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House and techno purveyor Ejeca delivers with a high-octane release, ‘Keep Climbing EP’ on Needwant Records, which celebrates 100 releases. The four-tracker is available on a limited run of vinyl.

From its inception, Needwant has focussed on pioneering the sounds of tomorrow, developing exciting artists in the world of crossover dance and electronic music including lau.ra, Kiwi, and Ejeca, who first released on the label in 2013.

The title track kicks off the EP with serious force; heavy kicks and a glitchy melody loops hypnotically before making way for the track’s commanding vocal which is equally entrancing. Like its title, ‘Keep Climbing’ builds and builds, generating full-throttle energy that is finally erupted after a euphoric piano breakdown. ‘Vader’ reduces the pace and deepens the mood with a deep humming bassline, twinkling chords, and eerie strings. A breakdown follows with Ejaca’s signature ravey piano-lines in combination with hooky top-line vocals that seamlessly takes the track into peak-time party territory. The track is dynamic, enthralling, and highlights the depth to Ejeca’s production.

‘Won’t Beat Me’ is colourfully uplifting from the offset with bright piano and arpeggiating pads shimmering in tandem. The vocal is contagiously catchy, topping the instrumentation with positive energy which is present throughout the track’s duration. ‘Won’t Beat Me’ is a peak-time club big-hitter. Rounding off the EP is ‘Zyfer’ which boasts uncompromisingly chunky kicks and raw industrial echoes, before cleverly switching to a contrasting sonic soundscape in true Ejeca style. 8-bit arpeggiating chords bubble before warping into a driving club melody which dances on top of the heavy-hitting kicks and groovy percussion.

The EP perfectly captures the ethos of Needwant; forward-thinking music with innovative ideas from an artist who contributed to the label in its early stages. 100 releases on and Needwant continues to push the sounds of tomorrow in slick style.

Keith Farrugia a.k.a. Sound Synthesis delivering top quality electro tracks made up of dreamy melodies and a touch of acid. Produced with tons of analog devices and coming with that seal of quality he is known for. ''Ezzential Electro'' is the biggest project Electro Records has done so far. It consists of 36 vinyl records produced by artists they consider essential for the current underground electro movement. The first six parts of the series come in beautiful white silkscreen printed sleeves on recycled cardboard and include a real puzzle piece on the front cover, indicating which part of the series you have in your hands.

What would you do if a never before released jazz funk album from 70s Yugoslavia had dropped suddenly into your arms? An album which sounds like a crate diggers holy grail!? Album full of heavy drum breaks, repetitive bass grooves, superb sax solos and world class jazz arrangements finely intertwined with Yugoslavian folk music elements?! - “PRESS IT!” ~ That’s what we said always striving to present the future of unheard sound of Yugoslavia! With the help from Mr. Cosmic himself (Željko Kerleta), Jovan Maljoković and his wife Nevenka and, of course, Radio Belgrade who provided the recordings buried deep in their library, here we present Jovan’s first vinyl release since 1989 and his album nr. zero. If this LP was released in 1976, sounding this clear and impressive as it sounds today, it would be up on the pedestal with cult Yugo jazz-funk releases such as Sećanja by Miša Blam (also released on Everland) – and believe me – it would burn a whole through your wallet. Don’t allow me to get started on the Jovan’s ensemble personnel here, represening the crème de la crème of jazz and funk instrumentalists of Yugoslavian Jazz (Goce Dimitrovski, Miloš Krstić, Kire Mitrev, Miodrag Maljoković, Aleksandar Sanja Ilić, Miša Blam, Uroš Šećerov...). The raw execution, top recording and compositions resembling but not imitating the greatest contemporary western jazz-funk ides of the time, that sound like something that could have been easily released on Mainstream, Columbia, MPS or even be an authentic Kudu hit record if it had been released at the time by Creed Taylor. Just listen to the track A1 Ponor Naviše with a whirlwind of big band arrangement turnovers or track B1- Uspomena (hint: Sećanje...) where Jovan takes on the ‘Lame donkey’ in a strong downbeat rearrangement released just two years after Volker Kriegel published it on his album Lift! (MPS/BASF 1973.). You’ll be blown away by the instrumental prowess of the ensemble and Jovan’s ideas! ~ Dr. Smeđi Šećer

Presented here both in its Stereo and Mono versions, this album was Duke Ellington and John Coltrane's only ever recorded encounter. For the occasion, Trane and Duke were accompanied by the bassist and drummer of their respective groups (who alternated from track to track), Aaron Bell and Sam Woodyard (from Duke's rhythm section), and Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones (from Trane's rhythm section).

