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A rare set of remixes from the master Ricardo Villalobos putting his worshipped signature touch on two of the standout tracks from Low Island’s debut album, If You Could Have It All, ‘Feel Young Again’ and ‘Don’t Let The Light In’, that recently peaked at number 17 in the official UK album charts.

Released in 2020, Rheinzand’s self-titled debut LP heralded an authentic vibe of retro-futuristic disco-pop, distinguishing themselves in the current climate of dance music. The album was met with acclaim, picked by Piccadilly Records as their nr. 1 album of the year.
Since, the material on that album have proven fertile ground for practitioners in the art of the remix. On this EP, we release a selection of those efforts.

On the first slot, we have Running Back label owner and longstanding DJ heavyweight Gerd Janson polishing off his house music fluency with a gleaming take on ‘Blind’. The swerving vocals of Charlotte Caluwaerts’ reverberate through space ray arpeggiators and burnished drum gates. Belgian compatriot Blitzzega, the neon-drenched moniker of composer Bjorn Eriksson, features with a dizzyingly switched-on version of ‘Mi Mundo’, sporting gnawing synths and hijacked funk licks.

Next, dub-pop wizards Peaking Lights serve up a heady brew of plugged-up melodies braided around Reinhard and Charlotte’s shuffling vocals. This remix blends the magenta glow of synthwave with the deep grooves of maybe late Theo Parrish.

We round off the EP with a treat form Dennis ‘Citizen’ Kane, the iconic dance music figure who emerged in mid-90s NYC downtown scene. A veteran DJ and disco-head, Kane applies a luminous hand to Rheinzand’s ’14 Again’, deepening the vibe of kittenish mystery through carefully layered work of phasing drones, wandering synths, and mushrooming rhythm section (think T-Connection).

Clear Vinyl

Eugene Synegal's early career as a teenager was the guitarist of Sam & The Soul Machine before moving to Los Angeles to join the group Sage and later in the 1970s recording on Lee Dorsey's Night People and The Neville Brothers records.

These previously unreleased recordings were birthed in the early 1970s, sometime during Eugene's trips back and forth between Los Angeles and New Orleans. A couple years after these recordings were immortalized onto 1/4" reel-to-reel tape an unusual crime scene involving Eugene and his girlfriend reads as if it was a chapter taken directly out of a pulp fiction novel. An Australian socialite named Patrica Galea, remained unsolved for 30 years. The robbers took $400, two diamond rings, a $1,400 cigarette lighter and two mink coats. They failed to collect Galea's $6,402 which was hidden in her freezer. This money was sent from Australia and was being used to fund Eugene's album as well as starting a new music publishing company in Hollywood. This was the life of Eugene. Playboy extraordinaire, jet-setter and guitar chops that would turn the head of Hendrix!! Around 2006 the owner of the West Hollywood apartment expressed a desire to learn more about its history and met with detectives who were unable to locate the file since it was buried in the cold cases section. The files were found, the case was reopened, solved and two men were arrested in 2007.

These recently unearthed 1970s recordings by Eugene are a reflection of his pure soul as well as a blend of psychedelia and funk that the band Sage was experimenting with in Los Angeles during that time period.

From a historical sense, these two recordings are significant because it bridges the historical and influential New Orleans music scene during the early 70's with the psychedelic rock and folk scene that was emerging just walking distance from the West Hollywood apartment that Eugene was living in with Galea during that time.

Eugene's unique guitar style paired with a deep-rooted gospel sensibility is a window into the artistry and songwriting capability of this incredibly talented man.

Tkać means ’to weave’ in Polish. On this album, Swedish–Polish composer and musician Marta Forsberg delivers two compositions that capture her unique ability to transmit visions of light into glimmering sonic landscapes. To weave: crossing threads of dreams and light under and over each other.

LED AND LOVE SOUNDS is a live recording of a piece based on frozen and processed violin sounds. Weave and Dream was composed on an OP-1 synthesizer, and Forsberg’s use of LED light strips played a crucial role in the composition process.

This is tactile drone music, enriched by Nikos Veliotis' mixing work (MMMΔ) and the mastering by Mell Dettmer (collaborator of Eyvind Kang, SunnO))), Earth, Tim Hecker).

"The composer and sound artist now lives in Berlin, but is closely associated with the so-called Stockholm Drone Society around artists such as Kali Malone, Mats Erlandsson and Ellen Arkbro.

Having recently presented a composition for an installation with LED lights with her album New Love Music, now combines older material from very similar contexts: »LED AND LOVE SOUNDS« was performed in an art gallery and consists of processed violin sounds that Forsberg layers into haunting drones in front of the clearly audible soundscape of the room. »Weave and Dream« has been written for synthesiser and was part of an installation style that combined LED lights and fabrics with music.

More insistent in style and more intense in sound, the effect of »Weave and Dream« is similar to that of the first piece: Forsberg’s music enters into a dialogue with space and time that unfolds its full power even without the originally associated visual and physical experiences – very slowly and carefully, of course." (field notes)

Turin Brakes critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Optimist LP’ gets the re-issue treatment to celebrate its 20th Anniversary



The ground breaking long player, originally released in 2001 features classic tracks such as ‘Underdog (Save Me)’, ’The Door' and ‘Feeling Oblivion’.

’The Optimist LP’ will be re-released on Deluxe 2LP & 2CD on Two-Piers, a new Brighton label, now with a Bonus album of ‘Demos’ from the original sessions and New Artwork. The Album has been out of print on Vinyl for many years now.

Turin Brakes critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Optimist LP’ gets the re-issue treatment to celebrate its 20th Anniversary



The ground breaking long player, originally released in 2001 features classic tracks such as ‘Underdog (Save Me)’, ’The Door' and ‘Feeling Oblivion’.

’The Optimist LP’ will be re-released on Deluxe 2LP & 2CD on Two-Piers, a new Brighton label, now with a Bonus album of ‘Demos’ from the original sessions and New Artwork. The Album has been out of print on Vinyl for many years now.

