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A staple of South Korea's electronic scene, Mogwaa debuts on Peggy Gou's Gudu label, following well-received singles on labels like Klasse Tracks and Star Creature. Follows the release of Peggy Gou's 'I Go' remixes (Soulwax, DJ Koze & Maurice Fulton) and new EPs on the label from Hiver and Brain de Palma.

- The complete score by Tom Holkonborg aka Junkie XL - 180g Double LP Multicolor Vinyl: Blue and Pink & Orange and Black - 12x12 Art Print - Heavyweight Gatefold Packaging with Matte Finish // Description: Waxwork Records is excited to present GODZILLA VS KONG Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL (Army of the Dead, MAD MAX Fury Road)! Godzilla vs Kong marks the fourth in Legendary Pictures' titan universe. Godzilla & King Kong are back and they've led us to the center of our hollow Earth. In this movie, directed by Adam Wingard, tech mogul "Apex" and a band of conspiracy theorists, tech moguls, and scientists try to harness the power of the center of the earth to defeat a suddenly violent Godzilla and return King Kong to his original home. Junkie XL delivers a score that convinces you that this coalition of outcasts from across the world has to be correct. Huge orchestral arrangements perfectly match the intensity level of the multi-level coverup that hides the truth about the hollow earth theory. The composer complements awesome battles with sweet flashes of humanity from the two monsters, leaving hearts both racing and breaking for the creatures. Waxwork Records is thrilled to present the official double LP score with 180 gram "Godzilla" & "King Kong" colored vinyl, deluxe packaging, heavyweight gatefold jackets with matte coating, 12x12 art print, and more!

Before the very popular thrashy death metal band Legion Of The Damned was formed, with albums out on Massacre and Napalm Records, vocalist Maurice Swinkels and drummer Erik Fleuren played in the more brutal extreme blackened death metal band Occult.

 Hailing from Geldrop, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands, the already very extreme barking voice of Swinkels was supported by female vocalist Rachel with an even more brutal grunt. After two studio albums on the Dutch label Foundation 2000 they were on the search for an international record deal and they recorded two demos to achieve that goal.

The first four songs on this album come from a rehearsal room session in 1997, and the last five songs were recorded in the small Harrow Studios in 1998. It resulted in a deal with the German Massacre Records label, and Occult’s third studioalbum, ‘Of Flesh And Blood’, saw the light in 1999.

Now you can finally hear, for the first time, most of these songs in their original, raw and rough demoversions.
For fans of Desaster, Absu, Deicide, Usurper, Vader, Sinister, Skeletonwitch, Goatwhore, Destroyer 666.

Before the very popular thrashy death metal band Legion Of The Damned was formed, with albums out on Massacre and Napalm Records, vocalist Maurice Swinkels and drummer Erik Fleuren played in the more brutal extreme blackened death metal band Occult.

 Hailing from Geldrop, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands, the already very extreme barking voice of Swinkels was supported by female vocalist Rachel with an even more brutal grunt. After two studio albums on the Dutch label Foundation 2000 they were on the search for an international record deal and they recorded two demos to achieve that goal.

The first four songs on this album come from a rehearsal room session in 1997, and the last five songs were recorded in the small Harrow Studios in 1998. It resulted in a deal with the German Massacre Records label, and Occult’s third studioalbum, ‘Of Flesh And Blood’, saw the light in 1999.

Now you can finally hear, for the first time, most of these songs in their original, raw and rough demoversions.
For fans of Desaster, Absu, Deicide, Usurper, Vader, Sinister, Skeletonwitch, Goatwhore, Destroyer 666.

Due to the great demand we release another „The Dark Side Of Italo Disco“ vinyl. This Italo Disco vinyl series is synonymous with deep, mystical, melancholic songs. Harder and darker beats make these songs selected by Flemming Dalum very special titles of the Italo Disco scene.

Mental acid digger... with a superb "Let's All Shout" C.Ysme novating tune : a future must have.
The Malhen and the See You Soon are 2 tribe classics grooves in a Swimming pool of old school kicks : drowning hypnotism. Tribal african feelings...Postman bring a more Hardfloor sensation, with a night-forest ambiance...

Creatures of the night material.

Galaxy Heart is Moss' fourth record for Constellation and the companion album to 2021's Phosphenes. Galaxy Heart features guest appearances by Jim White (Xylouris White, Springtime, Dirty Three) and Thierry Amar (Godspeed You! Black Emperor).Jessica Moss is a violinist and composer based in Montréal. She uses amplified and processed violin and voice to create intricate works of expressive electronic, drone, experimental and post-classical Minimalism; her distinctive melodic sensibility often channels Klezmer, Balkan and Middle Eastern tropes, combined with an ear for the textural grit and timbral noise of post-punk, industrial and ambient metal. Moss played in cult agit-prop post-punk band Thee Silver Mt. Zion (2000-2015), has contributed to countless albums by the likes of Carla Bozulich, Vic Chesnutt and Matana Roberts, and most recently has guested on albums by Sarah Davachi and Big|Brave. She has released three solo albums on Constellation since 2017.

After the release of their highly successful self-titled album in summer 2021 (#1 in Germany and Spain etc.), HELLOWEEN -- one of the most respectable German metal exports and pioneers of German melodic speed metal -- are finally bringing their new anthems to the packed arenas, leading them all around the globe with their »United Forces« tour. The creators of the albums »Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. I & II« (87‘/88‘), which are considered to be among the most successful German metal records of all time and are reckoned internationally as absolute milestones of power metal, haven’t only cemented but even expanded their status as giants of the scene. Caused by the pumpkinheads‘ aforementioned triumphant wave of success, the group’s back catalogue albums are also more in demand than ever which is why Atomic Fire are now set to release a series of brand new vinyl editions including the following hot HELLOWEEN records: »The Dark Ride« (2000), »Rabbit Don’t Come Easy« (2003), »Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy« (2005), »Gambling With The Devil« (2007), »Straight Out Of Hell« (2013), »My God-Given Right« (2015), and last but not least their latest offering »Helloween« (2021).

After the release of their highly successful self-titled album in summer 2021 (#1 in Germany and Spain etc.), HELLOWEEN -- one of the most respectable German metal exports and pioneers of German melodic speed metal -- are finally bringing their new anthems to the packed arenas, leading them all around the globe with their »United Forces« tour. The creators of the albums »Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. I & II« (87‘/88‘), which are considered to be among the most successful German metal records of all time and are reckoned internationally as absolute milestones of power metal, haven’t only cemented but even expanded their status as giants of the scene. Caused by the pumpkinheads‘ aforementioned triumphant wave of success, the group’s back catalogue albums are also more in demand than ever which is why Atomic Fire are now set to release a series of brand new vinyl editions including the following hot HELLOWEEN records: »The Dark Ride« (2000), »Rabbit Don’t Come Easy« (2003), »Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy« (2005), »Gambling With The Devil« (2007), »Straight Out Of Hell« (2013), »My God-Given Right« (2015), and last but not least their latest offering »Helloween« (2021).

Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow’s sinister score to
Netflix’s supernatural horror, ‘Archive 81’, is now
available on LP and CD.
The CD is presented as a digipack.
The LP is pressed on black vinyl and housed in a
heavyweight spined sleeve with double sided
printed insert.
Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow are known for
their scores for the Ivor Novello Award winning ‘Ex
Machina’ and ‘Devs’, along with their work on
‘Annihilation’, ‘Free Fire’, ‘HANNA’ and more.
Inspired by the popular podcast of the same name,
‘Archive 81’ depicts the life of a man who comes
across videotapes full of a mysterious woman’s
adventures in an even more mysterious apartment
building. What seemed to be an ordinary job turns
into a nightmare as the strange creature that took
the woman’s life in the past seems to have found a
way back to him 25 years in the future.

Ghent based psych jazz collective Compro Oro, are set to release new album 'Buy The Dip' on the 2nd September via the groove-obsessed Sdban Ultra label. Having received critical acclaim for their 2020 album 'Simurg' - a collaboration with Murat Ertel, co-founder and frontman of Istanbul's cult psychedelic folk band BaBa ZuLa and his singer partner Esma Ertel - the band's fifth album is less ethno- and more techno-logy, both on a musical and conceptual level.

With tastemaker fans including BBC 6 Music's Gilles Peterson and Stuart Maconie alongside Jazz FM's Jez Nelson, the band's spontaneous quest for psychedelic sounds and jazz grooves has not stopped expanding since their formation in 2014.

After imaginative musical trips to Havana, Mogadishu and Istanbul for previous releases, Compro Oro went looking for sounds and inspirations from other corners of the globe for 'Buy The Dip'. Synthesizers and electronic effects spice up Compro Oro's distinctive musical marriage of vibraphones, electric guitars, jazzfunk rhythms, exotic percussions and dubby bass patterns. Band leader and composer Wim Segers created these new compositions often on piano or vibes in a more analogue way, leaving enough room for his band mates to colour each track when fine tuning the song.

Segers was inspired by the world of crypto markets and the specific concept of 'buying the dip': bitcoin diggers who play the markets at specific 'low' moments to gain higher profits when prices go up again. Are we all reduced to consuming creatures, seeking for nothing more than the thrill of pointless spending and endless profits? It's a fairly philosophical question - especially for an instrumental album - but it's key for the punchy and eclectic sounds on 'Ben Hur' and 'Bitcoins'.

Apart from those synths and fx, a fair bunch of neo-noir western vibes sprout up on this album as well - think detuned piano's, flamenco-like guitars, rattling snare drums, and imminent whistles. Add to that some laid back sunny pop sounds ('Kayak'), off-hook and swaying Turkish psychedelica ('Karsilama') and even some haunted, kraut-ish vocal parts ('Dungeon'), it's evident Compro Oro has a musical voice without any equal in Belgium and beyond.

Compro Oro released their first album 'Transatlantic' in 2015, an ode to jazz vibraphonist Cal Tjader, an icon of the 1950's Latin jazz movement. The release received critical acclaim back home, lauded in the press as a drunken mix of Buena Vista Social Club and guitarist Marc Ribot's, Cubanos Postizos. Subsequent live shows have been called a celebration for the hips, the ear and the soul.

2017 saw the release of 'Bombarda', a bold EP that sailed South and East of Cuba, incorporating different ethnic rhythms and melodies in elaborate jams. No palm trees and cocktails in Havana this time, but instead dingy basements and LSD in West African cities. The critically acclaimed 'Suburban Exotica' followed in 2019 with 'Simurg', released in 2020, earning the band global success.

Black Screen Records is excited to announce that Damián Sánchez' chill and joyful orchestral soundtrack to Crema's massively multiplayer creature-collection adventure Temtem will be available on limited edition 3xLP Picture Disc vinyl. You get 47 songs and the three starters Crystle, Smazee and Houchic in one beautiful trifold set with gorgeous artwork by Alex Muñoz and Cristina Jiménez. The vinyl and CD both come with a download card for the full digital soundtrack including all tracks. ABOUT THE SOUNDTRACK: Temtem's original game soundtrack is a melodic journey through the adventures on the Airborne Archipelago. A mixture of musical styles and flavors ranging from the chill and joyful orchestral sounds from Deniz to the most vivid and chrer-ish celtic dances from Arbury, through the folk and peacefulness of Omninesia, the mysterious glassy mallets of Tucma, the warm drums and flutes of Kisiwa, and the modern-versus-traditional Asian tunes in Cipanku. Discover the traditions of each isle through its instrumental palette and melodies, and vibe with the rhythms of the combat themes while you become the greatest Temtem tamer. The aim of this physical edition it's always been to give our fans not only another way of listening to Temtem's soundtrack, but to make a piece of art they would love to display on their shelves or even hang on a wall. Both teams at Crema and Black Screen Records worked really hard for a long time to cherry-pick the best ideas and come up with these incredibly beautiful editions. We are really proud of these products and we really hope you enjoy them! - Damián Sánchez ABOUT THE GAME: Temtem is a massively multiplayer online adventure where you'll get to explore the colorful and exciting Airborne Archipelago with all your friends and other players! Discover, tame and battle the Temtem that inhabit these islands, and maybe save the Archipelago in the process? Temtem offers a lengthy story campaign in a fully online world, and the possibility of playing the entire adventure in Co-op with a friend; a rich, complex, RNG-free combat experience, and competitively oriented gameplay, with challenges for all play styles; a bustling economy and trading environment; advanced character customization, housing and a myriad of ways to express yourself!

