people rushing and everything that usually takes my attention I could fully concentrate on the music and soundtrack, spending most of the day with my own thoughts and having enough space to experiment and be free in a creative process. This soundtrack would probably be a very different thing if composed in a place that I am usually living in. I took this a chance to explore something new about myself as a composer and human being, taking the opposite direction that I would usually choose for myself.

The album "On Giacometti" includes the excerpts from the soundtrack, the most representative tracks and those which became a strong voice itself. Based a lot on improvised melodies, simple harmonies, structures and silence it reminds me of my debut album "Esja" which was partly composed and recorded in another chilly place - Iceland. All these components, both mental and physical, guided me back to my main instrument - piano, which I tried to redefine again with a language of the space that I was working in. The space is usually the key element that gives me the answer about the arrangement or character of the project. Space seems to be the first to appear and music is the invisible power which is changing its angels.’ Living surrounded by mountains makes you change the perspective and understanding of scale as Alberto Giacometti once famously wrote in a letter: It gives an impression that things that are actually far away, like mountains, are close and the other ones that are not so far away, like people, seem small, watched from a distance. You feel like touching the mountain top with your finger could be as easy as touching the tip of your nose. The snow additionally protects the whole area from the noise, each sound lands softly on the ground accompanied by echoes of immeasurable space. Each scratch or whisper is becoming an autonomic entity, opening the gate to the world of ghosts and lost spirits. It's easy to think that time stands still there, while nothing is moving and changing at the first sight. But the ubiquitous ice and snow reveal the passage of time, transforming frozen paysage into the wild stream of water - each day, hour and second. Melting and vanishing, clearing the space from white powder and noise consuming surface. Invisible process for a one night traveller, becomes painfully real for longer time settlers. Time flows with each new wave of sound coming through the river, reminding us that we are part of the cycle, which endlessly repeats itself.

Bedouin aka Tamer Malki and Rami Abousabe are to release their long awaited and adventurous debut album Temple of Dreams on their own label Human By Default this Spring.

Over the course of the pandemic, Malki and Abousabe spent a great amount of time finalizing songs created in the past 7 years, composing, song writing, singing, and working on numerous projects including collaborations and new originals. Temple of Dreams was shaped from these sessions and captures the enigmatic sound of the versatile, forward-thinking group.

Malki explains that the album looks to “experiment and push the boundaries.” It differs from their previous work, as the album is intended to be a deep listening experience for the fans, rather than a slew of club cuts. The multi-talented artists sought to create a timeless sound in Temple of Dreams. Malki outlines that the album lies between “what we play on stages around the world and what we’re capable of writing and producing as musicians and producers. We wanted to exceed expectations and present something that you might think or feel you’ve heard before, yet it's something completely new and not what might be expected from us.”

It starts with the enchanting sounds and candle lit grooves of Rise And Fall then journeys far and wide through the Eastern string sounds of Coldman featuring Nathan Daisy, darkly alluring vocals and mystic rhythms of Voices In My Head and the hypnotic melodic leads of Crazy feat. Iveta Mukuchyan. Elsewhere the richness of Bedouin's sound makes for spellbinding listening on tracks like Hokema Feat. Delaram and Flore Chico feat. Chico Castillo with its alluring Spanish vocals. Love And Hate is a more dynamic and punchier house cut while Fill The Space is an intriguing mix of melodic magic, authentic instrumentation and smooth rolling grooves.

The musicians, singer-songwriters, and producers in Bedouin have spent the better part of a decade fine-tuning their sound, which draws as much from their Middle Eastern heritage as it does their world travels as DJs playing iconic venues across the globe. They have pioneered a distinctive and timeless sound on some of the world’s most notable labels such as Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical, All Day I Dream, and recently their own imprint—Human By Default.

Select major label releases include remixes for Black Coffee and Virgil Abloh on Ultra and Sony/Universal and as well as calling Burning Man home they have their own iconic Ibiza party, Saga, at Pacha each week of summer, and play major events such as Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Art Basel and venues like Ushuaïa, Wynn Las Vegas as well as a ground-breaking Cercle set filmed in Petra, Jordan.

