Buscar:ben w

Limited 180g black vinyl (500 copies worldwide)
“Marcel Wave combine sharp-eyed Northern lyricism with DIY guitar-janglers rooted in a retro C86 aesthetic. Epic finale ‘Linoleum Floor’...is a gloriously bleak rumination on the horrors of enforced late-night hedonism worthy of prime Pulp” UNCUT
Marcel Wave write eulogies for tragic actresses, ancient riverbeds and concrete obscenity. Their inaugural sonic instalment ‘Something Looming’ is part trades club symphony, part itchy serenade, and part wistful lament. As their heady concoction of ‘Meades meets Pat-E-Smith meets Kirklees Borough Council’ gets prepped to be formally baptised on a dank stage near you, Upset the Rhythm and Feel It Records have dutifully stepped in to deliver its songbook to the masses on both sides of the pond.
Formed when Lindsay Corstorphine and Christopher Murphy of Sauna Youth and brethren Oliver and Patrick Fisher of Cold Pumas were summoned by northern ink-slinger Maike Hale-Jones, Marcel Wave’s debut offering is a walk through a smoke-filled pub with yellowing wallpaper and all eyes on you. It’s a chronicle of the death of the docklands, the decline of industry, of the high street, of civic pride, of civilisations, of hopes and dreams. As Hale-Jones delivers the bad news in her low, West Yorkshire brogue, Corstorphine adds the bells and whistles via the frantic pulsations of a wheezing Hohner organ in tandem with Fisher O’s rasping guitar. MW are completed by the throbbing basslines of Murphy and Fisher P’s fervent rhythms.
The title itself sets the tone for the listener. There’s a sense of foreboding in Hale-Jones’ lyrics which sit at the quintet’s core—elegiac, sardonic and piquant in equal measure. A mixture of narrative epilogues and inward paeans, her words weave tales across a broad thematic church. Crooked tales of urban renewal and the voices left behind are probed in ‘Barrow Boys’ and ‘Stop/Continue’ and are at the fore in ‘Where There’s Muck There’s Brass’ with its refrain lamenting ‘Concrete and slate shine in the rain, cities destroyed, nothing to gain’. In these lyrics, tower blocks loom over terraced houses with the same shadows that the Hollywood sign casts over Peg Entwistle before she takes her tragic leap. ‘Peg’ and ‘Elsie’ are both meditations on two different actresses with different fates crushed by the cut-throat trappings of showbusiness: ‘The mad hopes break, fragile as glass. She traded it all, for the cutting room floor.’ A snaking, existential dread also runs through the album, stated more obliquely in the otherwise poppier interludes of the title track ‘Something Looming’ and album opener ‘Bent Out of Shape’, and present too on the comparatively ramshackle ‘Discount Centre’, where Hale-Jones reports ‘On a mini bus on the outskirts of Enfield, I’m losing all of my spark’. On the album closing weeper ‘Linoleum Floor’, it is laid barer still—a keyboard-led reflection on the deflating nights out of our early-twenties.
Marcel Wave invites the listener to dance to society’s decline, and then to later weep into its lukewarm pint.

Habibi Funk is more than happy to announce our 31st release which happens to be our 3rd various artists compilation. The album is dedicated to the cassette tape scene in Libya from the late 80s to early 2000s, from disco to reggae to pop. All songs previously unreleased outside of Libya and not available on any DSP platforms.

This compilation isn’t a sweeping history of Libyan music — it’s a personal journey into the sounds we fell in love with while digging through tapes, conversations, and stories across Libya and beyond. Rather than spotlighting the country’s most famous musical exports, the compilation brings forward a mix of overlooked gems and local classics of the cassette era: artists whose work thrived despite political limitations, and scarce international exposure. The music featured here blends reggae rhythms, synthy disco grooves, gritty pop, house, and funk, a vibrant collision of genres that reflects Libya’s unique sonic landscape from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Many of these recordings were recovered from the TK7 cassette factory in Sousse, Tunisia, a now-demolished site that once played a quiet but vital role in distributing and manufacturing Libyan music. Other tracks were digitised in a Cairo hotel room in 2021, where we transferred nearly 100 tapes over the course of three days, on-site using a high-grade cassette deck brought into Egypt with us. From that trove emerged artists like Ahmed Ben Ali, Cheb Bakr, and Najib Alhoush & The Free Music, who have already featured on our earlier releases. Their sounds sit alongside contributions from this release from the likes of Khaled Al Melody, Fathi Aldiyqz & Sons of Africa Band, City Lights Band, Libya Music Band, and Group Hewaya. During this era, Independent artists relied on makeshift home studios or travelled abroad to record in Tunisia and Egypt, gradually building their own infrastructures for creativity. By the 90s and early 2000s, as access to digital equipment increased, a few of the artists began setting up their own studios — a shift that gave rise to a more self-sufficient recording culture across the country. The resulting sounds are anything but homogeneous. They reflect Libya’s geographic and cultural crossroads: North African rhythms meet Arab melodies and deep African roots. Reggae, in particular, took on a local Libyan flavour — not just musically, through the slowed-down cadence of traditional shaabi beats, but socially, as a vehicle for expressing identity and pride. What ties all the artists on this comp together is a boundary- pushing approach to genre and style: recorded in small studios, exchanged by hand, and shaped by a cross-pollination of influences, from Benghazi to Tripoli and beyond. All tracks are licensed from their creators and in the case of the artists being deceased from their estates. All profits are being split 50:50 between us in the licensors and ownership remains with the creators, we only licensed the music.

Absolutely ESSENTIAL record right here - The Underground Solution aka The 'S' Man aka the legendary Roger Sanchez is a name that you should all be familiar with by now, and his 1990 ANTHEM 'Luv Dancin' is an NYC deep house benchmark. That's right, this originally came out in 1990. That's a heck of a long time ago. Thing is, this record, when played at the right time will still cause maximum damage in the club. Riffing on disco classic 'Is it all over my face' and with elements of 'The bottle' interspersed with a deep, rolling garage bassline and dreamy keys and pads Sanchez crafted a solid gold cut, a timeless piece of dance music that still inspires today and is often imitated yet obviously never bettered! The flipside cuts 'Deep in my mind' and 'Afterthought' are also sublime exercises in the deepness, The 'S' Man's trademark eerie pads, bleeps and dope drum programming evident throughout, making these tracks huge hits from NYC to Sheffield and beyond! This whole EP is flawless and if you dig the deeper side of this stuff then you're in for a treat - Now's your chance to bag a bonafide, hands down classic record!
'Luv Dancin' has been skilfully remastered from all original master sources and fully licensed and reissued officially for 2017.

A1 FORWARD
Was inspired by the revolution of the year of 1988 also referred to as the 2nd summer of love. Revolutions great and small are happening all around us all the time, and they take place in the minds of individuals.

A2 CHARANJIT DRIVE
Describes the revolution i 've got in mind, angelic bass-string harmonic notes flying left and right, Indian-vocals, sudden sped-up dancehall baselines and breaks. Imagine a hippie a homeboy and a funky dread, hugging and dancing and telling their mates how much they love each other in a nice green field while this plays.

B1 HONDA WANDERER
A man in a blue honda civic is traveling through a misty world at a high velocity. Seeking that which is just hiding behind the next bend. I made this after a beautiful misty, raining/sunshine rainbow ride on the autobahn. I had just picked up a cheap mutron bi-phase which was sitting beside me in the passenger seat. It was amazing.

B2 MISTY VALLEY
It's time to get a little bit serious, this one feels like the place where i made all of this music, the village of Ruigoord, covered in a thick winter fog. The remnants of a possible previous reincarnation of myself as an 80s new-beat producer are haunting this music.

all music & artwork by Mozes Meijer, mastering: Wouter Brandenburg, cut: Dubplates & Mastering a&r: Arne Cinema Royale Visser.

Im Jahr 2018 war Case Oats so etwas wie eine nebulöse Idee. Die Bandleaderin Casey Gomez Walker hatte bereits in Bands gespielt, und ihr Projekt Case Oats hatte eine selbst veröffentlichte Single, aber war keine Band, bis ein auswärtiger Freund sie fragte, ob Case Oats eine Show in Chicago headlinen könnten. Casey bluffte - ja, sie hatte eine Band, ja, sie waren bereit, eine Show zu spielen - und machte sich an die Arbeit. "Es war ein bisschen wahnhaft von mir", sagt sie, "aber ein bisschen wahnhaft zu sein hat ja auch etwas für sich." "Last Missouri Exit", das Debütalbum von Case Oats, ist ein bemerkenswert sicheres Album, bei dem sich die Band - Spencer Tweedy (Schlagzeug), Max Subar (Gitarre, Pedal Steel), Jason Ashworth (Bass), Scott Daniel (Fiddle) und Nolan Chin (Klavier, Orgel) - um Gomez Walkers Stimme und Gitarre gruppiert. "Last Missouri Exit" ist eine Sammlung scharf gezeichneter Charakterstudien. Gomez Walkers Hintergrund im kreativen Schreiben drückt sich in ironischen Beobachtungen und einem entwaffnend leichten Sinn für Lyrik aus, das Tiefgründige und Profane purzelt aus Songs wie "Bitter Root Lake" mit dem Gewicht eines Bekenntnisgedichts und der Leichtigkeit eines Gesprächs unter Freunden. Der rote Faden von Case Oats' erstem Auftritt bis zu ihrem Debütalbum ist Vertrauen, in die Songs und in ihre Spieler. "Last Missouri Exit" klingt aus den chaotischsten Kammern des Herzens und die Band schwillt um Gomez Walker herum an, die das Erwachsenwerden in Bezug auf die Loyalität zu verzweifelt fehlerhaften Menschen und schließlich, mit etwas Abstand von zu Hause, die Treue zu sich selbst beschreibt. Die Songs entstanden live, und die ersten Aufnahmen fanden, wie sich Gomez Walker erinnert, im Keller eines Hauses statt, das Ashworth, Subar und Tourmitglied Chet Zenor gemeinsam bewohnten. "Wir nahmen die Songs an drei heißen Augusttagen mit unseren Freunden auf und versuchten einfach, die Energie zwischen uns einzufangen". Tweedy, der die Session mit Ashworth und Subar aufnahm und das Album produzierte, sagt dazu: "Wir brachten gerade so viel Material mit in den Keller, dass wir es aufnehmen konnten. Wir hatten das Glück, in den Monaten vor der Session viele Konzerte gespielt zu haben, so dass wir einfach so spielten, wie wir gespielt hatten, ohne jede Wertigkeit." Diese anfängliche Kellersession ist das Zuhause, in dem "Last Missouri Exit" aufwuchs, und diente sowohl als Ursprungs- als auch als Zielort, da Gomez Walker und Tweedy den Gesang in getrennten Sessions zu Hause aufnahmen. Texte, die sich so wahrhaftig lesen wie "Your brother was the golden boy and you were your mother's pup / The safety of her guiding arms kept you from fucking up", heißt es in einem Couplet aus "Buick Door", das durch die Distanz zwischen Gomez Walker und den auslösenden Ereignissen ihrer Songs gestärkt wird. Ihre Stimme ist selbstbewusst und zart, sie fängt den Nervenkitzel eines Schlagzeugs oder die schmerzende Weite der Pedal Steel ein und kanalisiert den Schwung in die Hoffnungen und den Herzschmerz des Kleinstadtlebens im Mittleren Westen. Auf der Fahrt von Gomez Walkers Heimatstadt auf dem Freeway nach Chicago in Richtung Norden steht auf dem Schild kurz vor der Grenze zu Illinois unter anderem "Last Missouri Exit". Es ist ein Punkt auf der Landkarte und für sie ein Punkt, an dem es kein Zurück mehr gibt. Als sie ihn eines Tages überquerte, bedeutete das das Ende ihrer Kindheit und den Beginn ihres restlichen Lebens. Das Album ist ein Scharnier zwischen diesen beiden Zuständen, in dem sich die Schmerzen des Heimwehs mit dem Nervenkitzel des Aufbruchs zum Horizont überlagern. "In a Bungalow" betrachtet diese Überschneidung im Licht der goldenen Stunde, ein Lied, dessen leidenschaftliche Sehnsucht nach der Heimat - ihren süßen Quellen und langsamen Tagen und alten Freunden - nur möglich ist, weil sie einen Ort verlassen hat, der sich einst wie das Zentrum des Universums anfühlte. Wenn "Last Missouri Exit" ein Coming-of-Age-Album ist, dann deshalb, weil es um Wachstum und Perspektive geht, und weil es von einer Band gemacht wurde, die bereits jenseits des Horizonts lebt, nach dem das Album benannt ist. Es ist ein Album, das sich danach sehnt, gehört zu werden, während man den Sonnenuntergang von seiner Veranda-Schaukel aus beobachtet, aber seine wehmütige, idyllische Sicht auf den Mittleren Westen ist keine Nostalgie für die Vergangenheit - es ist das, was Case Oats einen Sommer lang im Keller auf einer Ad-hoc-Bühne gezaubert haben, ein Dokument einer Band, die um diese Songs herum zusammengewachsen ist, auf einem neu entdeckten Höhepunkt ihrer gemeinsamen Kräfte. Was sie geschaffen haben, ist warm und einladend, ein Album, das sich beim ersten Durchlauf offenbart und mit jedem Hören tiefer wird. Dies ist ihre Einführung; man fragt sich, was ihr Horizont noch bereithält.

Get ready for a musical journey like no other as Apollo Junction, the dynamic and innovative indie rock sensation, prepares to launch their eagerly awaited new album, ’What In The World’ on August 22nd. The members of Apollo Junction hail from Leeds, UK. Known for their electrifying live performances and genre-blurring sound, the band has captured the hearts of music enthusiasts worldwide.

With a strong and dedicated fan base, Apollo Junction continues to push the boundaries of their craft, creating music that resonates on a profound level. Apollo Junction’s new album ‘What in the World’ has been years in the making - born from highs, lows, countless gigs, and all the chaos in between. It’s the most honest version of the band yet, a record shaped by every late-night argument, every breakthrough, every crazy story they have ever told each other.

Recorded at Chairworks Studio with David Watts (The Reytons, OMD, Paul Heaton, and Kaiser Chiefs) the album also features tracks co-written with Eliot Kennedy (known for his work with Bryan Adams and the Spice Girls) and includes a track with a powerful guest vocal from Brianna Corrigan of The Beautiful South. Lead singer Jamie Williamson explains the importance of the album: “This album feels exactly right for where we are now. Every track is a snapshot—of getting lost, finding our way back, and remembering why we started. It’s about making something that feels like home. We went looking for meaning and realised it was right in front of us: the band, the songs, this record. ‘What in the World’ isn’t just a title—it’s the answer we’ve been chasing all along.” Leeds-based quintet Apollo Junction is made up of Jamie Williamson (singer) Matthew Wilson (guitarist), Ben Hope (bassist), Jonny Thornton (drummer) and Sam Potter (keyboards). Their shared love of live music and dedication to performing, coupled with an incredible hard-work ethic has taken them on this magical journey which has included support slots for Shed Seven, Kaiser Chiefs, Richard Ashcroft and performing at festivals including the prestigious Isle of Wight Festival. Coming up this summer, the lads will be playing with Blossoms, Manic Street Preachers and Doves

James Yorkston vereint auf "Songs for Nina and Johanna" starke Stimmen und große Gefühle inklusive Gast-Features von Nina Persson (The Cardigans) und Johanna Söderberg (First Aid Kit)!

"Songs for Nina and Johanna" ist das neue, einfühlsame Album des schottischen Singer-Songwriters James Yorkston. Das in Stockholm mit Mitgliedern des Second Hand Orchestra aufgenommene Album bringt James Yorkston erneut mit der unverwechselbaren Stimme von Nina Persson (The Cardigans) zusammen, während er zum ersten Mal mit Johanna Söderberg (First Aid Kit) zusammenarbeitet. Beide singen jeweils mehrere Songs gemeinsam mit ihm. Das Album kreist um zutiefst persönliche Themen wie Familie, Liebe und Elternschaft - Motive, die für Yorkston nach über zwanzig Jahren musikalischer Laufbahn mehr denn je im Zentrum seines Schaffens stehen. Die warmen, oft melancholischen Songs leben von feinen Melodien, ehrlichen Texten und einer Intimität, die durch die Stimmen Perssons und Söderbergs noch verstärkt wird. Im Gegensatz zu früheren, eher improvisierten Produktionen folgte die Entstehung dieses Albums einer klaren Struktur. Die intensiven Sessions im Studio Rymden wurden von Produzent Daniel Bengtson begleitet, der ein offenes, kreatives Umfeld schuf.










i b4 I Spooked the Neighbours









[i] b4 | I Spooked the Neighbours

James Yorkston vereint auf "Songs for Nina and Johanna" starke Stimmen und große Gefühle inklusive Gast-Features von Nina Persson (The Cardigans) und Johanna Söderberg (First Aid Kit)!

"Songs for Nina and Johanna" ist das neue, einfühlsame Album des schottischen Singer-Songwriters James Yorkston. Das in Stockholm mit Mitgliedern des Second Hand Orchestra aufgenommene Album bringt James Yorkston erneut mit der unverwechselbaren Stimme von Nina Persson (The Cardigans) zusammen, während er zum ersten Mal mit Johanna Söderberg (First Aid Kit) zusammenarbeitet. Beide singen jeweils mehrere Songs gemeinsam mit ihm. Das Album kreist um zutiefst persönliche Themen wie Familie, Liebe und Elternschaft - Motive, die für Yorkston nach über zwanzig Jahren musikalischer Laufbahn mehr denn je im Zentrum seines Schaffens stehen. Die warmen, oft melancholischen Songs leben von feinen Melodien, ehrlichen Texten und einer Intimität, die durch die Stimmen Perssons und Söderbergs noch verstärkt wird. Im Gegensatz zu früheren, eher improvisierten Produktionen folgte die Entstehung dieses Albums einer klaren Struktur. Die intensiven Sessions im Studio Rymden wurden von Produzent Daniel Bengtson begleitet, der ein offenes, kreatives Umfeld schuf.

