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The debut recording by The Ancients, the intergenerational coalition of Isaiah Collier, William Hooker, & William Parker formed by parker to play concerts in conjunction with the milford graves mind body deal exhibition at the institute of contemporary art los angeles & now a working group. across x2LPs of side-length long-form improvised sets recorded at 2220 arts & archives in LA & the chapel in San Francisco, The Ancients bring the free jazz trio languages first explored by the Cecil Taylor Unit & Ornette Coleman’s -Golden Circle- band (expanded upon in later eras by Sam Rivers' Trio & Parker’s collective trios with Charles Gayle/Graves & Peter Brötzmann/Hamid Drake) into their own unique & scintillating realms of expression.

As we tumble further into the throes of history’s tides, people of hope & creativity rely on the works of our great artists to lift our spirits & focus our resolve. -ascension- was recorded less than a year after the passage of the civil rights act & four months after the assassination of Malcolm X. -journey in satchidananda- was recorded the month reagan was re-elected governor of California. M’boom made its debut recording weeks after the watergate scandal broke & a couple months after the wounded knee occupation ended. The music of the ancients builds on these great musical legacies. it resounds with the pride of survival & the joys of making & sharing music. It delivers to us hope & balm. something real in you, real in history, & real in the music is shared, right on time.

When Eremite records commenced operations during the 1990s free jazz resurgence, heavyweight freedom-seeking tenor saxophonists such as Fred Anderson, Peter Brötzmann, Charles Gayle, Kidd Jordan, & David S. Ware were at the height of their powers. Isaiah Collier’s tenor playing in the ancients is bracing testimony that the wellspring lives on. to hear the young chicago firebrand blowing freely with veteran improvisers in an entirely open-form group music is a revelatory study of his vast talent, personal voice, & the intensity of his expression —as well as a bold complement to his composition-based albums as a bandleader (including -the almighty-, a new york times' best albums of 2024 selection).

I've admired drummer William hooker since first encountering his music in a hartford ct city park, early ‘90s (on a double bill with Jerry González & Fort Apache Band). From the man himself right off the bandstand i bought his even-then rare 1st recording, the 1976 self-released x2LP opus -is eternal life- (reissued 2019 by superior viaduct). An imposing force on his instrument & an intrepid DIY cat, Hooker’s been exuberantly swinging in&out of free time for 50+ years. informed by the innovations of Sunny Murray & Tony Williams yet entirely himself, there is no other term for it than “pure hooker.” at age 78, with the ancients & everywhere else, THE HOOK is in peak form.

With a discography approaching 600 entries & 50+ years working across the musical maps, including in the history-defining bands of Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Peter Brötzmann, in his own wondrous ensembles from small group to orchestra to opera, a bastion of compassionate leadership & a poetic champion of his musical community, in tireless service to what he rather egolessly refers to as “the tone world”, multi-instrumentalist, improviser & composer william parker is a living hero of the grassroots & the black mystery musics, not to mention one of the great bassists in the history of jazz. To quote George Clinton, conquering the stumbling blocks comes easier when the conqueror is in tune with the infinite.

Live to 2-track concert recordings by Bryce Gonzales, Highland Dynamics. Mastered by Joe Lizzi, Queens, NY.

The Bug Club sind wieder da, für ihren jährlichen Termin auf dem Markt der Garagen-Rock-Macher, wo sie eine weitere reinrassige Platte anpreisen. LP-Nummer vier, "Very Human Features", erscheint kurz nach der ersten Sub Pop-Veröffentlichung der Band, "On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System" von 2024. Mit dieser Platte setzte die Band ihre Liebesbeziehung zu BBC Radio 6 fort, begann dank einer Session mit KEXP eine neue und tauchte auf den Seiten des NME auf. Gibt es noch etwas auf der Liste? Oh ja, Festivalauftritte, unter anderem im heimischen Green Man's Walled Garden, das bis auf den letzten Platz gefüllt ist. Dann Auftritte in den USA an den Orten, von denen die Briten immer nur hören. Dieses Album - eine neue Ladung typisch verspielter, riffgeladener, intelligenter Bug Club-Songs - gibt der Band einen Vorwand, ihre nicht enden wollende Tournee fortzusetzen und ihre schreienden Fans zu füttern, die dank der unermüdlichen Veröffentlichungswelle dieser Band überschwänglich und erwartungsvoll sind. Auf "Very Human Features" haben The Bug Club ihre Gewohnheit fortgesetzt, sich als ein kollektiver Geist zu präsentieren. Zwei in Einem. Selten findet man eine Band mit zwei kreativen Kräften, die eine so einzigartige, gemeinsame Perspektive, Sinn für Humor und ein Händchen für Popmelodien haben. In "Beep Boop Computers" wechseln Sänger Sam (auch an der Gitarre) und Tilly (am Bass) zwischen I's, my's und we's hin und her, als ob es da keinen Unterschied gäbe, während sie zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen und Erfahrungen in einer glorreichen Glam-Rock-Demontage der menschlichen Aspekte, auf die der Titel des Albums verweist, auf die Schippe nehmen. Um beim Thema zu bleiben: "How to Be a Confidante" macht das, was The-Bug-Club wirklich können, indem sie, wieder als zwei Stimmen aus demselben Kopf, allgemeine Aspekte unseres Lebens herausgreifen und sie lächerlich klingen lassen. Das Surreale liegt im Vertrauten, nicht im Ignorieren des Vertrauten - The Bug Club wissen das, und dieses Verständnis bildet zusammen mit einer unerbittlichen Basslinie das Rückgrat dieses Garagenrock-angehauchten Gassenhauers. Nachdem The Bug Club in den USA dank der kräftigen Garagen-Punk-Scheibe "On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System" und der anschließenden US-Tournee eine entsprechend große Fangemeinde gewonnen haben, wird die fruchtbare Partnerschaft mit Sup Pop mit "Very Human Features" noch schmackhafter. Die neue Platte ist ein sicherer und unendlich witziger Wirbelwind aus literarischem, selbstreferenziellem und gut gelauntem Rock'n'Roll. Die Band reitet auf der immer weiter anschwellenden Welle ihrer Popularität, als ob sie auf Rollschuhen schnell über den Aldi-Parkplatz in Caldicot flitzen würde. Möge es lange so weitergehen.

