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Crack Cloud has always been something beyond a rock band: both profound and grand, vaporous and elusive. The first iteration of Crack Cloud was formed nearly a decade ago as a proxy-rehab outlet on the fringes of Calgary. Over time, two EPs and accompanying visual pieces were produced out of the residence known as Red Mile. By 2017, several members had relocated to Vancouver, working out of harm reduction centers and low-barrier shelters. Sobriety, self-reformation and the idealism of their work further formed an ethos for Crack Cloud. It was during these years that the band produced their astounding 2020 album Pain Olympics. At once, their vision became expansive, cinematic. Now, Red Mile is a bit of a homecoming. Members have returned to Calgary. But Calgary/home has become a liminal space, a place of flux. After a decade of personal and collective growth, what does home even mean? Red Mile is, for them, something like samsara: a return and a rebirth. Red Mile's sound breathes expansive energy into the circuitous, street bound sonics of Crack Cloud's prior material. Fizzling synths intertwine with chiming pianos. Songs layer like Russian nesting dolls; one may find a Ramones chorus set within a desolate Western prog soundtrack only to watch it erupt into a joyous anthem. Real-ass guitars _ alternately lilting, scuzzy and soaring _ ring out across wide sun-bleached spaces. In 2024, the cumulative effect is (in rock instrumentation terms) naturalistic. Any whiff of embalmed nostalgia is absent. Even the close of the album - a winding, almost Jerry Garcia guitar noodle that leads us out of Red Mile - is delivered without sentimentality. Principal songwriter Zach Choy's lyrics are cutting but merciful, with a sharp self-awareness that never slides into self-satisfaction. Crack Cloud as artists are critical _ and ultimately as forgiving _ of themselves as they are the melting world around them. The songs balance an easy charm and cathartic power: affirming life without denying death. Recorded predominantly between the outskirts of Joshua Tree California, and Calgary, Alberta, this record is informed by a bittersweet mélange of old and new. The sprawling, novelistic structures of their previous albums are condensed and sharpened, while maintaining their refusal to delve into superficiality. Through playful melodies and elliptical guitar soliloquy, they deliver a final product of exceptional depth and distinctly unprecious warmth. Crack Cloud have produced a mature, vital work that interrogates the platitudes of the rock-n-roll lifestyle, but ultimately exalts its sacredness. Red Mile's de facto thesis statement "The Medium" is itself a rock song meditation: an ode to the form and its practitioners. This genre that _ typical, repeatable, corporatized as it can be _ somehow still has the power to help us live through life. We see the dusty sentiment of "I love rock and roll" exhumed, taken apart, and stitched back together. It's a song guided by faith _ if the medium helps us proclaim our love today, it's worth protecting from derision tomorrow. We live in an era where music seems to love hitting its head against the wall. Crack Cloud's Red Mile is the sound _ the feeling! _ of the bricks giving way.

Spray’s Punctuality arrives sharp for its second instalment, rolling out the velvet carpet to welcome LA’s royal rave highness Etari. Kweenie is her inauguration, a no-nonsense exhibition of prog tonkers and tech pumpers accompanied by a wild remix from Angel D’Lite.

Deep in the heart of the angel’s city resides Etari, the west coast icon of boundless rave energy. Having graced the kingdoms of 100% Silk and Delusional Records previously with a wily array of hardcore dance styles, Spray’s Punctuality is the next stop. Etari duly obliges his invitation with Kweenie, a new iteration of her sound that develops her twisted club fantasies beyond the clouds, or at least as far as the lasers will carry.

Clocking in and the title track throws down from the off, shaking its royal rump that’s fit for a Kweenie before bumping its soaring bassline along its naughty groove. Angel D’Lite heeds the remix call, kickin’ it rage style with a breakbeat pumper that harkens to jungle tekno past while straddling future prog pastures. Lulu Limon gets freakier on side B, as Etari zests its anaesthetised groove with clicks and pops while gliding down its minimalised wormhole of latent psychedelia. Racehorse is last out the gate, initiating a heads-down stomper of tech(no) consequence that gallops cute but serious with club tenacity along its majestic travels, and thus concluding Punctuality’s latest transmission.

Pierced Arrow's first record! Fred And Toody Cole's post Dead Moon band with Legendary rocker Kelly Haliburton on drums. Most musicians get softer with age, but Fred and Toody brought a harder edge to Pierced Arrow's than their earlier bands. A legendary record back in print for the first time since it initially came out in 2008. A killer!

Air is the central element in Antonina Nowacka's third solo album Sylphine Soporifera. The title names an imaginary species and the land they inhabit, inspired by the unreal desert landscape of Paracas and the undulating tree-less hills of the Outer Hebrides, and comes from the writings of Rudolf Steiner, who describes creatures called Sylphs as the spirits of the air, and the Latin word sopor which means deep sleep.

As with all her releases, Nowacka's other-worldly vocals coming as if from beyond the veil, at once haunting, alien and utterly entrancing. "The voice is the most beautiful and resonating instrument,” she says. “When I sing I feel I create a field in between myself and the air in front of me," she explains. "It is not just that I'm singing – something in the space in front of me is happening, and I merge with this sphere.”

She conjures and is inspired by open environments and infinite landscapes: places full of light and air, manifested here in the sound of ocarinas from Budrio in Italy, whistles from Mexico, simple bamboo flutes from Nepal, alongside tremulous zithers, synthetic Hawaiian sounds from a vintage organ and the uncanny wind instrument presets from a 90s synth.

Nowacka’s first album was informed by vocal sketches made in caves in Indonesia, later recorded at a fortress in Poland; she studied Hindustani music in India with vocalist Shashwati Mandal, fell in love with early Cumbia in Mexico and Peru, and has more recently found inspiration in the landscapes of Italy. Hers is a new New Age soundworld that finds its origins everywhere and nowhere. Sylphine Soporifera gathers these sounds, visions and experiences into an album permeated with a sense of hope and fulfilment, that feels like sitting in an enlivening white beam of afternoon sunlight, as dustmotes swirl in the stillness.

Scottish experimental/electronic musician Drew McDowall's lifelong interest in an elegiac solo bagpipe style called pibroch (ceòl mòr in Gaelic) has been an inspiration for much of his previous work (including Coil's legendary Time Machines). This form, often traditionally used for laments and for tributes to the dead, fuses modal drones with flickering dissonance and plaintive melody evoking an ancient, solemn mood. His latest work, A Thread, Silvered and Trembling, both incorporates and transforms these elements via exploratory electronic processing, weaving an electro-acoustic tapestry of strings, shudders, voids, and voices, alternately disembodied and displaced. Co-produced with engineer Randall Dunn at Circular Ruin Studios in Brooklyn, the collection's four pieces capture McDowall at his most elevated and elusive, in thrall to "the ineffable - that which refuses to be spoken." McDowall's palette here is unusually eclectic, sourced from a dynamic orchestral ensemble arranged by Brent Arnold and comprised of cello, viola, violin, harp (Marilu Donovan of LEYA), and french horn. Ebbing between shrouded electronics and enigmatic, sometimes spectralist orchestration, the album moves with a seething, simmering energy, surging into elegant, uneasy crescendos. The first two pieces are inspired by a liberatory hijacking and inversion of a grim biblical story (and by a cryptic and strange UK simple syrup branding). Opener "Out of Strength Comes Sweetness" shivers with short echo and resonant pads, before shifting into the album's centerpiece: the 14-minute saga "And Lions Will Sing with Joy." A murmuring electrical storm of keening strings and disorienting drones gradually grows darker and denser, until suddenly there's a crack in the clouds, revealing mutated choral voices and sparkling harp. McDowall describes the track as "an incantation to help usher in a break, and a new beginning." The record's latter half evokes a deep untamed animism shot through with spiraling radiance. "In Wound and Water" sways with harp, plucked strings and eerie cello undertows while lush layers of disorientated electronics hang in the dusk. There is no resolution, only a faint gradient of fragile dissipation, leading into the album's harrowing and climactic closer, "A Dream of a Cartographic Membrane Dissolves." Processed voices (credited on the liner notes to "The Ghosts Who Refuse to Rest") contort, whisper, and gather as the rest of the ensemble sharpens, poising to strike. Then it does - grand, tragic stabs of strings and horns lashing the sky, storming heaven by force. The fallout is poetic and inevitable, raining embers into a dark sea. But the journey and catharsis of A Thread linger long after it goes silent. Like so much of McDowall's multifaceted catalog, this is music of immanence and alchemy, attuned equally to the sacred and the profane, to the tile and the mosaic.

2024 Repress

Physically and mentally draining in the best way possible, Wet Will Always Dry is maybe the most complete statement from Blawan to date, and as such should be ignored at your peril. This becomes evident from the album-opening 'Klade,' a dizzying, tumbling flight of pure energy over overlapping fields of electrified menace. This sets the stage for 'Careless,' which retains the hazardous, crackling atmosphere but dials back the intensity just enough to make room for a new feature, Blawan's eerie and disembodied vocals.

'Tasser' ratchets up the tempo and the frenetic energy yet more, slinging chunks of audio shrapnel and grinding factory noise over the kick-heavy beat, only letting up the tension every now and then for a convulsive breakdown. By the arrival of 'Vented,' a more steady, cycling groove has set in along with the accompaniment of suspenseful melodic swells, but the element of surprise is far from gone: there still seem to be spectral entities lurking around every corner, and there's no shortage of intriguing tumbril weirdness blowing around the imaginary streets that this track conjures up.

The slamming 'North' keeps alive the record's persistent, darkly humorous feeling that things are about to go off the rails at any moment, using wildly contorted sequences and granular debris to shift between total abandon and regimented strictness. A moment of relative calmness, along with the return of the atmospheric vocals, comes about with 'Stell,' a faintly dubby track that leaves an impression like watching streams of traffic progress underneath rolling, deep grey clouds.

'Kalosi' brings back the percussive motif of 'Tasser' and 'North,' this time partnering it with loops that bring to mind radioactive bass strings. 'Nims' then shuts things down with infectious harp-like sequences, fuzz-shrouded percussion and an 'everything but the kitchen sink' mentality towards filtering and processes which will get the attention of all but the most jaded soundhead.

Turnover have teamed up with a team of collaborators to release Myself in the Way: Remixes, a new vinyl release that features reimagined versions of the band’s infectious and trippy album Myself in the Way. Artists like Young Guv and Anthenagin offer drum & bass updates to singles “Myself in the Way” and “Wait Too Long,” while prior touring partner Healing Potpourri adds to the psychedelic trance of “Moun- tains Made of Clouds.” Even Turnover’s own Austin Getz contributes three remixes, turning songs like “People That We Know’ and “Stone Station” into trance-influenced elec- tronic jams. Youtube sensation Frank Watkinson closes out the album with a different interpretation of “Mountains Made of Clouds,” with only an acoustic guitar and the song’s heart- breaking lyrics to recontextualize the song as what feels like a timeless folk-ballad.

