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GREEN VELVET MAKES HIS CIRCUS RECORDINGS DEBUT WITH BIGGER THAN PRINCE, HIS MOST TALKED ABOUT TRACK IN YEARS...

BIGGER THAN PRINCE WAS BORN OUT OF A CONVERSATION BETWEEN LABEL BOSS YOUSEF AND GREEN VELVET WHEN BOTH PLAYED THE INDONESIAN LEG OF THE ANNUAL CIRCUS TOUR. THE IDEA OF THE CHICAGO LEGEND CONTRIBUTING A BRAND NEW TRACK FOR THE CIRCUS X // PART 1 COMPILATION WAS FLOATED AND SOON HE WAS JOINING NINE OTHER FRIENDS OF CIRCUS WHO WERE ALL TO FEATURE IN CELEBRATION OF TEN YEARS OF EVENTS.

'BIGGER THAN PRINCE' IS A CLASSIC GREEN VELVET VOCAL NUMBER AND SHARPER AND FRESHER THAN ANYTHING WE'VE HEARD THIS SUMMER. QUIRKY AND DRIVING, ITS SET TO BE ONE OF THE TRACKS OF THE SEASON.

TO BACK THE ORIGINAL, YOUSEF HAS DRAFTED IN MORE FRIENDS OF CIRCUS ON REMIX DUTIES, HOT SINCE 82 AND THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS...



DJ FEEDBACK



STEVE MAC - "LOVE THIS RECORD AND THE REMIXES... GREAT RELEASE!!"

TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS - "I LOVE THIS RECORD!!! I'LL PLAY THE ORIGINAL!"

MATTHIAS TANZMANN - "BOTH REMIXES REALLY ARE GREAT!! PERFECT FOR ME!"

LEE BURRIDGE - "IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE ORIGINAL FOR THIS GREEN VELVET FAN!"

SINDEN - "ORIGINAL WINNING FOR ME!!!! CLASSIC GREENB VELVET... I LOVE IT!"

ZOMBIE DISCO SQUAD - "WOW! I DON'T THINK I NEED TO SAY MORE. THAT COVERS MY ENJOYMENT MARTINEZ BROS. MAYBE MY FAV."

TIEFSCHWARZ (ALI) - "A GREAT GREAT RELEASE FROM GREEN VELVET. SUPPORT!"

AXEL BOMAN - "THIS IS SUCH A COOL TRACK... LOVE THE ORIGINAL FROM GREEN VELVET!"



DANNY HOWELLS - "MEGA PACKAGE... SUPERB ORIGINAL AND STUNNING REMIXES TOO... ALL GOOD!"

DEETRON - "REALLY LIKE THE ORIGINAL AND THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS REMIX AS WELL. I'LL BE PLAYING."

UNER - "THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS REMIX IS SUPERB!! <3"

DRUMS OF DEATH - "I LOVE THIS WHOLE PACKAGE... WILL PROBABLY PLAY THEM ALL ACTUALLY! "

SOUL CLAP - "PURE FUNK, STRAIGHT UP NASTY!! "

MOXIE - "BIG BIG TUNE!!"

RALPH LAWSON - "THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS REMIX IS BEST OF THE PACKAGE FOR ME. GONNA TRY IT OUT AND LET YOU KNOW."

ALEX WOLFENDEN - "CLASSIC GREEN VELVET TRACK WITH GREAT REMIXS! MARTINEZ BROS' THE ONE FOR ME, FULL SUPPORT."

ANNIE NIGHTINGALE - (BBC RADIO 1) - "HOT SINCE 82 SOUNDS QUITE HOT IN 2013!"

LARSE - (KLUBBING, WDR 1LIVE, GERMANY) - "I LIKE THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS REMIX. WELL DONE GUYS!"

WAIFS & STRAYS (AMOS) - "ALL TRACKS ARE KILLER! THE MARTINEZ BROS REMIX IS AMAZING...FULL SUPPORT."

LUKE SOLOMON - "I HATE TO SAY IT AS I AM SUCH A HUGE GV FAN...BUT MB'S MIX KIND OF TIPS IT FOR ME. SORRY CAJ."

&ME - "I DON'T LIKE IT, I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

GERD - GREEN VELVET = BIGGER THAN PRINCE! LOVIN' THE LINNDRUM WINK... GREAT REMIXES TOO!"



ZDAR - "LOVE THIS TUNE!!! CURTIS IS THE BEST AND ALWAYS BE... VERY GOOD MARTINEZ BROS. MIX TOO! LOVE!"

DJ HELL - "AND ANOTHER BIG TUNE FROM THE NEW PRINCE OF DANCE MUSIC! THIS IS GREAT!"

TOM FINDLAY (GROOVE ARMADA) - "GREAT EP!! MASSIVE, SUPER FRESH! GREAT CHOICE OF REMIXES TOO, BOTH SMASH IT!"

SHADOW CHILD - "YES! THE HOT SINCE 82 REMIX SOUNDS DOPE!!! "

SKREAM - "SICK RECORD!! MARTINEZ BROTHERS REMIX IS MY FAV ON FIRST LISTEN."

JORIS VOORN - "WAHAAHA CLASSIC GREEN VELVET ATTITUDE! GREAT STUFF GUYS!!"

ALIX ALVAREZ - "GREAT PACKAGE. GREAT MIXES, ESP FROM MY GUYS TMB, BEING MY FAVORITE. GONNA TRY IT OUT THIS WEEKEND."

TAYO - "THE COOLEST MOFO OUT THERE. CLASSIC GREEN VELVET. SLEAZY "CONTROVERSY" STYLE BUSINESS. LOVE."

CATZ N DOGZ (VOITEK) - "FUCK!! YES PLEASE!!! THIS IS FANTASTIC... MARTINEZ BROS. MIX MY FAV TO PLAY ON FIRST LISTEN."

IAN POOLEY - "THE HOT SINCE 82 MIX IS WICKED!! I'LL BE PLAYING THIS OUT FOR SURE!"

JD TWITCH (OPTIMO) - "I REALLY LIKE THE ORIGINAL OF THIS!! SUPPORTING."

MARC ROMBOY - "GREAT SELECTION OF VERSIONS AND GREAT TO HAVE A NEW GREEN VELVET IN THE BOX! HS82 IS MY PICK TO PLAY OUT THOUGH!!!"

DIESEL (X-PRESS 2) - "THE ORIGINAL AND THE HOT SINCE 82 MIXES AT ARE THE BEST FOR ME. WE'LL BE PLAYING THESE!!"

COPYRIGHT (DEFECTED RADIO) - "HARD TO CHOOSE A FAV. WHAT A PACKAGE...LOVE THE BEATS ON THE MARTINEZ BROS MIX...KILLER!"

RANDY'S 50th ANNIVERSARY CHAPTER ONE / VARIOUS - First time on vinyl for Chapter Two second part of the acclaimed previously CD only set that was released to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Randy's Records. From Augustus Pablo's groundbreaking 'Java' to Carl Malcolm's UK pop crossover hit 'Fattie Bum Bum' Chapter Two showcase classic after classic from a all-star line up of the 70's reggae music greats including Black Uhuru, Horace Andy, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, The Heptones & Big Youth. Beautifully packaged with inner sleeves featuring rare photos and liner notes by reggae historian, Dennis Katz.