HEXVESSEL erkunden auf ihrem epischen siebten Album "Nocturne" liminale Räume, z.B. zwischen Licht und Dunkelheit sowie Natur und Einsamkeit. Die sich kontinuierlich wandelnde finnische Band besinnt sich wieder auf ihre Wurzeln im Folk und im psychedelischen Rock, indem sie akustische Zwischenspiele, kosmische Synthesizer und geisterhafte Pianoklänge kunstvoll mit den frostgesponnenen Fäden ihres Black Metal Geflechts verwebt. "Nocturne" klingt sowohl vertraut als auch unverhohlen progressiv, da HEXVESSEL ihre eigene Tradition mit einer frischen Neuerfindung ihres charakteristischen Sounds vermischen. Der Keim für dieses Meisterwerk wurde durch die Aufführung eines Auftragswerks beim Roadburn Festival 2024 gesetzt, das ursprünglich den Titel "Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne" trug. Mit diesem Album nimmt das Projekt eine ausgearbeitete physische Gestalt an. Dieses opus magnum verbindet den rauen Geist von Quorthons Black Metal mit dem komplexen Minimalismus zeitgenössischer Komponisten wie Philip Glass, György Ligeti und Avro Pärt. Den eklektischen Charakter von "Nocturne" unterstreichen ausgewählte Gastauftritte wie der ätherische Gesang von Saara Nevalainen oder die harschen Stimmen der Avantgarde Black Metal Vorreiter Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (DHG/DØDHEIMSGARD) und ORANSSI PAZUZUs Juho Vanhanen. HEXVESSEL stammen zwar aus dem finnischen Tampere, die Band wurde aber vom englischen Sänger und Songwriter Kvohst alias Mat McNerney gegründet, nachdem er im Jahr 2009 in das nordische Land gezogen war. In vielerlei Hinsicht spiegeln HEXVESSEL die Natur ihres Gründers wider. Der Sänger und Songwriter war schon in vielen erfolgreichen Gruppen und Projekten aktiv, deren Spektrum von der britischen Black Metal Band CODE über einen Abstecher bei den norwegischen Legenden DHG bis hin zu den Rock-Shootingstars BEASTMILK reicht, die er später mit GRAVE PLEASURES fortsetzte. Mit "Nocturne" laden HEXVESSEL alle dunklen Seelen der Erde zu einem transzendentalen Nachtritual ein, das unter anderem die Klangvisionen von DARKTHRONE, TANGERINE DREAM und Philip Glass aus der toten Vergangenheit erweckt und mit neuem Leben erfüllt.

With their seventh full-length "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL explore the liminal spaces between light and darkness, nature and solitude on an epic album. The ever evolving and shifting Finnish band has reawakened their treasured roots in folk music and psychedelic rock as they artfully weave acoustic interludes, cosmic synths, and spectral piano into the frost-spun threads on their black metal loom. "Nocturne" sounds both familiar and fearlessly progressive as echoes of tradition entwine with a fresh reinvention of their characteristic sound. The seed of this masterpiece was sown by the performance of a commissioned work at Roadburn Festival 2024 that was originally entitled: "Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne". With this album, it arrives fully fleshed in recorded form. This opus magnum blends the raw spirit of Quorthon's black metal with the intricate minimalism of contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, György Ligeti, and Avro Pärt. Its eclectic nature is elevated and underlined by select guest performances, including the vocals of Saara Nevalainen, as well as the avant-garde black metal luminaries Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (DHG/DØDHEIMSGARD), and ORANSSI PAZUZU's Juho Vanhanen. While HEXVESSEL are based in Tampere, Finland, they were founded by English singer & songwriter Kvohst aka Mat McNerney after he moved to the country in 2009. In many ways, HEXVESSEL reflect their founder. The vocalist and songwriter has instigated and been involved in various bands ranging from UK black metal act CODE, a stint in Norwegian legends DØDHEIMSGARD, and to rock shooting stars BEASTMILK – later 'continued' with GRAVE PLEASURES to name but a few of his success stories. With "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL invite all souls on earth to a transcendental night ritual that is imbued with DARKTHRONE, TANGERINE DREAM, Philip Glass, and sounds unearthed from the dead past, now instilled with new life.

