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The second solo record by Mike Polizze of Philadelphia psych-squallers Purling Hiss and Birds of Maya, a rainier and more pensive affair than its predecessor_despite its playful humor and plentiful hooks_affirms his status as a consummate (and now not-so-secret) craftsman of instantly memorable bucolic odes of languid beauty, deepening his fingerstyle acoustic guitar magic and finally manifesting the title of the classic Hiss anthem "Run from the City."

Come On Come On isn’t just Mary Chapin Carpenter’s most popular album, with sales of 3 million copies. It’s also a contemporary country landmark. No less than seven of its songs became country hits: “I Feel Lucky,” “I Take My Chances,” “Not Too Much to Ask,” “The Hard Way,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” and two inspired covers, of Dire Straits’ “The Bug” and Lucinda Williams’ “Passionate Kisses.” More importantly, though, this 1992 release pointed the way towards what country music would become in the 21st century with its savvy seasoning of pop and soft-rock sounds into a more personal style of country songwriting from a female point of view. If you’re thinking that sounds familiar, you’re not wrong; Come On Come On’s prodigious commercial prowess isn’t the only thing this record has in common with the early work of Taylor Swift. But, it also crossed over into the rock realm in a way that, arguably, Swift’s records have not; the flourishing Americana and alt-country audiences of the early ‘90s ate this album up, and guest stars like Rosanne Cash, The Indigo Girls, and Shawn Colvin just upped its street cred. Somehow, this classic record has never (come on!) made it to vinyl; we’re making up for a whole lot of lost time with a grape vinyl pressing housed inside a color inner sleeve with lyrics. Essential!

After a five-year hiatus, Times Are Ruff is back, recharged and inspired. This return marks a renewed commitment to the underground, bringing that ruff sound.

The label returns to the wax with the sound they are known for, defined by dusty grooves, ruff rhythms and soulful moods.

This record is for the heads. A proper blend of funk, acid, late-night vibes and early morning moods, that keep the floor moving and the soul intact. Pure, stripped-back house music for those who know.

Times Are Ruff—back in the game, staying true to the craft, and ready to deliver more underground cuts.

A deeply personal journey of an aspiring artist (Solene) navigating the harsh realities of Hollywood. An album that explores the emotional toll of being a hopeless romantic in a city full of predators and narcissists. A raw look at survival — and the trauma that follows. A narrative arc that takes the listener from LA to Las Vegas, only to find the same demons follow: addiction, vices, self-destruction, and the allure of illusion but ultimately setting on a journey of healing: picking oneself up, learning from pain, and choosing hope again and again. A love letter to Jazz, honoring Solene’s roots, with Hip Hop providing the fire and framework, produced by J. Rawls, to create something new: a genre-bending sound that’s soulful, futuristic, and fearless. Midnight Angel is not just an album — it’s a testimony of recovery, and of rebellion.

Acclaimed jazz artist Bill Evans’ Momentum album is the 1972 live album recorded at a concert at Stadsschouwburg in Groningen, the Netherlands.
The trio includes, next to Bill Evans on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass and Marty Morell on drums. The ensemble plays compositions by Bill Evans,

Miles Davis’ “Nardis” and Michel Legrand’s “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life”. The album received the prestigious German award
Preis Der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.
Momentum is available as a limited edition of 1000 copies on blue coloured vinyl and includes a 4page booklet with extensive liner-notes.

Matt Duncan is one of the biggest artists you have not heard of yet. This particular album, "Soft Times" has almost 20 MILLION STREAMS on Spotify alone. You might not know Matt Duncan, but you have definitely heard his music. His music has been on "The Vampire Diaries," "Private Practice," and HBO's "Bored To Death." Most recently Matt was a featured performer in the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, "Hedwig and The Angry Inch." The album art was created by Robert Beatty, who has recently done art for Tame Impala, Flaming Lips, and more!Matt Duncan creates music that would have fit in perfectly on your Dad's AM Radio in the 1970's. Touches of Blue Eyed Soul await you on this LP. This album showcases the strength of Matt's arranging. Strings, horns, layered vocals all make this perfect mix of Motown and Bacharach. There is a track for any ear on this LP.

