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Beacon Sound and Jacktone Records are pleased to announce a limited edition joint vinyl release by Hugo RA Paris titled Threaded Habitat. The new LP from Paris follows two of Jacktone’s most popular releases: Mystique Youth (2015) and Horizons Beneath The Surface (2016), which appeared under his alias, Lavender.

The transition to the Hugo RA Paris moniker with this album marks a more personal shift in approach. Threaded Habitat combines ambient textures and techno rhythms to reflect tension between humanity and nature—particularly the cyclical nature of collapse and renewal. It also marks Jacktone's first collaborative release with the record store and label Beacon Sound, which has put out works from veteran experimental musicians like Terry Riley and Colleen. Beacon Sound is an important node in Portland, where Paris also lives and developed the flagship modular product for leading Eurorack manufacturer 4MS: the SWN.

The album's closing track was entirely composed on a SWN prototype and recorded in one take. In fact, much of his work is done in layers of single takes with minimal processing to preserve its raw emotion and embrace minor imperfections. As an MIT-trained engineer and physicist, working with hardware—from modulars to guitar pedals and tape loops—is essential to his process of not only making but exploring sound.

Threaded Habitat captures moments of claustrophobia and bliss in seven tracks and three accompanying videos directed by New Zealand artist Sam Hamilton. Visual art plays a central role in many of Paris’s projects, which include intricate audio-visual performances and scores for full-length films like The Modern Jungle (La Selva Negra) and its forthcoming follow-up.

The LP will be available to pre-order on July 1st with a limited, exclusive content sample pack. The handmade vinyl package features photography by Sam Hamilton and will be released July 19 through Jacktone and Beacon Sound’s webshops, with worldwide sales beginning August 2nd. A remix release will arrive later in the Fall.

A1. from The Triple J broadcast. Live at The Palace, Melbourne, 1992.
B1. recorded at The Pier in Seattle, 1993 and broadcast from MTV USA, except B6 & B7 from Saturday Night Live, 1992.

Around the year, the sturdy red brick walls of an old Cable Factory stand there like a mountain, facing weathers of all kinds rising from the Gulf of Finland. It might be freezing winter winds whipping the whole shore line into submission, fog heavy as concrete, or the relentless sun of the summer months, softening the asphalt to a boiling point. Whatever the weather may be, the narrow courtyard of the old factory embraces those musicians, who are looking to get down. They gather from all directions, making their way towards a pair of doors that lead towards a flight of stairs, again through a few doors all the way to the last portal, where an open padlock and a loosely hangin crossbar signal that Cold Diamond & Mink are inside, locked in a groove.

Who could it be with them this time, perhaps the jazz prophet Jimi Tenor beaming out of his space ship, maybe it's the golden voiced knight of soul Tuomo "Pratt" Prättälä, the number one trumpet wielding dandy Jukka Eskola or the saxman Pope Puolitaival, who loses nothing in coolness compared to the former? The reel to reel is always there in the monitoring room, catching each analog layer of sound, even the silences and banter between takes. Seppo lays down the guitar and tries to catch the riff on organ instead, Jukka throws a rare tune on the turntable, hoping to guide their unit through that wobbly chorus, Sami waits there bass in hand, maybe already thinking about the next production.

After a whole lot of playing instruments, arranging and taking care of business, after the moon has travelled around the old industrial building for some rotations, Carlton Jumel Smith comes waltzing through those same doors. There's a handful of unnamed tracks waiting for him. He sits there listening and then starts writing, maybe echoes of soul classics from his own record collection in New York projecting inside his mind. Then the tape is rolling again. Starting with a short intro rap Carlton lets it out, singing on the edge of shouting "Woman you made me...". After the vocals are in the can, Carlton ascends out of the basement and heads out to entertain an audience somewhere. Some months later, after the mix is said and done, there's the question of the instrumentals. It seems they're pretty good as they are. And here they are.




d 4 Help Me (Save Me From Myself) [Instrumental]

2025 Repress

2019 marks the year that Music for Freaks has officially been running for over 20 whole years. Two decades of topsy turvy, downright Freakish behaviour. How the hell did that happen?

So, what better time to delve deep into the labels vaults again and uncover more of its hidden treasures. Back in 2015, we approached some of today's most discerning producers, those who truly "get" the label's ethos from old, to let them loose on tracks old and new. It brought to the fore the "Freaks - Let's Do It Again" series of releases and we're super chuffed to bring you the 3rd in the series to kick off the label's 20th anniversary celebrations; a new collaboration with likeminded artists and we think you'll agree it's another testament to the divergent & insouciant house music that has always been the beating heart of this label.

First up, we welcome back the Chilean anti-hero Ricardo Villalobos.

When we sent Ricardo the parts to the Freaks album, "The Man Who Lived Underground" a few years ago, he sent back 5 interpretations which blew our collective minds. This is the 3rd of his journeys. Edited by head Freak, Justin Harris, it delivers a tripped out, discordant tech mix of the Freaks track, 'He's Angry' and is a wonderfully warped and highly hypnotic jam, that drives deep down into the subconscious.

The 20th anniversary wouldn't feel right without some brand spanking new music from Freaks themselves.
This track was properly hidden in the Freaks DAT vaults from the 1990's and Justin & Luke have dusted it off, mixed it down and "Unbeknown To Us" will finally see the light of day. It's safe to say Freaks have always had a timeless feel to their music and this track, despite being 20 years old as an original production, is no exception.

Next up, The Martinez Brothers make their MFF debut and to say we're chuffed to be releasing this one after 3 years of it being in the vault, is a huge understatement. There's nothing but good vibes, cranked to eleven, on this cut and the brothers have cooked up a true rip snorting tech house remix of "Time", that will charm the roof off any self-respecting club or festival tent.

And last but by no means least, fellow previous collaborators on Let's Do It Again, Part 1, Gerd Jansen and Phillip Lauer, aka Tuff City Kids, have graced us with another superb remix of a firm Freaks favourite from back in the day, "Turning Orange". The duo have whipped up an excellent stripped 808, electro-hop mix with low slung electro beats, minor key atmospherics and nostalgic 80s vocal pitch-shifts. Villalobos, Martinez Brothers, Tuff City Kidz and Freaks all on the same record? This is the type of house music madness that dreams are made of.
A fitting start to the celebrations - we reckon you'll agree!

Label Quote "Turquoise Colored French Tourists are back with six pool-party essentials for your next lousy bathing event in your parents' backyard. Early support by everyone you know and your mama"

Short Info:
Turquoise Colored French Tourists release their Pöseldorf Poolparty EP, a 6 track extravaganza of high end production, House music know how mixed with Funk and a flair for live drum sounds which elevate this EP.

The artists behind this - Scharbatke and Bias joined forces having met years ago in their favourite bar Goldengrün and agreed after a few gin's to establish the live performing House music super group Turquoise Colored French Tourists. With their differing backgrounds both coming to play in this EP, adding a depth to the groove.

This record is essential for the most in the know Poolpartys, for the most exclusive parts of town - we begin the EP with the title track, motes of DamFunk and a truly groovy opener that should loosen things up nicely as the still hyper funky but more straight up and dance-able Altona im Sonnenschein carry's us onwards.

Crepes takes us deeper, Housier but still with a tweaked aesthetic that marks this out from others. A true adventure in jacked rhythm. The EP continues to turn gently into the more filtered House vibe with Spätfolgen, whilst not forgetting its funky roots with Jameson. The latter bringing a slight 80's touch to the vibe - if there is one thing this EP does well its keeping it fresh at each and every turn.

Closing the EP "Feels so good" lets the melody flow a little, warm and inviting with a little bit of everything that has come before it.

Juan MacLean and Man Power debut as Juan Power for Life and Death

Life and Death continue to serve up brilliantly unpredictable releases with a new one that brings together American DFA stalwart Juan MacLean with the UK’s Me Me Me label head Man Power, plus an edit from the boss, DJ Tennis.

Juan MacLean is a multi-faceted artist who has a history of everything from playing in post hardcore bands to producing some of DFA’s most celebrated releases. He does classy house bangers with synth pop and disco layers like no one else. Man Power, meanwhile, is someone who is fantastically eclectic in what he does on all fronts as a DJ, label boss and producer. He’s made corrugated acid, hands in the air house and machine disco and plenty in between on his own label, but also cult outlets like Correspondent and ESP Institute. The coming together of these two undoubted studio wizards, then, is a fascinating prospect.

And so it proves right from the off: opener ‘Crescendo’ is a nine minute masterpiece with rickety house drums making you move while the shuffling percussion builds the pressure. Gorgeously warm chords eventually join the fray and have a blissful effect that sets you off dreaming and keeps you in a trance until the end.

DJ Tennis himself then steps up with an edit of ‘Excuse Me Daddy’ that is deep and cavernous. Next to the suspensory pads is an intricate synth line that takes you in on yourself in perfectly melancholic ways.

Closer ‘Praise The Toad’ then picks up the pace with more live sounding drums and a sparkling lead synth that rises and falls to cosmic effect. Drawn out over the full length of the track, and in amongst some chattery claps and smart effects, it makes for a journey to the stars that will cast a real spell on all who hear it.

This is an innovative collaboration between two masters of their craft.

Artwork by Hiroshi Yoshimura, 350gsm Sleeve with selected UV High Gloss Varnish, Liner Notes by Midori Takada, Satoshi Ashikawa, and Gareth Quinn Redmond, Sticker

Initially released in 1982 as part of the Wave Notation series*, Still Way is, without a doubt, a seminal Japanese environmental/ambient/minimalism album, often mentioned alongside Midori Takada's Through Looking Glass and Hiroshi Yoshimura's Green as one of the genre's most important pieces.

"Like the moment of stillness, after the wind passes through the garden, when the rain stops for a brief second…" Notably inspired by Erik Satie's Furniture Music and Brian Eno's ambient work, Satoshi Ashikawa aimed to compose music "intended to be listened to in a casual manner, as a musical landscape or a sound object…not something that would stimulate listeners but music that should drift like smoke and become part of the environment."
The result is simply phenomenal, subtle minimalism and emotional elegance exquisitely orchestrated by Satoshi Ishikawa and his team consisting of his wife Masami Ashikawa (on flute), Midori Takada (on vibraphone), Yuko Utsumi (on harp), Tomoko Sono (on piano), and Junko Arase (on vibraphone).
In conjunction with Still Way, WRWTFWW is releasing Laistigh den Ghleo, a companion album by Irish ambient/minimalist composer Gareth Quinn Redmond, inspired by Ashikawa's approach.
*The Wave Notation series also includes Hiroshi Yoshimura's Music For Nine Postcards album.

350gsm Sleeve with selected UV High Gloss Varnish, Liner Notes by Midori Takada and Gareth Quinn Redmond, Sticker

"Conceptually derived from the work of Japanese minimalist composer Satoshi Ashikawa, I have composed an album which hopes to engage, enrich and reflect the listener's surroundings, an Environmental Music." - Gareth Quinn Redmond

Working with Still Way as a base for inspiration, Gareth Quinn Redmond takes Ashikawa's meditative sound designs to more dramatic and lyrical landscapes, gracefully instilling his personal touch into the master's melodic patterns and presenting six pieces which blend and reflect the modern listener's ever changing environment. As Midori Takada explains in the liner notes, "Even though Gareth is deeply influenced by Still Way, he looks above, toward the air and the sky. He pays respect to Ashikawa's approach, but adds bold elements from another dimension…Satoshi Ashikawa aspired to crystallize the sound structure of nature that exists in the environment. Gareth tries to capture what flourishes out of it."

Laistigh den Ghleo is released in conjunction with Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way (Wave Notation 2) reissue on WRWTFWW Records.

Hammered Hulls are a brand new band from Washington D.C. made up of some very old connections.
Mary Timony (bass) and Alec MacKaye (vocals) grew up in the same Washington neighborhood and have spent the better part of their lives in each other’s somewhat distant orbit. Always aware of each other, but never able to play together.
Mark Cisneros (Guitar) has been in D.C. for more than a decade. He cut his teeth in Los Angeles listening to both Mary and Alec’s bands, but also a healthy dose of free jazz and garage. He is the man who plays every- thing with everyone, but this is his band.
Hammered Hulls are rounded out by Chris Wilson (drums), a monstrous drummer with no shortage of love for all three of his bandmates. Every person in this band is a fan of every other person in this band. Mutual respect drives this train. But to say they are an odd collection of influences is to understate the point. If you tried you couldn’t imagine what this band might sound like.
This single was recorded and mixed in a single day at Inner Ear studios, appropriate home to everyone in the DC scene.
mark Cisneros - guitar Alec macKaye - vocals mary Timony - bass Chris Wilson - drums

ODD OKODDO is a Kenyan/German duo formed by Olith Ratego and Sven Kacirek. This vinyl single marks their first outing, announcing the album "Auma" which will be ripe and ready in autumn 2019. Olith Ratego performs his immaculate vocals in the musical style called "dodo", which originates from the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, high in pitch and soulfully expressive. He himself refers to his music as "dodo blues". As a skilled luthier, Olith Ratego designs and builds his string instruments himself, first of all the five-stringed Okoddo which lends its name to the project. Sven Kacirek is a multi-instrumentalist commuting between Germany and Kenya for many years now. He plays the marimba, percussions and piano, next to producing this project. He has closely collaborated with various international musicians, among them Nils Frahm, Shabaka Hutchings, F.S. Blumm and Marc Ribot. "Okitwoye" is one song of the first ODD OKODDO album "Auma“, it comes in a multi-layered, ambiguous rhythm between three and four. The remix on the B side amplifies the essence of the song. Peter Power is a part of the Voodoohop collective from Brazil and his releases on Multi Culti or Polychrome Sounds fuel the rather slow, organically hypnotic dancefloors. He premiered this remix at the Heliodora festival in Brazil, at sunrise next to a giant waterfall, and it was just perfect.

