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Zooparty sind international betrachtet so etwas wie Spätzünder, wenngleich sie in der skandinavischen Punkszene seit zwei Jahrzehnten eine high credibility genießen (Skrutt Magazine: "So damn good, I really love this group") und Kenner ihre Alben im Plattenschrank schon lange wie einen raren Schatz aufbewahren. Als die Band 2024 ihr Album "No matter what you say" veröffentlichte, bemerkte nicht nur das legendäre "Maximum RocknRoll" US-Magazine, dass "I am, in fact, late to the party with this band. Fortunately, they're still raging. They fucking rock Yay, I love this. Hats off " Die mitreißende Mixtur aus poppigem Punk, englischem 77er-Punkrock, Glam und ehrlichem Streetrock'n'Roll. (Ox-Fanzine) spricht eigentlich für sich selbst und obwohl Punk-Legenden wie Glen Matlock von den Sex Pistols, Brian James/ The Damned und sogar KISS-Gitarrist Bruce Kulick ihr Potential erkannten und Songs mit Zooparty aufnahmen, sind die Schweden einfach immer zu bescheiden gewesen, um sich groß ins Rampenlicht zu rücken. Eigentlich ist jedes ihrer Alben bisher ein Volltreffer gewesen oder wie schon Englands Mass Movement Fanzine 2018 schrieb: "If you like your punk with a pop edge and relish the classic Fat Wreck Chords period, then Zooparty may well have created your favourite album of the year! Pogo, pogo!" Ihr neues Album "XX" zum 20jährigen Jubiläum steht dem in nichts nach. Jede Band bezeichnet ihr neues Album als "Ihr Bestes". Zooparty darf man das aber getrost glauben: "XX" ist voller fesselnder Punkrock-Songs, die Aggression mit Wut, Verzweiflung und der klarer Message mit einem Sound verbinden. Mit Lieder wie "Stop it now" und "An eye for an eye" fassen sie alles zusammen, was Punk seit Jahrzehnten so faszinierend macht, bringen es in die Zukunft und machen daraus ihre eigene, "pogotastische Mischung" aus Tragik und Melodie. Mit dem Black Sabbath-Cover "Never say die" verabschieden sich Zooparty zusammen mit "Nomads"-Gitarrist Hans Östlund auf ihre Art von der Legende Ozzy Osbourne. Apropos Sound: Mastermind Chips Kiesbye (Sator, Nomads, The Hellacopters, etc) hat es sich auch diesmal nicht nehmen lassen, das Album zu produzieren.

Released in 1967, Open marked a bold debut for Brian Auger & The Trinity, featuring the dynamic vocals of Julie Driscoll. Music and its makers were rapidly evolving in ‘67, the UK's Jazz and R&B scenes were being influenced by pop and psychedelia and socially, musicians of many styles found common ground in London’s clubs like The Cromwellian and The Scotch Of St James where the The Beatles, US legends Wilson Pickett and Jimi Hendrix mingled with the capitals jazzers and pop stars, often loudly jamming together in even louder 'Lord Byron' shirts. 'Open' fully embraced this spirit by fusing together those genres and attitudes of the era. From the outset Auger displays his jazz rooted approach on the A side with 'In and Out' and 'Isola Natale' (later covered by one of his American jazz heroes Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes). Both showcase the Trinity's musicianship and Brian's improvisational flair. Auger himself takes on vocal duties on the raucous ‘Black Cat’, a track that became a club hit. Open is marked by its eclecticism; 'Lament for Miss Baker' is a tender, piano ballad influenced by Duke Ellington, reflecting Auger’s jazz and classical influences whilst 'Goodbye Jungle Telegraph' is a wild and crazy percussive freak out. Brian displayed not only his virtuosity but also his surrealist sense of humour with bizarre sound effects, inspired by Spike Milligan's The Goons' radio show interspersed between the tracks.

Julie Driscoll’s arrival on the album’s B side brings a sharp shift in tone. Her smoky, emotive vocals inject a soulful depth, notably on covers of Otis Redding & Carla Thomas hit 'Tramp', Aretha's 'Save Me' and The Staples Singers ‘Why Am I Treated So Bad". With original numbers 'Break It Up' and 'A Kind Of Love In' we hear the Auger / Driscoll pop infused R&B at its very best, whilst the version of Donovan’s 'Season of the Witch' stretches out into a slow-burning epic. In 2025, Open is viewed as a cult classic and testament to a unique period when genre boundaries were fluid and artistic risk-taking was the norm. Brian Auger & The Trinity’s debut captures the adventurous energy of the late 1960s. 58 years later, its importance in the development of British jazz fusion and progressive bands that followed is undeniable, with The Charlatans Tim Burgess recently commenting on Auger's Instagram that The Trinity were a 'huge influence'.

ESCAPE-ISM — the found-sound dreamdrama— are back in action & out in front. And this time, they’re leading a “Charge of the Love Brigade. ”This “charge” isn’t the traditional scramble across a muddy, bloody field though, like in the days of yore. This one is a furtive insinuation into the senses of the tuned-in listener.
Their fifth record, and fourth “sound” record — (the third one was “A Protest Against Sound”- an entirely silent LP) — “Charge of the Love Brigade” is revolutionary in its own right. Besides being packed with tunes — super-hits such as “Black Gold,” “Last Of The Sellouts,” “The Rebel Outlaw,” & “Fire in Malibu,” for exam- ple, Charge of the Love Brigade proposes a reformation of the traditional notes and scales; an entire new sound alphabet!
That’s right, ESCAPE-ISM —the “act of musical vandalism”— famous for their development of new prototypes for stomping & smashing, are reforming the scales, chords, & notes (e.g. A, B, F#, etc) that comprise musical literacy to achieve the group’s primary aim: the repurposing of music as we know it. Though many musicians of note have operated their instruments with "alternative tunings," up until now no one has obliterated tuning absolutely or abolished letter-notes for the destruction of bourgeois society.
According to ESCAPE-ISM, this will have a very profound effect: “Music will no longer be cordoned off from the rest of experience as a commodified, specialty freak show, but instead be a pastime which can be prac- ticed and enjoyed –not only by non-musicians and amateurs– but also by plant life, wild animals, and even inanimate objects such as rocks.
“The violent overthrow of musical conventions will lead to the reintegration of humanity into the natural order, the reordering of life itself into a cosmic congruity. This means the convention of time itself will be ended.” Like so-called nature itself, the ESCAPE-ISM group is also on a “loop.”
Play “Charge of the Love Brigade” and listen as ESCAPE-ISM go “over the top” against the note-letters of accepted musicality in a world premiere of a new upside-down antiscale.