Chicago recording artist Reggie Soul (real name Reginald Stone) recording career consisted of three 45singles spread over 3 separate labels. Firstly, the funk outing “I Got Jody” backed with the soulful “I Feel So Bad” for the Red Balloon label. “I Feel So Bad” was a Lee Sain composition which Lee himself recorded under the title of “Baby Don’t Leave Me” for the Broach label. Reggie’s “I Got Jody” also came out a second time on Nation Time Records as the flipside to “Soul Walkin’” a cover version of the James Brown song but mis-credited as the performing artist Reggie Smith?

Reggie’s third release “My World of Ecstasy/Mighty Good Loving” was released on the Scott Brothers owned Capri Records label in 1968. The fledgling Capri Records Company having been set up in premises at 409, East 47TH Street in Chicago’s Southside, used the front of the building as a record store with the rehearsal studios situated at the rear, the final recording sessions took place initially at some of the smaller independent studios across the city before using the major Columbia and RCA Recording Studios as Capri Productions grew. Reggie co-wrote both sides of his Capri 45 with Charles and Walter Scott respectively. The arrangements were provided by John Jackson and Bill McFarland who alongside Claude Williams provided the horn section to many of the Scott’s future productions. The Scott Brothers were also the house band at one of the Southside’s most popular night clubs ‘The Bonanza Lounge on 7641, South Halsted. Besides performing, they used the club to scout for potential artists for their label and it is believed that’s where their business relationship with Reggie Soul initially began.

Surviving witness accounts always cite Reggie as a solo performer which begs the question who are the credited ‘The Soul Swingers’ on the Capri 45? Well, it transpires that this was a pseudonym used by the Scott Brothers present on the recording, Charles (Chuck) drums, Tommy (bass guitar) and Walter (Rhythm guitar).

At the beginning of Soul Junction’s working relationship with Scot-Tees a further Reggie Soul unissued session was mentioned and sure enough two tape boxes arrived one containing “My World Of Ecstasy/Mighty Good Loving”, great, but disappointingly the second named tape had been reused as a rehearsal tape of several recognizable riffs of later Scott-Tees productions, doh!

Then months later lady luck intervened, a box containing two unmarked acetates held together with a nut and bolt was found. After considerable investigation, it transpires that they are the missing Reggie Soul tracks which we now present to you. Both songs are A.C Carson compositions, The A-side “So Many Miles Away” is a wonderful crossover song that shares some lyrical similarities to fellow Capri stablemate Judson Moore’s released Chicago Music Bag 45 “Lisa” while the flipside of our release features Reggie’s interpretation of Judson’s “Groovy Thang”. So, at long last Soul Junction are able to present to the lost Reggie Soul sessions that several veteran soul scribes who known their onions have likened to another great Chicago recording artist, the mighty, Tyrone Davis.

Rock’n’roll revivalists Split Dogs are not here to make 15 second viral videos, they’re not here to sell you a lifestyle, they’re here to destroy. Born from the frustration of seeing music become commodified and soulless, vocalist Harry Atkins and guitarist Mil Martinez had the idea to form a band as far back as 2015, with the name ‘Split Dogs’ pulled from the classic zombie film ‘Return of the Living Dead’.
In South London, a young Martinez would hear Status Quo, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Dire Straits on the car radio while his father drove him to school. At home he would invade his older brothers’ record collection which leaned towards the harder sounds of punk and heavy metal. Meanwhile in the Black Country, Harry’s mother instilled a love of Northern Soul, Slade and rock’n’roll, with stories of nights out at Club Lafayette and family singalongs at home. According to Martinez, “Our sound is a culmination of all those early influences and, to be honest, it really shows.”
It wasn’t until 2022 that Split Dogs officially arrived on the scene with bass player Suez Boyle joining the band in 2023. Already a prominent figure in the queer punk scene, Suez played the first ever Rebellion Festival at the tender age of 16 with her band The Walking Abortions. Up until that point, drummer Chris Hugall, an old friend of Martinez and former member of ska punks Mouthwash (signed to Rancid’s label Hellcat back in the day), was only on hand to help design artwork. It wasn’t until 2024 Hugall joined the band full time, cementing the current line-up.
The raucous live shows and infectious lyrics saw the four-piece make a name for themselves among the punks of Bristol, a scene that has always welcomed LGBTQ+ and marginalised people. As word spread, so did the gigging, and soon enough Split Dogs were playing to sold out rooms in mainland Europe, eventually grabbing the attention of UK label Venn Records (Gallows, Bob Vylan, High Vis). ‘Here to Destroy’ was recorded over three days at Middle Farm Studios by producer Peter Miles. All tracks were laid straight to a 16 track reel-to-reel tape machine, no autotune, no effects pedals, no computers. To add to the music’s authenticity, the album was recorded live, with Harry singing along in a vocal booth. No cutting and pasting, just nailing takes. According to Martinez, “It was a blast! We fully immersed ourselves, sleeping in a small apartment below the studio, cooking meals and listening to Pete’s extensive record collection”. While the final result is a step away from Split Dogs early punk sound, the attitude is still there in droves. “We wanted the album to have a raw bones feel,” Martinez tells us, “real 1970s rock’n’roll!”. Harry channels the spirit of Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister as they tear through hook after hook, singing about the Northern Soul clubs their mother once frequented (‘Lafayette’), the Orwellian nightmare we’re heading for (“Stay Tuned”) and a touching homage to British working class culture (“And What?”). As the album title makes clear, Split Dogs are here to destroy, but they’re also here to rebuild and remind us of music’s essence. “We’re not beholden to the digital age, we don’t want to get famous on social media, we just want to show the world that rock’n’roll is alive and well”.

