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The latest Greyscale vinyl release is here and is destined to be a dub techno club staple. Featuring one of the best current dub techno producers in Federsen. This physical release is jam packed with club tracks as the flip side features remixes by the amazing Deadbeat and our own grad_u.

Federsen is elite with making catchy grooves like in the first featured track 'Penumbra'. The hypnotic sounds work terrifically in unison to form one of the most seductive tracks we have heard recently. Subtle movements and engrossing tribal rhythm make this a sure-fire dancefloor groover.

'Viridis' focuses more on the melodic chord side while it balances a wonderful deep dub bassline. Spatial and hypnotic are words that come to mind when we heard this for the first time. This is one of those tracks you sway and close your eyes too. Pure dream state stuff.

Deadbeat's dancehall dub Penumbra is magic. This has classic stamped all over it. The Dancehall description might put some classic dub techno fans off. Just come listen and experience this unique song. You just can't deny this! Sick.

Knowing that he is sharing a side with legendary Deadbeat, grad_u puts some extra muscle into his remix of 'Viridis'. Flighty and techy, we just love this futuristic fast-moving sound and we can't get enough of it. An awesome way to end the record.

Also, for an extra treat, there will be a 2 special remixes by Basicnoise of each main track added as bonuses to those who purchase the vinyl.

Greyscale vinyl #11 is sure to be one of the hottest techno records out this year!

- Each record includes a download code for the release + 2 digital bonus tracks -

BlueBox is the first of its kind! The new colored series on Front Left by Elad Magdasi.

Elad is going back to his roots while trying something new. Keeping a balance between his serious and playful side, the release includes 4 DJ tools that are different yet embody Elad's sound in every way.

All the tracks are named by their position on the record, similar to the oldskool way, focusing on the music alone.

All BlueBox tracks were produced at the same time, on the same wave of inspiration, they compliment each other though being completely different.

Front Left Love.

Something a little special for the landmark AE Productions catalogue number AE050. Recorded circa 2012 and intended for release on High Noon Music, Mr Fantastic and J. Todd’s follow up to their superb ‘All The Critics’ has sat in the vaults ever since. With AE’s 50th release coming up we arranged with the kind help of High Noon Music to release ‘Don’t Worry’ on AE as originally intended on 7” with the instrumental on the flip, albeit around 11 years later.
The beat starts with a nice slice of Funk guitar which leads into Mr Fantastic’s customary big crunchy drums and a booming 808 sub kick. The intro sample then doesn’t reappear as is but is chopped to pieces and replayed with all guitar and bass parts taking on an entirely new groove which sits on the drums perfectly and is augmented with additional sounds.
Milwaukee’s finest J. Todd graces the track with a nice aggressive pacey flow which works as a nice counter balance to the vocal on ‘All The Critics’ and giving the track a more hardcore underground feel. J. Todd’s freestyle and tongue in cheek braggadocios battle rhymes ride the beat with ease which provides an easy listen considering the tough feel of the track.
We dug out an image taken around the time of recording to keep it in keeping with the image that may have been selected at the time had it been released. The audio is the original master from 2012 so as to retain the original flavour of the track but was done by our mastering engineer of choice Rola @ Khameleon Sounds. We hope you agree that the wait was worthwhile.

Echo Ladies are back with their second album after a quiet spell while the rest of the world turned upside down.
This music has been in development for quite a while, and you still find clear inspiration from some of the shoegaze greats such as Jesus and the Mary Chain, A Place To Bury Strangers, Slowdive, and many more.

This album is built on the same foundation that Echo Ladies curated during their past releases, but with a more unyielding presence. Echo Ladies have always tried to balance two emotions at the same time throughout their songs. While their past songs tried to convey the feeling of nostalgia and hope for the future, mixed with worries and anxieties about defining who you are and what you will become, this album instead tries to balance the emotions of sorrow and loneliness, with anger, frustration, and the determination to make a change for the better.

This album really carries the Echo Ladies mantra that "Nothing Ever Lasts". Good things can come to an end, but bad things will also pass.

Their 2018 debut Pink Noise (released on Sonic Cathedral) gained them a spot on Rough Trade's best album of the year list and praise from Drowned in Sound, CLASH Magazine, BBC Radio 6 and more.

This music has been in development for quite a while, and you still find clear inspiration from some of the shoegaze greats such as Jesus and the Mary Chain, A Place To Bury Strangers, Slowdive, and many more. This album is built on the same foundation that Echo Ladies curated during their past releases, but with a more unyielding presence.

Echo Ladies have always tried to balance two emotions at the same time throughout their songs. While their past songs tried to convey the feeling of nostalgia and hope for the future, mixed with worries and anxieties about defining who you are and what you will become, this album instead tries to balance the emotions of sorrow and loneliness, with anger, frustration, and the determination to make a change for the better.

"Mid Air" ist ein Album über das Feiern, die Zuflucht und die Erlösung auf der Tanzfläche. Es ist ein Album, das sich mit Liebe, Trauer, Beziehungen, Identität und Sexualität beschäftigt. Es ist Romys Liebesbrief an die queeren Clubs, in denen sie Gemeinschaft und Anschluss gefunden hat. Die Entstehung des Albums, ihres ersten Soloprojekts, war ein Prozess, bei dem sie sich selbst außerhalb von The xx kennengelernt hat und in dem sie auch noch die Zeit hatte, sich zu verlieben. Es gibt einen Moment, ein Zwischenspiel, ein paar Tracks in "Mid Air", als Romys Stimme leise den Text "it hit me in mid air" singt. Diese Erkenntnis führt uns direkt in den Song "Enjoy Your Life", die zweite Single des Albums, die wie eine Offenbarung klingt. "Meine Mutter sagte zu mir "genieße dein Leben"", singt Musiker Beverly Glenn-Copeland im Refrain - ein Sample aus seiner Platte "La Vita". Als Romy den Satz zum ersten Mal hörte, hat er sie umgehauen - eine Erinnerung in den Tiefen der Trauer, dass das Leben kurz ist und man es in vollen Zügen genießen sollte. Freude, Verbundenheit, Liebe zu suchen. Während die Strophen die härteste Zeit nach dem Verlust ihrer Eltern zum Ausdruck bringen, ist der Refrain eine Art feierliche Ruhe. Schmerz und Freude tanzen zusammen. Die Art von Liedern, die Romy am liebsten mag - das, was sie "emotionale Musik zum Tanzen" nennt - Lieder wie "Smalltown Boy" von Bronski Beat oder "Dancing On My Own" von Robyn. Das ist die Art von Musik, die "Mid Air" inspiriert hat, die Art von Musik, die Menschen in Clubs zusammenbringt, insbesondere in queeren Clubs. Romy begann als Teenager in Londoner Queer-Clubs aufzulegen und sieht "Mid Air" als eine Rückkehr in diese Zeit, ein Pop-Dance-Album, das die Orte beschwört, an denen sie sich zum ersten Mal in das Genre und seine Kraft, Menschen zu bewegen, verliebt hat. Die Tatsache, dass das Album größtenteils unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit entstand, als Romy die Clubs vermisste, machte diesen Impuls, ein Album zu schaffen, das in einem Club ein Zuhause finden könnte, umso wichtiger. Die Zusammenarbeit mit Fred Again.. und Stuart Price (der eines von Romys Lieblingsalben, Madonnas "Confessions on a Dancefloor", produziert hat) sowie mit Jamie xx, einem ganz engen Freund, Mitglied von The xx und Kollaborateur des Tracks "Enjoy Your Life", sorgte für die perfekte Balance zwischen Emotion und Tanzbarkeit. Auch wenn Romy nicht damit gerechnet hätte, dass ein solches Album jemals zustande kommen würde, als sie 2018 begann, mit Fred zu schreiben "Mid Air" führt uns durch die Höhen und Tiefen - einer Nacht, einer Beziehung, von Trauer und Heilung - und endet schließlich an einem Ort des Optimismus. Der letzte Track "She"s on My Mind" ist eine bewusste Anspielung auf den Disco-Song, der am Ende der Nacht in angesagten Queer-Clubs wie der Paradise Garage gespielt wurde und bei dem die getrennt tanzenden Körper zueinander fanden. Es ist das Ende eines Albums, das die besonderen, aber flüchtigen Momente der Ekstase feiert, die man nur in der Tanzmusik finden kann. Oder wie Romy es ausdrückt: "Das Gefühl der Gemeinschaft in den Clubs ermöglicht eine Flucht vor der Realität der Welt. Ich bin vielleicht nicht das Leben und die Seele einer Party, aber in der Atmosphäre eines Clubs zu sein, zu beobachten und sich zu verbinden - dadurch fühle ich mich weniger allein und lebendiger"