Für Chantal Michelle ist das Komponieren von Musik wie eine Art Choreografie. In surrealen Klangwelten verbinden sich verschiedene Töne miteinander - sie bewegen sich zusammen und entfernen sich dann wieder voneinander - in einem Prozess, der sich ständig im Hörfeld wiederholt. Diese sich ständig verändernde Konstellation zeigt, wie zerbrechlich und veränderlich Wahrnehmung sein kann, ein Thema, das in Michelles Arbeit immer wieder auftaucht. Michelle, die schon früh eine Tanzausbildung absolvierte, bringt eine ausgeprägte räumliche Sensibilität in ihre Arbeit ein: ein intuitives Verständnis dafür, wie Formen koexistieren und sich durch drei Dimensionen bewegen, sowie eine Wertschätzung für die Schönheit, die sich in ungewöhnlichen Gegenüberstellungen von Materialien und Ideen findet. Seit sie 2021 ihre Solokarriere gestartet hat, hat sie internationale Anerkennung für ihre geduldigen, akribischen Aufnahmen bekommen, die oft zusammen mit Installationen, Mehrkanalkompositionen und Klangskulpturen entstehen. Innerhalb dieser subtil verwirrenden Klangarchitekturen können neue Beziehungen entstehen, neue Grenzen gezogen werden, und die Zuhörer werden zu einer Erfahrung von Zeit eingeladen, die sich der Linearität widersetzt. All Things Might Spill, Michelles erstes Album für Shelter Press, ist eine Auseinandersetzung mit anhaltender Spannung und der mysteriösen Erfahrung der Zeitdehnung in den Momenten kurz vor einem Bruch oder Zusammenbruch. Die Musik bewegt sich in einem Raum der Instabilität, und obwohl sie durchgehende Töne und definierte melodische Phrasen verwendet, herrscht eine Atmosphäre der Unentschlossenheit - wie ein Moment der Unruhe, der auf unbestimmte Zeit in der Schwebe bleibt. Ein Großteil des Albums wurde in den Wintermonaten 2024 in Berlin aufgenommen, wobei viele frühe Morgenstunden in einem Raum subtiler Unruhe verbracht wurden. Man sagt, dass Licht in die Dunkelheit eindringt, und diese Übergangszeit, die von Erwartungen geprägt ist, ist in der Musik zu hören. In ,Presence of Border" winden und verflechten sich nebulöse Stimmen, während sie über mehrdeutigen Harmonien schweben, die sich in unendliche Ferne zu erstrecken scheinen. Die beiden kurzen Stücke ,Magnetic Field I" und ,Magnetic Field II" enthalten bearbeitete Aufnahmen einer Tromba Marina, gespielt von der argentinischen Klangkünstlerin Alma Laprida. Die Gegenüberstellung von kratzigen Tönen und hauchzarten Obertönen erzeugt tamburaähnliche Drones, die den Zuhörer in einen schwer fassbaren Mittelpunkt ziehen. Später auf dem Album gibt es in ,Drying of Frozen Soils" modale Klarinettenlinien von Severin Black, die anfangs in dem nebligen, synthetischen Hintergrund fast nicht zu hören sind, bevor sie sich zu einem gespenstischen Kontrapunkt entwickeln. Eine ähnliche Struktur aus Unklarheit und Klarheit prägt den Titeltrack, in dem wortlose Gesänge eine laute Feldaufnahme durchdringen, die auf einer Fähre aufgenommen wurde, die den East River von Brooklyn nach Manhattan überquert. Das ist Musik mit einem weitläufigen Terrain und einer dichten Atmosphäre. Veränderungen sind langsam, aber dramatisch, jede Verschiebung ist sorgfältig geplant, um Gefühle des Staunens und der Vorfreude zu wecken und gleichzeitig eine erhabene Sensibilität dafür zu bewahren, wie einzelne Klänge mit der Bewegung ihrer Umgebung in Beziehung stehen. Michelle verzichtet meisterhaft auf Narrative und komponiert in drei Dimensionen. Wir bleiben mit der Mehrdeutigkeit des Wortes ,might" zurück - der anhaltenden Möglichkeit des energetischen Ansturms des Bruchs, des Ausbrechens, mal am Horizont, mal unmittelbar bevorstehend, irgendwie beides gleichzeitig.

Repress on black vinyl. A longtime dream has been to capture YAWNING MAN performing in the very environment that so inspired their music. The opportunity arose in 2020 from the challenges artists and musicians faced during the Covid 19 Pandemic, social distancing forcing artists to creatively adapt to alternatives to express themselves musically and visually. Yawning Man 's answer to this calling is "Live at Giant Rock". This cinematic concert experience is intimately and beautifully captured by videographer Sam Grant in the environment that inspires Yawning Man's spacious, expansive and cinematic music. Filmed live in the early morning hours of May 18th, 2020 in the visually stunning and mysterious landscape of Giant Rock. In the spirit of Pink Floyd's "Live at Pompeii" the performance is shot on location with no audience, just the band performing their instrumental meditations in the rugged beauty of the Mojave Desert. Giant Rock in Landers California has attracted Native American Nomads, Scientists, UFO Researchers, and travelers from all over the world, drawn by its magnetic spiritual energy

Black Vinyl Repress


Das Berliner Indie-/Electro-Wave-Trio Dina Summer meldet sich mit einer ordentlichen Portion Synthpop auf ihrem zweiten Album ‘’Girls Gang’ zurück!

Dina Summer ist ein kollaboratives Projekt, das aus Kalipo, einer Hälfte der legendären Electro-Punk-Band Frittenbude, und dem griechisch-deutschem DJ & Produzenten Duo Local Suicide besteht, die das Label Iptamenos Discos betreiben. Ihre bisherigen Werke umfassen das von Kritikern gefeierte Album „Rimini“ aus dem Jahr 2022, das einen nostalgischen Einblick in Retro-Disco-Vibes bietet, sowie die EPs „Who Am I“ (2021) und „Hide & Seek“ (2024). Seit der Gründung der Band vor fünf Jahren hat Dina Summers Musik mit Millionen von Streams, weltweitem Radio-Airplay und zahlreichen Spotify- und Apple Music-Editorial-Playlists für Aufsehen gesorgt und wurde von DJs wie Charlotte De Witte, The Hacker, Âme, Dixon, Joris Voorn, DJ Hell, Joyce Muniz und Dubfire gespielt. Das neue Album umfasst 11 Songs die sich mit Themen wie Empowerment („No More Tears“ & „Girls Gang“), Außenseitertum („Alien“ & „Zombie“), Vergänglichkeit („Promise Me feat, Curses & Joshua Murphy“), Nostalgie („Halkidiki“) und Beziehungen („Nothing To Hide“ & „Hypnotized“) auseinandersetzen. Legte ihr Debütalbum seinen Fokus eher auf den Club zwischen Italo-Disco und 90ies Elektro, erkundet die neue Veröffentlichung eine größere Sound-Palette, die von New Wave & Post-Punk zu Electroclash und Synth- & Indie-Pop reicht. „Girls Gang“ ist ein gutes Stück songorientierter als das Debütalbum, die Band erweitert ihr Repertoire auf einigen Songs unter anderem um echte (!) Bässe und Gitarren, vorallem aber setzt Frontfrau Dina neben ihrem Markenzeichen - Spoken Word - immer öfter auf ihre Gesangsstimme. Trotzdem knüpft das Album nahtlos an das Erstlingswerk an, man hört wieder jene poppige Melodien und Hooks mit denen sich Dina Summer zuvor schon einen Namen gemacht hat, ausgebreitet auf einem Bett aus Indiepop-Hymnen und Club-Brechern.

Johnny Cash (1932–2003) was a legendary singer-songwriter whose deep voice and storytelling made him one of the most influential figures in American music. Blending country, rock, folk, and gospel, he created timeless songs like “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues.”, “I Got Stripes,” and “Oh Lonesome Me.” Known as The Man in Black, Cash’s music spoke to themes of love, faith, and redemption, leaving an enduring mark on generations of artists.

The Golden Age of southern soul lasted from about 1962 to 1975, when disco ripped the heart out of it. And although it may seem as though the blend of country, gospel and R & B that emerged from the great studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals in that decade was entirely fresh and new, like any other genre classic, southern soul picked up musical cues and absorbed influences from a whole variety of sources: horn lines from Louisiana's swamp pop, lyrical themes from the blues, songs from country music, and of course so, so much from the black churches. Part of the 'History of Soul' series, this LP reveals the musical antecedents that gave southern soul its inspiration. The music here will tell you the real story - and it will knock your socks off too! Notes by John Ridley.

