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When you listen to birds, they usually talk about food, sex/family, or anxiety. If they knew about the true nature of humanity's cruel and exploitative relationship with birds, they would be discussing rebellion. Humanity's current trajectory about birds is to cause the extinction of one-third of all bird species by the end of this century.

This record crystallises the borders between memory, beauty, and anxiety. At the core is an amalgam of all the birds we have met and heard, their sounds synthesised from a blend of memories. Esthetically it simulates the qualities of bird sounds, hitting similar frequential sweet spots. There is a great variety of birds captured here, from high to low frequencies, from solo voices to groups, from birds standing on their own to complex world-building, where the bird voices are part of an ecosystem, becoming one of the instruments.

You could stop there, enjoying this record on a musical level, but it invites us to do one step further, to consider reconfiguring our relationship with the Earth and its inhabitants. To question our impact, and to ask why we need synthetic bird music. Is it just a visionary endeavour or is it because we are failing at fostering a world in which organic birds and other creatures can thrive?

32 artists from the whole world, including our favourite artists from Eastern Europe, have contributed to this compilation both with new and previously released music. Their music is ordered from dawn to dusk and into the night. For many of the artists it's their first time on mappa, but some have previously released an album with us.

Repress!

4 To The Floor is committed to delivering seminal house music to wax, making sought after heritage tracks readily available on vinyl for crate diggers to add to their collections. The fourth edition of the series pays homage to one of the most loved names in house music – Sandy Rivera. Known for his soulful dancefloor cuts he has produced timeless classics, with his long-lasting career and multitude of aliases captured by this 12” release. Opening the A-side is the Moodymann Edit of Kings of Tomorrow’s ‘Fall For You’, featuring the stunning vocals of long-time collaborator April Morgan, followed by Sandy’s grooving ‘Come Into My Room’ which features LT Brown. On the flip is Soul Vision’s ‘Don’t Stop’ with its atmospheric strings and gospel vocal. The release is closed with Kings Of Tomorrow featuring Elzi Hall ‘Show Me’, an atmospheric club cut that shows the versatility of this house legend.

If there is a year zero for the introduction of reggae music to Japan, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was 1979 when Bob Marley and the Wailers toured the country, trailed by an entourage of journalists, photographers and fans ready to spread the message of the music into all corners of Japanese society.

But the story of Japanese reggae is not a linear one, and the music that is collected on Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 captures the moment J-reggae entered the broader public consciousness, merging commercial city pop style with an infectious backbeat, that has drawn comparisons with the emergence of Lovers Rock in the UK.

Rather than look directly to Jamaica, many producers and artists in Japan were inspired instead by the more approachable sounds of The Police and UB40, their reggae fix arriving pre-filtered through the lens of new wave pop from the UK. Playful and groovy, these album deep cuts have been overlooked for too long.

Among them are Miki Hirayama, the idol singer who borrowed the bassline from Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic on ‘Denshi Lenzi’, Chu Kosaka, who headed to Hawaii to cut the Jimmy Cliff-inspired ‘Music’ and Marlene, the Philippine songstress whose cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘Hittin’ Me Wear It Hurts’ owed much to her producer’s obsession with Sly & Robbie’s Compass Point sound.

Then there was Izumi “Mimi” Kobayashi, who enlisted the Babylon Warriors to perform on a dubbed-out version of her own track ‘Lazy Love’, the city pop-meets-new wave reggae sound of Miharu Koshi’s ‘Coffee Break’, Junko Yagami’s anti-apartheid deep cut ‘Johannesburg’ and Lily, whose ‘Tenkini Naare’ was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and closes out the compilation with a flourish.

While these stories may not always conform to neat narratives, they do provide a more accurate reflection of the indirect ways in which styles infiltrate one another and, in their naivety, have the potential to create something beautifully strange and entirely new. Previously only available in Japan, the tracks on this compilation are a testament to that curious alchemy.

Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is released on vinyl and as a full album download (no streaming), featuring original artwork by Japanese Fukuoka-based artist Noncheleee, whose cover pays homage to the iconic dancehall album art of Wilfred Limonious.

Released on 1st September, Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is part of Time Capsule's Nippon Series, a loose series of compilations exploring different musical scenes from Japan between the 1960s and 2010s.

In his own time, in his own tone and in his own company.

‘Win and lose without losing oneself’’ This line from French rapper Oxmo Puccino greatly accompanied David Walters while composing his fourth studio album. Over the eleven tracks on ‘Ti Love’, David took his time to find the right tone and in turn, tell his truth.

‘Ti Love’, is a French-Creole abbreviation for “petite love”, meaning ‘little love’, evoking that sweet fondness found in those small gestures and little acts of kindness.

Think of things like young kids' brotherly love or a stranger lending you a helping hand, while expecting nothing in return. It’s these motions that allow this album to feel full of real life, carried by beating drums that also pull at our heart strings.

Basing himself in a small village in Martinique, where David had not long since scattered the ashes of his late mother, the multi-instrumentalist decided to remain there and let the writing of Ti Love pour out from deep inside him. Taking influence from around the island, the energy from his makeshift studio set up in Fort de France, allowing a resilient yet grieving man to recount, let go and come to terms with his recent loss.

So embracing these new circumstances, on the rugged coastal Caribbean island of Martinique, David took up an artist’s residency in the island’s capital Fort de France, located near the town’s port is the ‘Manoir des Artistes’, a bustling recording studio space. A place where the walls shake as the latest sounds being created are blasted by locals and visitors alike. Most studio doors are wide open; as music here is a huge part of everyday life, feedback from encouraging neighbouring musicians is on hand and welcomed. A contrast to the isolation often assumed with working in more traditional music studios.

It was here in this stimulating environment that David recorded Ti Love’s initial demos.

With his first collaborator onboard, Neeweed, a 25-year-old producer and gospel expert who David met at the Martinique Jazz Festival.

Of the album’s initial versions of the record David recollects: ‘It took me three years to write it, then I rewrote it, reworked it. In the end I'm really glad I stepped back and listened to myself.’ I found a great ally in GUTS, who ended up being the artistic director of the record”

David surrounded himself with the right people who helped him express himself in the best possible way. He called on other friends and musical comrades; album opener and title track, ‘Ti Love’ features the incomparable Fatoumata Diawara (World Circuit Records / Africa Express) and further along additional production came in from; Izem, Art Of Tones, and GUTS himself, who all added just the right amount of ‘little love’ to this

project. Further helping hands came from Californian producer and DJ Captain Planet, who David was introduced to a few years ago. Closer to home, here in Europe, the German producer Bluestaeb appears on two tracks: the very catchy disco funk ‘Mr Maraboo’ and ‘Kite Koule’, the latter being the first single lifted from the album, where David invited Nigerian guitarist Keziah Jones.

Elsewhere on the album, fellow Heavenly Sweetness recording artist Blundetto contributed two tracks; the reggae ‘Voodoo Love’, which is David's tribute to Studio One, and the very sweet and resilient ‘Bon Voyage’, which closes the album... "It's gold, it doesn't need anything changing.” remarked David - ‘Bon Voyage’ is a goodbye to his mother, whose voice called him from the bottom of the sea one night while he was surfing during the full Moon.

Released almost 20 years after his debut album ‘AWA’ released on French imprint Ya Basta, home to Gotan Project and many others, David boasts a long list of radio supporters including; Gilles Peterson, Cerys Matthews and Don Letts at the BBC, while further field Cosmo Radio in Germany, and KCRW in Los Angeles.