BX127 signs back in with Figure for an EP that is maybe his most intricate as to date.
Four groovy alien transmissions, sent in directly from his headquarters somewhere in the outer rims of Saturn. Seemingly effortless these creatures build their momentum, treating the theme of miniscule power to the maximum effect. The tracks have an elegant air to them, each moving gently at its own pace. Whether through ticks and bleeps, finely plucked 303s or swaying dub chords; all the sounds on display know how to work their magic for some stellar listening experience.

Prolific multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ, band leader, and 22a label founder and boss, Tenderlonious returns with a batch of new and old studio productions.

'Hard Rain' follows hot-on-the-heels from the acclaimed Ruby Rushton album 'Ironside', but whereas contemporary urban jazz was the focus there, Tender's solo record marks a return to another of the multifaceted artist's skills: dope house and beat music that oozes futuristic funk.

This sparse but perfectly-populated masterpiece takes inspiration from J Dilla and echoes elements of vintage Blaze, Larry Heard and Carl Craig. Warm and soulful, but also spacious and clean, Tender extracts maximum flavour out of just a few ingredients.

This is a beautifully remastered, remixed and reimagined repress of the final full Hyper On Experience EP. The original Moving Shadow version of this release featured four superb tracks that have become timeless classics over the years. Here, they have been lovingly remastered and in this particular case, we have not added a remix and lost a track, because all 4 original tracks are perfect.

Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Ant To Be, Ponder and many others

his is a beautifully remastered, remixed and reimagined repress of the brilliant third release from Hyper On Experience. The original Moving Shadow version of this release featured three superb tracks that have all become definitive classics over the years. Here, they have been lovingly remastered and you get a bonus remix from Alex Jungle of Monarch of The Glen, one of my personal all time favourite Hyper On tracks.

Cl ub / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Ant To Be, Ponder and many others

Intrepid, hard-hitting steppers from London producer Junior Loves. Self-released 4-track 10" with hand-drawn artwork, cut by Leon at Music House, Very limited press.



Sinewy, hard-hitting steppers from London way. Junior Loves has a bit of form, last seen on Tabernacle in 2018, but this new, self-released, hand-scribed 10", with two tracks served up discomix style, is very much its own thing: a timeless, unpretentious cry-tuff encounter that combines deeply rooted, meticulous production with a rawness and vulnerability in a manner that is properly compelling. 'Banner' and its more stripped, spatial version set the tone - propelled by Shaka-ish 4/4 drum-murderation and bolshy, corkscrewing, blue-going-on-purple synth lines that shrink the distance between early Ruff Sqwad/Rapid instrumentals and melancholic ambient techno. The grimy forward-lean is there also in both excursions of 'The Nore', but this one drifts further into ethereal cold-space, recalling John T. Gast's druidic soundboy cuts, dizzyingly psychedelic but precise and uncluttered, mashing up brain/dance/everything with perfectly judged patterns of attack and decay. Very limited press, cut by Leon at Music House. Massive tip on this one!

"Funky Way" was comped on Down In The Valley 2, but since it's a killer track it deserved a re-issue on 45! Backed with a sweet soul tune titled "New Love".

Limitied to 250 copies!

Drummer/producer Teppo Mäkynen presents a new album by his lauded trio ensemble 3TM in 2019. Before the second 3TM album "Lake" comes "Abyss", a collection of 10 ambient pieces laying the groundwork for the upcoming album. This prelude album is a full-bodied work in itself, a glorious and somewhat mysterious LP which brings forth yet another shade of multifaceted Mäkynen's musical vision. The 10 compositions on "Abyss" feel like the discovery of life and movement in deep waters, where only the rare shades of light breaking through indicate that another world exists above the surface.

"Abyss" will be available as a clear vinyl edition, on tape and digitally, and both as a standalone album and as a bundle with the upcoming 3TM trio album "Lake".

Teppo "Teddy Rok" Mäkynen is a drummer/producer from Helsinki, who works at the centre of the lively jazz scene in Finland. His work includes projects such as 3TM, The Stance Brothers, Teddy Rok Seven and the new duo with sax player Timo Lassy. Mäkynen also plays drums in several highly-regarded ensembles such as Timo Lassy Band, Aki Rissanen Trio, Jukka Eskola Soul Trio, Verneri Pohjola Quartet, Nicola Conte Jazz Combo, plus many more. As a producer, his work has been highly regarded in projects such as 3TM, The Stance Brothers, and the albums of Timo Lassy and Jukka Eskola.

Light of the Fearless, Hybrid's fifth artist album, brings together UK-based, Mike and Charlotte's passion for combining emotionally powered cinematic pieces with astute, intricate and intelligent electronic production. This long-awaited work is firmly based on the foundation of the principles and standards set by previous albums but here there's a clear development and evolution. Never wanting to write the same album twice, Mike and Charlotte have taken another step forward and have created a cinematic, electronic album with songs that stylistically borrow from their childhood soundtracks of soul, funk & hip-hop.

With songs have been inspired by not only events in their own lives but also by movements such as the Heads Together campaign, March for Our Lives 2018 and the Women's March of 2017. The album provides a positive and confident stance on moving forward through adversity and regaining empowerment. This is "The Light Of The Fearless". This inspiration certainly hasn't led to an album encumbered by political statements, but instead gives all the summery buoyancy you'd want to hear at your next festival.

Since their last album in 2010 the band have not only expanded their ever growing body of film score work (Fast and Furious 8, Interlude In Prague, Hercules, Dead in Tombstone, Take Down, Luther, X-men, Deja Vu ) but also saw the departure of band member, Chris Healings in 2015. The cinematic ethos is deep throughout the album with The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra performing on eight tracks. Unsurprisingly, the album as a whole works almost as a kind of score, and it's intriguing to be guided through the plot from the outset in the album's first track "We Are Fearless" through to the final track on the album. The expansive and unique cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down". Hybrid certainly haven't lost their flair for combining cinematic soundscapes, electronics and breakbeats.

Jimi Tenor & Freestyle Man, Finnish legends and everything-but-grey eminences of electronic
music, return to Studio Barnhus for another four-tracker full of the good stuff. Deep house as
done by professionals! The world keeps changing, people and sounds come and go, but when Jimi
croons away over Freestyle Man's finn-tastic funk foundations, it all just about makes sense to us.
Plenty of flute solo on this thing as well!

We adore Big Star and Alex Chilton more than words can express. Being able to present two of Alex’s staggeringly beautiful demos on vinyl for the first time (on a cute picture sleeve 7", no less) is an absolute honour for us at Be With.

“It Isn’t Always That Easy” and “If You Would Marry Me” both sound like templates for some of Alex’s best-known Big Star numbers. These demos come from the transitional recording sessions he made with Terry Manning at the Ardent studio in 1969, but were missing from the vinyl version of the wonderful Free Again compilation that was released in 2012.

Caught between the end of the Box Tops and the birth of Big Star Alex’s song-craft was already remarkable - as these demos prove - and this release represents a fascinating, exploratory period in the career of one of pop’s most enigmatic talents.

“It Isn’t Always That Easy” is the real knockout. A tender, acoustic ballad that, stylistically, could have appeared Big Star’s “#1 Record”. Yes, it really is that good. A deeply affecting, ruminative lament that explores the ravages of Alex’s short career to date, it is also one of the sweetest and most delicate melodies he ever wrote. A song this stunning shouldn’t just be kept for the Big Star completists.

Over on the flip, “If You Would Marry Me” finds Alex in earnestly romantic mode. It’s just him and a piano, albeit one that is played in a poppy, uplifting fashion to complement the optimistic mood: “I could make you feel so glad inside and so alive” he confidently declares. It’s quite the gem. It really should be mandatory for this to be played at every wedding.

Unfortunately there seem to be no photographs of Alex from around the time he was making these recordings. But luckily we were put in touch with Pat Rainer who was photographing the Memphis music scene that Alex was still part of a few years later.

Happy to be described as “a friend with a camera who was hanging around”, Pat’s candid pictures of Alex included one of him asleep on the floor of the Ardent studio. Even though the photograph was taken 9 years after the demos were recorded, we think this intimate portrait makes a fitting cover for these equally intimate songs.

Following 2018’s full-length, Dominance, Deep’a & Biri reemerge on their Black Crow imprint for Black Crow 012, presenting three immediate yet sophisticated cuts traversing techno and electro, brimming with character and detail.

‘Approaching Skopje’ is a tunnelling slice of techno, landing with enough bass weight to drive a wormhole through any heaving rave, coupled with layers of trippy electronic textures that blend inherent heaviness with sheer hypnosis.

On the contrary, ‘Quantum Hypnosis’ sees an instantaneous swung-groove gradually blossom into a weightless electronic lullaby, wrapped in fluttering modulations and a sense of shimmering intrigue.

Finally, ‘Roots‘ builds a bridge between both tracks and bodies and minds beside; a loose breakbeat flirts a circling analogue signal, demonstrating the duo’s subtle craftsmanship at it’s most psychedelic and soaring.

Pacific Breeze is a collection of choice cuts that range from silky smooth grooves to innovative techno pop bangers and everything in between.

Long-revered by crate diggers and adventurous music heads, this music has never been released outside of Japan until now. Including key artists like Taeko Ohnuki and Minako Yoshida, as well as cult favorites Hitomi Tohyama and Hiroshi Sato, the long-awaited release also features newly commissioned cover painting by Tokyo-based artist Hiroshi Nagai, whose iconic images of resort living have graced the covers of many classic City Pop albums of the 1980s.

Many of the key City Pop players evolved from the Japanese New Music scene of the early '70s, as heard on Light In The Attic's acclaimed Even a Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969-1973, the first release of the ongoing Japan Archival Series. In fact, you could say City Pop set sail with a champagne smash from Happy End, the freakishly talented subversives who included amongst their ranks Haruomi Hosono and Shigeru Suzuki, both featured on this compilation. As Michael K. Bourdaghs noted in his book, Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon, this music was, 'Deconstructing the line between imitation and authenticity.' Some of the best City Pop teeters in this zone—easy listening with mutant exotica, tilted techno-pop, and steamy boogie bubbling beneath the gloss.

2xLP housed in a deluxe wide spine jacket with over sized fold-out booklet, full color printed inner sleeves, and custom die-cut obi card

Apollo are delighted to welcome the return of Australia duo Albrecht
La’Brooy AKA Sean La'Brooy and Alex Albrecht with their blissful new
album 'Healesville' recorded in a mud-brick hut on a strawberry crop
in the Melbourne countryside.
Apollo are delighted to welcome the return of Australia duo Albrecht
La’Brooy AKA Sean La'Brooy and Alex Albrecht with their blissful new
album 'Healesville' recorded in a mud-brick hut on a strawberry crop in the
Melbourne countryside. 'Healesville' follows on from the bucolic wonder of
their Apollo debut 'Tidal River' which took inspiration from the duo's visit to
the beautiful Wilson's Promontory (a remote national park on the South
East coast of Australia). "Late last year, we trekked out to a beautiful mudbrick studio located next to a large strawberry crop in Healesville," Albrecht
explains. "We spent a few days capturing the feeling of the slow-paced,
relaxed surrounds: The wildlife, the strawberry pickers, the sounds of the
night, and improvising a response to them with music we felt suited."
Setting up their favoured musical equipment, which included two pianos, a
Waldorf, a Nord and a clutch of microphones the long-form improvisations
began. "The physical construct of the hut imparted a warm and acoustically
interesting environment to record in," Alex explains. "It also allowed us to be
as close to the strawberry crop itself - we positioned a mic out the window
to capture the recordings of the sound outside. During one of the sessions,
a harvest was taking place, and you can hear tractors passing and workers
talking and laughing in the recording. The resulting drowsy pieces were
completely improvised (augmented by percussionist Joseph Batrouney,
guitarist Carla Oliver (Badskin) and guitarist Oliver Patterson), freeform
recordings that explores themes of relaxation, sleep and dreams;
somnambulant piano figures are caressed with delicate guitar passages
bathed in the bucolic field recordings of the Healesville environs. Recording
the album proved to be as relaxing and civilised a process as listening to it:
"We cooked nice dinners, enjoyed good wines, and took plenty of walks
through the landscape to break up the sessions," Alex shares. The resulting
record is one of quietly sozzled majesty - a delicate fusion of ambient
electronic textures, live instrumentation and field recordings that beguiles
and soothes the listener in these troubled times. — Recorded live at Earth
Mud Straw in Healesville by Alex Albrecht and Sean La'Brooy. Guitar by
Oliver Paterson and Carla Oliver (Badskin), Percussion/FXs by Joseph
Batrouney. Mastered by Corey Kikos. Thanks to Sabbine, Boomtown wines
and the strawberry pickers in Healesville.