This much anticipated debut album shows yet another side and the artistic development for this influential pair.

In the words of Bill Brewster - DJ History

‘At the turn of the 1990s, there were few more successful New York house producers than Victor Simonelli. Under a dizzying array of aliases – Solution, NY’s Finest, Groove Committee, Critical Rhythm and Cloud 9 being amongst the better-known – the Brooklyn-born DJ/producer delivered a string of underground club hits during the city’s early ’90s house boom.’

BTG presents “Victor Simonelli: The Early Years Vol 1” a collectors edition double Vinyl release - 2 X 12’s in each Vol

Launching the first Behind The Groove collectors edition vinyl series is New York’s finest Victor Simonelli with ‘The Early Years Vol 1 & 2’ double Vinyl releases. Featuring seminal house tracks such as Cloud 9’s ‘Do You Want Me’, Solution’s ‘Feel So Right’, Instant Exposure’s ‘Wanna Be With You’ and rare mixes of Raiana Page and EZ-AL, this collection brings together classic and rare Victor Simonelli cuts that reflect the early raw energy and buzz of the New York House scene. With ‘Vol 2” scheduled to follow shortly after, this is the most comprehensive collection of rare Simonelli cuts that firmly establishes his esteemed role in 90s House Music as well as introducing new fans to his inimitable sound.

Victor Simonelli is one of the early kings of NYC sampling In house music. The real deal - Victor danced at the legendary David Mancuso’s Loft sessions and developed a serious appreciation for good music. He interned for Arthur Baker at his renown Shakedown Studios (where Arthur worked with the iconic Afrika Bambatta on the seminal dance floor ’Planet Rock’ track) and went on to release hugely influential releases on seminal NYC labels 4th Floor and Nu Groove. Victor’s music was championed by the hugely celebrated iconic House Music DJ pioneers, Larry Levan and Tony Humphries at Paradise Garage & Zanzibar/WBLS/Kiss FM respectively.

Revered as a New York house heavyweight and prolific producer since the turn of the 1990s, Victor Simonelli grew up in Brooklyn, NYC, nurtured by a music loving family, with an avid record collecting father who also worked as a local party DJ. He took music lessons in piano, drums, guitar and bass, before discovering his first love, tuning into NY’s Radio Mix Shows on WBLS, WKTU and WRKS,98.7 Kiss FM) where he discovered the art of mixing and in his own words, ’I just simply got lost in the music’.

Graduating from NYC’s Centre For Media Arts, Victor got an internship in the legendary producer, Arthur Baker’s Shakedown Studios. Soon graduating to editing, mixing and then producing he worked for artists David Bowie, Quincy Jones, Debbie Harry, Sinead O’Connor and Talking Heads. Teaming up with fellow NYC producer Lenny Dee to become the Brooklyn Funk Essentials, they released records ‘Critical Rhythm’ and ‘Subliminal Aurra’ on 4th Floor before Victor went solo as Groove Committee releasing the classic ‘I Want You To Know’ on the legendary Nu Groove Records. Paradise Garage legend, Larry Levan broke ‘I Want You To Know’ rocking 2 copies on his last tour of Japan whilst King of NY House Music,Tony Humphries broke Victor’s new ‘Feels So Right’ across New York on his WBLS/Kiss FM Mastermix show and at his legendary Zanzibar club sessions. It was only a matter of time before Victor’s name became synonymous with quality House music ensuring a worldwide platform for his productions.

In the early 90s alongside his own productions, Victor Simonelli worked on high profile projects, including James Brown’s album, “Love Overdue” BeBe and CeCe Winans single featuring Mavis Staples “I’ll Take You There” and Quincy Jones’ “I’ll Be Good To You” featuring Chaka Khan and the legendary Ray Charles. Never straying too far from his clubland roots, Victor worked with Danny Tenaglia on his classic “The Harmonica Track”.

