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After a completely sold out first release by Tom Carruthers and Mario Liberti. TCR. is back with one of the secret weapons inside many DJ bags. Heavily supported by Ricardo Villalobos, Tini, Anthea, Arapu, Alexandra, Velasco, Liquid Earth, Bill Patrick, Josh Baker, Lis Sarroca and many others TCR.002 by ‘Unknown Artist’ has been played on some of the top dance-floors around Europe.

The whole EP is a tribute to an Ibizan band from the late eighties and early nineties.

Extremely limited copies, don’t sleep on this one and remember… Pon, Ponte Bien, Pon Selo, Pon Pin Pon, Pon Amor, El Party Que No Pare.

This month we have three beautifully pressed mostly unreleased Ike Noble 45s with o.g style silver Ink overprinted labels, they look just

On side A we have the only previously released (but very rare) track on these three 45s. A brilliant, mid-tempo soul chugger that falls between Syl Johnson and James Brown, undeniable, how this did not blow up at the time is beyond comprehension.

On the flip, it is Deep Soul time again with a version of 'Best of Luck to You', also recorded by Sam baker and Earl Gaines, but easily toping both.

Introducing the first release from Italy's Ellito's Bakery label, a fresh EP packed with four electrifying tracks by Elliot P, tailored for the dance floor. With a keen focus on stirring emotions, these club-ready tunes are crafted to immerse listeners in a sonic journey. —White Label Hand stamped 12"

The band’s sixth single and their first collaboration with DJ Arthur Baker. Originally released in August 1983, this new reissue remastered from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios.

DOJO ZONE, a local lurker of the backstreets of Santa Catalina. When he’s not eating tapas, sipping on cold cañas or digging through our dusty record boxes, he’s producing strange wonky house beats for the weekend shenanigans. Expect sounds from the past, feelings of the present, movements of the Mediterranean Express…



Recorded, mixed and arranged by Todd Gartland at The Castle Studios, Mallorca.

Mastered by Justin Drake at The Bakehouse Studio, London.

Full Bloom is an experimental sound collective traveling through polyrhythmic timezones and psychedelic soundscapes deeply rooted in the aesthetics of Jazz, Hip Hop, Afrobeat and Dub. Whatever happens, we try to convey a feeling that sits deep in your stomach and makes your body move!

Mr. K’s series of edits on Most Excellent Unlimited is nothing if not eclectic, and utilitarian — as befits a veteran DJ of Danny Krivit’s stature. For our latest, Krivit pulls two disparate gems out of his bag of tricks and fits them neatly on a single 7-inch piece of vinyl.

In 1972 Ralph Bakshi’s landmark underground animated film Fritz the Cat was released, featuring a soundtrack performed by an all-star cast of San Francisco area musicians associated with the Berkeley-based Fantasy label. Perhaps Fantasy’s biggest artist was the vibes player Cal Tjader, who debuted in 1955 and was still going strong when songs were gathered for the movie’s soundtrack nearly twenty years later. Rather than simply using one of his older, already-recorded tunes, Tjader laid down a completely new version of his earlier hit record “Mamblues.” This time however, he swapped his standard latin percussion accompaniment for a can’t-miss rhythm section of Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, and Arthur Adams. The result was a searing funk workout that took the latin jazz classic to new heights. Mr. K subtly warms this one up by adding a hint of reverb and bringing the tempo down a notch, pushing things from frenetic to funky, and firmly into friendly mixing territory for the DJs.

For our flip side, we turn to an unsung jewel amongst Philadelphia’s many contributions to disco music. Executive Suite released a series of singles in ’74 and ’75 that were recorded at the famed Sigma Sound Studios and had ties to a number of better known disco luminaries, among them the holy trinity of Baker-Harris-Young and, on “You Believed In Me,” the mighty Patrick Adams. Along with his longtime associate Stan Lucas, Adams garnished the vocal quartet’s composition with a driving arrangement and epic, soaring strings. The combined effect produced a vibrant, uplifting club cut that echoes the positive spirit of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” while being altogether its own thing. For our latest release Mr. K focuses solely on Adams’s instrumental section, returning repeatedly to that addictive string riff and creating a propulsive rhythm track that just doesn’t quit. And we don’t want it to!

As always, these connoisseur’s choice cuts have been remastered and pressed to Most Excellent Unlimited’s standards, and are primed and ready on 7-inch for DJs and home listeners alike.

Grammy nominated DJ and production mastermind Paul Woolford steps up to deliver a timeless house reworking of Gabriels 'Angels & Queens'.

The title track from the trio's debut album (part 1) that took 2022 by storm. Endeared by the masses and critically acclaimed Gabriels set out a refreshing new take on soul that the world was subconsciously crying out for - an antidote to over produced pop - providing a deeper, more meaningful and heartfelt cause at its centre.

Tantalising from the outset, Woolford steps up to the plate with a hard-hitting remix that drives in straight to your centre. Punchy TR-909 drums combine with thundering bass tones and his archetypal, rising piano hooks. A combination that brings Jacob Lusk's inimitable vocals to new heights.

