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This double vinyl contains remixes of the legendary Source Code - I'm Not A Number that was first released on K.N.O.R. records in 1992.

Ambient explorers SWIMS come up trumps with the debut record by London musician and visual artist Loz Keystone, and Glaswegian electronics tamperer and jazz trumpeter Christos Stylianides.

"Craobh Haven" is the dreamlike product of a week's residency in a little cabin in the Scottish village of the same name. Driving around the surrounding countryside each day to gather field recordings, evenings were spent by the duo assembling their findings into tape loops. These little rotating sculptures - containing stones and the rushing waters of the Craignish peninsula, the voices of locals and the cabin's oven timer - formed the basis for one track per night.

While Keystone's whirling touches of Moog, guitar and space echo suggest the murky, placid vastness of the record's setting, the pitch-shifted, probing trumpet of Stylianides soars and stacks countermelodies like vapour trails braided in the atmosphere.

For a record made out of loch water, Hebridean slate and mud - it is surprisingly tuneful and sometimes almost groovy. Recommended if you like Jon Hassell, Roméo Poirier, Spillage Fete.

‘FAIXA’ is the eponymous debut LP from rural Valencian group FAIXA, emerging from a desire to fuse their curiosity for electronic sounds with experiences of living immersed in the folklore that resonates through the Valencian regions of l’Alcoià and el Comtat.

This atmospheric album speaks to a sound not often heard in the wider Spanish electronic music scene, but reminiscent of other modern revivals of traditional music fused with electronic sounds across Spain right now.

The sound of the album is a constant dialogue between the roots and the future of Valencian generations; traditional vocalists play an essential role in connecting oral traditions such as the “cant de batre” and marches of the “moros i cristians” with leftfield electronic, influenced by sounds typical of dubstep, jungle, or footwork. This historical quality resonates profoundly through songs where vocalists Noelia Llorens “Titana”, Carles Dénia, and Josep Aparicio “Apa” act as channels to a new sonic dimension of traditional music, where the classical and the modern intertwine.

Receiving great feedback across the country in a short period of time, FAIXA’s unique approach to electronic music has gained them mentions and interviews on national and local radio & TV.

If you know anything about me – as in Andrea, the record label’s head – you know I have a thing for Oi since I was a teenage skinhead.

And with Avant! being a coldwave/synthpop label, our next release couldn’t be more special. No Filter are three children of the French region of Dauphiné, active in the black metal scene for 20 years through different projects.

They created No Filter with the aim of exploring punk, Oi and coldwave sounds. They started by singing in English but after their first demo they decided to opt for French to improve their lyrics by singing in their own native language. Themes addressed in their songs are violence, hatred, party nights, the countryside, their roots and friendship. “Synth punk, bagarre et blousons noirs” in their own words. Musically speaking they somehow fit in the current Cold Oi French scene (Bromure, Syndrome 81, Cran, Kronstadt) but they exaggerate the synth/wave element ending up sounding like one unprecedented, fresh as hell mix between New Order and The 4 Skins.

If you think you’ve heard this one before it’s because one year ago they self-released a 10-track cassette called “Sans Filtre” which is exactly what we are pressing now on vinyl for the first time because this was simply too good to stay only on tape forever.

To make this even more special we have recruited Canadian multi-instrumentalist and artist Nakkabre (Conifère, Spleen, Vespéral, HazeHound) to do a brand new artwork and spice things up for the occasion!

Black vinyl LP edition limited to 400 is out 22 November.

• Laser engraved, transparent red tinted single cassette.
• Full colour double-sided printed 4 panel J-Card.
• Super Ferro Normal-bias music grade tape.
• 43 minutes per side minutes (A- 42:55 / B- 42:52). (The mixtape totals 71 tracks at 1 hour and 15 minutes.)
• Not available since 2019 and reissued to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of its release in June 2019.
London-based producer and musician Vegyn unveils the reprint of his debut mixtape, "Text While Driving If You Want To Meet God!", a 71-track project originally launched in June 2019, now available again on cassette format. This time, featuring a transparent red tinted cassette chassis, this reissue offers fans a nostalgic journey through Vegyn's early experimental soundscapes. Crafted with Super Ferro Normal-bias music grade tape, each cassette boasts 43 minutes per side, meticulously duplicated in real-time for optimal sound quality. With clear front and back cassette cases, alongside laser engraving, and a double-sided full colour printed 4 panel J-Card. This reissue is set to captivate listeners once again. The cassette repress is scheduled to hit shelves in June 2024.

a A1 4 Year Break 126 Bpm
b A2 80's Nihtmare Setup [127.136 Bpm]
[c] A3 100 Leagues V2 [142 Bpm]
[d] A4 201886 002 _ [145 Bpm]
[e] A5 A Thousand 500 Apr V2 [149.287 Bpm]
[f] A6 All In Me All Of It - [124 Bpm]
[g] A7 Anothher Time Anothher Place [150 Bpm]
[h] A8 B... Arp Forever V3 [109.613 Bpm]
[i] A9 Bedtime Again V2 [130 Bpm]
[j] A10 Big Shoes Big Hands V3 [120 Bpm]
[k] A11 Buddy Lent Me The Pen Again V006 [218.814 Bpm]
[l] A12 Ch---- Pa------- V2 [169.706 Bpm]
[m] A13 Chords To Fix 002 [126 Bpm]
[n] A14 Country Song Without [187.089 Bpm]
[o] A15 Dean Told Me! [132 Bpm]
[p] A16 Deep Throwaway 003 [100 Bpm]
[q] A17 Desktop Speaker 003 [130 Bpm]
[r] A18 Dumb To Everythhing V2 [140 Bpm]
[s] A19 Evil Man Two V2 [120 Bpm]
[t] A20 Feet Too Tough 005 [128 Bpm]
[u] A21 Find Hihs Password 003 [96 Bpm]
[v] A22 First Of 2018 002 [140 Bpm]
[w] A23 Get This Thang Right Here 003 [170 Bpm]
[x] A24 Gnot Up! V2 [109 Bpm]
[y] A25 Go Tow Work [134 Bpm]
[z] A26 Gsc Cbd V1 [98.995 Bpm]
[xa] A27 27.Gsc Cbd V2 [98.995 Bpm]
[xb] A28 Happy Birthday Friendo! [154 Bpm]
[xc] A29 Here We Are - Chords Again [137 Bpm]
[xd] A30 I Only Play Games I Know [160 Bpm]
[xe] a31 If Not Someone Then Somewhere 004 [89.797 Bpm]
[xf] A32 Infinite Freeze Frame [96.532 Bpm]
[xg] A33 Iphone Speakerz [112 Bpm]
[xh] A34 Is It Rough Is It Tough [154 Bpm]
[xi] A35 It's All In The Eyes Of [124 Bpm]
[xj] A36 Its Okay Its Just Okay 002 [145 Bpm]
[xk] B1 Last Pieces Of The Year [120 Bpm]
[xl] B2 Less So More So [140 Bpm]
[xm] B3 Life Feels Good [91.71 Bpm]
[xn] B4 Malibu Hillside - [155 Bpm]
[xo] B5 Maybe Inspired [145 Bpm]
[xp] B6 Midday Sun [124 Bpm]
[xq] B7 Milk Dudz 006 [140 Bpm]
[xr] B8 Mistakes Were Made Risks Were Taken [155 Bpm]
[xs] B9 Monét Monét [135 Bpm]
[xt] B10 Nobody's Business [148 Bpm]
[xu] B11 Noise Making Problem [100 Bpm]
[xv] B12 Ns10 + Sub Combo Classic V2 [120 Bpm]
[xw] B13 Nuish [103.181 Bpm]
[xx] B14 Olbass All Bass 004 [140 Bpm]
[xy] B15 Once A Smoker - Always A Smoker [108.065 Bpm]
[xz] B16 52.One More For The Homies [115.203 Bpm]
[ya] B17 Picnic B_st_rd [112.380 Bpm]
[yb] B18 Picnic Trajegdy [142 Bpm]
[yc] B19 Positive Nightmare [134 Bpm]
[yd] B20 Post Thought Of Knowing Nothing [152 Bpm]
[ye] B21 Pull Shark [127 Bpm]
[yf] B22 Right Noww [150 Bpm]
[yg] B23Sadly Does It [123 Bpm]
[yh] B24 Safety At Night [99.226 Bpm]
[yi] B25 Save Yall Ready Know What It Is 003 [138 Bpm]
[yj] B26 Snslo Modem [135 Bpm]
[yk] B27 Thouhtless Thouhts [155 Bpm]
[yl] B28 To All The Photos Going Up Online Rn [118 Bpm]
[ym] B29 Try And Do A Cd After That [132 Bpm]
[yn] B30 Try Towards Overtime [140 Bpm]
[yo] B31 Veggie Burritotu [120 Bpm]
[yp] B32 Waitin On An Ambulance 002 [205.367 Bpm]
[yq] B33 What Goody In The Back [138.089 Bpm]
[yr] B34 Whhat The Fuck Did I Buy_ 002 [123 Bpm]
[ys] B35 Yo This Is The Next Tune Yah Get Me [124 Bpm]

In 2000 and 2001 the original version of 6th Gate raged over mainland Europe hitting top 10 in a dozen countries and becoming platinum and gold in Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Greece, Poland,….

In 2023 the track got 2 make-overs by Reinier Zonneveld and Quintino. 2 years on, 2025, the track gets the commercial make-over it deserves.
Remix by Erik Hubo, the original producer/author of the 2023 worldwide clubhit Metro (Mau P/Kevin De Vries) Armin Van Buuren absolutely loves the track and it made it’s debut on Armin’s show A State Of Trance on November 7th.

Limited edition of this red onesider.

Farnak. The inspirational nihilist and perpetual droog is the sound of bedroom rock experimentations and insightful lyricism in this 7" single. Lend your ears a listen and give yourself a break.

Bushwacka’s first release for Radio Slave’s Rekids, the ‘Heaven On Earth’ EP, is out on October 11th 2024 and sees the UK House and Breakbeat innovator deliver two tracks complete with versions.

Title track ‘Heaven On Earth’ is a slice of low-slung House in which a drawling spoken-word vocal about love for music dominates. It’s a track with the sort of cast-iron, funky groove that has permeated Bushwacka’s music since day one. The ‘Instadub’ dubs out the vocals and takes ‘Heaven On Earth’ in a heady direction.

