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A veteran touch meets fresh intent on this pair of cuts for CA, where decades of experience translate into effortless groove. Best known as part of Sugar Ray, American DJ, musician, rapper, singer, record producer and radio personality DJ Homicide_ shows his range here with two confident, club-ready jams. 'Wild Mary' leans into a smooth 90s hip-hop and r&b feel, all creamy vocals and soft-focus chords riding an easy swing. Flip it over and 'Get Up Steez' digs deeper into early hip-hop attitude, driven by tougher drums, crunchy low end and soaring falsetto hooks.

Der Mann hinter der Maske, Jonathan Bree, kehrt mit seinem sechsten Studioalbum "Don't Call It Love" zurück. "Don't Call It Love" kommt als Doppelalbum mit 17 Songs und ist ein erotisches Konzeptalbum, das sich mit Sexualität auseinandersetzt und Kollaborationen mit Frauen aus den Bereichen Musik, Film, Fotografie und Tanz enthält. "Don't Call It Love" klingt wie der düstere Soundtrack zu einer versteckten, mit Samt ausgekleideten Bar in einem schummrigen Keller - mal verspielt und verführerisch, mal beunruhigend und provokativ. Brees neue Songs setzen sich mit dem gesamten Spektrum der Sexualität und ihrer emotionalen Last auseinander - ein Album, das sich weigert, wegzuschauen, und sein Herz buchstäblich auf der Zunge trägt. Fans haben diesen neuen Sound bereits mit den düster-nostalgischen Klängen von New Order und Siouxsie & The Banshees verglichen, wobei Brees musikalische Entwicklung über die Jahrzehnte hinweg endlich ihr von den 80ern durchtränktes, melancholisches Ziel erreicht hat: ein melodramatisches Meisterwerk raffinierter Sleaze-Musik. Jonathans charakteristische Orchesterarrangements sind nach wie vor vorhanden und verbinden diesmal eine karge, düster angehauchte Noir-Ästhetik mit filmischer Instrumentierung und seinem grüblerischen Bariton. "Don't Call It Love ist zudem Jonathans bisher kollaborativstes Album, auf dem eine außergewöhnliche internationale Riege von Frauen einige der entscheidenden Momente des Albums mit ihren einzigartigen Stimmen bereichert. Die bei den Fans beliebte Princess Chelsea kehrt für drei beeindruckende Songs zurück ("Live To Dance", "Part Time Love", "Slow"); Neuseelands bestgehütetes Musikgeheimnis Rachel Clarke bewegt sich bei "Savour My Love" von intimer Zurückhaltung zu schwindelerregender Intensität; die französische Fotografin und Künstlerin Eloïse Labarbe-Lafon liefert auf "Chameleon" eine charaktervolle Gesangsdarbietung, die an die Tradition von Jane Birkin anknüpft; während die französische Musikerin und Schauspielerin Adah Dylan auf dem Titeltrack zu hören ist und den Leadgesang mit direkter, schnörkelloser Klarheit trägt: "don't call it love_ when we fuck." Für einen Künstler, der bereits sechs Alben veröffentlicht hat, gibt es hier eine Reihe von Premieren - sein erstes Doppelalbum, sein gitarrenlastigstes Album, sein kollaborativstes und sein bisher kompromisslosestes konzeptionelles Werk. Es wird nicht jedem gefallen, und es ist klar, dass Bree kein Interesse daran hat, es abzuschwächen. Wie er es ausdrückt: "Als ich meiner Mutter davon erzählte, schlug ich ihr vor, dieses Album vielleicht lieber auszulassen."

Timeless is a brand-new 10-track compilation featuring rare and unreleased studio recordings from Prince’s legendary vault. This unprecedented album encompasses tracks spanning every phase of Prince’s illustrious career, from 1977 to 2016. The project has been meticulously mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer and producer Chris James, a former Prince engineer whose notable credits include HITnRUN Phase Two, Art Official Age, and Plectrumelectrum. Timeless will be available on CD & black vinyl, providing profound insights into Prince’s creative process and musical evolution.

