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Ignite’s A Place Called Home 25th anniversary edition on vinyl with bonus tracks out in March 2025 Svart Records is proud to reissue the Californian melodic hardcore band Ignite’s album A Place Called Home. Previously released on vinyl only on its original release date in 2000 on TVT Records, A Place Called Home will finally be available on wax again on March 21st, 2025. Formed in Orange County in 1993, Ignite's sound is hard to pin down. Their music contains elements of punk, hardcore, alternative, and even heavy metal. Their 30-year career has produced several classic albums with A Place Called Home being their commercial breakthrough album, combining the spirit and muscle of hardcore and the catchy tunes of west coast punk rock. Sixteen songs loaded with great hooks, compelling, socially conscious lyrics, and the heaviness that hard music fans love. The band’s bassist and founding member Brett Rasmussen comments the reissue: "When I found out that the guys at Svart Records were licensing A Place Called Home for a vinyl reissue I was beyond stoked. This album will finally be available again, after being out of press for so long, and this time there will be colored vinyl! I'm really looking forward to spinning this reissue and I'm happy that it will be available for our fans to enjoy again on a turntable." The authorised Svart Records 25th anniversary edition of this modern genre-defining classic contains three bonus tracks previously only available on the European CD version of the album and comes with an insert. Available on Svart exclusive black & white marble vinyl, limited transparent red vinyl, and classic black vinyl. A Place Called Home is out on March 21st, 2025.

Ignite’s A Place Called Home 25th anniversary edition on vinyl with bonus tracks out in March 2025 Svart Records is proud to reissue the Californian melodic hardcore band Ignite’s album A Place Called Home. Previously released on vinyl only on its original release date in 2000 on TVT Records, A Place Called Home will finally be available on wax again on March 21st, 2025. Formed in Orange County in 1993, Ignite's sound is hard to pin down. Their music contains elements of punk, hardcore, alternative, and even heavy metal. Their 30-year career has produced several classic albums with A Place Called Home being their commercial breakthrough album, combining the spirit and muscle of hardcore and the catchy tunes of west coast punk rock. Sixteen songs loaded with great hooks, compelling, socially conscious lyrics, and the heaviness that hard music fans love. The band’s bassist and founding member Brett Rasmussen comments the reissue: "When I found out that the guys at Svart Records were licensing A Place Called Home for a vinyl reissue I was beyond stoked. This album will finally be available again, after being out of press for so long, and this time there will be colored vinyl! I'm really looking forward to spinning this reissue and I'm happy that it will be available for our fans to enjoy again on a turntable." The authorised Svart Records 25th anniversary edition of this modern genre-defining classic contains three bonus tracks previously only available on the European CD version of the album and comes with an insert. Available on Svart exclusive black & white marble vinyl, limited transparent red vinyl, and classic black vinyl. A Place Called Home is out on March 21st, 2025.

"“It clicked for me one day, that the album was going to be about hornets,” explains Sputnik, the mononymous songwriter behind the noise-pop project Weatherday.

“It just made sense to me.” Hornet Disaster, Weatherday’s follow-up to their 2019 debut Come in, and spiritual successor to 2022’s collab release Weatherglow, is their most expansive work to date. In Weatherday’s initial bout of inspired writing and recording, they produced over 70 songs for the record, but not before they had a complete, overarching narrative that was coherently tied back to Sputnik’s previous work.

It’s a bustling record with disparate songs each vying for space like wasps in a swarm. It can inspire caution and chaos, but there’s wonder, purpose, and a certain familiarity there, too. Weatherday has extended the knotted, thrashing maximalism of Come in by doubling down with the uncompromised, no-stone-unturned nature of Hornet Disaster. Where Come in was the product of an artist searching for their voice, Hornet Disaster represents the joyful abandon that comes from having found it."

"“It clicked for me one day, that the album was going to be about hornets,” explains Sputnik, the mononymous songwriter behind the noise-pop project Weatherday.

“It just made sense to me.” Hornet Disaster, Weatherday’s follow-up to their 2019 debut Come in, and spiritual successor to 2022’s collab release Weatherglow, is their most expansive work to date. In Weatherday’s initial bout of inspired writing and recording, they produced over 70 songs for the record, but not before they had a complete, overarching narrative that was coherently tied back to Sputnik’s previous work.

It’s a bustling record with disparate songs each vying for space like wasps in a swarm. It can inspire caution and chaos, but there’s wonder, purpose, and a certain familiarity there, too. Weatherday has extended the knotted, thrashing maximalism of Come in by doubling down with the uncompromised, no-stone-unturned nature of Hornet Disaster. Where Come in was the product of an artist searching for their voice, Hornet Disaster represents the joyful abandon that comes from having found it."

First things first - you don’t need me to tell you about the significance of Australia in the history of punk. I mean, what am I, Jon Savage? Google it yourself, FFS. Instead, let’s just agree that the speedy, feral racket thrown together by the likes of The Saints, Radio Birdman and The Scientists in the mid-late ‘70s is AT LEAST as deliriously entertaining as anything concocted by their UK/US counterparts, sowing the seeds for seemingly endless garage-inflected noisemakers in the land down under. No one likes using words like ‘tradition’ or ‘heritage’ here - the punk rock clusterbomb is far too messy for any of that business - but also emerging from Australian rock’s primordial soup is the addictive sneer of Stiff Richards. Like their predecessors, the band are a gleefully wracked mess of full throttle energy and barrelling power chords, with songs like ‘Kids Out On The Grass’ and ‘Point of You’ proving at least the equal of ‘(I’m) Stranded’ or ‘Aloha Steve And Danno’. Nine tracks in less than 30 minutes, all winners and all determined to leave you flipping over couches and smashing your TV set. And let’s face it, you may as well; there’s nothing good on. It all builds towards frantic closer ‘Fill In The Blanks’, which rattles around your speakers like the UK Subs trying to play Ed Kuepper riffs at the centre of an earthquake, before grinding to a halt as a voice says, “That’s the one.” Does it sound self-satisfied? Hey, it’s got good reason to - this is the best no-frills garage rock party since Gino & The Goons’ ‘Do The Get Around’, and the only appropriate response is to declare yourself betrothed to Stiff Richards because you can’t imagine your life without ‘em. Don’t believe me? Sort out your ears and get ‘State Of Mind’ in ‘em. Rock’n’roll as it’s supposed to be played.

Stix Records, a sub-label of Favorite Recordings, proudly presents the new and 3rd single by Mato & Ethel Lindsey. Following to their stunning cover of the famous “What You Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell, and “Baby Come Back”, the underground AOR/Blue-Eyed-Soul classic from The Player, the duo this time takes over “Georgy Porgy” by Toto.

As usual Mato’s unique reggae production skills delivers a blazing version of the multi-platinum worldwide hit, and Ethel Lindsey’s vocals match perfectly with his strong AOR influence and style. To complete and provide the release with a special twist, they also decided to cover the more underrated French version of the song, originally released by Dwight Druick on his Tanger album.