On the flip, Version One and Version Two of ‘Roger That’ see Bushwacka drop finely tuned funk-infused Deep House, with the former treading an earthy heads-down path while the latter ups the melody, chord and vocal sample prominence, creating a restrained euphoria throughout.

Bushwacka, aka Matthew Benjamin or Matthew B/Just Be/Makesome Breaksome and countless other aliases, has been a pivotal part of the electronic music scene for over 30 years. While his wildly successful project with Layo Paskin as Layo & Bushwacka! is his most prominent, this former London School Symphony Orchestra percussionist’s roots go much deeper. A pioneer of the nascent Rave and Acid House scenes who went on to be one of the progenitors of Tech House and UK Breakbeat scenes, Bushwacka’s influence is huge but far from static, with releases on the likes of Classic, Aus and NuGroove in the past few years alone.

'Cupar Grain Silo' is Sam Annand's first release on the Blackford Hill label. Its nine tracks blur the lines between ambient electronica and sonic history, as synthesised melodies and rhythms reverberate through the extreme acoustics of the disused Cupar Grain Silo in Scotland. Built in 1964 as a sugar store, the silo towers 60 metres above the surrounding Fife countryside. Its industrial life was short: in 1971 it was closed, and barring a short period as a grain store, remained empty for decades.

In 2014, Sam Annand was given access to the silo as part of the Resono project, set up to study a series of highly reverberant locations across Scotland. The ambitious industrial architecture of the Cupar Grain Silo has given the space a reverberation time of 36.5 seconds. This measurement describes the time a sound takes to decay or 'fade away' in a closed space. To put this in perspective, the Cupar Grain Silo reverb time is around three times longer than that in cathedrals like York Minster and St Paul's.

"The acoustics are immediately noticeable when climbing the ladder into the main chamber", Sam says. "The sound of your voice begins to circle around and above you, inviting you to shout, clap and bang objects to excite the space into revealing its intimidating architectural voice."

Sam began to experiment with musical compositions which responded to the unique acoustics of the silo space. He used impulse responses – a short, sharp sound like a gunshot – to record these acoustics, allowing him to experiment with the silo's reverb in his production. Sam's compositions were performed using a modular synth system, a Roland Juno-6 polyphonic synthesizer and a bowed ride cymbal.

"Chords can be constructed in time by hanging successive single notes in the air," Sam describes, "The flutter echoes from the immediate cylindrical walls can be used to create bursts of scattering spatial imagery and harmonic blooms, following short percussive moments."

Originally recorded on 21st May 2016, 'Cupar Grain Silo' is now released on 12" vinyl with an accompanying booklet of imagery and essays. The compositions are at once true to the unique architectural acoustics of the silo whilst also being playful and experimental with the creative possibilities it offered. Arpeggiated melodies ebb and fall across extended call-and-response shapes formed by the silo's reverb; modular drum patterns crackle like dying machinery; whilst bowed drones waver and wash over.

"We all love reverberation," reflects Prof. Peter Stollery, Professor of Composition and Electroacoustic Music at the University of Aberdeen, on the project. "As kids, we play in it – yelling in forests and caves, surreptitiously dropping objects in huge churches – mouths wide open at the lingering smears of sound which come back to us."

In 'Cupar Grain Silo', Sam Annand has harnessed the extraordinary acoustics of the disused silo to tap into this sense of joy and amazement that reverberation can bring.

2026 Repress

DJ Support: Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam,Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne,Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison,DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos,Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone,Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, KCLights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, ChrisLake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, LowSteppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche

Coming out the traps strong, our next 4-track vinylsampler series kicks things off with Toolroom’s very own Mark Knight who continues his impressive string of collaborations with Darius Syrossian appearing alongside him for the first time on the label. Mark and Darius, along with studio maestro James Hurr,stumbled on this classic ‘Let’s All Chant’ sample and together proceeded to write a peak-time, tech house slammer around it. With relentless energy and lush vocal licks and that all-familiar 90’s sample, this one works a treat on the dancefloor.International House don Low Steppa is next for a special release with Malta’s finest, Jewel Kid. Their track ‘Big Busta’ oozes ATTITUDE! Slamming tech house drums, an insatiable groove and a tongue-in-cheek vocal that will raise many a smile on the dancefloor. Another certified club weapon for sure! CASSIMM kicks off the flipside on the vinyl with another peak-time club weapon as he returns with ‘Say Yeah’ alongside vocalist Mahalia Fontaine. The Italian born House music maestro is on fine form as always here, hot on the heels of his ‘Love Desire’ record that went stratospheric in late 2023 on Claptone’s ‘Golden Recordings’ label. With a big bassline and oodles of dance floor energy alongside Mahalia’s rasping, diva style vocal adding that classic house vibe to proceedings! Finally, we round things off with the once mysterious but now ‘unmasked’ house duo ‘Wh0’ with a rip-roaring club banger! Remixing for the likes of The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Calvin Harris and Meduza whilst collaborating with Armand van Helden, Nile Rodgers and David Guetta under his Jack Back alias.This track is a heads down, no-nonsense, tongue-in-cheek club weapon! Seriously powerful drums, aplayful acid line and a very cheeky vocal that will cause a stir on many a dance floor!

Countless radio plays on Radio 1 from Danny Howard,Sarah Storie, Pete TongOther notable radio plays – Kiss FM, Toolroom Radio,Sirius XM, Data Transmission Radio, Radio 1 DanceAnthems, Radio 1 Party Anthems, Rinse FM, SelectRadio, Tomorrowland Radio

With output on Ubiquity, Wonderwheel and Razor-N-Tape, London’s Tigerbalm has truly come into her own production voice recently, bringing forth a colorful vision of tropical influences filtered through modern club sounds. With the Profunda Alma EP, the Tiger focusses her attention on Brazil, coaxing out two gorgeous original songs that pay homage to the sizable impact the country has had on her musical sensibilities. Profunda Alma features the vocalist Joy Tyson (who appeared on Tigerbalm’s earlier Nina EP), and creates an atmosphere of deep emotional mystique through driving percussion, an insistent bassline and dramatic guitar stabs. Vem Ca goes for a more bouncey retro samba vibe and features the incredible vocals of Joao Selva, who delivers a hook that feels almost canonical, as if we’ve known it forever. Ever consistent French producer Yuksek takes Vem Ca straight to the club with his remix, and London upstarts Make-A-Dance deliver two trippy dancefloor takes on the title track to make this record a powerful 5-tracker!

The 1980s were an iconic era for electronic dance music, with each country delivering a wave of standout artists and producers whose names and music are now etched in music history. One of Germany’s notable figures in this scene was Mike Mareen, both a producer and performer, who also ran his own label, Night’n Day Records. Among the label’s successful releases was the now somewhat forgotten gem, Sammy Allen’s single “Slave To Love.”

Today, this record has become a sought-after item among collectors, leading to its reissue. The re-release not only brings back the original track but also includes a previously unreleased version from the original recording sessions, along with a special DJ Edit designed specifically for seamless mixing. This reissue is a must-have for both fans and DJs looking to revisit or rediscover a classic piece of German italo disco related music history.

As the tenth candle flickers atop the torta alla panna, Archeo Recordings play the Uno reverse card, breaking with tradition to give us a gift in celebration of its birthday: the first in a series of exquisite EPs on which the label's favourite contemporaries pay homage to past masters. Each re-polished gem is plucked either directly from the beatific back catalogue of the fine Florentine label or is at least Archeo-adjacent, perhaps a sign of future wonders to come. Like a musical version of Janus, who can be found at the heart of Bertoldo di Giovanni's frieze in the Medici villa, Archeo Recordings will continue to look forwards and backwards to provide sublime sounds for us all.
Pepe Maina officially joined the Archeo family in 2019 with the much-needed reissue of his 1979 masterpiece Scerizza (AR015), but his astounding music has been a constant companion to label head Manu for much longer. An inter-dimensional, multi-instrumental maverick, Maina weaves the frayed edges of prog rock, new age, organic jazz and global minimalism into a shimmering tapestry all of his own. The results are spread across fifty years and almost as many albums, largely self-released and always absolutely untarnished by commercial concerns.
Based in a small village in the hills of Brianza, just north of Milan, Maina translates the beauty of his surroundings into transformative tone poems, and the folkloric fusion of "The Infinite", originally released on his 2014 CD Tales From The Hill, is the perfect example of his practice. It opens with a recitation of Giacomo Leopardi's 1825s poem "L'Infinito" by famed Italian actor Vittorio Gassman. A leading figure in the romantic movement, Leopardi explores the idea of time and space within the natural world, and the peace that comes with an appreciation of the immensity of eternity. Manu, longtime digger and now a burgeoning producer, expands upon the original with tribal percussion, chirping electronics and a spheric bassline, folding Maina's elegant strings and gossamer pads into a new arrangement suited for a slow dance under the stars.
Unless you had a well-trained ear tuned to Italy's avant-jazz scene, chances are your first encounter with innovative flautist Roberto Aglieri came via the 2017 Archeo reissue of hisalmost untraceable LP Ragapadani (AR011). It's a true testament to Manu's digging credentials that he snatched this masterpiece out of the esoteric atmosphere and brought it attention it so richly deserved. A delicate union of digital synthesis and versatile flute - be it soft and silvery or
brilliant and clear - the 1987 album was a shapeshifting masterpiece, replaying scenes from Virgil, Verdi, Visconti and Pasolini with a neon glow. Quintessentially Italian, but uncanny and previously unimagined - Penthouse and Portico perhaps. Powered by a percolating prototechno sequence, cascading keys, hallucinogenic vocal snippets and a variety of tonal timbres from Roberto's reed, "Danza N. 1" long deserved the praise reserved for Jean-Luc Ponty's pinnacle, so many thanks to Manu for our collective introduction. The tall task of reinterpreting this particular paragon falls to Perugian polymath Daniele Tomassini AKA Feel Fly, whose peerless skills as both producer and musician have delighted DJs and dancers alike. Hot on the heels of his diverse and definitive remixes of Tony Esposito for AR027, Daniele delivers a radical rework of "Danza N. 1" perfect for both day rave sunshine and full moon party alike. Enhanced by snapping breaks and a rattling kick, the bassline gurgle emerges as a progressive powerhouse, laying the foundation for the trilling flute and circular keys to cast a psychedelic spell. As the slow-Goa revival picks up pace, this one is way ahead of the pack.
Archeo take us all the way back to the start of its story here - well almost. Though it bore the stamp AR001 (2015), this Radio Band reissue actually hit shelves months after Tony Esposito's "Je-Na' / Pagaia"; a false start perhaps but a true classic all the same. Radio Band were a group of DJs from Florence who all sailed the airways of Radio Fantasy in 1984 and whose one and only release was this super groovy slice of Italo-boogie. Following the example of Milanese DJs Band of Jocks but far surpassing their formulaic funk fizzle, Radio Band employed an intergalactic bassline, cosmic keys and that undeniably Italian style of rapping to deliver a sophisticated party-starter which even found its way to disco deity Ron Hardy. Back to the here and now, and if you've found yourself pumping an ecstatic fist to a supercharged Italian epic of late, chances are its from the mind of the mysterious Radiomarc. Operating on the ascendent Popcorn Groove imprint, this shadowy figure steers his country's lost classics into peaktime territories, finding a sweet spot between late Italo-disco, early Italo-house and contemporary cool. Pushing the tempo with a club-ready 4/4, setting the sequencer to stun and supplementing the original melodies with a series of synth riffs, the mystery producer send this one into orbit. Radio Band - Radio Rap - Radiomarc, the circle is complete.
Few have done more to develop cross-cultural musical exchange than Futuro Antico. A collaborative venture from musician, archeologist and ethnomusicologist Walter Maioli, keyboardist and tonal theoretician Riccardo Sinigaglia and multi-disciplinary artist and composer Gabin Dabiré, Futuro Antico formed in Milan in 1979, combining ancient international folkloric traditions with otherworldly electronics. The result is an arresting melange of Mediterranean, African and Asian instrumentation, mimicked by esoteric synth tones and hypnotic minimalism, which the group perfected on their acclaimed 1990 LP Dai Primitivi All'Elettronica. The meditative and transportive "Pan Tuning" belongs to their largely overlooked 2005 CD only release Intonazioni Archetipe, and has been amongst Manu's most loved tracks from the first moment he heard it. Who else is better placed to reshape this evocative opus into an immersive, transcendental dance floor journey than label favourites Mushrooms Project? The duo sows the original elements into a sprawling fifteen minute fusion of séance and science, at times propulsive with a ritualist rhythm of tuned percussion and crunching drum machine at others drifting off into ethereal ambience. Mushrooms Project continue to push the boundaries of the Afro-cosmic style, and this remix marks a new zenith.