Continue As Amery is the debut album by Montreal-based artist Amery. Formerly recording under the moniker Alpen Glow, Continue As Amery sees the songwriter step out into a bold, colourful world full of pop hooks, snagging feelings of abandon and the mornings after. Amery Sandford began releasing as Alpen Glow in 2020 after years playing in punk groups in Newfoundland and as half of Montreal pop duo Born At Midnite (Arbutus). Recorded in Montreal by David Carriere (TOPS, Marci), Patrick Holland, and Kristian North, Continue As Amery is a blast of melodic joie de vivre. On her debut Sandford brings her punk and DIY credentials into sharp focus on 8 perfect pop odes to city living, making mistakes and figuring it out as you go along. Suffuse with powerful imagery and an almost uncanny talent at spinning out hooks brimming with humour and spirit, Amery’s soundworld is informed by friendship, experience and by her day job as a renowned illustrator and visual artist. Beginning Alpen Glow in a spirit of fun and now shedding the alias, Amery’s ready to hotwire the nite. Each song is rich with story. Mountain FM, named for the radio station in Sandford’s home town in the mountains of Alberta, launches into a tale of speeding, blasting the radio too loud, the giddy burning of rubber with no care in the world to slow you down. Featuring live band members Sarah Harris, Jack Bielli, and Frank Climenhage, the singer bristles to get out of her stifling hometown while lamenting the wide eyed adventurer who left for the big city. On Hotwire The Nite, Amery is out on the town, with imagery loaded with the night’s promise. Amery sings “Black candle / Dripping intel / Dagger hanging by an emerald handle / Holy roller that I just can’t have without my hand on an old flame,” diving in and out of fantasy and desire over a pulsating banger. Moments like these feel like a thesis on aural pleasure, with the production sleek and silky playfulness persisting throughout. Spirit Is Broken is a pep talk the artist is giving herself in the mirror. Only Amery could write something so joyous and harmonically glorious while singing about low ebbs. Every line shines with humour, the chorus starting with an exasperated “oh my god, alright” and the refrain nailing the bittersweet feeling of enjoying feeling down. It’s a mood continued on slow groover Ennui, a melter striking out at being stuck; same parties, same faces, daring to dream beyond. As an illustrator and visual artist, Sandford’s images detail dancing instrument-clad animals, party scenes that nod to historical image making heavy hitters like Hieronymus Bosch and Ludwig Bemelmans. On Miracles, Amery deals in bold pop production and her yearning to escape into fantasy, given wings by Korgs and drum machines. On Rocker Blues, originally by French artist FR David, Amery brings the heavy with synth-guitar and an undeniable chorus. C9 is in some ways the album’s centrepiece, a mid tempo funk jam and duet with Montreal stalwart Fireball Kid, it’s the party just out of reach on the horizon. The thing about Cloud 9 is that on the comedown you might get a hella lot of rain. The world Amery builds is intoxicating, rich and most importantly open for anyone to fall into. To be continued…

White Vinyl. Set your shoes to gaze mode and rip into this king size cloud of ethereal dream pop. Inspired by the spate of Brits leaning into swirling distortion and punishing volume, San Jose's Ozean played just two shows in their brief existence, dissolving before the Scene That Celebrates Itself ever broke the silicon barrier. The quartet's 1991 self-titled demo cassette has been remastered and pressed at 45RPM, a timeless document of late adolescent wonder and experimentation.

The Big Picture is the 2014 studio album by Kat Edmonson, who calls her music vintage cosmopolitanism pop. For the recordings of this album, she collaborated with acclaimed producer Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Suzanne Vega). On The Big Picture, according to NPR, “she's a savvy student of '60s film soundtracks, jazz-pop stylists and Brill Building songcraft, nodding to her influences at every turn. But her take on those stylized musical languages is so fresh and fluent that the referencing never feels cumbersome."" The album features standout tracks “Rainy Day Woman”, “Oh My Love”, and “You Can’t Break My Heart”, which remain fan-favourites to this day. The Big Picture is available as a 10th anniversary edition of 500 copies on white & black marbled vinyl.

Ein sehr persönliches soziopathisches Juwel, das als futuristische Interpretation der Funktionsweise von Musik geliefert wird, eine melodiöse Brise mit einem Hauch von giftigem Lärm. Ein Album mit zehn Songs, dazu ihr zehntes Studiowerk. Die Gegenüberstellung des Konzepts des `dunklen Sonnenscheins', eine brütende Solo-Platte, auf der Kristin Hersh zusammen mit Freunden ihre klangliche Vision erweitert; ein quietschender Mix aus disharmonischer Schönheit, Rückkopplung und Phasenkreisel von einfach klirrender Normalität. Man stelle sich Dinosaurier Jr. und My Bloody Valentine vor, die Dylan Verse vertonen. Mit beiden Extremen des Klangspektrums: atonal und arrhythmisch, ein einzigartiger Sound und eine glorreiche Rückkehr zur Form für eine der wahren Innovatorinnen des Alternative Rock. "Imagine truly buying your own sunshine and charm, but also your darkness and violence; the two sides of your psychology showing each other off in relief. Songs can do that...we can't, really. Darkness we've seen." - Kristin Hersh, July 2018 "She's still as powerful a presence as she ever was." - Pitchfork "The prodigious output and commitment to quality is pretty staggering, but then Kristin Hersh is a very, very special musician." - The Quietus

Following on from their highly anticipated debut on Steel City Dance Discs, Scottish duo Clouds, consisting of Glasgow based Liam Robertson and Berlin based Calum Macleod now unveil their second EP via the label, Positive Delusion.

Clouds waste no time in bringing us straight into their bass-soaked underworld with the title track and continue this unrelenting musical voyage with Get With It; an aggressive orchestra of distorted instrumentals, rolling percussion, bellowing bass and chopped vocals. The duo’s “mission” of achieving Rhythm Perfection is laid out bare in the aforementioned track, as its piercing stabs keep the listener hooked and chained to this ungodly underbelly of sound. Dreamarena, with its ominous rave-stabs and gut-hurdling bassline takes us eventually to our fate, as the EP reaches its darkest, deepest point with Vyperskin.

Habibi Funk is thrilled to share a second collection of deep grooves and unreleased songs from Algeria's Ahmed Malek, often compared to Italian heavyweight Ennio Morricone. Malek’s music effortlessly switches between thematic jazz, funk, reggae and Algerian folk – creating indelible soundscapes that intersect the musical innovations made in African jazz by Mulatu Astatke, Bembeya Jazz National along with some of Europe’s finest experimental composers like Piero Piccioni and Janko Nilovic. “Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux” is out June 28th, 2024 via Habibi Funk.

Whenever an interview asks about a “memorable moment” in Habibi Funk label history, one we always reference is how we got in touch Ahmed Malek’s (22K Spotify Followers, 285K Spotify Monthly Listeners) music and subsequently his family. It all started with us coming across Ahmed Malek’s music on YouTube in 2012. We were mesmerized by how effortlessly the music would switch between jazz, funk and Algerian folk while counterweighting it with an undertone of melancholia. Musical perception is different for every person, but there is a chance that his music will touch you in one way or another. At the time, we had just started the Habibi Funk label and we felt Ahmed’s music might be a good fit for the sound we were trying to highlight. Fast forward three years: we had become captivated with the idea of reissuing some of Ahmed Malek’s music. We knew some people had tried to locate his family but, but with no success. In the end it was an incredible amount of luck that made it possible for you to read these words and listen to Ahmed’s music. We were on a DJ gig in Beirut playing old Arabic records and we mentioned our passion for Ahmed Malek’s music to a friend. She said she knew one person in Algier, and as much as it would be a shot in the dark, she could ask her if she had an idea of how to find Malek’s family. Two weeks went by before we heard back, and what we got was incredibly good news - her Algerian friend was the neighbor of Ahmed Malek’s daughter! We’re not spiritual people, but it felt like the universe wanted to see the release happen. We started to speak with Henya, Ahmed Malek’s daughter and she was more than happy with our idea. She assured us that her father would have loved the plan as well. She provided us with tons of awesome material, from great photos, to unseen video footage and unreleased tracks. Eventually we visited Henya in Algeria and we licensed some of her father’s music, first for one (Habibi 003), then for another (Habibi 005), then we eventually organized an exhibition in June/July 2019 – Planète Malek – Une Rétrospective – at the Musée Public National D’Art Moderne & Contemporain in Algiers, focusing on Ahmed Malek’s artistic life. We also produced a small movie about him that our friend Paloma Colombe shot and directed. “Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux” is a deep collection of unreleased songs and stemmed grooves from the Algerian master, from jazz, funk, psych to reggae rhythms and Latin flavors, all under the sonic umbrella of “Planète Malek;” and to quote the maestro, “I didn’t choose music, music chose me.” Lead single is the subtlety funky “Thème Rythme Léger,” out May 3rd along with LP Pre-Order (coincided with Bandcamp Friday for a larger impact) a delicate sonic dance between flute, piano and Spanish guitar with a Bossainfluenced groove. The steady, swingin’ drum groove is cloudlike - definitely toe-tapping friendly so just grab a partner to feel the Rhythme Léger. Second single out May 17th is the reggae-infused “L’Empire Des Rêves” – a sultry sax melody weaves through a prismatic rocksteady thematic groove. 3rd and final single “Thème Djalti feat. Aïda Guéchoud” – is a true Western-inspired ode to his Italian counterpart Ennio Morricone. “Thème Djalti” features the haunting vocals of Aïda Guéchoud, and combines elements of baroque and Bossa-jazz in a timelessly thematic way that seems grandiose yet remains uniquely personal to your ears. Swelling strings, trumpet, fem vox, flute, and plucked guitar expertly arranged, feels like you’re riding a horse into the sunset. Focus track “La La La” is fiery afro-arab-funk of the highest order! Put on your dancing shoes as Ahmed cuts the rug and gets us grooving along. Sonically the cut sounds like if Ahmed ran into The JB’s and Fela Kuti at a Cymande concert. Driving guitar and organ solos vie over pulsating bass riffs and afro-funk drumming that’ll have you out on the dance floor in no time. As always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background and interviews with Ahmed compiled through found newspaper clippings and newsreels, also including unseen photos, scans and more. “Ahmed Malek: Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux” will be out everywhere June 28th.

Enjoy The Ride Records is happy to share an exclusive variant of the Milan Records release of Euphoria (Original Score from the HBO Series), Music by Labrinth.

Written and recorded in close collaboration with the Euphoria writer and director Sam Levinson, Labrinth‘s original compositions feature prominently throughout the hit HBO series as a sonic companion to the show’s angst-driven narrative and intoxicating visuals. The resulting 26-track collection is a genre-blending mix of gospel, soul, and electronic influences, indicative both of Labrinth’s imitable style as well as the show’s deeply moving storyline.

Of the album, Labrinth says, “My experience with Euphoria has made me a better musician. It was a dream come true to give wings and add magic to the different storylines. It was a collaborative effort among Sam Levinson, the crew, and the cast – I only added texture to an already phenomenal show. I hope that anyone who listens to the music embraces feeling something.”

Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media. The ensemble cast of Euphoria includes actor and singer Zendaya, Maude Apatow (Girls), Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith and Sydney Sweeney (Sharp Objects).

Euphoria is an American adaptation of an Israeli show of the same name, and all episodes are written by Sam Levinson (Assassination Nation), who also serves as executive producer.

The Enjoy The Ride Records Exclusive variant, ""Night Sky Blue,"" is limited to 1,000 copies. Euphoria is housed in a silver foil stamped & numbered soft-touch gatefold jacket with spot gloss and also contains a full-color insert.

Repress.

Welcome to “Through Lines”, a collection of hand picked tracks by genre nomad and bass innovator Martyn, made between 2005 and 2015, carefully recovered and remastered for vinyl and digital release on 3024. Previously only available on 12” across a scattering of different labels, this set includes essential ‘Martyn Music’ (as the producer likes to classify it); tracks like “Vancouver” (A 140 staple to this day), “Mega Drive Generation” and his classic remix of TRG’s “Broken Heart”, as well as deeper cuts like the rare “Friedrichstrasse” and house gem “For Lost Relatives”.

This is not just a compilation of remastered music, it’s a document of an era of UK inspired dance music where ideas, genres, tempos and scenes seemed to rapidly merge and splinter off. An exciting time where producers constantly tried to one-up each other with new ideas and influences, in a vibrant international scene of small club nights from FWD>> and DMZ in London to Red Zone (co-run by Martyn) in the periphery, the earliest online forums like Dubstepforum and radio shows like Dj Flight’s BBC 1xtra show and Mary Anne Hobbs’ Breezeblock. Innovation in music never happens in a vacuum and is always a product of community, producers, writers, and other makers continuously inspiring and pushing each other to come up with the next thing. This ethos is present in all of Martyn’s music throughout the years, but also in his work with Jeroen Erosie as 3024 and within the 3024 Mentoring Program he runs today.