After a feverish reception to Paul's Instagram tease of the track, we've been itching to release this remix into the wild. It's a big one, don't miss it!

'Three supremely talented artists simply excelling at what they do' - Paul Woolford

Gerd Janson - 'Gabriels!!! - Total madness at Panorama Bar. Like it was made for the room'

DJ Feedback:

Prins Thomas – I’m melting….Amazing

Groove Armada – Love this!

Gorgon City - yessss

Fred P - Dope!!!!

Marco Faraone - Super remix!!!

Sasha – Quality

Bakermat – tasty

Mano Le Tough – Ace

Hector Romero - Gabriels have quickly become my fav new artist. Paul!! You nailed it. Great collaboration.

Horse Meat Disco – Pretty big remix!

Gerd Janson – MEGA

London Records and Central Station Records join forces for a spectacular array of new music releases. As the first offering, David Penn takes on the Sex-O-Sonique classic from 1997, which samples the Herbie Hancock anthem 'I Thought It Was You'. David Penn, a master of his craft, has earned critical acclaim for his innovative approach to house music and his ability to create infectious grooves that resonate with audiences worldwide.

Full Intention aka Sex-O-Sonique also deliver their own updated version for 2023.

DJ support:

Bob Sinclar, Eliza Rose, Jamie Jones, Oliver Heldens, Mark Knight, Mousse T, Anton Powers, Just Kiddin, Roger Sanchez, Bakermat, Westend, Sgt Slick, Kokiri, Hector Romero, Horse Meat Disco, Kevin McKay, Michael Gray, Superlover, Watermat, Russell Small (Freemasons), Sugarstarr, Dario D'Attis

This latest instalment of ARTHUR BAKER Presents DANCE MASTERS finds the production/ song-writing/ remixing maestro taking the spotlight for a long overdue snapshot of his own classic 12” mixes during a crucial evolution of dance music, club
and pop culture.

“I’ve always felt like I was on a mission to make music from the time I heard Motown, Philly and Sly and the Family Stone. My mission started as a hobby and still feels like one now. You’ve got to keep on pushing and hustling. It can be a drag sometimes but
if you really love what you’re doing, it’s worth the work. I still really love what I do.”

Arthur Baker helped codify the remixer as artist. His genre-fluid approach to projects
has resulted in a joyous myriad of classics that spans many decades. This ’80’s focused DANCE MASTERS collection offers a welcome glimpse at Baker’s illustrious career and many long out-of-print 12” versions and previously unavailable mixes.

This 35-track, six LP expanded edition includes a wide array of selections from the likes of Robbie Nevil’s “C’est La Vie,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love,” Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”, Jeffrey Osborne “Soweto”, Freeez “I.O.U”, Rockers Revenge “Walking On Sunshine” and of course the juggernaut “Planet Rock” with Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force.

Complete with in-depth liner notes by Bill Coleman, track by track notes written by Arthur Baker himself, previously unseen session photos from Arthur’s personal archives and a signed insert.

All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering

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.

Two certified Kingpin Cartel anthems, originals of which trade hands for hefty sums, get a much deserved repress having never been on the same 12 inch before. Mark Broom and C.J.Baker pulling out all the stops with the feel-good blinder ‘Ghetto’ on the A and the boogie bomb ‘Moogie Nights’ on the B. Essential cuts for every collection.

There was a time when a person would pick up an instrument to compose yet another song for a loved one. A sad figure humming into a microphone, pronouncing the most basic words and forms to convey quantity, quality, fact, statistics and similar sounds describing pain, loss and sorrow. The human brain would perceive the melody sad and perhaps within herself feel a sense of melancholia.

In another parallel world a new composition would then appear. But not one composed on a wooden built instrument, no, sounds made into structures and tables that would assists the listener into providing an additional context and meaning through digital synthesis and quantised harmonies. But who could really tell if these sounds were real? Or where they just sounds impersonating an idea of something?

Rhyme nor reason is as abstract in its shapes and ideas as it is concrete and elegant in its narratives. A carefully crafted wooden cabinet with an over-whelming amount of different drawers and hidden compartments. Each box storing blissful arrangement; a fluorescent stone, a paper note saying something about lunch, some collectible objects, a forgotten token or perhaps an autograph, all so very vibrant and joyful for its possessor.

Deleted files stored on rapidly rotating platters coated with magnetic material. Small, easy to loose SSD memory cards of recorded corrupt files and digital artefacts. Software engineered compositions trying to grasp the shared belief of an upcoming future, vivid and uncertain; birds, waters and long lost recollections. A release unconcerned with the literal depiction of things from the visible world. At least not for now.

AOP007 sees the return of Ukraine’s Artist Vladimir Gnatenko. On two of the tracks he collaborates with his friend Kai Noob , leaning on the more experimental side of things. The other two tracks, which are Vladimir’s solo work, are for the floor. Also returning to AOP is Warpque delivering another stunning cover for us.