In 2023, Wood secretly worked with producer Kevin Antreassian on a new mix of his top-selling release "The Normal Album." Digging into the original 2019 recordings for more muscular takes, smoother edits, and a more nuanced and balanced mix, Antreassian and Wood created a version of the fan favorite that is one of the rare cases where a new mix is widely considered to improve on the original noticeably. "The Normal Album" is yet another turn in Wood's discography, sardonically playing with Americana and doo-wop sounds, strategically restrained but still highly emotive vocals, and lyrics densely packed with scientific and philosophical references. The dark mania of Wood's prior 2016 release, "SELF-iSH," continues on some tracks but is arranged with greater precision with a new band at his command. Like his 2015 debut "Everything is a Lot," the songs whiplash tonally but are brought together through intertwined themes and recurrent musical motifs and an undercurrent of simultaneous obtuseness and vulnerability. After the original mix of "The Normal Album" was released, a live version of the 4th track on the LP, "I/Me/Myself," had an unexpected viral moment, which brought attention to many other songs on the LP. Songs like "2econd 2ight 2eer" and "Laplace's Angel" continued to attract new fans with their dense wordplay and high-energy attitude, and the album became Wood's first major break into larger notoriety, proving that his sudden burst of popularity was not just a fleeting trend. After taking some time away from the public, Wood began to revisit the album with the intent of giving it the production that he had originally envisioned for it. Wood's top-selling album re-edited for a fuller sound and clearer instrumentation, bringing the album to a new level: new Modern Stereo Mix - 2023 Edit

Reissue of the highly-regarded 2003 live album by Canadian technical death metal masters Cryptopsy. Capturing a crushing 2002 Montreal performance featuring their then-new vocalist Martin Lacroix and a career-spanning setlist including tracks from None So Vile, Blasphemy Made Flesh, and Whisper Supremacy, showcasing incredible energy, technicality, and a notable drum solo by Flo Mounier. It's considered by many fans to be a definitive live death metal album, representing their best material from previous albums in one powerful recording.

It will expand your mind into the depths of psychedelic solitude and the haunting chambers of darkness within. If you so dare, mastermind Astral Shadow will be your guide through the untamed worlds of Black Metal and Darkwave. But beware, for if you choose to travel this path you may lose yourself and forever go mad

Wenn der Toifel (Berliner Weisse) mal alleine!!! Mit VÖ Nummer 50 beschert uns Smith & Miller Records den Toifel solo! "Für immer euer Feind" - eine Platte, wie sie ehrlicher nicht sein könnte. Hart, kompromisslos und ähnliche Floskeln stehen bei den meisten Auskopplungen in der Beschreibung, doch wenn man dann reinhört ist alles mehr Schein als sein. Toifel's Solo Debüt allerdings könnte ehrlicher und direkter nicht sein. Ein aggressiver Faustschlag gegen geheuchelte Freundschaften, Respektlosigkeit und Arroganz der Gesellschaft. Klare, deutliche Worte ohne Maulkorb direkt vom Herz auf die Zunge, wird diese Platte das Genre Streetpunk auf ein ganz neues Level heben. Lieder die im ersten Moment frustrieren aber im Nachgang Hoffnung machen und dem Hörer die Hand reichen,die dunkelsten Zeiten durchzustehen. 12 mitsingtaugliche Hymnen wie sie von Vielen lange ersehnt wurden. Fans von Berliner Weiße, OXO 86, Biertoifel, Loikaemie, 4 Promille, Gumbles, Stomper 98... werden sich froien! Zwölf Songs auf 180gr neon green/ black marbled Vinyl, limitiert, handnummerierte 1.000 Stück mit Insert oder als Digipac-CD mit Booklet.

Demetrio Castellucci and Massimo Pupillo present the music of Sleep Technique, a performance by Dewey Dell inspired by the Chauvet cave and its ancient cave paintings.
The music comes to life anew on record, an immersion into the depths of sonic particles, moist electroacoustic rhythms, the repeated forms of speleothems, and the electric bass that scrapes the walls, shaping them into concave or convex surfaces. A voice that moves incredibly slowly, yet is in constant motion, like the millennia-old, unceasing erosion of water.
The album’s journey follows the geography of the cave in reverse, moving from its deepest chamber back to the entrance.

Demetrio Castellucci is a composer and sound designer who has been involved in theater productions, choreography, and film since 2004. Around the same time, he began performing as a DJ, favoring an omnitemporal approach geared toward dance that transcends musical genres. Since 2006, he has been a member of the dance company Dewey Dell, and since 2007, he has been active as Black Fanfare, a maximalist electroacoustic project. He has collaborated on performances by Andreco and Enrico Ticconi/Ginevra Panzetti, as well as on films by Ahmed Ben Nessib, Beatrice Pucci, and Ilaria di Carlo. After living in London and Berlin, he settled in Vilnius, where in 2018 he founded Unarcheology, a digital platform that publishes music and radio programs. He is also active as Airport Gad, an ambient project which, together with Unarcheology, launched its own “Airline Company”: concerts in a flight simulator built from cardboard, where the pilots are also the musicians.

Massimo Pupillo is best known as a founding member of the band Zu, with whom he has released 18 albums and performed over 2,000 live shows worldwide. He has maintained a highly open and multidisciplinary approach that has led him to work with some of the most acclaimed figures in the contemporary art world: South African photographer Roger Ballen, actors Malcolm McDowell and Marton Csokas, Romeo Castellucci and Chiara Guidi of Societas Raffaello Sanzio, American choreographer Meg Stuart, poet Anne Waldman, and Italian poet Gabriele Tinti, among others. He has collaborated live and in the studio with avant-garde musicians and composers such as Alvin Curran, piano duo Katia & Marielle Labèque, and classical virtuosos like Viktoria Mullova and Giovanni Sollima. He has also worked with some of the most influential names in the international rock scene, including Mike Patton, Thurston Moore, Jim O’Rourke (Sonic Youth), Guy Picciotto & Joe Lally (Fugazi), Buzz Osborne (Melvins), and Damo Suzuki (CAN).

In the field of improvised music, he has collaborated with Peter Brötzmann, Toshinori Kondo, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, and Tony Buck, among others. Within the experimental music scene, his collaborations include Oren Ambarchi, David Tibet (Current 93), Thighpaulsandra (Coil), Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O))), Abul Mogard, Mick Harris (Scorn), Gordon Sharp (This Mortal Coil), FM Einheit (Einstürzende Neubauten), and many more. In cinema, he composed the score for Kirill Serebrennikov’s film LIMONOV, presented at Festival de Cannes in 2024.

Released in 1970 the band's only album, the extraordinary Afreaka!, demonstrates their excellence in playing psychedelic soul, dub- heavy funk, progressive rock, afrojazz and black acid rock. Demon Fuzz these days are amongst the most bootlegged and sampled bands from the early 70s British underground. It was a Billboard "4- STAR" selection in June 1971.

The band's name means "devil's children or bad policemen". They originally played soul, but the music they heard during a trip to Morocco lead to a change in their style to what has been described as a blend of funk, rock, jazz, and African music. Afreaka! is now available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on purple translucent coloured vinyl. The sleeve has a nice linen laminate finish

Das zweite Album des Palace-Records-Gründers Andrei Nikolsky ist stark von Soundtrack- und Library-Musik der Vergangenheit beeinflusst, darunter auch von einem seiner Helden, John Cameron (Kes, KPM, Bruton), der auf dem Album mit dem Song "Swing Time" zu hören ist. Die Platte bietet eine Mischung aus ungewöhnlicher Elektronik, modalem Jazz und experimentellem Disco. Weitere Mitwirkende sind Mitglieder seiner Band The Kanpai Quartet (Charlie Searle, Euan McGinty, Dan Kabakov) sowie die Schlagzeuger Filippo Galli, Mike Bandoni (aka Funkshone) und Felix Weldon (Johnny Dankworth, Ian Shaw, Jean Toussaint, The La's).

