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Fontaines D.C. - Dopamine Chamber LP
XL1673LP2
XL Recordings
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopAlternative

Fontaines D.C. announce their fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, released on 16th October via XL Recordings. Produced by James Ford, it is the follow-up to 2024’s UK platinum-certified Romance – and the sound of a band moving decisively away from the guitar language of their early records into something colder, stranger and more synthetic. It arrives today alongside lead single “Marianne” and its accompanying video, directed by Dave Meyers.

Dopamine Chamber arrives like a constellation behind undulating sighs of smog: potent balladry, anthemic melodies glinting through the murk. In a world tipping towards collapse, it asks how pleasure mutates amid peril—and what our pursuit of it reveals about us. Across the album, Fontaines D.C. – Grian Chatten, Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan and Tom Coll – move between gratification and dread until the two meld together, reflecting the overwhelm of artificial intelligence, environmental collapse and political violence all riding the same algorithms as memes, jokes and celebrity culture. “The album itself is a dopamine chamber,” says Chatten. “You step inside and we test these different mind- or mood-altering pieces of music on you.”

Where Romance held its tension in balance, this record tips it. “I think Romance was maybe 60 per cent human and 40 per cent corrupted by automation, and a loss of feeling,” says Chatten, who spent time among the faded grandeur of Venice, Vienna and Sicily in search of lyrical inspiration. “This one feels more like 60 per cent corrupted — the mask is wearing the face a little more.” He resisted any pull towards easy optimism: “I felt it would be more powerful to leave the hope out and reflect the ugliness honestly. This one needed to feel more like a catastrophic warning.”

“Our albums have always questioned a sense of place,” says bassist Conor Deegan. “First Dublin, then being away from Dublin, and then trying to find the romance elsewhere. On this record, the question became: where do you escape to?” Into the self, perhaps – or hedonism, fantasy, cosmetic perfection, eternal youth or the endless refresh of a screen.

Fontaines D.C. have spent five albums refusing to repeat themselves – from Dogrel (2019) through A Hero’s Death (2020), the No. 1 Skinty Fia (2022) and the anarchic, kaleidoscopic Romance (2024). Dopamine Chamber is their most radical turn yet: cold synthesiser tones, marching drums, samples and triggers, several songs with no guitars at all, and the swooning strings of 1960s Italian pop pulled into something synthetic. For guitarist Conor Curley, the aim was to break from the band’s own reference points: “I was trying to find stuff that pointed into the future.” It was made with James Ford between London, the English countryside and Palermo, where Chatten recorded vocals in a makeshift booth built from mattresses and cushions.

“There’s a poignant sense of us being on the brink of some other kind of form of humanity, or non-humanity,” says Chatten. For their fifth album, Fontaines D.C. have built the chamber. What happens to the listener inside it will be the experiment.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

28,15 €
Fontaines D.C. - Dopamine Chamber (Tape)
XL1673MC
XL Recordings
Cassette16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopAlternative

Fontaines D.C. announce their fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, released on 16th October via XL Recordings. Produced by James Ford, it is the follow-up to 2024’s UK platinum-certified Romance – and the sound of a band moving decisively away from the guitar language of their early records into something colder, stranger and more synthetic. It arrives today alongside lead single “Marianne” and its accompanying video, directed by Dave Meyers.

Dopamine Chamber arrives like a constellation behind undulating sighs of smog: potent balladry, anthemic melodies glinting through the murk. In a world tipping towards collapse, it asks how pleasure mutates amid peril—and what our pursuit of it reveals about us. Across the album, Fontaines D.C. – Grian Chatten, Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan and Tom Coll – move between gratification and dread until the two meld together, reflecting the overwhelm of artificial intelligence, environmental collapse and political violence all riding the same algorithms as memes, jokes and celebrity culture. “The album itself is a dopamine chamber,” says Chatten. “You step inside and we test these different mind- or mood-altering pieces of music on you.”

Where Romance held its tension in balance, this record tips it. “I think Romance was maybe 60 per cent human and 40 per cent corrupted by automation, and a loss of feeling,” says Chatten, who spent time among the faded grandeur of Venice, Vienna and Sicily in search of lyrical inspiration. “This one feels more like 60 per cent corrupted — the mask is wearing the face a little more.” He resisted any pull towards easy optimism: “I felt it would be more powerful to leave the hope out and reflect the ugliness honestly. This one needed to feel more like a catastrophic warning.”

“Our albums have always questioned a sense of place,” says bassist Conor Deegan. “First Dublin, then being away from Dublin, and then trying to find the romance elsewhere. On this record, the question became: where do you escape to?” Into the self, perhaps – or hedonism, fantasy, cosmetic perfection, eternal youth or the endless refresh of a screen.

