Buscar:b say

I turned the page and will never forget what I then saw.

The fountain pen scratched against the paper, whistling like fur on an abandoned tire in the
middle of the night at the centre of the universe in the core of whatever it is I’m trying to believe.
I am a patient human and I live and breathe. I know this for sure.

I read about a whispering stillness of the Stadsnacht as my blood levels gradually even out again. Beneath the ink, the words take shape. This is a secret correspondence with the Book of Change – a dialogue not meant for eyes or ears, but for the soul. Are you still with me?

The Snake Rope tightens, its Coils Dive into the deep well of patience, where waiting is an art, a
dance with the unseen. The Scientists Say we should measure, predict, contain—but here, in
the shadow of the deepest of nights, the only truth is the Celebration of Ignorance. Love is the
force that binds as it untangles the invisible thread that refuses to sever. The next page quotes the mystical figure Daim: “Never Dissever Us.”

There, in the dawning light, the Dageraad reveals the Icequeen in her frigid throne, the Topiary Man standing guard in his sculpted silence. In this quiet landscape, I wait. I continue to wait, for I have good fortune on my very hands.

If You Won’t, I Will.

Can we exhibit the power to possess conformity? Can we redeem the benefits of crossing the water? Yes. The choice, the act of breaking through the barrier of convenience, is both a burden and a liberation.The words swirl, abstract and concrete, like action and inaction. The Book of Change is a paradox to puzzle over.

The evening cool rests its shoulders on my fluffy neck. I inhale as my pen lifts itself from the
paper once more, shedding ink as though it were tears of joy. I know that I have touched the
edge of something vast, something that moves beyond the grasp of reason into the heart of the
I Ching, the ever-turning wheel of change. This is the correct orientation. This is the vivid
imagery of clouds falling from the heavens and into our laps. This was never meant for your
ears. This was meant for you to feast on as the seasons bestow upon us

Powerful early 90s house edits by the mysterious D.J. J.A. These tracks were unearthed in a secluded backyard in Monza, Italy - or maybe the South Side of Chicago, USA? The truth remains a mystery. Directly recorded from original cheese plates and polished for today's DJ demands. Enough talk - play it, say it!

Trip-hop royalty Morcheeba make a blistering return with a stunning 11th studio album Escape The Chaos.

“This whole record is a process of trying to reconnect with what really matters. whether it’s what in your heart or with the world, putting your feet on grass and feeling the earth beneath you” says Ross Godfrey.

“For me, ‘We Live and Die’ is about my duration in the band and the music world and life in general,” Skye says of the lead single. “The lines become blurred after all this time. In a way, it’s a homage to the thirty years of being in Morcheeba which is 60% of my existence.”

Formed in London in 1995 the legendary band have extensively toured the globe, sold over 10 million albums worldwide and left their mark as one of the most influential acts of recent times. Releasing their acclaimed debut album Who Can You Trust? in 1996, the band have gone on to release a string of successful studio albums, including 1998’s platinum selling Big Calm, produced an album for Talking Heads’ David Byrne and produced soundtracks for Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.

In their 30th year Morcheeba are as relevant as ever and are set to mark the celebration in style.

* Limited edition 2 x LP vinyl with full colour outer sleeve and printed inners.

* The sound of a D&B original. Carlito's debut LP blends timeless vibes with fresh energy and presents a masterclass in liquid funk.

* A long-awaited debut from one of liquid drum & bass's true pioneers, Fiesta En La Playa sees Carlito step out solo on Liquid V with a full-length that's been years in the making. Known for his work with DJ Addiction and iconic releases on labels like Moving Shadow, Creative Source, Hospital Records and Defunked, Carlito helped shape the early sound of soulful D&B, and here he refines it with maturity, depth and a forward-thinking touch.

* Includes the standout singles Fiesta En La Playa, Wide World, Savanna Rain and Take Me Down, plus a host of new tracks exclusive to the LP.

* An album that brings Carlito's classic touch into the present — deep, melodic and musical, with the weight and clarity to hold its own in any modern DJ set. Also featuring vocal contributions from V regular MC T.R.A.C.

* "I've always loved the more musical side of things," says Carlito, "and with this album I really wanted to stay true to my sound but bring it into the now."

