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Sound Metaphors Records continues to explore the Italian early 90's techno scene with another re-issue of D.A.T.A.'s precious catalogue. Already 3 decades ago, 4 Italians got together in northern Italy to elaborate this sound, and it's only fair to say it's still timelessly effective, possibly a mixture of pure naivety and/or premeditated distilled club essence, bold and minimal in its use of rhythmic patterns generated by drum machines and samplers of the time. To imagine this music was being made in a time where only petrol company CEO's had cell phones, emails weren't even a thing, let alone social media, a time capsule into a special epoch where "progressive" or "trance" weren't quite established keywords yet. Re-issued with a new remastered face and 2 new remixes from studio guru Anatolian Weapons beautifully adding to this powerful exploration of club oriented electronics.

After a stellar release on Saoirse's label trUst—which caught the attention of DJs like Ben UFO, rRoxymore and dBridge—Ryan Aitchison aka Mella Dee is back on the dials for another outing of quality tech ‘aus fodder.

Rug Cutters Vol. 1 kicks off a slew of upcoming dancefloor weapons from the Warehouse Music boss. Visually underlined by his own original artworks, the EP shows off Mella Dee’s signature flair for whipping up raw, no-nonsense ingredients into irresistibly infectious grooves.

Vol. 1 starts strong with ‘Cutting Snakes (Keep on Moving)’, a track that screams instant classic with its shuffling beat and fat, sassy synthline. A2 track ‘Bumps (You Say)’ dives deep into those bassbin vibrations—it’s big, rude, and dead set on shaking up even the swampiest of dancefloors. Together, these cuts are not messing around.

On the flip, ‘Cutters (They Don't Get It)’ plays with the more futuristic, percussive end of the techno continuum. Drum breaks slither over each other, while a minimal vocal and bass hook locks everything down. Finally, ‘Pay No Mind (Who Am I)’ pulls the EP back to euphoria. This one will have the club cruising to its cocktail of flirty chord stabs and soulful house vocals—you’ll never want to go home.

Luckily, it won’t be long before we get one more tune from Ryan Aitchison—with plenty on the horizon, ‘Rug Cutters Vol. 1’ is also a taste of what’s to come. Stay tuned!

Following an inspiring moment during a back-to-back live appearance at Fool’s Gold Presents: A-Trak & Friends in Oasis Wynwood during this year's Miami Music Week, The Magician and long-time friend A-Trak have collaborated on the captivating new single 'Love On You' (ft. Griff Clawson).

The Magician - known for his seminal Magic Tapes compilation series - heads up Potion Records and is a veteran of high-profile collaborations with Kolombo and Samaran, amongst many more. He has a mystic touch and spellbinding sound full of emotion and has taken it to places like Ushuaia Ibiza, Tomorrowland, and CRSSD festival in San Diego while also holding down his influential residency at Elsewhere Brooklyn. Here, he works with A-Trak, a.k.a. Alain Macklovitch, a legendary talent on the decks, president of Fool's Gold Records and a quintessential cultural connector. His 25-year career has seen him take turns as an internationally renowned DJ and World Champion turntablist, as well as being one half of the Grammy-nominated duo Duck Sauce and The Brothers Macklovitch, all of which have meant he continues to reshape the very role of the DJ as tastemaker and storyteller.

Their sublime 'Love On You' (ft. Griff Clawson) is an uplifting dance track that radiates positive vibrations. The rhythm section is married to tender piano chords and plenty of subtle synth details that bring it to life. The standout feature is the well-treated vocal that sounds fresh and futuristic but comes laden with a bittersweet sense of emotion that hooks you in and is sure to be sung back by vast crowds worldwide.

Support from: Purple Disco Machine, Junior Sanchez, Feenixpawl, Swanky Tunes, Olugbenga, ROOG (Hardsoul), Mr. Belt & Wezol, Judge Jules, Sugarstarr, Keanu Silva, Dots Per Inch, DJ Phantasy, Micha Moor, Patric La Funk, Borgore, Don Diablo, Claptone.

After an outstanding debut on M.A.D Records earlier this year Rakim Under is back with the first in his edits series 'Rakim Redun Vol.1'.

5 edits set to move any dance floor. Rakim Under really is one to watch.

DJ Support:
Dr Banana
Tristan da Cunha
Jonny Rock

Limited

Michael Forshaw is a techno, breakbeat and experimental producer and DJ from Blackpool, U.K. who’s known for his mastery of producing gritty, rough ‘n’ tumble techno music where every sound is almost overdriven to the edge of chaotic distortion. He refuses to abide by any rules, playfully smashing his music around like a cat toying with a mouse. He’s the ultimate example of why parents hate techno.

Continuing with the ‘Limited As Fuck’ series of releases, on our fiercely independent techno label based in Scotland, we’ve got our Wonk-O-Vision meter turned up to FULL WONK and we’re wearing our spankin’ new, made especially for dancin’ and prancin’, high heels and big boys boots on, because Michael Forshaw ‘& His Dance Floor Disaster Show’ is about to smash into a night club near you.

On this ‘Big Titted Hit’ of a release you’ll learn how to ‘Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya’ in more ways than one as not only have Forshaw’s ‘Amish Numanoids in Space’ trax finally been printed on vinyl, but those Swedish farting wasp keepers TSR and Scotland’s own melodious mental menace Fear-E, along-with the vocal talents of he that should be King, Tunnan, have well-wonked out a pair of the most uncarpeted surface-slippin’ remixes you’ll have a difficult time not to do a group wonkin’ Watusi too. WONK ON.

As we continue the five part journey to say goodbye to the Telomere Plastic series we have Telomere 020.3 now available for preorder!
This five tracker VA, features producers, Hiroyuki Kato, Six Dreams, Ty Senrna Sherman C & Konerytmi!

We begin off the record with ‘Black from Hiroyuki Kato. This long play is over 9 minutes and is a beautifully structured deep & house tune. Perfect for your summer day time sets!

Next on the A2 we have ‘Static Es’ by Six Dreams, This moody minimal breakbeat tune is filled with heavy bass & lush chords, the perfect track to slow things down for a few minutes during your sets!

On the B1 we have Ty Senrna who delivers a whacky groover! This acidic tech tune will work wonders and bring the spooky & trippy energy to the dance floor!

B2 is a tripped out phat acidic break beat tune from the mighty Sherman C. With some tripped out vocals & classic Sherman breaks & bass, this one will get the dance floor rockin’ full speed!

Lastly, we close out the release with a classic tune from Konerytmi. As expected we are gifted with his signature electro & bass beats!

Very limited black copies with a few colored copies available via the Wex bandcamp, be quick!

In 2020, Pali Meursault and Thomas Tilly collaborated to create Radio Glaces, a fourteen-part sound collection featuring recordings of glaciers in the Alps and testimonies from people who have a close relationship with this environment: glaciologists, geomorphologists, hut wardens, mountaineers and high-mountain guides.

As a continuation of this first project, Melt* was a series of improvised performances by the duo of sound artists, playing back the sounds and vibrations of the glaciers as they conducted a microphonic auscultation of the crevasses, rimayes and torrents of the Oisans mountain range.

The outcome of a research project that began over three years ago and is still ongoing, Melt* is based on the recording of a concert at GMEA (Albi) in early 2023, and is available as a vinyl record published by Fragment Editions.

Credits

Sound recordings made in 2020 on the glaciers of Mont-de-Lans, la Girose, Sarenne, la Pilatte and Saint-Sorlin (Oisans-Écrins, France), for the Radio Glaces project.

Field recordings, sonified ice, processing and sine waves played live by Pali Meursault & Thomas Tilly at Grand Théâtre d’Albi on February 4th, 2023, in the frame of ‘L’Expérience du Terrain’, a program by GMEA.

Recording by Benjamin Maumus. Mastering and Cut by Frédéric Alsdat/Ångström.

Robert Hood's techno and Femi Kuti's Afrobeat intertwine in a new form where jazz-grooves reign supreme. For the fourth season of La Compagnie des Indes & Sourdoreille "Variations" live series of creations for France TV, the duo were united around the singer and producer James Brown, performing a tribute to the legendary Godfather of Soul who passed away in 2006. This "Variations" album is the live recording of this unique collaboration and performance, capturing a very special moment in time.

The evening witnessed a meeting of two icons in their own genres: one with synths and drum machines, the other on saxophone: Robert Hood and Femi Kuti embody excellence in their respective fields and the pair combined to make something truly unique, soulful, funky and spontaneous. Recorded in one 30+ minute take, "Variations" is embellished by Femi's exquisitely free-flowing yet restrained saxophone, whilst Hood anchors the groove with layers of pads and kicks with the long-time mastery of a true DJ.

Alongside Jeff Mills and Mad Mike, Hood is one of the original members of Detroit techno group Underground Resistance. His style is characterised by minimalist and experimental tones with an assertive groove. Throughout the '90s, he helped pave the way for techno to flourish - giving birth to minimal techno with his seminal album "Minimal Nation". Since then, he has been consistently forwarding electronic music culture with ground-breaking productions, sensational performances and his M-Plant label.

Alongside him, Femi Kuti takes on every musical style with his saxophone, which he plays with a virtuoso touch: pop, soul, electronic music and Afrobeat, of which he is one of the leading exponents. The son of Afrobeat singer and political activist Fela Kuti, he has inherited his father's zeal for both music and activism, where he continues to highlight the plight of most Nigerians living conditions in the oil rich state.

With "Variations" the duo capture an explosive combination on a special night in Paris 4 years ago, November 2019, filmed at the ADP Group headquarters (Paris Aéroport - Charles de Gaulle (CDG) - Roissy).

"It is so amazing when a vision comes to fruition. I enjoyed collaborating with the legendary Femi Kuti for this special project." Robert Hood

Led by the legendary pianist and composer Chick Corea - the venerated 27-time Grammy winner and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master - The Elektric Band stormed onto the jazz scene in the mid-1980s, making an immediate and lasting impact on the genre. With their electrifying performances and innovative blend of jazz fusion, the group produced a series of albums that set the bar for excellence in contemporary jazz. Featuring a core lineup of virtuosic musicians - John Patitucci on bass, Dave Weckl on drums, Eric Marienthal on saxophone and Frank Gambale on guitar - the group created a dynamic and electrifying sound that came to define the jazz fusion style. Their collective musicianship was on full display on each album, as they seamlessly blended complex compositions with captivating improvisations. With each outing, the band explored new sonic territories, incorporating elements of funk, Latin and Afro music, and pop sensibilities. Their 5-album studio discography is a masterful tapestry of multi-layered music, showcasing their creativity, innovation, and musicianship. A restlessly creative, eternally youthful and uncommonly generous spirit, Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea left behind an incredibly rich legacy of recorded music when he passed away on February 9, 2021. The music of the Elektric Band continues to inspire and influence musicians to this day, cementing their legacy as one of the most important and iconic jazz fusion bands of all time

Elliott Fullam is a New Jersey artist who conjures the magic of when loneliness meets hope with his ghostly vocal melodies and gentle guitar tracks that bring a tranquil feeling to the listener. All of Elliott’s songs are recorded in his bedroom at home and mastered by the world-renowned Alan Douches of West West Side Music. His teenage goal was to release his first album by the time he turned 18 and he achieved that goal with the release of his debut album “What’s Wrong” on his 18th birthday of September 2, 2022. Elliott is also an actor, playing the co-starring role as Jonathan in the film Terrifier 2 which made a big smash at the box office as an uncut and unrated horror film. And as a dedicated music fan, Elliott has interviewed many musicians since the age of 9 including James Hetfield of Metallica, J Mascis, Ice-T, Jay Weinberg of Slipknot and many more. He always held his passion for music in high regard while finding inspiration in his favorites Elliott Smith, Duster, Mazzy Star, Broadcast, Radiohead and Nick Drake. With nothing else in his life plans aside from the pursuit of creating the best music he possibly could while sustaining his promising acting career, Elliott will continue to release music and play shows for as long as he exists on this planet in hopes that he may be a small part of the force for good in this trying world.

Boldy James returns with a new vinyl release, and this time around Boldy teams up with producer ChanHays on Prisoner Of Circumstance. This is Boldy at his best and continues his run of single-producer collaboration albums - Killing Nothing, Fair Exchange No Robbery, Mr. Ten08, Be That As It May and Indiana Jones - which began in May 2022. On Prisoner Of Circumstance, you can listen to the Detroit legend spit tales from the streets in his patented gritty bars on wax. Don’t miss out, this is a must cop for all the real hip hop heads out there!

Upstate NY heavyweights 38 Spesh and Conway The Machine have joined forces for a collaboration album fans did not see coming. Having recorded with each other for well over a decade, these two lyrical powerhouses' styles mesh effortlessly on this 10-track offering. The soundbeds for the illustrious affair are provided by Spesh himself with the help of a producer he has championed for years, Jimmy Dukes. Instead of continuing to mine the '90s like their contemporaries, the duo bring a sound that calls back to early '00s Hip-Hop. On top of verses that will etch themselves in your mind courtesy of Spesh and Conway, the project includes standout bars and hooks by the likes Lloyd Banks, Pharoahe Monch, Benny The Butcher, Che Noir, ElCamino, and Emanny.