Available on vinyl for the first time in 40 years, Outernational Sounds proudly presents a cornerstone document from the Los Angeles jazz underground, Flight 17 – the first appearance on record of the legendary Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, led by their founder and mastermind, Horace Tapscott.

"The Arkestra would allow the creativity in the community to come together, would allow people to recognize each other as one people and ask, “Now what can we do to make this community better? What can we do for this community together?”...That’s how the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – the Ark – began, with the knowledge that we wanted to preserve the black arts in the community."
Horace Tapscott

Horace Tapscott’s Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (P.A.P.A.) was one of the most transformative, forward-thinking and straight-up heavy big bands to have played jazz in the 1960s and 1970s. Countless musicians passed through its ranks, and in Tapscott it was led by a musical visionary who should be ranked with the very greatest names in the music. If P.A.P.A. doesn’t have the interstellar rep of that other famous Arkestra, and if the name Tapscott doesn’t ring bells like Monk or Tyner, there’s a reason why: in an industry dominated by record labels, a band that doesn’t record doesn’t count. And the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra didn’t record for nearly twenty years. But recording success was never their concern – they weren’t about that.

First formed as the Underground Musicians Association in the early 1960s, Tapscott always wanted his group to be a community project. From their base in Watts, UGMA got down at the grassroots. They played for the people, organising fundraisers in parks and coffee houses, hosting teach-ins and workshops for young and old, and mixing it with radical theatre groups, firebrand poets, political radicals, Black separatists, community groups and churches. They lived communally, supporting each other and their people, and built an ark for the Black arts in the heart of the city. The group was renamed the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in 1971, and soon after they established a monthly residency at the Immanuel United Church of Christ which ran for over a decade, while still playing all over LA and beyond. But through all this, they never released a note of music.

It was the intervention of Tom Albach, a fan of Tapscott and the group, that finally got them on wax. Determined that their work should be documented, Albach founded Nimbus Records specifically to release the music of Tapscott, the Arkestra, and the individuals that comprised it. The first recording sessions in early 1978 yielded enough material for two albums, and the first release was Flight 17. From the surging avant-gardism of Herbie Baker’s title track to the laid- back summertime groove of Kamonta Lawrence Polk’s ‘Maui’, or Roberto Miranda’s uptempo Latin jam ‘Horacio’, Flight 17 showcased the radical voices of the Arkestra’s members. Led out by Tapscott’s hard-swinging piano, this is the first flight on wax of the West Coasts’ foundational community big band – energised, hip and together. Open up the gates and prepare for departure!

This edition of Flight 17 contains two tracks previously only available on the 1997 CD edition: ‘Coltrane Medley’ and ‘Village Dance’, recorded live at the Immanuel United Church of Christ. It is released as a limited vinyl-only edition on a 180g pressing by Pallas. Fully licensed from Nimbus West founder Tom Albach.

Brous One is one of the best-known artists in the field of instrumental hip hop. So far his beats have been strongly inspired by the sound of the Boombap era, but on his latest release "Cityscapes" the producer from Saarbrücken goes in a more relaxed direction. Jazz is still the main inspiration, but the beats are much smoother. "Hasta Luego", for example, is carried by a dreamy piano melody and the soothing vinyl crackle is omnipresent. Thus the musician creates a perfect feel-good atmosphere for a nocturnal ride through the "Cityscapes".

“Following on from Homenagem, Lugar Alto’s first critically acclaimed project, the São Paulo label's new endeavour is the reissue of another neglected masterpiece. This time, it’s “Poema da Gota Serena” turn by Zé Eduardo Nazário from 1982. This unique work gathers elements of free jazz, Brazilian Northeastern rhythms, Asian percussive instruments and electronics.

Zé Eduardo is a virtuoso drummer and percussionist with a prolific career as a musician and teacher. He was introduced to music in his youth and started playing professionally at the age of thirteen. In the late 60’s he was a regular at the famous Totem night club in São Paulo, where he performed alongside the pianist Tenório Jr. and other exceptional instrumentalists. It was there that he met Guilherme Franco, and together they formed the Grupo Experimental de Percussão. This period defined Nazário’s interest in different sonorities involving percussion, and he broke away from the more traditional genres, such as bossa nova and jazz. Over time, this distinctiveness in sound and playing allowed him to create his own path which culminated in an extensive number of remarkable works, including the colorful and psychedelic “M andala”, which examines Indian and hippie themes. He also played with Hermeto Pascoal’s group and joined him and Jaques Morelenbaum for the recording of the cult classic “Imyra, Tayra, Ypy” by Taiguara. For Egberto Gismonti’s “Nó Caipira”, Nazário performed with the khene, a mouth organ from Laos, a present from Gismonti himself.

But it is Nazário’s work with the 1976 collective Grupo Um which is his most well-known, who, during their 6-year legacy recorded, amongst movie and ballet soundtracks, 3 albums: “Marcha Sobre a Cidade”, “Reflexões Sobre a Crise do Desejo” and “Flor de Plástico Incinerada”. The combo is considered one of the most innovative formations of its time, unusually combining electro-acoustic elements, jazz and Brazilian traditional music.

Poema da Gota Serena was Zé Eduardo's first solo project and it was financed by the legendary Lira Instrumental, a collaboration between the ground-breaking venue, label and publisher for the São Paulo avant-garde, Lira Paulistana, along with the always interesting Continental Records, home to such luminaries as Tom Zé. The album was offered as a package deal simultaneously with the production of “Flor de Plástico Incinerada”, ensuring 2 studio sessions at JV studios in October 1982.

Each side of the album explores different duets which, with its suite formated tracks, give the album the feel of a cohesive whole. The first half of the A side, “Energia dos Três Mundos”, is shared with the improvised saxophone of Cacau. Nazário delves into free jazz rhythms and plays his drums with a rolling and tumbling swing, using the kit in full, demonstrating the power of Brazilian jazz fusion. The second half of the suite takes us into a more tranquil mode. “Só Prá Ouvir”, demonstrates Zé’s mastery on the glockenspiel, and Indian percussion instruments, such as the tabla and mridangam. Cacau, on his side, switches his saxophone for more delicate dancing flute driven passages, equal parts northeastern rhythms and deep Amazonian indigenous influences. The B side, with “Prá Pensar / Prá Sentir e Prá Contar”, contrasts heavily with the A side’s more organic and natural feel. In Prá Pensar Lelo Nazários’s synth clusters and electronic blasts strangely interact with the exploring, wandering percussion. This track leads into the sublime “Prá Sentir e Prá Contar” where South Indian inspired vocals, performed by Zé Eduardo, accompany the graceful synth chords and fluttering percussion. The result is a hypnotic, otherworldly feel to the music that is infectious and takes the listener on an extraordinary journey.
With Poema da Gota Serena, it is possible to hear music that extrapolates the lines of the avant-garde and popular music. It is an album the demonstrates that Brazilian jazz fusion can be both spiritual and challenging at the same time.

All the tracks were expertly remastered by Lelo Nazário, directly from the original tapes, maintaining the high quality of production that Lugar Alto are becoming renowned for. All the artwork was reinterpreted by the São Paulo design studio Sometimes Always, including an exclusive insert and unpublished images.

It seems that Lugar Alto have managed to excavate yet another gem from the seemingly bottomless Brazilian mines. Long may they continue to do what they do so well.”

In the early eighties, Edmond Mondésir, professor of philosophy and Léon Bertide, trade unionist, founded the Bèlènou group. They were actors of the great agricultural strike of 1974, which resulted in the death of two workers (Ilmany and Marie-Louise) and left many wounded. Activists of the patriotic movement Asé Pléré An Nou Lité (Stop crying, Fight), they were part of the identity and the cultural affirmation la revendication identitaire et culturelle of the time. Like the Guadeloupean musician Gérard Lockel and his work on the Gwo Ka, they put the Bèlè, in its traditional form, back in the spotlight during Swaré Bèlè (Bèlè nights).Minimalist and spiritual, a true rural ancestral art from Martinique, the Bèlè combines dance and music from responsorial monodies, which is a choir that responds to the lead singer (Respondè / La vwa dèyè), on codified drum rhythms and ti-bwa (2 sticks that hit the back of the drum or a piece of bamboo). It comes in a series of collective choreographies, working up into the trance. The texts are simple, short and tell the story of everyday life and struggle. While preserving the emotion and the drum’s central place, the fundamental contribution of Bèlènou is to keep the traditional form of Bèlè while adding a modern instrumentation: bass, guitar, saxophone, drums...
Emosyon Tambou-a (Emotion of the Drum) was released in 1990. This third opus of the band expands the musical spectrum in harmonies, arrangements and influences to create a contemporary music anchored in the Bèlè matrix, while keeping the beat, the energy and ancestral roots of music. Bèlènou adapts some classic rhythms: Bélya, Gran Bèlè, Bèlè Pitjé or Ting-Bang rewritten here for an orchestra.With the appearance of long couplets and a complex harmonization of the choruses, Bèlènou's music brings a form of modernity, it opens notably to jazz territory as well as to other forms of music and grooves. Also, Bèlènou leaves the musicians with space for improvisation: not only on the saxophone or the guitar, but also with the drums (cleverly adaptating traditional rhythms to the drums).

The texts sung in Creole are of a social nature, appealing to the solidarity and self-denial of the people (Bélya pou péyi-a, Tout pèp-la sanblé), to the struggle for political emancipation towards a new democracy (Wi ny ké rivé, Ni dé jou, Démokrasi); land protection (Sové tè-a); finally, to the vitality of the Bèlè culture ... (Emosyon Tambou-a, Dansé Ting-Bang)...Culture participates, according to the expression of Aimé Césaire, as "Miraculous Weapons". Bèlènou sings a project of a new and united society. A precursor group, experimental in the its early years, Bèlènou reconciles with talent tradition, modernity and cultural identity.

Lovely crafted tip-on sleeve. Remastered. 700 copies

Originally a Library oriented Music label, Apollo Sound by the mid 70s commissioned contemporary musical pieces from new composers, aiming presumably to provide atmospheric backgrounds for film, television and advertising, and to feed the burgeoning demand for ‘New Age’ music. Therefore comes Following The Light.
While certainly melodic, Owen’s music makes no concessions to mid-afternoon mindfulness or commercial use and reuse. Instead, Following The Light - whose title is taken from the Tao. Number 27 - is a deep and immersive listening experience, clearly the work of a singular musical imagination following its own rules in its own way.
With the help of Katherine Sweeney on violin and Milada Polasek on electric piano and organ, Albert Alan Owen recorded Following The Light in “live” condition, taking profit of a strong use of the digital effects which were in its infancy at this time; the music was written to make the most of what technology was available, resulting a singular piece of music of sheer beauty
The record demands to be considered as a stand-alone unit, its three sections unfolding elegant and propulsive by turns, as reoccurring themes answer each other through the layers. There are echoes of Reich and Riley in the use of delay, that warm rolling repetition and those bass pulses. But this is not in the service of a system. There is something more lyrical, more humane at work in the music.
With Following the Light, Albert Alan Owen has given us a record that stands outside of time and place, it’s familiar elements made strange and new, all bathed in magic hour light.

Primarily known for his work behind the boards with heavyweights; Kon, Bosq and Soul Clap, Caserta steps out from behind the console to present the first release on his new imprint...BridgeBoots.

Caserta and co. manage to source a vocal from a “blue- eyed soul” classic, usually reserved for the end of the night and craft it into a dance floor stomper.

With the aforementioned Kon holding down the flip side with a smooth reworked dub, BridgeBoots is off to a hot start!

DJ Support:

“Daymn. Loving this flip. Super smooth and that Kon Dub is tight in the pocket.” - “Love this -- both mixes are fire. Definitely in that.
Eli
Soul Clap

"Heavy warm up" sweet spot for when the room is starting to bubble or those Sunday roof-top jams! Will be rinsing this summer for sure.” –
Marc Meistro,
Sol Power Records

River Rapid is the new label from acclaimed DJ Eclair Fifi. Known for her tastemaking dj sets steeped in upcoming exclusives and unknown rarities as well as her essential monthly radio show on NTS it seemed only right that she should start her own imprint.

The first release features 4 brand new tracks by Afrodeutsche AKA Henrietta Smith-Rolla . Building on the sound established on her 2018 Debut “Break What You Make” on the legendary SKAM label - these raw hardware driven tracks evoke classic Rephlex in the same breath as Underground Resistance. Respectful to the originators whilst keeping an eye firmly on the future.

