London duo Babeheaven — vocalist Nancy Andersen and producer/multi- instrumentalist Jamie Travis — return after four years with their highly anticipated 5-track EP ‘Slower Than Sound’, released via Scenic Route on October 24.
Following their singles ‘Beloved’ and the 6 Music-premiered track ‘Picture This’, ‘Slower Than Sound’ marks a deeply personal and intimate turn for Babeheaven. Written and recorded largely in Nancy’s home studio, the EP embraces minimal instrumentation, acoustic textures, and spacious arrangements, capturing the emotional vulnerability and euphoria the duo describe as “Post Rave” — the music you listen to on the ride home from a
party.
“It feels like a rebirth in a lot of ways,” says Nancy. “Writing at home gave me space to experiment, make mistakes, and rebuild confidence. Once I brought the songs to Jamie, we shaped them together into what you hear now.”
The EP explores love, reflection, and personal growth. Beloved conjures a comforting, almost mythic presence, while Lost For Words reflects the struggle to connect with the world and oneself. Picture This offers snapshots of a relationship, looking back while imagining its future. The cover Tiny Demons by Todd Rundgren blends seamlessly with the EP’s introspective mood, and Loud Thoughts, featuring Samba Jean-Baptiste, captures heartbreak, burnout, and creative pressure. “I hope people can find their own meaning in these songs,” Nancy says. “I’m writing for myself, but music is for each listener to interpret.”
Since debuting with Friday Sky in 2016, Babeheaven have steadily built a loyal following through their acclaimed albums Home For Now and Sink Into Me, amassing over 65 million Spotify streams and earning support from BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, and KCRW. Their live shows have sold out Village Underground,
Bush Hall, and Jazz Cafe, and they’ve shared stages with Cigarettes After Sex, Loyle Carner, and Nilüfer Yanya. Visually, Babeheaven’s world has been shaped alongside creatives including Margot Bowman, Frank Lebon, Tegen Williams, Sacha Beeley, and Joyce Ng, cementing their reputation as one of the UK’s most distinctive acts.
After facing cancelled tours, industry pressures, and a period of creative doubt, Slower Than Sound represents a return to the core of their artistry: intimate, honest, and self-produced. Jamie reflects: “Not putting out music for so long was hard, so we hope this is the start of a more prolific period for us, reconnecting with the London music community and beyond.”
quête:bro sa
For our next physical release, FERMA welcomes back home one of the individuals running the project, Romphea. As a co-founder, he has long shaped the label’s uncompromising DIY ethos—placing experimentation, raw energy, and community at the heart of its vision. After releasing in a series of acclaimed platforms, the forward-thinking DJ and producer from Vyronas, Athens returns to vinyl with a genre-defying release. Building on the experimental pulse and reshaping the edge between electro, breaks and techno, Romphea continues that trajectory, weaving together tense polyrhythms, warped melodic fragments, and cavernous spaces.
This release features four, plus three digital bonus original tracks, aiming to provide a clear sound identity for the artist. The A-side opens with “Calls from Salem”, a dystopian slow burner that sets the tone with broken-beat percussion and dissonant synth stabs. “Steel Chair” surges forward with unrelenting force, propelled by serrated arpeggios and a barrage of fragmented vocals that rise and fall within the space, crafted for peak-time eruption.
Flipping to the B-side, “Paid Dividends” reaches full intensity, layering hammering kicks and percussion, while the low end rumbles with tectonic weight, amplifying the energy to fever pitch. Closing the record on a more contemplative note, “We Are The Universe” slows the pace, easing the tension and drifting into deeper territory. Echoing chords drift into space, layered with fragile percussive details and low, throbbing pulses. It’s a meditation on collapse and renewal, offering a moment of breath after the storm.
Straight from the source, defying the norms, devoted to the art. Do not sleep.
Drumcode launches a new V/A series ‘DC4’ inspired by their popular A-Sides compilations. ‘DC4’ showcases a quartet of sure-fire heaters from the label’s extended family of artists. The EP features two mainstays of Drumcode, Timmo and Mark Reeve, while fleshing out the techno sides of Kaufmann and Goom Gum (in collaboration with rising London artists RDNK) after they debuted on Truesoul in recent times. Kaufmann’s curiously titled ‘Broncho’s Sandman’ kicks things off, a punchy slice of dancefloor tackle marked by a catchy vocal line, with a foot in techno and progressive alike. Timmo follows up last year’s tidy contribution to A-Sides Vol.13, with a technicoloured techno cut that bubbles with bags of personality, as any cut titled ‘Miami Vice’ should! The Bulgarian has poured plenty of hours into the creation of the track, which espouses an otherworldly celestial energy. It's been four years since Mark Reeve’s last contribution on Drumcode, with the excellent mini album ‘Breathe’. The Frankfurt-based British producer makes a timely return with the storming ‘Stop, Go’, that fuses together elements of techno, hard trance and pop for an inspired five minute dancefloor workout. Goom Gum & RDNK team up for the first time ‘It’s Time To Get High. The track begins life as a crisp melodic cut, before transforming into a trippy slab of psychedelia in the second half. This is begging to be rinse in an outdoor party setting.
- A1: Cascada - Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Ryan T Remix Edit)
- A2: Freddy Fader - The Sun (Single Edit)
- A3: L-Milla - Everybody's Free (G4Bby Ft Bazz Boyz Remix Edit)
- A4: 89Er - My Angel (Short Edit)
- A5: Basslovers United - Get Back (Dj Gollum Meets Jan Wayne Remix Edit)
- A6: Ray Knox - Reach Out (Rob Mayth Remix Edit)
- A7: Sunbeam - Outside World 2009 (Megastylez Edit)
- A8: Neptunica, Tiscore X Alex Christensen - Gone Forever (Short Edit)
- B1: Rocco - Street Knowledge (Club Edit)
- B2: Justin Corza & Greg Blast Meet Addicted Craze - Could It Be Love (Empyre One Remix Edit)
- B3: Oli P & Felix Harrer - So Bist Du (Short Edit)
- B4: Jan Wayne - Because The Night (Radio Edit)
- B5: Alex Megane - Little Lies (The Real Booty Babes Remix Edit)
- B6: Clueless - Just Like A Pill (Timster & Ninth Remix Edit)
- B7: Special D & Scott Brown - Elysium (Ti-Mo Remix Edit)
Mit TechnoBase.FM Vol. 5 erscheint eine weitere Ausgabe der beliebten Compilation-Reihe auf Vinyl – ein Muss für Fans elektronischer Musik und Sammler hochwertiger DanceReleases. Die limitierte Pressung bringt den charakteristischen Sound von TechnoBase.FM direkt auf den Plattenteller und vereint aktuelle Club-Tracks mit zeitgemäßem HandsUp-, Dance- und Electro-Flair.
Ein echtes Highlight für alle, die elektronische Musik nicht nur hören, sondern erleben wollen – in bester Soundqualität und stilvollem Format
- A1: Perot Ft. Seth Troxler & John Camp
- A2: World Keeps Changing
- A3: Midtown Mirage Ft. Taylor Bense & John Camp
- A4: Bond Ft. Taylor Bense, John Camp & Dillon Cooper
- A5: Nrg
- A6: Real Job Ft. Taylor Bense
- B1: Hat Down Ft. No Regular Play
- B2: $1000 Ft. Taylor Bense
- B3: Hold Dear
- B4: Carousel Ft. No Regular Play
- B5: Sometimes It's About Us Ft. John Camp & Michael Feinberg
A DJ, producer and prolific collaborator, Greg Paulus’s musical career has led to a truly enviable discography. Born in Minnesota and now an essential part of New York’s sprawling musical landscape, Paulus has taken the foundations of an organic childhood education by his father, the composer Stephen Paulus, and seen it blossom into an unpredictable musical journey encompassing house, soul, jazz and hip-hop.
While touring as a trumpet player with indie band Beirut, as well as in Matthew Dear’s live ensemble, back home he was helping to redefine New York’s underground dance scene as one half of No Regular Play. Alongside childhood friend Nick DeBruyn, the pair brought their deeply musical sound to no less than fifty countries across the world. A decade on, and Paulus arrives on Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85 imprint for his long-awaited debut solo LP, ‘Close To Home’, a deeply felt long-play celebration of his personal cornerstones; family, trust and hope.
From the opening, organic swell of ‘Perot’, arranged with Seth Troxler himself alongside John Camp, ‘Close To Home’ introduces itself as a focused, conscious trip, it’s languid trumpet spilling over into the reflective ‘World Keeps Changing’, which introduces Paulus’s philosophy of music as a constant. ‘Midtown Mirage’ meanwhile leans into the idea of the city itself as a collaborator, resisting pressure and finding its own restful groove. Back over the river, ‘Bond’ roots itself in Brooklyn with a contribution from resident Dillon Cooper, flipping rap standards amid psychedelic flourishes.
Paulus nods toward his dancefloor form on ‘NRG’, a slinky, lo-slung club groove that seamlessly evolves to meld the artist’s nocturnal and studio instincts. In contrast, ‘Real Job’ switches the tempo on Paulus’s MPC to embody an old-school, beatdown flavour, subtly teased out alongside composer and sound designer, Taylor Bense. Doubling down on this languorous groove, ‘Hat Down’ introduces a full-scale No Regular Play reunion, the first of two collaborative tracks that recall the duo’s imperial phase of confidently minimal productions, while evolving their craft.
Following a few missed calls made with love taken from Paulus’s answering machine on ‘$1000’ the minimal, reflective arrangement of ‘Hold Dear’ finds the artist stripping back his layered sound for a skittering, vulnerable exploration of intimacy and life’s devotions.
For a memorable finale, Paulus recruits jazz prodigy Michael Feinberg to deliver upright funk on the deliciously rich ‘Sometimes It’s About Us’. A purely celebratory collage of bopping rhythms and vocals, sharply plucked guitars and archive samples, ‘Close To Home’ concludes with Paulus leading his friends, ensemble and many influences in rare harmony.
- A1: Military Cut
- A2: Mc Battle
- A3: Basketball Throwdown
- A4: Fantastic Freaks At The Dixie
- A5: Subway Theme
- A6: Cold Crush Bros At The Dixie
- B1: Double Trouble At The Amphitheater
- B2: South Bronx Subway Rap
- B3: Street Rap
- B4: Busy Bee At The Amphitheater
- B5: Fantastic Freaks At The Amphitheater
- B6: Gangbusters
- B7: Rammellzee & Shockdell At The Amphitheater
- B8: Down By Law
- C1: B Boy Beat
- C2: Yawning Beat
- C3: Crime Cut
- C4: Gangbusters
- C5: Cuckoo Clocking
- C6: Meetings
- C7: Military Cut
- C8: Razor Cut
- C9: Subway Theme
- C10: Busy Bees
- C13: Jungle Beat
- D1: Wildstyle Scratch Tool
- D2: Baby Beat
- D3: Jungle Beat
- E1: Fantastic Freaks Live At The Dixie
- C11: Down By Law
- C12: Baby Beat
GATEFOLD VINYL 2LP - TRANSPARENT BLUE + ORANGE, A2 Colour Poster, 5x Film Set Photos, Flexi Disc, Sticker Sheet
Blurring the lines between fiction and documentary, the seminal film Wild Style, directed by Charlie Ahearn and developed alongside Fred Braithwaite aka Fab Five Freddy, offered an iconic snapshot of the emerging New York hip hop scene in the early ‘80s. Considered one of the first hip hop films, it documents the styles, culture, attitudes, and most importantly, the music of this evolving era. The accompanying soundtrack remains one of the most influential in hip hop history, featuring a who’s who of artists who stood out during the movement’s nascent block party days.
“Making hip hop’s first and most beloved feature film, Wild Style, with Charlie Ahearn and creating the original music is one of my proudest accomplishments.” - Fab 5 Freddy
In celebration of Arrow Films restoring the original Wild Style film in 4K, Mr Bongo is proud to present this special-edition reissue package. The release comes as a double LP pressed on transparent blue and orange vinyl, offering a freshly curated tracklist that brings together the finest songs from previous editions, the full sought-after instrumental album, and Kenny Dope’s top edits. Also included are an A2 colour poster, five film set photos, a flexi disc containing Fantastic Freaks Live at the Dixie, and a Wild Style sticker sheet.
Originally released on Animal Records, founded by Chris Stein of Blondie fame, the soundtrack focuses on the hip hop scene as it evolved from the streets to the recording studio. Co-produced by Stein and Braithwaite, it features the Double Trouble pairing of Rodney Cee and KK Rockwell, The Chief Rocker himself Busy Bee, and the mighty line-ups of both The Cold Crush Brothers and The Fantastic Freaks, to name but a few. The music offers a transportive glimpse into the streets of the South Bronx, capturing the free-form, roaming nature of the film - it’s rough around the edges, but utterly absorbing.
Behind those foundational voices of hip hop’s first wave was a selection of backing beats that have underpinned and influenced the genre ever since. Easily mistaken for lifted breakbeats from old records, the songs on the Wild Style soundtrack are all unique creations. Overseen by Braithwaite and Stein, with Stein also on guitar and effects, they were intended as a homage to those early breakbeats. Drummer Lenny “Ferrari” Ferraro, who played for Aretha Franklin before emerging on the punk scene, and bassist David Harper laid down many of the iconic grooves, two somewhat forgotten participants in shaping a legendary sound.
Over time, the Wild Style soundtrack, with its Charlie Chase and Grand Wizard Theodore scratches, recurring sounds and motifs, and indelible lyrics, has become a hip hop touchstone: endlessly sampled and referenced, the bedrock of so much music to follow. It perfectly encapsulated the essence of the film, the scene, and hip hop’s emergence from the Bronx to the attention of the wider world. It was, and remains, the blueprint.
- A1: Finally
- A2: Neva Eva (Feat Barrel Brothers)
- A3: What You Were Looking For (Feat Oddisee)
- A4: Detonate (Feat M.o.p.)
- A5: Brass Tacks (Feat Chino Xl & Finale)
- A6: There's Always Radio (Feat Evidence)
- B1: Still Standin' (Feat Rasheed Chappell)
- B2: The Hard Way (Feat Saga & Ty Farris)
- B3: Gettin' By (Feat Rapper Big Pooh & Dynasty)
- B4: Enemies With Benefits (Feat Ras Kass)
- B5: Walk With Me (Feat Vinnie Paz & Blacastan)
- C1: Not That Guy (Feat Your Old Droog)
- C2: Money (Feat Masta Ace & Wordsworth)
- C3: Who's That (Feat Maffew Ragazino & Freddie Gibbs)
- C4: In The Moment (Feat O.c.)
- D1: Triple Beams (Feat Westside Gunn & Planet Asia)
- D2: Eachother (Feat Eternia)
- D3: Yesman Shit (Feat Sean Price & Reks)
- D4: Checkered Flag (Feat Ugly Heroes)
Legendary Mello Music Group producer Apollo Brown's feature packed album including Oddisee, Evidence, Freddie Gibbs, Masta Ace, Vinnie Paz, Westside Gunn, Sean Price and more! 19 full boom bap classics. A celebrated fan favorite with over 20 million streams is finally back on vinyl with this special double lp olive green edition.
Punching in with his debut vinyl EP for Fluid Funk, Chilean house producer Massiande follows up to a string of head-turning releases on an array of labels, including Jimpster’s Freerange Records. His much anticipated new offering, “Essential”, packs all the attributes of his vivid, floor-focussed vision, taking us on a bouncy ride across densely forested coastal house scapes and heavy-lidded electronics. Draped in washed-out pads and cottony textures, Massiande’s tracks have us floating in a chromatic daze of sorts, light-hearted and somewhat nostalgic, but above all hopeful and resilient.
A textbook slab of Massiande’s ever-expanding palette of woozy house tropes and silken disco touch, A1 “Tears” (also presented in bare instrumental form on the flip side B2) has it all, from the euphonic synths arrangements to the no-nonsense, club-igniting jack and irresistible footwork, via the infectious bass and Chicago-style soulfulness of its vocals. Proper fiery number and absolute weapon for any DJ seeking either impactful elegance in a peak-time context or to rekindle the flame when the after gets a bit too prosaic and requires that extra funky boost to get back on tracks. Grooviness exemplified.
More of a straightforward affair, A2 “Essential” unflappably beckons us on the path of utter vaporous escapology with its pulsating tableau of FX-soaked machine talk, semi-acidic bass and zero-G synthwork painting the sky all shades of pastel. The result is a rather captivating piece of weightlessly intuitive though carefully engineered sonic daydream. Injecting further oomph to the groove, B1 “Come On” pulls out a symbiotic collage of Sino-flavoured melody, Stax-ian vox sampling and straight out Detroit house-indebted propulsion, neatly showcasing both Massiande’s broad spectrum of influences and that idiosyncratic take of his on the said genres’ tried-and-tested leitmotivs.
After the EPs "Collapsar" on Shipwrec released in 2023 and "Beyond the Invisible Spectrum"released on Dax J's label Monnom Black in Spring 2025, Umwelt returns on his own imprintback with a new explosive solo EP. As always on New Flesh Records and following his lastsolo releases on his label with "Escape The Future" EP in 2020 and the beautiful dystopianalbum "Subversive Territory" in 2022, expect nothing less than an epic collection ofuncompromising electro assaults from the master of darkness.
"Echoes Of The Broken Future" delivers an ecstatic fusion of sonic landscapes and innovativemelodies, further erasing the boundaries between electro and techno. From the metallicsynthesis of the title track, to the cinematic and almost nightmarish tension of "BlackoutAlgorithm", through the hypnotic depth of "Synthetic Nightfall" or the relentless energy of"Zero Point Machine", Umwelt once again showcases his unmatched savoir-faire in craftinghaunting atmospheres over punishing beats.
Get ready for an unforgettable descent into the shadows. This is only the beginning !
- A1: Countrymusicdisco45 4 08
- A2: Sometimes Shooting Stars 2 57
- A3: Short Cut Home 3 25
- A4: Disappointment 3 00
- A5: Days Are Mighty 2 46
- B1: Don't Dance With Me Tonight 3 27
- B2: You Got It Wrong 2 39
- B3: Ring The Bells 3 57
- B4: Let's Make It Up 2 49
- B5: When Did You Stop Loving Me 3 54
- C1: Just Beginning 4 00
- C2: Wintering Of The Year 3 16
- C3: Let It Rain 3 04
- C4: We Tell Each Other Who We Are 3 27
- C5: Trip To You 4 06
- D1: Dirt 2 54
- D2: Heaven Right Here 3 38
- D3: If Later Ever Comes 3 03
- D4: Remember The Season 3 10
- D5: A Little Love 3 35
- D6: Weary Traveller 3 20
“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone
“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt
“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy
“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood
“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson
Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.
In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.
The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”
His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.
"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."
Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!
The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!
The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.
The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.
The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."
With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.
2025 Repress
When people think of Tough Gong they usually think of Bob Marley and rightly so, as he was nicknamed and often called Tough Gong and from this his early releases which came out on the Tough Gong label. But Tough Gong was also the name of a recording complex named after Bob Marley hat included a top level recording studio, pressing plant and distribution centre that would allow reggae music to carry on many years after his sad and too early demise.
Bob Marley had take over the former residence of Island Records boss Chris Blackwell the Island House, 56 Hope Road around 1974. Just before the 'Smile Jamaica' concert on 03rd December the same year the house was ambushed by gunmen. Bob's manager Don Taylor was hit 5 times AND Bob was shot in the arm and his wife Rita Marley was hit in the head by a stray bullet. How no one was fatally injured is staggering. Immediately after the concert Bob Marley started his self imposed exile from Jamaica, settling in London, England. This would lead to the aptly named exodus album being recorded there in the summer of 1977. It would not be until the 'One Love' peace concert in Kingston's national arena on the 22nd April 1978 that would see Bob's return to the island. Marley felt is was important to show his commitment to the people of Jamaica and on his return to 56 Hope Road he began construction of his own recording studio with the help of music mogul Tommy Cowen. Unfortunately Bob Marley's short life would end on the 11th May 1981 from cancer which originated form a football injury. His passing would lead to 56 Hope Road being turned into a museum to the legend of reggae music.
A new location would have to be found to carry on Bob's work which was 220 Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston 11. The buyer would be Rita Marley and the Tough Gong International Organisation.
Engineers working at the new facility included Errol Browne who had worked at Treasure Isle studios and Hopeton Overton Browne known as 'Scientist', named by the great producer Bunny 'Striker' Lee who worked with him previously at King Tubbie's and Channel One's studios described his ground breaking style as being like that of a scientist.
We focus for this release on the work carried out by the great Scientist on the songs of the Black Solidarity Label run by Ossie Thomas (aka Joe The Boss) recorded at Tough Gong studios. One of the foremost recording, pressing and distribution facilities on the Jamaican island set up from the work of Bob Marley to carry forward reggae music. Hope you enjoy this set......
After a busy summer on the road, Silverlining launches Forgotten Chorus, a new imprint for deep, hypnotic and abstract body music. The idea was born at a festival, where low frequencies drifting through the natural filter of English woods prompted him to mentally fill the gaps of the higher registers. Three weeks later, he wrote ‘Salvaged Chimes (From the Rubble of Sound)’, an almost verbatim recreation of the track he’d imagined. For Silverlining, this moment of embracing discarded sound became emblematic of how overlooked voices, such as those of the oppressed and forgotten, can still resonate if we choose to listen differently.
This concept led to experimentation with flint-knapper John Lord and conceptual artist Antonia Beard, whose recordings he sampled of the ancient practice of striking flint, humanity's first technology. Those sounds were then cut and made into all the instruments, save for the TR-909, that comprise 'Attuned To Detune'. The EP’s lead track, ‘Folk Dust’, pushes high-tempo breakbeats through Silverlining’s own lens on UK broken techno, balancing raw energy with ethereal melodies.
Forgotten Chorus seeks to celebrate the beauty in sounds and stories that fall outside the dominant narrative. Its debut release, a fast-paced, three-track techno EP by Silverlining, embodies this spirit and marks another step in his evolving exploration of new sonic ground.
- A1: Chipppps - Prz Remix (04 31)
- A2: Exosphear - Pdqb Speedrun Suture (00 28)
- A3: Laserzimmer 1, Raum 3 16 - Noise&Noise Ghost Shell Remix (03 19)
- A4: Dodgedog - Pdqb Killscreen Suture (00 37)
- A5: Flossbite - Galaxian Artefacts Remix (04 23)
- B1: Tögtägtüu - Cem3340 Rework (03 52)
- B2: Maurodius-Papeda - Pdqb Demake Suture (00 38)
- B3: Boktay - Dark Vektor Inside Your Eyes Remix (05 14)
- B4: Binäry Gatoraders On Acid - Pdqb Bonus Stage Suture (00 42)
- B5: Lygöphobiä - Mesak's Broken Vectrex Mix (03 03)
The neon "pdqb Arcade" sign in Port Astra flickered with the same chaotic energy it had decades ago. Six men, now with more gray hair and worries than they once had, stood at the entrance. They were the "Lucky Six," reunited after years of scattered lives and separate paths.
"I can't believe this place is still here" said Noise, who had flown in from Tokyo. "It hasn't changed 8 bits, haha". CEM, now a father of 3340 synthesizers from Bari, replied with a grin. "We have. Look at Galaxian, he's unrecognizable!"
Each of them held a single, precious coin. Their plan, born of a wave of nostalgia and the understanding that they couldn't stay forever, was simple: one coin, one game, one last chance to be a legend. Each man would choose the game that meant the most to him and play the round of his life…
At the end, pdqb, the arcade owner, came up to the guys. "Don't be sad", he said. "Even if it was your last credit, there's always one more somewhere in some game". He then walked through the arcade and played four different machines that just happened to have an extra credit on them. "See?", he said.
Synaptic Cliffs proudly presents pdqb together with six black belt gamers (PRZ, Noise&Noise, Galaxian, CEM3340, Dark Vektor, Mesak), each a legend in their own right. They don't just replay pdqb's 8 1/2 Bit album; they become it. Together, they embark on a journey through legendary worlds, creating a place filled with soundscapes and challenges that blur the line between music and game. They move with the rhythm of the music and face the challenges within, weaving their own stories into the fabric of the iconic work.
Reintroducing Soar - the alias of Christian Aebi, serial DIY taper and one-man orchestra from Langenthal, a fog-shrouded town in the Swiss provinces. Krautophobia, ambient lo-fi agriculture, analogue soul balm and slowspeed psych gelati-blitz cardboard pop only gesture towards the sound world he coaxed from his broken Tascam four-track recorder, in attics, churches, junkyards and at the kitchen table.
The spark for Soar was likely time and space, somewhere in the autumn of 1994. Armed with a cable salad of Sixties guitar/bass, fairground drums, mould-speckled organs and toy instruments, Aebi coaxed five albums, an unverified run of 25 cassettes, and a handful of gigs. Mostly issued through Zurich label Corazoo, the records arrived in hand-pasted sleeves, rough-cut reproductions of his teddy bear-fixated artwork that carried the same imperfect immediacy as the music. With Rudi Steiner, performances in galleries, clubs and halls bent into live sound-image happenings - part installation, part film, part flea-market-instrument theatre - invariably leaving the house engineers bewildered.
At the time of his untimely death in 2021, Aebi remained a village secret, his music passed quietly between friends and local ears. Now, Swiss graphic designer and Ghost Riders compiler Ivan Liechti has pieced together a portrait from the afterglow, gathering tangled audio formats, paintings, illustrations, photographs and notebooks with his family, former label and peers. What emerges is a first glimpse of Soar's intimate cosmos - brushing against Füxa, Spectrum, Dump, Stereolab and King Crimson, but orbiting a dimension entirely his own.
Mythology has a recurring theme: creating ambiguity by rearranging worlds and creatures that normally don’t belong together. Centaurs, Minotaurs, Hydras and so on: mockery and mystery intertwine into entities that are in equal parts magnificent and ridiculous. Referencing this idea in the present, Loris S. Sarid conjures 12 compositions simultaneously showing traits of dreamlike trap, candy-flavoured New Age and Spoken Word. The lines between spiritual and mundane, drama and parody are bent and questioned, used as raw material and treated with the same importance. Binding the work together is the sense of feeling peacefully lost inside a shuffling iPod, buried in a quiet zen garden inside a noisy shopping mall or vice versa. What connects Ambient music, which often anonymously swims into endless sleeping playlists with monthly subscriptions to well-being, to the mainstream output of commercial music? "Ambient $" doesn’t explore the social aspect of this question, but rather celebrates the beauty of its paradoxes. This album is the morning choir of forgotten NFTs, brewing lyrics in their binary exile. The television homily of a wrestler turned priest, turned influencer chef, then hermit and then rapper. Randomness is reclaimed as a human quality, and the aesthetics of mass music consumption are repurposed into a rather inexpensive guide to streaming-service-enlightenment.
Following a string of acclaimed collaborations, including Agua Dulce with percussionist Laura Robles and Mapambazuko alongside Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta, Peruvian artist Alejandra Cárdenas (aka Ale Hop) returns with her most personal work to date yet, A Body Like a Home. Marking her first album under her birth name, the project is a sonic memoir exploring the tangled realms of trauma, recovery, and love through autobiographical soundscapes.
A Body Like a Home is the artist at her most exposed. Comprising 13 songs and 15 poems, the album sees her set aside collaborative fusions for solo catharsis, channeling years of turbulence - intergenerational scars left by colonialism, racism, domestic violence, and alcoholism - into a work that oscillates between brutality and tenderness. Cárdenas states: “I grew up under Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship, when a veil of hopelessness seemed to settle over everything. This is the backdrop of the album. The songs and poems trace the inevitable loop between private wounds - addiction, domestic violence, fractured intimacy - and Peru’s national scars, carved by colonialism. It’s not a straight story or a resolution. Writing and composing became a ritual of digging for meaning, into what’s buried, disguised, or renamed, until the body itself became a living archive.
” At the heart of the album is Cárdenas’s own voice - part witness, part confessor - reciting over layers of electric guitars, electronic textures, the haunting violin of Mexican musician Gibrana Cervantes, and a collage of field recordings, from rainfall, muffled whispers, broken glass, to archival protest footage from Peru. The result is a work that resonates like a diary written in sound.
The first single, "Motherland", is a searing testimony where Cárdenas voice cracks under the weight of history and personal loss. Amid a storm of distorted guitars, she traces the cyclical legacies of colonialism, from state massacres branding Indigenous bodies as “terrorists” to the spiral of addiction as an unavoidable future. The lyrics draw parallels between political and domestic violence: a mother’s drunken knife pressed to her chest, and a motherland where racism is currency. She utters: “sacrifice demands a body.” Yet, amid the wreckage, a willful grip on love and faith persists. Ultimately, A Body Like a Home is a document of transformation. Tracks like "Evangelina" and the title piece "A Body Like a Home" hold space for resilience, spirituality, and love, while "Early Road" and "Going South" thread subtle nods to Peruvian folklore, opening up bright vignettes into a sense of belonging.
The poetry chapbook accompanying A Body Like a Home (five of its pieces are also recited on the album) extends the work, building a parallel architecture. Oscillating between the documentary and the mythic, the intimate and the forensic, the profane and the oniric, these poems practice a theology of the ordinary, where everyday objects - cameras, knives, moth-eaten cotton - are charged withspiritual and historical weight. Here, the body is land, house, battlefield, collective pain, geological territory; and trauma is, in contrast, archival, cellular, ritualistic, inherited. Read alongside the music, the stories refract across two mediums: songs give them breath and poems give them bone.
When people think of Yacht Rock-those smooth, sun-drenched sounds that once drifted from Californian radio stations in the late '70s and early '80s-they rarely imagine it echoing through rehearsal rooms in Hamburg or Linz. Yet even far from the Pacific coastline, the appeal of shimmering chords, laid-back grooves, and polished production found fertile ground.
This compilation gathers rare and overlooked tracks from Germany and Austria. These artists embraced West Coast aesthetics with sincerity and subtle twists, resulting in music that feels both familiar and refreshingly new-smooth sounds for cloudy skies. So drop anchor, pour something cool, and enjoy this unexpected cruise through the lesser-charted waters of Euro Yacht Rock.
Our journey begins in Austria, where Reflection's Because (1981) set the tone with blue-eyed soul and analogue warmth-a sunlit blend of Doobie Brothers polish and local charm. Its creator, Dieter Heyduk, reappears with Austrian Sky, a heartfelt nod to his homeland that fuses mountain calm with oceanic longing.
From the North Sea island of Föhr, Ara Pacis dreamed of California on their 1979 self-release To the Westcoast. Inspired by Steely Dan and Lake, they turned German rock precision into breezy, melodic sophistication. Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, Mainpoint fused funk and jazz-rock on Frisbee, their 1980 single bursting with rhythmic drive and optimism before the tide of the Neue Deutsche Welle swept such grooves aside.
Bremerhaven's Nuages offered the compilation's only instrumental gem, Strange Weekend (1985)-a gentle blend of jazz-funk and rock and largely lost to time. Its cool restraint captures the European interpretation of Californian ease.
Around the same period, British traveler Gavin James recorded River of Laughter in southern Germany, backed by the blues-rock band Black Cat Bone. His acoustic reflections on water and flow mirrored the soft, meditative pulse at Yacht Rock's core.
Berlin's Top Spin kept things playful with Bikin (1985), a funk-fusion snapshot of urban joy that showcased the city's finest session players. From the Ruhr area, the Jan Pack Band is up next. While not a typical Yacht Rock track, Cable Dance is driven by an effortless, groovy '80s vibe.
Peter Seiler's Goldfinger project reimagined Walkin' in the Sand as a relaxed reggae-tinged track, while Munich's Major Seven closed the voyage with Silverboat, a wistful soft rock ballad gliding between melancholy and light.
Across these hidden harbors of German and Austrian pop, the West Coast dream took on new forms-reflected in rivers, skies, and studio lights half a world away from L.A. Under and Above the Clouds celebrates that spirit: the enduring pull of smooth music, wherever it's made.
- A1: Sinkhole (Radioactiveman Dub 1)
- A2: Do It Till Your Satisfied -(Ara U Remix)
- B1: Sinkhole (Ashley Brothers Remix)
- B2: See Below (Radioactiveman's See Above Remix)
- C1: Yew Got 2 B Yew (Jerome Hill Remix )
- C2: The Clappers - (Dbridge Clap Back Mix)
- D1: Whatever Mate (Berwick Remix)
- D2: Dread Carpet (Ben Pest Remix)
A collection of remixes of the Radioactive Man album ‘Jam Out The Kicks’, cunningly titled ‘Jam Out The Mix’. Featuring remixes from dBridge, Jerome Hill, Ben Pest, Ara-U, Berwick, and Radioactive Man. Ranging from the finest in Electro and Techno to full-on DnB/Junglist vibes - designed to test the bassbins out!
- A1: Rare Pleasure - Let Me Down Easy
- A2: The Family Tree - 150Th Psalm
- A3: Roslyn &Amp; Charles - Come Go With Me
- A4: Hyla Parker - Joe
- A5: The Julius Brockington Ensemble - Let The Holy Spirit
- A6: Vera Powell - I Didn&Apos;T Know How Happy I Could Be
- B1: The Family Tree - As
- B2: Roslyn &Amp; Charles - Told To Tell You
- B3: Sherm Reb Nesbary - Don&Apos;T Make Me Sorry For Loving You
- B4: The Julius Brockington Ensemlbe - Light Of My Soul
- B5: Brooklyn People - Boogie People
- B6: Roslyn &Amp; Charles - God Is
- B7: The Family Tree - Brand New Day
This is the story of how a tiny label from New Jersey changed the course of music history not once but twice.
Cheri Records was established in 1974 in New Jersey and run by one Boo Frazier. Cheri's output was limited, producing a catalogue of just eleven releases between the years 1974 and 1982. On the face of it, this appears to be insubstantial output. However, if you dig a little deeper, the quality released on Cheri Records reveals an exceptional legacy of groundbreaking music.
A dark horse in the world of record labels, a true unsung legend that would go on to alter the course of musical history and intersect with a remarkable array of talented artists, bands and DJs. From Rare Pleasure; Sandy Barber; Julius Brockington; Boo Frazier; Patrick Adams; Tom Moulton; Larry Levan and MF Doom: Cheri Records has directly impacted their artistry in significant ways. Cheri's influence even extends into the present, with DJ icons like David Morales, Dave Lee, Danny Krivit, and Colin Curtis continuing to champion its contributions.
This compilation brings together the most compelling tracks from the Cheri Records catalogue, shedding light on the label's extraordinary story and underscoring the idea that music, no matter how unassuming its origins, can transcend boundaries and reshape, influence and inform music to come for future generations.
This collection also represents the start of a new series here on Miles Away, a series that will delve into the labels and studios that were responsible for leaving a lasting imprint on the musical world. We've named this seriesEchoes From,and this compilation will be the first of many.
The vinyl package comes in a gatefold sleeve with in-depth liner notes and features interviews with Colin Curtis and David Morales. Also available on CD and digitally.
The third installment in Lance Ferguson's acclaimed Rare Groove Spectrum series builds on the success of Vol. 1 & 2, offering a fresh set of reimagined classics. From '70s Australian jazz-funk and Latin-fusion to big band soul and golden-era funk, Ferguson blends crate-digger sensibilities with modern studio craft.
Standout cuts include bold reworks of Idris Muhammad, Billie Eilish, Jungle, Billy Brooks and more, with the focus track "Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong" delivering a Gene Harris reinterpretation infused with Bossa Nova and Brasil '66 flair. Showcasing Ferguson's mastery as a multi-instrumentalist and arranger, the album brims with rich, cinematic productions throughout.
Selling Points
Known for projects The Bamboos, Menagerie, Lanu — widely regarded as one of Australia's most versatile producers.
Previously released 45 full-length albums and 100+ singles/remixes across labels including Atlantic, Universal, Sony, BMG, Tru Thoughts, and Ubiquity.
7× ARIA Award & 5× APRA Music Award nominations.
Co-writer/producer of the global hit "This Girl" by Kungs vs Cookin' On 3 Burners
#1 in 10+ countries
1.27 billion Spotify streams & 545M YouTube views
Multi-Platinum & Diamond certifications worldwide.
Collaborations with Aloe Blacc, Roy Ayers, Alice Russell, Durand Jones, Quantic, Joey Dosik and more.
Music featured in 200+ compilations and major syncs, including CSI NYC, Grey's Anatomy, Homeland, Suits, and House of Cards.
Musiq Voyage sets sail with its debut release by TORRE Bros, a producer duo from Aix-en-Provence. A heartfelt tribute to Marseille and the Mediterranean through two shimmering Space Disco cuts: Gyptis and La Pointe Rouge.
Remixed by the legendary Moplen, Alex From Tokyo, and Julien HBT, this EP blends house, boogie, and balearic vibes into a warm and elegant sonic journey.
//
After cruising their native Provence and spinning on the mythical shores of Ibiza with their iconic pink-and-blue DJ truck, the Musiq Voyage crew is proud to launch their new label with a sun-soaked debut EP.
Rooted in Mediterranean soul, Phocaea Vol. 1 features longtime friends and local legends TORRE Bros (Jean-Marc & Patrick Torre), producers from Aix-en-Provence with over two decades of musical exploration—from disco and house to hybrid electronic jams. Known for underground hits like Corps à Corps and Baleora, supported by artists such as Carl Craig, the duo now pays tribute to Marseille, their beloved coastal city.
A1 – Gyptis
Named after the legendary princess said to have founded Marseille, Gyptis is a lush space-disco homage to the city’s ancient roots—where Greek sailors met local tribes, and myth met the Mediterranean.
A2 – Gyptis (Moplen Remix)
Italian disco don Moplen (Chaka Khan, Talking Heads, Loose Change) delivers a floor-ready rework—elevating the groove with cosmic flair while keeping the original’s dreamy vibe.
B1 – La Pointe Rouge
A sonic postcard of one of Marseille’s most iconic seaside spots—sunsets, sailing, and slow walks by the sea. Built on a strong boogie beat, 80s synths, and balearic textures.
B2 – La Pointe Rouge (Alex From Tokyo & Julien HBT Remix)
Legendary DJ/producer Alex From Tokyo (Tokyo Black Star, Innervisions) teams up with Parisian underground figure Julien HBT (Demented, with François X) for a deep, syncopated reimagining. Infused with Chicago house and leftfield boogie influences, this remix flips the original into a spaced-out late-night groover.
More than just a legendary DJ, Alex From Tokyo has built a global career bridging cultures and sounds. After growing up in Japan, he returned to Paris in the early ’90s and co-founded A Deep Groove with DJ Deep and DJ Gregory, launching one of France’s first underground dance radio shows on FG 98.2 FM.
A key link between Europe and Japan, Alex worked with labels like F Com, Mr Bongo, and Yellow Productions, before living in NYC, Berlin, and beyond.