For many bands, having all their gear stolen would be catastrophic. For Third Ear Band, this unfortunate 1968 incident opened a portal to beneficial change. Leader/percussionist Glen Sweeney viewed the heist as a sign to alter Third Ear Band's approach, and they switched to exclusively using acoustic instruments. With electrified psychedelia in full bloom, Sweeney, Paul Minns (oboe, recorder, whistles, flutes) and Richard Coff (violin, viola) struck out on an individualistic path, blending Indian raga with chamber music – without plugging in.

Third Ear Band's 1969 debut album, Alchemy, established them as a solemn, powerful force in the global underground. On Alchemy, Sweeney laid down a steady pulse on hand drums, while Minns and Coff wove in melismatic patterns on oboe, recorder, violin and viola. This approach carried over to Third Ear Band's self-titled sophomore album, often called Elements due to its track titles being named after the four basic components of medieval European alchemists' doctrines.

On this 1970 LP, Third Ear Band sounded at once ancient and contemporary, yet they turned on the hippies with their epic, trance-inducing jams that suggested secret knowledge of infinity. Although Third Ear Band flourished during the West's countercultural zenith, they were peculiarly estranged from it on a sonic level. Even outré contemporaries such as Comus and Jan Dukes De Grey sounded like pop groups compared to TEB. Having no traditional front person or electric instruments, Third Ear Band forged a singular path that flowered most vividly on Elements.

The long songs here stream forth from their skilled hands, evoking a communal transcendence in sound – a hypnotic swirl that doesn't swing, but rather wafts and undulates with cloistered beauty. TEB's music exists in an eternal now, a perpetual wow. It is an ouroboros of organic textures, seemingly magicked into the air spontaneously, yet possessing a rigor that suggests long hours in the lab. Without electricity, it somehow burrowed deeper into your consciousness.

– Dave Segal (excerpt from the liner notes)

Im Jahr 2018 war Case Oats so etwas wie eine nebulöse Idee. Die Bandleaderin Casey Gomez Walker hatte bereits in Bands gespielt, und ihr Projekt Case Oats hatte eine selbst veröffentlichte Single, aber war keine Band, bis ein auswärtiger Freund sie fragte, ob Case Oats eine Show in Chicago headlinen könnten. Casey bluffte - ja, sie hatte eine Band, ja, sie waren bereit, eine Show zu spielen - und machte sich an die Arbeit. "Es war ein bisschen wahnhaft von mir", sagt sie, "aber ein bisschen wahnhaft zu sein hat ja auch etwas für sich." "Last Missouri Exit", das Debütalbum von Case Oats, ist ein bemerkenswert sicheres Album, bei dem sich die Band - Spencer Tweedy (Schlagzeug), Max Subar (Gitarre, Pedal Steel), Jason Ashworth (Bass), Scott Daniel (Fiddle) und Nolan Chin (Klavier, Orgel) - um Gomez Walkers Stimme und Gitarre gruppiert. "Last Missouri Exit" ist eine Sammlung scharf gezeichneter Charakterstudien. Gomez Walkers Hintergrund im kreativen Schreiben drückt sich in ironischen Beobachtungen und einem entwaffnend leichten Sinn für Lyrik aus, das Tiefgründige und Profane purzelt aus Songs wie "Bitter Root Lake" mit dem Gewicht eines Bekenntnisgedichts und der Leichtigkeit eines Gesprächs unter Freunden. Der rote Faden von Case Oats' erstem Auftritt bis zu ihrem Debütalbum ist Vertrauen, in die Songs und in ihre Spieler. "Last Missouri Exit" klingt aus den chaotischsten Kammern des Herzens und die Band schwillt um Gomez Walker herum an, die das Erwachsenwerden in Bezug auf die Loyalität zu verzweifelt fehlerhaften Menschen und schließlich, mit etwas Abstand von zu Hause, die Treue zu sich selbst beschreibt. Die Songs entstanden live, und die ersten Aufnahmen fanden, wie sich Gomez Walker erinnert, im Keller eines Hauses statt, das Ashworth, Subar und Tourmitglied Chet Zenor gemeinsam bewohnten. "Wir nahmen die Songs an drei heißen Augusttagen mit unseren Freunden auf und versuchten einfach, die Energie zwischen uns einzufangen". Tweedy, der die Session mit Ashworth und Subar aufnahm und das Album produzierte, sagt dazu: "Wir brachten gerade so viel Material mit in den Keller, dass wir es aufnehmen konnten. Wir hatten das Glück, in den Monaten vor der Session viele Konzerte gespielt zu haben, so dass wir einfach so spielten, wie wir gespielt hatten, ohne jede Wertigkeit." Diese anfängliche Kellersession ist das Zuhause, in dem "Last Missouri Exit" aufwuchs, und diente sowohl als Ursprungs- als auch als Zielort, da Gomez Walker und Tweedy den Gesang in getrennten Sessions zu Hause aufnahmen. Texte, die sich so wahrhaftig lesen wie "Your brother was the golden boy and you were your mother's pup / The safety of her guiding arms kept you from fucking up", heißt es in einem Couplet aus "Buick Door", das durch die Distanz zwischen Gomez Walker und den auslösenden Ereignissen ihrer Songs gestärkt wird. Ihre Stimme ist selbstbewusst und zart, sie fängt den Nervenkitzel eines Schlagzeugs oder die schmerzende Weite der Pedal Steel ein und kanalisiert den Schwung in die Hoffnungen und den Herzschmerz des Kleinstadtlebens im Mittleren Westen. Auf der Fahrt von Gomez Walkers Heimatstadt auf dem Freeway nach Chicago in Richtung Norden steht auf dem Schild kurz vor der Grenze zu Illinois unter anderem "Last Missouri Exit". Es ist ein Punkt auf der Landkarte und für sie ein Punkt, an dem es kein Zurück mehr gibt. Als sie ihn eines Tages überquerte, bedeutete das das Ende ihrer Kindheit und den Beginn ihres restlichen Lebens. Das Album ist ein Scharnier zwischen diesen beiden Zuständen, in dem sich die Schmerzen des Heimwehs mit dem Nervenkitzel des Aufbruchs zum Horizont überlagern. "In a Bungalow" betrachtet diese Überschneidung im Licht der goldenen Stunde, ein Lied, dessen leidenschaftliche Sehnsucht nach der Heimat - ihren süßen Quellen und langsamen Tagen und alten Freunden - nur möglich ist, weil sie einen Ort verlassen hat, der sich einst wie das Zentrum des Universums anfühlte. Wenn "Last Missouri Exit" ein Coming-of-Age-Album ist, dann deshalb, weil es um Wachstum und Perspektive geht, und weil es von einer Band gemacht wurde, die bereits jenseits des Horizonts lebt, nach dem das Album benannt ist. Es ist ein Album, das sich danach sehnt, gehört zu werden, während man den Sonnenuntergang von seiner Veranda-Schaukel aus beobachtet, aber seine wehmütige, idyllische Sicht auf den Mittleren Westen ist keine Nostalgie für die Vergangenheit - es ist das, was Case Oats einen Sommer lang im Keller auf einer Ad-hoc-Bühne gezaubert haben, ein Dokument einer Band, die um diese Songs herum zusammengewachsen ist, auf einem neu entdeckten Höhepunkt ihrer gemeinsamen Kräfte. Was sie geschaffen haben, ist warm und einladend, ein Album, das sich beim ersten Durchlauf offenbart und mit jedem Hören tiefer wird. Dies ist ihre Einführung; man fragt sich, was ihr Horizont noch bereithält.

Gold-braunes Farbvinyl (140g) mit zusätzlicher schwarzer Flexidisc mit zwei neuen Tracks in braunem Sleeve.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - die verrückte Soundcollage / 2000er Skratch-Odyssee des Musikgenies Kid Koala - wird zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum von Ninja Tune neu aufgelegt. Als wahrer musikalischer Visionär kombinierte Eric San alias Kid Koala eine sinnliche Herangehensweise an sein Handwerk mit wildem Humor und verlieh seiner Kunst damit eine völlig unnachahmliche Qualität. Als leidenschaftlicher Turntablist (Turntablism": die Kunst, Plattenspieler als Musikinstrument zu benutzen, um originelle Sounds, Mischungen und Rhythmen zu kreieren) nahm San Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ausschließlich mit Plattenspielern auf, indem er Vinylplatten von Hand auf einen Achtspurrekorder aufspielte. Das Ergebnis ist ein exzentrischer, fröhlicher Streifzug durch seinen einzigartig verdrehten und brillanten Verstand. Die neue Auflage ist erstmal auf Single LP mit umgedrehtem Artwork erhältlich inklusive einer Flexidisc mit zwei neuen Songs.

In 1996, Busta Rhymes delivered his debut album, The Coming, three years after the Leaders of the New School unofficially disbanded. Though his talents were evident on those Leaders of the New School releases, Busta went on a series of features that only built up the public's desire for a solo Busta album. Right out of the gate, Busta dropped his classic debut single "Woo Hah!! (Got You All in Check)" that made it abundantly clear he was to be mentioned among Hip Hop's greatest solo artists. The energy and originality packed on that one song set a tone for the album that displays Busta's raw talent and ability to bend words with his ever rambunctious flow. The album features production by Easy Mo Bee, DJ Scratch, Q-Tip, and J Dilla. Songs such as "Everything Remains Raw", "Abandon Ship", and "Still Shining" all rise above as The Coming's stand-out tracks, but "Ill Vibe" is the album's crown jewel moment. Busta sounds right at home over this J Dilla beat, trading verses with his Native Tongue cohort Q-Tip. The Coming was a critical and commercial success for Busta Rhymes. It reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1996 and has since received a platinum certification from RIAA. As mentioned, The Coming boasts the hit single "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check " which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1996. It was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. It also ended up sporting another hit single, It's a Party featuring Zhané. The Coming shows amazing variety where Busta can break free from the bells and the whistles of the Busta Dungeon Dragon flow to explore other ways of leaving our jaws open by his incredible lyricism. The Coming surely lives up to its title, as Busta delivers a performance that ignited his impeccable solo career.

Reissue, 2LPs, black and purple colored. Limited to 500 copies. Fläsket Brinner means Burning Flesh and is a suitabel name for this group that started in 1970 playing music with influences from the time, like kind of jazzrock, psychedelia, folkmusic and long improvisations that often ended in extacy. Bo Hansson did not often play his music live, but he often joined Fläsket Brinner in concerts, sometimes he played the Hammond but also guitar or cow bell. This, their debut album, has been long awaited for different reasons but is now finally released including a lot of bonus material on a second LP. Side A and C plus "Bosses låt" on side B are recorded at The Concert Hall in Stockholm December 1st 1970 (on 2-channels) when Fläsket Brinner was warm up for Frank Zappa and Mothers of Inventiom. Bo Hansson was participating in that concert on Hammand Organ alternativ Cow Bell when Sten Bergman played the organ. B 6 is recorded at Liljevalchs Hall of Art during the 3rd Gärdetfest that was held indoors November 20th 1970 (on 8-channels) B 1, 2, 4, 5 are recorded in the newly started Studio Decibel January 17th and 18th 1971. Sides A, B and C are recorded and mixed by Anders Lind. D-side "Gulan" is recorded at Pistolteatern in Stockholm (on 2 channels) February 14th by Claes-Göran Flodén.

LTD. CLEAR BLUE VINYL

New York painter and musician exploratory industrialist Tor Lundvall initially envisioned his 14th album, Beautiful Illusions, as an entirely instrumental affair, "inspired by memories of sitting in a church or cathedral watching the shifting sunlight through stained glass." Although he ultimately chose to wreath the majority of the tracks with hushed, poetic vocals, his original muse still resonates. These are certainly songs of shadowplay and vaulted skies, the quiet grandeur of dusk deepening on the horizon. Lundvall characterizes the lyrical subject matter, too, in ways both specific and surreal, exploring "the doubts, the anxieties and even the bleak fantasies the mind spirals into during moments of isolation, separation and distance." Tricks of the eye, mind, and ear, magnified by silence and the looming long winter. Shivering pulses and muted bass lines tread the twilight while icicle synths and wiry guitar map the melody until the voice enters, narrating oblique moods of essence and absence, tenderness and truth. Glimpses of dark humor flicker in the wordplay but the greater sonic landscape is one of falling leaves and failing light, small gestures rendered as revelation, cloaked in reverb and spatial fog. Lundvall's mastery of nuance and negative space continues to heighten, whispered brushstrokes of the invisible and the unsaid, what lies beneath and what lies beyond: "Behind the shields and false fronts is usually a sadness. The heartbreaking reflections of what might have been."

Der schwüle Ton von Eliana Glass ist nicht zu überhören - sie wechselt zwischen einer unkonventionellen, suchenden Qualität und ihrer ergreifenden, ehrfurchtgebietenden Bandbreite. Auch ihr Klavierspiel besitzt dieses mitreißende Hin und Her zwischen dem Jenseitigen und dem schmerzlich Menschlichen - jede Melodie ist ihr eigenes, einzigartiges, schmerzhaftes Reich. Glass' spärliche, meditative Musik fängt oft, wie sie sagt, die ,Verdichtung des Alltags" ein, ein Bild, das zu der bittersüßen, flüchtigen und abstrakten Natur ihrer Arbeit passt. Glass' Debütalbum E erscheint bei Shelter Press und ist nicht nur ein zärtliches Porträt ihrer lebenslangen Beziehung zum Klavier, sondern auch eine Destillation ganzer Lebenszeiten. Vier Jahre lang arbeitete Glass mit dem Mitbegründer und Produzenten von Public Records, Francis Harris (Frank & Tony, Adultnapper), und dem Tontechniker Bill Skibbe (Shellac, Jack White) zusammen, um das Album E in verschiedenen Studios in Nashville, Brooklyn, Memphis und Benton Harbor, Michigan, aufzunehmen. Glass' experimentelle, improvisatorische Werke erinnern an den sinnlichen Minimalismus von Annette Peacock, die freudige Rätselhaftigkeit von Carla Bley und die wehmütige Intimität von Sibylle Baier. Ihre Verehrung für die Größen des Leftfield Jazz und der freien Improvisation ist unüberhörbar, aber immer gefiltert durch ihren unverwechselbaren, naturalistischen Sound. ,Dreams" ist eine majestätische Interpretation von Peacocks gleichnamigem Stück aus dem Jahr 1971, ,Sing Me Softly the Blues` ist eine minimale, fesselnde Neuinterpretation von Baiers Jazzstandard mit einem von der norwegischen Sängerin Karin Krog adaptierten Text, und ,Emahoy` ist eine schmachtende Hommage an die äthiopische Pianistin, Komponistin und Nonne Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou und ihre 2006 erschienene Kompilation Éthiopiques. Glass' Musik basiert auf einem taktilen, sprunghaften Klang und ihrer stimmlichen Kraft und Vielseitigkeit. E's glatte Stöße von Kontrabass und Schlagzeug kitzeln den Gehörgang und betonen die Schlagfertigkeit ihrer unverwechselbaren tiefen Stimme, die sonore, androgyne Gelassenheit mit flatterhafter Zartheit verbindet. E hat auch eine rätselhafte elektronische Note, die die verschwommenen Emotionen von Glass' Songwriting noch verstärkt. Von Hintergrundrauschen und windigem Gesang bis hin zu kaleidoskopischen Synthesizern stammen diese subtilen, geschmackvollen Verzierungen oft von speziellem analogem Equipment: einer unterirdischen Echokammer aus den 1960er Jahren, einem Cooper Time Cube (im Grunde das Hardware-Äquivalent der Audioverarbeitung durch einen Gartenschlauch) und einem AEA-Bandmikrofon aus den 1940er Jahren. Aber das bedeutet nicht, dass E veraltet klingt - Glass' Songs sind von einem zukunftsweisenden Geist durchdrungen und fungieren letztlich als Vehikel für ihre berauschenden Emotionen und fragmentierten Erinnerungen und Träume. Glass' eigentümliche stimmliche Alchemie und ihre lebhaften Klavierausflüge sind meisterhaft und ganz und gar ihre Sache, und ihr Debütalbum ist ein Geschenk von klangvoller Schönheit und lohnender Mehrdeutigkeit. Als Musikerin und Improvisatorin ist Glass von der Suche nach Bedeutung, nach Klängen, nach Neuem, nach Verbindung begeistert und beherrscht diese. Und wie Krog 1975 in ,Sing Me Softly the Blues" sang: ,Life's so thrilling / if you search."

If you thought rising fame would dull the laser sharp wit of Getdown Services then think again. Following the release of their already beloved EP 'Your Medal's In The Post', they return with yet another. 'Primordial Slot Machine' is full to the brim with their trademark genre-bending, apocalyptic disco and more seditious one liners than you can shake a stick at. And now you can pre-order both EPs on a special limited edition brown vinyl, complete with artwork and obi strip.

Following their debut on Klockworks in 2023, Spanish duo Ribé & Roll Dann return on Ben Klock’s celebrated imprint with ‘Klockworks 40’, delivering a pure driving techno four-tracker sure to be heard on dancefloors and festivals across the globe.

From the kinetic groove of opener ‘Interludio’ to the sharp-edged energy of ‘Tregua’, the A-side captures the duo’s command of movement and space on the dancefloor. The flip side pushes further with ‘Demencia’ hauntigly rolling in with a darker, hypnotic mood and ‘El Nexo’ showcases yet again immersive sound design and wonky corrosive rhythms.

Skkkrt! Step Ball Chain is officially running redlights and disregarding road rules with Anderson in the driver’s seat. The US born, Berlin based producer and deejay offers up Cut The Breaks, a 5 track EP bursting at the seams with ruff, tuff and techy freakouts, never neglecting the groove. Transcending genre, the low key king of the underground reaches into new realms sprinkling in electro, tech house and bouncy techno with a nod and a wink to hip hop.

Sleek & sexy; the opening title track is as fresh as it gets, a soldering of prize elements from different electronic ecosystems. Whiplash drums and vocal chops that weave their way through the record, also cropping and popping up on the B Side. Pedal to the metal for Giving it All and Visconti Bounce; playfully traversing dancefloors with tongue & cheek turboness and rhythmic exploration that will drive you wild. Smell the rubber burn for STEP15; let Anderson strap you in and take the wheel.