Big Big Love is the first single from the eponymous album that is a mantra for embracing humanity with kindness. The single will be released in conjunction with the Michael Franti & Spearhead tour date celebrating a return to Red Rocks on June 2. Franti announced the US Big Big Love tour on January 31 which launched May 13 and runs through August 20. Michael Franti is a globally recognized musician, humanitarian, activist, and award-winning filmmaker revered for his high-energy live shows, inspiring music, devotion to health and wellness, worldwide philanthropic efforts and the power of optimism. Throughout his multi-decade career, Franti has earned three Billboard No. 1's with triumphantly hopeful hits "Sound of Sunshine," "Say Hey (I Love You)," and "I Got You," as well as sic Top 30 Hot AC singles, 10 Top 25 AAA singles and three Billboard Top 5 Rock Albums. Michael Franti & Spearhead continue to foster their community both on and off stage with a wish granting non-profit, Do It For The Love, founded by Franti and his wife, Sara. Do It For The Love brings those with life threatening illnesses, veterans, and children with severe challenges to concerts worldwide, fulfilling over 3,300 wishes and touching the lives of over 12,000 people to date. Franti also owns SOULSHINE Bali, a 32-room top-rated boutique retreat hotel located in Ubud, Bali.

The third release on the BINÄR-Label is a split between Decka and Kameliia. The EP starts with a tooly sound, continues with spicy claps and ends with two massaging and hypnotizing tunes. The tracks are mastered by Nihad Tule.

The noisy Brighton indie-rock trio combine the 2 EPs they have released in 2023 onto one 8-track limited edition vinyl LP. Continuing to spend most of 2023 on tour across the UK and Europe, the gothic, shoegazey alternative rockers have seen multiple singles playlisted on BBC 6Music plus KEXP and Radio 1 support throughout 2023. Musically the band encompass a broad range of alternative terrain, from bouncy house-party grunge, to prime Siouxie Sioux era gothic post punk, full noise-out Autolux or Le Tigre-style distorted drum machines, all tied together with the soft emotive shoegazey vocals of singer Michelle Hindriks.

TOPradio, the trailblazing force in dance music, proudly announces the release of its highly anticipated 5 x 12" Vinyl Box Set, showcasing the very essence of timeless classics through the revered Retro Arena brand.

Renowned for curating unforgettable musical experiences, Retro Arena has meticulously handpicked 22 iconic tracks that continue to set dancefloors ablaze. This limited edition vinyl collection is a testament to the enduring allure of the classics, encapsulating the spirit of an era that defined the electronic dance music landscape.

From anthems that resonate with the golden age of dance to tunes that have stood the test of time, the Retro Arena 5 x 12" Vinyl Box Set promises an immersive journey through the evolution of electronic dance music.

Rose Spearman will release her long-awaited album King of Air. Followed by a tour that starts with four shows in the Netherlands. The title refers to her father, the Afro-American jazz saxophonist Glenn Spearman, to whom the album is dedicated.

As the daughter of Afro-American jazz saxophonist Glenn Spearman and a Dutch mother, the singer has felt trapped between two continents since her early childhood. Half European, half American, and always looking for a home.

Rose Spearman’s professional credits include the prestigious European Border Breakers Award, international solo albums on United and Sony Music, performances at Lowlands, North Sea Jazz, Montreux Jazz, Glastonbury, Exit, Sziget, Joshua Tree Festival, and the Love Box Festival. For several years, Rose was the lead singer of Kraak & Smaak. She collaborated with producers and DJs like King Britt, Kerri Chandler, Boris Dlugosch, and Roger Sanchez and was invited on stage with Solomon Burke, Jools Holland, and KT Tunstall. Rose was also one of the few Dutch guest artists to appear on the American syndicated television show, Jimmy Kimmel.

Norwegian act Ulver rose to prominence from a blacker metal-rooted background in their early years, to becoming widely known for high- calibre soundscapes & exquisite experimental & electronic art as part of their continual & ever- shifting evolution.

With a penchant for folklore- laced black metal in their formative years & with what could be considered even then to be eclectic & unconventional compositions compared to the more raw & primitive offerings from other arising acts in the scene at the time, Ulver made a big mark on the genre since their formation in the early 90's, spawning a unique & celebrated trilogy of early works which arrived in quick succession, starting with their monumental 1995 debut, 'Bergtatt', before the more serene acoustic- driven experience of 'Kveldssanger'
the following year & completed by the more feral & ferocious
utpouring of #Nattens Madrigal' in 1997.


Before this much revered trilogy, though, came 1993's 'Vargnatt'. This was Ulver's
first foray into the wilds & an exceptional debut demo, utilising what was to
become a staple acoustic guitar implementation amid melodic & often complex &
obtuse arrangements, conjured & delivered with an already advanced degree of
musicianship, with vocals appearing courtesy of longstanding frontman Kristoffer
"Garm" Rygg. This early incarnation of Ulver also notably featured Carl- Michael
Eide of Aura Noir/Ved Buens Ende fame on drums, plus this recording featured
Robin "Mean" Malmberg on bass guitar, from fellow Norwegian pioneers
Mysticum.
This edition of 'Vargnatt' marks 30 years since its original release. The audio itself
is sourced from the original DAT, plus this release contains the bonus track
'Vargnatt', captured live at Bootleg TV in Oslo, 1993 & sourced from the original UMatic, courtesy of the National Library of Norway.

After releasing heavyweights like Patrice Scott and Dego, Forbidden Dance Records continues its story with a new release from Chicago don Specter with a 4-track EP. Highly recommended!

Soul II Soul revitalises the iconic “Nothing Compares to You,” now featuring the mesmerising vocals of Nadine Ceaser. Initially penned by Prince and famously interpreted by Sinead O’Connor, this rendition is infused with a reggae twist, expertly mixed by long-time collaborators Mafia and Fluxy, who have deep roots in London’s music scene alongside Jazzie B.

Continuing to build on a remarkable legacy, this release pays homage to Soul II Soul’s sound system origins and is a powerful testament to music’s ability to unite.

2023 Repress.

Music From Memory are excited to present the debut LP of Kaifeng born, Vancouver based artist Yu Su in collaboration with Chinese label bié Records. Titled 'Yellow River Blue' it is our first release of 2021 and the second collaboration between label and artist, following up on the strongly received EP 'Roll With The Punches' from 2019 on Second Circle.

Named after the world’s most heavily silted river, 'Yellow River Blue' is Yu Su's personal musical autobiography, constructed around stories of chasing something inconceivable. Written and recorded in different continents in between August 2019 and March 2020, all songs seek to musically translate years of moving and touring, temporarily settling, and the feelings of both being turned away and accepted. In her own words, “The world is my home and it isn’t, but as long as there is generosity of water and mud...” It is an homage to her home beside the Yellow River.

Yu Su's debut album consists of eight songs that are versatile in both writing and aesthetics. Versatile individually, consistent as a whole. Yu Su is in a class of her own, dodging the obvious while combining sounds and inspirations of various origins into a new destination that sounds like her home in the here and now. It's a release that is constantly in motion and moves fluently between contemporary pop, ethereal sound compositions and dance-floor experiments.

'Yellow River Blue' comes as part of a collaboration with Yu Su's co-founded new label bié Records and will be released as MFM052 in vinyl format by Music From Memory on January 25th 2021, after seeing a full digital album release via bié on January 22nd in the new Year of the Ox, according to the Chinese zodiac. Both formats come in different exclusively designed artworks.

Session Victim return to Jimpster's ' Delusions Of Grandeur' imprint with a third studio album. 'Listen To Your Heart' is the result of a year of cross-continental scripting, started in their Hamburg studio and wrapped up stateside in San Francisco's Room G Studios where the duo had worked on their 2014 LP 'See you When You Get There'.
Sampling still remains an ever present backbone throughout the album. Session Victim have dug deep for sounds, resulting in a richly detailed and organic sound collage that goes hand-in-hand with their live instrumentation, this time enhanced through several guest musician appearances, most notably Carsten "Erobique" Meyer (ex-International Pony). Smooth guitar samples are built up on 'Over and Over' while on 'Moons & Flowers' the live instrumentals that Session Victim do so well come to the fore.

The treasure trove of San Francisco's record shops proved to be a hard bait to resist and the pair spent a large part of their Californian time hunting for records to sample. Three new tracks emerged from these digging sessions, with the sweeping disco string arrangements on 'Shadows' standing out as a prime ode to days spent combing through bargain bins.

Listen To Your Heart is equally a product of the road. While heavy touring is often cited as a hindrance to the creativity of artists, Session Victim see their live shows as a catalyst to their creativity. Two US tours in 2016 gave the Hamburg duo the opportunity to take track sketches and fragments on the road to incorporate into their live shows and then digest them back in the studio. The playful funk soaked groove of 'Matching Half' captures the sense of movement present throughout Listen To Your Heart and the LP mix of 'Up To Rise', which caused heavy ripples when it dropped as part of 2016's Matching Half EP is an extension of the upbeat and euphoric groove that permeates the album.

Gudu Records is proud to present remixes of Special Request and Novelist’s grime-meets-techno Summer anthem ‘Sliver’ - by two of club music’s modern-day heavyweights in KETTAMA and Tim Reaper.

In Special Request’s words: “I chose Tim Reaper and KETTAMA because they are both 100% top-table practitioners of machine funk. They both delivered the goods in completely different ways and illuminate new paths with this song. Both mixes have been causing havoc in our sets and I can’t wait for people to hear them.”

Both remixes are out now on all platforms, with a limited 12” release available to pre-order now. It continues a stand-out 2023 for Peggy Gou’s record label, which has already seen releases from Special Request & Novelist, Mogwaa, Matisa, Hiver, Matrefakt and DMX Krew, as well as the inaugural entry in Gudu & Friends - a new annual compilation series which introduced Salamanda, Closet Yi, Lady Blacktronika and more to the roster.

Riotvan is thrilled to announce the latest installment of the "Familiar Faces” series, with label bosses Panthera Krause and Peter Invasion once again opening their arms and welcoming an exceptional group of friends. Some familiar faces return, while others make a glorious Riotvan
debut. Originally conceived as a four-track release, in line with previous installments, the project took on a life of its own as the incredible music continued to flow in. Today, we are delighted to present "Familiar Faces IV," an eight-track selection that showcases the freshest and most diverse sounds from a group of our incredibly talented friends.

An Indian's Life' continues Henri Texier's lifelong interest in native American history and culture, first illustrated in his critically acclaimed album 'An Indian's Week' (1993) "It's from a childhood passion", Texier explains, "Something very intimate but not intellectualized, so much, that connects me back to the little Parisian kid I was in the 50's, of course, later I added jazz to the cocktail, I linked the Native American genocide to the oppression of the Afro- Americans, and I identified with this wretched part of America through jazz music". Once again, Henri Texier has produced a work of vibrating music in tune with the Native American psyche. All the compositions are his own (except Black and Blueby Fats Waller and Harry Brooks) and include pieces honouring his friends Carla Bley and Steve Swallow, the tutelary figure of Charles Mingus, Don Cherry, and Paul Motian. Texier never fails to state where he comes from, turning his deeply welcoming music into a space of dialogue between traditions and generations, acknowledgment of others in all their differences

Aiko T. is a concept, an entity, a ghost that appears only through her own music.

"I’ve released various materials over the years under other names, Aiko has been materialized in 2022 through self-published music and with IIKKI it's the first official release that I am very proud of. Despite this, Aiko has been publishing in other forms since 2020, but always within the sphere of ambient music.

This album was born as a long-lasting sound continuum. It was then cut, stitched together and reassembled to give shape and restore unity from the fragments, in order to have an album that shows its completeness halfway between the titles and the compositions themselves. Contrary to what it may seem, it is not born from a concept and does not want to be. The titles were chosen in a poetic, almost naïve way, the sounds of these creatures led me to believe that they could be divided into different distinct phases of the day. What I want to communicate with the titles is just what came to mind in a moment of reflection, a very simple thing, that sometimes time passes too quickly, and the moments we spend with our loved ones could always be better, it could have been a beautiful morning, afternoon, evening or night." - Aiko Takahashi

Music crafted by Aiko Takahashi with laptop and various music devices, analogue and otherwise

Stix Records, a sub-label of Favorite Recordings, presents the 2nd release from its new Mellow Reggae Series project. Launched earlier this year by Mato & Ethel Lindsey with a stunning cover of the famous “What You Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell, the series continues with the same duo, now taking over “Baby Come Back”, the underground AOR/Blue-Eyed-Soul classic from Player.

This time again and likewise could be told about Bobby’s most famous song, “Baby Come Back” can be considered as a “One-Hit Wonder”, reaching #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1977, while very few people might be able to name who performed it. Like he always does, Mato delivers an outstanding version, delighting us with his matchless skills for dub production. Already perfectly matching on Bobby Caldwell’s rendition, Ethel Lindsey ensure again the perfect vocals over Mato’s production. Currently preparing her 1st album to be released on Favorite Recordings, Ethel has a long music and singing experience, unless an almost blank discography. From her very young age, she’s developed a deep passion for AOR and Blue-Eyed-Soul style.

Starting his reggae production career in 2006, Thomas Blanchot (aka Mato) has released music through various projects on EDR Records, Big Singles or Makasound... In the meantime, he developed a real trademark: taking over classic French, Hip-Hop, OST, Classical or Pop songs, into roots reggae-dub new versions. His 15 years collaboration with Stix Records and label honcho Pascal Rioux gave life to many masterpieces and the story seems far from the end…

Diffrent Music roars back into action after an extended hiatus to raise a couple of young giraffes with the electrifying new compilation, ‘Revolution Of The Giraffe’ LP.

Launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing something new to a drum & bass scene that had become overly formulaic, the label has continuously pushed in new directions, often incubated tomorrow’s stars, and evolved beyond even that original grand ideal. ‘Revolution Of The Giraffe’ unleashes 17 tracks of bleeding-edge electronic music, proving that after 13 years, Diffrent still sounds like nothing else.

