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Shir Khan marks the 37th release on his infamous Black Jukebox imprint with an all-killer balearic house record courtesy of mysterious Cécille-affiliated Cabin Luv Affair hot on the heels of his debut album which has seen support from Fouk, Laurent Garnier, Jamie Jones, Mr. V and Archie Hamilton.

Here, the masked master lays out 4 convivial cuts that sit in a particular pocket between House and Disco; one that has historically been occupied by the likes of Pepe Bradock, Damiano Von Eckert and Andrés. A spot classically characterised by beautifully imperfect, sample-heavy productions that are shot through with palpable depth and soul.

The record sets sail with ’Te Siento’. Polyrhythmic percussion bubbles across the surface of a deep sonic pool that forms a bed for vivacious drums, romantic vocals and a spine-tingling strings riff. A hazy opening clears out before the backbone of recording shines through; an uplifting 90s piano motif that's later picked up by Xylophone tones while a tight, truncated bass line punches away at the track's core.

'Dance With Us' then rolls out a beautifully seductive mood. Softly shifting synth chords, a loose-limbed drum break and hedonic vocals whip up a hot and heavy vibe that shines with a distinctly Chicago-tinged elegance.

'Time Is Killing Us' follows up with an immaculately executed, 'last tune' House groove. A gentle but powerful euphoria is generated with swooning strings, more giddy piano riffs and another robust drum track that all gather momentum as progress rolls on. An ecstasy-crescendo forms before it crashes and fizzles before the lights go on.

'My Head Like Shibuya Crossing' then follows up with a tightly-knitted Deep House cut. Buttery melodies adorn an effortlessly kinetic bass groove before a delicate Japanese vocal bleeds into focus. As is the case with much of the record, the track graciously segues through its chapters with melody at the fore-front before bringing the record to a conclusion.

Following the cult success of the first 2 EPs, Common Saints presents
the debut album "Cinema 3000". The theme continues, blending soul,
funk, and psychedelic influences, with the organic sound and rich
instrumentation that Common Saints has become known for.

Conceived in 2020 by writer/producer Charlie J Perry the production approach

for Commons Saints consists of him playing and recording real instruments in his

London home studio. One mike for the drums, his beloved piano and amps up

loud!



The album encapsulates the old school recording approach and musicianship the

discerning ear craves but with a more modern punch - a true sonic bath for all the

connoisseurs out there. Think, UK's equivalent to Tame Impala and Khruangbin.



The first EP "Idol Eyes" (2020) has seen 3 re-presses to date and is now selling at

multiples on Discogs. "Cinema 3000" is set to surpass expectations and is highly

anticipated within the Commons Saints community. The first LP pressing is on a

' blue meteorite splatter’ effect colour vinyl and will be limited to 2000 units

globally. Also available on CD, presented in a 6-panel digipak.