The Bar-Kays were originally formed in Memphis, Tennessee, 1966, as a sextet backing group for Stax Records. They had a promising career in front of them as a session band & recording outfit before the backbone of the group was killed, along with Otis Redding who had hired them as his backing band for a tour, in a plane crash. Only Ben Cauley survived the crash and went on to form what could be dubbed Bar-Kays Mark II. James Alexander (Bass) was also one of the original members but was not aboard the plane because of limited seats on Redding's plane. For Alexander and Cauley and new members Michael Toles, Willie Hall, Ronnie Gordon and Harvey Henderson, the track 'Sang & Dance' was one of the first tracks from the new group, cut in late 1969. They recorded steadily for Mercury records in the 70s & 80s, the two tracks on this 7” among their best loved and sought after. “Open Your Heart” only previously a 7” B-side in Spain

Brazilian Psychedelic Rock Artist Firefriend via Cardinal Fuzz and Little Cloud Records announce a first time vinyl pressing for the classic - “999 to 666 ts Street” Prepare to take the long way through the void — Brazilian sonic architects Firefriend present the searing “999 to 666 TS Street”, a full-length LP that bends time, bleeds color, and dives deeper into the cracked corridors of psychedelic rock. With roots tangled deep in the underground of São Paulo and their eyes forever fixed on the cosmic unknown, Firefriend has carved out a space uniquely their own — a distorted dreamscape where shoegaze meets fuzz, noise folds into melody, and every track is a doorway. “999 to 666 TS Street” is a concept record that navigates a haunted psychogeography: an address etched between realities, where spiritual unrest collides with dystopian daydreams.

A Journey Through Sound and Shadow Drenched in fuzzed-out guitars, whispered vocals, analog synths, and pulsing rhythms, this LP sees the trio — Yury Hermuche (guitar/vocals), Julia Grassetti (bass/vocals), and Cacau Bandeira (drums) — begin to forge the fearless vision they seek. From the opening surge to the final fractured lullaby, “999 to 666 TS Street” is both a destination and a transmission: a call to the wanderers, the outsiders, and the seekers. But Firefriend's mission isn’t just sonic — it’s political.

As proudly left-wing artists with an internationalist vision, the band channels the disillusionment and resistance of a generation watching the world teeter. Their music radiates both critique and hope, connecting the dystopia of late capitalism with a dream of liberation. Whether playing São Paulo basements or European festivals, Firefriend brings an urgent message beneath the haze: solidarity is louder than silence. "This album is a street you can't find on any map — it's the place your mind goes when you turn the lights off," says frontman Yury Hermuche. "It's noise, beauty, and a little bit of danger." "We wanted to build a record that feels like a fever dream on vinyl," adds bassist Julia Grassetti. "Something physical, something that glows in the dark." About Firefriend Known for their hypnotic live shows and cult international following, Firefriend has shared stages with underground legends and graced the grooves of multiple celebrated independent releases.

They’ve become essential listening for fans of Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Velvet Underground — yet remain wholly, defiantly themselves. “999 to 666 TS Street” marks the start and is another milestone in their prolific catalog, pushing the limits of psychedelic rock while remaining anchored in the beautifully bleak emotionalism that defines their sound. Beneath the distortion lies a worldview — anti-authoritarian, borderless, and defiantly alive.

Brainfeeder stellt Tres Leches vor - ein Trio herzzerreißender Troubadoure, bestehend aus Paul Bender und Simon Mavin von Hiatus Kaiyote, ergänzt durch das tourende Bandmitglied und dem langjährigen Kollaborateur, Alejandro „Silentjay“ Abapo - und ihr kommendes Album, „The Smooth Sounds of Tres Leches, LHCC Mart Vol. 1“, das Mitte August 2025 auf dem Label erscheint.

Liebevoll aufgenommen und abgemischt in verschiedenen Hotelzimmern an den freien Tagen einer Nordamerika-Tournee, drehen Tres Leches die Lichter herunter und interpretieren Hiatus Kaiyote-Evergreens wie „Get Sun“, „Red Room“, „Make Friends“, „Nakamarra“ und mehr neu, um Leidenschaften zu wecken, die Sinne zu entzünden und die wilde Bestie in sich zu beruhigen. Ursprünglich als Soundtrack zu einem imaginären Supermarkt für „Love Heart Cheat Code“ gedacht, nahmen diese schwülen und sinnlichen Interpretationen der Hiatus Kaiyote-Tracks bald ein Eigenleben an. Hiatus Kaiyote - das Quartett bestehend aus Naomi „Nai Palm“ Saalfield (Gitarre, Gesang), Paul Bender (Bass), Simon Mavin (Keyboards) und Perrin Moss (Schlagzeug) - wurde von vielen bekannten Namen gesampelt, darunter The Carters (Beyoncé & Jay-Z), Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak und Chance The Rapper. Außerdem wurden sie von gefeierten Künstler:innen wie SZA, Kehlani, Willow Smith und Virgil Abloh unter Vertrag genommen. Letzten Herbst coverte Doja Cat die „Mood Valiant“-Single, „Red Room“, in der Live Lounge in Los Angeles und spielte den Song auch mehrfach auf ihrer damaligen Tour.

Country, Township-Jazz und Pop-Hits aus der Hochphase der sambischen Freiheitsbewegung. Der Sänger, Gitarrist und Bandleader Alick Nkhata bewegt sich mühelos zwischen einsamem Country-Slide, Big-Band-Pop und luftdichten Gesangsharmonien, die alle ihre Wurzeln in Bemba- und anderen afrikanischen traditionellen Liedern und Rhythmen haben. Es ist eine schwindelerregende, umfassende und weitreichende Mischung von einem Künstler und Musikarchivar, der zur Stimme des Freiheitskampfes seines Landes wurde. Die Texte und die Musik spiegeln die Zeit wider - einsame ländliche Klagelieder wie ,Nafwaya Fwaya" und ,Fosta Kayi" driften entlang der Eisenbahnlinien in die städtischen Zentren und Kupferminen. "Nalikwebele Sonka (I Told You Sonka)", gesungen in ,Deep-Bemba`, verbindet honiggetränkte Jodler mit einer Warnung vor der Abwärtsspirale der Arbeitslosigkeit in den Townships, während "Mayo Na Bwalya" (Mother of Bwalya) die Bitte einer Mutter an einen traditionellen Singvogel ist, ihren missratenen Sohn zu führen. Lieder wie ,Shalapo", ,Kalindawalo Na Mfumwa" und sein größter Hit ,Imbote" vereinen Klavier, Big-Band-Hörner und sogar frühe elektronische Instrumente zu atemberaubenden synkretistischen Pop-Meisterwerken. Diese LP ist das erste Mal, dass seine Musik auf Vinyl wiederveröffentlicht wird. Auf hochwertigem schwarzem Vinyl mit 12-seitigem Deluxe-Booklet mit unveröffentlichten Fotos, Texten, Übersetzungen und Anmerkungen des NTS-Radiomoderators Jamal Khadar.

Cleaning Out The Empty Administration Building ist Ross Farrars neuestes Werk aus rohem, gesprochenem Wort und experimentellem Sounddesign, hier präsentiert unter dem Namen R.J.F.. Der Frontmann der amerikanischen Bands Ceremony und SPICE begann dieses Soloprojekt zunächst als persönliche Herausforderung: Songs von Grund auf selbst zu schreiben, sich mit Instrumenten vertraut zu machen und dabei zugleich sein Unterbewusstsein freizulegen. Dabei ging es weniger um musikalische Virtuosität als um Verletzlichkeit - darum, etwas Ehrliches aus einem ungeschützten, unbearbeiteten, unpolierten Moment zu ziehen, kompromisslos amateurhaft und rein.Diese Sammlung zeigt Farrar im offenen, poetischen Dialog: mit Drumloops und gefundenen Klängen, durchbrochen von Gitarren, Bass und Tasteninstrumenten. Nach über zwanzig Jahren in der vertrauten wie chaotischen Welt von Band-Kollaborationen, legt Farrar all das ab - als Experiment. Das Ergebnis ist unverwechselbar und bewegend.Farrars Punk-Pathos ist in Spuren vorhanden, doch seine deutlichsten Einflüsse stammen von repetitiven Musikformen: Drone, No-Wave, Avant-Jazz und darüber hinaus. Seine nüchternen Texte erinnern an Lou Reed, Rowland S. Howard und andere große Exzentriker. Farrars Texte kreisen um Liebe, Sucht, Vaterschaft und das Leben in der heutigen Welt. ,Ich wollte Bilder schaffen, die die Menschen klar vor sich sehen können", sagt er. Farrar unterrichtete früher Schreiben und Literatur - und wendet hier ein einfaches Prinzip an, das er auch seinen Schülern mitgab: Nicht zu viel nachdenken. ,Ich habe mir einfach gesagt: Diese Songs sollen Spaß machen. Sie sollen nicht stressig sein. Zwei, drei Takes aufnehmen und dann gut ist. Nicht über jedes Geräusch den Kopf zerbrechen. Mach einfach das, was natürlich aus dir herauskommt - und wenn es sich gut anfühlt, dann nimm es."Aus hunderten freier Songs, die Farrar in den letzten Jahren mit geliehenem Equipment aufgenommen hat, kristallisierte sich dieses Album langsam heraus. ,Es kam einfach immer wieder."Der Ton von Cleaning scheint die Zeit zu verbiegen, versetzt die Hörer in eine Art Gang voller Songs, bei denen jede Tür in einen neuen Raum führt - Räume, die oft auf unheimliche Weise vertraut wirken. Der gurgelnde Bass des Openers ,Advance" taucht auch in anderen Stücken wieder auf, etwa im gespenstischen ,Ovidian", benannt nach Ovids Metamorphosen, in dem Farrar über das Wunder der Veränderung sinniert - begleitet von fernen Glockenklängen. Instrumentalstücke wie ,Gravity Hill" - ein Flattern aus Synth-Brummen und statischem Rauschen - oder ,Frogs", mit Saiteninstrumenten und perkussivem Topfschlagen, wirken wie tranceartige Zwischenspiele und verstärken die Wirkung der Texte drumherum.,Exile" blickt zurück auf Verluste, die sich nicht mehr reparieren lassen: ,So much of your heart caught in my exile", singt Farrar mit sanfter Resignation - über einer einsamen Klaviermelodie und schlingernden Gitarrenakkorden. Es ist das strukturierteste Stück der Sammlung und erinnert daran, dass Farrar ein Gespür für melodische Linien besitzt.Das Album endet mit ,Traveling Light From Afar", deutlich schneller als alle vorherigen Songs. Hier, über einem stoischen Motorik-Beat, spricht Farrar das zentrale Thema des Projekts direkt an:,I've been so young in my old age / Selfish & self-pitying / But that's just narcissism - man."Genau dieser Balanceakt - zwischen schonungsloser Selbstbefragung und der Klarheit, die mit dem Älterwerden kommt - schafft Raum für Entwicklung. Farrar leert das Gebäude - Zeile für Zeile.

Bret McKenzie ist ein Grammy- und Oscar-prämierter Künstler, der vor allem durch seine Band Flight of the Conchords und die gleichnamige Fernsehshow bekannt wurde. "Freak Out City" ist sein zweites Album mit geistreichen, anspruchsvollen Solosongs und baut auf den Stärken seines Debüts "Songs Without Jokes" auf (das vom FarOut Magazine als "musikalische Version eines Kurt Vonnegut-Romans" beschrieben wurde) und wird sicherlich Fans von nachdenklichen Singer-Songwritern wie Harry Nilsson, Elvis Costello, Father John Misty und klassischem Pop-Rock der 70er Jahre Freude bereiten. McKenzie ist international bekannt dafür, witzige, seltsame und einzigartige Songs zu singen und zu schreiben, vor allem für Film und Fernsehproduktionen. Bret McKenzies Lieder wurden bereits von Kermit dem Frosch, Celine Dion, Lizzo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brittany Howard, Homer und Lisa Simpson, Fred Armisan, Miss Piggy, Amy Adams, Jason Segal, Ricky Gervais, Benee, Isabela Merced, Spongebob Schwammkopf, Tony Bennett, Mickey Rooney und vielen anderen gesungen. Das selbstbetitelte Debütalbum von Flight of the Conchords wurde 2025 mit Gold ausgezeichnet und ging prompt in einer limitierten Gold-Vinyl-Variante über den Ladentisch.

This isn't your abuela's salsa night - this is CHEO Y LOS CONSENTIDOS DE LA CASA. Funk-forward. Rhythm-obsessed. 100% dance floor approved. Cheo y Los Consentidos de la Casa is a dynamic, funk-infused Latin music project led by Cheo Pardo (of Los Amigos Invisibles). Serving as the house band for a bi-weekly dance night at NYC's Nublu, the group blends salsa, boogaloo, cha-cha-cha, and bolero with psychedelic effects and deep grooves. Their debut live album captures this high-energy fusion, reimagining Latin classics with a modern, electrifying twist that honors tradition while pushing boundaries. Born from a love of vintage Latin soul and the raw energy of NYC's dance floors, Cheo assembled an all-star crew of the city's hottest Latin players to cook up a high-octane blend of salsa, boogaloo, cha-cha-cha, and bolero - all filtered through wah-wah pedals, space echoes, fuzzy guitar solos, and a deep, unshakable groove. The result? A psychedelic, percussive party that's equal parts tradition and funked-out future. Their debut album, recorded live at Nublu, captures the heat, sweat, and sabor of their wildest nights - reimagining classics from Joe Cuba, Willie Colón, Eddie Palmieri, Mon Rivera, and more. Each track is a tribute and a reinvention, breathing new life into the old- school with a cosmic twist, and opening the doors for a whole new generation to feel that sabrosura in their bones.

Still Forms in Air is the debut album by Italian composer Francesca Marongiu under her own name. It draws inspiration from mid-1980s Japanese ambient music — Hiroshi Yoshimura, Satoshi Ashikawa, Takashi Kokubo — and, more subtly, from Italian experimental echoes rooted in both personal and cultural memory.

The album unfolds like suspended time, like architecture that quietly bears witness to the shifts that have shaped our cities and the ways we live in them. These tracks reflect an emotional and urban landscape, shaped by a gaze cast upon the mid-1980s and early ’90s — a time of subtle yet lasting changes in the form and meaning of shared space. That period marked a delicate turning point, later described as les années d’hiver: the slow onset of fragmentation beneath a surface of creative openness.

Still Forms in Air doesn’t dwell in nostalgia (though it draws from it), but reimagines that duality through a contemporary lens. Its sound blends memory and presence, layering ambient textures with a refined spatial sensitivity. It is a dialogue across decades — clear-eyed, affectionate, and quietly luminous.

Written, arranged and recorded by Francesca Marongiu in Rome and Pistoia between May 2024 and March 2025.
Francesca Marongiu: electronics, synthesizers, vocals, sound objects.
Antonio Gallucci: wind arrangements on track 1 and 4, bass and sound objects on track 3, drums on track 3 and 4.
Mixed by Francesca Marongiu and Antonio Gallucci. Mastered by Antonio Gallucci at Mercurial Mastering in Pistoia. Artist photo by Elisabetta Scarpini. Artwork by Daniel Castrejón.

Billie Eilish’s third studio album, "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT", released via Darkroom/Interscope Records is her most daring body of work to date, a diverse yet cohesive collection of songs— ideally listened to in its entirety from beginning to end—does exactly as the album title suggests; hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way. With the help of her brother and sole collaborator, FINNEAS, the pair wrote, recorded, and produced the album together in their hometown of Los Angeles. This album comes on the heels of her two massively successful albums “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" and "Happier Than Ever" and works to further develop the world of Billie Eilish. This special anniversary edition is pressed on bio-vinyl dark blue & orange splatter with the original cover printed on silver mirror foil board.

French electronic producer heylucas (formerly Luca) steps into a new era with his highly anticipated debut album, "hey".



Following a series of acclaimed singles throughout 2024 and 2025, "hey" marks a turning point in his artistic journey. After his first live performance in late 2024 met with enthusiasm, it became clear, Luca was no longer just a bedroom producer but a true performer. A shift that inspired the name change from Luca to heylucas, embracing a broader vision for his music. This career change is all the more significant now that he has just announced his very first solo live show at POPUP! in Paris on 24 May.


"hey" is a deeply personal recollection of emotions: the highs and the lows, the joy of loved ones, the grief of loss, and the thrill of firsts. From euphoric moments to introspective instants, the album showcase the diverse experience of the artist during this transformative year. Singles like "do the things that bring joy" "either it goes well, or it passes" and "keep dancing" are the perfect example, shaping his signature sound: heartfelt, uplifting tracks that make you want to move and reflect at the same time.


“Do It All Again” in collaboration with Swedish duo HNE, features spoken vocal snippets collected from real-life encounters in the final months of the album’s creation, blend with an energetic/euphoric production.


The album release will be doubled by the release of an exclusive live session by heylucas in which he will reinterpret classics from his repertoire as well as new tracks from his “hey” album.



More than an album, hey is a statement. It’s heylucas’s way of waving hello to listeners, to concertgoers, and to everyone who connects with the emotions he pours into his music.

