quête:da phase

Synthesizers, Tape Recorders and Analog Machines come together into an enchanting atmospheric album reminis-cent of Eno´s, Jarre´s or Vangelis´ space-romantic compositions.
Resonance is the artistic alias of Javier Pérez Rodríguez, a Canary Islands based producer who began his musical activity in the late nineties, blending cinematic experimental music with dancefloor sounds. After releasing several club-focused releases in recent times, he now presents this new departure - a synth based album for a soundtrack to a non-existent film featuring dreamlike compositions, filled with long, immersive passages that effortlessly blend ele-ments of electronic, ambient, and progressive rock music.
'Valediction' is an ambient ode, an emotional missive departing from a personal and intimate space and expands it to the universe - the cosmos expressed through a lens of ideas and concepts that contrast with its compositional com-plexity. Through this work, the author bids farewell to a stage of his life whilst presenting a new born optimistic and mature vision of parting, naturally transitioning to another phase without collision - a romantic and optimistic escape towards the reality of a recent sensitive time, which may not have been better, but perhaps it was.
'Valediction' is Resonance's spontaneous yet conscious escape to the most endearing realms of his own inner uni-verse, subsequently projecting it outward, in a sharing statement to whoever is willing to listen.
All songs by Javier Pérez Rodríguez
Mastered by Resonance, supervised by Eddy Méndez
Artwork by Aristides Garcia
Released by Keroxen records, 2024

Clear Vinyl

Since her re-discovery in 2013 via cult favourite The Space Lady’s Greatest Hits, The Space Lady’s mission of galactic peace and celestial harmony has grown into a world-wide underground phenomenon. Recorded in 1990, The Space Lady’s original repertoire is a parallel universe greatest hits: songs familiar are transmogrified into shimmering bliss while new compositions amplify the message. The Space Lady’s Other Hits, released on April 20th for Record Store Day 2024, constitutes the songs recorded by Susan “The Space Lady” Dietrich Schneider as part of that repertoire that never made the original Greatest Hits, save for a limited bonus CD on the first CD pressing. Remastered by Mikey Love for vinyl, The Space Lady’s Other Hits completes the picture.

The Space Lady began her odyssey on the streets of Boston in the late 70s, then San Francisco ten years later, playing versions of contemporary pop music with an accordion and dressed flamboyantly. Following the theft and destruction of her accordion , The Space Lady invested in a then-new Casio keyboard, complete with a phase shifter, delay pedal and headset mic, birthing an otherworldly new dimension to popular song that has captured the imaginations of the underground and its leading exponents ever since.

The Space Lady’s Other Hits were recorded as they were played on the street, live, one-take, with Schneider playing, singing and simultaneously manipulating the various effects. Beginning with Elvis Presley’s iconic All Shook Up, the walking bassline underpinning the vocal, phasing in and out of this dimension, providing a fragile, extraterrestrial shadow to Presley’s original lust-driven performance. Slapback Boomerang is an original composition, written by Schneider’s then-husband Joel Dunsany a Rock ’n’ Roll pounder that could have been performed by The Cramps, its tale of relationship turmoil changed into a meditation on the nature of echo and feedback. There are moments where Schneider performs vocal caesuras, swimming in delay and phase for the pleasure of it, a pantomime drama performance that rings out. Closing Side B, Puttin’ On The Ritz is Irving Berlin’s 20s smash hit manipulated into a sombre ballad with its latent class struggle narrative brought to the fore.

A staple of The Space Lady’s performances to this day, Golden Earring’s 70s global hit Radar Love retains something of the original’s driving gallop but in The Space Lady’s telling it is shorn of the tight-trousered, taut machismo. The Space Lady coos and reaches up into the heavens away from the road, the phaser waves drenching the composition with transcendence.
Schneider’s falsetto performances in the choruses do nothing but lift the spirits ever-arching upwards. Next, The Space Lady emasculated Jim Morrison’s performance in The Doors’ 20th Century Fox. Faithfully playing Ray Manzarek’s keyboard parts on her Casio, Schneider disintegrates Morrison’s lust into waves of echo and delay, creating a Dubbed out version of the song, sounding eroded and decayed in all its ghostly glory. Pioneering Rock ’n’ Roll outfit Pete & The Pirates’ 1960 hot Shakin’ All Over, something of a response to Elvis’ All Shook Up, is blown out in warm fuzz and the celestial hug of The Space Lady’s
spirit.

Originally released in 1986 ‘Power’ was the work of Philly producer Derrick Graves and vocalist Terrance T. The machine lead production on ‘Power’ was part of an emerging wave of post disco producers embracing a dub aesthetic that proved to be the precursor to the emergence of house music. The vocal harmonies from Terrance were influenced by Cameo and Prince and combined with the powerful production results in a dancefloor bomb in the Larry Levan style, stripped back and dubby with a strong song at its core. This level of musicality and production was no fluke, Derrick was a seasoned session musician who worked extensively with the likes of Sister Sledge, Dexter Wansel & Donny Hathaway. Derrick had a clear understanding of emerging studio trends “Music production was evolving into a new phase where home studios were developing and it was becoming more possible for real recordings to be made! From there, I eventually enhanced my production skills by learning how to compose using sequencers, computer software (DAWs), and midi instrument implementation in the 80's and 90's. I went from a 4-track to eventually a 24-Track 2" tape machine setup!”.

The fully remastered 12” includes the essential Instrumental mix.

Paul Pecho schüttelt einfach - mir nichts, dir nichts - zwei psychedelische Garagerock-Perlen aus dem Ärmel. Oder sind es garagige Psych-Perlen? Egal, denn es zählt, was auf dem Plattenteller liegt und das sind verdammt hitverdächtige 7 Inch! Paul ist sonst Sänger und Gitarrist bei den doomig-psychedelischen BLACK SALVATION (Leipzig/Relapse Records). Für seine Solo-Debüt-Single hat er alles selbst eingespielt und gleich noch schicke Videos dazu gedreht. "Neatly Framed" ist ein verschrobener 2-Minute-Banger, der an Ty Segall in seiner "Melted"-Phase erinnert. "Curtis Yellingmouth" fährt das Tempo etwas runter und kriecht als leicht kaputter LoFi-Ohrwurm direkt ins Belohnungszentrum des Hirns.

REISSUED ON GLACIAL BLUE VINYL! Papercuts' You Can Have What You Want is the third phase in Jason Quever's ongoing pop investigations. The relatively earthbound happy/sad pop of Mockingbird and Can't Go Back has been launched into the vault of the skies. Here, Quever delves further into epic dream-pop using mostly vintage organs, pulsing bass, and Kraut-via-Ringo-inspired drum rhythms. Intact from those earlier efforts is Quever's sense of arrangement and drama, as well as his soaring vocals, draped in reverb gauze. The words reveal a fascination with mortality and things cosmic, while sonically the voice acts as another instrument. This obsessively all-analog effort (no computer processing here whatsoever!) cuts across several eras of dreamy sound: '80s/'90s Creation and 4AD Records, The Zombies, '60s French pop, even Can's Future Days--and then there's the inevitable connection to former tourmates Beach House and Grizzly Bear. Indeed, Beach House's Alex Scally helped with some of the arrangements, though You Can Have What You Want is its own strain of addictive pop. For many, it will be the blissful/melancholy jam of the spring and summer. Quever was raised on a commune in Humboldt County, orphaned, and moved up and down the West Coast before calling San Francisco home and starting Papercuts, initially as a four-track recording project. When not performing with his own band, he can often be found recording others in his studio and filling in when needed as a multi-instrumentalist in friends' groups. "It takes a few seconds of Papercuts' second album, Can't Go Back, to think that maybe you've stumbled upon something special, a delicate mood piece made to slice through the din and chaos of modern life." --Pitckfork (8.3 rating

tapetopia 006 In 1983, some more subdued sounds began to waft from the GDR punk underground into the second half of the ’80s. At five to the end of time, it was perpetually striking midnight and the occasional punk band would mix a little laudanum into their potential for aggression. Portents in this vein preceded a dark wave whose foamy crest would break on fog walls of dry ice. Especially in Leipzig and East Berlin, a chain-rattling zeitgeist produced bands that drew from a dark well. Many of these bands arose from the still hot or already cold ashes of punk. The two founding fathers of Neuntage Alt, René Glofke and Taymur Streng (nicknamed “Strangler”), knew each other from the East Berlin punk scene. The third man aboard, Mike Sauer, played drums in the early 1980s for Sendeschluß, a punk band that, lost in thought somewhere in the no-man’s land between punk and post-punk, faded away in 1984. Punk was no longer the order of the day, but it was a form of expression among many and easy to combine. Glofke and Streng found common ground in experimental set-ups with such otherworldly names as Medusa Brahma or Die zeitweilige Erscheinung.
From this far-flung point of departure, a short tunnel led straight into the black light of Neuntage Alt, the coldest star in the low-hanging sky above East Berlin. Neuntage Alt appeared at the end of 1986, during the last blackout phase of the GDR, on the threshold between the underground and the so-called “other bands” – a scene that used the non-socio-critical approach of German Wutwave (“anger wave”) in order to be allowed to perform publicly. In the context of this scene, Neuntage Alt did not belong to the inner circle. Moreover, the band’s subcultural base was initially in Mahlsdorf, on the south-eastern edge of East Berlin. This was where the DIY sound studio of amplitude apostle and great modulator Taymur Streng was situated. Strangler held the position of house electrician and keyboard god in various projects. One of them had the bland alias Mahlsdorfer Wohnstuben Orchester, behind which the avant-garde court chapel of the bungalow studio was concealed. There Taymur also conspired with the East Berlin underground band Ornament & Verbrechen (tapetopia #001). Ronald Lippok of Ornament & Verbrechen remembers how once, at the opening of a joint session, he and his brother Robert attended Taymur’s engaging slide show of his collection of test patterns. Afterwards, they created a piece with the psychedelic title “Das sentimentale UfO”, which sheds an iridescent light on the bizarre atmosphere in the studio. Taymur’s obsession with technology was legendary. The home studio was also his living space; a circuit, a machine park of screwed and soldered equipment, a single keyboard orgy. His own creations were also based on circuit diagrams found in the radio amateur magazine “Funkamateur”. Its somewhat clueless subtitle “Praktische Elektronik Für Alle” (Practical Electronics for All)

Bewaffnet mit einem bereits umfangreichen Backkatalog an atemberaubender Musik, kehren Palace mit der Ankündigung ihres brandneuen, zutiefst persönlichen, vierten Studioalbums ”Ultrasound” zurück. Für die Produktion des Albums hat sich die Band acht Jahre nach der gemeinsamen Arbeit an ihrem Debütalbum wieder mit dem Produzenten Adam Jaffrey zusammengetan. Das Album folgt auf die beiden EPs ”Part I - When Everything Was Lost” und ”Part II - Nightmares & Ice Cream”, die 2023 erschienen sind. Während die ersten Songs für das Album geschrieben wurden, erlitt die Partnerin von Frontmann Leo Wyndham eine späte Fehlgeburt. ”Ultrasound” wurde so automatisch zu einem offenen Tagebuch eines jahrelangen Kampfes zwischen Verzweiflung und Heilung. ”Es war unglaublich schwer zu begreifen, was passiert war, wie man damit umgehen und wie man weitermachen sollte”, sagt Leo. ”Das Album ist die Verarbeitung dieser Erfahrung - beginnend mit einem Verlust, dann eine Phase der Verarbeitung und schließlich Akzeptanz, Loslassen und Wachstum. Und ich habe Respekt vor den Frauen, die das erleben. Ihre Würde, ihre Stärke und ihr Mut, wie sie mit diesen Dingen umgehen können, die sich für einen Mann unmöglich anfühlen.”

Bewaffnet mit einem bereits umfangreichen Backkatalog an atemberaubender Musik, kehren Palace mit der Ankündigung ihres brandneuen, zutiefst persönlichen, vierten Studioalbums ”Ultrasound” zurück. Für die Produktion des Albums hat sich die Band acht Jahre nach der gemeinsamen Arbeit an ihrem Debütalbum wieder mit dem Produzenten Adam Jaffrey zusammengetan. Das Album folgt auf die beiden EPs ”Part I - When Everything Was Lost” und ”Part II - Nightmares & Ice Cream”, die 2023 erschienen sind. Während die ersten Songs für das Album geschrieben wurden, erlitt die Partnerin von Frontmann Leo Wyndham eine späte Fehlgeburt. ”Ultrasound” wurde so automatisch zu einem offenen Tagebuch eines jahrelangen Kampfes zwischen Verzweiflung und Heilung. ”Es war unglaublich schwer zu begreifen, was passiert war, wie man damit umgehen und wie man weitermachen sollte”, sagt Leo. ”Das Album ist die Verarbeitung dieser Erfahrung - beginnend mit einem Verlust, dann eine Phase der Verarbeitung und schließlich Akzeptanz, Loslassen und Wachstum. Und ich habe Respekt vor den Frauen, die das erleben. Ihre Würde, ihre Stärke und ihr Mut, wie sie mit diesen Dingen umgehen können, die sich für einen Mann unmöglich anfühlen.”

140 Gramm Vinyl inklusive Downloadcard (inklusive vierExtratracks) Auch "Separations", das Album aus dem Jahre 1992, wird als Teil der Fire Embers Reissue Serie mit unveröffentlichtem Bonus-Material neu aufgelegt. Pulp hatten sich bereits einmal musikalisch verwandelt und sich durch die düstere elektronische Phase auf ,Freaks" weit von ihrem Debüt "It" entfernt und dabei deutlich an Schwung aufgenommen. Der inzwischen zu Kritikerlieblingen avancierten Band ging bereits der Ruf voraus eine Live-Band geworden zu sein, mit der nur wenige mithalten konnten, doch erst ,Separations" war der große Schritt hin zu dem Sound, mit dem Pulp nur wenige Jahre später die Massen mitreißen sollten. Auf ,Separations" gibt es zum ersten Mal diesen unausweichlichen Disco-Puls. ,Separations" ist das Übergangs-Album, in dem Pulp die romantisch-verklärte Außenseiter-Vergangenheit zurückließen und brachte passenderweise mit ,Countdown" und "My Legendary Girlfriend " auch zwei sehr erfolgreiche Singles hervor. Der Download bringt noch vier Bonustracks hinzu: ,Death Goes To The Disco" und "Is This House " sowie die längere Maxi-Version der Single ,Countdown" und das bisher unveröffentlichte "Death Comes To Town". Remastered und neues Packaging. Liner Notes von Everett True.

Vom HEXWORKS Art-Team entworfene Deluxe-Ausgabe des OST für das Action-RPG "Lords Of The Fallen" (2023), sorgfältig für 180g Triple-Vinyl gemastert. Die mehrfach preisgekrönten Komponisten Cris Velasco und Knut Avenstroup Haugen erzeugen ein aufwändes Dark-Fantasy-Meisterwerk zwischen romantischer Oper, Mozarts Requiem-Messen, dissonanter Klassik des 20. Jahrhunderts und großartigen Horrorfilm-Soundtracks. Teils live aufgenommen mit dem Budapest Scoring Orchestra & Choir, den Solist*innen Eurielle und Jess Dandy, dem Solocellisten des London Symphony Orchestra, David Cohen, und dem Flötisten Tony Hinnigan (bekannt aus Hollywood-Scores wie "Titanic" und "Avatar").