Nichts ist so beständig wie der Wandel. Kaum eine Band verkörpert diesen Gedanken derzeit so konsequent wie Musa Dagh. Die Formation um Aren Emirze bewegt sich seit dem selbstbetitelten Debüt von 2021 durch die Zwischenräume von Noiserock, Alternative und Post-Hardcore - laut, sperrig, emotional aufgerissen und zugleich getragen von einem feinen Gespür für Dynamik, Atmosphäre und Melodie. Der Bandname verweist dabei auf den historischen Kontext des armenischen Genozids und bildet einen leisen, aber prägenden Resonanzraum im Selbstverständnis der Gruppe. Von Anfang an wirkt Musa Dagh weniger wie eine klassische Band als ein offener Prozess. Keine feste Konstruktion, sondern ein Zustand permanenter Bewegung. Unterschiedliche musikalische Erfahrungen, Persönlichkeiten und Energien treffen hier aufeinander, verschieben sich gegenseitig und erzeugen genau daraus jene Spannung, die zum Kern dieser Musik geworden ist. Schon die ersten Aufnahmen entstanden aus dieser Offenheit heraus. Begegnungen und Arbeitsphasen mit Thomas Götz, Sascha Madsen und Aydo Abay wirkten dabei weniger wie klassische Kooperationen, sondern eher wie Reibungsflächen, die den Sound immer wieder neu ausrichten. Musa Dagh klangen nie nach Stillstand - jede Verschiebung öffnete neue Räume. Mit "Endurance" tritt die Band nun in eine neue Phase ein. Die Veränderung wirkt nicht wie ein Bruch, sondern wie eine Erweiterung dessen, was Musa Dagh immer ausgemacht hat: Bewegung, Offenheit und Transformation.

Silbernes Vinyl, limitiert auf 500 Exemplare. Nichts ist so beständig wie der Wandel. Kaum eine Band verkörpert diesen Gedanken derzeit so konsequent wie Musa Dagh. Die Formation um Aren Emirze bewegt sich seit dem selbstbetitelten Debüt von 2021 durch die Zwischenräume von Noiserock, Alternative und Post-Hardcore - laut, sperrig, emotional aufgerissen und zugleich getragen von einem feinen Gespür für Dynamik, Atmosphäre und Melodie. Der Bandname verweist dabei auf den historischen Kontext des armenischen Genozids und bildet einen leisen, aber prägenden Resonanzraum im Selbstverständnis der Gruppe. Von Anfang an wirkt Musa Dagh weniger wie eine klassische Band als ein offener Prozess. Keine feste Konstruktion, sondern ein Zustand permanenter Bewegung. Unterschiedliche musikalische Erfahrungen, Persönlichkeiten und Energien treffen hier aufeinander, verschieben sich gegenseitig und erzeugen genau daraus jene Spannung, die zum Kern dieser Musik geworden ist. Schon die ersten Aufnahmen entstanden aus dieser Offenheit heraus. Begegnungen und Arbeitsphasen mit Thomas Götz, Sascha Madsen und Aydo Abay wirkten dabei weniger wie klassische Kooperationen, sondern eher wie Reibungsflächen, die den Sound immer wieder neu ausrichten. Musa Dagh klangen nie nach Stillstand - jede Verschiebung öffnete neue Räume. Mit "Endurance" tritt die Band nun in eine neue Phase ein. Die Veränderung wirkt nicht wie ein Bruch, sondern wie eine Erweiterung dessen, was Musa Dagh immer ausgemacht hat: Bewegung, Offenheit und Transformation.