A Study of Losses", das siebte Studioalbum von Beirut, ist eine Odyssee mit 18 Tracks. Das Projekt entstand im Frühjahr 2023, als Viktoria Dalborg, Direktorin des schwedischen Zirkus Kompani Giraff, Condon fragte, ob er Interesse hätte, die Musik für ihr nächstes Projekt zu liefern, eine Show, die auf einer Adaption eines Romans der deutschen Autorin Judith Schalansky basiert. Die Hauptthemen in Schalanskys Buch "Verzeichnis einiger Verluste" und in der Adaption für die Zirkusshow befassen sich mit dem Konzept des Verlusts und der Vergänglichkeit von allem, was uns bekannt ist: von ausgestorbenen Tierarten, verlorenen architektonischen und literarischen Schätzen bis hin zu abstrakteren Konzepten des Verlusts durch den Prozess des Alterns. "A Study of Losses" reist durch elf Songs und sieben erweiterte instrumentale Themen, die nach den Mondmeeren benannt und von der erschreckenden Geschichte eines Mannes inspiriert sind, der davon besessen ist, alle verlorenen Gedanken und Schöpfungen der Menschheit zu archivieren. Musikalisch jedoch taucht er wieder in Chorgesang, Renaissance und andere Stile ein, die seine frühe Arbeiten inspiriert haben, sowie in Variationen von Klängen und Ideen, die sich auf eine seiner Lieblingsplatten, "69 Love Songs" von The Magnetic Fields, beziehen. Mit einer Länge von fast einer Stunde ist es das bei weitem umfangreichste Album, das Beirut je gemacht hat, und es gehört fraglos zu Condons bisher schönsten Arbeiten. "A Study of Losses" ist das zweite neue Beirut-Album innerhalb von nur zwei Jahren und die Fortsetzung eines weiteren, charakteristisch produktiven Kapitels für Zach Condon. Nach einem halben Jahrzehnt, das er damit verbrachte, sich von hartnäckigen Halsproblemen und einem drohenden mentalen Zusammenbruch zu erholen - was ihn daran zweifeln ließ, ob er jemals wieder vor Publikum auftreten würde - folgt "A Study of Losses" auf "Hadsel", das "einen neuen Anfang für Beirut" markierte, lobte Pitchfork und nannte es "eine aus Verzweiflung und Einsamkeit geborene Platte, die sich dennoch voller Leben anfühlt". Während sich "Hadsel" um eine gewaltige, antike Kirchenorgel drehte, die Condon während eines dunklen arktischen Winters in Nordnorwegen entdeckte, wird "A Study of Losses" durch Streichquartette und Arrangements der Cellistin und "No No No"-Mitarbeiterin Clarice Jensen aufgehellt. Geschrieben und aufgenommen von Zach Condon in Berlin (DE) und Stokmarknes (NO), wobei die Wurzeln des Albums in Schweden und Deutschland liegen, erweitert "A Study of Losses" auch die weite Welt, die er durch die Musik von Beirut aufgebaut hat, seit er das Projekt als neugieriger und umherziehender 14-Jähriger begonnen hat. "Als ich zum ersten Mal angesprochen wurde, einen Soundtrack für einen Zirkus zu schreiben, kam zunächst ein gewisses Trauma der 'Elephant Gun'-Ära hoch", erklärt Condon, als er Ende 2024 ,Caspian Tiger' von "A Study of Losses" vorstellt. "Ich war jahrelang in eine Schublade gesteckt worden, in der ich ein skurriles Zirkuskind war, voller sepiafarbener Bilder von Groschenromanen und vielleicht Löwendompteuren mit Schnurrbärten. Es hätte nicht weiter davon entfernt sein können, wie ich mir die Musik vorstellte, die ich machte. Es ist also eine Ironie, dass ich das Projekt von Kompani Giraff so verlockend fand."

Hugely prolific American ambient artist and analogue drone don zake is back once again with some new re-imaginings of works from a wide range of artists from glitch-pop to post-rock. His singular sound is imprinted on all of the source material which becomes defined by dusty texture and frayed edges as he layers up immersive, meditative soundscapes such as highlights like a haunting take on Beno�t Pioulard's 'Xaipe,' the luminous 'Nicotiana Suite' with Pausal and a poignant reshaping of Inquiri's 'They Come Around.' Each remix reflects zake's deep respect for the originals while also adding something wholly his own.

Originally released in 2019, ‘Heaven’ served as a benchmark for what modern house music is. The essential record from Ben Westbeech and KON’s The Vision project dominated stages around the world, receiving support from a plethora of top house artists; Gerd Janson, Horse Meat Disco, The Blessed Madonna, Groove Armada and Eli Escobar to name just a few.

Now Defected release a special 12” package featuring the most recently released remix from Groove Assassin, where he masterfully combined it with Supernova’s Jackin Mix of Kerri Chandler’s iconic ‘Hallelujah’ for a killer house cut. Also featured on the package is the original in all its glory, as well as Danny Krivit’s heralded edit and an edit from The Vision’s own KON.

Die seltenste Chicagoer Sweet-Soul-LP, zum ersten Mal seit einem halben Jahrhundert wieder im Druck. Arrow Browns unvergleichliches Album "The Magic of The Majestic Arrows" entstand im Keller seines Harems/Hauptquartiers in Bronzeville und war das Ergebnis jahrelanger Arbeit am Rande von Chicagos berühmter Record Row. Die auf seinem eigenen Bandit-Imprint erschienene LP ist eine mit Streichern besetzte Fantasie, die sich zwischen dem Doo-Wop der 50er Jahre und dem Studioexzess der 1970er bewegt. Unterstützt von den Chosen Few und den Scott Brothers, arrangiert von Benjamin Wright, gesungen von Browns 17-jähriger Tochter Tridia und dem marokkanischen Falsettisten Larry Brown und gezeichnet von Eugene Phillips von The Wind, ist das Album ein Außenseiter-D.I.Y.-Soul-Genie, das darauf wartet, dass die Reibung einer Phononadel seine unsterbliche Magie offenbart.

Die seltenste Chicagoer Sweet-Soul-LP, zum ersten Mal seit einem halben Jahrhundert wieder im Druck. Arrow Browns unvergleichliches Album "The Magic of The Majestic Arrows" entstand im Keller seines Harems/Hauptquartiers in Bronzeville und war das Ergebnis jahrelanger Arbeit am Rande von Chicagos berühmter Record Row. Die auf seinem eigenen Bandit-Imprint erschienene LP ist eine mit Streichern besetzte Fantasie, die sich zwischen dem Doo-Wop der 50er Jahre und dem Studioexzess der 1970er bewegt. Unterstützt von den Chosen Few und den Scott Brothers, arrangiert von Benjamin Wright, gesungen von Browns 17-jähriger Tochter Tridia und dem marokkanischen Falsettisten Larry Brown und gezeichnet von Eugene Phillips von The Wind, ist das Album ein Außenseiter-D.I.Y.-Soul-Genie, das darauf wartet, dass die Reibung einer Phononadel seine unsterbliche Magie offenbart.

Riding high on a prolific wave of output, Kloke returns to Mindgames with Lucidity — an album that confirms his position at the forefront of modern jungle.

Andy Donnelly has been actively releasing a broad swathe of electronic music since the late 00s, but it's his sharpened focus on jungle and drum & bass over the past 10 years that has cemented his reputation. As well as working closely with fellow scene leaders like Tim Reaper, the Australian artist has hit a flow state with his productions where the quality and quantity seems limitless. Since Mindgames started as a Samurai Music sub-label, Kloke has been a core part of the imprint's identity. Having already dropped the Mindgame 8 EP earlier this year, Donnelly is back with a full-length salvo of advanced jungle heavy on the technicalities and even heavier on the vibes.

Lucidity makes its mark from the very first blast of breakbeat science that opens up the title track. From that point on Donnelly works at full tilt, edging gritty textures into his sampling and capturing classic jungle's melancholic mystery through an expansive palette of re-pitched hooks. This is carefully crafted soundsystem music in thrall to the tradition of jungle, but at no point does it sound tired or throwback. One key element is the dynamic intensity of Donnelly's arrangements, shifting gears with devastating poise whether darting through the starry-eyed arps and deft breaks of 'Mobius Strip' or chopping around the jagged angles and noirish licks of 'Goose Cuts'.

Donnelly folds many moods into his jungle tapestries. 'Paradiso' conjures a smoky, haunting atmosphere while 'Nightfall' leads on techy darkside stabs before unfurling shadowy jazz licks that flicker like ghosts through the dense forest of drums. At all times, the commitment to mind-bending configurations of compound breaks drives the album forwards. No two beats roll the same as Donnelly indulges his precise and profound instinct for next-level edits and heavyweight production.

Gritty, raw and true to the roots of the culture, Kloke stands tall on Lucidity. It's the kind of detailed, deep and deadly album that shows jungle at its absolute best — a sound that still feels like the future in the right hands.

After a storied first year as a band releasing and touring behind their critically acclaimed debut album Today, Galaxie 500 closed out 1988 with a quintessential performance at New York City’s famed CBGB with every bit of their signature intimacy and autumnal bombast on display. The unusual bill which also included Sonic Youth, B.A.L.L. and Unsane was a benefit show for the zine shop See Hear.

Captured here in a raw but inspired board mix by Kramer and restored and mastered from the analog source by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, CBGB 12.13.88 is a live snapshot of a Galaxie fully formed, punctuating the end of their first chapter while poised to step into their next with On Fire the following year.

After a storied first year as a band releasing and touring behind their critically acclaimed debut album Today, Galaxie 500 closed out 1988 with a quintessential performance at New York City’s famed CBGB with every bit of their signature intimacy and autumnal bombast on display. The unusual bill which also included Sonic Youth, B.A.L.L. and Unsane was a benefit show for the zine shop See Hear.

Captured here in a raw but inspired board mix by Kramer and restored and mastered from the analog source by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, CBGB 12.13.88 is a live snapshot of a Galaxie fully formed, punctuating the end of their first chapter while poised to step into their next with On Fire the following year.

Classic black 2LP in gatefold! "Her darkest, heaviest and most personal album yet . . . a haunting, doomy exercise in loud-quiet dynamics." Rolling Stone Sleep paralysis plagues singer/songwriter Chelsea Wolfe, and that strange intersection of the conscious and the unconscious has inadvertently manifested itself within her work. Across the span of her first four albums, there is an underlying tension, a distorted and nebulous territory where dark shadows hover along the edges of the sublime and the graceful. But until now, Wolfe's trials and tribulations with the boundaries between dreams and reality have only been a subconscious influence on her work. With her fifth album, Abyss, she deliberately confronts those boundaries and crafts a score to that realm she describes as the "hazy afterlife. an inverted thunderstorm. the dark backward. the abyss of time." Chelsea Wolfe's material has always felt intensely private, from the almost voyeuristic bedroom-production aesthetic of her debut album The Grime and the Glow to the stark themes and atmospheres of 2013's Pain Is Beauty. "Abyss is meant to have the feeling of when you're dreaming, and you briefly wake up, but then fall back asleep into the same dream, diving quickly into your own subconscious," says Wolfe. To conjure this in-between world, Wolfe continued her ongoing collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and co-writer Ben Chisholm and drummer Dylan Fujioka, with Ezra Buchla brought on board to play viola and Mike Sullivan (Russian Circles) enlisted to contribute guitar. The ensemble traveled to Dallas, TX to record with producer John Congleton (Swans, St. Vincent). In the back of her mind burned the words of designer Yohji Yamamoto: "Perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion." The resulting eleven songs reflect that philosophy as they smoulder with human frailty, intimacy, quiet passion, anxiety, and deep longing. "Sleep and dream issues have followed me my whole life," remarks Wolfe as she revisits notes from the writing and recording sessions. In a way, these issues have become a part of Chelsea Wolfe's identity, for whom the notion of sleep as an escape has been subverted. Abyss captures this dichotomy, this battle between the soothing and the upsetting, and demonstrates why Chelsea Wolfe has become one of the most intriguing songwriters of the decade.

Join the band leader of the modern masters of exotica; ÌXTAHUELE, Mattias Uneback, on a new mind- bending sonic adventure with love and dreams as the driving force! Inspired by library-, exotica-, beat- and psychedelic music as well as the breathtaking landscape of the Swedish mountain world. These are the Now Sounds for your cocktail lounge and Tiki bar.

Belgian dance label LA MUSIQUE DU BEAU MONDE turns 20, spawning a massive amount of hits spanning two decades. Ranging from commercial hits by DJ Antoine, Laurent Wery, Remady, Jay Santos, to more credible tracks by Phonkers, Merdan Taplak, Les Mecs, and others.

This is the first record in a series of five, and the first one kicks off with a bang. The importance of Pedro Cazanova’s classic Selfish Love in the house scene cannot be underestimated. It grew iconic in the remix by Gregor Salto, as featured on this 12”.

Rock Your Body by Phonkers was one of the most played tracks on Benelux radio stations during the summer of 2011. The track gained massive popularity not only in Belgium and Holland but also in Australia, New Zealand, Poland, and beyond.

Daniel Bovie is undoubtedly one of the best Belgian dance producers of the past four decades. His 2014 masterpiece Way Too Long is included on this record.

In 2014, Ralpheus had a big international club hit with the catchy clubhouse tune Do What? Gospel chants built around a big clubhouse beat, still a floorfiller today!

Sailing beyond the boundaries of electronic music, Purelink embrace liquidity on their second album, washing live instrumentation and exposed vocals over their patented cascade of dubbed ambience and ebbing rhythmic experimentation. Since 2020, Tommy Paslaski (aka Concave Reflection), Ben Paulson (aka kindtree) and Akeem Asani (aka Millia) have channeled their most euphoric musical whims into the Purelink project. Drifting between brittle '90s drum 'n bass and dub techno on their cult debut 12" 'Bliss / Swivel' and vaporizing Windy City jazz and post-rock motifs with muggy soundscapes on 2023's critically revered first full-length 'Signs', the trio have managed to define a painterly signature sound that's reflective but not reverent. Sure, Purelink's music can be graceful and bucolic, but it's powered by their innate devotion to the dancefloor's soundsystem.

'Faith' illustrates a period of upheaval for the three friends; relocating from Chicago to New York City, they found themselves surrounded by new scenery and fresh inspirations that permeated their compositions as they adapted to the change. On their previous records, the production process was relatively simple, just three laptops jacked into an interface in Paslaski's living room. Here, they augment the intermixed electronics with acoustic and electric timbres, opening up space for vocal contributions from Hyperdub luminary Loraine James and poet Angelina Nonaj. "Always time for rest," James ponders candidly on 'Rookie', "we settle." Her voice floats like smoke over the trio's familiar pattering rhythms and light-headed synths, now enhanced by capsized guitar motifs and subtle bass plucks.

On 'First Iota' meanwhile, Nonaj's deadpan narration grounds Purelink's dissociated echoes, sub swells and delicate improvisations. "Not everything beautiful has to be real," Nonaj repeats as organic and digital sounds sublime into a lysergic haze. And the softly propulsive 4/4 thuds that steered 'Signs' haven't disappeared entirely, either. On 'Kite Scene' a heartbeat-like pulse underpins Purelink's balmy pads and acidic synths, tactfully disrupted by hollow live percussion, and 'Yoke' muffles its chugging, broken beat sequences with swaddled trance hallucinations, gesturing cautiously towards euphoria. Each element falls into place on the album's final track, 'Circle of Dust', when Paslaski, Paulson and Asani find a fertile middle ground, ornamenting the kinetic, reverberating beats with evaporating whispers, evocative instrumental scrapes and hopeful, ecstatic harmonies.

London-based DJ and producer Theo Kottis steps into a defining new chapter with his debut EP on Fabric Originals. A respected figure on the European scene, Theo has spent the last decade refining his craft, delivering euphoric, high-energy productions and magnetic performances that have earned him a dedicated following across the clubbing & festival circuits.

Following standout releases on tastemaker labels including Dekmantel - where his track Lighthouse was dubbed "song of the summer" by Resident Advisor - and Fuse London, Theo’s sound has become synonymous with nostalgia-soaked dancefloor moments, seamlessly fusing rave, garage & bassline textures. His tracks have seen support from top-tier selectors like Ben UFO, Francesco Del Garda & Eris Drew - & his sets at Panorama Bar, Lux Fragil, and Robert Johnson further cement his reputation as a selector with deep musical intuition.

Now releasing on Fabric Originals, Theo is on his best form - following a run of acclaimed EPs on Dekmantel and FUSE London, affirming his place as a versatile & vital force in underground music.

This new EP sees him channel his signature sound through the venue’s rich legacy & forward-thinking ethos. The result is a bold and genre-bending body of work, shaped by both personal reflection and creative momentum.

Opening track Drone was born out of angst - heard through the powerful synths, weighty bassline & unrelenting energy, capturing the tension of that moment. In contrast, Momentum introduces lush pads & evolving textures, expressing a sense of release and optimism, a reflection of renewed focus and belief in the road ahead. Together, the two tracks form a deeply personal narrative, blending emotional resonance with club-ready impact. With momentum building across 2024, this release signals an exciting evolution for Theo Kottis as he continues to shape dancefloors well into 2025 & beyond.

The lovely, longing ‘I Still Think About You’ was a regular highlight of the band’s earliest live sets and was one of the first songs they wrote together. “We wrote it three years ago, before we had released any music,” explains the band’s Ben Easton. “It had a certain youthful optimism that we loved, but after a few road tests we decided to shelve it. However, we knew that there was still something in it, so we brought it back earlier this year and we’re chuffed with the result.” “We wanted to capture the purity of wanting to see someone again, hoping they appear around the corner, or in your local park or pub, without any form of doubt that creeps into one’s mind as we grow older,” adds singer Dottie. “We enjoyed exploring and challenging ourselves to achieve a softer and uplifting narrative – it’s possibly the most joyful thing we’ve ever written.” On the flip side, the ‘No Ordinary Love’ reframes the slick R&B of the original as a dark and delicious dreampop / trip-hop crossover. “The original was pretty much on repeat during our tour late last year and we thought it’d be an interesting thing to try,” explains the band’s Ben Easton of the decision to cover the song. “It’s a good representation of where we’re going, sonically, and it was also our first recording experience with Harry Catchpole on drums and so we particularly focused on what he brings to the table. We experimented with different snares, mics and other effects to create our own kind of drum sample which is something that feels important to the deary sound going forward.”

Pyrex’s post-apocalyptic punk slithers out of the melting pot that is New York City, nodding to influences ranging from early thrash to Crass Records post-punk and the city’s own storied hardcore lineage. Rooted in the classic acid-damaged sound of Chrome, Pyrex takes notes from disparate influences like Poison Idea, Needles and Crazy Spirit, delivering a rolling boil of punk nihilism with hints of psychedelia simmering beneath. Their latest, Slugman, is four tracks of irate punk fury packed into a taut eight minutes—all toxic sludge and raw nerve spilling in abundance. It’s nasty, unhinged and volatile but won’t leave your turntable for a long while. Approach with caution.

