Cerca:da menace

Eszaid imagines the sonic paranoia of discovery with Brumes, a 9 part movement for FELT that coalesces industrialised murmurs from the currents of cavernous creep.

An electronic complexion shaded dusk haunts Eszaid’s output. Previous releases on L.I.E.S., Worship and his own Collapsing Market label exemplified a shutters-closed style of rhythmic and melodic variance that teetered on techno-related realities with the lights kept firmly off. The Avignon-based artist lands at Fergus Jones's FELT stable to further the imprint’s unpredictability, coaxing some of his most perturbed oddities yet with Brumes.

The mythologized voyage of Pytheas to the island of Thule provides the abstracted blueprint for Brumes’ 9 parts. Each movement is born of soundscapes inspired by envisaged scenes of his trip to the North, an aural construction of interpretation. Eszaid unwinds tense metronomic rhythms within sparse sound environments, sprung with globular textures of motorik warbles and darkside atmospherics. Its minimalist beat complexions are buoyant by an abstracted fear of the unknown, tracks defined by bobbling industriale, Gregorian dub and atonal menace. It’s an alternative experience to the often faux-jubilance of expeditious revelation, and something that will resonate long after Nord’s beatless modulation fade out.

"Everything's been fucked since David Bowie died or they started up the Hadron Collider" say The Janitors. This feeling is epitomised in the title of their riveting new album: An Error Has Occurred. Marking over two decades of activity for the Swedish psych-rockers, the recording is informed by heartbreak and loss as well as the dismal state of the entire planet. For The Janitors, these two polarities intertwine constantly: "What's personal is political and vice versa." To channel their frustration and anger, the band revived certain songs they'd shelved during the pandemic when working on the acclaimed Noisolation Sessions. They added others, written since, that suited the mood of sticking a middle finger up to the oppressive world around us. Whereas previous recordings were often layered up gradually, this time the full band (Henric Herlenius, Jonas Eriksson, Anders Thorell and Wilhelm Tengdahl) rehearsed intensely together before laying down everything live, over two days and nights, in a converted missionary church. The songs on Side A have the menace of Melvins, the swagger of The Stooges and the cosmic heft of The Heads. These are the more simply constructed and poppier pieces... or so the band believe. (One friend of theirs did consider this "delusional".) 'In A Bliss' acts as the album's radiant centrepiece. A palette-cleansing love song which recalls The Jesus And Mary Chain at their most starry eyed, it finds The Janitors searching for solace and strength in straightforward companionship. After this come the dronier numbers, drawn out with soundscapes and textures influenced by The Velvet Underground's sonic experiments and the equally immersive atmospheres of electronic acts like Massive Attack. Hence, 'Operator' swings threateningly like a space-rock Swans, while the approach on 'Farewell Spacegirl' is jazzier and more meditative. "It can be hard to muster up some, or even any, positive energy at this point in time," says Henric. "We are eternally grateful to have the creative output that this constellation gives us. Neither me or Jonas would probably be here, or be the same people we are, if it wasn't for The Janitors. We'll leave you with a quote from an old anarchist: 'Every society gets the criminals it deserves.'"

Cherry Red Vinyl, limitiert auf 1000 Exemplare. Die Punk-Veteranen von Hot Water Music freuen sich, die Veröffentlichung ihren brandneuen Albums Vows anzukündigen, welches am 10.05.2024 via End Hits Records erscheint. Unter der Leitung des erfahrenen Produzenten Brian McTernan gibt es auf Vows hochkarätige Gastauftritte von Thrice, Dallas Green (City and Colour // Alexisonfire), The Interrupters, Daniel Fang und Brendan Yates (Turnstile) und Popeye Vogelsang (Calling Hours // ex-Farside). Drei Jahrzehnte, 10 Alben und immer noch ein fester Pfeiler des amerikanischen Punks - Hot Water Music sind nach wie vor eine Quelle des Einflusses und der Inspiration für Bands auf der ganzen Welt. Auf dem kommenden Album Vows bleibt das Ziel der Band dasselbe wie immer: kontinuierliche Weiterentwicklung mit einem scharfen Blick in die Zukunft. "Das Thema, das während der Arbeit an diesem Album immer wieder auftauchte, war das Wachstum - wie das Schreiben eines Songs, die Aufnahme eines Albums oder das Dasein in einer Band so ist, als würde man einen Samen pflanzen und ihm beim Wachsen helfen", so die Band. "Wir denken, dass das viel damit zu tun hat, dass wir zurückblicken und erkennen, dass wir es in 30 Jahren geschafft haben, etwas Besonderes zu schaffen, das wir alle wirklich lieben" Darüber hinaus markiert "Vows" ein weiteres brillantes Kapitel in der fortgesetzten Zusammenarbeit mit dem gefeierten Produzenten und Hardcore-Legende Brian McTernan, der mit der Band an "A Flight And A Crash" (2001), "Caution" (2002) und "The New What Next" (2004) gearbeitet hat, die oft als Hot Water Music-Klassiker bezeichnet werden. Ohne zu wissen, wie es weitergeht, begann die Band mit dem Schreiben der neuen Songs mit der einfachen Absicht, Musik zu veröffentlichen, um diesen hart erarbeiteten Meilenstein zu feiern, sei es eine Single, eine EP oder ein ganzes Album. Sie waren sich jedoch absolut sicher, dass sie keine neue Platte nur um der Sache willen machen wollten; diese Platte musste aufregend, unerbittlich und vor allem notwendig sein. "Jeder hat viel Zeit damit verbracht, über die Reise nachzudenken, die uns hierher gebracht hat, und darüber nachzudenken, was wir von nun an tun wollen, während wir dieses Album machen", fasst die Band zusammen. "Wir hoffen, dass sich dieses Album für jeden, der es hört, wie eine Feier unserer Geschichte und Zukunft anfühlt. Das ist es definitiv und so fühlt es sich für uns an."

