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To describe an album as "electronic music" has long been an understatement. "Romanticismo siempre" is a good example. Recorded mainly using synthesizers, the album travels a territory that borders on the experimental and the dancefloor, entering at times in both fields.

Andrés Téllez, Delone, states in its title a clear commitment: "an ode to life, to never lose that passion that is the engine that pushes everything, no matter how many obstacles there are along the way, such as love, madness or death". The need to express this is at the origin of the record.

His musical language is rich and varied. Among synthesizers, analog experimentation, drones and psychedelia, many of the subcultures that have shaped what was once called "electronic music" appear. Flashes of trip hop, new age and proto-electronics are amalgamated throughout the album, together with hints of mutant house, breakbeats, IDM and trance. Other genres peripheral to club sounds, such as post-rock or kraut, also appear.

The idea of creating something that could almost be considered a soundtrack is present, but Delone's singularity has taken the album down a different path, using his own musical vocabulary to articulate a narrative that leads him towards his desired destination, keeping experimentation and dance culture, constants in his career, very much in mind.

In 2014 and together with his partner and friend Carlos Trujillo, Andrés created Riverette, a record label that became a record store in the center of Madrid, with his studio in the basement. From there he unleashed his productions as Dos Attack and his first works as Delone. Riverette quickly became a key creative pole in the Spanish electronic underground, and the label has released records by Legowelt, Kornel Kovacs or HAAi.

Throughout the eleven tracks of "Romanticismo siempre", a story materializes in which the protagonism falls on the adrenaline of passion. Through a very personal sound, with a certain introspective vocation, Andrés tells us a wonderful tale with the help of exquisite arrangements and a rich expressiveness.

"Romanticismo siempre" is a polyhedral album that can change with every listen, with every track, and reinterpret itself almost with every playback. It is a complex record, delicate and full of nuances, at the same time charged with a powerful and primitive energy.

There was a long time I considered Raymond Richards the ultimate secret weapon. There were sounds he could make that other people just couldn’t. Pure, whole, yet complex sounds. The pedal steel is an extremely niche instrument outside of its Country confines, but its sheer and transcendent depth has never failed to floor me. Raymond’s ear for implementing the steel into literally 'anything' has always been uncanny. After decades of being savvy to his work ethic, multi-faceted studio skills and overall sense of musical honesty, it became a priority for me to channel some of this into narratives through the ESP Institute and get his stories told. Without further recounting the history and trajectory of our musical relationship (see the press release for 2020’s critically-acclaimed album 'The Lost Art Of Wandering'), I can whole-heartedly confirm this sophomore release, 'Sand Paintings', opens an even wider door into Raymond’s visceral, contemplative world. The cast of players has elaborated to include Calexico’s John Convertino on drums and percussion, a bevy of eccentric stringed instruments and even a hint of brass to collectively stratify context for the pedal steel. Through diversifying the timbral palette, we invite an increased soundstage acuity but also reveal untapped wells of emotion for the listener, perhaps even testing cultural literacies. One foot remains in our established ambient realm, while the other steps toward grand cinematic gestures, and despite the dense, insurmountable emotion in these songs, there is a stoic singularity, like a lonesome cowboy pulling up his boot straps to endure another day. 'Badwater Basin' opens with courage, an enormous chord evoking Raymond’s image of “hard dawn”, but in navigating through the dramatic depictions of 'Monument Valley', 'Saguaro' and 'Deer On Hwy 80', we grapple with a cloaked vulnerability—weathered by the elements, beaten down and alone, yet still madly in love with the world. —Lovefingers