Two artists that have previously released works on Past Inside the Present come together for this anonymous split album. With this record we want listeners to go in blind, without ego or expectation, with the sole focus on what truly matters: the music. The artists will remain anonymous until the vinyl sells out and then we will reveal all.

custom cut full colour sleeve

In moments of calmness, you can feel her presence glowing.
Ajna slowly tingles your senses as she makes contact.
Moving elegantly to find her way into your vision.
Where she shares her energy through vivid lights.

The Montreux Album was released in 1978 as the fifth studio album by English rock band Smokie. It was named after Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, where the album was primarily recorded. Recorded at the hight of the band’s popularity, this is the last album made in partnership with Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Three singles were released: “For a Few Dollars More”, “Oh Carol”, and “Mexican Girl”, all of which charted well across Europe.

This limited edition of 1000 numbered copies is released on solid pink vinyl. It includes 4 bonus tracks including the #1 hit-single “Stumblin’ In” by Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro, “Roll On Baby”, “Love’s A Riot” & “A Stranger With You” by Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro. Also included: liner notes in the gatefold sleeve and a beautifully etched d-side.

“What a curious feeling!“ said Alice; „I must be shutting up like a telescope.“ ***

Mieke Miami's "Montecarlo Magic", the follow- up to her debut album "In the Forest", (2016, Sonar Kollektiv) may no longer darken through the forest, but there is truly no compulsion to light either. It is more of a special, positive swing that radiates inwards and outwards, a state that seems to be an inner retreat and a journey at the same time: Florida, California and Brandenburg all nestle very close together here. Perhaps there is a river rattling through the picture and surely there are magicians playing with things hidden somewhere: bessoted, dreamy and certainly easy to find. Because in this world, no one is supposed to look around for anything. „Find what you want“, says Mieke.

Oliver Wood is a mainstay of modern-day American roots music. The frontman of the Wood Brothers since 2004, he's spent the 21st century blurring the boundaries between folk, gospel, country-soul, and Americana, earning an international audience and a Grammy Award-nomination along the way. Always Smilin', his debut as a solo artist, continues that tradition while also shining new light on Oliver's sharp songwriting, savvy guitar chops, and a voice that evokes the swagger of a Saturday evening picking party one moment and the solemnity of a Sunday morning gospel service the next. Always Smilin' is an album of bridges, mixing a wide range of collaborations with a uniquely personal touch. Guests include bandmates from Oliver's musical past and present, from mentor and co-writer Chris Long (who performed alongside Oliver in King Johnson, the roots-rock band that dominated Atlanta's music scene around the turn of the millennium) to percussionist Jano Rix (Oliver's partner in The Wood Brothers). Blues heroine Susan Tedeschi, Hiss Golden Messenger's Phil Cook, Medeski Martin & Wood's John Medeski, Tedeschi Trucks Band's Tyler Greenwell, Nashville staple Phil Madeira, and singer/songwriter Carsie Blanton also make appearances, with Rebecca Wood — Oliver's wife — handling the album's handmade linocut cover art. For Oliver, the goal was simple: to collaborate freely with a mix of old friends and new partners, embracing a new level of independence.

Frost* was formed in 2004 by keyboard player and singer Jem Godfrey, Released in 2006 the band’s debut album “Milliontown” was an instant success and is regarded by many as a classic in the modern prog rock genre featuring John Mitchell on guitar, John Jowitt on bass and Andy Edwards on drums. This 2021 reissue features the remastered audio included on 2020’s “13 Winters” collection, and will be the first time the album has ever been released on vinyl. Available as a Limited CD Digipak & Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD + LP-booklet.

Grouplove announce surprise release of their fifth studio album, This Is This, featuring lead single “Deadline” - celebrated with a live performance of the single on CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden.
“We hope this album gives people the permission to fucking scream or headbang or punch walls,” says Grouplove. “It's important to stay emotional. The whole rainbow is important. If we just live in the light blues, are we really alive? I'm not. I need to feel it all.”

Following their GRAMMY-nominated album Healer, This Is This was produced by Grouplove and collaborator Ricardo Acasuso – with additional songs produced by Dave Sitek (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Malay (Frank Ocean). The album was written and recorded during the global pandemic, fueled by all the upheaval and hardship of the past year. Recording this album proved both cathartic and powerfully creative for Grouplove, the sound of five friends finally letting go of all the anxiety, sadness, and frustration they’ve all had to endure.

Grouplove is: Hannah Hooper, Christian Zucconi, Andrew Wessen, Daniel Gleason, and Benjamin Homola.

The 9th album full length from Dutch melancholic black metallers, An Autumn from Crippled Children . As The Morning Dawns We Close Our Eyes continues the band's shift towards a more soothing, post new wave sound while still juxtaposing it with sharp, angular black metal.

Face-punching, neck-breaking, spine-twisting Dutch Death Metal! Sepiroth is a brutal old-school Death Metal band from Sliedrecht, the Netherlands. The band has been founded in 2003 by drummer Damiën and guitarist Chris. In 2007 the band released their first 3-track e.p. ‘Dying For Hatred’ followed in 2011 by their first full length ‘Breaking The Codes Of Silence’. With the years the band progressed and became a solid force to be reckoned with on stages all over the world. In 2015 the band released their second full length album ‘Uninvolved’. The album was a concept about the UN forces witnessing the horrors of the civil war in former Yugoslavia. The UN-blue album cover raised a lot of questions and controversy because people failed to miss the link of the cover with the lyrical content. In 2020 Sepiroth signed a deal with Petrichor for the release of their third full length ‘Condemned To Suffer’. It will see the light in June 2021. With the current line-up, Sepiroth wants to take their crushing Death Metal to the stages of world with more power and strength than ever before. Blurb IG#1: Sepiroth is an old school Death Metal band from the Netherlands. For fans of old Obituary, Deicide, Immolation and Sinister! Blurb IG#2: Sepiroth is an old school Death Metal band from the Netherlands. For fans of old Obituary, Deicide, Immolation and Sinister!