Im letzten Jahrzehnt hat die New Yorker Komponistin und Produzentin Kelly Moran ihren Status als bahnbrechende Figur der modernen Musik gefestigt, indem sie die traditionell-klassische Denkrichtung des Klaviers mit einem zeitgenössisch-experimentellen Ansatz herausforderte. Es folgten Kollaborationen mit ähnlich visionären Künstler*innen wie Oneohtrix Point Never, FKA Twigs, Margaret Leng Tan, Kelsey Lu und Yves Tumor. Morans experimentelle Klavierkompositionen, die hypnotisierende Texturen und dramatische Spannungsbögen zaubern, werden regelmäßig in die Klassik-, Avantgarde- und Metal-Jahresbestenlisten aufgenommen, so wie die jüngsten Meisterwerke "Bloodroot" (2017) und "Ultraviolet" (2018), auf denen sie erweiterte Klaviertechniken erforscht, u.a. das von John Cage inspirierte, präparierte Klavier. Kellys neues Album "Moves In The Field" ist eine Reihe von Duetten für sich und das Yamaha Disklavier, einer technologisch fortschrittlichen Version des Pianos. Die eingesetzten Disklaviere sind in der Lage, durch intensive Feinabstimmung und programmierbare Dynamik das menschliche Spiel perfekt nachzubilden und dienen als Kontrast zu Morans Streben nach einem Gleichgewicht zwischen technischer Perfektion und emotionalem Ausdruck in ihren Auftritten und Kompositionen.

Black Truffle is thrilled to announce a major archival release from legendary American composer and live electronics innovator Richard Teitelbaum, centred around his soundtrack for Suzan Pitt’s cult 1978 animation Asparagus. Best known to some listeners for introducing Europe to the Moog synthesizer as a founding member of Musica Elettronica Viva in Rome, Teitelbaum’s extensive and radically experimental body of work includes collaborative recordings with master improvisers like Anthony Braxton, Andrew Cyrille and George Lewis, intercultural experiments combining electronics with non-Western instruments such as the shakuhachi, works for computer controlled piano, and large-scale multi-media operas. Recorded at York University, Toronto in 1975–1976, ‘Asparagus (European Version)’ sprawls across both sides of the first LP. Discovered by composer Matt Sargent in Teitelbaum’s tape archive, this is a previously unheard major work for Moog modular and Polymoog synthesizers, unique in Teitelbaum’s oeuvre for its lushness and gently melodic quality. The music unfolds slowly, submerging lyrical melodies and burbling arpeggios into uneasy, glacially shifting harmonic swells, the luscious texture thickened with subtle changes of modulation and phase, calling up the shifting layers of Costin Miereanu’s classic Derives or the kosmische Musik tradition more than any academic synthesizer exercise. Teitelbaum incorporated much of this material into his soundtrack for Suzan Pitt’s Asparagus, which receives its first official release here. Asparagus, famously paired with David Lynch’s Eraserhead for a two-year run of midnight screenings at New York’s Waverly Theatre, uses hand-drawn and stop animation to unfurl an oneiric succession of images, beginning with a sequence in which the female protagonist defecates two stalks of asparagus, which multiply and float out of the toilet bowl to form the letters of the title. Teitelbaum’s soundtrack interweaves delicate drifting tones from the ‘European Version’ with contributions from Steve Lacy and Steve Potts on saxophones, George Lewis on trombone and Takehisa Kosugi on violin. Edited closely to the film, even without images the soundtrack proposes a surreal journey through floating synth tones, squealing horns, propulsive arpeggios, distant chatter, and an old-timey waltz. The final side of the set presents a new realisation of Teitelbaum’s text score ‘Threshold Music’, performed at a memorial concert at Roulette, New York in 2022 by Leila Bourreuil (cello), Alvin Curran (sampler and objects), Daniel Fishkin (daxophone), Miguel Frasconi (glass objects) and Matt Sargent (lap steel). The piece asks musicians to match their instrumental volume to that of the sounds of the environment in which they play, sometimes with the addition of recorded environmental sounds, reinforcing frequencies they encounter in listening deeply to their surroundings. Here the players use a field recording taken at Teitelbaum’s home in Bearsville, New York, their long tones and shimmering, glassy textures delicately emerging from the white noise of the location recording. Released with the full approval of both Richard Teitelbaum and Suzan Pitt’s estates, Asparagus is illustrated with striking images from Pitt’s film and accompanied by detailed liner notes by Francis Plagne. These previously unheard pieces shed new light on the work of a key composer in the American experimental tradition, offering up some of Teitelbaum’s most beautiful and engaging music.

First compiled as a double CD in 2002, Moon's Milk (in Four Phases) is a suite of four EPs that Coil released seasonally via their in-house Eskaton imprint across 1998. The line-up for these sessions were John Balance, Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, Drew McDowall, and William Breeze. Recorded primarily at their home studio in Chiswick, London on the eve of a permanent relocation to the small seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare, the collection has long loomed as a pivotal and pinnacle work in the group's discography, but has never been officially reissued, or repressed on vinyl. Time has only ripened its tapestry of regal strangeness. Arranged sequentially in tribute to the equinoxes and solstices, Moon's Milk captures Coil at a revelatory crossroads, leaning deeper into improvisation, spontaneity, and sound design. "Moon's Milk or Under an Unquiet Skull" initiates the proceedings on Spring Equinox, a two-part netherworld organ séance woven from vocal drones, cathedral keys, seasick strings, and opiated undertow. From there, Summer Solstice skews lighter but no less incantational, with Balance embracing his voice-as-instrument across lucid dream torch songs ("Bee Stings"), purgatorial spoken word ("Glowworms/Waveforms"), sultry chamber pieces ("Summer Substructures"), and falsetto ravings ("A Warning From The Sun (For Fritz)"). Autumn Equinox exudes more of a pensive and twilit mood, from the Rose McDowall-sung folk ballad "Rosa Decidua" ("I hear your voice sing near to me / I've put away the poisoned chalice (for now) / And lie down amongst the flowerbeds") to hall-of-lords hallucination "The Auto-Asphyxiating Hierophant" to the liminal string-plucked classic "Amethyst Deceivers," featuring excellent alien guitar by Breeze layered with Balance's oft-quoted couplet: "Pay your respects to the vultures / For they are your future." The album's final chapter, Winter Solstice, is its most swooning, remote, and ceremonial. Opener "A White Rainbow" stirs strings, layered choral vocals, and shivering rhythm into an imploding burial hymn. "North" oscillates bleakly, a ghost in the machine murmuring opaque prophecy ("This black dog has no owner / This black dog has no odour"), while "Magnetic North" is its inverse, a guided meditation of gently flickering software and surreal chakra poetics ("Red rose filling the skull / Yellow cube in the lower pelvis / Silver moon crescent below the navel"). The suite fades to grey with a traditional English carol ("Christmas Is Now Drawing Near"), rendered like an executioner's song by Rose McDowall's doomed, beautiful voice. The Dais box set includes the entirety of the rare Moon's Milk Bonus Disc CD-R / 2019 Threshold Archives Copal CD, which includes three collaborations with Thighpaulsandra. This material is as rich and intoxicating as the previous four phases, ranging from electro-acoustic singing bowl rituals ("Copal") to dissonant electronic recitations of visionary Angus MacLise poetry ("The Coppice Meat") to ominous classical melancholia ("Bankside"). Once again, Coil confirm the vastness of their confounding, infinite alchemy, explored and refined across decades of experimentation - both sonic and bodily. From postindustrial to post-everything, theirs is an art untethered, in the wilds of its own design.

Hot wiring dancefloors with their immersive orchestration of uplifting sonic waves, Soft Crash sets out to soundtrack the unified, euphoric heartbeat of the crowds they foster with their mechanical yet fantastical, Italo Body Music. Presenting their highly anticipated EP ‘NRG’, the Berlin-based collaborative project of Berghain resident and BITE label head Hayden Payne (aka Phase Fatale) and French prolific producer Pablo Bozzi works to forge Soft Crash’s unique vocabulary of post-humanist production with the harmonic grandeur of their rhythmic, machine-made anthems.

Fresh off the back of their 2022 debut album ‘Your Last Everything’, Soft Crash present their latest 4 track EP ‘NRG’, chronicling their synonymous surrealist visuals infused with the contagious punch of Italo and Synth-wave. Geared towards the dancefloor from a fresh perspective, Bozzi and Payne pull from their respective wheelhouses to curate a sound additionally influenced by Wave-Pop, Acid House and Post-Punk sensibilities.

Procuring their cerebral yet zealous indentation of dance music, the EP features sanguine vocals from Kyiv-based singer and musician Ready in LED on the first single ‘Free Yourself’. She comments about the track “I became captivated instantly with the idea of the track that Hayden and Pablo sent me. At that moment, I was a bit tired of carefree disco and wanted to reveal my dark side in music. The demo sounded very daring. This track demands attention to itself from the first seconds. My sources of inspiration were glam rock and grunge. I had a blast in the studio, and I hope the people on the dance floors will feel that energy too.”

While full throttle vitality and booming grooves on the title track ‘NRG’ showcase Soft Crash’s take on 90’s sample-filled techno. Closing the extended play with an updated cut of the bewitching ‘Your Last Everything’, featuring Canadian musician and producer Marie Davidson, Soft Crash breathe a new life into the namesake track from their preceding album, concluding with an additional remix of the track by cult favourite producer Alen Skanner. The intrinsic dance floor vigour emulated in NRG further fleshes-out the pair’s recognisable DNA of nurturing a revitalised techno sound, cementing them as pioneers of the Italo Body genre.

Written and produced by Hayden Payne & Pablo Bozzi
Mastered by Conor Dalton at Glowcast Mastering

Focus On Nature ist das neue Studioalbum des gefeierten Post-Psych/Independent Singer-Songwriters Nick Saloman und seiner Band The Bevis Frond. Fünfundsiebzig Minuten herrlicher Melodien, die sich zwischen 60er-Jahre-Psych, englischem Folk, den Seattle Art-Punks The Wipers, dem Buzzsaw-Pop von Dinosaur Jr. und Hendrix-esken Erkundungen bewegen. Ihre Musik hat immer etwas spielerisch Englisches an sich. Die Kult-Ikonen, die sicherlich The Lemonheads, Teenage Fanclub, Elliot Smith, Pavement und Dinosaur Jr. beeinflussten, haben eine weitere schräge Mischung aus melodischer, klaviergeführter Melancholie, akustischen Grübeleien, kratzigem Garagen-Rock mit punkigem Einschlag und voller Gitarren-Histrionik produziert. Wie der viel gelobte und äußerst erfolgreiche Vorgänger "Little Eden" befasst sich die neue Platte mit dem Überdruss der Welt, füllt aber eine größere Leinwand aus: Fast Food und globale Erwärmung, gebrochene Herzen und lange Nächte, alltägliche Unsterblichkeit und Gottes Geschenk - all das findet seinen Platz. Es ist wie Townshend in seiner thematischsten Phase; Big Star in all ihrer akustischen Pracht, perfekt ausbalanciert mit der punkigen Garage-Rock-Combo, die auf "Empty" mit Gilmour-Breaks endet, die das Ganze zur Größe erheben. "Sie mischen immer noch Pop, Punk und Psych mit schwindelerregender Wirkung. The Guardian "Selbstreflexion gepaart mit einer reumütigen Bestandsaufnahme des aktuellen Zustands der Nation." Uncut zu Little Eden - Erhältlich auf Ltd Double Purple Vinyl, DL-Karte und/oder als CD im Digisleeve -

LIMITED RED VINYL

Sheherazaad ist eine US-amerikanische Komponistin und Sängerin, derenzeitgenössische Folk-Pop-Synthese, produziertvon Arooj Aftab, einer neuen Welle der klanglichen Innovation aus der Diaspora Teil wird. In der modernen Welt ist Migration omnipräsent. Sie durchzieht sämtliche Lebens- und Alltagsbereiche, steckt oftmals verschlüsselt in unseren Gewohnheiten. Während unzählige Menschen sowohl mental als auch körperlich mit nie da gewesener Aggressivität die Globalisierung vorantreiben, werden einst stabile "Genres" und Identitäten jeder Art zerlegt - aufgespalten und abgeschafft, überflüssig gemacht und wieder neu geboren. Alles migriert, alles ist in Bewegung. In genau diesem fluktuierenden Feld findet Sheherazaad Inspirationen für ihre Songs. Ihr Minialbum Qasr entstand während einer Phase der familiären Entfremdung. Auch die Trauer über einen Todesfall in der Familie und die rassistische Polarisierung ihres Landes, das plötzlich kaum wieder zu erkennen war, prägten die Aufnahmen. Der Titel des Albums bedeutet auf Urdu (der Nationalsprache in Pakistan und einigen indischen Bundesstaaten) so viel wie "Burg" oder "Festung". Und tatsächlich ist Qasr ein Monument: Es verkörpert die Last der Vertreibung, die widersprüchlichen Sog- und Anziehungskräfte der Diaspora - und das schreckliche Problem der Auslöschung, des Vergessens der eigenen Wurzeln. Um genau diese Art der Erfahrung geht es, um die Gewalt, die Hysterie, auch um die Romantisierungen, die damit einhergehen, wenn Sheherazaad klanglich eintaucht in jenes In-Between - ins Reich des Dazwischen. Die Aufnahmen fanden im Herzen von Brooklyn im Glass Wall Studio statt. Die unbeschreibliche Energie der nächtlichen Sessions speiste sich dabei vor allem aus der einzigartigen (und einzigartig internationalen) Konstellation der Mitwirkenden: u.a. mit dabei waren auch Basma Edrees (Ägypten), Gilbert Mansour (Libanon) und Firas Zreik (Palästina); gemastert von Heba Kadry (Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto). Auf Qasr lädt uns Sheherazaad in eine betörende und vollkommen neue Klangwelt ein: in ein Reich der Musik, das genau genommen noch gar nicht von dieser Welt zu sein scheint. Zugleich lässt sie die Fackel der nomadischen Erfahrung auflodern, gibt auch diesem Feuer einen sehr viel prominenteren Platz. Insgesamt entwirft die Künstlerin mit diesem betörenden Album ihre eigene Festung. Denn sie will auch uns dazu ermutigen, unsere eigenen Festungen, unsere eigenen klanglichen König:innen-Reiche und unmöglichen Traumwelten zu entwerfen

Gemeinsames Album des vielseitigen, mit einem Grammy ausgezeichneten Pianisten und Songwriters Bruce Hornsby und des experimentellen
klassischen Ensembles yMusic ,unter dem Namen BrhyM.
Deep Sea Vents ist ein Album mit 10 Songs über Wasser und die Art und Weise, wie wir mit, in oder gegen das Wasser leben. Hornsbys unmittelbare
melodische Leichtigkeit verbindet sich mit der rhythmischen Präzision und endlosen Vielseitigkeit von yMusic, und verbindet die verschiedensten
Einflüsse zu einem unverkennbaren Stil.
yMusic und Hornsby haben bereits bei mehreren Bruce-Hornsby-Alben zusammengearbeitet, darunter auch bei seinem letzten Album 'Flicted 2023,
seinem dreiundzwanzigsten. In seiner langen und abwechslungsreichen Karriere hat Hornsby u.a. mit The Grateful Dead, Pat Metheny, Ricky Skaggs,
Justin Vernon, Jamila Woods Songs aufgenommen und ist mit ihnen gemeinsam aufgetreten.