Ethel Lindsey is currently preparing his 1st album to be released on Favorite Recordings, Ethel has a long music and singing experience, unless an almost blank discography. From his very young age, he’s developed a deep passion for AOR and Blue-Eyed-Soul artists.

Starting his reggae production career in 2006, Thomas Blanchot (aka Mato) has released music through various projects on EDR Records, Big Singles or Makasound... In the meantime, he developed a real trademark: taking over classic French, Hip-Hop, OST, Classical or Pop songs, into roots reggae-dub new versions. His 15 years collaboration with Stix Records and label honcho Pascal Rioux gave life to many masterpieces and the story seems far from the end…

Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Purple Tree Fog Vinyl. Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Fearless veröffentlicht die 10-Jahres-Jubiläumsausgabe der Debüt-EP „Heart Vs. Mind“ von I Prevail auf
Vinyl mit alternativem Artwork und einer neuen Vinylfarbe. Mit ihrer Coverversion von Taylor Swifts „Blank
Space“ sowie mehreren feurigen Eigenkompositionen enthält „Heart Vs. Mind“ ihren unverkennbaren
Sound, der auf mühelos gesungenem und geschrieenem Gesang basiert und sie dorthin geführt hat, wo sie
heute sind - ein Platin-verkaufendes, zweimal GRAMMY-nominiertes Band-Kraftpaket.

“Richard Davies is one of the last great songwriters on planet Earth. Every song on Composition Book is up there with his finest and so it's no small feat that after 35 years of making beautiful records, this one is his best.” – Robert Pollard / Guided By Voices Australian mad scientist Richard Davies has long flown under the popular radar with his groups The Moles and Cardinal, but his 10 albums are loved and championed by indie rock royalty. The Flaming Lips, for example, have recorded a Davies song and backed him up on a Moles tour in 1995. A scholar of the songwriting of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Dylan et al., Davies spins off subtle, catchy indie rock melodies, sometimes reassembled in bizarre Frankenstein arrangements and deconstructed sonic derangements. On Composition Book, The Moles have evolved with emphasis on acoustic guitar and divine female voices. Davies’ lyrical non sequiturs and caustic wit sting, surprise and delight. “The Australian-bred, New England-based Richard Davies has long been a secret-handshake artist for indie diehards; his songs suggest self-contained pop hits from a crooked dimension.” – The New Yorker “The greatest differentiator between the work of the Moles and that of their contemporaries, though, is Davies himself. As a presence, there is something deeply and beguilingly inscrutable about him, a purposeful blankness that betrays an enormous amount of weight and depth behind it, and oozes both vulnerability and vitriol when it breaks and cracks.” – Pitchfork

After collaborating on dozens of records over the years, Curren$y and MonstaBeatz teamed up for Radioactive, their second ever full-length project. Both hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, the Jet Life lyricist and producer duo have built a steady catalog including their first acclaimed collaborative effort This Ain't No Mixtape released in 2009. Radioactive features 12 new tracks with additional guest appearances by Jay Worthy, Fiend and DeeLow Diamond Man.

The Queen of Jazz and 'Satchmo' had duetted earlier in their illustrious
careers. But it wasn't until Producer Norman Granz came up with the
idea of putting them together for specific albums that their true
chemistry was revealed. The Platinum Collection features two iconic
albums Ella & Louis and Ella & Louis Again. Both albums feature Jazz
At The Phil regulars Oscar Peterson (Piano), Herb Ellis (Guitar), Ray
Brown (Bass) and Buddy Rich (Drums) with the exception of Louis
Bellson replacing Buddy Rich on Ella & Louis Again recording. Now it's
time for Fitzgerald to 'take it Ella - swing it'....

Peter sitzt mit Kelly im Park, als ihm mulmig zumute wird. Irgendetwas stimmt hier nicht: Bobachtet die Statue des Dreiäugigen Schakals sie etwa? Die beiden nehmen die Bronzefigur genauer unter die Lupe, als plötzlich etwas geschieht, mit dem niemand gerechnet hat! Peter und Kelly verlassen vor lauter Schreck fluchtartig den Park. Die Statue mit dem Schakalkopf hat eindeutig ein dunkles Geheimnis. Was verbirgt sich hinter der kalten Hülle? Justus und Bob stehen ihrem Freund zur Seite - die drei ??? beginnen ihre Recherche. Trackpunkte:01 Das blanke Entsetzen! 02 Die Spur des Pick-ups 03 Rapper 04 Ein wahrer Freund 05 Fall gelöst? 06 Eine dunkle Nacht 07 Der Schlüssel zu allem Buchautor: Ben NevisSkriptautor: André MinningerSprecher:innen & Mitwirkende:Erzähler Axel MilbergJustus Jonas, Erster Detektiv Oliver RohrbeckPeter Shaw, Zweiter Detektiv Jens WawrczeckBob Andrews, Recherchen und Archiv Andreas FröhlichKelly Juliane SzalayKommissarin Merryweather Anne MollNina Radamus Astrid Kollex Luke Kingsbury Mars Saibert Jana Anika Baumann Ryan Ford Michael Grimm Constantin Krueger Martin May Mick Manson Patrick BachOnkel Titus Erik SchäfflerTravis Fabian Harloff Breezy Sonja Stein Big Rock Patrick Baehr Joe Jürgen Holdorf Hank Fabian Müller Wächter Achim SchülkeBankangestellter Martin Rowedder Buch und Effekte: André MinningerRegie und Produktion: Heikedine KörtingRedaktion: Maike MüllerTitelmusik: Simon Bertling & Christian Hagitte (STIL)Musik: Jan-Friedrich Conrad, Jens-Peter Morgenstern, Andris Zeiberts, Detlef Oels, Bert Brac, Fabian Harloff, Nathaniel SteinbrecherCover-Illustration: Silvia Christoph - Design: Atelier SchoedsackBasierend auf dem gleichnamigen Buch von Ben Nevis, erschienen im Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart. © 2024. Based on characters created by Robert Arthur.Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Universität Michigan.

Peter sitzt mit Kelly im Park, als ihm mulmig zumute wird. Irgendetwas stimmt hier nicht: Bobachtet die Statue des Dreiäugigen Schakals sie etwa? Die beiden nehmen die Bronzefigur genauer unter die Lupe, als plötzlich etwas geschieht, mit dem niemand gerechnet hat! Peter und Kelly verlassen vor lauter Schreck fluchtartig den Park. Die Statue mit dem Schakalkopf hat eindeutig ein dunkles Geheimnis. Was verbirgt sich hinter der kalten Hülle? Justus und Bob stehen ihrem Freund zur Seite - die drei ??? beginnen ihre Recherche. Buchautor: Ben NevisSkriptautor: André MinningerSprecher:innen & Mitwirkende:Erzähler Axel MilbergJustus Jonas, Erster Detektiv Oliver RohrbeckPeter Shaw, Zweiter Detektiv Jens WawrczeckBob Andrews, Recherchen und Archiv Andreas FröhlichKelly Juliane SzalayKommissarin Merryweather Anne MollNina Radamus Astrid Kollex Luke Kingsbury Mars Saibert Jana Anika Baumann Ryan Ford Michael Grimm Constantin Krueger Martin May Mick Manson Patrick BachOnkel Titus Erik SchäfflerTravis Fabian Harloff Breezy Sonja Stein Big Rock Patrick Baehr Joe Jürgen Holdorf Hank Fabian Müller Wächter Achim SchülkeBankangestellter Martin Rowedder Buch und Effekte: André MinningerRegie und Produktion: Heikedine KörtingRedaktion: Maike MüllerTitelmusik: Simon Bertling & Christian Hagitte (STIL)Musik: Jan-Friedrich Conrad, Jens-Peter Morgenstern, Andris Zeiberts, Detlef Oels, Bert Brac, Fabian Harloff, Nathaniel SteinbrecherCover-Illustration: Silvia Christoph - Design: Atelier SchoedsackBasierend auf dem gleichnamigen Buch von Ben Nevis, erschienen im Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart. © 2024. Based on characters created by Robert Arthur.Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Universität Michigan.