Born and raised in small Texas towns, the members of Good Looks met and began playing together in Austin. Songwriter Tyler Jordan grew up in a South Texas coastal town dominated by the petrochemical industry, his childhood steeped in the tension between nature and industry, exploitation abundantly present and the wealth gap on full display. His father's church, described by Tyler as "cult-like in its intensity," was homebase and where he learned to sing. Tyler eventually met lead guitarist Jake Ames in the late-night song-swap circles of the Kerrville Folk Festival campground (where they would also meet Buck Meek and Adrienne Lenker pre-Big Thief). They shared their mutual love of the Texas hill country canon (Blaze Foley, Townes Van Zandt, and Willie Nelson), a love of cheap diner food, thrift store baseball caps, and a healthy dose of harmless shit-talking. They began playing in bands together, backing up other songwriters and taking turns in the spotlight. They sought out producer Dan Duszynski (Loma, RF Shannon, Jess Williamson) to engineer their debut album. What would form was Good Looks, a blue-collar political indie-rock band with healthy doses of Replacements swagger and shimmering, desert rock riffs not unlike The War On Drugs.

Long overdue repress of 'Acid Guru Pond', the incredible collaboration between Bardo Pond, Japanese psych-experimentalists Acid Mother's Temple and cosmic kosmische legends Guru Guru. The fruits of an incredible collaboration, Acid Mothers Temple wrap their psych rock wizardry and cosmic space noise around Isobel Sollenberger's ethereal vocals and majestic flute playing, the collective brings out the best in one another, feasting on innovation and distortion while not losing the swirling lock groove. Classic rock riffs merge and morph into the surrounding world music influences to cook up an enchanting and meditative brew. The naming of each song after a colour only further reinforces the vibe heavy proceedings. Classic black vinyl

When Elvis joined the Army in 1958, Ricky Nelson was the young man who, it was predicted, would fill the King’s blue suede shoes. He went on to become a country-rock pioneer, but everybody still remembered his pop hits. Ricky Nelson's teenage celebrity typecast him for life, but these recordings from his heyday reveal a solid musician who matured and grew over time. It’s also fair to say that his later music opened the door for the Eagles, featuring ex-Stone Canyon Band bass player Randy Meisner, to pass through. It was more than a sympathy vote that saw Nelson posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Full of Hell Coagulated Bliss bio Full of Hell burst forth with incredible force from the small, dagger-shaped city of Ocean City, Maryland, 15 years ago. Over five full-lengths, five collaborative full-lengths, and countless splits, EPs, singles, and noise compilations, they’ve evolved at extraordinary speed, their music becoming more complicated and technical without ever slowing down or losing its soul. Everything on a Full of Hell album feels like a blur: smears of guitar, harsh noise shaken like gravel in a bag, singer Dylan Walker’s snarl and bite carrying him into outer space or into the core of the earth. They’re coiled, interlocking, impossible to penetrate, and they move with alarming speed. They have now reached terminal velocity. Having created their own context, they’re now able to walk around within it, to survey its terrain, to visit far corners and see who’s nearby. Coagulated Bliss sounds like Full of Hell, but it’s nothing like any Full of Hell record that’s come before it.

The Canadian folk singer renowned for her purity of voice and composer of the ever-fresh ’Morning Dew’; once at the heart of the Greenwich Village heyday when she sang at Gerdes Folk City alongside the likes of Paul Simon and Bob Dylan; and the UK’s premier purveyors of Cosmic Americana riding a wave of creativity and acclaim, following two successive classic albums Hollow Heart and On A Golden Shore. The spry octogenarian and the psychedelic cowboys proved a match ripe to be made. Since Bonnie’s reemergence, at Jarvis Cocker’s Meltdown in 2007, she’d been interacting with a host of London musicians, but when the Stars came onto her horizon she sensed she’d found the perfect accompanists for her new compositions. With no concrete plan they worked up a few songs, then went into Sean Read’s Famous Times studio to see what might happen. What might happen is now Dreams, comprising eight songs; six being recent compositions never before studio-recorded while a further two reach into and celebrate her back catalogue, along with the era that initially defined her, and as one of its now few active representatives – it’s her and Dylan and not many more – she stands for.