"Mid Air" ist ein Album über das Feiern, die Zuflucht und die Erlösung auf der Tanzfläche. Es ist ein Album, das sich mit Liebe, Trauer, Beziehungen, Identität und Sexualität beschäftigt. Es ist Romys Liebesbrief an die queeren Clubs, in denen sie Gemeinschaft und Anschluss gefunden hat. Die Entstehung des Albums, ihres ersten Soloprojekts, war ein Prozess, bei dem sie sich selbst außerhalb von The xx kennengelernt hat und in dem sie auch noch die Zeit hatte, sich zu verlieben. Es gibt einen Moment, ein Zwischenspiel, ein paar Tracks in "Mid Air", als Romys Stimme leise den Text "it hit me in mid air" singt. Diese Erkenntnis führt uns direkt in den Song "Enjoy Your Life", die zweite Single des Albums, die wie eine Offenbarung klingt. "Meine Mutter sagte zu mir "genieße dein Leben"", singt Musiker Beverly Glenn-Copeland im Refrain - ein Sample aus seiner Platte "La Vita". Als Romy den Satz zum ersten Mal hörte, hat er sie umgehauen - eine Erinnerung in den Tiefen der Trauer, dass das Leben kurz ist und man es in vollen Zügen genießen sollte. Freude, Verbundenheit, Liebe zu suchen. Während die Strophen die härteste Zeit nach dem Verlust ihrer Eltern zum Ausdruck bringen, ist der Refrain eine Art feierliche Ruhe. Schmerz und Freude tanzen zusammen. Die Art von Liedern, die Romy am liebsten mag - das, was sie "emotionale Musik zum Tanzen" nennt - Lieder wie "Smalltown Boy" von Bronski Beat oder "Dancing On My Own" von Robyn. Das ist die Art von Musik, die "Mid Air" inspiriert hat, die Art von Musik, die Menschen in Clubs zusammenbringt, insbesondere in queeren Clubs. Romy begann als Teenager in Londoner Queer-Clubs aufzulegen und sieht "Mid Air" als eine Rückkehr in diese Zeit, ein Pop-Dance-Album, das die Orte beschwört, an denen sie sich zum ersten Mal in das Genre und seine Kraft, Menschen zu bewegen, verliebt hat. Die Tatsache, dass das Album größtenteils unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit entstand, als Romy die Clubs vermisste, machte diesen Impuls, ein Album zu schaffen, das in einem Club ein Zuhause finden könnte, umso wichtiger. Die Zusammenarbeit mit Fred Again.. und Stuart Price (der eines von Romys Lieblingsalben, Madonnas "Confessions on a Dancefloor", produziert hat) sowie mit Jamie xx, einem ganz engen Freund, Mitglied von The xx und Kollaborateur des Tracks "Enjoy Your Life", sorgte für die perfekte Balance zwischen Emotion und Tanzbarkeit. Auch wenn Romy nicht damit gerechnet hätte, dass ein solches Album jemals zustande kommen würde, als sie 2018 begann, mit Fred zu schreiben "Mid Air" führt uns durch die Höhen und Tiefen - einer Nacht, einer Beziehung, von Trauer und Heilung - und endet schließlich an einem Ort des Optimismus. Der letzte Track "She"s on My Mind" ist eine bewusste Anspielung auf den Disco-Song, der am Ende der Nacht in angesagten Queer-Clubs wie der Paradise Garage gespielt wurde und bei dem die getrennt tanzenden Körper zueinander fanden. Es ist das Ende eines Albums, das die besonderen, aber flüchtigen Momente der Ekstase feiert, die man nur in der Tanzmusik finden kann. Oder wie Romy es ausdrückt: "Das Gefühl der Gemeinschaft in den Clubs ermöglicht eine Flucht vor der Realität der Welt. Ich bin vielleicht nicht das Leben und die Seele einer Party, aber in der Atmosphäre eines Clubs zu sein, zu beobachten und sich zu verbinden - dadurch fühle ich mich weniger allein und lebendiger"

For their fourth album, »Bear In Town«, indie avant-pop supergroup Spirit Fest made a virtue of distance, with group members split across Europe, and recording sessions taking place after a brief 2021 tour of Europe. It’s an object lesson in perseverance and commitment, as the music here is some of Spirit Fest’s most moving yet. The six songs on this album illuminate different aspects of the transnational quintet’s character – lovely, heart-rending pop songs; melancholy chants; the joys of simple repetition – with the group’s guitar pop tended by gentle flourishes of piano and electronics.

Some of those flourishes were spirited onto »Bear In Town« across the waves, with Mat Fowler (Bons, Jam Money) contributing from Britain, while the body of the music was recorded in a small apartment studio in Munich by the other members of Spirit Fest: Saya and Ueno (Tenniscoats), Markus Acher (The Notwist) and Cico Beck (Joasinho, Aloa Input). »Bear In Town« is concise and powerful, the infectious joy of the spirit communicated, beautifully, by melodies that balance the heartfelt with the melancholy. Reflecting on those sessions, Acher says, »I think the album captures how well we played together at that time.« It’s all the more impressive given this material was put down live in the studio, with a few vocal overdubs. The depth of feeling at the core of Spirit Fest’s music is evident from the opening notes of »Bear In Town«.

»Kou-Kou Land«, the first song on the album, recalls several earlier Tenniscoats songs, like »Baibaba Bimba«, in the way the musicians weave gentle complexity around a simple, repeated chant; the stop-start structure of »Kou-Kou Land« builds anticipation, while Saya’s simple melody is lovely, delivered in an absent-minded hum that’s deeply affecting. »Lost & Found« revolves around a delightful descending chord change that breaks up the swaying, folksy verses, gorgeous electronic whirrs and purring winds floating through the song. The following »In Our House« possesses such sweet sadness, it’s one of Spirit Fest’s most moving songs yet.

»Like A Plane« repurposes a song that Markus Acher originally wrote and recorded for his solo EP of the same title, released on a 2022 10-inch single on Morr Music. The original was a gentle, introverted lament, but the version on »Bear In Town« has a widescreen tenderness, its melancholy framed by raindrop piano. The album concludes with two moments of playful splendour, the bossa-inflected »Hill Blo«, and the driving title track, both led by Saya, who is in stunning voice on this album; on »Bear In Town«, her awestruck wonder perfectly captures the sense of possibility in the song’s capacious chords. Like the rest of the album, it’s full of kindness, rich with psych-pop splendour… a balm for troubled times.

