A must for all Thin Lizzy fans out there, "Selected BBC Peel Sessions" digs into the vast vault of the band's Peel Sessions to present the best of the best, and you know that's a lot when talking about Phil Lynott and his bandmates, known for being one of the best live bands (in and out of the studio) ever. 10 mind blowing tracks of pure Lizzy bliss ranging from 1973 to 1977, with amazing sound and beautiful art, what are you waiting for?
Collecting some of their earliest BBC sessions this necessary document showcases the Fab Four immediately following the release of their debut album Please Please Me and right before they would become international superstars. Combining fantastic R&B covers and some of their best early originals this compilation finds The Beatles at a crossroads between their early beat roots and the pop brilliance they would go on to display for the rest of the 1960s. Essential.
**Double LP - 180 GRAM** Already Platinum. Impeccable design. Although this is one of the more talked about records of his career, there's no doubt that this is a testament to JAY Z's diligence, entrepreneurship, and artistic vision. Picking up where Watch The Throne left off, Magna Carta Holy Grail is JAY Z's twelfth studio album, and a portrait of an emcee embracing fatherhood, marriage, and striking a balance between a past spent coming up and a future shuffling around the top. The LP also includes a limited edition flexi-disc postcard of exclusive non-album track ''Open Letter'' hidden under the artwork on the back cover. Production is helmed largely by J-Roc, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy and others, while featuring performances by Beyoncé, Rick Ross, Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, Nas, and more. With MCHG, JAY Z understands that hip hop is starting to enjoy the same clout as fine art and, even better, hip hop is alive, a part of the world, evolving, and not cordoned off in a museum. Play it forward and grab a copy now.
2026 Repress
relies heavily on techno and dub elements. Releasing their first two albums on Creation Records sublabel Infonet, the group has also released albums on Blanco y Negro, Foundation Sound Works and Music Man Records. The group recorded three sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show.The trio also recorded under the names Thunderground, New Adult, Sons of the Subway, and Space DJz.
Foundations Records brings you their hotly anticipated third release from Sonar's Ghost on Rinse Out EP - a bold four-tracker of breakbeat jungle, atmospheric jungle and jungle-tekno.
Sonar's Ghost
Starting out DJing in the peak hardcore era of 1992, Dominic Stanton rose as a post-hip-hop and ragga kid, cutting his teeth at free parties across the Shires. Drawn into the new directions of hardcore and jungle, he earned early gigs at the legendary Sanctuary, Milton Keynes, performing as Dom-unique.
Learning the art of beat-chopping on the Amiga 500, Dom landed his first release on Reinforced Records in 1995 and continued releasing into the 2000s as Static Imprints and Sonar Circle. Inspired by Dego and the evolving trajectory of 4hero, Dom began moving into more unexplored territory, producing eclectic, soulful beats under the name Domu.
After a brief hiatus, Sonar's Ghost was born - an outlet to explore the years Sonar Circle missed, from 1991 to 1995. Creating alternate journeys through that era, Sonar's Ghost reimagines the original sound palette using original sources, new blends of beats, and a lifetime of musical influence. For Dom, Sonar's Ghost is his happy place.
The Foundations release blends the eras and directions Dom loves most - from '93 bouncy darkside through to '03 drum funk - with authentic drums and samples integral to the vibe.