Cherry Red Vinyl, limitiert auf 1000 Exemplare. Die Punk-Veteranen von Hot Water Music freuen sich, die Veröffentlichung ihren brandneuen Albums Vows anzukündigen, welches am 10.05.2024 via End Hits Records erscheint. Unter der Leitung des erfahrenen Produzenten Brian McTernan gibt es auf Vows hochkarätige Gastauftritte von Thrice, Dallas Green (City and Colour // Alexisonfire), The Interrupters, Daniel Fang und Brendan Yates (Turnstile) und Popeye Vogelsang (Calling Hours // ex-Farside). Drei Jahrzehnte, 10 Alben und immer noch ein fester Pfeiler des amerikanischen Punks - Hot Water Music sind nach wie vor eine Quelle des Einflusses und der Inspiration für Bands auf der ganzen Welt. Auf dem kommenden Album Vows bleibt das Ziel der Band dasselbe wie immer: kontinuierliche Weiterentwicklung mit einem scharfen Blick in die Zukunft. "Das Thema, das während der Arbeit an diesem Album immer wieder auftauchte, war das Wachstum - wie das Schreiben eines Songs, die Aufnahme eines Albums oder das Dasein in einer Band so ist, als würde man einen Samen pflanzen und ihm beim Wachsen helfen", so die Band. "Wir denken, dass das viel damit zu tun hat, dass wir zurückblicken und erkennen, dass wir es in 30 Jahren geschafft haben, etwas Besonderes zu schaffen, das wir alle wirklich lieben" Darüber hinaus markiert "Vows" ein weiteres brillantes Kapitel in der fortgesetzten Zusammenarbeit mit dem gefeierten Produzenten und Hardcore-Legende Brian McTernan, der mit der Band an "A Flight And A Crash" (2001), "Caution" (2002) und "The New What Next" (2004) gearbeitet hat, die oft als Hot Water Music-Klassiker bezeichnet werden. Ohne zu wissen, wie es weitergeht, begann die Band mit dem Schreiben der neuen Songs mit der einfachen Absicht, Musik zu veröffentlichen, um diesen hart erarbeiteten Meilenstein zu feiern, sei es eine Single, eine EP oder ein ganzes Album. Sie waren sich jedoch absolut sicher, dass sie keine neue Platte nur um der Sache willen machen wollten; diese Platte musste aufregend, unerbittlich und vor allem notwendig sein. "Jeder hat viel Zeit damit verbracht, über die Reise nachzudenken, die uns hierher gebracht hat, und darüber nachzudenken, was wir von nun an tun wollen, während wir dieses Album machen", fasst die Band zusammen. "Wir hoffen, dass sich dieses Album für jeden, der es hört, wie eine Feier unserer Geschichte und Zukunft anfühlt. Das ist es definitiv und so fühlt es sich für uns an."

Jimpster dons his Franc Spangler cap and joins forces with up and coming London-based producer and DJ Hudson’s Choice for a four track EP entitled Myatts Field. Touching on trippy slo-mo electronic grooves, tropical moods and percussive house jams it brings a more experimental and left field sound to Delusions Of Grandeur which we’re sure you’re going to love!

Opening track AcidMan sets the tone of the EP with a bubbling 303 line taking centre stage while pitched down vocals add a hint of menace, heightening the psychedelic mood. Dubby FX and analogue synth lines drift in and out of focus and give a live jam feel to the arrangement reminding us of something that might grace the decks of A Love From Outer Space. Heavily Percussed continues offering up a crazy percussion tool loaded with wonky cross rhythms, glitchy found sounds and a hypnotic synth sequence for good measure.
Flip over for Myatts Field, another slower tempo mutant discoid house groove which takes us on a deep trip into the jungle. Echoing sax and hazy vocals transport us to another world where Weather Report experimented with rolling four on the floor grooves and spacious dub.

Closing out the EP Roots picks up the pace with another percussion-heavy slice of tropical sounds which doffs a cap to masters such as Gregory and Osunlade. Steel pan melodic lines intersperse with chiming synth sequences making for an unusual yet hooky club track which will lock the dancers into its incessant groove.

New album by the successful duo Steve Kilbey (The Church) and Martin Kennedy. Interest and profile of Steve Kilbey has been raised considerably over the past year due to The Church re-forming, touring and issuing 2 new albums. Steve’s solo albums are all getting a complete makeover and the fan clubs are ablaze with rumours and gossips regarding forthcoming releases. Reviews & advertising in Vive Le Rock, Record Collector, Classic Rock, R2, The Big Takeover. Embark on a mesmerising journey with the third and culminating chapter of the highly acclaimed trilogy by Steve Kilbey and Martin Kennedy. Building on the success of Jupiter 13 (2021) and The Strange Life of Persephone Nimbus (2022), their latest epic, 'Premonition K,' unveils a sumptuous and organic sonic landscape, delving into the dark and enigmatic realms that exist between the boundaries of life and death. This album, a testament to their musical synergy, encapsulates a darkly beautiful soundscape, drawing inspiration from diverse sources, ranging from the haunting tones of Roger Waters' Final Cut to the shadowy depths explored by early 1970s Black Sabbath. Steve Kilbey, best known as frontman of legendary Aussie post-prog rockers The Church, infuses each track with an emotional resonance and sense of mystery. Martin Kennedy co-pilots this sonic odyssey with Steve Kilbey, weaving an intricate musical bed for Kilbey's lyrical dreamings. Drawing from his twenty years of soundscaping with All India Radio, Kennedy adds layers of sonic complexity, at once warmly familiar and mysteriously strange, creating an immersive experience for the listener. Together, Kilbey and Kennedy invite you to break out the Ouija board, turn off the lights, and immerse yourself in the mysteries of 'Premonition K'

This is The Wreckery album that never was but always should have been!

At the crest of the Australian post punk era, The Wreckery played atmospheric rock with film-noir swagger and renegade attitude, carving a loyal following. Critics quickly positioned them as successors to a darkly exciting avant-garde Melbourne tradition previously marked out by The Birthday Party.

Early recordings for Rampant Records (1985-87) showcased The Wreckery's fusion of swamp blues and noir-jazz, delivered with a deadpan, reckless, and romantic cut (check out the 'Ruling Energy' video!). Creative tensions saw the band implode as they were reaching their peak with the Laying Down Law album (Citadel Records, 1988). Yet another great and dangerous rock 'n' roll band who became a danger to themselves.

35 years later, the new album Fake is Forever delivers on unfulfilled promises, revealing The Wreckery on fire like never before. The DNA is still there – the signature sound of Charles Todd's baritone sax; the scathing lyrics and vocals of Hugo Race; the distorted angular guitars of Clayton-Jones; the eclecticism of multi-instrumentalist Robin Casinader; Nick Barker and former Plays With Marionettes drummer Frank Trobbiani fuse as the solid engine room of this iconic group. All the original edge with a new maturity and control.

The songs still emanate from the deep, dark end of the musical gene pool. The sarcastic, provocative lyrics of 'Smack Me Down', 'Get A Name' and 'Young People'; the musical fury of 'Stole it from Alpha Ray' and 'Evil Eye', the romantic melodrama of 'The Devil in You' and 'Whistle Clean', the deranged rock of 'Dragonfly' and 'Garbage Juice' – The Wreckery's range is as vast as it is ferocious. Whereas the band in the 80's were brash and angry this record finds the band conjuring quiet menace, sensual, intoxicating.

Hugo Race – vocals, guitars, keys

Ed Clayton-Jones - guitar, piano, synth, Mellotron, slide guitar , Solina string synth

Nick Barker – bass guitar and backing vocals

Charles Todd - the saxophones

Robin Casinader - Hammond organ, mellotron, mandolin and violin
Frank Trobbiani - the drums and percussion

Recorded by Andrew 'Idge' Hehir at Soundpark Studios, Melbourne
Mixed by Hugo Race at Helixed
Mastered by Toto Strapporava at 3Faders Studio, Buenos Aires
Published by Peermusic

This is The Wreckery album that never was but always should have been!

At the crest of the Australian post punk era, The Wreckery played atmospheric rock with film-noir swagger and renegade attitude, carving a loyal following. Critics quickly positioned them as successors to a darkly exciting avant-garde Melbourne tradition previously marked out by The Birthday Party.

