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Spectral Bounce’s latest offering comes direct from Norway, courtesy of Anders Hajem — co-founder of Boring Crew Records. To date, the Oslo producer’s previous releases have been vessels for the exploration of myriad dance musics, seeing the artist fluently turn his hand to soulful house, dub techno and 2-step.

SPEC07 — the Myr EP — is a much more focused affair, finding Hajem in techno mode across 4 potent cuts typified by undulating drums and swelling echoes. Despite its emphasis on percussion, atmosphere has not been sacrificed for rhythm: vivid FX and meticulous attention to detail bring these tracks to life beyond the context of the dancefloor. This is music that can be stepped into and explored, productions that reward repeat listens.

Opening at full throttle, “Myr” is a jackin’ percussive workout, harnessing punchy drums for maximum effect. Its pulsating low-end runs in tandem with trembling synths that perpetually reflect and refract in the stereo field. Atop its rolling drums, hardgroove-inflected “Sprett” utilizes timestretched vocals, cavernous reverb and ecstatically quivering tones, elevating this 2000s-era framework to new heights. “Existence” brings things to a deeper and more hypnotic place: delays are turned up, siren calls reverberate and timbres ebb and flow. Hajem goes more chasmic still on “Concussion”, hitting the brakes for a much slower cadence and allowing space for a truly expansive listening experience. Heady and mystical, entrancing and otherworldly — listen close enough; beneath the dizzyingly shifting pulses and rattling drums you’ll hear incantations, while bass tones pulse in the depths.

SPEC07 — immerse yourself!

Credits:
Art by Susanne Janssen
Mastering & Cut by Marco Pellegrino @Analogcut
Words by Cameron Leaf

down 2 release the fourth one:

d2e004: philip chernikov’s green directions

ace masta bass with a four tracker that spreads an electric blanket over any dance floor.

Peach Discs' first release of 2026 comes from fast-rising star of the Manchester scene PACH. (pronounced "pack"). Five slippery rollers built for dark rooms, wafty terraces and the most locked-in of afters.

"The Wake-Up Call" EP represents the full spectrum of the PACH. sound, one rooted in the minimal tunes coming out of Romania but with a cheeky playfulness that can only come from a life spent in the trenches of UK club culture. The A1 "Keep It Bubblin’" is a prime example, as Todd Edwards-style vocal chops flirt back and forth with dub-inspired feedback lines, or "5am Wake-Up Call's" skipping, UKG-adjascent hats. Things get a little rowdier with "Complex Waveform's" scuzzy bassline that wouldn't sound out of place coming from the Clone Records ecosystem. Here it's bolted to a chassis of tough, techy drums and trippy vox that tickle at your peripheries. Flip to the B-side for something a little deeper – the dubbed-out percussion and disembodied voices of "Not That Kinda Party" contrasting with the moody, low-key synthetic tones of "Book The Dungeon", both sharing a mutual concept of smartly stripped-back, hypnotic jams that focus on heads-down grooves and rolling energy.

Nail has been an important voice in the UK underground ever since his DiY Sound System days in the East Midlands in the 90s. After many years away, he returned, much to the delight of many heads, about a decade ago and has continued to roll out essential jams ever since. This one on his In The Dance label embodies his style - loopy, disco tinged house that's rough around the edges and burning with soul. 'Lick The Bag' is a cheeky title for a cheeky tune, 'The Price Is Wrong' shimmers with muted jazzy chords that are always held back, but the delight is in the promise and 'Medicine Stick' rolls on sweet grooves and knotted bass. 'Swing By' shuts down with plunging kicks and hints of MAW. Superb.

Tartelet is pleased to kick off 2026 with a display of warm-hearted tech funk from Italian house maestro Paffetti. Having made his name with a strong run of sample-rooted deep house as Black Loops, Riccardo Paffetti unveils a new alias to explore a more club-focused, trippy sound.

Even with the shift in sonic focus, Paffetti maintains a razor-sharp instinct for low-downgrooving deep house dynamics that course through every inch of the UTOPIA EP. It's plain to hear in the rolling bassline and shuffling drums that mark out 'B.Y.M. ' and the disco-licked strut of 'Escucha Me'. The difference is the decoration on top, where mind-massaging zips and pings and artful samples add a subtle touch of psychedelia to the sophisticated house music blend.

Across five cuts, UTOPIA unfolds with a strong sense of momentum and melodic intent, marking a confident new phase in Paffetti’s ongoing exploration of deep, hypnotic club sounds.

Die Ende der 90er Jahre gegründete Band Unwed Sailor aus Tulsa macht einen einzigartigen Bass-lastigen Instrumental-Pop mit Post-Rock-Elementen, der zwischen knallharter Härte und luftiger Melodik schwankt. Seit sie 2019 nach einer zehnjährigen Pause zurück sind, haben sie mit ihrer kreativen Energie und dem Mischen von Genres ihre bisher besten Werke rausgebracht, darunter "Mute The Charm" (2023), "Underwater Over There" (2024) und "Cruel Entertainment" (2025). Für ihr elftes Album, "High Remembrance", brachte Gründungsmitglied Johnathon Ford eine Reihe von zu Hause aufgenommenen Entwürfen, Demos und Hooks ins Studio, wo sie unter der Leitung der langjährigen Mitstreiter Matt Putman (Schlagzeug) und David Swatzell (Gitarre) unter dem Motto Nostalgie und dem bittersüßen Trost der Erinnerung zum Leben erweckt wurden. Auf den acht Tracks des Albums gibt's Anklänge an den alternativen Rock der Blütezeit, die AM-Radio-Attitüde der späten 70er Jahre und die ekstatische Unbekümmertheit der New Wave, neben anderen Einflüssen, die sich einer einfachen Kategorisierung entziehen. Die Lead-Single ,West Coast Prism" verbindet einen unvergesslichen melodischen Hook mit optimistischen Drums und einem klirrenden Arrangement, das sich in einen treibenden, farbenfrohen Refrain verwandelt. Getreu seinem Titel erinnert der Song an weißes Licht, das sich in ein Spektrum aufspaltet, während weitläufige Synthesizer und sanfte Backing Vocals eine Aura melancholischer Glückseligkeit schaffen. Ford nennt treffend ,eine tiefe Vorliebe für das Meer, das Surfen, die Redwoods und die felsige Küste von Oregon" als spirituellen Hintergrund für seine Umgebung. Inspiriert von der Art und Weise, wie Erinnerungen die persönliche Identität prägen, könnte ,Don't Let Go" mit seinem straffen Tempo, seinem knackigen Ton und seinen schwindelerregenden Gitarren ein verlorener Alternative-Radio-Ohrwurm sein, während die täuschend einfache Rhythmusgruppe und seine glitchige Elektronik ,The Longest Day" fest in der Gegenwart verankern. ,Cinnamon" stellt wunderschön arrangierte Akustikgitarren-Gegenmelodien in den Vordergrund, zusammen mit Schichten subtiler Details, Chorstimmen und entspannten, hohen Bassgitarrenklängen. Laut Ford ist der Song ,eine Hommage an die Country-Musik der 70er und 80er Jahre, die die Familienausflüge in die Wüste begleitete, als ich ein Kind war", wobei Townes Van Zandts ,Pancho and Lefty" ein besonders bedeutender Ankerpunkt ist. An diesem Punkt in der bewegten Karriere von Unwed Sailor findet Ford einige seiner stärksten Inspirationen darin, darüber nachzudenken, wo das Projekt begonnen hat, während er es ständig mit neuen Ideen, Arrangements und Genre-Einflüssen vorantreibt. ,Es geht darum, an den Dingen festzuhalten, die man am meisten liebt", sagt er, ,einschließlich sich selbst." Sein akkordbetontes Bassspiel zieht sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Alben der Band und verleiht jeder neuen Sammlung eine vertraute Ernsthaftigkeit und Wärme.