Continuing the trajectory set by last year's EPs and experimental long-player, Reeko returns to Samurai Music to deliver an expansive album that goes further into his experimental practice at the intersection of deep techno, drum & bass and electronica.
Since the early 00s Juan Rico has been applying his exacting vision to the deeper end of dance music culture. As Reeko, he's carved out an imposing presence in the modern techno scene by building up the steely, hard-hitting sound of Mental Disorder while also contributing to scene-leading labels like Modularz, Semantica and Delsin. With a trio of releases through 2024 for Samurai Music, the Spanish producer demonstrated the wider scope of his craft as he opened up to broken rhythms, spacious arrangements and a wholly diferent dimension to his music-making.
Continuing the trajectory set by last year's EPs and experimental long-player, Reeko returns to Samurai Music to deliver an expansive album that goes further into his experimental practice at the intersection of deep techno, drum & bass and electronica.
Since the early 00s Juan Rico has been applying his exacting vision to the deeper end of dance music culture. As Reeko, he's carved out an imposing presence in the modern techno scene by building up the steely, hard-hitting sound of Mental Disorder while also contributing to scene-leading labels like Modularz, Semantica and Delsin. With a trio of releases through 2024 for Samurai Music, the Spanish producer demonstrated the wider scope of his craft as he opened up to broken rhythms, spacious arrangements and a wholly diferent dimension to his music-making.
DJ Support: Axel Boman, Coyote, Rune Lindbaek, Dr Rob (Ban Ban Ton Ton), Lefto, Johan Blende, Feel Fly, Marco Gallerani and many more
Secret Soul Society, aka South Wales's Cal Gibson, continues his red-hot streak of form with four original jams for Hell Yeah that effortlessly weave decades of influences into intimate, unusual sounds that go from Balearic daydreams to after-hours soul burners.
Gibson was one-half of Nottingham's deep house and downtempo outfit Neon Heights back in the 2000s, a collective that label head Marco has long admired. He has landed here before with the superb Keep The Mystique in 2023, a 15-track collection of brand new curveball cuts built from lovingly sourced samples. Since then, he has continued to collide jazz, funk, Afro, beats, dub, soul and reggae on Paper Wave and Magic Wand.
'To Be Happy' opens with gentle, sun-soaked grooves, swirling keys and dreamy pads that evoke a hazy Mediterranean sunset. Nostalgic soul samples tug at the heart while the track’s laid-back vibe is perfect for golden-hour moments. 'Orange Surprise' is a magical slice of downtempo bliss with hints of romantic vocals. It's built on soft broken rhythms and drifts between ambient soul and laid-back electronica, perfect for introspective moments or late-night winding down.
'Keep On Trying' flips the script with more texture. The synths are crystalline, the pads are sugary, and the meandering bassline unfolds in wonky fashion while soft male vocals bring a steamy edge. Last but not least, 'What You Do To Me' is funky and slow motion disco with 80s synths and reverb that drowns you in good vibes.
This EP is Secret Soul Society at his most expressive and emotive.
Yan Tregger, born Edouard Joseph Scotto Di Suoccio, is a prolific French-Italian composer, trumpeter, arranger, and library music specialist.
Tregger built a vast and varied catalogue of over 1,400 works registered with SACEM as a library music composer.
His output spans funk, jazz-funk, psychedelic disco, electronic experiments, film soundtracks, advertising jingles, and even relaxation music.
This LP is a compilation of rare or unreleased tracks made by the Maestro in The 70's.
- A1: Disco Wich Aa
- A2: Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya
- A3: Par Toon Ki Janay
- A4: Pyar Mainu Kar
- A5: Aye Deewane
- B1: Soniya Mukh Tera
- B2: Mainu Apne Pyar Wich
- B3: Chum Chum Dil Nal
- B4: Ve Tu Jaldi Jaldi Aa
- B5: Dohai Ni Dohai
- C1: Disco Wich Aa (Peaking Lights Remix)
- C2: Turbotito & Ragz Featuring Piya Malik - Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya
- C3: Par Toon Ki Janay (Danger Boys Remix)
- D1: Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya (Psychemagik Remix)
- D2: Par Toon Ki Janay (Dexter+Franz Remix)
- D3: Mainu Apne Pyar Wich (Mystic Jungle Remix)
- D4: Disco Wich Aa (Baalti Remix)
Naya Beat is incredibly excited to announce the release of an astonishing lost “holy grail”, Mohinder Kaur Bhamra’s 1982 masterpiece ‘Punjabi Disco’. Unknown and inaccessible to even the deepest of diggers, it is the first British Asian electronic dance album recorded and a true lost relic. A chance find of the original multitrack masters during the Covid lockdown led to ‘Punjabi Disco’ being rediscovered. Lovingly mixed down and remastered from these very studio recordings, the reissue also includes remixes by Peaking Lights, Baalti, Mystic Jungle, Psychemagik, and Danger Boys, as well as a cover by Say She She’s Piya Malik and Turbotito & Ragz and a previously unreleased track. It is available for pre-order and out on x2LP vinyl and all digital platforms on October 31st, 2025.
Released the same year and into equal obscurity as ‘Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat’, Charanjit Singh’s acid house opus, the reissue of ‘Punjabi Disco’ is set to have similar reverberations in the world of dance music. Produced by Mohinder’s eldest son and legendary bhangra pioneer Kuljit Bhamra using a recently acquired Roland SH-1000 synthesizer and a CR-8000 CompuRhythm drum machine played by his then 11-year-old brother, the album was recorded at Roxy Music bass player Rick Kenton’s studio in London. The concept for a Punjabi disco album was subsequently stolen from the Bhamra’s by the very record label that had agreed to distribute the album. Eventually self-released with no label support, ‘Punjabi Disco’ vanished into complete obscurity.
A pivotal figure in British Asian music, West London-based vocalist and first-generation immigrant Mohinder Kaur Bhamra became the first woman to sing at Punjabi weddings and other community events in the UK. Her son, Kuljit, would accompany her, playing tabla at her events from the age of six. Wedding music was traditionally a tame, segregated affair: men and women seated and separated on opposite sides of the room. ‘Punjabi Disco’ was born out of a desire to create an unsegregated dancefloor and inspired by the sounds of disco from the era. A tapestry of electric drum rhythm, warbling bass, and psychedelic siren-like Roland synth melodies provide a vehicle for Mohinder’s powerful voice. Part disco, part funk, part acid house, and infused with Punjabi folk melodies, the sound of ‘Punjabi Disco’ is as mesmerising as it is undefinable.
Featuring an incredible gatefold package and exhaustive liner notes by the Guardian’s Global Music Critic, Ammar Kalia, the x2LP release has been cut to vinyl for the discerning listener and DJ by Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt from The Carvery, London.
This is Naya Beat’s ninth release in a series of reissues, remixes, and compilations dedicated to uncovering electronic and dance music from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora.
- A1: Panafrican Dub Part1 Feat. Tydal Kamau
- A2: Panafrican Dub Part2 Feat. Tydal Kamau
- A3: Look At You
- A4: Nguê Ghara Feat. Lenna Bahule
- A5: Better Days Feat. Mark Wonder 03 33
- B1: The Government Part 1
- B2: The Government Part 2 Feat. Gengis Don
- B3: The Don Is Coming
- B4: Moto Fire Feat. Vimbai „Vee“ Mukarati
- B5: Kadudu
On "The Afrodub Experience," Umberto Echo takes us on a ride across four continents, exploring 50 years of Afro-Caribbean music history with numerous collaborators.
The inspiration is the Afrobeat of the 1970s, which he discovered through original musicians from Fela Kuti's "Africa 70" band in the Berlin project "Afrobeat Academy" which he began to fuse with dub and reggae.
Mitwirkende
wird veröffentlicht am 17. Oktober 2025
Recorded by Umberto Echo and the musicians in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, New York, Melbourne,
Kingston Jamaica & São Paulo between 2008 and 2024
Mixed by Umberto Echo & Silvan Strauss, November 2024 at Apollo Studio Berlin
assisted by DJ Tobi Neumann & Robin Ludyga
Produced by Umberto Echo, co-produced by Silvan Strauss
Mastered by Umberto Echo
Artwork by aDUBta
Umberto Echo published by KKBB Publishing/Edition Dubvibes
Drums: Silvan Strauss, Giuseppe Coppola
Drum Programming: Silvan Strauss, Gengis Don, Umberto Echo
Bass: Daniel Stritzke, Oghene Kologbo, Patrick Frankowski, Giorgi Kiknadze
Percussion: Samuel Wootton, Nicholas Ado-Nettey, Umberto Echo, Djakali Kone, Giuseppe Coppola
Guitars: Umberto Echo, Mandjau Fati, Ferdinand Kirner, Oghene Kologbo, Giovanni Agostini
Cora: Sebastian Cuevas, Djakali Kone
Saxes: Ben Abarbanel-Wolff, Florian Riedl, Giovanni Pecorini, I Sax
Trumpets: Benny Brown, Philip Sindy, Sebastian Kölbl
Trombone: Roman Sladek
Keys: Barney McAll, Lionel Wharton, Markus Kuczewski, Umberto Echo, Silvan Strauss, Milo Winter
Vocals: Lenna Bahule, Gengis Don, Vimbai „Vee“ Mukarati, Mark Wonder, Tydal Kamau
Backing Vocals: Runtendo Machiridza, Tariro neGitare, Erica Nevell
The Wire: his most satisfying collection to date Resident Advisor: return to minimalist roots on a noise rock-influenced new live record Support from: Barnt, Ben UFO, Vladimir Ivkovic, Boris, OPTIMO 180 gr. colored vinyl pressing incl. art poster and sleeve - limited edition of 50 copies available via distribution Philipp Gorbachev is back at it with a new conceptual album. KGC Radio is all about returning to music-making roots - choices are raw, minimalist and different from the sonic industry environment. The flow is kept simple but deadly, using only the bare essentials to blow up the rave and festival scenes: analog synths, drum machines, a mic, and some sick percussion. The whole album was recorded in one take, like some kinda secret radio wave you stumble on in the middle of the night. Catch it, and you're diving headfirst into a maze of vibes and meanings you ain't seen coming. On the visual side, KGC Radio is a collab with Zhanna Maliti, this dope Moscow-based artist and photographer. Her one-of-a-kind style and imagery are a perfect match for the music, bringing the whole vibe to life. Sounds Like: Underground Resistance, Daniel Maloso, NIN, Broken English Club Mastering by: Beau Thomas
Remix Ep with a broad spectrum of styles and some big named remixers. Side A kicks off with Colin Dale's remix of Dark Male, which is a typically throbbing techno cut for the dance floor, the Second track on Side A is David Duriez pushing an acid house remix of fellow French act G-Prod. On the flip is MOY's step into big bass and fast based breaks led drums which will make your head explode as they build their intensity, the second track is Derek Carr remixing The Vast Profound, his house rework offers all you might expect from this veteran of the scene - looped hooks and deep pads. Lastly The Vast Profound digs into the deeper end of house music layering up pads, strings and lush melodies. Comes with an insert "Remix track selector" on coloured vinyl limited to 135 sale copies.
Fast At Work returns with another statement EP, this time from the label’s own Carré and her closest collaborator, Danny Goliger. Navigating through textured atmospheres, rhythmic explorations, and immersive landscapes, they allowed their music to unfold naturally—an organic process shaped by curiosity and intuition. Each track was born from sampling its predecessor, creating a recursive dialogue that guided the creative flow. A commitment to a tension-building groove in ‘Up Too Late’, the warped dub throughlines of ‘Tricky One’, the intricate, delicate uptempo delight that is ‘Exit Plan ’, and the bridge between all four tracks ‘Don’t Keep Me In Suspense’ — each reflects different moments in this journey. An expert in textural exploration, the Dutch DJ and producer Konduku brought out the true hypnotic potential of the title track. Their influences ripple outward, yet the sound remains inherently theirs—fluid, unbound by singular genre or label.
Este nuevo lanzamiento de BAOX marca una pauta que creemos fundamental: continuar luchando
para comunicar nuestras ideas.
En un mundo tan saturado de propuestas genéricas, copias y grandes corporaciones, tanto privadas como gubernamentales, llenando el cyber-espacio y lo tangible con propaganda y silenciando ciertos temas actuales y queriendo controlar nuestra información, nos refugiamos en la música para intentar movernos sigilosos pero efectivos.
Todos sabemos el reto de seguir lanzando música en formatos físicos, tanto de producción como
económicos, pero esperamos que los sellos y artistas independientes no se den por vencidos y
sepan que no están solos, muchos seguimos intentando conservar esta cultura tan pura del disco,
desde las fábricas, las tiendas, distribuidores, los ingenieros de audio, los artistas e incluso
nuestras familias y amigos que nos apoyan.
Step onto the dancefloor and relive the golden age of club culture with the revival of Jon Pleased Wimmin’s iconic anthem “P.A.S.S.I.O.N,” brought back by Full Circle in a brand-new package of remixes. Following the success of the Tin Tin Out Mix reissue in 2023, this release features fresh reinterpretations from some of today’s most exciting names, including the legendary Demi Riquísimo and a brand new remix from Jon himself with Paul Morrell, a triple platinum selling remixer, for the likes of Ava-Max, Kelly Clarkson, All Saints & Troye Sivan.
Jon Cooper, universally known as Jon Pleased Wimmin, became a defining figure of the UK scene thanks to his flamboyant presence and finely tuned knack for getting the party started.
From his beginnings as a face on London’s late-80s dancefloors, Jon made the leap from clubgoer to DJ in 1991 with his Cabaret act The Pleased Wimmin, catching the eye of Danny Rampling and securing sets at the legendary Milk Bar. His unmistakable style, fearlessness behind the decks, and sheer love of music led to him touring the world, being voted 6th in DJ Magazines' Top 100 DJ poll and reaching Top 30 with the original release of P.A.S.S.I.O.N. He is still playing out weekly across Europe & the U.K.
With Full Circle’s revival, P.A.S.S.I.O.N bridges past and present, paying tribute to Jon’s legacy while propelling the track into a new dimension. Alongside Demi’s deep, groove-heavy rework, the package also includes a brand-new Jon Pleased Wimmin & Paul Morrell Remix, road tested by Jon this summer at Pikes & 528 Ibiza, which injects fresh energy and an edge while staying true to the spirit of the original.
This isn’t just a reissue; it’s a chance to own a piece of dance music history, reimagined for today’s floors. Grab your copy, feel the groove, and let these remixes guide you back into the feeling of where it all began.
Brown Angel descends upon Dark Entries with Pure Brown Energy, an EP featuring 6 tracks of gloom-laced electro-funk and retro house. Pure Brown Energy was born when San Francisco-based producer and Hard French collective member Brown Angel was faced with a gift and a loss: an original Roland TR-808 was given to them around the same time that their father passed away. To process their grief, they set about making an album that showcased the many facets of their being, in their words: “my gay tío side, my Latin goth side, my cruising down the boulevard side, and most of all my soft vulnerable side.” From slamming vogue/ballroom house to cumbia-inflected freestyle, Pure Brown Energy channels club sounds both contemporary and timeless, while centering the most eternal electronic instrument of all: the TR-808. Opener “Miel” grooves with the effortlessness of peak-era Masters at Work or vintage Kevin Saunderson, while “Dame Más” dials up the energy even further. The influences of Miami bass and West Coast electro shine through on “Maya” and “Love Me Right,” which pair razor-sharp beats with a flurry of samples culled from Brown Angel’s record collection. “PBE” and “En Movimiento” take the Planet Rock vibes to another level, combining influences from contemporary cumbia and reggaeton sounds with Brown Angel’s Latin goth flair. Each copy comes in a sleeve designed by Ricardo Diseño featuring illustrations inspired by Teen Angels, a popular 1980’s Chicano magazine. Pure Brown Energy brings a sense of urgency to the dancefloor, unreluctantly examining the crossover between creation and loss, between celebration and sorrow. But don’t forget: these cuts also slap.
- A1: The Street Enters The House
- A2: Overthere Comes Overhere
- A3: A Tunnel With Curves
- A4: Surrounded By Trees
- A5: A Light Moves Across Curtains
- A6: Weightless
- A7: No Longer
- B1: Running In The Dark
- B2: Moving In The Rain
- B3: On A Beach Lost At Sea
- B4: The End Of The Road
- B5: And Fall Asleep
- B6: An Empty Corridor
- B7: Outwards And Across
- B8: Goodnight
Ian Elms’s cult isolationist synth masterpiece Good Night returns via Dark Entries. Originally released in 1982, Good Night blends Berlin school minimalism and BBC Radiophonic weirdness with the aesthetics of then-nascent DIY punk electronics throughout its fifteen short tracks. According to Elms, these pieces were composed in two broad but interrelated modes: pieces with voice and synthesizer, which are obliquely narrative, and instrumental synthesizer pieces that aspire to capture fleeting emotions. Ian met with producer David Hoser at Octopus Studios and they began constructing pieces using a Polymoog Keyboard 280a, sampled drum tracks, and Elms’s synthesizer. On “The Street Enters the House”, live drums lurch along with skeletal motifs while Elms’s elliptical lyrics evoke domestic discontent. “A Light Moves Across Curtains” features metronomic pummeling and icy strings buttressing the scant cryptic lines from Elms. Instrumental gems like “Goodnight” and “Surrounded by Trees” are built around detuned riffs in round-like structure, both drifting and static like the motion of waves. With original pressings fetching three digits – if you can even find a copy – this reissue is essential listening for fans of John Bender, Transparent Illusion, and the early 80’s DIY cassette scene. Each copy of Good Night comes with a postcard featuring a photograph and notes by Elms. “This record is intended for anyone who by accident or design spends most of their time alone (whether in the body or in the mind).” – Ian Elms.
“sitting in the terminal at Barcelona airport, health safety warnings echo through empty architecture. feeling slow, and fast, out of sync with rituals and routines. structure and rhythm disintegrate into micro gestures appearing in random order, a daily psychedelia... amid all of the chaos and distraction in the last few years, it’s only through letting go that I've found solid ground to stand on.”
These are some of the experiences and reflections that gave shape to Slipstream, a hallucinatory mini-album by the artist PVAS and the fourth release on Objekt's label, Kapsela. Slipstream is an aural document of PVAS's interior life, conceived not as a grab-bag of DJ-friendly tracks (although it’s clearly inspired by the club) but as a single, delicately crafted artistic statement. The entire record is shrouded in a flickering haze, worn through by smudged breakbeats and wiry drum machines. “Wetland”, with its swampy percussion and crystalline arps, echoes T++ and Kraftwerk. The radiant incandescence of “Gathering Drift” recalls GAS or Monolake's “Hong Kong.” Sampled breakbeats dip and swerve asymmetrically through “Boba” and “Terminal”. Across the record, textures and voices are reshaped by PVAS's homemade algo-software, UMT, which, in PVAS’ own words, “reconstructs one audio file by sampling another, resulting in output that merges their aesthetic qualities, creating rhythm with non-rhythmic sound files and abusing the stereo field.” But the most striking union of technology and poetic self-exploration comes at the end of the record, in the title track, from words murmured through a classic vocoder:
“when i stop framing myself as a boundaried stone
immovable, and powerful, and heavy
when i stop figuring my deepest space as my own
something which i am solely responsible
i surrender, i surrender”
PVAS is Jordan Juras, a Berlin-based artist who grew up outside of Windsor, Ontario. He has released solo EPs on Isla and xpq?, and is half the duo NUG (3XL, West Mineral Ltd.). In addition to developing music software professionally, he has used his UMT software on records by Lyra Pramuk and Dylan Kerr. Slipstream was recorded from 2022 to 2025.
Written and produced by PVAS
Mixed by TJ Hertz
Mastered by Anne Taegert at D&M
Artwork and design by Brodie Kaman
One of contemporary ambient’s preeminent figures lands on its leading label, enacting a transition into a new phase of rhythmic noise and tonal shadowplay laced with peculiar sensitivities, wrangling Dilloway-influenced tape noise thru ASMR ambience, fritzed dub techno, layered vocal drone and ritualistic mantras.
Perila steps up solo with a heavily satisfying debut for West Mineral, investigating negative space and states of subconsciousness. The shift in tone feeds forward into arcane realms of resonant dark ambient and dream-pop, harnessed in amorphous structures using dub-as-method. It’s wholly immersive stuff in a way that’s long been Perlia’s calling card, but here more careful in its command of personalised, atmospheric physics from the Coil-esque ‘cheerleader’, thru the deeply smudged and sexy trip hop of ‘lava’, and the oozing, sloshing OOBE-like spectres of ‘give it all’.
The title of the album is a reference to Carl Jung’s phrase "all haste is of the devil” which informs Perila’s writing process here; she slows down in an attempt to feel more and tap into her shadow self. Album opener 'cheerbleeder' is a doomed, tremolo-heavy mass of ghost notes, while the rattling chains and strangulated voices on ‘metal snax' sounds like they belong on a Wolf Eyes tape. 'grain levy tep dusk' strikes closer to recently unearthed industrial plates from Tolerance and Mentocome, with rusted clangs threaded into deflated, half-speed pulses. The album keeps growing from there, shifting and expanding as Perila exhales and absorbs her cognitive blind spots. She credits "trance states" for helping her let go, and we broadly get to experience that on the mantra-like 'thunder me' and the blurry all-vocal highlight 'hold my leg', which sounds like it could have been snatched from Grouper's 'Way Their Crept' sessions.
As with all of Alexandra Zakharenko’s work under various aliases - Aseptic Stir, Baby Bong, Wedontneedwords, Perila - her allure is self-evident to lovers of textured, diffuse electronics, and never more so than on this lip-bitingly potent suite of delicacies and primordial urges, perfectly balancing ancient and techngnostic aspects with an x-amount of seductive strangeness left in the margins.
For their first album as Gilla Band (formerly Girl Band), the
foursome have redrawn their own paradigm. ‘Most Normal’ is like
little you’ve heard before, a kaleidoscopic spectrum of noise put in
service of broken pop songs, FX-strafed Avant-punk rollercoaster
rides and passages of futurist dancefloor nihilism.
Lockdown robbed Gilla Band of any opportunity to try the new
material out live, but the pandemic also incinerated any idea of a
deadline for the new album. They were free to tinker at leisure, to
rewrite and restructure and reinvent tracks they’d cut, to, as
drummer Adam Faulkner puts it, “pull things apart and be like,
‘Let’s try this. We could try out every wild idea.’”
The group also fell under the spell of modern hip-hop, “where
there’s really heavy-handed production and they’re messing with
the track the whole time,” says Fox. “That felt like a fun route to go
down, it was a definite influence.”
‘Most Normal’ opens with an absolute industrial-noise banger that
sounds like a manic house party throbbing through the walls of the
next room as a downed jetliner brings death from above. What
follows is unpredictable, leading the listener through a sonic house
of mirrors, where the unexpected awaits around every corner.
The common thread holding ‘Most Normal’’s ambitious Avant-pop
shapes together is frontman Dara Kiely. Throughout, he’s an antic,
antagonistic presence, barking wild, hilarious, unsettling spiels,
babbling about smearing fish with lubricant or dressing up in binliners or having to wear hand-me-down bootcut jeans (“It was a
big, shameful thing, growing up, not being able to afford the look I
wanted and having to wear all my brother’s old clothes,” says
Kiely).
‘Most Normal’, then, is a triumph, the bold work of a group who’ve
taken the time to evolve their ideas, to deconstruct and reconstruct
their music and rebuild it into something new, something
challenging and infinitely rewarding. It’s a headphone masterpiece.
It’s a majestic exploration of the infinite possibilities of noise. It’s a
bold riposte to your parochial beliefs on whatever a pop song can
or should be. It’s the best work these musicians have put to
(mangled) tape.
- A1: The Chambers Brothers– Uptown
- A2: B B. King– Why I Sing The Blues
- A3: The 5Th Dimension*– Don't Cha Hear Me Callin' To Ya
- A4: The 5Th Dimension*– Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)
- B1: David Ruffin– My Girl
- B2: The Edwin Hawkins Singers*– Oh Happy Day
- B3: The Staple Singers– It's Been A Change
- B4: The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir* Featuring Mahalia Jackson & Mavis Staples– Precious Lord, Take My Hand
- C1: Gladys Knight & The Pips*– I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- C2: Mongo Santamaria– Watermelon Man
- C3: Ray Barretto– Together
- C4: Herbie Mann– Hold On, I'm Comin
- D1: Sly & The Family Stone– Sing A Simple Song
- D2: Sly & The Family Stone– Everyday People
- D3: Abbey Lincoln And Max Roach– Africa
- D4: Nina Simone– Backlash Blues
- D5: Nina Simone– Are You Ready?
This exciting new collaboration between Cara Tolmie and Rian Treanor is a highly kinetic and playful endeavour. Body-centric vocal explorations merge with intricate rhythmic systems forming a deliciously disorientating, hypersurreal space of semantic modulations, concrete poetry, cut-up beats and mimicked samples. Their sound is singular and tactile: dissociative dance music that reassembles contorting vocal lines and knotting biomechanics in an explorative network of unstable forms. It's a blur of bodily fragility and ecstatic disruption, where swells of meaning rise and fall through clouds of synthetic buzz, fleeting breath, and stream-of-consciousness imagery.The duo first performed together when Counterflows Festival paired them for a new commission at the historic Arches venue in 2023. Glasgow-born, Stockholm-based vocalist and performance artist Cara Tolmie brought her hypnotic vocal technique, Internal Singing _ an intimate practice using breath, movement, and touch that explores the subtle binds between voice and body in an unsettling, engrossing sonic space. Treanor's richly innovative work provided a compounding counterpart: radical, rave-infused structures that bent and contorted around Tolmie's incantation.Growing out of a series of charged, improvisational performances, Body Lapse was recorded between Stockholm and Rotherham in 2024. Echoes of their live energy run throughout _ a voice shaking through the body, responding to touch and physical modulation, translating performance into something tactile and immediate. Body Lapse marks their debut release together, it conjures a sound of unsettling beauty and frictional intensity _ a playful, physical mesh of computer music, voice, and speculative storytelling. In this gnawing, dreamlike space, breath and body become sites of both connection and disruption, sparking thrilling encounters with the unexpected, the playful, and the decisively weird
Bringing together the elder statesman of the Zulu guitar Madala Kunene and internationally acclaimed Sibusile Xaba, kwaNTU pulls two generations of South African guitar mastery into a single point of focus. Under-represented on recordings outside of South Africa, Madala Kunene (b. 1951), the ‘King of the Zulu Guitar’, is revered as the greatest living master of the Zulu guitar tradition. Sibusile Xaba, whose collaboration with Mushroom Hour Half Hour reaches back to his first recording in 2017 (Open Letter To Adoniah/Unlearning), has garnered international acclaim for his unique voice and virtuoso guitar stylings, which bring together multiple South African guitar lineages in an original, spiritualised fusion. Collaborating with Mushroom Hour and New Soil for kwaNTU, the two players come together to weave a filigree sonic fabric which reaches down to the heartwood of Zulu guitar music but moves resolutely outward, building on the past to create a deeply rooted statement about present conditions and future travels. kwaNTU – which can be roughly translated ‘the place of the life-spirit’ – is also conclave of teacher and student, as Xaba has been taught by Kunene for the last decade. Meditative, rich and sonically sui generis, kwaNTU finds these two musicians linking up within the inimitable space of sound and spirit that they share through Kunene’s teaching.
The great masters of South African music have not all had equal exposure. For many years the generation of musicians who were exiled during apartheid took centre stage, as the regime made it very difficult for those at home to be heard. More recently, a new cohort of important voices, especially in jazz, has broken through to international consciousness. But for the generation of musicians in between – those who shone like beacons in the most difficult final years of apartheid and immediately afterward – international recognition has been slow in coming.
Madala Kunene, ‘the King of the Zulu Guitar’, is among this number. A revered figure for current generations of South African musicians, Kunene began his recording career in 1990, at the bitter end of apartheid, with a now classic self-titled LP for David Marks’ storied Third Ear imprint. Born in 1951 in Cato Manor, near Durban, he had determined to be a musician from early childhood, and by the time he first entered a recording studio he had already had a long career as a popular performer. His virtuoso absorption and transformation of the venerable Zulu maskanda guitar tradition and his richly spiritualised approach to music immediately marked him out as someone special, and in the years that followed, Kunene cemented his position as one of South Africa’s musical elders. He is without doubt the grand master of the Zulu guitar tradition, but his sound and sensibility ranges far beyond it into varied sonic terrain, and he has collaborated with a wide range of musicians both at home and abroad. Now in his mid-seventies, he remains a shining light for those that are making music in contemporary South Africa.
‘He is really an amazing person,’ says the guitarist Sibusile Xaba, who has been mentored by Kunene for over a decade, and now invites a collaboration with him on kwaNTU. ‘As a mentor, he's really powerful in showing us the way. For us to have this opportunity to make music together and have a project together is really a blessing to me.’
Xaba himself grew up in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, where his mother had been in a band and his father sang in a church choir, and from early childhood Xaba played homemade tin guitars. He only later realised that music was his calling. ‘I just loved music. I was fortunate. My parents loved music. And when it was time for me to leave home and go to study outside Newcastle, I knew that music was what I wanted to do. There was no second option. It was just music.’ Moving to Pretoria to study music formally, Xaba committed himself to his craft, developing a unique style that draws on both US jazz masters such as Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall, and the rich and varied heritage of the South African guitar, from inspirational jazz players such as Allen Kwela and Enoch Mthalane, to the music of the Malombo groups and Dr. Philip Tabane (Xaba has previously collaborated with Dr. Tabane’s late son, Thabang), and the Zulu guitar tradition embodied by Kunene.
‘I was really in love with the jazz guitar, I really admired it, and I was digging a lot in that direction,’ says Xaba, recalling his first encounter with Kunene’s music, over a decade ago. ‘And then one day on my timeline, Kunene popped up, and I was like – “What's this sound?” I was so connected to it. It really touched me deep. I started checking out his records, and then I found out he's from the same region as I am, which is Zululand.’ After Kunene played a show at the Afrikan Freedom Station in Johannesburg, Xaba make contact with him, and visited him at home in Durban. They struck up a friendship, and Xaba became the elder’s student, as Kunene began to pass on his knowledge and his inimitable way of playing.
kwaNTU is a tribute to this relationship and the deep learning that has defined it. The album was recorded in Zululand in the town of Utrecht, at a cultural centre called Kwantu Village, which gives its name to the album. ‘It's such a broad word,’ Xaba says, ‘but the elders teach us that Ntu is basically an energy, almost chi, an energy, a force that all living beings have within them. It's a living energy, so kwaNTU is like, almost the place of this energy.’ The two men sequestered themselves for five days of jamming, improvising and planning, and then the session was recorded in one take over a single night, with Gontse Makhene joining on percussion and backing vocals and Fakazile on vocals. Other voices and overdubs were later added in the studio in Johannesburg.
The result is a rich and meditative recording that finds two generations in a deeply engaged dialogue. Teaching and passing on his knowledge, the elder Kunene has brought Xaba into a space of sound and knowledge that they now share; Xaba’s own practice of deep communion with nature and his dedication to his musical craft make him the perfect interlocutor for Kunene. The result is an album that foregrounds the two musicians engaged at the highest levels of responsive listening, sympathetic unity, and collaborative concentration. Bringing an elder statesman of South African music to an international listening audience for the first time in decades by pairing him with one of South Africa’s most important new voices, kwaNTU is a meeting of generations and a powerful demonstration of musical lineage and continuity.
‘Before music, there is sound,’ Xaba observes, speaking of Kunene’s unique approach to music. ‘And sound is like a common compartment…it's not restricted to particular people or particular geographic places, you know what I mean? It's sound. Everybody can hear it. So when he constructs that sound into music, I think everybody resonates with the energy behind his construction of sound into song. Here at home, we really love him for preserving our history through the guitar, through his stories as well the music, the songs that he writes. We really, really admire him.’
- A1: I Was Always Dreaming - Late Night Final Remix
- A2: Towards The Dawn - Alex Silva Remix
- A3: The Fun Of It – Gus Alt-J Remix
- A4: The South Atlantic - Peter Sandberg Remix
- A5: Electra - Late Night Final Remix
- B1: Arabian Flight - The Kvb Remix
- B2: Monsoons - Eera Remix
- B3: A Different Kind Of Love - Hainbach Remix
- B4: Howland - Late Night Final Remix
“Round and Round” is a tale of depression and the brooding repetitious inner thoughts that drain us. Dubbed by producer Daniel David as “emo boogie”–partly as a joke–this newfound genre illustrates familiar personal struggles of the current age. This A-side rides the fine line of unraveling deep emotions, ultimately coaxing you to FEEL the groove.
Conversely, the B-side “Finely” feat. B.Bravo is a smooth rolling vocoder jam, a laid-back anthem perfect for a cruise or warming up a fresh dancefloor: a high to offset the low.
Zackey Force Funk
Born into this wild world in Tucson, AZ 1974, Zackey Force Funk found himself in and out of prison at the age of 17. Once released for good, Zackey ditched a life of crime to focus on raising his family and writing music. He thrived in the golden era of Myspace, producing eerie, gritty music on pirated software, and swiftly grabbed the attention of Kutmah–soon to be followed by a plethora of formidable producers. Zackey forged many collaborations later with the likes of XL Middleton, The Egyptian Lover, Salva, Lazer Sword, Lorn, Brian Ellis, Baron Zen, Daedelus and B. Bravo, as well as forming the group Demon Queen with Tobacco, and Delta Weapon with his brother N8NOFACE. As these tunes were scattered across various labels and on their respective collaborator's projects, ZFF continued to hone his style, delving deeper into the psychedelic future funk realm of which he has created for himself.
Daniel David
Daniel David is a Bay Area born multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer based in Dallas, Texas. 1/2 of boogie funk duo The Pendletons, Daniel’s solo music is a genre defying mix of organic and electronic elements including psych, dirty analog funk, hyphy, jazz, and more.
license
Interception, the second long player from Jensen Interceptor following 2018's Mother, is something of a state-of-the-nation that finds Melas consolidating several eras of his career, past and present, to form a distinct new sound that is the most experimental work he has produced to date.
In 2024, a freak accident at an event he was playing left him with multiple broken bones in his foot. The forced downtime became an opportunity for introspection, allowing him to revisit earlier projects and explore new musical territories. Blending his signature electro with genres such as IDM, footwork, and baile funk, Melas used this recovery period to fuse old influences with fresh global sounds. "Since I started making music I've always made music geared towards use in my DJ sets but there's always been an urge to explore the deeper side of electronic music.
That time off after the accident gave me the space to dive into genres and really experiment.
" The accident came at a time when he had already spent time, like so many others though the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing his next move. A full tour schedule had left him feeling constrained by the limitations of working in a single genre. As such, Interception is the end point of this reassessment and the start point of what Melas sees as the next stage of his musical evolution.
"I really wanted to challenge and, I guess, prove myself in other spheres, to take my music to a new place. I've never wanted to be too repetitive and found that expectations, imagined or real, were forcing me to get stuck on a specific sound both in my productions and DJ sets." This renewal is reflected in the title of the album, which eagle-eyed fans will note is the same as the first EP that was released under the Jensen Interceptor moniker, and the emotional and personal nature of the LP is likewise mirrored in the abstract impressionism of the artwork created by fellow Australian, Brodie Kaman, the artist behind the visual look of Lady Gaga's recent Mayhem LP as well as works for FKA Twigs, Nine Inch Nails, and more.
The design-resembling oil drifting across a microscope slide-uses a mix of vivid pastels and moody darks to express the album's emotional depth: a collection of distinct elements coalescing into something richer and more evocative.
East Kilbride’s Scott Fraser finally comes good on a 25 year promise to his younger self with his debut solo album on his own label DX Recordings out of London. This record represents the closing of this chapter and the opening of a new one.
A truly international and collaborative project pulling together the help and talent of friends around the world with mastering by Radioactive man Keith Tenniswood, cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery and world class US visual art and design legends, Tim Saccenti and Nick Martin on photography, artwork and design.
Limited to 300 solid red heavyweight vinyl copies, brown kraft sleeves; individually hand stencilled and numbered by the artist, printed inserts feature a collection of moments and images from the last 25 years - the studio, the equipment, the people and the places that came together to make this release. Japanese rice paper inner sleeves.
Limited edition hand printed screen print by Niall Greaves at Newbridge Print Studios in Newcastle on the first 30 copies exclusively available via the DX Recordings Bandcamp page.
Musically diverse, crossing styles, flavours and moods, threaded meticulously with razor sharp Roland TR606 programming and glued together with a Space Echo, Expanded opens with the sub aquatic funk of ‘Eden And After’. Side one takes you through banging electro on ‘Energy In Constitution’, the dark dub techno of ‘To The Letter Of My Oath’, leaves you disappearing through a black hole on ‘The Path Of Helium Rain’ and the sound of aliens talking through FM synthesis on ‘Collected Stills’. On side two: a slice of dark, heavy instrumental hip hop gets things started with ‘Where Is That Perception? ‘. Next we get into some straight 4/4 club techno with cut up drums and bumping baseline in ‘Mi Dominante’ before moving through some blissed out Detroit vibes on ‘Earth Looking Inwards’, a rough as you like TR606 driven experimental electro groover ‘Object of Life’ and finally closing out with the Ectomorph inspired stark electro of ‘Steel (NB_BLOOD cut)’.
Mastered by: Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher, Hastings
Cut By: Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London
Distributed by: Rubadub, Glasgow
Artwork by: Timothy Saccenti, Nicholas Martin, Scott Fraser
Photography by: Kate Green, Javier Gonzalez, Scott Fraser, Timothy Saccenti
Solid red vinyl (300 copies), 30 coming with a limited edition screen print designed by Timothy Saccenti, Nicholas Martin and Scott Fraser, hand screen printed by Niall Greaves at Newbridge Print studios in Newcastle.
fabric presents salute features music from pioneers and contemporaries alike, including Kerri Chandler, Bodhi, Dorian Concept, Junior Sanchez, Redhead and more, alongside two originals from salute. More than a collection of tracks, it’s a cultural statement: a journey through club culture, personal identity, and global roots. To celebrate the release, salute will headline fabric’s Room 2 on 10th October, joined by a handpicked lineup (TBA), bringing their vision full circle from mix to dancefloor.