Number 4 vinyl “Limited Addition” release on Amulanga Records. Sun-baked organic selections from Ventt, Wassu, Cocho and Lucas Rossi.

Four oven baked sherbets from Sweden’s SSTROM (Shxcxchcxsh/ Rösten).

Credits:
Written & produced by Hannes Stenström
Mastered by Helmut Erler @ Dubplates & Mastering
Distributed by Rubadub
Artwork and design by Sean Bell

For our first release Power Up, we've decided not to pull any punches. It features a groovin pair of tunes from Muffin Man, which stand on their own to cover a delectable range of dance music. Making the release even more epic is the appearance of guest chef Charles Webster. Tip!

Originally released by Umor Rex on cassette in 2015, NK012 documents the first-ever musical meeting of Berlin-based musicians Aidan Baker (Nadja, Canada), Andrea Belfi (Italy), and Erik Skodvin (Svarte Greiner / Deaf Center, Norway). Now, more than a decade later, the album is available on vinyl for the first time, newly remastered for the format by Rafael Anton Irisarri. This marks the third release in a series of four special, limited reissues to be released in 2026 to mark the 20th anniversary of Umor Rex.

Recorded with nothing more than a stereo microphone placed in the middle of the room, NK012 captures the trio in their first session together, with the simple intention of improvising. Instrumentation builds in gradual crescendos, shifting textures between passages as looped incarnations of earlier motifs accumulate into all-consuming drones. The five pieces that make up NK012 already set the foundations for the trio’s subsequent work. Across the album, guitars, an array of effects pedals, percussion, and synthesizers merge into a raw and highly intuitive sound world. Vibrant and intense, the pieces move freely between forms and genres, driven by the immediacy of live performance and spontaneous composition.

Es war ein Coup, als Gründer und Bassist Lee Payne vor drei Jahren ankündigte, dass Harry „The Tyrant“ Conklin, der nach Griechenland gezogen war, seiner Band Cloven Hoof beitreten würde. Der ehemalige Jag-Panzer-Frontmann war der perfekte Nachfolger für Russ North, der für die Fans bis dahin als der ultimative Cloven-Hoof-Sänger galt – leider weilt er nicht mehr unter uns. Daher waren die Reaktionen auf das erste Album der Band mit Harry Conklin am Mikrofon herausragend. »Heathen Cross« wurde 2024 bei High Roller Records veröffentlicht.
Nun folgt Cloven Hoofs zehntes Studioalbum mit dem Titel »Never A Prophet In Your Own Land«. Wieder einmal ist die Gesangsleistung vom „Tyrant“ absolute Weltklasse. Lee Payne grinst: „Das Lob gebührt einzig und allein Harry. Wir können uns glücklich schätzen, einen so brillanten Sänger und Frontmann in der Band zu haben.“
Kontinuität ist für jede Band wichtig, und Cloven Hoof hatten in der Vergangenheit mehr als einen Besetzungswechsel zu verzeichnen. Diesmal nicht, wie der Bassist nicht ohne Stolz erklärt: „Wir haben dieselbe feste Besetzung wie auf »Heathen Cross«, das kann ich mit Freude sagen. Am Gesang der einzig wahre Harry Conklin und an den Gitarren Luke Hatton sowie Chris Coss. Dazu Ash Baker am Schlagzeug. Luke, Chris und Ash sind nun seit über zehn Jahren bei Cloven Hoof; sie kennen ihre Rollen in- und auswendig. Ich selbst bin seit 1979 in der Band, also sollte ich inzwischen eine Vorstellung davon haben, was ich mache (lacht).“
„»Never A Prophet In Your Own Land« ist keine direkte Fortsetzung von »Heathen Cross«“, fährt Payne fort. „»Heathen Cross« hatte seine eigene schwere und düstere Atmosphäre. »Never A Prophet In Your Own Land« ähnelt eher »A Sultan‘s Ransom«, doch diese Ähnlichkeit war weder konstruiert noch geplant. Es ist einfach so gekommen.“

Since launching the edit and remix focused Brooklyn Lathe Cuts imprint last year, Patrick Sullivan aka P-Sol has not put a foot wrong. He's already released a swathe of superb two-trackers this year and here returns with another notable entry to the label's growing catalogue. A-side 'Canvas' is simply superb, with effects-laden Godfather of Soul vocal samples rising above a slipped beatdown-house groove, dreamy deep house sonics and jazzy, sun-baked instrumentation. He once more reaches for Brown vocal snippets on the even stronger 'Circles', a languid, break-powered slab of summery and shuffling deep house excellence.

For any collaborative project to succeed, the artists involved need a creative unifier – a meeting point, if you will, of their disparate interests and experiences. In the case of Mondo Love & Betrayal, the joint project of Nottingham musical mainstays Neil ‘Nail’ Tolliday and Henry Claude Scott, there were two creative unifiers: a mutual love of classic 1980s synth-pop, as well as shared admiration for each other’s work.