Chris Cohen was always a quiet kid. In fact, this introversion was one reason he began playing music as a toddler-to communicate without speaking, to identify with others without the direct representation of words. It has worked, too, with Cohen's terrific stint in the mighty Deerhoof and his own captivating art-rock act The Curtains, preceding production and session work for the likes of Weyes Blood, Kurt Vile, Le Ren, and Marina Allen. Somewhere along that long way, Cohen started writing lyrics. He found that, though it didn't come naturally, the process offered a new sense of self-discovery and reckoning, a way to see himself and the world from unexpected angles. His three twilit albums of casually complicated pop during the last decade radiated these epiphanies: handling family strife, navigating advancing age, and understanding social woes. But Cohen has never had as much to sing so directly as he does on Paint a Room, his first album in five years and his debut for Hardly Art. If Cohen's meanings have previously lurked inside the tessellated musical layers he built alone, they are newly clear and resonant here, animated and underscored for the first time by a band playing in real time. There is the endless miasma of state violence on the subversively melodious opener "Damage," the existential exhaustion of modernity on the horn-traced jangle "Laughing": this is Cohen communicating with friends not only through his deep understanding of groove, harmony, and hook but also with his listeners through songs that croon of our uneasy little era. On Paint a Room, Cohen's music feels like a warm spring breeze, easy to love and gentle to feel. But it's often carrying something heavy, as if blowing in from some unseen storm cloud. Paint a Room both reckons with reality and conjures an alternate one, where nighttime walks and a neighbor's wind chimes offer endless escapes for the imagination, space for the mind to roam. Sublime and sun-lit, these 10 songs consider dreamy new ways out of old predicaments, clearly stating the problem and dancing and singing their way somewhere new. Paint a Room features Jeff Parker contributing the fluttering horn arrangement on "Damage," and Parker collaborator Josh Johnson (who produced Meshell Ndegeocello's Grammy-Award-winning album The Omnichord Real Book) supplying flute, sax, and clarinet arrangements throughout the record.

“Come my lady/Come-Come my lady/ You’re my butterfly, sugar baby”…If there was a song-track to the turn of the millennium, Crazy Town’s “Butterfly” was it, starting with its appearance on the 1999 album Gift of Game and winding up with its reign at #1 in the charts in February 2001. Anchored by a sample of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Pretty Little Ditty,” it forever defined the term “nu-metal power ballad,” and was a rare-for-the-genre love song to boot! But the album from whence it came didn’t fly as high as it did, with over 2.5 million copies sold, just because of “Butterfly.” The Gift of Game brings the noise with an all-out alternative metal assault, and the band’s rappers—bolstered by guest appearances from KRS-One and Mad Lion—are markedly better than their rap/metal contemporaries. And then there’s the album art, created by member Shifty Shellshock’s father and uncle, which lends a vivid rendering to the fantasies of every teenage boy listening to “Lollipop Porn.” In short, this was a freakin’ HUGE record that somehow…somehow!...has NEVER been on vinyl. So how to handle its momentous debut on its 25th anniversary? Well, first, we’ve created an inner sleeve with all of the lyrics (and there are a lot of ‘em). Our sources also tell us that the very explicit hidden bonus track on the CD release has mysteriously made it on here. But when it comes to the vinyl, given what we anticipate is going to be, ahem, crazy demand, we have pressed the record in two different colors, one in “Red Devil Velvet” vinyl and the other in “Yellow Butterfly” vinyl. Come dance with us and Crazy Town…twice!

Limited edition "Coke Bottle Cloud" color vinyl with etched b-side. Australian duo Armlock make music for having your head in the clouds. On new album Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell bring you on a steady ascension through compressed and heavenly sonic realms. The band's second proper release, and first for Run For Cover Records, showcases the songwriters' experimental electronic roots through an indie rock lens. Free from distortion or overindulgence, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm is a collection of consistent rhythms decorated with clean guitar tones and eccentricities. Through playful layers of vocal harmony and minimal arrangements, Armlock capture the inventive and uncomplicated essence of Pinback or Alex G. Self-described as "indie rock with a touch of spirituality and emo", Armlock's journey into a higher realm is seeped with the looming confusion that comes with exploring the unknown. With an introverted demeanor, Armlock explores the human desire to find guidance in a world much bigger than its people. Every sound on Seashell Angel Lucky Charm feels precise and intentional, making the anthemic choruses on tracks like "Fear" and "El Oh Ve Ee'' feel expertly placed and pop-oriented. These two songs show Armlock's savvy with harmony as they use octaves of angelic sounds to stretch a simple one-word chorus until it soars with meaning. Unlike most indie rockers, Armlock use guitar as a tool in their belt rather than a vessel for songwriting. Where their 2021 EP Trust set foundations in downtempo acoustic guitar, Lam and Mitchell's evolved songwriting is a testament to where an electric guitar can amplify a song's groove, or usher in sonic space.

Next up on co:clear – a somewhat new direction for London-based producer, Box5ive. Perhaps an artist more usually associated with trudging, UK-bass divagations (via contributions to Panel Audio and Well Street Records), his debut LP ensues a wistful gear change that speeds straight through the apex of your serotonin receptors.

Caressed by synths that cry euphoric tears, ‘Grey Space’ is a full-length trip that fuses adept drum programming with serenading melody, offering a majestic listening experience that glides amongst emo-bient clouds and free falls into dazzling electronica.

RIYL: Malibu, Jon Hopkins, Nils Frahm

First vinyl edition pressed on Cirrostratus Cloud colored vinyl and includes a "Footlong" OBI.

Underground lifer Nick Sakes returns on the debut LP from Upright Forms. The tight-knit Minneapolis trio feels like the culmination of Sakes' varied and prolific career to date, bringing together the unhinged prog-punk ferocity of Dazzling Killmen & Colossamite with the careening chaos of Xaddax and the shout-along hooks and dynamic songcraft of Sicbay. Blurred Wires is skewed yet tuneful, challenging yet compulsively listenable, concise yet brimming with invention. The experience of a lifetime distilled to 33 rotations across a gripping 33 minutes.

Consider "They Kept on Living," a song that first appeared in an earlier version on the SKiN GRAFT comp Sounds to Make You Shudder!. It starts off with a grinding 7/4 groove, with cryptic lines over scratchy noise-punk chords. After a brief build, the band explodes into a massive chorus, with Sakes shouting the title line against a fist-pumping riff.

The trio sound equally convincing digging into the pummeling aggression of "My Lower Self," where Sakes' vocals start off as a feral snarl and then soar triumphantly during the chorus, or the soothing indie-pop hush of the Paster-penned "Drive at Night."

Various "tug-at-your-heartstrings" touchstones informed "Long Shadow". Sakes channeled Television Personalities, cult heroes of melodic British post-punk, on "Animositine," which he accurately labels "our prettiest song."

Nearly 35 years into his career, Sakes is finding new ways to challenge himself -- and in Paster and Westphal, he's found two musicians who are equally comfortable with both the thorniest and the loveliest manifestations of underground rock. When they reflect on their chemistry, they agree that their openness to collaboration is, as Sakes puts it, "one of our superpowers."

On Blurred Wires, that superpower yields dynamic, challenging and profoundly memorable results.

Following their ground breaking "Wet Dirt" album from 2019, CRIMEAPPLE and DJ Skizz are back to take you on a worldwide flight starting off in Hradec, Czech Republic. The New Jersey rapper and Brooklyn producer step up their game once again on this new offering, with CRIMEAPPLE solidifying yet one more time his position as one of the best lyricist out there, painting perfect pictures all by himself over Skizz's top-tier productions, with an extra soulful and vintage touch added to it. Fasten your seat belts as this one is yet another classic to listen up above the clouds!

Tristen Colby's Rhinestone Pickup Truck races ahead with Self-Deprecation At Hourly Rates, refining his garage rock sound with sharp hooks and personal lyrics. The album balances polish with raw energy, drawing from Nirvana to newer acts like Bass Drum of Death and amidst the vigor lies introspection, as Colby navigates personal struggles, making this album a cathartic journey. As Colby gears up for 2024 tours, Self-Deprecation At Hourly Rates establishes him as a force in American garage rock. The vinyl edition is a cloudy pink 12'' vinyl limited to only 300 copies worldwide via PNKSLM Recordings.

Two brand new tracks by The Courettes on RED coloured vinyl. The A-side will also feature on the band's next album! The B-side exclusive to this release! Both tracks feature guest vocals by La La Brooks of The Crystals! 'California' is a song we wrote on our first tour in California last year. We wanted to bring all the sunshine and some psychedelic vibes from The Byrds, the Laurel Canyon, and tons of 12-string guitars to our songwriting. But somehow the lyrics kept some black clouds. It talks about traveling and leaving your loved ones behind. Any musician on the road can relate to this. Although you can have a great time around the world, you're always missing someone. Home is really where your love is. We are very proud of this track, and on top of it we have a guest vocalist. The legendary singer La La Brooks - yes, from The Crystals, the lead voice on the classic 'Da Doo Ron Ron', one of our favourite Phil Spector produced songs of all time. To have La La singing with us is an absolute delight and honour. It's so surreal that we haven't even realised it has really happened! For the mixing our producer Soren Christensen has teamed up with the fantastic Darian Sahanaja (who produced and mixed no less than Brian Wilson's SMiLE album) to enlighten even more the Californian good vibrations. So open up your windows, let the sunshine in and play this one to the max!

Chris Potter is one of the world's greatest Saxophonists - the new record features the global supergroup: Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade and John Patitucci

Eagle's Point by Chris (quartet) Potter, released 8 March 2024, includes the following tracks: "Indigo Ildiko4", "Aria For Anna", "Ma4laga Moon" and more.

This version of Eagle's Point comes as a 2xLP in a(n) Gatefold Sleeve packaging.

The vinyl is pressed as a opaque, blue disc. Another vinyl is pressed as a opaque, blue disc.

Temir Alcy (producer Enir Da - Dali Muru & The Polyphonic Swarm and multi-instrumentalist Charles Lmx) is at the junction of spherical textures of acoustic clouds and shapeshifting forms of immersive electronic percussive patterns.

By intertwining etherionic atmospheres and organic moods to magnetic and hypnotic rhythms, Temir Alcy explores the mysteries of the future and the unknown through a journey of sensory trance, where whispers and melodies of voices strike a vivid contrast between emotions’ fragility and sound’s solidity enhanced by a downtempo, leftfield and erratic kraut’s feel.

With Pere Ubu on hiatus since 1982’s excellent ‘Song Of The Bailing Man’, David Thomas had recorded a` much-praised solo album and the band had now signed to a major label. In a period of rampant world commercialism, what would happen next? Another crucial era for the band unravelled, Pere Ubu’s journey charted new undulating territory and so began a three-album escapade that retooled our understanding of what pop music is. Things were further obscured with ‘Cloudland’ when they released “their industrial strength equivalent of a class Beach Boys album from musicians more familiar with factories than surf.” (Greg Kot, Chicago Sun Times).

Eight years since the breathtaking Somewhere Anywhere EP, The Mad Walls return to re-ignite psych rock with this gorgeous, floatily heavy, effortlessly groovy and sublimely sinuous debut LP. Driven by bone shaking acoustic guitar, visceral drums, wonderfully trippy basslines and the throwaway perfection of Christopher Mercado’s spooked vocals. Pure rock n’ roll yet devoid of cliché. Informed by, but no way in hock to, early MC5, Skip Spence, Sonic Youth, Syd Barrett and Jefferson Airplane when they still all lived together.
Recorded on tape in Mercado’s garage, there’s a DIY heart with epic results across sixteen songs. Only one track over three minutes and some under thirty seconds. “It’s just chatter about life and human feelings. Stylized human expression”. - Is Christopher's self effacing explanation of his mind bending, playful, storytelling. It opens with the walloping drum canter/bass attack of WHO WANTS TO DIE FOR RELIGION. Passes through the furious distorted acoustic guitar solo on I TELL YOU HOW I FEEL. The woozy, elastic time-stretching of COOL TRIPPER. The brief, funky lurch of IN YOUR DREAM YOU ARE NO ONE. The almost lush, cinematic SEVEN DAYS which conjures Serge Gainsbourg by way of Moby Grape. HIP COMMA’s floaty strut and the groovy raga of MAKA THE NATIVE, which has not one but two ‘breath solos’. CLOUDS OF DUST is a skeletal Krautrock fragment and THERE ONLY IS a luminous psych-pop single. Final track APPLES ends the album with a sinewy twelve bar blues and a killer psych guitar break. Bliss.
Somehow the MAD WALLS manage woozily florid and sharp as a blade. Studiedly detailed but effortless. Whip smart and dumb. And as we said at the start - just gorgeous…

Eight years since the breathtaking Somewhere Anywhere EP, The Mad Walls return to re-ignite psych rock with this gorgeous, floatily heavy, effortlessly groovy and sublimely sinuous debut LP. Driven by bone shaking acoustic guitar, visceral drums, wonderfully trippy basslines and the throwaway perfection of Christopher Mercado’s spooked vocals. Pure rock n’ roll yet devoid of cliché. Informed by, but no way in hock to, early MC5, Skip Spence, Sonic Youth, Syd Barrett and Jefferson Airplane when they still all lived together.
Recorded on tape in Mercado’s garage, there’s a DIY heart with epic results across sixteen songs. Only one track over three minutes and some under thirty seconds. “It’s just chatter about life and human feelings. Stylized human expression”. - Is Christopher's self effacing explanation of his mind bending, playful, storytelling. It opens with the walloping drum canter/bass attack of WHO WANTS TO DIE FOR RELIGION. Passes through the furious distorted acoustic guitar solo on I TELL YOU HOW I FEEL. The woozy, elastic time-stretching of COOL TRIPPER. The brief, funky lurch of IN YOUR DREAM YOU ARE NO ONE. The almost lush, cinematic SEVEN DAYS which conjures Serge Gainsbourg by way of Moby Grape. HIP COMMA’s floaty strut and the groovy raga of MAKA THE NATIVE, which has not one but two ‘breath solos’. CLOUDS OF DUST is a skeletal Krautrock fragment and THERE ONLY IS a luminous psych-pop single. Final track APPLES ends the album with a sinewy twelve bar blues and a killer psych guitar break. Bliss.
Somehow the MAD WALLS manage woozily florid and sharp as a blade. Studiedly detailed but effortless. Whip smart and dumb. And as we said at the start - just gorgeous…

Das phantastische Debutalbum der schwedischen Hard'n'Heavy Legende erstmalig auf grün transparentem Vinyl inklusive bedrucktem Innersleeve mit Lyrics und Liner Notes!

