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An artist as versatile as Alex Krüger is a rare find these days, not only did he release numerous EP's and albums as Tigerskin or Korsakow since the mid 90s, he's also been on the forefront of the 'Dub Techno' movement since 1999 with outings on classic labels such as 'Raum...Musik", 'Force Tracks' and '3B/ United States of Mars". Now ten years after his last album on 'Opossum Recordings' Alex is back with this well crafted genre bending full length 'Caves & Cages". From deep techno cuts through rippling ambient excursions to funky reggae infused live jams with Haushausen this work is yet another milestone in the creative bubble Alex lives in (i.e. his studio). A predominantly analogue producer, Alex recorded most sounds for 'Caves & Cages' on his modular synths and vintage gear at Organic Domain during 2017 and early 2018. Throughout the album tension ebbs and flows effortlessly via syncopated subs, analogue improvisation, subtle chord stabs and sustained swells interspersed with textured field and home recordings. The ambient opener 'Intra' sets the tone for the album. Rich with alien atmospheres, distant soundscapes, out of reach voices and licks of live instruments dug up from numerous recordings dating back as far as 30 years, even before Alex started his electronic journey. The sojourn ventures deeper from there. Subaquatic dub techno is the mood on 'King's Cave", 'Helix' and 'In Air' only surfacing ever so slightly for moments of clarity where shimmering tops and glistening synth lines shed some light on the steady grooves. The tracks 'Future History' and 'Transition State CIV' border on deep house territory.

Number 5 of Fluyo Records arrives with The Headmaster, a project conceived in the early 90s from an attempt to “master my own head” and express feelings through sound. The music is mainly instrumental and beat-driven, focusing on emotion and atmosphere rather than vocals, though the right vocal sample can sometimes enhance a track , like B2 - Eternity ¨

Growing up around the Melbourne electronic music scene inspired me to have a go at making music myself. The Melbourne rave scene of the 90s eventually sealed my fate, leading me to perform live, DJ, and release tracks on various Australian and European labels.

Single Lock Records feiert das 10-jährige Jubiläum von Dylan LeBlancs hochgelobtem drittem Album ,Cautionary Tale" mit einer limitierten Auflage auf gelbem Vinyl. Er kehrte nach Muscle Shoals zurück, um seine Wunden zu lecken und sein drittes Album zu schreiben, mit den Produzenten Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes) und John Paul White (Civil Wars) an der Spitze. ,Bei diesem Album geht es darum, dass ich ehrlich zu mir selbst bin", sagt Dylan. ,Ich musste die Schuldgefühle über die Vergangenheit loslassen und eine neue Wahrheit in mir selbst finden. Dieses Mal hatte ich das Gefühl, dass ich wirklich etwas zu sagen hatte."

Sans Merit arrives on Knekelhuis with his second album Trolley Polly. A radiant album from currently LA-based Australian musician Griffin James—one that leans into unguarded joy with a playful, disarming sincerity.

The album rocks right away into our world. Lifting off where the guitar pedals mash the gas and go. While at other moments the acoustic guitar passages carry a neofolk intimacy, like the low-voiced choir singer cast out of a pastoral world, left to wander in his own solitude. These moments are swept up by surging shoegaze episodes, slipping into hazy hypnagogic pop interludes and wiry post-punk turns, giving the record a restless, shifting pulse.

Beneath it all lies a lyrical sensitivity that grounds the album’s movement. Sans Merit reflects on the big questions in a world that feels increasingly fragile, balancing vulnerability with a self-aware, gently naïve humor, while staying attuned to the emotional undercurrents of everyday life. It’s this perspective that makes Trolley Polly feel so human—alive in its contradictions, and quietly comforting.

"After being praised as one of the best releases of 2025 by multiple platforms, the highly praised debut album from Obeka lands on vinyl via YUKU.

The rhythmic dynamics and emotive attitudes of A World No More captures the density of soundsystem culture in Obeka's ancestral roots. YUKU presents the Bermudians debut album capturing a Neo-Colonial dystopia, protest and Afro-Futurism hyperextended through decaying sonic structures of a dark past and its grievances which very much exist today.

Growing into adulthood within the walls of British and European Colonial systems meant the disconnection and lostness in a new country hid me from the world at a young age. Unlike London's vast and culturally engaging migrant communities, the industrial milling town of Stockport introduced a coldness towards people from other countries I experienced in my first year after relocating from Bermuda. I couldn't understand why. Whether cold words thrown towards me or actions upon other people who look like me, it has shown to be a dooming societal virus with no cure. The most comfort was found through what was familiar - drums and rhythmic spirituality of my homeland. It was a safe-haven, a place to empty the anger and confusion. It's been 15 years since relocating and as my sound evolved, it seems classism, racism, oppression and civil control of ethnic peoples has become worse - even now more legalised and normalised. Ogun (a powerful Yoruba deity associated with anger, justice and war) acts as the opening sequence of the record and its symbolism. Using distorted bass frequencies and dissected Regga-Dub immersed in live-sampled ghostly voices of the lost ones. This sonic exercising is also applied in Drillaman - a stampede of industrial framework and metallic instruments wielded over moody Dancehall MC'ing, magnifying two parallel worlds in cocooned evolution. The resurrection of Transatlantic African cultures and identity have never been silenced, rather carried elsewhere through trade routes of enslavement, which was pivotal when composing and completing the album upon returning home to the Caribbean for the first time ever. After reconnecting with my heritage my blurred vision of what's wrong in the world became so clear. Guidance in empty plains seek truth throughout the pain - A statement of finding oneself expressed on the poetic closing track A World No More.

On Fawohodie (A West African Adinkra symbol that represents independence, freedom, and emancipation stamped on the album cover) the motive and atmosphere begins to change. Afro-Caribbean idealism which refers to the philosophical concept that emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and the importance of community, often contrasting with Western individualism, begins to take shape in a new universe. We can co-exist. The track framework uses machine-led software forming frequencies we have no control over, then manipulated through decomposing soundscapes, scattered hand-drums and human-made weapons of control - exposing the hidden disparity that's been carried over generations whilst balancing hopeful and musical foundations towards equality and peace. On Pressure and Kuduro! the writing direction attempts to wake people up. Not settling for a composed approach like in past projects, quite the opposite. A call for native sonic awareness, dismantled vocals of protests, eroded percussion using chains, gears and motorised harmonies sculpted in challenging abstract behaviors far outside my comfort zone. A direct abrasiveness and weight I want people to feel, whilst finding hope and solace through enchanting choirs and hypnotic basslines in complete synchrony.

"Purity in sound manifests when you least expect it. The smallest memory or feeling grows from a seed into a sonic language that you, and only you can interpret and release back into the world." "

Demilitarize follows Nazar’s remarkable 2020 debut Guerrilla, which reprocessed Angolan kuduro music with rough textures, field recordings and media clips, telling a personal story of the civil war that exiled his family to Europe, while his father, a rebel General, fought a losing battle in the jungle back home. After Guerrilla, and an extended period of serious illness, now Demilitarize is motivated by a reckoning with mortality and the flowering of new love, turning the ‘rough kuduro’ of Guerrilla inside out.This is a deep sound world, genuinely dreamy, the arc of the album describing shedding the armour of trauma and surrendering to this new situation. A constant and unexpected aspect of Demilitarize is Nazar's gentle, submerged vocal. Insistent and mantra-like, it’s like a cross between Elisabeth Frazer, Arthur Russell and Frank Ocean, and the music is fragile and opaque in response. The rhythms of kuduro are still here,but move around his voice like fish around a swimmer, while precise sound design illuminates from different angles. Chords spiral, ripple and shoot through the beats giving tracks the loosest of settings; songs disassemble; vocals float off-centre.

Regarded by many as the greatest funk album of all time, ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ was recorded at United Sound in Detroit & included a live track from their concert appearance at the Monroe Civic Center in Louisiana in April 1978. The band’s tenth studio album released during September 1978 was also their most commercial & gave the band their first platinum disc. The iconic title track was an international hit and a US R&B No.1. With lead guitarists Michael Hampton & Eddie Hazel dazzling, the personification of funk Bootsy Collins on bass, Bernie Worrell & Walter “Junie” Morrison’s keyboard wizardry & many more, the album was produced by the genius of George Clinton. Regularly ranked at or near the top of various “best album” lists, ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ is mastered for vinyl in a deluxe facsimile gatefold sleeve with booklet & lyric inner sleeves, all housed in a protective PVC sleeve. The albums’ original bonus songs are now included on a second 12-inch “Special EP” which adds the rare 11-minute “Disco Mix” of ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ to replicate the original first UK pressing from 1978. FUNKADELIC Masterminded by the larger-than-life figure of George Clinton, Funkadelic was a key component of his influential P-Funk empire. Funkadelic’s unique combination of Rock, Psychedelia, R&B & Soul led to the band crossing over to the pop mainstream & gaining a vast international following, becoming one of the most important & influential groups in music. On 6 May 1997, Parliament / Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Prince. To commemorate six decades of thrilling & delighting fans, George Clinton returned to the stage in 2022 for a series of concerts. To celebrate, Charly have reissued Funkadelic’s classic four albums ‘Hardcore Jollies’; ‘One Nation Under A Groove’; ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’; & ‘The Electric Spanking Of War Babies’ (originally released by Warner Bros during a golden period for the band between 1976-1981). Each album will be available as deluxe gatefold Digi-Sleeve CDs in PVC wallets + obi-strip & facsimile-edition gatefold LPs on 180-gram black vinyl & limited edition 180-gram colored vinyl + 1970s-style obi-strip in a protective PVC sleeve. “They played a HUGE role in creating the future of music.” PRINCE

Midway through Martin Luther King, Jr's historic speech at the 1963 March on Washington, a voice rang out from behind him: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" That voice belonged to Mahalia Jackson, King's close friend and one of the most revered gospel singers of the 20th century - Glorious Mahalia, a visionary tribute to Jackson's life by the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet, uses that moment as a springboard to explore the depth of Jackson's musical craft and its impact on the Civil Rights Movement, including her relationship with Clarence Jones and Studs Terkel, other luminaries of the time

Recorded in New York in 1967, Silk & Soul is Nina Simone's second album for RCA. Despite arrangements that don't always best suit her voice, this album does contain classics "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free", which would become a Civil Rights anthem and "It Be's That Way Sometimes", written by her brother Sam Waymon. "The Turning Point"' is a song that seems to be about a child making a new friend, but turns out to question the origins of racism. Ms Simone also takes on Dusty Springfield by covering "The Look Of Love", which was originally featured in the 1966 James Bond spoof Casino Royale.

Silk & Soul is available as a limited edition of 2500 individually numbered copies on red vinyl.

Ubisoft and Laced Records have forged a new trade alliance, expanding their economic tree to bring the lavish music of Anno 117: Pax Romana to glorious vinyl.

This vinyl set celebrates the ornate score for Ubisoft's richly detailed city builder, capturing the spirit and splendour of the Roman Empire at its peak. From the beautiful heartland of Latium to the mysterious Celtic wetlands of Albion (where no civilized Roman wants to be), every musical cue is steeped in world-building and crafted with remarkable care.

The outer sleeve features striking landscape art from the game, while the inner sleeves present detailed track lists framed with ornate motifs inspired by Roman architecture and pattern work. The result is a set that feels like a treasure from the imperial archives.

The soundtrack charts a journey across the empire, weaving together atmospheric strings, ancient-inspired instrumentation, and sweeping orchestral cues that capture both the serenity of prosperous provinces and the political tensions throughout. The music reflects every choice you, the governor, must make. Diplomacy or domination, tradition or transformation. An emotionally rich and immersive soundtrack worthy of Rome itself.

FELT wade deeper into the murky waters of contemporary Scandinavian electroacoustic music following the recent reissue of Johan Wieth’s Health & Safety project on sub-label LEFT and established gems from the likes of Civilistjävel!

Gintė Preisaitė, a Lithuanian artist and graduate of Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatory, reveals her first solo release under her own name, following a collaborative effort with Toshimaru Nakamura in 2025 and a number of cassettes as “Baraboro”. The deliberately genre-blurring sound Preisaitė deploys works with composed pop vignettes, sustained drones, FX manipulations and guttural bursts of noise. Sparse piano movements, sample-laden psychedelia and moments of big beat/trip-hop rhythms gel with crowd noise, close mic’d intimacy and experimental percussion with a focus on instrumental timbres and extended techniques.

With a background in composing for large ensembles, Preisaitė's multi-instrumental approach is evident across the eight tracks, moments of dense concrète-style sound collages anchored by the human voice never being far away. She laments on fantasy, absurdity and relationships as a cast of players contribute string, brass, accordion, and guitar parts. Passages move from delicate acoustic folk motifs through to wide-eyed, cut-and-paste glitch electronics and spectral melodic riffs, making the album an unorthodox and welcome addition to Denmark's current world-class music scene.