In the ever-evolving yet foundational landscape of instrumental groove music, F-Spot Records is proud to debut "Monkey Part 2 b/w Lully" from up-and-coming, multi-faceted keyboardist and composer Max Naseck. Raised in Dallas, Texas, but having worked throughout the Los Angeles music scene for almost a decade, Max Naseck, joined by guitarist Brandon Bae and drummer Julian Allen, brings his new trio project to life. After chasing this sound and style of playing for several years, Appropriately given the name "The Left Hand of God" by some of his musical peers, Max takes the classic soul jazz trio setting of holding down both the bass and melody elements and moves them to a unique combination of funky Moog synth (Key bass) and a Wurlitzer 200A electric piano. This 45 provides a fresh yet retro sound that is sure to leave listeners grooving and locked in.
From the first notes and tight 4-on-the-floor rhythm, "Monkey Part 2" kicks off the A-side with a unique psychedelic blend of soul, funk, and a touch of disco. With Allen's groovy touch, Naseck perfectly locks in with his left hand, followed by Bae's precision-picked electric guitar, which completes the trio's solid groove, further propelled by Naseck's right hand taking the melodic lead. Then on side B, "Lully" brings the tempo down to a more soulful, atmospheric blend that's equal parts Khruangbin & modern jazz pioneers, a la John Scofield. Recorded live together in one room, Max brings his strong compositional style to the table, showcasing how three musicians can interact in a playful, melodic, and groove-focused way.

ZHERAV unleashes hypnotic Middle Eastern grooves on NAJA / BAZAAR 45 for Batov’s highly collectable 45 series.

New Zealand-based producer ZHERAV announces his debut release, NAJA / BAZAAR, a double single and 45 on Batov’s Middle Eastern Grooves series. The record fuses psychedelic rock, hypnotic rhythms, and electronic production influences, creating a sound that moves between swung grooves and cinematic, reverb-soaked textures.

ZHERAV draws from his background in house and techno, layering live guitar, bass, and synths over programmed drums. “I had a production template for house music on Ableton” he explains, “and I thought about how to switch to this Middle Eastern sound using the same format”. Most of ZHERAV’s tracks developed through improvisation - starting with programmed drums, then experimenting around scales on instruments until something works. ZHERAV has already received support from independent radio in Australia and New Zealand, and encouragement from international artists like Ko Shin Moon.

Both tracks explore Middle Eastern scales, bringing a distinct flavour to the grooves, while maintaining ZHERAV’s signature hypnotic layered sound. ZHERAV had something in mind related to snakes and their charmers when creating the A-side, NAJA (“Indian Cobra”). An ominous bassline loops repeatedly over snapping drums and percussion, whilst ZHERAV improvises guitar riffs and effects over the top.

Belgian artist, label boss and DJ, End-jy, glances back at one of his most revered releases to date, the 2003 ‘Red Alert’ EP, originally released on Lupp Records it marked a defining moment, earning widespread support from scene-shaping artists including Carl Cox, Tiësto, Marco Bailey, Dave Clarke and Mark Broom. Long regarded as a personal milestone, the track now returns in renewed form on the artist’s own label as MV08. This forthcoming EP revisits the original with fresh perspective, featuring a powerful remix from Pig&Dan alongside a newly reworked version by Dimitri Andreas and the artist himself, bridging the track’s enduring legacy with a contemporary evolution.

Pig&Dan take the reins first, extracting fragments of the original version of ‘Red Alert’ and reshaping them into a dub tinged, deep techno cut fuelled by circling synth stabs, robust percussion, tension building atmospherics and a driving bottom end. Following on is ‘Red Alert’ (Dimitri Andreas & End-jy 2026 Remix), the pair lay down a deeper, more hypnotic and minimalist interpretation courtesy of crisp, stripped-down drums and oscillating resonant synth flutters underpinned by the original’s dark, dubby aesthetic.

The original version of ‘Red Alert’ opens the flip side, capturing the essence of the underground at the turn of the millennium, the track fuses, gritty stabs with organic percussive elements, hypnotic siren like synths and a subtly evolving feel throughout.

‘Flexibeat’ then concludes the release, a composition that veers into the realms of early Detroit techno and electro via an amalgamation of twitchy synth pops, cinematic strings, saturated 808 drums and murky bass tones.

Already Supported by Jamie Jones, Calao, Amé, Marco Faraone, Timo Maas, Nick Varon, Steve Parry, Just Her, Dax J, Perc, Massimiliano Pagliara, Alex Neri.

MonsieurWilly – “Stomp” (Nu-Disco Remake of The Brothers Johnson) – 7" Vinyl Single Get ready to move your feet: MonsieurWilly revitalizes the timeless funk anthem “Stomp” by The Brothers Johnson with an electrifying Nu-Disco makeover. Pressed on a high-quality 45 RPM 7" vinyl, this remake blends vintage groove with modern dancefloor energy, delivering an irresistible combination for DJs, collectors, and funk-disco lovers alike.

