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Odyssey was originally a CD-only release by Japanese duo Master Mind (Hiroshi Ogawa & Hisaki Kurosawa) and was their 3rd full-length album. 30+ years later it is now available as a double LP on the California-based Forest Jams label. Its one of many albums of this particular genre that came out in the decade but one that is wholly unique with the depth in its sculpted sounds and the transportation it provides to an audio realm of equally fantastical and soothing proportions. For fans of ambient, lush gardens, auditory massages, RPG OST/BGM, and Kankyō Ongaku. Licensed by NHK Publishing and limited to 300 copies.

Get ready for a musical history lesson of the wildest kind! Vancouver's garage-punk specialists THE BAD BEATS are back with a bang On their new album "Shiver and Shake - 14 Canadian Cold Cuts," released via SOUNDFLAT RECORDS, the band pays homage to the musical heritage of their Canadian homeland--with 14 hard-hitting cover versions. After proving they have the 60s "fuzz" spirit in their DNA with albums like "His Vengeful Hand" and "Off the Hook," they've now dug deep into Canadian music history. Instead of the usual hits, THE BAD BEATS present a selection of "Cold Cuts"-- raw, unpolished gems from cult bands that shaped the sound of the North. Look forward to high-energy reinterpretations of legends such as THE DEVRONS (who would later become THE GUESS WHO with the classic "She's Your Lover"), DAVID CLAYTON THOMAS & THE SHAYS (with the gripping "Take Me Back"), LES LUTINS ("Je Cherche") and of course, a tribute to the legendary NEIL YOUNG, with a gritty version of "Mr. Soul," is a must.

Not all 'All Stars' style releases live up to their name, but this multi-artist extravaganza from Demuir's Purveyor Underground Ltd label most certainly does. The Canadian artist has snapped up tracks from some genuinely impressive deep house talents, with predictably fine results. For proof, check the deliciously dreamy, hazy and rolling opener from Atlanta star Byron The Aquarius, the jazzy bass, locked-in beats and lightly psychedelic layered aural textures of Fred P's 'Sunny Rain Drops (Cosmic House Edit)' and the softened DJ Sneak-style sample-rich peak-time bump of Demuir's own 'Alone In Chicago'. Elsewhere, M Squared reaches for elongated electric piano chords, eyes-closed samples and jazzy house grooves on 'Dance', before Justine Joe delivers an exquisite exercise in jazz-house jauntiness ('AFaOA (As Far As Our Attitude)').

Strut proudly presents the first-ever reissue of a landmark 1974 Ghanaian highlife classic Sikyi Highlife by Dr K. Gyasi & His Noble Kings, originally released on Essiebons.

A defining recording of the era, Sikyi Highlife bridges tradition and innovation at a pivotal moment in Ghanaian music. Deeply rooted in the classic 1950s–’60s highlife sound, K. Gyasi drew inspiration from the ancient sikyi drum-dance of the Akan people of southern Ghana, shaping the album’s rhythms around its distinctive pulse.

The vocal arrangements echo the traditional Akan modal style, grounding the music firmly in Ghana’s cultural heritage. Yet Sikyi Highlife is equally forward-thinking. As electric guitars became standard in highlife during the 1960s, the 1970s ushered in further experimentation. The Noble Kings broke new ground as the first highlife guitar band to incorporate keyboards and a full horn section into their sound, expanding the genre’s sonic possibilities while retaining its rootsy spirit.

Gyasi’s approach was part of a broader indigenisation movement among Ghana’s electric highlife bands in the post-independence era. Inspired by the nation’s ‘African Personality’ ethos and reinforced by Afrocentric messages arriving from American soul and funk, artists began reclaiming traditional forms within modern arrangements. Contemporaries included Koo Nimo, who revived the older palmwine style, and drummer Nii Ashitey, whose Wulomei band pioneered a folklorised Ga highlife sound from 1973.

Like many musicians of his generation, Gyasi was a passionate supporter of Ghana’s independence movement. In 1963, he travelled as a musical ambassador alongside Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, performing across North Africa and the USSR and carrying Ghanaian culture onto the world stage.