Even so, such shared interests and respect for prior mutual endeavours is no guarantee of success. Yet as their eponymous debut album emphatically proves, the duo’s disparate experiences, characteristics and musical strengths have not only dovetailed beautifully, but also resulted in serious sonic gold. Put simply, Mondo Love & Betrayal is a stunning debut album rich in emotive songs, colourful melodies, atmospheric chord progressions and infectious grooves. Throw in the sun-splashed warmth and saucer-eyed, loved-up tactility of late 80s dance beats, and you have a breakthrough album whose timelessness is evident from start to finish.

The project’s roots lie in Tolliday’s desire to work with Scott, a virtuoso guitarist, talented producer and secret songwriter best-known for his work alongside Huw Costin as Torn Sail, and John ‘Ming’ Thompson as Brown Fang – both projects known for prioritising organic instrumentation and sunset-ready soundscapes over dancefloor-rooted beats.

Tolliday, of course, is one of British electronic music’s true polymaths – a long-serving house producer best-known for his long-running Bent project alongside fellow Nottingham resident Simon Mills. He initially approached Scott with the idea of providing vocals on a house track he was working on, but quickly suggested something else: an exploration of a classic synth-pop sound inspired by his love of Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Depeche Mode and the producers who worked with them – the likes of Martin Hannett, Arthur Baker, Stephen Hague and John Robie.

Scott accepted the invitation, seeing it as an opportunity to explore a different side of his musical personality. Their first recording session resulted in the ear-catching and memorable brilliance of ‘Correspondence’ – a tongue-in-cheek breakup song inspired by the death of landlines and the rise of mobile communications – and soon they were working on their debut album.

The resultant 10-track set is simply sublime, with Scott’s expressive delivery of his own lyrics on life, love, heartache and rejection working in perfect union with Tolliday’s kaleidoscopic and pleasingly authentic backing tracks – gorgeous and beautifully rendered instrumentals rich in memorable melodies, bittersweet chords, and subtle nods to ‘80s and early ‘90s dance-pop culture, from Shep Pettibone style remixes and Bernard Sumner guitar licks, to Beloved-esque piano parts and Chris Lowe chord progressions. Some listeners may also draw favourable comparisons with 21st century synth-pop practitioners, particularly Parcels, Private Agenda and the deeply emotive songs showcased by Junior Boys.

For proof, wrap your ears around such album highlights as opener ‘Boo Boo’, where Scott warns that “love and betrayal will haunt you” atop sparkling synths and Vince Clarke style grooves, the Behaviour-era PSB melancholy of recent single ‘Your Latest’, the mid-tempo dreaminess of ‘Beyond The Rainy City’, the early Depeche Mode chug of ‘Whatever Happened To Me’ and the tactile warmth of ‘Across The Plane’.

We could go on. In truth, the whole album is – in Scott’s words – “magical musical alchemy”. Wherever they choose to go next, Mondo Love & Betrayal is a seriously good sonic statement of intent.

There is a pivotal scene in “August in the Water” (dir. Sōgo Ishii, 1995) where the surface of a pool turns into a stone wall. The water that gave the protagonist's life its meaning becomes a threat. As you fall through this stone wall, you appear in a set of underwater coral-reef corridors, and one of the most beautiful musical themes begins to play: Aquatic Ambience, composed by David Wise for Donkey Kong Country (1994). It's a theme that represents the weightless vibe of your new deep-sea life, where you go about your mundane errands, collecting bananas while driving on a swordfish, or, as HerzMayhem put it: "Poor monkey... always swimming, never going anywhere..."

Synthetic Water Music is the second of three compilations, following Synthetic Bird Music and timed to mappa's 10th anniversary. As with the birds, it gathers friends of the label, artists who have released with mappa or played our shows. Most of the music is new, made to measure for this compilation, much of it from Central and Eastern European hands. Birds and water mix well, so please feel invited to play them together, creating your own environments.

Where the birds were in one flock, water is dispersed across four chapters. You live your life as a droppity drop: vapour in the heavens, condensing in clouds, falling into a swamp, trickling into the deepest sea.

Tlālōcān (Cassette 1, Side A)
A place of eternal spring, of aquatic energy that nourishes everything and allows all things to bloom. Bubbly and splishy-sploshy, it is full of dripping sounds and moist caverns (“Emerald Pool” by Pauline Anna Strom), a landscape filled with living fountains (“Oh, to be a Fountain” by Eva Sajanová) and winding streams that flow through the area, forming part of its organic architecture. It is also a paradise reserved for those whose deaths were water-related, where the aquatic and terrestrial beings live in symbiosis and perspectives shift rapidly, from observing a single droplet (Shakali, Lau Nau) to dew (Feronia Wennborg & Lucy Duncombe) and on to flowing currents (Visible Cloaks) that gradually transform into river music (Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton).