Binding a deep social and political conscious with rigorous musical experimentation, the Brussels based, Italian pianist, performer, composer, Giovanni Di Domenico, delivers Downtown Ethnic Music, the 4th instalment of Die Schachtel’s Decay Music series, focused on inspired contemporary experimental efforts in the ambient, ethereal, and emotively abstract music.

Over the last decade or so, Giovanni Di Domenico has carved a deep path through a diverse number of discrete fields within experimental music, working in various ensembles - Abschattungen, AufHeben, Bonjintan, Cement Shoes, Delivery Health, Going, etc. - as well as producing a discography of critically heralded solo efforts, and intimate collaborations with Jim O'Rourke, Tatsuhisa Yamamoto, Akira Sakata, Arve Henriksen, Tatsuhisa Yamamoto, Alexandra Grimal, Nate Wooley, Chris Corsano, and others.

Downtown Ethnic Music encounters Di Domenico reimagining the future of urban music, pluming the mysterious and emotive depths of self, to arrive at vision of sonorous utopia, radically divergent from those of the past. Hybridizing numerous forms of musical practice, while making a conceptual nod to Jon Hassell’s notion of the "fourth world”, as well as the cross-temporal transnationalism of Roberto Musci, Aktuala, Futuro Antico, and the Third Ear Band, Di Domenico’s vision of democracy - rendered through the creative metaphors of sound - is a true to life, bristling conflict, as open-ended as it is ordered, and as dramatic and tense as it is beautiful, playful, and refined.

A colorful tapestry of ideas, experiences, histories, and reference points, woven from a pallet of electronics, synthesis, and various acoustic sources - the intervening rhythms of drummer João Lobo, vocals by Pak Yan Lau and Patshiva CIE women choir, the horns of Ananta Roosens and Jordi Grognard etc. - across the length of Downtown Ethnic Music, the boundaries between idiom, expressive concept, collective, and individual blur, giving way to a visionary, forward-thinking rendering of electroacoustic music, that subtly reminds us of the social and political potential of art.

Seamlessly incorporating bubbling electronic abstraction, sprawling ambience and long tones, throbbing kosmische, acoustic free improvisation, and the human voice, Giovanni Di Domenico’s Downtown Ethnic Music represents a high-water mark in an already astounding career. Issued by Die Schachtel in a one-time edition of 250 copies, pressed to 180g marble vinyl and housed in a pro-printed inner sleeve and jacket, contained in a silk-screen PVC sleeve.

2021 Repress

Rone is a stalwart of the French electronic scene and returns with his fourth album, 'Mirapolis', a synesthetic journey with features from Bryce Dessner (The National), Baxter Dury, John Stanier (Battles) and Saul Williams. The artwork was created by the critically acclaimed director Michel Gondry.
Stepping into Rone's music is like sleepwalking through a vividly colourful dream, eventually stumbling across a strange, scintillating Megapolis of saturated light and colours: 'Mirapolis'. Its twelve tracks / districts, each with their own specific planning, pulsate as though animated by their musical mastermind.
The project was an opportunity to get reacquainted with long- time stage and studio partners John Stanier, Gaspar Claus and the Vacarme band and Bryce Dessner (guitarist for The National,) while bringing in new collaborators (and thus, new interpretation of Rone's dreams). We find American slam-poet Saul Williams, who happened to be in Paris for a moment and contributes a searing anti-Trump screed, Baxter Dury, who brings an irresistible East London touch to 'Switches', a kind of fan fic that reimagines the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper lounging pensive in a club chair, Israeli electronic music muse Noga Erez, who inspired 'Waves' which, despite being recorded remotely, betrays a euphoric partnership, and finally, Kazu Makino, Blonde Redhead's bewitching singer and multi- instrumentalist, who contributes to the album's closer, the gauzy 'Down For The Cause'.
Rone remains a producer of grand instrumental pieces, which cannot be easily categorized in the architectural canon of our electronic music galaxy. Hypnotic, cinematic opening track 'I Philip' is an offshoot from the score for the first French virtual reality fiction, built around Philip K Dick - the perfect gate into a city that then opens up myriad temporal perspectives.

Dublin's Splitradix delivers an EP of intense and melancholic acid / braindance with plenty of ''light in darkness'' to quote Yellow Magic Orchestra. Opener Laplace Formal is a moody, hyper melodic piece for a dreamy dance floor. The oddly titled second track, The Dry Canal, is the centerpiece of the EP. Dry, deep and stomping acid taking you through a tunnel of sound - the two dark droney melody lines slowly but surely turn the piece into something truly epic and unforgettable... Opening the flipside, Empty Sea 1000 is a slow, lazy acid cut from another dimension, very nice! Lucan 303 Distribution Service is heavy on the kick. Basic at first, it later turns into a wonderfully melodic Rephlex-like cut. Last one, Laplace Formal (Navs' No Jacket Required Remix) is a laidback and more euphoric version of the EP's opening track.

The first release from Toronto’s newest and most exciting Record Label, EastSide Edits! Limited run pressing of hand-stamped white labels, exclusive to release 001. Blessed by some of the top DJ’s in the world, this is sure to sell out fast! Donuts for the 45 slingers, and donuts for the House DJ’s, EastSide Edits brings a unique twist to the 45’s world by catering to both markets on each release. Carefully selected familiar Edits that work well in both environments is the name of their game! This first release has gained a lot of attention, with the test pressings being championed by some of the top turntable legends in the game. DJ Koco’s recent doubles routine and feature play of the B-side to this record has his massive following asking where to find it.