Wer die turbulente Karriere von Blake Judd und seiner bahnbrechenden Band verfolgt hat, dürfte von harschem Gegenwind kaum überrascht sein. Davon unbeirrt legen NACHTMYSTIUM mit ihrem neunten Studioalbum "Blight Privilege" erneut ein Meisterwerk vor. "Blight Privilege" kann es sogar mit der großen Trilogie von Alben aufnehmen, die Kritiker und Anhänger der amerikanischen Black Metal (USBM) Vorreiter nach wie vor als den Höhepunkt der frühen Karriere betrachten: "Instinct: Decay" (2006), "Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. I" (2008), und "Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II" (2010). Wie ein infernalischer Scharfschütze trifft jeder Song auf "Blight Privilege" voll ins Schwarze. Die ersehnten und unentbehrlichen finsteren Elemente sind vollzählig vorhanden: Kehlig-raue Gesänge, das aggressive Surren der Gitarren, die in einem eiskalten Feuer brennen, und jene Momente ebenso ekstatischer wie erhabener Schönheit in den ansonsten höllischen Klangwelten. Doch auch jene feinen, aber großartigen Details, die der musikalisch äußerst versierte Judd stets geschickt in seinen schwarzen Klanggewittern versteckt hat, wie etwa Elemente aus Post-Punk und Wave finden sich auf "Blight Privilege". Sogar eine Messerspitze Outlaw Country ist neu hinzugekommen. Auch wenn "Blight Privilege" an die glorreichen Zeiten von NACHTMYSTIUM anknüpft - ist es dennoch kein Schwelgen in Nostalgie, sondern eine zukunftsweisende Fortsetzung und die nächste musikalische Evolutionsstufe der Band. Dieses neunte Album des Amerikaners ist von einer Reife geprägt, die aus harten Erfahrungen und einem brutalen Lernprozess resultiert. Judds ebenso charakteristische wie diabolisch eingängige Melodien sind scharfkantiger als je zuvor und haben nichts von ihrem Biss verloren. Das mag auch damit zu tun haben, dass es das erste Album der USBM-Speerspitze ist, das von Judd in einem rauschfreien Zustand komponiert wurde. "Blight Privilege" ist eine Kampfansage, mit der NACHTMYSTIUM den USBM-Thron vehement einfordern. Dieses Album hat wieder die musikalische Kraft und lyrische Kühnheit, um diesem Anspruch gerecht zu werden. Liebt oder hasst das Album, aber NACHTMYSTIUM errichten mit "Blight Privilege" zweifellos einen massiven Meilenstein!

Wer die turbulente Karriere von Blake Judd und seiner bahnbrechenden Band verfolgt hat, dürfte von harschem Gegenwind kaum überrascht sein. Davon unbeirrt legen NACHTMYSTIUM mit ihrem neunten Studioalbum "Blight Privilege" erneut ein Meisterwerk vor. "Blight Privilege" kann es sogar mit der großen Trilogie von Alben aufnehmen, die Kritiker und Anhänger der amerikanischen Black Metal (USBM) Vorreiter nach wie vor als den Höhepunkt der frühen Karriere betrachten: "Instinct: Decay" (2006), "Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. I" (2008), und "Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II" (2010). Wie ein infernalischer Scharfschütze trifft jeder Song auf "Blight Privilege" voll ins Schwarze. Die ersehnten und unentbehrlichen finsteren Elemente sind vollzählig vorhanden: Kehlig-raue Gesänge, das aggressive Surren der Gitarren, die in einem eiskalten Feuer brennen, und jene Momente ebenso ekstatischer wie erhabener Schönheit in den ansonsten höllischen Klangwelten. Doch auch jene feinen, aber großartigen Details, die der musikalisch äußerst versierte Judd stets geschickt in seinen schwarzen Klanggewittern versteckt hat, wie etwa Elemente aus Post-Punk und Wave finden sich auf "Blight Privilege". Sogar eine Messerspitze Outlaw Country ist neu hinzugekommen. Auch wenn "Blight Privilege" an die glorreichen Zeiten von NACHTMYSTIUM anknüpft - ist es dennoch kein Schwelgen in Nostalgie, sondern eine zukunftsweisende Fortsetzung und die nächste musikalische Evolutionsstufe der Band. Dieses neunte Album des Amerikaners ist von einer Reife geprägt, die aus harten Erfahrungen und einem brutalen Lernprozess resultiert. Judds ebenso charakteristische wie diabolisch eingängige Melodien sind scharfkantiger als je zuvor und haben nichts von ihrem Biss verloren. Das mag auch damit zu tun haben, dass es das erste Album der USBM-Speerspitze ist, das von Judd in einem rauschfreien Zustand komponiert wurde. "Blight Privilege" ist eine Kampfansage, mit der NACHTMYSTIUM den USBM-Thron vehement einfordern. Dieses Album hat wieder die musikalische Kraft und lyrische Kühnheit, um diesem Anspruch gerecht zu werden. Liebt oder hasst das Album, aber NACHTMYSTIUM errichten mit "Blight Privilege" zweifellos einen massiven Meilenstein!