On this new record, David has shown sincerity and vulnerability, while still honouring the infectious groove that he is known for the world over. Despite the upsets, a little love can indeed go a long way.

CREDITS:
Produced by Bluestaeb / Blundetto / Captain Planet / Izem / Art of Tones
A&R : Guts
Mixed by Mr Gib @ Onetwopassit
Except "Bon Voyage” and "Voodoo Love" mixed by Jerome “Blackjoy” Carron
Mastered by Benjamin Joubert @ Biduloscope
Art by Elliott Walters

Bass: Sam Jones
Cello, Bass: Isao Suzuki
Drums: Billy Higgins
Electric Guitar: Kazumi Watanabe, Kazumasa Akiyama
Recording & Remix Engineer: Yoshikane Okada
Executive Producer: Toshinari Koinuma
Piano, Electric Piano, Fender Rhodes: Cedar Walton

A gem of a crossover album from Isao Suzuki, who has continued to lead the Japanese jazz scene as a bassist.
Capturing the vibrant energy of the 1970s, this record has been rediscovered by club music aficionados and rare groove collectors alike.
The album fuses Van Morrison–like bluesy grooves with deep funk and jazz sensibilities, along with a uniquely Japanese melodic sense.

Bass: Takashi Mizuhashi, Teruo Nakamura
Drums: Bruno Carr
Piano, Electric Piano: Herbie Hancock

Recorded on February 22, 1977, in New York, this rare session captures Japan’s proud bassist Takashi Mizuhashi performing alongside Herbie Hancock.
Throughout the album, Mizuhashi’s deeply resonant bass tone and melodious phrasing shine, making this a quintessential “international” Japanese jazz classic.

A long-overdue vinyl reissue for this underground gem from the Bronx! Originally released in the late ’90s, Ghetto Chronicle Daily stands as a timeless snapshot of New York street rap in its rawest form — a true reflection of the city’s golden era grit and lyrical craftsmanship.

The Money Boss Players — made up of Big Ah (RIP), Lord Tariq, Tre Bag, Eddie Cheeba, C-Dubb, and legendary producer Minnesota — were key figures in shaping that unmistakable Bronx sound. Their chemistry was electric: sharp lyricism, vivid street storytelling, and cinematic beats that carried the DNA of hip-hop’s golden age.

This first-ever vinyl reissue brings this underground classic back to the masses in its full glory and goes a step further with bonus tracks previously unreleased on vinyl, including “Drug War Rages” and “Same Shit” — raw, unfiltered cuts that capture the crew at their most authentic. Also included is “White Chalk Pt. 2”, featuring none other than The Notorious B.I.G., a rare collaboration that cements the group’s deep roots in the East Coast rap lineage.

Since the original release, members of Money Boss Players have continued to carve their own lanes — with Eddie Cheeba and Tray Bag evolving into Boss Money, and Lord Tariq making his mark as a solo artist. In recent years, Bronx rapper Yung JB has joined the fold, carrying the Boss legacy into a new generation.

Now, more than two decades later, Ghetto Chronicle Daily returns to turntables worldwide — remastered and pressed with care for true heads and collectors alike. A must-have piece of hip-hop history, finally on wax where it belongs.

After decades deep in the game, few names carry the same weight as D.I.T.C. veteran O.C. and East New York’s own PF Cuttin, the DJ and producer behind countless underground classics. Long respected for their consistency and craftsmanship, the two finally joined forces for Opium — a nine-track masterclass that channels the essence of true-school hip-hop.

Originally released to remind heads of what the real sound of the streets was, Opium plays like a time capsule from the era of block parties, 40s, and cipher sessions on the corner — where bars mattered and the beats hit hard. PF Cuttin’s rugged, sample-driven production perfectly complements O.C.’s sharp lyricism and timeless flow, delivering a record that bridges nostalgia with enduring relevance.

Reissued in 2025 with the same iconic artwork by Scarful, this edition celebrates a collaboration that captures the raw soul of New York hip-hop — pure, uncut, and eternal.

Crystal Tides’ long-awaited debut album Toothpaste is the sound of a band truly coming into their own. Written and recorded completely independently, the record embodies the spirit of resilience, creativity, and raw honesty that has carried the Portsmouth outfit through their journey so far. “We wanted the focus of this album to showcase our independence as a band. We felt it important, given our journey thus far, that it come from us in as raw form as possible.” The seeds of Toothpaste were planted back in 2022 with rough voice notes on lead singer Billy’s phone, evolving into a collection of songs that capture both the band’s infectious energy and their most personal reflections to date. From collaborative writing sessions in the practice room to late-night home demos, every track carries the DNA of Crystal Tides’ unity and determination. Working with long-time collaborator and producer David Evans, the result is a bold, heartfelt body of work that celebrates their independence while delivering polished, stadium-ready anthems. The album takes its name from one of its most intimate tracks. Toothpaste was born out of Billy’s battle with Ulcerative Colitis, which led to life-changing surgery. A passing joke about naming the album after the song became a moment of clarity. It's unusual, striking title felt like the only choice, a symbol of the band’s authenticity and ability to find meaning even in the unexpected.

Stoop Kid is the jangly indie rock project of Diest-born Jens Rubens. After Camp Careful (2021) and Mount Cope (2023), Stoop Kid returns with his third full-length album Office Overdue, a ten-song collection that captures the quiet fatigue, flickering humor, and
fragile hope of keeping it together in a world that won't slow down.

'Office Overdue' is a collection of songs Jens made at home in his modest home studio. For this album, he wanted to let go of pressure and expectations more than ever, and only work on music when he genuinely felt like it.No fancy studio, no producer, just walking upstairs and messing around. The result doesn't always sound perfectly polished: the drums are sometimes clumsily programmed and more than a few wrong notes made it onto the record. The guitars were allowed to hit a bit harder this time, with the '90s slacker vibes coming through more prominently. The result is a record that feels raw and honest, and above all, was made purely out of enthusiasm.

Office Overdue explores the attempt to keep functioning in everyday life while the world around us feels on the verge of collapse. The songs move between mental exhaustion and self-reflection, carried by a dry, sometimes bitter humour that helps lighten the weight. The album focuses on repetition and routine, and on the tension between wanting to care for others and being trapped inside one's own head. Themes of anxiety, guilt and dissociation recur throughout, but are always accompanied by small moments of connection, gentle resistance and acceptance. Office Overdue embraces the mess, the doubt and the false notes, without drawing grand conclusions. Not everything is resolved, but the persistence remains.

Conjuring a faithful following, quite rare in these days of ADHD, by sheer force of their celebratory and fiery live shows, Montijo's most celebrated outfit reflects these past couple years of camaraderie and life on the road on their debut album, after a self-released EP and a 4 way split on Zegema Beach Records. Sublimating all the inherent potential of post-hardcore at its most sweeping into a forceful and focused delivery, 'Acetate' captures all their urgency through 13 memorable and sharpened tracks. Recorded patiently and mastered by the gifted know how of Jack Shirley - Deafheaven, Joyce Manor or Gouge Away -, the songs on 'Acetate' open sprawling vistas upon the band's recognizable sound between chaos and order, cutting back on everything that might be redundant or overly technical. Alex Domingos' vocals reach new means of expressiveness through harrowing screams and hints of melody, João Pires' sinewy guitar pulling out riffs and skewed lines that echo for posterity and the rhythmic section of Simão Simões - bass - and João Portalegre - drums - driving all this turmoil with kinetic precision and flexibility. Never before did Hetta sound as relentless, chill and melodic, tracking down life at its own pulse.

