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Far Out Recordings is delighted to present Mora!, and for the first time ever on vinyl Mora! II. Mexican-American percussionist and former member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Francisco Mora Catlett originally recorded and released his debut solo LP as a private press in 1987, but the sequel he recorded over the course of the next few years with an expanded Detroit jazz brass section was shelved for decades to follow. A pan-American melting pot of hypnotic afro-cuban rhythms, frenetic batucadas and fiery sambas, Mora I & II are holy grails of latin jazz, masterminded by an unsung hero of the genre.

Born in Washington DC, 1947, Francisco Mora Jr is the eldest child of two highly prominent Mexican artists, Francisco Mora Sr and Elizabeth Catlett, to whom this project was dedicated. Being born into a mixed heritage bohemian family provided Mora Jr with what he called a “creative, progressive, and healthy arts environment”, building the foundations for a fascinating career journey ahead. Mora grew up in Mexico City where he began working as a session musician for Capitol Records in 1968, before moving to study at Berklee Music College in Boston, MA in 1970. Once he’d completed his studies in 1973, he very briefly returned to Mexico City with the best intentions of cultivating an avant-garde movement in the city, but when the Sun Ra Arkestra came to perform, Mora ended up leaving with the band to tour the world for the next seven years, a decent innings within a group famous for its constantly evolving line up.

Settling in Detroit after his years with the Arkestra, Francisco set to work on his self-titled debut, gathering an ensemble of musicians that included keyboardist Kenny Cox, founder of the legendary Strata Records, esteemed bassist Rodney Whitaker of the Roy Hargrove Quintet and percussionists Jerome Le Duff, Alberto Nacif, and Emile Borde. The album openly embraces and unites the broad spectrum of improvisation, rhythm, and jazz that has thrived throughout the American continents for centuries. In Mora’s own words the album intended to “manifest the African heritage presence in the American continent.” Epitomising this outlook, album opener ‘Afra Jum’ deploys a melody based on Haitian, African and Native American motifs, which is expanded upon by the soulful excellence of the Detroit veterans Cox and Whitaker, amidst a backdrop of afro-cuban inspired percussion.

The sequel Mora II was recorded shortly after with an expanded line up that included trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave, famed for his work with Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, Hank Crawford, Eddie Russ and Wendell Harrison. Continuing the concept of the first album, the follow up moves deeper into South America with the samba jazz dance belter ‘Amazona’, led by the rich vocals of Francisco’s wife Teresa Mora. The ‘Afra Jum’ concept is further explored, with the original motifs beefed up by the additional horns, and interspersions of Sun Ra inspired rumbling free improvisations. This follow up album remained shelved until 2005, when Mora put it out as a now obscure CD titled River Drum, but only now has it been given the high quality vinyl treatment it so deserves, presented as the sequel to Mora! as originally intended.

Through the 90s and into the the 21st century Mora would continue his Pan-American explorations, moving toward a more electronic afro-futurist direction as part of Detroit techno pioneer Carl Craig’s Innerzone Orchestra. Mora also worked with Carl Craig, moog synth wizard Craig Taborn, and his former Arkestra colleague, the legendary Marshall Allen, to form the Innerzone Orchestra spin-off Outerzone, released in 2007 on Premier Cru Records. Mora I & II will be out as two vinyl LPs, CD and digitally 16th April 2021.

A metaphor about diversity and passion for athletics. Looking for inspiration in our environment, as diverse as quality electronics, as extensive as a marathon. Biome Laps wants to take a lot of laps within the IDM universe, electro and the most evocative ambient. This new Madrid electronic music label of José Merinero, which in 2021 celebrates 20 years in music, 15 since he launched his �rst references on his own labels such as City Archives or Ultrix Records and 10 since the creation of .Àrtico Netlabel, his pretty girl, which has allowed him to move in the national underground, and in festivals like L.E.V. and what has been your home to look for that diversity, to �nd that electronics without labels under the name of JM. Here, in addition, it has been able to count on the collaboration of great spanish producers in some references. Passion for electronics speaking of José, he falls short, so he decides to create Biome Laps, where we will �nd timeless music, on vinyl and digital, and above all local music, made with a lot of passion. A veteran who debuts with his own name, showing himself without more, with a single objective, to give back to the music he believes in, everything he has received in return…

Demon Records presents Distortion: The Best Of 1989-2019, the first career spanning
compilation of solo recordings by legendary American musician Bob Mould.
• Bob Mould’s career began in 1979 with the iconic underground punk group Hüsker Dü before forming
the beloved alternative rock band Sugar and releasing numerous critically acclaimed solo albums. At
the vanguard of his field for over four decades, Mould’s music has inspired generations of musicians.
• Compiled by Bob Mould himself, this new collection gathers together 24 essential recordings across
two LPs. Highlights include classic recordings such as ‘See A Little Light’, ‘If I Can’t Change Your Mind’,
‘A Good Idea’, and ‘The Descent.
• Mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering and pressed on two 140g vinyl. Housed in
printed inner sleeves and a deluxe gatefold sleeve with artwork from illustrator Simon Marchner.

Demon Records presents Distortion: 2008-2019, the third in a series of four expansive vinyl box sets chronicling the solo career of legendary American musician Bob Mould.
Bob Mould’s career began in 1979 with the iconic underground punk group Hüsker Dü before forming the beloved alternative rock band Sugar and releasing numerous critically acclaimed solo albums. Volume three in this new series covers the period 2008-2019 and contains many of Bob Mould’s most celebrated recordings including Silver Age (2012), Patch The Sky (2016), and Sunshine Rock (2019).

Coming in the form of a beautiful antique pink and dark green
3-shutter digipack and gatefold double LP, ‘Two Roses’ is, in
Avishai’s words, “a once in a lifetime project.”
Associating his core trio (Mark Guiliana, Elchin Shirinov) with
the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Avishai Cohen offers a
very cinematic project between jazz, Mediterranean folklore
and classical music, re-exploring a part of his musical journey.
As well as offering new orchestrations of his most successful
works, ‘Two Roses’ also features ‘When I’m Falling’, an original
composition showing how far the sound of Avishai Cohen has
developed.
The 180g double vinyl edition features two exclusive tracks,
including a symphonic version of ‘Seven Seas’, which is one of
Avishai’s most beloved compositions.
“For many years I had thought of writing some of my existing
music and new compositions for a full orchestra. Though it
seemed more like a fantasy for a while, at a certain point it felt
like the right time. So I decided to contact some good
orchestrators and begin the journey. Diving into the assignment
getting deeper and deeper into it and within a few years this
incredible body of work was ready to be performed and
recorded.
“As soon as we finished recording, it was clear something
special had been achieved and now I can’t wait for more.
“Playing and singing with an orchestra is pure magic. I’m
feeling very fortunate for this incredible opportunity and wish to
thank everyone who is a part of it, especially my manager Ray
Jefford who was the main anchor behind this wonderful
production.
“Enjoy” - Avishai Cohen

Following the release of their Top 20 charting second album So When You Gonna..., Dream Wife (Alice Go, Bella Podpadec and Rakel Mjöll) now share live album IRL – Live in London 2020, a limited vinyl pressed on Neon Orange wax. Fortuitously recorded by their FOH engineer at London's Peckham Audio this past January, it documents what was expected to be the band’s first of many shows of 2020. Featuring highlights from their first and second albums, plus the previously unreleased song "Cheap Thrills", the recording has undoubtedly captured a blistering performance that showcases the trio's trademark ferocity.