Supported by festival performances at SONAR Barcelona, Dekmantel and Dimensions amongst others this summer as well as opening for Aphex Twin at Red Bull Music Festival in September.

‘One of our favourites’ iD Magazine

‘Mesmerizing’ The Guardian

‘Keep an eye on this guy!’ - Gilles Peterson


Catching Flies’ music draws from a wide-ranging palette of influences including jazz, soul, hip-hop, house and electronica and has previously seen him handpicked by Bonobo to provide support on his World Tour. Over the past few years, his music has gathered the support of Gilles Peterson, Annie Mac, Lauren Laverne, Julie Adenuga & Huw Stephens, critical acclaim from the likes of iD Magazine, The Guardian, Dazed & Confused, and Nowness, and a growing fanbase which has seen him perform both Live and DJ sets across the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia. This has culminated in over 60,000,000 streams to date.

Catching Flies is set to release debut album ‘Silver Linings’ on 5th July 2019. Containing shades of house and jazz, to hip-hop and electronica, ‘Silver Linings’ is a melodic mesh of bright electronics and intricate rhythms. It’s a beautiful, moving record, with sounds that unmistakably come straight from the heart.

Producer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ George King began Catching Flies in late 2012, when he recorded and self released his first two EPs. With huge radio and press support around the world - including multiple #1’s on Hype Machine, BBC Radio support from Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Lauren Laverne, Tom Ravenscroft, Nemone, Annie Mac, Huw Stephens; praise from i-D, Dazed, The Guardian, Complex, Notion, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, Dummy and more - he’s since attracted millions of listeners.

Against his instincts he signed with a big management agency and got talking to a label: it almost derailed his career. He explains “What I'd found so inspiring originally was the total freedom to make a tune on my own terms and just decide to put it out the next week. There was a hunger that came with that, and a sense of achievement from being the driving force, but as soon as I tampered with that ecosystem, it wasn't as exciting anymore”.

Touring with electronic music giant Bonobo - who also included him on his BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix - allowed him to watch up close someone who had taken a slow and steady path from tiny clubs in Brighton to arenas worldwide, and see it was possible to do without any compromise. After being teased through a succession of warmly received singles this past year, and seven years on from that first EP recorded and released from his bedroom, his debut album ‘Silver Linings’ is now ready to be revealed.

“It's taken me a while because I didn't want to speak until I had something to say. I wanted to make something positive, hopeful and colourful...The world isn't in the best place at the moment, and the last thing it needs is another dark and moody electronic record. I wanted ‘Silver Linings’ to be a scrapbook of the last three years. It’s definitely eclectic, and it’s supposed to be. Over three years a lot changes, your perspectives change, your tastes change; and I wanted to celebrate that by picking tracks that meant the most to me. One of my favourite things about making music is that it takes me right back to where I made it - the keyboard I used, the chair I was sitting on, the room I was in. It kind of teleports you back to a certain point in your life. A bit like a diary entry.”

Recalling those moments brings back a range of memories: ‘Satisfied’ began by being tapped out on a £15 keyboard bought from Kentish Town Cash Converters, ‘Yǔ’ was made in the mountains of China during a few days off from touring, while an evening on Hampstead Heath inspired ‘Kite Hill Theme’. Also featuring on the album is ‘New Gods,’ a collaboration with London’s bright stars Jay Prince and Oscar Jerome and the beautiful and meditative ‘Opals,’ inspired by the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.

Catching Flies is already looking to the future, closing the first chapter in an exciting and inspiring story, ‘Silver Linings’ is only the beginning.

“A few weeks after I finished the album, I moved out of my house I made all the music in, so it feels like the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. I can’t wait to make the next one now.”

This is the first in a series of remixes of tracks from Dubkasm’s acclaimed 2018 LP, Rastrumentals. The 10” opens with Alter Echo and Zam Zam/Khaliphonic label head E3, who have an impressive list of previous collaborators including Lee Perry, Pinch and The Bug. The Portland, Oregon duo have taken the driving roots energy of ‘Lei Áurea’ and used pounding drums, flurries of aggressive foley and veering synth attacks to flip it into an apocalyptic dancehall banger.

Side B comes courtesy of recent Bristol arrival Om Unit, a truly unique producer and DJ, headlining shows around the world, and collaborating with artists as diverse as Goldie, Joker, and Machinedrum. Always impossible to classify, his remix of LP opener ‘Eco do Jongo’, , dives deep into dub territory, its ethereal, stripped-back nyabinghi drumming, crystallised synths, and a slipstream of horns bringing Ras B’s righteous message to the fore

This release has been expertly mastered via 1/2” tape by Lewis at StarDelta, and is backed and distributed by Unearthed.

In an era of boundless self promotion, anonymity is a rare and precious thing. Listening to Trevor Jackson's NTS show one night we heard a glorious piece of music by something called Elite Beat. A quick search found 10 years worth of recorded material but not a single photo or youtube clip. They had made a record with Niger born guitarist Mdou Moctar but were based in Portland, Oregon. More questions than answers but we knew we had just heard one helluva cosmic link up!

We still don't know what they look like but we can tell you Elite Beat is a 6 piece ensemble now in their 12th year as a musical collective. Their sound is non prescribed rhythm music with an emphasis on live playing, free form expression and dubbing techniques. Players who have absorbed the plethora of global grooves from dub, Ethiopoques and Tuareg guitar music (probably the odd Dead bootleg too). They aren't retromaniacs or here to revive a genre. Just some cats from Oregon talking that universal language, fueled by laugher and a vision of the eternal.

"By The Light Of The Pyramids" and "Postcards From Gortupal" are their latest and greatest offerings, birthed out of live sessions.

*The vinyl versions are shorter edits of the original / digital to preserve sound quality.

“A genius” - Nai Palm
“One of the most incredible live performances I’ve seen” - Gilles Peterson
“He's like a human centipede sewn out of all the greatest musicians from the past 80 years” - Liam Pieper

Emerging from Brisbane’s music-art bohemian West End in 2008, self-taught, prodigious musician Lachlan Mitchell aka Laneous, began his eclectic and colourful journey in music as the leading member of funk band KAFKA, stamping his trademark falsetto croon on an Australian music landscape that wasn’t quite ready for an artist whose standout influence was D’Angelo’s ‘Voodoo’. Word of their talent soon reached UK’s perennial tastemaker Gilles Peterson who featured the band on his compilation, Brownswood Bubblers Four alongside other breakthrough acts at the time, Mayer Hawthorne, Floating Points and Lone. A world-class guitarist, vocalist, composer, visual artist and – significantly - muse, Mitchell’s unique ability to shine, create and inspire across genres was his obvious forte, even then. Regularly sought after to provide features for other bands and cover art for Hiatus Kaiyote albums Tawk Tomahawk and Choose Your Weapon, he worked diligently to support his community. But while Hiatus’ Nai Palm told media Laneous was “a genius” he often credited music and drawings to pseudonyms.

In 2016, after 8 years of humbly dominating the Australian underground art, soul and jazz scene [with ‘mutant-soul/croon punk’ cult group Laneous & The Family Yah, reggae band Kooii and improv-jazz-beat trio, Vulture Street Tape Gang] Mitchell relocated to Melbourne - a move that would instigate and inspire the long-awaited debut solo LANEOUS record that fans and peers had been craving for nearly a decade. Excited to create new music with an artist they’d previously referenced as an inspiration, Paul Bender and Simon Mavin (Hiatus Kaiyote) came on board swiftly, joined by Hudson Whitlock (Cactus Channel) on drums and Donny Stewart (Jazz Party) on vibraphone and flugelhorn - a key element in bringing Mitchell’s vision of an exotica/soul infused album to life. In classic Laneous fashion, the musical references for the record run deep, winding through an eclectic array of artists from Martin Denny, Burt Bacharach and The Beach Boys to Shuggie Otis, Wild Cookie and Wu-Tang.

The debut single Modern Romance was unleashed in October 2018 with a kinky, captivating visual accompaniment that marked the return of the Laneous legacy. After selling out the Melbourne launch of the single, the band was invited to headline Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM x Northside Records live Melbourne broadcast, teasing exclusive album cuts and drawing high praise from Peterson, stating it was “..one of the most incredible live performances I’ve seen’.

Out May 10 via Soul Has No Tempo, Mitchell’s MONSTERA DELICIOSA stands as a sublime genre work, peerless in Australia - his magnum opus bears the name that’s backed him from day one:

Koma Saxo is a highly potent new five-piece produced by the visionary Berlin-based Swedish bassist-producer Petter Eldh. The lineup brings together five heavy jazz names on the Berlin–Nordics axis, including Eldh on bass, Christian Lillinger on drums and the frontline of three saxes: Otis Sandsjö, Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen. Despite the top-billing names, make no mistake: this is not just another "supergroup", but a real working band with their own sound and musical trejectory.

Eldh's vision for the Koma Saxo sound is one step ahead of what groovy avantgarde jazz could sound like in 2019, involving postproduction work with the raw material recorded in Helsinki in connection to Koma Saxo's successful debut at the We Jazz Festival. Both studio and live tapes exist side by side, and Eldh goes deep in molding the final music to be heard on the upcoming Koma Saxo releases.

The first introduction into the world of Koma Saxo comes in the form of a 7"/digital single "Port Koma / Fanfarum For Komarum". Side A presents a restlessly dubby beat track, which would be ripe for hiphop sample use. The flip launches into a joyful full-on groovy free jazz fest which is hard to resist. Think Art Ensemble of Chicago at their swingingest but add a little "Nordic Noir" dropped right into the busy streets of Berlin's Kreuzberg.

Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum collection of newly recorded versions of classic funk, soul, jazz and latin vinyl rarities found fans everywhere when released earlier in 2019. The extended reworking of Earth Wind & Fires' 'Brazilian Rhyme' was selected for Jazz FM's A playlist and stayed there for months.

Lance has always enjoyed imaginatively taking a classic rare groove and re-recording in it a different genre, and it has to be said that his latin-ised version of the great jazz organist Jimmy Smith's '8 Counts for Rita' is a concept no one saw coming. Kept back from the Rare Groove Spectrum album, we proudly present it here in all it's swinging, samba-fied glory!

Spanish DJ & remixer Flow Lab Kid (Sergio Cáliz López) is also along term Ferguson fan , and he delved back over 12 years to Lance's very first 'Black Feeling' album and did own 'Blessed' remix of The Blessing Song (which was originally and amusingly credited to the fictitous group The Shirley Eubanks Ensemble) but was in fact a version of jazz violinist Michael White's spiritual jazz track from his 1972 album Pneuma on Impulse Records.

Finally, there is a straight down the line funk version of the Blackbyrds Theme that also didn't make it onto the Rare Groove Spectrum album, although it was always planned that it would see the light of day and what a great way to round off Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum - remixes and rarities.

When the Tramp Records crew read the internet-sweeping spam/story of Nigerian Astronaut and Air Force pilot Abacha Tunde, they knew that they had to spring into action to help this unfortunate fella out. Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Abacha Tunde explained the situation as follows: "My cousin was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Skylab Space Station in 1979, shortly before it crashed to Earth. 19 years later he was on his second spaceflight, this time to a secret Moon Base located on the far side of the Moon. In 1999 his crew members returned to earth, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional supply flights to keep him going since that time. Although he is in good humor, he wants to come home, now, after 20 years in space."

After this hilarious story the idea of a compilation album was born - and "Trip To The Moon" is the result. The goal to raise three million dollars to cover the cost of Abacha Tunde's return flight may never be achieved. Nevertheless, a 41 year experience in the music business is the basis for a fantabulous track listing of 11 amazing and highly underrated Rare Grooves about the Moon!

The Swinging Astronauts open the set, followed by La La Wilson's equally great rhythm & blues rocker "The Moon Man Is Back". With The Moon-Dawgs, this album makes a slight turn into the 1960s garage rock era while Hase Cäsar (backed by none other than the famous Ingfried Hoffmann and his orchestra!) contributes one of two songs of german origin. Now it's time for some funk: Rev. Jamel & Bob Johnson's "Walking On The Moon (Men Are Starving)" criticizes the US government for spending millions of dollars for their space program instead of supporting their own people. "Mars in 75" is deepfunk at its best although some may lament the lack of production. Sidney Ownen's breakbeat-laden "Sputnik" is sought after in collector's circles and needs no justification as to why it is included on this album. Ernest & D.L. Rocco's "Moon Child" is our personal favourite, closely followed by the hypnotic groove of "Mondgesicht" by legendary german saxophonist Ambros Seelos. Scott Cunningham's name should ring a bell as he was featured on several Tramp compilations over the past few years. Finally, the album closes with a psychedelic folk track titled "Voyage To The Moon".

Tramp Records is absolutely convinced that this album will surely be the best way to shorten the wait for Abacha until a rescue space mission finally brings our African soul brother back home.

