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Croatian Amor returns with “A Part of You in Everything” a companion piece to last year’s “Remember Rainbow Bridge”.

“My younger brother died at birth and I never had a chance to meet him. Growing up he was my ghost friend, someone told me he lived in the stars which I accepted. I had not paid attention to him for many years but when I was making "Remember Rainbow Bridge” and waiting for my son to come into the world he suddenly appeared again. I partly dedicated Remember Rainbow Bridge to him, but I knew that it wasn’t his record, so I thought I should make one just for him and here it is; “A Part of You in Everything”, 8 songs about being human on Earth. I think it’s music which is best listened to at night out under the stars. Thank you to all my friends who helped making it!”

Upon what instrument are we two spanned?
And what musician holds us in his hand?
- Rilke

New Zealand juggernaut Fat Freddy’s Drop return with a new studio album, ‘Special Edition Part 1’, due for digital release on 15th November, with 2LP Vinyl and CD following up on 10th January. The 45rpm vinyl edition is produced with
a different track order across four sides and promises to deliver super fat loud audio.

Part 1 of a double album, ‘Special Edition Part 1’, comprises of six tracks of which ‘Raleigh Twenty’, ‘Trickle Down’ and
‘Six-Eight Instrumental’ were written and recorded undercover at the band’s Wellington studio, BAYS, while the other
tracks; ‘Special Edition, ‘Kamo Kamo’, and ‘OneFourteen’, have all been developed and evolved from the band’s celebrated live jam sessions, whilst on the road in front of audiences worldwide.
Supremely crafted at Freddy’s own BAYS studio in hometown Wellington, the deep musical and rich vocal layers reflect
Freddy’s inspiration from the black music lexicon and is a response to the crowd energy at their world dominating live
shows.

‘Special Edition Part 1’ is the first release of a long envisaged double album project with separate chapters. The next
journey, Part 2 will be released in 2020 after stringent road-testing with audiences over 35 shows across New Zealand, UK and Europe celebrating the release of the Part 1. These upcoming live performances will allow the band to fully explore new song-writing technology and give rise to a slamming Part 2. The new album follows on from 2015’s ‘BAYS’ LP, which saw support from Financial Times, Resident Advisor, Dummy, the DJ Mag and Clash-acclaimed ‘Blackbird,’ second album ‘Dr Boondigga and the Big BW’ - which gained rave reviews by The Guardian and BBC Music - and the band’s record breaking debut album ‘Based on a True Story’, which went nine times platinum and remained in New Zealand’s top 40 charts for over two years after its release in
2005.
The album cover artwork is by Wellington artist Otis Chamberlain, a continuing evolution from his creation for the its first single ‘Trickle Down’, a work that's morphed from digital cover art to the band’s massive summer tour backdrop and the recently released late-night buttery steppers ‘Kamo Kamo’. Fat Freddy’s Drop have been performing and recording together for more than 15 years, establishing themselves as one of New Zealand's most internationally successful acts. Considered one of the best live experiences in the world, they will embark on their biggest European and UK tour since they sold out a double hitter at London’s 02 Academy Brixton in 2018. Including an already sold out show in Dublin, the band will headline Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on 29th April 2020, Liverpool’s Invisible Wind Factory on 30th April, returning back to London’s Alexandra Palace on 1st May – the palace was the scene of two triumphant sold out headline concerts in 2014 and 2017 - before heading north to Glasgow’s Barrowland on 3rd May.

Aroop Roy’s star is deservedly in the ascendancy! As one of London’s most exciting selectors, he’s managed to position himself in the sweet spot of being the DJ’s DJ and causing wild scenes wherever he plays, with headline grabbing sets at Defected Croatia, We Out Here, Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide and many more.

As a producer, musician and label owner, he continues to excel, armed with a vast knowledge of outernational sounds, from rare African disco, jazz, funk, to house, UKG and seemingly everything in-between. His open-minded approach has led to brilliant releases and remixes for labels as diverse as Soundway, Heavenly Sweetness, Permanent Vacation, Club Bad, Delusions of Grandeur, Atjazz Recordings and his own Vive La Musique imprint.

Having played a few gigs together, it was only a matter of time before Jimpster convinced Aroop to get an EP together for Freerange and the resulting Re Bulele EP couldn’t be any more satisfying!

Leading the charge, 'Mama Mwana' captivates with entrancing thumb piano loops and a traditional African vocal all propped up by a subtle yet chunky house beat to lock the dancers in.

'Re Bulele' features the hypnotic vocals of Botswana native Fox Meropa. Aroop masterfully combines a deep, techy Afro House groove with glassy synth pads to form a stripped back instrumental with the vocals front and centre. Seemingly disparate elements shine on this wonderful alternative to the deluge of maximal Afro House tracks being released these days.

Moroccan producer FNX Omar delivers the goods with a sublime remix of Re Bulele. Creating tension with layers of looping vocals along with a rolling, percussive groove. Like the original, this remix transcends genres and will create special moments on the dancefloor, whether it be in a dark, sweaty basement or daytime festival in the sunshine.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Jogo Duro, a collaboration between Ilhan
Ersahin and some outstanding Sao Paulo musicians Guizado, Ze Nigro,
Samuel Fraga, Chicao & Tony Gordin who also happen to be great friends
These are players who will be familiar to those following the careers of Ceu, Otto,
Curumin, Tulipa Ruiz and the late, great Gal Costa. This record is the result of the
amount of time Ilhan has spent in Sao Paulo over the last decade due to putting
on the Nublu Jazz Fest there every year. With all the contacts, connections and
friendships formed over the course of making an annual music festival happen,
musical cross-pollination (usually simply referred to as "jams") was inevitable but
this time it was decided to do it in a studio with tape rolling rather than on stage,
which is certainly a more productive approach than merely talking about it over
beers at a local bar!
Everything happened fairly spontaneously over three days in the studio,
everybody brought songs, ideas and creative energy and before you know it an
album was born, which will be released in November after three singles come out
over the spring and summer

Producer / composer / multi-instrumentalist Angel Marcloid records music under the moniker Fire-Toolz. Though Marcloid’s output emerges in a litany of aliases and projects — from the jazz fusion / new age of Nonlocal Forecast to the vaporous nostalgia of MindSpring Memories — the Fire-Toolz catalog remains the central focus of the prolific artist’s musical universe and a home for Marcloid’s most ambitious work.

"I am upset because I see something that is not there.", the fifth Fire-Toolz album to join the Hausu Mountain catalog since 2017, follows 2021’s sprawling double-album Eternal Home and 2022’s self-released EP I will not use the body’s eyes today. I am upset… offers listeners a prismatic cross-section of juxtaposed genres and compositional contortions to explore, maintaining Fire-Toolz’s signature density and complexity while tightening the scope of Marcloid’s experimentation into the project’s most focused song cycle to date.

Perhaps more than any previous Fire-Toolz album, I am upset... presents some form of pop music, carried in Marcloid’s passages of clean vocals, in the bright synth tones that animate its tracks, in the yearning saxophone lines that pour into view and whisk the narrative onto a new path. The format of a one-person “band” carries a different weight in a landscape of solo artists crafting modernist productions that don’t allude in the slightest to various twentieth-century rock-related traditions. Fire-Toolz exists on both sides of this divide. The music of Fire-Toolz draws energy on a moment-to-moment basis from the constant fluctuation between seemingly disparate styles, yet Marcloid repeatedly pulls off the impossible feat of making chaotic deviations and improbable jump-cuts between ideas sound holistic, as if such compositional gambits were already logical to begin with. Bursts of harsh textural noise cut into drifts of new age synth bliss, while screamo verses bookend passages of hyper-technical jazz fusion.

The legendary British artist’s first full-length collection in over five years, SHUFFLEMANIA!
has already been hailed on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the finest releases in his
inimitable canon. The album includes such new Hitchcockian favorites as “The Shuffle Man”
and “The Raging Muse,” both joined by official animated videos streaming now at YouTube.
Recorded in locations around the world over the pandemic era, SHUFFLEMANIA! offers up
ten gloriously ingenious new Robyn Hitchcock songs in just under 40 minutes - a “proper
pop album” as nature intended.
“Robyn Hitchcock’s first album since 2017 is thronged with actual humans - among them
Johnny Marr, Soft Boys compadres Kimberley Rew and Morris Windsor, Sean Ono Lennon
and Brendan Benson. None of them crowd out Hitchcock’s distinctive songwriting though,
nor his undimmed ability to reach through the existential murk and grasp a revelation or
two.” – MOJO

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 wuxia film directed by Ang Lee. Taking place in 18th-century Qing dynasty China, the story revolves around a warrior who gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to retrieve it. The film was praised for its story, direction, and cinematography, and for its martial arts sequences. It won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The score was composed by Tan Dun, containing many solo passages for cello by Yo-Yo Ma. The track “A Love Before Time” features Coco Lee. This album is released as a limited edition of 750 copies on translucent red vinyl.

Milton Nascimento was the king of Brazilian music in the 1980s. His musical universe singular, although generations of vocalists and instrumentalists have honored the master by interpreting his work.  On Steen Rasmussen's new album listeners are in for far more than just ordinary interpretations. This album is an extraordinary example of how music from two continents can merge into a noble work.  Vocalist Josefine Cronholm has a gift for imbuing material with a naturally soft Swedish sensualism that lifts the lyrics and lets them fly differently than on Nascimento's original recordings.  A limited edition 180g Vinyl release. With Fredrik Damsgaard - double bass & Hoffner bass; Anders Banke - tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet & alto flute; Celso De Almeida - drums & perc

Repress!

Following his first ep for Accidental Jnr in the summer Bambooman is now back with something entirely different. The downtempo experimental designs of the 'Feel EP' give way to his latest offering 'Shudder'. Available on 12' and digital the 4 tracks of Shudder weave through a club music tapestry like a chainsaw through custard. The opening and title track is hard to describe, a mix of off kilter synth stabs and hammering snare that routes you to the floor - it's one of those tracks to whip out of your bag to remind the crowd they have no idea what is coming next. Track 2 'Grasp' with a blissful Detroit groove under deep rich melting chords is a perfect blend of early funk house style and super crisp new production.Side B opens with 'M1' a lazy floor track with washes of bells, static and detuned synth above a bed of solid kick and shuffling bass. Finally 'Kyrian' closes proceedings, another club friendly slice (despite being in a 7/8 time signature), the track could have led the EP in its own right but feels like the perfect bookend with its shifting almost garage like 2-step feel and glancing vocal hook.Bambooman wields refined live recordings, warm exquisite melodies and a silvery vocal into the track's rich musical fabric. It's hard to suppress the emotions with this one' - Boiler Room on 'Feel EP'

The official new edition from this rare and great Afrobeat & Soukous masterpiece from Nigeria !

"Vibro Success Intercontinental Orchestra was an extraordinary group from the Central African Republic, founded by the sax player Rodolphe 'Beckers' Bekpa, also known as Master Békers, in the late 60's. The band achieved surprising domestic success after Beckers introduced the first drums to the Congolese Rumba rhythm. His innovation proved to be wildly popular so they were hired as the resident band of “ciel d’Afrique au Km5”, a night club in Bangui. The club was renowned as the temple of the Olympic Réal football team's fans and that visibility propelled them into becoming the official national orchestra.

1970 marked beginning of the band's international fame . Their fame spread beyond national borders until they became so popular that invitations began to arrive from nearby countries like Cameroon and Chad, the former of which the band would then tour that same year. The success of their performances prompted a further tour in 1972. According to Rodolphe Bépka, the audience enthusiasm Vibro encountered was bewildering. "We filled the old military stadium in Yaoundé in 1970, in 1972 the new Amadou Haïdjo stadium ... We are running with great success in the cities.” Their popularity was also growing in Chad, where they would tour several times through the early and mid 70's.

Towards the end of 1976, Vibro Success decided to take their music global and introduce Central African music to listeners worldwide. It worked. The turning point came in Nigeria. There the group achieved extraordinary success, with live performances followed by contracts with local labels like Scottie and Ben/Clover resulting in hit releases. Most of their LP's were originally released on this later label, Ben Limited, owned by Ben Okonkwo.

