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The Hippo Sound System is a collective formed in 2018 by Bristol UK’s notorious ‘samba junglist’ DJ Hiphoppapotamus. "Origins" is their long-awaited debut album!

Touring the festival scene across the UK and Europe their explosive live performances have earned them a well trusted reputation for blowing up dancefloors, moving feet and uplifting souls! Their tracks have been featured on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 6 by Jeremiah Asiamiah, Don Letts and Craig Charles. Don Letts also included their track “Into The Jungle” on his “Best of 2020” round up. Fusing their favourite elements of world music and sound system culture, they explore new possibilities between musical cultures, fusing ancestral rhythms with modern dance music.

Percussive rhythms and heavy bass drive this vibe train as this Hippo and his percussionist/production partner, Munki, draw influence from all over, Including Afro/Latin/world music, Jazz, Hip Hop, House, Breaks, Dub, Drum and Bass & Jungle for their productions. The result? A uniquely high energy and psychedelic global bass sound – complete with the flair of live musicians and the exciting builds and drops of bass music! Passionate about collaboration with both their recordings and performances, they often call upon guest features from artists such as K.O.G, Franz Von, Simo Lagnawi (Electric Jalaba), MC Spyda, Dr Syntax and many more.

With almost no tempo untouched from 70-180BPM, they’re an extremely eclectic and versatile band that can customise sets for most stages and occasions.

Oscar Smit (DJ Oscar) has been a fan and collector of, especially the latest, Christmas music
since the 1980s. As a connoisseur, he is invited almost annually by the national Dutch radio.
As a journalist, he writes for the Christmas blog Christmas A Go Go and music magazine
OOR.
“Nowadays, there are many young acts active in the Dutch underground scene that I find
original and good. I enjoy their concerts, which usually take place in small clubs. Being a
huge fan of Christmas music, I got the idea to ask a couple of my favorite young artists to
record a contemporary Christmas song. They could do this with complete freedom. Dutch
electro-garage duo De Delegatie chose to cover a song by Daniel Lohues (singer of Skik) and
Herman Finkers from 2009. The choice of the Haarlem electro-wave band Dorpsstraat 3
goes even further back. In 1976, Dutch ‘volks’singer Andre Hazes had his very first hit with
this Christmas song. The Amsterdam punky female trio Earwurms recorded a contemporary
and adapted version of ‘Jingle Bells’. Schlager punk trio Yodel Queen also includes two
women. They provide an impression of a flexitarian at the Christmas dinner. Both girl bands
are appearing on vinyl for the first time. XA4 is Xavier Boot. He has already released an
album on Philip Glass’s label and treats us here to minimal Christmas music. In contrast,
there is the maximal danceable dark-electro from the Amsterdammer Raderkraft. He has
already released a few records and is quite well-known abroad. On this record, Stippenlift,
a one-man project from Amsterdam, has the most experience with Christmas music. Every
year, he writes a new Dutch-language track, usually sad or melancholic in tone. This very
danceable song sounds optimistic for his standards. Truus de Groot is a category of her
own. She has been making music since the early eighties, in bands like Nasmak or Plus
Instruments. She is still active and proves that you can still make urgent music after such a
long time. She is an example for many young musicians. Her song is a variant of the music
from the timeless Charlie Brown Christmas film.” — Oscar Smit.

wieder lieferbar Die Camouflage? Ja, richtig: die Camouflage, Meister der Traurigkeit im Kleid des elektronischen Songs. 1987 eroberte die deutsche Band mit "The Great Commandment" Platz eins der US-Billboard-Dance-Charts, die Musik verband genialisch die Kühle von Kraftwerk, den Pop von OMD und die melancholische Düsternis von Depeche Mode. Jetzt erscheint "Greyscale": ein frappierend aktuelles, zwingendes Album. Untätig war die Gruppe seit den späten 80ern ohnehin nicht: Regelmäßig erschienen Alben, zuletzt 2006 das Album "Relocated" und 2014 eine Single-Compilation - auf Facebook zählt die Gruppe über 50.000 Fans. Die Musik auf "Greyscale" klingt weit und atmosphärisch und gleichzeitig zwingend und dicht. Produziert hat Mastermind Heiko Maile, der auch als Filmmusikkomponist Erfolge feiert. Stilsicher kontrastiert er elektronische Elemente mit akustischen, neben Beats und Gitarren sind auch ein Kinderchor und das Streicherensemble des Deutschen Filmorchesters Babelsberg zu hören. Songs für den Tanzboden und fürs Herz - und auf einem ist gar Peter Heppner zu hören.