Die acht Jahre, die I've Missed You All These Years geprägt haben, waren von tiefgreifenden Veränderungen geprägt: Sera Cahoone verlor innerhalb kurzer Zeit ihre beste Freundin, ihren Vater und ihren Hund. Aber bei diesem Album geht es ganz und gar nicht um die Dunkelheit; es geht darum, was passiert, wenn der Sturm vorbei ist, um den Moment, in dem du nach einem dunklen Winter wieder in deinen Körper zurückfindest. Dieses Gefühl der Leichtigkeit kommt deutlich zum Ausdruck in dem Klavier und der E-Gitarre, die in ,Say Something" zum Leben erwachen, sowie in dem komplexen Porträt von ,Hits Right". I've Missed You All These Years fängt den Klang einer ekstatischen Zusammenarbeit zwischen außergewöhnlich talentierten Freunden ein. Man hört es im Barroom-Swing von ,Pulling Up Roots", im Seufzer einer Pedal Steel in ,Not How I Had Hoped", im luftigen Falsett von ,Say Something". Es ist ein Album darüber, Trost in der Gemeinschaft zu finden; darüber, sich selbst wiederzuentdecken, indem man sich mit den Menschen verbindet, die man liebt. Auf ihrem sechsten Album hat Cahoone ihre Kräfte voll im Griff. In seiner Fähigkeit, Verlust und Verbundenheit in einer Hand zu halten, ist I've Missed You All These Years triumphierend, eine Feier des Lebens, die in dem Wissen um dessen Vergänglichkeit verwurzelt ist. Als Ergebnis eines Lebens, das sie mit dem Aufführen und Produzieren von Musik verbracht hat, durchquert das Album Blues, Folk, Pop und Country und erinnert in einem Song an Loretta Lynn und im nächsten an Lucinda Williams. Es ist ein Zeugnis der Kraft, die Kreativität und Gemeinschaft mit sich bringen, ein Porträt einer Künstlerin, die sich selbst vollkommen kennt.

Chinaski opens 2026 with SOULMEEX record label exactly where he thrives best: suspended between nostalgia and futurism, melody and motion. Known for his synth-forward language and cinematic instincts, the Berlin-based producer delivers a release that feels both playful and sharply intentional, channeling emotion without sacrificing precision.

Across the EP, Chinaski revisits the spirit of Italo through a contemporary lens, shaping glistening arpeggios, buoyant basslines, elastic grooves and joyful synth stabs into five tracks that move effortlessly between the dancefloor and the imagination. There’s an unmistakable sense of lightness here-music that doesn’t overthink itself, yet is clearly crafted by someone who understands form, tension and release.

Rather than leaning on retro tropes, Chinaski treats dance music as a living, breathing language. The melodies feel familiar but never predictable; the rhythms pulse with warmth and confidence. An unforced sense of freedom runs through the release, inviting repeated listens and late-night moments alike.

With this EP, SOULMEEX sets the tone for 2026 with clarity and purpose, and Chinaski delivers the spell-subtle, melodic, and quietly irresistible.


Fresh on the Discos Panorama series, we head back to Colombia with the undisputed king Fruko y Sus Tesos, pairing him with another all-time classic on the flip from The Latin Brothers. Two heavyweight dancefloor cuts, one essential 7inch.

On the A-side, Fruko does what he does best — driving, percussive salsa built for movement, locked-in rhythm section, sharp horns, and that unmistakable swing that’s kept his records in DJ bags for decades. On the flip, “Buscándote” from The Latin Brothers brings a slower, more melodic touch without losing any punch — real music.

Both sides feature the presence of the legendary Piper Pimienta Díaz on vocals. His voice is raw, expressive, and instantly recognisable. A true legend of the game.

Part of PANORAMA’s Discos Panorama series, this release continues the label’s focus on Colombian salsa at its most vital and dancefloor-ready. Carefully selected, respectfully remastered, and pressed for DJs and collectors alike — music that’s been doing the work for years, now brought back where it belongs.

London Based Deadbeat is a techno label founded in 2000 as an outlet for the more eclectic, risk taking and aggressive elements of the genre. Dedicated to unveiling forward thinking new talent, championing cult underground producers and celebrating established global acts the label has created a loyal fan base and now after more than two decades presents its first vinyl release, a massive six track EP that covers a lot of creative ground and features three artists well known for pushing boundaries while delivering face melting, dancefloor destroying beats.