Gazelle Twin, Lali Puna, This Mortal Coil, Slow Walkers, Atlas Sound, Bowery Electric, Broadcast Press Release: Snakeskin is an album of visionary electronic dream pop, shapeshifting above ambient and industrial undercurrents. It is moody, unsettling, luminous – the culmination of a decade of collaboration and friendship between Lebanese producer/musician/ engineer Fadi Tabbal and singer-songwriter Julia Sabra from Beirut-based indie trio Postcards. The duo began working on Snakeskin in the aftermath of the August 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed at least 218 people, injured 7,000, and left over 300,000 people homeless. Indeed, Julia's home was destroyed by the explosion and her partner and bandmate Pascal badly injured. The first song that they wrote together afterwards was 'Roots', which closes out the album and was composed for the Ruptured-curated series The Drone Sessions in the fall of 2020. Snakeskin utilizes tape loops, synthesizers, vocals, and drum machines, combining Julia’s pop-inspired melodies and choral roots (an echo from her religious upbringing) with Fadi’s affinity for minimalism and musique concrète. The album seamlessly incorporates the melancholy electro-pop of 'All The Birds', the quiet menace of 'In Our Garden' (long-lost treasures, ancient lies / another buried paradise), and the beat-driven 'Signs'. The title track sums up their frame of mind, beginning as a lullaby and evolving into a glittering tapestry of distortion and feedback. As the artists write, Snakeskin is a product of "the disappearance of life as we know it, and with it the decay of nature and living creatures. There is no rebirth, no renewal. It’s about what it means to feel at home in such a place." Some tracks were also inspired by events happening in the surrounding region, such as the invasion of Armenia by Azerbaijan and the Palestinian uprising of May 2021 in Sheikh Jarrah - both events shedding light on relationships to home and land across the wider region. That such compelling art can emerge from unceasing tragedy may be the ultimate testament to human resilience and the pursuit of freedom and justice. "The moon speaks in tongues we can't discern / A plastic dove hangs from a cypress branch / Haven't you heard? / Nothing grows here anymore / The air is burnt / Nothing grows..." Highlights: – This is the second volume in the Corrosion Series, a collaborative effort by Beacon Sound and Ruptured, and the sixth collaboration between the two labels. – Fadi used samples of Julia's voice on his fifth solo album Subject to Potential Errors and Distortions (2020, Beacon Sound/Ruptured) – The Tunefork Studios team, led by Fadi, administered the Beirut Musician's Fund after the port explosion, as covered by Pitchfork, NME, and the Financial Times. – Julia's band Postcards released their third full-length album After The Fire, Before The End on Berlin label T3 Records in 2021 and are currently touring Europe. Credits: All music composed, performed and produced by Julia Sabra and Fadi Tabbal between November 2020 and December 2022. Lyrics by Julia Sabra. Drum samples by Pascal Semerdjian. Recorded by Fadi Tabbal, mixed by Sary Moussa and Fadi Tabbal at Tunefork Studios, Beirut. Cover photo by Lujain Jo. Design by Josette 'ZOoz' Khalil. Mastered by Rashad Becker. Bios: Julia Sabra is a Lebanese musician, songwriter and composer. She co-founded acclaimed Lebanese dream-pop outfit Postcards in 2013 and is the band’s multi-instrumentalist, lead singer and lyricist. Postcards have released two EPs (2013, 2015) and three albums (2018, 2020, 2021) and have been regularly touring Europe and the Middle East since 2015. She has been the manager of Tunefork Studios since 2017. Lebanese musician, producer, and sound engineer Fadi Tabbal’s work consist of minimalist pieces ranging from ambient and electronic to drone and contemporary classical. He has released six solo albums and has collaborated with various musicians, artists and filmmakers through the years. Often referred to as “the hardest-working person in Lebanon’s alternative music scene”, Tabbal established Tunefork Studios, a collective of producers, engineers and musicians, which has helped shape Beirut's contemporary music scene since 2006.

"A gang of stylish demons discover a wild animal pacing around a Berlin cellar, wearing only a hawaiian shirt and someone else’s blood. He doesn’t know what day it is, just that he went to a party several months ago and hasn’t been to sleep since. They lovingly rescue and rehouse the wretched creature in a glaas box where he’s content to howl his paranoid chants all day for their entertainment and now ours. This debut lays out a mangled inventory of fractured memories, haunted visions of broken people and places making a sacred ritual out of ruining themselves. These are hymns to so many nights gone so far wrong, from the graveyard sex to the extra bump you might have resisted had the urge to feel something not overtaken you… Employing an elevated and reinvigorated version of the ‘modern post punk with anarcho flourishes’ mode, with whirring synthesisers and creepy keys signpost into even more disorienting territory, GLAAS create a creepy and compelling soundtrack to the romantic nihilism of urban decay: disturbing lifestyle choices but make it sexy." - Bryony Beynon Featuring members of Clock Of Time, Exit Group, Cage Kicker, Idiota Civlizzatto, Lacquer and more. This is the debut LP from GLAAS. The LP comes housed in a sleeve with linocut artwork as well as an additional A2 poster from Raquel Torre and an additional lyric sheet.

Ghent based psych jazz collective Compro Oro, are set to release new album 'Buy The Dip' on the 2nd September via the groove-obsessed Sdban Ultra label. Having received critical acclaim for their 2020 album 'Simurg' - a collaboration with Murat Ertel, co-founder and frontman of Istanbul's cult psychedelic folk band BaBa ZuLa and his singer partner Esma Ertel - the band's fifth album is less ethno- and more techno-logy, both on a musical and conceptual level.

With tastemaker fans including BBC 6 Music's Gilles Peterson and Stuart Maconie alongside Jazz FM's Jez Nelson, the band's spontaneous quest for psychedelic sounds and jazz grooves has not stopped expanding since their formation in 2014.

After imaginative musical trips to Havana, Mogadishu and Istanbul for previous releases, Compro Oro went looking for sounds and inspirations from other corners of the globe for 'Buy The Dip'. Synthesizers and electronic effects spice up Compro Oro's distinctive musical marriage of vibraphones, electric guitars, jazzfunk rhythms, exotic percussions and dubby bass patterns. Band leader and composer Wim Segers created these new compositions often on piano or vibes in a more analogue way, leaving enough room for his band mates to colour each track when fine tuning the song.

Segers was inspired by the world of crypto markets and the specific concept of 'buying the dip': bitcoin diggers who play the markets at specific 'low' moments to gain higher profits when prices go up again. Are we all reduced to consuming creatures, seeking for nothing more than the thrill of pointless spending and endless profits? It's a fairly philosophical question - especially for an instrumental album - but it's key for the punchy and eclectic sounds on 'Ben Hur' and 'Bitcoins'.

Apart from those synths and fx, a fair bunch of neo-noir western vibes sprout up on this album as well - think detuned piano's, flamenco-like guitars, rattling snare drums, and imminent whistles. Add to that some laid back sunny pop sounds ('Kayak'), off-hook and swaying Turkish psychedelica ('Karsilama') and even some haunted, kraut-ish vocal parts ('Dungeon'), it's evident Compro Oro has a musical voice without any equal in Belgium and beyond.

Compro Oro released their first album 'Transatlantic' in 2015, an ode to jazz vibraphonist Cal Tjader, an icon of the 1950's Latin jazz movement. The release received critical acclaim back home, lauded in the press as a drunken mix of Buena Vista Social Club and guitarist Marc Ribot's, Cubanos Postizos. Subsequent live shows have been called a celebration for the hips, the ear and the soul.

2017 saw the release of 'Bombarda', a bold EP that sailed South and East of Cuba, incorporating different ethnic rhythms and melodies in elaborate jams. No palm trees and cocktails in Havana this time, but instead dingy basements and LSD in West African cities. The critically acclaimed 'Suburban Exotica' followed in 2019 with 'Simurg', released in 2020, earning the band global success.

In the gutter lie sun dried leaves, scraps of paper, burnt matches and cigarette butts. It is early morning; the sun rises with warm grace. you've come to the right party... you see, the body of a young man sitting by a pool, nobody important, really. Just a movie writer with a couple of "b" pictures to his credit. He always wanted a pool. Well, in the end he got himself a pool, but let's go back some time and find the day when it all started in “Hollywood,” the place where they pay a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.

Three years after he celebrated “Sketch of Japan” EP, Superpitcher returns to Mule Musiq, bringing an epic super-pitched 40 minutes trip named “Hollywood”, that perfectly works as the score for the above remixed opening scene of a famous movie on the trances of Hollywood, the cage, that catch our dreams. It’s a slow grower, incorporating some of core elements of the city of celluloid dreams: action, drama, romance - all epic noir and yet so flooded by light. As ever the producer and DJ from Paris garnished his long building up and going down voyage with se-ducing melodies, glamorous pop, and psychic rhythms, creating the hippy dance ambiences he is famed for. Even though the twelve inch comes in accustomed a/b chapters, “Hollywood” should be perceived in one go to feel the depth of Superpitcher’s tropical leaning story arc, that stretches the idea of a track into a dream of satin teardrops on flickering velvet lights. It paints sonic celluloid pictures of ghostly creatures, while a female/male voice is the music’s constant melodic companion, injection Janus-faced longing dream pop spheres on the overall tripping house melancholy. A heroic electronic drama, elegant as Tamara de Lempicka painting. It asks for endless rides on the Hollywood freeways. in the back the sun – a big orange ball – sinking slowly below the horizon.

You've come to the right party... you see, the body of a young man sitting by a pool, in the back a long, graceful bar, bathed in soft light, filled with elegant customers. There's nothing else, just us and the music and those wonderful people out there in the dark, ready for a divine dance in closeup.

The experimental legends BASTARD NOISE and MERZBOW present their new collaborative album, RETRIBUTION BY ALL OTHER CREATURES. A lashing out against man-made institutions that perpetuate animal cruelty, every second of BASTARD NOISE's contribution to this collaboration is simply put - pitch-black, palpable fury. Elsewhere, the iconic MERZBOW's influence creeps in with a two part concept - the ZooNOsISE tracks, firing off MERZBOW's calling card - grainy, unsettling distortion that builds and builds, set against wretched technological wailing and alarming constants.

The record's intent is both a call to action, and a foreboding signal of end times. "Stand up against any form of animal abuse you witness at all cost," BASTARD NOISE mastermind Eric Wood writes in his liner notes. "Be part of positive, compassionate change and spit on the grave of the status quo." MERZBOW/Masami Akita's message is simple, but hits hard - "TIME IS RUNNING OUT. NOISE IS MUSIC"

‘Reich’s music expands from minimalist austerity to more full-bodied passages and back again. Reminiscent of his earliest work, it is very beautiful.’ – Financial Times

‘The music has tender energy, and an undercurrent of melancholy. Its droning tones sometimes seem to be pulling apart – like taffy, or like Richter’s stretching spaghetti stripes of color.’ – New York Times

Nonesuch Records releases the first recording of Steve Reich’s Reich/Richter, performed by Ensemble intercontemporain and conducted by George Jackson. The composition was originally written to be performed with German visual artist Gerhard Richter and Corinna Belz’s film Moving Picture (946-3).

Reich describes Richter’s book Patterns, which served as source material for the film: “It starts with one of his abstract paintings from the ’90s. He scanned a photo of the painting into a computer and then cut the scan in half and took each half, cut that in half and two of the four quarters he reversed into mirror images. He then repeated this process of ‘divide, mirror, repeat’ from half to quarter, eighth, sixteenth, thirty-second, all the way up to 4096th. The net effect is to go from an abstract painting to a series of gradually smaller anthropomorphic ‘creatures’ (since the mirroring produces bilateral symmetry) to still smaller very fine stripes.

“Belz described the film in terms of ‘pixels’. It begins with two-‘pixel’ stripes and the music begins with a two-sixteenth note oscillating pattern. When the film moves to four ‘pixels’, the music moves to a four-sixteenth note pattern, then to eight, and sixteen,” the composer continues. “After that, I began introducing longer note values – initially eighth notes, and later to quarter notes. By the middle of the film, when the images move from 512 to 1064 pixels, the music really slows to dotted half notes. Finally, as the ‘pixel’ count begins to diminish, the music moves back into more rapid eighths and then ending with the most intense rapid sixteenth movement.”

After more than one hundred performances of Reich/Richter at The Shed in New York in 2019, it was performed in London at the Barbican by the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Colin Currie and then in Paris at the Philharmonie, where this recording was made. The Austrian ensemble Windkraft Tirol, led by Kasper de Roo, will perform Reich/Richter on September 8 at Szentrum, Silbersaal in Schwaz, and the LA Phil New Music Group, led by Brad Lubman, performs the piece, accompanied by Richter and Belz’s film, at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on April 1, 2023.

Nonesuch has recorded every new piece of music by Steve Reich since 1985, beginning with The Desert Music and continuing through 2018’s Pulse/Quartet, resulting in twenty-two albums and the two box sets Phases in 2006 and Works: 1965-1995 in 1997. The label will put out a collection of his complete works in 2023.

Reich released a book last month, Conversations, that includes dialogues with past collaborators, fellow composers, musicians, and visual artists who have been influenced by his work, including: David Lang, Brian Eno, Richard Serra, Michael Gordon, Michael Tilson Thomas, Russell Hartenberger, Robert Hurwitz, Stephen Sondheim, Jonny Greenwood, David Harrington, Elizabeth Lim-Dutton, David Robertson, Micaela Haslam, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Julia Wolfe, Nico Muhly, Beryl Korot, Colin Currie, and Brad Lubman. Booklist said in its review, ‘Iconoclastic American composer Steve Reich is singular in his own right, and when he is in conversation with other equally iconoclastic composers, conductors, sculptors, musicians, percussionists, and video artists, sparks not only fly, they sparkle. Reich and his colleagues conduct lovely give-and-takes during which they share stories, creative approaches, and viewpoints. Reich's Conversations is the best kind of eavesdropping.’

Steve Reich has been called ‘America’s greatest living composer’ (Village Voice), ‘the most original musical thinker of our time’ (New Yorker), and ‘among the great composers of the century’ (New York Times). His music has influenced composers and mainstream musicians all over the world. Music for 18 Musicians and Different Trains have earned him two Grammy Awards, and in 2009, his Double Sextet won the Pulitzer Prize. Reich’s documentary video opera works – The Cave and Three Tales, done in collaboration with video artist Beryl Korot – have been performed on four continents. His recent work Quartet, for percussionist Colin Currie, sold out two consecutive concerts at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London shortly after tens of thousands at the Glastonbury Festival heard Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) perform Electric Counterpoint followed by the London Sinfonietta performing his Music for 18 Musicians.

In 2012, Reich was awarded the Gold Medal in Music by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has additionally received the Praemium Imperiale in Tokyo, the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm, the BBVA Award in Madrid, and the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale. He has been named Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Royal College of Music in London, The Juilliard School, and the Liszt Academy in Budapest, among others. ‘There’s just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history and Steve Reich is one of them’, states the Guardian.

Pierre Boulez founded the Ensemble intercontemporain in 1976 with the support of Michel Guy (who was France’s Minister of Culture at the time) and the collaboration of Nicholas Snowman. The Ensemble’s thirty-one soloists share a passion for twentieth and twenty-first century music. Under the artistic direction of Matthias Pintscher, the musicians work in close collaboration with composers, exploring instrumental techniques and developing projects that interweave music, dance, theater, film, video and visual arts. In collaboration with IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), the Ensemble intercontemporain is also active in the field of synthetic sound generation. New pieces are commissioned and performed on a regular basis. Resident of the Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris, the Ensemble performs and records in France and abroad, taking part in major festivals worldwide.