Gemeinsames Album des vielseitigen, mit einem Grammy ausgezeichneten Pianisten und Songwriters Bruce Hornsby und des experimentellen
klassischen Ensembles yMusic ,unter dem Namen BrhyM.
Deep Sea Vents ist ein Album mit 10 Songs über Wasser und die Art und Weise, wie wir mit, in oder gegen das Wasser leben. Hornsbys unmittelbare
melodische Leichtigkeit verbindet sich mit der rhythmischen Präzision und endlosen Vielseitigkeit von yMusic, und verbindet die verschiedensten
Einflüsse zu einem unverkennbaren Stil.
yMusic und Hornsby haben bereits bei mehreren Bruce-Hornsby-Alben zusammengearbeitet, darunter auch bei seinem letzten Album 'Flicted 2023,
seinem dreiundzwanzigsten. In seiner langen und abwechslungsreichen Karriere hat Hornsby u.a. mit The Grateful Dead, Pat Metheny, Ricky Skaggs,
Justin Vernon, Jamila Woods Songs aufgenommen und ist mit ihnen gemeinsam aufgetreten.

Repress.

Studio One's music in the 1970's took the label to new heights. The new style of Disco Mix brought many areas of Reggae together ­ Roots, Lovers, Disco and Dub all came together in extended form, re-versioning classic hits, experimenting with new studio technology, over-dubbing, syn-drums and more producing what many fans describe as the most creative and innovative phase in the history of the legendary Studio One Records.

This Studio One Disco Mix album includes many sought after classic tunes only ever released in very small quantities (on Studio One's very first 12" records as well as it's infamous Music Lab 10"s out of New York) and consequently many of these track s have been unavailable since their day of release. Studio One Disco Mix features many of the classic Studio One artists such as Alton Ellis, Sugar Minott, Jackie Mittoo and Willie Williams (with his classic re-versioning of his own "Armigideon Time") alongside less well artists such as Doreen Schaeffer, Judah Eskender Tafari and George Dudley and many more.

splattered yelow & red vinyl

A1 - Phases Of Reality
Easing into the proceedings in subtle yet impactful style, Phases of Reality offers an eerie, soothing aura of sound with bells and horns and a progressive, powerful bassline hook. The melancholic atmosphere grips the listener throughout, intensely wrapping itself around the classic old school breakbeats to create a collage of audio fit for both the dancefloor and that late night contemplative drive home in the rain.
A2 - Impressions
Instant double snare breaks with a hint of apache set the tone for an energetic, thrusting track as ASC flexes his creative spark with Impressions. Rhythmically dashing through a dreamily complex assortment of wispy, thoughtful synths and stretched vocal samples, in lieu of a breakdown the drums suddenly switch pattern for the second half, dialing up the considered intensity which is carried through to a suitably abrupt filtered conclusion.
AA1 - Solyaris
An enchanted female vocal sample opens and punctuates Solyaris, a deep, absorbing track which fuses the heft of ASC's classic analogue amen breaks with inquisitive melodies and suspenseful synth work to construct a breathtaking cosmic amen mover for the dancefloor. Sci-fi FX add to the interstellar vives in the respite of the breakdown, before the headline breaks resume their aural assault on the senses.
AA2 - Oblivion
Mixing up the vibe for an eclectic conclusion, Oblivion utilises a uniquely scattershot hot pants break pattern, with stark clusters of hi hats and sharp snares playfully juddering around a patchwork of echoed mini melodies and a soothing overarching tune. Deep sub bass accentuates the track, occasionally flecked
with delicate samples resulting in a great DJ tool and a quirky
energy to savour.

Nachdem es fast zehn Jahre lang ruhig um AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE geworden war, lassen sie erneut die Welten von Death Metal und
Bodybuilding aufeinanderprallen und kehren mit ihrem vierten Album Quad Brutal zurück, das am 23. Februar 2024 über Napalm Records erscheint.
Bei der augenzwinkernden Hommage an Arnold Schwarzenegger handelt es sich um das Soloprojekt des As I Lay Dying-Frontmann Tim Lambesis, der
mit dem Debütalbum Total Brutal (2008) vor über 15 Jahren die Herzen der Metalfans eroberte. Nach der Veröffentlichung von zwei weiteren
gefeierten Alben, Double Brutal (2009) und Triple Brutal (2014) verschwand Lambesis von der Bildfläche. Laut einem Interview mit dem deutschen
Metal Hammer durchlebte er „die dunkelste Phase seines Lebens“, die er mit der Hilfe von guten Freunden durchstand. Nun, nach einem Jahrzehnt
voller Aufarbeitung und Reflektion, ist die Zeit gekommen für neue Musik, die unter dem Titel Quad Brutal erscheint – randvoll mit den rasenden
Riffs, gnadenlosen Drums, wie sie für den legendären Ahhhnold angemessen sind!

Taking on Medal Headz G.B.D.F., lifted from the recent Brainwaltzera LP Itsame, British drum & bass producer Peshay turns in a driving remix in a classic UK style. Rolling breaks meet a heady reese bassline and wide-angle atmospherics, put together with all the aplomb of a skilled craftsman doing what he does best. It’s music made for the dancefloor, delivered in a timeless style by one of the heads of the early Good Looking Records & Metalheadz years.

On the B1, Brainwaltzera takes the reigns with an extended version of the original album piece – a valuable reminder of the impressive source material, reimagined in a new context. For the B2, the artist offers a previously interconnected phase of Medal Headz G.B.D.F. up as a track in its own right. A spellbinding IDM reduction, it’s wrought with all manner of synth flourishes, elegant drum machine rhythms, and warping synths – a neat closer that offers a new and intriguing approach to an LP highlight.

a Medal Headz G.B.D.F Peshay Remix
b Medal Headz G.B.D.F Extended
[separated]

World Of Echo are proud to announce the long-awaited reissue, on 17th February, of the self-titled debut album by Bristol’s Movietone. Originally released in 1995 by Planet Records and reissued on CD in 2003 by The Pastels’ Geographic Music imprint, this is the first time Movietone has been reissued on vinyl. An expanded double-LP edition, it includes the extra tracks from the 2003 CD (their first two singles, and an unreleased demo of “Chance Is Her Opera”), and adds three more unearthed gems: demos of “Alkaline Eye” and “She Smiled Mandarine Like”, and an early take of “Late July”, recorded in a garden by Dave Pearce (Flying Saucer Attack) in 1993. Taken together, this is the definitive collection of music from the first phase of one of Bristol’s most remarkable groups.

Movietone was the cumulation of a series of events, explorations, and discoveries, starting at secondary school – the group’s core membership of Kate Wright, Rachel Brook, Matt Elliott and Matt Jones met at Cotham School in Bristol. As for many other groups, their early years were all about experimenting, and finding ways to ‘make do’, a DIY sensibility that would inform Movietone through their decade-long lifespan. From formative rehearsals in a shed in the garden of Brook’s family home, to recording early material to four-track in Redland Library, and on into the Whitehouse and Mr Grin’s studio sessions for their debut album, Movietone’s music fell together in a creatively unpredictable, yet conceptually rigorous manner.

By the time they released Movietone, they’d found a home with Bristol’s Planet, run by author Richard King and James Webster, who had both released their first two singles, “She Smiled Mandarine Like” and “Mono Valley”. There was other music happening around them in Bristol, too, from the Jones brothers’ avant-rock outfit Crescent (who were Movietone’s closest conspirators), through Elliott’s jungle/electronica project Third Eye Foundation, and Brook and Elliott’s membership of Flying Saucer Attack. A closely knit community, Movietone are the centre of this nestling architecture of groups.

The vision in the music, mostly, belongs to Wright, but Movietone ran in democratic creative consort. Listening back to Movietone, you can hear this democracy in action through the wildness of the music, which is balanced by the poetics of Wright’s lyrics and melodies. Full of half-captured memories and entangled abstractions, there’s an elliptical, ruminative quality to much of the writing here that shows the deep influence of the Beat Generation writers, along with a twilight environment captured in the songs that’s pure third-album Velvets, Galaxie 500, early Tindersticks, Codeine. Unpredictable interventions – the crashing glass in “Mono Valley”, the sudden explosions of “Orange Zero” – point towards the noise blowouts of My Bloody Valentine, the unpredictability of Sonic Youth; Wright’s understated vocal cadence suggest a deep, embodied understanding of John Cage’s Indeterminacy.

Movietone would go on to make three fantastic albums for Domino – Night & Day (1997), The Blossom Filled Streets (2000) and The Sand & The Stars (2003) – and their Peel Sessions were released early in 2022 by Textile. Still held in high regard by artists like Steven R. Smith, and The Pastels, whose Stephen McRobbie once described them as “one of the great unknown English groups,” it’s an absolute thrill to listen to Movietone anew – still inspired, still seductive, still magic, still mysterious.

Ihr Genre ist „Celtic Fantasy Metal“ und ihre Alben könnten
problemlos als Soundtracks für Serien wie Game of Thrones
oder Vikings dienen. Ihre Fans nennen sie die „Metal-Enya
“ und sie verkörpert für Tausende engagierter Zuhörer auf der
ganzen Welt den Archetyp der „Kriegerkönigin“.
Ihr bevorstehendes sechstes Album „The Glory and the Fallen
“ markiert eine neue Entwicklung für die Singer-Songwriterin.
Dieses Album stellt neue Herausforderungen vor und betritt
neue Gebiete in der Songwriting-Phase. Es verspricht nicht
nur, ihr bislang epischstes und bahnbrechendstes Projekt zu
werden, sondern ist auch eine monumentale Klanglandschaft,
die von Fantasie, Geschichte und persönlicher Reise inspiriert
ist.
Die mit Spannung erwartete Neuveröffentlichung wurde von
Oliver Philipps (Everon, Phantasma) produziert. Das
erstaunliche Kunstwerk wurde von Giannis Nakos (Kamelot,
Evergrey, Amaranthe) geschaffen.

Swedish death metal legends UNLEASHED are among the undisputed Viking kings of the entire genre. Founded in 1989 by Johnny Hedlund, UNLEASHED have been delivering first-class death metal in the tradition of their Nordic ancestors since day one! The best-of album "Viking Raids" is an impressive collection of works from the band's first creative phase from 1991 to 2004, during which time the band released albums such as "Across the Open Sea", "Vitory", "Warrior" and "Hell's Unleashed". Songs such as "Death Metal Victory", "The Longships Are Coming", "Winterland" or the stomping "Don't Want To Be Born" have long since become genuine classics that have to be played at every metal party. Reaper Entertainment is re-releasing "Viking Raids" on 300 pieces of strictly limited blue splatter vinyl.

Warehouse find!

With '100% Dope' we find Central Processing Unit bringing up their hundredth catalogue number, and you'd struggle to find a more fitting artist to ring in a century of releases for the label than Cygnus. The one born Phillip Washington has been with CPU since the very beginning, his 2012 LP 'Newmark Phase' representing the first record ever released on the imprint. That album's combination of textured techno and grizzly Drexciyan electro set the tone for CPU perfectly, and it's no surprise that Cygnus has returned to the Sheffield imprint several times down the years.

While '100% Dope' is an expert demonstration of what Cygnus and CPU do, this EP also shows just how much both artist and label have grown over the past nine years. At its heart '100% Dope' is a set of prime machine-funk from a master of the form, but these are also some of the most daring and innovative tracks that Cygnus has ever produced.

Take opening cut 'Bad RGB Controller'. In the undulating synth lines we have a ghost of grime as well as Drexciyan drive, and as such the track reminds one as much of Mr. Mitch or Last Japan as it does, say, Dopplereffekt. Furthermore, 'Bad RGB Controller' shifts gear around the halfway mark into a highwire electronica mode which has the wit and spark of prime Bogdan Raczynski. Entries like 'Float Back To The Surface' are similarly unpredictable. There's some lovely industrial techno bite to this one - the snare drum will echo in your head long after the party's died down - but Cygnus periodically pulls out the rug from underneath us with passages of impressionistic texture that almost border on sound art.

'Float Back To The Surface' is one of a trio of vocoder-led jams here. On 'Throwing Shade' we hear I-F and Egyptian Lover, with Cygnus' vocals clattering around like pronouncements from some funked-out robot overlord atop hissing-piston drums. Then there's the enticingly-titled 'CPU Records'. 'CPU Records' delivers all the crisp electro snap we've come to expect from a record emblazoned with that signature black-and-white artwork, yet this thing is also widescreen and cinematic in ways that demonstrate the maturation of the Cygnus sound. With a wicked vocoder vocal that celebrates the label's many achievements, 'CPU Records' is a victory lap tune if ever we've heard one.

Central Processing Unit keep it 100 on for this new EP. '100% Dope' by Cygnus is CPU's 100th catalogue number, and the Texan producer delivers on the promise of the record's title with a collection of brilliantly unique electro joints.

White vinyl, limited to 500 copies. Liam Cromby, known for his work as the lead singer and songwriter of We Are The Ocean until 2017, has today announced his forthcoming debut solo album What Can I Trust, If I Can't Trust True Love, due for release on December 1st 2023, also sharing the title track, available to stream/download worldwide now. "Drawing from my own experiences, this song is a testament to those early, fragile moments of a relationship_where every misstep feels like a fall and every kind gesture feels like flying," he explains. "Choosing to name the album after this song was instinctive, given that it was among the final tracks to be crafted. Even though it came later in the creative journey, it perfectly embodies the central theme of the album." Since revealing the first taste of new music in March, with the release of `Here I Am' - accompanied only by a contemplative, artful film featuring an elaborate dance between two performers - followed by `Breakdown', and last month, `At This Table', this new phase of his career is already off to an impressive start. With early airplay from BBC Introducing and Absolute Radio Country among others, an appearance at The Great Escape festival and sold-out headline shows across the country, Cromby was invited to play at the prestigious Black Deer Festival of Americana, and along with a full-band set, joined Brandy Clark, Drake White, Elles Bailey and Bella White for a Songwriter Session. Although recorded in a matter of days, the project was at least five years in the making.

Das eindringliche, grandiose neue Hulder-Album "Verses in Oath", das in den tristen, kalten Monaten des nordwestlichen Winters entstanden ist, stellt die bisher majestätischste, ungezähmteste Manifestation der Band dar, auf der neues Territorium in Brand gesetzt und mit Schwert und Schild erobert wird.

Im Jahr 2022 veröffentlichte Hulder das 5-Track-Mini-Album "The Eternal Fanfare", das eine neue Phase in der rasanten Entwicklung des Projekts einläutete. Die Band setzte die Live-Bühne in Flammen und tourte das ganze Jahr über durch Nordamerika, bis ins Jahr 2023 hinein, wo sie auch zum ersten Mal in Europa auftrat.

Angespornt durch diese edlen Siege wurde der Boden für die Ungeheuerlichkeit von 'Verses in Oath' bereitet. Aufgenommen von Hulder, wurde der Mix und das Mastering der Kultlegende Ahti Kortelainen von den Tico Tico Studios in Finnland anvertraut, dessen überwältigende Liste von Credits sich über Jahrzehnte erstreckt und unter anderem Barathrum, Belial, Impaled Nazarene und Moonsorrow umfasst. Das Ergebnis ist sowohl schonungslos brutal als auch wehmütig beschwörend; schwarzes Blut auf weißem Schnee.