Possessing one of the greatest jazz voices of all time; a breathy, husky whisper that promised and seduced the listener, before dancing away again with a glance over her shoulder. Much of Billie’s vocal delivery style was hammered out as she sang live in smoky nightclubs, and relied on her ability to improvise. She rose through the ranks of jazz singers during the Swing era until she was collaborating with greats like Count Basie. The tracklist of Body And Soul is a mixture of well-known standards and comparative obscurities Comes Love, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Darn That Dream and Moonlight In Vermont to name but a few.

Iori Wakasa, one of the leading lights of the Tokyo club scene is set to release his second 12” from his own label, “BOTANICA” which he established to express his own primal sensibilities.

The Concept of the Label:
Tokyo-based DJ/producer, Iori Wakasa launched BOTANICA to assert that his label’s activities in itself is art and a palette for his creative, self-expression. It is also based on 2 main concepts: To integrate the sensibilities of both "nature" and “artificial and human activities" and to “contribute music that presents a scenery from the listener's point of view”.

For Iori, his label is an interface of some sort and is also a symbol of his own personal musical expectations.

Iori produced these 2 new tracks during the recent pandemic when the world was under severe restrictions. While taking into account and focusing on both 'his current outlook' and returning to “the roots of his own production aesthetic', he strived to produce something that would substitute it and as a result, created these two new tracks and the artwork that are presented in the label's second release, 'The Party Is Here EP’.

In this EP, he also attempts to express the sentiment that 'the experience that music provides to people is invaluably infinite' and that 'if you truly want to go out and party, it will happen, then and there!’.

About the tracks:
For the track, ’Bedroom Disco’, Iori tries to express his memories of 'a virtual night of partying’ that he experienced during Covid and created this track while being ‘in a state of wanting to break free from oppression’ and reminiscing about a party in a bedroom at night.

He also wanted to express the idea that no matter what situation or environment you are in, you can go to anywhere you want if you really want to and with that sentiment, he wanted to express a scenerio that transcends it and at the same time, he also wanted to convey his feelings of nostalgia for the past, rebellion against the environment and his feelings of desire.

For this track, Iori did not use any sampled voices or field recordings and created it by layering pure sonic imagery repeatedly folded and desolved which triggered the creation of new developments while imagining the thought that “a party actually begins when you step out” and the swaying of emotions that take place from it.

’Tropica' is a track that Iori produced by heavily mixing a utopian feel that people have inside of them with his own sensuality and is designed to ‘guide you to a tropical seaside', regardless of what the listener may have experienced in the past.
Unlike 'Bedroom Disco', this track uses a variety of samples and envisages "many elements intertwining with each other, working together to create this sound structure”. And it also expresses that equal opportunity exists for anyone who wants to visit an imaginary tropical land as well as the hope that even a brief break of the mind can be created by yourself and those close to you, if one pursues it.

About the artwork:
The cover of this new EP, the concept text 'Is your window open?', and the label's logo was designed by illustrator, HILOSHI SHINOZAKI who also worked on the first release, BOTANICA EP. For over 10 years, he has been a regular visitor of Hawaii, where he tries to cultivate his "true way of life” in his art.

And, artwork for the cover and label design of the EP is complemented by the label design and art direction of the record by hiro, a graphic designer who has been his partner and best friend since the first Botanica EP.
hiro expresses Bedroom Disco track's shifting compositional changes and its complex series of sound waves by creating an intricately multi-layered design that is a perfect representation of the way he sees it.
Also initially inspired by the fluctuations of waves, islands, sun, rays, sky and time, the artwork of Tropica also found inspiration from a drawing that made by Iori’s daughter who drew a picture of a scenery when she listened to the track. So through this design, one of the label’s concept of “the label’s activities is in itself art” was realised via the surprising contribution coming from his own family.