Ben, also known as Clover Sounds, brought a great number of the biggest bands from the country to market, bands like The Apostles, Akwassa,The Doves, Aktion, The Visitors, Mansion, Folk 77 and many others. Nearly all those groups started their recording careers in the label's studios based in the commercial heart of Aba, Abia State, one of Southeastern Nigeria’s largest cities. Aba at that time was a flourishing city, an important crossroads of people and culture with an intensive and active and cutting edge live music and nightlife.

But after that golden era the group began to lose its popularity. In the 1980's they returned to Bangui and resumed their old-time gigs in dance halls there - only to realize that their music didn't have the appeal it used to. Making matters worse, the domestic economic downturn accelerated, forcing the orchestra to slowly end its activities . Vibro Succès Intercontinental Orchestra disappeared at the end of the 80s and most of its members died in the 90s.

We discovered this LP during our first trip to Nigeria in 2016. While traveling in the east to meet up with a musician, we stopped for a night in a village. As often happens in Nigeria, information has a way of traveling fast. The news that a couple of white guys looking for records had arrived in the village the day before spread like light. When we awoke, we found a couple of elderly music lovers in the hall of our hotel with a little pile of records for sale. The nice cover of the “Drunkard” album was right on top!

At first we thought it was just another really good soukous album made by Vibro Success but after we heard “Drunkard” - we knew we had stumbled onto something very special. That was the “easy” part. Soon after, we had the idea of reissuing this LP and that was a bit harder. There were no credits on the cover and not much information about Vibro Succès. We started to ask to our friends to ask around, see if somebody knew them or the producer. That's when sadly we discovered that Ben Okonkwo had passed. So with no leads to follow and seemingly without any possibility of making progress on the matter, we "gave up" and returned to Italy.

A couple years later, in the summer of 2019, we found ourselves again in Aba. This time we had the chance to meet Nnamdi Okonkwo, the eldest son of the late Ben Okonkwo. After Nnamdi's mother and family agreed, he was glad to cooperate with us for the re-release of this special album."

EASYGOING PORTRAIT OF DOWN-HOME SOUL SINGER COMING INTO HIS OWN AND ESTABLISHING AN INDELIBLE BOND BETWEEN PERFORMER AND AUDIENCE
1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analogue master to DSD 64 to analogue console to lathe


On par with the most treasured concert albums of the 60s and 70s, Bill Withers' transformative Live at Carnegie Hall is a forgotten classic – an easygoing portrait of a down-home soul artist coming into his own in front of an audience eager to share every moment of his brilliance. Soothing with subtlety, charming with calmness, and healing with a vocal timbre as relaxing as his grooves, Withers uses the stage to expand the range of favorites and engage in dialog with the crowd. Distinguished with sonics that restore the performances' balance and improve the sound-staging, this reissue takes you inside the venue.

Moreover, aspects that really make this concert document unique – the energetic crowd, Withers and his band's willingness to extend arrangements, and the undeniable communicative bond between the performer and his fans – are brought into fuller relief. While most live albums give you the sense of what transpired, our reissue allows it to seem that what you're hearing and sensing is happening right now, in the moment. You are as much a participant as listener. For this reason and more, Live at Carnegie Hall ranks with James Brown's Live at the Apollo and B.B. King's Live at the Regal. No small claims, but the proof is in the grooves.

The antithesis of the sweaty R&B shouter that prowls the edge of stages, Withers deals in mellowness and vulnerability, qualities that come to fore. The songs here span soul, blues, and folk and often times, contain elements of all three styles. Live at Carnegie Hall also deals with serious subject matter with unflinching honesty and simple directness. Companionship, poverty, war, maturity, family, and love all crop up within Withers' tunes, yet the messages are never overly cumbersome or preachy. Credit goes to his easygoing style and relatable lyrics, not to mention a tight-as-a-vice band that on this night is simply "on."


"One more time?" Withers asks in response to a request for another stanza during "Use Me," and like the snap of fingers, his musicians are right back on cue, the crowd clapping along on every beat. This classic, as well as the instantly familiar "Ain't No Sunshine," poignant "Grandma's Hands," and all-time favorite "Lean On Me" are delivered with utmost soulfulness, passion, and electricity. Few, if any, live albums demonstrate such a bond between the crowd and artist as Live at Carnegie Hall. You'll definitely want to be there.

WaterTower Music today announced the release of the eagerly-awaited House of the Dragon: Season 1 (Soundtrack from the HBO® Series), featuring 44 tracks from the first season of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel which aired on HBO and HBO Max in August, and whose final season aired last night. All the music for the soundtrack was created by Emmy Award-winning and Grammy®-nominated composer Ramin Djawadi, responsible for the immensely popular scores for HBO's Game of Thrones and Westworld.


Four of Djawadi's tracks were released during the season to great acclaim from fans of the series. Today, fans can enjoy House of the Dragon: Season 1 (Soundtrack from the HBO® Series) in its entirety on 3LP gatefold vinyl, which is now available for pre-order.

This is the soundtrack to flipping through the filing cabinet at the mortuary in Return of the Living Dead. You are running out of time before ending up on the slab yourself at the end of a bad day at work. Wash away the blues with a pint and 12 tracks clocking in at just under 14 minutes whilst Stiff Meds take you on a journey to see the many faces of death. Starting in 2019, Stiff Meds arose from the grand tradition of fast as fuck music that has always been at the centre of UKHC from Napalm Death to Voorhees. Taking that history, along with some more US influences such as No Comment and Infest, vocalist Seth marries that with tales of the macabre as metaphors for daily life. Each song contains more riffs than most brains can compute in real time and is a testament to the skill level of the band. Not surprisingly they have grown a reputation as a ferocious live machine that blasts through 20+ songs with ease and without stops with wild crowd reactions to match. If you don’t believe us, then check out the Live at the Mersey Shore Set as an exclusive special feature of the physical vinyl release of Tales from the Slab. Don’t delay, it’s time to pick up your prescription. Check them out on tour in Europe, November-December 2023.

Hot Apple Band’s long-awaited debut album, So Long, Noodle House is a collection of 11 tracks recorded between 2019-2022, mostly at Jack Kinder’s home studio in Strathfield, Sydney. Once the pandemic hit, Jack and Lewis Mosley had ample time to give birth to the songs, allowing for this body of work so it could become all that it deserved to be. The resulting album will no doubt please long-time fans, with a number of songs being staples from the band’s live repertoire. So Long, Noodle House is symbolic sign-off on the band’s past and an exciting peek into what’s to come. The record covers broad ground, from 70s imbued alt-country and catchy Beatles-era pop, through to emotive folk and soft rock. Coming-of-age themes run deep in the album, as Jack Kinder's lyrics touch on life changes, friendship, shitty jobs and of course, love. With Kinder's smooth vocals, clever arrangements and gorgeous vintage production, and Lewis Mosley’s unforgettable lead guitar, slide and keyboard performance, Hot Apple Band’s debut has the same charm of some of the best records from the early 1970s, radiating George Harrison, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Harry Nilsson and Fanny in a similar style to modern counterparts such as Drugdealer, Weyes Blood, Daniel Romano and The Lemon Twigs.

Following up their debut full-length on Ty Segall’s God? label, Wand presents their second album, Golem, on In The Red. Recording with Chris Woodhouse at his Hanger studio in Sacramento, Wand summons the dark and heavy power of the riff. Back in September 2013, Wand was quietly dismembered and ritually eaten in the hills near Dodger Stadium. Wand was reborn as “Wand”—an obese organ falsely organized as four overjoyous nerds. Four flesh balloons betting on a few aging amplifiers. Rumor has it they listen to Here Come the Warm Jets on loop all day and plot mail fraud. What’s more, they allegedely stole Dale Crover’s car and sacrificed it to the weather near the Los Angeles County Line. A few things, at least, are certain: Wand hears ghosts. Wand prefers serpents. The Sun is the mother of every fiction. All phenomena will be consumed in alphabetical order, but desire will recirculate ad infinitum. If all else fails, Wand will just devour more hands. Wand is coming your way soon. • Sophomore full-length from California four-piece with connections to Ty Segall, Chad and the Meatbodies

John Holt began his career in ska, came to prominence in the Paragons in rock steady and achieved international breakthroughs as a solo roots crooner, remaining versatile in terms of approach and subject matter. Peacemaker is an intriguing album of the mid-1990s, this time recorded between Jamaica and the UK with top-class musicians such as Sly and Robbie, Lindel Lewis and Steely of Steely and Clevie fame. With his voice entirely undiminished and a mixture of romance ballads and songs of social commentary, this is another fine collection that will delight all John Holt fans, as well as reggae heads who favour the sentimental.

Top-rated West Coast garage sounds from the vaults of maverick genius Gary S Paxton. Acknowledged classics, tantalising obscurities and several previously unheard gems, all from the original master tapes, including tracks by Limey & The Yanks, The Avengers, The Whatt Four, The Buddhas_ among many others. Vintage garage rock is only one of the many tributaries of popular music that the maverick Gary S Paxton recorded and produced in his 1960s heyday, and compared to other genres, the off-kilter genius behind 'Alley Oop' and 'Monster Mash' was hardly prolific with it. But for a producer-engineer of his repute, it was inevitable that Paxton would cross paths with the sudden surge of teenaged rock groups that emerged in the wake of the British Invasion. We've gathered the best of them on "Lost Innocence", and for any aficionado of the genre, a treat is in store. As well as a brace of acknowledged Californian punk classics present and correct for the first time direct from master tape, this rockin' little disc also shares further booty from the Garpax vaults, including some obscurities well worthy of re-appraisal, along with completely unreleased nuggets of note. Counting among the well-known are the Avengers, Bakersfield's top dogs in the punk bracket thanks to snot-nosed missives such as 'I Told You So' and the controversial 'Be A Cave Man'. Ken & the Forth Dimension and Limey & the Yanks serve up the highly regarded items 'See If I Care' and 'Guaranteed Love' respectively, with a trio of ear-opening unissued tracks from the latter as a bonus. Riverside's Whatt Four weigh in with the popular ear-burners 'Our Love Should Last Forever' and 'You're Wishin' I Was Someone Else'. And the Buddhas' title cut is still the most eloquent ode to carnal knowledge in the entire 60s punk pantheon. Compiled by genre expert Alec Palao and originally released by Big Beat/ACE on CD only a few years back, it is now available on vinyl for the first time.

repress !

Eighteen years ago, Oppenheimer Analysis made its indelible mark with the iconic track ‘The Devil’s Dancers,’ heralding the birth of the Minimal Wave label. Founded with a singular mission, the label set out to share this musical gem with the world. The inaugural release was the self-titled Oppenheimer Analysis EP, meticulously pressed onto high-quality 180-gram black vinyl, accompanied by a striking 18” x 24” poster adorned with captivating photos and lyrics. This historic release graced the world on December 6th, 2005. Remarkably, this EP has been elusive for a decade now.

In an exciting development, the fifth edition of the Oppenheimer Analysis self-titled EP is set to debut in December 2023, featuring the original remastered version of ‘The Devil’s Dancers.’ This EP is presented as a loving tribute to Martin Lloyd (1950-2013 R.I.P.), one half of Oppenheimer Analysis. The EP showcases select tracks from the 1982 Oppenheimer Analysis cassette titled “New Mexico,” along with two previously unreleased gems. The story behind Oppenheimer Analysis began when Andy Oppenheimer, a nuclear weapons consultant, and Martin Lloyd, also known for his work with the Survival Label and the project “Analysis,” crossed paths at a Science Fiction Convention in London in 1979. They shared the stage with notable bands like Hawkwind and Spizz Energi and garnered attention in the pages of Melody Maker.

This fifth edition release consists of 999 meticulously hand-numbered 180-gram black vinyl copies, each accompanied by the first edition poster insert. Notably, the spot color on the sleeve distinguishes each edition: green for the first, deep blue-green for the second, light powder blue for the third, mint green for the fourth, and a brighter aqua mint for this current fifth edition.

