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8 straight sound system wreckers from Dionysian Mysteries , with each artist commanding their own sonic terrain. Embracing intensity on the dance floor by devolving ravers from a flock to a pariah of freaks. Dedicated to the outcasts, weirdos, and big booty cadets generating all that steam heat. 400 vinyl copies NO REPRESS (12'' Featuring tracks by DJ DISRESPECT , Kovyazin D , Wee DJs , DJ DR-660, and Nastia 6.9)

Mastered by DECODE BERLIN. Artwork work by Michael Idehall. Distribution by Lobster Distribution.

Well-versed in vintage vernaculars, Oakland-based producer/musician Mike Walti is about to return with his sophomore offering under the Organi moniker – as new album “Babylonia” follows 2020’s “Parlez-vous Français?,” a landmark in vibe acquisition ever since.

Wyldwood Studios is a portal. It’s a secret gateway to analog spheres. Cross the threshold and you’ll feel the difference: you can pick any ol’ time, any place, any tongue or vibe, in fact. Hit the dancefloor in 1967, feel that plushy loveseat in the early 70s. It’s a welcoming place where better, saner vibes are still within reach. Fueled, at least in part, by those long-classic 12”s on the walls – just imagine the sepia-tinted countenance of Melody Nelson alongside actual Birkin sans wig, right next to Shadow’s immortal crate diggers, forever blurred –, and channeled through ancient time travel devices such as the MCI 416B only to arrive on classic 2-inch tape (MM1000 aka Ol’ Bessy), it’s a haven for all things organic, for all things imbued with that warm élan. Built and run by Oakland’s own Mike Walti, countless artists from many different genres have felt that flair, creating sonic spheres and moving back and forth along the malleable axis that is space-time. Capturing magic.

Emerging from this unique portal back in 2020, Walti’s aka Organi’s first studio album was a stunning answer to its titular question – “Parlez-vous Français?” It was a soothing, somewhat psychedelic trip so magnétique and alluring that it immediately brought back those bits of Franglais you never knew you remembered. Whereas the debut LP indeed felt like a spontané voyage to the French Riviera ca. 1968, its follow-up “Babylonia” is so much more than linguistic confusion and ancient Akkadian Rhythms. Using that hidden portal near Alameda’s finest port to access all kinds of remote regions and sonic spheres, it’s super tight and feels, well, decent, even though, just like the ol’ Babylon, it’s full of surprising tongues and dreams, schemes and melodies.

“Where do we go from here?,” someone asks in opening “Organii-“ – all majestically cinematic boom bap, buoyant bass, sick strings. A fittingly massive opener that feels like cracking open a cold one after long weeks at work (that ecstatic “ahhhh”), it perfectly sets the tone for another half hour of pure time traveling, globe-spanning bliss. Whereas that certain prédilection pour all things French makes “La Rockette” so tempting and tantalizing (think MalMalNonBien), the sophomore album’s Berlin-based guest singer Nana Lacrima soon takes us elsewhere: title track “Babylonia” spins ever so softly, like a magic lantern, with images of dreamier Stones Throw funksters or Savath y Savalas looming over the steady flow of an arrangement that washes you clean like an ancient, unpolluted River Euphrates or Brazil’s actual Amazon. A sexy Portuguese-flavored anthem, occasional guest singer Alix Koliha also enters the scene to add yet another layer of French chic to this Brazilian landscape. Next, we’re back at the Riviera, but the “Italiano” version of it, splendido sunsets and bell towers in the distance, the ragazze laughing and shaking it up, perhaps even some Portofino Gin so you can really feel that “me ne batto il belin,” as your fingers align form some half-serious “ma che vuoi?”

Tim Maia-penned “Padre Cicero” (1970) deals with the stunning transformation of the titular hero – “De reverendo a lutador,” and what a soaring, sensual hook –, and Organi’s take on Elephant Memory’s “Old Man Willow” (now an “Old Man Waltz”) perfectly underlines what Walti’s Wyldwood endeavor is all about: Easy-Going Experimental Dream Pop, fueled by Gainsbourg, Broadcast, Stereolab, etc.

Later on, even though something seems to be tres complique in “Remembering Anna,” it all sounds carefree like a spontaneous Friday afternoon with a bottle of fine wine. Right before the outro, key album guest Yea-Ming Chen (of Yea-Ming & The Rumors) returns to the mic, adding her dark and dusky trademark timbre to melancholy anthem “Pictures Of Your Face”. Reminiscent of Nico and Trish (rip & rip), it’s a track that’s both dark and strangely propelling, hypnotic and hip-shaking.

A third generation Bay Area native, Mike Walti aka Organi has been running Wyldwood Studios in Oakland CA for some 15+ years (recording artists like Tommy Guerrero, Spelling, Why?, Latyrx, Del, Dan The Automator, and Big Freedia, to name but a few). A multi-instrumentalist who’s obviously in love with the 60s/70s, he loves to work with analog equipment (“We just love us some analog!” “Just listen to those relays purr…”). Recorded and mixed by Mike Walti at Wyldwood, “Babylonia” will be released on vinyl/digital by Alien Transistor.

Originally scheduled for release way back in March 1996, "The Raw Factor" by North Carolina native Omniscence is one of the last of the unreleased mid-90's albums to see the light of day. Despite being awarded The Source's coveted "Hip Hop Quotable" and dropping two well-received singles ("Amazin" and "Touch Y'all"), record label politics meant the full-length "The Raw Factor" album was never released and fans were left wondering what might have been.

28 years later, "The Raw Factor" is finally being released on vinyl, CD and digital stores. Featuring punchline-driven lyrics from Omniscence delivered in his unmistakable cadence, and backed by head-nodding production from Fanatic, the album is a must-own for fans of 90's Hip Hop.

Omniscence haunted the same early 90's cyphers and stages that many lyrical greats from the era had to cross. With a gruff delivery and equal adeptness with punchlines and metaphors, his high finish at the 1994 edition Battle For World Supremacy at the New Music Seminar assured heads across the culture were watching. After this, Omniscence locked in with producer Fanatic (who also laced tracks for Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e and Michael Jackson). The result was "The Raw Factor" album, fifteen plus tracks of jazzed out boom-bap, replete with crackin' drums.

Now Below System Records has not only given the album its first deluxe physical release (including 2xLP, CD and digital) as well as a slew of bonus/unreleased tracks.
















p Touch Y'all (Remix) feat. Sadat X
















p Touch Y'all (Remix) feat. Sadat X
















p Touch Y'all (Remix) [feat. Sadat X]

"Long sought-after by those in know, this essential Irish jazz album finally gets a vinyl reissue on Outernational Sounds! Fully licensed from producer John D’Ardis, remastered at Abbey Road from the original tapes, and with lacquers cut at Dubplates and Mastering, the Noel Kelehan Quintet’s stunning 1979 Ozone is presented with unseen photographs of the band and commentary from original band members.

Featuring moody, modal jazz of the first order, subtle and original composing and world- class playing, Ozone was the creation of Ireland’s most respected jazz composer and musician, pianist Noel Kelehan (1935-2012). The only small-group album under his name, and arguably the first ever Irish jazz LP, Ozone was a landmark recording, but it was far from Kelehan’s only achievement. Born in Dublin, Kelehan had studied music from an early age. From the mid-1950s he worked at state-broadcaster Radio Éireann (RÉ, later RTÉ – Radio Telefis Éireann), and from the early 1960s he fronted Dublin’s first be-bop unit, the Jazz Heralds. A busy professional career saw him compose for numerous Irish pop stars, arrange and conduct many of Ireland’s Eurovision entries, and even contribute string arrangements to U2’s Unforgettable Fire LP.

But jazz was Kelehan’s first passion, and he never stopped playing in both small modernist units and composing for his own big band. The late 1970s saw him fronting the Noel Kelehan Quintet, alongside drummer John Wadham, saxophonist Keith Donald, bassist Frank Hess and trumpeter Mick Nolan. Playing weekly in Dublin for several years, they opened for visiting stars including Dollar Brand and the Ronnie Scott Orchestra, and eventually played a two-week residency at Ronnie Scotts in London. Though Kelehan had recorded a big-band LP of traditional Irish songs arranged as easy jazz in 1970, Ozone was his first album of modern jazz. Released on John D’Ardis’s independent Cargo imprint and press on blue vinyl, it featured original compositions such as the deep collectors cut ‘Spon Song’, subtle Latin flavours on ‘Spacer’s Delight’ and a beautiful modal arrangement of the traditional Irish air ‘Castle of Dromore’. A legendary recording in Ireland, Ozone reflected Kelehan’s keen appreciation of classic quintet-era Miles, with touches of the cerebral fusion of Ian Carr and the arranging genius of Neil Ardley. Not just a landmark Irish jazz set, Ozone is a lost classic of European jazz more widely."

A Universe of Pop: Fleetwood Mac’s Tango in the Night Features Meticulous Production, Includes the Hits “Big Love,” “Everywhere,” “Seven Wonders,” and “Little Lies”

Experience the 1987 Album in Audiophile Sound for the First Time:

Mobile Fidelity’s Numbered-Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Captures the Perfectionist Details

1/2" / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

The perfectionism involved in crafting Fleetwood Mac’s Tango in the Night reached a level of intensity experienced by few artists before or since. Commercially and creatively, the painstaking efforts paid off. Recorded over the span of 18 months, the triple-platinum album spawned four hit singles and put Fleetwood Mac back at the center of mainstream conversation. Its demands also ultimately forced its primary architect, guitarist-singer Lindsey Buckingham, to leave the group shortly after its completion. Was it all worth it? A thousand times “yes.”

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set of Tango in the Night presents the 1987 record in audiophile sound for the first time. Everything co-producers Buckingham and Richard Dashut sought to instill in the music — the exacting tones, gauzy textures, plush atmospherics, shifted harmonics, unique pitches, pristine acoustics, biting rhythms — can now be heard with elevated accuracy, range, depth, and detail.

Made under challenging circumstances, Tango in the Night is as much a universe of sound as it is an album. This reissue conveys that sonic spectrum in exhaustive manners that go beyond prior editions by playing with a combination of transparency, imaging, openness, and dynamics that provides uncanny insight into the meticulously layered vocal and instrumental tracks. Equally important, it also amplifies your connection to the elaborate melodies, contagious hooks, and airy highs that account for the album’s ageless pop brilliance.

As for the wondrous array of percussive accents, synthesizer elements, interlaced guitars, and lush choruses — all seemingly occupying the exact right place amid the soundstages and taking on shapes and forms that lend them a living, breathing quality? If your audio system is up to the task, the realism, presence, and warmth of Mobile Fidelity’s collectible edition will have you considering Tango in the Night from a new perspective — one that puts its lavish, gorgeous creations on a par with those from Rumours and Tusk.