RTJ3, the third outing by the firebrand rap duo of Killer Mike and El-P, features a cadre of talented guest performers, including Zach de la Rocha, Danny Brown, Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio, Kamasi Washington, and more. The album is "essentially the Run the Jewels manifesto, an outpouring of rage and defiance that never loses sight of the objectives: rallying the troops, holding all accountable, and toppling oppression." (Pitchfork)

Released on Christmas Day 2016, the album charted in 11 countries, with its breakout hit from the album, "Legend Has It", being featured in the Super Bowl advertisement for the global blockbuster feature film "Black Panther". Embraced by fans and critics alike, it's received praise for its near-perfect execution as well as its sharp, visceral observations, blistering beats and superb guest artists, cementing RTJ as one of the most important artists of its era.

Released to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of these sessions and the 75th Anniversary of Prestige Records, “Miles ’54” brings together 20 tracks recorded by the saxophone legend in 1954, across 4LPs.

Including cuts from the albums “Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins,” “Miles Davis Quintet,” “Miles Davis All Star Sextet,” and “Miles Davis Quartet” the album features Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk and more. Included are new liner notes by GRAMMY® Award-winning music historian Ashley Kahn and session notes by Dan Morgenstern, with mastering by Paul Blakemore.

»›The Last Will and Testament‹ ist eine Art Konzeptalbum. Eine rastlose musikalische Reise, die in gewisser Weise meine eigene Beziehung zur Musik als Konsument widerspiegelt«, erzählt Bandleader Mikael Åkerfeldt.

»Ich schnappe hier etwas auf, verwerfe dort etwas. Ich bete Musik an und hasse sie gleichzeitig. Diese Ambivalenz führt mich auf eine Art eigenen kreativen Weg, und dann ist plötzlich eine Sammlung von Songs entstanden. Im besten Fall sind diese Lieder gut genug, um die Band zu beeindrucken. Gut genug für die Mächtigen in der Branche. Gut genug für euch?! Ich liebe diese Platte. Ich muss es so sagen (schreiben). Vielleicht bin ich sogar stolz? Ich nehme an, es sind einige vertraute Zutaten dabei. Die meiste unserer Musik stammt aus der gleichen Quelle, also ist es nicht weiter verwunderlich, wenn es nach ›uns‹ klingen wird. Ich bin ein wenig beeindruckt von dem, was wir mit ›The Last Will and Testament‹ gemacht haben. Es fühlt sich wie ein Traum an. Ich hoffe, es gibt eine gewisse ›Kohärenz‹ und ›Songwriting-Fähigkeiten‹, aber was weiß ich schon? Ich neige dazu, das ›Seltsame‹ dem ›Offensichtlichen‹ vorzuziehen, aber ich habe das Gefühl, dass ich in der Minderheit bin, und das ist gut so. Also... faire Warnung! Erwarten Sie keinen sofortigen Rausch (wie üblich), aber wenn Sie es sofort ›kapieren‹ (haben Sie es schon kapiert?), ist das auch in Ordnung!«

Banoffee Pies Originals continue with the 26th release in the series. D. Tiffany returns to the imprint with another collab outing, this time partnering with Ciel as the duo combine under their Psychedelic Budz moniker. Two of Canadas finest deliver two dynamic, off kilter club hitters with a special appearance from Adam Pits under his Lil Mushroom alias. Heavy and versatile productions for dance floor rotation from artists who have carefully honed their craft.