George Jackson, winner of the 2015 Aspen Conducting Prize, came to attention after stepping in at short notice with Orchestre de Paris, where he stepped in for Daniel Harding. Recent highlights include leading Ensemble intercontemporain at Festival Romaeuropa, the Rainy Days Festival in Luxembourg, and Festival D’Automne in Paris, as well as conducting the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of Opéra de Rouen and the world premiere of Tscho Theissing’s Genia with Theater an der Wien. His varied operatic experience includes performances at Opera North, Hamburg State Opera and Opera Holland Park, as well as conducting a new production of Hänsel und Gretel at Grange Park Opera.

This May, Italian alchemists and power trio Ufomammut return with their ninth studio album, Fenice via Neurot Recordings. But not as we’ve heard them before, now “more intimate, more free.”
For over 20 years, the band has combined the heaviness and majesty of dynamic riff worship with a nuanced understanding of psychedelic tradition and history in music, creating a cosmic, futuristic, and technicolor sound destined for absolute immersion.
Fenice (meaning Phoenix in Italian) symbolically represents endless rebirth and the ability to start again after everything seems doomed. The album is the first recording with new drummer Levre, and truly marks a new chapter in Ufomammut history.
“I think we lost our spontaneity, album after album,” says Urlo. “We tried to make more complicated songs and albums, but I think at some point we just ended up repeating ourselves. With Fenice, we were ready to start from zero, we had no past anymore - so we just wanted to be reborn and rise from the ashes..”
While the band are well-known for their psychedelic travels into the far reaches of the cosmos, Fenice is a much more introspective listening experience. Fenice was conceived as a single concept track, divided in six facets of this inward-facing focus. Sonic experimentations abound in the exploration of this central theme; synths and experimental vocal effects are featured more prominently than ever before as the band push themselves ever further into the uncharted territory of their very identity.
The towering synths on the opening track ‘Duat’ evoke an almighty machine rising from the depths of primordial ooze. There’s a shift to a frenetic garage-psych pace before mellowing out into a more familiar doomy stomp. ‘Kepherer’ is a respite, albeit a slight one, returning to the pulsing rhythms of the album’s intro before plunging the listener into the menacing build and release of ‘Psychostasia’ next. Each oscillation of this extraordinary album feels inevitable - Ufomammut are after all, masters of their craft, and when it comes to creating enveloping sonic journeys into the unknown, it’s their uninhibited sense of exploration that breaches new sonic ground.

Fenice is the sound of a band whose very essence has been rejuvenated, and are welcoming the chance to create music in the way they know best; by unfolding carefully and attentively, by melding those extreme dynamics which render Fenice as a living and breathing creature - and by writing gargantuan riffs that herald their very rebirth.

A voice in the ether. A calm, clement drone. A gentle, pulsing throb. Like the ghost of a forgotten future as imagined by the distant past, Certain Creatures' sophomore LP Nasadiya Sukta is a study in timelessness - crystalline, heartfelt ambient music designed to push light through shadow. Nasadiya Sukta is the debut release on Mysteries of the Deep, a record label dedicated to total sensory immersion. Mysteries (as it's known colloquially and affectionately) launched in 2011 after a particularly fruitful late-night mixing session, first as a cult podcast series dedicated to narcotic music of all kinds, subsequently expanding into a series of seasonal events. Now, with the release of Nasadiya Sukta, Mysteries of the Deep becomes a full-fledged outlet for music to play in the dark. Certain Creatures is the alias of Brooklyn-based artist Oliver Chapoy, and Nasadiya Sukta was crafted especially for Mysteries of the Deep. Its genesis came when Grant Aaron, Mysteries' proprietor, tapped Chapoy to perform at Mysteries' Halloween event in 2015. His performance was the night's axis point, bridging earlier subdued sounds with late-night upbeat moods. Two years later, reworked and reconfigured, this performance is reborn as Nasadiya Sukta. Although divided into six tracks, Nasadiya coheres into a single extra-terrestrial mass, its beautiful understated elegance encouraging repeat listens. Simultaneously harking back to ambient classics from the '90s (you know who they are) while cementing Chapoy as a visionary artist with his own unique voice, Nasadiya Sukta is one for the space travellers indeed. Releases on Styles Upon Styles, Medical Records Label Promo + Tour

"Animist Pools" was released July 1, 2016 in a cassette limited edition on Human Pitch records. Originally released as "Hippies Wearing Muzzles", pseudonym of Lee Evans. "A shifting center in a stream of rippling analog tones, the music of Hippies Wearing Muzzles is orchestrated to transfix, echoing sounds heard in nature with modular synthesizers and the powerful element of chance. Evoking the Fourth World Music of Jon Hassel or the kosmische innovations of Cluster, Animist Pools marks its composer, Lee Evans’ first full-length release for Human Pitch. Accompanied its popping, glyphic art design and video, the project’s hypnotic aptitude is heightened to full-effect. Citing his background in painting as a chief influence on his musical approach and thought process, Evans composes with a strong sense of space––each sound an event in a slowly expanding landscape, zooming out to reveal a world of scale in which depth and contrast take precedent over rhythm and melody. Embracing the generative compositional nature of working with the modular synthesizer, Evans himself is the final filter through which all sounds pass. The boundary between programmed repetition and human choice is subtle, but detectable, highlighting Evans’ careful, nuanced guidance of his auto-compositions. The result is ultimately an improvised structure––a living, breathing, musical creature, acting on a mixture of impulse and memory. Animist Pools is a functional body of music for everyday human applications, with the implied invitation to tune out and back in at one’s discretion. The cleanly organized musical space of Animist Pools encourages a tidying up of the mind. On a psychoacoustic level it is one, breathing life into the dusty corners of one’s headspace. Animist Pools is an immersive, meditative, and therapeutic experience."

'Accosting Form, Pure Intent" - Nathaniel Young's new album for Mysteries of the Deep - is a contradiction that makes sense. At once raw and elegant, it emerges from a place of constraint and desire. Its individual tracks reflect this paradox as the album unlocks itself like a koan: a riddle that, once solved, dawns on the listener like an epiphany.

Metallic emanations in "Communal Dysphoria" and "Comfort in Form," interpolated with echo and reverb, arise from the void and disappear back into it, moving like scattered precipitation over rugged, rhythmic terrain. Certain tracks speak to certain influences: in "Extrasolar" and "May I Speak Candidly," drone is tempered by synth pads and wistful ambience. "Zion Waits for No One" brings to mind a sense of the Chthonic: a dark, primitive creature submerged. A monster from the loch that at times breaks through the still, watery surface.

Despite the assorted elements at work, a visceral quality binds everything together. Even the record's more subdued works are textured and tangible, at times balancing or playing against the serrated edges of its more structured pieces. Like all compelling works, the sounds here exist in a liminal space that is not entirely classifiable. Still, it is wholly cohesive in both its moodiness and its adeptness.


Releases on Umor Rex, Blankstairs, Phinery Tapes, Hospital Productions

Known for their breezy 80s sound and incredible live performances, fans have nicknamed the band's genre as "pregnant rock." Vanilla Villa is Sunset Rollercoaster's spacy second EP. An exploration on the idea of "Cute Prog Rock," Vanilla Villa tells the story of an alien creature who desires to take the human he has secretly fallen in love with to a villa, chilling and loving her there forever.

Having kicked off in Galway and then quickly on to Brisbane, we travel across the pond to Durham, to pick the brains of one dance music’s freshest minds and most exciting talents, Tommy 2000, for the all-encompassing GTOWN 003 - ‘2K Musik’.

5 tracks that will travel the length and breadth of your brain; from the epic opener and lead single, ‘Whales’, to the algebraic break sequences of ‘T-2000’, Tommy’s follow up to his debut EP on DJ Haus’ Dance Trax is about as mature a sound you could expect from any artist, let alone an 18 year old just dipping his toes in the water.

‘Whales’ leads the way as an almost orchestral breakbeat builder-style track that reaches its peak gradually and really takes us for a ride as we step into the world of 2K Musik. Following on from that, is the most classically-conventional track of the lot, ‘Baff’. The four to the floor backbone lulls the listener to be sucked into what is an entirely unique club track they’ve never even come close to hearing before. That is then spun on its head entirely when Tommy’s almost bookmark sound comes into play on the title track, ‘2K Musik’. Hammering us with breaks and unapologetic bass, this marriage of old school sounds with entirely dynamic arrangement and all around ingenuity tells us exactly what 2K Musik is all about.

We swap over to the B side then, without much of a break for air, and kick off with the ever-nautically themed ‘Tuna’. At this point, it’s more than evident that Tommy 2000 is entirely worthy of his placement as an artist that’s here to stay, as if he’s pulled us underwater to listen to what the sea creatures have to say to us. Totally transforming even more modern sounding breakbeat drum patterns and bending them to his will, GTOWN003 is almost like a portal into the mind of a music genius, not just an EP you sit down and listen to; this is an immersive exhibition into the world of Tommy 2000. The final stop on the line is ‘T-2000’. You want to stop and get off, but you can’t. Everytime you think you’ve got this track figured out, you haven’t. Snares coming crashing down and attacking the breaks just as you’ve began to comprehend the synthlines and pads that eb and flow off of each other as this crescendo takes us home and back to reality, as the needle lifts on what is only the beginning for one of dance music’s brightest stars on one of its realest labels.

GTOWN003 - 2K MusiK by Tommy 2000 lands on G TOWN RECORDS on June 24th. Are you Ready?

The Ice Warriors is the 39th story arc of the series Doctor Who consisting of 6 parts and ran in the 5th season. Parts 2 and 3 are considered lost and were animated for DVD release in 2013.

Plot: The TARDIS materializes on Earth, where humanity is fighting a new ice age. At Brittanicus Base, scientists are trying to use an ionic device to combat the advance of a glacier. When a giant humanoid creature is discovered nearby in the perpetual ice, additional complications arise as the ice warrior comes to life after thawing. It is the captain of a spaceship from Mars that crashed centuries ago. Varga also wants to revive his comrades and conquer Earth, since life is no longer possible on Mars. The Doctor and his companions must not only prevent Varga's plans but also save the base's crew from the approaching glacier....

On three LPs in a deluxe box set, fans can now relisten to the four surviving original TV episodes from 1967. The 140 gr. LPs come in the special color Molten Ice vinyl. Elaborately illustrated sleeves on top.

Mallrat's prized pop songwriting has become a beacon the music industry
eagerly follows, and on her debut album Butterfly Blue, she embodies the
spirit of its titular creature – but without the delicacy that keeps you at a
distance
Over a dozen clever and open-hearted tracks, Mallrat – aka Grace Shaw – draws
you in close and shows you the world through her wide, hopeful eyes...

Diabolical Death Metal titans BELPHEGOR unleash their twelfth studio album!

With “The Devils”, long-running Diabolical Death Metal titans BELPHEGOR unleash their twelfth studio album upon the masses, which proves to be one of the strongest and most elaborate records in the group’s career. Produced at renowned Fascination Studios with Jens Bogren (Kreator, Rotting Christ, At The Gates), “The Devils” sounds absolutely crushing and dynamic, sonically pushing the immense variety of the eight tracks to new heights. Blending German and English lyrics, lead single ‘Totentanz – Dance Macabre’ is as ferocious as it gets with its insane barrage of blast beats, spiteful lyrics, and sinister guitar melodies. ‘Glorifizierung des Teufels’ (= ‘Glorification of the Devil’) and ‘Virtus Asinaria – Prayer’ offer epic, mid-paced grandeur and chanted vocals and choirs adding new shades of black to their stylistic palette. The title-track or ‘Damnation – Höllensturz’ prove to be more complex pieces, shifting moods and tempos with ease and expanding BELPHEGOR’s blasphemous onslaught with fascinating twists and turns. Rounded off by impressive artwork created by Seth Siro Anton (Septicflesh, Nile, Paradise Lost), “The Devils” marks the band’s third collaboration with one of metal’s most prolific designers. Ultimately, “The Devils” is an album that musically builds upon BELPHEGOR’s trademark sound, in essence a combination of traditional death and black metal, deeply rooted in the 90’s, yet boasts with intricate compositions and detailed arrangements underlining their outstanding position within the international extreme metal circuit. Known as tirelessly touring band, BELPHEGOR currently presents a few of the new songs during an European tour with I Am Morbid and Hate before hitting South America in May/June 2022, and an intense festival season including Wacken Open Air, Bloodstock, Sweden Rock and many more.
Mix and mastering by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios Örebro, Sweden. Drum engineering by David Castillo at Fascination Street Studios in Stockholm.
Guitars, Bass and Vocals recorded by Jakob Klingsbigl at Studio Mischmaschine Oberalm, Austria.
Artwork by Seth Siro Anton

Midnight Runners comes to Razor-N-Tape with a 12" of Southern Hemisphere disco gold!

Harry Septiandry has been gaining traction with standout releases on Darker Than Wax and Star Creature under his Munir alias, and for his RNT debut he serves up four extra special reworks of obscure disco from his native Indonesia.

The source material would stump even the most savvy of ears, but Harry finds the universal in these rare gems, augmenting the grooves and preserving just the right bit of camp for super sunny spin!