DJ gigs across the world started flooding in and Victor found himself recording for a dizzying array of labels including Tribal America, Sub-Urban, Bassline, King Street Sounds and Vibe, under a wide range of aliases. He also produced, wrote and remixed for artists such Nile Rodgers (Chic), Afrika Baambata, Hall & Oates, Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandler, Madonna and Michael Jackson. Famed for his own productions “It’s So Good” by Creative Force, “I Know A Place” as Sound Of One - the first release on Roger Sanchez One Records -, “Dirty Games” as well as the “Street Players Vol 1 EP”, Victor went on to set up Suburban Records with Tommy Musto and Bassline Records with two other partners. Notable releases on this label include “Do You Feel Me”, Connie Harvey’s gospel inspired, “Thank You Lord”, Urban Blues Project’s “Deliver Me”, Colonel Abrams “Not Gonna Let”, and Mone’s “Better Way”. Never ceasing to produce, DJ, run his own label and host radio shows like Groove Lift, Victor has worked with virtually every NYC producer and has nurtured a next generation talents including Angel Moraes, Jazz ‘N’ Groove, Urban Blues Project, Harlem Hustlers, Jay Jay and Julius Papp. Victor’s releases have also been used on M&S’s “Salsoul Nuggett” hit and Eddie Amador’s underground smash ‘House Music’.

In the late 90’s Victor launched his new Westside Productions, notable for the “Latin Impressions 1 & 2” releases, opened up a studio in Italy as he found himself increasingly working in Europe and now divides his time between New York and Italy. Suffice to say his unique sound of uplifting and spiritual music has kept him at the forefront of House Music and he is credited as one of its leading exponents with his string of classic releases and remixes.

Behind the Groove, branches out from its digital platform to embark on a programme of releases from the iconic pioneer producers of House Music. Esteemed for their high quality features and mixes that continue to explore, celebrate and venerate the contributions of highly respected, scene-shaping Labels, Artists, DJs and Special Events, BTG seeks to bring these talents and tales to the attention of the wider community. Unlocking the stories surrounding the pivotal roles they played and continue to play today in shaping the underground music scene we have come to know and love.

BTG presents “Victor Simonelli: The Early Years Vol 1” a collectors edition double Vinyl release, released on May 12th 2023. ‘Vol 2” follows on May 26th 2023 . These releases are the most comprehensive collection of rare Victor Simonelli cuts that firmly establish his esteemed role in 90s House Music and introduces new fans to his carefree sound.

Defamator is the long-time-coming debut project of 24-year-old Chloe Gallardo. It tells a story of betrayal in love and friendship and the painful reality of overcoming love lost and former heartbreak.


Drawing influences from artists such as Broadcast, Grouper & My Bloody Valentine Gallardo adds her own haunting, folk-style vocals and hyper-specific lyrics to create a sonic unique to her. A style that she describes in her words as “dark shoegaze bedroom indie pop”.

Album opener “Bloodline” epitomises this bittersweet modus operandi. 15 seconds into its dainty acoustic strum , Gallardo adamantly sulks “I’m fucked up” - the salvo of a lyric about feeling like a family disappointment. As the track lifts up into a cascading gaze-pop rush, recalling the likes of Bachelor and Snail Mail, we’re blessed with a pristine elegance that belies the song’s raging core.
“I have always written music this way.”, she says of this fundamental contradiction. “It’s funny because I try so hard to write darker sounding songs and they always come out way too pretty. So, I’ve resorted to writing the most gut-wrenching and intense lyrics to compensate.”

Written mostly during peak-pandemic times in Gallardo’s bedroom - (“you can hear how scared and alone I was.”) - the songs that made their way onto Defamator arose from a concerted period of healing. Drawing from the teachings of therapy, the songwriting process gave her the means to channel some deeply entrenched emotional scars.
This venting of anger is implicit throughout the record. The album’s title - Gallardo’s own neologism - uses the concepts of “defamation” and “defamatory speech” to innovate a kind of pejorative accusation. As a result, it is like we are actively listening to Gallardo forcefully take command of her past. Of the title track she explains: “The song Defamator is about someone who spoke untruthful things about me in order to manipulate me and the way people perceived me and I felt that was an underlying theme in most of the album.”