Here's the support on radio:
- Makossa (Radio FM4 Vienna)
- Distant Planet (Infrared FM)
- Sun People (Sub FM)
- Alex Ruder (KEXP Seattle)
- Haus of Beats (Txapa Irratia)
- Haus of Beats (Txapa Irratia)
- Tom Ravenscroft (Rinse FM)
- Jon1st (Subtle Radio)
- Martha (NTS / BBC R1)
- Harper (Czworka Polskie Radio)
- Gremlinz (89.5FM Toronto)
- N-Type (Rinse FM)
- Michelle (NTS)
- Mathieu Schreyer (KCRW, LA)
- Darkerthanwax (The Lot Radio)
- Bevin Campbell (PBSFM Aus)
- Errol Anderson (NTS)
- Ian (94.9 CHRW)
- OPR8 (Sub FM)
- Tramma (Noods)
- Carlos Contreras (Tilos Radio Budapest)
- Jay Scarlett (BR Puls Munich)
- DJ Tuco (91.90FM Prague)
- Ed2000 (Cashmere / The Face)
- Vinyl Junkie (Eruption Radio)
- Klaus Fiehe (1WDR)
- Benji B (BBC 1Xtra)
New pressing on black vinyl (500 units). Following the recently released and highly praised Trees 50th Anniversary box set on Earth Recordings, Trees reissue their debut album ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’as a standalone release. It’s now over fifty years since Trees’ formation, a band who helped define ‘Acid Folk’, creating a sub-category in the lexicon of record dealers and music critics alike. “When we are talking about psych folk or acid folk, we are really talking about music like this by Trees” Stuart Maconie, BBC6 Music. Trees first album, ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’ (1970) snuggles nicely into contemporary nu-folkies’ idea of the genre, and shares some of the pastoral-whimsy that characterised The Incredible String Band or Donovan, offset by some stunning interpretations of traditional material and Bias’ own songs. The record includes readings of ‘Lady Margaret’, ‘Glasgerion’, the old standard ‘She Moved Thro’ The Fair’, and the extended fade of the group’s own ‘Road’, presage the explosive instrumental duelling that would come to characterise the follow up album, ‘On The Shore’. // “The music’s arcane power remains intact” Mojo. // “A fantastic band” Record Collector. // “Spectacular” Uncut. // “Sublime” Shindig. // Timeless” Prog. // “It’s these two original albums that stand as pinnacles of form” The Wire. // Track listing: A1. Nothing Special A2. The Great Silkie A3. The Garden of Jane Delawney A4. Lady Margaret B1. Glasgerion B2. She Moved Thro' The Fair B3. Road B4. Epitaph B5. Snail's Lament
Peki Momés took hearts and ears by storm with her first 45 (Göç Mevsimi b/w Rüya) last autumn. Her dope outernational grooves and fresh singing style made it as far as Iggy Pop's show on BBC. Time for another double-sided single!
Yıldız is a Turkish cover of the beloved Marcos Valle tune Estrelar. Staying true to the spirit of the original, this version draws its energy from the bright stars, dreaming of meeting the stars up in the sky alongside the sun and moon. The production has been meticulously crafted, blending key elements of the original instrumentation with Peki Momés' distinct vocals in Turkish language.
Bahar is a psychedelic disco groove about longing for sunny days — both literally and metaphorically. It captures the exhaustion of waiting for brighter days in our homelands, our world, and our inner selves. As Peki Momés puts it, the wait for spring can be so long, it even wears down our pullovers. This track mirrors the duality of our reality and invites the audience to dance during this wait.
Getreu seinem Namen ,Extraordinary" erweitert Gareth Donkins zweites Album die Bandbreite seines virtuosen Soul-Pop-Songwritings nicht nur auf akustischer Ebene, sondern auch auf einer zutiefst persönlichen Ebene. Ein Schritt weiser und selbstbewusster, frisch aus einem Feature auf dem neuen Album von De La Soul, lässt der in London lebende Singer-Songwriter und Produzent vergangene Konstrukte hinter sich, um die Gegenwart mit seinem bisher ausgereiftesten, umfangreichsten und beeindruckendsten Werk zu feiern, das mit verspieltem Charisma und modernem Glanz an Disco-, R&B- und Funk-Größen anknüpft. Er sagt: ,Bei ,Extraordinary` geht es darum, sein Leben selbst in die Hand zu nehmen, neue Erfahrungen und Abenteuer anzunehmen." Donkins bahnbrechendes Debütalbum ,Welcome Home" aus dem Jahr 2023 fand von BBC Radio bis Billboard (,ein Soul-Genie") großen Anklang und brachte ihn zum ersten Mal zum SXSW. Dennoch war die Saison von Rückschlägen und Herzschmerz geprägt. Zunächst streckte er seine Hände nach der Fantasie aus mit der kathartischen Suite Escape EP. Dann, mit klarem Kopf, engagierte er ein Traumensemble, um seine nächste Vision zu verwirklichen, darunter ESME, Kiefer, UHMEER, Shaan Ramaprasad und Howard Lawrence von Disclosure . Donkin hat sich einen Namen als Old Soul gemacht, als Ein-Mann-Band in der Tradition von Prince und Stevie Wonder, der oft in den sozialen Medien zu sehen ist, wie er mit verblüffender Leichtigkeit Songs zusammenstellt. Wie seine früheren Werke fängt auch ,Extraordinary" dieses unbestreitbare Talent und seinen Charme ein. Was das Album auszeichnet, ist die Weite, in der diese Tugenden zum Tragen kommen. ,Es klingt einfach größer, aktueller", fügt er hinzu. Von vereinenden Hymnen bis hin zu dramatischen Erklärungen entfaltet Donkin eine Art von Optimismus, der nur durch harte Arbeit an sich selbst entstehen kann.