Fontaines D.C. have spent five albums refusing to repeat themselves – from Dogrel (2019) through A Hero’s Death (2020), the No. 1 Skinty Fia (2022) and the anarchic, kaleidoscopic Romance (2024). Dopamine Chamber is their most radical turn yet: cold synthesiser tones, marching drums, samples and triggers, several songs with no guitars at all, and the swooning strings of 1960s Italian pop pulled into something synthetic. For guitarist Conor Curley, the aim was to break from the band’s own reference points: “I was trying to find stuff that pointed into the future.” It was made with James Ford between London, the English countryside and Palermo, where Chatten recorded vocals in a makeshift booth built from mattresses and cushions.

“There’s a poignant sense of us being on the brink of some other kind of form of humanity, or non-humanity,” says Chatten. For their fifth album, Fontaines D.C. have built the chamber. What happens to the listener inside it will be the experiment.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

14,24 €
Rob Kieswetter & Jona Bechtolt - 'Greatest Hits From Planet Blip LP 2x12"
  • 01: Blippo+ Main Theme (Edit)
  • 02: Fried Piper
  • 03: Nerf Latte
  • 04: Gimme a Sec
  • 05: Mighty Ficus
  • 06: Nite Jogger
  • 07: Funky Salad
  • 08: Buffs Only
  • 09: Cowerker
  • 10: Diamond Decaf
  • 11: Nocturnal Transmissions
  • 12: Tantric Computing
  • 13: Squish Tussle
  • 14: It's Nice to Share!15 Snacks Come Alive
  • 16: Subspace Lunchbox
  • SIDE B
  • 17: Countertop (Underscore)
  • 18: Confetti Cowboys (Underscore)
  • 19: Blippo+ Pee Dee Lobby
  • 20: Sports are Fun!
  • 21: Movie Maniacs
  • 22: Werf's Tavern
  • 23: Look Alive (Extended Version)
  • 24: Rubber Report (Extended Version)
  • 25: Do You Party? (Extended Version)
  • 26: Quizzards (Extended Version)
  • SIDE C
  • 27: Psychic Weather
  • 28: Brain Drain
  • 29: Monochrome Park Loop
  • 30: Planetary Tundra
  • 31: Total Calm
  • 32: Blippo+ System Messages
  • 33: Cathode Confessions
  • 34: Local Access
  • 35: Skywave Diaries
  • 36: CUBIS!
  • 37: The Read-Only Review
  • 38: Blippo+ Tuner Calibration (Edit)
  • 39: Universal Access
  • 40: The Mad Dash
  • 41: Blippo+ System Menu
  • 42: Global Access
  • 43: Welcome to Femtofax
  • 44: Tex-X
  • 45: Recipes for Recluses
  • 46: Trash Type
  • SIDE D
  • 47: Lens on Life (Edit)
  • 48: Video Cola (Extended Version)
  • 49: Squish Tussle (Alt Edit)
  • 50: Jus' Zappin
  • 51: Zootbox Rock
  • 52: Ooh Blah
  • 53: Jump In It
  • 54: Dear Bendonauts
  • 55: Zeromaniacs
  • 56: Smooth Mousse
  • 57: Computer People
  • 58: Get Bent!
  • 59: Relay Ridge
  • 60: First and Last Contact
  • 61: Enter The Snowglobe62 Contrast Canyon
  • 63: Match Cut Trail
  • 64: FM Valley View
  • 65: Subroutines
  • 66: Boredome
  • 67: Under The Sea!
  • 68: Ways to Relax! (Edit)
  • 69: Findal's Hymn
  • 70: State of the State (Edit)
  • 71: Blippian Planetary Anthem
HOOP013
Hologram Opera
2x12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopSynth-Pop

You've never played a game like Blippo+ before, and you've never heard a video game soundtrack quite like Greatest Hits from Planet Blip.

Composed by Rob Kieswetter and Jona Bechtolt from the LA-based trio YACHT, the soundtrack collects 71 tracks from the cult classic video game Blippo+, reworked and sequenced into a continuous listen for this special release —a TV static-speckled gatefold double LP, out Oct. 16 via Hologram Opera, marking the soundtrack’s physical debut.

Taking the form of a cable TV simulator, Blippo+ captures the magical feeling of seizing a mysterious signal from outer space and discovering the television programming of an alien culture. Soundtracking the game’s pastiche of programs is Rob and Jona’s genre-spanning score—synth-heavy, eccentrically electronic, with a skewed sensibility that pays homage to cable access, library music, video art, and the late-night margins of the 80s and 90s underground.

