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Look At Us Now: the long-awaited debut album from Song Festival sensation Gustaph!

"I wanted to make a record that makes people feel good about themselves."

Good things come to those who wait: after more than 20 years as a musician, Gustaph is releasing his debut album, Look At Us Now. The title is a phrase from the song Because Of You, which won him seventh place at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.

"Look At Us Now may be taken literally," Gustaph explains. "Look where we are now after 20 years of hardwork. And look where we are with the queer movement: as a queer artist, I can openly be myself and sing about the things that are important to me."

Gustaph's soulful voice takes us through various themes, from believing in yourself and fickle lovers to chosen family and loss.

Look At Us Now is a pop record infused with nineties house, dance and disco, but we also spot a ballad (Miss You The Most) and two Scandi-pop tracks: Like You, an ode to love and Darker Days, an epic track that will pull you through bleak periods with panache.

"I wanted to make a record that makes people feel good about themselves," Gustaph says. "One that they put on while getting ready to go out or just to start the day. A little pick-me-up that makes them think: Yes, now I can kick ass."

When you play the record for the first time, you'll already be able to sing along to a bunch of tracks: there's Because Of You of course, butalso more recent singles like Already Know, Faith In What You Feel and Calls Your Name.

The record was produced in London with Richard X, known for his work with Róisín Murphy, Alison Goldfrapp and Pet Shop Boys, among others. "That's very close to who I am as an artist, so that collaboration just made sense," Gustaph explains.

Look At Me Now sounds like a party where everyone is welcome. The club tour kicks off at Ancienne Belgique. Come celebrate!

Freerange Sounds - which shouldn't be confused with Jimpster's deep house label Freerange - is reissuing its first release from back in May 2022 here. It's a dark garage outing from 9TRANE that kicks off with 'Keep It Moving' (feat Riko Dan) with edgy vocals, late-night urban menace and some crisp drum patterns. The fantastic Bakey dub mix brings more pruning basslines and withering pads while the instrumental is stripped back and more haunting. Last of all is 'Hear This' which leans on the Burial style of ghostly production but with a more fulsome low-end and prickly percussive brew riding the beats. Serious tackle for sure.

SPIL Records follows up its impressive vinyl debut here with a second 12" release featuring fresh tracks from label head Jack Swift and Scott Diaz. Diaz kicks off with 'Like Dis' which is all classic US house drums and bouncy bass, then Timmy P & Lunoize's 'Ouch' is a swirling, vocal-laced party starter. Swift then offers 'Burning' which is a lively garage house cut with throwback diva vocals. Devstar's Feel The Vibe remix shuts down with some more naughty, dark and dirty bassline sounds perfect for pumping up the floor.

A pure beauty of a kind... Angel Flo delivers here, not only some tunes...
It's an invocation, a ceremony...

QUEENDOM is an album that marks a new era for the project while staying true to the essence of Minuit Machine. Produced under the SYNTH RELIGION label, this opus immerses us in Amandine's introspective realm, oscillating between darkness and light, between doubt and self-conquest. While retaining the emotional DNA of previous productions, QUEENDOM stands out with a more pop-oriented touch, featuring tracks where Amandine sings in French for the first time.

The first single, "HOLD ME," is a powerful pop anthem addressed to the queer community, celebrating the freedom to be oneself and breaking free from societal and patriarchal norms. This track is a true empowerment statement, with striking electro beats supporting a strong message of emancipation and pride.

"Créatures," a collaboration between RAUMM and Minuit Machine, is a modern fairy tale—a timeless love story that could take place in any era. This salvific love, rarely seen today, embodies a poignant depth and beauty.

Continuing the journey, "Cent Fois"—a French-written track—takes us into a techno-pop universe with nostalgic yet hopeful undertones. This song perfectly reflects Minuit Machine's evolution toward a more radiant approach while staying faithful to its dark heritage.

"Party People," on the other hand, is a return to roots with dark wave/italo sounds. This hypnotic and haunting track questions identity in an increasingly robotic society, where individuals are forced to conform to imposed norms. This exploration of the individual versus the collective lies at the core of Minuit Machine's DNA.

"Mes Souvenirs," created in collaboration with Rebeka Warrior, dives intimately into the memories of Amandine and Rebeka. Together, they reveal fragments of their past—precious and vibrant memories that resonate through powerful and melancholic electro sounds.