Nephelora (Cassette 1, Side B)
A celestial anti-gravity sound world made of evaporation, steam and the formation of clouds, as if looking at “The Sky At The Bottom of the Well” (by Natalia Beylis) or at “The Cloud That Never Rains” (by Henrique Vaz).

If a cloud never rains,
it is not a cloud at all, but a veil that parches the earth with its gaze.
It generates only its own shadow —
a looming mass of suspended longing,
a sky that hoards but never yields,
a reservoir that swallows every river and returns nothing but echoes.

The water in this world is often invisible but sometimes all the more present, as Bint Mbareh describes it: “Recently been obsessed with invisible waters because I come from a place where you have to imagine the water is there even though you cannot see a river, a sea, usually no rain, so water is in the air, the voice and the imaginal realm, drought is imagined to be negotiable.”

Žaboglach Zha-bo-glahch (Cassette 2, Side A)
A fusion of Scottish lochs and Slovak ponds: a misty, foul-smelling, swampy realm, the kind of place that swallowed Artax from The NeverEnding Story. Stagnant waters full of decay become a blooming habitat for sirens (“thereby losing the weightless delight of being swept along with it” by Adam Badí Donoval) and beings straddling the line between fauna and flora, inventing their own communication systems (“Water-lily phase” by Action Pyramid).

R'lyeh (Cassette 2, Side B)
A brooding sunken city at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a journey to get there. Let this chapter guide you, from the shore down to the depths, to the gates of an unexplored world that is inherently dark, unfathomable, and beyond the limits of human perception: starting with seasickness ("Seasick" by Nikolaienko), passing through a classic Poe-esque maelstrom ("Flurry at the Whirl-pull" by Atte Elias Kantonen), a gateway into the darkness and emptiness of the ocean floor, and finally traversing the city itself (“last waves of 2025” by Jules Reidy).
But what is pulling you to a place like this that only a few explore and even fewer leave? Maybe “the darkness that water can contain, the expanse of things we don't know and that can trigger fear instincts even as we try to rationalise them and think we are in control of the rest of nature” (“supercritical fluids” by Diane Barbé).

Dive in and surface wherever you like. Always swimming, never going anywhere. Just don’t forget to take water breaks.

P.S. Birds, then water, can you guess what comes next? Synthetic Soil Music, an elegy for insects and worms? Synthetic Glaciers, or maybe Pollinators? Which sounds would you miss the most if they disappeared? Or what if the third one never comes at all, and somebody, or something, makes Synthetic mappa Music instead. Don't you worry, with the right training data, it can all be replicated, better than the real thing.

Die Debüt-EP mit vier Songs des bayerischen Quartetts Morgan Pines, besetzt mit (ehemaligen) Mitgliedern von Point Baker, Irish Handcuffs und Worst Advice. Musikalisch bewegt sich die Band irgendwo zwischen Indie, Heartland-Rock, Country und Punk - mit eingängigen Melodien, warmen Harmonien und genau der richtigen Portion Melancholie. Wer Bands wie Limbeck, Chamberlain oder Racquet Club schätzt, sollte hier unbedingt reinhören.

His music is characterized by a mix of electronic, deep and tropical house, and techno music produced in a minimalist manner with jazz and soul influences. "Vandaag", containing a sample of the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. became a major charting hit in 2014. Six years later, in 2020, Bakermat released his first studio album The Ringmaster - a ten- track project showcasing his lengths and versatility, including the chart- topping release "Baiana\u0301", awarded Gold and Platinum status, surpassing 100 million total streams, and stamped as the official feature track for EA's FIFA 2021. The Ringmaster also includes the singles "Partystarter", "Trouble", "Learn To Lose", "Baiana\u0301", and "Under The Sun (ft. Kidda)". The full album features collabs with Alex Clare, Gossip Girl's Emily Lind, BRAVES, and 7Chariot amongst others. The Ringmaster is available as a limited edition of 500 copies on yellow, black and red marbled vinyl