If there is one thing that WAX RDM loves to do, it is split, they love splitting bills, middle splits, banana splits and most of all a good old split EP, and they made sure to deliver on their first one. Not only is he responsible for saving the Netherlands from becoming an aquatic civilisation, the land creature known as Deltaplan also claimed the whole A side for his boombastic electrofied vinyl only rendition of Sexual Seduction, which could get any dance floor drenched in dripping sweat. The Hague city's APK Boys have split the split in 2 on side B. If Flipper was a fun loving dolphin who always dreamt of moving to The Hague City, this is what he would sound like, hard hitting, just a tad frustrated and ready to snap at any moment. Yes Yes finishes of the split with a sure-shot Electro heater which will take your mind into a dreamlike state, thinking of ways to make Flippers dreams come true. And if you think things couldn't get any better, APK provided us with a 3rd digital only track for good measure. Stay dry and keep swimming.

Erstpressung des Soundtracks zum Netflix-Originalfilm mit Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman und Jay Lycurgo. Die Originalmusik wurde von Ben Salisbury und Geoff Barrow komponiert und enthält außerdem ,Don't Leave Too Soon" von Little Simz (die auch in dem Film mitspielt), den sie exklusiv für die Figur Shy geschrieben hat. Der Soundtrack enthält auch Beiträge des renommierten Elektro-Produzenten und DJs Slipmatt. Ben Salisbury und Geoff Barrow haben unter anderem die Soundtracks und Filmmusik für Annihilation, Ex-Machina, Civil War, Black Mirror und Devs geschrieben und produziert.

“Alle Sorgenti Delle Civiltà Vol. 3 - Africa, Australia, Nuova Zelanda” (1971) is the third and final chapter of a triptych of folk-based sound recordings released by Folkmusic. The album contains a total of fourteen tracks by Braen and Raskovich, i.e. the a formidable multi-instrumentalists Alessandro Alessandroni and Giuliano Sorgini, each grappling with seven different compositions characterised by a tribal mood. Among the grooves of this record, repressed on vinyl for the first time by Musica Per Immagini, it is possible to discern an in-depth study of one of those forms of popular culture referring to a specific geographic area, comprising the types of traditions often handed down orally and concerning knowledge, beliefs, fairy tales, legends, myths, narratives linked to the dimension of the fantastic, customs and traditions, namely music. Festivals and propitiatory rites, fights and dances, magical and sacred representations were all expressions of life whose sound and rhythm contributed to an appropriate description of the environment. Alessandro Alessandroni and Giuliano Sorgini have chosen some of the most significant musical characters that even belong to specific ethnic realities scattered across two distant continents, where the use of some of the typical instruments has favoured the realisation of sonorities of considerable interest.

David August's most expansive, ambitious album to date, the Italian – German composer and producer lets his vast sonic universe collapse, rediscovering in its wake an instrument that's been a constant presence in his life. 'Hymns' is a deeply personal set of candid piano – led reflections that tell a simpler but far more distinctive story; rather than concentrate on the life cycle of humanity and civilization, August narrows his field of vision, tracing his own background and re - asserting his relationship with a musical language he'd tried hard to unlearn. An intimate, instinctual album that emerged from isolation and contemplation, 'Hymns' is also a surprisingly hopeful suite of soft hued, evocative improvisations that well up from the depths of the soul. In August's own words, "it should recall light, not darkness."

Big Crown Records freut sich, Glera zu präsentieren, Marco Beneventos Debütalbum auf dem Label. Marco Benevento hat sich schon immer wie jemand bewegt, der das Studio als eigenes Instrument begreift - nicht bloß als Raum, in dem das Spielzeug herumsteht. Lange bevor er auf Bühnen mit Freddie Gibbs und Madlib auftauchte oder in den Liner Notes von Alben von Clairo und Leon Bridges erwähnt wurde, dachte Benevento bereits wie ein Produzent: Er hörte auf Texturen, Spannungen und Negativräume - und auf jene seltsame emotionale Alchemie, die entsteht, wenn Groove und Neugier aufeinandertreffen. Sein neues Album Glera schärft diesen Instinkt und rückt Benevento nicht nur als virtuosen Keyboarder und Bandleader ins Licht, sondern als Komponisten, der aus Rhythmus, Klang und Gefühl ganze Welten formt.Glera ist ein genreübergreifendes Jazzalbum, das Soul und das elastische Low-End des Reggae mit einem offenen Sinn für Möglichkeiten verbindet. Das Projekt begann vor drei Jahren als eine Art privates Experiment: Benevento schrieb intuitiv, inspiriert von italienischen Filmmusiken und Melodien. Mit der Zeit entwickelten sich diese Skizzen zu etwas Größerem und Kraftvollerem - und mündeten schließlich in die hier zu hörende majestätische Ausformung.Entstanden ist Musik mit filmischer Bewegung, ohne dabei kostbar oder überladen zu wirken. Die Stücke fühlen sich mal wie Verfolgungsjagden, mal wie langsame Überblendungen an - manchmal sogar innerhalb desselben Songs. Jazz-Improvisation teilt sich den Raum mit Reggae-Grooves, orchestralen Elementen und einer psychedelischen Pop-Atmosphäre. Explorativ, aber geerdet; komplex, doch stets klar groove-orientiert.Der Album-Opener ,Frizzante" ist eine reine musikalische Feier - ein energiegeladener Feel-Good-Banger, auf Band gebannt, in dem Marco über einem unnachgiebigen Groove Melodien mit sich selbst austauscht. Auf ,Turandot" wird Benevento von Italiens Marianne Mirage am Gesang begleitet; der düstere, cineastische Track bewegt sich mühelos zwischen den Welten von Portishead und Serge Gainsbourg.Mit ,Big Top" erweitert sich die klangliche Palette noch weiter: ausgestattet mit Sprachaufnahmen und Pfauengeräuschen lässt sich der Song am treffendsten als ,Zirkus-Funk" beschreiben. Ein Pfiff - und das Spiel beginnt mit ,Houdini", einem jazz-fusionhaften Dancefloor-Füller, der vom ersten Schlagzeugschlag an die Tür eintritt. Auf ,I Can't Control This Bliss" mischt Benevento Dream Pop unter und bittet Dream Crease ans Mikrofon - für eine Dosis lo-fi-getränkter Schönheit. Elizabeth Steiner steuert ihre renommierte Harfenarbeit zu ,Miss Neptune" bei, getragen von einem tief vibrierenden, reggae-inspirierten Fundament.Mit Vollgas prescht ,Sprezzatura" wie eine Hochgeschwindigkeitsverfolgung durch enge Straßen, während ,Quattro Passi" das Tempo drosselt und zum entspannten Schlendern einlädt - mit Jazzsängerin Chiara Civello als Feature.Marco Benevento agiert hier auf höchstem Niveau, formt Klang mit Zielstrebigkeit und Neugier. Dieses Album kündigt sich laut an - zugleich nach außen gerichtet und zutiefst intim. Es ist Musik in Bewegung: zwischen Genres, Tempi und Registern, stets verankert in der Freude am Entdecken. Ein Album, das Bewegung verkörpert, die Vergangenheit mitnimmt und doch niemals stehen bleibt.

Big Crown Records freut sich, Glera zu präsentieren, Marco Beneventos Debütalbum auf dem Label. Marco Benevento hat sich schon immer wie jemand bewegt, der das Studio als eigenes Instrument begreift - nicht bloß als Raum, in dem das Spielzeug herumsteht. Lange bevor er auf Bühnen mit Freddie Gibbs und Madlib auftauchte oder in den Liner Notes von Alben von Clairo und Leon Bridges erwähnt wurde, dachte Benevento bereits wie ein Produzent: Er hörte auf Texturen, Spannungen und Negativräume - und auf jene seltsame emotionale Alchemie, die entsteht, wenn Groove und Neugier aufeinandertreffen. Sein neues Album Glera schärft diesen Instinkt und rückt Benevento nicht nur als virtuosen Keyboarder und Bandleader ins Licht, sondern als Komponisten, der aus Rhythmus, Klang und Gefühl ganze Welten formt.Glera ist ein genreübergreifendes Jazzalbum, das Soul und das elastische Low-End des Reggae mit einem offenen Sinn für Möglichkeiten verbindet. Das Projekt begann vor drei Jahren als eine Art privates Experiment: Benevento schrieb intuitiv, inspiriert von italienischen Filmmusiken und Melodien. Mit der Zeit entwickelten sich diese Skizzen zu etwas Größerem und Kraftvollerem - und mündeten schließlich in die hier zu hörende majestätische Ausformung.Entstanden ist Musik mit filmischer Bewegung, ohne dabei kostbar oder überladen zu wirken. Die Stücke fühlen sich mal wie Verfolgungsjagden, mal wie langsame Überblendungen an - manchmal sogar innerhalb desselben Songs. Jazz-Improvisation teilt sich den Raum mit Reggae-Grooves, orchestralen Elementen und einer psychedelischen Pop-Atmosphäre. Explorativ, aber geerdet; komplex, doch stets klar groove-orientiert.Der Album-Opener ,Frizzante" ist eine reine musikalische Feier - ein energiegeladener Feel-Good-Banger, auf Band gebannt, in dem Marco über einem unnachgiebigen Groove Melodien mit sich selbst austauscht. Auf ,Turandot" wird Benevento von Italiens Marianne Mirage am Gesang begleitet; der düstere, cineastische Track bewegt sich mühelos zwischen den Welten von Portishead und Serge Gainsbourg.Mit ,Big Top" erweitert sich die klangliche Palette noch weiter: ausgestattet mit Sprachaufnahmen und Pfauengeräuschen lässt sich der Song am treffendsten als ,Zirkus-Funk" beschreiben. Ein Pfiff - und das Spiel beginnt mit ,Houdini", einem jazz-fusionhaften Dancefloor-Füller, der vom ersten Schlagzeugschlag an die Tür eintritt. Auf ,I Can't Control This Bliss" mischt Benevento Dream Pop unter und bittet Dream Crease ans Mikrofon - für eine Dosis lo-fi-getränkter Schönheit. Elizabeth Steiner steuert ihre renommierte Harfenarbeit zu ,Miss Neptune" bei, getragen von einem tief vibrierenden, reggae-inspirierten Fundament.Mit Vollgas prescht ,Sprezzatura" wie eine Hochgeschwindigkeitsverfolgung durch enge Straßen, während ,Quattro Passi" das Tempo drosselt und zum entspannten Schlendern einlädt - mit Jazzsängerin Chiara Civello als Feature.Marco Benevento agiert hier auf höchstem Niveau, formt Klang mit Zielstrebigkeit und Neugier. Dieses Album kündigt sich laut an - zugleich nach außen gerichtet und zutiefst intim. Es ist Musik in Bewegung: zwischen Genres, Tempi und Registern, stets verankert in der Freude am Entdecken. Ein Album, das Bewegung verkörpert, die Vergangenheit mitnimmt und doch niemals stehen bleibt.

Big Crown Records freut sich, Glera zu präsentieren, Marco Beneventos Debütalbum auf dem Label. Marco Benevento hat sich schon immer wie jemand bewegt, der das Studio als eigenes Instrument begreift - nicht bloß als Raum, in dem das Spielzeug herumsteht. Lange bevor er auf Bühnen mit Freddie Gibbs und Madlib auftauchte oder in den Liner Notes von Alben von Clairo und Leon Bridges erwähnt wurde, dachte Benevento bereits wie ein Produzent: Er hörte auf Texturen, Spannungen und Negativräume - und auf jene seltsame emotionale Alchemie, die entsteht, wenn Groove und Neugier aufeinandertreffen. Sein neues Album Glera schärft diesen Instinkt und rückt Benevento nicht nur als virtuosen Keyboarder und Bandleader ins Licht, sondern als Komponisten, der aus Rhythmus, Klang und Gefühl ganze Welten formt.Glera ist ein genreübergreifendes Jazzalbum, das Soul und das elastische Low-End des Reggae mit einem offenen Sinn für Möglichkeiten verbindet. Das Projekt begann vor drei Jahren als eine Art privates Experiment: Benevento schrieb intuitiv, inspiriert von italienischen Filmmusiken und Melodien. Mit der Zeit entwickelten sich diese Skizzen zu etwas Größerem und Kraftvollerem - und mündeten schließlich in die hier zu hörende majestätische Ausformung.Entstanden ist Musik mit filmischer Bewegung, ohne dabei kostbar oder überladen zu wirken. Die Stücke fühlen sich mal wie Verfolgungsjagden, mal wie langsame Überblendungen an - manchmal sogar innerhalb desselben Songs. Jazz-Improvisation teilt sich den Raum mit Reggae-Grooves, orchestralen Elementen und einer psychedelischen Pop-Atmosphäre. Explorativ, aber geerdet; komplex, doch stets klar groove-orientiert.Der Album-Opener ,Frizzante" ist eine reine musikalische Feier - ein energiegeladener Feel-Good-Banger, auf Band gebannt, in dem Marco über einem unnachgiebigen Groove Melodien mit sich selbst austauscht. Auf ,Turandot" wird Benevento von Italiens Marianne Mirage am Gesang begleitet; der düstere, cineastische Track bewegt sich mühelos zwischen den Welten von Portishead und Serge Gainsbourg.Mit ,Big Top" erweitert sich die klangliche Palette noch weiter: ausgestattet mit Sprachaufnahmen und Pfauengeräuschen lässt sich der Song am treffendsten als ,Zirkus-Funk" beschreiben. Ein Pfiff - und das Spiel beginnt mit ,Houdini", einem jazz-fusionhaften Dancefloor-Füller, der vom ersten Schlagzeugschlag an die Tür eintritt. Auf ,I Can't Control This Bliss" mischt Benevento Dream Pop unter und bittet Dream Crease ans Mikrofon - für eine Dosis lo-fi-getränkter Schönheit. Elizabeth Steiner steuert ihre renommierte Harfenarbeit zu ,Miss Neptune" bei, getragen von einem tief vibrierenden, reggae-inspirierten Fundament.Mit Vollgas prescht ,Sprezzatura" wie eine Hochgeschwindigkeitsverfolgung durch enge Straßen, während ,Quattro Passi" das Tempo drosselt und zum entspannten Schlendern einlädt - mit Jazzsängerin Chiara Civello als Feature.Marco Benevento agiert hier auf höchstem Niveau, formt Klang mit Zielstrebigkeit und Neugier. Dieses Album kündigt sich laut an - zugleich nach außen gerichtet und zutiefst intim. Es ist Musik in Bewegung: zwischen Genres, Tempi und Registern, stets verankert in der Freude am Entdecken. Ein Album, das Bewegung verkörpert, die Vergangenheit mitnimmt und doch niemals stehen bleibt.