Established in 2013, Falling Ethics celebrates its 11th anniversary with a limited double vinyl compilation featuring exclusive tracks from Oscar Mulero, Temudo, BLANKA, Not A Headliner & more. Be sure to check it out!

Hello Everybody,

In recent years, the introductory texts for the Pop Ambient compilation series, which is released every year on Kompakt as the last release before the Christmas break, often began with the sentence "Every year again...".

“Every year again”, a quiet, almost unnoticed maxim of self-evidentness. Because this is already the 25th issue to be published this year.

25 years in increasingly fast-moving times in the even faster-moving music business is an eternity that doesn't just feel like it. It is all the more remarkable how I, as someone who is always restless and often driven by this fast pace himself, pleasantly almost haven’t realised how - in pop-ambient contexts - time does not pass (or passes differently) in the best sense.

When compiling the 25th edition I was asked, among other things, what it was like that I was still doing this and whether I had a favorite track. In the spirit of bringing all the tracks together I don't have a favorite track, or all of them. But I have a favorite part (moment) that I played. In this case it was a broad chord in a change of key at minute 2:55 in the piece Circles by Max Würden. A moment of majesty and familiarity that, at that moment, contains the entire Pop Ambient cosmos, that just works and doesn't explain anything - and I said: “...that's the reason why I'm still doing this.. .”

Pop Ambient is a statement without demands. Is promise without expectation. Is a path without a destination. Every year again.

Wolfgang Voigt, October 2024

And so to the facts:

01. Leandro Fresco / Thore Pfeiffer – Goldwasserfluss

The intercontinental collaboration between the two long-standing Pop Ambient artists Leandro Fresco from Argentina and Thore Pfeiffer from Mainz is a regular part of the series. They open this year's anniversary edition with the usual filigree.

02. Pass Into Silence – Mirage

The Japanese artist Tetsuo Sakae aka Pass into Silence returns to Kompakt 20 years after his legendary album “Calm Like A Millpond”. A master of tones that are as fine as they are stoic and crystal clear.

03. Tamarma & Sebastian Mullaert – Follow Me

For the first time, the well-known Swedish producer and DJ Sebastian Mullaert will be performing on Pop Ambient in cooperation with the Georgian sound artist Tamara Davitashvili. Their piece “Follow Me” fits confidently into the intimate, familiar sound cosmos.

04. Sono Kollektiv feat. Nathalie Brum – Periadriatische Naht

Sono Kollektiv is now a fixture on Pop Ambient, this time with Nathalie Brum. In particular, Luis Reich's characteristic flugelhorn always gives their sound that special jazzy touch.

05. Thore Pfeiffer – Phase Locked Loop 1

Thore Pfeiffer is a master of shimmering surfaces and hypnotically meandering loops.

06. Andrew Thomas feat. Julia Parr – Sunshine Night

An old friend from New Zealand is back with spherical sounds. Andrew Thomas, in collaboration with Julia Parr, sprinkles finely placed piano tones into distant soundscapes and even more distant voices.

07. Segensklang – Artifacts of Synthesis

We are pleased that Segensklang will be there again this year after his brilliant Pop Ambient debut last year. Deep and beautiful.

08. Ümit Han – Im Delirium

The Cologne producer Ümit Han is back for the third time. While he has so far explored the more emotional, soundscape aspects of the Pop Ambient universe, this year's piece "Im Delirium" rises to a pulsating mountain of sound with pearly, clear, effervescent sound crystals.

09. Würden & Schäfer – Analysis Of Variance II

In their track Analysis Of Variance II, Max Würden and Lukas Schäfer embed a finely placed beat impulse in a soft bed of modulating soundscapes and pleasant psychedelic spaceyness.

10. Max Würden– Circles

Max Würden once again shows his special feeling for one of the core statements of the Pop Ambient style spectrum. The abstract chord and soundscape movement between formal construction and emotional touchability, which seems like “pop music” under the microscope.

11. Blank Gloss – Jennifer’s Convertible

The Californian guitar-ambient duo takes us into their sublimely beautiful sound cosmos with their usual aplomb. Maximum condensed transparency. Lightness - heavy as gold.

12. Hendrik Meyer – Grün War Die Klamm

Another new addition is Hendrik Meyer. The versatile musician, also known for his MYR project distributed by Kompakt, leads us with a glistening, beautiful “wall of sound” determination into the eternity of a sunset that is only ended by the following track. Filmy Music.

13. Triola – Zum Renngraben

Jörg Burger aka Triola combines his typical “handmade” impulses and accents with a multi-dimensional, digital sound scenario in a pleasantly smoky, blurred stonewashed aesthetic.

As always, the indispensable final mastering by Jörg Burger ensures that everything is brought together and the sound is fine-tuned.

And like every year, the 25th edition is of course wrapped in an abstract, floral magic creation by Veronika Unland. Over the years, the grace of her imagery has increasingly merged with the musical aura to form an unmistakable magical symbiosis.

Hallo Leute,

In den vergangenen Jahren begannen die Anmoderationstexte zur Pop Ambient Kompilation-Reihe, die jedes Jahr als letzte Veröffentlichung vor der Weihnachtspause auf Kompakt erscheint, sinnigerweise immer mal wieder mit dem Satz “Alle Jahre wieder...".

„Alle Jahre wieder”, eine leise, fast unbemerkt zur Formel gewordene Maxime der Selbstverständlichkeit. Denn in diesem Jahr erscheint bereits die 25ste Ausgabe.

25 Jahre in zunehmend schnelllebigen Zeiten im noch schnelllebigeren Musikgeschäft, sind gerne mal eine nicht nur gefühlte Ewigkeit. Umso bemerkenswerter wie mir, als ewig Rastlosem und oft selbst von dieser Schnelllebigkeit Getriebenem, auf angenehme Weise fast entgangen ist wie sehr, in pop ambienten Zusammenhängen (gedacht), die Zeit im besten Sinne nicht (oder anders) vergeht.