Recorded at Jazzcat Studios in Long Beach California with Jonny Bell (Hanni El Khatib, Adult Books, etc.) Defamator marks Gallardo’s first time in a “legitimate recording studio”. And it shows. Bell’s production is vital moving part here. There’s more stripped back affairs - ‘There Will Be Blood”; ”The Way’ - songs which gently seethe and purr like Grouper’s spectral dream-pop; Gallardo’s fluttering folk-ish voice gloriously pushed to forefront.

Introducing the highly anticipated EP from the legendary Aston, of the Freestylers, Blapps Posse, and Rap & Aston. This time, he has teamed up with the talented DJ Quicklung to create four brand new tracks, each showcasing Aston's impeccable production skills and style.

The EP opens with "Raggamuffin Soldiers," a hard-hitting D&B track with classic influences that has already gained significant support across clubs and radio. Next up is "Moving On," a lively club roller that clearly showcases Aston's foundations and rave pedigree.

On the flip side, "Galactica" takes things in a darker direction with moody D&B vibes that pay homage to classic Suburban Base and Boogie Times, but with a fresh twist that's unmistakably 2023. Finally, "The Hangman" closes out the EP with a stunning breakbeat masterpiece that will leave listeners wanting more.

With its diverse range of sounds and styles, this EP is a testament to Aston's enduring talent and influence in the world of electronic music. Don't miss out on this incredible release!

Drop a needle on Psyché's debut album and you'll see visions, or rather Mediterranean visions, be they of waves of heat shimmering above dunes of sand, or of women dancing around a bonfire on a rocky plain, or of bushy cliffs overlooking emerald-green and turquoise sea. The name Psyché is of course ancient Greek for 'soul' or 'mind', signifying the band's love of psychedelic funk, but also the wide range of Mediterranean influences – from Southern Europe to the Balkan Peninsula, and from Anatolia to the Maghreb – that provide an endless source of inspiration for their hypnotic sound and minimalist style.

Psyché members Marcello Giannini (Guru, Nu Genea, Slivovitz), Andrea De Fazio (Parbleu, Nu Genea, Funkin Machine) and Paolo Petrella (Nu Genea) have been active in the Naples music scene for almost two decades, most notably during the first wave of the new Neapolitan Power movement (Slivovitz, Revenaz Quartet). Over the years they have often crossed paths and collaborated on side projects in various genres (math-rock duo Arduo and, more recently, synth-pop duo Fratelli Malibu), before working together as the rhythm section of Nu Genea's live band. Following their first tour with Nu Genea in 2018, they started Psyché with the intent of exploring more minimalist styles and making music with just a few elements.

A unique combination of psychedelia, groove and improvisation, the music of Psyché goes back to the roots of our future; it evokes visions of a mythical past, blending centuries-old music traditions and mixing them with modern genres. Like a warm Mediterranean breeze, it travels across lands, seas and eras, distilling essential rhythms and cosmic pulsations.

The album's opener "Kuma" (titled after the first ancient Greek colony on the Italian mainland, now an archeological site near Naples) is like a vibrant, magical wave. With its deliberately simple harmony and sharp guitar riffs, it travels across the Mediterranean from Italy to North Africa, first lapping gently on Greek and Turkish shores – with some compositional elements reminiscent of Italian pop legend Lucio Battisti – and then speeding up and landing on the driving, syncopated rhythms of afrobeat. While listening to it your eyes fill with images of small white houses shining in the sun, of fig trees heavy with fruit, of spice bazaars and colourful medinas, and you can almost feel the desert wind blowing in your hair.