Unlike those records, Tango in the Night began from a more individualistic perspective in that it sprang from what originally was intended to become a Buckingham solo effort. Instead, it remains the final album credited to the peak Fleetwood Mac lineup involving Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie. Though the participation of all the members varies from track to track, the cohesive arrangements and alchemic production on Tango in the Night suggest a unity that remains on a par with the band’s other landmark works.

Largely constructed from laborious methods that involved recording at half speed to achieve the desired sonics and tonal nuances, piecing together verses and choruses to attain seamless synchronicity, and Buckingham using a Fairlight CMI synthesizer/workstation in visionary ways, the songs pair electronic and acoustic elements to radiant effect. Tango in the Night also possesses light dance structures that resulted in several tunes being recast as dance mixes on extended-play singles. Above all, however, this is music that appears to float and cast dreamy spells.

Surrender to the frisky interplay of the opening “Big Love,” big pop punctuated with Buckingham’s back-and-forth “oh-ah” sighs that ping the Top 5 smash with innocuous sensuality and toe-tapping momentum. Delight amid the shimmering lights of “Seven Wonders,” whose shades and shadows shift amid Nicks’ raspy vocals and a large group chorus. Wrap yourself in the warmth of the weightless “Everywhere,” a flawless slice of hummable pop that topped with Adult Contemporary charts for three weeks and towers as an ode to the love everyone desires. Stare into the mysterious landscape of the title track (and dig the synthesized harp) just before it explodes, briefly ceding to a terse riff and locked-in grooves.

Tango in the Night teems with delightful surprises and well-honed specifics, especially when Buckingham and Christine McVie team together. In addition to the aforementioned “Everywhere,” the singer born Christine Anne Perfect plays a major role on four more cuts — all highlights — from the breathy, head-over-heels emotionalism of “Mystified” to the sweet, sweeping escapism of “Little Lies,” a cover-up of romantic despair aided by Nicks’ irreplaceable background vocals.

“If I see you again/Will it be the same,” asks Buckingham on “When I See You Again,” finishing up a song a longing-sounding Nicks had started while voicing words that many likely knew would resonate far beyond the confines of the heartfelt song — a goodbye wearing a faint disguise. Though Fleetwood Mac would never again reach the heights maintained throughout Tango in the Night, and members would go their own way, the album towers as a paean to what’s possible in the fields of pop, rock, and studio wizardry.

Homer Steinweiss has an incredibly storied career in music that started when he was just a teenager. He's drummed for nearly every "retro soul" group that mattered and his distinctive stickwork helped blend the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream via the likes of Amy Winehouse & Sharon Jones. He's now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with Jonas Brothers, Clairo, Solange, Adele, and Bruno Mars to name a few. With his debut solo release Ensatina, Homer is stepping to the forefront as both musician and producer. His new record is a re­ection of who he is now and a testament to how struggle often brings about a needed change. In 2020 Homer had to reckon with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a personal relationship of 20+ years fell apart putting Homer in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was signi‑cant enough for him to seek professional help. "I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows," Homer describes. "And being in all that, it's just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it'll be ok." But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life. The ‑rst song from these sessions, "Now That It's Over" perfectly sums up Homer's triumph through those tough times. It's a song of changing perspective and contemplation with haunting vocals from Hether and Flikka. "Paul (Castelluzzo_ aka, Hether), as a friend, saw me through these highs and lows," Homer points out. "I only had the one line, 'Now that it's over, I'm alright,' but he felt that lyric so much that he wrote all these sections and lyrics and basically completed the song. It was like he was writing to me." Hether also features on album standouts "Deep Sea", a modern love song, "Start Select", a juxtaposition of inspiration and melancholy, and "Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever" which is an incredible contemporary take on the B side soul ballad. Homer uses his innate gift for bringing seemingly opposing energies together on "Racecar Driver", pairing the vocals of Hether & long time friend and collaborator KIRBY to make a genre challenging banger. KIRBY also graces the album opener "Rollin'", an airy, warm-weather invoking song that her raspy voice perfectly compliments. He puts his drumming front and center on "So Get Up!", a bottom heavy infectious track that MINOVA's vocals turn into an instant hit that is sure to smash speakers. On "Wishing Well" & "Hide It Behind the Light I'm Shining Through" Homer is joined by girl named GOLDEN, who's unique voice effortlessly ‑nds the pocket in each tune. The man on trumpet, and fellow Big Crown label mate Dave Guy, puts his incomparable playing on the album closer "Goldie" which Homer says is the part of the movie where the credits roll. Making this album was a refuge for Homer and it put him back on track. Ensatina is a glimpse into the different energies and in­uences that make Homer tick. To say he was always much more than a drummer would be an understatement, and this ‑rst solo offering is just the beginning of his next chapter.

Homer Steinweiss has an incredibly storied career in music that started when he was just a teenager. He's drummed for nearly every "retro soul" group that mattered and his distinctive stickwork helped blend the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream via the likes of Amy Winehouse & Sharon Jones. He's now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with Jonas Brothers, Clairo, Solange, Adele, and Bruno Mars to name a few. With his debut solo release Ensatina, Homer is stepping to the forefront as both musician and producer. His new record is a re­ection of who he is now and a testament to how struggle often brings about a needed change. In 2020 Homer had to reckon with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a personal relationship of 20+ years fell apart putting Homer in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was signi‑cant enough for him to seek professional help. "I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows," Homer describes. "And being in all that, it's just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it'll be ok." But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life. The ‑rst song from these sessions, "Now That It's Over" perfectly sums up Homer's triumph through those tough times. It's a song of changing perspective and contemplation with haunting vocals from Hether and Flikka. "Paul (Castelluzzo_ aka, Hether), as a friend, saw me through these highs and lows," Homer points out. "I only had the one line, 'Now that it's over, I'm alright,' but he felt that lyric so much that he wrote all these sections and lyrics and basically completed the song. It was like he was writing to me." Hether also features on album standouts "Deep Sea", a modern love song, "Start Select", a juxtaposition of inspiration and melancholy, and "Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever" which is an incredible contemporary take on the B side soul ballad. Homer uses his innate gift for bringing seemingly opposing energies together on "Racecar Driver", pairing the vocals of Hether & long time friend and collaborator KIRBY to make a genre challenging banger. KIRBY also graces the album opener "Rollin'", an airy, warm-weather invoking song that her raspy voice perfectly compliments. He puts his drumming front and center on "So Get Up!", a bottom heavy infectious track that MINOVA's vocals turn into an instant hit that is sure to smash speakers. On "Wishing Well" & "Hide It Behind the Light I'm Shining Through" Homer is joined by girl named GOLDEN, who's unique voice effortlessly ‑nds the pocket in each tune. The man on trumpet, and fellow Big Crown label mate Dave Guy, puts his incomparable playing on the album closer "Goldie" which Homer says is the part of the movie where the credits roll. Making this album was a refuge for Homer and it put him back on track. Ensatina is a glimpse into the different energies and in­uences that make Homer tick. To say he was always much more than a drummer would be an understatement, and this ‑rst solo offering is just the beginning of his next chapter.

This concert marks an important moment in the history of The Flower Kings, as they
masterfully perform their classic material and showcase their strength as a melodic,
tight and incredibly dynamic unit. Each band member is given plenty of room to
shine, resulting in a stunning musical experience. This album captures the essence
and energy of the band like never before.
Despite being tracked from the PA board on just one night, this recording and mix
stand out as the finest live recording document of The Flower Kings ever. The mix is
perfected to highlight every detail. The album will be released on vinyl on Nov 15.
Mirko DeMaio: Drums & Percussion / Michael Stolt: Bass, Moogbass & Vocal / Lalle
Larsson: Keyboards / Hasse Fröberg: Guitars, Vocal & Percussion / Roine Stolt:
Guitars, Vocals
Mixed By Roine Stolt February/March 2023

This concert marks an important moment in the history of The Flower Kings, as they
masterfully perform their classic material and showcase their strength as a melodic,
tight and incredibly dynamic unit. Each band member is given plenty of room to
shine, resulting in a stunning musical experience. This album captures the essence
and energy of the band like never before.
Despite being tracked from the PA board on just one night, this recording and mix
stand out as the finest live recording document of The Flower Kings ever. The mix is
perfected to highlight every detail. The album will be released on vinyl on Nov 15.
Mirko DeMaio: Drums & Percussion / Michael Stolt: Bass, Moogbass & Vocal / Lalle
Larsson: Keyboards / Hasse Fröberg: Guitars, Vocal & Percussion / Roine Stolt:
Guitars, Vocals
Mixed By Roine Stolt February/March 2023

Tiny Mouse Tales was released in 2018. At the time, Evgeny was living in a house surrounded by forest. One night he noticed movement in his kitchen and saw a mouse. The mouse kept coming back but seemed to have different features each time! Eventually Evgeny understood that it was a family of mice, and the title of his new record was evident. On Tiny Mouse Tales Evgeny tells the musical story of the family of mice living in his home, expanding his palate to include the trumpet to great effect on tracks such as “Hunter In Love” and “Prologue.” The blog Spellbinding Music sums it up perfectly: “With short pieces such as “Prologue”, “Epilogue” or “Carousel”, the Tiny Mouse Tales EP sketches wonderful cinematic themes begging to be expanded and heard on the big screen.” Naive Album was released in 2019. Album opener “Where Art Thou” announces the arrival of a masterpiece. More than ever, Evgeny’s compositional voice is fully formed. Each track feels like a journey in itself, and the album has several crescendos that make the listener feel as if there is an entire orchestra backing Evgeny. The album closer, “Unexpected Finale Somewhere in Lisbon,” perfectly encapsulates this masterpiece. Running through three separate, repeating themes, the track is at times mournful, intense, epic and humorous. Witness the picked / improvised violin notes on top of the relaxed accordion theme that makes up the second half of the track. Although the record was recorded in Lisbon, this track has the feeling of a stroll down the Seine in Paris, a silhouette dancing with heels clicking left and right. Now, these treasured recordings and pieces of Evgeny Grinko’s creative world will be available in physical format for the first time.

‘Trust The Stars’ is the brilliant new album by Chicago-based The O’My’s that comes via HiyaSelf Recordings – the label founded by legendary DJ & producer Nightmares On Wax.