La Margarita (1994) is an unforgettable collaboration between iconic Uruguayan musician Jaime Roos and legendary writer and playwright Mauricio Rosencof. Blending the rich musical traditions of Uruguay-candombe, murga, tango, and milonga-with elements of folk and rock, as he is known for, Roos sets to music a cycle of sonnets that tell a tender, naive love story. These poems were written by Rosencof under harrowing conditions during his imprisonment by the Uruguayan dictatorship in the 1970s. Includes 16-page booklet. Jaime Roos and Mauricio Rosencof are two of Uruguay's most beloved and influential artists. Roos, a groundbreaking musician, redefined Uruguayan music in the 1980s with his signature fusion of deep-rooted local rhythms and cosmopolitan flair. Rosencof, a celebrated writer and playwright who emerged in the early 1960s, was also a prominent figure in the historic Tupamaros guerrilla movement. Their paths converged in 1987, when Roos composed the score for Rosencof's play El Regreso del Gran Tuleque. During this collaboration, Roos discovered a series of sonnets Rosencof had written while imprisoned under Uruguay's brutal dictatorship. Held in solitary confinement for over eleven years, Rosencof composed these poems as a lifeline-scribbled on cigarette papers and hidden in the hems of clothes his family collected for laundering. Against all odds, both the author and his poems survived. The sonnets tell a delicate, moving love story set in 1950s Montevideo. Roos, inspired and captivated, rose to the challenge of transforming them into music. The result was La Margarita-a groundbreaking project in which Roos masterfully fused Uruguay's rich musical traditions-candombe, murga, tango, and milonga-with elements of folk and rock, creating a deeply evocative set of songs as only he could deliver. Beyond its beautiful music, La Margarita stands as a testament to resilience, creativity, and the enduring power of love and art.

Somewhere between jazz, progressive rock and cinematic soundscapes, Kabasse unfolds a world of intricate arrangements, bold sonic textures and heartfelt improvisation. The brainchild of Munich-based musician Sigmund Perner (also member of Carpet), this sextet blends composed structure with free exploration, layering lush harmonies, unexpected rhythms and a rich palette of wind, mallet and keyboard instruments. What began as decades of musical ideas-gathered quietly, never written down-found its shape through a group of close-knit musicians from Munich and Augsburg, including Perner's own son on drums. Together, they recorded in a live studio session, embracing risk and spontaneity. The result: a deeply personal debut album that feels both mature and raw, contemplative and gripping. Rather than demanding attention, the pieces invite it: About Sitting on Fences captures the art of waiting-for ideas to grow, evolve and resonate. Just like the name Kabasse, inspired by the calabash: a vessel, a resonator, a home for sound.

David Zé - Mutudi Ua Ufolo / Viúva da Liberdade is a major milestone in Angolan music, intensely blendingsemba, rumba, and bolero, recordedat the height of the country"s liberation struggle. Both soulful and political, the album resonates far beyond Luanda, carrying a universal spirit akin to that of Bob Marley. Originally released on CDA with Conjunto Merengue, it captures David Zé at his creative peak. Sung in Portuguese and local dialects, it combines rhythmic elegance with deep commitment, weaving links between Afro-Brazilian and Latin American traditions. After his assassination in 1977, the album was banned for several years, before being reborn as an essential work of resistance and beauty. In 2008, his legacy found a new echo when Damian Marley and Nas sampled "Undenge Uami" on Distant Relatives.

All football teams for some reason or other adopt a song and make it their own. In many ways to sing along to or chant over, as their team roll out onto the football pitch. Mal-one a big fan of the instrumental track, likes the way they can set and capture the mood. He has adapted one of his tunes ‘Rude Boy Shuffle’ to help push up West London’s finest team ‘Queens Park Rangers’. In true reggae style he has added the version dub excursion to its B-Side, for further
enhancement. We hope this reggae inspired ditty hits the mark and hopefully the back of the net.

Jackie Mittoo, organ and piano maestro, was also one of the founding members of Jamaica's top session band The Skatalites. Musical arranger for Studio One he provided the backbone to so many of Jamaica's finest tunes. The invention of Ska music and the sounds that rode through the Rocksteady and Reggae period all carry his stamp. Whether it be in his various incarnations, the aforementioned Skatalites, The Soul Brothers, Soul Vendors and the Sound Dimension or under his own name, his distinctive organ and piano sound and musical arrangements have all played a major part in Jamaica's musical history.

Jackie Mittoo (born 1948, Kingston, Jamaica) began playing musical instruments at a very early age. Taught piano by his grandmother he was performing live by the age of 10 and recording by the age of 15. Two Kingston bands that he played with the Rivals and the Sheiks brought him to the attention of Studio One's founder Coxsone Dodd. Who at the time was putting a group of musicians together to be his studio band. Impressed by his skills on both the organ and the piano, Jackie was asked to join in what would become Jamaica's foremost band The Skatalites. The fellow band members were Lloyd Brevett (bass), Lloyd Knibbs (drums), Don Drummond (trombone), Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso and Lester Sterling (Sax), Johnny Moore (trumpet), Jah Jerry (guitar) and Mr Mittoo (piano). This line up ruled the Jamaican scene between 1964 - 1965 as well as inventing the Ska sound, they also performed the backing duties for the other top labels of the time including Duke Reid's Treasure Isle and Justin Yap's Top Deck label.

1965 saw The Skatalites disband and Jackie Mittoo move on to his next musical project The Soul Brothers. Formed with fellow Skatalite Roland Alphonso, this band would back all the hits coming out of Studio One for the next three years with Jackie Mittoo working as band leader and musical arranger. Around this time Jackie also had his own single released, a Ska underground classic called 'Got My Bugaloo'. Rare, as it also features Jackie in the unusual role for him, as lead singer!!!!.

1966 saw the Ska sound evolve into Rocksteady, again with Jackie's band at the helm, and his first hit single the Rocksteady cut 'Ram Jam'. The success of which would lead to a solo career and album releases under his own name such as 'Now', 'Macka Fat', 'Evening Time', 'In London' and 'Keep on Dancing', to name but a few. In1967 the hits at Studio One were still flowing when The Soul Brothers morphed into The Soul Venders and began backing such luminaries as Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, The Heptones, The Cables, The Wailers and many other of the labels solo artists.

By 1968 Jamaican music was ready for another change and Rocksteady rolled into a slower groove soon to be called Reggae. Jackie Mittoo would be at the forefront with his latest band The Sound Dimension. A line up that included Leroy Sibbles (bass), Roland Alphonso and Cedric Brooks (saxophone), Eric Frater and Ernest Ranglin (guitar) and Bunny Williams (drums). Being the house band at Studio One they backed all the leading names of the time, John Holt, Horace Andy and Alton Ellis, all of Studio One's output carried his sound.

Jackie Mittoo emigrated in the late 60's to Canada, but travelled to Jamaica and London to record with many of the big new names, who were trying to redress Studio One's supremacy and needed his magic touch. Such Producers as Bunny Lee used Jackie Mittoo on many of his sessions, Sugar Minott among others were always glad of his services.