- "Verdammt nochmal, Mann, was für ein Jazz!" - Sarah Evans (BBC6-Produzentin)
- "Ein wunderschönes Album! Perfekt für meine One Jazz-Show." - Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s)
- "Schöne Soundsammlung." - Rory More (Les Hommes)
- "Die neuen Tracks klingen super! Ich mag die Anspielungen auf Disco und die verschiedenen musikalischen Richtungen." - Paul Osborne (Project Gemini)

Repress on black vinyl. Jalamanta was a life changing record for me. Its the record that launched my journey as Brant Bjork. Listening to the tapes 20 years later was amazing. Tony Mason and myself were transported back to that moment in time. Jalamanta was a first for both Tony and myself. My first record as a solo artist and his first record as an engineer. We didnt think twice about re-mixing it. With our combined experience over the years, we knew we could take Jalamanta to the place we always wanted it to go..and we did. Dig it. BB

The name Ran is a new one to us and seemingly remains, for now at least, cloaked in secrecy, but when we see their influences range from Loefah, Photek and Carrier to Source Direct, Regis and Mika Vainio, we were instantly hooked. To this new EP on Gelassenheit, then, which speaks to a producer with a rough and tough analogue sound and love of bass-driven techno. 'Violence' is gritty and heavy as it pounds out a groove with eerie pads in the distance, 'Minus' has punchy broken beats that come at you through a murky fog, and 'Closure ' then ducks and dives with a post-dubstep nimbleness as spooky background details suggest there is an oncoming threat. 'Manoeuvres' is a sparse, heavyweight and soot-black dub with crispy hits that demand a physical response. Early support from Carrier!

We are repressing Neil Young's 2004 Greatest Hits. The new pressing on 180g black 2LP vinyl will be available for a "release date" of 6th March for all retail accounts ex. Amazon.
Greatest Hits is the third hits compilation, and presents 16 of Neil Young's best-known songs, spanning his solo career from 1969-1992, including "Down By The River", "After The Gold Rush", "Old Man", "Heart Of Gold", and "Rockin In The Free World".
The original version of the LP came with an additional 7" which is excluded on this pressing.

Julius Hemphill's debut record, 1972's Dogon A.D., was self-produced for his Mbari imprint, and it was issued with a beautiful black-and-white cover. Very DIY. The label's name writ large along the bottom edge, like it was the band's name. It's a quartet record featuring Hemphill on alto and flute, with Baikida Carroll on trumpet, Abdul Wadud on cello, and Phillip Wilson on drums – a classic jazz front line/rhythm section format, but nothing conventional about the way the music sounds.

The long track – from where the LP takes its title – is one of the key epic statements of new jazz in the era. Among its remarkable distinctions, it manages to draw on Wilson's schizoid experience having been a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the first drummer for the Art Ensemble of Chicago, in making an 11/8 rhythm into a staggeringly funky thing of joy. Over the course of fourteen and a half minutes, Hemphill builds a nearly continuous solo, his spiritual blood brother Wadud sawing the cello with a deep blues soulfulness that is raw and mantra-like in its repetitive incantation. It feels right and wrong in equal measure, the theme carrying its own piquancy with honked barnyard dissonances and some contrary motion between the horns and string. Most of all, it takes its own sweet time, in no hurry to get anywhere in particular, but out for a righteous stroll. – John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

Altan is arguably the most iconic band working in traditional Irish music today. For the past 35 years, they have brought the music of their native County Donegal to the world stage. The band's newest album, aptly titled Donegal , pays homage to County Donegal's rich musical heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant culture. The music's authenticity and allure transport listeners to a bygone era in rural Ireland while forging a connection between the past and the present.

Featuring co- founder, lead vocalist, and fiddler Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh ; newest member Clare Friel on vocals and fiddle; accordionist Martin Tourish; guitarists Daithi Sproule and Mark Kelly; and Ciaran Curran on bouzouki and mandolin. With Jim Higgins (percussion), Steve Cooney (bass), and Graham Henderson (keyboards). Recorded by Manus Lunny at Seafront Studio in County Donegal, Ireland.

Dutch symphonic metal band Delain released their third studio album We Are the Others in 2012 to positive reviews from music critics. The album title was inspired by the murder of 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster, whose death was likely a hate crime due to her being part of the goth subculture.

Two singles were released: “Get The Devil Out of Me” and the title track "We Are The Others", for which the band shot a music video that included many well-known people from the metal scene, including George Oosthoek, Sharon den Adel, Robert Westerholt and Rob van der Loo. The album features guest contributions by the likes of Burton C. Bell (ex-Fear Factory) and Marko Hietala (ex-Nightwish) and was produced by Jacob Hellner (aka Tripod), who is best known for producing most of Rammstein’s albums.

This release of We Are the Others contains an insert and is limited to only 750 individually numbered copies on orange & black marble vinyl.

First-ever official reissue - 180g black vinyl edition

In the late 1960s, a distinctive musical movement began to flourish in Italy—while also gaining momentum abroad, particularly in France and the United Kingdom. Known as library music (or sonorization), this genre consisted of genuine music libraries created specifically to accompany audiovisual productions such as television programs, commercials, documentaries, and films.

Produced under conditions of complete artistic freedom, these recordings often defy clear categorization, as they are not tied to any single musical genre. This creative independence allowed composers—frequently working in total anonymity—to experiment boldly, crafting avant-garde and forward-thinking sounds that, in many cases, anticipated musical trends that would only become widespread years later.

Oronzo De Filippiis known not only for his contributions to library music, but also for being part of the projectThe Braen's MachinealongsideAlessandro Alessandroni, one of the most significant figures in this field.

Meccanizzazione is a fully instrumental album—as is typical of the genre—literally dominated by the distinctive sound of the harpsichord. The record essentially alternates between two main compositional approaches: on one hand, more accessible and "friendly" tracks with a refined jazz-lounge and bossa nova flavor; on the other, darker and more hypnotic pieces, whose repetitive structures vividly evoke the rhythms and mechanical pulse of the industrial world.

The Mountain is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, a collection of 15 new tracks featuring a stellar list of artists and collaborators. Jamie Hewlett’s album artwork captures the four much-loved animated band members - Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D – in a series of beautifully intricate, hand-drawn illustrations.

The Mountain is Gorillaz 9th studio album. The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded in London, Devon, Miami, Jaipur, Mumbai, New Delhi and Rishikesh; and features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. The artwork for The Mountain sees Jamie Hewlett’s distinct, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with an ever more detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn illustrations. Circumstances find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, where our heroes are immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.

With Motions, Black Flower presents a unique EP, a compact collection of musical organisms that simply insisted on coming into the world. During the creation of their latest LP Kinetic, an abundance of ideas emerged, far more than could fit on the album. Among these half-formed sketches were a few striking pieces with such a strong character that they refused to be left behind, and some even grew into band favourites.

Diagonal Walk, for instance, has long opened the Kinetic live set while on tour in Europe, despite not appearing on the record itself. The band loved playing it so much that they decided to bring it to its full potential: mixing it, mastering it, and ultimately giving it a physical release. The result is a track where energy swells and breaks in waves, offering groove, colour and deft counterpoint.

That momentum also elevated Out of One, Many, a meditation on polyrhythm and shimmering harmony, as well as Trip to the Store. Both pieces were further developed and now complete this new collection of tracks. The time between full studio albums has proved creatively rich for Black Flower. Motions stands as a vibrant statement of kinetic energy, and the band is thrilled to finally share it with the world.