The Noble Kings’ mid-’70s line-up featured some of the country’s finest musicians, including guitarist Eric Agyeman (who led the band at the time), Thomas Frimpong on drums and vocals, Ernest Honny on organ, and bassist Ralph Karikari - who was renowned for his innovative technique of translating the rhythms and tonal language of the traditional talking drum onto electric bass.

Upon its original release, Sikyi Highlife became one of the biggest-selling albums of the 1970s for Essiebons, earning Gyasi the affectionate honorary title of “Dr” from his devoted fans. Today, the album remains an evergreen classic, still cherished across Ghana and beyond.

Chart topping British singer-songwriter Maisie Peters returns with much anticipated third studio album ‘Florescence’, co-produced with 2x Grammy Winner Ian Fitchuck with collaborators including Marcus Mumford and Julia Michaels. Florescence reflects on how the right love can help heal the wrong ones. It’s an album about perspective, self-realisation, healing, and ultimately, learning how to flourish. This lands as Maisie’s first new LP since she became the youngest solo British female artist in almost a decade to land a UK No.1 album with ‘The Good Witch’ back in 2023. Since then, she’s had the A-list co-signs via Phoebe Bridgers, Sam Smith and Olivia Rodrigo. She’s had a fiercely devoted fandom flock to headline tours around the world. And she’s played shows from Wembley Arena, to Glastonbury, to stadium slots with Taylor Swift and Coldplay.


“Florescence means ‘the process of flowering, of developing richly and fully’ and to me, this album describes exactly that. These 15 tracks depict a blossoming of myself from ages 23 to 25 and a blossoming of a true real love that anchors both me and this record. It tells the story of the last few long winters, with all of their villains and thorns, heartbreaks and rains, and it leads you, by the end, into a perfect English spring, into the hope and catharsis that comes when the first wildflower blooms. It’s a true representation of healing, of finding hope and peace and strength not just in somebody else, but in yourself. It is clear skies, cherry pits on the grass, windows flung open - it is Sussex country roads and London corner shop wine that leaves a stain when you kiss. It is the feeling of flying, then falling, then flying again. It is knowing that there was a point to all the sadness of before, and the point is the woman you see in this mirror now, and the person you see by her side. Love is weaved into every strand of every song on this album and for good reason - love is timeless, love is pure, love is organic and simple and effortless and real. I hope you find this album to be that as well.”

Through her work across five Vastum albums, Leila Abdul-Rauf has been a sonorous contributor to 20 Buck Spin’s discography for more than 15 years now. Concurrent to that she’s also amassed an impressive body of solo work whereby she could showcase the full range of her multi-instrumental artistic and vocal talents. We now bring that part of Leila’s output to 20 Buck Spin showcasing her darkest and most confrontational material to date with new album ‘Andros Insidium’. On ‘Andros Insidium’ Leila draws us into a ceremonial descent, through the architecture of shadow itself. Unfolding like a ritual text etched in obsidian, each movement traces the violent and sacred geometry of transformation. The presence and wisdom of the feminine divine looms throughout, as an ancient and uncompromising force, in conflict with everything buried, exiled and made monstrous by the machinery of societal pressures and unrealistic expectations. The album delves deep into the dark vastness of the psyche of woman: wild, ugly, vulnerable and powerful. Sonically ‘Andros Insidium’ is a mutation of the cinematic dark-ambient, industrial and ritual folk expressed in prior releases, now sharpened into something far darker, more narrative and intimate. Leila’s vocal work becomes a new focus with a wider variety of styles and characters, exorcising the demons of patriarchal fragmentation and revenge fantasy as lived myth. In its most potent moments, ‘Andros Insidium’ suggests that wholeness is not purity or light, but the terrifying act of reclaiming everything that was discarded, and learning to speak with its voice. * New solo album of Leila-Abdul Rauf of VASTUM (also has played in Amber Asylum, Hammers of Misfortune, and others) * Dark and heavy mix of Dark Ambient, Industrial, Ritual / Neo Folk, Electronic

* FFO: Dead Can Dance, Diamanda Galas, Arcana, Amber Asylum, Jarboe/Swans, Chelsea Wolfe, Cold Meat Industry