Limited edition audiophile pressing of American actor and singer Robert Mitchum’s 1957 LP ‘Calypso - Is Like So!’ on 180g premium vinyl, plus 8 bonus tracks.
“More hip than Don Johnson’s Heartbeat, not as camp as William Shatner’s
The Transformed Man, and equally as kitsch as, well, most everything else from the ‘50s, Robert Mitchum’s Calypso - Is Like So will win you over.” - Matt Collar, AllMusic
Calypso fever started in America in 1957 following the huge success of Harry Belafonte’s chart-topping singles and albums for RCA. Although some dared to announce, “rock & roll is dead - long live calypso,” the craze soon passed. Not soon enough, however, to stop Hollywood actor Robert Mitcham from recording this, his first LP.

Maximum Crisis/Maximum Calm was released within the context a solo exhibition by Rory Pilgrim at Badischer Kunstverein in 2020. The LP is based on the soundtrack of the 50'min film "The Undercurrent". Produced in collaboration with ten young climate activists from Boise, Idaho, the film and its soundtrack is a powerful statement about the era of climate crisis that explores how people are coping with this global issue on intimate and personal levels.

While musical composition has long been a core aspect of Rory Pilgrim's practice,Maximum Crisis/Maximum Calm - featuring the singers Declan Rowe John and Ezra Hampikian - is the first vinyl release of the artists's music. Interweaving spoken reflections and songs including The Towel, 3 Waters and Regenerate the Engine, the LP also features additional songs and spoken word material extracted from the film. With orchestral parts also masterfully arranged by Pilgrim for the Up North Session Orchestra the record culminates with a moving speech given at the youth climate strike at the Idaho State Capitol on September 20, 2019 by activist Liam Neupert.

Master craftsman James Welburn’s new LP, Sleeper in the Void, marks the 50th Miasmah release.The six years after his monumental debut have bred six tracks Welburn brings to fruition with the help of past co-conspirators from the Norwegian underground scene - Tomas Järmyr (Motorpsycho, Zu, Barchan), Hilde Marie Holsen (Hubro Records), and vocal artist Juliana Venter (W/V, Phil Winter).

On Sleeper in the Void, Welburn expands the domain of his sound, unveiling surprises until the very end of the album’s 36 minute playtime. While the character of the record is unmistakably his own, the tracks veer into many different territories, including a banging foray to the dancefloor.

The LP begins slowly with Raze, where Järmyr’s ritualistic cymbals introduce layers of Welburn’s signature sculpted bass drones and noise, building into a heart-wrenching epic of a track. This is perhaps the closest we ever get to Hold - Welburn’s previous LP. Falling from Time immediately surprises with it’s subdued mechanical techno beat, stark and cold as a glacier. Welburn’s texture-work is the star of the show, creating curious nooks and crannies of drone adorned with eerie melodies straight out of oblivion. This sense of wonder shines through to the album’s title track as well, where Welburn and Järmyr build another patient, echoing, and deeply cinematic piece, the drum patterns slowly shifting around a metallic hum that evokes the vision of church bells, ringing out under tonnes of seawater.

Sleeper in the Void feels like a story in two parts, rising lethargically, but with gargantuan power. The second begins with the momentous In and out of Blue, where Juliana Venter’s disembodied, spectral dirge takes center stage among the furious drums and bassy riffs, reaching a full crescendo with seconds to go. Parallel marks a release - Hilde Marie Holsen’s nostalgic soundscapes, pristine as glass, meeting the distant thunder of Welburn’s strings on the horizon. And finally, Fast Moon ends the record in a most surprising way - a tribal industrialized banger, complete with vile distorted beats and every other spice in demand on a blackened dancefloor.

Welburn’s Sleeper in the Void is a generous shapeshifter. Every inch of its soundwave breathes emotion and imagery - an invitation to take a dive and linger.

Carl Craig has announced Detroit native and hotlytipped selector DJ Holographic is next in-line for his prestigious 'Detroit Love' mix compilation series dropping on Planet E Communications. Following in the footsteps of predecessors like Stacey Pullen and Wajeed, being invited to mix vol.05 of the series is testament to DJ Holographic being one of Detroit's most anticipated breakthrough DJ's. Born and raised in the Motor City's deep musical legacy, Ariel Corley aka DJ Holographic is an ambassador for Detroit through and through. Having cut her teeth as a DJ in the local scene over the past decade DJ Holographic is admired for her versatility, eclecticism, and impeccable taste. Ariel has firmly established herself as a staple of Detroit's modern underground scene, a core member of the city's LGBQT+ community and a devoted activist for local humanitarian causes - love for Detroit underpins every element of Ariel Corley's life. Released 16th April via Planet E and K7!, Detroit Love Vol. 05 is packed to the brim with exclusive tracks handpicked by DJ Holographic who takes the listener through a vibrant and flawlessly-mixed showcase of breakthrough artists, ones to watch, and longestablished artists Ariel has a personal affiliation to. The mix was curated by DJ Holographic at the artist creative hub below Submerge Records in Detroit - home to labels such as Underground Resistance, Transmat, Red Planet, and Distorted Soul.

Orions Belte: «Villa Amorini» Jansen Records 2021 Do you remember the time the doorman ran after some drunken kids around the lake outside the club? As he dives into the lake, he scrapes his stomach on a sharp object in the water, but catches up and returns with one youth under each arm. At the same time the singer from the band playing inside, jumps from the loft hoping that the chandelier he grabs will hold him. It doesn’t. Endless afterparties and constantly trying to avoid visits from the police or the liquor control. Still nothing? This was the 90’s club scene in Bergen, and Villa Amorini was the place where everything happened. Starting as an 80’s fine dining spot, it evolved into an extravagant club with tons of artists and DJ’s in screaming shirts and oversized sunglasses. This sets the scene for Orions Belte’s second album. Still a mix of all the sounds they like, reminiscing eras they haven’t experienced, trying to navigate in their own musical atmosphere. Chaotic and calm at the same time. Villa Amorini is recorded at Norsk Riksstudio by engineer Njål Paulsberg, making sure the sounds were on point while leaving the band alone to play together for hours upon hours, chiseling out the base for the album. Where the debut was summery and a bit brighter, this album tends to lean a bit more towards the big city, night life and leftover food from the fridge. Mixed as always by the magnificent Matias Tellez.

For Böser Herbst, Thomas Fehlmann returns to the sediment of ages, drawing from a similar lexicon of sounds to that used on 2018’s ‘1929 – Das Jahr Babylon’. Like that album, Böser Herbst was produced as the soundtrack to a documentary made by Volker Heise, ‘Herbst 1929, Schatten Über Babylon’, which offers historical insight to the third season of the television series Babylon Berlin. It adds yet another string to the bow of this most forward-thinking and creative artist, whose history takes in NDW (Palais Schaumburg), techno (3MB) and psychedelic ambience (The Orb), plus a clutch of gorgeous solo albums that explore wide terrain, from the dancefloor through supine home listening to compelling soundtrack work. Fehlmann’s approach here was to ‘capture’ samples of contemporaneous music, “picking up the dirt and dust of original 1920s archive sound and music excerpts and shaping the essence into this selection of tunes,” he recalls. After delivering the material to the editing room, Fehlmann “threw all the pieces up in the air, deliberately lost the overview in consequence, researched the atmospheric thread and assembled it for this album.” That explains the singular nature of the material here, and its ability to sit together so neatly and discretely, as its own entity. For Böser Herbst is a music box of possibilities, shadowed by its historical provenance, but never crudely beholden to it, rather “keeping the references only as a distant nod, a scent.”