Side A is brought to you by the young wonder from New York, Pinto NYC. Pinto has been making quite the name for himself, signing music to some stellar House labels across the world, including the legendary Nervous Records, Glasgow Underground, and Simma Black. His upbeat and funky edit of “Rock with you” brings familiarity and energy sure to light the dance floor on fire! Creative sampling and pumping drums are his signature sound. This one hooks the listener early and smashes it home!

Side B is brought to you by the incredibly talented Toronto Disco duo, LeBaron James. LeBaron James are at the top of their game, pumping out high quality Disco Edits to a whole host of successful labels. Home base for them has been the incredibly successful Spacedisco label, run by Juno award winning Toronto artist, Hatiras. Their super catchy Disco edit of “Never gonna give my love again” will have you singing at the top of your lungs, feeling like you’re front and center at Studio 54! The vibe gets pushed even further into overdrive with the onset of a smooth and sexy sax solo that carries through the tail end of the record. This one has already proven to catch the ears of some major players across the globe! Don’t sleep on this white label. House DJ’s have responded overwhelmingly, and after watching DJ Koco’s Instagram routine we are confident that every 45 slinger in the UK will be digging for doubles on this one!

Disco King Dr Packer steps up to the plate for M2MR, this time utilising his precise production mastery for one hell of a groovy soulful disco jam 'Get Some Soul' complete with a pumping piano house remix from Perth duo, Cup & String.

Squelching bass, scintillating piano and organ ecstasy and choice vocal samples combine for this uplifting cut. On the flip, Cup & String take it late night, club-ready, adding a slice of Gil to the mix, dialling the lights down low and focusing the remix around those killer piano stabs and bumping beat.

fter a hiatus of over eight years Fuzzy Lights are making a welcome return. Burials is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed album Rule of Twelfths, and the fourth album from the Cambridge-based post-folk collective. 

Their sound has been stripped back to its component parts, deconstructed and rebuilt under less obvious influences. There’s a bedrock of folk-rock - predecessors like Trees and Fairport Convention - but this is then built upon through multiple layers, from the stillness of Talk Talk to the orchestral chaos of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. With Burials Fuzzy Lights have cultivated these sounds and influences into something new and fresh that distances the album from the rest of the folk-rock crowd.

The most striking element of these songs is how intimate they are. Lyricist Rachel Watkins has revealed a lot about herself in these seven songs, which have been written from a very personal perspective. Raw experiences have been distilled into each piece, her translucent vocals often betraying the content of the songs themselves. The album is bookended with the most personal of these. Opener ‘The Maidens Call’ reveals her loss from suffering a miscarriage, whilst album closer, ‘The Gathering Storm’ frames the rallying cry of women’s rights around how individuals must work together now, and in future generations, to destroy prejudice. There is also engagement with humanity’s immediate surroundings and the environment. ‘Under The Waves’ deals with devastation of coral reefs, ocean resources and our natural world, and ‘The Graveyard Song’ imagines the perception of time from the juxtaposed views of a yew tree and a young woman.

As scenarios, paths, and outcomes shift around us, Burials’ amalgam of glowering, intense instrumentation, timeless, weightless melody, and exactingly revealing lyricism carves a very particular path through the world. This is music that tears us away from the everyday not just as a form of escapism, but as a means of self-reflection on hardship and the strategies we develop to overcome it.  It is the band’s rawest yet most accomplished statement to date.

A bridging of minds and energies, a confluence of souls and spirits. Midnight Shift releases an exclusive collaboration between Prequel Tapes and dBridge - Ionize. Cast all genres aside, as two electronic worlds collide to produce a third sonic space.

Start your engines with 'Divisible Cause' speeding and hurtling into the great atmospheric unknown. Outlier for the freaks, 'Stray Thrills' amalgamates between the classicist EBM and futurist UK bass. Stumble through 'Pleasure Systems' with light sabres, wrangled beats and gun shots ricochetting off the walls in one heady disorientation. Then wander aimlessly into the warehouse at 170bpm with 'Mindless', led by twilight tones and menacing machines at every turn.

crystal blue vinyl

South London based producer Lxury is a subtle experimentalist, pairing house rhythms with eclectic genre blending and risk-taking. Returning to Shall Not Fade's Lost Palms series for a second record, Smart Digital Life EP shows the maturity and complexity of his production while keeping the energy light and summery.

"1722" opens things up with dreamlike pitched vocals that provide a vaporwave feel, hypnotizing over stuttering synths and a wonky beat. "Spin" has an experimental sound palette, a euphoric pulse and a sweet melody, dance music doused in honey.

This sweetness spills over onto the B side; "Pad Ma" sounds like a pumping club track meets a trip to the fairground - unstoppably buoyant and headsy. The vocals in "When I Wake Up" spin around your head before a muscular beat kicks in, the most stripped back and raw sounding of the record. This one is certain to get heads down and feet moving. "Up High" is an expansive closing track, built around fuzzy drums as the clever use of vocal samples creates a melody with a loved-up feeling; it's a tour-de-force of Lxury's delicate production skills.