Roberto Musci, born in Milan in 1956, studied guitar, music and electronic instruments. From 1974 to 1985 he traveled the world studying African, Indian, Arabic and Oriental music, recording ethnic music “in the field,” studying and collecting ethnic musical instruments from all over the world. His self-produced debut album, “The Loa of Music,” is a seminal work of staggering originality and extraordinary beauty in which field recordings, musique concrète, electronics, synthesis and instrumentation are interwoven, drawing on the countless musics from around the world that he has recorded. The subsequent “Water messages on desert sand,” composed with Giovanni Venosta, was nominated for a Grammy in the UK in 1987. In the 1980s and 1990s he broadcast ethnic and electronic-experimental music from Rai and Radio Popolare radio stations. He has also composed and played music for videos, commercials, dance, poetry, theater, composed soundtracks and accompanied silent films live. From 1980 to the present, he has played with many Italian and European musicians: Giovanni Venosta, Claudio Gabbiani, Walter Prati, Giorgio Magnanensi, Massimo Cavallaro, Massimo Mariani, Moni Ovadia, Roberto Zorzi, Chris Cutler, Jon Rose David Moss, Steve Piccolo, Elliott Sharp, Keith Tippett and the Third Ear Band.

The theme of travel, ethnicities and mysticism are a pivotal point in this new album of his as well, demonstrating once again how music needs absolutely no sharp lines of demarcation. The music is one.

It goes from the search for deep meanings in a time spent in a Hindu monastery (Ashram) listening to mantras and studying Buddhist philosophy (The Principle Of Things) to space explorations and human settlements on the Moon or Mars wondering how man will live and what he will bring to the new worlds imagining that Sufism, an Islamic mystical religion, will accompany him in the discovery of new worlds (Derviches On Mars). In Goodbye Monsters, harmony and peace are sought. Memories Of A Piano Player is a tribute to Keith Tippett, a great pianist (King Crimson , Centipede, Mujician) with whom he played in several concerts and with whom I spent evenings talking about music, food and Italian wine. Quantum State focuses on how quantum mechanics is creating a revolution in the way of thinking and dividing reality into infinite Parallel Worlds. Panthalassa is the vast ocean that surrounded Pangea and blends South American marimba music and traditional Chinese music. Burn The Shadows is a tribute to the fascinating Indonesian shadow theater, from the stories told and the atmosphere created during the long plays told in the sacred Indian texts of Ramayana or Mahabharata. Shadows are also more or less pleasant memories to which one is attached, and to burn them is still to move on with one's life.

Torajan Funeral Chant: The Toraja are a people living in Sulawesi (Indonesia) who have a special worship of the dead. Funerals are festivals that last several days, the corpses are protected by Tau-Tau (small dolls that watch over cemeteries), and over the years, they exhume the corpses of their relatives and keep them in their homes with them for a time to remember them.

The experimentation goes all the way to modern Artificial Intelligence that 'interrogated' to create something new by inserting conflicting inputs joins them together but nonsensically creating interesting insights; hence A.I. In Confusion. Pangea, named after the continent that contained all the land that emerged between 540 and 200 million years ago, in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods, imagined as inhabited by man without divisions created by borders, wars, religions or ethnic groups, is also a tribute to Steve Reich, one of the fathers and a great musician of minimal music. Prophecies, a reading of sacred texts and religious songs from evangelical sects in the United States filtered into granular synthesis with percussion music from South India, closes.

Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new 7inch single release, filled with 2 beautiful tracks previously compiled on the famous and now almost sold-out, AOR Global Sounds series.

First comes “What Its Meant to Me” by Jonathon Hansen. Self-produced and self-released in 1978 by Jonathon, this is another perfect recipe of AOR soulful style. Jonathon Hansen told us a bit about its story: “’What Its' Meant To Me’ was a song I wrote about the breakup of a band. As with a lot of my songs, I always write them to be about more than one thing. Primarily relationships. The song was recorded in Costa Mesa, CA at Sunwood Sound Studios. It was recorded with fellow bandmates and other musician friends.”

Another top track from the series comes next, with “It’s Always Something With You” by Jeff Silna. Originally only released on a promotional radio compilation, it was reissued by Favorite Recordings in 2017 on the 3rd edition of the AOR Global Sounds series and is still now in high demand. Here again Jeff Silna reminds: “This track was recorded at TK Studios, credited with the inception of disco music and pumping out what were considered the first Disco hits. TK created what’s known as the Miami sound. I was fortunate to work with some amazing musicians like guitarist Sheldon Stauber and players from the U of M Jazz Band, which was tops in the country at the time. My influences were funk and soul bands like Earth Wind & Fire and Average White Band.”

Support from: Dave Lee ZR, Birdee, Mousse T, Da Lukas, Dr Packer, John Morales, Terry Farley, Horse Meat Disco, Basement Jaxx, Oliver Dollar, Yuksek, Bill Brewster, Bibi Seck, Chloe Callait, Glenn Underground, Nick The Record, Mark Brickman, Jimpster, Damian Lazarus, NTS Radio, BBC Radio 1, Joey Chicago & many more..

Full steam ahead! Put on your dancing shoes and jump aboard The Disco Express as the much loved London label unveils its hugely anticipated Best of 2024 compilation.

Pressed on special edition purple neon vinyl, this electrifying compilation showcases the wider breadth of the label's sound. Best of 2024 ventures into a multitude of styles: Soul, Disco, Italo and House, all made with cutting-edge production.

A brilliant fusion of established and emerging artists, the compilation boasts a stacked line up of talent; celebrating the vibrant spirit of The Disco Express whilst perfectly infusing modern twists, optimised for contemporary dance floors.

This is original house & disco for 21st century dance floors and this train ain't slowing down anytime soon...

Fan Club Orchestra (FCO) has its roots in collaborative performances and recordings that began taking place in the late nineties in Brussels. These continued into the second decade of the new millennium around Belgium and neighbouring countries. At a time when large contemporary arts spaces were less professionalised, less obedient to
funding and attendance numbers, and Still tuned to their founding DIY impulses, FCO were able to nurture their nebulous cast of players with their unconventional ensemble of instruments to their own ends. The apparent informality of their performances, mixed with the sheer spectacle of their unfolding, transplanted the experimentalism of New York's downtown scene of the 1960s into the cracked consumer electronics period of new media art at the turn of the century. A newly regrouped FCO now present their album 'VL_Stay' on 12th Isle. This literation of FCO sees Baudoux joined by Ann Appermans on guitar and bass, and Zéphyr Zijlstra on trumpet. Appermans is an original FCO member as well as a frequent collaborator with Baudoux. Zijlstra is a jazz student at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels. Recorded in just two weeks, the trio invoke the pedigree with which FCO first toyed, while sketching a continuity with new references.

Damian Lazarus returns to Crosstown Rebels with new single ‘Sunrise Generation’, featuring Fink. Including a remix from Norwegian talent and up-and-coming Crosstown family member Meera, the single marks Lazarus’ first material on his iconic label in over a year.

Visionary DJ/producer and Crosstown Rebels founder, Damian Lazarus, makes his long-awaited return to the label with his new single ‘Sunrise Generation’, featuring the voice of acclaimed and celebrated singer-songwriter Fink. Set for release on 8th November 2024, the highly anticipated production marks Damian’s first material on Crosstown since his collaboration ‘Revolution’ with Dennis Cruz in October 2023, his Grammy-nominated single ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ with Diplo & Jungle, and his first solo release since his ‘Beijing Spring’ project on sub-label Secret Teachings in April 2022.

An emotive, captivating and uplifting track, ‘Sunrise Generation’ is not just a return to form but a heartfelt homage that celebrates the magical moment and euphoric energy of sunrise.

The release also features a return for Norway’s Meera, an exciting artist whose recent outing on Crosstown Rebels with her ‘Stikk’ EP made notable waves, building on her debut on sister label Rebellion last year in style. Her remix brings fresh energy, layering deep textures and rhythms over Fink’s haunting and heavily processed vocals to create a stirring counterpart to the original.
A sonic celebration of unity and renewal, ‘Sunrise Generation’ once again affirms Lazarus’ status as a true leader within the electronic scene. The single follows a series of high-profile remixes, including reinterpretations of tracks from Josh Wink, Jamie Jones, Bedouin, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED), and Made By Pete, along with his acclaimed collaboration ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ with Diplo and Jungle. As always, Lazarus’ ability to craft atmospheric, emotion-driven soundscapes shines through here as he continues to innovate and inspire with another cherished anthem crafted for special dancefloor moments.