Felix Walworth wurde in der Broome Street geboren. Bevor sie zu einer festen Größe in der New Yorker DIY-Szene der 2010er Jahre wurden, bevor sie ihr Markenzeichen - das auf einem Keyboardständer montierte BMSS-Schlagzeug - einführten, bevor sie eindringliche Reflexionen über Identität schrieben, die ihnen eine Kult-Anhängerschaft unter den Kids auf Tumblr einbrachten, waren sie ein Kind, das in den verschiedenen Stadtbezirken aufwuchs und eine Stadt liebgewann, die schließlich bis zur Unkenntlichkeit veränderte. ,What's Up" ist Walworths viertes Album als Told Slant, unter diesem Namen haben sie seit 2012 eindringliche Alben mit weitläufigem, nervenblanken Indie-Rock veröffentlicht. Das ist ihr New-York-Album: eine Sammlung von Songs darüber, wie man zusehen muss, wie sich die Heimatstadt verändert, und wie man spürt, wie sie einen im Gegenzug selbst verändert hat. Es ist ein Album über die Hingabe an ein prekäres Musikleben und all die Schönheit und Demütigungen, die damit einhergehen. Während es auf den ersten drei Told-Slant-Alben um Selbstreflexion und den Versuch ging, als Künstler zu überleben, handelt ,What's Up" davon, was passiert, wenn man sich ,fast schon manisch dem Projekt des Selbstausdrucks und der Subkultur in einer der feindseligsten Umgebungen der Welt" verschrieben hat und sich mit all den Menschen, Orten und Träumen auseinandersetzen muss, die auf diesem Weg verloren gegangen sind. In Songs wie ,Manhattan", ,Draw Blood", ,Three Anchovies" und dem Titeltrack fängt Walworth Trauer, Wut, Hingabe und flüchtige Momente der Verbundenheit ein und zeichnet das Verschwinden geliebter Stadtviertel, DIY-Räume, Freundschaften und Lebensweisen mit gleichermaßen schwerer und humorvoller Hand nach.,What's Up" ist zudem das bisher kollaborativste und abenteuerlichste Album von Told Slant. Es entstand über einen Monat hinweg in einem provisorischen Studio im Upstate New York und wurde größtenteils auf einem Acht-Spur-Spulenband aufgenommen - damit ist es die erste überwiegend analoge Veröffentlichung des Projekts, an der Hannah Pruzinsky, Jonny Baker, Ceci Sturman, Hellen Ballentine, Emily Sprague, Mari Maurice und Elijah Wolf mitgewirkt haben. Die Songs entstanden zum Teil aus Walworths Arbeit als Porträt- und Straßenfotograf während der Pandemie, als er die Straßen, Parks, Veranstaltungsorte und Ladenfronten, die sein Leben geprägt hatten, erneut besuchte - nur um festzustellen, dass viele davon verschwunden waren. Dieses Gefühl des Verlusts zieht sich durch das gesamte Werk, das mit ,Still Water" (2012) begann, sich über ,Going By" (2016) und ,Point the Flashlight and Walk" (2020) fortsetzte und seit langem von schmerzlich ehrlichen Songs über Selbstfindung, Freundschaft, Sterblichkeit und den langsamen Verlust der Verbundenheit mit der Gemeinschaft geprägt ist. Auf ,What's Up" richtet Walworth diesen Blick nach außen und dokumentiert nicht nur ihre eigene Beziehung zu New York, sondern auch die Kosten des Bleibens, des Schaffens und des Glaubens an eine Stadt und eine Musikkultur, die sie mitgeprägt haben.

“The first three are innocent in a way, because we didn’t have an audience when we were making them,” Oberst says. “But from Lifted on, I was definitely aware of an audience. Lifted was well-received right away, and then everything happened with Wide Awake and Digital Ash.” Those two albums came out simultaneously. And their lead singles – “Take It Easy (Love Nothing),” from the austere, remote Digital Ash, and “Lua,” from the warm, folky Wide Awake – debuted in the top two slots on the Billboard Hot 100. “First Day of My Life,” also from Wide Awake, would later be voted the Number One love song of all time by NPR Music’s reader’s poll. Bright Eyes had officially broken through. It was a heady, exciting time, but also fraught and tense, both because of the band’s careening new fame, and because of the state of the world. When Bright Eyes made their Tonight Show debut in 2006, they chose to perform none of their shiny new hits, instead delivering a searing, harrowing rendition of their caustic anti-Bush anthem, “When The President Talks To God.” These days, Oberst is still amusing himself by messing with the extremes Bright Eyes baked into this era’s releases, extremes that reflected the polar, with-us-or-against-us, fractious feel of the times. The reworked Digital Ash tracks, originally so clean and elegant, are, on the companion EP, full of “harmonica and mandolins – folky vibes,” Oberst says. While the analogue sweetness of the Wide Awake songs have been put through a detached nihilism filter.

When one thinks of the terms “mass” and “massive” in music, especially contemporary music, perhaps certain aural images come to mind: generic metal heaviness; dynamics-bereft noise; ear-battering dance floor madness; the multitudinous forms of drone darkness. All of these are massive in their own fashion. However, this newstudio album from 7FO (pronounced “nana f o”), a composer-performer based in northern Osaka, investigates and inhabits a different aspect of the massive. A glorious combination: dense low frequencies; sculpturally condensed blocks of sound, subtly swinging gravitational fields ― and a surprising sense of rolling and rollicking joyfulness and play. “Massive” doesn’t have to mean “dark” ― consider the sun. This is the third 7FO release on EM Records, following the well-received Ryu no Nukegara (Dragon's Husk) (2018). On these 2024-25 recordings, 7FO focuses his drum machines, synths and musical vision into eight compact structures which were partially inspired by the intense essence of American pre-war blues and the shining soul of traditional Ethiopian music, especially the works related to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. While not obviously evident, the glowing core of these musics has been captured and condensed here; another inspiration is the massive sculptural 1980s works of Yoshi Wada ― although there are obvious differences, there is a similar material tangibility to the vibration of the air. The final piece, “Shirohebi”, is an update of the b-side of 7FO's 7-inch single "Healing Sword" (2023), featured on Henry Rollins’ radio program. We invite you to experience and enjoy these eight massive blocks of sound, imbued with 7FO’s heartfelt warmth and humour, dense but not dark; shifting, rolling, appearing and disappearing: 7FO once picked up a roadside stone, which split as it sat in his palm. This experience, referenced in the release’s title, hints at the metaphysical magic of music, a realm beyond mere coincidence: even the massive density of stone can split, and reveal the magic within. Available on CD, LP and digital download.