"For this classic encounter, Duke Ellington 'sat in' with the John Coltrane Quartet for a set dominated by Ellington's songs; some performances have his usual sidemen (bassist Aaron Bell and drummer Sam Woodyard) replacing Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones in the group. Ellington always recognized talent, and Coltrane seemed quite happy to be recording with a fellow genius." - Scott Yanow,
AllMusic









i 9. Big Nick [john Coltrane Quartet Version]




[n] 14. I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good [john Coltrane Quartet Version] *



[r] 18. The Feeling Of Jazz [duke Ellington Orchestra Version]









[i] 9. Big Nick [john Coltrane Quartet Version]




[n] 14. I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good [john Coltrane Quartet Version] *



[r] 18. The Feeling Of Jazz [duke Ellington Orchestra Version]

While Bobby Oroza puts the finishing touches on his next album, he treats us to this killer two-sider to end out 2021 and hold us over until the new record is finished. Bobby's debut album "This Love" made big waves around the world and amassed him a cult following from the US to Japan and everywhere in between. He found big love in the sweet soul scene early, but has since made fans in a myriad of circles and subcultures globally. It has by now become clear that his music is not just one thing, analog soul textured for sure, but also with an array of influences that span far beyond the soul ballad world. It is that inability to really nail down his sound that has become the biggest charm, an esoteric and profound passion permeate the lyrics and vibe of everything about Mr. Oroza. This new 7" shows off two sides of Bobby's song writing, an upbeat number on the "plug" side and a heavy duty ballad on the flip. The A side "The Otherside" is an optimistic tune that Bobby humbly shares his story about the troubles we can create for ourselves and the possibility of having a change of mind that frees us from them. The track is equally encouraging with its sunny energy that carries an important message from Bobby to anyone who is struggling and can't see a way out. The B side "Make Me Believe" is another instant classic for the slowie enthusiasts. A moody, soul bearing, cry for help that comes off with a sweet- ness.

Like many of his favorite songwriters (John Hartford, Lucinda Williams, Jeff Tweedy), Izaak Opatz is an ungulate in life’s winter pasture, chewing on and metabolizing disappointment, heartbreak, and the other tough stuff into enjoyable musical carbohydrates. A compulsive metaphorager (and inveterate wordplayboy), Opatz breaks it all down with enzymes of wry humor, thoughtful simile and close observation - a therapeutic process of narrativizing his own life that, almost as a byproduct, turns out savory nuggets of literate, confessional pop. Where 2018’s 'Mariachi Static' drew from Opatz’s fragmented love life as a seasonal Park Service employee and resonated especially with the sensitive dirtbag set, 'Extra Medium', his latest release, splits time between romantic Hindenburgs across his native Montana, up the East Coast, and in faraway Los Angeles. Montana and LA especially decorate the album, supplying wells of metaphor and scene-making, and as characters in their own right - LA’s alternately charming (“In the Light of a Love Affair”) and discomfiting (“East of Barstow”), and, in “Big Sandy”, Montana evolves from setting to subject as the girl’s feelings he traverses it to see prove less than his own feelings for the state. In LA, Opatz learned from and worked alongside Jonny Fritz at Dad Country Leather, and met bandmates and 'Extra Medium' collaborators Malachi DeLorenzo (drums, producer, engineer) and Dylan Rodrigue (multi-instrumentalist, producer). He now lives in Missoula, Montana, where he runs his own custom leather shop, is writing the next album, and getting ready to pursue a Journalism degree at the U of M.

Highly acclaimed guitarist Philipp van Endert played and produced on
"Moon Balloon" the largest and most complex music project that he has been able to record with in his music career so far

Combined with the renowned Filmorchester Babelsberg he recorded an outstanding and unique album featuring his original tunes that combine Jazz, Classic and Film music. Philipps compositions were arranged by Peter Hinderthür and the live performance at Filmstudios Babelsberg was conducted by Jörg Achim Keller (BBC Concert Orchestra, Metropole Orkest, HR BigBand, WDR BigBand a.o.)

I’m gonna love you from the soft spot
Where the fruit begins to rot

“This area of the throat,” says Chelsea Jade, resting three fingers roughly where her neck meets her chest. “It’s particularly soft, and it's connected ... it's halfway between the heart and the mouth. And that's an interesting place of vulnerability.”

Soft Spot, the Los Angeles-based New Zealand artist’s second album, dwells somewhere between feeling and expression, certainty and doubt. It ventures beyond the exploration of delusions of grandeur that formed the focus of the critically acclaimed Personal Best (2018), and simultaneously promotes and undermines romance, specifically, in a more solemn way.

“Less glib,” offers Jade, who has opened for Lorde and Cat Power among others. Still deliciously glib in places: “Give your worst my best,” she sings on the wryly antagonizing, bass-heavy “Tantrum in Duet.” Soft Spot’s big pop tracks go hard on the interpersonal, physical and amorous, inviting the listener to entertain flirtation, lust, sex, even the experience, rare during its recording in 2020, of being in a room with more than three other people.

With the reinforcement of composition and arrangement by Leroy James Clampitt (Justin Bieber) and production by Brad Hale (Now, Now), Jade conjures up atmospheres conducive to feelings of place and potential. Created during a once-in-a-century pandemic, the album is an evocative assembly of found parts: recordings of sentences and asides delivered by friends, the sound of rain in LA, or the distant voice of bureaucracy against a backdrop of hold music. Seeming choruses were produced to give that impression, layered submission by individual vocal submission. On “Best Behavior,” the record’s danciest track, this illusory energy reaches its euphoric height.

The record transports the listener from speaker-side at a club, to wandering a party, to sitting at an open window with a pianist nearby. It shifts effortlessly from expansive sold-out-show sound to ethereal, twinkling detail. The writing on Soft Spot outwits even its clever, resourceful production, the lyrics a testament to the multi award-winning songwriter’s belief in the pop format as a venue for prose.

Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald's paths had surely crossed many times during the Thirties, Forties, and early Fifties. However, no recorded trace of the two legendary musicians collaborating existed until 1957, when they participated on a series of big band sessions for Norman Granz. The sessions were somewhat chaotic and intermittent though, primarily because of Ellington's busy schedule and lack of time to prepare arrangements. As a result, the big band sessions were
padded out it with various all-star sextettes, as represented on the LP.

The LP includes a bonus track taken from the actual movie soundtrack, but not present on the original LP. The track feature Audrey Hepburn on vocals with orchestral backing. "This effervescent soundtrack for Blake Edwards' adaption of Truman Capote's wistful novella propelled Mancini into the major league of Hollywood composers. Though there were other jazz-oriented arrangers working
in Hollywood at the time, none possessed Mancini's imagination and skill in orchestration." - All Music

Nightports is based on a simple but unbreakable rule of restriction: only sounds produced by the featured musician can be used. Nothing else. These sounds can be transformed, distorted, translated, processed and reprocessed, stretched, cut, ordered and reordered without limitation. Nightports w/ Tom Herbert is the third in a series of albums from musician-producers Adam Martin and Mark Slater to be released on The Leaf Label, following 2018's Nightports w/ Matthew Bourne and 2020's Nightports w/ Betamax. Tom Herbert made his name as the bass player in Mercury Music Prize-nominated bands Polar Bear and The Invisible, and has become an in-demand collaborator and session musician, including work with Adele, Lana Del Rey and most recently The Smile. Having honed his craft holding the low-end down in some of the most forward-thinking British groups of recent times, and also appearing on some the biggest tracks of the last twenty years, Nightports w/ Tom Herbert brings Herbert's command of the double bass into the spotlight.

Re-issue of 1968 album by British jazz guitarist (born January 2, 1933 in Doncaster, England). He played with Norman Burns, "Ray Ellington's Quartet", Benny Goodman (in tour in England, 1971), "Don Lusher's Big Band", and as a session man in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Judd uses varying permutations of the following instruments on various tracks. Twelve string guitar, electric Fender guitar, electric Gibson guitar (L4) with a Charlie Christian bar pick-up, and a Maton acoustic guitar.

Neil Young announces the release of the fourth installment in his Official Release Series (ORS): a box set that includes his classic ‘80s records Hawks & Doves, Re•ac•tor, and This Note’s for You, as well as his Eldorado EP, previously released only in Japan and Australia. Both vinyl and CD box sets will be available for pre-order today and out on April 29th.

The ORS Vol 4 collects an eclectic set of decade-spanning sounds. Hawks & Doves (1980) revisits his folk roots and explores some of his most country-leaning offerings; the blistering Re•ac•tor (1981) showcases a stomping set of heavy, overdriven rock with Crazy Horse; and This Note’s for You (1988) casts Young as a big band leader, belting out intricately arranged blues. The Eldorado EP (1989) is full of feral distortion and earthy crunch featuring Young backed by The Restless (Chad Cromwell and Rick Rosas). It includes two thundering tracks — “Cocaine Eyes” and “Heavy Love”— not available on any other album.

ORS Vol 4 collects a large swath of his diverse and compelling ‘80s work, testifying to the legendary songwriter’s gift for sonic shape-shifting.

Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket, green/black double coloured LP with lyric insert and download card.

Keep This Be the Way is Helms Alee's sixth full-length and first new album in over 3 years. Across the span of their first five studio albums, Seattle trio Helms Alee have consistently refined their signature sound-a blend of lilting siren songs, crushing thunder and sludge, and heady guitar pop filled with lush guitars and elaborate three-part vocal harmonies that reach widely across various subgenres of the heavy music world. On this latest album they expand their palette by delving into the production possibilities afforded by recording the album themselves, creating their most dynamic and technicoloured work to date.. Keep This Be the Way still very much sounds like a Helms Alee record, but it's their first album that diverts from the faithful recreation of their live sound and delves into a vibrant tapestry of surreal sounds and invented spaces. This new approach is immediately evident on first single "See Sights Smell Smells," where reverse cymbal crashes, fragmented piano, layered drums, woozy drones, saxophone freak-outs, and trippy vocal treatments transport the listener to an altered state of exhilarated anticipation. The pendulum swings towards more adventurous and exploratory sounds on songs like "Tripping Up the Stairs", it's nightmarish synth glides pitted against distorted barrages steeped in classic Helms Alee timbre. And therein lies the power of the Keep Us Be the Way: it reflects a period of change, ambiguity and perseverance through its fearless curiosity, cathartic rumble, and sublime beauty. Helms Alee supporting Russian Circles on the upcoming EU Headline tour in April/May 2022.