MonsieurWilly’s production pays homage to the original’s infectious basslines and uplifting spirit while injecting fresh synth textures, crisp beats, and a stylish contemporary polish. The result is a vibrant re-imagining that feels both nostalgic and brand new— perfect for setting the tone at any party or adding standout flair to your vinyl collection. This is another special and exclusive 45/7“ release via Soulkitchen Distribution…

Emerging artist Beifer presents his highly anticipated debut album "constant.transition": an eclectic fusion of electronic music with strong influences from dubstep, garage and drum&bass, enriched with captivating jazz elements. This cross-genre work takes listeners on a journey through dark atmospheres and avant-garde soundscapes, brought to life by the artist's complex percussion layers and interesting chord structures.
With great experimentation and a desire to break new ground in electronic music, Beifer has created an album that captures the listener's attention with its unique textures and unconventional soundscapes. Each track is an exploration of musical possibilities, with Beifer masterfully blending a wide variety of genres while creating a cohesive and infectious atmosphere.

The album also features notable collaborations with renowned musicians. Wanja Slavin, Moritz Stahl (Ark Noir/Lyder) and vocalist Enji have collaborated with Beifer to add an additional dynamic and layered dimension to the album. Their unique talents and empathy blend seamlessly with Beifer's vision, opening up new worlds of sound for the listener. Beifer has managed to push the boundaries of electronic music and make an impressive artistic statement with his debut album.

"constant.transition" is the first release on the newly founded tunnel.visions label. Starting as a event-series, the three members of the electronic alternative experimental jazz band Ark Noir have made it their mission to present progressive, contemporary music that includes acoustic and electronic instruments, takes up compositional and improvisational concepts and thus breaks down the boundaries between academic and autodidactic practice.
Over the past year, Ark Noir has featured Beifer several times at concerts and brought the music of "constant.transition" to the stage with live instrumentation. The program was enthusiastically received by the audience.

Shadow Child’s ‘Say It Now’ is an ode to the Portsmouth producer’s rave-heritage and how it has inspired him.

· Featuring a soaring vocal sample, ravey piano stabs and a dangerous bassline, this is a release that tells the story of Shadow Child’s music journey.

· London Records have pressed four mixes onto wax, including a thumping techno cut from Dusky, a floaty progressive house interpretation from Cinthie and asoundsystem-ready, jungle banger from S.P.Y, as well as Shadow Child’s original mix.

· This 12” features artwork from renowned print artist and designer Jimmy Turrell, who has worked with names such as Chanel, Adidas, Apple, Rolling Stones, Dazed and Chemical Brothers, just to name a few

Siren Selector presents the first voyage of Remy Solar, as the producer takes a break from composing sound system exclusive dubs to expand his horizons with this by-turns lush, textured, menacing and plaintive album.

‘Heavy Terrain’ emerges from the depths of a lifetime inside the dub fraternity: reared on a potent diet of Lee Scratch Perry and Augustus Pablo, The Disciples and Digital Mystikz, it’s an album which stuck its head in a bass bin in an abandoned bingo hall in north London before striking out on a musical road-trip to imbibe sounds and rhythms from further afield.

The album opens with the militant drums and ethereal pads of 'Sound in the East' before being bookended by two mixes of 'Star Trail', where unformed musical space and time cross uncharted distances to coalesce into the beginning of direction and rhythm. The lush deep house chords and drilling synths of 'Lila #3' summon ghostly presences, while in its counterpart 'Lila #7' layers of melody rise and hang like mist before dissipating in percussive heat. 'Dakhla's’ swelling and retreating drones fade into swirls of drums. In the eponymous 'Heavy Terrain', off-beat keyboard chops respond to each other from uncertain depths while electronic horns pulse across miles of open space. 'Empty City 'sees walls of sound coalesce and fragment, falling into bursts of white noise.

Remy Solar explores a deliberately constrained hardware set-up to create the primordial conditions of trance, locking down a rhythmic foundation while semi-improvised excursions form and reform above it. It’s an album that takes the listener on a journey between order and chaos, past and future, all the while underlaid by a counterpoint of cavernous bass lines and echoing percussion, yang and yin, shade and light.

The name Ran is a new one to us and seemingly remains, for now at least, cloaked in secrecy, but when we see their influences range from Loefah, Photek and Carrier to Source Direct, Regis and Mika Vainio, we were instantly hooked. To this new EP on Gelassenheit, then, which speaks to a producer with a rough and tough analogue sound and love of bass-driven techno. 'Violence' is gritty and heavy as it pounds out a groove with eerie pads in the distance, 'Minus' has punchy broken beats that come at you through a murky fog, and 'Closure ' then ducks and dives with a post-dubstep nimbleness as spooky background details suggest there is an oncoming threat. 'Manoeuvres' is a sparse, heavyweight and soot-black dub with crispy hits that demand a physical response. Early support from Carrier!

Lincus is a new name for us, which is always exciting because it means you get to assess the sounds on their own merit with no extraneous baggage. Whoever is behind these betas on Slabs knows how to cook up heavy kicks. 'Feel The Rhythm' has a swagger and syncopation to it that is perfect for this label, with bold bass and hints of Kerri Chandler's kick to the kicks, all run through with some woozy late-night synth work. 'Pazazz' is another blend of low-end kicks and sleazy synths with some filtered vocals adding a touch of human warmth to what is a vibey cut.

“Certain albums hit like howling bullets at pivotal moments, tearing open the face of music to reveal hidden sonic muscles and fusing them back into something both strangely familiar and yet entirely unrecognisable. We believe this is one of those records.”

The double album Death of Music delivers 18 crooked vocal pops, some ruthless, others unexpectedly disarming. In some songs, Ajukaja & Mart Avi function like a two-headed saurus swinging its spiky tail to shady pop-house smackers. In others, Ajukaja's serene organ licks descend into subterranean caverns, allowing Avi to float to the surface on their wavelengths and turn his voice into billions of extinct moths, enslaved by the moonlight’s pull. There are songs that face destruction and those that seek to prevent it.

One kykeon rap goes, “If you die before you die, then when you die, you don't die!”. Ajukaja & Mart Avi have embraced this notion to create new music that allows them to thrive in the algorithmic wasteland. 13 years in the making, these 66 minutes are packed with lifetimes of truths you didn’t know you needed to know. They are Ajukaja & Mart Avi – two against death.