The 2015 edition of Winnipeg’s send + receive festival, focussed on rhythm, turned out to be a generative meeting of minds. There, Mark Fell encountered the music of Will Guthrie, a meeting that was eventually to result in the frenetic acoustic drumkit and digital synthesis pairing heard on Infoldings and Diffractions (2020). At the same festival, Limpe Fuchs first heard and appreciated the music of Mark Fell, planting the seed of a collaboration that came to fruition when Fell (along with his son Rian Treanor) visited Fuchs at her home in Peterskirchen, Germany in September 2022. Black Truffle is pleased to announce the release of the results of this extensive session in the audacious form of a triple LP, housing over two hours of music across its six sides. The collaboration might appear unlikely: what common ground could exist between Fuchs, classically trained pianist, legend of improvised music, instrument builder and sound sculptor active since the 1960s, whose group Anima Sound connected the dots between free jazz, krautrock and ritual, and Fell, proponent of radical computer music, known for his bracingly austere productions that twist remnants of club music into algorithmic stutters? For all their seeming disparity in technology, approach and background, the music on Dessogia/Queetch/Fauch makes it immediately evident the pair share a great deal in their essentially percussive approach and ability to, in Fuch’s phrase, ‘establish silence’. Recording at her home studio, Fuchs had the use of her entire array of instruments, found, invented, and traditional, and treats the listener to some that don’t often make their way to concerts, including extensive passages performed (with Gundis Stalleicher) on pieces of wooden parquetry. Alongside metallic, wooden and skin percussion of all kinds, sounded and struck in every conceivable way, we also hear bamboo flute, viola, and Fuchs’ distinctive free-form vocalisations. Fell also stretched himself, with his contributions ranging from characteristically fizzing pitched percussive pops to swarms of sliding tones and abstract digital noise. Showing both remarkable restraint and improvisational freedom, much of the music consists of duets between a single percussion instrument and a distinctive mode of digital sound, often lingering in one timbral-rhythmic space for minutes at a time. Improvisational forward momentum coexists with a free-floating, wandering quality. On opener ‘Dessogia I’, the shimmering almost-gilssandi tones of Fuchs’ enormous set of microtonally tuned metal tubes ripples across Fell’s rubbery pulse, which moves up the frequency spectrum as Fuchs becomes more animated and switches to horn. At some points, as on the metallic chiming tones that open ‘Fauch I’, only the unexpected dynamic behaviour of Fell’s sounds distinguish them from Fuchs’ acoustic instruments. At others, like on ‘Queetch III’, the waves of sliding tones and noise textures are bracingly synthetic, joined by piercing squeaks and scrapes from Fuchs’ metal objects. Epic in scope, immersing the listener in an entirely distinctive world of sounds, and thrillingly bold in its melding of the most ancient musical procedures with cutting edge technologies, Dessogia/Queetch/Fauch is an unexpected major statement from two of the great mavericks of contemporary music.