Core artists from the label’s distinguished history bring their expertise, such as drum & bass mainstay Arkaik and sound architect Fearful, who team up with label boss Dexta for the MC GQ-sampling ‘Old Skool’ — a new track with a classic Diffrent sound. And there are numerous debuts: A.Fruit reworks an all-time Diffrent classic, ‘Boxgroove’ by Dexta & Hyroglifics, into a glitchy halftime stomper; none60 bosses Silent Dust turn Dexta’s ‘SE4’ into a rebellious dancefloor juggernaut; and the mysterious Gaunt’s ‘Firefloor’ becomes locked ‘n’ loaded rave artillery in the hands of Pepsi Slammer.

Label stalwart Mauoq puts his signature psychedelic future dub spin on ‘Departed’ by Cuelock, who in turn delivers the ice-cold, grime-indebted ‘Pages Of Snow’. Lakeway conjures the epic ‘Even Though’, nearly eight minutes of ecstatic, spell-binding, hyper-rave wonder. Dexta goes solo with squelchy techno jungle stormer ‘Giraffes On Acid’. Even Sense MC makes an… appearance.

New-gen Diffrent acts are in fine form too. The inimitable BrandNewTrumpets opens the album alongside Macc; ‘We Are The Tightrope Walkers’ is a powerful spoken word piece that erupts into a hail of punishing breaks. No Nation, Sheba Q and BK Balance, meanwhile, turn out explosive, hi-tek junglism on ‘Too Late’. From Diffrent’s industrial-toned sister label Are We Really Alone? (A.W.R.A.), Amir De Bois joins forces with Fearful for the paranoid, jittering ‘73’; Tokyo’s Itti summons thunderous bass on the ritualistic ‘Rumbling’; and Croatian artist Spaj.A.S.E.’s competition-winning, mind-mashing remix of the first ever Diffrent release, ‘Everyones Mad’ by Chills, finally sees the light of day.

Always looking to the future, Diffrent also welcomes modern jungle visionary Eusebeia, who puts his ethereal touch to Crypticz’s ‘Could Have Been’, and Stateside up-and-comers Illexandra & TGRbass, who deliver the supercharged, elastic bounce of ‘Swampy Swami’.
Closing out with one from deep within the vaults, ‘Aftaparty’ is Beezy and MNTX’s ode to seeing where the night takes you. It’s a fitting note to end on, as a new era of Diffrent Music begins. Where will it take you? Join us on the ride and find out.

"I've loved every moment of the label so far: the fast-paced release schedules, the slow years, the podcasts, albums, singles, EPs, parties, etc. This compilation album signposts where we are at — a bunch of classic Diffrent artists, a load of new faces, and a few remixes thrown in for good measure. Each tune stands alone, but stands tall next to each of its siblings. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we have! The revolution is here, join the revolution!"
- Dexta

Powerhouse R&B/Soul vocalist and Canadian Idol finalist. Gary Beals, is thrilled to be releasing his new album, The Melody Within. The Melody within is a musical journey that unfolds across two sides, much like a story that reveals new layers with each turn. The album is more than just a collection of songs; it's an emotional guide that beckons us to explore the depths of our own feelings and explores navigating emotions, self discovery, and nostalgia through soulful melodies. "This album serves as the aftermath to my previous album, "Bleed My Truth". It's a continuation of my musical journey, a fusion of soulful melodies and diverse influences that mirror both my personal and artistic evolution," said Gary Beals. "Each song is a chapter, a piece of my heart and soul, inviting listeners into my world of emotions, experiences and connection. It uncovers the melody that resides within. The anticipation is building as I look forward to sharing this collection of new music, and I hope it resonates deeply, offering a meaningful and memorable musical experience enriched with a multitude of emotions." With this new body of work, Gary had the opportunity to work with two talented primary producers,Beatchild (Drake, Justin Nozuka, Glen Lewis) and Myles "Losh'' Schwartz (Allan Rayman, Tobi, The Game, Pretty Lights). Additional production credits on the album include, Chris Guirguis, Frizzy Astro (Raz Fresco, Daniel Son), Jordan "Tempo" Farmer, Kobebeats (Rodwave, Kcamp, Sevyn),Sid Aakowa, Ty Danelley (Popcaan, Tory Lanez, Pressa) and Warren Williams, who all helped to shape the makings of the album while maintaining a consistent synergy. Side A of the album draws inspiration from the likes of Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown, and pays homage to artists who have played an integral part in shaping Gary's musical roots. This side includes Gary's previously released singles, "Good People, Good Vibes" and "All of Me," and the album's title track "The Melody Within," that commends the process of self-discovery and introspection. Also included is the album's 5th single, "Self Revolution," which will be released on October 27th along with the official music video. On Side B, you'll encounter a fusion of R&B and pop elements while still staying true to the album's soulful essence. Included on this side, is Gary's third single "I Like That," featuring JRDN and KAYO ,and the new single "How Do I Say (I Love You)," released September 22nd. "How Do I Say (I Love You)" dives into the inner conflict of conveying affection, showing vulnerability, and the bravery needed to expose one's heart to someone else. About Gary Beals: Two decades ago, Gary embarked on his musical journey when he, a small-town kid from Nova Scotia (now calling Toronto home), made a remarkable entrance onto the national stage as a part of Canada's inaugural season of Canadian Idol. This month marks the 20th anniversary of the finale where Gary was crowned as the "runner up" on the show. The experience ignited a transformative period of self-reflection and discovery that propelled Gary toward personal growth, shaping his life and musical career in lasting ways.

Fast forward through three albums and twenty years, Gary's work and talent have made a remarkable impact and received widespread critical acclaim. Among his accomplishments are debuting in the top 10 of the Canadian sales chart, being nominated for a JUNO Award for "Best R&B/Soul Recording," winning an East Coast Music Award and seven African Nova Scotia Music Awards, as well as scoring nominations for an Urban Music Award and a Canadian Radio Music Award. These accomplishments led to his home province's Premier officially designating November 22nd as Gary Beals Day in acknowledgment of his achievements.

With his return, Gary is poised to make a positive impact on the ever-expanding global community as he prepares to release his new album The Melody Within. The album will stand as a tribute to the strength that resides within all of us and a reminder that true fulfillment comes not just from achieving goals, but from discovering the intricate beauty that lies within our own hearts and souls.

Craig Charles is a big supporter of Gary Beals and spun his single 'All Of Me' for three weeks in a row on his Funk and Soul Show on BBC Radio Six

Purple Color Vinyl

We are really proud to introduce a new release on Mawimbi Records: "Mawimbi, Vol. 2”. Its title is a nod to “Mawimbi, Vol. 1”, which was the inaugural release of our record label back in 2015. A new compilation, at last, after a decade of music activism and a handful of EPs and albums which have helped unearth some of today’s talents from the new global music scene (Onipa, Loya, Afriquoi, Raz & Afla). It stays true to the driving principles of our artistic direction: support upcoming artists, e ncourage the breaking down of musical frontiers, help make happen new encounters between electronic music and so-called “afro” music. While these encounters can now be witnessed anywhere in pop music’s current zeitgeist, from Beyoncé to South African’s vibrant amapiano scene, we think there’s still plenty to explore.

“Mawimbi, Vol. 2” truly feels like the culmination of a long path for our record label. Because it includes artists who have been actively contributing to the Mawimbi adventure over the years, and also because it’s another convincing testimony of the fruitfulness of this musical intuition we have so heartily been defending for the last decade. Indeed, the 8 tracks of “Mawimbi, Vol. 2” resist all the usual labels. They sound like they stem more from human encounters and artistic dialogues launched in the moment than attempts to be associated with any music scene in particular. Each of the 8 pieces of this compilation presents in a unique way the search for this cross-pollinating sound.

The compilation opens with a really engaging rework of James Stewart’s classic track “Cotonou” by Lyon-based tropical music enthusiasts Voilaaa, who took Peter Solo’s voodoo soul lines on a trip across the Black Atlantic beginning with a horn-heavy cuban cha-cha-cha before falling into a savory triple time dance. As tireless sonic adventurers, Amsterdam-based duo Umoja have brought back a handful of hits from their numerous trips to Kenya meeting with local benga musicians. “Avana Va” is one of their compelling tunes, featuring Kenyan musician and producer Sidney Simila. This urge to collaborate with musicians from across the African continent is also to be found in Village Cuts’ ever expanding discography. On “Sentima”, they showcase their trademark London funky sound, introducing us to the talents of Congolese guitarist and singer Kissangwa.

Afriquoi’s 2020 hit “Ndeko Solo” is presented in a brand new shape, sprinkled with some French Touch flavours. “Djansa”, by Toulouse-based producers Mr. Boom, rides a distinct South African-inspired groove, while inviting us to a nighttime dance by the Balearic sea. On “Silent Runner”, French producer and musician Ozferti moulds his own musical galaxy where East African scales meet cutting edge global club beats. With “Nabi Kumi”, Anglo-Ghanaian duo Raz & Afla delivers their deepest piece, once again inducing a state of trance with a triple-time beat and an hypnotic kora loop. Closing the compilation, “It's Holy” is a unique collaboration between Tom Excell (Onipa, Nubiyan Twist, David Walters) and Dizraeli, one of the most interesting voices in British rap, which by making connections between broken beat, jazz and african music, illustrates the precious mixture of musical aesthetics that make up the current UK musical landscape.

Whisky soaked, nocturnal, brooding. Aging’s album »Troubles? I Got A Bartender« was a noteworthy, film-noir infused suite that quietly slipped out on cassette in 2015 by a then budding Manchester avant-jazz ensemble, led by David McLean.

In 2020, amidst the pandemic’s tempest and winter's gloom, the idea manifested of showcasing McLean’s slow burning, wistful soirée in a new light via a curated effort by Berlin’s Vaagner label, which invited a series of hand-picked artist to rework selected compositions from the album, rendering its mournful, smoke-tinged resonances into new shapes.

Its result is »Reworks (Rewoven)«, and it presents 6 new interpretations by 5 artists. These range from ruminating, tape smudged ambient works interlaced with sublime acoustic strums by fellow Manchester musicians The Humble Bee and Tape Loop Orchestra, to poignant steel guitar renditions by Nashville based Kelby Clark. Furthermore, Barcelona based Dania and London based Laila Sakini, each present pieces that draw the listener into opaque realms harbored by swooning reverie and eerie, glistening prophecy.

Carefully assembled across two sides of vinyl, McLean’s penchant for hard-boiled detective novels, vintage Japanese crime flicks and film noir iconography have a continued lurking presence in the reworks, yet the new pieces each add a modern facet to the original’s cinematic narrative, its morose and sulky mood now opening into new avenues of interpretation. And whilst some artists have chosen to dive further into the themes of contentious ambivalence and pensive solitude, others have sought to slightly lift the haze, stirring up melodies tinged with a sense of hope, hinting at times, towards instants of poise and vivacity.

In the end this leaves us with a new body of work that manages to feel poignant in its complexity whilst remaining dissonant and elusive in its renditions, hinting at a modern day existence even more opaque, intricate and convoluted than the film noir classics of old might have pictured the world.

Repress!

Little Dragon return with a spectacular second album offering in August, a pulsating electro pop epic that Prince would be proud of (only fronted by a beautiful Swedish lady with a sultry voice). A bold and surprising side/two step onwards from their self titled debut, released two years ago to great acclaim especially among specialist circles. Machine Dreams, with its nagging hooks and gloriously infectious tunes, should finally see the band break out into the mainstream.

Recorded in their home city of Gothenburg, Machine Dreams is a gigantic leap on from previous material but still maintains a distinct sound that can only be Little Dragon. Be it Yukimi s warmly inviting vocals, Erik s dextrous drumming, the vast array of synths and bleeps created by Hakan or Frederik s bubbling bass lines, together they don t sound like anything else around right now. The move towards a more electronic sound was a conscious one, as Yukimi explains; The title Machine Dreams seems obvious. These days, humans seem more and more like machines, and as technology evolves, machines feel more human and it becomes fuzzy and beautiful and science fiction-ish. We feel dependent on our machines to create and live, and their sounds reflect us .

Album opener A New breaks us in gently with a single whirring note on the synthesiser, an almost alien sound that gradually morphs into a slow, thumping bassline. Yukimi s vocals flow alongside Hakan s assortment of sound effects interspersed with militaristic drums breaks. A magical opener that sets the scene and seems to sink into itself, taking us with it, until the pace is swiftly ratcheted skywards with Looking Glass , the massive snare, crisp driving beat and experimental synths revealing the band s current penchant for the 80 s. This influence continues apace into stand out track My Step . Utilising a solid drumbeat that nestles next to jagged and playful synthlines, the track breaks down into motorik propulsion with a scuzzy techno bassline that Yukimi works with ease.

Upcoming single Feather finds Yukimi s voice at its most detached and blaze, seemingly nonchalant yet magnificently seductive. Backed by Hakan s keyboard atmospherics, the song creates a soundscape reminiscent of Tears For Fears more reflective moods. Gradually layering more vocals, synths, echoes and reverb, it builds to a quietly psychedelic, dreamy cosmic swirl. Runabout brings forth a mini Airto style percussive breakdown at the tail end of yet another Little Dragon pop gem. Swimming bursts forth into vision with stabbing keys and reflective bass alongside yet another wonderful vocal performance from Yukimi who sings of young love and now so many years have past, my memories as clear as glass . The song is over as quickly as it started, flowing into the next miniature masterpiece in the form of Blinking Pigs

The album closes with the stunning track Fortune , which has already caught the attention of none other than DJ Shadow. It s no wonder really, as the textured melodies blend with the drifting percussion, creating a blissful sonic mood. With a smattering of drums and bass and the magic of Yukimi s voice and Hakan s electronic dynamics floating on top, it s the perfect track to end this fascinating journey through Little Dragon s brave new world.