Produced by Ajukaja
Words by Mart Avi, Music by Raul Saaremets
Guitar and Bass by Sten Sheripov (Can’t Touch The Earth, Safe)
Sax by Steve Vanoni (I.D.O.L.)
Recorded between 2011—2024
Mastered by The Bastard
Cover Photo by fs
Sleeve by Marke, Mart Avi
Pressed in Tartu, Estonia

On his new album, the Ivorian balafon virtuoso Aly Keïta explores new horizons for his instrument in improvised music. Together with his Berlin-based trio, he conquers the peaks of balafon possibilities one by one, wandering between groovy African rhythms, spectacular polyphony and elements of jazz, and combining them into a fusion that is both futuristic and deeply in roots. In Balafon Evolution, Keïta establishes a new level of balafon artistry, creating universal, contemporary soundscapes that transcend cultural boundaries. The Aly Keïta Trio embodies the pulsating spirit of the Berlin jazz scene. Coming from different cultural backgrounds, the three musicians found a common language on stage as they explored the metropole, one of the most active, buzzing jazz hubs of Europe. Aly Keïta and the Dutch drummer Marcel van Cleef, began playing together in 2008, forming the core of the trio"s future "groove machine". As a part of the "Aly Keïta and Magic Balafon" formation, they shared a prize of the Global music contest "Creole" in 2009. Recognised as one of the most intriguing and innovative bass players among the new generation, the Italian bass player Roberto Badoglio, joined trio in 2014, becoming a true "fusion reactor" of the band.

Ohne Frage zählen Kerrigan zu den vielversprechendsten deutschen Newcomern im Bereich des traditionellen Heavy Metal. Im Jahre 2019 in Freiburg von Bruno Schotten (Gitarre, Bass) und Jonas Weber (Gitarre, Gesang) gegründet, spielte man ein Jahr später ein Demo mit den eigenen Stücken „Intruders“, „Force And Will“ und „Heavy Metal 2020“ sowie eine Coverversion von „Rest In Peace“ des NWOBHM-Geheimtipps Wolf ein. Als »Heavy Metal 2020« wurden die Aufnahmen über Fucking Kill Records als Tape und Vinyl veröffentlicht (später noch einmal von High Roller Records). Für ihr Debütalbum »Bloodmoon« (2023) holte man sich als Session-Schlagzeuger den befreundeten Jonathan Döring ins Line-up (der mittlerweile neben dem neu hinzugestoßenen Jakob am Bass zur festen Besetzung gehört). Die Scheibe erhielt in der Fachpresse nahezu überall außergewöhnlich gute Reaktionen. Jetzt, drei Jahre später, ist es Zeit für mehr… Als kleinen Vorgeschmack auf das neue Album hat sich die Band dazu entschieden, eine limitierte 7“-Single zu veröffentlichen. Die A-Seite „The Ice Witch“ ist eine der eingängigsten Nummern des Albums während die exklusive B-Seite „You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet Baby“, eine atemberaubende Coverversion der britischen Indie-Band The Smiths um den charismatischen Sänger Morrissey, den ikonischen 80s Sound mit melodischem Heavy Metal verschmelzt.

Two of the UK’s finest party-starters Dub Pistols and the Freestylers team up on ‘Enter The Sound’ to bring you an album of high-grade & high-pressure, bass-heavy cuts. Enter the party, Enter The Sound!

The album is a sonic journey through their diverse influences, blending genres like Reggae, Ska, Breakbeat, Jungle, Hip Hop & Trip Hop. It’s a celebration of their shared musical roots and evolution.
 
The album features an all-star lineup of guest artists, including Johnny Osbourne, Tippa Irie, General Levy, Too Many T’s, Horseman, Belle Humble, Scarlett Quinn, Tenor Fly, MC Spyda, Persona, Harry Shotta  and of course, Seanie T.

A weapon... Made in Cork... Upsounded in London.. suported by Paris...

We go EAST !

A superb kick, you can trust on a sound system : the bass is Ivory.*

Also the beat is totally Melly... DJ tool.

also the production is full trustable with Simoin The Exchange fully on it.

crazy good !

Taupe’s latest album release, waxing | waning delivers jazz experimentalism, ‘skronk’, avant-rock, and electronics, by the Glasgow-based trio, due out via Minority Records. Across its seven tracks, waxing | waning captures Taupe’s approach – bold and boundary pushing – shaped by a fresh shift in the band’s dynamic and compositional approach.

Taupe’s waxing | waning, co-composed and realised by its players in a studio that was once an undertaker’s premises in Glasgow, is an absolutely affirmative album, an act of cultural defiance in desperate times.

Comprising Mike Parr-Burman (guitar, bass guitar, electronics), Jamie Stockbridge (alto and baritone saxophones) and Alex Palmer (drum kit, percussion), Taupe work up a storm of skronk, free jazz and harmolodic frenzy whose closest relations include Zu, Melt Banana and John Zorn. However, waxing | waning is from its opening, stuttering blasts, an exercise in seeking out and claiming new territory, finding unique and novel permutations in which jazz, rock, electronics interbreed at breakneck pace. Here is a group determined to say and do things they don’t get to say and do elsewhere in their musical lives.

‘Lemonade Tycoon’ hits the ground skronking. It’s cubistic jazz, cumulative in its impact, avoiding the white lines of the conventional freeway, bridling, bustling, coming at you from all angles – a three way conversation of astonishing rapidity, fast track, telepathic communication – everyone from James Chance to Albert Ayler coming at you at once, before morphing in to a spidery scrawl of electronics and furious percussion. ‘Anti-Bird-Spike BirdNest’s‘ title somehow sums up the sort of mental images evoked by the music – its sheer creative disobedience, as if being chased in vain, like a delivery rider evading capture by ICE agents -– shapeshifting, assuming different shades, sprouting metal quills and, in its midsection, seeming almost to swallow itself alive, before regurgitating itself in a sublime mess.

‘Interlude (Stride)’ is not exactly ambient, more a horizontal enmeshment of percussion, drones, reverberant noise, electronics, a sonic mulch. ‘allcapsallbold' reminds of early Aksak Maboul, in its playfulness, a haywire series of short phrases, subject to mechanical interference, a complex weave of irregular rhythms, increasingly eloquent sax phraseology and caustic guitars, which land heavier and heavier. ‘Pet Boss' is the new jazz equivalent of a highly evolved, mature conversation among brilliant equals, sharp, empathetic, complementary, rising to a collective, joyful noise. On the title track, electronics descend like a shower of bright particles, intensifying in their luminosity, whitening the skies, as sax and drums kick up a tempestuous, spontaneously sculpted noise that summons the ghosts of the great free jazz players, before a dark calm descends slowly. Finally, ‘Turn Push Kick’, a burgeoning chatterstorm of electronics, before the group kicks in, at angles to one another, led by abrasive guitars, reminiscent of Sunn O))) in their ritualistic concussion, riffing, digging deep amid squealing sax and piledriving percussion.