Early recordings for Rampant Records (1985-87) showcased The Wreckery's fusion of swamp blues and noir-jazz, delivered with a deadpan, reckless, and romantic cut (check out the 'Ruling Energy' video!). Creative tensions saw the band implode as they were reaching their peak with the Laying Down Law album (Citadel Records, 1988). Yet another great and dangerous rock 'n' roll band who became a danger to themselves.

35 years later, the new album Fake is Forever delivers on unfulfilled promises, revealing The Wreckery on fire like never before. The DNA is still there – the signature sound of Charles Todd's baritone sax; the scathing lyrics and vocals of Hugo Race; the distorted angular guitars of Clayton-Jones; the eclecticism of multi-instrumentalist Robin Casinader; Nick Barker and former Plays With Marionettes drummer Frank Trobbiani fuse as the solid engine room of this iconic group. All the original edge with a new maturity and control.

The songs still emanate from the deep, dark end of the musical gene pool. The sarcastic, provocative lyrics of 'Smack Me Down', 'Get A Name' and 'Young People'; the musical fury of 'Stole it from Alpha Ray' and 'Evil Eye', the romantic melodrama of 'The Devil in You' and 'Whistle Clean', the deranged rock of 'Dragonfly' and 'Garbage Juice' – The Wreckery's range is as vast as it is ferocious. Whereas the band in the 80's were brash and angry this record finds the band conjuring quiet menace, sensual, intoxicating.

Hugo Race – vocals, guitars, keys

Ed Clayton-Jones - guitar, piano, synth, Mellotron, slide guitar , Solina string synth

Nick Barker – bass guitar and backing vocals

Charles Todd - the saxophones

Robin Casinader - Hammond organ, mellotron, mandolin and violin
Frank Trobbiani - the drums and percussion

Recorded by Andrew 'Idge' Hehir at Soundpark Studios, Melbourne
Mixed by Hugo Race at Helixed
Mastered by Toto Strapporava at 3Faders Studio, Buenos Aires
Published by Peermusic

Further is the brand new label from DJ Bone, who has started it in place of Subject Detroit which after 25 years he recently decided to put to sleep. This second EP lands on the same day as the first but is a new four-track solo outing from the now Amsterdam-based techno innovator himself. 'My Replicant Self' has synths slashing across the face of a sleek techno rhythm with sombre chords draped over the top. 'The Divine Call' ups the ante with spoken word menace and 'My Tribe' then layers up percussion and surging synth warmth. 'Remembering The Future' is a brilliantly quick and urgent track with slapping hits and bouncing drum funk.

Cardinal Fuzz and Little Cloud Records bring to you the new LP from a band we hold dear, Firefriend – ‘Decreation Facts’ – From São Paulo in Brazil and now close to two decades of creating and honing what has become their trademark, a heavy reverb, minimalistic slow-burn menace which sends chills down your bones. If you don't know Firefriend from somewhere along the last decade, you must cut a safe course through music. ‘Decreation’ is the undoing of creation, something destructive and primal and that Firefriend carry through on all the twelve songs written for this LP. Yury explained that the album "is a commentary on our 21st century, so violent and radical. We live in times of accelerated transformation. We wrote and recorded this album between the pandemic and WW3 – times of ground-breaking changes – and somehow that uneasy feeling got into our songs. Reality is the most crazy trip, isn it? And we are always trying to explore new territories: we want a new album to take you to new places, so we were chasing the sounds, structures and moods to make this a truly new album to match this wild new world’ ‘Decreation Facts’ is all this as they simply inject you with a liquid paranoia for their dark conjuring’s that is hugely dark and foreboding – Julia and Yury’s uber cool stoned and detached delivery creates a seriously dark menace with Julia’s delivery having echoes of Nico – all the while THAT claustrophobic reverb and tremolo encloses and swirls around the inside of your head and vibrates your inner core. This is HEAVY shit. Decreation Facts’ is an unsettling sonic fuck you to those that seek to destroy this planet for their love of money and power and we think it is a stunning achievement. As Terence McKenna might once have said – ‘Firefriend should be consumed alone, in the dark, in silence, with your eyes closed’. Firefriend advises, “Express yourself through any method you want. That is how you become a transmitter, generating waves that will open connections with others vibrating on the same frequencies. That energy field will change the game.” Now that is a truly psychedelic perspective if there ever was one. RCKNRLL, FUZZ, FEED YOUR HEAD

First ever official physical release of any of the Cabin Fever mixtapes. -Includes features from Big Sean, Juicy J, IAMSU!, Problem, French Montana, 2 Chainz, and Curren$y, and production from Sonny Digital, TM88, Lex Luger, Sledgren, and ID Labs.

Box Set featuring red foil text treatment containing the first ever official physical releases of Wiz Khalifa's Cabin Fever 1-3 mixtapes on red vinyl.

Based in Paris, 59 Bel Records Defends a Deep and Minimal Techno Aesthetic. This Release Gather Six European Artists, From France, Germany (Berlin) and Serbia Around a Canvas Composed of Groove, Dub and Xp Deep Techno. Based in Paris, 59 Bel Records Defends a Deep and Minimal Techno Aesthetic. This Release Gather Six European Artists, From France, Germany (Berlin) and Serbia Around a Canvas Composed of Groove, Dub and Xp Deep Techno. Based in Paris, 59 Bel Records Defends a Deep and Minimal Techno Aesthetic. This Release Gather Six European Artists, From France, Germany (Berlin) and Serbia Around a Canvas Composed of Groove, Dub and Xp Deep Techno....

The oblique and annihilating transmissions emanating from the workshop of Polar Inertia have been issued intently and surely over the last decade and more. Environment Control grants access to the biggest consignment to date, with eight tracks of mesmeric play that are fraught with clinical impulsiveness and astringent rushes.

Opening with a didactic panegyric to transmutation, Polar Inertia swiftly counter our recoil with an ominous display of pressure on 'Smothering Dreams'. The intensity is sustained—as if to suggest that there's now no way back—until the menace relents on 'Artic Horizon', its shimmering gravitational pull amounting to an idealism after the unease that delivered us here.

All tracks licensed from Makkum Records | Produced and mixed by remix artists | Mastering by Detlef Funder, Paraschall Studios Düsseldorf | Artwork by Darko Kujundžic

It's the kind of project that brings the old mad scientist cliché out for an airing, "It's insane, but it just might work." The insanity in this case being a motley cast that features Andy Moor (The Ex, Amsterdam), Desmond Denker (Cologne), Phanton (Cologne), Yürke (Düsseldorf), Dubby King Knarf (Knarf Rellöm, Hamburg), Istari Lasterfahrer (Hamburg), Begritty (Cologne) laying down their versions of tracks from the demento-a-go-go-electro-pop-rock-mono-mind known as Zea.

How could we resist the spasmodic schizoid psychedelic menace of that devilish Dutch juggernaut called Zea. This bastardised twelve inch slab of wax has Zea sonically re-assessed, dissected and twisted in side out. And it had to happen, it had to be made.

