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Following up his anthemic late-summer burner, Hope, Credit 00 returns to Pinkman to deliver the album Midnightlife Crisis. Hopping between genres whilst remaining resolutely coherent, the twelve-track double LP is a showcase of the Rat Life boss' many influences. From the driving, mesmeric techno of Music Is A Spiritual Thing to the sci-fi electro on Bouncing Bell and Love Warrior's downtempo, half-time shuffle, the collection of tracks is broad and varied yet simultaneously unified by belonging to the club. Whether it's warm-up material, peaktime rollers or afterhours sludge for tired legs and scrambled heads, there's something for every scenario on Midnightlife Crisis. And with recurring themes of melancholy and anxiety throughout, the album perhaps reflects that all too familiar period for every club enthusiast when the years are ticking by and the lights are coming on. "I just hope there's hope", sings the voice on the album's lead single, before reminding us that the dancefloor's sweet release is often the best remedy to these negative thoughts - "I see you shaking on the floor, that gives me hope, gives me hope."

Me Neither is a 29 track double album of instrumental guitar music. While juggling a number of other projects James Elkington began writing "music for which there was no purpose." It became a new way of working for him - waking up each morning and improvising and recording the first thing that came into his head. "The only rules I gave myself were that I should make most of the sounds with a guitar, changing the speed or processing the recordings afterwards to get the effect I was looking for." Before long he had an albums worth of material. About mid-way through the second album Elkington had a liberating thought: he was making his own version of library music "if you're writing library music, you don't have to know what it's for - that can be someone else's job."

Trym Søvdsnes is a relative newcomer to the scene, but he’s been putting in work in and around Bergen for years, scoring a residency at the infamous Café Opera, where he snagged the attention of local house legend Bjørn Torske. Soon, the duo were DJing, producing and performing together, eventually running the monthly radio show Pigs in Space where they would go head-to-head for six hours at a time, plumbing the depths of their immense record collections.

It’s this lust for bottom-of-the-crate oddities that guides Søvdsnes’ self-titled debut album, a concoction of dub techno, hard-swung house and percussive club music that positions itself a few paces away from any conventional modes. Basically, a perfect fit for Le Jazz Non.

‘Gølles Dans’ opens with a filtered acid bassline and bone dry kick that’s like some psychedelic, slower variant of Basic Channel’s ‘Enforcement’, slicing into the groove with gristly acoustic percussion that drags it up from the basement. The producer leans into asymmetry on ‘Døgnrytmen’, wrangling 303 squelches with booming Berghain kicks and tight snares, enhancing the psychedelic potential by layering ticking percussion into loopy spirals. If you’ve ever caught an extended Dozzy set, this is the kind of ruff-edged gear he would likely play an hour before sunrise. ‘Ordnings Mix’ is weirder still, slopping chirpy bleep/rave stabs into a jazzy hybrid that sounds like a bossa meltdown.

Søvdsnes saves his most cosmic mettle for last, on ‘Cowboy Acid (Solstikk Dub)’ he strips the kickdrum to a faint knock, before building up into a sort of screwed Metro Area mirrorball that sounds brilliantly out of time.

Purple Color Vinyl

We are really proud to introduce a new release on Mawimbi Records: "Mawimbi, Vol. 2”. Its title is a nod to “Mawimbi, Vol. 1”, which was the inaugural release of our record label back in 2015. A new compilation, at last, after a decade of music activism and a handful of EPs and albums which have helped unearth some of today’s talents from the new global music scene (Onipa, Loya, Afriquoi, Raz & Afla). It stays true to the driving principles of our artistic direction: support upcoming artists, e ncourage the breaking down of musical frontiers, help make happen new encounters between electronic music and so-called “afro” music. While these encounters can now be witnessed anywhere in pop music’s current zeitgeist, from Beyoncé to South African’s vibrant amapiano scene, we think there’s still plenty to explore.

“Mawimbi, Vol. 2” truly feels like the culmination of a long path for our record label. Because it includes artists who have been actively contributing to the Mawimbi adventure over the years, and also because it’s another convincing testimony of the fruitfulness of this musical intuition we have so heartily been defending for the last decade. Indeed, the 8 tracks of “Mawimbi, Vol. 2” resist all the usual labels. They sound like they stem more from human encounters and artistic dialogues launched in the moment than attempts to be associated with any music scene in particular. Each of the 8 pieces of this compilation presents in a unique way the search for this cross-pollinating sound.

The compilation opens with a really engaging rework of James Stewart’s classic track “Cotonou” by Lyon-based tropical music enthusiasts Voilaaa, who took Peter Solo’s voodoo soul lines on a trip across the Black Atlantic beginning with a horn-heavy cuban cha-cha-cha before falling into a savory triple time dance. As tireless sonic adventurers, Amsterdam-based duo Umoja have brought back a handful of hits from their numerous trips to Kenya meeting with local benga musicians. “Avana Va” is one of their compelling tunes, featuring Kenyan musician and producer Sidney Simila. This urge to collaborate with musicians from across the African continent is also to be found in Village Cuts’ ever expanding discography. On “Sentima”, they showcase their trademark London funky sound, introducing us to the talents of Congolese guitarist and singer Kissangwa.

Afriquoi’s 2020 hit “Ndeko Solo” is presented in a brand new shape, sprinkled with some French Touch flavours. “Djansa”, by Toulouse-based producers Mr. Boom, rides a distinct South African-inspired groove, while inviting us to a nighttime dance by the Balearic sea. On “Silent Runner”, French producer and musician Ozferti moulds his own musical galaxy where East African scales meet cutting edge global club beats. With “Nabi Kumi”, Anglo-Ghanaian duo Raz & Afla delivers their deepest piece, once again inducing a state of trance with a triple-time beat and an hypnotic kora loop. Closing the compilation, “It's Holy” is a unique collaboration between Tom Excell (Onipa, Nubiyan Twist, David Walters) and Dizraeli, one of the most interesting voices in British rap, which by making connections between broken beat, jazz and african music, illustrates the precious mixture of musical aesthetics that make up the current UK musical landscape.

Repress!

To celebrate what would have been the world-renowned songwriter, Rod Temperton’s 70th birthday, one of the highlights of Heatwave’s ‘Central Heating’ album, and never before released as a single, the mystical ‘The Star Of A Story’ gets an official, remastered outing on 45! Backed with the intoxicating, funk joint ‘Ain’t No Half’ Steppin’ it’s an incredible insight into the magic of both Rod and Heatwave as a whole.

Formed in 1975, Heatwave, primarily a chart topping funk / disco outfit, dropped ‘The Star Of A Story’ an uncharacteristic yet deeply elegant and ethereal departure crafted by keyboardist, Rod Temperton. Like an eternally warming Balearic blanket, angelic, siren-like falsetto vocals from Johnnie Wilder lure from a distance as harmonies straight outta heaven drift across the airwaves.

It’s a serenade of the sweetest kind backed with sweeping cellos, soft keys and laidback acoustic guitars. A dream-inducing, drifting beauty that has been sampled numerous times by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde and Hudson Mohawke and even covered by the legendary George Benson.

On the flip side, a trademark Heatwave mid-tempo funk number, in the form of ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin’. Beginning with a head spinning intro that leads into a true showcase of the group’s collective power on the mic. Mario Mantese jams out on the bass as blaring horns, lively strings and grooving chord struts turn this up about as hot as you can get. Sultry, soulful and smooth bursting at the seams with funk richness it’s long been a staple of the some of the best DJs out there and famously sampled by Big Daddy Kane, amongst many others.

In the early 21st century on the bustling streets of New York City, Jennifer Vanilla is a container, a portal, a joy delivery system, a self help regimen, a social mirror, a Times Square celebrity, a shark-toothed advertiser, a kicky talk show host and an ebullient mascot. Collaboratively crafted with co-writer/co-producer Brian Abelson , Jennifer Vanilla's debut full length Castle in the Sky is a deft and mercurial "jennifreaky" journey, traversing 90s dance music, no wave, post-punk, art pop, new age and experimental R&B. "Consider this an invitation, I'll be your guide," Vanilla beckons on the album's "Take Me For A Ride," which, like much of the album, is driven by their nimble and virtuosic vocal delivery. Variously steely, theatrical, sensuous and authoritative, Vanilla's vocals harken the sparkling precision of Ann Steel, the growling tenacity of Laurie Anderson and the wispy tenderness of Shelley Duvall in Faerie Tale Theatre. Jennifer Vanilla performances often are exercises in the transformation of reality through fantasy, testing the limits thereof, while the songs of Castle in the Sky are an artifact of that laboratory. Many of these songs took on numerous incarnations over the course of years before arriving at their album form, mutated in direct response to audience reaction. A year after the initial release of Castle in the Sky via Sinderlyn Records, a vinyl edition of the record arrives on December 1, 2023, featuring bonus remixes and reworks from Jerry Paper and musclecars.

Filled with aural magic and enchanting musical spells, Sorcerer is true to its name. The third of five albums devised by Miles Davis' legendary second quintet – and the second record in a still-unprecedented string of eight consecutive releases within a four-year period that forever changed the face of jazz – the 1967 magnum opus mesmerizes with instrumental colours, subdued musings, and subtle details.

This is a reference-standard reissue. You'll hear poetic lyricism pouring out of Wayne Shorter's horn, the breadth and definition of the notes spreading across an enormous soundstage. Never before have drummer Tony Williams' rim shots ricocheted with such purpose or his light percussive work mirrored that of a feather touching skin. Similarly, Herbie Hancock's piano runs now occupy their own space, where their relationship to the central rhythms and front line becomes clearer.

Prizing inflection and nuance more so than heady solos or uptempo flights, Sorcerer mesmerizes with cerebral properties and cascades of emotional interplay. Such beauty emerges in the mellow ballad "Pee Wee," an indelible statement of restrained authority and sophisticated expression. The swirling title track unfolds as jazz shadowplay, Hancock, Shorter, and Williams mirroring one another's moves with guile and purpose. The opening "Prince of Darkness" showcases the ensemble's reach and communication, every musician going in seemingly different directions yet ending up on the same page

A lasting example of Davis' visionary insight, Sorcerer is comprised entirely of pieces written by his band mates. Indeed, save for the closing "Nothing Like You" – a brief tribute to Davis' eventual wife, who also graces the cover, recorded in 1962 and adorned with vocals from Bob Dorough, the album represents a further maturation and refinement of a quintet that stands as one of the finest in jazz history.