Single sleeve, 12” 45rpm EP. 'Avocet Revisited' is a four track EP, commissioned by Earth recordings as a companion piece to Bert Jansch’s 1979 avian-themed masterstroke ‘Avocet’. Again drawing inspiration from the resplendence of birds native to British waters (Bert himself was a keen ornithologist), Earth invited this quartet of artists to each choose a species that particularly speaks to them, and base a track around it. The results have been universally graceful, evocative, and majestic - much like the creatures themselves. Fulmar - Drifting low and gliding high, the flight patterns of this gull-like creature are echoed in Edwyn Collins and Carwyn Ellis’s paean to the bird that spends most of its life airborne. Part waltz, part lullaby, ‘Fulmar’ is exquisite in its simplicity, with Carwyn’s elegant arrangements providing the perfect foil for Edwyn’s unmistakeable intonation. // Curlew - The opening of Modern Studies’ track - the call of the Curlew itself - is as recognisable as the looping feathered frame of its namesake. Perfectly showcasing the handsome orchestral arrangements that have become the group’s signature style, there is a lightness of touch here that evokes Virginia Astley’s ‘From Gardens Where We Feel Secure’. // Goosander - Another Scottish resident, both artist and avian. Unmistakably Alasdair Roberts, ‘Goosander’ is at once refined and somewhat feral; Alasdair’s picking supplemented by sighing organ drones and spartan electric guitar. // Golden Plover - Playing us out, Trembling Bells’ contribution has a Harvest feel - the last days of summer invoked by the warm refrain and gentle orchestration found on 'Golden Plover’. In another lifetime, this song - infused with the sounds of yesteryear - could very easily have made it onto the Wicker Man soundtrack… which should tell you all you need to know. A pagan hymn reimagined for the Scarfolk era! The band is joined by Callum Calderwood (violin), Rory Haye (vocals), Andrew Pattie (vocals) and Belle & Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson (12 string guitar). // Notes come courtesy of musician and keen twitcher, Karine Polwart, whose lyrical, prosaic turn of phrase brings the creatures here to life, as effortlessly as the songs themselves. Artwork again comes from Earth collaborator Hannah Alice (recently nominated for the Art Vinyl 2016) who has gifted each bird magnificent new plumage in her unique style.

Exotic Creatures of the Deep is the 21st studio album by Sparks and was originally released on 19th May 2008.

The album has been newly remastered for this LP reissue, which will be released on 180g heavyweight vinyl.

Nur ein Jahr nach ihrem letzten Album "Necro Sapiens" melden sich die dänischen Death-Metaller BAEST zurück und präsentieren ihre neue EP "Justitia". Mit 5 brandneuen Tracks macht die Band dort weiter, wo sie mit "Necro Sapiens" aufgehört hat und präsentiert ein weiteres Death Metal Meisterwerk der alten Schule. BAEST haben sich außerdem namhafte Unterstützung von den Größen der Death Metal-Szene Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder) und Sven de Caluwe (Aborted) geholt, die auf der EP ein hartes Vocal-Feature beisteuern.

Funny to think there was a time not so long ago when Stiff Richards was a name that required explanation - but not to you, of course, o punk connoisseur. This is your territory, after all. Music is your oxygen and the sound of the underground is your clarion call. You can explain the distinction between ‘Know Your Product’ and ‘No, You’re Product’. Hey, you’re probably pretty good-looking too. You know your shit, either way. So no wonder you’re drawn to this relative holy grail of modern garage rock - the 2017 self-titled debut album by the aforementioned Stiff Richards. Originally released on their own Stiff Records (and again by Legless in 2020), it lays down all the elements that made last year’s mighty ‘State of Mind’ LP such an instant classic. OK, we’ve established you know the drill, but let’s recap: scintillating Aus-punk that recalls the heroic high-speed riffs of their countrymen The Saints and Radio Birdman. It sounds like Royal Headache covering Motörhead, or maybe the other way around. It’s a full-on riot in 30 minutes - the rawest of rock’n’roll bleeding into the grimiest of power chords with hooks for days. You already know you’re gonna love it. Whether going full-throttle and aiming straight for the nerve receptors that get your head a-nodding and your toes a-tapping - like on sub-three-minute highlight ‘Strung Out’ - or sludgin’ their way through groovier cuts like ‘Bustin’ Out’, they’re never less than a treat that’s guaranteed to get your serotonin flowing and your speakers up to 11 (or beyond). As a certain similarly-named record label once said, if it ain’t Stiff, it ain’t worth a fuck. Frightfully rude, but that’s rock music for you, I suppose. Get it in your ears.

Nachdem sich die afro-kubanisch französischen Zwillinge Lisa-Kaindé und Naomi Díaz 2015 auf ihrem selbstbetitelten Debütalbum mit ihrer Familiengeschichte, dem Tod und ihrer Herkunft beschäftigten und auf dem Nachfolger "Ash" (2017) von Rassismus, Weiblichkeit und Aktivismus sangen, schlagen sie nun das nächste Kapitel ihres musikalischen Schaffens auf. Mit ihrem neuen Album "Spell 31", das am 6. Mai auf XL Recordings erscheint, kehren sie zu ihren spirituellen Wurzeln zurück. Harmonie, Heilung und Magie sind die zentralen Themen von "Spell 31". Es ist kein Zufall, dass dieses Album gerade jetzt erscheint - in einer Welt, die dringend spirituelle Heilung benötigt. Die 10 Songs von "Spell 31" wurden von Ibeyi 2021 geschrieben. Produziert und aufgenommen wurde das Album mit XL Recordings-Chef Richard Russell, der auch an den beiden Vorgängern beteiligt war. Neben den Zwillingen sind darauf Jorja Smith, Pa Salieu, BERWYN, sowie Ibeyis Vater, Mutter und eine Neuinterpretation von Black Flags "Rise Above" zu hören. Mit der Albumankündigung erscheint die neue Single "Sister 2 Sister", die von ihrem Leben als Schwestern, sowie ihren Latinx Wurzeln inspiriert ist und ein Sample der Single "River" vom Debütalbum beinhaltet. Das Video zum Song inszenierte Regisseur Colin Solal Cardo.

FOR FANS OF:
Airto Moreira, Gilberto Gil, Chick Corea, George Duke, Jorge Ben, Sabrina Malheiros, Hermeto Pascoal, Chico Buarque, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Carlos Santana, Jose Neto, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Milton Nascimento


First new studio album in over 15 years by the “Queen Of Brazilian Jazz” Musician line-up includes Airto Moreira, Jose Neto, Diana Purim and Celso Alberti.

One of the all-time greats of Brazilian jazz fusion, Flora Purim, returns with her first studio album in over 15 years, ‘If You Will’, released on Strut on 29th April.
Conceived as a celebration of her music and collaborations, the album explores new compositions alongside fresh versions of Flora’s favourite personal songs and positive lyrics from across her varied career. Title track ‘If You Will’ reprises a song from her inspired collaborations with George Duke: “You will find... good love, real joy, so much peace of mind, if you will…”; the resilient ‘This Is Me’ updates an Airto jam band tune ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Myself Again’; ‘500 Miles High’ marks the heyday of the late Chick Corea’s Return To Forever band and ‘Zahuroo’ interprets a song by Claudia Villela about “a shapeshifting animal creature, a messenger who acts as a bridge between our thoughts and the universe.” A family affair recorded primarily in Curitiba and Sao Paulo, ‘If You Will’ brings together many of Flora’s closest circle of musicians including Airto Moreira, guitarist José Neto, her daughter Diana Purim on vocals and percussionist Celso Alberti.
The album is the latest chapter in Flora’s long, illustrious and varied career. As well as her celebrated partnership with Airto and her early days with Quarteto Novo, Flora has worked with Stan Getz, Gil Evans, Miriam Makeba, George Duke, Chick Corea (as an original member of Return To Forever), Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra, Uruguayan band Opa and many more. Her solo albums on Milestone remain true jazz fusion classics.
‘If You Will’ is released on CD, LP and digital, supported by a full international PR and marketing campaign worldwide. The album was co-produced by Flora Purim and Roberta Cutolo with package photos by Mel Gabardo in Brazil and cover illustration by Gabriela Barbalho.

FOR FANS OF:
Airto Moreira, Gilberto Gil, Chick Corea, George Duke, Jorge Ben, Sabrina Malheiros, Hermeto Pascoal, Chico Buarque, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Carlos Santana, Jose Neto, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Milton Nascimento

First new studio album in over 15 years by the “Queen Of Brazilian Jazz” Musician line-up includes Airto Moreira, Jose Neto, Diana Purim and Celso Alberti.

One of the all-time greats of Brazilian jazz fusion, Flora Purim, returns with her first studio album in over 15 years, ‘If You Will’, released on Strut on 29th April.
Conceived as a celebration of her music and collaborations, the album explores new compositions alongside fresh versions of Flora’s favourite personal songs and positive lyrics from across her varied career. Title track ‘If You Will’ reprises a song from her inspired collaborations with George Duke: “You will find... good love, real joy, so much peace of mind, if you will…”; the resilient ‘This Is Me’ updates an Airto jam band tune ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Myself Again’; ‘500 Miles High’ marks the heyday of the late Chick Corea’s Return To Forever band and ‘Zahuroo’ interprets a song by Claudia Villela about “a shapeshifting animal creature, a messenger who acts as a bridge between our thoughts and the universe.” A family affair recorded primarily in Curitiba and Sao Paulo, ‘If You Will’ brings together many of Flora’s closest circle of musicians including Airto Moreira, guitarist José Neto, her daughter Diana Purim on vocals and percussionist Celso Alberti.
The album is the latest chapter in Flora’s long, illustrious and varied career. As well as her celebrated partnership with Airto and her early days with Quarteto Novo, Flora has worked with Stan Getz, Gil Evans, Miriam Makeba, George Duke, Chick Corea (as an original member of Return To Forever), Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra, Uruguayan band Opa and many more. Her solo albums on Milestone remain true jazz fusion classics.
‘If You Will’ is released on CD, LP and digital, supported by a full international PR and marketing campaign worldwide. The album was co-produced by Flora Purim and Roberta Cutolo with package photos by Mel Gabardo in Brazil and cover illustration by Gabriela Barbalho.

On the STAR CREATURE distributed DISKOVER RECORDS this 5 track EP finds MUNIR (AKA MIDNIGHT RUNNERS) on a deep dive global disco adventure. MUNIR unearthed, tuned, toned and freaked these tracks. Space, Italo, Freak Out, Punk Funk, and Love Boat. With jacket. Don't sleep on this one.

Italy’s up and coming power rock trio Cripta Blue were
formed in 2019 by members of bands like Desert
Wizard, Rising Dark and Talismanstone.

 Being no strangers to the heavy music scene, the trio
skilfully play an enthralling and vibrant blend of dark
though funky and fuzzy psych rock, jamming heavy
power blues and a remarkable primordial sound of
NWOBHM doom.

 Cripta Blues‘ debut full-album has the psychedelic
mood you can’t help but to dive into, with gloomy lyrics
and the hint of a cult horror classic. The baritone
vocals of frontman and bassist Andrea Giuliani are
shrouded by acid and fuzz rock soundscapes, full of
power blues and with the soul of doom.
 Andrea Giuliani says: “Our dark creature is finally
alive. Our personal blend of doom and psych rock
looks back on the past. On the exciting wild end 60’s
and the dark early 70’s with their proto type of heavy
rock and doom metal. We use no occult lyrics, but
instead distorted and horrible metaphors of what it
means to taste life and to live it sinking deep,
surrounded by the living dead.”

 ‘Tombstone’ features Witchwood-vocalist Ricky Dal
Pane.

 For fans of Blue Cheer, Witchfinder General, Budgie,
Cream, The Stooges, Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath,
MC5, Iron Claw, Motorhead, Vanilla Fudge, May Blitz,
Mountain, Pentagram, The Obsessed.

 LP pressed on red vinyl

Twice JUNO-nominated and two-time Polaris Prize listed, Toronto's soul songstress Tanika Charles unveils her album "Papillon de Nuit: The Night Butterfly".

"Papillon de Nuit: The Night Butterfly" is the third studio album from Canadian Soul/R&B powerhouse Tanika Charles and is slated to be released worldwide on Milan-based Record Kicks label on April 08th. Composed and recorded while in and out of lockdowns, "Papillon de Nuit" is an album anchored in growth and maturity. The thematic inspiration came from an unlikely source, a creature that soars after the sun sets, but often goes unnoticed until the light shines on it. It is the "papillon de nuit" to some, but drably referred to as a moth by others, revealing a bias in language alone.

"I always thought it was a strange insect. Once while in Paris, a friend swatted at one and I asked: 'Was that a moth?'. I was told: 'No, that's a papillon de nuit.' I thought that was the most beautiful description for this otherwise overlooked creature. When I later learned of the symbolism associated with it, I felt that really spoke to both my own situation and also what we've all been going through." Production on "Papillon de Nuit" was helmed by a mixture of old and new collaborators. The Safe Spaceship Records production team, consisting of Scott McCannell (Lydia Persaud, Claire Davis), Ben MacDonald and Chino de Villa (re.verse, Jessie Reyez), produced four songs on the album. The group also assisted as session musicians for songs produced by newcomer Todd "HiFiLo" Pentney (Allison Au Quartet, JUNO Award winner). "The Gumption" contributor Kevin Henkel ("Tell Me Something", "Look At Us Now") returned with three compositions, and old friend Jesse Bear (Sean Kingston, Stan Walker) contributed to one song.

Following the success of "Soul Run" (2016/17) and "The Gumption" (2019), Tanika had found a comfortable pace of releasing albums then hitting the road the following year to bring her show to new markets far and wide. So when things changed for all of us, and plans of touring "The Gumption" properly fell through, there was a realization that getting to work on the next project was the healthiest choice to make.

"I was in some dark places. My energy was stagnant and the only reliable constant was this perpetual uncertainty. I had gone from feeling like I was everywhere to only being in one place. From seeing so many new faces, to only my own, in the mirror, everyday and having to face that. Getting back to work on music allowed me to explore these feelings through the format I know best. And I wanted to make sure that when things were ready to resume, I'd be ready with something new for my audience too."

Tanika, who took part in the writing of most of the album, was also assisted by regular co-writer Robert Bolton ("Soul Run", "Remember to Remember") and accomplished solo performer Tafari Anthony (Priyanka, of RuPaul's Drag Race). Featured guests include the multi-disciplinary artist Khari McClelland and rising Toronto rapper, DijahSB. Both Dakarai Morris-James (Joanna Majoko, BeBe Zahara Benet) and Sean "D/SHON" Henderson ("Love Overdue", Serena Ryder) assisted with vocal arrangements across multiple songs.


