Search:dan

Digital Afrika return to the fray with this incredible EP for ASW. Featuring the original Gnawa plus it’s acoustic source recording as performed by Radouan Naim in Morocco PLUS two truly excellent remixes from the legendary Jose Marquez and Melbourne’s own TEYMORI (Amin Payne).

The original source recording for this track was laid down in Planet Essaouira and recorded by Zhonu “Nui” Moon (Digital Afrika ) on one of his many cultural trips to his ancestral home land. The studio is situated on the Moroccan coastal town of Essaouira , a cultural hub for the Berber (indigenous Moroccan) traditions.

This enigmatic town , popularised by the beatniks and bohemians of the 60ʼs, most famously by Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones , has a mystique all its own as well as a long musical history.

“Gnawa” in Berber language literally translates as “Trance“ music , and is traditionally performed in “Lilas” musical ceremonies accompanied by dance that can go on for days .. where the purpose is to produce trance-like states of being where different types of healing or catharsis can occur ..

The recording was then brought back to Melbourne, Australia. Where the Digital Africa team applied its electronic Afro-house touches , while keeping true to its original North African aesthetic.

And here we go again. After making his self-titled label debut in 2019 followed up by the super limited cassette tape "Sport EP" in 2020 Mint Huus is finally back on Cheezy Crust Records - and he's back on vinyl!

Exploring "Odd Radio Circles" we see Mint Huus catering an array of four cuts, once again covering and exploring a spectrum of superbly driving, high quality electronic club music of a timeless quality which is nothing short of a truly epic manifestation of the German artists production standard and value which is up to par with the genres greats.

Sparse, yet melodic, bouncing, yet dreamy from the very start the Mainz / Germany-based producer effortly amalgamates a highly functional Electro foundation, beautifully arranged vintage retro synth layers and ever bubbling Acid modulations to further carve out and create a distinct sonic realm and niche which, due it's innate drive and well comforting depth, is set to excel way beyond the confined boundaries of the Electro genre and gain praise and recognition on many dancefloors all around the globe.

Salute to the Sun: Live at Halleì St Peter's documents a very special concert recorded at the iconic Manchester venue during lockdown.

Released in November 2020, Matthew's Halsall's Salute to the Sun was the trumpeter's first album since 2015's Into Forever, and marked the debut of his new band. A hand-picked ensemble featuring some of Manchester's finest young musicians. The album drew it's energy from the band's weekly sessions and was inspired by Halsall's love of nature. Lush and spiritual it received universal praise, but Halsall and his band were frustrated that they were unable to share their beautiful new sound live with an audience.



On November 25th 2020, Halsall took his band into the iconic Manchester venue, Hallé St Peter's, for a concert recording in aid of the charity Mind, that was streamed on January 21st 2021 to a global audience in the thousands. The concert was also recorded for posterity.



"When we recorded Salute to the Sun, I wanted to create something playful but also quite earthy and organic that connected to the sounds in nature. It seemed to strike a chord with people and I was blown away by the response to the album. Our concert film, recorded at the height of last winter's lockdown was a special moment for us all and I feel that the concert recording captured something beautiful that we wanted to share".



Salute to the Sun: Live at Halleì St Peter's features Matthew Halsall– trumpet, Matt Cliffe- flute & saxophone, Maddie Herbert– harp, Gavin Barras– bass, Liviu Gheorghe– piano, Alan Taylor– drums and Jack McCarthy- percussion



The recording has been mixed by Matthew Halsall and George Atkins at 80 Hertz and is mastered by Peter Beckmann at Technology Works. The vinyl was cut at Calyx in Berlin and the album is pressed at Optimal in Germany. It is presented in the form of a limited edition 2LP set with artwork by legendary designer Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic.



Spread over three sides of the vinyl LP for maximum fidelity the fourth side of the LP (side D) features an etching of Daniel Halsall's now iconic artwork for the album Salute to the Sun and copies are strictly limited with just 3000 available in total. The album will also be available for download and on streaming platforms.

Steering his dance label, Frank Music, all the way through the last decade, Johannes Albert would like to welcome a bunch of new and old friends for its 10 years anniversary. Berlin’s Amount steers the ship into contemporary disco waters with his „Dphrase". All hands on deck please! The Captain Of Your Heart is more than a good friend. He is the boss from Zürichsee actually. We „L.ove“ his Synth Pop all the way. Darmstadt’s finest Levitation Venue are back with the calm yet groovy „Everything’s Good“. Now we set sail for the flipside. High waves and a storm comes up on the floor when Johannes drops his „Dynamo“. A very 90s informed rave affair! Sir Iron Curtis takes over the realm and shows a little respect for classic Electro. We travel to „Münster West“. The sea calms again with the bittersweet symphony of Max Lessig’s „Make me cry“. We reach safe havens. To the next 10!