While this may be the first release on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit from Global Goon, the one known to friends and family as Johnny Hawk brings a whole heap of experience to the Nanoclusters mini-LP.

Hawk started dropping Global Goon records on the legendary Rephlex Records back in the 1990s. The project's subsequent releases have taken in imprints as esteemed as WéMè and Balkan. Factor in a whole host of other aliases which have delivered missives via the likes of Planet Mu, and you know even before you press play on this witty, wily record that you're dealing with a master at work here.

The confidence with which Global Goon approaches Nanoclusters shines through in Hawk taking much of the mini-album at midtempo. Cuts like 'Khroxic Mould', 'Metallik' and 'Syntheseers' sound like Bochum Welt heading down a dark alleyway. The former in particular is a seasick lope, the tuned synths lurching around like sailors on deck in a storm as bass ebbs and flows underneath the mix.

The influence of Kraftwerk comes through prominently at times here, particularly in the way 'Calcula' and 'Digit Six' play pensive, slightly sombre synth chords off some simple but effective forward motion in the drum programming. That is not to say that Nanoclusters is not full of invention, though. None of the productions are overly flash, but this approach allows the little details to shine through more clearly, from cleverly panned hi-hats to hissing synth counter-melodies which flit in and out of the mix. Enthralling and packed full of ear candy, they're further evidence that Nanoclusters is the work of an expert craftsman.

While the pulse of Nanoclusters remains relatively steady throughout, it's still a rather lively record. Plenty of these tracks will get the dancefloor moving if deployed correctly - though whether they're heard at home or in the dance, it's the attention to detail which makes them stand out.

'Snapterisk' is as perfect an example of machine-funk as you're likely to find - the drum programming is razor-sharp but rubbery with bongos, the bass a lithe burble, and those wobbly stabs of keys that put a bit of wiggle in the beat? Delightful stuff. Elsewhere the ever-looping arpeggio of 'Metro Esc' has hints of Frankie Knuckles' house classic 'Your Love', though an array of interesting sonic nuggets - snippets of vocal, radar-like bloops, a gently insistent low-end pulse - soften the track's clubbier elements with a pillowy sheen. And Hawk throws us a curveball right at the end of Nanoclusters, tapping back into that old Rephlex sound for the fizzy, braindancing 'Metal Glass'.

Global Goon doesn't need to show off on Nanoclusters - from brilliantly slick machine-funk to Kraftwerkian reveries, the CPU debutant lets the music do the talking here. It makes for a confident and vivacious mini-LP, one which wears its expertise lightly.

RIYL: Cardopusher, Bochum Welt, Cygnus, D'Arcangelo

Michael Chapman (1941-2021) released his debut album Rainmaker in 1969 on Harvest. He went on to release over fifty albums and influence many with his evocative songwriting and guitar prowess. From heady jams to expressive ballads to experimental noise, Chapman’s work continues to inspire. Tompkins Square recruited Henry Parker to curate a collection of covers by working musicians from Chapman’s home turf in Northern England. With stunning artwork by local artist Bunty Marshall mapping the important places in Michael’s life, this 12th volume of Tompkins Square’s Imaginational Anthem series is the ultimate tribute to a very dearly missed artist. Notes from Henry Parker: Tompkins Square approached me in Autumn 2022 about putting together a tribute album to Michael Chapman who had passed away one year ago, on my birthday, in 2021. I remember it well; Michael Chapman had always been a huge inspiration to me since starting out on the acoustic guitar and was the first artist I had heard who played the instrument with that heavy thumb, drop tuned sound. I first got the chance to see him live at the Bradford experimental music festival Threadfest in 2015 and then went on to watch him play many more times, in the northern towns of Halifax, Hebden Bridge and Preston, also getting the chance to support him on a couple of his Yorkshire dates in 2018, in Saltaire and his hometown of Leeds. With both Michael Chapman and myself proudly coming from the county of Yorkshire in northern England, Tomkins Square and I decided to make this compilation decidedly Yorkshire focused, bringing together seven other artists from the county who have drawn influence from the profound music of this man.For those who don’t know, Yorkshire is an area that spans much of northern England, with its people taking great pride in the county, never too seriously, and poking fun at the “soft south” or it’s near neighbour Lancashire. Michael’s sound always spanned from introspective folk songwriting to more experimental forms and naturally so does this album, created for Tompkins Square. When it came to choosing musicians to contribute to the record, I was grateful for the Yorkshire limitation on who I could draw from, as the resulting album is comprised of eight artists, who have all shared stages with each other across the folk and experimental scenes in the area. The lack of “bigger” names on the record feels natural, there’s no ego about this project as there never was with Michael, who always seemed content touring the smaller clubs and making records for anyone who was interested. The artwork for the project came together organically, and firmly within the Yorkshire cottage industry. Two months before I was asked to put this album together, I had played a show in Leeds for the launch of a new zine, centred on folklore and mythology. The artist and founder of the zine Bunty has an exceptional eye for detail and a profound love of Yorkshire landscape and culture. Her intricate maps and illustrations created for ‘Hwaet’ zine were the perfect starting point the for this record, and the cover art and inner sleeve is an ocean of detail for Michael Chapman’s incredible life, music and his connection to Yorkshire

Much has been written about Young Marble Giants' small, perfect catalogue, which contained roughly two-dozen songs, nearly each one a perfect gem. Less is known about his long wilderness years after the break-up of his first professional band. His next project, The Gist, chopped YMG's minimalism into a new sound. This Is Love, Public Girls and Fool For A Valentine showed his songs to be razor-sharp, but the album's fragmented pieces were a step too far for some, though even the strangest, Carnival Headache, when cast in sunlight by Alison Statton's combo Weekend, was as fine a song as any he'd written - and Love At First Sight became a million-seller when covered by Etienne Daho. Then Stuart disappeared. A rmid-90s resurgence led to fine albums done on low budgets, before more silence followed. The Gist's 2018's release Holding Pattern - unexpected and then quickly followed by YMG singer Alison Statton's first new album with her accompanist Spike in two decades, adding fuel to public interest. The Devil Laughs, recorded a few years back, is a compelling addition to the canon of the 21st century songwriting. Stuart's generally unadorned musical presentation does not hinder his appreciation for the skills of Louis Philippe, whose iconic arrangements across an array of Él label albums inspire the fierce devotion of aficionados around the world. Nor does the unvarnished solidity of Stuart's arrangements deter Louis from hearing possibilities for their presentation in styles which take inspiration from the perfection of 1960's studio technology that led to the rise of Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach, along with less-recognised names such as Bones Howe and Roy Halee. Tidy Away is Young Marble Giants redux, though the backing vocals hint at maturity which band didn't live to see. Fighting To Lose, written with producer Ken Brake, would pass as a worthy b-side to Bridge Over Troubled Water, and although the songs are otherwise Stuart's, Louis fans will delight at several, like Love Hangover and Sky Over Water, which display his style and production genius as succinctly as anything on his own albums. The Devil Laughs is as out of its time as Colossal Youth was - its subtle but immediate beauty, devoid of "rock", is a recording best understood in the light of those obscure groundbreakers who inspired it - the faux barbershop vocals of Smile-era Beach Boys, the studio lustre of Tom Wilson's work with Simon & Garfunkel, a dash of The Swingle Sisters and French chanson - along with enough hints of Young Marble Giant's modernist folk abstraction to satisfy longtime fans. The Devil Laughs is a small masterpiece of pure expression.

Paul C returns to Hot Creations as he serves up his first solo material for the label with his bumping three-track ‘Let The Bass Kik’ EP.

A mainstay within the Italian house landscape for over two decades, DJ/producer and label owner Paul C has delivered quality house records via a wealth of top-tier imprints while featuring at key clubs across Europe and beyond. Having made his debut on the label back in 2013 with his bustling collaboration ‘Get This!’, with 2015’s follow-up ‘Pinball’ also proving to be a favourite for many, he now returns to Hot Creations as he delivers three impressive tracks across his ‘Let The Bass Kik’ EP.

Opening the package is title track ‘Let The Bass Kik’, a vibrant, energy-charged effort loaded with slinking basslines, hooky samples and sweeping synths to provide a peak time cut made for bustling dancefloors. Next, ‘Can U Dance’ keeps things moving as sweeping electronics and soaring leads are guided by slick metallic drums, before ‘Red Green Yellow’ closes the show as sharp percussion arrangements meet echoed vocals and rich melodies.

2LP with poster + iron-on print, gatefold sleeve. On their 2015 self titled debut EP, Hällas lay the foundation of the saga bearing the same name as the protagonist crusader as well as the band themselves, which later grew into a trilogy composed of the two last songs on the aforementioned EP and the two following albums Excerpts from a Future Past and Conundrum. To celebrate the completion of the trilogy the band decided to do a one-off show in front of a seated audience at Cirkus, a classic venue in Stockholm. Due to worldwide restrictions the show had to be replanned and postponed several times until it finally happened on April 10th 2022. After more than two years on hiatus and with the exception of a minor festival gig the year before, this was the band's first performance during that whole period, and it was by far the longest set to date in the band's entire career. All first three releases of the band were to be performed from back to back divided into two acts. Act I consisted of Hällas and Excerpts from a Future Past while Conundrum and two songs from their newly released album Isle of Wisdom were performed in Act II. For the first time people were able to experience these new songs live. Some of the older songs such as Insomnia and Tale of a Tyrant had not been performed for several years. Strider and Blinded by the Emerald Mist had never even been played live before. So Hällas fans from all over the world attending the show were in for an unforgettable evening. With this record you get a slice of that pie in the comfort of your own living room. So please have a seat and enjoy this time capsule, as it is a very good representation of how this band sounded live back then.