Despite her pride in what she had created with The National's Aaron Desner, her faith in music in this new, unforgiving reality had started to falter. She realised in this moment that the one thing she could lean into was her own talent and workethic, after all her greatest ambition had always been to self-produce an album, and this was the moment.

Helped by her partner Sean Sroka (Ten Kills The Pack), who co- produced and together crafted the vision and balance between organic and synthetic production. The process of writing new album
'I'd Be Lying if I Said I Didn't Care' was a journey of catharsis and self-confrontation. Sometimes it gave her anxiety, sometimes it gave her a song. This is Hannah's first record on Lucy Rose's Real Kind Records (Bess Atwell, Samantha Crain, Memorial).

The sessions with Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, Foxing) struck the perfect balance between preparation and experimentation, injecting new life into the band's style of soft- hearted Midwestern indie rock with an ever so subtle Americana twist. The solidified Ratboys lineup stretched and expanded their vision in the studio, adding unexpected elements and instruments like rototoms, talkboxes, and fiddles. The result is Ratboys' most sonically diverse record, shifting wildly from track to track. It flexes everything from fuzzy power pop choruses on "Crossed That Line" and "It's Alive!" to a warm country twang on "Morning Zoo" to mournful folk on the titular track. After more than ten years and four studio albums, The Window finally captures Ratboys as they were always meant to be heard--expansive while still intimate, audacious while still tender--the
sound of four friends operating as a single, cohesive unit.

The sessions with Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, Foxing) struck the perfect balance between preparation and experimentation, injecting new life into the band's style of soft- hearted Midwestern indie rock with an ever so subtle Americana twist. The solidified Ratboys lineup stretched and expanded their vision in the studio, adding unexpected elements and instruments like rototoms, talkboxes, and fiddles. The result is Ratboys' most sonically diverse record, shifting wildly from track to track. It flexes everything from fuzzy power pop choruses on "Crossed That Line" and "It's Alive!" to a warm country twang on "Morning Zoo" to mournful folk on the titular track. After more than ten years and four studio albums, The Window finally captures Ratboys as they were always meant to be heard--expansive while still intimate, audacious while still tender--the
sound of four friends operating as a single, cohesive unit.

Disco re-edit master Moplen sprinkles his magic on the golden grooves of Jackie Moore’s classic, ‘Holding Back’ for the third release on A’s and Bees backed with the original Breakdown and Chin-Mental mixes from the mighty John Morales and Sergio Munzabai (M&M).

Continuing their run of heavyweight pressings that marry remastered originals with new interpretations of those prized cuts, A’s and Bees look to ’83 with this sensuous slice of disco heat, blending beefy slap bass with a soaring string section and Jackie’s soulful vocal tones. A cover of David Simmons’ 1979 classic ‘Holdin' Back’ penned by Gregg Diamond and Steve Love, Moore’s interpretation is a high energy disco hit from across the Atlantic.

Opening up the release, re-work whiz Moplen was graced with the stems to the original recording, tweaking, finessing and squeezing out all the best bits of the original building the tension across 7 sublime minutes, that balances deftness with full frontal power. Taking the A2, the original vocal mix in all its glory, produced and arranged by MFSB’s Bobby Eli.

On the B side two masterful M&M mixes from the legendary duo of John Morales and Sergio Munzabai in the form of the Breakdown and Chin-Mental versions.

50% of the profits from this release will be donated towards the British Beekeepers Association.

Fatalism (Ltd. LP/Black w/Red Inkspot+White Splatter)

Angst: der große Spalter der Menschheit, aber auch ihr stärkster Vereiniger.

Es ist genau dieser Gedanke, der den Kern von POLARIS' drittem Album "Fatalism" ausmacht; eine Platte, die von dem Gefühl der Verzweiflung und Dystopie geprägt ist, das die Welt in den letzten Jahren erfasst hat, und von dem überwältigenden Gefühl, dass wir machtlos sind, den Kurs zu ändern.

Während der Vorgänger "The Death Of Me" aus dem Jahr 2020 eine ausgewogene Balance zwischen Licht und Schatten bot, stürzt sich "Fatalism" kopfüber in viel dunklere und schwerere Tendenzen und zeigt POLARIS in einem neuen, entschlossenen und aggressiven Licht, was zum großen Teil der akribischen Herangehensweise der Band bei der Gestaltung der Gitarrenarbeit und des Gesangs zu verdanken ist.

Fatalism (Ltd. LP/Black w/Red Inkspot+White Splatter)

Angst: der große Spalter der Menschheit, aber auch ihr stärkster Vereiniger.

Es ist genau dieser Gedanke, der den Kern von POLARIS' drittem Album "Fatalism" ausmacht; eine Platte, die von dem Gefühl der Verzweiflung und Dystopie geprägt ist, das die Welt in den letzten Jahren erfasst hat, und von dem überwältigenden Gefühl, dass wir machtlos sind, den Kurs zu ändern.

Während der Vorgänger "The Death Of Me" aus dem Jahr 2020 eine ausgewogene Balance zwischen Licht und Schatten bot, stürzt sich "Fatalism" kopfüber in viel dunklere und schwerere Tendenzen und zeigt POLARIS in einem neuen, entschlossenen und aggressiven Licht, was zum großen Teil der akribischen Herangehensweise der Band bei der Gestaltung der Gitarrenarbeit und des Gesangs zu verdanken ist.

In 1972, a foursome of design students set out to make a record. This was, in many ways, a strictly creative endeavor. The quartet — composed of Dave Pescod, Alan Lewis, Phil Rawle, and Ted Rockley — were all trained, not as musicians, but as creatives. Art school heavyweights, the four were well-versed in the methodology of intentional experimentation, in the delicate balance of pushing the limits without completely unmooring oneself from a guiding creative intention. Emboldened by a high-brow familiarity with thoughtful experimentation and all the non-conviction of non-musicians, Bowes Road Band’s stint in the world of popular music yielded a record that is as much mind-melting as it is a direct product of its time. Their sprawling LP “Back in the HCA” embodies the exigence “art for art’s sake,” but it is for art’s sake that this record, however off the deep end it seems to travel (hear: “Doctor, Doctor”), remains a unified, and stunning, body of work. The LP’s do-ityourself garage rock noisemaking meets highfalutin creative processes. “Back in the HCA” is warbling psychedelic freakout (“Two Fingers,” “Doctor, Doctor”), Donovan-esque English countryside folk stylings (“Inside My Head,” “Goodbye to Rosie”), and avant-garde jazz improvisions (“Grass is Grass,” “Tomorrow’s Truth”) in one luminous release.

Originally an 9-track LP, Jakarta, Uno Loop, and Bowes Road Band decided to mine the six most cohesive tracks for the reissue, though the extras may be released somewhere down the line. Cohesion efforts aside, “Back in the HCA” stands alone in its singular conception of a genre-bending continuum — it evades definition. That said, the LP can easily be situated in the sonic environment in which it was conceived. By the end of the 60s, England was crawling with blues-based rock outfits that were starting to venture into prog rock territory. You can hear this popular dint cast over the folkier side of the LP. But Bowes Road Band was armed with their non-musicianship: they existed completely liberated from the motivating yet ultimately paralyzing lust for stardom. Enjoying this liberation, Bowes Road Band was utterly free to make noise. This freedom meant drawn out sax interludes amidst sweetly folk stylings (“Grass is Grass”) and Shaggs-like fuzzed-out freakouts that spiral into a void (Doctor, Doctor). This freedom also meant straight-forward tuneful cuts like “Goodbye Rosie” that conspicuously introduce heavily distorted auto-organ accompaniment mid-track amidst poignant lyricism. Bowes Road Band crafts a unified sound and then cracks it open.