Nickodemus is a globally respected DJ and producer who has been touring nonstop since the mid-1990s, consistently drawing capacity crowds at clubs and festivals worldwide. As a producer, he has released five acclaimed albums (Soul & Science, A Long Engagement, Endangered Species, Sun People and Moon People) and curated eleven volumes of the influential Turntables on the Hudson compilation series. His work bridges hip-hop, house, jazz, and global sounds, highlighted by collaborations and cultural milestones including the Jungle Brothers' genre-defining legacy and the enduring house-rap classic "I'll House You" with Todd Terry. Nickodemus' hit "Mi Swing Es Tropical" (with Quantic & the Candela All-Stars) has surpassed 50 million streams and featured prominently in the film Chef. He has received extensive international press (Billboard, Rolling Stone, The FADER, Paste) and widespread radio support from tastemakers such as Gilles Peterson, BBC 6 Music, KCRW, and KEXP.
b B1: Monk-One Remix [feat. Monk-One]
[b] B1: Monk-One Remix [feat. Monk-One]
This 12" introduces Maajo Soundsystem, the electronic, dancefloor-focused sub-project of Maajo, presenting stripped-down, club-ready versions of their 2022 album 'Water of Life' that go beyond standard remixes through newly recorded balafons, percussion, and vocals from Senegalese artist Ismaila Sané and Mauritian vocalist/drummer Gilbert K. Sané began his career in the 1970s as a percussionist and African ballet dancer before relocating to Finland in 1999, later becoming the first emigrant to receive the country's Citizen of the Year award. While Maajo tours as a six-piece live band, Maajo Soundsystem offers a flexible electronic configuration that retains live vocals and percussion. The group has released multiple LPs and EPs on Queen Nanny and Permanent Vacation, scored the silent film Lost World, received remixes from Luke Vibert and Call Super, and toured internationally, with strong radio and press support from BBC Radio 6, Worldwide FM, KEXP, Resident Advisor, WFMU, and more.
WRWTFWW Records releases THE GENTLE PEOPLE - The Peel Sessions, available on vinyl for the first time ever, in conjunction with the worldwide expanded reissue of the group's Soundtracks for Living. Lounge/Chill Out music reborn !
This is an exclusive 4-song EP recorded in 1997 on BBC's Peel Sessions, as The Gentle People were doing the rounds for the release of their legendary debut album. These live versions have never seen the light of day before - a must have for all the gentle fans !
When The Gentle People first glided into the mid-90s on clouds of strings, sugar and sine waves, they sounded like visitors from another, more glamorous planet. Signed to Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge's cult label Rephlex, this multinational "E-Z-Core" lounge unit took the aesthetics of 50s/60s easy listening and exotica and gently smuggled them into 1990s club culture.
Imagine KLF's Chill Out or Space growing up on French 60/70s pop, bossa nova, soundtracks, vocal harmony groups, library music and easy listening then slipping out for a late-night date with dub, ambient techno and bubble-bath pop. That's The Gentle People : music that can score cocktail hour, 4am taxi rides, and daydreams in headphones with the same effortless grace.
The Gentle People weren't just a curiosity on a weird label; they became unlikely icons of a whole loungecore moment, gracing TV, compilations and magazine spreads, and proving that tenderness could be as futuristic as any drum machine.
WRWTFWW Records is proud to present THE GENTLE PEOPLE - Soundtracks for Living (Expanded Edition), ?the ultimate Lounge/Chill Out classic from 1997, reborn! Available as a limited edition white vinyl 3LP in heavyweight 3-panel gatefold sleeve.
When The Gentle People first glided into the mid-90s on clouds of strings, sugar and sine waves, they sounded like visitors from another, more glamorous planet. Signed to Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge's cult label Rephlex, this multinational "E-Z-Core" lounge unit took the aesthetics of 50s/60s easy listening and exotica and gently smuggled them into 1990s club culture.
