Green Vinyl
Here we have the third instalment of the highly anticipated Knitebreed Remixes series on clear green vinyl. Following on from volumes 1 and 2, we have yet another amazing remix EP. Our headliner this time is none other than NRG, remixing an Ant To Be classic. NRG has a sound all his own and he really expresses that with this remix. Heavy chopped vocals and sharp as a knife breaks throughout, that leave you in no doubt that this is professional at the height of his powers. Meanwhile, Paul Bradley remixes Knitebreeds very own Sunny & Deck Hussy taking their piano based track and adding some filthy stabs and toughening up the breaks. On the flip side, Tenerife meets Germany when Wislov remixes TNO Project. These 2 have very different styles, but Wislov’s style really fits the manic style of TNO and this remix is wonderful. Rounding out this EP is a Hired Gun & Lowercase remix of a Wislov track, Do You Wanna Stay. The original is a very atmospheric track so when it was time to remix the only way to do it justice was to make it jungle, Hired Gun provided that perfectly whilst The Lowercase pushed him to go harder and then bring it back with a piano
Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others
Cerca:clear
Dusky’s music has always been built on the pleasure principle, but JOY – as the title makes absolutely clear – takes that to new levels of purity and intensity.
Looking back to more innocent times and to rave music’s halcyon days, the duo of Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman have tapped into that special moment when raving was still a voyage into the unknown.
This project is a distillation of the spirit of people coming together in hard times, forgetting their troubles and celebrating life. All of the core elements here are familiar from the peak rave era and the birth of hardcore – the cascading pianos, the infectious bleep melodies, the Chicago and Detroit grooves, the rugged Belgian techno riffs, and the proto-jungle break beats – but retooled, rewired, and refreshed for this brave new world.
It’s both a natural development and noticeable evolution from the pair’s previous work. Natural, because these musical elements have always been apparent in Dusky’s sound, but a clear evolution in they way they are presented, with such an unreserved and joyous tone.
The result is a celebration - and expression - of the communal ecstasy of the dance floor experience. An expression of 18 months yearning to be back out there communing and celebrating. An expression of everything that dance music - and dance culture - is about at its very best.
JOY brings together all the finesse and subtlety that Dusky have honed while traversing the various corners of clubland over the past decade, all their understanding of fundamental dance floor dynamics, and channels it all to a single, unified purpose. At a time when we’ve all suffered, we’ve all struggled, and we’re all uncertain, we’ve never needed this sense of unity more. All the release we’ve so badly wanted is here: we all need JOY.
credits
• 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
• DEBUT ALBUM FROM CANADIAN
MELODIC ROCK BAND HAREM SCAREM
• FEATURES THE SINGLES “SLOWLY
SLIPPING AWAY” AND “HONESTLY” A.O.
• LIMITED EDITION OF 1000 INDIVIDUALLY
NUMBERED COPIES ON CRYSTAL CLEAR
& GOLD MARBLED VINYL
Canadian melodic hard rock band Harem Scarem was founded in 1987 and are best known for their hard-hitting guitar riffs, incendiary guitar solos, powerful vocals and huge anthemic choruses. They released a total of 15 studio albums, including their 1991 self-titled debut album, which included two hit tracks: “Slowly Slipping Away” and “Honestly”. The album features guest appearances by Ray Coburn (Honeymoon Suite), Carl Dixon (Coney Hatch) and Paul MacAusland (Haywire). The opening track “Hard To Love” was co-written by songwriter Christopher Ward, who is best known as the co-writer of worldwide hit “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles.
Harem Scarem is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on crystal clear & gold marbled vinyl.
UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER is the voice of Heavy Metal! "My Way" is the most personal and extraordinary album to date and It contains 17 cover versions of the very songs that have influenced the musician and singer from Germany the most.