We have captured some fine 1970's cuts that feature Jackies numerous talents, showing his ability to embellish tracks with a feel that few could better, Musical arranger, band leader all round studio ace. We hope you enjoy the set and I'm sure you'll agree with us Jackie Mittoo does indeed Ride On.........

With their upcoming sixth studio album, “What A Time To Be Alive” , The Lone Bellow embarks on a bold new chapter while honoring the deep bonds that have defined their journey. Written collaboratively for the first time with their full touring band—founding members Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist, and Kanene Pipkin joined by drummer Julian Dorio and multi-instrumentalist Tyler Geertsma—the album channels the raw, ecstatic energy of the band’s live show into a dynamic collection of songs that pulse with warmth, honesty, and human connection. Recorded live in Muscle Shoals, AL, after a writing retreat in a converted Kentucky firehouse, the album is both a celebration and a reckoning: of friendship, loss, love, and resilience. From the gritty, Stones-tinged opener “After The Rain” to the soul-stirring closer “What A Time To Be Alive,” the record captures the joy and vulnerability that have long defined The Lone Bellow’s sound—lush harmonies, heartfelt lyrics, and genre-blurring arrangements steeped in folk, rock, and gospel. The album’s creation was marked by setbacks, including the theft of early recordings, but the outpouring of support from their fanbase reaffirmed what the band has always known: their music is a shared experience. That spirit echoes throughout the album, whether in anthems like “Common Folk” and “I’m Here For You,” or in intimate reflections like “You Were Leaving” and “Night Goes Black.” Since their acclaimed 2013 debut, The Lone Bellow has appeared on The Tonight Show, Austin City Limits, and The Late Show, topped Americana charts, and headlined storied venues from Carnegie Hall to the Ryman Auditorium. But with their next album, they reaffirm their commitment not just to making music, but to building community—on stage, in song, and around the table.

Explosive Ukrainian metalcore force SPACE OF VARIATIONS returns with Poisoned Art, out on February 13, 2026 via Napalm Records. Blending furious brutality with heartfelt emotion, the four-piece band sheds their skin and continues to push the boundaries of modern metal, their new record showing a new facet of their ever-evolving sound—a new era. Twice crowned Ukraine’s best metal band, and former tour partners of genre giants Jinjer, SPACE OF VARIATIONS are raising the bar for metalcore with the twelve new tracks of Poisoned Art. Mercilessly honest, the opening track “TRIBE” sees the band battle existential fears in both English and their native Ukrainian. Driving in the urgency are diverse stylings, ranging from djent in “HALO” to fitting sirens in “MAYDAY”, showing that SPACE OF VARIATIONS doesn’t shy away from adding a certain edge to their catchy choruses. “PARALLEL REALITIES” cleverly combines soft melodies with brutality, staging captivating desperation and neck-snapping breakdowns as parallel realities. Explosive outburst “DOPPELGÄNGER” powerfully blends groovy distorted guitars and unrelenting intensity, contrasted by haunting melodic passages and subtle electronic textures, making this song especially hard-hitting. The mix of pummeling ferocity with emotional depth continues throughout “GODLIKE” and “GHOST TOWN”, before “COLDHEAVEN” stands out from Poisoned Art through its exploration of hip hop elements and cold industrial grain. “BACK TO DIRT” continues the djent vibe, while “SNAKE SKIN” delves into electronic territory.

Swedish death metal trio Eye of Purgatory return with Darkborne - a powerful new chapter forged by Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader), Taylor Nordberg (The Absence, Venom Inc.) and Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc., Inhuman Condition). The album captures the spirit of classic Swedish death metal: dark, atmospheric and full of organic weight - yet with a melodic and emotional depth that makes every track feel alive.The cover artwork, once again created by Dan Goldsworthy (Accept, Alestorm, Cradle of Filth), perfectly reflects the album’s mix of melancholy and menace. Darkborne isn’t about nostalgia; it’s a continuation of a sound that values emotion and atmosphere as much as sheer heaviness.

Vijan, originally released in 2003 by I Grade Records, is a seminal release from the “golden era” of St. Croix roots reggae, now available for the first time on 12” vinyl courtesy of Before Zero Records.

Produced by the legendary combination of Vaughn Benjamin and Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred, Vijan balances the raw, spiritual intensity of Vaughn’s songwriting with the sophisticated, melodic arrangements that became the hallmark of the I Grade sound.

This album features an incredible lineup of musicians who helped shape the sound of Virgin Islands reggae. The production credits boast the textured guitar layers of Tuff Lion , the deep, driving bass of Kenyatta Itola , and the rhythmic precision of Dion “Bosie” Hopkins. Uniquely, this album also showcases Vaughn Benjamin’s versatility as a multi-instrumentalist, contributing drums, bass, and keys on standout tracks like “All Ye Naashan” and “Thanks for Life”.

Akae Beka’s inimitable style of rich, deep, multi-layered songwriting and uncompromising devotion to RasTafari is on full display here. At the point of his untimely passing in 2019, Vaughn Benjamin had released over 70 albums, solidifying his place as one of the most prolific reggae artists ever known. Vijan remains
a glowing highlight in this expansive catalogue, capturing a specific moment of creative brilliance in the early 2000s.

The vinyl reissue allows listeners to engage with the album’s analogue richness and features the striking original artwork by Marcus Wilson, presented here as a 12” square masterpiece.

For over a decade, Hyunhye Seo a core member of Xiu Xiu, in her solo work navigates the precarious edges where composition dissolves into pure gesture. Through ecstatic piano improvisations, restless percussive attacks and an expansive use of acoustic space, she constructs layered sonic environments that move across the boundaries of noise, avant-garde jazz, ambient and contemporary classical music. Her performances reveal an unfiltered process of listening and creation - a practice in which thinking becomes the enemy, and surrender the only viable strategy.

Continuation captures one such surrender. Recorded live at MAO - Museo d'Arte Orientale in Turin during the exhibition Rabbit Inhabits the Moon – The Art of Nam June Paik in the Mirror of Time, this cascading piano improvisation unfolds as a dialogue between performer, space and the particular acoustics of a museum built to house contemplative objects. Jamie Stewart processes the sound in real time; Giuseppe Ielasi shapes the final mix. What emerges is a work of charged immediacy - restless gestures giving way to passages of unexpected tenderness, noise and silence trading places in continuous exchange. The title is precise: this is music that refuses conclusion, that exists in a state of perpetual becoming. On Side B, Continuous Extension offers an unprecedented response. Phew - the pioneering figure of Japanese avant-garde music since the late 1970s - was invited by curators Chiara Lee and Freddie Murphy to reinterpret Seo's performance. Working with synthesizer and subtle processing, Phew distills the resonances of Continuation into a new electronic landscape - waves of abstraction that echo like reflections in sound, tracing the harmonic tensions of Seo's playing into territories she herself did not visit.

The accompanying booklet includes an essay by Bruno Lo Turco exploring the deep connections between improvisation and Buddhist thought, and a written reflection by Seo on her own practice of surrender and listening.

Continuation is released on Ubi Kū, the record label of the Unione Buddhista Italiana. The cover reproduces Avalokitesvara "Water and Moon" from the Museo d'Arte Orientale "E. Chiossone" in Genoa - the bodhisattva of compassion gazing at the reflection of the moon in water. Like that reflection, this music exists fully in the present, complete and unrepeatable.

