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M!R!M is the solo project of Jack Milwaukee, italian multi-instrumentalist based in London since 2011. Inspired by early 80's synth pop, cold and dark wave, M!R!M has been releasing on labels as Fabrika and Manic Depression. Since his debut album, he’s been touring and playing shows all around Europe building an important following and a significant name within the scene.

On January 31st, 2020, Avant! Records will release his third full-length, The Visionary. Still featuring Milwaukee at the helm along with selected collaborators as supplementation, The Visionary is a further evolution in M!R!M sound, which showcases how the musician’s vision has evolved throughout the years.

Holding firmly to the vibes that recall the most dreaming 80’s, Jack Milwaukee this time blends together that typical FM synth timbre, which has always characterized the artist, with deeper and sumptuous sounds found within the notes of Mellotron and sax; overcoming previous Lo-Fi approaches to undertake a solid, prominent and more mature path.

The Visionary is a collection of songs pieced together in a meaningful and harmonious way where the storytelling is very vivid and fundamental. Trapped between hope and melancholy each track evolves smoothly into another one until it gets to a mystical end, a point of no return. From syncopated punchy bass lines drove by solid drum beats to elegant violin quartets accompanied by almost religious choirs, The Visionary is an engaging work that doesn’t remain only inside the robes of shimmering synth-pop tunes but also explores more intimate and private territories as an ode to the most deep feelings.

Pulling from the ‘pop’ approach of mid 80’s synth-pop pioneers like New Order, The Wake, Tears For Fears to most iconic figures of the Italian 80’s era, M!R!M dialed in on a clear understanding of it's own specific sound, which has since evolved. The Visionary is the ultimate unified vision of M!R!M’s work, it’s the sweetest transition of the most nostalgic daydream.

The Omega Productions Records is proud to present you the Female Vampire (La Comtesse noire • 1975) and Tender and Perverse Emmanuelle (Des frisson sur la peau • 1973) original motion picture soundtracks, composed by Daniel J. White.

Released in Paris on May 7th, 1975, Female Vampire is one of the most iconic films of director Jess Franco. stakhanovist Daniel J. White, who became popular in 1965 with the score of the Belle and Sébastien series, composed the soundtrack of this Eurociné production at the age of 59.

At a time when sound experimentation is in the spotlight among many musicians for the pictures, Daniel J. White takes the opposite to offer two scores mixing a classic compositional obsolete with, however, many atonal and jazzy influences. He composed for Female Vampire one of his most famous themes and repeated many times in innumerable productions stamped Eurociné (Zombie Lake, Oasis of the Living Dead).

With strong Italian influences (like Bruno Nicolai, also a favorite composer of Jess Franco), the Tender and Perverse Emmanuelle soundtrack is the straightforward stylistic continuity of Female Vampire, offering unparalleled melancholy lyricism.

From the great Daniel J. White: an inevitable classic Italian thriller lovers. - We offer you in conclusion, an unpublished suite formed of the musician’s session falls during the recording of these two
original tapes.

In a career spanning 45 years, Leo Sayer has sold more than 80 MILLION records worldwide. ‘Leo Sayer’ is Leo Sayer’s 6th album, originally released in 1978, reaching #15 in UK Albums Chart and features the hits ‘I Can't Stop Loving You (Though I Try)’ and ‘Raining In My Heart’. This was the final album that Leo wholly recorded in Los Angeles, with legendary and in-demand producer Richard Perry and marked a departure from his early albums. Richard Perry brought in a variety of songwriters and collaborators to work on the projects with Leo; it was a venerable Who’s Who of the record industry. Leo Sayer has overseen his entire reissue programme and from reading the reviews from many of his sold-out concerts, he remains one of the UK's great singer/songwriters and performers of all time.

· This compilation features the rarest and unknown instrumental tracks of that Funky Groove early sound.
· Light music along with wind section and keyboard ready to hit the dance-floor, that we call Spanish-Grooves.
· Composers, musicians & arrangers like Gregorio García Segura, Rafael Martínez, Antonio Barco, Antonio Latorre, Jaime Botey, etc.

During the 70's, an important number of orchestras and dance bands popped up in our country but not many of them released their own songs or covers on vinyl, so we can’t say that our music library has bulky volumes, rather it’s just the opposite.

You have to dig deep in the catalogue of obscure record labels to find some quality pieces, which we will usually attribute to Tinglado 13, Conjunto Nueva Onda, The Matches, Conjunto Don Pelegrin, Rafael Martínez, Carlos de Ros, Salgado y su Grupo, Mesié Bató, Pedro González, Jorge Enrique.

Most orchestras played bossa nova, soul, some lounge and easy listening, and a usual mix of light music with wind section and keyboards, something like “spanish-soul” or “rhythm'n'blues-pasodoble”.

It was a time when the bands survived playing shows with a repertoire based, mostly, on Spanish popular songs and international hits.

Many artists recorded with nicknames, many others used licensed songs paying rights to the original authors and some orchestras changed their names when they pressed their records, in an attempt to appear modern or simply for pure commercial purposes, that's why it is difficult to trace accurately the musical path of many of these artists. This scene was especially intense in Aragon and Catalonia, where a bunch of labels emerged, often simply as platforms for bands to promote their own music.

This compilation aims to discover to a wider audience some of the most sought-after instrumental gems by discjokeys and disco music collectors, eager for soul, groove and hot sounds.

· This compilation features the rarest and unknown instrumental tracks of that Funky Groove early sound.
· Light music along with wind section and keyboard ready to hit the dance-floor, that we call Spanish-Grooves.
· Composers, musicians & arrangers like Gregorio García Segura, Rafael Martínez, Antonio Barco, Antonio Latorre, Jaime Botey, etc.

During the 70's, an important number of orchestras and dance bands popped up in our country but not many of them released their own songs or covers on vinyl, so we can’t say that our music library has bulky volumes, rather it’s just the opposite.

You have to dig deep in the catalogue of obscure record labels to find some quality pieces, which we will usually attribute to Tinglado 13, Conjunto Nueva Onda, The Matches, Conjunto Don Pelegrin, Rafael Martínez, Carlos de Ros, Salgado y su Grupo, Mesié Bató, Pedro González, Jorge Enrique. Most orchestras played bossa nova, soul, some lounge and easy listening, and a usual mix of light music with wind section and keyboards, something like “spanish-soul” or “rhythm'n'blues-pasodoble”.

It was a time when the bands survived playing shows with a repertoire based, mostly, on Spanish popular songs and international hits.

Many artists recorded with nicknames, many others used licensed songs paying rights to the original authors and some orchestras changed their names when they pressed their records, in an attempt to appear modern or simply for pure commercial purposes, that's why it is difficult to trace accurately the musical path of many of these artists. This scene was especially intense in Aragon and Catalonia, where a bunch of labels emerged, often simply as platforms for bands to promote their own music.

This compilation aims to discover to a wider audience some of the most sought-after instrumental gems by discjokeys and disco music collectors, eager for soul, groove and hot sounds.

Tommy McCook was not only a founding member of the legendary Jamaican Ska group The Skatalites, but also a brilliant musical arranger. His informed understanding of Jazz, R&B and in fact most music styles would always add another layer to any song put his way. This made him the go to guy for most of the Jamaican producers, who would use his arrangement skills to pepper up their latest tunes.

Tommy McCook, (b1927, Havana, Cuba) came to Jamaica with his mother from Cuba aged 11 and entered renowned Alpha Boys School for underprivileged children, a school that placed great emphasis on musical tuition. At the tender of 14, such was his talent he has left to join Eric Deans Orchestra and took on stints with other bands led by Don Hinchman and Roy Coburn. All the bands played in the Swing and Jazz style of the times. He relocated to the Bahamas in 1954 where he further developed his Jazz technique and upon his return to Jamaica in 1962 began working Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One and became involved in the development of Ska. His knowledge of Jazz, R& B and Jamaican musical forms helped set the tone for the group of musicians he was working with and would name the Skatalites. The group, consisting of Don Drummond (Trombone), Roland Alphonso (Tenor Saxophone), Jackie Mitoo (Piano), Lloyd Brevett (Bass), Lloyd Knibbs (Drums), alongside Tommy himself on Tenor Saxophone. The group would back all the major Ska vocalists pf the day and would also go on to cut a catalogue of instrumental music. The Skatalites split up in 1965 and Tommy McCook moved over to work with Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle Studios where he formed The Supersonics. A set of musicians under his guidance that consisted of Lynn Tait and Ernest Ranglin (Guitar), Neville Hinds and Winston Wright (Organ), Gladstone “Gladdy” Anderson (Piano), Hugh Malcolm and Arkland “Drumbago” Parks (Drums), Clifton “Jackie” Jackson (Bass), and Tommy and Hernon Marquis (Saxophone). The more laid back sounds from 1966-1968 would be given the name Rocksteady of which again McCook was at the forefront. The top producers like Bunny Lee would use the musicianship of Tommy McCook and his arrangement skills to enhance this new sound.

We have compiled a great selection of rhythms that featured McCook blowing over tracks stripped of their vocals and replaced with some fantastic lead lines played by Tommy and some of his fellow horns men.
We hope you agree like we do that they do this in fine style.

Despite working often alone, Savvas Metaxas is someone who rather thinks in terms of community and connectivity, who prefers alliances over ego, who is a sound artist as well as a musical activist.

Coming from Thessaloniki, Greece, he co-founded Granny Records, puts up local shows, worked with the Goethe Institute, did site-specific sound installations in London, collaborates with other experimentalists like Spyros Emmanouilidis and released brilliant albums on fellow tape travellers Coherent States and Falt, among others.

Why is it important for us to write down these trophies/landmarks/selling points? Because Savvas is not at all about trophies/landmarks/selling points, he is about connecting things, and this, in our humble opinion, is one of the most fundamental qualities of experimental music, and experimental art in general. It is about rearranging disparate materials, transcending different layers of reality, speaking without the use of words or clear significants.

On the four tracks of „Transmitter“, he is exploring sound in a classical set-up, experimenting with chance-operational radio frequencies and their impact on harmonic structures extracted from synthesizers.

The result are compositions with a haptic quality, a glimmering, grainy music that is directly effecting the room in which it is played in. So despite its broad frequential range: don’t play this tape too loud, as it really interacts with its surroundings. Hence, the names, or rather name tags of these tracks are mostly devoid of interpretation and are purely descriptive. „Words“ is, easy to suggest, a composition based on a voice talking in greek, while „Stormy And Colourful“ is a specification of what is heard on that piece. These two are framed by „Heterodyne“ and „Paradoxical“ - characterizations of the techniques used in the working process.

The artwork of the tape is a continuation of this work method. Clear structures, using the specially built typeface and the spinning of letters and words to manipulate perception and to obstruct a simplification, reducing the logic of words to a sign language that obliterates meaning and identity, a process which, as Simon Reynolds put it, induces ecstasy.

ISAN’s Robin Saville reveals an ambient album, which merges the Electronica aesthetics of his main project with field recordings, drones and acoustic instrumentation.

A lot of things have been written about what happens to the mind when the body starts moving. Instead of reciting poems of the inevitable self-help books, let’s get straight to the point: For many, taking walks on a regular basis is both liberating and empowering. It is not necessarily so much about the exercise, but rather finding one’s own rhythm in life. Robin Saville – of ISAN fame – is such an ambler His walks inspired him to base his third solo album – his first one for Morr Music – on the out of the way places he came to see and experience while being out and about.

Clocking in at just under 40 minutes in total, "Build A Diorama" is both a subtle culmination and a poignant antipode to what Saville has achieved together with Antony Ryan as ISAN. While the aesthetics might seem similar in places, Saville opts for a decisively different pace when it comes to writing and producing. Progress is steady, and change, however, is slow – like looking at a diorama for a long period of time in the ever so slightly changing light or as a flaneur focussing on one particular spot, a found object so-to-speak, waiting for the mind to orchestrate it appropriately, giving it sense and meaning.