Mit "Of The Son And The Father" legte die Band aus Borlänge im Jahr 2002 den Grundstein für ihre bis zum heutigen Tag anhaltende erfolgreiche Karriere mit weltweiten Charterfolgen.
Stücke wie der Titelsong oder das epische "Cloudbreaker" sind nach wie vor fester Bestandteil eines jeden Astral Doors Konzerts.

"Timeless Times," the first solo album from Detroit’s Brian Kage, is a masterful blend of classic house rhythms with the distinct edge of Detroit techno. Through this ambitious 19-track collection, Kage weaves a sonic tapestry through emotional landscapes, marked by ambient, and personal nostalgic vignettes that evoke a sense of timeless musical exploration.


Although this is Brian’s first solo album, he was not alone on this adventure. With “Timeless Times,” you will hear some exciting collaborations between Kage and legends like Mr. V, Milton Jackson, Jon Dixon, OB Ignitt, Luke Hess, Taho, Mesha Monique, RBJ, and many more surprises. Set to be released in early May 2024 on Brian's own label, Michigander, "Timeless Times" is not just an album; it's an auditory experience that encapsulates the very spirit of Detroit's electronic music scene along with his rich set of experiences throughout the beautiful state of Michigan.

Compiled by legendary producer Arthur Baker, ‘Breakers Revenge’ is a near-definitive collection of original Funk, Soul, Latin, Disco and Electro classic tracks from 1970-1984. These tracks, a combination of classics and obscurities, have all since become legendary to Breakdancers everywhere.

First played at South Bronx block parties, community halls and park jams in the 1970s and 80s, spun endlessly by the first three major hip-hop DJs – Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa – and found in the record crates of any DJ of note ever since. Seminal funk and soul tracks such as Dennis Coffey’s ‘Scorpio’, The Jimmy Castor Bunch’s ‘It’s Just Begun’, James Brown’s ‘Get on the Good Foot’, The Mohawks’ ‘Champ’ sit side-by-side here with the ground-breaking, classic electro of Afrika Bambaataa’s ‘Planet Rock’, and Arthur Baker’s own definitive ‘Breaker’s Revenge.’ Breakdancing has come a long way from its New York roots to its respected position as an art form today where, for the first time ever, it is to be featured in the Olympics held in Paris this August 2024.

The ‘breakbeat’ remains at the very heart of hip-hop, the mercurial funk, soul and disco tracks, always 100% guaranteed to get B-Boys, B-Girls and Breakdancers moving at any block party, with the percussive breakdown of each track the pinnacle soundtrack to any dance/battle between Breakdancers of any note. Similarly these tracks have been sampled many 1000s of times over by every hip-hop artist and producer of note. KRS-ONE, Marley Marl, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Public Enemy, Eric B, The Fugees, Outkast, Mos Def, Main Source, Jungle Brothers, LL Cool J, De La Soul and, well, everyone!

Compiler Arthur Baker played a pivotal role in hip-hop history when in 1982 he produced Afrika Bambaataa’s seminal ‘Planet Rock’ (as featured here), introducing electronic instruments into hip-hop for the first time ever and in the process created electro. After ‘Planet Rock’, Arthur Baker went on to remix or produce every major artist of note – from New Order to the Rolling Stones, Al Green to the Pet Shop Boys

*REMASTERED ROUGH TRADE 4 TRACK E.P LIMITED TO JUST 500 COPIES*

Everything on “Up Home!” is bigger, richer; the guitars are huge, as though they’re being played through the clouds, massive gusts of blue-green noise that move across the stereo spectrum like weather systems. “Baby Milk Snatcher” is built around face-flattening dub bass, with glinting piano and shards of guitar ricocheting through the song. “W.O.G.S.” is delirious to the point of expiration; “One Way Mirror” is their attempt at weird, lopsided ‘anti-funk’, the song’s melody crushed by avalanches of six-string interference. And the closing “Up” is AR Kane’s masterpiece, a disembodied thud pulsing at its heart as a six-note guitar melody spirals ever onward, Ayuli’s voice lost in its own reverie, hymning escapism via references to Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey’s ‘black star line’.
• Jon Dale, lead review in Uncut Magazine
who grew up together in Stratford, East London. From the off the pair were outsiders in the culturally mixed (cockney/Irish/West Indian/Asian) milieu of the East End, with Alex and Rudy’s folks first generation immigrants from Nigeria and Malawi, respectively. The two of them quickly developed and fostered an innate and near-telepathic mutual understanding forged in musical, literary and
artistic exploration. Like a lot of second-generation immigrants, they were ferocious autodidacts in all kinds of areas, especially around music and literature. Diving deep into the music of afro-futurist luminaries such as Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Lee Perry and Hendrix, as well as devouring the explorations of lysergic noise and feedback from contemporaries like Sonic Youth and Butthole Surfers, they also thoroughly immersed themselves in the alternate literary realities of sci-fi and ancient history (the fascination with the arcane that gave the band their name), all to feed their voracious cultural thirsts and intellectual curiosity.

It was seeing the Cocteau Twins performing on Channel 4 show the Tube that spurred A.R. Kane into being - “They had no drummer. They used tapes and technology and Liz Fraser looked completely otherworldly with those big eyes. And the noise coming out of Robin’s guitar! That was the ‘Fuck! We could do that!
The duo debuted with the astonishing ‘When You’re Sad’ single for One Little Indian in
1986. Immediately dubbed a ‘black Jesus & Mary Chain’ by a press unsure of WHERE to put a black band clearly immersed in feedback and noise, what was immediately apparent for listeners was just how much more was going on here – a tapping of dub’s stealth and guile, a resonant umbilicus back to fusion and jazz, the music less a conjuration of past highs than a re-summoning of lost spirits.

The run of singles and EPs that followed picked up increasingly rapt reviews in the press, but it was the ‘Up Home EP’ released in 1988 on their new home, Rough Trade that really suggested something immense was about to break. SimonReynolds noted the EP was: Their most concentrated slab of iridescent awesomeness and a true pinnacle of an era that abounded with astounding
landmarks of guitar-reinvention, A.R. Kane at their most elixir-like.

If anything, the remastered ‘Up Home’ is even more dazzling, even more startling than it was when it first emerged, and listening now you again wonder not just about how many bands christened ‘shoegaze’ tried to emulate it, but how all of them fell so far short of its lambent, pellucid wonder. This
remains intrinsically experimental music but with none of the frowning orthodoxy those words imply. A.R. Kane, thanks to that second generation auto-didacticism were always supremely aware about the interstices of music and magic, but at the same time gloriously free in the way they explored that connection within their own sound, fascinated always with the creation of ‘perfect mistakes’ and the possibilities inherent in informed play.

Danny Lee Blackwell"s Night Beats released their self-titled debut album back in 2011 and 2024 sees a long-overdue vinyl reissue hit the racks courtesy of UK label Fuzz Club. An acid-drenched modern garage-rock classic in the Texan thirteenth-floor tradition, the band"s R&B-inspired Western Psychedelic sound on this 12-track set is a reckoning, a shoot-out at dawn, the ear-splitting peel-out that leaves nothing but a cloud of red dust in its wake. Following early releases in the shape of the "H-Bomb" 45 and a split 10" with UFO Club (a collaborative project between Blackwell and The Black Angels" Christian Bland), the "Night Beats" LP was the first full-length introduction to the band and propelled them to the forefront of burgeoning contemporary psych scene in a blaze of scuzzy rock"n"roll release. Heavy touring immediately ensued and hasn"t let up in the years that followed, and the definitive Night Beats hit "Puppet On A String" has since clocked up millions of streams and become the soundtrack to an underground, fuzz-worshipping generation.

Monochord are Vienna-based musicians Bernhard Hammer and Jakob Schneidewind, two thirds of Elektro Guzzi, though Monochord paints a different picture. Electroacoustic experiments and filmic elements define the music that develops instinctively yet irrevocably, a sense of forward motion setting them apart. Compositionally minimal, their tracks maximise their inherent potential all the way through to their logical and even illogical end.
Referencing electronica, ambient, shoegaze and at times modern classical harmonics, Monochord builds and unbuilds in a slow heartbeat. Introspective and filmic, its quiet and non-confrontational nature makes Monochord move in the interzone between various spheres. Their music escapes definition and that is its truest definition. Its subtle pulse and evocative and drony feel invite and inspire.

Doc Sleep returns to Dark Entries with Cloud Sight Fade, an album of ethereal house and techno. Doc Sleep is the alias of DJ and producer Melissa Maristuen. Following 2023’s Birds, her ambient and IDM-leaning debut album, Cloud Sight Fade shows Doc drawing on her years of queer clubbing to bring us seven diverse tracks sitting between muscular New York house, Berlin twilight techno, and funky West-coast breakbeats. Production began in the Bay Area and was completed in Berlin; Maristuen says that this work became a love letter to the West Coast’s magnificent natural landscape, the light of the Pacific sunrise. While draped in dreamlike textures and melodies, this is also a record about embodiment and the memories that live within our corporeal forms. The powerful grooves on the breakbeat-inflected “Lemon Zest” and the propulsive “Cloud Sight Fade” remind us that dance music is for bodies dancing. Meanwhile, tracks like the sparkling album-closer “Enchanted Static” or the brooding groover “Water Sign” plunge us deeper into hypnotic depths. On Cloud Sight Fade, Doc Sleep guides us through slumber and wakefulness, in and out of our bodies, with the mastery of a seasoned DJ and clubgoer.

Mock Media, the new Canadian supergroup comprised of Garnet Aronyk (of Crack Cloud), Bennett Smith (of N0V3L), Austin Boylan (of Pottery) and Evan Aesen (of Painted Fruits), share their captivating debut album 'via Meat Machine Records (Crack Cloud, N0V3L, CLAMM)

Mock Media’s debut LP Mock Media II – out on Tin Angel records captures this firebrand four piece’s head-on plunge into enthralling existential contradictions: songs that explore the darkest corners of humanity, yet come out at the other end with the unwavering joy that marked their genesis. It’s an album of sneaky eclecticism: the high-wired punk rock stylings serve as Mock Media’s framework to clad their agog explorations into pop, electronic and world folk music.

idal Perspectives is an album by Giovanni Di Domenico, Pak Yan Lau, and John Also Bennett. Recorded across a single afternoon in Brussels, Belgium, the album’s four parts are a rippling alchemy of processed Rhodes piano, sizzling ceramics, and liquified bass flute, a rare meeting of three unique voices from the contemporary music landscape that manages to flow with the effortless inevitability of the oceanic tides.