He is THE constant of the German metal scene: On April 6, 2022, icon Udo Dirkschneider will be 70 years old. Born in post‐war Wuppertal, when heavy metal was far from being invented, he has for many years been one of the decisive characters who have helped shape this musical genre so decisively. For about five decades, it is impossible to imagine it without him. On April 22nd his most personal and extraordinary album will be released: it contains 17 cover versions of exactly those songs that have influenced the musician and singer the most. Among them are all kinds of classics of music history ‐ even those you might not have expected from Udo. Behind all the tracks is not only a very personal story, but also a sometimes surprising arrangement, which despite their very individual implementation, however, live and breathe Udo's signature at all times. The cover album also makes one thing clear: how many in the music business have come and gone over the years. Udo Dirkschneider is still here. If his unchanging nature was briefly what almost doomed him in the midst of the norm‐constructed music industry in the 80s, it has long since become his very great strength. All this makes Udo Dirkschneider one of the greatest and most imposing rock and metal icons of the last decades.
- A1: Bonobo - Cirrus
- A2: Kid Francescoli Feat Julia Minkin - Prince Vince
- A3: Kiddy Smile - Be Honest
- A4: Irène Drésel - Victoire
- A5: Laurent Garnier - Wake Up
- B1: Myd - The Sun
- B2: Feat Woodkid - Clear
- B3: Etienne Jaumet & Laurent Bardainne - Blurry Neon
- B4: Hvob - Capture Casa
- B5: Marcel Dettmann - Juper
- C1: Kazam - Delicate
- C2: Mo Laudi Feat Flavia Coelho - Por Cima
- C3: Maud Geffray Feat Flavien Berger - In Your Eyes
- C4: Rival Consoles - Odyssey
- C5: Romane Santarelli - Like A Mantra
- D1: Fakear - Morning In Japan
- D2: Pantha Du Prince - Pius In Tacet
- D3: Thylacine - Polar
- D4: Rone - Bye Bye Macadam
- D5: Justice - Phantom
New pressing of 500 on black vinyl with download. “Dub Housing" appears harsh, impenetrable and repellent... it seems to be working on some hidden internal logic, from some parallel (and disquieting) universe. On subsequent listens, the "logic," if indeed the tapping of the subconscious and intuition can be called "logic," becomes clearer; the album remains baffling, infuriating, haunting, menacing and ferociously funny...” Jon Savage, Melody Maker / “A voyage into unchartered space. Unfathomable, inscrutable, unmissable” Uncut / Pere Ubu reissue their second album ‘Dub Housing’ on Fire Records. Originally released in 1978, the same year as their debut ‘The Modern Dance’, Pere Ubu continue to tear up the rule book, chew it up and spit it out with glorious splendour. Mesmerising critics, fans and musicians along the way, their follow up has been repeatedly regarded as one of their best and captures Pere Ubu in one of their earliest incarnations. ‘Dub Housing’s assaultive noises and melodic rock still annihilates the senses setting Pere Ubu apart from their peers with vision and an inimitable ability to push boundaries. For this reworking, Paul Hamann at Suma has transferred from the original 2-track analogue mix tapes to digital at the highest resolution available, which is at least four times the resolution of the original. The tracks have carefully been re-mastered by sonic architect Brian Pyle so as to capture the unique qualities within.
Two amazing originally unissued Kent Soul discoveries that were featured on their Bill Haney’s Atlanta Soul Brotherhood CD from 1998.
The late great Bill Haney, unacknowledged genius of Southern Soul and owner of the revered Chant record label was interviewed by Rod Dearlove and published in Voices From The Shadows. It was recalled that Roy Hamilton came to town to work the clubs, Bill had the dramatic song ‘My Peaceful Forest’, and somehow got the ‘The Golden Voice’ to record it - what an epic production it turned out to be!
Similarly, The Drifter’s Charlie Thomas whilst in town to perform got to record ‘Don’t Let Me Know’, the recording comes in at just over two minutes, we have had an extended version cleared for this 7” release.