Snapped Ankles return to the forest, but it's not as they left it. Trees planted in neat rows. A well-ordered monoculture with access roads and heavy machinery. The smell of greenwashed money in the air. There's no sign of the ancient woodland they emerged from on debut album, Come Play The Trees. And it's far cry from the gentrified East London they found themselves hawking on Stunning Luxury. All is not well in the face of progress. Welcome to the Forest Of Your Problems. Even among the famously close-knit woodwose community there are factions forming. Meet The Business Imp, The Cornucopian, The Nemophile and The Protester. Each with their own motivations and belief systems. Their own sense of injustice: contradictions, anxieties and guilt. There are woodwose who have risen to the top in the boom and bust world of real estate and hedge funds. Grab what you can before the next crash. Others find euphoria in the absolute conviction that wealth and technology will see us through this. There are those with their recycling in order, who are well-versed in the prospect of imminent ecological and economic collapse, burying themselves in vegan cookery and extensive international holiday itineraries. And there's an increasing number angry at the state of the world, ready to take to the streets and the trees in an attempt to force real change. Forest Of Your Problems runs the gamut of modern woodwose emotions. In this neat human approximation of the forest, it's an increasingly knotted affair. Despite all of this, Snapped Ankles haven't lost their innate ability to make you want to move your feet - their Teutonic forest rhythms are still shot through with post-punk lightning. Whether they're exploring those opportunities which might arise when a Nigerian prince emails out of the blue on 'The Evidence', or referencing the crooked woodwose attempting to go straight on 'Rhythm Is Our Business', this is music to lose your inhibitions to. The moments of pure elation on 'Shifting Basslines Of The Cornucopians' are worth the admission price alone - "It's a great time to be alive!" ...apparently. Snapped Ankles outsider status has always allowed them to hold a mirror up to society. Now the boundaries are not so clear. In the four years since Come Play The Trees was released, their cult has flourished. Previous album Stunning Luxury saw the band invited to play the BBC 6 Music Festival and a KEXP session on the back of a sold-out UK tour which culminated with two nights at Village Underground in London. As those who have witnessed the shamanic ritual of their live shows will attest, they are a truly unique, communal experience. Forest Of Your Problems will see the woodwose bring their ancient forest rhythms and high-wire, multi-media live act to ever bigger stages - including Camden's iconic Roundhouse in October.

A GROOVY SELECTION IN THREE ORIGINAL VINYLS TO DISCOVER THE GOLD NUGGETS OF FUNK, SOUL & HIP-HOP ! Selection by the journalist Olivier Cachin and illustrations by the artist LAZOO.

Greetings to the new generation of ‘Hip-Hop’ and ‘Shake Your Butt’ music. The man behind ‘Timeless Funk’ ain’t exactly no ‘Spring Funky Chicken’, yet he is still the ‘Funkiest Soul’ to rock this here nation.
Rufus Thomas is the Soul King and Grand Daddy of Funk; as his generation knew him then, as we know him today.

In the beginning, the ‘Power of the Most High’ said: ‘Let it be funky’. Then there was Rufus.
Rufus Thomas was born in 1917 in a small town outside of Memphis, Tennessee. At the age of ten he became a tap dancer. In the 1930s, Rufus worked professionally at the infamous Palace Theatre, Memphis, TN, as M.C., performing comedy and dance routines.

During the early 1940s, Rufus began his singing career. He also continued his M.C. acts at various notable nightclubs and theatres, for amateur nights. He was then considered to be a triple threat: dancer, comedian and singer! The notables he crossed hands with in those days were B.B. King, Bobby Bland and Johnny Ace. In the 1950s Rufus became one of the ‘Hip-pest’ DJs in Memphis TN W.I.D.A. radio station and is affiliated with the company to this day. He was quoted as saying ‘I’m young and loose and full of juice’. At those times he recorded ‘Bear-Cat’ for Sun Records, their first R&B hit for the label.
All-right ‘Kiddies,’ now I take you into the light of Rufus in the 1960s. When most of us were on our way to our happy existence, Rufus was already 30 years in the entertainment circuit. He was affiliated with STAX Records. With daughter Carla Thomas, he gave STAX their first hit, the duet, ‘Cause I Love You.’ Rufus’ world famous hits continued under this label, pouring songs out such as ‘Memphis Train,’ ‘Can Your Monkey Do The Dog,’…

The foregoing is merely a scratch on the surface of a remarkable man, who has dedicated most of his life to the entertainment business. It’s kept short and sweet so you know what you are dealing with.
Rufus was quoted as saying, ‘I ain’t a star, I don’t want to be a star. Stars have a habit of falling. I’m like the moon. Clouds may come and cover it occasionally, but it’s always there, and always shining. It’s just sometimes you don’t see it for a while but it’ll be back.’

If it wasn’t for Rufus, Soul Music would be missing one of its loudest sons. If he didn’t exist, somebody

Continued over…

would have to get up and invent him. And Funk? The man practically invented the stuff with James Brown.
Now at the age of 75 ‘The Oldest Teenager Alive’ check him out on this recording of ‘Timeless Funk’. We’ll agree and leave you with this note: Rufus is the ‘Moon’ that brought us what was ‘Funky’ then to what is ‘Funky’ now. So let us get ‘Buck Wild’ on the Funky side of things

The latest collection by Cascadian resident loscil aka Scott Morgan is a stunning meditation on light, shade, and decay, sourced from a single three-minute composition performed by a 22-piece string orchestra in Budapest.
The subsequent recording was lathe-cut on to a 7-inch, then “scratched and abused to add texture and color,” from which the entirety of Clara was sampled, shape-shifted, and sculpted. Despite their limited palette, the compositions summon a sense of the infinite, swelling and swimming through luminous depths. Certain tracks percolate over narcoleptic metronomes while others slowdive in shimmering shadowplay, sounding at times like some noir music of the spheres.
Although Morgan's compositional premise for Clara was quite defined, the resultant work is wonderfully opaque and spatial, equal parts lush and lurking, traced in fine-grained gradients and radiant silences. The album's title comes from the Latin for ‘bright': a fitting muse for this masterpiece of celestial electric currents and interstitial ether, where “shadows are amplified and bright spots dimmed.”

Re-mastering by: Cicely Baston at Alchemy/Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

A two-LP set on Theresa, Rejoice features Pharoah Sanders in excellent form in 1981. Sanders sounds much more mellow than he had a decade earlier, often improvising in a style similar to late-'50s John Coltrane, particularly on "When Lights Are Low," "Moments Notice," and "Central Park West." The personnel changes on many of the selections and includes such top players as pianists Joe Bonner and John Hicks, bassist Art Davis, drummers Elvin Jones and Billy Higgins, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, trombonist Steve Turre, trumpeter Danny Moore, a harpist, and (on "Origin" and "Central Park West") five vocalists. The music always holds one's interest, making this one of Sanders' better later recordings. Scott Yanow/AMG

COLTRANE'S classic "Moments Notice" is a complete gas! Sanders like Coltrane, pulls and holds attention with his entrances. Bobby Hutcherson's and Hicks solo's are heated and models of vivid imagination. The three put forth some of the very best solo...'s in the entire album.