Heavyweight psychedelic improvisers EarthBall are back with their third and most monstrous record to date: ‘Outside Over There’, released on Upset The Rhythm (Nov 7th). Born from the haunted basements of Nanaimo, Canada, the quintet thrives on spontaneity, shaping improvisation into jagged hallucinations and ecstatic eruptions.
Recorded live-off-the-floor in 2024 in Jeremy, Izzy, and Kellen’s basement, and mixed by drummer John Brennan, ‘Outside Over There’ is an album that feels both summoned and inevitable. Each track lands with uncanny purpose, as if uncovered rather than written.
The opener, 100%, features a cameo from comedian and English icon Stewart Lee, who lent his blessing for the band to use a fragment of his stand-up. The album was mastered by John Dieterich (Deerhoof), with liner text contributed by longtime comrade John Olson (Wolf Eyes). Olson describes the album in his unmistakable style:
“This eight-track odyssey unfolds like a dreamscape, where whispered incantations brush against the shadowy fringes of the cosmos, and wild, Cézanne-inspired rock anthems erupt like geysers of color in the midst of a western warm and wet rain storm… culminating in the sprawling eleven minute masterpiece, ‘And The Music Shall Untune The Sky,’ aptly dubbed the Earth Crusher. A creation so utterly deconstructed and intertwined with the pulse of nature itself that if AI was called upon to conceive ‘Outside Over There’ anew, it would just spit back, “F.U. in Tree Font”. An enchanting invitation for even the flat-earthers to join the circle, if only just a little.”
EarthBall’s trajectory has been relentless. Their 2024 album ‘It’s Yours’ was praised by The Quietus as “fully aggressive and fully life-affirming,” and by The Wire as "a boisterous mind-melting album”. The band’s live double set LP ‘Actual Earth Music Vol. 1 & 2’ (2025) captured blistering performances: a performance opening for Wolf Eyes at the Fox Cabaret, and a Café OTO improvised throw-down featuring Chris Corsano and Steve Beresford. These releases on their own confirm them as one of Canada’s most vital experimental exports, not to mention the impressive self-released discography on their Bandcamp. The band’s reach has stretched far beyond their west coast roots with a UK tour May 2024, plus this past June, EarthBall closed Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon. This November they will perform at Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, with a European tour to follow (tour dates below). Outside of EarthBall, each member carries their own torch. Jeremy Van Wyck, founding member of the legendary Shearing Pinx, has toured extensively, released over 100 records, and has been a vital force in the Vancouver and West Coast underground for the past 25 years. He and Isabel Ford (Izzy) play together not only in EarthBall, but also in Psychedelic Dirt, Shearing Pinx, Behaviours, and Crotch.
John Brennan collaborates widely, including recently with Endlings (Raven Chacon and John Dieterich), Evichen (Victoria Shen), Francesco Fonassi, Plan Your Future (with Greg Saunier of Deerhoof), Brennan/Corsano duo and Physics with John Dieterich. Kellen Maclaughlin performs with KVMP and Ora Corgan, while saxophonist Liam Murphy is a west coast staple, playing with the best across Vancouver Island and the mainland. On three of the tracks of ‘Outside Over There’, the band is joined by their comrade Justin Patterson, who also plays with Brennan in the duo Modale. This cross-pollination fuels EarthBall’s sound - a collective improvisation, psychically overdriven, and grinding into bloom.
Outside Over There’ is more than an album though, it is a ritual, a gathering of sound at the forest’s edge; where feedback, saxophone screams, and ecstatic vocals dissolve the boundary between chaos and clarity. EarthBall invite you into their circle, to share in the joyful terror of spontaneous creation. ‘Outside Over There’ will be released on November 7th through Upset The Rhythm digitally and as a limited blue-in-black vinyl LP.

For over 25 years, David Madson (aka Odd Nosdam) has been stationed away from the light of the mainstream, diligently working the nightshift. Every so often, we awake to find another of his bleary and beautiful missives slung into the waking world – albums whose assemblages of sampled grooves, atmospheres and voices are unified by a hallucinatory sense of melody, like disparate visions strung together through ribbons of sleep-talk. From his earliest days as a member of the seminal group cLOUDDEAD, through his remixes for artists such as Boards of Canada and Black Moth Super Rainbow, Nosdam has been reporting back from his rounds upon the perimeters of culture and consciousness, forging a musical language all of his own.

On Patrol is the second Odd Nosdam LP to be released on The Notwist’s imprint Alien Transistor – following on from the 2019 album Mirrors – and continues a collaborative history that begun with a 2008 remix of The Notwist song, “Sleep”. It’s a love letter to the vinyl format, produced with the aim of optimizing for a single LP. This objective permeated every aspect of the album’s production, from the duration of each side through to the vinyl mastering (Jessica Thompson) and lacquer-cutting (Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin). As we've come to expect, the album is built almost entirely from found sounds, many of which were taken from obscure and second-hand vinyl gathered during Nosdam’s ceaseless crate-digging escapades. Other sources include field recordings made in 2022 at the Catalonia summer home of artist Salvador Dalí, which are baked into the swirling sci-fi glide of “Here to Know (Adéu Mix)”, and a sumptuous clunking bass line courtesy of Organi’s Mike Walti, which runs like an infinite highway through the fuzzy, sunbaked sprawl of “Deepsimple”.

Odd Nosdam’s work has always swept the entire atmospheric spectrum, from rhythmic vigour to levitational beauty. On Patrol is perhaps his finest assimilation of these extremes. “Sgt. Pepsi” is the perfect case in point: a formidable slow groove capsizes into vinyl crackle after a mere minute, before the song resurrects itself through sweeping strings and vocal harmonies, sliding against each other like the overlain romantic denouements to a dozen Hollywood films from the 1940s. Elsewhere, “Get You In (Belong Mix)” drapes shoegaze guitar over a trundling funk backbeat, straddling the physical world and the outer realms, while hushed voices point toward the song's implied themes of cultural cliques, critical consensus and the plight of the eternal outsider: “Sure, I can get you in... these people are my friends, I’m one of them - I belong.”

This is music that both endures and disappears. Odd Nosdam has always wielded a strange relationship with time, scrambling association with any specific era, weaving together numerous tempos simultaneously. There is no master clock. Each track could happily hold up as an infinite loop, yet Nosdam clearly favours the potency of the gone-too-soon, applying the fadeout just as hypnosis starts to crest. Indeed, the songs are both the product of meticulous long-term construction and spontaneity. While the foundations of On Patrol have come together over several years, the recording process involved channeling vibes through a vintage Roland Space Echo and bouncing song fragments back and forth from hard disk to cassette 8-track, gifting a phased permanence to creative decisions made on the fly – a hat-tip to the production processes of Nosdam's longtime hero, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Like a recurring dream, On Patrol appeals to both the plains of momentary ephemera and the long-established backchannels of the unconscious, equal parts revelation and deja vu.

Text by Jack Chuter
Artwork by Ian Ferguson

It’s time for Ahad’s biggest move yet: his first full-length album, P*KI. Powerful, deeply personal and unapologetic, the album is rooted in the dancefloor and in Ahad’s belief that club culture is a space where he can “exist completely authentically.” By reclaiming a word he has personally been confronted with, Ahad transforms P*KI (pronounced Pee-Star-Kay-Eye) into a statement of joy, pride, celebration and self-love. The album’s singles capture that spirit: ‘Put That Banger On Next’, featuring London MC Capo Lee, brings a high-voltage grime energy; ‘Make Space’ is a euphoric tribute to the diverse communities who find solace in London nightlife; while ‘Left / Right’, made with Dismantle and Jam-akabi, delivers a dark, futuristic breaks sound built for warehouse dancefloors. Across the record, Ahad’s signature UK club sound is pushed further, with tracks drawing on everything from gqom and drum’n’bass to South Asian classical instruments, Punjabi folk and devotional music such as qawwali.

20/20 Vision continues to flourish even well into its third decade. For its next trick, the Leeds label welcomes back Brett Johnson, who was last here 20+ years ago. Releases on Classic Records, DJ Heather collaborations and Derrick Carter championing his work all make him a bona fide house hero and 'Broken Machine' confirms it. 'Unstuck' opens with a mutating disco bassline that refuses to settle, while 'Juiced' dives deep into his signature boompty swing with a drop designed for pure devastation. The title track is the centrepiece - a trippy trip that stretches time entirely before 'iRemember' closes with starry-eyed ambient pads laced above a deep, slow, gorgeous groove. Sophisticated, playful and musical as always.

A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.

Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.

As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.

It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.

In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.

– Tom Carter

A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.

Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.

As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.

It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.

In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.

– Tom Carter

he Congos possess what all bands look for, that unique distinctive sound that draws the listener in. Alongside the great songs, lead singer Cedric Myton's singing, phasing and falsetto voice makes that just the case.
The Congos were formed by Cedric Myton (b. 1947, St Catherine, Jamaica) around the mid-Seventies when the
Rasta message was central to the reggae sound coming out of Kingston, Jamaica. But he had started out in the
Rocksteady era, when he formed the vocal group 'Tartans', taking lead vocal duties alongside Devon Russell, Prince Lincoln Thompson and Lindbergh Lewis.They cut 'Dance All Night' (1967) and 'Coming On Strong' (1968). The line-Up became The Royal Rasses and from this Cedric moved on to form the Congos on meeting Roydel Johnson, who had previously sang with Ras Michael and the Sons of Negas. Cedric's Rasta roots were firmly in place when he went to work with producer Lee Perry to cut the seminal album 'Heart Of The Congos' at Perry's just built, Black Ark Studios in 1977. Cedric Myton has carried on the mantle, cutting a set of tunes with the help of his good friend Mr Brent Dowe, who had previously sang lead vocals with the Melodians.This is the Dub set to the vocal album released on the Kingston
Sounds label called 'The Congos Feast'(KS008).With such strong songs, rhythms and vocals it always had the chemistry for a great dub set. Hope you agree and enjoy the dub excursion...

Forgotten electronic treasures by composer Ton de Leeuw rediscovered: first release in the Dutch Oscillation Series

Dutch Oscillation Series (DOS) proudly announces the release of a box set featuring the complete electronic works of Ton de Leeuw (1926–1996). This publication marks the first instalment in a new series that brings the history of Dutch electronic music to life for a broad audience. The official presentation will take place on Saturday, 12 September, during the Gaudeamus Festival for contemporary music in Utrecht.