With a completely off-the-radar status, Bowes Road Band could only press 50 copies of the record — 10 for each of them and 10 for the school. The band’s lifespan was to end there, or so they thought. “Back in the HCA” was the accidental fruit of a Berlin flea market treasure hunt by Jannis Stürtz, DJ and co-founder of Habibi Funk and Jakarta Records. After finding and sharing the LP with a few colleagues, Stürtz managed to get in touch with the band, get ahold of the master tapes collecting dust in Ted Rockley’s attic, and start the reissuing process. The record is still adorned with its original cover art designed by Alan Pescod, both reminiscent of bygone school days and the Zoom calls of yesterday — in short, reunion. Its re-discovery was happenstance and ought to be listened to as such. That is, “Back in the HCA” was not made to be listened to on a broad scale, or, at least, was not made with this goal in mind; it is neither in its time nor of its time. Of course, the group explicitly cites the folk tunes of the English countryside, the distorted rock groups that reigned during the record’s conception, and the fringes of psychedelic music that only the uber-underground might recognize (e.g., “Dreaming of Alice”). Yet still with these obvious influences, “Back in the HCA” always existed beyond the domain of both traditional musicianship and conventional commodification. Bowes Road Band’s DIY musicality beams through in technicolor across “Back in the HCA.” The vinyl includes an 8-page booklet detailing the albums creation and interviews with the band.

Lead single “Grass is Grass,” out July 14 along with album pre-order, encapsulates the record’s range: the track unfurls into a sprawling sax-driven trip following a sundrenched, Donovan-esque intro w/ lyrics “naively about parks and gardens, not marijuana!” The keyed-down folk cut “Goodbye to Rosie” is single 2 and elevates stripped-down acoustics with golden tinges, out August 4th. Focus track “Tomorrow’s Truth” constructs the fuzzed-out underbelly of acid folk. Listen for echoes of late Beatles, Mark Fry, and Donovan (if they were armed by an unshakabele willful naiveté). Like Sgt. Pepper’s on a shoestring budget—take a trip to the underground with LP “Back in the HCA,” available everywhere physically and digitally on September 1st via Jakarta Records and Uno Loop.

Besides online promotion from label profiles, the album will be further promoted by external agencies within the UK and US.

In 2020, electronic musician Nina Pixel was offered a track on a compilation album of songs from the Liptov region. What started as a rearrangement of a single folk song eventually grew in scope and size, eventually becoming a series of releases. Titled Ancestral Archaeology, the series counts two self-released EPs, an audiovisual show in co-operation with Adrián Kriška, and now, after two years, a double LP published by Weltschmerzen. In this definitive form of an album, Ancestral Archaeology reveals itself as a musical reimagination of traditional historical Slovak culture at large.

Nina Pixel averts the perils of lapsing into inauthentic fakelore by building her music with, rather than on, the ethnographic riches of Slovakia. With the eagerness of a genuine archeological prospector, Ancestral Archaeology invokes the always present but seldom perceived linchpins of folklore culture: the desperate clinging to the memory of pre-Christian paganism and witchcraft, songs with narratives of beautiful innate wyrdness that is utterly unfit for mass culture, and superstition as the most serious longing for the balance between sense and irrationality.

If we acknowledge the truism of folklore as the shared way of expression in rural society, the techno music on Ancestral Archeology proposes that, in the urban society of ours, this role is served by raves. The argument isn't as much declared as it's implied // in music and in the spoken-word lyrics that are rife with historical and contemporary sources. An 18th-century recipe by the writer and priest Juraj Fándly proposes snorting the grounded flowers of the medicinal weed Valerian as a way of curing bad vision. "It is a proven remedy!" we are repeatedly assured, and it's not hard imagining Fándly and his parishioners, strung out on Valerian, moving almost involuntarily to the rhythms of their era just as we can move to Ancestral Archeology.

Nina Pixel is a Slovak music artist based in Berlin. Lyrics are inspired by Slovak folklore traditions, songs and shared beliefs.



Manifestation tools: cello, overtone flute koncovka, fujara, gong, metal bowls, sheep bell, field recordings of Slovak forests, Andreas's tom and various drum machines.

2023 Repress
Re-cut from original Peter Christopherson approved masters.

The Ape of Naples is Coil's highly celebrated final album completed by Peter Christopherson following the tragic death of Jhonn Balance in 2004. Often noted for being a fan favorite, The Ape of Naples uses Balance's final recordings and material recorded at Trent Reznor's studio in New Orleans to create a deep, heavy masterpiece.

This re-press is packaged in a heavy duty jacket with Ian Johnstone's original artwork coated in a custom spot gloss. Each LP is housed in a printed inner sleeve and side D contains all three original etchings. Ape's lyrics are spread across the gatefold.

Vargmal Records continues to explore immersive, thought-provoking techno with an abstract spirit by presenting Corners EP from the emergent collaborative UK project Terrain. The Kosovo-based label was launched in 2022 with a considered balance of classic and contemporary techno, featuring Italian techno pioneer Leo Anibaldi and commissioning attendant remixes by contemporary Italian maestro Donato Dozzy.

Continuing the label's embrace of subliminal sounds for adventurous dance floors, Terrain deliver four tracks of snaking, subtle rhythms pivoting away from rigid structures towards a more fluid kind of techno. It's a sound the duo of Joe Baker and Voytek Stanley channeled on their debut release and they expand on the principles from that record in superlative style on Corners.

The EP opens up with the weighted pressure of 'Blind Spot', a dense workout pivoting on a fractured kick punching out underneath interwoven sheets of texture and atmosphere. 'Vintage' develops this theme with dubby chord washes which bloom out over the fine detail of the deceptively complex beat configuration. 'Corners' meanwhile adjusts the temperature from cooly meditative to subtly fierce accents Terrain edge into their sound.

It's an elegant fusion that remains at ease with the overall mood of the EP, but a noticeable shift in energy for the B side. 'Singularity' completes the picture with additional input from Localhost, welcoming layers of noisy melodics which sit comfortably on top of Terrain's dubby pulses. More open and searching than the introspection which holds sway elsewhere, it's a tonal shift that opens the sound of Terrain out and brings a sense of balance to their assured second record.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Rhymesayers created this limited edition 3xLP vinyl package that includes a gatefold jacket with revised art layouts, printed sleeves, a 4-panel insert with full album lyrics, two cream & black marble-colored vinyl, and a UV printed ultra-clear bonus disc vinyl with four exclusive bonus tracks! Whether you're a vinyl enthusiast or simply appreciate great lyricism, this album is a must for any collection. Initially released in 2012, Aesop Rock's sixth studio album Skelethon marked a significant moment in the rapper's career. It had been 5 years since his previous effort None Shall Pass was released, and his former label had since been shuttered. As a result, Skelethon became his first solo release on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Coincidentally, it was also his first album that was entirely self produced. The album's title, a portmanteau of "skeleton" and "telethon," was a metaphor for what felt like a long period of many adversities for Aesop. Throughout the album's 15 tracks, he meticulously exhumes and examines these many skeletons in detail, exploring everything from death to distrust, insecurity and isolation, with moments of humor and hope scattered throughout as well. Some of the many standout tracks from the release include "Zero Dark Thirty," a rapid-fire exploration of displeasure over dizzying drums, "ZZZ Top," an impressive ode to youthful expression, and "Cycles to Gehenna," with its haunting production and imaginative musings. Upon release, Skelethon was praised for its intricate storytelling that expertly balanced abstract imagery with concrete details, and its immersive production incorporating sample-based beats with dusty pianos, distorted guitars, and psychedelic synths. To this day, the album remains a fan favorite and a critical darling, praised for its poignant introspection and razor-sharp wordplay.