With disparate influences from Depeche Mode to Prince, LCD Soundsystem to James Holden, Dancehall to R&B, Jazz and Soul, Little Dragon take their place among artists who straddle many genres, yet somehow create their own and in doing so create sounds that make time stop (Yukimi). Futuristic yet somehow retro, Machine Dreams sees Little Dragon achieve something timeless; that elusive pop classic.

2023 REPRESS - Rare Brazilian Bossa Nova - Latin album - Comes with insert/liner notes & packaged in a gatefold jacket - 180g TANGERINE COLORED vinyl limited to 500 copies w/obi strip // Marcos Valle needs little introduction, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, Mr. Valle is an award-winning/chart-hitting Brazilian singer, songwriter and record producer. He was raised on a staple diet of classical, Brazilian popular music and North American jazz. Marcos Valle grew up to be one of the most influential & innovating musicians of the Bossa nova period and is regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian artists of all time. He has recorded albums for North American labels such as EMI, Warner Brothers & Verve_cementing his career with a series of tight musical workouts moving seamlessly between funk, samba, soundtracks, soul, jazz, dance and rock. Valle contributed to some of the most important recordings by artists including Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Sergio Mendes, Leon Ware, Chicago and Airto Moreira. Mr. Valle's work has been sampled/remixed by major artists from the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West & Madlib.One of Valle's favorite bands to frequently collaborate with was no doubt Azymuth, who took their name from a Valle song!Azymuth (Bertrami-Malheiros-Conti) started their individual careers in the 1960s in the emergent Bossa nova and jazz scene of Rio, living in the same bohemian block in Copacabana and playing in small bars as session musicians under various other names.It was the early 1970s when Azymuth really began to cause a stir and Marcos Valle invited them to record on a soundtrack LP he was doing. The unique Azymuth sound was now born: a mix of electronic music, samba, funk and jazz that they defined as MPB-jazz (MPB stands for Musica Popular Brasileira). Over the decades Azymuth released extremely successful albums (selling millions of copies) on labels such as Polydor, Som Livre and Atlantic. Hitting the charts on multiple occasions, Azymuth played at the Monterrey and Montreux jazz festivals and at venues around the globe.The band has worked with legendary musicians from Joe Henderson to Stevie Wonder and they've also been remixed/sampled by artists such as Flying Lotus, will.i.am, MF DOOM and Peanut Butter Wolf. Their unique brand of fusion-music has influenced three generations of musicians, DJs, and producers. Music journalists across the spectrum from mainstream to underground, celebrated these raw yet wildly imaginative and musically accomplished tracks that were a revelation of jazz, funk and disco, with some even stating that the roots of EDM were on display in their early recordings.On the album we are presenting you (Brazil by Music - Fly Cruzeiro) the listener is getting yet another fantastic early Valle/Azymuth collaboration. Released in 1972, this rare album was pressed and gifted to customers of the `Cruzeiro' airline company. This promotional record came as no surprise because the connection between Cruzeiro Airlines and Valle was very tight (Valle's father was the manager and his brother was a co-pilot there).Next to the Valle/Azymuth material present, other songs include some of the all-time best Brazilian standards originally written by renowned artists such as Jorge Ben & Antonio Carlos Jobim. Take a flight with us through this fantastic album and into some of the best Jazz, Funk & Bossa Nova the Brazilian musical landscape has to offer.Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the first ever vinyl reissue of `Fly Cruzeiro' since its release in 1972 (only 500 copies were pressed upon its original release in 1972).

Khanate's self titled debut (2001) has all the pleasant ambiance of a plane crash site, a bleak urban waste of mangled and torn metal beams and hissed alarms. When Khanate first issued instructions to the void in 2001, the band was embraced as the next iteration of guitarist Stephen O'Malley's tube-cracking forays into amplifier variance; a fascinating further step of vocalist Alan Dubin and low-frequency shifter James Plotkin's space charts; and a warning for the crawling-pace hammers of Tim Wyskida's drums. But Khanate was not preaching of coming doom or offering emotional catharsis. The band was totally post-dread. The worst had already happened, and would continue to happen, over and over. The 5 songs on Khanate sound like an "orchestrated root canal" (Julian Cope).

Khanate's self titled debut (2001) has all the pleasant ambiance of a plane crash site, a bleak urban waste of mangled and torn metal beams and hissed alarms. When Khanate first issued instructions to the void in 2001, the band was embraced as the next iteration of guitarist Stephen O'Malley's tube-cracking forays into amplifier variance; a fascinating further step of vocalist Alan Dubin and low-frequency shifter James Plotkin's space charts; and a warning for the crawling-pace hammers of Tim Wyskida's drums. But Khanate was not preaching of coming doom or offering emotional catharsis. The band was totally post-dread. The worst had already happened, and would continue to happen, over and over. The 5 songs on Khanate sound like an "orchestrated root canal" (Julian Cope).

Ultra limited edition release from Taiwan’s psych-rock heroes Dope Purple, joined here by fellow Taipei resident, noise musician Bei San Q Nan.

250 copies all pressed on transparent purple coloured vinyl, and housed in a gloss finished full colour outer sleeve with polylined inner bags and download code. Non-Returnable.

What we have here is a one off pressing of the bands self released 2019 cassette only release ‘Psychedelic Scum Freaks’

“Dope Purple's most ferocious noise psychedelic live album with a whole lot of harsh noise and amphetamines added to the music of "Grateful End".

Recorded in September 2018. Taipei's noise musician Bei San Q Nan joined Dope Purple to begin the album with over 10 minutes of harsh noise and continued to bring the noise psychedelic tinnitus hell”

This double vinyl set includes the remastered version of the cassette album, in addition to a super-heavyweight drone song recorded in 2022.

One for the die-hards.

Roxane Métayer is a french musician and artist based in Brussels. Between folk and experimental music, her project is made of sound recordings made in nature, violin, wind instruments, percussion, and his own voice. Her albums have been released by Kraak label, Morc, Primordial Void, Wabi-Sabi tapes, Marionnette Label and Matière Mémoire.

Roxane Métayer was born in France in 1992. She learned to play the violin at a young age, and then continued her studies in Belgium, at the Ecole de Recherches Graphiques, where she obtained her Master’s degree, in Speculative Narration, Narratives and Experiments.

Roxane Métayer is a french musician and artist based in Brussels. Between folk and experimental music, her project is made of sound recordings made in nature, violin, wind instruments, percussion, and his own voice. Her albums have been released by Kraak label, Morc, Primordial Void, Wabi-Sabi tapes, Marionnette Label and Matière Mémoire.

Roxane Métayer was born in France in 1992. She learned to play the violin at a young age, and then continued her studies in Belgium, at the Ecole de Recherches Graphiques, where she obtained her Master’s degree, in Speculative Narration, Narratives and Experiments.

PRESSED ON "DRIED BLOOD" RED
COLORED VINYL W/OBI
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES

In the late 90s in Hip Hop, all eyes were on the South - and the Down South sound reigned supreme. Few groups were as hot as Memphis’ Three 6 Mafia. CrazyNDaLazDayz was a regional scorcher when it dropped in 1999, released under the group name Tear Da Club Up Thugs, but essentially a Three 6 Mafia full-length as core Three 6 members DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous all contribute to the project. The record went on to be certified Gold and Three 6 Mafia went on to win an Academy Award for their contribution to Hustle & Flow. CrazyNDaLazDayz continues to have an impact to this day. A cut Juicy J first pulled together while still in high school, “Slob On My Knob”, was utilized in A$AP Ferg’s hit “Plain Jane.” In addition, the cut is interpolated into G-Eazy’s most successful cut to date, “No Limit.” Get On Down brings you this often overlooked and definitely in need of being revisited portion of Three 6 Mafia’s legacy.

NOW Music is proud to present the second in our ongoing series of vinyl compilations, NOW That’s What I Call 80s Dancefloor. Each edition features an essential collection of tracks representing key genres from the incredible diversity that were all part of 1980’s Dance music.

This volume, featuring 29 tracks across 2-LPs, pressed on 1 Purple and 1 Pink vinyl, presents the best in DISCO and ELECTRO.

Following the height of its’ popularity in the late 1970s, Disco in the early 1980s retained the irresistible melodies and beat but became primarily synth driven. The era saw some of the genres’ biggest hits including this collections’ opener ‘Flashdance…What A Feeling’ from Irene Cara – this theme from the film ‘Flashdance’ was not only a massive selling single, but the song also won multiple awards including an Academy Award. Lipps Inc. produced a timeless hit with ‘Funkytown’, and Shalamar with ‘A Night To Remember’, Odyssey with ‘Use It Up And Wear It Out’ and Indeep’s ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’ were all huge commercial Disco hits.

Disco royalty Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic feature here in their roles as producers and writers with Diana Ross’s massive hit ‘Upside Down’, ‘Why’ from Carly Simon, and the peerless ‘Spacer’ from Sheila & B. Devotion and in 1984 remixed Sister Sledge’s ‘Lost In Music’ which became a massive hit again and is included here in its full 12” version.



Amii Stewart’s classic version of ‘Knock On Wood’ was remixed and a hit again, Donna Summer enjoyed huge success with ‘She Works Hard For The Money’, and other established Disco superstars celebrated returns to the charts with an 80’s Disco sound including, and featured on this collection, KC & The Sunshine Band, Patrick Cowley feat. Sylvester and Evelyn “Champagne” King.



The prevalence of the synth in the 1980s gave rise to new and exciting sounds and to tracks that were created with fusions of genres. On this collection we are celebrating ‘ELECTRO’ – a sub-genre of Electronic Dance music that combined elements of Disco, Funk and Hip-Hop and featuring a heavy synth backing, and the commercial Electro-Pop hits it produced. In 1984, Chaka Khan who had achieved huge success with the Disco classic ‘I’m Every Woman’, had a worldwide smash with a cover of Prince’s ‘I Feel For You’ which combined Disco, Funk, R&B, Synth-Pop and Hip-Hop – to stunning effect. Also a hit in 1984, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced a classic fusion of Disco, R&B, Funk and Synth-Pop for the S.O.S Band with ‘Just Be Good To Me’ and also included here are hugely influential Electro-Pop gems from Freeez, Rockers Revenge feat. Donnie Calvin, Malcolm McLaren, Break Machine, and Rock Steady Crew.



In the latter half of the 80s, Disco and Electro-Pop continued to evolve and fill dance-floors. Taking influences from both genres, Expose and Company B enjoyed ‘freestyle’ hits and DJ, remixer and producer Jellybean had a string of hits including ‘Just A Mirage’, and Whitney Houston became a global superstar. One of her signature tracks ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ serves as a stellar example of how Dance music had evolved through the decade and remained as vital and uplifting as ever.

Building on the styles showcased on the first “Beatbox Studios” LP, Hi-Tek was clearly developing his own personal style on the studio’s in-house Akai MPC 60II sampler. The drums were swinging more; the grooves were deeper; the bass thumped harder. Even when choosing familiar samples, he was chopping them in fresh and unexpected ways, which would eventually help shape his signature sound.

As his reputation was becoming cemented in the local Cincinnati scene, his relationship with the rap group Mood was helping to catalyze more regular visits to New York City. The beats collected for “Beatbox Studios 2” were the ones that would stick in the auto-reverse tape deck for those road trips, as were the demo tapes he crafted with Mood, which would eventually earn them a record deal with Blunt Records in 1996—the same label and year where he would land his first major placement on Royal Flush’s “Ghetto Millionaire” album. It was also on one of those 1996 journeys to NYC that he would meet a young Brooklyn emcee named Talib Kweli—with whom he would form one of the most iconic duos of the indie-rap boom of the late-nineties.

“Beatbox Studios 2 (1996 MPC 60II)” showcases Hi-Tek as a hungry young talent on the rise, and his continued elevation would lead him to a career as one of the few producers who can claim to have worked with such a broad range of legendary artists; from superstars like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Anderson .Paak, to underground heroes like Mos Def, Common, and J Dilla.

Australian indie alternative stalwarts Boy & Bear hit their stride on the sophomore epic, Harlequin
Dream. Upon release, it clinched #1 on the Australian Album Sales Chart and notably received a
nomination in the category of “Australian Album of the Year” at the 2013 J Awards. Staples such as
the title track “Harlequin Dream” and “A Moment’s Grace” have cemented the record’s legacy among
fans, while “Southern Sun” stands out as the band’s most streamed song to date. The Guardian rated
it “4-out-of-five stars” and assured, “They’ve nailed the tequila-sunrise mellowness, which acts as a
gateway to an albumful of emollient soft rock.” Harlequin Dream crystallized the group’s emotional,
ethereal, and enthralling style in its eleven tracks, and it continues to entrance.
Following their debut award-winning album Moonfire, Boy & Bear will release Harlequin Dream, their
bold and brave new album recorded in their hometown of Sydney at legendary Alberts Studio and
mixed by Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Modest Mouse). The lead single, “Southern Sun,” has
a powerful urgency not unlike the best of Bruce Springsteen or Fleetwood Mac, while a sprinkling of
strings and brass brings life and color to such standouts as “Back down the Black,” “Old Town Blues”
and “Stranger.” Boy & Bear’s debut record Moonfire won five ARIA awards, including Album of the
Year

“Nobody Move!”, so says Philippe Doray and his Asociaux Associés (the Antisocial Associates)! Having dynamited the end of the 70s with two radical albums – Ramasse-Miettes Nucléaires in 1976 & Nouveaux Modes Industriels in 1978, both reissued by Souffle Continu – Doray still hadn’t finished singing. Throughout the next decade he began his Composant compositeur which would document the “second period”, as he calls it, of his Asociaux Associés.