Soundtracks for Living was their defining statement: an album that "takes the lounge scene and runs away with it entirely… blissful and heavenly," as one contemporary review put it. Imagine KLF's Chill Out or Space growing up on French 60/70s pop, bossa nova, soundtracks, vocal harmony groups, library music and easy listening then slipping out for a late-night date with dub, ambient techno and bubble-bath pop. That's Soundtracks for Living: a record that can score cocktail hour, 4am taxi rides, and daydreams in headphones with the same effortless grace.
The Gentle People - Dougee Dimensional, Laurie LeMans, Valentine Carnelian and Honeymink - began in early-90s Brixton, throwing dress-up theme parties before taking their audio-visual universe into the studio. For them, music was "a way of life": soothing to the ear, rich in pop hooks, and pitched somewhere between the playfully idiotic and the hyper-intelligent. Their debut on Rephlex was the single "Journey", later blessed with a shimmering Aphex Twin remix that pushed their sugar-coated sound even further into outer space.
This Expanded Edition of Soundtracks for Living finally gives this glambient lounge-pop milestone the treatment it has always deserved. Spread lovingly across 3LP, it features new mastering from the original sources, allowing every harp glissando, string swell and analog squiggle to float in high-fidelity widescreen. The core album is complemented by a bonus 12" of unreleased and rare material, offering a deeper dive into the Gentle world: alternate takes, lost interludes, and secret soundtrack cues for lives not yet lived.
Crucially, "Journey" appears here in its original version, Gentle Instrumental and the cult Aphex Twin remix, reuniting band and labelmate in one place and underlining the quietly radical nature of the project: this was lounge music that could sit next to braindance, acid and IDM and still steal the scene.
Pressed on limited edition white vinyl, Soundtrack for Living (Expanded Edition) invites long-time fans and new listeners alike to step back into The Gentle People's universe - a place of fondue parties, bubble chairs, star-lit elevators and endlessly rewinding sunsets, where "the pathway to the stars" is never quite out of reach.
In an era that often reduces the 90s to big-room bangers and grunge guitars, Soundtracks for Living remains a quietly subversive reminder that the decade was also about imagination, camp, softness and utopian possibility. As later writers have noted, The Gentle People weren't just a curiosity on a weird label; they became unlikely icons of a whole loungecore moment, gracing TV, compilations and magazine spreads, and proving that tenderness could be as futuristic as any drum machine.
In conjunction with this release, WRWTFWW has also unearthed The Gentle People's Peel Sessions, a 4-track EP from their 1997 BBC on-air performance, available on vinyl for the first time ever !
DJ Ron's forgotten classic 21st Century finally gets the release it deserves, arriving on 12" black vinyl alongside a brand-new Bladerunner remix Originally recorded for DJ Ron's debut album Quintessence back in 1997, Hospital Records proudly welcomes it back into the world in style. The A side carries the original in all its glory. 21st Century is a timeless and futurefacing weapon - analogue at heart, hand-controlled automation and carefully curated sounds take you centre stage, giving it a unique, personal texture and depth that has lost nothing with age. Flip it over and Bladerunner steps in with an equally powerful B side remix, bringing his own vision to a track that was always ahead of its time. Born and bred (and still resident) in Hackney, career-long Rinse/Kool FM DJ, the first jungle/ D&B artist to record an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1, host of the London Something podcast and more, DJ Ron is a multi-faceted creative and an uncontested foundational figure within jungle and drum & bass. This 12" is long overdue. The first time that DJ Ron's '21st Century,' taken from his unsung debut album, will be available digitally & physically alongside a fresh remix from Bladerunner. One for the heads - this one is all about flying the flag for DJ Ron, one of the foundational figures of jungle and drum & bass.
BLACK VINYL[22,65 €]
Das erste Album mit Originalmusik von den englischen Künstlern Flying Mojito Bros., die total auf Americana und Dance-Musik stehen. FMB hat dank seines einzigartigen Stils, der als Desert Disco und Outlaw House bezeichnet wird - ein neu definierter Americana-Sound, der von Poolside-Vibes bis zur Tanzfläche reicht -, eine wachsende Fangemeinde in den USA gewonnen. Das Album bietet eine hochkarätige Besetzung mit Künstlern wie Scott Hirsch, Will Worden und Rob Chaney (weitere werden noch bekannt gegeben!) und hat die Unterstützung von einflussreichen Persönlichkeiten wie Diplo, Phish, Pretty Lights, BBC 6 Music und KEXP erhalten. Just Passing Through zeigt die Entwicklung von FMB und kombiniert ihre charakteristischen Re-Edits und Remixe mit Live-Band-Aufnahmen. Es ist ein mutiger Schritt in ihrer Karriere, bei dem sie von den 1970er Jahren inspirierten Rock und elektronische Rhythmen mit Kollaborationen von Top-Musikern wie Shawn Lee (Young Gun Silver Fox), Joe Harvey-Whyte (The Hanging Stars) und Joe Stoddart (ABBA Voyage) verbinden. Dieses Album markiert ein neues Kapitel in der kreativen Reise von FMB und fängt ihre Erkundung der neu definierten Americana und den interkulturellen Rock-Austausch zwischen den USA und Großbritannien ein.