ASSASSIN veröffentlichen ihre erste EP überhaupt - freut euch auf vier neue, knallharte Thrash Metal-Songs, die vor Härte und Groove nur so strotzen, sowie eine Thrash Metal-Coverversion eines Fleetwood Mac Songs!

~~~From Mississippi and Olvido Records~~~~~~ Steel-string guitar and vocals by the great Giorgos Katsaros, a mythic figure of Greek rembetiko. Our obsession with underground Greek music continues with 10 ultra-rare recordings of heartbreak and vice from rembetiko legend Giorgos Katsaros. Katsaros, who by some accounts lived to be over 100 years old, carried the old songs of Greece to the Diaspora in the United States, bridging centuries of music in one storied lifetime. Born in 1901 on the Greek island of Amorgos, Katsaros' was enchanted with the songs he picked up as a kid in the streets of Piraeus and Athens. Encouraged by his grandfather, an amateur singer, Katsaros developed a style that mirrored his upbringing - centuries-old Asia Minor songs, island rhythms of his homeland, well-known Athenian songs of the time, and anonymous `rebetiko' songs. Katsaros' songbook was vast, but he was most drawn to the street life and music of the manges of early 20th-century Greece: outcasts who dealt with the indignities of an unstable economy and an inauspicious future with the old standbys: wine, hash, and dancing. These ten tracks are remastered from Katsaros's 64 surviving early recordings, many rarely heard since their original release. Hypnotic melodies plucked over repeating thumbed basslines back his deep, mournful voice. Katsaros brought this nostalgic late-night music to smoke-filled rooms of Greek exiles in Chicago, Philly, and New York, where he emigrated in 1917. He continued to travel the country and play until his music was supplanted by more modern styles in the 1950s. He retired to the town of Tarpon Springs, FL, famous for its Greek sponge fishers, til a late-in-life revival brought him back to Greece for a few massive concerts and national accolades in the 1990s. Like many great artists, Katsaros carefully curated his own mythic backstory over the decades. He sometimes claimed he was born in 1888, making him 109 on his passing, and conflicting accounts of his birth and travels circulate to this day. Greek researchers Stavros Kourousis and Konstantinos Kopanitsanos, who also compiled these tracks, contribute groundbreaking new historical research on Katsaros' life. Lyrics, poetically translated by Tony Klein, further fill in the picture. Clean and rare 78s were remastered by Stereophonic. Katsaros has never sounded better than on this LP, pressed on red vinyl, with extensive notes and lyrics.

Als Höhepunkt einer bemerkenswerten Reise – vom Busking auf den Straßen Torontos bis hin Auftritten
mit Künstlern wie Orville Peck und Sierra Ferrell – schlägt Albino mit „Our Time In The Sun“ sein nächstes
musikalisches Kapitel auf.
Für die zwölf Songs hat er sich mit Dan Auerbach - Leadsänger der Black Keys, Gründer von Easy Eye
Sound und GRAMMY®-prämierter Produzent - zusammengetan, nachdem dieser zufällig auf Albinos Musik
gestoßen und direkt fasziniert war. In Nashville, wo das Album entstand, stellte Auerbach Albino einigen der
besten Session-Spieler und Songwriter der Stadt vor, darunter Pat McLaughlin (u.a. John Prine, Johnny
Cash).
Albinos Geschichte begann auf einem Bauernhof im ländlichen Ontario. Aus dem Verkauf von Obst und
Gemüse in Toronto wurde schnell das Musizieren auf den Straßen der Stadt und schließlich mitreißende
Live-Shows mit Größen wie Shovels & Rope, St. Paul & The Broken Bones und Shakey Graves in den USA
und Kanada.
Als er die Arbeit an „Our Time In The Sun“ aufnahm, war es das Ziel, diese packende Live-Energie auch im
Studio einzufangen: Das Album besteht aus tief empfundenen Eigenkompositionen, geprägt von cleveren
Wendungen. Albino greift auf die Südstaaten-Psychedelik und den Blues-Rock der 60er Jahre zurück, um
Geschichten über eine gescheiterte Liebe, den Kampf mit der Flasche und ein von der Arbeit bestimmtes
Leben zu erzählen.

Second release on Robert Pollard's new Splendid Research label is a vinyl & CD reissue of a 1984 demo cassette by Children's Crusade, post-punk teenage band of Guided By Voices' Doug Gillard. The Cleveland guitarist went on to record for Scat, Homestead and Restless Records with the bands Death of Samantha, Cobra Verde, My Dad Is Dead, and Gem, before joining GBV (1996-2004), then Nada Surf (2010-2016), then rejoining GBV (2016-present), as well as playing on albums by Richard Buckner, Neko Case and others. 1980s Cleveland was a hotbed for indie rock, following in the Northern Ohio footsteps of Pere Ubu, The Dead Boys, The Styrenes, Mirrors and Devo. "Children’s Crusade was a fleeting blotch on the wild, mid-80s Cleveland underground music scene, slowly seeping through like a drop of oil on the uniformly black jeans of that era – noticeable only after it settles, spreads, and you realize it won’t come out in the wash."