TV obsessives will find plenty to love in Greatest Hits from Planet Blip: with surreal theme songs, jangly jingles, zippystings, catchy kitsch, period-accurate menu music and even pop hits from the alien airwaves, this propulsively playful soundtrack will have channel-flippers tingling with nostalgia.

“Planet Blip is an alien planet where art and music are the only currency and ‘consciousness particles’ form the basis of all media. To capture the spirit of this world, we drew inspiration
from all the music we felt best embodied this ethos and ran it through our own utopian blender,” say Bechtolt and Kieswetter.

Blippo+ is an award-winning, experimental, live-action video game created by YACHT and Telefantasy Studios, along with developers Noble Robot and Dustin Mierau, and published by Panic Games. It was released for Steam, Playdate and Nintendo Switch in 2025 to widespread
critical acclaim and has earned a devoted fandom. A Mac version followed earlier this year, and was nominated for an Apple Design Award.

"Simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic, otherworldly yet
welcoming, Blippo+ is an absolute artistic triumph.
" —Deven McClure, Screen Rant

"Blippo+’s presentation might ape old traditions, but the collective impact of its content is richer, deeper, and more entertaining than any mere remembrance.
" —Garrett Martin, Paste/Endless Mode

"In the increasingly reactionary and prescriptive landscape of video games, it is remarkable to encounter something so distinctive, so hopeful, so celebratory, so devoted to expanding the possibility space of art beyond a single medium." —Sam Bodrojan

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

24,33 €
The Strokes - Reality Awaits LP
19958455271
Columbia
12inch08.10.202608.OCT.26

PopRockAlternativeIndie

New music from The Strokes arrives now, beginning with a new song, “Going Shopping” released today. Produced by Rick Rubin, Reality Awaits is the 7th album from The Strokes. Full track list includes nine new songs — set for release on June 26.

In StockReady to ship

Ready to ship

37,61 €
OLA TUNJI - TRUST
WERF298LP
DE W.E.R.F.
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopJazz

Fused around saxophonist Ornella Noulet and a shared devotion to the spiritual jazz of John Coltrane, OLA TUNJI is a Brussels-based quartet whose music channels the intensity and openness of the 1960s “New Thing” movement.

Deeply inspired by John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Albert Ayler, the group embraces improvisation as a political and spiritual act. On stage, their performances often take on a trance-like intensity, carrying musicians and audience alike toward a sense of shared elevation. The music becomes a reminder that it can still be a medium for love, sister and brotherhood, and collective uplift.

Debut album ‘TRUST’ was born from a long artistic and spiritual journey, with music playing a central role as a space for inner exploration. Trust, a key concept for the group, lies at the foundation of this journey. The album’s title embodies an approach rooted in self-awareness, connection, and the sharing of love.

‘TRUST’ presents itself as a cohesive body of work, moving through moments of intensity, calm, spirituality and joy, each track contributes to a shared intention: to remind us that personal transformation is the starting point for a more authentic relationship with ourselves, with others and with the world around us.

Compositions such as ‘DEVOTION,’ WE CHOOSE LOVE’ and ‘SPEAK UP! (YOUR VOICE IS YOUR STRENGTH)’ reveal the album’s guiding thread: self-knowledge, resilience and the awakening of consciousness. Each track invites the listener to reconnect with their inner voice, cultivating a deeper sense of awareness and view of the world through a lens of reflection and humanity. Modal and physical, the album is built on long-form playing and moves between a deeply meditative and ecstatic sound.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

22,90 €
Masahiro Takahashi - In Another LP
also available

Black Ice Vinyl[26,85 €]


LPTER131
Telephone Explosion
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

HouseDancePopDancefloorElectronica

On his sixth LP In Another, Toronto-based, Japanese-born, musician and composer Masahiro Takahashi (髙橋 政宏) continues the collaborative expansion of his sonic universe that listeners witness on his 2023 release, Humid Sun. Here he enlists a rotating ensemble of ten guest artists from Toronto’s vibrant music community, including his labelmate Joseph Shabason, who also serves as the album’s co-producer and engineer.

Spurred by his longtime admiration for chamber pop spanning the High Llamas and Free Design to the Beach Boys, Takahashi deviates from the underlying processes of his past two outings, trading Ableton sequences for lead sheets, focusing on creating robust melodic and harmonic foundations first. This difference is audible straight away; the album opens with a dialog between upright piano and plucked double bass that’s so gentle and transparent you can hear the breath of the players.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

26,85 €
Masahiro Takahashi - In Another LP
also available

Black Vinyl[26,85 €]


LPTER131C
Telephone Explosion
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

HouseDancePopDancefloorElectronica

On his sixth LP In Another, Toronto-based, Japanese-born, musician and composer Masahiro Takahashi (髙橋 政宏) continues the collaborative expansion of his sonic universe that listeners witness on his 2023 release, Humid Sun. Here he enlists a rotating ensemble of ten guest artists from Toronto’s vibrant music community, including his labelmate Joseph Shabason, who also serves as the album’s co-producer and engineer.