Built around quiet field recordings, Saville’s six compositions transform this highly personal and, therefore, difficult-to-convey experience into a comprehensible exploration of beauty. Where ISAN almost exclusively uses electronics, Saville deliberately expands this well-established palette with acoustic instruments like bass guitar, chimes and glockenspiel, aiming for an even more suitable musical manifestation of what the walker sees and feels once he fully engages in his passion. Ranging from blissfully pulsing pads allowing for complete associative freedom ("The Deepdale Halophyte Economy") to the playful minimalism of an orchestra dominated by busy bells ("Bosky"), Saville’s "Build A Diorama" is not just a valuable addition to his musical output, but an essential audio guide for those striving to explore, learn and understand.

Das Dessauer Harzfein-Kollektiv meldet sich mit der ElectroEP "Phasen und Frequenzen" zurück. Die 6 Songs zwischen
klassischem Electrofunk, Breaks, 808-Trap-Beats, VocoderVocals und Scratches sind in Zusammenarbeit von DJ Magic
Mayer mit Magnetic Bass Force, Chris Bert und Selecta Ras
entstanden. Seit 1992 ist Harzfein ein Netzwerk kreativer
Akteure aus verschiedenen musikalischen Genres des HipHop.
Ein Großteil dieses Netzwerks zählt bereits seit Beginn der
1980er Jahre zu den Pionieren der HipHop-Kultur in der
ehemaligen DDR. Seit 1994 veröffentlicht Harzfein in immer
wieder unterschiedlichen Konstellationen Schallplatten als
Beleg einer stets lebendigen Idee: sich gemeinschaftlich
musikalisch frei ausleben und ausdrücken zu wollen.

Succeeding last year’s collaborative single ‘Feel My Butterfly’ which saw Chicago house DJ/producer Parris Mitchell and Siberian producer-singer-songwriter Nina Kraviz go head to head via Riva Starr’s Snatch! Raw and Dance Mania, February 21st sees the two labels combine once more for a special, two-sided remix package of the stellar ghetto house track featuring reworks from the likes of Jamie Jones, Dance System, DJ Deeon, Radio Slave and DJ Slugo.

‘Feel My Butterfly’ stemmed from Nina Kraviz’s trip to Chicago where she met with Dance Mania’s label crew including their influential selector, Parris Mitchell. The track was birthed from a bout of rare collaborative studio sessions and is their first official release together - their only previous encounter being in 2014 when Kraviz remixed Mitchell’s ‘The Track Stars’, on Berlin-based label Deep Moves.

Assembling a handful of some of the most prominent names in modern dance music, Snatch! Raw teams up with Dance Mania once again to now present a comprehensive remix package of the duo’s acid-laden, dancefloor-ready masterpiece. Providing a touching tribute to the late influential American house artist and Wallshaker Music founder, Aaron Carl, the illustrious Welsh house DJ/producer Jamie Jones kicks things off by inflaming the track’s heavy bass and percussion by adding his own laser-style synths and atmospherics.

Reinforcing ‘Feel My Butterfly’ with helpings of meatier, old school house rhythm, the second remix sees London’s Dance System team up with Chicago house pioneer DJ Deeon to provide the track with some well-placed elevated pace and precision. On side B, the British-born Berlin-based DJ, Radio Slave takes more a of stripped back approach by opting to just few vocal snippets from the original and setting them to a tougher techno-infused aesthetic, whilst on the final rework, Chicago’s ghetto house spinner DJ Slugo redefines Kraviz’s hypnotic vocal lead.

Bram De Looze is a Belgian pianist and composer whose distinct musical vision has found its way through both solo projects and collaborations. His unique technical skill and musical maturity have earned him considerable critical acclaim back home as his work spotlights his far-ranging interests - from traditional classical piano music, to solo improvisations that have often been compared to Keith Jarrett and Jason Moran. On the 21st February 2020, Sdban Ultra will release his highly anticipated new solo album, 'Colour Talk'.

De Looze made his entrance onto the national jazz scene with LABtrio, formed in 2007 with Anneleen Boehme and Lander Gyselinck, and he immediately impressed, flirting with urban jazz, electronics and hip hop.

After a period of studying abroad at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, where he studied with Uri Caine and Marc Copland, in 2014, De Looze launched the international septet, Septych, that once again stressed his affinity for jazz, classical music and improvisation. With diverse and astounding improvisors like Daniel Levin, Lester St-Louis, Robin Verheyen, Gebhard Ullman, Bo Van Der Werf and Flin Van Hemmen, it was the start of an explorative musical journey.

Over the past few years, De Looze could frequently be heard with kindred spirits like Stephane Galland, Dre Hocevar and Antoine Pierre but it was a visit to the historical collection of pianofortes of Chris Maene that inspired De Looze to release his first solo album 'Piano e Forte' (2017), and it received critical acclaim for its creativity, spontaneity and passion. He would later garner further acclaim working alongside fellow Belgian Robin Verheyen and American rhythm painter Joey Baron with whom he recorded 'MixMonk' (2019), a tribute to the legendary jazz pianist Thelonius Monk.

Bram De Looze's solo career took off in an unexpected way with 'Piano e Forte', a project for which he approached historical instruments from a contemporary perspective. The switch to the Chris Maene Straight Strung Grand Piano for 'Switch The Stream' (2018) indicated a renewed search for movement, evolution and introspection. His latest solo project 'Colour Talk', continues this trajectory with another revolutionary piano model, designed by lauded architect Rafael Vinoly, and a continued attempt to renew from within.

On 'Colour Talk', what you hear is a musician who has freed himself from stylistic constraints and limitations. While still rooted in jazz, classical music and free improvisation have found a new balance, a coexistence that enables the pianist to express himself with a new vigour. Switching between shorter pieces that feel like curious, unresolved puzzles and more extended explorations, 'Colour Talk' is once again an ode to (re)invention in the grey zone were the classical idiom and improvisatory urges meet, with the 13-minute tour-de-force of 'Hypnosis' as one of several undisputed highlights.

If you asked De Looze about his current position as an artist, he would probably tell you that it's all about forward movement and the need to keep evolving, about a trajectory as work-in-progress. However, if you consider 'Colour Talk' as a freeze frame of where De Looze is at, it is hard not to consider it a highlight in a career that should have some more surprises in store.

London-based folk-psych-country band The Hanging Stars return with their eclectic third studio album, A New Kind Of Sky, due out on 21 February 2019. Carrying on their exploration of transatlantic psychedelic folk and cosmic country, the new album blends twelve-string, harmony-laden lullabies with soft rock anthems to create a guilded box of bucolic folk-rock. As well as the band’s signature wistful pastoral escapism, there are lyrical concerns about the recent past; the systematic division of people, values, facts and humanity in The West in general - and the UK in particular. The band weave the same thread they have always woven but this time with a more unified vision, creating a kaleidoscopic poncho for these times.

The Hanging Stars comprise songwriter, singer and guitarist Richard Olson, Sam Ferman on bass, Paulie Cobra on drums, Patrick Ralla on guitars, keys and vocals, and renowned pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte. Returning guest Collin Hegna from Brian Jonestown Massacre plays an instrument called a Marxophone on “Choir of Criers”. They also welcome Sean Read of The Rockingbirds and Dexy's Midnight Runners, who adds horns to “Three Rolling Hills” and “I Was A Stone”.

The main bulk of the recording for the new album was done live in the studio at Echozoo in Eastbourne with Dave Lynch. For the first time, the band decided to dive straight in to the recording studio following their German tour in 2018. Having lived in each other’s pockets and playing their new songs every night, the band were as tight and primed as they could possibly be. There ensued a few, very long, days of recording, capturing the essence of the band in their element.

The songwriting process was even more collaborative for this album, with the usual co-writes between Richard Olson, Sam Ferman and Patrick Ralla enhanced by Joe Harvey-White’s arrangements and Paulie Cobra’s harmonies. The biggest difference is that Sam Ferman sings lead on the first single “‘(I’ve Seen) The Summer in Her Eyes”, a song about lost love and self doubt channeled through two and a half minutes of garage pastoralism.

The album’s title track “A New Kind of Sky” tells a story from the point of view of somebody who idealises a past that never existed. The band go glam-rock on the stand-out track “I Will Please You”, a tale of a cult leader/world leader and his irresistible (for some) charm from the point-of-view of his most recent victim and “Heavy Blue” is a country music tale of drunken debauchery seen through the eyes of an inexperienced young man. The triumphant trumpet-driven song “These Rolling Hills” is a minor-key tale of a journey into the hills of Marin County, California undertaken by Paulie and Richard to visit friends Asteroid No. 4, with a most interesting outcome.

The Hanging Stars released their debut album Over the Silvery Lake in 2016, which received plaudits from broadsheets such as The Times, who described it as; "An album with enough of a hazy, sun-dappled charm to make the capital's dreariest weather bearable”, as well as The Guardian, who said; “Mersey-laced harmonies and just a whiff of the Gun Club.” They picked up a good amount of support at 6 Music and “The House on the Hill” scored a much-coveted 10/10 by John Robb on Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable.

Their second album Songs For Somewhere Else in 2017 received critical acclaim from the likes of Uncut (Revelations article), Shindig (several features and 4* review) as well as The Quietus and The Line Of Best Fit, plus radio support from Gideon Coe and Bob Harris (they performed an Under the Apple Tree Session for Bob Harris in January 2019).

Whilst playing their own successful sold-out headline dates, the band were invited to share the stage with Teenage Fanclub, The Clientele, Wolf People, The Long Ryders and GospelbeacH, as well as playing festivals such as Liverpool’s International Festival of Psychedelia, Red Rooster, Ramblin' Roots, UK Americana Festival and The Long Road.

Massage Brain Cult VA1

Written and produced by BOT1500, D'Arcangelo, Mause, Jessica Walrus, fxbip, Velum break

Digital Mastering by Julian Tardo from Church Road Studios

Vinyl Mastering and Cutting by Keith Tenniswood from Curve Pusher

Fred A. was a two-faced act. His musical grasp to the new wave-movement was countered by his lyrical love for Flemish and Dutch ‘kleinkunst’, and his progressiveness as a composer was in stark contrast with his restraint as a performer. ‘De Angst Voorbij’ is an anthology of those remnants, with eight songs derived from the most fertile period in the musical career of Fred A. The record translates how Gerry opened up again to his late musical endeavours, recalling the 30-years younger version of himself. “The music on this record is a testimony of my life back then. It is delimited in time, that’s why this whole feels coherent to me. It shows who I was back then and what I stood for. And that’s worth cherishing

Cai Bojsen-Møller co-founded the original Multiplex imprint and released his debut solo album A Bit of Something on the label in 1996. Cai is an accomplished drummer and his acoustic talents shine through in his electronic work and 909 skills. Out of the circuit for fifteen years, he now returns in stunning form!

Released as a two part EP, this is the second half of "The Spirit of Man and Machine". The idea behind which, evolved around the point where organic elements meet and elevates the programmed part of the music. Much music today is completely quantized, but to make things flawless, risks the loss of feeling to digital perfection. Emerging from the Danish rock scene in the early 80's, correctness was nothing to strive for. With the formula of analog synths through an analog mixer and the drums and sequences recorded live, with a mindset for the right vibe, Cai's new tracks ties in well with his 1990's productions.

Mark Broom returns to Multiplex to deliver his “Skank Mix” of Cai’s “Decomp” track, which Broom has churned into a massive, deep, thumbing, dub-techno tune. This is followed by the original version - a timeless example of chord-driven, minimalistic techno. On the flip side we find the beautiful melodies of the melancholic “FaxImprov”, before rounding things of with Skudge, who has remixed the track, resulting in his great signature sound for the dark floor.