Stupid Sexy Paulo is a genre-blending odyssey from Paulo and the Problems, bringing together Fogwood Records labelmates for a truly collaborative experience. Fusing indie rock, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop, the album showcases the collective energy of the label, blurring genre lines with effortless cool. A bold and playful statement, Stupid Sexy Paulo captures the spirit of creative freedom and the power of collaboration

On 2018’s “Folk”, New Orleans songwriter and singer Sabine McCalla presents her own interpretation of grass-roots southern music. Combining elements of jazz, country blues, calypso, New Orleans R&B and Haitian creole compas, Sabine spins stories of heartbreak and hope through intimate arrangements and honest inflections. Recorded by Sam Doores (the Deslondes) and Duff Thompson (Mashed Potato Records), “Folk” exposes Sabine’s love of laments and folk spirituals, her penchant for simple truths and her interest in divining fundamental wisdom about love and loss from a small tangle of words. Commanding in its simplicity, with most songs sung a capella or with minimal guitar or vocal accompaniment, the EP’s five songs tell the stories of lost souls and broken hearts, embedded with painful truths that come to us calmly, the ones that are physically and psychically impossible to ignore.

Active between 1970 and 1976, the Bolton Iron Maiden (originally known as Birth and then Iron Maiden) was a psychedelic hard-rock band formed in Bolton by Ian Boulton-Smith (Beak) on lead guitar, Derek George Austin on bass and Paul TJ O’Neill on drums / vocals.
Influenced by contemporaries like LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM, FREE, GROUNDHOGS OR ANDROMEDA, their music blended blues, hard rock, and progressive elements.
They soon built a strong reputation supporting acts such as UFO, Bedlam (with Cozy Powell), CARAVAN, THIN LIZZY... In 1976, the band disbanded following the death of guitarist Ian Boulton-Smith from cancer.
In 2005, Paul O’Neill revived interest in BIM by releasing two albums, “Maiden Flight” and “Boulton Rides Again”,which compiled studio and live recordings. The proceeds from these albums were donated to Cancer Research and Macmillan Cancer Support. With the blessing of the more famous
Iron Maiden and their manager Rod Smallwood, the band adopted the name “The Bolton Iron Maiden” to avoid confusion.
For the first time on vinyl, “Maiden Flight” collects their previously unreleased studio recordings from 1972 plus raw as f*ck live tracks circa 1975.
*Insert with detailed liner notes and rare photos / memorabilia / *Download card with extra (live) bonus tracks

Ketch Secor is a merry ringmaster, passionate professor, modern Beat, and unassuming virtuoso 'The Story the Crow Told Me' is his solo debut album, tracing the journey from street busker to founding Old Crow Medicine Show, now a Grammy-winning, Opry-member band behind the double-platinum hit "Wagon Wheel." Produced by Jody Stevens, the album features Marty Stuart, Molly Tuttle, Willie Watson, Jaren Johnston, and an ode to Nashville with help from Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. First single, "Dickerson Road" drops May 15th "Catch Me If You Can" impacting Americana Radio June 5th Ketch solo dates July Old Crow Medicine Show touring August-Sept Album focus track "What Nashville Was" to premiere on SiriusXM Outlaw Country Ketch to host SiriusXM's Outlaw Country Show July 7th

Poor Creature is comprised of Ruth Clinton, Cormac MacDiarmada and John Dermody, all three are members of other bands (Landless and Lankum respectively) who have built a large following on re-interpreting songs from the past Songs that have existed for centuries can seem immutable and anchored to time. A new generation of Irish musicians are keen to acknowledge that musical legacy, while reimagining the songs within a contemporary context. Poor Creature's sound - particularly in the context of contemporary Irish folk - offers something unique. There's the gauzy, underwater, almost psychedelic seams of 'Bury Me Not' and 'Adieu Lovely Erin'. 'All Smiles Tonight' and 'Hicks' Farewell' nod to the influence of American folk/bluegrass acts like Doc Watson and the Louvin Brothers. These shifting sounds are made possible by producer John 'Spud' Murphy, who has produced all of Lankum's albums, and worked with Junior Brother, OXN, Pretty Happy, Ye Vagabonds as as well as the final two albums by The Jimmy Cake, with whom John has played for over 20 years. "There's something about the everyday and the fantastical, being entangled, which I think Irish music does so well." This also sums up All Smiles Tonight, moving through stories and loss and history to create an otherworldly and timeless album for the ages.

Proudly presenting Maravilhosamente Bem the powerful, female-centred third album by Brazilian singer, songwriter, actress, and creative director, Julia Mestre.
Alongside being a member of the Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian supergroup, Bala Desejo, Julia has been steadily building a solo career where her unique vision and alluring soft, sultry voice take centre stage. Drawing inspiration from ‘80s ballads, MPB, pop and disco productions, each song on this third album finds Julia creatively exploring different characters and tones.