Unique discoveries from the archive. For far too long, twentieth-century Dutch electronic music has remained hidden away in dim archives, only occasionally accessible under optimal conditions. Many compositions have not been heard for decades, perhaps after being presented to an audience only once. For this project, the original tapes were carefully traced in basements and archives, including the mysterious work Chronos, which was rediscovered in the collection of the Netherlands Music Institute (NMI). Even close collaborators of De Leeuw were unaware of the existence of Chronos. Another highlight of this release is the radiophonic oratorio Job (1956), which was awarded the Prix Italia radio prize by broadcaster Rai.

The recordings were digitised by experts at the Institute of Sonology and the Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision). The music was then meticulously restored and mastered in the studio of Jos Smolders (EARLabs), in accordance with modern standards, while strictly adhering to the composer’s original artistic intentions.

The edition includes eight works composed between 1956 and 1982. The collection is released as a deluxe LP and CD box set and is also available via streaming and as high-resolution downloads. For an optimal listening experience, originally four-channel works such as Elektronische Studie (Electronic Study) and Antiphonie (Antiphony) are available as special Dolby Atmos downloads, allowing listeners to experience at home the unique spatial sound world envisioned by Ton de Leeuw.

About Ton de LeeuwTon de Leeuw was one of the most influential Dutch composers of the twentieth century. A thinker with a distinctly cosmopolitan outlook, he immersed himself deeply in musical cultures from India, Japan, and Indonesia, among others. His work consistently sought to bridge Eastern and Western musical traditions and concepts.

In addition, De Leeuw enjoyed a distinguished academic career. He served for many years as senior lecturer and director at the Amsterdam Conservatory and was affiliated as a senior research fellow with the University of Amsterdam. His book Muziek van de twintigste eeuw (Music of the Twentieth Century) remains a standard reference work.

The unconscious element to the conscious process.

The practice of dub techno and its tendrils is a fundamental for me, both aesthetically and from an engineering perspective.

I start every recording session with a dub inspired jam, the first piece I ever recorded in 1996 was an effort to recreate Phylyps Trak with only a Korg X3 and an Ibanez PUE5 (borrowed from Gary Howell). It was an awesome introduction to jamming, and the footing stones of noise, delay and saturation were explored with my foot hard on the enthusiasm pedal.

These practice jams are in some sense cathartic, the first step taken again & again, which helps me move forwards each session and additionally helps to 'warm the circuits' both of myself and the machines.

After realising the genius of Basic Channel is akin to the genius of peasant food, using every ingredient with nothing left to waste, (up to and including the oft maligned working noise of the machines themselves), this was a watershed moment for my own subjective progression. No longer tied to just emulation of something inspiring, but taking these learned tools into other areas of music helped to break free from a strong current of influence and also to progress into other areas with the new toolbox.

Dub:

The importance of the dub pioneers should never be understated, in modern music and my own practice. Yet with my initial inspiration being two german dudes issuing extreme techno variants with obscured label designs, who then signposted their listeners to their own inspirations (via their Wackies re-issues or nodded to on their Rhythm & Sound/Burial Mix sub-labels), meant that I started late and travelled backwards.

Learning to notice the live mixing of Mikey Dread or Lee Perry when the faders are bleeding through even when turned down, (echoed in BC's Quadrant Dub), or the brash send effects literally thrown into the mix also taught me that 'rough' mixing can inject a recording with life, uniqueness and the most right wrongness. Looking back Basic Channels very few elements helped me realise that the rules to be understood, are also the best ones to be broken.

Push the mixer into the red.

Amp that noise up from the tape delay cos it sounds sick.

Pseudo side-chain effects cos the kicks are way too loud and the mixer can't sum it nicely.

Spam the send knob into the delay units now, now and now.

Carelessness.

Noise:

Once I wrapped my head around the intrinsic 'noise' element that set those records apart, this became a torchlight into the alt noise movements which I was tentatively exploring at the time, and also is evidently a connection or thread into them.

Whether the Industrial/Post Punk UK scene (This Heat, TG, A Tent, F.E.) or the prolific output of the US Noise scene (Wolf Eyes, Live & Shave in LA, and subsequently following the lineage all the way back to Chrome's Alien Soundtracks), I had finally discovered a connection from techno to this 'free for all' corner of music.

This input from the Noise arena of sound is, in my experience, an all important step for a sonic artist, taking it's roots and extending out from Stockhausen/Pierre Henry and utilised/warped/mangled by thousands of adventurous pioneers ever since, I now see the line separating the high brow and the low brow is actually an artery carrying information from the head to the heart.

Vault is a selection of these jams that precede each of my solo recording sessions, for 30 years I've recorded hundreds of these 'workouts'. They are never intended as serious statements, just moments of naive enjoyment, yet most importantly they are time & space captured as practice.

The objective is always a warm up exercise, but sometimes those exercises turn a different corner, with a certain focus or direction dependent on what random samples are left in my machines from the previous session, instead of conscious choices, these unconscious elements can facilitate those 'positive mistakes' that make a piece of sound retain a different feel or colour and thus become special, or at least special to the creator.

I am quite conscious that the 'record everything' aspect of my ethos has been invaluable in cataloguing and saving these jams, while the attitude of carelessness during this process (after all, it's only a warm up jam) invites more enjoyment than seriousness ever could. Even if you don't feel the piece at the time, record it, because some years later it may well fit, or become relevant in a way you never intended.

-Miles

Canyon Falls Trailer Band is considered a bookend to this trilogy of albums. It is an expansive double album, centered around Noe's more poignant and compelling assessment of his home and the people from there, yet broadly all people with stories like their own.

Baltimore's End It is telling it like it is on their debut album, Wrong Side Of Heaven, set for release this summer. The hardcore band has built a reputation through being unapologetically outspoken, playing fast, ripping songs, and putting on an electrifying live show. Now they're ready to enter their next era. Formed in 2017, the band consists of vocalist Akil Godsey, drummer Chris Gonzalez, guitarist Ray Lee, and bassist Patrick Martin. Signed to Flatspot Records, End It came out strong with the release of their self-titled EP the same year they started, and followed it up with 2020's One Way Track EP. In the summer of 2022, the band took the hardcore world by storm with their Unpleasant Living EP, solidifying the Baltimore outfit as one of the most exciting acts in the genre. Following the release, End It embarked on a packed touring and festival schedule across North America and Europe, playing alongside No Warning, Terror, Cold World, Drain, Speed, Angel Du$t, Scowl, and many more. The band's reach goes even farther with breakout single "New Age Slavery" featured on the soundtrack for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4. No matter where they are and what they're doing, End It is true to keeping things authentically them and that shines through on the forthcoming Wrong Side Of Heaven. Entering Salad Days Studio with renowned producer Brian McTernan (Turnstile, Snapcase, Hot Water Music) the band came in with a few demos and wrote the majority of the album during the two month recording process in early 2025. Taking direction from classic hardcore, thrash, and soul music, End It has crafted a 15 song magnum opus centered on "Spreading awareness of the change that's coming to Americans, personal growth, and maintaining the ethics and integrity of hardcore."

The ultimate Limited Edition double LP repress of "Morning Coffee" is finally here! ☕

Treat yourself to this ultra-exclusive double LP featuring an incredible liquid-filled vinyl. It's the perfect opportunity to acquire an exceptional collector's piece that is as hypnotic to watch as it is to listen to.


✨ Vinyl Features

Ultra-Rare Liquid-Filled Disc 1: much more than just a vinyl record, it's a technical marvel. This first disc contains a moving, coffee-colored liquid that comes alive to the rhythm of your turntable, offering a hypnotic and extremely rare visual experience.


Stunning Coffee-Marbled Disc 2: to perfectly pair with the liquid disc, enjoy a beautiful brown marbled vinyl that captures the warm aesthetic of a freshly brewed cup of coffee.


22 Remastered Tracks: 54 minutes of carefully selected, soothing melodies, remastered to bring a gentle warmth to your morning coffee routines.

Specially designed for fans who couldn't secure the original first pressing due to its instant sell-out, this limited reissue is the missing centerpiece your collection deserves.

Pioneering Ghanaian musician King Ayisobareturns September 4, 2026 with his forthcoming seventh album Pure Confusion, recorded and produced by On-U-Sound’s Adrian Sherwood.

Ayisoba is one of Ghana’s most distinctive musical voices. The world’s foremost player of the kologo - a homemade two-string lute fashioned from a calabash and covered in goatskin - he delivers fiercely political and socially observant songs using three different voices, including the voice of his grandfather that possessed him as a child. Sherwood meanwhile is the pioneering British producer and founder of On-U Sound whose hugely influential career has connected dub, post-punk, industrial, hip hop and experimental music through collaborations with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Mark Stewart, Horace Andy, Sinéad O’Connor, Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode.