Die uralte, von Trauer erfüllte Melancholie und der brodelnde Geist, die das Wesen von 'Hearken The End' ausmachen, durchdringen das gesamte Album und sind mittlerweile ein grundlegendes Detail in der Identität von Hulder, deren Wurzeln tief in längst vergessenem Boden liegen. Und während die schneidende Grausamkeit und das zerrissene Fleisch von "Vessel of Suffering" und "Enchanted Steel" eine räuberische Barbarei beschreibenwillkommen heißen, ist es die Verbindung all dieser Elemente, die "Verses in Oath" in das zeitlose Pantheon der stärksten Black Metal-Linie stellt.

Während sich der Black Metal in unzähligen Ablegern und Subgenres bis zur Unkenntlichkeit weiterentwickelt hat, ist Hulder fest in der zerstörerischen Vorherrschaft, den Ritualen und Traditionen des Genres verwurzelt und trägt die Fackel seiner Ursprünge und seines Erbes erhaben empor. Und dennoch verblüfft "Verses in Oath" mit dem bösartigen Geist kreativer Autonomie und individueller Freiheit, der notwendig ist, um die wahren Höhen des Genres zu erreichen.

Silver/ Brown Merge Vinyl

Das eindringliche, grandiose neue Hulder-Album "Verses in Oath", das in den tristen, kalten Monaten des nordwestlichen Winters entstanden ist, stellt die bisher majestätischste, ungezähmteste Manifestation der Band dar, auf der neues Territorium in Brand gesetzt und mit Schwert und Schild erobert wird.

Im Jahr 2022 veröffentlichte Hulder das 5-Track-Mini-Album "The Eternal Fanfare", das eine neue Phase in der rasanten Entwicklung des Projekts einläutete. Die Band setzte die Live-Bühne in Flammen und tourte das ganze Jahr über durch Nordamerika, bis ins Jahr 2023 hinein, wo sie auch zum ersten Mal in Europa auftrat.

Angespornt durch diese edlen Siege wurde der Boden für die Ungeheuerlichkeit von 'Verses in Oath' bereitet. Aufgenommen von Hulder, wurde der Mix und das Mastering der Kultlegende Ahti Kortelainen von den Tico Tico Studios in Finnland anvertraut, dessen überwältigende Liste von Credits sich über Jahrzehnte erstreckt und unter anderem Barathrum, Belial, Impaled Nazarene und Moonsorrow umfasst. Das Ergebnis ist sowohl schonungslos brutal als auch wehmütig beschwörend; schwarzes Blut auf weißem Schnee.

Die uralte, von Trauer erfüllte Melancholie und der brodelnde Geist, die das Wesen von 'Hearken The End' ausmachen, durchdringen das gesamte Album und sind mittlerweile ein grundlegendes Detail in der Identität von Hulder, deren Wurzeln tief in längst vergessenem Boden liegen. Und während die schneidende Grausamkeit und das zerrissene Fleisch von "Vessel of Suffering" und "Enchanted Steel" eine räuberische Barbarei beschreibenwillkommen heißen, ist es die Verbindung all dieser Elemente, die "Verses in Oath" in das zeitlose Pantheon der stärksten Black Metal-Linie stellt.

Während sich der Black Metal in unzähligen Ablegern und Subgenres bis zur Unkenntlichkeit weiterentwickelt hat, ist Hulder fest in der zerstörerischen Vorherrschaft, den Ritualen und Traditionen des Genres verwurzelt und trägt die Fackel seiner Ursprünge und seines Erbes erhaben empor. Und dennoch verblüfft "Verses in Oath" mit dem bösartigen Geist kreativer Autonomie und individueller Freiheit, der notwendig ist, um die wahren Höhen des Genres zu erreichen.

Ultra Clear/ Black Smoke Vinyl

Das eindringliche, grandiose neue Hulder-Album "Verses in Oath", das in den tristen, kalten Monaten des nordwestlichen Winters entstanden ist, stellt die bisher majestätischste, ungezähmteste Manifestation der Band dar, auf der neues Territorium in Brand gesetzt und mit Schwert und Schild erobert wird.

Im Jahr 2022 veröffentlichte Hulder das 5-Track-Mini-Album "The Eternal Fanfare", das eine neue Phase in der rasanten Entwicklung des Projekts einläutete. Die Band setzte die Live-Bühne in Flammen und tourte das ganze Jahr über durch Nordamerika, bis ins Jahr 2023 hinein, wo sie auch zum ersten Mal in Europa auftrat.

Angespornt durch diese edlen Siege wurde der Boden für die Ungeheuerlichkeit von 'Verses in Oath' bereitet. Aufgenommen von Hulder, wurde der Mix und das Mastering der Kultlegende Ahti Kortelainen von den Tico Tico Studios in Finnland anvertraut, dessen überwältigende Liste von Credits sich über Jahrzehnte erstreckt und unter anderem Barathrum, Belial, Impaled Nazarene und Moonsorrow umfasst. Das Ergebnis ist sowohl schonungslos brutal als auch wehmütig beschwörend; schwarzes Blut auf weißem Schnee.

Die uralte, von Trauer erfüllte Melancholie und der brodelnde Geist, die das Wesen von 'Hearken The End' ausmachen, durchdringen das gesamte Album und sind mittlerweile ein grundlegendes Detail in der Identität von Hulder, deren Wurzeln tief in längst vergessenem Boden liegen. Und während die schneidende Grausamkeit und das zerrissene Fleisch von "Vessel of Suffering" und "Enchanted Steel" eine räuberische Barbarei beschreibenwillkommen heißen, ist es die Verbindung all dieser Elemente, die "Verses in Oath" in das zeitlose Pantheon der stärksten Black Metal-Linie stellt.

Während sich der Black Metal in unzähligen Ablegern und Subgenres bis zur Unkenntlichkeit weiterentwickelt hat, ist Hulder fest in der zerstörerischen Vorherrschaft, den Ritualen und Traditionen des Genres verwurzelt und trägt die Fackel seiner Ursprünge und seines Erbes erhaben empor. Und dennoch verblüfft "Verses in Oath" mit dem bösartigen Geist kreativer Autonomie und individueller Freiheit, der notwendig ist, um die wahren Höhen des Genres zu erreichen.

High Roller Records, slipcase Es ist durchaus eine kleine Sensation, dass dieser Tage ein weiteres MORBID SAINT-Album erscheint, also mehr als 30 Jahre, nachdem ihre zweite LP „Destruction System“ aufgenommen, aber bis zu ihrer offiziellen Veröffentlichung vor kurzem nicht fertiggestellt worden war. Allerdings war die Aussicht, neue Musik in ihrem einzigartigen Death/Thrash-Metal-Stil zu schreiben, einer der Hauptgründe dafür, dass sich die Kernmitglieder 2010 überhaupt wieder vereinten. Während ihrer ersten aktiven Phase von 1984 bis ’94 konnte die Band ihr Potenzial längst nicht ausschöpfen, insbesondere im Hinblick auf ihre bahnbrechende erste Platte „Spectrum of Death“ (1990). Das neue Werk entstand im kreativen Fernaustausch, wobei sich alle Mitglieder gegenseitig Ideen zuspielten, um ein Breitseite aus zehn Extrem-Metal-Tracks abzufeuern, wie man sie heute kaum mehr hört – absolut verheerend und doch musikalisch anspruchsvoll, Grenzen überschreitend, aber nicht auf Teufel komm raus, und abgerundet von einem Artwork des legendären Ed Repka (Death, Megadeth). „Swallowed By Hell“ wurde von Chris Djuricic (Num Skull, Disinter) im The Belle City Sound Company aufgenommen und erhielt den letzten Schliff von Scott Elliott in den Chernobyl Studios. Es riecht nach alter Schule, steht aber mit beiden Beinen im Hier und Jetzt. „Eine bessere Besetzung könnte man sich nicht wünschen“, sagt Gitarrist und Mitbegründer Jim Fergades. „Wir freuen uns jetzt über alle Möglichkeiten, und je nachdem, welche sich uns bieten, kann eine Menge passieren.“

It's not often we say amazing, but there really are no other words for the response received for ESC & MINERAL's 'Satellite EP'!! The long-standing production duo has found a way of combining many different vibes into one stone cold EP and the results are stunning.

SATELLITE kicks off the proceedings with a sound that could have grown out from that certain basement on Hoxton Square. Fresh & updated to 2020s, this one’s for the original headz.

AURAL DESTINATION First surfacing on Loxy's seminal Applied Science Division mix late 2021, Mineral's atmospheric breakbeat is blended with a fat bassline - giving the track a classic end of the night vibe.

VORTEX A tech stepper from outer space, channeling the vibes of ‘97/’98.

PHASES OF CHARON Esc digs deep into the vaults of No U Turn & co. with a menacing dark workout.

For the second instalment in our Cuban Classics series, we proudly present this sought-after slice of sublime Afro-Cuban jazz from 1976. It comes courtesy of one of Cuba’s most influential acts, Grupo Irakere. Founded in 1973 by Chucho Valdés (son of the Cuban pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdés) the group was home to many of Cuba’s finest musicians over the years. With an electrifying style and sound, they mixed traditional Cuban music with jazz, funk, and rock.

This self-titled album includes the much-loved, dancefloor heavy-hitter 'Chequeré-Son’, a Latin-jazz funk masterpiece with Cubanized bebop-flavoured horn lines, lush keys, and ‘70s hip swagger. Though 'Chequeré-Son’ is the keystone of the record, the album is laced with brilliance at every turn, from the Carlos Santana-esque channelling ‘Iya’ with its percussive Latin power, to the sultry, slick and passionate '38 1/2’. Elsewhere, the absorbing, ever-building energy of 'Juana 1600’ and steamy vocal dancer ‘Xiomara’ are also highlights of this incredible album.

Pressed on Cuba’s state led Areito Records, the album was well received internationally, garnering distribution in Finland on Love Records, in Italy on Phase 6 Super Stereo, and also in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela.

A cherished Afro-Cuban triumph, this album has been crying out for a reissue and we’re delighted to make that happen.

Luigi Madonna's record label, Contempo welcomes a raw and hypnotic techno EP from Backbone.

Backbone is a Portuguese producer who has been turning heads with his driving style of techno with trippy
sounds and fast-paced rhythms.
He has previously featured on labels such as Ed Davenport's Counterchange and Nastia's NECHTO Records.

Contempo is a record label that Luigi Madonna has set up to express the underground side of his tastes,
and along with his own music the imprint's catalogue also includes tracks and remixes by the likes of Alarico, Manuel Di Martino and Lobster.

"Ceasefire" opens the release with its slamming percussion and modulating synth line, before "Twiddly Phases" takes control with hallucinogenic atmospherics that create ominous intensity.

"Just a Sunny Day" is third on the release, and it's got a warped bassline layered with muffled vocals and a pounding kick drum.

"Ciphered Realities" is a stripped-back track with eerie tension and fluttering melodies, then "Wanksta Yard" closes the release with breakbeat rhythms and a menacing bassline.

Der Name Dissimulator aus Montreal wird den meisten im Jahr 2024 noch kein Begriff sein, aber mit der Veröffentlichung des messerscharfen Debütalbums "Lower Form Resistance" entfesselt die Band einen überwältigenden Zukunftsschock auf die Hör- und Sinnesnerven und prägt sich mit ihrer pulsierenden, unkonventionellen Attacke dauerhaft in die Großhirnrinde ein. Die Band besteht aus Mitgliedern aus Bands wie Chthe'ilist, Atramentus, Beyond Creation und anderen und führt ihren zackigen Sci-Fi-Death-Thrash mit bösartiger Komplexität aus.

Im Laufe der 42 Minuten von "Lower Form Resistance" treffen sich die schroffen, kantigen Riffs, die komplexen Strukturen und die Atmosphäre überbordender Inkongruenz mit einer geradlinigen Dynamik und ständiger Zugänglichkeit an einer Kreuzung, an der Thrash- und Death-Metal-Szenen zu verschmelzen begannen und grenzenloses Potential versprechen. Hinzu kommt eine Voivod-artige Andeutung von Robotergefühlen und technologischem Untergang, und Dissimulators Vision sorgt für ein völliges Eintauchen in ihre Welt.

Der schräge und abenteuerliche Geist von "Lower Form Resistance", der es schafft, heute frisch zu klingen und gleichzeitig einen gewissen Geist von '88-'93 heraufzubeschwören, macht das Dissimulator-Debüt zu einer faszinierend bizarren und erfreulichen Dosis aggressiver Lebhaftigkeit.

Der Name Dissimulator aus Montreal wird den meisten im Jahr 2024 noch kein Begriff sein, aber mit der Veröffentlichung des messerscharfen Debütalbums "Lower Form Resistance" entfesselt die Band einen überwältigenden Zukunftsschock auf die Hör- und Sinnesnerven und prägt sich mit ihrer pulsierenden, unkonventionellen Attacke dauerhaft in die Großhirnrinde ein. Die Band besteht aus Mitgliedern aus Bands wie Chthe'ilist, Atramentus, Beyond Creation und anderen und führt ihren zackigen Sci-Fi-Death-Thrash mit bösartiger Komplexität aus.

Im Laufe der 42 Minuten von "Lower Form Resistance" treffen sich die schroffen, kantigen Riffs, die komplexen Strukturen und die Atmosphäre überbordender Inkongruenz mit einer geradlinigen Dynamik und ständiger Zugänglichkeit an einer Kreuzung, an der Thrash- und Death-Metal-Szenen zu verschmelzen begannen und grenzenloses Potential versprechen. Hinzu kommt eine Voivod-artige Andeutung von Robotergefühlen und technologischem Untergang, und Dissimulators Vision sorgt für ein völliges Eintauchen in ihre Welt.

Der schräge und abenteuerliche Geist von "Lower Form Resistance", der es schafft, heute frisch zu klingen und gleichzeitig einen gewissen Geist von '88-'93 heraufzubeschwören, macht das Dissimulator-Debüt zu einer faszinierend bizarren und erfreulichen Dosis aggressiver Lebhaftigkeit.

"UMR/Mercury are pressing 11 of Metallica’s studio album back catalogue on custom coloured vinyl for the first time for World ex North America; following the 2021 Walmart exclusive coloured vinyl series in the US.

Phase one will see their first 5 albums releasing one a month from November 2023 – March 2024. Phase two of the remaining 6 titles will be released throughout 2024 (dates TBC).

Metallica’s third album, Master Of Puppets (1986), will be pressed on 180g ‘Battery Brick’ limited edition coloured vinyl, featuring the 2017 remastered audio."

The fragility and balancing act of creativity is an immeasurable factor in the life of any artist, serving as a commanding force in the choices they make over their careers. If the connection and meaning in creativity becomes devoid, there's a transformation process that either channels an ascension or departure. An internal and external battle that can chase and haunt individuals in every part of their life if one falls into the latter position. In the case of Los Angeles based electronic producer Huxley Anne, ascension was achieved during one of these tests of creative endurance and preservation, entering a phase of her life where the process of feeling art on meaningful levels had subsided for a lengthy period and the eventual reprisal of these natural gifts returned. This led to the creation of her debut album and an expansion in creativity that marks an important beginning for her path as an artist. This work is known as Ilium, representing a moment in Huxley Anne's life that's been one of her most testing yet rewarding mountains to climb. Ilium is Huxley Anne's debut album with Los Angeles indie imprint and Alpha Pup Records affiliate, Dome of Doom. Sonically, Ilium is an orchestrated field of unique beauty, drawing together eight tracks of exotic electronic music that calls upon the darkest and most light-driven of emotions. Exploratory textures take on vortexes of shape through cinematic sound designs, fluidly traversing between amorphous undertones, intricate composition mapping and pulsing rhythms. From the submersion of euphoria to the illumination of power, Ilium draws upon as many influences in the realm of mystical antiquity as it does the landscape of experimental music leading us into the future. A sonic portrait of her ascension through creative turmoil, the struggle of sustained determination and a rebirth into timeless artistry. Huxley Anne has created a boldness in sound that was made with the most vulnerable and giving of sides and simply put, Ilium is the continuation of meaningful life

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

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

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

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

Die dritte und letzte Phase der Kaizers Orchestra-Reissue-Serie auf 180g Gatefold-Vinyl. Remastered von den Originalproduzenten, explodiert ihr facettenreicher Balkan-Punk-Sound, klingt offener & lauter, hat mehr Punch & Dynamik und atmet Live-Energie & Schwung ihrer Kultkonzerte. Veröffentlicht am 11.11.2011 schaffte es ihr siebtes Album direkt auf #1 der norwegischen Verkaufscharts. Galt Vol.I als innovativ-verspieltes Album, so rangiert 'Violeta Violeta Vol. II' als Rock-Album. Mit Songideen, die es unter normalen Umständen vielleicht nie gegeben hätte, darunter zwei der beliebtesten Songs im Katalog der Band, 'Tusen Dråper Regn' & 'Drøm Videre, Violeta'.