A love-song-driven LP at its core, Maravilhosamente Bem holds a playful mirror up to blissful days gone by, artfully reimagined with Julia’s own modern twist. An album filled with love and nostalgia, it pays homage to her love of classic female disco divas such as Donna Summer, Sade, Alcione, Lady Zu, and the Brazilian rock queens Rita Lee and Marina Lima. Of that latter pairing, the late iconic Brazilian vocalist and musician Rita Lee (Os Mutantes) is referenced in the music video for the first single, ‘Sou Fera’, blessing Julia with a magical guitar. Marina Lima then provides guest vocals on the album’s closing track, ‘Marinou, Limou’, with her name transformed into a mantra by Julia.

Channelling a lo-fi ‘80s ballad aesthetic, Julia navigates a multitude of themes across the nine sublime tracks. From the sexy, whispered performances on vintage horror movie-inspired tunes ‘Vampira’ and ‘Pra Lua’ to the delicate, fragile love lullabies of ‘Sentimento Blues’ and ‘Cariñito’, and the seductive disco diva embodiment on dance tracks ‘Veneno de Serente’ and title track ‘Maravilhosamente Bem’. Another hidden highlight is the palette-cleansing mini-suite, ‘Interlúdio dos Amantes’. A luscious strings instrumental piece that lends to the beautiful Sade-esque ‘Seu Romance’.

Produced by Julia and longtime collaborators Gabriel Quirino, Gabriel Quinto, and João Moreira, Maravilhosamente Bem sees Julia embarking on a new era of her musical career. This sensational third album is a captivating showcase of the creative vision and versatility of one of Brazil’s finest stars.

Released on Mr. Bongo (ROW) and Altafonte (Brazil).

You're strolling down an alley in New Orleans or Brooklyn late at night and this sound jumps out at you -- rock & roll, classic rhythm & blues, sung and played with verve, personality, and joy. The dance floor is full. You stroll in and hear sounds that wouldn't have sounded out of place on the legendary Specialty Records of the 1950s and '60s.

Indeed one of the eight cuts onWrite It Down, the new album fromJackson& The Janks, comes from the repertoire of rhythm & blues singer Mamie Perry, first recorded in 1959. The rest areJacksonLynch originals, inspired by his time living and playing music in the Crescent City. Theuniquearrangementsof the band itself have deep roots in NOLA, too, with Matt Bell (Esther Rose) on lap steel, Craig Flory (Tuba Skinny) on bass saxophone and Sam Doores (The Deslondes) sharing backing vocals while trading-off on drums and keys.

Jacksonand the Janks have performed at the Brooklyn Folk Fest, Blackpot Festival (Louisiana), and Oldtone Festival (New York) and did a video session for tastemaker series GemsOnVHS and Jackson a solo session for Paste. Its residency on Fridays in Brooklyn (when they're not on tour) packs the house week after week with fans and folks drawn in by the word-of-mouth buzz and the sound.

SIDE A. J. Diggns - Saturday Salsa with sizzling brass, deep pocket percussion, and a groove that’s pure motion. Whether you’re rocking the decks or rolling at the rink, this one brings that feel-good energy straight to your soul. It isn't Saturday without the "De La Brilla", Glow in Spanish —

SIDE B. King Most – BALLA EDIT From Radio Havana to West Africa, the spirit of Latin rhythm crossed oceans, bouncing oc antennas and into the soul of a continent. On BALLA EDIT, King Most channels that deep cultural echo—an infectious blend of clave, funk, and highlife sensibilities, flipped with modern finesse and analog warmth. Made to ride at block parties, or sets where borders blur and rhythms rule. Global grooves, rooted deep. Pressed heavy. Played loud

This album released in 1957 showcases Chet Baker's trumpet skills alongside Bobby Jaspar on tenorsaxophone. The recordings for the album took place between October 25, 1955, and February 10, 1956, at Studio Pathe-Magellan in Paris and features a mix of cool jazz and bop styles with tracks like "How About You," "Once in a While," and "Alone Together." The ensemble of musicians on this album includes notable names such as Jean-Louis Viale on drums, and Benoit Quersin on bass; the album highlighting Baker's distinctive trumpet tone and his collaboration with talented European musicians: "I Get Chet" is a significant work in his discography and reflect his mastery in the cool jazz and bop genres. The tracks are characterized by its relaxed tempos and lighter tone, and bop, known for its complex rhythms and harmonies, it is praised for its lyrical and cool jazz elements. For this and other reasons and considered a gem from Chet Baker's Paris sessions, showcasing his talent during a pivotal time in his career.