For the first time, all the 1978 recording sessions of Lino Capra Vaccina's legendary Antico Adagio - including Frammenti da Antico Adagio and Echi Armonici da Antico Adagio - collected in one definitive deluxe edition. Minimalism, and so much more. Sheets of resonance, stunning harmonic interplay, intricate rhythms rising as one. Sidelong works of pulsing, hypnotic, ritualistic drone built from vibraphones, marimbas, gongs, bells, and cymbals, threaded by the sustained vocal tones of Juri Camisasca and Dana Matus. A trance-inducing, meditative, cosmic world of sonic interplay - the world beyond, joined with that which lays within.

Before an aberrant idea of progress ludicrously sped up our daily lives, even in hectic Milan it was possible to "play slowly" - with no pressure, simply following the path your art was showing you. This music moves between modal fascinations, ritual evocations, and states of hypnotic trance, evoking the acoustic environment of Tibetan and Zen Buddhist ceremonies and the temporal structures of Noh theatre, from which Vaccina took the name of his original label, Nō. Now, fittingly, this complete collection appears on Ubi Kū, the label of the Italian Buddhist Union.

Lino Vaccina (1953) first gained note as a member of Aktuala, creating a hybrid of rock, avant-garde, and ancient musics while incorporating sonic traditions from across the globe. After leaving in 1974, he studied at Milano's Civica Scuola di Musica, collaborating with Franco Battiato and Juri Camisasca, and forming Telaio Magnetico in 1975. In 1978 he self-released Antico Adagio in a tiny edition and wouldn't be heard from again until 1992. From 1979 to 1985 he was percussionist with the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala under maestros such as Abbado and Ozawa. His career has been marked by an incredibly high bar of quality and a tragically slim recorded output - a rigorous and sensual language fusing Oriental, Mediterranean, and African influences with ritual elements and a cosmic sense of time.

As Massimo Torrigiani writes: "Lino Vaccina's music captivates through its internal coherence and its ability to generate states of suspension and deep listening - through undulations, small melodic fragments, dialogues between acoustic instruments and resonances that seem to evoke a phantom orchestra. An example of personal exploration, discipline and openness that speaks across time to anyone willing to be drawn into its sound."

Frammenti da Antico Adagio and Echi Armonici da Antico Adagio contain material from the original sessions, restored and issued by Die Schachtel in 2014 and 2017. The new masters, prepared by Giuseppe Ielasi, are based on those restorations and the original material. The package includes previously unpublished photographs from the May 1978 sessions and liner notes by Mauro Radice in Italian, English, and French. Cover art by Dana Matus. Printed by Legno, Milano & Mother Tongue, Verona.

Personnel: Lino Capra Vaccina (vibraphone, marimba, tablas, wooden drums, darbuka, cymbals, gong, metal sheets, bells, bass drum, tom, snare drum, piano, voice), Dana Matus (voice, percussion, cetra), Juri Camisasca (voice), Mario Garuti (violin), Roberto Mazza (oboe). Original production by Massimo Villa & Lino Vaccina with Piero Cannizzaro. Recorded May 1978 at Circle Studios, Milano.

The heights of the Italian avant-garde, at their very best.

Joe Allotta's solo project (drummer, composer, and singer) was born from his need for freedom of expression after numerous experiences
as a session musician for artists such as Davide Shorty, Johnny Marsiglia, Funk Shui Project, Mario Biondi, Leburn Maddox, Giles Robson,
Amy True, and Imaani (Incognito).
His compositions embody the desire to make jazz, in its various forms and influences, accessible to the widest possible audience without sacrificing the impact of an engaging and captivating live performance.
Joe Allotta blends hip hop, funk, and drum 'n' bass with contemporary jazz, perfectly blending vocals with his performances. He combines
his rhythmic exploration with a sweet and surprising voice, capable of lending further emotional depth to his music.
"Transition" is a musical journey that reflects a life in constant motion, where everything seems fleeting, fast, and fleeting, immersed in the
frenetic rhythms that surround us every day. The title also encompasses a more intimate dimension: the growth of his artistic identity. Joe is
no longer just a drummer and composer, but also a singer. His intense and surprising voice intertwines with his drumming in a continuous
dialogue, opening up new expressive possibilities and adding further depth to his musical language.
The album was produced in the studios of the Sghetto Club in Bologna, where Joe, together with his producer Jacopo Trapani, spent weeks
researching and experimenting: rehearsing, playing, processing and synthesizing sounds, developing and arranging ideas, thanks also to
the collaboration of extraordinary musicians. The result is a work that blends instinct and research, intimacy and openness, movement and
transformation: exactly what Transition aims to convey.
CREDITS
Giuseppe "Joe" Allotta: Compositions, Vocals, Drums, Bass, Keyboards
Jacopo Trapani: Compositions, Recording, Mixing
Chicco Allotta: Piano (Track 1)
Giovanni Galdo: Bass (Track 1)
Riccardo Dalle Vedove: Trombone (Track 1)
Piergiorgio Perrella: Guitar (Tracks 2, 5, 8, 9)
Elijah Lee Last Jacinto: Piano (Track 6)
Matteo Diego Scarcella: Sax (Track 6) Francesco Brini: Master

Sabine McCalla creates her own version of multi-cultural American roots music. It's a sound that crosses borderlines, pulling everything from Brazilian samba to southern soul to British rock & roll into its orbit. On Don't Call Me Baby, Sabine filters those influences through the lens of her Haitian heritage and her music community of New Orleans, creating a debut album that's every bit as multi-faceted as the woman who wrote its songs.

The daughter of first-generation Haitian immigrants, Sabine was raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she grew up alongside her sister Leyla McCalla (Sons of Our Native Daughters, Carolina Chocolate Drops). Introduced to chamber music at an early age, Sabine began playing classical violin in orchestras, music camps, and conservatory classes as an 8 year old. Back at home, she filled her head with Motown classics, girl group hits, Bob Marley albums, Beatles standards, and Haitian folk music. It was a wide constellation of sound that spanned more than a half century, and Sabine made it all her own, drawn to the connections binding everything together.

Don't Call Me Baby shines a light on those connections. The follow-up to her critically-acclaimed Folk EP, whose pre-war sound earned her a slot at the Newport Folk Festival in 2019, the album transcends genre and generation, creating a raw, rich mix of country, R&B, folk, and soul that exists on its own timeline. Co-produced by Sam Doores of the Deslondes and featuring a cast of New Orleans’ most spirited and gifted (including guest vocals from Riley Downing, Leyla McCalla, and The Lostines), Sabine McCalla reaches beyond her beloved New Orleans Americana scene with Don't Call Me Baby, building a bridge between the world-spanning sounds that have captured her attention.

MOVIE MOVIE is based out of NYC and features members of the bands TWIN GUNS, THE ELECTRIC MESS, and THE ABOVE. The band combine elements of power pop, '60s, '70s and '80s garage, classic, alternative and glam rock, but they have a sound all their own, with a focus on strong hooks and melodic vocals. "After Hours" is a 1980s New Wave comedy about a party girl on the downtown scene whose claim to fame is a bit part in a popular movie, where she uttered the immortal line, "Won't you look at the time," but she wouldn't give you the time. "Wasting Time" is an existential road picture in the mind of the protagonist, set across heartland America and a sunny beach in the Caribbean, but in reality he never leaves the girl, or town, and in the end ponders his wasted years. "First Love (Never Dies)" is a romantic drama that spans decades, about an aging rocker who reflects on his first teenage love, a girl he has never stopped thinking about. He tries to track her down and reconnect after all these years, only to find she is now married to his old childhood rival.