"Standing up I forgot what came to mind when I was lying on the kitchen floor. Standing up I forgot what came to mind, something I tried to remember before." It's the punky pop intro of the song 'Staande ben ik vergeten wat ik dacht toen ik lag', the Dutch translation of the first sentence of the song that provided the title for this collection of remixes. Zea, a.k.a. Arnold de Boer, a musician who skips sitting down, who either jumps or lies on the floor fumbling with a dictaphone trying to remember the ideas that just came to mind jumping around from the couch straight into the kitchen, trying to write the next song while cooking spicy food that makes his head explode. It's all inthere, everyone is in there; shrinking people, growing people, dead people. And all "Sub specie ludens" (from the perspective of human play).

WRWTFWW Records is happy to announce the first-ever physical release of Louisiana-based composer and producer Jammin’ Sam Miller’s full HD re-creation/restoration of the beloved Super Metroid video game soundtrack. The limited biovinyl double LP is packed with 27 tracks and features an exclusive artwork by French illustrator Pierre Thyss, as well as an obi strip.

Composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano, the soundtrack for 1994 SNES exploration / action-adventure / sci-fi / alien video game Super Metroid has always been a fan-favorite. A true masterclass in music storytelling, it beautifully evokes the epic and eerie adventure of the game’s protagonist Samus Aran with superb use of atmospheric sounds, space-operatic arrangements, rumbling bass, oppressive techno-futurist moods, tribal drums, and airy synth themes, admirably balancing the ominous feel of a dark menace and contemplative, even soothing, ambient soundscapes.

Jammin' Sam Miller assiduously recreated the soundtrack note by note, by finding the original equipment used to create it, translating the MIDI into a modern studio context, adding in keyboard samples, and re-mixing and re-mastering the whole score. He explains: "This was made possible by locating the original instrument samples from workstation keyboards and drum machines before they were put into the game and rebuilding the soundtrack from the ground up, applying some modern mixing techniques along the way to lift the veil of 16bit compression and create an updated listening experience."

Super Metroid is pressed on biovinyl, a sustainable alternative to traditional vinyl. Biovinyl replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases, resulting in 100% CO2 savings in bio-based S-PVC production. Furthermore, it is 100% recyclable and reusable, embracing the circular economy ideology.

Hailing from Adelaide, South Australia in 1985, the ‘debut’ full-length by Where’s the Pope? established the band as a bridge between greasy, hardcore punk thrills and manic thrash attacks. After a hiatus and a slight line-up change, Sunday Afternoon BBQs diverts from the typified, aural reference points in critical UK punk icons such as Disorder and Discharge but sees the band refined as they carve out a passage soaked entirely in their own electric stink. This is a record rejoicing in the lore of beery adolescents on the edge of the city streets with the dark, frenetic menace of ‘Geek Attack’, or the tumultuous sludge of ‘Tourist Dream’ insurmountably evidential in just how profoundly important the band was to the Australian circuit.

DNO welcomes two new signees, Slovenian producer Marka San and UK rapper Axel Holy, for one of the label’s darkest releases yet. The ‘Hidden Knowledge’ EP presents five tracks of dread bass and bad-trip sonics, as the Bristolian MC delivers cut-throat bars with the kind of calm, looming menace of a tomcat toying with its prey.

It was DEDW8, Axel’s horror-touched collab with Split Prophets’ Blanka, that first made him known in Slovenia, prompting Marka San to get in touch about working together. The same sinister vibe that drives that project has spread its tendrils right through the ‘Hidden Knowledge’ EP, from the twisted brass and squirming bass of ‘Where Did You Go’, which drags its feet like some zombified blues track as Axel repeats the titular phrase in his husky drawl, to the equally chilling ‘Classics’— all eerie samples and abyssal lows, with a pitched-down hook and braggadocious bars.

On ‘Patterns’, Axel goes to war, attacking the creeping beat with vicious battle bars and stories of the hustle, while ‘Hidden Knowledge’ sees him flex his vocabulary to take swipes at the powerful, and ‘Robert Downey’ makes his unswerving determination clear over grungy guitar.

Deliciously macabre, with intricate layers and lyrics that’ll have you spotting something new on every listen, yet still heavyweight enough for the dance, this is a match made in the nine circles and we can’t get enough of it.

Rhythms of postmodern realism at the very bottom of the DNO.

dirtybLends edition 8 is a 3 track INFERNO-SMACKDOWN combining 3 different ideas of new age/oLd scHooL Jakbeat inspired from a significant hero in the Chicago Underground scene of the early nineties dropping crucial releases on record labels: Saber, Dancemania and Relief.

The Falcon kicks the A-side into madness with ‘Sound The Alarm’ made 2 Jak 4 Crazies that’s completely bezerk n twisted!!
B1 introduces this nU cOhort to the label on this release comes from Grizzly Knuckles (a thuggish menace) bringing his weapon of choice musically in a hypnotic spell of mental riddims wit ‘Mad Bell’
this is chicago pit-tripping for those who are aware!
B2 brings The Jak as the final nail in the coffin to complete this 12 inch with ‘Aftermath’ that is for those who have any idea of SLaM dance body blows..this is that level of crazy!

—THIS ISN’T TECHNO—

UNDERGROUND Chicago TrACKs

Today, the electrifying Copenhagen-based DJ and producer, Anastasia Kristensen, has announced a new EP “Cordyceps Disco” out on 14th November 2023. This will be the first release on her new label absorb emit, marking a bold new chapter for Kristensen.

This new EP marks the next chapter in Kristensen's artistic development, stepping away from the close and personal nature of her previous work, instead reflecting a broader sentiment of the post-pandemic climate. “Cordyceps Disco” is set in a romanticised future, allowing listeners to come to the dancefloor and let go of their fears for the millennium to come; of climate anxiety and hypercapitalism. Lightly inspired by the sci-fi futures in Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov novels, and taking its name after the brain-eating fungi in the recent series The Last of Us, “Cordyceps Disco” imagines a future dancefloor where listeners can forget about reality and be completely immersed in a beautifully dark yet uplifting atmosphere.

Limited

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

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

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

Moxie’s On Loop imprint proudly presents ‘Manifold’, the highly anticipated debut solo EP from Amaliah. The rising Londoner delivers on her burgeoning ravey promise, unleashing a remarkable trio of percussive club tracks that link UK house aesthetics with global soundsystem influences, and comes with a wonderfully knotty remix from celebrated producer Call Super.

Borne Fruits founder Amaliah has rightfully ascended through the musical ranks of her native city to emerge as one of its most exciting voices. As a DJ and producer, she intersects at the exhilarating crossroads of contemporary house sounds, soundsystem culture and UK club influences to packed dancefloors weekly across the UK and EU. The Manifold EP flexes Amaliah’s parallel trajectory as a wicked tunesmith, offering her long-awaited and most substantial musical offering to date for Moxie’s much-loved On Loop imprint.