20 years ago, US heavy and hard rock titans Mos
Generator took the heavy (stoner) rock music scene by
storm with the release of their first self-titled album. To
celebrate this special anniversary in style, the band’s
charismatic frontman Tony Reed himself has revised and
remastered this vinyl reissue of their pathbreaking debut
album.
 Mos Generator - who formed in 2000 in Port Orchard,
Washington from the ashes of a ten year off and on
collaboration between its three members, all of which
are long time veterans of road and studio - have inspired
the heavy music scene since decades. The band have
released nine full length studio albums, two live albums
as well as several singles and split albums over their
impressive career by labels as Stickman, Ripple, Heavy
Psych Sounds, Roadburn, Small Stone and Listenable.
 Touring has been just as important to the profile of the
band as making records has. Over the years Mos
Generator has shared the stage with many big heavy
rock names across Europe and North America including
extensive tours with Saint Vitus, Fu Manchu, Melvins,
Pentagram, Elder, Spirit Caravan and Atomic Bitchwax.
They have also played prestigious festivals throughout
the world, fusing soul with doom metal into a great loud,
funky and psychedelic concoction of heavy rock.
 Their 2002 debut album was the starting point, and this
hand-numbered clear vinyl 20th Anniversary edition of
‘The Mos Generator’ release is a must have for fans old
and new.
 For fans of Orange Goblin, Fu Manchu, Sheavy, Mind
Funk, Kyuss, Mountain, Nebula, Black Sabbath and
Monster Magnet.

Remastered for vinyl and re-released by Daniel's own label Eternal Yip Eye Music. This is a limited pressing.

Following 2019’s critically-acclaimed sophomore album, I Spent the Winter Writing Songs About Getting Better, Proper. is making their return with The Great American Novel. “The Great American Novel is a concept album about how Black genius, specifically my own, goes ignored, relentlessly contested, or just gets completely snuffed out before it can flourish,” vocalist Erik Garlington said. “This record is a concept album that’s meant to read like a book; every song is a chapter following the protagonist through their 20s. Imagine a queer, Black Holden Caufield-type coming up in the 2010s.” The result is an album that is both lyrically and musically heavy, the former something fans have come to expect from Garlington’s unflinchingly honest lyrical content, but the latter something that’ll be refreshingly new. Channeling the heavier music he listened to during his adolescence — from post-hardcore outfit At the Drive-In to progressive metal band System of a Down — Garlington and the rest of Proper. — bassist Natasha Johnson and drummer Elijah Watson — push themselves in ways they haven’t before, culminating in an ambitious project that showcases the new sonic territory the band is heading in. Recorded by Bartees Strange in early 2021 and mixed/mastered by Brian DiMeglio, TGAN is made up of 14 songs, with three of them to be singles dropped throughout the course of the album’s release

Mall Girl: «Superstar» Jansen Records 2022 «Superstar», the debut record from Norwegian art-pop outfit Mall Girl, represents an exciting new chapter for the buzzed-about band. The release follows a string of successful singles, including their 2018 track “Slay Queen,” which introduced them as an act to watch in the alt-pop arena. The chaotic year of 2020 brought a string of infectious, vibey singles, including “My Sweet Mall Girl” and the fierce “Bad Girl." Members Iver Armand Tandsether, Hannah Veslemøy Narvesen, Eskild Myrvoll and Bethany Forseth-Reichberg were forced to get creative when the pandemic hit, sidelining best-laid plans to flesh out some songs before heading into the studio together. "Because of COVID regulations and the four of us living in two different cities, we changed the way we worked with the songs quite radically in the months leading up to the studio recording,” Narvesen says. "We’ve always been very oriented towards the live performance of the songs, including when we compose them together in our rehearsal space. That way of working has led to some challenges when recording, as you end up listening to the songs in a different manner and might figure out you should have done everything differently." While others put their creative endeavors on hold, Mall Girl opted to try something different. Many of the songs on «Superstar» were tracks that the band regularly performed, but they wanted to seize the opportunity to evolve their sound even more. “We actually ended up ‘remote composing’ big parts of the album, with everyone working from their own home studio and bouncing ideas back and forth,” Narvesen explains. "This was a very welcome change of workflow for us, and it lead to us making some songs which probably wouldn’t have turned out that way had we been together in the same room." This experimental shift in their creative process led to the creation of songs bursting with infectious hooks, hypnotizing grooves and punchy lyrics.

In the more than two decades since their launch, Swedish Metallers Sabaton have gained a legion of loyal fans across the globe by carving out a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the business, an assessment shared by the UK's Guardian: “Other than veterans Iron Maiden, Sabaton is the biggest heavy metal band in Europe.” Since the band’s debut album in 2005, Sabaton has been combining standout stage design and production with epic concept albums, linking real-life historical war events with classic kick-ass metal. Sabaton has released nine studio albums, amassed six GOLD, one PLATINUM, and one four-times-PLATINUM awards, seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status and six claim the Top 5. The band has earned eight Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards nominations, taking home the award for “Breakthrough Artist” in 2011 and “Best Live Band” in three different years, and a Grammis nomination (Swedish equivalent to the U.S. GRAMMY) as Best Heavy Metal Band. Sabaton has amassed more than two-billion streams across all streaming platforms, and more than 1.5-billion YouTube views. Over its 20-year touring history, Sabaton has headlined major festivals and sold-out arena concerts around the world.

Just recently, the band not only announced their new studio album "The War To End All Wars" but also their "Tour To End All Tours": In Spring 2022, SABATON will be visiting 26 cities in 17 countries, bringing their ground-breaking modern metal to the people and delivering breathtaking live shows in a setting that will once again set new bars for concerts of this kind. SABATON will be supported by Mongolian rock band THE HU and Finnish heavy metal veterans LORDI.