Das erste Album mit Originalmusik von den englischen Künstlern Flying Mojito Bros., die total auf Americana und Dance-Musik stehen. FMB hat dank seines einzigartigen Stils, der als Desert Disco und Outlaw House bezeichnet wird - ein neu definierter Americana-Sound, der von Poolside-Vibes bis zur Tanzfläche reicht -, eine wachsende Fangemeinde in den USA gewonnen. Das Album bietet eine hochkarätige Besetzung mit Künstlern wie Scott Hirsch, Will Worden und Rob Chaney (weitere werden noch bekannt gegeben!) und hat die Unterstützung von einflussreichen Persönlichkeiten wie Diplo, Phish, Pretty Lights, BBC 6 Music und KEXP erhalten. Just Passing Through zeigt die Entwicklung von FMB und kombiniert ihre charakteristischen Re-Edits und Remixe mit Live-Band-Aufnahmen. Es ist ein mutiger Schritt in ihrer Karriere, bei dem sie von den 1970er Jahren inspirierten Rock und elektronische Rhythmen mit Kollaborationen von Top-Musikern wie Shawn Lee (Young Gun Silver Fox), Joe Harvey-Whyte (The Hanging Stars) und Joe Stoddart (ABBA Voyage) verbinden. Dieses Album markiert ein neues Kapitel in der kreativen Reise von FMB und fängt ihre Erkundung der neu definierten Americana und den interkulturellen Rock-Austausch zwischen den USA und Großbritannien ein.
It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).
“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”
The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.
“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”
“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”
The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).
Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”
The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…
REVIEWS/RADIO/FEEDBACK:
“Starbed is folky, flavoured by pedal steel, cello, and brass. Dust Tears, in stark contrast, is a mini synth-pop rave epic. Part Bicep. Part Human League. Keep Your Eyes Closed summons a mood that’s romantic, but also dark and potentially doomed – like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks meets Cliff Martinez’s Drive score. My pick though is It’s True What They Say, whose interwoven jangle and picking recalls New Order’s more introspective moments (Love Vigilantes, Love Less… ). Drums crashing, cathartic. Guitar raising dramatic arcs. Its chorus a rush, like a reprise of Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart’s ‘Higher Than The Stars’.” BAN BAN TON TON
"Dust Tears sees them sharing vocal duties over a synth foundation reminiscent of Moby’s Go - Artist Of The Week” THE SCOTSMAN
"Woozy pop" NEMONE (Mary Anne Hobbs Morning Show, BBC 6Music)
"Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop" YOUTH (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney, U2, The Orb, Spiritualized etc)
"Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
"I’m enjoying it” TIM BRINKHURST aka LONDON (IKLAN, Young Fathers, Callum Easter)
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"It’s totally my cup of tea with milk and biscuit" BRENT RADEMAKER (Beachwood Sparks/GospelBeach)
"Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Soulsavers, BE)
"Makes me wanna sit in the sun and sip an Arnold Palmer" CHRIS DIXIE DARLEY (Father John Misty)
“Really beautiful - Cocteau Twins / Spiritualized vibes but has its own thing going on, too - worth checking out!” JULIAN CORRIE (Franz Ferdinand, Miaoux Miaoux)
‘Sounded nice on a sunny day, makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ EAMON HAMILTON (Sea Power)
"Dealing in nostalgia, no bad thing at all, great to play that (Dust Tears) for you” RODDY HART (BBC Radio Scotland)
“I'll give the vocal tracks a spin before the release." VIC GALLOWAY (BBC Radio Scotland)
"Rather good!" IAIN ANDERSON (BBC Radio Scotland)
CREDITS:
Lyrics, Guitars, Keys, Synths, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Mandolin, Glockenspiel: Shaun McLachlan
Lyrics, Vocals, Keys by Sarah McLachlan
Guitars, Synths, String Arrangements, Drum Programming, Engineering: Jaguar Eyes Percussion/Drums/Effects, Fire Extinguisher: Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz)
Guitars by Daniel Land
Slide Guitar by Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty)
Brass by Bruce Michie
Keys, pre-production & engineering on “It’s true what they say”: Gavin King
All produced by Jaguar Eyes and Shaun McLachlan and then mixed at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios by David McCaulay (From Scotland With Love, Rick Redbeard, BBC TV’s Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard score).