"Photograph" is a future arthouse hit, shot in stark black white, about the disintegration of a relationship seen from two different perspectives, captured in an old photograph, in which the truth is revealed in the looks on their faces. "Coming Attractions" is MOVIE MOVIE's second EP, after their debut six track EP, "Now Playing" (2022), on Ghost Highway/ KOTJ Records, and they have two full LPs, "Storyboards" (2023), and "In 4-D!" (2024), both Topsy-Turvy Records.

On one hand, it could be bumming out the people who enjoyed hearing what the band evolved into. On the other hand, nostalgia sells...and daddy needs to eat! So...Nevermind 2! Broken Bones and Bloody Kisses has seen a few vinyl pressings in the past, but landing a physical copy of You Are My Canvas (which was only released on burned CDs, crafted in the Lovat- Frasers' basement) is almost impossible. And ooooooh boy...the pre- demo demo (or PDD) versions of "Sketch Artist Composite" and "The Anatomy of the Journey"? Those puppies - with me (Connor...hi!) on vocals/drums and Jeff playing everything else - were only available on the Y2K version and basically only used to recruit other band members. Smash all these old chestnuts together in one release and see what happens! Why not? It perfectly captures the whole spirit of early BOYS NIGHT OUT. But what title does one bestow upon such a sonic siphonophore? There are 3 versions of "Sketch Artist Composite".

Do you call it Sketch Artist Composite Plus Other Songs? Do you go all in on a lyric- based title like Fuck Us Where We Breathe? Decisions, decisions! Probably best to follow Costa's sage advice and go with Nevermind 2. So, almost exactly two decades after our first show - July 19, 2001 @ The Oakville Pine Room with Sky Came Falling, Unearth, and Rise Over Run - may we present unto you, Nevermind 2! What's old is new again, probably?

A rising and genre-defying figure in the French electronic scene, Goldie B continues her ascent with Who Says Night’s For Sleeping?, a five-track EP that asserts her distinctive signature: an instinctive blend of club energy, cinematic storytelling and UK rave influences. Conceived as the soundtrack to a night lived in full intensity, the record moves through the fire of the dancefloor, the collective trance, and those suspended moments where one floats between dream and wakefulness.

“I imagined this EP as the soundtrack to a night experienced in its entirety. From the first rush of adrenaline on the dancefloor to that floating walk home, still carried by the music. My influences range from Moby and Air to Floating Points and Joy Orbison, artists who know how to combine power and emotion. I love connecting the raw energy of the club with more dreamlike textures, because you can absolutely dream while dancing. Each track is an instinctive snapshot of my inner world.” Goldie B The EP’s opening act, “The Space Between” blends ethereal pads, organic strings and a steady crescendo, recalling the elegance of Air or Moby. It opens a suspended space, equally suited to inner drift or physical release. “I wanted it to feel like a threshold, a gentle hand pulling you into a trance state.”

On “U Make Me Feel So Good”, a sensual and narrative breakbeat track, a flowing bassline gradually tightens into trancier energy. Seductive female vocals weave through broken rhythms, creating a piece that is as tactile as it is hypnotic. “It’s about contrast, the softness and caress at the start, then a tension that rises and electrifies.”
Instagram | Youtube | TikTok | SoundCloudAt the heart of the project, “Rêve de Rave” channels 90’s breakbeat spirit with old-school samples, an euphoric central break and voices urging to move your feet. Urgent and liberating, it embodies the dreamlike essence of the rave. “It’s how I imagine the rave: a lucid dream where joy and collective energy feel almost unreal.”

Next comes the most incisive cut of the EP, “Purple FX”, driven by a grating central bassline that evolves relentlessly until its explosive drop. Minimalist yet implacable, it captures the sheer force of a peak-time track. “I wanted a track purely designed for the club, where the tension just keeps rising until it explodes.”

Closing in chiaroscuro, “Snake Waves” shifts from breakbeat into a half-house, half-techno 4/4 groove, carried by a sinuous, hypnotic bassline. The track plays on tension and release, with a rich harmonic break before fading like a suspended farewell, where the party recedes but the energy lingers. “It’s a farewell piece that keeps the intoxication alive, like a final vertigo before slipping back into the night.”

Goldie B is a multifaceted force on the French electronic scene. A producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, MC, DJ, and co-founder of the label Omakase Recordings, her sets blend bass, jungle, UKG, and breakbeat, captivating audiences with their contagious energy. Based in Marseille, she has released music on renowned labels such as D.KO, Banoffee Pies, and YUKU, and has performed on some of the biggest French stages and festivals: Peacock Society, Astropolis, NDK, Marsatac, Delta, Le Bon Air, and even the Festival d’Avignon. In 2024, she was selected by Apple Music for its Women In Electronic series. Her new Who Says Night’s For Sleeping? EP confirms her status as an instinctive and distinctive artist to watch on the French electronic scene.

Squares have been throwing intimate parties through the London underground for the last several years. For their first record, they’ve curated a VA with close affiliates to capture dark sounds that have left a mark. On the A1 is Squares co-founder Guzman with “Tangent”, which is stripped back, ethereal and electro-tinged.

A2 welcomes Terraflow with “Clip”, showcasing his excellent take on proggy trance influences and infectious rhythms. The flipside starts with Oho’s “Wicked”, a pumping, dubby techno roller. Finally, on the B2 is Roto with “Stormrider” which has hard hitting drums and a bassline full of attitude.

i am so thrilled to share the film for my concert cornucopia with you . this has been a long journey with hundreds of people helping out . i am so beyond enormously grateful to every single one of them .

i feel the modern concert film is a matriarchially friendly construct , welcomed in the current climate . where female musicians can share their worlds uncorrupted . in cornucopia , i was joined by musical director and multi instrumentalist bergur þórisson , percussionist manu delago , flute septet Viibra , harpist katie buckley and the hamrahlid choir .

i spent last decade working with 360-degree sound and visual software in virtual reality and animation, creating Biophilia and later Vulnicura as a VR album . i was deeply inspired by the idea of a fully-immersive experience spreading Utopia and Fossora into fully surround speakers . my intention was to bring what we had created for 21st-century VR into a 19th-century theatre - taking it from the headset to the stage .

this vision was realised with 27 moving curtains that captured projections on different textures and LED screens , creating a digitally animated show : a "modern lanterna magica" for live music . i also wanted to feature bespoke instruments: a magnetic harp , an aluphone , a circular flute , and a reverb chamber , specially built with an audio architect to enhance the most intimate version of a performance—in a personal chapel .

throughout this tale, there is a subplot woven in : a second story of an avatar—a modern marionette who alchemically mutates , from puppet to puppet , from the injury of a heart wound to a fully healed state . i hope you enjoy it . warmness , björk

London-via-Accra artist BLACK FONDU shares his seven-track debut EP ‘BLACKFONDUISM’, following the underground momentum of singles ‘im not sleeping’ and the Steve Lamacq BBC 6 Music-premiered ‘holla back girl’. Available on vinyl, and with a self-directed video for ‘#music’, the project marks the first full expression of a voice emerging as one of the UK’s most uncompromising new forces.