In 2011 Gazelle Twin self-released 'The Entire City', a debut album that gathered rapid acclaim and sparked a decade of creativity during which its creator, Elizabeth Bernholz has built big upon her foundation of dark, cinematic energy. The album is now set to be reissued on deluxe coloured vinyl featuring the captivating photo collage artwork of British artist, Suzanne Moxhay, with newly designed artwork by Paul Agar & Gazelle Twin.

The Source - nearly 30 years in the tradition of the infinite peculiar. The Source is a quartet with a long history. Actually started in 1993, with the founding members Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), Per Oddvar Johansen, Trygve Seim og Oyvind Brække, who all by then studied at the Jazz Course at the Trondheim Music Conservatory. The new quartet album; " ... but swinging doesn`t bend them down" will be published in October on the legendary record label Odin. The title is an excerpt from the poem "Birches" by the American poet Robert Frost, a title that encompass a child's dream of climbing the treetops and swinging birch branches. It could be read as a reflection over the conflict between the free play in nature and the boundaries of adult life awaiting on the ground_ But maybe the ground can wait? Just join the sheer joy of climbing the trees and the careful balance that is needed not to fall and be at one with the flexibility of nature. After several season-related albums, like "The Source: of Christmas" and "The Source: of Summer", it is now a pure quartet display out in the tube, only based on original music. The pieces are all signed by the quartet members and covers a vast register; raga, shuffle, swing, lyrical spots, improv and even a rough trombone/drum outing, and more.The Source: Oyvind Brække, trombone Trygve Seim, saksofon Per Oddvar Johansen, trommer Mats Eilertsen, bass.

Abbey Lincoln's distinctive vocal style, thought-provoking writing, and spirited personality has secured her a place among the jazz greats. Though she made her first recording for Riverside, and later in life for Verve, it was with the young and audacious Candid Records that she made her biggest musical statement, 1961's Straight Ahead. Straight Ahead is one of Abbey Lincoln's greatest and most important recordings. A testament to her credibility and talents, the section on this album includes saxophone giant Colman Hawkins, the great Eric Dolphy on flute alto, trumpeter Booker Little, pianist Mal Waldron and the iconic drummer Max Roach.

26 iconic titles from the golden age of French song, includes 12-page
booklet with complete information in both English and French


Moving away from the big theatres and flourishing in clubs and small cafés, French Song had its summit in the mid-20th Century, when figures such as Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Léo Ferré, Dalida, Charles Aznavour, Henri Salvador, Juliette Gréco, and Serge Gainsbourg, disseminated their art first in Paris, and then throughout the world. It was a new kind of song,
influenced by literary realism and the naturalist movement, and its lyrics frequently focused on the lives of socially marginalized people.
Twenty- six of the best exponents of the genre are included on this splendid collection

White Tiger, Ana Egge's tenth album, has nine originals and one cover
(John Hartford), and so amply displays her singularly articulate and
affecting honesty and sensitivity as to once again deserve USA Today's accolade, "Ana can write and sing rings around" her contemporaries


The album features wind, string, and vocal arrangements by multiinstrumentalist/ producer Alec Spiegelman (Cuddle Magic) and guest appearances by Anais Mitchell, Billy Strings, Alex Hargreaves, and Buck Meek (Big Thief). Like the tiger in the title song, Egge, herself, is near-miraculous, rare but real, and, as Lucinda Williams said, "Listen to her lyrics. Ana is the folk Nina Simone."

Memorial are a duo, Jack and Ollie. Neither are in any great hurry, with their songwriting process originally found spent solo, several hundred miles apart in Brighton and Manchester. Voice memos zipped across the internet, all half thoughts and feelings seeking the other's encouragement.

Headline shows in London and Brighton and supports in 2021: Bess Atwell, Chartreuse, Richard Thompson, Courtney Marie Andrews, Amber Run, Samantha Crain. Nominated for AMA's 'UK song of the year', award ceremony in January at Hackney Empire.RADIO:
Sessions on BBC Radio Wales with Janice Long Interview with Robert Elms on BBC Radio London Chosen as John Kennedy's Hot Ones and X-Posure Big One on Radio X Consistent radio plays on Radio 1's Chillest Show with Sian Eleri, Chris Hawkins on BBC 6Music and on Amazing Radio Further spot plays from Elton John on Beats, Roddy Hart on BBC Radio Scotland, Soho Radio and more.

‘Oh, Inverted World’, the earth-shattering, indie rock-redefining 2001 debut album by The Shins, is presented here in its finest form, dressed up all nice for its 20th birthday. The classic tunes get new life by way of a full remastering job under band leader James Mercer’s watchful eye, the art is given a little extra zest via a die-cut jacket and a classy inner sleeve and the package is rounded off with a big old booklet with vintage photos, handwritten lyrics and more.

The music, of course, is obviously essential. Aside from a friendly reminder that this is the album with the smash hit ‘New Slang’, as heard in the hit movie ‘Garden State’, the remastering job truly makes this the album James Mercer always wanted it to be. Never quite satisfied with the sonics of the original, Mercer took the 20th Anniversary of the album as his opportunity to finally set the (literal) record straight. And the results sound stellar: great for new fans and well worth the attention of those already on board.