The record includes new schizo-electro songs which make the most of his association with Laurence Garcette, who also plays all sorts of keyboards. A prolongation of the first period of the Asociaux Associés, the duo updates Doray’s poetry: in reaction to the current overcast atmosphere, here are some hallucinatory fantasies to the rhythm of an infernal circle dance (« Le petit géant ») or an ecstatic waltz (“Bombés fluo”) or even coded messages stuffed into bottles and thrown into space (“Secoue le flipeur”, “Choc d’amour”).

On the bonus CD there are further iconoclastic examples: rare recordings (unpublished or even “inaudible”) of the Asociaux Associés but also by Crash, a duo that Doray formed with Thierry Müller (Ilitch, Ruth). At the controls of their experiment- bending machine the musicians multiply the possibilities: peripheral rock, arias in orbit, broken swing, industrial mantras and other joyful falsities. Enough to make you lose your mind? No... as Philippe Doray promised: it is the “jackpot qui frissonne” (the shivering jackpot) which is there to excite

Circular patterns morphing through time, loop and ritual form the fabric of Proserpine, the latest work by Leeds-based musician, Teresa Winter. Recorded from a summer to a winter through 2021 and 2022, Proserpine is Winter's most cohesive, focused music to date: confidently revelling in space, fixating on isolated sounds and giving way to satisfying, swirling waves of vocal and electronic buzz. Proserpine is Teresa Winter's debut recording for Glasgow-based label, Night School.

On Proserpine, musical patterns revolve and intersect with each other, transmogrifying the music's narrative. Over-arching themes emerge: continual change, elusiveness. Insubstantiality emerges into concrete reality in the form of recognisable field recordings: the purring of a pet cat, the hum of a live cable. The loops and patterns are sometimes just out of sight, the click and whirl on Child Of Nature is the backdrop to hymnal vocalisations by Winter, who intones spell-like text in conversation with herself. On opener Circles, Winter's vocal is pre-linguistic, detached syllables falling into flowing streams, before Plume's field recordings seem to juxtapose nocturnal and diurnal wildlife. "You said I was a Flower Of The Mountain" sings Winter, as James Joyce's Molly Bloom does but the carpe diem desire in Ulysses is dissipated here, spread out by gauzy, droning organs. Here desire is blown up and out, changed into something undefinable but no less powerful.

Change is at the heart of the album. The Roman goddess Proserpine, herself a reimagined version of the earlier Greek goddess Persephone, is always between: between summer and winter, the land of the living and the underworld, constantly emerging into new states of being. It's a fitting metaphor for Winter's work. Like an Apple feels like it soundtracks this in-between state, long, trailing reverb smudging synth keys and Winter's achingly beautiful vocal performance. The effect is stirring but flitting in and out of perception, sometimes Winter's presence feels of this world, of musical instruments and practises and at others it feels like the music is about to phase into a different plane, a different universe.

While Proserpine references the myths and cults of the classical, pre-Christian era, Winter's restless preoccupation with the mechanics of religion informs the album in other ways. Ritual is present through out, either in the mantra-like vocalisations or even the private rituals we are invited to witness: on Fireworks the listener eave drops into the protagonist's private bonfire. On the stunning Lamento, layers of Choral vocal interlock in celestial patterns that recall catholic mass: it's an overt effect that simulates the ecstasy of religious fervour and also reminds the listener of the use of vocal that runs through Proserpine. Winter's vocals often echo with the euphoria of obliteration, of disintegrating in an awful bliss. It's an effect achieved with finality by the closer New Water as the piece begins with voice before burning up in the atmosphere of elegiac violins and enveloping undertows of whirring synth patterns and ghostly pads. Proserpine is forever turning, changing, always elusive and quietly revelatory.

Spock's Beard, an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles, plays a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings, drawing much influence from Yes, Genesis and Gentle Giant. The band is known for their intricate, multi-part vocal harmonies and use of counterpoint vocals.

The band was formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan Morse (vocals, guitars), John Ballard (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums). Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep is the eleventh studio album and was released on April 2, 2013.

It is their first album with singer Ted Leonard and drummer Jimmy Keegan in place of Nick D'Virgilio, while former member Neal Morse co-wrote two tracks, including "Waiting for Me", on which he plays guitar. The album has received positive reviews from music critics and has continued the return to progressive rock shown in its predecessors Spock's Beard and X

Spock's Beard, an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles, plays a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings, drawing much influence from Yes, Genesis and Gentle Giant. The band is known for their intricate, multi-part vocal harmonies and use of counterpoint vocals.

The band was formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan Morse (vocals, guitars), John Ballard (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums). Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep is the eleventh studio album and was released on April 2, 2013.

It is their first album with singer Ted Leonard and drummer Jimmy Keegan in place of Nick D'Virgilio, while former member Neal Morse co-wrote two tracks, including "Waiting for Me", on which he plays guitar. The album has received positive reviews from music critics and has continued the return to progressive rock shown in its predecessors Spock's Beard and X

Spock's Beard, an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles, plays a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings, drawing much influence from Yes, Genesis and Gentle Giant. The band is known for their intricate, multi-part vocal harmonies and use of counterpoint vocals.

The band was formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan Morse (vocals, guitars), John Ballard (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums). Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep is the eleventh studio album and was released on April 2, 2013.

It is their first album with singer Ted Leonard and drummer Jimmy Keegan in place of Nick D'Virgilio, while former member Neal Morse co-wrote two tracks, including "Waiting for Me", on which he plays guitar. The album has received positive reviews from music critics and has continued the return to progressive rock shown in its predecessors Spock's Beard and X

ONE LEVEL is delighted to announce its latest release, the captivating 'Big Tal's Elements' EP by French DJ/Producer, ALEQS NOTAL.

Following the resounding success of One Level's debut release, the awe-inspiring Afro-futurism of Hagan's 'Forward Focus' EP - a production that ignited a dynamic and fruitful chapter for the London-based artist - the label has been meticulously crafting its return. One Level prides itself on championing quality over quantity, and this ethos is beautifully demonstrated in its second release...

Aleqs Notal, the former scratch champion and consistently evolving producer, joins the label family with a collection of four remarkable tracks. Despite his years of experience, Aleqs admits that he's still in the process of refining his own sound and with 'Big Tal's Elements’, a nickname affectionately bestowed by longtime friend and fellow artist Manaré, his four carefully curated house joints encapsulate a wealth of influences, all beautifully combining to create a modern and innovative soundtrack.

Following his early years of turntable virtuosity, and having embarked on a new creative chapter in the studio, it was 2014 and as a founding member of the innovative ClekClekBoom collective - a group of young French talents who spearheaded a groundbreaking movement that reshaped the Parisian electronic landscape - that saw Notal continue to cultivate his own sound, one rooted in the sounds of Detroit and Chicago. He became a respected DJ on the cities’ club circuit, and has gone on to to feature his music on esteemed labels including Phonogramme, Salon Recordings, Release Sustain and Patrice Scott's Sistrum Recordings.

The EP opens with 'Untwisted Delight', a homage to the timeless sound of the Motor City. A bass-driven DJ tool, pulsating with the resonance of the 808, evoking echoes of Pittman, and igniting a powerful dancefloor energy.

‘Save Ya’ is an ode to determination and self-preservation. A track with its roots deeply embedded in the dancefloor and featuring an archive sound-bank vocal alongside glorious hi-hats, it is a firm favourite of Notals. “I think its from my scratch background. I always work with the hi-hats. For me, when I hear the hats its as though I hear somebody singing." Fully road-tested at Fabric London, Save Ya is now set to rescue many a night.

'Come Get It' channels the spirit of early Chicago house. A fusion of spirited 606 and 808 drum patterns, coupled with the enchanting allure of resounding hi-hats, it offers a heartfelt homage to the revolutionary sounds that defined an era and continue to influence so much of today’s music.

Concluding the EP is 'Hymn Of Passion', a track inspired by Ron Trent's Future Vision imprint. Drawing on a diverse palette of Nigerian percussive elements and samples garnered from past projects, Aleqs weaves a sonic mosaic. Crafted in a single jam session, the track elegantly melds a rhythmic finesse with resonant congas, intertwining with the emotive Rhodes piano, to craft an unforgettable finale.

With a diverse array of influences seamlessly interwoven, Aleqs Notal’s ‘Big Tal's Elements’ EP is a journey through sound that fully captivates the listener.

Repress

Following their 2021 debut on Mindri, Ernestas Sadau, Rapha & PRZ return to the Pinkman fold as Pluto Junkies with a 7 track mini-LP recorded at the furthest reaches of the solar system. After the swirling synths and cryptic messages on opener Launch, the record quickly descends into a frenzied supernova of metallic synths and propulsive drums. From the twitching Italo-informed techno of Astronaut Dolphine Detective to the frenetic speedball electro in Black Eye Galaxy Battle, this collection of hardware jams is straight up sonic fuel for sweat-drenched hours at wide eyed raves right around the galaxy. With the snarling acid riffs on Captain Blade and the punishing pulse in Cosmo Scooter Race, Pluto Junkies continue to ride the wave of manic energy from their first release, providing further soundtracks for only the most serious space travellers. You have been warned!

PRESSED ON FRUIT PUNCH COLORED VINYL WITH HAND NUMBERED OBILIMITED TO 2000 COPIES

The contemporary realm of hip hop music can be seen as polarized between two sides; mainstream versus underground, industry versus independent, at a base level boiled down to catchy sounds & infective hooks over higher quality lyrical content. These elements don’t need to be mutually exclusive, but these days it’s rare to find an act that can please all sides of the discussion. Clipse are one of the few groups that successfully and consistently caters to both sides of rap’s splintered psyche, simultaneously serving the scene with upbeat bangers that get the club poppin’ & subwoofers rattlin’ while crafting clever quotable compositions deserving of repeated headphone submersions. Though their preceding official albums Lord Willin’ (2002) & Hell Hath No Fury (2006) made bigger splashes commercially, 2009’s Til The Casket Drops is surely no slouch, a gem which deserves to be revisited with fresh ears – good thing Get On Down has given it the proper treatment it deserves with its first-ever vinyl pressing!
Til The Casket Drops was a departure from the duo of Malice & Pusha T’s previous works in that it was their first LP not completely produced by The Neptunes. However, the celebrated team who brought us ‘Grinding’ & ‘Mr. Me Too’ still helmed 8 of the album’s 13 tracks, thus dominating the soundscapes and aesthetic of the album anyway. With the remaining beats handled by Hitmen Sean C & LV (Jay-Z, Big Pun, Ghostface) and Aftermath’s DJ Khalil (Kendrick Lamar, Aloe Blacc, Eminem) clearly Clipse stock hadn’t lowered in the game. While boasting notable vocal features from Kanye West, Pharrell, Cam’ron, Keri Hilson, Yo Gotti & their Re-Up Gang affiliate Ab-Liva, Casket Drops leaves ample space for the core emcee duo of Pusha & Malice to shine in the spotlight, with verses revolving around each other succinctly in-synch and bonded by an exceptional creative rhythm only biological brothers could share.
Clipse have always delighted in dualities, juxtapositions and contradictions, unabashedly celebrating the capitalistic lifestyle and the grind as the kings of ‘coke-rap’, while taking hard looks at society’s mores and those of their own individual journeys. We hear Malice’s eventual transition to No Malice taking form on this album as he found religion, warning others who might follow in his path on ‘Footsteps’: “don’t let my wrongs give you the right of way/ to emulate my past escaping the law’s grasp” while refusing to be pinned down in one lane: “it weights on my conscience and I hate conscious rap”. Meanwhile Pusha T continues his lyrical ascent into the King Push persona with bars like “pompous motherfucker, look what them jewels made me/ I’m only finding comfort in knowing you can’t replace me/ What a thing to say, but what am I to do/ I’m role-playing a conscious nigga and true is true/ Cocaine aside, all of the bloggers behooved/ My critics finally have a verse of mine to jerk off to” decisively on album opener “Freedom”.
Since it dropped, the Clipse have stated that Casket… is their final album together while subsequently alluding to the possibility of an eventual reunion. Only time will tell, but until then it’s time to re-celebrate one of hip hop’s most dynamic duos by hearing Til The Casket Drops in a whole new light with its long-overdue, first time on vinyl pressing via Get On Down featuring all 13 original tracks on wax and cover art by the legendary KAWS! It’s kinda like a big deal…

Hot off of the success of their multi-platinum self-titled debut, The Youngbloods shuffled their line-up (with the departure of co-founder Jerry Corbitt) and used their heightened caché to go big on their follow up, the Charlie Daniels-produced Elephant Mountain. Over multi-layered acoustic-folk and electric-rock instruments, Jesse Colin Young, Banana Levinger, and Joe Bauer create a free-feeling set of tunes that playfully careen between front-porch folk and stadium rock (best exemplified in the classic single "Darkness, Darkness"). That this diverse set of musical influences remained cohesive and artistically daring makes it an underground classic whose admiration continues to grow today. Impex is proud to bring it to you in pristine all-analogue glory!