* A personal and creative milestone, marking Carlito's return to the scene and celebrating the spirit of D&B culture past, present and future.

* Full support from Bryan Gee, DJ Marky, LTJ Bukem, Jumpin Jack Frost and the V family, with roots that run deep and a sound that continues to inspire across generations.

* Built around standout singles and brand new material, the LP is as much about feel as it is finesse, lush, rolling and warm, but with weight where it matters. From start to finish, it's the sound of a producer reconnecting with the craft: "I still get the same buzz turning the kit on, not knowing where a session might go."

* With a legacy that spans decades, Carlito delivers a record that speaks to both long-time heads and the new wave alike — soulful, confident and packed full of funk.



c A3. Sing It Now Swerve Mix

e B1. Fiesta En La Playa VIP

gyrofield is 22-year-old, Utrecht-via-Hong-Kong producer Kiana Li, who has put out several albums and over a dozen EPs since 2018, from self-released productions to projects on Metalheadz, XL Recordings and FABRICLIVE among many others.

Their next EP is Suspension of Belief, and it arrives on Objekt's label, Kapsela. (Following last year's Ganzfeld and Chicken Garaage, it's Kapsela's first record by an artist other than Objekt himself.) In keeping with her recent releases, it shows Li continuing a creative renaissance, moving beyond the outer fringes of drum & bass to present what they call "a set of deeper, shapeshifting tracks, cross-pollinating ideas from house, free jazz and techno."

Suspension of Belief was written between June and October of 2024, inspired by a summer spent in nature and encapsulating Li's lived experiences and personal reflections in this time. "Thoughts about the boundaries between civilisation and nature began to take on a charged meaning," she says. "How can we, as people, live on the backs of others’ suffering, and see emotionally vacant newscasting on the desecration of the world around us? We ought to be angry, but we also ought to find healing and love somewhere. A representation of this thinking exists in the record."

The result is an elegant paradox. From the warm upright bass on "Vegetation Grows Thick" to the rattling, "Spastik”-esque snare rolls of “Bolete”, the record is at once steely and organic, with dreamlike states giving way to depth and intensity. It’s functional enough for rituals of escapism but determined to confront the world as it really is. As Li puts it:

"Suspension of Belief is a play on the suspension of disbelief, the common convention for us to immerse ourselves in fictional worlds. In turn, the record’s title suggests the idea of immersing in the real world, an antifiction, facing reality.”



Mastered by Beau at Ten Eight Seven

Artwork and design by Brodie Kaman

Vinyl distributed by Rubadub

2025 Repress

Bar Part Time launches its record label with none other than Toronto UFO hunter, certified bad boy DJ, and good friend Cal-C. Cal comes correct with a ripper of a 4 track EP, Bath Bomb. A deep digger and wild style DJ in his own right, Cal brings you a grip of tracks that a tasteful selector can make use of throughout all points of a night time music party. Title track "Bath Bomb" is a blissed out, downtempo joyride that would make a perfect companion for either sunset or sunrise. "Morning Dew" evokes sounds of all your favorite early 90s Italian records, with a particularly euphoric crescendo. Hey man, did you say this guy was from Toronto or Torino? Either way, molto bene! As we move on, "Blurry Moon" is a slice of dancefloor perfection that sounds like something Jose Padilla would've made if he were from San Pedro instead of San Antonio. And lastly, the aptly named "Wine 69" (nice) is an M1 organ cruiser that's practically begging to be heard in front of an azure sea in balmy temps. Vamos a la playa!

As 2025 unfolds, Frenzy wastes no time in unleashing its next chapter. For our ninth release, we welcome Ukrainian mastermind Gene Richards Jr.

Known for his raw, uncompromising energy, Gene delivers a blistering 4-track EP rooted in ghetto-driven rhythms and industrial grit. This is no-holds-barred techno - pure, percussive, and primed for peak-time chaos.

Titled Ride This D, the EP kicks off with four original tracks that showcase Gene's signature blend of punchy drum work and infectious vocal chops. The intensity only builds with two standout remixes: UK legend Mark Broom injects his classic mechanical funk into the title track, while Spain's rising phenomenon DJ Swisherman brings an electrified bounce that reimagines the groove through his distinct, playful lens.