For old times’ sake, here’s what the label had to say about this record back when it came out: “Hailing from Albuquerque, NM, The Shins sprung from the ashes of Flake/Flake Music in 1997 (though those previous incarnations date back nearly a decade) - same members, different instruments, different approach. Counterpoint guitars have given way to a single guitar pitted against calculated keyboard passages; swarming indie rock machinations led to pop-based melodic endeavours (who knew?).”

Includes the hit single ‘New Slang’ which, along with ‘Caring is Creepy’, was featured on the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling ‘Garden State’ soundtrack.

Remastered by Bob Ludwig with personal supervision from band-leader James Mercer.

“A definitive indie rock album of the 2000s” - AllMusic

Fresh new collaboration between friends Handy x Shall Not Fade, bringing together artists from each label to produce a side each for the VA.

Lining up for Shall Not Fade we have London's 9th House & Berlins Ruff Stuff and batting for Handy we have Trouble Makers Adam Curtain, Bobby Cazanova & a collab from Arthur Dudley and the ever on-form Retromigration.

As it says on the tin – “Keep it in the Family”

The Nitecap EP is the first collection of music created by jazz multi-instrumentalist Marquinn Mason and FWM Entertainment mastermind Stefan Ringer. This 6 track EP is striking to say the least. One can tell from the artwork this is something different.

The stand out track for the DJs is “The Light”. This one is straight forward space funk in a dance track. It has that big room sound reminscent of “Sexual Obsession”. The title track “Nitecap” has to be the true stand out. Mason’s jazz influence stands out over the organic broken beat rhythm section. The tone of this one is deep and introspective. “Pulling Closer” and “Falling Notes” are both unique cuts in their own right.

Both tunes really show a different take on rhythm, bounce and energy and how those elements interact with melody to create something unlike most music you hear in the dance music space. The last two cuts, “Tiny Keys” and “Cocomango” are down tempo grooves with some soul and sauce thrown in. Perfect for background vibes for a kickback or just listening around the house.

Note vinyl rel date is later. 10 Year Anniversary Reissue. 2LP / 2CD featuring the album proper & demos of each song + rarities. Colored clear vinyl, includes digital download. Recommended If You Like: The original ‘151a’ release, of Montreal, Regina Spektor, Andrew Bird. They say that you spend your entire life writing your first album, piecing every formative moment, scribbled turn of phrase, and thematic epiphany into a fantastical collage. Multi-instrumentalist K. Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) disproves that old adage. The title of Kishi Bashi’s 2011 debut album,‑151a, is a riff on the Japanese phrase‑“ichi-go ichi-e,” roughly translating to “one time, one place.” That’s exactly what this debut is: A singular time, an inimitable place, a launchpad for bigger and better things to come. “It’s a play on words that translates as a performance aesthetic of having a unique performance in time, with imperfections, and enjoying it while you can,” Ishibashi‑told NPR at the time of the album’s release. “The saying reminds me to embrace my mistakes and move forward.” From the deconstructed Beach Boys-esque doo-wop of “Wonder Woman” to the menacing marriage of Eastern Hues and Western operatics of “Beat the Bright out of Me,”‑151a‑is a mediation between opposing drives, offering possible reconciliation but never promising it. The album’s emotional wellspring, “I Am The Antichrist To You” was reimagined in 2021 when it was featured on the animated sci-fi sitcom‑Rick and Morty, introducing Kishi Bashi to a new generation of awestruck fans. Kishi Bashi uses‑151a‑as a vehicle to explore his cultural background. Using Japanese refrains as a compositional and textural device (the polyrhythmic grandeur of “Bright Whites”; the gleeful surrealism of “It All Began With a Burst”), Kishi Bashi celebrates his heritage with earnestness. Japanese phrases and couplets are sung as the response to Kishi Bashi’s resplendent calls, offering listeners a conversation that dovetails with the album’s themes of love, sentimentality, and self-discovery. Today, the “one time” and “one place” that­151a‑inhabited seems further than ever, almost broaching celestial realms of time and space. But, rest assured, with each listen, the world that Kishi Bashi built springs back to life. The world of‑151a‑never left—it was just waiting to be rediscovered.

Transparent Blue vinyl (Limited to 500). DENT is the ­fifth LP from Cleveland, OH rock band Signals Midwest, recorded by J. Robbins (Against Me!, Jets to Brazil, The Promise Ring). Inspired by a stolen and ultimately totaled van, the album confronts the uncertainty of a world at halt, and transmits the shaken-up-soda-can energy that fueled its writing process. With a feedback squeal and a quick four-count, DENT hits the ground running, and what follows is just over a half-hour's worth of big songs about little moments, ominous futures, the lure of nostalgia, and ­finding shards of peace in an almost all-consuming wreckage. In a world up in flames, DENT is a project born from the ashes. ABOUT SIGNALS MIDWEST: Signals Midwest is a loud, smiley punk rock band, made up of Maxwell Stern on guitar and vocals, Steve Gibson on drums and backup vocals, Jeff Russell on guitar, and Ryan Williamson on bass, all (he/him). Signals Midwest has been creating punk/indie music in Cleveland, OH since 2008, and is about to release their 5th album.