Berlin based, D. Tiffany of Vancouver, is a DJ, Producer and label boss at Planet Euphorique. Now returning to the Banoffee imprint following their Plushmanagements inc insert with regularfantasy back in 2016. A welcomed entry from prog trance revivalist who’s essential output continues to blossom.

Toronto based multi disciplinary artist Ciel whose contributions to the music sphere remain committed to diversity, inclusivity & community with a prolific career as a producer, DJ, pianist & composer ++ They’ve found involvement across groundbreaking projects like Discwoman, co founded label Parallel Minds & released notable contributions to labels such as !K7, Peach Discs, Coastal Haze & UU, all while continuing their monthly position as a Rinse FM resident.

Die Grammy-nominierte Künstlerin, Produzentin und Labelchefin TOKiMONSTA bringt ihr neues Studioalbum "Eternal Reverie" an den Start. Neben der unwiderstehlich eingängigen, Samba-inspirierten Dancefloor-Hymne "Corazón / DEATH BY DISCO PT 2" ist der R&B-Tune "On Sum" mit Tokis langjährigem Kollaborateur Anderson .Paak und der aufstrebenden Neo-Soul-Sängerin und Rapperin Rae Khalil eines der Highlights. Die Stimmen der beiden Vokalisten verweben sich nahtlos in TOKiMONSTAs typische Beat-Rhythmen und üppige Synth-Akkorde und ergänzen sich gegenseitig in ihren gefühlvollen Kadenzen – eine Meisterklasse des klassischen Duetts.

J. Written has been preparing for this moment almost his entire life. From early on he has been writing. You might even say he was obsessed with writing. It did not matter what he was writing, he just felt compelled to write. Hence the name Written.
Born on January 18, 1994 (yes, he will gladly accept birthday greetings!) in the Payne Land neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica, J. Written entered this world as Jason Rasheed Wright. Due to certain financial instability in his family they had moved around a bit to various locations within the Kingston area. His parents, wanting him to be safe, encouraged him to be at home with his two sisters and to occupy his time at home he began to write. And write and write. And write some more.
He would write daily journals and even create newspaper articles written on the walls of their home. This creative outlet gave way to writing poems, speeches and essays while a student in high school. At 16 he started a dance trope known as the ACEZ dancers who were quite popular around Kingston.
He was then drawn to music around age 18 and began to create beats at a studio in Trench Town. He became part of the Trench Town community and is still very connected with the people there. His drive to write songs became his new medium for expressing himself. And this has led to him being recorded for various producers and included in the song “Fear To Understand” with Albarosie. Other songs and music videos followed and J. Written was brought to the attention of reggae producer Doctor Dread.
“When I first saw a video with J. Written and began to listen to more of his songs I knew this was a unique artist with a special vibe and a knack for writing interesting songs” says Doctor Dread. So he came to Jamaica and produced a first album “Kaleidoscope” for J. Written which is due for release in late 2024.

“My mission is to be active and positive. Not to confirm with the norm. To sometimes make people feel uncomfortable with issues impacting our community and society at large. To give thought to what is happening in the world and presently around us”. J. Written has made his intentions clear and it is revealed through his music.
And of special note is that J. Written has a role in the Bob Marley movie “One Love” as Junior Braithwaite, a member of the early Wailers in the scene when the young Wailers first come to audition for Coxsone Dodd of Studio One.
The future is bright for J. Written. He is creating music and lyrics as a constant in his life. And now the world will be able to share in his vision of creative expression.

With a career spanning over 50 years, U Brown is one of the last legends of Jamaican reggae. Singer, toaster and producer on the famous Hits Sound label, he has spanned the decades, leaving an indelible mark on roots reggae with hits like “Weather baloon”, “Superstar” and “Tu Shung Peng”.

His discretion and humility, despite being one of the world's greatest toasters like U Roy or Big Youth, make him a cornerstone of this music.