2LP with poster + iron-on print, gatefold sleeve. On their 2015 self titled debut EP, Hällas lay the foundation of the saga bearing the same name as the protagonist crusader as well as the band themselves, which later grew into a trilogy composed of the two last songs on the aforementioned EP and the two following albums Excerpts from a Future Past and Conundrum. To celebrate the completion of the trilogy the band decided to do a one-off show in front of a seated audience at Cirkus, a classic venue in Stockholm. Due to worldwide restrictions the show had to be replanned and postponed several times until it finally happened on April 10th 2022. After more than two years on hiatus and with the exception of a minor festival gig the year before, this was the band's first performance during that whole period, and it was by far the longest set to date in the band's entire career. All first three releases of the band were to be performed from back to back divided into two acts. Act I consisted of Hällas and Excerpts from a Future Past while Conundrum and two songs from their newly released album Isle of Wisdom were performed in Act II. For the first time people were able to experience these new songs live. Some of the older songs such as Insomnia and Tale of a Tyrant had not been performed for several years. Strider and Blinded by the Emerald Mist had never even been played live before. So Hällas fans from all over the world attending the show were in for an unforgettable evening. With this record you get a slice of that pie in the comfort of your own living room. So please have a seat and enjoy this time capsule, as it is a very good representation of how this band sounded live back then.

Vocal Shades And Tones is a miraculous leftfield library classic from the genius mind of celebrated UK composer/singer/vocal arranger Barbara Moore. It's a heavenly groove-based blend of jazz, Latin, soft-psych, folk-funk and gospel soul. Recorded for the legendary Music De Wolfe in 1972, it's an audacious start-to-finish listen, as dizzying as it is dazzling. It's a perfect snapshot of a musical era, supported by Moore's glorious vocal arrangements. Widely regarded among collectors, DJs, and lounge/easy-listening acolytes as an absolute essential it is viewed as the holy grail by many production music heads, rarely appearing for sale and disappearing in a flash when it does. Indeed, originals now go for over £300 and it's easy to see why. Just one of the reasons why this fresh Be With reissue, part of a wider De Wolfe reissue campaign, is so utterly crucial.

Racing out the gate, the driving "Hot Heels" is a bright, sophisticated scat groove which sounds Brazilian, richly produced as if coming by the hand of Arthur Verocai. Yes, *that* good. It's followed by "It's Gospel" which is, er, a wonderfully slow and deeply soulful gospel treasure. The appropriately monikered "Steam Heat" is a darker, breathy gem, one for salacious crates and one of the record's most infamous tracks. "Fly Away" is pastoral West Coast soft rock, very much in conversation with John Cameron and Keith Mansfield's epochal KPM recording, Voices In Harmony. "His Name Was" is a stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks Beach Boys accapella church-organ stunner, whilst "Swing Over" is another carefree, richly produced sun-dappled smasher. The gentle Bossa and sunshine soul of the aptly-titled "Touch Of Warmth" closes out a virtually perfect A-Side.

The B-Side opens with the easy grace and dramatic build of "Voice Force Nine". The jaunty "Very Fine Fellow" may be the only track to slightly grate so we advise heading to the slower, moody "Shades-Tones", eminently more compelling with sparkling, hypnotic piano throughout, underpinning the gorgeous wordless vocals. Just beautiful. It was sampled by Redman for his Method Man-featuring "Do What Ya Feel" on the great Muddy Waters. We're back in Brazilian territory with the cool, uptempo "I'm Feather" before swooning to the warm, relaxed "Drifting", another total highlight which was famously sampled by Koushik on his legendary remix of Madvillain's "America's Most Blunted (Doom's Verse)". The penultimate track, "Take Off" is a bright, organ lounge groove before this remarkable set is rounded out by the beaty "Fly Paradise". It's so so good, it sounds like Rotary Connection fronted by The Mamas & the Papas. As noted in a recent Guardian article on Moore's life, "there is a plushness and electricity in the tight vocal harmonies that spring out, sung with the precision of cathedral choristers decades before Auto-Tune." Amen.

In the 1960s, Barbara Moore was a member of Top of the Pops’ resident vocal-harmony group, The Ladybirds and sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield’s TV show. Her own outfit, the Barbara Moore Singers, were regulars on TOTP, singing with Jimi Hendrix when he performed "Hey Joe" live in Lime Grove Studios. An important detail for Moore was the shepherd’s pie she bought Hendrix when she found him alone, looking emaciated, near the BBC canteen. By 1970, she was working as a session singer for De Wolfe and, by 1972, was composing her own tracks for De Wolfe and working within their tight creative strictures. Each short track had to evoke an obvious mood and theme, with no significant key or tempo changes. Her response, this very album, managed to stay between the lines while cohering as an overarching artistic masterpiece.

The audio for Vocal Shades And Tones has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

The Roger Webb Sound's Moonshade is one of the coolest records ever. Originally appearing via the legendary De Wolfe library in 1971, it's a sumptuous jazz-soul-funk instrumental set. Full of melodic, melancholic yet sun-drenched songs, rich with colour and contrast, it was composed by self-taught jazz pianist Roger Webb and features vocal performances by Barbara Moore. That's right; *the* powerhouse library music duo! It makes Moonshade the perfect precursor and accompaniment to Barbara Moore's eternal classic Vocal Shades And Tones. It will come as no surprise that original copies, if you can ever find them, will set you back north of 200 notes.

Moonshade is a phenomenal showcase of Brit maestro Webb's own roots in jazz. Those roots are served up here with a plethora of fast-stepping rhythms that truly give flight to the vocals of Barbara Moore, as they soar in wonderful ways. Moore sings wordlessly throughout, allowing her voice to act like another instrument in concert with the horns and keyboards elevating the fine arrangements. This is a deeply beautiful record.

The album opens with the ornate Baroque pop splendour of the sun-dappled melancholia of "Sunshine". Strings, piano and wordless female vocals combine to create this brief beauty of unimaginable grace. The cool "Gentle Eyes" features haunting and beautiful vocals, smooth jazz piano and horns and a general easy vibe without being easy listening, if you know what we mean. You do. Just listen. The pounding "Heavy Lace" is one for the beat-heads, funky open drums (!) with muted organ, bassy piano chords and ace horns. Sampled by Quakers for their great debut album on Stones Throw. The nostalgic "Yesterday" is wistful and beautifully melodic instrumental soul music with gorgeous acoustic guitar and flutes. It's followed by the light, lilting "Petal Soft" which features more Baroque styles, overflowing with flutes and harps. The bright, bouncing "Coaster" is an easy-going piano-led, guitar-driven swinger whilst "Grey Sigh" is another classic. A real highlight, with more fantastic propulsive drums and percussion and plaintive wordless vocals courtesy of Barbara. Speaking of which, the soft, sweet Rhodes jazz of the lilting "Sweet Thing" is another staggering showcase of the brilliance of Barbara. Just astounding.

Head straight past the honky-tonk-by-numbers piano jaunt "Cough Drop" and luxuriate in the soft, delicate beauty of the album's melodic, cyclical title track, "Moon Shade". Fragile flutes and acoustic guitar float across judicious bass notes before giving way to slightly ominous piano and, again, those beguiling wordless vocals. And then round again to the flute refrain of the intro. This time with the vocals to see us out. Majestic drama jazz at its finest. The cello-and-flute adorned "Sapphire" is a fluid orchestral beauty whilst "Interweave" rides with more urgency in its string and bass stabs. When the warm keys enter, it's a bonafide mellifluous wonder. The softer "Musette" begins in beautifully gentle fashion before pivoting for a driving yet elegant piano middle section. It reverts back to the mellow intro, for its outro. Understood? The melodic organ and prominent rhythm section running through "Reminiscence" makes for a delightfully understated folk-funk instrumental whilst the cool, rolling piano feels of "7.30 For 8.00" seem to perfectly suit the phrase "dinner jazz". It's no bad thing, c'mon. This classy, memorable set is rounded out by the half-minute mince of the Barbara-blessed "Sparky". It's just over too soon!

The audio for Moonshade has been brilliantly remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

A quietly funky collection that repays repeated play by creating a mesmeric, almost
hypnotic, cocoon to lose yourself in" Echoes
Examining our relationship with the cosmos as well as more intimate liaisons closer
to home; new transatlantic future soul duo Cosmic Link are set to release their
eponymous debut album on 24th November.
The duo consists of Florida based Jay Myztroh and Bristol based producer Ben
Dubuisson, best known for the Hundred Strong project. Citing influences of Erykah
Badu, Prince, Alice Coltrane, Stevie Wonder and Esperanza Spalding; the album
crosses cosmic soul/RnB, low-end weighted hip hop, and conscious jazz. While the
musical vibrations lay down a groove on a sensory level, the lyrics prompt deeper
subconscious thought.
Under a “Cosmic” header, side one of the album starts with ‘Let It Go’, a song about
releasing the things that no longer serve you in your life, before exploring
meditation (‘Quiet Time’), karma, and responsibility in the way you live your life
(‘Metaphysical’).
Side two of the album is grouped with the theme “Link” and as narrative, explores
the evolution of a relationship: ‘Cellphone’ expresses the desire to be close to
someone, ‘Shoot’ is the introduction to the courting stage, and ‘Show U Love’ is a
request to take a step into a committed relationship.
“All of these songs are personal,” says Jay. “They explore either my experiences or are
written to me as understandings to help me navigate this plane of existence. The
personal nature of the music is what makes it universal to all humans”.
The overall theme of the album is summed up in the lyrics of the closing title track,
“Our motion is perpetual/together we move/at the speed of life/ intertwined by our
timelines/which coincide”.
Jay explains, “There is no separating the all from the source. With all living things
being products of the Cosmos, we are forever linked to it. We all share a source, atimeline, a planet, air, a sun etc. We are linked by simply being and doing the things
beings do”.
Introduced by mutual artist friends, the catalyst for their collaboration was the 2017
album 'Black Diamonds' by Jay's previous project Stono Echo, produced by the late,
great Paten Locke. Over the course of a few years they began remotely exchanging
music and lyrics, building a catalogue of finished tracks. During this time, Myztroh
was also completing his Masters degree in choral conducting that focused on
discovering and promoting compositions from the African Diaspora. Run by Ben
Dubuisson, High Noon Music has been based in Bristol since the early 2000s,
releasing records by artists including Ben’s own Hundred Strong, plus Boca 45,
Joseph Malik, Kali Phoenix, One Cut, Mr Fantastic, and Numskullz.