The journey continues with two examples of Psyché's bold and elegant approach to contemporary afrobeat and cumbia fusion: "Cumbia Mahàre" and "Amma". The former combines minimal synths and exhilarating rhythmic patterns of drums, percussion, guitar and bass, drawing us into the movements of an imaginary ritual dance (the term mahàre was used in Southern Italian dialects to indicate witches). Next is the cinematic and mysterious ambiance of "Angizia" (a snake goddess worshipped by the Marsi in ancient Italy), another fascinating mixture of different sonic traditions and cultures where hip-hop/funk drums are blended with Maghreb influences, Balkan echoes, and hypnotic, Theremin-like synths that have sort of a sci-fi movie quality to them.

The title track "Psyché", with its uptempo afro-rhythms, ethereal vocalizations and refined percussion, is almost a manifesto of the band's style and confirms the freshness of their minimalism, which is not afraid of taking in the sun of lands confined between the sea and the desert. The following "Manea" (named after the Roman-Etruscan goddess of the dead) is an afro-funk number with smooth and introspective dreamy jazz touches, and with an arrangement dominated by a guitar that, dripping notes like drops of water, creates a delicate, cinematic sound. Next, we come to "Hekate" (the Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft and crossroads), a track that fuses psychedelia, spacious Latin guitars and a fast, tight groove. The album comes to a close with the exquisite melodic ballad "Kelebek", which seamlessly combines hip-hop drums and dreamy guitars, and whose warm, flowing sonorities and evocative atmospheres conjure the image of a butterfly (which is what kelebek means, in Turkish) floating over the Mediterranean and, from there, the world.

Four Flies' new imprint Edizioni della Notte is back with a 12-inch maxi single of infectious remixes of Francesco Fisotti's boogie funk track "La Tartana" by eclectic Neapolitan DJ/producer Whodamanny.

The original track, which comes from the 2021 album Lido Sirena (named after a beach resort in the Salento area of Apulia, where Fisotti used to spend his summers as a child), blends funky disco, synths, drum-machine beats and improvisation into an exciting new sound that Fisotti calls "Adriatic funk".

Inspired by slow-tempo but irresistible Italo and cosmic disco tunes, in particular Tonino Balsamo's 1983 "Sta Guagliona Mo Ddà" (one of the rarest Neapolitan grooves ever, recently reissued by Periodica Records), Whodamanny's two remixes amplify the original's dancefloor potential by adding a nocturnal vibe and elements such as synths and electronic drums, as well as a short vocal line ("Don't stop till the music stops") to create a catchy call-and-response effect.

Whodamanny himself explains that he produced not one, but two remixes due to his love of extended dub versions. "It's sort of a professional quirk," - he says - "but you know, it's inevitable. You're sitting at the mixer, listening over and over to a track… Of course you'll find bits you can stretch out to create a fantastic flow! And my approach is always the approach of a DJ. I want whatever I produce to work well in my DJ sets, so these remixes too were bound to be club-oriented."

Here comes round 2 of Dimitri From Paris and Chatobaron’s live sessions on Le Heartbeat records. In a clear departure from their Silly Not Silly debut “I like (The Music That You Play)” the 10 piece crew returns with a slightly more trippy mid-tempo groover.

“Chez Madame La Baronne” nonchalantly mixes highly skilled musicianship with vintage lo-fi recording. Here, Chatobaron echo the sound of West Coast Jazz-Funk, as if trapped in a French sexploitation flick - imagine the Mizell Brothers visiting heady Baroness Brigitte Lahaie’s mansion, and you get the picture.

Once again, a lot of pleasure was taken by Dimitri From Paris who directed the proceedings, meticulously arranging the sophisticated material: drum breaks, solos and horny sections, leading to an orgasmic climax. It's lush but raw, and as enjoyable at home as it is effective in the club.

Long time friends The Idjut Boys join the party, deconstructing the original piece from the top down. Ripping it apart to hone in on its darker parts, they deliver a solid and psychedelic Fazz Junk Version in their signature dubbed out style.

With label partner & vinyl digger supremo Melik Ben Cheikh, Le Heartbeat Records continue their quest to bring the higher standards of yesterday’s music to today’s ears.

Early support from François K, Red Greg, Volcov, DJ Deep, Alex From Tokyo, Alex Attias, Hugo LX.