Joji returns with long-awaited 4th studio album ‘Piss In The Wind’ via Palace Creek. The new LP cements his place as one of the most distinctive and genre-defying artists of his generation, balancing haunting melodies with gritty yet atmospheric production. The album captures the quiet contradictions that always defined his music, wrestling inner turmoil into something strangely beautiful. Features “PIXELATED KISSES,” “Past Won’t Leave My Bed,” and more.


Joji kehrt mit seinem lang erwarteten vierten Studioalbum „Piss In The Wind“ zurück. Die neue LP festigt seinen Platz als einer der markantesten und genreübergreifendsten Künstler seiner Generation, der eindringliche Melodien mit einer rauen, aber atmosphärischen Produktion in Einklang bringt. Das Album fängt die stillen Widersprüche ein, die seine Musik seit jeher auszeichnen, und verwandelt innere Unruhe in etwas seltsam Schönes. Mit „PIXELATED KISSES”, „Past Won’t Leave My Bed” und weiteren Titeln.

BBE Music presents J Jazz volume 3, the latest in its definitive compilation series exploring the finest modern jazz from Japan. Since the first volume in February 2018, the J Jazz compilation series has showcased some of the most creative, inspired and sought-after jazz recorded in Japan during a golden period spanning the 1960s to the 1980s. Illustrating the richness and versatility of the composers and musicians on this collection, the music spans a wide yet coherent range of styles: samba, funk fusion, modal, spiritual, post-bop and bossa all combine to present an aural portrait of a jazz scene that was constantly moving and shifting its multiple musical centres of gravity. Mastered at the Grammy-nominated Carvery studio in London, many of the tracks featured are reissued for the first time, including mega-rare private press cuts from the Yasuhiro Kohno Trio, Masaru Imada Trio, and Hideyasu Terakawa Quartet. There’s heavy post modal bop by J Jazz legends Kohsuke Mine and Koichi Matsukaze; samba heat from Tatsuya Nakamura, Hideo Shiraki and Seiichi Nakamura; and funky dance floor energy by Hiroshi Murakami, Ryojiro Furusawa Quartet and Shigeharu Mukai. Selected albums from which the tracks are drawn will be reissued in full as part of the acclaimed BBE Music J Jazz Masterclass Series. Released as a deluxe, heavyweight x3 vinyl set in a gatefold sleeve with obi strip and insert, the collection comes with extensive artist biographies and track information. J Jazz volume 3 is also available in a x2 CD set with three bonus tracks, and selected tracks are available across digital platforms for download and streaming. J Jazz is conceived, compiled and annotated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden for BBE Music.

The Mountain is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, a collection of 15 new tracks featuring a stellar list of artists and collaborators. Jamie Hewlett’s album artwork captures the four much-loved animated band members - Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D – in a series of beautifully intricate, hand-drawn illustrations.

The Mountain is Gorillaz 9th studio album. The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded in London, Devon, Miami, Jaipur, Mumbai, New Delhi and Rishikesh; and features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. The artwork for The Mountain sees Jamie Hewlett’s distinct, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with an ever more detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn illustrations. Circumstances find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, where our heroes are immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.

Aaron Warren und Bjorn Copeland machen seit 1999 zusammen Musik: neun Jahre als Flaccid Mojo und 26 Jahre als Black Dice. Diese Zusammenarbeit ist wie eine Wanderung durch die verwüstete Landschaft der zeitgenössischen Musik. Indem sie Dummes, Gedämpftes und Verbrauchtem stapeln, schaffen die beiden immer wieder unausgewogene, atemberaubende Mutantenkonstruktionen. Das neueste Beispiel dafür ist ,Loose Jacks", das zweite Album von Flaccid Mojo. Es besteht aus kostenlosen Handy-Apps, fragmentierten YouTube-Videos und Elektronik mit zerbrochenen Bildschirmen - den verbrannten und zerknitterten Überresten des Streaming-Industriekomplexes. ,Loose Jacks" ist das breite, hysterische Grinsen, wenn man in den letzten Tagen einen Schatz findet. Die Songs von Flaccid Mojo sind für Live-Auftritte gemacht, mit einem modularen Arsenal an Rhythmen, Stabs und Payoffs, die alle bereitstehen. Das ist ihre Art, das Physische in den Mittelpunkt zu stellen und sicherzustellen, dass die körperlichen Vorgaben der Komposition jedes Songs diese Befehle an alle im Publikum wiederholen. Die Befriedigung eines Loops, der so lange läuft, bis er dir im Blut liegt, die Bassline, die zu einem Stoß geformt ist, der Snare-Hit, der so scharf ist wie der Ellbogen eines Fremden. Man kann sich wie ein Geist fühlen, der durch die Platte einer anderen Band schwebt, aber Loose Jacks ist wie eine Mauer, eine schwere Decke, starke Hände, die dich auf einen Haufen von Körpern heben. Es ist eine befreiende, unspirituelle Erfahrung. Eine fleischliche. Wie schon ihr Debütalbum ,Flaccid Mojo" (veröffentlicht 2022 bei Castle Face) wurde auch ,Loose Jacks" von Chris Coady aufgenommen, der seit den Neunzigern bei Black Dice-Konzerten dabei ist. Es ist toll, mit Leuten zu arbeiten, die es kapieren und nicht über Tonarten oder ,das Raster" diskutieren. Ähnlich wurde ,Loose Jacks" von Sarah Register gemastert, deren Band Talk Normal sich eine Wand mit dem Proberaum von Black Dice teilte. Für Fans von Chrome, Men's Recovery Project und den Chemical Brothers.