After almost 25 years a new studio album of the German prog rock legend in original lineup! Agitation Free was one of the leading representatives of German experimental rock
music in the early 1970s. The Berlin band developed long, for that time unusual, free
instrumental improvisations from the end of 1967. They achieved cult status as early as
1972 with an independent mixture of improvised rock paired with electro, ethno, jazz and
trance elements.
Extensive live activities gave the band a steadily increasing level of recognition throughout
Europe. For example, the group performed in the cultural program of the Olympic Games
in Munich in the summer of 1972, toured France for two months in early 1973, performed
at the "German Rock Super Concert" in Frankfurt in May, produced the second album "2nd"
and then went on tour through France and major German cities. In 1974, the band began
to show signs of fatigue, which led to their temporary breakup at the end of the year after
a farewell concert.
Although a number of albums (with recordings from 1972 to 1974) were released after the
group's breakup and the studio album "River of Return" was released in 1999, it took
almost 35 years for the original band to reunite for concerts. In February 2007, Agitation
Free, with the original lineup from 1974, gave a series of concerts at Tokyo's "Shibuya
O'West."
In retrospect, it became clear that the experimental circle Agitation Free was one of the
important bands of the "Berlin School" and furthermore a career springboard for several
German musicians. Christopher Franke, for example, helped the band Tangerine Dream
achieve worldwide recognition. Michael Hoenig worked with Klaus Schulze and Tangerine
Dream before he became known as a film composer in Hollywood after a solo album
(among other things, the film music for the blockbuster "9 1/2 Weeks" with Kim Basinger
and Mickey Rourke). Axel Genrich moved to Guru Guru, Burghard Rausch became a
founding member of Bel Ami. Gustl Lütjens, toured with Shirley Bassey and Nena and later
found a large audience with his new age band Living Mirrors, especially in the USA. Lutz
"Lüül" Ulbrich joined Ashra, worked with ex-Velvet Underground singer Nico, produced
solo records in addition to theater music, and has enjoyed success with the 17 Hippies since
the late 1990s.
In the line-up Michael Hoenig (keyb, syn, el. perc), Burghard Rausch (dr, el. per), Lutz GrafUlbrich ((git, acc. git, bj), Gustl Lütjens (git acc. git, vocals) and Daniel Cordes (b, syn) the
new studio album "Momentum" was recorded.

After almost 25 years a new studio album of the German prog rock legend in original lineup! Agitation Free was one of the leading representatives of German experimental rock
music in the early 1970s. The Berlin band developed long, for that time unusual, free
instrumental improvisations from the end of 1967. They achieved cult status as early as
1972 with an independent mixture of improvised rock paired with electro, ethno, jazz and
trance elements.
Extensive live activities gave the band a steadily increasing level of recognition throughout
Europe. For example, the group performed in the cultural program of the Olympic Games
in Munich in the summer of 1972, toured France for two months in early 1973, performed
at the "German Rock Super Concert" in Frankfurt in May, produced the second album "2nd"
and then went on tour through France and major German cities. In 1974, the band began
to show signs of fatigue, which led to their temporary breakup at the end of the year after
a farewell concert.
Although a number of albums (with recordings from 1972 to 1974) were released after the
group's breakup and the studio album "River of Return" was released in 1999, it took
almost 35 years for the original band to reunite for concerts. In February 2007, Agitation
Free, with the original lineup from 1974, gave a series of concerts at Tokyo's "Shibuya
O'West."
In retrospect, it became clear that the experimental circle Agitation Free was one of the
important bands of the "Berlin School" and furthermore a career springboard for several
German musicians. Christopher Franke, for example, helped the band Tangerine Dream
achieve worldwide recognition. Michael Hoenig worked with Klaus Schulze and Tangerine
Dream before he became known as a film composer in Hollywood after a solo album
(among other things, the film music for the blockbuster "9 1/2 Weeks" with Kim Basinger
and Mickey Rourke). Axel Genrich moved to Guru Guru, Burghard Rausch became a
founding member of Bel Ami. Gustl Lütjens, toured with Shirley Bassey and Nena and later
found a large audience with his new age band Living Mirrors, especially in the USA. Lutz
"Lüül" Ulbrich joined Ashra, worked with ex-Velvet Underground singer Nico, produced
solo records in addition to theater music, and has enjoyed success with the 17 Hippies since
the late 1990s.
In the line-up Michael Hoenig (keyb, syn, el. perc), Burghard Rausch (dr, el. per), Lutz GrafUlbrich ((git, acc. git, bj), Gustl Lütjens (git acc. git, vocals) and Daniel Cordes (b, syn) the
new studio album "Momentum" was recorded.

Smile your way through two songs by The Teacher Haters — in fact, we challenge you to get through these tracks without smiling. Even the name of the band invokes a chuckle as it suggests what these guys are about — and that’s the P-A-R-T-Y. Straight out of the 60s comes a group that could have been played with Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs back in the day. These whimsical works are deceptively deep as they take us to a time when garage punk fused with R&B.

Big Pig Alley is uncomplicated, and that’s what makes it great — it sounds like a bunch of college guys having a good time, writing lyrics on the spot: “If you’re lookin’ for romance, take a train, take a plane...or a raft to France.” The guys have something other than romance on their minds as they chug along on acoustic guitar and trash can drums (and possibly other things). What really makes the track, though, is the witchy background voice — the performance is loose enough, while the witch is doing his own thing entirely.

The witch returns on side B in the up-tempo, dance-ready Cut Loose. No obscure artistry here — these guys tell you exactly what the song is for in the title. In fact, just in case you missed it, they state their thesis in the opening lines: “I wanna shake all night, I wanna do it right, I wanna dance, dance, dance with you…” All of their collegiate effort is put toward getting you to move your hips in this groovy, rockabilly-flavored mix.

Snap up the mid-century college party in a box that is PP006 — and hope your tables don’t get too scuffed up from people dancing on them. The fun that The Teacher Haters had in making these tracks is all here and available to you — whether you want to go on a nostalgic trip through a 60s coed party, or host your own shindig where dancing is mandatory. Get your hands on this disc before the regents show up.

On their debut EP, Sam De Nef and Camille Camille delve into some of their most personal and introspective songwriting yet. These songs showcase their individual talents but also highlight the powerful synergy that arises when two gifted artists and unique vocalists join forces to create something truly special.

Sam and Camille are two unique and talented artists hailing from Belgium who share a gift for writing compelling contemporary folk and singer-songwriter songs. They both released acclaimed debut albums in recent years and have been crossing paths on numerous occasions. Camille appeared in duets on Sam's debut EP and his first album, Sam featured in Camille's live band, each time expressing a profound musical chemistry.
This collab EP seemed the logical next step, uniting their talents to craft an EP embodying heartfelt, warm, and uncomplicated songs.

"In the collaborative journey of crafting the songs on Waving, our different creative approaches brought about a unique synergy. We feel the result transcends our individual styles. Each song resonates with our individual aspirations, which makes playing them very refreshing and challenging."

Stripped to their core, these compositions on their debut EP are defined by the gentle interplay of acoustic guitars and harmonious vocals. Only subtle percussion and the occasional cello add subtle layers to the sonic tapestry. The two recorded the six songs on their debut EP by themselves in the intimate atmosphere of Sam's home studio, opting for a DIY and back-to-basics approach. Their primary focus was on capturing spontaneity and the essence of live performance. Musical sparring partner PJ Decraene added the final touches and mixed the EP.

Artists like Jalen Ngonda come around once in a lifetime, so it is our privilege and distinct pleasure to announce the release of his debut album Come Around and Love Me.


Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen perform live knows that he is one of the most captivating performers on today's soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm-disarming packed rooms of rowdy concert goers, leaving them silent as they hold fast to every syllable sung. Plans for the album were struck just months before the COVID 19 pandemic shut the world down. Notwithstanding, Jalen eventually made it to Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY where he began writing and recording with the help of producer/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley's Extraordinaires) and a crack team of a-list musicians from the Daptone family.

The team skillfully blends heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with motown sophistication, leaving the listener in a blissful wash of wonderment. Jalen has been writing songs since he was 14, and his compositions are also very much of these times. He explains, "I love music from the 20th century- I listen to it all the time, but I?m in this world and the 21st century. ...to a stranger, I?d describe my music as modern soul and R&B, while trying to fit in the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between." Come Around and Love Me reveals how he creates a classic approach that is rooted in the sounds of revered pioneers, without falling into imitation-leaving no doubt that Jalen will continue to shine within the superlative, timeless musical tradition that is Daptone?s hallmark.
Now it's your turn to come around and love one of the finest soul albums of the decade.