After many years of collaboration on stage and in the studio, U Brown and French label Irie Ites Records have teamed up to produce this new album entitled 'Still Chanting Rub A Dub'.
Comprising 12 tracks, this opus showcases U Brown's inimitable voice.

U Brown's inimitable voice and flow, recognizable from the very first notes. The themes addressed revolve around current social issues, in which the artist encourages us to surpass ourselves on a daily basis and to fight against the corruption of the most powerful. Lyrics that will speak to a wide audience!

Musicians on the album include the cream of reggae songwriters such as Roots Radics, Naram & Art, Med Tone, The Ligerians, Irie Ites All Stars, Nambo Robinson and Dean Fraser. Mixed by Roberto Sanchez and Irie Ites for a rootsy result in the image of 70s albums. A host of roots reggae greats feature on various tracks, including Eek A Mouse, Cornell Campbell, Frankie Paul, Sugar Minott, Linval Thompson, Glen Washington, Al Campbell, Naggo Morris and Trinity.

Still Chanting Rub A Dub is an album that will undoubtedly mark U Brown's long career as one of his landmark albums. A must-have for all fans of Reggae Roots and Rub-A-Dub!”

Originally released in 2023 via a humble run of 100 cassette tapes, c-thruʼs debut album “The Otherworld” is now available on black vinyl with a full colour jacket designed by Vancouver based illustrator Tylor Macmillan.

C-thru - The Otherworld is a collection of introspective cosmic-leaning dance music that gives a healthy nod to the golden era of trance, ambient, and downtempo from Austin, Texas-based producer Jesse Edwards. Inactive for several years, these 10 tracks mark a new chapter for Jesse Edwards. Previous works include his well-received psychedelic project, Red Morning Chorus, that included Boards of Canada amongst its fans. Edwards began his musical journey in the late 90s playing shoegaze and experimental music with Jessica Bailiff (Kranky). The pair collaborated on several albums together, including works with Flying Saucer Attack, His Name is Alive, and Odd Nosdam (Anticon).

Essential listening for anyone enamoured with the golden era of futuristic audio.

Behind The Mask is back with its second release still signed by the mind behind the label, Lorenzo Aribone. Mask 2 consists of four tracks ranging from House to Techno. The A side contains two dancefloor tracks with Deep and Acid sonorities while the B side sounds more raw and dirty.

“Music is my forever cove,” writes Portland, Oregon’s Luke Wyland of the ideas that give shape to Kuma Cove, his latest album under his own name. Though named after a real place on the Oregon coast, Kuma Cove casts its gaze far beyond the sightseer’s line of vision. Recorded live in the studio and blurring obvious lines between computer-based composition and electro-acoustic instrumentation, it is an album about flow, borders, transitory states, and shelter. Composed of discontinuous ripples and repetitions (“I’m forever searching for a better descriptor than looping, which feels too simple and flattened by overuse,” Wyland says), shaped into richly emotive arcs, and informed by his experience as a person who stutters, it is also an album about identity, self-expression, and the energies that sluice through and across what we perceive as linear time—like floodwaters seeking an exit, like streams running into the sea.

Artist’s Statement:
I made this record while spending significant time in the woods by the Sandy River in Corbett, Oregon,
where I've had my studio for the last five years. It is a diary of spontaneous live recordings edited to highlight the moments of clarity that emerge from long-form improvisations. These compositions express a slowing internal rhythm. An unwinding. A somatic recalibration as I enter middle age. A newly empowered vulnerability.

Here are the internalized cadences of my stutter, flowing freely from my fingers. The musicality of my disfluency is revealed in its frictions, elongations, and foreshortenings. Disruptions in linear time, where the bubbling cadences of my stutter find unexpected pathways, reveal the elasticity of the present moment. This is my idiosyncratic language, shaped and inspired by my disability. Subliminally mirroring internal processes, neural firings, cognitive entanglements...