Theme Ltd presents two new releases from resident artist GAIKA
, also featuring THE NARRATOR and Liu. The two tracks circle between various influences and bear a bright flash of versatility from the artist and his collaborators. ‘Racing Gloves’ is underscored by THE NARRATOR’s melodious, delicately discordant passages. It’s then supplemented by GAIKA’s visceral, close-to-home rap style and calculated production. This textural balance, the two voices in tandem, makes for a perfect synchronicity. Not sure which voice to listen to? Pick up the gloves and go for a drive.

’S Composites’ featuring Liu, guides the listener between the gentle throes of multilingualism. It’s a unique mix of ethereal melodies supported by a classic RnB beat, enriched by a soft, swelling droning that seems to mimic breathing. As the track inflates and deflates, we’re carried by Liu’s honeyed vocals to her countdown, and the track’s final minute-long ‘breath’.

Spanish duo Los Suruba have done it all over the last 25 years, captivating dancers with their blend of House, Minimal, Electro, psychedelic, and deep vibes.

They have established their own network of record labels, with almost 250 releases, Nazca being the latest addition. They’ve also released music on labels like Crosstown Rebels, Diynamic, and Get Physical and have been remixed by international artists such as Solomun, Adriatique, Clarian, and Okain. They describe their music as "Memories of the Future," the motto of their brand Nazca.

As DJs, they’ve performed at the world’s best clubs and festivals, bringing their unique sound across the globe, holding residencies from Ibiza to London, and creating countless underground hits.

They are in top form once again with this latest journeying EP, where Los Suruba and their label Nazca return to vinyl releases, featuring two new remixers for this vinyl edition of the ‘+33 EP’.

Innovative opener 'Dial Banger' is a wonky house sound with wet claps and a gurgling bassline that gets ever more wild. It's a playful cut that teases and pleases in equal measure as the low-slung grooves, string stabs, and unhinged leads keep dancers locked.

'Elegancia La de Francia' is a more experimental house affair with eerie synth leads and freaky filtered vocals, making a dark and menacing atmosphere.
Warm melodies infuse the track with soul and make it perfect for the late-night hours.

First remixer Cristina Lazic launched her own label La Zic, earlier this year. It's a platform that looks to uplift and mentor exceptional female talents next to the Italian's own blend of minimal, deep and tech house sounds. Her fantastic take on 'Elegancia la de Francia' is stylish and stripped back with supple minimal drums and the muted synth sounds bubbling away over punchy kicks.

Romanian artist BRYZ has a refined minimal sound that has established him in the European scene over the last decade. He deals in intricate melodies, pulsating rhythms, and atmospheric textures on labels like Storytellers and Esente Records.

His version of 'Elegancia la de Francia' is silky and deft, with sustained pads locking you into a trance while gurgling bass and trippy melodic motifs add great detail to the rolling minimal house grooves.

Building up a head of steam, Ace Vision returns on the heels of his Raising Awareness EP.

For Shaped Mind, the Italian artist is exploring new musical avenues. While his musical essence, glow and style remain, a darker dancefloor palette is employed on the release. Polyrhythmic patterns race in the sample strewn “Second Phase”, rumbling waves and warehouse echoes tempered by swirling stabs. A bouncy liquid groove ushers in “Nu să Chan”, rasping beats shrouded in smoky bass while bars bend around an assortment of textures and tones. “Katana Cut (Trance Mix)” conjures up images of dancing bodies waiting for the dawn. Melodies circle percussive layers, meandering undercurrents of acid bubbling beneath shimmering synthlines. The finale comes with “Mixage Électronique.” Steady kicks and crisp cymbals give way to juddering chords, clean keys and snare rolls countering to a close.

Robert Rental is back on the mighty Dark Entries as the cult label reissues his Mental Detentions album as an expanded double pack. Rental is a Scottish pioneer of DIY electronic music who played a key role in shaping the UK's countercultural sound alongside collaborators like Thomas Leer and Daniel Miller. Though he released little solo music, his 1979 cassette Mental Detentions was a standout of the era that featured raw demos made with budget equipment like a Roland drum machine and Stylophone keyboard. Tracks like 'Stuck' offer a distorted take on the classic motorik sound, while 'Vox' delivers an 18-minute ambient journey in which it is easy to get lost. Rental's work captures the spirit of experimentation and innovation in the face of limited resources.

We are very happy to present our first vinyl release named The Sinergy between light and darkness.

We believe that when 2 forces as powerful as light and darkness merge, they create an omnipotent unit, giving birth to amazing creations, works of art like this release.

For this release, 4 tracks have been carefully selected that create a balance and synergy between light and darkness.



On side A we have Alquimic, curator of this project, with his track Reloaded, and Artesano Titer, a great Uruguayan artist who made us vibrate in the first edition of Cosmic Dance with his live set around the mountains of the Sacred Valley, and where he played for the first time this gem called Shake it.

Vibrant synthetic sequences, enveloping rhythms and bass lines and cozy melodies are manifested on this side.



On the other hand, on the B side we have Samuel Jabba, a great Colombian artist with countless incredible releases and a unique style with his track Schizoid, and Nicolás Longo, a great emerging Uruguayan artist who we had the pleasure of meeting and experiencing his music in the city of Cusco, with his track Secuencias en Capital.

On this side, dark and enveloping melodies, retro-futuristic atmospheres, vibrant rhythms and a lot of mystery are evident.

Over 1.5m albums sold in the UK and 3 consecutive no 1 albums for Noel Gallagher’s High
Flying Birds – plus a record breaking 10 consecutive chart-topping studio albums in the UK
for Noel.
- Debut eponymous album released 17th Oct 2011, debuted at no 1 with 122.5k sales and
achieved double Platinum status less than 6 months post release
- International Magic DVD release of the 02 Arena gig Feb 2012 certified Gold on shipment
-2011-2012 live schedule saw NG HFB visit 32 countries across 6 continents, playing 150
shows over a 15 month period. 406k headline tickets and 1.2m festival tickets sold
- Chasing Yesterday, released 2nd March 2015, no 1 album on release with 89.1k sales and
certified Platinum
- 2015-2016 18 month world tour covering 122 shows in 28 countries. Almost 400k headline
tickets and 1.25m festival tickets
- Who Built The Moon?’ released on 24th Nov 2017 - no 1 with 77,853 sales (almost 35k sales
ahead of no 2), Silver album after only 4 days and certified Gold 2 weeks post release
- Tour covering 59 shows in 17 countries with 245k headline tickets and 550k festival tickets
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds released a series of 3 multi-genre EP’s over the course
of 2019 and 2020
- 2019 saw a host of headline festival dates covering 150k tickets sold across the summer
plus tours of the USA and Australia with Smashing Pumpkins and U2 respectively

First Word Records is very proud to bring you the 10th anniversary edition of Tall Black Guy's debut LP '8 Miles to Moenart'!

It includes two brand new jazz interpretations ('From Home To Work, And Back' and 'Running The Motor'), recorded with a live band, as well as a new intro cut ('Black Detroit'), and an alternative mix of the single 'Mon Amie De'troit', previously only available on 7" vinyl.

The original vinyl LP release was a one-time limited edition pressing; this being the first time this project has been available on wax since then, and also includes entirely new artwork and photography.

From humble origins in Detroit, raised on a healthy diet of Motown, jazz and hip hop, Terrel Wallace (aka Tall Black Guy) has become a standard bearer for the hip hop beats scene. Through a steady stream of soulful productions filled with incredibly clever sample flips and deft production chops, he has won fans across the world, including Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Don Letts, Lefto, Tom Ravenscroft, Lord Finesse, Huey Morgan, Anthony Valadez and countless others, along with sessions for Boiler Room and more.

'8 Miles To Moenart' literally brought Tall Black Guy full circle, and proceeds to do so once again. Detroit was where he started making music, and it's to his hometown he took inspiration for this debut album. Taking in low-slung hip hop, downtempo house and jazz-tinged street soul, it's a record of rare focus. It encapsulated the musical heritage of Detroit, through the looking glass of Tall Black Guy's own signature sound.

Follow up releases included his sophomore First Word album 'Let's Take A Trip' (which also featured the likes of Masego, Daniel Crawford, Miles Bonny and Moonchild), and records on Ubiquity, Bastard Jazz and Street Corner Music, to name a few, along with a steady slew of limited self-released edits amd productions, most recently with his #7DayVaults series.

He's worked with a number of formidable artists worldwide, including recent extensive work with Zo! (Little Brother), Ozay Moore, Deborah Bond and Dee Jackson (80's Babies), as well as collaborations with 14KT and First Word label-mate Allysha Joy, to name just a few. He is also an integral player for DJ Jazzy Jeff's infamous PLAYlist Retreat sessions, along with more First Word family, Kaidi Tatham and Eric Lau, as well as artists like James Poyser, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Questlove, and he was a core contributor to First Word's 'Nothing Leaves The House' series, along with Eric, Mr Thing and kidkanevil.

Tall Black Guy has firmly established himself to be one of the most influential producers working today.

Terrel says "I made the bulk of this album back in Detroit around 2012/2013, before I relocated to the UK. I've been back living and working in the States for a while now, and it's great to look back on this project. But while it's nice to reminisce, it's important to look forwards, so I wanted to include something new here to represent my progression as an artist, so there's some new versions included, that I created with the help of some jazz musician friends of mine."

'8 Miles to Moenart' (10th Anniversary Edition) will be released on digital & vinyl on October 18th 2024.



c 03: Funeral Biz / Welcome to Detroit (Interlude) feat. Malice & Mario Sweet

e 05: Mon Amie De`troit (7" Version) feat. Ozay Moore

Hardcover Book which includes a 208-page book documenting Louisville's rich Black Gospel music legacy and access to a comprehensive digital archive.

In the mid-20th century, Louisville gospel music was occasionally recorded when members of the local gospel community pressed 45rpm records and LPs, and released them through grassroots record labels such as Sensational Sounds, Grace, Blessed, and D.J.S. Over the years, a substantial body of work was produced in our city, but those recordings are in danger of being lost forever.