Millions Now Living Will Never Die is the second full-length offering from Tortoise. The majority of the material was first conceived during an idyllic 10-day retreat in Northern Vermont, where the group were able to explore their ideas in a setting that fostered introspection and inspiration: the results are clearly evident in the washes of Klangfärben (tone color) and rhythm that permeate the album. The sounds and ideas contained therein can be viewed as a logical extension of those found their first (eponymous) LP on Thrill Jockey where the group outlined an agenda exploring texture, space, and mood. MNLWND, however, offers not only an expansion of those ideas but also the introduction of several new elements into the musical equation. New instrumental textures (marimbas and other mallet percussion on "Djed" (pronounced "jed"); conventional electric guitar on "Glass Museum"; analog synthesis/sequencing and found sound on "Dear Grandma and Grandpa") and structural ideas (the extended formal procedures of "Djed"; the non-narrative song "Along the Banks of Rivers") represent clear developments and redefinition's of the group's sound.
Sub Pop debut by accomplished Greek artist Σtella, produced by Redinho (Swet Shop Boys).
‘Up And Away’ is an eclectic, compelling modern pop album showcasing Σtella’s skilled songwriting and the influence of classic love songs, Greek folk, and contemporary electronic-music production.
Σtella makes her Sub Pop debut with the mesmerizing ‘Up And Away’, an oldschool pop paean to the pangs and raptures of love. From the Greek folkinflected get-go, we’re swept up in Σtella’s world - and it’s quite the captivating place to be.
The singer songwriter joined forces with artist and producer Tom Calvert (aka Redinho), and it was a match made in Athens; the results are heavenly. Tom caught one of Σtella’s gigs on a visit to the city. He reached out, they started hanging out, and the pair soon clicked creatively. Both mention chemistry when asked about their collaboration and it’s clear, from what we hear, they had it in spades. The meld is seamless.
Σtella’s songs have always riffed on American and Greek mid-century pop but ‘Up And Away’ doubles down on the vintage aesthetic. Tom says he styled the record “as if it was a rare gem from the ’60s found in a box of records in Athens,” and Σtella notes she was ready for a more “deeply Greek touch - it felt comfortable and right, smoothly fusing with the pop.” The bouzouki appears on a full five tracks played by Christos Skondras who, she says, “was brilliant at improvising,” while Sofia Labropoulou on the kanun “brought an insane amount of dreaminess to the last two songs. Having these amazing musicians play for ‘Up And Away’ - I couldn’t be more grateful.”
While not exclusively a confessional artist, Σtella is always intimate - when she sings, it’s personal. She writes “about things I feel passion for. Stories about me, about others, about all that’s there in love and war.” Σtella was “in a very emotional state at the time, which came through in the lyrics and vocals.” And it’s true, her honeyed voice - layered in those unmistakable harmonies of hers - thrillingly runs the gamut from tender to terse, by turns bracing and smitten, aching and forlorn. But it’s the lyrics that feel key. Across her output, Σtella has proven herself a strong storyteller, and ‘Up And Away’ is no exception (the guise of the medieval bard she assumes on the cover is telling). Past releases have been studded with gem-like vignettes - a diverse array of stories set tightly together to form non-linear narratives unified by emotion. Her latest feels singular in that it seems to trace a longer-form tale across songs, with each track escalating the record’s erotic arc.
By the end of the album, ‘Up And Away’s core concerns are clear: the conflicting and conflicted emotions inherent in love, that live on in ways we can’t always understand or control. Love is like this record: when it’s over, you still feel it for time to come.
Loser Edition LP pressed on blue vinyl.