First color pressing. This debut ACL performance on August 9, 2003, captures songs from Neko Case’s three seminal solo releases at the time, combining elements of country, gospel and punk for a very unique sound. That’s why pundits often find the music hard to classify. Which is a good thing. Her voice has been described as lush, torchy, melancholic - even scary (someone once wrote that “she sings like Patsy Cline’s ghost”). She certainly doesn’t sound like anything else on today’s hit parade. Neko began her career as a drummer in a punk band, but it wasn’t long before she started experimenting with songwriting and singing. She also continues to perform as a member of The New Pornographers, but her solo work is where her songwriting skills shine most. As she herself says, “I want to write songs that are timeless...maybe just something more like a novel than a short story.” After the show, Neko took the time to write the ACL staff to thank everybody for making her, her band and friends feel so welcome. “I feel very proud of how the show turned out...It’s so great to find out that something you admire so much is run by good people. Be proud! You kick ass!” You, too, Neko… – Terry Lickona (producer Austin City Limits)

Berlin party series and label AWAY Music continues its limited vinyl series called "Reissued", dedicated to re-releasing iconic cuts from the vast collaborative catalog of Move D & Pete Namlook. The third installment "Reissued 3", which follows the series' first two EPs from previous years, features again some exceptional pieces that were previously only available on CD. Move D and Pete Namlook are electronic visionaries whose 26-album relationship explored and intertwined psychedelic synthscapes, deep house and techno, future jazz, and downtempo on Namlook's cult imprint Fax Records. Their innovative and influential works keep inspiring electronic music producers today, showcasing their willingness to collaborate and push the boundaries of electronic music. First up on the A side, “Der Strahlender Verlierer”, from the 2006 Album “Let the Circle Not Be Broken”, begins atmospherically before pushing subtly into open filter and undulating synth territory. Introspective and accepting, the piece gradually lets the sum of its parts coalesce into a peaceful whole with sustained chords and the flicker of played steel strings.
“Hardwired Tangent” from the 2001 Album “Wired” rounds out the first side with edgier and more ominous tones. Brooding and bubbling its way through artificial textures absorbed by carefully weighted rhythmic tension. Shuffling jazz electronics. The moody low-mid hum providing buoyancy throughout. Also from the 2001 album, the B side’s “Hardwired Hypotenuse + Asymptote” is a synthetic journey. Textural, pseudo-organic, pulsating with urgency. The motoric percussion imparting structure to the sonic alchemy. Tactile yet integrated components offer the listener (or dancer) multiple entry points into the music. This is both artful and kaleidoscopic — a treatise on contemplative and psychoactive house music.
"Reissued 3" is a true testament to the innovative spirit and pioneering work of Move D and Pete Namlook. With these tracks now available on vinyl for the first time, AWAY's limited series is a must-have for old and new fans alike.

Berlin party series and label AWAY Music continues its limited vinyl series called "Reissued", dedicated to re-releasing iconic cuts from the vast collaborative catalog of Move D & Pete Namlook. The third installment "Reissued 3", which follows the series' first two EPs from previous years, features again some exceptional pieces that were previously only available on CD. Move D and Pete Namlook are electronic visionaries whose 26-album relationship explored and intertwined psychedelic synthscapes, deep house and techno, future jazz, and downtempo on Namlook's cult imprint Fax Records. Their innovative and influential works keep inspiring electronic music producers today, showcasing their willingness to collaborate and push the boundaries of electronic music. First up on the A side, “Der Strahlender Verlierer”, from the 2006 Album “Let the Circle Not Be Broken”, begins atmospherically before pushing subtly into open filter and undulating synth territory. Introspective and accepting, the piece gradually lets the sum of its parts coalesce into a peaceful whole with sustained chords and the flicker of played steel strings.
“Hardwired Tangent” from the 2001 Album “Wired” rounds out the first side with edgier and more ominous tones. Brooding and bubbling its way through artificial textures absorbed by carefully weighted rhythmic tension. Shuffling jazz electronics. The moody low-mid hum providing buoyancy throughout. Also from the 2001 album, the B side’s “Hardwired Hypotenuse + Asymptote” is a synthetic journey. Textural, pseudo-organic, pulsating with urgency. The motoric percussion imparting structure to the sonic alchemy. Tactile yet integrated components offer the listener (or dancer) multiple entry points into the music. This is both artful and kaleidoscopic — a treatise on contemplative and psychoactive house music.
"Reissued 3" is a true testament to the innovative spirit and pioneering work of Move D and Pete Namlook. With these tracks now available on vinyl for the first time, AWAY's limited series is a must-have for old and new fans alike.

For The Nude Party, nearly a decade has flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time, the New
York-based band has released a pair of well-received albums, an EP and played numerous shows.
The band has historically worked with a producer to help them create a distinct sound in their records
but with their latest effort, Rides On, the band decided to handle production duties by themselves. The
hands-on approach allowed the band to have as much fun creating as they ever had at any other point
in their career. They recorded over 20 songs, including some that dabbled in electro-pop and
stripped-down country before settling on the final 14 songs containing the best elements of ‘70s-driven
blues rock. The relaxed vibe of the session also unleashed a diverse sonic texture compared to their
previous releases. Sonically, the album is reminiscent of Sticky Fingers-era Stones, but the lyrics are
mini-vignettes that embody the spirit of what The Nude Party are going for — and their growth as a
band. Rides On, the band confidently says, is their best record. It’s also the most homegrown and
organic record The Nude Party has created to date.

Music compilation and art book. We open the GLITZERBOX again and look into a glittering kaleidoscope of music and illustration. Crossing genres, in handmade editions and with great attention to detail, Jimmy Draht fuses artistic ideas into a new whole.

The vinyl contains beautiful folk songs, experimental collages, field recordings and lo-fi pop. All tracks are exclusive or have never been released on vinyl before.

Featuring music by: Maxine Funke, Tenniscoats, Mouth Harp Ensemble, How to count planets, A Happy Return, Benoit Pioulard, New North Wales, Dump, My Two Toms, Oro Swimming Hour, Matthew de Gennaro, The Gentlist, Andersens, Jam Money, Michael Tanner.

The artists, whether they paint, draw, scribble or cut, whether analogue or digital, whether they are graphic artists, illustrators or visual artists: they combine image and sound, discover connections and show that music can create images and vice versa.

Art by Petra Péterffy, Laurent Impeduglia, Nadine Spengler, Michael Dumontier, Tomoko Mori and Nicholas Stevenson.

A limited and numbered edition of 300, with hand-printed 3 color silkscreen book. Compiled by Markus Acher (The Notwist) and Jimmy Draht.

Since the late 90s JIMMY DRAHT publishes elaborately designed music-graphic-comic-text hybrids, most of them handmade and screenprinted. Initiated by Marion Epp, often in cooperation with a music label, artists from various genres are invited to participate. Each release is accompanied by exhibitions and music events.

Bands such as Calexico, The Notwist, Lali Puna, Neoangin, Pram, Otomo Yoshihide, A Million Mercies, Ted Milton, MS John Soda, Schwermut Forrest, Tied & Tickled Trio have participated (to name a few).
In terms of design we were lucky to showcase the works of ATAK, Anna Sommer, Knust, CX Huth, Katz & Goldt, Judith Zaugg, Thomas Ott, Jochen Gerner, Martin tom Dieck, Jim Avignon, Le Denier Cri, Elvisstudio and many more.

ALIEN TRANSISTOR was founded in 2003 by Markus & Micha Acher of The Notwist. The concept of the label is to produce music that has a musical or personal reference to the Notwist microcosm: From electronic soundscapes to abstract hip-hop to laptop-treated contemporary, from processed oriental music to Nick Drake-inspired songwriting. Alien Transistor respects no musical boundaries.

As soon as Spike discovered punk, he wasted no time forming Reptile Ranch (Wales’ own Scritti Politti), starting a label (Z Block), and releasing the compilation of the Cardiff scene, Is The War Over? After an act dropped out of the cooperatively-funded venture, Spike approached the disbanded Young Marble Giants to contribute a track or two. Bemused, they agreed to reform, and it wasn’t long before Rough Trade rang the public phone listed on the back cover of the LP to poach the combo, leading to an album which hit immediately and has inspired hundreds of artists since. All the while, Spike worked with Debbie Pritchard in a number of unheard bands - but that’s another tale. After YMG’s breakup, singer Alison Statton started Weekend with Spike and Simon Booth, a project which saw chart success and the birth of a nouveau-retro style as individualistic as YMG’s, one later co-opted by lesser acts. Weekend, too, split after their debut album. Despite Weekend having become Alison’s second big act, Rough Trade passed on her next project with Spike. Vinyl Japan stepped in to release the duo’s debut, Tidal Blues and other releases followed, but as real life, jobs, and children beckoned, both Alison and Spike stepped away from music . . for more than twenty years. Their return is both unexpected. Bimini Twist is the work of the two alone. Apart from some vocal tracking in a local studio to best capture Alison’s still wondrous voice - everything was recorded in their homes, much of it ‘live’, and these new songs show the duo’s charm and diversity, featuring Alison’s most personal lyrics and Spike’s peculiar musical genius

Who remembers the UK rapper MC Duke from Music Of Life? That all-time classic ‘Miracles’ as well as being sampled in untold rave tunes in the early 90’s including Prodigy’s ‘Everybody In The Place’ which uses his lyric ‘Can’t beat the system, go with the flow’. Well, did you know that MC Duke and his DJ, Leader One, went on to create jungle a few years later?

This was their first jungle release before they went on and formed Hard Disk where they released the rest of their output. An EP that has the essence of the hip hop sample culture, showcasing how creative you can be with the right record collection at your disposal.

Raw East London jungle from 1993 repressed on limited edition heavyweight royal blue vinyl in a Vinyl Fanatiks housebag. Vinyl only.

Two and a half decades into a career that's never delivered the stardom forecast by legions of champions, John Hiatt has settled into a niche that's about as comfortable as a maturing singer-songwriter could ask for. No longer a major-label priority, Hiatt has hooked up with the stalwart folk label Vanguard for his 15th release. Crossing Muddy Waters adroitly captures Hiatt's comfort and confidence. Not so much blues as blusey, Crossing Muddy Waters features 11 new Hiatt compositions, half of which feel instantly familiar. The rambunctious "Lift Up Every Stone" sounds a little like some of Tom Waits's more accessible recent efforts, while "Take It Down" is a love-lost lament that's as heavy as a foggy evening. Crossing Muddy Waters was cut in three days and features only two accompanists--the uncommonly sympathetic Davey Faragher and David Immerglück. Just goes to show that Hiatt moves just fine when he's not dragging a lot of added weight and heavy expectations behind him.

Glasgow’s iconic and highly influential progressive house label Limbo Records celebrates it’s 30th anniversary. An incredible compilation across two 12”s in an expertly designed gatefold sleeve with a poster insert that takes a look back at some of the biggest tracks that graced the label over the past three decades.