Essential Gerard P.J. Brown soul-disco-reggae-funk-fusion reissued officially for the first time and cut loud from the studio master tape onto 12” single via Backatcha Records. Hailing from St. Kitts and Nevis, percussionist and vocalist P.J. Brown originally produced and recorded ’Sexy Lady’ and ‘Keep Dancing’ for his sought-after 1982 self-released EP. Whilst the A-side was Soca-heavy, the B-side featured these two disco DJ-friendly gems performed and recorded alongside Browns’s G.I.’s Brass International bandmates at Ochoa Studio in Puerto Rico, a favoured recording location by musicians from the neighbouring islands. Bootlegged heavily on bad pressings, ’Sexy Lady’ finally gets a definitive quality release coupled by ‘Keep Dancing’, P.J. Brown’s other stand-out favourite amongst disco heads that has remained unobtainable until now.



Don’t wait, these always sell out on pre-sell fast.

Dave Lee dons his Sunburst Band trousers and calls in the vocal talents of Wayne Hernandez with this slice of Brazilian flavoured Jazz Funk ‘Listen Love’ - yes the Jon Lucien jazz dance favourite. The sizzling drums & percussion blend perfectly with the pulsating bassline that allows Wayne to scat and weave his way into the blissed out yet uptempo jazzy keys. For those thinking this would be an even better track if it had a flute solo, we’ve got you covered! with Dave Lee’s ‘Flute Reboot’ for that maximum Latin edged jazz-funk feel.

On the flip two people who need not introducing, Louie Vega & Josh Milan get frenzied on the drums and piano, as they up the ante and deliver a jazz dance fusion clocking in at 9 minutes. Their mix really works up a sweat in the second half as the groove and scatting lock together for an intense rhythmic workout. All in all a very impressive outing.

**LIMITED BLACK VINYL** Rival Consoles returns with a resonant
and explorative soundscape of original
music, composed for renowned
choreographer Alexander Whitley’s
contemporary dance production
Overflow.

Exploring themes of the human and emotional
consequences of life surrounded by data, the piece
echoes the concept of social media, advertising,
marketing companies and political factions
exploiting our data to gain wealth, political
advantage and sow division. Key reading for the
project was based around the contemporary
philosophical work Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism
and New Technologies of Power by Byung-Chul
Han.
“The piece opens with Monster which has a kind of
drunken madness to it, highly repetitive to mirror the
repetitive nature of how we as humans engage with
technology such as social media. It’s sometimes
edging towards chaos but yet always returning back
to the same starting point, but eventually giving way
to exhaustion. I wanted to create a bold opening
piece for Overflow,” states West.

I Like features the mapping of data from dancer Tia
Hockey’s personal monologue, which allows chords
to be heard - but only based on the activity of her
voice, drawing attention to things happening behind
the curtain, invisible systems, algorithms.
The album also features the previously released
standalone slice of euphoria, Pulses of Information
— described by UK mag Clash as “typically
entrancing, Pulses of Information seems to
encourage a form of internal dialogue, between our
inner and outer selves.”

Overflow was premiered by the Alexander Whitley
Dance Company in May 2021 at the Sadler’s Wells
in London and is scheduled to tour through theatres
in Europe in spring 2022. The score will be released
by Erased Tapes on limited edition vinyl and CD as
well as digital formats on December 3.

Limited edition purple double vinyl with rainbow laminate finish gatefold sleeve.

Kylie’s record-breaking fifteenth studio album ‘DISCO’ was released to widespread acclaim last year and was hailed as ‘an irresistible tonic to real life. Thank God for Kylie Minogue’ by Metro in a 5* review and ‘the ultimate rescue remedy’ by The Observer (4*). It featured lead singles ‘Say Something’, which received widespread praise - deemed ‘a galactic slice of pop music heaven’ by i-D - and ‘Magic’, which NME called ‘an exuberant, horn-fuelled romp.’

About ‘DISCO’

‘DISCO’ was released in November 2020 and entered the charts at Number 1 in the UK, making it Kylie’s eighth UK Number 1 album. It is a record-breaking release for the pop icon, making Kylie the first female solo artist to claim Number 1 albums in five consecutive decades (‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s, ‘10s, and ‘20s). ‘DISCO’ received widespread critical acclaim, deemed ‘an irresistible tonic to real life. Thank God for Kylie Minogue’ by Metro in a 5* review, ‘the ultimate rescue remedy’ by The Observer (4*) and ‘an exquisitely produced, effervescent tribute to 70s and 80s disco music and dance as escapism’ by The i (4*).

For ‘DISCO’, Kylie worked with long-time collaborator Biff Standard plus Sky Adams (with whom she worked with on Golden), Teemu Brunila (David Guetta, Jason Derulo) and Maegan Cottone (Iggy Azalea, Demi Lovato), alongside others. The album was largely recorded in lockdown with each team member recording and working from a separate location, leading to Kylie having a vocal engineering credit on all but two of the sixteen tracks on the record.

Baltimore, Maryland’s Angel Du$t have announced details of their new album ‘YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs’, which will be released on CD on 10th December on Roadrunner Records and the band have also shared the new song ‘Big Bite’, which is joined by a music video directed by Ian Shelton.

Vocalist / guitarist Justice Tripp commented, “People get really married to the idea of making a record that sounds like the same band. If one song to the next doesn’t sound like it’s coming from the same band, I’m ok with that.”

Put simply, Angel Du$t are the guys who do whatever you don't expect.