Ayisoba and Sherwood first collaborated during a BBC Radio 3 Late Junction session at Maida Vale in 2017, organised by Ayisoba’s long-time collaborator Arnold de Boer/Zea of The Ex. The pair immediately connected, and during the pandemic, when Adrian’s long-time African Head Charge collaborator Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah was in Ghana looking for musicians to collaborate with Sherwood suggested Ayisoba, who eventually featured on two tracks on African Head Charge’s 2023 album A Trip To Bolgatanga (Bolgantanga is the region Ayisoba is from). Ayisoba then returned to the UK in late 2024 and travelled to Sherwood’s Ramsgate studio where the pair laid down the songs that would become Pure Confusion: “All the songs were already in my head,” says Ayisoba. “This album is all recorded live, over one afternoon. Adrian only plays live, and I like that. And he works hard - he doesn’t sleep. I woke up in the night and he was still working.”

“In my role producing it, I just let it roll to make a good vibe,” says Sherwood. “We recorded it completely live, did some programming and processing on some tracks, using dub techniques live on the mixing desk and adding some slick touches. We wanted the colours on the album to swing off what Ayisoba was doing, so we invited some friends to participate. Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill Gang) arrived from America and lent his services playing bass on a couple of tracks; the wonderful Ivan Hussey (Celloman) played bass, keyboards and cello - cello is not really featured on African recordings so we thought it would be really cool to try it. I'd been working with Alex White (Fat White Family/Primal Scream) on my album (The Collapse of Everything) and so he added sax to a few tracks and I brought Alan Glenn down especially - Alan was in Little Axe but also Nine Below Zero and played in the Yardbirds – to add some mouth organ; Mark Bandola added a bit of flavour with his Juno, Ayisoba’s long-time Ghanian collaborator Ayuune Sule added some percussion and vocals and Matt Smith did some programming.”

“King Ayisoba is quite amazing, so unique,” Sherwood continues. “He’s got his own handmade instrument and three different voices - when you’re listening you think it’s three different people. He’s a breath of fresh air, full of love for the music which he wants to share with everybody. Some tracks we kept very straight and others we experimented with - adding dubby psychedelic little touches to trip you out a bit. The added production we did at On-U has given it a shine while still keeping it vibrant, live and spontaneous. I’m really proud of this record”.

On Pure Confusion, Ayisoba documents the anxieties, contradictions and changing social realities of contemporary Ghana. “Land is a problem for everyone,” says Ayisoba of the opening track “Property”. “If you don’t build on your land they will take it away. Plenty corruption in Ghana, plenty confusion. They sell the land to two, three, four people and then everybody fights.”

Elsewhere Ayisoba explores illness, spirituality and social stigma on “Bemba”, warning against hiding sickness out of shame or fear of “bad juju”: “People hide their sickness and the sickness kills them.” “Tewigiloge” reflects on cultural difference and open-mindedness encountered through world travel: “We will tour the whole world and we will see many things we may not like or understand… your eyes will see, but don’t talk - you have to be open-minded.”

Spirituality runs deeply throughout the album. Ayisoba’s grandfather was a respected spiritual healer whose presence the musician says still guides him today. “The grandparents’ spirits are the ones you can contact,” he explains of the spiritual chant “Nkaase”. “This song talks about the forefathers.” The closing track “Leeda-Mampanga (It’s Not My Strength)” acts as a statement of humility and gratitude: “You have to be humble, even if you have talent. God gives you the power.”

For more than two decades, King Ayisoba has been one of Africa’s most distinctive musical innovators, transforming northern Ghanaian kologo traditions into a bold contemporary sound rooted in hypnotic rhythms, social commentary and spiritual intensity. Since the breakthrough success of 2006’s Modern Ghanaians, Ayisoba has built an international following through acclaimed albums, relentless touring and collaborations with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Orlando Julius and African Head Charge. Performances at Roskilde, WOMAD, Le Guess Who? and the Barbican have further cemented his reputation as a singular live performer and cultural force.

Brought together by Antoine Rajon through their shared love of modal and free jazz, the four musicians of KOMA embraced the high-wire act of a ""Jazz on the Moment,"" a hallmark of the KOMOS label's Analog Home Session series. These friends, both on and off stage, already play together in other groups, such as AMG for Keïta Janota and Anthony Jouravsky, and OLA TUNJI for Ornella Noulet and Anthony.


For this recording, the new group set up in the living room of a Burgundy home, equipped for the occasion with the finest vintage analog equipment by Christian Hierro, engineer at the ""Back To Mono"" studio in the Drôme region.

With no preparation other than the few hours before starting the tape recorder, KOMA recorded the tracks in the order they appear on the album. Two pure improvisations sit alongside a composition (in two versions) by Keïta Janota, and a composition by vibraphonist Martin Blouet, who was experiencing his first professional recording.


The iconic piece ‘John Coltrane’, composed by bassist Bill Lee, father of Spike Lee, is the only cover on the album. The quartet offers a surprising, almost ambient version, without the rhythm section and epic solos of other recordings. The musicians' love for the music of the ‘supreme saxophonist’ is nonetheless intense.

As a birth certificate on the very day of the group's formation, this ‘no-nonsense’ album allowed this unusual lineup (two saxophonists, a vibraphonist, and a bassist) to present its lyrical and meditative music on numerous stages.

"JPEGMAFIA, a trailblazing force in experimental hip hop, releases his latest solo project, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU. This album, his first since 2021, is a complex and innovative work that showcases his meticulous production skills. Featuring collaborations with Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, and Buzzy Lee, the album explores themes like capitalism, conscription, and propaganda through some of JPEGMAFIA’s most anarchic raps to date. The release is accompanied by an extensive global tour, reinforcing his status as one of the genre’s most incendiary talents. Since his last solo release, JPEGMAFIA has continued to push boundaries in the music industry, most notably with his 2023 collaboration with Danny Brown on Scaring the Hoes, which garnered critical acclaim and chart success. With I Lay Down My Life for You, JPEGMAFIA cements his reputation as a visionary artist, delivering a powerful commentary on the world through his unique lens. The album’s release is set to make a significant impact, both in stores and on stages worldwide."

In 2026 viert Eva De Roovere het 20-jarig bestaan van “De Jager”. Ze trekt er op uit en speelt haar succesalbum integraal. Met klassiekers als “Fantastig Toch” (35 miljoen streams !), “Laat Me Je Lied Zijn” en “De Jager” wordt deze concertreeks vanaf het najaar een groot feest van herkenning en vernieuwing, met als kern: liefde voor muziek én publiek.

Want wat is er mooier dan de 20ste verjaardag van een album vieren met… een nieuw album? ‘Sluit De Nacht’ (productie Koen Gisen) wordt een eigentijdse mix van levenslied en liefdeslied: een ode aan poëzie, melodie en ritme. Een zoektocht naar verbinding en troost in deze woelige tijden. Eigen werk en ook straffe songs geleverd door of samen geschreven met Gert Bettens, Rick De Leeuw, Dirk Blanchart, Sabine Tiels, Wouter Berlaen, Lennaert Maes, Vincent Pierins… Ingespeeld door Eva zelf en Ward Dhoore: gitaren, Eva Hautekiet: akoestische en electrische piano, Philippe Thuriot: accordeon & bandoneon, Lara Rosseel: contrabas en Kobe Proesmans: percussie & drums.

ENG

In 2026, Eva De Roovere will celebrate the 20th anniversary of “De Jager.” She’s hitting the road to perform her hit album in its entirety. Featuring classics like “Fantastig Toch” (35 million streams!), “Laat Me Je Lied Z?n,” and “De Jager,” this concert series starting this fall will be a grand celebration of familiarity and renewal, centered on a love for music and the audience.

After all, what could be better than celebrating an album’s 20th anniversary with… a new album? “Sluit De Nacht” (produced by Koen Gisen) is a contemporary blend of life songs and love songs: an ode to poetry, melody, and rhythm. A search for connection and comfort in these turbulent times. Original material as well as powerful songs written by or in collaboration with Gert Bettens, Rick De Leeuw, Dirk Blanchart, Sabine Tiels, Wouter Berlaen, Lennaert Maes, Vincent Pierins… performed by Eva herself and Ward Dhoore: guitars; Eva Hautekiet: acoustic and electric piano; Philippe Thuriot: accordion & bandoneon; Lara Rosseel: double bass; and Kobe Proesmans: percussion & drums.