The title, Kuma Cove, refers to a beloved cove on the coast of Oregon my wife and I return to yearly. There has always been something so magnetic about coves. The way they cradle one from the overwhelming enormity of the ocean beyond, muting a primordial fear. I experience these improvisations as ecosystems I'm able to inhabit for stretches of time, embodying the particular rhythms and sensorial textures within each. Music is my forever cove. Everything you hear is created live in Ableton on a setup I've been honing for 15 years. I celebrate MIDI and computer music as an extension of self and strive to make it as expressive as any analog instrument. I was a visual artist for the first half of my life and quickly adapted those skills to composing and producing on a computer. The transition felt natural within the landscape of DAW's interfaces, especially as a synesthete. Ableton and its community of Max creators continue to surprise me with its expansiveness.

I'm forever searching for a better descriptor than looping, which feels too simple and flattened by overuse. I envision sonic loops as tangled masses of time, three-dimensional knots spinning on tilted axes, or overlapping wreaths refracting out a myriad of colors. My practice is continually refocusing my ear to what is revealed in the repetitions, searching for the fingerprint of each. I find it incredible how technology lets us manipulate time like this. Nothing on this record is quantized or locked to a universal bpm. Experiencing numerous tempos at once feels important. Recordings as mirrors. Freedom from expected (conversational) flow as we hold time for each other.
-Luke Wyland, August 2024

Artist Bio:
Luke Wyland is an interdisciplinary artist, composer, and performer based in Portland, OR (USA). Wyland has been releasing critically acclaimed records for the past 20 years in the groups AU and Methods Body, as LWW, and under his own name, working with such labels as New Amsterdam, Beacon Sound, Balmat, The Leaf Label, and Aagoo Records. As a person who stutters, Wyland’s approach to music is informed by his idiosyncratic relationship with language. Wyland believes deeply in the cathartic power of live performance as a means for collective healing. Through an interdisciplinary art practice that focuses on improvisation, somatic embodiment, bespoke tuning systems, the cadences of disfluent speech, and time manipulation technologies, he’s collaborated with choreographers, high-school choirs, filmmakers, sound designers, and renowned musicians such as John Niekrasz, Holland Andrews, Colin Stetson, and Abraham Gomez-Delgado. He’s also the co-creator of the “It’s A Fucking Miracle” dance class with Tahni Holt.
Wyland has toured nationally and internationally and performed at the Whitney Museum, Ecstatic Music Festival, Issue Project Room, PICA’s Time-Based Arts Festival, End of the Road Festival, and Les Nuits Botanique, among others.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of the sought-after soundtrack for cult 1980 French film "Clara Et Les Chics Types," featuring Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil and the Splendid troupe actors. The Jazz-Funk soundtrack, composed by Michel Jonasz and featuring Manu Katché and Sylvin Marc has never been reissued since 1980. Remastered from with original master tapes, the release includes two never-released bonus tracks and a 4-page booklet with liner notes by French music expert and musician Guido Minisky (also a member of Acid Arab) who interviewed Michel Jonasz and actor Christophe Bourseiller for the occasion.

Robin Carolan's latest soundtrack for Robert Eggers' highly anticipated Nosferatu is a haunting, gothic-infused and meticulously crafted work that draws from a vast palette of sounds, instruments, and inspirations. Following their successful collaboration on The Northman, Carolan reunites with Eggers to bring the legendary tale of Nosferatu to life, infusing the film with a score that is as complex and nuanced as the story itself. With Daniel Pioro, one of Britain's most exciting young classical musicians, at the helm as the orchestra leader and first chair for a vast majority of the recording, the soundtrack features a vast orchestration, including 60 string players, a full choir, various horns and woodwinds, a harpist, and two percussionists. Despite the grandeur of the orchestration, one of the most challenging pieces was the music box used at the film's beginning. Carolan and Eggers struggled to perfect its sound, a process marked by their meticulous attention to detail, which Carolan describes as almost telepathic. Set in the 1800s, Nosferatu allowed Carolan to incorporate contemporary instrumentation, though he made a deliberate effort to ensure the score didn't sound overly modern. Letty Stott, who also worked on The Northman, contributed ancient horns and pipes, enhancing the soundtrack's eerie atmosphere. Additionally, percussionist Paul Clarvis custom-built a toaca-like instrument for added authenticity. Carolan's inspirations for the soundtrack were as eclectic as they were profound. He frequently drew upon the works of Bartok and Coil, while films like The Innocents, Angels and Insects, and Eyes Wide Shut provided cinematic inspiration. Additionally, he explored the more obscure side of Hammer Horror soundtracks and found a deep connection to the music of the Ukrainian film The Eve of Ivan Kupalo, which helped shape the score's otherworldly tone. Carolan intentionally moved beyond the typical horror score, focusing on capturing the tale's melancholy and tragic elements while weaving in a sense of warped romanticism. The result is a soundtrack that not only complements the film but also stands on its own as a testament to Carolan's artistry and the enduring power of collaboration.