ULI SAILOR -> File under: Punkrock am KlavierNach über 30 Jahren auf Bühnen zwischen Punkkeller und Festivalhauptbühne bringt Uli Sailor nun sein erstes Piano Solo-Album heraus. ,Besser Anders" ist das Ergebnis von zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit - zehn Songs voller Energie, Melancholie und Haltung. Produziert wurde das Album halb in Berlin von Thies Neu, halb in Köln von Tobias Röger (Wohlstandskinder, Udo Lindenberg, Slime).Musikalisch schlägt Uli eine Brücke zwischen Indie-Rock und Punk, bleibt dabei aber weit entfernt von weichgespültem Pop. Klavier, Cello und Gesang treffen auf kantige Arrangements und Texte, die irgendwo zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik liegen - poetisch, wütend, reflektiert. Themen wie Gentrifizierung, digitale Entfremdung und die unerschütterliche Liebe zum Punk ziehen sich durchs ganze Werk.,Besser Anders" ist ein Album gegen die Austauschbarkeit. Kein KI-Produkt, keine Routine - sondern Handarbeit, Schweiß und Herzblut. Uli zeigt, dass Punkrock auch mit Klaviertasten funktionieren kann, solange man das richtige Maß an Wut, Humor und Zärtlichkeit mitbringt.Patrick Reerink (GUTS PIE EARSHOT) sorgt auf dem Album für die Cello-Parts. ,Kiezblock" entsteht gemeinsam mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ), unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Chor von Freund*innen - unter anderem Dead End Kids, Berlin Blackouts, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. In ,Der demagogische Wandel" greift Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzt ein Solo, das hängen bleibt. Das macht ,Besser Anders" zu mehr als einem einsamen Solo-Projekt, sondern ein kollektives Statement mit Haltung.Mittel-Version (2600 Zeichen)Sommer 2025: In einem Berliner Proberaum sitzt ein Mensch und macht das, was er am liebsten tut - Musik. Dieser Mensch heißt Uli Breitbach, besser bekannt als Uli Sailor. Seit über 30 Jahren ist er kreativer Arbeiter, mal euphorisch, mal verzweifelt, und nach zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit erscheint nun sein erstes Solo-Album: ,Besser Anders".Was wie eine klassische Musikerbiografie klingt, steht im Kontrast zur Gegenwart. Während Künstliche Intelligenz längst komplette Bands ersetzt, bleibt Uli Sailors Musik das Gegenteil davon: handgemacht, ehrlich, mit hörbarem Herzblut. Uli geht auf die 50 zu und bringt sein Debüt erst jetzt heraus - nach Jahrzehnten als Teil verschiedenster Bands wie den Skatepunks D-SAILORS, den Indierockern TUSQ und der legendären Deutschpunkband TERRORGRUPPE.Nach deren Ende wagte Uli ein ungewöhnliches Experiment: Punksongs seiner Jugend auf dem Klavier - unterstützt von Cello. Was zunächst abwegig klang, traf einen Nerv. Seine Konzerte führten ihn in kleine Clubs ebenso wie auf große Bühnen - vom Sisyphos über Rock am Ring bis zur Volksbühne. Egal ob Punkkneipe oder Festival: Uli Sailor funktioniert überall.2024 folgte die EP ,Für immer jung", fünf eigene Songs zwischen Wut und Sentimentalität, die von Kritikern durchweg gelobt wurden. Jetzt also das Album. ,Besser Anders", das am 27. Februar 2026 erscheint - zehn Songs, produziert zur Hälfte von Thies Neu (SHIRLEY HOLMES, DYSE, DEAD END KIDS) in Berlin und von Tobias Röger (WOHLSTANDSKINDER, SLIME, UDO LINDENBERG) in Köln.Musikalisch wagt Uli den Schritt vom Piano-Punkrock hin zu einem Mix aus Indie und Punk, ohne dabei seine Haltung zu verlieren. ,Sellout?", mögen manche rufen. ,Hört doch erst einmal rein", wäre die passende Antwort. Denn ,Besser Anders" ist weit entfernt von weichgespültem Befindlichkeits-Pop. Die Texte bewegen sich zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik, kraftvoll, poetisch und differenziert. Uli Sailor benennt Missstände, bleibt aber empathisch, reflektiert und wirkt nie platt. Es ist ein vielseitiges, eigenständiges Album mit Songs über Gentrifizierung, digitale Abhängigkeit, verblühende Liebe und die unerschütterliche Kraft des Punk.Patrick Reerink von GUTS PIE EARSHOT steuerte die Cello-Parts bei. Mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ) entstand eine gemeinsam geschriebene Anti-Gentrifizierungshymne, unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Backgroundchor, der sich gewaschen hat: Mitglieder von Berlin Blackouts, Dead End Kids, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. Bei ,Der demagogische Wandel" wiederum griff Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzte ein Solo, das man so schnell nicht vergisst. ,Besser Anders" ist damit weit mehr als ein Solo-Album - es ist ein Gemeinschaftswerk mit Haltung.Vielleicht wird Uli Sailor keine Millionen Klicks erzielen. Aber das ist gut so. Dieses Album ist kein Algorithmusprodukt, sondern das Ergebnis ehrlicher Handarbeit, Leidenschaft und einer großen Liebe zur Musik. Punkrock bleibt hier der rote Faden - anders, besser, echt.

ULI SAILOR -> File under: Punkrock am KlavierNach über 30 Jahren auf Bühnen zwischen Punkkeller und Festivalhauptbühne bringt Uli Sailor nun sein erstes Piano Solo-Album heraus. ,Besser Anders" ist das Ergebnis von zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit - zehn Songs voller Energie, Melancholie und Haltung. Produziert wurde das Album halb in Berlin von Thies Neu, halb in Köln von Tobias Röger (Wohlstandskinder, Udo Lindenberg, Slime).Musikalisch schlägt Uli eine Brücke zwischen Indie-Rock und Punk, bleibt dabei aber weit entfernt von weichgespültem Pop. Klavier, Cello und Gesang treffen auf kantige Arrangements und Texte, die irgendwo zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik liegen - poetisch, wütend, reflektiert. Themen wie Gentrifizierung, digitale Entfremdung und die unerschütterliche Liebe zum Punk ziehen sich durchs ganze Werk.,Besser Anders" ist ein Album gegen die Austauschbarkeit. Kein KI-Produkt, keine Routine - sondern Handarbeit, Schweiß und Herzblut. Uli zeigt, dass Punkrock auch mit Klaviertasten funktionieren kann, solange man das richtige Maß an Wut, Humor und Zärtlichkeit mitbringt.Patrick Reerink (GUTS PIE EARSHOT) sorgt auf dem Album für die Cello-Parts. ,Kiezblock" entsteht gemeinsam mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ), unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Chor von Freund*innen - unter anderem Dead End Kids, Berlin Blackouts, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. In ,Der demagogische Wandel" greift Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzt ein Solo, das hängen bleibt. Das macht ,Besser Anders" zu mehr als einem einsamen Solo-Projekt, sondern ein kollektives Statement mit Haltung.Mittel-Version (2600 Zeichen)Sommer 2025: In einem Berliner Proberaum sitzt ein Mensch und macht das, was er am liebsten tut - Musik. Dieser Mensch heißt Uli Breitbach, besser bekannt als Uli Sailor. Seit über 30 Jahren ist er kreativer Arbeiter, mal euphorisch, mal verzweifelt, und nach zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit erscheint nun sein erstes Solo-Album: ,Besser Anders".Was wie eine klassische Musikerbiografie klingt, steht im Kontrast zur Gegenwart. Während Künstliche Intelligenz längst komplette Bands ersetzt, bleibt Uli Sailors Musik das Gegenteil davon: handgemacht, ehrlich, mit hörbarem Herzblut. Uli geht auf die 50 zu und bringt sein Debüt erst jetzt heraus - nach Jahrzehnten als Teil verschiedenster Bands wie den Skatepunks D-SAILORS, den Indierockern TUSQ und der legendären Deutschpunkband TERRORGRUPPE.Nach deren Ende wagte Uli ein ungewöhnliches Experiment: Punksongs seiner Jugend auf dem Klavier - unterstützt von Cello. Was zunächst abwegig klang, traf einen Nerv. Seine Konzerte führten ihn in kleine Clubs ebenso wie auf große Bühnen - vom Sisyphos über Rock am Ring bis zur Volksbühne. Egal ob Punkkneipe oder Festival: Uli Sailor funktioniert überall.2024 folgte die EP ,Für immer jung", fünf eigene Songs zwischen Wut und Sentimentalität, die von Kritikern durchweg gelobt wurden. Jetzt also das Album. ,Besser Anders", das am 27. Februar 2026 erscheint - zehn Songs, produziert zur Hälfte von Thies Neu (SHIRLEY HOLMES, DYSE, DEAD END KIDS) in Berlin und von Tobias Röger (WOHLSTANDSKINDER, SLIME, UDO LINDENBERG) in Köln.Musikalisch wagt Uli den Schritt vom Piano-Punkrock hin zu einem Mix aus Indie und Punk, ohne dabei seine Haltung zu verlieren. ,Sellout?", mögen manche rufen. ,Hört doch erst einmal rein", wäre die passende Antwort. Denn ,Besser Anders" ist weit entfernt von weichgespültem Befindlichkeits-Pop. Die Texte bewegen sich zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik, kraftvoll, poetisch und differenziert. Uli Sailor benennt Missstände, bleibt aber empathisch, reflektiert und wirkt nie platt. Es ist ein vielseitiges, eigenständiges Album mit Songs über Gentrifizierung, digitale Abhängigkeit, verblühende Liebe und die unerschütterliche Kraft des Punk.Patrick Reerink von GUTS PIE EARSHOT steuerte die Cello-Parts bei. Mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ) entstand eine gemeinsam geschriebene Anti-Gentrifizierungshymne, unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Backgroundchor, der sich gewaschen hat: Mitglieder von Berlin Blackouts, Dead End Kids, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. Bei ,Der demagogische Wandel" wiederum griff Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzte ein Solo, das man so schnell nicht vergisst. ,Besser Anders" ist damit weit mehr als ein Solo-Album - es ist ein Gemeinschaftswerk mit Haltung.Vielleicht wird Uli Sailor keine Millionen Klicks erzielen. Aber das ist gut so. Dieses Album ist kein Algorithmusprodukt, sondern das Ergebnis ehrlicher Handarbeit, Leidenschaft und einer großen Liebe zur Musik. Punkrock bleibt hier der rote Faden - anders, besser, echt.