It’s certainly an evocative listen, a cornucopia of textural pleasure and sensual, tactile assemblage. The spiralling, psychedelic cycle of “Karnickel” winds its way between the ears like thread to the needle; “Mit Ausblick” immerses the listener in deep, gaseous tones, only to be lifted into the air by the glassy drones of “Umarmt”. “Wunschwechsler” crackles with the unpredictability of weather systems while a guitar-like loop unspools across the horizon. Throughout, you can catch tiny tastes of the source material, but they’re pressed into greater service, Fehlmann using these sources for their evocative capacity and then saturating them with grain and rumble, abstracting outwards. It’s a music of temporal disjuncture and clairvoyant resonance, “speaking with the past – alert, distant and quixotic.”

Für “Böser Herbst“ schürft Thomas Fehlmann tief in den Sedimenten der Zeit und schöpft dabei aus ganz ähnlichen Klangquellen wie auf dem 2018 erschienenen Album “1929 - Das Jahr Babylon“. Auch “Böser Herbst“ wurde als Soundtrack zu der von Volker Heise gedrehten Dokumentation “Herbst 1929, Schatten über Babylon“ produziert, die den historischen Background der dritte Staffel der deutschen Fernsehserie “Babylon Berlin“ beleuchtet und dabei Archivmaterial mit Stimmen unterschiedlichster Zeitzeugen verknüpft. Das neue Album fügt eine weitere Saite zum Bogen dieses überaus voraus denkenden und kreativen Künstlers hinzu, dessen Geschichte NDW (Palais Schaumburg), Techno (3MB) und psychedelischen Ambient (The Orb) umfasst, plus eine Reihe von großartigen Soloalben, die ein weites Terrain erkunden, von der Tanzfläche über entspanntes Hören bis hin zu Soundtracks.

Fehlmanns Herangehensweise auf diesem Album war es, Samples aus jener Zeit "einzufangen", "den Schmutz und Staub der originalen 1920er Archiv-, Sound- und Musikaufnahmen zu sammeln und als Essenz in die einzelnen Tracks einfließen zu lassen", erinnert er sich. Nachdem Fehlmann das Material im Schnittraum abgegeben hatte, "warf er alle Teile in die Luft, verlor dabei absichtlich den Überblick, suchte sich dann einen atmosphärischen roten Faden und setzte alles wieder zusammen." Das erklärt die Einzigartigkeit des vorliegenden Materials und dessen Eigenschaft, sich fein säuberlich und gänzlich unangestrengt zu einer Einheit zusammenzufügen. “Böser Herbst“ ist eine Spieldose voll unbegrenzter musikalischer Möglichkeiten, umspielt von düsteren historischen Quellen ohne darin zu ertrinken – Fehlmann ging es stattdessen darum, "die Referenzen nur wie eine flüchtige Geste, wie eine Ahnung von etwas zu behandeln."

“Böser Herbst“ löst eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Vorstellungen beim Hörer aus, es ist ein wahres Füllhorn an lustvollen Texturen und sinnlicher, taktiler Assemblage. Der spiralförmige, psychedelische Kreisel von "Karnickel" dreht sich in die Ohren wie ein Faden ins Nadelöhr; "Mit Ausblick" lässt den Hörer in tiefe, gasförmige Töne eintauchen, um anschließend von den transparenten Drones von "Umarmt" in die Luft gehoben zu werden. "Wunschwechsler" knistert mit der Unberechenbarkeit eines aufziehenden Unwetters, während sich ein gitarrenartiger Loop am Horizont abzeichnet. Überall kann man winzige Spurenelemente des Ausgangsmaterials erhaschen, aber sie werden in einen größeren Kontext gesetzt; Fehlmann benutzt seine Quellen nur als Mittel zum Zweck, um eine bestimmte Wirkung hervorzurufen, die einzelnen Teilchen werden angereichert mit Struktur und Körper und schließlich abstrahiert wieder ins Außen gesendet. Es ist Musik, an der die Zeit sich bricht und in die Zukunft schaut wie in einen Resonanzraum: Musik, "die mit der Vergangenheit spricht - hellwach, mit aller gebotenen Distanz und voller Rätsel".

- First 45 from new label 3 Palm Records - Classic deep funk and soul cover featuring singer Adryon De León - Hard break beats and soaring vocals // West Coast soul and funk powerhouse Orgone returns to their roots with this scorching cover of the James Brown-produced Marva Whitney song "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who To Sock It To)." The original is considered a breakbeat classic and has been sampled by hip hop's golden era stalwarts (NWA, Public Enemy, & EPMD). Orgone brings their brand of heavy hitting, gritty production to update the song for new ears and a new era. Lead vocalist Adryon de León struts and belts with swagger and soul, riffing and owning Marva's response to the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing." Orgone's seasoned rhythm section chugs hard and heavy in their crusade to do justice to the legacy of James Brown's renowned band The J.B.'s. Topped off with percussion breaks and killer horn lines, this side is ready to be embraced by soul aficionados, beat junkies, and deep funk crate diggers_not to mention the hardcore fanbase that Orgone has established over two decades of critically acclaimed studio releases and a well-earned reputation for fiery live shows. This is the debut 45 from 3 Palm Records.

DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL (London, UK) blend huge soundscapes, earth-shattering riffs and soaring melodies.
DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL begin a new chapter in their highly-acclaimed career, signing to metal heavyweights Nuclear Blast Records. 2021 will see the band release their fourth studio album ‘Loss’, their first with the dual vocal attack of Ed Gibbs and Paul Green.

DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL burst onto the UK underground metal and hardcore scene in 2004 growing a cult following from their first record, ‘Darkness Prevails’ EP released through Visible Noise (BRING ME THE HORIZON) in 2005. Their debut album, ‘A Fragile Hope’ saw the band take their position as one of the most respected underground bands in the UK with their visceral and captivating live shows. DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL’s sophomore album, ‘Blessed and Cursed’, elevated their sound and audience to new heights, voted into RockSound Magazine’s top 10 albums of 2010.
In 2012 the band unleashed their self-produced third album, ‘Empire Of Light’. Received to critical acclaim across the board, the album cemented their position as one of the UK’s most respected and revered metal acts.
With Ed Gibbs departing the band early in the year, 2013 saw the first new material featuring singer Paul Green with single ‘Time’, followed by 2014’s ‘Belong Betray’ EP and 2016’s ‘The Reckoning’. After welcoming Gibbs back to sing on the 2017 ‘A Fragile Hope’ anniversary tour, the band asked Gibbs to continue the dual vocals with Green for the remaining festivals and tours that year, with the line-up then becoming a permanent fixture.
2018 saw the band travel beyond Europe with their first touring in Asia, they also began to put the foundations down on what would become their new record ‘Loss’. Written about the grief and struggles faced in recent years, ‘Loss’ treads old ground and explores exciting new territories for DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL, including for the first time the dual vocals of Gibbs and Green on record. Recorded, engineered and mixed by guitarist Jonny Renshaw at his UK based Bandit Studios, DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL have poured heart and sincerity into every atom of this their fourth album, with songwriting elevated to new levels.
Having toured with the likes of CULT OF LUNA, ARCHITECTS, NORMA JEAN, BRING ME THE HORIZON, UNDEROATH, GALLOWS, ENVY and EMMURE, as well as headlining a stage at DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL l (UK) and numerous European festival appearances including SUMMER BREEZE and WITH FULL FORCE (Germany) and PUKKELPOP (Belgium), DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL have built a huge reputation for their captivating live shows, over 16 years:

35th Anniversary reissue of legendary
Canadian/American singer, composer and transgender
activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s beloved seminal
work, ‘Keyboard Fantasies’.
An ahead of its time synth exploration which somehow
combines the essence of new-age minimalism, early
Detroit techno and the warmth of traditional
songwriting.
Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s third album, ‘Keyboard
Fantasies’ was originally self-released on cassette in
1986. Initially overlooked by mainstream media, it
caught the ear of a Japanese collector who contacted
the artist in 2015 and asked for copies to sell. These
sold out instantly and led to more copies being
distributed and multiple offers from record labels.
Features stunning alternative cover artwork and liner
notes by Robyn.
This album is available on CD for the first time.
Digisleeve with spot gloss to the cover and 8-page
booklet.
This is only the second time the album has been
repressed (with the previous repress being extremely
limited). LP format is housed in a gatefold sleeve with
spot gloss to the cover, printed inner sleeve, 180g
black vinyl and digital download code.
Also available again on tape as a white cassette.