A collaboration between two prestigious Italian bands, the wizards of dub and the masters of big-band ska-jazz, in perfect symbiosis. An album full of dub atmospheres mixed with orchestral patterns; compelling rhythms of the ska and reggae traditions together with dilated and hypnotic electronic sounds. A recording fruit of a challenge and a celebration of music, something that is undoubtedly reflected in the spectacular outcome. 22 musicians locked in a large studio to rediscover the beauty of sharing after months away from the stage due to the pandemic, without even being able to rehearse.

The decision to record a live album was instantaneous, it was just about enjoying the energy of the moment. All tracks were recorded strictly live in the studio, without overdubs, with the aim of apprehending something unrepeatable.

The electronics, the melodies of the wind section and the vocal power come together in this work, recorded live at Deep Studio in Treviso (Italy) and mastered by Ibon Larruzea (Bilbao), full of dub atmospheres mixed with orchestral patterns.

All this merges into a unique and explosive sound in which the strength of the big band meets the deep and hypnotic beats of dub music. The instrumental "Cascade Dub" opens the album with a rootsy, majestic brass-led track.

From there on, Michela Grena, Rosa Mussin and Freddy Frenzy jump into their vocal games, inducing a trance-like state from which you can't (don’t want to) get out. A succession of untamed riddims and expansive sounds in which, in many cases, the wind section remains crouched in the background leaving the creative element in the hands of the dubmaster unit. As small depth charges "You Can Fly", "Lion", "Moon", "Beating Heart", generate submission to the beat and texture. "Mama", the successful first collaboration between the two bands, celebrates the bright sounds and colours of mother earth, a glorious song to our home. In the face of inequality, the senselessness of war, injustice, it becomes necessary to "Shine a Light" that offers hope and, at the same time, to "Give Thanks" for what we are fortunate enough to enjoy. The power of the big band merges with the heavy and deep step of the dub.


A progression of organic, pressing cadences, as in the solidest of the ska and reggae traditions and, at the same time, electronic resonances, dilated and deep. "Sinking Sand" closes the album in a sort of sonorous fencing of styles that makes us guess (as well as the title of the album itself) that WDD and NESJO still have a lot to debate. WDD began their journey as a quartet in 2014 and prior to Studio Session #1 they had already released two albums and several singles. NESJO formed in 2012 and have previously released two albums (both available on Brixton Records) and are working on what will be the recording of their next full-length.

Northeast Italy is a border area and it's easy to connect with each other in those territories made of enchanted landscapes. That energy, that desire to experiment and get involved, have made possible this ambitious project in which a ska-jazz orchestra and a dub band, each with its own language, are assembled in an amazing sonority

Third full-length from Kentuckiana studio chiselers EQUIPMENT POINTED ANKH. Seven tracks of Great Lake inspired genre transgressions sure to make the cover of Modern Hocketing Magazine. Mono minded drumming, superstitious Clavinet, Siege style guitar, cod-turntablism, billowing Serge and Russ' crotales collide at FAO Schwartz in a rush to return the instruments before the 30 days are up. Recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL and End of an Ear in Louisville, KY Fall of 2021. Engineered & mixed by Taylor Hales at Electrical Audio. Produced by The Barney Rubble Trio. Mastered by Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets in Providence, R

Communique Records USA re-issues Timeblind aka Chris Sattinger "Ouija Board Through A Vocoder" from 1995

KID FRANCESCOLI, leader of the French Riviera Touch is back with the stellar album SUNSET BLUE out Sept 22nd 2023.

After a first sold-out world tour (over 200 concerts in Europe, USA, Asia...), and successful hits such as Nopalitos, Blow Up or Moon (now certified diamond, with more than 200 millions streams), the Marseille-based producer, crooner and multi-instrumentalist, Mathieu Hocine, is eager to share his most accomplished LP ever. This fine collection of soulful songs honor his Mediterranean roots, with elegant and pop melodies. His most recent success and the creation of his first original soundtrack with AZURO, installed him as one of the best French songwriters of his generation, with a unique signature sound.

"I live in Marseille, I spent my childhood in Corsica, I have Algerian origins, my first vacations with friends were in Barcelona, vacations with my first girlfriend in Roma,... Then, I had the chance to perform in Morocco, Greece, Turkey and Egypt: each time I spent time in the Mediterranean region, the people I met there made me feel like I was part of the same country. This shared multiculturalism is really comforting, it has its own poetry and strength, bringing uniqueness and empathy to the people. It is essential for me. I love my city: it’s the perfect place to feel good with sun, sea, family, friendships, love... It gets me emotional, bringing tears with a smile".

With his new musical gem, Mathieu Hocine unveils 11 elegant tunes of his finest craft: sunbathed French Touch (Run Run, 1986), romantic chillwave (Corsica), uplifting synthpop (You Are Everywhere, Like Magic), electronic-soul (Casino Soul), cinematic disco (Solaris), cosmic R&B (Sweet and Sour, Take Time), … Everything is in this record.

For the first time ever, Kid Francescoli paid tribute to his mixed origins with his collaboration with world-renowned lute and mandolin player Hakim Hamadouche (Rachid Taha, Patti Smith, Brian Eno, Tricky...), whom added Algerian patterns to the introspectives songs Drift in Blue and The Morning After.

"My ambition is to create pictures in people's heads with music, to transport them instantly into a movie"

SUNSET BLUE is an instant-crush album: crystal-clear, strong, personal but universal at the same time.

It's an ecstatic soundtrack for this moment when time is suspended, the golden hour when everything seems possible. It feels like Love is in the air, you're living your best life and you're at the right place at the right time. This album embodies this magic moment where we would like to last forever… Like an epiphany, Kid Francescoli's new album is a moment of pure pleasure, a soothing way to escape reality.

"I see myself as a melodist.I would like my music to feel like velvet. There's something cinematic, classy about it, and yet comforting. It's very simple, popular and synonym of love and passion"

His friend French 79 co-produced the album, while the american rapper Bamby H2O brought his NYC swag (on Sweet & Sour), Stan Neff (Polo & Pan, Kungs, Christine and the Queens...) took care of the mix and Alex Gopher (Daft Punk, The Blaze, Bon Entendeur...) added a final touch of magic when mastering. Nicolas Despis (known for his work with Etienne Daho, Hoshi, Juliette Armanet... and many famous French rappers) later joined this dream-team to craft custom-made artworks. SUNSET BLUE is a deeply personal quest, a human adventure for Mathieu Hocine (whom explores his maghrebian origins, his feminine side, his subconscious space, ...). It's a male's work, but don't get it wrong, this LP would be nothing without women’s touch : Julietta (on Run Run and Take Time), Sarah Gaugler from Turbo Goth (on You Are Everywhere and Like Magic), and iOni (on Drift in Blue).

“Music has this magical power to broaden your vision of the world. It's fascinating because, like dreams, it's the kind of irrational things science can't explain and that makes life exciting."

Planets aligned perfectly on this project and thanks to this five-star cast of collaborators, Kid Francescoli achieved his personal holy grail : he orchestrated a great 21st century pop-music album.SUNSET BLUE is a new turning point between organic and electronic, both a mediterranean travel and a Californian dream, a bridge between Ennio Morriconne and modern electronic music.

Also, while it might be called SUNSET BLUE in honor of the sea and the Portuguese / Brazilian concept called “saudade”, but it is a really optimistic album, whose true colors would rather be "yellow-orange-red" in nod to the sun.

Created in the midst of the world tour, SUNSET BLUE is a direct result of the lives’ energy and fans’ joyful vibes: going back in the studio after smiling, singing and dancing with people all around the world inevitably gave Kid Francescoli the desire to retranscribe this ecstatic feeling in music. This album is a sensitive experience, from sunrise to sunset, from first track to last one. It’s an exploration of an everlasting summer, reaching its climax in the very final seconds of the track Corsica, making us want to press play and dive into this jewel all over again.

A beautiful cosmic trip, whether you like to stay in bed cocooning, to travel far, far away or to dance ‘till dawn, to catch the first rays of light.

Make sure to catch Kid Francescoli on his next world tour to have a good time.

Big Crown Records is proud to present the debut full length offering from Les Imprimés, Rêverie. The stirring and ethereal sounds of Les Imprimés have been making fans of anyone who hears them since their first 7” single hit the speakers. Morten Martens is the man behind the band. Born, raised, and working in Kristiansand, Norway, he keeps a low profile while making his heartfelt, highly infectious, and unique music. This album is a long time coming for Martens and it is sure to make him a name to be reckoned with.

The first thing you notice listening to Les Imprimés is the high level of musicianship. Martens plays nearly every instrument on the recordings and handles the production and arranging. He has been making records for decades, winning a Spellemann Award (aka, the Norwegian Grammy) in 2006 for producing a Hip Hop album as well as getting nominations across three other genres. While awards and accolades speak to the level of his talent, this new album really shows who he is as an artist on his own terms.

Moving away from being a hired gun on the touring scene naturally led him to start doing more studio work. Slowly collecting gear and getting more experience behind the boards he built his own studio on the island of Odderøya and was making a living playing with and recording other people's music. As the story goes, after those sessions would end he would work on his own project into the wee hours of the night. From these late night sessions, Les Imprimés was born and Rêverie began to take shape.

However, "it wasn't until COVID, when things locked down, that I was really able to find the time to focus on Les Imprimés" Morten says about creating and leading his own solo project. "It was a scary time. But I knew I had to do something with it." He took the sum of his influences, combined them with his own vibe and got busy writing the music, playing the instruments, and singing the songs. "It's soul music, but I don't exactly have the soul voice," Morten explains humbly. "But I do it my own way, in a way that's mine."

It is his sound, his fingerprint, his sensibility, that makes his music hard to categorize. He has crafted an album of songs with different energies that all fit together to make one gorgeous record. The lead single “Falling Away” starts with a raw drum break and turns into a lushly arranged tune that paints the picture of love when it slips away. On “Still Here” he professes his resilience through life’s twists and turns over a thundering track that puts a new spin on the B side ballad genre. Songs like “You” and “Our Love” mix tones from 60s and 70s Soul with arrangement nods to Doo Wop records while Martens’ lyrics and delivery leave you singing the melodies long after they finish. “Love & Flowers” finds Martens in a moment of clarity with a song that fits the niche sub genre of happy break up tunes, the four on the floor track will move the dancefloor while the message will resonate with anyone who put too much effort into the wrong situation in their lives. However, it is songs like “Muse” and “Chess” that really encapsulate the uniqueness of Les Imprimés as they push the boundaries of genre, one a profession of love for music and the other a cover of an electronic record respectively. Martens’ lyrics, emotion, and delivery truly make the whole thing come together and stand out from any of his peers. There’s an infectiousness and a pop sensibility in the writing that is done with the utmost class and taste giving Les Imprimés the rare quality of immediate attraction that only deepens the more you listen.

Producer, DJ, Facilitator & Publisher (Balraj) Samrai (of Swing Ting/SEEN Magazine) steps out for their first full length release "Work & Roti" along with a host of talented collaborators on new label Sangha Industries.

The album title came from a phone conversation with Samrai's mum who features on the opener reflecting on first generation Punjabis heading to the UK only going to work and eating roti, not getting a chance to travel until their senior years. In addition the project explores the complexity of migrant experiences - healing, self-love/care, reciprocity and connections to the earth. A theme throughout is the inclusion of South Asian percussion and rhythms such as Tabla, Dholak, Kanjira, Dhol and Mridangam overtly at times as well as covertly which grounds the record.

Samrai is joined by host of talented collaborators across the 8 tracks - SCAPA, Vindya, Vikaash Sankadecha, Pops Roberts, Shanique Marie, LINTD, Gavsborg, Joey B, Fox, Raheel Khan, Thai Chi Rosè, Chesqua and Deepikaa Sreenivasan who all enrich the project with vocals, additional production and instrumentation. Although at times dealing with difficult subjects (Help Me, Oil Money, Dirty Dirty) there's a sense of joy, playfulness (Fresh) and release across the set (Yellow Crocus, Create Your Own Bless) culminating in closer (Breathe) when you feel the sunlight pushing through despite the clouds above…

Producer, DJ, Facilitator & Publisher (Balraj) Samrai (of Swing Ting/SEEN Magazine) steps out for their first full length release "Work & Roti" along with a host of talented collaborators on new label Sangha Industries.