Comprising of Chicago natives Nick Hennessey and Maceo Vidal-Haymes – the duo channel their experiences into gritty, genre-bending music that grabs listeners with its sound & forms a rich palette of sonic influences through soul, hip-hop, lo-fi, alt-R&B, jazz & washed-out psychedelia.

Having worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Chance the Rapper, Noname, Saba, and Mick Jenkins, the new album is no different - featuring a host of esteemed collaborations including tracks with Children of Zeus’ Konny Kon; the incredible poet & singer Jamila Woods, fast becoming a leading light in the alt-R&B & neo-soul scenes; and the Pitchfork championed Southern rapper Pink Siifu.

Born out of a period of experimentation and endless creation, the forthcoming album explores themes of love, loss, and personal rediscovery, with a maturity and depth that reflects the duo's years of experience.

Al Jarreau hat immer gesagt, dass er Al Jarreau-Musik singt, und er war wirklich einzigartig: Seine sechs Grammy-Awards und neunzehn Nominierungen als "Bester Sänger" decken nicht weniger als drei Kategorien ab – Jazz, Pop und R&B – mit anderen Worten, musikalische Genres interessierten ihn nicht wirklich. "Musik mag für andere Leute in Kategorien fallen, und ich verstehe das", sagte er, "aber für mich gilt: Wenn ich einen Song mag, muss ich ihn machen, und das war's. Wenn du zu meinen Konzerten kommst, setze ich mich auf deine Schulter und flüstere dir etwas ins Ohr. Ich öffne den Geist und gehe durch viele Türen." Diese Art von reichhaltigen, beschreibenden Bildern beschwört die Höhenflüge der stimmlichen Fantasie herauf, zu denen sein Gesang jederzeit fähig war. Er konnte einen Song plötzlich in neue und unerwartete Richtungen lenken. Er erklärte es immer so: "Wenn es ein Rückgrat für das gibt, was ich tue, dann ist es die Jazz-Umgangssprache."

Musik, Klänge und Rhythmus schienen ihn zu durchströmen, und das war kein Wunder. 1940 in eine musikalische Familie geboren, war er ein überdurchschnittlicher Student und schloss sein Studium mit einem Bachelor of Science in Psychologie und anschließend einem Master in beruflicher Rehabilitation ab. Und doch war die Musik nie weit von ihm entfernt. In den späten 1960er Jahren schloss er sich einem Trio an, das vom Pianisten George Duke geleitet wurde, und arbeitete daran, das Singen zu einer Vollzeitbeschäftigung in Los Angeles zu machen.

Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hörte ihn Siggi Loch, der damals ein hochkarätiger Manager bei Warner Brothers Records (WEA) war und später ACT Records gründete. "Ich sah Al Jarreau 1974 zum ersten Mal im Troubadour in Los Angeles und war sofort von seiner Stimme und seiner Bühnenpräsenz gefesselt", erinnert er sich. "Am nächsten Tag ging ich zu Mo Ostin, dem Präsidenten der WEA, um ihn davon zu überzeugen, ihn zu unterschreiben." Nach anfänglichen Widerständen erhielt Loch grünes Licht und 1975 erschien Jarreaus Debütalbum für WEA, "We Got By". "Ich habe Al nach Deutschland gebracht, bevor er in den USA Erfolg hatte", fährt Loch fort. "Al trat drei Nächte lang in Hamburg auf und ich schaffte es, Michael Naura, den Chef der Jazzabteilung des NDR, davon zu überzeugen, den dritten Abend für die Live-TV-Übertragung aufzunehmen." Diese Show machte Al über Nacht in Deutschland berühmt, und seitdem hat er immer einen besonderen Platz in den Herzen des deutschen Publikums. "We Got By" gewann den Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik und seine erste Deutschlandtournee füllte große Konzertsäle.

Es folgte "Glow" (1976), das in Europa erneut gut ankam und einen zweiten Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik gewann, in den USA aber nicht so gut ankam: "Das richtete sich an ein 'Smooth Jazz'-Publikum", so Loch. "Es hat Al nicht vor einem Live-Publikum eingefangen. Also bat ich darum, dass seine nächste Veröffentlichung ein Live-Album sein sollte. Mo Ostin stimmte widerwillig zu", und "Look to the Rainbow" wurde in Europa ein Riesenerfolg, "Als es in den USA veröffentlicht wurde, wurde es Al's Durchbruchsalbum und brachte ihm seinen ersten Grammy ein, also ist es wirklich richtig zu sagen, dass seine Karriere vor allem in Deutschland begann!", sagt Loch.

Jarreaus langjährige Zusammenarbeit mit dem NDR veranlasste Jörg Achim Keller, Chefdirigent der NDR Bigband, 2016 eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem Sänger vorzuschlagen: "Eine Produktion mit der Musik von Al und Ellington zu machen, war etwas, was ich schon seit Anfang der 2000er Jahre machen wollte", erinnert er sich. "Die Reaktion von Al war von Anfang an sehr positiv." Jörg bereitete eine Liste von einigen hundert Ellington-Titeln vor, und wie sich Jarreau später erinnerte: "Wir gingen einfach die Liste durch, und es war ein Fall von 'Oh, der funktioniert für mich' und 'Lass uns das als alten Darm-Blues machen – was für mich wichtig war, war, mich in der Musik wiederzufinden und vielleicht eine andere Art von Aussage über Ellington zu machen, damit die Leute die Musik auf eine andere Art und Weise hören konnten. alles, was sie vorher gehört hatten."

Beim Schreiben der Charts achtete Jörg darauf, Jarreaus Herangehensweise an das Material zu respektieren, indem er ihm Raum ließ. Tracks wie "I'm Beginning to See the Light" oder "I Got It Bad (and that Ain't Good)" geben den Solisten der Band ebenfalls Spielraum, um ihr Bestes zu geben. "Das sind hochentwickelte, intelligente Solisten, die mit jedem auf der Welt spielen können", sagte Jarreau. "Sie pushen mich, und ich liebe den Push, und sie lassen mich wie eine echte Sängerin klingen!"

Jarreau und die Band tourten in der zweiten Hälfte des Jahres 2016 mit der Musik, "Es gab immer noch einige Feinabstimmungen während der Tour, von Konzert zu Konzert", fügte Jörg mit einem Lächeln hinzu. "Er liebte es, diese Balladen zu singen – und jede hatte ein anderes Gefühl. "Am Sonntag" war ihm aber sehr wichtig. Diese Tabelle wurde zweimal überarbeitet, bevor er schließlich damit zufrieden war! Bei einigen Songs entschied er sich für einen reinen Balladenstil – 'I Got It Bad (and that Ain't Good)', einige Melodien wurden in eine Pop/R&B-Tasche gesteckt ('Lush Life', 'Come Sunday') und er liebte das 'Old Gutbucket Blues'-Feeling von 'I Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues'."

Rückblickend auf diese Sessions und Tour sagt Jörg: "Es waren Al's Stil und Persönlichkeit, die alles zusammenhielten. Das Ganze war eine echte Kombination aus der musikalischen Meisterschaft von Jarreau und Ellington – es hat das Publikum in ganz Europa angesprochen, sie liebten das Programm." Dieses Gefühl teilt auch Siggi Loch, der Jarreau mit der NDR Bigband in Paris erwischte: "Es war offensichtlich, dass er es wirklich genoss, diese Musik aufzuführen, und er tat es mit so viel Energie und Emotion, es war eine Freude zu sehen und zu hören. Leider verstarb Al nur wenige Monate später."

In vielerlei Hinsicht schließt sich mit "Ellington" ein Kreis: Es fühlt sich sehr richtig an, dass Jarreaus letztes Album auf ACT veröffentlicht wird, dem Label, das von Siggi Loch gegründet wurde, dessen starkes und unerschütterliches Eintreten für den Sänger ihn ursprünglich auf den Weg zum Superstar brachte. Und die Tatsache, dass es vom NDR und seiner hauseigenen Bigband aufgezeichnet wurde, ist eine passende Erinnerung daran, dass es sich um eben jenen Sender handelte, dessen TV-Sendung Jarreau einst über Nacht in Deutschland berühmt gemacht hatte. Darüber hinaus wurde "Ellington", genau wie "Look to the Rainbow", das Jarreaus internationales Durchbruchsalbum war, auch live aufgenommen. Manchmal gibt es Verbindungsfäden zwischen Ereignissen, die auf den ersten Blick in keinem Zusammenhang zu stehen scheinen, und das Ergebnis erweist sich nicht nur als besonders und magisch, sondern auch bedeutungsvoll und tief berührend. Das ist hier auf jeden Fall der Fall.



Stuart Nicholson, Musikjournalist und Autor

LOOSE CATTLE, the five-piece roots rock outfit declared "favorite Americana cowpunks in New Orleans" by OffBeat Magazine. work to make music that matters, aligning themselves with, and advocating for, people at the margins of our society. In the band's mind, if "Americana" is to mean anything, it should mean inclusion and a diverse music scene populated by the people the American Dream crushed. The misfits and outcasts are who they sing for, and choose to dance with. On "Someone's Monster", two-time TONY and GRAMMY Award winner Michael Cerveris turns up the volume and the urgency.

The wait is over, Return To The 37th Chamber is El Michels Affair's highly anticipated follow up to 2009's underground cult classic Enter the 37th Chamber. Churning out classic records since then for the likes of Lee Fields, The Arcs, The Shacks, and tons more, it is clear that EMA's signature sound is stronger & sharper than ever. This time, in addition to re-interpreting the Wu compositions for a live band, EMA pays homage to the production and sonic fog that makes a RZA beat so recognizable. Producer and bandleader Leon Michels recorded the album completely analog, sometimes hitting 6 generations of tape before it was ready for mixing, giving the Return to The 37th Chamber it's own hazy sound. Adding to the unique fidelity, the record is laced with psychedelic flourishes, John Carpenter' synths, heavy metal guitars, triumpha0nt horns, and traditional Chinese instruments that make up for the lack of the Wu's superlative vocals. From start to finish it's a dark trip that walks the line between RZA's timeless hip-hop aesthetic and the cinematic soul EMA has become known for. El Michels Affair tackles some classics like 4th Chamber and Wu Tang Aint Nuthin to Fuck Wit, as well as some deeper cuts like Ol Dirty Bastard's Snakes, Raekwon's Verbal Intercourse, and Shaolin Brew, Wu-Tang's contribution to the St. Ide's Hip Hop endorsement campaign from 1994. This time El Michels brings some of the Big Crown family along for the ride. Lee Fields handles vocal duties on Snakes and is joined by Shannon Wise of The Shacks for their version of Tearz, which pays as much homage to the Wendy Rene sample as it does to the Wu-Tang Clan. Lady Wray makes an appearance on the cover of Method Man's hit, All I Need, lending her vocal prowess to what gave the Wu one of their biggest hits of all time. Interspersed throughout the record are some original interludes that are like the rug that ties the room together,' giving Return To The 37th Chamber a cinematic narrative that makes it a proper El Michels Affair record and not just a collection of covers. From the music to the presentation, this album is a perfect example of what can only be achieved through diversity. The end result is as much a kaleidoscope of influences and multiculturalism as the city it was recorded in. El Michels Affair is once again, sounding out the city' that raised them, pulling elements of art and culture from across the country and around the globe to create an album truly unique in it's own right.