Led by the lightning-fast guitar work of Alvin Lee, the band had quickly evolved from a traditional blues outfit into one of the most exciting and commercially viable acts of the late '60s British rock scene. This album reflects that transition, combining their Chicago blues roots with heavier rock, boogie rhythms, and early progressive influences. Recorded at a time when studio experimentation was becoming central to rock music, Cricklewood Green shows the band expanding beyond their live reputation into more layered and exploratory territory. The hit single "Love Like a Man" became a defining track of the era, earning chart success and cementing the group's reputation on both sides of the Atlantic. Newly remastered at Air Mastering, this reissue restores the album's original power and nuance. In addition to the album is a newly mixed performance by Charlie Russell of their second set at the Fillmore East on Friday 27th February 1970 on disc two, the sheer power of the band is on full display. On the CD are a selection of rarities with the standout being a newly discovered "Cricklewood Jam" demo, recorded during the album's sessions and never heard until now..

Within the broad church of metal and its many offshoots – rock, doom, stoner and all the rest – it remains a minor thrill to stumble across a group who seem to exist at a slight tangent to everything else. Crumbling Ghost is one such anomaly. Crumbling Ghost are not newcomers. They've been operating for some time, releasing records sporadically, Four' is in fact their fourth release. Along the way they've accumulated a fervent coterie of followers, not to mention the occasional nod of approval from tastemakers such as Stuart Maconie, Stewart Lee and Tom Ravenscroft. And though they've appeared at Roadburn, shared stages with Hawkwind and even Damo Suzuki, they remain (possibly by design) curiously under the radar.
The group's core idea is deceptively simple: traditional folk material refracted through the haze and heft of heavy, fuzzy stoner rock with a chunk of psyche and a smattering of doom. But crucially, this is done without the costumery and theatrical tics that often accompany such collisions. No mock pagan pageantry, no graveyard cosplay, no cartoon Satanism.
What Crumbling Ghost latch onto is not folk as a museum piece, but as a lived experience, the dramas rooted in the culture, stories, and daily lives of ordinary people, the folklore, the tales of love and death, murder and adultery, freedom and oppression. Singer Katie Harnett says. "Doting mothers, possessive, violent partners, vulnerable women, seasonal workers and Royal scandals this album is our representation of the trials and tribulations of human existence and universal experiences that still feel relevant today.

Guitarist John adds. "Themes of murder, betrayal, loss, jealousy, and love are found across the record. In particular, the songs of Martin Carthy have been a particular source of inspiration".
The result is a set of murder ballads, supernatural reckonings and cautionary tales, all wrapped in slabs of heavy, thumping fuzz and atmospheric sonics. Harnett's voice sits at the centre: unmistakably folk rooted, but shorn of prettification, melodic yet capable of real bite.

The album opener 'Bows Of London' is a murder ballad of sisterly hatred and grim sibling rivalry, centred on a haunted fiddle fashioned from a dead sister's bones. The loping relentless, hypnotic backing chillingly and perfectly accompanies the narrative. Of course, the story doesn't end well. 'Bill Norrie' follows, a hooky melody propelled by an insistent bassline and a haunting psych tinged haze punctured with sheets of noise.. The story of young Bill Norrie who sends a token to a married woman, whose jealous husband beheads him, without knowing he was his wife's son from an earlier affair. An instrumental palate cleanser arrives in the shape of 'Valtz Efter Tor Lohne' a Norwegian traditional the band jokingly describe as a "banger".
Then we have 'Lovely Joan' which offers a rare note of sly triumph: a quick witted woman outmanoeuvres a predatory nobleman, escaping with his ring and his horse. Muscular riffs give this tale of empowerment a welcome sense of teeth. 'Gower Wassail' is a traditional Welsh folk tune that captures the raucous spirit of communal ritual, noise making and drink fuelled hope for a good harvest. Captured perfectly here by CG complete with wah wah guitar and a drunken groove catching the song's celebratory chaos. Then we have a little gem in 'Last Of All Sleep' , an original band composition and a genuine highlight: a heavy lidded, shoegaze tinged folk reverie, equal parts distortion and delicacy. It's a drop-dead gorgeous shoegaze-tastic psychedelic grunge mini epic. The album closer 'The Unquiet Grave' is a very apt place to finish. It's about a young man whose constant grief at the death of his true love disturbs her eternal sleep so she cannot rest. Even though the playout on this track, complete with a demonic repeated riff and feedback feels suitably bleak, even this song allows a glimmer of release ... we think.
And there we have it, 7 songs, 7 worlds, all honed to perfection by producer Wayne Adams (Green Lung/Big Lad) that will reward every repeated listen.

Folk and metal/heavy rock do have a connection of course, just look at Green Lung and their 'folk horror' infused musical universe, but Crumbling Ghost are a very different beast.
'Four' amply and beautifully demonstrates that when it comes to 'folk horror' there's nothing quite as horrible as folk ... Here, the horror such as it is, and it must be said, the moments of light, comes not from theatrics, but from the songs themselves – which, after all, is where it's always lived.
Crumbling Ghost are John Mosley – Guitar / Donny Hopkins – Guitar / Ruth O’Loughlin – Bass / Katie Harnett – Vocals / Matthew Atkins- Drums.

Fij makes a vibrant return with his new single "Don't Bring Me Sunshine," a bittersweet, high-speed ode to independence and renewal. Described by Fij as an "anti-love song," "Don't Bring Me Sunshine" flips the script on romance. Its sardonic, bah-humbug lyrics are set against a rush of euphoric energy - inspired by the simple thrill of driving fast with the windows down, music blaring, and summer stretching endlessly ahead. As Fij puts it: "Who needs love when you've got a full tank of petrol... and the whole of Summer lying ahead on the heat-hazed open road?" The track is the latest preview of his long- awaited debut solo album, due this September via Tip Top Records. It signals a clear shift in tone and tempo. After years marked by introspection - shaped by personal upheaval, frontline work during the pandemic, and his role as a funeral celebrant - Fij has hit reset.

Re- embracing the electric guitar, raising the BPMs, and rediscovering joy, his new material blends the fuzzed edges of dream-pop with elements of pop and electronica, all delivered with his signature wit and melodic finesse. Fij first emerged in the early 90s with Adorable, whose debut album Against Perfection (Creation Records) became a cult favourite, earning multiple NME accolades and topping the Indie charts. The band's legacy continues to resonate, with artists citing their influence and figures like Noel Gallagher famously calling their label's decision to drop them a major mistake. Following Adorable, Fij explored new sonic territory with Polak and later collaborated with Terry Bickers of The House of Love, producing critically acclaimed releases that reaffirmed his reputation as one of Britain's most distinctive voices. His baritone - often compared to Lee Hazlewood, Lou Reed, and Richard Hawley - remains as rich and compelling as ever, now carrying a renewed urgency.

The Body"s landmark record Master, We Perish, originally released in 2013, found the acclaimed duo at a crossroads in their career. Recorded just before the duo of drummer Lee Buford and guitarist/vocalist Chip King were leaving their longtime home of Providence for Portland and released in between their breakthrough albums All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood and Christs, Redeemers, Master expanded on the duo"s love of layered worldbuilding with more precision and a stronger emphasis on percussive samples than ever before. The seeds of the duo"s celebrated collaborative inclination are evident as the album features Assembly of Light Choir leader Chrissy Wolpert, choir member Reba Mitchell, Otesanek vocalist Leslie Weitz, and guitarist David Lifrieri. With the expanded edition, the album"s striking cover painting by Providence mainstay Manifester aka Matt Brinkman (Mindflayer, Forcefield) is finally rendered in its original form. Master, We Perish is expanded with rare bonus tracks from The Body"s early days, taken from a pair of rare 7" singles Cop Killer/Dead Cops as well as a split with Get Killed. These storied singles mark the first time the band truly pushed the boundaries of sound in the studio and on record. It also marks the beginning of The Body"s practice of wielding the studio as a veritable weapon to translate their gargantuan sound with deeper impact on LP. The results are not only pushing the capacity of the album format but are sonically riveting. The bonus material was recorded at Machines with Magnets. The band described them economically: "NASTY."

The Body"s landmark record Master, We Perish, originally released in 2013, found the acclaimed duo at a crossroads in their career. Recorded just before the duo of drummer Lee Buford and guitarist/vocalist Chip King were leaving their longtime home of Providence for Portland and released in between their breakthrough albums All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood and Christs, Redeemers, Master expanded on the duo"s love of layered worldbuilding with more precision and a stronger emphasis on percussive samples than ever before. The seeds of the duo"s celebrated collaborative inclination are evident as the album features Assembly of Light Choir leader Chrissy Wolpert, choir member Reba Mitchell, Otesanek vocalist Leslie Weitz, and guitarist David Lifrieri. With the expanded edition, the album"s striking cover painting by Providence mainstay Manifester aka Matt Brinkman (Mindflayer, Forcefield) is finally rendered in its original form. Master, We Perish is expanded with rare bonus tracks from The Body"s early days, taken from a pair of rare 7" singles Cop Killer/Dead Cops as well as a split with Get Killed. These storied singles mark the first time the band truly pushed the boundaries of sound in the studio and on record. It also marks the beginning of The Body"s practice of wielding the studio as a veritable weapon to translate their gargantuan sound with deeper impact on LP. The results are not only pushing the capacity of the album format but are sonically riveting. The bonus material was recorded at Machines with Magnets. The band described them economically: "NASTY."