Released in 1962, "Etta James Sings for Lovers" came out during a time when Etta James was Establishing herself as one of the premier vocalists in the music industry

The early 1960s were a fertile period for soul and R&B music, and James was at the forefront of this movement. It's about an album collection of romantic ballads and standards that showcase her powerful and emotive vocal abilities: known primarily for her blues and R&B hits, this album allows her to explore jazz standards and love ballads, demonstrating her ability to convey complex emotions and connect with listeners on a deep level. The album features accomplished session musicians who provide a sophisticated and polished sound: Over the years, "Etta James Sings for Lovers" has been appreciated as a classic example of a signifcant part of her discography, beloved by fans for its timeless quality. The arrangements feature lush orchestration, with strings and horns providing a rich backdrop for James' vocals and at the time of its release, the album was well-received by critics who praised James' vocal prowess and the sophisticated arrangements.

The Modern Jazz Quartet, known for its sophisticated and elegant approach to jazz, consisted of pianist John Lewis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay

Here are Some key points about the album: "Fontessa" is regarded as one of the Quartet's essential recordings, praised for its elegant performances and refned compositions. The album refects the commitment to creating jazz that is both accessible and artistically ambitious. Critics and jazz enthusiasts often highlight the interplay between Milt Jackson's vibraphone and John Lewis's piano, supported by the solid rhythm section of Percy Heath and Connie Kay. The title track "Fontessa" is a suite in several movements, showcasing the band's ability to merge different musical themes seamlessly; the album includes notable covers such as "Angel Eyes," "Willow Weep for Me," and "Over the Rainbow" all of which are given the Modern Jazz Quartet unique treatment with a mix of lush harmonies and sophisticated improvisation. The album, released in 1956, signifcantly contributed to the evolution of jazz by demonstrating that it could be a serious, artful genre capable of sophisticated expression. The Modern Jazz Quartet infuence extends beyond jazz to classical and popular music, and "Fontessa" remains a testament to their innovative spirit and enduring appeal, a key album in their discography, exemplifying their unique sound and artistic vision.

Globally beloved Australian trio Sons Of The East have announced their highly anticipated second album, SONS, due out via MGM (Metropolitan Groove Merchants) The Sons Of The East -- Jack Rollins (vocals, guitar), Nic Johnston (vocals, keys) and Dan Wallage (guitar, banjo) -- originally hail from Sydney's Northern Beaches, but their unmistakable sound has carried them to every corner of the globe. Blending folk, blues, soul, and classic country, their music channels the raw vulnerability of Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons, combined with the soaring harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Avett Brothers. Known for their deft songwriting and a palpable sense of joy that runs through every note, they've built a career on both timeless recordings and legendary live shows -- the kind that leave audiences singing along.

Part of the Jean-Pierre Leloir 180 gram vinyl Collection, Time Out, released in 1959, was an unusual album from the start. While most tunes in occidental popular music are in 4/4, alternating with the 3/4 waltz form here and there, Time Out was devoted to rhythms that had never been previously heard in jazz.
Most of the songs were composed by Brubeck himself. However, one of the most catchy melodies, “Take Five”, was a Paul Desmond composition, and it would become the quartet’s most celebrated tune. “Dave Brubeck’s defining masterpiece,Time Out is one of the most rhythmically innovative albums in jazz history”, wrote Steve Huey in All Music Guide, giving the album five stars.

Carré debuts on Woozy with Meltdown, the label’s third installment on wax. An exciting new iteration for the dubstep blueprint, three weighty and heady half steppers in the proudest one-forty tradition with a modern dub-club twist. Comes with two striking remixes from legends dBridge and NVST.

Following its release in 1997, ‘Remember Me’ was cemented as an international dance hit, peaking at #8 in the UK singles charts, as well as #2 in the American Dance Chart. Instantly recognizable for the iconic Marlena Shaw vocal samples and down-tempo chugging bassline, ‘Remember Me’ has gained cult status throughout the world as a dance-floor classic. Releasing the original over 20 years ago, the incomparable track has only received one previous official remix with Dutch producer and DJ, Franky Rizardo now injecting new life into an already seminal track also

The Dutch imprint has now asked non-other than David Penn to add his magic to this sure-fire repeat player!