Suzzallo (pronounced Süe-zahh-Lōw) is a new Seattle based rock band fronted by Rocky Votolato. After the devastating loss of his child in a tragic car accident, Votolato created an entire new world inside of aggressive anthemic rock songs to transmute extreme grief and loss into something healing and beautiful. This is a return to form for Votolato, who for the past 2 decades has had a successful career as an Indie-rock solo artist, but who started out playing in heavier bands - most well known for his work in Waxwing.

With Rudy Gajadhar on drums (ex-Waxwing), Steve Bonnell on bass (ex-Schoolyard Heroes) and teaming up with legendary producer John Goodmanson, Suzzallo recently finished recording their debut album “The Quiet Year” at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, WA. Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie / The Postal Service) is featured on several tracks on the album, adding some levity to the songs with beautifully placed backing vocals, electric guitar, bass 6, and piano.
Funded via a crowdsourcing campaign that raised over 100K dollars, Suzzallo’s highly anticipated debut is due to be released on Thirty Something Records in the spring of 2025.

Silence present a reissue of legendary live album from Sweden's own Woodstock, Gärdesfesterna, the start of the Swedish alternative music movement. It's hard to imagine an album with a greater symbolic significance than the 2LP set "Festen på Gärdet", recorded at the second of the two festivals held at the Gärdet field in Stockholm in 1970, with Träd Gräs Och Stenar and especially Bo Anders Persson as the driving force behind them both. Those festivals are often regarded as the starting point of the music movement. It's convenient having a fixed date of course, but as with any historical event, it was the product of a process, with one thing evolving into something else. So while the date isn't historically valid, the Gärdet festivals' importance to the music movement is unquestionable. This was the first time that several of the soon to be most important bands presented themselves to a larger audience. Most bands didn't have a record contact at the time, and some of them would never get one, such as Det Europeiska Missnöjets Grunder and Låt Tredje Örat Lyssna In & Tredje Benet Stampa Takten.

For most members of the band it's the best album. But, tragically, the release of Operation Heavenly in 1996 was overshadowed by the sudden death of drummer Mathew Fletcher. The promotional tour was cancelled, the surviving members of the band went into emotional hibernation and no-one could bring themselves to celebrate these vibrant, upbeat songs. So, this release by Skep Wax Records, nearly thirty years on, is more like an album launch than a re-issue. Time has healed most wounds, and the songs on Operation Heavenly feel like they can finally emerge onto the stage, with Mathew's spirit very much alive: his effervescent witty drumming sounding as fresh now as it did then. These tracks are gleeful, melodic, sophisticated and knowing. The tough riot grrrl edge that Heavenly had developed a year before with seminal singles P.U.N.K. Girl and Atta Girl, has been blended with a deliberate quantity of Britpop styling. Heavenly were clearly listening to what was going on, liked the energy, but didn't necessarily feel the need to join in. Some of the tracks (eg Ben Sherman) are as jaunty as early Blur, but the lyrics, mocking a narcissistic boyfriend for his obsession with hair, clothes and his own erections, show that Heavenly didn't need or want to be part of the la - or even ladette - herd. Operation Heavenly was the band's first release on a label other than Sarah Records. Matt Haynes and Clare Wadd had brought that exceptional label to a deliberate and dramatic end. The liaison with US punk label K Records continued - as did the duets with Calvin Johnson: Pet Monkey is a moving duet between a growling Calvin Johnson and a sweet-voiced Cathy Rogers, as they dramatize another complex, maybe doomed relationship, with another self-centred boy finding himself frustrated by a girl who won't take any shit. But in the UK, Heavenly needed to find a new home - and Wiija Records were welcoming hosts, ushering the band into a brasher, less cloistered world: the production on this album is brighter than before, the artwork is colourful and upbeat. With tracks as catchy and as complete as Fat Lenny, Trophy Girlfriend and Space Manatee there was an expectation that Heavenly might finally emerge from the indiepop shadows and trouble the charts. And who knows if this might have happened. Mathew was lost before the album was released, and the band had no choice but to bring things to an end. This reissue also contains two tracks that appeared on the B side of the 7" single of Space Manatee. They are both cover versions, and along with Serge Gainsbourg's Nous Ne Sommes Pas Des Anges on the main album, these vivacious assaults on Art School by The Jam and You Tore Me Down by The Flamin' Groovies show that the band, briefly in its prime, could happily embrace any variant of pop music and make it something Heavenly.

3XL boss and scene hyper-connector Special Guest DJ (aka uon, shy, Caveman LSD) lands on their own label with a debut album of hazed ambient noise and aquatic club anarchitextures, with a patented, heady style bent into new shapes.

For nigh on a decade, Berlin-based American producer, label boss, promoter and DJ Shy has operated at the centre of a scene that's still not fully defined. Their mythical DJ sets, where you're likely to hear precision-tweaked dubstep, dreampop, decelerated rap and dubwise ambient blended into vapour; gives some sense of the vibes at play, and a comb thru their spiderweb of a catalog - as Caveman LSD or uon, as part of Ghostride the Drift, Hoodie, crimeboys, virtualdemonlaxative and Cypher, or as the figurehead of 3XL, Experiences Ltd, xpq? and bblisss labels - further blurs that gist.

They've been caught in the crossfire of Big Ambient, sure, but there's always been something scrappier, sexier and more present going on under the hood. Shy and his network of associates - Huerco, Ulla, Perila, Ben Bondy, Naemi/Exael, Ponteac Streator and Arad Acid, among others - have asserted the interrelatedness of their discrete approaches. So-called "ambient" music doesn't exist in a vacuum, it un-focuses elements that undergird so many more corporeal sounds, and for Shy, their music reflects the druggy, DIY, genre-agnostic ethos of a trans-Atlantic neo-punk underground that exists in some liminal zone between the club, the bedsit and the basement.

Concerned with themes of “anger, sensuality, and dreaming”, the 40 minute roil of ‘Our Fantasy Complex’ frames Special Guest DJ at their most unapologetically oblique and illusive, expanding and contracting between whorls of shoegazing dynamics and extended portions of quasi-speed D&B x dub tech smeared on the mind’s-eye, with a vivid sense of bruised lushness that’s perfused all shy’s work thus far.

Joined by kindred collaborators Ben Bondy, Arad Acid and mu tate, and suspended in agitated bliss by Rashad Becker’s lucid mastering, the results feel out some of 2025’s most considered and distinctive within an amorphous zone that’s become a world unto itself. Ambient music’s fluffier signifiers are swapped out for a sort of sublime tension that, like the sound’s original ‘90s explosion, can be heard to reflect states of altered consciousness - both individual and collective.

Shy's layered, undulating productions are more like the chewed remnants of a thousand mixtapes cooked into a stream-of-consciousness hex. Save for the glistening, zoomed-out parting piece ‘Dream’, it all mostly avoids pretty melodies in favour of a spatio-textural sensuality that wraps us up, sometimes uncomfortably intimately, in shy’s thoughts. That oneiric closer is one of three gritty palate cleansers that swirl around its peaks, where elements of Reese-bass are suspended, writhing below looming atmospheric pressure in ‘How Long Can I Burn?’, emerging charred and flecked with rattled percussion on ‘Yoro (pt I & II)’, as though K-holing thru a blazing summer’s day.

In step with Perila’s notably darker turn of events on her ‘Omnis Festinatio Ex parts Diaboli Est’, album, or the unexpected ferocity of recent Space Afrika live shows, it’s not hard to hear a darkside gravitational pull on this one, where ambient music is no longer just a balm for troubled souls, but also suggestive of humanity’s most frightful odours.

Known for his ability to create captivating, emotionally charged techno, Jonathan Kaspar eventually returns to Cocoon Recordings with his third contribution Twofold Split. One, yet simultaneously two releases that once again showcase his extraordinary talent through condensed techno with a pinch of trance, weaving together driving rhythms and atmospheric textures in a way that feels innovatively progressive.

Drifting hypnotically, this might be the most fitting way to describe what Jonathan Kaspar unfolds before us here. The rolling percussion grooves seamlessly intertwine with the siren's spectral tone, gradually blending into the alchemy of ‘Yah’ as it erupts into the mix. By the time the peak arrives, there’s a raw intensity in the air - the track seems to bend and stretch then drills and twists until it cracks, but never loses its sense of purpose and remainsanchored in its deep, pulsating groove. On the flip side, ‘Silver Lines’ stands as a counterpart, offering a contrast in both sound and atmosphere. With its minimalist arrangement, the track first nestles in gently, lulling the listener into its world—only to tighten its grip as a synth sequence gradually opens its cut-off filter, slicing through the calm, drilling into the mind, and shifting the mood from tranquil to tense.

The incredible story that began with The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet (TMMS) now enters an exciting new chapter: Skyscraper, the debut album by FEX.

Skyscraper features ten original tracks recorded in the early to mid-1980s-carefully re-transferred, remastered, and brought back to life. The album cover, designed by Darius S., brings the story full circle. Darius is the very person who preserved the now-iconic track Subways of Your Mind by recording it from NDR radio in the mid-80s. Without him, FEX may never have been discovered.

FEX's debut opens with its namesake, Skyscraper-a brooding, previously unreleased track the band once described as part of their "psychedelic phase." With haunting synth-helicopter textures and deep guitar riffs, it immediately sets the tone and raises tension.

The release flows naturally into the energetic and fully remastered studio version of Subways of Your Mind. This version of the TMMS - re-discovered on the "yellow label tape" by Reddit user Marijn-was long believed to be from a smaller home studio, but was actually recorded in November 1984 at Hawkeye Studios in Ganderkesee, near Hamburg.

Goldrush, first teased in raw form on FEX's YouTube channel, bends toward mechanical rhythm and shimmering synths, a snapshot of the band's experiments with programmed drum machine sound. Rückwardt's lyrics point to greed and criticizes materialism, and while the music leans toward pop sensibilities, it carries a raw, fractured edge.

Heart in Danger and I've Got My Eyes On You offer contrasting experiences-one rooted in classic post-punk tension, the other floating in melodic synth layers. The latter in particular feels like a fragment from a parallel radio history: a precise and one of a kind synth pop love song with a progressive touch.

From a rehearsal tape comes Dirty Slapstick, its urgency intact. Missing keyboard parts were later reconstructed by Michael Hädrich using his original DX7 synthesizer-recovering lost elements without rewriting the past. The lyrics take a wry look at forced optimism. Also included are the songs Talking Hands, Jenny and Strange Feeling, the latter being a slower blues-tinged cut, revealing yet another facet of the band's reach and Rückwardt's songwriting diversity.

The album closes where the legend began-with the original radio recording of Subways of Your Mind from Darius' cassette. This version of The Most Mysterious Song features alternate vocal effects, contributing to the track's enigmatic aura. Digitally transferred using a high-end Revox machine and carefully remastered, it now has its long-deserved official release.

The cover features a photo of the Eichenberg Bunker in Kiel-one of FEX's original rehearsal spaces and a symbolic monument to their sonic legacy.

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance-disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its fateful maiden voyage.

Upon its release on December 19, 1997, Titanic achieved critical and commercial success. Nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, it tied with All About Eve (1950) for the most Oscar nominations and won eleven, including the awards for Best Picture and Best Director, tying Ben Hur (1959) for the most Oscars won by a single film. With an initial worldwide gross of over $1.84 billion, Titanic was the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark.

Titanic is available as a 25th anniversary edition of 10,000 individually numbered copies on silver & black marbled vinyl and includes an 8-page booklet, XL fold-out poster and a print replica of the historical newspaper front page. The 2 LPs are housed in a deluxe heavyweight gatefold sleeve with alu-brush finish and metallic embossing.

Vines, the solo project of New York-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Cassie Wieland, offers a window into her inner world through expansive swaths of sound. She pieces together a celestial mix of synths, percussion, strings, and vocoded voice, making music that is at once deeply personal and cinematic in scope. This diaristic approach first took shape with her 2023 EP Birthday Party, and is crystallized on her debut LP, I’ll be here. With the sweeping and vulnerable I’ll be here, Vines arrives fully formed as an artist who crafts deeply resonant and open music–the kind that invites listeners in to listen, reflect, and share in the journey of learning through living.

“It was through making music that I was able to meet myself,” Wieland said. “Anything I’m going through or feeling is something that somebody else out there can relate to, and that’s really special to me.”

I’ll be here is both a culmination of years spent creating gossamer soundscapes and an opening to a new journey for Wieland as an artist. The album grew out of her years as a composer and songwriter, and builds on the language she developed on Birthday Party, which transformed the tumultuous feelings of the passing of time into minimalist meditations. It was just a start, though–a prologue, a development of the kind of language and ideas she wanted to express. With I’ll be here, she digs deeper and writes music that feels more sprawling, further solidifying her singular voice.

Wieland’s musical composition process is similar to journaling, lending itself to the music’s honesty. When she writes, she makes room for all the ideas she has; in these sessions, there are no wrong ideas, and she allows the music to be attuned to the experiences she’s having at the time. With I’ll be here, Wieland zeroes in on themes of anxiety, loneliness, navigating human connection, and having to grow up from a young age, ultimately coming to a place of acceptance. And though it began as a journal written in solitude, her collaborators shape the music with her.

Working with friends, in fact, was a crucial part of bringing the record to life. “Everything that was supposed to happen came together so easily because of the people involved,” Wieland said. I’ll be here was co-produced and recorded with Wieland’s longtime collaborator Mike Tierney, a four time Grammy-nominated engineer who has worked with artists across the contemporary classical and experimental scene like minimalist pioneer Steve Reich, LA’s preeminent classical ensemble Wild Up, and various bands on Bang on a Can’s Cantaloupe Music label. Percussionist and composer Adam Holmes and violinist Adrianne Munden-Dixon are two other longtime collaborators who are frequent fixtures of her live show. Holmes plays synths, drums, and banjo; in live settings, his kit is loaded with elements of the songs that are then triggered by MIDI, making the music an interactive, evolving experience. The album’s gentle, filamented edges are colored by Munden-Dixon, whose poignant string melodies elevate Wieland’s introspective compositions, as well as cellist Helen Newby, saxophonists Julian Velasco and Jordan Lulloff, and bassist Pat Swoboda.

Wieland takes an economic approach to writing music, building the swirling and immersive landscapes of Vines through short melodies, lyrics, and phrases. As each element layers and interweaves, they grow into sprawling webs of ghostly sound. Prior to Vines, Wieland composed pieces for other people to play using a minimalist’s sensibility, writing slowly unfolding melodies for instruments like violin and saxophone. In recent years, she sharpened her solo style across a variety of singles and covers which have garnered significant attention on social media for their emotional resonance (“being loved isn't the same as being understood” in particular went massively viral on TikTok in 2024). Birthday Party, her debut as Vines, brought her writing to a much more intimate space, centering on her vocoded voice cloaked in feathery reverb. A series of recent singles, meanwhile, including “I am my home,” showcase the way that Wieland’s music is born from the story of her innermost feelings, extending far beyond just the self.

Though Wieland’s music often deals with dark themes, it unfolds with tender melancholy, the kind that feels like a warm embrace. On “Evicted,” Wieland wonders if she’s getting sick or moving on, if she’s lost or found. Her vocals expand with each lyrical repetition, as the instrumentals slowly encircle and the music’s rhythm grows and bursts into a heart-wrenching, yet radiant wave reminiscent of post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky. “Tired” follows a similar trajectory, building from a looping, melancholy rhythm and floating lyrics into a solemn resignation. Elsewhere, Wieland takes a more ruminative approach: “Omw” begins with twinkling piano and melancholy strings that gradually transform into an undulating mass. It is a song born out of the warm feeling of reminiscence, the slight return of hope that comes with nostalgia.

With any searching journey, there is also a point of understanding. The title track closes the album with the freedom of acceptance. A marching drum beats steadily beneath Wieland’s open vocals, moving forward, ever onward as it flies into the ether. In Wieland’s delicately textured music, there is room to come into yourself, and learn to love whomever that is. I’ll be here is a special space that can be all your own, one in which to feel what needs to be felt. “This is music for your story,” Wieland said. “I want you to use it how you need it.”

They say the best thing for a new band to really find out who they are is to go out and play as much as possible. They see what works and what doesn’t with the crowd as well as watch their peers perform and can learn from the best. For the past 2 years, WORMWITCH, has done just that. Having toured North America with The Black Dahlia Murder, Numenorean and appeared at last year’s prestigious Psycho Las Vegas Festival with Danzig, Dimmu Borgir and many more, the Vancouver 3-piece took it all in and regrouped in the Fall of 2018 to start writing their new album. Heaven That Dwells Within is the follow up to 2016’s Decibel Magazine Year End charting, Strike Mortal Soil. The riffs are stronger, the overall feel the album darker and their love of black metal dimly shines through much more on their past release. The album was mixed and mastered by V. Santura (Triptykon, Schammasch), giving it that much of a gloomier touch. With a tour right out of the gate with Cloak and Uada followed by a European run, the future, though dark in music, can only be bright.

Die Bewaffneten sind zurück und präsentieren "The Future Is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed", dem Nachfolgewerk des von der Kritik hochgelobten Albums "Perfect Saviors" von 2023. The Armed sind Post Hardcore Non-Conceptual Alternative Metalpop! Nach der Fertigstellung der Alben-Triologie, die sich auf die Analyse der künstlerischen Authentizität im Informationszeitalter konzentrierte, begannen The Armed mit der Arbeit an neuem Material, ohne vorher festgelegte Regeln oder Konzepte, sondern nur mit neuem Druck und Dringlichkeit, um eine neue Ära für das Post-Hardcore-Kollektiv einzuläuten. Das Ergebnis ist ein wütendes und konfrontierendes Album, ein ungefilterter Ausdruck von Weltschmerz, ein deutscher Begriff, der den Schmerz über die Realität der Welt im Gegensatz zu unseren idealisierten Visionen von dem, was sie sein sollte, beschreibt. "Diese Platte ist eine Absage an sanierte, für den Geschmack der oberen Mittelschicht kuratierte Rebellion", erklärt Sänger Tony Wolski. "Es ist Musik für eine statistisch wohlhabende Bevölkerung, die sich irgendwie kein Essen oder keine Medikamente leisten kann und endlos durch Urlaubsfotos, Fitnessstudio-Selfies und Bilder von amputierten Kindern im selben Feed scrollt. Sie spiegelt die Abgrenzung wider, die man braucht, um in dieser Realität zu existieren." Die Waffen von The Armed sind weiterhin ihr Kanalisierung von Wut über die unfassbaren Umstände in ungewöhnliche Songs mit innovativen Sounddesign und ihr fester Glaube an das Miteinander, was sich im Gedanken des Kollektivs, aber auch an den vielen Kollaborateur*innen festmachen lässt. Mit Beiträgen von Ken Szymanski, Patrick Shiroishi, Urian Hackney, Kurt Ballou, Troy Van Leeuwen, Meghan O'Neil, Cara Drolshagen, Tony Wolski, Brian Wolski, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Ben Chisholm, Prostitute, Zach Weeks, Mark Guiliana, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, and Derek Coburn. Inklusive der Singles "Well Made Play", "Kingbreaker" und "Sharp Teeth" LP & LP Ltd im Gatefold mit bedruckten Innenhüllen & 44seitigem Booklet, CD als 6-panel-digipak!