Of the many great talents of the classic Nigerian highlife scene, none contained the existential depth, transcendence and grace of Celestine Ukwu. During his brief time in this world, he pursued education, music, and philosophy; first as a school teacher, then ultimately a singer, lyricist and musician, first as a member of Gentleman Mike Ejeagha's Premier Dance Band, and eventually fronting his own groups, The Music Royals and The Philosophers National. Beginning in the early 1970s, The Philosophers National established a radical shift in the possibilities of Nigerian highlife by moving away from the typical mid-century style and cutting a new path with a distinctly hypnotic and cerebral atmosphere. This sense of depth was apparent in the lilting, multi-layered and pulsing music of The Philosophers National, as well as the concise and clear-eyed lyrics sung so beautifully by Celestine Ukwu. The arrangements establish a living, breathing environment for each song; muted trumpet solos, hypnotic guitar runs, driving percussion; every instrument gracefully following a tide of patience, tranquility, wonder, climax, knowing and unknowing. "Celestine ditched the jaunty dance rhythms and relatively facile lyrics typical of the reigning highlife tunes, and ignoring the soul music tropes most of the highlife bandleaders were appropriating in an effort to inject new life to their ailing format. Instead Celestine concocted a new highlife style that was more contemplative and lumbering; with the layering of Afro-Cuban ostinato basslines and repetitive rhythm patterns that interlocked to create an effect that was hypnotic, virtually transcendental. Meanwhile, Celestine himself sang as he stood coolly onstage in a black turtleneck and a sportscoat, looking like a university professor. The message was clear: this was not necessarily music for dancing_even though the rhythms were compelling enough. This was music for the thinkers." - Uchenna Ikonne This LP compiles some of Celestine Ukwu's deepest and most affecting songs from the 1970s, which have been gorgeously restored and remastered by Tim Stollenwerk to highlight the brilliant details of Celestine and the entire Philosopher's National. Pressed on 160 gram black vinyl at Smashed Plastic in Chicago, and comes in heavy 3 spot-color jacket, with fold-over insert with bilingual lyrics and notes by Uchenna Ikonne (Comb & Razor Sound).
- A1: Stephen Brown – Level Steps
- B1: Claude Vonstroke – Moody Fuse
- C1: Denis Horvat – Monomono
- D1: Daniel Avery – Your Future Looks Different In The Light
- E1: Jeroen Search – Subversive Elements
- F1: Marco Bailey – Kanai
- G1: Damiano Von Erckert – 500 People, 500 Hearts, 1 Love
- H1: Yokto – Vision99
- I1: Jonathan Kaspar – Ccc
- J1: The Emperor Machine – The Art Of Electronics
- K1: Carl Finlow – Surface Control
- L1: Defekt – Terraform
Cocoon Recordings presents: Cocoon Compilation T
Limited Vinyl Box Set including 6x blue vinyl & download code
Another year, another expertly curated compilation touches down courtesy of Cocoon Recordings. Somehow, the world keeps turning and with it the Cocoon universe keeps expanding, causing subtle yet persuasive shifts in the sonic soundscape that continue to
capture and captivate the imagination. In time-honored tradition the old guard and the new combine with devastating effect, to define the current state of play…
Veteran Techno producer Stephen Brown makes it clear the compilation series is back with a bang, opening things up in epic fashion with the lucid dreamscape ‘Level Steps’ - a true work of art. Another heavy-weight hitter steps straight up in the form of Claude von Stroke, who adds his own unique swagger to proceedings with those trademark shuffling beats and freaky, hypnotic bleeps scuffling for dominance on ‘Moody Fuse’. Denis Horvat then slows things down on ‘Monomono’, with post-raveNew Release Information
abstractions and disobedient synth-patches causing mayhem before the track finally unfolds in all its terrifying beauty.
Motoring on, the collection wastes no time reaching that familiar tipping point as we enter the techno phase of the journey. A very special appearance from Daniel Avery makes it all the more worthwhile amid a dense forest of chiming melodies and blistering electrical surges on ‘Your Future Looks Different In The Light’, before Jeroen Search’s aptly titled ‘Subversive Elements’ lead us deeper and
deeper, into the matrix.