With J Jazz volume 4, the BBE J Jazz Bullet Train continues its journey traversing the expansive landscape of modern Japanese jazz. Volume 4 is the latest in the universally praised compilation series exploring the best, rarest and most innovative jazz to emerge from the Far East. Please take your seats for a first-class ticket to J Jazz central. This latest station stop off is with the famed Nippon Columbia label, one of the biggest labels in Japan, whose jazz output embraces every possible style imaginable. Focussing on the key years 1968-1981, J Jazz volume 4 sees compilers Tony Higgins and Mike Peden dig even deeper into their record collections and pull-out tracks that span styles ranging from solo to big band, jazz classical interpretations and heavy jazz rock, to febrile post-bop, white hot samba fusion, and modal psychedelic wig-outs. J Jazz volume 4 features icons such as drum master Takeo Moriyama, keyboard magi Hiromasa Suzuki, Fumio Itabashi, and Masahiko Satoh, and guitar wizards Kazumi Watanabe and Kiyoshi Sugimoto, alongside big band maestros and innovators Nobuo Hara and his Sharps and Flats, and Toshiyuki Miyama’s New Herd. Thunderous basslines nestle alongside glistening runs of electric piano, bubbling synths and air-tight drumming as the heavy psychedelic modal blues of Jiro Inagaki flows with the infectious samba grooves of Takashi Mizuhashi featuring Herbie Hancock; Shigeharu Mukai’s fusion funk epics take the music to another level and Mikio Masuda’s driving keyboard rhythms brings the heat to an incendiary dancefloor zone.

The story of Elvis Presley’s ‘discovery’ has passed into showbiz legend and his recordings at Sun Studios have gone down in history. Between 1953 and 1954 That’s When Your Heartaches Begin, That’s All Right, Blue Moon Of Kentucky and Milkcow Blues Boogie were cut. By chance, two covers stood out; Arthur Crudup’s That’s All Right and Bill Monroe’s Blue Moon Of Kentucky which were adapted into high-energy mixes of Blues, Country and Rockabilly. Reaction in the Memphis area was enthusiastic and the Band continued to perform their weekly slot on the Louisiana Hayride Radio Show and bonus tracks from the Hayride Radio Show have been included on this LP. Elvis was the first and greatest star of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era and his early recordings will always retain their appeal.

This Rough Guide features both the guardians of this musical tradition as well as some of today's key innovators who continue to push the boundaries of the genre. * An album which unlocks the mysterious and intriguing rhythms behind Capoeira * Following on from the success of other Brazilian-themed albums in the Rough Guide LP range * Capoeira combines dance and combat to the distinctive sound of the berimbau and other traditional instruments * Includes tracks by the legendary Grupo Muzenza & Capoeira Nago * A remarkable living-tradition originally developed by enslaved Africans inBrazil at the beginning of the 16th century * A seamless collection of tracks which provides a unique insight into today's vibrant scene * Featuring trailblazing artists who have taken the musical genre into a whole new electronic dimension * The music of Capoeira continues to serve as a major inspiration for Brazilian artists to this day * Music is the driving force behind capoeira which makes it so distinctive and captivating * Half-dance, half-combat, capoeira has become synonymous with the beaches of Brazil.

After seventeen years, four albums and thirty-something 7" singles, some bands would be taking it easy but there continues to be little break in the determination and activity of UK's The Hip Priests Roden House Blues is the highly awaited fifth album from The Hip Priests, the legendary masters of anthemic, visceral, Garage/Punk Rock N Roll. 11 Glorious tracks of High Energy RnR, filled to the brim with huge choruses, colossal dual guitar rifferama, more hooks than a fishing shop, and one hell of an attitude.

After seventeen years, four albums and thirty-something 7" singles, some bands would be taking it easy but there continues to be little break in the determination and activity of UK's The Hip Priests Roden House Blues is the highly awaited fifth album from The Hip Priests, the legendary masters of anthemic, visceral, Garage/Punk Rock N Roll. 11 Glorious tracks of High Energy RnR, filled to the brim with huge choruses, colossal dual guitar rifferama, more hooks than a fishing shop, and one hell of an attitude.

After seventeen years, four albums and thirty-something 7" singles, some bands would be taking it easy but there continues to be little break in the determination and activity of UK's The Hip Priests Roden House Blues is the highly awaited fifth album from The Hip Priests, the legendary masters of anthemic, visceral, Garage/Punk Rock N Roll. 11 Glorious tracks of High Energy RnR, filled to the brim with huge choruses, colossal dual guitar rifferama, more hooks than a fishing shop, and one hell of an attitude.

Legendary bass player, songwriter and vocalist of The Moody Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, John Lodge, is releasing his version of the iconic album ‘Days of Future Passed’, entitled ‘Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn’, to accompany his tour of the same name. The album was recorded over the last year, and has grown from John’s current live show as he, and his 10,000 Light Years Band, lovingly recreate this classic album. The album also features a special recording by the late Graeme Edge and performances by Jon Davison of YES. It is being released as part of John’s celebration of the album ‘that changed his life’, and with the hope that it will continue to introduce fans to the original iconic recording. The album’s orchestration is by John’s long-term collaborator, and great friend, Alan Hewitt. Now as a vinyl LP record.

Make Your Own Meaning continues to convey its unique techno message with a new statement of intent from label head Lurka. The artist has been busy of late and continues to be on a roll with another fascinating four tracker that genuinely serves up some original sounds and rhythms. 'Trip' gets things underway with organic percussive patterns stacked up over drilling bass to make for a prickly groove. 'Airlock' is similar but darker and heavier and 'Sick Flips' keeps the nimble feel going with dancing perc, rigid synths and scratchy sound effects all coalescing over broken drum patterns. Last of all is another dense, busy and multi-layered melange of tiny percussive sounds, synths and clipped rhythms that will make any floor move.

Nu Groove spotlights the artists that made the legendary NYC label a firm favourite of crate diggers then and now with a series of their vital tracks re-edited by leading industry figures and choice selectors of today. ‘Nu Groove Edits, Vol. 3’ continues to celebrate Rheji Burrell’s output, who was instrumental in defining the sound of Nu Groove alongside his brother Rhano under a slew of monikers.

Up first, Metro’s ‘Turnstyle Turbulance’ gets a fresh edit from respected remixers, the Italian duo NiCe7. What follows is another take on the celebrated house track ‘APT. 2B’ by Rheji’s N.Y. House’n Authority alias, this time by Mark Broom. Tracer’s ‘Love Fantasy’, the collaboration by Luie Rivera and one of the original Paradise Garage DJs, Joey Llanos, is given an edit by Dirty Channels, another established Italian duo and frequent collaborators of NiCe7.

Completing the collection is another edit from the unstoppable production duo Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon as they take on ‘Guitarz’ by Rheji Burrell as Asylum.

'Of No Fixed Abode' gathers fragmented recordings by the Madrid duo of Pablo Mirón and Juan Vacas, the multi-disciplinary artists behind the collective Real No Real (realnoreal.org) and Ediciones Fontenebro label. Working with field recordings, found materials, instruments such as Violin and Harmonica and by manipulating old radios, turntables and reel to reels the pair have been performing across the world of late taking their collage style process with them. 'Of No Fixed Abode' uses cross-continental sound diaries from the 2019-2022 period and has been central to shows at venues and festivals around Europe and South America.

Contributing to the wider field of post-fluxus 'broken music', the duality of natural sound and decaying, processed tape loops along with gentle instrumentation across the record follows in the footsteps of the Dieter Roth school, Anne Gillis, Leyland Kirby or Henry Krutzen yet is anchored in a charming restraint in which each element seems to fall into place perfectly. Miradasvacas have a long history with presenting experimental music through shows on Madrid's Radio Relativa, concerts and gatherings across the city and self-published mixtapes and sound art, though debut here on 12th Isle with their first proper album. Far-flung gallery sonics at their finest.

Eight years following their debut LP “Charnel Passages” (one of the most anticipated death metal debuts of current death metal cannon), US-via-UK abyssic death metal contingent CRUCIAMENTUM have finally emerged with their sophomore masterwork “Obsidian Refractions” set for release on Nov 24.

Now more commanding than ever with a formidable new lineup, “Obsidian Refractions” sees CRUCIAMENTUM deliver their most advanced and overpowering work yet. Taking everything in the band’s death metal paradigm to the next sonic measure beyond anything they have previously released, “Obsidian Refractions” combines the very essence and aesthetic of ancient cult death metal while encapsulating the dynamic, complex, next-level affectations relevant in today’s death metal landscape. The result being “Obsidian Refractions” as a towering death metal monument unparalleled.

Following his first LP "Hafa" released by Soundway Records and a 12inch where he remixed Guts & Les Frères Smith (Pura Vida / Heavenly Sweetness), the nomadic producer iZem continues to blaze his own trail, offering a hybrid of Afro-Brazilian influences and electronic funk. After the release in 2022 of the EP "Yemamaya" composed with the Brazilian LuizGa, which was unanimously acclaimed by the public, he is releasing his second album "in Ze early morning", surrounded by artists and friends who have marked out his journey between South America, Portugal and France.

"in The early morning" is a fusion of musical aesthetics, the fruit of the artist's passionate quest to reveal links between cultures. iZem is constantly on the move, creating songs from loops and ideas initiated on the road, with his laptop as his companion. These first seeds are then developed with musicians from all over the world, to create innovative tracks that blend tropical trip-hop, Afro-Latin music and avant-garde electro beats.

Are you Looking for Love? Advice? Good Luck? Then you’ve come to the right place. The second release in the Psychic Readings catalog, Peach continues to explore her sound bringing us 3 tracks dedicated to the dance.

On one side, The Art of Casting Spells will bewitch you with its basslines. As they go from squelchy to stripped back, the track is an upfront yet ethereal ride in true peak time Peach style. Then, a track inspired by the sensation of butterflies in your sacrum - Flutter is a deeper cut for the heads down, introspective dancefloor moments. Both come complete with sassy stabs, moving pads & bouncy bongos - all of which are becoming a staple of her sonic palette.

On the flip, Gay Dreams brings us a starry-eyed escape into fantasies. Delicate synths flirt with the weighty bassline, as sentimental pads carry us into a slow surrender of emotion.

All the tracks are a testament to her many moods as a DJ. For club use or home listening, this is an EP dedicated to the dance.

The Cornish improv noise / post-rock / shoegaze band’s cult classic debut, remastered and re-edited by Slowdive’s Simon Scott and available on vinyl for the first time since its release back in 2017, with original copies (released via The Weird Beard) now changing hands for triple figures. The three tracks that make up the album were recorded live, in one take. They are presented as captured snippets of the one song the band used to play, the continually existing and evolving ‘CPA’ (Cosmic Pink Alignment). It formed the blueprint for their unique mix of Sonic Youth squall and Slowdive-style beauty, which was later heard on 2021’s acclaimed debut for Sonic Cathedral, Sleepover. “People have told us they aren’t able to get a copy of the album, so a reissue was a good opportunity for us to re-look at it having learnt a bit more about the mastering process when we did Sleepover,” says guitarist Matt Ashdown. “Simon also mastered that, so we really trusted him and didn’t give him a brief – he knows we like to squeeze out as much low end as possible, which is why there is also a new cut; more low end means less space on the vinyl.” Simon’s magic touch has really elevated this stunning record, making it sound bigger, bolder and better than ever

Michael Chapman (1941-2021) released his debut album Rainmaker in 1969 on Harvest. He went on to release over fifty albums and influence many with his evocative songwriting and guitar prowess. From heady jams to expressive ballads to experimental noise, Chapman’s work continues to inspire. Tompkins Square recruited Henry Parker to curate a collection of covers by working musicians from Chapman’s home turf in Northern England. With stunning artwork by local artist Bunty Marshall mapping the important places in Michael’s life, this 12th volume of Tompkins Square’s Imaginational Anthem series is the ultimate tribute to a very dearly missed artist. Notes from Henry Parker: Tompkins Square approached me in Autumn 2022 about putting together a tribute album to Michael Chapman who had passed away one year ago, on my birthday, in 2021. I remember it well; Michael Chapman had always been a huge inspiration to me since starting out on the acoustic guitar and was the first artist I had heard who played the instrument with that heavy thumb, drop tuned sound. I first got the chance to see him live at the Bradford experimental music festival Threadfest in 2015 and then went on to watch him play many more times, in the northern towns of Halifax, Hebden Bridge and Preston, also getting the chance to support him on a couple of his Yorkshire dates in 2018, in Saltaire and his hometown of Leeds. With both Michael Chapman and myself proudly coming from the county of Yorkshire in northern England, Tomkins Square and I decided to make this compilation decidedly Yorkshire focused, bringing together seven other artists from the county who have drawn influence from the profound music of this man.For those who don’t know, Yorkshire is an area that spans much of northern England, with its people taking great pride in the county, never too seriously, and poking fun at the “soft south” or it’s near neighbour Lancashire. Michael’s sound always spanned from introspective folk songwriting to more experimental forms and naturally so does this album, created for Tompkins Square. When it came to choosing musicians to contribute to the record, I was grateful for the Yorkshire limitation on who I could draw from, as the resulting album is comprised of eight artists, who have all shared stages with each other across the folk and experimental scenes in the area. The lack of “bigger” names on the record feels natural, there’s no ego about this project as there never was with Michael, who always seemed content touring the smaller clubs and making records for anyone who was interested. The artwork for the project came together organically, and firmly within the Yorkshire cottage industry. Two months before I was asked to put this album together, I had played a show in Leeds for the launch of a new zine, centred on folklore and mythology. The artist and founder of the zine Bunty has an exceptional eye for detail and a profound love of Yorkshire landscape and culture. Her intricate maps and illustrations created for ‘Hwaet’ zine were the perfect starting point the for this record, and the cover art and inner sleeve is an ocean of detail for Michael Chapman’s incredible life, music and his connection to Yorkshire

Big Love label boss Seamus Haji commits four of the label’s pristine releases to wax for the fourth edition of ‘A Touch Of Love’, opening up the compilation himself with ‘Wish’, made with Full Intention’s Michael Gray and featuring vocals from current Chic singer-songwriter Audrey Martells.