Alternative Jazz. This is a 5 track EP of brand new, previously unreleased material from The Near Jazz Experience (Terry Edwards, Mark Bedford and Simon Charterton). Whilst recording the new album Terry asked pianist Mike Garson (best known for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins) - whom Terry has toured with if he'd like to play on a track. Mike said yes, recorded a stupendous solo for Character Actor at his home studio and sent it over. All in the space of 24 hours! On hearing the piano part NJE bassist Mark Bedford came up with the idea of having the piano mixed with the original track (as intended) but also using it as the basis for a completely new recording with the piano leading rather than complementing the band. Side 1 of the EP has these two very different versions from the same seed. Unidentical twins indeed. Side 2 of the EP contains 4 outliers from the album sessions. These aren't out-takes or unfinished pieces. They simply couldn't find a place for themselves within the album - along the lines of the tunes Tom Waits put together for his Orphans compilation of 2006. They are standalone tunes which have found a home together on this EP because in some way they all have filmic qualities. Side 1 contains 2 takes on Character Actor (the title being a nod to Cracked Actor, a tune on Aladdin Sane, the album that introduced Bowie fans to Mike Garson), and Side 2 has The Loping Four; Projector; MacGuffin and Lockstep, all titles which contain strong cinematic elements, MacGuffin in particular. It was Alfred Hitchcock's favourite word for a red herring in the plot. The musical cast on this release has a remarkable pedigree. The NJE consists of Terry Edwards (solo artist and session player with PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand, Siouxsie, Jimi Tenor, Piroshka, Tindersticks etc); Mark Bedford (Madness, Robert Wyatt, Robyn Hitchcock, Nightingales etc); Simon Charterton (The Higsons, Alex Harvey, Zook, Serious Drinking etc). Alongside featured guest Mike Garson there is an appearance by Oliver Cherer (Aircooled, Miki Berenyi Band) on keys and synth. This is an RSD exclusive, 500 copies on black vinyl in full colour sleeve which reflects the filmic quality of the recorded material. No download. The title track will appear on the next Near Jazz Experience studio album. The 4 additional tracks, however, will remain exclusive to Record Store Day.

The first Escapismo output was described by Bleep as “a slow burning synth-pop killer”. Bandcamp’s “New & Notable” section has defined Escapismo as “Marvelously gothy electronic music from Barcelona. A New Wave delight”. And according to Boomkat, “Escapismo brings a touch of ‘80s romance”.

This LP includes the first three Escapismo EPs (a short run of 10″s which fastly sold out) plus one additional song. A mixture of post-disco, dark italo, new wave, post-punk and a hint of Belgian new beat. An obscure collection of songs already supported by renowned DJs like Stephen Dewaele from Soulwax / Despacio or Ivan Smagghe and Nathan Gregory Wilkins, who have played Escapismo on their Channeling show on NTS Radio.

Limited edition of 100 copies on vinyl, 50 black and 50 transparent. No reissue.

Blue / Black splatter vinyl 2024 Repress

* Unless you have been living under a rock, XXXTENTACION is a name that needs no introduction. A true artist who was tragically slain earlier this year - XXXTENTACION left an indelible mark on culture and music in his all too brief 20 years on this planet. His catalog will go on to live forever, and he left one final piece of music for the world with SKINS. The album comes in at a short, but sweet 10 tracks with songs that delve into XXXTENTACION's deep and complex mind, and soul. With the lead single, BAD! Garnering 52M + streams in under a week, and merch drop that sold out in minutes, it is evident that XXXTENTACION's fanbase is ready for SKINS.

Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare or Sly and Robbie as they are affectionately known are the drum and bass backbone of Reggae Music, they have played on, produced, invented, reinvented more records then many of their contemporaries put together.