Lead single ‘double luxury’ sets the tone for the project, capturing salute’s signature blend of soulful energy, deep groove, and euphoric release. Built on spacious low-end and an undercurrent of euphoria, warped vocals twist through sleek, propulsive drums to form a house cut that channels the emotional intensity and groove at the heart of their sound. Arriving off the back of a huge summer, with standout sets at Coachella, Glastonbury, a North American tour and All Points East, ‘double luxury’ provides a fitting entry into a milestone chapter for one of the most vital voices in club culture.
salute says:
“my contribution to the fabric presents compilation series is my way of contextualising the music i've been writing over the last couple of years. i wanted to include bits of all the things that make up the salute sonic palette: loopy, sample based house music, dense and soulful chords and beautiful synths, slick and groovy drum work. it's an exercise in beautiful house and techno music, or my definition of it anyway.”
Launched in 2019, fabric presents has become one of electronic music’s most respected mix platforms, with contributions from Andrew Weatherall, Laurent Garnier, The Martinez Brothers, SHERELLE, Bonobo, Overmono, Confidence Man, The Streets, and more. Rooted in the legacy of fabric’s monthly CD mixes, the series now embraces a wider range of releases across digital, CD, and vinyl, each paired with a performance at the iconic London venue. With fabric presents: salute, they take their place in this lineage, joining the dots between underground heritage and the future of club culture.
Vienna-born salute has become more than a producer: they are a cultural innovator representing a club scene that is diverse, queer, and community-driven. Since emerging as one of the UK’s most exciting electronic voices, they have built a reputation for balancing raw emotion with dancefloor ecstasy, weaving grime, UK garage, electro, French house, jazz, gospel, R&B and hip hop into a singular, unmistakable vision.
Their music channels as much emotional resonance as physical release, tracks that turn longing into euphoria, intimacy into collective celebration. This ability has not only won over audiences worldwide but also earned praise from heavyweights including Four Tet, DJ Seinfeld, Floating Points, Skrillex, Fred again.., Annie Mac and Benji B. Their now-legendary Melbourne Boiler Room set, one of the platform’s most-watched, further cemented salute’s reputation as a defining force in the global underground.
The release of their 2024 debut album True Magic on Ninja Tune solidified salute as one of dance music’s most vital voices, its success confirming what the underground had long known. With fabric presents, they mark another milestone, bringing their curatorial vision and boundary-pushing sound to one of electronic music’s most iconic platforms.
- A1: I Borrowed My Dad's Car But We Had Nowhere To Go So We Drove Around Listening To Music All Night
- A2: The House Party Went On So Long We Talked And Drank And Played Music Til The Morning
- A3: I Used To See Her On The Way Home From School And She Lit Up The Sky With Her Beauty
- A4: We Ditched School And Climbed Over The Neighbour's Fence To Swim In Their Pool All Day
- B1: We Were Dancing In Her Bedroom And Then We Made Out
- B2: We Walked All The Way To The Lake And The Water Was So Still We Jumped In Naked
- B3: She Broke Up With Me Before Our Last Class So I Walked To The Beach On My Own
- B4: Her Parents Were Out So We Shared A Joint And Floated Around In Her Pool Under The Starlight
Enigmatic UK producer Dylan Henner announces new album of deeply considered and choral-laced experimental ambient music Star Dream FM, said to be taped from a mysterious radio broadcast that plays his favourite memories from adolescence.
Though (clearly) fictional, the backdrop to new album Star Dream FM represents a tactile canvas on which the record’s true meaning is painted. It is, through Henner’s now-characteristic employment of ambient-textured synthesis, marimba, digital choir, and processed voice, a study of late adolescence and the experience of being seventeen.
Little is known about Dylan Henner, who landed on the ambient scene in 2020 with cassette releases for Phantom Limb, Belgian label Dauw, and cult tastemakers AD93. He barely promotes himself publicly, instead choosing to communicate through disarmingly poetic song titles. His debut album “The Invention of the Human” (AD93, 2020 - a recipient of BBC 6Music’s Album of the Year honours) responds to a set of philosophical questions - what exactly makes us human? What good is civilisation when there’s so much misery attached to it? How will technology affect humanity in the long run? In 2022, he released follow-up You Always Will Be on AD93, which traced the course of a single life from birth, to childhood, to adolescence, adulthood, parenthood, middle-age, old-age, and demise. He has also covered Raymond Scott, Terry Riley, Aphex Twin, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Su Tissue among numerous further projects.
Unearthed from the Crammed Discs vaults after nearly four decades (Originally recorded in 1987), a hidden gem finally sees the light. Maurice Poto Doudongo’s The Lost Album arrives on vinyl for the first time—limited to 500 copies, with printed inner sleeve featuring release notes and photographs.
Back in the hazy margins of late-’80s Brussels, where boundary-blurring sounds were seeping through the cracks of pop music, a young autodidact named Maurice Poto Doudongo was crafting music that didn’t quite belong to any scene. Born in Kinshasa and growing up in Belgium, Maurice was a sonic nomad—raised on Franco, Miriam Makeba, and Tabu Ley Rochereau, transfixed by James Brown and Prince, and shaped by the fertile collision between African music and experimental electronics occurring all around him.
Leaving school at 16 to concentrate on music full-time, he began recording on borrowed 4-tracks, using cardboard boxes for percussion, and absorbing whatever sounds the airwaves served him: “Music has no frontier,” he says. “You take what you like. Prince, Fela, Papa Wemba—there is no contradiction. It’s all part of the sound.”
The result? A record that’s equal parts analog drum machine funk, homegrown Afro-pop futurism, and new wave R&B-informed synth poetry. Marc Hollander, founder of Crammed Discs, met Maurice through his friend and associate, musician/producer Vincent Kenis and quickly recognized the spark. The two began working in earnest, preparing tracks intended for a full-length release that, for reasons lost to time and memory, never materialized—until now.
Marc remembers: “The album was never completely finished. “Bolingo” was the only track that came out on a Crammed compilation at that time… and the rest sat on the shelf for decades until we started opening the Crammed vaults.”
Maurice recalls the session as being, “like an unstoppable current”. Listening now, the Lost Album feels both of its time and well beyond it. While tracks like “Momo” sound not a million miles away from the slinky and sophisticated Balearic pop ambience of Wally Badarou’s Echoes album, "Passport Train" shakes itself loose of any genre boundaries, veering into free-form Afro-electronica and tough electronic rhythm. Others pulse with a sweet and soulful groove that suggests dance floors dreamed of but never reached.
In decades hence, Maurice never left music, and the music never left him. Now working mainly as an arranger, he describes his job as being like that of a musical psychologist: “Someone comes to me with their sound, and before anything I have to understand their mind and heart,” he explains. That same intuitive fluency can be heard across this entire album—music that listens before it speaks, that absorbs before it asserts.
This reissue is more than a remastering. It’s a second breath. Sourced from cassette roughs and 24-track demos, carefully restored with Maurice’s blessing, and released as a complete album on vinyl for the very first time, The Lost Album isn’t lost anymore.
It just took nearly 40 years to find its way to you. - Editions de Lux
Wally Badarou is a synth pioneer and musical polymath. But rarely does he sing over his sumptuous tracks. The 6 songs that comprise new record Simple Things finally realise Wally's vision for select backing tracks from his beloved Colors Of Silence.
The tracks were originally developed back in 2001 for the release of the original CD; here, Wally has “simply" added overdubs and vocals to their mastered mixes with some discerning edits. Simply put, Simple Things is another slice of simply stunning Wally Badarou genius.
Simple Things has been decades in the making. Indeed, Wally struggled not only with the idea of singing these wonderful songs himself but singing them in English and writing his own lyrics, while wrestling with the sensational backing tracks, which themselves seemed to have taken on a life of their own.
As Wally explained to us: "In addition to the instrumental artist I have been known as, so far, there has always been a singer who simply was not sure he was, up until now. Even though “Back To Scales Tonight”, my very first album, was, indeed, a song album."
Opener "It Couldn't Be You" embellishes the uptempo groove of soca-funk gem "The Lights Of Kinshasa". As Wally explained to us, it's about “a simple love story somewhere, one rainy night, under the lights of Kinshasa. A woman, a man, online dating, quite usual in our times. Then they meet, almost missing each other." The guide vocal Wally had laid for Colors Of Silence - with an organ sound - seemed striving for words in Linguala, a Congolese language he could not speak. Therefore the decision to do it himself was not an easy one, for it had to be in English to fit his singing. We think it turned out pretty good!
"You Can't Hide Always" vocalises Wally's deep concerns set to the propulsive "Smiles By The Millions": "Populism, ostracism, radicalism, ethics and values all turned upside down worldwide, are they all inevitably exacerbated by our social networks? It could all melt down one day, like a house of cards in the ocean of fake news and false prophecies”. Wally wanted to keep the track as bare as possible but, inevitably, the backing vocals and the synth-brass arrive ultimately to present a welcome 70s flavour, with no snare-drum added.
The bright and breezy "We'll Make It Again" adds vocals to "Where Were We", a tropical, reggae-tinged bounce through the islands. Here's Waly: "Where were we when we last said: "I love you"? Simple words to express something quite common, but never quite simple to deal with. A simple song about the resilience of the broken hearts.” The reggae came from it being conceived when Wally was scoring for “Third World Cop”, a 1999 Jamaican action movie.
"Walk Straight Ahead" provides Wally's gorgeous, contemplative and idiosyncratic vocals to the deep serenity of Colors Of Silence highlight, "Amber Whispers". It's a gliding, divine, mini melodic masterpiece. It'll make you swoon in its extreme beauty. As Wally describes, "it started as just whispers, sweet amber whispers. Then the colour turned darker, as darker skies seemed to fall upon us while the whole world keeps on walking ahead, straight ahead, regardless of the blatant warnings, feeling much too comfortable in conformity. Initially, the verses were to be spoken only. I realised they could be sung all the while, without overshadowing the ethereal atmosphere." Amen.
The serene, celestial "Painting My Life Blue" presents the vocal version of "Days To Wonder". Says Wally, "how does it feel when your second half is gone after decades of riding life together? Past the temporary loss of your bearings, you come to realise you've been blind to the essential, and suddenly you can see...For this most intimate song of mine, I had tried to come up with a melody on top of the existing backing track, long before realising the melody was in the keyboard part already. It just needed to be properly mixed with it."
The profoundly emotional "Just Two Lovers" works up the formerly-too-brief and glorious "Crystal Falls" into a much fuller masterpiece and features acoustic guitar sparkle before fully glistening with some gentle head-nod percussion. Waly explains further: "Dear little green men, please tell me, what is it about us that makes you want to come and visit us so often (contrary to Fermi's assertion)? And here is the reply I believe I heard them sing: "You've got the key you've been searching for: Love”. I reverted to the initial backing track I had made around 1985, which already bore the melody, and which I added acoustic guitars to, before singing it." An astounding closer.
A synth specialist, there can be few artists more under-appreciated given their vast influence than Wally Badarou. His solo work practically defined the sound of the Balearic DJs of the 1980s, and thus the more sophisticated sound of dance culture thereafter. He was one of the Compass Point All Stars (with Sly and Robbie, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson), the in-house recording team of Compass Point Studios responsible for a series of albums in the 1980s recorded by Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Mick Jagger, Black Uhuru, Gwen Guthrie, Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs. Badarou's keyboard playing could also be heard on albums by Robert Palmer, Marianne Faithfull, Herbie Hancock, M (Pop Muzik), Talking Heads, Manu Dibango and Miriam Makeba. He also produced Fela Kuti. Phew!
When we asked Wally about the significance of this collection's title, he explained: "These are "Simple things” that everyday’s life seems to build upon. The simplest are the harder to describe, but when satisfactorily described i.e. with simple words, they are the more genuine and authentic to express and share. I’ve immersed myself in other classic song lyrics, something I hardly did before, just to appreciate the genius behind the simple words they were made of, and had a great time studying how powerful they were in expressing complex ideas such as love."
Recording was twofold: first, most of the backing tracks were recorded in 2001, in Wally's studio in Normandy, mostly using hardware synths and Yamaha digital consoles. Then, he fine-tuned the melodies and wrote the lyrics in late 2023, then added some overdubs and sang them all during summer 2024. States Wally, "Digital Performer was and remains the DAW I’ve been using throughout, ever since the 80s."
Wally's sophisticated synth textures and expressive keyboard runs are so full of character, so full of life, that this work of art transcends any easy genre categorisation. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland. Sometimes, the simple things are the most extraordinary.
Providing more prolific dance floor energy this winter are Italian house pushers Black Box Records, a carefully curated VA of feel good vibe from producers Ruff Stuff, Floska, label founder Vito Fattore, and the eclectic sounds of, DJ GLC. Available on vinyl this Oktober.
Kicking off proceedings is Berlin based Italian, Ruff Stuff. A killer cut, with ice cold drum arrangement which becomes one with the playful chords which propel the energy of the ‘Son Of Will’ track, the female vocal sample sprinkled in for some added pleasure. Young Italian trio Floska deliver ‘Get Up & Dance’ dreamy and mellow sounds on a lo-fi tip, almost seven minutes of pure bliss.
The brain behind Black Box,Vito Fattore, steps up for the B1 as any leader should. Clinical dance floor moods, laced with emotion. Magical pads and synths work their way around the funk laden body of the track, explosive summer time feelings. Switching things up for the closing track is DJ GLC, with a deeper and darker energy than the other three track. Aptly entitled ’Suspense’ mechanical whirrs carry the track, as broken drums burst through the seams of the record. A trip through murky waters that compliments the EP in great fashion.
Another display of zestful house music from a blossoming label, sure to be a winner with tastemakers and groove explorers alike. One to watch out for in the coming periods as Black Box Records continue to supply you with what you need.
“Where Animals Play” is the second General Dynamics album, arriving two years after their successful debut LP “Weaponize Your Dreams”. This second manifestation is the logical and brutal continuation of their distinct sound; menacing vocals splayed across an array of precision sampling, destructive percussion and finessed synth work. The duo (consisting of members SARIN + QUAL) embodies, assimilates and re-interprets the ethos & defiance of industrial & cyberpunk culture, taking their approach to new, harsh extremes. Their most recent hallucinatory output is a broad rejection of the current & dominant global trajectory; one that seeks to enslave and destroy humankind via an unhinged amalgamation of fascism, deregulated capitalism & the exploitative use of emerging technology.
Edition of 200 hand-numbered records, each housed in a custom Rosy womb French paper jacket with letterpress + a unique hand-cut found photo memory fragment on each cover with newsprint insert. Every copy has a different cover.
An archival release by short-lived post-punk, Brooklyn duo Möthersky. Xander Hing, with South African origins, vocals and guitar on Side A, bass + vocals on Side B. Richard Vergez, visual artist and Noir Age label owner, fuzz bass + drums on Side A and guitar + synths + drums on Side B. Played the Nothing Changes party in 2013. Shared bills with acts such as Cindytalk, Black Rain, Eric Random, Das Ding, and Drew McDowall.
Reviewed in The Wire magazine:
First single by this Brooklyn based duo named after the classic track on Can's Soundtracks LP. Their basic approach remains bottom-heavy in the vein of early Factory and 4AD units, but the guitar angles up top have gotten more slithery. Far less doom-ridden than their earlier work, this still stirs up dark waters aplenty. And it has a lovely package of which I think Peter Saville would approve."
-Byron Coley, The Wire
NYC punk-chic, discodelic funk band Say She She is back with Cut & Rewind, their politically-charged, dancefloor-crushing third album. Led by the powerhouse vocal trio of Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, and Nya Gazelle Brown, the group channels progenitors like Minnie Ripperton, Charles Stepney, Liquid Liquid, and Raw Silk to create a groove-forward, psychedelic soundscape of pulsing disco beats, heavenly whistle tones, and soaring three-part harmonies. There's a feeling of righteous rebellion simmering beneath these songs' body-moving exterior, though: "She Who Dares" is a call to fight against a near-future dystopia where women's rights have been decimated globally; "Disco Life" decries the racism and homophobia of Steve Dahl's 1979 "Disco Demolition Night," reclaiming the dancefloor as "a playing field where all are free." Cut & Rewind is protest music dressed up as a sweat-dripping, hip-shaking, mind-expanding good time.
Black vinyl[13,03 €]
By the time of their second album, 1989’s ‘Unfinished Business’, EPMD were firmly cemented in the rap stratosphere. With one certified classic album under their belts, they proved they were no one-hit wonders, with the sequel possibly even better. A concise 12 tracker once again produced by the artists themselves, it saw them adhering to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ maxim, while going somewhat ‘bigger’.
In other words, guests started to appear – not just on the records, but in the videos – and marketing budgets were higher. None of which watered down their sound. In fact, this is the ultimate EPMD record: a beat that’s simple but perfect, and two top-of-their-game MC’s going back and forth. But the appearance of NWA in the video for ‘The Big Payback’ hints at their reputation at the time – and at the cordial relations between coasts before the deadly beef that was to come.
‘Payback’ takes both its title and core sample from James Brown’s ‘The Payback’ from 1973, and then weaves two more JB elements with it, including the addictive stabs from ‘Baby, Here I Come’. It’s a golden track from the golden age.
The B-side is another gem from the same album, and only released before on 7” in a very rare, limited pressing. ‘So Wat Cha Sayin’ was the album’s lead single, and shows EPMD’s wide sampling palette. There’s bits of BT Express, a whole lot of Funkadelic and, brilliantly, some drums lifted from Soul II Soul’s gem from just the year before, ‘Fairplay’. Lyrically, it’s just all about threats to sucker’s MC’s – what else do you want from EPMD?
• A certified Hip Hop classic.
• Samples James Brown’s ‘The Payback’ from 1973.
- A1: I Am Not Maternal
- A2: Yakitori
- A3: I Won't Dish Out Salads
- A4: Pardon?
- A5: Nabe Party With Pocket Brothers
- A6: Leave Me Alone! No, Stay With Me!
- A7: I Checked Your Cellphone
- A8: I Put My Love To You In A Song Jasrac
- A9: Don't Call Me Mojo
- B1: Where Did You Buy Such A Nice Watch You Are Wearing Now
- B2: George & Janice
- B3: First-Class Side-Guy
- B4: You're No Hero Shut Up F**K You Man-Whore
- B5: I Don't Want To Die Alone
- B6: Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting For My Reaction
- B7: Do You Want Me To Send A Dm
- B8: Do You Want Me To Send A Dm
- B9: Let's Go Shopping After Show
Otoboke Beaver return with a new album Super Champon
It follows the critically revered Itekoma Hits of 2019. Champon is a Japanese
noun meaning a mixture or jumble of things of different type. Recorded, mixed
and mastered by Ippei Suda in between lockdowns at Osaka's legendary LM
Studio.Across 18 songs, chief singer- songwriter Acco expands the band's
possibilities and pushes their musical skills to the limit. Acco has remarked
previously that she is more influenced by 'manzai', a traditional style of comedy in
Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand- up comedy
exemplified by its use of slang puns and wordplay, speedy back- and- forth
dialogue and impeccable timing in delivering a punchline, characteristics of which
Otoboke Beaver's music shares in droves.
Death Is Not The End's mixtape-style selection of clips from tapes recorded live at soundsystems playing during London's Notting Hill Carnival between 1984 and 1988, originally broadcast on NTS Radio in August 2018, is the latest to be committed to cassette as part of their 10th anniversary series. Featuring sounds from the likes of Jamdown Rockers, Saxon, Java Nuclear Power, Killerwatt Turbotronic, Stereograph, Sir Coxsone, Volcano Express and more.
Audio sourced with the indefatigable efforts of the Who Cork The Dance crew - big thanks going out to Jayman, Ruff House, Keimo, Omar, Gee Wizz and the one Jah Humble.
Perhaps you've chanced upon a Number Station, unwittingly as you scour the shortwave bands, and heard a cold, disconnected voice repeating simple commands endlessly into the ether. Or maybe you've scanned past a series of bleeps and pips, or pockets of noise, thinking nothing of them, as you seek a favoured music station. These are messages, to those who know how to receive them, and are able decode them in their various forms and configurations.
Shropshire Number Stations - Recordings of Covert Shortwave Radio Stations charts the covert shortwave radio stations broadcasting silently through the air around us, to aspirant agents in the fields of Shropshire, UK and the counties which surround it. These two continuous sides include recordings of 19 such lay-stations, captured by Eric Loveland Heath at various points over the last few years. The true nature of these amateur networks may never be known, nor might their cyphers ever be revealed. These are recordings of their activities, made conceivably for the sake of posterity alone, offering a glimpse into clandestine worlds otherwise obscured from view.
- 01: Tafese Tesfaye - The Dove &Amp; The Pigeon
- 02: Yetemwork Mulat - Heathen &Amp; Earth
- 03: Alemu Aga - The World Is But A Place Of Survival
- 04: Sosena Gebre Eyesus - Save Us From Our Death
- 05: Abiy Seyoum - The Last Judgement
- 06: Tafese Tesfaye - You Who Take Good Care Of Me
- 07: Sosena Gebre Eyesus - When I Say Your Name
- 08: Akalu Yossef - Who Can Doubt
- 09: Abiy Seyoum - We Are All Mortals
- 10: Yetemwork Mulat - The Second Coming Of Christ
- 11: Akalu Yossef - Our Father
- 12: Alemu Aga - Song Of Praise Played With A Plectrum
LP 2x12"[28,36 €]
The begena is a large ten-stringed lyre which is part of the traditional Amharic heritage of Ethiopia. The Amharas, who have long formed the politically and culturally dominant people of Ethiopia, mainly inhabit the central and northern part of the country. In the majority, they follow the monophysite Orthodox Tewahido Church established in the early fourth century AD.
Music plays a very important part in the life of the church. Most of the liturgy is sung and, contrary to secular music, it is accompanied by percussion instruments only. The begena occupies a special place because it is the one melodic instrument exclusively dedicated to the spiritual repertory. Because of its mythical origin, it is highly respected. Tradition holds that the begena was given to king David by God, and brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I, together with the Ark of the Covenant. It has always been the instrument of kings and nobles. Played by pious men and women of letters, it never became widespread. But it never disappeared either, not even under the Derg regime (1974-1991) which had banned the instrument.
Among Amhara string instruments, the begena is the most carefully crafted, especially with regard to the ornately sculpted crossbar. Its ten gut strings are cleaned and twisted several times. The characteristic buzzing timbre equalled by no other Amhara instrument is due to the enzirotch, that is, small bits of leather placed between each string and the bridge. This plays an important part in the sound production by creating a brief contact between the string and the upper rim of the bridge, thus modifying the vibrating properties of the string. In this manner, the spectrum of the sound is considerably enhanced (up to over 10 kHz).
The begena is a very powerful instrument, it keeps the devil thirty steps away, and its presence in the home wards off malicious spirits. Priests and preachers recommend its presence, especially during Lent (Fassika Tsom) when the Orthodox Amharas ponder their sins and repent. Because of its spiritual import, the begena generates intense emotion. According to some musicians, playing the begena brings them into direct contact with God or the Virgin Mary. The religious role of the begena is underscored by the shape of the instrument, each part symbolises an important element of the faith. The crossbar for instance, which reaches across the entire width of the instrument, represents God who is above all things. The belly which "gives birth" to the sound represents the Virgin Mary, and the ten strings recall the Ten Commandments.
Recorded by Stéphanie Weisser in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 2002-December 2005.
Mastered by Renaud Millet-Lacombe.
Issued under license from VDE-Gallo, Switzerland.
Presenting a joyous double dose of Brazilian pífano magic by João do Pife, taken from his iconic Folclore Alagoano LP and pressed for the first time on 7” vinyl. The infectious, uplifting energy of the instrumental track 'Garoto Do Pife' has been a dancefloor weapon for revered selectors such as Gilles Peterson, Cliffy and the Mr Bongo DJs, and we are proud to be reissuing it for the first time.
The pífano, pifaro or pife, which creates the distinctive melodies in these tracks, is a simple seven-hole woodwind instrument from the Northeast region of Brazil. Often made out of bamboo or taquara wood, they are rich in folkloric music tradition and paired with percussion instruments to form the Bandas de Pífanos groups, which originated from the Northeastern states of the country. "Pifeiros” such as João do Pife, Edmilson do Pífano, and Carlos Malta brought the pífano into a wider public eye through their albums and vinyl recordings.
A part of pífano maestro João do Pife’s rich legacy, these two mesmerizing and timeless tracks originate from his sought-after 1975 LP Folclore Alagoano, released on the Tropicana label. Born João Alfredo Marques dos Santos in 1943, in Riacho das Almas, João do Pife became an ambassador of Northern Brazilian culture and folklore through his music, which placed the pífano centre stage.
For this 7" issue, we have curated two of our favourite tracks from the album, 'Garoto Do Pife' and 'Homenagem a Ludugero', that exude a driving and joyous dancefloor energy. With lively accordion and organ accompaniments that weave around João do Pife's sublime pífano playing, they channel a folk spirit that will resonate deep within your soul.
As inspiration for the picture sleeve, we have adapted the original cover photo art for this 7 inch issue. João do Pife’s music, which is housed within, will sweep you away to Northeastern Brazil in an instant.
This album is not just a homage — it’s a gentle act of remembrance. A way of tuning in to what Lucier showed us: that listening is an art in itself. A meditation on resonance, memory, and the quiet power of pure sound. Or to quote Alvin Lucier himself: “I guess I’m trying to help people hold shells up to their ears, and listen to the ocean again.”
The influence of Alvin Lucier’s work on acoustic phenomena and the interplay between sound and space is difficult to overstate. His legacy continues to echo through the work of countless composers and sound artists today. Lucier’s music is marked by a sense of childlike wonder and sonic simplicity - shifting our perception from what we hear to how we listen.
At the heart of his compositions lies the sine wave: the purest, most elemental form of sound. Clarinetist Dries Tack pays tribute to this master of minimalism with an album centered around two works Lucier composed as intimate ‘In Memoriams’ for friends. Both pieces explore a single, elegant idea: the interaction between an instrumental tone and a sine wave.
Out of that interaction, ‘beatings’ emerge — a pulsating rhythm that accelerates or decelerates as the waves draw nearer or drift apart. Though built on the same concept, the two works are like mirrored reflections of one another: In Memoriam Jon Higgins, the sine wave glides in a slow glissando while the clarinet holds steady tones. In Memoriam Stuart Marshall, it’s the clarinet that dances around a fixed sine wave.
Dries Tack is a clarinetist specializing in contemporary performance practices. He performs with ensembles such as Nadar Ensemble, Curious Chamber Players, and Ensemble Fractales. As co-artistic director of the GLoW Collective, he explores collaborative practices across artistic disciplines in the broadest sense. In addition to his ensemble work, Dries curates solo projects that offer fresh perspectives on existing repertoire or give rise to entirely new works at the intersection of composition and improvisation.
Fetter’s Body of Noise erupts at the threshold between ravey hypnosis and avant-pop experiment, slithering through the hinterlands of unconscious desire. Nine shape-shifting tracks conjure haunted landscapes where beauty refuses clarity and dancefloor logic warps underfoot. Vocals swoon, drift, and demand—stacking into fragments that multiply and weave through saturated pulses and shimmering, snarling synths.
Opening track "Like a Rose" traces a dreamer’s transition into the unstable physics of a perplexing but familiar dream world, where they gradually become lucid. “Beast” follows up humming with shadowed urgency, threading a path through self-sabotage and metamorphosis. “Spathiphyllums” drifts a while in a lush lostness, aching for something new before fracturing into wild, cathartic collapse. Side B’s “Do I Exist? (D.I.E)” and “The Longing” spiral into existential wonder, searching for a human origin story—both personal and collective—against a backdrop of uncertainty, while “Headache” thrusts forward as an absurd and insistent manifesto to stay the course and harness one’s own power within the madness.
Body of Noise is crafted not only for sweating bodies in motion, but for distorting time and opening psychic portals, where surrender becomes strategy and uncertainty transforms into ecstatic navigation. Rooted in all-hardware improvised production and shaped by Fetter’s years of boundary-blurring visual and performance art, their debut LP feels alive and in flux. Reminiscent of a spectral pop chorus trapped in a loop of broken machinery, or a lost broadcast from a dancefloor in a parallel realm, Body of Noise is a journey into chaos, transformation, and a bold refusal to be contained.
About Fetter:
Fetter makes clubby self-destructing noise pop to dance and weep to. Oscillating between ethereal and pounding, their all-hardware, largely improvised live sets take listeners through a foggy wilderness of saturated rhythms and menacing synth lines, a golden voice guiding the way through. Fetter is the stage moniker of multimedia artist Jess Tucker. Their performances take place in clubs as well as galleries, often incorporating video, installation, and interactive performance art elements to create other-worldly surrounds of mesmerizingly unhinged bodies and faces.
Words courtesy of FOND/SOUND –
What makes チトチック/クラクラ (CHITOTIHC/KULA-kura) so fascinating is that, in some weird way, it’s a meeting of minds and musical language of disparate artists at the forefront of a new kind of groove. There might be no “L” in the Japanese language but that doesn’t stop it from trying to find a working substitute. Similarly, Chito enlisted members from his Asiabeat and East Pulse, others from Mu-Project, K2, and Adi, and brought in Haruomi Hosono to play mercurial bass. In the great expanse of experimental Japanese-made pop music all of them might have gone in “out-there” in separate directions but on this record it was Chito who pointed their focus all on the same track.
“Bayou (バイヨー)” presents this floating idea of dance music with beats and rhythms that hover among the ethereal. Other like “Scribble Dance (らくがき)” use Harry’s acid bass lines to dig cavernous grooves that only come up for air via adrenaline-fueled jumps by Haruo Kubota’s quite Adrian Belew-esque guitar lines. Perhaps, Discipline-era King Crimson is an apt comparison to what Chito and his crew pull off here.
Where Discipline signaled a way to reconcile the most out-there polymeter music of prog with the more satisfying parts of post-punk and the new electronic wave, so to do I think チトチック/クラクラ (CHITOTIHC/KULA-kura) has that bit of heart/spirit in mind. This is the out-there of Japanese experimental music satisfying the best parts of the, then, new electronic wave. It takes a certain degree of proficiency and sheer chutzpah to go from “11” to the wonderfully impressionistic, ambient minimalism of a track like “Sanghyang (サンヤン)”.
It’s the joy of not knowing what each new track will hold and just letting yourself follow the hard-working hands of such learned musicians that brings the most out of Chito’s vision. It’s this very liquid music that keeps you on your toes on tracks like “Astral Lamp (無影灯)”. Tracks like “Jagg-chagg (ジャグチャグ)” and “Filament (フィラメント)” present a fourth world music bifurcated in exponential parts by the glitch of newer, modern, electronic modalities, intersected by expressions by differing voices. Every track you switch to presents a new way to get lost in the many phases and places Chito wants you to travel to.
In the end, as always, it’s not the destination but the journey through it that plants this album in your memory. – Diego Olivas
An exclusive collaboration lands on Drumcode, with Bart Skils linking up with rising German artist A.D.H.S for the divine ‘Can’t Hear You’. Fresh off the excellent ‘Torn Clouds’ single with Weska on Drumcode, Bart Skils is on-point as ever with his production output. The Dutchman has enjoyed a strong summer highlighted by Awakenings and a sunrise set at the iconic Fusion Festival. Meanwhile A.D.H.S is no stranger to Drumcode, having shared slick contributions to past A-Sides compilations including ‘Razor’ and ‘2Step’. He’s otherwise dropped strong releases on Exhale, Spannung and Electric Ballroom. “Can’t Hear You” was born during a Sri Lanka holiday after A.D.H.S injured his back and spent time sketching ideas on his phone. “I started playing around with samples on my phone and found this beautiful vocal and just started sketching some ideas. No pressure, just emotions,” A.D.H.S explains. “Back at the little jungle studio I had set up, I kept working on it – really taking the time to find the right chords to match what I was feeling at that moment. It’s a bit of an unusual track, and I had no intention of ever releasing it. It was just for this moment,” he shares. A.D.H.S begun testing an early version at open airs and festival, later uploading a teaser clip onto Instagram. When Skils heard the track’s unique vocal line, he was hooked. “It was a no-brainer for me to decide to work on the track with Bart, I’d been a big fan of his for years. He brought in his ideas, worked on the mix and arrangement, and together we shaped it into a version that we both absolutely love.
It’s one of those rare tracks that just capture a moment.” Indeed ‘Can’t Hear You’ is an emotional behemoth; one of those rare tracks that sounds genuinely unique and is simultaneously a banger and tear-jerker in one. “When I first heard the clip Michael (A.D.H.S.) shared of ‘Can’t Hear You,’ I was hooked by the infectious vocal. We decided to craft a full collab blending both our signature sounds, and the result is a rolling party weapon that’s become my go-to closing track,” shares Bart Skills.
- A1: Chargie - Sigma, Scrufizzer, Jamakabi
- A2: Superstylin' - Sigma, Danny Byrd, Basslayerz
- A3: R U Sleeping - Sigma, Dizzee Rascal, Coco
- A4: Jungle - Sigma, Stefflon Don, Yung Saber
- A5: Legendary - Sigma, Dynamite Mc
- A6: Chemicals - Sigma, Mali-Koa
- B1: Magnetic - Sigma, Julia Church
- B2: Soundboy - Sigma, Sweetie Irie, Jamakabi
- B3: Outtaspace - Sigma
- B4: Pickle - Sigma
- B5: Back To Life - Sigma, Sacha
- B6: Up All Night - Sigma, Gardna
Sigma proudly present DAY ONE - their highly anticipated fourth studio album and their first as independent artists. 2025 has seen Sigma embark on a bold new chapter in their career, starting their own label and embracing the freedom to create on their own terms. With the duo now fully independent, they are taking back control and taking it back to DAY ONE, making the music they love.
DAY ONE embodies this ethos and is inspired by their love of the underground. The gritty jungle beats and anthemic soundscapes of early rave culture that form the foundation of their artistry can all be heard in these 12 songs. From hard-hitting tracks like Chargie and Soundboy, to dancefloor weapons like Magnetic and Outtaspace, all the way through to the orchestral Back To Life, Sigma demonstrates an impressive diversity and quality that showcases their exceptional production skills and studio craft.
DAY ONE is more than an album; it’s a celebration of the duo’s journey and the people who have supported them from the start. Featuring collaborations with legends like Dizzee Rascal and rising stars such as Julia Church, the record balances nostalgia with forward-thinking innovation. “Being independent has brought us back to what it’s all about—making music for the love of it,” the duo says.
Twin Dots is a brand new Music label founded by Alexia & Just1 based in Berlin exploring the interplay between sound & sight. The first release on the Twin Dots is by Moroccan/French DJ & producer Kizoku.
In Arabic, "Suad" suggests happiness, yet these nine tracks navigate more complex emotional terrain – bittersweet foundations supporting quirky, smile-inducing melodies born from contemplative moments.
"Suad" documents a musical journey from sample-heavy constructions toward more synthesized landscapes, paying tribute to the hip-hop Kizoku loves, from its organic roots to electronic contemporary developments. Each composition is a carefully assembled patchwork of sounds, transformed through his distinctly dreamy yet melancholic lens.
The vinyl release features a trippy illustration by Achot, whose dripping style echoes Kizoku's sonic world. Roger brought Achot's artwork to life through analog animation, adding his own experimental touch.
This is the story of an artist in search of sound and breath: an artist who dares to question the rhythm of silence—an invitation to rethink music, sound, and musical collaboration. This is the story of a journey that, after opening countless paths, has finally found its vessel—and its messengers. Three artists of profound musical truth and radical freedom, merging into an exceptional trio that crosses genres and transcends words in a journey toward pure emotion.
Le Rythme du Silence is the culmination of this long search. Yom delivers it here with violinist Théo Ceccaldi and cellist Valentin Ceccaldi—kindred spirits in sound. “I’ve been working on this idea of the ‘rhythm of silence’ for years,” Yom explains. “I first heard the phrase from a Sufi master, describing the foundation of meditation. It struck something deep in me. I’ve practiced meditation for a long time, and we often think of it as a kind of stillness—opposed to noise and life. But in truth, the rhythm of silence enables meditation. It means accepting that the world continues to move and live around you, even as you try to be still. I wanted to compose from that place. To imagine sound as vibratory matter—the primal substance of creation. That required letting go of fixed structures: forgetting melodies, abandoning the idea of a constructed solo. I needed to leave behind music as a system, and touch sound as a living, breathing entity. It took years. Many projects led me elsewhere. But with the Ceccaldi brothers, I finally found the right resonance. Working with them was simply obvious—it was indredibly powerful.”
Yom first rose to prominence reimagining Jewish traditional music with his 2008 debut New King of Klezmer Clarinet. Since then, his path has led through rock (With Love, 2011; You Will Never Die, 2018), electronic utopias (The Empire of Love, 2013), meditative and sacred soundscapes (Prière, 2018), and countless unclassifiable hybrids (Unue, 2009; Green Apocalypse, 2010). It was inevitable that he would eventually cross paths with the free-spirited Théo and Valentin Ceccaldi—two artists who also place collaboration and genre-blurring at the heart of their artistic development. Their projects are always bold, demanding, and full of life (Kutu, Tricollectif, ONJ, Velvet Revolution, Grand Orchestre du Tricot, Lagon Noir, Constantine, etc.). And so, when the three met within the iXi string quartet, something clicked.
“I was seated between the two of them in the quartet,” Yom recalls, “and I could feel their energy flowing from both sides—it was wild! They’re so tuned into each other, they don’t need words. It’s like they’re connected by musical Wi-Fi. The groove happens instantly. They’re precise when they want to be—thanks to their experience in pop-influenced projects —but they can also let go completely, diving into pure sound. That’s exactly what this project needed.”
Without a single rehearsal, the trio formed instinctively. They began performing Yom’s compositions live, unfolding them into a single continuous piece, where clarinet and strings stretch the limits of sound and breath.
Bowed, plucked, or prepared with clothespins, the Ceccaldi strings engage in a playful and intense dialogue with Yom’s custom B-flat clarinet. Through their imaginative listening and fearless invention, air and space open into a vast new soundscape—one that lies somewhere between meditation and healing music.
“When Yom shared the concept of the rhythm of silence, we were immediately drawn in,” says cellist Valentin Ceccaldi. “There’s a deep intensity and spiritual commitment in his music that really spoke to me. With this trio, we’re trying to dive into the core of sound—but also to create a kind of communion with the audience. It’s like gradually turning up the volume on silence, and realizing it’s made of countless tiny sounds—the music of particles in motion" This stripped-down intensity demands full presence—body and mind—of these three musicians, vibrationally connected in a state close to trance. With them, we enter a journey - not religious, but sacred nonetheless.
The Rhythm of Silence becomes an echo of our most intimate, most distant inner landscapes.
An album—and a trio—to return to without end.
With their musical roots deeply immersed in the fertile soil of Afro-American music, the Buttshakers have found a new direction for their nostalgia-heavy soul music. With Lessons In Love, their third album on Underdog Records, their early heartaches and furies have faded in favor of a more composed harmony – a sound enveloped in love and soaked in the blues. Guided by their singer Ciara Thompson, the Buttshakers have taken a more intimate path, whose compass, in the chaos of emotions and the modern world, points only in one direction: the light.