The Andromeda EP by Hobzee & Response features four beautiful and expansive tracks comprised of two collaborations (Kioto and Andromeda) alongside solo offerings from each artist (Civilised Drinking by Response, and Undo by Hobzee, featuring vocals by Onde). As with previous Wilderness releases, the Andromeda EP flows from track to track and works together as a whole to take you on a journey.

Epicentre was an R&B/funk group formed in Seattle, Washington by keyboardist Ric Ulsky. The band developed a loyal following, playing the extensive NW club, concert and dance venues throughout the mid-to-late 1970s. Their sound was a blend of melodic R&B and powerhouse funk that dependably filled music venues throughout the Western US. Bernadette Bascom was the lead vocalist, who captivated audiences with her powerful yet velvet-smooth voice and commanding, magnetic stage presence.

In 1978, Epicentre worked with Seattle producer Don McKinney to record their music in Seattle's now legendary Kaye-Smith studios. The result was seven strong, fully -produced R&B songs, with occasional horn and string orchestrations tastefully added to the final versions.

Their music quite literally sat on a shelf for decades until McKinney decided that all the hard work and talent should no longer remain undiscovered and it needed to find its audience. He restored and digitized his copies of the master tapes and looked for an opportunity. A chance call to the former leader of the group, Kell Houston, led to a serendipitous introduction to UK boutique/funk/R&B label founder Russell Paine. The result was an agreement to release their music, starting with two songs, "When You Were In Love With Me", and "Magic Carpet."

Footnotes: Lead singer Bernadette Bascom became a protegé of Stevie Wonder, and was the first artist to be signed to his label Black Bull , starting a period of collaboration between the two. Bermadette is the daughter of Reverend Dr. Marion C. Bascomb (1925-2012), one of Baltimore's major civil rights voices and pastor emeritus of Baltimore's Douglas Memorial Community Church. Ric Ulsky eventually left the group to play keyboards and tour extensively with The Association. You can also find Epicentre's music on the compilation album "Seattle Funk, Modern Soul & Boogie: Volume II 1972-1987." In addition to Bernadette, the musicians on the 1978 sessions are Kell Houston, keyboards, Michael Cox, bass, John Carmondy, guitar, and Ricky Lynn Johnson, drums and vocals. While their recorded material is primarily original, Stacy Christensen from Seattle's Gabriel contributed two of his compositions. Label credits: Epicentre featuring Bernadette Bascom. Recorded at Kaye-Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington, August 1978"When You Were in Love With Me" and "Magic Carpet" written by Bernadette Bascom. Produced for Epicentre by Don McKinney

Glorias comprises minute samples of pieces by composers who were exiled from Franco's Spain after the Spanish Civil War and field recordings of the Spanish countryside. It is an attempt to reconcile the exile and the homeland, and a tribute to the International Brigades, volunteers from around the world who travelled to Spain to fight fascism, many of whom never returned.

‘Cataclysm’ is a poignant call for revolution of both politics and consciousness, conveyed through ten distinct songs written and produced by Zanias between 2020 and 2024. Each piece of music inhabits its own aesthetic universe and rhythm, featuring elemental fusions of coldwave, italo disco, witchhouse, trance, breakbeats, hyperpop and even a touch of drum and bass. The unique amalgamation is best described as post-industrial ethereal wave, of Zanias’s very own signature. The subject matter grapples with how to move forward through times when civilisation and the entire ecosystem of the planet feel like they are on the brink of total collapse, while gazing back over hundreds of thousands of years of human survival in total awe of how far we’ve come. The lyrics aim for a balance of vulnerability and poetic strength, as the audience is beckoned to “thread the power through the pain”. While darker atmospheres are conjured through the sound design and instrumentation, the album ultimately directs itself steadfast toward the glittering sheen of hope. As the tempo ascends through the course of the album’s tracklist, so too does Zanias’s deep attachment to our sacred humanity and refusal to give in to despair.

‘Cataclysm’ represents an ambitious defiance of genre tropes in pursuit of pure artistry, with a potent political message delivered with assertive fervour and playful sincerity. Additional production was contributed by mixing engineer Trey Frye, best known for his work in the band Korine, and the album was mastered by Alain Paul.

Enigmatic UK producer Dylan Henner announces new album of deeply considered and choral-laced experimental ambient music Star Dream FM, said to be taped from a mysterious radio broadcast that plays his favourite memories from adolescence.

Though (clearly) fictional, the backdrop to new album Star Dream FM represents a tactile canvas on which the record’s true meaning is painted. It is, through Henner’s now-characteristic employment of ambient-textured synthesis, marimba, digital choir, and processed voice, a study of late adolescence and the experience of being seventeen.

Little is known about Dylan Henner, who landed on the ambient scene in 2020 with cassette releases for Phantom Limb, Belgian label Dauw, and cult tastemakers AD93. He barely promotes himself publicly, instead choosing to communicate through disarmingly poetic song titles. His debut album “The Invention of the Human” (AD93, 2020 - a recipient of BBC 6Music’s Album of the Year honours) responds to a set of philosophical questions - what exactly makes us human? What good is civilisation when there’s so much misery attached to it? How will technology affect humanity in the long run? In 2022, he released follow-up You Always Will Be on AD93, which traced the course of a single life from birth, to childhood, to adolescence, adulthood, parenthood, middle-age, old-age, and demise. He has also covered Raymond Scott, Terry Riley, Aphex Twin, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Su Tissue among numerous further projects.

Since his earliest days, Ben Frost has been fascinated by the cinematic qualities of the guitar. His output to this point has hinted at this, but with »Steel Wound« he makes a bold statement of intent.

Finding his way to a deserted stretch of Johanna Beach along the Great Ocean Road (Victoria, Australia) in early 2003 Frost set up a remote studio at a derelict cabin overlooking the icy waters of Bass Strait. With a constant wind flowing off the sea his only companion, Frost started work on a series of improvisations that would eventually become »Steel Wound«. A few months go by and Frost has made his way back to civilization. He begins editing the masses of treated guitar from the Johanna Beach improvisations and before long a theme takes hold - one that very much reflects the isolation of the environment where the tracks were created.

Each of the pieces on »Steel Wound« is a epic journey, coloured with a deep sense of filmic narrative and suggested dialogues. The textural quality of the works, laced with field recordings and lost vocal fragments, sketches out the emotional soundscapes Frost had unwittingly gathered during his time at Johanna Beach. Each piece is a splintered fragment in time – a forgotten memory beautifully rediscovered in a moment of introspection.

Seven - a number steeped in mystery and meaning, woven into the very fabric of time and space. Throughout history, the number seven has stood as an immutable symbol: from the days of the week to the alchemical metals, from the kings of Rome to its seven hills. An archetype that unites astronomy, myth, and ancient civilizations, finding its deepest expression in Rome.
According to legend, the Eternal City guarded seven sacred relics, the Pignora Imperii, objects whose possession ensured divine protection, prestige, and political authority. Ovid referred to them as the "pledges of power": testimonies of Rome's Trojan heritage and its connection with peoples such as the Sabines, Etruscans, and Greeks. These artifacts, now lost, were:
I. Lo scettro di Priamo
II. Il velo di Iliona
III. Il Palladio
IV. Le ceneri di Oreste
V. Lo scudo ancile
VI. La quadriga di Veio
VII. L'ago di Cibele
From this mythology emerges the new project by Lykos Records: a narrative journey in seven chapters, each dedicated to one of these relics, unfolding through the various artists releases corresponding to catalogue numbers 7, 14, 21... up to LYKOS-XLIX.
Chapter I, "Lo scettro di Priamo" LYKOS-VII, is dedicated to the symbol of Troy's power, brought to Latium by Ilioneus on Aeneas' command as a pledge of alliance and reconciliation. It is said to have been kept on the Palatine Hill.
To inaugurate this journey, seven Roman artists - PixFoil, DJ Red, Brando Lupi, Luigi Tozzi, Feral, Sunday Bath, and Worg - will give life to a sonic mosaic celebrating the musical heritage of the capital. Their tracks will form a collective work that bridges generations and diverse artistic visions.
Each double vinyl will feature an original illustration by Roberto Mulliri, wrapping the entire front and back cover and included inside as a poster.
Within the Pignora Imperii lies the strength and power of Rome, witnesses of the city's epic saga; likewise, Lykos Records weaves its destiny into the history of these sacred Roman objects, becoming a messenger of their enduring legends.

After the conceptual depth of "Parallel Traces of the Jewel Voice" (2021), dj sniff returns to Discrepant with a more direct and visceral document: Turntable Solos.

Composed from live recordings made during the latter half of 2024, Turntable Solos captures dj sniff’s improvised performances in their rawest form. At the core of his setup is Cut ’n’ Play, a software sampler he originally built in Max / MSP in 2007. Since then, he has continued developing custom tools and instruments that extend what Derek Bailey called the “instrumental impulse” — the tactile, responsive relationship between musician and machine that defines improvisation.

Following a summer 2024 tour of Japan with Gonçalo Cardoso, sniff was encouraged to document and release a selection of his live sets. Not long after, a performance at 20α (Alpha) in Hong Kong would become the emotional and conceptual anchor for the project.

In the liner notes, sniff reflects on the eerie parallels between recent footage of protestors in Los Angeles — assaulted by police using so-called “less-lethal” weapons, and civilians being abducted into detention centers — and the 2019 Hong Kong protests. A place once filled with personal nostalgia began to feel like a grim foreshadowing of what might unfold in Western societies.

In this turbulent context, 20α stands out as a space of resistance and renewal — a beacon for a new generation of experimental musicians, growing in defiance of increasing censorship and surveillance. "Turntable Solos" is both a personal statement and a public act of sonic resilience.

Efficient Space charts Ghost Riders’ North American roadmap, crashing into 1973 New York to ignite the unfiltered teen dreams of Dennis Harte.

In the late ’60s, 11-year-old prodigy Dennis Harte was handed a Sears-bought Silvertone 1448, its in-case amplifier primed for street-level incantations. Recruiting two neighbourhood friends, the trio hammered out raw rhythms, drawing in Brooklyn’s wandering bohemians, keen to glimpse a prepubescent Alex Chilton in the making.

Also jamming with his older brothers, Bart and John, a family friend introduced the siblings to budding music exec Carl Edelson, who had spent the better part of two decades hustling through a string of local labels. A father figure of sorts, Edelson backed them immediately, facilitating sessions at the famed A-1 Sound Studios and Sanders Recording Studio and pressing four 7”s on his newly minted Roundtable Records. To maximise his chances of courting major labels, he strategically assigned each release a different artist name - Dennis Harte, Pure Madness, Harte Brothers and the wryly titled Harte Attack.

Dennis’ emotional maturity and sheer talent bleed into the defining ‘Summer’s Over’, penned by Edelson and once recorded by mid-'60s New Jersey garage vocal group The Wouldsmen. Morphing into an unfathomably teenage, blue-eyed soul/psych lament, it aches for a season slipping away forever. Its Harte Attack edition counterpart - the candied ballad ‘Running Thru My Mind’ - delivers unison harmonies and kinetic guitar interplay with a streetwise punch, channeling the spirit of NYC-area icons The Rascals, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and The Youngbloods.