Then there's the arresting new talent introduced here -GEORGE V JOHNSON JR., whose marvelous lyrics and vocal work are truly auspicious! He sings with James Moody on occassion and is happily remindful of the insistent giftness of the late EDDIE JEFFERSON. Johnson's three stanzers close with "Relax dig the sounds of Coltrane's Music. Coltrane fills your heart with love and harmony. Trane played with magic. Listen to the melodies and you will see momently. When you here the message of his song!". There's no doubt in my mind that henceforth George V Johnson should and will be sought for his own gift to the music. He sang the song for Sanders at the Village Vanguard, and Sanders "felt that George ought to be heard".Thank you, Pharoah Sanders for Sharing.... by Herb Wong

Nimbus West spirit jazz essential: the Creative Arts Ensemble's classic debut One Step Out. One of the most sought after and highly-regarded titles to have appeared on Tom Albach's celebrated Nimbus West imprint, One Step Out is a timeless work of spiritualized jazz. A true gem from the Los Angeles jazz underground, the album was pianist and composer Kaeef Ruzadun Ali's first recording as leader of the Creative Arts Ensemble, the only large ensemble group that emerged directly from Horace Tapscott's legendary Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra community jazz group. A Los Angeles native, Kaeef was introduced to the Tapscott circle in the late 1970s. His first experience of the Arkestra's ethos was through PAPA tenorist Michael Session, who took him to the famous "Great House" at 2412 South Western Ave., LA -- a large mansion house which members of the Arkestra had taken over as a space for communal living. Life in the Great House was a continuous stream of music, dance and community events. "When I walked in there," recalled Kaeef, "it was like this whole rush came over me, just from going in the front door -- It was like a very, very warm feeling of love. I went and I came out with 'Flashback Of Time', and that was my first arrangement." Kaeef quickly became a significant contributor of compositions to the Arkestra's songbook -- his piece "New Horizon" would be recorded by Horace Tapscott for the latter's Tapscott Sessions series. But "Flashback Of Time" would eventually appear on One Step Out, played by the new group he had put together from stalwart Arkestra members. Inspired by both Tapscott's example and by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Kaeef had wanted to follow their lead by assembling a larger unit. Featuring seasoned Arkestra regulars including reedsman Dadisi Komolafe, drummer Woody "Sonship" Theus and altoist Gary Bias, with veterans Henry "The Skipper" Franklin on bass and George Bohannon on trombone, One Step Out is a key document of the Los Angeles radical jazz underground. Featuring the sanctified vocals of Kaeef's sister, B. J. Crowley, the album is a tour de force of spiritually energized independent jazz music.

Repress! Seventh album by Minneapolis hip hop heroes Atmosphere. Producer Ant and lyricist / rapper Slug have been making music together as Atmosphere for over 20 years and have managed to continually tweak and strive to perfect their formula, while neither straying too far off their path, nor resorting to playing it safe and that holds true on the new set. Fishing Blues is a collection of songs that both define and redefine the Atmosphere sound and features 18 new tracks written and produced by Atmosphere with appearances from DOOM, Aesop Rock, Kool Keith, The Grouch, deM atlaS, and more.

For the fifth anniversary of Buraka Som Sistema's 2016 farewell show in their hometown of Lisbon, Portugal - and the 15th anniversary of their debut EP - we're celebrating this important milestone by releasing 'Buraka 4 Ever', an album created from the recordings of this legendary concert where the band's most iconic songs were last performed in front of a roaring live audience.

Milanese imprint Ansia returns with a new V/A of warped, unconventional techno. Following his critically acclaimed debut LP 'Perdu', label-head Piezo continues to carve out his club-ready and explorative sonic niche, this time calling on a team of kindred left-field sound manipulators to get the job done. Manchester's BFFT (Whities, Gobstopper, Cong Burn) leads the charge with a dexterous cut that marries mind-bending sound design with club-ready functionality. Next up is Timedance-affiliate Metrist, who is as playful as ever on 'LB Steaua': a deceptively simple 4/4 beat peppered with distorted glitches and psychedelic details reminiscent of Perlon's more left field releases. Moving to the B-side, Piezo delivers his trademark brand of ruffneck techno - buzzing with off-grid tribal drums, cartoon synths and nonsense vocal samples. To close, Mexican leading-light Siete Catorce ratchets up the tempo for a singular track in a world entirely of its own: rude, fast, no-frills, sitting somewhere between digital cumbia and hardcore tekno. Unsurprisingly this one ended up in Batu's relentlessly forward thinking BBC Essential Mix.

Vinyl kommt in blau, Klappcover und bedruckter Innenhülle! Die meisten Dinge im Leben entstehen zufällig. Die große Liebe, eine schicksalhafte Begegnung und manchmal auch eine zweite Karriere. Oliver Perau alias Juliano Rossi hätte 1996 sicherlich nicht damit gerechnet, dass er 2021 immer noch als Rossi unterwegs sein würde. Damals hatte sich gerade die alternative Rockband Terry Hoax, die Perau 1988 mit einem Freund gegründet hatte, nach acht europaweit erfolgreichen Jahren aufgelöst. Doch Perau wollte sein Versprechen, bei der ersten Ausstellung des befreundeten Fotografen Olaf Heine zu singen, halten. Also fragte er den Jazzpianisten Lutz Krajenski, ob man zusammen alte Swing-Klassiker präsentieren könnte. Schließlich war Perau seit frühster Kindheit begeistert von Sammy Davis jr., Dean Martin, Burt Bacharach, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones und Frank Sinatra. So stand Perau im Sommer '96 mit dem eilig ironisch hinzugefügten Künstlername Juliano Rossi vor Galeriebesuchern und Terry-Hoax-Fans und sang entrückt What the world needs now von Bacharach. "So viele entsetzte Gesichter habe ich selten gesehen" sagt Perau lachend und ergänzt nach kurzer Pause "aber für mich war es wie eine Offenbarung". 25 Jahre später veröffentlicht Juliano Rossi sein fünftes Album, Terry Hoax gibt es auch wieder und zusätzlich tourt Perau seit 9 Jahren durch Pflegeheime und macht Musik für Menschen mit Demenz. Ein sehr ungewöhnliches und in dieser dreigleisigen Konsequenz sicherlich einzigartiges Sängerleben, dass offensichtlich glücklich macht. So jedenfalls wirkt Herr Rossi und sein neues Album "Drunk On Love". Aus der Zeit gefallene glamouröse Songs irgendwo zwischen The Doors, Burt Bacharach und Dean Martin.