Ancient Infinity Orchestra return with their third album, It’s Always About Liberation, a new record that deepens the vision of their acclaimed recent work while moving into darker, more searching emotional territory.

Conceived as a partner to It’s Always About Love, this new body of work shares its predecessor’s generosity and spiritual openness, but carries a different charge. Where the previous album focused on healing and warmth, It’s Always About Liberation is largely animated by struggle, perseverance and the desire for transformation while still offering a path to betterment. It is music made in full awareness of a fractured world, yet unwilling to surrender to it.

Like It’s Always About Love the album title draws inspiration from words spoken by Moor Mother during their 2024 We Out Here festival performance that deeply affected bandleader Ozzy Moysey: “It’s always about love / It’s always about liberation.” Those twin ideas became a framework for the two albums Ancient Infinity Orchestra were creating. If one album explored love as repair, this one explores liberation as movement, continually striving toward freedom, clarity and deeper connection.
The 16-member ensemble is led by double bassist and composer Ozzy, with a distinctive line-up that explains their sound better than any artificial genre divisions: two double basses, harp, saxophones, clarinets, violin, viola, cello, oboe, flutes, mandolin, congas, piano, drum kit, with bells, shakers and other percussion instruments scattered on the floor of live sets and recording sessions, ready for members to use whenever the spirit takes them.

This orchestration, and the overlap between membership and friendship, gives Ancient Infinity Orchestra a sound that is at once expansive and intimate, earthy, and cosmic, constantly shifting yet grounded in shared intention. The attention to intention and the inviting sonic world connects the music to artists ranging from Alabaster dePlume to Gondwana label boss Matthew Halsall.
Gradually, the Orchestra became a grounding force in the emerging jazz scene in Leeds, bringing together individuals from different musical backgrounds co-founding the Café Oto-inspired Limpet Club or co-hosting the monthly Sonic Plunge (‘a platform for adventurous experimentation’) and co-founding the Leeds Improvisers Orchestra. Additionally, the ensemble acted as a bridge between musicians in Brighton and Leeds, after Ozzy spent a stint back on the south coast between 2020 and 2022.

Their debut, River of Light, was a vibrant celebration of togetherness recorded in three days and released on Gondwana in 2023. A Maida Vale session for Jamie Cullum’s BBC Radio 2 show brought them to a broader audience, as did bookings at North Sea Jazz Festival and Gretchen, Berlin. Since then, Ancient Infinity Orchestra has become a by-word for music that could be framed as ‘spiritual jazz’. Whilst Ozzy avoids the phrase when describing his music, he’s crystal clear that his heroes are associated with those words – citing Art Ensemble of Chicago, Pharoah Saunders, Coltrane (Alice and John), and Don Cherry as major influences.

Across trance-like meditations, rising grooves, moments of grief and collective uplift, It’s Always About Liberation speaks to the battle within the mind as much as the inequalities of the wider world. It acknowledges the darkness but lets connection and creativity have the last word Ancient Infinity Orchestra is a gathering of voices, traditions, and energies converging into something timeless. Their music is a journey inward and outward, always reaching toward the universal.

Susan Cadogan is a Reggae & Rocksteady singer from Kingston, Jamaica. With a delicate voice that shimmers between childlike innocence and smoldering sexuality, Susan Cadogan’s vocals were the perfect expression of lovers rock.

Susan Cadogan's singing talents led to her recording her first single, "Love My Life" for Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation (JBC radio) DJ Jerry Lewis. Lee "Scratch" Perry was in the recording studio at the time, and was impressed by Cadogan's voice enough to record an album's worth of material with her, also renaming her Susan.

One of her first recordings for Perry, a cover of Millie Jackson's soul hit, "Hurt So Good" (featuring bassist Boris Gardiner), was released was released in the UK by Dennis Harris' DIP International label, and topped the UK reggae chart and went on to reach No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart which resulted in Cadogan flying to London to promote the single, including many television appearances on the BBC's Top of the Pops. Other singles ("Nice & easy", "Fever", "In the Ghetto") were released but none of these charted. "Hurt So Good" was subsequently certified silver in the United Kingdom and gold in South Africa after a few weeks and became one of the top selling singles of 1975 in the UK.

This is the album she recorded for Trojan Records and it was produced by the legendary Lee Perry, Susan Cadogan is available as a limited numbered edition of 750 copies on orange vinyl.

Internationally acclaimed DJ Natasha Diggs and UK-born, Lisbon-based DJ/vocalist Megatronic are proud to announce their first collaborative EP People, set for release via The Jazz Diaries. This new project began in the summer of 2023 when Diggs and Megatronic first joined forces, bonding over a shared vision of dance music as a joyful, soulful, community-centered experience. Over the past two years, the transatlantic duo has channeled that ethos into People, a record that merges their distinct talents and global influences into a vibrant, uplifting sound.

This LP repress is on black vinyl, includes A3 Theatrical Poster, Booklet + DL Card. Following the huge recent success of ‘King Rocker’, spotlighting The Nightingales as one of the best band’s in Britain, comes the soundtrack. Comedian Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast Of London) investigate a missing piece of punk history. Robert Lloyd, best known for fronting cult Birmingham bands The Prefects and The Nightingales, has survived under the radar for over four decades. But how, if at all, does Robert want to be remembered? The anti-rockumentary ‘King Rocker’ weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art. All of the highlights from the film are here, along with rarities which won’t appear on any of the deluxe reissues of the Nightingales’ catalogue, among them 7″ versions of “Use Your Loaf”, the Bob Luman hit “Let’s Think About Living” and “Black Country”, a glam remix of crowd favourite “Thick And Thin” and a version of Christy & Emily’s “Ghost” which rivals the Nightingales’ take on TLC’s “Unpretty” for sheer beauty. The only act with roots in the punk era that have gone on to make records more captivating, cutting and entertaining today than at any point in their past; 2022 will be a busy year for the Nightingales, with months of live dates planned, a limited edition remix 12″, deluxe reissues of both ‘Hysterics’ and ‘In The Good Old Country Way’, and a hardcover book collecting Robert’s lyrics. “An inspiring comeback story that feels profoundly necessary” The Quietus // “Lee tells Lloyd’s story with skill, passion and verve” The Times // Track listing: A1 Use Your Loaf

This LP repress is on black vinyl, includes A3 Theatrical Poster, Booklet + DL Card. Following the huge recent success of ‘King Rocker’, spotlighting The Nightingales as one of the best band’s in Britain, comes the soundtrack. Comedian Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast Of London) investigate a missing piece of punk history. Robert Lloyd, best known for fronting cult Birmingham bands The Prefects and The Nightingales, has survived under the radar for over four decades. But how, if at all, does Robert want to be remembered? The anti-rockumentary ‘King Rocker’ weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art. All of the highlights from the film are here, along with rarities which won’t appear on any of the deluxe reissues of the Nightingales’ catalogue, among them 7″ versions of “Use Your Loaf”, the Bob Luman hit “Let’s Think About Living” and “Black Country”, a glam remix of crowd favourite “Thick And Thin” and a version of Christy & Emily’s “Ghost” which rivals the Nightingales’ take on TLC’s “Unpretty” for sheer beauty. The only act with roots in the punk era that have gone on to make records more captivating, cutting and entertaining today than at any point in their past; 2022 will be a busy year for the Nightingales, with months of live dates planned, a limited edition remix 12″, deluxe reissues of both ‘Hysterics’ and ‘In The Good Old Country Way’, and a hardcover book collecting Robert’s lyrics. “An inspiring comeback story that feels profoundly necessary” The Quietus // “Lee tells Lloyd’s story with skill, passion and verve” The Times // Track listing: A1 Use Your Loaf

As long as she can remember, Jane Remover has practiced her own autonomy as much as possible. The nineteen year old songwriter is an omnivorous listener that produces everything herself. She has been lauded by fans and writers alike, for accidentally creating entire genres in the wake of her prolific two-year run.

The new album is more conceptually abstract than its predecessor as Jane sheds linear narrative writing. However, it takes place beginning at sundown and through the night, up until the next morningʼs earliest crack of dawn. Its winding songs are obtuse but carefully composed, and intimately follow Jane's train of thought.