Your favourite edits (probably) crew, Local Sugar Diggers, aka the trio of sonic sculptors that are Scruscru, Tony Lavrutz and Los Protos all come together here on a new 7" offshoot label from the Soul Service. The a-side cut 'Rave w Polsce' is a full-fat funker with deep cut grooves that roll on rubbery bass and soar with rasping wind leads. Plenty is going on wherever you listen and it all serves to get you moving. 'Otra Ritmo' is an immediate portal to a communal get down somewhere sun-baked and lush with green in South America. The horns, the freewheeling percussion and the loosely assembled rhythm are all irresistible invitations to cut loose.

Der Titel des siebten Studioalbums der kalifornischen Punkrocker bezieht sich auf Mike Ness" doppelte musikalische Heimat. Der Songwriter und Sänger von Social Distortion huldigt auf "Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes" sowohl dem düsteren Amerika eines Hank Williams wie auch dem bluesigen Herumstolzieren der Rolling Stones etwa während der "Exile-On-Mainstreet"-Ära. Altbekannte Einflüsse, die hier jedoch in den Vordergrund treten: "Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes" ist das rockigste und gleichzeitig beseelteste Album der Gruppe, die weltweit über vier Millionen Alben verkaufte. Dennoch finden Fans den typischen Punkrock-Roar in jedem Stück wieder: vom Opener "California (Hustle and Flow)" bis zum düster-rockenden Hank-Williams-Cover "Alone and Forsaken". Aber auch Springsteen- und Tom-Petty-Fans dürften diesen Sound mögen. "Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes" ist das erste Album der Band nach "Sex, Love And Rock "n" Roll" aus dem Jahr 2004. Für Fans von Gaslight Anthem, Rancid, Bad Religion, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen und Tiger Army. Die 2LP hat zwei Bonus-Tracks.

,been thinking bout confession", das dritte Studioalbum der Musikerin und Produzentin Frances Chang, ist eine synthlastige, experimentelle Pop-Erkundung des Selbst und der unermesslichen, unbekannten Tiefen, die es birgt. Das Album, das größtenteils auf einem hundert Jahre alten Stutzflügel komponiert wurde, bettet die unbändigen Emotionen von Changs DIY-Wurzeln in eine komplexe und poetische Klanglandschaft ein, die orchestrale Arrangements mit eigenwilligen, fast skulpturalen, elektronischen und analogen Elementen verwebt, bei der die durchscheinende Stimme der Sängerin die eigenwillige Instrumentierung leitet. Durch eine sich stetig steigernde Poesie führt uns Chang durch eine chaotische Architektur, ein Kerzenlicht fest umklammert, das zugleich selbsttäuschend und schonungslos transparent ist. Auch wenn ,Been Thinking About Confession" klanglich der außerirdischen Schönheit von Björk und der retrofuturistischen Verträumtheit von Broadcast verpflichtet ist, nennt Chang auch eher unerwartete Einflüsse wie Chet Baker, Dionne Warwick und Burt Bacharach, die das emotionale Rückgrat des Albums bilden. Chang hat ihre übliche Gitarre größtenteils beiseitegelassen und diese 11 Songs am Klavier geschrieben, einem Instrument, das sie als ,die weibliche Wurzel meiner Psyche" bezeichnet. Die unheimliche Verschmelzung von unkonventionell eingesetzten Federhall-Effekten, älteren Kompressoren und Röhrenvorverstärkern vor einem eindeutig zeitgenössischen digitalen Hintergrund sorgt für ein Hörerlebnis, das sich gleichzeitig über Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft auszudehnen scheint. Für Fans von Cate Le Bon, June McDoom, Cindy Lee, ML Buch, Bill Callahan, Joanne Robertson