"For Japanese people, min'yo is both the closest, and most distant, folk music" explains band-leader Katsumi Tanaka. "We may not feel it in our daily, urban lives, yet the melodies, the style of singing and the rhythm of the taiko drums are engrained in our DNA".

Initially indifferent to min'yo, a tragic event in recent Japanese history set Tanaka on his current path: "Following the Tohoku earthquake of 2011, I reflected on my life, work and identity. A fan of world music, I began searching for Japanese roots music I could identify with. Discovering mid-late 20th century acts like Hibari Misora, Chiemi Eri and the Tokyo Cuban Boys, I was captivated by their eccentric arrangements and how they mixed min'yo with latin and jazz music."

Lead singer Freddie Tsukamoto fell for min'yo after hearing a song from his hometown on a TV competition whilst in a restaurant. It was a revelation – until then he had been an aspiring jazz singer yet was uncomfortable singing in English. The restaurateur told him a min'yo teacher was his neighbour and the two connected. Tanaka and Freddie formed Minyo Crusaders in 2011 in Fussa, a city where the US military Yokota Air Base is located, in western Tokyo.

Recruiting other local musicians versed in afro and latin rhythms, they began hosting jam sessions at the Banana House, a building that was previously part of the military base and that used to house US soldiers. The band started recording their music, and their debut album "Echoes Of Japan" was released in 2017. It received huge acclaim in Japan and abroad, and was also released by British label Mais Um in 2019. Several European tours followed, as well as some US and South America gigs.

In this second opus, the Minyo Crusaders take us on a trip to Japanese folk songs fused with latin rhythms. Their unique arrangements breathe new life to classics like Kiso Bushi, Sado Okesa or Soran Bushi, among many other min'yo songs from all over Japan that were originally performed by Japanese fishermen, coal miners and sumo wrestlers hundreds of years ago. The magical groove created here proves once again that the Minyo Crusaders are one of the most dynamic representatives of the current Japanese world music scene. Yoi Yoi, Enjoy!

“I did this piano/Rhodes recording, played live, without overdubs. I believe your approach to sound could match very well these tracks….” That’s how Giovanni Di Domenico’s collaboration with Rutger Zuydervelt started, though the first seeds were planted when the duo did a short live improv together in 2019, and Giovanni joining Hydra Ensemble on stage in 2022.

Painting a Picture / Picture a painting is -as the title suggest- an album of two long-form pieces, swapping the working method for each - one takes Giovanni’s recordings and has Rutger processing and adding to it, while the other one started with Rutger creating its foundation (with manipulated sounds of the first piece), and Giovanni building upon it. This resulted in two meandering tracks that are clearly linked, like two sides of the same coin. The cover, a painting of an empty canvas, is made by Christiaan Kuitwaard. A beautiful and ultimately fitting visual addition to this mysterious release.

12” Signed & Embossed Art Print

‘Well let me tell you a little something and it goes like this
Those New York Doll boys they were always looking for a kiss’
Those New York Dolls

The group that started it all back in those pre-punk days. The New York Dolls had it all, style, sass and the tunes to back it up. But as the title of their second and last studio album incurred they were simply `Too Much Too Soon’. For outside of New York and L.A. their humour and drag look was all too much for the mainstream listening public, so they imploded. But a few other bands were taking notes and by softening the edges they took over the world and as the title track of Mal-One’s latest 12” release points out;

‘But who wants a thrill without a little risk
I think we’ll just leave all that up to bands like Kiss’
Those New York Dolls

So Mal-One thought he ‘d better pay homage and let the kids know how great they were.
So we hope you enjoy this tribute to those New York Dolls that make you wanna go…
‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’.

Neo Gibson, born in Virginia and based in New York City, records, performs, and produces as 7038634357. This numerical alias, under which Gibson has been releasing work since 2016, offers a window into the careful ambivalences of the musical project. It conjures the impersonal_the opacity and randomness of data, a number that is hard to remember or even say out loud_while also suggesting a direct line of communication with the artist, down to an area code indexing their biography. 7038634357 uses a restricted palette to achieve music that is formally precise and emotionally direct. Their digital-native approach to production, in which frank melodies cross paths with heavy distortion, contains traces of both trance's maximalist arcs and a songwriterly intimacy. Expressive details may appear submerged or abraded, subjected to a canny sense of dynamics and textural specificity. Waterfall Horizon, Gibson's second vinyl record with Blank Forms Editions under the moniker 7038634357, was written for live performance and workshopped over successive shows during their 2022 European tour. Here, hallmarks of their earlier, studio-crafted recordings_digital distortion that obfuscates their lyrics and a slow-burning ambience_are noticeably pared back. Instead, Waterfall Horizon takes on a pop inflection, adopting more traditional lyric scaffolds so that the interstices from verse to chorus or track to track can flourish within their limited tonal range.Across recordings and performances, Gibson activates wide-ranging mechanisms of audience connection: from the relative anonymity of internet platforms to live experiments with the spatial effects of amplification. They have a particular interest in site-specific performances in non-musical spaces, and have performed in a variety of contexts, including the mezzanine of the West 4th Street subway station in New York City and INA GRM/Radio France's Présences électronique festival. Under their own name, Gibson has maintained a longstanding collaboration with the artist Charles Stobbs, working primarily with FM transmission and techniques derived from the early-seventeenth-century English tradition of change-ringing bells. The first 7038634357 vinyl record, Neo Seven, was released on Blank Forms Editions in 2023; previous releases include self-released cassettes and CD-Rs, as well as a pair of EPs on Genome 6.66 Mbp (2018, 2019).