Seen from the sky, the view appears limitless. Accentuated by the sun, the ochre and sandy hues of the open road only reinforce this feeling of immensity. The sky stretches and the green stands out in striking contrast. In lighter tones, a road is drawn -- without bends or contours. This is the worn and weary road of soul music, which The Buttshakers explore on each album in new and unique ways. Soul music – a rare place to find a French band.
Vast, the musical direction could have taken them to lighter pastures. Yet the Buttshakers chose to evolve in a different way; to take a heavier load. Two paths – one sparked by social unrest, the other purely sentimental, Lessons In Love explores the deep roots of soul music, in the steps of Curtis Mayfield or Al Green. It is here that the heart and mind cross paths, merge, and become one. A weary road -- that brings together the agitation of a world where good intentions never rise above the level of digital outrage, and a faith in love which, however it manifests and expresses itself, remains the only truth that never loses its power.
Less rage and more compassion, it is through the haunting words and now tempered inflection of Ciara Thompson's voice, which opens to distinct emotions and perspectives, that the listener is guided. With its gaze fixed on the horizon, the acoustic guitar of Gotta Believe invites us on an intimate stroll through the open plains, while Dream On carries us away with a clavinet riff and a possessed saxophone; reconnecting the electric heat and neurosis of a city full of dreams. The senses are moved by the conjuring potion of the guitar which distills throughout Troubled Waters; the body is brought back into a visceral dance by the keys and brass section that are put to the test by Sure As Sin and its irrepressible rhythm. Passing through clouds of dust and sand has left a bluesy imprint on their groove: the miles travelled became hundreds, then thousands.
All of this leaves the listener bewitched by the halo of resilience that now surrounds Ciara's performance, as the ten tracks let the light fade. But certainly not hope in a better day. Like the sunflower that always lifts its head towards the sun’s rays, the Buttshakers continue to resource their sounds in the deep roots of soul music. Into the rich layers of African-American music of the 60s and 70s, The Buttshakers capture the spirit as much as the musical aesthetics of the epoch. A sound that reaches into the meanderings of the soul, bringing light to dark places and hope for all. A sound for the most parched of hearts, living in a damaged world, Lessons In Love confirms that even the tiniest beam of light can illuminate one’s path.
For its sixth release, Rio de Janeiro’s Onda Boa label sees founder Joutro Mundo, step up once again - this time reviving and re-vibing Netinho’s independent 1980s bop, “Du Du Du Domingo”.
Netinho first made his mark in the 1960s as the drummer for Brazilian beat icons Os Incríveis, then again in the 1970s with the heavier, lysergic sounds of Casa das Máquinas. By the 1980s, he had turned toward a new vision, inspired by the spiritual group Amor e Caridade. Released on his own imprint, Manancial do Amor, 1982’s Apartamento 97 – Projeto Amor & Caridade Vol. 2 brought together heavyweights Zé Rodrix, Faísca, and Manito to expand on this funky, pop-rock chapter first introduced with 1980’s Amor & Caridade Vol. 1.
According to Netinho, a year passed in search of inspiration for the follow-up LP before he began receiving notes and poems through his medium, dictated to her by his “protector.” Following that divine intervention, the album’s songs were completed in just two days—including the standout track, “Du Du Du Domingo,” an ode to the beauty of a Sunday afternoon after the toils of the workweek.
Side A presents the original track, lovingly remastered, in all its stripped-down, idiosyncratic glory. A bubbling synth bass paired with a nimble electric bass line set the stage for the plunky synth melody that defines this anomalous yet infectious gem—before giving way to a samba break and a wafting crowd noise that instantly transports you to a sunny Sunday by the sea.
On the B-side, Joutro Mundo injects a new vitality into the track with crisp hi-hats, a thumping kick, and other subtle studio magic. The samba break is brought forward, while the electric bass line—previously bubbling beneath the surface—rises to center stage around the three-minute mark. True to form, Joutro Mundo avoids the obvious, drawing on his deep crates and production sorcery to conjure up yet another gem for the balearic heads and other lovers of left-field dancefloor deviance.
pictured cover sealed in shrink wrap (first time ever on Samosa)
Samosa Records comes back with a real summer bang in the form of the ‘Afro-Ritmo EP’ – a four-track journey into afro soaked vibes courtesy of Anura & Sr. Lobezno and featuring label boss De Gama!
First up on side A is the EP’s title track, the mesmerising ‘Afro Ritmo’. Anura & Sr. Lobezno announce their arrival on Samosa Records with this spicy West African rhythm bomb. Kakaki trumpet fanfares meld with intricate synth stabs and ethereal Oja flute, whilst the solid tribal beats and rolling bass dictate the dance moves. And dance you must…
Track 2 is the deliciously glitchy, conga bonanza ‘Sungu Sa’. Make no mistake, ‘Sunga Sa’ is out to get you from the very first beat – tempting you to go behind the curtain as the haunting guitar lures you ever closer to its secret door. Dark, uplifting and ritualistic, the chant of ‘Sunga Sa’ will live in your head rent free well after the sun has gone down. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Over on Side B De Gama takes the title track ‘Afro-Ritmo’ and applies his unique sonic rubs, balms and enhancers to create a pulsating after hours jam full to the brim with Afrotropic sparkle and magic dust. Like an unstoppable chugging train steaming through a savanna, De Gama is the conductor supreme as the raspy synth, bluesy guitar riff and uplifting brass fanfares entwine around that pounding beat.
Finally, Track 4 gives us the seriously powerful Javier Morrilas remix of ‘Afro-Ritmo’. The original is stripped right down and given the Big Beat treatment for this insanely good take – a peak time switcheroo of a track that keeps you guessing as to where it’s taking you. As the flutey breakdowns and broken beat madness get you, you will fall in love with this one instantly.
The ‘Afro Ritmo’ EP is a powerful, masterful four tracker from Anura & Sr. Lobezno which is well at home in the Samosa Records cooking pot. Spread the word, buy the vinyl. You won’t be disappointed.
• Reviewed with love by The Black Light Disco
Written, Produced, Arranged and Mixed by Anura & Sr. Lobezno.
Keyboards & Percussions: Anura.
Trumpet: Jimmy Garcia
Sax & Flute: Carlos Ligero
Trombone: Prudencio Valdivieso
*Remix and Additional Productions by Stefano Gamma aka De Gama for De Gama Rec - Rome.
Jazz Guitar & Acoustic Bass by Pietro Nicosia.
** Remix and Additional Productions by Javier Morillas.
All tracks mastered by Francesco Pierguidi at L’n’P Studio – Rome.
Artwork and computer graphics by Nerina Fernandez.
SMS038
SCALER are the electrifying Bristol-based band hailed as the city’s “next national breakthrough” thanks to their pulverising live show and meticulous, mind-warping sound. Now they’re back with ‘Endlessly’, a sublime and stylistically expansive new album. 10 potent tracks written and recorded more collaboratively than ever before, as SCALER explore what it means to make music with no ceiling.
Building on what they know and taking it in new directions has been a constant throughout the three-year journey behind ‘Endlessly’, which came together in the studio beneath Bristol’s legendary The Louisiana. Inspired by time apart, the album finds them reconnecting with their diverse sonic touchpoints – many tangled in their city’s much-mused-on musical heritage – and the creative energy of collaborators around them. Close friends and long-admired peers, including Akiko Haruna, Art School Girlfriend, Tlya X An, Shadow Stevie, Thomas Ridley and Cold Light’s ELDON add colour to SCALER’s darkened palette and point to the left-turns they’re leaning into. The intense softens into introspection. The blistering becomes a balm.
‘Endlessly’ is the second album from SCALER, a.k.a. Alex Hill, Isaac Jones, James Rushforth and Nick Berthoud, alongside visual artist Jason Baker. The record follows 2022’s acclaimed ‘Void’ and marks their debut for Bristol’s revered Black Acre, a longtime champion of genre-defying electronic music.
- A1: Tafese Tesfaye - The Dove &Amp; The Pigeon
- A2: Yetemwork Mulat - Heathen &Amp; Earth
- A3: Alemu Aga - The World Is But A Place Of Survival
- B1: Sosena Gebre Eyesus - Save Us From Our Death
- B2: Abiy Seyoum - The Last Judgement
- B3: Tafese Tesfaye - You Who Take Good Care Of Me
- C1: Sosena Gebre Eyesus - When I Say Your Name
- C2: Akalu Yossef - Who Can Doubt
- C3: Abiy Seyoum - We Are All Mortals
- D1: Yetemwork Mulat - The Second Coming Of Christ
- D2: Akalu Yossef - Our Father
- D3: Alemu Aga - Song Of Praise Played With A Plectrum
Cassette[16,18 €]
The begena is a large ten-stringed lyre which is part of the traditional Amharic heritage of Ethiopia. The Amharas, who have long formed the politically and culturally dominant people of Ethiopia, mainly inhabit the central and northern part of the country. In the majority, they follow the monophysite Orthodox Tewahido Church established in the early fourth century AD.
Music plays a very important part in the life of the church. Most of the liturgy is sung and, contrary to secular music, it is accompanied by percussion instruments only. The begena occupies a special place because it is the one melodic instrument exclusively dedicated to the spiritual repertory. Because of its mythical origin, it is highly respected. Tradition holds that the begena was given to king David by God, and brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I, together with the Ark of the Covenant. It has always been the instrument of kings and nobles. Played by pious men and women of letters, it never became widespread. But it never disappeared either, not even under the Derg regime (1974-1991) which had banned the instrument.
Among Amhara string instruments, the begena is the most carefully crafted, especially with regard to the ornately sculpted crossbar. Its ten gut strings are cleaned and twisted several times. The characteristic buzzing timbre equalled by no other Amhara instrument is due to the enzirotch, that is, small bits of leather placed between each string and the bridge. This plays an important part in the sound production by creating a brief contact between the string and the upper rim of the bridge, thus modifying the vibrating properties of the string. In this manner, the spectrum of the sound is considerably enhanced (up to over 10 kHz).
The begena is a very powerful instrument, it keeps the devil thirty steps away, and its presence in the home wards off malicious spirits. Priests and preachers recommend its presence, especially during Lent (Fassika Tsom) when the Orthodox Amharas ponder their sins and repent. Because of its spiritual import, the begena generates intense emotion. According to some musicians, playing the begena brings them into direct contact with God or the Virgin Mary. The religious role of the begena is underscored by the shape of the instrument, each part symbolises an important element of the faith. The crossbar for instance, which reaches across the entire width of the instrument, represents God who is above all things. The belly which "gives birth" to the sound represents the Virgin Mary, and the ten strings recall the Ten Commandments.
Recorded by Stéphanie Weisser in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 2002-December 2005.
Mastered by Renaud Millet-Lacombe.
Issued under license from VDE-Gallo, Switzerland.
- A6: Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton– Freedom, Acoustic Guitar – Elayna Boynton, Co-Producer – Daniel Beard, Mixed By, Mastered By – Daniel Beard, Duane Allen (2), Piano, Electric Piano
- B7: Don Johnson And Christoph Waltz– Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga's And Gummy-Mouth Bitches, Written-By
- B9: Don Straud– Sneaky Schultz And The Demise Of Sharp, Written-By
- B12: Rick Ross With Walton Goggins And Jamie Foxx– 100 Black Coffins, Engineer
- Recorded | By
- C14: Samuel L Jackson, Leonardo Dicaprio And Christoph Waltz– Hildi's Hot Box, Written-By
- C17: James Brown And 2Pac With James Russo (2), Christoph Waltz And Jamie Foxx– Unchained (The Payback / Untouchable), Mixed By
- D19: Brother Dege– Too Old To Die Young, Lyrics By, Music By – Dege Legg, Mastered By – Bruce Barielle, Mixed By – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Producer – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Recorded By – Dege Legg, Vocals, Resonator Guitar
- D20: Samuel L Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Stephen The Poker Player, Written-By
- D22: Samuel L Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Six Shots Two Guns, Written-By
- D23: Annibale E I Cantori Moderni*– Trinity Titoli, Composed By – Franco Micalizzi, L Stott*, Conductor
- A1: James Russo (2)– Winged, Written-By
- A4: Jamie Foxx And Christoph Waltz– "In That Case Django, After You ..", Written-By
- A2: Luis Bacalov, Rocky Roberts– Django Theme Song (English Version), Written-By – Luis Bacalov
- A3: Ennio Morricone– The Braying Mule, Written-By – Ennio Morricone
- A5: Luis Bacalov, Edda Dell'orso– Main Titles Theme Song (Lo Chiamavano King), Written-By – Luis Bacalov
- B8: Luis Bacalov– La Corsa (2Nd Version), Written-By – Luis Bacalov
- B10: Jim Croce– I Got A Name, Written-By – Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel
- B11: Riz Ortolani– I Giorni Dell'ira, Conductor – Riz Ortolani, Written-By – Riziero Ortolani*
- C13: Jerry Goldsmith Featuring Pat Metheny– Nicaragua, Soloist – Pat Metheny, Written-By – Jerry Goldsmith
- C15: Ennio Morricone– Sister Sara's Theme, Written-By – Ennio Morricone
- C16: Elisa– Ancora Qui, Written-By – Elisa Toffoli, Ennio Morricone
- D21: Ennio Morricone– Un Monumento, Written-By – Ennio Morricone
a A1 James Russo (2)– Winged, Written-By Dialogue – Quentin Tarantino
d A4 Jamie Foxx And Christoph Waltz– "In That Case Django, After You...", Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[f] A6 Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton– Freedom, Acoustic Guitar – Elayna Boynton, Co-producer – Daniel Beard, Mixed By, Mastered By – Daniel Beard, Duane Allen (2), Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Programmed By, Percussion – Kelvin Wootenm, Producer – Kelvin Wooten, Recorded By – Daniel Beard, Kelvin Wooten, Vocals, Backing Vocals – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Written-By – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Kelvin Wooten
[g] B7 Don Johnson And Christoph Waltz– Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga's And Gummy-Mouth Bitches, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[i] B9 Don Straud– Sneaky Schultz And The Demise Of Sharp, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[l] B12 Rick Ross With Walton Goggins And Jamie Foxx– 100 Black Coffins, Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Isaiah Pryor, Phillip "Logann" Scott III*, Guitar – Charlie Burrel*, Lyrics By – Jamie Foxx, Rick Ross, Mixed By – Jaycen Joshua, Mixed By [Assisted] – Trehy Harris, Music By – Jamie Foxx, Producer – Ainz "Brainz" Dimilo*, Jamie Foxx
[m] Recorded By [Rick Ross's Vocals] – John Rivers*, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[o] C14 Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio And Christoph Waltz– Hildi's Hot Box, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[r] C17 James Brown And 2Pac With James Russo (2), Christoph Waltz And Jamie Foxx– Unchained (The Payback / Untouchable), Mixed By [The Payback], Edited By [The Payback] – Claudio Cueni, Voice [As Ace Speck] – James Remar, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino, Written-By [The Payback] – Fred Wesley, James Brown, John Starks*, Written-By [Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix)] – Anthony Henderson, Bruce Washington, Kasseem Dean*, Tupac Amaru Shakur*, Yafeu Fula, D18 John Legend– Who Did That To You?, Performer [Sample] – The Mighty Hannibal, Producer – Paul Epworth, Written-By – James T. Shaw (The Mighty Hannibal)*, John Stephens (3), Paul Epworth
[s] D19 Brother Dege– Too Old To Die Young, Lyrics By, Music By – Dege Legg, Mastered By – Bruce Barielle, Mixed By – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Producer – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Recorded By – Dege Legg, Vocals, Resonator Guitar [Slide/Dobro], Body Percussion [Stomps], Handclaps [Claps] – Dege Legg
[t] D20 Samuel L. Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Stephen The Poker Player, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[v] D22 Samuel L. Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Six Shots Two Guns, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[w] D23 Annibale E I Cantori Moderni*– Trinity: Titoli, Composed By – Franco Micalizzi, L. Stott*, Conductor [Orchestra Directed By] – M° Gianfranco Plenizio*
[a] A1 James Russo (2)– Winged, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[d] A4 Jamie Foxx And Christoph Waltz– "In That Case Django, After You...", Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[f] A6 Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton– Freedom, Acoustic Guitar – Elayna Boynton, Co-producer – Daniel Beard, Mixed By, Mastered By – Daniel Beard, Duane Allen (2), Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Programmed By, Percussion – Kelvin Wootenm, Producer – Kelvin Wooten, Recorded By – Daniel Beard, Kelvin Wooten, Vocals, Backing Vocals – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Written-By – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Kelvin Wooten
[g] B7 Don Johnson And Christoph Waltz– Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga's And Gummy-Mouth Bitches, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[i] B9 Don Straud– Sneaky Schultz And The Demise Of Sharp, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[l] B12 Rick Ross With Walton Goggins And Jamie Foxx– 100 Black Coffins, Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Isaiah Pryor, Phillip "Logann" Scott III*, Guitar – Charlie Burrel*, Lyrics By – Jamie Foxx, Rick Ross, Mixed By – Jaycen Joshua, Mixed By [Assisted] – Trehy Harris, Music By – Jamie Foxx, Producer – Ainz "Brainz" Dimilo*, Jamie Foxx
[m] Recorded By [Rick Ross's Vocals] – John Rivers*, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[o] C14 Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio And Christoph Waltz– Hildi's Hot Box, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[r] C17 James Brown And 2Pac With James Russo (2), Christoph Waltz And Jamie Foxx– Unchained (The Payback / Untouchable), Mixed By [The Payback], Edited By [The Payback] – Claudio Cueni, Voice [As Ace Speck] – James Remar, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino, Written-By [The Payback] – Fred Wesley, James Brown, John Starks*, Written-By [Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix)] – Anthony Henderson, Bruce Washington, Kasseem Dean*, Tupac Amaru Shakur*, Yafeu Fula, D18 John Legend– Who Did That To You?, Performer [Sample] – The Mighty Hannibal, Producer – Paul Epworth, Written-By – James T. Shaw (The Mighty Hannibal)*, John Stephens (3), Paul Epworth
[s] D19 Brother Dege– Too Old To Die Young, Lyrics By, Music By – Dege Legg, Mastered By – Bruce Barielle, Mixed By – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Producer – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Recorded By – Dege Legg, Vocals, Resonator Guitar [Slide/Dobro], Body Percussion [Stomps], Handclaps [Claps] – Dege Legg
[t] D20 Samuel L. Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Stephen The Poker Player, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[v] D22 Samuel L. Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Six Shots Two Guns, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[w] D23 Annibale E I Cantori Moderni*– Trinity: Titoli, Composed By – Franco Micalizzi, L. Stott*, Conductor [Orchestra Directed By] – M° Gianfranco Plenizio*
[a] A1 | James Russo (2)– Winged, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[d] A4 | Jamie Foxx And Christoph Waltz– "In That Case Django, After You ..", Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[f] A6 | Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton– Freedom, Acoustic Guitar – Elayna Boynton, Co-producer – Daniel Beard, Mixed By, Mastered By – Daniel Beard, Duane Allen (2), Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Programmed By, Percussion – Kelvin Wootenm, Producer – Kelvin Wooten, Recorded By – Daniel Beard, Kelvin Wooten, Vocals, Backing Vocals – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Written-By – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Kelvin Wooten
[g] B7 | Don Johnson And Christoph Waltz– Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga's And Gummy-Mouth Bitches, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[i] B9 | Don Straud– Sneaky Schultz And The Demise Of Sharp, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[l] B12 | Rick Ross With Walton Goggins And Jamie Foxx– 100 Black Coffins, Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Isaiah Pryor, Phillip "Logann" Scott III*, Guitar – Charlie Burrel*, Lyrics By – Jamie Foxx, Rick Ross, Mixed By – Jaycen Joshua, Mixed By [Assisted] – Trehy Harris, Music By – Jamie Foxx, Producer – Ainz "Brainz" Dimilo*, Jamie Foxx
[m] Recorded | By [Rick Ross's Vocals] – John Rivers*, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[o] C14 | Samuel L Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio And Christoph Waltz– Hildi's Hot Box, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[r] C17 | James Brown And 2Pac With James Russo (2), Christoph Waltz And Jamie Foxx– Unchained (The Payback / Untouchable), Mixed By [The Payback], Edited By [The Payback] – Claudio Cueni, Voice [As Ace Speck] – James Remar, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino, Written-By [The Payback] – Fred Wesley, James Brown, John Starks*, Written-By [Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix)] – Anthony Henderson, Bruce Washington, Kasseem Dean*, Tupac Amaru Shakur*, Yafeu Fula, D18 John Legend– Who Did That To You?, Performer [Sample] – The Mighty Hannibal, Producer – Paul Epworth, Written-By – James T Shaw (The Mighty Hannibal)*, John Stephens (3), Paul Epworth
[s] D19 | Brother Dege– Too Old To Die Young, Lyrics By, Music By – Dege Legg, Mastered By – Bruce Barielle, Mixed By – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Producer – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Recorded By – Dege Legg, Vocals, Resonator Guitar [Slide/Dobro], Body Percussion [Stomps], Handclaps [Claps] – Dege Legg
[t] D20 | Samuel L Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Stephen The Poker Player, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[v] D22 | Samuel L Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Six Shots Two Guns, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[w] D23 | Annibale E I Cantori Moderni*– Trinity Titoli, Composed By – Franco Micalizzi, L Stott*, Conductor [Orchestra Directed By] – M° Gianfranco Plenizio*
[a] A1 | James Russo (2)– Winged, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[d] A4 | Jamie Foxx And Christoph Waltz– "In That Case Django, After You ..", Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[f] A6 | Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton– Freedom, Acoustic Guitar – Elayna Boynton, Co-producer – Daniel Beard, Mixed By, Mastered By – Daniel Beard, Duane Allen (2), Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Programmed By, Percussion – Kelvin Wootenm, Producer – Kelvin Wooten, Recorded By – Daniel Beard, Kelvin Wooten, Vocals, Backing Vocals – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Written-By – Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton, Kelvin Wooten
[g] B7 | Don Johnson And Christoph Waltz– Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga's And Gummy-Mouth Bitches, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[i] B9 | Don Straud– Sneaky Schultz And The Demise Of Sharp, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[l] B12 | Rick Ross With Walton Goggins And Jamie Foxx– 100 Black Coffins, Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Isaiah Pryor, Phillip "Logann" Scott III*, Guitar – Charlie Burrel*, Lyrics By – Jamie Foxx, Rick Ross, Mixed By – Jaycen Joshua, Mixed By [Assisted] – Trehy Harris, Music By – Jamie Foxx, Producer – Ainz "Brainz" Dimilo*, Jamie Foxx
[m] Recorded | By [Rick Ross's Vocals] – John Rivers*, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[o] C14 | Samuel L Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio And Christoph Waltz– Hildi's Hot Box, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[r] C17 | James Brown And 2Pac With James Russo (2), Christoph Waltz And Jamie Foxx– Unchained (The Payback / Untouchable), Mixed By [The Payback], Edited By [The Payback] – Claudio Cueni, Voice [As Ace Speck] – James Remar, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino, Written-By [The Payback] – Fred Wesley, James Brown, John Starks*, Written-By [Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix)] – Anthony Henderson, Bruce Washington, Kasseem Dean*, Tupac Amaru Shakur*, Yafeu Fula, D18 John Legend– Who Did That To You?, Performer [Sample] – The Mighty Hannibal, Producer – Paul Epworth, Written-By – James T Shaw (The Mighty Hannibal)*, John Stephens (3), Paul Epworth
[s] D19 | Brother Dege– Too Old To Die Young, Lyrics By, Music By – Dege Legg, Mastered By – Bruce Barielle, Mixed By – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Producer – Dege Legg, Primo (9), Tony Daigle, Recorded By – Dege Legg, Vocals, Resonator Guitar [Slide/Dobro], Body Percussion [Stomps], Handclaps [Claps] – Dege Legg
[t] D20 | Samuel L Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Stephen The Poker Player, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[v] D22 | Samuel L Jackson And Jamie Foxx– Six Shots Two Guns, Written-By [Dialogue] – Quentin Tarantino
[w] D23 | Annibale E I Cantori Moderni*– Trinity Titoli, Composed By – Franco Micalizzi, L Stott*, Conductor [Orchestra Directed By] – M° Gianfranco Plenizio*
For their first album as Gilla Band (formerly Girl Band), the
foursome have redrawn their own paradigm. ‘Most Normal’ is like
little you’ve heard before, a kaleidoscopic spectrum of noise put in
service of broken pop songs, FX-strafed Avant-punk rollercoaster
rides and passages of futurist dancefloor nihilism.
Lockdown robbed Gilla Band of any opportunity to try the new
material out live, but the pandemic also incinerated any idea of a
deadline for the new album. They were free to tinker at leisure, to
rewrite and restructure and reinvent tracks they’d cut, to, as
drummer Adam Faulkner puts it, “pull things apart and be like,
‘Let’s try this. We could try out every wild idea.’”
The group also fell under the spell of modern hip-hop, “where
there’s really heavy-handed production and they’re messing with
the track the whole time,” says Fox. “That felt like a fun route to go
down, it was a definite influence.”
‘Most Normal’ opens with an absolute industrial-noise banger that
sounds like a manic house party throbbing through the walls of the
next room as a downed jetliner brings death from above. What
follows is unpredictable, leading the listener through a sonic house
of mirrors, where the unexpected awaits around every corner.
The common thread holding ‘Most Normal’’s ambitious Avant-pop
shapes together is frontman Dara Kiely. Throughout, he’s an antic,
antagonistic presence, barking wild, hilarious, unsettling spiels,
babbling about smearing fish with lubricant or dressing up in binliners or having to wear hand-me-down bootcut jeans (“It was a
big, shameful thing, growing up, not being able to afford the look I
wanted and having to wear all my brother’s old clothes,” says
Kiely).
‘Most Normal’, then, is a triumph, the bold work of a group who’ve
taken the time to evolve their ideas, to deconstruct and reconstruct
their music and rebuild it into something new, something
challenging and infinitely rewarding. It’s a headphone masterpiece.
It’s a majestic exploration of the infinite possibilities of noise. It’s a
bold riposte to your parochial beliefs on whatever a pop song can
or should be. It’s the best work these musicians have put to
(mangled) tape.
- A1: Emerge / Fischerspooner
- A2: Seventeen / Ladytron
- A3: Strict Machine/ Goldfrapp
- A4: Girls On Pills / The Droyds
- A5: Hooked On Radiation (Pet Shop Boys Orange Alert Mix) / Atomizer
- B1: Fuck The Pain Away / Peaches
- B2: Do I Look Like A Slut? (Original Version) / Avenue D
- B3: Galang / M.i.a
- B4: Kernkraft 400 (Dj Gius Mix) (Radio Edit) / Zombie Nation
- B5: Poney Pt. 1. (Edit) / Vitalic
- B6: The Game Is Not Over / T. Raumschmiere Feat. Miss Kittin
- C1: Over And Over (Naum Gabo Remix) / Hot Chip (7.05)
- C2: Banquet (Phones Disco Remix) / Bloc Party (5.25)
- C3: E Talking (Nite Version) / Soulwax (6.08)
- C4: ?Zdarlight» / Digitalism (5.44)
- D1: Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (Edit) / Lcd Soundsystem (3.23)
- D2: Hustler / Simian Mobile Disco (3.43)
- D3: We Share Our Mother's Health / The Knife (4.09)
- D4: Missy Queen's Gonna Die / Tok Tok Vs. Soffy O (4.13)
- D5: What Was Her Name (Radio Edit) / Dave Clarke Featuring Chicks On Speed (4.44)
- D6: I Am The Fly / Adam Sky And Crossover (4.59)
- E1: We Are Your Friends / Justice Vs. Simian
- E2: Take Me Out (Daft Punk Remix) / Franz Ferdinand
- E3: Slow (Chemical Brothers Remix Edit) / Kylie Minogue
- F2: Warm Leatherette / The Normal
- F3: Empire State Human / The Human League
- F4: Tryouts For The Human Race / Sparks
- F5: Telephone Operator / Pete Shelley
- F6: Nag Nag Nag / Cabaret Voltaire
- E4: Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above / Css
- E5: Solta O Frango / Bonde De Rolê
- E6: Club Action / Yo Majesty
- F1: Numbers / Kraftwerk
‘When The 2000s Clashed: Machine Music For A New Millenium’ is the story of how, 25 years ago, a new form of electronic music – known as electroclash - reignited a tired clubland and gave the indie scene and mainstream pop a shot in the arm in the process. Over this 3LP highlights set, carefully curated from the 5CD box of the same name (also released, 3rd October) the collection showcases the back-to-basics electronic beats that heralded in a new generation of exciting and innovative new artists - Hot Chip, Peaches, LCD Soundystem, and Ladytron, to name a handful. It also shows how the sound and attitude of electroclash plugged into the decade’s cutting-edge indie bands, (Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party), and became intrinsic to the way chart pop would sound in the first decade of the 2000s (Kylie, Goldfrapp).
The collection also shows how the scene’s underground DIY ethos evolved and inspired the next generation of electronic buccaneers (Simian Mobile Disco, Justice Vs. Simian). ‘When The 2000s Clashed’ brings together a dazzling, diverse selection of artists, producers and remixers from right across the 2000s zeitgeist – from The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk, from M.I.A. to Soulwax and many points in-between. For good measure, there’s also one side of LP3 given over to the original post punk and electronic sounds (including Kraftwerk, The Human League and Cabaret Voltaire) who’d played such a big influence on the electroclash sound. ‘
When The 2000s Clashed’ was compiled and sequenced for Demon / Edsel by Jonny Slut, founder of London’s electroclash citadel Nag Nag Nag. Established in 2002, in a small Soho venue called Ghetto, ‘Nag’ quickly became THE hottest club, first in London and then in the whole world. A glorious mess and hedonists’ hotspot, a night at ‘Nag Nag Nag’ (if you could get in!) saw the capital’s club kids, students and creatives rub up alongside names from the fashion and music worlds - Björk, Pet Shop Boys, Kate Moss, Boy George, Alexander McQueen, and Pam Hogg were among the regulars. Madonna visited, so did John Peel, Yoko Ono asked to perform and did, Throbbing Gristle’s Chris and Cosey DJ’d, so did Marc Almond, and Too Many DJ’s.
Justin Timberlake was refused entry (too many bodyguards)… even Cilla Black was spotted getting down! Jonny shares these reminisces – and many more - in the collection’s sleevenotes. Named after the 1979 Cabaret Voltaire classic, ‘Nag, Nag, Nag’ became the first place to hear the seemingly endless flow of thrilling new tunes coming from every direction during that decade of dance. Many of them are included on this collection.
Visionary producer and one half of pioneering electronic duo The Chemical Brothers, Tom Rowlands returns to Phantasy with ‘We Are Nothing / All Night’, the first solo dancefloor material since his last appearance on Erol Alkan’s storied London label in 2013 with ‘Through Me / Nothing But Pleasure’.
Once again, Rowlands delivers a double A-side single in order to commit two progressive new productions to wax. Heavily road-tested across the world in Chemical Brothers DJ sets, the sprawling arrangement of ‘We Are Nothing’ trips through a decades-long obsession and subversion of house music and psychedelia alike. Imaginatively sampling Canadian outsider artist Bill Bissett, Rowlands uses the poet’s existential phrasing as the foundation for a rising slalom of acid catharsis, peppered with snatches of soul, analogue freakouts, and all-encompassing groove.
‘All Night’, meanwhile, finds a different, perhaps unexpected rhythm. Here, Rowlands’ unmatched studio instincts deviate in a different direction entirely, employing a searing tempo to embrace the analogue experimentation at the heart of his work, as well as an appreciation for electronic music’s willingness to barrel ever-forward; the result is a worthy head spinner from both label and artist alike.
Tom Rowlands will play a rare solo DJ set at Glastonbury's Stonebridge Bar on Friday 27th June, as part of Bugged Out's 30th Anniversary celebrations.
Several years after a 12” for the Unrelatable imprint, Marco Passarani opens a new chapter with F.F.O.M., a work of extra-terrestrial tales that feel grounded, where the hard, dirty work of the people continues on a different planet. The scenery changes, but the story stays the same: broken dreams on arid ground.
Linking back to his early Nature Records releases, Passarani blends experimentation with an unshakable sense of groove, weaving a more abstract narrative without losing the dancefloor pulse. While distinct from his Studiomaster output, the project shares the same DNA, fusing digital and analog textures until the boundaries dissolve.
True to the raw spirit of pure techno and imbued with the unmistakable nuances of the Roman school, F.F.O.M. is both a nod to the past and a step into uncharted territory, where Martian dust meets earthly sweat.
Each track paints a fragment of this imagined frontier: Tales Of Truth reveals shadowy landscapes hiding the real nature of the so-called new promised land; Alone in the Depth drifts through liquid scenery, a classic TR-808 pulsing deep beneath unknown oceans; Clouded Shore distills the numeric essence of groove in a subtle nod to Kraftwerk; Dominion erupts into the fierce struggle for supremacy over the new territories; Passione Orbitale tells of love for the unknown and voyages toward otherworldly sunsets; Exploration Noises echoes the spirit of Ixora from Passarani’s first Nature Records release, with manic, melancholic SH-101 lines riding electro rhythms.
The digital edition includes two exclusive miniatures, fleeting transmissions from the edge of this Martian settlement.
- A1: Will Thomson / Paul Mottram — Electrospheres / Incandescence (2025 Medley)
- A2: Paul Lewis — Hello Spring
- A3: Douglas Wood — Making Parts
- A4: Paul Lewis — Goodbye Autumn
- A5: Paul Lewis — Colourful Life Suite Flowers
- A6: Peter Nicholas — Pastoral Reflections
- A7: Vince Cross — One Summer’s Night
- A8: James Harpham — Slow Motion
- A9: James Harpham — Candle Flute / Mexican Motel (2025 Medley)
- A10: Cliff Johns — Man O’vibes
- A11: James Harpham — Asian Dolls
- A12: James Harpham — Pastoral
- A13: James Harpham — Flower Garden
- A14: Liane Carroll — Sweet Dreams
- A15: Bob Cort — Humming Song
- B1: James Harpham — Flight Landing
- B2: John Hyde, Andrew Procter — Promise Of Beauty
- B3: Trevor Nightingale — On The Wing
- B4: James Asher / Pete Willsher, Tony Kelly — Extra Silky / Funk Fobia (2025 Medley)
- B5: Trevor Nightingale — Wastelands
- B6: Stan Medcalf / Pete Giles, Sean Houchin — Computer Games / Night Trawler (2025 Medley)
- B7: James Asher — Asian Workload
- B8: John Brown — Slope Soaring
- B9: James Harpham — Star Blossom
- B12: John Hyde, Andrew Procter — Private Thoughts
- B10: Harry Wild — Barcarolle Blues
- B11: David Stoll — Tight Corner
Since the 1940s, Library Music has lurked in the shadows, peripherally touching our lives through TV and film. Among the stalwarts of the industry was UK's Studio G, with cues heard on Doctor Who, and sampled by the likes of The Chemical Brothers, and Tyler, the Creator. Jazz Dispensary's Dream a Dream with Studio G: Cratedigger's Archive (1970–2009) culls some of their most sought-after cuts, with liner note commentary from Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley, and illustrations by Ivan Minsloff.
‘BORN LIKE THIS.’ is MF DOOM’s last solo album. Featuring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and seminal American poet and writer Charles Bukowski with beats from J Dilla, Madlib and ol’ Metal Fingers himself. “I’ve been a fan of Bukowski for a while. It was a friend of mine – damn, I forget the n*gga name – from Life Sucks Die, it’s a graffiti magazine but it’s real kinda edgy, out of Minneapolis. They did an interview with me and then me and Andrew Broder was friends ever since then. He said, ‘Your shit reminds me of this dude Bukowski, you gotta read his stuff.’ I was a little apprehensive at first, ‘cos I was like, ‘What kinda weird shit is this?’ Then he gave me a book, The Most Beautiful Woman In Town, and after that I just got into it. “So for this album, to celebrate all us writers, emcees, if you look at it, it’s a lot of words that we say, and we all write those words: if it was written down on a piece of paper it could be a short story or like a good book. So I saw where Andrew was coming from where he sees the similarities. In tribute to Bukowski I said let me get him as a guest appear ance…” DOOM as quoted in HHC. “Whatever caused DOOM to scale back his output and go off the grid, he’s only come back from it sharper, stronger, and more powerful than before.” Pitchfork “DOOM still has the sickest vocabulary, broadest frame of reference, and densest, most quotable rhymes in hip-hop… he has created an album of sublimely half-assed super-genius.” Onion AV Club
- A1: Babytalk - Keep On Move (Original Mix)
- A2: Babytalk - Keep On Move (Six-Leg Friend Mix)
- B1: Babytalk - Chance (Original Mix)
- B2: Babytalk - Chance (Hercules & Love Affair Remix)
- B3: Babytalk - Chance (Babytalk Remix)
- C1: Watussi - If All We Had Was Love
- C2: Watussi - Purple Moon
- D1: Watussi - Purple Moon (Instrumental)
- D2: Babytalk - Enough
Eric Broucek war der Ur-Ingenieur der fruchtbarsten Ära der DFA Studios, etwa von 2003 bis 2008 (niemand weiß genau, wie es damals war, da alles im Nebel des Chaos verloren gegangen ist). Er hatte seine Hand im Spiel bei allen Remixen, LPs und Dance-12s. Er war fast jeden Tag in diesem überladenen Equipment-Keller, nahm auf, mixte und bemühte sich, Tim und mir nicht die Augen zu verdrehen. Und irgendwo in diesem Nebel veröffentlichte er still und leise drei limitierte 12-Inch-Veröffentlichungen auf seinem eigenen Label Stickydisc Recordings - zwei unter dem Namen Babytalk und eine als Watussi zusammen mit einem weiteren DFA-Stammgast, Morgan Wiley. Damals wollte Eric seine Musik nicht auf DFA veröffentlichen. Er wollte seine eigene Identität entwickeln, was ihm auch gelang, indem er Musik herausbrachte, die mit ihrer einzigartigen schrägen, umgekehrten und zurückhaltenden Kraft vom DFA-Pfad abwich. Seine Musik ist so anders als alles andere aus dieser Zeit, so einzigartig, dass sie immer noch völlig zeitlos klingt. Vor ein paar Jahren begann ich wieder, die Tracks aufzulegen, und sah, wie die Welt immer noch von dem überrascht war, was Eric geschaffen hatte, und so entstand die Idee zu dieser Compilation. Also, Eric, am Ende haben wir deine Platten doch veröffentlicht. Wir lieben dich, Mann. - James Murphy
- A1: Fruko Y Sus Tesos - El Vidriero
- A2: Climaco Sarmiento Y Su Orquesta - Guiro Y Guacharaca
- A3: Afrosound - El Regresso De E.t
- A4: Los Corraleros De Majagual - Cumbia Campesina
- A5: Wganda Kenya - Shakalaode
- B1: Afrosound - La Sampuesana
- B2: Peregoyo Y Su Combo Vacana - Descarga Vacana
- B3: Fruko Y Sus Tesos - Salsa Na Ma
- B4: Wganda Kenya - Fiebre De Lepra
- B5: Latin Brothers - Duelo De Picoteros
- C1: Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros - Navidad Negra
- C2: Afrosound - Carruseles
- C3: Los Alegres Diablos - La Magdalena
- C4: Latin Brothers - No Es Negra Es Morena
- D1: La Sonora Cienaguera - La Piojosa
- D2: Fruko Y Sus Tesos - Cantando Mi Son Muero
- D3: Juan Piña Y Sus Muchachos - La Nena
- D4: Afrosound - La Danza De Los Mirlos
- D5: Michi Sarmiento Y Su Combo Bravo - Salsa Con Monte
- D6: Conjunto Lirico Vallenato - Cumbia Cienaguera
Soul Jazz Records delve into the vast vaults of Discos Fuentes, one of the oldest and largest record companies in Latin America, known as "the Motown of Colombia". Discos Fuentes played a major role in spreading Afro-Latin sounds both to Colombia and around the world and this album explores that legacy. Latin Fire! features legendary Colombian artists such as Fruko, The Latin Brothers, Michi Sarmiento, Afrosound, Pedro Laza, Wganda Kenya and more and showcases the wide-ranging variety of styles that Discos Fuentes made unique to their sound. The album features music from the golden era of Fuentes; from late 50s and 1960s Cumbia through to the emergence of heavyweight and hardcore salsa and Afro-funk in the 1970s and up to the early 1980s.