Spurred by his longtime admiration for chamber pop spanning the High Llamas and Free Design to the Beach Boys, Takahashi deviates from the underlying processes of his past two outings, trading Ableton sequences for lead sheets, focusing on creating robust melodic and harmonic foundations first. This difference is audible straight away; the album opens with a dialog between upright piano and plucked double bass that’s so gentle and transparent you can hear the breath of the players.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

26,85 €
Satoshi & Makoto - Mirage Cafè
8MM072
8MM Records
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

TechnoIdm BeatsAmbient

Six years after their last full-length release, Satoshi & Makoto return with Mirage Café, the highly anticipated new album on 8mm Records, in collaboration with Standart Magazine.

A carefully crafted and long-awaited work, Mirage Café is more than an album — it is a fully immersive sensory experience. The Japanese duo expand their signature sound into deeper and more cinematic territory, blending refined electronica, ambient textures, subtle jazz inflections and understated groove with remarkable elegance and control.

The title evokes an imaginary café — a space of contemplation, connection and inspiration. The partnership with Standart Magazine reinforces this conceptual layer, bridging music and coffee culture into a cohesive narrative that feels both intimate and international. The result is an album that unfolds like a slow ritual: warm, enveloping and meticulously detailed.

Throughout the record, Satoshi & Makoto demonstrate a mature and confident songwriting approach. The production is rich yet restrained, atmospheric yet rhythmically engaging — balancing introspection with forward motion. Lush harmonies, delicate arrangements and immersive sound design create a listening experience that rewards both focused attention and late-night drifting.

With Mirage Café , the duo not only meet expectations after a six-year silence — they surpass them. This is a masterwork of nuance and vision, poised to become a defining chapter in their discography and a standout release in the contemporary electronic landscape.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

22,65 €
The Rurals - Deepest Rurals E.P
PENG45
Peng
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

HouseDeep

The Rurals first love is DEEP HOUSE!

Deepest Rurals E.P dives beneath the surface to explore the essence of The Rurals' unmistakable sound. Rich in soul, jazz-infused textures, and deep house sensibilities, this release delivers a collection of warm, organic grooves crafted with depth, elegance, and musical integrity.

Flowing effortlessly between atmospheric keys, fluid basslines, live instrumentation, and intricate rhythms, each track captures the timeless spirit of underground house music. The Rurals blend soulful expression with dancefloor functionality, creating moments that are equally suited to intimate listening sessions and late-night club journeys.

Here’s the first instalment of some fine examples, previously only available digitally!

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

13,87 €
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook - Night Song - 30th Anniversary Edition LP
  • A1: My Heart My Life
  • A2: Intoxicated
  • A3: Lament
  • A4: My Comfort Remains
  • B1: Longing
  • B2: Sweet Pain
  • B3: Night Song
  • B4: Crest
LPRW50X
Real World Productions
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

HouseElectro

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of its original release, Night Song returns in a special edition on rose leaf green coloured vinyl. A Grammy Award nominee, the album captures the extraordinary meeting of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Canadian guitarist, producer and composer Michael Brook, whose atmospheric soundscapes provide the perfect setting for Nusrat’s ecstatic, transcendent vocals.

With Nusrat’s legacy continuing to reach new audiences following the landmark 2024 release of the unearthed archive recording Chain of Light, Night Song remains one of the defining cross-cultural collaborations of its era. This anniversary edition includes a printed inner sleeve with updated liner notes and photographs.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

29,37 €
CAETANO MALTA - Eterna Juventude LP
FVR207LP
Favorite
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopLatinWorld MusicHip-HopFunkSoul

Born in São Paulo, Caetano Malta embodies the vibrant creative energy of one of Latin America's most dynamic cities. A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, he has spent more than twenty years crafting a distinctive musical universe shaped by Brazil's rich and diverse traditions. Tropicalia, MPB, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, psychedelic folk, and contemporary pop blend seamlessly in his work with effortless elegance.

Over the years, he has become a highly sought-after collaborator. Since 2004, he has performed with numerous leading Brazilian artists, including Lucas Santtana, Bixiga 70, Karina Buhr, and many others. After two decades of international touring, he eventually settled in Paris, where he became the guitarist for Flavia Coelho, Luiza, Guts, among others. As a songwriter, he has also co-written with artists such as Lucas Santtana, Wado, MOMO, Rubinho Jacobina, and Arto Lindsay.