Equal Vision Records, Dine Alone Records, and The Flatliners are thrilled to announce the release of Cold World, the Juno-nominated Canadian punk quartet’s brand new studio album, arriving Friday, May 8. The album is available now for pre-order / pre-save / pre-add. Where 2022’s New Ruin wrestled with the inherited damage left behind by the previous generation, Cold World confronts that legacy as something more distant — a ghost, a fading memory. If New Ruin captured the rage of realization, Cold World lives in the aftermath of clarity. Welcome to the future. Leading the charge is first single “Good, You?”, a snotty, tongue-in-cheek anthem that takes aim at toxic masculinity and the all-too-familiar fear of opening up about our feelings. Fans can watch the Jeff Powers-directed music video on YouTube and stream the track now on all platforms. Light Grey Marble available limited to 250 Rude Records Exclusive.

Chart topping British singer-songwriter Maisie Peters returns with much anticipated third studio album ‘Florescence’, co-produced with 2x Grammy Winner Ian Fitchuck with collaborators including Marcus Mumford and Julia Michaels. Florescence reflects on how the right love can help heal the wrong ones. It’s an album about perspective, self-realisation, healing, and ultimately, learning how to flourish. This lands as Maisie’s first new LP since she became the youngest solo British female artist in almost a decade to land a UK No.1 album with ‘The Good Witch’ back in 2023. Since then, she’s had the A-list co-signs via Phoebe Bridgers, Sam Smith and Olivia Rodrigo. She’s had a fiercely devoted fandom flock to headline tours around the world. And she’s played shows from Wembley Arena, to Glastonbury, to stadium slots with Taylor Swift and Coldplay.


“Florescence means ‘the process of flowering, of developing richly and fully’ and to me, this album describes exactly that. These 15 tracks depict a blossoming of myself from ages 23 to 25 and a blossoming of a true real love that anchors both me and this record. It tells the story of the last few long winters, with all of their villains and thorns, heartbreaks and rains, and it leads you, by the end, into a perfect English spring, into the hope and catharsis that comes when the first wildflower blooms. It’s a true representation of healing, of finding hope and peace and strength not just in somebody else, but in yourself. It is clear skies, cherry pits on the grass, windows flung open - it is Sussex country roads and London corner shop wine that leaves a stain when you kiss. It is the feeling of flying, then falling, then flying again. It is knowing that there was a point to all the sadness of before, and the point is the woman you see in this mirror now, and the person you see by her side. Love is weaved into every strand of every song on this album and for good reason - love is timeless, love is pure, love is organic and simple and effortless and real. I hope you find this album to be that as well.”

Błoto’s bold 2020 debut brought forth three albums in just twelve months. This prolific creative burst, followed by an ongoing tour and involvement in other projects, meant that fans had to wait over three years for the next release. During this time, new ideas took shape, and the vision for their fourth LP crystallized. The wait for Błoto's new album is nearly over. As always, autumn signals the arrival of Grzybnia (Mycelium).

The idea for the album had been simmering within the band since the release of Kwasy i zasady and finally took shape in late January 2023 at Warsaw's Studio Pasterka, under the careful guidance of Piotr Zabrodzki. It was by far the most fruitful session in the group's history, with ideas flowing in abundance. The chosen tracks not only resulted in two well-received singles, Szlam / Ścieki and Bakteria, but also provided enough material for an EP set to drop next year.

The seemingly chemical title of the album Kwasy i zasady (Acids and Bases) ultimately referred to interpersonal relationships, describing traits that prevent harmony. The album embodied the polarization of societies in the 21st century. The metaphor of Grzybnia (Mycelium) goes a step further. It emphasizes the importance of cooperation as a fundamental skill that can yield various results (fruits, fungi)—both good and bad. Above all, it underscores the power of collective action beyond divisions.

In a complex, unstable modern world that is breaking apart into pieces, the concept of mycelium offers a powerful model. Mycelium thrives in degraded, seemingly lifeless environments created by humans. A key aspect of the broader significance of mycelium is that cooperation benefits all involved parties, where each contributes something and receives something in return. Mycelium is a symbiont, meaning it forms a symbiotic relationship with certain tree species through mycorrhiza, where the roots of the trees and the mycelium exchange essential life-sustaining substances. This results in mutual benefits. The world of mycelium exemplifies cooperation.