Key selling points:

- deluxe gatefold LP with detailed liner notes and unseen photographs
- the vinyl LP comes with a full album download code
- most of the songs appear on a 12" album for the very first-time

Primarily based in Leeds, The Lewis Express is comprised of many of the musicians that have graced previous ATA releases: George Cooper, Piano (Abstract Orchestra) Neil Innes, Bass (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill), Sam Hobbs, Drums (Dread Supreme, Tony Burkill, Matthew Bourne) and Pete Williams, Percussion (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill).Recorded over an intense two-day session, 'Clap Your Hands' is heavily influenced by the classic soul jazz recordings of The Young Holt Trio / Young Holt Unlimited, and Ramsey Lewis, from who this group take their name. As with many of the classic Ramsey Lewis cuts this album was recorded live, capturing the rich inter-relationship between the players and leaving in some of that chunky room noise.

'Clap your hands' builds on the template set by their eponymous debut album and further explores the 60's soul-jazz of Ramsey lewis, Young-Holt and Ray Charles as well as the latin boogaloo of Eddie Cano and Pete Terrace. The band's intention was to produce an album of dancefloor friendly, uplifting, funky soul-jazz with a stripped back line up of Piano, Bass, Drums and Percussion. Ranging from the mod-jazz of 'Stomp Your Feet' (a Ramsey-esque groover that's just made-to-measure for dancers) and 'Out From The Rock' (Funky drums and plenty of blues-dipped soul from the Piano) to the driving boogaloo of title track 'Clap Your Hands' and the Ellignton-esque 'Moola Umemo' (Remeniscent of Ellington's 'Money Jungle'). Each track is, in it's own way, aimed squarley at the dancefloor and sure to go down well with both DJs and listeners alike.

"Clap Your Hands" is certainly a more contained album from The Lewis Express, whose debut moved around different camps. It's a tighter, more focussed record that wears it's inspiration proudly on it's sleeve.

Radio support expected from Gilles Peterson (BBC6 Music, Worldwide Fm), Craig Charles (BBC6 Music, Radio 2), Jamie Cullum (Radio 2) and Huey Morgan (BBC6 Music).

Birthed from Arizona’s regaled Ascetic House collective, Body of Light is a dark synth-pop outfit comprised of young brothers Andrew and Alexander Jarson. What began as a vehicle for their exploration of noise and sound during their early teens has evolved into an established production over the last decade, as Body of Light continues to carve out their own style of complex, structured, and moving dancefloor electronics.

Their music is not only individually personal, but drawn from experiences shared between the two brothers – and calls on elements of new wave, freestyle, goth, and techno to create timeless and singular tracks without fear of trend or passing fashion.

On their third album Time to Kill, Body of Light refines their brand of cold and driving synth pop with a bold pallet of sounds and a focus on uncharted technique and purpose. Like the pale digital stare of the modern devices surrounding our daily lives, the album weaves stories of love and obsession in an era of technical bondage and fleeting exhilaration. Written over a period of intense and profound change, Time to Kill stands as a startling reminder of how important our existence truly is. Haunting keys, swelling pads, and punching rhythms score their work as Alex Jarson presents an alluring and romantic dialogue with confident projection. The title single “Time to Kill” kicks off the album with a merciless signature beat, complimented by distorted sample patterns against an infectious, moving bass groove

Maybe the best Alessandroni's album ever. A true holy-grail for any collector and worldwide music lover, which we can consider nowadays as the most sought-after record of the whole legendary RCA SP 10000 series, and as the rarest album from the king of Italian libraries.

Jazz, mellow-funk, downtempo breaks, and incredible rock blends, make this record a refined portrait of the 70's American way of life, viewed through the fully Italian lens of Alessandroni's sensitivity.

The magic around Spontaneous is that this album is not only beautiful and astonishing, but is certainly on of those amazing records to which time gives new life and freshness, making it sounds unbelievably contemporary.

After five years of exhausting research, finally Four Flies can give a light to this obscure and fascinating mystery, rescuing it from the darkness. It's not just another piece of Alessandroni's legacy that is finally put back in the right place. This should be considered as the definitive act to re-estabilsh Alessandroni's leadership into the library music scene, and beyond.

Available again from July 19, coming in 180gr black vinyl, housed in a hard tip-on sleeve cover.

Limited Edition 500 copies, don't sleep!

'There's a lot of serendipity involved in wrestling grooves out of these awkward machines', says Richards about the process behind the record. 'A large part of the composition is making the machines and the patches. They define the limitations of the pieces coming together. Then the performances are happy accidents - found using intuition and practice.'

Made up of two studio sessions and one live recording, PINK NOTHING reflects the unusual space Richards inhabits musically. It's partly informed by his background as a PhD student at Goldsmiths, where he re-imagined and built the Mini Oramics machine – a 'drawn sound' instrument first conceived by electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram, and finally realised by Richards in 2016.

But Richards is also an autodidact beat-maker, and much of the structures and sounds on PINK NOTHING derive from dance music, while his influences also include ritual trance, Ghanaian drum choir music, and the cellular rhythms of Steve Reich. 'It's polyrhythmic abstract electronica' – and he emphasises – 'listening music'.credits

Hoarder is the latest project in a long line of collaborations between Andy Butler (Hercules and Love Affair) and multi- media artist Joie Iacono. Building a sonic world sourced from organic, electronic, and found sounds, the two have waded neck deep into noise-oriented, darker territories over the past 3 years in the studio, and just the tip of the iceberg is revealed on this first EP with London based Khemia Records,
While the four tracks definitely nod to 80’s industrial and techno, with Butler’s knack for arrangement and tenure producing music, and their combined years steeped in the culture, the Ep feels inspired by the era rather than replication or straight homage.
The intention to create a complete visual world alongside these musical experiments is very evident in the video for “Tetanus Spike”. Culling from her years as a visual artist, working with under names like David Armstrong, Dike Blair, Annie Sprinkle and Billy Sullivan, Iacono’s nuanced and sometimes brutal take on portraiture and her inherent sense of rhythm with the moving image boldly comes through. The anti-aesthetic and chaos they are investigating most definitely reflects from their shared love of Fluxus and Actionist art, and the power of performance. Ultimately, in an existential moment of fragmentation, unease, and a creeping sense of powerlessness Hoarder’s approach feels right. Rejecting the superficial and longing for lost authenticity, the time to destroy and rebuild has indeed come, and Hoarder can and will further help provoke it’s onset.

On 28th June 2019, drummer / producer / composer Myele Manzanza will release his eagerly anticipated third album 'A Love Requited' on First Word Records (winner of Worldwide Awards 'Label of the Year' 2019).

Produced with award winning Australian bassist & long time musical collaborator Ross McHenry and featuring a plethora of New Zealand and Australia's finest young instrumentalists, 'A Love Requited' is as much a musical journey as it is an attempt to process, work through and come to terms with the life around him.

"The music on this record was written often as a place of psychological refuge from the tensions of an ultimately failed relationship at home, as well as an attempt to come to grips with thought patterns and personal history that caused an often problematic relationship to music itself. Meditating on themes of love, fear, family, anger, death, ego and acceptance has helped create a narrative arc that grounds the album as well as a mode of therapy to begin working through these issues for myself.

'A Love Requited' is easily my most personal work to date and my hope is that beyond the music itself it may be of help to others, if only to say that your not alone in your struggle to make sense of the world".

This album also features the stellar talents of APRA award winning NYC based pianist Matthew Sheens (John Pattitucci, Cecil McBee, Ross McHenry Trio), alto saxophonist Jake Baxendale (Antipodes, The Jac), trumpeter Ben Harrison (Dave Douglas, Horns Of Leroy), trombonist James Macaulay (The Lagerphones, Epic Brass), multi-reedist Jason McMahon (The Shaolin Afronauts), flautist Adam Page (NZSO, John Psathas, Noel Gallagher), guitarist Django Rowe (Wizard Tone Records) as well as additional keyboard contributions by longtime collaborator Mark de Clive-Lowe (Ropeadope Records, Mashibeats), Brenton Foster and Jack Strempel.

Where Manzanza's debut album 'One' presented his ability as a producer / beatmaker, and his sophomore album 'OnePointOne' showcased his live performance and band leader prowess, 'A Love Requited' puts Manzanza's skills as a composer to the fore.

"Over the last few years I've really enjoyed the process of getting away from music software tools and just sitting at a piano with some manuscript paper and a cup of coffee and seeing what comes of it. I'm a very amateur pianist and my music theory knowledge is fairly limited, but in some ways that's an advantage as I'd be starting with a basic barometer of "does this sound good to me?", without too much consideration for formal rules and structure. From there, developing the arrangements to present to musicians forced me to get a better understanding of melody, harmony and orchestration and to really hone in on refining my ideas to a point where I now feel as much satisfaction and confidence putting myself out on the world stage as a composer as I do playing the drums."

'A Love Requited' will be available on vinyl & digital from the 28th June 2019.

"Continental" is the new full length solo record by Milan-based multi-instrumentalist Nicola Ratti, following recent releases on Where to Now? and Room40. Conceived of by Ratti as a "series of big rooms or places to get lost in, full of small details and characterized each by a single flavor or perfume" it is a surprising and vibrant collection of music. Working with a palette of spare, expertly deployed percussive synthesis techniques, Ratti's work here is both labyrinthine and concise. These eight tracks are able to evoke spaces real and imagined with startling efficiency and clarity. Sprawling old world libraries, cliff caves inhabited by dripping water and rock doves, an automaton nearly slipping its axis but recovering just in time and finding a new sense of purpose in the process.

“True Lies” was originally released in 1999 on Daft Records and showed Dirk Ivens (The Klinik, Absolute Body Control) once again changing the game to create another refreshing and groundbreaking album. Suggestive industrial with distorted vocals, metallic rhythms and noises perfectly balanced with up tempo dance beats and technoid rhythms.

Production on this work is shared with the talent of Ivan Iusco (Minus Habens Records, Nightmare Lodge) and Eric Van Wonterghem (Insekt, Monolith).

"True Lies" is available for the first time on vinyl record with all original songs plus extra tracks from the singles "Two Faced Man" and "Broken Meat", some old compilations and a bunch of cover versions to classics by Suicide, The Normal and The Klinik. Limited edition of 550 copies on double blue colour vinyl with gatefold sleeve, printed inner sleeves and numbered card.

Elina Shorokhova aka SOELA is a multi-talented artist hailing from southern Russia who now calls Berlin her home. It is there where she continues to build her presence in the community through her live and DJ sets alongside documenting the local scene and artists through her lens as a photographer.

LILY EP may be 4 tracks but as a collected whole, sounds and feels like an album when heard from beginning to end. The title track emits her talent as a pianist by setting a tone of gracefulness that is carried throughout the EP – broken beats float in and out of dub drenched ambience that flows with cascading vocals. CLOSE YOUR EYES echos a spirit of Detroit House with refreshing new intensities. Again, her vocals caress the track but as an incredibly catchy hook. WHITE BECOMES BLACK shows her own interpretation of dub techno and combines that into a classic house beat. I HAVE A DREAM sounds like she bridges all of the previous track elements into a single whole which makes this tune the perfect closing track for any DJ set and of this release. A steady low-end groove keeps the ricocheting snares and somber synths cruising to an up-tempo rhythm.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce the release of this genuine head-scratcher, the first collaboration between DJ/mixtape-compiler Kayo Makino and underground legend Tori Kudo. Originally created to be played between acts at the launch of Eiko Ishibashi’s acclaimed The Dreams My Bones Dream and then reworked and refined for LP release, the two side-long pieces are sonic environments constructed by Makino for Kudo’s piano to inhabit, or, as the LP’s credits suggest, a cinéma pour l’oreille in which Kudo’s piano plays the starring role. Beginning with a soothing field recording of crickets dramatically punctuated by smashing glass, the first side finds Kudo playing his way repeatedly through one of Satie’s 1897 Pièces froides. Best known to many listeners for his role as leader of the ecstatically shambolic rock unit Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Kudo’s performance of Satie’s whimsical yet haunting melody is alternately halting and fluid, delighting in the hesitations of unstudied technique and the subtle variations between repeated attempts. While the combination of Kudo’s piano and the background of crickets initially suggests a documentary approach to recording – as if the we are simply hearing incidental sounds creeping through an open window – things take an unexpected turn a few minutes in when Kudo’s piano is suddenly doubled. Layering two separate attempts at the same piece of top of each other, Makino’s unorthodox mixing blurs Satie’s original into a fog of stumbling echoes that becomes increasingly dreamlike as the chirping crickets are overtaken by pattering rain, German dialogue and traffic sounds. The second side begins in a similarly inscrutable vein, with snatches of birds and film music providing a gentle backdrop for Kudo’s improvisational variations on a chord progression that, as his performance builds over its twenty-minute duration, somehow begins to suggest the sadly swaggering grandeur of Mick Taylor-era Rolling Stones. Makino accompanies and eventually overwhelms Kudo’s piano with a bizarre layer of digitally processed voice and drums, stretched out into a disorienting haze before suddenly retreating to leave Kudo’s piano accompanied only by a barking dog. Seemingly unrelated to anything else being produced in the world of contemporary music, this is a striking collaboration between two unique musical personalities that bridges the mundane and the surreal, opening up a dream-space both haunted and hospitable.