The album title came from a phone conversation with Samrai's mum who features on the opener reflecting on first generation Punjabis heading to the UK only going to work and eating roti, not getting a chance to travel until their senior years. In addition the project explores the complexity of migrant experiences - healing, self-love/care, reciprocity and connections to the earth. A theme throughout is the inclusion of South Asian percussion and rhythms such as Tabla, Dholak, Kanjira, Dhol and Mridangam overtly at times as well as covertly which grounds the record.

Samrai is joined by host of talented collaborators across the 8 tracks - SCAPA, Vindya, Vikaash Sankadecha, Pops Roberts, Shanique Marie, LINTD, Gavsborg, Joey B, Fox, Raheel Khan, Thai Chi Rosè, Chesqua and Deepikaa Sreenivasan who all enrich the project with vocals, additional production and instrumentation. Although at times dealing with difficult subjects (Help Me, Oil Money, Dirty Dirty) there's a sense of joy, playfulness (Fresh) and release across the set (Yellow Crocus, Create Your Own Bless) culminating in closer (Breathe) when you feel the sunlight pushing through despite the clouds above…

After her stunning and well acclaimed debut album 'For Trainspotters Only' Ann Eysermans now releases 'Moonlight Shadoh', a tribute to her dog Shadoh. A record on which she explores the bond between herself and her faithful canine friend, Shadoh, through an extraordinary musical odyssey.

Ann Eysermans masterfully weaves together a tapestry of field recordings, candy-like harmonies,and Shadoh's distinctive houndly expressions. Creating otherworldly compositions that transcend genres which include recorded and integrated snarling feedback sounds. From the hauntingly beautiful melodies to the experimental sonic landscapes, every track tells a story that resonates deep within your soul.

Feel the heartbeat of Shadoh as his barks, whimpers and playful antics merge seamlessly with Ann's soothing vocals,harp and viola da gamba. These evocative arrangements will transport you to a realm where the bond between human and dog is translated into an aural spectrum swaying between desolate harp sounds, recollecting the eerie Jandek spirit lacing with doomy, and catchy as hell, new beat vibes.

Moonlight Shadoh is an exceptional journey blending acoustic instruments, phonic melancholy, analogue tape footage of Ann's personal sound archive and audio poetry.

RIYL:
Cross dressed Jandek in a vegan mood, Claire Rousay on expired XTC, Andy Stott with a hangover, William Bassinski on a happy moment, Kali Malone discovering new beat, Mica Levi in a dog shelter and other excellent music.

Happiness Therapy is celebrating five years of releases this month ! The French label, founded by Crowd Control in 2018, has become one of the country’s most well-renowned outfits.

To commemorate such a milestone, the imprint is releasing a nine-track VA in the form of 5 Years of Happiness. Featured guests include Kolter and DJ Steaw, whilst several firm label favorites also appear on the VA, teaming up to produce a set of exclusive collaborations.

“This new release sets in stone half a decade of existence, life changing releases and unforgettable label nights” - Simon Blondeau aka Crowd Control.

Repress!

On 22nd October, the Nottingham-raised and highly-praised musician/DJ/producer Matt Cutler, AKA Lone, presents his 8th album – and first in 5 years – ‘Always Inside Your Head’. It marks two major changes, with both a new label and new approach – featuring vocalists for the first time.

This deeply textural and ethereal artwork is situated high above the clouds, amidst the heavens, occupying a stratospheric state where swathes of synthesized vapour and azure rays sound like a literal breath of fresh air.

A varied selection of music influenced the record, but two main influences were Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine. “I wanted to approach a range of different styles, but attack them from their angle in a way, so for example on 'Inlove2' I tried to imagine what a Balearic / acid house tune might sound like if it were produced by Kevin Shields”, comments Lone.

Another key example of Cutler’s strange but successful combination of elements is the halcyon bliss of ‘Echo Paths’, where his trademark fat drums and love for hip hop meet double-time pan pipes, dub effects and dream pop, mixed into a wonderfully lysergic concoction.

This rarefied auditory stratus was previously evident in tracks like ‘Alpha Wheel 4 (Ambient Mix)’ from ‘DJ Kicks’, ‘Under Cherry Blossoms (Minds Eye Reprise)’ from ‘Ambivert Tools, Vol. 2’, ‘Pulsar’ (from ‘Ambivert 4’), and ‘How Can You Tell’ (from ‘Abraxas’), but is now more fully-fledged, broader in scope and even more celestial.

In addition to the above, the LP exists somewhere between trip hop on Mo' Wax, 90s Warp, intelligent drum & bass and ambient house. There are heavier forays too, like ‘Mouth Of God’, where darker clouds emerge, but are pierced like acid lightning with fierce, tearing tech-step bass.

Although still firmly rooted in club culture – here Lone shows a definite leaning towards a song-based sound, with several tracks edging towards the same crossover space as the nineties hits which also inspired him – particularly William Orbit’s production on Madonna's 'Frozen', and Olive's 'You're Not Alone'. This is especially evident on the bright, spacious brilliance of 'Hidden By Horizons', where vocals and synths swirl around one another, with crisp breakbeats and reggae rolls pushing purposefully through the ether.

Despite initially seeming almost entirely sunny of disposition, upon deeper immersion there’s lot more beneath the album’s surface, both in its deep pools of immiscible layered elements, and also thematically. When recording Cutler kept in mind a loose narrative based on birth, death, and our existence in-between.

He then extended this idea to reach what may happen after death, which is reflected in the sequencing: By penultimate track ‘Undaunted’ the life reflected in this longplayer has come to an end, which is then followed by 'Coming In To Being And Passing Away' – an afterlife epilogue, which evokes a transition from this world to the next.

Autumn Crossing, the newest release from Goose, is a three-song EP that showcases the band's incredible creative synergy, technical proficiency, and spellbinding vocals. The project is an auditory peregrination through the ups and downs of life. A

testament to Goose's continued evolution, the work wanders through pensive optimism on "Travelers I" and epic instrumentation on "Travelers II," arriving at an epic conclusion, "Elmeg the Wise."

With Autumn Crossing, Goose continues to push the boundaries of their creative output, with a work that speaks to the mind, body, and spirit. Available digitally everywhere, and on 180g limited edition etched vinyl.

Die Black Crowes und Produzent George Drakoulias lassen ihr klassisches zweites Album The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion wieder aufleben.

Sie haben die Archive durchforstet, um eine DeluxeEdition zu erstellen, die unveröffentlichte Studioaufnahmen, seltene B-Seiten, ein Konzert vom Februar 1993 und ein neu gemastertes Album enthält. Zu den Highlights gehören ein neuer Mix des Memphis-SoulKlassikers ”99 Pounds” und die bisher unveröffentlichte Studioaufnahme ”Miserable”.

The second crushing, soul mangling, neck bustin' album from Texas hardcore thrashers: Power Trip. Quite possibly the best thrash album you will have heard in the last decade. IMMENSE, MAMMOTH, MASSIVE.

Recorded by Arthur Rizik (Inquisition) , mastered by Joel Grind (Poison Idea, Toxic Holocaust) and features cover art by Paolo Girard. 
POWER TRIP is a real band like no other. Their raw energy, musical proficiency, perfect song structure, rich tones, fierce riffs, persecution, and collective attitude have seeded them as one of the most prolific underground staples in the US metal, punk, and hardcore scenes. POWER TRIP has relentlessly toured the world for years with the likes of Anthrax, Lamb Of God, Cro-Mags, Negative Approach, Turnstile, Backtrack, Eyehategod, Bane, Off!, and more, and has performed with countless others, in addition to pummeling audiences at major festivals all over the US, Europe, and beyond. The band will be touring endlessly in support of this new album!

2023 Reissue

Berlin based HipHop producer S. Fidelity presents his sophomore and full packaged concept album “Fidelity Radio Club” via Jakarta Records.

Four years after his Jakarta Records debut “A Safe Place to Be Naked” S. Fidelity has matured as a producer and as an artist: working and recording in London, Los Angeles, Paris and Johannesburg while building up his Manolo Purple Studios in Berlin with longtime collaborator, labelmate and soul brother Bluestaeb.

In 2021 S. Fidelity finally returns to the main program with his brand new solo album “Fidelity Radio Club” shaped in form of a genre crossing radio show exploring HipHop, R&B, Jazz, House and Funk in all their depths, creating the multi-layered album he always dreamt to do as he orchestrates a stoking line-up of equally talented friends and fellows like Bluestaeb, Melodiesinfonie, Suff Daddy, K, Le Maestro, Àbáse and many more while still delivering that very personal note every classic producer album needs and comes with. Or as the artist himself would put it: “17 different artists, producers and instrumentalists from all over the world helped me to bring this vision to life.”

According to that the albums 1st single features Singer NDO from Florida, giving life to the hard hitting R&B gem “Mixed Signals” where warm neo soul harmonies meet with classic R&B vibes of early 2000. The song made it to Spotify’s Butter Playlist right away and was picked for Deezer’s “Date Night” Playlist and Apple Music’s New Music Daily as well and received shout outs and further Playlist-placements by music blogs like Stereofox or MOW Mag.

The 2nd single comes as a double single featuring pianist, producer and main protagonist of Berlin’s prog-jazz scene Àbáse on “Me At The Zoo” (reminding its listeners of London’s new wave of jazz around Kamaal Williams or Yussef Dayes) on one side and the energetic, funk influenced disco tune “Something Good” on the other side.

The 3rd and final single “Love International Inc.” then comes with a bumpy up tempo drum beat, which develops into an energetic and jazzy lo-fi house/deep house loop, featuring none other than Zürich’s finest Melodiesinfonie as well as Paris-based Bluestaeb, marking this supergroup’s 2nd appearance and giving a glimpse of what’s yet to come.

Each of the album’s single cuts comes with a visual treatment by HipHop’s favorite photographer Robert Winter and his team (The Ottos), matching sound and artwork accordingly while the record’s amazing and unique artwork comes from the Swiss based creative studio HOMI. The record itself contains a sticker sheet with customized S. Fidelity and “Fidelity Radio Club” stickers as well.

The whole album campaign is further accompanied by the Fidelity Radio Show hosted by S. Fidelity himself, sitting down with his featured guests talking about the music they love and they draw inspiration from – broadcasted via S. Fidelity’s own youtube channel releasing its episodes in between the album’s single drops.

Felipe Gordon is a Colombian producer based in Bogota. He’s one of the most famous faces of latin american underground house music. He built a track record of pure house productions from the mid-2010s up until now, being Laurent Garnier-supported and releasing records with the most notorious house labels around the globe (Royal Oak, Razor-N-Tape, Toy Tonics, Local Talk, Shall Not Fade, etc.) His unique sonic touch, intertwining elements of raw analogue sounds from his synth collection and a strong hip-hop sampling background are allowing him to explore and revisit his influences to craft a solid musical signature.

Bad Touch kehren mit ihrem fünften Album „Bittersweet Satisfaction“ zurück. Das Werk
wurde von der Band selbst produziert und im The Marshall Studio aufgenommen. Es
präsentiert ihren Good-Time Rock'n'Roll in 10 brandneuen Tracks.
Mit „BITTERSWEET SATISFACTION“ melen sich BAD TOUCH zurück, größer und
mutiger als je zuvor. Die Band kombiniert klassische Rock-Riffs mit Chorusses für Stadien
und ihrer charakteristischen lebenslustigen Einstellung, um einige ihrer bisher besten
Werke zu schaffen. Die Platte ist ein Strahl positiver Energie, eine Hommage daran, im
Augenblick zu leben und die Sorgen hinter sich zu lassen.
„Wir sind eine Wohlfühl-Rock’n’Roll-Band.“ Das sagt Gitarrist Daniel „Seeks“ Seekings,
und es muss nicht wirklich komplizierter als das sein! Das Album wurde ein halbes Jahr
lang aufgenommen und fertiggestellt, dabei bieten Bad Touch einen ausgefeilteren
Mainstream-Sound als bisher, aber immer noch mit seinen Wurzeln im klassischen Rock
von Led Zeppelin, AC/DC und The Black Crowes.

Nerve Collect goes global with its new and futuristic Machine Learning EP - a thrilling blend of worldly rhythms and twisted electronics from New York based Brazilian-American producer Doctor Jeep aka Andre Lira.