Sane ( Don't Recordings / Fun In The Murky ) is a Uk based producer and techno DJ who has featured multiple times on the 'Best electronic music on bandcamp' pages. Described there by music journalist Joe Muggs as 'Filthy, dirty, vile and brilliant. His techno will tear the top off your head and make soup with the contents. It screeches, it blurts, it whistles, and it roars. Above all, it crashes and clangs like a dancing mech warrior, crushing all before it. What more do you need to know?'

TSR ( Analog Records / Hörspielmusik ) are a highly regarded creative force of Swedish musical mentalists, a crazed, technologically berserk band of electronic wizards who relentlessly conjure up the most brilliant, silliest, toughest, most dance bootable funky techno on this train of existence. Known for high-energy, raw, and sometimes humorous tracks they have released to high acclaim on many notable labels and played all over the world.

DJ Ze MigL ( Djax-Up-Beats / Minimalistix ) is first and foremost a DJ, but also a producer & a Dude! Creating crazy, funky and sometimes brutal techno mayhem. Residentially from Portugal, he’s been the one of most prolific Portuguese techno producer/ DJ during the last 25 years. Producing and Spinning his own special brand of honkin’ techno, not changing a single cowbell. Never too serious or dark, always with proper party ON!

The record additionally features full sleeve artwork by Ed Twist ( of the influential 'Ugly Funk' label ) and is pressed on yellow vinyl.

Falling Ethics continues its relentless momentum with FEX029, welcoming dc11 to the roster for the uncompromising 'Stuck In The Overhead EP'. Being true to the label's tradition of exploring the darker, more industrial-leaning corners of techno, this four-tracker serves also as a masterclass in precision, stripped-back aesthetics, mechanical grit and minimalistic sound design. Essential, heavy-duty techno.

‘Distracted’ is Thundercat’s fifth studio album, featuring contributions from an incredible cast of friends including A$AP Rocky, WILLOW, Tame Impala, Lil Yachty, Channel Tres, and a long awaited collaboration with the dearly departed Mac Miller. The record was primarily created in close collaboration with a new creative partner – the super-producer Greg Kurstin – plus Flying Lotus, Kenny Beats (Kenneth Blume) and The Lemon Twigs. In the six years since his GRAMMY-winning album ‘It Is What It Is’, Thundercat’s star has risen: playing stadiums worldwide with Red Hot Chilli Peppers with Flea naming Thundercat “the best bass player on the planet”; performing live with A$AP Rocky, Steve Lacy, Tame Impala, Gorillaz, Silk Sonic, Erykah Badu, Spinal Tap, Yo Gabba Gabba; collaborating with Haim, Smino, Kaytranada, Kamasi Washington and Justice. He also branched out into acting with a role in Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett. His warm, playful presence is never too far away, and life’s all the more enlivened by it.

In the last two years, Barry Can’t Swim has released two albums – When Will We Land? and Loner. The debut was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, winning 2024’s Best Dance Act on BBC Radio 1 and being nominated for Best Dance Act at the BRIT Awards in the same year. The latest album, 2025’s Loner, hit the top ten in the UK charts and was number one in the dance charts. This summer, Barry Can’t Swim cemented his position as one of the most singular new voices in electronic music with a gangbusting performance as a headliner at All Points East in London’s Victoria Park, building on his back-to-back performance with Bonobo at Coachella in 2024. Barry’s Late Night Tales mix brings together disparate styles and forms them into a coherent narrative. The powerful house tracks, like Lance DeSardi’s ‘Power of Suggestion’ and Daniel Avery’s remix of Factory Floor, intertwine with the abstract grooves of Freddie Da Stupid or Ronald Langestraat’s leftfield reading of Boz Scaggs’ ’70s smash ‘Lowdown’. There are exclusive tracks from Barry Can’t Swim himself (in the form of new single ‘Chala’ and an exclusive edit of Superpitcher’s ‘Yves’) and from friends and contemporaries, like Ninja Tune labelmate O’Flynn. Leaving aside the obvious quality of the mix, with its serpentine twists and dramatic turns, you can tell Josh is a fan of this series by bringing in his own personal poet, the brilliant Seamus, for the spoken word section right at the end. He’s a one-man Late Night Tales programmer.