Marco Bailey then kicks off a triptych of trance with some massive filtered piano action on ‘Kanai’ that’s destined to trigger a serotonin smile with everyone it touches. Revisiting the huge,
ever-growing pulsating brain of planet Orb, Damiano van Erckert continues the loved-up vibe on the gorgeously titled ‘500 People 500 Hearts 1 Love’, expertly complimenting the classic ambience with
some slick 909 snare and cymbal interplay. The melodic pull of ‘Vision99’ then signifies that the party is peaking at just the right moment as YOKTO concocts a glistening, psychedelic groove. The
emotional resonance climbs ever higher with brittle melodies endlessly circling a lush, throbbing bass drone to create the sense of something stirring out of reach.
Just when you think the acid sound is done and dusted, up pops a track like Jonathan Kaspar’s ‘CCC’ that somehow manages to offer an entirely new perspective. Riding in on a wave of expectant
arpeggios, the squelching bass and noise filter go toe to toe before Kaspar gets busy with a freaky tempo excursion that’ll be destroying dance floors all year long. ‘The Art of Electronics’ is, as the title
suggests, another superlative example of pure analogue fire, served up by UK legend, Andrew Meecham aka The Emperor Machine. The funk starts to flow as the bass drops, the machines cut loose and a swarm of cascading bleeps ride the trans-europa express to oblivion.
Electro overlord Carl Finlow, has come to define the UK take on the genre over the last couple of decades. Here, he makes his long overdue label debut, taking us into the closing straight with a
nervous sliver of dystopian futurism, complete with molten basslines and a fuzzy logic that underpins the tight, laser-guided groove on ‘Surface Control’. DeFeKT then draws this great adventure to a close
with the deliciously dark robo-disco overtones of ‘Terraform’ creating a dusky landscape that skillfully seduces the listener before the tension finally breaks in a wash of ecstatic chords.
All in all, it’s a supremely ambitious collection of tracks, generously featuring some of the most inspirational and durable artists of their respective generations. In fact, is this perhaps the best Cocoon
Compilation to date
Concrete Castle Dubs return with a double sided 10” rocket launcher from the legend that is Spikey Tee. Two heavy hitters on that ruffnek drum and bass tip, Badder Than Me and Bumbo Ras, coming on a frosted clear 10” vinyl.
Having been involved in the music industry since the early 90’s Spikey Tee is certainly no stranger to the game, not only on a production tip but vocally too. From being signed to Virgin as part of the groundbreaking crew The Sindecut, releasing and featuring on music with the likes of Bomb The Bass, Roots Manuva, Morcheeba, Sola Rosa, Mr Scruff, Jah Wobble and many more, releasing his own solo album on Tokyo Dawn in 2020, and bossing the decks as a dj around the globe too.
We’re very proud to have him deliver two sterling tracks for the label and bring the fire we like to represent neatly!
On Goose Bumps, Connecticut's Boyscott present ten upbeat tracks that
forge together elements of surf rock and bedroom pop
Weaving these supple sounds of yore into the techniques of today, Boyscott's
distinct bedroom- recorded bops betray the limitations of their modest studio
situation with a sonic depth not commonly associated with lo- fi
projects.Originally released in 2015, Goose Bumps is getting its first vinyl reissue
with a co-release by Topshelf Records and Babe City Records. Although it took a
few years of rotating casts, various makeshift studio experiences, and over a
hundred shows, Boyscott have clearly carved out their own place in the world,
garnering millions of streams and selling out many DIY physical pressings in the
process. Pressed on Dark Blue & Powder Blue Galaxy vinyl.