Perhaps one of the most enigmatic of artists on the Rare Soul scene must be Flame N' King aka Oscar Wayne Richardson Jr, who ran his various labels independently since the mid ‘60s. It was a surprise when the group surfaced again with a fantastic uptempo New York dance track in 1976 on the tiny N.Y.C.S. records. "Ho Happy Day" found immediate favour with the Modern Soul crowd, but it took the next 30 years for it to eventually become a Modern Soul anthem and cross over to a wider audience.

These days "Ho Happy Day" can be heard at numerous venues across the world and is a bigger floor-filler now than it was back in the 1970s. We're delighted to finally re-issue this classic on the original N.Y.C.S. imprint and watch it find even more audiences in 2022. An original copy will cost circa £250 these days, so there's already a heavy demand for this long-awaited re-issue

One of the most rewarding things about this business is when we get the chance to re-release some true works of art which were previously hindered by their lack of availability. Plus, you KNOW that we LOVE every Willie Tee record we come across anyway. This time we're delighted to make available another double-sided slice of New Orleans niceness.

"Concentrate" is Willie at his mellow best with the Gaturs on this incredible 1980 recording, which really highlights just how great he was. On the flip, is a brilliant piece of New Orleans Mellow Funk which matches the sound of Roy Ayers for pure quality. Original copies of this record are not currently available anywhere for any amount of money. That's how ridiculously rare the original Gatur copies are. We have a great track record with Willie Tee and long may it continue! One of the best double-siders you'll ever be likely to hear and an absolute gas to get to reissue. Spread the joy. Another biggy!

One of the plus points of being in the reissue business, is that some records are easier to license then to try and find a copy of! Sky's The Limit's incredible "Don't Be Afraid" is a case in point.

Released on the tiny J.M.J. label in 1976, this was essentially a private pressing by the group and was more likely to have been given away at gigs rather than sold through record shops. It's incredibly rare - an original these days is around the £750-£800 mark and that's if you're lucky enough to see one. All for good reason though. "Don't Be Afraid" is a prime slice of vintage Jazz-Funk. The vocal side shows off Sky's The Limit's vocal prowess with gorgeous harmonies over an insistent groove.

However, the big attraction on this double-sider, is the incredibly hypnotic instrumental workout with a fantastic Patrick Adam's like free-form synth making the instrumental almost another song. One of the dreamiest Jazz-Funk instrumentals you'll ever hear. As per usual, this will be a very in-demand release from the word go. This can be played on progressive dancefloors everywhere and will almost certainly appeal to different crowds and audiences.

Philadelphia, PA's finest rock & roll up-and-comers, Big Nothing, have announced their sophomore full-length, Dog Hours, due out February 18th from Lame-O Records. Dog Hours finds the four-piece incorporating new dynamics and textures into their timeless songwriting to make ten songs of warm and welcoming guitar pop that's as comforting as it is catchy.

To mark the album's announcement Big Nothing have shared Dog Hours' lead single "A Lot of Finding Out" a slice of up tempo, alt-country tinged power-pop that's sure to please fans of Evan Dando and Tom Petty alike.

Big Nothing (guitarist/vocalist Matt Quinn, bassist/vocalist Liz Parsons, guitarist/vocalist Pat Graham, and drummer Chris Jordan) have a sound that's rooted in big guitars and big hooks, but unexpected circumstances forced them to try a different approach making Dog Hours. “With the pandemic, we were all writing separately and stuck playing quietly in our apartments,” Quinn explains. “And so it was pretty natural that we started making more stripped-back music.” The result is a more intimate version of Big Nothing that brings the acoustic guitar and layered harmonies to the forefront without sacrificing the palpable camaraderie that makes their music so endearing. It's an album that explores all of the uncertainties and existential dread of adulthood, but counters it with a Westerberg-esque sense of humanity and warmth.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- LIMITED EDITION OF 1000 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON ORANGE COLOURED VINYL

The Jamaican reggae and dub musician Linval Thompson's career began around the age of 20. He has done much work to shape the reggae music during the last centuries. He collaborated with many of the greats of Jamaican music recording. I Love Marijuana was his first self-produced LP in 1978 and featuring some of his well-known tracks, like the title song, the funky 'Dread are the Controller' and 'Just Another Girl.' One of the nation's best bands, The Revolutionaries, is backing him up. It's one of the finest recordings by Linval, before he moved on to become a prominent record producer.

I Love Marijuana is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on orange coloured vinyl.

Micheal “Eyedea” Larsen and Gregory “DJ Abilities” Keltgen first met in the mid-90s and soon began a working relationship that would play a prominent role in the burgeoning Indie-Rap movement of the time. After numerous successes across nearly every notable MC or DJ battle of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, including HBO’s Blaze Battle, the Rocksteady Anniversary, Scribble Jam, the DMC’s and more, they had already cemented their legacies both as individuals in the battle scene and as the dynamic duo, Eyedea & Abilities, for their live performances and showmanship. However, determined not to be dismissed as one-dimensional, they set out to prove they were to be taken just as seriously at writing and recording. Together, they developed a near symbiotic creative union that produced three albums—First Born; E&A; and By The Throat—before Eyedea tragically passed away in 2010, at the age of 28.