From shadowy warehouse floors to open-air summer raves, Ride This D is designed to detonate.

"Mixes Of A Lost World", konzipiert und zusammengetragen von Robert Smith, ist eine neue Remix-Sammlung von Tracks aus The Cure's gefeiertem #1 Album "Songs Of A Lost World", das im November 2024 erschien. Das neue Set enthält 16 brandneue Remixe von Künstlern wie Four Tet, Paul Oakenfold, Orbital und vielen anderen. Die Deluxe-Edition enthält zusätzlich Remixe und Reworks von Chino Moreno (Deftones), Mogwai, 65daysofstatic und vielen mehr. Bei den Künstlern handelt es sich um Freunde von Robert, die die Songs in einer atmosphärischen und stimmungsvollen Art und Weise kreiert haben. Sie sind es, die diesem unglaublichen Album ihre Tiefe verleihen. Die meisten von ihnen stammen selbst aus Bands und begeben sich mit ihren Kreationen auf einen neuen Weg der Entdeckung.

Two Drumcode mainstays, Layton Giordani & Bart Skils, join forces on rapturous but dark-edged techno thriller ‘Deadly Valentine’. Skils is globally renowned for his chart-invading take-no-prisoners techno. The Dutch producer’s last release on Beyer’s imprint was the 2024 ‘Sakura’ EP comprising collaborations with SUDO and Drunken Kong. Giordani, also a chart topper, at the forefront of an exciting new genre-bending sound, combines influences of melodic house, progressive, and indie dance with techno. His last DC outing was a recent rework of the seminal ‘Let’s Go Dancing’ from Tiga and Audion, and the otherworldly but peak time ‘Freaks At Night’ single last June.

The duo have a history of playing B2B at massive events like Drumcode, Loveland and Awakenings. This is their first collaborative standalone single (their ‘Midnight Magic’ was on Layton’s 2020 Drumcode LP). 'I was listening to Spotify and going through an indie dance rabbit hole’ Layton says. ‘I stumbled upon this track, was instantly hooked, and knew Bart was the right guy to collaborate with on this record.’ ‘Layton sent me the vocal idea and I turned it into an arrangement with a rolling groove’ Bart says. ‘After that the track was updated several times and mixed with a new vocalist for release.’ ‘Deadly Valentine’: complex, steady percussion with insistent techno beat gives a dark questioning edge to the high, sweet vocal, fast, echoing, often layered or harmonising with itself, singing the apparently romantic wedding ceremony lyrics in French & English.

There is so much that we at Dirter could say about the legend that is Chris Connelly performing his takes on the music of the equally legendary TG, but this time we’re going to leave it in the words of the man himself. This record goes ahead with the blessing of the surviving members of Throbbing Gristle, Chris Carter & Cosey Fanni Tutti. “Having carved a twisted career with behemoths MINISTRY & REVOLTING COCKS over the past 40 years, starting life with the formidable FINI TRIBE and collaborating with disparate characters such as KILLING JOKE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, JIM O’ ROURKE, and too many others, I have returned to my first love, THROBBING GRISTLE, armed with a cassette recorder, a reel to reel, a razor blade and some tape, I want to invoke the spirit of mid to late 70’s live TG , random, tense, scary & compulsively fascinating…….WHITE PHOSPHORUS is for the TG connoisseur, for the morbidly curious, and the tragically dysfunctional amongst us”. This record is packaged in the spirit of the earliest Throbbing Gristle releases and is very much coming from a ‘70s Xerox angle. It’s pressed on 180gram heavy black vinyl.

As most of us now live in a world saturated with information, this album feels like a reflection of how the modern world might sound if it were to process its own chaos through a unified scream. Hailing from the highlands of Bandung, West Java, a city where tradition and modernization intertwine in the rhythm of daily life, Xin Lie unpretentiously translates this cultural fusion into a sonically rich and rhythmically bold debut LP.