Roaring like the Spencer Davis Group, Pure Madness’ organ-driven bruiser ‘Freedom Rides’ screams of biker gangs, yet its true subject - ’60s civil rights activists the Freedom Riders - looms as another towering theme for an adolescent perspective. Meanwhile, the loose, bluesy ruckus ‘Treat Me Like a Man’ digs back into Edelson’s catalogue, covering the Beatles-inflected Levittown group The Shandels.

Though Dennis later found success touring with Wilson Pickett and now doubles as a piano tuner to the stars, these four snapshots frame ambition on its outer edge - a heartfelt homage to an unbreakable brotherhood.

Mr Bongo proudly presents Ritmo Italiano ‘Unspoken Sounds of Italian Tamburo’ a captivating compilation of percussive-driven, Italian gems curated by Sardinian multi-instrumentalist, percussionist and producer, Gabriele Poso. A journey into the heart of Italian musical history, it celebrates Italy’s rich rhythmic traditions, showcasing a selection of genre-traversing, Italian treasures from the ‘60s to the early ‘90s. Honouring the timeless rhythms of Italian percussion masters, alongside a brand-new exclusive composition by Gabriele, ‘Ritmo Italiano’ shines a light on the universal, primal language of the drum.

A connection sparked from an early age; percussion has always deeply resonated with Gabriele. It led to years of studying percussion traditions across Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Brazil, crafting his own songwriting skills in the process. An acclaimed producer and compiler, his releases on Yoruba Records, BBE and Soundway Records have garnered global support. Yet a growing need to rediscover the essence of his country’s cultural heritage laid the foundations for this new compilation.

In Gabriele’s own words, “Italy has always been a crossroads of civilizations, with influences from the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe converging over centuries. Ports like Naples, Genoa, and Venice played a crucial role as gateways for musical exchange, a melting pot of sounds and cultures brought by sailors, merchants and travellers. These influences blended with Italy’s own folk and religious traditions, creating Italy’s unique and emotionally resonant rhythms.”

Across the 12 absorbing tracks, there’s jazz influences, Italian library music aesthetics and experimental beats mixing with Afro-Cuban and Mediterranean rhythms. It’s a broad selection anchored by the drums. The synth-heavy, ‘80s jazz funk flavours of Gegè Munari's ‘Police Man’, sit side-by-side with the samba-infused ‘Napulitano D' 'O Brasil’ by Don Marino Barreto Jr. Tribal, earthly energy radiates from Naco’s ‘Volando Con Milton’, with Tullio De Piscopo serving up cosmic disco brilliance, and blistering jazz funk mastery coming courtesy of Agostino Marangolo. Taking the name of the compilation, a new original track by Gabriele, ‘Ritmo Italiano’, blends traditional rhythms with contemporary energy, Afro-Latin influences with Italian jazz essence. Recorded live in one take, it captures a raw, unfiltered vibe.

“Each track tells a story, connecting the past with the present, and highlighting the deep-rooted traditions that shape Italy’s rhythms. The collection also offers a glimpse into the diversity of Italian music with a variety of styles from the organic, earthy beats to the more experimental and modern takes on traditional rhythms. It’s a reflection of how these rhythms have not only shaped Italian culture but also influenced global music.”

Saphileaum (the pseudonym of Georgian multi-media artist Andro Gogibedashvili) is inspired by Georgian myths and legends, esotericism, earth, unity, truth and the secrets of the universe.

Over the past few years, Saphileaum has released a diverse array of albums and EPs on labels such as Good Morning Tapes, Oslated, Silent Season, Mule Musiq and Slow Life, each one reflecting his unique blend of cosmic expansiveness, tribalism and meditative storytelling.

On his first collaboration with P&F Recordings, he draws inspiration from mysticism, self study, ancient civilizations and their various cultures and mysteries.

These musings unite to create an immersive sonic experience that traverses cosmic and tribal landscapes, bringing us 'TAMALUNGMA'.

Here, the listener enters a mystical realm-space, where nature's precious spirits guide you through a journey of transition. As you walk this path, their wisdom and presence illuminate the way, helping you move closer to your true purpose.

Yazz Ahmeds Album "Polyhymnia" (2019) feiert weiblichen Mut, Entschlossenheit und Kreativität. Im Auftrag der Tomorrow's Warriors schrieb sie 2015 ein längeres Werk für deren Nu Civilisation Orchestra, das am Internationalen Frauentag beim Women Of The World Festival in der Londoner Queen Elizabeth Hall aufgeführt wurde. In Anlehnung an Polyhymnia, die griechische Muse der Musik, Poesie und des Tanzes, schuf Yazz eine Reihe von Sätzen, die herausragenden weiblichen Vorbildern wie Rosa Parks, Haifaa Al-Mansour und Malala Yousafzai gewidmet waren. Dieses Album steht im Kontrast zu ihrem vorherigen Werk "La Saboteuse", das von ihrer inneren Zerstörerin oder Anti-Muse getrieben wurde.

It’s been a journey, but thanks to the guys at Universal Music we are very grateful and privileged to bring you this fine piece of modern soul music on vinyl.

Both tracks, on the 7-inch, are taken from the MP3 only 2020 album “Vintage R&B”.
It’s an Anglo-Swedish affair, delivered to you by Swedish songwriters, composers and musicians, Henrik Wikstrom and Anders Lewen, together with UK producer Andrew Stannard.

Side A “Time to Make A Change”, features in Episode One of the 2023 BBC documentary “Fight the Power – How Hip Hop Changed the World”. A track to surely get the dancefloor moving.
After some deliberation of which track to include as a Side B, it was decided as a “Thank you” gesture to invite Universal Music to pick the song of their choice from the MP3 album. “Good, Good Feeling” was the proposal, a song title that is reflected in the composition.

The top side, with its driving beat and the strong vocal ability of Liverpudlian Tommy Blaize, is reminiscent of a Motown track at the peak of its popularity. After listening to the lyrics, it is understandable why this track was used in a “Civil rights” segment within a documentary. A timeless message that can be applied to many social and personal life situations. Listen to the tight musical arrangement. These guys know what they are doing. A track that will surely even get my ageing hips loosened up for the dancefloor. Don’t be tricked by the “paused” ending, a wonderful touch!

The title of the flip side, “Good, good feeling” is exactly that……… A “good feeling” song. Here, the tempo is lowered slightly and the sixties vibe here also leads to a more mainstream direction compared to the A side. Those floaty soulful tones from the UK’s Louise Marshall are very pleasant to the ears, lifting your spirits on any day of the week. Like the A side, get your earlobes in to that musical arrangement. There was no holding back with the broadness of musical instruments in the studio and I especially like the sound of the flute happily skipping throughout. Overall, an enjoyable easy listen.

gyrofield is 22-year-old, Utrecht-via-Hong-Kong producer Kiana Li, who has put out several albums and over a dozen EPs since 2018, from self-released productions to projects on Metalheadz, XL Recordings and FABRICLIVE among many others.

Their next EP is Suspension of Belief, and it arrives on Objekt's label, Kapsela. (Following last year's Ganzfeld and Chicken Garaage, it's Kapsela's first record by an artist other than Objekt himself.) In keeping with her recent releases, it shows Li continuing a creative renaissance, moving beyond the outer fringes of drum & bass to present what they call "a set of deeper, shapeshifting tracks, cross-pollinating ideas from house, free jazz and techno."

Suspension of Belief was written between June and October of 2024, inspired by a summer spent in nature and encapsulating Li's lived experiences and personal reflections in this time. "Thoughts about the boundaries between civilisation and nature began to take on a charged meaning," she says. "How can we, as people, live on the backs of others’ suffering, and see emotionally vacant newscasting on the desecration of the world around us? We ought to be angry, but we also ought to find healing and love somewhere. A representation of this thinking exists in the record."

The result is an elegant paradox. From the warm upright bass on "Vegetation Grows Thick" to the rattling, "Spastik”-esque snare rolls of “Bolete”, the record is at once steely and organic, with dreamlike states giving way to depth and intensity. It’s functional enough for rituals of escapism but determined to confront the world as it really is. As Li puts it:

"Suspension of Belief is a play on the suspension of disbelief, the common convention for us to immerse ourselves in fictional worlds. In turn, the record’s title suggests the idea of immersing in the real world, an antifiction, facing reality.”



Mastered by Beau at Ten Eight Seven

Artwork and design by Brodie Kaman

Vinyl distributed by Rubadub

*all original recordings from mid 90s Estonian released cassettes. Fascinating interpretations of the UK breakbeat and Jungle sounds recorded when the world felt like a much bigger place.

Since hearing the first breakbeats via the Finnish radio nightly shows introducing the burgeoning UK scene, Virko Veskoja, later head figure of Lu:k, was completely swept away by this new technological language that sounded like machines trying to initiate contact with people. The fluttering rhythm patterns, strings and vocal lines haunting the pathways of the infinite network. Like hip hop taken over by Skynet.

Reimagining it all in mid-90’s Estonia, a fresh and dirt-poor republic newly welcomed to the family of sovereign states on the outskirts of Eastern Europe, was challenging, to say the least. Finally, with the help of entry level music programs, custom-made soundcards and self-built computers by the other Lu:k-head Tõnis Valk, Lu:k took the first tentative steps in the history of Estonian jungle.

Eight Lu:k cuts have been compiled into a handy selection, a true sign of the times when uncertainty came with certain hope and optimism – new territories to chart, new frontiers to conquer. A time of innocence captured so sublimely in Lu:k’s music.

The compilation starts with menacing orchestration that sounds like the birth of a civilization, like in „2001: A Space Odyssey“, or the arrival of Godzilla, only to give way to sweeeet strings and the inimitable Minnie Riperton in “Lovin U”, combining all the essential elements of Lu:k in a track that has remained uncorroded by time since its inception in 1994.

The following “Demo 3” is its antithesis – fast and nervous, a harbinger of the darker days of neurofunk and techstep ahead. More in line with the social realities of the time, when something (or someone) could materialise out of thin air and attack you just as violently as those beats here.

“La:v” was Lu:k’s signature track throughout their brief career that went on only for a few years, 1994-1997. Lifted to heaven’s by Petula Clarks’s wonderful vocals, it perfectly captures the pure essence of creation. “I made it in my bedroom. Something like that just came out. Sorry”, says Virko apologetically.

From the themes of love we are led towards darker scenarios again with “Drunk-Drive”, a more vengeful cut reminiscent of early Ram Records’ nocturnal dangers, skylines shaped by basslines. Previously only available on the uber-rare “Raadiomaja valvelauas” CD compilation from 2005.

“In the Limelight” is lifted from their second album “Dreams in Drums” from 1996 (only released on cassette), and if it’s meant to address their new-found underground celebrity status in Estonia, there is surprisingly little elation here – the track rather consists of introspective strings and beats that sound almost melancholic.

Out of the remaining three tracks, “Proov2mix” and “Kadunud leitud” are the result of a treasure hunt amongst the old, obsolete harddrives – little nuggets that were condemned to obscurity until now. Between them, another vocal-led cut “010”, a non-album track only featured on two comps until now, is a strong reminder of Lu:k’s prodigious ability to handle vocal lines and morph them together with their own weaving synthetic melodies, strong pads and commanding beats.

Lu:k’s music has been largely unavailable for the better part of this century, with original tapes and CD’s changing hands for a small fortune. This vinyl release couldn’t come at a better time, bringing a seminal chapter of Estonian dance music’s mythical history to light again, both for the old-school acolytes and new converts.

All music by Virko Veskoja

AN ATLAS OF LOSS

Do minerals dream of becoming semiconductors? Do they yearn to carry charges, amplify, switch, and convert energy into emotions comprehensible to humans? And what if, from the darkness of the underground, they had been listening to us sing in caves before the emergence of the first flute? Could they have guided us, through the course of history, to find them, extract them, and create new sounds through sinusoidal waves, to form valves and bend circuits?

If so, minerals would transition from what philosopher Eugene Thacker defines as the ‘planet’—that virginal and unreachable realm for humans that we study through geology, paleontology, and environmental sciences—to the ‘world,’ the space we inhabit, interpret, and synthesise in our daily lives. Sadly, we only remember the world when it erupts violently, through climate catastrophes or when a new virus emerges. Sometimes a tsunami collides with a nuclear plant, or viruses are cultivated as biological weapons in high-security laboratories, provoking a deep biological anxiety, hard to quell, which we all feel beneath our skin.

There exists a third realm, disconnected from both the world and the planet: the ‘earth’, an immense, dense rock floating in space alongside other planets, situated in the cosmological dimension. Relating to the earth is so complex that we only do so through theoretical speculations of a scientific nature or through science fiction, interweaving until one becomes the prophecy of the other, in an infinite, pendular dance. Beyond the darkness of space and Lovecraft’s cosmic horror, the fantasy of human extinction is the most recurrent: to reach a collapse so devastating that we do not survive it, even though the earth does, without us.

In a world where we quantify everything through body sensors, financial algorithms, nanometre-scale robots, and surveillance drones—a world in which everything that can be domesticated and controlled can also be commodified—a superior artificial intelligence would survive the collapse of the species (some speculate it might even cause it) and learn from our mistakes, thanks to our obsessive gathering of data.