Sly Dunbar born Lowell Charles Dunbar on 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica, drummed his first session for Mr Lee Perry which included a Jamaican hit ,a track called 'Night Doctor', before moving on to the group Skin, Flesh & Bones who had a residency at Kingston's famous 'Tit for Tat' club. This band would evolve into the Channel One house band The Revolutionaries where Sly named after his fondness of the band Sly and the Family Stone would begin to play alongside a bass player who would become his long standing partner in music, namely one Robbie Shakespeare.

Robbie Shakespeare born 27 September 1953, Kingston, Jamaica, had worked his way through session bands including the legendary Aggrovators before uniting with Sly Dunbar in The Revolutionaries. Both musicians had worked with other respective bass / drum players including such figures as Lloyd Parks bass, Carlton 'Santa' Davis drums, but everything seemed to fall into place when they worked together.

They also both had a quest to push the boundaries of reggae music, which they would do throughout their careers, over many sessions to numerous to mention. But highlights would include the groundbreaking Mighty Diamonds 1976 set 'Right Time' with its fresh rockers rhythms which lead the way in the 1970's. Also their work with the bands Culture and Black Uhuru the later of which they toured extensively with, spreading the reggae vibes across Europe and America. Not to forget to mention their Taxi label / productions which are always inventitive whether its in the reggae field or outside where their playing / production skills are much in demand.

The third piece of this jigsaw is the mighty Mr Bunny 'Striker' Lee who brought these legends together. Born Edward O'Sullivan Lee 23 August 1941, he must be one of reggae's most underrated producers. Leading the way in the 1970's especially in the dub field and being one of the early exponents of a King Tubby remix ,which would see nearly all his 7'' releases carrying a Tubby reworking on its flip side. Bunny started his musical career in 1962 working for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label and soon moved into the world of production gaining his first hit in 1967 with 'Musical Field' by Roy Shirley for the WIRL label. The 1970's was a very productive time for Bunny Lee and saw the launch of his LEE'S label which was producing hits in Jamaica. Not having a studio of his own and renting studio time from the existing establishments like Randy's Studio 17 and Channel One he had to have a crack team of session players to carry out this task, fast and efficiently. This happened firstly under the guise of THE AGGROVATORS see The Aggrovators dubbing it studio 1 style JRCD005 and then with the group of musicians THE REVOLUTIONARIES[ see The Revolutionaries at Channel 1 dub plate specials JRCDOO3]. It’s here in the latter of these groups that Bunny matched Sly and Robbie together for the first time and it’s this match made in heaven that these tracks on this release are culled from. Sessions that Bunny Lee produced with Sly and Robbie during this magical 70's period. These rare dubs are taken from the original master tapes, you may have heard the tune before but not these versions. So sit back and enjoy Reggae Musical History in the making....

Plastic Estate is a contemporary synth-pop act from Wales, UK.

With an onus placed on atmosphere and refinement, the duo evoke a rich palette of romance and lustre with their polished marque of pop music.

They have garnered support from the likes of Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, KEXP and BBC Radio, and played sold-out shows with the likes of LA Priest, Home Counties, and Real Lies, as well as playing at large regional festivals like Ritual Union and Sŵn Festival.

Having previously released a 7” and LP with Avant! Records, they are now releasing their second album on 11th October with new tracks gaining critical acclaim being added to BBC Radio Wales’s ‘Welsh A-List’.
Their sophomore album hails a new era for the act; moving away from darker sonic roots, their sound has progressed to a brighter, more polished aesthetic with fresh influences from the ‘Hi-Fi luxury’ of West Coast Sound, and the gloss of 2010s Chillwave.

What’s more, ‘Code d’Amour’ makes you wonder: What is Pop today?

For many years it has been synonymous with melody, harmony and emotions. These days it seems to be still about emotions but not very good ones, probably because the world is as ugly as it’s ever been, have you noticed?

But what about the fundamental role of popular music which is to represent and at the same time to celebrate and enforce the ties of social living? What about the good times?