The artist’s roots in the hardcore and punk scenes reverberate throughout the album, though they’ve been reshaped and refined for the club. There’s an undeniable pleasure in experiencing the chaos Xin Lie channels—irregular beats, dynamic frequencies, and disjointed grooves collide and expand, each track laced with a sense of unpredictable energy. Yet even in its most chaotic moments, the music feels deliberate, its edges softened by a sense of compositional care.

The album reveals a strange duality: tracks that seem to beckon you to the dance floor but never quite let you settle there. Frequencies flicker and fluctuate in patterns that feel just slightly off-grid, as though resisting traditional structures. Yet, amidst the digital textures, Xin Lie weaves in organic sounds—snippets of native conversations or environmental noise—creating layers that feel both intimate and expansive.It’s fair to say this album extends far beyond the boundaries of today’s club music.

Picture this: you’re moving through your daily routines—mundane, repetitive—and suddenly, the music shifts your perspective. It reframes the ordinary as something surreal, as though it’s deconstructing itself in real-time, breaking into fragments or conjuring entirely new forms. Perhaps it’s best imagined as the soundtrack to a multi-sensory art installation or a performance staged not in a gallery but in an unassuming house down your street. Who’s to say where it might take you?

Introducing ‘Principauté de Bowl-Air’.

A brand-new label founded by DJ Bowlcut from South Korea, a key figure in supporting Seoul’s underground scene through Seoul Community Radio. This project presents his vision of deep, glitchy, minimal house music—woven with the story of a secret micronation hidden in the heart of Seoul.

The debut vinyl release, PBAVINYL001, features an original track by DJ Bowlcut, alongside reinterpretations by his friends DOTT and Rudolf C.

The A-side opens with “Tibetan Bowl”, a track built around the sound of a Tibetan singing bowl and vocal samples taken from a singing bowl tutorial—inviting listeners into the surreal world of Bowl-Air.

The second A-side track, “The Moment”, delivers a minimal yet gritty bassline and a hypnotic minimal house rhythm, layered with glitchy, acidic patterns and a Korean vocal sample that says, “Now it’s the moment you are waiting for.”

The B-side features remixes by DOTT and Rudolf C. DOTT reimagines “Tibetan Bowl” into a deeper, darker exploration of Bowl-Air’s hidden layers. Meanwhile, Rudolf C transforms “The Moment” into a nostalgic machine-funk-style track reminiscent of the early 2000s—perfect for injecting some funk into the dance floor.

"Throughout all my time as a musician and producer, ever since Jack the Tab, I've been focused on developing a single idea: Blending psychedelic sounds and effects with rhythm." Richard Norris, Strange Things Are Happening White Rabbit 2024

Over the past few years Eskimo Recordings have invited some of the best crate diggers around to curate compilations that don't just reveal the hidden contents of their record bags but something about themselves too. Now, following in the footsteps of the likes of Bill Brewster and Psychemagik, producer, musician, DJ, writer and more, Richard Norris, takes us on a globetrotting psychedelic journey with the epic 42 track collection, Mr Norris Changes Brains.

For over forty years Richard has played a part in many of the UK's most important music subcultures. Whether sharing stages with the likes of Tracey Thorn as a pubescent punk in St. Albans, or running freakbeat nights in Liverpool and working at the pioneering psychedelic label Bam Caruso, co-producing the UK's first acid house inspired LP with Throbbing Gristle's Genesis P. Orridge or riding the wave of creativity that the second summer of love unleashed all the way to the Top of the Pop studios as The Grid, Richard's career has continually seen him work to expand both his own and the public's musical horizons.

With Mr Norris Changes Brains it's the most recent part of his mercurial career that he's focused on. Drawing inspiration from his post 2006 adventures as one half of Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve, alongside Trash's Erol Alkan, this compilation shows how a more connected world has blown the dust off a paradoxically sometimes straightjacketed scene. The result is a dizzyingly wide-ranging collection that explores the further out there reaches of worldwide psychedelia and dancefloor mayhem.

"A lot of these tracks are fairly recent discoveries, things that I've discovered from around the time I started working with Erol and going right up to today," Richard explains. "Whether that's from going out to play and finding new records in places like Istanbul or just connecting with people online from all around the world. Psych can sometimes be a sort of narrow-minded field, with everything having to sit in its specific niche, but more and more people are open to new sounds and that's allowed for a much broader selection."