For Fans Of: The Burning Hell; Belle & Sebastian; Iron & Wine.

Following swiftly on from last year’s Tiny Men Parts EP, Quiet Marauder re-enter the sonic fray with their latest Bubblewrap Collective long-player, The Gift, on 9th April 2021. Taking a strong divergence from the bombastic pop-punk of its predecessor, The Gift sees backing vocalist Kadesha Drija step to the foreground for the majority of the album, standing afront a richly crafted, multi-instrumental acoustic-folk backdrop.

Recorded pre-pandemic, January 2020, in The Burning Hell’s (Canada) pop-up Snowbird Studios, aka an art deco villa in Riofreddo, near Rome (Italy), this release marks another chapter in the ongoing international collaboration between the bands. For this album, Quiet Marauder’s (Wales) contributions of acoustic guitar, bass, trumpet and layered lead and backing vocals are granted further textural depth from their Canadian counterparts. These include minimalist harmonic splashes of flute, piano, organ (Jake Nicoll), electric guitar, bouzouki (Darren Browne) and bass clarinet (Ariel Sharratt).

Returning to the conceptual songwriting approach of previous releases MEN and The Crack And What It Meant, The Gift charts the narrative of a troubled teenage girl (Willow) haunted by visions of a mysterious house fire. Willow’s path is traced through well-meaning foster parents, teenage love interests, time-bending superpowers, distrust of domestic appliances and, ultimately, her own memories; covering themes of self-identity and the fallibility of human recall. Though the album marks a more overtly serious tone for the band, the sensitive subject matter is delicately handled through their trademark low-key, observational and, sometimes, darkly humorous lyrics.

After the conclusion of the successful “Vampirate” trilogy (2015’s Courting the Widow, 2017’s The Bride Said No, and 2019’s The Regal Bastard), vocalist Nad Sylvan was considering a different approach for his next project. The new album, “Spiritus Mundi”, centers around the poems coming from Nobel Prize winning William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), who Sylvan calls ‘one of the finest poets to come out of Ireland.’ Not having to write the lyrics himself this time gave Nad the opportunity to solely focus on the music. And being off the road due to the pandemic allowed for more time to mix and perfect every aspect. The result is a collection that Sylvan calls his best work. The album marks a shift musically from Sylvan’s previous outing focusing more on the lyrics and vocals in tandem with gorgeous orchestration and timely melodies. Sylvan has always managed to cull together a notable cast of guest musicians for his album and this album follows suit. Tony Levin contributes his unique skills on bass to 4 tracks, while Jonas Reingold is also present on bass for one track. For drums, Sylvan targeted The Flower Kings drummer Mirkko DeMaio. And of course, Steve Hackett makes an appearance on one track titled “To a Child Dancing in the Wind.” Nad himself concludes: “I'm so excited about this release. Anyone whio has heard it just loves it. They think that this is my best album and I tend to agree. It’s a bit different than what I’ve done before and that’s a good thing.”

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band are the greatest front-porch blues band in the world. They are led by Reverend Peyton, who most consider to be the premier finger picker playing today. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. The band has built through their legendary live shows. Playing as many as 300 shows each year, the band has one of the most dedicated followings out there. This following is sure to eat up the band's latest offering, Dance Songs For Hard Times, a country blues record that was made the right way — two feet on the ground and both hands getting dirty.

Out on Friday 4 October, independent label Low Key Source is proud to be releasing Raiza Biza’s forthcoming album Bygones.

A hypnotic culmination of hundreds of hard drive demos, eclectic musical inspiration and collaboration, enter Bygones - a record striking the balance between the intricacies of electronic production and at times, melodic half-sung poetry, delivered with raw intensity.

The nine track record features cameo appearances from Sudanese-American rapper/producer extraordinaire Oddisee, Australia’s REMI and B Wise along with AmmoNation collaborators Blaze the Emperor, Embher, VULC, and more.

Speaking with a sense of urgency in his flowing baritone voice, Biza’s work has always carried a socially conscious heart, backed up by honest storytelling and captivating jazz/soul infused
production as the aura to his words. His new material follows a new sound arch, and with those changes comes a newly found freedom.

On Bygones, Biza found inspiration in the deeply written metaphors of the Marvin Gaye-era soul and the heart-hitting rhythms of 1970’s funk groups like Gapp Band. Binding his grounding in socially conscious thought and observational storytelling, he studies the human condition and the world around us - from his own experience.
Though this time, he admits, the record finds the balance between fun and seriousness. Rather than be ruled by the lyrics, the music plays an emotive part.

“I wanted to create space for emotional interpretation of the audience,” he reflects. “I’ve tried to find a balance between the things I’ve released in the past and the further left-sitting things on my hard drive.”

The newest generation of hip-hop has forced him to just do; and overthink less. “Being able to take that fun within the music and combine it with raw melody, you hopefully connect with people.”

He tells the angles of the human condition through high octane moments, the party life, through to the low, self-reflective moments found in tracks like ‘Stolen Youth’ and ‘Trouble’ where he teams up with Oddisee and Zenyth. Both tracks have gone onto become student radio network hits, sitting in the top 10 of the Radioscope Alternative Airplay chart in New Zealand for consecutive weeks.

A humble titan within the antipodean isles and Aotearoa’s underground scene, Biza has firmly planted roots, supporting the up-and-coming generation of local MCs and hip-hop producers. As the hearty driving force behind AmmoNation, Biza believes in the power of community and the sharing of knowledge. A voice from within the African-New Zealand diaspora, Biza has strived to bridge the gaps of understanding and preservation of his experience in New Zealand, while also supporting his fellow artists on the same mission.

“We, the African diaspora, we are no longer toddlers in the places we immigrated to. We have an identity and a growing presence.”

‘The Bridge’ is Indubious’s debut album on Easy Star Records, but it is the culmination of nearly a decade of hard work and growth from the Oregon-based trio, led by the brothers Spencer and Evan Burton.
Their previous release, ‘Beleaf’, debuted at number one on Billboard’s Reggae Chart in 2019. ‘The Bridge’ combines their own contemporary take on reggae with more overt references to classic dancehall and new age spiritualism and features high profile guest appearances from Jamaican legends Sizzla, Capleton, and Anthony B, along with Mike Love, Jah9, Zion I, Skillinjah, Alcyon Massive, Ze-Ion, and the jam band Wookiefoot.
The album has extra poignancy with the song “I Can Breathe,” which was written following a double lung transplant for Evan; both of the Burton brothers were born with Cystic Fibrosis and were not expected to live past their teens, but have instead turned that around and established themselves as one of the new rising stars of the US reggae scene.

Fingerpoppin’ Records The Dave Brubeck Quartet With Paul Desmond / Live In Indiana 1958 Limited Edition Audiophile Pressing
180gr. Premium Vinyl
Following the year-long world tour set up by the State Department, The Dave Brubeck Quartet returned to the United States in 1958 full of new ideas. The group had played in England, Germany, Scotland, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, and the music they heard in those places would inspire Brubeck to compose the pieces that would be featured on the album Jazz Impressions of Eurasia.
A few days before taping that studio album, the group performed most of its tunes in Indiana, during the French Lick Jazz Festival, a set heard here in its entirety. A wonderful performance by the same group at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival and a rare live reading of the classic “Take Five” have been added as a bonus.
PAUL DESMOND, alto sax; DAVE BRUBECK, piano; EUGENE WRIGHT, bass; JOE MORELLO, drums. Recorded live at the French Lick Jazz Festival, Indiana, August 17, 1958.