Lira is a producer who is able to weave together threads from many different genres into his own new forms. His forward-thinking sounds draw on everything from drum & bass to techno, dancehall to electro, always with an unwavering focus on the dance floor. So far they have come on the eclectic likes of Medellin's TraTraTrax, Berlin’s SPE:C, and his own label DRX (amongst others).

The 6 tracks on this EP showcase Jeep's variety, from the distorted kicks and zippy synths of 'Machine Learning' and 'Mad T', to more straight forward 4x4 techno/tech-house crossovers of 'Shake The Club' and 'Largatixa, to futuristic grime mutations in 'Phase Morph' and ravey dancehall of 'Oil Drum' featuring Montreal-based SIM.

This is another fresh and unpredictable EP from Nerve Collect, although its impact on the club is very predictable: pure carnage.

Justin K. Broadrick returns to Pi Electronics with his second full EP under the moniker "JK Flesh".
This latest release also features a remix by the German industrial techno legend, Ancient Methods.

Diverging from his previous offering, "PI04", PI11 unveils JK Flesh's real slow burners-- a crossover between industrial and dub-techno.
Broadrick's mastery in industrial music meets his dub influences, resulting in meticulously crafted organic textures and relentless, tormenting dub-leaning techno beats. This EP is for those who appreciate music that unfolds gradually and rewards patient listeners.

Ancient Methods' take on PI11.2 is a demonstration of his distinctive and trademark sound, perfectly transforming the depth of the original track into an industrial techno banger.

The 11th instalment of the Pi Electronics EP series brings together two titans of industrial aesthetics: a UK musician boasting four decades of cross-genre music-making and one of the scene's most respected DJs and producers. The record comprises three original tracks, along with the remix, pressed onto 180-gram black vinyl, including an A5 insert. Additionally, two digital extra originals complement the physical release, providing a comprehensive sonic journey through Broadrick's work.

Recorded August, 1965, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Original LP issue: OKTAV – OKLP 111

Sahib Shihab (Edmund Gregory) played with many of jazz’s finest musicians. Shortly after he became one of the first jazz players to change their names due to an Islamic conversion, he joined Thelonious Monk for his Blue Note sessions. He also played with Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Pettiforn and Quincy Jones. A unique musician, he was at home in every musical style, from the experimentalism of Thelonious Monk to the more direct hard bop of Art Blakey. Sahib Shihab’s distinctive sound was rooted in his modernist compositions and arrangements, complemented by an intense, soulful playing style.

In 1959 he toured Europe with Quincy Jones after getting fed up with racial politics in USA and ultimately settled in Scandinavia. He worked for Copenhagen Polytechnic and wrote scores for television, cinema and theatre. He remained there until 1973. During this period, he recorded several albums as leader for European labels such as Vogue, Storyville and Futura.

In 1961 he joined The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and remained a key figure in the band for the 12 years it ran. He married a Danish lady and raised a family in Europe, although he remained a conscious African-American still sensitive to racial issues.

This record, on the Danish Oktav label, his second as a leader and also his rarest is a true masterpiece !!!

Discover our new Men Collection : a fine selection of the greatest male artists in Soul & in Jazz on two nice vinyls !

Tape

Vestigios, Aeondelit’s second full length record after recently releasing an EP of shifting club music influenced by postmodern philosopher Leotard on Tel Aviv’s Sadan records, tells a lucid, captivating story of heritage, transformation, vulnerability and healing. It will be released via Berlin-based art platform and record label Unguarded as a digital and tape release with an artwork created by Petra Hermanova, and will be accompanied by limited textile pieces by Diane Esnault. Aeondelit’s music is strongly influenced by the rocky surrounding of his hometown Manizales and fuses electronic sensibilities, ambient streams and avant-percussive rhythms that build his sound identity. Aeondelit's evocative music has previously been released via the Insurgentes imprint, Vienna-based Ashida Park and was recently featured on the 'Unguarded 2 – Entangled' compilation. Cortés describes the meaning of Vestigios as such: “The memories of past generations: the lives that burn within me, are the pillars of who I am. They constitute longings and traps, sin and strength, the temple that breaks down and rebuilds. The different dimensions of consciousness converge in the mind, which constantly tells us who we are, synthesizing and projecting our contradictions. The pain that comes with getting in touch with our vulnerabilities opens the doors to healing through confrontation. This lays the foundation for a more honest relationship with our past, present and future. 'Vestigios' is the bridge between the temporal and the eternal, the crystallized remnant of pain caused by transformation and recognition of the convulsive underworld of our psyche.” Aeondelit, birth name Sergio Cortés, is a Colombian music producer who explores themes related to technology and human condition in sound. He focuses on the creative use of sample manipulation techniques and digital sound synthesis to deepen the idea of a dialogue between computer and human, and how both influence each other. Deep in Colombia's Andes, surrounded by big mountains and the sacred Nevado del Ruiz, Aeondelit has been forging his own sound identity, exploring the intersection points between sparkly experimental club music and melodic ambient electronic. His first release Editing Destiny on the Colombian label Insurgentes was well received by the public and DJs, named one of the best albums of 2020 on Mixmag. His last release on Sadan Records, Anima Minima, was reviewed and premiered on platforms like DJ Mag, THE BRVTALIST and Orb Mag. He is also the co-founder of the independent record label Nvrclose, where his debut album as Æon Series: Dualidad, was released. About Unguarded: Unguarded is a Berlin based experimental electronic music label and art platform. In 2020 long-term collaborators Tim Roth aka Sin Maldita aka 1k Flowers and Phillipp Hülsenbeck founded Unguarded to foster forward thinking artists with a focus on exploring cross-disciplinary collaboration and embarking on sonic adventures. Unguarded was founded in a time of turmoil and uncertainty for artists and music, trying to keep personal connections alive through shared personal and collective experiences between doom and destruction and glistening hope. Amongst their own contributions, Hülsenbeck and Roth gather a collection of genre-defying works by longtime collaborators as well as artists they bonded with in recent years. Their releases constantly escape from definition but through entangling their unique artistic marks, this diversity remains absorbing and compelling throughout their sprawling sonic miasmas. Combining earth-shattering club cuts, equally elegant and bouncy, Unguarded contributes to and connects the experimental music scene in and outside of Berlin. We invite the curious to a deep, tense but rewarding experience.

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

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

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

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

Orphax & PONI (person of no importance) is a collaboration between the two Dutch brothers, Sietse (Orphax) and Tjeerd (PONI) van Erve. Since their early years they share a broad interest in music, fed mostly from their fathers’ record collection, ranging from early blues to Pink Floyd or Beethoven. But also listening to Belgian radio channel Studio Brussels (which during the late 80s and early 90s was a common listening close to the borders between The Netherlands and Belgium), and the late night Dutch radio inspired them in exploring the rough edges of underground music.

An exploration that gave them a common interest in indie and noise rock, but soon enough both followed their own path in music. Tjeerd moving more into underground guitar music, whilst Sietse developed a wider interest in (experimental) electronic and contemporary music. Both as listeners, but also exploring their own interests as musicians.

Now many years later these musical paths cross again in this album Inheritance (with a slight imagination, a translation of their last name van Erve). An album where Tjeerd brings in his dark and noisy lo-fi guitar songs and Sietse brings in his drones and electro-acoustic composition styles.

The album opens with its longest track, “As Received”. This combination results in a slow developing drone, with the intensity and tension of a well build-up post-rock track, that slowly unfolds Tjeerd his guitar layers and vocals. The title of the song refers to one of the PONI projects, where Tjeerd would send rough recordings to befriended musicians who than would rework those recordings without any restrictions which then would be released side by side with the original rough recordings. A project which actually sparked the idea of this collaboration (and that can still be listened to on PONI’s bandcamp-page).

On the flip side of the record, three shorter works give more room for regular song structures. In “Sunburns” this results in slowcore with subdued vocals, melancholic guitars and nasty synth and organ drones. When Tjeerd wrote the basis for the song, he actually had been listening to a lot of Codeine and Bedhead. One does not need much fantasy to recognize the influences of these bands.

“The Tears Are Necessary” is build up around various broken up piano tracks accompanied by moody drones to develop a fragile song.

The album closes with “Lockdown”, opening with silence as a moment of contemplation after the previous work but then quickly develops in a playful song where improvised play on piano, guitar and modular synthesizer create a lo-fi gem that clearly shows that both brothers still haven’t lost their love for Sentridoh or Guided By Voices.
All together resulting in an album that is an ode to the love of music, experiment, and creativity and a celebration of brotherhood.

More bangers from man like Cromby, this time with a slightly darker twist. Support from all the big guns, plays on BBC Radio 1, etc. Don't miss!

Next in the Potency series, Cromby shows his darker side with 3 cuts of his brand of House and Techno.

In March of 2022, Car Seat Headrest brought their "explosive" (Brooklyn Vegan) live show to Brooklyn Steel in New York in support of their 2021 album "Making a Door Less Open." Across three back to back nights, the band played revved up versions of tracks spanning their extensive back catalog. On December 8th, CSH will release a collection of recordings from those performances which includes fan favorites "Beach Life-In-Death," "Crows", "Something Soon", and "Drunk Drivers / Killer Whales."

Double Vinyl : full set of the finale concert of their 1985 'Kick Over Apartheid!' tour + BBC broadcast tracks from their 1986 concert at the Town And Country Club. 2 x 140 grs Black LP , 25 tracks. Printed inners. introduction by Redskins founding member Martin Hewes + liner notes.

SHORT INFOS
In the mid '80s, in the midst and direct aftermath of the era defining Miner's Strike, the Redskins, as political activists, delivered their electrifying and radical Socialist Workers Party missives and broadsides through the ministry of their music - a unique post-punk rock/soul hybrid that gained their lead singer, Chris Dean, the sobriquet 'Tamla Motormouth'.

The Redskins were taking a stand for the working man and by standing up, they stood out - and never so forcefully as in the live arena! With their stellar musicianship and crack brass section honed through a never ending whorl of 'fighting fund' benefit gigs, they were the furious flames that kept the anti-Thatcher fires of dissent burning throughout those challenging years marked by her seeming unassailability.

'These Furious Flames!' is a 25 track documentation of the energy, commitment and drive of the Redskins as that campaigning live act. Issued in 2xCD capacity wallet, double vinyl and digital editions, each format couples together a recording of the full set of the finale concert of their 1985 'Kick Over Apartheid!' tour - including guest appearances from Jerry Dammers and Billy Bragg - with the BBC broadcast tracks from their 1986 concert at the Town And Country Club.

The double CD edition comes with a 40 page booklet that compiles new and period quotes by band members Martin Hewes, Chris Dean, Paul Hookham and Kevin Robertson as well as thoughts by an array of associates and celebrity fans including poet Atilla The Stockbroker, Billy Bragg, Colin Revolting, their studio album producers Pat Foley & Chris Silagyi and DJ Gary Crowley. The booklet also contains gig reviews, photographs and a condensed digest of media quotes about the band.

The double vinyl LP format has printed inner bags replete with evocative archive photographs and a written introduction by Redskins founding member Martin Hewes, with whose co-operation and input this celebratory release has been curated.

Re-Release von One Foot In The Grave, das Album der deutschen Thrash Metal Legende Tankard, das ursprünglich am 2017 über Nuclear Blast Records veröffentlicht wurde. One Foot In The Grave war das dritte Tankard Album für Nuclear Blast. Das Album wird in limitierter Auflage als Gatefold Black/White/Red Splatter LP veröffentlicht.