Finally, the eponymous track "Queendom" invites us to plunge into the depths of Amandine's world—a universe that is both tormented and icy, yet resilient. Supported by a slow and captivating rhythm, this track is designed to grip and haunt the listener, like an incantation.

QUEENDOM is a bold and hybrid work where each track reflects a pursuit of sincerity and artistic reinvention while maintaining the ability to express emotions through rhythms that are both danceable and introspective. The album showcases Minuit Machine's artistic maturity, establishing itself as a must-listen in the darkwave and electronic pop scene.

Amandine entrusted the artistic direction of this album to Manon Dupeyrat, a brilliant young artist who crafted a bespoke universe perfectly aligned with the produced tracks. The album cover, both intimate and anachronistic, invites listeners into Amandine's private world through her bedroom, revealing what she wishes to share.

RainboWarriors Vol 1 is the first compilation from the Warriorecords label, curated by Rebeka Warrior.

15 original tracks by 15 artists from all horizons and, for the most part, from the queer scene, grouped under the same Dark and New Wave banner.

Five Green Moons is the brand new project from the legendary Justin Robertson and here he drops the first fruits of that project with the incredible Moon 1.

This isn't Justin at his house controls. This is Justin delving into his roots and digging around through the likes of P.I.L, Gang Of Four, On-U-Sound, Current 93, Coil, Sabres Of Paradise and all manner of post punk echoes and basement electronics. As the man himself puts it - Moon 1 is a haunted ballroom full of memories. The sound of a dystopian disco. An object on a wonky orbit. A spectral visitation. And it is alive.

Released in 2015, Violent Rains is Minuit Machine's standout album, cementing the project as a key reference in the darkwave scene both in France and internationally.

Driven by the single Honey, their most-streamed track, the album blends dark electronic soundscapes with haunting melodies. Violent Rains remains a defining work, earning Minuit Machine a loyal global audience and lasting recognition in the genre.

BLACK/RED VINYL

A match made in heaven and hell, since forming in the cradle of Europe Athens, back in 2012, dark synth duo Selofan have paved their own perditious way, reinventing the modern Darkwave scene throughout the continent and worldwide with their prolific creativity and work ethic over the past decade. Through varied experimental synth-scapes conjured with keen ears for sound design, production, and theatrical aesthetics, Selofan rest not on the laurels of just creating highly danceable coldwave infused music, but with together with Joanna Pavlidou's haunting vocals, and Dimitris Pavlidis' throbbing bass guitar, and modular synth compositions, the pair conjure whole other worlds and narratives throughout each album and music video they create. Thus far the Selofan have released 5 studio albums, issued through their own legendary label they curate themselves: Fabrika Records. Through their Fabrika family, Selofan have championed such acts as Lebanon Hanover, and She Past Away, aiding these bands in becoming two of the most popular Darkwave acts worldwide. Drab Majesty even cameoed in a She Past Away video while being hosted by Selofan during one of the band's frequent stays in Athens, and Kaelan Mikla, a handpicked favorite of The Cure, were first championed by Selofan, through the release of the Icelandic Trio's self-titled debut in 2016. In the Spring of 2020, Selofan released the video for the hopelessly plaintive "There Must Be Somebody", the first single from their forthcoming sixth studio album Partners In Hell, the follow-up to 2018's widely popular Vitrioli LP. "There Must be Somebody" is a discordant composition, mimicking the startled song of birds after a disturbance in a wooded enclave on a mountainside, while a magick ritual unfolds. The album itself opens with "Grey Gardens", a menagerie of morose melodies setting a sombre tone for the rest of a bleak record whose sound design and dreamscapes evoke the best sounds of British and German post-punk of the 80s. "Almost Nothing" is a brooding bell-driven track with a dark and pirouetting melody that is the perfect soundtrack to a figurine twirling in a music box. The German language "Nichts" means No, and this song is both sinister and cinematic with sighing keys, shuddering drum machines, and German lyrics sung with sorrowful conviction. "Zusamen", is a word often asked if you are together, or separate, is a dark ballad whose shadowy keys weave a nightmarish delirium, evoking the soundscapes of a lullaby sung in a haunted dollhouse. "4am" is a restless rhythm, whose soft percussive melody tosses and turns alongside subtle bass and string accents overlaid with despondent vocals. "Happy Consumers" sounds like the swirling of a finger drawn upon the edge of crystalline glass, with vocals and drum machines coming emanating from an adjacent room with echoing acoustics, collectively evoking the sound like lingers when the somnambulist wakes from his dream. "Absolutely Absent" hums onward like a phantom train ride that is a one-way ticket to madness, and with the next track "Metalic Isolation" the locomotive beats gather more steam, propelled forward with anachronistic melody. The album closes with "Auf Dein Haut", which translates as on your skin, and the song is both tactile and tenebrous with sensuously dark synth textures amidst howling German vocals that take flight like witches during a sabbat. Partner's In Hell was mixed and produced by Serafim Tsotsonis, and mastered by Doruk Ozturkcan. Genre: Alternative / Post-Punk / Cold Wave