Produced by Rob Schnapf (Kurt Vile, Elliott Smith), ‘YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs’ follows Angel Du$t’s 2019’s album ‘Pretty Buff’, and sees the group channelling an anything-goes philosophy into their tightest, most forward-thinking material yet. Recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles last year, the album is a rotating smorgasbord of percussion, guitar tones, effects, genres, and influences, fashioned in the spirit of a playlist as opposed to a capital-R ‘Record.’ The album’s 12 tracks span jangle-rock gems (‘Big Bite’), piano-spiked power pop (‘No Fun’), and a breezy duet with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong (‘Dancing On The Radio’).

‘YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs’ also features ‘Love Is The Greatest’, ‘All The Way Dumb’, ‘Turn Off The Guitar’ and ‘Never Ending Game’, all of which appeared on Angel Du$t’s 2021 EP ‘Bigger House’,

Breezy but determined as they imbue their laid-back acoustics with sharpness, Angel Du$t continue to prove they are band averse to boundaries. The band’s Roadrunner Records debut ‘Pretty Buff’ was produced by Will Yip and earned the band critical acclaim. Widespread international attention included UK praise from Kerrang! (“13 super-accessible, honest and artfully crafted songs… there’s lots to love about them”), NME (“the fun-first hardcore group bringing ‘90s pop-rock to the pit”) and The Line of Best Fit (“a cacophony of good times and soul”).

Many great Blue Note artists have hailed from the jazz hotbed of Detroit over the course of the label's history including Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers, Thad Jones, Elvin Jones, Joe Hendreson, and many more. Perhaps the only instance on an entire band coming out of Detroit was with Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet, a fantastic but unsung combo led by pianist Kenny Cox whihc featured Joe Henderson's brother Leon Henderson on tenor saxophone, Charles Moore on trumpet, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. The quintet made two excellent albums in the late 1960s including their debut album Introducing Kenny Cox and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet, a hidden gem of the Blue Note catalog which was recorded in 1968. The band was certainly influenced by the post-bop explorations of the Miles Davis Quintet with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, but the CJQ exhibited its own unique sensibilities on memorable originals like "Mystique", "trance Dance", "Diahn", and David Durrah's beautiful piece "You".

Many great Blue Note artists have hailed from the jazz hotbed of Detroit over the course of the label's history including Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers, Thad Jones, Elvin Jones, Joe Hendreson, and many more. Perhaps the only instance on an entire band coming out of Detroit was with Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet, a fantastic but unsung combo led by pianist Kenny Cox whihc featured Joe Henderson's brother Leon Henderson on tenor saxophone, Charles Moore on trumpet, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. The quintet made two excellent albums in the late 1960s including their debut album Introducing Kenny Cox and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet, a hidden gem of the Blue Note catalog which was recorded in 1968. The band was certainly influenced by the post-bop explorations of the Miles Davis Quintet with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, but the CJQ exhibited its own unique sensibilities on memorable originals like "Mystique", "trance Dance", "Diahn", and David Durrah's beautiful piece "You".

Full side tune, The Truth, is a bloody roots acid tribe tune, with a true story, a hidden melody,sweet acid sounds, reminding me the acid belgium Bonzai sound. B-sdie stands 2 perls, the first one is Different World a total full-out acidcore tracks. Dancefloor killer. And second position Locked By The Acid : an experimental broken acid mental sound, very nostalgic and soulfull, at the frontier to be IDM acid, my fave tune here i recogn... nice little perl. Enjoy ! LIMITED 200 copies !

Destination' comes from an album Behind The Mask', recorded and first released in 1982. The project started out intending to be a new Incognito album, and follow up to the debut Jazz Funk', but took a different direction. With Bluey and original members of Incognito at the helm, Behind The Mask' welcomed additional guests musicians to become a separate entity and landmark 80s UK fusion album. Destination' has always been a go-to track, an electrifying full vocal dancefloor filler on the album but never previously released as a 12' single, with the Diffusion Re-Edit never previously available on vinyl. Both versions currently much in demand.

ARIA & BET nominated rapper and artist Tkay Maidza has announced the highly anticipated follow-up to 2020's Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 (The Needle Drop's #1 EP of the Year). Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 is the final act of Tkay's EP trilogy. Featuring eight new songs produced by long-time collaborator Dan Farber. To coincide, Tkay has dropped the new single 'Cashmere' and its dreamy, pollen-filled video directed by Jasper Soloff (Tinashe, DJ Khaled) today. 'Cashmere' and its smooth R&B is a satisfying counterbalance to its bombastic predecessors 'Kim' and 'Syrup'.

On the heels of his breakout year, Swiss indie rocker Sam Himself - New Yorker by choice, ‘Fondue Western’ baritone by trade - prepares to release his debut album, Power Ballads (October 8th). The Brooklyn-based songwriter, performer and multi-instrumentalist has been sounding the bell for his first LP with a number of singles.
This full-length debut follows last year’s acclaimed Slow Drugs EP, the artist’s third which earned him the Swiss National Broadcasting Service’s Best Talent Award in 2020 and a nomination in 2021 for a Swiss Music Award, the most prestigious national prize of its kind in Sam’s home country.
Power Ballads marks the latest collaboration between Sam and his longtime producer, mixing engineer Daniel Schlett (The War On Drugs; Iggy Pop), as well as mastering legend Greg Calbi (Bruce Springsteen; David Bowie). Sam plays most of the instruments on Power Ballads himself, with producer Schlett adding sounds, textures and of course his singular mixing style (as heard recently e.g. on Iggy Pop's cover of The Velvet Underground's European Son).
Sam Himself is set to tour in support of his debut album well into the spring of next year, with some 30+ European dates in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and beyond (US-dates in planning).