Artwork: Jamie Walman (Fourteen Admirals)
MORE INFO:
Although Shaun released a pair of solo singles (When We Dance and Give Your Love To Me) during Lockdown, he will be better known to many via his work as the multi-instrumentalist in Edinburgh band Delta Mainline. With two albums released to date, Oh! Enlightened and Bel Avenir, both rapturously received by fans and critics alike, Delta Mainline have developed an international, cult following. Oh Enlightened (2013) achieved widespread critical acclaim on release, earning the band comparisons to Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen, while 2019’s Bel Avenir pulled in references to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and krautrock. A third DM album is currently being mixed and due for release later this year…
DJ Support: Ashley Beedle, Phil Mison (Ibiza legend), Nick The Record, Kenneth Bager (Music For Dreams), Ross Allen (NTS, Worldwide FM), Simon Dunmore, Cedric Woo (Beauty & the Beat), Ban Ban Ton Ton, The Mighty Zaf (Love Vinyl), Femi Fem (Young Disciples), Jay Negron (NYC legend), Bruce Forest (Better Days, NYC), Bruce Tantum (NYC), Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, Mr Shiver, Hugh Mane, Eccentrics Disco, Eclectics Disco, Fannoire Ge, Percebes Records (Lisbon), For Mankind (Pikes, Ibiza), S/A/M (Cafe Del Mar, Ibiza).
Winner of the 2020 Bob James “Black Lives Matter” remix competition on François Kevorkian’s World Of Echoes Facebook page, Love For Black Lives is available on vinyl for the first time, alongside 2 brand new mixes, on this 4-track EP. It is the debut release on Hobbes Music’s new sub-label Noetic Rhythm, dedicated to releasing music that brings people together on the dancefloor.
Leonidas debuted in 2012 with Sequential EP on Kay Suzuki's Round In Motion label, gaining praise from industry legends. He has collaborated with Hobbes on several releases, including the Balearic hit Web of Intrigue, which topped Bill Brewster’s 2017 DJ poll. His music has appeared on compilations like DJ Harvey’s The Sound of Mercury Rising Vol II, as well as BBC Radio 1 & 6 music.
Following Parnell March’s Back Bar Grooves EP in February and November’s release of the Dust Tears (lead song from Sarah/Shaun’s debut) remixes, Edinburgh’s Hobbes Music label returns with a second EP of dream pop from husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), alias Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced McLochlun), who wooed hearts and wowed critics with debut EP ‘It’s True What They Say?’ last year.
‘It’s True What They Say?’ attracted fans across the board: Artist Of The Week in The Scotsman, rapturous reviews from The Skinny and Tokyo's Ban Ban Ton Ton blog, BBC 6Music airplay courtesy of Nemone (Mary Anne Hobbs' Morning Show), more radio play from Radio Scotland's Roddy Hart & Vic Galloway, plus Simone Butler (Primal Scream) and Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds) via their respective Soho Radio shows, not forgetting ringing endorsements from the likes of David Holmes, Youth, Kevin Bales (Spiritualized), Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks) and Julian Corrie (Franz Ferdinand).
They played gigs supporting Glasgow's huge Glasvegas, at festivals (Kendall Calling, Dunbar Music, Hidden Door), plus a slew of venues across the Scottish capital, ending the year with a trio of shows supporting Glaswegian 80s pop legends The Bluebells at Aberdeen’s Tunnels, Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys and Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms, while The List magazine tipped them among their Ones To Watch For 2025, with journalist Fiona Shepherd suggesting they were “blending the starry-eyed pop of Sonny & Cher with the electronic experimentation of Chris & Cosey.”
Very much the companion piece to the debut EP but arriving a full twelve months later, Someone’s Ghost is emblematic of the duo’s desire not to rush things or release anything half-baked.