Madrid based David Penn get to grips with the Blue Boy classic and the results are spectacular! Some of you may have already heard it on David’s recent Live lockdown streams all over social media?! Now you have been hand-picked to help break this house anthems!

Format Details: 12” matte jacket, orange & blue side A/B effect colour vinyl, dust sleeve & marketing sticker.

Originally released in 2002, Daylight EP was the follow-up to Aesop Rock’s critically-acclaimed Labor Days album, a cult classic released only six months prior. The EP was built around its titular opening song, “Daylight,” one of the standout tracks from Labor Days, and continued expanding upon the range and depth of Aesop’s multi-talented gifts for writing and producing. In addition to the title track, Daylight EP also included its counterpoint, “Night Light,” an alternate version in concept whose paraphrased lyrics simultaneously refer back to– and stand in stark opposition to– the original's, over darker, more menacing production. The tracklist for Daylight EP boasted seven songs plus a hidden track for a total of eight, and collectively featured production by Blockhead, El-P, Blueprint and Aesop Rock himself, as well as guest appearances from Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox) and Blueprint.
At the time of its initial release, Daylight EP was only offered in CD and digital formats, while the vinyl was stripped back, available only as a three-song 12” single. Now, Rhymesayers Entertainment is pleased to present the complete EP on vinyl for the first time ever, pressed on two-color side A/B effect orange & blue vinyl to complement the original artwork. Finally, fans and vinyl collectors everywhere can own this integral piece of Aesop Rock’s legacy and enjoy the genius behind this project.

comes in deluxe black Priplak jacket with postcard
The Techno Wave" was the first single released in 1990 by this famous project created by Jens Lissat and Ramon Zenker (Hardfloor). One of the most well-known tracks of the so called Frankfurt Tekkno scene that invaded Germany during the early 90s. This re-issue includes the original Castle Mix", the b-side The Bass is on Fire' and a new killer remix prepared by Ancient Methods who described The Techno Wave" as "one of the influential tracks that brought me alongside Zoth Ommog and R&S into techno".

Black Hole Superette, the latest album from Aesop Rock, delves into the invisible forces that shape our lives and psyches. It's about the small, often overlooked moments_the everyday experiences that blur the lines between the real and the unreal, waking and sleeping. Aesop's signature gift for transforming the mundane into something dreamlike gives the album a surreal quality, leaving listeners questioning what's truly real as they navigate its vivid, half-remembered imagery. Entirely self-produced, Black Hole Superette is one of Aesop Rock's most technically accomplished works to date. The album's intricate beats and complex structures provide the perfect backdrop for his expansive lyricism, balancing cerebral exploration with emotional depth. From the reflective 'Movie Night' and the eccentric 'Send Help' to the wistful 'Black Plums,' Aesop channels the spirit of a mad scientist, experimenting with sound and concept in ways that defy the ordinary. With a stellar lineup of collaborators that includes Lupe Fiasco, Armand Hammer, Hanni El Khatib, Open Mike Eagle and Homeboy Sandman, Black Hole Superette is dense and kinetic, an album that deftly navigates between complexity and instinct. It's clear this project stands as one of Aesop Rock's most multifaceted and ambitious works yet.

3XL’s first new release in 2025 by Italian trio Cortex of Light is a synapse-tickling dose of classic FSOL-era world-building that takes in gloopy trance cooked down with sub-heavy, vaporous dub, mutant acid, breakbeat rave, Artificial Intelligence and a Mark Fell-style algorithmic brainmelt.

You'll know if you've spent any time following Piezo's output that the Milan-based producer and Ansia boss has a knack for lysergically enhancing any club template he sets his sights on. With releases on Idle Hands, Wisdom Teeth, Loefah's 81 and most recently Dekmantel, Luca Mucci has blottered up dubstep, hard drum, 2-step and minimal techno, here re-convening with fellow Milanese journeymen Aitch and primordial OOze/xàr num as Cortex of Light to blur those edges even further

'ILLUMINOTECNICA' isn't the trio's first release, but it's their most substantial and easily most developed. If 2024's 'Aeon Is A Child At Play With Colored Balls' showed off their aptitude for threading their luminous soundscapes into a horizontal soundtrack, then this album is a proper chance for Cortex of Light to show off their versatility in a different setting, matching dancefloor hallucinations with expertly sculpted sound design.

