Search:dark m

Ride bassist Steve Queralt’s debut solo album Swallow is a beautifully brooding nine-track collection that combines the darkly textured soundscapes of early M83 and Sigur Rós with an electronic sheen reminiscent of Boards Of Canada. It also features guest vocals from Sonic Cathedral labelmate Emma Anderson (formerly of Lush and Sing-Sing) and Verity Susman (Electrelane, Memorials).Swallow has been slowly but surely pieced together between Ride albums and tours over the past five years and, perhaps as a result, has a slightly dystopian, Blade Runner feel that reflects the liminal spaces in which it was created.Despite the fact that the majority of the album is instrumental, there is plenty of power and emotion poured into these moody, moonlit soundtracks. When words do appear, an underlying anger and political slant emerges and amplifies the album’s dark intensity. This is most notable on the closing track, ‘Motor Boats’, where he overlays words from Julie Sheldon’s polemic poem The Same Boat (“We’re all in the same boat they say, but I would disagree”). According to Steve, these simple words of rejection “capture the reality of our times perfectly”. However, it was the collaborations with the two guest vocalists that tied the whole thing together and paved the way to the finished album. “After a few false starts, I had started to doubt the project altogether. It was going nowhere,” says Steve. “Then, out of the darkness, Emma got in touch to tell me that she’d found her voice and could I send her some tracks. A few files back and forth and an afternoon in the studio later and we had ‘Lonely Town’ and ‘Swiss Air’.”In the meantime, Verity from Electrelane had added vocals to the song ‘Messengers’ and transformed the track. Matthew Simms, now her bandmate in Memorials, would go on to mix the finished album.“Swallow has turned out so much better than I had hoped,” enthuses Steve. “I’d fallen out of love with it so many times I was thinking of calling it Loveless. But then, that wouldn’t be the whole story.”

Come Ahead ist das 12. Album von Primal Scream. 11 neue Songs, mit denen Bobby Gillespie sich darauf
vorbereitet, einige der persönlichsten Songs der Bandkarriere zu veröffentlichen.
Der Songwriting-Prozess für Come Ahead begann 2019. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte Bobby Gillespie noch
keine Ahnung, ob er noch einmal ein Album von Primal Scream machen würde. Zum ersten Mal kamen
die Texte vor der Musik. Die Geschichte kam zuerst. Bobby schrieb allein, mit einer Akustikgitarre. Die
Ideen flossen schnell, in langen Inspirationsschüben. Dieser Prozess, zusammen mit der Ermutigung durch
Produzent David Holmes, bot einen neuen Einstieg. In Zusammenarbeit mit Holmes und Primal ScreamGitarrist Andrew Innes wurden die Come Ahead-Sessions in Belfast, London und Los Angeles durchgeführt.
„Ich bin sehr aufgeregt über dieses Album, so als würde man seine erste Platte machen. Wenn es ein
Gesamtthema für Come Ahead gäbe, wäre es vielleicht ein Konflikt, ob innerlich oder äußerlich. Der Titel
ist ein Begriff aus Glasgow. Wenn jemand droht, mit dir zu kämpfen, sagst du: ‚Komm schon!‘ Es erinnert
an den unbezwingbaren Geist der Glasgower, und das Album selbst vermittelt diese aggressive Haltung und
Zuversicht. Sie haben da oben ein Wort dafür: gallus. ‚Come Ahead‘ ist auch ein ziemlich frecher Titel.“
Bobby Gillespie

To fans of black metal, Dødheimsgard need no introduction, being one of the great purveyors of the Norwegian Black Metal creative evolution.

The band was formed in 1994 by Aldrahn (Thorns) and Vicotnik (Ved Buens Ende). The early incarnation was that of a raw and at often melodic black metal band, with their debut album also featuring Fenriz of Darkthrone on bass. In recent years, Dodheimsgard has become known for its eclectic musical ventures and poignant mood shifts, with a less chaotic, more considered approach compared to their earliest works. Following the 'Kronet til Konge' and 'Monumental Possession' opuses, there was a shift in direction as demonstrated on 1998's 'Satanic Art' EP and by Dødheimsgard's third album, 666 International, Vicotnik had taken over a lot of the writing duties, with DHG's style becoming more technical yet ferocious black metal, with strong experimental ideas and industrial elements.