The Louisville Story Program has been working with dozens of people in the local gospel music community to locate, digitize, and preserve hundreds of these recordings and to develop a book that documents and honors the legacies of the people and communities that produced them.

For decades, the passion, hard work, and support of countless people across dozens of Black church communities in Louisville have nurtured and sustained a rich gospel music ecosystem. This music has served as a central part of people's religious practice and as an expression of Black pride, joy, affirmation, love, dignity, determination, and hope. This legacy continues to this day.

With support from The Owsley Brown II Family Foundation and Owsley Brown III Philanthropic Foundation, LSP has partnered with members of the gospel community and a local advisory group of local gospel historians and luminaries:

To locate, clean, and digitize gospel records of local artists released by small local labels
To accompany the local Black gospel music community in developing a 4 CD box set that includes a 200+ page hardcover book with first-person documentation of their rich history
To create an accompanying double LP featuring 26 of those songs
To create and maintain a public-facing digital archive of 1,000 songs and 1,000 photographs
To celebrate the final release with a large concert at the Brown Theatre (September 28, 2024)

Two iconic 80s Disco/Boogie anthems of the era are set for a re-release on 12-inch vinyl via RCA, with a fresh mix from Brooklyn-based producer, Mike Maurro.

Keni Burke - Risin' to the Top (A Mike Maurro Mix)

'’Risin’ to the Top’, originally released in 1982 on Burke’s third solo album, ‘Changes’, has become Burke’s most successful hit as a solo artist since departing from his former band, Five Stairsteppers. Countless producers have utilised the song as a choice sample for their own tracks with artists such as Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Madlib and more.

Maurro’s mix works the stems and gives the record some fresh guitar licks alongside new percussive elements, whilst maintaining a heavy lean into the sensual, laid-back swing of the original.'

Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King - I'm In Love (A Mike Maurro Mix)

'The flip side sees the release of Evelyn 'Champagne' King’s hit single ‘I’m In Love’, originally released in 1981 and taken from King’s fourth studio album of the same name. A feel-good, sing-a-long anthem, once again given a fresh feel thanks to Maurro’s new take on the record.

Both tracks serve as trump cards to whip up any dancefloor at the right time'

Occasionally an album comes along that seems to capture the mood of the time. "The K&D Sessions" was one. In the late 1990s no afterparty, smoking session or languid Sunday afternoon was complete without Kruder & Dorfmeister blasting from the Bang & Olufsen. Now approaching it"s 25th anniversary the lore around this iconic release, steeped in a silvery cloud of smoke, retains a star quality which only shines brighter as time hurtles on. With the original having sold well over a million copies by this point in time, it"s hard to imagine a mix or remix compilation being able to inform a movement like "The K&D Sessions" has. To celebrate this monumental milestone, we"ve created a limited boxset in 6LP and 3CD of "The K&D Sessions", mastered and cut by LA luminary Bernie Grundman for a luxurious listening experience, with newly designed inner sleeves using unseen photos from the original photo shoot. Inserted in the box is a forty-page booklet containing multitudes more never before seen photos from the same shoot and notes which recount humorous tales surrounding the duo and the people who spent time with them in this epoch. Included on the 6th LP is their legendary 11 minute shimmering remix of Madonna"s "Nothing Really Matters". The 6th LP also contains Peter Kruder"s Powercut Mix of Roni Size"s "Heroes" and K&D"s remix of U.F.O, "L.O.V.E.". In addition there are two cerebral alternate remixes of Lewis Taylor, one being completely dubbed and the other the using the vocal line for this beautiful gem, "Lucky" and a special remix of "Speechless" by Count Basic. These have been staples in K&D"s sets and now take their rightful place collected in the canon of "The Sessions".

Emerging producer Très Mortimer dishes out eight huge heaters on the highly-anticipated ‘M1 City’ release, a dedication to the mighty Korg M1, coming to Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85 on 25th October.

Kicking off ‘M1 City’ is the simplistic, but refined and booth-rattling ‘Work That Body’. A crisp M1 stab is the main character in this, amplified by thunderous and high energy drums.

Then there’s ‘Secrets’, a house jam inspired by the likes of MK that utilises TR-909 drums, a subtle rolling bassline, intimately whispered and soulfully sung vocal shots, and, of course, classic Korg M1 synth stabs. Together with dramatic contemporary builds, a highly danceable house smasher is formed.

‘No More’ is pure gasoline for the dancefloor. Très pairs another barrage of clean M1 stabs with a rousing vocal sample that leads into, with the help of a rolling snare, another highly effective house drop. Following the extremely saucy ‘Big Daddy’ skit, we’re dropped straight into ‘One Of Those Nights’, a show-stopping track complete with cutting, sharp stabs, a bulging bassy synth and a West Coast-esque synth sound.

‘Bitch I’m From Chicago’ feat. Gleebz is, as the title suggests, a dedication to the city where house music found its name. Batting off all the poser cities like LA and Miami in the sassy lyrics, it embodies the spirit of Chicago with hefty kick drums and weighty chord stabs.

At the tail end of the release, ‘Let Me Go’ and ‘Love’ (featuring vocalist 7000 (7K)), bring things to a rousing emotive close. Both tracks see Très put clean vocals over piano riffs, giving off differing moods – the former is euphoric, the latter melancholic. Synths bubble beneath, and each track funnels their own respective house grooves, resulting in two tracks fit for both the dancefloor and headphones.

Très Mortiner explains: “The M1 sound is classic. It automatically transports you back to those timeless house songs that never get old. For me, house music is all about connection. People experiencing a little moment of euphoria together when they hear a riff that they all know on the dance floor. That’s what it’s all about. With this project I wanted to tap into that 90s rave sound and spirit. I wanted it to sound like the OG Chicago rave scene.”

“M1 City is my first project to be released on vinyl. I think vinyl is very much alive. It’s essentially for music connoisseurs now. I don’t expect people to have a vinyl collection when all music is always available to everyone on their phones. Nevertheless, I love the idea of some random DJ finding this record in a shop in 10 years. Who knows what I’ll be producing then?”

Très Mortimer is a key figure in Chicago's house scene, steadily building a strong following with his no-nonsense, dancefloor-driven sound. Drawing inspiration from his Polish roots, Trés has signed with major labels like Mad Decent, Insomniac’s IN/Rotation, and Ministry of Sound, while also launching his own imprint, Optics Records. He made his mark with a clever rework of Zombies' 1968 hit ‘Time Of The Season’ (1M+ streams). Standout releases include his downtempo collaboration with plumpy, "BAMBU," and his latest single, "At Night I Think Of You," which was recently given a remix makeover by Seth Troxler and Nick Morgan.

Slacker 85, launched in 2023, is the record label behind ‘M1 City’. Founded by Seth Troxler, it aims to give a platform to "oddball, esoteric and diverse sounds," positioning itself as a counter to the polished, refined dance artists dominating the scene. Troxler, upon the label’s launch, declared that he wanted to create something for "the anti-hero, the kids who could have done it but didn’t care to try”—essentially, "the slacker." So far, it’s delivered a range of releases from artists like Jackmaster, Danny Daze, Dan McKie, and Andre Salmon, offering tracks rooted in house music's past but evolving within its present boundaries.

‘M1 City’, this ode to a piece of gear that consistently finds itself at the heart of house music history, highlights Très Mortimer’s respect for and knowledge of the scene and its key gear. Trè combines this admiration and inspiration of house music’s greats with a modern sensibility, resulting in eight tracks worthy of today’s dancefloors and today’s ravers.

A sonic portal to a parallel universe where neon-soaked dreamscapes transform the stark realities of a post-pandemic world. Music for a forgotten future, where echoes of the 80s cast long, enigmatic shadows through a rich tapestry of emotion that charts a journey from isolation and fear towards healing and hope. This is the journey of Season One and Season Two, the debut companion albums for the solo project of Italian composer Battaglia, both out this fall on Four Flies Records.

In 2020, as the world retreated onto itself due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Battaglia entered the recording studio. Driven by a desire for experimentation, she decided to focus on the classic synths that have made history to create a sonic and emotional alchemy that reimagines the 80s to resonate with our current experiences and sensibilities.

Drawing inspiration from the cinematic magic of iconic early-80s films, and especially the haunting soundtracks of Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter, she crafted a soundscape that goes beyond nostalgia to capture the spirit of a generation navigating uncertain times.

Season One and Season Two explore the complexities of a world grappling with lethal pandemics, climate catastrophes, and nuclear disasters through themes such as longing, fear, and hope, set against a scenario that blends elements of dystopian and post-apocalyptic science fiction and, at times, horror.

Season One delves deeper into the darker aspects of this new reality, evoking a sense of unease and uncertainty, occasionally interspersed with soothing flashes of light. In Season Two, while darkness still lingers, the sonic landscape is infused with a sense of optimism and determination, offering glimpses of a possible salvation.

With Battaglia's signature blend of dark wave, synth-pop, suspenseful electronica, and cinematic vibes, Season One and Season Two create a sonic world that is at once hauntingly familiar and utterly captivating -- the perfect soundtrack, one is tempted to say, for the countless sci-fi/horror-fantasy series that have been flooding streaming platforms in the last decade.

The covers of both albums were designed by Eric Adrian Lee, who conceived them as two sides of the same image, two versions of a world in crisis but whose ruins contain the potential for rebirth.

Battaglia's Season One and Season Two will be available on black vinyl LP starting from October 25th. Digital versions of both albums will also be released on the same date, featuring five bonus tracks (two on Season One and three on Season Two).

A sonic portal to a parallel universe where neon-soaked dreamscapes transform the stark realities of a post-pandemic world. Music for a forgotten future, where echoes of the 80s cast long, enigmatic shadows through a rich tapestry of emotion that charts a journey from isolation and fear towards healing and hope. This is the journey of Season One and Season Two, the debut companion albums for the solo project of Italian composer Battaglia, both out this fall on Four Flies Records.

In 2020, as the world retreated onto itself due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Battaglia entered the recording studio. Driven by a desire for experimentation, she decided to focus on the classic synths that have made history to create a sonic and emotional alchemy that reimagines the 80s to resonate with our current experiences and sensibilities.

Drawing inspiration from the cinematic magic of iconic early-80s films, and especially the haunting soundtracks of Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter, she crafted a soundscape that goes beyond nostalgia to capture the spirit of a generation navigating uncertain times.