2025 Repress

Veyl is proud to welcome back to the label one of the most essential and multidimensional producers today, Filmmaker. To date, the Colombian artist has delivered a plethora of revered releases from his breakout, The Love Market (2019), to his previous album on Veyl, Fictional Portrayals (2022). He consistently traverses genres from postpunk, EBM, synth wave and beyond to create a unique identity still firmly rooted in film culture. Now he returns with perhaps his most robust and powerful offering, Hollywood
Cult.

Comprised of 13 tracks, the album sees the producer elevate his sound to new levels, conjuring a world of haunting atmospheres and devious directions that take the listener through a journey of unparalleled proportions. Kicking off the album is the ritual-like
'Secrecy', which builds tension before exploding into a synth-driven race against time and introduces us to the world that lies ahead. 'Holy Wood' injects a heavy dose of body music for an infectious piece that bleeds perfectly in to the slow burning nostalgia of 'Generational Trauma'. Next, 'Western Malice' picks the pace back up with its evil energy that feels fit for the best horror scenes before 'Shocking Therapy' enters the picture with an exhilarating electro feel.


Now in the depths of the journey, 'Vessels Wine' continues the saga with a high intensity work that gives way to the stirring emotions of 'Peacekeeper Ripper' and the raw, blood lust of 'Criminal Rite'. Now entering the final phases, 'Spiritual Harvest' cleanses the palate before 'Elite Dungeons' comes crashing in with a lo-fi feel that puts you deep underground. 'Two Sets of Rules' charges back with twisted lines before 'No Fetish Without Evil' unveils post-punk strings that puts you in a trance before 'Hanging Finale' closes the release u ltimately fading out into the abyss. Repeat listens will be necessary and the whole album feels like a soundtrack to a dark new world that is perfectly fitting for any Hollywood Cult.

El Dorado ist ein Meilenstein der guten Laune und der wohltemperierten Gesinnung. Das Album hat sich seit der Erstveröffentlichung (2016) zu einem digitalen Dauerbrenner entwickelt. Mehr als 50 Millionen Streams im Jahr, über 5 Millionen pro Monat, 1 Million Listener im Monat, davon mit 250.000 die meisten in Deutschland. 60% Zuwachs in 2023. Dies ist eine Erfolgsgeschichte, die noch lange nicht zu Ende erzählt ist. Am 31.03.2025 veröffentlicht Gizmo sein neues Studioalbum 'The World In Colour'.

„El Dorado“ hat alles, was einen Albumklassiker auszeichnet: gute, prägnante Songs mit feinem Timing und noch besserem Spirit. El Dorado ist ein realer Ort. Es ist die Erde, auf der wir leben. „El Dorado“ könnte für unsere Zeit das werden, was „Clandestino“ von Manu Chao vor knapp zwanzig Jahren war – ein Meilenstein der guten Laune und der wohltemperierten Gesinnung.

Obliteration is imminent: As The World Dies return with their triumphant second offering. “Nebula” is a colossal lesson in crushing death metal and cosmic mysticism. “‘Nebula’ is the quintessence of what As The World Dies is all about,” band leader and scene veteran Scott Fairfax says. “We pushed our musical boundaries and wanted to create an album that was both brutal and thought-provoking. It’s heavier, darker and more profound than anything we’ve done before.”

While we go about our petty business, leading our small and insignificant live under the sun, death is hurtling towards us at breakneck speed: An asteroid names Apophis will come in very close contact with planet Earth in 2029. Aptly named after the Egyptian god of dissolution, darkness and chaos, it has the power to obliterate life as we know it. Seriously: it doesn’t get any more death metal than this.

Scott Fairfax is well aware of that. The death metal veteran of Memoriam fame is back with his other vehicle of death and destruction, As The World Dies. Three years after their earthshattering and star-studded debut “Agonist”, he’s taking things into space with “Nebula”, a cosmic death metal requiem of colossal proportions. Brought to life and recorded mostly by Scott Fairfax alone in his home studio, this isn’t so much of a band effort and rather the work of a dedicated individual pissed off by pretty much everything going on around him.