Giovanni Di Domenico, an accomplished composer and prolific collaborator who has released albums with Jim O’Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi and Akira Sakata, among many others, initiated the collaboration with Bennett after the two met at a record fair in Saint-Gilles, Belgium and bonded over a shared inquisitiveness for unconventional sonic combinations. Along with Pak Yan Lau, a Belgian-born sound artist and improviser who has developed her own rich and unique sonic footprint, the trio entered the studio with little, if any, discussion beforehand, jumping right into playing without preconceived structures. The resulting recordings had a depth of sound and emotional resonance surprising even them, with finished pieces emerging from single live takes and minor edits.

Bennett, known for his solo work as well as his collaborations with Christina Vantzou as CV & JAB, gives us here a taste of his bass flute in free flowing form. Unconstricted by concept, joyfully and lazily bouncing off the melodic shimmers of Di Domenico’s Rhodes, Bennett uses his flute’s pitch information to trigger long tones that emerge like rays of light piercing through low hanging clouds - moments of clarity among a clicking world of sonic stimuli. Meanwhile, Lau’s crackling and sometimes dissonant contributions on prepared piano, live hydrophone, and custom ceramic sound objects balance out the triangle, adding a sense of microcosmic intrigue that allows the music to seamlessly ebb and flow between moments of comfort and foggy uncertainty.

The album’s title track and climax, the eighteen minute “Tidal Perspectives”, drifts in with some kind of clarity, Lau’s glinting tonal waves edging in just beyond the horizon lines drawn by Di Domenico’s Rhodes and Bennett’s bass flute. But like the tidal flows of the Atlantic that inspired its title, just as you begin to perceive what’s happening, the currents have already taken you out to sea. Tidal Perspectives will be released on June 14th, 2024, in a limited edition of 300 LPs by Editions Basilic.

"Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, James Vincent McMorrow, returns to the fore with his seventh full-length album Wide open, horses, out June 14th, 2024.

Wide open, horses is a candid snapshot of everything that has brought James to this point. The album signifies a retaking of his own narrative, a freeing self-acceptance, and a rebuilding of both his sense of self and his connection to music. Singles “Stay Cool”, “Never Gone” and “Give up” offer a first taste of what fans can expect, leaning further into the introspective and sincere indie-folk sound of his earlier material, whilst incorporating elements of his more explorative later releases.

A unique and particularly special artist project, Wide open, horses was initially performed live having booked two nights at The National Concert Hall in Dublin, where he recorded a handful of lo-fi demos, practiced the material for a week, and then hit the stage prior to ever recording a single song. Phones weren’t allowed, but James recorded it to “see what worked and what didn’t work.”

James has beckoned listeners to open their minds and hearts since his emergence in 2010. Along the way, he gathered over 1 billion streams across an expansive catalog. Among many standouts, “Higher Love” went BPI Gold in the UK and ARIA platinum in Australia. His cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” soundtracked the trailer for Season Six of HBO’s Game of Thrones and generated over 130 million Spotify streams on its Live At Killkenny Arts Festival version. Toppling charts, 2016’s “We Move” notably debuted at #1 in Ireland. At the same time, he lent his voice to “Hype” from Drake’s multiplatinum blockbuster Views, “I’m In Love” from Kygo’s Cloud Nine, and “Run Away” from dvsn’s Morning After, among others. Meanwhile, he’s sold-out tours on multiple continents, even packing the world-famous Sydney Opera House twice."

Limited vinyl edition of 300 copies on 180g white vinyl with download card. Deleted Scene, the 8th studio album from UK producer Stumbleine, overflows with beautiful nostalgia-tinged electronica. The album is steeped with cloud-like beauty, with opener I Can Stop Anytime I Like fusing addictive sampled vocals with soft, glassy guitars, as if a reflecting pool of the listeners' memories. Cinderhaze ripples that pool with a more driving, magnetic force, shifting and pulling its emotional weight in cyclic waves. Ursa Minor Sleeps Forever is fittingly sleepy, circling soft slow synth arpeggios in a dreamy haze, a sound built upon by Somnia to an epiphany-like string bed, never straying too far from Stumbleine's serene haven of melodic grace. On Catastrophette Stumbleine crafts a more dramatic and poignant web of sound, as if running through the memories created by the rest of Deleted Scene. The album as a whole is an escape to a dream-state of Stumbleine's making, captivating, yet familiar, and completely enveloping. According to Peter, "Deleted scene refers to the memories that play over and over inside your own head, replaying hazy copies of hazy copies that evolve into a bittersweet fever dream. Everybody has their own unique collection of deleted scenes slowly distorting and fading away." 'Stumbleine is the alias of Peter Cooper. With roots in the UK post rock scene, the reclusive producer began blending slow dream-like pop with fractured lo-fi beats as Stumbleine in 2012. Melancholic rnb vocals ebb and flow above submerged guitar ballads. Sand blasted samples intertwine with broken beats to create music with a nostalgic fragile warmth. Stumbleine is known for a DIY ethic, releasing music directly to fans or via the independent label Monotreme Records.'

Pioneering ambient country trio, SUSS “perform with an effortless sense of synchronicity,” according to Stereogum. This quality is as vividly on display as ever throughout their latest full-length, Birds & Beasts. SUSS’s recordings have garnered much praise for effecting a sense of long drives through desert landscapes, a context famously ripe for such synchronicities: slow motion pedal steel guitar, dobro and near-subconscious synthesizer rumbles and sweeps seem to operate via the same logic as that which dictates the interactions of a road-weary mind and a cloud of migrating birds. While SUSS’s previous records have dealt in these kinds of scenes, Birds & Beasts –– though instrumentally more spare –– deepens the sense of meaning and meaning projected.

Continuing the re-issue program on STD Black LP - Rolling Stones No.2 - The second UK Rolling Stones studio album, released in 1965 following the success of their 1964 debut album The Rolling Stones. A huge success in the UK, the album was number one on the charts for 10 weeks and includes the band’s cover of ‘Time Is On My Side’ and ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’. The album also contains three compositions from the still-developing Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songwriting team (‘What A Shame’, ‘Grown Up Wrong’ and ‘Off The Hook’), with all the other songs being covers of American R&B and rock and roll numbers, like the first album. December’s Children (And Everybody’s) US - The fifth American studio album, released in December 1965. The last Stones album in which cover material accounted for 50 percent of the content was compiled from a variety of singles, British LP tracks, outtakes, and a cut from an early 1964 U.K. EP. The album demonstrates the continuing development of Jagger & Richard’s songwriting with a further two pop classics – the string-laden affecting ballad – ‘As Tears Go By’ and ‘Get Off My Cloud’.

Continuing the re-issue program on STD Black LP - Rolling Stones No.2 - The second UK Rolling Stones studio album, released in 1965 following the success of their 1964 debut album The Rolling Stones. A huge success in the UK, the album was number one on the charts for 10 weeks and includes the band’s cover of ‘Time Is On My Side’ and ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’. The album also contains three compositions from the still-developing Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songwriting team (‘What A Shame’, ‘Grown Up Wrong’ and ‘Off The Hook’), with all the other songs being covers of American R&B and rock and roll numbers, like the first album. December’s Children (And Everybody’s) US - The fifth American studio album, released in December 1965. The last Stones album in which cover material accounted for 50 percent of the content was compiled from a variety of singles, British LP tracks, outtakes, and a cut from an early 1964 U.K. EP. The album demonstrates the continuing development of Jagger & Richard’s songwriting with a further two pop classics – the string-laden affecting ballad – ‘As Tears Go By’ and ‘Get Off My Cloud’.

Nachpressung: Cloudy Red & Clear 2LP, Vinylversion im Klappcover, mit bedruckten Innenhüllen, Etching auf D-Seite & DLC! "The reigning dark priestess of goth-scarred art rock." - Rolling Stone "Hiss Spun" ist das sechste Album von CHELSEA WOLFE und der Nachfolger des 2015 gefeierten "Abyss". Aufgenommen von Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE) wurde das Album als emotionale Säuberung konzipiert, ein Mittel, sich mit dem Tumult der Außenwelt auseinanderzusetzen, indem es die Komplexität der inneren Unruhen erforscht. "Ich bin im Widerspruch zu mir", erklärt sie. "Ich war es Leid zu versuchen zu verschwinden, deshalb wurde das Album sehr persönlich. Ich wollte mich mehr öffnen, aber auch meine eigene Realität schaffen." "Hiss Spun" bietet außerdem prominente Gitarrenbeiträge von Troy Van Leeuwen (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FAILURE) und einen Gastauftritt auf "Vex" von Aaron Turner (OLD MAN GLOOM, SUMAC). Während frühere Alben wie ,The Grime And The Glow" und ,Unknown Rooms" auf der Intimität reduzierter Folk Musik basierten oder wie bei ,Pain Is Beauty" und ,Abyss" mit dem pochenden Puls ergänzender Elektronik operierten, wartet ,Hiss Spun" mit einer Palette von ächzendem Bass, hämmerndem Schlagzeug und krachender Verzerrung auf. Einen Teil seiner Aura zog es aus dem kalten Weiß des Winters in Neuengland, obwohl das Herz des Albums aus den Umwälzungen in WOLFEs persönlichem Leben entstand und ihre Verwundbarkeit, Wut, Selbstzerstörung und dunkle Familiengeschichte preisgibt. "Das Album ist zyklisch, genauso wie ich und meine Stimmungen", sagt sie. Es stellt für die Sängerin eine Art Exorzismus ihrer selbst dar.

Enjoy The Ride Records, in conjunction with Paramount Music proudly presents Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition, Music Composed and Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith.

Jerry Goldsmith's iconic score to the 1979 film has been restored, remixed, and mastered from the first-generation multi-track masters by Bruce Botnick (Original album Executive Producer and Goldsmith's long-time engineer). Mike Matessino co-produced the album with Botnick, handling the restoration, editing, and track assembly.

With over 80 minutes of music, Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition is available on vinyl for the first time in this definitive assembly. Pressed on 2xLP 140g colored vinyl and housed in a high gloss gatefold jacket with black poly-lined inner sleeves, there is also a double-sided full-color insert nestled inside.

DJ Cat comes through on Scruniversal here as the young label continues to go from strength to strength early in its existence. This time he serves up some re-edits and reworks of old and rare records from Scru's friends' collections. Up first is 'Roots & Culture' which is a languid funk workout with Prince style vocals bring some libidinous vibes up top while sci-fi synths and raw claps and perc all flesh out the groove. 'Possibelle' then cuts loose on a much more laid back and steamy summer vibe with the sort of chords that have you laying back in the park and staring up at a cloudless sky.

The 9th studio album of the band tumido features trumpet player Alex Kranabetter (Soap and Skin, Vodoo Jürgens). For more than 20 years Tumido has been on the lookout for something new, always on the move, focused on energy in any form, driving rhythms, powerful bass, spacey drones. Trumpet has always been a big part of their sound universe, so it felt very natural to collaborate with a master of trumpet sounds, Alex Kranabetter and record an album together.
Lithox - a maelstrom you can't escape, sucked in by a hypnotic bass & driving rhythms into a trance world you don't want to leave Dwa - a summer hit out of Hades on the slide to hell.
180° - a volcanic eruption on a lonely island - pure energy; Dirt Rodeo - the branches of the fire tree dance with laughter, clouds of smoke cloud the senses and the landing is a success.

A1 - Blue Sky
Opening with a clean, DJ-friendly Hot Pants break, Blue Sky offers the listener a subtle, warming production with inquisitive synth work creeping around a fine selection of serene effects, panning excitedly across a pristine, polished field. Utilising light orchestral strings, a soft undertone bassline and wistful twilight sounds, Aural Imbalance blends danceable breakbeats with the soothing sounds of yesteryear as fluidly as ever.
A2 - Starburst
Starburst jumps straight into a tight, energetic beat pattern constructed with old school breaks and an off-key bassline, soon joined by eerie, spectral pads to gradually build an ethereal, other-worldly vibe. The composition is elevated by arising symphony of swirling blippy melodies, expressing a nervy and curious tone with detail and harmony before the beat recedes, allowing the melodies to shine alone in the dreamy outro.
AA1 - Frozen Tears
Aural Imbalance conjures a quietly grandiose track with Frozen Tears, driven by muffled keys and thick hi-hats in the intro before a luscious, meditative melody enters the mix. Intricate breakbeats with a suitably understated bassline accompany the fading and echoing synthetic strings, rich pads and subtle bells, producing a beautifully varied spectrum of sound, perfect for the Spatial record box.
AA2 - Moonlit Clouds
A distinctive, impeccably produced Helicopter break takes center stage with Moonlit Clouds, a deftly relaxing ambient aura floating overhead as synths and knowing melodies slowly weave their way into your psyche like shimmering fireflies seizing the moment in the dark. A low sub bassline permeates the depths to complete a collage of euphony to round off another special EP from Aural Imbalance.