* Classic UK vocal and dub LP from 1992 gets the reissue treatment from Partial Records
* This was the first album from the Conscious Sounds label which features UK-based singer Tena Stelin and the then in-house Conscious Sounds group (Nigel Lake, Chris Petter and Dougie Wardrop).
* Presented in a showcase, with the vocal followed by dub version.
* The original pressing is long-deleted.
* Limited to 500 copies only.

Collocutor enter a new decade with the timeless, introspective Continuation. Continuation is a remarkable work in which the interplay of emotional experience and life motion experienced by band leader Tamar Osborn AKA Tamar Collocutor is channelled and explored by Collocutor.
The band's third LP assuredly strides forward following the critical acclaim awarded to 'The Search' from 2017 from the likes of The Wire, Vinyl Factory and Gilles Peterson. Continuation is an album about coping with grief and loss/bereavement: The music charts the many (and sometimes surprising) emotional states encountered, moving from acknowledgement, trying to keep 'normal' life going, the need to sometimes put a pause button on the world/existence and let the waves of feelings crash and roll, sudden anger & confusion, finally to moving (perhaps with uncertainty) forward.
Tamar Osborn has led Collocutor through a line-up shift from septet to quintet for Continuation. The modified line-up creates space for the musicians to express themselves through the shadows of Continuation's movement. The quintet allows for more group improvisation, based on just a few motifs and thereby giving the musicians more space to converse. The tracks Lost & Found and in particular the album's title track, Continuation (the only piece with 3 horns) hark back to the intricate arrangements of 'The Search'. It's a deeply personal album, the writing of which acted as Tamar's way of processing and understanding experience and the need to channel feeling.
In listening truly 'Continuation' bares that rare and precious gift of a morsel of the human experience being illuminated by artistic genius.

(LP gatefold deluxe + DL) Brussels based Peruvian band Nikanor deliver their debut album 'Bajo El Sol' on Rebel Up Records. A sunny mix of psychedelic 'chicha' cumbia, cumbia amazonica, rock and andean folk with songs about injustice, fatherhood, natural power, mythical legends and solidarity.

Zenit is a jazz ensemble from Krems in Lower Austria, founded in 1976 by Hannes Treiber and Willi Langer. Their music was celebrated locally, but to reduce them to their local fame would be a shame: After all, their first two LPs, Stimmungswechsel (Change of Moods) and Früchte (Fruits), quickly gained them a much wider audience of discerning listeners. Arguably, however, Zenit’s third and final LP Straight Ahead is the most special of their records. It initially came out in 1986 on the producer’s label Spray Records, and is today one of the hardest-to-find Austrian jazz records. Its centrepiece is the infectious slow-motion disco piece “Waiting,” with vocals by American jazz singer Linda Sharrock. Effortlessly bringing together pop, soul and new age vibes, this is a record that is as unique as it is difficult to date. Does it sound like from the 80s? We’re not sure. To our minds at least, it could also be from the future.

The Word is one of the better kept secrets of 1980s Austrian disco music. Yet once you put the needle on this record, you notice that it sounds oddly familiar. The awe inspiring signature piece “Lobster” has the same analogue, slow moving aesthetic as Zenit’s timeless “Waiting” that was featured on Edition Hawara’s first release. The same goes for the three other wonderfully unconventional, proto electronic songs: “Easy”, “All My Life” and the eponymous “ The Word”. And there are even more commonalities with Zenit’s LP: The vocals are Linda Sharrock’s, who here teamed up with Karl “Charly” Ratzer and Peter Ponger, the twin brother of legendary Falco producer Robert Ponger. The result of this collaboration is, well, also quite legendary. How this kind of sound emerged in Vienna in 1984 is still a bit of a mystery, but clearly all the stars were aligned when Sharrock, Ratzer and Ponger were jamming in the studio. We are very proud to share this secret with you. Just as there are very few lobsters in landlocked Vienna, there are very few records like this out there.

Completing a red hot trio of remix EPs of Calm’s By Your Side album is this final part with Lucas Croon, Cantoma and Gallo and Yuri Shulgin all serving up expansive and mind altering new versions.

He doesn’t release often but when he does you need to listen to Lucas Croon. His unique take on ‘Before Landing’ is a proper dance floor heater to get you on your toes. Once you're there, a gentle rush of rave euphoria tases over you and sends shivers down your spine as old school breakbeats and glowing pads complete the trip.

Elsewhere, long time Balearic pin up, scene hero and all round blissed out boss man Phil Mison has a new album corn gin the spring. Before that, he becomes Cantoma for a timeless version of ‘You Can See The Sunrise Again’ that has bright blue skies and jaunty chords making you move.

Regular label artist homie Gallo is in the form of his life right now - he's resident DJ at Hell Yeah's weekly Balearic night Buena Onda in Berlin, has a growing reputation for being one of the best eclectic selectors in the game and is currently working on compiling the forthcoming BUENA ONDA comp with label head Marco. He gets long legged on his deep cut remix of ‘Sky Color Passing’ which is another killer that slowly but surely works you in a slow motion acid trance.

Completing this most exquisite outing is Yuri Shulgin, a multi-instrumentalist music producer from Tajikistan with credits on Cocktail d'Amore Music. His spellbinding take on 'Ending of Summer, Beginning of Autumn' is a fusion of jazz, leftfield and electronica will have you in a spin and your head lost in the clouds amongst the twinkling stars and cosmic pads.

The first release in Ernesto Chahoud’s ‘Middle Eastern Heavens’ reissue series for BBE Music, we are delighted to present Lebanese maestro Ihsan Al-Munzer’s 1979 album ‘Belly Dance Disco’.

In late 70's and early 80's Beirut, Lebanese organist, composer and arranger Ihsan Al-Munzer made a series of pioneering synth-driven fusion albums that reimagined Middle Eastern music. The records came at a pivotal time in Lebanon’s musical history of avant garde experimentation that was blossoming, just as the country’s 15-year civil war took hold.

Ihsan Al-Munzer’s first release as a solo artist, ‘Belly Dance Disco’ aimed to fuse ‘Western’ modern music and bellydance to make it more accessible to the local audience in the late 1970s. “I wanted to put a mixture of European beat with Arabic percussion, but I made the European rhythm and harmony very easy to listen to for the Arabic ear – soft and understandable” says Al- Munzer.

Today, the composer’s music has made the return journey back to the West; with tracks on the album featured by hip hop artists such as Mos Def, who sampled Al-Munzer’s composition ‘Joy of Lina’ on his 2009 song ‘The Embassy’.

The 10-track album was released in 1979 on the legendary Voix De L’Orient label, which was also home to pioneering Lebanese composers The Rahbani Brothers. One of the earliest artists to introduce the synthesizer to Middle Eastern music, Al-Munzer leads the band, playing the main melody lines on the Kawai Organ and Solina String Synthesizer. Three of his original compositions feature on the album, alongside creative re-imaginings of Turkish and Arabic folklore and modern classics, pushing the boundaries of bellydance music to chime with the international scene.

Al-Munzer’s five titles from the 1970's and 1980's are part of BBE’s ‘Middle Eastern Heavens’ reissue series, a collection of groundbreaking productions from Lebanon, curated by Lebanese DJ, compiler and music researcher Ernesto Chahoud.

Notes by Natalie Shooter, a music journalist and researcher based in Beirut, edited by Will Sumsuch.

LORNA SHORE’s new album, “Immortal”, is nothing short of a shock of blackened, symphonic ambitions and epic intents. It is a milestone for LORNA SHORE, who have built a sizable reputation touring the world alongside the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, Carnifex and Chelsea Grin. Formed in 2010, LORNA SHORE were quick to surpass “local band” expectations with 2012’s “Bone Kingdom”-EP and it’s follow-up, 2013’s “Malificium”-EP. Through each release, LORNA SHORE continues to prove themselves to be an increasingly formidable force and a ferocious live proposition. 2017’s sophomore LP, “Flesh Coffin” showed a band that had moved beyond mere “deathcore” trappings and had evolved into a modern metal band, as uncompromising and accomplished as any of their contemporaries or influences. “We became the band we wanted to be, rather than just the product of our early influences,” says guitarist Adam De Micco. “’Immortal’ is the latest chapter of that story of us as a band, as players and as people.” Armed with new vocalist C.J. McCreery (ex-Signs of the Swarm), LORNA SHORE has made a record that stands apart from their earlier works. The earliest hints of that have come with the release of album tracks, “This Is Hell” and “Darkest Spawn”, twin deathly salvos released from LORNA SHORE’s early album sessions with producer Josh Schroeder (Battlecross, King 810, For Today) at Random Awesome Studios in Midland, MI. Recording for the album. “Immortal” is the beginning of another chapter for LORNA SHORE and is available in the following formats: CD Jewelcase, LP+CD, Digital Album

First Word Records is incredibly proud to present 'Starts Again', the debut album from Tawiah.

The latest signing to the Worldwide Award-winning indie label, Tawiah is somewhat of a trailblazer in the world of alt-soul. Despite this being her debut album, she's long-established in the UK music scene, having previously self-released two EPs and a mixtape, as well as high-profile collaborations with Cinematic Orchestra, Blood Orange, Mark Ronson, Kindness, Cee-Lo, Wiley, Zed Bias and Eric Lau. Additionally being championed by the likes of Zane Lowe, Gilles Peterson and The Guardian, and supporting Moses Sumney on his recent EU tour, it's finally time to unleash a full solo project into the world.

'Starts Again' is an exploration of her identity as a queer woman of colour, raised in a pentecostal family, and a determination to express her musicianship in all its raw glory, free of the constraints of major label wrangles from before.

Co-produced with Sam Beste (Hejira), the album also features vocals from Sharlene Hector, Vula Malinga, Ladonna Young, Ade Omotayo and Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne, as well as glorious string arrangements composed by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, with a series of field recordings from Ghana, amongst the varied components.

In Tawiah's words; "the process of creating this record independently has taken years!! From self-produced demos to live recording sessions with my good friends; Blue May, Sam Beste, Alex Reeve, Alex Bonfanti, Nathan Allen and Lewis Wright. Sam and I then had two years of long joyful studio sessions working on the post production. With no external deadlines or briefs we had the freedom to create whatever came. It was a privilege to collaborate in this way".

A triumphant 10-piece opus, the music seamlessly blends avant-garde sensibilities with low-slung beats and layered harmonies. The vestiges of Tawiah's early church vocal training contrast subtly against a distinctive South London accent, which has helped place her firmly at the vanguard of the British alternative soul movement, and establish a rep as one of the country's most exciting live performers. Time Out even saying "she slays so hard, you better hope there's a doctor in the house".

With a series of immersive live shows being planned in collaboration with spatial artist, Studio Myrrh, the latter half of 2019 headed into 2020 is looking to be a busy time for Tawiah. A decade on from her debut EP, 'Starts Again' is a creative reset of-sorts, though she is already highly revered within the music industry. A unique talent, this debut album should rightly cement her status as one of the UK's finest recording artists and songwriters.

Changes, always changes! That is the path than an artist travels in his musical career. But road always as a goal. And Jesus Gonsev gives us one of them in his first album as an artist. Eight tracks for enjoy this long tour and see his influences on it. An album where different styles are played, Deep House, Breaks, Electro, Techno. But harmoniously converge with that characteristic Gonsev's touch. Now is the time to start this journey by placing the needle on the vinyl. Do you want to change your life? A new life...

Given Jones' rather slack approach to track titles (both being consistent with and sometimes even just supplying them), it's a bit of a relief to realize that two tracks with the same name are indeed related. In the case of "Arab Jerusalem", which makes up nearly half of the newly-released Lalique Gadaffi Handgrenade, that kinship is immediately apparent even though both tracks are clearly their own experiences. Released as the first track on the Minaret-Spearker picture disc 7" in 1996, "Arab Jeruzalem" (spelling also sometimes being fairly slack) is 5:42 of effectively shifting dark ambience, wordless female vocals drifting over the hand percussion, chimes, and static of the track, with eventual conversational loops discussing ... something underneath.