Dynamic production is at the forefront. Noisy highs gleam, and are juxtaposed by dusky Post-Rock lullabies within the same songʼs runtime. Census Designated is a staggering display of maturation in every aspect when compared to her previous presentation, to a degree that makes it few and far between in the world of albums.

Despite the darker palette, Jane steps into a technicolor clarity for the first time. The album was made in both studios and at home—with recordings from Studio North (Kensington in Philadelphia), mixes from Kayla Reagan and mastered by Hector Vega.

A photo of her standing bareback while facing away towards the high plains, serves as the cover art for an album where she manages to simultaneously divulge her most confessional moments yet, and captivate the listener with unanswerable questions.

Antal, founder of the Amsterdam-based Rush Hour Records & Store and renowned for his global DJ touring and eclectic sets spanning house, techno, rare funk, soul, and jazz, curates a personal selection from the historic label Timeless Records.

For Timeless Presents From The Archives, he handpicked highlights from 1974–1994 by jazz luminaries such as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Pharoah Sanders, Carter Jefferson, Gary Bartz, Woody Shaw, and more. “I want to thank the Wigt family for allowing me to dig deeper into their catalog to compile a selection of personal jazz favorites. Their passion for jazz and independent labels has inspired me as a DJ and record store owner. A great song is a great song, no matter when or where it was made,” Antal reflects. For this double album, Antal shares his love for modal and spiritual jazz, celebrating a pivotal era in jazz and creating a must-have for collectors, selectors, and new explorers.

Timeless Presents From The Archives 1974-1994 is packed in a gatefold sleeve, featuring notes by Antal and artwork by Dirk-Jan Deckwitz. Affixed on the protective sleeve is the 50th Anniversary Timeless Jazz sticker.

Shady Nasty subvert expectations. In a world bound by modded cars, immigrant heritage and digital obsessions, Kevin Stathis, Haydn Green and Luca Watson craft a left-field breed of punk that pushes their formal training in jazz and classical music to its most uncustomary extremes. Influences like King Krule and Low Life surface not as reference points, but as undercurrents absorbed and reconfigured into something unmistakably their own. Debut album TREK has surpassed 2M streams - named one of Rolling Stone Australia's 50 Best Australian Albums of 2025. Fred again.. co-sign ("literally my favourite band in the world right now") drove a major viral surge, leading to collaborative singles "Air Maxes" and "HARDSTYLE 2" (with Fred again.. & KETTAMA), BBC Radio 1 Hottest Record. Sold-out UK debut at The Windmill, London; sold-out album shows across Australia; national support for The Streets (Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Palace Foreshore Melbourne, Fremantle Arts Centre).

Live dates continue into 2026 with Shady Nasty returning to the UK/EU as part of their TREK Tour, hitting up venues in London (Moth Club), Bristol (Strange Brew), Leeds (Hyde Park Book Club), Glasgow (SWG3 Poetry Club), Dublin (Whelan's), Cologne (Garagen), and Berlin (Mikropol), as well as Marrapalooza in Newcastle, Best Kept Secret Festival (NL), and Outbreak Festival in Manchester, before heading to Australia for shows in Brisbane (The Tivoli), Newcastle (King Street Bandroom), Wollongong (UOW Unibar), and Canberra (Fun Time Pony), then back to the UK for All Points East festival, curated by Tyler, the Creator, in August, and a full North American run supporting Militarie Gun (Sept-Oct 2026).

The recordings were made in a single day in New York City with a team of extraordinary musicians. He'd already established a firm creative partnership with bass legend Cameron Brown and award-winning pianist Russ Lossing over the past year during their time as recording artists in NYC, and he renewed his fruitful association with outstanding drummer Billy Mintz (Lee Konitz, Charles Lloyd, Alan Broadbent) to complete the quartet. These three have been vital to Kazuki's compositions that tell the story of his enforced absence from the scene during the pandemic and how he sought to centre himself in the midst of the disruption through contemplation and the development of an inward strength. Each track complements the next, alternately celebrating the deep jazz tradition and pushing hard at its boundaries, allowing each member of the quartet to display their extraordinary musicianship while creating a harmonious whole.

Atkinson first saw Les yeux sans visage when she was a teenager, around the turn of the century. The film made an impact for its iconic imagery and the way Franju draws on the aesthetics of early filmmaking, from its score that relies on stylistic markers typical of the 1940s or 50s to the decision to shoot in black and white. Even four decades after its first release, it was clear that this was a work that stood outside of the cultural moment that birthed it, speaking through time in ways that were uncanny, but profound.

A quarter-century later, Atkinson was approached by the Belgian cultural center VIERNULVIER to create a new score for Les yeux sans visage for its celebrated Videodroom series, which has seen artists like claire rousay, Mabe Fratti, Lee Renaldo, and many more create new original scores for cult classics and genre cinema. Atkinson's music, with its sublime meditations on space and proximity, its elusive sense of narrative development, mirrors the pacing and mystery at the heart of horror filmmaking. There is a shadow at the heart of her soundtrack to Les yeux sans visage, an ever-shifting wisp and an insinuation of encroaching transfiguration. Echoing a climactic moment in the film, the music obliquely points to "the Beyond," an impossible place of discovery and revelation.

Atkinson envisioned her music as something akin to the air moving throughout and beyond the many cages that appear in the film, unconstrained by the bars and with undefined borders. Those cages hold the victims of a madman surgeon, determined to graft a new face onto his daughter, the protagonist Christiane Génessier, who lost hers in a car accident while he was behind the wheel. Atkinson was reminded of her predecessors at the pioneering French studio the GRM, who approached sound in a less sinister, but similarly surgical manner, and took inspiration from their playful approach to cerebral soundmaking for the electroacoustic topography into which the piano is embedded. As such, Atkinson’s reactions to the larger themes and the minute-by-minute happenings onscreen are both audible simultaneously.

A film about a man who destroys the lives of young women marked by their beauty and similarity to his daughter in a shame-fueled rage has clear, continuous cultural resonance. "Through the music, I decided to bring back their empowerment despite what they endure," says Atkinson. "This is why the record is also dedicated to Gisèle Pelicot, whose trial happened while I was in the process of composing the music and kept thinking of her strength and her decision to share her trial in order to reverse the shame."

This recorded version of the soundtrack is a 34-minute synthesis of the full 90-minute score, presented on LP along with an essay by writer-musician Claire Cronin and drawings by Momo Gordon, together forming a complex reflection on the film's themes. If these sounds move as if the bars of cages are no barrier, they also intimate the freedom and power of those held behind them. Rather than simply mirroring the fear and confinement shown onscreen, Atkinson offers an elusive escape, a beacon for the characters, and the listener, to follow as they reckon with the narrative and move through it.

Originally released in 1981 on the New Jersey-based Debbie Label, Sweet Magic is the one and only album by Lee McDonald. Produced by Ron Foster -
best known as a member of Ecstasy, Passion & Pain—the album is widely regarded as a standout modern soul classic, covering everything from uplifting
Philly-style dancers to sweet and mellow slow jams.

The album also features superb arrangements that update well-known classics into vibrant Philly soul, including The Carpenters’ smash hit “We’ve Only Just
Begun” and Ecstasy, Passion & Pain’s “I’ll Do Anything For You.” This reissue is pressed on limited yellow-colored vinyl inspired by the album’s iconic
illustrated sleeve, long cherished by rare groove collectors.

In the mid-20th century, Folkways Records became a major hub for blues legends such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Lead Belly, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee. Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways spans half a century and features these and other foundational figures in blues history performing in the Delta, St.FLouis, Southwest, Piedmont, and Chicago styles. From boogie to ballads and laced with innuendo and irony, this classic collection is available on vinyl for the first time on two LPs with extensive notes by musician and scholar Dr. Barry Lee Pearson. First vinyl pressing of iconic 2003 collection. Featuring Big Bill Broonzy, Lightnin' Hopkins, Son House, and more. Extensive notes by musician and scholar Dr. Barry Lee Pearson. Perfect gift for blues fans