Despite their disparate origins what does unite these tracks is that they aren't just there to zone out to on a bean bag as projections of swirling coloured oils and psychedelic patterns wash over you. Mr Norris may change brains but his DJ sets also move feet, and whether it's their killer guitar riffs, oscillating synths floor shaking drums or soulful Hammond organs these are all cuts that from festival tents to underground clubs have proven time and time again to get people dancing.

"With a lot of these tracks there's a kind of fun element in them," says Richard. "It's still psychedelia, but they've also got these solid, funky grooves. They sound phenomenal on the dancefloor and as much as these records might excite old psych heads, this compilation is also for a new generation out there who might have never heard anything like this before and, just like when I was 18 and heard The 13th Floor Elevators for the first time, think 'Oh, my God, what on earth is this and more importantly what else is out there?'"

"Throughout all my time as a musician and producer, ever since Jack the Tab, I've been focused on developing a single idea: Blending psychedelic sounds and effects with rhythm." Richard Norris, Strange Things Are Happening White Rabbit 2024

Over the past few years Eskimo Recordings have invited some of thebest crate diggers around to curate compilations that don't just reveal the hidden contents of their record bags but something about themselves too. Now, following in the footsteps of the likes of Bill Brewster and Psychemagik, producer, musician, DJ, writer and more, Richard Norris, takes us on a globetrotting psychedelic journey with the epic 42 track collection, Mr Norris Changes Brains.

For over forty years Richard has played a part in many of the UK's most important music subcultures. Whether sharing stages with the likes of Tracey Thorn as a pubescent punk in St. Albans, or running freakbeat nights in Liverpool and working at the pioneering psychedelic label Bam Caruso, co-producing the UK's first acid house inspired LP with Throbbing Gristle's Genesis P. Orridge or riding the wave of creativity that the second summer of love unleashed all the way to the Top of the Pop studios as The Grid, Richard's career has continually seen him work to expand both his own and the public's musical horizons.

With Mr Norris Changes Brains it's the most recent part of his mercurial career that he's focused on. Drawing inspiration from his post 2006 adventures as one half of Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve, alongside Trash's Erol Alkan, this compilation shows how a more connected world has blown the dust off a paradoxically sometimes straightjacketed scene. The result is a dizzyingly wide-ranging collection that explores the further out there reaches of worldwide psychedelia and dancefloor mayhem.

"A lot of these tracks are fairly recent discoveries, things that I've discovered from around the time I started working with Erol and going right up to today," Richard explains. "Whether that's from going out to play and finding new records in places like Istanbul or just connecting with people online from all around the world. Psych can sometimes be a sort of narrow-minded field, with everything having to sit in its specific niche, but more and more people are open to new sounds and that's allowed for a much broader selection."

Despite their disparate origins what does unite these tracks is that they aren't just there to zone out to on a bean bag as projections of swirling coloured oils and psychedelic patterns wash over you. Mr Norris may change brains but his DJ sets also move feet, and whether it's their killer guitar riffs, oscillating synths floor shaking drums or soulful Hammond organs these are all cuts that from festival tents to underground clubs have proven time and time again to get people dancing.

"With a lot of these tracks there's a kind of fun element in them," says Richard. "It's still psychedelia, but they've also got these solid, funky grooves. They sound phenomenal on the dancefloor and as much as these records might excite old psych heads, this compilation is also for a new generation out there who might have never heard anything like this before and, just like when I was 18 and heard The 13th Floor Elevators for the first time, think 'Oh, my God, what on earth is this and more importantly what else is out there?'"

"Throughout all my time as a musician and producer, ever since Jack the Tab, I've been focused on developing a single idea: Blending psychedelic sounds and effects with rhythm." Richard Norris, Strange Things Are Happening White Rabbit 2024

Over the past few years Eskimo Recordings have invited some of the best crate diggers aroundto curate compilations that don't just reveal the hidden contents of their record bags but something about themselves too. Now, following in the footsteps of the likes of Bill Brewster and Psychemagik, producer, musician, DJ, writer and more, Richard Norris, takes us on a globetrotting psychedelic journey with the epic 42 track collection, Mr Norris Changes Brains.