Robin Carolan's latest soundtrack for Robert Eggers' highly anticipated Nosferatu is a haunting, gothic-infused and meticulously crafted work that draws from a vast palette of sounds, instruments, and inspirations. Following their successful collaboration on The Northman, Carolan reunites with Eggers to bring the legendary tale of Nosferatu to life, infusing the film with a score that is as complex and nuanced as the story itself. With Daniel Pioro, one of Britain's most exciting young classical musicians, at the helm as the orchestra leader and first chair for a vast majority of the recording, the soundtrack features a vast orchestration, including 60 string players, a full choir, various horns and woodwinds, a harpist, and two percussionists. Despite the grandeur of the orchestration, one of the most challenging pieces was the music box used at the film's beginning. Carolan and Eggers struggled to perfect its sound, a process marked by their meticulous attention to detail, which Carolan describes as almost telepathic. Set in the 1800s, Nosferatu allowed Carolan to incorporate contemporary instrumentation, though he made a deliberate effort to ensure the score didn't sound overly modern. Letty Stott, who also worked on The Northman, contributed ancient horns and pipes, enhancing the soundtrack's eerie atmosphere. Additionally, percussionist Paul Clarvis custom-built a toaca-like instrument for added authenticity. Carolan's inspirations for the soundtrack were as eclectic as they were profound. He frequently drew upon the works of Bartok and Coil, while films like The Innocents, Angels and Insects, and Eyes Wide Shut provided cinematic inspiration. Additionally, he explored the more obscure side of Hammer Horror soundtracks and found a deep connection to the music of the Ukrainian film The Eve of Ivan Kupalo, which helped shape the score's otherworldly tone. Carolan intentionally moved beyond the typical horror score, focusing on capturing the tale's melancholy and tragic elements while weaving in a sense of warped romanticism. The result is a soundtrack that not only complements the film but also stands on its own as a testament to Carolan's artistry and the enduring power of collaboration.

'Can Live in Keele 1977' ist die neueste Veröffentlichung in einer Reihe von Live-Alben, die aus den Tresoren von Spoon Records und aus Fanaufnahmen ausgegraben und dann von Gründungsmitglied Irmin Schmidt und Produzent/Ingenieur René Tinner sorgfältig zusammengestellt wurden.