Back in print, on white & purple splatter vinyl!

Hailing from Buffalo, NY, Head North has used their indie-influenced pop-punk to break out of the local scene and demand the attention of a national audience. Packing in sentiments as big as their sound, the band hits home with walls of guitar lines, frenetic punk rock drums and an emotional complexity anchored behind their lyrics. Singer Brent Martone hits raspy notes of anger and sadness, knowing when to shriek and when to soften, adding a layer of versatile energy to back up his passion.

RIYL: The Dangerous Summer, Brand New, Have Mercy

Blending elements of post-hardcore, emo and Southern-tinged indie rock, Microwave balance frankness with a penchant for wit, allowing for seemingly standard personal confessions to make a significant and striking impact. While often tipping into the heavier side of resonant punk, the band shines brightest in soft reservation. Their self-released debut album Stovall feels like a snapshot in time, bringing to mind that same unforgettable feeling that albums like Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American, Manchester Orchestra’s I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child and Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends did years ago.

RIYL: Manchester Orchestra, All Get Out, Taking Back Sunday"

Reissued on Bloodshot Records & pressed on Sunshine Yellow vinyl!

Fear of Death is a Serious Album about Serious Topics – a doomed future, abandoning life in the city, and the inevitability of death. It’s Heidecker’s biggest sounding and most fleshed out album yet featuring an all star band comprised of Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering (vocals and piano), Drew Erickson (Jonathan Wilson, Dawes), The Lemon Twigs’ Brian and Michael D’Addario, Jonathan Rado, and string arrangements by Spacebomb’s Trey Pollard (Foxygen, Bedouine, The Waterboys, Natalie Prass).

“strikingly timeless and authentic rock music, helmed by an underground Renaissance man” - Exclaim!

"Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me", das vierte Album von Porridge Radio, wurde Anfang 2024 in Somerset vom langjährigen Big Thief- und Laura Marling-Tontechniker Dom Monks aufgenommen und ist ein Moment des Erwachsenwerdens, inspiriert von Burnout, der Musikindustrie, Herzschmerz und der zunehmenden Vertiefung der Bandleaderin Dana Margolin in ihr eigenes Handwerk als Künstlerin. Margolins rücksichtsloser, sich selbst hinterfragender Schreibstil wird auf dem gesamten Album durch die bisher ergreifendste Musik der Band ergänzt, die sich geduldig aufbaut und tragisch intensiv ist. "Alle Songs begannen als Gedichte, ich wollte mich selbst herausfordern", sagt Dana Margolin über das Werk, aus dem "Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me" wurde. "In einem Song kann sich der Autor immer hinter den Tricks der Musik und altbekannten Techniken wie Wiederholungen verstecken. In einem Gedicht hingegen sind es nur Worte und das war's." "Vieles auf diesem Album handelt von einer frenetischen und verzweifelten Art von Liebe, es geht um den völligen Verlust meines Selbstbewusstseins in einer Beziehung und um den tiefen Rest von Unsicherheit und Schmerz, der eine neue Beziehung trübte." Lieder, die als Liebeslieder geschrieben wurden - wie "In A Dream I'm A Painting" - bekamen neue Bedeutungen, als Margolin die Lieder mit einer neuen Distanz betrachtete. "Es gab eine Menge Liebe und Verwirrung, alles durchsetzt mit Erschöpfung und Schmerz." Die Clouds-Sessions fanden in Frome statt, als der Winter zu Beginn des Jahres 2024 in den Frühling überging. "Es gab ein paar Zusammenbrüche", grinst Dana, eine faire Einschätzung der Aufnahme solch intimer und persönlicher Songs, "nach einigen Takes brach ich einfach auf dem Boden zusammen, so aufgebracht war ich." Es wurde ein Umfeld geschaffen, in dem Dana sich ausdrücken konnte und in dem sie gefördert wurde. "Wir hatten jeden Abend diese großen gemeinsamen Mahlzeiten", sagt sie, "es fühlte sich sehr eng und fürsorglich und warm und besonders an. Unser kleines Haus lag auf einem großen Hügel, ein Fluss floss hindurch, es war groß und hell und schön", erinnert sich Dana. Das Studio selbst war hell - voller strahlendem natürlichem Licht aus den großen Fenstern, ein Segen für Musiker, die an die abgeschottete Welt der meisten Aufnahmestudios gewöhnt sind, und zum ersten Mal konnten alle im selben Raum wie der Produzent aufnehmen. "Es fühlt sich an, als hätten wir zum ersten Mal etwas gemacht", erklärt sie und freut sich hörbar über das Album, "es hat etwas von unserer Freundschaft eingefangen und von der Art und Weise, wie wir gelernt haben, zusammen zu spielen. Ich liebe die Songs, ich liebe es, sie zu spielen, sie sind nicht alt geworden und es fühlt sich an, als wäre es etwas Besonderes." Eine Pause. "Es hat mich so viel gelehrt. Deinem Bauchgefühl zu folgen, auf deine Freunde und ihre Loyalität zu vertrauen, darauf zu vertrauen, dass du mit Leuten richtig kämpfen kannst. So will ich leben, so will ich Platten machen, denn Platten machen ist mein Leben, denn meine Arbeit ist mein Spiel, mein Job ist mein Leben. Alles ist in dieser Sache miteinander verbunden, und es gibt Wege darin, die mich nicht umbringen."

"Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me", das vierte Album von Porridge Radio, wurde Anfang 2024 in Somerset vom langjährigen Big Thief- und Laura Marling-Tontechniker Dom Monks aufgenommen und ist ein Moment des Erwachsenwerdens, inspiriert von Burnout, der Musikindustrie, Herzschmerz und der zunehmenden Vertiefung der Bandleaderin Dana Margolin in ihr eigenes Handwerk als Künstlerin. Margolins rücksichtsloser, sich selbst hinterfragender Schreibstil wird auf dem gesamten Album durch die bisher ergreifendste Musik der Band ergänzt, die sich geduldig aufbaut und tragisch intensiv ist. "Alle Songs begannen als Gedichte, ich wollte mich selbst herausfordern", sagt Dana Margolin über das Werk, aus dem "Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me" wurde. "In einem Song kann sich der Autor immer hinter den Tricks der Musik und altbekannten Techniken wie Wiederholungen verstecken. In einem Gedicht hingegen sind es nur Worte und das war's." "Vieles auf diesem Album handelt von einer frenetischen und verzweifelten Art von Liebe, es geht um den völligen Verlust meines Selbstbewusstseins in einer Beziehung und um den tiefen Rest von Unsicherheit und Schmerz, der eine neue Beziehung trübte." Lieder, die als Liebeslieder geschrieben wurden - wie "In A Dream I'm A Painting" - bekamen neue Bedeutungen, als Margolin die Lieder mit einer neuen Distanz betrachtete. "Es gab eine Menge Liebe und Verwirrung, alles durchsetzt mit Erschöpfung und Schmerz." Die Clouds-Sessions fanden in Frome statt, als der Winter zu Beginn des Jahres 2024 in den Frühling überging. "Es gab ein paar Zusammenbrüche", grinst Dana, eine faire Einschätzung der Aufnahme solch intimer und persönlicher Songs, "nach einigen Takes brach ich einfach auf dem Boden zusammen, so aufgebracht war ich." Es wurde ein Umfeld geschaffen, in dem Dana sich ausdrücken konnte und in dem sie gefördert wurde. "Wir hatten jeden Abend diese großen gemeinsamen Mahlzeiten", sagt sie, "es fühlte sich sehr eng und fürsorglich und warm und besonders an. Unser kleines Haus lag auf einem großen Hügel, ein Fluss floss hindurch, es war groß und hell und schön", erinnert sich Dana. Das Studio selbst war hell - voller strahlendem natürlichem Licht aus den großen Fenstern, ein Segen für Musiker, die an die abgeschottete Welt der meisten Aufnahmestudios gewöhnt sind, und zum ersten Mal konnten alle im selben Raum wie der Produzent aufnehmen. "Es fühlt sich an, als hätten wir zum ersten Mal etwas gemacht", erklärt sie und freut sich hörbar über das Album, "es hat etwas von unserer Freundschaft eingefangen und von der Art und Weise, wie wir gelernt haben, zusammen zu spielen. Ich liebe die Songs, ich liebe es, sie zu spielen, sie sind nicht alt geworden und es fühlt sich an, als wäre es etwas Besonderes." Eine Pause. "Es hat mich so viel gelehrt. Deinem Bauchgefühl zu folgen, auf deine Freunde und ihre Loyalität zu vertrauen, darauf zu vertrauen, dass du mit Leuten richtig kämpfen kannst. So will ich leben, so will ich Platten machen, denn Platten machen ist mein Leben, denn meine Arbeit ist mein Spiel, mein Job ist mein Leben. Alles ist in dieser Sache miteinander verbunden, und es gibt Wege darin, die mich nicht umbringen."

This October Jamiroquai celebrates the 30th anniversary of ‘The Return Of The Space Cowboy’. Their second album, it will be reissued as a double-LP set on 140g “moon grey” vinyl and includes Michael Gray’s Good Vibe Zone edit of ‘Space Cowboy’ - which has never been released on a physical product. The packaging has also been re-designed for this anniversary release including foil enhancement of the original cover design.

‘The Return Of The Space Cowboy’ is the follow up album to the band’s huge 1993 debut, ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’. Selling over 3 million copies globally, ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’ put the band on the map with their distinctive sound standing them apart from other popular acts of the time.

‘The Return Of The Space Cowboy’ was released just one year later and was met with great critical and public acclaim. Certified Platinum in the UK, Japan and France, it achieved chart success in multiple countries and spawned the single ‘Space Cowboy’ which remains one of their biggest tracks to date. Critically the album was lauded with Rolling Stone saying "Jamiroquai parlay jazzy soul pop so tight it crackles… Nowadays, when most funk comes out of cans, Jamiroquai's live spark glows", The Guardian said “... this second album sounds like vintage Stevie Wonder and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, but Kay's vocals are as snappy and engaging as his extrovert persona" and Q magazine said it “combines intricate arrangements with several long, free-form workouts crammed with virtuoso performances".