Opening track “Helix” curls a percussive membrane around its funky core, pumping along with nocturnal rave menace punctured by sirens and grotty synths. Next up, “Me So” shimmers with bubbling assuredness, diffusing Detroit-inspired melodies atop a bumpy house stepper that spurts with synthetic glee along its way. “Spooky Dub” greets us on the flip, wasting no time in igniting its punchy dembow groove while peppering its rubbery bassline amongst some dub-drenched fx. It briefly retreats for a half-step breakdown before re-launching us straight back to dancefloor salvation. Can You Feel The Sun’s Call Super sees us out with a typically psychedelic labyrinth-like remix of “Helix”, refracting a minimalised Electro groove through a magnificent fairground ride of wide-eyed sound design and intimate melodics.

Early support from Saoirse, Call Super, Parris, Moxie, Niks, Roza Terenzi, ISAbella and featured in Pangaea’s BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix.

“Incident At a Free Festival” is a tribute to the mid-afternoon slots at Deeply Vale, Bickershaw, Krumlin, Weeley, and Plumpton – early 70s festivals that don’t get the column inches afforded the Isle of Wight or Glastonbury Fayre, but which would have been rites of passage for thousands of kids. Bands lower down the bill would have been charged with waking up the gentle hippies and appealing to both the greasy bikers and the girls in knee-high boots who wanted to wiggle their hips. And the best way to do that was with volume, riffs and percussion.

Compiled by the venerated Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs of Saint Etienne, this is the heavier side of the early 70s they summarised on the acclaimed “English Weather” collection. There’s an air of menace and illicit thrills among tracks by Andwella, Stack Waddy and Leaf Hound (whose “Growers of Mushroom” album is worth well over £1,000). Bigger names include the rabble-rousing Edgar Broughton Band and kings of the festival freakout, Hawkwind. They are represented by their rare version of ‘Ejection’

For every mystical Tyrannosaurus Rex performance there was something like Atomic Rooster’s Tomorrow Night or Curved Air’s Back Street Luv to capture the spirit of the day and stir the loins of festival goers; the tracks on “Incident At a Free Festival” were inspired by both Chicago’s percussive wig-outs and the Pink Fairies’ anarchic spirit. The sounds were heavy and frequently funky, with a definite scent of danger. Their message was clear and simple: clap your hands, stamp your feet, hold on to your mind.

So, put on your wellies in your living room, drop the needle and enjoy...

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

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

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

Sven Torstenson's notorious Drugs is a loopdigga's fever dream, bursting with breaks for days and featuring possibly the most iconic cover of all library music's cult classics. First released in 1980, it's now a hyper-rare and seriously sought-after electronic album full of experimental soundscapes and samples just waiting to be flipped. It's both terrifying and terrifyingly good. So much so, it's been brilliantly sampled by Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper.

The sleeve describes Drugs as containing "the newest dimensions of electronic sounds. Dramatic underscores for all problems of today's life and society, at the border between reality and delusion." That's pretty spot-on. The fast moving "Euphoria" is an incredible, unignorable opener. It's loaded with disorientating effects and really needs to be heard to be believed. It's followed by the gorgeous "Soft Hallucinations", containing quiet, meditative and beautiful sounds - as the title suggests. One listen and you'll want to live in the warm embrace of this beatless, harmonic gem. Sinister squelchy synth stabs don't distract from the sheer beauty of the track's main (gentle) thrust. They only serve to elevate its trippy magic.

Next up, "Sky Move"'s agitated and repetitive rhythm makes it an intense listen but with a broad melody that will appeal to many. "Destroyed Dreams" utilises a muffled church organ and it sounds heavenly to begin with but it gradually invites increasingly distorted elements. Yes, you've had trips like this, we're pretty certain. Mental! Talking of bad trips, never have they sounded so good as "Horror Trip"; this fractured drama-synth just needs some some dusty beats to hold it up - get involved.

"Floating Illusions" almost sounds like a beatless Spiritualized bomb from the early-mid 90s; melodic, synthy, church organ-drenched. The mournful, dramatic "Lost Chance" pulses along on a bed of acidy synths whilst "The Morning After" is the sonic equivalent of the extreme fear and doom experienced in the aftermath of the previous night's carnage. Whilst somewhat uncomfortable listening, again, it's pretty compelling thanks to the myriad effects being expertly utilised. Fascinating. The sprawling, fragmented "Random Thoughts" is described as containing "confused melody phrases" - yeah, pretty much sums this one up.

The B-Side is ushered in by "Heroin" and it's as sketchy as you might think, all mysterious minor chords with a dominating - but not overbearing - bass refrain. Next up, the dream-like synthy fanfare of "Night Trip" climaxes after a few minutes of dramatic, ecclesiastical sounds whilst "Day Trip" layers its melody over a repetitive rhythmic base.

Next up, one of the *REAL* highlights makes itself known. Absolutely not to be missed, "Dealer's Corner" is all shifting tenors from quiet to hectic and back around again. The hectic parts are like a totally synthed-out-the-eyeballs jazz-funk collective wigging out with the latest electronic toys from 1980. This one totally SMOKES.

The dramatic "Sad And Hopeless" is appositely replete with dissonant, minor church-organ chords whilst "Riding Pegasus" uses a creepy ostinato bass melody to create irrational bleepy menace that's ripe for sampling. The penultimate track, "Hopeless Chaos" is another disorientating trip, a bleepy confection of sounds and phrases whilst closer "Goin' Mad" is all electronic percussion with an unpleasant rhthymic feel and irritating melody. Music to annoy your partner with!

Established in Munich in 1965 by Gerard and Rotheide Narholz, Sonoton introduced library music to Germany. Initially intended to cater to the country's new TV market, the library also provided an avenue for Gerhard Narholz's astonishing musical prolificacy, and soon became a haven for a wide range of European composers and musicians. In 1969, Sonoton struck a deal with the British label Berry Music for international publishing rights, exposing its catalog to a worldwide audience; when Berry was bought out by EMI in 1973, Sonoton transitioned into a full-fledged international label, with successes in the library and commercial fields and many innovations to its credit. Now a worldwide operation with hundreds of producers and composers under its employ, Sonoton nonetheless remains an independently run business still helmed by its founders - a remarkable achievement in an era when nearly every other major library has been absorbed by a multinational conglomerate.

The audio for Drugs has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

The Avengers remains one of the great institutions of British television, a landmark series and the epitome of the swinging 60s.

This debut release on vinyl features highlights of music from the Tara King era series of The Avengers by composer Howard Blake,

taken from the CD release (2011). Following on from Johnny Dankworth and Laurie Johnson (whose classic theme opens this release),

Blake delivered his own distinctive musical style to the hippest show on TV. He was awarded the OBE in 1994,

after a music career covering everything from choral works and ballet to film and TV. His music for the Christmas perennial

The Snowman, with its magical Walking in the Air theme has become a seasonal standard.