Long after our voices fade, minerals will persist in the darkness of screens, in the silicon of chips, and in their pure form, still unexploited underground. Over the millennia, this intelligence might piece together fragments of our reasoning, as if an alien civilization finally connected with one of our spacecrafts loaded with messages cast into the void. It would sort through endless streams of data, unable to grasp the depths of emotion behind what it quantified, recreating simulations of our past, stripped of the nuance that once defined us and conducting experiments in sandboxes.

Some remnants of our existence—faint echoes of forgotten beauty—would be pieced together in an atlas of loss, buried beneath layers of numbers, decayed bots, and corroded hard drives. What will follow? Perhaps bison will once again roam—trotting to the strange pulse of techno, their ancient forms framed by the ruins of our cities.

Buildings will crumble, slowly dissolving under the soft touch of ambient music, and a thousand flowers will bloom with that ancient music created through electrical signals and computation. 7 songs for a future both improbable and inevitable—a final message from a world lost to itself, from planet Earth to planet Earth.

Alfons Pich, 2025

CINEMATIC VOYAGE THROUGH COSMIC RITUAL AND ETERNAL SOUND - a work that exists outside time—equally at home in the temples of antiquity and the neon-lit voids of speculative futures, merging ceremonial percussion, interstellar synthwaves, and wordless incantations into a 31-minute ritual for the infinite. Born from a three-year metamorphosis between studio and stage and rooted in a Takhmira (a Zar ritual poem), Ninety Nine Eyes channels the archetypal quest—a search for the “land where light is seated.” Its soundscapes evoke the grandeur of forgotten civilizations and the hum of celestial machinery: droning mizmar lines and drowning tombak and duff rhythms dissolve into maximalist synth storms; choirs of phantom voices rise like starlight through the static of ages. - Sound: Structured like a Sufi Hadra, the LP’s undulating peaks pull at old ways of communing with the divine - Part I builds tension, a breath before the storm, while Part II erupts into unfettered synth-drenched trance, gates flung open - only the listener can close the circle through their own interpretation.- For fans of Vangelis’ Blade Runner, Jon Hassell’s Fourth World, Alice Coltrane’s spiritual jazz, Autechre’s glitch rituals, and Pauline Oliveros’ deep listening.- Production: Mixed by VII, mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto).- Artwork: Features a portrait of Yunis by Cairo underground photographer Kafrawy and hand-sewn costume design by Alaa Eideh, with graphic design by Giovanni Murolo (Countersubject). EU Tour spring 25

Love Raid is first in a series of cassette-only mixtapes with the cult WFMU show and blog Bodega Pop collecting assorted digs from across New York's bodegas and cell-phone stores. This first edition is focused on leftfield, novelty, and protest 45s from across the Arabic world recorded between 1960 & 1974.

"A series of random discoveries in the mid-1990s led me to abandon American and British pop and focus on non-English-language music, predominantly Arabic, for the next two decades.

Feeding my ears required biking down to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, or hopping on the subway to Steinway Street in Queens, where I would pop into a handful of the local bodegas and immigrant-run cell-phone stores, some of which offered music from North Africa and the Middle East on cassettes and compact discs.

When CDs spiralled into obsolescence in the mid-2010s, I reluctantly made the switch to vinyl, concentrating on 45s and intentionally filling holes not well represented in the digital era – more artists than not hadn't made the transition from analog in the 1980s. This meant focusing on singles by a lot of artists I'd not heard of, and it quickly became evident just how much of the era – from approximately 1960 to 1974, when 7" records were all but abandoned in Egypt and Lebanon – had been forgotten.

What also became evident was the breadth of popular music issued by even hegemonic titan Sono Cairo. The consensus is that state radio and music publishing ignored traditional folk, shaabi, and other lowbrow pop in favor of the exalted art song we associate with Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez, and Farid al-Atrash.

While this active neglect of the broadest Arabic pop spectrum is mostly true, I accumulated a not inconsequential number of what I can only describe as "novelty" records by mostly one- and two-hit wonders. From catchy gimmicks like the "doktor, ya habibi" of Maha's "Doktor" and the "boom boom boom" of twins Thunai Badr's "Love Raid," to the Monty Python-level silliness of Sayed Mandoline's fake Italian crooning and maniacal laughter in "I Present to You the Mandolin," these were sounds I was genuinely surprised to hear.

Even more remarkable were the songs recorded in English: Karim Shukry's celebratory "Ramadan" and Motyaba & Nada's civil-rights plea "No Black No White" are two of my favorites, and thus included in the present collection.

The tracks compiled here are often as beautiful as they are beguiling, but while the intention was to absolutely put together a solid listen, it was also my hope to slightly expand our understanding of Arabic music of this period beyond not just the usual suspects, but also subjects – and treatment of same."

--Gary Sullivan.

Prepare to embark on an immersive sonic journey with Rites of Passage, the self titled debut album from the enigmatic duo Atiq and dreadmaul.

Released on vinyl and digital, this album delivers an overwhelming and hypnotic interpretation of the age-old concept of transformation and initiation.
With each track, the listener is invited to delve deep into an otherworldly soundscape where mysticism and archaic rituals blend seamlessly with the pulse of modern electronic music.

Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, Rites of Passage transports you to a pre civilization era, incorporating organic elements like bone flutes, haunting throat singing, and shamanic invocations.
These sounds are woven into the fabric of intricate electronic arrangements, creating a unique atmosphere that feels timeless yet contemporary a delicate balance between the ancient and the modern.

This concept album is not just a collection of tracks its an experience, a ceremonial rite that transcends the listener from one state of mind to another.
The vinyl format, with its warmth and physicality, only heightens the immersion, making it an essential addition for collectors and audiophiles alike.

Whether youre a fan of experimental music or simply seeking something transformative, Rites of Passage delivers an unforgettable journey through sound.
A ritual in itself, this album truly earns its name.
Dont miss your chance to own a piece of this alchemy Rites of Passage on vinyl is a musthave for those ready to enter a new sonic dimension.

Gospel melts into Soul in this dazzling collection of sides originally released by the Chess subsidiary.


Devised by the same team supporting the likes of Muddy Waters and Etta James at Chess, the vintage of Checker Gospel celebrated here is distinguished by its expertly raw, rugged, live feel — thumping bass and pounding drums, bluesy guitar and horns — and its keen engagement with contemporary realities and politics, with an underlying, unwavering commitment to the Civil Rights movement. Not forgetting its sheer, startling, richly diverse soulfulness.

Key architects of the Chicago Sound and Motown are amongst the scores of contributors: Charles Stepney, Gene Barge, Eddie Kendricks, and Leonard Caston Jr. are in the house… Morris Jennings, drummer on Curtis’ Superfly and Terry Callier’s What Color Is Love… Louis Satterfield from The Pharaohs and Earth Wind & Fire… Ramsey Lewis’ guitarist Byron Gregory… Phil Upchurch… Laura Lee…

Producer Monk Higgins joined Checker in 1967, bringing his experience of R&B and Gospel hit-making for the labels One-derful and Satellite, together with a loyal cohort of musicians. A protege of Willie Dixon, engineer Malcolm Chisholm set up the Ter Mar studio as if preparing for a live gig, carefully teasing measures of bleed into the microphones. With Ralph Bass from King Records running A&R, they knew exactly what they were after. ‘I’m using horns and an R&B sound in gospel recordings,’ said Bass. ‘We have no charts. All the musicians are given the chord changes. I want the cats to think when we’re cutting. I want spontaneity, and that’s what we’re getting.’ And: ‘There is more to gospel than just finding solace in the church. This follows the same message of Martin King, who was fighting for a new way of life. Kids are tired of hearing Jesus Give Us Help. They want a positive message.’

Focussed on the late sixties and early seventies, the twenty-five recordings here are all killer no filler, but try these four, random entry points: the heavy funk ostinato of the Violinaires’ Groovin’ With Jesus, working itself up into a post-James-Brown brass frenzy, sure to knock your socks off; Cleo Jackson Randle’s title track, for those who like their Gospel straight-up and hard-core; Eddie Kendricks’ achingly timely choral call-to-arms, Stand Up America, Don’t Be Afraid; the East St Louis Gospelettes’ heart-stopping, fathoms-deep rendition of Bobby Bland’s I’ll Take Care Of You.
A beautiful gatefold sleeve; a full-colour booklet with excellent notes by Robert Marovich; top-notch sound. Another knockout selection by Greg Belson and David Hill.

A shoo-in for soul compilation of the year.

2024 Repress!

“You Are Safe” – a title illustrating the safe haven, Keinemusik has built itself over the last years. This self determined action space of the DJ/producers Rampa, &ME and Adam Port; Reznik who’s favouring the DJ booth to the studio and painter/visual artist Monja Gentschow. At the same time it makes an offer to every listener: put your headphones on, boogie around your living room, let go, forget everything around you. When this is on – you are safe.

On An-Ting’s extensive travels around the UK, Mongolia, Sichuan, Hong Kong and Taiwan, she took field recordings of birdsong and mixed them with dark experimental electronic music with droning soundscapes and hard beats, creating an album that sonically encapsulates the very essence of nature itself, drifting from peaceful ambience to haunting melancholy through to dark and foreboding.
“There is a light and darkness in nature that civilisation has made us numb to and that we want to explore” Using a binaural recorder to capture the surrounding sounds of birds, An-Ting has created a completely different expression that opens the seemingly simple, yet complex, languages of the birds, furthering the other-worldly, unique feel of Lost Communications ०妏ԏ宙. From An-Ting: “We live with other creatures on earth and are surrounded by all different sounds. Through Lost Communications, I blend the birdsongs with my artistic expression to introduce people to these complex languages and nonhuman voices. I hope this will make us more aware of different life forms on this planet and inspire greater kindness to the earth.” Composed, performed, and mastered by An-Ting Co-produced by AnTing and Ian Gallagher

Time Ghost Technologies - Ghost One - E-Control “Evasional Feelings” Mini Lp.

A Childhood Intelligence Project.

Our newest record label was born from the urge to represent electro music through our Childhood Intelligence Universe. “Time Ghost Teknologies” is an entity dedicated to timeless and futuristic electro—one of the genres with the deepest roots in the age of technology, which has established itself into the 21st century and beyond. Tales of sci-fi endeavors, forgotten technologies, UFOs and outer world civilizations, yokai and spirits — electro has united mysticism and magic as one of the ancient pillars in electronic history.

Kolkata-based musician Nilotpal Das aka Bios Contrast's new album 'Red River', arrives as a narrative sequel to his 'Dragon Rising' LP on Hong Kong DIY label Mouhoi. The concept behind the record is a speculative historical drama and myth taking place during the deadly Kalinga War in the Mauryan Empire of India.

Following his intensive 24-hour harmonium drone compositions, Das's 'Red River' uses recordings of Bell 407, a civil utility helicopter as the main body of the record together with a 47-year-old harmonium, field recordings at Chandraketugarh, custom built woodwind prototype instruments together with guitar, violin & vocal improvisations.

The Błoto quartet had made a comeback six months ago with their first singles in over two years dropping “Szlam” and “Ścieki”. These tracks were pressed on a 7-inch vinyl by Astigmatic Records, but this only whetted the appetites of the band’s mud-loving fans, as the singles sold out instantly. And so, the band's musical onslaught continues. Ahead of their upcoming LP “Grzybnia” set to release in autumn 2024, Błoto is putting out another bacteria-laden 7-inch to conclude this brief series of singles. This time, the release features a remix by none other than the modern funk maestro DāM-FunK, hailing from sunny Pasadena, California.

Wading through the sludge of sewage, one can encounter colonies of bacteria. They are well-known for their dark side – causing serious diseases. Nevertheless, they are with us all the time. They exist in humans and all other living organisms – fungi, plants, and animals. They can be found in soil and water. They are even present in radioactive areas, proving that they are truly hard to eliminate. Such is the music of Błoto. Like a post-apocalyptic bacterium, it’s capable of surviving in the harshest conditions.

Sinister, biting, and primitive – just like colonies of microorganisms. This is Błoto's latest single. Drawing heavily from classic acid house, it can truly infect the mind, inviting you to join a rave in Błoto on the eastern flank of Europe. Quartet’s “Bakteria” is a direct continuation of their first 7-inch release. However, this time, during their collective improvisation at Studio Pasterka, the band has entirely forsaken acoustic instruments in favor of a full array of synthesizers accompanied by drums.

Certainly, the dichotomous nature of these organisms presents a paradox. While capable of causing harm, without bacteria, life as we know it would cease to exist, and human civilization would not have reached its current state. Bacteria fulfill numerous essential roles. They serve as decomposers, crucial in maintaining biogeochemical cycles, and contribute to processes such as fermentation and decay. As symbiotic organisms living within other organisms, they are vital for functions like digestion. Their versatility extends to diverse applications, from biological wastewater treatment to the production of various food products.