Limitiertes Cloudy clear with yellow, green and pink splatter Vinyl mit 44-Seiten-Booklet! Die Bewaffneten sind zurück und präsentieren "The Future Is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed", dem Nachfolgewerk des von der Kritik hochgelobten Albums "Perfect Saviors" von 2023. The Armed sind Post Hardcore Non-Conceptual Alternative Metalpop! Nach der Fertigstellung der Alben-Triologie, die sich auf die Analyse der künstlerischen Authentizität im Informationszeitalter konzentrierte, begannen The Armed mit der Arbeit an neuem Material, ohne vorher festgelegte Regeln oder Konzepte, sondern nur mit neuem Druck und Dringlichkeit, um eine neue Ära für das Post-Hardcore-Kollektiv einzuläuten. Das Ergebnis ist ein wütendes und konfrontierendes Album, ein ungefilterter Ausdruck von Weltschmerz, ein deutscher Begriff, der den Schmerz über die Realität der Welt im Gegensatz zu unseren idealisierten Visionen von dem, was sie sein sollte, beschreibt. "Diese Platte ist eine Absage an sanierte, für den Geschmack der oberen Mittelschicht kuratierte Rebellion", erklärt Sänger Tony Wolski. "Es ist Musik für eine statistisch wohlhabende Bevölkerung, die sich irgendwie kein Essen oder keine Medikamente leisten kann und endlos durch Urlaubsfotos, Fitnessstudio-Selfies und Bilder von amputierten Kindern im selben Feed scrollt. Sie spiegelt die Abgrenzung wider, die man braucht, um in dieser Realität zu existieren." Die Waffen von The Armed sind weiterhin ihr Kanalisierung von Wut über die unfassbaren Umstände in ungewöhnliche Songs mit innovativen Sounddesign und ihr fester Glaube an das Miteinander, was sich im Gedanken des Kollektivs, aber auch an den vielen Kollaborateur*innen festmachen lässt. Mit Beiträgen von Ken Szymanski, Patrick Shiroishi, Urian Hackney, Kurt Ballou, Troy Van Leeuwen, Meghan O'Neil, Cara Drolshagen, Tony Wolski, Brian Wolski, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Ben Chisholm, Prostitute, Zach Weeks, Mark Guiliana, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, and Derek Coburn. Inklusive der Singles "Well Made Play", "Kingbreaker" und "Sharp Teeth" LP & LP Ltd im Gatefold mit bedruckten Innenhüllen & 44seitigem Booklet, CD als 6-panel-digipak!

LTD BRIGHT GREEN VINYL W/ 4 PAGE INSERT** **JEWEL CASE CD W/ 12 PAGE BOOKLET** A gloriously off-kilter yet deeply personal record that mixes absurdist punk theatre with an unexpectedly tender dive into mental health, Catholic guilt, and the surreal poetry of everyday life. “It’s more personal than the previous ones,” frontman Pete explains, “but not in a heavy way – more like Mortimer & Whitehouse than The Bell Jar”, succinctly summing up the Dinner Ladies’ approach: taking the kitchen sink, giving it a saxophone solo, and letting it spill over with charm, wit, and a fair helping of existential unease. Parody and poignancy runs through every song. Tracks like ‘Is There Life in Rhyl?’ and ‘Holy Pictures’ explore personal trauma and social conditioning through an unmistakably British filter; Catholicism, childhood fear, seaside holidays, and haunted toilet trips included. For fans of: The Fall, The Kinks, John Cooper Clarke, X-Ray Spex, Madness, cabaret, collage, chaos, and joyfully honest punk.

After coming up in different bands in the Long Island and Brooklyn DIY scene in the late '00s and early 2010s, the indie rock outfit Freezing Cold came together in 2017 and settled into its current lineup in 2019. Featuring lead vocalist/guitarist Jeff Cunningham, formerly of Bridge And Tunnel, bassist/vocalist Leanne Butkovic, formerly of Never, and Angie Boylan, formerly of Aye Nako and drummer for Sleater-Kinney — Freezing Cold is coming into their own now more than ever as a dynamic trio.

After playing shows in support of Algernon Cadewalder, Radiator Hospital, and Screaming Females over the past year, the band is sharing their strongest, most fully formed work yet with the album Treasure Pool, due out August 1 on Don Giovanni Records. The 10-track record builds upon the group's extensive DIY experience, while finding an equilibrium where each member shines and moves beyond the early punk resonant in their past projects and toward something more mature.

The new release was recorded in 2023 at Asbury Park's Lakehouse Recording Studios, with production from Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females and Eric Bennett. It follows the band's 2019 debut Glimmer, produced by J. Robbins (Against Me!, Jawbreaker) and released before Butkovic filled out the group, and 2021's Stuck on Hold/Drawn to Scale EP.

After roughly 15 years out of the game, Marc Kushin makes a highly anticipated return with his Ely Muff project - a label favourite since its inception - debuting proper on Love Love with 4 tracker 'Human Nature'. Kushin's proto-tekno take on the early breakcore sound was a stand-out of a particularly noisy strain of hardcore which emerged in the UK in the late 90s and early 00s, releasing on the likes of Headfuk, One Inch Punch, Deathchant, as well as Kushin's own labels Kinky Stump and Dead Pig, run alongside longtime collaborator Tantrum.



Unpretentious, unserious and completely unapologetic, 'Human Nature' features four tracks of brutal hardcore spiral tekno, distorted and mangled but retaining groove and swagger. The EP features two re-released classics from Kushin's back catalogue: the pumped-up pirate radio pastiche of 'Hold Tite The P, No Need For London' and the feedback-laden blunt lobotomy of 'Automatic Predator', two decades on from their original releases in 2005 on Capsule Core and One Inch Punch. Complementing them are tracks 'Human Nature' and 'Cycle Dirty', previously unreleased spasmoid gems from the same era, unearthed and seeing the light of day for the first time.



All four tracks have been lovingly (re)mastered by Love Love's own Ben Pest for a maximal sonic experience, shining a light on this criminally overlooked corner of UK rave heritage.

The discovery of Doris Dennison's score represents a genuine musicological breakthrough—what once would have been "a tree falling in the woods" thirty years ago now holds the potential to render "a thunderous clap in our minds." While researching Anna Halprin's lesser-known collaborators, scholar Tom Welsh uncovered the archives of AA Leath, one of Halprin's principal dancers. Buried within these materials was Dennison's handwritten score for Earth Interval, dated May 1956. Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1908, and raised near Seattle, Dennison (1908-2009) encountered John Cage while teaching Dalcroze eurythmics at the Cornish College of the Arts. She joined Cage's earliest percussion quartet—alongside Margaret Jansen, the composer and his wife Xenia—in the group widely regarded as having performed the first complete concert of percussion music in the United States. This historic December 1938 concert was followed by tours and the landmark May 1941 performance at the California Club, comprising Cage and Lou Harrison's Double Music, the premiere of Cage's Third Construction, and Harrison's 13th Simfony.

As Bradford Bailey observes in his extensive liner notes, Earth Interval demonstrates "an extraordinary balance of elements that imbues the piece with a sense of clarity, directness, and constraint that is both distinct and ahead of its time." The work's most remarkable innovation lies in its approach to extended techniques, particularly Dennison's notation for the central movement: "In 2nd movement, 1st player lowers + raises a gong into a tub of water while beating." This technique, absorbed from Cage's experimental vocabulary, generates what Bailey describes as "fields of acoustic abstraction that bend and warp time through sustained resonances, beat, and space." The temporal sophistication of these manipulations anticipated Karlheinz Stockhausen's Mikrophonie I (1964) and Annea Lockwood's water-based sound investigations by over a decade. After joining Mills College as dance accompanist, Dennison maintained crucial connections to the Bay Area's experimental scene, collaborating with figures like Merce Cunningham and programming Cage's music throughout the 1950s.

Comprising three movements—Land Form, Air Tide, and Earth Play—Earth Interval is scored for recorder, drums, gongs, maracas, muted gongs, and bowl gongs. In total, the piece is just under eight minutes: "a fleeting glimmer of moment in time, a life spent at the cutting edge, and a singular creative vision that packs a powerful punch." When viewed in historical context, placed in contrast to roughly contemporaneous avant-garde percussion works by Cage, Harrison, Louis Thomas Hardin (Moondog), and Harry Partch, or important precursors like Edgard Varèse's Ionisation (1931) and Henry Cowell's Ostinato Pianissimo (1934), it's clear that Dennison was following her own path. Earth Interval is not derivative. It is a precursor to what was yet to come, alluding to developments of avant-garde and experimental music that wouldn't begin to appear on the cultural landscape until the 1970s and '80s, with the emergence of Post-Minimalism and more idiosyncratic artists and ensembles like Midori Takada, Ros Bandt, Peter Giger, Frank Perry, Christopher Tree, Michael Ranta, Gamelan Son of Lion, and Niagara.

This recording by Chicago's Third Coast Percussion, captured in March 2022, represents the first complete documentation of this pioneering work. The ensemble's interpretation reveals the piece's remarkable contemporaneity while maintaining its historical specificity. Where Cage, Harrison, and Partch employed "self-consciously off-kilter polyrhythms," Dennison's rhythmic sensibility anticipates minimalist developments by nearly a decade, yet integrates "forceful rests, as well as sharp shifts in sonic character, tempo, and meter, that break the momentum and breathe a sense of life into the piece's structure." This positions her work closer to Post-Minimalism decades before its emergence. The architectural approach demonstrates Dennison's understanding that "the composer almost entirely disappears" in favor of phenomenological listening experience, creating what might be called an egoless music that places its realities and meaning entirely in the ear of the beholder. The present recording, realized by Chicago's distinguished Third Coast Percussion ensemble, represents a significant achievement in experimental music scholarship and performance practice. As specialists in the Cage tradition and contemporary percussion repertoire, Third Coast Percussion approached Earth Interval with the historical sensitivity and technical precision required to illuminate Dennison's subtle compositional innovations. The March 2022 recording sessions, engineered by Colin Campbell, capture both the work's intimate chamber music qualities and its bold exploration of extended techniques. The ensemble's interpretation reveals the piece's remarkable contemporaneity—its ability to speak directly to current musical concerns while maintaining its historical specificity.

This recording serves multiple scholarly functions: it provides the first complete documentation of Dennison's compositional voice, offers insight into the broader network of experimental music practitioners surrounding Cage and Harrison, and demonstrates the sophisticated level of compositional thinking that was occurring within the Bay Area's dance-music collaborations of the 1950s. The work's emphasis on phenomenological listening—what might be called an "egoless" approach to musical experience—places it within a lineage of American experimental music that prioritizes perceptual process over compositional personality. The work's original obscurity—limited to AA Leath's performances at venues like the 1957 Pacific Coast Arts Festival at Reed College—paradoxically allowed it to remain "entirely on its own terms," free from the constraints of historical categorization. Drawing on Jacques Derrida's Archive Fever, the argument emerges that "the archive can acknowledge, celebrate, and resurrect" overlooked voices, transforming our understanding of experimental music history. The present Blume edition, featuring Third Coast Percussion's authoritative interpretation, includes a lavishly illustrated 16-page booklet designed by Bruno Stucchi / dinamomilano, containing complete scholarly apparatus, historical photographs, and detailed production notes. This recording enables "cross-temporal intersectionality," allowing Dennison to "belong to a newly formed and more dynamic understanding of the present and past," demonstrating how forgotten voices can reshape entire historical narratives when given proper scholarly attention and performance advocacy.

This new "Experimental Chapter" by DJ Narciso comes as no surprise, really. Autonomous in the motorization of his music, pushing for progress within the framework of an undeniable (inescapable?) heritage. Twisting and bending sound every step of the way, Narciso definitely keeps in touch with the dancefloor, offering the always much needed transcendence through distinctive, non-linear melodies and patterns. The artist pursues a direct link with bodies in motion but seldom in the expected, institutionalized way club culture is being largely promoted.

This is challenging dance music, proud statements of difference. Narciso's previous record was named "Diferenciado". Now we get "Dificuldades", a track that simultaneously carries the weight of being somewhat odd and the difficulties of life. Check how the piano is venting, freestyle, communicating a feeling, and then lets itself get stuck in a loop, but that's exactly when the groove really starts flowing. And then another layer. It's like direct speech.

A common assertion of pride is found in the origin of the artists. The ghetto as a place where any transformation projects more power precisely because of... inherent difficulties. As others (including himself) did in more or less obvious ways, Narciso clearly states "I come from the ghetto" ( "Não Sabes" ). Twice the value. At least. Almost every segment of music in this album ends up sounding heavily emotional, reaffirming what may be - perversely - a well-known characteristic of Portuguese music: melancholy.

"Não Quero" begins side B as a march maybe more significant than a thousand words, such is the ominous tone of its texture. Next track is another lunar tarraxo, pulling down the shades. Then, "Dor de Barriga" lets things loose again, steering clearly off road, shouting this way and that until a peaceful resolution comes. In "Livra-me Desta", vocal snippets blend into synth snippets, disembodied voices abandon all traces of humanity and finally mutate into different entities that, towards the end, again sound vaguely human but now we find ourselves doubting. Closer "Bob" is a rather classic percussion track with plenty of echo, reverb and an unconscious nod to dodecaphonic music. Unlikely? No, the structural ADN of this music is made up of elements western and eastern, southern and northern. To say all-over-the-place is usually not flattering but in this case the expression translates as wonder, surprise, The Unexpected, and reveals Narciso perfectly at ease inside the nucleus of creation.

Following on from his highly acclaimed debut Len Parrott"s Memorial Lift, Baxter proves that this was no fluke. His 2nd album Floor Show sounds like it was recorded in St Paul"s Cathedral, with vocals added in the whispering gallery. Narratively, it"s seems to be about a disintegrating relationship, although this is no confession booth moment. Guitars float like ectoplasm, Wurlitzer"s spin beneath mirror balls, summoning the presence of spectral beings, swaying to luxurious, narcotic music that predates trip-hop by a good sixty years. Stand-out tracks include the single "Lisa Said", "Cocaine Man" and the wonderful "Francesca"s Party". The album was produced by Baxter, Nick Terry and mixed by Craig Silvey (The Coral, Magic Numbers) in West London in the winter of 2004 / 2005. The band are Damon Reece on drums and Mike Mooney on the electric guitar- both former members of Spiritualized.

2025 Repress

Solid Gold Playaz hails from Winsconsin USA. The duo, Kenny Gino & Big Mike are veterans of the Midwest rave, techno and house scene and have released their incredible productions on Moods & Grooves, Kanzerlamt, Soulfuric Trax, Silver Network, Losonofo Records....
'Minds Beneath Atlantis' was originally released in 2003 by Jeff K's Silver Networks. Jerome (of Still Music) immediately fell for this deep house 4 tracker and that record has been steadily in Jerome's crates through the years. Jerome remembers reaching out to Kenny Gino back then and they've been friends since then. This reissue is a teaser for a larger project with Solid Gold Playaz that will be released on Still Music later this year.

2024 repress!

Masters at Work member Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez is the genius behind The Bucketheads – The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind). An established History of House hall of famer’, The Bomb’ is a 90’s house, party soundtrack essential that mixies electro, hip-hop and 4/4 house it features samples from Chicago’s ‘Street Player’ & Green Velvet’s ‘The Preacher Man’ fused into a disco-funk and house groove with edgy, funky, rough and ready beats and subtle latino flavour. It easy to see why its ranked in the 100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time! Portuguese house producer Massivedrum is on remix duties. He has remixed dance royalty from Bob Sinclar, Axwell, Mory Kantè, Alexandra Stan, DJ Chus, Kentphonik, Yolanda B Cool among many others. He lends his house sensibilities and ear for the floor to enhance ‘The Bomb’ to new levels for an unforgettable experience. Besides the Massivedrum remix and it’s dub, also the full 14’51” minutes original version is available on this double A sided release! The Massivedrum remix is taken from the album “High Fashion Dance Music 5 – Mixed by Ben Liebrand”, which is available on LP/CD/MC and DCC.

The extroverted blend of attitude, energy, and ostentatiousness that spills from the New York Dolls’ self-titled debut can be seen in full view on the album cover. Depicting the quintet in its hallmark flash-and-trash apparel and in drag appearance, the 1973 album scared away a considerable amount of potential listeners while capturing the attention of a sizable audience that recognized the band for what it was: zeitgeist pioneers who helped develop the punk and glam rock movements.

Named by Rolling Stone the 301st Greatest Album of All Time and by Mojo the 49th greatest album of all time, New York Dolls receives long-overdue audiophile treatment on Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set. Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, this collectible version marks the first time the group’s career-making statement is available to be experienced in audiophile quality.

Far from harboring the crude elements that became associated with the punk scene, New York Dolls benefits from keen production overseen by none other than Todd Rundgren. Though more accustomed to working far higher-caliber musicians, Rundgren — taken by the New York Dolls’ charisma and cool, if not their instrumental approach — fully understood the ensemble’s aesthetic. He captured what went down at New York City’s Record Plant with an astute blend of live-on-the-floor feel, raw authenticity, and professional acumen.