The end of that version is especially striking for the way the woman's wordless singing starts being sampled in such a way that it overlays the whole track (and, slightly, itself). The almost 24-minute "Arab Jerusalem" here might be called the Deer Hunter version of the same story, building with great patience and many more abstract detours towards what now seems like simultaneously an excerpt and, now, a climax.

As with many of Jones' more ambient tracks, the great length just lets it cast its spell more thoroughly and entrancingly. The other three tracks, meanwhile, suggest some of Jones' other work but never evoke them as directly as "Arab Jerusalem". "Jordan River" is nearly as long (a second shy of 20 minutes) but strips out the vocal elements in its predecessor, focusing instead on a more active percussive workout (analogue and digital both) and a river of hiss running down the center of the track. The title track of Lalique Gadaffi Handgrenade might bring to mind the title of "Lalique Gadaffi Jar" from Libya Tour Guide (last reissued by Staalplaat in 2015), but if they're sonically related Jones must have practically melted the other track to get this one.

And the closing "Desert Gulag" (like the title track, a much more manageable length than the first two epic tracks here) bears a slight resemblance to "Negev Gulag" from 1996's Fatah Guerrilla, here what was a piercing, repetitive drone is softened and looped over more of Jones' percussion. The result is a well-rounded release that shows off many aspects of Jones' sound as Muslimgauze, while existing (like many of these DAT tapes do) in conversation with much of his previously released work.

Mhysa, the newest addition to the Hyperdub roster, is ‘a popstar for the cyber resistance’ hailing from Maryland via New York. ‘Nevaeh’ is lo-fi R&B with a bedroom feel and challenging lyricism focussed on identity and black experience for the online generation.

She started ‘Nevaeh’ in late 2017, shortly after the release of debut album ‘Fantasii’, recording at home with some input from Lawd Knows, a frequent collaborator on her Scraaatch project. It is Mhysa’s intimate reflection on the black femme experience from multiple vantage points : sex and sexuality, self-love and self-discovery, black empowerment and lineage, and pleasure or the lack of it.

She describes the album as “a prayer for Black women and femmes to be taken to or find a new and better world away from the apocalypse ... a safe space, a sort of negro heaven.” ‘Nevaeh’ is deeply personal but easily relatable, its intimacy heightened by scattered acapella moments and interludes referencing black pop culture, where Mhysa’s delicate voice is laid bare, while other tracks reprise the melancholic R&B her mother raised her on, updated through a queer lens.

Conversely, several of the album’s tunes have found space in Kode9’s club sets over the last year, like the mischievous ‘Sanaa Lathan’ and skeletal ‘w_me’. Of this record’s progression from the last, Mhysa sought “to be more vulnerable and experiment with vocal range … to write more complicated vocal melodies that would be harder to do”, with her production now experimenting with new techniques, and (often self-taught) live instrumentation, as is her family tradition.

Molecular Meditation is a bespoke light and sound environment featuring the voice of the Fall's Mark E Smith. Smith is heard making observations on mundane objects, events and a range of meditation techniques basically associating his discontent with an apolitical british upper class. His voice forms the narrative component of an electroacoustic composition by Jan St. Werner placed in a hyper-real scenario evoking a state of transformation and deceleration.

Molecular Meditation premiered at Cornerhouse, Manchester in 2014. This album presents a re-edited and remastered stereo version of the original multi-channel piece. Voice and guitar feedback were recorded at Blueprint Studios Manchester, electronics in Werner's St.udio in Berlin. The B-side consists of unreleased new work partly written around the same time as Molocular Meditation in context of Werner's Fiepblatter Catalogue on Thrill Jockey. Back to Animals is a non-metric rhythmic exercise frantically hybridizing percussive accents with synthesized pulse.

On the Infinite of Universe and Worlds is an electronic opera based on Giordano Bruno's Renaissance writings which Werner was asked to conceptionalize for new music festival Music Nova in Finland. VS Canceled finds Mark E. Smith reading an email from Domino Records explaining their discontinuation of the Von Sudenfed project a band Mark E. Smith had founded with Mouse on Mars' Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma in 2006. Their debut album Tromatic Reflexxions came on Domino out in 2007. The vinyl record, cut with a diamond needle, provides as much acoustic depth as the digital version.

Canyons are places of mystery and beauty. The interesting thing is, while they are one of the great wonders in the history of planet earth and attract scientists of all kinds of disciplines, they have also been a popular retreat for artists and musicians. You will have heard of Topanga Canyon, Rickie Lee Jones and Chicago recorded here. Laurel Canyon is even more well known, a mythical place where Crosby, Stills & Nash developed their unique vocal sound while hanging around Mama Cass' place. Or was it in Joni Mitchell's house on Lookout Mountain? Ok, you get the picture. There is something unexplainable, almost magical going on in canyons.

Maybe that's why Andy Platts and Shawn Lee were thinking of "Canyons" when they wrote and recorded their third album as Young Gun Silver Fox. With "West End Coast" and "AM Waves" these two very talented musicians, singers, songwriters, arrangers and producers already explored all things Westcoast, AOR, Softrock and Boogie. But - especially if you are a into the golden age of this sound running from circa 1976 to 1984 - you will be aware that there is no return once you started digging these unconditional musical delights with their timeless compositions, untouchable musicianship and refined arrangements. The great albums from that era appeared when punk broke and the musical establishment was shaken to the ground. Today they sound more up to date than ever. Who would have thought back then?

On "Canyons" Young Gun Silver Fox turned it up to eleven. They are nothing but "Kids" cruising in the fast lane, totally over the top searching for the "Dream Woman", touching down in Tokyo caught in a "Long Distance Love Affair", imagining the theme for a lost 70s TV series starring "Danny Jamaica", being on the winning side in a "Private Paradise", getting deep and soulful in "Things We Left Unsaid" and wondering how to spread "All This Love". Their bass lines, sound layers, brass arrangements and harmony vocals are immaculate. Everything fits perfectly. Just like this. "Who Needs Words" when everything is crystal clear? Exactly!

"Canyons", after all, are magical places of rare beauty. (Mr. Mellow - Porcaroc Club/Mr. Mellow's Sunday Scene/Soho Radio).

Yes, we know the soul and funk world of the glory days, big labels, radio shows and bands amid a social context of segregation. A context that starts becoming less important when this music genre enters the mainstream in the late 70’s to eventually fade away at a fast pace in the 80’s until its complete disappearance in the 90’s and beyond. This time though, we dive a bit deeper into the hoods, because the social context of today ain’t no greatly different and it has its very own music, deeply rooted in the sounds of the early days, although more immediate and dense of beats and urban feel.

We are in Chicago, a place where every 2 hours someone is shot, and every 14 hours someone is murdered. It ain’t no Iraq or Afghanistan but one of the biggest and most sophisticated cities in the world. In the city’s west and south sides, which are considered the heart of Black America, gang rivalry is tearing its people apart. It has become so brutal that both police and perpetrators agree that this urban warfare is out of control. I started this release process after Yann sent me an heads up on this song and it took me most part of last year to build some mutual trust with Lay Lemons aka Biggz from North Lawndale, main area in the west side of the city and one of the most dangerous places in the world. When I first contacted him, Lay was having a hard time (and still does) as his daughter Raven was caught innocent in a gang shooting crossfire.

After the following investigation, the FBI (yes, big gangs are federal business) arrested and charged some members of The Four Corners Hustlers, yet Raven’s murder has no responsible and Lay suddenly lost his daughter overnight in the summer of 2017. He simply couldn’t concentrate on music, and the silly requests from a mad Italian with his crooked english were probably sounding to him like aliens speaking from outer space. I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Lay’s cousin, sound engineer and recording studio owner living today in Detroit, so accept my gratitude Mr. Tony Amos.

Lay Lemons has never been involved with gangs nor was Raven, nowhere near that business. They are people of music, family and religion trying to survive in one of worlds toughest places. This song, its vibe, the beats, the voice... Are coming straight out of their hood, written around a fire bin on the side of the street and put together with 3 instruments. It has no chorus, it’s verses all the way through, it is a kind of prayer to the unknown in the hope of salvation through everyday strength.

Lay Lemons I salute you.

Dr Rubberfunk might not be medically trained, but he does know a thing or two about treating your ears, as he returns with his fourth album 'My Life at 45'. The eagle eyed will have spotted the connection to the good Doctor's second album – 'My Life at 33' - and fans can do their own maths as to when they should expect the final RPM-punning release in the trilogy.

Having established himself in funk, soul, blues and jazz circles with a ton of high calibre releases, the good doctor holds a reputation for quality productions, with a hands-on approach, both in front of, and behind the mixing desk, as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and producer.

The new album brings together stunning vocals from John Turrell, Izo FitzRoy and Stephanie Whitelock, whilst the instrumental tracks, showcasing the talents of long-time collaborators Jim Oliver, Jonathon James and Ben Castle, make it clear just what a crack production outfit the Doctor has put together. Got a lovely quote from Fatboy Slim: "Very soulful. Doesn't sound too retro. Just fabulous...."

UK Radio support has come in from BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from Craig Charles (Spot play Trunk of Funk feature), Huey Morgan, Rylan and Paddy O'Connell. US Radio on KCRW from Jose Galvan, Karene Daniel and Garth Trinidad.

WW Specialist plays have come in on WWFM, JazzFM, Radio Krimi, Solar Radio, Radio 1 Prague, WMPG, Milk n Chocolate, Rai 1 Italy, KaneFM, Cannibal Radio, Radio Z Nurenburg and Radio Nova Portugal

Press: Bandcamp: New & Notable, 45Live, Sphere Of Hip Hop, Word Is Bond, The Dutch Guy, Last Day Deaf, Monkeyboxing, Flea Market Funk, Staccatofy, The Find Mag.

DJ support from Fatboy Slim, Laurent Garnier, Dj Yoda, Renegades of Jazz, DJ Andy Smith, Auntie Flo, Doc Scott, Smoove, Chicken Brothers, Crazy P, Satin Jackets, Marc Hype, Mr Benn, Mat The Alien, Basement Freaks, Renegades Of Jazz, The Allergies, Hint,

We Are The Brave boss Alan Fitzpatrick joins Rekids with ‘Step Away’, a euphorically chargedtechno release featuring two remixes from Planetary Assault Systems.

Having performed across the world at the likes of Watergate, fabric, Shelter and DC-10, renowned UKartist Alan Fitzpatrick has continued to bring driving techno to the forefront of electronic music culture since the early 2000s. With a ream of releases on Figure, Unknown To The Unknown, Drumcode, Hotflush and many more, he now launches into 2020 with his debut on Radio Slave’s revered imprint.

Fitzpatrick’s signature, thundering techno cut ‘Step Away’ opens with spacey toms, industrial kicks, delayed claps, pulsing bass and atmospherically sustained keys.

The hailed Mote-Evolver boss and esteemed remixer Luke Slater serves up two propulsive edits under his Planetary Assault Systems alias with the first remix being otherworldly with reverbed stabs, subtle arpeggiated synths, minimalistic drums whilst the second remix goes into overdrive with analogue beat programming, computerised melodies and a harrowing sub-frequency rhythm.

Paella Hair Sex is the beginning of a new chapter in Alexis Raphael’s musical story. The first two EPs will be from the label boss himself, kicking off with ‘Digital Music Almost Killed Me EP’. Then attention turns to new artists joining the PHS family - please email demos to paellahairsex

Alexis came to prominence in 2011 with his seminal track ‘Spaceship’ and followed with a series of lush, sexy and warm house records that gained universal praise and put Alexis’ sound all around the world with fans from Australia to Peru. As the music and scene evolved, so too did Alexis’ sound becoming somewhat harder whilst still retaining some of his signature elements; references to acid house, hardcore and jungle, deep pads and sweet vocals.