Season One and Season Two explore the complexities of a world grappling with lethal pandemics, climate catastrophes, and nuclear disasters through themes such as longing, fear, and hope, set against a scenario that blends elements of dystopian and post-apocalyptic science fiction and, at times, horror.

Season One delves deeper into the darker aspects of this new reality, evoking a sense of unease and uncertainty, occasionally interspersed with soothing flashes of light. In Season Two, while darkness still lingers, the sonic landscape is infused with a sense of optimism and determination, offering glimpses of a possible salvation.

With Battaglia's signature blend of dark wave, synth-pop, suspenseful electronica, and cinematic vibes, Season One and Season Two create a sonic world that is at once hauntingly familiar and utterly captivating -- the perfect soundtrack, one is tempted to say, for the countless sci-fi/horror-fantasy series that have been flooding streaming platforms in the last decade.

The covers of both albums were designed by Eric Adrian Lee, who conceived them as two sides of the same image, two versions of a world in crisis but whose ruins contain the potential for rebirth.

Battaglia's Season One and Season Two will be available on black vinyl LP starting from October 25th. Digital versions of both albums will also be released on the same date, featuring five bonus tracks (two on Season One and three on Season Two).

‘Ayo Ke Disco’ (meaning ‘Let’s go to the disco’ in Malay
and Indonesian) celebrates the musical identities
emerging from the newly independent countries in
South-East Asia during the 1970s and 80s.
Soundway general manager Alice Whittington, aka
Norsicaa (DJ), selects 10 deep cuts from local labels,
officially reissued on vinyl for the first time – forming a
snapshot of the vibrant discotheques and live scenes
across Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong
Kong and the Philippines.

The artists featured here were known for exploring
traditional sounds alongside funk, disco, city-pop and
even political psych-rock, genres that were indicative
of the exciting but often turbulent period. But despite
the post-war backdrop of instability there came
unprecedented levels of economic prosperity. With a
hopeful buzz filling the air, the music scene was helping
lead the way in reshaping the new identities of the
region.
OVERVIEW:
FOR FANS OF:
Sound of Siam compilations, Priscilla Chan, Lovin’ Mighty
Fire compilation, Tanamur City compilation

The first in a new compilation series, "How We Walk on the Moon," was selected and supervised by the project "VINYL GOES AROUND," which operates under the concept of "redefining record culture" in the era of subscription services.

The album is themed on "quiet nights." It is not too close to healing/easy listening, but has a beautiful tension and a pure, mellow mood, and the fantastic soundscape that makes you want to listen to it under the moonlight blends into the environment.

The selection of beautiful pieces is a woven ensemble of various genres, including not only ambient and jazz, but also soul, library, and alternative, and will serve as an introduction to the pop side of ambient music, which many people find intimidating. It is a must-listen for all music fans.

In addition, the LP comes with a completely new type of obi called "ORIGAMI" supervised by "VINYL GOES AROUND". It is a special design that further deepens the worldview of the album.

The tracks included are "Harmonica and...", a 7-inch only track by Sven Wonder, an up-and-coming artist who was nominated for the Jazz category of the 2024 Swedish Grammy Awards; "Clouds" by Gigi Masin, which has been cited by Namedaruma, Nujabes, and Bjork; and "Morning Sunrise", a popular song by Weldon Irvin that has been sampled in countless songs since the 2000s. The lineup is set apart from conventional healing/ambient compilations, and will be useful for DJs as well.

This is a record that will make spending an evening with you feel incredibly luxurious, as if your mind is being freed to go on a free-spirited journey.

*****

It is an honor to be included in this compilation alongside so many other talented artists who have been an important part of my musical journey and hold a special place in my heart. - SVEN WUNDER

Bringing stark dread bass vibes like no one before or since, Mars89 makes a welcome return to Sneaker Social Club with another four-track script flipper.

Since he first surged onto the radar with some incisive moves on Bokeh Versions back in 2017, Masayoshi Anotani has deployed a raw, non-conformist kind of bass music that's minimal in spirit but packing incredible weight where it counts. It draws parallels with weightless grime, but swap the woozy square wave synths out for fierce industrial textures and dystopian bleeps, and maybe you're halfway there.

Following on from 2022's Night Call and a collab LP with Seekersinternational on his own Nocturnal Technology, Mars89 is back with an EP which takes on new sonic dimensions without losing the persistent moodiness that makes his shadowy sonics so compelling.

'No Control' feels the most in line with the earlier Mars89 work, creating a back and forth between an upfront grime-y synth lick and blown out bass notes. The space around the notes is as vital as everything being played, creating a tension that doesn't let up no matter how much the brittle percussion rattles.

'Sonar Breaks' feels distinct as it drags a sticky drum loop through the dirt until it comes out positively caked. That leaves plenty of room for the bleeps up top to cut through the mix with devastating clarity, and Mars89 needs nothing else to make a taut piece of soundsystem Semtex.

'Hydra' continues to draw influence from jungle while taking a sideways approach to breakbeat edits, finding a curious groove in angular drum science before a stark arpeggio locks the track down. It's another hint at the different tools being reached for on this EP, brought into the Mars89 methodology and bent to his particular will.

'Still Dreaming' closes the EP out with an evocative sample from a sci-fi blockbuster and a spiralling sound bed of synth lines and break shards. While the track lands softer than its predecessors, the dense mix whips up a claustrophobic allure comfortably aligned with the overall intensity of the record — an intensity which is wholly unique to Mars89 and his maverick manoeuvres in the field of contemporary bass music.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of George Michael's iconic hit 'Careless Whisper,' it is now releases as a single once again. The record features a previously unreleased live recording from his memorable Madison Square Garden concert on July 23, 2008. This performance marked his reunion with the New York audience after a 17-year hiatus, part of his monumental 25Live tour that captivated over 1.3 million fans worldwide. This special edition also includes newly mastered versions of the original single, extended mix and an instrumental. Written by George Michael and Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley, it topped charts in 25 countries in 1984. It is certified 7x Platinum in the US and has sold over 1.5 million copies in the UK, with Platinum and Diamond certifications in 20 other countries. This timeless classic, written when Michael was just 17, continues to be celebrated for its masterful songwriting and enduring legacy.

Rag’n’Bone Man is ready to accept joy into his life. Born Rory Charles Graham, the Sussex-born singer known for his gravelly blues vocals, took the world by storm with his debut album ‘Human’ in 2016. Now multi award-winning, the British vocalist is embracing newfound balance, returning to his creative foundations while building anew.

It’s the most vital chapter to date in one of British music’s defining stories. A truth-telling voice that has framed an era, Rag’n’Bone Man’s success speaks for itself: his debut album ‘Human’ went platinum four times over in the UK and multi-platinum in a further twenty-seven countries - becoming the fastest selling male debut album that decade. While his latest release ‘Life By Misadventure’ debuted at #1 and spent seven weeks in the Top 10, making it the fastest-selling album by a solo artist in 2021. With over nine-billion worldwide streams (and counting) over his entire catalogue, Rag’n’Bone Man is a voice that can be heard across the globe. Now he’s ready to eclipse this: assured, and built with love, his uplifting new album “What Do You Believe In?” finds the multi award-winning British artist (with three BRITs, two MTV Europe awards, and an Ivor Novello to his name) facing the future with passionate excitement.

‘What Do You Believe In?’ is anchored in the blossoming of confidence and the enduring support network he finds in family life. It’s taken time, but Rag’n’Bone Man is in a secure, loving place - and he wants to share that feeling. The period surrounding second album, 2021’s ‘Life By Misadventure’, was marked by self-doubt, with troubles weighing down on the singer’s shoulders – but then things changed - As a result, new album ‘What Do You Believe In?’ has a bold, yet radiant touch.

With the pairing of the poignant and ubiquitous themes and the sonic brightness of both 00s hip-hop and the youthful memories they prompt, the release of the albums title track ‘What Do You Believe In?’ sets the tone for the for the thrilling musical journey Rag’s is preparing to take fans on.

The Blessed Madonna began with three magic words, scrawled in shoe polish on a broken - down box and hung on the wall at a small sweaty party: We Still Believe. “I think you have to give up completely to really understand what hope is. It was like 2011? I had spectacularly, monumentally failed. I left the label. I wasn’t DJing. I wasn’t putting out records. I was divorced and living on my Dad’s couch so naturally my friends and I decided to throw an illegal rave. We didn’t have any decorations, so I took a box and wrote, ‘We Still Believe’ on it. I needed to believe that something better was possible and that’s how it all started.” After years of $50 gigs, strung together by gas money and surfed couches, The Blessed Madonna cemented her reputation as a sublime technician behind the decks with a legacy of fluent and dynamic sets, spanning from disco to techno to house and back. One room sweatboxes, circus tents, theatres, massive festival stages and entire city blocks have all served as the canvas for her shows. After a jam packed 2023, from Glastonbury to Sonar to Boiler Room Bali, The Blessed Madonna has been filling the dance floor everywhere she goes and is now releasing her debut album.

This October Jamiroquai celebrates the 30th anniversary of ‘The Return Of The Space Cowboy’. Their second album, it will be reissued as a double-LP set on 140g “moon grey” vinyl and includes Michael Gray’s Good Vibe Zone edit of ‘Space Cowboy’ - which has never been released on a physical product. The packaging has also been re-designed for this anniversary release including foil enhancement of the original cover design.

‘The Return Of The Space Cowboy’ is the follow up album to the band’s huge 1993 debut, ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’. Selling over 3 million copies globally, ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’ put the band on the map with their distinctive sound standing them apart from other popular acts of the time.

‘The Return Of The Space Cowboy’ was released just one year later and was met with great critical and public acclaim. Certified Platinum in the UK, Japan and France, it achieved chart success in multiple countries and spawned the single ‘Space Cowboy’ which remains one of their biggest tracks to date. Critically the album was lauded with Rolling Stone saying "Jamiroquai parlay jazzy soul pop so tight it crackles… Nowadays, when most funk comes out of cans, Jamiroquai's live spark glows", The Guardian said “... this second album sounds like vintage Stevie Wonder and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, but Kay's vocals are as snappy and engaging as his extrovert persona" and Q magazine said it “combines intricate arrangements with several long, free-form workouts crammed with virtuoso performances".