A single mushroom, like a person, dies, but mycelium endures, much like humanity itself. Thus, similar to culture, it is immortal. Błoto operates in a manner akin to mycelium. It undoubtedly belongs to the underground realm, embodying the essence of the underground. It is also a destructor of music. In what sense? The Polish Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk noted in her book Primeval and Other Times that “... Mycelium thrives by drawing the last remnants of life from what dies, decomposes, and seeps into the earth. Mycelium is the life of death, the life of decay, the life of what has died.” In the same way, Latarnik, Cancer G, Wuja HZG, and OlafSaxx, through their collaboration, process cultural products to create entirely new and surprising combinations. The result of this work is both edible and poisonous mushrooms, manifested in the form of fat beats, house, spiritual jazz, improvised music, illbient, organic techno, and genre-defying electronics.

The peak mushroom season in Poland occurs in autumn, which is why Grzybnia will be released on October 11, 2024, via Astigmatic Records.

Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2016 haben die Londoner High Vis ihre Palette an progressivem Hardcore mit Nuancen von Post-Punk, Brit-Pop, Neopsychedelia und sogar Madchester-Groove verfeinert und einen Mittelweg zwischen Hooks und Wut, Melodien und Moshpits gefunden. Sänger Graham Sayle beschreibt ihr drittes Album Guided Tour als eine Achse der konkurrierenden Kräfte: "Es versucht, eine hoffnungsvolle Platte zu sein, während es gleichzeitig wütend macht." Die Band, die von Schlagzeuger Edward 'Ski' Harper, Bassist Jack Muncaster und den Gitarristen Martin MacNamara und Rob Hammaren komplettiert wird, ist tief in der britischen und irischen DIY-Hardcore-Szene verwurzelt und wird von Rastlosigkeit und rechtschaffener Wut gleichermaßen inspiriert. Die 11 Songs des Albums umfassen das gesamte Spektrum zeitgenössischer Gitarrenmusik, die durch Erfahrung, Kameradschaft und gesellschaftliche Frustrationen geschärft wurde. Von schwungvollem Streetpunk ("Drop Me Out", "Mob DLA") über schrillen Indie-Spott ("Worth The Wait", "Deserve It") bis hin zu Heavy Alt ("Feeling Bless", "Fill The Gap") und shoegazeartigem Spoken Word ("Untethered") - die Chemie der Gruppe verwandelt jeden Stil in ihre einzigartige Intensität.

Me Saco Un Ojo proudly presents the debut offering from Canadian’s doomed death metal entity Funelore.
Bellowing eldritch atmospherics explode from crawling guitars and drums with monstrous vocals and ghostly synths to accompany them.
The funereal and sombre ambience is deathly, morbid and hypnotising – enveloping all with darkness from the onset.
The gritty production conveys the devastating mood of the release gloriously with the crushing weight of every instrument allowed to sit on your chest as you inhale smoky anguish into weakened lungs.
This is a profoundly unusual and unique sounding record that fans of death and doom metal alike will adore, but it is no mere run-of-the-mill death-doom, this cinematic duo of songs is a destructive and ethereal force of darkness like none you have heard before. In under 20 minutes your soul will have suffocated and been stripped bare as your consciousness dissolves in tides of agony…