On Mobile Fidelity’s definitive-sounding reissue, you can hear those facets as well as key details, dynamics, and textures with previously unimaginable insight. Rundgren preserved generous degrees of grit, grime, and grease while bestowing the raucous music with elevated levels of separation, solidity, and impact every landmark recording deserves. His vision extends to introducing choice accents — barroom piano notes, Moog synthesizer passages, Buddy Bowser’s honking saxophones — that add to the songs’ appeal without interfering with the primary architecture.

Afforded extra groove space on this pressing, the tenor, presentation, and attack of both vocalist David Johansen and now-iconic guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain come across with stunning vibrancy and vitality. The New York Dolls often seem headed off the rails and into the red, but somehow, the strut, swagger, and sloppiness — and the associated sleaze and scruff, scrape and snarl, frenzy and feverishness those characteristics entail — remain together as a whole that shakes its collective fist at the frustrations, isolation, disarray, and disillusionment of youth chaos and urban decay.

Kicking off its debut with “Personality Crisis,” cited by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the band makes obvious its grasp of alienation, deviance, displacement, and suburban disaffection — as well as its capacity to play hanging-by-a-thread boogie, noisy rock ‘n’ roll, and Brill Building-inspired pop. The lipstick-kissed New York Dolls possesses traits many of its harsher predecessors would overlook: joyfulness and melody, topped with a knack for knowing how and where to take a song inside of three-and-a-half minutes.

Dive and dash with the belligerent “Looking for a Kiss”; stomp your feet and clap your hands to the big choruses of “Jet Boy”; surrender to the demands and provocations of the coded “Vietnamese Baby”; decide whether “Bad Girl” yearns to explode or implode. It’s one of several tunes here that allude to the world coming to end. Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for a fling before everything burns. “There’s no place I gotta go,” yowls Johansen. And he means it.

Adorned with tonal crunch, glitter, and gristle, New York Dolls takes pride in its brashness and brattiness. The rambunctious effort, which earned the band the distinction of being voted both “Best New Group of the Year” and “Worst New Group of the Year” in the pages of Creem, displays knowing reverence for the blues without calling attention to the style. The folk-laden “Lonely Planet Boy” is nothing if not a collision of heart-on-the-sleeve emotions and the desire in the face of challenges to maintain a tough-skinned exterior. An interpretation of Bo Diddley’s “Pills,” complete with shivering harmonica and clattering rhythms, announces there’s no cure for what infects this band. It’s that contagious. And how.

His deliveries gushing with campy fun, playful irreverence, and sheer decadence, Johansen doubles as the equivalent of an open fire hydrant that spouts at will. He’s at once tender and vicious, serious and tongue-in-cheek. On arguably his finest hour on the album, Johansen’s phrasing, passion, and lyrical ambiguity alone turn “Trash” into an insistent glam-rock gem whose echoing harmonies and girl-group references stamp it a pop classic.

Too much, too soon? Only for those averse to some of the finest rock ‘n’ roll ever put on tape.

Alanis Morissette Delivers the Equivalent of a Spiritual Awakening on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie:
Introspective Themes and Compassionate Emotions on Eastern-Tinged Album Have Grown More Relevant
1998 Smash Plays with Enhanced Detail, Rich Textures, and Sharp Focus on Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM 2LP Set:
First-Ever Audiophile Edition Strictly Limited to 3,000 Numbered Copies
1/2" / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

Alanis Morissette refuses to adhere to convention on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. While most artists follow-up their breakthrough with an album that closely parallels the approaches that helped make them famous, the maverick singer-songwriter stayed true to herself and drew inspiration from travel to India before she began the recording sessions. As much as the preceding Jagged Little Pill put her on the global radar, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie confirmed her role as a vital generational voice — and proved her blockbuster success was no fluke. Having set a mark for most sales of an LP in its debut week by a female artist, the 1998 smash remains a pop-rock staple.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, housed in a Stoughton jacket, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM 2LP set of Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie presents the triple-platinum LP in audiophile sound for the first time. Benefitting from defined grooves that befit the album’s nearly 72-minute length, this pressing plays with enhanced detail, refined clarity, sharper focus, and broader dynamics than prior versions.

Those traits are key given Morissette’s use of more textured and atmospheric soundscapes, not to mention her evolution into a more nuanced and controlled singer. Similarly, the scale and reach of David Campbell’s string arrangements come across as orchestrations should. Ditto the synth-based architecture shaped by producer and principal Morissette collaborator Glen Ballard. All in all, Mobile Fidelity’s collectible edition simply delivers more information via transparent means.

Notable for its balance, sophistication, and richness, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie at heart finds Morissette pausing, taking a breath, and learning how to navigate life in a healthy manner after enduring one of the most exhausting and rocket-to-fame stretches any musician ever experienced. It’s the sonic equivalent of a spiritual awakening, a call to betterment, a brave assessment of the self and humanity as a whole. As such, the tunes on her second international (and fourth Canadian) release teem with gratitude, compassion, love, empathy — emotions that lend themselves to the largely mellow, contoured scope and Eastern-tinged melodies of the songs themselves.

“How ‘bout how good it feels to finally forgive you,” Morissette sings on the lead single “Thank U.” “How ‘bout grieving it all one at a time.” Those sentiments, and the vocalist’s embrace of concepts such as divinity and acceptance, not only provide a foundation on which Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie rests. They also reflect the personal maturation she gained from her embrace of Buddhist culture in India and a mindset bent toward notions of reconciliation, peace, and sensuality that were nearly absent in popular music in the late ‘90s.

Those themes continue on “That I Would Be Good,” a confident reflection that takes stock of one’s mental, physical, and emotional state in the face of both changing and unpleasant circumstances — and concludes with Morissette performing a flute solo, further exposing the raw intimacy of the introspective tune. She channels relatable simplicity and joy on “So Pure,” with her invocations of “dance” and “freestyle” speaking to the freedom of expression that courses throughout Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. And perhaps no song finds Morissette showcasing her refreshed attitude toward life and opening up more than the relationship-themed “Unsent,” whose unconventional structures and lack of a chorus only add to its directness.

Akin to many albums that were ahead of their time, and despite the critical and commercial accolades afforded it upon release, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie attracted new appreciation and perspective as it got older. Issued during an era where its ideas of serenity, absolution, tranquility, and contentment seemed largely alien, the record — akin to the ways its predecessor foreshadowed a movement — now functions as a visionary beacon that foretells of way to maintain sanity, dignity, and goodness amid a contemporary landscape filled with constant distractions, polarizing views, and incessant calls to purchase, promote, and produce without questioning the what-for purpose.

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie dares to ask the questions and, at its best, supplies meaningful answers and alternatives that lead to longed-for enlightenment, healing, and laughter. For these reasons alone, it’s a record that never goes out of style.

Experience the Double-Platinum 1996 Album in Audiophile Sound for the First Time
Mobile Fidelity’s Numbered-Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Is Sourced from the Original Analogue Tapes
1/2” / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

If great art, as many believe, is inherently polarizing, then the Stone Temple Pilots’ Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop easily ranks as the California-based band’s finest album. Simultaneously celebrated and castigated upon release in spring 1996, the group’s third full-length finds vocalist Scott Weiland and company expanding their “grunge” palette with a smart blend of glam rock, psychedelia, jangle pop, and other related styles. Having benefited from long-view reassessments that shed the biases and meanness of initial criticisms, the double-platinum effort is now largely and rightly seen as a creative masterwork. All the more reason why it deserves reference-grade production.

Overseen by producer Brendan O’Brien, Stone Temple Pilots used bedrooms, hallways, bathrooms, and the lawn to capture a broad blend of textures, spaciousness, and ambience that helped underline the group’s obvious (and somewhat unexpected) leap from normal “alternative” status to an artist whose aspirations went beyond that of many of its contemporaries. You can hear the multitude of details and tonalities with previously unattained clarity, presence, and scope on this fantastic reissue, which also delivers the impact and punch every rock record deserves. Another tremendous asset: The depth, grain, and pitch of Weiland’s voice.

For all the contagious choruses and glossy melodies that help make Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop sparkle, the vocal performances of the late singer arguably rank as the best that the much-missed Weiland committed to tape. None other than the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan — who, like many peers and critics, felt a pressing need to reevaluate the record as both time marched on and the self-importance attached to the “alternative” scene faded — praised Weiland’s efforts by noting: “Like Bowie can and does, it was Scott's phrasing that pushed his music into a unique, and hard to pin down, aesthetic sonicsphere.”

Smooth and diverse, those traits are everywhere on Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. From the clever combination of emotional closeness and distance he brings to the catchy albeit ultimately melancholic “Lady Picture Show”; to the lounge-fly balladeering that causes “And So I Know” to lightly swing akin to a bleary-eyed house band’s final number at a 4 A.M. bar; to the effortless cool and laissez-faire casualness he articulates on the grinding “Pop’s Love Suicide”; to the dimensional raspiness, defiant energy, and let-loose wail that sail through the crunchy “Big Bang Baby.”

The latter tune, the record’s first single and per Weiland a conscious attempt by the band to deconstruct its prior approaches, clearly borrows from the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Because of it, the song drew all kinds of barbs from naysayers. Their disdain extended to most material on Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, which indirectly references other prized acts such as the Beatles, Cheap Trick, T. Rex, and Lush. Those cynics failed to grasp that Stone Temple Pilots were paying homage and having a blast, with even Weiland, then battling serious substance-abuse and legal issues, getting in on the action.

Stone Temple Pilots’ skeptics also turned a deaf ear to the records’ stellar pop craftsmanship, sticky hooks, and sly commentary on music-industry machinations and fame. Not to mention the band’s intent, made clear from the outset. In an interview conducted in 1994, guitarist Robert DeLeo stated: “The last thing I wanted to do with this band was make everybody believe we invented something.”

Seen through that lens and the hindsight afforded history, and appreciated independent of the self-righteous authenticity standards of the day, Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop sounds borderline fearless while authoritatively checking all the right boxes for fun, flavor, and finesse. Part winking send-up, part tribute to the glitter rock age, and part middle finger towards the hip crowd that didn’t know what they were missing, this mid-90s classic repeatedly invites you to drop the needle and press play.

Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Plays with Authoritative Tonality, Airiness, and Clarity:
Pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl and Strictly Limited to
3,000 Numbered Copies
1/4” / 15 IPS Dolby A analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

Joni Mitchell is the only artist who could’ve made Hejira. The legendary singer-songwriter said as much when discussing the album decades after its release. Yet that fact seemed obvious from the moment the gold-certified effort streeted in fall 1976. An adventurous travelogue, probing narrative, and offbeat homage to freedom, Hejira remains an inimitable entry in the catalog of recorded music — a spare, gorgeous, meditative series of sonic vignettes comprised of floating harmonic pop, cool jazz, soft rock, and sensitive vocal elements that beckon feelings of motion, discovery, and self-examination.

Sourced from the original analog master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents the record ranked the 133rd Greatest of All Time by Rolling Stone with definitive detail, richness, accuracy, and directness. Marking the first time the revered LP has received audiophile treatment, it's one of six iconic 1970s Mitchell records Mobile Fidelity is reissuing on vinyl and SACD.

Playing with a virtually nonexistent noise floor, dead-quiet surfaces, and superior groove definition, this collectible reissue reproduces in enveloping fashion the tones, textures, and craftsmanship that help Hejira function as the equivalent of a liberating trip down an open road with nothing but blue sky, natural landscape, and fresh air in the immediate vicinity. Passages bloom, carry, decay as they do amid an acoustically optimized environment. Soundstages extend far, wide, and deep, with black backgrounds and pinpoint images adding to the realism.

The reference-grade immediacy, airiness, and presence put in transparent perspective Mitchell’s dense strings of words, stream-of-conscious-like phrasing, and unhurried albeit forward momentum. Likewise, the instrumental contributions of her A-list support musicians — a cast that includes L.A. Express members John Guerin, Max Bennett and Tom Scott, plus Neil Young, Victor Feldman, and Abe Most — emerges with breathtaking clarity and dimensionality.

While Mitchell, whose intimate vocals and abstract guitar parts center everything, Mobile Fidelity's restoration of Hejira further reveals the visionary breadth of guitarist Larry Carlton and bassist Jaco Pastorius. Though heard on only four tracks, Pastorius' fretless bass epitomizes the fluid, subtle, flexible, roomy, and shape-shifting characteristics of songs that often appear to transpire out of nowhere akin to the formation of a puffy cumulus cloud overhead. In sync with Mitchell’s voice, Pastorius’ fusion hovers and floats, suspended in a fog you want to deeply inhale. The "grace notes" Mitchell desired on Hejira can now be heard in full. Ditto the luxurious tapestries of alinear lines, fills, and supplements unreeled on Carlton’s six-string.

Visually, the packaging of this UD1S set complements its identity as the copy to own. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, the LPs come in foil-stamped jackets with faithful-to-the-original graphics. This version is for listeners who desire to become immersed in everything about Hejira, including the unforgettable album cover — a pastiche of 14 different photos Mitchell used a Camera Lucida to assemble into one image that’s anchored by a portrait of her in a stoic pose — and the interior shots of Mitchell skating on a frozen Wisconsin lake wearing a pair of black skates, black shirt, and fur cape.

The notion of skating, feeling an awakening wind whipping against your face, and losing yourself to the surroundings are extremely apt for Hejira, which Mitchell wrote after a sequence of trips and relationships prompted her to reflect on the complicated conflicts between independence and marriage, success and satisfaction, duty and desire — and, more specifically, “the cost of being a woman.” The Canadian native delved into such themes before. But never as she does on Hejira, whose liberating, running-away aura doubles as another of Mitchell’s rejections of tradition as well as a suggestion of a better alternative.

At once observational and personal, expansive and insular, cheerful and poignant, Hejira spans a sea of human conditions, emotions, and circumstances. It addresses drifting, isolation, pleasure, place, time, and surroundings with strikingly poetic discourse matched with music that, save for the crooned ballad “Blue Motel Room,” forgoes conventional structures and choruses.

The jazz-based arrangements, marked by scaled-down percussion and all manner of bent, rounded, and unsettled notes, hint that Mitchell has no exact destination in mind. Excursions such as the moody “Furry Sings the Blues,” funky “Coyote” and edgy “Black Crow” throw open previously locked doors to possibility and journey. They signal it’s time for a welcome departure from norms and the past, one that leads to a heightened sense of clarity and perspective. Or, as Mitchell said upon choosing the album title, it’s time for “leaving the dream, no blame.”

Natty Dread gilt als Bob Marleys bestes Album, die vielleicht beste Reggae-Aufnahme aller Zeiten.

Es war Marleys erstes Album ohne seine ehemaligen Bandkollegen Peter Tosh und Bunny Livingston und das erste, das er als Bob Marley & the Wailers veröffentlichte.
Das hier präsentierte Material definiert, worum es im Reggae ursprünglich ging, mit politischen und sozialen Kommentaren, gemischt mit religiösen Lobgesängen auf Jah.

Bob Marley war ein jamaikanischer Reggae-Sänger, Songschreiber, Musiker und Gitarrist, der internationalen Ruhm und Anerkennung erlangte.
Seine Musik begründete in den 70er Jahren seinen weltweiten Ruf und machte ihn mit mehr als 75 Millionen verkauften Tonträgern zu einem der weltweit meistverkauften Künstler aller Zeiten.

Foehn & Jerome feat. Sonya Zlo - Macho Madness (PFFD003)

Berlin, Summer 2025 - A raw, hypnotic, and deeply conceptual collaboration is about to make waves. Austrian DJ and producer duo Foehn & Jerome, residents of Berlin's iconic Club Der Visionaere and founders of the Perfumed Freedom label, team up with Ukrainian artist and producer Sonya Zlo to present "Macho Madness" - a wild and genre-bending release born from an unfiltered studio jam that spiralled into something bigger. In addition to their experimental project Space Curls, with which the three artists also perform live shows, Sonya, Fabian, and Jerome have been working on their new techno/house project.

In a world where stereotypes wrestle for power, "Macho Madness" challenges everything we thought was normal. Overblown masculinity, the illusion of strength, and staged rituals of dominance – that is what we call the "Macho Madness".

Foehn & Jerome, known for their electrifying DJ sets, have been shaping Berlin's underground scene for over a decade. Sonya Zlo, who moved to Berlin from Kyiv in 2022, stumbled upon their gig by chance - and what started as a conversation about track ID's turned into a full-on collaboration.

"Working with Foehn & Jerome has taught me so much," says Sonya. "I come from a jazz background, so this was completely new territory for me - but bringing my melodic instincts into this heavy, industrial sound was crazy exciting".

Following Perfumed Freedom's recent releases "The Frisbee of No Return" and "Hermanngirl", the new record "Macho Madness" will be released in summer 2025. Play it, stream it, or pick up the limited vinyl - just don't expect anything ordinary.

Oliver Dollar presents Contemporary Part Three on Rekids The third instalment features collaborations with Ben Silver, Boogs, and Hazmat, and features Apropos and Boog Brown.

Berlin’s Oliver Dollar unveils part three of his ‘Contemporary’ series, releasing on Radio Slave’s Rekids 4th April 2025 and following up last year’s parts one and two, which featured the likes of Harvard Bass, Brillstein, ADMN, and Austin Ato, and won support from the likes of Nightmares On Wax, Anja Schneider, Laurent Garnier, Carista, Jennifer Cardini, Dam Swindle, and more.

Part three of Contemporary sees Oliver Dollar invite another cast of hotly tipped collaborators, kicking offthe EP with Melbourne DJ and producers Ben Silver and Boogs - both resident DJs at Revolver Upstairs - for ‘Cosmic Weapon’. Their track features lush, poignant chords underpinned by a rolling groove, with vocal samples warped, chopped, and sliced above for a mind-melting trip. Up next, ‘What Cha’ Gonna Do?’ sees Dollar team up with Apropos, whose inimitable voice previously featured on ‘Contemporary Part One’, and talented Detroit vocalist and Dilla’s Delights’ Boog Brown for a soulful duet. Last up is another Motor City link-up featuring Hazmat Live on production alongside Oliver Dollar for the infectious House energy of ‘Ought To Be Love’, joined by the earworm vocals of Members of the House front vocalist William Beaver, aka Billy Love, known for his work bringing Motown-style gospel vocals to Techno and House with notable Detroit artists like JeffMills, Theo Parrish, Moodymann, Kevin Saunderson, and many more.
drum work. Closing out the ‘I Feel’ EP, Tal Fussman works with fellow producer 8-AN to drop the dream-like strings of ‘Life Itself’, another deep track that is as club-ready as it is introspective.