After Miss Machine, Dillinger Escape Plan fans were divided. Many of the folks who were attached to the screaming mathematical metal of Calculating Infinity bailed on the band, disapproving of the experimental musical direction and the meathead appearance of new singer/screamer Greg Puciato. Open-minded listeners were excited about the progressive journey they were taking and many critics hailed the group as a true innovator of metalcore. Ire Works succeeds in many of the same ways that their previous album did, while branching out creatively. They continue to toy with technical metal, blistering hardcore, jazz breaks, and post-punk, but here they evolve again by adding more twists and turns with additional electronic elements. While the merging of too many styles in hardcore can make for a convoluted result (see Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled release), the added instruments and genre changeups enhance the result rather than acting as ornamental distractions. Edgy Aphex Twin-style drill'n'bass drum breaks and stretched and squeezed electro blips feel strangely at home next to the psychotic time-signature changes and manic riffs, especially on the tracks "Sick on Sunday," "Dead as History," and "When Acting as a Wave." Violins, pianos, and trumpets sit nicely in the mix, and the group's willingness to take chances leads to stunning artistic endeavors rather than stale attempts at crossing genres just for the sake of being clever. Original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis makes an appearance, as does Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds, but the most notable inclusion is drummer Gil Sharone, who proves himself an expert at picking up the slack after the departure of founding member Chris Pennie to play in Coheed and Cambria. Undoubtedly, this act added anger to fuel the fire of their heavier numbers. "82588," "Fix Your Face," and "Party Smasher" are as wicked and manic as their most difficult earlier stuff; conversely, the melodic hooks and falsetto of "Black Bubblegum" and the watery ambience of "Mouth of Ghosts" balance out the album nicely. It can be inaccessible and terrifying all at once, but in a genre overly saturated with formulaic groups, Ire Works is a true standout. If DEP aren't careful and continue down this innovative path, they could easily be labeled the Radiohead of metalcore

Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah's album came to us as quite a mystery. Our friends from Radio Martiko got access to the studio archive of the Boussiphone label and a reel labeled “Faradjallah” was among the items they had found there. After listening to the selection of reels they borrowed, Radio Martiko felt it was not a fit for their label and helped us licensing it from Mr. Boussiphone instead. We knew nothing about the band. We just had the reel with the music but very little information. What we knew was that the music was incredible and very unique. Gnawa sounds were combined with funky electronic guitars, very dense layers of percussions and female backing vocals more reminiscent of musical styles further south than Morocco. We started asking around whether anyone knew the band with no immediate success until we asked Tony Day, a musician from Morocco who helped us during our search for Fadoul’s family. His sharp memory came through once again, remembering all the names of the Attarazat Addahabia band members and even how to contact the bands singer and leader Abdelakabir Faradjallah. After visiting him at his home in Casablanca with our Moroccan colleague Sabrina multiple times, he shared his personal story. His father arrived in Casablanca from Aqqa at the age of six and his mother came from Essaouira. Abdelakabir was born in the neighbourhood of Benjdia in 1942. Abdelakabir Faradjallah studied fine arts in Casablanca, graduating in 1962. He also played soccer in the second team of "Jeunesse Societe One". His brother-in-law Ibrahim Sadr worked for one of the biggest football teams of the time in Morocco called "Moroco Sportive Union", which allowed him to travel to France occasionally. While Ibrahim was never part of the band he brought along a few instruments from trips.


Yet the majority of the instruments they could not afford to buy were build by Faradjallah and Abderrazak, Faradjallah's brother who passed away early. For instance they had built a Spanish guitar and a drum made of wood barrel and sheepskin by themselves.During the 1950s Faradjallah was booked as a singer for surprise parties with friends. He started to write his first songs including "L’gnawi" in 1967 and wanted to make people discover Gnawa culture, or maybe rather his take on the culture to be more exact. Faradjallah recalls his first interaction with the genre in the streets of the Dern neighbourhood, where he used to go to elementary school. Gnawa is one of the essential musical genres of Morocco. It combines ritual poetry with traditional dances and music linked with a spiritual foundation. Musically a lot of influences originated from West Africa as well as Sudan. Gnawa is usually played by a selection of specific instruments such as the qaraqab (large iron castanets centrally associated with the music), the hajhouj (a three string lute), guembri loudaâ (a three stringed bass instrument) and the tbel (large drums). People would put shells on their clothes and instruments and use incense at their parties. "Sidi darbo lalla - lala derbo khadem..." came from Gnawa verses Faradjallah used to sing when he was 14. The lyrics tackle a global (im)balance of power and the question of social status in this course. The band Attarazat Addahabia was formed in 1968. The original line-up included 14 members, all from the same family. They played their first small concerts here and there starting in 1969. Later in 1973 they performed bigger shows for instance at the Municipal Theatre followed by the "Al Massira Show" at Velodrome Stadium in downtown Casablanca. Their first album "Al Hadaoui" (the one you are listening to) was recorded at Boussiphone studios in 1972 and was never released before. Nobody seems to remember the exact reason why Boussiphone ended up deciding not to put the album out. The album's title track also served as the basis for Fadoul's "Maktoub Lah", who frequented the same circles as the band for some time.

Their shows sometimes could go as long as 12 hours, starting at 5pm in the afternoon, with an occasional break here and there. In the 1980s the band took a brief break. Faradjallah recalled the reason for that break like this: "Zaki, the bands drummer, had fallen in love with a young girl from Mohammedia. Soon after, he fell very ill. The group members were convinced that the girl had given him ‘s'hor’ (a kind of local Moroccan version of "black magic"). For four years, the whole group stopped playing. It was unthinkable to find another drummer to replace Zaki, even temporarily." So they waited four years for Zaki to "get back on his feet" before going back on stage. Apart from very few gigs here and there Faradjallah stopped playing music in the mid 1990s. Some members from the younger generations formed a new band and still play frequently to this day. Faradjallah runs a television repair shop coupled offerings beverages and snacks in the Belevedere /Ains Sbaa district of Casablanca. While Faradjallah was primarily a musician, he would work for the local cinema and paint their posters for new movies by hand and he designed all artworks and cover posters of the band.

And this eventually led to him participating actively in our first exhibition dealing with Habibi Funk’s work in Dubai 2018. He helped us by creating calligraphic complementations on large photo prints for that show.

Audiences who were lucky enough to have seen the film during its special theatrical sneak preview have already discovered that this highly anticipated sequel is nothing short of epic - and much of that is due to the gorgeous, sweeping score by Nathan Johnson. Johnson keeps intact the delicate balance that made KNIVES OUT such a clever score, never undermining the danger that is around every corner, but also brings an intoxicating romanticism to every gorgeous landscape. It’s playful, and sinister all at once.
“I’m thrilled to announce the release of my score for Glass Onion on vinyl, but more specifically, I’m over the moon to be able to join forces again with the wonderful folks at Mondo,” says Johnson. “Everything they do is one-of-a-kind, but with this release they’ve gone above and beyond. We’ve mastered this version specifically for vinyl so that it retains all the orchestral dynamics I’ve written into the score, and I can’t wait for people to get their hands on the artwork and peel back all of the beautiful layers. I know we live in a world of digital ephemera, but I’ll say it again and again: thank God for Mondo.”