What we love about this compilation is that it’s not one of these boring best off type of stuff, but a gathering of all songs that were published on rare vinyl releases that Hooded Menace put out during the last 15 years. So, in case you had no chance to buy any or all of these 7”s or splits (that go for high prices these days) this compilation is a chance for you to hear some more splendid stuff from these masters of horror. All songs are presented in chronological order, so... The feast begins with two songs which also ended up on the debut album of Hooded Menace “Fulfill the Curse”, but recorded in different versions the year before the album was recorded. We all love how Hooded Menace combines heavy, Doomy riffage with that gloomy, horror atmosphere and some melody. And of course their Doom is strongly infected with old school Death Metal, so this is also why the music of Hooded Menace speaks to many of you so well. Later there’s some stuff from the split with Anima Morte, splits with Coffins, Asphyx and Ilsa. All in all, we have to say that “Gloom Immemorial” is a fantastic compilation of rare stuff from one of the best Doom/Death Metal bands ever. We would love to have them all as originals, as playing such music in vinyl format is simply pure magic and it always give you a special feeling, but if you cannot have what you want, you will be very happy with this substitute. The band and the label took it all seriously and came up with a fantastic booklet, which shows you each original release in details - with lyrics, original artwork and band photographs from that era. It cannot be done better, so this is just a near-perfection type of release with 75 minutes of horror soundtrack on a killer 2-LP.

This summer, Laurent Garnier announced the launch of his latest landmark album. The newest LP showed why he is such a vital force with a series of cuts, distilling his 30+ year career experiences into cutting-edge electronic music full of tension and release. Now he continues to prove he operates at the vanguard with this exemplary assembly of remixers.

UK techno mainstay Works Of Intent, fka R.O.S.H., opens up with his Farewell remix of 'Reviens La Nuit', a dark, pulsing techno sound with widescreen cosmic chords and unsettling modulations. Romantic techno master Voltaire then flips 'Tales From The Real World' into a scintillant melodic excursion with arps cascading down the face of the track and fizzing synths lighting up the electro beats.

Next is 22Carbone, who are featured on the original album but here remix 'In Your Phase' into a grimy, broken beat with tough bars and twisted metal textures next to the menacing mic work. Rocco Rodamaal has 30 years of experience and is one of few veterans that remains genuinely relevant today. He offers two versions of 'Liebe Grüße aus Cucuron' - a smooth and deep elongated techno trip and a fizzing Keys Mix doused in melodic charm.

New York's new wave techno star Anthony Cardinale aka Avision, lights up his remix of 'Le Swing Du Pouletto' with radiant and optimistic synths and a dark, brooding low end. Later he brings plenty of marching menace and pent-up synth tension to his rework of 'Liebe Grüße aus Cucuron'. Reshit's take on 'On the Record' offers a dreamy ambient soundscape with downtempo breaks and expansive prog-rock style synths. The Limiñanas are Lionel and Marie Limiñana - a pair based in the deep south of France who record garage, psych and pop music and have previously paired up with Garnier on the successful album ”De Pelicula”. They offer a long and short remix of 'Saturn Drive', which in their hands is a dirty post-punk gem with raw drums and sleazy guitars creating walls of reverberating sound.

This sophisticated selection of techno remixes brings all-new emotions and moments of dance floor brilliance to Laurent Garnier's superb originals.

Nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Century Media Records Debüts 'Menace' inmitten der Pandemie, die es den engagierten Straßenkötern unmöglich machte, eine Release-Tour zu spielen, beschloss die Band, sofort mit der Arbeit an neuem Material zu beginnen, was es ihnen ermöglichte, 'Heartbreak Criminals' zusammen mit ihrem Freund Andy Posdziech (Any Given Day) zu entwickeln. 'Wir wollten einfach ein gutes und schweres Hardcore-Album aufnehmen', sagt die Band über 'Heartbreak Criminals'. Aber täuscht Euch nicht - NASTY ist 2023 nicht nur das, was man von den europäischen Schwergewichten erwarten würde. Während 'Resurrection' und 'Don't Play With Fire' (die beiden Songs, die bereits 2022 digital veröffentlicht wurden) gute Indikatoren für die Dinge sind, die da kommen werden, findet man auf 'Heartbreak Criminals' auch einige überraschende Stücke.'Heartbreak Criminals' ist erhältlich als: Standard CD Jewelcase, schwarze 180g LP+CD und Digitales Album.

Moving to England for its second release, Rant & Rave Records presents a proper EP from South Wales-based producer JoeFarr, known for his dancefloor jams on labels such as: 'SLAM', 'Arts', and his most recent success with 2019's epic 12" 'Death Becomes Us'. On the a-side 'In This Anger', which JoeFarr has written with Louisahhh, an anxiously dark, slowly developing atmosphere menaces behind a slow rolling, broken beat for maximum effect. This is punctuated by dark, slightly distorted female vocals with sporadic lyrics subtly encouraging its dance floors to move.. and think. Signature hard and bouncy grooves with infectious in-yer-face techno riffs dominate the rest of the EP with tracks 'Laced Up', 'You Can See Me' and 'You will See Me (Hardcore)', effortlessly weaving in and out of the pulsating groove with an interesting palette of machine sounding synths and heavily processed vocals.

Waking at Dawn was released in 2016 as a follow-up to Roy's debut EP, Exis. The projectfeatures the hit single, "Gwan Big Up Urself", inspired by his Caribbean roots & brought to lifeby Jamaican producer KRS. Another critically acclaimed single off the project, "How I Feel",shines light on Roy's ability to bend genres and vocal styles effortlessly.


The release brings to life the diverse talents of Roy Woods and his ability to write and singsongs that range in sound. Now his fans can finally listen to it on limited edition red vinyl

Feel the ground shake beneath your feet as swarms of infected march towards your colony! The soundtrack for They Are Billions was composed by Nicolas de Ferran, a prolific composer who already has about fifteen soundtracks to his credits and experience as a Music Editor on OSTs like A Plague Tale: Innoncence, Vampyr, and more.

Due the game's humble beginnings, the music was originally produced on a low budget, using only samples and virtuals instruments.

However, following the overwhelming success of the Early Access, the music was re-orchestrated and completely re-recorded with the National Slovak Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava. A 60-piece orchestra recorded the music for the game for an entire day in the concert hall of Slovak Radio, with sound engineer Peter Fuchs (known for Fable, Total War, Call of Duty and more).

With its cinematic epicness, stressful ambiences and inspiring melodies, this album is a must-have awaited by the whole community! "They Are Billions has been an incredible experience in my career and I'm very happy to be able to keep the music of this game alive with Microids Records" Nicolas de Ferran

5th release coming next, the 8th district is now the subject.

We're super excited to welcome estonian duo Abdul Raeva for the first time on the label and to have close friends like Ginko, Max Cohle, MLM and Takadoum

First nug is the Abdul's bomb, Concorde, which is a track with a lot of energy and starts the release with high notes. Synths, drums and the rumbling techy loops give an original energy to this track.

Second one is the Ginko's track Jungle Palazzo which is a very nice and powerful house track.

To close this side, we welcome our friend Takadoum with a very melancholy track, almost like a lo-fi track but very fast.