Thelonious Monk, considered one of the greatest Jazz pianists of all time, recorded Underground in '67-'68. It's the last recording with the Thelonious Monk Quartet (Larry Gales on bass, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, and Ben Riley on drums) and one of the last album he made for Columbia.

What makes Underground special is that unlike his other Columbia recordings, four out of the seven songs were newly composed and recorded. The album cover depicts Monk as a member of the French Resistance and is meant as an homage to Pannonica "Nica" de Koenigswarter. She was a member of the aristocratic Rothschild family and became a patron of leading jazz musicians, hosting jam sessions, driving them to gigs and sometimes even help out with paying the rent. In 1969 the cover won a Grammy for Best Recording Package.
Underground is available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on orange vinyl and comes in a deluxe, heavy duty sleeve.

There's one thing that everyone readily agrees on: Live concerts are the icing on the cake for musicians and fans alike. Every show is a very special experience and sometimes even creates an almost magical performance. Such moments are beyond explanation, you just have to be there to believe it or, in a best-case scenario, have them recorded for posterity – as American metal act Prong have done with their latest live album. Which is exactly what guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and bandmates Christopher Dean (bass) and Tyler Joseph (drums) have achieved on ‘Live And Uncleansed’: Recorded over seven nights in July and August 2025, they are now ready to present eleven powerful live songs (plus three live bonus tracks), all pure and unadulterated, authentic and honest, which is the reason why the result is so incredibly captivating.

Critically acclaimed Death Metal force TEMPLE OF VOID return with their new album, The Crawl. The caveman brawn of previous albums, namely Summoning the Slayer (2022), remains, but there’s a wider dynamic on the group’s fifth full-length album at play. Now a quartet—featuring guitarist Alex Awn, drummer Jason Pearce, vocalist/guitarist Mike Erdody, and bassist Justin Malek—the Michiganders aren’t shying away from their non-metal influences, seeking greater integration of grunge and post-punk with their brutish signature. Singles “The Crawl” and “Soulburn” demonstrate the proficiency of TEMPLE OF VOID's death-cloaked, spearheaded attack. From the high intensity of opener “Poison Icon” to the granite wall of “The Twin Stranger,” The Crawl isn’t just TEMPLE OF VOID evolved, it’s a harbinger of death metal to come. “The biggest shift for me on this record was not feeling like we had to fly the ‘death-doom banner’ as part of our identity,” says Alex Awn. “Death-doom, as a genre, gave us something to anchor our sound around when we started. It was always a reference and touchstone. At the same time, we always wanted to make sure we had our own spin on it. We’ve always been adding to the conversation, adding to the genre, giving our point of view. A huge part of what makes a Temple of Void record is the non-death-doom influences that make up our DNA. And on album five we never once asked ourselves, ‘Do we have enough death metal? Do we have enough doom metal?’ We simply wrote a heavy-ass record—let the chips fall where they may.” For lyrics, Erdody built on the psychology and fear themes of Summoning the Slayer. The overarching theme of The Crawl is, put rather simply, an “allegory about life, choices, and consequences.” It’s a qualitative view on the horrors of the human condition and the contemplation of our monstrous capabilities. “The Twin Stranger,” for example, is about being stalked by a person’s doppelganger; “Godless Cynic” draws on a short story by sci-fi author Harlan Ellison; and “Poison Icon” tackles the crushing effects of mankind’s intrinsic nature to deceive and control.

KALEIDOBOLT’s fifth album is pungent to the ears – KARAKUCHI out in March Karakuchi is one record you can judge by its cover. The first time Kaleidobolt’s faces have adorned an LP, they have been fused into a torpedoing biomechanical vehicle. Echoing The Birthday Party’s Junkyard or Motörhead’s Orgasmatron (…on acid?!), the illustration epitomises perfectly Kaleidobolt’s agenda of “hyperkinetic rock”. Their feverish, psych-prog sound is full of motion. It jerks around at different speeds, threatening to spin out of control and crash into flames at any given moment. What’s more, it isn’t taken too seriously. This is heavy and intricate music, yes. But as bassist and co-singer Marco Menestrina puts it, the Kaleidobolt attitude is “an ugly smirk more than an angry face with a fist.” On their fifth album since forming in 2014, the Helsinki-based outfit lean into their strengths as a formidable power trio. With their previous two records, 2019’s Bitter and 2022’s This One Simple Trick, they had thrown everything at their disposal into the recording with no expense spared on overdubs, effects and kitchen sinks. Produced again by Niko Lehdontie (Oranssi Pazuzu), Karakuchi comes from tightly rehearsed, live-in-the-studio takes. Kaleidobolt realise that greater sparsity can be a strength, and they’ve allowed their instruments extra space to breathe. It makes for their earthiest, purest and perhaps most authentic record to date. Karakuchi’s exuberant style emerges from the individual members’ contrasting listening habits. These span classic prog, Japanese city pop, noise rock, post-hardcore and historical podcasts. One record they can all agree is a masterpiece, the centre of the Venn diagram where all three members meet, is King Crimson’s Red. As for their new album’s title, that’s as suitable as the cover art. “Karakuchi” is the slogan of the Japanese beer brand Asahi Super Dry. Translated literally, this means “pungent to the mouth”. As drinkers of that product, Kaleidobolt acknowledge its parallels to their songs. “It’s very intense, right at the front, like at the first bite,” explains Menestrina. “And then it leaves your mouth feeling refreshed. The flavour doesn’t linger in your mouth, basically. It has a quick, hard finish. With a bit of a stretch, we thought that that could also be said of our music.” Karakuchi is Kaleidobolt at their hardest, fastest, tightest and super-driest. Pungent to the ears. -JR Moores, November 2025