For many, this album is defined by some of the most complex songwriting the band have ever produced and Jay Kay called it “one of our most creative and accomplished albums”. The process of making the album came with many challenges. Having to recruit a new drummer (after Nick Van Gelder failed to return from holiday), the band were met with second-album syndrome with Kay proclaiming since that lyrics weren’t coming "... because suddenly I wasn't homeless, I had everything I needed. So I found myself creating problems to write about." The songwriting process was complex for the band as Jay Kay was often dissatisfied with the results, leading songs to be scrapped or rewritten, but half-way through recording Kay wrote ‘Space Cowboy’, a song which reflects darker times during the recording session, and it became the catalyst of creative inspiration helping them finish the record. On this 30th anniversary edition of the album Space Cowboy gets a modern dance makeover courtesy of DJ Michael Gray, shedding new light on the track and emphasising it’s already infectious groove.

The album built on the success of ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’ and Jamiroquai have become one of the UK’s most pioneering and ground breaking bands of the past 30 years. Pushing boundaries and bringing jazz and funk to a mainstream audience, their sound is not only unique, but immediately recognisable.

Kumar, former lead singer of GRAMMY-nominated roots reggae band Raging Fyah, meets Switzerland's The 18th Parallel on this album filled with classic Roots Radics-inspired riddims and positive roots lyrics and energy. Four years in the making, going back and forth from Kingston to Geneva, TALES OF REALITY is a tribute to the golden age of Jamaican roots music done in a modern way. Kumar has recently appeared on a number of releases, including as a guest on Jesse Royal's GRAMMY-nominated ROYAL and Winta James' Gratitude Riddim EP. The 18th Parallel, based in Switzerland, is the house band for Fruits Records and recently released music"with Max Romeo, Big Youth, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Derajah, Micah Shemaiah, and Joe Yorke. The album is mixed by Tippy I and JAH David of Zion I Kings. Kumar's and Fruits Records' story together goes back to the foundation of the label in 2015. " The 18th Parallel first invited Kumar to sing on 'Pass It On' (2016). At the same time, Kumar and his band Raging Fyah were exploding on the reggae scene. A couple years later, starting his solo career, Kumar was invited to sing on Najavibes' song 'This Dust' (2019), another offspring from the Fruits Records stable. In 2020, Kumar teamed up with The 18th Parallel on 'Message In The Radio.' After three singles, Fruits Records felt the need to push the collaboration further by producing a full showcase album pairing Kumar with The 18th Parallel.

Exploring late-night, after-hours meditations on sound; ‘Everything Above The Sky (Astral Travelling with Luke Una)’ is a new compilation by the titular DJ, promoter and enigmatic cultural curator. Off the back of the E Soul Cultura phenomena, this compilation comes at a timely point in Luke’s rich career as he soars the heights of playing all over the world. Avoiding any chance of his sound being pigeonholed, Luke has put together a tracklist of songs and music that have a transcendental feel, after coming off the grid, going back to source, outside the city walls .

Music has long been believed to aid out of body experiences and many of us have searched long and hard for a combination of those elusive ingredients that might alleviate some of the monotony of everyday life, our daily routines and obligations, and those things that seem to block us from the spirit of the universe. In this collection, Luke selects music with all the right ingredients in just the right quantities, allowing the listener to engage in an esoteric journey of enlightenment through sound. Being a prolific collector of music, Luke initially delivered enough tracks to compile several compilations, making the licensing process the biggest effort to date for the label. The music moves softly and slowly, never becoming too intrusive, exemplifying the wonderful elevating properties of simple songs played from the heart.

Luke’s Everything Above The Sky manifesto reads, “Astral Travelling in the meadowlands with acid folk, spiritual jazz, around midnight hocus pocus, cosmic psychedelic soul, magical spellbound whirling swirling love songs, Brazilian ballads of light into machine soul gospel utopia dreaming, Balearic bossa, Outer Space ancient African drum, the breath of trees, escaping the big bad modern world, gathering round winter fires, walking amongst the bracken in Padley Gorge in late summer twilight, overlooking the Hope Valley, escaping ego, detaching and finally letting go amongst the stars with the slowly floating people. It’s beautiful beyond. Everything above the Sky”.

Beginning his career as an original Sheffield house young blood in the mid 1980s, Luke’s move to Manchester and partnership with Justin Crawford saw the birth of Electric Chair, a cornerstone cult night in the UK underground club scene. Then came Electric Elephant, a Croatian festival paying homage to their wild eclecticism from Balearic to Brazilian to É Soul, house, disco and techno. Luke’s much loved, long-running Homoelectric night and more recently Homobloc sell out festival for 10,000 souls has been at the forefront of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ cultural landscape. Luke’s Friday evening show on Worldwide FM captured imaginations and became a cult four-hour must-listen monthly journey for fans all over the world. Today, Luke remains, as ever, at the forefront of a changing milieu, pairing the momentous legacy of Manchester’s 80s and 90s scene with the delivery of what today’s club communities need to get down.

Watkins Group is a new project from one half of infamous Crust House vagrants Watkins & Almodovar, taking inspiration from the landscapes, myths and legends of ancient Scottish & Celtic culture. The title of this debut album on the newborn Frequency Consortium label, Beanntan a’ Bhròin (Mountains of Sorrow), might already give an indication as to where we’re headed here; evoking Nan Shepard’s meditations on the Cairngorms at their most isolationist & uncompromising as much as it does the creatures that occupy the crags, gullies & glens of old Caledonia. Watkins Group dive deep into fx-drenched grot and expansive somnambulant driftworks over six tracks, as spacious as they claustrophobic, recalling the works of Deathprod, early-90s Lustmord and at times even the stark soundtracks of Mica Levi.

[a] A1. Sluagh na marbh [Host Of The Dead]
[b] A2. Biasd Bealach Odail [The Beast Of Odal Pass]
[c] A3. Am Fear Liath Mòr [Big Grey Man Of Ben MacDhui]
[d] B1. Caoineag [The Weeper]
[e] B2. An Teàrnadh [The Escape]
[f] B3. Cait Sith [The Mysterious Black Cat]

On 4 October 2024 Universal Music Recordings and Decca Records are making Jamaican/British jazz saxophonist Joe Harriott’s album ‘Movement’ available again for the first time since it was released in 1964. Long sought after by collectors and connoisseurs, original copies now sell for upwards of £1,000.

This new edition was mastered at Abbey Road using high definition 24bit/192kHz audio files, copied directly from the original stereo analogue master tapes (previously only the mono version has been on vinyl). Images of those tapes are included in the package alongside new sleeve notes written by noted author, compiler and documentary maker Tony Higgins, who also acts as Executive Producer for Decca’s ‘British Jazz Explosion’ series.

Recorded in 1963, ‘Movement’ was released as part of the Lansdowne Series, overseen by the influential Denis Preston, one of the UK’s first independent record producers, and engineered by Adrian Kerridge. Of the nine tracks, seven are Harriott originals, whilst the other two were written by another pioneer of British Jazz, Michael Garrick. Playing alongside Joe were bassist Coleridge Goode (b. 1914 Jamaica, d. 2015 London), drummer Bobby Orr (b. Scotland 1928, d. 2020), pianist Pat Smythe (b. Scotland 1923, d. 1983), and trumpet/flugelhorn player Ellsworth ‘Shake’ Keane (b. St. Vincent 1927, d. 1997).

Born in Jamaica in 1928, Joseph Arthurlin Harriott was a pupil at the Alpha Boys School (alma mater to Harold McNair, Dizzy Reece, and a myriad of Ska greats). He arrived in Britain in the early ’50s, initially touring with the Ozzie Da Costa Band, followed by a brief spell with the Ronnie Scott Big Band, and sessions backing the likes of George Chisholm, and Lita Roza.

By the mid ’50s Joe was a big enough draw to release records under his own name, and whilst these early recordings conform to the then popular bop style, the following decade would see him release albums whose titles chart his development; ‘Free Form’ in 1960, and ‘Abstract’ in 1963.

‘Movement’ is a testament to Joe Harriott’s visionary approach to jazz. It blends structure with freedom, tradition with innovation, and individual expression with collective creativity. His development of free-form jazz represents a significant contribution to the genre, paralleling yet distinct from the work of Ornette Coleman and other American free jazz artists. It is an essential listen, not only for fans of British jazz, but jazz fans in general.

It is perhaps best summed up by the epitaph that now adorns Joe’s gravestone; “Parker? There’s them over here can play a few aces too.”

Mötley Crüe werden ihre neue EP „Cancelled“ veröffentlichen!
Die EP markiert die erste neue Musik der Band seit 2019 und ihr Debüt bei Label Big Machine Rock. Die
Platte enthält den aktuellen Top 5 Rock Radio Hit „Dogs of War“, ihre neue Single, eine Coverversion von
„Fight For Your Right“ von den Beastie Boys und den Titeltrack „Cancelled“.
Mötley Crüe sagten: „It was really great getting in the studio and working on some tracks together. What
started out as a couple demo ideas turned into this EP produced by Bob Rock. We look forward to getting
back into the studio again soon and writing more new music, as well.”
Mötley Crüe melden sich mit ”Dogs of War” zurück, ihrer ersten Single seit 2015!
Seit über 40 Jahren sind Vince Neil (voc), Nikki Sixx (bass), Tommy Lee (drums) und Mick Mars (guitar) als Band aktiv und on the road mit bahnbrechenden Show Highlights wie Tommy Lee‘s Achterbahn
Schlagzeugperformance oder Nikki Sixx’s Auftritte mit seinem flammenwerfenden Bass.
Mötley Crüe hat über 5 Milliarden Streams auf digitalen Plattformen erreicht und hat über 8 Millionen
Follower in den sozialen Medien. Sie haben weltweit über 100 Millionen Alben verkauft, 7 Platin- und
Multi-Platin-Alben in den USA und 3 GRAMMY®-Nominierungen erhalten. Auch ihre Biografie „The Dirt
– Confessions of the Worlds Most Notorious Rock Band” wurde 2001 ein New York Times und weltweiter
Bestseller und erschien als Biopic 2019 auf Netflix.