Die dritte und letzte Phase der Kaizers Orchestra-Reissue-Serie auf 180g Gatefold-Vinyl. Remastered von den Originalproduzenten, explodiert ihr facettenreicher Balkan-Punk-Sound, klingt offener & lauter, hat mehr Punch & Dynamik und atmet Live-Energie & Schwung ihrer Kultkonzerte. 'Violeta Violeta Vol.III' (2012) ist das ambitionierteste, majestätischste und grossartigste Album im Kaizer-Katalog. Eine Meisterleistung des Songwritings und Höhepunkt ihrer Musikalität, der der bereits reichen Palette neue Farben hinzufügt. Ein ausgewachsenes Gypsy-Musical, unterstützt von einem kompletten Symphonieorchester. Das grosse Finale, extravangant & maximalistisch. VV3 verlangte der Band alles ab und führte sie in einen 10-jährigen Winterschlaf. Mit diesem Album erreichten Kaizers Orchestra perfekte 8 von 8 #1 Platzierungen in den norwegischen Albumcharts.

Die dritte und letzte Phase der Kaizers Orchestra-Reissue-Serie auf 180g Gatefold-Vinyl. Remastered von den Originalproduzenten, explodiert ihr facettenreicher Balkan-Punk-Sound, klingt offener & lauter, hat mehr Punch & Dynamik und atmet Live-Energie & Schwung ihrer Kultkonzerte. Veröffentlicht am 11.11.2011 schaffte es ihr siebtes Album direkt auf #1 der norwegischen Verkaufscharts. Galt Vol.I als innovativ-verspieltes Album, so rangiert 'Violeta Violeta Vol. II' als Rock-Album. Mit Songideen, die es unter normalen Umständen vielleicht nie gegeben hätte, darunter zwei der beliebtesten Songs im Katalog der Band, 'Tusen Dråper Regn' & 'Drøm Videre, Violeta'.

Die dritte und letzte Phase der Kaizers Orchestra-Reissue-Serie auf 180g Gatefold-Vinyl. Remastered von den Originalproduzenten, explodiert ihr facettenreicher Balkan-Punk-Sound, klingt offener & lauter, hat mehr Punch & Dynamik und atmet Live-Energie & Schwung ihrer Kultkonzerte. 'Violeta Violeta Vol.III' (2012) ist das ambitionierteste, majestätischste und grossartigste Album im Kaizer-Katalog. Eine Meisterleistung des Songwritings und Höhepunkt ihrer Musikalität, der der bereits reichen Palette neue Farben hinzufügt. Ein ausgewachsenes Gypsy-Musical, unterstützt von einem kompletten Symphonieorchester. Das grosse Finale, extravangant & maximalistisch. VV3 verlangte der Band alles ab und führte sie in einen 10-jährigen Winterschlaf. Mit diesem Album erreichten Kaizers Orchestra perfekte 8 von 8 #1 Platzierungen in den norwegischen Albumcharts.

Baby Series is born as an approach to young artists who propose a new dialogue. Artists little known to the general public that have a lot to contribute.With the musical quality as key factor, Baby Series gives a platform to people with solid projects for the future and that deserve to be heard to express themselves.

Ram Godt is a very versatile Belgian artist when it comes to producing and has a very strong sound. In this EP Ram Godt proposes a first track, "Raised by Goddess", more emotional and uplifting and a second cut, "Godt's Touch", thought in essence to be danced on the dancefloor, quality techno.

It is impossible not to find parallels between the sound of "La Ruta Destroy" and Victor Muerte. The young Valencian presents two somewhat different tracks. The first of these, "Corazón Valiente", with a more raw touch with vocals sung by himself and the second, "El Encuentro", with a more ambiental melody and somehow reminiscent to the trance proposed in past times

RA is back! Eight years after their first release, we are proud to present the second full album of the Norwegian duo Christer Borge-Lunde (Ex Dimension 5, Electron Wave) and Lars Wedde Lind.

"9th" is a concentrate of eastern melodies, deep soundscapes and fantastic positive climaxes... Starting where "To Sirius" left off, "9th" upgrades the RA experience to an all-allegoric story, ranging from soft Ambient and downtempo Goa Trance to uplifting morning monsters!

Octagon and Expand Consciousness embody dreamlike acceleration/deceleration phases aside the Ambient maestrias of the Intro and Light Receiver.
Ultima Energica, Spirit Complex and the massive Time Current are melodic stompers designed for the dancefloor, twirling layers over mind-melting rythmics!
Other Self, Transcendant and Predator are real athems to the Sun, the very definition of RA's so special music, full of psychedelic highs and soundscape travelling. Story-telling at its best...

Aiko T. is a concept, an entity, a ghost that appears only through her own music.

"I’ve released various materials over the years under other names, Aiko has been materialized in 2022 through self-published music and with IIKKI it's the first official release that I am very proud of. Despite this, Aiko has been publishing in other forms since 2020, but always within the sphere of ambient music.

This album was born as a long-lasting sound continuum. It was then cut, stitched together and reassembled to give shape and restore unity from the fragments, in order to have an album that shows its completeness halfway between the titles and the compositions themselves. Contrary to what it may seem, it is not born from a concept and does not want to be. The titles were chosen in a poetic, almost naïve way, the sounds of these creatures led me to believe that they could be divided into different distinct phases of the day. What I want to communicate with the titles is just what came to mind in a moment of reflection, a very simple thing, that sometimes time passes too quickly, and the moments we spend with our loved ones could always be better, it could have been a beautiful morning, afternoon, evening or night." - Aiko Takahashi

Music crafted by Aiko Takahashi with laptop and various music devices, analogue and otherwise

Circular patterns morphing through time, loop and ritual form the fabric of Proserpine, the latest work by Leeds-based musician, Teresa Winter. Recorded from a summer to a winter through 2021 and 2022, Proserpine is Winter's most cohesive, focused music to date: confidently revelling in space, fixating on isolated sounds and giving way to satisfying, swirling waves of vocal and electronic buzz. Proserpine is Teresa Winter's debut recording for Glasgow-based label, Night School.

On Proserpine, musical patterns revolve and intersect with each other, transmogrifying the music's narrative. Over-arching themes emerge: continual change, elusiveness. Insubstantiality emerges into concrete reality in the form of recognisable field recordings: the purring of a pet cat, the hum of a live cable. The loops and patterns are sometimes just out of sight, the click and whirl on Child Of Nature is the backdrop to hymnal vocalisations by Winter, who intones spell-like text in conversation with herself. On opener Circles, Winter's vocal is pre-linguistic, detached syllables falling into flowing streams, before Plume's field recordings seem to juxtapose nocturnal and diurnal wildlife. "You said I was a Flower Of The Mountain" sings Winter, as James Joyce's Molly Bloom does but the carpe diem desire in Ulysses is dissipated here, spread out by gauzy, droning organs. Here desire is blown up and out, changed into something undefinable but no less powerful.

Change is at the heart of the album. The Roman goddess Proserpine, herself a reimagined version of the earlier Greek goddess Persephone, is always between: between summer and winter, the land of the living and the underworld, constantly emerging into new states of being. It's a fitting metaphor for Winter's work. Like an Apple feels like it soundtracks this in-between state, long, trailing reverb smudging synth keys and Winter's achingly beautiful vocal performance. The effect is stirring but flitting in and out of perception, sometimes Winter's presence feels of this world, of musical instruments and practises and at others it feels like the music is about to phase into a different plane, a different universe.

While Proserpine references the myths and cults of the classical, pre-Christian era, Winter's restless preoccupation with the mechanics of religion informs the album in other ways. Ritual is present through out, either in the mantra-like vocalisations or even the private rituals we are invited to witness: on Fireworks the listener eave drops into the protagonist's private bonfire. On the stunning Lamento, layers of Choral vocal interlock in celestial patterns that recall catholic mass: it's an overt effect that simulates the ecstasy of religious fervour and also reminds the listener of the use of vocal that runs through Proserpine. Winter's vocals often echo with the euphoria of obliteration, of disintegrating in an awful bliss. It's an effect achieved with finality by the closer New Water as the piece begins with voice before burning up in the atmosphere of elegiac violins and enveloping undertows of whirring synth patterns and ghostly pads. Proserpine is forever turning, changing, always elusive and quietly revelatory.

Auf ihrem umfangreichen neuen Album "Water Made Us" stellt die Chicagoer Musikerin und Dichterin Jamila Woods die Frage, was es bedeutet, sich der Liebe voll und ganz hinzugeben. Auf "Water Made Us" umarmt Jamila neue Genres, verspielte Melodien und hypnotisierende Wortspiele, während sie durch die berauschenden Turbulenzen von Liebeswracks und Zuflucht watet. Während Jamila auf "HEAVN" (2017) ihre Community innerhalb der schwarzen feministischen Bewegung feierte und auf "Legacy! Legacy!" (2019) ihre Lebenserfahrungen durch die Geschichten schwarzer und brauner Künstlerinnen und Künstler verarbeitete, ist "Water Made Us" eine völlig neue Art der Selbstoffenbarung und damit ihr bisher persönlichstes Album. "Water Made Us", das sie zusammen mit dem in LA ansässigen Produzenten McClenney aufgenommen hat und auf dem langjährige Freunde aus Chicago wie Saba und Peter CottonTale zu hören sind, ist ein weitläufiges und intimes Porträt der Selbstreflexion, das geschickt die verschiedenen Phasen einer Beziehung widerspiegelt: Die Anfänge, in denen man leicht Kompromisse eingeht, kokettiert und Spaß hat; das vorsichtige Aushandeln von Momenten des Konflikts oder der Verletzung; die Trauer über etwas Verlorenes; und die zärtliche Erkenntnis am Ende von allem, dass die Person, die gegangen ist, einen nie wirklich verlässt, sondern bei einem bleibt, während man bereit ist, es noch einmal zu versuchen, erfrischt und beruhigt. Der Titel des Albums - eine Zeile aus dem Highlight des Albums "Good News" - ist eine subtile Anspielung auf das berühmte Toni-Morrison-Zitat "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was". Es ist dieses Gefühl - der Erinnerung, des Ortes und der Rückkehr - das als Pfeiler für den Bogen des Albums dient. "Water Made Us" erinnert uns daran, dass die Liebe im besten Fall ein warmer, stiller Ozean ist. Tief, schimmernd und endlos in seinem Wunder. Und im schlimmsten Fall kann die Liebe ein reißender Strom sein, der uns so weit von uns selbst entfernt, dass wir kaum den Weg zurückfinden, ja nicht einmal mehr wissen, wie wir schwimmen sollen. Und doch ergibt sich Jamila dieser Brandung - jeder Welle und jedem Sog - weil vielleicht sogar die schmerzhaftesten Enden eine Einladung sein können, die sie zurück nach Hause ruft, zurück ans Ufer, zurück zu sich selbst.

Das experimentelle elektronische Hiphop-Duo H31R (sprich: air) - bestehend aus der Produzentin/ Komponistin JWords aus New Jersey und der Rapperin/ Sängerin maassai aus Brooklyn - kündigt seine neueste Veröffentlichung, „HeadSpace“, auf dem Ninja Tune-Sublabel Big Dada an. Das Album folgt auf ihr außergewöhnliches Debütalbum, „ve-loc-i-ty“, aus dem Jahr 2020, das sofort die Aufmerksamkeit von Pitchfork, The Wire, Brooklyn Vegan, Okayplayer, Cabbages, Bandcamp und anderen auf sich zog.

„HeadSpace“ markiert eine neue Phase des Erwachsenwerdens für das Duo; es findet sich mit einem neuen Verständnis dessen ab, was es ist, und erkundet, wie es mit der Welt interagieren möchte. Wie sein Vorgänger manövriert auch „HeadSpace“ mit rasender Geschwindigkeit durch seine 14 Tracks. „Glitch In Time“ gibt den Ton für das Album an, mit düsteren Bässen, groovigen Drums und schrägen Melodien, die sich durch das ganze Album ziehen. Es enthält Momente der Introspektion und Selbstreflexion, in Songs wie „Static“ und „Reflection“, während das erbauliche Diptychon „Rotation“ - ein oszillierender Track, der die Essenz von Licht und Dunkelheit einfängt - und „All Over The Place“, das die Dualität transzendiert und sich zu einem multidimensionalen Selbst ausweitet. Auch „Backwards“, das trotz seines Namens ein treibendes Stück ist, in dem es darum geht, sich von Dingen zu lösen, die einen zurückhalten, und „Train Of Thought“, das die Mechanismen des Denkens untersucht und zunächst konkreter beginnt, bevor es gegen Ende des Songs allmählich abstrakter wird.

„HeadSpace“ enthält außerdem Beiträge des aufstrebenden Rappers und Produzenten Semiratruth aus Chicago zu dem motivierenden „Glass Ceiling“ und eine verspielte Strophe des für den GRAMMY nominierten Produzenten und Rappers Quelle Chris aus Detroit zu „Down Down BB“.

The debut album of soul singer, Maiiah is also the third full-length by Hamburg collective, Angels of Libra, following on from the success of their collaboration with Irish singer, Nathan Johnston.

Maiiah is a singer with roots in the Balkans but residing in Düsseldorf, the city of the legendary Unique Club and the label of the same name. Soul left its mark on her early on, and when she met Hamburg producer, musician and composer Dennis Rux (Hamburg Spinners/Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Studios) during the pandemic, the two realized they shared a similar musical vision. Their common love of soul music and old rhythm & blues brought them together, and they started recording music together in Hamburg with the Angels of Libra. Lo and behold, their first single together "Obey" got into rotation at tastemaker station Radioeins and confirmed them as a winning team.



Following in the footsteps of many a classic soul tune, second single, "No No No (I'm So Broke)" is a social critique and commentary. In it Maiiah literally wears her heart on her sleeve, as she sings about the back- breaking job she was working at the time and the poor earnings as a hotel service employee.



But naturally life has more to offer than just work and so a large part of the songs on this record revolve around love. Maiiah gives her own spin to the classic "I'm A Good Woman", which the spirited singer has performed live many times. The story goes that the late DJ and Unique Records label owner Henry Storch sent Maiiah the original song by Barbara Lynn to comfort her after a heavy heartbreak. The song thus holds a very important place in Maiiah's heart, and it was released as the third advance single, recorded during her tour with Nathan Johnston at Bekegg Studios in Rastede, Lower Saxony.