Wiederveröffentlichung des Albums aus dem Jahr 2000! - "Humble African" ist für viele Experten der beste Longplayer, den Roots-Ikone Culture aka Joseph Hill in den 90er & Nuller Jahren veröffentlicht hat. Mit den Gästen Marcia Griffiths, Morgan Heritage und Tony Rebel sowie einer starken Besetzung an Musikern als Rhythmusgruppe mit kompletten Bläsersatz von Dean Fraser (Saxophon), Chico Chin (Trompete) und Nambo Robinson (Posaune). Am Mischpult saßen bei der Aufnahme die Toningenieure Errol Brown und Shane Brown, den finalen Mix übernahm Stephen Stanley unter der Federführung des Produzentenduos Lynford "Fatta" Marshall & Collin "Bulby" York aka Fat Eyes Team.

Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung des vierten Studioalbums von Millencolin aus dem Jahr 2000.

Melancholie verbinden die meisten mit Schwermut. Für Skater ist "Melancholy" aber einfach ein Trick mit dem
Board. Und wer des Schwedischen mächtig ist, verbindet Millencolin mit einer Ska-Punk-Band. Die wird von
Nikola Sarcevic (Gesang, Bass), Erik Ohlsson (Gitarre) und Mathias Färm (Gitarre, Drums) im Herbst 1992 in
Örebro, Schweden, beim - ist doch klar! - Skaten gegründet. Komplett ist die Band 1993, als Schlagzeuger
Fredrik Larzon dazu stößt. Einige Platten und weltweite Touren später erscheint im Frühjahr 2000 ihr viertes
Album "Pennybridge Pioneers". Pennybridge ist die wörtliche Übersetzung des Namens ihrer Heimatstadt
Örebro (Öre = Penny, Bro = Bridge). Produzent ist Brett Gurewitz, Chef der Labels Epitaph und ehemals
Mitglied der amerikanischen Punk-Urgesteine Bad Religion. Für viele Kritiker gilt "Pennybridge Pioneers" als
beste Veröffentlichung von Millencolin. Kennzeichnend für das Album ist der Abschied von Ska-Rhythmen bei
gleichzeitiger Hinwendung zu eher rockigeren Riffs. Wenn man so will, bietet "Pennybridge Pioneers"
Punkrock nach amerikanischer Tradition in einer schwedischen Variante. Die Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung
kommt wie seinerzeit das Original via Epitaph auf den Markt.

French lifeguard and sonic artist Roméo Poirier’s long sold out debut tape finally gets a vinyl reissue. “Plage Arrière” is a deep sea meditation on a constellation of Greek beaches across three islands. Trumpets, echo-clicks and Harold Budd-esque shimmer piano whirl together on these seductive scapes, which recall the sub-aqeaous ambitions of Jürgen Müller or Jan Jelinek inspecting a coral reef.

Like sand-caked postcards, or pieces of seaglass tumbled and re-engineered by their surroundings, each piece exists a keepsake from the song's namesake beach.

These missives glide in and out of earshot, bustling like miniature engines, finely tuned and rhythmically confounding. They echo the factory sampling work of YMO on Technodelic: industrial but somehow good-natured, a symbiosis of machinery and wildlife - like an artificial reef or propeller blades smothered in algae.

Plage Arrière is Roméo’s second album this year following “Kystwerk”, where he joined forces with the Norwegian poet Lars Haga Raavand. “Plage” also marks the inaugural release for SWIMS, a new experimental-focused imprint of Cold Blow, who are releasing the LP alongside London label and NTS residents Kit Records.

The album has been remastered for vinyl by Sam Annand of Esk. Building on its original artwork, the vinyl edition features new photography by Roméo himself.

Over the last few years, K15 has been visiting Simbad's studio, where they delved deep in conversation, as well as into an arsenal of analog gear. The result? A revered collection of raw grooves...but what to do with all this heat? Enter Apron boss and mutual friend Steven Julien, who was compelled to share some of these works.
Welcome to Earth State

Masks is New York duo comprised of Max Ravitz aka Patricia (L.I.E.S, Opal Tapes, Ghostly) and Alexis Georgopoulos aka Arp (RVNG Intl, Mexican Summer, DFA, Smalltown Supersound). The aptly titled EP2 is (yes, you guessed it!) their second release, preceded by their Opal Tapes debut Food Plus Drug (II) — which gained support from Legowelt, Mount Kimbie and Boomkat — and a compilation appearance on esteemed Beats In Space 15 year anniversary 3xLP.

On paper, it might strike one as a strange duo. Ravitz’s work leans heavily on house and techno, but his recent work has been focused towards emotive melodies of IDM. And Georgopoulos has been busy creating minimalistic classical music for RVNG and most recently made waves with his critically-acclaimed album Zebra, which combined elements of 4th World and cosmic jazz.

All the tracks making up EP2 were made as live performances. No overdubs. Nothing "in the box". Just classic hardware and a strong vibe.

Opener "In This Room" is the sound of a NY summer sunset, pivoting on a hypnotic rotation of orange-hued chords. "Emotional Response" displays a different side of the group. Combining a 909 with a piano tug, it could provide that perfect soundtrack to a cathartic cry on the dancefloor.

On the flip side, "In Another Room" is dreamy techno par excellence, before sliding into an acid chugg for the ages. Bookworms smears the sun of "In This Room" into a 4am whirl, all purple lights and mountains of fog.

The cover artwork features the artwork of Sanou Oumar, a recent emigrant from Burkina Faso, West Africa. He graduated from the University of Ouagadougou in 2007 and moved to the United States to seek asylum in 2015. He currently lives in the Bronx and works in Harlem, New York. In 2018, Oumar had his first two-person exhibition (with Matt Paweski) at Gordon Robichaux in New York, and in 2019 (with Elisabeth Kley) at South Willard in Los Angeles, curated by Matt Connors.

On July 26th the top-ranking leftfield star Clark will release ‘Kiri Variations’, via his own label Throttle Records – and as always, he has musically metamorphosized into something fresh and new.

This album of plaintive beauty, eerie wyrd arcadian horror and childlike outsider music epitomises his constant ability to flip-the-script and coherently organise an abundance of new ideas.

Mysterious and morbidly beautiful pieces driven by piano, harpsichord, clarinet, strings, electronics and voice are interspersed with fabulously unusual and highly original curveballs:

Odd-in-a-brilliant-way, the faux naïve ‘Kiri’s Glee’, evokes traveling minstrels of yore accidentally eating the wrong ‘shrooms, and ‘Coffin Knocker’ has diffracted psych feel, like David Axelrod’s work with the Electric Prunes, but chopped, screwed and scorched.

‘Forebode Knocker’ is darkly funky, like the kind of lost diggers’ nugget unearthed and sampled by RZA, whilst the sonically-perfect ‘Primary Pluck’ unfurls exquisitely, swaying slowly ever forward like a funeral march.

‘Cannibal Homecoming’ is nothing short of Clark’s most song-based composition ever, featuring augmented human voice as evident elsewhere and also a fully-fledged vocal sung by him.

‘Kiri Variations’ started life as the score to the BAFTA-nominated TV program ‘Kiri’, but only a small (and highly effective) portion of the music recorded was used – intentionally sparingly – by director Euros Lyn. That first incarnation has since grown and morphed intosomething entirely of its own being; a proper artist album.

“In addition to my usual methods of controlled randomness and tangential ideas, the TV commission was a prominent spark for new approaches. It’s a great balancing contrast with the solipsistic studio album”, Clark explains.

The record allows simplicity and playfulness to shine through: “It’s a skeleton of an album, reduced to bare essentials, although it started out rather dense - the thing that takes time is making it succinct."explains Clark. “Certain parts are also what you could call anti muso – for example the recorder on ‘Kiri’s Glee’ is totally out of tune – but it sounds so colourful. I can’t resist the primary paint of acoustic instruments; it’s an antidote to frictionless digital music.

Eduardo De La Calle presents his new 12 inches in the new Rhod platform...

4 very sequential techno cuts with synoptic reviews and clearly syncopatic reactions produced with the intention and need of an intense search for new sounds and structures.

Eduardo always shows influences from the early and old pioneers who took control in the techno music business on previous decades...

we can name a few artists like New World Aquarium, Luke Slater or more recently Aubrey that have strongly influenced Eduardo in recent and format times also labels like Shelter Records or Solid Groove are important to be mentioned, they are platforms where Eduardo has also received notable influences when making this record.

In general terms a very solid 12" inch with character an over all... a work with personality for the most demanding DJs.

Mastered by Javier 'KTC Mastering'
Design - Antonio Romero

Rhod Records.

Having broken a decade's silence with 2016's 'System', LA-based electronic musician Joseph Fraioli, a.k.a. Datach’i, returns this summer with his eighth album 'Bones'.
Released on Venetian Snares' Timesig imprint, 'Bones' features 12 tracks of mind expanding electronica, once again recorded on his custom-built Eurorack modular system. Much like its predecessor, 'Bones' manages to make the most of the possibilities modular systems offer, whilst avoiding their many pitfalls that can often turn such music into little more than a dry academic exercise. Indeed 'Bones' is a remarkably intimate album, written and recorded in the time following his father's death, and reflects this intense period of personal change in Joseph's life.

"Creating this music was a therapy of sorts," Joseph recalls. "It was almost like a close friend being there for me, and it's something that I hope others can perhaps utilize in the same way."

The connection to his father is something that is reflected not just in the emotional intensity of 'Bones', but in the actual production itself. "My father and I were very close," he explains. "Whilst he was sick with cancer I bought him a guitar as he wanted to learn how to play, just to have something to do while he was getting treated. After he passed away my mother gave me the guitar to have as a sort of memory of him. I had the idea to record some sounds and music on the guitar and load it onto granular sample players on the modular synth so I could make new music from those sounds as a sort of tribute to my dad. You can hear some of those sounds on a few of the tracks here like 'Arrivals', 'Motion in the Living Room' and 'Undimension'."

The resulting album grapples with the intensity of these emotions. But for all their weight, tracks like 'Saugerties Road', ‘Rockledge 3A’ and ‘Antumalal’ transform that heaviness into something warm and comforting whilst the aforementioned 'Arrivals' or ‘Wand’ ultimately achieve some kind of escape velocity and soar. Even though 'Bones' is about endings and finding closure, it also looks forward to new beginnings.

"It was something very much on my mind throughout recording this album," he relates, "ends being beginnings and beginnings being the end. Cycles of time and how time works, it's all reflected throughout the album right down to how the tracks are ordered."

Ranging from blissful ambience and guileless, starry eyed melodies, to intricate claustrophobic rhythms that forever sound close to collapsing in on themselves before expanding into bold new patterns, 'Bones' is the work of a producer who, twenty years on from his debut, continues to push the boundaries of electronic music.

Next up on Church, the London label turn to Germanys Julius Steinhoff. As a label head himself, Julius has crafted an undeniable sound that resonates deep within the underground scene, and one that fits well within the Church ethos.


The Forgotten Garden EP kicks off with the title track , a deep and moving house cut with a driving bass line taking centre stage alongside reverb drenched vocals. 'To Your Care' welcomes a sunrise triggering piano part, deep with orange is floats elegantly around an irresistible drum groove and rising bass line.
'So Very Close' again features the punchy bass line, trippy vocal snippets but with more of a rolling groove for the B side. 'Gonne Be With You Forever' takes its all a little punchier and minimalistic, carried by deep and emotive synth lines it closes the show in fine form.

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s return to his most spaced-out work, that marks his 2002 comeback album Jamaican E.T. The extra-terrestrial is back with some groovy reggae which creates a bridge between dub, roots and hip hop. But in the end it never ventures to far away from the traditional reggae. The album continues in showing his fascination with aliens, drugs and religion. His own voice is often multi-layered and contrasting with each other. It’s a wonderful record and it shows that even after all those years he was still capable in recording an album which stands out during the time of release.

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music and worked together with artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Clash and The Beastie Boys. Nowadays he’s still performing and recording music.

Jamaican E.T. is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on orange coloured vinyl.

This is latest release by London Duo Dark Circles forthcoming on their own vinyl imprint DC Trax. Undoubtedly their biggest release to date, harnessing the full force of their influences of acid, techno, house and rave directly for the dancefloor.

Lariat is a acidic psychedelic spoken word odyssey with an incredible breakdown. this is acompanied by a remix from man of the moment NYC Bunker dj Justin Cudmore. Mandy on the B side takes us back to 1993 the height of rave and includes life changing question for a certain young lady!

Rydim delivers three definite tracks to the floor, on the new Copenhagen
based label Variation Records. Expect tight 909 beats that are not only
egdy, but goes all the way the edge.