London's Spearmint follow-up their acclaimed 2023 record `This Candle Is For You' with the ambitious new concept album `Chase Me' New single "1986" evokes a time when the world wasn't connected by technology, but there was still a strong connection across the globe: music. Specifically in the song, it's folk in Newcastle and Madrid who are dancing to the same music. The vinyl version also features an exclusive track "Is It Just Nostalgia?" which sees the band time-travelling past `The Tube' and `Soul Train` to Friday nights of the past. Standby for the follow-up single in July_ Spearmint have been making great records since debut `A Week Away' in 1999 (`Sweeping The Nation', `A Trip Into Space', `We're Going Out'). Still the same line-up: Shirley Lee (singing, guitar), Simon Calnan (singing, keyboards), James Parsons (guitar) and Ronan Larvor (drums). This will be their eleventh album proper and the 65th release on their own hitBACK label. Re-united with producer Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti, Cardiacs), the `Chase Me' album tells a story of success, disillusionment, disconnection, peril, and resurrection. Anchored by three chases across a city at night, book-ended by two out-of-body experiences, and working towards a suite of uplifting love songs, it's a thriller, it's a horror, it's an allegory. Song-writer Shirley explains "The story would make a good movie I think_ but we don't know how to do that, so we did this." `Chase Me' will be available digitally, and on limited edition CD and vinyl. The vinyl version will be released on WIAIWYA records, and will include an exclusive 24 page full-colour lyric book, including photos and illustrations. Spearmint will premiere songs from the album alongside tracks from their catalogue that haven't been played for years, or ever in one instance, live at Colours in Hoxton, London, on Tuesday 29th September 2026.

Jetzt auch als "Translucent Purple Vinyl" LP erhältlich. ,been thinking bout confession", das dritte Studioalbum der Musikerin und Produzentin Frances Chang, ist eine synthlastige, experimentelle Pop-Erkundung des Selbst und der unermesslichen, unbekannten Tiefen, die es birgt. Das Album, das größtenteils auf einem hundert Jahre alten Stutzflügel komponiert wurde, bettet die unbändigen Emotionen von Changs DIY-Wurzeln in eine komplexe und poetische Klanglandschaft ein, die orchestrale Arrangements mit eigenwilligen, fast skulpturalen, elektronischen und analogen Elementen verwebt, bei der die durchscheinende Stimme der Sängerin die eigenwillige Instrumentierung leitet. Durch eine sich stetig steigernde Poesie führt uns Chang durch eine chaotische Architektur, ein Kerzenlicht fest umklammert, das zugleich selbsttäuschend und schonungslos transparent ist. Auch wenn ,Been Thinking About Confession" klanglich der außerirdischen Schönheit von Björk und der retrofuturistischen Verträumtheit von Broadcast verpflichtet ist, nennt Chang auch eher unerwartete Einflüsse wie Chet Baker, Dionne Warwick und Burt Bacharach, die das emotionale Rückgrat des Albums bilden. Chang hat ihre übliche Gitarre größtenteils beiseitegelassen und diese 11 Songs am Klavier geschrieben, einem Instrument, das sie als ,die weibliche Wurzel meiner Psyche" bezeichnet. Die unheimliche Verschmelzung von unkonventionell eingesetzten Federhall-Effekten, älteren Kompressoren und Röhrenvorverstärkern vor einem eindeutig zeitgenössischen digitalen Hintergrund sorgt für ein Hörerlebnis, das sich gleichzeitig über Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft auszudehnen scheint. Für Fans von Cate Le Bon, June McDoom, Cindy Lee, ML Buch, Bill Callahan, Joanne Robertson

Stanley Brinks is renowned for his unique anti-folk style: both playful and suggestive, insightful and entertaining. Brinks was born in Paris, France, in 1973. He studied a bit of biology and worked as a nurse for a while. Half Swedish, half Moroccan, strongly inclined to travel the world, he soon began spending most of his life on the road and developed a strong relationship with New York.
By the late 90s he’d become a full time singer-songwriter – André Herman Düne – as part of three piece indie-rock band, Herman Düne alongside his brother, David-Ivar. Several albums and Peel sessions later and after a decade of touring Europe, mostly with American songwriters such as Jeffrey Lewis, Calvin Johnson and early Arcade Fire he settled in Berlin. The early carnival music of Trinidad became a passion, and in the early 21st century he became the unquestioned master of European calypso, changing his name to Stanley Brinks.
Under this moniker he has recorded well in excess of 100 albums, collaborated with the New York Antifolk scene on numerous occasions, recorded and toured with traditional Norwegian musicians, and played a lot with The Wave Pictures.
Freschard grew up in a farm in French Burgundy. Aged 18 she moved to Paris, where she baked pies and cakes in a cafe. There, a local musician and regular customer called Stanley Brinks wrote a few songs for her to sing. Homeless in Paris, she saved up just enough money to get herself a ticket to New York. There she found an old electric guitar and started writing her own songs. In 2004 she moved to Berlin, where she recorded her first LP, "Alien Duck". Her second album, "Click Click", recorded in 2006, features electric guitar by Stanley Brinks. On her third album, she plays the drums herself. On her fourth “Shh...” she also plays the flute, and she breaks out the washboard on her fifth “Boom Biddy Boom”. Press for Stanley Brinks and Freschard.
“an absolute joy.” Q.
“...a set that’s as wistful and charming as it is playful and self-concious.” Uncut.
“quietly charming” Pitchfork.