Bergen-born Bare Folk's songs belong to the ballad genre, with clear elements of jazz and folk music. With harmonious, original melodies, the mood ranges from the melancholic to the life-affirming. Inspired by the greats of Norwegian ballad music, Bare Folk vitalizes the connection between poetry and music. Bergen's very own folk jazz song band Bare Folk has already been critically acclaimed and established as something unique on the music scene in the city between the mountains. Nevertheless, Bare Folk plays songs that songs should sound well-known but fresh, wistful but hopeful, humorous but serious. Their debut album is called "Noe Tror Jeg & Noe Vet Jeg" (Some things I think & some things I know). No surefire title, but it is sure that it contains something for every taste. Here you will find everything from socially critical satire to traditional harp songs to love songs - and everything in-between in beautiful harmony.

,Dogs" ist Cash Langdons zweites Album unter eigenem Namen, aber das erste mit seiner Band Meadow Dust (Bassist Matt Whitson und Schlagzeuger Reagan Bruce). Die Aufnahmen fanden größtenteils in den Portside Studios (dem ehemaligen Standort des legendären Muscle Shoals Sound) statt und wurden in nur zwei Tagen aufgenommen. Der Tontechniker Brad Timko (Dan Sartain, St. Paul and The Broken Bones) sorgte dafür, dass das Trio wild und tight klingt. Ihre unscharfe Interpretation von schwerem Country-Rock erinnert an Neil Young & Crazy Horse und verströmt die Hitze von Langdons Heimatstadt Birmingham. Wie bei Young ist seine Stimme gleichzeitig ernst und weltmüde, aber es gibt auch einen Sinn für Humor und die Resignation, weiterzumachen (,Dogs"). Diese Songs sind wunderschöne, brennende, südlich-gotische Zeugnisse der fortwährenden Gewalt, die es bedeutet, wach zu sein für die Welt um einen herum (,Lilac Whiskey Nose") und die Entschlossenheit, trotzdem wach zu bleiben (,Magic Again").

"Los Angeles-born music producer, artist, and DJ DF Tram is thrilled to announce the release of his highly anticipated new album, Bittersweet Afternoon on Orbscure Records. Orbscure Records, founded by Alex Paterson of the legendary electronic act The Orb, continues its tradition of championing innovative and boundary-pushing artists with this remarkable release. About DF Tram DF Tram is a leading figure in the global downtempo electronic scene, celebrated for his meticulously crafted audio-visual performances and immersive storytelling through sound. His work seamlessly blends ambient, sampling, spoken word, vocals, and psychedelia into genre-defying sonic journeys, offering listeners a unique and transformative experience. Bittersweet Afternoon Written and recorded between DF Tram’s Zagreb and Vienna studios during the pandemic and finished last year. Bittersweet Afternoon represents the next chapter in his storied career. The album surprises listeners with his vocals, bittersweet lullabies, and signature collage and spoken word style. Featuring atmospheric soundscapes and cinematic influences, the project reflects the spirit and playfulness of Alex Paterson and Orbscure’s commitment to fostering experimental, forward-thinking music. Adding to the album’s rich tapestry are collaborations with Alex Paterson himself on two tracks, as well as contributions from multi-talented contemporary classical violinist Violeta Vicci on another pair of songs. The first single and video, "The Librarian," offers an immersive glimpse into the world of DF Tram and “Bittersweet Afternoon”. Available on a limited edition transparent blue vinyl, card gatefold CD.

This is what you get when an emcee/producer is fed on a diet of abstract hip-hop, Southeast Asian samples, and Taoist folklore. Together with the Clementi Sound Appreciation Club (a five-piece band of up-and-coming musicians schooled in jazz from the local scene in Singapore), Mary Sue melts samples with live instrumentation on 'Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword.' At the core of the album is the tale of a time-traveling oracle, struggling to find meaning in the modern world-where ancient wisdom feels fragile, and truth is ever-shifting. A reinterpretation of idioms shapes its journey, where spiritual pursuits feel performative, and where the weight of the past clashes with an uncertain future. The music mirrors this tension: phrases of Gamelan music dissolve into smoky brass, spectral melodies unravel over off-kilter drums, and time bends through layered textures. 'Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword' is both a reckoning and a dream, where echoes of the past find new life in the chaos of now. A porcelain shield shatters on impact; a paper sword folds before it cuts. It's about the constant, fragile push-and-pull between aesthetics and money, tradition and progress, meaning and spectacle. "Like the oracle, we're all stuck in a world where spiritual longing gets tangled up with consumerism, where authenticity is blurred by performance, and where finding real meaning feels shakier than ever," rapper and producer Mary Sue explains. "'Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword' lives in that field of tension. The album drifts between beauty and collapse, truth and illusion, and past and present, without ever landing on solid ground."