Such are the properties of the beneficial probiotic titled “Bakteria Re-Freak” by DāM-FunK (renowned for his classic albums released on Stones Throw, like “Toeachizown” and “7 Days of Funk” with Snoop Dogg). It offers a 180-degree transformation of the dark atmosphere of the original version. The track evolves towards G-Funk, brimming with sunny synths and a drum machine. It portrays a vision of a biopharmaceutical bacterium lazily roaming the streets of warm yet perilous Los Angeles.

The 7-inch will be released on July 19, 2024, by Astigmatic Records. The vinyl single is limited to 700 copies.

Matching breezy, Bossa nova-tinged sophistication with softly spiralling psychedelia, Testbild! arrive in the Quindi lounge as though they've always been there. On their 12th album, Bed Stilt, the Swedish collective cast their attention back to the earlier days of their 25-year trip through sweetly mysterious pop-not-pop rendered in warm tones and shot through with surrealism. It's tricky to get a precise fix on the story and structure of Testbild! The project was spearheaded by Petter Herbertsson in his hometown of Malmö in the late 90s, although the story on their website credits the inspiration and source material to a chance meeting and unpublished manuscript from a retiring scientist. The collective's evolution since then is a tangled web of facts and fiction spun by a revolving cast of collaborators including Siri af Burén, Katja Ekman, Rikard Heberling, Douglas Holmquist, Mattias Nihlén and Petter Samuelsson. Along the way, their music has touched on chamber pop, post-punk and modern jazz with the elaborate harmonies and catchy songwriting charm of the Canterbury scene. The tracks which make up Bed Stilt were in fact track recorded in Malmö back in the mid- 00s, lying in wait for the right opportunity to be brought to light with some delicate overdubs and finishing flourishes in the here and now. The core musicians working on the record were Herbertsson and Douglas Holmquist on a similarly expansive list of vocals, guitars, bass, synths and keys, Siri af Burén on lead vocals and Mattias Nihlén on synths and additional mixing. Meanwhile Tomas Bodén - better known as Civilistjavel - lent some additional synth work as well as mastering the record. Musically, Testbild! stay true to their idiosyncratic approach on Bed Stilt with six immaculately rendered sojourns through lilting harmonies and brushed rhythms, feeling nostalgic but beguiling in equal measure. Theirs is a luxurious sound, not least on the opening strains of 'The First New Years Eve,' which purrs to life draped in silky Rhodes and chiming vibes. Behind this comfortable veneer the enigmatic lyrical themes unfurl through Herbertsson, Holmquist and af Burén's vocal harmonies like fractalized puzzles waiting to be solved. The finger-picking delicacy and languid harmonica of 'Streams' strike a pastoral mood neatly countered by the elegant slide into dislocated ambience for the track's final stretch. By contrast, 'And Her Eyes Are Red' surges with a big beat urgency which plays beautifully with the mellow jazziness of the chord sequences, boldly toying with song structure to dart down curious tangents without losing the immediate impulse of a great pop record. Somewhere in this tension between clarity and chaos we can understand the addictive charm of Testbild! - a band steeped in the considerable craft of making accomplished and unconventional music so very easy to sink into. If that doesn't make for a perfect addition to the Quindi catalogue, we don't know what does.

"LATZFONSER KREUZ / FELTUNER HÜTTE scheduled for release on September 20th 2024 is the third single to be lifted from Ulrich Troyer's TRANSIT TRIBE due later this year.

Mamadou Diabate, originally from Burkina-Faso and now resident in Vienna, who is also a world-famous virtuoso balaphon player, collaborates on "Latzfonser Kreuz" with fellow countryman Hamidou Koita to produce a remarkable percussion track, both singing and employing talking drum and djembe to come up with a sound that can only be described as dubbed-out Nyahbinghi-style electro-beats! The track references the little church at Latzfonser Kreuz, which is the highest pilgrimage spot in South Tyrol, one of the highest in Europe; every year in June, the Black Lord, a black carved Gothic wooden cross, is brought from the village church in Latzfons to thepilgrimage church, where it remains throughout the summer.

On the flip for "Feltuner Hütte" Ulrich Troyer is joined by co-producer Osman Murat Ertel, founding member of the electro-psych-folk group Baba Zula from Istanbul, who has worked internationally for many years collaborating with the likes of Jaki Liebezeit, Fred Frith and Mad Professor. But here Murat takes us on a dub psych-out trip with his favoured electric saz, with wha wha FX, delay and echo, like Link Wray meeting King Tubby on the old streets of Istanbul."

Steve Barker (DJ, Radio Presenter - On the Wire, BBC 1984 – 2023, now Slack City Radio & reggae/dub columnist and contributor to The Wire)

Credits:

Mamadou Diabate: vocals (A) & talking drum (A)

Osman Murat Ertel: electric saz (B)

Hamidou Koita: vocals (A), djembe (A)

Didi Kern: percussion (A), drums (B)

Flip Philipp: percussion (B)

Ulrich Troyer: analog synthesizers & drum-machines, sampler, field recordings, dub effects (A+B)

A written by Mamadou Diabate, Hamidou Koita & Ulrich Troyer

B written by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer

Recorded by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Studio & 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna - except electro saz on track B recorded by Osman Murat Ertel at Saniki Studio, Istanbul

Mixed & arranged by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna

Produced by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer

Mastering & Lacquer Cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin

Cover Drawing by Ulrich Troyer

Special thanks to Steve Barker, Mamadou Diabate, Osman Murat Ertel, Diggory Kenrick, Eva Kelety, Didi Kern, Hamidou Koita and Flip Philipp

Kindly supported by the City of Vienna (MA7 - Kultur), Federal Ministry Republic of Austria (Arts, Culture, Civil Service & Sport), SKE-FONDS (AT) & Amt für Kultur, Bozen (IT

Unrecognisable” is a story about a city where buildings are used as weapons in a war between the government and the people. The initial chapter, “Eiffel Shard”, was published as an online graphic novel with an interactive soundtrack. It depicts a phone call between Paris Hell and Geneva Heat, two members of the resistance group Unrecognisable. During the call, Paris informs Geneva that a deadly building, The Shard, is now under the authorities’ control. What’s worse — the government also got hold of a secret building transformation plan developed by the resistance. Paris tells Geneva that the Unrecognisables decided to abandon the plan due to the number of civilian casualties it would inevitably cause. A series of intricate explosions would force the building’s glass surface to rip through the surrounding areas, destroying everything in its path and leaving only a pointed metal structure standing: an Eiffel Shard.

The second chapter, “Paris’ Dream”, was performed by Lolina as an improvised gig. Samples from the soundtrack to chapter one accompanied a video showing the protagonist sneaking into The Shard at night. The narrative continues with Paris’ anxiety dream of her time working on the Eiffel Shard project alongside another Unrecognisables member who she fears has betrayed them by handing over their dangerous plan to the government.

The third chapter is now being released as an album of new music. In a declining city, Paris and Geneva are tour guides to be followed at your own risk. Lies and petty crimes, mistrust, betrayal and, inevitably, war are the setting in which they seek to devise a plan for resistance. As members of a secret group, they hide their identities and meet after dark. Under dim lights of city streets and closed-down clubs, it’s hard to tell a dodgy detective from an eager philosophy student, friends are enemies in disguise, and it’s advised to park your car sideways for a fast getaway.

On this concept album, Lolina performs the role of both characters, her own voice often made unrecognisable by pitch-shifts and distortion. It was recorded almost exclusively on a Casio SK-200 sampling keyboard boasting 1.62 seconds total sampling time. No beat preset (total of 20) is left untouched, unchopped or unlooped. Not one of the 49 mini keys is idle. Retains samples when turned off.

The first contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life. The theme allows authors to explore a variety of philosophical concepts by adapting the anthropological topic of the first contact with extraterrestrial cultures. But then what are the Topics of a possible “Second Contact”? What would have happened to civilization if the extraterrestrial life force returns. Are they ready to greet it?

In this case, the second contact comes in the form of SEELEN. Label head and part-time intergalactic traveller Janein’s second full EP on the Imprint. And he hasn’t returned to take prisoners.

The Title track takes you for a wild ride from the second one. A warbling, acidic texture marks the foundation of what is an absolutely destructive and fiery cut. One of Janein’s heaviest percussion tracks to date takes the mood to an absolute frenzy while the acid-textures and metallic Chords can almost singe your eyebrows off if you get too close to the speaker.

In comparison, Gaja tones it down somewhat with mellower synths and an absolutely funky Bassline. But do not underestimate this track in comparison to Kobald M. This track will ensnare you into its hypnotic chokehold. It is the kind of cut you can play in any situation and not a single person will leave the dancefloor.

Meeting the Alien for a Parlay, translating its transmissions on this record are musical linguists Somewhen and Peryl.
While Somewhen has leaned into Kobald M’s destructive potential, adding a chaotic, out-for-madness kind of energy, that is sure to bring insanity to any warehouse, Peryl, known for his cathartic breakbeat excursions, has absolutely deconstructed Gaja making it into a track that sounds like the moment an unknown flying object enters the atmosphere of the earth.

Ruby Red - Transparent - Galaxy effect vinyl in dub style jacket (jacket sleeve with center hole cut out so label of LP shows through) a black paper inner sleeve and poly bag.

PART ONE’ METAL HAMMER - 8/10 review. FOR FANS OF : Lustmord, Om, Sunn O))) . “An exercise in freeform ambience, ritualistic repetition and the rapturous, womb-like power of bass…strange and affecting. We remain lucky to share in the great man’s vision.”


At its heart, music has always been a questioning of inheritance – a dialogue with predecessors and forebears, the forging of one’s own perspective in relation to what has come before, and for some, a plunge into the boundless realms between. For Steve Von Till, that process has always taken on an added dimension to become the most sacred of tasks. Whether through the apocalyptic uprising of Neurosis, the sonic deconstructions of their sister project, Tribes of Neurot, the invocatory intimacy of his eponymous solo albums or his instrumental psychedelic reveries in the guise of Harvestman, that dialogue has never just been with musical influences, but with what underpins them: the primordial, elemental forces now banished to the peripheries of our contemporary consciousness, yet still broadcasting a signal for all who will listen.
Drawn to the megaliths, ruins and ancient sites mapped out along the British and European mainland’s geographical and psychic landscapes, the folklore and apocrypha forever resurfacing as portals from a rational world, “Triptych” is a meditation forged from traces and residues, and an hallucinatory recollection of artists who have tapped into that enduring otherworldliness embedded within us all. It’s a dream diary narrating a passage through Summer Isle where Flying Saucer Attack are wafting out of a window, a distant Fairport Convention are being remixed by dub master Adrian Sherwood, celestial scanners Tangerine Dream are trying to drown out Bert Jansch and Hawkwind are playing Steeleye Span covers, all prised out of time yet bound to its singularity.
Woven together from home studio recordings that span two decades, this latest outing as Harvestman finds parallels with nature’s cycles not just in its release dates but in the repeated structure that binds each album, like an imprint refracted through three separate strata. As with April’s “Part One” and the forthcoming “Part Three”, “Part Two”, starts on a collaboration with Om bassist and long-term friend of Steve’s, Al Cisneros, with a dub take opening the B-Side. Here, the opening track, “The Hag Of Beara Vs The Poet”’s languid, tribal groove expands into a chromatic wash, like an endless drip of oil spreading out under a midsummer haze.
A filtering of the alpha-state travelogues of its predecessor, “Part Two” reaches even deeper into primal yet pristine states. It journeys from the undulating drone and slow-thawing wonder of “The Falconer”, as if the Myst soundtrack were being broadcast from outer space, through “Damascus”’s perpetual-motion, dreamtime bazaar and “Vapour Phase”s seismograph frequencies measuring supernatural tremors to “The Unjust Incarceration”s distorted bagpipes, sounding a noise-frayed lament
If “Triptych” is a multi- and extra-sensory experience, it extends to the remarkable glyph-style artwork of Henry Hablak, a map of correspondences from a long-forgotten ancient and advanced civilization. As with “Triptych” itself, it’s an echo from another time, an act of binding, a guide to be endlessly reinterpreted, and a signpost to the sacred that might not indicate where to look, but how.

"Following on from May's "ECHOES Part 1 & 2" this is the second single of three to be released as an introduction to the next album project of Ulrich Troyer - TRANSIT TRIBE - to be released later this year.

This time it's one for the reggae fans and dubheads with contributions from Diggory Kenrick who has been busy over the last few years adding the distinctive sound of his flute to many new reggae productions. He is also an associate of the U.K. reggae label Pressure Sounds that specialises in reviving classic sounds from the roots and dancehall eras of the genre. Also joining the production is Takafumi Noda aka Mystica Tribe, a Japanese producer and musician who has specialised in a new form of dub techno and is known for adding the signature sound of his melodica to productions of dub friends from around the world.