KALEIDOBOLT’s fifth album is pungent to the ears – KARAKUCHI out in March Karakuchi is one record you can judge by its cover. The first time Kaleidobolt’s faces have adorned an LP, they have been fused into a torpedoing biomechanical vehicle. Echoing The Birthday Party’s Junkyard or Motörhead’s Orgasmatron (…on acid?!), the illustration epitomises perfectly Kaleidobolt’s agenda of “hyperkinetic rock”. Their feverish, psych-prog sound is full of motion. It jerks around at different speeds, threatening to spin out of control and crash into flames at any given moment. What’s more, it isn’t taken too seriously. This is heavy and intricate music, yes. But as bassist and co-singer Marco Menestrina puts it, the Kaleidobolt attitude is “an ugly smirk more than an angry face with a fist.” On their fifth album since forming in 2014, the Helsinki-based outfit lean into their strengths as a formidable power trio. With their previous two records, 2019’s Bitter and 2022’s This One Simple Trick, they had thrown everything at their disposal into the recording with no expense spared on overdubs, effects and kitchen sinks. Produced again by Niko Lehdontie (Oranssi Pazuzu), Karakuchi comes from tightly rehearsed, live-in-the-studio takes. Kaleidobolt realise that greater sparsity can be a strength, and they’ve allowed their instruments extra space to breathe. It makes for their earthiest, purest and perhaps most authentic record to date. Karakuchi’s exuberant style emerges from the individual members’ contrasting listening habits. These span classic prog, Japanese city pop, noise rock, post-hardcore and historical podcasts. One record they can all agree is a masterpiece, the centre of the Venn diagram where all three members meet, is King Crimson’s Red. As for their new album’s title, that’s as suitable as the cover art. “Karakuchi” is the slogan of the Japanese beer brand Asahi Super Dry. Translated literally, this means “pungent to the mouth”. As drinkers of that product, Kaleidobolt acknowledge its parallels to their songs. “It’s very intense, right at the front, like at the first bite,” explains Menestrina. “And then it leaves your mouth feeling refreshed. The flavour doesn’t linger in your mouth, basically. It has a quick, hard finish. With a bit of a stretch, we thought that that could also be said of our music.” Karakuchi is Kaleidobolt at their hardest, fastest, tightest and super-driest. Pungent to the ears. -JR Moores, November 2025

In the pantheon of classic free jazz, Noah Howard's The Black Ark looms large. Recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City in 1969 – just prior to the alto saxophonist's relocation to Europe – the album was eventually released in 1972.

The Black Ark exhibits not only the power and imagination of Howard's playing, but also his breadth as a composer and bandleader. Listeners expecting unrelenting blasts of "energy music" might be surprised to find a cohesion atypical of free jazz; amidst the wild, impassioned solos, Howard weaves in Latin rhythms and fat-bottomed grooves.

The first side, consisting of "Domiabra" and “Ole Negro,” sets the album's tone. Both tracks sound as if they could have appeared on some of Blue Note's proto-spiritual jazz, groove-heavy releases – evoking the likes of Lou Donaldson or Horace Silver – before ceding the floor to the horn players' anarchic firepower.

As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, "Two players stand out. Bassist Norris Jones – who would soon consolidate his name into a one-word reversed amalgamation/permutation of the two, Sirone – is given ample room, largely unaccompanied; his corporal approach foreshadows later work with the Revolutionary Ensemble. But the secret weapon on The Black Ark is Arthur Doyle. Straight from basement rehearsal sessions with Milford Graves, whose ensemble he had joined and who remained a favorite of the drummer for decades, Doyle is a human flamethrower."

Trumpeter Earl Cross' guttural, vocal effects complement Doyle's take-no-prisoners approach, while the estimable combination of Muhammad Ali (Rashied's brother) on drums and Juma Sultan on congas adds an ever-shifting propulsion. The septet is rounded out by the enigmatic pianist Leslie Waldron, who anchors the group with imaginative accompaniment and occasional boppish flourishes.

Every bit worthy of its reputation as an "out-jazz" holy grail, The Black Ark only sounds better with age. It remains the ideal record to convert the remaining free-jazz skeptics.

Das 1965 für Blue Note aufgenommene Album gilt als eines der kühnsten musikalischen Statements des
Pianisten und Komponisten Andrew Hill. Auf ihm versuchte Hill, die Avantgarde durch das Prisma der
Wurzeln des Jazz in den afrikanischen Rhythmen zu betrachten. Entsprechend setzte er sein Klavier in
den vier von ihm komponierten Stücken mehr als perkussives und weniger als melodisches Instrument ein.
Begleitet wurde er von einem bis zu achtköpfigen Ensemble mit zwei Bläsern, zwei Perkussionisten, zwei
Bassisten und einem Schlagzeuger.

„Twio“ hieß das fünfte Studioalbum des US-amerikanischen Tenorsaxofonisten Walter Smith III, das im
Februar 2018 bei Whirlwind Recordings veröffentlicht wurde. Der Titel war eine spielerische Wortschöpfung
aus „Trio“ und „Two“. Downbeat schrieb damals: „‘Twio‘ präsentiert den großartigen Tenorsaxophonisten in einem kompakten Trio-Setting. Sein Ton und seine Melodik sind umwerfend, gepaart mit reichem,
packendem Ideenreichtum“.
Für sein drittes Blue-Note-Album greift der Musiker jetzt das Konzept wieder auf und präsentiert mit
„Twio Vol. 2“ ein äußerst gelungenes Album mit klassischen Jazzstücken voll swingender Spielfreude. Das
Album besticht durch eine neue, wechselnde Besetzung mit Bassist Joe Sanders und Schlagzeuger Kendrick
Scott sowie Gastauftritten der Jazzlegenden Ron Carter am Bass und Branford Marsalis am Tenorsaxofon.

On Days Like These , is a respectful and soulful interpretation of Quincy Jones ' masterpiece, while Warren original, Jenny, concerns a hope for assistance from Rod Serling and H.G. Wells, in a time-travel romance. Michael Warren's voice is joined by the creative team from Mariocki, Keiron Phelan (Peace Signs, State River Widening) Flute / Guitar, James Stringer (Peace Signs, Hilbert Space) Piano / Keyboards, with indie luminaries Ian Button (Papernut Cambridge, ex- Death In Vegas) Drums / Percussion, and Giles Barrett (The New Starts, Moebius Delta ) Bass.

Altan is arguably the most iconic band working in traditional Irish music today. For the past 35 years, they have brought the music of their native County Donegal to the world stage. The band's newest album, aptly titled Donegal , pays homage to County Donegal's rich musical heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant culture. The music's authenticity and allure transport listeners to a bygone era in rural Ireland while forging a connection between the past and the present.

Featuring co- founder, lead vocalist, and fiddler Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh ; newest member Clare Friel on vocals and fiddle; accordionist Martin Tourish; guitarists Daithi Sproule and Mark Kelly; and Ciaran Curran on bouzouki and mandolin. With Jim Higgins (percussion), Steve Cooney (bass), and Graham Henderson (keyboards). Recorded by Manus Lunny at Seafront Studio in County Donegal, Ireland.