Canadian-based producer Rumbleton returns after his remix on AKOism 3 to release his solo EP on an AKO Beatz. 4 carefully constructed tracks that take you on a journey, Rumbleton engineering skills are next level and we call him the beat master at AKO. Beats that take you into the darkness then bring you into the light. Rumbleton also linked up with AKO boss to produce a track that has already got people excited. Outernational jungle at its finest.

Crystal Clear Vinyl
Limited
Cellist Maarten Vos and pianist Nils Davidse became close friends over a shared love for modular synthesizers. Two musicians with a taste for contemporary electronic music, Vos and Davidse began experimenting and constantly extending each other’s boundaries in hour-long colourful improvisations in the studio. Both of them being occupied with other projects, their monthly recording sessions became moments of pure freedom. Most of the album was composed and recorded in and around a forest cabin tucked away in the Dutch riparian woodlands. Intuitively following its surroundings, Superbloom is a true jungle of vivid and organic sounds that reflect both Vos’s and Davidse’s musical backgrounds intertwined in a melodic and harmonically rich soundscape. It’s a many layered affair, created with analog and digital synths, some hints of piano and cello, field recordings and processing through different kinds of tape machines.

Parisian label Chuwanaga proudly presents Latitude, Saint-James label co-founder new studio project. Keeping it close to the deep jazz-funk ethos of the label, Latitude brings to the light two luminous songs of joy and hope for a better day, highly danceable yet rich and complex grooves with a human feel to feed your soul and make you move. Their new EP Leo / Attitude presents these first effort with a Dub Remix by Mato: plenty of diverse tastes for every music enthusiasts. Available as Vinyl 12" and Digital.

Latitude is french. Not a random collection of chansons sung in french. Latitude is so french in its sheer elegance, in its simple yet so sophisticated seemingly effortless attempt to groove in a pop context, trying to create moments of grace in the process. Latitude is here with the right vibe as the chorus of "Attitude" says it in french: "It’s the bad attitude, always the good latitude". Latitude is sprung out of the wicked musicianship of Parisian jazz-funk and fusion mavericks and Saint-James tight and adventurous compositions and production. All that jazz combined with David Cukier (Greita) retro-futurist engineering skills in these intense sessions captured in his cutting edge vintage Delta studio.

On A Side, "Leo (Extended Mix)" is an uptempo disco track for the dancers but also a beautiful song for the summer. A seductive number with a pregnant classic French jazz-funk feeling with the help of Parisian singer Club Celest’s energy and beautiful voice. It comes on digital as a short edit for radio but as a serious extended 12inch mix on the vinyl with 8 minutes and 10 seconds of pure pleasure, ending in a real climax after an irresistible percussion break.

On B1, "Attitude" enchanting quality shines with a banging rhythm section and goes for the win as an anthem chorus while sweeping synths keep on growing till the very last drop. On B2, Reggae/Dub don Mato (Stix Records) delivers a sweet dub wise riddim for the Lovers Rock massive.

Yves Jarvis and Romy Lightman are a pair of idiosyncratic and restlessly creative artists. In the past decade, Jarvis's ever-expanding swatch have earned international acclaim, while Lightman's twin-sister-led band Tasseomancy has transfixed listeners since the late 2000s. The Lightman Jarvis Ecstatic Band marks the duo's first collaboration, slingshotting both musicians out of their comfort zones into spellbinding territories of lysergic folk and impressionistic rock. Banned was recorded in the tranquil environment of the Tree Museum, an outdoor art gallery in rural Ontario, Canada, hosting residencies for contemporary sculptors over the past 20 years. The pair credit its 200 acres of natural spaces intermingling with human-made creations as the fuel for their unfettered process. Recorded over two weeks in a free-flowing stream of improvisation, the album finds Lightman on synthesizer with Jarvis on drums and guitar, as their voices weave together into an electrified pastoral tapestry. For both musicians, the creation offered a chance to challenge themselves: Jarvis defying his solitary practice to record with another person, while open jams provided Lightman an alternative to her preference for thoroughly composed songwriting. "This album is a loose manifesto in our shared vision for a way of being," says Lightman. "It's about our relationship and the dynamics in that. There's an epicness to it and tension at times. It's like the ways particles collide. There's an alchemical aspect to it with these base components slamming together."

Over the past decade, Egyptian-born, Barcelona-based DJ and techno producer Raxon, known to friends and family as Ahmed Raxon, has popped out a steady stream of twelve-inch singles, precision-tooled, for labels like Cocoon, Drumcode, Diynamic, Truesoul, and Ellum Audio. An alumni of Kompakt’s Speicher series – check the insistent, vibrating pulses of “The Ancient” and “Dark Light” on 2019’s Speicher 107 – with Sound Of Mind, Raxon has produced a long-awaited debut album that’s ready and aching both for the dancefloor and the boudoir, traversing the heat of the club and the warmth of the home.