The package, posted from Inglewood in California, dropped through my letter box…
I was looking forward to seeing this, the VHS of the then relatively ‘unknown’ but now legendary live show at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. But when I fed it into my VHS player, I was disappointed. I could not quite figure out why. The band were tight, each musician sounded great, the product of being on the road, year after year, club after club in the States, sometimes playing five shows a night, all propped up by one of the best soulful voices we had ever heard, the maestro Frankie Beverly.
It took a second play of the VHS to realise what was missing. It was ‘too comfortable’ an atmosphere. A few wealthy customers sat around coffee tables quaffing champagne. It seemed to me that this audience, somehow, did not fit the band.
Paul Fenn at Asgard promotions received the contract from the band to appear live in London and Manchester. I became more and more convinced that his UK fans were going to be a lot more responsive than those from New Orleans.
We put the word out with just a couple of exclusive ‘shout outs’ by Robbie Vincent on his Radio London Soul programme. Those two plugs were enough to sell out all four shows at London’s premier music venue, the Hammersmith Odeon. The ticket office was rammed and the queue six deep, stretched halfway down Queen Caroline Street.
“I have never seen anything like it” expressed the manager of the theatre as he rolled down the shutters and turned on the “Sorry, SOLD OUT” notice above the theatre box office.
I was curious, so I went up and stood in the wings of the Hammersmith stage on that first show. Frankie, introduced to the stage by his sound engineer, Greg Blockman, sauntered past me, strumming his rhythm guitar, dressed in a casual dark green towelling suit, a brown leather visor and flip flops…and then five seconds later, he suddenly stopped. He seemed suddenly to be aware of the thunderous ’Welcome to London Maze’ roar, circling around the theatre about to engulf him. He slapped every black and white hand offered up to him that night, with a huge smile as he circled the edge of that stage. We wanted to get next to him, even if it meant climbing over rows of seats in front of us to do so.
That was the beginning of our love affair with Maze and Frankie Beverly. It certainly wasn’t New Orleans comfort; it was more like a crazy, but friendly, London riot.
Five albums on from the “Live in New Orleans” LP, Frankie sauntered into the California recording studio, probably with the same swagger as in London, to cut the delightful A-side here, “Somebody Else’s Arms”, from his aptly named ‘Silky Soul’ album. Along with the B-side, ‘Love is’ (from the “Back To Basics” CD, 1993) both are so delicious you might want to relax and pour yourself that London glass of champagne, 1983 vintage. Tell your mates your Maze/Hammersmith story too. You deserve it.

The King of Miami's Cuban music scene, the late Ray Fernandez, is featured here fronting his enormously talented family band on an album that first brought him into the spotlight.

Heavily influenced by deep funk and Latin music, their psych-tinged creations also incorporated many other kaleidoscopic sound infusions, including soul, calypso, Afro-Cuban and salsa. Fronted by Ray Fernandez, his band included his very talented wife and two sons and proved to be a highly influential group on Miami's Latin music scene in the late 70's. What also made them stand out was their versatility; this group could easily shift from Cuban funk to Reggae in a blink. Their instrumentation was also different to the 'norm', and where a lot of similar sounds were saxophone-led, this band used a bass clarinet. Instead of bongos, Ray and His Court played with the unique Osi drums from Africa.

Sampled heavily by DJs worldwide (including DJ Shadow) On High presents a must have piece of music for any serious Latin, funk, or rare groove collector. Remastered and pressed on audiophile virgin vinyl for your listening pleasure.

Pyramid Transmissions are proud to present the 3rd part the amazing J Frank vinyl lp series -Shifting Baseline Cycle

This trilogy started with the killer Spatial Orbit Intersection on PT, followed by Faulty Source Monitor on Irrational Media Society. Shifting Baseline Cycle brings more futuristic Idm/Electro with 6 killer cuts!!!

PYRAMID TRANSMISSIONS transmitting Electro goodness since 2000!!!!!

It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).

“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”

The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.

“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”

“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”

The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).

Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”

The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…

REVIEWS/RADIO/FEEDBACK:

“Starbed is folky, flavoured by pedal steel, cello, and brass. Dust Tears, in stark contrast, is a mini synth-pop rave epic. Part Bicep. Part Human League. Keep Your Eyes Closed summons a mood that’s romantic, but also dark and potentially doomed – like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks meets Cliff Martinez’s Drive score. My pick though is It’s True What They Say, whose interwoven jangle and picking recalls New Order’s more introspective moments (Love Vigilantes, Love Less… ). Drums crashing, cathartic. Guitar raising dramatic arcs. Its chorus a rush, like a reprise of Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart’s ‘Higher Than The Stars’.” BAN BAN TON TON
"Dust Tears sees them sharing vocal duties over a synth foundation reminiscent of Moby’s Go - Artist Of The Week” THE SCOTSMAN
"Woozy pop" NEMONE (Mary Anne Hobbs Morning Show, BBC 6Music)
"Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop" YOUTH (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney, U2, The Orb, Spiritualized etc)
"Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
"I’m enjoying it” TIM BRINKHURST aka LONDON (IKLAN, Young Fathers, Callum Easter)
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"It’s totally my cup of tea with milk and biscuit" BRENT RADEMAKER (Beachwood Sparks/GospelBeach)
"Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Soulsavers, BE)
"Makes me wanna sit in the sun and sip an Arnold Palmer" CHRIS DIXIE DARLEY (Father John Misty)
“Really beautiful - Cocteau Twins / Spiritualized vibes but has its own thing going on, too - worth checking out!” JULIAN CORRIE (Franz Ferdinand, Miaoux Miaoux)
‘Sounded nice on a sunny day, makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ EAMON HAMILTON (Sea Power)
"Dealing in nostalgia, no bad thing at all, great to play that (Dust Tears) for you” RODDY HART (BBC Radio Scotland)
“I'll give the vocal tracks a spin before the release." VIC GALLOWAY (BBC Radio Scotland)
"Rather good!" IAIN ANDERSON (BBC Radio Scotland)