Clear Vinyl. For the first time ever released on vinyl, this brilliant 2012 LP features an all-star cast of musicians and actors lead by Tim Robbins, Dr. John, Bill Frisell, Ralph Steadman, Annie Ross, John Joyce III and Will Forte. Hunter S. Thompson's classic Gonzo reportage on the 1970 Kentucky Derby is summoned brilliantly to life through spoken word and musical composition. Conceived by executive producer Michael Minzer for his Paris Records label, the project was produced by Hal Willner, who brought Bill Frisell in as composer/arranger/conductor. Bill then asesmbled a stellar group of musicians including Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Ron Miles (trumpet), Eyvind Kang (viola), Doug Weiselman (woodwinds), Jenny Scheinman (violin), Hank Roberts (cello) and Kenny Wolleson (drums, percussion). Ralph Steadman does double duty portraying himself in the narration and contributing original artwork for the project. In 2021, Kramer re-Mastered the original audio for this historic re-release on limited-edition 'Horse-Shit Brown' vinyl for his Shimmy-Disc label.

Centricity Music recording artist Jordan Feliz quickly became a household name when his first radio single “The River,” the title track from his critically-acclaimed debut, became a smash hit. Spending an unprecedented 12 weeks at No. 1, the chart-topping single was named ASCAP’s “Christian Music Song of the Year” and garnered Feliz his first RIAA Platinum® certification. Thanks to his charismatic vocals and signature blend of soulful pop, each of his seven subsequent radio singles has landed in the Top 10 with “Witness,” “Glorify” and “Jesus Is Coming Back” notching three more No. 1’s for the singer. In addition, the California- native has been nominated for five Dove Awards, taking home the trophy for 2016’s “New Artist of the Year,” and has amassed nearly 500 million lifetime streams. Along with his heartwarming children’s hardcover book, Beloved, and his headline tours, Feliz has also shared stages around the country with some of the biggest names in Christian music, including TobyMac, Michael W. Smith, For KING & COUNTRY, Matthew West and Crowder.

Amputechture Beneath the technical flash, the fury, the fearless creative brinkmanship of the first two Mars Volta albums lay a potent seam of the blues, an existential vexation that powered every twist and turn of Omar and Cedric’s imaginations. That mournful vibe would come to the surface of the group’s third full-length Amputechture, a simmering/blistering set that was unquestionably the group’s darkest yet. There was no overarching theme here, no interlinking concept binding the songs together, though Cedric concedes that, lyrically, the album was influenced “by a lot of stuff I was going through, a really bad break-up and a lot of other crazy stuff, and trying to put that feeling into the record.” But Amputechture – its name another of the late Jeremy Michael Ward’s invented words – was no downbeat bummer. Opener Vicarious Atonement might’ve been a deliciously gloomy, slow-burning thing, capturing Cedric in delirious duet with Omar’s swooning guitar lines, accompanied by squalling saxophone by Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales and dream-frequency fuckery by the group’s new sonic manipulator, former At The Drive- In member Paul Hinojos. But second track Tetragrammaton swiftly set pulses racing, an epic-in-miniature and containing more ideas within its 16 minutes than most bands manage over an entire career, its proggy, complex guitar figures tessellating in infinite configurations and converging as if conforming to mathematical formulae from another reality. The raw material Amputechture was hewn from started life on the road. Omar now travelled with his own mobile recording studio – a little Neve ten-channel tape recorder and an array of microphones – and was able to work on new ideas on tourbuses, in hotel rooms and during soundcheck (and, occasionally, after the show was done). After touring for Frances The Mute was complete, Omar relocated to Amsterdam, staying with his photographer friend Danielle Van Ark and her partner, Nils Post. It’s here that he demoed Amputechture, flying in engineer Jon DeBaun, drummer Jon Theodore and his brother, Chino, to work on these raw sketches. He later returned to Los Angeles, where the album was finally recorded. Omar ceded guitar duties to his dear friend and kindred spirit John Frusciante, instead assuming the role of musical director. “I wanted to hear the sound of the band,” he says. “I thought, I’ll be able to sit at the console, feel the air of the speakers moving, the unified sound of everything, and not feel distant from it. It was fun, but it was also challenging.” Part of Omar’s new method was to teach the musicians their parts only moments before the tapes rolled. “To keep things fresh, and to keep everyone on edge,” he says, before chuckling. “No, not on edge – on their toes. Amputechture would prove The Mars Volta’s most diverse set yet, drawing into the group’s tornado of influences moments of fiery jazz spirituality and esoteric folk introspection, finding space for passages of devastating subtlety and also their most fierce and full-on moments to date. The aforementioned Vicarious Atonement found its meditative mood echoed by Asilos Magdalena, an intimate, acoustic piece that invoked traditional Latin folk music, as Cedric sang in Spanish a sorrowful tale of a lost soul’s quest for sanctuary within a Magdalen Asylum, a refuge set up by the Catholic church for “fallen women”. The shadowy, sinister closer El Ciervo Vulnerado, meanwhile, tapped into the darker side of spiritual jazz to further explore the album’s themes of redemption and religious myth and magick. Elsewhere, the interplay between guitar and clarinet on Viscera Eyes created complex, unsettling counter-melodies, while the coiling, ornate Meccamputechture – Cedric’s wild fusion of sacred texts, occultism and dystopian science fiction – proved a great showcase for Ikey Owens’ swarming, infernal organ runs, in concert with Frusciante’s arcane guitar-play. But it was Day Of The Baphomets that would prove Amputechture’s most ambitious and most defining epic. Cedric’s lyrics tore into the hypocrisy of religious cant and myths of sin and punishment. “I wanted to make a song that was like the movie The Believers, where this cabal stole kids and did some occult shit with them,” he explains. “But I wanted it to be like, ‘What if the people you hire to do jobs you don’t wanna do rise up one day and then pull some shit like that?’ Like it was the guerrilla warfare, them taking over – wouldn’t that be some fucked up shit? And the music just lent itself to that – the big intro, the bass solo, and all of the ruckus that occurs.” That ruckus was some of the most thrilling Mars Volta music yet, as Omar directed his musicians to rumble through fiery modes of wild tribal groove, ransack-the-palaces riot- rock and supreme progressive experimentalism. Amputechture, then, is the sound of The Mars Volta in imperial mode: fearless, insatiable, unstoppable.

"A group of tried-and-true musicians got together and found the sort of camaraderie and kinship you typically only find once in a lifetime. They didn’t overthink it. They didn’t waste a second. They simply left their blood, sweat, and tears on tape—like they’ve always done. For as much as Better Lovers represents the union of former Every Time I Die members Jordan Buckley guitar,Steve Micciche [bass], and Clayton “Goose” Holyoak [drums] with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Killer Be Killed frontman Greg Puciato [vocals],and musician (Fit For An Autopsy/END) and GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, Will Putney [guitar], it really cements the bond of five friends around a shared vision. That vision is as uncompromising, unapologetic, and undeniable as anything they’ve individually done, yet it’s refined by experience and a commitment to a future together. They’re in it for the long haul... “To me, this band is refreshing,” exclaims Jordan. “Looking back, I’m so happy everything got me to where I am. The pandemic and the last few years made me hungrier and more grateful. This isn’t a hobby. This isn’t temporary. This is the next evolution for each of us. Greg and Will rejuvenated me and made me even more confident.



Now, everybody needs to know we’re a wild animal that just broke out of the zoo—there’s no trying to put it back in the cage.” “Better Lovers definitely feels like its own thing,” states Greg. “I’m in so many lanes right now, so it was important that one lane didn’t step on another. However, nothing I’m doing is this vicious. This is full-on scathing. It’s been really fun. I forgot how much I liked that.” As the story goes, Jordan ended up back in Buffalo, NY, jamming in a basement rehearsal spot with Steve and Goose during the winter of 2022. After working with Will on the last two Every Time I Die records, they shared a handful of early demos with him to produce. As the year progressed, Jordan caught Greg on the road with Jerry Cantrell in Las Vegas, mentioning the new music. Once ideas solidified, he shared them with the vocalist who replied at 3am one night in December. “The text said, ‘Let’s give these motherfuckers what they want’,”chuckles Jordan. “I went to bed smiling and laughing. There is no one like Greg on stage, off stage, or over text. Once I told Will, he was like, ‘Can I play?’ We said, ‘Of course!’ That’s how it was born.” “Once I pick up the scent, I’ll go for the kill,” smiles Greg. “We’ve all hung out, gotten to know each other, and it’s all fire now. Everyone has already been through shit. You know yourself better. Your ego isn’t as big as it used to be. You can share your opinions. It’s a cool dynamic.” Fittingly, they introduce this era with the single “30 Under 13.” A seasick guitar groove bleeds into an incisive riff punctuated by Greg’s vitriolic and venomous screams, “Hold onto me, try to let go of me, let go of what you’ll never be. ”This barrage unpredictably subsides on a haunting clean vocal, only to ramp back up into a pit-splitting thrash crescendo and rapid-fire solo played at warp speed. “We always try to up our game,” notes Jordan. “This is the next step for all of us. There’s just constant forward motion, and we don’t want to compromise that. We want to keep going. We’re doing a lot of shit we haven’t done before in Better Lovers. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but get ready.” “For some reason, this song got me,” recalls Greg. “Once that happens, you have the toe of the dinosaur skeleton in the dirt. You start brushing it away, and soon you have a fucking T-Rex.” The name might give you a hint of what’s coming—or it might not. So, what does the future hold for Better Lovers? Well, it’s entirely in their control. Expect a lot of touring. Expect more music. Expect these five guys to leave a trail of destruction in their wake—really would you want anything less? “We feel like we’re going to explode if we sit around any longer,” Jordan leaves off. “This is my life’s work. I learned all of my lessons, passed all of the tests, and took all of the right turns and the wrong turns. It turns out what I thought were wrong turns got me here, and that’s all that matters. I have no regrets. I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” “I just want you to view this on its own merits,” Greg concludes. “I hope it reaches some new people. For me, the enjoyment is making the music and putting it out. The second it’s released, I don’t look back. You drop the bomb and keep flying the plane. You don’t circle back to see how much destruction you cause. You keep moving, which is what we’re going to do.” "

Big Crown Records ist stolz darauf, die erste 7" von Derya Yidirim & Grup Simsek auf dem Label zu präsentieren. Sie kamen im Juni 2024 nach New York, um ihr neues Album im The Diamond Mine Studio in Queens aufzunehmen, wobei Leon Michels die Produktion übernahm. Dies sind die ersten beiden Stücke aus diesen Sessions und sie sind sehr aufschlussreich für das, was auf dem neuen Album zu hören sein wird. "Cool Hand" ist ein wunderschönes Nebeneinander von Intensität und Unbeschwertheit mit Texten, die die Tiefen der unerwiderten Liebe erforschen, während die Musik erhebend und hell ist. Deryas leidenschaftlicher Gesang und ihr eigenwilliges Saz-Spiel reiten auf dem ansteckenden Groove der Band, während sie Bilder von rosa Bergen und ungeblühten gelben Tulpen heraufbeschwört. Die Botschaft ist poetisch und kompliziert, indem sie immer wieder erklärt "Ich liebe dich, ich bin verrückt nach dir", aber letztendlich ein Gefühl des Friedens findet, indem sie ein gebrochenes Herz akzeptiert. Die B-Seite ,Yakamoz" ist ein zutiefst bewegender Song, der die tiefen Gefühle einfängt, die mit Vertreibung und Verlust verbunden sind. Der Text erzählt die Geschichte von jemandem, der seine Heimat, den Ort seiner Wurzeln, notgedrungen verlassen musste und nicht weiß, ob er jemals zurückkehren wird. Der gleichmäßige Groove der Band und der gequälte Gesang zeichnen ein lebendiges Bild der Verwüstung, die die Protagonistin erlebt, die schließlich erkennt, dass ihre Wurzeln in ihr selbst liegen und jeder Ort, an den sie geht, ihr Zuhause ist.