“The idea of an album has always floated around in my head for the past few years,” Raxon confirms, “but it was never the right moment in my mind.” Instead, he’s been insistently pursuing his vision of deep, elegant techno, taking him from early DJ gigs in Dubai, including the legendary audio tonic night, then relocating to Europe on the recommendation of Herman Cattaneo, all the while allowing his experiences to inform and transmute his producer’s thumbprint. He’s an architect by training (though he gave architecture up for electronic music), which might explain why Raxon productions are so sturdy and well-designed; but remember also that architecture is a field filled with brave experimentation, something Raxon definitely draws on throughout Sound Of Mind.

Like many albums from the past twelve months, Raxon’s debut developed partly thanks to the unique social situation the planet has found itself caught within. “In the beginning of 2020 I started working on a few tracks with the album in mind,” he recalls, “with no idea of what’s to come in the next few months. As catastrophic as the situation was/is, I found myself in the studio; in a way the lockdown gave me that creative freedom in the studio, to try to tell my story through sound.” And indeed, there is something in the way of ‘life writing’ about Sound Of Mind, particularly in the way Raxon’s productions pay subtle homage, perhaps, to his formative listening experiences in the late nineties.

It’s no retro trip, but there’s plenty of variety here, and a few moments that’ll tickle the collective memory – see the prowling pulsations of the opening “Majestic”, the alien breakbeat action of “Vice” and “Journey Mode”, where the interstellar tones feel like Foul Play or Steve Gurley, the leaking gas and woozy keys that make “Droid Solo” so subtly destabilising, or the strobelight drones that sputter and flare throughout “El Multiverse”, where dappled organ tones fight it out with interdimensional transmissions, all sucked into the vortex of a late-night techno mantra. Beautifully sculpted, Sound Of Mind feels consummate, an elegant set that pulls Raxon’s vision into its sharpest focus. Alive with possibilities, it’s a fever dream of creativity.

In den letzten zehn Jahren hat der in Ägypten geborene und in Barcelona lebende DJ und Techno-Produzent Raxon, der Freunden und Familie auch als Ahmed Raxon bekannt ist, eine ganze Reihe von 12inch-Singles auf Labels wie Cocoon, Drumcode, Diynamic, Truesoul und Ellum Audio veröffentlicht. Wir kennen Raxon außerdem durch seinen Beitrag zur Kompakt Extra/Speicher-Reihe – man höre sich nur mal "The Ancient" und "Dark Light" auf dem 2019 erschienenen Speicher 107 an. Nun hat Raxon mit “Sound Of Mind“ sein lang erwartetes Debütalbum produziert, das sowohl für den Dancefloor als auch für die eigenen vier Wände geeignet ist und dabei sowohl die Hitze des Clubs als auch die Wärme des eigenen Zuhauses durchmisst.

"Die Idee eines Albums schwebte in den letzten Jahren immer in meinem Kopf herum", bestätigt Raxon, "aber es gab nie den richtige Moment." Stattdessen verfolgte er leidenschaftlich seine Vision von tiefem, elegantem Techno, die ihn von frühen DJ-Gigs in Dubai, einschließlich der legendären Audio-Tonic-Nacht, dann auf Empfehlung von Hernan Cattaneo nach Europa führte. Im Laufe dieser Zeit sammelte er unzählige Erfahrungen, die es ihm erlaubten, seinen Stil als Produzent mehr und mehr zu transformieren. Raxon ist gelernter Architekt (obwohl er die Architektur für die elektronische Musik aufgegeben hat), was vielleicht erklärt, warum seine Produktionen so robust und gut durchdacht sind; aber man sollte auch nicht vergessen, dass Architektur bestenfalls immer ein Feld mutiger Experimente ist, etwas, worauf Raxon in “Sound Of Mind“ definitiv zurückgreift.

Wie viele andere Alben der letzten zwölf Monate auch wurde Raxon’s Debüt von der einzigartigen gesellschaftlichen Situation, in der sich der Planet momentan befindet, beeinflusst. "Anfang 2020 habe ich angefangen, an ein paar Tracks für das Album zu arbeiten", erinnert er sich, "ohne zu wissen, was in den nächsten Monaten auf uns zukommen würde. So katastrophal die Situation auch war/ist, ich fand mich im Studio wieder; in gewisser Weise gab mir der Lockdown auch eine kreative Freiheit im Studio, um zu versuchen, eine Geschichte durch meinen Sound zu erzählen." Und in der Tat gibt es auf “Sound Of Mind“ so etwas wie eine "Lebensgeschichte", besonders in der Art und Weise, wie Raxon’s Produktionen eine subtile Hommage an seine prägenden musikalischen Erfahrungen in den späten Neunzigern darstellen.

Es ist fürwahr kein Retro-Trip, aber es gibt hier viel Abwechslung und ein paar Momente, die das kollektive Gedächtnis kitzeln werden - zum Beispiel der sich langsam heran pirschende Pulsschlag im Eröffnungstrack "Majestic", oder die außerirdischen Breakbeats von "Vice" und "Journey Mode", in denen sich die interstellaren Sounds ein wenig wie Foul Play oder Steve Gurley anfühlen. Dann das ausströmende Gas und die wummernden Tasten, die "Droid Solo" subtil destabilisieren, oder die Strobo-Drones, die in "El Multiverse" herum sprudeln und flackern, wo einzelne Töne einer Orgel mit interdimensionalen Transmittern um die Wette strahlen und schließlich in den Strudel eines nächtlichen Techno-Mantras gesogen werden. “Sound Of Mind“ fühlt sich formvollendet an, wie ein elegantes Set, das Raxon’s Vision verstärkt in den Fokus rückt. Ein Fiebertraum voller Kreativität und Möglichkeiten.

Clear Blue Vinyl

Unusual times, bring unusual records. So marks 'Hanabi' one of Desroi's most diaphanous works to date. After weaving through deluges of heaviness and penetrating synth lines we are promptly subjected to the ease and effortlessness of tracks such as the title track "Hanabi" or "Stripped From Light . Those tracks stress the fine line between bliss and darkness.