More Rice and Jugaar Records – Two Bangkok-affiliated labels – bring together an assemblage of their mutual friends for a heady, floor-focused VA with moods to soundtrack peak flow, after-hours rabbit holes, and just about everything in between.
Rudoh of Jugaar Records fame kicks us off with ‘Madoh’, a bendy groove that initially bares flex of early 2000s Minimal with its trimmed, rubbery percussion and obscured vocal snippets. As the track progresses, a hefty break and a catchy synth line bolster things before breakdowns unfold like little trippy slumbers rudely interrupted by bold, punchy drops.
Next up is Tokyo legend Gonno who follows up with ‘Rad’, a broad-shouldered banger propelled by a heaving kick and clap combo. A wrought synth is paired with odd shocks of acid and a sequence that flickers like a strobe. All the while a thick, gnarled bass line rumbles underneath, keeping vibes at boiling point throughout.
More Rice’s DOTT follows up with a swampy excursion propelled by a potent kick and nimble submarine tones. Drums are neatly stacked in polyrhythms as an infectious swing unfolds, one that’s decorated with ghostly synths and a generous dose of psychedelic synthesis.
Sarayu – also of More Rice fame, closes things up with ‘Fuijan Groove’, a brilliantly lean cut that lets the subs do the talking. Sharp tonal blobs flesh out a simple but highly effective march as spectral pads expand in plumes of smoke until the conclusion of a rich and varied record that unites two kindred labels perfectly.’
‘More Rice and Jugaar Records – Two Bangkok-affiliated labels – bring together an assemblage of their mutual friends for a heady, floor-focused VA with moods to soundtrack peak flow, after-hours rabbit holes, and just about everything in between.
Rudoh of Jugaar Records fame kicks us off with ‘Madoh’, a bendy groove that initially bares flex of early 2000s Minimal with its trimmed, rubbery percussion and obscured vocal snippets. As the track progresses, a hefty break and a catchy synth line bolster things before breakdowns unfold like little trippy slumbers rudely interrupted by bold, punchy drops.
Next up is Tokyo legend Gonno who follows up with ‘Rad’, a broad-shouldered banger propelled by a heaving kick and clap combo. A wrought synth is paired with odd shocks of acid and a sequence that flickers like a strobe. All the while a thick, gnarled bass line rumbles underneath, keeping vibes at boiling point throughout.
More Rice’s DOTT follows up with a swampy excursion propelled by a potent kick and nimble submarine tones. Drums are neatly stacked in polyrhythms as an infectious swing unfolds, one that’s decorated with ghostly synths and a generous dose of psychedelic synthesis.
Sarayu – also of More Rice fame, closes things up with ‘Fuijan Groove’, a brilliantly lean cut that lets the subs do the talking. Sharp tonal blobs flesh out a simple but highly effective march as spectral pads expand in plumes of smoke until the conclusion of a rich and varied record that unites two kindred labels perfectly.’
Joaquin Joe Claussell readies the ‘Raw Tones’ LP on Rekids this June.
The first LP since 2008’s ‘Corresponding Echoes’ on his Sacred Rhythm Music, Joaquin Joe Claussell arrives on Radio Slave’s Rekids for ‘Raw Tones’, a nine-track excursion through the sound of his exquisitely soulful house music.
Originally released on uber limited cassettes, the music within ‘Raw Tones’ caught the ear of Radio Slave, aka Matt Edwards, who messaged Claussell, a friend since remixing Edwards’ Machine project in 2012, and convinced the legendary producer that the music needed a wider audience and, so, ‘Raw Tones’ the LP is here.
Introspective opening cut ‘Lock Down’ draws for breathy strings and swirling pads, followed by the hypnotic and low-slung ‘The Blame Game (Table Top Idea)’, which sees jazzy keys float around carefully crafted dubbed-out ambience and subtle, whispered vocals.
‘Break Free’ ups the energy, bringing a wonky bassline under decisive, machine-like drum hits while both spoken and sung vocals interplay throughout. ‘You Mutha Fuka’ brings rock-solid drums and thick bass underneath delayed vocals before the dreamy chords and twinkling keys of ‘Way Back Then’ close out the B-side.
The gorgeous ‘Air We Breathe (Revisited Cassette Demo)’ marries rolling percussion across live bass and softly drawn-out pads, followed by an instrumental version of ‘Break Free’. The final side of vinyl sees the extended trippiness of ‘If It's All In Your Mind Let It Out’ lead into the floaty low tempo closer ‘Hallucinations Ejaculations’.
Joaquin Joe Claussell, co-founder of Body & Soul with Francois Kervorkian and Danny Krivit, continues to run his Sacred Rhythm Music record label and curate the Cosmic Arts community centre in his hometown of Brooklyn, NYC.
When it comes to Latin soul, Bobby Matos And The Combo Conquistadores 'Tema De Alma Latina', has to be up there as one of the heaviest tracks ever recorded. This much-loved Latin workout has been rocking dancefloors for years with its infectious, driving energy and pulsating rhythms. Released in 1968, the 'My Latin Soul' album on Philips Records now receives a welcome reissue on Mr Bongo. It’s a sheer delight throughout and a premier example of the Nu Yorican sound that was thriving in New York in the ‘60s.
From a young age, the Bronx, New York-born Latin jazz percussionist Bobby Matos found inspiration through the conga drum masters Mongo Santamaría and Patato Valdez (who he had informal backstage lessons with) and timbales legends Willie Bobo and Tito Puente. Bobby was drawn into New York's club scene and began playing in the vibrant ‘60s beat / bohemian Greenwich Village cafes, followed by stints in a wide range of different venues. These included Bronx dance halls and after-hours clubs in El Barrio, through to the elegance of Carnegie Hall, Central Park concerts, and off-Broadway theatres.
Later relocating to Los Angeles, Bobby played an important role in spreading Latin music far and wide. He became an inspiration to many on the jazz dance and acid jazz scenes in the ‘80s / '90s where his recordings were picked and played, becoming prized collector items amongst DJs. The track 'Tema De Alma Latina' was immortalised as a classic for many, after being featured on the Gilles Peterson’s Street Sounds Jazz Juice 5 compilation in 1987. A captivating listen from start to finish, the album features other treats such as the dynamic album opener ‘Nadie Baila Como Yo’, the blazing flute led 'Mambo Maxims', and the blistering piano shuffler 'Raices'.
A truly iconic Latin classic whether you’re being reunited with it like an old friend or discovering it as a fresh new find.
Space Echo is proud to present the new single by Derane Obika and Go.Soul.Map., arranged and performed by Sicilian
mastermind producer Salvo Dub - an overwhelming fusion of electronic sounds and soulful vibes. This track is a balance
of pulsating rhythms and enveloping melodies, a sonic journey that invites dancing and reflection.
The production stands out with its electronic soul — a rich blend of synthesizers and deep bass lines that pull the listener
into an energetic and immersive atmosphere. Every beat is crafted to move your feet and light up even the most
sophisticated dance floors.
It’s an explosion of energy, set against the unmistakable voice of Derane Obika. With his warm, soulful tone reminiscent of
Seal, Derane brings a unique spirit to the track, infusing every word with raw emotion and deep.
Here, Derane and Go.Soul.Map. don’t just celebrate dance music — they invite the listener into a full-bodied sensory
experience, where electronic beats meet soul tradition to create something truly extraordinary.
The lyrics expresses the idea of a complete fulfilment found in someone or something essential. It suggests that this
presence — a person, an emotion, or a spiritual guide — is so fundamental and complete that everything else becomes
unnecessary.
It evokes a profound sense of connection, purpose, and clarity. Like a path that leads directly to the essence of existence,
it conveys the feeling of being guided, inspired, and grounded all at once. It is a declaration of absolute trust, of love or
devotion — where the journey and the destination fully coincide.
Side B features a new version of “Walkin’ a Dream” from the debut album “Peaceful Sound for Broken Minds”. The new
rework 25, offers us futuristic and electronic sounds with 70s and 80s disco influences, mixing with space and cinematic
themes - very interesting!
- A1: Brothers In Rhythm - Such A Good Feeling
- A2: Black Box – Ride On Time
- A3: C+C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
- A4: Inner City - Good Life
- A5: Adventures Of Stevie V - Dirty Cash (Money Talks)
- A6: Grace – Not Over Yet
- A7: Billie Ray Martin – Your Loving Arms
- B1: S'express - Theme From S-Express
- B2: Kenny “Dope” Presents The Bucketheads - The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)
- B3: Nightcrawlers - Push The Feeling On
- B4: Coldcut And Lisa Stansfield - People Hold On (Single Version)
- B5: Bomb The Bass - Beat Dis
- B6: Tony Di Bart - The Real Thing
- B7: Saint Etienne - He's On The Phone
- B8: D Ream – U R The Best Thing
- C1: Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer
- C2: Corona – The Rhythm Of The Night
- C3: Real Mccoy - Another Night
- C4: Dr. Alban - It’s My Life
- C5: Haddaway - What Is Love
- C6: K.w.s. - Please Don’t Go
- C7: Cappella - U Got 2 Let The Music
- C8: Opus Iii – It’s A Fine Day
- D1: Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart
- D4: Urban Cookie Collective - The Key, The Secret
- D5: Oceanic - Insanity - Dream Tripper (Old Skool Radio Edit)
- D6: N-Trance – Set You Free
- D7: Felix - Don't You Want Me
- D8: Utah Saints - Something Good
- E1: Yazz & The Plastic Population - The Only Way Is Up
- E2: 49Ers - Touch Me
- E3: Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy
- E4: Rozalla – Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)
- E5: Strike - U Sure Do
- E6: Jx – Son Of A Gun
- E7: Blue Pearl - Naked In The Rain
- E8: Adamski & Seal - Killer
- F1: Soul Ii Soul, Caron Wheeler - Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)
- F2: Beats International - Dub Be Good To Me
- F3: Freak Power - Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out
- F4: The Prodigy – Charly
- F5: Guru Josh - Infinity
- F6: 808 State - Pacific - 707
- F7: The Beloved - The Sun Rising
- D2: Livin' Joy - Dreamer
- D3: Cece Peniston - Finally
NOW Music proudly presents the next release in our “NOW That’s What I Call An Era” series - Such A Good Feeling: 1988-1995 – a euphoric celebration of a truly transformative time in music.
This stunning 3LP set pressed on blue, white and yellow vinyl showcases 46 essential tracks that soundtracked the dancefloors, charts, and airwaves from the late ’80s through the ’90s — an era when dance culture reshaped the mainstream, soundtracked a generation, and lit up the charts across the UK and beyond
LP1 – Side A opens in style with ‘Such A Good Feeling’ from Brothers In Rhythm, this collection’s inspiring title…followed by Black Box with ‘Ride On Time’ — the best-selling UK single of ’89, and one of dance music’s defining tracks. Massive club classics continue with C+C Music Factory’s ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)’, house anthems from Inner City with ‘Good Life’, and ‘Dirty Cash (Money Talks)’ from Adventures Of Stevie V, plus dance-pop gems ‘Not Over Yet’ from Grace, and Billie Ray Martin with ‘Your Loving Arms’…Flip the LP over for the pioneering ‘Theme From S-Express’, a chart-topper from 1988, before dancefloor earworms from Kenny “Dope” Presents The Bucketheads with ‘The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)’, Nightcrawlers with ‘Push The Feeling On’ and ‘People Hold On’ from Coldcut and Lisa Stansfield. The influential ‘Beat Dis’ from Bomb The Bass is up next ahead of Tony Di Bart’s #1 ‘The Real Thing’, Saint Etienne’s sophisticated dance-pop nugget ‘He’s On The Phone’, and LP1’s closer from D:Ream with the Perfecto radio remix of ‘U R The Best Thing’.
LP2 – kicks off with a run of electrifying Eurodance – all massive club anthems. ‘Rhythm Is A Dancer’ from SNAP! leads off; a UK No. 1 and another defining track of the decade – followed by smashes from Corona, Real McCoy, Dr. Alban, Haddaway, KWS and Cappella, before the side closes with the techno-pop of Opus III with ‘It’s A Fine Day’… The party continues on Side B with an irresistible lineup led by Deee-Lite with ‘Groove Is In The Heart’, their brilliant fusion of funk, house and pop that continues to be a massive floor-filler… as is ‘Dreamer’ from Livin’ Joy, a 1995 No. 1 smash, and vocal house classic ‘Finally’ from CeCe Peniston. Urban Cookie Collective scored a huge hit with ‘The Key, The Secret’, which is followed by the rave energy of Oceanic, N-Trance, Felix – and Utah Saints who sign-off LP2 with the epic ‘Something Good’.
Kicking off the final LP, Side A explodes into life with massive feel-good tunes:- Yazz & The Plastic Population’s ‘The Only Way Is Up’ – a 1988 No. 1 and landmark UK house hit ahead of 49ers with ‘Touch Me’ and Baby D with their #1 ‘Let Me Be Your Fantasy’. Another run of floor-fillers from Rozalla with ‘Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)’, JX with ‘Son Of A Gun’, Blue Pearl’s ‘Naked In The Rain’ and ‘U Sure Do’ from Strike follows and the side closes with the electronic acid house of ‘Killer’ from Adamski that hit the top of the charts and introduced Seal… and over on the final side, the collection moves toward it's close with stunning and enduring tracks of the era – opening with Soul II Soul & Caron Wheeler’s #1 ‘Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)’ blending soul, R&B and club rhythms to perfection, while Beats International’s fusion of dub reggae and house: ‘Dub Be Good To Me’ (another chart-topper) follows with its iconic bassline and leads us into the stylish and smooth ‘Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out’ from Freak Power. The journey through this incredible era is completed with genre pioneers The Prodigy with ‘Charly’, ‘Infinity’ from Guru Josh, and closing with ambient house, ‘Pacific - 707’ from 808 State, and the timeless ‘The Sun Rising’ from The Beloved.
An unforgettable journey through the sounds that defined an era:- NOW That’s What I Call An Era - Such A Good Feeling: 1988-1995 — the definitive celebration of a golden age of dance music.
Drummer-composer Tom Skinner announces Kaleidoscopic Visions, his second solo album, out 26th September 2025 via Brownswood Recordings and International Anthem
Kaleidoscopic Visions unfolds across two distinct sonic landscapes. Side A presents entirely instrumental compositions performed by Skinner's live Bishara band—bassist Tom Herbert, cellist Kareem Dayes, and Robert Stillman and Chelsea Carmichael on various woodwinds and reeds—with electric guitar on two tracks courtesy of Portishead's Adrian Utley. A drummer-composer bringing his wealth of experience to bear on the role of bandleader, Skinner composed primarily on guitar, embracing the freedom that came with writing on his secondary instrument.
These compositions include "Auster," dedicated to late novelist Paul Auster, and "Margaret Anne," which honours Skinner's mother Anne Shasby, a former classical concert pianist prodigy who abandoned her own promising career in the face of systemic misogyny, only to impart on her son what Skinner calls "the gift of music."
Skinner’s musical world opens further on Side B, where a collection of poised vocal collaborations stretch out from jazz and improvisation towards a more dream-like, soulful sound. The centerpiece is "The Maxim," a ten-minute collaboration with Grammy Award-winning Meshell Ndegeocello, a dubby, spacious meditation on life and death, delivered with a free-spirited grace. For Skinner, working with Ndegeocello—whom he first saw at Glastonbury as a teenager in 1994—represents a full-circle moment, indicative of the indirect paths and inspirational detours that have shaped his life.
The album goes on to feature South Carolina-based singer Contour (Khari Lucas) who appears on the low-lit soul ballad ‘Logue’, and closes with ‘See How They Run’, featuring London keyboardist-vocalist Yaffra (Jonathan Geyevu). It is the album’s most overtly lyrical track, an articulate exposition of jazz-inflected spoken word that speaks not only to the genre-fluid nature of the music but the breadth of Skinner’s palette.
This should come as no surprise. On Kaleidoscopic Visions, one of London’s most vital musical figures gives us a sparkling glimpse of the multi-coloured lens through which his unique sound is now refracting.
Shhh. The command to be quiet is not just part of the title of one of the two sprawling compositions on this pioneering album. It's also an apt metaphor for the relaxed hypnotism and spaced-out atmosphere that define In a Silent Way, a record that pushes the boundaries of studio possibilities, artist-producer relationships, and rock-jazz chasms. Recognized as Miles Davis' first full-on fusion effort and part of his "electric" era, the 1969 landmark claims a Who's Who line-up that sends the music into an ethereal stratosphere.
Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI, this unsurpassed 180g LP edition lifts the veil on the cutting-edge assembly process that created the pair of lengthy suites. Helmed by three electric instruments, the bevelled compositions melt away all preconceived notions of "jazz," ˜rock," and "ambience," following a loose theory Davis dubbed "New Directions."
Few albums are so delicately textured. And on Mobile Fidelity's meticulous reissue, such sulcate elements pour over ink-black backgrounds on a canyon-wide soundstage. In particular, Tony Williams' inventive percussive touch – he causes the cymbals to shimmer as a pieces of silver tend to do when exposed to sunlight – is broadcast with lifelike three-dimensional qualities, the panoramic view extending to Davis' nocturnal trumpet, Wayne Shorter's ribbon-unfurling saxophone, Dave Holland's extrapolative bass, and the mosaic of keys.
If the record's only accomplishment is its introduction of guitarist John McLaughlin to the world, it alone would be enough. Yet In a Silent Way continues to bedazzle, puzzle, and inspire for myriad reasons – not the least of which is the seemingly telepathic communicative methods employed by the group's members. The line-up is great on paper, but, if it's even possible, the octet sounds even better in practice, with the instruments and tonalities conjoining in avant-garde communion like hyper-sensitive tentacles exploring the stippled landscapes of an undiscovered planet.
Diverting from expectation, tubular grooves twist, turn, and spin, sometimes piling atop of each other, always shying away from structure and melody. Ellipsoidal solos provide hesitant guidance, ranging from Chick Corea's Fender Rhodes phrases to Davis' decorative spirals. And as colour is the primary unit of currency on Davis' Sketches of Spain, laid-back episodes, geometric spaces, and quiet sensuality reign here, with the set's maverick reputation attained via musings on solitude rather than explosions of noise.
Controversial for the period, the heavily edited production of In a Silent Way blew open the once-locked doors on what producer's could attempt – and how artists could assist them. Knitted together as one would construct a cross-hatched quilt, songs contain grafts of repeat passages that provide unifying structure and experimental continuity. What a statement.
The Belfast duo make ready this exceptional 6-Track Sampler from their forthcoming debut LP...
After showcasing their broad and boisterous tastes on a series of super limited Edits 12's, plus original releases on labels like Touch Sensitive, Hoga Nord, Duca Bianco and Optimo Music, we finally have a fully formed suite of original cuts which take us on a journey through their varied and vivid vibrations...
A general tip of the hat to the dark, post industrial basements illuminated by Weatherall's 9 O'Clock Drop comp.
From haunted dancehall, via beautifully throbbing ethno-chug and mesmerising clank-fests, to gloriously scuffed and foreboding Crammed Disc and Wax Trax! reminiscent offerings to the strobe gods.
One very limited press wrapped in screen-printed sleeves - one for the ages !
‘Man's Best Friend’ is the latest album from multi-hyphenate global popstar Sabrina Carpenter. Coming off her GRAMMY winning project Short n' Sweet & numerous multi-platinum singles added to her resume, the latest from Carpenter features her new single "Manchild,” available now
Fruits Records proudly presents ‘Let Peace Reign’, the brand new instrumental single by Nat Birchall and The 18th Parallel.
Hailed by Gilles Peterson as ‘one of the best musicians in the UK’, jazz and reggae saxophonist Nat Birchall has grabbed listeners attention with his soulful sound and inspirational spiritual music. He has produced some of the finest vintage roots reggae instrumentals including majestic works with Vin Gordon and Al Breadwinners. His ethereal tone reminiscent of reggae giant Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks (Light of Saba) is the perfect match to The 18th Parallel raw and heavy sound.
Recorded fully live on 2-inch tape by the Swiss rhythm section, the session captures the raw, authentic energy of roots reggae at its purest. With warm, organic tones and a timeless feel, ‘Let Peace Reign’ not only pays homage to the greatest days of instrumental music and to the golden era of reggae recording, but also send a much needed message to a troubled world: Let Peace Reign. Pressed with care on 7-inch vinyl, with a super heavy dub mix on B side by French duet Dub Shepherds, this release is more than just a record – it’s a tribute to the culture of collecting records, preserving sound, and sharing vibes across generations.
- A1: 12 Tribes Of Israel
- A2: Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks
- A3: Jah Jah Is The Conquerer
- A4: Cool Down Your Temper
- A5: A Big Big Girl
- A6: Don't Trouble Trouble
- A7: Wicked Then A Say
- B1: Ride On Dreadlocks
- B2: Whip Them Jah
- B3: Everybody Needs Money
- B4: Long Long Dreadlocks
- B5: Just Like Any Other Man
- B6: Wicked Babylon
- B7: Scoumaka King Tubby's
Linval Thompson is one of the great roots vocalists that ruled the dancehalls of Jamaica in the mid 1970’s. His distinctive vocal style and roots lyrics, that spoke of the struggles that faced the Rastas, hit a chord with the people of Jamaica, and provided a string of hits for him in the dancehalls. This in turn, would set a tone that he carried on through his musical career and future production work. Linval Thompson (b.1959, Kingston, Jamaica) was actually raised in Queens, New York. He cut his first record there at the age of 16 ‘No Other Woman’ with future Third World singer Bunny Ruggs. He also cut a couple of tracks for a US producer E Martin ‘’Jah Jah Deh’and ‘Weeping and Wailing’. In 1974 he returned to Jamaica and cut ‘Mama Say’ and a version of D Brown’s ‘Westbound Train’ for producer K Hobson which got Thompson noticed by producer Phil Pratt. Pratt took him to Lee Perry’s Black Ark studio’s where he cut ‘Kung Fu Man’. Thompson’s friendship with fellow singer Johnny Clarke led to a meeting with producer Bunny Lee. His first track cut for Lee was ‘Don’t Cut Off Your Dreadlocks’ and it became a big hit in Jamaica. Bunny Lee was the producer of the moment and Linval added to his long list of hit singles with ‘A Big Big Girl’, ‘Cool Down Your Temper’, ‘Ride On Dreadlocks’ and the title of this compilation ‘Jah Jah Is The Conqueror’. He seemed to hit a musical height working for Bunny Lee (who as he has done with many of his singers) encouraged Linval into production work himself. Which has led to another chapter in Linval’s story. Working with an array of artists including, Freddie McGregor, Johnny Osbourne, Barry Brown, Rod Taylor and many more. But it is his singing career that we focus on here and that great period in reggaes history the mid 1970’s where Linval delivered a string of classic hits that we have compiled for you here. Hope you enjoy the set.
Ketapasando presents “Mesetarian Breaks” (KTPV004): a high-speed journey through breakbeat terrains Madrid-based label Ketapasando returns with its fourth vinyl release: “Mesetarian Breaks” (KTPV004) — a 12” compilation that celebrates the raw energy and diversity of breakbeat in all its forms.
Four artists, four unique visions, one common goal: break the dancefloor. Pressed on 180g vinyl with full-color artwork and a protective silicone sleeve, this EP delivers an explosive blend of jungle, technoid, ragga-core, and futuristic breaks.
Each track showcases a distinct approach to rhythm, crafted by key figures from both the Spanish underground and the broader European scene.
THE ARTISTS:
FFF, a cornerstone of the European jungle scene, brings a ragga-core blast soaked in rave heritage and hardcore attitude.
Berman, co-founder of Madrid’s Bellota Dubs, delivers a rolling cut built on tight vocal samples and chopped-up 160 bpm energy.
Jailed Jamie, known for his audiovisual storytelling, blends jazzy melodies with sharp breaks for a cinematic yet floor-ready experience.
Tarek, core Ketapasando producer, makes his vinyl debut with a deep, heavyhitting technoid track forged in the fires of the 174 bpm realm.
“Mesetarian Breaks” is more than a record — it's a love letter to broken rhythms, a sonic dive into the Iberian underground, and a statement of intent from a label fully committed to the breakbeat spectrum. Snippets available in this email.
This exciting 45, features two previously unheard 60s, New York soul, dance tracks.
Big Apple session singer and occasional composer, Doris Willingham, first had a rare release on the Hi- Monty label in 1966 and then in 1968 cut four sides for drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. All were produced by Richard Tee and co-written with Doris. They were licensed to Ed Kassner who launched his Jay Boy label with ‘You Can’t Do That’ in both the UK and the USA. A change of strategy caused the US label to be discontinued after two releases and the UK then switched primarily to home-produced recordings. The two best Willingham sides lay dormant at President’s tape library until Ace released the killer ballad ‘Too Much To Bear’ in 2005. The fourth track is this superb dance number featuring the great Purdie band, no doubt featuring his usual bassist Jimmy Tyrell, who arranged the Hi-Monty 45.
The Taylor Brothers ‘Holding On’ is a much grittier affair, produced by Maxine Brown’s husband at the time, Mal Williams. The duo were Bennie “Earl” Bunn and Sam “The Man” Taylor and they wrote this, the third track recorded at the session that produced the ‘People In Love’ single on Joy. Sam had been a major mover in NYC black music circles since the 50s with his own bands and had fingers in many pies. The duo gave a performance worthy of some of the great 60s male soul couplings.
- A1: Custard Pie
- A2: The Rover
- A3: In My Time Of Dying
- B1: Houses Of The Holy
- B2: Trampled Under Foot
- B3: Kashmir
- C1: In The Light
- C2: Bron-Yr-Aur
- C3: Down By The Seaside
- C4: Ten Years Gone
- D1: Night Flight
- D2: The Wanton Song
- D3: Boogie With Stu
- D4: Black Country Woman
- D5: Sick Again
- E1: Brandy & Coke (Trampled Under Foot) (Initial Rough Mix)
- E2: Sick Again (Early Version)
- E3: In My Time Of Dying (Initial Rough Mix)
- F1: Houses Of The Holy (Rough Mix With Overdubs)
- F2: Everybody Makes It Through (In The Light) (Early Version / In Transit)
- F3: Boogie With Stu (Sunset Sound Mix)
- F4: Driving Through Kashmir (Kashmir) (Rough Orchestra Mix)
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s iconic sixth album, and their first double LP, Physical Graffiti.
To celebrate this landmark, Led Zeppelin will release an updated 50th Anniversary edition of 2015’s Physical Graffiti Deluxe Edition 3LP vinyl set, on 180g black vinyl, still featuring the Companion Audio disc, and now including a new bonus replica Physical Graffiti promotional poster (sized 443mm x 610mm).
Released on February 24, 1975 in the US (and four days later in the UK), Physical Graffiti immediately achieved platinum sales status and has recently been certified 17x platinum in the United States.
Palham Music releast post mortem eine Zusammenstellung von Tracks des Künstlers Flavio Diners. Seine Sassy Bearbeitung versprüht leichten sommerlichen Vibe, auf Bubblejam freestylt er sich der untergehenden Sonne entgegen. Auf Ohhhs and Yeahs werden auf krautig transzendente Weise Körper und Geist getrennt. Auf der B-Seite werden 2 Bearbeitungen seines A Night at Finsbury Park angeboten, die uns gönnerhaft durch die Blackstock Road vorwärts schieben. Bei Some Deep Vibes halten wir dann nach durchtanzter Nacht unsere Beine ins Wasser und genießen diese. Pew pew.
Palham Music presents a posthumous collection of tracks by artist Flavio Diners. His Sassy rework exudes an easy, summery vibe, while on Bubblejam, he freestyles his way into the sunset. With Ohhhs and Yeahs, body and mind drift apart in a transcendent, kraut-inspired soundscape. On the B-side, two reinterpretations of A Night at Finsbury Park guide us graciously along Blackstock Road. And with Some Deep Vibes, after a night spent dancing, we cool our legs in the water and simply savor the moment. Pew pew.
*Limited to 500 copies.*
For the first time ever, this incredible 1974 recording by Joe Truss and composer Michael Kamen (who would go on to score Hollywood blockbusters like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, and Robin Hood) is getting the proper release it always deserved.
Nearly all original copies were destroyed by the pressing plant after being pressed at the wrong speed. A second run of just around 50 copies was quietly made — and then it vanished into obscurity. Until now.
Psychedelia collides with deep grooves in an explosion of creative madness.
One of the rarest records to come out of the Caribbean, finally reissued for the world to hear.
The B-side? An unreleased funk track, salvaged from a reel containing the soundtrack of a never-released film — a forgotten gem brought back to life.
To mark the occasion and do this release justice, Lava On Wax is proud to present this as a 7” with a full picture sleeve, featuring beautiful artwork by Hamraz Bayan.
Prepare to be blown away by this psychedelic funk trip — full of raw drum breaks and brain-melting synths.
Special thanks to Guts for the support, Joe Truss for believing in the project and granting the license, and to Hamraz Bayan for blessing the cover with her unique art.
On Tuesday 3rd September 1963, the Beatles recorded all eighteen tracks for the last three Pop Go The Beatles shows. The venue was the Aeolian Hall in Mayfair, used by the BBC for the recording and broadcast of concerts and recitals. The standout track here is a very confident sounding Misery with Duane Eddy-style ending.
Along with From Me To You and Till There Was You from that session, we include here the rock’n’roll instrumental version of Pop Goes The Weasel that started and finished each show. Also featured on this EP is a seasonal medley version of Eddy’s Shazam plus some a cappella tunes sung by the boys for Saturday Club on 17th December 1963, including All I Want For Xmas and You Were Made For Me.
Black Vinyl[30,21 €]
1x Gold Vinyl & 1 x Khaki Vinyl[34,24 €]
4LP Boxset[144,33 €]
- Originally released in 1993, 'The Brown Album' marked a significant evolution in Orbital's sound - and was met with widespread critical acclaim. NME awarded it 9/10 in their review, and it was chosen as one of Mixmag's best albums of all time.
- Standout track, "Halcyon + On + On", became an instant classic, known for its ethereal atmosphere and haunting vocal sample from Opus III's It's a Fine Day. The track's dreamy progression and uplifting yet melancholic tone made it a staple in film soundtracks and DJ sets, embodying the emotional depth electronic music could achieve. "Impact (The Earth Is Burning)" is another defining moment, an evolving journey of layered breakbeats and dynamic synth arrangements, reflecting the duo's ability to create both club-ready and introspective music. Meanwhile, "Lush 3-1" and "Lush 3-2" demonstrate Orbital's knack for crafting intricate, evolving grooves, balancing pulsating rhythms with melodic flourishes that keep the listener engaged.
- 'The Brown Album' 2LP reissue has been cut at half speed, to ensure maximum audio fidelity for this landmark release, and is the first time the album has been pressed on vinyl for over ten year
- The Brown Album' 2CD includes a 2nd disc of rarities, including the full 11:09 version of Halycon and the 13-minute Underworld mix of Lush.
- A1: Music Is My Life Ft. Unlimited Touch
- A2: You Got Me Dancing Ft. Audrey Wheeler & Cindy Mizelle
- B1: Come Away Ft. Kerri Chandler
- B2: Seven Mile Ft. Moodymann
- C1: The Star Of A Story Ft. Lisa Fischer
- C2: Change Your Mind Ft. Bernard Fowler
- D1: All My Love Ft. Robyn
- D2: Free To Love Ft. Karen Harding
- E1: Feel So Right Ft. Honey Dijon
- E2: How He Works Ft. Nico Vega
- F1: Joy Universal Ft. Two Soul Fusion
- F2: Igobolo Ft. Joaquin Joe Clausell
- G1: It's All Good Ft. Bebe Winans, Debbie Winans Lowe & Korean Soul
- G2: Touch The Sky Ft. Tony Momrelle
- H1: Love Has No Time Or Place (Louie Vega & Elements Of Life)
- H2: Dreamin Ft. Cindy Mizelle
Limited repress!
What is it about New York City, that concrete jungle that continually inspires the creative spirit? From Warhol’s Factory to Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage to David Mancuso’s Loft, collectives that celebrate and nurture unfettered, organic artistry have been absolutely intrinsic to the story of this sprawling metropolis. Its latest chapter is being written at the hands of ‘The Maestro’, Grammy Award winner Louie Vega and his Expansions NYC parties, the sound documented in his latest album Expansions In The NYC (Nervous Records).
Starting in February 2019 in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues, Vega’s Expansions NYC parties have their origin not in his revered prowess as a DJ but rather his whole-hearted appreciation of the different elements of the dance floor surrounding him: the dancers, the musicians who bring their instruments to join him ad-hoc on the night, the small, dedicated crowd of clubbers whose ears to the ground keep them informed on the underground party information. The events included 6-hour DJ Sets with Louie under his select curation, and would usually end with 3 AM jam sessions involving keyboardists, guitar players and poets all performing in front of a jam packed crowd. In just a few short years the Expansions NYC events have evolved into an NYC-clubland institution, an intimate celebration of house, funk, disco, afro, R&B and more.
As with his parties, so goes his album. The collective vibe that forms the beating heart of Expansions NYC parties is absolutely front and centre in Expansions In The NYC, Vega drawing in one of the most comprehensive lists of collaborators in recent memory. House heavyweights Honey Dijon, Joe Claussell, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Anané rub up against legendary vocalists Bernard Fowler, Cindy Mizelle, Lisa Fischer, Audrey Wheeler and Tony Momrelle. Gospel royalty BeBe Winans and Debbie Winans, pop icon Robyn and rising star Karen Harding sit alongside disco-era champions Unlimited Touch, Cuban jazz pianist Axel Tosca, Nico Vega, Two Soul Fusion with Josh Milan and Vega and underground legend DJ Spinna. At the centre of it all, fingerprint on every beat, touch on every groove, sits a master at work, weaving the individual threads into a rich dance music tapestry.
"In the past few years I’ve found new inspiration both from the musicians I’m working with and the audiences coming to see me at my DJ shows,” Vega says. “So for me this album represents new beginnings, bringing together a beautiful mosaic of artistic perspectives to express musically what we call Expansions In The NYC."
At its heart, Expansions In The NYC is a love letter to New York, as much as melting pot as the city it represents, the scope of its line-up possible only because of the influence and reverence of Vega the artist, the DJ, the producer, the curator. In creating this album, Louie Vega has once again utterly enriched the lives and libraries of music lovers the world over, far beyond the hustling streets of NYC that have so indelibly left their mark on his work.
Red Snapper co-founder and drummer Rich Thair to release a solo album on Acid Jazz, under the name Dicky Continental. 'Un…' is out 7 April, 2023 on LP/CD.
'Un...' was recorded, mixed and produced by Rich in his Welsh
Studio. Un, Welsh for ‘one’, features 11 tracks which all fell together in the right shape. Often the first, simple ideas were the best and weren’t
overthought or convoluted. 'Un...' is about moods and atmospheres, edges and angles, light and darkness. Downbeat soul to take you on your own journey.
The KNOW was an early 80's electronic duo, comprised of brothers Garry and Neil Todd from Stoneydelph, Tamworth (near Birmingham), UK. After playing in a conventional rock group and having to deal with the issues of too many cooks spoiling the broth, they decided to stay a two piece while the affordability of synthesisers and drum machines came in handy to replace additional human band members – shall we say for the better in the end?!
Regarding the name, Neil says: “Garry and I came up with this name in relation to the saying, oh you know he’s in “The Know” you know.“ The KNOW released only two tracks “Times Change“ and “Knights of Pleasure“ on a 7“ single in 1982, which is ultra rare now (only being sold once on Discogs for almost €300). Neil used Korg Micro Preset M-500, Moog Liberation, Roland Jupiter-8 synthesisers, and a Roland CR-8000 drum machine to create these two minimal synth pop anthems.
The original masters have been lost over the years, but the recordings have been carefully digitized from vinyl and meticulously restored and remastered and sound better than ever before. Additionally, five cover versions have been added by no less than minimal electronic synth pop heroes BLIPBLOP, doing both tracks, the THE SILICON SCIENTIST adding his dreamy synth pop melancholia signature sound, FLASHBACKS (aka Echo West, Silent Signals) with his icy cold yet playful minimal electronics, and TWINS NATALIA featuring KRIISTAL ANN delivering a rather faithful to the original yet up-to-date version while adding lots of new bits like a choir, vocoder, and one of Dave Hewson's unique synth solos.
All of this is pure and classy 80s electronic synth pop bliss!
• We launch our Soul Harmony label with a fabulous tape discovery from Golden State Recorders. At the time of recording, 87th Off Broadway lived in the small town of Seaside, California and were based in Monterey. They wrote their own songs, four of which were recorded at an April 1972 session, arranged by Los Angeles Rene Hall. The tape lay dormant for decades. ‘Instant Replay’ is the final of the four to belatedly be issued; the others being funk released on Ace’s BGP label. The group morphed into another outfit called Welfare who had ‘What About The Child’ released (with a name change to Gold) in 1977 on the MRC label. This song is of the highest quality as are the intricate harmony vocals. Advance plays on the Lowrider scene have been very well received.