Psilocybin-tainted soundscapes scrape into breathy flute sounds and chest-thumping bass drops on the opener, haunted by a vision of electronic music that's been contrived in back rooms, squats and outdoor raves for decades at this point. Like so much of the rest of the 3XL catalog, there's a drive and coherence here that comes from classic dub techno and chill-out room fodder (think The Black Dog or Pentatonik), but always infused with something that dates it to the present era, be it a tactile sliver of Visible Cloaks-style neo-new age ambience, or a sort of mescaline-dipped take on Photek's bass-heavy, meticulously hazed 'Solaris' period downtempo gear, chopped 'n screwed into the uncanny.

“After a stay in Detroit in 2022 (where I met some of the artists whose music I admire the most), I returned to Montreuil, illuminated and brimming with energy. I had my MPC2000XL repaired, found a second-hand Yamaha Motif ES6 at Zikplace in Croix de Chavaux, and a Korg Triton on Le Bon Coin. The three instruments connected together rekindled my practice of electronic music in my home studio. Passionate about the new setup, I tried to record a little each day.

After two years of work, I felt the desire to bring together the eight tracks that brought me the most joy during their recording. A certain nostalgia and/or melancholy can arise from the sounds of the instruments used, each dating from the late 1990s. They plunged me back into the house and R&B clips that played on MTV when I was a pre-teen, which I adored.

The recording is raw and conveys a message of peace, humility, and unity. It pays homage to the early hours of house music.

The title of the project, “please don’t wait,” is simple and refers to the passage of time, urgency, and the present moment. It’s a message that invites movement and action.”

-Mad Rey”

Die Ära der Mix-CDs mag schon lange vorbei sein, doch wenn man sich 'Midnight Ragas' anhört, das neue Album des legendären Downtempo-Produzenten und Thievery Corporation Mitbegründers Eric Hilton, könnte man der Meinung sein, sie wäre nie weg gewesen. Man stelle sich Khruangbin vor in noch entspannter, wie sie einen alten Billy Dee Williams-Werbespot für Malt Liquor vertonen, neu abgemischt von Zero 7, und man kommt der Sache schon sehr nahe. 'Midnight Ragas' - ein süchtig machendes Hörerlebnis.Auf dem Album sind auch die Thievery Corporation-Mitglieder Natalia Clavier und Puma Ptah zu hören.'Midnight Ragas' ist Erics 8. Solo-Studioalbum und der Nachfolger von Sound Vagabond und seinem Ambient-Album Out of the Blur.- Ltd. Col. LP: (Bone Color Vinyl)Tracklist LP:A-SeiteA1. Life (In The Deep End)A2. Leave It All (feat. Puma Ptah)A3. Je ne t’aime plus (feat. Natalia Clavier) videoA4. Behind My Eyes (feat. The Infinite Daisy Chains)A5. All I Want (feat. Puma Ptah)A6. Burkina FasoB-SeiteB1. Midnight RagaB2. Sol Interior (feat. Natalia Clavier)B3. Galactic ShineB4. Madame AshaB5. L’Ocean (feat. Natalia Clavier)B6. Beautiful Moment (feat. The Infinite Daisy Chains)

Repress!

In the mid-1970s, a force of nature swept across the continental United States, cutting across all strata of race and class, rooting in our minds, our homes, our culture. It wasn’t The Exorcist, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, or even bell-bottoms, but instead a book called The Secret Life of Plants. The work of occultist/former OSS agent Peter Tompkins and former CIA agent/dowsing enthusiast Christopher Bird, the books shot up the bestseller charts and spread like kudzu across the landscape, becoming a phenomenon. Seemingly overnight, the indoor plant business was in full bloom and photosynthetic eukaryotes of every genus were hanging off walls, lording over bookshelves, and basking on sunny window ledges. The science behind Secret Life was specious: plants can hear our prayers, they’re lie detectors, they’re telepathic, able to predict natural disasters and receive signals from distant galaxies. But that didn’t stop millions from buying and nurturing their new plants.



Perhaps the craziest claim of the book was that plants also dug music. And whether you purchased a snake plant, asparagus fern, peace lily, or what have you from Mother Earth on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles (or bought a Simmons mattress from Sears), you also took home Plantasia, an album recorded especially for them. Subtitled “warm earth music for plants…and the people that love them,” it was full of bucolic, charming, stoner-friendly, decidedly unscientific tunes enacted on the new-fangled device called the Moog. Plants date back from the dawn of time, but apparently they loved the Moog, never mind that the synthesizer had been on the market for just a few years. Most of all, the plants loved the ditties made by composer Mort Garson.