Audio Link:
- 1: Say Your Goodbyes, Pt
- 2: Always The Stranger
- 3: It's Easier To Love
- 4: We Feel
- 5: Lost Player
- 6: Only A Fool
- 7: After The Stranger
- 8: Glitter Fades
- 9: About The Light That Hits The Forest Floor
- 10: Dark Nevada Dream
- 11: Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. 2
- 1: Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. Alt
- 2: Always The Stranger Alt
- 3: It's Easier To Love Alt
- 4: We Feel Alt
- 5: Lost Player Alt
- 6: Only A Fool Alt
- 7: After The Stranger Alt / Extended Version
- 8: Glitter Fades Alt
- 9: About The Light That Hits The Forest Floor Alt
- 10: Dark Nevada Dream Alt
- 11: Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. 2 Alt
- 12: Clearing Houses
- 13: Always The Stranger Raw
- 14: Lost Player Primitive
Coming 40 years after he first started performing in bands in his native North West of England, Butterfly Mind is the most surprising release yet from Tim Bowness. From the short, sharp shocks of Always The Stranger and Only A Fool to the long-form ambition of the sensuous Dark Nevada Dream, the cinematic Electro-Ballroom of Glitter Fades and the dystopian paranoia of Say Your Goodbyes Parts 1 and 2, Butterfly Mind delivers a thrilling fusion of Art Rock invention, Post-Punk energy and epic soulful ballads. Tim’s seventh solo album features the stellar rhythm section of Richard Jupp (in his first major session since leaving Elbow) and Nick Beggs alongside a spectacular guest list including Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Dave Formula (Magazine), Peter Hammill (Van Der Graaf Generator), Martha Goddard (The Hushtones), Gregory Spawton (Big Big Train), Mark Tranmer (The Montgolfier Brothers / GNAC), Saro Cosentino (Franco Battiato), Italian Jazz musician Nicola Alesini, US singer Devon Dunaway (Ganga), Stephen W Tayler (Kate Bush) and, marking his first studio work with Tim for nearly three decades, former No-Man violinist Ben Coleman. Produced by Tim Bowness and Brian Hulse (Plenty), the album was mixed and mastered by Steven Wilson. Available as Limited 2CD Edition (featuring alternate mixes and bonus material), and a Limited 180g LP + CD edition featuring special die-cut artwork by Carl Glover. Also available as Digital Album.
Romperayo is back, with a brand new tropical 9 track album full of tropical riddims and humid Caribbean jams.
After two long sold out albums, Romperayo (Discrepant, 2015) and Que Jué? (Souk, 2019), Pedro Ojeda’s unique update on classic Colombian music returns for a full long player of future tropical instrumental tunes, heavy on the drum grooves mixed with slow, languid experimental interludes.
This is 21st century Colombian popular music taken to the next level by one of the most singular figures currently active on the Colombian scene. Romperayo’s, aka Pedro Ojeda (Los Pirañas, Chupame el Dedo) solo project uses his irreverent drumming techniques and filters them through a lens of new school psychedelia, historical sampling and acid synth solos.
With his sound obsessions clearly present over all of his work (and this record), Pedro effortless mixes the old school with the new with an avant-garde collage approach to composition, never forgetting his academic studies on Latin American drumming styles. The result expands the frontiers of Colombian tropical music and provides a new, multicultural dialogue whilst using many of the rhythms and melodies of the Colombian historical repertoire to a new generation. The Colombian Caribbean coast sonido never sounded so fresh!
- A1: Here I Am
- A2: Flight 86
- A3: Meadows
- A4: Hello Mr James
- B1: Blue Sky
- B2: Fluffy Jones
- B3: Sonic Poetry
- B4: Waves (The Session)
- C1: Liquid Reality (Part I+Ii)
- C2: There You Are (Funky Modular)
- C3: Dancing With Moon Beams
- D1: Liquid Reality (Part Iii)
- D2: Two Minute Story
- D3: Into The Tribe Of Clones
- D4: Vapour Trails
- D5: Patch 27
Limited edition milky clear with blue and purple splatter + HQ download.
The follow-up to last year's return-to-form collection, Cloudwalker. Sonic Poetry is a refined group of works showcasing Gimmik's adeptness at fusing experimental electronic music minutia with overarching melodicism.
Those that have followed Gimmik's carrier–and subsequent return–will take pleasure in Sonic Poetry's veracity and bolstered production. Leftfield/IDM, Breaks, Downtempo, Electro, and Ambient get dissected and reformed to create a truly authentic album in which it is evident that there is no coincidence in that the opening track is named "Here I am."