Les Disques du Crepuscule presents Subway, a collection of singles by cult NYC duo Thick Pigeon, originally released on Crepuscule, Factory and Factory Benelux between 1981 and 1991.
Comprised of vocalist Stanton Miranda and instrumentalist Carter Burwell, Thick Pigeon emerged from the downtown New York artrock scene which also spawned Glenn Branca, Bush Tetras, DNA, Arthur Russell and Sonic Youth. Like their chosen name, the duo were typically atypical: Miranda was previously a dancer with the Marthe Graham ballet company, and Carter a film animator and Harvard fine arts/architecture graduate. Very much a studio project, the ‘group’ hardly ever performed live.
Poised and subtle debut single Subway appeared on Crepuscule in January 1981, a connection forged by Miranda’s partner Michael Shamberg. Dog followed a year later, along with wry Christmas single Jingle Bell Rock, before the duo switched to Factory Records, recording debut album Too Crazy Cowboys in Manchester with Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert of New Order producing. Released simultaneously on Factory and Factory US in 1984, the album was billed as “a walk through the civilisation of you soul”.
Having now embarked on a career scoring movies (becoming the Coen brothers’ composer of choice), Carter was absent from the next TP project, 1986 dance single Wheels Over Indian Trails, although Morris and Gilbert remained on board as guest musicians. However Miranda and Carter would reunite for a second (and final) leftfield pop album, Miranda Dali, issued by Crepuscule in 1991.
As well as singles Subway, Dog, Jingle Bell Rock, Jess + Bart and Wheels Over Indian Trails, TWI 351 also includes b-sides (Sudan, Tracy + Pansy), album highlights (Crime, Riding) and a second festive track, Blue Christmas, previously issued only on cassette as part of a Factory Christmas card in 1986.
Alongside Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, the stellar cast of guests include Fred Szymanski (of Ike Yard), Ikue Mori (DNA), remixer John Robie, and even artist and event designer Jean-Paul Goude on backing vocals.
Limited to just 500 copies, Subway (Singles) is newly remastered and pressed on transparent violet vinyl, reflecting the original 1981 sleeve artwork by legendary Crepuscule designer Benoit Hennebert. The album includes a free digital copy (MP3).

LTD 5th anniversary edition, comes in pink vinyl!

- "Fantezi Müzik is all glorious synths and woeful male vocals, and listening to it is the most fun we’ve had all year.“ Bandcamp
- “Fantezi Müzik is brimming with a sense of charisma that makes Jakuzi truly stand out.” Crack
- "sublime" MOJO
- "infectious" Loud & Quiet
- “a fantastic debut” Electronic Sound
- “for lovers and fighters of all persuasions” The Guardian

The first single from the Mathlovsky album Yassssin, “​ The Heat”​ i​ s EXACTLY what is said on the label: PURE FIRE! Featuring the talents of album collaborator and live drummer Gregory Simons, and vocalist duo Jason and Rhonda, this single is the maximum hype pressure coming off the LP. Label boss and global octopus extraordinaire Submerged does the B Side honors with a tasty drum n bass tempo acceleration version. It’s important to rewind and understand how we got here in the first place…

Belgian electronic music giant Mathlovsky has continued his constant evolution, with new live performance with a live drummer. Celebrating and promoting this new partnership, the album Yassssin​ (​4 S’s if you want to make it easy on yourself)​ ​is being released on double vinyl by Ohm Resistance this Spring. With 3 video singles, we decided to make a special one-off, limited Fire Red 7” to go along with the first single.

Since 2019, Mathlovsky has invited drummer Gregory Simons to perform at his live shows, to add another layer of punk & funk fueled acoustic drums.
Not replacing the electronic heavy hitting beats but by looking at his drumset as another instrument, Mathlovsky’s music has entered another realm.

As such, a new era has begun. Yassssin, the first album with Simons’ acoustic drums as an added weapon of dancefloor destruction, is the perfect representation of what Mathlovsky live is all about. After ten years of dwelling in the rave scene and band scene alike, Mathlovsky has fused all his influences and tastes into one cohesive album. Inviting his talented Belgian music friends to contribute a voice, an instrument and overall energy, this album is a ride to never forget.

For both ravers and moshers, Mathlovsky has crossed boundaries between worlds and begins this decade with a massive bang.

As long-time fans of this sublime four-track compacto 7" by the illustrious Brazilian duo Luli Lucinha e O Bando, we have floated the idea of re-issuing this beauty for several years now. So finally, the time feels right to release this beloved gem back into the world.

Originally issued on Som Livre ‎Records in Brazil in 1972, this rarity has long been lost to only but the most hardened Brazilian record collectors and those lucky few who own an original copy. The four genre-defying compositions blend elements of psychedelic rock, MPB and folk, and are glued together by the synergy of Luli and Lucinha's vocals and the outstanding arrangements by Zé Rodrix. Whether it be the lost Brazilian-psych anthem of 'Flor Lilás’, or the tripped out folk-funk of 'Dourado Da Manhã’, the EP oozes magic and brilliance. The record also features the Brazilian percussionist, Alyrio Lima, who later became a member of the iconic Weather Report.

Luli (Heloisa Orosco Borges da Fonseca) and Lucinha's (Lucia Helena Carvalho e Silva) records have become extremely sought-after in recent years. Their inclusion on John Gómez's superb 2017 'Outro Tempo' compilation helped spread the gospel about their beautiful folky, MPB, private press albums from the late '70s and '80s. Prior to their musical partnership back in 1965, Luli released a heavenly Bossa Nova 7" nugget entailed 'Baleiro' and a self-titled solo album on Philips Records, which are now also highly-prized by collectors.

Here at Mr Bongo we feel Luli and Lucinha's names should be more widely recognised and break out of their cult artist status. They should be rated up there amongst some of the progressive, left-field greats of Brazilian music of their era. Sadly Luli passed away in 2018, but left behind an inspiring musical legacy for us all to savour.

Marvin & Guy return to Permanent Vacation with the "Migration" EP, which marks their third ep for the label and a new evolution in the M&G sound.

Migration means moving, understand when a territory is no longer hospitable and find new livelihoods. In this specific case means new inspirations, new ideas, exploring new sounds.
Marvin & Guy take birth from a synergy between two eclectic minds, more into sounds than technique that after several years into a specifically Dance scenario they’ve decided to start a transition towards a purer form of sound, more ancestral. To do this they’ve just benched all dogmas from the beloved Dance Music and they focused more on just playing and having fun with Synthesizers and Drum Machines to create a fully analog session like it was made 40 years ago. Migration was born out of jam sessions recorded in real time and then make them work it out with an intense postproduction and scrupulous editing.

Migration is the transition, their prelude of the very first M&G Album which will comes out in 2022.

First volume in this up & coming series showcasing the talent Latin funk pioneers and soul poets. A precious dj tool and a spectacular selection all in all. Can you dig it ?