Soul Jazz Records’ long out of print classic ‘Studio One Funk’ collection is being re-released in three new one-off limited-edition coloured pressing 18th anniversary format editions!
Firstly, a heavyweight special limited edition one-pressing only red 2xLP vinyl + download. Secondly, there is also a new special limited-edition one-off pressing edition red-pressed CD enclosed in jewel case and slipcase. And thirdly there is a very limited unique new one-off pressing red-cased cassette format (200 copies only)! 18 years on from its original release Studio One Funk remains one of our Studio One releases most in-demand titles and like all our earlier special coloured editions is sure to sell out fast!
Studio One Funk is made up of rare and unreleased Reggae Funk from the vaults of Studio One. Ever since the birth of Funk in America, the sound has been an ever-present ingredient in the melting pot of Studio One’s musical output.
The music on this release is a combination of originals, US covers and versions of existing Studio One cuts. Jackie Mittoo shows his appreciation for Booker T and The MGs, the studio group at Memphis’ famous Stax Records with ‘Hang Em High’, itself a cover of a film soundtrack by Dominic Frontiere. Incredibly this version has never before been released. Booker T’s super-funky ‘Melting Pot’ is also covered by the little-known Underground Vegetables.
Other versions include Isaac Hayes’ classic Blaxploitation soundtrack ‘Shaft’ again by Cedric Im Brooks track - another unreleased gem, straight from the tape master. Motown gets a look in with Alton’s stripped-down version of the Spinners classic ‘It’s A Shame’, written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta.
James Brown is apparent in spirit with the JBs-inspired groove on the super rare cut “Now” by Lee Arab. Lloyd Williams similarly does a fine Kingston-style version of the hardest-working man in showbusiness on ‘Reggae Feet’.
Version-wise, we have ‘Idleberg’, Cedric Im Brooks tough instrumental cut on Horace Andy’s seminal ‘Skylarking’. The little-known Prince Moonie gives us a rare DJ cut of another Horace Andy classic, ‘See A Man’s Face’.
Pablove Black’s cut of Sidewalk Doctor (A/K/A Poco Tempo) is one of a handful of Studio One releases featuring Augustus Pablo’s trademark instrument, the melodica, played by Black himself.
Add to these original cuts from Studio One’s heavyweight session players including Leroy Sibbles, Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles, Eric Frater, Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace, Richard Ace, Vin Gordon and more and you have one of the finest selections of reggae and funk you will ever hear.







"This collection goes deep into the Brentford Road vaults and unearths a rake of previously unreleased gems alongside hard to find classics. Heavy and inspirational, totally unique and essentially timeless." Straight No Chaser
"An absolute treasure trove for the collector as well as being great for the ears and feet. Jackie Mittoo's 'Hang Em High' is worth the price of the album on its own." Echoes
"A superb collection that shows how much many Jamaican musicians were influenced by the heavy funk belting out of American studios from the early seventies onwards.” Touch
"The most satisfying listening experience so far in the Studio One series." The Wire
"Rare and unreleased grooves from Jamaica's house of excellence." Mojo

Hotly anticipated debut album from the fast-rising Birmingham four-piece whose heart-on-sleeve, emotional indie rock and powerful live shows have earned them a devoted young following across the UK and Europe. Produced by Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Rachel Chinouriri) and mixed by Cenzo Townshend, the debut follows large sold-out headline shows across the UK and Europe, support slots including with Wunderhorse and Inhaler, and appearances at Reading & Leeds, Boardmasters and Isle of Wight Festival as well as BBC Radio 1 airplay and strong press support.

Hotly anticipated debut album from the fast-rising Birmingham four-piece whose heart-on-sleeve, emotional indie rock and powerful live shows have earned them a devoted young following across the UK and Europe. Produced by Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Rachel Chinouriri) and mixed by Cenzo Townshend, the debut follows large sold-out headline shows across the UK and Europe, support slots including with Wunderhorse and Inhaler, and appearances at Reading & Leeds, Boardmasters and Isle of Wight Festival as well as BBC Radio 1 airplay and strong press support.

There are two versions of this album:

1. numbered 100 copies of limited black 180g vinyl made in collaboration with U JAZZ ME Records

2. transparent orange 180g vinyl

LINER NOTES:

" When AJ Lee stepped back into the ring in September 2025 - after a ten-year break - she introduced herself to a new generation of fans with the words: 'If you haven't heard of me, I am your favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler.' That is exactly what came to my mind as a lead for this blurb when Pokusa asked me to write it. Because that’s what they are: your favorite indie darlings' favorite indie darlings (even though no one uses that term anymore, let alone identifies as such). They are your favorite cool jazzcats’ favorite jazzcats. And they are probably your favorite young jazz act - if you don’t usually (or ever) listen to jazz.

This, I always thought, is their greatest strength. Half the battle (in my eyes) is recording a sick jazz album - one that a jazz magazine would fawn over. The real win is getting someone wearing a heavy metal T-shirt into it; someone who’s never listened to jazz and has never stepped foot in a place like Pardon, To Tu, but heard Pokusa and decided to change that. I am such a person. I didn't learn about jazz because of them, but they’re definitely the reason I started rating it.
Głowy (Heads) is, in a way, a classic album. If someone played it for me and - relying on my lack of knowledge and gullibility - tried to convince me that it was recorded in the Polish Radio Studios in 1975, at Akwarium Club in Warsaw in 1985, at Club Rura in 1989, somewhere in Tri-City in '94, or at Mózg in Bydgoszcz, I would probably believe it. Its 'classicness' goes hand in hand with its timelessness. I could write about how the album fits into the catalogs of Lado ABC, GOWI, or Biodro Records. I could dig for connections to Yass, Tzadik, or a number of other things.
But what Teo, Natan, and Tymek create here is as important in its experience as it is in its music. For me - an artist active in a similar time - each Pokusa album, including this newest release, is a record of a period of time and the experiences hidden between the notes. The Indian spices in food served before a show in Mózg. A headache from all the cigarettes smoked listening to tapes in Eufemia. Marveling at the graffiti over the sink in Młodsza Siostra. The narrow steps at Chłodna 25. The wider but slippery steps to Pogłos. The quirky and uncomfortable steps in Ziemia. The mosquitoes at Ladomek. The dilemma of whether to wear a nice polo instead of a T-shirt to SPATiF. The wonder of turning off Monciak into Dwie Zmiany. Why is a club like this on such a strip? Why is Pokusa playing here? And why do they sound so good?
On one hand, you can find journalists writing that Pokusa grew out of the classic free jazz of the 1960s; some might mention Albert Ayler. On the other hand, there’s Unsound Festival and young critics writing about 'post-jazz.' All of them are correct. This is universalism. This is that timelessness. Whether you pick up this album the day it comes out or in the year 2046, it will be good. In twenty years, people will still reach for it. Of that, I am certain."
Michał Turowski

There are two versions of this album:

1. numbered 100 copies of limited black 180g vinyl made in collaboration with U JAZZ ME Records

2. transparent orange 180g vinyl

LINER NOTES:

" When AJ Lee stepped back into the ring in September 2025 - after a ten-year break - she introduced herself to a new generation of fans with the words: 'If you haven't heard of me, I am your favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler.' That is exactly what came to my mind as a lead for this blurb when Pokusa asked me to write it. Because that’s what they are: your favorite indie darlings' favorite indie darlings (even though no one uses that term anymore, let alone identifies as such). They are your favorite cool jazzcats’ favorite jazzcats. And they are probably your favorite young jazz act - if you don’t usually (or ever) listen to jazz.

This, I always thought, is their greatest strength. Half the battle (in my eyes) is recording a sick jazz album - one that a jazz magazine would fawn over. The real win is getting someone wearing a heavy metal T-shirt into it; someone who’s never listened to jazz and has never stepped foot in a place like Pardon, To Tu, but heard Pokusa and decided to change that. I am such a person. I didn't learn about jazz because of them, but they’re definitely the reason I started rating it.
Głowy (Heads) is, in a way, a classic album. If someone played it for me and - relying on my lack of knowledge and gullibility - tried to convince me that it was recorded in the Polish Radio Studios in 1975, at Akwarium Club in Warsaw in 1985, at Club Rura in 1989, somewhere in Tri-City in '94, or at Mózg in Bydgoszcz, I would probably believe it. Its 'classicness' goes hand in hand with its timelessness. I could write about how the album fits into the catalogs of Lado ABC, GOWI, or Biodro Records. I could dig for connections to Yass, Tzadik, or a number of other things.
But what Teo, Natan, and Tymek create here is as important in its experience as it is in its music. For me - an artist active in a similar time - each Pokusa album, including this newest release, is a record of a period of time and the experiences hidden between the notes. The Indian spices in food served before a show in Mózg. A headache from all the cigarettes smoked listening to tapes in Eufemia. Marveling at the graffiti over the sink in Młodsza Siostra. The narrow steps at Chłodna 25. The wider but slippery steps to Pogłos. The quirky and uncomfortable steps in Ziemia. The mosquitoes at Ladomek. The dilemma of whether to wear a nice polo instead of a T-shirt to SPATiF. The wonder of turning off Monciak into Dwie Zmiany. Why is a club like this on such a strip? Why is Pokusa playing here? And why do they sound so good?
On one hand, you can find journalists writing that Pokusa grew out of the classic free jazz of the 1960s; some might mention Albert Ayler. On the other hand, there’s Unsound Festival and young critics writing about 'post-jazz.' All of them are correct. This is universalism. This is that timelessness. Whether you pick up this album the day it comes out or in the year 2046, it will be good. In twenty years, people will still reach for it. Of that, I am certain."
Michał Turowski