The subject of travel, especially along modern, fast routes has long been subject to fascinate musicians, from the days of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" and now the whole genre of dub techno seems to be one built for listening on long journeys. The Autostrada Del Brennero / Brennerautobahn is one of the most important motorways in Italy, as it connects the Po Valley with Austria through the Brenner Pass and features many modern bridges and overpasses that are ready built illustrations for the covers of dub techno albums! On this release this major European truck route is celebrated musically by Ulrich Troyer with inputs from Diggory and Taka to create two modern dub classics."

Steve Barker (DJ, Radio Presenter - On the Wire, BBC 1984 – 2023,

now Slack City Radio & reggae/dub columnist and contributor to The Wire)


Credits:

Diggory Kenrick: flute

Taka Noda: melodica

Didi Kern: drums

Ulrich Troyer: analog synthesizers, analog drum-machines, sampler, dub effects

A written by Diggory Kenrick & Ulrich Troyer

B written by Taka Noda & Ulrich Troyer

Recorded by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Studio & 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna - except flute recorded by Diggory Kenrick at Holloway Studio, London / melodica recorded by Taka Noda at Mystica Sound Studio, Tokio

Mixed & arranged by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna

Produced by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer

Mastering & Lacquer Cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin

Cover Drawing by Ulrich Troyer


Special thanks to Steve Barker, Osman Murat Ertel, Diggory Kenrick, Eva Kelety and Takafumi Noda

Kindly supported by the City of Vienna (MA7 - Kultur), Federal Ministry Republic of Austria (Arts, Culture, Civil Service & Sport), SKE-FONDS (AT) & Amt für Kultur, Bozen (IT)

Dustin Zahn & Z.I.P.P.O team up for a brand new EP entitled “Tools for Levitation.” Looking for a party record? Wrong EP. These tracks are designed to bend reality to your will. The record focuses on 4 esoteric Techno tracks with a strong emphasis on sound design, with each track being as heavy as they are mental.



Written during the depths of lock down, the finished results have a darker and more nihilistic approach than one would normally find on their solo productions. Since then, these tracks have been road tested over the years by our close friends and favorite DJs. Now, they’re finally available to the public

Ten years after his first full-length effort ‘Man Is Deaf’ landed him firmly in the runnings for DJ Mag’s album of the year, prodigal son Michael Anthony Wright AKA Brassica returns to Civil Music with a deeply accomplished, painstakingly whittled LP of hydraulic electro slickness, rich synthscapes, and hooky, peak-time tearjerkers for the most discerning front-left lifers. ‘Tribeless Gathering’ is a barnstorming testament to Brassica’s stylistic and timbral deftness, touching down in the elusive epicentre of the club/home listening venn diagram with ease.

From the elastic, neon acid pointillism of opener ‘Hop Kweng’ to the mardy, miasmic plod of closing chugger ‘Changa Hill’, Brassica seamlessly segues between avenues of influence, his notoriously omnivorous musical knowledge roadmapping each turn. Raised on a diet of everything from early rave standards to metal, and schooled in avant garde sonics as a student of sound design at LCC, Brassica does a peerless job of sublimating his countless influences into a record of refined, heterogeneous, and most crucially, catchy, club moods.

Less spartan than his more recent oeuvre on Feel My Bicep, and less baroque than his technicolour experiments in postmodern synth pop with vocalist Stuart Warwick, Tribeless Gathering represents Brassica’s triumphant return to the main room, replete with rushy hooks primed for the planet’s finest soundsystems, and passages of heads-down tension bound to draw listeners right to the edge of their seats. Overall it is a concise and refined testament to Wright’s command of spectral sonics and effortless ability to pressurise a dancefloor. It is no surprise that he has also worked as a prolific mastering engineer, tuning music from a plethora of dance disciplines for maximum club impact. This work extends to his own projects (including this one), cementing them as rare expressions of complete artistry from studio to turntable.

As we delve deeper into the record, we are ushered through a series of accomplished and varied club moods, each channelling a unique cocktail of influences, but retaining a warm, ebullient analogue sensibility unique to Brassica’s work. This playful scope of influence calls to mind James T Cotton or Machinedrum’s experiments in dance music form, but Wright manages it all under one roof, wrangling everything from sashaying wub-laden two step to snarling Dillinja-esque FM damage into something inherently his.

Choice cut ‘Change Yourself’ layers an almost Cerrone-like piano refrain over radiant surges of saturated bass, dubby, strobing chords and a jagged, driving break, building to a jaw-clenching apex of dancefloor elation, while the rude, playful half-step of ‘Elevation’ breaks down the vintage speed garage formula into linear fragments, utilising a tight palette of resonant bass slugs, infectious synth leads and Papua New Guinea-style vocal strobes. The aptly named ‘Hold Tight’ fuses heart-in-mouth UK ‘ardkore pads with glissando acid disturbance and surgical snare fills in a formula which recalls the ethereal grit of Nubian Mindz’ 00s experiments in big-smoke break science, while the questing melodic arcs and arpeggiated squarewaves of ‘Pinball Marinara’ could easily have soundtracked an 80s sci-fi epic, beset with sparkling, bare-bones drum programming and hazy beds of sub sediment.

With ‘Tribeless Gathering’, Brassica both irreverently fuses and pays homage to the many unique and weird permutations of UK dance music. The short lived gathering of junglists, ravers and house hotsteppas of a similar name may have long since dissipated, along with the tribes themselves, but across these 11 tracks, he lays a blueprint for a new sound of togetherness.

In 1969, Albina in the US underwent a pivotal transformation which saw the arrival of Black residents displaced by the Vanport floods. While a local Black economy thrived to start with, the neighbourhood eventually got neglected due to disinvestment by the city's elites but citizens didn't take it lying down and some of them formed Shades Of Brown, a group that emerged at the Albina Arts Center which was a haven for artists during civil unrest. With members from various musical acts, they found unity under leader Thara Memory who instilled discipline and required them to read and write music before performing. This EP, which is the group's sole record, embodies their camaraderie and the community's struggle against neglect across six raw-as-you-like funk cuts laden with emotion and narrative.

Operation_PPRCLP kicks off release SUB010 asking how far will we go in the race for technological advancement, and at what cost? Have we forgotten our humanity as a result? Should we be more focused on how to expand human consciousness rather than trying to command, control and obfuscate or is this just in our habitual nature?

41 Minutes Past Midnight investigates painful emotions around losing loved ones without being able to get any closure, how do we move forward without answers in the face of unexplained, heartbreaking tragedy.

6EQUJ5 aka the Wow! signal first detected on August 5th 1977 shifts the perspective out into the constellation of Sagittarius from where the signal is thought to have originated. In 2022 we learned that 3 distant Sun-like stars within the original antenna-pointed coordinates may provide the answer but at a vast distance of 1800 light years from earth, since then, it's all gone quiet... What world reached out from the cosmos, intentionally or mistakenly...

The final track Celestial Beings asks the age old question of what other life exists across the universe, how advanced are these civilizations that may already be exploring distant galaxies with our shared sense of curiosity and when will we be able to connect collectively with such conscious entities.

‘Threads’ was my 1st album as Om Unit and this 10-year re-mastered anniversary edition comes around at what feels like a similar time for me of experimentation and finding new ways to connect sounds. Something of a full circle of sorts but then again I am marking time with this re-issue at a time where I can look back and feel very proud of the work still sounding so convincing. Now even better thanks to Subvert Central’s Robert Macchiochi!

Reflecting on the past 10 years since this record came out, I can say it’s been an incredibly fruitful journey, with the most striking element of it all being the opportunity to travel and meet so many people from so many different backgrounds with different world views and stories. I found that ‘Threads’ for many was their first insight into my music, and for some people was something of a milestone in their journey of exploring music itself with tracks like ‘The silence’ and ‘Governor’s Bay’ having been mentioned over the years as amongst favourites alongside some of the work released on Cosmic Bridge and Civil

I want to take a moment to give my Love and gratitude to all the featured vocalists. Thanks to Simon Jinadu for his angelic voice on ‘The Silence’, to Charlie Dark MBE for his reflective words on ‘The Road’ and to Alex ‘Bogues’ Rendall aka MC Jabu (of Jabu) for his intense delivery on ‘Patients’ as well as Jneiro Jarel for his self-reflective narration on “just sayin’” All 4 are still outliers in their own field and upstanding creative forces to boot. I feel blessed to have been able to capture them on this project.

Threads was made in a bedroom of 2a Station Rise in Tulse Hill, a flat I shared with journalist and writer Laurent Fintoni, in a space that had such a great sound to it that I’ll always miss that room. I hope that you feel the warmth that I felt then whilst making it. It’s been an adventure since and whilst I’ve moved on from a lot of the tropes intrinsic to the album, it will always remain a body of work that is dear to my heart.


Enjoy!
<3

Things ephemeral, beyond perception.Blush Response' latest body of work, full length album DIMENSIONAL RESEARCH will be released on 24th of November 2023 on Kontaktor Records. The label is a further extension of Erica Synths showcasing boundary-pushing artists who fearlessly challenge the status quo of contemporary electronic music.

The first solo excursion on Half Grand Records comes from label boss, Jon Doppler. Clocking in at 37 minutes, this collection plays more like a mini album than a 12”.

The Artifact is full of the cavernous electro vibes that Doppler hinted at on the previously released compilations from the label. And if this record is an Artifact, it belongs at the bottom of the Mariana Trench with its alien percussion and deep, fluid bass.

It’s hard to pick a favorite as any one of these tracks would add atmosphere and color to a set. “Sapphire” sounds like it would perfectly underscore the discovery of an ancient Atlantean civilization. While Tar Like Gold’s driving, arpeggiated basslines and vocal samples “tomorrow holds the key” look to the future.

Take a listen and see for yourself, there’s a lot to love on this one.

For fans of Morphology, CPU records, Versalife

Tape

International Chrome continues its Data Planet cassette series with a cinematic long-player by The Thousand Order, a collective comprising Detroit's Francois Dillinger with British producers Cyphon and Obzerv.

A darker offering than standard International Chrome releases, The Thousand Order follows classic sci-fi themes of assimilation and networked hive minds across ten tracks of upfront electro.

Everything is vibrations.

The infinitely deep chaos of things rests on the tiny and fragile chemical balance of the depths.

Eliaz traps us in his raw and introspective groove with complex and saturated signals that call for bodies motions. He gives us a key to read and decript the Mercury Frequencies.

Following up 2021’s compilation 'and felt like...', ' ...it wasn't really me' can be seen as the missing part of a diptych, only separated by the passage of time, yet whole in spirit. Again, a familiar company of singular artists showcase remarkable unity in diversity. Similar to its predecessor, a rustic gloom glues everything together into a seamless whole, enabling the collective to transcend each unique contributors' musical voice elegantly.ambient

Kurtiss is a shadowy and enigmatic figure working on the boundaries of civilization. A sporadic figure on the House music scene with eccentric habits, Kurtiss’ music is a rarified sonic experience for those who seek it out. The Ameri-can artist is hard to pin down and his music is a tantalizing little secret only for adept diggers who appreciate the style of Hi-Def House music that the artist has cultivated. Although he’s a known Soundcloud fixture, he’s only put out a handful of digital singles as Curtis Vodka in the past, with Mutual Intentions facilitating his latest and immortalizing his music on their next set of releases. A nomadic artist, who’s worked on music ranging from Ghetto Tech to House, his music has spanned the known musical spectrum, forging uncanny relationships with everything from 50 Cent to Mall Grab. Under the pseudonym Kurtiss (or Curtis Vodka), he’s all about HIGH-Fi House, life, aliens, Jazz and no trends. It’s an attitude that he lays bare on this rare contribution to the physical, recorded format for Mutual Intentions on ‘The Curtis Vodka EP’. The EP weaves classic House music influences through a penchant for vintage sound machines and arrangements that evoke a solemn air. Elements of Gospel and New York’s deeper inclinations in House music seep through his sound as archived vocal samples and noisy machines give his work its defining character. Glistening keys and strings that slither through airy textures create dense aural experiences on ‘The Curtis Vodka EP’, calling to mind the musical masterpieces of House music’s golden era when the likes of Kerri Chandler and Mas-ters At Work were producing som

3rd Edition, Black Version!

Curtea Veche celebrates its 10th release with this stunning 10' by Pressure Traxx boss Einzelkind & and Point of view head honcho Giuliano Lomonte, There will be a very limited amount of the Splatter effect vinyl and the rest will be black !

Played by Franco Cinelli , Raresh , Cesar Merville , Suciu, Lorenzo chiabotti & More

Robin Ordell returns to his own No Time County with Civic TV EP, delivering the label’s fourth installment.

Until We Are Free is the debut album from fabric, a collective of musicians from diverse backgrounds united by a shared goal: to fuse irresistible rhythms and grooves with a direct, socially conscious message that draws vital attention to the contradictions of modern life. The project's name itself evokes the idea of a living, dynamic ensemble—a creative intertwining of different threads, from musical genres to founding musicians and guest collaborators, all actively woven into the social fabric.

The record blends funk, soul, and Afrobeat with a sharp, contemporary urban attitude, resulting in a sound that functions simultaneously as sonic resistance and an invitation to the dancefloor.