“I’ve always wanted to create the perfect pop record and I do really feel that we’ve achieved that with this one,” says Shaun. And he’s clearly not the only person who thinks so.
REVIEWS, FEEDBACK ETC:
"I LOVE that! Dreamy dreamy pop." ROY MOLLOY (Marvellous Crane/Alex Cameron) on BLAST RADIO, Sydney
“the Scottish music scene’s cream of the cool... buzzy drum beats, high, distant chimes, and heavenly electronics…. very ethereal.” THE SKINNY
"Listening to Sarah/Shaun is like eavesdropping on a noir dreampop, long-distance phone call between them both, across two separate sonic locations. On this stunning 4-song EP, Sarah’s voice, effortlessly mesmerising, draws you into these big beautiful and haunting passages of perfect dream-pop. All beautifully produced in a multi-layered-scape of low-fi analogue textures, epic cinematic crescendos, intense electro-pulse grooves and warped psycho-pop guitar riffs. Within the songs lurk a sense of unresolved emotions, longing and pathos. There are shades of classic Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra but also Post-Punk Electronica and Beach House. But what a unique sound they’ve created of their own. I love it" DAVID MCCLUSKEY (The Bluebells)
"Absolutely beautiful" SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"Lovely stuff here! Total quality." MARTYN 'MASH' HENDERSON
"Ooooh. Everything the last record promised is here. Well done" GEORGE T aka George Demure (Accident Machine)
"Vince clark Era Depeche Mode in places" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized)
"Sounds cool. Well done" PETE KEMBER (Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3)
"Glorious, it (Debbie Harry) grabs hold of you and doesn't let go." IAIN DAWSON aka RAVECHILD (Everyone Wants To Play The Hits Podcast)
SOMEONE’S GHOST
Born out of an incredibly anxious, stressful time, the songwriting process for these recordings has been something of a personal tonic for Shaun…
“There was a period when I was having nightmares,” he reveals. “Apparently I was saying there was someone in the room, I was talking to that person and Sarah was seeing all this while I was still asleep.
So, I was thinking that this was my ghost. I started writing songs because I was going through something and I was dealing with something and writing songs was a comfort. My ghost was a comfort, whether it was real or not. The idea of it was a comfort.”
“I firmly believe that everyone has someone who watches over them but all of the songs are essentially about being there for someone,” he says. “Everybody needs someone but also everyone needs to stay real and keep what you have, keep it close, never let it go. If you don’t have it, continue to tell people you’re there for them. It’s about loving and hoping people will be good to you in return.”
While Shaun took the songwriting lead on Filter Of Love and EP closer The Sound Which Stresses The Sound Of My Ears, Debbie Harry was originally instrumentally conceived by producer Jaguar Eyes, alias Ali Chisholm, later lyrically completed by Shaun, and the EP’s lead track, Anhedonia, and one of its stand-outs (much like Starbed on the debut) was conceived by Sarah, as a result of experiencing a bit of a spiritual epiphany of her own.
“When I first heard the word Anhedonia, I didn't know what it meant but when I found out I thought about it quite a bit. How sad it would be to have no enjoyment in anything,” she explains. “This song is really about my own personal beliefs. When I have been down, that's one of the things that helps me the most. It talks about trying to make amends but realising, for some things, you can't. But I think with any kind of faith comes hope… which is always a good thing.”
A record about hope, truth, honesty, a belief in something bigger than oneself… and all set to a soundtrack that wouldn’t feel out of place in a David Lynch or Eighties feature film. What more could anyone ask for, really?
There’s equally a desire to offer something universal and positive to anyone who tunes in. The labels for the 12” edition reveal the dual mantras “Who just wants to survive?” and “It’s about time to live a little”, with both messages also engraved in each record’s run-out grooves. T-shirts accompanying debut EP It’s True What They Say? bore the slogan “Kill Them With Kindness” - leading caps intentional. Shaun carries the acronym KTWK everywhere he plays, as a reminder: it’s stitched into his guitar strap. And this particular wee pebble has already caused a few ripples: people have been approaching him at gigs to acknowledge their appreciation and respect for it.
"We feel we have made an honest, open, colourful, body of work,” say the duo. “We hope to go out and play the songs with the guys (our band) and then potentially make more records. We are taking things as they come. Everything has been organic so far, after all. We are looking forward to whatever this brings."