With Eterna Juventude, his long-awaited debut solo album, due for release in autumn 2026, Caetano Malta reaches a new artistic milestone. The record reveals a radiant songwriting style where harmonic sophistication, organic rhythms, and instantly memorable melodies come together naturally. Filled with joyful energy and deep tenderness, Eterna Juventude celebrates imagination, movement, and childhood's unique ability to reinvent the world. It is a remarkably accomplished debut, showcasing an artist whose singular voice and musical identity are already fully formed.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

21,64 €
Chris Liebing - Eye C
CLR144V
Create Learn Realize
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

TechnoTechno

American DJ, producer, and Ovum label boss Josh Wink remixes Chris Liebing's 'Eye C' via CLR on 25th September 2026, one of the standout tracks from Liebing's first fully solo-produced LP, 'Evolver', which landed in March. The album featured collaborations with the likes of Luke Slater, Charlotte de Witte, and Daniel Miller, with Josh Wink the latest to rework material from the project. The Philadelphian is an electronic music veteran who has shaped countless releases on his own Ovum, while also remixing the likes of Depeche Mode, Moby, and Radiohead.

Josh Wink showcases his production skills once again with a blistering take on Chris Liebing's 'Eye C', rewriting it with fizzing synth modulations and prickly acid lines. The track grows in intensity as rumbling drums march on, and the synths become ever wilder before pulling back into a deep, atmospheric groove, rebuilding beneath the menacing vocals and icy, incendiary hi-hats.

The original version of Chris Liebing's 'Eye C' is a deep, rolling techno masterclass with pulsing synths and deft percussion peeling away from the groove. It's linear and heady, perfect for the small hours, with unsettling vocal fragments refracted around the mix and subtle hypnotism floating overhead as the drums grow ever harder.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

14,71 €
Larry June - Who Coppin' LP 2x12"
  • A1: Go Outside Intro (feat. Wallo)
  • A2: The Machinist
  • A3: Casual Monday
  • A4: Better Decisions
  • B1: Everything Liquid
  • B2: Organic Motion (feat. DJ.Fresh)
  • B3: The Smooth Kind
  • B4: California Dream (feat. Jhené Aiko)
  • C1: Pretty Green Eyes (feat. Musiq Soulchild)
  • C2: Win or Lose (feat. B-Legit)
  • C3: 3 Calculators
  • C4: Flex (feat. Swizz Beatz)
  • D1: Who Coppin
  • D2: Organically Slidin’
  • D3: Larry's Diner Pt. 2
  • D4: God Got Us (Ain't Too Many)
ERE1354
EMPIRE
2x12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

Hip-HopRap

Larry June has built a career on making hard work look effortless, and his album Who Coppin’ stands as a masterclass in smooth, lifestyle-driven West Coast hip-hop. The album delivers a high-grade mix of Bay Area luxury, entrepreneurial motivation, and unbothered charismatic flows. Spanning a laid-back audio palette designed for early-morning juice runs and late-night freeway cruises alike, Uncle Larry balances the discipline of a hustle-first mindset with warm, sun-drenched production anchored by crisp organic instrumentation and heavy-knocking bass.

The album features a tightly curated roster of collaborators who align seamlessly with Larry's signature aesthetic. Spoken-word encouragement from Wallo267 sets an intentional tone on the opener "Go Outside Intro," framing the record around execution and focus. Soulful contributions from Jhené Aiko on "California Dream" and Musiq Soulchild on "Pretty Green Eyes" provide lush R&B textures, while NorCal legend B-Legit and longtime partner DJ.Fresh reinforce June’s deep West Coast roots. Meanwhile, Swizz Beatz injects high-energy bounce into "Flex," offering a vibrant contrast to Larry’s understated, cool-headed cadence.

Behind the boards, top-tier producers like Cardo, Teeko, Beat Butcha, Jay Versace, and June Santana craft a nostalgic yet modern backdrop filled with warm sample flips, smooth G-funk synthesizers, and relaxed soul grooves. The project builds to an emotionally grounded conclusion on "God Got Us (Ain't Too Many)," where June strips away the flexes to offer direct encouragement to his audience, proving once again that consistency, self-belief, and steady progress remain the ultimate luxuries.

2xLP, Gatefold Jacket, 18x24 Poster Included

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

27,69 €
VARIOUS - MUSIC FOR THE AIRPORT LP 2x12"
AGS-100
Aloha Got Soul
2x12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopRock

*COMES IN GATEFOLD 2LP WITH LINER NOTES*

The premise of this compilation is simple: music we’d like to hear at the airport.