Angry, haunting and miserable songs are, though. “Nebula” is full of them. An album like an uncompromising alien threat to our planet, as unrelenting and indifferent as an asteroid. The end is coming, folks. Let’s all enjoy it while we can

Obliteration is imminent: As The World Dies return with their triumphant second offering. “Nebula” is a colossal lesson in crushing death metal and cosmic mysticism. “‘Nebula’ is the quintessence of what As The World Dies is all about,” band leader and scene veteran Scott Fairfax says. “We pushed our musical boundaries and wanted to create an album that was both brutal and thought-provoking. It’s heavier, darker and more profound than anything we’ve done before.”

While we go about our petty business, leading our small and insignificant live under the sun, death is hurtling towards us at breakneck speed: An asteroid names Apophis will come in very close contact with planet Earth in 2029. Aptly named after the Egyptian god of dissolution, darkness and chaos, it has the power to obliterate life as we know it. Seriously: it doesn’t get any more death metal than this.

Scott Fairfax is well aware of that. The death metal veteran of Memoriam fame is back with his other vehicle of death and destruction, As The World Dies. Three years after their earthshattering and star-studded debut “Agonist”, he’s taking things into space with “Nebula”, a cosmic death metal requiem of colossal proportions. Brought to life and recorded mostly by Scott Fairfax alone in his home studio, this isn’t so much of a band effort and rather the work of a dedicated individual pissed off by pretty much everything going on around him.

Angry, haunting and miserable songs are, though. “Nebula” is full of them. An album like an uncompromising alien threat to our planet, as unrelenting and indifferent as an asteroid. The end is coming, folks. Let’s all enjoy it while we can

The sounds, songs, and passages within Power Sucker are the very reason that Young Widows are still a band after an 11-year creative pause; they remain masters at making music with equal parts sonic and emotional weight. Young Widows have inspired scores of underground artists across the globe with their unique collage of noise-rock, hardcore, and post-punk and pioneering presentation. The Young Widows sound - or more accurately, the Young Widows feel - is in full battering ram motion on their fifth studio album. The heaviness of Power Sucker isn't mysterious. The Louisville, Kentucky power trio play their individual parts with such recognizable precision and style that once entwined together each completed piece becomes an integral part of the puzzle. The sizzling guitars, growling bass, and lock-tight drums rip through the pavement that Young Widows had previously laid to allow the most forward-moving vocal arrangements of their now two-decade career. Historical accomplishments aside, Power Sucker has the shock and wonder of a new band's debut album. After all, this is the regrouping of three passionate lifers once again sharing their undying love for the art of sound. No one and no thing can take those powers away.

The sounds, songs, and passages within Power Sucker are the very reason that Young Widows are still a band after an 11-year creative pause; they remain masters at making music with equal parts sonic and emotional weight. Young Widows have inspired scores of underground artists across the globe with their unique collage of noise-rock, hardcore, and post-punk and pioneering presentation. The Young Widows sound - or more accurately, the Young Widows feel - is in full battering ram motion on their fifth studio album. The heaviness of Power Sucker isn't mysterious. The Louisville, Kentucky power trio play their individual parts with such recognizable precision and style that once entwined together each completed piece becomes an integral part of the puzzle. The sizzling guitars, growling bass, and lock-tight drums rip through the pavement that Young Widows had previously laid to allow the most forward-moving vocal arrangements of their now two-decade career. Historical accomplishments aside, Power Sucker has the shock and wonder of a new band's debut album. After all, this is the regrouping of three passionate lifers once again sharing their undying love for the art of sound. No one and no thing can take those powers away.

Midwest band Church Tongue have announced they have signed to Pure Noise Records and will release EP "You'll Know It Was Me" on 14th February 2025. The 6 track EP continues its complex, uncompromising and emotionally charged sound with guest features from Colin Young (Hardlore podcast), George Clarke (Deafheaven), and Crystal Pak (Initiate)​"You’ll Know It Was Me is a short record about love. Love looks like a lot of things, and each track touches on it in its own way." says Mike Sugars. "People close to me have heard about me wanting to make this kind of record for a long time. I just hadn’t grown enough to realise the dream of it, and I knew it had to be a Church Tongue record. I’ve been with this band, these guys, for the majority of my life now. I’ve made records with other bands, and so have the other guys, but this idea felt sacred to my beginnings. I knew this record was in us, was who we are, and I’m honoured to have made it with my brothers."