Finding a rich seam in stark minimalism, soundsystem pressure and fractalised rhythm, Cassius Select is at the vanguard of contemporary broken beats and punishing low end.

This new Select transmission comes correct on Bruk, prodding at the same bold dance futurism already laid down by Siete Catorce and FFT, whilst sounding nothing like either of them. 'Dread Percent's swelling pads and dislocated MC shards are a foil for the ruff angles of 'Fish Tek'. 'Mess Mutual' teases and stalks at a lower tempo and then twists up another set of bars over a bed of alien drone, laying the groundwork for the massive, grime-licked hooks of 'Shake Like Me'.

Hinting at the anthemic while remaining steadfastly cool and deadly, Cassius Select's mutant brand of club has the space and versatility to slip between scenes, doing damage wherever it lands.

The latest entry from Furanum sees label boss Dominik Muller and repeat contributor Tomohiko Sagae return from remix duties on the label's preceding long play release for a four-track split vinyl treatment of Fu020. On The Other Colours of Poison, acting apart yet seemingly as one, they both dispense with nearly any pretense of an introduction, epilogue, or abstract ambiences, and instead opt for a pure and dancefloor-bound effort of four-to-the-floor industrial relentlessness encapsulated in two compositions to a man.

Sagae notably eschews his signature noise-manifesto driven approach in favour of a compelling centering of groove as a prime determinant of musical force. The results of this approach are on display first in 'Tartrazine,' where a rhythmic mind-worm seemingly burrows it's way in, assimilating and holding the beholder in a frantic dance of oscillatory sway. Likewise, in 'Amaranth' an ineluctable sense of technoid acceleration is achieved, with each of the composition's successive loops driving the sense of propulsive sonic force relentlessly forward,
not unlike the turning of a violent accretion disk tearing matter apart.

As for Muller, he builds on his previous work to construct two reliable aural vehicles for the delivery of unrelenting and thematically oriented vehemence. 'Demut' is like a scene of surrender to an engineered and shifting collosus, overwhelming all attempts at its full apprehension as cogent reverberations puncture the surrounding temporal space. On the flipside, in 'Toxic Environment,' he captures the narratively framed pulse of a phrenetically beating heart, beating on despite all odds through sheer force of will and self-overcoming.

Mastered by Kassian Troyer, The Other Colours of Poison will be available on vinyl

Northern stars of the Time Is Now series, Soul Mass Transit System, are back for their fourth full-length outing on the popular garage imprint with All I Need. The duo, both established producers in their own right, bring infectious grooves and cheeky samples to shake off the winter blues to.

Sax-infused opener "Freak-ee" serves up shuffling two step and retro vocals - gentle diva intonations giving a housier edge to the sound. "Show U Love" criss-crosses between crooner samples and a classic, dirty dub-driven delight for late night punters.

Skippy snares and cleverly glitched up samples make an earworm melody in "All I Need (Deepa Inside)", before the tempo is pumped up speed garage style for the closing track "The Message". If the rumbling dubwise melody doesn't control the dancefloor, the tantalisingly elongated second drop will.

Yellow Vinyl

From his early years on the music scene in Edinburgh, Theo Kottis has built a buzz as one of the UK's most exciting DJs. He is also the curator of his own unique sound, crafted on his Beautiful Strangers series, and gained clout from star DJs the world over.

The Mirror EP is fronted by a euphoric party track inspired by Kottis' lockdown yearning for "the kind of party where you don't stop dancing" - and crafted perfectly for this purpose. The raw energy of breaks and rave piano stabs is permeated by Busola's pep talk, getting the listener and the dancer geared up for the summer of release after a year of restrictions.

On the B Side, "Onda" takes its name from the Spanish word for waves. This is a blissed out relaxation after the intensity of the A-Side, an ode to an Ibiza poolside which still maintains a strong groove. Playful
pads pop out under sublime strings for an instantly nostalgic vibe.

Theo Kottis words on the release "Earlier this year during peak winter lockdown, craving the kind of party where you don't stop dancing, I took matters into my own hands, producing this new single "The Mirror", featuring Busola - who is the life of the party - to bring euphoric sounds to my living room and now to yours.

The thought of the impending "Summer of Love" got me through lockdown and I wanted to create something energetic and fun to mirror that excitement. I'd seen Little Gay Brother, the LGBTQ+ party and community perform at many festivals and knew their vibe would be an ideal source for this raw energy - I was introduced to Busola who provided the ultimate summer of self-love pep talk, something we all needed to get back out there post lockdown!

The second track is a nod to my summer escape to Ibiza where I played Pikes poolside and spent time in the sea and watching waves - "ondas" in Spanish - to reset and relax.