Macclesfield 3-piece Cassia make their extremely welcome return with the announcement of their most ambitious release yet in new studio album everyone, outside - out April 11th.

The album marks a bold new chapter, and recently served up a tropical-tinged first offering in ‘heat’ - with today serving a superb Round Two with the stomping, insatiable, hook-laden new single ‘friends’.

everyone, outside takes Cassia’s sound to new heights. Written fresh off the back of two years of relentless touring, the band channelled every ounce of their renowned live energy into the album, returning to a studio they built themselves in Macclesfield, after creating their previous album in Berlin. The journey provided an added twist, recording the majority of tracks live on TikTok, giving fans a unique, inclusive experience to be part of the process.

The album’s title is a metaphor for embracing your truest self and reflection of a band who are at their happiest outside. It’s a message that speaks to the idea of reconnecting with nature and Britain’s finest summers. As frontman Rob explains, “That title, ‘everyone, outside’ started as a song about how weird it is that we stay inside all the time when being out in nature always makes us feel better. Over time, it came to mean more than that - like a metaphor for being your truest, most natural self, unburdened, like when no one’s watching.”

Drawing influences from a host of genres and cultures, everyone, outside reveals Cassia’s venn diagram of global sounds and intimate storytelling. A trip to Mexico during the writing process injected the record with a new energy, while their time spent in their new space back home gave the band a freedom to try new instruments, new sounds, acquire new tools to hone their production skills - and to simply have fun and explore. “The time we spent in Berlin taught us so much, but coming back home to Macclesfield allowed us to really focus on making something that felt like it came from us. No distractions, just pure creativity,” says drummer Jacob Leff.

Cassia’s rise has been impressive. From their early days busking the streets of Cornwall to playing major festivals, touring the world and receiving critical acclaim from BBC Radio 1, Radio X, The Independent, Rolling Stone UK, Clash & many more, the band has carved out a unique niche. Their sound, influenced by the African music Rob’s father introduced him to, combined with the indie heritage of nearby Manchester, combines the positivity of bands like Foals and Vampire Weekend, with the jazz-tinged afrobeats of Fela Kuti and Ebo Taylor.

After signing to Distiller Records in 2018, the band gave up their full-time jobs and ventured to Bath to record their debut album, Replica. Tracks such as ‘Right There’, ‘Drifting’ & ‘100 Times Over’ have amassed millions of streams, seeing the band sell out multiple headline Tours both in the UK and Europe. Playing to a homecoming capacity crowd at Manchester’s O2 Ritz, as well as sold out headline shows at London’s KOKO & The Garage, the band have accrued a huge, loyal following and their live shows earned them a nomination for Best Live Act at the AIM Awards alongside Idles and DMA’s, as well as making them the winners of Reeperbahn’s Anchor Award in 2022.

Cassia will tour the UK in May 2025, playing songs from the new album and some of their biggest tracks - headlining Leeds, Bristol, a newly added night in Southampton, a special Manchester homecoming, Glasgow, Birmingham, & a huge show at London’s HERE @ Outernet - dates below & Tickets Here. The band will also take things Stateside this year for their first ever run of headline shows in the US & Mexico.

2026 Repress

the debut release of malmo in sweden based producer “martinou” on mule musiq.

we loved his previous release on nous'klaer audio and turbo.

we’re strongly feeling he is one of the best upcoming producer.

there are four first class atmospheric psychedelic deep house.

hope you like it.

Eden Samara grew up in the mountains of western Canada, writing folk songs and performing in the theatre. Following a trip to Europe where she had her first formative clubbing experiences, she relocated to London in 2019 where she’s become a consistent presence and voice in the city’s underground, collaborating with artists like Parris, Ciel and Loraine James and earning praise from The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Crack and DJ Mag.