Words by Chris Hayes Spatial/Red Mist

The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series Entry #12: DJ Muggs takes the Soul Assassins approach to source music - deep, dark, dank.

The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series was created by Madlib and Egon to give their creative friends a chance to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted. This music was created for easy, one-stop clearance in film and television synchronization usage and for sampling. You can also enjoy these albums in the way that many do with the best of the best vintage library catalogs – listen, ponder, repeat.

LTD. BLACK CLOUD COLOUR VINYL

THE GHOST INSIDE stands as an unstoppable force in the realm of hard rock music. Fueled by unwavering determination and unyielding passion, this band has forged a path marked by resilience and redemption. Their latest endeavor, the 6th studio album titled Search for Solace, delves into the profound theme of grappling with one"s own thoughts - the internal struggle between good, bad, and evil. It explores the journey of finding comfort and making peace amidst the chaos of life"s ebb and flow. The album reflects the band"s commitment to not succumb to negativity, anger, or darkness, aligning with their identity as an uplifting and comforting musical force for fans seeking solace. Established in 2004, THE GHOST INSIDE has solidified its position as a trailblazer in melodic hard rock. Their music seamlessly combines raw aggression with profound lyricism, creating a resonant experience for their dedicated fanbase. Despite facing challenges, notably a tragic bus accident in 2015 that left some members with life-altering injuries, the band refused to be broken. Through unwavering perseverance, they made a triumphant return to the stage, defying the odds. Their music embodies a spirit of resilience, unity, and the indomitable power of the human spirit. Each thunderous breakdown and soaring melody strikes a deep chord within the hearts of their fans, serving as a testament to the band"s enduring impact. THE GHOST INSIDE"s journey is a testament to their ability to inspire and uplift through music. As they embark on a global tour starting this Spring, venturing into new territories, including South America and beyond, the band continues to share their message of strength and perseverance with audiences around the world.

On Board Music returns for its sixth installment of the Various Artists EP series, but this time with a different approach. Five fresh remixes breathe new life into Point C, originally released in 2021 and consisting of tracks from Foreign Material, Hironori Takahashi, Hiver, Sylve and Alan Backdrop.

For the 2024 update, On Board enlists five of the finest deep techno practitioners to twist the originals into bold new forms. US artist Patrick Russell dives deep into his signature, tripped-out zone, with dub and half-time sensibilities grounding the remix in an eyes-down headspace. Estrato Aurora, who remixes Hiver’s cut, goes equally subterranean, perfectly setting up the nimble drumming and bright melodies of Polygonia’s contribution.

San Francisco psych-pop legend announces new album, “La Fleur” out June 7th, 2024. Between outside musical projects, pushing past 50 years old and becoming a father for the first time, San Francisco psych-pop legend Kelley Stoltz has spent the past two years steadily writing and recording his 18th album, “La Fleur”. The dazzling 12 song collection will be released in June by Agitated in Europe/UK and Dandy Boy Records in the USA. “La Fleur'' finds Stoltz once again playing nearly all of the instruments on the album- though a new friendship with pop guru Jason Falkner has led to Falkner appearing on two songs, “Hide In A Song” and “Make Believer” respectively. There’s the requisite 60’s meets 80’s pop rock confections that Stoltz favors with a new focus on out front vocals and perhaps a bit shinier production. Pandemic era blues, politics and fatherhood are lyrical touchstones throughout. The album’s first single “Reni’s Car” is the jangle rock lead single based on an actual event of Kelley riding around Manchester in the Stone Roses drummer's car. The accompanying music video was shot (partially) on location. “About Time” marries Twin Peaks synths to Fleetwood Mac and Avalon era Roxy Music in a cautionary tale to Stoltz's young daughter. “Human Events” puts revolutionary prose to a Moody Blues strum that floats off into Osees territory …and do I hear a nod to Gershwin in there? During the 2010’s Kelley played live as a sideman with Rodriguez and Echo & the Bunnymen, as the 2020’s dawned he was invited to support Pavement on their big reunion tour. He’s also been heard playing drums live with Robyn Hitchcock as well as adding sitar to Hitchcock's last two albums. In 2022, Stoltz was championed with a live appearance on Marc Riley’s BBC6 show. As producer, he has recorded the new album by Brigid Dawson formerly of the Ohsees. In my ears, Stoltz rarely does any wrong, and these comparisons are only just that little fruit to get you curious- he is still one of a kind. An under the radar hero to a few, and still after all these great songs, deserving of more. Climb on the bandwagon - as ever it’s quite pleasing here. - GEORGE CLOUD San Francisco, CA 2024

San Francisco psych-pop legend announces new album, “La Fleur” out June 7th, 2024. Between outside musical projects, pushing past 50 years old and becoming a father for the first time, San Francisco psych-pop legend Kelley Stoltz has spent the past two years steadily writing and recording his 18th album, “La Fleur”. The dazzling 12 song collection will be released in June by Agitated in Europe/UK and Dandy Boy Records in the USA. “La Fleur'' finds Stoltz once again playing nearly all of the instruments on the album- though a new friendship with pop guru Jason Falkner has led to Falkner appearing on two songs, “Hide In A Song” and “Make Believer” respectively. There’s the requisite 60’s meets 80’s pop rock confections that Stoltz favors with a new focus on out front vocals and perhaps a bit shinier production. Pandemic era blues, politics and fatherhood are lyrical touchstones throughout. The album’s first single “Reni’s Car” is the jangle rock lead single based on an actual event of Kelley riding around Manchester in the Stone Roses drummer's car. The accompanying music video was shot (partially) on location. “About Time” marries Twin Peaks synths to Fleetwood Mac and Avalon era Roxy Music in a cautionary tale to Stoltz's young daughter. “Human Events” puts revolutionary prose to a Moody Blues strum that floats off into Osees territory …and do I hear a nod to Gershwin in there? During the 2010’s Kelley played live as a sideman with Rodriguez and Echo & the Bunnymen, as the 2020’s dawned he was invited to support Pavement on their big reunion tour. He’s also been heard playing drums live with Robyn Hitchcock as well as adding sitar to Hitchcock's last two albums. In 2022, Stoltz was championed with a live appearance on Marc Riley’s BBC6 show. As producer, he has recorded the new album by Brigid Dawson formerly of the Ohsees. In my ears, Stoltz rarely does any wrong, and these comparisons are only just that little fruit to get you curious- he is still one of a kind. An under the radar hero to a few, and still after all these great songs, deserving of more. Climb on the bandwagon - as ever it’s quite pleasing here. - GEORGE CLOUD San Francisco, CA 2024

Orebolo (or-RAY-beh-low) is an acoustic trio featuring Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, guitar), and Jeff Arevalo (upright bass). The band, comprised of members of the emergent indie rock group Goose, has built a faithful following nationwide, performing an eclectic mix of originals and covers. With their debut studio album, The Chateau, the trio finds comfort in exploring Goose's deep catalog acoustically - a feeling they hope to translate to those listening at home.

Das dritte Album von Marina Allen mit starkem und lebendigem Songwriting, wunderschön instrumentiert, hochmelodisch und mit einer unvergleichlichen lyrischen Perspektive vorgetragen. Mit zwei gefeierten Alben hat die in Los Angeles lebende Singer-Songwriterin eine frühe Ernte eingefahren, aber ihr drittes Studioalbum birgt den bislang größten Ertrag. Verglichen mit den anschwellenden Kompositionen von Allens zweitem Album Centrifics oder der unschuldigen Ruhe von Candlepower, ist die Welt von Eight Pointed Star tiefgreifender und offener. Schimmernende Gitarren verziehren die Canyons und Staub wird von der rot vernarbten Erde aufgewirbelt. Allens Gesang ist rein und kristallin, während die Instrumentierung reichhaltig ist und vor Helligkeit nur so strotzt. Man kann hören, wie die Musik Zufriedenheit ausstrahlt und der Produktion von Chris Cohen Raum für eine volle Band bietet. Allens künstlerische Zuneigung gilt vor allem Sängern, die ihrer Meinung nach wirklich singen können, von The Roches bis Karen Dalton, Joanna Newsom und Meredith Monk. Aber diese Einflüsse verschwinden wie Gespenster auf dem Dachboden, wenn sie selbst zu singen beginnt. Allen hat eine Stimme, die es mit dem Kanon aufnehmen kann - unnachahmlich - und sie hat noch nie so entschlossen geklungen wie hier. Ein strahlender, klarsichtiger moderner Klassiker des alternativen Folk und Americana. Für Fans von Aldous Harding, Fiona Apple und Waxahatchee. Klassich schwarzes Vinyl mit DLC oder Digisleeve CD.

On this album Berlin based Abnormal Load joins with Hjertman, KØPMAN, HALV DRØM, & Winding River for an analogue approach of old school techno with some drops of acid.

We founded Crawlout thanks to the guiding forces and inspirations of Thomas P. Heckmann, Future Sounds of London, Adam X and many more.

For our first release "Healer" we cut together an array of cult foaming tracks that keep us pushing forward towards the next dawn in celebration of life.

Introducing "Uprising Volume 2" by Zaratustra, the Highly Anticipated Second Installment of the Acclaimed Series on Skylax Records. Following the Groundbreaking Success of "Uprising Volume 1" in the Indie Dance Scene, Zaratustra Returns With a Collection of Tracks That Push the Boundaries of Genres, Inspired by Indie Dance, Italo Disco, Ebm, New Beat, Acid, and Ethnic Music. Prepare to Be Captivated by the Infectious Energy of "Uprising Volume 2." the Ep Opens With the Mesmerizing "Dark Clouds" (Club Mix), Reminiscent of the Futuristic Vibes of I-F's "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" and the Early 2000s Brilliance of Tiga. the Instrumental Version of "Amours Electroniques" Takes You on a Nostalgic Journey, Evoking the Spirit of Miss Kittin & the Hacker's Iconic Sound. Emilio Van Rijsel Delivers an Astounding Acid Trance Techno Remix of "Dark Clouds," Surpassing Expectations and Becoming an Undeniable Highlight of the Ep. for an Extra Treat, Those Who Purchase the Vinyl on Our Bandcamp Will Receive the Full Instrumental Version of "Dark Clouds," the Vocal Version of "Amours Electroniques" (Feat. Angst for Greta), and the Vocal Version of Naranja's Remix. Speaking of Naranja, the Ep Features a Dynamic and Uptempo Remix of "Amours Electroniques" (Instrumental) by the Talented Producer. Naranja's Remix Infuses the Track With a Pulsating Rhythm and Compelling Grooves, Elevating the Energy to New Heights While Maintaining the Essence of the Original. It's a Captivating Reinterpretation That Will Ignite Dancefloors and Leave Listeners Craving More. "Uprising Volume 2" Is a Powerful Testament to Zaratustra's Ability to Revive the Spirit of the Early 2000s New Wave and Electroclash Era. Each Track Encapsulates the Essence of That Time, Infusing It With a Modern Touch That Will Leave Listeners Craving More. Join the Uprising and Immerse Yourself in the Electrifying Soundscapes of Zaratustra. This Vinyl Release Is a Must-Have for Any Music Enthusiast Seeking a Sonic Adventure That Defies Genres and Rekindles the Spirit of a Bygone Era. Grab Your Copy of "Uprising Volume 2" and Witness the Evolution of Zaratustra's Artistic Prowess, as He Continues to Shape the Future of Electronic Music....

Castle Face present Dan Rincon’s (OSEES, Wild Thing, Apache, Personal and the Pizzas) premier solo release Spotlight City.