Svarta Havet's sophomore album out in February via Svart Records Hailing from Turku, Finland, SVARTA HAVET are set to release their sophomore album Månen ska lysa din väg for the European market via Svart Records on February 27th, 2026. Originally released by the US based Prosthetic Records in May 2025, Månen ska lysa din väg casts a critical eye over the negative effects of Western colonialism, capital greed and convenience at the cost of sustainability, presenting a rallying cry for change whilst never losing sight of the light that this world has to offer. Formed in 2018, SVARTA HAVET is a self-described dyster (gloomy) post-hardcore group born from the Finnish DIY punk and hardcore scene, with the members bonding over a shared affinity for punk music and community-first ideals with a focus on antifascist, feminist, trans and queer politics.

Where their 2021 debut full-length, JORD/VATTEN, served as an introduction to SVARTA HAVET’s amalgam sound of post-metal, hardcore punk and black metal, Månen ska lysa din väg is a deftly woven together panorama of their respective influences and a captivatingly urgent political and compassionately personal case for humanity’s course correction. With communities residing at the heart of their purpose, on a localised and a broad scale, SVARTA HAVET are not ones to lay idle in their hopes of a better world. 2026 will continue to see the band both touring their home country and beyond, as well as being deeply involved in organizing gigs and events through the collectively-run venue, Kirjakahvila ("Book Cafe") – a queer feminist, anti-capitalist DIY community space in Finland. In addition to hosting local acts, the group’s tireless efforts to support international bands will continue to see SVARTA HAVET helping to foster a vibrant underground scene in the process. SVARTA HAVET is: Lotta (she/her) - vocals Joakim (he/him) - guitar Anders (he/him) - bass Jara (she/her) - drums

World Of Echo announces the reissue of two remastered albums by Japanese guitarist and songwriter Naoki Zushi, 1988’s Paradise, and 2005’s III. Two classics of Japanese psychedelia, both Paradise and III were originally released on Org Records, the imprint of Shinji Shibayama of acid-folk group Nagisa Ni Te, with whom Zushi has guested on second guitar for decades. Both intimate and expansive, rich with revelatory songwriting and blasted, sky-scouring guitar, these reissues return these albums to print for the first time since the 2000s. It’s the first time III has been officially released on vinyl, with an extra, previously unreleased track, “Under The June Moonlight.”

Recorded in Kyoto’s Townhouse Studios in mid 1987 and released in limited-to-500 vinyl pressing in 1988, Paradise emerged from a scene in Kansai, Japan that was embracing the idiosyncracies of 1970s singer-songwriters, the soaring solos of early seventies psychedelia, and the DIY impulse of 1980s post-punk. While Zushi’s musical history stretched back to the early eighties – he was a founding member of Jojo Hiroshige’s noise outfit Hijokaidan – he found his feet with groups like Hallelujahs, whose dream-pop collection Niku O Kuraite Chikai Wo Tateyo was recently reissued by Black Editions, and Idiot O’Clock.

Paradise appeared two years after that Hallelujahs album and share much the same membership – Zushi’s backing band on several of the songs includes Shibayama on drums and Ken-Ichi Takayama (aka Idiot) on electric guitar, though just as often, Zushi plays all the instruments himself. The coordinates here are wide-reaching – you can hear the volume and intensity of Neil Young & Crazy Horse (on “Hallelujah: Left Side” and “Paradise: Midday”), the slow-motion magic of Galaxie 500, the idiosyncratic spirit of The Only Ones, all mixed up with tender guitar miniatures and stumbling garage-psych-pop moves.

Seven years later, after the transitional album Phenomenal Luciferin, Zushi released III. Perhaps his masterpiece, it’s already been bootlegged on vinyl, but this reissue is the real deal. The album was recorded at Studio Nemu over seven years, and sees Zushi backed by Shibayama (bass) and Masako Takeda (drums), his erstwhile bandmates in Nagisa Ni Te. By this stage, Zushi had started to really stretch out, and many of the songs on III swoon languorously, taking their sweet time to say what they need to say. It’s rich with lovely, melancholy songs, in a similar realm to bandmates Nagisa Ni Te, of course, but you can also hear traces of everything from Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs, through seventies private press loner folk, to the slow-burn meanderings of the likes of early Low or Damon & Naomi.

When interviewed by Shibayama in the mid-nineties, Zushi said of Paradise, “it was a sort of collection of songs that had meant something to me up to that point… it was my paradise. I wanted to create paradise.” That’s something Zushi achieves on both of these albums – visionary Japanese psychedelia, en route to paradise. - Jon Dale

Hier ist "Eine Stimme für das Unsagbare, das gehört werden sollte", ein "Künstler von größter Bedeutung". So beschreibt die Band Big Thief, Freunde und Fans, Twain in einer Ankündigung seines Albums "Rare Feeling". Aufgenommen und co-produziert wurde "Rare Feeling" von Adrian Olsen (Natalie Prass, Foxygen) und Scott McMicken von Dr. Dog. Twain ist das Soloprojekt von Mt. (Mat) Davidson, ein Singer-Songwriter und Multi-Instrumentalist mit einer markanten, einnehmend klaren Stimme. Den größten Teil des letzten Jahrzehnts hat er in Bands wie The Low Anthem und Spirit Family Reunion verbracht Nun aber konzentriert er sich mehr und mehr auf sein Solo-Projekt TWAIN, eines, das seine Wurzeln zwar auch in Indie Folk und Americana hat, aber beherzt, und mit Elementen von Psychedelic Rock, seine ganz eigene Stimme bildet. "Twains unermessliche, suchende Musik beschwört den Cosmic Folk eines Tim Buckley herauf", meinte kürzlich NPR. ,Hier ist die Art von Musik" - urteilt NPR weiter - ,die, wäre sie vor 50 Jahren entstanden, heute ein geschätztes Kultalbum wäre." Es ist ein wirklich besonderes Album, etwas, das man zu finden hofft. Es ist gleichzeitig vertraut, zeitlos und zugänglich, aber es überrollt auch mit seiner eigenen Schönheit und Besinnlichkeit. Und der Albumtitel passt perfekt.

Mute welcomes German synthesizer and producer duo Felsmann + Tiley to the roster with the release of their new album Protomensch. Out February 13, 2026 on limited edition black vinyl packaged in a special gatefold sleeve featuring a mirror foil lamination on the inner panel revealing a ‘self-portrait of the protomensch.’

On Protomensch (German for “proto-human”), Felsmann + Tiley blend shimmering synthwave, pounding trance, and introspective IDM with synth-pop-infused tracks featuring guest vocalists including London’s Pet Deaths and Australian artists The Kite String Tangle, Woodes, and Laius.

This juxtaposition between sentient beings and machines permeates the whole album – right from the duo’s manifesto introducing us the highly intelligent yet irrevocably shortsighted and downright tragic character of Protomensch – the cover artwork featuring turtleneck wearing chimpanzee, futuristic music videos, and stark social media aesthetics to seated, next-level live-shows involving collaboration with dozens of visual artists.