A true collector’s item, showcasing the power and presence of this Scottish stalwart, lovingly remastered by Davie Forbes and reissued for a whole new generation of listeners. The compilation kicks off with Havana - Schtoom, the record that started it all given the remix from legendary Scottish duo Slam, before the party anthem ‘Buruchacca’ from Mukkaa aka Kiltie and Crichton gets a signature remix Apollo 440.

Elsewhere Gypsy hit with undeniably one of the highlight tracks in the Limbo catalogue ‘I Trance You’ and Sublime serve up another of Limbo’s classic releases, the dance floor banger ‘Transamerican’ which topped all the charts at the time.

Take to side 3 and you’ll find the second release on Limbo a percussive drum laden epic from Havana entitled ‘Shift’ that planted Limbo firmly in the must buy section of record shops across the UK. Another highlight on side 4 sees legendary Glasgow DJ Harri of Sub Club fame with his debut on Limbo – a superb slice of hard to house.

All in all, this is a serious slice of history that every collection should have nestled in its racks.

When Kronos plays a piece, they become fellow composers, true collaborators. Without them, we wouldn’t have the kind of string quartet playing that we find around us today. There are two kinds of string quartet playing: the ‘Before Kronos’ and the ‘After Kronos’.” – Philip Glass

‘Kronos Quartet has broken the boundaries of what string quartets can do.’ – New York Times

Nonesuch releases Kronos Quartet’s acclaimed album Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass on vinyl for the first time to coincide with Kronos Quartet: Five Decades, a year-long celebration marking the quartet’s 50th anniversary. Originally released in 1995, the album features David Harrington (violin), John Sherba, (violin), Hank Dutt (viola) and Joan Jeanrenaud (cello) performing Quartet No. 2 (Company) (1983), No. 3 (Mishima) (1985), No. 4 (Buczak) (1990), and No. 5 (1991), the first piece Glass wrote especially for Kronos. Recorded at Skywalker Sound in California, the album was produced by Judith Sherman, Kurt Munkacsi and Philip Glass. The cover art features Francesco Clemente’s painting The Four Corners (1985). At the time of the album’s release, the New York Times said, ‘It contains some of Glass's best music since Koyaanisqatsi. His ear for sumptuous string sonorities is undeniable,’ while the Washington Post called it ‘An ideal combination of composer and performers.’ It was a top 10 hit on Billboard’s Top Classical Albums, and spent 12 weeks on Billboard’s Classical chart.



In his original liner note, critic Mark Swed wrote, ‘Glass’ string quartets may contain his most intimate music. They are works through which a very public composer, perhaps the most important opera reformer of our age and a longstanding collaborator in large-scale music theater, holds up a mirror to himself and his way of composing. “In an odd way,” Glass explains, “string quartets have always functioned like that for composers. I don’t really know why, but it’s almost impossible to get away from it. It’s the way composers of the past have thought and that’s no less true for me. It’s almost as if we say we’re going to write a string quartet, we take a deep breath, and we wade in to try to write the most serious, significant piece that we can.” Glass says that as he sat down to write String Quartet No. 5, he had discovered that perhaps not taking a serious tone might be the most serious way to deal with it. “I was thinking that I had really gone beyond the need to write a serious string quartet and that I could write a quartet that is about musicality, which in a certain way is the most serious subject.”’



Glass’ first numbered quartet was written in 1966; however, he did not return to the string quartet medium until 1983, when he provided incidental music for a dramatization of Samuel Beckett’s prose poem, Company. During those 17 years, Glass had formed an ensemble and developed his style in a series of increasingly elaborate pieces for it. String Quartet No. 3 is also adapted to dramatic music, this time from his score to the 1985 Paul Schrader film, Mishima. It was with the music of Mishima that Kronos became associated with Glass, recording the string quartet sections of the soundtrack and subsequently working extensively with the composer on all five of his numbered quartets. Kronos also gave the first concert performances of Company and Mishima. String Quartet No. 4 was composed in remembrance of the artist Brian Buczak, who died of AIDS in 1988.



As Kronos’ anniversary season continues with further concerts around the world, Nonesuch will reissue Black Angels on vinyl on February 16. First released in 1990, the award-winning album includes George Crumb’s title piece, which inspired David Harrington to found the quartet. Called ‘an unusually elevated and searing Vietnam War protest’ by the New York Times, it sets a dark, powerful tone for this collection, which addresses the political/physical/spiritual consequences of war. Also featured are works by Charles Ives, István Márta, Thomas Tallis, and Dmitri Shostakovich. ‘Stylishly packaged, intelligently programmed, superbly recorded and brilliantly performed,’ proclaimed Gramophone. ‘In short, very much the sort of disc we’ve come to expect from the talented and imaginative Kronos Quartet.’ The Evening Standard included it among its ‘100 Definitive Classical Albums of the 20th Century’.



Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1937, Philip Glass is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the Juilliard School. By 1974, he had created a large collection of music for The Philip Glass Ensemble. The period culminated in the landmark opera, Einstein on the Beach. Since Einstein, Glass’s repertoire has grown to include music for opera, dance, theatre, orchestra, and film. His scores have received Academy Award nominations (including Kundun and The Hours, as well as Notes on a Scandal) and a Golden Globe (The Truman Show). Recent works include his memoir, Words Without Music, his first Piano Sonata, opera Circus Days and Nights, and Symphony No. 14. Glass received the Praemium Imperiale in 2012, the US National Medal of the Arts from President Barack Obama in 2016, and 41st Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.



Nonesuch’s relationship with Glass began in 1985, with the release of the score for Paul Schrader’s Mishima featuring Kronos Quartet. Over the years other Glass works on Nonesuch have included Einstein on the Beach (1993), Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass (1995), Music in Twelve Parts (1996), Glass Box (2008), as well as the soundtracks for Powaqqatsi (1988), Kundun (1997), Koyaanisqatsi (1998), and The Hours (2002), amongst others.



For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet – David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Paul Wiancko (cello) – has challenged and reimagined what a string quartet can be. Founded at a time when the form was largely centred on long-established, Western European traditions, Kronos has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the string quartet into a living art form that responds to the people and issues of our time. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our era, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 70 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, and collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers. Through its nonprofit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association, Kronos has commissioned more than 1,000 works and arrangements for string quartet – including the Kronos Fifty for the Future library of free, educational repertoire. Kronos has received more than 40 awards, including three Grammy Awards and the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes.



Kronos is prolific and wide-ranging on recordings. The ensemble’s expansive discography on Nonesuch includes three Grammy-winning albums: Terry Riley’s Sun Rings (2019), Landfall with Laurie Anderson (2018), and Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw (2003); the 40th-anniversary boxed set Kronos Explorer Series; Nuevo (2002), a Grammy- and Latin Grammy–nominated celebration of Mexican culture; Pieces of Africa (1992), a showcase of African-born composers that simultaneously topped Billboard’s Classical and World Music charts; and Folk Songs (2017), Nonesuch’s 50th album with Kronos, which featured Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, Rhiannon Giddens, and Natalie Merchant singing traditional folk songs.

Singer-songwriter Thom Morecroft releases his sophomore album, “Waiting For Leo.” Drawing inspiration from the rich songwriting style of 1970s folk-rock and infusing it with the distinctive aesthetic lens of Glasgow’s C86 scene, Morecroft delivers a captivating lo-fi experience that pays homage to the past while carving its own unique path. Think Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young meets the infectious energy of Teenage Fanclub’s “Bandwagonesque.” During the pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020 and beyond, Thom embarked on a remarkable creative journey, offering his Patreon subscribers a new digital album every month. It is within these prolific collections that the songs for “Waiting For Leo” were born. With an abundance of time and the freedom to explore his creative impulses, Morecroft crafted a collection of songs that are reflective, philosophical, and deeply personal. Some look towards the future with hope, others reminisce about the past, while some capture the essence of the present moment, and a few wander into realms of pure fantasy. As Thom navigated the challenge of selecting the final tracklist, he honed and refined each composition, adding production elements and creating a cohesive sonic tapestry. “Waiting For Leo” is an album that manages to strike a delicate balance, emanating a sense of contentment and carefree spirit while simultaneously delving into themes of family, alcoholism, grief, and loss. The introspective nature of these songs, born out of a period devoid of external stimulation, allows listeners to embark on a thought-provoking journey alongside Morecroft. Reflecting on the album’s title, Thom shares, “The album is called ‘Waiting for Leo’ because the songs were written and recorded during the period before my partner and I discovered we were expecting our son. There is also the famous Samuel Beckett play called ‘Waiting for Godot,’ which I must confess I have never seen. Is it good?” “Waiting For Leo” stands as a testament to Thom Morecroft’s artistic growth and showcases his ability to merge captivating songwriting with a distinct sonic aesthetic. As listeners immerse themselves in the intimate world he has created, they will discover a tapestry of emotions that resonate deeply.

Electro is fundamentally modern. The coldness of the machine laid bare, a human attempt to express through circuits and wiring. Despite adhering to specific codes and norms, it is a sound that refuses to be pigeonholed. It is with this in mind that Shipwrec has collected a wealth of international talent to showcase their own vision of this bracing style. Serge Geyzel incises from the needle drop, the acid blistered "Still There" is sliced and quartered by scissoring snares. Endfest changes the trajectory with the modular warmth of "La Chouffe" before the lines change and Manasyt delivers the darkened angles and punishing percussion of "Row Hammer." Andrew Red Hand maintains the shadowy synthlines of his predecessor, industrial undertones bubbling to the surface in distortion-soaked aggression. The mood shifts with Alpha Visitor. Crystalline chords are punctured by crisp drum patterns, stabbing keys and broad arcs unveil a world of sci-fi inspirations. The finale comes from Jauzas the Shining. Broad sweeps introduce "Shemale" before dripping drums are countered by samples and icy blasts. Modern machine music from six masters.

French label D3 - which when pronounced in French sounds like there French word for Detroit - is a decade old and celebrates the milestone with a special three-part EP series. As has always been the case over that 10 year period, the sounds it serves up are deep and housey. This various artists affair kicks off with AsTreJinkins' slow and propulsive 'Terror' before some nice airy and live sounding broken beats from New Digital Fidelity.