Yes, there is a lot to be changed and to fight for but good vibes are not just for recreational use, they can literally build a sense of community among people. If you are looking for that kind of sound right now, you should look no further.

FFO: Talk Talk, Blue Nile, Spandau Ballet, Ian Broudie’s Care, Small Black, Alan Palomo of Neon Indian, Wild Nothing.

** 2LP BLACK VINYL / 2LP COLOUR IN COLOUR MAILORDER EDITION** In collaboration with composer Amos Roddy and developer Gareth Damian Martin (Jump Over The Age), Stumpy Frog Records has pressed the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed and BAFTA-nominated Citizen Sleeper to 2LP vinyl. Wake up, Sleeper. Studio Jump Over The Age invites you into a world unlike anything you’ve experienced. In Citizen Sleeper, you inhabit a digitized human consciousness in an artificial body, owned by a corporation that wants you back. Inspired by the vast options of tabletop role playing games, developer Gareth Damian Martin set out to create an entirely new world for you to inhabit. Live a life through a game of chance and strategy. Build friendships and discover the stories of spacestation Erlin’s Eye. Gareth Damian Martin’s world isn’t just created through visuals and dialogue. Composer Amos Roddy (In Other Waters, Cloud Gardens, The Wild At Heart) imbues the world of Citizen Sleeper, and its inhabitants, with the sounds of mystery and melancholy, darkness and glimmers of light in the frontiers of the future.

** 2LP BLACK VINYL / 2LP COLOUR IN COLOUR MAILORDER EDITION** In collaboration with composer Amos Roddy and developer Gareth Damian Martin (Jump Over The Age), Stumpy Frog Records has pressed the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed and BAFTA-nominated Citizen Sleeper to 2LP vinyl. Wake up, Sleeper. Studio Jump Over The Age invites you into a world unlike anything you’ve experienced. In Citizen Sleeper, you inhabit a digitized human consciousness in an artificial body, owned by a corporation that wants you back. Inspired by the vast options of tabletop role playing games, developer Gareth Damian Martin set out to create an entirely new world for you to inhabit. Live a life through a game of chance and strategy. Build friendships and discover the stories of spacestation Erlin’s Eye. Gareth Damian Martin’s world isn’t just created through visuals and dialogue. Composer Amos Roddy (In Other Waters, Cloud Gardens, The Wild At Heart) imbues the world of Citizen Sleeper, and its inhabitants, with the sounds of mystery and melancholy, darkness and glimmers of light in the frontiers of the future.

Kaum eine Hardrock-Band hat in den letzten Jahren so abgeräumt wie die Ladies von THUNDERMOTHER! Ihr Album "Heat Wave" (2020) erreichte Platz 6 der deutschen Albumcharts (und später einen beeindruckenden Chart-Wiedereinstieg (Platz 16) mit der Erweiterung "Heat Wave Deluxe"). Nicht mal die Corona-Pandemie konnte die Band komplett ausbremsen und so spielte man u.a. Konzerte vom Dach eines Feuerwehr-Trucks. THUNDERMOTHER sind für die Bühne geboren, ihre energiegeladenen Liveshows muss man gesehen haben. Mit Ecken, Kanten, Attitude und einem feinen Händchen für große Melodien spielt sich die Band Schritt für Schritt Richtung Rock-Olymp. Und dieser kann nun, mit dem am 19.08.2022 erscheinenden neuen Album "Black And Gold", eingenommen werden. Die Band um Frontfrau Guernica Mancini fackelt ein wahres Hit-Feuerwerk ab. Die erste Single "Watch Out" sendete bereits die richtige Message: Achtung, hier sind THUNDERMOTHER und "Black And Gold" ist ihr Meisterwerk!

Repress!

With Robyn, South London's cktrl shares his most ambitious work yet, collaborating with the likes of Duval Timothy, Coby Sey (Micachu, Tirzah, Dean Blunt) and Purple Ferdinand to create a vital exploration of contemporary-classical from the black perspective; out via Errol and Alex Rita's Touching Bass. Spurred on by the overpowering feelings of heartbreak, Robyn impressively creates emotive and heartfelt clarinet and saxophone-led soundscapes about the all-consuming power of love. On the project, cktrl says: "'Robyn' at its core is heartbreak and is just really sentimental. It's a journey of losing a love but it ends with optimism as you find strength to love again." Born and bred in Lewisham, cktrl aka Bradley Miller is an integral part of London's pioneering musical underground. One of the only remaining original DJs on NTS, cktrl has previously worked with and played alongside the likes of Sampha, Sango, Kelela and Dean Blunt. Throughout his career to date, cktrl has also been recognised and heralded by fashion and film VIPs including Virgil Abloh, Bianca Saunders, Tremaine Emory, Nicholas Daley and Jenn Nkiru who recently secured him a cameo in Beyonce's heralded 'Black Is King'. With a shared ethos of elevating and amplifying leftfield black music, he partners with London based label, Touching Bass, themselves a key cog within the city's bubbling musical underbelly.