2022 saw Eden release her debut album Rough Night on Local Action, blending freaky club-pop, introspective R&B and more while collaborating with leading scene figures TSVI, Call Super and Shanti Celeste. Described by Dazed as ‘an embarrassment of riches’ and by Mixmag as one of the best albums of the year, in Eden’s words it was simply ‘a tragicomedy in seven scenes and an interlude’. She’s downplaying things: to us it was a rich tapestry that explored everything from fleeting moments in smoking areas to the Madonna-whore complex. Both, for better or worse, still make the world go round.

On her second album Odyssey, Eden brings more elements into her ensemble (jungle, choral singing, live harp) while honing her song-writing – it’s an expansion and a tightening at the same time. Inspired by epic literary works like Homer’s Odyssey, The Alchemist and The Picture of Dorian Gray, the album reimagines the archetypal quest through a personal lens: a healing journey amid the collapse of close relationships to addiction, mental illness, and the weight of codependency disguised as love. In Eden’s words: 'This work is a narrative and sonic expedition - part myth, part memoir - that traces my path through the emotional aftermath of watching loved ones struggle with drug addiction and mental health crises, and the impact it
had on my own mental wellbeing. The album addresses substance abuse, toxic relationships, and the internalised belief that love must come through sacrifice, even at the cost of one’s selfhood.'

For this special release, Barcelona’s Lapsus and London’s Local Action join forces for the first time in their respective journeys, reflecting the affinity between both platforms and their shared vision of contemporary electronic music.

Complimenting his singular debut LP, 2025’s ‘Light Months Will Fly Over Us’, singer-songwriter and producer Addy Weitzman sees his thoughtful artrock and new wave aesthetic expanded by The Time & Space Machine for a limited three-track 12".

The long-running alias of British DJ, archivist and acid pioneer Richard Norris, this trio of remixes from The Time & Space Machine’s central processing unit finds Norris in a jubilant raving mode, his trademark psychedelia contributing to Slacker at its best and baggiest. The initial mix captures Weitzman’s songwriting in full, including his portentous vocal hook – “No man is a prophet in his own land” – a proverb first found in the gospels, blessed with the innovative Norris’s application of hypnotic groove, fat low-end and a ton of percussion.

The B-side sees Norris stripping things back in two directions: the Shango Dub draws focus on the higher vibrations found in the track’s beautifully intertwined percussive and synth elements, while the Riddim Mix reduces the frequencies further still, with a phased, slightly fried drum workout primed to spin heads as the night gets deeper and darker.

Standards & Practices like to take musical risks and adventure into uncharted techno waters with their compilations and this latest one, split across three EPs, is a testament to that. Out Of Practice Vol 2 (part two) opens with moody, sub-aquatic dub from Izzy Vines that is alive with the clanking of distant shipping lanes and vast propellers. Matthew Patterson Curry's 'Not Weird At All' is glitch-step and hyper futuristic, then Jeff Pietro melts your mind with the syncopated loops of 'Mass Hex' (version), which has an eerie celestial glow. Brendon Moeller does what Brendon Moeller does best to close - fathom-deep dub class.

Berlin-based edit specialist Voodoocuts knows exactly how to tease out the best bits of any of the source tunes he works with. He's been doing it for years now on labels like Juice on Wax and Uluru, and now heads to Ritmo for his latest 7" bomb. 'Riddim Freak' gets this one going with a reggaeton rework of a Missy Elliott classic. It's an inspired pairing that has elastic bass and trampoline-like kicks with rave horns, fat-assed brass band energy and plenty of that original Missy attitude. 'Work This' takes another of the rap queens' most welcome jams and flips and reverses it into an early electro and hip-hop blend with old school drums and many magnificent samples all bringing it to life in full colour.