The release of their debut album, First Born, had revealed their talents to be much more versatile and expansive than previously expected. The boastful arrogance and punchlines that had become synonymous with battling were notably scarce on the album. Eyedea chose to tackle subjects that were more conceptual and philosophical in nature, focusing on matters of reality and altered states of perception while pushing his urgent, dense delivery into darker, more abstract terrain. Meanwhile, DJ Abilities was able to craft worlds of depth and emotion, pairing hauntingly suspenseful beats with meticulous turntablism. The resulting album was rich in ambition, ideas and humanity. First Born came at the forefront of an exciting new era of underground hip-hop, delivering messages that emphasized questions over answers, ambiguity over certainty, and self-expression over exploitation, to an audience that was eager to expand their horizons beyond the commercial programming and clichés of the time.

VINTAGE CROP serve to serve again. Over the last four years the Geelong group have become a burgeoning force in the Australian punk scene. Their burly, brusque yet supple songs have evolved from the garage rock of 2017’s ‘TV Organs’ album into the post-punk panic attack of last year’s ‘Company Man’ EP. Now they’ve sculpted their sound further, the barrage now offset with robust songwriting, their full-pelt bounce tempered with flailing guitar lines and sardonic commentary. Bringing to mind Wire tackling tracks from early 7”s by The Yummy Fur, it’s an inspired approach, both striking and effortlessly mirthful. Vintage Crop still dish-up plenty of commanding stomp, their lyrics remain as keen-eyed as ever, but now they’re unafraid to mess with the tempo and drive their point home.
‘Serve To Serve Again’ is Vintage Crop’s third full-length album. It was recorded by Mikey Young after a year of playing solid shows, including tours in Europe and the UK alongside Louder Than Death and URSA and some of the band’s biggest shows to date in Australia with Amyl & The Sniffers, R.M.F.C. and The Stroppies. This allowed Vintage Crop to nail the songs live before committing them to tape, pulling and pushing ideas, stretching them into new-found territories. ‘First In Line’ races off the blocks with its sawtooth riff and splintered beat, all jagged edges and ragged vocals. Quickly follow a pair of totemic bruisers in the guise of ‘The Ladder’ and ‘The North’, both brimming with a nigh anthemic quality, confident in their faculty to rouse the rabble. ‘Jack’s Casino’ is a lurching romp about gambling, ‘Streetview’ is similarly propellent, only choosing to meander and divert itself with cryptic trips around the neighbourhood: “He only moved to that side of town because the postcode is worth it’s weight in gold”.
There’s no better poised nod to frustration than ‘Gridlock’ - “the hustle and bustle of inner-city traffic is driving me nuts because the radios on static”. Guitar lines entwine and wriggle wildly free from the song’s pouncing rhythm and potent vocal, making for the most vigorous of rackets. ‘Just My Luck’ prowls with a shared thrumming verve, whilst ‘Everyday Heroes’ closes out the album with measured flair. Skewed and fervent, rangy at times yet always assured in its intent ‘Serve To Serve Again’ is long-legged leap for Vintage Crop into the delirious now. These songs strive to make sense of futility, they criticise the chain of command, question privilege and most importantly make us want more from life. Now all we have to do is turn up the volume!

* Legend of the Brazilian scene, DJ Andy, has assembled some of the brightest lights, and hottest rising stars of the Brazilian Drum & Bass family and brought them all together on one huge compilation!
* “When we talk about Brazil we don't just mean Rio de Janeiro, samba, beaches and football. This compilation has music for all tastes. We are 100% connected.” - DJ Andy
* With a history stretching back to the very beginnings of rave music in the early nineties, DJ Andy is a foundational figure in Brazilian drum & bass. He's seen the trends and fashions, the sub-genres and evolutions, the mainstream hits and the underground anthems. He knows the music inside-out. And, with this compilation, he's offered us an insight into the kaleidoscope of styles and the surge of talent that his scene has to offer.
* Of course, the Chronic and V faithful will have already been introduced to many of these artists. We're talking the likes of L-Side, Alibi, BTK, Critycal Dub and more; names we all recognise from the top end of the download charts and the set lists of the biggest deejays in the business. But then there are also those making their debut for the V family. Producers like Phizical and No Scandal, who are about to find a whole new, highly appreciative, audience.
* With this strength in depth available to him in the community, DJ Andy's managed to draw together 20 tracks that reflect the full range of what this music has to offer. You'll hear influences from multiple genres, you'll hear the darkness and the light, the vibrancy and the viciousness. If you thought “Brazilian D&B” was confined to one particular sound, you'd better brace yourself for some powerful suprises.
* As DJ Andy says himself, “I wanted to show that our songs can be heard everywhere. At festivals, nightclubs, at parties with friends, while travelling and even as a dinner soundtrack.”

The story of Tonic revolves around the longstanding, close brotherhood shared among members Emerson Hart, Jeff Russo, Dan Rothchild and Kevin Shepard. Russo is best known for his work as a soundtrack composer, notably Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard and Fargo. For this latter Russo won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special in 2017.

This Grammy Award-nominated Multi-Platinum trio released their debut album Lemon Parade in 1996. The album was produced by Jack Joseph Puig, who also worked among The Black Crowes, Green Day and No Doubt. The album included the hit single “If You Could Only See”, which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Track Charts and reached #11 on the Billboard Airplay Hot 100, where it remained for 63 weeks.