Die lang erwartete Rückkehr der schwedischen Dream-Pop-Romantiker. Ein verschwommener Schleier aus düsterem und fesselndem Shoegaze-Pop. Die skandinavische Indie-Pop-Band Hater beendet nach ihrem beeindruckenden dritten Album ,Sincere" ihre dreijährige Pause mit der Veröffentlichung von "Mosquito", einem faszinierenden Dream-Pop-Drama, das sich über elf packende Episoden der Selbstreflexion erstreckt. Auf "Mosquito" klingt die in Malmö ansässige Band Hater wie neu belebt - sie greift den rohen Indie-Pop-Ansatz auf, für den sie bekannt geworden ist, jedoch mit einem direkteren, ausgefeilteren Songwriting. Die Band hat ihre Shoegaze-Wurzeln zu etwas Schärferem, Melodischerem und Tiefgründigerem verfeinert. Das Album strotzt nur so vor Geschichten, in denen mythische Wendungen (Vampire, Amor, Mücken) von der traurigen Sehnsucht nach wahrer Liebe untermauert werden. Aber dies ist kein typisches Album über die Liebe, wie die Band betont, es ist eine emotionale Achterbahnfahrt, die von halb vergessenen gebrochenen Herzen und gebrochenen Versprechen, voller Qualen und Kribbeln, aber auch von Hoffnungen und Träumen für zukünftige Lösungen geprägt ist. "Mosquito" wurde in der herrlichen Abgeschiedenheit der AGM Studios in Vollsjö, Schweden, aufgenommen, mit dem langjährigen Mitarbeiter Joakim Lindberg an den Reglern und dem Bassisten Adam Agace, der wieder zum Team zurückgekehrt ist. Sie vollendeten das Projekt in Lindbergs berühmtem Studio Sickan, wobei Caroline Landahl, Måns Leonartsson, Rasmus Andersson und Adam Agace gleichermaßen zu einem Sound beitrugen, der zwischen kraftvoller Introspektion und melancholischer Erkenntnis wechselt. Immernoch "Your next Scandinavian indie pop obsession." Flood. Klares Vinyl mit bedruckter Innenhülle und DLC sowie Digisleve-CD

Out of Baltimore, Maryland comes The S.E.T. who are crafting 100% unapologetic hardcore music. Formed between bassist Che (founder of Flatspot Records), guitarist Brady (formerly of Turnstile), and drummer Ryan (formerly of End It), the band started through jam sessions in early 2024. Before they knew it, they had instrumentals for seven songs written and were ready to put lyrics to the tracks, and the search for a vocalist began. Che spotted Tim hopping on stage and grabbing the microphone at Disturbin’ The Peace Festival, invited him to try out for vocalist, and The S.E.T. was then complete.
The S.E.T. will release their debut Self Evident Truth EP, on February 27th through Flatspot Records. It’s 15 minutes of fury and groove, taking cues from Baltimore acts such as Gut Instinct (whose Sebastian Gorgone features on “White Lies”) and Stout and the crossover sounds of New York like Leeway and Judge. Recorded and mixed by Justin Day at New Noise Recording and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, the tracks roar with thick bass lines, fast-paced drums, and rage fueled vocals. Lyrics come from a place of candor, expressing the basis of equal rights and defying the propaganda the current administration is spewing.
As The S.E.T. comes into fruition, the band wants to exist as a place to put words to action and come together as a community through both their music and live shows

Out of Baltimore, Maryland comes The S.E.T. who are crafting 100% unapologetic hardcore music. Formed between bassist Che (founder of Flatspot Records), guitarist Brady (formerly of Turnstile), and drummer Ryan (formerly of End It), the band started through jam sessions in early 2024. Before they knew it, they had instrumentals for seven songs written and were ready to put lyrics to the tracks, and the search for a vocalist began. Che spotted Tim hopping on stage and grabbing the microphone at Disturbin’ The Peace Festival, invited him to try out for vocalist, and The S.E.T. was then complete.
The S.E.T. will release their debut Self Evident Truth EP, on February 27th through Flatspot Records. It’s 15 minutes of fury and groove, taking cues from Baltimore acts such as Gut Instinct (whose Sebastian Gorgone features on “White Lies”) and Stout and the crossover sounds of New York like Leeway and Judge. Recorded and mixed by Justin Day at New Noise Recording and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, the tracks roar with thick bass lines, fast-paced drums, and rage fueled vocals. Lyrics come from a place of candor, expressing the basis of equal rights and defying the propaganda the current administration is spewing.
As The S.E.T. comes into fruition, the band wants to exist as a place to put words to action and come together as a community through both their music and live shows

Taking the exploratory spirit of groups like Polar Bear and Malija (both also featuring Mark Lockheart ) the trio move together through a common language of jazz, rock, classical and free improvisation exploring dark textures and dramatic musical shifts as they revel in the unexpected. High energy jazz improvising combined with spatial and ambient sounds gives this trio its unique and bold concept. The music shifts effortlessly moment to moment, gracefully and spontaneously stitching together sound landscapes and grooves. The subtle use of electronics (particularly on the saxophone), fat rich bass lines and tantalising drum rhythms give his band a unique sound that although firmly rooted in jazz has rock, folk and classical influences too. The album's specially commissioned artwork by Tim Edgar perfectly reflects the shifting shapes of Shapeshifter

DEVANDO is back again with a boogied-out banger 45, featuring pulsing beats, ascending bass synth lines and vocoders that will make even the most rhythm deficient folks bob along. "All Closed Eyes Ain"t Sleep" is a steady stream of danceable energy, while "Party With Me" is a falsetto-rich disco collaboration with the One, DeRobert Adams. Get blissed with this sophisticatedly bumpin" 45.

Seine Kunstfertigkeit hat ihn zu einer prägenden Figur des zeitgenössischen Jazz gemacht, der Improvisation, Komposition und globale Einflüsse zu einem Klang verschmilzt, der sowohl filmisch als auch zutiefst persönlich ist.
Maestro begann im Alter von fünf Jahren mit dem klassischen Klavierunterricht und entdeckte mit acht Jahren den Jazz durch die Aufnahmen von Keith Jarrett und Oscar Peterson.
Mit neunzehn schloss er sich dem Trio des Bassisten Avishai Cohen an, war Co-Autor des gefeierten Albums „Gently Disturbed“ und trat weltweit auf.
2011 gründete er sein eigenes Trio und nahm sechs Alben auf, die seinen Ruf als einzigartige Stimme im modernen Jazz.
Das neue Album stellt einen mutigen Sprung nach vorne dar und kombiniert die Sensibilität des modernen Jazz mit elektronischem Sounddesign
und der harmonischen Tiefe der klassischen Musik. The Guesthouse schafft einen üppigen, filmischen Raum, in dem Grenzen verschwimmen und verkörpert aestros Erkundung von Offenheit und Zusammenarbeit.