However, by 2016, Alexis had become somewhat disconnected with the path of the music and scene he was involved in. It took a long time to put together what was wrong, but what followed was a three year path to this point now of launching PHS.

A return to and playing vinyl at the end of 2016 was the first step to finding his love again and feeling good about the music. This was followed by a halt to gigs where the music expected from him was different from what he wanted to play and a feeling of disconnect from the crowd. Then came the gradual move away from constant social media output.

The final and most important part of this transition was going back to making music simply without any thought of where it can fit or who can play it, or what label it will go into. In essence this is a return to how Alexis started - making music solely from the feeling inside.

And so PHS returns to some of that more sexy, emotive house music that Alexis was originally known for, but with a fresh sound for the new decade.

Paella Hair Sex is set to be a representation of the music Alexis loves, both his own and other artists.

The first EP: PHS001 – Digital Music Nearly Killed Me kicks off with the main room groover ‘Respect & Belief’ . A jazz-infused bass line underpins chunky rolling beats, punctuated with vocal samples calling for unity and love and laden with floating classical pianos and warm pads. A definite party banger !
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The second A side track “Sex Appeal” references back to Alexis’ original signature House sound. An emotive and sexy track bound to get temperatures rising on the dance floor .

Flip to the B-side and find the after party brother of Respect & Belief - ‘Liberty’. A seminal minute long speech paves the way to the single breakdown moment of the track when lush Jupiter-8 chords make way for an epic moment as the beats drop back in. A unique piece of minimalistic House music for the after hours .

The bonus track, House of Chorge. ends the EP with a bang. An upbeat cheeky groove that stays in your head long after the turntable stops spinning. But who is Chorge.?

Maceo Plex's Lone Romantic welcomes ManEater for a superb debut single that comes backed with a remix from the ever-excellent Alinka.

ManEater is a mysterious name with no online profile but an evocative sound that goes way beyond the dancefloor and well into the future. They make music that is much more than club fodder, instead cooking up cinematic and evocative landscapes.

The excellent 'Hurry On Up' is an expansive electro trip to the edges of the cosmos. Distant pads shimmer like forgotten planets, crisp claps and slick drums make for a frictionless groove that always keeps you moving and the ominous bass and soulful vocal cries finish the whole thing in real style.

Chicago native Alinka is enlisted to remix. She is known for her weird and idiosyncratic take on house on labels like Crosstown, Classic and her own Twirl and is one of the most exciting names in the current Windy City scene. Her fantastic version of 'Hurry On Up' is harder hitting, with tough drums and a lead arp that lights up the whole track with a late night menace.

This is classy electro that really makes a mark.

17 Steps present ‘New Atlantis’, a 5 track EP from versatile DJ, producer and dance music historian Chrissy.

The EP takes its name from an unexpected source – a 17th century utopian novel of the same name by Sir Francis Bacon, depicting a future society in which science has become the ruling principle. It’s an inspiring idea for Chrissy – an antidote to the assault on truth and intellectualism led by climate change deniers, anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, creationists, unfit-for-office demagogues and the slow suffocation of fact-based journalism.

‘New Atlantis’ explores the utopian worldview implicit in early rave music, drawing on classic Chicago house, UK hardcore and Drexciyan electro. The result is a collection of jacking breaks and bass infused dance music washed with a bittersweet euphoria – celebrating and lamenting an era’s forgotten optimism.

Sotomayor is the electronic music project with afro latin influence by siblings Raul (music production) and Paulina (vocals). It is a dance music project that fuses rhythms like cumbia, afro beat, dancehall, Peruvian "chicha" and merengue with futuristic electronic beats.

The band debuted in 2015 with "Salvaje," an album that allowed them to perform in several festivals around the globe in countries like England, US, Mexico and Colombia.

The album received excellent reviews from foreign media in countries like Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, Chile, United States and Colombia. They also appeared in more than 25 lists of the best of the year from medias from all around the world. 2020 will see the release of "Orígenes" their 3rd studio album trough the NY based label Wonderwheel Recordings.

This album was recorded between Mexico and Puerto Rico, and was produced by the 28 times Grammy Winner Eduardo Cabra aka "Visitante" from the legendary band "Calle 13." In this production Sotomayor explores a new Afro Caribbean vision in the music, much more dance floor focused, and highly influenced by percussion

... Comprises 'Good Things' (a cover of the Maxayn classic), 'Gotta Get Better In A Little While' (cover of the Derek & The Dominoes gem) and new songs 'Coming Unstuck Again', 'My Child' and leading track 'Soona Than Much Layta'. NEW LINE UP – a veritable who’s who of the 1990's UK Acid Jazz Scene: Matt Deighton is still there playing central talismanic figure. Sulene Fleming (ex Brand New Heavies, vocals), Mick Talbot (the inimitable keyboard hero of The Style Council, Dexys), Ernie McKone (Galliano, Push, Paul Weller, Carleen Anderson), Bass Crispin ‘The Pump’ Taylor (Galliano, Push, Dexys, Candi Staton, Carleen Anderson) on drums.

Sharif Laffrey is something of an unheralded hero of the underground Detroit scene. Active since the halcyon days of the early-90s Motor City rave movement, his sporadic releases are rarely less than superb. Sharif Laffrey has been playing records and making music for over 20 years. Born in Detroit, Michigan - he's worked on the line checking camshafts for Chryslers & as an operative for Underground Resistance (UR) at Submerge for Mike Banks, at the same time. Currently releasing music on his own label SPECIAL FORCES.
Championed by DJ Harvey, Carl Craig, Dixon, Andrew Weatherall, Ivan Smagghe, Seth Troxler, The Juan Maclean, Optimo, Trevor Jackson, Hunee, Manfredas, Solar, The Chemical Brothers…

"SOUNDS TO COME" - Is the 2nd release on Laffrey's own label SPECIAL FORCES
following its successful debut release "AND DANCE".

'Sounds To Come' is a long trip of low "techno" with a brute baseline and mesmeric vocals - when turning directly into The Golden Hour of a late night / morning is the thing to do.

"Rhyth-matic traditions that have become oblivious to our modus operandi.…
welcome to awesome…..the sound of sounds to come"

xDream is the re-awakening of the child spirit. The child spirit lives everywhere: in our memories, the corners of our emotions, moments of mischief and euphoria, and whispers in the trees. In our youth, it grew from a seedling into the shape of the internal conscience, that little voice in your head that tells you right from wrong. The debut album by Dasychira features contributions by fellow artists Malibu, Embaci, and Baby Blue, as well as live violin by Iglooghost collaborator Vivek Menon and voice acting by mirukii and daisyvoice. Dasychira completed an Asia tour this year performing A/V sets with Yikii in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hongkong, and Shenzhen before going to Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo. xDream was released digitally on Halloween 2019 via Blueberry Records x UNSEELIE with music videos by Awe Ix, Dante Capone, Slama & Delong, and others.

Algiers return with third album 'There Is No Year', released on Matador Records. ‘There Is No Year’ solidifies and expands upon the doom-laden soul of their foundation, toward an even more epic, genre-reformatting sound, one somehow suspended in the amber of “a different era,” as described by guitarist Lee Tesche. This latest offering is available on CD and LP. Vinyl comes with a bonus 7” flexi disc

A member of popular techno trio Agents of Time, Italian artist Fedele goes solo AF on his Turbo debut, No Mercy for Beginners. Against the backdrop of a nightmare international tour experience, Fedele channeled his negative feelings away from people and into creating darkly euromotional dancefloor catharsis. Try it sometime.

Sharp-eared lovers of listening may notice that lead track “Riot Revolte” purloins the loin jewels (the street-tough vocals) from Tiga’s 2004 classic, “Pleasure from the Bass.” DJ Hell noticed the shit out of this, introducing a mutant variation on the PFTB baseline into his lurid after-hours remix. Moreover, the entire EP recalls the legendary run of killer electro records that kicked off what many, many people refer to as Turbo’s Silver Age in the early-mid 2000s. This may be utterly meaningless, or it may herald the coming era of compressed cyclical time that will dictate dance music taste in the 2020s with the sort of mathematical precision rarely found outside pie chart software. Either way, you heard it here first.

4 techno tracks with rave and '90 trance sounds, wisely mixed with modern ones. Lucretio in the A side with an industrial digital track; same taste for Dove Quiete's track. The B side is characterized by two melodic and trance tracks from Albanish People and Stic.

Houndstooth present ‘S.L.F. Versions’, a set of cutting-edge radical reworks from Aïsha Devi’s widely-praised EP ‘S.L.F.’.

Hotly-tipped Chinese scene stalwart 33EMYBW delivers a thunderous percussion-heavy take on ‘Two Serpents’ and rising Indonesian duo Gabber Modus Operandi overhaul ‘Uupar Theory’ with pummelling kick drums encircling frenzied, swirling synths.

Nordic maverick Varg adds jungle breaks and pitched- down crunch to Devi’s pitched-up ethereal voice, whilst lauded JA collective Equiknoxx Music‘s vibey avant-dancehall version gives shout-outs to Devi from vocalists Gavsborg and Shanique Marie.

In addition to acclaim gained for ’S.L.F.’, over the summer Devi toured extensively, performing at some of the world’s most prestigious and forward-thinking events. At Dark Mofo x Atonal in Hobart, Australia she premiered her new AV show ‘∞E=TRv’, an innovative collaboration with visual artist MFO using light in space and reflective surfaces. Centred around Devi’s transcendence/continuum energy formula and inspired by Planck’s Constant in physics, these special shows have wowed and inspired, as have AV events staged with Emile Barret and Devi’s solo shows, where audio takes centre stage.

Chaotic Discord - Time Migration introduces the second vinyl-only release from Tsarskoye Selo record label.

John Power is the singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Cast and previousle from the La’s. Following the split from Cast, Power released three solo albums, his first solo album is
Happening For Love (2003). Highlights include; ‘Small Farm’, ‘Mariner’, ‘Happening for Love’, ‘Paradise’ and ‘Electrify’.

For the 10th Shaw Cuts release, Lazarus and Farron join forces on their new collaboration project Pollaar, defying Pai Mei and his alliance with the ruling Manchurian Court who aim to quash the revolutionary rebels. Crane and tiger techniques vs. the seemingly invincible versatile villain and his squad.

The story begins when Pai Mei and his entourage raid the shaolin temple where the rebels have found refuge. Only a few rebels and students escape the attack, among them, Hung Hsi-Kuan. "Haslam" and its blasting drum patterns paired with bright sounding synth fragments help Hung Hsi-Kuan and his copartners to safety. They finally find a safe haven with a traveling opera group. Along the way, Hung encounters the fair Ying Chun, herself a master of the crane technique. They fall in love and have a son, Wen-Ting. Hung could not forget though, and dedicates himself to mastering the art of the tiger style for the next ten years, to finally compete against Pai Mei. The superiority of Pai Mei in the following clash is accentuated by the vigorous drum punches and spacial undertone of "Bonucci Unit". But Pai Mei spares the wounded Hung's life, letting him go. While Ying Chun teaches her son the crane style, Hung devotes himself to relentless tiger style training for seven more years, to challenge Pai Mei once again.

"P-9" and its forceful breakbeat punches, energizing pads and resonant percussion, sets the tone of the duel resulting in Pai Mei's victory and Hung's death. Wen-Ting vows vengeance and continues to tirelessly perfecting his crane style while still dedicated to learning the tiger style. Both combined is the only way to defeat Pai Mei. One year later, Wen-Ting is ready and embarks on the journey to Pai Mei's temple. The menacing and gritty atmosphere of "Compound" and its spellbinding groove filled with abstract machine sounds pushes Wen-Ting to his limit. The white-bearded master has been vanquished, but is he gone forever? Judge for yourself...