Franc Spangler makes a welcome and long overdue return to Delusions with a mighty-fine three tracker packed with the good stuff. The throbbing bump of the title track with it’s bouncing square-wave bassline and drifting stabs leads the charge, crunchy hats driving along the groove whilst a cut up vocal ratchets up the energy.

Flipping over we have Somewhere Else, a much deeper and jazzier affair based around a repeating four bar horn part. Never straying too far from the dance floor, Franc keeps things percussive and dynamic whilst conjuring up a moment of musical bliss, chiming synths dripping down like golden rays of sunshine on the densely textured orchestral layers.

Closing off the release, Dreamworld takes us by the hand on a tropical excursion, low slung beats punctuated by echoing xylophone riffs and Apito whistle. Dubby atmospherics and warm Juno106 chords give the track a Balearic mood perfect for the summer months ahead.

The past few years, we've watched from afar as Tokyo based DJ Haruka has established himself as one of Japan's top DJs and a crucial figure in the dance music scene. Since inviting him to play a Butter Sessions party in Melbourne and catching him multiple times in Japan, our online curiosities were met in real life with his impeccable taste and personalised style of house and techno. Needless to say, when Haruka sent us his debut EP "Senko", we instantly heard something special in his approach to music creation.

The three original tracks, entitled by their respective BPMs, encapsulate everything we loved about his DJ sets - bold, acidic and relentless synth sequences that are as intense as the Shibuya crossing, paired with masterful live percussion and drumming from Izpon (of Japanese salsa band Banderas) and Shigekazu Otake (of cult group Cro-Magnon) to create a unique sonic space. The recordings snarling nature reflects the pure force of DJ Nobu's Future Terror crew, of which Haruka is a key member. Additional live dubbing and mixing work from Naoyuki Uchida of Dry & Heavy - "Flying Rhythms" glues this raging bull together while purveying it's raw energy.

On the flip side, label heads Sleep D offer an unflinching club-ready version of "120", while French royalty Zadig contributes a mesmerising 14+ minute dubbed out, psychedelic burner that brings a new focus to the soundscapes of the original.







d 4. 120 (Sleep D Remix) feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida
[e] 5. 106 (Zadig Remix) [feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]




[d] b1 | 120 (Sleep D Remix) [feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]
[feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]




[d] b1 | 120 (Sleep D Remix) [feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]
[feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]




[d] b1 | 120 (Sleep D Remix) [feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]
[feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]




[d] b1 | 120 (Sleep D Remix) [feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]
[feat. Izpon, Shigekazu Otake & Naoyuki Uchida]

This year, First Word Records celebrates its fifteenth year in the game. The year commenced triumphantly with First Word being named "record label of the year" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards 2019. Over the past six months, we've seen new music from 14KT, Souleance, Myele Manzanza, Teotima, Don Leisure, Children of Zeus and a range of artists across Europe, on the 'Music! Musik! Musique!' compilation.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary, First Word has a series of releases in the works for the second half of the year which see collaborations by artists from the label's current roster. To kick off, we have this special double-AA sided 7" single featuring Darkhouse Family, Kaidi Tatham & Tyler Daley.

Darkhouse Family consists of two Cardiff beatmakers & musicians, Earl Jeffers - founder of Melange Records and producer of 'A Library Excursion' from 2018, and Don Leisure, who recently provided us with 'Halal Cool J', the beat-tape sequel to 2017's 'Shaboo'. Over the years they've had releases, solo & individually, on Fat City, Metalheadz & Earnest Endeavors to name a few, bridging the gaps between various strains of dance music, beats and hip hop, with the organics of jazz and funk. Recently making noise across the UK with their new live band, and production work for the likes of Kamaal Williams, this is their first new release since their highly-acclaimed 2017 debut album 'The Offering' & subsequent remix project which also featured DJ Spinna, and one Kaidi Tatham.

Kaidi Tatham is one of the most revered multi-instrumentalists in the game. His endless contributions have included Bugz In The Attic, Amy Winehouse, Slum Village, Mulatu Astatke, Soul II Soul, Moonchild, Leroy Burgess, Amp Fiddler and loads more. Dubbed by Benji B last year as "the UK's Herbie Hancock", his versatility as a musician is actually more akin to Prince. He can play most things, and play them well. Providing flute duties on this track, he also graces the flipside with a full "flutestrumental" version. Aside from numerous other projects, Kaidi released three EPs on First Word to date, 'Changing Times', 'Hard Times' and 'Serious Times', and an album last year, entitled 'It's A World Before You', which featured daddy of 2000 Black, Dego, son of Jazzy Jeff, Uhmeer and Children of Zeus, Konny Kon & Tyler Daley.

Tyler Daley hails from Manchester, alongside son of Zeus, MC / DJ / beatmaker, Konny Kon. Somewhat of a veteran in the game, Tyler is currently one of the most-recognisable talents in the British soul scene, also lending his talents to dance music royalty along the way, including the likes of Goldie, Zed Bias, DJ Marky & Lenzman. With Children of Zeus, the duo have had a whirlwind 12 months since the release of their debut album 'Travel Light', performing shows across the globe & gaining new fans daily. The record was named "album of the year" by Complex magazine and BBC 6 Music's Huey Morgan, amongst a number of other notable tastemakers & selectors. Hot on the heels of the 'Excess Baggage' EP, Tyler laces this one with his inimitable brand of bars and soul.

A veritable super-group amongst the First Word stable, this low-slung slinky joint sees the guys work up a unique blend of jazz, soul, beats and hip hop - guaranteed to go 'All The Way'…

'All The Way' is released on First Word Records on July 26th 2019, limited 7" vinyl & digital.

Produced & mixed by Darkhouse Family

Vocals by Tyler Daley (Children of Zeus)


b B1. All the Way (Flutestrumental) [feat. Tyler Daley & Kaidi Tatham]


[b] B1 | All the Way (Flutestrumental) [feat. Tyler Daley & Kaidi Tatham]


[b] B1 | All the Way (Flutestrumental) [feat. Tyler Daley & Kaidi Tatham]

To mark his second artist album on his own Millionhands label in July, Tee Mango teases with a fantastic second EP from it featuring remixes from Hidden Spheres (Lobster Theremin, NTS), Kiwi (Futureboogie, Optimo, Life & Death) and Hubie Davison (Regraded).

The fantastic full length finds the UK artist stretch himself and serve up a dazzling array of soul-drenched, vocal-laced songs featuring his own singing and influenced by the likes of Prince and Bon Iver, alongside awesome gyuest vox from Detroit funk legend and former Funkadelic member Amp Fiddler.

Opening up EP 2, Tee Mango serves up a fizzing and arpeggiated electronic disco track, ‘Woo Hoo’ which will undoubtedly be rocking festival tents this summer. Irishman and Leisure System man Hubie Davison then steps up to the plate with a heart-warming, tripped out and twinkling organic house mix of ‘Down Down Down’, featuring warm oaky melodies and Mango’s fragmented falsettos.

Then comes a dazzling techno-not-techno mix of ‘Woo Hoo’ from Londoner Kiwi, an associate for labels like Correspondent and Optimo Music. This superb version keeps the galloping arpeggiated feel of the original but swaps the broken beat for a straight four to dizzying effect. Following that is acclaimed Lobster Theremin, Rhythm Section and NTS regular Hidden Spheres with a hip house basement re-rub of ‘Down Down Down’ with more of Tee Mango’s fragmented falsetto over a beat Prince would be proud of.

Finally, Tee Mango himself then steps out with the excellent balearic skit ‘Don’t Worry About the Rain’ with deliciously soothing Rhodes and synth whines topped with Mango’s vocals imploring us to ignore the weather.

This is a top package that bristles with brilliant club sounds for a range of different settings and more than whets the whistle for the forthcoming album.

“Stop here!” exclaimed Robert Oumaou as we passed a mango tree on the side of the road just outside of Point-a-Pitre, the balmy capital of Guadeloupe. He filled a plastic bag with ripe fruit, and we set off on our journey across the small Caribbean island in search of musicians he hadn’t seen in years. On the way, we shared stories in broken French and English, stopping at truck stops to eat delicious fried fish. Robert took me to his hometown, and placed a mango and a flower on the grave of his teacher and mentor, a local poet. The seeds of Vwayajé (Traveller) were sewn on this trip, but shortly after returning home, I heard that Robert was ill, and he sadly passed away in 2018. This compilation was originally intended as a way to share Robert’s brazen work with a wider global audience, but it now also serves to immortalize his indomitable spirit.

Gwakasonné is the ecstatic articulation of Robert Oumaou’s artistic and political vision, a unified expression of his interests in American jazz, pre-colonial rhythms, Guadeloupian independence, and Créole poetics. Over the course of three albums, all released in the 80s, Robert piloted a revolving cast of musicians, a venerable who’s-who of Point-a-Pitre avant-jazz pioneers, to deftly intone his creative communal concepts. The songs on Vwayajé are compiled from these three releases, Gwakasonné, Temwen, and Moun, along with an electronic mantra taken from his 2007 solo album Sang Comment Taire. Viewed from our current artistic and cultural landscape, Robert’s work is exceptionally enduring, grounded in its declarations of freedom and foundational use of the Ka (drum) and voice, and prescient in its borderless explorations of protest folk, electronics, ambient atmosphere, music from the African diaspora, and spiritual jazz. The long-form hive-mind expression of the group has parallels with similar explorations by The Grateful Dead, electric
Miles, Pharaoh Sanders, and even the Boredoms, but these are only oblique references for a truly peerless sound. Like other conceptual children of Gérard Lockel, the group was part of a progressive movement of like-minded musicians, such as Serge Fabriano, Dao, Erick Cosaque, and Gaoulé Mizik, who embraced Lockel’s modernist ideals, fusing Gwo Ka drumming and tuning systems with contemporary jazz and vanguard recording technologies. Robert’s ecstatic phrasings, embrace of electronic instruments, and daring lyrics set the group apart as the beatific expression of a sagacious soul.

Reed Records presents the fifth single from Mohawkestra ‘Mo Heavy’ b/w ‘Buffalo Bill’ available on 7” vinyl

Mo Heavy is the first Mohawkestra single to feature one of their original compositions as the A Side and it’s a belter! Replete with the signature Mohawkestra heavy organ working alongside driving guitar chops and the percussion gets plenty of time to shine.

As the a-side is a Mohawkestra original on this one the B-Side is ‘Buffalo Bill’ which is a rather unique funk fuelled take of ‘The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill’ from The Beatles’ White Album. The hint of the title and the melody are the only similarities though as Mohawkestra take the groove far out into the Funk spectrum and stripped back to raw elements.

Available on 7” vinyl

The fifth and final Mohawkestra 45 in this series for Reed, and for this final donut they have gone into the realms of soundtracks vibes, a lost 70s cop show theme immediately comes to mind. This is a wide open joint, a spaced-out arrangement with super tough drums n' bongo breaks that keeps building into a killer jerkin' funk burner, just needs a cop car's siren wailing at the end! Special mention to Joe Wilkins for the raw as **** guitar riffs, heavy stuff. All in all a wicked and furious 45 for B-Boys & B-Girls.

Known as the Queen of Morna, Cesária Évora brought the traditional music of Cape Verde to international recognition and became recognised as one of world music's great female voices. Raised in an orphanage, Évora started singing as 16-year-old in the bars and sailor taverns of the West African island and sang on cruise ships before performing in Portugal at the invitation of Cape Verdean singer Bana. After being discovered by Portuguese producer Jose Da Silva she went to Paris becoming a serious global star. . Madonna asked her to perform at her wedding and again for her birthday, but Evora turned her down both times
Influenced by Brazilian rhythms, creole flamboyance and the heartworn sadness of the blues, the "barefoot diva" was compared to Billie Holiday and found great acclaim in). A heavy drinker and smoker, Évora's romantic, humble visions of Africa led to a Grammy Award for Voz d'Amor (2003), but ill-health forced her retirement in 2010 and she died - aged 70
The Barefoot Diva, and she continued to always perform without shoes on, proudly proclaiming her humble roots. She is also remembered for her stage appearance, always modestly dressed, with a bottle of Cognac on stage and a cigarette in her mouth.
Cesaria Evora is the world's foremost singer of the morna, the indigenous style of Africa's Cape Verde Islands. The morna evolved as a hybrid of Portuguese fados, British sea shanties, and African rhythm, reflecting the island's history as a Portuguese colony and spot for British coal mining. Some say it was also influenced by the modinha, a Brazilian song form. Full of mournful melodies and slow tempos, Evora's music encapsulates the essence of the morna in its sadness, longing, and nostalgia.