This collaboration of legends is followed by another from Mark Lower & Fleur De Mur, this time with the fiery nu-disco track ‘Burn For Love’ before one half of NiCe7, FrescoEdits continues to develop his uplifting, loop-based sound with the disco-inspired ‘Get Free’. Closing out this eclectic release of Big Love favourites, London-based duo Saison and their motivational collaboration with Kameelah Waheed, ‘Be Yourself’.

Gloam is the highly anticipated sophomore album from alternative folk band MAYBEL. Similar characteristics from their debut, Gathering, are carried forward: elegant harmonies, soft instrumentals and a shared optimism coupled with a wide open vulnerability. The songs still echo the intimacy, warmth and closeness of their relationships, yet the band has matured. MAYBEL's evolution shines through with ambitious compositions, thoughtful songwriting, and a deeper understanding of themselves as the album’s themes pierce with growing pains, anxieties and hopes for change. It’s a record about movement and stopping; the ongoing act of coming apart and coming together. Gloam is for listening in your bedroom or in transit, missing friends, on your way to see them. It holds an optimism that rings clear yet nestles and dwells in a brooding, muddy darkness - placing it firmly in the illustrious Canadian folk canon. This is the first album for which all four members (Fez Gielen, Ali Hendra, Loris Kecaj and Lauren Spear) wrote songs. For the most part, they were written during the pandemic separately and then shared in the upstairs living room where Lauren, Ali and Loris used to live together. The result is a shared diary on love, grief and moving on. The band's ability to effortlessly blend traditional folk elements with modern production techniques is reminiscent of the collaborations between Emmylou Harris and Daniel Lanois. Just as Harris and Lanois brought a fresh perspective to country music, MAYBEL embraces experimentation in their sound without compromising the warmth and intimacy inherent to folk music. As with their debut Gathering, MAYBEL recorded Gloam with producer/engineer Jonas Bonnetta at Port William Sound in Mountain Grove, Ontario. Resonating with a sound borne of the studio’s deeply intimate rural environs it is no wonder the band chose to return. Here they were joined by Eliza Niemi on bass/cello, Caylie Runciman on bass/drums with Jonas adding synths and percussion. Gloam is an old Scottish word for twilight. It appears like a fantasy between the day and night, a time seemingly frozen, drifting, or ignored all together. Gloam is the mood and time within which the album takes place. MAYBEL describes it as being: “In transition, between sleeping and waking—a quiet underworld where one is alone with their thoughts, in true presence with the in-between.” The final track on the album, “For Nothing”, captures something of the album’s twilight hope. It begins with lilting solos and gracefully builds in energy and color. MAYBEL sings to its listeners, “All that work for nothing” with a buoyancy and radiance that chimes against the lyrics. They repeat: “All that work for nothing”. For all of the band, the last few years have resulted in significant change and stress. Yet they continue to try, through their music, to will themselves towards optimism. They ask for you to marvel with them at the charming and terrifying possibility of life. They harmonize again, not despairingly, but almost ecstatically “All that work for nothing!”

How does one express the bone-chilling loneliness of having lost the love of his or her mate, even as the relationship continues in the present tense? We would venture to say that “Element Of Love”, the inaugural 45 on S’plat Records, and the record debut of vocalist Gervis Myles, pretty well answers the question. The song and the performances elevate this record well beyond many efforts which seem to get lost in the mannerisms of soul, but ultimately miss the point. Gervis Myles tears into the song, which has the feeling of a scorching King Records hard soul lament from, say, 1960. He moans, shouts, unleashes falsetto outbursts, and hits ever more impossibly high non-falsetto notes as the song goes on. Bootsy Collins commented: “Y’all takin’ me back while moving forward. I love the way you funkin’ with me!” The band, which we call “Suite Crude Revue”, consists in this instance of Andrew Spadofora on saxophone, whose solo work on the record contributes considerably to its searing intensity, John Paul Simons (upright bass), Bryan Rogers (piano), Dave Schoepke (drums) and Daniel Zelonky on guitar. The B side, “I’m Thirsty,” is a rhythm and blues stomp about drinking away “woman problems.” Standout piano work from Rogers and a blistering solo by Spadafora, in addition to the raw vocal performance, make one want to …. drink! Written, arranged, and produced by Daniel Zelonky (aka Low Res).

New Zealander via Berlin Philippa is a producer and DJ whose passion for house music, tireless commitment to her craft and ear for what makes a dance floor tick is slowly and surely starting to pay off. With her recent release Rainy Nights on Slothboogie and Things I’d Like To Be for Razor n Tape getting a lot of love Philippa continues to deliver the goods and has led to remixes for Fat Freddy’s Drop (The Drop) and Roach Motel (Faith).

Here on the Latent Magic EP we’re treated to three new tracks which highlight Philippa’s deft touch and musical approach to making interesting and left field house music. Opener Hold sets the tone with lush orchestral strings, crunchy drums and a bouncing analogue synth bassline which drives the track along perfectly.

Latent Magic uses a similarly wide-ranging sound palette, mixing up the electronic and organic, but goes heavier on the epic, arpeggiating synths for a spacious and uplifting genre-defying track to lift the spirits.

Closing out we have There It Is which has hints of Mr Scruff with looping horn stabs, live drum groove and rolling electric bassline. All in all another mighty fine Philippa release which reminds us of the early days of Freerange when artists such as Square One, Shur-i-kan and Jimpster were melding live musicians with electronics to make a refreshing, UK-centric take on house music.

Detroit based Graphic Artist/ Fashion Designer/ Producer/ and DJ Johnny Malek has quickly fallen into the hearts and minds of the house music community.

Coming off a powerful 2022 with his debut Beatport EP “Hope” hitting number 1 on Beatport followed up with a string of releases including a 4 track organic house EP titled “Tales of Tulum” and two full length albums “How to Pray” and “Memories”.

Keeping his foot on the gas and continuing to dial in his sound in preparation for his Yoruba Records debut Johnny delivers with “I Promise” - A Deep House Anthem with banging afro house drums and an extremely powerful gospel vocal encapsulating the classic sounds of House Music.

Johnny has no plans of slowing down anytime soon as he continues to dive deep into his original sound and style and pushing the boundaries of the next generation of House Music artists and producers.

FINALLY BACK IN PRINT in 2023! The third SYR release documents Sonic Youth's first collaboration with Jim O'Rourke. This sharp Esparanto-addled 'Muzikaj Perspektivoj'-series edition contains 3 new songs, and 50+ minutes of music. Invito al Cielo is an album by Sonic Youth. It was released on March 2, 1998, and was the third in a series of experimental releases issued on the band's own SYR label. SYR3 marked the beginning of the band's collaborations with producer and musician Jim O'Rourke; his continuing work with the group after SYR3 resulted in O'Rourke becoming an official member of Sonic Youth by 2002's Murray Street.

It has become clear that Matthew Shipp is the most interesting and important jazz pianist of his generation, the most continually evolving and pushing forward. (We could also say “best,” even have been known to declare that, but it’s such a loaded term.) Now that he’s in his sixties and something of an elder statesman of the art form, he’s overdue for a retrospective look at his catalog, and to help make that happen, ESP-Disk’ will be reissuing some of his great early work that’s gone out of print:
• The 1990 trio recording Circular Temple (originally self-released on Quinton, then reissued in 1994 by Henry Rollins on his Infinite Zero label) will come out this September;
• His 1994 duo album with William Parker, Zo (originally on Rise, reissued in '97 on Rollins’s 2.13.61 label), will reappear in Spring 2024.

These will both be reissued not only on CD, the format on which they first appeared, but on vinyl as well, since many jazz fans prefer that medium. Additionally, his solo piano album Zero, released by ESP-Disk’ in 2018, will be put out on vinyl for the first time, also in 2024.

Circular Temple has marked many firsts for Matthew Shipp: his first CD release, first piano trio album, first of many times on record with Parker and Dickey, first album to be reissued, and on ESP-Disk’s reissue of it, first CD-only album to finally appear on vinyl and first album to be released by three different labels. And, more trivially, the first Shipp album that current ESP head/reissue producer Steve Holtje acquired, back when the only choices were that and a 1988 LP-only duo by Shipp and saxophonist Rob Brown on the Cadence label.

Much has changed since Trio Grande"s first release in 2020, not least for the band itself: prodigious multi-instrumentalist Nate Wood now joins the indefatigably creative partnership forged in New York City by Gilad Hekselman and Will Vinson. The foundational triumvirate of drums, guitar and alto saxophone remains and even though each member is rated among the most individual and influential practitioners of their own instrument, the unmistakable enduring character of Trio Grande incorporates them all into its own unique identity, continuing to grow and develop at its own pace, to create new possibilities of form and texture, composition and improvisation.

10th anniversary deluxe edition of Mac Miller's second studio album Watching Movies with the Sound Off on heavyweight galaxy vinyl. Includes a bonus 10" zoetrope picture disc with bonus track "The Star Room (OG Version)" and a never before released vinyl exclusive track "The Quest."

With the release of his sophomore album, Pittsburgh native Mac Miller goes up against some of hip-hop's heavyweights to shatter the public perception and prove that he is a talented lyricist.

Miller made a name for himself several years ago with the release of his popular mixtapes , gaining a following from the party-heavy beats and whimsical rhymes. Miller's first album Blue Slide Park debuted on the charts at the number one spot of Billboard's 100 making it the first indie album to snag the number one spot since Tha Dogg Pound's Dogg Food in 1995. Despite the commercial success of BSP, Miller's debut album received mixed reviews and he was lambasted and accused of being one-dimensional. Determined to prove himself as a serious lyricist, Miller's Watching Movies With The Sound Off goes toe to toe with Cole and West. Picking up where his 2012 mixtape Macadelic left off, Miller continues his psychedelic journey through hip-hop with a more serious undertone to his lyrics.

Miller once again pulls double duty and puts on the producer's hat of his alter ego Larry Fisherman. The 21-year-old handles most of the production on the album but he enlists the help of several others including Pharrelll Williams, Diplo, The Alchemist, Clams Casino, Flying Lotus and more. It's clear Miller has grown just as much as a producer as he has as a rapper. Sonically, WMWTSO is a complex and challenging conglomerate of trippy, acid-laced sounds that mesh well with Miller's laidback flow.

WMWTSO may seem like a far leap from his debut album, but with the several projects released in between the two albums, Miller has been on this path for a while. Accomplishing the goal of proving he's more than a flash in a pan and can make more than party hits, Miller's sophomore album WMWTSO holds its own against his colleagues that share the same release date. A must have on vinyl for any fan!

For years Feeling Figures have tinkered away at the edge of the Montreal scene, never fitting neatly into the ebb and flow of the city's cultural trends or its more traditionalist camps. A geographer, a music therapist, a writer, and an underground arts biz maverick, the four Figures have long been friends and collaborators in various musical formations and continue to propel multiple projects. At the core of Feeling Figures is the Zakary Slax and Kay Moon songwriting partnership, which itself stretches back a decade, the pair first crossing paths in a vibrant period of musical upheaval in Sackville, NB - a college town on Canada's East Coast. In the big city, a series of self-releases, shifting monikers, and revolving live lineups eventually coalesced with Thomas Molander & Joe Chamandy as the ultimate rhythmic vehicle and spiritual consorts for Slax & Moon's unconstrained syntheses of multiple eras of indie rock, punk, psychedelia, folk, and outsider pop. Their debut 7" of 2021 was an early entry in Montreal upstart label Celluloid Lunch's catalog. We're nearly 3 years past the debut 7" from Montreal quartet Feeling Figures and in some ways it feels like 300, Such are the seismic changes that have occurred during that spell. But enough about Feeling Figures' musical depth and laser-like lyrical focus, I understand some things have happened in the real world, too. 'Migration Music' is not this generation's first ramshackle-as-fuckk art punk album and I'm not sure it's even the 30 thousandth. But I do know Feeling Figures have arrived fully formed, with a real voice of their own (several in fact, that must be a really good microphone). This album is simply too much fun to have been the product of years of serious study, though I'm told students occasionally have fun, too. I wouldn't know, i'm a university drop out. I did once see an episode of the television adaptation of "The Paper Chase" where one of the new Harvard Law hopefuls had a Kiss poster over his bed and that seemed highly implausible. The utter lack of affectation on 'Migration Music' may or may not be considered a selling point (affectation seems pretty huge — almost always) but Feeling Figures' rock'n'roll atom smashery is nothing short of astonishing. Maybe there will be a better record in 2023 perhaps two or three, even. But for now, this is the band to beat. 10 tracks 33RPM

repress !