With Dennis Rux at her side and the powerful arrangements of the Angels of Libra, Maiiah has found the right partners for her personal debut. On "Kava" & "Plenty of Life", Hamburg's jack-of-all-trades Carsten Meyer aka Erobique is featured as a guest on the keyboards, so here the rhythm section of the Hamburg Spinners comes together again. The love for old soul, rhythm & blues and the analog sound of the sixties is also fully expressed on this album. The longings and deep feelings in Maiiah's lyrics are carefully picked up musically, whether as a classic R&B song as in "Please Come Home" or in boogaloo party mode as in the Croatian-sung "Kava", the fourth single. "Plenty of Life" is a song for self-cheering and a call to open up to the beautiful sides of life despite all adversity. In "I wanna go", on the other hand, Maiiah longs for her Croatian homeland. The crowning finale of the album is the intense "Infinity" about life's phases and the recurring ups and downs as the essence of human existence.



The ingredients of Maiiah and the Angels of Libra's recipe are authentic lyrics, to the point arrangements, tight horns, rousing background vocals and the spirit of the golden age of soul music, as it was shaped by labels like Motown and Stax. Recorded in part with original equipment from the 50s. Producer Dennis Rux says, "We wanted to create a record that people would go dance to at the Komet" (a neighborhood club on St. Pauli in Hamburg, the band's second home). The joint album combines the Hamburg soul of the Angels of Libra with the passion of Maiiah, who can fully live out her temperament on the mic.

Ausbalancierte und dynamische Neupressung des 2018er Debütalbums der Melbourner Jazz-Band Midlife, das bei den Worldwide FM Awards als bestes Album des Jahres nominiert war und Trendsetter wie DJ Harvey, Gilles Peterson, Artwork und Bradley Zero begeistert hat. Mit seiner sensationellen, Genre sprengenden Kombination aus progressiven 70er Sounds mit elektronischem Krautrock, unterlegt mit einer Mischung aus rhythmischem Funk, House und Dream-Pop, ist die LP jetzt schon ein Klassiker der Psychedelic-Jazz-Fusion, der eine süchtig machende Atmosphäre schafft, die live mit wilden Improvisationen unterstützt wird.

Portrait of Art Farmer enthält Aufnahmen aus dem Jahr 1958 und war das erste Album von Art Farmer, das unter dem Label Contemporary Records von Lester Koenig veröffentlicht wurde.

Obwohl Art Farmer erst 1958 (dem Jahr, in dem dieses Album aufgenommen wurde) in der Down BeatUmfrage zum ”New Star” des Jahres gewählt wurde, hatte sich sein Ruf unter Musikern aufgrund seiner Arbeit mit Lionel Hampton, Gigi Gryce und Gerry Mulligan bereits etabliert.

Obwohl er für sein Flügelhorn bekannt ist, hat er viele Jahre lang eine vergleichbare Lyrik als Trompeter erreicht, wie diese Seiten zeigen.

Mit einer Rhythmusgruppe, zu der auch sein Zwillingsbruder, der verstorbene Addison Farmer, am Bass sowie der Pianist Hank Jones und der Schlagzeuger Roy Haynes gehören, ist er hier mit drei Originalen (zwei davon sind Blues) und fünf anderen geeigneten Stücken wie Benny Golsons ”Stablemates” zu hören.

Farmer war der Meinung, dass dies das beste Album war, das er in dieser Phase seiner Karriere gemacht hatte.

Forging acclaim for their fiercely unrelenting sound production, New Frames are no stranger to shattering the parameters and caveats within electronic music with their masterfully curated approach to chaos. The collaborative project of Berlin-based David Frisch and Mathis Mootz (aka The Panacea) sees the duo engineer their hybridised palette of maximalist yet modular techno music in both their DJ and live sets. Pulling influence directly from dance floors both contemporary and from raving's genesis, New Frames' all encompassing signature of ferociously layered sonic weaponry promises to leave no stragglers in their wake. Presenting their debut double long player 'Scherben' - the body of work demonstrates the pair's eclectic merging of cataclysmic pure and raw techno, ominous vocals and distorted sound design across the eight track LP. Nimble mixing interbreeds New Frames' quintessential cacophony of instrumentation, laminated with bombastic drum-beats and carnal vigour. Additionally with appearances from Eva Vuillemin, fellow BITE Records protagonist Omon Breaker as well as label co-founder Phase Fatale, the album comes as a natural progression following two previous EP releases on BITE as well as featuring on the labels fifth anniversary compilation record 'Shedding Skin' .

Repress!

Matthew Herbert’s Accidental Jnr imprint are back with their second release of the year, this time inviting rising London based star Third Son into the fold. The Polymath label boss has been causing quite a stir in the house music scene with releases for 17 Steps, Skint and Sincopat as well as clocking up remix credits for among others Marc Romboy and Maya Jane Coles (under her Nocturnal Sunshine alias).

‘Bag O’ Bones’ opens up proceedings with its clattering toybox percussion, throbbing kick drums and dissonant lead stabs. The track has a brittle, dry quality to it, but Third Son’s ear for the dance floor is clear as the arrangement smoothly rolls along at firm a pace. More of the same is served up in ‘Chime Salad’, with layers upon layers of wonky, shifting percussion, building up into a tower of sound that feels as though it should come crumbling down, but somehow always stands firm.

The B1 ‘Phase Of Going Through Life’ brings the energy back down to earth with its slightly sparser arrangement and clips of bird songs, while still maintaining the off kilter pace of the previous pieces. The record then closes with the feel-good club work out, ‘The Brain Named Itself’, where we find Third Son administering a last-minute, sharp injection of groove. The dissonant synths that opened the record are replaced by brilliant, euphoric chord sweeps and pounding drums that are sure to move any dancefloor.

Foundation Music is proud to present ‘The Flowers EP’ by Foremost Poets aka Johnny Dangerous. Back in the news after being featured on the Grammy winning Alien Superstar from Beyonce’s latest album - but for those that know - he has never gone away as he is always on someone’s dance floor.

Foremost Poets productions and his vocals are simply devastating and label head, Ross Allen, has been a fan since he first heard the Nu Groove classic ‘Reason’s to Be Dismal’ on the reworked Richard Long Edition. It was a record that blew him away then and now, recently played by Pete Tong on Radio One, with Sven Vath including it on his anniversary compilation too. Ross signed this record when he hooked up with Johnny in New York 3 years, but wanted to wait until the time was right. That time is now.

‘Flowers In the Attic’ is no normal dance record, clocking in at thirteen minutes. It’s an epic Johnny D production, falling into that place where funk and house come together in the most magical, danceable way. It’s long but enticing, taking you through different phases and surprises you as it sucks you in, twists you up, and pulls you out.

‘Escape From Dubai’ is almost trance like but with that New York lean that keeps it very much on the right side of the Foundation Music fence. Full of funk, it has a deepness that builds and swells into an epic journey that takes you to another dimension.

The broken beat of ‘Don’t Shut Your Eyes’ closes out and is another piece of New York/ New Jersey up-tempo funk, syncopated and grooving with a repetitive hook, that goes deep via its Hammond organ solo and jazzy vocal.

Dreyblatt"s minimalist conception - a rhythmic drone played on a double-bass strung with piano wire, playing in concert with other stringed instruments performing in 20 unequal microtones per octave and changing key but keeping the same fundamental pitch - dates back to the 1970s, while he studied under La Monte Young and Pauline Oliveros. Resolve acts in intermittent dialogue with the first Orchestra of Excited Strings release, 1982"s Nodal Excitation.

Since then, Dreyblatt has formed new orchestras across various countries and decades, with each phase of his music requiring several overlapping periods of gestation and arrangement.

The current Orchestra is formed by Konrad Sprenger, Joachim Schütz and Oren Ambarchi. On Resolve, each of the members" playing brings new angles to the compositions. Konrad Sprenger"s involves solenoids, sine waves and a computer-controlled multi-channel electric guitar (as well as a relentless style behind the drum kit and oversight of the album production), while Joachim Schütz"s individual conception of electronics and electric guitar and Oren Ambarchi"s undeniable innovations with signal path work together with Dreyblatt"s bass (still strung with piano wire) as magnetic component parts of Resolve.

These contributions lead to Resolve"s dialogue with the early Orchestra of Excited Strings canon - for instance, the track previewed here, "Flight Path" takes off at a pace not often found in the minimalist genre - a rolling lope! Yet the sense of play is palpable: the ensemble scale their microtonal keys with punkish brio, a stance sharing much with the original Orchestra"s downtown pulse, even as as the new Orchestra burn their own path through Dreyblatt"s music.

Approaching his 70th birthday, with over 40 years of work as a solo artist, collaborator, composer, educator and bandleader, Arnold Dreyblatt views Resolve as an important expression within the long story of The Orchestra of Excited Strings. The album title"s tendency to mean different things is an indicator of the dynamic qualities of his music in all its different phases - an evolution that continues to produce new dimensions in acoustic sound with every new release.

Swiss vocal acrobat Andreas Schaerer and Finnish
guitarist Kalle Kalima have some things in common. As
artists, each is essentially in a category completely of his
own. Both are musicians who can always conjure
something special from their chosen instruments. Both are
known on the international jazz scene for the completely
distinctive and original ways their music constantly crosses
genres.
 Both have played together for several years in the quartet,
A Novel Of Anomaly. And now they have recorded a first
album together in which the focus is on the two of them.
However, for this ‘evolution’ (as the album title has it), they
have also involved - and drawn inspiration from - a
musician whom they both admire, Tim Lefebvre. The
American bassist has worked with many pop and jazz
stars, notably Sting, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Mark
Guiliana, Wayne Krantz... Lefebvre’s involvement in the
Michael Wollny Trio’s breakthrough was, incidentally,
anything but tangential. In other words, his playing is at
home in practically every context.
 Listeners familiar with Schaerer’s and Kalima’s previous
work may find ‘Evolution’ somewhat surprising. “An album
is such a different platform from playing live on stage,”
explains Schaerer. “Over the course of our many
recordings, we have become increasingly aware quite how
differently one has to play.” That awareness has also
resulted in a particularly careful focus on the postproduction phase of ‘Evolution’.
 With ‘Evolution’, Schaerer, Kalima and Lefebvre have redrawn the roadmap for the production of a jazz album.
New avenues are constantly opening up in these complex
but also catchy songs which are just made for repeated
listening... and, of course, listening to the album is also a
reminder that it will all sound completely different again
when heard live.

Face Four is the comeback of Two Phase U in a full EP format, continuing the Face saga started in 2019.

This time the 4 track collection is a trip through different styles and moods, with music ranging from gentle, warm-uppers to main hour bangers. Dark dystopian statements alongside hopeful harmonies and invigorating vocal samples.

Full of golden-era stylistic sound references and the characteristic dynamic grooves of Two Phase U's rythmical approach.

The 45rpm double disc Audiophile Analog Collection features a variety of recordings from the world of movies, blues, percussion ensembles, world music and jazz. This is part of a special series of compilations of analog audiophile recordings at their best, with emphasis on execution and great sound.

The 2xHD Fusion Mastering System is an innovation in audio restoration for a virtual audio reality. In the constant evolution of its proprietary mastering process, 2xHD has progressed to a new phase called 2xHD Fusion, integrating the finest state-of-the-art analogue Nagra-T tape recorder modified with high-end tube playback technology, wired with OCC silver cable for better transparency and 3D imaging. 2xHD Vinyl are sourced from first generation analogue recordings without any digital corruption. The cutting is done at Bernie Grundman Mastering Lab on tube cutting equipment.

Die einzigartigen Aufnahmen von Charles Mingus' Konzertreihe im weltberühmten Birdland, von 1961 bis 1962 - zum ersten Mal veröffentlicht!

Die originalen Tonbänder, die zur Aufnahme der Radiosendungen verwendet wurden, wurden speziell für diese Veröffentlichung aufgespürt, gereinigt und neu gemastert. Die beiliegenden Aufnahmen, die bisher nur in Form von Bootlegs veröffentlicht wurden, zeigen Mingus inmitten einer höchst kreativen Phase. Abwechselnd am Bass und am Klavier spielt er mit einer wechselnden Band, darunter Yusef Lateef, Roland Kirk, Jaki Byard, Booker Ervin, Pepper Adams sowie die Mingus Charles McPherson, Dannie Richmond und andere.
Diese unglaublich seltenen Aufnahmen, die in einem Keller in der Bronx untergebracht sind, bekommen ihre beste klangliche Aufbereitung seit 1962. Das Herzstück dieses Paketes ist ein 44-seitiges Buch mit einem Vorwort von Christian McBride, einem höchst informativen 15.000 Wörter umfassenden Essay von Brian Priestley und einem neuen Interview mit Charles McPherson, das Kontext und Insider-Informationen zu den Daten und der Zeit liefert. All dies ist Design und mit seltenen Fotos und Ephemera illustriert durchgehend illustriert.

On the second sampler the first gem on the A side is undoubtedly one of the greatest pearls and trance compositions of the 90's, released on the prestigious German label that all current techno producers revere: Le Petit Prince. Microwave Prince 'Eternal Light' was, upon its release in 1995, already an extremely difficult record to find. 28 years later, this has not changed in the slightest. Closing the A side we have the essential DJ Wout remix of Dave Kane's 'Zero Plus', an enormous hit in the early 00's in clubs like La Bush, La Rocca, etc.

The B side brings us the legendary Delerium 'Innocente', reinterpreted by Mr Sam in his iconic and now timeless 'The Space Between Us Remix' and the German techno gem 'Don't Stop' by Mark N-R-G.

The C Side features 'Miracle', one of the most beautiful trance records ever made coming straight from Germany in the person of Taucher, undoubtedly one of the best producers of his generation. With S'N'S 'Conflicts' the C side brings us another true genius, a future prodigy of progressive and melodic house at the time of this release: Sander Kleinenberg. An emblematic record at Extreme on Mondays if there ever was one.

The D Side is taken up by two tracks that take us even deeper into the essences of trance music with the enigmatic track 'Together We Can Learn' by Awa. This mid 90's English trance gem was already a collector's item upon its release, so it's our privilege to have it on this sampler in 2023. As is the case with the second track 'Lonely Casseopaya' by L.S.G., composed by one of the true pioneers of trance: Oliver Lieb. This record is a treat for those who listen to it closely and feel the classic 'after' vibe of our golden age of Belgian clubbing.

Bloodred Hourglass, das Finland’s Powerhouse des Melodic Modern Metal’s, wollen mit ihrem neuen Album “How’s The Heart?” die Musikwelt wieder einmal in ihren Bann ziehen.
Sie sind bekannt für ihre Melodic und Death Metal Einflüsse und haben sich längst einen Namen in der Metal-Szene gemacht. “How’s The Heart?” wird zweifelsfrei eine der einflussreichsten Veröffentlichungen der bisherigen Band Historie und zeigt eine beeindruckende Entwicklung dieses Musikgespanns. Einmal mehr stellen die Jungs aus Finnland ihr musikalisches Können unter Beweis und nehmen ihre Fans mit auf eine Reise voller Energie und der klassischen Bloodred Hourglass-Brutalität.
“How’s The Heart?” leitet seine Hörer außerdem durch die verschiedenen Phasen von Trauer und Wut, und bricht mit einem perfekten Mix aus Aggression und Charme jegliche Genre-Grenzen. Ein dynamischer, moderner Sound, der aber weiterhin an die traditionellen Nordischen Wurzeln der Band anknüpft.
Die BRHG-typischen Riffs, aggressiven Drums, vielseitigen Vocals, Synths und Refrains mit Ohrwurm-Garantie dieses Albums wurden gemixt und gemastert von Dan Braunstein (Spiritbox, Veil Of Maya, Dayseeker).