Man singt und es wird: Im Zuge eines Zusammenbruchs hat Max Gruber den Soloartist Drangsal gekillt und die Band Drangsal gegründet. Am Ende des Tunnels steht das im Juni 2025 erscheinende Album, Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen.

 Seit über zehn Jahren sichelt Max Gruber mittlerweile die Zick-Zack-Schneise Drangsal durch die deutsche Poplandschaft: Harieschaim aus 2016, Zores aus 2018 und zuletzt Exit Strategy – das ihm 2021 Platz 6 der Albumcharts bescherte – erdachte Gruber größtenteils im Alleingang. Und dann war da noch etwas nach seiner Exit Strategy: Ein Zusammenbruch. Max Gruber wusste nicht mehr, ob und wenn ja, wie er weiter Drangsal machen will, veröffentlichte im Ullstein-Verlag sein literarisches Debüt »Doch«, gründete Die Benjamins, holte so gemeinsam mit Charlotte Brandi, Thomas Götz und Julian Knoth Hans-A-Plast Frontfrau Annette Benjamin aus dem Ruhestand und reaktivierte unlängst das 2016 mit Stella Sommer gegründete Duo Die Mausis.

Und doch, von innen wie von außen, immer wieder die Frage nach einem neuen Drangsal-Album. Wenn es denn überhaupt nochmal eines geben soll, erkannte Gruber, musste er die Arbeitsweise, auf deren Grundlage Drangsal-Songs entstehen, fundamental verändern. Auf alles Ringen folgte, was unvermeidbar war: Der Reset. Max Gruber hat den Soloartist Drangsal gekillt und die dreiköpfige Band Drangsal gegründet – zusammen mit zwei Mitmusikern, die ihn aus seinen Gewohnheiten gelöst haben: Lukas Korn und Marvin Holley.
Erstgenannter ist Gitarrist und Produzent, spielt in der Band Lyschko, produzierte zuletzt das Album silber von Mia Morgan und hat seit 2020 als Bassist an der Drangsal-Liveband partizipiert. Zweiterer studierte Jazz- und klassische Gitarre sowie Komposition in Stuttgart und Wien, stand mit Sam Vance-Law und Fil Bo Riva auf der Bühne und arrangierte für Film und Theater. Lukas Korn und Marvin Holley haben dafür gesorgt, dass sich die zentrale Figur im Kosmos Drangsal dreiteilt.

Das Liedermachen in Bandkonstellation ließ alle Angst platzen: Getragen von Euphorie nahmen Gruber, Holley und Korn ab Ende 2022 etliche Songskizzen und damit den Unterbau eines siebzehnteiligen Albums auf. Nach Kreativurlauben an der polnischen Grenze und Ostsee stand eine von Max Rieger produzierte und von Lukas Korn Co-produzierte vierte Drangsal-LP. Sie trägt den schwergängigen Titel Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen und erscheint im Juni 2025. Gruber, Holley und Korn haben sich auf das Credo so wenig wie möglich, so viel wie nötig verständigt – und dadurch einen Umbruch im Klangkosmos Drangsals manifestiert, der völlig neue Dynamiken mit sich bringt. Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen hält Leerstellen aus, in seinem Zentrum stehen, statt Synthesizer, Akustikgitarren, die immer wieder an der Grenze zu Blues und Jazz wandeln. Wo speziell auf Exit Strategy noch überzuckerter Synth-Pop preschte, ist nun Klavier zu hören; Orgel, Klavinet und Cembalo; Xylophon, Violinen und Celli; von Ralph Heidel gespielte Querflöten und Saxophone.

Dazwischen drei Episoden, in denen sich Gospel Chöre und Technobeats breitmachen. Max Rieger hat die drei dazu motiviert, Echtheit, auch Imperfektion im Moment der Aufnahme zuzulassen – und großen Anteil daran, dass »Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen« ein realistisches Abbild des Trios bietet. Die Stimmung? Dagegen eher ein Wechselbad. Max Gruber singt von Selbstentfremdung, vom Für und Wider des Stillstands, vom Sichhingeben und Sichwegschmeißen – mal auf deutsch, mal auf englisch, mal zart, mal angewidert. Grubers Stimme klingt, nach einer klassischen Gesangsausbildung, die der Einunddreißigjährige angetreten hat, zielbewusster. Umarmungen Marke »Ich hab von der Musik geträumt und Inkomplett treffen auf Gewitterwolken à la Mein Eid und dem Sophia-Blenda-Feature Mein Mo(nu)ment. Entlang rigoroser Entkernung und Hexenjagd geht es Bergab – für dich, für mich, für Max Gruber sowieso. Er ist über weite Teile der Platte hinweg auf der Flucht vor sich selbst, den alten Geistern, dem leidigen Wachzustand: Wär’ ich doch bloß nimmermehr erwacht, ich schliefe in ewigem Glück. Gruber sucht und sucht: Nach innerem Frieden, nach Gnade, nach unverbranntem Boden, nach neuen Versionen seiner Selbst – und das vergeblich. Immerhin scheinen Erinnerungen mit der Zeit zu verschwimmen: Grubers Worte – zu sich und zur Welt – klingen im hinteren Teil der Platte sanfter, vergebender, resümierender. Ein Schlüsselmoment? Das von der Schauspielerin Rosa Lembeck eingesprochene, Monolog artig formulierte Klanggedicht Rosa – Es ist so: Man singt und es wird.