Originally released to a fan base and music press that were unprepared for the band to move on from the punk fury of "Crossing The Red Sea", The Adverts "Cast Of Thousands" has since been recognized as a lost classic of the time. TV Smith's cutting observational lyrics and sharp musical instincts saw his song writing grow and move in unexpected directions. The primal thumping was replaced by dynamic and driving drumming, acoustic guitars and probing solos emerged, and Tim Cross joined to add keyboards and fill out the overall sound. The one constant was the pounding throb of Gaye Advert's bass. Encouraged to experiment by surprise producer Tom Newman (Mike Oldfield "Tubular Bells") the band found themselves stretching creatively, both in song writing and recording techniques. They might agonize over the sound of recording a match being lit in the middle of one song, while doing a single take of a vocal via a microphone hung in the bathroom for another. Giant choirs were built meticulously over multiple tracks, while the sound of a rat running through the reverb room would be captured forever. The results wrapped some of TV's best songs in strange and inventive sounds to compliment his anti-pop smarts and rock and roll heart. They did not know it at the time, but the band was falling apart. Tensions would soon rise to the level that replacement players were called in to finish their final tour. Punk fans left them in droves. Critics skewered the singles from the album. Their record label had moved on to the next big thing. Feeling that they had reached a creative peak made the tumble even harder to swallow. Time has been very kind though, and fans discovering punk after the first wave have been able to hear "Cast" for what it is - a brilliant and biting collection of rock and roll. Still full of stomp and swagger even when stripped down on "My Place" or via the anthemic surge of "Television's Over", with TV's hook factory on full display on the anti-love song "Love Songs", and the band closing the album with the creeping ballad "I Will Walk You Home"; The Adverts had grown from a great punk rock band to a great rock band. Black vinyl.

"Here is what 2014 felt like: The cold, rushed walk from the Montrose Avenue L to the downstairs entrance of 20 Meadow Street, an address you could never quite remember. The careful steep climb to the top of the nondescript building, where Titus Andronicus’s Patrick Stickles was waiting to take your balled-up cash and stamp the inside of your wrist. Standing beneath that jagged cardboard punk bunting, draped with tangled twinkle lights, while Joe Galarraga, frontman of Big Ups, slowly, menacingly, wound a microphone cable around his fist. Then a barbed F-sharp sprang forward from Amar Lal’s guitar, shaking the entirety of Shea Stadium to life.

For much of that time period, ten years now behind us, it would be easy to say, man, you just had to be there. You had to be there when Death By Audio closed. You had to be there when the Apple store opened on Bedford Ave. If you weren’t there when a small, specific subculture of New York City took over its abandoned lofts and grimy basements and squatted itself into community, that’s okay — it might be too clunky and myopic to explain now. Released in January 2014 to Dead Labour in the US and Tough Love Records in the UK, Eighteen Hours of Static stands even now as a triumphant representation of what Big Ups did so well over the course of their nine-year run as a band. Now, with the re-release of Big Ups’ killer debut full-length, those who didn’t get to experience all this the first time around will get a shot at living as if it’s the glory days again."

Repress!

Leif Vollebekk, the Montreal singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist had hit a wall. In the midst of endless touring Leif found himself retreating to his lonely hotel rooms after shows and listening to Nick Drake's 'Pink Moon' alone in the dark. His own songs didn't sound right and he felt the bright spots in his sets were the covers he'd end with: songs by Ray Charles or Townes Van Zandt. In this deep blue mood he booked a secret show at a Montreal dive bar, only playing covers with a band that rehearsed once.  The experience led Leif to change his approach to songwriting: explore the ideas that came spontaneously to him, and let the songs shape themselves. Soon the songs came pouring out of him. This approach is what created the lush, freewheeling and often devastating 'Twin Solitude,' out February 24 on Secret City Records.

"By the time the last notes die away, all that's left should be you," Leif says. "And I'll be somewhere else. And that's Twin Solitude.' 

Leif's third album, features 10 delicate and expansive original songs, with lyrics that pour out of this singer songwriter that are often compared to Jeff Buckley.  Leif's words lay on a bed of elastic instrumentation full of piano, synthesizer, guitar, rich electric bass and strings.

Several songs on the album came to Leif and were written in one sitting. 'Into the Ether' came to be while he was exploring a Moog synthesizer. 'Elegy' is a bedside soliloquy, of love slipping through fingers and came to Leif while he was riding his bike through Montreal.  The meditative 'Michigan' was written on a half-tuned guitar and fully written as he was about to go to sleep.  Other songs on the album capture the countless hours Leif has spent on the road, crisscrossing North America. 'Big Sky Country' recalls a trip to Vancouver with his family when he was young, never forgetting the expanse of Montana and listening to Ian Tyson's song 'The Gift' in the car over and over again.
'Twin Solitude' features Olivier Fairfield from Timber Timbre (drums), Sarah Page from the Barr Brothers (harp) on 'Rest' Shahzad Ismaily of Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog and SecretCheifs3 (bass) on several tracks and the string duo Chargaux throughout the album as well.  It was engineered by Dave Smith and recorded at his Breakglass Studios in Canada.  Produced by Leif Vollebekk.

Vollebekk made his album debut in 2010 - and since then has performed at the Newport Folk Festival, and shared stages with Daniel Lanois, Beth Orton, Sinéad O'Connor, Patrick Watson, Coeur de Pirate, William Fitzsimmons and Sam Amidon. His debut 'Inland' was described as  beautiful, memorable and moving' by NPR and  timeless and monumental'  by The Independent.

Big Crown Records is proud to present Dave Guy’s debut album Ruby. Having lent his talents both on stage and in the studio to artists like Amy Winehouse, Lizzo, Pharrell, and Sharon Jones to currently playing every night on The Tonight Show as a member of The Roots, Dave steps out on his own with a jazz record that is both unique and modern. Ruby mixes his musical in­fluences with the energies of the city that raised him, capturing different moods and inviting the listener into the world as Dave Guy sees and feels it. Recorded in Queens at The Legendary Diamond Mine, the album is produced by Homer Steinweiss and Nick Movshon and features musical contributions from Leon Michels, Marco Benevento, Claire Cottrill, and more.

Ruby instantly sits with the classics as an album that is fully realized and not simply a collection of songs. Lead single “7th Heaven” opens the album with an anthemic energy as Dave’s horn lines soar over thundering drums, ethereal vocals, and dancing piano. Keeping the energy high, “Footwork” is a Latin inspired number that is sure to soundtrack many a dance fl­oor from SoHo to Harlem. The synth intro of “Pinky Ring” cleanses your palate for the mood shift when the track drops. Deep bass tones underline the impeccable drumming and

Dave effortlessly finds the pocket wasting no notes as the verses and choruses trade off. The record leans into spiritual jazz vibes on “Diamond Encore” with a dark and deep almost “Axelrodish” rhythm track then picks the energy back up with the stomper “Still Standing”. “Dave Wants You” has a bop all its own with an unorthodox drum pattern that Dave anchors with his trumpet hits. The otherworldly arrangement of “Drony Boy” puts the production on a pedestal. The first intro almost serves as an intermission on the album while the second

intro sets up the neck snapping track that is about to drop. A menacing guitar signals the builds and the whole thing is juxtaposed by Dave’s beautiful trumpet riffs. “Quesodillas” & “Green Door” begin the autumn of the album with their mellow & intimate energy and “Ruby’s Rubies”, the album’s closer is the perfect ending to the journey.

'In `All This and So Much More' Tasha is an artist flung open. For Tasha, the last few years have been propulsive, dynamic, bursting at the seams. They've included painful encounters with grief; a sudden break up; new flirtation; new hair; the glitter of world travel and not least, a role in Tony-nominated Broadway musical `Illinoise' which adapts Sufjan Steven's `Illinois' for the stage. If `Tell Me What You Miss The Most' was an introspective meditation on love with a few moments of glancing toward what's next, `All this and So Much More' is Tasha turned outward, flourishing, telling us what it's like to take life by the chin and look it in the eye. Take, for example "Eric Song." This was the first song to be written on the album, penned while Tasha grappled with the sudden, tragic death of Eric Littman, the co-producer of her last album. Though the instrumentation is a familiar 3/4 guitar strum, lulling us into a comforting waltz, Tasha's voice is breathy with grief, adding depth and dimension to the hushed sound. "No, I'm not alone after all / You must be near / Facing this soaring sprawl," she sings, transforming the experience of loss into a talisman of love and courage meant to help usher in a new self. Said a different way, `All This and So Much More' is a full-throated ode to all of the ups and downs of becoming. In the opening track, "Pretend," when Tasha sings about "feelings outgrowing this little life," we get the sense, both lyrically and sonically, of someone in the throes of growth. This is an album crafted with a big, ambitious sound (in part, thanks to the production of Gregory Uhlmann)_cinematic droning, orchestral woodwinds, dazzling arrays of jangling guitar, all lining up to capture a sweeping moment in Tasha's life. Written over the course of 2022 and 2023, right on the cusp of Tasha being cast in Illinoise, the songs in this album invoke friendship, heart ache, flirtation, doubt. From the social anxiety of "Party" ("Do they think I'm funny? / Did they like my jokes last night?") to the questing for meaning in "So Much More," Tasha brings us along on a journey of finding out that the person you wanted to be was inside of yourself, just waiting to bloom all along. She sums it up neatly in her final track, "Love's Changing," charging us with a brilliant, sweeping vision of the future, singing: "Suddenly the world is bigger than it ever felt before / Feel the weight of my future sinking in / See the joy I'm running toward." In `All This and So Much More,' Tasha asks us to consider abundance in its truest form. Our lives, a deluge of possible experience if only we will surrender to it, all the way from the citric ache of heartbreak to the chest bloom of new adventure.