Beim Kompilieren der 25sten Ausgabe wurde ich u.a. gefragt, wie es ist, dass ich das immer noch mache und ob ich ein Lieblingsstück hätte. Im Sinne des Zusammenbringens von allen Stücken habe ich kein Lieblingsstück, oder alle. Aber ich habe eine Lieblingsstelle, die ich dann gespielt habe. In dem Fall war es ein breit gesetzter Akkord in einen Tonartwechsel bei Minute 2:55 im Stück Circles von Max Würden. Ein Moment der Erhabenheit und Vertrautheit, der in diesem Moment den gesamten Pop Ambient Kosmos in sich trägt, der einfach nur wirkt und nichts erklärt - und ich habe gesagt: „...das ist der Grund, warum ich das immer noch mache...“

Pop Ambient ist Statement ohne Forderung. Ist Verheißung ohne Erwartung. Ist Weg ohne Ziel. Alle Jahre wieder.

Wolfgang Voigt, Oktober 2024

Und damit zu den Fakten:

01. Leandro Fresco / Thore Pfeiffer – Goldwasserfluss

Die interkontinentale Kollaboration der beiden langjährigen Pop Ambient Stamm-Künstler Leandro Fresco aus Argentinien und Thore Pfeiffer aus Mainz, ist regelmäßiger Bestandteil der Serie. Gewohnt filigran eröffnen sie die diesjährige Jubiläumsausgabe.

02. Pass Into Silence – Mirage

Der japanische Künstler Tetsuo Sakae aka Pass into Silence meldet sich 20 Jahre nach seinem sagenhaften Album „Calm Like A Millpond“ auf Kompakt zurück. Ein Meister der ebenso feinen wie stoisch-glasklaren Töne.

03. Tamarma & Sebastian Mullaert – Follow Me

Zum ersten Mal gibt sich der bekannte, schwedische Produzent und DJ Sebastian Mullaert in Kooperation mit der georgischen Klangkünstlerin Tamara Davitashvili auf Pop Ambient die Ehre. Ihr Stück „Follow Me“ fügt sich souverän in den intim-vertrauten Klangkosmos ein.

04. Sono Kollektiv feat. Nathalie Brum – Periadriatische Naht

Mittlerweile eine feste Größe auf Pop Ambient ist das Sono Kollektiv, diesmal mit Nathalie Brum. Insbesondere das charakteristische Flügelhorn von Luis Reich gibt ihrem Sound immer wieder diesen besonderen jazzigen Touch.

05. Thore Pfeiffer – Phase Locked Loop 1 Thore Pfeiffer ist ein Meister der flirrenden Flächen und hypnotisch mäandernden Loops.

06. Andrew Thomas feat. Julia Parr – Sunshine Night

Ein alter Bekannter aus Neuseeland meldet sich mit sphärischen Klängen zurück. Andrew Thomas, in Kooperation mit Julia Parr, sprenkelt fein gesetzte Klaviertöne in weit entfernte Flächen und noch entferntere Stimmen.

07. Segensklang – Artifacts of Synthese

Wir freuen uns, dass auch Segensklang nach seinem fulminanten Pop Ambient Debut im letzten Jahr auch dieses Jahr wieder mit dabei ist. Deep and beautiful.

08. Ümit Han – Im Delirium

Zum dritten Mal dabei ist der Kölner Produzent Ümit Han. Hat er bisher eher die emotional-flächigen Aspekte des Pop Ambienten Universums ausgelotet, schwingt sich sein diesjähriges Stück „Im Delirium“ mit perlend-klaren, sprudelnden Soundkristallen zu einem pulsierenden Klanggebirge auf.

09. Würden & Schäfer – Analysis Of Variance II

Max Würden und Lukas Schäfer betten in ihrem Stück Analysis Of Variance II einen fein gesetzten Beat-Impuls in ein weiches Bett aus modulierenden Flächen und angenehmer psychedelischer Spaceyness.

10. Max Würden – Circles

Max Würden zeigt einmal mehr sein besonderes Gefühl für eine der Kernaussagen des Pop Ambient Stilspektrums. Die wie „Popmusik“ unter dem Mikroskop anmutende, abstrakte Akkord- und Flächenbewegung zwischen formaler Konstruktion und emotionaler Berührbarkeit.

11. Blank Gloss – Jennifer’s Convertible

Das kalifornische Gitarren-Ambient Duo entführt uns mit gewohnter Souveränität in ihren erhaben-schönen Soundkosmos. Maximal verdichtete Transparenz. Leichtigkeit - schwer wie Gold.

12. Hendrik Meyer – Grün War Die Klamm

Ein weiterer Neuzugang ist Hendrik Meyer. Der vielseitige Musiker, u.a. auch bekannt durch sein über Kompakt vertriebenes MYR Projekt, führt uns mit gleißend-schöner „wall of sound“ Entschlossenheit in die Ewigkeit eines nur vom nachfolgenden Stück beendeten Sonnenuntergang. Film(Musik)reif.

13. Triola – Zum Renngraben

Jörg Burger aka Triola kombiniert die für ihn typischen „handmade“ Impulse und Akzente mit mehrdimensionalem, digitalen Soundszenario in angenehm rauchig-verwischter Stonewashed Ästhetik.

Für den alles zusammenführenden, klanglichen Feinschliff sorgt, wie immer, das unverzichtbare, finale Mastering von Jörg Burger.

Und wie in jedem Jahr ist auch die 25ste Ausgabe natürlich in ein abstrakt-florales Zaubergebilde von Veronika Unland gehüllt. Die Anmut ihrer Bildsprache ist über die Jahre immer mehr mit der musikalischen Aura zu einer unverkennbaren magischen Symbiose verschmolzen.

Introducing Wishy, a brand new band from celebrated Indiana songwriters Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites. Wishy came to life as a musical partnership between the two Indianapolis musicians when Pitchkites moved back home from Philadelphia in 2021. The two bonded over their love for 90s alternative bands like The Sundays and My Bloody Valentine and soon began crafting their own brand of swirling pop-rock with an introspective, grungy flair. By day Krauter works as a music teacher, giving drum and guitar lessons to students, while Pitchkites is a seamstress by trade and often makes embroidered merch for the band. While Krauter spent the better part of the last decade cementing his place as a torchbearer of Midwestern dream pop with 2018's Toss Up and 2020's Full Hand, Pitchkites delved into her own indie electro-pop project Push Pop, writing songs like "Spinning" that would later be reworked for Wishy. To round out the live band, Pitchkites and Krauter enlisted guitarist Dimitri Morris, bassist Mitch Collins, and drummer Conner Host. Across two trips to Los Angeles in late 2022 and early 2023, Krauter and Pitchkites linked up with friend and producer Ben Lumsdaine, who had some spare time between Durand Jones tours to record the pair's newly written songs. The result of their fruitful time in sunny California is the aptly named Paradise, a breezy and melodic EP that puts on full display the songwriter's musical fluency. Tastefully blending shoegaze, dreampop, and alt-rock into a heavenly haze, Wishy delivers a strong 5-song introduction that's dense with melodic earworms and stirring sentiment. Wishy's debut single for new label home Winspear, the driving and distorted "Donut," showcases Pitchkites' hypnotic vocal and Krauter's melancholic wash of guitars. Written after a period when Pitchkites was driving on a spare, "Donut" laments the cynical capitalism of Midwest living and the reliance on a car to get around. Of the song Pitchkites says "When you've got the possibility of the open road plus the limitations of your shitty car-and you're stuck driving on a donut spare tire- it's a Catch 22." Throughout Paradise, the band laments on American loneliness and idealism as it relates to our everyday lives. Across the EP's five tracks, Pitchkites and Krauter trade bittersweet reflections on love and self actualization over vast, scrappy guitar chords. The whole thing feels equally indebted to early aughts alt-rock and '90s jangle pop. Wishy's music is cathartic, yet underlined by a subtle brooding energy-sitting nicely alongside the work of their contemporaries like Momma or Tanukichan, both of whom Wishy will have shared the stage with. Wishy will be touring this Fall supporting Tanukichan, and the band will make their first festival appearance at LEVITATION in Austin, TX. After that, they have their eyes set on finishing their debut album, slated for release via Winspear in 2024