CREDITS:

Lyrics, Guitars, Keys, Synths, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Mandolin, Glockenspiel: Shaun McLachlan
Lyrics, Vocals, Keys by Sarah McLachlan
Guitars, Synths, String Arrangements, Drum Programming, Engineering: Jaguar Eyes Percussion/Drums/Effects, Fire Extinguisher: Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz)
Guitars by Daniel Land
Slide Guitar by Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty)
Brass by Bruce Michie
Keys, pre-production & engineering on “It’s true what they say”: Gavin King
All produced by Jaguar Eyes and Shaun McLachlan and then mixed at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios by David McCaulay (From Scotland With Love, Rick Redbeard, BBC TV’s Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard score).
Artwork: Jamie Walman (Fourteen Admirals)

MORE INFO:

Although Shaun released a pair of solo singles (When We Dance and Give Your Love To Me) during Lockdown, he will be better known to many via his work as the multi-instrumentalist in Edinburgh band Delta Mainline. With two albums released to date, Oh! Enlightened and Bel Avenir, both rapturously received by fans and critics alike, Delta Mainline have developed an international, cult following. Oh Enlightened (2013) achieved widespread critical acclaim on release, earning the band comparisons to Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen, while 2019’s Bel Avenir pulled in references to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and krautrock. A third DM album is currently being mixed and due for release later this year…

Mittlerweile wissen die Heads, dass eine neue Platte von Soul Supreme ein garantiert sicherer Schuss ist. Nach gefeierten Hommagen an A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla und Mos Def erscheinen zwei völlig originelle Jazz-Funk-Grooves des Amsterdamers Keyboarder und Produzenten aus seinem jüngsten Album "Poetic Justice" mit Jay "J-Zone" Mumford an den Drums, die hiermit zum ersten Mal auf 7" erhältlich werden.

Out on the street, indie rock was an exciting way of life for boys and girls alike in the gay 90s. Here's a couple of voices from the fertile Denver scene, Lisa and Hilarie of Secret Square, picking a favorite from the Drag City young galaxy of stars. In addition to Secret Square, Hilarie played drums and sang for The Apples In Stereo and today plays and sings in The High Water Marks. Lisa played bass with Neutral Milk Hotel for a little while and later played guitar, sang and led the band Late Night in Los Angeles.

Lisa Janssen: Way back in 1993, I was working in a record store in Denver, CO. My employee pick of the month was Julius Caesar by Smog. I told the kids, BUY THIS, it's the GREATEST record EVER. I love it so much I'm going to MARRY IT. Raw, fragile, desperation, then triumph over desperation. Bill Callahan knew a special, secret language. My lecherous boss had the audacity to ask me, "What does he mean by "I am Star Wars Today?"

‘Out There’, the first album by the duo KOLORA, is a continuous collection of warm and layered soundscapes. The organic guitar sound of Liloe Barend in combination with the synthetic synthesizer sounds of Koenraad Wiering provide a calming sound palette.

The collaboration between Liloe & Koenraad arose during and because of the corona period. Both musicians live in the artist commuity ‘Heesterveld Creative Community’ in Amsterdam South East and were restricted by the corona measures. However, these limitations turned out to be fertile ground for a new musical collaboration: KOLORA.

In addition to KOLORA, Liloe Barend has her own solo project ‘Liloe Rix’ and is a guitarist in the cover band Steam Sister. Last summer she released her new EP with her solo project as a singer-songwriter.