‘BLACKFONDUISM’ captures that evolution in its rawest form. The EP came together quickly through instinct and freestyling, recorded between his room in London and a short period in Paris. Each track reflects a world he understood only after living through it. ‘IN D4 CLUB’ channels the exhilaration of acceleration, ‘BOYS’ explores the foundation provided by maternal love, ‘im not sleeping’ confronts denial after more than twenty revisions, ‘C00N V2’ marks a moment of creative rebirth, and ‘BLACK1E’ navigates the tension between self-perception and the world’s gaze. Closing track ‘#music’ distills the entire project into one statement.

Working alone has brought challenges, but he has learned to trust the emotional volatility that fuels the work. “I care so much and would die for this, but I cannot let it kill me. I have to trust myself the same way I trust myself when I make music.”

At 21, BLACK FONDU has carved out a sound that collides hyperpop, noise, rap, punk energy and abstract grime into something instinctive and volatile. Influenced by everything from Rachmaninoff to MF DOOM to Xiu Xiu, he writes, produces and performs every element, including the fractured visuals that accompany his tracks. Praise from BBC 6 Music, Pitchfork, NME, The Quietus, Pigeons & Planes, METAL and Line of Best Fit has positioned him as one of the most intriguing new voices in the UK underground, with explosive live shows across London, the UK and Europe.

With BLACKFONDUISM, he introduces a universe that refuses to sit still. “I wanted this EP to act as an introduction to my worlds. It felt important to put this out so I can do anything after.” He hopes listeners feel alive when they hear it, and jokes that he wants the record to “evolve music, even just a little.”

BLACK FONDU’s sound remains a paradox, abrasive and fragile, chaotic and meticulous, always guided by instinct. Or, as he puts it, “A bit fucked. But alive.”

The dynamic duo of tenor saxophonist Timo Lassy and drummer Teppo Mäkynen return with a double LP of live recordings captured in 2019 and 2020. The We Jazz Records release "Live Recordings 2019-2020" follows the duo's 2019 LP which was shortlisted for "Jazz Album Of the Year" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards. While the studio album versions were studies in improvisational brevity, the live album lets the long-time collaborators really let loose and build memorable sonic narratives around the compositions. The album is produced and edited by Teppo Mäkynen, also known as a sought-after producer with the knack for looking at the big picture.

From the subtle minimalism of "Fallow" via the ambient of "Aero" to the riff-heavy groove of "Calling James", Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen breathe their music as one unit, building it based on a mutual trust as fellow musicians. Their duo shows have quickly become celebrated examples of what a long history of playing together can enable on stage when paired with the right mindset and a shared musical goal. This live album follows the ethos of both documenting what's happening and expanding on what was captured in the studio earlier.

Double LP gatefold on WHITE or BLACK vinyl.

The dynamic duo of tenor saxophonist Timo Lassy and drummer Teppo Mäkynen return with a double LP of live recordings captured in 2019 and 2020. The We Jazz Records release "Live Recordings 2019-2020" follows the duo's 2019 LP which was shortlisted for "Jazz Album Of the Year" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards. While the studio album versions were studies in improvisational brevity, the live album lets the long-time collaborators really let loose and build memorable sonic narratives around the compositions. The album is produced and edited by Teppo Mäkynen, also known as a sought-after producer with the knack for looking at the big picture.

From the subtle minimalism of "Fallow" via the ambient of "Aero" to the riff-heavy groove of "Calling James", Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen breathe their music as one unit, building it based on a mutual trust as fellow musicians. Their duo shows have quickly become celebrated examples of what a long history of playing together can enable on stage when paired with the right mindset and a shared musical goal. This live album follows the ethos of both documenting what's happening and expanding on what was captured in the studio earlier.

Double LP gatefold on WHITE or BLACK vinyl.

Following the release of Deltron 3030, all three members participated in the Gorillaz' self-titled debut album. With Del aka Deltron Zero on vocals, Dan the Automator aka The Cantankerous Captain Aptos on production, and Kid Koala aka Skiznoid the Boy Wonder on turntables, this album takes the listener on a paranoid journey set in a dystopian year 3030 dealing with viruses, the apocalypse, an oppressive government, and a war waged against a huge company called the Corporate Bank of Time that rules the universe, all to the well-crafted and consistent musical backing of the Automator. Appearances by Damon Albarn (The Gorillaz, Blur), Prince Paul, Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ Money Mark, Paul Barman, Mark Bell (Bjork, production), Sean Lennon, and Mr. Lif compliment Del's vocal style and add the right amount of flavor to this classic period piece.

●STAY BY MY SIDE (Youth Of Roots)
This is the title track from Young Israelites' 2021 debut EP, which made them a household name.
Its catchy, pop melody has captured the hearts of reggae fans worldwide, and Youth Of Roots' KON RYU has covered it in Japanese.
It blends seamlessly with the song like a long-time favorite, bringing out the original's charm with a new brilliance.

●STRAWBERRY GIRL (Young Israelites)
A popular song that shines with sweetness in Youth Of Roots' repertoire, which is filled with roots-conscious, message-driven songs.
Young Israelites' English cover, with its melancholic vocals, further enhances the quality of the original.


YOUTH OF ROOTS
A roots rock reggae band formed in Kanagawa in 2016. Their multi-generational sound and spiritual musicality, rooted in their experiences in Jamaica,
define their sound. They've released numerous singles, including their latest album, "LOVE IS THE ANSWER."
They connect with their audiences at live shows, conveying the spirit of "One Family." Their overwhelming sense of unity and sincere message transcends
borders, earning them praise from international fans as "the best reggae band."

[YOUNG ISRAELITES]
A rocksteady/roots reggae band consisting of three members from Israel. Building on a vintage Jamaican sound, their familiar melodies and soulful,
passionate performances have garnered attention from reggae fans worldwide. Since their debut, they've released a string of EPs and full-length albums,
and have expanded their global reach, including airing on the BBC and performing at the world's largest reggae festival, ROTOTOM SUSPLASH.
This new-generation band vividly revives the spirit of rocksteady and roots reggae for the modern era.

Vintage recording equipment has long been a bit of a fetish, but to sound pioneers Voka Gentle, even the most magical machines are a means to an end. The band, made up of twins Ellie and Imogen Mason, along with Imogen’s husband, William J Stokes, are a family band in the truest sense. Whilst they started as a folk trio, their new album Domestic Bliss is an album of throat-grabbing, avant-garde indie rock songs studded with eccentric choices: a synth with its keys jammed, playing a tune of its own making; field recordings – Morris dancers, motorbikes – captured on binaural headphones.

Domestic Bliss is concerned with power: the abuse of it, being on the cusp of it, and what it really means. The album is
teaming with imaginary people in picaresque scenes that reveal the band’s rich cultural storehouse. The songs draw on history, literature, everyday life and pop culture references (specifically Jude Law’s 1995 Vogue cover), with tracks like Cheddar Man reflecting on climate change and prehistory and Creon I tracing the unease of authority through the lens of Greek mythology.

Recorded in the orchestral studios of City University, the album folds intimacy into scale, from phone-recorded vocals and samples of breath to heavy, tribal electronics in grand acoustic spaces. The result is by far their most refined record yet, where the band treat the recording studio like an instrument.