For over forty years Richard has played a part in many of the UK's most important music subcultures. Whether sharing stages with the likes of Tracey Thorn as a pubescent punk in St. Albans, or running freakbeat nights in Liverpool and working at the pioneering psychedelic label Bam Caruso, co-producing the UK's first acid house inspired LP with Throbbing Gristle's Genesis P. Orridge or riding the wave of creativity that the second summer of love unleashed all the way to the Top of the Pop studios as The Grid, Richard's career has continually seen him work to expand both hisown and the public's musical horizons.

With Mr Norris Changes Brains it's the most recent part of his mercurial career that he's focused on. Drawing inspiration from his post 2006 adventures as one half of Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve, alongside Trash's Erol Alkan, this compilation shows how a more connected world has blown the dust off a paradoxically sometimes straightjacketed scene. The result is a dizzyingly wide-ranging collection that explores the further out there reaches of worldwide psychedelia and dancefloor mayhem.

"A lot of these tracks are fairly recent discoveries, things that I've discovered from around the time I started working with Erol and going right up to today," Richard explains. "Whether that's from going out to play and finding new records in places like Istanbul or just connecting with people online from all around the world. Psych can sometimes be a sort of narrow-minded field, with everything havingto sit in its specific niche, but more and more people are open to new sounds and that's allowed for a much broader selection."

Despite their disparate origins what does unite these tracks is that they aren't just there to zone out to on a bean bag as projections of swirling coloured oils and psychedelic patterns wash over you. Mr Norris may change brains but his DJ sets also move feet, and whether it's their killer guitar riffs, oscillating synths floor shaking drums or soulful Hammond organs these are all cuts that from festival tents to underground clubs have proven time and time again to get people dancing.

"With a lot of these tracks there's a kind of fun element in them," says Richard. "It's still psychedelia, but they've also got these solid, funky grooves. They sound phenomenal on the dancefloor and as much as these records might excite old psych heads, this compilation is also for a new generation out there who might have never heard anything like this before and, just like when I was 18 and heard The 13th Floor Elevators for the first time, think 'Oh, my God, what on earth is this and more importantly what else is out there?'"

*all original recordings from mid 90s Estonian released cassettes. Fascinating interpretations of the UK breakbeat and Jungle sounds recorded when the world felt like a much bigger place.

Since hearing the first breakbeats via the Finnish radio nightly shows introducing the burgeoning UK scene, Virko Veskoja, later head figure of Lu:k, was completely swept away by this new technological language that sounded like machines trying to initiate contact with people. The fluttering rhythm patterns, strings and vocal lines haunting the pathways of the infinite network. Like hip hop taken over by Skynet.

Reimagining it all in mid-90’s Estonia, a fresh and dirt-poor republic newly welcomed to the family of sovereign states on the outskirts of Eastern Europe, was challenging, to say the least. Finally, with the help of entry level music programs, custom-made soundcards and self-built computers by the other Lu:k-head Tõnis Valk, Lu:k took the first tentative steps in the history of Estonian jungle.

Eight Lu:k cuts have been compiled into a handy selection, a true sign of the times when uncertainty came with certain hope and optimism – new territories to chart, new frontiers to conquer. A time of innocence captured so sublimely in Lu:k’s music.

The compilation starts with menacing orchestration that sounds like the birth of a civilization, like in „2001: A Space Odyssey“, or the arrival of Godzilla, only to give way to sweeeet strings and the inimitable Minnie Riperton in “Lovin U”, combining all the essential elements of Lu:k in a track that has remained uncorroded by time since its inception in 1994.

The following “Demo 3” is its antithesis – fast and nervous, a harbinger of the darker days of neurofunk and techstep ahead. More in line with the social realities of the time, when something (or someone) could materialise out of thin air and attack you just as violently as those beats here.

“La:v” was Lu:k’s signature track throughout their brief career that went on only for a few years, 1994-1997. Lifted to heaven’s by Petula Clarks’s wonderful vocals, it perfectly captures the pure essence of creation. “I made it in my bedroom. Something like that just came out. Sorry”, says Virko apologetically.