Moroka picks up the pace with some hi-tek soul that sounds straight from the Motor City and Byron The Aquarius shows off his mastery of the keys again with a dreamy deep cut 'Tua Su Ra'. Nico Lahs shuts down with a heavyweight beatdown in the form of 'It's Spelled BARI.'

Straight Outta Caledonia is the first commercially available “Greatest Hits” of the outsider songwriter Jackie Leven, an artist
who has largely remained in obscurity in his native Scotland despite being one of the greatest wordsmiths – and singers – it ever
produced. A well-travelled musician who began making psychedelic, progressive music in the late 60s before emerging as an
epic storyteller full of pathos, humour and humanity in the 90s, Leven lived and wrote like many of the fragile, gregarious
characters of his songs; large, full of life and empathy. Leven passed away in 2011 after recording 30+ albums under different
guises or with his briefly successful New Wave band Doll by Doll. Straight Outta Caledonia is a compilation collated by Night
School Records on its Archival label School Daze that seeks to introduce Leven’s music to new generations.
In an age of isolation, alienation and loss of visceral experience, Jackie Leven’s music can be massive and welcoming. It feels
connected to some universal humanity and vibrates with vitality. His songs are often full of tragedy and comedy simultaneously,
cutting straight to the heart, often plugging directly into the nervous system of the listener. His lyrics are rich, dense with imagery
that can veer from apocalyptic to the comically banal in a sentence, with a songwriting panache that can be heavy handed to
almost bursting point before skewering the song with a clownish, warm punchline. His productions ranged from Bob Dylan’s
Rolling Thunder Revue style rock band orchestrations with strings and organ as on the epic Ancient Misty Morning or they could
be pared down to the purest form of folk song as on Poortoun: Leven on stage alone with an acoustic guitar, albeit played with a
mastery of the instrument that he often only hinted at. Musically his sound can bend traditional structures or stay completely
confined within them yet still forever push towards an ecstatic release, as on the cinematic Snow In Central Park.
The most exciting, jaw-droppingly effective tool at Leven’s disposal was his voice. A multi-octave instrument that, though
damaged during a savage assault in Fife, he used with flair; he had both a brazen disregard for the rules and a deep humility, all
of which is evidenced with every phrasing. A baritone that could flit up through the register – always touched by his gentle
Kirkcaldy accent – it’s the prime delivery method for his songs. Leven’s voice enabled him to inhabit the characters in his songs to
an uncanny degree, a skill that in turn enables the listener to empathise with them and, subsequently, the singer. It’s most evident
in stand out song The Sexual Loneliness Of Jesus Christ, a breathtaking re-telling of the life of its protagonist, not as a pure,
sinless messiah but as a sexually frustrated, solitary man condemned to an existential loneliness no one else will ever feel. In
many ways the track is the archetypal Jackie Leven song. Produced by Pere Ubu’s David Thomas, what strikes the ear first –
after the samples of unemployed workers in Glasgow following the closing of the Clyde shipyards – is the audacious, rhythmic
tremolo effect Leven employs through the verses before the production opens up to allow Leven’s vocal to lift into a soar, a
freeing glide powered both by the force of the singer’s chutzpah and the inherent, doomed destiny of the protagonist. With any
other singer such subject matter could come across as gauche or worse, pretentiously sonorous, but Jackie Leven’s genius was
such that he could be this cinematic and brazen while touching something elemental and true in the beholder. It’s a skill evident in
every song on Straight Outta Caledonia, the trademark of a songwriter who revelled and excelled in intensity with a lightness of
touch.
In his lifetime, Jackie Leven toured, wrote and recorded at a ferocious rate. He recorded under aliases to avoid record contract
restrictions, played house shows in Europe after or instead of official concerts, events which were often spoken word story telling
masterclasses as well as performances of his often bewilderingly dense songbook. His music has traditionally been catalogued
as “folk” music and has been largely banished to a small, dedicated group of international fans and apostles both private and well
known, like author Ian Rankin or Glenn Matlock. Since his passing in 2011 however, there has been a growing recognition
amongst a newer generation, with artists like James Yorkston or Molly Nilsson publicly stating the influence of the unsung
troubadour on their own craft. Jackie Leven’s fairytales for hard men are often forensic deconstructions of masculinity, sad and
ecstatic, light and shadow, always endlessly rich, a resource as bountiful as Leven himself’s human spirit undoubtedly was.

Kalita are proud to present the first ever reissue of Papa Yankson’s highly sought-after 1989 disco-infused highlife masterpiece 'Party Time'! Showcasing the late Ghanaian superstar at his very best, ‘Party Time’ encapsulates the blending of deep, rhythmic West African highlife with synthesizers and electronic styles that had exploded during the decade. Now, thirty-five years after initial release, and with original copies having reached grail status on the second-hand collector’s scene, Kalita brings this phenomenal record back to life, with extensive liner notes detailing Papa Yankson’s musical career.

A recipient of the Grand Medal of Ghana for his contribution to Ghanaian music, Papa Yankson was a key member of C.K. Mann’s Carousel Seven outfit during the 1970s, releasing joint albums together on the infamous Essiebons label to great success.

However, it was at the end of the following decade that Papa released ‘Party Time’, highlighting his forward-thinking musical style with its numerous hypnotic and driving up-tempo disco-soaked highlife cuts. Originally released in a small run on the short-lived Marriot Promotion label, the album features the standouts ‘Wonma Yenko Po’ and ‘Mumumde’, each showcasing deep highlife melodies, heavy drum patterns and phenomenal horn performances from the ingenious Sammy Lartey Jr on saxophone and Nana Asare on trumpet to boot.

With original copies selling for eye-watering amounts on the rare occasion that they come up for sale, the time is ripe for Kalita to celebrate this true Ghanaian 80’s grail, accompanied by liner notes and never-before-seen contemporary photos of Papa Yankson.

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Henry Counsell and Louis Curran, the men who make up Joy (Anonymous). Having established themselves during the Covid-19 era by playing impromptu meet-ups on London’s South Bank, they have graduated to bigger venues, travelled to far-flung locales and recorded their second album, Cult Classics, while maintaining the spontaneous energy and irrepressible joy that made their name. Their music revels in the euphoria of being alive and all the feelings, good or bad, that come with it. It invites us into a community, draws us close and promises the night of our lives.

Recorded over the course of a year, the blueprint for Cult Classics was laid down over a two-week span at Imogen Heap’s Round House in east London. Joy (Anonymous) invited friends old and new to visit - they’d record live instruments in jam sessions upstairs and then retreat to a second room to flip and loop and generally mess with the sounds, moulding them into sizzling dance tracks. “Loads of people were coming up to me like ‘I thought this was going to be a dance record?’” Louis says, remembering the quietly beautiful music they’d be recording. “I’d be like, don’t worry about that, just keep playing.” He’d send it back to people later and they’d be floored - “That was my bit and you’ve made it... jungle!”

It was an organic and creatively fulfilling approach, one that didn’t allow any of the music to get stale or stagnate. As they built the tracks from the sounds they’d collected, Joy (Anonymous) would weave the new songs into their famously improvised live sets, testing them, refining them, taking note of the audiences’ reactions. In a year punctuated by a lot of travel, they’d also incorporate the voices of people they met along the way - “Beazley’s Poem”, which opens the record, features the words of a man who was working security at a Fred Again show at New York’s Terminal Five. “He was basically doing the opposite of his job and being a hype man, climbing on the fence and ramping up the crowd - we ended up hanging out with him - like, who’s this legend?” Louis explains. “He just speaks really amazingly about his life, all these amazing thoughts and opinions - he started jumping on the mic when we were playing, preaching these amazing messages to the crowd, like that we all need to be nicer to each other. The first time we played the record in its entirety, he introduced us and that’s the recording we’ve used.”

Joy (Anonymous) remain dedicated to the spirit of spontaneity. They shut a street down with a surprise waterside party in New York. On a trip to Copenhagen they played an impromptu set in a cafe, which turned into a house party and a night-long good time. In Lithuania, they ended up playing in a decommissioned prison. It’s harder, perhaps, to keep that spirit alive now that they are operating more within the confines of the music industry but they will keep lugging their kit to wherever the party calls for as long as they can. “I think if we lose that, we’ve kind of lost what makes us us,” Henry says.

Bursting with multi-genre reference points and disparate influences, Cult Classics is very much a dance album. The samples we made ourselves or we took from music that is quite different to dance music, but we definitely wanted to shout out a lot of the dance influences that we love,” Henry says. They listened to a lot of Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx as well as The Prodigy (“more rage stuff”), taking songwriting tips from their dance forebears, but also recording bits that felt more like jazz and motown (see: A Place I Belong and the lovely album closer, You’re In Or You’re Out). Emir Taha’s gentle classical guitar runs like a thread throughout Cult Classics, washing into the undertones of the record, tying it all together.

The album follows the beat of a night out, from frenetic, sweaty movement to the gentler winding down as the dawn breaks. At times it is euphoric, celebratory and pure, whirling fun, at others it seeks the joy in the darker emotions that life throws our way. 404 is designed to encapsulate everything about the Joy (Anonymous) journey so far. Skittering beats and ghostly vocals give way to vibrating house chords: sirens blare as we approach a dubstep drop. It’s dramatic and wild, ratcheting up, seeming to settle then hitting you with an intense and frantic breakdown before the ghostly vocal returns to lull us back into the world. It has the feel of a hungry cat playing with a mouse, toying with it before letting it get away.

What sounds like someone playing the spoons on playful, housey How We End Up Here is actually Louis’ restless habit of clicking his rings on everything, one of a myriad of calling cards and easter eggs that day one fans will recognise. They rework Miley Cyrus and Swae Lee’s Party Up The Street into a French-electro-inspired future classic, adding a note of melancholy to a tune that you can imagine hearing blaring from every car on a summer drive. The lyrics on Cult Classic are generally reassuring, inspirational, originally drawn from Henry in stream-of-consciousness freestyles. You’re fine the way you are, they seem to say - the repeated “No need to try” of A Place I Belong, the assurance that “It’s in me all the time” on In Me All The Time. Even the summery but regretful Did You Wrong hints at the growth that is possible from less than ideal behaviour. For Joy (Anonymous), joy isn’t about just being “happy” all the time - it’s about relishing every element of your being.