Abschließender Teil 3 der NICHTS-Deluxe Reissue-Serie: Endlich gibt es das fast vergessene dritte Nichts-Album "Aus Dem Jenseits" von 1983 neu aufgelegt! Aufgrund von Umständen damals untergegangen und unerfolgreich, aber deshalb auch rar und zum Kult geworden. Enorm unterschätzt sowieso! NICHTS stellten sich 1983 neu auf und hauten mit Seite A der LP eine ungebrochene Reihe von sechs deutschsprachigen New Wave-Powerpop-Super-Hits raus, garniert mit den schon immer guten Postpunk-Texten von Sängerin Andrea Mothes. Deren Echos finden sich auch heute noch im aktuellen Gitarrenpop, New Wave oder der Neuen Neue Deutsche Welle. Mindestens Single "Venus Schenkt Dir Schöne Stunden (Horrorskop)" hätte ein NDW-Klassiker der besseren Sorte sein sollen. Seite 2 ist kaum schwächer. Nachdem die Band im Herbst 1982 nach zwei erfolgreichen Alben sowie den NDW-Hits "Radio" und "Tango 2000" ihre Tour beendet hatten, stiegen Gründungsmitglied und Gitarrist Meikel Clauss sowie Bassist Scarbeck aus. Doch Sängerin/Texterin Andrea Mothes und Schlagzeuger Tobias Brink waren noch nicht fertig mit NICHTS und spielten in neuer Besetzung das dritte Album "Aus Dem Jenseits" ein. Liveauftritt bei Mal Sondocks Pop Explosion, geplante Single-Auskoppelung und gebuchte Tour schienen den Erfolg fortführen zu können, doch es kam anders: Aufgrund einer Verletzung Brinks musste die Tour abgesagt werden, die Single wurde nicht weiter promotet, die Band löste sich alsbald auf und das Album wurde in der Folge zum Kultobjekt der Fans. Das von den ehemaligen Bandmitgliedern begeistert aufgenommene und abgenickte Remastering des Albums wurde in der Düsseldorfer Skyline-Tonfabrik von Kai Blankenberg gefertigt, dessen Dienste sonst u.a. von International Music, Boy, Madsen oder regelmäßig Udo Lindenberg in Anspruch genommen werden. Neben Bonustrack (Horrorskop 2024 Single Edit) gibt es auch wieder ein 16seitiges Booklet im CD-Format mit Fotos der Zeit und den Texten dabei! Farbige Vinyl-Versionen, klassisch schwarze LP sowie erstmals auf CD überhaupt erhältlich! Für Fans von Bärchen und die Milchbubis, Mia., Paula Carolina, Ideal/Neonbabies, Gwen Dolyn, Östro 430, frühe Extrabreit, späte Hans-A-Plast, Nils Keppel Nichts 1983 waren: Gesang - Andrea Mothes/Gitarre - Stephen Keusch/Bass - Peter Szimanneck/Schlagzeug - Tobias Brink

Abschließender Teil 3 der NICHTS-Deluxe Reissue-Serie: Endlich gibt es das fast vergessene dritte Nichts-Album "Aus Dem Jenseits" von 1983 neu aufgelegt! Aufgrund von Umständen damals untergegangen und unerfolgreich, aber deshalb auch rar und zum Kult geworden. Enorm unterschätzt sowieso! NICHTS stellten sich 1983 neu auf und hauten mit Seite A der LP eine ungebrochene Reihe von sechs deutschsprachigen New Wave-Powerpop-Super-Hits raus, garniert mit den schon immer guten Postpunk-Texten von Sängerin Andrea Mothes. Deren Echos finden sich auch heute noch im aktuellen Gitarrenpop, New Wave oder der Neuen Neue Deutsche Welle. Mindestens Single "Venus Schenkt Dir Schöne Stunden (Horrorskop)" hätte ein NDW-Klassiker der besseren Sorte sein sollen. Seite 2 ist kaum schwächer. Nachdem die Band im Herbst 1982 nach zwei erfolgreichen Alben sowie den NDW-Hits "Radio" und "Tango 2000" ihre Tour beendet hatten, stiegen Gründungsmitglied und Gitarrist Meikel Clauss sowie Bassist Scarbeck aus. Doch Sängerin/Texterin Andrea Mothes und Schlagzeuger Tobias Brink waren noch nicht fertig mit NICHTS und spielten in neuer Besetzung das dritte Album "Aus Dem Jenseits" ein. Liveauftritt bei Mal Sondocks Pop Explosion, geplante Single-Auskoppelung und gebuchte Tour schienen den Erfolg fortführen zu können, doch es kam anders: Aufgrund einer Verletzung Brinks musste die Tour abgesagt werden, die Single wurde nicht weiter promotet, die Band löste sich alsbald auf und das Album wurde in der Folge zum Kultobjekt der Fans. Das von den ehemaligen Bandmitgliedern begeistert aufgenommene und abgenickte Remastering des Albums wurde in der Düsseldorfer Skyline-Tonfabrik von Kai Blankenberg gefertigt, dessen Dienste sonst u.a. von International Music, Boy, Madsen oder regelmäßig Udo Lindenberg in Anspruch genommen werden. Neben Bonustrack (Horrorskop 2024 Single Edit) gibt es auch wieder ein 16seitiges Booklet im CD-Format mit Fotos der Zeit und den Texten dabei! Farbige Vinyl-Versionen, klassisch schwarze LP sowie erstmals auf CD überhaupt erhältlich! Für Fans von Bärchen und die Milchbubis, Mia., Paula Carolina, Ideal/Neonbabies, Gwen Dolyn, Östro 430, frühe Extrabreit, späte Hans-A-Plast, Nils Keppel Nichts 1983 waren: Gesang - Andrea Mothes/Gitarre - Stephen Keusch/Bass - Peter Szimanneck/Schlagzeug - Tobias Brink