German post-punk band Onyon scrambled our brains when we heard them for the first time last year, so much so that we signed them & reissued their eponymous debut cassette EP (originally co-released in limited quantities by the Flennen/U-Bac labels) in June of '22. "Last Days On Earth" is the band's latest & first proper full-length for Trouble In Mind. The oddball, synth-soaked world of Onyon is disorienting at first - the band's herky-jerky rhythms may operate in a familiar fashion to bands like Devo, Kleenex/Liliput or label-mates LITHICS, but Maria Untheim's woozy synth squiggles that populate & punctuate the band's songs keeps everything at arms-length. Flirting with the primitive cool of 80's minimal-synth and the wire-haired cretinism of 60s garage, especially on tunes like the manic `Dogman' or first single `Alien, Alien'. Guitarist Ilka Kellner's six-string salvos rage unpretentiously with edges torn & frayed, rarely (if ever) soloing, but never afraid to unleash a spindly lead-line over Florian Schmidt's rubbery bass lines & Mario Pongratz's stuttering drum patterns that phase in & out of time imperceptibly like drunks doing their best to seem sober. Kellner & Untheim share vocal duties (in both English & German - sometimes in the same song), but the real magic comes when the two sing together, voices merging in loosely harmonic gang vocals; one deadpan, the other slightly unhinged. The group's beguiling lyrics add to the mystique - inscrutable neu-world fables about egg machines, ghosts, worms that talk, and urges to consume newspaper that ooze a rural, old-world understanding of life & the imperceptible spaces in between reality & fiction, transmuted thru a modernist sci-fi lensflare. Recorded, mixed & mastered in late 2022 by Martin Müller, "Last Days On Earth" is released on CD, black vinyl & limited purple vinyl (while supplies last) as well as streaming via most digital platforms.

German post-punk band Onyon scrambled our brains when we heard them for the first time last year, so much so that we signed them & reissued their eponymous debut cassette EP (originally co-released in limited quantities by the Flennen/U-Bac labels) in June of '22. "Last Days On Earth" is the band's latest & first proper full-length for Trouble In Mind. The oddball, synth-soaked world of Onyon is disorienting at first - the band's herky-jerky rhythms may operate in a familiar fashion to bands like Devo, Kleenex/Liliput or label-mates LITHICS, but Maria Untheim's woozy synth squiggles that populate & punctuate the band's songs keeps everything at arms-length. Flirting with the primitive cool of 80's minimal-synth and the wire-haired cretinism of 60s garage, especially on tunes like the manic `Dogman' or first single `Alien, Alien'. Guitarist Ilka Kellner's six-string salvos rage unpretentiously with edges torn & frayed, rarely (if ever) soloing, but never afraid to unleash a spindly lead-line over Florian Schmidt's rubbery bass lines & Mario Pongratz's stuttering drum patterns that phase in & out of time imperceptibly like drunks doing their best to seem sober. Kellner & Untheim share vocal duties (in both English & German - sometimes in the same song), but the real magic comes when the two sing together, voices merging in loosely harmonic gang vocals; one deadpan, the other slightly unhinged. The group's beguiling lyrics add to the mystique - inscrutable neu-world fables about egg machines, ghosts, worms that talk, and urges to consume newspaper that ooze a rural, old-world understanding of life & the imperceptible spaces in between reality & fiction, transmuted thru a modernist sci-fi lensflare. Recorded, mixed & mastered in late 2022 by Martin Müller, "Last Days On Earth" is released on CD, black vinyl & limited purple vinyl (while supplies last) as well as streaming via most digital platforms.

The best I can tell, we thought we'd get this album done in 2016. Roughly (not exaggerating) 60-70 songs later, we've whittled and worked and reworked the songs into 'After the Gold Rush Party.' Danny and I started this album while we lived in different cities (I was in DC and Danny was in OKC), then wrote some of them in the same city (OKC), and then the rest of them in different cities (I was in OKC and Danny was in Costa Rica and then Seattle). And weirdly, some of our most generative times happened when we weren't living in the same city. We've both grown up quite a bit and have real life jobs and families. In these songs we were grappling with trying to be punk rock (which we've never really been) while putting on a suit for work (hence, the Mr. Downtown character). But at the same time, punk rock has all but disappeared as a thing that exists - where are the punks, anyway? (See: Speed Racer). The songs read a bit like a travel guide. Part of the growing up process is coming to terms with one's own escapist tendencies - or embracing them, as you'd hear in a track like "Mexico" or "Culebra". Other times, the escapist themes come out musically, not lyrically, like in "She's a Betty" or "Tijuanarevor" maybe. Other times, we play around with just the idea that people are entitled to anything at all (Ms. Universe). And while Danny mixed most of the album, we have much to thank Chad Copelin for - he mixed four of these tracks, and we learned a ton from getting to spend time working with the man who recorded and mixed BRONCHO, Sufjan, Sports, and others. The time last summer we spent honing those four tracks were kind of the catapult for finishing up the rest of the tracks. So, to conclude, After the Gold Rush Party kind of represents us at this phase of the creative process. Big dreams, absurdly ambitious timelines, put into contradiction with the realities of family life, the challenges of the everyday, the mundanity of the workweek. "After the Gold Rush Party" is a nonsensical phrase, but it's exactly what we wanted to name the album. A frenzy of ambition, and then, the lull that lingers afterward.

If you were to ask for a defining Habibi Funk track, there are a few that come to mind: from Fadoul’s “Sid Redad,” Dalton’s “Soul Brother” to Ahmed Malek’s “Omar Gatlato.” However, none are as widely connected with us at this point as Hamid Al Shaeri’s “Ayonha.” We heard the track for the first time when we were working on selecting tracks for your first compilation and we instantly loved it. We obviously had heard of Hamid El Shaeri’s music before, but only material from his Al Jeel phase when he was already the full-blown
superstar he is now.

Listening to his releases from the early 1980’s opened a whole new door for us. At the time, Hamid had just left Libya to pursue his career in Egypt via a detour in London, where he recorded his first album. Hamid’s distinct sound of the sound is quintessentially reliant on heavy synths and so it was particularly important to purchase these synths in a timely manner. “Whenever a new one synthesizer would come out, we would have to buy it immediately, otherwise someone else would get their hands on that sound.” London also played an important role for Hamid as a musical epicenter.

He fondly reminisces about the many live shows he attended there, including some of the biggest international musicians like Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. After returning to Cairo where he also recorded his following albums, he connected with SLAM! for the
release of his debut, laying the foundation of a collaboration that lasted for 5 albums. Luckily, we were able to connect with Hamid through our friend Youssra El Hawary, whose extensive network has opened many doors for us within the Egyptian music scene. We met Hamid for the first time probably in 2016 at his office / rehearsal studio in the outskirts Cairo. We were expecting a larger-than-life
character in-line with his status as a certified superstar, yet the actual person turned out to be very approachable and super easy to connect with. He liked the idea of an effort to amplify his early works again,
which, when originally released, were far from an economic success.

While he was down to assist with an interview and his blessing for the project he also told us that for any license we needed to speak with the original label SLAM! who released these songs, still held the rights and also remained in business over the decades though they didn’t actively release any new music. Hany Sabet had started SLAM! records in the early 1980s and focused on cassette tape releases, the
format that expedited the success of a new generation of record labels in Egypt. By the mid 1980’s, SLAM! had become one of the most successful and economically dominant record labels in Egypt, with Hamid El Shaeri being just one of their key artists, alongside Mohamed Mounir, Hanan, Hakim, Mustafa Amar and many more. Luckily, Hany Sabet turned out to be a friend of our colleague Malak Makar’s father, which probably helped to warm him to the idea of licen- sing “Ayonha” to this - in the scale of his world - tiny label
from Germany. Eventually “Ayonha” ended up becoming a widely successful release and either Hany or we brought up the idea of a full album dedicated to Hamid El Shaeri’s work on SLAM!.


"Maktoub Aleina” is the first single and will be released January 14th. Following the massive success of "Ayonha,” “Maktoub Aleina” is another mid-tempo groover with a beautiful, synth-forward melody, that brings together a lovely combination of soul, disco and Arabic pop music of the highest order, giving a taste of full album. The second single, “Yekfini Nesma Sotak” will be released January 28th and combines Hamid’s unique formula of soul and pop, held together by a catchy synth melody. “Yekfini Nesma Sotak” picks up the
pace a bit, making the uplifting mood of the track even more powerful. Third single, arriving February 11th, is “Dari Demou’ek,” one of the stand out tracks of Hamid’s early recordings done for SLAM! in the early 1980s. Dominated by a disco infused bassline, the track offers a lot of space of the funky production to shine while Hamid inserts his vocals at all the right moments. A masterpiece of disco touched by Arabic pop music.

Full album arrives February 25th. This release is dedicated to Hany Sabet, the founder of SLAM! and his wife Rosemary Jane Sabet (who
took the photos we used for the cover and the booklet), who sadly passed away during the time it took us to prepare the release.
Vinyl comes with an extensive booklet with an interview with Hamid as well as unseen photos

Auf ihrem umfangreichen neuen Album "Water Made Us" stellt die Chicagoer Musikerin und Dichterin Jamila Woods die Frage, was es bedeutet, sich der Liebe voll und ganz hinzugeben. Auf "Water Made Us" umarmt Jamila neue Genres, verspielte Melodien und hypnotisierende Wortspiele, während sie durch die berauschenden Turbulenzen von Liebeswracks und Zuflucht watet. Während Jamila auf "HEAVN" (2017) ihre Community innerhalb der schwarzen feministischen Bewegung feierte und auf "Legacy! Legacy!" (2019) ihre Lebenserfahrungen durch die Geschichten schwarzer und brauner Künstlerinnen und Künstler verarbeitete, ist "Water Made Us" eine völlig neue Art der Selbstoffenbarung und damit ihr bisher persönlichstes Album. "Water Made Us", das sie zusammen mit dem in LA ansässigen Produzenten McClenney aufgenommen hat und auf dem langjährige Freunde aus Chicago wie Saba und Peter CottonTale zu hören sind, ist ein weitläufiges und intimes Porträt der Selbstreflexion, das geschickt die verschiedenen Phasen einer Beziehung widerspiegelt: Die Anfänge, in denen man leicht Kompromisse eingeht, kokettiert und Spaß hat; das vorsichtige Aushandeln von Momenten des Konflikts oder der Verletzung; die Trauer über etwas Verlorenes; und die zärtliche Erkenntnis am Ende von allem, dass die Person, die gegangen ist, einen nie wirklich verlässt, sondern bei einem bleibt, während man bereit ist, es noch einmal zu versuchen, erfrischt und beruhigt. Der Titel des Albums - eine Zeile aus dem Highlight des Albums "Good News" - ist eine subtile Anspielung auf das berühmte Toni-Morrison-Zitat "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was". Es ist dieses Gefühl - der Erinnerung, des Ortes und der Rückkehr - das als Pfeiler für den Bogen des Albums dient. "Water Made Us" erinnert uns daran, dass die Liebe im besten Fall ein warmer, stiller Ozean ist. Tief, schimmernd und endlos in seinem Wunder. Und im schlimmsten Fall kann die Liebe ein reißender Strom sein, der uns so weit von uns selbst entfernt, dass wir kaum den Weg zurückfinden, ja nicht einmal mehr wissen, wie wir schwimmen sollen. Und doch ergibt sich Jamila dieser Brandung - jeder Welle und jedem Sog - weil vielleicht sogar die schmerzhaftesten Enden eine Einladung sein können, die sie zurück nach Hause ruft, zurück ans Ufer, zurück zu sich selbst.

Auf ihrem umfangreichen neuen Album "Water Made Us" stellt die Chicagoer Musikerin und Dichterin Jamila Woods die Frage, was es bedeutet, sich der Liebe voll und ganz hinzugeben. Auf "Water Made Us" umarmt Jamila neue Genres, verspielte Melodien und hypnotisierende Wortspiele, während sie durch die berauschenden Turbulenzen von Liebeswracks und Zuflucht watet. Während Jamila auf "HEAVN" (2017) ihre Community innerhalb der schwarzen feministischen Bewegung feierte und auf "Legacy! Legacy!" (2019) ihre Lebenserfahrungen durch die Geschichten schwarzer und brauner Künstlerinnen und Künstler verarbeitete, ist "Water Made Us" eine völlig neue Art der Selbstoffenbarung und damit ihr bisher persönlichstes Album. "Water Made Us", das sie zusammen mit dem in LA ansässigen Produzenten McClenney aufgenommen hat und auf dem langjährige Freunde aus Chicago wie Saba und Peter CottonTale zu hören sind, ist ein weitläufiges und intimes Porträt der Selbstreflexion, das geschickt die verschiedenen Phasen einer Beziehung widerspiegelt: Die Anfänge, in denen man leicht Kompromisse eingeht, kokettiert und Spaß hat; das vorsichtige Aushandeln von Momenten des Konflikts oder der Verletzung; die Trauer über etwas Verlorenes; und die zärtliche Erkenntnis am Ende von allem, dass die Person, die gegangen ist, einen nie wirklich verlässt, sondern bei einem bleibt, während man bereit ist, es noch einmal zu versuchen, erfrischt und beruhigt. Der Titel des Albums - eine Zeile aus dem Highlight des Albums "Good News" - ist eine subtile Anspielung auf das berühmte Toni-Morrison-Zitat "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was". Es ist dieses Gefühl - der Erinnerung, des Ortes und der Rückkehr - das als Pfeiler für den Bogen des Albums dient. "Water Made Us" erinnert uns daran, dass die Liebe im besten Fall ein warmer, stiller Ozean ist. Tief, schimmernd und endlos in seinem Wunder. Und im schlimmsten Fall kann die Liebe ein reißender Strom sein, der uns so weit von uns selbst entfernt, dass wir kaum den Weg zurückfinden, ja nicht einmal mehr wissen, wie wir schwimmen sollen. Und doch ergibt sich Jamila dieser Brandung - jeder Welle und jedem Sog - weil vielleicht sogar die schmerzhaftesten Enden eine Einladung sein können, die sie zurück nach Hause ruft, zurück ans Ufer, zurück zu sich selbst.

Since 2011, Mike"s been a Drag City stalwart, first with Sic Alps, then as a solo and with The Peacers - but Mike "The Mighty Flashlight" Fellows has been a behind-the-scenes figure at Drag City since the early early days, playing live and on record with Royal Trux, Silver Jews and Will Oldham. Mike D"s music, in all phases, takes the form of a next-phase roots-pop: soaked in the traditional waters of rock and roll and passed through a variety of after-punk sonic sieves, highlighted with DIY and lo-fi values, and making a jolly hallucinatory racket, at that! He prefers a particular density of obtuse angles colliding sweet and hot noise, an arrangement he has perfected over all his Sic Alps/solo/The Peacers years; his innate understanding of the mechanics of a pop song wends purposefully through the junk-strewn landscape, sharing secrets with cipher in hand. Playing in this cracked kingdom of sound/garden of verse, Mighty Flashlight alternately accents and balances Mike"s eccentricities with his playing and knob-spinning - and with the Flashlight shining bright upon him, Donovan"s serpentine path becomes ever so much more elastic, heightened from line to line, change to change, its motility creating different shapes in our ears. Mighty"s own kind of stereo imagining informs Donovan"s smoky subterranea with additional depth of field, while still allowing all the wayward details within the arrangement to diverge as one. Mike and Mighty wind it all together: art punk utterance and top 40 radio junk of yore, the primitivity that formed recorded music in its youth, honkytonk romanticism, liminal chamber-folk and ever-present disassociated psychedelia, transformed via self-medication into a gleeful, extramusical ennui while giving the listener impetus to sing along with Mike"s patented unlikely combos of melody and lyric.