After a year on the ropes PUNCHLINE is coming back swinging.
Well known artists disguise themselves under aliases and go blow-for-blow with first timers.

Gone With Golson wurde ursprünglich 1959 veröffentlicht und ist das fünfte Album des Saxophonisten
Benny Golson. Das Album ist ein großartiges Beispiel für das Hard-Bop-Genre und enthält 4 GolsonKompositionen sowie „Staccato Swing“ von Ray Bryant, der auf dem Album spielt, und den Jazz-Standard
„Autumn Leaves“. Diese Neuauflage des Albums erscheint als Teil der OJC-Serie auf 180-Gramm-Vinyl,
das bei RTI gepresst wurde, mit analogem Mastering von den Originalbändern bei Cohearent Audio und
einem Stoughton Tip-On Jacket.

Gone With Golson was originally released in 1959 and is saxophonist Benny Golson’s fifth album. A great example of the Hard Bop genre, the album includes 4 Golson compositions, plus “Staccato Swing” by Ray Bryant, who plays on the album, and the jazz standard “Autumn Leaves”. This new edition of the album is released as part of the OJC Series on 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and a Stoughton Tip-On Jacket.

Lucy Apple benötigt die Hilfe der Detektive, denn ihr Freund verbirgt etwas vor ihr. Bei den Ermittlungen stoßen die drei auf recht bizarre Vorkommnisse. Skeptisch beginnen die drei ??? mit den Recherchen zu Lucys Partner Ronald und heften sich an dessen Fersen. Doch bei ihren Ermittlungen geraten die Detektive nicht nur gehörig ins Schleudern, sondern in allergrößte Gefahr: Wer treibt hier mit wem ein übles Spiel? Ein mehr als außergewöhnlicher Fall für Justus, Peter und Bob. Können die drei ??? den lebenden Tresor knacken?

Release 18 on Atom Trance Force, this time from label favourite Micropulse. Here they deliver three rip roaring hard trance tracks in the form of 'Ecco', 'Evil Twin' and title track 'Heaven's Gate' that take no prisoners, with an ode to yesteryear, just how we like it!

Heaven's Gate & Ecco channel classic hard trance energy with high pace and melodic. Evil Twin slows it down to 140 for a more serene yet driving take.

Support from:

Adam (Last Of The Mohicans) Apple FM, Ben Corner Love Summer Radio, DJ Panda, DJ Strahl Discover Trance Radio, DJs Present, Devastate Gabberhead / Uprising, Dimitri Kechagias, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Hellraiser, J.O.E Tomorrows World, J.O.E Tomorrows World, Jake Nicholls [Uprising], James Brolly, Loki [Terminal Trax], Louk / Hidden Identity, Matt Handy [Contact], Mind Control [Noise Pollution], Paul Nineham [Brisk], Paul-O [Uprising], Remnis, Renegade System, Rennz [Distorted Dreams], Rocco Jonsson [Collide / The Carnival Sweden], Spaceman [Tuned Flow], Tjerk Coers, TripleXL.

Joe Bonamassas Album Had To Cry Today aus dem Jahr 2004 jetzt im neuen Look. Erhältlich in limitierter Auflage auf blauem Vinyl. Diese von den Fans geliebte Veröffentlichung zeigt Bonamassa an einem entscheidenden Punkt seiner Karriere, indem er brennende Blues-Rock-Riffs mit tiefem Soul und Vintage-Sounds mischt, alles verpackt in einer rohen, emotionsgeladenen Performance.
Diese Wiederveröffentlichung auf blauem 180g-Vinyl erweckt ein Album zu neuem Leben, das den modernen Blues für eine neue Generation definiert hat. Mit herausragenden Tracks wie „Never Make Your Move Too Soon“, „Reconsider Baby“ und dem explosiven Titeltrack „Had To Cry Today“ ist diese Ausgabe sowohl optisch als auch klanglich ein Genuss.

Lucy Apple benötigt die Hilfe der Detektive, denn ihr Freund verbirgt etwas vor ihr. Bei den Ermittlungen stoßen die drei auf recht bizarre Vorkommnisse. Skeptisch beginnen die drei ??? mit den Recherchen zu Lucys Partner Ronald und heften sich an dessen Fersen. Doch bei ihren Ermittlungen geraten die Detektive nicht nur gehörig ins Schleudern, sondern in allergrößte Gefahr: Wer treibt hier mit wem ein übles Spiel? Ein mehr als außergewöhnlicher Fall für Justus, Peter und Bob. Können die drei ??? den lebenden Tresor knacken?

Amos Lee ist ein US-amerikanischer Singer-Songwriter, dessen Musikstil Folk, Rock und Soul-Elemente
enthält. ”Amos Lee” ist sein Debütalbum, das 2005 bei Blue Note erschien. Produziert wurde das Album
von Lee Alexander, dem Bassisten aus Norah Jones’ Band und es enthält Vocals und Instrumentanparts
von Norah Jones und Mitgliedern ihrer Band. Nach der Veröffentlichung erreichte ”Amos Lee” Platz 2 der
Billboard Top Heatseekers Charts und er selbst wurde vom Rolling Stone als einer der ”Top 10 Artists to
Watch” benannt.

Diese brandneue Deluxe-Edition ist Teil des Jubiläumsprogramms von Decca zum 100. Todestag des großen
Opernkomponisten Giacomo Puccini. Die im Januar 1974 in den Wiener Sofiensälen entstandene Aufnahme
präsentiert die beste Besetzung der damaligen Zeit: angeführt von Mirella Freni und Luciano Pavarotti
sowie unter der Leitung von Herbert von Karajan. Bei ihrer Erstveröffentlichung wurde die Einspielung
von Kritikern und Musikliebhabern gleichermaßen gelobt. Das Magazin Gramophone beschrieb sie als „ein
Set zum Träumen“. Dieses Erbe wird mit der neu präsentierten Edition fortgesetzt. Die Aufnahme wurde
von den Original-Bändern aus dem Jahr 1975 neu gemastert und ist nun auf audiophilem Vinyl sowie als
Hybrid-SACD mit einer Auflösung von 192 kHz/24 Bit erhältlich.

a1 E Soffitto E Pareti (LP1: Act 1) (2:19)
a2 Sorride Vostro Onore? (3:26)
a3 Dovunque Al Mondo Io Yankee Vagabondo (2:00)
a4 America For Ever (2:47)
a5 Ier L'altro Il Consolato Sen; Venne A Visitar (3:43)
a6 Ecco. - Son Giunte Al Sommo Del Pendio (2:51)
a7 Gran Ventura (3:40)
a8 L'imperial Commissario, L'Ufficiale Del Registro, I Congiunti (3:50)
a9 Vieni, Amor Mio! VI Piace La Casetta (2:13)
b1 E Un Presente Del Mikado (3:52)
b2 Tutti Zitti! (5:21)
b3 O Kami! O Kami! (4:36)
b4 Cio-cio-san! Cio-cio-san! Abbominazione! (1:15)
b5 Bimba, Bimba, Non Piangere (3:52)
b6 Viene La Sera (4:33)
b7 Vogliatemi Bene (3:19)
c1 E Izaghi Ed Izanami (LP2: Act 2 - part 1) (4:15)
c2 Un Bel Di, Vedremo Levarsi Un Fil Di Fumo (2:59)
c3 C'e - Entrate (3:17)
c4 Si Sa Che Aprir La Porta E La Moglie Cacciar (4:41)
c5 Udiste? (3:20)
c6 Ora A Noi - Sedete Qui (4:22)
c7 Ebbene. Che Fareste, Madame Butterfly (3:11)
c8 E Questo? E Questo? (3:16)
d1 Che Tua Madre Dovra Prenderti In Braccio (3:13)
d2 Vespa! Rospo Maledotto! (4:05)
d3 Una Nave Da Guerra (2:47)
d4 Scuoti Quella Fronda Di Ciliegio (4:35)
d5 Or Vienmi Ad Adornar (4:27)
d6 Humming Chorus - Summchor (5:09)
e1 Intermezzo - Oh Eh! Oh Eh! (LP3: Act 2 - part 2) (2:16)
e2 Twittering Of Birds From The Garden (2:59)
e3 Gia Il Sole! Cio-Cio-San! (2:30)
e4 Chi Sia? (2:27)
e5 Io So Che Alle Sue Pene Non Ci Sono Conforti! (2:09)
e6 Non Ve L'avevo Detto? (4:20)
e7 Addio, Fiorito Asil Di Letizia E D'amor (2:48)
e8 Suzuki! Suzuki! Dove Sei? (2:36)
f1 Tu, Suzuki, Che Sei Tanto Buona, Non Piangere! (3:39)
f2 Come Una Mosca Prigioniera L'ali Batte Il Piccolo Cuor! (5:15)
f3 "Con Onor Muore Chi Non Puo Serbar Vita Con Onore" (5:10)

“My hero’s back,” Madeline Kenney sings on the second track of her newest effort, Kiss from the Balcony. In a sense, she means herself; made with friends Ben Sloan and Stephen Patota across just a few in-person studio sessions in Oakland, these tracks represent a culmination of Madeline’s musings on growth and resilience reaching back years, brought to life through this generative and vibrant collaboration. Close listeners can hear the breadth of stylistic elements and themes carried through from various eras of her work, which all come together in a cohesive and timeless record.

In two week-long intensive sessions, the three collaborators grew these nine songs from fragments, sketches, and seeds. With a background in experimental percussion and sound design, Ben Sloan brings an electronic sound to Kenney’s writing; Stephen Patota provides ingenious guitar melodies throughout and grounds the project in acoustic elements. Kiss from the Balcony was originally intended to be an EP, but the sessions brought forth such fruitful ideation and play that the project was expanded to a full length album. It sits in Madeline’s discography as a thematic and musical progression that sees her iterate on ideas about love and explore new sonic motifs through her work with Patota and Sloan.

Much of Kiss from the Balcony is a meditation on modern relationships, a feminist and utterly human contemplation of power and who holds it. “Hereditary backward leaning,” she describes in ‘Slap,’ of the female condition; “But no-one ever likes to see the girls break down / So they keep it to the bathroom floor” she sings in the rapturous opener, ‘Scoop.’ While the songs are shrouded in metaphor, the ubiquity of heartbreak and resilience decode much of the internal conflict Kenney depicts. The album sees her recognize the precarity and peculiarity of life and take it by the horns, realizing she controls her own narrative:


She explores the relationships between joy and suffering, choosing to see them as inseparable, two sides of a single coin. “It’s never over / When will they love me?” Kenney asks on ‘They Go Wide,’ describing her positionality both as a woman in relationship and as an indie artist in the modern music industry.

A playful hopefulness pervades the record, providing a sense of revelation in the journey throughout, Kenney’s radical acceptance of life as it is like a lyrical tongue out at the absurd.

Formed in 2012 by long-time musical companions Oyvind Holm and Hogne Galaen,
the band quickly grew into the six- piece musical force they are today. Their unique
sound fuses cosmic Americana and rich vocal harmonies with catchy melodies, highspirited improvisation, and contagious musical energy that will leave you craving
more.
The six members come from diverse musical backgrounds but are united by their
shared love of psychedelia and cosmic Americana. They draw particular inspiration
from the California sound of the late '60s, with bands like The Byrds, Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young, and the Grateful Dead as key infuences.
Between 2012 and 2019, the band recorded and released fve critically acclaimed
albums, two of which were recorded in the California desert at the legendary Rancho
De La Luna, nestled among the Joshua trees. Like many other artists, the pandemic
shook their foundations, forcing the band into an involuntary hiatus. In the aftermath
of lockdowns and other imposed restrictions, the backlash from other projects kept
them from picking up where they had left off.
However, the fall of 2024 brought new opportunities. An unexpected email from Mike
Scott of The Waterboys reignited their spirit and motivation. While on tour in Norway,
Scott discovered one of their albums and was so taken by their sound that he invited
them to contribute vocal harmonies to 'The Tourist,' a track off The Waterboys' new
album Life, Death & Dennis Hopper.
Soon after, an even greater opportunity arose--an invitation to join The Waterboys on
tour in the UK and Scandinavia. To accompany the upcoming tour, we've put together
a beginner's guide to Sugarfoot.
The compilation album Cosmic Norse Americana features nine highlights from
Sugarfoot's career so far, along with a newly recorded cover of Emitt Rhodes' 1967
track "Time Will Show The Wiser."
Sugarfoot:
Hogne Galaen - guitars, vocals
Even Granas - drums
Thomas Henriksen - keyboards
Oyvind Holm - guitars, vocals
Bent Saether - bass
Roar Oien - pedal steel
THOUGHTS AND WORDS
The Sugarfoot story begins back in 2011. But before there was Sugarfoot, there were
the Dipsomaniacs, Kulta Beats, Motorpsycho, Too Far Gone, and Deleted Waveform
Gatherings--bands that, in one way or another, featured future members of what would
eventually become Sugarfoot. Six musicians from diverse musical backgrounds,
united by a shared love of psychedelia and cosmic Americana. Drawing deep
inspiration from the California sound of the late '60s, their musical compass points
toward The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the Grateful Dead.
I say eventually, because Sugarfoot didn't start as a band--it began as a duo. Hogne
Galaen and Oyvind Holm had previously played together in Deleted Waveform
Gatherings. But when their drummer moved out of town, the group was put on ice. Not
ones to sit still, the two of them launched a side project to keep the creative wheels
turning.
Throughout the winter of 2011, they holed up in their rehearsal space, writing and
recording rough sketches of what would soon grow into a full album. And that's when
things got interesting. They drew up a wish list--a dream lineup of musicians they'd
love to bring into the fold.
Among the names on that list were Even Granas, Thomas Henriksen, Bent Saether,
and Roar Oien, all soon to be permanent Sugarfooters. Each was invited to contribute
to the project, adding their parts to the pre-recorded tracks--without knowing what the
others were doing. Like assembling a giant musical puzzle, Galaen and Holm later
pieced the album together from these blindfolded contributions. The result was This
Love That We Outwore, released in the fall of 2012.
From there, things escalated quickly. By the following year, Sugarfoot had become a
proper band. Big Sky Country-- written and recorded collectively-- landed in 2014,
solidifying the group's evolving sound, including favourites such as Dolphins Hotel and
Ego In A Bag. When it came time to record a third album, the band felt the itch for
something new. They wanted a change of scenery--somewhere that could spark fresh
inspiration and leave its own sonic fngerprint on the production. So they asked
themselves: where could they go that carried the spirit, the legacy, the stardust of their
musical heroes?
That search led them to the California desert, to the legendary Rancho De La Luna,
nestled among the Joshua trees. Their next two albums, Different Stars (2016) and
The Santa Ana (2017), were both recorded at the Rancho. In fact, The Santa Ana was
both recorded and mixed during a two- week stay in 2015, making it a true time
capsule in the band's discography.

Nach den Erfolgen des Merchcowboy Mixtapes Vol. 1 und Vol. 2 erscheint am 18. Juli 2025 der dritte Teil des Benefizsamplers. Dieses Mal unterstützt man #LeaveNoOneBehind sowie PRO ASYL und stellt sich so klar gegen Rechtsruck und Ausgrenzung und positioniert sich für bedingungslose Humanität. Unter anderen unterstützen Die Toten Hosen, Die Ärzte, Deichkind, Broilers, Heaven Shall Burn, Donots, Madsen, Grossstadtgeflüster, Sondaschule, Montreal, Deine Cousine, Juli, Ebow, Lara Hulo, H-Blockx, Heisskalt und viele weitere der bekanntesten Namen der deutschen, alternativen Musikszene das Projekt. Allesamt Bands und Künstler*innen, die politisch aktiv sind und sich für eine weltoffene, tolerante Gesellschaft einsetzen. Das Merchcowboy Mixtape Vol. 3 wird durch Musik Spenden für die Organisationen #LeaveNoOneBehind sowie PRO ASYL sammeln. Also genau die Organisationen, die sich täglich für die Förderung gelebter Demokratie, die Unterstützung von Geflüchteten sowie Bekämpfung von Faschismus einsetzen. Alle Bands und Künstler*innen verzich-ten hierbei auf Gagen - der Erlös aus dem Verkauf des Samplers wird vollständig zu gleichen Anteilen an beide Organisationen gespendet.

Legally Blonde - The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording), brings Elle Woods' journey to life with energetic and memorable songs including Omigod You Guys, So Much Better, and There! Right There!. The musical earned seven Tony nominations, including Best Original Score, with its unique blend of humor, heart and empowerment. The Original Broadway Cast Recording remains a cross-generational fan-favorite for its catchy tunes and uplifting message. On Hot Pink Vinyl.

A warm breeze drifts through the open cabin of the boat, carrying the scent of salt and sunwarmed teak as it stirs the linen curtains. The man moves easily, bare feet against the wooden floor, the slow rhythm of the harbor rocking beneath him. He flips through his records with a knowing touch, pulling out a favorite—something smooth and mellow, with buttery vocals and melodies that drift like a sailboat on calm waters. The needle drops, and honeyed guitar riffs spill into the air, effortless and sunlit. He reaches for the bottle of rum, the ice in his glass chiming softly as he pours, then adds a squeeze of lime, a lazy stir. Outside, the water glows in the last light of day, golden ripples stretching toward the horizon. He leans back against the cushioned bench, drink in hand, the music swirling around him like the evening breeze—unhurried, weightless, exactly where he wants to be.


Small Talk brings together a carefully curated selection of long-forgotten, yet remarkably smooth and captivating soft rock and AOR tracks from the ‘70s and ‘80s, compiled by Brandon McMahon. These lesser-known songs are drenched in lush harmonies, dreamy guitar riffs, and mellow rhythms, capturing the essence of an era without the mainstream recognition. For those with an ear for the obscure and a taste for the subtle, Small Talk offers a fresh perspective on an era’s most overlooked gems.