As spring dawns, Rhythm Section International go from Local Artist to a pair of very 'local' artists - Peckham's very own Chris Watson + Chris Coupe; otherwise known as FYI CHRIS , who present the 'Back In The Millennium' EP as the labels 5th offering.The EP was born after a rather hazy late night listening session at Rhythm Section HQ, where bossman Bradley Zero was instantly beguiled by the Duo's hypnotic and rhythmically complex arrangements.The record begins abrasively with the trance-inducing mechanical stutter of 'back in the millennium', before shuffling into downbeat number 'Jeru' and then picks things up with the peak time groove of 'need i say more' before bringing us back down to earth with the melancholic acid bump of 'dedication'. Early support from Osunlade, MR.G, Ryan Elliott & Damiano Von Eckhert
Ready for Club Use..

J. Robbins has been the guitarist/singer and primary songwriter (or pushiest collaborator) in several bands since the early ’90s, including Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels, and Office of Future Plans. He has also played bass for Government Issue and the Vic Bondi project, Report Suspicious Activity.
For the bulk of that time, he has also been active as a recording engineer/producer, working with musicians from around the world at his Baltimore-based studio, the Magpie Cage.
J. started performing as a solo artist around 2010, making occasional low-key releases on Band- camp and contributing to two benefit compilations that were released on Germany’s Arctic Rodeo Records.
Un-Becoming -- which came together in short bursts of activity spread out over the long stretch between 2016 and 2019 -- is his first full-length solo record. On 11 of the LP’s 12 songs, J. is joined by Peter Moffett on drums, Brooks Harlan on bass, and Gordon Withers on cello and gui- tar.

Music for building bridges, healing and shrugging it off, Fear not 'cause Time will heal your wounds, these tracks are the sound of friends having fun with the medium of House.

Durban gqom ambassador DJ Lag and London-based Okzharp combine over four club heavy tracks rooted in their long-term long-distance connection, the EP’s title originating from the Durban nickname for the local clubs where much early gqom-style music was played. Opener ‘Now What’ layers a wooden percussion scraper with a ticking cow bell and chants. Set at a slightly faster pace than most gqom, the track harbours a dark energy at its core generated by a low rumbling background synth and pitch shifting claps.

‘Steam One’ - inspired by DJ Lag’s set at Hyperdub’s club night Ø after he brought the heavy steam room vibe - has a slow and entrancing build up with a subtle melody layering on stabbing syncopated kicks, leading up to awoozy synth breakdown. “We were inspired by that moment in the club when things get hazy and bendy and glowy. It has South Durban via South London DNA, so inevitably there's a heavy kwai-gqom vibe with a grimey funky London twist running through it”. ‘Nyusa’ opens with a grinding acidicbass line overlaid with a metallic and gravelly melody with suppressed chants.

Sharp kicks drive the track leading up to a wobbly synth breakdown and back up synth stabs raising the energy. Finally, ‘Sambe’ pairs menacingstrings with a steel drum melody, displaying characteristics of both funky house and gqom in a subtle meeting of the two styles. ‘Steam Rooms’ is a collection of dancefloor heaters set to make the club sweat, the amalgamation of a London / Durban link up reflecting both producers environments and sound palettes for icey cold gqom tracks with funky house shadings.

Hyperdub launch new sub-label Flatlines for the release of ‘On Vanishing Land’, an audio-essay by Justin Barton and the late Mark Fisher. ‘On Vanishing Land’ evokes a walk along the Suffolk coastline in 2006, from Felixstowe container port ("a nerve ganglion of capitalism") to the Anglo-Saxon burial ground at Sutton Hoo. A walk under immense skies, through zones of deep time, and within sunlit, liminal terrains, into the eerie. Everywhere there are charged atmospheres, shadowy incursions, enigmatic departures. A derelict radar base, coastal heathland, drifting thistledown, towers of overgrown shipping containers - music haunted by wider levels of reality, narrations about rarely visited zones and potentials, voices of dreams and stories. This music includes newly-composed tracks by John Foxx, Gazelle Twin, Baron Mordant, Raime, Pete Wiseman, Farmers of Vega, Skjolbrot, Eerie Anglia, Ekoplekz and Dolly Dolly. Alongside these are glimpsed views toward M.R.James’s ‘Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad’ (1904), Joan Lindsay’s ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ (1967), and Brian Eno’s ‘On Land’ (1982). Beyond the surface of the day something becomes visible, a way forward, an escape-path from capitalist reality. ‘On Vanishing Land’ is about following the lines of terrains and dreams. It is about a micropolitics of escape, of disappearance. A micropolitics of waking the faculties. ‘On Vanishing Land’ was initially part of an exhibition commissioned by The Otolith Collective and The Showroom in London, and after ‘londonunderlondon’ (2005) it was the second audio-work collaboration by Justin Barton and Mark Fisher.

The LP cover features photos taken by Mark Fisher, and a short essay by Justin Barton. Pressed on 180g vinyl, in deluxe rigid board sleeve, with free mp3 download code.

The 2 songs are remixed by south London-based artist Klein (Hyperdub), and Tokyo-based
experimental hiphop musician Killer Bong (Black Smoker Records)
Mastered by Bunsho Nishikawa, who is known for his works with goat and Tenniscoats,
among others.

The ominous clockwork nursery song “Kazega Fuitara Sayonara” (Goodbye When The
Wind Blows) was originally written by Koichi Yamanoha and released under the name of
Grimm Grimm via Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) and Charlotte Marionneau (Le
Volume Courbe)’s Pickpocket Records / Honest Jons in 2014.
London-based Tokyo-born singer-songwriter experimentalist Koichi Yamanoha has been
operating under the guise of Grimm Grimm since 2013. The project is an outlet for his
fragile, haunted, otherworldly forays into baroque folk, futurist lyricism and electroacoustic
oddities. His debut album, “Hazy Eyes Maybe”, was released by ATP Recordings in 2015. A
track “Last Word Is Mine” from the album was used over the end credits for the Aaron
Brookner / Jim Jarmusch directed documentary film “Uncle Howard” (2016), featuring
William Burroughs. His sophomore album, “Cliffhanger” was released in June 2018.
And currently the 3rd album has been mixed and co-produced by Marta Salogni.

The virtual 3D music video for Klein remix has been directed and edited by London based
film maker Kenichi Iwasa. He filmed the footage in Tottenham using Super 8, 3rd
generation iPhone and 4K Camera, and created the zero zone virtual world with glitchy SFX
work by William Cunningham. Iwasa is also known for his legendary Krautrock Karaoke
night as well as being a sought after collaborator throughout Europe.

Surit is better known as one half of NX1 and Nexe Records co-owner. Although he has previously presented solo works and collaborations for different labels, this is his first proper solo release featuring three original tracks from the man himself and a remix from the Greek artist ANFS.

The A side opens with “Line Of Masks”, a straight techno track with an hypnotic touch given by the voices evocating ancient rituals, a low bass synth pulling the track, trapping you from the very first beat. Next, “Neurodomination” is a harsher, heavier piece, with rude and hard-hitting percussions and a squeezed synth is taking control. On the B side, the EP homonym track “Bureaucracy Against The Joy Population”, a non-compromised broken hard techno track…

This release features KVETCH X, the unkown electronic wizard hailing from within the reaches of the smog of Manchesters industrial city. The voltmeter ep features 3 machine/synth driven tracks which each take you on a different journey from an underground rave bunker to the reaches of outer space. Only you can be the judge, so climb on board & see where it takes you.

Dessert Island Discs returns from a hiatus on an unchartered dessert island somewhere in the south pacific with two new disco edits in keeping with the labels 11 previous releases. On the "Us" side is Herb Flavor with his new track "the Real Thing". Herb may be a newcomer to the label but he is certainly no stranger to dance floors world wide. On the flip "Them" side Ted Empleton makes a stunning return with "Dingo Jingo" which is every bit as good as his first outing on the label, his amazing edit of "fly Robin fly" titled simply "fly Robin". Expect to hear more releases in the coming months.

After an 18 month hiatus, Secretsundaze relaunch their label with a flurry of activity. The first 12" as part of this new wave of material is a Secretsundaze artist EP, remarkably the first full EP on the label from Giles Smith and James Priestley having previously released a killer split 12' with Palms Trax back in 2017.

During this label downtime the boys have been busy releasing music with amazing labels and kindred spirits in Japan, London and Frankfurt: Mule Musiq, Phonica Records and forthcoming later this year an EP on Live At Robert Johnson, the label of the club very close to their hearts where they have been playing regularly for 10 plus years.

Meanwhile in the Blast Office, Party Nails have been cooking straight bangers for bent dancefloors.

Four more heaters to test your meters.
Following an inclusion for PN001 in DJ Boring's Phonica top 10 for 2018 the duo gave up their day jobs to pursue their dream of full-time idiocy.

Please buy this record. The kids still need wine.

DON'T ASK WHY - JUST BANG THE NAILS

SHELVED RECORDINGS 2.2

The second part of the two part set from SHELVED RECORDINGS !

Returning to a brief but very fruitful period in electronic music production, Shelved Recordings exists to look back to the golden age of the remix, with a clear view of the future it imagined.

Artists who were steered towards maverick producers, with a view to changing the rules, to re-defining the terms of what modern music should and could be.
Pioneering techniques, over-dubs and an exploratory period of pop production, resulted in many lost dub versions and mixes. Mixes, which invariably were left on the shelf, deemed too 'out there' by the bosses of the the hedonistic label managers who commissioned them.

Carefully reconstructed and rebuilt lost classics from someone who was there the first time around !








One limited vinyl press only

Both Unhuman and Roberto Auser
should be names that ring a bell… Unhuman is from Greece but
residing in Berlin… with his music he is always bordering techno,
industrial and noise… for Enfant Terrible/Gooiland Elektro he crafted
two tracks which pay tribute to old school EBM and New Beat… slow
and dark beats… with a post-punk attitude and a decadent touch which
makes them perfect for the dance floor early in the morning… Roberto
Auser has built a name of his own but still stays something like a best
kept secret of the Dutch electronic music scene… this mainly due to his
output which is never to be pinned to one specific genre or style… For
this release he came up with two harsh pounding tracks with dark
beats and industrial sounds and a true rave spirit… see you on the
dance floor!

CAIN closes out his Fine Grains triptych with a vivacious EP of signature bass shuddering, polyrhythmic drums. ‘High Call’, his first 12” on the now Amsterdam-based label, offers 6 original tracks and a remix by Japanese producer Jun Kamoda in homage to the revelatory spirit and pre-medieval origins of carnivals. Artwork by Dutch/Scottish artist Roos Dijkhuizen created through ink and water drawings.

Colours emerge from the dark, glowing torches and fire embers flicker through the night. ‘Caapi’ warmly draws you into proceedings, an alluring tease of soothing chimes and preview of the infectious shuffling drums that will follow. From ‘Apsara’, Cain sets us on the front foot. A pounding, stuttering rhythm ignites the track, as spinning chord sounds echo and a haunting, hallucinatory vocal lead us on. The carnival is fully alive in ‘Gundon Night’, a sinister and menacing broken track steered by Cosssack warrior chants. High on the mountain we reach the pinnacle of ‘High Call’, a triumphant lead track with CAIN’s recognisable warm and driving, rhythmical drum patterns. The otherworldly psychoacoustic melodies of ‘Taiyi’ and slower-paced triplet drums structures of ‘Zetwal’ make these tracks the outliers of the EP, but they also complement and help to complete the picture. Jun Kamoda’s zany turned up marching techno take on the lead track signs out ‘High Call’ in playful, multi-coloured order.

“In October 2018 we took several recordings in and around Eddie Prévost’s home village of Matching Tye in Essex, where he has been living for the past fifty years. The majority of the pieces that made it to this LP took place in All Saints Church, High Laver, the burial site of John Locke. This fact was notable in the choice of title for this set of recordings, and it seemed necessary to put forward Eddie’s own take on Locke that he offered in our correspondences:

“Scholars of Locke’s philosophy will be familiar with the idea of mixing labour with materials as a fore-running notion of possessive individualism and basis for private property. Such ‘mixing’ is a persuasive description of a creative act. But the theory is more worthy of a social dimension.” As for the individual titles for each of the studies on the LP, each takes ideas and elements from music past. For example, MaxPlus makes a nod towards bebop pioneering drummer Max Roach who offered an earlier hit-hat study. Eddie utilises such examples, offering further creative insights which can then be woven back into the common wealth of sound. The final track, returning to the bowed cymbal method of the first, was recorded outdoors on a breezy green, and is pictured on the back cover of the sleeve. It was an attempt to capture the playing in its ‘metamusical’ relationship with the untempered sounds of the external environment.

Eddie has written about Metamusic in his book The First Concert (Copula, 2011): invoking childlike ‘protomusical’ behaviour, or the sense of music that a person might possess before the inevitable influences come to play any role in their productive, and appreciative, musical development.

Ross Lambert provided a few words along side his cover drawing entitled ‘The Metamusician’: “The eyes would symbolise for me things like searching, examining, closeness or friendship I think; engagement with the world. Decisions in making the image were completely intuitive, this is just me looking for the meaning, post-analysing, post rationalising.””

- Daniel Kordik & Edward Lucas, March 2019