From the themes of love we are led towards darker scenarios again with “Drunk-Drive”, a more vengeful cut reminiscent of early Ram Records’ nocturnal dangers, skylines shaped by basslines. Previously only available on the uber-rare “Raadiomaja valvelauas” CD compilation from 2005.

“In the Limelight” is lifted from their second album “Dreams in Drums” from 1996 (only released on cassette), and if it’s meant to address their new-found underground celebrity status in Estonia, there is surprisingly little elation here – the track rather consists of introspective strings and beats that sound almost melancholic.

Out of the remaining three tracks, “Proov2mix” and “Kadunud leitud” are the result of a treasure hunt amongst the old, obsolete harddrives – little nuggets that were condemned to obscurity until now. Between them, another vocal-led cut “010”, a non-album track only featured on two comps until now, is a strong reminder of Lu:k’s prodigious ability to handle vocal lines and morph them together with their own weaving synthetic melodies, strong pads and commanding beats.

Lu:k’s music has been largely unavailable for the better part of this century, with original tapes and CD’s changing hands for a small fortune. This vinyl release couldn’t come at a better time, bringing a seminal chapter of Estonian dance music’s mythical history to light again, both for the old-school acolytes and new converts.

All music by Virko Veskoja

When you’re running a label, a demo occasionally comes across your desk that makes you reconsider everything you thought your label was all about. For Balmat, such was the case with this stunning album from Stephen Vitiello, Brendan Canty, and Hahn Rowe. It sounds like nothing we’ve released so far—and that very otherness opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us.

Fans of ambient, experimental electronic music, and sound art will be familiar with Vitiello, a New York native, long based in Virginia, who has collaborated with a cross-generational list of greats: Taylor Deupree, Steve Roden, Lawrence English, Tetsu Inoue, Nam June Paik, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pauline Oliveros, and many more. On labels like 12k, Room40, and Sub Rosa, he has explored a wide range of minimalism, microsound, lowercase, ambient, improv, and other styles. But this album is something different. It may begin in ambient-adjacent territory, but it quickly veers off, and it just keeps zigzagging, taking on elements of krautrock, post-punk, dub, and the groove-heavy interplay of groups like Natural Information Society and 75 Dollar Bill.

This stylistic turn is thanks in large part to Vitiello’s choice of collaborators. “We’re coming from three different schools,” Vitiello says: “sound art, art rock, and punk rock.”

Active since the early 1980s, Rowe—a violinist, guitarist, and producer/engineer—has played with, or manned the boards for, a frankly jaw-dropping list of musicians: Herbie Hancock, Gil Scott-Heron, the Last Poets, Roy Ayers, John Zorn, Glenn Branca, Swans, Live Skull, Brian Eno, David Byrne, Anohni, R.E.M., Yoko Ono, and many more. But he might be most closely associated with Hugo Largo, a one-of-a-kind New York quartet—two basses, vocals, and Rowe’s violin—that in the late 1980s helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become known as post-rock.

Canty, of course, is the legendary drummer of Fugazi, the visionary DC post-hardcore group, as well as Rites of Spring before them, and, currently, the Messthetics, a Dischord-signed instrumental trio with guitarist Anthony Pirog and Fugazi bassist Joe Lally.

Vitiello’s trio first collaborated on First, a 17-minute piece released on the Longform Editions label in 2023. Second picks up where the freeform drift of First left off, channeling the trio’s exploratory energies into more intentionally structured tracks and—in a real first for Balmat—some almost shockingly muscular grooves. “Sometimes my projects are more conceptually driven,” Vitiello says, “but I think this was more musically geared. I just wanted to open up the references and bring in an incredible drummer, bring in some melodies, and I’m sort of the center.” But his collaborators, he stresses, are “vastly creative in making anything I might suggest better.”

Like its predecessor, Second took shape in phases, shifting between improvisation and collage. Vitiello laid down the skeleton of the music at home, sketching out initial ideas on Rhodes keyboard and acoustic and electric guitar; he then fed the parts through samplers and his modular system, recording 10- or 20-minute jams. Once he had edited them into more structured forms, he hit the studio with Canty, who added not just drums but also bass and piano; finally, Vitiello took the results of those sessions to Rowe, who played violin, viola, electric bass, and 12-string acoustic and bowed electric guitar, and assisted in some of the final structuring and mixdown.