Live in Keele 1977 ist ein dynamisches Dokument der Spätzeit von Can. Die im März 1977 aufgenommene Kernbesetzung bestehend aus Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli und Holger Czukay wird durch Rosko Gee (Traffic) am Bass ergänzt. Gees kürzliche Ergänzung des Line-Ups bedeutete, dass Holger Czukay von seinen Bassaufgaben entbunden wurde, um „Waveform Radio und Spec“ zu spielen. Sounds“, die sich hier als jenseitige Klänge, Samples und das manifestieren, was ein Rezensent einer späteren Show als „Mondgespräch mit einem weißen Kontinentaltelefon“ beschrieb.
Das neue Album ist die letzte Veröffentlichung in der aktuellen Reihe von Live-Dokumenten, die 1975 mit „Can Live in Stuttgart“ starteten (Uncuts Reissues of the Year, Platz 2 in MOJOs Reissues of the Year, Platz 7 in The Wire's Archive Reissues of the Year und mehr). ), gefolgt von „Can Live in Cuxhaven 1976“ (das erneut eine große Rolle in den Neuauflagen des Jahres spielte); „Can Live in Brighton 1975“ („Pure Dynamit… Keep They Coming“ – MOJO); „Can Live in Paris 1973“, das erste der Reihe mit dem verstorbenen Damo Suzuki („eine lebhafte Hommage an eine der besten Improvisationsgruppen des Rock“ – Financial Times), und „Can live in Aston 1977“ (The Quietus's Reissue of the Week – „ Es ist zweifellos Musik zur Erweiterung des Geistes, aber sie dehnt das Gehirn auf eine Weise, die einzigartig bleibt – „Can waren schon immer Anbieter von Inner-Space-Rock, und jede Reise ins Unbekannte war so anders wie ihre Shows“).

French hip-hop producer Ugly Mac Beer, with over 20 years of experience in the industry, returns to his youthful passions and ventures into synth-punk production for the first time with his upcoming album titled "Broken Ill". Three decades later, he brings to fruition an album he has dreamed of making since the age of 16, adopting a "Rick Rubin style" in its creation and production.

"Broken Ill" transcends the boundaries of a typical album. It features a UK sound that seamlessly blends post-punk, electro-punk, darkwave, new wave, while still maintaining its roots in US hip-hop, with a significant touch of rap rock.

Mac Beer's influences are clearly heard throughout the album, ranging from the Beastie Boys to The Cure, and including Kraftwerk and Sleaford Mods.

In terms of collaborations, Ugly Mac Beer has enlisted a diverse array of rappers from various backgrounds. Among them is the iconic Princess Superstar, a prominent figure in the 90s underground scene, whose hit track "Perfect", released two decades ago, unexpectedly resurged on TikTok, sparking excitement and eventually securing a place on the 2024 Billboard Charts. It even underwent a remix by David Guetta himself.

Additionally, Mac Beer has teamed up with French rapper signed to Kitsuné, Mynameisleonidas, who has contributed to a significant portion of the album. Other collaborators include the singer from the French punk band Frustration and Mac Beer's longtime collaborator and friend, The Real Fake MC a.k.a OP18.

With "Broken Ill", Ugly Mac Beer, hip-hop beatmaker par excellence, surprises and delivers a solid rap rock album with a pervasive UK influence, inviting listeners into his ever-evolving, creative, and audacious universe.

High Hopes - New album from the Mole.
High Hopes is 17 songs across 40 minutes on one slice of wax that, as advertised, sounds nothing like last month’s Ep, High Dreams. Here, rather than the long form dance form, is a continuation of the beat tape pacing from the last album, a collection of moments posing as ideas posing as a narrative stuffed with oddities and surprises that reward the close listen.
What’s heard on High Hopes is the Mole’s exploration of a love letter, from one person to a family, from the northern Pacific to the southern Atlantic, from a boy to a painted bird. Vancouver Island to Manantiales. The songs range from ambient sound bath and hip hop sludge, up to micro boogie and almost House before tumbling back down and forth again. Bubbling synths, MPCs swung out, samples chopped and chewed, bass and violins from Rick and Sophie, field recordings of birds and frogs and beaches, friends and family and fiestas. Did we mention the love ?! This album has got it all! Original collages from Antonio Carrau envelope this wax: jacket, sleeve and cookie. Antonio’s work is typified by playful combinations and bold statements about living in a embrace of analog and digital health. His co lages marry the corporeal world with an updated, digitalized age of reproduction, inducing feelings of gratitude for the simple everyday scenes we sometimes lose touch with when we forget to slow down. Good living, like breathing, requires inhaling as well as exhaling.
We can’t always produce content, make art, we must also pause, and listen. And enjoy. The Mole is joined by friends and colleagues on several songs included on High Hopes. Rick May plays bass on both Que Rico and album stand out GoinF4er. Sophie Trudeau (Godspeed You Black Emperor) plays and arranges violins on GoinF4er and Danuel Tate (Cobblestone Jazz) and Julz Chaz (Wagon Repair) both play Vibes and Emaxx throughout the album. Working with these incredible talents not only enriched this album, but fulfilled a long standing goal of the Mole’s; to work again with the musicians from whom he learned so much. People who helped inform the shape of Mole to come.
The Mole who was As High As The Sky. The Mole has been ‘recognized’ by the ‘global underground’ since his critically celebrated premiere album, As High As The Sky, but his earlier Eps (Wagon Repair, Philpot, Musique Risquee) got the attention of Top DJs, clubs, and festivals around the world first. His sound remains unique, fresh and deep: enjoying plays in a wide variety of spaces and places.
High Hopes is the Mole’s 5th solo album and his 2nd album for Circus Company (The River Widens) who have also proudly released two eps of Mole magic (Little Sunshine, High Dreams).
*Isn’t that too much time for one record? Short answer - No. Long answer - depends on the material. Due to the many quiet passages in the album, the groove spacing can be modulated and the needle can slow it’s progress towards the center/end resulting in longer sides with continued high gain and low distortion.