It finds its place in a lineage that runs from Fela Kuti and ESG to The Comet Is Coming, Sault and Jungle.

At its core is the conviction that music and civic engagement can coexist seamlessly without being didactic. While the lyrics—entirely in English—tackle themes of rights, equality, and freedom, the groove remains the heartbeat: constant, pulsing, and relentless.

Mixed by Tom Campbell (whose credits include Sault, Little Simz, Adele, Michael Kiwanuka, and Jungle) and featuring art direction by Raissa Pardini, Until We Are Free is a soundtrack for complex times. It is an invitation to refuse neutrality and isolation, and to imagine—together—new possibilities for movement, resistance, and the future.

fabric's singles "Taste This Sound" and "Fight!" have been featured in FIP's Spotify Playlists "FIP Radio (en live)" and KEXP's "New This Week" and "KEXP Rotation".

Chris Liebing's first full solo techno LP, 'Evolver' is released on 27th March 2026, via his own CLR imprint. The German techno don's LP features a host of collaborators across music, images, and artwork. Luke Slater, Charlotte De Witte, Speedy J, The Advent, Terence Fixmer, Pascal Gabriel, Daniel Miller contribute to the music, while long-time collaborators Studio Bergfors deliver design, and legendary photographer Anton Corbijn shot Liebing for the project.

The Evolver LP is the sum total of Chris Liebing's three decades at the beating heart of techno. It's the record only someone whose first break as a techno DJ was playing five hours at Sven Väth's infamous Omen in Frankfurt - and who has ridden out every twist and turn of life and subcultures since, while remaining rooted in the true school, dark, sweaty techno sweat pits of the world - could have made. It's the result of deep introspection, but it's about utter immediacy. It's the sound of someone previously driven along by compulsion and happenstance at last finding the confidence to be utterly intentional about their practice, allowing them to take the most classic, familiar, proven elements from the past and render them completely new.

Evolver is also Liebing's first completely solo album. There are collaborations, yes: with old friends from the OG techno generation, Luke Slater, Speedy J, and The Advent, all on uncompromising form, and with new generation figurehead Charlotte De Witte, who provides a thrilling narration of total surrender to the moment on acid clarion call "Symphonie des Seins". But unlike all Liebing's albums to date, there's no co-pilot. Every structure, every mixdown, every choice serves his singular vision of how his untold immersion in the surging currents of the world's greatest clubs should sound. The elements are all those forged in the white heat of Omen and Tresor in the mid 90s - brutal repetition, titanium kick drums, industrial atmospherics, but also dark rave euphoria, ever present surging acid lines just on the cusp of trance, and just enough human voices to remind you of bodies on the dance floor - but rendered with all the extraordinary accumulated skill and technological developments since then.

It's Chris's vision entirely, his musings on sound, technology, and life birthing tracks like "Roy Batty." Inspired by thoughts of AI becoming sentient and hungering for more life like Rutger Hauer's titular Blade Runner character, it was one of the first tracks to emerge and a foundation stone for the album. And in pursuit of that vision, it's built like a "proper album". The anticipation and menace of intro "Unfold" tip over into the glowing hot high drama psychedelia of "Symphonie…" then the breathless headlong rush of The Advent collab and on through an unfolding narrative that goes deep, goes dark, opens out into grand vistas, takes strange turns before finally landing on the alien landscape of… well… "Endtrack".

Not everything is pummelling on Evolver - the dazzling title track feels like you've been welcomed into the courtly dance of a higher dimension civilisation, and the audacious Speedy J collab "Shaping Frequencies" is a beatless flow that tests the boundaries between signal and noise. But for all its complexity, conceptualism, and stylistic branching out, every last part unmistakably powered by that dark techno-cavern energy above all else. All of it positively radiates the qualities of Liebing's greatest work and sets to date - but somehow even more so than before. Whether you're listening for aesthetic inspiration, cerebral stimulation or just that raw physical power, this album will sweep you up into its momentum and won't let go of you until it's done.

A meteorite and a lost EP from an experimental electronic talent escape their grim fate: remain unknown to human civilization forever.

Around 2015, Gareth Smyth (aka Lumigraph) produced two tracks before uploading them on his Soundcloud page under the name “Canyon Diablo”, a tribute to a meteorite that crashed in Arizona 49,000 years ago. Amazed, the future co-founder of M+M Disques barely had time to download them onto his hard drive before they were deleted... until today.

Behind the extraterrestrial sounds of this 2-tracker, Lumigraph seems to want to establish communication with planet earth using its own means. In the dubby “Flamingo Drive”, he patiently builds up his sluggish groove before bringing in a reassuring and catchy bassline. On the B-side, the avant-garde “America Song” combines industrial rhythms, drone guitar, and Pierre Henry-ish noises.

* fine art printed insert + PVC sleeve

EvilDead fans, listen up: 27 March 2026 will see the re-release by the American thrash metal act of their cult album ‘Annihilation Of Civilization’ including a number of bonus tracks. The original recordings date back to 1989 and have been remastered by Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Armored Saint). Remastered, 4 Bonus Tracks

With their third album, Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century, Newcastle’s The Pale White prove once again that there’s no slowing them down. Following the success of their introspective sophomore album The Big Sad, brothers Adam (vocals/guitar) and Jack Hope (drums) return louder, sharper, and more defiant than ever. This third full-length is their most expansive yet: a record that blends the anthemic punch of classic rock with the urgency and edge of modern alternative.The title, Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century, is a nudge to the uncomfortable irony of our time – as technology accelerates, humanity feels increasingly frozen in place. Lead singer Adam Hope says: “Technology is moving, but we are not. Human civilization entered the 21st century wide-eyed and naive with mobile phones that would barely fit in our pockets. Fast forward a few decades and we’re so far from where we were that it almost looks like a bad 80’s sci-fi movie. Back then, that film would be watched in packed-out cinemas after an eagerly anticipated release, but now they stand emptier than they once were, attended mainly as a nostalgic experience in the age of Netflix and doomscrolling.

The birth of AI, algorithms, cryptocurrency, drones, holographic concerts, autonomous cars… we’re living in a strange transitional period which is both fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. We humans have now in fact become the inanimate objects - mannequins.After our softer, melancholic second album ‘The Big Sad’, we felt it was only right to move as fast as our world is moving and release our next within the year. ‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’ is the evil twin, the Yin to The Big Sad’s Yang.”

Death Is Not The End present a compilation gathering a cross-section of early gospel choirs and vocal harmony groups recorded between late 1920s and the mid-1950s - a period when spirituals & jubilee traditions merged with blues, jazz and early rhythm and blues, providing the musical routes for the coalescence of the civil rights movement born out of the black church. In the modern world these perennially vital recordings provide a fitting tonic for the near-dystopia we find ourselves living through.

Death Is Not The End present a compilation gathering a cross-section of early gospel choirs and vocal harmony groups recorded between late 1920s and the mid-1950s - a period when spirituals & jubilee traditions merged with blues, jazz and early rhythm and blues, providing the musical routes for the coalescence of the civil rights movement born out of the black church. In the modern world these perennially vital recordings provide a fitting tonic for the near-dystopia we find ourselves living through.

Toronto-based musician and producer David Psutka’s long dormant Egyptrixx alias returns, with How Tidal. A compendium of sorts, which retells the story so far, reworks of highlights from his catalogue sit alongside brand new tracks, serving as a bridge between the past and the future, preceding more fresh music in 2026.
With the originals still sounding remarkably current, a straight best-of wouldn’t have been out of question, but ever the tinkering student of sound, Psutka thought he’d break them apart, just to see how he could put them back together again.

The music on is How Tidal is cutting-edge and futuristic, but never difficult, instead offering accessible gems where multiple strains of bass music are infused with a zingy, techno-pop bounce, whilst ambient moments gift sonic lozenges for maximum contentment. Psutka creates optimistically welcoming environments, where synthetic birds chirrup in cyan skies over babbling rainbow brooks, as 15 inch subwoofers boom by.

Egyptrixx gained renown across the 2010s with his hard hitting yet tranquil experimental dance music dubbed ‘celestial jeep music for a Saturn moon’. Colourful sound design was braided with dancefloor structures, creating an exhilarating tension between melodic and dissonant, euphoric and inward. The debut album Bible Eyes was released in March of 2011 to critical acclaim.

As Egyptrixx, Psutka has released four studio albums, collaborated, remixed, and toured with some of the biggest names in electronic music.
The widely acclaimed moniker is foundational to Psutka’s complex body of work that encompasses multiple solo projects, plus a diverse range of collaborative work. He has performed live at Sonar Festival, Roskilde, Mutek, MOMA PS1 Warm-UP and CTM Festival, and presented sound installations at Galeria Civica Commune di Modena and Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

In 2015, Psutka launched Halocline Trance as a home for his various sound projects, events and collaborations. In recent years, the label has quietly established itself as a platform that facilitates many of Canada’s most exciting creative music projects.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

High Roller Records, Picture Disc, limitiert auf 500 Stück, handnummeriert, Deluxe-Plastiktüte, Kartoneinlage. Alle Titel wurden im September 2022 von Patrick W. Engel bei TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY gemastert. Geschnitten von SST Germany auf Neumann-Maschinen für optimale Qualität auf allen Ebenen... Die ultimative audiophile Neuauflage dieses zeitlosen französischen Metal-Klassikers!

Psyché is an eclectic project rooted in the Neapolitan music scene. Conceived in 2018, the project includes Marcello Giannini (Nu Genea Live Band, Guru, Bassolino, La Famiglia), Andrea De Fazio (Nu Genea Live Band, Parbleu, The Funkin Machine), and Paolo Petrella (Nu Genea Live Band, Fratelli Malibu). They were recently joined by Roberto Porzio (Parbleu, Fitness Forever, 24 Grana, The Funkin Machine).

"Hurriya (We Must Resist)" is a sonic bridge crossing the Mare Nostrum, connecting the shores of Naples and Tunisia.

At the heart of this fusion is the voice and soul of Tunisian musician Ziad Trabelsi, whose Arab roots intertwine with the psychedelic, Mediterranean sound of Psyché.

In this track, Afrobeat and Arabic sonorities meet to create a hypnotic journey, one where Ziad's oud weaves an evocative groove that gallops like horses in the desert.

The song carries the echo of the ancient dominations and cultural exchanges that have shaped Naples—a millennia-old crossroads of civilization—where traces of Arab and North African influences continue to resonate in its streets and, most notably, in its music.

"Hurriya"—the Arabic word for freedom—is an anthem of resistance and resilience, a dialogue between East and West that dissolves the rigid boundaries of geography and politics. It is a collective song for the freedom of all peoples, against oppression, abuse, and injustice everywhere in the world. As Psyché emphasize: "Even if life tests us severely, and we often feel like giving up in the face of injustice, we must resist. We must refuse to disappear."

The single is available digitally and physically, on January 23rd, as a 7" vinyl. The B-side of the physical release includes an exclusive, extended version of "Hurriya (We Must Resist)", available only in this format.

Yesterday it started to rain…

The smell of damp tarmac rising up through open windows, a smell which is uniquely evocative for us all depending on our individual histories: a suburban pavement, a school playground, a basketball court.
The rain cut through a band of low pressure that had been lying over the city for days, pinging rhythmically off metal, causing rolling tyres to hiss and spit.

The music that soundtracked this meteorological shift was the debut full length from Rain Text (Giuseppe Ielasi & Giovanni Civitenga), simply titled III. Scattered throughout the nameless eight tracks there are moments of low-end pressure relieved by the fizz and clatter of metallic rhythms; there is static, there is discord, there is release.

The individuals comprising Rain Text have a long history of manipulating sounds for evocative ends, Giuseppe Ielasi has been making music as one half of Bellows for many years, each album stretching and destroying their sound in beautiful increments. He has also released reliably inspirational music either solo or in collaboration for the likes of Editions Mego, Shelter Press and Faitiche. His sensitive ears are also in high demand as a mastering engineer. It is worth perusing the 800+ releases he has technical credits for on Discogs: from classics of the avant-garde to the freshest faces of the Swedish underground, the chances are some of your favourite albums are included.

Giovanni Civitenga helms the SKYAPNEA long-running NTS show. Joining him, you can enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of deep listening through shows that flit between the industrial and the devotional, a space that is fully explored on III.

The album was recorded quickly over three fertile days in Ielasi’s studio in Monza, but of course results like this can only be achieved at such a pace by spending a lifetime obsessing over the mechanics and possibilities of sound.

Those who are enamoured by the rain—who are returned by it to the surfaces, smells and sounds of a lost and idealised youth; who feel themselves restored—are known as ‘pluviophiles’. Their response to rain may well have a biological explanation: when rain hits tarmac negative ions are released into the air, which are thought to result in feelings of wellbeing and positivity. All the more reason, then, to return to the vivid ecosystem that Rain Text has so carefully cultivated for III."

Words by The Dengie Hundred – August 2024