Fradinho (Rui Fradinho) is Lisbon born Portuguese, having lived in London for 12 years and returning to Portugal in 2020.
Rui's musical base stems from a diverse range of music: rock to pop, house to techno, through jazz, soul, funk, world music, hip hop, drum and bass and from breakbeat to his main passion and current music production focus, broken beat / bruk / nu jazz.
Rui runs his own record label, Eclectic Beats Music, with 6 vinyl releases, and has released remixes for artists like Sentinel793 (Universal Magnetic), Deborah Jordan (Futuristica Music), Str4ta (Colin Curtis Presents), David Borsu (Broadcite) amongst other artists and labels.
Highlights of his DJ career so far (other than his 6-year residency at Sociedade Anonima), are the Bicaense Cafe and Lux club in Lisbon. Earlier in 2017, he did a stint on London’s Back2BackFM, playing at Dalston’s Club Makossa, the BBE Store in East London, closing the Chill Out Gardens stage in Portugal’s Boom Festival 2018, DJ’ed at Gilles Peterson’s first edition of We Out Here festival in 2019, played Lisb-On festival in 2022 and currently guests at Birmingham’s BrukUp broken beat night (having played there 5 times with Adam Rock, Laura Crossley, Bruk Boogie Kru, Marcia Carr & Kwai and Yoofee).
It was the 90s. Paris had the blues, French rap was beginning its slow rise, and a new musical genre was emerging: Acid Jazz. Imported from England by DJ Gilles Peterson, this groovy style blended 70s funk with a certain idea of jazz tailored for the dancefloor. Its heroes were Galliano, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, and the James Taylor Quartet. Jamiroquai topped the charts, MC Solaar recorded with Urban Species, and suddenly, France was swept up in the swing whirlwind. Starting in 1993, Parisian clubs embraced this union of jazz and groove, and in 1994, a compilation was released: Paris Groove Up. Around ten groups delivered the French version of this British style: Mellowman, Mad In Paris, Vercoquin, Ready Made... and Dis Bonjour À La Dame. The band wasn’t new—their roots went back to the late 80s, when bassist Marc Israël brought together a brass section and some seasoned musicians. But the real beginning of DBALD came in 1992 with the arrival of singer Sital. "Christophe Denis joined on guitar and songwriting. In 1993, we opened for Jamiroquai and Maceo Parker, and that’s when the major labels interested in the acid jazz market started noticing us," recalls Marc. Their track Chris’tal, the centerpiece of the compilation, was released as a single, and Dis Bonjour À La Dame's album began production in late 1994 in London, at Roundhouse Studio. “We must’ve been among the last sessions there—it was demolished shortly after. It was a very 70s studio, with old gear, a Fender Rhodes, everything was vintage! We recorded for a month, all playing together live, then added the brass and finally Sital’s vocals. We were lucky to have two exceptional backing singers, Sarah Brown and Mark Anthoni, who worked with Incognito and Urban Species.” The self-titled album came out in early 1995, and it had all the ingredients of a hidden funky gem from the 90s: Hey Mama with its ironclad groove, the irresistible instrumental Sheherazade Groove opening the record, Soul Body with its R\&B sensuality... The hip-hop touch came courtesy of Lee Rick’s, the MC from Mellowman, who laid down rhymes on Hall Blues. The brass section was on fire, the bass went wild, and Sital added a sensual spark to the whole thing. In short, a solid album produced by Fred Versailles (producer of NTM’s first album) and mixed by Paul Borg (Urban Species, UFO, -M-, Mory Kanté), a testament to a time when big funky bands made Paris groove—with Dis Bonjour À La Dame leading the charge. Nearly thirty years later, it’s time to (re)discover DBALD.
Japan’s SUDO return to Drumcode with ‘We Are Free’, following their landmark 2024 debut ‘Real World’ Last summer brothers Isao and Takashi aka SUDO gifted Drumcode one of the most inspiring releases we’ve heard in recent times with ‘Real World’. Inspired by Underworld’s incendiary ‘Rez’, the EP was the sound of two producers pouring all their passion and shared musical history into a work that’ll be remembered for years to come.
The release peaked at no.1 on Beatport’s Release Charts and saw a follow up collaboration with Bart Skils ‘Nexus’ out later that year on Drumcode. ‘We Are Free’ continues SUDO’s emotion-led and timeless approach to techno, crafting a four-tracker inspired by the concepts of “freedom, divinity, memory and transition”. The title track genre-hops between electro-edged techno, silky ambient textures and breakbeats. Isao says: “We wanted to express in a powerful and explosive way one of our purposes on the dancefloor – a time of celebration, and freedom from restrictions.”
‘Elysium’ is a transcendental slice of techno that juxtaposes tough industrial rhythms with a stunning break that was inspired by a children’s choir Isao heard one day at Berlin Cathedral. “It took a long time to producer with many patterns until we were satisfied,” Isao shares.
“It was a real process of immersing oneself in the hypnotic groove and finding divinity.” Initially inspired by watching Bart Skils play a NYE 2025 set in Argentina, ‘Lost in Paradise’ is led by a delicate Latin vocal and crisp sun-dappled beats, before stepping up the pace in the second half. “As the production progressed, we were led to a wonderful result with the track’s vocal, a tribute to one of our biggest influences – the untouched nature of Ibiza and the vibes of the light and beautiful people that flow there.” The EP winds down with ‘Horizon’, a simultaneously beautiful yet bittersweet hymn that signals the end of the party.
- A1: Alain Peters - Plime La Misère
- A2: Altin Gün - Goca Dünya
- A3: Mauskovic Dance Band - Repeating Night
- A4: Esplendor Geometrico - Moscu Esta Helado
- A5: Hyperculte - Temps Mort
- A6: Madalitso Band - Wandiputa Dala
- B1: Meridian Brothers - Puya Del Empresario
- B2: Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek - Nem Kaldi
- B3: Nordine Staifi - Zine Ezzinet
- B4: Cyril Cyril - Les Gens (Radio Edit)
- B5: Africa Negra - Zimbabwe
- C1: Yin Yin - One Inch Punch
- C2: Les Abranis - Chenar Le Blues
- C3: Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp - Breath
- C4: Coco Maria - Me Veo Volar
- C5: Amami - Ivory
- C6: Lalalar - Abla Deme Lazim Olur
- C7: Nusantara Beat - Djanger
- D1: Yalla Miku - Asmazate
- D2: Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers - Amounay
- D3: Sami Galbi - Dakchi Hani
- D4: Baby Berserk - What I Mean
- D5: Dressed Up Animals - Mondtanz
Ten years, a compilation. It"s not a conclusion, nor a greatest hits. More like a pause, a moment to reflect - a look back to better move forward. Since 2015, Les Disques Bongo Joe have been navigating instinctively, yet with a compass all their own: a love for free-spirited sound, a curiosity for the undefined, and a clear idea of what a label can be - a space for listening, care, and invention. The compilation offers a journey - subjective, fluid, and unapologetic - through ten years of sonic activism. A selection of tracks drawn from the label"s corners and crevices: from early releases to recent ones, from essentials to rarities, from cult reissues to contemporary works that carry the label"s energy forward. The record flows between raw intensity and sonic finesse, between remastered archives and flashes of electronics, between fragile voices and hammered percussion.
200 Records marks its 50th release with a four-track EP showcasing both fresh faces and long-time contributors to the label. M.R.E. opens with a vibrant house cut, full of energy and warmth. Blauert follows with a deep, dub-tinged house track, subtle but with a steady, driving rhythm that keeps things moving. Havantepe contributes a deep and intricate Detroit-inspired techno track, rich in texture and unmistakably his own. Till Krüger rounds off the release with a timeless B2 track: —subtle, melodic, and unmistakably his in style.
Highly recommended by Paul Nazca, Tim French, Chad jackson, Brett Gould, Johan, Sinca, Spencer Brown, Steve parry, Ruede Hagelstein,
Karotte, Alexander maier, Greg Eversoul, Dibby Dougherty / Island Hill, Adi Shabat, Michel de Hey, Francesco Chiocci, Paul James Nolan,
Yas Cepeda, Urmet K, Satoshi Fumi, Steve Raschke, Siavash, Ranj Kaler, Nhar / Bernhard Siefert, Four Candles, Alex Neri, Dimitri Schnider / Definition,
Yves Eaux, Cerillio, Paco Osuna, Lonya, Richie Hawtin, Just Her, Stefano Lotti, Nick Stoynoff, Joseph Capriati, Luke Garcia, Mihai Popoviciu, Daniel Mehlhart, Joris Voorn, Jamie Jones, Greg Fenton, Audio Jack, Stefan Weise....to name a few!
- A1: Queen - Somebody To Love
- A2: Electric Light Orchestra - Livin' Thing
- A3: Fleetwood Mac – Say You Love Me
- A4: 10Cc - I'm Mandy Fly Me
- A5: Dr. Hook - A Little Bit More
- A6: Chicago – If You Leave Me Now
- A7: Eric Carmen - All By Myself
- B1: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)
- B2: Leo Sayer - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
- B3: David Dundas - Jeans On
- B4: Bryan Ferry - Let's Stick Together
- B5: Sailor - A Glass Of Champagne
- B6: Smokie - I'll Meet You At Midnight
- B7: Slik - Forever And Ever
- B8: Showaddywaddy – Under The Moon Of Love
- B9: Brotherhood Of Man - Save Your Kisses For Me
- C1: Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart
- C2: Cliff Richard – Devil Woman
- C3: Tina Charles - I Love To Love
- C4: The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything
- C5: Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts Without You
- C6: Dana - Fairytale
- C7: R & J Stone - We Do It
- C8: Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia
- D1: Wings - Silly Love Songs
- D2: Neil Diamond - Beautiful Noise
- D3: Daryl Hall & John Oates – She’s Gone
- D4: Paul Simon - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
- D5: Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town
- D6: The Who - Squeeze Box
- D7: John Miles - Music
- E1: Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby
- E2: Andrea True Connection - More, More, More
- E3: Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free
- E4: Melba Moore - This Is It
- E5: Diana Ross - Love Hangover
- E6: Tavares - Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel (Part 1)
- E7: Barry White - You See The Trouble With Me
- E8: The Isley Brothers - Harvest For The World
- F1: Dolly Parton - Jolene
- F2: Pussycat - Mississippi
- F3: Bonnie Tyler - Lost In France
- F4: Demis Roussos - Forever And Ever
- F5: Guys N Dolls - You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
- F6: Gallagher And Lyle - Heart On My Sleeve
- F7: Joan Armatrading - Love And Affection
- F8: Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – pressed in lovely-lime-green vinyl on a 3-LP set packed with 47 stellar tracks celebrating a brilliant year of pop singles. NOW – Yearbook 1976.
LP1: Kicking off in magnificent style with signature songs from legendary artists: A #2 in 1976, Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’ is first up, followed by Electric Light Orchestra with ‘Livin’ Thing’, Fleetwood Mac with ‘Say You Love Me’, and 10cc with ‘I’m Mandy Fly Me’. Dr. Hook had a huge hit with ‘A Little Bit More’, and Chicago hit #1 with their all-time classic ballad ‘If You Leave Me Now’, while the side closes with Eric Carmen’s enduringly popular ‘All By Myself’. Flip the LP over for huge hits from the year – including 4 #1s: 14 years after making their UK chart debut, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons enjoyed their first chart-topper with ‘December 1963 (Oh What a Night)’, whilst Leo Sayer reached #2 in the UK, and #1 in the US with ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’. Pop gems follow from David Dundas, Bryan Ferry, Sailor, Smokie – and Slik, featuring a pre-Ultravox Midge Ure reached the top with ‘Forever And Ever’. Showaddywaddy celebrated their biggest hit and their first #1 with ‘Under The Moon Of Love’, and the UK won at Eurovision, with the winner ‘Save Your Kisses For Me’ by Brotherhood Of Man not only hitting the #1 spot but also becoming 1976’s biggest seller and bringing the first LP to a close.
LP2: Opening with a stellar run of pure-pop classics. Elton John celebrated his first UK #1 single, in a duet with Kiki Dee on ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, and Cliff Richard with ‘Devil Woman’, ahead of dance-floor favourites – and both #1s in ’76: Tina Charles with ‘I Love To Love’ and The Real Thing with ‘You To Me Are Everything’. More pop nuggets follow from Billy Ocean and Dana, before the side finishes with R&J Stone with ‘We Do It’ and the sublime ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ from Gladys Knight & The Pips. Over on the second side, ‘Silly Love Songs’ gave Wings a UK #2 and became ‘76’s biggest seller in the US and opens a run of great vocalists; Neil Diamond, Daryl Hall & John Oates with ‘She’s Gone’, Paul Simon’s ’50 Ways To Leave Your Lover’ and a trio of the year’s classic rock smashes: ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ from Thin Lizzy, ‘Squeeze Box’ from The Who, and closing with the epic ‘Music’ from John Miles.
LP3: Celebrating ‘76’s dancefloor with a stunning collection of disco and soul gold: First up, Donna Summer with her debut smash ‘Love To Love You Baby’ before ‘More More More’ from Andrea True Connection and Candi Staton’s timeless ‘Young Hearts Run Free’. Melba Moore with ‘This Is It’ comes ahead of Diana Ross with the genre-defining ‘Love Hangover’, and the side is completed with huge floor-fillers from Tavares and Barry White ahead of The Isley Brothers with the soul standard ‘Harvest For The World’ and over on the final side country music is represented with Dolly Parton making her UK singles chart debut with ‘Jolene’ three years after it was a hit in the US, but it was a Dutch band, Pussycat, who hit the top with their country-pop track ‘Mississippi’. Bonnie Tyler made her chart debut with ‘Lost In France’, and ‘Forever And Ever’ gave Demis Roussos a ’76 chart topper, and an easy-listening classic, whilst Guys N Dolls had a second Top 5 hit with their cover of ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’. The LP ends with a trio of the year’s most beautiful ballads: Gallagher And Lyle with ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, ‘Love And Affection’ the stunning singles chart debut for Joan Armatrading, and finishing with a second peerless single on this collection from Elton John with ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’.
NOW – Yearbook 1976 – a celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a truly fabulous year in pop.
- A1: Maria Kocic And The Mk Sound - Trust Me
- A2: Whadya Want - Open Spaces
- A3: Poets Of The Machine - Arabs
- A4: The Couch - Full Treatment
- A5: Sedation
- B1: The Igniters - Hakka Suru
- B2: Mumbo Jumbo - Wind It Up
- B3: Mix - Do You Do It
- B4: Cameron Allen And Graham Bidstrup - Bikini Atoll
- B5: Foot And Mouth - I Want My Mummy On Midnite Spares
2025 Repress
Australian music devotees András and Instant Peterson hold a candle to overlooked avant-pop and electronic works by antipodean artists and outsiders working through the 80s and 90s. Through co-presenting weekly radio show Strange Holiday, the duo slowly upturned their locale for inspiration - archives, country bookstores, private collections and convenience stores, searching for a place to anchor their own identities in the oceans of the island continent. The 10 tracks acknowledge a minor history, passed on via a network of friends, friends of friends, the libraries of radio station 3RRR and more often than not, the artists themselves. Renowned mixed media artist Maria Kozic enters with the mysterious downbeat of Trust Me, her husband Philip Brophy responsible for digital and analogue sonic construction. A recurring character in András and Instant Peterson's investigations, Brophy reappears with a score piece from his divisive feature film Salt, Saliva, Sperm and Sweat, recorded as (pronounced 'Tch Tch Tch"). Other links are thread under the surface. Melbourne inner north experimentalist David Chesworth explores his Australiana songcraft leading Whadya Want. The short lived project also featured Philip Jackson, whose husband-wife duo The Couch is restored from Fast Forward's dance issue - a pioneering cassette fanzine published by early-80s 3RRR personality Bruce Milne.
- A1: Kajagoogoo - Kajagoogoo (Instrumental)
- A2: Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
- A3: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - If You Leave
- A4: Oingo Boingo - Weird Science
- A5: Furniture - Brilliant Mind
- A6: Dave Wakeling - She’s Having A Baby
- B1: The Flowerpot Men - Beat City
- B2: The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
- B3: Flesh For Lulu - I Go Crazy
- B4: Dr. Calculus - Full Of Love
- B5: Lick The Tins - Can't Help Falling In Love
- B6: Steve Earle & The Dukes - Six Days On The Road (A
- C1: Kirsty Maccoll - You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Bab
- C2: Suzanne Vega & Joe Jackson - Left Of Center
- C3: Pete Shelley - Do Anything (Soundtrack Version)
- C4: Carmel - It's All In The Game
- C5: The Dream Academy - Power To Believe (Instrume
- C6: Kate Bush - This Woman's Work
- D1: The Beat - March Of The Swivelheads (Rotating He
- D2: Nick Heyward - When It Started To Begin
- D3: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Tesla Girls
- D4: Big Audio Dynamite - Bad
- D5: Killing Joke - Eighties
- D6: The Specials - Little Bitch
- E1: Gene Loves Jezebel - Desire (Come And Get It) (Us
- E2: Flesh For Lulu - Slide
- E3: Love And Rockets - Haunted When The Minutes Dr
- E4: Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11 (Ultraviole
- E5: Lords Of The New Church - Method To My Madnes
- F1: The Jesus And Mary Chain - The Hardest Walk (Sing
- F2: Echo & The Bunnymen - Bring On The Dancing Hor
- F3: General Public - Tenderness
- F4: The Blue Room - I'm Afraid
- F5: Belouis Some - Round, Round
- F6: Thompson Twins - If You Were Here
- F7: The Dream Academy - Please, Please, Please Let M
- G1: Yello - Oh Yeah
- G2: Book Of Love - Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)
- G3: Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness
- G4: Patti Smith - Gloria In Excelsis Deo
- G5: Westworld - Ba-Na-Na-Bam-Boo
- G6: Divinyls - Ring Me Up
- G7: Topper Headon - Drummin' Man
2LP Edition[87,35 €]
Demon Music group in conjunction with the Hughes family are proud to present the first official compilation of music
from the movies of legendary filmmaker John Hughes, covering the classic eighties period 1983 – 1989.
For anyone growing up in the 1980s, the films of John Hughes are some of the most iconic of the decade and have
created a lasting cultural impact still felt and referenced across TV, film and music. As well as the characters and
stories created in these iconic movies, what made John Hughes’ movies different from the rest was the symbiotic
relationship between scene and music. Whether Cameron Frye staring at the painting in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off set to
The Dream Academy’s “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (Instrumental)”, Duckie and Andie from Pretty
In Pink at prom set to Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s “If You Leave”, or even Neal and Del’s classic “Those aren’t
pillows” scene from Planes, Trains and Automobiles set to Emmylou Harris’ “Back In Baby’s Arms”.
“Music was a huge part of filmmaking for him, it was a thing he seemed to like the most.” Matthew Broderick
Curated by John Hughes’ music supervisor Tarquin Gotch, this 6LP vinyl boxset includes 73 tracks from the movies
National Lampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day
Off, Some Kind Of Wonderful, Planes, Trains And Automobiles, She’s Having A Baby, The Great Outdoors and Uncle
Buck.
“Back when we were working on these movie soundtracks, the best way to send music around the world was the
cassette, by Fedex. We sent John cassettes of newly released music, of demos, of just finished mixes (and in return he
would send VHS videos of the scenes that needed music).” Tarquin Gotch
The films of John Hughes spawned many classic tracks, some licensed for the films, some commission specifically, and
many going on to become huge international hits from acts such as Simple Minds, Kate Bush, Furniture, Yello, and
The Psychedelic Furs.
“It serves as a reminder not just to the musicians he championed in the 1980s, but to how intensely his search for
music expanded beyond this era. Until his final days, he was still collecting outrageous amounts of music from around
the world, galaxies removed from the New Romantic and new wave sounds that, to many, still define him.” James
Hughes
Also includes an extensive 24-page booklet including memories from Matthew Broderick, James Hughes, Tarquin
Gotch, Ron Payne, plus track-by-track sleeve notes.
“John said he only made movies so he could choose what music to put in them, so as his success at the Box Office
grew, and thus his power with the studios, the number of tracks in his films, by up and coming UK bands, steadily
grew.” Tarquin Gotch
Billy Idol - "Catch My Fall" (From The 1987 Movie 'Some Kind Of Wonderful')
The Association - "Cherish" (From The 1986 Movie 'Pretty In Pink')
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - "Music For A Found Harmonium" (From The 1988 Movie 'She's Having A Baby')
Zapp - "Radio People" (From The 1986 Movie 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off')
Blue Room - "Cry Like This" (From The 1987 Movie 'Some Kind Of Wonderful')
Ray Charles - "Mess Around" (From The 1987 Movie 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles')
Joe Turner - "Lipstick, Powder & Paint" (From The 1989 Movie 'Uncle Buck')
Darlene Love - " (Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" (From The 1984 Movie 'Sixteen Candles')
Marvin Gaye - "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (From The 1988 Movie 'She's Having A Baby')
Perry Como/Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra/The Ray Charles Singers - "Juke Box Baby" (From The 1989 Movie 'Uncle Buck')
The Chordettes - "Mr Sandman" (From The 1989 Movie 'Uncle Buck')
Ray Anthony & His Orchestra - "The Peter Gunn Theme" (From The 1984 Movie 'Sixteen Candles')
Lindsey Buckingham - "Holiday Road" (From The 1983 Movie 'National Lampoon's Vacation')
Emmylou Harris - "Back In Baby's Arms" (From The 1987 Movie 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles')
Hugh Harris - "Rhythm Of Life" (From The 1989 Movie 'Uncle Buck')
Spandau Ballet - "True" (From The 1984 Movie 'Sixteen Candles')
Propaganda - "Abuse" (From The 1987 Movie 'Some Kind Of Wonderful')
The Dream Academy - "The Edge Of Forever" (From The 1986 Movie 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off')
Yello - "Lost Again" (From The 1987 Movie 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles')
Bryan Ferry - "Crazy Love" (From The 1988 Movie 'She's Having A Baby')
The Rave-Ups - "Positively Lost Me" (From The 1986 Movie 'Pretty In Pink')
Los Lobos - "Don't Worry Baby" (From The 1985 Movie 'Weird Science')
Steve Earle - "Continental Trailways Blues" (From The 1987 Movie 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles')
The Revillos - "Rev Up" (From The 1984 Movie 'Sixteen Candles')
Boston - "More Than A Feeling" (From The 1988 Movie 'She's Having A Baby')
Balaam & The Angel - "I'll Show You Something Special" (From The 1987 Movie 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles')
The Rave-Ups - "Rave Up/Shut Up" (From The 1986 Movie 'Pretty In Pink')
Pop Will Eat Itself - "Beaver Patrol" (From The 1988 Movie 'The Great Outdoors')
The Vapors - "Turning Japanese" (From The 1984 Movie 'Sixteen Candles')
Silicon Teens - "Red River Rock" (From The 1987 Movie 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles')
out
POP – the album that has become widely recognized as the defining moment in which Wolfgang Voigt brought us into a clearing of his deep, psychedelic forest. A landmark release in the GAS odyssey that drew international attention, POP was originally released in 2000 on the iconic Frankfurt imprint MILLE PLATEUX. POP was heralded by Pitchfork at the time of release as being “an exercise in sonic texture… pure sonic velvet, the layered drone radiating a palpable warmth.”
POP has since been reissued in 2016 as a part of GAS “BOX” (now out of print) and finally now, POP is released on KOMPAKT – for the first time in its original artwork. POP wird allgemein als das GAS Album angesehen, auf dem Wolfgang Voigt den Hörer auf eine kleine Lichtung inmitten seines undurchdringlichen, psychedelischen Waldes mitnahm. Ursprünglich im Jahr 2000 auf dem legendären Frankfurter Label Mille Plateaux veröffentlicht, gilt POP innerhalb der GAS Historie als Meilenstein, der international große Aufmerksamkeit erregte. Das renommierte amerikanische Musikmagazin Pitchfork nannte POP „eine Übung in sonischen Texturen … reiner, akustischer Samt; dicht übereinander geschichtete Drones, von denen eine tatsächlich spürbare Wärme ausgeht“.
Als Bestandteil der GAS „BOX“ (aktuell vergriffen) bereits 2016 neu aufgelegt, wird POP nun mit Original Artwork erstmals auf KOMPAKT veröffentlicht.
- A1: She's Getting Married In August
- A2: Evenin' Rain
- A3: Les Papillons
- A4: Zeena
- A5: Virgin Morn
- A6: Seeds
- B1: Crystal Blue
- B2: Lady Carole
- B3: Lotus Child
- B4: Last Prayer
- B5: Hymn For Today
- C1: Boston
- C2: Blackbird Charlie
- C3: My Sun
- C4: Closer To The Truth
- C5: Strange News
- D1: Moonchild
- D2: Red Shoe Truckin
- D3: Beautiful
- D4: Opal Blue Sunday
First time vinyl reissue, expanded and deluxe double gatefold 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork and fresh liners written by Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours)
Alan James Eastwood's glorious Seeds is a certified folk-funk lost-classic.
But who was Alan James Eastwood? He had never hit the big time and commercial success eluded him. By the mid-1970s, his musical career was pretty much over and he was almost unknown except among deep heads, amongst whom he would gain cult status.
Original copies of the 1971 vinyl release of Seeds exchange hands for high sums, if you can find one. This expanded 2LP contains an extra record, collecting 9 rare non-album singles and is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned liner notes courtesy of Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours).
With the long overdue deluxe reissue of this prized artefact, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Alan James Eastwood. RIYL Nick Drake, Rodriguez, Richie Havens.
Alan James ‘Bugsy’ Eastwood was a renowned musician and singer who came to prominence in the late 1960s with The Exception, an unsung but excellent band from Birmingham. The Exception released many singles, the first featuring friend Robert Plant on tambourine, before an album, The Exceptional Exception. However, by this time, Bugsy was feeling constrained and restless; he left the band within weeks of the release.
Having vanished from the scene, he was honing a deeper, introspective edge to his songwriting. His demos found their way to the sound engineer and producer Mike Cooper at Pan Music Studios in Denmark Street. Loving what he heard, Eastwood soon entered a recording session with Cooper. The session was just Alan, his guitar and harmonica and - by all accounts - it was remarkable. With the songs, the voice and such an exceptional talent, it was hard to go wrong. Says Mike: "We had John Hawkins do the big string arrangements and Richard Hewson arranged the string quartet. We overdubbed the orchestrations on Alan's original session recordings, adding Chris Karan on tabla and various percussion. We considered re-recording the vocals but found that the magic on that original session was so exceptional overdubbing would not be as good as the atmospheric 'live' performance."
Mike and Alan viewed each track as a different entity, giving the album a diverse sonic palette. Assessing each song individually, they decided which would be suitable for each arranger. Top-flight session musicians were added to the roster to complete the sound, with Byron Lye Fook (father of musician Omar) on drums, bassist Mike Ward, Brian Pickles on marimba and jazz drummer Chris Karan on tabla and percussion. Recorded in a matter of days in Pan's small 8-track studio, they carefully added overdubs, rhythm sections and four string sessions arranged by Hawkins, with Hewson's arrangements recorded at Trident Studios.
Seeds was Alan James Eastwood's debut solo album – indeed, his only solo album - and was originally issued on President in 1971. It melded Eastwood’s impressive rock sensibilities with a folk thread to superb effect. His arresting voice - its deep, rough-hewn soulfulness - coupled with gorgeous string-drenched backing, make this a phenomenal listen. It really is a great 70s singer-songwriter record - with touches of acid-folk and folk-funk throughout.
It opens with "She's Getting Married In August", a mellow tune with Richard Hewson's strings arranged around Alan's straightforward guitar structure. Up next, the joyous, sun-dappled guitar and strings workout "Evenin' Rain" glides by before the fragile, accordion-enhanced "Les Papillons" breezes out of the speakers. The bluesy "Zeena" follows, featuring vocals and acoustic guitar and showcasing Eastwood's effortless harmonica. Starting out as a ballad, "Virgin Morn" builds with soaring strings and gospel-tinged backing vocals from Marilyn Powell and jazz singer Josephine Stahl. The A-side closes with the title track, "Seeds". With a chugging mid-tempo beat, soulful vocals and a beautiful Bacharach-esque string arrangement, it truly is stop-you-in-your-tracks spectacular.
Side B opens with "Crystal Blue", gilded by Lye Fook's marimba, lush gospel-esque backing vocals and handclaps. Eastwood's acoustic guitar begins "Lady Carole", which starts as a bluesy ballad and builds with more string arrangement, lifting the track to another height. A towering highlight of epic proportions, "Lotus Child" is a true masterpiece of arrangement. It opens with simple yet stunning do-do-dah vocal harmonies blended with John Hawkins's strings, bass lines and rhythmic beats, forming a vibe very much in conversation with the sounds coming from LA's Laurel Canyon. Next up, the heartwarming "Last Prayer", dedicated to Alan's first and last love, contains a melancholic vocal with a wistful string-drenched arrangement that would sit comfortably in a Federico Fellini score. Bringing the album to a close, "Hymn For Today" is a melodic raga with tabla, strings and a soft-psych feel. Eastwood's prophetic whisper - "I am real. At last, I am real" - profoundly hits home.
Kicking off the extra disc is the sparsely funky and country-tinged "Boston", released as the flip to the astonishing "Seeds". Next up are the two tracks that comprised Alan’s debut solo 7" single from 1968. The laconic, Bobby Charles-esque "Blackbird Charlie" evidences a real depth and charm in Eastwood's songwriting whilst the starkly brilliant flip, "My Sun", was a horizontal, atmospheric folk-tinged soundtracky precursor to his later work on Seeds.
In 1972, two further standalone singles followed. The first was the evergreen flute-driven folk-funk bomb, "Closer To The Truth", backed by the funky blues of "Strange News". The second, a deeply moving Havens-inspired "Moonchild" - rightly fawned over to this day - was flipped with "Red Shoe Truckin'", a groove-infused track. Eastwood also paired up with Marilyn Powell for a single produced by Powell's partner, Mike Cooper. Under the name Eastwood & Powell, they released their staggering rendition of "Beautiful", a rock-blues-pop song arranged by Ivor Raymonde and written by Carole King. Over on the flip, a funky Eastwood original "Opal Blue Sunday" lurked. This is not to be overlooked.
Over the years, Alan remained active on the music scene, but problems with alcohol and health complications from diabetes severely impacted his career. He spent his latter years living in London until his untimely death from heart failure on 25 October 2007, just one day before his 62nd birthday and without his music having received the real acclaim it so dearly deserved.
This deluxe reissue, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to rectifying this tragic fact. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The original artwork has been lovingly brought back to life at Be With HQ, with the addition of passionately written liner notes specially for this landmark reissue by none other than Paul Hillery.
- A1: Lost Blocks F. Elucid Produced By Messiah Musik
- A2: The Big Nothing Produced By Messiah Musik
- A3: Flatlands Produced By Messiah Musik
- A4: Woodhull Produced By Willie Green
- A5: U-Boats F. Elucid Produced By Driver For Raygunomics & Aesop Rock
- A6: Zulu Tolstoy Produced By Willie Green
- A7: Warmachines Produced By Messiah Musik
- A8: Carpetbagger F. Elucid Produced By Brother Hall
- B1: Born Yesterday Produced By Messiah Musik
- B2: Sleep Produced By Willie Green
- B3: Scales F. L’wren Produced By Messiah Musik
- B4: Poor Company F. Elucid & Henry Canyons Produced By Elucid & Messiah Musik
- B5: Dreams Come True Produced By Messiah Musik
- C1: Bicycles F. Henry Canyons Produced By Blockhead
- C2: African Dodger F. Elucid Produced By Dosg4W
- C3: Lambs Produced By Messiah Musik
- C4: Slow Week Produced By Dosg4W
- C5: Weeper F. Curly Castro Produced By Messiah Musik
- C6: Rpms Produced By Messiah Musik
- D1: Dark Woods Produced By Steel Tipped Dove
- D2: True Stories Produced By Blockhead
- D3: Borrowed Time Produced By Junclassic
- D4: Benediction Produced By Elucid
- D5: Good Night Produced By Blockhead
When billy woods released Today, I Wrote Nothing ten years ago, it was an unexpected departure from a rapper who was just starting to make waves in the indie rap scene. After spending the earlier part of his career in the wilderness, woods had managed to crawl out of obscurity with the minor success of 2012’s History Will Absolve Me. Dour Candy, 2013’s collaboration with underground legend Blockhead drew accolades, which only increased with Armand Hammer’s debut Race Music.
Then, woods dropped out of sight for two years before returning with Today, I Wrote Nothing, a record that deviated significantly from what had come before. Where Dour Candy had been concise and focused, TIWN was a sprawling 24 tracks. Where History Will Absolve Me was anchored by hard-hitting beats, anthemic songs, and a couple high powered features, TIWN was comprised of short vignettes, quietly eclectic production, and the only guests were his Backwoodz label-mates. Only one video was released; the claustrophobic “Flatlands”, shot on a shoestring budget in a Brooklyn housing project. Reviewers didn’t know quite what to make of the record, and in many cases, neither did fans.
As is often the case for woods’ albums, many perspectives shifted as the years passed. Listeners came to see the sad, quiet beauty of Today, I Wrote Nothing; a road trip album that doubles as a meditation on life’s journeys and death’s hiding places. The album’s power is in it’s intimacy, it’s insistence on holding your hand through the darkness. Now, TIWN is considered one of the more unique and vital records in woods catalogue. The dynamic woods created with TIWN vis-a-vis History Will Absolve Me and Dour Candy is one that would come to define his ouerve; constant experimentation, a refusal to be pigeonholed, and an unwavering search for the emotional heart of his subject. For us at Backwoodz, being able to repress this album on it’s ten year anniversary is especially sweet, because we remember how long it took us to sell that original run of 500. To everyone who copped one of those and helped us keep the lights on, this is for you too, we couldn’t have gotten here otherwise.
- A1: John Simmons - Ain't Nothing Like The Love (3 48)
- A2: Le Cop - Law, Order & Peace (2 47)
- A3: The Medlows - Love (Part 1) (2 57)
- A4: The Whale & Flea - Ridin' On (4 00)
- B1: Liberation Of Man - Lovely Day (3 11)
- B2: Thrills - Telephone (4 00)
- B3: East Wind Band - Read The Fine Print (3 31)
- B4: Late Nite Music Band - Sundance (4 45)
- C1: Gulden Karabocek - Dokunma Keyfine Yalana Dunyanin (3 29)
- C2: Nukhet Ruacan - Golge (3 11)
- C3: Carlos Bivar - Amargo Amar (3 50)
- C4: Art Carey & Magnum Force - Good-Bye My Love (4 37)
- D1: New Way - Holding On (2 46)
- D2: Flashback - Piece Of Mind (4 30)
- D3: Spectrym - In Flight (3 58)
- D4: John Academia - Open Our Eyes (4 45)
Black Vinyl[28,53 €]
With two critically acclaimed compilations already under his belt, DJ / collector miche returns to Mr Bongo with the third instalment of his With Love series. Testament to his ever-expanding taste, Volume 3 isn’t just a subs bench call-up from the past compilations, it’s an evolution and progression casting the net deeper and wider than before.
Keeping true to the series, but with some fresh surprises along the way, this carefully curated compilation is a celebration of soulful, independently released music from across the globe, and the amazing (often unsung) musicians and vocalists that made these sublime records.
Across the third volume, miche explores a jazzier side of his tastes. “The deeper I went, the more I found myself gravitating towards jazzier music - not leaving soul behind, but following that same feeling into new territory”, he explains. Tracks like the gliding jazz funk found on Late Nite Music Band’s ‘Sundance’, or the glorious jazz-soul number ‘In Flight’ by Spectrym are shining examples of this.
That defining soulful thread of previous volumes is still in full effect throughout this latest edition. “There’s a healthy dose of impossible-to-find soul gems that have that unmistakable, heartwarming feel. Tracks like John Simmons' 'Ain't Nothing Like The Love', which I've adored ever since Zaf Love Vinyl played it, sit perfectly alongside records like Le Cop and New Way”, states miche.
The addition of some top-tier Turkish music showcases another side to his ever-broadening taste. Nükhet Ruacan's 'Gölge' is something unique, a floaty Brazilian-inspired gem recorded in Turkey and not what you’d typically expect from Turkish records of this era.
It also wouldn’t feel right to leave out a stop in Brazil, with miche looking to the work of Carlos Bivar whose track 'Amargo Amar' carries that undeniable groove of samba-funk from Rio.
Spreading the With Love message far and wide the series has led to miche DJing across the globe, “from batucada sessions in Timisoara, to all-night sets in a club in Beijing, and even an eight-hour Root Down With Love stage takeover at We Out Here festival, joined by Danilo Plessow, Jeremy Underground, and of course, my mentor and buddy Rainer Trüby.”
Volume 3 then, carries that message even further. It’s an eclectic but intentional collection, built for the music lover who wants to discover something new. Working just as well as a soundtrack to cook dinner to, as it does keeping a packed dancefloor moving into the small hours.
180g
Repress
Supported by Deepbass, Svreca, Pris, A Sacred Geometry, Amandra, Etapp Kyle, Takaaki Itoh and Abstract Division to name a few.
The Hypnus clergy is proud to present the 6th solo record by Feral. 'Ultraviolet Radiation' throws us head first into a sound that's been brooding for a time and now finally started to blossom, revealing the massive potential of this gifted producer. Those who heard his contribution to our latest Various Adepts record or have managed to catch one of his mind-bending live performances will recognize his uniquely psychedelic deep techno sound.
Marked by an awakened sense of depth, Feral consistently carries a thread of spirituality throughout his work. Embodying the sound of deep techno through his passion for audio engineering, hardware experimentation and fascination for percussive instruments, as well as an affinity for the shamanic becomes apparent when we swirl in tribal timbres and rhythms.
Finding comfort in the solitude of his studio; the sounds of Feral unearth the path of his multidimensional world, transporting the listener to a haunting, yet grounding refuge within.
- A1: It's You
- A2: Ain't No Mountain High Enough
- A3: Pay Girl
- B1: (Knock Out) Let's Go Another Round
- B2: Live It Up
- B3: Make It Last Forever
- C1: Make It Last Forever (12" Larry Levan Paradise Garage Mix)
- D1: Let's Get This Thing Together
- D2: Ain't No Mountain High Enough (12" Garage Version Mix By Larry Levan)
Jocelyn Brown should need no introduction at this stage, one of the US's most respected vocalists famed for bringing the gospel edge into contemporary R&B and soul music. Brown was the voice behind the celebrated Disco and Boogie outfit Inner Life, whose 1981 self-titled LP you currently hold in your hands in the form of this luxurious reissue.