February 2021. During a stay in an isolated house in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, I returned to four compositions Renaud Bajeux had sent me a few months prior. I had listened intently and enjoyed them very much, but in this new setting, at this very moment, they took on another dimension. For several days, I went on long walks in the surrounding nature and this album, all in half-light, became an obsession. In sync with the perfection of this moment, with this place, it began to haunt me from dawn till long past dusk. At times calming and meditative, at times wild, rugged, and maybe even dangerous, the music seemed to mirror the mountain landscape encircling me. It became evident that Seeking a Vision would be released on Fragments.

Seeking a Vision follows Renaud Bajeux’s first album, Magnetic Voices from the Unseen (Nahal Recordings, 2019), an exploration of electromagnetic fields. In this second opus, Bajeux works with the sound palette of a Serge synthesizer, combining its polymorphic sounds with field recordings of nature. The album’s four parts can be seen as a continuous mental journey through multiple layers of consciousness. Carried by whispering winds and the cracklings of a campfire, they proceed toward meditative states and obscure inner landscapes.

Seeking a Vision was recorded during an INA GRM residency. Elevation was commissioned by the INA GRM.

Renaud Bajeux is a French composer and film sound designer. His work his primarily based on field recordings and modular synthesizers. It can be located at the crossroads of electroacoustic music, noise, and ambient. Renaud Bajeux’s most recent release is a duet with Antoine Gilloire titled Underwater Soil (Superpang, 2021).

All tracks performed and composed by Renaud Bajeux. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu. Artwork by Morgan Cuinet. Layout by Romain Barbot.

Auf 'Les Artisans', dem Nachfolger des No-Wave-Krachers 'L'appel du Midi à Midi Pile' (2016), setzt die Französin Maïssa D. aka Theoreme die Tradition von hypnotischen, basslastigen Mantras fort, die sie mit Industrial Dance, Roboter-Funk-Experimentalismus und halluzinatorischen Club-Downern mischt. UK Breakbeats auf halber Geschwindigkeit treffen auf elektronische On-U Reggaesounds und Henry Mancini im defekten Lounge-Noir-Mixer, futuristische Jazz-Low-End-Motive und Post-Punk-Primitivismus auf Funken von Proto-Techno. Maïssa ist gleichzeitig Mitglied des No-Wave-Trios SIDA und hat Musik auf Bruit Direct Disques, My Own Private Records und Isolated Waves Now veröffentlicht. LP aus schwarzem Vinyl mit Posterbeilage.

The Blind Date Party hosted by Bill Callahan and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
and featuring AZITA, Matt Sweeney, Alasdair Roberts, Matt Kinsey,
Sean O’Hagan, Bill MacKay, George Xylouris, Dead Rider, David Pajo,
Mick Turner, Meg Baird, Ty Segall, Emmett Kelly, Cory Hanson, Six
Organs of Admittance, David Grubbs, Cassie Berman, Cooper Crain and
Sir Richard Bishop happened online in the autumn and winter of 2020 -
2021 but the party planning dated back to the spring of 2020.
 Stuck at home, with no gigs in the foreseeable future, Bill, Bonnie and
Drag City needed an outreach program to keep themselves busy, not to
mention sane. In the absence of any company or anything on the
calendar, playing songs they loved was an idea; playing with people they
loved, the desire. And making it fun - so pairing someone with someone
else having no say in the matter, the essence of the blind date, was the
plan. Favourite songs were chosen; players from around the Drag City
galaxy were messaged. Pretty soon, songs were flying back and forth -
music in the air.
 By autumn, the songs started to appear online: Bill and Bonnie singing a
song by someone they loved and admired; each song cut by another
artist they loved and admired, then sent to Bill and Bonnie to provide the
finishing touches. The spotlight pointed in every direction each week:
toward the singers and writers who’d originally played the songs (Yusuf
Islam, Hank Williams Jr., Dave Rich, The Other Years, Billie Eilish,
Steely Dan, Lou Reed, Bill Callahan, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Wyatt,
Lowell George, Johnnie Frierson, Air Supply, Will Oldham, Leonard
Cohen, David Berman, Iggy Pop and John Prine), toward their featured
collaborators, the artists whose artwork adorned each digital single and
videos made by still more collaborators.
 Like the best parties, it turned out to be everything and more than they’d
even hoped for. So many more people were involved in the process that
would on the page here. Suffice to say, making records over the years
has required a broad sense of community and an always-surprising mix
of independence and unity, inspiration and utility. Some of the best
memories are those where as many of our folks as possible were
together in one place at one time. The Blind Date Party was one of
these, maybe the most improbable one yet. It’s for everyone who’s here
and it’s in the name of everyone who’s gone but will never go and will
always live with us here. This album will too.