For many, this album is defined by some of the most complex songwriting the band have ever produced and Jay Kay called it “one of our most creative and accomplished albums”. The process of making the album came with many challenges. Having to recruit a new drummer (after Nick Van Gelder failed to return from holiday), the band were met with second-album syndrome with Kay proclaiming since that lyrics weren’t coming "... because suddenly I wasn't homeless, I had everything I needed. So I found myself creating problems to write about." The songwriting process was complex for the band as Jay Kay was often dissatisfied with the results, leading songs to be scrapped or rewritten, but half-way through recording Kay wrote ‘Space Cowboy’, a song which reflects darker times during the recording session, and it became the catalyst of creative inspiration helping them finish the record. On this 30th anniversary edition of the album Space Cowboy gets a modern dance makeover courtesy of DJ Michael Gray, shedding new light on the track and emphasising it’s already infectious groove.

The album built on the success of ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’ and Jamiroquai have become one of the UK’s most pioneering and ground breaking bands of the past 30 years. Pushing boundaries and bringing jazz and funk to a mainstream audience, their sound is not only unique, but immediately recognisable.

MLiR is one of those rare creative partnerships where personalities and talents perfectly match, an exquisite balance of similarity and polarity leading to ingenuity. In the case of MLiR, this dynamic has resulted in the form of consistently vibrant takes on current, past and future global dance music, an artistic expression
fuelled by equal parts tireless record digging and masterful studio wizardry.
Their two previous EPs on Studio Barnhus count among the label's most played and loved, and the forthcoming debut album Pulpo Fiction, released this October on the Stockholm label, takes it to the next level with a staggering tracklist of 16 new recordings featuring vocal talent as diverse as Kenyan rapper Nah Eeto, American
poet Oliver Grimball and Swedish soul singer Cosima Olu.

The music is as wild a ride as ever with MLiR at the controls – ranging from the nostalgic to the futuristic, the deep to the poptastic – with a firm base in the kind of high-powered, light-footed dancefloor material the duo is so beloved for.

Germano Ventura is an Italian DJ, Producer and owner of the record label HOWL. A resident at the famed Circolo Degli Illuminati club in Rome, his busy touring schedule sees him play at some of the country’s most iconic venues such as Il Muretto in Jesolo and Cocoricò Riccione, sharing the decks with artist like Ricardo Villalobos, Zip and Loco Dice. Known for his dark and minimalistic style, his productions often take inspiration from early House tracks, even more so here in his debut EP “Mai Day” for Memento. The title track’s swinging groove and percussions match catchy New York House vocals, a nod at what could be heard at the Big Apple’s clubs Studio 54 and Limelight. “Time 22”pounding drum sounds and raw beats bring on funky sounds reminiscent of the ball room scene seen in the documentary Paris is Burning, while closing track “F8” boasts hip-hop vocals and some naughty electro-disco melodies, ready to cause some serious voguing on the dance floor.

Following on from September's "Sonic Underworld EP" by Shlomi Aber & Kashpitzky, James Ruskin's label delivers another first as Chloe Lula presents her Blueprint Records debut with the "Torpor EP".Her debut on Blueprint, "Torpor" is a reflection of her stylistic evolution, bringing the sounds of ambience and synths into a clean, contemporary techno framework.



Chloe is a resident DJ at Tresor. She's played at Berghain, Boiler Room, Khidi, Movement weekend in Detroit, and countless clubs, festivals and parties across Asia, Europe, and North and South America alongside artists like Kanding Ray, Helena Hauff and Lewis Fautzi, becoming known for atmospheric, acidic sets that dig deep into the niche recesses of techno. In addition to her career as a DJ and producer, Lula is a cellist-her debut instrumental full-length will be out on James Ginzburg's Subtext label in November 2024-and the senior producer of Resident Advisor, where she hosts and curates panels and interviews as a broadcast journalist at festivals like Nuits Sonores, Dekmantel, Unsound, Rewire and more.

Her debut on Blueprint, "Torpor" is a reflection of her stylistic evolution, bringing the sounds of ambience and synths into a clean, contemporary techno framework. A lifelong reader, each track-and the EP's name itself-pays homage to a book or piece of writing that has been influential in her development as a writer and an artist.

“Artifact” by Novo Line makes a departure from his Atari ST fueled FM synth journeys, here reimagining the soundtrack of our collective memory. Born from a live performance at a listening festival in Berlin by the Camp Cosmic crew, this LP transforms universally recognized pop anthems, beckoning listeners into a kaleidoscopic realm of sound, where familiar melodies fracture and our brains attempt to reconstitute them.

Using era-consistent equipment – turntable, 12″ maxi singles, classic samplers, and iconic drum machines – Novo Line deconstructs and reassembles songs etched into our cultural DNA. From the soaring emotions of “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” to the disco beat of “Heart of Glass,” these are melodies that have scored countless lives, now reborn in startling new forms.

Recorded live to tape, ‘Artifact’ doesn’t just play; it unfolds like an auditory hallucination. It taps into the deep emotional reservoirs these songs have built over decades, twisting familiar refrains into new shapes. One festival goer recollected that it uncovered “the dark inner universe of Kenny G, suddenly splayed out into a whole new cosmos.”

As the needle traces its path, ‘Artifact’ peels back layers of shared musical experience. It’s an aural alchemy that transmutes the known into the profoundly strange, yet achingly familiar. Listeners may find themselves adrift in a sea of frequencies, where every warped note triggers a cascade of personal and collective memories.

Rooted in the “copyriot” tradition of 1980s punk and industrial scenes, “Artifact” challenges notions of authorship while celebrating the universal language of pop. It doesn’t merely suggest a trip – it becomes a journey through the very fabric of our shared musical consciousness.

Mastered by Rude66, cut by Helmet Erler, and pressed at Objects Manufacturing.

After more than ten years, four albums and countless shows, Swiss artist Joell Nicolas takes a turn and releases her last album as VRVN. Despite being an ending, Storia is also a place for beginnings. For the first time, VRVN brings together her semi-modular synth with an acoustic instrument, but not just any: a church organ. Filled with air like a dragon, it becomes both emancipating and dangerous, weaving its sounds with synthetic ones, together with voices and lyrics: in English and –also for the first time– in French.

Three years of musical research condensed in ten tracks, sometimes structured as songs, sometimes as sensitive soundscapes. Stemming from an exploration of textures over structure, Storia meanders through intimate topics, such as childhood, silence, risk, healing and transformation.

With the support of Ville de Lausanne and Canton de Vaud.

Exploration, collaboration and curiosity define the rhythm at the beating heart of Mehmet Aslan’s exemplary compositions. The Swiss-born producer of Turkish heritage has already forged a singular path through production, DJing and full-band performances, navigating the more esoteric corners of Berlin’s club culture without sacrificing his musical heritage or innate creativity.

A conceptual new LP ‘Auguri’ follows on from 2021’s gnomic, ornate ‘The Sun Is Parallel’, which saw Aslan musically associate with the likes of Valentina Magaletti and Niño De Elche. ‘Auguri’ also has its foundations in collaboration, born out of a musical lab at Lyon’s annual
Nuits Sonores, the forward-thinking festival with whom Aslan has maintained a lengthy creative relationship.

The resulting audio-visual performance, ‘Bird Signals For Earthly Survival’ introduced Aslan, to the Greek filmmaker Stratis Vogiatzis. Drawing on the philosophy of Donna Haraway and envisioning new ways of being, of living on earth, Aslan and Vogiatzis crane their necks to the sky to witness flocks of birds performing spectacular movements in unison. Fluid and ancient, their organic waltz provides inspiration for Aslan’s extension of the project, spanning sonic shades of electro, ambient and modern folk psychedelia.

On the coastline of Vogiatzis’s home country of Greece, as in many places across the world, climate change threatens to effect the ancient migration pattern of millions of birds, just as their fellow beings on terra firma become increasingly entangled in a man-made disaster of their own creation. In unison, ‘Auguri’ is adorned by artwork from designer Xavi Bou. Known for his ‘ornithographies’, this striking visual captures avian life not only as a force, but a wry observer.

“We need to transform our connections with other living beings to protect the Earth and live together harmoniously”, reflects Aslan. “Personally, this project has made me more sensitive to this issue. I wanted to give back in return for the inspiration I've received."

Perhaps upending expectations of a more traditional ‘ambient’ album, Aslan commits some of his finest compositional work and understated songwriting to this urgent imperative, creating original music that nonetheless, has nature flowing through it. ‘Critters’ presents a spectral sound collage on which Aslan himself speaks from the texts composed at the residency, conjuring visions of “the birds flying… shape of the future”. Meanwhile, the undulating, psychedelic ‘Pigeon Blinks’ takes inspiration from more domestic scenes, charting the unexpected roosting and hatching of an egg on a kitchen window, while ‘Auguri’ gives the album it’s title in connecting to a higher plain, demonstrating Aslan’s ability to lure melody and catharsis from looping hypnosis.

Opener ‘Spectra’ provides a forceful, almost industrial breakbeat that establishes the exigency of the album as well as its sense of wonder, while ‘Euphoria’ reaches the potency of its promise slowly, with Aslan’s modular melodies meeting the flourishing percussion of guest player and multi-instrumentalist, POPP. Finally, ‘Aura’ delivers a cinematic conclusion, mixing an elegiac organ motif, haunting guitar chords and the prophetic sense of a scorched earth. Here, with patience and soaring production, Aslan once more makes the abstract and the unthinkable somehow tangible, mixing in sampled birdsong.

Accordingly, ‘Auguri’ is being released in accordance with EarthPercent, the music industry’s climate foundation, co-founded by Brian Eno. A portion of the album’s publishing will be credited as part of ‘The Earth As Your Co-Writer’ initiative, allowing artists to directly credit The Earth in their new compositions. Here, streaming and publishing from Aslan’s recorded sounds are automatically paid back to a number of vital initiatives worldwide.

Leaning into some of the most vital questions and anxieties of our time, ‘Auguri’ is not a project without a sense of hope. From studio to sea, Mehmet Aslan continues to look to the skies and beyond.

RARE & PREV. UNRELEASED PSYCH-FUNK AND GARAGE ROCK !!!

Say hello to Down & Wired Vol. 7 as Perfect Toy Records unleashes yet another instalment in its long-running compilation series! Once more, the label provides a delectable selection of obscure funk and soul-influenced psychedelic and garage rock tracks to delight even hardcore collectors of both genres.