"I think this album represents my best work to date. And yet, it also represents me coming to terms with who I am as an artist. For the first time I think I've actually accepted my own voice. I can hear beyond the imperfections, and I realized that when paired with the right music, it can sound pretty good. I still have my doubts and my dark places, but a little less of them."

Back in 1968, a pair of Germanic behind-the-scenes sound
librarians called Horst Ackermann and Heribert Thusek left a
tiny but indelible pinprick on the history of German Pop in the
misshaped form of a sexy horror cash-in concept album called
‘Dracula’s Music Cabinet’. Shelved at a micro-cosmic axis
where Krautrock meets lesbian vampire Horrortica and easy
listening meets psychedelia, the delayed reaction of this mutant
concoction eventually exploded in the mid-1990s in the hands of
a generation of ‘record diggers’ sending currency-crushing
tremors through the wallets of mods, rockers, hip hoppers and
psych nuts around the plastic-pillaging planet. The vinyl junkies
had resurrected a monster but, like addicts do, they ravenously
sucked it dry and moved on looking for the next fix to feed their
habit.

Luckily for some, Ackermann and Thusek were also creatures
of habit. And it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that they
were holding the next dose, but by the turn of the millennium
the mad scientists had been given a thirty-five-year head start
on the pop archaeologists and their mythical sequel was literally
light-years ahead of their previous draconian instalment.
Encouragingly, the unclosed cabinet left a shiny white clue in
the form of its closing track ‘Frankenstein Meets Alpha 7’.

The Ackermann and Thusek duo were far from dynamic. They
were undercover agents hiding behind user-friendly mock-rock
monikers and, like most B-Musicians, the only way to sniff them
out would be to read the small print. But when an unidentified
record on an unknown label with a title like ‘Science Fiction
Dance Party’ crops up in the Eins Deutschmark crates it’s not
exactly rocket science - although the track titles might suggest
otherwise. ‘The End Of A Robot’, ‘Monster On Saturn 1’,
‘Galactic Adventures Of The Outer Space Fleet’, ‘The Whistling
Astronauts’, ‘Death Rays Out Of The Universe’… The tell-tale
signs are all there and if that doesn’t clench the deal then what
will?

Even rarer than its horror counterpart, this ultra-rare record
regularly reaches sums in excess of €400 plus online.

Chris Imler likes to play drums standing up. He‘s the dandy with the killer offbeat, or, as one major German newspaper once put it, the "Grand Seigneur of the Berlin Underground". He has been making his mark on countless Berlin musical affairs since long before the fall of the Wall, with The Golden Showers, Peaches, Oum Shatt, Driver &Driver, Die Türen, Jens Friebe, to name but a few. He has also been perfoming across Europe as a solo artist for the past decade.

In "Operation Schönheit" (German for "Operation Beauty"), he has recorded his most, well, beautiful album to date. But Benedikt Frey's warm production subverts its own beauty with a multitude of clanking and ingling synth sounds, making the work very much about the cosmetic surgery it performs on itself. It's all in the tradition of the more experimental and electronic side of post-punk in which Imler and his unique groove are rooted. It doesn't take insider knowledge of Berlin's post-punk underground to realise that that Imler groove consists of rhythm that sings, vocals that dance and a look that fits, as illustrated by "Disappoint Me", his latest video: https://youtu.be/YeVJ75ljjB8

Elsewhere - such as in "Movies" - the rhythm sings, less electronically reduced, into the acoustics of an old, high-ceilinged Berlin apartment; metal clatters, a zither trembles and Imler plays with the metronome. Sometimes he moves ahead of time, sometimes trails behind it. He always manages to be in his very own groove, which carries everything along. And this is precisely the essence of the Imler rhythm, which lends itself to being applied to the very rhythm of life: Stretch and compress your time and loop it according to your own groove! Optimise nothing but feel everything! And dance to it! Even when contemplating everyday information overload, as Imler's high-speed mumbling suggests in the hectic yet smooth opening track "Temperature".

But being the ultimate night owl he is, Imler manages to make even the odd bout of paranoia seem like a good thing: like some kind of krauty, groovy B-horror-soundtrack-inflected high-pressure environment, "Whip Me" is a cross between Conrad Schnitzler and Bauhaus. In the title track, whose lyrics were written together with Jens Friebe, he intones: "You want to be something greater / You break your leg / When it heals again / You break it again" and sounds like the most gleeful fatalist you can imagine. Because in his city, one can still lose oneself better than anywhere else - a night easily becomes a whole universe that can be traversed, marvelled at and played with, and one might find one's old self again only when hearing "church bells" and "small birds singing". At least that's how Imler illustrates it in "Emptiness full of stars", and it seems likely that those "stars" are the human companions of the Berlin night in question.

And so once again Imler becomes Berlin's most important cultural ambassador: that scene of the eternally, and somehow successfully, failing creatures of the night, once the envy of the international postmodern bohème, has, despite many claims to the contrary, not been completely "optimised away", and its attitude to life is perfectly summed up in Imler's groove. And, of course, his look. "Schau Hin" (German for "Look!"), he sings in the track of the same name, masterfully dubbed out with the help of Melbourne's Leo James.

Quite right! Look - and listen.

Yours, Johannes von Weizsäcker (The Chap)

Perfect Location Records in close collaboration with Cherushii’s family is proud to present Nobody’s Fool, Starlight Express, and Manic on vinyl for the first time as 3 EPs. Originally released by Cherushii on her Bandcamp in 2015 and 2016, these 3 EPs encompass the radiant love, fluent creativity, and unapologetic joviality of not only the musical world of Cherushii, but also the person behind the music.

The hand-drawn artwork, which has become iconically synonymous with the Cherushii sound, are original creations by Cherushii’s sister, Sabrina Fox. With this reissue, we offer a continuation of the same visual candy with a new front cover by Sabrina: the nudibranch pattern. Chosen by Sabrina after a dream visitation, the nudibranch is a curious, resilient creature which harnesses its profound coloration to flourish in the oceanic infinity. It can only do so, however, once it sheds its shell.

Inside of 3 EPs you will find the original covers belonging to Nobody’s Fool, Starlight Express, and Manic as gloss sleeves for the respective EP.

3 EPs also features some of Cherushii’s talented friends and mentors, from her production with Golden Donna, lyrics by her longtime friend Kara Marie, and an appearance by her childhood music teacher Marcia Miget, to remixes by 100% SILK all-stars Bobby Browser and Magic Touch.

It is our hope that this vinyl reissue, with its beautiful, large gloss prints of Sabrina’s artwork, will further disseminate the legacy of Cherushii while contributing to the posthumous archive of a musical mastermind, viciously devoted and missed friend, and beloved sister.

In loving memory of Chelsea Faith 1983-2016









i F1 Manic (Magic Touch Mix feat. Colored Craig) Vinyl Edit









i F1 Manic (Magic Touch Mix feat. Colored Craig) Vinyl Edit

Don your bandanas, leather jackets and distressed jeans, because heavy metal is about to shine brighter than ever as Swedish newcomers BOMBER bring back the hottest era in hard rock history. Asserting their own trademark blend of 70s and 80s inspired classic and hard rock with catchy hooks, top-notch guitar solos and a vibrant aesthetic, BOMBER brings you their debut album, Nocturnal Creatures, via Napalm Records! After explosive live shows in Sweden and a subsequent tour of Germany, the hard rockers prove that the glorious era of rock isn’t over and that they’re already setting the highest standards on Nocturnal Creatures. On ten powerful tracks, BOMBER turns the night into an intoxicating adventure that convinces both old and new fans of the prominent classic and hard rock genre. Album opener and title track “Nocturnal Creatures” opens the gates with epic storytelling and interludes the following passionate ride through “Zarathustra”. With fiery vocals, melodic guitars and untamable drum-play, the track gets the listener’s pulse pumping, while “Fever Eyes” ensnares with wistful weeping choirs and guarantees a quickly increasing temperature. “Black Pants Magic” emerges into an unforgettable high-class rock experience through its industrious and catchy hook, while songs like “A Walk Of Titans (Hearts Will Break)” and “You’ve Got Demons” surprise with dynamic melodies and Anton Sköld’s powerful voice. On “The Tiger”, BOMBER send their listeners right into the eye of a raging thunderstorm of riffs driven by brilliant grooves, while “Kassiopeia” sets the strings on fire with its marvelous solos. Bursting album closer “Aurora” presents Nocturnal Creatures’ crowning achievement, bringing the 40-minute escapade to the edge of the world. With their new studio album, Nocturnal Creatures, the rising stars of Sweden establish a milestone in the legacy of hard rock that leads the once so majestic genre to new glory – marked by their very own special vision!

Following the release of Collision and Coalescence, Slovakian label mappa commits to the duo Grykë Pyje, releasing their third LP "Squirlich Stroll". Maintaining the fabled tone of their debut on the label, Jani Hirvonen (Uton) and Johannes Schebler (Baldruin) dig deeper into the sonic vein of myth and fabric of yonder. The music in "Squirlich Stroll" unravels as a yarn brought back from a wild voyage.

On uncharted areas of medieval maps where potential dangers were thought to exist, the inscription "Here be dragons" was used to warn as much as to tempt explorers willing to cross limits. Myth awaited them as a blank page of dormant territory, yet also to be proved unlike and reinvented. In such pliable borders, wonder had the favorable conditions to blend experience and imagination, crafting creatures with an eye instead of a bellybutton, arms instead of ears and ears instead of fingers, hypnotizing spirals where a mouth should have been. These chimeras, though fictitious, allowed explorers to express their delusions along with their fears. "Here be dreams", we hear nightmares. Here be mushrooms the size of pyramids that sing lullabies for mountains. Here be talking roads that lead to volcanoes throats and spit you back to flight. Here be art of bending trees into braided bridges like in Meghalaya, and the time gap between seed and living ruins.

Let that be the compass, the astrolabe. Yet, the music in Squirlich Stroll comes with these journeys already embraced, unraveling as a story told by wanderers visiting town, nourishing fantasy. The sonic language and diction employed here are crystal clear. Sounds are sharp and pure. Growls, howls, shrieks, tingles, rattles, moans, excretions and even hymns sung by landscape and creatures alike do not run over each other. There is no chaos, but ambience, cohabitation. The duo masters dramaturgy, providing every voice with focused turns and character, guarding their parley with caution and care, convoking them mainly through soothing synth melodies that enable an analgesic, sedative mood. Clusters of sounds gathered are articulated through the album with the inherent luminosity and required stability to accomplish what peaks in, as the title of the final track reads, a new dawn.

Upon completion of the Stu Cook produced Roky Erickson & The Aliens LP in the summer of 1979, Roky decided to return home to Austin from San Francisco

He needed a band and The Explosives came highly recommended to Roky's manager, Craig Luckin - Introductions were made and rehearsals began. Roky & The Explosives immediately hit it off, musically and personally. They played together in Texas and California from 1979-1981 logging in around 50 shows.
13th Floor Elevators drummer John Ike Walton remarked to Explosives drummer Freddie Steady Krc "You guys played more shows with Roky than the Elevators did!" The guys got in the van and barnstormed all over the Lone Star State.
Bootleg recordings began to emerge that were sub- quality live performance recordings that everyone was making money off except Roky and The Explosives.
Craig and Freddie agreed Freddie would review all the recordings they could find from 1979-81. Almost all were in Craig's possession. Upon final review, Freddie would select the best performance of each song they were playing live from that time period. Some like 'Heroin' and 'I've Just Seen a Face' were called on the spot by Roky at a show, performed once and never played again. After the music was selected, Craig and Freddie went through their personal collection of photos,
poster images and added a complete show itinerary from 1979-81.
'Halloween' is a loving collection of performances documenting a time of Roky's re- emergence into the rock music world. It was something most thought they would never see after his final days with 13th Floor Elevators, following drug busts and his plunge into mental illness eventually ending in his stay at Rusk State Mental Hospital. This record is a testimony of Roky's personal strength and will to return to performing and songwriting. Long live his music!

Before the very popular thrashy death metal band Legion Of The Damned was formed, with albums out on Massacre and Napalm Records, vocalist Maurice Swinkels and drummer Erik Fleuren played in the more brutal extreme blackened death metal band Occult.

 Hailing from Geldrop, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands, the already very extreme barking voice of Swinkels was supported by female vocalist Rachel with an even more brutal grunt. After two studio albums on the Dutch label Foundation 2000 they were on the search for an international record deal and they recorded two demos to achieve that goal.

The first four songs on this album come from a rehearsal room session in 1997, and the last five songs were recorded in the small Harrow Studios in 1998. It resulted in a deal with the German Massacre Records label, and Occult’s third studioalbum, ‘Of Flesh And Blood’, saw the light in 1999.

Now you can finally hear, for the first time, most of these songs in their original, raw and rough demoversions.
For fans of Desaster, Absu, Deicide, Usurper, Vader, Sinister, Skeletonwitch, Goatwhore, Destroyer 666.

Desiderii Marginis, Troum, Martin Bladh & Karolina Urbaniak and Anemone Tube, who have gathered to pay homage to the first four novels of British writer J.G. Ballard: »The Wind from Nowhere«, »The Drowned World«, »The Drought and The Crystal World«, which are often seen as disaster novels. Each of the four projects presents a very unique take on the chosen work, using the respective text as a starting point to offer sonic representations of and (further) perspectives on these books, using drones, field recordings, words and much more to create evocative and richly layered soundscapes.

Adorned by a painting of German artist Alex Tennigkeit depicting a sphinx-like hybrid creature, a phoenix rising from the ashes of our civilization, the double album also includes an in-depth essay by Michael Göttert (African Paper) on Ballard's works in which he argues that the novels can best be understood as texts of transformation, as well as texts by the sound artists.