Ali Farka Touré trekked the world, bringing his beloved Malian music to the masses. Dubbed “the African John Lee Hooker,” one could hear strong connections between the two; both employed a bluesy style of play with gritty textures that elicit calm and fury in equal measure. While the influence of Black blues music prevailed, Touré created a West African blend of 'desert blues' that garnered Grammy awards and widespread reverence. Though he transcended in 2006, Ali’s musical legacy lives on through his son, Vieux aka “the Hendrix of the Sahara,” an accomplished guitarist and champion of Malian music in his own right. On Ali, his collaborative album with Khruangbin, Vieux pays homage to his father by recreating some of his most resonant work, putting new twists on it while maintaining the original’s integrity. The result is a rightful ode to a legend. Ali isn’t just a greatest hits compilation. It’s a lullaby, a remembrance of Ali's life through known highlights and B-sides from his catalog. It is a testament to what happens when creativity is approached through open arms and open hearts. “To me, music is magic, it is spontaneous, it is the energy between people,” Vieux says. “I think Khruangbin understands this very well.” The genesis of the album dates back to 2019, when Khruangbin, coming off their breakthrough album Con Todo el Mundo, was beginning to play to bigger crowds. The record was finished in 2021, as a global pandemic shuttered businesses and forced us to take stock of what Earth was becoming. Indirectly, Ali captures this as a moment of peace within a raging storm, a conversation between past and present without allegiance to suffering. Now, given Khruangbin’s reach as a unit with legions of fans (including the likes of Jay-Z and Paul McCartney), they’re poised to bring Malian music to broader groups of listeners. Ali is a masterful work in which the love surrounding it is just as vital as the music itself, driving it to unforeseen places; Vieux and Khruangbin are spreading the good word to a completely new generation. “I hope it takes them somewhere new, or puts them in a place they haven't felt or heard,” Lee says. “It is about the love of new friendship and making something beautiful together,” Vieux continues. “It is about pouring your love into something old to make it new again. In the end and in a word it is love, that's all.”

Elsden Music presents the vinyl version of 'Above The Clouds', by the Ilario Ferrari Trio, with two brand news tracks - a new recording of the title track featuring trumpeter Henry Spencer and a stunning live version of "Leah Meets Laika"

The release of the vinyl comes at the point of an extensive tour across the UK and Europea between now and the end of this year.

On the cusp of releasing this, his fourth studio recorded album, pianist and singer Ilario Ferrari has developed a distinctive compositional style that integrates instrumental contemporary jazz with vocal harmonies, adding hints of sounds and rhythms from both Indian and Mediterranean culture, alongside some classical nuances with additional influences from Ilario's southern Italian heritage. This approach is singular to Ilario Ferrari as an artist: a style that is perfectly complimented by his two well-known collaborators and rising jazz stars in their own right; drummer Katie Patterson and bassist Charlie Pyne.

At the heart of 'Above The Clouds' lies the notion of relationships. Between us and our planet, the musical and personal relationships between Ilario, Charlie and Katie, and, of course, with their loved ones. It is also about elevation and observation, from 'Above The Clouds' and from the grounded embrace of Mother Earth, impressions of love, loss, and home, expressed through a beguiling blend of vocal led songs and instrumentals.

This recording is more than just a simple jazz trio album, with the trio expanding and contracting as the song requires. The Ilario Ferrari Trio's innovative approach combined with their indisputable skill promises to be a breath of fresh air in the jazz world and beyond.

Ilario Ferrari: piano, piano effects & vocals
Charlie Pyne: double base & vocals
Ketie Patterson: drums & vocals
Plus: Henry Spencer: trumpet (on "Above The Clouds")

Recorded in the summer of 1978 in Manhattan's C. I. Recording Studio this rare encounter of jazz's supreme instrumentalists and individualists Walt Dickerson (1928 - 2008) and Sun Ra (1914 - 1993) became an instant cult album among the followers of Avant Garde jazz of the '70s.

The author of the newly added liner notes Neil Tesser remarks, "Nearly a half-century after the fact, Visions now stands as a milestone of free improvisation". Almost half a century ago Trevor Tolley of Canadian jazz publication Coda enthused, "This is a tremendous record...outstanding collaborations throughout this beautiful record, as well as some gloriously sustained solo passages...it is the work of two masters in the full certainty of their powers."

Sun Ra: piano
Walt Dickerson: vibraphone
Recorded July 11, 1978