Artificial landscapes and melodies comprised of Moog Grandmother, Mellotron and a kinky Modular system span from beautiful and lilting to haunting and etherial. The album was a years long learning experience of getting all components and ingredients to link arms and blend comfortably. Wrangling was part of the process. Strings soaring and sines weaving. Sometimes in the atmosphere, sometimes in the Earth’s core, sometimes flanked by neon blur as it hums & weave patterns through a world imagined in vintage sci-fi pulp.

“I was listening to a lot of solo Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler records while writing this record and I’d say that both have been hugely inspirational on what I want to do as a solo recording artist. The way both of those of those artist pushed the early, chaotic electronic music into something more melodic is really inspiring to me, it’s not that dissimilar than trying to get melodies out of a modular synthesizer.”

An absolute necessary slab for anyone a fan of CF, OSEES, Popol Vuh soundtracks , 8 bit video game accompaniment & 80s Tangerine Dream. Burn one and burn out.

“Thou Shalt” is the second album by The Answer Lies In The Black Void. Serene, invoking imagery of darkness; sweeping soundscapes tear and twist at the emotions. The latest album by The Answer Lies In The Black Void is a work of magical beauty. The duo, a collaboration of Martina Horváth from avant-garde folk metal project Thy Catafalque and Jason Köhnen from Celestial Season, The Lovecraft Sextet, Bong-Ra, Mansur and The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, follows up on their 2021 debut “Forlorn”.

The prevalent element here is doom, but there is so much more buried deep within the dark vaults of this compelling record. The nine new tracks are deep, richly layered songs, with Horváth demonstrating her stunning shimmering vocals over the complex creativity of Köhnen, the multi-instrumentalist who takes responsibility for everything instrument-driven here. There are crushing riffs, echoing lead guitar work, melodic choruses and harrowing passages which send shivers down the spine, and all the time the atmosphere builds; The Answer Lies In The Black Void seeks to embrace beauty in darkness and fragility in heaviness.

Bent downtempo and no tempo half and whole things from a wide time span with noise in between.

Collaborations with Montrealers Kozz (aka Drainolith) and Sweets of the Night on the A side +

ancient Doo on the B.

"Couldn't find any acoustic covers of these two masterpieces by Gigi Masin from 1989, so decided to give it a go with one of my biggest local musical idols, Olli Aarni who I am proud to call my friend. I consider the original tracks quite holy, so it took me years of courage to ask Olli to record these with me. Never had any goal to release these in any professional way, we just had an idea, for fun, to salute the golden era of YouTube when people made these poorly recorded acoustic YouTube covers. Thanks Pete & Janne for making the record happen and thank you Gigi Masin for the incredible music!"

The Finnish composer, producer, and pianist Otto Taimela is ticking at 6000+ monthly listeners on Spotify with streams in the 100s of thousands. His discography covers everything from avant-garde piano to breakbeat, ambient-dub techno back to cinematic contemporary classical music, with releases on labels such as Cold Blow, Ultraääni, Cudighi Records, Reflections by Anjunadeep and Finite Source. Otto has performed in festivals such as Ilmiö and Solstice. Kimmeltie LP, the 2020 predecessor to Inner Beauty has become a rare collector's item.

His rendition of Clouds together with Olli Aarni received praise from Gigi Masin himself, commenting "Maybe the BEST cover ever".

On the 24th of May Otto was the "selector of the week" on the largest radio station in Finland, YleX, playing a track from Inner Beauty.

With Lucifer, Kompakt presents an album of rare beauty from two masters of modern music. A family affair, it’s a collaboration between the Italian father-and-son duo of Luciano Michelini and Lorenzo Dada, whose combined histories bring to Lucifer a depth of experience alongside clarity of vision and a finely tuned, neatly developed combined compositional voice. A lovely, beguiling suite of music that combines the electronic and the acoustic, the urban and the pastoral, its gorgeous night-eye vision and tender melancholy sits neatly within the Kompakt universe, while offering the curious listener some rich new perspectives.

There is already plenty to know both artists by. Lorenzo Dada creates across multiple fields – a techno producer and DJ who has already worked with the likes of Jay Haze, Fete, Leo Benassi, and Der, he’s released a small clutch of stylish, smartly designed EPs, and a solo album, Second Life (2018). His complementary background in classical music and composition informs his ensemble project, Tears Of Blue (who appear on Lucifer), where Dada paints with neo-classical tones for a quartet of violin, viola, cello and grand piano, supplemented by electronics for live performance.

Luciano Michelini’s history is yet richer. He may be best known, to many, for his piece “Frolic”, the theme to Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm series; it was also sampled by Snoop Dogg for 2022’s “Crip Ya Enthusiasm”. But there’s much more to Michelini’s story. A successful soundtrack composer, Michelini both studied and taught at the Conservatoro di Santa Cecilia, and worked for RCA from the sixties to the eighties; his soundtracks from this period are gorgeous examples of the form, particularly his work for Il Decamerone Nero (1972), L’Isola Degli Uomini Pesce (1979), and the devastatingly gorgeous Dimensione Donna (1977).

In the eighties, Michelini and his wife Anna Gutling founded the Electronic Music Division studio and academy in Rome, which is where the majority of Lucifer was recorded. Dada reflects on the experience: “We never worked together before, so it was all new for both of us,” with Michelini adding, “I truly love this experience with my son. He’s a talented pianist and composer. I am not very familiar with electronic music nowadays, but we did it fluently.” There’s certainly a familial energy at play through Lucifer, and you can hear how Dada and Michelini, through exploration and experiment, find a shared language, balancing Dada’s tendency toward minimalism, and Michelini’s composerly voice.

Lucifer flows as a suite that interweaves electronic music with acoustic instruments: the lonely sigh of saxophone; Michelini’s lush, verdant piano; the weeping strings of Tears Of Blue (recorded at the studio of Michelini’s friend, the late Maestro, Ennio Morricone). These multiple voices are located within the electronic sighs and swarms from Dada’s kit; there are moments of propulsion, and passages of lambent drift, where the album revels in its tonal sweetness. If it flows so effortlessly, that’s because Lucifer was designed that way, as a suite or a sonata of sorts.

And the title? Dada reflects, “Lucifer was an angel who decided not to be one anymore. The miracle of life is that we can decide what we want to be, even if we are born as angels or vice versa.” This feels somehow apposite: there’s certainly something of the transformative, and the transportive, in Lucifer, a unique family collaboration of rare poetry and sensitivity, where two generations meet in the modern crucible that is the electronic music studio.

"I was in a dream, but now I can see that change is the only law." With a credo adapted from science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, an album title from a collection of metaphysical poetry, and an expansion in consciousness brought on by personal crisis, guitarist and songwriter Shana Cleveland learns to embrace a changing world with unconditional love on News of the Universe, the new full-length from California rock band La Luz. News of the Universe is a record born of calamity, a work of dark, beautiful psychedelia reflecting Cleveland's experience of having her world blown apart by a breast cancer diagnosis just two years after the birth of her son. It's also a portrait of a band in flux, marking the first appearance for drummer Audrey Johnson and the final ones from longtime members bassist Lena Simon and keyboardist Alice Sandahl, whose contributions add a bittersweet edge to a record that is both elegy for an old world and cosmic road map to a strange new one. But is there any band in the world more suited to capturing the chaos of change in all its messy beauty than La Luz? Formed by Cleveland in 2012, La Luz is beloved for their ability to balance bedlam and bliss, each new record another fine-tuning of the band's mix of swaggering riffs with angelic vocals borrowed from doo-wop and folk; a band so reliably great that it makes the huge step forward in confidence and sheer musicality that is News of the Universe all the more formidable. Cleveland, also a writer and painter, has developed into a truly original songwriter with her own canon of haunted psychedelia. Yet if Cleveland has spent years writing songs about ghosts, what lurks in the shadows of News of the Universe is nothing less than death itself. "There are moments on this album that sound to me like the last frantic confession before an asteroid destroys the earth," says Cleveland. The powerful sense of openness that permeates News of the Universe is at least partially due to the fact that it is a record made entirely by women-from the performing, writing, and producing all the way through to the recording, engineering, and mastering. Working with producer Maryam Qudos (Spacemoth), the all-female environment allowed Cleveland to feel safe tapping into difficult places and expressing hard emotions women are socialized to suppress. Unashamedly vulnerable, unabashedly feminine, and undeniably triumphant, News of the Universe is another knockout record from a band so reliably great that it has perhaps led people to overlook how pioneering La Luz really are: women of color in indie music forging their own path by following their own artistic star into galaxies beyond current musical trends, always led by an earnest belief in the cosmic power of love and a great riff. Never is that more true than on News of the Universe, which might be La Luz's most brutal record to date but also their most blissful.

"Who am I to myself? Just one of my impressions" by F. Pessoa
The new album of the Polski Piach trio is titled Anomalia (Anomaly), and is the band's third album.
They play:
Piotr Mełech - bass clarinet
Piotr Domagalski - bassetl
Patryk Zakrocki - acoustic guitar, general vision and care of the band.

After Południe and Północ (South / Noon and North/Midnight - thematically referring to the time of day and night as well as geographical directions), the band recorded a fully acoustic album, raw but brighter than Północ. The songs contain the title anomalies and are narrative, even cinematic. They flow. The music of Polski Piach is a journey, both through the listener's imagination and musical styles.
The album was recorded live in Piotr Zabrodzki's analog studio. The music was recorded on tape and mixed in analogue way.
The cover was designed by Paweł Ryżko using drawings by Patryk Zakrocki.

We are very happy to present our twentieth vinyl release.

It is a double vinyl album with 12 tracks plus 4 digital bonus tracks produced by Somatic Responses.

This album perfectly represents the music of the brothers from Wales. In this double vinyl you will find tracks that go from IDM to breaks or glitches through the rave sound."

YOUTH return with the debut album from Hazina Francia aka Tadleeh, chaining reticulated, sidewinding rhythms under gloaming scapes and pealing solo guitar licks.

Last spotted marshalling a mix for the now-defunct FACT series, Tadleeh’s previous productions landed on Haunter and more recently Nkisi’s label, Initiation, spanning reverberant downbeats and possessed cloud rap, a sound she further develops on this impressive full length debut. The 10 parts of ‘Lone’ sketch out a brooding worldview that takes the album format as an ideal canvas to fully portray her style of urbane ennui and gloom, bittersweet and depressive, but with a levity afforded by spatialised architecture.

With a clear sense of sorrow and a pull toward electronic music’s no-person’s-lands, she adapts animist techniques to tell a story “about loneliness and hidden places” in an attempt to work thru existential questions; “Am I still who I was before? Do I have the same energy and ambitions? Is this all still really me?” The results resonate with the sort of imaginative nostalgia navigated by fellow South European artists such as Christos Chondropoulos and Heith, and share a hauntological quality with Flora Yin-Wong’s works as much as Aïsha Devi’s summoning of ancient energies.

The wraithlike tumult of her intro gives way to reverberant dark ambient on ‘Blue (feat CTM)’, and spirit-gnawing, surprised tribalism in ‘Seekers’, whilst she pushes into screwed club murk on ‘Roads’ and the hot coal trampler ‘Barefoot’, before unleashing her darkest energies in the bombast of ‘Equality’, and channelling Loren Connors’ electric guitar nocturnes in ‘Homesick’, staking out grumbling downbeats shades away from Heith & Kareem Lotfy’s Ghost Lemurs in ‘Victim, perpetrator.’