Vicotnik's riffs were inspired by cult bands such as Thorns and perfectly entwined with Aldrahn's delightfully twisted lyrics and immense vocals to create something truly unique. In its 666 International incarnation, DHG (as they were later to be known) featured a line- up of well- respected Norwegian musicians including Czral (Aura Noir, Ved Buens Ends, Virus), Apollyon (Aura Noir, Immortal), plus Mr Magic Logic (Fleurety) on keyboards, as the album was constructed over a period of time. All in all, 666 International is rightly regarded as a highly influential masterpiece of avant-garde metal by many since its release in 1999.

University, the Crewe-based four-piece formed of Zak Bowker (vocals/ guitar), Ewan Barton (bass), drummerJoel Smith and Eddie (mascot), release their debut album, McCartney, It'll Be OK.

Recorded with producer Kwes Darko (Sampa The Great, Denzel Curry) at Damon Albarn's Studio 13 in London, McCartney, It'll Be OK furthers the extremely exciting beginnings of University's 2023 debut EP, Title Track, with the hooks now brighter and more melodic, the breakdowns heavier and the lyrics more refned. The band recorded McCartney, It'll Be Alrighttotally live, and it retains the delightfully unhinged energy that's defned their work so far, with everything thrillingly close to falling apart at any minute.

Big up to northern powerhouse Burnski for steering his Constant Sound label to the not-so-insignificant feat of release number 50. More importantly, the sounds remain as vital as ever and always evolve into subtle new sound worlds. The mantle for this one is taken by Locklead who brings some fine drum patterns to 'Backup' and pairs them with sliding hi-hats and bubbly synth motifs. It's garage-infused but utterly fresh. 'Wizzord' is a darker tech house with searching lead synths and plenty of pent-up energy, and 'Motherland' brings nice jazzy chord work and atmospheric samples. 'Pink Skies' is a bright closer with contrasting synths - some farting, some smooth - and more high-speed, catchy drums that span house and tech.

7 track album featuring Indie Dance, Electronica, Funky Grooves and Hard House fused songs. Showcasing a new range of vocal agility and aura not yet displayed from the artist known as Seven Davis Jr. (Sev). A darker much more aggressive and concentrated soundscape than previous adventures. Inspired by an unexpectedly bad year the artist experienced following the successful release of his previous album, "Stranger Than Fiction”.

Pain Management welcomes London cult favourite DJ ojo, who arrives on the label with a hazy three tracker of trademark nether zone system music. On his most dubbed out full length to date, ojo span’s the full emotive spectrum of dub sonics with a range of both the eerie and more tender expansions of low end atmospherics, the resulting 12” equally suited for the club and the journey home alike.

‘Tongue Tied’ opens the record, a lysergic offering from the darker edges of dub music. A slippery fugue-state hit of narco-ambience built around a crooning, intelligible vocal refrain and chest shot sub weight. A real nightfall system pusher built to simmer in the early hours. It kicks off the EP on an amorphous, hypnotic note that sustains throughout.‘Oil Dub’ sinks deeper into the fog, melodic kinesis and expansive delays upholding an underworld of feedbacked percussion and tongue in cheek sub motion; a seven minute sound bath of ambiguous dub ASMR.

The B-side balances out the darker strains found on its counterpart with an overtly tender digidub closer. Clocking in at almost ten minutes long ‘Cloud Suck’ is a nebulous bliss of perpetually ascending late-summer warmth. The kind of liminal dream-state embrace that you wish would never end. True to the name, it evokes tender, dusk and dawn hued moments, a quiet ride-home flash of introspection on the way to or from some pursuit of meaning. Pain Management essential right here.

Limited run of 200 hand-stamped 12” records available now.