Since bursting onto the scene with their multi award-winning compilation ‘The Stanton Sessions’ back in 2001, the Stanton Warriors irresistible and inimitable sound has consistently remained the soundtrack to some of the world’s biggest and best parties; from East London warehouses, Miami boat parties and illegal Detroit raves, to smashing up the stages of Coachella, Glastonbury, Burning Man and Ultra, selling out global tours, topping DJ lists and arguably having the largest number of band logo tattooed fans in the world!!

In the studio, Bristol’s Mark Yardley and Dominic Butler have honed a trademark, uncategorizable sound that is at once all their own, but also utterly indefinable, leading to high-profile releases on XL Recordings, Fabric, Cheap Thrills, Central Station and Universal, alongside official remixes for everyone from Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim, to MIA, Gorillaz and Danny Byrd. This phenomenal output and remarkable longevity have ensured the Stanton Warriors legendary status amongst not only their fans, but also their peers.

Stanton Warriors 2015 album ‘Rebel Bass’ featured a host of new & exciting bass artists such as Cause & Affect (aka Chris Lorenzo & Kane), which went to #1 in the Apple Music general album chart and Top 10 in the iTunes dance album charts in eight countries.
They also continued their sold-out tours across the USA, Europe, Australia and the Far East, collaborations on Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird label and a slew of exciting releases on their own tastemaker label Punks.

‘Rise’ is Stanton Warriors strongest album to date, with all twelve tracks ready to set dancefloors alight. Stanton Warriors have called on some of the scene’s most exciting and diverse artists to collaborate with – across hip-hop, grime, house, dancehall, drum’n’bass. Featured artists include Foreign Beggars, Stush, Taiki Nulight, Sian Evans, Ami Carmine, Keith Thompson, Lily McKenzie, Danny Dearden and Scarlett Quinn. Each track on ‘Rise’ showcases Stanton Warriors’s trademark rolling breakbeatbass sound.

Also included in the package on disc 2 is their ‘Rise DJ Mix’ that contains a selection of new remixes of tracks from their previous albums, releases from their own label Punks artists inc Plump DJs, Chris Røyal, Cosella & Vanilla Ace & tracks from Rise, remixed by the Punks family, plus an unreleased Stanton Warriors remix of Danny Byrd – Salute.

The vinyl format is a double LP cut onto heavyweight vinyl.

They remain fresh, original and relevant, obstinately dancing to the beat of their own drum, helping to pave the way for new talent, proudly ploughing their own genre for twenty years and as the new album title points to, still continuing to rise.

Artists like Jalen Ngonda come around once in a lifetime, so it is our privilege and distinct pleasure to announce the release of his debut album Come Around and Love Me.


Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen perform live knows that he is one of the most captivating performers on today's soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm-disarming packed rooms of rowdy concert goers, leaving them silent as they hold fast to every syllable sung. Plans for the album were struck just months before the COVID 19 pandemic shut the world down. Notwithstanding, Jalen eventually made it to Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY where he began writing and recording with the help of producer/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley's Extraordinaires) and a crack team of a-list musicians from the Daptone family.

The team skillfully blends heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with motown sophistication, leaving the listener in a blissful wash of wonderment. Jalen has been writing songs since he was 14, and his compositions are also very much of these times. He explains, "I love music from the 20th century- I listen to it all the time, but I?m in this world and the 21st century. ...to a stranger, I?d describe my music as modern soul and R&B, while trying to fit in the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between." Come Around and Love Me reveals how he creates a classic approach that is rooted in the sounds of revered pioneers, without falling into imitation-leaving no doubt that Jalen will continue to shine within the superlative, timeless musical tradition that is Daptone?s hallmark.
Now it's your turn to come around and love one of the finest soul albums of the decade.

Sababa 5 continues their musical journey following the success of their acclaimed self-titled debut album, which fused deep funk and Middle Eastern grooves. Their latest offering, still under the Batov Records label, ventures into more explorative and experimental instrumental compositions. While evolving their musical direction, "Aspan" delves into the realm of psychedelic rock while retaining the essence of the band"s signature Middle Eastern groove.

Favorite Recordings comes back with the 2nd edition of its compilation series: Fusion Global Sounds. 8 rare and hidden tracks produced between 1976 and 1984 in various parts of the world. As a fine collector of Jazz-Funk and Fusion for many years, Charles Maurice cooked another fine selection of forgotten Fusion Jazz productions, this time driven by a common Brazilian influence.

On this 2nd edition, recordings come from Brazil, Philippines, Netherlands, Poland, and US, all again from underrated artists mostly unknown from the masses. You'll find here the best elements of the Fusion genre: fine vocal arrangements, catchy Fender Rhodes and synthesizers, irresistible basslines, and classy horns section, altogether bringing a unique groove infused with Brazilian flavors.

The compilation starts with Lerma dela Cruz, a quite occult songstress from Philippines. “Free” was part of a very rare compilation titled “Tropical Jazz Fusion”, released in 1983 on A&W Horizon label (also home of Boy Katindig). With its blowing Samba / Jazz-Funk vibes, it was an obvious match to open this collection. The following song could only enhance this ambience, since that of Brazilian saxophonist, Nivaldo Ornelas, present on this opus with 2 titles taken from his album A Tarde (1983). On “Cactus”, Nivaldo is supported on keyboards by his friend Marcos Resende, both also known for their album on the MPBC series released by Phonogram-Polygram between 1978 and 1981, which has clearly been an inspiration for Charles Maurice in building this second edition.

We could continue telling stories and details about the others great tracks included in Fusion Global Sounds Vol.2, but we believe that the best way is to listen to it and pursue your trip through Fusion Jazz combined with Brazilian styles, including surprising stopover in Poland, or Netherlands.

Record number 3 from Unveiled Nuance brings a new confidence in the further developed sound of owner Means&3rd. A continued eye for detail as well as a roughness that breathes dark soul into the production aesthetic that we have yet to hear from the artist.

“Hardship Repackaged As Growth” Opens the EP with boomy, rugged low end and grainy driven synth lines with sharp hits of wide sonic impact and a depth of layered atmosphere, placed on a bed of dense percussion until its break point exposes contorted, abrasive stabs just surviving the crunch of their processing, that then take the forefront. “Countenance” replies to the previous track with a more calculated, rounder and organic palette of audio that focuses on a cadenced synth line that breaths with the arrangement, fizzing to break point and engaging the deeper listen. Swung percussion keeps the groove providing a propulsive backing that sits on ganrled bass hits before the focus returns on the charged lead line.

“Character Ethic” carries deep suspense from the off, with filtered menace being teased below the surface, warping atmospheres are stacked and build the apprehension against a militant 16th shaker before an almost vocal like modulated synth reveals itself and is left to dance prominently across the stereo field. Layers of energy providing percussion complete the picture for a mesmerising trip. “Desperate And Relevant” the most driving of the 4 cuts takes an effectively reduced stand where square wave accents build new levels of intensity. Propulsive low-end and cohesive percussion writhe through the track’s arrangement closing out the EP with a powerful ending, a blistering siren sees the track’s breakpoint provide a release worthy of the pressure built.

So a Burner fan is a Rock'n'Roll fan. When Bjorn (guitar/vocals) and Mats (bass) finally found their drummer Jan, the trio is solid as a rock. In September 2018 they wrote and recorded the songs for their first album which was released via Time To Kill Records in spring 2020. Now the Swedish diesel rockers Burner are back! After their first attack with the debut album "Baptized in Gasoline" the band has received praise from all corners of the globe. And after a successful tour with English monster Orange Goblin the band started focusing on their upcoming new album. Burner say: "After the release of Baptized in Gasoline we continued to write new songs as always. Soon there was enough material for a second album and recording began. We always do everything with a smile and our sick sense of humor. The inspiration it comes from anything really, there are so many bands that have inspired us over the years. Janne came up with the idea for the cover and title and work moved on. We are really happy with the result and our fans will be in for a nice surprise. "Hittin' The Target" will be our second release and once again it will be filled with hard rock'n roll riffs. The perfect soundtrack for gulping cold beer!

Saxophonist Alex Hitchcock continues his mission to seek out new sounds and textures at the forefront of contemporary jazz, and to act as a catalyst to bring together some of the finest musical talents drawn to the fervid internationalism of the contemporary London scene His response to the current challenging climate for artistic endeavour is to go big and go bold: Dream Band: Live in London is a truly groundbreaking project presenting three different 'dream bands' of his favourite musicians, captured live over three nights at London's legendary Vortex club performing music specially composed for each ensemble. The extraordinary line- ups he assembled are testament to the respect he has earned among his peers as a composer, player and bandleader with a uniquely inspiring vision. The band for the first night features the frontline of Mark Kavuma's trumpet and Liselotte Ostblom's vocals blending together over the trio of Rob Luft, Rio Kai, and Jamie Murray: the second features James Copus on trumpet with longtime musical partners Kit Downes on piano and Lewis Wright on vibes, and Conor Chaplin and Marc Michel supplying bass and drums, and the third sets Downes' piano alongside the guitar of Ant Law and Alexandra Ridout's trumpet, with the international all-star rhythm section team of Orlando le Fleming and James Maddren. Part of the album's delight lies in the unexpected combinations of these acclaimed players, and the new levels of creativity that they bring forth; the constant presence of Hitchcock's unmistakeable voice on tenor sax and the strength and consistency of his writing gives the project a compelling unity. Each of the three bands brings their own unique blend of voices to Hitchcock's compositions, taking them in directions unforeseen even by their composer.

Swarm Intelligence’s unique take on industrial techno is back, with the second instalment on his self-titled label, coming this November.

Fiercely intense, dramatic and cutting-edge, Swarm Intelligence’s distinctive take on techno has garnered him a solid following amongst the true underground of the scene. Following on from the widely supported launch of his label, SWRM002 is a striking next step – a testament to the quiet confidence of a skilled artist unafraid to eschew norms and carve his own path. This second EP continues to draw inspiration from dystopian themes of new and imagined technologies and their resulting societal impact.

‘Critical Signal’ was produced during the global pandemic, and iteratively refined over the following years. Grinding basses and tense atmospherics sit atop a thunderous four-to-the-floor. Its message to humanity is as relevant now as it was then – “you are resilient, you will prevail”. In ‘Mass Disinformation’ a visceral, bleak and unsettling sonic landscape punctuated by a slamming groove is an apt metaphor for the psychological warfare being unleashed on the world today.

Opening the B-side, the uplifting glory of ‘Digital Immortality’ lifts the tone of the release. Here, Swarm’s signature glitchy, broken beats complement beautiful melodic swells and a rolling bass line. The track imagines a digital afterlife where, upon uploading our consciousness, we leave our bodies behind. Bringing the EP to a close, “Singularity Dawns” is the most freeform, cinematic composition. Its obscure broken rhythms and traversing sequence tells the tale of an AI becoming self-aware and discovering its capacity to feel.

Most of Gen X-ers who grew up in the mid-1980s Indonesia must have seen Soedjarwoto Soemarsono, known with his nom de guerre “Gombloh” performing on a state-run television station, playing some of his biggest hits from that era, pop gems like “Kugadaikan Cintaku (I Pawn Off My Love)”, “Setengah Gila (Half-Crazy).”

But of course, it is not fair to judge Gombloh only from these hits. Dig deeper and you will find buried treasure in his early stuff from Indra Records, and there are many of them.

His album with the band Lemon Tree’s Anno ‘69 (yes, that’s the name of the band) is all remarkable, but what he did for Chandra Records was no less spectacular. How can you go wrong with songs like “Kebyar-Kebyar”, the unofficial national anthem for Indonesia, dan “Berita Cuaca” one of the better epic songs in a catalogue full of epochal songs? These were all long out of print and in our journey to source the original master for these albums we met Bob Djumara of Nirwana Records, the Surabaya, East Java-based label which broke Gombloh into the mainstream in the mid-1980s. Almost all albums Gombloh recorded for his early labels, Indra Records and Chandra Records were critically acclaimed, but commercially they bombed, big time. Nirwana Records came up with an ingenious plan. What if they recorded Gombloh performing live and release it as is. After all, the first song in Gombloh debut record Nadia & Atmospheer is him strumming on his guitar backed by the cheering of a crowd, who could be heard going wild when he hurled that epithet “bastard” at the end of the song

The end result is a brilliant recording which despite being recorded live the sound quality so pristine leading many to doubt the claim of being live. Regardless, Nirwana shipped a decent number of units and Gombloh could buy his first car, a Katana Jeep, with money from the royalty.

One of the best things about Live Gila is its perfect sequencing, beginning with Gombloh’s social commentary on the rich’s debauched lifestyle of preying on young boys and girls, one of the most popular subjects allowed by the censoring machine of the New Order authoritarian government. The second song “Untuk Persada” is a soaring ode to the nation. For this song, Gombloh could be heard drawing his inspiration from The Police, which was undoubtedly popular in the early 1980s, even in a faraway port city like Surabaya.

Listening to this record as a whole (we omitted the last song from the original master tape “Bagimu Negeri” which sounds too jingoistic), we could not help but point to some of similarities it has with Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. Not a single composition in this record sound indigenous (the Malay-influenced rock of Panbers or Koes Plus come to mind); they all sound modern and effortlessly catchy, and had it not been for the language, this album could be mistaken for a musical output from someone growing up in Laurel Canyon or Southern France.

There are only limited copies of vinyl records in the second-hand market today available for Gombloh music, if at all. For his ardent fans, they have to scavenge for old cassettes to continue to be able to enjoy his music and have to pay top dollar for that. In Indonesia, where he was a superstar in the early 1980s, Gombloh was largely forgotten. With this project, we can only hope that the time is ripe for Gombloh to reemerge and now, more than ever, his music could speak to a bigger audience.