On the other hand, murdering tracks with MLM & Max Cohle and their acid groovy track, and the Ginko's one which is a breaky dancefloor killer.
We hope you'll enjoy it :)

In the five years since Creep Show’s acclaimed Mr Dynamite album was released it’s fair to say that we’ve all been through a fair bit. Sitting here, in 2023, things don’t seem to be getting any better. There’s the cost of living crisis and political meltdowns; we're in deep water with global warming and to top it all there’s a war on our doorstep.

Back in 2018 everything seemed less complicated. Sure, there was stuff to get riled about, but we knew nothing about what was to come. Mr Dynamite was a fairground ride into the dark corners of a world that was on the brink of being blitzed in a blender. It was a record teetering on the edge. Five years down the line you’d expect the follow-up, Yawning Abyss, would double-down and bring the white-knuckled, teeth-gritted fury of the last five years to the boil. And yet….

A quick recap? No problem. Wrangler + John Grant = Creep Show. And Creep Show? “A band of musical misfits who have found a voice or two”, says Wrangler’s Ben “Benge” Edwards, whose Bond villain studio on the edge of a moorland is Creep Show Grand Central as well as home to an analogue synth arsenal that could sink ships.

Wrangler have known each other for a while. Tunng’s electronics wizard Phil Winter and Cabaret Voltaire’s trailblazing, pioneering frontman Stephen Mallinder go way back, while Phil and Benge crossed paths in the 21st century when they seemed to be increasingly in the same venues at the same times. Meanwhile, Mal had been living in Australia since the mid-90s and when, in 2007, he returned to the UK his old pal Phil suggested he meet Benge and the three of them immediately began working together.

Wrangler collectively bumped into Grant at their soundcheck for Sheffield’s Sensoria Festival in 2014 where they were playing with Carter Tutti. A friendship blossomed and when they were invited to perform together for Rough Trade’s 40th anniversary show at London’s Barbican in 2016, well, they jumped at the chance... and Creep Show was born.

Let’s talk about the new album... What is the ‘Yawning Abyss’? You might well ask. According to Mal, it’s “a cosmic event horizon that I can see from my attic window when stand on a chair”. Yeah. Thanks.

“On this album”, offers Benge, feet firmly on the floor, “Wrangler wrangled some vintage synths, mostly Roland, Moog, and the ‘Crystal Machine’ - then John Grant joined in the fun at Memetune Studios where lots of musical experiments were carried out. Then Mal and John ran off to Iceland with the master tapes and recorded a load of madcap vocals. Back at Memetune, me and Phil were left to try and make sense of it all. Which wasn’t hard because what they did in Iceland was totally magnificent.”

Which kind of brings us back to where we began. You’d imagine ‘Yawning Abyss’ would be blowing steam out of its furious ears. Mr Dynamite but kicking a wasps nest. Repeatedly. And yet…

Opener ‘The Bellows’ comes on like a modular ‘Radio Ga Ga’, the singalong ‘Moneyback’ (“You want your money back? / I didn’t think so”) sounds like Godley & Creme’s ‘Snack Attack’ meets Prince Charles And The City Beat Band (“Pennies, pounds, dollar bills, signed agreements, death wills”). ‘Yahtzee!’ is an unhinged electro breakdance party in four minutes and nine seconds.

Where Mr Dynamite was menace, a mélange of mangled voices, with Grant and Mallinder being heavily treated, pitched up or down, rendering their contributions largely indistinguishable, Yawning Abyss takes a more direct approach. You hesitate to say feelgood, but there’s a skip in the step here for sure.

The title track plays John Grant’s vocal straight. Completely. It’s good, so very good. Like ‘Axel F’ covered by Vangelis. The delicious shimmering synths of ‘Bungalow’ also plays those Grant pipes with a straight bat. ‘Matinee’ delves into darker, very funky territory. With Mal upfront it comes on like ‘The Crackdown’. Choice lyric: “You are starting to breakdown / And it’s so fun for me to see / You should have thought of that / You should have come prepared / You can see what’s happening and you look a little scared”.

So, you know, not all feelgood. But it does feel good. It’s probably best to draw your own conclusions... This is Creep Show after all.

Glasgow's Work For Love have once again descended deep into the cellars of Thee J Johanz early 90’s DAT recordings and pulled a companion selection to 2017's Declassified EP.

This time they've come back up the ladder clutching a sultry yet sturdy triple-tracker, a little snapshot detailing the full spectrum of house and techno hybridisation that was rife in the rave at the time. The EP kicks off lovingly lamenting the second summer of love with the proto house jam of Tender Tales which features Johanz himself giving his best Sleazy D impression on vox whilst masterfully tickling the 303 to several squelchy climaxes.

Flip over for Desire, a curled-lip 4am weird and wonky warehouse destroying techno leviathan that captures the stark minimalism of yer best Axis records and ads a real touch of John Carpenter esque menace to the affair. Bringing things to a close is the refreshing twinkly pulse of Prophet to say goodnight

Their masterpiece? With breaks for dayyyyyys and an almost ambient, heavy jazz atmosphere throughout, *this* is the apex of British jazz-rock fusion. We'll Talk About It Later was first released on Vertigo in 1971 and original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.

Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.

Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has kept relevant. To steal a line from a review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”.

We'll Talk About It Later is arguably Nucleus's best album. Not only that, it's in the top 5 of all fusion albums. By the time Nucleus entered Trident Studios in September 1970 to record Elastic Rock's successor, they had already won a best group award at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Once again presented in a Roger Dean designed die-cut gatefold sleeve it continued to demonstrate the chemistry and interplay that worked so brilliantly on Elastic Rock; Carr's sumptuous trumpet and flügelhorn lines, Karl Jenkins's funk-filled electric keyboards, Chris Spedding's wah-wah guitar, Brian Smith's sax and the rhythmic foundation of drummer John Marshall and bassist Jeff Clyne.

The group work and insane musicianship Nucleus were famed for is in evidence from the off. The intensely funky "Song for the Bearded Lady" is absolute FIRE, blasting out the speakers to leave listeners floored. Counterpoint riffing segues into a spacious groove and a Carr trumpet solo demonstrating the influence of electric Miles from the period. The stop-start funk of "Sun Child" would appeal to Soft Machine devotees whilst the genuinely touching "Lullaby for a Lonely Child" is a lovely downtempo ballad. Featuring an understated, reflective horn line from Carr and Smith and atmospheric, shimmering bouzouki from Spedding, there's an exotic flavour which contributes to the bliss. The ominous, sleazy title track retains a swaggering menace and is not the only track to lend a sort of heavy stoner rock atmosphere. The guitars and bass are deep and low throughout, conjuring heavy psych moments to go with the actual jazz and even funk. To say this album was in conversation with Bitches Brew would not be overstating the sheer brain-frying brilliance.