Ceremonie hail from France and have an '80s-inspired sound that hits differently. Their songwriting reaches new levels and draws on well-chosen, well-designed sounds with a wonderful sense of melancholy and just the right balance of drama and subtlety.

After an indie-pop leaning cassette a few years ago they now land on Enfant Terrible with a contemporary take on retro new wave and synth-pop. Three of the tunes are originals, one is a cover of French 1980s new wave band Message and there is a whole new album in the works, apparently. Great stuff.

Bob Dylan was at several crossroads in the mid-1970s. Artistically, he was largely written off as being past his prime. Emotionally, he was suffering through a painful divorce from his then-wife Sara Lowndes. Creatively, he appeared at a stalemate, his previous decade's unprecedented run of transformational brilliance finished. Then came Blood on the Tracks.

A start-to-finish cycle that documents a lover's pursuit of, entanglement with, and loss of a woman, the bracingly intimate 1975 effort remains one of the most encompassing break-up albums ever made and ranks as the most personal statement of the Bard's career. To hear it is to experience the agony, frustration, trauma, highs, lows, confusion, sadness, and, ultimately, requisite redemption associated with intimate relationships gone astray. Dylan maintains it's a work of fiction, but it's evident close-vested autobiographical premise is what helps make it universal: It's the icon singing through tears, going out of his mind, battling hallowing emptiness, firing shots across the bow, and accepting culpability. It is, in short, a consummate expression of love's darker sides and the consequences of what happens when dreams unravel.

As part of its Bob Dylan catalogue restoration series, Mobile Fidelity is thoroughly humbled to have the privilege of mastering the iconic LP from the original master tapes and pressing it on dead-quiet LP at RTI. The end result is the very finest, most transparent analogue edition of Blood on the Tracks ever produced – and the first-ever proper analog reissue. Fantastically presenting both the solo acoustic and band-supported songs with the utmost clarity, dynamics, presence, immediacy, spaciousness, imaging, and balance, this version shines a high-powered light on the fluid vocal phrasing, timbral shifts, functional rhythms, and inward-looking strumming that contribute to every song here serving as a wound-exposing confessional.

For all the melancholic pain, unresolved questions, shattered memories, wasted times, unrequited dialogues, and weary regret within, Blood on the Tracks remains as daring as it is reflective. Rather than follow for a monotone caustic vibe, Dylan's songs burrow into the subconscious for the manners in which they are even-keeled, mellow, and occasionally, even peaceful. Dignity, honour, poignancy, and fairness – all traits uncommon in any situation in which partners dissolve histories, change hearts, and attribute blame – instil the record with equilibrium on par with the consistency of the flowing melodies.

Throughout, tunes come on and proceed as if they could continue forever, Dylan spinning poetic verses and conversations amidst finely tied knots of acoustic notes, chords, and fills, the deceivingly simple architecture conjuring the intertwined refractions of a bezeled jewel, various angles, colours, and textures conjoining into a gorgeously inseparable whole. Backed by Tony Brown's flexible albeit subtle bass, Buddy Cage's country-streaked pedal-steel guitar, and Paul Griffin's soul-baring organ – an instrument used to shadow, tuck-point, and illuminate here as effectively as any time in rock history – Dylan pours soulful emotion, open his veins, and bleeds.

Ranked 16 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and replete with existential thought, piercing directness, raw singing, and majestic arrangements,

Given the sonic and artistic merit of this album, we anticipate huge demand.

Men at Work already had an album in the Top Ten when the Australian ensemble released Cargo, which continued the momentum gained by its record-setting debut. As ambitious and even more diversified than its initial salvo, the 1983 effort firmly established the band as new-wave pioneers – a group whose goofy playfulness, sharp hooks, brass accents, and memorable choruses helped define the decade's landscape. Any doubts about Men at Work's quirky sensibility were promptly answered by the iconic cover art gracing this multi-platinum set.

Mastered on our world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI, this LP not only brings the artwork back into full-scale glory but also takes the enjoyably melodic pop-rock to new sonic heights courtesy of improved imaging, separation, and balance. Previously obscured details jump to the surface, and leader Colin Hay's unique voice takes on life-like dimensions that hover between the speakers.

While remaining true to the approach that garnered them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Men at Work expands the creative palette on Cargo by giving guitars a more prominent role and increasing the rhythmic textures. With the sweeping ballad "Overkill" and politically savvy cynicism of "It's a Mistake," the band furthered their radio domination and extended their run of Top 10 singles. A third hit, "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive," cracked the Top 30. Well-tailored melodies and whimsical imagination definitely had a place in the public's consciousness, and no group understood this more.



As the final album captured by the original lineup, Cargo remains an indelible piece of the 1980s audio terrain and a reminder of the era's endless fun. Bolstered by lively saxophone solos, self-effacing humor, and instantly catchy refrains, the album is as good as excuse as any to turn on the stereo, sit down, forget your worries, and dance to leisurely pursuits so perfectly captured by this beloved group.

Very limited Red Opaque vinyl. Single LP w/ printed inner sleeve + Download card. "a startling balance between chaos and structure, building up gorgeous torrents of sound that land with a crash" - THE NEW YORKER // A terrific blend of hardcore, punk, noise, and yes, pop. - INTERVIEW MAGAZINE // one of 2021's most thrilling listens. - STEREOGUM // What if Andy Warhol was really into Converge and CrossFit? That's the logline, as the now eight-piece band attempts to reflect pop music and pop culture through the heaviest, most swole lens possible. - PITCHFORK Best New Music // The Armed are set to release ULTRAPOP: Live at the Masonic Temple, an incredible live soundtrack from the band's narrative-driven concert film of the same name. The album and film were captured in the opulent chapels, imposing asylum rooms, full-size indoor handball courts, halls (and more) of the mysterious Masonic Temple of Detroit; a 550,000 square foot fortress in the heart of the city. ULTRAPOP: Live at the Masonic features breathtaking, hyperactive performances of tracks off The Armed's break-out album ULTRAPOP, selections from their second LP, Only Love, the CYBERPUNK 2077 single "Night City Aliens" and culminates in the ultimate catharsis with the entire collective converging for the devastating closer "On Jupiter." The Armed's latest album ULTRAPOP, released in April of 2021, received acclaim across the board, gaining the highly coveted Pitchfork Best New Music and praise from The New Yorker Magazine, Vulture, Stereogum, Revolver. AV Club, Fader, Bandcamp, Entertainment Weekly, Interview Magazine, and so much more. Reaching the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise, and otherwise "heavy" counterculture music subgenres, it finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. A joyous, genderless, post-nihilist, anti-punk, razor-focused take on creating the most intense listening experience possible, and now with ULTRAPOP: Live At The Masonic, the most intense live experience possible.

Santilli returns to Mad Habitat after a European sojourn on Growing Bin! The Eora-based multi-instrumentalist is one half of Angophora, but his solo work exists in the lineage of electro-acoustic visionaries like Steve Tibbetts. With each subsequent release, Santilli strikes the balance between mining his well-defined personal aesthetic and expanding his vision.