Als Sohn der berühmten Theater- und Filmschauspielerin Angela Winkler ("Dark", "Die Blechtrommel") ist dem Berliner Songwriter, Theatermusiker, Technoproduzenten und Labelbetreiber Lasse Winkler der Kultur-Rummel bekannt. Engagieren tut er sich jedoch bislang vor allem in der berliner Technoszene und veröffentlicht spaßige Electro-Titel wie "Supermarkt" oder "Matjesfilet", die unter seinem Pseudonym Acud die Runde machen. Unter seinem Klarnamen arbeitet er nicht nur als Musikproduzent für "Tatort" und Theaterinszenierungen, sondern veröffentlicht deutschsprachige Pop-Musik. Das kommende Album "Weltflucht", welches unter anderem in einer Speisekammer in der französischen Auvergne aufgenommen wurde, geht auch mal tiefer unter die Haut. Teils in die Kopfstimme abdriftend, singt er über das berliner Lotterleben oder dem Drang nach Realitätsflucht, so wie er auf der anderen Seite die Schönheit des Moments frönt, angetrieben von der Kraft der Natur.

Goldstar takes perennial New Yorkers, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT's exploration of the extreme and arcane and delivers the band’s most focused, authentic and accessible work to date. While the triumvirate has expanded the language of extreme music with albums including Alphaville (2021) and Spirit of Ecstasy (2023) via musical improvisation and a visual obliqueness that extends to their haunting masked performances, this is their defining moment. Also joining the Decibel magazine vaunted ensemble are Meshuggah drummer Thomas Haake and legendary drummer, Dave Lombardo, both of whose presence makes it clear that musically, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT are in a class by themselves. From album opener “Eye of Mars” to the stirring “Hotel Sphinx” and the death metal scraping “Rot Moderne”, this is the sound of IMPERIAL capitalizing on months of churning up the road in the company of Behemoth, Carcass and Zeal & Ardor. In their vision of urban disorder, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT's monolithic cityscapes are dark as any of their extreme or black metal brethren.

Warm welcome to the label this time comes to the duo of producers from Netherlands called pH Project. The musical union formed by Pelle and Herra that are both have been doing what they do for many years and played alongside as well many admirable artists which you can find on the archives of the internet if the curiosity will get the best of you. The maestros of the project have provided us with 3 ready to tremor up the speakers cuts with their signature groove and knowledge that they have acquired in the trenches of rave during their activity on the scene. Finalising this 12” vinyl cut is Levat, the producer who doesn’t need introduction as his persona and non-stop dedication for music speaks for itself. Taking non-standard approach of taking stems from all the originals hence the name of the work is “Thritrakk”, combining the elements of all three tracks we have this dark electro monster audio gracing the B2 side. The work of a collaboration of styles and sonically dedicated minds have resulted into this EP “Obvitrip” coming to life for us to enjoy.

Here is an expanded edition of one of Nurse With Wound's most intense and unique albums, so much so that for long-time fans, it was a strange, chaotic lounge oddity upon its release. For the first time, all four audio sides are complete (originally, there were only three sides).

To top it off, there is a stunning new cover by the great and talented Babs Santini, who is none other than Steven Stapleton using his artist pseudonym, continuing in the luxurious tradition of the "silver collection" at Rotorelief Records.

The album Huffin' Rag Blues by Nurse With Wound is unique in the NWW discography. Stapleton teams up with composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Liles, his co-creator of musical terrorism, to tackle the genres of exotica and lounge, crushed into a joyful cacophonic mess. Longtime NWW friends Colin Potter and Matt Waldron also join in.

Blues, jazz, cop movies, bachelor pads, and TV show music are treated, discarded, then chopped up and recycled into a mix that contains tons of space but also overflows with dynamic tension, hilarious asides, sexually suggestive poetry, and a certain rock & roll abandon. It's a very surprising album for long-time fans, like a soundtrack that could accompany a David Lynch film.

It's brilliant, exasperating, hilarious, and dark enough to earn a spot in any collection that appreciates a bit of weirdness and eccentricity.

Huffin' Rag Blues incorporates more familiar musical elements—including live-played instruments, rhythm, and vocals—than nearly any other Nurse With Wound album to date. As always, the album's main focus is to create environments for lucid dreaming rather than music per se.