The name ‘Joy (Anonymous)’ is taken from the work Henry did with Alcoholics Anonymous groups: it is a way to build a community around sharing joy. Their impromptu live sets are known as ‘meetings’; they encourage fans to share moments of joy to their website. They care deeply about the scene they’ve come up in and are determined not to leave it behind. Every show is another chance to reach out and connect with people who love to come together and revel in music as loud as it can go.

Support slots for Fred Again and The Streets, wild B2Bs with Fred and Skrillex, and a set at Four Tet’s Finsbury Park all-dayer this summer have given the duo the opportunity to live out childhood dreams and introduced their infectious live shows to new audiences at huge venues.

With an album as assured and joyful as Cult Classics on the horizon (and a killer collab with The Blessed Madonna coming up), they’re only going to reach higher heights. But the essence of Joy (Anonymous) remains on the South Bank. Between shows at Ally Pally in September, they dragged their camping chairs and gear back down to the banks of the Thames: and it just felt right.

Repress of the sold out Record Store Day release, this time on a different colour. Black Spiders – Those trusted and true sons of the north are back. “We knew the new album had to be special. We’ve been away for a while. The first album was a straight shot, the second on the rocks, with this new one we had to kick down the brewery doors!” Pete Spiby. Back in June of 2017, Sheffield rock beasts Black Spiders waved goodbye to an army of loyal fans with some sonically charged shows before retreating into the shadows. And then, in November of last year, with the world in the grips of the Coronavirus pandemic and after a long year of very little fun from out of the silhouettes they returned with ‘Fly In The Soup’, the first new Black Spiders music in 6 years. Exactly the feel-good shot in the arm the world needed, while we await that other vaccine. The seeds of the Black Spider return were actually planted last summer, when singer and guitarist Pete Spiby began taking to guitarist Ozzy Lister to start writing new material and before they knew it, they had amassed the best part of 40 songs in a very short period of time which they whittled down. And then the pandemic hit. “It’s certainly been a strange process, in unfamiliar territory,” explains Pete. “We started to look at how we could do it given the restrictions and not only that, but we had to replace our original drummer too. For us and probably most other bands, we would usually take a riff or song idea to a rehearsal and thrash it out ‘till we either had something or it ended up in the song graveyard! This time around we couldn’t do that, so myself, Ozzy and on occasion Adam Irwin (bass player) started to send ideas back and forth until we had something to work with in GarageBand. We got to a point where we had enough song ideas with basic structure to go into a studio. It was at this point when we had to look for a new drummer.” With former drummer ‘Tiger’ Si Atkinson unavailable to play, with a week or two of grooming, the band took a chance on Planet Rock DJ Wyatt Wendel to occupy the drum stool. “I've never joined or worked with a band in this way EVER,” laughs Wyatt. “2020 certainly made it surreal. “A Pete/Ozzy writing session at the beginning of the year had produced some promising results, but it felt like barriers were popping up everywhere,” explains bassist Adam Irwin. “We started talking about how we could use technology such as GarageBand to help, and slowly but surely the song writing gathered pace. It was time to hook up with our old producer Matt Elliss and try these new songs out in the studio. “Heading into the studio to record songs we’d written but never played together, with a drummer that we’d never met, is one of the stranger experiences I’ve had while being in a band. Thankfully, Wyatt has turned out to be an excellent addition, who despite his faults (loud, southern) has fit right into the band dynamic. Covid has made life really tough for so many of us in our industry. And yet, this new way of song writing has been liberating, this is the most consistent and prolific we’ve ever been, and I am immensely proud of this album.” Against all of the odds, Black Spiders have crafted an album that features 13 tracks of high-energy, feel-good rock n’roll contrasted by demonic doom that despite the disjointed, isolated way it was recorded. It sounds like a band, firing on all cylinders. “We had to dig down deep to pull out some gems and what would we want from Black Spiders,” questions Pete. War, vengeance, mental health, death, conservation & climate change, where are we from? Relationships, friendships, our flaws. Where are we going? Alien life and Mother Earth - some of which made the record.” Kicking off with the aforementioned ‘Fly In The Soup’ single, this 3rd ST long-player wastes no time in grabbing you by the scruff of the neck and dragging you through an album where good times, hooks and riffs are not in short supply, but the doom-drenched likes of ‘Wizard Shall Not Kill Wizard’ and the psychedelic groove of album closer ‘Crooked Black Wings’ give us an album of many moods and dynamics and a reason to be cheerful in 2021. And why does the album have no title? “It wasn’t hard picking a title for the album, as we decided that the focus should be on the band, not the album title, so we decided not to have one. Let the music do the talking....

The five members of Sun June spent their early years spread out across the United States, from the boonies of the Hudson Valley to the sprawling outskirts of LA. Having spent their college years within the gloomy, cold winters of the North East, Laura Colwell and Stephen Salisbury found themselves in the vibrant melting-pot of inspiration that is Austin, Texas. Meeting each other while working on Terrence Malick's 'Song to Song', the pair were immediately taken by the city's bustling small clubs and honky-tonk scene, and the fact that there was always an instrument within reach, always someone to play alongside. Coming alive in this newly discovered landscape, Colwell and Salisbury formed Sun June alongside Michael Bain on lead guitar, Sarah Schultz on drums, and Justin Harris on bass and recorded their debut album live to tape, releasing it via the city's esteemed Keeled Scales label in 2018. The band coined the term 'regret pop' to describe the music they made on the 'Years' LP. Though somewhat tongue in cheek, it made perfect sense ~ the gentle sway of their country leaning pop songs seeped in melancholy, as if each subtle turn of phrase was always grasping for something just out of reach. Sun June returns with Somewhere, a brand new album, out February 2021. It's a record that feels distinctly more present than its predecessor. In the time since, Colwell and Salisbury have become a couple, and it's had a profound effect on their work; if Years was about how loss evolves, Somewhere is about how love evolves. "We explore a lot of the same themes across it," Colwell says, "but I think there's a lot more love here." Somewhere is Sun June at their most decadent, a richly diverse album which sees them exploring bright new corners with full hearts and wide eyes. Embracing a more pop-oriented sound the album consists of eleven beautiful new songs and is deliberately more collaborative and fully arranged: Laura played guitar for the first time; band members swapped instruments, and producer Danny Reisch helped flesh out layers of synth and percussion that provides a sweeping undercurrent to the whole thing. Throughout Somewhere you can hear Sun June blossom into a living-and-breathing five-piece, the album formed from an exploratory track building process which results in a more formidable version of the band we once knew. 'Real Thing' is most indicative of this, a fully collaborative effort which encompasses all of the nuances that come to define the album. "Are you the real thing?" Laura Colwell questions in the song's repeated refrain. "Honey I'm the real thing," she answers back. They've called this one their 'prom' record; a sincere, alive-in-the-moment snapshot of the heady rush of love. "The prom idea started as a mood for us to arrange and shape the music to, which we hadn't done before," the band explains. " Prom isn't all rosy and perfect. The songs show you the crying in the bathroom,, the fear of dancing, the joy of a kiss - all the highs and all the lows." It's in both those highs and lows where Somewhere comes alive. Laura Colwell's voice is mesmerising throughout, and while the record is a document of falling in love, there's still room for her to wilt and linger, the vibrancy of the production creating beautiful contrasts for her voice to pull us through. Opening track 'Bad With Time' sets this tone from the outset, both dark and mysterious, sad and sultry as it fascinatingly unrolls. "I didn't mean what I said," Colwell sings. "But I wanted you to think I did." Somewhere showcases a gentle but eminently pronounced maturation of Sun June's sound, a second record full of quiet revelation, eleven songs that bristle with love and longing. It finds a band at the height of their collective potency, a marked stride forward from the band that created that debut record, but also one that once again is able to transport the listener into a fascinating new landscape, one that lies somewhere between the town and the city, between the head and the heart; neither here nor there, but certainly somewhere.

Just what the doctor ordered...

Next up on Q1E2 Recordings - for the label's fifth release so far - is Dr Sud. He's a Rome-born, Berlin-raised producer whose music is a fusion of percussion-centric soundscapes and integrated jazz-leaning harmonies, drawing inspiration from diverse genres like electronica, funk, and house.

On 'Heading South', the broken beat don serves up his specialist percussive sound, folding all manner of drums into synth-smothered house. The EP explores the undulating cycle of morning into night, back into morning, inviting you to dance your way through it all.

'Brina', a word which in Italian refers to morning dew - perhaps found on a tent on the morning of a festival - represents the breaking of dawn with broken beats. The track breaks and squints into the start of the day with spacious kick drums leaving room for warm, almost familiar pads and keys.

Then, 'Life Itself' reflects daytime, revolving around an arpeggiating synth that soon makes way for luscious keys.

An excursion into percussive bliss concludes side A in the form of the magical, grin-inducing 'Evening Breath'. This, as you might have guessed, is where the listener cruises through smoothly into the final stages of the day. It encapsulates that last burst of light as the sun sets and a slight shiver of the evening air slivers up your spine.

Then, before you know it, the mysterious night arrives. Flip to that B side, and 'Tramontana' will greet you, inviting you to dance deep into the late hours.

When you're there, the chugging '3/4AM' will hit the spot like an unforgettable dance floor moment, bursting with low and slow Balearic tendencies.

Finally, 'Mondgesicht' - "Moonface" in German -fittingly concludes proceedings with deep lounge vibes. Mumbles of effortless trumpet manoeuvre through a swaying sea of percussion and delicious, wavering synth solo. The day is here again. The cycle is complete.

This is some seriously high-quality music on show here from Dr Sud. The EP is out on Q1E2 Recordings in October.