The first release under Richard Wilson's Rognvald alias kickstarts the new WIFE series with four solid punches of breakfueled rave mania. The pitch black title track "R.O.G.N.V.A.L.D" serves as a fierce introduction to his fresh material with its epic scale combination of relentless drum work and meticulous arrangement. Up next is the hefty chunk of "Whistle Posse", all rude basslines and rave whistles finely tuned for maximum dancefloor damage.

"Lowcol Junglist" opens the B-side with it's masterfully slick drum control and enormous bass drops followed by the subterranean drum hypnosis of closer "Asbiorn". This is bass charged jungle warfare apparatus with a modern ruffneck flex from a man who knows how to murder the dance with precision.

Limited hand written label 7" is for Indie stores only. On the heels of his debut LP, "How Do I Talk To My Brother?", Ben ventured to the west coast and was welcomed with open arms by fans of his sweet and uplifting soul music. The A-side, a cover "That's The Way It Goes by the Harptones, was recorded on a handheld cassette while performing live at a radio station. The B-side was recorded in Brooklyn upon returning from the tour and thus christening their newly renovated recording studio. So enjoy this unique little 45!
Also Available From Ben Pirani: How Do I Talk To My Brother? LP/CD, Art School Girl 7”, Light Of My Life 7”.

'Control Voltage Project' is a long running project of Alper Maral & Mert Topel; Alper Maral is one of the most significant sound discoverers around Turkey through auditory and academical researches he has made about experimental electronic music.

Mert Topel is a versatile musician, one of the most important keyboardist for many artists in popular music in Turkey. He has released his first solo album “Serendipity” in 2017.

Control Voltage Project is named after the electric signals which are used for the interactions between various physical sound layers. Recordings of CVP -first album from the duo- was finished in 2005, and released in 2015 on “Müzik Hayvanı” as free download on web.

The album is making its roots through an endless sound pool that created by synthesizers, vocoders and tape recorders such as KORG MS 20, YAMAHA Motif 8, PROPHET 5 and TASCAM MS 16 which have characterized by different styles and times.

The duo’s 12 track album is a complete adventure from abstract
and fragile moments to groovy but spooky sounds.
Control Voltage Project is finally released on vinyl via Müstesna Records.

For Patrick Flegel, Cindy Lee is more than just a recording music project. It is the culmination of a lifelong exploration of art, the electric guitar, queer identity and gender expression. "Singers like Patsy Cline and The Supremes carried me through the hardest times of my life," explains Flegel, "and also provided the soundtrack to the best times."

Following the dissolution of Canadian experimental indie band Women, Flegel would delve deeper into songwriting that bends further toward high atmospherics and bracing melodies – a unique space where splendor naturally collides with experimentation. Delivering moments of sheer beauty through somber reflections on longing and loneliness, Cindy Lee is something to hold onto in a world of disorder.

What's Tonight To Eternity, Cindy Lee's fifth long-form offering, showcases the project's most entrancing strengths: ethereal snowdrift pop and sly nods toward classic girl-group motifs. Recorded at Flegel's Realistik Studios in Toronto and featuring younger brother Andrew Flegel on drums, the album travels hand in hand with a spectral guide.

Flegel found inspiration for Cindy Lee in the form of Karen Carpenter, drawing on the singer / drummer's early recordings as well as her look and style. "I found a deep interest and comfort in Karen's story, which is a cautionary tale about the monstrosity of show business, stardom at a young age and being a misfit looking for connection. The darkness and victimizing tabloid sensationalism she suffered is easily tempered and overwhelmed by her earnest output, her artistry, her tireless work ethic. Something utterly unique and magical takes shape in the negative space, out of exclusion. What I relate to in her has to do with what is hidden, what is unknown."

What's Tonight To Eternity remains a mix of pop culture indoctrination, pain and suffering, hopes and dreams, fierce confrontations and wide-open confessional blurs. Closing with the song "Heavy Metal" (dedicated to the memory of former Women bandmate Chris Reimer) and adorned by Andrea Lukic's Journal of Smack artwork, the album continues the bold and rewarding path on which Cindy Lee has embarked.

* "The Longest Sleep Through The Darkest Days" is the sophomore album from Plymouth shoegaze post-pop electronic project Winterlight. The project was originally a solo endeavor started by Tim Ingham back in the mid-oughts but now sees his daughter Isabel taking on bass guitar duties.
* This new album is the culmination of nearly seven years of on and off creative spurts, false starts, and second guesses reflecting the turmoil hinted at in the album's title. Yet those that follow Winterlight know Tim's been making music pretty much all along and releasing occasional demos via his Soundcloud.
* This lengthy process has yielded one resounding result: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. "The Longest Sleep Through The Darkest Days" has all the Winterlight earmarks: divine organs, thoughtfully constructed drums, the occasional electronic flourish and, Oh... Those immaculately soaring guitars! While Ingham considers Winterlight to be post-pop, and for the most part the duo still brings those melodies to the table in spades, there are some unique changes happening under the surface in the album's bookends that move way beyond simple ear candy. This shows The Inghams are starting to take risks while still staying true to the original vision for the project.

Greek artist June makes his debut on Mannequin Records with the 'Silver Demon' LP. The album explores a futuristic dystopian world where transcendence and oppression coexist, where claustrophobia and infinite openness coincide. A world of contrasts that is the product of the artist‘s active imagination and conscious effort to confront the subconscious.

The album was recorded using original techniques from the golden era of electronic music (late 70s to mid 80s) with an arsenal of vintage analog synthesizers, drum machines and effect processors (originating) from the same time period. While the aesthetics of the classic precursors emerge through the minimal, deep, dark architecture of June's music, Silver Demon prevails with the artist's characteristic originality.

Mastered by Rude 66.
Graphic design by Lee Douglas.

First EP by Flegon as a three piece band, Extra Twist takes you through different episodes of a mysterious investigation. Five fragments of an unsolved case that almost had the inspector lose his mind, after decades tracking down a fugitive woman he never quite got his hands on. Embark on a journey through time and space, full of shadowing, chase and unexpected encounters.

'P&F Recordings' returns with it’s fourth release. This time they are coming at you straight outta NAPOLI, ITALY with a four track EP by MILORD (known to many as one half of the duo “The Normalmen” and one-third of “The Mystic Jungle Tribe”).

M • E • T • A / M • U • S • I • C is one part vintage library-music studio wizardry another part lowkey house. Imagine a slinky G-funk synth at a new-age retreat, a spacey kraut jam at an eighties video arcade - all at once familiar, yet unglued from any particular moment in time.

DJ SUPPORT: “Bro, I’m finding it hard to control the sunset with this damn Japanese remote,” said Crockett. “Can you lend me a hand?” Tubbs side-eyed with extreme shade and replied, “You’re such a k-hole, dude, that’s not a remote. It’s the car phone and you’ve been staring at it for an hour. Put that shit down and let’s hit the sauna.”

-Lovefingers (ESP Institute)

Meditative sunset sounds I could also use whilst taking an Epsom bath or a Hawaiian hike at dawn. Artwork also 10/10 another epic release from my fave new label.

-Danny McLewin (Psychemagik)

Thanks for the music - its right up me alley. I’m also already a fan of Mystic Jungle Tribe and Normalmen, so that is a formula I can definitely chemicalize with.

- Dreems (Multi-Culti)

Worked this album in the studio with Milord and I never got sick of listening to the tracks! "The kemetist" brings me in that fabolous druggy-place I would like to be at every weekend …
- Manny Whodamanny (Periodica - Naples IT)

10"

* Dilo Variations EP (not released previously before on vinyl) will come as part of the Emika Records 5 year anniversary releases during Spring 2020.

* 10’’ vinyl with new artwork just for this release.

* Completes the vinyl series of Emika’s Klavirni Dilo piano solos.

* Following on from the hugely popular ‘Klavirni’ (Emika’s first solo piano album in 2015).

* Dilo 7 from the first album has been streamed more than 15 million times on Spotify and playlisted in the ‘Peaceful Piano’ playlist.

* Dilo 7 (Variation) was playlisted in the Apple Music ‘Piano Chill’ playlist 380k+ streams.

* A truly personal affair all the Dilo’s were recorded improvisations by the composer on her home piano in Berlin.

* This release marks the 5 year anniversary of Emika Records, celebrating 5 years of independence since her first two albums with Ninja Tune.

* This is also the final release in her Emika Records catalog before starting a new venture in 2020 with more details to follow later in the year.

After a few other successful projects, Franck Biyong, French-Cameroonian Afrobeat composer, guitar player and singer is back on Hot Casa with a hot futuristic Afro-Brazilian club anthem. The similarities and filiations between traditional West-African drumming and Afro-Brazilian religious musical rites are many: under colonial rule African people and African slaves outwardly practiced
Christianity but secretly prayed to their own God, Gods, or Ancestor spirits. So we aimed at keeping the gritty urban menacing sound and poetry of Afrobeat with the percussive mass rumble of Batucada and poignant beauty of Carioca. We then got in touch with Cristina Violle, the first lady of “Samba de Roda” in Paris who graced us with a startling inspired and heartfelt melody. The first completed version of the song then briefly went on alternative radio, we also made plans to release a vinyl version, but for one way or another we shelved the project, without thinking we would get back to it again…until a few months ago. We went back to the studio last summer and started ironing the song again from scratch. That same initial spirit and energy caught hold of us again from the day we started and we worked relentlessly to create a balanced but experimental track, showcasing rootsy sound, pop instrumentation, tight world beat drumming, song structure, jazzy horns, spacey synthesizers, choral-like vocal harmonies with call and response figurative vocals.
We now proudly present this brand new record; Like our predecessors years ago, we subconsciously did our best to keep alive a longtime tradition of cultural tradition of African Artistic
Renaissance, pushing further musical themes of contemporary African sound. To be continued…

'Ten Percent' is a full multi-track remix of the classic Double Exposure song from 1976. Originally mixed for 12’ by legendary producer Walter Gibbons, this rework has been executed by the elusive Robbie Casa Blanco and he’s given it more of a contemporary disco club feel with a brand new keyboard solo by the superbly talented Johnny Tomlinson, he is currently keyboardist for world-renowned music-maker Bonobo.

Dr. Packer is world renowned for his disco/nudisco reworks, this time he tackles the 1985 classic, 'Feel So Real', Steve Arrington, working it up into a chugging, grooving dance floor favourite, and finally seeing the light of day after much demand from music aficionados. You Got Me Loving You, Melba Moore was originally an album cut only running 03:28 min. , finally this get's the 12" treatment with that classic Dr. Packer sound.

Featured heavily by Melvo Baptiste on the Glitterbox show and highly sort after by the top DJ's in the world, this nu-disco/disco remix sees the light of day on this high quality piece of Vinyl.

Multi-instrumentalist and composer David 'Dijf' Sanders combines a broad mix of styles with a boundless approach full of multicultural blends. The Ghent based artist has always been working on various projects, collaborations or productions at the same time - lately he worked with Warhaus, Sylvie Kreusch, Mattias De Craene's MDC III and Wim Vandekeybus (Die Bakchen - Lasst uns tanzen), to name a few - but that did not keep him from releasing successful solo records as well.

Dijf, who was a member of the (synth)pop bands Teddiedrum and The Violent Husbands, already raised excitement with the exotica-oriented 'Moonlit Planetarium' (2016), an album that created an experimental clash between percussive, ethnic sounds and rather Western beats, occasionally topped off with his mysterious vocals.

After the acclaimed eclectic gem Java (2017) for which he recorded in Indonesia, Dijf Sanders sets off on another musical adventure to another part of the world. This time it is a world infused by Nepalese, Tibetan, Chinese and Indian culture. Dijf traveled to Nepal, and used his field recording and impressions to create a new universe together with drummer Simon Segers, Saxophone player Mattias De Craene and sitar player Nicolas Mortelmans.

Expect a sound trance where monk chanting, eclectic beats but also mantra style techno will be fused. Namaste!