Limited Edition of 3,000 on Opaque Blue vinyl. - Includes 4 Bonus Tracks from the "Commitment" sessions. - Includes 12 Page Booklet with Liner Notes by Critically Acclaimed Writer, Michael Krugman. // Bobby Darin was, by any definition, a superstar - a chart-topping, multimillion-selling, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, a Golden Globe-winning actor, visionary entrepreneur, and committed political activist. Restless and daring, his refusal to be constrained by genre, resulting in an endless string of top 10 hits, including "Splish Splash," "Queen of the Hop," "Dream Lover," "Beyond the Sea," and "If I Were a Carpenter." While his public persona was all bright lights and glamour, Darin was driven and inspired by the generational shifts and social upheaval of the 1960s. Despite his weakened health, Darin devoted nearly all of his free time towards multiple causes, tirelessly campaigning for his friend Robert F. Kennedy until his assassination in June 1968, after which Darin withdrew from the spotlight and embarked on an unlikely personal journey. He swapped his crooner's tuxedo for folk singer denim, his toupee for an outlaw mustache, a Beverly Hills mansion for a secluded trailer at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur. Commitment is grittier and more audacious than Darin's previous work. From the counterculture anthem "Me and My Hohner" (with its ironic reference to "The Star-Spangled Banner") and the soul-searching "Sausalito" to the wryly autobiographical "Distractions (Part 1)" and the tense funk of "Light Blue," the album's experimentation and free-wheeling songcraft affirm Darin as a generational talent uniquely capable of crossing the borders of age and politics.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce the first LP documenting master khene player Sombat Simla, the label’s first collaboration with Japanese sound artist, field recordist, and researcher Yasuhiro Morinaga. Simla is known in Thailand as one of the greatest living players of the khene, the ancient bamboo mouth organ particularly associated with Laos but found throughout East and Southeast Asia. His virtuosic and endlessly inventive renditions of traditional and popular songs have earned him the title ‘the god of khene’, and he is known for his innovative techniques and ability to mimic other instruments and non-musical sound, including, as a writer for the Bangkok Post describes, ‘the sound of a train journey, complete with traffic crossings and the call of barbecue chicken vendors’. Aided by a group of Thai friends, in 2018 Morinaga travelled to the Maha Sarakham province in the Isan region, arranging to meet Simla in a remote spot surrounded by rice fields. Then and there, Morinaga recorded the solo performances heard on the LP’s first side. At Morinaga’s request, Simla began with a rendition of the train song ‘Lot Fay Tay Lang’. Beginning with long tones that seem to mimic a train horn, the performance soon moves into a rapid chugging rhythm, interrupted at points by vocal exclamations and the remarkable timbre Simla produces by singing through the khene. To listeners unfamiliar with Thai music, the pentatonic scales and rhythmic chug of many of the pieces can have surprising echoes of the rawest American blues. The range of Simla’s performance is astonishing, moving from compulsive rhythmic workouts on single chords and rapid-fire runs of single notes to gentle sing-song melodies, and using a fascinating array of techniques, including a rapid tremolo that sometimes sounds almost electronic. Later the same day, Morinaga followed Simla to a cattle shed where he met percussionist Mali Moodsansee to play some molam (folk songs found in Isan and neighbouring Laos), with Pattardon Ekchatree joining in on cymbal. At times, these molam songs have a wistful, romantic character quite different from the solo pieces. Backed up by the propulsive hand drums, Simla again dazzles with his melodic fluidity, rhythmic drive, and wild displays of unorthodox technique. As Morinaga writes, ‘It felt like they had been playing together so long that their breathing was perfectly in sync, and it was like listening to the precision of James Brown’s funk’. Accompanied by extensive liner notes by Morinaga detailing the day of recording, this is a stunning document of a master musician, seamlessly integrating tradition and innovation.

Started around a decade ago, "Overcloseness" has been a long time coming. It is Colorist's debut album on paper, but already has a magnum opus feel to it. The beginnings of Colorist lay in the Cologne music community. Being small, it was always influenced by the art and the film scene. (In fact, the label Magazine originates from the same crossing point.) The large cast of guest appearances underlines how much Antonio de Luca and Caroline Kox are in the center of that Cologne community. On "Overcloseness" intimate pieces for one or two instruments alternate with dense choir anthems ("Embody") and tracks built from ultra intense fabrics that conjure up the mediative hardness of Tool ("Blood Markers"). Driven by the otherworldly voice of Koxi and a larger than life bass line by Antonio, the album culminates in the unforgettable "Touch Me". Oscillating between a bad migraine and cathartic hypnosis, Colorist have created a genre defying universe of an album.

„This will not revive your soul, B.“

Die wegweisende feministische Punkband FRIGHTWIG ist mit ihrem neuesten Album 'We Need to Talk...' (Label 51 Recordings) zurück, inklusive einer besonderen Bonus-7''-Single, die ihrer verstorbenen, aber immer präsenten Schlagzeugerin Cecilia Kuhn gewidmet ist, die 2017 diese irdische Ebene verlassen hat.

Seit ihrer Gründung in San Francisco im Jahr 1983 verfolgt Frightwig zwei Ziele: Freude verbreiten und das Patriarchat bekämpfen. Seit 40 Jahren haben sie auf beiden Fronten Erfolg, mit einer Mischung aus knalliger Hardcore-Energie und einem furchtlosen Aktivismus. Die Band war eine prägende Einflussgröße auf die Riot Grrrl-Bewegung und darüber hinaus. Sie begrüßt Mitstreiter, Sünder und Ausgestoßene, und die Anhängerschaft von Frightwig ist im Laufe der Zeit nur größer und stärker geworden.

Das Album wurde von Eric Drew Feldman produziert (bekannt für seine Arbeit mit PJ Harvey, Pixies, The Residents, Frank Black, OK Go und Captain Beefheart). Frightwig entführt eine Welt des feministischen Punkrock entführen, der sowohl Energie als auch Aktivismus verkörpert.

Our next EPMmusic release comes to you both digitally and on vinyl with a hefty four-tracker that sees Mark Broom and Patrik Carrera team up for the "ZZZZ EP".

A prolific music artist with over 150 releases under his belt, Mark Broom is best known for Techno but has also crossed music genres with numerous monikers and collaborations on labels including Rekids, Warp, Ifach, M-Plant, Cocoon and Glitterbox, as well as recently reigniting his mighty Beard Man label.

Patrik Carrera's connection to Broom has seen him release on Beard Man, as well as other highly regarded Techno labels like Modularz, Mindtrip, Mord and his own Paranoid Dancer. He's an artist with an astute approach to composition and a sound firmly rooted in the analogue domain. His fascination with vintage and modern analogue electronics are the foundation of his work.

Their "ZZZZ EP" pulls no punches, delivering four peak-time Techno tracks that could each be EP openers in their own right.

In March of 2022, Car Seat Headrest brought their “explosive” (Brooklyn Vegan) live show to Brooklyn Steel in New York in support of their 2020 LP ‘Making a Door Less Open.’ Across three back to back nights, the band played revved up versions of tracks spanning their extensive back catalog. On December 8th, CSH will release a collection of recordings from those performances which includes fan favorites “Beach Life-In-Death,” “Crows”, “Something Soon,” and “Drunk Drivers / Killer Whales.”

The devastating 4th album from the UK's heaviest Northern offering - OSIAH. Produced by Andy Mallaby (Osiah, Nexilva) and mixed by Christian Donaldson (Ingested, Shadow of Intent), the album also features artwork by Shindy Reehal (Viscera, The Zenith Passage, Archspire). Osiah’s UK tour with Necrotted: 29/9/23 - Plymouth - The Junction 30/9/23 - Derby - The Hairy Dog 1/10/23 - London - New Cross Inn 2/10/23 - Bristol - The Crofters Rights 3/10/23 - Manchester - Satans Hollow 4/10/23 - Sheffield - Corporation 5/10/23 - Glasgow - Audio 6/10/23 - Newcastle - The Cluny 2 7/10/23 - Birmingham - The Devils dog

Svart Records proudly presents the reissue of Bleed From Within's 2018 album Era! Bleed From Within is a heavy metal band formed in 2005 at Glasgow, Scotland. Era, originally released in 2018 by Century Media, is the band's fourth studio album. This is the first reissue of it on vinyl and features the two bonus tracks that were originally only available on the first CD pressing. "Bleed From Within have breathed life into a kind of metal that has long become stagnant and they have done this on their own terms. No backing down and no comprising can be found within Era, they have shown here just what can be done if you really believe in the music you’re writing. One of the standout releases of the year." -Ghost Cult Magazine "If you are a fan of riffs then Era is definitely going to be an album for you. Every song is packed several great riffs. The influence of bands like LAMB OF GOD and PANTERA can certainly be heard but things never sound completely derivative." -Distorted Sound Magazine

Svart Records proudly presents the reissue of Bleed From Within's 2018 album Era! Bleed From Within is a heavy metal band formed in 2005 at Glasgow, Scotland. Era, originally released in 2018 by Century Media, is the band's fourth studio album. This is the first reissue of it on vinyl and features the two bonus tracks that were originally only available on the first CD pressing. "Bleed From Within have breathed life into a kind of metal that has long become stagnant and they have done this on their own terms. No backing down and no comprising can be found within Era, they have shown here just what can be done if you really believe in the music you’re writing. One of the standout releases of the year." -Ghost Cult Magazine "If you are a fan of riffs then Era is definitely going to be an album for you. Every song is packed several great riffs. The influence of bands like LAMB OF GOD and PANTERA can certainly be heard but things never sound completely derivative." -Distorted Sound Magazine

Finally back in print! ACTORS' debut record, now available on splatter vinyl! One of the most exciting bands to come out of Canada recently, ACTORS delivers their debut album on Artoffact Records! The term "post-punk", like many terms with a similar prefix, is firmly planted in a time in history, and signifies an added precision and experimentation to a thrilling genre that has echoed forward in both style and attitude. The Jason Corbett-led outfit ACTORS are standing on the shoulders of titans with their brand of the style, and could almost be referred to as "post-post-punk".

Coltrane, Shorter, Hubbard, Davis & Perkins from a Latin perspective! The Mantecas represent one of the finest concentrations of experience and talent in Latin and Jazz music ever to be based in the UK. A pure uplifting Latin Jazz music celebration. NOT-TO-BE-MISSED!! Recorded at different locations in London during 2022/23. Mixed at Abbey Road Studios in March 2023. The Mantecas (formerly known as "Manteca") is an eight piece, London-based, Latin Jazz, Soul and Boogaloo band well known for creating a party mood at festivals and gigs everywhere they go, from Glastonbury, Ealing Festival and Tropical Pressure Festival to The 606 Club and The Jazz Café in London. They have a particular ability for bridging the culture gap with any audience getting all crowds up hitting the dance floor in a jive. The Mantecas will blow your mind with a mesmerising mix of salsa, Cumbia, Funk, Latin jazz and Boogaloo. For this new release album, the band is exploring the legacy of some of the Jazz giants through a Latin lens, reworking timeless pieces by Coltrane, Shorter, Davis, Hubbard and Perkins, giving them the infusion of Latin rhythms while remaining true to the Jazz language. The band is made up of some of the best musicians in the Latin, Jazz and Pop scenes in London: TRYPL HORNS: Paul Booth (Incognito/Brand New Heavies), Trevor Mires (Jamiroquai/Incognito), Ryan Quigley (Gregory Porter/Beverly Knight) Dave Oliver: Keys (Lisa Stansfield/Snowboy) Satin Singh: Percussion (Jazz Jamaica/Roberto Pla/Pucho and the Latin Brothers) Javier Fioramonti: Bass and arrangements, MD (Alex Wilson/Jack Costanzo/Joe Bataan/Salsa Celtica) Flavio Correa: Vocals (Omar Puente/New Regency Orchestra) Will Fry: Percussion (Tom Misch, Tony Allen) Rob Luft: Guitar (Dave O'Higgins, Byron Wallen) "Expect loads of hard-hitting salsa, exploding drums and outrageously funky boogaloo". Time Out * "Ripping new Latin Jazz band from the finest musicians of London". Fact Magazine * "One of the best Latin Jazz-funk bands working the scene today". The Jazz Café, London Ltd Ed.

Those familiar with the sound and style of the DIY scene in Chicago's Logan Square may be surprised to find out that it was the birthplace of psych pop quintet Lucille Furs. They are a little surprised themselves.

At the time it wasn't exactly the place to hear harmonies and harpsichords so much as songs about sniffing glue. This isn't to say they didn't like the raucous power of Magik Milk, on the contrary. But, as the people who would come to make up the band began to talk, it became clear that they wanted to make something different entirely. They wanted to make something with the heartbeat of sweaty city basement shows but with the unrestrained imagination of places and times where they had never been.