Paul Wise aka Placid is the driving force behind ‘We’re Going Deep’ – a thriving online community and record label that’s showing no signs of slowing down as we pop, dip and spin into the spring season. As a label owner, Paul’s mission couldn’t be clearer - releasing new music for heads of all persuasions. Fresh cuts aimed squarely at the dance floor, your front room or even just the headphones. Rather than staying too hung up on the past, he continues to focus on serving up the best in new Acid, Electro, Techno, Deep House alongside scintillating slices of Downtempo music.
Sticking to the trusted format of 4 superlative cuts from equally talented producers, the quality and talent on show does not disappoint on WGD 007. Starting the dance with 303 maestro and label legend Tin Man, A1 “I Said Acid” is a tantalising twist on the classic combination of a Roland TR-707 and SH-101. As a metronomic pulsating kick carves out a squarely hewn path, slow opening filtered lead and hauntingly repetitive “Acid” vocals exert maximal pressure to create a sheer moment of joy. Balanced out by the dreamy atmospherics of A2 “I’ll Meet You On The Dancefloor”. UK Deep House supremo Rai Scott exerts her perfected knowhow: blending organically tinged percussion with profound melodic touches that meander across the borderlines of your consciousness.
On B1 “Necessary Order”, the machine mastery of Sound Synthesis collides in perfect harmony as Keith Farrugia demonstrates his deft turns of the dials that are becoming more in demand. A sprinkle of stargazing soul is woven around light touch acidic tweaks and snappy drums, echoing the twinkling embers of the cosmos. Not to be outdone, Dutch born German bred producer Roger Van Lunteren takes control with the final slice on B2 “Le Dee Trois Trio Prends Trois”. A wince inducing, sawtooth heavy jam that should not be taken lightly. As the saying goes, this one’s only for headstrong.
Like the many Banded Stilts that spread across the cover of her newest album, ‘Flood’, Stella
Donnelly is wading into uncharted territory. Here, she finds herself discovering who she is as
an artist among the flock, and how abundant one individual can be.
‘Flood’ is Donnelly’s record of this rediscovery: the product of months of risky experimentation,
hard moments of introspection, and a lot of moving around.
Donnelly’s early reflections on the relationship between the individual and the many can be
traced back to her time in the rainforests of Bellingen, where she took to birdwatching as both a
hobby and an escape in a border-restricted world. By paying closer attention to the natural
world around her, Donnelly recalls “I was able to lose that feeling of anyone’s reaction to me. I
forgot who I was as a musician, which was a humbling experience of just being; being my small
self.”
Reconnecting with this ‘small self’ allowed Donnelly to tap into creative wells she didn’t know
existed. Soon songs were coming to her in a way she could not control and over the coming
months, Donnelly accumulated 43 tracks as she moved out of Bellingen and around the
country, often finding herself displaced due to border restrictions and a tough rental market.
Though the writing of ‘Flood’ was an intensely personal undertaking, Donnelly still saw the
recording process as one of her most collaborative projects yet. Along with her band members,
co-producing the record beside Anna Laverty and Methyl Ethyl’s Jake Webb helped to foster
an important spontaneity in the studio. With Webb, Donnelly could “dig in” and discover a
“forward-leaning sound” she’d been searching for, while Laverty’s ability to “capture the piano”
and discern the “perfect take” allowed the songwriter to take risks, many of which have clearly
paid off.
Looking back at the Banded Stilt, Donnelly ultimately appreciates how when “seen in a crowd
they create an optical illusion, but on its own it’s this singular piece of art.” While each song in
‘Flood’ is a singular artwork unto itself, the collective shares all of Stella Donnelly in abundance:
her inner child, her nurturing self, her nightmare self; all of herself has gone into the making of
this record and, although it would take an ocean to fathom everything she feels, it’s well worth
diving in
Like the many Banded Stilts that spread across the cover of her newest album, ‘Flood’, Stella
Donnelly is wading into uncharted territory. Here, she finds herself discovering who she is as
an artist among the flock, and how abundant one individual can be.