Few characters in early electronic music can be both fearless pioneers and cheesy trend-chasers, but Garson embraced both extremes, and has been unheralded as a result. When one writer rhetorically asked: “How was Garson’s music so ubiquitous while the man remained so under the radar?” the answer was simple. Well before Brian Eno did it, Garson was making discreet music, both the man and his music as inconspicuous as a Chlorophytumcomosum. Julliard-educated and active as a session player in the post-war era, Garson wrote lounge hits, scored plush arrangements for Doris Day, and garlanded weeping countrypolitan strings around Glen Campbell’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” He could render the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel alike into easy listening and also dreamed up his own ditties. “An idear” as Garson himself would drawl it out. “I live with it, I walk it, I sing it.”



But as his daughter Day Darmet recalls: “When my dad found the synthesizer, he realized he didn’t want to do pop music anymore.” Garson encountered Robert Moog and his new device at the Audio Engineering Society’s West Coast convention in 1967 and immediately began tinkering with the device. With the Moog, those idears could be transformed. “He constantly had a song he was humming,” Darmet says. “At the table he was constantly tapping.” Which is to say that Mort pulled his melodies out of thin air, just like any household plant would.



The Plantae kingdom grew to its height by 1976, from DC Comics’ mossy superhero Swamp Thing to Stevie Wonder’s own herbal meditation, Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. Nefarious manifestations of human-plant interaction also abounded, be it the grotesque pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers or the pothead paranoia of the US Government spraying Mexican marijuana fields with the herbicide paraquat (which led to the rise in homegrown pot by the 1980s). And then there’s the warm, leafy embrace of Plantasia itself.



“My mom had a lot of plants,” Darmet says. “She didn’t believe in organized religion, she believed the earth was the best thing in the whole world. Whatever created us was incredible.” And she also knew when her husband had a good song, shouting from another room when she heard him humming a good idear. Novel as it might seem, Plantasia is simply full of good tunes.



Garson may have given the album away to new plant and bed owners, but a decade later a new generation could hear his music in another surreptitious way. Millions of kids bought The Legend of Zelda for their Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1986 and one distinct 8-bit tune bears more than a passing resemblance to album highlight “Concerto for Philodendron and Pothos.” Garson was never properly credited for it, but he nevertheless subliminally slipped into a new generations’ head, helping kids and plants alike grow.



Hearing Plantasia in the 21st century, it seems less an ode to our photosynthesizing friends by Garson and more an homage to his wife, the one with the green thumb that made everything flower around him. “My dad would be totally pleased to know that people are really interested in this music that had no popularity at the time,” Darmet says of Plantasia’snew renaissance. “He would be fascinated by the fact that people are finally understanding and appreciating this part of his musical career that he got no admiration for back then.” Garson seems to be everywhere again, even if he’s not really noticed, just like a houseplant.

Kota The Friend and Statik Selektah reunite for their third collaborative album, "Once In A Blue Moon", a stunning fol-low-up to their acclaimed projects "To Kill A Sunrise" and "To See A Sunset". This album sees the duo refining their sig-nature blend of introspective lyricism and golden-era-inspired production, creating a sonic landscape that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly modern.

Highlights include the electric energy of "BLAH," featuring rap superstar Logic, who delivers sharp, unforgettable vers-es alongside Kota. Violinist Phearnone adds a hauntingly beautiful touch to "What You Need," merging classical strings with Statik's soulful beats for a standout moment of artistic fusion.

"Once In A Blue Moon" is a musical reflection on the rarity and beauty of those transformative experiences that stay with you forever, a vivid journey, showing Kota The Friend and Statik Selektah at the peak of their creative synergy.

Nachdem die Karriere des Tenorsaxofonisten Mitte der 1950er Jahre einen Einbruch erlebt hatte, feierte
er Anfang der 1960er Jahre mit seinen Aufnahmen für Blue Note ein rauschendes Comeback. Das Album
”Landslide” stellte der Produzent Michael Cuscuna 1980 aus unveröffentlichten Aufnahmen zusammen,
die bei drei Sessions mit unterschiedlich besetzten Bands in den Jahren 1961-62 entstanden waren. Das
Titelstück ”Landslide” etwa war ein bis dahin unveröffentlichtes ”Überbleibsel” von Gordons gefeiertem
zweitem Blue-Note-Album ”Dexter Calling”.