Bassist Patrick Tsotsos will tell you about the music of post-war Greece where his grandparents grew up. Guitarist Nick Dehmlow will tell you about the garage bands of LA. Drummer Brendan Peleo-Lazar can fill you in on a late 60s London studio session as though he was running the tape machine. Mellotron/organ player Constantine Hastalis can show you a record by some long-forgotten folk singer who writes so earnestly you won't forgive the world for forgetting it. Singer Trevor Newton Pritchett is unapologetic about what they borrow. "You might hear the Zombies for their kind of haunting and contemplative quality, the Kinks kind-of casual criticism, the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band for their distant romantic quality, Temples, Love, Diane Coffee, Charles Bradley or our Chicago people Post Animal, Jude Shuma and Whitney." Now that half of the band is located in Los Angeles you'll be likely to hear those influences, too.

And that's what becomes crystal clear when listening to the upcoming album Another Land. It's an immersive listen, the kind of record you can get lost in on a cross-country drive from the midwest to the west coast. A record with warm blood running through its veins. Music where thought can be abandoned.

The whole record is dressed up in surreal and esoteric terms, in exchange for being topical. Think Dylan lyrics from the late 60s. "Paint Euphrosyne Blue" is kind of a meta-level example of that. The song is a reference to the goddess of mirth, about the human need to adapt to the point of becoming unoriginal. It's about chasing Van Gogh's depression because it makes you feel like a better painter.

The album was written through September 2017 and was recorded following the release of the self-titled Lucille Furs album later that year. It was recorded direct to tape before being completed at Treehouse Records in Chicago.

For fans of: The Kinks, The Zombies, Love, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, The Byrds, The Beatles, Foxygen, Triptides, Temples, Mystic Braves, Levitation Room

Those familiar with the sound and style of the DIY scene in Chicago's Logan Square may be surprised to find out that it was the birthplace of psych pop quintet Lucille Furs. They are a little surprised themselves.

At the time it wasn't exactly the place to hear harmonies and harpsichords so much as songs about sniffing glue. This isn't to say they didn't like the raucous power of Magik Milk, on the contrary. But, as the people who would come to make up the band began to talk, it became clear that they wanted to make something different entirely. They wanted to make something with the heartbeat of sweaty city basement shows but with the unrestrained imagination of places and times where they had never been.

Bassist Patrick Tsotsos will tell you about the music of post-war Greece where his grandparents grew up. Guitarist Nick Dehmlow will tell you about the garage bands of LA. Drummer Brendan Peleo-Lazar can fill you in on a late 60s London studio session as though he was running the tape machine. Mellotron/organ player Constantine Hastalis can show you a record by some long-forgotten folk singer who writes so earnestly you won't forgive the world for forgetting it. Singer Trevor Newton Pritchett is unapologetic about what they borrow. "You might hear the Zombies for their kind of haunting and contemplative quality, the Kinks kind-of casual criticism, the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band for their distant romantic quality, Temples, Love, Diane Coffee, Charles Bradley or our Chicago people Post Animal, Jude Shuma and Whitney." Now that half of the band is located in Los Angeles you'll be likely to hear those influences, too.

And that's what becomes crystal clear when listening to the upcoming album Another Land. It's an immersive listen, the kind of record you can get lost in on a cross-country drive from the midwest to the west coast. A record with warm blood running through its veins. Music where thought can be abandoned.

The whole record is dressed up in surreal and esoteric terms, in exchange for being topical. Think Dylan lyrics from the late 60s. "Paint Euphrosyne Blue" is kind of a meta-level example of that. The song is a reference to the goddess of mirth, about the human need to adapt to the point of becoming unoriginal. It's about chasing Van Gogh's depression because it makes you feel like a better painter.

The album was written through September 2017 and was recorded following the release of the self-titled Lucille Furs album later that year. It was recorded direct to tape before being completed at Treehouse Records in Chicago.

For fans of: The Kinks, The Zombies, Love, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, The Byrds, The Beatles, Foxygen, Triptides, Temples, Mystic Braves, Levitation Room

Sloe Gin is the seventh studio album by Joe Bonamassa and originally releasedon August 20, 2007. The album re- teams Joe Bonamassa with producer Kevin Shirley (Joe Satriani, Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin), who produced 2006's You & Me, which debuted at #1 on the US Billboard's Blues chart in June of 2006.

With 27 #1 albums, yearly sold-out tours worldwide and custom annual cruises, he's a hard act to beat. These albums are a testament to his credentials and a toast to his longtime fans who remember them originally and new fans who can experience them for the first time.

It's Joe Bonamassa at his finest, ready to rock

A note from Lawrence English:

Occasionally ideas present themselves in ways that no one can expect. This recording from Australia’s Eugene Carchesio and the UK’s Adam Betts is one such unexpected presentation.

A couple of years ago, Eugene passed me a collection of recordings that he explained were in the orbit of his now legendary Circle Music series. The recordings, in Eugene’s particular manner, maintained an intensely rhythmic quality rooted in a deep and unwavering sense of minimalism. Eugene has a way of making a tiny cosmos from just the barest of materials. He wondered though, about mixing it up and adding something unexpected to the pieces, and asked about some drums being added.

At almost exactly the same moment, I had been reminded of the amazing work of Adam Betts, who I have been fortunate to be in the orbit of for more than a decade now. We’d first met at Bad Bonne, sharing a bill, and then crossed paths most recently in Tbilisi where he was performing with Squarepusher.

The reason Adam was on my radar though was entirely unrelated to music and it was down to the fact that he had just participated in a welsh toss competition and done quite brilliantly. Somehow, watching Adam lug those weights made me think he’d be the perfect candidate to work with Eugene on this project. To my delight, he agreed.

What results here is a melding of two incredible musical spirits, each of whom have an unerring sense of restrained energy and rhythmic ferocity. It is a parallel reading of how minimal motion can create giant affective waves of energy. It’s also a record of careful listening and generous exploration.

It’s not everyday music can emerge from such curious orbits of thought, but when it does it is a cause for celebration. With that in heart I am so pleased to share this incredible edition with you.

‘Rituals’ is the new album of spiralling drone & ambient formations by Italian artist Danilo Betti aka April Clocks (Union Editions / Mixed Up); a new work of sublime disorientation by the Rimini-based outlier, arising from a period of reinvigorated artistic practice.

Emerging just over a year after the project’s second album ‘It Takes Time’, ‘Rituals’ heads deeper into spheres of consuming, hypnagogic haze, coursing through nine coalescent compositions of amorphous yet absorbing electronics.

Where ‘It Takes Time’ represented an autodidactic interpretation of Betti’s formative influences – namely shoegaze & proto-ambient - ‘Rituals’ is an enigmatic proposition, the product of subconscious resonances, a mysterious sound world that finds traces of evanescent beauty and uncanny captivation in sustained tones, cavernous oscillations, and aesthetic imperfections, like the notes of subtle surface noise embedded within many of these productions.

Attesting to the value of Betti’s background as an industrious solo artist, making music away from prevailing sites of activity, ‘Rituals’ consolidates the inspirations and hallmarks of the April Clocks project into an acute reflection of Betti’s vision, one that feels completely his own.

In the buried somnolent splendour of the opener ‘Hypersleep’, through the sound art rustle and time-stretched cycles of ‘A Cure’, into the stroboscopic magnitude of ‘Ceremony’ and the haunting string loops of ‘Coward’, Betti captures compelling impressions drawn from a submerged perspective; a deluge of smokescreens and crosscurrents from the other side.

Bearing the influence of subliminal states, ‘Rituals’ is nevertheless lucid and arresting. There are sumptuous holding patterns of ambient evaporation that stream into vast maelstroms of sound (‘Displaced Euphoria’), enervated organ themes that distil sensations of stasis and dissociation (‘Wound’), as well as psychedelic movements in wide tracts of negative space (‘No Time, No Land’). From here, the acoustic glitch of ‘Disappearer’ and the stratospheric slipstreams of ‘Mirror Being’ bring the album to an astonishingly dramatic conclusion.

Throughout such moments of reverie and tension, ‘Rituals’ makes for a hypnotic listening experience. It’s an album that signals a pronounced sense of development for the April Clocks project, from past vestiges of physicality to present degrees of heightened abstraction and ethereality, from the Warp-influenced rhythms and frameworks of ‘It Takes Time’ to the wide- ranging, experimental sounds that unfold here.

Encompassing forms of decomposition and otherworldly futurism, decay and sublimation, distortion and lustre, this is unique, cerebral music that reaches inward and ascends outward, drifting elsewhere, according to its own coordinates.

Recorded and Mixed at Tower of Disintegration, 2022.
Mastered by Miles Whittaker.

With Scream If You Don’t Exist, Richie Culver metamorphoses from outsider musician to underground fixture, feeling his way from the fringes towards a growing community of musicians that have gravitated towards his singular sound world. Building upon the stark catharsis of his previous dispatches, on his sophomore album the artist draws from grimdark drone, industrial noise, experimental hip-hop and UK rave to map out a space for himself, caught between genre and discipline. While on his debut, I Was Born By The Sea, Culver took a last glimpse back at his grey, salt-flecked past while struggling towards somewhere brighter, here, he documents the process of finding fresh waters, parsing through the complexity of inhabiting a more open and optimistic place while contending with the weight of his resolve, staring hard won self-acceptance in the face. The album’s title speaks to this creative and emotional work, serving both as the foundational paradox from which the artist’s new discordant sound emerges and as a call to action, a defiant cry in the face of existential angst.

Part of this process involves visiting familiar territory with renewed focus. Macabre opener ‘Hottest Day Of The Year’ signals an unpleasant memory with crow caw, queasy, gas leak ambience and dental drill whir as Culver recalls a life lived in nihilism: “Everything is just something that happened / Reductionism, muscles spasms, a mother’s first contraction.” Yet, on Scream If You Don’t Exist, Culver’s irresistible formula for ragged machine poetry is shot through with palpable urgency. No longer listless and despairing, he finds new intricacies for these compositions, tracing a stark interplay between crushing bass excavations and penetrating vocal clarity, a contrast picked out in the delicate threads of rhythmic pulse suggesting themselves in the blunt pressure and skittering creep of ‘Weakness’, on which Culver offers up vulnerability as a tentative solution to self-described emotional constipation: “Please do / Do take my kindness for weakness / For I am weak / And that is ok.” The amniotic soundscape of ‘YOLO (then u die)’ gives way to depth charge drone and unnerving machinic improvisations, like a noise show heard from deep in the Mariana trench, while on ‘Underground Flower’ the low-end fog lifts to reveal a brighter, colder scene. “Love me for who I could be / Not who I am,” he pleads, tending gently to his own tenacious bud.

Scream If You Don’t Exist gives us a glimpse of this flower in bloom. On the album’s cursed self-help tape title track stuttering loops of off-kilter keys and childlike repetition make light of the very real risk of disappearing all-together, a nervous breakdown rendered as a malfunctioning nursery rhyme. Paranoiac anthem ‘Say 4 Sure’ introduces bit-crushed boom-bap stomp, as though hammered out on a water-logged Game Boy, swarms of loose-wire noise sparking up against guttural grunts and ragged exhalations, while ‘On The Top’ enacts a seance for the hardcore spirit, with loops of rave piano and hiccuping vocal chops pirouetting through knackered samples, air raid sirens and the ghostly crash of breakbeat cymbals. As though in response to the solitary nature of much of his musical exploration, this time, the artist invites other voices into the world of Scream If You Don’t Exist. On ‘Swollen’, the unflinching, brimstone prophecy of Billy Woods sounds clear through an expanse of spirallic bass, preaching the same frayed gospel as Culver when he issues the quietly devastating contemporary diagnosis: “Computer broke but it still works for now / That’s the best you can say for most of us anyhow,” while another fearless correspondent from the fringes, Moor Mother, brings earthbound heft to the ambient drift and obliterating barrage of ‘Restaurants,’ teasing out meaning with elongated intonation and pitch-shifted intensity.