'In `All This and So Much More' Tasha is an artist flung open. For Tasha, the last few years have been propulsive, dynamic, bursting at the seams. They've included painful encounters with grief; a sudden break up; new flirtation; new hair; the glitter of world travel and not least, a role in Tony-nominated Broadway musical `Illinoise' which adapts Sufjan Steven's `Illinois' for the stage. If `Tell Me What You Miss The Most' was an introspective meditation on love with a few moments of glancing toward what's next, `All this and So Much More' is Tasha turned outward, flourishing, telling us what it's like to take life by the chin and look it in the eye. Take, for example "Eric Song." This was the first song to be written on the album, penned while Tasha grappled with the sudden, tragic death of Eric Littman, the co-producer of her last album. Though the instrumentation is a familiar 3/4 guitar strum, lulling us into a comforting waltz, Tasha's voice is breathy with grief, adding depth and dimension to the hushed sound. "No, I'm not alone after all / You must be near / Facing this soaring sprawl," she sings, transforming the experience of loss into a talisman of love and courage meant to help usher in a new self. Said a different way, `All This and So Much More' is a full-throated ode to all of the ups and downs of becoming. In the opening track, "Pretend," when Tasha sings about "feelings outgrowing this little life," we get the sense, both lyrically and sonically, of someone in the throes of growth. This is an album crafted with a big, ambitious sound (in part, thanks to the production of Gregory Uhlmann)_cinematic droning, orchestral woodwinds, dazzling arrays of jangling guitar, all lining up to capture a sweeping moment in Tasha's life. Written over the course of 2022 and 2023, right on the cusp of Tasha being cast in Illinoise, the songs in this album invoke friendship, heart ache, flirtation, doubt. From the social anxiety of "Party" ("Do they think I'm funny? / Did they like my jokes last night?") to the questing for meaning in "So Much More," Tasha brings us along on a journey of finding out that the person you wanted to be was inside of yourself, just waiting to bloom all along. She sums it up neatly in her final track, "Love's Changing," charging us with a brilliant, sweeping vision of the future, singing: "Suddenly the world is bigger than it ever felt before / Feel the weight of my future sinking in / See the joy I'm running toward." In `All This and So Much More,' Tasha asks us to consider abundance in its truest form. Our lives, a deluge of possible experience if only we will surrender to it, all the way from the citric ache of heartbreak to the chest bloom of new adventure.

Signed to Island Records, his Iggy Pop/Jim Morrison side was cultivated, the weirdness dialled down, leathers were worn and a rock'n'roll microphone stand was utilised. The lead track "World Shut Your Mouth" gave Cope his first solo UK Top 20 hit, a big, brash slice of garage rock, it was a post-punk equivalent to David Bowie returning with Let's Dance; simple, straightforward. Backed by what Cope called his 'two-car garage band', the album reached No 11 in the UK chart, his highest placing to date whether solo or in The Teardrop Explodes, it also entered the US Billboard Hot 200. It's not all straight-ahead stomp, the eight minute closer "A Crack In The Clouds" harks back to the Teardrop Explodes' Wilder, and Kate St. John's oboe on the title track evokes his Mercury albums. Released in March 1987, Saint Julian was seen as a storming return to form for Julian Cope - This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1987 Mercury Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Blood Smoke Vinyl. The Instrumental version of the underground classic El Michels Affair & Black Thought collaborative album Glorious Game When Leon Michels and El Michels Affair released their ­rst record, Sounding Out The City, in 2005, it was hard to guess what was next for Michels and his then-introduced, now-patented "cinematic soul" sound. Now, four EMA studio albums and scores of tribute and remix projects later_all while producing for some of the biggest names in the industry_Michels has trademarked his sound, with each project taking audiences somewhere new and pushing the boundaries of what he is known for. The man is a river, not a lake and this time he takes his golden touch into the realm of hip-hop laying down a musical bed for one of the greatest to ever rhyme into a microphone: Black Thought of The Roots crew. Releasing on Big Crown Records, the LP is called Glorious Game and it is a remarkable debut partnership in more ways than one. Michels provides his bottom-heavy, soul-tinged production for Black Thought who gives us some of the more personal and transparent verses we've ever heard from him. Michels and Black Thought have been in each other's orbit for a while now. The two ­rst met in the 2000s when Thought was ­rst getting familiar with the contemporary soul scene. "Out of that whole world, Menahan Street Band was probably my favorite," recalling the funk and soul group Michels was a founding member of back in 2007. Fast forward a few years and musicians from that collective_Dave Guy on trumpet and Ian Hendrickson-Smith on sax _are now full time players with The Roots. This connection eventually led Leon and Thought to doing a few fundraising events around NYC and Philly together. "Before long, Black Thought was coming around the studio and would jam with us from time to time," Michels explains. "Then, fast forward to 2020 and COVID lockdowns, he just hit me up out of the blue, wanting me to send him stuff to write to. We both were looking to stay busy." Being that Black Thought is the co-founder and emcee for, hands down, the best live-band group in hip-hop. Michels took a decidedly different approach to this project and instead of sending recorded tracks of live compositions, he pulled out the sampler and sampled himself and some records from his collection. "I'm a big fan of soul music," as if Michels has to remind us. "And part of hip-hop's appeal to me has always been the sample-based production" For Glorious Game, Michels would make wholly composed and recorded soul songs in his studio, sample himself, then chop and/or loop up his sounds and create instrumentals for Black Thought. On some tracks he took a more traditional hip-hop approach, starting from samples of other people's music but then adding live instrumentation on top. But for the most

Mutant is proud to present Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino's latest album, Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1, featuring iconic scores from Giacchino's extensive portfolio rendered in the retro lounge style of Exotica from the 1950s.



“It's no secret that we at Mutant are huge fans of Michael Giacchino,” says Spencer Hickman, Co-Founder of Mutant. “We're excited to release a retrospective of his astonishing three decades as a composer. Rather than just curating a simple compilation of his previous works, Michael went back into the studio, rearranged and re-recorded every major theme from his career. These tracks have been recorded in an Easy Listening style inspired by such greats as Martin Denny and Les Baxter, creating not just a unique and incredible look back at some of the most beloved movie and television themes of the modern age, but also bringing a fresh, exciting take to the beautiful journey he has taken us all on with him. It feels like you are discovering these songs for the very first time: timeless, beautiful, and a joy to listen to. These newly recorded themes transport you to a far-off sunset, looking out at the ocean, complete with a cocktail in hand, providing a much-needed escape from the stress of modern times, and we can all agree that is something we all crave right now.”



Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1 spans nearly two decades of Michael Giacchino’s music, from his early video game scores to his television hits and blockbuster films. The album transforms these works through the lens of Exotica, replacing epic strings and thundering drums with vibraphones and marimbas.



“This album was inspired by the work of Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny,” says Giacchino. “What would they do with the Star Trek theme? Or video games like Medal of Honor? It was a way for me to play in that world I loved so much growing up. I thought it would be fun to create a fantasy world, where this album was recorded back in 1967 and then lost, only to resurface today.”

The album showcases Giacchino’s unerring talent for melody, stripping down grand symphonies to their essential elements while retaining their aesthetic and emotional core.



“So much was rooted in the big orchestral sound, so it was really about scaling it back. The real trick is figuring out the little fun hooks and things you can add along the way. There were no rules; I was up for anything. It was a way to re-engage with the material and be creative in a new way.”



Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1 includes an array of reinterpreted pieces from Michael Giacchino’s career. Highlights include ‘Primordial Forest’ from the 1997 video game The Lost World: Jurassic Park, ‘Life and Death’ from Lost, the theme from Ratatouille, ‘Roar!’ from Cloverfield, ‘Enterprising Young Men’ from Star Trek (2009), ‘A Man, A Plan, A Code, Dubai’ from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and a Super 8 suite.



Featuring package design by Luke Insect, and liner notes by Charlie Brigden.

WE ARE WINTER'S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN (WAWBARC) is the new quartet of Mat Ball (BIG|BRAVE), Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion), and Jonathan Downs and Patch (both Ada). On "NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" they present six modal lullabies drenched in seared distortion, slathered across striding electronic pulses. Ball and Menuck began creating music in and for the bleakest moments of Montréal winters: "We're honoring that idea of winter, when you come inside and your house is warm, a place that only exists because of how cold it is outside," says Menuck. They later recruited Downs and Patch to flesh out their initial ideas. Menuck met them in 2015 when recording Ada's final album at Montréal's Hotel2Tango _ where they reconvened to make this record. "NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" is an album about witnessing bleakness from a place of safety. Carrying newfound descriptive depth, thanks to the quartet's open-ended songs freeing him from writing in meter, Menuck likens his lyrics to photorealism. On opener `Rats and Roses' he sings of an unnamed city struck by an unknown cataclysm, but the details are local: specifically, his neighbors inadvertently poisoning birds when tackling a rat infestation. It's backed by blown out synths and guitars reaching a soaring crescendo. "Seeing things from a distance and not being able to intervene happens a lot on the record," Menuck explains. "If you're a feeling and thinking person, that's just part of the human condition. We watch horror unfolding from afar, unable to do anything concrete to change it." A powerless witness, able to describe but not intervene. `Dangling Blanket From A Balcony (White Phosphorous)' references Michael Jackson holding his child over a hotel balcony in 2002_the bizarre media spectacle still lodged in Menuck's psyche. This and the album's closing track also elegize white phosphorous, a technology of war designed to light up battlefields but capable of inflicting horrific burns on those it touches. Illumination and horror in one, here underpinning scenes picturesque and terrifying. "The last song `(Goodnight) White Phosphorous' is deliberately like a lullaby," says Menuck. "Written from the viewpoint of watching white phosphorous falling outside your window." Scorched and tarnished and laden with harrowing imagery, "NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" is also a record bathed in light: the bewilderment of hopeful spirits witnessing despair, watching a blizzard of distress unfold outside from a place of relative shelter and comfort. You could call that emotional ambivalence, maybe numbness. But those words are too passive for the weight of conflicted feeling resonating through the album. "I never know how I feel on an overcast day when the sun is still bright despite the grayness and the light is very flat. The colours become more saturated, and you see a single flower, say a morning glory, whose colour is so vibrant beneath the gray, I don't know if that's a lovely sensation or a terrible sensation. It's both," says Menuck.