Audionaut sound adventurer Neil Stringfellow (aka Audio Obscura) makes a welcome return to Subexotic with his many-splendoured mixed media project Acid Field Recordings In Dub. Following years of avid field recording, Neil explains how it came about through a series of epiphanies: "It sort of started after I did a field recording introduction weekend workshop with the legend that is Chris Watson (the BBC wildlife team and ex-Cabaret Voltaire), just in terms of it being very inspirational and meeting like minded people. I've been sound recording for about 12 years now and have a good archive of sounds, and simply enjoy just listening and capturing the world. Since then over the years I've learned to really listen to the everyday soundscapes and as such I no longer walk down the street listening to a personal stereo anymore, the world can often be more exciting than music. A few memories of listening stick out which really helped form this album. I was walking up a hill in Norwich and a street cleaner was coming down pushing his cart, the broom attached to the cart but one end was bouncing up and down in the exact way a snare drum in a Dub reggae record might sound with the dub echo effect.. for a few seconds it was amazing and I stopped and stood still and just savoured the moment but of course did not have a microphone with me. Another time recording the dawn chorus in Lowestoft the chirping birds sounded intense coming from different trees and walking between the trees seemed to make the classic 303 acid squelch sound. part of this is in the middle section of the Babyloniacid track. Another time I was recording in a forest after a storm sitting under thick trees trying to keep the mics dry and the wind blowing the tops of the trees was like a swooshing synth line. I always liked the moments when the soundscapes felt like music and over time had a desire to marry music and field sounds together. Things really came together though when in summer 2022 I had a minor operation and was resting in bed after the operation, high on painkillers feeling quite spaced out. It was in the middle of a heat wave and the nurses had opened the ward windows, it was evening and I could see pink clouds but the sunset was out of view. I'd been listening to the Eno / Harmonia album and after that ended, I put on some Burial. I just lay there watching the clouds and the title Acid Field Recordings In Dub just came into my head... I could hear how the concept should be: made with field recordings, manipulating them and creating ambient soundscapes... dubby beats fractured in places and snatches of the acid 303. This is more or less what I wrote down that day and a few weeks later I started to create it... the process came easy and at first, I thought I'd need to spend some time making new extra field recordings but, to be honest, I has such an archive I pulled most of the sounds from that." Music, electronics & field recording by Neil Stringfellow. Design & mastering by Dan Seville. Test siren on 'Through Nuclear Skies' recorded by Marc Weidenbaum. Melodica on 'Hollowlands' played by Simon McCorry

Repress!

Dskonnect Booking Agency is celebrating during 2023 its 20 years in the industry by launching a new label: DSK RECORDS, with the support of the agency´s most relevant and exciting acts. After 20 years working worldwide with bookings, events, and management, now it’s the moment to see the birth of a new angle of the company and keep contributing to the scene with releasing the music we love.

The Vinylbox includes DSK001, DSK002, DSK003 and DSK004

Halocline - a visible layer of water that forms between saltwater and freshwater when there is a rapid change in salinity; they are found in colder oceans, caves, fjords and estuaries.

Malin Lewis is a queer bagpiper, fiddler, instrument maker and award winning composer. One of Scotland's most exciting innovators, Malin melds west coast tradition with a newly invented, self-made bagpipe. Hair tingling, philosophical and dance inducing melodies inspired by European folk traditions, humans, queerness and the universe. Having played in Canada, Europe and across the UK, Malin will release their long awaited debut album Halocline on the 3rd May 2024 with Hudson Records. Halocline began as a New Voices commission for Celtic Connections and was premiered to a sold out Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in 2023.

"I saw my first Halocline aged fourteen whilst swimming in an estuary in the Isle of Skye. I didn't know what it was at the time but the image has stayed with me ever since. Appearing like a hazy layer of cloud under the water; it floats between two worlds and provides an environment which is home to a unique microbial ecosystem. As a trans person I live in a space in between; this beautiful space between a binary with its own colourful and unique culture."

Malin's unique sound is born from the deep connection that comes with making and composing for their own instrument. Alongside whistle and fiddle, Malin plays a newly invented two octave bagpipe that, when combined with guitar FX pedals, creates a whole new world of sound which is as lively, thought provoking and sensitive.

Halocline - a visible layer of water that forms between saltwater and freshwater when there is a rapid change in salinity; they are found in colder oceans, caves, fjords and estuaries.

Malin Lewis is a queer bagpiper, fiddler, instrument maker and award winning composer. One of Scotland's most exciting innovators, Malin melds west coast tradition with a newly invented, self-made bagpipe. Hair tingling, philosophical and dance inducing melodies inspired by European folk traditions, humans, queerness and the universe. Having played in Canada, Europe and across the UK, Malin will release their long awaited debut album Halocline on the 3rd May 2024 with Hudson Records. Halocline began as a New Voices commission for Celtic Connections and was premiered to a sold out Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in 2023.

"I saw my first Halocline aged fourteen whilst swimming in an estuary in the Isle of Skye. I didn't know what it was at the time but the image has stayed with me ever since. Appearing like a hazy layer of cloud under the water; it floats between two worlds and provides an environment which is home to a unique microbial ecosystem. As a trans person I live in a space in between; this beautiful space between a binary with its own colourful and unique culture."

Malin's unique sound is born from the deep connection that comes with making and composing for their own instrument. Alongside whistle and fiddle, Malin plays a newly invented two octave bagpipe that, when combined with guitar FX pedals, creates a whole new world of sound which is as lively, thought provoking and sensitive.

Arriving as the third album on Supreems ‘Sweet Sun’ label – an imprint gathering a reputation for future-facing, storytelling electronic music – Sloucho's 'NPC' explores the duality of his main character and non-playable lives. With a strong Irish artistic presence featuring Rory Sweeney, EMBY, Curtisy and more, Sloucho navigates through Cloudcore-inspired broken beats, bass-driven percussion, alternative dreamscapes and wubby fuck-steps on his most complete release to date, laying the foundation for an origin-story in the process.

Garnering support from Surusinghe, Roza Terenzi, Two Shell and more; some of the tracks on NPC have already been heard in clubs around the world - from Antwerp to London and Mumbai to Paris. ‘Mind Traveller’ offers an ambient introduction to ‘Athrú’, Sloucho’s home world, as the artist's pitched vocals act as the listeners guide into the island's core. ‘Mutant’ features experimental electronic artist Rhoshi on a track that follows the kaleidoscopic sonic-themes of Sloucho’s previous Cloudcore releases ‘Slow Feet’ and ‘Silver Veil’, before the Rory Sweeney-featuring ‘Come Around’ ignites the dance with its dutty screw-face two-step, balanced by moments of melodic contemplation before evolving into a techno-dancehall hybrid.

‘Brand New’ stays on the steppy aesthetic, and brings MCs EMBY and Zack Oke into the frame with a 3D Meta-human video created in collaboration with respected, exhibiting digital artist Aisling Phelan. Using a motion capture suit, they captured EMBY and Zack’s performance and imported it into Unreal Engine, using different environments scanned from around the Greek Islands as the backdrop. The result is mind-blowing; a complete digital realm, shot like a real-life rap video as EMBY and Zack spit bars across an elasticated garage riddim. Full video is on YouTube.

‘Super Maramu 2000’ is a cut of alien-club beamed directly from ‘Eile’, the afterlife of Sloucho’s Neolithic ancestors. A waltzer-ride through Latin-bass and techno with an oxymoronic blend of maximalist and minimalist futurism, it’s as silly as it is serious, before the stuttering, juke-influence of ‘Make It Work’ brings the album’s rapid first half (and a bit) to a close.

Sloucho seamlessly weaves from front left of the club to dark, fume-filled rooms on ‘Two Thousands’ (featuring EMBY and Curtisy), ‘Rocks’ (featuring Zack Oke, who sounds remarkably like experimental spoken-word artist Coby Sey here, and Chilean artist Vatican Jail) and ‘Lights On’ (featuring Yamagōchi), Sloucho explores a previously unseen side to his sound, meandering through alternative trap and hip-hop laden beats that are both dreamy and nightmarish, bringing NPC to its starry-skied climax.

Melbourne pop eccentric Gregor releases his fourth album Satanic Lullabies, his deepest and darkest record yet. In the years since his first album, 2016's Thoughts & Faults, Gregor's music has got progressively odder, more challenging and more rewarding. The spacious, acerbic pop of Silver Drop (2018), featuring touching single A Song About Holding Hands, was followed by the lovesick Destiny (2020), which put Gregor's inquisitive pop through a warped filter. Now Satanic Lullabies has polar extremes of wide-eyed innocence and deep despair. There are moments of great musical beauty that segue into harsh, bleak soundscapes. "I'm seeking to draw attention to the similarities between heaven and hell," says Gregor, "and to comfort anyone who recognises these." Satanic Lullabies is a modern epic, a bedroom odyssey, like if pre-MAGA Kanye made a Disney soundtrack. Gregor's live show ranges from solo mode up to a ten piece band, and he has played festivals such as Golden Plains, Dark Mofo, Inner Varnika, Boogie and The Others Way (NZ). He was nominated for Best Album and Best Solo Artist in the 2019 Music Victoria Awards, and Best Pop Act in 2021.

Handpicked by Paul himself, Will of The People is a carefully curated collection of 31 tracks from Weller’s extensive cornucopia of tunes that never quite made it to one of his 9 studio albums since 2002. Here is a collection which reminds us that there has always been a parallel narrative to the main recorded output of Paul’s albums and singles. The B-Side, and the remix, is a space in which to explore, experiment, or to flex a different set of artistic muscles.
The story begins back in the autumn of 2003, when the Fly On The Wall 3LP & 3CD collection brought together a wealth of Paul Weller solo recordings that stretched back to 1991. The B-sides, 12” EP tracks, single remixes and ‘live’ recordings featured all had one thing in common, namely that they hadn’t been included on any of his hugely successful solo albums. Furthermore, in many instances, they’d become highly sought after in their original formats and were fetching significant sums from fans and collectors. Will Of The People follows up Fly On The Wall and takes the listener through a similar mix of rarities, this time spanning the period 2002 to 2021.
From covers to eclectic remixes, Will Of The People delivers a scintillating array of songs which skirt across many genres. Here you will find such gems as Paul’s cover of The Beatle’s “Birthday”, released to celebrate Macca’s 70th, and the sparkling disco-ball banger remix of Cosmic Fringes by none other than the Pet Shop Boys. It also includes Paul’s first foray into film soundtracks with the sublime “Ballad Of Jimmy McCabe” from the film Jawbone. Scattered across the tracks are appearances from the likes of Primal Scream, Simon Tong & Graham Coxon.
Will Of The People is released on triple vinyl and 3CD. The album features sleeve notes written by writer and broadcaster John Wilson.

As mood changers go, this track is up there with the best. Last year whilst DJing with miche at Shapes festival in the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, a breathtaking yet ominous Alpine sky suddenly became a picture postcard moment. The clouds parted and a double rainbow formed, as miche dropped Studio Rio's bossa nova remake of Bill Withers’ all-time classic 'Lovely Day'. From there, the dancefloor shifted gears and morphed into full-swing feel-good vibes, in a beautiful, spontaneous moment nobody could have planned for.

Mr Bongo now proudly presents a reissue of this brilliant, bossa-channelling Bill Withers reinterpretation from Studio Rio’s 2014 release ‘The Brazil Connection’. Masterminded by the German Grammy award-winning Berman Brothers, the project was born out of their deep love of Brazilian music. “Our goal was to bring the Brazilian joie de vivre to iconic performances by well-known artists. What would these classic songs sound like had they been recorded in the studios of Rio de Janeiro in the first place, with the best Brazilian musicians and arrangers?” the brothers reflect.

Capturing the life force of Brazil, the beating heart that is its music, they set out to find the musicians who would fit best with their concept. Landing in Rio in 2013 a series of coincidences led to them being introduced to their idols Marcos Valle and Roberto Menescal, who both agreed to come on board. The Berman Brothers also wanted to find some of the musicians who recorded with one of Brazil’s most influential composers Tom Jobim. “Fifty years after Jobim made the music that really defines bossa nova, we found that many of his sidemen were still active, including Paulo Braga of Jobim’s famed rhythm section. It was magic; everything just fell into place.”

There's no question that the original of ‘Lovely Day’ is up there as one of the most feel-good, spirit-lifting anthems of all time. Here the brothers, with the help of a whole host of Brazil’s finest musicians, rework Bill’s soul-fuelled groove into a bossa nova slice of sunshine. With the blessing of Bill and Sony, they were given access to the original multitracks so they could incorporate Bill’s vocals perfectly into the new arrangement.

Joy-injected horns and bouncing double bass blend with the smile-inducing samba flavour of Pretinho da Serrinha’s cavaquinho playing. Tying it all together Torcuato Marinao who worked with the likes of Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, completes the line-up as arranger of the songs.

The perfect end-of-the-night track, mood lifter or soul warmer, remakes don’t get much better than this.