The idea came after learning that Honolulu’s international airport has been playing AI-generated music over its speakers since November 2025. First reported by Civil Beat, the news has caused frustration and disappointment among residents and visitors, as well as within the local music community.

Everyone knows Hawaii is one of the most musically rich regions in the world — why then is the airport using AI music? 'Music For The Airport' is our response.

Located in the middle of the Pacific at the outskirts of one the most remote cities on the planet, Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) is for most people the first place they encounter when they arrive in Hawaii. Warm sun, tropical tradewinds, playful palm trees and majestic mountains welcome every traveler, as do the sounds of birds, familiar music from Hawaiian artists like Aunty Genoa Keawe and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, and—at least for now—seventeen “island-themed” AI-generated songs.

In late 1977, while sitting in Germany’s Cologne Bonn Airport on a Sunday morning, Brian Eno noticed how terribly uncomfortable he felt hearing the airport’s “muzak” overhead. For a harried, hurried place like the airport where travelers scramble to their gates, stand in long border control lines, and wait impatiently for their luggage at the carousels, music can create more anxiety than calm. Asking himself, "What should we be hearing here?", Eno soon created ‘Ambient 1: Music For Airports’, a sonic remedy aimed at reducing nervousness in public spaces.

When we heard the news that HNL airport is playing AI-generated “muzak”, we were immediately reminded of Eno’s genre-defying 1978 album. And we were similarly inspired to react. But how? Recreating an ambient masterpiece wasn’t in our wheelhouse. We started digging through our catalog of licensed music which we haven’t yet re-released. We quickly realized this was our chance to highlight some of favorite songs from the so-called CD era: the 1990s and 2000s (with a few exceptions). In less than 20 minutes, we pulled 17 original songs recorded by local artists between 1984 and 2017.

The speed at which this project came together surprised us; reactionary gut instinct often produces swift and lasting results. Ironically, our new compilation likely took less time than it did for the state Department of Transportation to commission its AI songs in question. But even though ‘Music for the Airport’ came together in less than one week, the truth is that this collection of 17 songs is the result of years of hard work, trust, sacrifice, patience, and understanding. Building relationships with and licensing music from artists doesn’t happen overnight, but more importantly: these songs are the result of people pouring their hearts and souls into something they believe in. This music wouldn’t exist today without the artists and their loved ones who supported them along the way.

As of this writing, the DOT states its intention in creating AI-generated songs is to “highlight different aspects of the islands, aviation and the airport” and that “no state funds were used to produce them”. Okay, but at what cost? Technology disrupting the music industry isn’t news to anyone. AI music in public spaces are cost-saving measures, since its users (airports, for example) don’t have to pay the licensing fees typically required, which can be a worthwhile source of revenue for artists. But what happens when a place like HNL airport, which hosts more than 21 million passengers annually, uses music created by machines instead of people to represent Hawaii? The identity of a place beings to erode, diluted by a language learning model’s conceptual summary of what a people and its culture sounds like. To echo Brian Eno: what should we be hearing here? In other words: what should the music of Hawaii sound like?

We believe in the power of music, especially when it comes from the soul. We believe in supporting artists, especially as AI disrupts our lives. We believe that Hawaii must be represented authentically, especially when it comes to song. And of course we believe in vinyl, especially since it was a record from 1978 (Mackey Feary Band’s debut LP) that inspired Aloha Got Soul’s origins in 2010.

We hope you find as much joy in this compilation as we have. Perhaps it’ll soundtrack your next journey to Hawaii. At the very least, we hope some people take a moment to hear these sounds: in your headphones for now‚ maybe someday overhead at the airport in Honolulu.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

23,74 €
Geologist & Kyle Simon - The Sirens (TAPE)
OT009CS
Outside Time
Cassette16.10.202616.OCT.26

BeatsAmbientExperimental

The sun sat high above the desert outside Joshua Tree on October 17, 2024, baking the rocks and shrubbery outside the Farrington Observatory as a small group of invited guests ventured up a steep path towards the telescope. Kyle Simon, the artist and printmaker who founded the Observatory, was standing outside the print studio sat below the towering cylindrical building, greeting friends alongside his wife Sarah and lifelong friend Brian Weitz, the musician widely known as Geologist of Animal Collective. Simon and Weitz had spent the previous day testing and retesting a system that would transform the light of the oncoming full moon captured by the gigantic telescope into a signal that would modulate the control voltage of Weitz’s modular synthesizer. As the sun dipped below the horizon line, the audience gathered on a small wooden patio surrounded by speakers while Weitz readied himself behind the array of patches and knobs. Simon addressed the group, presenting the history of The Sirens, the sonic exploration of the night sky’s mystical and scientific significance about to unfold.