Abschließender Teil 3 der NICHTS-Deluxe Reissue-Serie: Endlich gibt es das fast vergessene dritte Nichts-Album "Aus Dem Jenseits" von 1983 neu aufgelegt! Aufgrund von Umständen damals untergegangen und unerfolgreich, aber deshalb auch rar und zum Kult geworden. Enorm unterschätzt sowieso! NICHTS stellten sich 1983 neu auf und hauten mit Seite A der LP eine ungebrochene Reihe von sechs deutschsprachigen New Wave-Powerpop-Super-Hits raus, garniert mit den schon immer guten Postpunk-Texten von Sängerin Andrea Mothes. Deren Echos finden sich auch heute noch im aktuellen Gitarrenpop, New Wave oder der Neuen Neue Deutsche Welle. Mindestens Single "Venus Schenkt Dir Schöne Stunden (Horrorskop)" hätte ein NDW-Klassiker der besseren Sorte sein sollen. Seite 2 ist kaum schwächer. Nachdem die Band im Herbst 1982 nach zwei erfolgreichen Alben sowie den NDW-Hits "Radio" und "Tango 2000" ihre Tour beendet hatten, stiegen Gründungsmitglied und Gitarrist Meikel Clauss sowie Bassist Scarbeck aus. Doch Sängerin/Texterin Andrea Mothes und Schlagzeuger Tobias Brink waren noch nicht fertig mit NICHTS und spielten in neuer Besetzung das dritte Album "Aus Dem Jenseits" ein. Liveauftritt bei Mal Sondocks Pop Explosion, geplante Single-Auskoppelung und gebuchte Tour schienen den Erfolg fortführen zu können, doch es kam anders: Aufgrund einer Verletzung Brinks musste die Tour abgesagt werden, die Single wurde nicht weiter promotet, die Band löste sich alsbald auf und das Album wurde in der Folge zum Kultobjekt der Fans. Das von den ehemaligen Bandmitgliedern begeistert aufgenommene und abgenickte Remastering des Albums wurde in der Düsseldorfer Skyline-Tonfabrik von Kai Blankenberg gefertigt, dessen Dienste sonst u.a. von International Music, Boy, Madsen oder regelmäßig Udo Lindenberg in Anspruch genommen werden. Neben Bonustrack (Horrorskop 2024 Single Edit) gibt es auch wieder ein 16seitiges Booklet im CD-Format mit Fotos der Zeit und den Texten dabei! Farbige Vinyl-Versionen, klassisch schwarze LP sowie erstmals auf CD überhaupt erhältlich! Für Fans von Bärchen und die Milchbubis, Mia., Paula Carolina, Ideal/Neonbabies, Gwen Dolyn, Östro 430, frühe Extrabreit, späte Hans-A-Plast, Nils Keppel Nichts 1983 waren: Gesang - Andrea Mothes/Gitarre - Stephen Keusch/Bass - Peter Szimanneck/Schlagzeug - Tobias Brink

A1 Northern Lights
Darkly, tense tones take center stage as Northern Lights kicks the LP off, introduced with an eerie synth before classic, striking old school breaks that aficionados will recall from the likes of John Bs Secrets drop, chopped expertly by our Spatial duo to create a quietly vengeful beat pattern with heavy kicks and a unique stuttering detail. Circling menacingly around the mix we are treated to swathes of choral detail, subtle vocal samples and shimmering ambience..

A2 Sunset on Mars
Showcasing the strengths of both producers through a delightfully rich atmosphere, Sunset on Mars opens with soothing echoed effects that ooze a welcoming sense of wonder. Delicate in composition yet still packing a punch, the breaks sit over a sumptuous deep sub bassline which carries our journey through simple key melodies, vivid mood-changing synths superbly to create a pure, wholesome atmospheric bliss.

B1 Totality
Dominant hats and cymbals surf the peaks of the mix early in Totality, detailed old school breakbeats quickly seizing our attention constructed with an effortless attention to detail. A stark, thick atmosphere is carved from a broad backdrop of sound blending vocals and synths, enveloping the listener with a dense, bleak soundscape that develops continually as the breaks roll on with memorable intent.

B2 Reincarnation
A deeply evocative, interstellar intro opens Reincarnation, generating images of lonely spacewalks with trademark Spatial aplomb. The vibe continues through a barrage of heavy analogue amens which crush the mix, edited with a chunky, commanding panache. The listener can picture pillars of isolation and thundering defiance dancing in duality as the elements weave their way fluidly throughout.

C1 Seraphim
Into an intense, epically atmospheric piece next as Seraphim channels the spirit of yesterday for a journey into the souls core via scene-trademark Hot Pants breaks, a moody 808 bassline and swirling atmospheric pads, melodies & synths. Layered with detailed FX demanding repeated listens to soak it all in, Seraphim is a special track which will take over your setlist and the journey home.

C2 Prism of Light
Sit back and relax to another slice of classic atmospheric bliss with Prism of Light, opening with a DJ-friendly hi hat intro before melodic synths generate an instantly unforgettable late-90s vibe. Hot Pants breaks drive us forward with a wondrously simple yet effective mix of 2 step and double kick edits, as blissful ambient washes and vocal hits are drizzled over the mix. Delightful.

D1 Harmonic Function A uniquely constructed beat pattern guaranteed to move you opens Harmonic Function, building up from rushing cymbals and hats intertwined with a fantastic crunchy, metallic half-time snare. Throw in a slew of mournful melodies and blanketed pad work around the mix and youre left with a superbly laid back yet danceable piece from ASC & Aural Imbalance, continually innovating in their music as ever on Spatial.

D2 Fade to Grey
Old school rhythms are on the agenda as our duo close out the album with a tense, meandering exploration through space, circling the planets through mellowed out beats before a layer of dense, analogue breaks are added to the mix as the atmosphere escalates. Exquisitely programmed vocals provide texture and feeling, while an understated bassline rumbling on below, completing a timeless collage of sound.

Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial / Red Mist)

An integral part of La Fine Equipe's famous La Boulangerie series, La Boulangerie II had never seen its Part 2 released on vinyl until now. That’s now a thing of the past thanks to this double LP!

Around the making of Mouthfuls, Fruit Bats had coalesced into a duo with Gillian Lisée and myself. It was sort of like our own mini cocaine-free version of Rumors. She wrote the bridge to 'Magic Hour,' which is totally about her. We also co-wrote 'Track Rabbits' together which is still one of my favorite things I've ever done and probably my favorite song on Mouthfuls.' 'I wrote 'When U Love Somebody' at the very last minute right before we started to record. It was kind of the throwaway track, which of course became by far the most popular song on the album and still probably the most popular Fruit Bats song, I was just trying to make something that sounded like Ray Davies, or even more specifically The Beatles' 'Two of Us.' Also, I spelled 'you' with a 'U' to reference Prince. People still like dancing to this one. Pressed on Straw Color Vinyl & exclusive to independent record stores!