* Carlton Livingston, is a well known Jamaican Reggae artist, who started his career in 1978 at Channel One (Ja) with the track: ‘Tale Of Two Cities’. Subsequently he recorded for many JA ‘labels’, Studio One, Thirllseekers, Taxi, Dynamite and others. His most notable and best known recording is ‘100 Weight Of Collie Weed’ for Percy Chin (Jah Life Rcds). The album which features the track is still available (Greensleeves).

This release, recorded for producer Phillip ‘Gadd 59’ Whittaker, features a new song on an up-dated original mid 1960’s Rock Steady rhythm, ‘Bum Ball’, courtesy of Derrick Morgan OD. The Vocal & Dub have been mixed by Russ (Disciples) at …studio..

Collaborative work from Wilted Woman and Christoph De Babalon.

The more rice label reconvenes for a third course. This time
mogwaa serves up four timeless chicago indebted house
tracks. Hidden spheres remix inside.

This album was recorded during Thollem's 2017 residency at Brooklyn-based multi-discipline mecca Pioneer Works. It's the second by Radical Empathy, which combines three uncategorizable improvisors. Michael Wimberly has been astonishing folks since his days in Charles Gayle bands and Steve Coleman & Five Elements in the early '90s, and has gone on become a composer and educator of note. Nels Cline has spent decades changing people's ideas about the role of the electric guitar in multiple contexts, ranging from Wilco to Anthony Braxton (think about that!) as well as many projects as a leader; this is his fourth album in trio with Thollem, and a fifth will follow next year, also on ESP. Some people have given ESP-Disk' flak (and "flak" was not the first word choice here) about putting out Thollem McDonas albums. "He's not in the jazz tradition," they say, and even though their idea of the jazz tradition includes Albert Ayler, we like to think that this album will make their little, closed minds explode.

Harrison Kennedy was raised in Ontario, Canada before moving to Detroit and enjoying success as the lead singer of Chairmen of the Board with the classic ‘I’m The Chairmen Of The Board’, . He left the group in the 1970s to start on a solo career. Hypnotic Music’ is Kennedy’s 1972 debut album released on Invictus Records. It’s an in- demand folk funk album. Kennedy is still celebrated as a singer, songwriter and performer. He was awarded in 2016 at the Canadian Juno Awards with the Blues Album of the Year. This classic is reissued on 180g heavyweight black vinyl with original artwork and printed inner sleeve. Album features rock orientated songs like the Beatles cover, social commentary with 'You Hurt Your Mother Again’ and psychedelic sounds like ‘Night Comes Day Goes’ – showcasing Harrison’s musical talents.

Led by some of Senegal's most famous singers, like Youssou N'Dour and Laba Sosseh, Star Band achieved the perfect gumbo of Cuban and Senegalese sounds. Changüí, Guajira, Salsa, and Son mingled with cosmic Mbalax guitars, Sabar rhythms, Afro-Latin horns, and Spanish vocals spiced with a Senegalese twang.

With just two microphones and a four-track Revox tape recorder, Ibrahim Kassé, Star Band's founder and owner of Le Miami nightclub, recorded their entire catalog in his venue. Each album contained one stand-out Afro-Cuban tune, often covers of Cuban classics or original compositions using the deep, layered sound that had evolved over centuries from the roundtrip journey across the Atlantic. Six of Star Band's most psychedelic Afro-Cuban tracks, an ode to their finest hour, are selected here.

Remastered in the original mono, and accompanied by 12-page booklet containing an essay on Cubanismo in Senegal, a rare interview with Star Band guitarist Yakhya Fall and vintage photos from his personal collection, this album is the soundtrack to a time when Cuban music was the future for 1970's Senegal and commemorates the anniversary when another way — the Cuban way — was possible.

At home, in the islands of Cabo Verde, there was grog, or grogu, a strong sugarcane moonshine not dissimilar to Colombian aguardiente, copiously consumed at Funaná parties. In the diaspora, in Europe, there was leite quente (hot milk). "I can still remember the taste of the first leite quente I drank in Lisbon," says Antonino Furtado Gomes, Pilon's drummer and current band leader.

Synthesize the Soul, Ostinato Records' second compilation, revealed chapter one of the Cabo Verde cultural story in Europe, zooming in on visionaries like Paulino Vieira who made Lisbon the headquarters spearheading the musical revolution taking place within Cape Verdean emigre communities across Europe in the 1980's. Musicians from across the diaspora would eagerly travel to the Portuguese capital to record.

Grupo Pilon represents the second chapter of the Krioulu diaspora story. In smaller pockets, second generation musicians were independently contributing to one of the most lush periods of cultural innovation by immigrants in Europe. In Luxembourg, in 1986, a group of teenagers formed the largely unknown (outside of Cape Verdean circles) but consistently brilliant band named after the blunt instrument used in the islands to pound corn for Cabo Verde's national dish, cachupa.

With only five members, Pilon combined searing estilo Krioulu drumming and the hybrid ColaZouk style with blissful synth work and rugged guitar licks, creating a stripped-down, addictive sound that masterfully straddled two worlds, a seductive electro-Funaná carnival born from the first few sips of hot milk.
The band drew from the inspiring political changes of the day: the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The right to democracy became a constant theme in Pilon's songs.

With access to better opportunities than their parents' generation, Pilon's roster were part time musicians. Music was not part of their academic upbringing nor a full-time gig. Their rhythm and style were wonderfully imperfect, made out of rawer skills and inexperience. Pilon did not follow the templates established by revered Cabo Verde bands. Keyboard player Emilio Borges played off beat and the band preferred arranging their songs to start from the beat normally heard in the middle of a composition rather than the beginning.

These two elements made Pilon's music simple, unique, and inimitable. From 1997-2015, a lack of concerts and professional musicians proved near fatal. Today, Antonino and what remain of the original quintet are slowly piecing back together the puzzle of their once mighty outfit from an unlikely pocket of Europe. In it's heyday in the 90's, Pilon serenaded audiences in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lisbon, Rotterdam and Frankfurt, securing their reputation as a respected and unifying cultural force.

This LP, drawing from the six most powerful songs from Pilon's three-album catalog, is the serving of still fresh leite quente to spice the summer and maybe even fuel the next generation of musicians in the Krioulu corners of Europe.

Rocksteady Disco's newest recruit is Eddie Logix. He's been at the heart of the Detroit underground for over 15 years, most recently with his Technically Yeah live hardware nights, a grip of ambient and hip-hop releases, engineering for Assemble Sound. He’s one half of left-field funk-hop duo Mega Powers with Pig Pen, and of 'BLKSHRK' alongside Blair French, who first appeared on Rocksteady Disco
back in 2016 on; For Todd.

Placebo Palace is Eddie's first solo dance EP, combining all of this experience into a diverse offering for discerning dance floors.

The EP leads with “Que Locos”, a tropical house banger driven by brass and Latin-Jazz piano. “Baby Girl” rounds out the A side, with a dusty R & B vocal sample coupled with a massive and unexpected bassline. The B side is darker and deeper, starting with the frantic Afro-Jazz-Deep House “Sunday Palaver”. Closing the EP is “Bottle Rocket”, a psychedelic surf rock-tinged disco-not-disco chugger, with live guitar by Daniel Monk and electric bass by stphn-b. More forward thinking music from Detroit via Rocksteady Disco!

Maceo Plex hasn't dropped an original on Drumcode since 2014 when the hugely popular 'Conjure Infinity' EP was released. Despite this, he's been a significant feature at DC events over the last year.
Sharing a tight relationship with Adam Beyer, the pair have laid down memorable B2B sets at Warehouse Project, Ultra Music Festival, and the Resistance opening party in Ibiza this summer, thus cementing their tight musical bond.

Produced in the early part of 2019, 'Destination Mars' marks his terrific return to Beyer's iconic label. The track is trademark Maceo, a master class in tension and release, characterized by a slick low-end bass hum that gathers steam as crunchy drum lines and breathy vocal accents combine effectively with the main vocal lead, a contribution from Josh Wink, no less.

... No surprise, it went down a storm when debuted at Time Warp's mammoth 25th-anniversary party in April and has been highlighting the Ellum boss' sets ever since.

The ever-reliable Raxon is charged with remix duties, stripping back the track's engine to focus on a central melody, chugging bassline, and hypnotizing vocal effects. Shall Ocin's re-rub is made for misty-eyed mornings as celestial pads result in a transcendental finale to bring it home.

The 'OTHERLiiNE' project sees the pair fly in the face of maximalist music culture that so often demands constant releases and sudden drops. Here, George and Sila work with a considered approach, producing only quality manifesto of work ready to release into the new era of club culture and beyond. Featuring 7-tracks complimented by a set of interludes, the 'OTHERLiiNE' project guides the listener through an emancipating journey of outstanding elegance and otherworldly joy.

Lyrical King is the debut 1987 album from one of rap’s pioneers and innovators who was said by some to be the first artist recorded by Def Jam Records. T La Rock recorded this album for Sleeping Bag Records as the labels first rap act and show cased him at the
height of his career. An old school legend, MC and dancer who was sampled by Public Enemy and Nas, heavily influential on artists such as LL Cool J and the Def Jam sound and would walk out on stage with Run –D.M.C . Highlights include ‘Back to Burn’ and ‘This Beat Kicks’ where T La Rock teamed up with visionary producer Kurtis Mantronik.

'IMB12001' shipping to You in a designed Uni Cover with a Sticker of the Label "The Inbeciles" on it!

This is the music for our times; our darkening times. The Imbeciles are making the soundtrack for the world we really live in, which is set to become increasingly angry, unhappy, unfair, and messed up. “The world is slowly imploding.” That’s the warning from The Imbeciles, and the message behind its first album. The idea of what to do emerged like a surprise attack.

“I don’t even know where it came from… it ambushed us,” says Butch Dante, of the band’s forthcoming self-titled debut album. “To us it looks like mankind will endgame itself in this millennium, and probably within the next 100 or 200 years. The Imbeciles as harbingers of that fall. We’re pointing out that the world is imploding, for many reasons — environmental, political, technological, and ultimately because human beings themselves forgot how to be humane, how to be kind.”

“Saying we are political would infer that we have some faith in the political system. We don’t. Or that we have answers, a solution to prevent this coming slow apocalypse. But we don’t. We are sitting at the side of an innocent-looking pool saying: hey, you’re drowning but you don’t even know it. And we’re giving you some music to listen to as you go down.”

Inspired by the likes of Wire, Devo, Gang Of Four, but utterly unique, a new form of avant-garde art punk, against greed and mendacity. The band’s forthcoming album was recorded deep down at Sonic Ranch on the Texas/Mexico border. All analogue, in seven days. Produced by Calvin Voltz.

Latest single “D.I.E.” is “a lament for the end of the world. With references to global endgames. They’re grim. All self-inflicted. The chorus is epic when played live. It’s incredibly passionate. People really get into it.” And now it’s been remixed.

Red Rack'em's take on is wonderfully curveball as one might expect; homing in on one unique part of the vocal and making it the fullcrum, from which his psychedelic, deep-house, hardcore jazzathon is then able to blossom and unravel before your very eyes. Atmospheric, experimental and hooky too - clever business from the Bergerac boss.

Next up we have the amazing Oliver Ho and his Broken English Club. Here we witness a more flagrant and faithful use of stems, and through layering both the band's parts, and instruments of his own design - he transforms 'D.I.E.' into a towering slab of dark and raw, industrial EBM.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the release of "I’m New Here" - the thirteenth, and last studio album from the legendary US musician, poet, - and author 'Gil Scott-Heron'. XL-Recordings will release a unique reinterpretation of the album by acclaimed US jazz musician Makaya McCraven.

Titled "We’re New Again", the album will be released on 7th of February 2020; exactly a decade after the release of Scott-Heron’s original Richard Russell-produced recording.

It’s set to follow in the footsteps of Jamie xx’s highly acclaimed 2011 remix album We’re New Here and will be McCraven’s first release of 2020, following the huge global acclaim heaped upon his 2018 album Universal Beings.