The Copenhagen-based, Scottish-born composer Clarissa Connelly’s music is evocative of the whimsical and almost child-like, tainted by an undercurrent of dark sensuality, disquietude and existential dread. Characterized by complex arrangements, big compounded chords, as well as a broad array of instruments, effects and sounds, her songs orient the listener towards utopian beauty that lie somewhere between the baroque and the primordial. With an experimental approach to vocal techniques, her voice can manifest benevolent fay-like creatures as easily as banshees and maleficent spirits singing melodies that retain the accessibility typically associated with pop-music. The compositions are lyrically and aesthetically grounded in Celtic folklore and Scandinavian vitalism. The threshold between the mundane and the fantastical are accentuated in her work, in such a way that the pursuit for – and the ability to recognize – real beauty in the world become anchored in the realm of work, everyday anxiety, motivation, human brilliance and failure.

With forthcoming album The Voyager, Connelly sets out to not only to study the relationship between nature and music, but also its relationship with time. She says: “I’ve always been especially excited about times in the north before Christianity came, and how the Pagan culture and Christianity became intertwined in people through rituals and formations in the landscape - burial mounds, passage graves, dolmens, etc.” She continues: “In some way, it’s very difficult to translate nature into an understandable movement of change. Looking at a mountain I often view a still picture of time – a moment right now – but sometimes, I can look at the mountain and see millions of years of change and movement. I believe that this point of view can be assisted by art and music. In a landscape ornamented with ruined Viking fortresses or ancient burial mounds, I find that I, for whatever reason, seem to be able to perceive time and comprehend history (the history of nature and culture) as a series of changes in a more salient way.”It is here that The Voyager derives so much of its power. It roots itself in history, mythology, capable of intertwining and unravelling both past and present. Songs such as Holler and The Hills Are Crying – opening and closing tracks on the album, respectively – conjure images of these ancient Danish sites, offering something more than just a fluid, long-forgotten way, and instead a tangible reverie that can educate, engage and thrill in equal measure. Connelly explains: “I have the idea, that the mystical and fantastical nature of these olden barrows and ruins can kindle a more dynamic and historically informed perspective. I think that an understanding of time as a movement is articulated when looking at the landscape in this way and can maybe bring us out of our little bell jar, and into a greater experience of life as a whole.”

The Voyager is released in conjunction with an app Vandringen (released 27 september 2020), conceived and created by Clarissa Connelly - along with the contributions of 21 other Danish musicians, painters, sculptures, performers - which highlights special ancient Danish locations, not viewable on Google Maps. These locations are presented with local knowledge and a number of them are interpreted for the modern day by the creatives involved. Connelly concludes: “I am very eager to write music that sounds like something that is happening now but has also happened a very long time ago. I have always found it fascinating to view history through changes in the landscapes around us, and therefore I started created this app and wrote this album.”

Debut album, duo from Detroit which includes Chris Samuels of Ritual Howls 350 Units of limited cloudy clear/Bronze splatter colored vinyl Electronic, Industrial, Experimental music for Fans of Ritual Howls, Throbbing Gristle, Coil, The Legendary Pink Dots, Drew McDowall, Suicide, Cabaret Voltaire // Mission to the Sun synthesizes ambient, post-industrial landscapes with expansive arrangements and haunting vocals. Comprised of Christopher Samuels (synths, samples, programming) of Ritual Howls and Kirill Slavin (vocals), the Detroit-based duo creates an atmosphere of lamentation for a world left behind. Fragments of industrial noise and hypnotic synths fill Samuels' foreboding, alien terrain, and it's in this vastness that Slavin's voice mourns the drudgery of everyday life and the loss of universal consciousness. The duo's debut album, Cleansed by Fire, takes the listener on a journey home to the inferno of the sun, navigating memories of a life lived, dissolved into time. A wind of desolation opens "Take Me Back," with Slavin mourning for a return home to a distant reality. The song uses repetition to build a somber ambience while maintaining a spaciousness sparsely accented by noise with care and precision. Slavin's lyrics examine the conflict and paradoxes that riddle the human condition with Samuel's instrumentation providing a fitting backdrop. "The Unbroken Sea" illustrates this symbiotic reflection with a propulsive bass line contradicted by ethereal synths that swell and contract, only to be finally engulfed by a pulsating crescendo of rhythmic noise at the end. The dystopian title track "Cleansed by Fire" marches steadily along to a creeping darkwave rhythm. The basic elements of dance music are there, yet the song remains devoid of danceability. Punctuated by lyrics inspired by J.G. Ballard and technological isolation, a glimmer of pop sensibility can be found beneath the haze of the track's potent mood. Mission to the Sun beautifully captures an alien feeling: one ripe with despair and longing, one that doesn't quite belong to this world or time. A slow, satisfying burn, Cleansed by Fire traverses the dystopian past and present, while moving toward the future.

Real Real World is the first collaborative effort from Nantes-based Australian drummer/percussionist Will Guthrie and Australian keyboardist/composer James Rushford. Primarily recorded in a fluid, spontaneous studio session in Nantes, with overdubs added later in Melbourne and Nantes, Real Real World presents five spacious, unhurried pieces that inhabit a unique sound world characterised by wheezing, half-voiced organ chords, chiming metal percussion, and eruptions of small sounds. Beginning with the eerily beautiful, shakuhachi-esque sound of Rushford performing on detuned portative organ, the opening title track is abruptly transformed by the entry of Guthrie’s sizzling cymbals, deep gong strikes, and rustling hand percussion. On the epic ‘Lumbering’, which occupies the majority of the record’s first side, organ chords define a space in which a kaleidoscopic succession of amplified thuds, chiming bells, rustled and dragged objects, and abruptly silenced clusters advance and recede in an oneiric blur, eventually making way for a passage of Guthrie’s virtuosic polyrhythms, itself unexpectedly overtaken by waves of melting fairground organ. The record reaches an energetic climax mid-way through the second side with the stunning ‘Slakes’, where lugubrious chords in the organ’s lowest register are joined by Guthrie’s skittering rhythms, which somehow manage to call to mind both the most chaotic moments of Balinese Gamelan and the stochastic breakbeats of late-90s Autechre. On this piece, Guthrie and Rushford are joined by Melbourne saxophone maverick Scott McConnachie, who contributes an alto sax solo of burning precision, working with a single-minded palette of piercing long tones and wild intervallic leaps. Though it makes extensive use of overdubbing, Real Real World retains a strong sense of having been performed, rather than constructed: while at times the fleeting succession of events can recall electroacoustic music, its primarily acoustic nature and unhurried pace is also reminiscent of the music of AACM affiliates or Marion Brown’s classic Afternoon of a Georgia Faun. Immediately engaging while also hiding countless details in the folds of its polychrome fabric, Real Real World is a relaxed and joyous document of collaborative musical invention.

Artwork by Patrizia Bach. Layout by Lasse Marhaug. Mixed and mastered by Joe Talia at Good Mixture, Berlin.

The three players in Chicago’s Moontype orbited each other for years before they came in phase. Bodies of Water, their debut album for local label Born Yesterday, documents travel, insecurity, friendship, and the titular element—all of which are representative of the band members’ strong connection to place and to one another. “Being rooted in the landscape became important to me while studying geology, which completely changed how I think about the world,” offers songwriter, vocalist and bassist Margaret McCarthy of the album’s central themes. The arrangements themselves feel like open-hearted negotiations; sparse fingerpicking gives way to saturated tube-screaming as naturally as the changing of tides. Over twelve tracks, Moontype revels in the woozy concoction of its many influences, but always lands on punchy hooks, shifting between arrangements both spacious and mystifying without abandoning their conversational warmth.