2024 Reissue

Touching Bass continue to prise open a distinct, exciting lane for themselves as a label home for forward-thinking, soulful music with the incredible debut project from London's Demae (aka Bubblerap and ? of Hawk House) entitled "Life Works Out...Usually" - "Life Works Out...Usually" is a soothing antidote to these turbulent times; a soulful coming-of-age story celebrating black joy, self-empowerment and life learnings centred around an integral two year period of growth and featuring appearances from Fatima (Eglo Records), Joe Armon-Jones, Ego Ella May and Nala Sinephro - all part of our close-knit, London-based musical community. Sonically, it draws a unique line between the grit of inner-city London soul, interstellar Flying Lotus electronic rushes and new-age Dilla-isms mixed with flecks of London's exciting jazz-influenced sounds. Production comes from rising producers like Eun (Ego Ella May, Denzel Himself), Jake Milliner (Slum Village, Yazmin Lacey, Lord Apex), 104.ROG (Liv.e, THEESatisfaction) and Wu-Lu (Ego Ella May). For those not yet accustomed, Demae's work stretches beyond her solo project. She has been a fundamental part of Fatima's touring band as a backing vocalist since the release of her much loved second album And Yet It's All Love. Prior to that, she was one-third of hip-hop adventurists, Hawk House, whose introspective, eclectic style was reshuffling the rule book for UK-based rap, quickly making them one of the UK's most exciting emerging sounds and earning fans from Mac Miller and Ghostpoet to Wretch 32 and Jill Scott.

Moon White Vinyl. All her life, Emma Hardyman has wrestled with contradictions. After all, she was practically rendered a living, breathing contradiction the moment she was born into her half-Peruvian, half-white working-class Mormon family. In young adulthood, Hardyman became increasingly disillusioned with Mormonism's righteous black-and-white thinking, as well as its exclusionary elitism, and decided to leave the church. But she also acknowledged that the institution's all-or-nothing philosophy had become a part of her, resulting in a considerable test of grace and unlearning. As the singer-songwriter behind Little Moon, the Tiny Desk Contest-winning, Utah-based avant-folk project, Hardyman uses music as an outlet to illuminate contradictions of all kinds. Following the release of her 2020 debut LP Unphased, Hardyman set out to write a romantic album about her newlywed husband Nathan (who also sings and plays guitar in Little Moon), but the universe had other plans. After Nathan's mother tragically passed away, Hardyman recalibrated her vision and started work on a love-as-grief, grief-as-love album titled Dear Divine. The record serves as a mirror for the darkest parts of ourselves, allowing us to examine our ego_not to dismantle it, but to better understand how we love, process adversity and move through the world. Centering the classical music, folk, video game soundtracks and Tabernacle Choir hymns she grew up with, as well as ephemeral snapshots of personal significance, Dear Divine is an abundant tapestry of Hardyman's life. As enlivening melodies radiate from a string trio, you can envision the classical music that thrums from her parents' radio 24/7, as Hardyman sings in an otherworldly coo, you can imagine her younger self swooning over the tranquil records of Vashti Bunyan and Joan Baez, and as arpeggiated synths twinkle, you can visualize the enchanting kingdom of Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that she still adores. Songs like "now" and "messy love" embrace the gloriously jumbled stew of life, with the former chronicling Hardyman's arduous quest for love and trust and the latter patiently navigating the ways romantic partners can mirror each other's shortcomings. As Dear Divine attests, Emma Hardyman may not have it all figured out, but that's kind of the point. Through grief, faith crises and all-encompassing love, she's found the most wisdom in life's maddeningly consistent inconsistencies, as well as the subtle ways one can cultivate a feeling of home. Dear Divine doesn't take a red pen to life, it brings an open heart, an open mind and achingly beautiful, opulently weird folk songs.