The Weather Report-adjacent "Oasis" opens Side B, a colossal track featuring nearly 10 minutes of steadily building melodic horns, keys and choppy guitar riffs. So ace, it could easily go on for another 10. Mesmeric. Spedding adds unique vocals to the undeniable groove of "Ballad of Joe Pimp" whilst saxophonist Smith's duet with drummer Marshall at the conclusion of "Easter 1916" - inspired by the Yeats poem about the Irish nationalist uprising in Dublin - adopts the wildness of the most incendiary free jazz.

This Be With edition of We'll Talk About It Later has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Cicely Balston's cut at AIR Studios to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The stunning die-cut sleeve has been restored with the original gatefold window pane depicting the Irish uprising in 1916. Incredible, timeless, guaranteed spine-chills.

The title of Ital Tek's seventh album "Timeproof" reflects what Alan Myson has observed and learned whilst making the album. Firstly, how distorted the perception of time is in the creative headspace - being in the studio creates a timeless environment, one's mind starts wandering and the perception of time is altered. Secondly, the bizarre effect of the last few years of lockdown have somehow infected the title, temporarily contracting our collective notion of time. And thirdly, Alan has learnt how spending time away from the studio can be as effective as being there, giving one space to process. Appreciating the power of being out in nature, putting other things into perspective, refreshing one's ability to approach work with both patience and creativity. Overall "Timeproof" feels more introspective than Alan's last album "Outland". Perhaps because of the time in which it was created or this new relationship to the creative process. The sounds and textures of the record hint at brutality and menace whilst also pulsing and evolving softly with a more refined interior life. It's expansive and elegant, neatly balanced between light and dark, more mossy and dreamy than the extremes of "Outland".

When making the album, Alan spent about a year or so working quickly and intuitively, churning out ideas, sketches and sound experiments without any attempt to finish or perfect anything. "I let it settle until I was ready to return to this body of raw material with fresh ears some months later, sometimes barely remembering what or how I’d done much of it." Over the course of another year he dived into the details, rendering all of this rough material and sound into something with form. Alan also visited older material and ideas, trying out, reworking and sampling, building it into this new body. The finished album feels open, with a gentle intuition that feels as if it's guiding you through.

Orange Vinyl
Kero & Steph’s landmark collaboration Syndrome now sees a sumptuous release on vinyl and evocative music video, spinning data into densely layered visual treats.

Steph’s coolly ethereal voice and poignant writing drift in harmonies atop the sliced-up, glitched, hard-hitting precision of Kero’s productions. The unforgettable directness of her compositional sense is here, as her long resume of scores and placements would suggest. It finds an urban-technological counterpart in Kero’s frenetic sounds. The DU label boss is in full force straight from the chilling post-pop of the opening titular cut. “Walk in the park” is a production masterwork, punchy organic percussion against grinding bass. “Who am I to complain” is at once arresting and vulnerable with vocals, but still packs an emotional gut-punch in the accompanying instrumental. “Count down from 7” is more stripped down and urgent, melodic hooks propelled by lo-fi rhythmic mechanism’s menace.

For the remixes, Oberman Knocks unleashes utter digital destruction - computer memory banks dropped through a wormhole. That thoroughly deconstructs Mtch into composite textures -- and opens “Walk in the Park” to near-unrecognizable, yet somehow danceable mayhem.

The new physical and motion elements find a visual language for these sonic strata of imagination and digital construction. From designer Christoph Grünberger, known for his tome The Age of Data: Embracing Algorithms in Art & Design, we get the packed outer sleeve and 2D design. These enshroud a calm-looking Steph in a Shibuya Crossing-style trip inside Defasten’s geometries, opposite a catalog of branching visualizations and glyphs.

Defasten, known for his live AV work fusing virtual reality and performance, here explodes faceted 3D cubes, in the cover and further in the music video. These pulsing crystalline hyper-geometries delve into data as expressive medium, shifting and vibrating with the glowing tones and crisp percussive hits of Kero and Steph’s composition. It’s a rare music video that matches the music in intricacy and form - a world that can only exist in virtual space, but that feels as immersively dreamy as the sound score.

“Sugar coated fabric … in braided covers” and “silver linings” were never so tempting.

Re-release for the first time on vinyl for this album originally from 2004 on Daft Records. “Behind The Sun” marked the return of Dirk Ivens after five years focused on other projects (The Klinik and Sonar). This time in collaboration with the Spanish musician Rafael M. Espinosa (Geistform) and with production skills of Eric van Wonterghem (Monolith, Insekt). All gained experience by Dirk shapes this album in a perfect way and the Dive-typical sobriety is not long in coming on every track with a sense of electronic menace, shown through a blaze of squeaks, hisses and subliminal aggressiveness. “Behind The Sun” is a first class work and Mr. Ivens once again confirms his exceptional position in the EBM-industrial scene.

Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on double orange vinyl record, gatefold and printed inner sleeves. Includes all original album tracks plus a bunch of extras taken from the “Frozen” EP recorded together with Diskonnekted, the complete “Lies In Your Eyes” EP and the rare song “Lost Horizon”.

Red Vinyl

Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output.

Combining their early recordings, including the 1979 Flesh As Property EP and 1980 State Of Emergency EP, Courts Or Wars takes its title from the first song that served as the pair’s introduction to listeners. Right from the beginning you are enveloped in what The Quietus described as, “a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanizing effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society.” Where The Sound fit snugly next to Echo And The Bunnymen, Second Layer had far more in common with the pulsing menace of Suicide.

Borland’s familiar vocals and sense of melody hold a connection to his other songwriting, but within these songs he takes far more risks in his guitar work to suit the subject matter. What really drives everything is Bailey’s propulsive bedrock, formed by his homemade pre-drum machine rhythm generators, creating an innovative mechanical approach that somehow inserts a jittery neurotic touch that merges perfectly with his electronic layers driven by the wasp synth, various unique effects boxes or tape loops. Adding in Bailey’s own distinctive bass playing, the results feel personal and experimental, pointed and harsh, while also bracingly accessible and covered in dark manic energy.

Over forty years later, these recordings feel shockingly appropriate. In painting a bleak reality and frightening future, there is real desperate beauty here.

NO(w) Beauty is a jazz quartet in its most traditional form.
In the perfect continuity of the history of this music, these four young musicians have gathered in Paris, where Hermon Mehari, trumpeter of American origin, has settled, like many of his peers before him. There, in the detours of the jazz clubs, a dialogue was created, then a friendship, thanks to the common language of music. Their personalities and influences mingle and define their sound. Jazz standards, blues, French and European classical music, soul, hip-hop, but also modern jazz and the avant-garde. A traditional quartet, but one that wants to be in tune with the times, and that looks ahead.
The three Frenchmen, in addition to having studied jazz, are largely rooted in French popular and learned music and their influences range from improvised music to Olivier Messiaen via Claude Nougaro... Enzo Carniel and Damien Varaillon both studied at the CNSM in Paris, renowned for its excellence and its very "European" aesthetic. Stéphane Adsuar studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, the leading school in the United States. Hermon Mehari, originally from Kansas City, Missouri, brings his unique heritage to the table, while innovating in the tradition of the great American trumpeters.
Together they create a space where all these influences intermingle, without nationality, without borders.