Conservatory students at Oberlin College’s prestigious music program, each member focused on exploring different sounds. Guitarist Ben Cruz, who came up on classic rock shredding and migrated into jazz performance, admired the indie pop of Fountains of Wayne, the groundbreaking composition work of pianist Vijay Iyer, and the genre-morphing folk of heavy hitters like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. He played in several projects alongside Emerson Hunton, who’d drummed from age six and entrenched himself in the Twin Cities improvised music scene before even heading to college. Margaret—who grew up outside of Boston playing piano, singing in choirs and writing on guitar—spent her time creating knotty, riot grrrl-and-hyperpop inspired songs for bass and voice, as well as noise soundtracks for art installations. Inspired by artists like Adrianne Lenker and Gillian Welch, she recorded the EP bass tunes at home in an apartment over the town’s optician, releasing it upon graduation. A week later she migrated even farther west to Chicago, where Ben and Emerson had already enmeshed themselves in several projects, from avant garde ensembles to a country group.

Ben was instantly impressed by Margaret’s songs, at once “challenging and unlike anything I had played before.” The duo decided to try performing together, but knew this special music would be even better fortified with drums. Emerson was the obvious choice—as Ben puts it, “He’s our great friend and also the best drummer we know. Who else do you call?” Moontype-as-trio gigged around town, eventually embarking on a first fall tour in Emerson’s Prius. On that trip, they felt the music morph into something living, and the care and trust between them intensified. They decided to put together songs for a record, recorded at the end of 2019 with Jamdek Recording Studio’s Doug Malone, a dependable collaborator whose patient process perfectly captured the magic of their newfound familiarity. While Margaret’s skeletal demos still informed the bulk of Moontype’s full-band debut (some of which are re-recordings of bass tunes cuts), the resulting arrangements are songs reborn and strengthened by the three musicians’ absorption of one another’s ideas.

On Bodies of Water, Margaret’s soothing, unadorned alto is often peppered by the gliding, eerie harmonies of her bandmates. “We love the act of singing together,” explains Ben, who describes it as “connecting and grounding and wholesome.” The push-pull search for common ground characterizes the instrumentals as well. Round basslines occupy higher octaves, trading space with guitars chugging in lower registers, and all the while drums break apart and glue back together in idiosyncratic grooves that never lose the pocket. Of the complicated rhythms that sometimes result: “Any mathy moments are based on how the lyrics fall naturally, which feels like it frees us up from having to stay in one time signature,” says Emerson. “Rhythmic elements never feel like they’re being added in, more like they’re already there and we just float on through.”

Touring’s restlessness informed these songs, but so did the DIY scene that welcomed Moontype to Chicago—including, according to Margaret, the “wild harmonies” of Ohmme, the “deadpan explanatory rock” of Ratboys, and the “luxe math rock pattern music” of The Knees. Working at beloved venue Sleeping Village inspired Margaret’s observational vignettes; “We are sitting at the desk and you are mixing all the bands,” she reports in the middle of the dextrous folk hammer-ons of “3 Weeks,” gently admitting, “I am trying to have fun and I am trying to get paid” in a world of bikes, trucks, and velvet. “About You,” a robust power-popper written about a post-gig romp around Richmond with artist Bebé Machete, opens with a Phair-ian quip: “Looking at you with my fuck me eyes / Do you wanna get inside of mine?” Meanwhile, the spectre of lost camaraderie looms over “Ferry,” an atmospheric and anthemic standout that questions, “If I’m not your best friend / then who am I to anyone?” Alongside water, this preoccupation with friendship is a focal concern lyrically, but the palpable love between Moontype’s players is essential in communicating that desire for connection, and all three members are dedicated to exploring sound and meaning organically and together. Care and generosity are at the core of Moontype, and Bodies of Water is a clever album full of insightful music, as cosily enveloping as it is incisively honest.

Zwerm is a Belgian-Dutch electric guitar quartet (with a backyard rehearsal shed located in Antwerp) that operates along the borders between styles and traverses traditions that are typically not convergent. Zwerm rhymes Larry Polansky with Nadah El Shazly and are galvanized by the likes of guitars pioneers like The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth, the microtonal DYI-er Harry Partch, Middle Eastern sonorities and the prog-madness of Kind Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. ‘Musical adventure’ is not just a hollow cliché for this quartet, but a genuine commitment. Zwerm calls itself a ‘guitar quartet’, but that can be interpreted broadly as well as with a pinch of salt: “If we want to do something on instruments we don’t really master, we’ll just figure out a way to make it work.”
Toon Callier, Johannes Westendorp, Kobe van Cauwenberghe and Bruno Nelissen all met in 2007 while working on a project with Glenn Branca. A new guitar quartet was born and it became clear rather quickly that staying in the strictly contemporary compositions lane was not for this quartet-with-five-to-six-members (an organizational chart is available upon request).
An appetite for new and lasting collaborations has been a constant theme throughout their artistic parcours. The group has shared stages with theatrical producers like Walpurgis and Post uit Hessdalen, dancers such as Ecce and with the musicians Fred Frith, Stephen O’Malley, Shiva Feshareki, Rudy Trouvé, Mauro Pawlowski, Larry Polansky, Eric Thielemans, Yannis Kyriakides, François Sarhan, Serge Verstockt and Stefan Prins. These projects have not always translated into records, but they have been decisive in creating a unique musical approach. In 2015, when Zwerm was asked by De Handelsbeurs to collaborate with Fred Frith, they proceeded to pen a few new musical sketches over which Firth sublimely improvised. In 2018 ‘Badminton in Tehran’ was released, their first record that was made up completely of only the group’s compositions.
“a basket full of buttons here
and if you push the wrong one: fear
and if you push the right one: love
or maybe none of the above”
The route that Zwerm has taken is often defined by the question “What if... ?” - like a dart thrown at a musical map, not quite blindly, but naive enough to lead to unexpected endings.
“What if we play Renaissance pieces written by John Dowland, but instead of playing lutes we play these tunes with a Telecaster – and then jam it through effect pedals and an amplifier?”
“What if we connect one hundred guitar pedals and just leave our guitars at home?”
“What if we record a record with ten different one-page-pieces that we found on the Internet?”
In 2020 our metaphorical dart landed on “What if we tried microtonality?”.
‘Microtonality’ sounds a bit creepy, but actually there is nothing to be afraid of: there are no out-of- tune notes, just alternate notes. On the continents where Western musical theory is less stringently applied, microtonality is the rule, and has become the subject of many deep and thoughtfully written theories. However for Zwerm, this phenomenon occurs in many, often surprisingly lighthearted forms. A dilapidated piano that has settled into a beautiful microtonal tuning of its own accord, enthusiastic choral singing, a guitar whose three strings are tuned a quarter-tone higher, a saz (Turkishquarter-tone lute), a maddening guitar pedal, ...
"the dreams they were convicted for telling only lies reality came after for claiming to be wise what you don’t see is what you get just never light a spark I’m a crow in the dark”
“And… what if we work with a drummer?” Enter Karen Willems - dummer, extraordinaire, and ardent player in groups, projects and collaborations galore. One chance meeting and the deal was done. It was obvious before the start that Willems was the versatile and creative percussionist-in-a-toy-store necessary for this project. And in the studio, to our delight, she demonstrated an easy dexterity when switching quickly from one idea to the next.
At the reins behind the scenes was producer Rudy Trouvé, who – during previous sessions for ‘Badminton in Terhran’, when the classically trained guitarists went completely off the rails, staring deeply and forlornly into their scores, looking for answers – was able to pinpoint the problem and get the wagons rolling in the right direction again. Completing the team were Mark Dedecker (recording)and Joris Calluwaerts (mixing).
The results are in and it’s called ‘ Great Expectations’ – a title that, in several ways, fits perfectly with these strange times.‘Great Expectations’ goes wide! Zwerm is at its best when it can run along the borders between style and across traditions that otherwise would not necessarily intersect. The most straightforward rockers have a proggy tinge while the dreamy psychedelic songs lean more toward Richard Youngs. And if a nice melody dared come to close to becoming a ‘Kit-Katjingle’, then barbs-a-la-Pere-Ubu were trailed, tracked, found and promptly embedded. ‘Heavy Machinery’ sits neatly somewhere between Captain Beefheart and Richard Wagner, and ‘On My Way To Aguno’, set to an Iranian folk song chord progression, grew into a hyper-personal lullaby. Zwerm used the saz (Turkish lute) and the sinter (Moroccan gnawa bass instrument) without falling into pastiche psychedelia, but you can still sense the orient.