The Blind Date Party hosted by Bill Callahan and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
and featuring AZITA, Matt Sweeney, Alasdair Roberts, Matt Kinsey,
Sean O’Hagan, Bill MacKay, George Xylouris, Dead Rider, David Pajo,
Mick Turner, Meg Baird, Ty Segall, Emmett Kelly, Cory Hanson, Six
Organs of Admittance, David Grubbs, Cassie Berman, Cooper Crain and
Sir Richard Bishop happened online in the autumn and winter of 2020 -
2021 but the party planning dated back to the spring of 2020.
 Stuck at home, with no gigs in the foreseeable future, Bill, Bonnie and
Drag City needed an outreach program to keep themselves busy, not to
mention sane. In the absence of any company or anything on the
calendar, playing songs they loved was an idea; playing with people they
loved, the desire. And making it fun - so pairing someone with someone
else having no say in the matter, the essence of the blind date, was the
plan. Favourite songs were chosen; players from around the Drag City
galaxy were messaged. Pretty soon, songs were flying back and forth -
music in the air.
 By autumn, the songs started to appear online: Bill and Bonnie singing a
song by someone they loved and admired; each song cut by another
artist they loved and admired, then sent to Bill and Bonnie to provide the
finishing touches. The spotlight pointed in every direction each week:
toward the singers and writers who’d originally played the songs (Yusuf
Islam, Hank Williams Jr., Dave Rich, The Other Years, Billie Eilish,
Steely Dan, Lou Reed, Bill Callahan, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Wyatt,
Lowell George, Johnnie Frierson, Air Supply, Will Oldham, Leonard
Cohen, David Berman, Iggy Pop and John Prine), toward their featured
collaborators, the artists whose artwork adorned each digital single and
videos made by still more collaborators.
 Like the best parties, it turned out to be everything and more than they’d
even hoped for. So many more people were involved in the process that
would on the page here. Suffice to say, making records over the years
has required a broad sense of community and an always-surprising mix
of independence and unity, inspiration and utility. Some of the best
memories are those where as many of our folks as possible were
together in one place at one time. The Blind Date Party was one of
these, maybe the most improbable one yet. It’s for everyone who’s here
and it’s in the name of everyone who’s gone but will never go and will
always live with us here. This album will too.

Rough Trade Records announce the release of the
15th Anniversary edition of The Long Blondes’
debut album, the acclaimed ‘Someone To Drive
You Home’.
 The home of a host of indie disco classics with its
noir atmospheres and vivid storytelling - qualities
that saw the record inspire recent, generationcapturing movie ‘Giddy Stratospheres’ which takes
its name from The Long Blondes’ iconic single -
the Sheffield band’s first album managed that rare
trick of capturing the 2000s zeitgeist while leaving
a timeless artistic mark for the ages.
 Initially inspired by the frisson of the indie disco -
now, fittingly, a classic of low lit dancefloors
everywhere - ‘Giddy Stratospheres’ is The Long
Blondes’ sophisticated calling card. A swirl of
razor-sharp guitars and vivid storytelling, waltzing
melodies and burning vocals, the Sheffield band’s
2000s single fizzes with dancing, desire and the
most stylish sing-a-long you’ll ever hear.
 The Anniversary edition of ‘Someone To Drive You
Home’, which was originally released in November
2006 and was produced by Pulp member Steve
Mackey, comes as a gatefold double LP, pressed
on to red and yellow vinyl to mirror the album’s
artwork - a picture of actress Faye Dunaway
painted by frontwoman Kate Jackson. The edition
features the original record, plus 11 additional
tracks that the band used on B-sides.

NOW Music is delighted to introduce our new sub-brand ‘NOW Presents…’. This new series starts with ‘NOW Presents… The 1970s’, the first-ever NOW vinyl boxset featuring 5 LPs uniquely designed to reflect the era.

The boxset is a musical time capsule of the decade that saw so many different genres find chart success. Across its 74 tracks over 10 sides of vinyl, the massive hits sit alongside enduring classics from each year. The set not only includes 5 beautifully designed front covers on the individual albums (that slot into a rigid slip case), but also features track by track annotations with chart positions and facts about the artists and songs.

Each year, 1970-1979 is presented as 1 side of each LP… Kicking off with the iconic ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Simon & Garfunkel from the biggest selling album of the year, and of the decade. 1970 also includes Motown classics from Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and the debut hit ‘I Want You Back’ from the Jackson 5.

1971 includes the seminal ‘What’s Going On’ from Marvin Gaye, alongside Elton John’s breakthrough – the timeless ‘Your Song’, Rod Stewart’s breakthrough ‘Maggie May’, and The Who’s defining rock anthem ‘Baba O’Riley’.

The charts in 1972 began to reflect the popularity of ‘Glam Rock’ – and ‘Virginia Plain’ by Roxy Music, and ‘Metal Guru’ by T. Rex are included, as is the David Bowie-produced ‘Perfect Day’ from Lou Reed.

‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ – one of the most beautiful songs, and vocals ever from Roberta Flack opens 1973’s side – and is joined by, amongst others, Billy Joel’s signature song ‘Piano Man’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’.

1974 celebrates Queen having their first Top 5 single with ‘Killer Queen’, and title tracks from two of the decades’ biggest selling albums: Paul McCartney & Wings with ‘Band On The Run’, and ‘Tubular Bells’ from Mike Oldfield.