Cutting 2 LP's for the label in the early 1980's, Inner Life came
strong with club hit after hit, working with the top producers, mixers, arrangers and studios of the day the group were gaining cult status with their records becoming the taste of the dancefloors at the Garage, the Loft, the Warehouse and everywhere and anywhere else in-between! It's no surprise then, that these records are still coveted by music lovers and DJ's today, classic status bestowed upon this most soulful of catalogues.
A truly essential package for the die-hard Disco aficionado or for those who are exploring this most important movement in dance music for the first time. Curated with the full input and backing of Salsoul Records and carefully repressed across 2x12"s for maximum sonic playback. For listening, for dancing, for turning on a party!
Remastered by Optimum Mastering. Fully authorised and approved by Salsoul Records. Worldwide distribution by Above Board.
An extremely rare Northern Soul 45 RPM single originally released in 1965 on the Holly label, Billy Arnell And The Sparkles "Tough Girl" was the product of two childhood friends that lived less than a block apart in suburban Fairlawn, New Jersey in the early 1960s - Billy Smith and Lou Hemsey.
Billy played guitar and sang; Lou played guitar and wrote songs, so they decided to form a band. They added friends Eddie Hoffman on organ and Jack Gullone on drums and began playing lots of gigs locally as Little Willie & The Sparkles. They were young, ambitious, and imagined themselves as the next Beatles. By a stroke of fate, they met Joe Martin of Apex-Martin Distributors in Newark, NJ, who caught the band's live show and was duly impressed. That meeting led to the recording session for the "Tough Girl" single. When they recorded the first version of the song, the producer wasn't happy, nor was Joe Martin - so he fired that producer and brought in the young, up and coming producer, George Kerr. Kerr didn't care much for the band, so they redid the entire thing without Hoffman and Guilone - with just Billy singing and Lou playing guitar.
The pair of old friends were buoyed by session aces Eric Gale on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, Bobbie Banks on organ, as well as a bass player whose name has been lost to time. In addition to those changes, they used the studio horn section that Hemsey arranged for, plus two trumpets, two saxes and two vibes players. The resulting single was an infectious amalgamation of rock and soul. Billy changed his surname to Arnell for the 45 release (because he thought it sounded more "show-biz") and the rest is pop history. Arnell later started a record company (Fire Sign Records) and purchased a recording studio (112 Greene Street Recording) in the trendy SoHo section of Manhattan with Steve Loeb.
As for the rest of The Sparkles, Hoffman became a teacher somewhere on Long Island, Guilone graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Massachusetts and ended up living in Northern New Jersey. Hemsey became a well-known recording engineer, composer (Lou was the one who wrote "Tough Girl"), guitarist, arranger, orchestrator, editor, film director and producer for records and commercials.
To coincide with the second birthday of Echo Chamber Recordings, it was right that we returned to the series that kickstarted it all in the summer of 2023 - with the fourth instalment of the “Boogaloo Lessons”. The Latin Brothers dig even deeper in their crates of original late 1960s vinyl from New York - to sample dozens of tunes for these next instalments. As ever, these are cut and pasted into a dancefloor party style and updated with extra beats ‘n’ FX for clubwise satisfaction - in homage to the classic Hip Hop Lessons series
The first two releases in the series sold out immediately…
This edition is only 300 worldwide - in order to move quickly and get more space on the shelves for the forthcoming releases on the way on ECR and it’s sister labels ECHO LABS and ECHO EDITS - which are queuing up right now at the pressing plant !
- 1: Holiday Party At The Cryptozoological Museum (Entrance) 0:22 Video
- 2: Abominable Snowman 0:38
- 3: Unholy Night - Mini Exhibit On Ritualistic Holiday Burnings 01:21
- 4: Coventry Carol For The Dead (Exhibit Hall A - Human Sacrifice As Holiday Tradition) 02:8
- 5: Hoofsteps Approaching (Mini Exhibit: Malfunctioning Yuletide Countdown Clocks) 01:06
- 6: Krampus Is Coming To Town - Exhibit Hall B 02:58
- 7: A Last Noel (Mini Exhibit: Collection Of Animatronic Christmas Decorations) 01:26
- 8: Sugar Plum Faeries: Friends Or Foes (Exhibit Hall C) 03:0
- 9: The Bells Toll (Mini Exhibit: Collection Of Vintage Holiday Carnival Games And Pinball Machines) 01:14
- 10: Christmas Luau (Snack Bar) 02:37
- 11: The Aritifical Aviary 01:04
- 12: God Rest Their Souls (Closed For Renovations) 02:42
- 13: Off-Limits Stairwell 01:14
- 14: Deadly Night (Members Only Ritual Chamber) 02:48
- 15: Cursed Artifiact Storage Room 01:21
- 16: Carol Of Hells Bells 02:53
- 17: Escape 01:21
Following the release of Haunted House Party, Bradley Thomas Turner was contacted by the Cryptozoological Society of New York City to create music for their museum’s holiday exhibitions. As enigmatic as they are controversial, the secretive society gave the composer free rein to create music that celebrated their profane (and, according to their critics, pseudoscientific) explorations of the darker side of yuletide folklore. The endeavour was denounced by religious groups, the scientific community and even parts of the cryptozoological community as “blasphemous,” “irresponsible”, and “a dangerous topic to make light of” respectively. Not much is known about the pandemonium that broke out on the night of the opening reception, but one journalist (who has been granted anonymity by request) infiltrated the event and captured the recordings that follow. Death cult ritual? Mishandling of cursed artifacts? Elaborate practical joke? Publicity stunt? No one can (or will) say for sure as no person in attendance has been willing to speak on record. Therefore, we present these recordings so the general public can decide for themselves.
Musique de Niche Vol.1 barked for a Vol.2. The second opus of any relevant trilogy (did I just spoil a Vol.3?) undergoes always the hardest trial by fire: but the bois, Pierre Marty and Admo, once again delivered these flavors you didnt know your collection was missing.
Same city, different district and new inspirations: following the world premiere in Berlin of their Liveset, they hit the home studio, refining the last bits of this new EP and giving it a new twist while still echoing the first volume.
Tech-house yes, but is it really ?
Indecisiveness feels like we could've said maybe yes but no but...
Well: Alpyren did the quite impressive feat of pressing this feeling on a record - that's A1. The haunting voice sample is this sassy inner self trying to tell you whats up. At least, you're not alone: the quirky bleeps and the punchy bassline are there lending you a hand to make that surely bad decision.
By flipping the record or the usb, you get to the two tracks where they let their new inspirations hit the speakers.
B1 is out before GTA VI, but it could've been in the soundtrack if the game was actually happening between Los Santos and Marseille.G-funk with the Alpyren touch: for the floor, a tune that will make you sway. Broken beats, almost broken legs.
B2 is the freaky one of the bunch: starts with the gloomy sound signature of the duo, but we're back with more 80's inspirations.Darker synth pop with a twist: you end up following the kick with the head bobbing in sync, while all the FX sounds bring to the track this extra spice.
It's 5pm here at the Ordinateuf HQ and we've just finished listening to the latest masters of the new E.P by Alpyren 'Musique de Niche vol2'. Before we're back to more phone calls, we'd like to thank all the friends that bought the first volume: the support has been quite amazing so far.
Enjoy this new one - its got our paw of approval.
Seoul-based producer and DJ Yetsuby conjures immersive, layered soundscapes that glide between breakbeat, jungle, and leftfield bass. As one half of the duo Salamanda and co-founder of Computer Music Club, she has released music on labels like Wisdom Teeth, all my thoughts, Human Pitch, and Métron. And her boundary pushing sets on Seoul Community Radio, Boiler Room, and NTS Radio have brought her experimental Seoul roots to a global audience.
Her new album, 4EVA, invites listeners to wander through strange musical landscapes. Blending digital, analog, and acoustic sounds, Yetsuby explores the magnetic pull between people and music—an experience that feels both cosmic and deeply personal. Effortlessly weaving through genres such as bass, breakbeat, ambient, footwork, contemporary club, and IDM, she creates maximalist compositions that remain cohesive and refined.
The inspiration behind 4EVA is equally surreal. A childhood doodle from her sister, calling her a “brain-ful human,” sparked reflections on loneliness, togetherness, and the joy of navigating both. The album channels these themes of connection, introspection, and the transformative power of music, delivering catchy melodies and restless harmonies that invite listeners to lose themselves in its nuanced rhythms.
Out on Pink Oyster Records in LP and digital formats, 4EVA marks a bold new chapter for Yetsuby. With this release, she emerges as one of electronic music’s most original and exciting voices, defining the sound of Seoul’s underground—and beyond.
Pink Oyster is a new label from Jess Goodchild and Jack Hardwicke (Métron Records)
The writer Max Sebald often pondered over the nature of human memory, specifically, how our thoughts and desires - and their results - overlap and mutate over time. In A Place in the Country, he writes of the significance of what see as “similarities, overlaps and coincidences”. Are they the “delusions” of the self and senses, or manifestations of “an order underlying the chaos of human relationships, ... which lies beyond our comprehension”?
Song of the Night Mists, the new album by post-classical composer Stefan Wesołowski, often feels it draws on Sebald’s premise.
On a simpler plane, the one where the market dictates the neatly ordered information we consume, Song of the Night Mists can be described thus: recorded in the main by Stefan Wesołowski in Gdańsk, both in his studio and in Saint Nicholas' Basilica, the album incorporates acoustic instruments - piano, violin, double bass - and classic synthesizers such as the Roland Jupiter-8, the Soviet Polivoks. A Roland Space Echo RE-150 tape delay was also pressed into service as an instrument. We also hear the basillica’s organ and field recordings from the Tatra Mountains. Other musicians were Maja Miro, who played the flute parts on ‘Glacial Troughs’ and brother Piotr Wesołowski, who played the organ on ‘Wilhelm Tombeau’. Sound engineer was Marcin Nenko, who was also on hand to record the basilica organ parts. The album was mixed in New York by Al Carlson (Oneohtrix Point Never, Jessica Pratt, Zola Jesus, Lady Gaga, and Liturgy) and Rafael Anton Irisarri handled the mastering.
Ostensibly, Song of the Night Mists is the last in a trilogy, following on from albums Liebestod (2013) and Rite of the End (2017). All three deal with existential matters such as love, death, decay and “an ultimate end”; apocalyptic and Promethean in spirit, and betraying very human conceits. The Sebaldian nature of the new record starts to make itself felt when Wesołowski talks of how he used sampling. One element is unexpected, that of sampling himself: “I go back to dozens of my own unused sketches and recordings, treating them as raw material to cut, slow down, reverse, and transform in every possible way.” Memory as sound, to be reemployed by the listener through their own imaginings.
Another set of samples made by Wesołowski plays another role. These are field recordings, originally created for an audio illustration of the formation of the Tatra Mountains, and used in a film by sound designer Michał Fojcik. Wesołowski: “You can hear cracking ice, streams, footsteps in the snow and the wind, and a real avalanche, recorded from the inside.” The “Tatra connection” on the album is also found in samples referencing composer Karol Szymanowski. The album’s title alludes to a poem about the mountains by Polish poet, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer.
Wesołowski’s Tatra recordings are “about a world without humans - about the fact that the world existed, was beautiful, and had meaning long before people arrived, and for the vast majority of its history, it was a place without us.” Wesołowski, using one iteration of the natural world, plays out in sound Sebald’s idea of another order, underlying the chaos of human relationships lying beyond human comprehension.
These feelings play themselves out on the five album tracks. Sonorous and rich, they illustrate tectonic shifts we have no control over. Wesołowski hints that the overall sound is a “meditation on the metaphysics of the non-human set against the spirituality that human presence has brought into it.” In that light, the opening number, ‘Core’, with its slow build, and crackling and straining sound effects, create an effect of the earth groaning into life in a creation myth. Once the piano part raps out a simple melody and modulated tonguing trumpet samples add to the overall atmosphere, the listener can certainly find a cue in the “spiritual”, or “human” side of the story. Human versus nature: from the strains and harmonic muscle stretches of the second number, ‘Glacial Troughs’, through to the powerful and filmic ‘Stalagmite’ and heart-on-sleeve romance expressed in closer, ‘Wilhelm Tombeau’, we listeners are cast as Friedrich’s wanderer, looking out over a landscape that will appear only if we engage with it.
Formations of melody appear incrementally, almost appearing by chance - like hidden footings in the rock shelves to give us something to grasp onto. Rhythms are used sparsely: the prolonged percussive taps on ‘Glacial Troughs’ are an anomaly and maybe there to give pace to the album to come; essentially to keep the listener strapped in. Elsewhere, percussion is used as an aid to mood, the two thudding, timpani-style passages on ‘Peak’ there to offset the short, beautiful, kosmische passage that splits them.
Elements of the borderline religious spirit that drove German electronic music in the late 1960s and 1970s also find a place on Song of the Night Mists. The swells and recessions of the organ find their emotional climax on ‘Wilhelm Tombeau’, a track which summons up echoes of the “mountain magic” vistas created by Popol Vuh or Tangerine Dream, especially with the slightly atonal wobble of the Mellotron that counters it.
This is a dramatic album, but it does feel a strangely short, or curtailed listen on ending, evoking the feeling one gets when waking from a dream, and, for all its incipient grandeur, a track like ‘Stalagmite’, for instance, ends on a minor note. Wesołowski admits that Song of the Night Mists is born of the all too human process of temptation, doubt and recalibration - Sebaldian overlaps and coincidences forming something that must live another life, away from its creator. In Wesołowski’s words, the album is “a newborn foal must stand up and walk right after birth.” Now it is yours to ponder.
- A1: Differences (Ginuwine)
- A2: Anywhere (Feat Meshell Ndegeocello) (112)
- A3: Are You That Somebody (Aaliyah)
- A4: I Swear (All-4-One)
- A5: Candy Rain (Soul 4 Real)
- A6: In Those Jeans (Ginuwine)
- B1: Crazy In Love (Beyonce)
- B2: I Wanna Know (Joe)
- B3: Didn't Cha Know (Erykah Badu)
- B4: Let Me Love You (Mario)
- B5: Swv Medley (Swv)
- B6: Water Runs Dry (Boyz Ii Men)
Auf COOKUP interpretiert Sam Gendel R&B-, Rap- und Soul-Hits, die ursprünglich zwischen 1992 und 2004 veröffentlicht wurden.
Wie schon sein Nonesuch-Debüt SATIN DOLL aus dem Jahr 2020 entstand COOKUP in Gendels Heimat Kalifornien, aufgenommen zusammen mit seinen Freunden und musikalischen Partnern Gabe Noel und Philippe Melanson.
Das Trio hat das Ausgangsmaterial erneut größtenteils live im Studio dekonstruiert und neu zusammengesetzt. Diesmal sind es Songs von Meshell Ndegeocello, Ginuwine, 112, Aaliyah, All-4-One, Soul 4
Real, Beyoncé, Joe, Erykah Badu, Mario, SWV und Boyz II Men.
"Saxophonist und Produzent Sam Gendel bewegt sich in einer völlig anderen Welt - einer schrägen Galaxie voller Loops und flirrendem Saxophon." - New York Times
"Ein raffiniert virtuoser Künstler. Pickt man sich zufällig einen Brocken aus Gendels Diskografie heraus, kann man abgefahrenen Free Jazz genauso erwischen wie schwülen R&B." - Pitchfork
‘Absurd Matter’ is a labyrinthine sonic conundrum that spirals around the two poles of extreme noise and hiphop. It's Berlin-based Italian producer Shapednoise's first album in four years and confidently advances his narrative into the next chapter, building on the groundwork of his prior abstractions to emerge with a coherent genre-warped fusion of urgent rap, crushing bass weight and idiosyncratic sound design. After spending years scrupulously deconstructing club music, Nino Pedone has rebuilt it brick by brick in his image.
The album is the first release on Pedone's brand new imprint WEIGHT LOOMING, a multidisciplinary label platform that's set to explore the depths of bass music, textured noise and abrasive transcendence. It follows a slew of acclaimed releases for Numbers,
Opal Tapes, Type and his own Cosmo Rhythmatic label, and forward thinking collaborations with Kenyan beat alchemist Slikback and Hyperdub-signed Angolan producer Nazar. Pedone's most ambitious project to date, ‘Absurd Matter’ taps into kinetic energy from a hand-picked selection of collaborators, including New York rap duo Armand
Hammer, French DJ/producer Brodinski, Bruiser Brigade's ZelooperZ and vanguard Philly poet, musician, and activist Moor Mother.
On ‘Family’, Billy Woods and Elucid weave a dismal, apocalyptic landscape with their razor-sharp anecdotes. The duo’s macabre imagery is given artificial life by Pedone's industrial scrapes and rattles that curl around their worlds like thick smoke. It's still rap, just about, but lodges itself in the back room of a factory, machines running themselves to an early death. Pairing with techno-rap trailblazer Brodinski, Pedone edges further towards the sound system, spatializing rhythms in four dimensions around Detroit rapper
ZelooperZ's playful expressions. This is the Italian producer's sci-fi tinged liquefaction of radio echoes, a way to fire familiarity into the void and sublime the human voice into weightless mist. When Moor Mother arrives shouting "me me me" on the aptly-titled 'Poetry', it sounds as if all of Pedone's loose threads are being tightened into a knot. His misshapen neo-grime beats sound like a broken jet engine, but smartly cede power to Moor Mother's resonant rhymes. "You can't cancel me" she assures. ‘Absurd Matter’ is a defining personal development for Pedone that not only appraises his career so far, but diverts its logic into frighteningly new sonic territory. From great loss, the producer has determined his work's cardinal themes, and sounds more strident and far heavier than ever before.
This 1998 album compiles unreleased sessions from the late 70s featuring Weldon Irvine, Don Blackman and a young Marcus Miller. Known for his rare groove classics like Spirit Man in 1975 and Sinbad in 1976, Irvin's work shines here and highlights come thick and fast. They include the soulful 'Morning Sunrise' which was famously sampled by Jay-Z and Drake, the jazzy funk of 'The Sisters' with Miller's bass and Tom Brown's trumpet and the smooth 'Heard It All Before' which mixes urban sophistication with mellow fusion. Toni Smith's dynamic vocals on the funky 'Think I'll Stay A While' is another doozy which makes this masterpiece rich with jazz, soul and funk goodness.
- A1: Wake Up B*Tch
- A2: End Of The World (Feat Nigel Hall & Butcher Brown)
- A3: Real Yearners Unite
- A4: Cindy Rella
- B1: Raisins
- B2: Spin Cycle
- B3: Dream Girl
- B4: Merlot And Grigio (Feat Father Philis)
- C1: Breakthrough
- C2: A Surrender
- C3: In A Circle
- C4: Aye Noche (Feat Rahrah Gabor And Exaktly)
- C5: No For Real, Wtf?
- D1: Blicky
- D2: Ask The Questions
- D3: Bella Noches Pt 1
- D4: A Tiny Thing That's Mine
- D5: Choice
Das Leid ist uns allen verheißen, aber auch die Freude. Man muss muss man in dieser Dualität Frieden finden", sagt Yaya Bey, die Humor, Liebe, die Kraft der menschlichen Bewegung und menschlichen Bewegung und Verbindung - auch wenn sie Angst hat. Mit ihrem neuen Album, das auf eine Veröffentlichungen folgt und ihr Debüt bei einem Indie-Label drink sum wtr erscheint, ist die Singer-Songwriterin aus Queens, New York, durch ihr aufmunterndes, sprudelndes Material. Eine Absage an vergangene Vergangenheit, die auf sie projiziert wurde, findet Bey in ,do it afraid ihre Geschichte mit entschlossenem Spaß, vollem Herzen und nuancierten Songs, die sich aus R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul Soul und Tanzmusik, einschließlich des Soca-Stils ihrer Bajan-Wurzeln ihrer Familie. do it afraid zelebriert alle Seiten von Yaya als Teil einer kollektiven Lebenskraft, die nicht die sich nicht der Angst verschreibt, sondern den Momenten, die uns bewegen.
DJ Support: Support by Kenneth Bager, Colleen "Cosmo" Murphy, Phil Mison, Chris Coco, Erki Pruul, Steve Cobby, Max Essa, DJ Gripper, Phil Cooper, La Guardia De La Luz, Johan Blende, Bill Brewster, Mike Salta, Pete Herbert, DJ Dribbler / For Mankind and many more.
Greek duo Bonnie & Klein serve up an Aegean musical escape with their new Glam Pulse EP on Hell Yeah.
George Fountzoulas and Thanasis Skouzis are lifelong Balearic brothers who offer up their own soul-stirring take on the sound on labels like Music For Dreams and NuNorthern Soul. They are inspired by the sunsets and seas of their homeland and bring great imagination to their melodies as this new outing proves.
'Glam Pulse' sets a gorgeous tone from the off with wavy grooves and a peppering of percussion. As well as some singing guitar riffs, sundown synths and shimmering chords make this a steamy and seductive gem. 'Haleakala' is another perfect soundtrack to lazing on the beach and watching the sun sink into the sea while new age motifs wash over you and carry away your woes. Proggy guitars speak to the soul on 'Horizon Avenue' as woody xylophones and wispy leads ride on dubby bass and 'Sunion' closes with hints of melancholy - a lament for the final dance of a long hot summer with lingering trumpets lodging deep in your heart.
Bonnie & Klein tap into real Balearic magic on this EP and effortlessly transport you to a sandy paradise.
PRESSED ON PINK COLORED VINYL Czarface returns from the shadows with "Knull & Void", a bone-rattling 12” straight from the film Venom: The Last Dance. Featuring Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man and the elusive Frankie Pulitzer, and rounded out with a never-before-heard B-side "Safe Haven", this one's destined to be a collector's grail. Whether you're a hip-hop head or a Marvel-maniac, these tracks hit harder than Venom himself...grab it before it vanishes into the void!
Ode To Native Tongues” attempts to capture the feeling of coming of age between the years of 1989 -1993 (and beyond) while listening and witnessing the legendary Native Tongues crew releasing timeless classic albums and singles. Told through the experience of seeing the early episodes of “Yo! MTV Raps”, a friend sharing De La Soul’s first album, sharing that album with my cousin who in exchange shared Queen Latifah’s music or finding out about “Bonita Applebum” by Tribe at my high school’s homecoming dance. Evoking nostalgia as well as tell a story of how this music served as the soundtrack woven into the fabric of my youth, my coming of age, was the aim.
Everything’s For Sale” was inspired partly by a story of an elderly couple who went brokhaving to pay for their medicine.“Everything’s For Sale” speaks to how the value of money permeates all facets of this modern life, and as such it seemed only natural for it to reach into my creative world. This time however I wanted to make a song that cross examined how this super ficiality has affected music culture, let alone how it has rendered some in our society invisible -- a clear sign of a society void of compassion. The Platurn beat with a moving guitar riff pushed this song further, providing me the cover of a funky beat to dive into a topic that might not normally move an audience. Part cheat code for slipping in a conscious message to the audience without raising the alarm of the listener who may not be expecting anything more than entertainment.
- A1: John Simmons – Ain’t Nothing Like The Love
- A2: Le Cop – Law, Order & Peace
- A3: The Medlows – Love (Part 1)
- A4: The Whale And Flea – Ridin' On
- B1: Liberation Of Man – Lovely Day
- B2: Thrills – Telephone
- B3: East Wind Band – Read The Fine Print
- B4: Late Nite Music Band – Sundance
- C1: Gülden Karaböcek – Dokunma Keyfine Yalan Dünyanin (*Vinyl Only)
- C2: Nükhet Ruacan – Gölge
- C3: Carlos Bivar – Amargo Amar
- C4: Art Carey & Magnum Force – Good-Bye My Love
- D1: New Way – Holding On
- D2: Flashback – Piece Of Mind
- D3: Spectrym – In Flight
- D4: John Academia – Open Our Eyes
Magenta Vinyl[28,53 €]
With two critically acclaimed compilations already under his belt, DJ / collector miche returns to Mr Bongo with the third instalment of his With Love series. Testament to his ever-expanding taste, Volume 3 isn’t just a subs bench call-up from the past compilations, it’s an evolution and progression casting the net deeper and wider than before.
Keeping true to the series, but with some fresh surprises along the way, this carefully curated compilation is a celebration of soulful, independently released music from across the globe, and the amazing (often unsung) musicians and vocalists that made these sublime records.
Across the third volume, miche explores a jazzier side of his tastes. “The deeper I went, the more I found myself gravitating towards jazzier music - not leaving soul behind, but following that same feeling into new territory”, he explains. Tracks like the gliding jazz funk found on Late Nite Music Band’s ‘Sundance’, or the glorious jazz-soul number ‘In Flight’ by Spectrym are shining examples of this.
That defining soulful thread of previous volumes is still in full effect throughout this latest edition. “There’s a healthy dose of impossible-to-find soul gems that have that unmistakable, heartwarming feel. Tracks like John Simmons' 'Ain't Nothing Like The Love', which I've adored ever since Zaf Love Vinyl played it, sit perfectly alongside records like Le Cop and New Way”, states miche.
The addition of some top-tier Turkish music showcases another side to his ever-broadening taste. Nükhet Ruacan's 'Gölge' is something unique, a floaty Brazilian-inspired gem recorded in Turkey and not what you’d typically expect from Turkish records of this era.
It also wouldn’t feel right to leave out a stop in Brazil, with miche looking to the work of Carlos Bivar whose track 'Amargo Amar' carries that undeniable groove of samba-funk from Rio.
Spreading the With Love message far and wide the series has led to miche DJing across the globe, “from batucada sessions in Timisoara, to all-night sets in a club in Beijing, and even an eight-hour Root Down With Love stage takeover at We Out Here festival, joined by Danilo Plessow, Jeremy Underground, and of course, my mentor and buddy Rainer Trüby.”
Volume 3 then, carries that message even further. It’s an eclectic but intentional collection, built for the music lover who wants to discover something new. Working just as well as a soundtrack to cook dinner to, as it does keeping a packed dancefloor moving into the small hours.
2026 Repress
Brooklyn duo Fundido team up with Philadelphia's Universal Cave to press their first physical release titled ‘Paradise Tempo’, a love letter to dance floor music that sits in the cross section of the tougher sounds of the city and the softer sounds of the balearic and the backwoods.The A side kicks off with a flawless downtempo mix from California based Dirty Dave and Alex Pasternak, who find a rare cover of the Cathy Denis classic and refurbish it to perfection. Next up is ‘Emotional Jungle’, a jazzy midtempo weapon led by a massive saxophone hook and edited to optimum club efficiency by NY based Nick Stropko. LA via Serbia’s Masha Mar unearths extremely rare gem ‘Take Me to Mecca’ and reworks it into a dreamy midtempo journey that carries both a children’s choir vocal and a middle eastern synth melody effortlessly across a foggy dance floor. And closing out the A-side is the wonderful ‘Charlie’s Vision’ from Universal Cave, a spooky AOR tinged cosmic trip that is only available on this vinyl pressing.The B Side leads with balearic beach party stomper ‘Amor’ from Fundido themselves; complete with Spanish vocals, lofty piano jamming and a contagious growling bassline. Next up is ‘Sex-O’ from Seoul man Tucan Discos, who reworks a tribal classic into a hypnotic and seductive club mix; followed by ‘Freak Estilo’ from Spain’s Ritmal Astral boss Orion Agassi who offers a bumping freestyle breaks mix with an addictive r&b vocal hook. Last but not least, the ‘Be Careful Operator’ edit from Miles Felix aka Sisserou closes down the function with a block party jam swimming with jazz, swing and soul.When asked what visual imagery they had in mind for Paradise Tempo, the prompt given to artwork maestro Ray Fernandez was ‘salt of the earth utopia’ and ‘working man’s paradise’ … and Ray delivered exactly that. Enjoy Paradise Tempo !
Visionary producer and one half of pioneering electronic duo The Chemical Brothers, Tom Rowlands returns to Phantasy with ‘We Are Nothing / All Night’, the first solo dancefloor material since his last appearance on Erol Alkan’s storied London label in 2013 with ‘Through Me / Nothing But Pleasure’.
Once again, Rowlands delivers a double A-side single in order to commit two progressive new productions to wax. Heavily road-tested across the world in Chemical Brothers DJ sets, the sprawling arrangement of ‘We Are Nothing’ trips through a decades-long obsession and subversion of house music and psychedelia alike. Imaginatively sampling Canadian outsider artist Bill Bissett, Rowlands uses the poet’s existential phrasing as the foundation for a rising slalom of acid catharsis, peppered with snatches of soul, analogue freakouts, and all-encompassing groove.
‘All Night’, meanwhile, finds a different, perhaps unexpected rhythm. Here, Rowlands’ unmatched studio instincts deviate in a different direction entirely, employing a searing tempo to embrace the analogue experimentation at the heart of his work, as well as an appreciation for electronic music’s willingness to barrel ever-forward; the result is a worthy head spinner from both label and artist alike.
Tom Rowlands will play a rare solo DJ set at Glastonbury's Stonebridge Bar on Friday 27th June, as part of Bugged Out's 30th Anniversary celebrations.
- A1: Don The Armor
- A2: Czartacus
- A3: Lumberjack Match
- A4: Nightcrawler (Feat. Method Man)
- A5: World Premier (Feat. Large Professor)
- B1: The Great (Czar Guitar)
- B2: Red Alert
- B3: Junkyard Dogs (Feat. Juju Of The Beatnuts)
- B4: Sgt. Slaughter
- C1: When Gods Go Mad (Feat. Gza)
- C2: Ka-Bang! (Feat. Mf Doom)
- C3: Deadly Class (Feat. Meyhem Lauren)
- D1: Escape From Czarkham Asylum
- D2: Sinister
- D3: Good Villains Go Last (Feat. Ra The Rugged Man)
Repress!
Sophomore release from the acclaimed trio of Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan) And 7L & Esoteric. Features MF Doom, GZA, Method Man, Large Professor, Juju Of The Beatnuts, Ra The Rugged Man, & Meyhem Lauren. Packaged in a 70+ Page Hardcover CD Casebook / 2LP on Clear vinyl with Lyrics & Cover Art From L'amour Supreme (Mishka NYC). Includes a comic, written by Esoteric with artwork by Gilberto Aguirre Mata (El Ultimo Codice) & L'Amour Supreme. CZARFACE - Wu-Tang founding MC Inspectah Deck and veteran Boston duo 7L & Esoteric - isn't concerned with the glitz and the B.S. that modern consumer culture is pushing. And neither are the group's fans. In 2013, the trio appeared relatively unassumingly with their self-titled debut, which was chiefly produced by DJ 7L and included guests ranging from Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna to Vinnie Paz, Action Bronson and Roc Marciano. The soon-to-be acclaimed group found out quickly that there was a groundswell of hip-hop fanatics thirsting for the lunchpail, lyrics-above-all-else rap they fell in love with in the '90s. Several pressings of the album on CD, 2-LP and even cassette later, they are back and ready to up the ante. This time around the group is the same, but it's fair to say that all three men have stepped up their game. We knew how we felt about the last album, but weren't sure how it would be received by listeners,' explains MC Esoteric. But people really responded to it, even more than we had hoped. That gave us the confidence to really spread our wings and let loose on this one. The chemistry is even tighter this time around. We know exactly what lanes we are cruising in and what weight class we are fighting in for Round 2.' Inspectah Deck adds, Czarface is like the Danger Room for the X-Men, I can use all my weapons on there. When I'm in Wu-Tang, I have to come a certain way because we have a certain style of fan, when I'm here doing the Czarface projects, it allows me to actually be an MC, it allows me to actually just spit...I love that. I love when i can just spit freely and just be an MC.' The fighting analogy - whether drawn from pugilism or '80s wrestling, both which figure into Every Hero Needs A Villain - is an apt one, considering the unrelenting lyrical attacks that Deck and Esoteric unleash on track after track, each trying to one-up the previous verse. Best of all, it is friendly camaraderie, based around a loose theme of renegade mutant MC talents running wild. DJ 7L explains, All three of us are influenced by comics, sci-fi movies, TV, wrestling. Czarface encompasses all of that, and it helps with the visuals as well.' On the production side, 7L shows yet again - as he did with the group's debut - that he remains a formidable yet underappreciated musical force, constantly providing hard, funky and alternatingly ominous backdrops for the assembled MCs to use as lyrical luge paths. If that wasn't enough, it's all iced with a ridiculously intricate and beefy 70-plus page, hardcover CD casebook with lyrics and extensive artwork by Gilberto Aguirre Mata (El Ultimo Codice) and L'amour Supreme, and with Death & Abduction,' a comic written by Esoteric, and an explosive, comic-book-inspired cover by L'amour Supreme (Mishka NYC).
01. Don The Armor
02. Czartacus
03. Lumberjack Match
04. Nightcrawler (Feat. Method Man)
05. World Premier (Feat. Large Professor)
06. The Great (Czar Guitar)
07. Red Alert
08. Junkyard Dogs (Feat. Juju Of The Beatnuts)
09. Sgt. Slaughter
10. When Gods Go Mad (Feat. Gza)
11. Ka-Bang! (Feat. Mf Doom)
12. Deadly Class (Feat. Meyhem Lauren)
13. Escape From Czarkham Asylum
14. Sinister
15. Good Villains Go Last (Feat. Ra The Rugged Man)
Another all-time classic from the extensive back catalog of the legendary Miami songstress Gwen McCrae.
"90% Of Me Is You" is instantly recognizable, it's been sampled countless of times by some of the most seminal Hip Hop artists ever (Large Professor, Jaylib, Mobb Deep & more) & is a bonafide "Rare Groove" sure-shot that never loses it's appeal & is always in demand with DJ's & producers. Perhaps it's the pairing of the languid guitar & strings, or Gwen's sultry vocals & that steady breakbeat that keeps people hooked some 40 years after it's original release Whatever it is, it's classic material from start to finish!
Backed here with it's original b-side slow jam "It's Worth The Hurt" this super-rare 45 has been re-mastered, re-pressed & brought back for 2015's dance-floors in conjunction & with the permission of T.K. Disco / Henry Stone Music, Miami USA.
DJ Support: DJ Sneak, Manuel Sahagun, Jason Hodges, Natural Rhythm & Suburb Beat.
Born into the underground House Music scene of Los Angeles, CA we bring you Tom Carle of Moxy Muzik and Cross Section Music fame.
We’ll keep this short and sweet because the Brooklyn Style EP speaks for itself! You have 3 tracks of down n out funky House Music business and cap it off with the dirty underground banger “This Acid”.
Better hope the floor brought their dancing shoes because the Brooklyn Style EP is straight heat!
Dedalo District kicks off its first 12" with a split EP from two producers who don't play it safe.
On the A-side, Cruz - Barcelona-based and founder of 22 Records - delivers two cuts blending techno, electro, EBM, and new beat. Raw grooves, heavy pressure, no fluff.
On the B-side, Nativo, a Rome-based producer and part of the Incoherent Debts collective, fires back with two tracks built on breaks, electro, and synthwave textures. Twisted melodies, broken rhythms, forward-thinking attitude.
A debut that hits straight and leaves a mark.
No compromises - just tension and drive.
Efficient Space honours trailblazing Australian imprint Volition Records with Volition Cuts Vol. 1. Evolving from Andrew Penhallow’s time at GAP Records, which smuggled Cabaret Voltaire, The Fall and the Factory catalogue into the region, Volition shifted focus to homegrown talent over imported sounds. Echoing its precursor’s blend of indie friction and electronic curiosity, the label wired itself into the pulse of club and rave culture, linking city scenes and amplifying them for the mainstream. With retina-scorching design, uncompromising packaging and top-tier remixes, Volition consistently bent the major label machine to its will.
No Volition retrospective would be complete without Sisters Underground’s intergenerational anthem ‘In the Neighbourhood’. Otara teenagers Brenda Makamoeafi and Hassanah Iroegbu brought their Pasifika perspective to Proud (An Urban-Pacific Streetsoul Compilation), a commercial success that platformed NZ rap and R&B with a clarity that outshone its overseas counterparts. The quiet architect of Volition’s sound, producer prodigy Robert Racic flipped the classic as a hip-house dub before his untimely passing in 1996.
Its A-side companion comes from Brisbane synth-pop unit Boxcar, who signed to Volition after frontman Dave Smith handed a cassette to Tom Ellard of Severed Heads during a school newspaper interview. That unlikely handoff led to their 1990 debut Vertigo. Here, their ritual-laced, body-jacking industrial is retooled by Miami freestyle maverick Tony Garcia.
Further cherry-picking from the VOLT vaults, Sexing The Cherry unleash a bleep-addled meltdown from Brisbane’s Edwin Morrow and Cherryn Lomas. ‘This Is A Dream’ was recorded exclusively for High (A Dance Compilation), the first all-Australian V/A to top the ARIA charts, propelling the local movement into national consciousness.
Closing the sampler, Sydney’s Single Gun Theory joined Volition as they moved from post-punk abstraction and electronic collage toward downtempo, sample-based mysticism. Their 1994 ambient-pop reverie ‘Fall’ is reimagined by Stuart Crichton and Apollo 440’s Norman Fisher-Jones as full-throttle Goa trance, a final surge that channels the label’s relentless push into new terrain.
Volition Cuts Vol. 1 is dedicated to the loving memory of Volition’s visionary founder Andrew Penhallow, and key contributors Robert Racic and Edwin Morrow.1
Schadenheimer fled Syria for Europe in 2016, eventually finding refuge in Germany. While working through personal challenges, they began exploring new wave, electronica and the raw aesthetics of post-punk, all of which shaped the sound and feel of this release.
Their first single, "Der Lärm in meinem Kopf / Selbstliebe ist egal" reflects a state of inner unrest. Drawing from experiences of war, migration and personal struggle, Schadenheimer shares a direct and honest take on what it means to live with constant noise/war within.
This release comes from something deeply personal but speaks to a broader experience. While rooted in the trauma of displacement and emotional conflict, the songs touch on something many can relate to. They explore self-doubt, emotional numbness and the quiet pull of self-sabotage.
According to Schadenheimer, despite the weight of these themes - there was always a sense that something within could carry them forward. That feeling doesn’t remove the struggle, but it helps to keep moving.
"Der Lärm in meinem Kopf / Selbstliebe ist egal" will be released on 18.07.2025 on 7" vinyl and digital via the Leipzig imprint, R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings.