First-ever official reissue - Clear blue vinyl edition.

"Itinerario Beat" is as intriguing as it is mysterious. Performed by a group of largely unknown musicians called The Blue Sharks—previously heard on the excellent "It Became Crystal" (reissued by Redi Edizioni in 2021, Cat. No. REDILP001)—the album features ten easy-listening instrumental compositions for bass, drums, piano, and Hammond organ. The tracks are arranged and performed with distinctive taste, blending elements of beat, jazz-funk, and symphonic pop. Officially credited to Rigol, the pseudonym of composer Duilio Radici, the music also appears to include an uncredited contribution from Ugo Fusco, composer of several soundtrack LPs published by Edizioni Leonardi.

Beyond their use in television and film, library music tracks are highly sought after by renowned musicians and DJs and are frequently sampled. A notable example is "Itinerario romantico," included on this LP, which was sampled by rapper Travis Scott in his 2016 track "90210."

Matryoshka has already built a reputation as a producer for DJ Loser's Magdalena's Apathy imprint as well as work for the Nostalgians, an under-the-radar ambient rap collective featuring Yungwebster, Mdb, tnotsobad, Nopaprr and ogpra1. Her musical roots – dubstep, trance and hard dance – tell some of the story here, but she transmogrifies those influences into haunted, Basinski-esque memories like the gaseous traces and decelerated remnants of the club.

On album opener »Lifelover«, Burial's hazed interludes spring to mind, or perhaps the 4am cityscapes of Space Afrika's now mythical »Somewhere Decent to Live«. Background ambiance simmers below Lawson's pensive FM pads, but once she establishes the mood, things take an unexpected turn with a pitch-bent bassline that might have been lifted straight from a 6LACK loosie, and a rhythmic pulse that traces the thin red line of Shinichi Atobe. If it's dub techno, it's a strand that hasn't been codified quite yet.

»Surface Tension« uses deep, Maybach Music-coded bass womps to twist through her skittering slow rhythms and sadcore pads. But it’s Matryoshka’s harmonic instinct that stands out; if you heard the airy »otr« or »fantasize« from Yungwebster's '»II' you'll know exactly what we mean«, and she takes it even further here, weaving cinematic, languid harmonies that bridge the gap between Steve Roach and Future.

Check »Where the Dancers are Spinning« with its levitational, almost orchestral sweeps that Lawson counterbalances with thudding subs, or the brief title track, an Akira Yamaoka-style save room loop that dissipates into a dreamy, dissociated fog, for further proof. Then there's the second side's centrepiece »Parted by the Sea«, where a ratcheting Chain Reaction-style rhythm builds to a tense crescendo only to get splintered unrecognisably in the second half, its broken pieces pillowed by Lawson's billowing time-stretched chords.

Very limited numbers, orders will need to be confirmed.

For his new album, Irreparable Parables, Andrew Wasylyk felt a strong desire to write a set of songs featuring an element hitherto rare in his work: the human voice. Equally strong was the conviction that he did not want to sing them himself.

The Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer set about assembling a group of guest singers, sending out the songs to wherever they were in the world. The vocals were recorded remotely and then, like migrating birds, winged their way back to Scotland. The result is an album of great beauty which, perhaps preeminently in Wasylyk’s work, expresses the vulnerability and resilience of the human spirit.

Six singers appear on the record, represented by six songbirds illustrated on the sleeve by Clay Pipe Music’s Frances Castle. The cuckoo is a nod to Belle and Sebastian’s 2004 single ‘I’m A Cuckoo’, that band’s Stuart Murdoch being the first voice you hear on the new album. When the vocal for ‘Private Symphony #2’ arrived, says Wasylyk, “it was everything that I was looking for and more. But this is Stuart Murdoch. Of course he’s going to make something incredibly beautiful and thoughtful.”

The song lyrics were, for the most part, written by the singers. The music is Wasylyk’s creation. He navigates a sound world that lies somewhere beyond the borders of classical and jazz, ambient and abstract. It is difficult to describe, but easy to understand, which is to say to feel. That is the way Wasylyk’s work is experienced: as a feeling. It takes you back to childhood, perhaps, to feelings of comfort and safety, or to memories of walks at sunrise and sunset, or to the way a shadow falls on a particular field in a particular place at a particular time in your life. This is consoling music. That is why, though pretty, it is not merely pretty. These are songs to shore up the soul.

Wasylyk writes in a room, in his native Dundee, full of “half broken” instruments. He picks these up, plays a little, seeking an idea, a feeling, a door that lies ajar. The musical palette of Irreparable Parables includes brass and woodwind, a six-piece string section, guitar, bass, drums, vibraphone, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, tape loops, synthesisers and percussion. The strings were arranged by the cellist Pete Harvey, a long-term collaborator.

Among the other guest vocalists are Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals, Saya Ueno from Japan’s Tenniscoats and Peter Brewis from Field Music. Wasylyk himself takes the lead vocal on the title track, though a throat infection and touch of pitch-shifting have altered his singing in a way that even he, having fallen out of love with his own voice, finds acceptable.

The heart of the record can, arguably, be found in two tracks, ‘Love Is A Life That Lasts Forever’ and ‘Spectators In The Absence of God’, sung respectively by Molly Linen and Kathryn Joseph. The former, bright with trumpets, was inspired by the writing of Derek Jarman. “I was feeling deeply upset about the world and wanted to try and write some- thing that was obviously hopeful,” Wasylyk says.

‘Spectators …’ offers an emotional counterpoint. It is an “apocalyptic hymn” that seems to grapple with watching human suffering from afar, too distant to be at physical risk, but experiencing the psychological wounding, and feelings of helplessness, even complicity, that come with constant awareness of other people’s pain. “Kathryn’s a pal, I love her dearly, and she’s a brilliant artist who really feels what she writes,” Wasylyk says. “The cracked tenderness of her voice is spellbinding.”

The album closes with an instrumental piece, ‘Soul Enters The Ocean Sun Climbs Out Of The Sea’, all piano and strings, that offers a sense of resolution and ascension. A good moment, too, for Wasylyk to reflect upon the artistic companionship that he enjoyed while making this record – the songbirds that answered his call: “These humans are incredible at what they do. I’m deeply grateful and feel so lucky. It blows my mind.”