John Lennon released ‘Imagine’ in 1971 – but it became a UK hit in 1975, and so, starts this side… and finds space for some of the year’s perfect pop from Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, David Essex, 10cc, and the biggest hit ‘Bye Bye Baby’ from Bay City Rollers, at the peak of their popularity.

ABBA enjoyed 7 UK Number 1’s in the 1970s, and their biggest was the enduringly popular ‘Dancing Queen’ which leads into 1976. Electric Light Orchestra had a huge hit with ‘Livin’ Thing’, as did Thin Lizzy with ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ – plus Joan Armatrading emerged with ‘Love And Affection’.

1977 saw Fleetwood Mac release their mega-selling album ‘Rumours’, and from it ‘Don’t Stop’ is here, as is Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ – one of the most influential dance tracks of all time – and one of 1977’s favourite TV stars, David Soul, enjoyed a #1 single with ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’.

With ‘Wuthering Heights’, Kate Bush not only had 4 weeks at number 1 in 1978, but became the first female artist to achieve this with a self-written song. The Jam, The Boomtown Rats and Siouxsie And The Banshees all found consistent success as Punk & New Wave established new chart stars.

1979 concludes the set and opens with the iconic ‘London Calling’ from The Clash, and includes two of the biggest bands of the era, The Police and Blondie. A couple of years later the first video played on MTV would be ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ from The Buggles – and it’s fitting that this is the final track on the collection, a #1 in late 1979 – it signposted the synth-pop wave that would define the early 80s…. (but that’s a different box set).

‘The Alienist: Angel Of Darkness (Original Series
Soundtrack)’ is now available on vinyl.
 The album features music by Ivor Novello Awardwinning composer Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak).
 The album is pressed on blue vinyl, with a deluxe
spined sleeve with deboss artwork and the vinyl itself
housed in its own double sided inner sleeve. Digital
download card included.
 Bobby Krlic is an award-winning British artist,
composer and music producer based in Los Angeles.
Over the past decade, Krlic has created music under
the The Haxan Cloak, releasing two critically
acclaimed full-length albums (2011’s ‘The Haxan
Cloak’ and 2013’s ‘Excavation’) and touring
extensively as a solo artist building a devout fanbase.
As a producer, Krlic has worked with artists including
Björk, Khalid, Troye Sivan, Goldfrapp, serpentwithfeet,
The Body and noise-rock band HEALTH.
 Krlic scored Ari Aster’s 2019 horror film ‘Midsommar’,
earning him an Ivor Novello Award for Best Original
Film Score. Last year, he made new music for ‘Red
Dead Online’ and also co-produced Father John
Misty’s ‘To S.’ and ‘To R.’.
 An unflinching, gripping, turn-of-the-century murder
mystery that traverses both New York’s wealthy elite
and the struggling underbelly of the city’s ‘Gilded Age’,
‘The Alienist’ follows Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl),
a brilliant and obsessive ‘alienist’ in the controversial
new field of treating mental pathologies.

London exploratory industrialist Luke Younger characterizes the creation of his latest collection, Axis, as a liberating return to roots: “It felt like going back to the beginning, it felt freeing.” Begun before the pandemic as a soundtrack to a dance performance, the initial vision was for something “visceral, with physical movement in mind.” When the project shifted to indefinite hiatus, he reimagined the material in the context of an LP, while retaining its sense of dynamic physicality. The result is grim and gripping, seasick throbs lurching in a low-ceilinged space, strafed with fractured clanging, hissing steam, and grinding spirals of granular haze. Noise in its most elevated and compelling form, from and for the body as much as the mind.

London exploratory industrialist Luke Younger characterizes the creation of his latest collection, Axis, as a liberating return to roots: “It felt like going back to the beginning, it felt freeing.” Begun before the pandemic as a soundtrack to a dance performance, the initial vision was for something “visceral, with physical movement in mind.” When the project shifted to indefinite hiatus, he reimagined the material in the context of an LP, while retaining its sense of dynamic physicality. The result is grim and gripping, seasick throbs lurching in a low-ceilinged space, strafed with fractured clanging, hissing steam, and grinding spirals of granular haze. Noise in its most elevated and compelling form, from and for the body as much as the mind.

London exploratory industrialist Luke Younger characterizes the creation of his latest collection, Axis, as a liberating return to roots: “It felt like going back to the beginning, it felt freeing.” Begun before the pandemic as a soundtrack to a dance performance, the initial vision was for something “visceral, with physical movement in mind.” When the project shifted to indefinite hiatus, he reimagined the material in the context of an LP, while retaining its sense of dynamic physicality. The result is grim and gripping, seasick throbs lurching in a low-ceilinged space, strafed with fractured clanging, hissing steam, and grinding spirals of granular haze. Noise in its most elevated and compelling form, from and for the body as much as the mind.

“And now for a gentleman who’s come all the way from Kingston, Jamaica and a place called Cling Cling Avenue. We present to you the one and only, the Originator, the Godfather, Daddy U Roy!”

U Roy had visited Brighton before but there was something special about that balmy night in August 2017, when he walked out on stage at the Komedia to a hero’s welcome and immediately got the crowd cheering and dancing. There was so much warmth and excitement generated that night, and it’s all captured on this final live album of the reggae superstar’s illustrious career.