One of the most vital new voices in modern jazz, McCraven is described by the New York Times as a "Chicago-based drummer, producer and beat maker, who has quietly become one of the best arguments for jazz’s vitality".

Swiss bass music maestro Bit-Tuner presents a widescreen ambient album about interactions and the traces they leave behind.

Bit-Tuner's 7th album "EXO" marks a milestone in his work: the widescreen and mostly beatless opus focusses on musical storytelling and atmospheric depth. The album was written and recorded towards the end of Bit-Tuner's 2-year stay in Athens.

Influenced by topics like the social and structural turmoils of the past years, the strong connections between communities and the sensation of being in an economic deadlock, Bit-Tuner wrote an album that urges to be listened to in a (self-)reflective way.

It is a call to listeners to listen closely, delve into the sounds surrounding them in any given moment and draw a quiet but firm inspiration from within. Following his field recording-based albums "The China Syndrome" and "The Japan Syndrome", "EXO" highlights his interest in cinematic music and soundtracks.

For the album, Bit-Tuner is collaborating with film maker Joerg Hurschler, who is creating animated footage that will be screened, mixed and live scored at Bit-Tuner's shows in 2020. Joerg Hurschler's work tells the story of molecular objects being propelled into a world similar to ours, where they operate, interact and affect their surroundings, creating and leaving behind something new and strange. What is it that surrounds us, and how do we approach and interact with forces that are beyond our (apparent) reach?

“Want Me” – 80’s funk vibed groover with a chunky drum bed, live bass and looping, filtering lead vocals.

“If You” – slinky funk re-edit vibes with soulful vocal snippets and a groove to swing ya hips and do ya dips!

White Vinyl 10"

A new release this winter marks a landmark moment in an important musical story. Way back in little 2009, the label hfn music was born in Hamburg, and made its introduction to the world with the release of the Trentemøller compilation Harbour Boat Trips: 01 Copenhagen.
Founder Tobias Lampe wanted to start a label that was more broad in scope than his previous, more electronic-focused projects, and the compilation provided the perfect opportunity to launch one. In the 10 years since then, the label has survived the whirlpool waters of the early 21st century’s constantly changing music industry, and released everything from pop to art-punk, with artists ranging from New York to the Faroe Islands.
Now, they’re about to put out their 100th release. Fittingly, given the label’s focus on new and innovative music, and the historic aspect of the release, hfn100 sees one of hfn’s best songs of 2019 put into the hands of the man it all started with, Anders Trentemøller. His Danish compatriots Blaue Blume’s new album Bell Of Wool is one of hfn’s standout releases this year, and so hfn100 sees Trentemøller remix one of that record’s standout tracks, the fragile, but soaring “Lovable”.
In Blaue Blume’s original, “Lovable” is an airy, tormented song, a gossamer-delicate composition that carefully stitches together layers and layers of shining synths that gradually build up and up into a peak, before crashing into a subtle beat, a musical journey that mirrors vocalist Jonas Smith’s trip from anguish to numbness. Whereas the original’s music sounds woven together from light, Trentemøller takes it into darker territory. He hooks the song to a harsh, sparse beat leaving Smith’s vocals bare and isolated in the burnt-out, dystopic musical landscape he creates.
Trentemøller mirrors the original’s careful building up, adding new elements to fill in the song’s sound, before it collapses into a tough, noir disco groove. It’s a perfectly realised remix – Trentemøller keeps the original song’s skeleton and soul, but fills in the space with sonic touches that could be no one else’s but his.Ultimately, it’s a fitting song for hfn’s hundredth release. For a label that’s always been a platform for its boundary-pushing artists, a collaboration between two of them, that sees an already innovative song pushed into a bold new shape is the perfect way for hfn to step into the next 100 releases..

Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Akiko Yano reissue program with the reissue of her superb double album recorded with YMO at a time when she was part of the group’s touring line up between 1979 and 1980. The album is pure Akiko Yano featuring her superb singing and piano playing, enhanced by touches of YMO’s synth-pop sound (check her cult version of YMO’s classic, “Tong-Poo”). It is the first time the album is released outside of Japan and the deluxe 2-LP set features the original artwork with gatefold sleeve and 4-page insert.
When "Gohan Ga Dekitayo" came out in 1980, Akiko Yano had been touring with Yellow Magic Orchestra for more than a year. She'd play keyboards alongside the three founding members, Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi, plus guitarist Kenji Omura and Synth wizard programmer Hideki Matsutake (as part of the 1980 North American tour, she'd also feature in the group's cult TV appearance on Soul Train for a memorable rendition of "Tighten Up") and they are all present on "Gohan Ga Dekitayo."
The double LP, whose title could be translated by "Dinner is ready," was co-produced with Ryuichi Sakamoto and recorded at two legendary studios: Tokyo's Alfa Studio "A" and Los Angeles' Sound City. It was Akiko's first shift towards a fuller synth sound following four studio albums mixing Pop and Jazz Funk, including her landmark debut from 1976, "Japanese Girl". A shift that would continue with the release of "Tadaima" in 1981, also featuring the YMO musicians.
?The fourteen tracks featured on "Gohan Ga Dekitayo" find Akiko in top form mixing her singer-songwriter's sensitivity with the electro-pop sound of YMO. It's interesting to note though that it is very much an Akiko Yano album even if the group is present on the album (interestingly they do also play analog instruments on the album). Akiko is clearly the one in charge with a string of beautiful compositions and the rendition of one of the group's classics, "Tong Poo" which she reinvents as a slower, less metronomic-paced song adding her own lyrics.
?Other highlights on the album include "Dogs Awaiting..." an hypnotic composition featuring fascinating electro arrangements or "Coloured Water" sung in English by Akiko accompanying herself on Fender Rhodes with subtle percussion by Tatsuo Hayashi and electronics by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
There are many more great moments on this superb album which announces the further experiments of "Tadaima". "Gohan Ga Dekitayo" is an album that urgently needs to be (re)discovered by her growing international fanbase and Wewantsounds is happy to reissue it worldwide for its 40th anniversary.

Auf "Small Favours" - der 6–Songs Vinyl–Auskopplung des Albums "Favours", verbündet sich Elektronikmusik–Zauberer Wolff Parkinson White mit verschiedenen SängerInnen, unter anderem Norah Jones, Natalie Beridze und Pascal Leboeuf.

Wolff Parkinson White's typisches Maschinengewehr–Feuer aus manipulierten Audio–Splittern steht hier in krassem Kontrast zu der Wärme der menschlichen Stimme. Seine erste EP–Veröffentlichung auf Nonplace bedient sich an vergleichsweise bekannten Liedstrukturen und beantwortet die Frage, wie ein Projekt von Björk und Venetian Snares klingen würde, wären sich beide jeweils der Nachteile diatonischer Monotonie und der endlosen harmonischen Wüste bewusst.

Die 6 Tracks der EP wurden von Labelchef Burnt Friedman persönlich von den 13 Album–Tracks ausgewählt. Der Schlagzeuger Jochen Rückert, der hinter dem Spitznamen "Wolff Parkinson White" steht, spielt auf "Heaps Dub" (nonplace20) von Root 70 und "Coptic Dub" (nonplace27) von Hayden Chisholm's Projekt The Embassadors.

For the new Arma release Ena explores different, distinct facets of his sound across three productions. “Pale” distills his vision of techno as a minimalist, repetitive construct. Working around non-standard time signatures, he creates a densely woven lattice of percussive pulses, which cut a polyrhythmic path through nightmarish sheets of noise. “Secondary Color” uses a broader palette that opens the Ena sound up to the light,,, “Wired” heads further away from the grid in pursuit of sound design exploration, as a rack of pipes and chambers strike, boom and chime against artful distortion and cavernous reverb. While Ena has historically been hesitant about remixes of his material, he warmed to the idea of long-time Arma friend JASSS reworking “Wired”. Taking the track into her own fiercely individual sound world, she uses the harmonic tonality of the original as a jump-off point for an epic, emotionally forthright chiller loaded with coldwave bombast, trap hats and Silvia’ own voice. Coming from entirely different angles of approach, Ena and JASSS are bound together by their fearless individuality. You can sense the slithers of pre-existing music somewhere in their constructions, but such familiarities are no more than faint echoes of places they passed through on their way to somewhere new.

Rhythm Syndicate Records is proud to present their debut vinyl release. Both tracks come from a true veteran of the Drum & Bass scene, and an exclusive release from top level producer Blade. DJ Blade, has a sound that is much sought after amongst headz, and his following has continued to grow steadily over the past few years. His production style is distinctive, and has seen him have various releases on labels including, Good Looking Records, Fokuz Recordings, Soul Deep Recordings, Smooth N Groove, Liquid V, Think Deep, and Flight Pattern, to name a few. Known for producing big anthems, and a prolific unreleased back catalogue die hard fans can only dream of owning, its no surprise that Blade receives continuous heavy support from some of the top Deejays in the game. The song, "China Town Womad", has been supported consistently by scene legend, LTJ Bukem. Now this sought after track is available on a limited vinyl run, so get one while they last!

"Marble Grounds" is the first release on new Seattle vinyl imprint Rhizome (US). Local live duo JamRat provides the two original tracks "Marble Grounds" and "Neurocare Locale" each accompanied by a remix from Glueped, consisting of Cristi Tudorache aka Melodie and Mihai Mihalcea (Teluric).

"Marble Grounds" on Side A drifts through singing synths and steady percussion, the melody gently arising and humming to the listener before evaporating as the breakdown arrives.

Glueped's first remix of the EP is a cosmically-charged reinterpretation of "Marble Grounds", a dreamlike rhythm providing a quicker pace into lofty synths and a guiding drum.

"Neurocare Locale" is a harmonious hymn fizzing with auspicious vocals joined by a playful synth, provoking ephemeral reflections deep within.

A deep kick and baseline actualize together and announce a dancefloor-ready dive, uncovering a starry remix of "Neurocare Locale", concluding Side B.

MSKVCH debuts the first release in series dedicated to and inspired by its namesake Moskvich Bar. It includes 4 tracks by well-known artists Kirik, Christian Burkhardt, Anton Kubikov, and Joss. Vinyl Only.

Strings and swinging traps pulse beneath radiant brass painting a daring dynamic East Coast evolution of Chicago style avant-garde. Fly or Die received “Best of 2017” honors from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NPR Music, WIRE Magazine, Aquarium Drunkard, Stereogum, The Quietus, Bandcamp, and more.

To call Marcos Valle 'a legend' of Brazilian music is much more than just easy press-release hype. As singer, writer, musician and record producer, Marcos has played an integral role shaping the sound of the country’s music from the 'golden era' of the 60's and 70's, through to the modern day. Alongside his brother, Paulo Sergio Valle, they have penned a huge catalogue of classic songs, not just for themselves but for other greats such as Elza Soares, Astrud Gilberto, Claudia to name a few.

‘Braziliance!’ takes things back to the early heady days of Marcos’ career with the bright and optimistic sound of Rio's Bossa Nova scene. It includes an instrumental version of ’Crickets Sing For Anamaria’ or 'Os Grilos’ in Portuguese, which would also be re-recorded with vocals. Though only in his early twenties at the time, ‘Braziliance!’ depicts very sophisticated production for a musician so young. Recorded in 1966, produced by Louis Oliveira and Ray Gilberts with arrangements by the very talented Emir Deodato, the album was released on Warner Bros. Records.

The artwork presents a very clean-cut, wholesome looking Marcos but darker things were around the corner for Brazil. The ‘Tropicalica’ movement was on its way and about to shake thighs up both musically and politically.
Unlike some of his Bossa Nova contemporaries, Marcos continued to stay relevant, surfing the changes and adapting to the musical developments that culture and society projected and needed, without comprising his art. Under exclusive license to Light In The Attic Records & Distribution, LLC | Mr Bongo Records.