Ein legendärer 80s-Electro-Klassiker kehrt endlich zurück auf Vinyl!
Mit „Los Niños Del Parque“ landete Two Of China, das Projekt der DJ-Legende Talla 2XLC, 1986 einen der prägendsten Club-Hits der Electro- und Wave-Ära.

Jetzt erscheint dieser Meilenstein erstmals wieder als farbige 12“ Maxi Single – streng limitiert und ein echtes Sammlerstück für DJs, Vinyl-Liebhaber und Fans elektronischer Musik der 80er Jahre. Der hypnotische Sequencer-Sound, die düstere Atmosphäre und der ikonische Club-Drive machten den Track damals zu einem festen Bestandteil internationaler Tanzflächen.

Die Maxi Single enthält vier originale Mixe aus dem Jahr 1986, sorgfältig ausgewählt und in ihrer ursprünglichen Form erhalten – authentisch, druckvoll und zeitlos.

Black Truffle is pleased to present Radis, the first recording by the Oslo-based trio of Andrea Giordano (voice and organetto), Kalle Moberg (accordion) and Jo David Meyer Lysne (guitar and snare drum). Now based in Norway, Giordano is a native of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region in the north-west of Italy and her exploration of the Piedmontese language provides the starting point and conceptual anchor of the trio improvisations heard on Radis, which make use of the words of 20th century Piedmontese poets Nino Costa, Bianca Dorato and Oreste Gallina. As the musicians explain, the project is an attempt to preserve the beauty and singularity of a language at risk of extinction.

Fittingly, the first sound we hear on the opening piece ‘Fiorìa’ is Giordano’s unaccompanied voice. She sings a poem from Oreste Gallina as a kind of floating cadenza, the accompanying silence sensitizing the listener to the pellucid quality of Giordano’s voice and the unique sound of the Piedmontese language. The voice dies away and into the silence swells a single tone, sounded by Moberg’s accordion and—special guest on this opening piece—the alto saxophone of Mario Gabola. Extended techniques and preparations create unexpected timbres from the acoustic instruments: Gabola’s saxophone is augmented with tin cans and springs and Moberg’s unorthodox techniques allow the accordion to generate wheezing, buzzing textures and patterns of microtonal beating. Giordano’s voice returns, picking up the thread of the languorous opening melody, coexisting for a while with the shifting drone before the piece takes an unexpected yet organic left-turn into a delicate saxophone solo of sorts.

Recorded in several locations across Italy and Norway over the course of three years, Radis documents an ensemble who have developed both a distinctive sound-world and a remarkably sensitive group dynamic. Moving from folkish duets between accordion and Giordano’s organetto (the small accordion used in Italian folk music) to episodes of metallic guitar scraping from Meyer Lysne, the music is both quietly contemplative and gently chaotic. Ensemble roles shift with disarming ease. If on ‘Profij dëspers’ Meyer Lysne’s prepared guitar adds a haywire noise element to a lyrical episode of organetto and accordion, the next piece, ‘D’antorn a lor’, is grounded in chiming guitar chords of stunning beauty; once Giordano’s joins, the result calls up the most spacious moments of Maria Monti’s Il Bestiario. Throughout the seven pieces, the trio explore countless possibilities of group interaction and the margin between conventional euphony and pure abstraction: at times the voice floats against silence or seems almost disconnected from the gentle clatter of the instruments (sometimes reminiscent of Nikiforas Rotas’ haunting settings of Cavafy), while at other points the instruments touch on conventional harmonic accompaniment. What is perhaps most striking of all is the way that voice and instruments relate to each other, the extended technique reframing the voice as a kind of abstract sound object, while the melodic beauty of Giordano’s voice lends a contemplative, almost melancholic air to the wheezing and scraping of accordion and guitar.

Captured in gorgeously intimate recordings, Jim O’Rourke’s careful and beautifully spacious mix highlights the wealth of textural detail in each element. Accompanied by notes, session photos and the text of the Piedmontese poems, Radis is a work of stunning beauty that demonstrates the vitality of exploratory music in Norway today.