"We could go so far as to say that it is the human condition to be grotesque, since the human animal is the one that does not fit in, the freak of nature who has no place in the natural order and is capable of re-combining nature's products into hideous new forms." So reckoned Mark Fisher in 'The Weird And The Eerie', which chronicled the means by which the uncanny can enter the everyday. Mwg Drwg, the second album from South Wales psychic seers Obey Cobra, is an album that dwells in exactly this kind of headspace, where the otherworldly meets the kitchen sink. Always a band who've sought out new dimensions to explore via their trademark warped post-punk, electronic and industrial influences, Obey Cobra have crafted surreal new shapes here. Taking influences as diverse as Diane Arbus, David Lynch and Sonic Youth, they balance out heaviosity and grace on the likes of the majestically discordant 'Ten Of Wands' Elsewhere, on the title track, the band sculpt a Jesus Lizard-esque rhythmic pulse, eerie vocal abstraction and the crepuscular downtempo atmosphere of Massive Attack's Mezzanine into a uniquely haunting dreamscape. Mwg Drwg is where the weird and eerie are amplified to intimidating proportions It's where grotesquely and beauty happily cohabit. It's an aural exorcism of William Friedkin proportions that demands your immediate attention.

Two-Piers bringt mit "Come To My World" eine kurze Geschichte und Tauchgang in die Welt des Indie-Pop, von seinen bescheidenen Anfängen in den 1980ern bis zu den vielen grossartigen Bands, die heute die Flagge hochhalten.

"Come To My World" beginnt mit coolen Bands wie Talulah Gosh, The Flatmates, Blueboy, Primal Scream, McCarthy, 14 Iced Bears und The Springfields auf bahnbrechenden DIY-Labels wie Sarah Records, The Subway Organization und Creation. Über die einflussreichen C86-Kassettenjahre gelangen wir zu den kommerzielleren Spät-1980er-Sounds von The Primitives, The Soup Dragons und The Darling Buds. Wir navigieren durch die 1990er mit der unterschätzten Brillianz von Heavenly, der florierenden schottischen Szene mit Acts wie BMX Bandits und The Vaselines, bis zum Durchbruch der Indie-Pop-Sounds von Velocity Girl und Blake Babies in den USA. In den 2000ern brachte die US-Szene exzellente Bands wie Dum Dum Girls und The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart hervor, neben Underground-Acts wie Joanna Gruesome, The Spook School und Veronica Falls. Die Zusammenstellung endet mit einem Blick in die glänzende Zukunft des Indie-Pop mit Künstlern wie The Goon Sax, The Lost Days und Ribbon Stage.

Für Indie-Pop-Liebhaber ist diese Underground-Musik seit fast 40 Jahren eine ständige Quelle der Freude. 2LP mit 34 Tracks. 2CD mit 40 Tracks.

Conoley Ospovat, with appearances on Otake, Kimochi Sound, Blankhaus, and Cervidae, continues to build his longrunning home imprint: Continental Drift. Opening with a jazzy, atmospheric strut, Transcontinental Trip's title track sets the tone for this record as a more driving, basslinefocused affair than some of his recent downtempo excursions. The taut restraint & open air vibe of loose drumming & ¬eld recordings for Hold On feel like a nonchalant response to Ricardo's Sei Es Drum. Then, Ospovat's attention to melody & clever programming comes to the fore again on Sunbreaks. The tune is a moody dance­oor builder full of twists & turns before the EP closes out with the carbonated haze of Paci¬c Coast Rain

In the age of streaming platforms and social media, stimulation is easy to come by. Real pleasure, however_the kind that feeds our soul rather than draining it_is in shockingly short supply. The second LP by THUS LOVE is full of that kind of nourishing euphoria. It swoons, shakes, and swaggers with a combination of grit and sensuality that's been hard to locate in music lately. It's called, fittingly, All Pleasure. The album came out of a period of dizzying growth and transformation for the group. When they began work on it, vocalist/guitarist Echo Mars and drummer Lu Racine were still reeling from the runaway success of their 2022 debut Memorial_a set of lush, elegant post-punk that brought praise from The FADER, the NME, and the Guardian_along with processing the departure of the founding bassist. With All Pleasure, the band re-formed with new bassist Ally Juleen and guitarist/keyboardist Shane Blank. The group convened in a barn in the woods that Mars had transformed into a recording studio, and kept one rule at the forefront: "If it's not joyful, don't do it." What emerged from that mission is a stunningly gorgeous album, full of big, arcing melodies and a range of kinky stylistic twists that will surprise listeners who know the group just for Memorial's chorus-drenched 80s-style psychedelia. "Birthday Song" gives grungy glam rock with a transcendent hook that underlines Echo's lyrical tribute to communal joy. "Get Stable" transmutes existential panic into sharp-angled punk pop. The anthemic title track is something like the album's mission statement, paying tribute to the power of joyful creation. Mixed by Matthew Hall and Rich Costey and mastered by Bob Weston, All Pleasure was recorded as live as possible, capturing the sheer infectious ecstasy that comes from sharing space together and making a divine racket. Put on All Pleasure, tap into the energy that THUS LOVE is putting out, and you just might find an escape.

2024 Repress

2 vinyl only tracks, 180g vinyl, printed kraftpack sleeve

Next up for Pornbugs is a collaboration project with Frink – ‘See Through My Eyes’. Remix support comes from Miroloja and Roger Gerressen.

DJ and production duo Pornbugs have been blasing a trail since 2005 and set up the label
Bondage-Music not long after to showcase their sound and the talented House artists around them. Frink is the epitome of underground. A talented artist with a steadfast fanbase that releases banger after banger with integrity and soul.

‘See Through My Eyes’ is a solid slice of contemporary house music. Deeply hypnotic and wildly addictive, its vibey bass, scattergun percussions and icy, cinematic pads feel like an warm audio blanket on a cold winters night. On the remix, Miroloja Strips away at the layers for a deeper groove.

‘Sigma’ sees the triplet explore the tribal side of House. Rubber bass wraps around the opening tribal framework and develops into a classy deep houser with bags of soul. Roger Gerresen takes the baton and runs on the remix. Dubbing out the stabs for an icy, hypnotic journey. Perfect for the early morning hours after a long club night!

***BACK IN STOCK ON ORANGE CREAM VINYL!!!

On Fire is widely recognized as the canonic pinnacle of Galaxie 500's career. The artwork conveys this, with a low-angle shot of the band, looking up towards an amber sky. This record marked the realization of their signature sound. Nowhere is it clearer than on the album opener, "Blue Thunder," the closest a song can come to waves crashing on a beach in song form. Lyrically inconsequential, with a chorus composed entirely of "la"s, the track's power lies in a systematic build and break of intensity that reaches a Spector-like climax. It is the quintessential Galaxie 500 song, encapsulating all that was great about the band. With the Boston trio once again utilizing the bizarre genius of producer Mark Kramer, On Fire sounds like anything but. The guitars are warm blankets enwrapping Dean Wareham's vocals, percolated by the open percussion of Damon Krukowski and anchored by the emotion-laden bass of Naomi Yang. Songs like "Snowstorm," "Strange," and "Decomposing Trees" have an endless quality, without beginnings or ends, but rather frozen somewhere on a spectrum of melancholy. For the first time since its original pressing, On Fire is available again on vinyl. Cut by vinyl ace Kevin Gray from a remaster by Kramer and Alan Douches, the album sounds more vibrant than ever, and Galaxie 500 exists again as one of the most enrapturing and glorious bands to emerge from the underground in the past 25 years.