Introducing the eagerly awaited second instalment of Fabio's meticulously curated collection of liquid Drum & Bass classics - 'Generation Liquid.'

Fabio, a true legend in the music industry for over three decades, kickstarted his illustrious career as a Pirate Radio DJ in the mid-80s. Throughout the years, he masterfully evolved his style across various musical genres, ranging from Dub and Hip Hop to House, until he ultimately solidified his position as one of the pioneering forces behind Jungle and Drum and Bass. Fate played a remarkable role in Fabio's extraordinary musical journey. Serendipitously, he landed a pivotal spot on the pirate radio station Phase One, all thanks to a connection through a close friend. This opportunity allowed Fabio to showcase his raw talent and hone his early skills. As destiny continued to guide him, Fabio formed a powerful partnership with Grooverider, and together, they soared to fame, headlining numerous major outdoor raves and orbital M25 parties during the late '80s acid house boom. The duo's magnetic presence and innovative sound captivated audiences, setting them apart as trailblazers in the electronic music scene.

As club culture blossomed, Fabio and Grooverider became the distinguished residents at the iconic club night RAGE, hosted at Heaven in the heart of London. Their influence was immense, as they were credited with moulding the early Jungle sound and orchestrating the world's first-ever weekly Jungle night. Fabio's unwavering passion and dedication to music have not only left an indelible mark on the industry but have also inspired countless aspiring artists. His boundless creativity and willingness to push the boundaries continue to shape the ever-evolving landscape of electronic music, solidifying his status as a true pioneer and a living legend.

After the Jungle scene declined and underwent a distinct shift in sound and style, Fabio took the initiative to establish London's first dedicated soulful deep Drum and Bass night, known as Speed. Week after week, Fabio shared the decks with LTJ Bukem, and their skilful sets eventually garnered immense popularity, drawing in not only junglists but also celebrities, club kids, record label A&R representatives, and the who's who of the West End at that time. When the curtain fell on Speed Fabio's legacy continued to flourish with the inception of his legendary Swerve weekly residency at The Velvet Rooms, which later relocated to the iconic club, The End. The influence of Swerve was profound, serving as a catalyst for the creation of influential labels like Hospital Records, Tony Coleman (also known as London Elektricity) became a regular attendee, further contributing to the scene's growth and innovation.

The term 'Liquid', was born out of Fabio's deep admiration and support for his protégé, the talented Northern Irish producer and DJ, Dominick Martin, famously known as Calibre. This inspiration led to the creation of his acclaimed 14-year radio show on BBC Radio 1, 'The Liquid Funk Show', which drew from Calibre's masterful productions that Fabio likened to "liquid gold" for the ears. Through this show, Fabio played a crucial role in breaking numerous iconic records, and artists such as Chase & Status, High Contrast, and many many more.

Now, 'Generation Liquid' takes the baton from the legacy of Speed, Swerve, and 'The Liquid Funk show', capturing the essence of the era and the soulful, deeper music that Fabio has championed throughout his illustrious career. This meticulously curated collection celebrates records that embody the spirit of soulful D&B, making it a must-have for anyone who has followed Fabio's musical journey since the vibrant days of the 1990s up until now.

The second volume of this immersive exploration into the soulful realm of Drum & Bass is just as indispensable as its predecessor. It boasts a curated collection of rarities, timeless classics, and straight-up anthems from the vibrant liquid D&B scene. Esteemed artists such as DJ Marky, Calibre, Calyx & TeeBee, and dBridge all contribute to what is undeniably becoming a seminal anthology of the subgenre. The track selection and seamless programming are expertly guided by none other than Fabio himself, providing listeners with a nostalgic glimpse into the electrifying atmosphere of being right on the dance-floor at iconic events Speed and Swerve.

If you were to ask for a defining Habibi Funk track, there are a few that come to mind: from Fadoul’s “Sid Redad,” Dalton’s “Soul Brother” to Ahmed Malek’s “Omar Gatlato.” However, none are as widely connected with us at this point as Hamid Al Shaeri’s “Ayonha.” We heard the track for the first time when we were working on selecting tracks for your first compilation and we instantly loved it. We obviously had heard of Hamid El Shaeri’s music before, but only material from his Al Jeel phase when he was already the full-blown
superstar he is now.

Listening to his releases from the early 1980’s opened a whole new door for us. At the time, Hamid had just left Libya to pursue his career in Egypt via a detour in London, where he recorded his
first album. Hamid’s distinct sound of the sound is quintessentially reliant on heavy synths and so it was particularly important to purchase these synths in a timely manner. “Whenever a new one synthesizer would come out, we would have to buy it immediately, otherwise someone else would get their hands on that sound.” London also played an important role for Hamid as a musical epicenter.

He fondly reminisces about the many live shows he attended there, including some of the biggest international musicians like Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. After returning to Cairo where he also recorded his following albums, he connected with SLAM! for the
release of his debut, laying the foundation of a collaboration that lasted for 5 albums. Luckily, we were able to connect with Hamid through our friend Youssra El Hawary, whose extensive network has opened many doors for us within the Egyptian music scene. We met Hamid for the first time probably in 2016 at his office / rehearsal studio in the outskirts Cairo. We were expecting a larger-than-life
character in-line with his status as a certified superstar, yet the actual person turned out to be very approachable and super easy to connect with. He liked the idea of an effort to amplify his early works again,
which, when originally released, were far from an economic success.

While he was down to assist with an interview and his blessing for the project he also told us that for any license we needed to speak with the original label SLAM! who released these songs, still held the rights and also remained in business over the decades though they didn’t actively release any new music. Hany Sabet had started SLAM! records in the early 1980s and focused on cassette tape releases, the
format that expedited the success of a new generation of record labels in Egypt. By the mid 1980’s, SLAM! had become one of the most successful and economically dominant record labels in Egypt, with Hamid El Shaeri being just one of their key artists, alongside Mohamed Mounir, Hanan, Hakim, Mustafa Amar and many more. Luckily, Hany Sabet turned out to be a friend of our colleague Malak Makar’s father, which probably helped to warm him to the idea of licen- sing “Ayonha” to this - in the scale of his world - tiny label
from Germany. Eventually “Ayonha” ended up becoming a widely successful release and either Hany or we brought up the idea of a full album dedicated to Hamid El Shaeri’s work on SLAM!.


"Maktoub Aleina” is the first single and will be released January 14th. Following the massive success of "Ayonha,” “Maktoub Aleina” is another mid-tempo groover with a beautiful, synth-forward melody, that brings together a lovely combination of soul, disco and Arabic pop music of the highest order, giving a taste of full album. The second single, “Yekfini Nesma Sotak” will be released January 28th and combines Hamid’s unique formula of soul and pop, held together by a catchy synth melody. “Yekfini Nesma Sotak” picks up the
pace a bit, making the uplifting mood of the track even more powerful. Third single, arriving February 11th, is “Dari Demou’ek,” one of the stand out tracks of Hamid’s early recordings done for SLAM! in the early 1980s. Dominated by a disco infused bassline, the track offers a lot of space of the funky production to shine while Hamid inserts his vocals at all the right moments. A masterpiece of disco touched by Arabic pop music.

Full album arrives February 25th. This release is dedicated to Hany Sabet, the founder of SLAM! and his wife Rosemary Jane Sabet (who
took the photos we used for the cover and the booklet), who sadly passed away during the time it took us to prepare the release.
Vinyl comes with an extensive booklet with an interview with Hamid as well as unseen photos

Manchmal fühlt es sich so an, als würde Dilla inmitten eines Films leben. Er spielt in einem Aperol-orangenen Universum, ist eine chaotische Kreuzung aus romantischer Coming-of-Age-Komödie und ausgeflipptem Actioner. Der rote Faden, der sich durch den Streifen zieht: Die kesse, fantasiegeladene Vertreterin der Gen-Z - Dilla eben - spaziert leichtfüßig eine schier endlose Avenue entlang. Immer wieder biegt sie kurz ab, feiert hier bis zum Sonnenaufgang, erkennt da Sinn im Banalen und fährt dort ein bisschen Gefühlsachterbahn. Über absurde Umwege landet sie schließlich in der großen Stadt, wo sie unverhofft zur gefeierten Musikerin avanciert.Im Spätsommer 2023 geht Dillas Reise in die nächste spannende Phase: Ihr lang ersehntes Debütalbum steht in den Startlöchern. Auf 11 Tracks verewigt die junge Musikerin die letzten 2 Jahre: Nicht chronologisch, eher anarchisch, augenzwinkernd und gespickt mit Perspektivwechseln. Dillas Debüt "Also bin ich" erscheint am 06.10.2023 auf orangefarbenem Vinyl.

Die Könige des holländischen Black Metal Salacious Gods, die einst verloren und vergessen schienen, kehren mit ihrem magnum magistralis zurück!

Black Metal, wie er gedacht war: rein, schnell, intensiv und voller Hass!"Oalevluuk" hat eine so große und vielschichtige Bedeutung für Salacious Gods als Band und für die einzelnen Mitglieder, dass das Album nur für sich selbst sprechen kann. Es fängt die Mühen und die Ausdauer ein, die die Band aufbringen musste, um dieses Stück purer, ritueller Dunkelheit zu vollenden.Nach der Veröffentlichung des Vorgängeralbums "Piene" im Jahr 2005 hatten Salacious Gods ein neues Album geschrieben und im Jahr 2006 fertig aufgenommen. Das Material wurde auf die altmodische Art und Weise geschrieben: im Proberaum.

Doch nach einer Phase der Selbstreflexion und Selbstgeißelung wurde das neue Material als mehr vom Gleichen und nicht dem Standard der Band entsprechend angesehen. Aufgrund von Veränderungen im Schreibprozess und einer sich ständig weiterentwickelnden Denkweise, brach die Band zu neuen Horizonten auf, sowohl musikalisch als auch textlich. Das neue "Oalevluuk" Material wurde 2008 geschrieben und perfektioniert. Der Aufnahmeprozess begann kurz darauf. Doch zu diesem Zeitpunkt begannen die ersten ominösen Anzeichen des alten Fluchs ("Oalevluuk") ihr Haupt zu erheben.

Der Titel der neuen Oakhands EP 'A Circle with Many Centers' ist eine Referenz an eine Kurzgeschichte Haruki Murakamis und gleichzeitig die Erkenntnis von Oakhands, dass sich das Leben und die Gefühle doch nicht so logisch Auseinanderdifferenzieren und Zerdenken lassen, wie es auf dem vorhergehenden Album 'The Shadow Of Your Guard Receding' angenommen und praktiziert wurde. Sondern dass Gefühle ganz einfach erlebt, wie gelebt werden müssen und all die persönlichen Konflikte doch alle stärker und universeller zusammenhängen, als einem lieb ist. An der Wurzel aller zusammenhängenden Lebensfragen liegt das Thema Depression, welches alle Emotionen durchdringt und erstickt. Ein gesellschaftlich wie individuell unvermeidliches Thema, mitten im Zeitgeists. Die Depression, der große Gegner aller Gefühle oder auch die große Abwesenheit aller Gefühle, lässt sich nicht einfach analytisch ausdifferenzieren, sondern ist "einfach da". Und sie stellt sich hier auf der EP gegen das Kaleidoskop der Gefühle auf dem Debütalbum und alle deren analytische Erklärungsversuche. 'A Circle with Many Centers' ist also wahlweise die Fortzsetzung, Antwort oder Widerlegung ihres Debütalbum. Dieses beschäftigte sich in beinahe schon manischer Präzision analytisch und lyrisch mit den eigenen Gefühlen und wurde künstlerisch (nicht wissenschaftlich) von Plutchicks Rad der Emotionen inspiriert. Wenn man so will, kann 'Circle with Many Centers' auch als eine späte Coming-Of-Age Platte gelesen werden. Eine post-adoleszente Platte über das "wahre" Erwachsenwerden um die 30, späte individuelle Sturm & Drang-Phasen. Über die Erkenntnis, wo die Wurzel aller persönlichen Konflikte liegt: der Depression.

Omon Breaker aka Maksym Nazarov is a DJ and musician who grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine originally from Dnipro. Now he presents his first ever full EP, Compromat, that traverses from cyberpunk dancefloor techno to trance-like work outs and wave inflected anthems including a special appearance from labelhead Phase Fatale. In his early works, he delved into questions of electronic culture and its impact on his life. As a result of his musical development and his quest for forging his own sound image defined by breakbeats and grooves reminiscent of early 90s electronica combined with the edge of modern techno, he released his first vinyl split 12" with D.Dan on Standard Deviation - the label from the ? club in 2021. Meanwhile, he quickly established his DJ path in Ukraine as a skilled performer, even becoming a resident at Kyiv's first LGBTQ+ friendly club Crest. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Nazarov was forced to leave his home and relocate to Berlin. In this new city, he came under the wing of BITE where he debuted with his track 'Stinger' from their recent VA and played the label showcase at Berghain in April 2023. While acclimatising and reflecting on his intense life experiences, Omon Breaker began work on his EP in which he seeks to express his emotions brought on by the tragic situations in his life: the loss of home, loved ones, and love itself. Compromat is Nazarov's first solo vinyl release where he attempts to musically depict his inner world shaped by the tragedies in his life.

Für Molly Burch war das Alter von 13 Jahren ein entscheidender Moment in ihrem Leben, der den Weg, den sie jetzt geht, geprägt hat. Burchs viertes Album "Daydreamer" erkundet die Gefühle und Unsicherheiten dieser kritischen Phase. "Daydreamer" ist dank des Produzenten Jack Tatum (Wild Nothing) schärfer und sauberer produziert und ein bisschen poppiger als Burchs frühere Alben. Das Ergebnis ist eine Musik, die sich mitreißend anfühlt, die Klänge und Einflüsse aus der Vergangenheit aufgreift und ihre Entwicklung als Künstlerin gleichzeitig weiterführt. Die Leadsingle "Physical" ist ein düsterer und schwüler 80er-Jahre-Mid-Tempo-Jam mit einem Intro, das durchaus dem Soundtrack eines John Carpenter-Horrorfilms entstammen könnte. Das Album kehrt auch zu Themen zurück, die zu einer Art Markenzeichen für Burch geworden sind, wie z. B. unerwiderte Liebe in "Unconditional". Und dann ist da noch "Tattoo", eine ätherische Ballade mit schwungvoller Harfe und Backgroundgesang von Luna Li (Hannah Kim) und einer der emotionalsten Songs des Albums, eine Ode an ihre beste Freundin aus der Highschool, die sich 2009 das Leben nahm. Obwohl das Album viel Zeit mit trauernden und angstbeladenen Reflexionen verbringt, sind die Songs auf "Daydreamer" nie in Tristesse oder Morbidität festgefahren. Burchs Fähigkeit, die dunkelsten Momente ihres Lebens in eine universelle Sprache zu übersetzen, legt den Grundstein für ein meisterhaftes Pop-Album.