The double album starts with Desiderii Marginis' track “The Wind From Nowhere”, on which field recordings and intense drones suck the listener into a stormy vortex. Troum interpret The Drowned World, and their two dynamic tracks illustrate both the changes happening to the (outer) landscape and the (inner) world of the protagonists. Martin Bladh & Karolina Urbaniak make use of sound and words on “The Poisoned Well”, their interpretation of The Drought, referring to Shakespeare, the Bible and scorched earth policy amongst other points of reference. The album closes with Anemone Tube's take on The Crystal World, using field recordings made in Japan’s Mount Fuji forest. “Sea Of Trees” aims to show a devolutionary process, in which man gains access to his actual spiritual home – a primordial wisdom, which lets him discover an internal non-dual space, allowing to ultimately becoming one with the earth as body-being consciousness – the ‘perfect dream’ landscape.

Christian Lee Hutson starts his new album Quitters with a laugh. In this follow up to his ANTI Records debut, Beginners, Hutson moves away from a focus on growing up to the dread and complications of growing older. Written under lock down, the laugh that announces Quitters is the kind you'll find at the end of John Huston films, one of resignation and release, and somehow a cosmic laugh that says "California," a place where lonely people gather together like birds. The song "Rubberneckers" follows the story a romance from beginning to break?up, with backing vocals by Phoebe Bridges, who returns as producer along with Conor Oberst. Quitters is a departure from the digital recording of his debut. Hutson shares, "With this record, Phoebe and Conor had an idea that it would be fun to make it to tape. Phoebe is my best friend and making Beginners with her was so comfortable and easy. So I wanted to work with her again and Conor is someone who I really respect as a lyricist." If every great record is a world, then this is Christian Lee Hutson's world. It's one filled with the fuzzy haze of a dream, and the half-remembered moments of a for?gotten life. It's a record brave enough to say, In the good old days, when times were bad. But beyond the songs, it is this voice. The voice of someone who was alive in 2021 and recorded a group of songs with his friends for us to hear.

All (label, artist and distribution) proceeds of this next record will go to UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agencys' emergency interventions in Ukraine.

Third and closing chapter of the Oyster Tribe series, the revised single edition of Brent Lewis ‘1739’ oozes a mix of breezy outback dreamtime, red earth funk and sun-baked drum virtuosity. Originally issued in 2004 as part of his self-released ‘Drumsex’ album, Lewis’ mystique-imbued tune sculpts a tripped-out hybrid jam out of spoon percs and folk-infused broken beat; and who better than OZ home-boys FIO and Fantastic Man to add their masters' spin to that totemic chugger.

Whilst FIO cranks the BPMs a notch further and beefs up the bass to turn the OG mix into a serious contender for countryside banger of the year, Fantastic Man plays havoc with the whole of Lewis track’s DNA sequence, slicing, dicing and re-hashing its bits and bobs over and over again to form a Southerner variant of the Frankenstein creature, all sight set on busting dancefloors by the dozen.

Ichiko Aoba’s albums have only been available as expensive Japanese imports, until now. In November, Ba Da Bing will release Windswept Adan on 2xLP in North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, with deluxe packaging.

After creating her label, hermine, last year to celebrate her tenth
anniversary in music, Aoba released the most complex and rewarding
work of her career, 2020’s Windswept Adan. While audiences in
the west are only just learning she exists, her accomplishments are
unquestionable; she contributed to the soundtrack for The Legend of
Zelda: Link’s Awakening, was cited by Owen Pallett as an inspiration
(“I’ve never been so blindsided by a musician as I was by Ichiko
Aoba”), and has collaborated with the likes of Haruomi Hosono,
Cornelius (who met her only two years after she first picked up a
guitar and was blown away), Ryuichi Sakamoto, and recently Mac
DeMarco.
Ichiko Aoba’s iconic voice and classical guitar playing are
immediately recognizable, timeless sounds. Windswept Adan,
envisioned as a soundtrack for a fictional film, builds its own world with
sweeping co-production and arrangements from Taro Umebayashi,
which “recall the Wes Anderson scores of Mark Mothersbaugh or
the cinematographic swells of American composer Jherek Bischoff”
(Bandcamp). It’s the story of a young girl sent to the island of Adan, a
place where there are no words.
While international listeners of Aoba may not understand the words
she sings, and despite the central importance of lyrics in her writing,
it’s a testament to the power Aoba wields that one can resonate so
deeply with her work. No matter the breadth of her sonic palette, and
on Adan her scope is as wide and encompassing as Joanna Newsom’s
on Have One On Me, Aoba manifests an intimacy that makes one feel
in the room with her.
Ichiko Aoba’s work gained greater exposure in the past year as the
need for comfort grew while the world sequestered in solitude. She
has a rare musical gift that is matched only by her ability to hone it
into meticulous craft. Her music embraces and elevates alone time to a
generous and tranquil place. In it, listeners are invited to feel a sense of
consolation and possibility. The magic she imparts yields articles like
“Ichiko Aoba and the emotion of space during the pandemic;” in other
words, her effect is singular.

"Social injustices are implanted into our society, and the powerful are not willing to make way for real change. Urgency is the force driving us both in musical improvisation and life. Our sounds are war sirens against an ongoing disaster."- Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici

Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici's 'No Surrender' is a strong and uncut manifest against social injustices, packed into screaming feedbacks and towering drones. Grab lures tender noises and pulsating frequencies from his fragile no-input-mixing-setup, while Giudici adds linear and visceral guitar drones, opening a dialogue between the two musicians, the room, and the surrounding context. Together, they create a uniquely soft but angry musical creature that feeds from emotions of loss and anger to become a haunting call for change.

The album's cover presents a portrait of 'Madame Rochat' by photographer and film maker Aline d'Auria. The seemingly indestructible concierge was stripped from her home of half a century on the day of her retirement. Still, she persistently continued to fight for the working class' rights. '

Focusing on reduction and the peculiarity of self-referential systems, Simon Grab plays fragile feedbacks, pulsating drones and opulent outbursts of noise on a no-input-mixing setup. His has previously released"Posthuman Species" and "Extinction" on -OUS, while "Diamonds", a collaboration with Togolese rapper Yao Bobby and Asian Dub Foundation's Dhangsha, came out via LavaLava.

Experimental musician and sociologist Francesco Giudici plays guitar in bands and creates music for films, installations and theatre pieces. He has released three albums with his band 'Black Fluo' on PulverUndAsche Records. His research as sociologist and demographer focuses on social and economic inequalities, social gradient in health, gender inequalities, occupational and familiar life trajectories.

There’s an ancient Japanese legend in which a horde of demons, ghosts and other terrifying ghouls descend upon the sleeping villages once a year. Known as Hyakki Yagyō, or the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, one version of the tale states that anyone who witnesses this otherworldly procession will die instantly—or be carried off by the creatures of the night. As a result, the villagers hide in their homes, lest they become victims of these supernatural invaders.

Such is the inspiration for the latest album from EARTHLESS. “My son is really into mythical creatures and old folk stories about monsters and ghosts,” bassist Mike Eginton explains. “We came across the ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’ in a book of traditional Japanese ghost stories. I like the idea of people hiding and being able to hear the madness but not see it. It’s the fear of the unknown.”

Whereas 2018’s Black Heaven featured shorter songs and vocals from guitarist Isaiah Mitchell on much of the album—an unprecedented move for the San Diego power trio—their latest is a return to the epic instrumentals EARTHLESS made their unmistakable name on. Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons is comprised of two monster songs—the 41-minute, two-part title track and the 20-minute “Death To The Red Sun.”

The scenario that allowed for this kind of exploration was a stark contrast to that of Black Heaven. At that point, Mitchell was living in the Bay Area, which made it difficult for the band to get together and work on the type of long instrumental pieces they’re known for. But in March 2020, the guitarist moved back to San Diego. More specifically, he moved back the night the pandemic lockdown kicked in. Bad timing, perhaps—or maybe perfect timing.

Plus, they were all on the same page about not wanting to do another record with vocals. “In a way, I think this album was a reaction to our last record,” Eginton says. “Black Heaven was outside our comfort zone. I think it was a good record, but it was challenging to write songs in a more traditional verse-chorus-verse format. This one was more enjoyable. I’m sure we’ll do more vocal tracks in the future, but for the time being I see that album as a one-off.”

Given the record’s inspiration, it should come as no surprise that Night Parade of One Hundred Demons strikes a more sinister tone than the rest of the band’s catalogue. “It definitely has a darker, almost evil kind of vibe compared to stuff we’ve done in the past,” Rubalcaba says. “There’s more paranoia and noise, and some of Isaiah’s whammy-bar stuff kind of reminds me of these Jeff Hanneman moments in Reign In Blood, where it just seems like everything is going to hell. It’s pretty fun.”

Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was recorded in San Diego with Rubalcaba’s childhood friend Ben Moore, who’s worked with everyone from DIAMANDA GALAS and BURT BACHARACH to CEREMONY and HOT SNAKES. When Eginton wasn’t tracking his bass parts, he worked on the album’s incredible sleeve art. “He really dedicated himself to the project,” Rubalcaba says. “He’d be drawing in the studio with, like, a coal-miner’s lamp on his head while we were doing overdubs. He really knocked it out of the park.”

All told, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons isn’t just a return to the band’s traditional format—it’s a return to their very beginnings. “This album actually has the very first Earthless riff in it,” Eginton reveals. “We just recorded it 20 years after we wrote it. But we’re really happy with how this record came out. We feel it might be our finest to date.”

To many AxH represents one of the few out there who has held underground strong through the many peaks and valleys of Dubstep, and as such pushed the sound forward all the while. Through Releases on Artikal, Boka, Tempa, and many more AxH has year over year maintained his position as the stateside stalwart. LoDubs is pleased to bring forth three new tunes emblematic of the AxH DNA: Fearsome, at times Frenetic, yet always forward thinking.

September 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of Dome of Doom. Collecting 30 tracks spanning from 2011-2021, label founder Wylie Cable put together Decade of Doom as a reflection of the first pillar in a long and continuing story—and the many phases the label has experienced thus far. Decade of Doom comprehensively serves as a homage to many of the artists, people and experiences that tell the label’s story, splintering outward toward an abundance of communities that continue to nourish one another. These tentacles all leading back to the hand-selection of releases Cable has diligently been at the heart of since the first vinyl and cassettes were pressed.



[c] A3 Kenny Segal – Worlds To Run [VIP Dub]






















[z] D26 QRTR – And Still [Interlude]

$ (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 1971 movie of the same name. The soundtrack was composed and produced by Jazz legend Quincy Jones and includes performances from Roberta Flack, Little Richard and Doug Kershaw. This version will be the first repressing since 2002, and will be pressed the color of money on mint green vinyl.

Adam Arthur's tunes like "Down Down Falling Down" are pure somnambulist groove, a uniquely bizarre form of hypnosis that drifts through the dream state into our realm and back, deeply interdimensional. The loose and dirty power of "When I Touch You" still surprises me every time I hear it, the most gentle yet powerful and compelling sleazy house song I can imagine. Many of his sides are represented here, including his experimental formless ambient side in the shape of "Tearing the Television Sky" and the digital bonus track "The Forbidden Creature". "The Bard's Tale" closes the EP and balances his hypnotic dream state logic with Azerbaijani Mugham music in something that feels like it would be equally at home on Livity Sound. Live the dream with his debut release on Interdimensional Transmissions.

The third entry in Lucy's trio of adventurous full-lengths is visually introduced by artwork of a pearl-bearing shell, designed by Stroboscopic Artefacts' resident visual artist (and Lucy's brother) Ignazio Mortellaro. This drops a subtle hint as to the nature of its contents: just as a pearl slowly forms within its enclosing body in response to organic challenges, Lucy's work is also a kind of crystallization of memory and experience into an artifact of great value.

Listeners to this album will be struck immediately by how different it sounds from past Lucy productions, while still retaining the feel of relentless questing that defined his previous two solo LPs Wordplay for Working Bees and Churches, Schools, and Guns (or, as Lucy himself defines the feeling, the equal valuation of precision and exploration'). Initially feeling like Lucy is guiding his listeners on a slow and slightly apprehensive down-river trip through the Amazon, or some similarly thriving but as-of-yet undiscovered terrain, the album is enriched by several layers of ambience and by the wordless, improvisational (yet still somehow narrative) vocals and flute of Jon Jacobs. Without a doubt, it's an album with an initiatory' atmosphere that listeners should commit themselves to hearing in one sitting, with as little interruption as possible. However, unlike many initiatory rites, this is no arduous ordeal at all: great care has gone into connecting each chapter of the album with the same silver thread of entrancing story-telling. On standout pieces like She-Wolf Night Mourning,' electronic arpeggiation and persistent synthetic flutters perfectly merge with the unique tone colors of resonant acoustic percussion and pensive woodwind. Elsewhere, pieces like A Selfless Act' reconcile technoid pulses with melancholic, yet intoxicating echoes of Mediterranean musical traditions.

Interestingly, many of the tracks on Self-Mythology refer to old legends and well-known fairytales (e.g. the opening track which references Baba Yaga's magical hut), or to more broadly defined states of consciousness ( Samsara,' which features an especially strong, sustained choral interplay between glassy synth sequences and earthy flute sonorities). This is where the album is truly unique and relevant in its ambition. The interplay between the graphic design, the vocal and flute performances of Jacobs, and the sound design chosen by Lucy aims to be an intimate audio autobiography of its creators while also referring back to the stories that have shaped human destiny for millennia. This work is a meditation upon the reciprocity between personal hopes and fears and collective dreams and nightmares, an exploration of the endless interplay between the universal and the deeply individual. It is the tale of that uncanny process by which our own conscious experience draws from the pool of archetypal information, while also contributing to it.