The Brussels based trio Don Kapot released their first EP on Mr. Nakayasi Records in 2018. They recently teamed up with the Belgian jazz / not jazz label W.E.R.F. records, with whom they released a limited edition cassette "Don Kaset" in October 2020. On March 26th they proudly present the release of a new full album: Hooligan. The album contains seven collectively written songs and takes the listener on an adventurous instrumental journey full of steaming grooves, unbridled joy in the game and humour. The album can be heard as a completely unhinged and idiosyncratic mix of punk, jazz, afrobeat and all this with a hint of spirituality.

After playing and touring together in Oghene Kologbo's band for a while, drummer Jacob Warmenbol and bassist Giotis Damianidis decided to join forces with baritone saxophonist Viktor Perdieus and Don Kapot was born in 2016. From joint improvisations, own compositions quickly emerged which blended the different musical backgrounds of each band member. It soon became clear that this musical cocktail would effortlessly break through all genre walls and that Don Kapot has as much in common with experimental rock bands like Deerhoof or King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard as with adventurous jazz trios like those of Ornette Coleman. Influences from afrobeat, punk and krautrock are some of the main ingredients of this adventurous trio.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 30 years since Candy Dulfer rose to fame with her high-profile collaborations with Dave Stewart (the worldwide number 1 smash “Lily was here”) and of course the legendary Prince, whose tongue-in-cheek recommendation (“When I want sax, I call Candy”) in the “Partyman” video made the world sit up and notice the young, glamorous and talented sax player at his side. Candy has been fortunate to work - both in the studio and on stage - with some of the biggest names in music, including Van Morrison, Maceo Parker, Sheila E., Mavis Staples, Lionel Richie, Beyoncé, Pink Floyd, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and many others. Despite these high-profile collaborations, Candy mainly focused on her solo career, starting her own band at age 13 and touring the world ever since.

2LP Set With 19 Classic Tracks From One Of The Most Beloved Singers Of All Time In One Of The Greatest Soul Acts.
Gladys Knight & the Pips remain, without doubt, one of the greatest acts of the soul era. With powerful lead vocals supported by ultra-smooth harmonies delivering a catalogue of hits, their mark on the charts alone is impressive enough. Add in their remarkable fashions, memorable choreography & collaborations with some of the greatest songwriters of all time, and you have the
definition of iconic artist right there.
Breaking through in the late 50’s on Jackie Wilson’s Brunswick label, first serious chart success came soon after signing to Buddah in 1973 and the release of a Jim Weatherly number, ‘Where Peaceful Waters Flow’. Their second release for Buddah took them into the pop stratosphere. ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ - another Weatherly composition - landed them a US No.1 and UK No.10 hit.
And then classic hit after classic hit flowed. ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me’ (Weatherly), ‘Baby Don’t change Your Mind’ (Van McCoy), ‘Make Yours a Happy Home’ (Curtis Mayfield), ‘Baby, Baby Don’t Waste My Time’ and ‘Bourgie’ Bourgie’’ (both Ashford & Simpson) all feature here among many others as a slice of the group’s huge repertoire.
After the group amicably disbanded in 1989 Gladys continued to record and
perform, including her joining the select band of superstars to have performed
a James Bond theme, with her unmistakable ‘Licence to Kill’. Still performing
solo to this day, “The Georgia-born ‘Empress of Soul’ reigns supreme,” wrote
The Times of Gladys as recently as 2019. But it will be group’s golden era from
the early-70’s to the mid-80s catalogued here that Gladys Knight & the Pips will
always be most fondly, and recognisably remembered.

Repress!

This is the debut release on Noir Music from Brazilian K.A.L.I.L.
We have been working quite some time to perfect this first release from him on the label and give it the edge needed to stand out. After tons of road-testing and going back and forth with production ideas I am now happy to have 2 perfect tracks ready from K.A.L.I.L. that really showcase his super solid techno sound and production flair. Involved (co-produced with Any Mello) is a quite simple trip with Any's spoken word in center of industrial elements wobling it and out. This track works really well in the clubs because of its on point minimalism, the high intensity stacatto synths and the catchy vocal line from Any. It's not easy to do big tracks without big basslines - but that's what K.A.L.I.L. and Any Mello truely achieved with this one. Revolved is a track I signed already last year and since then K.A.L.I.L. has been perfecting everything about the track from small details to bigger arrangement improvements. This track has that big bassline that sits right in your face. It also has the right build for those peaktime
moments in the clubs. I have been playing 'Revolved' a lot over the past months and people go crazy for those big bass drops.
We are honored to have another great producer join the Noir Music family and proud to have another belter of a release ready for you.

Following an acclaimed EP from Brussels duo The Untouchables, DNO Records stays in Belgium for the next instalment of its global bass odyssey, but offers up a wholly different kind of trip originating from Charleroi.

Leading the way are Clearlight & Owl. The pair typically operate together as Glÿph — producing glitchy, modern techstep — but the use of their independent aliases is an early indicator to expect the minimalist experimentalism found in their solo work.

Superb Gatefold delux editioon of a magic ambient to ambient-core sound... Ritch and conceptual music... Out from the fields and upper than any montaign... this is This tale is written inside the gatefold : The Bandiagara Escarpement unravels for more than 400.000 hectares, multitude of sandstone cliffs and plateaus, ravines and caverns. A West African area of unique and exceptional beauty also known as the Land of Dogon.


Summer night is fading away when the Hogon Kalapodis stands up abruptly after days completely motionless staring at the stars through the openings of the Kukulu Kommo Cave. Time has come. The heliacal rising of Sirius is getting nearer. Aware of the power of the word to bring everything into existence by naming, the Hogon reaches with a resolute pace the Polio Kommo Plain where his ancestors wrote in stone the past and future of mankind. There he finds the Awa fully deployed in two lines, the oldest standing and the others sitting before them. Dressed with braids of dyed fibers and embroidered with cowry shells, figures of mythological beings, humans, animals hold the painted wooden masks tightly between their teeth. Behind them, the whole tribe stood around the rock ark in the kanaga position : legs well planted in the sandstone, arms waving to the lightening sky.
Just a nod and Nogod, the most skilled percussionist, starts a solo on his Gom Boy. First he keeps on repeating over and over the same obsessive pattern and then, squeezing the leather chords of the talking drum with arm and body, he modulates the frequency produced with the beats originating from the rest of the tribe. The last Dama has just begun.

The end of the mourning ritual is now looming over the cliff. Hundreds of Boy Na and Boy Tolo and Gom Boys jam together with bells and bullroarers and all the singers. The masked crews jump and dance quickly in sonic belligerence and the faster they cross one another, the more the rhythm accelerates.
Drumming gets supersonic. No longer possible to detect a percussive sound, only a single powerful Black Drone. Super fast music becomes super slow.


In the light of dawn, looking at the horizon, Sigui Sirius A Tolo is now rising. Also its dark companion Po Sirius B Tolo is over there and far away a new New form is taking shape. Nogod standing right at the middle of the vibing tribe, whispers sweetly something but somehow in all that rumble everybody hears clearly the name : S………I………R………I………U………S………C