The Portcullis draws on dungeon-synth textures, medieval ambience, and the imaginative pull of folklore. Taking the listener on a focused journey through shifting eras, symbols, and atmospheres. It plays like a lost fantasy soundtrack, inviting the listener into an adventure that feels both ancient and newly invented.
Released on Fire Records, ‘The Portcullis’ sees composer Graham Reynolds on an ancestral journey back to Launceston Castle.
"For The Portcullis, I took a deep dive into the history of my family’s patrilineal side. Starting with my grandfather, an ironworker who built the Hartford Cathedral, to my great great great Grandmother, who was a galley cook on a Welsh sailing ship, to the enlightenment era celebrity portrait painter, Joshua Reynolds, and finally to twelfth century know Richard Reynell (before the Reynolds spelling was standardized). Reynell was the Sheriff of Devon and the custodian of Lauceston Castle. While King Richard I was away on the crusades, Reynell made his name defending the castle from the usurper Prince John. I started making sketches of the scenes and stories I imagined. The Portcullis follows Reynell from castle to castle, sequentially as they were built after the Norman invasion. On Reynell’s chest and shield is the symbol and crest of the Reynolds family: The Portcullis."
Graham Reynolds creates an “ominous, stark environment that rumbles with sounds evocative of the natural world, in both its beauty and despair” New York Times.
Known for his wide-ranging versatility, from film and television scores to classical ballet, Graham has scored over seventy films and TV episodes to date. His ongoing collaboration with Richard Linklater the most notable.

Cosmic Journey is the new album by Little Lion Sound, bringing together the sound system's most significant releases from the past two years. The album embodies the DNA and artistic evolution of Little Lion Sound, reflecting a deep love for reggae and sound system culture, as well as a strong ability to build bridges between generations and territories.

Born from sound system culture and firmly rooted in reggae, Little Lion Sound has developed an open and modern musical vision over the years, blending contemporary reggae with hip-hop influences while always preserving the essence of the genre. Cosmic Journey perfectly illustrates this approach through a coherent and immersive soundscape, driven by deep basslines and meticulous attention to textures and arrangements. The album also stands out for the richness of its collaborations, bringing together iconic artists and rising voices from the international reggae scene. From Jamaican foundations (King Kong, Capleton) to new generations, passing through Brazil (Jô), London (Brother Culture), and Trinidad & Tobago (Queen Omega), each contributor brings their own color, energy, and signature. The project also highlights collaborations with producers from France, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, further enhancing the diversity and balance of the album.
Cosmic Journey is a true invitation into their musical universe. A celebration of creativity, authenticity, and the collaborative spirit at the heart of sound system culture, this sonic journey is designed as a complete experience where tradition and innovation meet, uniting established artists and emerging talents.

Tracklisting:

The new Nu Genea? A real band on Toy Tonics that plays dance music! Drums, bass, percussion, keys… no samples, no computers.

Kymono bring together house, Italian pop, Brazil, and jazz. They have amazing skills as musicians, as songwriters, and they ROCK hard live. It sounds a bit 70s but also it sounds so post-digital or as some say: organic. It’s a band for the Lo-Fi heads and the people who like groove on a dancefloor.

One song features Italian legend Alan Sorrenti on the mic. The rest has a few Italian vocals, which makes it so unique and charming that it will appeal not only to funky house music fans but also to lovers of the current jazz scene.

New vinyl-only 7" series dedicated to razor-sharp edits for true heads sets it off with a cheeky dancehall flip of an unearthed hip-hop gem primed for peak-time shellings. On the flip, a jazzy house workout built for deep-cut selectors. Raw, soulful & built for sound systems.

Alchemical amalgamations abound on Gloomy Reflection's Debut LP. The combining of two explosive musical forces in Lord Gordith (Quest Master, Steröid) and Will Spectre (Crypt Vapor, Dracula, Tarot, The Wizar'd) is in and of itself an act of strong and dangerous magick yielding the potent chemical reaction that has brought forth The Oath of the Paladins.
These seven tracks of synth drenched hard rock/heavy metal are each the product of significant symbiosis. Wrenching together lofi basement blackened heavy metal, with bombastic fist pumping progressive hard rock. The fusion of these ever so unstable elements has resulted in one of the most electric albums of 2025.