Imagine deserted volcanic wasteland, freezing winds and the all-embracing darkness of the longest winters on this planet: The obvious inspiration for rather vicious and somber tunes for lonely evening hours that the biggest part of Iceland’s heavy music scene is known for. Who would even dare to think of tales about brave warriors and mystical creatures coming from such an island? Power metal seemed like a fairytale until 2017 when Reykjavík based sextet POWER PALADIN (originally founded as PALADIN) rose in quest of carrying out their uplifting tunes and finally proving everyone wrong. On an island known for its musical doom and gloom, they are the midnight sun. “Iceland has such a great representation of extreme metal. We didn’t feel we had much to add to that scene so why shouldn’t we do the complete opposite?” the band recall their origins. A truly wise decision! Their first live performances and demo releases were of such good reception that they were booked for Iceland’s main underground festivals, Eistnaflug and Norðanpaunk, and subsequently played at one of the country’s biggest music events, Iceland Airwaves, in 2019. Highly praised as a “standout” act by The Reykjavík Grapevine, POWER PALADIN kept crafting material at Windfyre Studios, composing their 9-track strong debut album titled »With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel«. The opus is a historical landmark for both the group and Atomic Fire Records, being the label’s first full-length release since its recent founding. “We actually started to write some of these tunes in the very beginning of our band history and captured them over the course of about two years at various places: at Ingi’s bedroom, at Atli and Bjarni’s workplace, at a cabin outside Reykjavik etc.”, POWER PALADIN say about their approach to songwriting and recording. And while self-producing such a splendid album has been no easy quest, it almost reads like a part from Joseph Campbell’s »The Hero’s Journey«:“So we went through a whole lot of trials, but that’s why we’re even happier and prouder of this record now!” Mixed by Haukur Hannes at Mastertape Studios (AUÐN, DYNFARI etc.) and mastered by Frank de Jong at Hal5 Studio (BLEEDING GODS etc.),
” they explain. The group’s love for fantasy games and books from authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie doesn’t remain unnoticed either: James Child (Astral Clock Tower Studios) translated that inspiration into the album’s adventurous artwork. »With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel« gets the listener's attention immediately. Air guitar-provoking lead single 'Kraven The Hunter‘, a track that’s frequently been aired via Iceland’s radio stations prior to the album’s release, peaking at position #1 of X-977’s chart, sets the right tone for this 51-minute venturesome ride. A ride that ranges from songs in the vein of the opening track like 'Creatures Of The Night' to rather aggressive bangers such as the second single 'Righteous Fury' and 'Ride The Distant Storm'. In the end, critics might say that “only a ballad is missing” to deliver all ingredients for a great heavy metal album. But does a power metal saga whose first chapter has just been written need one at all? Well, we will find out in chapter 2...

Imagine deserted volcanic wasteland, freezing winds and the all-embracing darkness of the longest winters on this planet: The obvious inspiration for rather vicious and somber tunes for lonely evening hours that the biggest part of Iceland’s heavy music scene is known for. Who would even dare to think of tales about brave warriors and mystical creatures coming from such an island? Power metal seemed like a fairytale until 2017 when Reykjavík based sextet POWER PALADIN (originally founded as PALADIN) rose in quest of carrying out their uplifting tunes and finally proving everyone wrong. On an island known for its musical doom and gloom, they are the midnight sun. “Iceland has such a great representation of extreme metal. We didn’t feel we had much to add to that scene so why shouldn’t we do the complete opposite?” the band recall their origins. A truly wise decision! Their first live performances and demo releases were of such good reception that they were booked for Iceland’s main underground festivals, Eistnaflug and Norðanpaunk, and subsequently played at one of the country’s biggest music events, Iceland Airwaves, in 2019. Highly praised as a “standout” act by The Reykjavík Grapevine, POWER PALADIN kept crafting material at Windfyre Studios, composing their 9-track strong debut album titled »With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel«. The opus is a historical landmark for both the group and Atomic Fire Records, being the label’s first full-length release since its recent founding. “We actually started to write some of these tunes in the very beginning of our band history and captured them over the course of about two years at various places: at Ingi’s bedroom, at Atli and Bjarni’s workplace, at a cabin outside Reykjavik etc.”, POWER PALADIN say about their approach to songwriting and recording. And while self-producing such a splendid album has been no easy quest, it almost reads like a part from Joseph Campbell’s »The Hero’s Journey«:“So we went through a whole lot of trials, but that’s why we’re even happier and prouder of this record now!” Mixed by Haukur Hannes at Mastertape Studios (AUÐN, DYNFARI etc.) and mastered by Frank de Jong at Hal5 Studio (BLEEDING GODS etc.),
” they explain. The group’s love for fantasy games and books from authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie doesn’t remain unnoticed either: James Child (Astral Clock Tower Studios) translated that inspiration into the album’s adventurous artwork. »With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel« gets the listener's attention immediately. Air guitar-provoking lead single 'Kraven The Hunter‘, a track that’s frequently been aired via Iceland’s radio stations prior to the album’s release, peaking at position #1 of X-977’s chart, sets the right tone for this 51-minute venturesome ride. A ride that ranges from songs in the vein of the opening track like 'Creatures Of The Night' to rather aggressive bangers such as the second single 'Righteous Fury' and 'Ride The Distant Storm'. In the end, critics might say that “only a ballad is missing” to deliver all ingredients for a great heavy metal album. But does a power metal saga whose first chapter has just been written need one at all? Well, we will find out in chapter 2...

Imagine deserted volcanic wasteland, freezing winds and the all-embracing darkness of the longest winters on this planet: The obvious inspiration for rather vicious and somber tunes for lonely evening hours that the biggest part of Iceland’s heavy music scene is known for. Who would even dare to think of tales about brave warriors and mystical creatures coming from such an island? Power metal seemed like a fairytale until 2017 when Reykjavík based sextet POWER PALADIN (originally founded as PALADIN) rose in quest of carrying out their uplifting tunes and finally proving everyone wrong. On an island known for its musical doom and gloom, they are the midnight sun. “Iceland has such a great representation of extreme metal. We didn’t feel we had much to add to that scene so why shouldn’t we do the complete opposite?” the band recall their origins. A truly wise decision! Their first live performances and demo releases were of such good reception that they were booked for Iceland’s main underground festivals, Eistnaflug and Norðanpaunk, and subsequently played at one of the country’s biggest music events, Iceland Airwaves, in 2019. Highly praised as a “standout” act by The Reykjavík Grapevine, POWER PALADIN kept crafting material at Windfyre Studios, composing their 9-track strong debut album titled »With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel«. The opus is a historical landmark for both the group and Atomic Fire Records, being the label’s first full-length release since its recent founding. “We actually started to write some of these tunes in the very beginning of our band history and captured them over the course of about two years at various places: at Ingi’s bedroom, at Atli and Bjarni’s workplace, at a cabin outside Reykjavik etc.”, POWER PALADIN say about their approach to songwriting and recording. And while self-producing such a splendid album has been no easy quest, it almost reads like a part from Joseph Campbell’s »The Hero’s Journey«:“So we went through a whole lot of trials, but that’s why we’re even happier and prouder of this record now!” Mixed by Haukur Hannes at Mastertape Studios (AUÐN, DYNFARI etc.) and mastered by Frank de Jong at Hal5 Studio (BLEEDING GODS etc.),
” they explain. The group’s love for fantasy games and books from authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie doesn’t remain unnoticed either: James Child (Astral Clock Tower Studios) translated that inspiration into the album’s adventurous artwork. »With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel« gets the listener's attention immediately. Air guitar-provoking lead single 'Kraven The Hunter‘, a track that’s frequently been aired via Iceland’s radio stations prior to the album’s release, peaking at position #1 of X-977’s chart, sets the right tone for this 51-minute venturesome ride. A ride that ranges from songs in the vein of the opening track like 'Creatures Of The Night' to rather aggressive bangers such as the second single 'Righteous Fury' and 'Ride The Distant Storm'. In the end, critics might say that “only a ballad is missing” to deliver all ingredients for a great heavy metal album. But does a power metal saga whose first chapter has just been written need one at all? Well, we will find out in chapter 2...

Freddy vs. Jason hit theaters in 2003—60 years after the release of cinema’s first monumental monster team-up, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943). Directing this long-anticipated monster mashup was Ronny Yu, a Hong Kong action director,

He's back! After nine years away from the big screen, the Big G reappeared for his 30th anniversary in THE RETURN OF GODZILLA. Produced by Godzilla's creator Tomoyuki Tanaka and directed by Koji Hashimoto, the picture returns the uber-kaiju to the ultimate antagonist he was always intended to be. Watch as he devastates Tokyo after being resurrected by an underwater volcano and thrill to the dramatic and explosive musical score by Reijiro Koroku!

Having previously worked with Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Koroku was the perfect choice to score the Big G's triumphant return, creating no less than three themes for everybody's favourite kaiju. Listen to the rumbling low-frequencies and powerful brass attacks as he ravages a power plant and fights the Japanese Self Defence Forces (JSDF) and swoon to the love theme for Maki and Naoko. Koroku also wrote exciting pieces for the JSDF and the Super-X, a particular machine designed to fight Godzilla. Still, it's his respect and reverence for the Big G that makes THE RETURN OF GODZILLA such a success. The score ends with vocalists The Star Sisters lamenting Godzilla's disappearance, cementing the place he has in our hearts. "Take care now, Godzilla, my old friend."

2021 repress of Tupperwear’s 2017’s sophomore album, Mokele Mbembe.

Rising from the ashes of legendary underground Tenerife outfit Colectivo Drone are Tupperwear - an organic electronic duo formed by Daniel García (Salétile) and Mladen Kurajica (Gaf) in 1999, Tenerife. Since then, and for the most of 20+ years they have been unleashing electronic waves of sound from the Atlantic island by way of intense live and a series of uncompromising and unclassifiable albums and EPs.

Taking cues from a wide spectrum of electronic music classics, mostly the more pastoral and frantic electronica of Aphex Twin et all circa the late 90’s, whilst at the same time adding their own mischievous and tongue in cheek approach to composition and performance, Tupperwear have for the last 20 years been responsible for some of the most intense live performances the island has seen whilst also taking their anything goes, improvisation first approach all over the world, tis includes virtually all of Europe (east or west), Japan, China, Peru, Colombia, Equador or Mexico, you name it!

In 2017 the local festival and label Keroxen published ‘Mokele Mbembe’, their 2nd LP of twisted electronica which is here repressed to a wider public after the success of their collaboration with São Paulo Underground and Chicago legend Rob Mazurek. (Saturno Mágico, 2021, Keroxen).

LP+Buch

Limited Edition Deluxe Version comes with 50 page children's book inspired by the album. Written by Francine Prose and illustrated by Omar "El Oms" Juarez. The colored vinyl is red. Fresh off of their 2020 offering Adult Themes, El Michels Affair is back with a new full-length release. Titled Yeti Season, this newest album has everything we've come to expect from EMA's patented cinematic style of instrumental soul music. Where Adult Themes inspired a soundtrack to an imaginary film, Yeti Season brings us to a different place in time_with new inspirations. Taken with Turkish-styled funk and an almost Mumbai-esque take on soul, El Michels Affair offers us a different kind of drama and imagination with Yeti Season. If you've been following along, this shouldn't be viewed as too far a departure for El Michels Affair. The first single off of Yeti Season showed their hand back in 2018. A double-sided banger, that release brought the musical textures to the fore that dominate this record. The first song, titled "Unathi," is fully realized with the beautifully haunting-yet-hopeful vocals of Piya Malik, formally of 79.5_another Big Crown artist. Singing in Hindi, Piya's ethereal voice is telling us to work and strive together toward progress. Even if you don't understand her language, you can still hear the urgency of purpose, creating a lasting vibe that sits on top of it all. Leon Michels explains that Piya had a vital influence on this record: "When Piya started singing in Hindi, she had a different voice, a different tone. I knew we had to do something together." And so Piya appears on three other songs on Yeti Season: "Zaharila," "Murkit Gem," and "Dhuaan." Each providing particular signatures to the album. "Zaharila" is a building and changing love song punctuated by blaring trumpets, driving drums, and Piya's pleading lyrics. While the more upbeat "Murkit Gem" opens with a fuzzed out, Wu-Tang-esque baseline that buoys Piya's stylings. The psychedelic guitar and Piya's changing tones and textures singing about an all-consuming love are what pushed "Dhuaan" on to the second single from Yeti Season. There is also a vocal appearance from Shannon Wise of The Shacks, yet another Big Crown artist. Her song called "Sha Na Na," lies more in the familiar EMA vein: melodic, hypnotic, soulfully visual. But between Shannon's airy singing, the jumpy baseline, moody vibes, the active drum lines, it sounds like a pensive walk home after a strangely dramatic night. So what is Yeti Season? It could be more of a feeling than an actual place or time of year. It's a heavy album_as evidenced by the signature musicianship and dramatic vocal expressions. But it's also a hopeful record, with phrasings, textures, and chord changes that hint at something better_or fuller_coming our way. You hear it in songs like "Ala Vida," with its stabby, pulsing chords laying a bedrock for EMA's bright, atmospheric horn lines. Or even in "Fazed Out," which leaves you with a feeling of determination, a striving for resolution even though the driving, march-like song structure should accompany some conquering army. This persistence has to come from the fact that Leon Michels and company finished this record during the lockdown. It was a tough and troublesome time. But look at what has come of it: Yeti Season_a record of high and heavy drama, but also one of hope and promise. It may take a year like 2020 behind us to find hope in a winter big footed creature like a Yeti, but that's where we are.

● 180g heavy vinyl pressing, comes with a 4p insert including an interview with Leonardo Marques, artists biographies and exclusive pics.