A few more surprises along the way: Reanimator’s Don Godwin, the studio engineer where Vitiello recorded with Canty, contributed what he calls “resonant dustpan”; and none other than Animal Collective’s Geologist, who just happened to be in the studio that day, sits in on hurdy gurdy on “Mrphgtrs1,” the album’s gorgeous, stunningly atmospheric drone closer. “I love these chance encounters,” Vitiello says. “Somebody I admire, a group I admire—that was an unexpected gift.”

An unexpected gift is a great way of describing Second as a whole: three veteran musicians venturing outside their usual zones and finding a new collaborative language together. The results can’t be neatly slotted into any given genre; they belong not to any given category, but to the spirit of conversation itself.

OiOiOiOIAiAiAiIAiÆÆÆÆÆÆIIIIII!!!! The new Cucum45 EP dares to speed off from the endpoint of the two previous outputs Something Weirdcore and Cyclops í poka and off the edge of the record at 1000km/h. With a hardcore opening track titled “IIIiiiIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIiiiiiiiIIIIIiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIiiiiiii” (I added several more I’s in there for dramatic effect) that clocks with everything it needs to say at under 2 minutes, it’s safe to say that Cucumb45 aka Bjarki in this EP is WIDE AWAKE, YES!

Take “OpxThermin” – it’s straight up full-bore hardcore cartoon-pyrotechnics in overload, skipping and skedaddling over the turntables. Flipping out in a wild cocktail rush of hardcore ruffidge and smudged breaks that’s all smacked out on sugar frosted meth, listeners are gonna need some surgery to remove the smiley gurns from their faces. “Get Slothered 6even2” effectively can’t keep still as a track. From the collapsing rhythms and the pinging sound effects, it then decides what’s needed is a little bit of hip-hop flow in the background. Many hardcore rave re-treads (sorry, “deconstructed rave music”) often forget what this track seems to do at ease, and that is get you goddamn moving.

"Rathakrem" might have glitchy ambient Nintendo 90s vibe checks, but it is VERY un-chill. Stressed out hard drives grind to dust and distressed sounds of arcade dynamics mean that what you hear is the sound of Mario bricking it through all those haunted castle sections. Ironically the last track, “Crying Indian and Laser Horse” is the EP chill out tune, aiming instead for a nice, soothing, bottoms out disco-fister oompa-loompa warehouse techno track with auto-tuned cats, gunfire, orgasms, and
horses. A fine soundtrack for the morning commute!

Peter Saville says of Sub-Culture "LABEL ONLY was specified in 1985 due to time pressure around the original release and as a consequence, a sleeve design for the re-release has no actual precedent. However, exploring the principle 'the solution is in the problem’ has led to the subliminal evocation of a sleeve that is still LABEL ONLY”.

Crash! Boom! Bang! 30-year anniversary celebrated with a unique special edition: a double album in black and white vinyl with 18 tracks and an 8-page booklet.

30 years ago, Roxette released their fifth album "Crash! Boom! Bang!", including a stream of hit singles like "Sleeping In My Car", the title track, "Fireworks", "Run To You" and "Vulnerable". The album would sell more than five million copies and was followed by their second World Tour, which saw them perform for over a million people, including the second performance ever by an international act in China.

“Roxette were among the three most played artists on American radio during 1989, 1990 and 1991, and we were on top of the charts all over the world. So, it's no wonder we felt pretty confident when it was time to record the new album”, Per Gessle says. “Having had that kind of success made us feel that we had a perfect opportunity to stretch out into new directions. To show slightly different sides of what Roxette could be. And I still think "Crash! Boom! Bang" is our best album”. Crash! Boom! Bang! saw chart success upon release, No. 1 in Sweden, No. 2 in Germany and No. 3 in Australia and the UK.

Roxette – Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle – came out of Sweden in the late 80’s. Their game was pop, their mission to conquer the world. With 33 chart-busting singles and total record sales exceeding 75 million, it seems safe to say “mission accomplished”.