»Chromacolor« is one of those records that immediately feels like home even though it is hard to locate stylistically. Written and recorded by Hanno Leichtmann in Berlin and Madeira between 2020 and 2022, it draws on rhythmic minimalism as a guiding principle and might call to mind organic, instrument-based ambient music, but also incorporates jazzy moments as well as Annie Garlids multi-layered vocals that permeate through these nine pieces.

The foundation for Leichtmann’s Chromacolor project was laid when the prolific Berlin-based producer, musician, and drummer borrowed a vibraphone and a Fender Rhodes from two friends. Combining their unique sonic affordances with those of a Guitaret, an electric lamellophone, he further expanded his sound palette by inviting other musicians—Anthea Caddy, Sabine Vogel, Tobias Delius, Els Vandeweyer, Sabine Ercklentz, Mike Majkowski, Andrei Ladeishchikov, Oona Farchy, Gonçalo Caboz as well as Rafael and Hugo Andrade—to play small but vital parts in the production of the album.

The opener »Kisses and Wine« masterfully sets the tone for an album that is as inviting as it is challenging. Working with relaxed repetitive rhythms, Garlid’s anthemic vocals and a sprinkle of saxophone and flute tones courtesy of Delius and Vogel, respectively, as well as tender piano notes played by Leichtmann, it evokes a lot with only few means: a certain melancholy, but also an elevated atmosphere that feels both exuberant and restrained.

Leichtmann’s elegant study of the power of repetition, minute rhythmic shifts and subtle use of melodic and harmonic elements creates ambiguities and polyvalences like these throughout the entire record, up until its understated finale, aptly titled »A Beautiful Day«—a drone-jazz piece, if you will, both longing and joyful.

As an album, »Chromacolor« is hard to pigeonhole, but rich and rewarding. All it takes is immersing yourself in it.

»lacuna and parlor« is anchored in the left-field chamber music and incidental recordings that have long accented more eaze’s roving sound. Composed with one ear pressed to the rich textures of instrumental recording environments, this is a resonant and tactile collection tinged in rephrased space and skewed time.

Taking the rudiments of tonal music theory as her conceptual base, more eaze formed the compositions around her own manipulations of these core principles. Simple chord progressions stretch over minutes rather than seconds, for example, while elsewhere specific tonal signifiers were deleted from harmonic progressions, altering the expectations of these tropes.

These and many other bespoke techniques underpin compositions that span Americana-inflected ambient ballads and jaunty string recitals. With wistful vocals, bursts of improvisatory noise, loose chatter and overdubbed room sounds flowing in and out of the mix, more eaze invites us to lounge and linger in these lacunate moments, at once heard, felt and imagined.

Speckled Dragon Egg Color Vinyl. Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Cindy is to release a new six song EP called Swan Lake on 4th October via Tough Love. The title isn't a nod to the folktale or ballet in any real way, but to the fact that it all has ended up in the collective imagination as an object, vaguely recognizable, a little suggestive, and mostly blank. Karina Gill, Cindy's songwriter, likes to make use of that kind of resonance to connect sound and experience. The six songs on this EP continue the stripped-down habits of previous Cindy releases, while adding a few departures and left-turns. Cindy likes to work at the essentials and the elements here say exactly what's needed. In other ways, these songs present a soft filigree that's unusual for their recordings. Oli Lipton (Now, Violent Change) on guitar and Will Smith (Now) on bass play counterpoint melodies to Gill's structures. Staizsh Rodrigues (Children Maybe Later, Almond Joy, Peace Frog) sings vocal harmonies that both offset and deepen Gill's voice and delivery. There are playful drums by Mike Ramos (Tony Jay, Sad Eyed Beatniks) and coolly elaborate guitar lines from Stanley Martinez (Famous Mammals, Violent Change, Non Plus Temps). Gill's songs strike this balance too: almost nonchalant reporting tied up in unexpected knots. A ride in an elevator connects up with questions about peace and/or the nature of things; the title track wonders about associative thinking and associative feeling; The Bell is an account of one of those times when everything makes sense but you can't explain it; and there's the scene of a party viewed with admiration for how friends can love each other. As Gill herself says: "People have told me that they can't quite identify my influences. Me neither. The foundational layers of music of the past and my past have been metabolized like breakfast and turned into more me, sorry to say. But I experience the music of people I'm connected with and it impacts me in the moment. There's the music I'm around - April Magazine, Sad Eyed Beatniks, Violent Change, Katsy Pline, collaborating with Mike on Flowertown - that I can feel a direct line from. Then there's music that is being made far away but feels close, like Lewsberg, specifically, for this EP. "

Cindy is to release a new six song EP called Swan Lake on 4th October via Tough Love. The title isn’t a nod to the folktale or ballet in any real way, but to the fact that it all has ended up in the collective imagination as an object, vaguely recognizable, a little suggestive, and mostly blank. Karina Gill, Cindy’s songwriter, likes to make use of that kind of resonance to connect sound and experience. The six songs on this EP continue the stripped-down habits of previous Cindy releases, while adding a few departures and left-turns. Cindy likes to work at the essentials and the elements here say exactly what’s needed. In other ways, these songs present a soft filigree that’s unusual for their recordings. Oli Lipton (Now, Violent Change) on guitar and Will Smith (Now) on bass play counterpoint melodies to Gill’s structures. Staizsh Rodrigues (Children Maybe Later, Almond Joy, Peace Frog) sings vocal harmonies that both offset and deepen Gill’s voice and delivery. There are playful drums by Mike Ramos (Tony Jay, Sad Eyed Beatniks) and coolly elaborate guitar lines from Stanley Martinez (Famous Mammals, Violent Change, Non Plus Temps). Gill’s songs strike this balance too: almost nonchalant reporting tied up in unexpected knots. A ride in an elevator connects up with questions about peace and/or the nature of things; the title track wonders about associative thinking and associative feeling; The Bell is an account of one of those times when everything makes sense but you can’t explain it; and there’s the scene of a party viewed with admiration for how friends can love each other. As Gill herself says: "People have told me that they can’t quite identify my influences. Me neither. The foundational layers of music of the past and my past have been metabolized like breakfast and turned into more me, sorry to say. But I experience the music of people I’m connected with and it impacts me in the moment. There’s the music I’m around – April Magazine, Sad Eyed Beatniks, Violent Change, Katsy Pline, collaborating with Mike on Flowertown – that I can feel a direct line from. Then there’s music that is being made far away but feels close, like Lewsberg, specifically, for this EP. " CINDY – UK Tour Dates: Oct 31st WOE is 6 @ Walthamstow Trades Hall, London w/ Cuneiform Tabs & Bobby Would. Nov 1st Coventry, UK Just Dropped In Records, 2 Halifax, UK The Grayston Unity, 4 York, UK The Fulford Arms, 5 Gateshead, UK The Central Bar, 6 Glasgow, UK The Glad Café, 7 Manchester, UK Rat & Pigeon, 8 Cambridge, UK NCI Centre.