It’s during the album’s most meditative moments that we might recognise this space Culver has found for himself for what it really is. ‘OMG They’re Gone’ follows a chopped and slowed monologue from Culver’s wife, who works as a death doula, reflecting on her own experiences with grief and the reality of living within a culture both terrified and ignorant of the process. Floating over glistening ebb, etherised croons and luminous chimes, her words stand as a prescient reminder of the power of ephemerality. Just as Culver flourishes in imperfection, here we can find enormous strength in transcience. But it’s with ‘Just Jump In,’ which unfurls like a buoyant counterpart to the sparkling oil rigs of ‘I was born by the sea’, that Culver illuminates the hopeful waters we realise we’ve been making our steady way towards. “I know now / That you loved me,” he admits, a revelation a lifetime in the making. Through the rawest reflection Culver has found a way forward, driven by an optimism drawn from a resolve to be better, to love and be loved, an admission to weakness and the discovery of a new kind of strength. “Don’t test the water,” he reassures us and himself, “just jump in.”

Scream If You Don’t Exist will be released in November 2023 by Participant, on limited edition vinyl, and digital download . The release will be accompanied by a series of films directed by Mau Morgo, Josiane M.H Pozi, William Markarian-Martin, Simon Bus, and Bruxism.

The first album release on Sprechen is a trip across the astral planes of electronica and through the neon soaked streets of South Manchester, where genres cross & styles meet on the creative peripherals away from the dance floor.

A life lived through clubs, comic books, cult movies, cosmic adventures & electronic musical endeavours have all played a role in the creation of 'Where Do I Belong?', the debut long player by The Thief Of Time, a new studio project from Sprechen founder Chris Massey.

What started as just very loose ideas and half started projects during lockdown resulted in a semi autobiographical collection of songs that draw on a lifetime love of electronic artists & synth heavy movie scores.
Nods are given, toes are dipped & caps are doffed in various sonic directions whilst still treading a truly unique path of its own making.

As Chris says: "it started really with me being in a headspace I've never really had in the studio. There was no pre-conceived ideas or agenda of what I wanted to achieve other than just going with what felt right and pursuing sounds & style I favour away from a smokey basement of ravers. Being a child of the 80's gave me a wealth of ever-evolving influences of sounds, styles, imagery, fashion, literature & art which all somehow seemed to direct this project.
It's the first time I've ever created something that contains personal reflections of my own life. Good & bad alongside the high & low points have all driven this creative process which reflects my own headspace will hopefully speak to everyone on some sort of level".

The album also features a host of Manchester artists including A Certain Ratio, Bay Bryan, Psychederek, NIIX & Love Letters From Space as well as Allison Rae from Causeway (Italians Do It Better) who were all instrumental in realising Chris' vision and bringing this exciting project into existence.

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

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

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

Tommy Boy Music veröffentlicht ein Compilation-Projekt mit dem Titel "... And You Don't Stop", um das 50-jährige Jubiläum des Hip Hop mit einem 6 LP Box-Set zu feiern. Es wird einige der größten Hits aus dem Katalog enthalten, von den kultigen Naughty By Nature, De La Soul, Digital Underground und Queen Latifah bis hin zu digital unveröffentlichten Hits von G.L.O.B.E & Whiz Kid, Sweet Trio und mehr.

Caribe, the third album by Cuban cellist and composer Ana Carla Maza, is a renewed declaration of love for Latin American music, already expressed in her previous work, Bahia Released in 2022, Bahia was followed by a tour of 150 concerts in 14 countries. At the crossroads of her travels, Ana Carla Maza has transformed the intimacy of the cello into a colorful, energetic and danceable Latin jazz sextet. Classically trained, Ana Carla takes her own liberties here in the Caribbean and beyond (Argentina, Brazil). The first of these is to impose her sensitivity and her voice as a woman. "I wrote Caribe while travelling the world. In a studio in Rome, on the shores of Lake Annecy, in a castle in Portugal, on a plane to Mexico... It was a kind of search for my identity, which started in Guanabacoa, the district of Havana where I grew up with my grandparents and which happens to be the epicenter of the "rumberos", the percussionists from the pure Afro- Caribbean tradition". Ana Carla Maza: cello & voice Arnaud Dolmen: drums Irving Acao: saxophone, flute Norman Peplow: piano & keyboards Luis Guerra: percussion Fidel Fourneyron: trombone Noe Clerc: accordion

Compiling the follow-up to a very successful first album is always a tricky task, but just 12 months since the release of volume one in the 'With Love' series, miche has excelled himself once again with another glorious, deep dive into the world of rare soul. 15 tracks of independently released music, created by magnificent artists with stories to tell and primed for rediscovery.

The ambition to celebrate under-the-radar artists has remained, but instead of a facsimile of volume one, what we have here is a selection shaped by life changes. Volume two is for the dancers; still soulful, still ultra-rare and slept-on records from the USA, Chile, Brazil and beyond, but the dynamics of the collection have shifted slightly. It represents a move from being immersed in a week in week out environment of beautiful, soulful music in a cosy, dimly lit hi-fi bar to playing livelier, more energetic, dancefloor-focused music in nightclubs. This volume will get you on your feet, make you move and unleash whatever it is that makes you get down.

One of the jewels in the crown of this compilation is a joyous, anthemic gospel version of Stevie Wonder's 'As' by The Family Tree (a project produced by the fantastic Julius Brockington). We are also treated to a rare and sought-after Pennsylvanian funk / AOR bomb by Maxwell, a stunning modern soul tune 'High On You' by Freedom, and self-released Brazilian 45s by Banda 22 and Zé Da Lata. P.J. City's 'Straight Forward (Non-Stop)' is gospel-disco perfection, and we also have 'Dame Solamente Amor’, a sublime, soul beauty from Chile by Rogers Mitchell. Many of these artists featured in this compilation aren't household names, but they deserve their moment to shine, to be heard, loved and appreciated for their artistry.

As Miche says it, “I hope this compilation helps in some way to keep this glorious music alive and play a part in connecting generations of music lovers from the worldwide soul family. As always, it has been made ‘With Love’.”

Moloko’s third album 'Things to Make and Do' marks a shift in the sound of the duo, with tracks more reliant on live musicians.

The first single “The Time Is Now” became Moloko’s biggest hit, peaking at number two in the UK. Roisin Murphy’s singing style, combining a variety of voices and textures, is as impressive as ever before. Mark Brydon’s musical palette is versatile and powerful, going from rock/dance to electro and hip-hop.

It is a great album from start to finish, including fan favourites “The Time Is Now”, “Pure Pleasure Seeker” and “Sing It Back (Boris Musical Mix)”. As masters of their own domain they created another excellent piece of music. 'Things to Make and Do' held the record as Echo’s (label) fastest-selling UK platinum record for six years.

Available as a limited edition of 3000 numbered copies on pink transparent coloured vinyl. The package includes a 4-page booklet.

There’s a big clue to the pacific wisdom of The Orchestra in the Sky in the artist name – Hochzeitskapelle + Japanese Friends. For this is, indeed, music based in, and resonating with, friendship, camaraderie, collaboration, and creative exchange. Across two albums – one documenting recordings from Tokyo, the other an expansive double album of sessions from Kobe – Hochzeitskapelle gather around them some of the finest voices in Japanese independent and underground pop music, like Tenniscoats, Eddie Marcon, Yuko Ikema, and Kama Aina, and explore an open field of music, full of creative encounters.

You may already know Hochzeitskapelle as the German instrumental quintet formed by members of The Notwist, Alien Ensemble, and friends from the jazz scene. Across three albums, one a collaboration with Kama Aina (2018’s Wayfaring Suite), they’ve developed a way of playing together that’s intimate and playful, rich and human; it’s a music that’s deliberately rough around the edges, and that nestles cosily into the everyday. Their relationship with Japanese indie has developed over the years, doubtless encouraged by Saya´s „Minna Miteru“, compilations series of Japanese indie pop for Morr Music. A peripatetic gang, Hochzeitskapelle also recently backed Japanese singer-songwriter Makoto Kawamoto on her new album, Hikari.

In many ways, The Orchestra in the Sky feels like the culmination of a set of ongoing cross-cultural exchanges: the Minna Miteru compilations; tours of Japan by Hochzeitskapelle and The Notwist; and indeed, Markus Acher’s Spirit Fest group with Saya and Ueno of Tenniscoats. The latter are present throughout much of The Orchestra in the Sky, and Saya’s voice is particularly winning on songs like “Tsuki no oto”, where the two outfits are joined by brass ensemble Zayaendo. There are several lovely turns from singer-songwriter Yuko Ikema, and Eddie Marcon appear twice; their songs are still beautiful, spectral acid folk, but with Hochzeitskapelle filling the details with lush, sad brass and strings.

But it’s also the potentially lesser-known names that shine through The Orchestra in the Sky, like the frail folk of Gratin Carnival; the delightful, gentle pop songs by sekifu and Zayaendo member, Kanako Numata; a trio of beautiful, stumble-drunk melodies played in swaying consort with popo. That group, along with the presence of Zayaendo, Fuigo, and Mitamurakandadan?, make strong connections with the Japanese underground’s love of brass bands, partly informed by the tradition of chindon’ya, marching bands that walk the streets of Japanese cities. They also all appeared on the recent Alien Parade Japan compilation of such groups, assembled by Acher and Saya.

All things converge, then, on The Orchestra in the Sky, a smart, spirited collection of heavenly pop songs, intimate folk melodies, lungfuls of joyous brass, deep weeping strings, and swooning sighs. The last words go to Acher himself: “Many things we did in the last years come together here and it feels like something special was captured.” We hope you like what you hear.

There’s a big clue to the pacific wisdom of The Orchestra in the Sky in the artist name – Hochzeitskapelle + Japanese Friends. For this is, indeed, music based in, and resonating with, friendship, camaraderie, collaboration, and creative exchange. Across two albums – one documenting recordings from Tokyo, the other an expansive double album of sessions from Kobe – Hochzeitskapelle gather around them some of the finest voices in Japanese independent and underground pop music, like Tenniscoats, Eddie Marcon, Yuko Ikema, and Kama Aina, and explore an open field of music, full of creative encounters.

You may already know Hochzeitskapelle as the German instrumental quintet formed by members of The Notwist, Alien Ensemble, and friends from the jazz scene. Across three albums, one a collaboration with Kama Aina (2018’s Wayfaring Suite), they’ve developed a way of playing together that’s intimate and playful, rich and human; it’s a music that’s deliberately rough around the edges, and that nestles cosily into the everyday. Their relationship with Japanese indie has developed over the years, doubtless encouraged by Saya´s „Minna Miteru“, compilations series of Japanese indie pop for Morr Music. A peripatetic gang, Hochzeitskapelle also recently backed Japanese singer-songwriter Makoto Kawamoto on her new album, Hikari.

In many ways, The Orchestra in the Sky feels like the culmination of a set of ongoing cross-cultural exchanges: the Minna Miteru compilations; tours of Japan by Hochzeitskapelle and The Notwist; and indeed, Markus Acher’s Spirit Fest group with Saya and Ueno of Tenniscoats. The latter are present throughout much of The Orchestra in the Sky, and Saya’s voice is particularly winning on songs like “Tsuki no oto”, where the two outfits are joined by brass ensemble Zayaendo. There are several lovely turns from singer-songwriter Yuko Ikema, and Eddie Marcon appear twice; their songs are still beautiful, spectral acid folk, but with Hochzeitskapelle filling the details with lush, sad brass and strings.

But it’s also the potentially lesser-known names that shine through The Orchestra in the Sky, like the frail folk of Gratin Carnival; the delightful, gentle pop songs by sekifu and Zayaendo member, Kanako Numata; a trio of beautiful, stumble-drunk melodies played in swaying consort with popo. That group, along with the presence of Zayaendo, Fuigo, and Mitamurakandadan?, make strong connections with the Japanese underground’s love of brass bands, partly informed by the tradition of chindon’ya, marching bands that walk the streets of Japanese cities. They also all appeared on the recent Alien Parade Japan compilation of such groups, assembled by Acher and Saya.

All things converge, then, on The Orchestra in the Sky, a smart, spirited collection of heavenly pop songs, intimate folk melodies, lungfuls of joyous brass, deep weeping strings, and swooning sighs. The last words go to Acher himself: “Many things we did in the last years come together here and it feels like something special was captured.” We hope you like what you hear.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purple Color Vinyl

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

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

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

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