The music conjured under the Hunter’s Moon that night is now documented on this first official release of The Sirens, which was conceived by Simon and Weitz as a recurring performance piece and sound installation. Over a decade ago, Simon began immersing himself in literature on humanity’s sonic relationship to the celestial realm, including Homer’s Odyssey, Plato’s “Spindle of Necessity, ” Kepler’s Harmonices Mundi, and the field of astroseismology. He fitted homemade telescopes with photodiodes and optical sensors to make the images audible, finding latent patterns in the noisy sonic signals he began receiving from the stars. With Weitz, the process expanded as the signal was routed through an analog amplifier and set to modulate the pitch, filter, and other elements of his synthesizer. Together they developed a system of improvisation, with Simon adjusting the telescope to change the intensity of the light based on its relationship with the moon’s position (imagine a theremin player moving their hands in subtle, meaningful motion), and Weitz responding to that input in real time: bending it, amplifying it, or letting it stand on its own. The duo debuted the piece at the Integretron in Joshua Tree in 2018, providing a crucial proof of concept for the performance at Farrington featured here.

The first thing the listener hears on The Sirens is the opening of Farrington Observatory, the cranking of motor and metal. As the lens of the telescope is exposed to the evening air, a wavering drone emerges from the synthesizer, flickering at the margins, the tuning of the oscillators adjusting to the rapidly cooling desert air. The piece progresses and the drone becomes a luminous, spherical constant, bathing the listener in pure tone as Weitz draws out harmonically ambiguous melodies that spiral upwards. Electronics crackle and convulse, coalescing into dense dissonance before widening out into an open octave. Just as the moon orbits the Earth and the stars shift as the planet rotates, so each sonic element appears in flux, interrelationships slowly forming and falling away. Divided into two parts, The Sirens flows as a continuous conversation between the artists and the starlight completing its thousand-year journey across the galaxy.

The Sirens belongs primarily to a lineage beyond music: of sea captains navigating by looking skyward, of astrophysicists studying the formation of the Milky Way, of the modern myths of werewolves, of the stories embedded in constellations. As Simon writes in the album’s extensive liner notes, “These stories and explorations reveal a collective yearning to become conscious of our connection to the universe, our deep-seated desire to understand how we fit into it all.” This music underscores the history of the night sky as the place where poetry and science find common ground, where exploration hinges on the imagination. Driven by curiosity and ingenuity, Weitz and Simon look up and wonder.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

14,50 €
VARIOUS - SHORT MUSIC FOR SHORT PEOPLE
  • A1: Short Attention Span
  • A2: Ancor
  • A3: Ketchup Soup
  • A4: All Cops Are Bastards
  • A5: Overcoming Learned Behavior
  • A6: Quit Yer Job
  • A7: Ready
  • A8: Out Of Hand
  • A9: Asian Pride
  • A10: Steamroller Blues
  • A11: Doin' Laundry
  • A12: Freegan
  • A13: Not Again
  • A14: Waste Away
  • A15: The Radio Still Sucks
  • A16: Armageddon Singalong
  • A17: Hearts Frozen Soil Sod Once More
  • A18: Farts Are Jazz To Assholes
  • A19: Surf City
  • A20: Back To You
  • A21: Outhouse Of Deem
  • A22: Alienation
  • A23: Family Reunion
  • A24: Mirror, Signal Wheelspin
  • A25: Saturday Night
  • A26: Bedroom Windows
  • A27: Sara Fisher
  • A28: The Ballad Of Wilhelm Fink
  • A29: Delraiser Part Iii: Del On Earth
  • A30: Told You Once
  • A31: Randal Gets Drunk
  • A32: Fishfuck
  • A33: Howdy Doody In The Woodshed
  • A34: Long Enough To Forget You
  • A35: Erik Sandin's Stand-In
  • A36: We Want The Kids
  • A37: Warren's Song Part 8
  • A38: No Fgcnuik
  • A39: I Like Food
  • A40: Triple Track
  • A41: Don Camero Lost His Minds
  • A42: X-99
  • A43: Faust
  • A44: Deny Everything
  • A45: Hand Grenades
  • A46: Mike Booted Our First Song, So We Recorded This One Instead
  • A47: Union Yes
  • A48: Dirty Neddles
  • A49 30: 0 Miles
  • A50: Klawstraphobia
  • A51: You Don't Know Shit
  • A52: Doin' Fine
  • A53: John For The Working Man
  • A54: A Prayer For The Complete And Utter Eradication Of All Generic Pop-Punk
  • A55: It's A Real Time Thing
  • A56: All My Friends Are In Popular Bands
  • A57: I Hate Punk Rock
  • A58: Fun
  • A59: To All The Kids
  • A60 30: Seconds Till The End Of The World
  • A61: Get A Grip
  • A62: Blatty (Human Egg)
  • A63: I Got None
  • A64: See Her Pee
  • A65: F.O.F.O.D
  • A66: Blacklisted
  • A67: Chnadeliers & Souvenirs
  • A68: Your Kung Fu Is Old
  • A69: My Pants Keep Falling Down
  • A70: I Hate Your Fucking Guts
  • A71: Comin' To Your Town
  • A72: Spray Paint
  • A73: Rage Against The Machine Are Capitalist Phonies
  • A74: Bring It To An And
  • A75: Not A Happy Man
  • A76: Old Mrs. Cuddy
  • A77: Traitor
  • A78: Life Rules 101
  • A79: Wake Up
  • A80: Too Bad You Don't Get It
  • A81: Humanity
  • A82: In Your Head
  • A83: Supermarket Forces
  • A84: Tribute To The Mammal
  • A85: Pretty Houses
  • A86: The Band That Would Die
  • A87: Like A Fish In Water
  • A88: Turn It Up
  • A89: Madam's Apple
  • A90: Staggerign
  • A91: Dmv
  • A92: Big Fat Skinhead
  • A93: Pimmel
  • A94: Mr. Brett, Please Put Down Your Gun
  • A95: Wake Up
  • A96: Eyez
  • A97: Another Stale Cartoon
  • A98: I Don't Mind
  • A99: Welcome To Dumpsville Populations: You
  • A100: Ny Ranger
  • A101: The Count
 