● Multi-talented musician, singer songwriter, music producer, and sound engineer Leonardo Marques selects ten musical gems recorded at his Ilha Do Corvo studio in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The studio is equipped with vintage instruments and gear from various decades which creates a unique sonic landscape and sound signature in each record it produces. Ilha do Corvo is also an indispensable creative hub for the inimitable Belo Horizonte and Minas Gerais musical scene. This compilation highlights some of the best works recorded at Ilha Do Corvo over the past few years and features some of the brightest talent to record in the studio, with music by Bernardo Bauer, Moons, Giovanni Leão, Douglas Scalioni Domingues, Gui Hargreaves, Arthur Melo, Rodrigo Damati, Invisível and Leonardo Marques himself. This is essential Brazilian music at its best!

Lennert Jacobs' music is an echo of his imagination, inevitably reflecting and reinforcing a natural philosophy of enlightenment. L. Jacobs employs modern and classical instruments to enhance and distill a spirit of humanity through his aesthetic currency of sound.
Surveying his debut album ‘Enthusiasm’ and its instinctive impulses delivers a sublime sonic experience. Specifics of musical styles fade obliquely in service of resonance on a deeper level—sound speaking on a universal language with innately humorous wonkiness whirling you into a state of pure delight.

Kaleidoscopic keyboards shape a celebration of freedom and spontaneity. With warped beats, the songs clatter in crafted structures to create obscure alternative atmospheres. ‘Enthusiasm’ is a sonic lens that lands right from the first moment you hear it, a showcase of musical talent and intuitive expression.

Lennert Jacobs does an excellent job of investing and producing mainly instrumental compositions which manage to touch on a wide variety of emotions over the course of their unfolding. The works on ‘Enthusiasm’ are synthetic creatures, living and growing autonomously. The duality of the composer is on full holistic display: the lighter side—relaxing, ethereal, and dreamy, and the darker—disturbing and uncanny. This is a sonic transportation and cerebral massage. Stick a needle in it to activate.

When we think of the phrase Bonded By Blood, we think of two things: a brotherhood that is meant to outlast the trials of war, pain, and time... and the almighty EXODUS. With a bond forged in youth and decades-old friendship, the undisputed masters of thrash metal return with their eleventh studio album: PERSONA NON GRATA. Literally translating to “an unwelcome” or “unacceptable” person, PERSONA NON GRATA touches on themes of modern societal disgust and degradation. “The people that disgust you - cut ‘em out like cancer,” explains guitarist Gary Holt. “Who is that person? It could be anybody. That’s up to the listener. Who is ‘Persona Non Grata’ to them?”

For decades, EXODUS has impressed us with the ability to attract opposing factions to their music because of its intensity and versatility. A track like “The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves” was inspired by the riots both in theme, and sound. “Without seeming insensitive to the riots, the song is tongue in cheek about what the people beating on the rioters were expecting to happen. Did you think you would beat a smile onto their face? At 3 minutes in length, it’s probably the shortest EXODUS song we’ve ever done. It gets in, gets out, and is just crushing,” describes Holt. While most of the songs do run on the shorter side, this album also comes equipped with crushing, epic tracks.

Whether it’s the music industry gossip sites, or the big players like CNN and FOX, we’re all aware of how news outlets love to set little rat traps; “Clickbait” discusses their methods of picking things out of context to grab your attention, add to their page views, and increase their revenue all while riling up your emotions. “It’s all journalistic dishonesty,” explains Holt, “it’s a modern-day version of Al Capone’s vault, everyone tunes in, and then there’s NOTHING.“ Evenly balanced with extraordinary speed and tremendous, catchy choruses, “Clickbait” is a song that explodes with vigorous energy. “As heavy as this album is, and it’s heavy as fuck, if times were different and there was still metal radio, this song, and probably over half the album, has single capabilities.”

Sitting as the second to last song on the album, “The Fires of Division” keeps PERSONA NON GRATA strong all the way through. “This album doesn’t operate on the normal parameters,” describes Holt, “we didn’t frontload this one, it’s strong right through to the end. It’s supposed to be a musical journey as the songs segway together.”

For the third time in the band’s history, EXODUS returned to Swedish artist Par Olofsson to create the album artwork PERSONA NON GRATA. “After this album, I feel like we probably won’t work with anyone else again, Par just gets it,” states Holt. A three-faced, winged creature sits atop a bloody pile of diseased and rotting humans as they scream in pain and reach their hands up desperately towards the beast. Undead riot cops beat mercilessly, and senselessly upon this pile of the dying and the world is red with fresh, sopping blood. “Is it an angel, a demon? Is the world being created or destroyed,” asks Holt, “you don’t really know.”

EXODUS don’t fall into the usual recording slump that most bands get stuck in. Gathering at Tom Hunting’s house up in the mountains, they avoided the need to book studio time or adhere to a certain schedule. “At first it was just Tom, myself, a half stack, and a drum kit; we call it jam camp. We lived there. We built the studio, we immersed ourselves in it. Number one, because we still enjoy each other’s company enough to do it. When we’re not actively rehearsing or recording, we’re still sitting there talking about the songs, working on them, plucking on acoustics until things really work,” explains Holt, “we’re not settling.” Working from three home-built studios, the band recorded PERSONA NON GRATA themselves with the help of Andy Sneap on mixing and mastering and with Steve Lagudi at the helm of engineering.

“As a band, I’m super grateful. I’ve seen a lot of things around the world and we’re still a band that loves each other, have each other’s back, and we genuinely like to hang out with each other,” explains Holt. “Take it how you will, but I’m this band’s biggest fan. We write songs that are designed to make us feel fired up - that’s why it’s still heavy.”

When we think of the phrase Bonded By Blood, we think of two things: a brotherhood that is meant to outlast the trials of war, pain, and time... and the almighty EXODUS. With a bond forged in youth and decades-old friendship, the undisputed masters of thrash metal return with their eleventh studio album: PERSONA NON GRATA. Literally translating to “an unwelcome” or “unacceptable” person, PERSONA NON GRATA touches on themes of modern societal disgust and degradation. “The people that disgust you - cut ‘em out like cancer,” explains guitarist Gary Holt. “Who is that person? It could be anybody. That’s up to the listener. Who is ‘Persona Non Grata’ to them?”

For decades, EXODUS has impressed us with the ability to attract opposing factions to their music because of its intensity and versatility. A track like “The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves” was inspired by the riots both in theme, and sound. “Without seeming insensitive to the riots, the song is tongue in cheek about what the people beating on the rioters were expecting to happen. Did you think you would beat a smile onto their face? At 3 minutes in length, it’s probably the shortest EXODUS song we’ve ever done. It gets in, gets out, and is just crushing,” describes Holt. While most of the songs do run on the shorter side, this album also comes equipped with crushing, epic tracks.

Whether it’s the music industry gossip sites, or the big players like CNN and FOX, we’re all aware of how news outlets love to set little rat traps; “Clickbait” discusses their methods of picking things out of context to grab your attention, add to their page views, and increase their revenue all while riling up your emotions. “It’s all journalistic dishonesty,” explains Holt, “it’s a modern-day version of Al Capone’s vault, everyone tunes in, and then there’s NOTHING.“ Evenly balanced with extraordinary speed and tremendous, catchy choruses, “Clickbait” is a song that explodes with vigorous energy. “As heavy as this album is, and it’s heavy as fuck, if times were different and there was still metal radio, this song, and probably over half the album, has single capabilities.”

Sitting as the second to last song on the album, “The Fires of Division” keeps PERSONA NON GRATA strong all the way through. “This album doesn’t operate on the normal parameters,” describes Holt, “we didn’t frontload this one, it’s strong right through to the end. It’s supposed to be a musical journey as the songs segway together.”

For the third time in the band’s history, EXODUS returned to Swedish artist Par Olofsson to create the album artwork PERSONA NON GRATA. “After this album, I feel like we probably won’t work with anyone else again, Par just gets it,” states Holt. A three-faced, winged creature sits atop a bloody pile of diseased and rotting humans as they scream in pain and reach their hands up desperately towards the beast. Undead riot cops beat mercilessly, and senselessly upon this pile of the dying and the world is red with fresh, sopping blood. “Is it an angel, a demon? Is the world being created or destroyed,” asks Holt, “you don’t really know.”

EXODUS don’t fall into the usual recording slump that most bands get stuck in. Gathering at Tom Hunting’s house up in the mountains, they avoided the need to book studio time or adhere to a certain schedule. “At first it was just Tom, myself, a half stack, and a drum kit; we call it jam camp. We lived there. We built the studio, we immersed ourselves in it. Number one, because we still enjoy each other’s company enough to do it. When we’re not actively rehearsing or recording, we’re still sitting there talking about the songs, working on them, plucking on acoustics until things really work,” explains Holt, “we’re not settling.” Working from three home-built studios, the band recorded PERSONA NON GRATA themselves with the help of Andy Sneap on mixing and mastering and with Steve Lagudi at the helm of engineering.

“As a band, I’m super grateful. I’ve seen a lot of things around the world and we’re still a band that loves each other, have each other’s back, and we genuinely like to hang out with each other,” explains Holt. “Take it how you will, but I’m this band’s biggest fan. We write songs that are designed to make us feel fired up - that’s why it’s still heavy.”

When we think of the phrase Bonded By Blood, we think of two things: a brotherhood that is meant to outlast the trials of war, pain, and time... and the almighty EXODUS. With a bond forged in youth and decades-old friendship, the undisputed masters of thrash metal return with their eleventh studio album: PERSONA NON GRATA. Literally translating to “an unwelcome” or “unacceptable” person, PERSONA NON GRATA touches on themes of modern societal disgust and degradation. “The people that disgust you - cut ‘em out like cancer,” explains guitarist Gary Holt. “Who is that person? It could be anybody. That’s up to the listener. Who is ‘Persona Non Grata’ to them?”

For decades, EXODUS has impressed us with the ability to attract opposing factions to their music because of its intensity and versatility. A track like “The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves” was inspired by the riots both in theme, and sound. “Without seeming insensitive to the riots, the song is tongue in cheek about what the people beating on the rioters were expecting to happen. Did you think you would beat a smile onto their face? At 3 minutes in length, it’s probably the shortest EXODUS song we’ve ever done. It gets in, gets out, and is just crushing,” describes Holt. While most of the songs do run on the shorter side, this album also comes equipped with crushing, epic tracks.

Whether it’s the music industry gossip sites, or the big players like CNN and FOX, we’re all aware of how news outlets love to set little rat traps; “Clickbait” discusses their methods of picking things out of context to grab your attention, add to their page views, and increase their revenue all while riling up your emotions. “It’s all journalistic dishonesty,” explains Holt, “it’s a modern-day version of Al Capone’s vault, everyone tunes in, and then there’s NOTHING.“ Evenly balanced with extraordinary speed and tremendous, catchy choruses, “Clickbait” is a song that explodes with vigorous energy. “As heavy as this album is, and it’s heavy as fuck, if times were different and there was still metal radio, this song, and probably over half the album, has single capabilities.”

Sitting as the second to last song on the album, “The Fires of Division” keeps PERSONA NON GRATA strong all the way through. “This album doesn’t operate on the normal parameters,” describes Holt, “we didn’t frontload this one, it’s strong right through to the end. It’s supposed to be a musical journey as the songs segway together.”

For the third time in the band’s history, EXODUS returned to Swedish artist Par Olofsson to create the album artwork PERSONA NON GRATA. “After this album, I feel like we probably won’t work with anyone else again, Par just gets it,” states Holt. A three-faced, winged creature sits atop a bloody pile of diseased and rotting humans as they scream in pain and reach their hands up desperately towards the beast. Undead riot cops beat mercilessly, and senselessly upon this pile of the dying and the world is red with fresh, sopping blood. “Is it an angel, a demon? Is the world being created or destroyed,” asks Holt, “you don’t really know.”

EXODUS don’t fall into the usual recording slump that most bands get stuck in. Gathering at Tom Hunting’s house up in the mountains, they avoided the need to book studio time or adhere to a certain schedule. “At first it was just Tom, myself, a half stack, and a drum kit; we call it jam camp. We lived there. We built the studio, we immersed ourselves in it. Number one, because we still enjoy each other’s company enough to do it. When we’re not actively rehearsing or recording, we’re still sitting there talking about the songs, working on them, plucking on acoustics until things really work,” explains Holt, “we’re not settling.” Working from three home-built studios, the band recorded PERSONA NON GRATA themselves with the help of Andy Sneap on mixing and mastering and with Steve Lagudi at the helm of engineering.

“As a band, I’m super grateful. I’ve seen a lot of things around the world and we’re still a band that loves each other, have each other’s back, and we genuinely like to hang out with each other,” explains Holt. “Take it how you will, but I’m this band’s biggest fan. We write songs that are designed to make us feel fired up - that’s why it’s still heavy.”

Repress!

In May 2018, Belgium's Amelie Lens launched LENSKE, the fruit of working on new music and collaborating with her peers. The aim was to create a platform to release her own and friend's music that they use to tear apart dance floors around the globe. Less than two years after, LENSKE is putting out their 10th release and it's evolved into something more than just a label, but a family.

During this relatively short time, the prolific crew formed by Amelie Lens, Farrago, Milo Spykers, AIROD and Ahl Iver have released a collection of contemporary anthems, storming techno cuts and acid weapons. The imprint's catalogue illustrates their exploration for a shade of techno particularly focused on the hi-NRG factor. You can usually catch them at the Exhale showcases worldwide - at the likes of fabric London, Off Sonar in Barcelona and Dour in Belgium- testing their new productions that the crowd highly anticipate for their release.

For this fresh record, each artist contributes a track for a mini VA compilation showcasing the label's sound. Belgian producer Milo Spykers opens up with 'Traversing', a heavy-hitting cut with a ravenous sound design. Hot on the heels of her recent compilation for the fabric presents series, Amelie Lens steps up with her brand new tune 'The Future' featuring energetic synth hooks with her signature vocals. AIROD goes ravey with 'Divine Power' introducing jungle elements, while on the other side, Farrago delivers a catchy vocal-led slammer with 'Step Up'. Ahl Iver, the newest addition to the label, brings the final touch with the intoxicating 'Night Creature'. The future is bright!