- A1: Handouts In The Rain (Richie Havens)
- A2: Small Town Talk (Bobby Charles)
- A3: El Dorado (Eamon Friel)
- B1: White Line Fever (The Flying Burrito Brothers)
- B2: One Last Cold Kiss (Christy Moore)
- B3: When You Are A King (White Plains)
- B4: Flipper (Brian Protheroe)
- B5: Where There's Smoke, There's Fire (Willie Griffin)
- C1: I Started A Joke (Bee Gees)
- C2: Never The Same (Lal & Mike Waterson)
- C3: Lawdy Rolla (The Guerrillas)
- C4: Nobody’s Fool (The Kinks)
- D1: Journey (Duncan Browne)
- D2: Daltry Street (Jake Fletcher / Pp Arnold)
- D3: Clive’s Song (Hamish Imlach)
Paul Weller meldet sich mit Find El Dorado zurück – einem neuen, sehr persönlichen Album voller Neuinterpretationen, das am 25. Juli erscheint. Inspiriert von einer lebenslangen Leidenschaft fürs Musikhören greift Weller auf Songs zurück, die ihn schon seit Jahren begleiten – nun gedacht, neu gehört, neu gefühlt. „Das sind Lieder, die ich schon lange mit mir herumtrage“, sagt er. „Im Laufe der Zeit haben sie sich verändert. Und jetzt schien mir die Zeit gekommen, sie mit anderen zu teilen.“
Die Veröffentlichung markiert gleichzeitig ein neues Kapitel in Wellers beeindruckender Karriere. Als prägende Figur der britischen Musik – mit rund 11 Millionen verkauften Alben allein in Großbritannien – kehrt Weller zu Parlophone Records zurück, dem Label, das seine von der Kritik gefeierten Alben zwischen 2015 und 2019 betreut hat.
Find El Dorado ist weit mehr als ein klassisches Coveralbum – es ist eine emotionale Landkarte seiner musikalischen DNA. Von der sanften Melancholie in Ray Davies’ „Nobody’s Fool“ bis zum flirrenden Schmerz von „El Dorado“: Diese Songs haben Wellers Innenleben geformt – und finden nun ihren Weg zurück nach außen. Mit intimen Arrangements und starken Kollaborationen – darunter Hannah Peel, Declan O’Rourke, Robert Plant, Seckou Keita, Amelia Coburn und Noel Gallagher – öffnet Weller die Tür zu seiner ganz persönlichen Songwelt.
Coming correct with a heavily garnished follow-up to his first drop of neo-junglist delicacies, Skins is back with a second volume of Sauce Direct. The name tells you all you need to know about the school of breakbeat science he's coming from, but the learned craft of drum edits is offset by a mischievous thirst for disruption, presenting the matter on this platter as a stand-out serving on the plentiful menu of modern-day jungle.
'Strictly Hardcore' brings together the heavy weather of quintessential dub techno with deft, stepped breaks for a brooding heads down tear-out while 'Lost In The Sauce' revels in vintage synth melancholia as a unique backdrop to Skins' own brand of rabid Amen chops.
'Reaper's Kiss' switches stance with some heavy sub wobble and the teased flicker of Apaches in a patient half-time roll out of serious soundsystem reverence. There's space for some snappier breaks in the second half, but this cut is testament to Sauce Direct being a space for wider ideas beyond textbook jungle.
'Double Dose' keeps the stylistic dexterity on lock with a swerve towards trance-speckled lead lines, deployed with a necessary restraint to play nice on top of the nimble breaks. It's an approach which could be so easily overcooked - in Skins' hands the balance of flavours is on point, capping off another essential round in this must-check series of white label delicacies for heads with real taste.
To mark 25 years of Tsunami Records, Wunsch delivers a landmark release that celebrates the label's legacy while looking firmly toward the future.
For this special anniversary project, Wunsch brings together a powerful lineup of artists who embody the spirit and evolution of the sound: Black Forests (Arcanoid and Wunsch), The Rare Breed (Regis and Wunsch), Broken English Club, Giving Ground (Function and Wunsch), Microcorps, Rumenige, and Sabotak. Each contribution reflects a distinct voice, yet together they form a cohesive statement - raw, uncompromising, and deeply rooted in the underground.
This release is more than a milestone; it's a testament to 25 years of dedication, vision, and sonic exploration. From driving, industrial textures to immersive and atmospheric moments, the record captures the essence of Tsunami's identity across decades.
A celebration of past, present, and future - this is Tsunami at full force.
- A1: Danou P - The Flex
- A2: Danou P - On My Own
- B1: Danou P - Spirit
- B2: Danou P - Bronstige Bakvissen
Danou P Serves Up Deep, Funky Heat with his 'In The Brine EP' on Definitive Recordings.
Rotterdam-based producer and DJ Danou P delivers a standout four-tracker with 'In The Brine EP,' released on Definitive Recordings. Known for his warm, soulful and funk-infused take on house music, Danou channels raw rhythm and musical flair into a collection that feels both classic and freshly personal.
Opening track 'The Flex' sets the tone with stomping deep house drums, playful chord stabs, and clever vocal sample play that gives it a raw, jacking feel. It's got attitude and groove in equal measure. 'On My Own' keeps things rolling with a classic deep house bassline, gradually introducing a soulful vocal loop that blossoms with the arrival of shimmering synth layers. Danou brings emotion without ever losing grip of the dancefloor.
Next comes 'Spirit', flipping the rhythm into broken beat territory. Another catchy vocal sample rides alongside vibey, jazzy stabs, offering a breezy, uplifting moment that's both heady and driving. It's the kind of track that sneaks into your set and ends up stealing the show. Rounding out the release is 'Bronstige Bakvissen', a deep and moody closer built on a heavy, rolling groove and rich classic house chords. It's stripped back but full of warmth, closing the EP with a nod to soulful late-night sessions.
Best known for his work alongside Jamie 3:26, and with releases on Glitterbox, Tru Thoughts, and Soulfuric Trax, Danou P is steadily building a solo catalogue that's as musical as it is danceable. His 'InThe Brine EP' is a bold step forward, out on Definitive on July 25th 2025.
- A1: Listen To The Silence
- A2: The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog
- A3: Mister Watchmaker
- A4: What On Earth
- A5: The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog
- A6: Love Is
- A7: I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
- B1: Wait A Minute
- B2: Ever Since A Memory
- B3: Peace Loving Man*
- B4: Stargazer
- B5: Woman Mind
Over twelve tracks selected from BBC radio and European TV broadcasts, this LP charts the development of Blossom Toes from 1967 psyche to something darker and more powerful. This mix of idiosyncratic originals and re-interpreted cover versions includes songs not included on either of their studio albums. Sound quality is Excellent except*. Comes with extensive sleevenotes that include full recording details.
2025 Repress
Chlar returns to his Primal Instinct label with 'Modern Survival'
Following the widely praised Funk Assault (Chlar & Alarico) 'Minimum One Post A Week' EP, which kicked off the Primal Instinct label last summer and won the support of the likes of Rodhad, Tasha, and Luke Slater, as well as routine plays from Sarah Story on BBC Radio 1, Chlar now returns to his imprint with solo venture 'Modern Survival'. While the first Primal Instinct release saw references to artist urges and behaviours on social media, this next instalment explores a modern recontextualisation of humanity's hierarchy of needs in yet another high-concept EP.
First up, 'Internet Soulmate' boasts a crunchy bassline as its drum work chugs along the track playfully. The groove twists and turns before the hypnotic and tribal 'Supermarket Hunting' continues with sounds of nature, loopy rhythm and syncopated bleeps.
On the B-side's 'Body Control Officer', human-made grooves intertwine with machine-like thrum, synths whirring and zapping, while 'Competitive Influencing' takes off with rolling percussion, subtle whistles and distorted vocal one-shots. Closing out another stellar offering from the Primal Instinct frontman, Chlar brings the dark 'Scout My Algorithm', a brooding slow-burner offset by smooth arpeggio snippets and warped slices of digital noise.
"In an era where technology entwines our everyday existence, where the virtual realm shapes our interactions, and where the pursuit of influence takes centre stage comes an EP that delves deep into the modern tapestry of human existence. 'Modern Survival' is not merely a collection of songs and visual clips, but a poignant reflection on the intricate dance between our primal instincts and the brave new world we navigate today. The EP invites listeners on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, prompting them to ponder the fundamental essence of our existence in an environment of fast-paced technological evolution." - Chlar
This is the very limited marbled vinyl version of the repressed Lords of The Null Lines EP.
Here we have the beautifully remastered Foul Play and Foul Play ft Randall remixes of Lords Of The Null Lines. There is little to say about these definitive classics that has not already been said. You know ‘em, you love ‘em, they are essentials. However, the Danny Styles remixes are perhaps deserving of some explanation. There were created in the early 90s, and were cut, but quickly stopped by Moving Shadow as they were not really official remixes. A few test presses got out, and the result has been these remixes reaching a near mystical status in the passing decades, and the vinyl changing hands on discogs for absurd prices.
So it was with great pleasure that Hyper-On Experience and myself managed to broker a deal with Moving Shadow and Danny Styles to bring these amazing remixes to a legal and official release! It took over 25 years, but they can finally be bought...
Birchy is a relative newcomer to the Kniteforce label, although his previous release (KF266) that played with the Terminator theme tune was a big seller. It's not overly surprising, as Birchy may be new to the label, and a new name to many old skool heads, but he is an experienced producer who has been around for decades, with releases spread far and wide...
This EP samples the classic news broadcast surrounding the famous Castle Morton event in the UK, and the whole EP is deeply old skool and classic in feel. Full on breakbeats, pianos and authentic rave sounds are the name of the game here, and Birchy creates a timless feel to all of it!
- A1: Twist And Shout
- A2: You Can't Do That
- A3: All My Loving
- A4: She Loves You
- A5: Things We Said Today
- A6: Roll Over Beethoven
- A7: Can't Buy Me Love
- B1: If I Fell
- B2: Boys
- B3: A Hard Day's Night
- B4: Montréal Press Conference
- B5: Larry Kane Interviews Backstage
- B6: Toronto Press Conference
The Beatles played two shows at the Montréal Forum on September 8th 1964, a matinee at 4pm and an evening performance at 8pm and at 6pm they held a press conference for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from the Forum’s stage. A local newspaper had reported that somebody was going to kill Ringo, so instead of staying the night in Montréal, they flew out straight after the evening show and arrived at Key West at 3.30am where hundreds of fans were awaiting them. After a day off in Miami, the group performed at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida the following night.
We have done the best we possibly could with these admittedly lo-fi yet important historical recordings. The source is AM radio and there is considerable distortion on the vocals. The broadcast was faded out halfway through A Hard Day's Night so the last two songs of the show, I Want To Hold Your Hand and Long Tall Sally were not transmitted.
- 01: Expreso Ritmico
- 02: Mi Conga Es La Que Es
- 03: Tambo Iya
- 04: Yeya Son
- 05: De Mis Razones
- 01: La 132
- 02: Este Tumbao
- 03: Mas No Me Falta Fe
- 04: Que La Tristeza Se Fue
- 05: Te Quedas
Next up in our Cuban Classics series, one of the jewels of record label Areito’s extensive and sought-after catalogue. Ricardo Eddy Martinez’s Expreso Ritmico from 1978 is a prized album fusing funk, disco, and orchestrated influences with Afro-Cuban percussion, Latin breaks, and lush vocal harmonies.
Whilst maintaining its distinctive Cuban identity, Expreso Ritmico is one of the more American / Western-influenced Cuban titles of the time drawing inspiration from jazz funk, disco, and library music. The album was directed, written, and orchestrated by keyboardist and drummer Ricardo Eddy Martinez, who was also the mastermind behind the orchestration of the Los Reyes 73 album (that was recently reissued by Mr Bongo). Martinez would later go on to work with international musicians and singers such as Gloria Estefan, José Feliciano, Chick Corea, and many more, whilst also working as a sound engineer in the US.
Produced by Adolfo Pichardo, who worked on much of Areito’s output, Expreso Ritmico is packed with gold. The opening title track carries a loose, breezy Latin-disco-funk vibe that breaks into a brilliant Afro-Cuban workout. ‘Que La Tristeza Se Fue’ was expertly sampled and looped by Jazzanova on their 2008 song ‘Look What You Are Doing To Me, featuring Phonte from the hip hop group Little Brother. Elsewhere, ‘Tambo Iya’ has an Afro-funk, Soul Makossa-esque groove, while tracks such as ‘Te Quedas’, ‘Mi Conga Es La Que Es’ and ‘La 132’ run with a heavy pulsating Latin-funk sound. Head to the sultry psych funk of ‘Este Tumbao’ for a spacey journey that blends and morphs through genres.
- A1: Cloud Nine
- A2: I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- B1: Run Away Child, Running Wild
- C1: Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing
- C2: Hey Girl
- C3: Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go)
- C4: I Need Your Lovin’
- D1: Don’t Let Him Take Your Love From Me
- D2: I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back)
- D3: Gonna Keep On Tryin’ Till I Win Your Love
The Temptations Get High on Psychedelic Soul: Cloud Nine Soars with Ambitious Arrangements and Production, Features Standout Vocal Performances and Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers
The Temptations’ Cloud Nine announced that Motown — and “The Sound of Young America” — would never be the same. Influenced by the emergence of cutting-edge rock and pop currents, as well as increasing sociopolitical turmoil, the album broke down barriers between rock, psychedelia, and soul while heralding the arrival of visionary arrangements and production techniques. Bookended by traditional R&B numbers, the 1969 record sent the Temptations in bold new directions and signaled the advent of psychedelic soul.
Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45PM 2LP set presents Cloud Nine in audiophile sound for the first time on a domestic pressing. This collectible reissue bestows Norman Whitfield’s extraordinary production with the grand-scale dynamics, natural tonality, expansive openness, and low-end weight it deserves. The timbre of each of the five members’ voices is readily identifiable — even within the group harmonies — bestowing a realism never experienced outside the recording studio.
Making its debut on 45RPM, the album further benefits from the wide groove space by playing with greater separation and more realistic presence than prior editions. Everything from the brassiness of the horns to the dry snap of the snare comes across with reference-grade clarity and positioning. And since Motown’s renowned Funk Brothers backing band plays on many of the cuts, you’ll want to savor every note. The imaging, soundstaging, and organic bloom-and-decay of the notes make that possible.
Amid Cloud Nine, the instrumentation and architecture stand out as much as any element. Never before had a Motown album contained such ambitious patterns and complex passages. Seemingly conscientious of the departure from their past methods, the Temptations and Whitfield bunched together the tracks that mark a deep dive into psychedelic territory and counterbalance them with seven sterling soul cuts that dovetail with Motown tradition drenched with heartfelt vocals, swelling strings, and finger-snapping beats.
On the original 33RPM release, traditional Motown soul — laden with heartfelt vocals, swelling strings, and finger-snapping beats — occupies Side Two. These songs reveal an ensemble still very much on top of delivering pristine pop-soul material graced with romantic sweetness, persuasive insistent, and soaring highs. Re-energized after the departure of lead singer David Ruffin, who was fired for a variety of reasons in June 1968, the Temptations seamlessly meld with his replacement, Dennis Edwards, on one melodic gem after another.
The collective tackles five songs co-written by the legendary Motown team of Barrett Strong and Whitfield. Not the least of which are the smooth, shuffling “Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go)” and deceptively simple, horn-spiked “Gonna Keep on Tryin’ till I Win Your Love.” On these tracks, as well as on a lush rendition of the ballad “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” and pleading, tender send-up of the Gerry Goffin-Carole King classic “Hey Girl,” Edwards and Paul Williams take turns on the lead with the estimable Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams providing backing support.
All five vocalists trade-off leads on the simmering title track, a groundbreaking composition shot through with wah-wah-pedal effects, liquid funk, deep bass lines, Cuban percussion, saturated reverb, and gang choruses. Whitfield mines each member’s natural vocal range with spectacular results, keeps time with cymbals, and channels both the heated temperatures and escapist desires of a society embroiled in war, conflict, and experimental drugs.
Amazingly, the Temptations top themselves on the similarly revealing “Run Away Child, Running Wild.” Nearly 10 minutes in length, the song explodes R&B parameters and harbors a cinematic scope. Urgent pianos, distorted guitars, stripped-down percussion, steamy Hammond organs, minimal bass motifs, five distinct voices narrating the tale of a boy who fled home and now finds himself amid the scary, unforgiving external world: They combine to give the urgent tune a walls-closing-in atmosphere where fear and desperation reign. Bolstered by an extended instrumental section that precedes a climactic return of the singers’ voices, “Run Away Child, Running Wild” equaled the success of the record’s title track, with both reaching No. 6 on the pop charts.
- 1: Cat’s In The Cradle
- 2: I Wanna Learn A Love Song
- 3: Shooting Star
- 4: 30,000 Pounds Of Bananas
- 5: She Sings Songs Without Words
- 6: What Made America Famous?
- 7: Vacancy
- 8: Halfway To Heaven
- 9: Six String Orchestra
How enduring is the signature song from Harry Chapin’s Verities & Balderdash? So timeless that it became the subject of a 2025 documentary in which artists from multiple generations weigh in on its impact on their lives and craft. “Cat’s in the Cradle” doubtlessly remains the main event on the singer-songwriter’s 1974 album. The legendary opening track also serves as a guidepost for the bold personal and social material that follows — as well as the gorgeous folk-rock arrangements that underpin the New York native’s most commercially successful work.
Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, housed in a Stoughton jacket complete with a four-page insert, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM LP of Verities & Balderdash presents Chapin’s fourth full-length in audiophile quality for the first time on vinyl. Captured during a golden era for sonics and production, the Top 5 effort features remarkable tonal balance, instrumental separation, and organic naturalism. Those valued aspects come into supreme focus on this reissue, which plays with dead-quiet surfaces and a low noise floor.
The newfound clarity, openness, and imaging underscore the lasting appeal of Chapin’s tender deliveries, soulful timbre, and careful phrasing. Every word comes across with incredible realism, while his underrated guitar playing occupies its own distinctive space. Also notable: The extension of the tasteful string accents; airiness of the backing vocals; depth and shape of the spare bass lines; and width and depth of the soundstaging. When on “Six String Orchestra” Chapin calls out names of instruments, they appear like magic, the band performing feet from you. Chapin has never sounded so lifelike on record.
Certified double platinum, Verities & Balderdash resonated with the times and public. “Cat’s in the Cradle” reached No. 1 on the chart on its way to being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The romantic ballad “I Wanna Learn a Love Song” flirted with the Top 40 and wrapped listeners in the equivalent of a cozy blanket. The record’s other single, the mini-epic “What Made America Famous?,” helped establish Chapin as one of the country’s most incisive and insightful commentators.
Verities & Balderdash teems with situational devices and topical matters. Chapin observes everything from the polarization of the nation to changes in moral standards and cultural priorities. He investigates pressing themes without ever turning preachy or elevating himself above the matters at hand. On “Halfway to Heaven,” whose coda races to the finish and ranks as the most urgent moment on the record, Chapin inhabits the mind of his frustrated protagonist akin to an eagle-eyed novelist.
Conveying emotions that range from melancholic to carefree, Chapin is as much of a singer as a storyteller. He assumes the voice of multiple characters within a single narrative. During the quirky “30,000 Pounds of Bananas,” a tale based on a delivery-truck accident in 1965, Chapin alters his delivery, pronunciation, and diction to become an old man reflecting on the mishap and mess. The tempo, too, adjusts to match the speed of the vehicle Chapin describes.
Adorned with timely laugh tracks to reinforce the bittersweet humor, the stripped-down “Six String Orchestra” takes everything up another notch, with Chapin intentionally missing guitar notes or playing a broken passage to illustrate the failures of the hopeful protagonist who doesn’t have what’s required to make it as an artist.
Chapin, of course, did not have any such problem. The lynchpin of a career cut short by a tragic traffic incident, Verities & Balderdash is Exhibit A of the savvy craft, feeling, and perspective he lent to American music.
- A1: Bps - Within Reason
- A2: 5Atms - A Dub Called Mondo
- A3: Scott K -Tighter & Tighter
- B1: Gryph - Winona At Sunset
- B2: Ssri - .Omnicallora
- B3: Scott Coats - Be Work Zone Alert (Pw Edit)
- C1: Gold Code & Dave Aju - Yolo Jungle
- C2: Warehouse Preservation Society - Data Bliss
- C3: Stacy Christine - .Smart Move
- D1: Sos - Obsesion Romantica (Free Winona Dub)
- D2: Dave Aju & Moniker - Chuy Luis
- D3: Vastir - Turnpike
LA underground hubs DISCOS XXX aka DX3 and Elbow Grease join forces to proudly present Point Winona Sound Library Vol 1 — featuring 20 distinct artists from the inspired local dance music scene, working under one unified studio roof in various collaborative
formation at the mighty Los Feliz hilltop palace Point Winona, overseeing the city they collectively represent. These timeless warehouse-wrecking tracks all stand on their own, but the compilation as a whole offers a solid geographic sonic statement with shared rhythmic DNA and bold rooted-futurist production blueprints, guided by the champion efforts of studio executive producers/curators Tavish DJ and Dave Aju.
The BPS stage-setting opener evokes crispy A.M. hours with lush Detroit-meets-Cali feels on “Within Reason” — then studio dream team 5 ATMs bring the dubwise floor vibes up a notch on “A Dub Called Mondo” and Chitown-to-LA legend Scott K lays down an FM bass-laced acid house heater with “Tighter & Tighter”. Nashville-born producer Gryph funks things up on the live space boogie bump of “Winona at Sunset” while SSRI, comprised of Underground Resistance’s DJ Dex/Nomadico, Aju, and Black Lodge’s fearless leader Kosmik, drop fierce robo-Italo bliss on “Omnicallora”. Things take a further psychedelic twist with the PW edit of Scotty Coats’ sublime midtempo tripper “Be Work Zone Alert”, then Omakase’s own Gold Code alongside longtime rave brother Aju drop the nasty J Saul-salute “Yolo Jungle”, and Warehouse Preservation Society aka Tavish DJ & TK fully detonate floors inna raucous Wicked Crew stylee with “Data Bliss”. Undisputed LA scene queen Stacy Christine arrives with her shining debut “Smart Move”, where she and Aju trade sly vox lines of party advice over a bouncing tech banger for the ages, before the “Obsesion Romantica (Free Winona Dub)” sees Sisters Of Sound aka Maddy Maia and Tottie's, OG track getting stripped back and fired up to acidic peak time form. Then Dave Aju and SF homies Moniker aka EO & Kenneth Scott unleash wild uptempo melodic bruk heaven on “Chuy Luis”, and Vastir sends us home with the stratospheric drum n bass closer "Turnpike"
- A1: I Can't Wait
- A2: Rock A Little (Go Ahead Lily)
- A3: Sister Honey
- B1: I Sing For Things
- B2: Imperial Hotel
- B3: Some Become Strangers
- C1: Talk To Me
- C2: The Nightmare
- D1: If I Were You
- D2: No Spoken Word
- D3: Has Anyone Ever Writen Anything For You
Looking back on her career in the early 90s, Stevie Nicks described the first track of Rock a Little as “the most exciting song that I had ever heard.” This coming from a superstar who was already closely affiliated with several bajillion-selling Fleetwood Mac albums — to say nothing of her own benchmark solo debut. Her remarks attest to the enthusiasm and effort she invested in her third record, a 1985 work that quickly furthered Nicks’ profile and cemented itself as a piece of 80s pop lore.
Mastered at MoFi’s California studio, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents Rock a Little in audiophile sound for its 40th anniversary. Helmed by a cadre of producers and engineers, and recorded for a reported one million dollars, the platinum-certified album teems with a head-spinning array of colors, tones, dreamscapes, and accents. This reference-grade reissue marks the first time they are all brought to light and conveyed with proper balance, dimensionality, and positioning.
Though Rock a Little doubtlessly has period characteristics of a mid-80s LP, Nicks and company spare no expense when it comes to distinguishing the music with expansive sonics distinguished with lush melodies, high-tech percussion, echoing vocals, sampled keyboards, and layers of sophisticated accents. The degrees of spaciousness, headroom, and dynamics are nothing less than inspiring, while the newly enhanced detail, texture, and clarity make the songs sing like never before. As for Nicks’ voice? Wait ’til you experience the transparency and depth.
Those advantages extend, of course, to the aforementioned “I Can’t Wait,” a statement-making opener shot through with modulating synthesizers, splashy drums, metallic guitars, and serious drama. Holed up in a massive studio, Nicks required just one take to nail her part, which she called “magic and simply not able to beat.” The singer-songwriter also distilled the reverberating emotional essence of the Top 20 tune, stating “when I hear it on the radio, this incredible feeling comes over me, like something really incredible is about to happen.”
The same can be said for nearly all of Rock a Little. Crafted by the likes of Songwriters Hall of Fame multi-instrumentalist/producer Rick Nowels, Heartbreakers organist Benmont Tench, bassist Bob Glaub, jack-of-all-trades Greg Phillinganes, and session-pro guitarists Waddy Watchel, Les Dudek, and Danny Kortchmar — along with another two dozen or so participants — the record spills with diverse ideas, shapes, and moods. Everything is in the right place, as evidenced by the swirling glide and sensual undertow of the slightly funky title track to the snapping rhythmic pace and big hooks of “Imperial Hotel,” one of Nicks’ standout moments.
“What was it she wanted?” Nicks queries on “No Spoken Word,” continuing a theme of contemplation that runs through the narratives. Nicks never lands on a definite answer, but hearing her explore loneliness, love, and the secrets we keep to ourselves proves continuously rewarding. Take her passionate performance on a cover of Chas Sanford’s “Talk to Me,” a Top 5 smash furthered by tasteful saxophone lines and understated folk elements. Immersive yourself in the grand sonic corridors of “If I Were You,” laden with Nicks’ signature mysticism.
Moreover, surrender to the gravitas of the closing “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You,” a piano ballad composed about the death of Joe Walsh’s three-year-old daughter. As Nicks asserts earlier on the album, she sings for things money can’t buy.
So, rock a little, yes, but dare to feel even more.
This 2 x 12-inch vinyl release is a reissue of the original soundtrack to the animated feature Ambient Trip Commander. With a running time of 70 minutes, the soundtrack was first performed as a live synthesizer improvisation by Danny Wolfers (Legowelt) at the film's premiere on May 28, 2022, at EYE Filmmuseum. Wolfers continued to perform the soundtrack live at numerous subsequent screenings before releasing it on cassette on August 4, 2023. The 2026 vinyl reissue presents the compositions in four parts, aiming to put weight on the listening experience as a cohesive album.
Ambient Trip Commander is a hand-drawn and painted feature-length animated film by Danny Wolfers (Legowelt), marking his first feature in the medium. The animation brings Wolfers' paintings to life through frame-by-frame watercolor techniques. The production process spanned eighteen months.
The film follows Samantha Tapferstern, a geeky young woman who works a mundane job at a synthesizer store in a medium-sized European city. She spends her nights playing RPGs and browsing dating apps. One day, she receives a train ticket and a cryptic message from a hacker group inviting her to Lonetal, a secluded village deep in the European Alps. As she boards the night train, a sinister adventure begins to unfold.
- A1: You Say I'm Crazy (Feat. Alice Carreri )
- A2: Sign Me Out (Feat. Fanney Osk)
- A3: Bodycodes (Feat. Asbjorn)
- B1: The Song Is In The Drum
- B2: Romano Song (Feat. Annisette Koppel)
- B3: Welcome To My Dream (Feat. Tuco)
- C1: Smoke Through Fire (Feat. Asbjorn)
- C2: Grey Heron Man
- C3: Landscape Of Love (Feat. Fanney Osk)
- D1: Ghost Mosquitoes
- D2: Crazy Epilogue (Feat. Alice Carreri)
Limited, 500 copies black gatefold 2LP...
Originally released in 2013, the long-awaited second album from Lulu Rouge finally returns to vinyl in its first-ever limited repress — revived after years of growing demand.
The Song Is In The Drum captures the duo at their most fearless and immersive. Known for their deep melancholia and anti-traditional pop structures, Lulu Rouge blur the lines between dark dub, cinematic electronica, and left-field songwriting. Intense, soul-cutting vocal pieces unfold alongside towering instrumentals — brooding, beautiful, and unapologetically atmospheric.
The album features standout appearances from Danish indie pop visionary Asbjørn and Icelandic-born vocalist Fanney Osk, adding further depth to an already richly textured sonic landscape.
Across 11 meticulously crafted tracks, producers Torsten “Buda” Jacobsen and Thomas “T.O.M” Bertelsen shape a world that feels both intimate and vast. Every beat is deliberate, every space intentional. This is music that doesn’t simply play — it envelops.
Fifty-three minutes that grip you by the heart and refuse to let go.
Welcome to the brightest dark place you’ve ever been.
Look out for a much anticipated new album coming later this year from Lulu Rouge - making this re-issue a timely reminder of the power of their work.
With a steely sound matching fathoms-deep echo chambers with metallic textures and precision drums, Sciama arrives on Samurai Music to press into the inspiring hinterland between techno and drum & bass.
Sciama is the production alias for Michael Watters, a producer who since 2019 has carved out a formidable reputation across a stellar run of releases on ASC's Auxiliary label. While his music references UK bass, transcendental techno and industrial, the end result is a taut, focused journey through fractured, weighty rhythms and vast, ranging atmospherics tilted towards the darkness.
Between Veils is testament to Watters' refined production, steeped in intensely detailed and layered sound design in constant fluid motion, whether locked to the grid or shifting across the surface of the track like grayscale snow drifts. Noise becomes a subtle tool in his hands, capable of delicacy as much as abrasion, and discord evokes a haunting beauty if you listen past the clangorous overtones he elicits from his pads.
For all the writhing, artful sonics, there is still ample weight in the Sciama sound to hold court over a sound system. 'Figures In Mist' rests on a constant half time cycle underpinned by monolithic bass pulses and 'Ghost Trail' finds deadly energy in the faintest flicker of double-time hats above the slow march of a 4/4 kick clocking around 85BPM. Restraint is paramount, even in the fuller rhythm section that drives 'Anima Trace', creating tension through what isn't sequenced as much as what is. 'Veil Of Mirrors' has an especially punchy kick propelling the cavernous echos and ripples that shape out yet another vivid soundscape, but at all times Watters keeps a tight grip on his arrangement to keep the energy simmering just below boiling point.
Moving well beyond the boundaries of any specific genre, Between Veils winds upas a strong, independent statement on the meeting point between broad influences and clear intentions - a formidable addition to Samurai Music's explorations beyond drum & bass and Sciama's steadily evolving, singular style.
Plying refracted rhythms with an exacting poise, Aerae arrives on Samurai Music with a fully formed sound that plumbs the depths between techno immersion and D&B beat science.
An accomplished, palpable tension runs throughout Nefanda, Aerae's second solo release. Following up on the meditative pulse of her debut album on Annulled Music last year, the Paris-based artist digs deeper into ominous atmospheres filled with evocative reverb decays and taut, dynamic drum work - tools she wields to Redner tracks with specific meaning, coded by the Latin framing that runs through all aspects of her musical output. Contemplating the ancient language as an inescapable part of her European roots, on Nefanda Aerae ruminates on external trials and inner impulses, and conjures a jaw-clenching soundtrack to match.
'Mons' (translation: 'Mountain') speaks to challenges, strength and spiritual ascent, marked out by an urgent thrum of conga slaps and a 4/4 kick around the 170 BPM mark that finds power in minimalism even at the relatively high tempo.
The title track opts for a more broken framework, pivoting pointed percussion around a deft sub pulse while turning up the intensity with an exacting poise.
'Nefanda' translates as 'unspeakable,' or 'too horrific to name,' and the fraught, synthetic wraiths contorting through the track convey the dread the title implies.
'Fovea' (translation: 'pit') burrows deeper into spatial design with a looming low end rumble and subliminal sound sculpture, shaping out a dark, introspective chasm tipped towards disassociation. It's a powerful statement in any setting, but the all-consuming bass feels especially crafted for full, physical sound system immersion.
'Phrenesis' (translation: 'frenzy') rounds the EP out in fierce form, building up a high-pressure arrangement from ambient beginnings with ruthless control. There's a sense of duality in motion between half-time and double-time rhythmic elements, every incremental shift adding to the intensity of the track with the elegant, impactful touch that has fast become Aerae's calling card.
Finding her own language within the dialogue between techno, D&B and dark ambient, Aerae's music makes a vivid impression thanks to the ideas and intention that drive her in the studio. Nefanda confirms her status as a leading light in deep, psychedelic dance music, making something extremely personal that also reaches out beyond notions of the self like all the best transcendental music.
- A1: Poseidon Temple 4 20
- A2: Call Of The Mermaid 4 36
- A3: Outbreak Of Another War Between Gods...3 14
- A4: Shining, Bronze Armor! 3 58
- A5: Siren Sorrento 3 59
- B1: Lord Of The Sea Descends To Earth 2 29
- B2: Dead End Symphony 3 36
- B3: Seven Marine Generals 3 32
- B4: Time For The Apocalypse 3 15
- B5: Poseidon Myths 4 12
- B6: Reincarnation Of Athena 3 03
Saint Seiya returns with a 7th vinyl, once again featuring the legendary composer of the series: Seiji Yokoyama
Synopsis: The god of the seas, Poseidon, threatens to submerge the Earth beneath the waves. To counter this threat, Saori Kido, the reincarnation of Athena, travels to Poseidon's underwater sanctuary, where she is imprisoned within the central pillar, absorbing the waters to delay the flood. The Bronze Saints, led by Seiya, dive into the undersea realm to rescue Athena. They must face Poseidon's Generals, each guarding a pillar that supports the oceans. Through intense battles, they uncover that Kanon, the twin brother of Gemini Saga, is secretly manipulating Poseidon from the shadows.
This vinyl adapts the third arc of the series, the Poseidon Arc.
Seiji Yokoyama continues to captivate us with the sound of the mandolin, while the Mediterranean accents of this OST give it a distinctive and highly recognizable character that perfectly matches the third season of Saint Seiya.
Swimming Paul's first album is available again as a new edition.
In the vibrant city of London, a talented French producer named Swimming Paul made his mark. While he had already spent several years producing music for others, Swimming Paul felt a strong calling to embark on his own creative project—one that would redefine the concept of dance music and infuse it with meaning.
Paul drew inspiration from the early days of house music, recognizing it as more than just a genre. It represented a cultural movement that united people from diverse backgrounds. Motivated by this spirit, Swimming Paul sought to create music that not only made people dance but also brought them together and conveyed powerful messages.
With each composition, Paul approached his work as an artist would approach a blank canvas. He poured his heart and soul into every beat, melody, and rhythm, meticulously crafting a sound that blended elements from various genres while bearing his own unique touch. His music pulsated with the infectious energy of a crowded dance floor, yet it also possessed the ability to evoke deep emotions and provoke introspection.
Swimming Paul’s vision extended far beyond mere entertainment. He aspired to establish a space where people could connect, express themselves, and find solace in the universal language of music. Every track he produced served as an invitation to embrace the present moment, to let go of inhibitions, and to discover the transformative power of music.
Side A sees Italian brothers Marco and Riccardo Augeri back on Ten Lovers Music as The Robinson with two superb Deep House tracks Vibrasoul and Slow Thinking, both have their usual jazzy edge to them. Onto side AA and we have South African El Payo with Italy’s Stefano De Santis guesting on Rhodes and Solina. Living A Dream is a superb jazzy number for the dancefloor. Takahiro Fuchigami is up next with Southern Breeze, another broken beat masterpiece from Japan’s rising star who has recently had a release on Jazzy Sport. Rounding off side AA is George John from Germany with Anton Mangold on flute, a beautiful track to end our 51st release.
- A1: Moondata – Let The Moonshine In (Dub)
- A2: Dhuo – Walkin’ (Dub Version)
- A3: Luc Van Acker / Anna Domino – Zanna
- A4: Roger Rönning – Cecilia
- B1: The Quick – One Light In A Blackout (Special Version)
- B2: Colourfool – Hey You
- B3: Amy Cooper – Music
- B4: Maxisand – Don’t Be Talking About That (Vocal)
- C1: Michael Heart – Some Girls (Instrumental)
- C2: Jean Louis Murat – Te Garder Près De Moi (Dream Remix)
- C3: Mind Fair Presents … Sundown Drive – Give It Up (Mark Seven Parkway Dub)
- D1: Gregg Brown – Baby Talk (Club Mix)
- D2: Yeah Bo! – Yeah Bo! (Groove On Mix)
- D3: J Dalton – Game
Leng Records proudly presents Everything You’re About to Hear Is True: Volume 1, a compilation carefully curated by Rotation Soundsystem. Brought together by Rotation founders Dean Meredith and Ben Shenton, alongside the Wrekin Havoc trio of Rob J, Stuart Robinson, and Rich Hall, this debut volume captures the collective’s shared vision – shaped by decades of crate-digging.
Founded in 2013, Rotation has grown from a modest gathering in Staffordshire into a thriving community of like-minded music lovers, attracting heads and partygoers from across the UK – and well beyond. What began as an intimate affair has evolved into a full-scale, three-day celebration, now held in a grand yurt and powered by a bespoke six-way sound system. The rig features four Klipschorns, two JBLs with twin 18” and 15” sub reinforcements, compression horns, and an Isonoe 420 mixer.
Meredith explains: “With the help of my brother, Martin, I’m constantly looking at ways to improve the setup. I love the way Larry Levan did that at The Paradise Garage. We have a few things that are custom-made. I want our system to be unique to us.”
According to regular attendee, DJ and writer Steve KIW: “In the right hands, the sound system at Rotation – very much Dean’s labour of love – is untouchable. The comparisons with Mancuso’s Loft come easily because they are deserved. There isn’t a bad spot in the yurt. Wherever you are, it sounds incredible.”
As the dancing continues through the weekend, the DJ line-up has grown to match the occasion. Guests and headliners have included a roll call of legendary selectors: Bill Brewster, Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, Phil Mison, Nick The Record, Ruf Dug, Mark Seven, and The Idjut Boys — the latter playing a marathon 10-hour set in 2024. The parties have also featured live performances from Emperor Machine, Quinn Lamont Luke, Reuben Vaun Smith, and Orbs of Light.
Presented on gatefold double vinyl, this lovingly assembled collection is the result of decades spent digging through dusty crates, reflecting the selectors’ deep-rooted passion for uncovering rare gems and overlooked treasures. Decidedly European in spirit, the album brings together 14 rarities with standout selections from Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and France. The vast majority of tracks are true obscurities, and nearly every one is a mid-tempo bumper.
“This has been a long time coming – something we’ve always dreamed of doing. We’re incredibly thankful to Leng Records, who understand our vision and what we’re trying to build. This compilation pulls together some of our favourite tracks from over the years. It’s not just a playlist – it’s a journey, a window into the sound of Rotation,” says Meredith.
































































































































