First ever release of pioneering radiophonic / experimental / electronic / soundtrack composer you may never have heard of but really should have by now. 26 tracks in all.
As we began the mammoth task of whittling down material for this album Elizabeth recalled the time she met Delia Derbyshire. It was during a party for existing and former Radiophonic Workshop composers at BBC Maida Vale in the early 1980s. Delia introduced herself with typical energy and exuberance proclaiming "It's up to you now - I'm passing the baton. Show these men how we get things done". That must have been quite an honour and responsibility for a young, female composer establishing herself within the male-dominated environs at Delaware Road.
Looking back over a musical career spanning almost five decades, it's clear Elizabeth rose to the challenge and made her mark. She was consistently in demand with television and radio producers, composing for an array of ground-breaking, critically acclaimed and popular BBC projects. Whilst Delia's legacy has achieved mythical status with her position as an innovator and feminist icon secured, the majority of Elizabeth's recorded work remains unavailable so her contribution to the output of the Workshop and evolution of British electronic music is somewhat under-appreciated.
Perhaps this record will help start to remedy the situation. Included are early tape experiments, home demos and non-BBC commissions from the early 1970's to the late 2000s. Having listened to 260+ digital audio tapes from Elizabeth's personal archive we have barely scratched the surface but hope to provide an indication of the breadth of her compositional and sound design skills.
Classically trained in cello and piano, Elizabeth graduated from the University of East Anglia with a degree in Music in 1973. She was mentored by Tristram Cary who helped her to become UEA's first recipient of a Masters in Electronic Music and later awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Staffordshire University. Joining the BBC as a studio manager in 1975, Elizabeth transferred to the Radiophonic Workshop in 1978. One of her first tasks was to create special sound effects for Blake's 7 using tape loops, the EMS 100 and trusted VCS3.
Her celebrated score for The Living Planet in 1982 featured early use of the PPG synthesizer and earned an Emmy nomination. Over the following years studio technology evolved rapidly, but Elizabeth transitioned from analogue recording techniques to newer digital platforms with relative ease, using samplers, midi sequencing and computer controlled workstations.
With an incredible 1,400 commissions to her name, she created special sound for The Day Of The Triffids, Lord Of The Rings, countless radio dramas including Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea, Harold Pinter's Moonlight, all of Howard Barker's plays, productions of King Lear, Wordsworth's Prelude and The Pallisers. The success of The Living Planet led to further work for the BBC Natural History Unit followed by numerous commissions for The Natural World. At one point in the late 1980's at least five of her signature tunes were being broadcast every week including Points Of View, Horizon, Doctors To Be and Everyman.
After the closure of the Workshop in 1996 Elizabeth became freelance, arranging Faure's Pavane for the BBC World Cup '98 coverage (reaching no. 9 in the UK singles chart). She wrote additional music for Monty Python's Holy Grail DVD, scored Michael Palin's Full Circle and Sahara TV series, The Lost Gardens Of Heligan and The Human Body with Robert Winston.
Retiring from the music industry in the late 2000's, Elizabeth recently returned to her East Anglian roots and now lives near the coast. She walks daily, listening to all kinds of music, new and old, on her beloved air-pods.

Nach einer 14-jährigen Karriere, in der Calum Hood als Teil der international erfolgreichen Band 5 Second of Summer weltweit Konzerte gab, veröffentlicht er nun sein erstes Soloalbum. Die 10-Track-Sammlun thematisiert den Prozess des Innehaltens und der persönlichen Weiterentwicklung.

Neugierig und introspektiv betrachtet Calum Hood das Wunder in allem: Liebe, Sehnsucht, Trauer, Trauma ein Sonnenuntergang, die komplexe und unvorhersehbare Maschinerie des Lebens. Dieser Ansatz manifestiert sich im Debütalbum ORDER CHAOS ORDER, das einen charakteristischen Stilmix aus beina rauschendem, ursprünglichem Indierock mit einem Hauch Intensität und Emotionalität präsentiert.

Opaque Red Standard LP. Aufgrund des Effekts ist jede Vinyl ein Unikat und kann sich leicht von der Abbildung unterscheiden.

Sneaker Social Club welcome a veritable supergroup of bass heavyweights in the form of Legion. Made up of Trends, Boylan, P Jam and D.O.K., this four strong collective first came to light with the We Are Many 12" on Artikal Music in 2021, and now they regroup for another four-strong payload of soundsystem pressure that embraces the darkness in devastating fashion.

The Sister Abigail EP leads with 'Rastaman', an ice-cold half-step drop that summons the spirit of early dubstep in its raw minimalism, eerie atmospherics and snarling low-end wobble. Without an ounce of fat, it's a lean workout of drums and bass that finds catharsis in simplicity without compromising on high definition detail. 'Souls' locks into a jerky groove to set the dance off at acute angles, nudging the textures up a notch without disturbing the spartan mood of the release. 'Sister Abigail' pushes the underlying malevolence of the Legion sound to the forefront with dissonant sheet-metal tones while packing the rhythm section into a tight, vicious formation of gnashing, chrome-plated teeth. 'Play That Vibe' seals the deal on the EP with a hard-thumping, propulsive groove that calls to mind the techy development of dubstep in the 2010s — a taut, tracky throwdown to keep the intensity on a rolling boil.

Drawing on the grounding principles of OG dubstep with a sharp line in crisp, modernist production and a ruthless economy of arrangement on display, Legion prove many cooks can still result in a potent, brutally focused broth.