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Fat Wreck Chords
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopPunk

Once upoun a time Fat Mike came up with the idea of calling up 101 of the best old and new punk rock band around, have them each record a 30-second long song, then put all the tracks out on one record to make the best punk compilation ever. And guess what, the dream came true. The 101 most famous punk rock bands around doing each a 30 seconds long song Back in print for the first time in ten years! Pressed to Lime Vinyl Features super rare songs (recorded exclusively for this compilation) by Green Day, The Offspring, Blink- 182, Pennywise, Rancid, Less Than Jake, The Vandals, Bad Religion, and more

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

25,63 €
Lo-Kee (Organised Sound) - PL001
PL001
Palace Limited
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

HouseDeepTech

Palace Limited presents it’s inaugural release from the early UK tech-house duo, Lo-Kee aka Julian Phethean (aka Mr Cenz) & Rafael de Swarte. The record features long awaited represses of three highly sought-after Lo-Kee records from 1998 - 2003 compiled onto a single 12”.


The record features A1 from Organised Sound 005 titled ‘Second Sight’, A1 ‘Human Affects’ and B1 ‘Earth Humm’ from Organised Sound 003 and the B2 from Affected Music 002. Seminal early UK fusion of house and techno with a minimalist approach which laid the foundations for much that followed.


Written and produced by Julian Phethean & Rafael de Swarte.

Remastered by Justin Drake.

Pressed by Vinyl Presents.

Distributed by Palace Vinyl.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

18,45 €
BASMA & TEMIR ALCY - NAD
STRLP-130
Stroom
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopRock

"Here is a tender journey through loss and rebirth — a raw exploration of grief, heartbreak, and the emptiness that follows. It unfolds the fragile moments after losing a beloved friend, the fragile attempts to mend a fractured love, and the sudden rupture that shakes the soul to its core. Amidst the turmoil, anxiety pulses and the body aches with memories too heavy to hold. Yet, slowly, the darkness gives way to light. Breath returns. Support is found in unexpected places. Memories surface through hypnotic whispers, guiding the way back to softness and hope. This is not a story of instant healing, but a delicate awakening — a reckoning with old patterns, a reclaiming of the self, a learning to love differently.

Intimate and universal, fragile yet fiercely alive."

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

23,11 €
Juan Carlos Calderon - Bloque 6
VAMPI374
Vampisoul
12inch16.10.202616.OCT.26

PopJazz

“Bloque 6” (1968), by Juan Carlos Calderón, is a landmark in the history of modern Spanish jazz, quite different from the later phase of his career, when he incorporated elements of fusion under the influence of funk, disco, and even flamenco. For the recording of this album, he was joined by prominent Spanish jazz musicians such as Pedro Iturralde, Vlady Bas, and Pepe Nieto.

In the United States, it was awarded Best International Jazz Album in 1969 and reissued on CD by Blue Note many years later.


First time vinyl reissue.

pre-order now16 Oct

expected to be published on 16 Oct

23,11 €

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