The instrumental palette of this record is centered around guitar and synthesizer, bolstered by an incredible array of idiophones and membranophones. There is no shortage of spellbinding moments, like the glacial synths that pan across “Mirrors”, the cascading beauty of “Colours” or the woodland symphony of “Hollow” - the latter even recalls the environmentally-focused work of Waak Waak Djungi’s Peter Mumme.

There’s a common thread across this album in the way it evokes the expanse of nature that Santilli spends much of his time in. All 9 tracks feel like a glimpse into an exquisitely realized scene and across all of them, Santilli's music is suffused with an unhurried sense of ease. The music here feels immersive and panoramic as a result, and we’re grateful to share a glimpse into the worlds Santilli captures.

The electronic, experimental group Gravité from San Fransisco is releasing their third album ”III” on Höga Nord Rekords. Their sound varies from motorik and beat driven, airy compositions to heavier denser numbers with swelling pads, glittering arpeggios and powerful Moog basses.

”III”’s balanced production gives the elements in the music room to breath and the tracks on the album often stands on a solid 80’s foundation; ”Into The I” sounds like an hommage to classic arcade game soundtracks but without modern Retrowave pastiches. ”Elation” on the other hand is three and a half minutes of cool and refreshing oceanspray. Gravité moves effortlessly over genres and moods, merging some of the finest moments of analog electronic music.

Like migrating birds, Matthew Riley and Aaron Diko seem have an inner pathfinder, leading them right no matter what musical airspace they’re flying in.

Lee Gamble’s UIQ label unveils a second album from Filipina-Australian artist Corin Ileto, deploying a brace of swarming alien chorales and rapturous digital rave noise to explore the idea of sound as a sentient being. Bold and operatic, cinematic and cybernetic.

Named after the iconic choral work by 20th Century avant-garde legend György Ligeti (as immortalised by Stanley Kubrick in 2001), ‘Lux Aeterna' explores the idea of micropolyphony, a term Ligeti described as a complex polyphony "in which harmonies do not change suddenly, but merge into one another." Like Ligeti, Corin isn't primarily concerned with melody or rhythm, but timbre: the colour and quality of sound itself.

Taking its time to unfurl, the album opens with ‘lumen naturae’, winding tonal clouds that eventually latch onto a misshapen hoover sound that curves into the abyss. Corin shows her hand more formally on 'sunta', balancing layered cybernetic drones against ratcheting metallic rhythms and unstable textures. When the track cuts to almost-silence, it reminds us of Akira Rabelais' ghosted 'Spellewauerynsherde' (itself an impressionistic granulation of vocal recordings), before being disrupted by a dynamic kick that shares DNA with club music.

But despite her occasional flirtations with the club, Ileto doesn't appear to have any interest in making functional dance music. Instead, she emphasises momentum and texture. Like a celestial opera, ecstatic trance is reimagined within the context of sacred liturgy – merging hyper-real soundscapes with Gregorian chant and medieval instrumentation. Chrome-plated clangs and growling subs highlight the album’s sci-fi leanings, tapping into a sort of retro-futurism that balances a hi-tech mindset with a feeling of deep vulnerability and alienation.

Emil Amos (Grails, OM and podcaster plus) decommissions pieces originally bound for the KPM library. A personal interpolation of "music for films (& television)" expounds upon diverse sounds: synthy 80s soundtracks, contemporary hip-hop beatmaking, ambient music, and The Hulk"s "Lonely Man Theme". Emil"s dark visions are full of noirish shadows and eerie neon glow - mood music for drug trips spent dreaming up new soundtracks to take drugs to! Emil Amos" forthcoming Zone Black album is a fully inhabitable world, its episodic narrative divided into an improbable balance between morbid ambient anthems and insouciant hip-hop instrumentals. Emil hadn"t heard it done quite this way before, so he took it upon himself. And it sounds real! Straight out of Madlib"s kitchen sink, and with a sense of brooding dread, "Jealous Gods" features throbbing beats, low synth paired with high vocal melody, layered together into something even more impossibly bizarre than the sum of their parts - like say, monks singing from on high, over a battleground littered with remnants of the old guard. Emil warps evocative tones, taking familiar sounds into new dimensions, reaching for the kind of depth and resonance that defines moments with an almost invisible touch.

*REISSUED ON LIMITED EDITION BLUE VINYL*

London-based electronic songwriter Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles to release his most personal work to date in the form of a mini-album titled ‘Night Melody’ through Erased Tapes on 5th August 2016. During the release of his acclaimed full-length album ‘Howl’ and heavy touring in late 2015, Ryan came out of a 13-year long relationship and found himself making music throughout the winter months. The result of his efforts is a 34-minute, 6-track mini album ‘Night Melody’, born out of and shaped by long hours working into the night. It’s nocturnal in sound; mysterious in the way that the early hours so often are.

“I found myself, in a silent home, with the days getting dark very early. I’ve never before in my life been affected by the lack of light so much. I just remember it always being night time. I would either make music into the night, go out drinking with friends, or go to parties and dance into the early hours, every day, week after week, month after month, until eventually the days became brighter again.” The opening statement ‘Pattern of the North’ starts off with a collage of spliced synth melodies, inspired by anxiety that accompanies going home for Christmas. It’s followed by ‘Johannesburg’, an early sketch gradually filled out during his tour in South Africa.


“After playing it around some of the cities, I got a lot of inspiration to bring it to life and push it into something that really moves me. I think this is one of my most colourful pieces of music, with its driving rhythm and almost a homage to Terry Riley’s ‘In C’ towards the end, with a build of very simple, hypnotic parts. I especially love that for over five minutes the piece is tied to just one note. This makes the ending very dramatic, because all of a sudden there is this harmonic change.” ‘Lone’ started life around the time Ryan was working on his ‘Sonne’ EP in 2014. It’s the result of constant adjustments to find the perfect balance of fragility and assurance. As everything on the album, it’s a carefully considered, emotionally mature piece. “I think, as I get older, I need music to represent something and not just sound interesting, though of course the two are connected.” The closing statement ‘What Sorrow’ is a fitting end to the album, building from gentle melancholia to a joyous crescendo. It’s a sensibility that’s central to the record; joy and sorrow both find their counterpoints.


“This record is very personal to me and I hope it offers something for other people, as it helped me to make it and to listen to it. Almost every synth line was recorded intuitively, without perfection but with a lot of intention and expression. I’m not interested in making something sad or making something happy. I want music to be bittersweet, to be more complex, like life – containing moments of vibrant colour and hope, as much as darkness and sadness.” This summer will see Ryan follow on from his recent North American Tour with the appearance at many festivals including Lovebox, Secret Garden Party, La Route Du Rock, Sea Change and Tale of Us-curated Afterlife party at Space, Ibiza.

Hot on the heels of his successful first Rubi Records release, Ashley Tindall, AKA Skeptical, comes with another three-track EP showcasing his evolving and expanding sound. The opener, 'Rhubarb', shows clear influences of fatherhood, with sampled sounds of happy childhood leading into what is possibly Skeptical's deepest track to date. While this is no piece of bland 'intelligent' D&B by any stretch, the build up intro of warm pads that leads into a chilled head-nodder stands a good chance of having you listening with eyes closed, smiling as fond memories wash over you. Next up is the deceptive 'Capsize'. Starting with the strings of an old sea shanty, the track sounds like it will follow the more chilled route of 'Rhubarb', before the introduction of some twisted minimal sonics and trademark 'steppy Skeppy' drums quickly change that notion! The swift addition of a fizzing, rubber-band b-line completes the switch up and you're sailing on far from calm waters. The return of the shanty violins amidst this is inspired, showing that breaking from the expected norm is not just something that this producer isn't shy of doing, but something he does exceptionally well. To round off, Skeptical steps back into more typical sonic territory with a slice of intense D&B minimalism titled 'Foiled'. This deceptively simple-sounding track hides a wealth of meticulously-crafted and perfectly-balanced elements that deliver a somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere that will appeal to lovers of the outer-edges of cutting-edge D&B. Skeptical's new EP promises to be just as successful as his first release, showcasing his unique and evolving sound.