High Hopes - New album from the Mole.
High Hopes is 17 songs across 40 minutes on one slice of wax that, as advertised, sounds nothing like last month’s Ep, High Dreams. Here, rather than the long form dance form, is a continuation of the beat tape pacing from the last album, a collection of moments posing as ideas posing as a narrative stuffed with oddities and surprises that reward the close listen.
What’s heard on High Hopes is the Mole’s exploration of a love letter, from one person to a family, from the northern Pacific to the southern Atlantic, from a boy to a painted bird. Vancouver Island to Manantiales. The songs range from ambient sound bath and hip hop sludge, up to micro boogie and almost House before tumbling back down and forth again. Bubbling synths, MPCs swung out, samples chopped and chewed, bass and violins from Rick and Sophie, field recordings of birds and frogs and beaches, friends and family and fiestas. Did we mention the love ?! This album has got it all! Original collages from Antonio Carrau envelope this wax: jacket, sleeve and cookie. Antonio’s work is typified by playful combinations and bold statements about living in a embrace of analog and digital health. His co lages marry the corporeal world with an updated, digitalized age of reproduction, inducing feelings of gratitude for the simple everyday scenes we sometimes lose touch with when we forget to slow down. Good living, like breathing, requires inhaling as well as exhaling.
We can’t always produce content, make art, we must also pause, and listen. And enjoy. The Mole is joined by friends and colleagues on several songs included on High Hopes. Rick May plays bass on both Que Rico and album stand out GoinF4er. Sophie Trudeau (Godspeed You Black Emperor) plays and arranges violins on GoinF4er and Danuel Tate (Cobblestone Jazz) and Julz Chaz (Wagon Repair) both play Vibes and Emaxx throughout the album. Working with these incredible talents not only enriched this album, but fulfilled a long standing goal of the Mole’s; to work again with the musicians from whom he learned so much. People who helped inform the shape of Mole to come.
The Mole who was As High As The Sky. The Mole has been ‘recognized’ by the ‘global underground’ since his critically celebrated premiere album, As High As The Sky, but his earlier Eps (Wagon Repair, Philpot, Musique Risquee) got the attention of Top DJs, clubs, and festivals around the world first. His sound remains unique, fresh and deep: enjoying plays in a wide variety of spaces and places.
High Hopes is the Mole’s 5th solo album and his 2nd album for Circus Company (The River Widens) who have also proudly released two eps of Mole magic (Little Sunshine, High Dreams).
*Isn’t that too much time for one record? Short answer - No. Long answer - depends on the material. Due to the many quiet passages in the album, the groove spacing can be modulated and the needle can slow it’s progress towards the center/end resulting in longer sides with continued high gain and low distortion.