U Roy wasn’t quite the originator, but he was the first Jamaican deejay to dominate the Top 3 places on both radio stations and turn his predecessors’ simple exhortations into an artform – one that evolved into a global phenomenon. It was his performances on King Tubby’s Hometown Hi-Fi that made him the talk of Jamaica and led him to Treasure Isle studio, where he voiced hits like Tide Is High and Wear You To The Ball. From then on his catchy, uplifting rhymes could be heard on radios and jukeboxes throughout the island, as well as from behind the control tower of his King Stur Gav sound-system, where MCs like Josey Wales, Brigadier Jerry and Charlie Chaplin learnt their craft. The veteran deejay, who died in February 2021, continued recording and touring into his late seventies, and without abandoning either his musical standards or Rastafarian beliefs. At his peak, U Roy voiced for Jamaica legends like Lee “Scratch” Perry, Bunny Lee and Channel One, in addition to several European labels. What most of his recordings have in common is a sense of hope and often joy, because even Get Up Stand Up is delivered with optimism. They are the qualities that come across on this life-affirming set, recorded in front of an appreciative audience, and backed by some of the UK’s finest reggae musicians.

“We go round and round in the night and are consumed by fire” *

After their highly acclaimed 'Come La Notte' (2019) WOW are back with 'Falene' a special limited release, a flickering light in the dusk where the comedown is ecstatic, intense and staggering.
In between lockdown the Roma Est quartet played the liberating Meletao festival in the Simbruini Mountains in the middle of a forest. One night a moth (falena) started dancing above the fire attracted by the light and after a few twirls dived into the flames.
Somehow ‘Come La Notte’ anticipated many of the atmospheres and emotions we’d encounter during confinement and isolation; ‘Falene’ instead was born directly from those ashes, ghostly homes, clandestine get-togethers, an old farfisa saved from dust that sparked the initial motif of the album’s title-track, a somber march, a mini-opera that sways gently, sprinkled by the beautiful sax played by Gianlorenzo Nardi and by one of the most intense China performances layed down on tape, foreshadowed by Julie Normal’s Ondes Martenot that graciously elevates the ‘Anticoda’ intro.
Tropicantesimo’s remix of ‘Occhi Di Serpente’ breathes new life into ‘Come La Notte’s classic, elevating the hypnotic and extending the pure tribal force with one of the signature trademarks of the Pescheria crew. ‘Partirai’ sung by Leo Non again is WOW at its purest, escapism to the max encapsulated in a nugget of primitive rock’n’roll and 60s night clubbing. Folks, it’s time to start living again.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. No one in particular is renowned for that cliched statement, but when something is so universal, who cares who said it? And is there anything more nostalgia inciting than a blurry film, bursting with colours but aged just perfectly so that you know, it's from a past which will never return. Het Jaarronde, a 1977 short film by Dutch amateur filmmaker Jan van Keulen is a picture perfect study of Dutch rural life. Filmed at an observer's distance it, as the title states, follows the Netherland's throughout the year. It's not bombastic and grand like 1967's John Fernhout film, Sky Over Holland. Instead it's modest, even shy, as if afraid to document too much because to document means to acknowledge change and loss.

For the second time, Nous'klaer and The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision's RE:VIVE initiative have teamed up for a split 12" featuring two new film scores of Nous'klaer staple, Mattheis and newcomer Ranie Ribeiro. Each artist was given half the film to compose for, resulting in two sonically disparate pieces that are emotionally twinned. Mattheis offers a lush, heart melting wave of pianos and synths and field recordings to appease his own inner-nostalgia, as the images struck an immediate chord with his childhood and youth in Goeree Overflakkee, South-Holland.

Ranie Ribeiro, known under his solo moniker for his slamming chopped beats and earlier club oriented releases as D-Ribeiro unveils his talents as a harpist for the first time. His work, is an encapsulation of a calm autumn day. A work in the present rather than a reflection on the past. But as the day fades into night, one can't wish for it to stay, just a little bit longer, because who knows what tomorrow is going to bring?

Late 1980’s to early 90’s guitar pop/rock n roll band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Stephen featured David Kilgour, Alf Danielson, Geoff Hoani, and Stephen Kilroy.

Formed by David Kilgour after The Clean first split. They released an EP on Flying Nun records in 1988 as a three piece, later added another guitarist and recorded for a record that didn’t happen. Remastered, rescued and compiled for this release. New art and liner notes, insert with prev. unseen photos and fliers. Tracks from the Dumb EP, Radar of Small Dogs, as well as studio tracks from sessions towards the never-completed LP.

Interview with David Kilgour about the band coming up in the next Maggot Brain issue.

"Stephen Kilroy recently reminded me that my idea for the band was to have no aspirations, apart from making new music, and that it was a casual experiment. I’d forgotten that. I remember having a long break after the Clean first split. I wanted to keep making music in a low-key way, and with other musicians I could write and share the spotlight with. I’ve always wanted to be in someone else’s band." - David Kilgour, from the Maggot Brain interview.

Valencia power !
Member of Sergent Garcia's famous band, Supa Bassie delivers here a selecta of tunes from 2008 till 2021.

500 colies LTD