Islaja presents her new album ”Angel Tape”, her debut release on the new Helsinki-based label Other Power. Drawing inspiration from childhood epiphanies while listening to an alleged recording of angels singing, Islaja has crafted an album that stands out as a major work in her expansive and celebrated catalogue, which includes previous releases on labels such as Ecstatic Peace!, Fonal and Svart.


Islaja, aka Finnish artist Merja Kokkonen, describes her new album as a “counterwork” to her most recent albums, where the mode of composing was more song-based. This time around, she goes more in the direction of vast fields of sound where the human voice is a key ingredient of music that breaks free of strict stylistic guidelines and traditional song forms. Rough around the edges, atonal and otherworldly, "Angel Tape” is the result of a lifetime of inspiration from something beyond the immediate realm of our experience, an attempt to catch the elusive essence of musical otherness.


”As a child, I listened to the ’angel tape’ my mother played, and I never thought that the human voices I heard on it were angels singing. Instead, all the aural debris lying just beneath the surface caught my attention as I thought it was mysterious and something from a different world than ours, and so that was probably what was referred to as the ’angels’ so miraculously caught on tape”, Kokkonen explains. ”I think this was one thing that led me on this lifelong quest to find new sounds and forms in music.”



The tape she is referring to, a mid-80s church recording, was passed around in religious circles. Each time the tape was copied, it became slightly more distorted. It was believed that this recording of religious music had accidentally captured for the first time the voices of actual angels singing. The tape was rumoured to have originated in Kansas City and to have made its way to Finland.


Whereas Islaja has often thought of albums as being collections of recent songs presented together, ”Angel Tape” has a strong sense of conceptual coherence. The music comes from a place. That doesn’t mean that one must take a single path from one place to the next, as close listenings of the album reveal layers upon layers of not only sound but also of mood and meaning. From the human voice in its barest form, to the rising dense walls of sound moving and reshaping, ”Angel Tape” is a captivating album that unveils new contours with each repeated listening.

US sax player Stanley J. Zappa and Finnish drummer Simo Laihonen come together on the new album "Muster Point" on We Jazz Records, August 7. The two students of Milford Graves add bassist Ville Rauhala on a couple of tracks to make a bold and adventurous album captured both live and in the studio while Zappa was touring in Finland with the Black Motor musicians. This is a set full of fire and thunder, but also features some more meditative spiritual jazz. RIYL: Milford Graves, ESP-Disk', spiritual jazz

"Muster Point" consists of short trio bursts ("Muster Point I-IV"), deep duo cuts such as "Pleasant Avenue" and the inspired material linking the stylistic bookends. The music herein comes from the long standing tradition of independent improvised jazz music, and moves forward in the now, relying in the natural communication and the chemistry between the musicians. At its core, the album is a testament to the importance personal connections between like-minded creative musicians in creating something new.

Stanley J. Zappa, originally from New Jersey, now based in Oliver, BC (Canada) is a highly expressive musician whose career has so far progressed largely under the radar. Part of the lineage of a musical family (his uncle Frank should need no introduction), Zappa's story is that of a true craftsman, now coming into fruition with a like-minded collaborator, Simo Laihonen. Laihonen is best known from his long-standing trio formation Black Motor, also featuring bassist Ville Rauhala featured on the trio tracks on this recording.

LP, Opaque Pink Vinyl, w/ download card

Mexico City’s Sunset Images emerge with their most daring and immersive work to date, Oscilador, arriving January 23 on Dedstrange. Known for pushing the boundaries of noise rock and psychedelic experimentation, the band plunges deeper into their raw, unrelenting sound—crafting an album that thrives in chaos, distortion, and hypnotic repetition.
Oscilador captures Sunset Images at a new creative peak: jagged guitars dissolve into swirling feedback, fractured rhythms pulse like machinery on the brink, and vocals echo through layers of reverb as if channeled from another dimension. The record balances intensity and atmosphere, offering both catharsis and transcendence. It’s a sonic free fall that feels at once destructive and redemptive—like watching a city crumble only to find strange beauty in the ruins.
The album title reflects the band’s fascination with constant motion and instability, the oscillations of sound and life itself. Across the record, Sunset Images embrace the extremes: minimal passages expand into walls of noise, meditative drones are shattered by bursts of primal energy, and every song teeters on the edge of collapse. This restless spirit makes Oscilador not just a collection of songs, but a visceral experience—one that mirrors the tension and electricity of Mexico City’s underground scene.
Joining forces with Dedstrange, Sunset Images step onto a global stage while staying true to their uncompromising vision. For fans of A Place To Bury Strangers, Sonic Youth, or My Bloody Valentine, Oscilador delivers the thrill of pure immersion—music that doesn’t just demand to be heard, but to be felt in the chest, the bones, and the subconscious.
With Oscilador, Sunset Images invite listeners to lose themselves in noise, distortion, and dissonance—and to find clarity within the chaos.

Bluegrass band Big Richard makes music for the 21st century’s twisted cultural unease. Their Signature Sounds debut Pet, is a fierce, provocative, rejoinder to what troubles them and the world right now, and was recorded live to tape in order to capture the fervor of their live shows.

“Big Richard is so much about our energetic delivery, and so I think it's been really important for us as a group to figure out how to do that for a record,” says mandolin and guitar player Bonnie Sims. And figure it out they did. Pet delivers, successfully translating the supergroup’s live kinetic harmonies and string virtuosity. Unapologetically outrageous and provocative, the band’s name is a wink to the ‘big dick’ energy Big Richard is reclaiming from male bluegrass bands. Since exploding onto the Colorado scene in 2021, the four women have been on a wild ride, slapping as hard as possible on the festival circuit, working up their stamina on nationwide headlining tours, and leaving a wake of die-hard Big Richard Heads across the country swooning for their honest songwriting, chilling vocals, and fiddle-driven barn-burners.

“Our live performances are so raw and so gritty, and I think that our sound never really flourished in that digital landscape.” GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning cellist Joy Adams says. “Recording live to tape we were all in the same room together, very close together, with a lot of mic bleed, etc. And the energy was insane. It felt so good to record this way. Even on the first day, we were like ‘wow, this sounds like our band.’ And to do something that's very real and gritty and has little mistakes in it just feels alive and human.”

Bless the Maker: the Great Houses of Laced Records and Funcom have forged a temporary trade agreement to bring you the expansive soundtrack for ‘Dune: Awakening’ on vinyl.  The hit survival game has garnered critical praise for its incredibly faithful and detailed realisation of the Dune universe - from its sprawling vistas to deep lore and political intrigue. The music is integral in recreating the atmosphere of Arrakis, conjuring not only its striking landscapes but the human experience of life on the planet.  Recorded live at Air Studios in London with The Chamber Orchestra of London, Knut Avenstroup Haugen’s soundtrack conjures a planetary sense of scale.

Arcing strings shimmer and twist weightless in the air like heat rising from the desert floor, while resonant brass evokes dawn stretching out across the sands.  The luscious acoustic instrumentation is enhanced and elevated by rippling electronics, capturing Dune's singular blend of science fiction and spiritual tradition.  Soaring vocal performances from Clara Sorace, Eurielle and Emília Rovira Alegre centre this sense of the sacred, pushing the soundtrack to ecstatic emotional peaks.  Black heavyweight double vinyl.  24 tracks from the acclaimed 2025 survival game.  Widespined outer sleeve  Printed, spined inner sleeves.  Bespoke sleeve artwork by Funcom.