‘Flood’ is Donnelly’s record of this rediscovery: the product of months of risky experimentation,
hard moments of introspection, and a lot of moving around.
Donnelly’s early reflections on the relationship between the individual and the many can be
traced back to her time in the rainforests of Bellingen, where she took to birdwatching as both a
hobby and an escape in a border-restricted world. By paying closer attention to the natural
world around her, Donnelly recalls “I was able to lose that feeling of anyone’s reaction to me. I
forgot who I was as a musician, which was a humbling experience of just being; being my small
self.”
Reconnecting with this ‘small self’ allowed Donnelly to tap into creative wells she didn’t know
existed. Soon songs were coming to her in a way she could not control and over the coming
months, Donnelly accumulated 43 tracks as she moved out of Bellingen and around the
country, often finding herself displaced due to border restrictions and a tough rental market.
Though the writing of ‘Flood’ was an intensely personal undertaking, Donnelly still saw the
recording process as one of her most collaborative projects yet. Along with her band members,
co-producing the record beside Anna Laverty and Methyl Ethyl’s Jake Webb helped to foster
an important spontaneity in the studio. With Webb, Donnelly could “dig in” and discover a
“forward-leaning sound” she’d been searching for, while Laverty’s ability to “capture the piano”
and discern the “perfect take” allowed the songwriter to take risks, many of which have clearly
paid off.
Looking back at the Banded Stilt, Donnelly ultimately appreciates how when “seen in a crowd
they create an optical illusion, but on its own it’s this singular piece of art.” While each song in
‘Flood’ is a singular artwork unto itself, the collective shares all of Stella Donnelly in abundance:
her inner child, her nurturing self, her nightmare self; all of herself has gone into the making of
this record and, although it would take an ocean to fathom everything she feels, it’s well worth
diving in
Like the many Banded Stilts that spread across the cover of her newest album, ‘Flood’, Stella
Donnelly is wading into uncharted territory. Here, she finds herself discovering who she is as
an artist among the flock, and how abundant one individual can be.
‘Flood’ is Donnelly’s record of this rediscovery: the product of months of risky experimentation,
hard moments of introspection, and a lot of moving around.
Donnelly’s early reflections on the relationship between the individual and the many can be
traced back to her time in the rainforests of Bellingen, where she took to birdwatching as both a
hobby and an escape in a border-restricted world. By paying closer attention to the natural
world around her, Donnelly recalls “I was able to lose that feeling of anyone’s reaction to me. I
forgot who I was as a musician, which was a humbling experience of just being; being my small
self.”
Reconnecting with this ‘small self’ allowed Donnelly to tap into creative wells she didn’t know
existed. Soon songs were coming to her in a way she could not control and over the coming
months, Donnelly accumulated 43 tracks as she moved out of Bellingen and around the
country, often finding herself displaced due to border restrictions and a tough rental market.
Though the writing of ‘Flood’ was an intensely personal undertaking, Donnelly still saw the
recording process as one of her most collaborative projects yet. Along with her band members,
co-producing the record beside Anna Laverty and Methyl Ethyl’s Jake Webb helped to foster
an important spontaneity in the studio. With Webb, Donnelly could “dig in” and discover a
“forward-leaning sound” she’d been searching for, while Laverty’s ability to “capture the piano”
and discern the “perfect take” allowed the songwriter to take risks, many of which have clearly
paid off.
Looking back at the Banded Stilt, Donnelly ultimately appreciates how when “seen in a crowd
they create an optical illusion, but on its own it’s this singular piece of art.” While each song in
‘Flood’ is a singular artwork unto itself, the collective shares all of Stella Donnelly in abundance:
her inner child, her nurturing self, her nightmare self; all of herself has gone into the making of
this record and, although it would take an ocean to fathom everything she feels, it’s well worth
diving in




