Despite their online ubiquity, sparked in part by their viral reinterpretation of label-mate M83’s “Solitude,” which has been used over 1 million times on TikTok and high-profile syncs on shows including Young Royals (season two), the BAFTA-winning crime thriller Top Boy (season three), and Amazon’s The Better Sister, Felsmann + Tiley have lingered largely on the periphery, their origins cloaked in quiet anonymity, until now. With the release of Protomensch, Felsmann + Tiley present their fully realized artistic vision and step into the spotlight.

"deathcrash’s third album, Somersaults, glimmers with an everyday euphoria. The London-based slowcore/ post-rock quartet has always had an affinity for building worlds only to crush them. From their breakout EP, People thought my windows were stars (2021), through two critically acclaimed studio albums, Return (2022) and Less (2023), they have been both the architects and the destroyers, the creationists and the ones manning the flood barrier. But, recorded between Black Box Studio in the Loire Valley and Haggerston’s Holy Mountain, Somersaults is almost joyful.

Its ten tracks are more vocal heavy than any of the band’s catalogue – think Mark Linkous via The Kinks – but lyrically, Somersaults resists revelation. For all its abrasion, phrases appear half-swallowed, broken off at the edge of meaning, consumed by the smaller textures of living. “Thirty, no career, it fucking worries me / And doing the band doesn’t help,” Banks sings in ‘NYC’. But, “This life is the best life,” he finishes in ‘CMC’ on top of the ambient white noise of an office printer, thankful that the band is still there, “still making noise in the doorway.”

Their role as caretakers of Duster, Low and Codeine’s slowcore lineage is all across Somersaults – songs scud to a narcotic crawl, sound monolithic and inwards before spotlighting a crystalline nothing. Cathartic builds are muddied with tenderness, the bass a heavy grounding, the drums an exhausted heartbeat grasping for air. But more so than ever, even the silence feels collaborative – a gesture of communal trust – friends celebrating the room they’ve made for each other’s ghosts, and some of the biggest, brightest songs they’ve made to date."

Written during a period of geographic and artistic transition, Country Music traces Severin Black’s movement from London to Berlin, unfolding through cycles of isolation and adaptation. Composed on the city’s periphery, the album’s material was continually dismantled and reassembled, reflecting a process of both artistic and personal reconstruction. The album marks a shift in production methodology, moving away from the immediacy of summed live takes toward a more deliberate, stratified multitrack approach. Sparse yet hypnotic, the record distills layers of sound formed by constant relocation, recurrent solitude, and a recalibration of instinct. In many ways, it echoes the experience of exile, not in a political sense but in the quieter, more insidious form of displacement that alters one’s perception of time and self. The music drifts between structure and dissolution, a reflection of existing at the threshold of different spaces—both physically and sonically.

The shedding of the previously used Nape moniker signaled a decisive sonic transformation, informed by extended time spent in the Pyrenees and a renewed engagement with folkloric material. Severin began playing the clarinet while making this record, and though its presence is minimal, it reveals itself as an interest in acoustic simulation, particularly the digital approximations of classical instruments that emerged within 1990s synthesizer technology. This interrogation of authenticity and mediation parallels the album’s thematic engagement with memory, where recollection functions not as a retrieval of fixed experience but as an iterative process of distortion and reconstruction. The relocation to Berlin reignited an affinity for grime music, evident in the syncopated brass of Pilgrim Wine and the fractured vocal layers of March, while memories of childhood in rural Wales permeate the record’s atmospheric spaces. The album includes contributions from longtime collaborator Vanessa Bedoret and Berlin-based artist Pavel Milyakov (Buttechno).

Country Music situates itself within an unresolved dialogue—between past and speculative futures, between folk lineage and digital fragmentation, between place and its embodied and sonic traces. What emerges is not a fixed statement but a process, an ongoing negotiation between what is left behind and what is brought forward. Words by Chantal Michelle

Mastered by Owen Pratt / Design by Severin Black / Center label image by Nicky Kidd / Back cover text by Alya Kanıbelli

Alex Rex, the project of acclaimed musician and former Trembling Bells bandleader Alex Neilson, is set to release his fourth and final studio album, The National Trust, on March 28th. Written in the wake of the sudden death of his younger brother, Alastair, the album is a poignant reflection on loss, love, and renewal, deeply rooted in the landscape of Carbeth—a cabin community in the Scottish countryside that Alastair called home. For Neilson, the cabin became both a physical and emotional project, a symbol of restoration and reconnection.

"For the first four years after Alastair died, his cabin lay empty and exposed to the remorseless Scottish weather. It came to look like a rotten tooth in a beautiful mouth. Cladding was dropping off its veneer, the ashen baubles of dead wasps nests clung to the rafters, all his possessions were just as he'd left them but eaten by mice, moths and time. Ashtrays still carried the crushed centimetres of his old tab ends. The cabins are so joyfully animated by their host's specific personality and this one looked like a haunted house. Guilt, unrealised hopes and encroaching nature yoked together in a wandering sadness. Combined with the fact that I didn't know the right way round to hold a hammer made the project of its restoration seem hopeless.”

Neilson, however, gradually began chipping away at the task, determined to transform the cabin into something he hoped would resemble “a National Trust site occupied by a psychopath,” with a little help from some friends, including Lavinia Blackwall and Marco Rea.

“They poured love into the cabin and helped restore Alastair's original vision. The project also helped restore my relationship with Lavinia which had fractured after Trembling Bells broke up in 2017. Alongside long-term Rex lieutenant Rory Haye, we applied the same intensity of dedication that we did in renovating the cabin, into creating The National Trust.”

As with Neilson’s previous albums, the recording process was intentionally unpolished, with songs presented in the studio with no rehearsals and captured in just a few takes. This raw, immediate approach amplifies the emotional weight of the album, which Neilson describes as being at a “personal apex of sour self-reflection, mock misanthropy, and self-exposure.” Longtime collaborators Lavinia Blackwall, Marco Rea, and Rory Haye return, alongside guest musicians like Jill O’Sullivan (Jill Lorean) and Trembling Bells guitarist Mike Hastings, to bring Neilson’s vision to life. The result is a deeply personal and multifaceted work, blending acid wit with haunting introspection.

The songs on The National Trust traverse a wide emotional and thematic range. The title track opens the album with a sharp and confessional edge, exploring love, loathing, and cultural critique with Neilson’s signature wit. “Boss Morris” pays tribute to the all-female Morris dancing troupe that reinvents British folk with vibrant energy, while “Two Kinds of Song” turns self-referential humour into an avalanche of remorse, culminating in the unforgettable chorus: “I’ve got two kinds of song. Which one will it be; one where I hate myself or one where you hate me?” Elsewhere, tracks like “Psychic Rome” draw from the decadence and hysteria of ancient Rome, while “The Coward in the Tower” breaks new ground as the only song Neilson has composed on an instrument before recording.

Throughout the album, Neilson’s lyricism is as vivid as ever, transforming personal tragedy into poignant and often darkly humorous art. Yet, there is a sense of finality to this work. "Songwriting has encouraged me to see the whole world as a resource. The things people say and throw away can be chiselled and polished and plopped into a lyric. It’s the same with building the cabin- scouring the edges of society for pallets, discarded wood, ornaments for the garden. But while song writing brings to life orphaned parts of my personality, the cabin is a synthesis of all my interests – nurturing my emotional health instead of exploiting it. With that in mind, I think this will be my last album as Alex Rex.”

With The National Trust, Neilson closes a significant chapter of his career, blending masterful musicianship with deeply personal storytelling. Known for his collaborations with artists such as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shirley Collins, and Current 93, as well as his decade-long tenure leading the psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells, Neilson has long been celebrated for his eclectic and uncompromising vision. This final album serves as a fitting culmination of his journey as Alex Rex, capturing the essence of his artistry while offering a profound exploration of loss, renewal, and the enduring power of love.