Koenraad Wiering works in the music world as a producer and DJ. You can find him on stage as a DJ under his own name ‘Koenraad’ and also under various pseudonyms including: DJ Beukeboom and 06NRG. In addition to music, he also designins and build light installations.

2024 edition of the single that marked the return of Joe Bataan in 2004. A dancefloor favourite by the King of Latin Soul!

Back in 2004, Vampisoul was extremely honoured to play a role in the return to recording of the legendary Joe Bataan, which fully materialized in the lauded 2005 album "Call My Name", written and produced by Daniel Collás. But first came out the preview 45 'Chick-A-Boom' / 'Cycles Of You', which quickly became a DJ favourite and guaranteed dancefloor filler, long out of print until now. Let's hear Collás explain how it all happened:

"This whole project grew out of a song called 'Cycles of You', which I had written around 2000-2001 with the guitarist and bassist of my band at the time, Easy. The chord progression and vocal melody really reminded me of Bataan, and it occurred to me that it wouldn't be impossible to get him into the studio to do a guest vocal if we ever recorded it. I had met Bataan a few years before at a small, family-reunion style show at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in my neighborhood, where he not only still sounded great, but was also gracious and easy to talk to.

"By the time we got around to recording with Easy, the band was about to break up but we still had the studio booked. We all agreed that we didn't want to continue as a band, but at the same time, it would be a shame to never record what we had been working on. Around this time Bataan was playing out again, so I went to the show to see him and find out if he'd be interested in doing some vocals with us. He was agreeable, so we decided to turn it into a Joe Bataan session and do 'Cycles of You'. The funny thing is, 'Chick A Boom', a live favourite with Easy, was hastily added so we could have a B-side, but it ended up chosen to be the A-side of the single."

Coral Morphologic and Nick León’s Projections of a Coral City marks a series of collisions between distant
worlds: the organic and the artificial, the Eocene and the Anthropocene, sea and cement—and even, perhaps, ambient music and activism.

Coral Morphologic are the Miami duo of marine biologist Colin Foord and musician J.D. McKay; since 2007, they have used a variety of multimedia projects to generate environmental awareness of marine biodiversity—most notably Coral City Camera, an underwater webcam streaming live from an urban reef ecosystem in PortMiami.

Their citymate Nick León is a linchpin of South Florida’s contemporary leftfield electronic scene, with releases for Tra Tra Trax, Future Times, and NAAFI, and credits on records by Rosalía, GAIKA, and Iceboy Violet, among others.

This collaborative project dates back to 2022, when Coral Morphologic mounted a monumental projection-
mapping installation on Biscayne Boulevard. For five nights in late November and early December, macroscopic films of corals played out across the exterior of Knight Concert Hall. The installation was, on the one hand, a glimpse into a possible future, imagining how the city’s skyline might appear if unchecked global warming and rising seas led coral reefs to colonize the built environment. But it also represented a look back into the deep past, a reminder that Miami is literally built from marine limestone mined from the Everglades. Its concrete foundations began life, eons ago, as a marine ecosystem—the same ecosystem that may one day reclaim them. As above, so below.

As an album, Projections of a Coral City is a suite of interconnected movements spread across two sides of vinyl. The tones are watery, the mood elegiac, the colors a washed-out pastel. Forms that appear static on the surface gradually open up to reveal hidden depths teeming with microscopic movement. You might detect resonances with other aquatically minded works—Jürgen Müller’s Science of the Sea, Harold Budd’s liquid piano compositions, even the slow-moving melancholy of Dr. Roger Payne’s Songs of the Humpback Whale. But ultimately Projections of a Coral City creates the impression of a world unto itself—a hauntingly beautiful space at the meeting point between sorrow and hope.

——-
Balmat is a label with a cloudy outline. Jointly shepherded by Albert Salinas and Philip Sherburne, two friends living in Cardedeu, Catalonia, and on the Balearic island of Menorca, Balmat grew out of Lapsus Radio, a weekly show born almost ten years ago. Balmat’s mission is simple: to foster new ideas, expand upon personal obsessions, and put enveloping sounds out into the world.

“Balmat” means “empty” or “void” in Catalan. But quite apart from any negative connotations, we prefer to think of it in terms of possibility: a space waiting to be filled.