Brazilia Maravilha... A real wonder of selected Brazilian tunes.
You will feel the mood and breeze like you were over there!

28 songs including some great classics as "Lamento" by Nelson Riddle, "Mas Que Nada" by Elza Soares, "Groovy Samba" by Cannonball Adderley and "So Nice (Samba De Verao) by Sérgio Mendes as well as more unique ones.

Kindly remastered tracks from master tapes to keep the dusty roots of the original sound. Double vinyl in a balanced mix of vocals, instrumentals, bossa nova and some jazzy beats tunes.

indian green vinyl 2022 repress

City Of Light is the sixth solo album by American composer Bill Laswell, released on July 29, 1997. While it may appear an anachronism in his catalog, fans of Bill Laswell will find City Of Light an extension of ideas he has explored throughout his career. His strong interest in Eastern music and religion resulted in this 1997 collaboration with Janet Rienstra. Part sacred, spoken word, part meditative soundscape, City Of Light takes as its inspiration the holy region of Banaras, India. Said to belong to Shiva, Banaras also contains the Ganges river: a place sought by Hindus for their cremation. Surrounding the texts is some of the most compelling music this genre has produced featuring Trilok Gurtu on tablas, Coil (Peter Christopherson & John Balance) on electronic, Tetsu Inoue at sound collages and Lori Carson at vocals.

Repress!

"One Step Forward" is the debut album from Brighton based DJ and producer Cut La Vis aka David Lavis. Raised on a healthy diet of 90s hip hop, roots reggae and ska, Cut La Vis debut album for NICE UP! is a melting pot of exactly that - the sounds and culture he grew up around whilst learning his trade. Starting off as the DJ for a reggae band in his hometown of Hereford, he soon gravitated to the turntablist explosion of the mid 90s, competing in local competitions and B-Boy jams. At the same time, his love for dub and roots reggae led him into trying his hand at the fertile reggae mash-up scene, making a name for himself with an array of dancefloor shaking blends of classic hip hop tracks infused with a feel good skank, as well as remixes for for artists such as Blend Mishkin, Dreadsquad and Max Rubadub. Making the transition from mash-up maverick to original producer, you can still expect the same reggae infused bangers, dubwise hip hop and ska shakers complemented by an impressive array of guest vocalists plus a little help from a tight band of session musicians. Following their summer hit "Still Have The Love", London-based reggae/soul singer Maddy Carty appears on a number of tracks, as well as Bristol songstress Eva Lazarus who has been bothering the top 40 recently alongside Etherwood (Hospital Records). Roots Manuva collaborator and Speech Debelle's Mercury-winning producer Lotek blesses the mic on the bouncing "Rinse & Repeat" as well as UK Dancehall legend Tippa Irie who crops up on "Love My Music" pus an appearance from regular collaborator Mystro who opens the album with "Hit Me One Time". Rounding things off are JA dancehall MC Peppery and vocalist from Origin One, Parisa - giving the album a healthy balance of established artists and newer talent. With a cheeky nod to the classic Max Romeo track, "One Step Forward" also refers to this being Dave's debut album and making his first step into the future whilst retaining inspiration from the past.

Silicon Scally, the alias of electronic music producer Carl Finlow, released his critically acclaimed album 'Mr Machine' in 2002 on SCSI-AV. The album was a masterful blend of electro and sci-fi soundscapes, showcasing Finlow's unique style and production prowess, which took the listener on a journey through a futuristic world of machines and technology. It ranks as one of the finest electro records of the early noughties. Fast-forward to 2023 and Sync 24's Cultivated Electronics label is proud to present 'Mr Machine PT 2'. Like its predecessor, the new album is filled with intricate synth melodies, driving rhythms, and pulsating basslines, all perfectly balanced to create an immersive listening experience. 'Mr Machine PT 2' once again showcases Finlow's ability to not only create relentless beats for the dancefloor but also dynamic soundscapes that transport the listener to another world. Created using a mixture of both old analog gear and very modern plugins, both albums were written with a very strong emphasis on the machine aesthetic, reflecting the cutting edge of what was available at their respective times. Futuristic and timeless. The album will be released on triple-pack vinyl and digitally.

Indonesian City Sound: Panbers’ Psychedelic Rock and Funk 1971-1974

The Pandjaitan Brothers or Panbers came from the North Sumatra minority Christian group, the Bataks, whose ancestry traces back to an island at the center of Lake Toba. As a minority group within Indonesia's Muslim-dominated society, this ethnic minority has produced top military generals, celebrity lawyers, and a legion of pop and rock superstars.

Suffice to say, some of the biggest names in the country's pop history were Bataks. Panbers fit the bill perfectly.

The band's strong Christianity belief looms heavily in the music they produce. The prominent use of the Hammond organ in their early materials is evocative of church music the band members have been around in their whole life. Bandleader Benny Pandjaitan's fills his characteristic wail with existential dread, with many utterances of the word "mengapa" (why).

Guilt is another central theme Pandjaitan repeatedly comes back to in his lyrics. But they balance it with joy, on songs such as "Come on You Dance" "Let's Dance Together" or "Haai" (a play on the word high), where references to recreational substances are plentiful.

Although they modeled themselves after the era's rock bands Beatles and fellow countrymen Koes Plus, Panbers had a unique aversion to the electric guitar. In "Jakarta City Sound," a fiery three-note guitar solo is laid so far down in the mix that they are barely audible. In "Haai" they modify the guitar to sound like a jungle instrument playing traditional North Sumatran music. In "Rock and the Sea," arguably their most well-known song globally, they decided to ditch electric guitar altogether and replace it with a sitar.

In the absence of an electric guitar, Panbers had to rely on Doan's inventive bass playing and Asido's drum works to do the heavy lifting - and boy, do they deliver (Their 1971 debut "Volume 1" saw plenty of drum breaks). In this compilation, listeners will hear recordings from Panbers' fertile four-year period - a time that produced in some of the grooviest and hardest-sounding psychedelic music in Indonesia's rock history.

For those uninitiated on the glory Panbers, consider this compilation an introduction to some of earliest and heaviest rock sound to come out of Indonesia.

Single Blurb No 1: Single "THE UNKNOWN": With "The Unknown", British thrash masters EVILE not only present their album title track, but their most personal and haunting single-release to date! With milions of streams on Spotify, reams of video views and countless tours with acts such as Kreator, Machine Head, Vader, Overkill or festivals like Wacken and Bloodstock among many others, EVILE prove they are still leaders of the modern thrash metal movement!

Single Blurb No 1: Single "THE UNKNOWN": With "The Unknown", British thrash masters EVILE not only present their album title track, but their most personal and haunting single-release to date! With milions of streams on Spotify, reams of video views and countless tours with acts such as Kreator, Machine Head, Vader, Overkill or festivals like Wacken and Bloodstock among many others, EVILE prove they are still leaders of the modern thrash metal movement!