And make no mistake, there is plenty to discover among these eleven tracks. At the funkiest end of things, Function's Free Style morphs from West Coast psychedelia to country funk to swamp rock and back again in its sub-three minute length, Dandy King provide psychedelic funky-soul and The Whiz Kids take a heavy dose of funkiness with them into psych-rock territory – sample fiends watch out for the fat twenty-second drum break towards the end of the latter! Purer psychedelia can be found in the offering from Third Stone while Würzburg band Prisma provide all-out epic psych-rock carnage. And if rock carnage is your thing, you'll be feeling the dirty garage rock onslaught of The Comin' Generation and a previously unreleased cut by Synod - soon to be a 45 single on Perfect Toy. That just leaves The General Store, The Soul Society, The Vestells and another unreleased cut from The Villagers (from whom the label will be dropping more unreleased material soon!), to close the circle by adding a heavy dose of garage soul.

A worthy successor to the previous volumes, Down & Wired Vol. 7 is once again accompanied by an insert containing detailed information and photos of the bands and a download code is also included with every vinyl LP.

Leaving the putrid confines of Pigfuck, TN's dankest basements, full time rock and roll heroes emerge. Prepare for battery acid guitar solos, Johnny Paycheck death screams, blackened humor, and a little old fashioned fuckin’ in the USA--all clocked in for a full 9-5. You don’t christen yourself FILTH lightly—forget the classics, forget poetry, forget respect. Don’t come here looking for an honest job. Take your punk and shove it and let the scene heads fracture. Welcome to Full Time Filth.

Theme: collaboration. Or how to remain creative in the modern world. Nanocluster started as a bespoke one off pop up gig that turned into an album series. Built around Colin Newman from acclaimed UK post-punk band Wire and his partner in life and sound Malka Spigel from Minimal Compact with various guests, they define collaboration. Colin met Malka when he produced her band in 1985.The collaboration started there. They became a couple and created their own projects like the instrumental electronic duo Immersion in 1994 and Githead in 2004 - spaces where they both 'feel really comfortable.' Growing out of Immersion, Nanocluster was birthed as a series of one-off gigs at the Rosehill in their new hometown of Brighton in 2017 with an added cast of influential and cutting edge musicians. These were not ad hoc jams. The songs had been written and rehearsed prior to each performance. This adventure led to a debut album, Nanocluster Vol 1, released in 2021 with Stereolab singer/guitarist Laetitia Sadier, German post-rock duo Tarwater, electronic musician Ulrich Schnauss and experimental artist Robin Rimbaud (Scanner). Released again as double 10 inch with each collaboration taking up each disc, the new album Nanocluster Vol 2 has further developed this idea with a stark beauty that sounds like a future pop with sleek lines and unexpected great melodies. Disc one is built around Thor Harris, the charismatic percussion player from Swans and many other projects, who they met and performed with at South By South West in Austin, Texas in 2023. Thor adds ideas, his tuned percussion instruments, clarinet and trumpet to the sessions. Disc two is built around Cubzoa (Jack Wolter from the band Penelope Isles) who brings his musical craft, beguiling voice, guitar and much more. Meanwhile Matt Schulz from Holy Fuck plays drums across both combinations helping the resulting music become a third entity. What results is a true collaboration that, enhanced via Immersion's production, merges its elements to develop a new harmony. Key to the process is Colin and Malka's radio show for Slack City radio, 'Swimming In Sound' with its entertainingly diverse playlist that has widened their horizons. It's also helped build relationships not only with these collaborators but also musicians like ambient country masters SUSS, with whom they plan an extended Nanocluster tour in the USA with in 2025 and Brighton via Falmouth's "jangly pop punk" Holiday Ghosts with whom they will perform the next Nanocluster event in their hometown, as well as many more in the pipeline. Malka: 'Nanocluster is collaboration but in a very specific form. We don't have rules. It's a series of creative snapshots. We start as the gig with our collaborators with tracks that we rehearse because this is not a jam and where it stops is an album.' Colin: 'It's chemistry & music. Malka & I operate as a team and now we've taken it to another level. Malka comes from a band where they would stand in a room together and work out the material. In Wire, I would present the songs, so when Malka and I first started working together, we had to find a third path, and that was the concept behind our collaboration.' Nanocluster Volume 2 is a 21st century collusion of shared ideas, creating a momentary extended musical family. It's about musical and personal relationships and the meeting place in the middle. A temporary band of house guests. The place where Immersion happens.

Kolida Babo is the collaboration between two Greek woodwind musicians from separate regions - Socratis Votskos is from Pella, and Harris P. is from Athens. Their self-titled debut album was recorded in improvised live-take sessions beginning on the night of the “Kolida Babo” folk rituals of music and dance in northern Greece in winter 2013. They explore the ancient music of Armenia and the folk traditions of northern Greece’s Epirus and Thrace regions alongside abstract electronics and free jazz.

Their debut album was released by MIC Records (London) in 2019 to rave reviews. Other notable releases include the Jazzman Records jazz45 series and the soundtrack for the documentary ''Gospel of Michiel'' and "Loxy". Their music was supported by BBC 6Music, BBC Radio 3 - Late Junction, NTS, Soho Radio, WorldWide Fm as well as the Greek National Radio. Last but not least, they have performed in various places around Greece and Europe including festivals like CTM, Archipelago Festival and Vinterjazz Festival.

In their second full-length album Spirits of Mauronoros set to be released in 27/09/2024 by Veego Records, Kolida Babo revisit an old forgotten place in northern Epirus Greece, near the Greek-Albanian borders.

A spiritual music journey dedicated to the old village of Mauronoros (Black Mountain) and its people. This village is one of the many villages in Greece that is totally abandoned as a result of the economic crises and cultural changes that Greece faced in the last century. This profound depopulation of the area left behind ruins that echo its past trials and tribulations. However the traditional sounds of the village keep reappearing in urban centers like ghosts that haunt everyday life. This sonic dialogue between "modern" and "traditional", between "the peaceful countryside" and " turbulent urban centers" sometimes looks irrelevant and outdated but is of great consequence. It transports the listener in an unspecified time and place devoid of any cultural and geopolitical connotations and thus leaves them wondering for a freer and more authentic way of life.

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

Kniteforce Crew artist and council member Paul Bradley shows off this lighter counterpart to his epic Swamped EP! This killer slice of old skool rave has proper piano vibes, a summer feel and loops to die for. Heavy beats and uplifting vocals are the name of the game, and the game is being played at an expert level!

First Word Records is proud to bring you 'The Making of Silk', the brand new album from Allysha Joy.

Allysha Joy is a deeply-expressive singer, songwriter, producer & keys player hailing from Naarm (Melbourne), known for both her solo work and as front woman for 30/70. A uniquely-talented artist, her husky soulful voice, formidable Fender Rhodes prowess and raw poeticism has garnered legions of attentive fans the world over.

As an integral performer in the modern day jazz-soul scene, previous support has included selectors Gilles Peterson & Jamz Supernova (BBC 6 Music), Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), China Moses (Jazz FM) & Laurent Garnier (PBB France), along with stations such as NTS, Lot Radio, KEXP & KCRW, and publications including OkayPlayer, Dazed and The Vinyl Factory.

Along with a recent foray into the USA market with a string of successful shows, Allysha Joy has performed alongside acts such as Snarky Puppy, PJ Morton, The Teskey Brothers, Kokoroko and Children of Zeus, to name a few.

Joy has previously released two full-length solo albums 'Acadie : Raw' in 2018, 'Torn : Tonic' in 2022 and an EP, 'Light It Again' in 2020, along with countless collaborations and features over the past few years.

Entirely self-produced and affectionately poured over, 'The Making of Silk' is about a new understanding of the meaning of love.

Joy says, "it's the kind of love that bell hooks writes about, that lives in the poetry of Mary Oliver, Hafiz and the passionate dreaming of a Koryusai painting. It's about a love that is compassionate, that lives in open conversation, deep listening, the front lines of social movement and would never seek to stifle the light in you. It's about accepting our aloneness, the impermanence of all things and still forever wanting to prove it wrong, to say that I understand that all things change, all things end, hurt exists, but I will love regardless."

Riding on the waves of rich string arrangements, layers of vocal harmony and the raw poeticism she is known for, Allysha Joy's next album is embodying love.

'The Making of Silk' is due to be released on vinyl & digital worldwide, September 13th 2024.

Markus Guentner returns to his longstanding label, A Strangely Isolated Place following the triptych of ‘Theia’, ‘Empire’, and ‘Extropy’, presenting eight inspiring collaborations on ‘Kontrapunkt’.

Collaborations are nothing new to Markus, but it’s hard to see beyond his strong singular presence as a pioneer of long-form ambient and drone. Collabs have punctuated his albums in various places over the years, and he is no stranger to working as a duo amongst other projects, with such a strong conceptual thread throughout his prior ASIP releases, Kontrapunkt represents a literal pivot and counterpoint in his production approach. Instead of music encapsulating a strong conceptual narrative, Kontrapunkt sees Markus create a dialogue between himself and a collection of inspiring production partners.

Kontrapunkt opens with ‘Vanish’, a widescreen cinematic odyssey created in collaboration with fellow German and Affin label-head Joachim Spieth, forming the perfect opener with its modest subtleties. Australian-born Karen Vogt, renowned for her voice layering and looping, brings a beautiful, and natural addition to ‘All Light Will Remain’.

Sonae, who appeared on ASIP’s early digital releases, demonstrates her evolution into experimental flourishes with ‘Farbe Der Nacht’, adding pulsating techno tendencies and a menacing, metallic approach to Markus’ foundations. Multi-instrumentalist Pepo Galán harmonizes beautifully with Markus on ‘Ancestral Images’, adding complex nuances to a slowly evolving euphoric piece.
A master of synthesis, Arovane delivers a powerful display of supercharged electronics and coils of energy on ‘Utopian Fragments’. Benoît Pioulard's renowned expertise with guitars and tape distortion become a perfect counter to the electronics of Markus, blending styles seamlessly on ‘Father Of Waters’.

‘An unstoppable force meets an immovable object’ on ‘While Hunting Nightmares And Dreaming For Peace’, as Abul Mogard adds powerful restraint in a meeting of two drone titans. The album concludes with ‘Presence’, where Hollie Kenniff’s uplifting vocals provide a shimmering finish, perfectly bookending an album of perfected counterpoints and evolutions on the Markus Guentner sound.
Kontrapunkt will be available on Gatefold Black/Grey/Blue marble 2LP, digital and streaming on August 30th 2024. Mastered by Gio at Artefacts Mastering, Berlin, and featuring artwork by Noah M / Keep Adding.