Mikal Asher, a scion of Jamaica's Morgan family dynasty, reunites with Chocolate Star Records here and does so with a collaboration with disco legend Gary Davis. Asher, akin to his brother Denroy Morgan, upholds the family's legacy of righteousness through music. Known as the Binghiman, he crafts captivating tunes with profound lyrics and has recorded in Ghana's Hustle Hard Studios and collaborated with industry pioneers in Kingston and Brooklyn, setting new standards in musical excellence along the way. Here, 'Wicked Ah Fi' transforms into a modern dub stepper, while 'Black Woman' offers a soulful, laid-back dedication to Davis' wife, Sonjia. This 12" also comes with innovative remixes from California-based DJ and producer Knoe1.

The "ongakudō / droga muzyki" project is ("The way of music" in English). Initiated by Groh - head of the JuNouMi label (est. 2002 Polish hip-hop label), the project is the result of cooperation between Polish and Japanese artists.

First, Twardowski created music based on samples from Japanese albums. Then MCs KANETSUGU (JP) and Prykson Fisk (PL) were invited. The next element were DJs - 1an from Tokyo and DJ Eprom from Warsaw (former IDA world champion).

An important element of the project is the graphic design, for which Małgorzata "Mauko" Korczak is responsible - exploring the art of Japanese Shodō calligraphy. As many as three versions of covers were created. One limited edition (hand-numbered 100 pieces), a version with a black wax and a version exclusively for the Japanese market.

This 7" is the first part of the Polish-Japanese series. It is the beginning of our journey.

Demon Music are happy to present – Electribe 101 - ‘Electribal Memories’, this stunning half-speed master vinyl edition cut from the original tapes by Barry Grint at Air Studios. Formed when Hamburg-born / London-based, sometimes S’ Express member Billie Ray Martin hooked up with four musician / producers from Birmingham, Electribe 101 instantly hit upon a sound heavily influenced by the de rigueur deep house sounds of Chicago and Detroit but with a distinctive European twist. With Billie Ray up front, with a voice like ice on fire and looking as if she’d stepped forward in time from a circa-1966 Mary Quant catwalk, the band were instantly snapped up by Mercury Records, and taken under the wing of Pet Shop Boys manager Tom Watkins. The band released five singles in the UK, and all featured on their debut album ‘Electribal Memories’ – ‘Tell Me When The Fever Ended’, ‘Talking With Myself’, ‘You’re Walking’, ‘Lipstick On My Lover’ and an incredible cover of Odyssey’s deep soul classic ‘Inside Out’. When the album arrived in 1990, it was an instant hit with critics – immaculately produced, poised, luxurious and soulful, it was difficult to believe it was a debut record at all. After ‘Electribal Memories’, Electribe 101 called it a day. Since then, the album’s reputation has grown in stature and many of its’ singles’ attendant remixes have become sought-after rarities. The cultural earthquake prompted by the late-1980s arrival on these shores of house, acid and rave prompted many a legendary club night and a generation of superstar DJ / producers. While there were a myriad of great club tracks produced in that heady period between 1988-1991, classic albums from the scene were rather more of a rarity. One towering exception was the debut by Electribe 101…

The third in a series of self-released Liquid Earth Physical Records, “Three Dimensional Rocker” is a sonic cheese plate for the dedicated dancer.

The 12” navigates through four robust club tunes, surely an expected outcome from the seasoned Californian producer. From Aside titles’ full throttle funkery to the equally nauseating floor fillers on the flip, LEP003 is one big kahuna.

After releasing on Local Talk Records in 2023, ManooZ contributes his new EP to the Raw Soul vinyl series. Dive into the captivating sounds of the 'Midnight Madness EP', where ManooZ, renowned for his 90s inspired house music vibes, takes listeners on a rhythmic journey. Armed with vintage MPC drums and evocative FM synths, he crafts tracks that echo the golden era of house. It's evident that ManooZ has burned the midnight oil, channeling his soul into every synth line and percussive groove. This EP promises to be a timeless addition to any vinyl collection, a true testament to the artist's dedication to the craft.

Two of Calibre's most sought after production's remastered and recut to Vinyl for 2023.
The legendary Badmarsh & Shri - Signs (Calibre Remix) from 2001.
On the flip side Calibre's liquid funk underground classic Soul 80.
Vinyl Re-mastered by Lewis at Star Delta