Just as you were getting your head straight coming off the 21st Trip … Brown Acid dose # 22 drops, continuing to fry your mind in a revolving trap-door Twilight Zone alternate world of early hard rock… populated by real life characters so far out they can look like a cheesy wedding band but sound like Blue Cheer! Uncanny! This music comes at you from many angles. Teens in a garage colliding with booze, drugs and girls for the first time, lounge lizard hustlers with snazzy stage clothes and fuzz boxes… gnarly backwoods troublemakers meet blow dried glam rock wannabes here, seamlessly clobbering your head with sound rather than each other! An electric post-psychedelic bar brawl for your mind awaits, unfasten your seat belt, crank it up and fly! Sounds Synonymous "Babylon" out of Flint, Michigan 1969 rip the devastating Blue Cheer classic a new one, immediately swarming you with organ swells and distortion before collapsing into a tuff funk groove, a psychedelic James Brown vibe shot through with dirty howling fuzz guitar, vocals nailing the messed up but confident relaxed sneering attitude of the original Cheer eruption. The Bumps "Shining" from Seattle 1969 resides right at the transition of ‘60s psych into early prog, well constructed, no diluting things artsy fartsy style, a compelling heavy riff, spacious vocal harmony hook floating above a turbulent take on getting your shit together and shining like a star. Fat chance, but you can dream, the band did and their dreams kick ass across time to right now or you wouldn’t be here.

Coulda been a hit back then, definitely a hit now. Riverside "Farmer" explodes out of Austin, Texas 1974, economical but brilliantly structured riffs and power chords, intense dynamic tension/release, fantastic screaming leads over shifting angles of attack during the middle break… it’s all here with a detached confidence in the vocal that swaggers back in time to the late ‘60s in its proto-heavy psych adjacent assault. Cincinnati Joe & Mad Lydia "Get It Together" for real in Cincinnati, Ohio 1970. The song says everything you need to know: “You may think that you’re the very best, miles and miles ahead of the rest, but be sure when you’re put to the test you get it together!” These words are deployed in a manner similar to Peter Green’s “Oh Well”, intermittently stated between killer gnarly guitar and gushy organ attacks. Bar band heaven and hell rolled up into one big ball, the vocals get all the way out there! Straight Up "Fire" takes the monster 1968 Crazy World Of Arthur Brown hit into faithfully executed but surreally minimalist territory, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1974. Genius version of a key song that presciently cuts to the chase regarding Brown Acid’s incinerations of psychedelic idealism, you’re gonna burn, burn, burn… as that moment climaxes you can gawk at their preposterous flashy lounge band stage outfits and realize side one must end because everything is totally scorched into eternity. Scrap Iron "Poopsie" is a primitive two chord stomper with spiraling fuzz and organ riffs, singer marking his territory caveman style. “Poopsie, you’re my woman” he commands, but gets weirdly insecure she’ll blow him off at the altar by the end of each verse. Snarly wah-wah ices this toxic cake out of Carteret, New Jersey 1973. Focused delivery so single-mindedly crude it creates an inescapable instant brain-worm. Lady "Live Show Tigers" is amongst the most potently life affirming trash rockers you’ll ever hear, one outrageously triumphant but fiercely sloppy anthem about living it up like a star, strutting the stage glammed up New York Dolls drag style but with a Dictators sense of humor. Tasty slightly off kilter guitar leads all through, going serendipitously berserk on the fade. Picture disc single out of L.A. 1980. Fantastic fun rock star rock at a very raw local street level where any time is party time.

Killer Frog "Hard Times" on Masochist Records from Chicago, Illinois 1972 takes less than two minutes, an action packed James Gang style bar band rocker with a bit of punky sneer in the face of misfortune. These guys never even heard of flower power. They are killer frogs. Good Humore "Killer" does kill in stripped down hard rock trio style, Warren, Michigan 1976. No frills guitar, bass and drums groove tight, snaky primordial riff, snarly licks. “She’s a killer of a woman, knows just what she’s doing…” The singer knows she’s a femme-fatale roadhouse predator but she’s so hot the inevitable wreckage seems a bargain. Ride it out like the extended jam on the fade knowing she’ll be back for more! Sarawest "Space Rider" winds up the 22nd Trip lost in a twisted two chord space adventure from the point of view of an alien visiting our planet seeking knowledge but finding out we are stupidly destroying ourselves, so he gotta split sneering back at us like we wasted his time “I got no time for loving… I wanna be a space rider, space rider”. Toronto, Canada 1974, a vibe lurking in some strange but funny void between late ‘60s outsider garage psychedelic rock complete with reverb-y acid guitar leads and late ‘70s retro-futuristic D.I.Y wisecracking from inner space… taking the piss out of outer space!